The Mother Hips

Quickly, The Mother Hips' new record "Pacific Dust" came out on Tuesday and it's sounding pritty heavy and sweet. you can preview 4 songs here at www.myspace.com/themotherhips. A tour will begin of the Pacific Coast and some select dates in Austin and New York in Nov-Dec. Help support these guys who have been through more ups and downs than any other independent Rock & Roll band in California has in the past 18 years that I can think of.

The Future Is Unwritten (2007) dir. by Julien Temple

Oddly, Joe Strummer has only become an important influence on me in about the last nine or ten years. Being 29 I doubt that that is very unusual for someone my age. But the influence that I've taken from him in that time has not been of the musical sort. The Clash first touched me at age 14 - also not so unusual- and that was my introduction to him. Their music reached me far before I really had any grasp of what the man behind the voice represented. Of course what I thought I knew turned out to be right. That he was a truly righteous man with a genuine care for the world and the people in it. Especially those directly within earshot of his music. But what I didn't know, turned out to shape this man, in my eyes, into something of a personal hero.

Julien Temple's documentary is a bit confusing -albeit offbeat and original- but with the subject matter at hand and accessibility to those who knew Strummer best, it's kind of hard to make bad. Some of the heads interviewed are instantly recognizable and obvious (Bono, Johnny Depp) where as others go un-named and unknown (if you don't know, that is). The story is split into three parts, pre-Clash, Clash, and post Clash. A lot of information came up that I had not previously know which left me a bit shocked. One example being that he had a brother who had committed suicide after having turned into a sort of Nazi. And Strummer's having to ID the body leaving a profound effect on him. It was also news to me that an opening band for his group the 101'ers, The Sex Pistols, completely flipped his mind and what his musical and personal path would ultimately be from then on.

From busking hippie to to righteous troubadour, one thing is apparent in this whole story: That while I admire his personal beliefs (ok, ok, aside from that brief stint of techno championing) and his impenetrable integrity, he was no saint. Like anybody he made a few adversaries and had some regrets. But unlike everybody he persisted through depression, breakups, alcoholism, exhaustion and what must have been truly the most baffling of all revelations: That he was no longer a star. But of course that didn't phase him in the end. He remained a positive and humble man and played the music he loved right up to his untimely death in December of 2002. This film is a celebration of a man who has seen it all from dingy clubs to massive stadiums. From musical and creative exile, to back behind the mic and touring the world on his own. The feel of the movie is literally that of campfire stories about a good buddy who no longer can sing along and who those he touched will continue to miss. He was a persons person and never acted above his audience or fans which in itself is a rare thing in the filthy depths of the music industry.

Also of interest might be Dick Rude's documentary "let's Rock Again" from 2004 which chronicles the twilight years of his life with his last band The Mescaleros. A scene where he's handing out handwritten fliers to unassuming passer's is both heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once

John...

Hard to believe, really, but John Lennon's 69th birthday would have been yesterday. Words just won't do.

Stop Breathin'...NOW!

On September 15, 2009, Brooklyn Vegan reported that Pavement are scheduled to perform multiple benefit show dates in New York City's Central Park beginning on September 21, 2010. Official statements by the band, label, venue and promoter were released on September 17, 2009 confirming the reunion. The announcement included one concert in Central Park and the promise of a tour, but said that the reunion may only be a one-off event. It said, "Please be advised this tour is not a prelude to additional jaunts and/or a permanent reunion." Tickets for the first Central Park concert sold out in two minutes, leading to the announcement of three more shows at the same venue.

Really guys!? REALLY?! Well fuck yeah then! We all heard the rumors swell up and then die again via Malkmus' relentless sarcasm. But now, alas, it is true and yours truly may finally get to see the band that was the soundtrack basically for my teenage formative years. And one of the only bands that stuck with me (or anyone else really) from that era of music. That is, assuming they make it to the west coast...


