Immaculate Deception

So...a couple weeks ago Sally Jorgensen from Petroleum By-Product posted a link to her new video. I watched it a few times and showed it to everyone who came in the shop...killer, no-budget 80's worship...killer video and killer track. I hadn't hear anything from Petroleum By-Product for at least a year ...I was guessing they were done or on hiatus, so I was glad to hear something out of one of them. Then...checking out Sally's Facebook page, I leaned that the band is set to release a new 7 incher sometime this year. I an't wait to hear the new stuff...the band has gone through a few style changed since their inception, and I've liked every incarnation.

Check out Sally's new video here:

Here's the cover for the forthcoming 7":

Petroleum By-Product started off as a lo-fi, juvenile punk band a few years ago...they turned in my two fave tracks on the Emergency Room comp...pick it up if you don't have it already...

The band did a killer LP in 2010...played this one more than any other Vancouver release that year...more of post punk /new wave sound here. Some killer tracks...way different than the Emergency Room cuts...but equally as cool. The album looks like this...buy it:

By the time the LP came out...the band had dropped a bass player and gone full-fledged new wave/synth pop. They ended up perplexing audiences at live shows who had shown up expecting the band they'd heard on the LP or the Emergency Room comp, and ended up with something a little different. The upcoming 7" will be the first record released with this configuration of the band...can't wait.

Here's some more vids...

NEEDLES//PINS!

The second band I'm profiling from this years fest is...NEEDLES//PINS...

These guys came over and played the TALK'S CHEAP x-mas party a few months ago, and blew me away. They have a 7 incher out on their own label and a couple sold out cassettes, and a track on the Bloodstains across BC 7"...decent, catchy stuff in recorded form...but the songs played live, with a shitload of energy, are great! One of my fave Vancouver bands going right now...and I can't wait to see 'em again. They have a blog here...and Myspace here. They will be closing the first night of music at the EARTHQUAKE SHAKE...

MANDATES!

So...we're going to profile one band that's playing the EARTHQUAKE SHAKE everyday until the fest...first up, THE MANDATES!

THE MANDATES are a relatively new, 4 piece band outa Calgary featuring members of bands like THE THROWAWAYS, KNUCKLEHEAD, SIDS and THE TENSION SLIPS. They cite bands like the NEW YORK DOLLS and THE BOYS as influences...so you no where they're coming from. Pop-edged punk-rockthat brings the hooks without sacrificing the balls. I haven't seen 'em yet, but knowing these guys from their other bands, we're guranteed a energetic and catchy set. Check 'em out on Myspace! THE MANDATES will be opening the first night of the SHAKE on Friday, June 10th.

EARTHQUAKE SHAKE!

The Second Annual EARTHQUAKE SHAKE festival is happening in Victoria this year on June 10th and 11th. 2 nights of killer out of town, punk bands at LOGAN'S PUB...the opening of "Fat, Drunk and Stupid" a show of the artwork of "King" Darren Merinuk ( http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=211233498897384 )...and the first anniversary of the TALK'S CHEAP store!

Here is a list of most the bands that will be playing the SHAKE:
Friday J...une 10th:
- Mandates (Calgary) http://www.myspace.com/camerainmynecktie
- Timecopz (Vancouver) http://www.myspace.com/timecopz
- Topless Mongos (Calgary) http://www.myspace.com/toplessmongos
- Spastic Panthers (Calgary)http://www.myspace.com/thespasticpanthers
- Needles//Pins (Vancouver) http://www.myspace.com/needlesxpins

Saturday June 11th:- Juvenile Hall (Vancouver) http://www.myspace.com/juvenilehall
- Sheglank'd Shoulders (Calgary) http://www.myspace.com/sheglankdshoulders
- Moby Dicks (Lethbridge) http://www.myspace.com/themobydicksandstuff
- Defektors (Vancouver) http://www.myspace.com/defektors
- B-Lines (Vancouver) http://www.myspace.com/vancouverblines

Single day tickets $15 or both days for $28.

Show Line-ups, ticket info, etc up at: www.earthquakeshake.com. Buy tickets online, or pick 'em up in Victoria at TALK'S CHEAP (556 B Pandora) NOW!

RECORD STORE DAY Recap...

