TRYING TO MAKE THAT JUMP.

I should have done this, or written this a long time ago, but better late than never.

As some of you know, I am a published artist/cartoonist. I have three books of my work out and have done countless things art-wise in the past twenty years. Now I have to make the jump to doing something more substantial with my talent because I think that my time at the job I have had for..let's see..six years? Maybe more? Well, my job is sort of on "the line". At least I think it is. I am tired of being there, and have been for a long time. Now I think that i have to get the heck out, because of some real reasons as well as some imagined reasons. Without going into details and whining about it, let's just say now is the time to make some kind of change. It is kind of scary, the job was quite a umbrella for years, but now I have to go. I need to get out before I am served my "walking papers".

So I would like to yet again point out that even though I do get the chance to freelance a bit, I need to do it a lot more. If I can't get a job that doesn't somehow capitalize on what I really like to do, then at least I can create an income based on freelance art stuff. I have done album covers, magazine covers, ads, t-shirt designs, you name it, I have done it, and all without real computer skills..yes, people still draw, and I know there is a demand for drawing. I am your man, and not just for "punk rock stuff" or other areas of the universe I have been type casted in, but anything!

Here is a few places you can go to see my "portfolio". So please take a gander and get in touch if you need some art drawn for your purposes:

My regular website: Lots of info, lots of art, and some talk about the three books I have out at this point. (there is a fourth one on the way, too.):

http://www.brianwalsby.com/

I also have a ongoing blog with a lot of stuff on it, and yes that includes more artwork. You just have to go through it. It is pretty big at this point:

http://introvertedloudmouth.blogspot.com/

And even though this is also going to be shown on Myspace, you know where you can look to see more artwork. And for those of you reading this who aren't on Myspace, here is the link to that:

http://www.myspace.com/walsby

Also, if any of you are interested, and know who I am, I am still very much interested in the idea of selling original artwork from any of my three books to you. I have sold a bit in the past and would like to continue to do so. Some choice stuff has already been sold, but I assure you that there is plenty left. And as far as the idea of making prints of my stuff, it has been duly noted. I would like to do it. But it will have to wait for now until the dust settles and I can see where I am at.

At the crossroads,

Brian Walsby at: reluctantking@hotmail.com

Thanks, kids. Hope to hear from you soon.

KENNY ROBY INTERVIEW.

KENNY ROBY HAPPENS TO BE A DAMN GOOD SONGWRITER THAT LIVES IN MY TOWN. HE IS REALLY GOOD, TOO. IN FACT, HE IS SO GOOD THAT I FEEL LIKE I CAN PUT WHAT HE DOES AGAINST ANYONE ELSE THAT WRITES SONGS AND IT WOULDN'T BE THE LEAST BIT OUT OF LINE. HE JUST HAPPENS TO LIVE HERE, AND ONCE IN AWHILE I WILL RUN INTO HIM AND CHAT. I USED TO SEE KENNY A WHOLE LOT, BECAUSE BOTH OF US WENT TO CUP A JOE. HE'S SIT THERE FOR A FEW HOURS DOING SOME SHIT, MAKING SOME CALLS, STUFF LIKE THAT. HE WOULD TELL ME ABOUT WHAT HE WAS WORKING ON AND WE'D HAVE THESE LONG WINDED CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MUSIC. IT IS COOL TO TALK WITH A GUY THAT IS INTO EVERYTHING FROM THE BAD BRAINS TO RANDY NEWMAN, AND TRUST ME YOU DON'T RUN INTO PEOPLE LIKE THAT EVERYDAY.

PLUS...HE MAKES REALLY GOOD RECORDS. HIS LAST TWO, THE MERCY FILTER AND RATHER NOT KNOW, ARE BOTH GREAT. RATHER NOT KNOW IS IN PARTICULAR ALMOST A PERFECT RECORD. SOMETIMES IT STRIKES ME ODD THAT PEOPLE DON'T SEEM TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ROBY, AND THEN THE MUSIC GEEK TAKES OVER; "WHY AREN'T MORE PEOPLE INTO THIS?" I RECENTLY SAW DAVID EUGENE EDWARDS OF SIXTEEN HORSEPOWER/THE WOVEN HAND RECENTLY AND THERE WERE LIKE TWENTY PEOPLE THERE, AND I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING. IN THE END IT DOESN'T MATTER BECUASE ULTIMATELY, KENNY'S STUFF IS OUT THERE AND IF ANYONE IS INTERESTED, IT IS THERE FOR THE TAKING. HE IS A NO BULLSHIT SONGWRITER THAT KNOWS HOW TO TELL A STORY. A LOT OF PEOPLE DO THIS OF COURSE, BUT NOT AS MANY DO IT AS WELL AS KENNY ROBY. HE ALSO HAS THAT WEIRD KNACK FOR COMING UP WITH STUFF THAT SEEMS TOTALLY ANCIENT..YET THE MAN IS YOUNGER THAN I AM.

I SENT KENNY SOME QUESTIONS AND HE WAS NICE ENOUGH TO ANSWER THEM FOR ME. I THINK IT CAME OUT ALRIGHT.


