THE FIRST ISSUE OF DYSFUNCTION
WILL BE OUT ON MARCH 12TH 2008.
DYSFUNCTION SERVES TO BRING A
COLLECTION OF INFORMATION
ABOUT UNDERGROUND BANDS
AND INDEPENDENT MUSICIANS NOT
NECESSARILY PROMOTED OR
COVERED BY OTHER FORMS OF
PRESS.
DYSFUNCTION WILL GIVE YOU THE
OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE
OTHERS TO MUSIC YOU HAVE
DISCOVERED OR "LIKE."
DYSFUNCTION WHITENS TEETH!
DYSFUNCTION IS NOT IN THE
"POCKET" OF GIANT
CORPORATIONS SECRETLY
PULLING STRINGS.
DYSFUNCTION WILL NOT SEEK TO
EMPLOY OR DECEIVE YOU!
DYSFUNCTION CAN BE USED AS A
WEAPON IN CERTAIN
CIRCUMSTANCES.
DYSFUNCTION IS NOT CHEW ABLE.
DYSFUNCTION IS NOT HARMFUL
TO YOUR HEALTH, UNLESS YOU
READ IT.
SIDE AFFECTS INCLUDE:
INSOMNIA, DRY MOUTH, FATIGUE,
BODILY ODOR AND OR SWEATING,
GATHERING AT NIGHT CLUBS TO
VIEW MUSICAL PERFORMANCES,
DRIVING WITHOUT PROPER EYE
WEAR, EATING AND OR DRINKING,
PICKING UP AN INSTRUMENT,
BLURRED VISION, STARTING A
BAND, SUDDEN URGES, FAINTING,
TWITCHING, SNEEZING, FEVER,
WRITING, SHORTNESS OF
BREATHE, SPONTANEOUS
MOVEMENTS, INCREASED
APPETITE, SINGING AND OR
HUMMING.
DO NOT USE DYSFUNCTION WHILE
DRIVING OR OPERATING HEAVY
MACHINERY.
WILL BE OUT ON MARCH 12TH 2008.
DYSFUNCTION SERVES TO BRING A
COLLECTION OF INFORMATION
ABOUT UNDERGROUND BANDS
AND INDEPENDENT MUSICIANS NOT
NECESSARILY PROMOTED OR
COVERED BY OTHER FORMS OF
PRESS.
DYSFUNCTION WILL GIVE YOU THE
OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE
OTHERS TO MUSIC YOU HAVE
DISCOVERED OR "LIKE."
DYSFUNCTION WHITENS TEETH!
DYSFUNCTION IS NOT IN THE
"POCKET" OF GIANT
CORPORATIONS SECRETLY
PULLING STRINGS.
DYSFUNCTION WILL NOT SEEK TO
EMPLOY OR DECEIVE YOU!
DYSFUNCTION CAN BE USED AS A
WEAPON IN CERTAIN
CIRCUMSTANCES.
DYSFUNCTION IS NOT CHEW ABLE.
DYSFUNCTION IS NOT HARMFUL
TO YOUR HEALTH, UNLESS YOU
READ IT.
SIDE AFFECTS INCLUDE:
INSOMNIA, DRY MOUTH, FATIGUE,
BODILY ODOR AND OR SWEATING,
GATHERING AT NIGHT CLUBS TO
VIEW MUSICAL PERFORMANCES,
DRIVING WITHOUT PROPER EYE
WEAR, EATING AND OR DRINKING,
PICKING UP AN INSTRUMENT,
BLURRED VISION, STARTING A
BAND, SUDDEN URGES, FAINTING,
TWITCHING, SNEEZING, FEVER,
WRITING, SHORTNESS OF
BREATHE, SPONTANEOUS
MOVEMENTS, INCREASED
APPETITE, SINGING AND OR
HUMMING.
DO NOT USE DYSFUNCTION WHILE
DRIVING OR OPERATING HEAVY
MACHINERY.
"DYSFUNCTION"
INTER-ACTIVE BLOG AND ZINE
HALF AND HALF
HALF JAPANESE REFORMED AND BACK ON STAGE
From the bedroom of Jad and David Fair to SXSW 2008:
HALF JAPANESE has been called “The Band That Would be King” and the “Last Rock Band on
Planet Earth.” These monikers come with some great respect and reverence for a band of
brothers who started in their bedroom making songs about monsters and love. A reverence for
their astonishing ability to create songs out of mid air or possibly direct from the mind – via only
the mouth as a translator. I have seen Jad Fair ad-libbing at shows and if he gets stuck he simply
stops abruptly, “no that won’t work” and he simply begins a new song. Lyric ideas get scribbled
on small pieces of paper that others might think were trash he keeps them like money in his
wallet! Perhaps they will magically change to currency soon…. Jad will even custom make a
song for anyone for a few hundred dollars, which is an amazing service. Imagine saying, “Oh I
commissioned that song from Jad” sometime when hearing one of his albums. There is this
honest thing about Jad and David’s music that is just unbelievable. They both have the ability to
simply and efficiently create songs about things we experience daily - objects, love and romance,
or imaginary/childlike visions of ghosts, demons, aliens, monsters, and animals. They have been
inspired by the naïve compositions of THE SHAGGS and even IGGY AND THE STOOGES and the
MC5. The STOOGES seem to play an important part, if only for a concept of wild uninhibited rock
and roll. Yes, you will never see Jad lacerate his chest with glass, but that was IGGY’S thing.
