It came from the hip....

Jesus of Cool

2009-09-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

While Brooklyn is trying to figure out how to poly-rhythm and sing through beards I am guessing maybe this is next. Hopefully the west coast can pull something off sometime soon besides lazy throw back that 70's show stoner hippie punk boredom. Might as well forget about the 80's and 90's while you are at it.

While figuring out how to mix a record more or less by my lonesome I had a couple of tracks that I would go back to for reference. Nick Lowe's Jesus of Cool was remastered this year and it still sounds fresh and hotter than anything anyone is turding out of their tight jeans that cost more than my months food supply.

Also I am going to take a stab at HIP HOP pretty soon. The guy who lives next door just out jail and surprise surprise his rhymes aren't bad at all. While we have had the corner on gangster rock for sometime, it's time to drift into Gangster Rap, I guess. Willy the Pimp it is. Rossetti thought he sounded like Too Short. IF anyone has a decent sampler to lend me I'll take it.
I know we will never get clearance but what is gangster about that?

Hit the City

2009-09-01T17:03:00.000-07:00

This song. I like it.

WE SICK WE ALIVE!

2009-09-01T16:53:00.001-07:00

While the record is being mastered and I finish preproduction for the Giant Drag record it seemed like a good time to play some free shows. None two sets will be the same songs and it will be a mix of new and old material. The first monday of the month isn't happening due to labor pains of labor day. Support and Guests will be annouced the weekend before each show. A real cool time.

poster by haubs

Born Against

2009-08-25T16:10:00.001-07:00

9 years later - live

MY BLOODY VALENTINO

2009-08-17T22:31:00.000-07:00

I seen so many references to this band. I like their records. Loveless blew my mind when i was 19 like maybe SF sarrow did to some high bloke in 69. I've always equated MBV much closer to a punk band than some kinda wimpy breathy girl gasps (like I see them lumped in with so often). Perhaps save that for Sonic Youth. Kevin Shields once told me about the band rising out of the squats and stealing bootlegs back from record stores. Crass Pins. Working class english punks taking it as far as they could. As is the case with lot of great bands, white critics and white "indy" kids stand around holding the painting upside down and backwards..I guess it comes down to POV.

These two have more in common than most anything I've tried to hear ape MBV..Lilys included and I like that shit too. But now that they are back everyone can stop it.

Annihilate this week!

2009-08-11T22:41:00.000-07:00

I took a couple days out this week to help some friends of Annie record their first single. The Tuff Cookies. It was flashback weekend. I had to pull out my damned record and my only ones too. All my favorite punk records we recorded by rock n roll engineers so thats how we did this. When punk produces punk you get shit like the transplants.. no bueno.

I'm Losing you...

2009-08-04T14:40:00.000-07:00

i'm not really sure if this is posthumous or not but it basically a throwaway track. Kinda too BBKingy for my taste. The thing is, John's throwaway still slaughters most anything that any band is doing right now. These days, unashamed rock n roll has to be making fun of itself or ironic. People want their bands to be the guy next door instead of the guy from the next galaxy.

2009-08-01T01:07:00.000-07:00

This one is for my old man. You'll be better soon, we all love you.

Where the fuck has this guy been all my life?

2009-07-31T03:24:00.000-07:00

Interview with yours truly...

2009-07-30T14:08:00.001-07:00

photo by hagen. interview here.

Simplicity/Effective

2009-07-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

The pedal situations might look modest but who needs more I wonder? If you can really bend an instruments capabilities to skitzo levels without anything but some ac then just imagine what you can when you implement a few little effects boxes. Thanks MAXON!

The Devil is Dope!

2009-07-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

The Devil is Dope!

This is the soundtrack for cruising the eastside in the outlaw. No A/C. No fancy rims. Just american steel and eco melting exhaust. What do they expect? Working musicians to buy a 30 g Prius? Ok there's one of those here too but a man needs to drive like a dang man. I missed the Keneth Anger films at the graveyard last weekend but I sure do like the soundtrack that was recorded in Jail. Making records in Jail. Might be a future in it?

