The BGN News Archive

Punk poet John Cooper Clarke

We’re excited that punk poet John Cooper Clarke will be at City Winery next Monday 9/16. It was 1978 when we first heard him on Short Circuit-Live at the Electric Circus EP. Also on that EP was The Fall, Buzzcocks and Joy Division.

We fell in love with the humor and the unapologetically English accent. He released some albums through the years, although not much in the nineties. His Discogs page

The Artic Monkeys cover of “I Wanna Be Yours” in 2013 gave him an extra boost. Here in America his “Evidently Chickentown” used in the series The Sopranos put him on the map. He put out his bio I Wanna Be Yours in 2020. The book on Amazon And as you can imagine it's a great read!!

Here we are 46 years later and John Cooper Clarke’s sharp wit has kept him relevant. He’s been at the Winery before and we were there when he was in town the first time in 2015 in a small theatre run by Berklee.

Last week Molton Brown, the English fragrance company, has spotlighted three artists and had them create some art connected with a perfume. They have John Cooper Clarke with a poem about Coastal Cypress & Sea Fennel which goes for a mere $180

On their artist page for Dr. Clarke they have an up close video of him reading his poem titled A La Recherche Du Temps Fondu, that’s funny right there. He ends with, “This transcendental scent / will haunt you with the memory / of a passion left unspent.”

There is also an interview that gets into a few subjects with some insights. As the intro says it’s indicative of this, “punk poet’s ability to hold court on pretty much any topic he chooses.”

It’s been a long road since punk started and we always celebrate those like Clarke that were there at the beginning and are still creatively active. Those are special people to us.

Talk about special people, The Bags celebrate their 40th Anniversary next year at the Crystal Ballroom on January 11. Tickets It will be Jim Janota, Crispin Wood, and Jon Hardy back in action again.

This Saturday 9/14 there will be a talk at the Parker Hill Library, 1497 Tremont St, in Roxbury (where the Punk Rock Week events happened) titled Boston Punk Rock: Landmarks, Bands and the Scene with A.J. Wachtel. There is no charge but you do have to register They have indicated that there will be no moshing at this event!

VIDEOS......

The Spackles draw from a few influences. On their new video for “The Dotted Line” they go psychedelic. The colorful kaleidoscope visuals kick in right away and it come up in the lyric’s first line.

The song is based on two sharp chords and the prominent bass does the rest. The song gets even more acid based at the solo in the middle. That solo has the spirit of the sixties in it.

The song actually winds down and peters out to the lonely line, “all my friends are broken”. You feel like you have gone through an acid trip and have come down.

The reissue of the SSD material by Trust Records has been the opportunity to get some videos of the group. Now, we have two new ones. One is the first SSD show, from 9/19/81 at the Gallery East. The camera work is shaky and the audio is wonky but there it is. You can still feel the power and the charged atmosphere all these years later. Then the police come in. It’s an amazing 14 minutes. Video above left.

There is also a video of the song “Glue” with spectacular footage too. Video about right.

Poor Impulse Control is a hardcore group from Cape Cod. We liked their album Where Angels Fear to Tread. Now they have a video for the strong song “Go Away” from the album. It's is simple and straight ahead to give you an idea of the group.

RADIO......

On her Late Risers show this week, Joanie played a song that got our attention. It's “Jonathan” by the D.C. group Tsunami, from 1997. It sounds like its “She Cracked” by Jonathan Richman but it’s hard to hear the lyrics. It does seems to be Jonathan’s song and not a mash up of it and something else. Interesting in any case.

To hear Joanie’s whole show go to the WMBR archive page and hit the Late Risers Show for Thursday 9/5.

PODCASTS.........

Blowing Smoke with Twisted Rico had fill-in interviewers this week with Destiny Costa of Mark Skin Radio and Mike Newman of WFMO. The phone guests for the week are Sharp Class.

We all owe it to Linda Bean Pardee of The Chelsea Curve for bringing these guys to Boston’s attention. They play Jam style mod rock. Many have seen them, as did we, on their last tour in Boston and Portland.

The group were friends from a very early age and they have loved mod/punk for a long time too. They put the band together in 2020. Covid allowed them to reorganize and rename and to emerge as Sharp Class.

They play three songs from the new album, Welcome to the Matinee Show (of the End of the World). “Sugar Glass” has The Chelsea Curve on the track. The new album is out September 20. They played the Burren last Friday and then head to NYC. The Sharp Class website

Not a day or two later Steev got behind the mic again and interviewed Dan Cummings of Already Dead.

Dan got a guitar at 11 years old and was playing in punk and other genre bands from then on, in his home town of North Reading. Steev talked about the Blue Collar outlook of the group. Already Dead started in 2020 during Covid.

With a back log of songs the first album, My Collar Is Blue, was an easy album to make for Dan. Steev raved about the song “Rock Bottom” off the second album Something Like a War but it’s a indicative about how good this album is that we could suggest a half a dozen more we think are just as good. Hear the album on Bandcamp

NEW MUSIC/CDs......

