Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers- Live At The Village Gate 1977

As Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, the band only released one studio album. That album, L.A.M.F. was originally released in 1977 and remains today as a true punk rock classic. I have the original vinyl LP I bought at a record store in Vancouver in the mid-80's and I was disappointed with the sound quality and mix of the record as it sounded dull and lifeless. Apparently, I wasn't alone with this option as the record has been re-released several times to improve the sound through re-mixes,  lost mixes and alternative versions from the original album. L.A.M.F. Revisited, L.A.M.F.: The Lost '77 Mixes (released 1994) and L.A.M.F. Definitive Edition (2012) which featured the original album, the lost mixes, demos and alternative tracks. Thunders went on to record a handful of solo studio albums, but the legacy and true appeal of the Heartbreakers was in their live performances. For a band with only one official studio album, they released several live albums capturing the Heartbreakers, especially in the late 70's at their peak. Johnny Thunders shows in the 80's were at best uneven and sometimes unpredictable. With the right mix of intoxication and preferably shows with Waldo (Walter Lure) on guitar, his live shows could also be brilliant with some classic Thunders stage banter and loose, but inspired playing. (Unfortunately, when I finally saw Thunders live it was towards the end of his life/career and the concert was a mess, he was strung out and the musicians around him weren't very good, including a pickup drummer from the crowd, sad) Anyways, many very good sounding live recordings from the Heartbreakers prime era in the mid-late 70's have been available on LP, cassette and CD in both bootleg and semi-official releases and whenever something new (unreleased) gets unearthed from someones collection it's always worth a listen.

I was in Minneapolis last June scouting out record stores and stumbled upon, Live At The Village Gate 1977 on CD. It was brand new in a slick package with a beautiful b & w gatefold CD cover, that I hadn't seen before. (I heard that the vinyl version is hot pink!) And because I'm always looking for unreleased Heartbreakers shows I bought it. The sound quality is only okay, it's a step up from a audience live recording, but it has a bit of an digital sounding enhancement to it. Once you get past that, the show itself is very good, with a solid performance and great songs. I would suggest seeking out Live at Max's, D.T.K. (Live at the Speakeasy) or even Live at the Lyceum Ballroom first before buying Live at the Village Gate. It's a nice addition to the Heartbreakers live album collection and I shouldn't complain because anything unreleased (or unheard) that is new to me, is always a welcome listen at any time.
Happy New Year!!
Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or transfer to lossy formats (except for personal use)
Please share!

JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS
L.A.M.F.
Live At The Village Gate
August 18 & 20, 1977
(released in 2015)

01. Chinese Rocks
02. Pirate Love
03. Get Off The Phone
04. All By Myself
05. Let Go
06. Can't Keep My Eyes On You
07. Chatterbox
08. One Track Mind
09. Take A Chance On Me
10. Born Too Loose
11. Boppin The Blues
12. Do You Love Me
13. I Wanna Be Loved

JOHNNY THUNDERS & THE HEARTBREAKERS- LAMF Live at the Village Gate FLAC. rar

Rivers Cuomo- The Troubadour, May 30, 2018

It's been a pretty good last couple of weeks for Rivers Cuomo and Weezer. A skit from Saturday Night Live on December 15th that was dedicated to his band, Weezer went crazy viral with a pair of fans/neighbors at a dinner party having an intense debate about the band. If you are a Weezer fan or any music fan for that matter you can easily relate. Who hasn't had arguments or debates with friends or co-workers about bands and questioned whether their music is still relevant with today's music. We often question if a band's recent work doesn't hold up against earlier albums (or music they are best known for) and we often moan and groan when a band plays new songs at a show ("we want to hear the early stuff"). An interesting debate indeed. Anyways, this little skit on SNL put Weezer momentarily back in the spotlight with even Rivers commenting on Twitter.

The other news about Weezer in case you haven't heard (or aren't a hockey fan), is that Weezer will headline the entertainment at the NHL Winter Classic game featuring the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins. The game is set to be played outdoors at Notre Dame Stadium at the University of Notre Dame on New Year's Day (January 1, 2019). The band will perform during the intermission between the first and second periods. Hopefully more than a song or two will be aired live on TV, if not maybe a more complete 10-15 minute clip will surface on YouTube.

I was thinking of end of year concert lists and I really didn't see enough shows to make any real list, but I listened to a number of really great concerts during 2018. One of my favourites was from May that was recorded by JB and posted by Waxdoll on Dimeadozen of a solo acoustic show from Weezer's, Rivers Cuomo. The recording sounds excellent with the crowd singing along for most of the show and they do a great job, you know you've made it when your fans know your lyrics so thoroughly. Obviously, he plays lots of Weezer songs with some interesting covers to round out the show. I love this show, I've listened to this more than any other concert this year. This is a intimate performance with just Cuomo's voice (and the crowd's) and guitar, so there's nothing better than listening to this with headphones eyes closed late at night! Highly recommended, even if you're not a Weezer super-fan.
Enjoy!

Since this was posted elsewhere, please respect the original poster's instructions!

Taped and mastered by JB.
Please don't sell or convert to lossy format. 
Don't upload to any site that has anything to do with lossy material.

Rivers Cuomo
The Troubadour
West Hollywood, CA
May 30, 2018

16/44.1
Sonics>Battery Box>Edirol R-09HR>ProTools (for level adjustment, compression, eq, noise reduction and song separation)>flac.

Disc 1 (54:00)

01. I Took a Pill in Ibiza (Mike Posner cover)
02. El Scorcho
03. Buddy Holly
04. Wonderwall (Oasis cover)
05. Island in the Sun
06. Pink Triangle
07. Basket Case (Green Day cover)
08. The Good Life
09. Tired of Sex
10. 1979 (The Smashing Pumpkins cover)
11. Say It Ain't So
12. Across the Sea
13. Why Bother?
14. No Other One

Disc 2 (51:56)

01. Champagne Supernova (Oasis cover)
02. Can't Stop Partying
03. I Don't Want to Let You Go (Live debut)
04. Medicine for Melancholy
05. I Think We're Alone Now (Tommy James & the Shondells cover)
06. This is Such a Pity
07. Undone - The Sweater Song
08. Happy Together/Longview/Happy Together (The Turtles/Green Day covers)
09. Cardigan Disaster
10. Falling for You
11. Today (The Smashing Pumpkins cover)
12. Pig
13. Susanne

encore
14. Endless Bummer (with Brian Bell) (Live debut)
15. You Gave Your Love to Me Softly (with Brian Bell)