HALF JAPANESE seems to take Iggy’s lead and have a sort of smart intellect meets naïve
instrumentation to form a band capable of anything. Jad and David have a sophisticated lyrical
approach and patterning that lends itself to Jad’s impeccably odd sense of timing. This timing
can throw people off and annoy the hell out of them – this is where HALF JAPANESE can insert
their sensibility and gain leverage.
You can’t not like them….
I have never seen so many people smiling at a “Rock” show as I have at a HALF JAPANESE show.
They have a childlike energy that transcends years – despite their own - they are not teens
anymore, yet somehow they have that spirit. The Rock and Roll spirit, is a free spirit not weighed
down by the awful dregs of today’s Rock and Roll “Do’s and Don’ts”…which are killing off the
form. It is a FREE form! It is not about clothing, and jewelry, and an expensive Gibson, and any of
that prescribed bullshit. No, Rock and Roll is about music with a certain beat, a pulse, a chant, a
feeling, and ability to move people in a way other music does not. People don’t hear Beethoven
and then rush a stage and jump and shout with pure joy, they are not “allowed to.” (OK – Yes
clapping is a good start)
I am not saying you have to make a riot happen, but Rock and Roll excites and incites rebellion -
whether it is a rebellion just to get up and dance, just have fun, start a band, or even change the
place where you live. Rock and Roll is a voice too and Jad and David understand how to speak
Rock and Roll. The “speak” can be a yell, a howl, a scream, a screeching, a croon, a bellow – a
tool for WORDS.
HALF JAPANESE is responsible for recording more songs than I would prefer to count and a pile
of albums you could spend half a life time tracking down all of them. The lyrics are plentiful and
full of humor, imagination, and a sense of fun, bordering on mischief. Their verbal prowess is
next to none. Combining the simplistic approach of early rock and roll and pairing it with a
intelligent wit and radically alternative delivery over a spastic yet controlled combination of
noises form various instruments.
David seems to handle the theoretical end of things. His paper called “How To Play Guitar”
outlined his direct and scientific approach to the instrument. Jad joined in and added his vocal
skills and I think drums too in the beginning. Many may question this word in a HALF JAPANESE
article. However, Jad and David are surprisingly skillful. The two are just not concerned with the
normal mores of musicians. Their whole intent is to do things their own way, the HALF JAPANESE
way. They are naïve but that does not mean they are not intelligent, skilled, or immensely
talented. The way they play and perform is what makes them great. They are unique.
When Jad and David are joined by the Dreyfuss bothers, Mark Jickling, and John Moremen they
form a complete band. HALF JAPANESE is a complete presence combining the forces of Jad and
David above the instrumental base of the other members. Jad appears as the leader, the lead
vocalist, but he frequently turns this role over to David who can remind you of a Flavor Flav
character in some ways – He is great at getting crowd involvement and enticing response and
dancing. He is like a giant teddy bear, where Jad is a bit in his own world aloof and out of place
but a commanding stage presence.
HALF JAPANESE are unique and you can’t explain it – I can’t and I have been trying. This is exactly
what makes them a great band. HALF JAPANESE is something to witness and experience. So
please come see them at one of their shows during this brief re-union. This is your chance!
- B. Dalton
HALF JAPANESE REFORMED AND BACK ON STAGE
From the bedroom of Jad and David Fair to SXSW 2008:
HALF JAPANESE has been called “The Band That Would be King” and the “Last Rock Band on
Planet Earth.” These monikers come with some great respect and reverence for a band of
brothers who started in their bedroom making songs about monsters and love. A reverence for
their astonishing ability to create songs out of mid air or possibly direct from the mind – via only
the mouth as a translator. I have seen Jad Fair ad-libbing at shows and if he gets stuck he simply
stops abruptly, “no that won’t work” and he simply begins a new song. Lyric ideas get scribbled
on small pieces of paper that others might think were trash he keeps them like money in his
wallet! Perhaps they will magically change to currency soon…. Jad will even custom make a
song for anyone for a few hundred dollars, which is an amazing service. Imagine saying, “Oh I
commissioned that song from Jad” sometime when hearing one of his albums. There is this
honest thing about Jad and David’s music that is just unbelievable. They both have the ability to
simply and efficiently create songs about things we experience daily - objects, love and romance,
or imaginary/childlike visions of ghosts, demons, aliens, monsters, and animals. They have been
inspired by the naïve compositions of THE SHAGGS and even IGGY AND THE STOOGES and the
MC5. The STOOGES seem to play an important part, if only for a concept of wild uninhibited rock
and roll. Yes, you will never see Jad lacerate his chest with glass, but that was IGGY’S thing.
HALF JAPANESE seems to take Iggy’s lead and have a sort of smart intellect meets naïve
instrumentation to form a band capable of anything. Jad and David have a sophisticated lyrical
approach and patterning that lends itself to Jad’s impeccably odd sense of timing. This timing
can throw people off and annoy the hell out of them – this is where HALF JAPANESE can insert
their sensibility and gain leverage.
You can’t not like them….
I have never seen so many people smiling at a “Rock” show as I have at a HALF JAPANESE show.
