STREET VOICE NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
The Street Voice newsletter is an independent and free production!Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Street Voice, April Edition 2006
APRIL 5TH 06 - IN DEFENCE OF ANIMALS ISSUE
PO BOX 410/MARGATE/KENT/CT9 3RB/ENGLAND/UK
Email: street_voice@fsmail.net
Steve DIY Profile/Kerri Taylor Profile
So, sorry guys...This'll be Street Voice's last issue...April Fools! Hahahaha. So, striking in the UK, The United States President making a fool of himself every day of the week, a statue of Britney Spears practically giving birth on a bear skin rug surfaces and Russia's running out of legal Vodka...Holy Shite! Anyhow, welcome to another fabulous issue of Street Voice.
Kerri Taylor
Last night was pretty good - Went to see Rebelation, Timia & The SPG and Weightloss in Canterbury last night. Had a few drinks and watched some good bands. Anyway this issue is dedicated to all the people who will be out on April 22nd in support of showing the world the brutal conditions that animals in Vivisectionist Death Camps have to go through. Rather than write article after article I'd like you to try vegetarian food on the 22nd April. Think about the animals locked up in Vivisection Labs, the animals slaughtered to be rammed down your throats and all the animals that are murdered by hunting scum. Enjoy this issue.
Steve DIY
CHERRY RED
Wendy O Williams was born on the 28th May 1949 and took her on life own the 6th April 1998. She will be best remembered in my eyes for fronting American Punk band 'The Plasmatics'. I remember picking up 'Butcher Baby' after seeing her posing in an old UK Magazine called 'Punk Lives'. For a young teen I thought she was well hot and checked out what she was about - My first listen to them was 'Butcher Baby' on 'Stiff Records'.
The sound was different to most bands around at the time - Most of the Punk bands from 1977 had either split or had toned their sound right down. I didn't really like the Crass or Discharge and even though I loved 'Oi!' and 'Ska' I wanted more from the guitars. Bands like the 'Runaways' and the Plasmatics really did it for me in that department.
When The Plasmatics finally split in the early 80's Wendy went on to have a very successful career in Rock Music and also had a starring role in the movie 'Reform School Girls'. Soon after that she dropped out the scene and spent more time looking after animals and promoting the vegetarian cause.
While much is said about Wendy O Williams and her wild antics the cause of being vegetarian and looking after animals was also a major part of her life. She was a kind and caring lady who just couldn't live on this earth any longer and on that day in April 1998 she put a gun to her head.
One of her notes she wrote:
"The act of taking my own life is not something I am doing without a lot of thought. I don't believe that people should take their own lives without deep and thoughtful reflection over a considerable period of time. I do believe strongly, however, that the right to do so is one of the most fundamental rights that anyone in a free society should have. For me much of the world makes no sense, but my feelings about what I am doing ring loud and clear to an inner ear and a place where there is no self, only calm. Love always, Wendy"
A sad day for family, friends and fans but even on her death Wendy thought of the animals. She didn't want no flowers at her funeral - Instead she wanted donations to go to 'The Quiet Corner Wildlife Center' in Ashford CT/USA. That in itself was a very kind gesture from a very kind person who thought of others despite how her life ended.
The 'Bump And Grind' DVD is a recording from one of her solo shows in Camden London in 1985. For a full review of this wicked product please go here.
"LONG LIVE THE SPIRIT OF WENDY O WILLIAMS"
1949 - 1998
___________
SHARI - BLACK VELVET MAGAZINE
Apart from putting out the wicked Rock magazine 'Black Velvet' Shari has to be one of the most compassionate people about. Here I run a short interview with her regards Veganism and this is what she had to say:
When you did first become vegan?
