Friends launch online campaign to help Scott Morgan start over

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By The Barman

The Barman

26 May 2015

Hits: 5981

Four years after being diagnosed with terminal liver disease, Detroit musical elder statesman Scott Morgan is back making new music. A mountain of bills from medical treatment and ongoing living expenses, however, are making it tough going.

The former Rationals, Hydromatics and Sonic’s Rendezvous Band member was diagnosed with terminal liver cirrhosis and a stomach tumour that was swiftly and painfully ravaging his body. Against great odds, he survived thanks to the excellent medical staff at University of Michigan and St. Joseph Hospitals.

Scott spent two years in treatment and recovery, and a third year in physical therapy to regain his vocal strength.

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BellRays announce replacement Aussie dates

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By The Barman

The Barman

26 May 2015

Hits: 6062

The world’s greatest exponents of down and dirty, heart breaking, soul shaking rock ‘n’ roll,The BellRays, are about to hit Australian shores again in August. The re-scheduled dates follow the cancellation of their planned double-headed tour of Australia with Supersuckers.

The ROCKPOCALYPSE Make Up Tour takes in three states and the national capital and includes forays into regional centres.

• live
• tour
• bellrays
• australian

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Jesus Drives a Sandman b/w Solicit - The Fools (self released)

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By Bob Short & The Barman

Bob Short & The Barman

24 May 2015

Hits: 7321

I'm going to surprise you and tell you this isn't a great single. Well, not in the traditional sense. It's not what anyone calls a hit record. It barely finds a chorus. But is it fucking great? Oh yeah.

This is all kinds of thundering great hyper rock and roll madness. It's the sort of track that makes you want to jump into your Panzer Tank and overrun the nearest neighbouring country whilst swigging Wild Turkey and taking no prisoners. Guitars slash, scream and gurgle in electric squall. Bass pounds earthquakes. Drums thump the beat of zombie apocalypse (but the fast kind of modern zombie and not the shambling old school type). Tick off all the appropriate cliche rock and roll review boxes. Throw in words like blistering. Mention Detroit. It's not important. Just get the message out. This thing rocks like the proverbial motherfucker (even though I'm not sure how that visual is appropriate).

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Resuscitation - Snare and the Idiots (Mincey Records)

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By The Barman

The Barman

22 May 2015

Hits: 5915

This Newport, Kentucky, band lived its first life deep in the American Midwest from 1983-87 and has reformed sporadically since. One of the “Killed By Death” outfits - so-called because a series of bootlegs using that title gave them and scores of others fleeting fame outside their own backyards - they’ve issued this three-tracker CD single as a precursor to a retrospective album.

On the strength of “Resuscitation” they could just as easily make it all-new material. This stuff burns like a clear-headed version of the Heartbreakers, although without the same swing. The licks make it obvious where guitarist Donny “Tex” Watson is coming from, even if his feet are planted on the ground, rather than skidding all over the stage like the late Johnny Genzales.

• snare and the idiots
• resuscitation
• killed by death
• kbd

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The Sweet Pretty Things Are in Bed (Now, Of Course) – The Pretty Things (Repertoire)

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By The Barman

The Barman

21 May 2015

Hits: 6930

Let’s be provocative right up-front and say that The Pretty Things are not entitled to still be making records this good. Not after 50 years and not even allowing time off along the way for bad behaviour.

It’s not a disc full of instantly catchy “hits” by any stretch - and if it was nobody would listen anyway. The Pretties’ name is a total misnomer. Putting aside the baby-faced engine room, this is a band of three grizzled old men.

So let’s talk about what it is.

• pretty things
• rolling stones
• repertoire records
• the who

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Dubrovniks world jaunt book-ended by shows in Perth and Melbourne

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By The Barman

The Barman

22 May 2015

Hits: 6016

After a 22 year hiatus, the Dubrovniks are temporarily back together and will be playing shows around the world, book-ended by gigs in Perth (June 6) and Melbourne (July 18).

“I’m Flipped Out Over You” is the theme for the Australian dates, the first leg of which is a show at Perth’s Rosemont Hotel with the original Scientists. It also happens to be the wedding reception for Dubrovniks and Scientists drummer James Baker and features the Television Addicts (two-thirds of the Victims, Spencer P Jones and  The Runaways (Spencer P Jones and Kim Salmon.)

The Melbourne version of “I’m Flipped Out Over You” becomes a two-stage garage punk extravaganza at the Corner Hotel with a gloriously loud bill that also includes the original line up of the Scientists (Kim Salmon, Baker, Boris Sudjovic and Rod Radalj), They’ll be joined by Rocket Science, Spencer P Jones & The Escape Committee, Hits, The Pink Tiles, The Electric Guitars and Girl Crazy.

• beasts of bourbon
• scientists
• dubrovniks
• azkena
• i'm flipped out over you

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This time Saint Ed is coming to stay

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By The Barman

The Barman

21 May 2015

Hits: 5308

For the better part of 2013-14, Ed Kuepper toured Australia performing his crowd-pleasing 'By Request' show in city centres and regional towns, culminating in a sold-out performance at the City Recital Hall for Sydney Festival with the Sydney Chamber Orchestra.

For his first tour of 2015, Kuepper will defy industry pre-conceptions by performing a set of largely new and as-yet-unrecorded material.

Dubbed the "Nostalgia For The New Tour", the run will include a three-week-mid-week residency in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne with spin-off weekend shows in regional areas.

The new material is being workshopped with the intention of recording a new album of all new studio material before the end of the year. Fear not, diehard Saints/Laughing Clowns fans: with each show being upwards of two-hours long and without a support, the sets will include back-catalogue gems.

• saints
• ed kuepper
• tour
• laughing
• clowns

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Four shows celebrate legendary Max's Kansas City

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By The Barman

The Barman

12 May 2015

Hits: 6642

Max’s Kansas City was one of the legendary New York City scenes of the 1970s, home to Andy Warhol’s crew and a musical stamping ground for the Velvet Underground, Heartbreakers, Iggy & the Stooges and countless others.

It’s the club where Iggy met David Bowie and had his career fortunes revived, Debbie Harry waited on tables, Patti Smith went star-spotting and the Lou Reed era Velvets played their final shows.   

Former Max’s promoter Peter Crowley is hosting a 50^th anniversary round of shows from June 4-8 and the line-ups feature some of the best that what’s left of the old-school NYC underground scene.

• harry
• waldos
• johnny
• thunders
• iggy
• andy
• max's kansas city
• david
• bowie
• blondie
• smith
• debbie
• warhol
• patti

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Rarest Hydromatics album joins the re-issue ranks

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By The Barman

The Barman

13 May 2015

Hits: 6327

More on the Hydromatics re-issues we told you about a couple of days ago: Third in the series - and possibly the best and most well-rounded release by the band, the impossibly hard-to-find “Powerglide” album - is coming out on CD, with a generous array of bonus cuts.

It will be the first in the series. 

Easy Action Records has paired the 14 Sonic’s Rendezvous Band and original compositions that were on the album with half a dozen live songs cut for radio, plus a bonus disc of 14 rehearsal tunes. This is the line-up of Scott Morgan, Tony Slug, bassist Theo Brouwer and Andy Frost (Powertrane) - it was a killer band and this is a powerful and soulful collection of recordings.

The Italian label that originally released “Powerglide” went belly-up soon after issuing it so copies of the original are next to impossible to find.

Here's a summary from the liners that'll give you an idea what this album is about:

• easy-action
• scott
• hydromatics
• powerglide

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