A Trip Down Ashbury Road

...and down Memory Lane. Sometimes it's good to remember where it all comes from: Ashbury Road from Rebstein, Switzerland focus on the best of the late Sixties and cover The Who, The Beatles, Stones and some Rock classics. This is Roman performing five songs with them, mostly to rough things up, and lo! it worked. It's only Rock'n'Roll but I like it - note the classic hard rock gesture my left hand comes up with. Where the heck did it learn that?


On a different note that sounds more like late seventies punk: After their furious debut, Room have been asked to come back to East River Bar for another treat on Saturday, February 25th. They plan to invite Overlord, one of New York's most original indie bands to join them! Opening up will be Angelica Block, which continues our tendency for inviting bands with weird names.

The Man With The CD Players

You can call it a live performance with a movie or a movie screening with a live soundtrack, anyway you see it, it goes well together. I'm talking about the first performance of the Contemporary Soundtrack Orchestra New York, which, to be honest, makes just as much noise as a full blown orchestra, but consists mainly of cd players, keys and computers and one man working frantically at all the machines at the same time - Fa Ventilato, artiste musicaliae. The movie was Dziga Vertov's 1929 masterpiece "Man with a Movie Camera", to which Fa's frantic sound collages set the fitting audioscape. There's the thing about the harp sample, though, that went on throughout the 68 minutes of the feature, up and down and up and... y'know. Still, I'll go again next time.

Rock the Room and Room Rock You

A great night was had by a good crowd of almost a hundred heads and hearts at East River Bar in Williamsburg on Tuesday, where the upstarts of the new Alternative indie scene, Morex Optimo, Chasm in Labrador and Room performed highly entertaining sets. Above from left: Jean-Cosme, Martial and Bernd keep it straight in Room while their singers go apeshit. Below: Stjan and Rollie of Room are not your typical rock singers, but quite a handfull to watch and listen to. Bottom: This photo is proof that Morex Optimo are just as much fun off stage as on it. Their dense and rich intellectual punk was the crowning highlight of this rocking night. Unfortunately I do not have pictures of the exquisite Chasm in Labrador who opened the evening with melodic yet beautifully psychedelic tunes. If you have any pics of them (or Morex or Room for that matter), please post the in the comments below! Morex Optimo will be recording a new 3track single this week...prelistening on this blog soon!



White collar punx give you Room



Morex Optimo having fun thinking about new song titles.

Cowboys in the Alpine Regions

So you thought there were no real Cowboys across the Atlantic? You're so wrong! There's not only Privateman "Bronson" Heer, his claim that the original cowboys come from Switzerland is backed by Walti, the solo entertainer from the eastern outpost of Rorschach at the Lake constance, the same smalltown that claims true Punk's heritage. But Walti knows better: "If music, then Walti. If Walti, then music" promises his slogan on the website. Thanks to Philipp Amrein of swiss alternative music magazine Loop, who comments Waltis efforts with the line "the dark side of Rorschach." Loop unfortunately does not have a website (yet?). Post more sightings of Swiss cowboys in your comments below!

East River Has Some Serious Horns Going on!

Yes, there are some things that havent been done in rock music and Country Club & the Porn Horns have definitely found their own niche: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock mixed with great Dexy's Midnight Runners style horns. Rocks your socks off, man. They are playing every Friday in January at East River Bar, so you got one more chance to check them out live. And as I said earlier, 1968 is definitely back, it's so back it's almost 1970. This is also true for trusted old party Rubulads, where it was packed on Saturday and people rubbed their hair against all sorts of things. Anyway, there were highlights like the wonderful Adira Amram who charmed her butt off and handed out free CDs (go to her space), I even forgot to take photos. Worthy of a couple of good words and originality points is Thomas Truax, who defied the digital age all by himself and was on fire.

Joe McGinty: Baby Steps, Giant Songs

Just what a great songwriter he is was revealed by Joe McGinty at Pete's Candy Store in Williamsburg on Wednesday. The leader of the losers lounge played a couple of great tunes which could be big hits if played by the right bands or vocalists: "Kiss me, stupid" for example would be a perfect Abba song, while "She was the hippie's daughter" could be a nice XTC or TV Personalities tune and "In the Hall of Fame" should be given to Interpol or the Strokes, if they would get the irony. Great material! Joe and the losers have their biggest gig so far coming up: They will be performing Burt Bacharach hits at the Lincoln Center. Now, of course, they cant really call themselves losers, anymore, can they?



Joe hitting the keys at the Candy Store with a little help from a friend

No More Mellow, Man!

Yes, they can rock: Melomane hinted on Monday at the Rodeo Bar that their lounge days might be over: Reduced to a quartet, the band rocked and rolled and sounded better than ever. Of course, as a romantic, I missed the occasional cello, but then again singer Pierre's hot guitar solos were just great and boy, does Daria's refound voice sounds better than ever. Special greetings go out to Frank, who - despite his absence - made the evening especially festive for Daria. DJ on, Mr. Privateman! Unfortunately, I couldn't make it to C.Gibbs show at CBGBs on Thursday, which featured Pierre on guitar, but I hear it was a fantastic show - check out some of Mr. Gibbs tunes on MySpace.
We also heard of a new emerging NYC band, led by Marshall, callled Buenos Dias. So far, they haven't left the rehearsal space, but watch out, once they do!

There's Room in the East River!

The most beautiful bar in all of South Williamsburg, East River on 97 south 6th Street is hosting a wonderfull evening of music for you next Tuesday, Jan 24th: The mysterious Chasm in Labrador is followed by energetic Room and it's all finished off by the hardest rocking intellectuals in the world, Morex Optimo. Bring earplugs, it's free (really, this time!).

Madam Amram's Country Bash

In case no one told you yet, 1968 is definitely back. Red and Black in Williamsburg saw some of the hippest coolest New York crowd on wednesday night, when former Blue Spark Alana Amram and her sister Adira put the soul back into country. This is the art of folk song writing in its purest beauty. And can these sisters sing! Check out the sisters at their myspace pages: Alana and Adira

The Capital of Punk Rock

Early this year, the tiny which Swiss town of Rorschach at the lake of Constance proved once again why it has always been the secret capital of punk rock in Switzerland. The seventh installment of "Painhead invites", where the four members of the city-born Painhead invite three of their favorite local bands was sold out, just like the six years before: No wonder, since the ticket to get in was one can of beer for the bands. More intoxicating than the alcohol proved to be the music though: Painhead (above) were on fire. They introduced a smash hit with their new single "T-Shirt" ("you've got your t-shirt, i got my mind"), to which the band is rumored to make a first video. Cwill, a legend on its own with twenty years of hard core on its back, showed the young crowd at Hafenbuffet where Bartli gets his apple cider. The young punx almost were afraid to pogo! More news on Swiss Punk: Prawda Records

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This ole here Bonfatius is a catholic catacombe saint and designed to lead you the way into a successfull and fullfilled new year. May your music shine like the gold on boni's suit of armour, may your songs prosper like the colnies of bacteria in his bones! Somehow he reminds me of Steven Tyler, too.

Cheers!