They have a childlike energy that transcends years – despite their own - they are not teens
anymore, yet somehow they have that spirit. The Rock and Roll spirit, is a free spirit not weighed
down by the awful dregs of today’s Rock and Roll “Do’s and Don’ts”…which are killing off the
form. It is a FREE form! It is not about clothing, and jewelry, and an expensive Gibson, and any of
that prescribed bullshit. No, Rock and Roll is about music with a certain beat, a pulse, a chant, a
feeling, and ability to move people in a way other music does not. People don’t hear Beethoven
and then rush a stage and jump and shout with pure joy, they are not “allowed to.” (OK – Yes
clapping is a good start)
I am not saying you have to make a riot happen, but Rock and Roll excites and incites rebellion -
whether it is a rebellion just to get up and dance, just have fun, start a band, or even change the
place where you live. Rock and Roll is a voice too and Jad and David understand how to speak
Rock and Roll. The “speak” can be a yell, a howl, a scream, a screeching, a croon, a bellow – a
tool for WORDS.
HALF JAPANESE is responsible for recording more songs than I would prefer to count and a pile
of albums you could spend half a life time tracking down all of them. The lyrics are plentiful and
full of humor, imagination, and a sense of fun, bordering on mischief. Their verbal prowess is
next to none. Combining the simplistic approach of early rock and roll and pairing it with a
intelligent wit and radically alternative delivery over a spastic yet controlled combination of
noises form various instruments.
David seems to handle the theoretical end of things. His paper called “How To Play Guitar”
outlined his direct and scientific approach to the instrument. Jad joined in and added his vocal
skills and I think drums too in the beginning. Many may question this word in a HALF JAPANESE
article. However, Jad and David are surprisingly skillful. The two are just not concerned with the
normal mores of musicians. Their whole intent is to do things their own way, the HALF JAPANESE
way. They are naïve but that does not mean they are not intelligent, skilled, or immensely
talented. The way they play and perform is what makes them great. They are unique.
When Jad and David are joined by the Dreyfuss bothers, Mark Jickling, and John Moremen they
form a complete band. HALF JAPANESE is a complete presence combining the forces of Jad and
David above the instrumental base of the other members. Jad appears as the leader, the lead
vocalist, but he frequently turns this role over to David who can remind you of a Flavor Flav
character in some ways – He is great at getting crowd involvement and enticing response and
dancing. He is like a giant teddy bear, where Jad is a bit in his own world aloof and out of place
but a commanding stage presence.
HALF JAPANESE are unique and you can’t explain it – I can’t and I have been trying. This is exactly
what makes them a great band. HALF JAPANESE is something to witness and experience. So
please come see them at one of their shows during this brief re-union. This is your chance!
- B. Dalton
REVIEWS:
JAD AND NAO
“Half Monster”
Jad Fair and Naofumi Ishimaru’s “HALF MONSTER” final part of their
sonic trilogy, preceded by “HALF ROBOT” and “HALF ALIEN.” This
release houses the final group of recordings of the duo’s studio
sessions in Japan.
Naofumi wrote Jad Fair to commission him to design cover art for
his band Yximalloo in Japan. Later they met while touring and
arranged to record together, creating an immense body of work.
The two challenge each other and support each other
simultaneously. Naofumi impulsively creates noisy and complex
sound structures which Jad seems to enjoy adding vocals over.
Where some would wonder where to start and where is the
chorus? Jad just goes full speed ahead into uncharted…..whatever
(we are not in the water here). This sound space, if you will,
becomes a space to experiment in. The two push and pull each
other making a wide assortment of sounds.
The album is packed with 1 – 2 minute wonders, 45 of them! An
entire career for many artists! Jad once gave me a cd that had 200
Mp3s on it! Most if not all were unreleased songs! WOW, you
said! Yes – indeed the man IS a songwriter!
Naofumi does not stay in the background either. He takes the mic
and sings a few songs in Japanese – which I can’t understand but
they sound pretty good!
I can tell you he and Jad pair up on a cover of “Roll Over
Beethoven” that is really fun and perhaps techno! It is superb,
hilarious, and brilliant and over in a minute and a half!
These sonic magicians create great recordings, short but sweet,
and in gigantic portions. HALF MONSTER brings you bag loads of
songs and belches sonic wonders - Jad’s hypnotic rapping and Nao’
s bopping and stuttering cartwheels of noise. It’s like a ball of multi-
cultural good stuff. You can hear rock and roll, Reggae, Japanese
noise, organs, western wit, outer space pulsating tones and blips,
and shouts of glee. It’s a wild party!
- B. Dalton
“Half Monster”
Jad Fair and Naofumi Ishimaru’s “HALF MONSTER” final part of their
sonic trilogy, preceded by “HALF ROBOT” and “HALF ALIEN.” This
release houses the final group of recordings of the duo’s studio
sessions in Japan.
Naofumi wrote Jad Fair to commission him to design cover art for
his band Yximalloo in Japan. Later they met while touring and
arranged to record together, creating an immense body of work.
The two challenge each other and support each other
simultaneously. Naofumi impulsively creates noisy and complex
sound structures which Jad seems to enjoy adding vocals over.