I became vegan about 3 1/2 years ago. I'd been vegetarian for 13 years or so but never took the plunge because I didn't really know the cruelty that went into dairy farming and hadn't really paid attention to the other aspects that involved the abuse of animals. Plus a lot of the time you don't realise the type of food that is available for vegans. I didn't realise all the different brands of soya cheese that you could actually buy for example. I used to think I could never live without cheese since I used to eat cheese pizza, cheese sandwiches, cheese on toast...
Do you find you miss anything foodwise or other things in life because you're vegan?
Not really. I've found the brands of food that I like so there are substitutes that are pretty much as good as the 'real thing' (although I probably shouldn't say 'real thing' as that makes it seem like meat is better, when it's not - and eating vegan food is as real as anything... but you know what I mean). I kind of miss not being able to eat out at a pizza restaurant or being able to buy a ready made pizza. It's a shame there are so many fast food restaurants that sell meat products but not many vegan ones. It seems the UK is behind the US though. There's a pizza restaurant in Seattle that is vegan and in American you can buy soya cheese pizza from Wholefoods Market, which is a supermarket chain that is everywhere. It's a shame they're not available here. But I've learned to make my own pizza - which tastes really good, so it's ok.
How do you feel about people who say it's too difficult to become vegetarian?
Well it's easy to think that when you haven't gone out and really looked for food or done research. But even supermarkets now sell vegan margarine, soya milk and a large range of vegan products. Then there are the Holland & Barretts in nearly ever town. Even if you don't have a vegan store near you you can find vegan products elsewhere. There's a really good book that the Vegan Society produces called The Animal Free Shopper and that lists all the vegan products available in the UK - according to product and in which stores you can find them. That book is a Godsend. You can look up chocolate for example and it will tell you which flavours and which brands you can eat. If you're online you can also order from online vegan stores and they have a good range. There's veganstore.co.uk which sells everything from donuts and vegan chocolate bars to burger mixes and lollipops. There's also another store called Goodness Direct that although it's not a dedicated vegan store it has a vegan section and loads of vegan products. You can get frozen and chilled food from there - everything from Hungarian Goulash Pie - which I tried for the first time last week - to Redwood's super-melting Cheezly, the best cheese for pizza. Once you know where to look and buy food it's no problem. I'm the fussiest eater in the world, so if I can find vegan food I like then anyone can.
April is the month for compassion for Animals so would you like more more people to try an alternative way of life to save animals?
Of course. Even if they eat meat, they could try the vegetarian option in a restaurant, or just try out a few more vegetarian products. A lot of people don't even realise how good veggie food tastes until they've tried it. Being vegan or vegetarian doesn't mean you only eat vegetables - I'm not a big vegetable eater at all. There are soooo many good products and food you can try. I've even been eating vegan chocolate pudding a lot lately! There's really no need to eat meat. We don't need it to survive, and of course it is cruel to eat meat because those animals really deserve to have a life, like us. I'd recommend going vegan, or vegetarian if they don't think they can take the vegan leap, to anyone. I swear it was the best thing I ever did - and I just wish I'd done it sooner.
Thanks to Shari for answering those questions and I hope you found them of use? Please do check out her magazine you really will enjoy it.
__________
ASH RIOT
A few weeks ago I was trawling the internet for some new bands to listen to and came across Canadian artist Ash Riot. After requesting a press pack I was sent her debut album 'This Time I Forgive You Again' which you can find reviewed here. On the basis of this great album I sent Ash an interview which she kindly got back to me fairly sharpish and this can be viewed here.
___________
SHINY MAMA
Yana Chupenko is the main player behind Rock band 'Shiny Mama' - However she is veteran to the scene having been in 'PMS' one of the first all female NYHC bands in the early 80's.
From then on she went on to form the all female Metal band 'Wench' who supported artists such as Wendy O Williams and Suicidal Tendencies. They even did a European tour with NYHC legends 'Agnostic Front'.
This brings us up to present day where Yana has just released the 'What Comes Around Goes Around' album and that review can be viewed here.
I have also done an interview with Yana about her life and her music. This interview can be viewed here.