1. I know you had moved here from South Carolina, and I assume that you grew up there. What was that like for you, and what was it that made you decide to re-locate here? How long ago was that, and what was your mindset when you arrived here in Raleigh?

I relocated from Clemson, SC to Raleigh after high school with my Lubricator band mates Johny Williams, Matt Mattox and friend/roadie Tom Cushman.(18years ago) We wanted to get out of upstate SC and relocate to somewhere with a decent music scene. We knew a few people in bands in this area including Brad Rice (who was in Finger at the time) and others in the scene up here and had visited a time or two and really liked it. It wasn't too much of a shock moving to a more metropolitan area in some ways, because we had travelled around some individually and as a band to Atlanta and Athens and the like. It was very cool to move to an area where you feel there are more people like yourself. I guess that was a bit of a mindset change. You kind of go from being a bigger freak in a little scene, to a little freak in a bigger scene. In Clemson, the "left" so to speak, kind of stuck together. You had no choice but to stay somewhat together. You knew everyone that was involved in any kind of original music and even most of the folks who were in cover bands too. Not sure about the 'mindset' too much though. Do you have a mindset when you are nineteen? I guess it was "play as much as possible and work as little as possible, and try not to get pregnant".. so not much has changed.

2. i barely remember your first band the Lubricators...what was that all about?

Refer to previously mentioned mindset... I only remember little bits actually. Every once in awhile someone, plays some tape in front of me to see if I cringe. Listening to that stuff is the opposite of looking at an old photo of yourself. If only we could sound like we do now and look like we did then huh?


3. I suppose I had become really aware of your songwriting when Six String Drag got off of the ground, and especially when the band's second record Hi Hat came out. I thought (without really knowing what else was going on surrounding the band) that Six String Drag was lumped in with a handful of other bands doing what journalists liked to call "alternative country". I felt that the band almost went out of their way naturally to not fit into any real mold as far as labels like that went. And I liked the band much better than anyone else that you were lumped in with. What was going on in your head when all of that stuff was going on? And why did the band eventually disband?

Not sure really. We just loved to listen to lots of, and play lots of music. Style didn’t seem to matter. I don’t think we really went out of our way to do anything specifically. We just tried to play what we liked. Or better yet, wrote what we wrote and played it how it came out. It was pretty natural to us. The band never really forced anything on itself. Well, maybe when we did that James Brown cover I was pushing the vocals a bit! But seriously, if it wasn’t natural it would get weeded out pretty quick. “Natural Set List Selection”
As far a the break-up goes, it just happened. That’s what happened. No hard feelings. Life happens to different people at different times and that doesn’t always sync up just perfect. It did for a few years and was great.

4. You became for a lack of better words, a "solo artist". How come? If there are/were pros and cons, what are they?

Well, the band broke up. I had some songs left over and was writing new ones, so that’s what I did. No master plan really. Some of the 6 String Drag members were on the first record and we had a good time making it (Mercury’s Blues).
Pros and Cons: Well, first of all my solo career is still filled with many friends and ex band mates so it really isn’t like I moved to Nashville or New York and picked up a session band. It is much like a band at times in the studio and on stage. But then again, it doesn’t have to be. I still work with others on arrangements often times and plenty of co-writing occurs. I still feel like I am in a band. Hey, none of us is really getting paid so in that respect… it is equal!
I guess I’m careful of band names at times because members change so often, and I would hope I remain a constant. I guess I have broken up with myself a time or two though. But I always seem to get back together…


5. Your songs...... a lot of them seem to revolve around characters and stories. How much of these songs have been based on real life events, personal things going on in your life and how many are just ideas that you have thought up and brought into your songwriting? I would guess it might be a mix of the two. Is that accurate?

Fact and fiction kind of intermingle. The characters are a bit of me and the people and stories that I know but almost never 100%. It is more my little myth than anything. Stories and characters telling some truth possibly or revealing something real. Then again, some of them are really just me writing what I may be feeling or need to get out at the time, whether I know what that is or not. I’ll stop now, before you break my crystals.

6. I don't follow the "solo artist" scene any more than I follow any other scene around here, whether it is the "rock" scene or the "punk" scene. But I think that you have put out some great records that I feel hold up their own against anybody, especially Rather Not Know and The Mercy Filter. I think that these are excellent records that have been sent out in the world and seem to have connected with a smallish but fanatical fanbase. Of course I am going to think that they deserved to be embraced more, and that more people should know about Kenny Roby and his records. Any comments on my fanboyish stance? Do you even care? Why or why not?

