A P.S. to the previous post....

In addition these two Arizona bands of yesterday (with ties to current bands like Rumspringer, Might've Beens) have some free downloads. Go check them out!

John Denver's Last Flight
http://www.last.fm/music/John+Denver%27s+Last+Flight

Gary's Agenda
http://www.last.fm/music/Gary%27s+Agenda

LOCALS ONLY!

Here we are with another installment of Johnny Volume Record Time! This blog has had two purposes, one to talk about records, and two to talk about Arizona music. I haven’t kept up, excuses and all; with this blog in general never mind with keeping both agendas! Well this edition of the blog will! I present to you some fantastic fucking records that have come out somewhat recently of Arizona Bands and/or Arizona labels! Get excited!!!

We’ll start with a couple of non records! First A-1 Pilsner Beer, Brewed by Nimbus Brewing Company in Tucson. I had been looking for a good AZ brew for a while, and none really got me. I had heard about A-1, that I guess was brewed in AZ till like the 60’s. It went under, and then was revived by Nimbus. It’s certainly one of my favorites now. But it’s not carried in a lot places. I got 6 pack at Tops and it ran me $10, which for a Schlitz, PBR, High Life man like me, is costly, but well worth it! Just cause I am a cheap beer guy, don’t assume that about A-1, I guess some folks would call it a craft beer, I don’t know what that means!

Next we have the Avon Ladies demo. Ripping hard core feat. members of Elders, Rumspringer, Hotdog! And I think h100’s. Great, brutal hc, watch out if you go see them, you might get hit by a flying object! http://www.cityslaang.com/

A couple of months ago this amazing 12” comp came out of some really great Arizona bands. Personality Disorder was a combined effort of me, May Cause Dizziness Records and the fellas of azpunk.com. The idea was for us all to pick some Arizona bands. Admittedly this comp was in no way a representation of all geographical, or stylistically diverse bands in AZ, but rather just ones we each liked. I chose some bands that are no longer around for different reason. (IE Japanese Monsters have been a favorite of mine, that I constantly tried to get people to pay attention to, and Streetside Prophets recorded an amazing record that never came out. And in light of recent popularity of Rumspringer, should be heard) But also there are AZ old timers Casket Life, Impossible Ones, and Jason Devore of Authority Zero (locked track even!) along with Hotdog!, Father Figures, Automatic Erasers, Good Men Die Like Dogs, Lenguas Largas, Cagematch, Plainfield Butchers, Said Gun, and Scottsdale douches Bro Loaf! It’s a great looking record, of course as all Of May Cause Dizziness Records look good, with a nice black paper sleeve, and as mentioned lock track! Some folks don’t like locked tracks, but that shit is cool, sort of like bonus track! http://mcdrecords.bigcartel.com/

Switching gears a little bit, here is a great new release from King Of The Monsters Records, Altars Hella split 7”. One or both of these bands are from Iran, and are sick lo-fi black metal! This version is LTD to 100 white vinyl with alternative cover! The Halla side is my favorite, pick this up and listen to the bass lines, sooo good. I love the black metal, and this was right up my alley! While you are over at KOTM pick up the re-release of the Gehenna "Upon The Gravehill" lp, I believe the purple ltd. To 100 are gone, but still get the black. Also KOTM will be releasing the OSS 7”, next Royal Monsters 7” and an Elders lp. Keep an eye out for those! http://kingofthemonstersrecords.bigcartel.com/

Oh yeah, and there is no labels on the record!

Local punk gone country stalwart Chip Hanna(One Man Army & US Bombs) released a new 7” “OUTLAWS” via Rockstar Records, if you picked up his “Old Country” LP you know you are in for a good looking record, and sounding great is a given! Chip celebrates Bonnie Parker’s 100th Birthday with an A Side with lyrics taken from a poem by Bonnie and music by Chip. Side B is a Tom T Hall track about Clyde Barrow & Bonnie. The green cover yellow vinyl is LTD to 100, and you can get it domestically via May Cause Dizziness Records! http://mcdrecords.bigcartel.com/

The LTD green cover, yellow vinyl version!

Two newer bands released a great split recently via Tortilla Chip Records. Good Men Die Like Dogs have released a fantastic 10” and a great 7” based on the form of a letter, both I highly suggest! Here they pair up with That’s Life, who have been playing some great shows and finally get a recording out. Both are bands that I make an effort, sometimes unsuccessfully, but I do try, to see. I really like both a lot and I am seriously stoked on this release! Available on black, green and if you can’t see the one on the far right, “mix”. Go on over to Tortilla Chip and get all the releases they have put out! http://www.goodmendielikedogs.com/

This one is really an unknown to me, and I think to a lot of people around town who would love it. I tend to wonder into Eastside with no real agenda pretty often, and this Trade Winds was suggested to me on the promise that I would love it. And fuck do I? Sloppy lo-fi pop punk done right! I know nothing of the band; other then they do not exist any longer! Go on down to Eastside and get it!