___________
Welcome to the new age of radio-broadcasting
With the invention of personal MP3 players like the Ipod comes a new wave of broadcasting everything from television news and entertainment programs to a sci-fi geeks revival of science fiction laden news and story time. Podcasts are available from many sites including I-Tunes, Podcast Alley, Podcasts.net and even the individual websites and blogs devoted to the programs. These broadcasts can be downloaded and played on nearly any MP3 player and/or computer.
My first experience with Podcasts came when I received my Ipod. My friends had finally convinced me to check into NPR programs and it just happens that NPR podcasts most of their programming. This meant that I could download the material and then take it to work to listen to at my leisure. How convenient! Most podcasts are free of charge, just like radio and like radio programming; some segments do include advertising spots depending on the availability of a promoter. NPR, sponsored by Acura, usually just gives a 20 second spot at the beginning and/or end of the program.
Once I got used to using my Ipod to catch up on Global news and Politics, I wanted to see what else was out there. So, I started investigating. To my surprise there is a whole world of independently produced podcasts all over the Internet. Even more surprising, it is these independents that spawned the interest in this technology. Of course the corporate world took note at its steadily rising figures and have since decided to join the club either by sponsoring or by broadcasting their own programs.
It appears, at least at this point, that podcasting enjoys a certain level of creative freedom from censorship making it twice as appealing as conventional airwaves. While traditional radio jockeys have to watch their mouths at every turn for fear of fines and other repercussions, Podcasting jockeys can pretty much say what they want. Furthermore, podcasts are not relegated to signals and towers, instead they exist via the internet making them accessible to anyone, anywhere on the planet with a modem.
And so, in honor of this new age of media broadcasting, let me introduce you to a couple of my favorite podcasts:
First of all, though NPR is not independent, per se, for those of you living in the US, this is your best bet for unbiased reporting of the goings on around the globe on all manner of topics. You can find a listing of NPR podcasts by visiting their website. For those of you in the UK and surrounding areas, the BBC also has podcasting available for all your news and political needs.
Now, my pick-this month - for an independent podcast worth every minute of the time it takes to find it, download it and enjoy is Feast of Fools hosted by Marc Felion and Fausto Fernos, a gay couple talking it up in Chicago. One of the first of its kind, the show airs five days a week and includes a cast of zany characters that perfectly accentuate the easy banter between the dynamic-duo themselves. So far, my favorite is the clever, in-your-face diva by the name of Miss Ronnie.
Not only do they chat it up about their lives and experiences; they discuss some of the topics going on in the world from politics to wedding dresses accessorized with birds. They also give listeners a chance to hear some independent musicians and give movie reviews of the quieter gay persuasion. They have an increasingly large fan base so much so in fact that recently, HBOs Big Love series sponsored the show, for about a month. These guys are witty, intelligent and definitely worth a listen.
So, go to the website Feast Of Fools, poke around and enjoy some quality entertainment. Buy a t-shirt (though the price is a bit steep) and get to know this funny cast from the windy city. If youre so inclined, feel free to buy Miss Ronnie an Ipod (shes a working student after all). New Yorkers have a chance of meeting the cast live and in person on April 13th, 2006. Details can be found on their website.
Other podcasts worth a mention here
Urban Coffee
The Bitterest Pill
Kerri Taylor Profile
___________
INDUSTRIAL PET/MY SPACE PROFILE
Pet is one of my fave models I've come across on the internet. I don't think I've seen one bad photo shoot of hers yet. Not only that but she comes across as a really caring person who loves great music and animals. I dropped her off an interview recently where we talked about her modelling and her role as a Real Time Submissive. Here's what she had to say:
First off can you introduce yourself to our readers?
I am IndustrialPet, but most people call me Pet. I am 23 and currently live in Florida. I am married but we have an open relationship. I love bondage, art, music, animals, reading, cooking and anything that makes me happy. My favorite books are long epic ones like the Outlander series or A Song of Ice and Fire. I much prefer staying home and reading to going out and partying. I pride myself on being a very friendly person and take great joy in getting to know my fans.