Sorry to anyone who reads this - or doesn't anymore - for the lack of posts and this page resembling some sort of Rock & Roll Obituary. I will keep up when I can from now on

Jim Dickinson - Nov 15th, 1941 - Aug 15th 2009

The world lost another legendary music man last Saturday with the passing of Jim Dickinson. He was an infamous Memphis man. He played piano with the Atlantic rhythm section (not to be confused with the "actual band") and backed artists like Aretha and the like in the early 70's. Him being there in Muscle Shoals led to a guest appearance on The Rolling Stones' "Sticky Fingers" on "Wild Horses". Such stories are pretty trite when trying to describe a guy like Jim Dickinson. He had a wild personality that carried on that Sun Records legacy with him as he brought energy and inspiration to sessions that he produced for Big Star, The Replacements and many many more.

Jim was involved in music right up until his death and stayed surprisingly relevant and in demand making up to date albums with bands including Mudhoney and more in the past decade. He is another link in the chain that may well seem to be broken or faded if not for the fact that his two sons carry on the Dickinson name with The North Mississippi All Stars and with Luther, who is now a full time member of the Black Crowes as well. R.I.P. Jim

p.s. FIND CHRIS BELL AND DO A FOLLOW UP NOW!

Les Paul (June 9, 1915 - August 13, 2009)

The many talents of the late Les Paul are probably some of the most underrated in the world of music. And by that I mean ALL music. His innovations in guitars and on recording equipment almost single handily changed the worlds of guitar driven music and all music recording in general. The inventions that he made are mind blowing. I'd have a hard time explaining to you how important this man was in so little words so you can read about him here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Paul

I'll just say that he invented the overdub and his guitar inventions eventually spawned the Les Paul model guitar seen to the right here with Paul McCartney and played by just about every professional guitar player at least once over the past 50 years. Everyone from Guns & Roses' Slash to George Harrison to Jimi Page.

The legacy he left was undeniable and he was also a very influential guitar player inspiring many musicians behind him aside from his inventing. Aside from pioneering a guitar style that became popular for it's surf reverb and echo as well as unmatched technical dexterity. he also could be found in New York City playing weekly well into his 90's. His songwriting and partnership with his wife Mary Ford also spawned many top 40 hits in the late 40's and 50's.

He will be missed for sure and anyone who loves any music owes a debt of gratitude to this genius of the music world.

What DID The Doctor Order?

DR HOOK & THE MEDICINE SHOW: Best of Musikladen

There are words to describe what goes on here in 1974 on the German music television show Musikladen but you must see, first hand, for yourself what kind of freakish carnival ride this band was at that time. So entertaining - I'm even gonna assume for non fans or for those who have never heard of this band -on first viewing that I watched it 3 times in a row at first in absolute shock and awe at what exactly I was seeing.

All I'm gonna say is that these guys - all of them - were on something. I've had various discussions with other viewers and ultimately what it probably comes down to is that they were really, really drunk and on LSD. Possibly cocaine was involved but at that point, what's the difference.

That aside, the band was on fire. Probably a result of touring hard at that time. What's remarkable is that nothing looks planned here. Its chaotic madness but with rare precision from a band that resembles every rock and roll cliche or vision I've had of a band that are no strangers to indulgence. Most of the songs were written by the inimitable Shel Silverstein which lends perfectly to the imagery that this crazed bunch of lunatics were unleashing.

I know that top 5's and 10's lists can be spotty at best but I'd put this way at the top of the list of live concert material that I've seen in my years. I'd probably watch it over most other rock DVDs out there. It's short and sweet, massively entertaining and and a good time will be had by all. Even if you just know them by the Cover of The Rolling Stone song. Even if you've never heard of them at all. And even if you don't enjoy the music here, the sight of these guys doing thier thing will grab you. See it. You will not be dissapointed. I probably won't say that about many things.