This Nightgaun 7” is really great too! Still kind of a newer band, that I really enjoy seeing live. This is sort of noisy straight ahead punk rock. I am not going to try and describe the music, but the record itself is a nice sky blue. Great record! See them if you can, very good, and very fun!

Who loves Arizona? Dirtcult Records does! They release the debut of Hotdog! (ex & current too many to list!) Lo-fi, fun and so not serious punk rock! This will no doubt be so refreshing next to whatever you are listening to now! This is a split w/Hairdos On Fire, which is a member of Shang-A-Lang, you need no other reason to buy! So go!


Also Dirtcult released the 2nd 7” by Lenguas Largas! This record is fantastic, if you aren’t hooked on the A side, “Lonely Summertime” then your ears don’t work! This is the LTD to 100, and long gone, gold vinyl! And also Dirtcult released the 7” version of Shark Pants Automatic Pinner, which was a cd for an overseas tour, I believe. LTD Blue (not sure how many) and black vinyl! As you can see on the website, they are also releasing a new Earthmen & Strangers split 7”! http://dirtcultrecords.com/

I think it’ll be hard pressed for me to find a favorite this year over this record! Rumspringer’s debut full length Empty Towers has gotten a lot of play on my turntable since it came out. This is such a great record, I could gush over it for days, but will hold back the urge to do so! Just pick this up if you haven’t already! It also is one of my favorite covers! Great record! http://www.trafficstreetrecords.com/site/

I was going to mention a few other records too, the Sheriff Joe 7" feat. a new Andrew Jackson Jihad song, on Sheriff Joe's pink underware color vinyl! And the new Destruction Unit lp, on perfectly Round Records, who also released a fantastic Earthmen & Strangers 7". But I've had a few A-1s so I think I am just gonna put on a record and fall asleep. Maybe we'll leave those records for next time!

Terminal Boredom!

BACK FROM THE DEAD!!! Okay not dead, just busy, getting hitched, going on kickass honeymoon, punk rock bowling, moving, (which with the records was not fun, the only real down side to serious record collecting) and of course, attaining more RECORDS!!!!!

I have had a couple of blog ideas in the past 6 months or so, but somehow I never got around to actually committing them to this connection to the World Wide Web. But one thing I have been thinking about is collecting multiple copies of the same record and color variants. I tend to not get too involved in it, as it can get out of control. I tend to get one color along with a black copy, as DJing in a dark club and trying to cue color (or god forbid picture disc) can be a serious pain in the ass, not to mention the grooves in color aren’t as deep, and therefore don’t sound as good, or last as long. But sometimes, every once in a while I get hooked, on one band, or even one release…And hence my current on again, off again fixation on variants….The Cute Lepers!

It started on a break up; don’t most great relationship start on a great break up? I, like so many loved the Briefs! LOVED them, and it seemed with more time (listens, seeing in concert) I loved them even more, but of course, they broke up…Hmmm well I had the records, memories, it would be okay. Till somewhere I saw a Steve E. Nix and Cute Lepers add for a 7”! I quickly ordered, and on beautiful clear wax this two song 7” arrived in the mail.

1-2-3-4 Go! Records released it, and I played it over and over again. I talked to Nate, who of course had not only heard it, but was pre-ordering the repress on green, should he order one for me? Fuck yeah!

If I could only have two songs, I would have each version! The Green copy also has green polka dots on the back instead of the pink like 1st press, nice to have differences.

A black copy came soon after, and I think they may have been it!

A 2nd 7” came soon after on Drunk ‘N Roll records out of Germany, and I think still to this point is the only label to release it. I may have missed something. I can’t remember if the orange or black vinyl came first, but they each have slightly different cover photos with different fonts. Again only two songs on this record, that I again played the shit out of…


Cool inside too!

And while the covers no longer stated Steve E. Nix & The Cute Lepers, the labels on the records do....

Finally a full length! Can’t Stand Modern Music! 1-2-3-4 Go! Was pressing the vinyl, and Joan Jett’s aptly named label, Blackheart Records was doing the cd, which came out much after this clear vinyl copy!

All four songs from the two 7”s appeared, and it was a fuckin’ great LP! Again I played it like crazy. When the cd came out, I played that @ Virgin all the time, put it on a listening station, forced people to take notice of that record! But more importantly, the Cute Lepers were coming! Granted it was opening for the Horror Pops, who I could give two shits about, but I got to say they have brought some great bands on tour with them! (Riverboat Gamblers previous to this for example!) And for their first real US tour, 1-2-3-4 GO! Did a tour only version on Green!

Nate and I of course snatched a couple up! Here is the set list for that show!

Next was a couple of 7”s from European labels featuring a song from Can’t Stand Modern Music on the A side and a cover on the B. I forget the order but here they go (or at least what I have attained)…
Damaged Goods out of London released this one on Green vinyl. LP track Out Of Order along with Sex Pistols cover of Lonely Boys, which was from The Great Rock ‘N Roll Swindle. Great cover, you can see how pop the Pistols songwriting could be.