At what age did you want to become a model and first pose naked?
Well I always wanted to be a model. The only thing was that I was way too short and had more of an eclectic taste to be your average model. I could never imagine myself without piercings or tattoos even at a very young age. The first time I ever posed naked was when I was 16 with my then boyfriend. He had just gotten one of those cameras that made the really tiny polaroid pictures, god I wish I could remember what it was called. So we fucked around with it and I ended up naked somehow. The first time I ever posed naked legally and for the purpose of sharing the pictures was when I was 21. I had recently discovered an alt porn site and decided that there needed to be better pictures and better photoset ideas than your average get naked on a bed and act all innocent ones.I've seen some of your photos on Cittie Kittie and they leave very little to the imagination so have you any limits? I don't do scat or anything like that. I guess that would be a limit. But I have done a hardcore B/G set for Brokendollz.com and plan on submitting one to City Kittie in the near future. I don't think there is anything wrong with doing hardcore things as long as you really enjoy it. I would never put a set up of something that I didn't want to do because it would be wrong. I am a fully sexual being just like most people, I just choose to share my sexuality through pictures, video and written erotica.
How do you see your future as a model?
I really don't look far into the future. I will keep doing it for as long as I can. The only thing that will stop me is if I stop enjoying it. I guess the only thing I have looked into the future about is my personal site. I plan on making a members only area that will have photos and videos and trying to make that my main priority as far as modeling goes.You're also in to the fetish scene and a real life slave so how did you get in to that? I have always been intrigued by fetish. I just didn't know what it was when I was younger. It all started when I was 17 and was underage at one of the local bondage clubs. They had these mock slave auctions every year and my friend entered me for fun. The guy who bought me ended up being my Sir's best friend and he gave me to him as a present. We ended up getting along really well and got married 6 months later. Then the next year we had a collaring ceremony which is similar to a wedding but for Master/slave purposes. My Sir introduced me to being spanked and tied up and over the years we have discovered new fetishes for us to try out.
What limits do you put upon yourself?
I really am not sure how to answer this. My limits are always changing, sometimes I think I may not be able to do something but then I find out I was wrongand all I had to do was try. The only limit I have is my happiness, if I am not happy with something I will not do it.
Some would argue that you are not a strong woman if you are willing to submit - would you like to say a few words about that?
Just because I choose to serve another in a submissive role does not mean I am a doormat. I have my own opinions, thoughts and feelings that matter as much as my Sir's do. I really don't have much to say about this however. No matter how I answer there is always going to be the people who think that being a sub means being weak. I have argued with those people until I turn blue and they still think that, nothing I say will change that so I would rather save my energy for better things.
I noticed you want to do Horror Porn so what kind of roles would you like play?
I would love to play the role of the person who murders the lovely girl/guy after seducing her. I always imagined myself as being the murderer or demon or whatever. I would never want to be the victim, I would have more fun as the villianess. One day I will make my own horror porn, you just wait.
You also like music so what bands do you recommend to our readers?
I would definately recommend Blutengel, Nick Cave, Suicide Commandos, Seelenkrank, Noisex, and De Coy. I also have discovered some bands on myspace.com that I feel are worth mentioning, Shallow Grave Satanic Symphony, Gretchen, Devilspoons, and Telekinesis For Cats to name a few.
Apart from music, submission and modelling what other things do you like doing?
I love reading and will read just about anything I can get my hands on. I also love decoupage and am always ripping interesting pictures/ads out of magazinesto use. If I am not doing that I am either cooking or playing with my animals. I have 4 dogs and 2 cats that demand a lot of attention.
Anything you'd like to add?
I would just like to say thank you for giving me this wonderful oppurtunity! Also, anyone who is over 18 should check out my free fansite - It has exclusive pictures as well as forums, my journal and my email address. I always respond to all my fans and love getting email.
