March 29, 2012

Cool interview with artist Shag at Modculture

Over at Modculture they have a great interview up with Shag aka JoSH AGle, one of my favorite pop culture artists.
Any thoughts of doing more “retro London”? Maybe something “Blow Up”? David Hemmings would be flattered! Thinking about it, did “3 Black Crows” cover that ground? Then maybe go for a “mod” theme…we’d all buy the prints!

Retro London is a recurring theme. “Blow Up” is one of my absolute favorite films and it definitely inspired “3 Black Crows”. I stayed away from the subject for a while because it was so identified with “Austin Powers” in most people’s minds but I am planning more “Swinging London” themes in the future.
You'll wanna read the whole thing, and then you'll probably want to break out the exotica vinyl.

I thought this was interesting too:
Why the animals? Wolves & apes seem to appear quite regularly!

I started using animals as a way to tell people that I wasn’t painting the “real” world…I didn’t want people to look at the work and think it was a depiction of actual life. Many of the animals represent personality types: the wolf is a “suave womanizer”, and the bull represents that part of being a male which is totally subjugated by the opposite sex.
Funny story. When I was in high school a few of the mods I was hanging out with came up with Indian themed nick names, a few associated with scooters like Rolling Thunder and Rumbling Bull. Mine was for my tendency toward a certain style of vintage shirts, I was Paisley Wolf. Suave womanizer indeed.

March 27, 2012

Modcast #226: Come On Now!



Here it is, the 226th of its kind, the latest and greatest modcast. Of course, each one is better than the last. Trust me on this one.

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Birdland -- Wake Up Dreaming (1991)
Phenomenal Cat -- Letters Home From Nazi Occupied France (2012)
Modlife Crisis -- Stella And Me (2012)
The Movements -- She Said (2012)
Suedehead -- Small Town Hero (2011)
The Eddies -- Jungle Beat (2012)
The Candy Strypers -- Callin' Sarah (2012)
The Love Me Nots -- The Girl Lights Up (2011)
The Untouchables -- What's Gone Wrong (1984)
The Moons -- Everyday Heroes (2009)
The Marigolds -- Sticks And Stones (2001)


Modlife Crisis - The Only Way



The Love Me Nots - You're Really Something

March 20, 2012

From The Vaults: Modcasts #122 & #136

Modcast #122: Watch. This. Now.

Welcome to modcast #122 and welcome to the Moscow Underground a brand new London mod band on this week's show. They've got a really cool, really heavy mod sound, as does the rest of the show. There's more new stuff as well from Supernova, Morrissey, and the Takeover UK, some garage rock from Los Immediatos and Magic Christian, as well as some Britpop from the likes of Blur and Sleeper.

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  • Moscow Underground - Soho Strut
  • Morrisey - Last Time I Spoke to Carol
  • The Takeover UK -- Never Been So Sick
  • The Supernovas -- Diamonds and Gems
  • Los Immediatos -- Something Wrong With You
  • New Salem WitchHunters -- At The border
  • Magic Christian -- Tomorrow Never Come
  • Blur -- Clover Over Dover
  • Sleeper -- What Do You
  • Automatics -- Watch Her Now
  • Dead Boys -- (I Don't Wanna Be No) Catholic Boy


    Los Immediatos - Ella



    Blur -- Charmless Man


    Modcast #136: Kickin' It Old School

    Mr. Suave's Mod Mod World Kickin' it old school in the mod world this week. Gettin' back to when the gettin' was seriously good, along about 1966 and thereabouts. This week's modcast features a nice set of sixties mod, garage, blues, and psych pop.

    The Monkees - Tapioca Tundra (1968)
    Alan Brown Set -- Everything's Gonna Be Alright (196
    Graham Bond Organisation -- Long Tall Shorty (1965)
    Small Faces -- Tell Me Have You Ever Seen Me (1967)
    The Fleur de Lys -- Sugar Love (1966)
    Human Instinct -- A Day in My MInds Mind (1966)
    Pretty Things -- SF Sorrow Is Born 1968
    The Plastic Blues Band -- Gone (1966)
    Mouse & The Traps -- Lie, Beg, Borrow & Steal (1967)
    Powder -- Do I Love You (1966)
    Paul Revere & The Raiders -- Kicks (1966)

    Graham Bond Organisation
  • March 13, 2012

    Modcast #225: Can't You Hear The Music?