Random News

Saw a 6 piece rocksteady band last night at the Hotel Utah. Thumbs waaaaaaaaaay fucking down for that place these days. What the fuck happened to the charming bartenders and friendly staff there. Not to mention that at $4.50 a beer it's a wonder anyone there was drunk. This spot has become a haven for 9to5-ers to"cut loose" after a hard day in the cubicle and it's quite uncomfortable if you know what I mean. Anyways... I got off track. The band was called The Titan Ups and they were great. It was rocksteady with a punk edge, teetering on the brink of completely losing it at any minute. But alas they didn't. Vocalist Bob Reed (Overwhelming Colorfast, Oranger) is a staggering presence and who knew he had the pipes for this sort of thing. A friend mentioned that it may be his calling and I agree. They have no website, no record, no nothin, just a killer live set (that was cut short by a 9 piece funk band?!) and a great energy. Which makes me like them even more because there's no hidden agenda.

Sonic Youth is playing the Independent on monday The 3rd following thier show on sunday at the Fox Theater in Oakland. While this closely resembles a wet dream, I won't see you there because apparently it sold out in about -5 seconds. Try your luck with a sneak in if you so dare. I happen to be crippled right now so I'm not very sly. Not that I condone sneaking in anywhere or anything like that.

Flakes and Th Losin Streaks tonight at El Rio as posted below and I will be there.

Also some very strange news: Black Francis is playing next Saturday and Sunday at the Hotel Utah (uuggghhh) which I only discovered after seeing a flier on the wall! lots of shit happening next weekend but I may revisit that dump on Sunday to catch this if I can stomach it again. So mad at the Utah right now!

Saturday the 8th: Gris Gris with Spindrift at Great American Music Hall. Enough said there.

Back from the Garage

This Saturday! The Flakes return to El Rio With Sacramento's Th' Losin Streaks. Glad to see these guys both rocking again.

Speaking of good to see ya again. SF psych dears Gris Gris are fooling no one with their "last shows" and "broken up"-isms anymore and will be playing next Friday the 6th at The Great American Music Hall. That combo of band and venue is likely to be synergy of the best kind and shouldn't be missed.

Hey Buddy

Today another B-Day wish saluting George "Buddy" Guy. The legendary guitarist turns 73 years old today.

Buddy guy was born in Lettsworth Louisiana in 1936. He learned guitar the same way many other poor black musicians did in his day by nailing a string to the wall of the shotgun shack he grew up in. At 17 his father bought him a real guitar. In 1957, at 21 he moved to Chicago, also in the same way that many other southern black musicians did throughout the 40's and 50's in search of work and to escape the haunted past (not to mention present) of the south.

There is not enough that can be said about Buddy's talent, innovation, performing, and influence that he has had over blues and rock & roll. He has been called the bridge between the two forms and rightly so. Buddy was at the forefront of the new Chicago blues movement of the late 50's and early 60's, where wild and loud single note guitar playing was fast replacing the harmonica and slide guitar as the main emotive instrument fronting the blues at the time. While it was B.B. King and T-Bone Walker who wrote the book on this style, players like Otis Rush, Magic Sam and Buddy himself were expanding it. Buddy Guy's playing though, was wild and imaginative playing with furious speed as well as dynamic tenderness that set the standard for ALL guitarists to come. Not everyone was impressed at first and the legend has it that his label boss Leonard Chess called his playing "noise" and demanded he turn his amplifier down on studio sessions for them but later apologizing in embarrassment and crediting guy with foresight after the blues rock boom of the late 60's and bands like Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience were enjoying massive success. Still Guy's records are packed with fiery playing and ecstatic singing and his live performances were fast becoming legendary and influencing. Jimi Hendrix, in fact, was an early pupil and would sometimes cancel his own shows if he knew Buddy was around to catch him in the small clubs that he was electrifying. Guy would walk into the crowd mid-show, play one handed, flirt with women up close and do it all in stride. Never missing a beat. Tricks that he has said he learned from Guitar Slim whom he would follow around in Louisiana as a young man.