Thanks to Pet for taking time out to do the interview. Please do take some time to check her out - She really is a cool lady.
All Photo's used in this interview remain the copyright control of Industrial Pet.
___________
How will you sleep tonight?
At this moment, there are roughly 380,000 single homeless people in Great Britain. Around 25% of these are aged between 18 and 25 and about 6% are over 60. 90% of all homeless people are male. There are a number of reasons for becoming homeless that include the breakdown of a family unit, leaving the Armed Forces or Local Authority Care and abuse in one of its many forms. And what are the government doing to help these vulnerable people? Nothing. This is a huge number of people in this country who have no rights at all, often due to circumstances beyond their own control. Meanwhile, local councils allow buildings to fall into disrepair and fund 20,000 fact-finding missions to far-flung places for no apparent reason. Charities such as Crisis and Shelter do their best to support these people, but with the housing crisis getting worse and unscrupulous landlords able to charge extortionate rent, how on earth are these people supposed to start again? Many want to, but the powers that be in this country seem to feel that their view is unimportant. What can you do? Well, stop seeing them as an irritation and start viewing them as what they are people. Start lobbying your councils to provide housing or shelter for these people. Support the charities that do their best to help them. Complain about landlords who charge too much for inadequate housing. Because anyone could become homeless. It could be you.
Michelle X ( Figures taken from Crisis)
_____________
LUCID NATION - HUNDRED SONG MARCH
What is this?
"Most kids cant buy music online. Kids in many towns can only buy music at chain stores like Walmart. For that reason Lucid Nation decided to archive all our music up till now for free download.
To make it a special event for us and for people who like our music, we came up with the idea of the Hundred Song March: one song a day for a hundred days.
Actually it will be closer to 150 songs and there will be missed days, and two missed weeks when our programmer goes on vacation. Consequently on some days well put up more than one song to make up for lapses.
All songs will have a story to go with them even if only a few sentences. Well include some pictures, too.
When the Hundred Song March is complete the archive will remain available at Lucid Nation.Com."
I had the pleasure of interviewing the gorgeous Tamra Spivey the creator of Lucid Nation and you can read what she had to say about her latest project here."
__________
DESTRUCTION - The New Creativity?
Have you noticed this or am I crazy? Creative culture seems to be dying - and the sentiment of our current times is doing everything in its power to KILL IT.
When I was in college, I studied "humanities". What makes us different from life outside the food chain is we create - music, art, literature, thought. We wonder why we are here, and some of us try to make the most of our time on planet earth by MAKING something. Clothing, Music, Pictures, a place for people to meet and have fun, food, whatever. It is an expression of an idea or a concept, which didn't exist quite that way before - that came out of nothing and now EXISTS, as part of the cultural landscape for people to share, enjoy, or at least, contemplate.
It seems we are surrounded by destruction: war, aggression, violence. Violent crimes are up in some cities and they don't know why. People are shooting each other over conflicts that barely merit a double-take. As we see in New York City, there is less and less support for the arts. The music scene will suffer the loss of two important venues - The Continental and CBGB. Monetary contributions from private sources to The Arts are down, let alone the non-existant government support. What happened to the NEA? Some yahoo got pissed off at ONE work where a crucifix was put in a cup of piss (remember "Piss Christ"?). Killed the whole program, though they weren't too thrilled with Karen Finley smearing herself in chocolate, either (p.s. Finley sold out and did the same thing for Playboy - sad). Think of the thousands of other artists who were cut off and probably got soul-killing desk jobs like all the other creative types I know.
Even worse for the creative process is the apathy that lets destructive forces rule. Our society watches while all this goes on like it's a television sit-com. As long as the TV works and there's a car in the driveway, I think most of America thinks they are happy and have a good life. What about a good life for humanity? What about evolving into a kinder, gentler species? THIS is what The Arts do for us. Music soothes the savage beast, but so does art, film, drama, and experiential creativity in whatever form it takes that makes us stop worrying about the almighty dollar for one second to think and enjoy. It's a cerebral "stop to smell the flowers" to live in the moment and remember why we are alive.