RIVERS CUOMO- Los Angeles, CA May 30, 2018 FLAC. rar

Chixdiggit- Live In Winnipeg August 26, 1996

Photo by Peter Ellenby

There are some concerts when you reflect back and think, "I'm glad I actually went to see this band". This was the case over 22 years ago when I saw the band, Chixdiggit who were touring in support of their debut album, Chixdiggit. I bought their CD on a whim, I think after I heard their song, (I Feel Like) Gerry Cheevers on late night CBC radio and instantly became a fan. At the time I was listening to a lot of like-minded pop-punk bands from Lookout Records and Mint, so their short, sweet melodic songs with their immature adolescent sense of humour was really appealing. And hey, when you write a song about Bruins goalie, Gerry Cheevers that combines my two favourite things, hockey and rock music, they must be worth checking out. And they definitely were! They are just regular guys, not long hard rocker wannabees or punks with attitude, but down to earth guys you'd have no problem sharing a beer with. Their live show is driven by front man, KJ Jansen with his Tony Esposito split-crouch stance (with the microphone really low) is the smart-ass of the band and his banter keeps the flow going as most of their songs are really short (their CD is only 27 minutes long). A fun band to see live and I liked them so much I saw them two more times in the 90's, but haven't seen them since. They celebrated their 25th year with a tour a couple years ago that came to town, but I wasn't able to attend. They are joining the Smugglers for their 30th anniversary show later this month, November 24th at Amigos in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. If you make the drive, hopefully not through a blizzard, it will be a worthwhile roadtrip to see two great Canadian bands.

I was lucky enough to make a live recording of the Chixdiggit show on my Walkman recorder. I've had the master cassette on my shelf for years and I thought it was about time to transfer it to my hard drive before the tape deteriorates too much. I have to admit it is one of my favourite early shows I recorded and despite the not perfect sound quality, the show is a very enjoyable listen. It's a good capture from the middle of the floor at the Pyramid with the usual crowd noise, but it really has that "been there" quality I love. As I write this I'm listening to the other live Chixdiggit tapes from 1998 and 1999, (I can't remember the last time I had a listen) and the sound quality is much better. If there's a request to hear them I'll transfer the tapes and upload them.
Enjoy!

Please do NOT sell or transfer to lossy format (except for personal use)
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CHIXDIGGIT
Pyramid Cabaret
Winnipeg, MB
August 26, 1996
AUD Master

Sony mic> Sony WM-GX35 Recording Walkman> Maxell XLII 90 Cassette> Aiwa tape deck> ADS Instant music> usb> Nero SoundTrax> WAV> Direct WAV splitter> FLAC> rar

01. Toilet's Seat Coming Down
02. 323
03. Where's Your Mom?
04. Hemp Hemp Hooray
05. Henry Rollins Is No Fun
06. (I Feel Like) Gerry Cheevers
07. Van Horne
08. I Drove The Coquihalla
09. Great Legs
10. Haven't Got Time For
11. You May Be Right
12. Nobody (w/Levi Stubbs' Tears teaser)
13. I Should Have Played Football In High School
14. Stacked Like That
15. Song For "R"
16. I Wanna Hump You

Encore
17. Chupacabras
18. Pathetic
19. Lonely Nights (w/ Live Forever teaser)
20. Mila, Caroline And Me

CHIXDIGGIT- 1996-08-26 Pyramid Cabaret, Winnipeg, MB FLAC Master. rar

Charlie Chesterman- Demos

Today marks the 5th anniversary of the passing of Scruffy the Cat frontman, Charlie Chesterman. His music lives on with recent releases of the Scruffy the Cat compilation, Time Never Forgets and the rarities, unreleased tracks album, The Good Goodbye. Worth checking out are the many albums Charlie recorded after Scruffy, several solo albums as well as records with Chaz and the Motorbikes. His solo recording output far exceeds the Scruffy the Cat releases, so there is much good music to discover. Just before his passing, the compilation, Solid Gold Electric Chestnut Dispenser (a collection of hard to find rarities) was available for download in October of 2013 with proceeds going directly to the Friends of Charlie Chesterman fund. The year before, Chorus Vs. Solos: A Tribute to Charlie Chesterman was sold to help him and his family while he was battling cancer. Needless to say, this man was well loved by his fans, friends and family. Check out the charliechesterman bandcamp page for all his post Scruffy releases to purchase or listen.

What I have is music by Charlie Chesterman not available on any of the compilations or was ever released (as far as I know). It's a disc of demos that I received many years ago from a friend that knew Charlie. (Hint: His band's debut album was produced by Charlie Chesterman!) The songs are demos recorded in a studio, mainly just Charlie and his guitar (with some harmonica), raw demo versions of some songs that appeared later and some I don't think were ever recorded. Off the top of my head, there's early versions of Where'd You Go (from Dynamite Music Machine), If I Had A Heart (from Studabakersfield), Last Summer Night (from Skunk On The Loose). I don't have much information, nor do I have a date when these were recorded, but I suspect it would have been sometime between the end of Scruffy the Cat and his first solo record, so probably early 1990's. If anyone has information about the recording dates and the tracks, please let us know. I'm sure these recordings will be of much interest for Chesterman/STC fans and I hope that sharing these demos is cool. I thought now was an appropriate time to finally share these rare demos.
Enjoy!

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CHARLIE CHESTERMAN
Demos (90's?)

01. Pretty Baby Please Don't Go
02. Cry Cry Cry
03. Tell Me What You Think About Love
04. If I Had A Heart
05. You So And So
06. True Love
07. Where'd You Go?
08. ?
09. Lost Summer Night
10. Tornado
11. Folk Tales

CHARLIE CHESTERMAN- Demos FLAC. rar

Lemonheads- Tramps, NYC, October 28, 1996

For a live recording from over (almost exactly, one day late) 22 years ago, this one holds up quite well. First, the recording is outstanding mainly because it's a professionally mixed board recording that according to the notes may have been intended for a future  live release in some form. Secondly, the performance by Evan Dando and band is solid despite the fact Evan was known to be inconsistent around this period, he put together a really tight band that included John Strohm of the Blake Babies and Murph from Dinosaur Jr. The playing is energetic and overall it's a fun, kinda cool set that even covers Dinosaur Jr's, Freak Scene. Though, many critics and fans weren't big fans of Car Button Cloth, this album has grown on me through the years. The trio of Lemonheads albums from the 90's (It's a Shame About Ray, Come On Feel The Lemonheads, Car Button Cloth) are actually great records, that have stood the test of time. Sure, there was some filler, but Dando knew how to write a good, catchy pop-rock song.

This is the first of a several "outtakes" from the #12daysoftrouble series in August that I had originally intended to post. I had so many ideas of shows I wanted to post, but due to time restrictions and continuity reasons I held back some posts. I hope to get back on track with regular postings, as my work life is back to my boring, "regular" job. I'm feeling physically and mentally stronger (movie set dressing is definitely hard work!) which is a good thing, but I might revisit the film biz in the new year. Anyways, more to come soon and listen to this Lemonheads show because it's a very fine fine recording.
Enjoy!