Where some would wonder where to start and where is the
chorus? Jad just goes full speed ahead into uncharted…..whatever
(we are not in the water here). This sound space, if you will,
becomes a space to experiment in. The two push and pull each
other making a wide assortment of sounds.
The album is packed with 1 – 2 minute wonders, 45 of them! An
entire career for many artists! Jad once gave me a cd that had 200
Mp3s on it! Most if not all were unreleased songs! WOW, you
said! Yes – indeed the man IS a songwriter!
Naofumi does not stay in the background either. He takes the mic
and sings a few songs in Japanese – which I can’t understand but
they sound pretty good!
I can tell you he and Jad pair up on a cover of “Roll Over
Beethoven” that is really fun and perhaps techno! It is superb,
hilarious, and brilliant and over in a minute and a half!
These sonic magicians create great recordings, short but sweet,
and in gigantic portions. HALF MONSTER brings you bag loads of
songs and belches sonic wonders - Jad’s hypnotic rapping and Nao’
s bopping and stuttering cartwheels of noise. It’s like a ball of multi-
cultural good stuff. You can hear rock and roll, Reggae, Japanese
noise, organs, western wit, outer space pulsating tones and blips,
and shouts of glee. It’s a wild party!
- B. Dalton
THE DICKS
“Kill From the Heart”
This is the real deal! The Dicks! The re-issue of their classic
album, Kill From the Heart originally released on SST records in
1983. The Dicks are still here and playing great live shows. If you
missed their reunion shows last year DO NOT miss their shows this
year!
The Dicks are led by the astonishing vocals of Gary Floyd. The man
can tear through you with his lyrics. Cut to the bone? That doesn’t
cut it! Cut through the bone. There’s enough hard reality and grit
here to put you on the pavement. Crime, violence, fear, guilt, lust,
passion, brought forth in epic proportions. Pair Floyd’s vocal hard-
core with the guitars of Glen Taylor and Buxf Parrot creating a wall
of guitar noise so thick you could feel it smack you in the face. Pat
Deason’s irreverent drum beats pound the fucking hell out of the
drums! This is rock and roll - this is PUNK unparralled since and
before only by the Sex Pistols in my mind! There are no illusions
here! The Dicks were and are real. “This is Reaaa-aaal - Life!” Gary
shouts! These guys were not and definitely are not afraid of life,
free speech, status-quo agendas, politically correct “life” - there is
no pretending, there are only four people looking at what is going
on and screaming it from a stage! Simply too much for many! The
Dicks can enrage certain people and completely terrify others, they
will not perform unnoiticed!
If you thought punk and “hard core” was systematic repetition,
check some of their songs for some surprising killer slide guitars,
frantically artistic abstract guitar solos, bizarre change-ups, and a
band completely determined to crush out blistering songs one after
another! Their songs are as fresh and as meaning filled as ever!
Oh, and you thought this life was more civilized, cleaner, and safer
than when The Dicks first recorded it! Get over it, life is dangerous
– do what you can to make it tollerable! That’s what The Dicks did.
I first learned of The Dicks from a Punk compilation, one song stuck
out and you had to listen to it over and over It was Hate the Police,
their debut single. It took years to finally find the album. So now
YOU are in luck. The real thing Kill Form the Heart reissued on a
nice clean CD, just for you and straight from the band. Tell Santa
you already got what you wanted this year….
PS: If you don’t know. Check out the killer cover of “Purple Haze”
from the B side!
- B. Dalton
“Kill From the Heart”
This is the real deal! The Dicks! The re-issue of their classic
album, Kill From the Heart originally released on SST records in
1983. The Dicks are still here and playing great live shows. If you
missed their reunion shows last year DO NOT miss their shows this
year!
The Dicks are led by the astonishing vocals of Gary Floyd. The man
can tear through you with his lyrics. Cut to the bone? That doesn’t
cut it! Cut through the bone. There’s enough hard reality and grit
here to put you on the pavement. Crime, violence, fear, guilt, lust,
passion, brought forth in epic proportions. Pair Floyd’s vocal hard-
core with the guitars of Glen Taylor and Buxf Parrot creating a wall
of guitar noise so thick you could feel it smack you in the face. Pat
Deason’s irreverent drum beats pound the fucking hell out of the
drums! This is rock and roll - this is PUNK unparralled since and
before only by the Sex Pistols in my mind! There are no illusions
here! The Dicks were and are real. “This is Reaaa-aaal - Life!” Gary
shouts! These guys were not and definitely are not afraid of life,
free speech, status-quo agendas, politically correct “life” - there is
no pretending, there are only four people looking at what is going
on and screaming it from a stage! Simply too much for many! The
Dicks can enrage certain people and completely terrify others, they
will not perform unnoiticed!
If you thought punk and “hard core” was systematic repetition,
check some of their songs for some surprising killer slide guitars,
frantically artistic abstract guitar solos, bizarre change-ups, and a
band completely determined to crush out blistering songs one after
another! Their songs are as fresh and as meaning filled as ever!
Oh, and you thought this life was more civilized, cleaner, and safer
than when The Dicks first recorded it! Get over it, life is dangerous
– do what you can to make it tollerable! That’s what The Dicks did.
I first learned of The Dicks from a Punk compilation, one song stuck
out and you had to listen to it over and over It was Hate the Police,
their debut single. It took years to finally find the album. So now
YOU are in luck. The real thing Kill Form the Heart reissued on a
nice clean CD, just for you and straight from the band. Tell Santa
you already got what you wanted this year….