If anything, this time of destruction has spawned MORE creativity from me because I fear that creative culture may have its last gasp right in front of me. I cannot let that happen. I've seen what it's done to my city. The artists and musicians have left in droves. It seems that "culture" is something to entertain the yuppies at clubs with "bottle service". It's "Sex & The City" rather than a big dick up the ass of the imagination devoid drones who think they can buy a lifestyle in a boutique.
We have a government that destroys not creates, draining funding and human resources from scientific, artistic, humanitarian (what happened to re-building New Orleans, one of our KEY cultural centers?) and nurturing efforts for the children of tomorrow in order to give "a good peppering" to the people who don't agree with us today. That's the only true "trickle down" theory that works - our goverment espouses a value system that holds destruction under the guise of bettering humanity above all else. What set of values will create a better global society - the one I envision, or the one we have now?
KITTY KOWALSKI
__________
KAMIKAZE SPERM
"Formed in January 2004, KAMIKAZE SPERM combine fast and furious old school Oi! Punk with catchy, insane horn lines."
I wouldn't argue with that - In fact that sums up K.S. for me and I hope to catch them on tour at some point so I can see them play their tunes live.
A few weeks back I got sent one of their promo CD's and the review of that can be found here. On the back of that promo I sent them an interview which I recently got back. This interview can be viewed here."
__________
PLAYING WITH DOLLS
I play with dolls for a living,or more sanely put,I'm a morbid fine art doll artist.For most people when they think of "morbid dolls" they think of mass marked toys that are made to appeal to the young goth crowd, they are just edgy enough to make mom and dad uncomfortable, but not edgy enough to actually make any kind of meaningful or profound statement. Most people not knowing any better,think that a morbid fine art doll, is the same things as a gothy or morbid toy. There is a big difference in the two.
The term "fine art dolls" refers to dolls that are NOT toys or playthings,they are normally crafted from top materials, made with fine fabric's and have to sort of meet a certain standard,to differentiate them from say re-painted toys, made to look almost kitschy in a gothic sort of way. Fine art dolls also along with being fine works of art, also at times tackle more serious subjects, such as life, death, sexuality, sorrow, pain, obsession and great beauty.
Enough doll art education for now........
* I started making dolls when I was around 16 years old,and started doing it professionally at around 19,I'm now 26.So I have been playing with dolls for a long time.
* I have always been artistic even as a child,I have also been haunted by strange dreams since then,and one day I got it into my head it would be interesting to see if I would be any good at sculpting, so I attempted to make a doll.That first doll was the Cripple doll I have up on my website.I have not stopped since.
* I never had a huge interest in dolls as a child, like most little girls, I had dolls and played with them a normal amount, but I was also a bit of a tomboy and preferred playing outside to playing Barbies all day.
* As I mentioned before I have been afflicted,if you want to call it that,with really surreal strange dreams from the time I was little. Which my Mother thankfully never made me feel strange for and also encouraged me to delve into them and their meaning. I'm assuming the fact I grew up in Louisiana had something to do with that, being as things like superstition, "second sight" and Voodoo are apart of our culture here.
* After I became a doll maker,I started incorporating things I saw in my dreams into my doll work. Like a true Surrealist about 85 to 90 % of my work, is inspired by things I have "seen" in my dreams. Some people make morbid or strange art to show off how weird or spooky they can be. When I started really becoming a artist, I didn't have any intention of ANYONE ever seeing my work. So that was never a intention I aspired to, I never had the feeling that "wouldn't it be fun to show everybody how spoooookkyyyy I am." I'm sure most people think I'm weird enough as it is. Granted I have things I make for fun, for my own personal amusement. Things that I do as a break from the more serious subjects I deal with in my fine art work. Things like my Baphomet dolls, help me still do something creative and also let off some steam.
