Sonically Speakin', Everyone Has The Right To Bare Arms

If you have no idea who that is, you're probably in the wrong place.

Rarities from the vault: Sonic's Rendezvous Band and Scott Morgan Band

The audio is from a Sonic's Rendezvous Band show from 1978, recently unearthed by Michigan multimedia producer Ed Primeau and left with him for safekeeping. The montage was done by one of Ed's employees.

And here's a Scott Morgan Band/Scots Pirates promotional clip Ed dug up:



That second one would be rarer than a piss-up around a TV set in an Amish elder's lounge room, I'd reckon.

Something Wild - Scott Morgan Band (1983)

That's Scott Morgan singing, his fellow former Sonic's Rendezvous Band member Gary Rasmussen on bass and then ex-Stooge Scott Asheton behind the kit. Video posted yesterday by producer/engineer Ed Primeau. Blues guy Mike Katon is the talented guitarist.

Japanese Sonic's Rendezvous Band tribute act

They're called Sonic-KO's Rendezvous Band. What's more is they're

pretty good. I have no idea what he's singing so that makes it close to the original.

Vale Sonic Smith

Fred "Sonic" Smith died 14 years ago yesterday (my time) or today (US time.) Thanks "bamesjaker" for the heads-up. Wayne Kramer remembers meeting Sonic and the formation of the MC5 in this clip from "A True Testimonial":

Two albums from 1977-78 will be the best thing you'll hear in 2008

Just posted a review at the Bar of the new Sonic's Rendezvous Band 1977 live double CD "The Second Chance". In part it says:

If you lived outside of earshot of the molten aural glow of their amps in the late-'70s, or simply hadn't stumbled across a copy of their double A-sided, monstrously great mindfuck of a single, "City Slang", (until the bootleggers got into the act and actually did us a favour), chances are you'd read more about than you'd heard of this well-credentialled quartet. Which just added to the mystery, even if the sound of illegal documents like the "Strikes Like Lightning" LP sucked a large furball.

It's on Easy Action and it's a vital, fiery 2CD set, a leftover from the box set. It follows on the heels of "Live, Masonic Temple", another live show from 1978 issued by Robert Matheu on his Rock-a-Rama label. Both of these - and almost anything else issued under the band's name, save a couple of shoddy bootlegs - is essential listening. Read full reviews here, follow the links therein to buy. You won't regret it.

More SRB to educate the masses

Another gem featuring Sonic's Rendezvous Band in their live element is now available, this time from UK label Easy Action. This is a double CD set left off the box set because it wouldn't fit. Reviews will appear at the I-94 Bar very soon. Grab a copy here.

High-energy doesn't get any better than this

The new “Live Masonic Auditorium” CD from Sonic’s Rendezvous Band is one of those things that’s hard to write objectively about so I won’t try. It’s a 36-minute gig from 1978where the legendary lost Michigan quartet was supporting the Ramones on one of their expeditions out of the Lower East Side of Manhattan and into the American heartland. To say SRB pulled out their best that night is an understatement. There’s not a clunker on this disc so it’s required listening for anyone into lean, high-energy, no bullshit rock and roll.

Yes, it was previously issued as part of the SRB box set on Easy Action so if you have that you’ve heard it already. This standalone is a slight sonic upgrade with nice packaging and also comes in limited edition vinyl. A nice place to start your education if you don’t know SRB. Grab a copy here or here.

There are no excuses if you're in Australia. Shock are distributing this one so make sure you hassle your Ma and Pa Record Shop if you don't know how to buy online.

"C-c-c-c-c-c-c-ity Slang"

Apologies if you've seen this elsewhere (it's moving right around the Web) but stiff shit if you have. The bottom line is that you can never get enough Sonic's Rendezvous Band. Here they are doing "City Slang", circa 1978.

And speaking of the Hydromatics...

...here are a few more details about the new album, with Celibate Rifle Kent Steedman on board. It's out in August on European label Suburban and they'll tour the Continent in September. Tracks likely to make the cut:

Streets of Amsterdam
Dinosaurs
Baby Jane
All Down The Line
Power and Glory
Mystically Yours (unrecorded Sonic's Rendezvous Band song)
Kinked Up
Funball
The Most
Detroit Leanin'
Standin' at the Juke

There's a rough mono mix of "Standin' at the Juke" here.

Hydromatics armed with a Rifle

Exciting news hinted at here a few weeks ago: Celibate Rifles guitarist Kent Steedman has signed on as part of a re-vamped Hydromatics line-up.

