Ripple News - Roadburn Festival Highlights Available for On-Demand Listening!

Finally, the volcanic dust has (almost) settled! For everyone no longer fighting short term memory loss and extreme fatigue caused by sleep deprivation and sensory overload, get ready to re-live the highlights of Roadburn Festival 2010!

Now we all know that Roadburn is undoubtedly one of the absolute coolest festivals of the year.  Masters of bringing the best of heavy rock, stoner and doom together under one smoky haze, Roadburn is the highlight of the summer festival season for tons of rock fans.  Unfortunately, not everyone has the chance to get there, whether because of the travel or this year, because of the volcano!

But we got some great news.  For everyone who couldn't make it due to the mighty Eyjafjallajokull eruption, now'is your chance to enjoy the festival without any hassles. And for everyone who could not magically clone ourselves to simultaneously catch all of the action in the Bat Cave, Green Room, Midi Theatre and Main Hall and felt kind of bummed about it, cheer up!

The good folks at Roadburn are pleased to announce that VPRO 3voor12, which is the leading cultural media network in the Netherlands, has posted additional on-demand audio streams for your Roadburn 2010 listening pleasure.

Online now! performances by Comus, Brant Bjork, Earthless, Jex Thoth, Nachmystium, Sons of Otis, Karma To Burn, Astra and more are currently available on-demand at: http://www.roadburn.com/audio-streams/

Don't miss it.  And plan early to book your tickets to next year's show!

D-NA - 비틀비틀 (Stumble Stumble)

When D-NA started, I opened the possibility of them being the new DBSK - the image, the qualities they were showing us, and even the song were indicators that they could very well be the next biggest thing. So now they're back with a very crucial second single, and of course I have to write something about it.


When I heard the teaser and it had the autotune I was furious, because I thought "how dare they auto tune these guys!" and then I heard the song and I thought it was the most generic thing since anything. 비틀비틀 sounds like something F.Cuz, ZE:A and U-Kiss would have no problem calling their own, not that these bands have any choice but you get the point. The mostly one-dimensional instrumental, the melody and the style of autotuning thrown together into one song kinda pissed me off, and I took back their "the new DBSK" label. But that was then.

To a certain extent, I'm thankful that I didn't get to write a review for this the moment it came out because in letting it sink in I realized something.

I don't know if they thought about it, and I don't think they ever will, but there's a very good reason why this is the song D-NA are pushing and even I'm in awe. A bit. 비틀비틀 is the way it is, generic for boybands today, to show how superior D-NA are in terms of talent and performing ability. The vocals on the song are pulled of brilliantly for new boyband standards and surprisingly, they have that tiny bit of punch - you can hear the conviction in their vocals. I'm not too sure about the rap parts, but at least the vocals are brilliant to my ears.

There are people in those other boybands who can sing, but the whole point of D-NA is the fact that they took the one or two people who can sing in those average boybands and threw them into one band. Sounds familiar? DBSK were all the lead singers of SME project groups put into one group. Yes.

And to be honest, I kinda overreacted with the autotuning - there's only like a few seconds of autotuned vocals throughout the song, and the verses are left "untouched" (by obvious autotune at least). Besides, autotune is fine for me as long as they're able to sing it live with no complications - sometimes a song won't sound the same without that little bit of processing.

I realize that I was wrong in taking back their title of the new DBSK because I was expecting them to do something ala-The Way You Are. This is not 2004, and the music from then has greatly changed - D-NA are the new DBSK not because they're copying them but because they've taken the trend at this very moment and done it extremely well, better than all the other bands in their "category". That's what DBSK did then, and that's what D-NA has done now. Good job, guys.

So does this mean I have a new second favorite boyband to fangirl over? In time people, in time.

4.1/5

And a little bonus - a practice session where they actually sing! Not like the crapp SME ones where all they do is dance. Ugh. Some feedback here and there though.

JPT Scare Band - Acid Blues is the White Man's Burden

This is the first release on The Ripple Effect’s home grown label, Ripple Music, but before you start yelling about nepotism let me set the record straight. I have nothing to do with the label. Racer and Pope are in California and I’m over here in Brooklyn, NY. We’ve never met. What brought us all together is a mutual love of kick ass heavy rock, especially obscure stuff from the 1970’s and it doesn’t get more obscure than the JPT Scare Band. Truth (and Janey) be told, I’d be drooling all over this even if I wasn’t lucky enough to be associated with the Ripple crew.

With that public service announcement out of the way, let’s get down to business of talking about Acid Blues Is The White Man's Burden, a collection of unreleased gem’s from these acid rock freaks. If you’ve never heard the JPT Scare Band before, you’re in for a treat. This is the stuff that weirdos who like the Tommy Bolin-era of The James Gang (like Pope) cream over. Guys who own over 100 hours of UFO bootlegs, including the Paul Chapman years (like Racer). Losers who wish that Fuzzy Duck made a 2nd album (yours truly). This album will sit proudly next to your worn out Leaf Hound, Dust, Budgie and Ram Jam albums.

“Long Day” is the first song and has a more commercial feel than some of their other material, but at 7 minutes and with a typically blistering guitar solo from Terry Swope, there was no chance this song was ever gonna get on the radio. “Not My Fault” is a catchy mid-tempo ditty with a laid back Blind Faith groove and some “Hey Jude” inspired background vocals at the end.

If those 2 songs aren’t your cup of tea, then chances are the rest of it will be. “Death Letter 2001” is a raunchy take on the old Son House classic. This is pure power trio blues rock. Terry lays down some furious licks over a powerful rhythm section featuring some truly filthy bass playing. “Stone House Blues” and “Amy’s Blue Day” are slow ones captured live and dirty in the garage. “I’ve Been Waiting” is almost 10 minutes of guitar orgy ecstasy that sounds like Tommy Bolin sitting in with Budgie.

The title track is the official anthem of JPT Scare Band. Acid Blues has been this bands burden since the early 70’s. Their toil is our reward.