* I think I became a artist because I was born a artist. At times I feel like it's my path in life,to use art because I feel there are things that need to be expressed,and brought out into the world. It's also my metaphoric way of throwing piss,into the eyes of society.
UGLY SHYLA
Shyla Bio:
Ugly Shyla is a self-taught producer of hand-crafted, sub-cultured fine-art dolls that have been showcased in museums and galleries, as well as in e-zines and print. Not only were her dolls used as props in the book Dream, by the master of dark photography, John Santerineross, but Ugly also participated in some of the elaborate photos as a model. In addition, Uglys impressive roster of talents include painting, shock performance and modeling, which she participates in primarily for the promotion of her doll making. Resume credits include: Lithium Picnic, Steven Diet Goedde, Superbitch magazine, AMF Corsets and St. Elizabeths Doll Museum. The androgynous alternative beauty hails from Louisiana, where she resides with her 3 legged cat Scooter. Additional information about Ugly and her dolls can be found at her website.
Bio (c) Nina Hugo.
__________
BEANGROWERS
"Behind the broadening horizons of the European music scene you will find the Beangrowers. Hailing from the Mediterranean island of Malta, this female-fronted three-piece has become known for their off-the-wall tunes, an infectious mixture of guitar-based pop and quirky keyboard sounds: think Blondie meets Joy Division. "Keeper of the angelic vocal chords" - frontwoman/guitarist Alison Galea is up there alongside PJ and Nina Persson. If you like your pop-rock short, sharp and to the fuzz-guitar driven point, then you'll love the Beangrowers. But there's more: the seedy, jazzy noir narratives on "The Priest"; the bitter-sweet Cardigans-y "Waiting"; and intense, brooding numbers such as "Analyse". The beauty of it is how the band has merged the greyness of its post-punk alternative influences with sparkling choruses or even breezy uplifting melodies. With 3 albums under their belt, Beangrowers are to date best known in continental Europe. Based in Berlin for a number of years, they were signed to Rough Trade's German division and built a strong fan-base through video rotation on VIVA and MTV Central while touring with the likes of Elbow, Tindersticks, Stereophonics, dEUS and Trash Can Sinatras. Fans include award-winning director Wim Wenders (Buena Vista Social Club, Wings of Desire, Million Dollar Hotel) who used their music for his latest movie "Land of Plenty". They wowed audiences in the USA when they visited in 2004 and 2005, playing the SXSW and the legendary Sine' club in New York. Their latest album "Dance Dance Baby" has now been released in Germany and Australia, with a forthcoming release in the USA. The Beangrowers will release their UK debut single "You Are You Are" in March 2006 on Series 8 Records. The album will be out in June."
This Maltese Indie band really are worth checking out. I reviewed their yet to be released single 'You Are You Are' and that review can be found here. Becausxe they are a cool band I have recently run an interview with them and that interview can be viewed here.
___________
CHERRY RED
I'm a huge fan of the Angelic Upstarts and have been since the late 70's - There's just something about their lyrics and music which I've always enjoyed. Their debut album 'Teenage Warning' just blew me away - It saw me lose a few pounds in weight as I saved up my school dinner money to buy the bastard. However it was well worth it and I still have that same album in my collection to this day.
Despite being a Punk band they eventually got caught up with the 'Oi!' scene - While many bands in that scene drifted to the Right it has to be said Mensi (The Vocalist) stood still. The Far Right dragged many bands in to it's inner circle and Mensi rejected that shit.
26 years on and Mensi still rejects the Far Right - He's come under fire from them, been threatened by them and even seen his family come under fire from them. Despite all the nonsense from the Far Right he still stands by his Anti-Fascist Working Class roots to this day.