PS: If you don’t know. Check out the killer cover of “Purple Haze”
from the B side!
- B. Dalton
SUPERPUSSY
“Up To No Good”
SUPERPUSSY are a very powerful trio from Australia. The band has
notoriety “Down Under” for tearing stages into splintered pieces.
Their music will grab you and throw you to the floor and tear you
limb - from – limb if you are not prepared! This three piece is a tight
well oiled machine – NO! correction, THIS three piece is a tight un-
lubricated friction machine, burning with passion for fuel and a
mechanical engine oiled by sweat alone.
These guys will keep you up at night. You think you know what is
going on in this world. You read the papers, watch the TV in your
living room. Somehow they make sense to me here where school
campuses are becoming war zones, homelessness is on the rise,
Hummer sales are up, and Hollywood is back to blowing up our
country’s skylines. SUPERPUSSY have never set foot on American
soil! Despite it is one of the few things I can listen to now, they
seem to have a grip of the controlled, paranoid, machine-like way
culture is today. They are dealing with life someway SONICALLY.
Their music has no guise, no bull-shit. This is what we need more
of, simply experience in song….we can all follow and relate to,
listen to the plea of:
“Pain in my Head, Hole in my Heart, Hate in my veins, Drive me….
Insane!” - “IN MY HEAD”
The band describe their music as, “a deaf astronaut in a padded
room being beaten severely about the mouth and nose with a
cotton/polyester blend pillow by a one legged cross dressing
midget called Margaret…” This somehow falls short but gains
creativity points and humor!
These guys are great, they write good songs, they live half way
around the world in a place we can only imagine as where
“Crocodile Dundee” came from, “Outback Steak House,” the
outdoor guy who got killed by a sting ray, and images of Sydney’s
well photographed harbor and Nicole Kidman’s physique – of
course!
Their brand of fearsome rock and roll punches through all the
commercial plastic of the world and brings you face to face with the
experience of today, the horror of today. There is no candy coating,
less the name. SUPERPUSSY has got to be one of the best band
names I have heard recently. They are hard to categorize, this must
relate to the MISC. MUSIC involvement. Their myspace page reads
“Jungle / Grime / Flamenco” is there a section for that at
WATERLOO? However you quantify their sound – their music is
good and somewhere they are making a mathematician proud with
their complex rhythmic equations (songs) and keeping their lucky
audiences from falling into that sea of sterile cultural blankness.
K. Lartnec
“Up To No Good”
SUPERPUSSY are a very powerful trio from Australia. The band has
notoriety “Down Under” for tearing stages into splintered pieces.
Their music will grab you and throw you to the floor and tear you
limb - from – limb if you are not prepared! This three piece is a tight
well oiled machine – NO! correction, THIS three piece is a tight un-
lubricated friction machine, burning with passion for fuel and a
mechanical engine oiled by sweat alone.
These guys will keep you up at night. You think you know what is
going on in this world. You read the papers, watch the TV in your
living room. Somehow they make sense to me here where school
campuses are becoming war zones, homelessness is on the rise,
Hummer sales are up, and Hollywood is back to blowing up our
country’s skylines. SUPERPUSSY have never set foot on American
soil! Despite it is one of the few things I can listen to now, they
seem to have a grip of the controlled, paranoid, machine-like way
culture is today. They are dealing with life someway SONICALLY.
Their music has no guise, no bull-shit. This is what we need more
of, simply experience in song….we can all follow and relate to,
listen to the plea of:
“Pain in my Head, Hole in my Heart, Hate in my veins, Drive me….
Insane!” - “IN MY HEAD”
The band describe their music as, “a deaf astronaut in a padded
room being beaten severely about the mouth and nose with a
cotton/polyester blend pillow by a one legged cross dressing
midget called Margaret…” This somehow falls short but gains
creativity points and humor!
These guys are great, they write good songs, they live half way
around the world in a place we can only imagine as where
“Crocodile Dundee” came from, “Outback Steak House,” the
outdoor guy who got killed by a sting ray, and images of Sydney’s
well photographed harbor and Nicole Kidman’s physique – of
course!
Their brand of fearsome rock and roll punches through all the
commercial plastic of the world and brings you face to face with the
experience of today, the horror of today. There is no candy coating,
less the name. SUPERPUSSY has got to be one of the best band
names I have heard recently. They are hard to categorize, this must
relate to the MISC. MUSIC involvement. Their myspace page reads
“Jungle / Grime / Flamenco” is there a section for that at
WATERLOO? However you quantify their sound – their music is
good and somewhere they are making a mathematician proud with
their complex rhythmic equations (songs) and keeping their lucky
audiences from falling into that sea of sterile cultural blankness.
K. Lartnec
ELECTRIC EEL SHOCK
“Transworld Ultra Rock”
One of Japan’s greatest exports since Sapporo! The band has been
called a “comedy, rock, riot!” Their brand of wild comic book meets
power rock licks is at once modern and reverential to Rock and Roll’
s arena - rock anthem bands, with a twist of Japanese humor. Their
previous hit, Rock and Roll Can Rescue the World, has been
acclaimed as a classic song in the English press. EES are Akihito
Morimoto guitar and vocals, Kazuto Maekawa on bass, and “GIAN,”
Tomohharu Ito on the drums. They have played some blistering
shows at the last few SXSW festivals and logged well over 400 live
shows in the last 3 years!