From a fellow musician and as a fan of music, I understand where you are coming from. Take a band like Chatham County Line from this area. I think that they are a great band and that Dave is a great songwriter. They do well compared to some, but his songs are really good enough to where other bluegrass bands and other artists in general would do better to cover his songs than some of the other stuff that they cover sometimes. So I understand where you are coming from and appreciate the compliments. I think that Doug Sahm should be a national hero, and that Ron Sexsmith should be opening for Paul McCartney in stadiums and that even The Band and the Beach Boys are truly not appreciated for what they were, in a weird way. But I think also that people don’t even really listen to music anymore. I mean really listen. I am guilty of it too at times. Sometimes I put on something that I haven’t heard and really like and say “wow, I never really even listened to this like this before or heard it this way…” Maybe that is what I am saying about The Band and The Beach Boys. Hell, look at Randy Newman. Being a songwriter from more of the rock-n-roll or folk etc..school of writing, I don’t understand what really goes into composition like I wish I did. I’m learning to “write” and play a little more on piano and it’s a whole new world. I’m amazed everyday when I learn a little something new. I learn everyday how incredible Randy Newman is in so many more ways than I knew before. The man is truly a genius. Musically and lyrically. And I heard that people still complained (when he played here in Raleigh with the symphony) about ‘Short People’ or some of his other off color songs. You can’t put too much stock in the opinions of the masses. Especially when people listen to music in passing.
As far as fanbase, sales and that kind of success goes..if I was on a higher level in those respects, someone would be out there saying “so and so should be way bigger than Kenny Roby”..so I guess I am the victim in this case. I’m fine with either way.

7. What is it like balancing doing your music and being a father? I have been doing some balancing like that in my life when I met my girlfriend, who has a toddler son. At times, it has really been an adjustment, but it is also rewarding. What has it been like for you?

I’ll write a book someday! In a way, now it isn’t any different for me than a father who has a hobby or any other activity outside of home and work. It used to be more difficult when I was on the road a little more, but I rarely travel much anymore, and If I go out of town to play a solo gig, I bring the family most of the time. If it’s an acceptable environment for them, the kids go to the show. But I haven’t played a strip club in while so most of the time it’s okay for them….

8. The whole bulk of the Rather Not Know album is pretty bleak in a beautiful way. Can you tell me a little about the song "Leo and Betty". I fucking love that song, and it has made people I know cry. I have gotten a little weepy over it myself. Where did that idea come from?

Leo and Betty came to me while sitting in the back of Cup a Joe one morning. I used to go there pretty early before it got crowded. I would ride the bus from in front of Newton’s on Peace St. A lot of ideas came to me between the time I stepped on the bus and when the first cup of coffee was finished. It was that hazy period in the morning when you are awake but still in more of a cerebral state than later in the morning or day. Anyway, I was sitting in the back of the room and watching the early morning participants of the self defense classes across the street at the Tai Quan Do (sp?) place. And it just sparked this idea in my head of a woman who had been mugged and was taking the classes who had a husband/mate who was kind of the punching bag for her new moves so to speak. Then I got the idea that maybe she would use him emotionally for a punching bag as well. Kind of the guy to play tough with so to speak. To ‘practice’ on. People get funny when they have a new kick they are on. Especially Betty it seems. Then I thought, well Leo has to be kind of a victim of his own as well. But maybe worse than Betty. Although he isn’t loud about it. He’s actually a veteran of a foreign war. He’s actually way worse off emotionally than Betty but she’s not really the kind to notice.

9. And I have to ask about the song "Rather Not Know". Where did the inspiration for that song come from?

My father died in October of 2001. That song is written from the perspective of my mother. It is not necessarily what she told be as much as what I imagined it is like to lose a spouse. It was hard enough to deal with as a son, but I can only imagine what it is like to lose your husband or your wife. Especially after 40 years of marriage and raising 6 children together.

10. Lyrically, a fair deal of your songs are pretty cloaked in religious imagery. But I have to ask, is this an overall character you are in when you write, or is this you? Are you religious at all? I only ask because I honestly have no idea at all.

You know, it’s really hard to say. It varies. I think some of the songs were written when I was in a “religious” stage of my life, some are just the characters, and sometimes it is just my background seeping in. I grew up in a Catholic family. My mother’s parents were from Poland which is very Catholic. My father was a convert (originally a Protestant) from his early twenties. So you can definitely say I am from a religious background. We went to mass every Sunday. I would fall away and back into it at various times. I definitely did after my Dad died. Not only was it something I leaned on, but at the time I had more of a reconnection with my family which reconnected me with the church and also opened up a lot of questions too.
At this time in my life I’m not even quite sure I believe in “God: so to speak. I guess you could say I’m somewhat of an agnostic. I really am at the point to where I’m not actively searching for anything either way. I don’t know what is out there and I’m fine with that. Takes a lot of pressure off huh?

11. The Mercy Filter was a bit different. There was more variety and more chances being taken. It is a good record. Yet I still connected (as usual) to the bleaker more somber songs. "Foot Soldier" especially hits me pretty hard. What inspired that song?

The Mercy Filter was actually one of my more personal records. There were still characters abound, but I think that they were more directly related to me than on some of the other records as a whole. I was going through the process of cleaning my shit up so to speak. Dealing with trying to repair some scarred relationships in the process. Foot Soldier is about someone who comes home from the war with a near fatal injury and begins to question whether or not his loved one(s) will still be with him when he is through with the process. Not really even as much as support through it, but when it is closer to over, or “better” as the lyrics say… kind of “ when I have changed, even for the better, will you still want me around? Will you like who I have become?”