--Woody

Buy here on CD or double colored LP, gatefold vinyl:  JPT Scare Band

or from Amazon  Vinyl Acid Blues Is the White Man's Burden [Domestic]

Export Vinyl Acid Blues Is the White Man's Burden [Export]

or CD Acid Blues Is the White Man's Burden

Judas Priest – British Steel 30th Anniversary Edition

And I had a car . . .

You have to let the magnitude of that sentence sink in.  There I was.  17 years old.  A raging, rampaging sack of testosterone, insatiable musical lust. . .  and I had a car.  Let’s don’t dwell on what type of car it was (a 1974 Fiat 4-door sedan with huge rubber bumpers and a 50 hp engine.).  Let’s just focus on the car part.  I had a car.  I had wheels.  I was free.

That meant I could get out of the small then-ranch town I grew up in and head for the big City.  Ok, so the big City was a town of about 30,000 people 7 miles away, but don’t you get it?  They had a record store--several of them, including a Tower Records.   I remember pulling (er . . . sputtering) my car into the Tower parking lot, my pockets full of money I’d slaved to get working 8 ½ hour shifts at a local car wash.  I wandered the aisles, my eyes agape.  I was 17, I had a car, and I had money.  The world was my oyster.

I don’t remember everything I bought that day, but I do remember picking up one new cassette.  The brand new, just released Judas Priest album, British Steel.  I’d never heard Priest before, but thought their album covers were bitchin’.  Unleashed in the East was maniacal.  Hell Bent for Leather frightened me in a good way. Sin after Sin, Sad Wings . .  . the list goes on.  But on that day, British Steel had just arrived and I knew I had no choice but to make that the cassette that would christen the tape deck in my new hot rod.

Leaving the parking lot, I popped the cassette in, and my entire world changed.  I’d been listening to “metal” for years.  Kiss, Aerosmith, AC/DC.  Pretty standard suburban/rural kid stuff.  The same things everyone listened to.  But I wanted more.  My musical nomad life had already begun, and I needed to wander, to explore.  I had no friends to accompany me on this journey.  My high school classmates were content with what they were listening to, so I had to venture out onto that musical crossroads on my own.  But nothing could have prepared my tender ears for the sound that suddenly was tearing my speakers apart that day.

“Rapid Fire,” was just that-- an insane, accelerating attack of things that were far too heavy for my heart to bear.  My pulse exploded in time to the jackhammer drumbeat.  When that heavy-as-heavy guitar came in, I felt reborn.  Rejuvenated.  Alive, as if for the very first time.  I’d never heard the song before but there I was, air-guitaring like a madman, singing along to that incredible Rob Halford voice that made Paul Stanley seem like some fairy boy from neverland.  And then came the song's famous mid-break.  Halford’s voice spat out words in a flurry, screaming about anvils, and wars, and corrosive subsiding, and KK and Glenn were tearing the world apart on guitars I couldn’t name.  Suddenly the universe made sense to me.  Suddenly, my virginity had been ripped from my musical womb.

From that moment, I’ve worn my Priest flag with undying pride.

I’m not going to go into every song on this fantastic reissue of the album, other than to say that "The Rage" is still one of the absolute greatest metal songs ever written.  You know this album.  You know these songs by heart.  You’ve lived them in your own way just as I did that day in my Fiat. But I will say that I can still recall the exact moment that “Metal Gods,” kicked in, with that guitar tone.  That amazing, so metallic guitar tone.  This was no longer pansy-ass Kiss.  The guitar sounded so menacing, so alien, so foreign.  God damn it, that guitar sounded metal; as if it had been forged in a furnace of fiery steel and was clashing against massive chugging gears.  Priest forever defined not just metal for me, but the sound of a guitar that could actually sound like metal.

I won’t bore you about the time I saw them on the Point of Entry Tour, or how I was pressed so close against the stage, that KK Downing actually played his guitar on my face.  Those are my private memories.  But I will say that this 30th Anniversary Edition does the album justice.  The remastered songs sound even more metallic today.  The bonus song “Red White & Blue” is cool, and the live cut of “Grinder” decimates.  The video of Priest performing the album non-stop, in it’s entirety at a 2009 concert shows the band to be even more imposing than when I saw them as a kid.  Ageless and timeless, Halford in particular has become even more of a demented, metal God than he was back in 1980.  Dressed head to toe in his full-length leather and denim, he looks fierce and nasty.  I don’t care how old he is, he still looks like he could kick my ass.

KK and Glenn are also ageless, as if they’d been locked in some air-tight vortex all these years and suddenly released to unleash all sorts of guitar mayhem on the masses.  Ian Hill has been a rock for ages and still anchors the side of the stage like an immovable mass, while Scott Travis beats with fury and passion.

You know the album.  You know the band.  You need to get this package.  Priest are legends and this is their most legendary moment.  Past or present, they still rule this world we call metal.  And for me that’s just the way it’s supposed to be.

My Fiat is long gone.  My Priest flag is still flying high.

--Racer

Deluxe Edition has a third disc, the audio CD of the entire British Steel live concert.  Awesome.

Buy here: British Steel: 30th Anniversary Edition
Buy here: British Steel: 30th Anniversary: Deluxe Edition

Kylie - Aphrodite

Yes people, I'm back! I won't babble about what happened to me while I was gone 'coz I don't feel like it and you wouldn't wanna hear it, so I'll just write.

Kylie, Kylie, Kylie. I wasn't blogging about English songs that much when Aphrodite (the single) was literally unleashed, but I clearly remember professing my love for it upon my return. So why not write my first album review in quite a while? Hmmm.

One thing I miss about a lot of Western singles and albums is that I don't have to tell the artists off about such basic things - no more questioning where the melody is and giving lessons in cohesion or even lack of vocal ability, no more kicking and screaming 'coz the production sucks. For seasoned "professionals" like Kylie, these things are natural - my only business is whether the songs themselves are good and if I like them.


I remember just starting my sojourn into the wonderful world of pop music when X came out, and I remember not listening to it for months but when I did, my jaw dropped. I've heard all the standard Kylie singles (who hasn't?) and I liked some of what I heard, but I know for a fact that I personally never become a huge fan of an artist until I myself experience an album release. And here it is.