Don't know the Hydromatics? Shame. They're the trans-Atlantic band headed by Scott Morgan (Powertrane, Scots Pirates, The Rationals, Sonic's Rendezvous Band) and Dutch raconteur Tony Slug (The Nitwitz, BGK, Loveslug.) If you wanna hear a tune, go herefor "Dangerous".

On the kit is Ries Doms. Another Dutchman, Theo Brouwer, is the long-serving man on bass. Kent's addition makes the latest Hydros a fearsome three-headed guitar monster. And of course, vocalists don't get any better than Scott.

Their studio albums "Parts Unknown" and "Powerglide" are perfect examples of devastatingly hard, but soulful, rock and roll. They also gave the first proper studio treatment to some of the great songs of Sonic's Rendezvous Band. A live vinyl EP was thought to be their swansong.

The band will rehearse and write in Amsterdam for a week before recording in Cologne after that with things expected to be wrapped up by the end of March. A European tour will happen after that. If only someone could talk them into coming to Australia...

My mail is that the Rifles will be active again, mid-year, doing some Australian dates with a re-constituted Cosmic Psychos line-up. No word on the replacement for Robbie Watts (R.I.P.) but it's good to see the Psychos continue.

Pssst...Sonic's Rendezvous Band boxes going cheap

You've heard how wonderful the "Sonic's Rendezvous Band" box set is - six CDs of mostly unreleased stuff from one of the most underrated bands ever to walk the earth. Right? Well, they're going for $A76 a pop in Scott Morgan's online shop (postage and packaging included.) That's 50 bucks less than some shops were selling them for in Sydney a few months ago. Too good to be true. The box is $US55 if you live in the USA. Tell Scott I sent you.

Speaking of things City Slang-related, there are solid rumblings that the Hydromatics (the SRB-flavoured, trans-Atlantic, European-based rock and roll machine) will be cranking up again for recordings and shows. No confirmation yet but Scott Morgan, Dutch madman Tony Slug and a certain Aussie guitarist look like being on board.

Sneak peek of "The Weirdness"

Yeah, it's been a long time betweeen posts but the pace will pick up from here, I can assure you.

First up, have a listen to "My Idea Of Fun" from the forthcoming Stooges album "The Weirdness" at the band's official myspace. If you've been paying attention you'll recognise the tune from the Skydog live release "Telluric Chaos". It's OK with all-too-obvious nihilstic lyrics but there's better to follow, I hear. At least the production is suitably raw and in your face. Expect the album in early March.

Next, go jump into the band-approved website for Sonic's Rendezvous Band, the legendary Michigan band from the late '70s/early '80s. There's a message board if you like that stuff, and a growing collection of photos, handbills and articles.

If you were wondering about that often-threatened Hitmen reunion, you can glean the line-up from a quick perusal of their new myspace site. The principals say the shows are happening, if only the person writing the liners for the CD re-issues (chockful of bonus tracks) would pull his finger out, the world would be happy.

That's all for now.

Box set worth the money

If you've been to the I-94 Bar, a glowing recommendation for the Easy Action label's six-CD "Sonic's Rendezvous Band" box set won't come as any surprise. It's reviewed here.

The great thing about "SRB" is that, given the luxury of half-a-dozen discs, it's not just presenting a narrow of this reverred band at any singular stage of its development. Sound quality is a bit howyergoing in parts, but that's not going to faze the fans (and it's waaaaaay better than the bootlegs you'll find). There's a little cross-over with the previously available Mack Aborn CDs, but not a lot. They're well out-of-print anyway, so including "Sweet Nothing" as in the box is a response to fan demand.

There's been some controversy around "SRB" as to what constitutes a band-endorsed project. It's mostly come from someone who used to be a go-fer for the band, back in the day, and feels like he shouldn't have been by-passed. If you'd like a copy, go here, log-on to Amazon or hit up your local music merchant (a switched-on one like Mojo in Sydney).

Also on our playlist and further to our tribute to Ian Rilen, I'm here to tell you to make sure you grab a copy of the yet-to-be-released studio album by the Love Addicts. You can hear a rough mix of the centrepiece tune, "Family From Cuba", here and look forward to the whole recording being out on Phantom in the near future.

Ian and band were planning to do some more recording this month, until his health rapidly declined, but the album that's in the can will do more than hold up fine - it'll stun many who haven't looked past the man's X past. The song selection re-visits his "Love is Murder" and "Passion, Boots and Bruises" solo albums but these re-recordings are definitive versions. Look out for it.