12. What is coming up next for you? Do you have another record that you are working on? Any plans of that nature?

No big plans. I go to work. I ride my bicycle or go for a jog. Take a walk. Do lots of stuff with my family. Write a song every now and then. Play a show here or there. When I have enough material that is pretty cohesive and is pushing me to get it down on tape, then I assume that will happen. Nothing too solid lined up though.

13. I will end this with a stupid question: As you know, I have offered my drumming services to you a handle of times, which you have politely shrugged off in the nicest way possible. I know I have been typecast as a punk drummer, but I also love Richard Thompson and Richard Manuel, man!! You already play with some great drummers like Ray for instance. Will I ever have a shot at being able to sit in just once?! Am I doomed?

Hey, was I just baited in the press? You set it up. I’ll be there. I am not as driven as I used to be… just ask the fellas…


Go to this link to get more info, and to buy Kenny's records, or even just a song at a time:

http://www.myspace.com/kennyroby

SSD REUNION BROO HA-HA: WATCH AS THE WORLD YAWNS IN RESPONSE.

SSD'S SPRINGA BACK IN THOSE GLORIOUS "OLD SCHOOL" DAYS! KEEP THAT BEER HIDDEN, ASSHOLE!! OR ELSE!!!

SO THE "BIG NEWS' IN INTERNET PUNKLAND THIS WEEK IS THE SHOCKING REVELATION THAT DAVID SPRING, AKA "SPRINGA" THE LEAD SINGER FROM THE INFAMOUS BOOOSTON HARDCORE EIGHTIES GODS SS DECONTROL IS ATTEMPTING TO PUT TOGETHER HIS VERSION OF THAT BAND AND TAKING IT ON THE ROAD. SSD WAS A BAND THAT IN ALL HONESTY, HAD ONE TRULY GREAT RECORD, AND I AM SURE THAT THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT CAN ONLY AGREE WITH ME THAT "GET IT AWAY", THEIR SECOND ONE, IS THE ONLY THING THAT THIS BAND DID THAT IS WORTH A SHIT. THEIR FIRST RECORD WAS CHILDISHLY STUPID AND INANE GENERIC "HARDCORE" RECORD WITH A LYRICAL OBSESSION ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF (COUGH COUGH) "STRAIGHT EDGE" AND JUST WASN'T ANY GOOD. THE RECORDS THAT FOLLOWED SAW THIS OVERRATED BAND DELVE INTO MORE TRADITIONALLY BORING "ROCK" AND "METAL" LEANINGS, AND WERE NO BETTER OR WORSE THAN THEIR FIRST ALBUM, AN ALBUM THAT HELPED PAVE THE WAY FOR STUPIDITY IN YEARS TO COME..OVER THE YEARS SSD HAS TAKEN ON LEGENDARY STATUS BUT THAT IS OKAY I GUESS.."GET IT AWAY" IS A GREAT RECORD AND IN A WORLD WHERE EVEN SCARED STRAIGHT CAN ACQUIRE SOME SORT OF ROMANTIC TEARY EYED NOSTALGIC STATUS BY THE VIRTUE OF THE PASSING OF TIME, WHAT COULD ANYONE EXPECT? THE KIDS TRULY HAD THEIR SAY!PLUS, I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT MOST OF THE BOSTON HARDCORE BANDS WERE PRETTY LAME, OR ENDED UP THAT WAY..NOT LAME IN A "WHAT HAPPENED TO COC WAY" BECAUSE i THINK THOSE LATTER DAY COC RECORDS (AFTER YEARS OF DENYING IT) AREN'T TOO BAD AT ALL..BUT C'MON..THE SECOND DYS RECORD? THE FIRST ONE HAS ONE TRULY GOOD SONG: "THE GIRL'S GOT LIMITS"..IT WAS A JOKE SPOOF ON COCK ROCK..AND IT IS STILL FAR BETTER THAN ANYTHING ELSE ON THERE. AND LET'S NOT EVEN GET STARTED ON PEOPLE LIKE CHOKE, OR WHOEVER.

ANYWAYS, SSD'S MAIN MAN AL BARILE SENT OFF THIS TIRADE AGAINST HIS FORMER SINGER. IT IS PRETTY FUNNY. HERE IT IS IN ALL OF ITS GLORY:

There is absolutely no truth to any speculation that SSD will be performing this summer. The fact is original vocalist David Spring "Springa" is assembling a band of hired guns to tour and rip off the public playing under the name SSD. Due to his selfish actions David Spring has officially been terminated from ALL association with the band SSD. His attempt to recreate SSD in 2008 will utterly fail and I hope the public will not attend his performances and if they do they make it as miserable as possible for him to remain on stage safely. I know I personally will make every attempt to make him pay for his corrupt, cheating selfish actions. SSD will always be a team with integrity. It's unfortunate that a fat overweight "has been" and "nobody" will try to fool the public under the mighty moniker SSD.


His overall contribution to what made SSD such a special band is so far under the radar and almost next to zero. Anybody intimately involved and close to the band understands his contribution. The real fact is that the band had to go out of it's way to compensate for his talent, work ethic and criminal behavior.



