The Candy Snatchers “Bum Me Out”

sfilzen — Wed, 30 May 2018 00:38:36 +0000

The Candy Snatchers “Bum Me Out” b/w “Lost and Found” 1996. American Punk Records. 90′s high-energy punk, catchy as hell. Weirdly the A-side, “Bum Me Out” isn’t available to link but “Lost and Found” is, via a comp of The Candy Snatchers early years (they formed in ‘92) aptly titled Pissed Off, Ripped Off, Screwed: The First Two Years from 1997 on Go-Kart Records. Back in the day, their shows were legendary: “the band’s tried-and-true array of destructive gimmicks kept the bookers guessing. Depending on mood, singer Larry May or axer Matt Odietus would sometimes cut their own scalp, ‘70s pro-wrestler style up by the hairline or wherever the blood would flow most effusively. Once, at CBGB, Matt bled out so much he almost fainted, and eventually had to be carted off to the ER with a t-shirt turban wrapped around his noggin. Larry would smash glass bottles at random. Willy used lighter fluid to set his bass on fire, with the aid of excited audience members would often get outta hand with the flammables and torch Willy himself. Drums were routinely collided with and obliterated.“ Founder/guitarist Matt Odietus died in 2008 and drummer Barry Johnson died in 2000 but the band is still playing shows, from what I can mostly around their hometown of Virginia Beach, VA.

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Buzzcocks “Modern”

sfilzen — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 17:50:27 +0000

Buzzcocks “Modern” – this is the first (and hopefully last) time I’m posting a CD rather than vinyl (or cassette) but – 1. Modern was released on this date, September 7th, in 1999 (on Go-Kart Records) 2. I was not willing to spend $199.98 for a copy of out-of-print vinyl and a CD was my only option and 3. my excuse for not getting it on vinyl in ‘99 was that we had just gotten married and bought a house. I really like Modern, even though many old die-hard Buzzcocks fans were put off by its, well, modern sound – lots of electronic elements and its tendency to lean hard toward the pop end of power-punk-pop, mirroring the radio-friendly punk revival sound of the 90′s (i.e. Green Day). Yes, Modern is very accessible and many of the songs catchy as hell: “Soul on a Rock,” “Speed of Life,” “Runaround” and “Turn of the Screw” are dancey, hook-filled and full of harmonies but also snotty and packed with three-chord power.

We saw the Buzzcocks while they were on tour for Modern in November of ‘99 in the basement of the Rave in Milwaukee. At that time I was writing album and show reviews for The Shepherd Express and I wrote about the concert for the Nov. 11th edition. As I note in the article, the Buzzcocks were less interested in capitalizing on the resurgence/emergence of punk in the mainstream music market than they were in evolving their sound to acknowledge and embrace new technologies and trends.

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go-kart records Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

The Candy Snatchers “Bum Me Out”

Buzzcocks “Modern”