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THE LEMONHEADS
Tramps
New York, NY
October 28, 1996
Mixed Soundboard
JEMS Archive

JEMS 2017 Transfer: in-house reference cassette > Nakamichi CR-7A azimuth-adjusted playback > Sound Devices USBPre2 > Audacity 2.0 16/44.1 capture to .wav > iZotope RX6 > TLH > FLAC

1. It’s All True
2. If I Could Talk I’d Tell You
3. It’s A Shame About Ray
4. Tenderfoot (Smudge)
5. Hospital
6. My Drug Buddy
7. Break Me
8. The Outdoor Type (Smudge)
9. Losing Your Mind
10. Something’s Missing
11. Confetti > Supernaut (Black Sabbath) snippet
12. Secular Rockulidge
13. Rudderless
14. Hannah & Gabi
15. Outdoor Miner (Wire)
16. Being Around
17. Style
18. -band intros-
19. Freak Scene (Dinosaur Jr.)
20. It’s About Time
21. Into Your Arms (Love Positions)
22. -Evan announces upcoming shows-

notes: tracks 14-16 are Evan solo
band: Evan Dando/John Strohm/Bill Gibson/Patrick "Murph" Murphy

Notes from original poster: It would appear this sprightly Lemonheads performance was professionally recorded for potential use as a source of live tracks or a mini live album to be sent out to radio and aired later as a live Lemonheads broadcast. This recording of the full set was transferred from an in-house reference cassette likely used to approve the mix/sound quality and to select which tracks to use later.

LEMONHEADS- 1996-10-28 Tramps FLAC. rar

They Might Be Giants- Live In Winnipeg October 21, 2018

Despite the fact, They Might Be Giants (TMBG) have been releasing albums since 1986 and have been playing live shows earlier than that, they have never played in Winnipeg, Canada. I had the opportunity to see TMBG in September of 1992 in Vancouver and looking back I'm amazed that was over 26 years ago! A lot has changed since that time, the band has released 16 albums, a bunch of compilations and a ton of music for young and older alike. A lot of anticipation and expectations led up to this present show, as I rank that TMBG Vancouver show (Young Fresh Fellows opened) in my top 10, maybe even top 5 concert experiences (really wish I taped the show!). At the time they were touring their Apollo 18 record, which remains one of my favourite TMBG's albums alongside Lincoln, and I was in awe of the energy and showmanship they displayed throughout the show. It didn't hurt that the concert was held at the legendary Commodore Ballroom, with the springy wooden floor, I was literally bouncing up and down with a very enthusiastic Vancouver crowd. It was also notable it is one of the few concerts I've attended (besides Folk Fests) with my brother and sister because we were in town for a family wedding. The Young Fresh Fellows were also amazing and I even had a chance to talk to the Fellows after their set, so this truly was a very memorable evening.

For the current tour through Canada and the United States, the show was billed as, "An Evening With They Might Be Giants", that featured no opening band (or as John Flansburgh put it, "we're opening for ourselves") with two full sets with an intermission. With so many songs to choose from, their setlist reached out to all parts of the career including songs from their most recent album, I Like Fun. They played many of their "hits", Birdhouse In Your Soul, Racist Friend, The Guitar, Istanbul, Dr. Worm, and Twisting that features the great line, "She doesn't have to have her Young Fresh Fellows tape back now". Highlights for me include a pair of songs from their debut album, Number Three and Don't Let's Start, the great Cub cover, New York City and the set closer, End Of The Tour. They opened up the second set with a four song acoustic set, Quiet Storm. This stripped down trio (then later quartet) of the John Flansburgh on acoustic guitar, John Linnell on contra alto clarinet, Marty Beller on snare and Curt Ramm on trumpet, featured new arrangements of songs. The full band returned for the rest of the set and double encore. One thing that is obvious is the superb musicianship of all the members of the band. They had plenty of opportunity to highlight their talents through featured solo spots and expanded solos during the band introductions beginning the first encore. Yes, I really do love bass and drum solos! Overall, a very enjoyable show, with no disappointments (maybe more songs from Apollo 18?) and hope it doesn't take this long for a return visit.

Attending the concert almost didn't happen for me. I missed out  when the the tickets originally went on sale and put it off long enough to have the concert sell out.  The original venue was the West End Cultural Centre which I thought was a bit small for TMBG so I was resigned to price watch on Stubhub and check Kijiji daily for tickets. By chance, the venue was changed to the larger capacity Garrick and more tickets became available. Then, I've been working on a movie set for a film being shot in town for the past month. The reason for the lack of updates on the blog is because I've been working 12+ hour days, 5-6 days a week and I've been too physically (and mentally) exhausted to write. Anyways, I thought I might miss the show, because filming was scheduled until Sunday, but I was able to finish my work a day early. Phew!

I recorded the show on the floor about halfway back (directly behind is theatre seating). The Garrick is kind of cool because it was originally a movie theatre so the floor still has an angle to it so sight lines are good for height deprived people. The sound turned out good with little chatter and the sound balance and mix was fine. I noticed at the show John F's vocals were a little low in the mix, so the recording reflects that. The venue doesn't have the best acoustics, but the sound is even better in the live recording. Definitely a must-hear for any TMBG fans and a rare treat as we don't get a lot of high quality bands coming to town enough (apologies Mellencamp and McCartney fans).
Enjoy!!

Please do NOT sell or convert to lossy formats (except for personal use)
Please share!

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
The Garrick
Winnipeg, MB
October 21, 2018
AUD Master

"An Evening With They Might Be Giants"

Set 1
01. Damn Good Times
02. I Left My Body
03. Racist Friend
04. Particle Man
05. The Famous Polka
06. Dr. Worm
07. Let's Get This Over With
08. Music Jail
09. Birdhouse In Your Soul
10. The Guitar (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)
11. Mrs. Bluebeard
12. All Time What
13. When Will You Die?
14. Spy

Set 2
"Quiet Storm" acoustic set
15. Older
16. I Like Fun
17. Applause Applause Applause
18. How Can I Sing Like A Girl?

Full band
19. Istanbul (Not Constantinople)
20. The Mesopotamians
21. Twisting
22. Number Three
23. Don't Let's Start
24. Why Does The Sun Shine?
25. Whistling In The Dark
26. Let Me Tell You About My Operation
27. The Communists Have The Music

Encore
28. "Band introductions"
29. Hey Mr. DJ, I Thought You Said We Had A Deal

Encore 2
30. New York City
31. The End Of The Tour

TMBG- 2018-10-21 The Garrick, Winnipeg, MB FLAC Master. rar

Young Fresh Fellows- El Sol, Madrid, Spain 2009

Here is the final live recording from the trio of shows (that I'm posting) from the Young Fresh Fellows during their tour of Spain in the fall of 2009. Much like the past two posts, this show cooks and sizzles with tasty rock 'n' roll Fellows-style. The live audio recording is crystal clear and thanks to Matthijs for recording and posting this amazing soundboard quality show. Sometimes it's hard to hear the excitement and energy of a live concert through just the sound recording, so I posting the complete video from the show (I found on YouTube) to witness a Young Fresh Fellows concert from a view on the side of the stage (here's another video from the same show, different camera angle for one song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NljGPiclmCU). The video isn't perfect, it's a little shaky and blurry at times, but it's upfront and the sound is decent. I suggest you try to sync the audio live recording with the video, dim the lights, get some friends to stand around you to yell and scream, open a cold beer and crank up the volume! Just like being there, right?...not quite...man, I really need to see the Young Fresh Fellows live again!