I feel bad for those fans who have been waiting for a chance to see the band but attending this Dave Springa performance is a travesty and borderline criminal. He is a terrible human being and I'm not just saying this now. He is basically the reason the band dissolved. Our relationship has been civil since we stopped playing but clearly after then band dissolved his musical and organizational ability pretty much guaranteed his ability to get to get zero accomplished. He couldn't write a song if it fell in his lap. Having said that, I have been monitoring this potential SSD rippoff roadshow for sometime and I have done my best to discourage it through various legal and illegal tactics. I have actually held off some royalties and payments to hold over his over his head and help him make the right decision. He is basically following the business model laid out by Cliff from the Freeze, Chris Doherty from Gang Green, Choke from Slapshot, I can only speculate but I believe their motives are clear. I hate to throw anybody under the bus but I'm sure this support system of 40 year olds living in the past has helped David Spring organize the tour.



Motives
1) Rip off the public as 40 plus year olds playing music made by kids and capitalize on American Hardcore Movie
2) Make enough money to buy their alcohol, drugs and coke and whatever else
3) Pounce on as many foreign chicks who think these American punk rock stars are special and give them 20 year old pussies .

Hopefully they will give them something else as well
4) Escape their miserable lives and US wives and girlfriends to pursue their sexual fantasies
5) Hopefully come back to US with enough money so they can collect unemployment and continue their life avoiding a disciplined work schedule in which you wake up and go to work.

They will repeat the cycle every two tears

If it wasn't for my efforts, Springa would have justified this plan and pulled this shit sooner. It seems like he might pull it off this time but I am a fucking fighter and I don't take well to people ripping me off and tarnishing the name of my band. I am assembling a network of supporters who will help do everything possible to make him uncomfortable and fearful for his safety at each show. If he gets close to the Boston New York area then I will execute the plan. My goal is to make the tour fall apart due to poor attendance, hopefully get the promoters to back off after my legal representative serve papers. I would also appeal to the general public to understand when they are getting ripped off and for them to NOT BELIEVE that this lineup is NOT SSD. It's just a fat overweight scumbag breaking ranks from the band. He must be stopped.



Please share this letter to anybody or punk rock news outlet.


It's time to put a stop to these rogue motherfuckers who have no integrity.



Anyone who can help make David Springs life miserable will be on my list of close friends who I will be entirely indebted to and hopefully I can repay the favor somehow

thanks

Alan Barile
Leader SSD




OOOOH!! 'DEM'S FIGHTING WORDS!!! LOOKS TO ME LIKE SPRINGA, A MAN WHO HAS A REP OF BEING A NOTORIOUS FUCKUP, SIMPLY WANTS TO JUST DO SOMETHING THAT MIGHT KEEP HIM OUT OF TROUBLE. HE IS ONLY KNOWN AS BEING THIS GUY WHO SANG IN THIS BAND, WHO CARES? WHY NOT CASH IN? ANYONE THAT WOULD GO AND SEE THIS KNOWS AND DESERVES WHAT THEY ARE GETTING INTO. I MEAN, WHO WOULD GO AND SEE THE MISFITS RIGHT THIS SECOND, YOU KNOW? SO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

LOOKS LIKE BOBBY, THE DRUMMER FROM RICHMOND VIRGINIA'S UGLY LAW TOOK OFFENSE TO AL BARILE'S COMMENTS, AND HAS RESPONDED IN KIND. I SUPPOSE I CAN RELATE TO SOME OF THESE POINTS, GIVEN WHAT I AM DOING MUSICALLY. HEEEERE IS BOBBY:


So, just because Al Barile doesn't play music anymore, he can blow me for condemning the bands with members over 40 for still playing "hardcore".




This was my response, and this goes to anyone who thinks we're too old to live life and have fun.





Good for Al for calling Springa on this shit if it's true. The only thing I find offense to is his references to "40 plus year olds playing music made by kids" and "40 year olds living in the past". The kids today want to see their hardcore legends, and if the old bands can get an original lineup going that stills pounds it out, then that's fucking awesome! But I agree that the bands that are out there with one original member playing stale rehash sucks.





Ugly Law is a bunch of "40 plus year olds", but we don't play any of our old bands' material and would never think of getting one of the old bands back together i.e. Unseen Force, which many people have requested. We play because we love to, and if we thought the energy or power wasn't there we'd quit. I mean, what's a bunch of "old guys" who want to still play supposed to do- play Grateful Dead covers? We do what we know and do it well. Ask anyone who's seen us the past year. We never hear "what do you old guys think you're doing?". We hear " Glad you guys are still doing it" and " good to hear you're not playing by the numbers hardcore and doing something more original".





So, I'm a little sensitive about the age thing. I'm 42 and have more energy and determination than when I was 20, which is when I gave up playing because the state of the hardcore scene sucked for me at the time.




So, these "kids" that don't understand why we do it, you don't know what hardcore is. Hardcore is doing what you want, when you want, and FUCK YOU if you don't like it. I want to see what these "kids" (many of whom are pushing 30) are doing in the future. I suspect it's giving up music entirely, getting an acceptable job, and quote unquote selling out as they say. Fuck you very much!

Thanks, Bobby

These thoughts are my own, not necessarily the entire band's.