Buddy's career was not perfect and for a while he suffered the same fate as many other bluesman like him in the 60's and 70's, ironically struggling in a time when rock guitarists like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and many more who owe a debt to Guy's style, flourished. Unlike many other peer artists of his sort he did in fact enjoy a rather fruitful resergence in the 80's and 90's when, ironically again, blues music was at it's most homoginized and polished state. But with glowing praise from Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn and others', attention was once again brought to him which revealed not only that he certainly hadn't gone anywhere but that he had only improved with time.

I've seen Buddy 3 times now all in this decade and they have been highlights of my showgoing career. He's still going at 73 and showing no signs of slowing. I had a cassette tape recording of the video below when I was 17 and I was blown away several times daily by it. I'm also delighted to see it here on youtube because it may be my favorite performance by him, which is rare for me to decide on for any artist. Also I should point out that it is from a 1970 movie entitled "The Chicago Blues" and shows (though not in this clip, unfourtunately) and enchanted and bewildered Jimi Hendrix in the Crowd of this tiny club where class, most certainly, was in session.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY! You are a living legend.

Mick 66

Today Mick Jagger turns 66 years old. Let's take a minute now to talk about the O.G. MJ and just what it is that makes this guy who he is.

Lot's of people won't admit to liking Mick. Some genuinely don't. I've heard a few people say that they didn't even like the Rolling Stones because of Mick. Which makes me think; Does anyone out there like the Rolling Stones BECAUSE of Mick? Aside from teenage girls in 1965 I'm not sure that the appeal of the Rolling Stones is due to old MJ. The coolness of the Stones -to me- has always laid in Keith who's riff-making and general disposition has spawned about 5 million imitators to date. There's Charlie and Bill too who, together, might as well both be seen next to the word "square" in the dictionary. Brian Jones certainly had an appeal but if you look at any footage of him with the Stones he always sorta looks like he wishes he were somewhere else. If a statue could play guitar you'd have Mick Taylor. And then along came Ron Wood who finally injected some needed liveliness and personality into that second guitar job.

And so we have Mick. I won't get into how these guys are old as dirt and still rocking because I'm mostly indifferent about that topic. It should be said now that his songwriting and singing are outstanding. He could make "row row row your boat" controversial if he wanted to. But he's also about the fruitiest loop to ever prance around in front of a band. Making it hard for all men out there to not wince when watching the stones live sometimes. But then again he seemed to be doing it just for the ladies anyhow (or was he?). Of course he also had imitators. Not sure what the New York Dolls would have done without him. What Mick does for me is make me laugh. His posturing, his turns of certain phrases (Angie, pronounced: Aiyngehh), and last but not least, his outfits. he truly is an anomaly. A guy could go on about how he seriously HATES Mick Jagger and everything about him but yet in the same breath say that the Rolling Stones are his favorite band. Now that's no easy feat is it?

Here are some of my favorite Mick moments in no particular order, followed by a video that just about says everything I have here and more.
1. His vocal in "Monkey Man"
2. All of his singing on "Beggars Banquet" he turned much more soulful and embraced a sort of country-ish style around this point
3. A moment in the 40 licks documentary when either Mick or Keith is describing how their live show had changed from the early days and that they had to do more performance-wise to entertain the crowd. The shot goes from Mick just kind of standing there doing a little James Brown dancing in the sixties, to him in a football jersey and tights in a full on sprint across a massive stage in the 80's.
4. The video for "Angie"
5. Any video from the 70's or 80's

And of course there's much more that makes me love and laugh about this man. His band changed my life after all and I'm thankful everyday for The Rolling Stones.

Happy Birthday Mick!

He Is The Blues.