Megamixes and samplers usually don't do justice to new albums (see: GA's Out of Control), but holy crap I was in love with the megamix and I'm practically worshipping the album - it's like you get the Koreans' ability of making bad songs sound good for teasers and use it on good songs. YESSSSSSSSS.

All The Lovers is, in one word, calming. It's epic, yes, and Kylie's vocals are nice and light, but put all those together and you get something very calming. It most certainly doesn't hit you over the head because this is Kylie, she doesn't do hitting-over-the-head anymore, she does blowing you away. All the Lovers is solid proof that you don't have to assume your listeners have ADD to be able to make a good pop song. The running synth lines and the possibly cheesy but not cheesy background vocals finish everything off - spectacular.

The people who didn't like Get Outta My Way when they heard it on the megamix are now eating their words - I TOLD YOU IT WAS BRILLIANT. While everyone was raving about other songs, I was rejoicing Get Outta My Way and the fact that it's the second single. It's a contrast to Aphrodite in the sense that it's nice and fun and cheery while Aphodite is epic and Kylie's saying "I'm the goddess - worship me," but they're both still very light - even if Get Outta My Way is cheery, the instrumentals are very light, there isn't a lot of it. The song as a whole, in Filipino is "Bihasa" - Kylie knows what the hell she's doing on this, and it takes a certain skill to pull it off. I love the piano loop, everything about the instrumental, and the melody just blows me away - how there's a mini-explosion on the transition from the verse to the chorus.

I'm not feeling the verses of Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love), but I like the chorus - it's very Kylie. Reminds me a bit of Stars on X. That and I LOVE the middle 8. Which reminds me, I better keep track of how many brilliant middle 8s there are on this album - that's one, and two. The only part of Closer that I really love is the percussion part. The verses and the melody's OK, really freaky and sci-fi-ish, but it's a matter of taste for me. I like the percussion part because it's crisp and it has conviction, I like convincing percussion parts.

Everything Is Beautiful is another really Kylie song (I think?) - it sounds like something I think my dad will like. It sounds very British, ala-Robbie Williams (actually, a lot like Robbie), then you have Kylie's signature elements like the running synth line and the crisp percussion parts throughout the entire album - I like it, A LOT. OK it's a Robbie melody slapped on a Kylie instrumental, that's it.

I hope no one kills me for saying this but parts of Aphrodite remind me of After School's Bang!. The drum rolls and actually even the melody of the verses really sound like the AS song to my ears. The chorus of course is all Kylie, even if it goes through me a bit. It's much more dynamic than Bang!, and I think that makes the song for me - I like dynamics, and the drum rolls hit a soft spot.

I love the synths on Illusion, they're so Euro. Other than that I have mixed feelings - it's OK, but nothing special. The melody sounds a bit resonant to my ears, but I do like the string section on the middle 8 and how the synths play a big part on the chorus. Better Than Today has very interesting synths at the beginning, but the song sounds a lot like something for the sound track of this American chick-flick that they play at the end of the movie just before the credits roll and they show this slideshow of outtakes or whatever. I'm serious!

Too Much was one of the songs I was initially bracing myself for when I heard the megamix, and I still wasn't ready. I love how it just kinda explodes and here we go again with the very crisp percussion line - can I die now? It's sooooooo Kylie. The guitar line at the beginning of Cupid Boy reminds me of Since You've Been Gone. I believe this was the song a lot of people were freaking out over when the megamix came out, but I don't know, I'm not feeling it. I mean yeah it's like a more intense Aphrodite with a guitar line and all sorts of stuff running around, but I'm not sold.

I LOVE the string section on Looking For An Angel, and I LOVE how the thing builds up but doesn't. And I love how it builds up then builds back down. I missed music like this, I really did. Reminds me of Aphrodite with a more prominent percussion part. Aphrodite wraps up with Can't Beat the Feeling, and I'm blown away - it's a lot like Get Outta My Way, only different. (duh? duh.) It's fun, and I love the synths.

You can't just read a few reviews and get the sound from there, trust me when I say you have to hear Aphrodite to really feel it. You do!

Best Track: Get Outta My Way or Everything Is Beautiful
Better Tracks: Aphrodite, All The Lovers, Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love), Too Much
Worst Track: None of them.
4.9/5

A Sunday Conversation with Award-Winning Songwriter, Kevin Beadles

Sometimes you hear a song that just hits that right note in your soul.  Moves you to a place that you've been afraid to go to, or reluctant to remember.  That's the power of a songwriter.  The ability to make you feel, remember, experience something from deep inside.  Little wonder then that when we learned that award-winning songwriter, Kevin Beadles was releasing a new album of beautiful, affecting rootsy americana, we jumped at the chance to have him come join us on the red leather interview couch and lend his thoughts on to what makes a song tick.


When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkel, the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphanies since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears. What have been your musical epiphany moments?

About ten years ago, a recording engineer loaned me a copy of Lucinda Williams' Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.  He had noticed that I sang and wrote in an affected style (much in keeping with the artists I grew up listening to such as David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, David Byrne).  He thought Lucinda might shake me out of it and she did.  What a marvel of singing and songwriting.  Poetically stark, unflinching lyrics sung with a defiant vulnerability. There was a deceptive brilliance in the simplicity of the writing.  She could twist a vowel in her mouth and run through two or three shades of emotion before the word was finished.  Hearing her inspired me to seek greater honesty in my singing and songwriting.

Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?

All the above.  Starting a song is usually the easy part, it's finishing where the work comes in.  Sometimes I sit down to write a letter (full song) and find that all I have is just a postcard (maybe a verse or chorus).  For me, writer's block isn't a lack of ideas, it's not knowing what to do with an idea.  So if I'm stuck on one song, I just pick up another and see where it wants to go.  And I keep doing that until it all falls in place.  Sometimes it happens in one sitting and sometimes it takes years.

Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?

Songwriting is just something I do. I don't worry about finding ideas; they seem to find me.  In fact, I'm often distracted by whatever embryonic song is tumbling around in my head.  Perhaps that's my way of processing life.  But re-writing is where the real craft of songwriting comes in and that's where I need motivation to keep plugging away at a song, trying to realize its full potential, especially when it's stopped being fun.  Here, my greatest resources are the West Coast Songwriters and my songwriting circle called Club Shred.  Both are chock full of terrific tunesmiths who take vicious delight in tearing apart each other's babies.  Their feedback is invaluable to me and hearing their new songs is a constant source of inspiration.