BACK AT YOU, MR. BARILE. BUT EVEN BETTER WAS THIS BRAND NEW UPDATED VERSION OF KING LORD AL BARILE'S ATTACK ON SPRINGA. UPDATED AND PRESENTED AS "WHAT AL REALLY WANTED TO SAY", THIS WENT ALL OVER THE INTERNET LAST NIGHT, FURTHER CONFUSING IMPRESSIONABLE YOUNGSTERS AND MAKING THE WHOLE SITUATION MUCH FUNNIER THAN BEFORE:


It really makes us mad when people are misrepresented...this is the real post.

straight from the man Al Barile on the SSD reunion:

"This is the absolute truth to any speculation that SSD will be performing this summer. We are really excited. Original vocalist David Spring "Springa" is assembling a better band to tour under the name SSD. Due to his unselfish actions David Spring has officially been named true leader by ALL associated with the band SSD. His attempt to recreate SSD in 2008 will utterly rip and I hope the public will attend this performances and if they do they make it as special as possible for him. I know I personally will make every attempt to him pay for his true, loving unselfish actions. SSD will always be a team with integrity. It's fortunate that an in shape "somebody" and will try to show the true power to the public under the mighty moniker SSD.

His overall contribution to what made SSD such a special band is so far underrated and almost immeasurable. Anybody intimately involved and close to the band understands his contribution. The real fact is that the band had to go out of it's way to compensate for his talent, hard work ethic and helpful behavior.


I feel so happy for those fans who have been waiting for a chance to see the band but attending this Dave Springa performance is going to be wonderful and borderline orgasmic. He is a godlike human being and I'm not just saying this now. He is basically the reason the band dissolved because we we just paled to what he was recalling trying to do with the band. Our relationship has been civil since we got back together. But clearly after then band dissolved his musical and organizational ability pretty much guaranteed that the rest of the group's ability to get to get zero accomplished. We couldn't write a song if it fell in our lap. Having said that, I have been monitoring this potential great event for sometime and I have done my best to encourage it through various legal tactics. I have actually paid off some royalties and payments to hold over his over his head and help him make the right decision. He is basically following the business model laid out by Cliff from the Freeze, Chris Doherty from Gang Green, Choke from Slapshot, I can only speculate but I believe their motives are clear....Help bring true Boston HC back. I hate to say it, but I'm sure this support system of 40 year olds living has helped David Spring organize the tour. God bless them.

Motives
1) Bring back true Boston HC. Thank you American Hardcore Movie.
2) Make enough money to help cripple children and war vets.
3) To help forgien girls how to speak english with a boston accent and teach young ladies proper dancing. Hopefully they will give them something else as well
4) Learn to embrace sexual fantasies with consenting adults
5) Hopefully come back to US with enough money so they can start their "mobile scene unit", A touring bus of scene helpers to establish loving and hopeful and respectful scene in all US cities.

They will repeat the cycle every two tears hopefully.

Let's keep our fingers crossed kids!

If it wasn't for my efforts, Springa would have justified this plan and pulled this plan sooner. I was too busy...I wish I could have helped earlier. It seems like he might pull it off this time but I am a fucking fighter and I can only hope him well in the name of my former band. I am assembling a network of supporters who will help do everything possible to make him comfortable and safe at each show. If he gets close to the Boston New York area then I will execute the plan. My goal is to make the tour fall come together with to great attendance, hopefully get the promoters to pay off big time after my legal representative serve papers. I would also appeal to the general public to understand when they are getting the best gift they could ever ask for. and for them to really BELIEVE that this lineup is SSD! It's just a fat overweight scumbag like me breaking ranks from the band. He must be supported.

Please share this letter to anybody or punk rock news outlet.

It's time to put help to these people who have integrity.

Anyone who can help make David Springs life easier will be on my list of close friends who I will be entirely indebted to and hopefully I can repay the favor somehow"

thanks

Alan Barile
Leader SSD


SO THERE YOU GO..IT LOOKS LIKE PEOPLE WERE ALL JUST A LITTLE CONFUSED, IS ALL. WHAT CAN I SAY, EXCEPT TO JUST THROW ON MY TATTERED COPY OF THE AWESOME NEGATIVE FX RECORD, START STAGE DIVING OFF OF MY COUCH IN A SINCERE ATTEMPT TO EMULATE MY FAVORITE SINGER OF ALL TIME, AND TO SIMPLY BELLOW THE PHRASE, "BOSTOON HARDCOOOREE!!!!" OVER AND OVER AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS? YOU CAN BET YOUR SWEET ASS I AM GOING TO BE AT ONE OF THE SHOWS!!! SEE YOU, FAGS!!

JOY DIVISION - "TRANSMISSION".

GREAT VERSION..ALWAYS LIKED THIS TUNE.

CHEAP TRICK - "HE'S A WHORE".

STILL ONE OF THE GREATEST SONGS OF ALL TIME. SERIOUSLY.

LESTER BANGS BY RICHARD HELL.

