Stinkies! Knuckledusters! Shuttlecocks!

I recently got my scanner hooked up and running, so I hope to be posting a fair amount of new content in the new year.

To start with, here's three polaroids from a hometown show The Starkweather Fix played Nov.25/95 at The Crow's Nest in Oshawa, with no less than three of our favourite Toronto bands at the time: The Shuttlecocks, The Knuckledusters, and The Stinkies. The family tree you could spin off these three bands alone is dizzying to contemplate. Basically, everybody here was a veteran with a fat CV.

The Knuckledusters and The Stinkies had recently put out a split 7" on Classy Craig's Trophy label, and I believe this was the same weekend The Stinkies recorded their one and only full-length "It's Fun & Easy To Put Together The Stinkies" with Brian Ruryk (a release which came out on Sympathy).

I took these, so I guess that's why there's no pictures of The Starkweather Fix playing.

Rough Stuff #1 Album of 2008!

Says who? Well, CJAM 91.5 FM out of Windsor-Detroit does.

"I Am Collecting Beautiful Things" says the rest:

"A few weeks ago I was trashing the idea of very standardized Best Of 2008 lists. It wouldn't be right to criticize without putting out my own list of favourite albums released this year, so here you have it. No No Zero released a mindlessly fun album about sex, which is still highly listenable 8+ months after hearing it for the first time, which makes it a no brainer at #1".

Thank you CJAM. What a nice way to end the year.

Catl Record Release!

No No Zero alumni Catl release their debut juke blues boogie record "¿Adónde vas? A ningún lado" (translates as "where are you going? Nowhere") next month, and this very blog played a (very) small part in it all.

You see, the fantastic poster just above these words - designed by the reliably awesome Fort Polio, who we have featured here before - is based on a certain photograph that appeared here back in June, after I caught a Catl show at The Boat in Toronto.

Mr. Catl and Mr. Johnny LaRue will be playing three shows next month: their residency at the Dakota Tavern continues January 3rd, and then the duo play a couple of release shows, first at the Silver Dollar in Toronto (Jan. 23), and then at Isabella's in Oshawa the following night.

The new record is being issued as a limited edition vinyl LP with a CD version of the record (avec extra tracks) included. It's about half scalding originals and half toasty classics, including faves by such luminaries as Leadbelly, Memphis Minnie, Fred McDowell, and Buh-Buh-Bob Dylan. You can listen to three tracks from Catl on the band's MySpace page.

The cover art is by Jeff Lemire, who you may recall also did the cover art for No No Zero's Rough Stuff album. Keep watching this space for more on Mr. Lemire and his great Catl sleevework.

Toilets!

Toilets, toilets. Rah rah rah.








Toilets, toilets. Sis boom bah.








Yeaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh --







TOILETS!!!!!

"The best place to meditate is on the pot. If you have a comfortable toilet seat and a stout lock on the door, there's no telling what great thoughts might emerge. Martin Luther dreamed up Protestantism whilst sitting on the toilet at Wittenburg monastery, and we know what a big movement that became."

- Anton LaVey, Toilet Seat Meditation, The Devil's Notebook