Transworld Ultra Rock shows some new depth for the band in some
amazing change ups and thrilling stops and starts, showing their
complete rock and roll mastery. Check the first track
I Can’t Hear You is a catchy rock and roll number that gets in your
blood stream and makes your feet start to move and head bob up
and down! It sounds like a Friday night – I’m in the car with my
friends theme, “Now it’s time to scream! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!”
Scream along!
Take that and then Dice De Try! which I have no idea what that
means and it doesn’t matter because it rocks! With its syncopated
and sophisticated riff inter-working with the rhythm makes for some
exciting rock and roll, watch out for the bass when it comes in, “OH
YEAH - I want to touch, Take me there again!” Lets go! Jump on
board and let Electric Eel Shock take you there, wherever there
may be this album will get you there!
Try Baby with a bluesy “Walking Blues” opening this song stomps
into your head and gets you off the chair! Jump up and get into it,
feel the beat. Then follow that with a surprising Minnie Riperton
cover! EES pull out a great cover of Lovin’ You with extra vocals
by Jolien Grunberg. The song becomes a duet for Jolien and
Akihito and develops into a rock – love song that you can blast over
and over all night! Don’t forget your dancing shoes…and start
praying these guys will land on US soil again this summer!
- B. Dalton
“Transworld Ultra Rock”
One of Japan’s greatest exports since Sapporo! The band has been
called a “comedy, rock, riot!” Their brand of wild comic book meets
power rock licks is at once modern and reverential to Rock and Roll’
s arena - rock anthem bands, with a twist of Japanese humor. Their
previous hit, Rock and Roll Can Rescue the World, has been
acclaimed as a classic song in the English press. EES are Akihito
Morimoto guitar and vocals, Kazuto Maekawa on bass, and “GIAN,”
Tomohharu Ito on the drums. They have played some blistering
shows at the last few SXSW festivals and logged well over 400 live
shows in the last 3 years!
Transworld Ultra Rock shows some new depth for the band in some
amazing change ups and thrilling stops and starts, showing their
complete rock and roll mastery. Check the first track
I Can’t Hear You is a catchy rock and roll number that gets in your
blood stream and makes your feet start to move and head bob up
and down! It sounds like a Friday night – I’m in the car with my
friends theme, “Now it’s time to scream! I CAN’T HEAR YOU!”
Scream along!
Take that and then Dice De Try! which I have no idea what that
means and it doesn’t matter because it rocks! With its syncopated
and sophisticated riff inter-working with the rhythm makes for some
exciting rock and roll, watch out for the bass when it comes in, “OH
YEAH - I want to touch, Take me there again!” Lets go! Jump on
board and let Electric Eel Shock take you there, wherever there
may be this album will get you there!
Try Baby with a bluesy “Walking Blues” opening this song stomps
into your head and gets you off the chair! Jump up and get into it,
feel the beat. Then follow that with a surprising Minnie Riperton
cover! EES pull out a great cover of Lovin’ You with extra vocals
by Jolien Grunberg. The song becomes a duet for Jolien and
Akihito and develops into a rock – love song that you can blast over
and over all night! Don’t forget your dancing shoes…and start
praying these guys will land on US soil again this summer!
- B. Dalton
ALIENS
“Head First”
Head First will reacquaint listeners with true rock 'n' roll's sound
and purpose. The album contains fifteen (trust me) straightforward,
catchy tunes, but it is by no means simple. With vocals like a brick
through your window and a guitar sound to knock out the remaining
walls ALIENS energetic recordings will definitely not remain in the
background. Upon careful listening, one can discern influences as
diverse as the Sex Pistols, Wire, The Wipers, REM, The Melvins,
Public Image Limited, Nirvana, Big Black, and Talking Heads..
Reflex Motor is the goods here, a danceable and noisy number with
an opening guitar hook that recalls Keith Levene at his most
abrasive. Head First is not an impressive debut – it is impressive
period. If the bands the Big Music Press have anointed as rock's
next saviors leave you wanting, give this album a spin. ALIENS
back to basics effort cuts through the fog like a new day rising.
- dB. Mayne
“Head First”
Head First will reacquaint listeners with true rock 'n' roll's sound
and purpose. The album contains fifteen (trust me) straightforward,
catchy tunes, but it is by no means simple. With vocals like a brick
through your window and a guitar sound to knock out the remaining
walls ALIENS energetic recordings will definitely not remain in the
background. Upon careful listening, one can discern influences as
diverse as the Sex Pistols, Wire, The Wipers, REM, The Melvins,
Public Image Limited, Nirvana, Big Black, and Talking Heads..
Reflex Motor is the goods here, a danceable and noisy number with
an opening guitar hook that recalls Keith Levene at his most
abrasive. Head First is not an impressive debut – it is impressive
period. If the bands the Big Music Press have anointed as rock's
next saviors leave you wanting, give this album a spin. ALIENS
back to basics effort cuts through the fog like a new day rising.
- dB. Mayne
DRAWING BY JAD FAIR
THANK YOU FOR READING
DYSFUNCTION ISSUE ONE ONLINE.