So, Record Store Day 2011 came and went this past Saturday. People waited outside of TALK'S CHEAP for 20+ minutes before I opened at 9:30Am...an hour and a half early! Was it a good day for sales? You betcha! But why? People in search of elusive "Record Store Day Exclusives" (most of which will still be sitting on the shelves in shops when next Record Store Day rolls around)...or people who do all their record shopping for the entire year on this one day? I answered at least 6 phone calls from people looking for the Rush and Nirvana exclusives...and I sold stacks of wax. Where are all these people with money to spend on records the other 51 weekend of the year??? From what I gather from talking to other store owners, most people who make an effort to participate in Record Store Day, and stock some of the exclusives, can expect to do 5 to 10 times the business they'd do on a regular Saturday. A medium sized store in a decent sized city reported bringing in $36, 000 dollars in one day...with 90% of it's sales being Record Store Day exclusives. Looks like the Record industry cooked up a scheme to sell a shitload of records...and it worked. It's Christmas for record collector's...and it's as much of a bullshit marketing scheme as Christmas, Valentine's day, etc. As much as I'd love NOT to participate in such a blatant cash grab, the reality of the matter is that any independent store selling records in this day and age needs to embrace anything that helps them move more records. I guess all I'm saying is who needs Record Store Day...your local record stores are open every weekend of the year. Stop in and buy a few records every month, and they'll treat you right. Exclusives are bullshit...overpriced reissues are a joke. Bring your spare change down to TALK'S CHEAP, BLACK RAVEN, THE TURNTABLE and GORDIE'S this weekend and show your local shops that every weekend can be "Record Store Day"!

B-LINES

So...we were treated to a fantastic show by vancouvers B-LINES on Saturday, April 2nd...it was suppossed to be an album release, but the albums were delayed...so the band made some tapes exclusively for the Vic show., and the show went. Great sets by MEDUSA, OPEN RELEATIONSHIP and YUNG MUMS...and B-LINES put on one of the best sets I've seen in Victoria all year. If you need a B-Lines LP, I've got 'em down at the TALK'S CHEAP...look for a YUNG MUMS tape coming out soon...and go see MEDUSA and OPEN RELATIONSHIP any chance you get!

If you miss the show, here are some pics courtesy of JOHN CARLOW...

B-LINES

YUNG MUMS

OPEN RELATIONSHIP

MEDUSA

...Don't miss WHITE LUNG///JUVENILE HALL///and Guests at LOGAN'S PUB on May 7th...and THE EARTHQUAKE SHAKE festival at LOGAN'S on JUNE 10/11th!

Local Bands!

OK...so first off I caught the POOR CHOICES a couple times and really dug 'em. The second Victoria band with all female membership to pop up in the last few months...both times I saw 'em, they had a lead singer, who I hear is no longer in the band...can't comment on the new line-up without the stand alone singer (one of the guitarists took over singing duties), but the songs on their new Myspace page sound good to me:http://www.myspace.com/thepoorchoices

The POOR CHOICES play at Monty's Showroom with DURBAN POISON on Sunday, March 20th.

Speaking of DURBAN POISON...they have a new CD out now, with a new 7" out any time now. The new CD's called "Lost In Space" and carries on where the first CD left off...in fact it was recorded at the same sessions that prodeuced the first CD and 7". Solid CD all the way through...more Ramones infkuenced punk with a little 70's, New York, glam snarl. Come down to TALK'S CHEAP and pick up a copy!

http://www.myspace.com/durbanfnpoison

...and remember to check 'em out with the POOR CHOICES at Monty's on the 20th, or opening for THE JOLTS at Logan's on April 15th.

OPEN RELATIONSHIP have been playing out quite a bit. Still one of my fave bands going in Victoria. They've got a second demo tape available (available at TALK'S CHEAP)...and I gotta say it sounds alot better than the first one. It's still recorded super lo-fi, but it's amazing what mic placement will do. Tape 2 has some rerecorded tracks from the first tape, a couple new ones and a cover of AGENT ORANGE'S "Bloodstains". It's juvenile, girl punk...and it rules!

Check out OPEN RELATIONSHIP at the V-Lounge on March 10th and at Logan's on March 18th with B.A. JOHNSON.

http://www.myspace.com/stickandpokeyourname

Posting stuff Again!

I've never been very good at updating Blogs or web pages, but I figure I better start giving people a reason to check TALK'S CHEAP out. I'm committing to updating the blog everytime I have something worthwhile to talk about. That might be twice a week, or twice a day. I'll try to have something new up every day though.

Also...I've been listening to alot of STATIC STATIC lately...you should too...

http://www.myspace.com/staticstatic

Victoria comes alive!

Things are looking up in Victoria...my biggest complaint about the music scene since I moved here has always been the lack in variety in bands and the lack of new bands popping up. Well...things are looking up, as there a couple new bands just getting going in town.

Keep your eyes out for a new all-girl punk band, tentative

ly called Open Relationship. They are only a couple practices in, but I'm told they have 3 solid songs, and should be ready to start playing out this fall.

The other band that's just getting going is tentatively called The Deviated Septums....members of Victim's Choice and Edmonton's Thrashtic Fibrosis, who supposedly sound like early Bones Brigade. I'm expecting high energy, (just) pre-crossover, 80's hardcore...and I'm really looking forward to this bands debut. I know these guys already have a handful of songs worked up...expect a first show in September.