    Welcome to the mod world friends. What a crazy world it is, too. Here it is March 13, a week from the dawning of the spring era here in Seattle, and by jove it snowed last night. Believe it or not, it's untypically cold here right now.

    One thing is hot thought. This modcast. From start to finish, from The Twin-Sets to The Housemartins, from top to bottom, this thing is smokin' hot. Best be careful or you'll burn your ears.

    A quick shout out to a couple of fantastic blogs for providing much inspiration: Ice Cream Man Power Pop and More (Ding Ding) and Shotgun Solution, both of which are reliable sources for cool music tips and hints.

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    The Twin-Sets -- Take Your Rest
    The Morlocks -- Born Loser
    Black and Whites -- Gonna Have Some Fun Tonight
    The Last Ones -- Bit of You
    B-Back -- Are You Ready?
    Karol Keyes -- Can't You Hear The Music?
    Danielle -- I'm Gonna Marry The Boy
    The Spinshots -- If I Would Fall
    Death By Chocolate -- Zap The World
    Betty & The Werewolves -- Plastic
    The Housemartins -- Anxious

    Betty & The Werewolves -- Euston Station


    The Morlocks -- You Don't Know

    March 6, 2012

    Modcast #224: Movers & Groovers

    It's another modcast alright. More movers. More groovers. Some shakers. All righteous. It's epic.

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    The Goldstars -- Agile, Mobile & Hostile
    The Theme - The First Time I Saw You
    The Mods -- King and Country
    Pop Quiz -- Moves and Grooves
    Derriere -- Battle Plan
    Mother Earth -- Very Together
    Brand New Sinclairs -- I Was
    The Urges -- Psych Ward
    This Is Ivy League -- London Bridges
    The Very Most -- The Title
    The Mob -- Give It To Me




    Brand New Sinclairs -- Heal My Soul

    March 2, 2012

    From the Vaults: Modcast #173: Mr. Suave's Losers Lounge

    In the early 90s there was a bubbling up of cocktail music coming from the unsorted Goodwill record bins all the way to the dusty film music libraries of long dead or dormant record labels. Like a slow burn it crackled and hissed its way from one hi-fi set to the next, reviving memories of the yesteryear of 50s and 60s music, mostly amongst folks (like yours truly) just a tad to young to actually have such memories.

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    In 1993 a little book called Incredibly Strange Music Volume 1 accompanied by a CD compilation arrived to little fanfare. Like they say it only takes a spark. The fire that got going not only included an explosion of lounge music compilations (multiple volumes of Music For a Bachelor's Den, the Beat at Cinnecita and Easy Tempo series, and the grand-daddy of lounge mixes, Capitol's Ultra-Lounge series which is still going strong) but also original acts like Love Jones and Combustible Edison who were echoing the smooth, suave, and sometimes silly and screwy, sounds of Esquivel, Martin Denny, Les Baxter and even Burt Bacharach and The Rat Pack among others. The lounge revival was in full swing, complete with it's own movie, Swingers. And later it's own parody, Austin Powers.

    It's not surprising that mods like myself, lovers of all things 60s, grew up and into the lounge revival. The music evokes some of the best aspects of 60s culture above and beyond the typical British Invasion, soul, and garage rock sounds most mods were weened on.

    Joining me on this week's loungecast is loungemaster extraordinaire, Ken from The Shingles, a long time mod friend, and he who is guilty of turning me on to the sounds of the cocktail nation all the way back in the early 90s. Here then is our primer on lounge music with a few better known tracks, some lesser lights, some easy listening, and some more jazzy stuff. Overall this is as good a lounge sampler as you might stumble across anywhere.

    And, for those so inclined here are a few recommendations for what to spin during your next cocktail hour.

    Love Jones -- Here's to the losers (1993)
    Martin Denny -- Exotica (1968)
    The Beach Boys -- Diamond Head (1968)
    Bert Kaempfert -- No A Go Go (1966)
    Walter Wanderly -- Call Me (1966)
    Burt Bacharach -- Promises Promises (1969)
    Tom Jones -- Promise Her Anything (1964)
    Combustible Edison -- Millionaire's Holiday (1994)
    Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 -- Constant Rain (1967)
    Corduroy -- Something In My Eye (1993)
    David Whitaker -- Hammerhead's Apartment (1968)
    Frank Sinatra -- Here's To The Losers (1964)

    Combustible Edison - Vertigogo


    Love Jones - Paid For Loving