Good for Karma, Good for us

My wonderfully talented and beautiful friend, Lezlie Deane, AKA Scary Cherry has candy for the ears. Take an hour,....see what happens!!!

VINYL DESTINATION: 3 from the decade's end

These 3 bands were of the alt-metal variety that I pushed in my college radio days. As a matter of fact, all 3 of my vinyl copies were "rescued" by me from the station floor. To me, their music still holds up and I throw the platters on often enough to glance back at them now, in written form...



I Love You emerged from LA in 1990 with a self titled Live debut EP, their only recording for indie Medusa records. They eventually signed with Geffen, put out one hell of a debut, and a couple others over the ensuing 18 years, to little avail. Their biggest national coverage came with an appearance on MTV's "120 Minutes" and on Rick Dees' live show where the former radio host got the title of their single wrong in his introduction of the band.

Back to the EP, It's 6 songs are in front of a small audience. They are a blending of "Disraeli Gears"-era Cream and the trended crossover punk-thrash metal of the period. Jeff Nolan was a guitar god in waiting, and Chris Palmer's voice is like Henry Rollins channeling Jack Bruce. From the ripping "Steppin' On Baby",



to the Cream cover, "SWLABR", and the eerie "Flies" the record has no weak points.

The Psychedelia of the lyrics is another evident symptom of their hippie-era influence.

I Love You were unique.

Broad audiences weren't ready and they faded. They are definitely worth seeking out. This is good stuff, and can be found periodically on Ebay.



Clockhammer were a trio out of Tennessee. A debut from them, self-titled and on First Warning records popped up in 1990.

The grim opener, "Mother Truth" is a grabber from the get-go. A fantastic choice for the first cut. Philosophical metal is what it is, by God, questioning knowledge and the mind's eye over some of the coolest riffs of the time period.

The band likes to dip into a jazzy half reggae vibe at times before slapping you in the head with well produced thrash metal chording.

This is not Metallica, folks, this is thinking man's devil-may-care, set up for people looking for something different. The refreshing thing about Clockhammer, unlike some of the mixed-genre bands of the time, you can tell the musicians had played the "off-metal" structures before, and in the pure.

While vocalist-guitarist Byron Bailey displays both surprising vocal range and convincing growl not to mention enviable six string licks, Ken Coomer and Matt Swanson keep time behind him, and display artful fills that swirl all this together like a nasty twist cone.

Clockhammer also faded, like I Love You, but cuts can be found on YouTube and Itunes. Highly recommended.

It should also be acknowledged that they thank Redd Foxx, the Flaming Lips, and their parents at the bottom of the back panel of the record.



SWA was founded by Black Flags bassist Chuck Dukowski and were often referred to as SST's worst band. Probably unfounded, yet "Winter" shows why that statement is both true and false.

Like the proverbial little girl with the curl, they are awesome and horrible on this record....Tracks 1-6 are fairly strong, they stumble a bit, and then recover into a fantastic song called "Wasting my Time" that really features great vocals by Merrill Ward...two follow up tunes, chiming in at under 2 minutes a piece, "Chances Are" and "Headphones" bookend each other and are truly headbanging.

Phil Van Duyne's riffing is tip-top, but his solos are sloppy, seldom fit the part of the song they appear in, and are in general all over the fretboard, quite the dichotomy from his rhythm parts.

Greg Cameron, is one of those fun drummers to listen to, not just content with keeping time, he likes to use every piece of his kit.

"Talking Behind Your Back" features great tempo changes, a storyline about the title's self explanatory musing, and then "The Man Upstairs" is one great song about the horrors of schizophrenia. The record then devolves into noise again.

Also worth seeking out, I had missed the good parts of this record for so long because my vinyl is in such bad shape, I thank the rock and roll gods someone on Ebay was willing to part with it.

--Rob Will (May 30, 2010)

Plug: Vinyl Destination : Overlooked 90's Gems

Coming up this weekend, a Vinyl Destination look back at 3 independent albums that I still own and listen to that have been left in the dust......hopefully to someday re-emerge like the majestic ground hog:

Ain't No Daisy

My personal self-produced notebook collection of prose and essay bullschtein.
It ain't pretty, but it's writing.....





Contact info available at Facebook's "Aint No Daisy" page, or if interested in one, drop your address here as a comment.....No charge. It does take time for me to put them together.

My goal is to get a copy in 50 states. Ha!

Useless Icon

Useless Icon--Rob Will

Editor's note: This is from the beginning of the fall, when I had things handled, shortly before everything else piled on and pushed me through the ice......

I cant' do this much more
Waiting for an answer to walk in the door
I'm like a life coach who has yet to live
yet, I have nothing left to give

Can't walk her through this fucking downpour
Because she may drown me

feel free to say I'm not what she needs
I can't fix the wounds as she bleeds
Cast your doubts and aspersions '
in a great pile on the floor

I'll pick em up later
When I have nothing left to do anymore



after the years
things shift and twist
but never change

Her blackened heart hurts
but I can't heal her pain

A useless Icon
sworn to protect
her soul and heart

while her irrational mind
wanders around in the dark

Oh, no, I can't do it much more.....

BUCK PETS: Rares and Unreleased

I flew down to Dallas last weekend to see the reunited Buck Pets play at Trees in Deep Ellum. The place no longer has doors, because the beeps blew the fuckers straight off. A blistering set featuring the tight musicianship of the band was among the best live shows, if not THE, best live show I've ever seen.

Too bad you can't can, bottle, or box that energy. They lifted it up and set it down. A CD collection of unreleased Buck Pet material from over the years has just been issued and contains a ton of excellent and mostly unheard material.

Veteran Buck Pet Fans and newly converted will find it outstanding. Link to purchase is at right....

DIGITAL DAB'LL DO YA: Antonio Estevan Huerta

It seems today's best straight up rock combines elements. Power pop, punkish edge, harmonies and melodies that have "feel". Especially vocal ones that elicit a reaction, maybe even a goose bump or two. Maybe there's a touch of blues or roots twang in there.... Antonio Estevan Huerta gets that in spades. "Your Shrine" is a damn fantastic rock record. Huerta's got a fine voice and knack for lyrical artistry which he intertwines with some unpredictable mid-tempo rhythms. Oh, and his band can play. These guys are for real. "Feel" is important here. "Swept Again" will take you into THAT relationship. "Pigeons of your Paradise" is one of the strongest openers I've heard in some time. I dare you to listen to "Horses" without getting a strong vibe. Every song on this platter slams a good or bad emotion on the table. Huerta is his own self. He cites inspirations as Alex Chilton, Thom Yorke, and the Buck Pets, but you will notice he takes these paths laid into his own direction. "Your Shrine" is available on Itunes and Lala, and along with Mic the Tiger's debut, is among my strongest suggestions for download.....New music, pure, edgy, and honest.