Genres are so misleading and such a way to pigeonhole bands. Without resorting to labels, how would you describe your music?

My music unites classic rock with the back porch drawl of gospel, blues and alt. country.  It's roots music with plenty of branches.  Picture Elvis Costello and Lucinda Williams getting in a faded blue '65 Ford pickup and driving across America writing songs about the strange thoughts and characters they meet along the way.



What is you musical intention? What are you trying to express or get your audience to feel?

I'm drawn to moments of transformation--that interval when a decision is made, an emotion discovered, or a life upended.  There might be only a dozen decisions or events which make any significant difference to the overall arc of a person's experience.  The rest is filler (the subject of "slice of life" songs) and the opportunity to reflect on decisions made or to be made.

In songwriting, how do you bring the song together? What do you look for in terms of complexity? Simplicity? Time changes?

I strive for simplicity but my default writing mode tends to be a little complex.  My band consists of terrific jazz players who were looking for a rock project so that tells me I'm still relying on way too many chords, extensions, and key changes.  If you listen to a song like "A Love Sublime," it just sounds like zany fun but it goes through three key changes, several shifts in feel, and a couple of chords I've never used before.  Someday I hope to master 3-chord rock, which is by no means a pejorative term to my mind.


The business of music is a brutal place. Changes in technology have made it easier than ever for bands to get their music out, but harder than ever to make a living.  What are your plans to move the band forward? How do you stay motivated in this brutal business?

Woody Allen was famously quoted as saying that 90% of success is showing up and I find that's absolutely true.  You never know when or where you're going to make a fan or get a break.  I entered a couple of rough mixes in two big songwriting competitions last year and ended up coming in second place in the rock category with each song.  I get invited to play on a local NPR radio program and the next thing I know, Ripple Music is asking if I'd like to release a CD with them.  I don't have a great overarching plan to conquer the world but I'm trying to write the perfect song and willing to share it with anyone who'll listen, and I'm finding there's an audience for my music.  Any time I'm playing music, I'm doing something I love.  To me, that's success on my own terms and I don't worry about the rest.

Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?

In the late 80's/early 90's, I was singer-frontman for a band called mr. id.  We got booked to play a Harvest Festival or something of the ilk that was broadcast on cable access TV in Antioch, CA.  The stage was the flatbed trailer of a semi truck, for unfathomable reasons, I'm wearing bicycle shorts, and in the middle of our set, some guy pulls up in a little service vehicle and starts loading bales of hay on to the stage as we're playing.  That was a painful video to watch.

Later, that same band got asked to open for Chris Isaak and we had to pass on the gig because our lead guitarist wasn't willing to cancel the fishing trip he had planned.  That's when you know your band has just about reached its full potential.



What makes a great song?

COURAGE--no wait... that's what makes the muskrat guard his musk.  A great song is one you can listen to a hundred times and still want to hear again.  It's got to be unique (otherwise why listen to that particular song) but can't be gimmicky (even clever BS gets tiresome after a while).  More importantly, it has to tap into an emotion you want to experience over and over.  It speaks and you involuntarily answer "YES!"


Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?

Way too embarrassing...suffice to say, I was about eight years old, the title was "I'm a Fighter Pilot" and the melody bore a suspicious resemblance to "Jeremiah was a Bullfrog..."


What piece of your music are particularly proud of?

I entered five songs from the new CD in international songwriting competitions this past year and four of them won prizes.  So, naturally, it's the one I like best that came up short. "You Can't Argue with Water" absolutely nails something I've wanted to express for a long time... the ephemeral nature of love.  And I think that message is what makes the song problematic for some people.  They want to hear that love is eternal and undeniable, which it certainly can be.  But all too often, love is something beyond our control, it comes and goes, and no amount of whining will change that fact.  Plus the song has one of my favorite lyric couplets, "She blew in out of nowhere and left without a trace/How could a summer thunderstorm leave lipstick on my face?"



Who today, writes great songs? Why?

Ryan Adams, Lucinda Williams, Lynn Smith, Steve Seskin, Bonnie Hayes and a thousand others.  They each have a unique style and ability to get to the heart of an emotion.  There are so many talented songwriters and most of them never get widely heard.


Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?

Ever since I bought an iPhone, I've been surprised how digital has taken over my listening.  It's always with me... at the gym, on a bike, odd moments in the day.  And it's great to have my entire catalog of unfinished musical bits and riffs on hand anytime I get inspired to work on something.



We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music.  When we come to your town, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?

I live in a college town (Berkeley) so there are a ton of used record stores nearby.  Just walk a few blocks on Telegraph Ave and you're bound to find one you like.



Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?

I used to think that being in Liverpool put the Beatles at a major disadvantage compared to bands in London.  Then I read how Liverpool was the major shipping port for the entire U.K. which meant that every kid in town, including the Beatles, knew someone who worked on a freighter and had cheap access to the latest records coming out of the U.S.  At a time when rock music was only played a few hours a week on the BBC, this was quite an advantage.

I think it's great that music is so readily available today.  In fact, it's so readily available that fantastic music can easily be overlooked or forgotten--that's why I love the concept behind Ripple and the waveriders.  So thanks for sharing part of your Sunday with me, I hope you check out my music as well, and please feel free to contact me if anything moves you.

Ripple News - Baby Woodrose Back Catalog Re-issued

We already professed our undying love for the fuzzed out, bubbling psychedelic pop created by Baby Woodrose, so we were thrilled to learn that lots of previously hard to find stuff is being made available again from Bad Afro Records.