As a added bonus, the taper included in the download file the opening set from the Hall Monitors from Washington, DC. They have this great 60's garage rock sound that is high energy and fun that is a perfect compliment to the Fellows pop-rock-garage sound. This is well worth the listen and at this point of their career (2009) they were unsigned. They have since released a very fine record, Up To No Good in 2017 that includes some songs from the set at El Sol in 2009. Good stuff!
Enjoy!!

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Young Fresh Fellows
El Sol, Madrid - Spain
October 24th 2009

Recorded by Matthijs
Audio Source Information:

* Soundboard Recording
- Edirol R09 (WAV 24 bit / 44.1 KHz mode)
- Adobe Audition 3.0
- CD Wave

Tracklist
01 - Get Outta My Cave
02 - Young Fresh Fellows Theme
03 - Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White
04 - Shake Your Magazines
05 - Go Blue Angels
06 - Hang Out Right
07 - Suck Machine Crater
08 - Sitting On A Pitchfork
09 - How Much About Last Night Do You Remember?
10 - If You Believe In Cleveland
11 - Route 66
12 - New Day I Hate
13 - 99 Girls
14 - Taco Wagon
15 - Picture Book
16 - Someone To Care About
17 - The Guilty Ones
18 - Rock'n'Roll Pest Control
19 - I Don't Let The Little Things Get Me Down
20 - My Friend Ringo
21 - Celebration
22 - I Got My Mojo Working (And I Thought You'd Like To Know)
23 - Backroom Of The Bar
24 - Gotta Get Away
25 - When The Girls Get Here
26 - Topsy Turvy Theme
27 - Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah (feat Kathleen Wilson)
28 - Strychnine

Hall Monitors opening set

29 - Be Your Man
30 - Peggy Sue
31 - Can We Span Some Time
32 - Give It up
33 - A Fool In Love (feat Scott McCaughey)
34 - Rosalina
35 - Mercy Me
36 - Opportunity
37 - Crystal Ball
38 - Girls
39 - What The Dogs See
40 - Gloria
41 - Give You All My Love

YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS- 2009-10-24 Madrid, Spain FLAC.rar

Young Fresh Fellows- Live in Vitoria, Spain 2009

I'm back after a short vacation and ready to get back into more music posts. Thanks to everyone that read, commented and downloaded the live recordings during the 12 Days of Trouble challenge series during the month of August. It was very encouraging to see that people are actually following this blog and thanks for spreading the word and sharing the links to this blog. I had a number of requests to post more shows from the Young Fresh Fellows tour of Spain in 2009, I appreciate your comments and sharing your concert experiences seeing YFF (and Scruffy the Cat) shows in your area.

So for an encore for day #12 of the12 Days series, I have a couple more Fellows shows to share. First up is a show at Helldorado in Vitoria, Spain with another professionally sounding board recording that features half the setlist different than the night before. The Fellows again are in top form with their usual endearing witty banter that makes their live shows so entertaining. There's not much else to say, but it's a no-brainer if your a Fellows fan to get this live recording and play it loud and share it with your friends, they'll thank you!
Enjoy!!

As usual, please do NOT sell or convert to lossy format (except for personal use)
Please share!

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and Facebook @Teenagedogsintrouble

Young Fresh Fellows
Helldorado
Vitoria, Spain
October 17th 2009

Recorded and mastered by Matthijs

Audio Source Information:
* Soundboard Recording
- Edirol R09 (WAV 24 bit / 44.1 KHz mode)
- Adobe Audition 3.0
- CD Wave

Tracklist
01 - Get Outta My Cave
02 - Young Fresh Fellows Theme
03 - Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White
04 - How Much About Last Night Do You Remember
05 - She Sees Color
06 - Mr Salamander's Review
07 - Suck Machine Crater
08 - 99 Girls
09 - Roller Coaster By The Sea
10 - Good Times Rock 'n' Roll
11 - Why I Oughta
12 - Barky's Spiritual Store
13 - Guilty Ones
14 - Power Mowers Theme
15 - I Got My Mojo Working (And I Thought You'd Like To Know)
16 - I Don't Let The Little Things Get Me Down
17 - Taco Wagon
18 - Picture Book
19 - My Friend Ringo
20 - You've Got Your Head On Backwards
21 - Rock 'n' Roll Pest Control
22 - Topsy Turvy Theme
23 - Go Blue Angels Go
24 - Backroom Of The Bar
25 - Rock And Roll Guitars
26 - Go Gorilla
27 - Jam
28 - Ain't It Alright
29 - Strychnine

Scott McCaughey - lead vocals, guitar
Kurt Bloch - vocals, guitar
Jim Sangster - vocals, bass
Tad Hutchinson - vocals, drums

Except for 26 with Scott on Drums, Tad on Bass, Jim and Kurt on vocals and guitar

YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS- 2009-10-17 Vitoria, Spain FLAC.rar

Day 12: Young Fresh Fellows- Live In Bilbao, Spain 2009

 Well, we finally made it! Day 12 (in 17 days) of the 12 Days of Trouble challenge that I self-inflicted on myself to write and post more music on this blog, is complete. I honestly have posted more this month than I probably have the last couple years and I learned a couple things the past few weeks. First, I have a lot of music I want to share, but half my problem is I can't decide what to post and agonize about what I should write about. I found making a long list and then a short list of music I enjoy made it easier and I tried not to think too hard about what to write. The hardest part is the starting so I've tried to just start blabbing about whatever's in my head and then edit back what made the most sense, if that makes any sense. Secondly, I remember why I started writing this blog, it's because I like talking about music and through the years have only connected with a handful of like-minded music blogs that I enjoyed reading and unfortunately many of those have dissolved, disappeared or have been taken down. I started writing about something I would like to read.Thirdly and most importantly, I would do this full time if I can figure out a way to make a living (get paid) doing this. I don't want to advertise nor do I want to pander to readers for views (like on Instagram or YouTube), but I would gladly quit my regular job to do something I love, for the same minimum pay. Until then, I've decided I will write at least two posts a week, to stay consistent and fresh, it will be hard with hockey season starting up again next month, but I will make it a priority!

My attempt to take a photo of a photo in The Strangest Tribe book. Photo credit to Marty Perez.

