December 2024
Martha and the Muffins
A lot of people remember M&M from this video here called Echo Beach:
However when I first heard them, it was seeing Black Stations White Stations on the show Musi-Video...or was it Video Hits on the English CBC? I can't recall but the video left an impression. So cool looking, and that great line; Stand up and face the music, this is 1984.
It's wasn't until I got much older that I bought their albums Metro Music and Danseparc that I really started to appreciate their music.
Here's a great little segment on Martha and the Muffins as well
Hope you have enjoyed discovering, or re-discovering Martha and the Muffins. A classic great 80s new wave band that I wish was more a household name. They're music is awesome.
Deja Voodoo (Montréal band)
Today I just thought to share this semi-forgotten band from Canada called Deja Voodoo. They sometimes get mistaken for the New Zealand band of the same name, which people seem to confuse with when I bring up if they know of this band. So Deja Voodoo from Canada was a lo-fi rockabilly band from Montreal who labeled themselves sludgeabilly because of their gritty sound as opposed to other rockabilly/psychobilly bands around. The band consisted of just two people, Gerard van Herk who was the vocalist and guitarist (always played with only the first top four strings) and Tony Dewald on drums with no cymbals. These lead to their unique "sludgey" sound.
They joined up in 1981, and eventually broke up in 1991.
I have been fortunet to get my hands on some of the zines that they put out about 5 of the 10 or so ones about just what's on their minds, gig dates and other updates with their music and the local music scene. Here's the first issue, followed by a couple of their videos. Enjoy this cool band.
The Zine (right click and open in new tab to see it enlarged for better reading)
Homage to Patti Smith
I remember when I first discovered Patti Smith as a young teen. I was probably around 13, 14 at the time, because her music came into my life after I lost my mother. I'm glad for it, because discovering Patti Smith's music and writing gave me an outlet for my loss, my heartbreak, and also the power within myself to move forward.
I was always into writing and especially poetry, and kind of didn't think, being into punk rock, it was something that fit together. Of course the thoughts of a young teen getting into the scene at the time, not realizing that in the punk lifestyle there are no rules to being punk, it's an idea and an attitude, but I digress.
It wasn't until I was up one night, as usual, listening to Brave New Waves and the amazing Brent Bambury had an interview with Patti Smith. Now let me say this was in the early 90s, so no internet to discover bands, and really the only zines I was seeing were about local bands, and the only music magazines about anything outside of Seventeen and TeenBeat were Circus and Hit Parader which focused more on metal and hair metal. (Though who don't love a good cheesy hair metal song, am I right?). Also, I never saw Patti Smith records listed in the punk rock section of record stores. I mean c'mon! She's the punk rock poetess!
So it was there on Brave New Waves that I first heard Patti Smith and I believe it was the song Frederick was the first song and then Free Money. I thought, where has this woman been all my life? She's someone I have to get anything and everything on. I remember flying across my room to find a tape to start taping this interview with her and music off the radio. I saved up some cash from my part time job and bought my
first album by her which was Easter and then Wave the next pay check. My love for her started there. Her energy, poetic lyrics, her cool androgynous look. I still sometimes do my "Patti braids" where I just braid a chunk of my hair at the ends. Now I'm 47, and noticing the first bunch of grey hair happening, I embrace it and keep my hair long and shaggy. Unlike other artists I have a lifelong love for their work, Patti Smith's work, is an artist who, with her music and books, I am able to grow through all my life stages with. Her youthful rebellious attitude, her middle age introspection, and now going into my older ages, her life wisdom and ethereal badassness to be unapologetically herself.
Thanks Patti, you taught me poetry is punk, and nothing more radical and fierce than embracing your natural self. Here's to ya sister!
And here's a wonderful bit of advice she gives to young people. I sure wish I heard this at 14. The little punk girl in me feels empowered listening to this as much as 47 year old me does.
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