Baby Woodrose - Money For Soul LP (AFROLP018)

On Money For Soul Baby Woodrose created a unique sound that took them to the 60's and back leaving the music being influenced by many shades of rock'n'roll and psych but played with heartfelt punk attitude. Baby Woodrose received quite a lot of attention outside Denmark with their self-released debut album "Blows Your Mind" from 2001. In reality a one-man operation by Lorenzo Woodrose who wrote the songs, played all the instruments, produced the record and put it out on his own Pan Records. Baby Woodrose later became a real band and Money For Soul reflected that. The album was mixed and mastered by Jürgen Hendlmeier and contained their biggest hit so far;” Everything's Gonna Be Alright”. Sleeve made by Malleus. Originally released in 2003 in 2000 copies on black vinyl. New print limited to 500 copies on red vinyl. 

Baby Woodrose – Chasing Rainbows LP (AFROLP035)

Chasing Rainbows was the sound of a band with more musical guts than on previous albums. Clearly inspired by the Baby Woodrose side-project Dragontears, Baby Woodrose  expanded their sound and produced an album that is very different from earlier efforts. Not only because of the use of instruments like cello, lap-steel, flute and tablas. But also because Chasing Rainbows was both their most poppy and commercial release AND their most experimental and druggy album so far. Originally released in 2007 in 1500 copies on black vinyl. New press limited to 500 copies on red vinyl.

Baby Woodrose – Blows Your Mind CD (AFROCD020)

The Baby Woodrose debut album is temporarily out of print on CD but a new new print is on its way!

If you're a fan of psych pop, you won't go wrong checking any of these out.

Punk Me? Punk You! -- Featuring The Second Academy, Leatherface, and Pistol Whip

The Second Academy – The Grave From Out of Which We Briefly Wander

I already professed my love of Eric Balaban and his amalgam of garage punk, The Beautiful Mothers, but you know what, the cat is so talented that one band wasn’t enough for him.  Enter The Second Acadey and their spinning translucent green vinyl ode to lo-fi experi-punk, The Grave From Out of Which We Briefly Wander.  Intentionally not as realized as The Beautiful Mothers, The Second Academy attack each composition as if it’s a moment in the now.  Songs seem to start off as sketches, ideas, and we bare witness to the band filling out those concepts as the inspiration hits them. 

Think a slightly more aggressive Violent Femmes or a stripped down Replacements, and you’ll begin to get the vibe.  Songs like “Aftergrass,” bridle with pent up tension, pulsating in the throb of the bass, the whine of the guitar, the sparseness of the composition.  One of the stand out tracks here, “Aftergrass,” percolates like an early Gang of Four outtake, riding that bass.  So simple but so effective.

Tracks like “The King and Queen of Filth,” explore more experimental realms of dissonance of feedback, but Eric always brings it back to down to earth with mini-masterpieces like the post-punk throb and roll of “The Wasp” or the very raw Replacements-esque acoustic agit-folk/punk of “Little Sister” and “ Pretty One.” Eric even manages to lock onto a post-sixties, summery psychedelic pop vibe (filtered through the Violent Femmes) for “Adventure Tuesday.”

As always, Tsurumi Records does things right with a limited-edition green vinyl pressing of 1000 platters, complete with enclosed full CD of the album and color liner insert.  It’s clear we got a label here doing what they do out of love, and a band living up to that adoration.  Check it.

buy here: tsurumirecords.com

Leatherface – The Stormy Petrel

It’s hard to believe that Leatherface have been going at it for nigh-on twenty years already, rampaging through one punk rave-up after another.  It’s been 6 years since their last album, so certainly, these aging punks have slowed and mellowed since then, right?

Hell no!  The Stormy Peterel finds Leatherface as reinvigorated, charging, and  . . . . melodic as ever.  Beginning with the almost Police-ish tones of “God is Dead,” the new album is one treat of roughened melodic punk after another.  And by roughened, I refer more to that voice than the music.  In truth, Leatherface are a lot more melodic and easy to listen to than their name might suggest.  Dismiss any images you have of chainsaw wielding madmen and severed body parts.  Leatherface bring on a Husku Du-ish brand of gritty punk that never loses sight of the song, the chorus and the hook. On this, their ninth album, they remind me of a cross between New Model Army and the Subhumans.  Moderately under-produced, guitar-oriented and ready to tell a tale.  In many ways, the album is so catchy, it’s almost pop.  Stepped-on-in-the-gutter pop, but pop nonetheless

“My World End,” brings on a more straight ahead dissonant punk attack, while “Never Say Goodbye,” could fit comfortably on just about any of your favorite New Model Army albums.  Guitars in full-frontal placement. 

One thing that will forever set Leatherface apart from the many out there is the charismatic vocals of Frankie Stubbs, part Lemmy, part Tom Waits, all throat and bile. His rasp brings an immediate personality to each song.  “Nutcase,” uses that voice perfectly through a truly catchy guitar punch to a bop-in-your-car-singing chorus.   Surely one of the standout tracks here . . . but there’s lots to choose from.

After 20 years Leatherface come raging back to remind us why punk mattered so much in the first place.  And they do it with grace and style, spit and ire.  And that voice.  They do it with that voice.

buy here: Stormy Petrel


Pistol Whip – Terminal

Coming from Eerie, PA, and brandishing a career that lasted all of 2-plus years, it’s no surprise that Pistol Whip may be a band forgotten by history.  I certainly had never heard of them before this deluxe CD/DVD set made a surprise appearance at the Ripple office.  And truth be told, not every random 34 year-old Pennsylvania band is worthy of being resurrected and forced kicking and screaming into the modern day.

But Pistol Whip is.  Not that the brilliance here is readily apparent.  Terminal starts off with their inauspicious, only-released-record, a 7” slice of banal glam rock.  Sounding like a poor man’s Starz or a Kiss-butt band, the Pistol Whip story seemed destined to end right there.  But between the release of that single in 1977 and their journey to Chicago to record a 10 song demo, something freakish happened.  If you’d predicted they would have followed the Kiss path down staid corporate, MOR rock, you couldn’t be more wrong.  Instead the band that entered that studio in Chicago was a maniacal, piss-infused punk band on the order of the Dictators, with touches of the Ramones and the Stranglers thrown in.  Don’t know how it happened.  Erie, PA, is a far cry away from NYC or the Chelsea district in London, but there it is.