Rum Bar has been busy lately. They have a new release from Cheap Cassettes from Seattle called “Bad Xerox”. It’s a funny concept and probably true often enough but never pegged. The girlfriend splits and the new boyfriend looks just like the one she left. The Cheap Cassettes do fine work capturing the absurdities in the lyrics and the tune bounces along with some garage rocking to make it fun.

The song is on their new album They’ll Never Forgive You For Pop to be released on October 11.

It’s more Rum Bar Records with Hotbox. This group were around in 1990. They had members of Dogmatics/Matweeds/Last Stand and Left Nut. They played the Rumble in 1992. The seven song album is up on Bandcamp now with one song that is streaming.

“Girl I Want” is like a steaming dish of even more ramped up Dogmatics for you listening pleasure. What’s not to like? We’ll see what the rest sounds like when that gets posted.

The phenomenon that is Telemor has a new chapter. Tom Hauk of the much loved Atlantics has 66 releases on his Bandcamp page going back to 2014.

The new album is suitably titled Mr. Happy. Telemor is unrelentingly sanguine.

“Miss ‘Em When They’re Gone” is a comedic take on extended family visits. They stay too long but he misses them when their gone. He gets positively giddy about the “Wild Wild Weekend.” But even in a song titled “Be So Glad” there’s some bumps in the road. He’s glad when she’s around but people think he’s off his meds when she leaves him. The same thing is present in “Big Blue Sky” where the sky represents where they met but also where he will be buried. Telemor gives you some life lessons buried in his cheer. The album on bandcamp

The Okmoniks started in 2000 in Tucson then moved to San Francisco. They play an organ heavy garage rock. There's guitar in the group but on their new album Afterparty Fever!!! it’s mixed lower than the pumping organ. We know about the Vox and Farfisa organs, but Helene of the Okmoniks plays an Ace Tone Top 5 organ

All the song tempos are fast and exciting. The only let up is “Summer Breakup” which is slower and we like that too. We’re glad we got the info on this group. If you like heavy organ garage rock give it a listen.

The group does a twist with their vinyl release. They have the same 9 songs on each side. Is that double the value or half the value?

Outraged by the cost of living? Could you just yell? Why not let Last Quokka, a band from Australia, do it for you?

They have the song “Cost of Living,” as in 'I can’t afford the cost of living.' Their electric bill went up to 400 dollars last month, what sort of fresh bullshit it that, they ask! The price of gas, it’s absolutely an extortion, they rant. It doesn’t pay the bills, but you will feel better after hearing this.

Now let’s go to France and get some vitriol from The Spaghetti Sluts. Mook played this group on his Late Risers Show this week. “Parisien 2 Merde” has a chorus that translated would be “Shitty Parisians, everyone hates you”. The translation of the versus don’t make a lot of sense to us but one is “You kicked out the cars, you like the bikes.” Hey it’s like Camberville!!!

Actually, the nine cut album L’EP STO sounds very punk. The French lyrics are there for those who understand or those that want to translate.

We talked about some Peewees (from Italy) single releases before (“Plastic Bullets” and “Banana Tree”) and they 've just released One Ride, a new full length album. We can now see how the group draws a lot from the sixties and the early sixties to boot for “Spell on Me”. They put some Spanish flair in “Stuck In The Middle”. They have the knack for a catchy melody and never go wrong on any of these songs. It’s good listening.

Here's some good shows coming up .....

September 13, 2024 (Friday) Friday the 13th Hardcore show at the Peabody VFW Post 1011, 20 Stevens St, Peabody. Bands are: Blasphemous Obituary, Krimson Mask, Morduus, TFR, Cytokine and Brace For Impact

September 13, 2024 (Friday) Fierce & Fabulous!!! American Ocelot, Ruby Grove, Girl With a Hawk, Happy Little Clouds at The Jungle - Doors at 7/Music 8

September 14, 2024 (Saturday) Brian Young has The Va Va Voodoos as guests on A Crash Course for the Ravers on WMFO. 1-4PM

September 14, 2024 (Saturday) Kids Like You and Me present SUPAP - Somerville Underground Pop Arts & Performance Showcase - with Unnatural Axe, Children of the Flaming Wheel, Fugue State, Mike from Picnic Lunch... 1:30PM at Lincoln Park (46 Lincoln Pkwy, Somerville, MA) This is an outdoor show FREE- but $5-$15 suggested donation for bands.

September 14, 2024 (Saturday) The Teardowns, State of the Union, The New Frustrations at The Square Root, Roslindale,

September 14, 2024 (Saturday) Bootleg Dan presents: The Prime Movers Reunion!! with Thee Sonomatics at The Burren 7PM show FB event page.

September 14, 2024 (Saturday) Tiger Bomb, Robin Lane, and The Nervous Eaters at Askew Provi RI

September 14, 2024 (Saturday) Miracle Blood, Sapling, Endation, Slow Quit at Distant Castle in Worcester.

September 15, 2024 (Sunday) Wreckless Wreck Chords Presents MidDay Madness with WORM, Working Poor USA, Barry Larry, StressBall, Fice - at The Midway - Matinee 3-7 All Ages $15 3pm Doors - FB page.