You may have heard Muddy Waters. You may have heard Howlin Wolf. I hope you've heard of Bo Diddley and there's no reason for you to be on this page if you haven't heard Chuck Berry. But Willie Dixon was the man behind them in their formative years. Be it songwriting, bass playing, producing or just generally coaching these superstars into the hardened professionals that they became. Dixon was a jack of all trades employed mostly by Chess records out of Chicago to do all the things that Co-owners and brothers Leonard and Phil Chess couldn't do. Which basically meant everything that didn't involve paper (aside from songwriting that is). He was A&R man, scouting out local talent at shit-house jukes on the South Side of Chicago. He was a songwriter, so empathetic that often he wrote songs from the point of view of and matching the personality of many blues men and women and often supplying the artist with their signature smash tunes. Muddy's "Hoochie Coochie Man", Wolf's "300 Pounds of Joy", Diddley's "You Can't Judge a Book By It's Cover" and many, many more. He was also a producer an arranger and a bass player. He famously rearanged Chuck Berry's "Maybeline" which bordered on a country and western tune and revved it up with a slapping, driving bass line putting the engine in the song, so to speak and essentially driving Berry to the top of the R&B charts and superstardom.
What "I Am The Blues" co-written with former LA Times critic Don Snowden gives the reader though, is the too often told tale of a man overworked and underpaid. Though literate and often more educated than his black peers around him, Dixon was the unfourtunate victim of being sheltered from publishing knowledge and the general ways of the music business at the top by his boss Leonard Chess. As a result, financial circumstances led him to keep quiet about it all in order to keep his job which he no doubt loved and preferred to other means of survival in 40's and 50's Chicago. Dixon pulls no punches here on the topic of Chess and his business techniques offering up tales of his Boss pulling money out of pocket to show what a good guy he was but then taking so much on the back end that by the time Chess had to close it's doors they were worth millions. A millionaire is something Dixon sadly never became. What this book tells us though is the story of a good natured, nurturing, patient and humble man whose poetry moved millions and whose legacy will no doubt be carried on through his songs that are now in the highest tier of blues standards.

Whoa!

If you have seen the film DiG! Or have known about The Brian Jonestown Massacre before then you know what kind of maniacal circus that band has been over the years and that also they are probably one of - if not the best - independent rock and roll bands of the 90's. Chrurning out great albums on dental floss budgets and at ridiculous paces despite massive bouts of drug addiction and all around personality problems that threatened to de-rail the band for good on more than a few occasions.

And if you've seen the film, you may have noticed a dainty young lady at one point playing and singing alongside Anton Newcombe named Miranda Lee Richards. Well, this Miranda has gone on to become a great singer songwriter in her own right and I should probably be ashamed that I even had to put that assossiation together for this story because she's well capable of being recognized aside from all of that.

But here's what's really out there to me. This morning I got a phone message from Miranda (whom I've never spoken to or known before) saying that she needs a guitar player for her show at Cafe DuNord TOMORROW! I finally pieced together the peices and found out that someone had put in a recommendation for me. So, I'm doing the show even though I'm crippled at the moment and I'm nothing but thrilled to back this wonderful singer up. She'll be playing Monday July 20th at Cafe DuNord as part of the Mission Creek Music Festival and she's a very nice person with great songs to boot.

Monday, July 20th -
Miranda Lee Richards
Emily Jane White
Helene Renaut
Chloe Makes Music

Cafe du Nord
2170 Market St. San francisco
8:00pm
$10-12

BUDGET ROCK 8! BACK IN SF!

This is great news for me and the Franciscans. Not so great for the Oaklanders who have housed this fest for the past 2 years at The Stork Club. The Line-ups are fucking Carazy! with one night alone housing The Oh Sees, Dan Melchoir, Gris Gris, The Fresh and Only's and more. Wipe yer mouth cause it's not till October but wipe your calendar too!

www.myspace.com/budgetrock

A Conversation I Once Had With Pat Johnson

Pat Johnson is a friend of mine and a band mate. He is also a former member of Dave Gleason's Wasted Days, San Francisco's own country rock heroes that are sadly no longer with us. That of course is not all he is. He's been around playing in bands for many years here and throughout the US and the rest of the world. Not only is he a great songwriter/guitar player/bartender and drinking partner but he is also one of the funniest people I know. This is a conversation that took place one afternoon at The Attic here in SF while Pat was bartending and I was drinking everything he put in front of me. Which was the ritual every Wednesday happy hour where I first got to know him.