I LIKE RICHARD HELL. ITS KIND OF NEAT THAT THIS WRITER WHO HAD DABBLED IN MUSIC YEARS AND YEARS AGO HAS BECOME LEGENDARY FOR WHAT ONE COULD CALL PIONEERING FAILURES; BEING KICKED OUT OF TELEVISION BY TOM VERLAINE YEARS BEFORE THEY EVER MADE A RECORD AND BEING A MUCH DIFFERENT (AND LESS FUN) BAND BECAUSE OF IT, FORMING AND QUITTING THE MUCH LESS IMPORTANT HEARTBREAKERS BY THE INFAMOUSLY DEAD JOHNNY THUNDERS AND FINALLY FORMING HIS OWN BAND WHO DID AT LEAST ONE CLASSIC RECORD THAT FEATURED SOME GREAT GUITAR PLAYING BY THE MUCH MISSED ROBERT QUINE. HE HASN'T REALLY PLAYED TOO MUCH MUSIC DURING THE LAST TWENTY YEARS OR SO.

I ALSO LIKE LESTER BANGS. WHEN I BOUGHT CREEM MAGAZINE IN THE MID SEVENTIES, IT FLOORED ME, JUST LIKE MAD MAGAZINE. BUT UNLIKE MAD MAGAZINE I HAD NO REAL IDEA JUST WHAT THE FUCK THESE PEOPLE WERE TALKING ABOUT, AS I HAD ONLY LIKED THE ROCK BAND KISS AT THAT POINT (C'MON I WAS NINE YEARS OLD). BUT IT SURE WAS FUN. LESTER BANGS WAS THE EDITOR. JUST THAT NAME STOOD OUT. I REMEMBER THE ISSUE THAT FEATURED A TRIBUTE TO HIM AFTER HE HAD DIED. A FEW YEARS LATER I BOUGHT THE GREIL MARCUS ANTHOLOGY AND WAS STUNNED. HOW COULD I ENJOY THIS MAN'S WRITING SO MUCH, ESPECIALLY SINCE HE WAS A ROCK CRITIC?! I DON'T EVEN KNOW BEANS ABOUT WRITING OR WRITERS, I JUST KNOW WHAT I LIKE, AND I LIKE LESTER, AND CONTINUE TO DO SO. HE NEVER IN A BILLION ZILLION YEARS WOULD HAVE BELIEVED THE STATE OF MUSIC THESE DAYS IF HE WAS ALIVE TO SEE IT. MAN.

SO HERE IS A TRIBUTE TO LESTER BY RICHARD THAT IS MORE THAN A FEW YEARS OLD BUT WHO CARES, I LIKE IT AND IF YOU DON'T, WELL THAT IS FINE TOO.

P.S. I THINK THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A REVIEW OF LESTER'S SECOND POSTHUMOUS ANTHOLOGY.


The Right to Be Wrong
On the Occasion of a New Lester Bangs Book, Punk Pioneer Richard Hell Remembers the Late, Great Rock Critic
by Richard Hell


It's gotten to where just the name does it: Lester Bangs. It makes me happy. It's like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Of course, even apart from the guy it signified, its perfection of pure form is stunning, but what it evokes as the signifier of the person is even better. I think of his innocence and goodwill first, and his compulsion to talk about whatever was going on and to figure out what mattered (starting from music) and it makes me sorry I can't call him up. It's strange. I didn't even like him very much when he was alive. Just five or six years ago when his biographer was asking for stories about him I told him that when I knew Lester I didn't take him very seriously or pay very much attention to him. That though doubtless my distaste was partly that of the junkie for the lush, I mostly thought he was a buffoon. Lester was this big, swaying, cross-eyed, reeking drooler, smiling and smiling through his crummy stained mustache, trying to corner me with incessant babble somewhere in the dark at CBGB's, 1976 or so. He was sweet like a big clumsy puppy, but he was always drunk and the sincerity level was pretty near intolerable.
Now I miss him.

Of course it's easier to like a good-hearted, hardworking dead person, the extremely edited Lester, than the obliviously intrusive physically present one, but Lester has made way more friends than most since he died. Posthumously, he's become the noncharismatic Elvis of rock writers: obscene provocateur and polite mama's boy, vulnerable and egotistic, trashily prolific and artistically transcendent, anti-drug and full-time addict (who died young that way); but most of all forgiven everything and adored by his fans while being the most popular model for those who would essay his trade. Well maybe that's a little strained; probably Jack Kerouac would be a better comparison, if not as much fun. Because Kerouac actually did influence Bangs a lot and the appeal of Lester shares a lot with Kerouac: that innocence and goodwill and drive to describe and be true to what matters in life. People like a writer's writing because they like the writer's company. Writing is intimate and finally what draws you to an author's work is the shape of the mind and quality of feeling you find there, and Lester, like Kerouac, reads like a real good friend to a lot of people.

I have to interrupt and confess how I'm struggling to resist taking revenge on rock critics. I was a musician and I've thought a few times of rating the critics the way they do the artists. But I'm really really going to try to restrain myself. How petty would that be, if I were to go after them? Not only have they generally been real good to me but my life is more fun than theirs. I must try to be large I must try to be large. I don't want to be a jerk. I'll just say that I believe Lester deserves his supreme popularity (he liked me the most).