Chronicled here by a faded mono-cassette, the only proof that these recordings ever happened, the last 10-songs of Terminal are a must have for any fan of nascent punk.  These songs are like the missing link of rock.  The evolutionary bridge between horrid glam rock and inspired spittle rock and roll.  “Whatchamacallit,” is a fiery, snot-nosed blast of rough-throated punk, as good as anything else that came from that era.  Dig the wild “surf” organ, bringing in that hard-edged early Stranglers sound.  The guitars crush with venom and authority.  There is no hint of the glam disaster that was.  This is now.   Don’t know where the hell it came from, but damn is it good.  In fact, I may go so far as to declare it the best punk song you've never heard.

“Losing My Grip,” doesn’t let up.  Rough-hewed, confident in their anarchic disunity, this is raw, primal punk.   “Iron Curtain,” is even better with that nasty guitar tone and return of the organ wash.  Trashed up, punked up garage rock the likes of which weren’t being heard every day in 1978. 

An archival treasure chest of primitive punk.  A musical archaeologist’s wet dream.  

buy here: Terminal

-- Racer

Ape! - The Dirger

This is a primo slab of obnoxiousness from the Pennsylvania/Delaware region. Ape! are a noisy little trio that blast out dirty rock and roll that brings to mind filth lords like the Cosmic Psychos and Mudhoney as well as the spazzcore of Karp and Rye Coalition. The Dirger was recorded June, 2009 in West Chester, PA (home of the awesome Backwoods Payback) and released in November.

There are 9 blasts of fuzzed out scuzz in 35 minutes that will leave you feeling unclean. Louis Sarris plays guitar, distortion and wah wah pedal and does the lead screaming. Matt Gorzynski manhandles a dirty bass, Sean Connolly pounds the drums and they both do a bunch of yelling in the background. All the instruments are recorded well “in the red” but are not distorted beyond listenability.

Opener “Black Blood” starts off with a slow, druggy feel similar to early Monster Magnet before speeding up to a pummeling tempo. “Judas’ Dog” throbs to a Stooges “1969” beat. Actually, there’s a lot of 1st Stooges album influence, both direct and indirect. “Pretty In A Boring Way” comes across like an ancient blast of Australian Stooge worship from Lubricated Goat or (the aforementioned) Cosmic Psychos, with even a hint of early Nirvana.

“Dead On The Vine” is a slow pounder that sounds like the NoMeansNo song “The Tower” but with a heavier Black Sabbath feel. “Weekends In The Abyss” is a Blue Cheer-y instrumental with some wordless screaming that’s a lot of fun. And nice Slayer reference in the title. The lyrics to “The Ballad of Juan Montoya” are pretty inaudible. It’s hard to tell if this is about the former Torche guitarist or the NASCAR driver. Whoever it’s for should be honored by this burner with killer lead bass fills.

Ape! offers a nice mix of the loudest 1970’s style metal and the better parts of the 1990’s “grunge” bands. If you like it loud n raw, check these guys out. I have a feeling The Dirger is not available in many stores, so make contact via their myspace page. Vintage fuzz boxes are expensive and I’m looking forward to hearing more from these guys so send them your slimiest 7 dollar bills.

http://www.myspace.com/weareape

The Single Life – 7” of Fun - Featuring The Shirks, Pistola, Stegosaur, and Junior Battles

The Shirks – Dangerous/Young and Filthy b/w Get Out

Coming from Big Neck Records, I had a pretty good idea what this platter’s gonna sound like before I even put the needle to vinyl.  One of the finest purveyors of rattling, grease-stained garage punk out there, The Shirks fit comfortably into their asylum.  Each song here is an adrenaline-infused, learning-how-to-string-a-guitar blast of raw and primal garage punk.  Rough, raw, indecent and probably banned in some countries, the Shirks ply their trade with unbridled adoration and love for all things ragged and fast.  Put away your cerebral neurons and just go with it.  Trashy good fun. 

Pistola – Chugs and Squeals (At the Amusement Park) b/w Out and About with Danny Rowe

Don’t know if it’s just my copy or not, but this was one of the more creative packagings I’ve seen.   A nifty, red vinyl 45 7” with a complete copy of the full-length CD dropped inside.  Granted, they may have dropped that in just as a promo, but it’s still a cool concept.  Buy the single, get the album.  

Of course that only works if the single is worth buying, and fortunately this one is.  “Chugs and Squeals” post-hardcore dissonant screamer of Helmet-styled aggression with some nasty pop smarts.  “Danny Rowe,” kinda brings on a Blondie-meets-Quicksand-and-then-beats-the-shit-outta-them-in-a-public-restroom vibe of heavy guitars, strong melodies, and intent female vocals.  Not metal, not pop, not indy, not post-anything core.  Just music.  Rocking, hard and soft at the same time.  Don’t try and name it, just check it out.

Stegosaur – Adventure

Three song little ditty from these ernest pop/punk emo rockers.  Riding big guitars, “Headache,” is catch and grating, ingratiating and infectious.  Guitars wallop into walls of sound under the big nasal ride of the vocals.  There’s no doubting the emotion here.  Good dynamics mix the tune up enough to bring me along.  “Big Breath,” ups the melodic aspects of the band, brimming like a nascent Weezer.  Tones of Cursive pervade throughout.  Second side’s “Bloooooood,” adds a beat of handclaps and gangland vocals to bring some quirk-pop to the affair, meshing it all into a massively engaging alt-pop affair.  Vocals and guitars build with rising intensity, then drop back down, shifting the pattern, changing the tempo, keeping the ears hooked.  This song clearly shows that Stegosaur are no plodding emo-imitation act, but got the chops to break through to a bigger audience.

Junior Battles – 7” S/T EP

Reading the bio of Junior Battles, it seems that the entire formation of the Toronto band and their subsequent success was a total accident, a sublime fluke of destiny that befell four teenaged lovers of old school pop-punk.  Well, let me tell you, what’s happened to them since is no fluke.  Launching into a rousing 4-song blitz of choppy guitars, soaring chorues, candy-melodies, and infectious grooves, the 13 minutes of this EP pass as effortlessly as listening to your old favorites.  Each song is rooted in the hook, without sacrificing true dynamic to get there.  Hooky, poppy and fun.  Just the way pop-punk is supposed to be.