Not sure how we got to talking about this but we did and I just can't go on without sharing this little slice of a funny memory that I won't soon forget.

Stu: Hey Pat, what was the name of Bread's second record?

Pat: (with a general look of who the fuck cares on his face) I don't know man, (long pause as he walks away and back) "Crumbs"?

Stu: Ha ha ha. Then their third one must have been... "dough"

Pat: No man, it was "Toast"

Stu: Ha ha. Well which one had "Guitar Man" on it?

Pat: Who gives a shit? But I can see all the Spanish record reviews of it now.

Stu: What?

Pat: ... "Pan" ...

and that was it.

Here some of his stuff here

www.myspace.com/patjohnsonsings

He Don't Play No Rock & Roll

This is Mississippi Fred McDowell. He is possibly one of the greatest slide players/singers ever to emerge from the delta. He inspired countless white boys abroad and at home and The Rolling Stones paid homage with their version of "You Gotta Move" on their seminal album Sticky Fingers. Once quoted as saying "I don't play no rock & roll" he was a true Mississippi blues man. Not much to say that the video and music can't, so enjoy.

This Ding Dong Here!

Check out Ding Dong and Blog in my Other people, places and things over there to the right. She's like the indie counterpoint to what I do and also a great drummer, band mate, soul DJ (um, my Chuck Berry in Memphis back, please?) photographer (see photo above of disappointed guy) and former Absolute Kosher intern so she can give you the 411 on things like that where as I'm not as "Hip" as she insists. Which should be obvious in the fact that I just used "the 411" seriously...

www.dingdongandblog.blogspot.com

Link Wray - Link Wray (1971)

And Then He Sang!


Even if you know a little something about Link Wray, chances are, you've never heard of this record. Recorded in the early seventies in a converted shack on Wray's property in Maryland, "Link Wray" is a little baffling in more ways than one. For starters there is no "Rumble" here or any variation thereof. It appears that at the dawn of the 70's the reverb and surf soaked buzz-saw guitar attack that he is famous for seems to have been behind him. What we have here is a down-home, countrified, rock-gospel masterpiece. Right off there's this guy who begins to sing on the opening track " La De Da" sounding like some old baptist screamer who's been sermonizing frenzied churchgoers for decades with a rough, smokey and ecstatic charm. Suddenly you realize, it's the man himself. So naturally, the most surprising thing here is that not only is Link Wray not tearing out the fuzzy runs on his guitar that had been his bread and butter for 15 years prior, but that he is singing! And singing above and beyond all expectations considering that in his heyday doctors told him he would never sing again due to TB and a lost lung back in the 50's. The music is loose and the chicken shack vibe is enduring in a way that many other bands attempted and failed at that time. Songs like "Juke Box Mama" and "God Out West" (where a familiar guitar tone reappears) are foot stomping blues hollers mixed in with breezy ballads like "Take Me Home Jesus" where he declares "I've been in the city for a while / But my souls still countrified / and I can't wait to get back home again". This record sounds like Link's homecoming from the rattle and noise of the city and his previous work and back to the shack where something some doctor told him long ago means absolutely nothing to him. And so he sang.

Buy it if you see it. Good on it's own it also is combined with two other records that make up a sort of shack recording trilogy which is equally as good.

Stirling Says - Balboa

90's FUZZ!