Monster Party!

I want to take a moment to talk about one of the coolest things I've seen in Victoria since I've lived here. When I took over the Talk's Cheap space from Regalia, there was a poster on the poster board for something called Monster Party...the photocopied, hand colored poster with a drawing of a monster head advertising Toys, Animation and Oddities caught my attention, so I folded the poster up and stuck it in my pocket. The poster ended up sitting in the office at home, where I looked at it every day for a week or so, vowing every day to go check this place out. Did I check it out? Nope. I kept meaning to, but never made it the three or 4 blocks from my store to the Monster Party gallery at 1322 Broad St. So a few days after opening the doors at the store, this guy comes in asking if he can leave some flyers and poster for his gallery...Monster Party. We get talking...he tells me about the stuff he's got over there, and how people just aren't coming up to see his stuff. I tell him that if he wants, he can bring some stuff by thestore for people to check out and that I'll try to send people over. He asks if he can bring some over..right now. A few minutes later he's back with some of his stuff. A plant pot in the shape of a Monster Head, a severed finger fridge magnet, a Mummy magnet, rubber monster face puppets...all with hand painted packaging. This shit is Amazing...and that's just the tip of the iceberg. I spent the following week telling customers to check out the Monster Party gallery...while still having never actually been over there myself. Well, finally made it over there yesterday after closing up the shop. Holy shit. Just go check it out for yourself. The gallery itself is like Pee Wee's playhouse meets a carnival house of horrors. Sculptures, paintings, puppets, animations, masks, a fiji mermaid...seriously cool stuff. I dunno if I just grew up with the right stuff...but having my young mind warped by stuff like the Hillarious House of Frightenstein, cheap used 70's Horror mags, Rankin/Bass animation, Pee Wee's Playhouse, etc...has me completely wired for exactly the kinda stuff found at Monster Party.

Don't be scared off by the fact that you've gotta ring the buzzer and climb a maze of stairs to the third floor of an old building to a musty studio space above a nightclub...I don't think anybody will be dissapointed by what they find at Monster Party. Bring your friends...bring your kids! Just check out Monster Party...and tell Phil that Talk's Cheap sent you...

Monster Party

1322 Broad St

Studio D (Buzzer #23)

Open 1Pm till 6PM every day...look for the Sandwich board.

Catching Up!

I've been busy getting a buncha stuff off the ground, and just neglected to post here. What have I been doing?

Well, most importantly, I was working on opening the TALK'S CHEAP store (556 B Pandora in Victoria...in the old Regalia space, besidee Bliss, Mole and Habit). I opened the doors a couple weeks ago, and so far, it's been a success. Thanks to everyone who's dropped by and bought some records or a book or a T-Shirt. The I'll have a lot more stuff coming in over the next couple weeks and hope to have the upstairs "gallery" room open sometime next week. Drop by and check it out...it's still a bit of a work in progress, but it's starting to look pretty cool.

Lotsa punk-rock/new wave/ garage/ powerpop, etc records, vintage movie posters, books, CD's, T-Shirts and misc. art. Bring in your old records and Cd's for trade...and come hang out Friday nights from 7PM 9PM for different DJ's spinning stuff from their collections. If you wanna come down and spin some records one week, drop me a line at mail@teenagedepression.ca

Ok...so that's the store. What else has been happening. Well...a buncha decent bands came through town over the last month and a half. Montreal's Sonic Avenues dropped by Logan's and did a killer set on a weeknight to a relatively small but appreciative crowd. Totally fun set, lotsa dancing...killer punked up power-pop...if you missed it, you missed out. Do yourself a favor and pick up their album on Going Gaga records...come get one at Talk's Cheap, I've still got a couple copies.

http://www.sonicavenues.com/
http://www.myspace.com/sonicavenues
http://www.myspace.com/goinggagarecords

I also put together the Earthquake Shake (http://www.earthquakeshake.com/) over the second weekend in June. What was supposed to be a two day fest, got shortened to one night...but was tsill the best show to hit Victoria this years (and probably in the 3 years I've lived here). The Throwaways, Electric Kisses, Manipulators, Vicious Cycles and Tranzmitors all turned in amazing sets. Once again...if you missed it, what were you thinking. Come down to Talk's Cheap immediately and I'll sell you copies of records from all the bands who played! Pictures and a full run down to come soon...

Oh Yeah...the Split-Ups (from Vancouver) are playing Logan's on July 23rd...and the following night White Lung (Vancouver) is hitting town again to support their new LP on Deranged. They'll be playing with Radians from Lethbridge...who's new 7" on Mammoth Cave is really good. Busy weekend...more info soon...

T. Depression

Return To Harpo's???