--Racer

Bernadette Seacrest and Her Provocateurs - The Filthy South Sessions

I can’t always listen to rock, folk or country. Just like I can’t handle all “wasabi” all the time all that well.  Occasionally, I need the sorbet between new releases to clean my aural palate.

Only the finest restaurants serve sorbet between courses.  This smooth, luscious, sultry, frozen concoction not only prepares your taste buds for the next onslaught of flavors - it is a scrumptious dessert in and of itself.

Lately, I have listened to an enormous amount of new classic rock, pop, metal and alternative.  At some point it all started to sound alike.  Everyone lost their girlfriend, wanted to rock me or wanted to tell me had bad their troubles or the troubles of the world were in some semblance of 4/4 time.  I reached a breaking point.  It was clear to me that I needed to cleanse my palate.  I desired a bit of something that was not ice cream, jello, candy or Cake.  Rather, something more intellectual, calming, smooth yet complex. I needed music with more reflection. I wanted to hear what you would expect James Bond to listen to and less of an aural  “Girls Gone Wild” video.  However, it still had to be sexy.  I found it.

Bernadette Seacrest is a tattooed siren evocative of the great jazz singers of days gone by.  Think Lena Horne (may she rest in peace), Rickie Lee Jones, and Madeliene Peyroux all rolled into one. Seacrest studied classical dance with the Los Angeles Ballet and American Ballet Theatre until she suffered an injury that limited her ability to brisé volé and do other ballet moves. She loved the pageantry of drag and went underground re-emerging in New York’s early 80’s street punk scene as a fetish model, makeup artist and clothing designer.  In 2001, after moving to Albuquerque, she joined the rockabilly band The Long Goners as a singer of rebellious anthems. By 2003, she began to dabble in jazz.  Seacrest formed a new band- Bernadette Seacrest and her Yes Men - that specialized in jazz standards and originals penned by her well-known bassist Michael Grimes.  Her musical style became evocative of the smoky jazz clubs and speakeasys of the 30’s and 40’s.  In 2003, she started a new project, Bernadette Seacrest and Her Provocateurs with guitarist Charles Williams and bassist Kris Dale.  Her now almost completely original music took on a dark vintage jazz sound with a deep south bluesy feel.  The songs are sparsely orchestrated - mostly just Bernadette, a guitar, a bass and, occasionally, an interesting cacophony of percussion.

Bernadette Seacrest and Her Provocateurs’ most recent release is The Filthy South Sessions. The songs are written by her guitarist Charles Williams.  Williams shows an innate ability to turn a phrase that Seacrest can then emote in ways that stir the soul:


The world is just one big Game of Craps

Everyone’s bluffing, ain’t got no cash

And if you fold you gotta face the facts

You got nowhere to go from here but up



Someone’s always be talking about you

Someone’s always trying to close a deal

And someone’s always gonna have one hand in your pocket

While others are tryin’ to cop a feel


--- from “Trashcan Lens”



Each of the twelve songs stirs desire.  They make you want to meet Bernadette.  She is the epitome of a chanteuse.  By the third song you will be craving a bourbon,  a cigar, and a fedora. The musicianship is impeccable and unpredictable.  It is not often that a jazz trio can transcend the cocktail lounge.  This one does.

Okay, I’m now ready for my next  rock music meal.


- Old School

Buy here: Filthy South Sessions

On the Ripple Desk - Featuring The Silver Liners and Year of the Dragon

 The Silver Liners – Just Like the Rest EP

We’ve been totally blessed recently with the rainfall of fantastic bands that are capable of marrying irresistible melodies, and an alt-pop Brit rock sensibility to their killer garage hooks, gruff and muscle.  The Thieves, Mardo, The Steps . . . now let’s add The Silver Liners to that distinguished list. 

Coming from Washington D.C., these cats are already making waves, killing the competition and being named a finalist for DC 101’s Last Band Standing Contest.  And it’s no wonder.  This five-piece can play with gusto, powering through a crowd-chanting chorus, slow it down to an achingly pretty sweetness, or add crunch and muscle when they want to rough it up.  Through it all, they layer a touch of Brit-rock sensibility over their pure American garage-y/powerpop.

It took all of 1.3 seconds to hook me on this baby.  Just the slightly fuzzed out tone of the bass opening “Just Like the Rest,” let me know that I’d latched onto something special.  Bring on the muted vocals, a steady beat, some truly retro-garage chops, and a killer breakdown/build up to that treat of a chorus.  This song has it all.  Packed together and ready to be shipped out to the world.  Expect to hear it on Ripple Radio soon.

From there it’s a non-stop journey through the 7 songs of modern pop rock.  “Heard it From a Friend,” is another sure-fire winner, with it’s ultra-cool guitar tone and it’s nod towards an Stroke-y feel blended with some pop punk smarts.  Should be on the radio.

Will be.   If we have anything to say about it.


--Racer

 buy here:  Just Like The Rest EP [Explicit]

Year of the Dragon - Blunt Force Karma

There was a time a number of years back when I preferred my rock and metal funky. Faith No More spent months in constant rotation, as did RHCP . . . 24/7 Spyz . . . ahh, reminiscing over one of funk rock’s finest moments in Fishbone’s Truth and Soul. I mention Fishbone last primarily because that was the first thing that I heard when I put on Year of the Dragon’s Blunt Force Karma. Heavy groove with dense metallic guitars and a funky hip-hop vibe all rolled into the sonic party. It wasn’t until later that I found out that YOTD actually involves a couple of members from Fishbone, so I was pleasantly surprised to know that my ears haven’t failed me yet. Blunt Force Karma, though funky at times, is much more metallic and punky than the aforementioned acts, and the album’s density makes it feel like being mashed together with a couple hundred partners on a steamy club dance floor. Massive walls of low end propel the tunes and are accompanied by subtle flourishes of guitar texture, grinding distortion and the dual vocals of Rodcore and Dirty Walt that seamlessly shift from a rap style to sustained melody.