For the past couple of weeks there was a loose theme through some of the posts based on a couple of books I read last month. A common connection with both the Smugglers book and the Seattle grunge book is the Young Fresh Fellows. They were a band that took the Smugglers under their wing in the early days, taking them on tour, helping make connections state-side in Seattle, releasing a LP and CD on Popllama Records and Fellows/Fastbacks guitarist Kurt Bloch produced a couple of their albums. In the The Strangest Tribe book, the Fellows figured significantly, in the pre-grunge years they laid the groundwork for Seattle bands to tour beyond the statelines to draw more attention to the emerging scene in Seattle. The impression I get about the Young Fresh Fellows is they were ambitious, mischievous, mentors, very talented musicians and songwriters, fun loving and really really good people. The fact they have made only one lineup change since they're first club performance at the Rainbow Tavern in 1983 tells you something. They don't perform as much as they used to and with other commitments they're touring days are limited, but they do play a handful of shows almost every year. There's reason the Fellows opened and closed the 12 days series, my all time favourite band!

I made a mention in the last Smugglers post about west coast bands touring and recording live albums in Spain. The Young Fresh Fellows recorded and released, Take It Like A Matador (live in Spain) in 1993 and in the past ten years or so, the Fellows have toured Spain (2009, 2010, 2016) several times in multiple cities and have maybe played more gigs there than anywhere else besides Seattle or Portland. They are very popular in Spain and some of their albums have been released also Munster Records (label in Spain) including a different version of 2009's, I Think This Is, released in Spain as, I Don't Think This Is, that featured a different cover, 4 different tracks and a vinyl version.

In 2009, the Fellows did a six city tour of Spain and fortunately somebody (Matthijs) recorded and posted at least four of the shows on Dime which I downloaded at the time. I haven't seen any of those posted or traded since then so I thought it would be an ideal time to share some of those shows. For the finale of the 12 Days of Trouble, I'm posting the first night of that tour at Kafe Antzokia in Bilbao, it's a near perfect soundboard recording and we are very lucky to get the Fellows in top form. The performance is excellent and the setlist is a sampling from all their albums. They play select songs from their latest album at the time, their first in 8 years and as I said it sounds fabulous. Originally, I was going to post three consecutive Fellows shows from Spain in 2009, but instead I wanted to include a couple different posts. So, if there's a demand and you want to hear two more shows from the tour in Spain (soundboard quality, different setlists!!), I can post them next week after Labor Day when I'm back from the long weekend. Please leave a comment below or on FB or Twit. Thanks to everyone for reading and listening and I will promise to keep posting!!
Enjoy!!
#12daysoftrouble

Please do NOT sell or convert to lossy (except for personal use)
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Young Fresh Fellows
Kafe Antzokia,
Bilbao, Spain
October 16th 2009

* Soundboard Recording
- Edirol R09 (WAV 24 bit / 44.1 KHz mode)
- Adobe Audition 3.0
- CD Wave
Recorded by Matthijs

01. Down By The Pharmacy
02. Suck Machine Crater
03. How Much About Last Night Do You Remember
04. Carrothead
05. Gotta Get Away
06. Why I Oughta
07. Backroom Of The Bar
08. Shake Your Magazines
09. Hillbilly Drummer Girl
10. Celebration
11. Have Love Will Travel
12. After Suicide
13. Tobacco Road
14. Sometimes I Wantcha For Your Money
15. If You Believe In Cleveland
16. When The Girls Get Here
17. My Friend Ringo
18. 99 Girls
19. Go Blue Angels Go
20. Taco Wagon
21. Picture Book
22. She's A Book
23. Your Truth Our Lies
24. I Don't Let The Little Things Get Me Down
25. Topsy Turvy Theme
26. Young Fresh Fellows Theme
27. Pretty Thing
28. Amy Grant
29. Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White
30. Strychnine

YOUNG FRESH FELLOWS- 2009-10-16 Bilbao, Spain FLAC. rar

Day 11: Scruffy The Cat- Live In Philadelphia 1987

As we head towards the home stretch of the 12 Days of Trouble challenge, I thought I would squeeze in another impromptu post that I hadn't originally planned for. I couldn't complete this series without including my favourite band from the Boston area (there are a lot of great bands from Boston I like a lot!), Scruffy The Cat. It's been almost five years ago since frontman, Charlie Chesterman passed away and his memory and the amazing music he and his band shared will never be forgotten. Scruffy the Cat produced a modest amount of officially recorded music, but browsing through the band's gigography reveals how much they toured and played live shows. They solidly toured non-stop from 1984-1990 without much breaks for recording, they released two EP's and two full length albums during that period. According to the tour schedule, I saw Scruffy the Cat on June 5, 1988 at the Rendezvous opening for Vancouver's, 54-40. I went to the show specifically to see Scruffy (I left shortly after 54-40 began) and they made such an impression on me I regret not seeing them earlier, apparently they played Winnipeg twice before in 1987, shit!

Trust me, Scruffy the Cat were the opening band. They were worth the $12 alone!

I was flipping through the Scruffy The Cat live recordings that I haven't posted yet and came across this show from 1987 that was only labelled with the venue and date. I got this off Dime a number of years ago and I honestly don't remember taking the time to listen, but I tracked down the file on an older hard-drive for the setlist and flac files. I played it last weekend and it's a good sounding soundboard recording that's super clear and the performance is energetic. This night they were opening for Alex Chilton and it's a bit unusual for the opening band to play encores and play for over 70 minutes...good for us! Interesting setlist with songs from the then forthcoming EP, Boom Boom Boom Bingo and some early versions of songs from Moons of Jupiter that would be released later in 1988. A very enjoyable set that put a smile on my face and I'm sure I can dig up more Scruffy shows in the future if there's a demand to hear more.
Enjoy!!!
#12daysoftrouble

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A couple other Scruffy the Cats live recordings previously posted:
1987-08-08 (late show)TT The Bear's Place, Boston, MA (direct link)
1984-05-20 WERS studio, Emerson College, Boston, MA (direct link)


Scruffy The Cat
Chestnut Cabaret,
Philadelphia, PA
December 15, 1987
Soundboard

Source\Lineage: SBD>Sony D5(m)>Onkyo TA-RW344 w\ azimuth correction>Cooledit Pro 2.0>.wav>CD Wave>flac (level 8)

***billydee masters, series 2, vol 31***

1) >intro<
2) Tiger Tiger
3) C’mon Everybody
4) >chat<
5) Thomas Doubter
6) Shadow Boy
7) Time Never Forgets
8) 2day 2morrow 4ever
9) Blue Russian
10) You Dirty Rat
11) Everything
12) Capital Moonlight
13) Bus Named Desire
14) Buy A Car
15) Moons of Jupiter
16) Runaway
17) Never Never
18) My Baby’s Alright
19) Nova SS 1968
20) Upside Down
21) Happiness To Go
22) >chat<
23) Little Bit o’ Soul
24) ?
25) -------
26) Sealed with a Kiss
27) outtro

p.s. I didn't write the notes in the text file with the setlist included in the rar file. Clearly he wasn't a true Scruffy The Cat fan. My apologies.