OK...so I've seen a buncha ads around Victoria for a blues gig tonight at the Upstairs Cabaret, billed as "Return To Harpo's"...and it got me thinking about the state of venues in Victoria right now. Of course, the Upstairs Cabaret, home of the weekend party in Bastion Square...wasn't always the go-to place for twenty-somethings looking to get drunk, listen to crap music and pick-up...from 1974 to 1995, it was known as Harpo's, and was Victoria's premier live music venue. I never saw a show at Harpo's (the first time I visited Victoria was a year or two after it closed...and I didn't move here until 10 years after that), but I had heard about the legendary venue from tons of people who'd played there in it's heyday. Harpo's was part of the bar circuit for bands touring Canada throughout the 80's and first half of the 90's, and played host to pretty much every Seattle band (known and unknown) during that period (ever wonder why so many Heats and Allies records turn up on the South Island?). Punk, Indie, Blues, Reggae, etc...it all went down at Harpo's over the years.

There's a Facebook Group for Harpo's where you can read people's memories of that bar, the shows, and the bands that played there...check it out.

OK...so an obnoxious bar that caters to drunk college kids and tourists, tries to cash in on it's former glory as one of this cities most beloved music venues for one night, to promote some blues show. It just gets me thinking of how much this city could benefit from a venue like Harpo's right now. As is, Victoria has one venue that doesn't rely on club nights and big drawing bands to pay the bills, and that supports live music pretty much every day of the week. I think we could use another. Band's like Young Fresh Fellows, Fastbacks, Monomen, Headcoats, Phantom Surfers, the Mummies, Flop, Nomads, Cynics, Night Kings, Girl Trouble, etc...played Victoria over the years. I don't know how many of those bands would have ended up playing here if faced with the current musical landscape in Victoria. I mean...when was the last time you saw a no-name band from Seattle on stage at a bar in Victoria?

Next time you're taking a walk down Wharf or through Bastion square...imagine The Mummies playing the space now occupied by the Upsatirs Cabaret. The Mummies played Harpo's 3 times in 1990/1991...and those were probably 3 of the top 10 punk shows to hit Victoria in the past 20 years. Here's some pics...

More Movies?

So...some folks in Vancouver have been working on a movie about the early punk scene there, called "Bloodied But Unbowed". I first heard about a while back, but I guess the filmmakers hit some snags with finances, backing, etc...and things were kinda on hold with the film for the past little while. Well, looks like things are up and going again...as far as I know, the movie is complete, and there working on a couple different cuts for varying usage. The website went live last week...there's already alot of cool content up here:
http://www.thepunkmovie.com/

Lemme just say...this thing was put together by people who were involved in the scene as it happened...all the right people were interviewed, and all the footage I've seen looks great. Can't wait for this one.

Movie Time....

Thanks to the magic of the internet, I've been watching a couple decent music documentaries over th last couple days...

First Up, a documentary on the Akron Ohio Music scene of the mid-late 70's called It's Everything and Then It's Gone. I've been facinated with band's like the Rubber City Rebels, The Bizzaros and Tin Huey, since I picked up that Akron comp with the scratch and sniff cover(on Stiff Records), years ago....now you can take a look into the scene that spawned all the bands I mentioned above (and Devo!) in this 55 minute movie....

Check it out here: http://westernreservepublicmedia.org/vodshows/everythv.htm

Next up is a full length BBC doc on Rough Trade records called DIY - The Story of Rough Trade. If you love punk-rock...chances are that you own at least a few records that were distributed or put out buy Roucgh Trade in the 70's and 80's. Well, this movie follows Rough Trade from there begginings as a small used record shop, to the height of their success, when they were moving hendred of thousands of independent records. Well worth a watch for sure...and it's all here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2978000173478312519&ei=J0upSpbvMpLW-Aafnrwn&q=rough#

Upcoming Shows!

Lotsa shows hitting Victoria over the next little while...I'll make a point of reminding you about them here. Here's a run down on a few things you should check out...


- COSMETICS /// MODE MODERNE /// TWO CABINS at Logan's Pub on Friday March 26th. Facebook Event


- TALK'S CHEAP #5...our monthly DJ night at Logan's Pub. Hundreds of punk-rock, garage, pop, etc records, with cheap beer, etc. Facebook Event

- PETROLEUM BY-PRODUCT /// ANIMAL BODIES /// NEW KRIME at Logan's Pub on Friday April 23rd.

- NOBUNNY /// SLAM DUNK /// MYELIN SHEATHS at Logan's Pub on Wednesday May 5th.

- SONIC AVENUES at Logan's Pub on Wednesday June 2nd.

- EARTHQUAKE SHAKE festival...a shitload of killer bands...June 11/12th. Stay Tuned for more info...