Giant Drag House Party...you are invited! (i will be there)

2009-07-24T20:10:00.000-07:00

Live Stream, Chat, Performance and Auction
We’re going to be streaming live on the internet answering questions, playing acoustically and auctioning off kinds of one-of-a-kind junk Saturday July 25th at 1pm PST
Click here to RSVP
1pm Los Angeles – 4pm New York – 9pm London

2009-07-24T05:38:00.000-07:00

This reminds me of the time i spent living in the hollywood hills with my then mananger and friend Les. I can't belive we all made it out the other side of that tunnel. We cooked a bunch of feasts that were never eaten. It was the best of times, It was the worst of times. One thing is for sure that you can't do what we did in Scandinavia. You just can squeeze your self like a tube of toothpaste in a place like that. Everyone is so polite and white, which is nice. Nice doesn't make Rock n Roll records.

SEDAGIVE?!

2009-07-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

RIP SKY

2009-06-28T15:06:00.000-07:00

I remember seeing Sky play downtown five or six years ago. He looked and sounded awesome. They're just dropping like flies at this point. Bless you Sky.

DELTA

2009-06-27T23:19:00.000-07:00

play both at once for the best mash up since Indie 103 was kicked off the airwaves...

2009-06-27T21:18:00.000-07:00

Now you know I'm ready. Listen to Royal Trux and Mingus and The Stooges...

New Tunes up on Myspace and another great naked lady poster

2009-04-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

So I put a couple new tunes from the upcoming record up on The Icarus Line's Myspace for yall to squeal along to. The poster here is another creation from the art shop of Matt Sohl. That's all.

This might be why?

2009-03-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

PRIMALS TONIGHT IN LA

2009-03-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I seen these guys, they are always great to watch. One day I get to see the footage of our UK tour with them. I'm pretty sure every puff of every spliff is on tape somewhere under Travis's bed. I can't really really remember more than brief
moments but the ones I remember are fond. Come check the show out if you like rock n roll dance party.

2009

2009-01-28T21:54:00.001-08:00

Still

2009-01-28T21:54:00.000-08:00

SUNDAY

2009-01-25T13:57:00.000-08:00

MORE FROM MR. OBVIOUS...

2008-08-27T00:49:00.000-07:00

I really do like this era of Lou's career more than most. See and hear the whole band playing music. No pedals to hide behind. No gimmicks. No crapola. All you get here is a freak backed up by a bunch of dudes who can play the shit out of some rock n' roll. I can't help it. This is what I love and what is not to love? Sure he barely sings the songs but the band is bad as fuck and the vibe is right on. VIBEY dude.

ROCK OVER LONDON

2008-08-27T00:43:00.000-07:00

BLACK MARIA

2008-08-27T00:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not really sure why this guy doesn't get played on classic rock radio much. Perhaps he does in other places but not here in Los Angeles. Mostly they play Chicago and Boston. Any band named after a city will do. James showed me this clip. The feathers glued to his eyebrows. Wearing a picture of himself on his chest. Shit you aren't supposed to do anymore. The great shit.

BLACK SAINT SINNER LADY

2008-08-17T16:46:00.000-07:00

There will be updates on here and the myspace soon as to who the band will be for the up coming record we are making. I am pretty excited to tell all but nothing is set in stone at the moment so I have to just kick back and let the love flow. This Mingus is what it sounds like when we look out the van window at some unfamiliar country side. This is the kind of stuff you can use to keep sane. I think I will put some pictures of my dog Apollo and kitty cat Little prince up here sometime soon...The wild garden at GangBangPark is growing thick....