But I've got to go after the self-importance of the best-known worst of them a little. The rock writers, naturally, want to believe that their genre, like say the movie criticism of the Cahiers du Cinéma writers such as Godard and Rivette, is sometimes actually the work of important artists. In fact Greil Marcus, in the introduction to Bangs's previous collection of rock journalism, Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung (1987), wrote, "Perhaps what this book demands from a reader is a willingness to accept that the best writer in America could write almost nothing but record reviews." (That line is typical of the way Marcus ruins good things by laying the burden of his pretentiousness on them.) And it's true that writers as good as Patti Smith and Nick Tosches wrote about pop music seriously, with full respect, and really well. But I don't see much justification for a line like Marcus's about Lester. Lester was lovable and perceptive, but the writing is wired thinking-aloud; it's pure process, and my feeling is that Lester had too many blind spots and neuroses for writing that depends so much for its value on the shapeliness of his mind and reasoning. As with Kerouac, you go to Bangs's work to be refreshed with your pleasure in the characteristic beauty of his mission and mind, to be reminded of the presence of a certain being that inspires and provokes. But it hardly matters what pages you read—all the appeal is in the tone and ethical/aesthetic values, and you get them immediately, so a little goes a long way.

Nevertheless, of all the most highly regarded rock journalists (say Tosches, Robert Christgau, Marcus, and the execrable and excremental Richard Meltzer) Lester was the only one who valued self-doubt and who actually seemed to like the music more than he liked himself. Lester was a critic who reserved the right to be wrong, which seems to me admirable. Like many rock writers Lester took extreme stances, but unlike the other most flamboyantly contrary of them, he didn't paint himself into a minuscule corner of supported music, and he didn't go sour with cynicism and resentment (or maybe he did a little toward the end—1982 for Lester—when punk seemed to end up genuinely, fatally, hopeless). Lester was large and he was interested in doing what was right—which sometimes entailed willfully offending those whose values he opposed—not merely being right in his taste and musical standards. He wanted to learn. What's appealing about him is the same thing that he valued in the music he wrote about: the life in it—engagement with and responsiveness to the world. To put a positive spin on the spew-and-rant factor, he didn’t care about beauty except as flow. He wanted everything included. He was confrontational but it came from goodwill, from his belief that feelings—sensitivity to what's going on—are what matter and that if you're going to really notice things, really perceive, there's going to be a lot of sadness and horror and filth as well, so to some extent they're a necessary part of beauty. Basically, Lester always wanted people to care more. That could be really tedious, but when the examples of things due more loving regard are such as White Light/White Heat and Raw Power and Pangaea, it gets interesting.

If you like Lester, you'll like this new book. It's a lot like the other one but it has more Miles Davis and Rolling Stones than Lou Reed and Iggy and some big chunks of autobiographical writings.

POLVO LAST WEEKEND.

So Polvo played their big reunion show in Chapel Hill at the Cat's Cradle over the weekend.

It was nice to go to the show with ex Shiny Beast band mate Kim Walker, now living in Ohio and who drove down for the show. We listened to Erectus Monotone and shot the shit like twenty years hadn't flied by. Andy Freeburn (of said band Erectus Monotone) was supposed to go with us and if you know any of the three of us or all of us, that in itself is hilarious. He pulled out at the last minute. Soon we were there. Soon we had beers with other people. Soon the show started.

The opening band was NOCANNON. I recognize a few of these guys from a long time ago. A quiet trio, they had some instantly good material but I heard the complaint that they were too quiet. On behalf of pussies like me who will like whatever they like regardless of style or volume, all I can say is I am sorry. They were good.

DES ARK. Well, ever since Aimee (or however she spells her name)found her most recent drummer, I think I have decided that I like this version of her band the best. Whoever the drummer is, she fucking rules. A cute tomboyish looking young lady that beats the almighty shit out of her kit like a young Dale Crover is okay in my book. She has perfect timing, too. Any band would be glad to have her. what is her name? It is also worth noting that even though Des Ark plays some very..uh..sexy kind of music, both of the band members become genderless after a little while. It doesn't matter, they just blew down the doors, even with long pauses and semi drunken rants. And of course, the band or at least that version of the band/or whoever she plays with after she moves away is done. This was their last show. The last song was pretty and rocking and insulted the town that they were playing in.

when POLVO started to play, I noticed it sounded weird and since it was so packed I couldn't get anywhere near the stage to really watch. When this happens, there is just not a whole lot you can do. After a little while I noticed I started to feel kind of weird, which I wasn't really counting on. having very briefly been involved in this band the last time around, I couldn't help but feel like I was watching my old girlfriend onstage making out with a new dude, even if Brian Quast is one holy kickass mutha of a drummer, as anyone knows. They rearranged some of the material to boot, and lousy sound aside, you could tell that they had it down. Uh..what can I say other then more power to these guys. If they record with Quast, I would think that would be pretty great. But tonight I wasn't feeling it. Sorry everyone.

Afterwards I said hello to a few more people and found myself driving home by myself listening to Cheap Trick and DOA and oddly enough, side two of COC's Animosity, which I think is still by far the best thing to ever come out of the state of North Carolina.