TO OBTAIN A PRINTED AND
STAPLED COPY PLEASE WRITE TO:
DYSFUNCTION
PO BOX 685314
AUSTIN, TEXAS
78768
INCLUDE $1 OF CONCEALED
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YOUR MAILBOX A FEW WEEKS
LATER.
QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS OR
TO CONTRIBUTE OR WRITE
REVIEWS OF ALBUMS OR LIVE
SHOWS PLEASE EMAIL :
dysfunction@miscmusiconline.com
DYSFUNCTION ISSUE ONE ONLINE.
TO OBTAIN A PRINTED AND
STAPLED COPY PLEASE WRITE TO:
DYSFUNCTION
PO BOX 685314
AUSTIN, TEXAS
78768
INCLUDE $1 OF CONCEALED
AMERICAN CURRENCY AND A NEW
10 PAGE ZINE WILL APPEAR IN
YOUR MAILBOX A FEW WEEKS
LATER.
QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS OR
TO CONTRIBUTE OR WRITE
REVIEWS OF ALBUMS OR LIVE
SHOWS PLEASE EMAIL :
dysfunction@miscmusiconline.com
DYSFUNCTION
MODERN MUSIC:
I was recently involved in a conversation with a friend about dance music and how the roots of
most of it came from Reggae, from a Jamaican influence. Modern music has been profoundly
influenced by one tiny island. Well no today’s music seems to have been influenced by THREE of
them:
JAMAICA : REGGAE / DUB MUSIC
MANHATTAN : PUNK / ROCK (THE RAMONES) + “NEW WAVE”
ENGLAND : PUNK SOCIAL MOVEMENT (THE SEX PISTOLS)
Without these places you could not have punk, reggae, ska, well maybe anything but “classical,”
jazz, and blues. Obviously jazz and blues are derived from Africa (which could be considered an
island - Continent) these two both sprang from similar traditions, jazz coming out of the blues.
The blues “had a baby….they called it Rock and Roll” Muddy Waters used to say. So the Delta of
the United States was an important creator of this modern form perhaps the islands where roots,
rock, and the blues migrated were like pressure cookers for these unique mixtures of music that
changed the world forever.
The island life is different secluded, limited, and thus regional by default.
JAMAICA is a tiny island from an American standpoint or a global one how can such a tiny place
have so much influence? It is hard to say, conditions of poverty and need to surmount it create
the need for humans to feed the spirit. Reggae is from poverty and thus seeks to uplift and that
idea is universally sought after. Reggae was inventive from the start springing from Ska and
taking both pop and primitive music sources. Reggae engineers experimented with sound and
Jamaica created many modern audio recording and studio techniques - creating Dub, Techno, and
contributing to turntablism.
Reggae influenced the Punk, Bob Marley and Lee “Scatch” Perry both lived in London, making
dozens and dozens of records.
WATCH: “THE HARDER THEY COME” (Jimmy Cliff)
READ: “CUT’N MIX” Dick Hebdige
MANHATTAN is a world to itself within America. Totally unique, a cultural melting-pot and idea
wellspring. Four mop topped pop music enthusiasts bored with the music of the day sought to
start Rock and Roll over with a streetwise tough’s approach and the “glamour” of teenagers from
Rebel Without a Cause. With a twist of comic book genius and horror movie gore. Thus, THE
RAMONES were born(true not in Manhattan(Queens) – but please remember this just an idea). In
true Rock and Roll fashion they learned as they went writing songs before they new how to play,
simplifying their music and turning up the volume for a louder world full of machines, pollution,
atomic bombs, over-population, and crime. The punk thing came from working class kids that
wanted to make music on their own terms – to listen to themselves and each other. They brought
Rock and Roll back to the teens and young adults who Rock and Roll was originally for! They
made it in their image ugly but cool, ruff but with a pop sensibility, humorous but focused and
delivered brutally.
CBGB was important as a hub for new music THE RAMONES followed TELEVISION, BLONDIE,
TALKING HEADS, SUICIDE…
Then hip hop also influenced by Reggae came in from the Bronx an island in its own way, due to
the economy and civic neglect.
WATCH: “END OF THE CENTURY”
READ: “HEY HO LETS GO” Everett True
ENGLAND:
PUNK as a social movement happened briefly in England, fanning out from London like a wild fire.
The SEX PISTOLS took the RAMONES sensibility and dropped the pop bubblegum and bombarded
England and then the globe with some vicious counter point to the current affairs of England.
People don’t seem to realize the Sex Pistols were attacked, nearly killed, and almost deported!
Merely for singing songs! We have trouble imagining the irony of an Irish red-headed teenager
singing God Save the Queen outside of Parliament on a boat cruise suggesting that her Majesty’s
usefulness might be over – and that was in the seventies (you know that fun fad “everyone’s”
glorifying again JET, THE STROKES, brown leather, people dressing like their grandparents)
imagine if the Sex Pistols had not happened then and happened today, as something completely
new, with the over use of force and security measures….they would all be in shackles in an
unmarked camp as terrorists.
The SEX PISTOLS message was clear take control, grow up and don’t take it passively anymore.