Today I dish out some local luv for a band that won my heart over at first listen. Do you remember when you first heard a fuzz pedal explode from a speaker and your heart jumped up and and nearly choked you as the song you were hearing had instantly blew up with ecstatic energy? Maybe it was Jimi. Maybe it was Nirvana? San Francisco's Stirling Says bring that Dino Jr.-ish nostalgia to the table in a massively fuzzed out poppy way that will be irresistible to anyone who remembers anything from indie, punk and "Alternative" music from 89 it0 96. There's nothing heavy here though, in a serious way. This music is lighthearted and truly loveable although one subject matter tackled on their new release "Balboa" on the track "Tatiana" warns "You mess with the tiger / you get the claws!" referring to the 2007 Christmas day tiger mauling that saw the death of both the victim and Tatiana, the tiger and pointing out that when taunting a caged wild animal, there may be obvious consequences. Other tunes like "Migration of Fin", "Sausalito" and "Tweezin" hark back to the days when fuzz ruled the airwaves via bands like Pavement, Smashing Pumpkins and the like. Make no mistake though. This music is as new and relevant as anything out there now and with any luck, some 13-16 year old out there will get that choked up fuzzy feeling I once got at that age via the Big Muff.

www.myspace.com/stirlingsays

Welcome to Buzz Church

Music writing. It can be a truly self righteous platform sometimes. I've read enough about music in my life to differentiate between the writers who love music and the writers who simply have a job to do and feel the need to cut down bands and musicians for whatever reason. The ones that bother me the most are obviously the latter. The collegiates without a musical bone in their body who at one point must have had to face the fact that all they were really cut out to do, was diss the artists who actually gave it a shot, be it bad or good, and put themselves out there. That, or champion a band in hopes that they get some sort of recognition for thier praise.

This leads me to my next point. I believe I am one of the former. Although I am a musician who, for the most part am particular to one style, I have a genuine love for knowledge about music and am a fan of many genres. A firm believer that you don't have to be a virtuoso to make enjoyable sounds and that sometimes not being so, is more valuable to the craft of rock and roll. Sometimes, clearly being the key word there. I would never put down a band for not being technically on par with, say, a band like Led Zeppelin or anyone in that upper echelon. There is no standard to which I hold any artist. That would, of course, just be snobbish of me.

This now segues me nicely into the next part of my mission statement/manifesto/disclaimer. Something I want to address and have felt rather strongly about for about the last half decade or so and maybe more is the issue of negativity or negative band reviews. It's my belief, that in the digital age, it is completely irrelevant and redundant to slander a band for doing or playing whatever it is that they play or want to do. While I do believe that writers are looked towards for their opinions and that at one time it was valuable to fans in that they would decide whether or not to spend their hard earned money on a record or a concert or not, I believe there is no longer a need for general criticism. These days the fan now has almost exclusive control over their own opinions with platforms such as MySpace, Itunes etc. and there is no need for someone behind a desk or computer to tell you why you shouldn't listen to a certain artist anymore. After all, it can take as little as typing in the name of the band and giving them 30 seconds of your time to decide whether or not they are worth it to you. That being said, there will be no slandering here unless an artist really gets my goat by way of cashing in, being phony and deceptive, or are just generally fucking assholes or idiots. In which case, the latter offense would most likely just call for a general ban on said artists music or opinions.

So, for those of you out there who might actually read the posts on here to come. I bring you Buzz Church! Ideally, I will have sometime collaboraters to help me stay off of a soapbox and bring some needed variety to the table here. Also it should be said that I am in no way a schooled writer and tend to ignore tradional editing and grammatical techniqes. I am a musician a fan and -hopefully- someone whose knowledge can be gained from. I hope to bring to your attention old bands and new. Artists that I think are important. Artists that I think are criminally underrated. And artists that just about the whole world may have heard of but that I just want to talk about.

So feel free to comment, rebut, learn and occasionally correct me in this endeavor. It should also be said that this is a lobor of love for me (unless you show me the money) and will depend on time and availability. I which case the collaboraters and contributers will come majorly in handy. So enjoy, friends. I'm here for you. If you have any questions about bands or a certian artist and it is within my ability to help. Feel free to ask. Interactivity is a best case scenario for this page.

Love, Stu Ruggling