Everyone and their Aunt Petunia knows UGLY THINGS is the tops. Every issue makes me dig out recordings of whatever bands are featured so that I can sort of rediscover 'em as their saga unfolds. This time around I found out that my Kissing Spell reissue of Bend Wind's LP has a glitch in it. Well, I've had that CD longer than a couple of my cats, so...
Highlights include Ron Swart talking himself into the home of a pleasant if bewildered senior citizen husband and wife on the suspicion that the Music Machine used to rehearse in the basement. Turns out his sleuthing was correct, and you would have thought it was King Phooey's royal chamber pot when he finds the band's name spray painted down below. One day every high energy recording of yore will have been exposed, every reissue reissued, every band practice space rediscovered, and there will be nothing but the slimmest of pickings. You'll have to content yourself with a discography of Mystic Records, maybe the only 80s punk records to DECREASE in value, and there will be nothing but the slimmest of pickings.
Until then, dig into the first part of the story of the Things to Come and the talented and tragic Steve Runolfsson. Right up there with the best the mag has done, and some head spinning twists and turns. Unnatural Axe were a second rate overall outfit, but still enter punk rock Valhalla on the strength of "They Saved Hitler's Brain". The two members of the band sound so excited to recount it all that it might as well be 1978 and they just got some new promo badges. Even better is an interview with Jesse Sublett of Texas punk and rollers the Skunks, someone who has truly earbed the epilet "renaissance man". Harvey Kubernick talks to Travis Pike, who is in the recently rediscovered 1966 movie FEELIN' GOOD. There is a great photo of the gala opening at Boston's Paramount Theater. complete with marching band!
Long Beach garage band Mud talk about their run in with Kim Fowley and being awe stricken that he had recorded the Belfast Gypsies. And hey, can you ever get enough info on San Fran's ONLY rock 'n roll band, Crime?
About the only thing that didn't grab me by the medulla oblongata was a feature on Ted Newman Jones III who was an ace guitar fashioner for Keith Richards and others. I'm sure Greg Prevost can get excited about the specifics discussed therein but as for me, an auctioneer might as well be describing the subtle differences in Faberge eggs. I'd be thinking the whole time I'd rather have a Cadbury one anyway.
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