The world could use some advice like that today, and we are lucky because the Original PISTOLS
recently played in LA and toured England! Their first tour in ‘76 spawned bands wherever they
went just like the RAMONES did. The PISTOLS gave impetus to THE CLASH, The SLITS, JOY
DIVISION, THE ADVERTS, X-RAY SPEX, THE DAMED, THE BUZZCOCKS, THE JAM, even BILLY IDOL, at
that time in GENERATION X, SOUXIE AND THE BANSHEES, ELVIS COSTELLO, and GANG OF FOUR.
WATCH: ”FILTH AND THE FURY”
READ: “ENGLANDS DREAMING” John Savage
*Also noted The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and Cream came from here, clearly
reinventing Rock and Roll to another form for massive appeal
I was recently involved in a conversation with a friend about dance music and how the roots of
most of it came from Reggae, from a Jamaican influence. Modern music has been profoundly
influenced by one tiny island. Well no today’s music seems to have been influenced by THREE of
them:
JAMAICA : REGGAE / DUB MUSIC
MANHATTAN : PUNK / ROCK (THE RAMONES) + “NEW WAVE”
ENGLAND : PUNK SOCIAL MOVEMENT (THE SEX PISTOLS)
Without these places you could not have punk, reggae, ska, well maybe anything but “classical,”
jazz, and blues. Obviously jazz and blues are derived from Africa (which could be considered an
island - Continent) these two both sprang from similar traditions, jazz coming out of the blues.
The blues “had a baby….they called it Rock and Roll” Muddy Waters used to say. So the Delta of
the United States was an important creator of this modern form perhaps the islands where roots,
rock, and the blues migrated were like pressure cookers for these unique mixtures of music that
changed the world forever.
The island life is different secluded, limited, and thus regional by default.
JAMAICA is a tiny island from an American standpoint or a global one how can such a tiny place
have so much influence? It is hard to say, conditions of poverty and need to surmount it create
the need for humans to feed the spirit. Reggae is from poverty and thus seeks to uplift and that
idea is universally sought after. Reggae was inventive from the start springing from Ska and
taking both pop and primitive music sources. Reggae engineers experimented with sound and
Jamaica created many modern audio recording and studio techniques - creating Dub, Techno, and
contributing to turntablism.
Reggae influenced the Punk, Bob Marley and Lee “Scatch” Perry both lived in London, making
dozens and dozens of records.
WATCH: “THE HARDER THEY COME” (Jimmy Cliff)
READ: “CUT’N MIX” Dick Hebdige
MANHATTAN is a world to itself within America. Totally unique, a cultural melting-pot and idea
wellspring. Four mop topped pop music enthusiasts bored with the music of the day sought to
start Rock and Roll over with a streetwise tough’s approach and the “glamour” of teenagers from
Rebel Without a Cause. With a twist of comic book genius and horror movie gore. Thus, THE
RAMONES were born(true not in Manhattan(Queens) – but please remember this just an idea). In
true Rock and Roll fashion they learned as they went writing songs before they new how to play,
simplifying their music and turning up the volume for a louder world full of machines, pollution,
atomic bombs, over-population, and crime. The punk thing came from working class kids that
wanted to make music on their own terms – to listen to themselves and each other. They brought
Rock and Roll back to the teens and young adults who Rock and Roll was originally for! They
made it in their image ugly but cool, ruff but with a pop sensibility, humorous but focused and
delivered brutally.
CBGB was important as a hub for new music THE RAMONES followed TELEVISION, BLONDIE,
TALKING HEADS, SUICIDE…
Then hip hop also influenced by Reggae came in from the Bronx an island in its own way, due to
the economy and civic neglect.
WATCH: “END OF THE CENTURY”
READ: “HEY HO LETS GO” Everett True
ENGLAND:
PUNK as a social movement happened briefly in England, fanning out from London like a wild fire.
The SEX PISTOLS took the RAMONES sensibility and dropped the pop bubblegum and bombarded
England and then the globe with some vicious counter point to the current affairs of England.
People don’t seem to realize the Sex Pistols were attacked, nearly killed, and almost deported!
Merely for singing songs! We have trouble imagining the irony of an Irish red-headed teenager
singing God Save the Queen outside of Parliament on a boat cruise suggesting that her Majesty’s
usefulness might be over – and that was in the seventies (you know that fun fad “everyone’s”
glorifying again JET, THE STROKES, brown leather, people dressing like their grandparents)
imagine if the Sex Pistols had not happened then and happened today, as something completely
new, with the over use of force and security measures….they would all be in shackles in an
unmarked camp as terrorists.
The SEX PISTOLS message was clear take control, grow up and don’t take it passively anymore.
The world could use some advice like that today, and we are lucky because the Original PISTOLS
recently played in LA and toured England! Their first tour in ‘76 spawned bands wherever they
went just like the RAMONES did. The PISTOLS gave impetus to THE CLASH, The SLITS, JOY
DIVISION, THE ADVERTS, X-RAY SPEX, THE DAMED, THE BUZZCOCKS, THE JAM, even BILLY IDOL, at
that time in GENERATION X, SOUXIE AND THE BANSHEES, ELVIS COSTELLO, and GANG OF FOUR.
WATCH: ”FILTH AND THE FURY”
READ: “ENGLANDS DREAMING” John Savage
*Also noted The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, and Cream came from here, clearly
reinventing Rock and Roll to another form for massive appeal