Angels of Light

2008-08-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a track from the newest Angels of Light record. While people are chasing their own tails acting like Grinderman is edgy and dark this is what we listened to in the tour van. Well as far as newish music comes. We also had to keep putting Mingus "Black Saint Sinner Lady" on a bunch too cos really when you play rock type music it chases you into corner that will drive you crazy. If you hear another blues lick you might bite the guy next to you. Bite his ear clean off.

Brian Ferry is for real, for real.

2008-07-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

I wonder what someone in any band on the radio would think about themself if they saw this.

ROCK DJ!

2008-07-09T17:08:00.000-07:00

This Thursday at the Room in Hollywood Annie and I will be doing a rock n' roll DJ set around 11 at night. This club night seems to be ever so trendy and usually gets to capacity. If you want to hear new old music; Rock n Roll you can dance and do lines to then come out. No Requests.

Stone Groove-Put Yourself in Los Angeles by Chris and Cosey

2008-06-13T19:25:00.001-07:00

Half of Throbbing Gristle. Maybe this song is a good soundtrack to driving into downtown on the 110. The best way to enter Los Angeles. Try doing it at around 7:45pm. It's sort of like taking drugs. I heard that R.Kelly got away with pissing on some young ladies. No jail time for pied piper of R and B. Good. I bet the judge heard Chocolate Factory and let Kelz take a piss on him right then and there in the courtroom. It's that good. What does Chris and Cosey have to do with R, Kelly? i like them both.

PUT YOURSELF IN LOS ANGELES BY CHRIS AND COSEY

Stevie is a better drummer...

2008-06-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

than most anyone else. Let's dig on this.

Tell me a story....

2008-06-09T19:01:00.000-07:00

This clip reminds me of my partner Mussy. Hope he doesn't take it the wrong way. You know I love you.

Stone Groove- Showstopper by Iron Knowledge

2008-06-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a heavy funk rock jam off the "Chains and Black Exhaust" compilation. The de tuned or baritone guitar really sounds like muscle engine hi octane driving to get coke in the middle of the night. I came across this track through my friend Nicole who does Rococo Vinyl in Chi town. The Icarus Line crashed at her pad for a few days last summer in the middle of the Black Lives tour. While admiring the Nazi memorabilia Nicole and her boyfriend keep to decorate their otherwise jewish town home, I hit it off with her little brother. He sings in a thrash out band called KK rampage. Next day before left town he shows up with three burn cds full of funk/rock gold. We listened to these cds all the way back on a 30 hour drive to Los Angeles. Thanks for the little sanity band aid my man! This Iron Knowledge track has got to be on of my favorite of a comp of some really dirty shit. From what i was told, the guy who put this comp together ran around the east coast raiding families record collections and put the best tracks together. Hear it bang!

SHOWSTOPPER BY IRON KNOWLEDGE

Gang Bang Park//Ariel Pink

2008-06-06T19:29:00.000-07:00

Gangbangpark, the studio, is nearing completion. The booths are air-tight, the gear is all here and Musmanno is on his way to Los Angeles to wire everything. We should be making records on a brand new API 1608 console here in about two weeks. Besides The Icarus Line and Giant Drag records we have ready to go, I have been talking to Ariel Pink about recording his first ever proper studio record. If you haven't heard one of his various Haunted Graffiti albums, his sound lay somewhere inbetween Peter Gabriel/Todd Rundgren and Throbbing Gristle. Sometimes maybe a bit of Diana Ross like this track. Check out one of his tunes.

AMONG DREAMS

Welcome to the Future......Mr. Cardamone

2008-06-03T19:02:00.000-07:00

Another music blog to clog the arteries of the interwebs. Yes my friends this will be a destination for news on The Icarus Line and our close friends. Look out for MP3's of jam sessions, new music and rare grooves that are inspiring myself and the creative elite. Video and Audio of music/film/style that matters; mainlined. A place to figure out what your new first band could sound like. Somewhere to find the tune that'll drop her panties. Celebrate the things you love. A resource and a good time. Dedicated to Rock n Roll. Enjoy.