SCRUFFY THE CAT- 1987-12-15 Chestnut Cabaret, Philadelphia, PA FLAC. rar

Day 10: Fastbacks- Live In Seattle 1999 "Believe Me Never, Hate Me Forever"

On my summer vacation, my summer reading consisted more than the Smugglers book, re-reading High Fidelity and reading issues of Record Collector magazine. I dug up a book I received a couple of Christmases ago that I never got around to. The Strangest Tribe: How A Group Of Seattle Bands Invented Grunge by Stephen Tow, analyses the story behind the phenomenon of the "Seattle sound" that was more than the breakthrough of Nirvana and alternative music becoming mainstream and the word "grunge". When I originally put this book on my Christmas list (yes I know, my in-laws insisted we have lists) it was because I hoped it wasn't another book about Grunge, Nirvana, Soundgarden or Pearl Jam. I listened to and enjoyed several Seattle-based (and area) bands for years before Nevermind came out and I felt there was nothing really written about the alternative music scene in Seattle as I love bands like the Fastbacks, the Squirrels, the Posies, Jimmy Silva, Mudhoney and of course, the Young Fresh Fellows. Lo and behold, this book gives a background history of the Seattle music scene from the 80's until the mid-90's and there is much mention of the Young Fresh Fellows (one of the first Seattle bands in the 80's to tour nationally), the Squirrels, Fastbacks, Mudhoney, as well as lesser known early bands, the U-Men, the Heats, the Blackouts and Green River.

In those pre-internet days when you wanted music that wasn't available at your local chain record store it took more effort to search out new and interesting music. You could place a special order with the store, sight and unseen and take a chance or you could shop directly from the record label (or band) via mail order. I chose that option, basically you sent a letter to the label (getting the address from another record/CD/tape from that label) requesting a catalog or newsletter (usually printed on newsprint), they mail it to you, make your choices, get a money order from the post office or bank and mail it back and hopefully the record (s) arrive in a couple of weeks to a month. I actually found this method a lot of fun and I'll tell you there's almost no better feeling than receiving a packet in the mail with music in it. I've ordered almost all the products from the PopLlama Records catalog and I've received a couple orders directly from Estrus and Empty Records. Most of my Young Fresh Fellows items are directly from the band or from PopLlama including albums, 7"s, tapes, t-shirts and the Hits From The Break-Up album box set. Small labels are the best because you actually get real personal service, a good example was Bogus Records in Pittsburgh to track down some Frampton Brothers albums. Letter correspondence and phone calls directly from the label and Sean and Ed from the band were helpful and appreciated. I bet Madonna couldn't provide that kind of customer service.

The first LP I bought of the Fastbacks was Very, Very Powerful Motor that I ordered from PopLlama. At the time I didn't even realize Kurt Bloch was in the Fastbacks and the Young Fresh Fellows and when I did, this gave me another band to add to my favourites. Needless to say I was blown away and placed another order with PopLlama to buy the And His Orchestra CD and the live cassette, Bike-Toy-Clock-Gift. This lead to a string of excellent records on SubPop and they seemed to be gaining more exposure touring with Pearl Jam and you'd think they would have made it big commercially, but never quite hit any mainstream success. Which might be a good thing, they were together (on and off) for over 20 years and their career spanned several eras of the Seattle scene from the early 80's when nobody outside of Seattle cared, through Grunge and the 90's when Seattle was the "scene". They are one of the most underrated bands and least pretentious. In The Strangest Tribe, Stephen Tow dedicated ten pages to the legendary Fastbacks, "Twenty three years. that's how long Seattle's Fastbacks remained a growing concern---remarkable for a band of any ilk, but especially so for an underground punk act. From 1979 through 2002, the Fastbacks created amazing art. The band made music that lacked pretension, writing songs that became classics. In short, the Fastbacks were Seattle's Ramones." (Stephen Tow)

I'm posting a very nice soundboard quality Fastbacks show from 1999, the same year they released their last studio album. A solid show opening for the Posies, so it's short and sweet. I've previously posted some other Fastbacks shows and it might be a good time to explore those as well. On March 2, 2002, they played their last show (not counting the reunion shows) at the Bottom of The Hill in San Francisco. (Fastbacks- Last show) It's pre-FM sourced which means the sound quality is excellent. Nine years later in the same place and same city, the Fastbacks were back on stage for a much anticipated reunion show. (San Francisco 2011) Since then, the Fastbacks have released some compilation albums of unreleased, rare and early tracks. The latest, If You Want To Slow Down, Step On The Gas was just released in July. A good time to be a Fastbacks fan, keep the music coming!!
Enjoy!
#12daysoftrouble

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FASTBACKS
Arospace
Seattle, WA
October 22, 1999
Soundboard

01. Only At Night
02. As Everything
03. Fortune's Misery
04. Believe Me Never
05. Like Today
06. Went For A Swim
07. What's The Use
08. Goodbye, Bird
09. New Book Of Old
10. Gone To The Moon
11. Don't Cry For Me
12. Set Me Free

FASTBACKS- 1999-10-22 Arospace, Seattle, WA FLAC. rar

Day 9: Teenage Fanclub- Phoenix Festival 1997

Another band rapidly approaching the 30th anniversary milestone is Scottish band, Teenage Fanclub. The band formed in 1989 and released their first album, A Catholic Education in 1990. They hit their stride with 1991's classic, Bandwagonesque and continued an incredible run through the 90's of some great albums. As recently as this month, TFC re-released on vinyl and digital their five Creation label era albums (Bandwagonesque, Thirteen, Grand Prix, Songs From Northern England and Howdy!) remastered with a 7" of rarities included with each record. To celebrate these reissues the band is touring in October and November, Songs From Teenage Fanclub: The Creation Years playing in four cities, Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and London performing three nights in each with a setlist from different periods of the Creation era (night one: songs from 1991-93, night two: songs from 94-97, night three: 98-00). As well, the band announced tour dates to Japan, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand in February and also the news that founding member bass player, Gerald Love will not accompany the band on that tour and beyond. Love explained he was reluctant to fly frequently around the world and that the split was amicable, that he didn't quit the band nor was he fired. Sparky's Dream might just be the greatest song ever! He will be surely missed.