Damaged Goods also did this great Terminal Boredom 7” on clear, like how the first Cute Lepers 7” of Terminal Boredom was on clear, except this featured a different B side, Any Danger Love by the Starjets. I actually don’t own the original, but need to get it, as this is a fantastic song!

Here again is another Damaged Goods 7”, this time with a new track as the A side, Berlin Girls! Mint Green and Orange vinyl, looks great, a nice deep color on each. The B side Fall In Love by the Vibrators, great rendition!

Next was this split with the Bite, from a Spanish label, again two new songs! Both, I believe in different versions, would appear on their next LP. Never flipped the record over. The Bite could be my next favorite band, but I wouldn’t know, as I have never listened to their side! Sorry, The Lepers seem to like Orange vinyl!

JOIN THE LEPERS! No Front Teeth did this one and this is where it started to get obsessive! Five copies of the same record with simply different color print? All of them black vinyl, with new track Long Hearts, and a Steve E Nix as the Lurching Leper track! A great record, Disco Lepers are good too, but no relation to the Cute or Lurching ones though…

And of course a repress! Different cover though! And now on color wax! Obsessed! Oh yes!!! But there would be a limit! This can’t continue!!

But it does! 1-2-3-4 Go! This time with the Blackheart Records logo included on the back, with a different back cover, repressed Can’t Stand Modern Music on Pink! With a patch!


….And again, on Purple! (No patch) Also with alt. back cover and again with Blackhearts logo!

News of a new LP surfaced, again on 1-2-3-4 GO! This time no Blackheart Records involvement. A single first! You Don’t Have To Belong To The Religious Right! Backed again by Any Danger Love, US audience should hear this as well!! Black wax for me, I think I had given up on the colors, variants, etc…I mean there was a few more Can’t Stand Modern Music versions coming out, Vomit is a color? Tri Color? Glow in the dark? I had taken a pay cut, I couldn’t keep up!

No Front Teeth was doing another new single as well, No Escape, again with different covers. I asked Nate (who usually was the one who got me these crazy singles!) to get me one, I didn’t care if it’s the “common” cover or what, I had to keep up on the music, that was the important part. So he got me this version, the LTD to 100 cover!

No Escape, the B side is Blackmarket Lepers 00, an exclusive!

Smart Accessories finally came out. I contemplated the color I would order. 1-2-3-4 GO! was even doing some crazy package with a test press! I simply could not afford it, I wanted it, but I wouldn’t be put in that position. I just walked down to Eastside Records and bought my black common copy and be happy with that! And I was, it’s a fantastic record! I could be happy with just one copy of a record……

A re press of No Escape, this time on greenish yellow vinyl, looks great, THREE different covers!

No Front Teeth loves the different covers! One (with the transparent cover) LTD again to 100 I think!

Oh damn, Damaged Goods just did three colors of Smart Accessories on clear, red and white! Okay, gotta have it, they cover the Beatles on the B side! You’re Gonna Lose That Girl, is as amazing as you could imagine! They got me!

Oh ok, Smart Accessories LP on green to, why not!

It was at Punk Rock Bowling, I had won some cash! Great set too! Opening for Me First, here’s the set list!

Oh, a European tour version of Can't Stand Modern Music on Yellow wax, from Damaged Goods, with a different cover too? Okay, that too…

See collecting can consume you, want to come over and see my record room as proof?
I am sure when the Cute Lepers are here next week opening for the Swingin' Utters, they'll have something else for me too...
(PS, Special thanks to Nate from May Cause Dizziness Records for helping me with many of these records, and suffering with the burdens of record collecting with me, I love you brother!)


POSTSCRIPT!!
Of course I got a few more records at the show, can you imagine??? But I had set a limit, and there was a couple I was looking for...

Glow in the Dark Can't Stand Modern Music, this is just cool! Granted I have a different record that glows in the dark, but come on this is rad. Sorry pics in the dark of record actually glowing, didn't turn out so good.

This blue with black streaks Smart Accessories looks great, I like a deep blue, very nice! Damaged Goods always have good looking records.

After giving me an endless amout of shit of this particular blog, the King Of The Monsters got me this nice grey Damaged Goods pressing of Smart Accessories, as it was one of the few records that I didn't have. A very nice grey, sometimes grey can look trashy, but again Damaged Goods got a nice deep color to it. The KOTM likes to call me a nerd for this type of thing, but that sir is the kettle/pot/black situation you know!

This nice Red, White Blue Damaged Goods pressing of Can't Stand Modern Music was what I was looking for, but they were unable to find. Once they did, I was at my limit for $$ for the night. Well it seems the Lepers are record collectors as well, and saw this blog, and Steve gave me this copy! Excellent, it's beautiful, I like this one the most I think. Trust me people, you do not, and should not try and get all of these, but maybe a single copy of one nice color of each lp is advisable! A great band, great records...and for all of you who gave me grief over this sort of absession, next time I'll do one of these of all the crazy Stryper records I own...Seriously, I'll show you!