September 15, 2024 (Sunday) The Thigh Scrapers, The Stigmatics and M.O.T.O.'s Paul & Cory are at the Worthern Attic in Lowell

September 16, 2024 (Monday) John Cooper Clarke comes again!!! at The City Winery [7:30PM]

September 19, 2024 (Thursday) Legendary Queer-core Pop Rockers Pansy Division, The Fatal Flaw and Gene Dante at Faces in Malden

September 19, 2024 (Thursday) Bootleg Dan presents: John Powhida, Tiger Bomb, Rick Barton Band at Blue in Portland, ME

September 20, 2024 (Friday) Tiger Bomb and The Nervous Eaters at Sonia

September 20, 2024 (Friday) Bootleg Dan presents: John Hovorka Band, Crow Follow, Connor Storms and his Bouquet, at The Burren 6:15pm show

September 21, 2024 (Saturday) The "Rat Reunion" at The Bellforge Art Center with Nervous Eaters and The Dogmatics. This'll be outside anda its 3-7PM. Link to tix and updates

September 21, 2024 (Saturday) The Cynz, Spanking Charlene, Kanak, are at The Parkside Lounge NYC

September 22, 2024 (Sunday) Speedfossil 10th Anniversary show. They'll have some past members of Speedfossil joining us for a few songs, as well as sets from The False Positives, Cold Expectations, Stop Calling Me Frank at Tavern At The End of the World. 5-8:30PM show. FB page.

September 28, 2024 (Saturday) Rich Mirsky is on A Crash Course for the Ravers on WMFO 1-4PM. FB page.

September 28, 2024 (Saturday) DRAGO 20th Anniversary Show with The Downhauls, Dead Like Death, The Blue Bloods at The Midway = this is a matinee at 3PM. FB page.

September 28, 2024 (Saturday) Eddie Japan, Lovina Falls and Roxy and The Crisis at Faces Brewery

September 29, 2024 (Sunday) Supersuckers, Downhauls, TJ Welch and the Wasted and Speedteeth (That's Jesse Meyers and Andy Excuse's new band!!) at Sammy’s Patio - Revere Beach - Facebook page

October 3, 2024 (Thursday) Puffer, Rejekts, The Pump, Impulse, and GREM at Sammy's Patio, Revere

October 4, 2024 (Friday) The Wyld Gooms, Tiger Bomb, Shades of Night at Geno in Portland.

October 5, 2024 (Saturday) Plymouth Punk Rock HALLOWEEN Market - Over 60 vendors selling Weird Stuff For Weird People and live music by Diablogato and Saint James and the Heretics, and there'll be a COSTUME CONTEST and tarot readings, Mayflower Brewing Company Plymouth - FB page for info

October 5, 2024 (Saturday) Dreadnoughts, Hub City Stompers, the Pourmen at Sammy's Patio Revere FB page

October 10, 2024 (Thursday) Davila 666, Las Nubes, Ladrones, Gossip Collar at Deep Cuts, Medford, MA

October 10 & 11, 2024 (Thursday & Friday) Barrence Whitfield, Liz Proteau and Mach Bell star in Sci Fi Rock Opera “Beasties” World Premiere live on stage w/choral cast and band. Regent Theatre, Arlington 6pm doors, 7pm showtime.

October 18, 2024 (Friday) The Fuzzstival at The Armory: Sweeping Promises, Babybaby Explores, Yhwh Nailgun, Bong Wish, Balaclava, Mingko, Nurse Joy, Lupo Citta, The Spatulas, Plant Fight

October 19, 2024 (Saturday) The Fuzzstival at The Armory: Doug Tuttle, Greg Freeman, Latrell James, Francie Medosch (of Florry), Paper Lady, Prewn, Clifford, War Machine, Corporeal, Pew Pe.

October 19, 2024 (Saturday) 5th annual Punktoberfest music and craft beer festival! Full lineup of bands AND breweries coming soon! Save the date…at Thirsty First Lowell.

October 24, 2024 (Thursday) Stupidity, Cocktail Slippers and the Wynotts at Alchemy, Providence FB page.

October 25, 2024 (Friday) Moving Targets, The Long Wait, Spiller - Middle East Up - Facebook page

October 25, 2024 (Friday) Bootleg Dan presents Cocktail Slippers, The Chelsea Curve, DJ Sherman at The Burren

October 26, 2024 (Saturday) Tiger Bomb, The Cocktail Slippers, Stupidity, Muck & The Mires at The Bayside Bowl, Portland, ME FB page

November 1, 2024 (Friday) Coffin Salesman (Record Release!), Motel Black, Saeddyr, Squallie Greenthumb at Faces Malden.

November 9, 2024 (Saturday) Silver Screams, Black Helicopter and Jay Allen and the Archcriminals are at The Square Root.

November 23, 2024 (Saturday) Hi-End, Duck and Cover, Color Killers at The Square Root

December 6, 2024 (Friday) Warrior Soul, All Sinners and Speed Teeth at Koto Salem

CONTACT US AT....misslynbgn@yahoo.com Send us your gig listings, your anything else you've got!! You want your CD reviewed?? Contact us for that too.