Originally, I wasn't planning to include a Teenage Fanclub show for the 12 Days of Trouble series, but I was spinning this disc the other night while reading the news about Gerald's departure and thought it would be a timely post. I chose this show from the Phoenix Festival in 1997 because the sound quality is flawless, their performance is spot on and the setlist is from my favourite TFC era. It is without doubt my best-loved TFC live recording as all but one song from the set is from their trio of their greatest albums (my opinion, but I don't think I'm alone with that statement), Bandwagonesque, Grand Prix and Songs of Northern England. An absolutely perfect recording that I'm surprised it hasn't been officially released yet. Trust me, this is a good one!
Enjoy!!
#12daysoftrouble

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TEENAGE FANCLUB
Phoenix Festival
Stratford Upon Avon, England
July 18, 1997
Source: FM Broadcast
Lineage: Unknown, but the sound quality is amazing

01. Start Again
02. Don't Look Back
03. I Don't Care
04. Alcoholiday
05. Mellow Doubt
06. Ain't That Enough
07. About You
08. Starsign
09. Neil Jung
10. Sparky's Dream
11. He'd Be A Diamond
12. The Concept

TEENAGE FANCLUB- 1997-07-18 Phoenix Festival FLAC. rar

Day 8: The Smugglers- 10th Anniversary Party 1998

Poster image lifted from Grant Lawrence's book, Dirty Windshields

I couldn't resist, here's another live recording from the Smugglers when they celebrated their 10th anniversary at the Starfish Room in their hometown of Vancouver back in 1998. This a spin-off of the last three posts of bands that shared the stage with the Smugglers on tours and incidentally, the Donnas were one of the bands that opened this show. The show also celebrated the release of the live album, Growing Up Smuggler, a tenth anniversary album, that was kind of a live greatest hits that was recorded in Madrid, Spain. Why have all the cool bands from the west coast released a live album recorded in Spain? Off the top of my head I can think of several besides the Smugglers, Young Fresh Fellows, Bum, the Posies, Model Rockets...(psst!...more of the YFF's in Spain upcoming)

 
The sound quality on this CBC RadioSonic broadcast is top notch, so it's a nice compliment to the live Spain CD, that was produced by Fastback/YFF, Kurt Bloch. I recorded this straight from the radio directly to cassette tape and I only recently had a listen and thought it was too good not to share along with the less than ideal sounding live show I was at in 1996. Let me know if there are any glitches to the transfer, it's an old tape that probably hadn't been played in almost 30 years. Speaking of 30 years, the Smugglers are celebrating their 30th anniversary (proof time is flying by, fast!) with a show on November 24th at Amigo's in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and unfortunately for those fans outside of Saskatchewan this is their only show in 2018. I thought it was a bit odd they chose Saskatoon as the site for their 30th anniversary party (instead of Vancouver or Winnipeg??), but when I read chapter ten of Grant's tour diaries book, Dirty Windshields I understood better. It's a nice tribute to a venue that treated the band well in the early days and it became a welcoming venue for the band. I'm considering making the road trip north (6-8 hours away?), but slightly concerned about late November prairie weather on the highway. Chixdiggit is opening, another band I saw numerous times in the 90's, so the bill is solid. I urge you if you have the funds and you're a fan of the Smugglers of Chixdiggit, it would be well worth the trip.
Enjoy!!
#12daysoftrouble

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THE SMUGGLERS
Starfish Room
Vancouver, BC
September 19, 1998
FM Broadcast Master

CBC RadioSonic radio> Maxell XLII 90 Cassette> Aiwa tape deck> ADS Instant music> usb> Nero SoundTrax> WAV> Direct WAV splitter> FLAC> rar

01. Rock With the Smugglers
02. Bishy-Bishy!
03. Action
04. Up And Down
05. Pebble Beach
06. Hey, Stephanie!
07. Shakedown!
08. Whiplash!
09. Rock Thy Neighbor
10. Pick 'Em Up Truck
11. The B 'n' I
12. She's A Machine
13. What's The Matter With Me (?)
14. She Ain't No Egyptian
15. To Serve, Protect And Entertain
16. Outro

THE SMUGGLERS- 1998-09-19 Starfish Room, Vancouver, BC FLAC. rar

Day 7: Cub- Saturday Night Live At the Starfish Room 1995

Actually, the date of April 21, 1995 was a Friday, but I'm pretty sure this Cub concert was broadcast on RealTime on CBC radio which aired on Saturday night. I spent a lot of my Saturday nights at home taping live concerts on the radio from RealTime and it's successor (also Saturday night time slot), RadioSonic (1997-2003). They broadcast complete concerts from a lot of good indie Canadian bands as well as bigger international names and the sound quality was excellent. I taped a lot of shows onto cassette and I've been gradually converting these tapes to digital files and have started posting them here. I actually didn't tape this broadcast, I received it in a trade, but this is a fine example of the excellent broadcast quality of these broadcasts. This show shouldn't be confused with the recent series of officially releases, CBC Brave New Waves albums that featured bands live in (CBC) studio sessions. Brave New Waves was another great CBC FM radio program (late night) that played "left of the dial" stuff, lots of indie and alternative bands that you usually didn't hear on commercial radio. The Cub session on Brave New Waves was recorded May 19, 1993 almost to the day of their 1st anniversary. Hey, Neko Case fans, Neko plays drums on this session! This album is available at the Cub Brave New Waves Bandcamp page, very cool pink & black effect vinyl is for sale, as well as digital download, CD and boring black vinyl.

The unofficial Dirty Windshields live soundtrack wouldn't be complete without a recording from Cub. Cub is another band that figured significantly in Grant's book as Cub and the Smugglers often shared bills together and touring together during the Smugglers second North American tour. Both bands were on the Mint Records label in Vancouver (Smugglers would later on Selling The Sizzle) and it was Cub that topped the charts of campus radio and helped drive up sales for Mint. "Cub's sound and attitude would prove highly influential for scores of young indie musicians seeking a new alternative to the new alternative" (Grant Lawrence). Another connection between the bands is that Cub's drummer, Neko Case dated Smugglers guitarist, Dave Carswell during this period, I didn't know that. This concert recorded at the Starfish Room in Vancouver is a sampling of some of Cub's best known songs and some extra cool covers that are better than the originals. If you're not familiar with Cub's brand of "cuddlecore", check their Bandcamp page for downloads, streams and information about purchasing a real CD. Hell, they only have 3 full length albums, it's well worth the purchase. Or if you want their collection of oddities, Mauler is a good place to start.
Enjoy!
 #12daysoftrouble

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CUB
Starfish Room
Vancouver, BC
April 21, 1995
FM Broadcast

trade> CDR> FreeRip> Flac> rar

01. Intro
02. Flaming Red Bobsled
03. Life Of Crime
04. Little Star
05. Green Eyes
06. Cast A Shadow
07. Runaway
08. Lucky 7
09. Pillow Queen
10. Sweet Pea
11. Voracious
12. A Picnic
13. Your Bed
14. Tell Me Now
15. The Day I Said Goodbye
16. New York City
17. Surfer Girl
18. Motel 6
19. Find A Way
20. My Chinchilla
21. Vacation
22. My Best Friend's Girl
23. Go Fish