In 2005 The Angelic Upstarts headlined a benefit gig in London put on by FFRUK to raise money for the Marxist organisation 'IWCA'. Around 12 other bands played that show and to show how deep Mensi still stood by his beliefs the Angelic Upstarts usual gig fee was shared amongst every band who played. Every band recieved 100 ($170) for playing this show. Now how many other larger Punk bands would split their gig fee like that?!! Not many I can tell you! Incidentally over 300 was raised for the IWCA.
Out of all the songs The Angelic Upstarts have ever recorded 'Solidarity' has got to be my favourite song by them. Just read these lyrics:
"Solidarity"
"all the polish workers fight to make their stand
and behind them every honest working men
in unity there`s each other and your friend becomes your brother
and in the tyrant`s heart will be a lesson learned
give them hope, give them strength, give them live
like a candle burning in the black of night
we`re all with you in our hearts and in our minds
and we`ll pray for our nation through its darkest times
the tyrant has no smile upon his face
cause he knows that in his minds he`s in disgrace
remission of you will take his breath away
until we come and we will have our day
give them hope, give them strength, give them live
like a candle burning in the black of night
we`re all with you in our hearts and in our minds
and we`ll pray for our nation through its darkest times
as the polish workers fight to make their stand
and behind them every honest working men
join hand with your brother and then you can help each other
watch the tyrant burn in the fire that he had built."
The Angelic Upstarts have been captured on DVD and a full review of this recording can be found here.
I know many of you still haven't seen the interview that I did with Mensi in 2005. This can be found here.
Cheers to Mensi for being a top bloke and here's to the future! Thanks for the brilliant music you've put out over the years.
Other Angelic Upstarts releases worth checking out on Cherry Red are Reason Why? and the Independent Punk Singles Collection CD's.
______________
WEIGHTLOSS
I first came across these guys a couple of years ago when Dan sent me their demo. Finding out they were doing a gig near me I thought it was time I got around to interviewing them. I sent an interview off and got it back in less than 5 hours so you can view that interview here.
______________
FLAG OF DEMOCRACY
These guys have to be one of my fave bands to come out of America in the 80's. I was quite surprised to see they were still going when I bumped in to them on the net. After chatting to them for a while I sent them an interview which can be viewed here.
____________
HOLLY FILTH
Holly is holding an alternative fashion show - This is Being held in Jacks Bar/Falkirk on Saturday the 15th of April. Cost 1.50. It's a benefit so please do try pop along and support it. There's nine models and six photographers with alternative clothes on offer as well as a raffle and loads more.
____________
Meet the Atomic Swindlers . This kick-ass band has a retro sound with kickin vocals and lyrical content that has my IPOD cranked. You just cant help but swoon as the intro to Float comes at you. Even better is watching the rawkin animated video with a lesbian-love, super-hero theme. If you havent seen this video or heard this song, youve been hiding beneath a rock! Their newest single release for MySpacers Into the Strange is equally as thrilling with lyrics such as out of poetry, out of afternoons, crumpled passion, a love that levels you.
Their latest album Coming Out Electric is available at CD Baby. New Yorkers can check them out on April 8th, 2006 @ 7pm, at the Milestone Music Room. Admission is 5 bucks and lemme tell you; their sound is way more than worth that! For more information check them out at Atomic Swindlers or MySpace.
The band has agreed to do an interview with yours truly for the next issue and I am looking forward to the fun that will be. Thanks to the bands Manager, Harvey, with Abacus Creative Management, for helping set this up. So, what are you waiting for? Get to the website and fall in love with this hot act. Dont forget to check us out next month for the interview where Ill ask among other things Where I can get one of those fabulous owls?!
Well that's it for this month. Next issue of 'Street Voice out on Wednesday 3rd May 2006. Also look out for the new FFRUK newsletter out on April 12th 2006. Please keep on sending those Promo Packs/Releases in. Until the next issue.
RAWK THE FUCK ON!
Archives
December 2005 March 2006 April 2006