CUB- 1995-04-21 Starfish Room, Vancouver, BC FLAC.rar

Day 6: The Donnas- Wednesday Night Live in Palo Alto, CA 1995

Another band the Smugglers frequently toured with were Lookout label-mates, the Donnas. The Donnas were an all-girl punk rock band from Palo Alto, California who attended school together and before they became the Donnas, they're first band was known as Ragady Anne before changing their name to the Electrocutes (I posted about them here in 2008). They created the Donnas as a separate band simultaneously with the Electrocutes and distinguished the bands from each other by each member taking the name Donna and their surname would be the first letter of their last name (Donna A,R, F, C) when they were performed as the Donnas. The Electrocutes were a raw fast
hard edge-metal band while the Donnas had a garagey punk sound, not unlike the Ramones (in some ways they were the reverse Ramones). The Smugglers played shows and toured with the Donnas around 1998-2000 and check out chapter 41 "Hot Boxin" in Grant Lawrence's tour diary/rock bio, Dirty Windshields for some very interesting road stories with the Donnas. Around this period, the Donnas were starting to create some buzz and attention from the major labels, their albums were selling and their tours were gaining more fans. Think of what a PR dream they would have been when they first started out, they were young (high school young), they wore matching "letter shirts" and spandex pants (later skin-tight leather and t-shirts), they were good looking with a persona that suggested a rebellious edge (can we say, female Ramones or think, Nikki & the Corvettes or Leather Tuscadero from Happy Days), they sang about boys, hooking up and 40 boys in 40 nights, say no more. They progressed from a high school punk/metal band(s) to cool indie label rebels to a cleaned up polished image with commercial success on a major label band as they performed on TV talk shows, and their music was used in movie/video game soundtracks and played main stage at Lollapalooza.

I was trying to decide which Donnas show I would post, because I have a couple great sounding soundboard/FM recordings from the early 2000's. Unfortunately a recording from when the Donnas performed in town didn't turn out too good. I saw them at the Pyramid Cabaret in 2005 and I was using some new Sound Professional mics (with a battery pack, the most money I've spent on sound recording equipment) with my minidisc recorder. For every recording I used these mics, the sound was overly bassy and it affected the overall sound noticeably. For the Donnas show, the sound coming from the stage already had too much bass in the mix, it's the kind of bass you can feel your pant legs flap against your leg because the bass was blowing way too hard towards you. Usually my (other) mics sounded okay because my body seems to absorb a lot of the high and low end of the sound. This recording though was completely unlistenable, with the bass brickwalling the sound to such an extent you could not hear the vocals or any guitar. Just a booooming blast of bass and drums! I only have a handful of live recordings that are impossible to enjoy and most of them were with these microphones. Fortunately, I only used them a couple years before I found a better (and cheaper) alternative.

Instead, we're going back to when the Donnas were just starting out, a couple years before their first full length album was released. Since the band members were all born in 1979, the girls would be around 16 years old at the time of this concert. This is a decent sounding FM broadcast on local radio in their hometown that captures their raw talent and how unflappably good they already were at this time. Many of the songs they play in the set are from singles they had recently released that later would appear as bonus tracks on the re-release version of their first album, The Donnas. As a bonus for this live recording, there's an interview with the band members! A rare and early glimpse of a band that would continue to grow up and mature with every release. Another must listen for fans of honest to goodness no frills all-girl rock' n' roll!
Enjoy!
#12daysoftrouble

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THE DONNAS
KZSU Wednesday Night Live
Palo Alto, CA
October 4, 1995
FM broadcast

01. Da Doo Ron Ron
02. High School Yum Yum
03. Boy Like You
04. Let's Rab
05. Let's Go Mano
06. Last Chance Dance
07. I Wanna Be A Unabomber
08. Get Rid Of That Girl
09. Interview (The songs from their 1st 45's are cut during the interview since they are released material)

THE DONNAS- 1995-10-04 Palo Alto, CA FLAC. rar

Day 5: "This Is A Song About A Girl" Mr. T Experience- Live in Winnipeg 1996

The Smugglers/Mr. T Experience tour came through Winnipeg in the spring of 1996 in thanks to a new distribution deal between Canadian (Vancouver) label, Mint Records and U.S. (Berkeley) label Lookout! Records. The labels co-released their line-ups artist's to get better distribution in the States for the Canadian bands and vice-versa for the American bands. Before this time, I bought albums from the Lookout label as an import, which meant steeper prices for Mr. T Experience or Screeching Weasel albums. This also meant label-mate band tours such as MTX and the Smugglers, otherwise we might not have had the opportunity to see bands like Mr. T tour to Canada as often, especially Winnipeg. As a result I saw Mr. T two years later at the same venue, but not since or before the Mint-Lookout hookup. This resulted in the Mint bands such as Cub, Duotang and the Smugglers getting much needed exposure in the States. For this tour, the Smugglers headlined the dates in Canada while the Mr. T Experience headlined the shows in the U.S.

In Grant Lawrence's book, Dirty Windshields, he chronologically writes about the various tour-mates the band shared stages with around the world. In chapter 29, Selling The Sizzle, Grant details the positive relationship with their label mates from Lookout and Mint and touring with MTX. "On the sold-out Mr. T Experience tour, the Smugglers got tighter and tighter and with rapturous crowds every night, our confidence grew". My relationship and love for the band began with their first album, Everybody's Entitled To Their Own Opinion when I heard the song, Danny Partridge on a late night CBC program, Brave New Waves which I would periodically listen to while drawing or painting. It was a great program to discover new and different music especially music that didn't fit the mainstream of commercial radio. I took note and eventually tracked down the album, of course I paid import prices. They were definitely one of my favourite bands during the late 80's/early 90's, their music had a sense of humour and a driving melodic punk sound that I could relate to. Yes, thank you Dr. Frank for some great records, hopefully he can bring a version of the Mr. T Experience to town again someday.

This recording was recorded the same night as the Smugglers set (duh!) and my only petty complaint is I wish the Mr. T Experience would have played a longer set. Of course, if they were the headliner they would have, but I was just happy to finally see them live. I even got to meet the band after the show, I bought a shirt and CD that they graciously signed. The recording sounds pretty good considering this was over 20 years ago and I used a cheap mic and tape recorder. It's another show I've never shared or traded, so this is the exclusive premiere post of the show. A Very enjoyable show and highly recommended for fans of great Berkeley based power pop-punk rock that isn't Green Day.
Enjoy!
#12daysoftrouble

Please do NOT sell or convert to lossy format (except for personal use)
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MR. T EXPERIENCE
Wellington's
Winnipeg, MB
May 22, 1996
AUD Master

Sony mic> Sony WM-GX35 Recording Walkman> Maxell XLII 90 Cassette> Aiwa tape deck> ADS Instant music> usb> Nero SoundTrax> WAV> Direct WAV splitter> FLAC> rar

01. Sackcloth And Ashes
02. Last Time I Listened To You
03. Tapin' Up My Heart
04. I Just Wanna Do It With You
05. New Girlfriend
06. Another Yesterday
07. Semi-OK
08. Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba
09. Two-Minute Itch
10. Alternative Is Here To Stay!
11. The Future Ain't What It Used To Be
12. Disconnection
13. I Fell For You
14. Even Hitler Had A Girlfriend
15. Dumb Little Band
16. We Are the Future People Of Tomorrow

MR. T EXPERIENCE- 1996-05-22 Wellington's, Winnipeg, MB FLAC. rar