“Poppin’” takes me back to those heavier moments from Fishbone’s The Reality of My Surroundings or Give A Monkey a Brain . . . coz’ folks, this song has got all of that heavy distorted guitar, low end bass groove, funky jam shit going on that’ll have you bobbin’ your head with the rhythms. “Jailbreak” is a flat out bad ass groover . . . not as dense in distortion and aggression as “Poppin’” and has a great melody to the vocal lines. That’s not to say the isn’t heavy, it’s just not overbearing in weight and density . . . the song has air for the notes to breathe, and YOTD do a great job of shifting between the mid tempo and up tempo passages. The title track shifts from the straight up soulful funk rock stylings of Fishbone to something heavier and darker, heavily distorted and emotionally intense. “Who Will Save You Now” opens with a bitchin’ metallic, fuck-heavy riff and opens up for the choruses, highlighted by soaring vocals and space for the song to take flight. Strong record . . . one that I expect fans of Fishbone would gobble up, and one that I suspect I’ll be using to shake the cobwebs from my head on those fuzz-brained mornings. 

-  Pope JTE

buy here:  Blunt Force Karma

Guitar Legends JPT Scare Band Devastate BP with New Music Video, "Not My Fault"

After a hugely successful, 1 week debut on some of rock's finest websites, JPT Scare Band unleashes their darkly sarcastic attack on BP to the general public and the world.  Reports are that the biting, inflammatory video was picked up by over 40 news outlets and websites, as anger over BP's mishandling of the Louisiana Gulf Crisis bubbles over the boiling point.

Featuring the guitar wizardry of Terry Swopes, often hailed as "the most unheralded guitarist in rock" "Not My Fault" is a classic JPT Scare Band tune, written by drummer Jeff Littrell in the '70's but not recorded until 2004.  The ironic, almost cheery nature of the song plays in direct contrast to the destruction that BP has left in it's wake.

If you like the video, stay tuned to the very end, as the original 911 call BP made to the Louisiana Police demonstrates their epic downplaying of the situation.

And if you enjoy the video, please pass it on to your friends.  Link to it, embed it, twitter it, facebook it.  BP has paid millions of dollars to buy up all the sensitive search terms on the gulf crisis and is spending hundreds of millions of dollars white-washing it's role in the disaster and cleansing it's reputation. 

This is just one small way we can all fight back!

"Not My Fault" appears on the new JPT Scare Band album, Acid Blues is the White Man's Burden released by Ripple Music. 

A Sunday Conversation with Ufomammut

Do Italians do it better? When it comes to psychedelic/experimental metal, the answer is a loud “Si!” Ufomammut recently released their 5^th album entitled Eve and it’s a mind bending mix of Pink Floyd at Pompeii trippiness and Black Sabbath heaviosity. Bassist/vocalist Urlo and guitarist Poia were nice enough to answer some questions for us here at the Ripple Effect. Even though their music is deadly serious, these guys have a great sense of humor. Pour yourself a nice glass of grappa and read on. Ciao!

Eve is your fifth album and contains 1 song divided into 5 parts. Talk a little about the songwriting process and how it was different from your previous albums.

Urlo: It's been a different approach to the song structure, working on a single long track has been quite different from what we've done in the past. We started with the idea of realizing an album structured like “Meddle” of Pink Floyd but we did the mistake to start from the long song.

Poia: We focused more on transitions and dynamic between parts: from whisper to scream.

Is Eve a “concept album” (like Tommy or The Wall) or more of a musical suite (like Tales of Topographic Oceans or Love Supreme)?

Urlo: Don't know, it's just what came to our minds.

Poia: I think it's more a very long single song.

Where did you record Eve and how long did it take?

Urlo: We recorded Eve in Roma, at Locomotore studio with our Soundlord Lorenzo Stecconi.

We had it done in 10 days.

For someone who’s never heard Ufomammut before, how would you describe it to them?

Urlo: Well, it's a nice album, just give it a listen.

Poia: It's a mixture of easy listening and complicated listening. So you'll need several listenings for appreciate the listening.

What was the first music that really excited you? And how long after that did you pick up an instrument?

Urlo: Sex Pistols. Then I started in play bass accidentally cause our previous bass player left the band and we had a gig coming in a week. I was only a singer...ahahaah

Poia: It was an Italian musician called Franco Battiato, in 1980. Then, I began with the guitar when I was seventeen, trying to play Led Zeppelin songs...

Who are some of your biggest musical inspirations? Favorite albums?

Urlo: Meddle of Pink Floyd, Malval of Shora, Lysol of Melvins, Lucifer Rising of Bobby Beausoleil and many more.

Poia: Beatles, Pink Floyd, Sabbath, Zep, Purple, King Crimson, Spirit, Captain Beefheart, Creedence, Ten Years After, Area, Sleep, Kyuss of Blues for the Red Sun, The God Machine, 35007, the early Motorpsycho and Monster Magnet, Entombed, Sons of Otis...

What current bands do you find inspiring?

Urlo: Shora, Shining and everything starting with SH.

Poia: Shora for me too, and Circle.

How do you feel about people posting your music for free on blogs?

Urlo: It's good. The more people listening to us the more we'll be happy.

Poia: It's an important thing. This way the music is flowing around the world. Then, if you like it you can always buy the physical object containing the music.

Your records have tons of cool layers. Do you try and recreate the sound of your records when you play live or do you prefer a rawer approach?

Urlo: We try to reproduce the record live the best as possible. Working on Eve has been difficult, there are a lot of layers!

Poia: Anyway live is different thing, and thanks to our live soundmaster Ciccio, we are both layered and totally raw :-)

Ever had any good Spinal Tap moments on stage?

Urlo: Mmmhh... guess not.

Poia: I must confess, never saw the movie. But I'll watch it very soon, and I'll tell you.

Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?

Urlo: I start with the digital and if I like it I buy CD (cause I listen to it easily). I love vinyls.

Poia: I think CD, but I prefer the big size of vinyl, for appreciating artworks too.

What’s the crowd like at your shows?

Urlo: Bearded men screaming. We're searching for girls, possibly not bearded...

Poia: It depends on the country we play.

How’s your hearing these days?

Urlo: You mean my ears? A little deaf, but still good. If you mean what I'm listening to... a lot of different stuff.

Poia. My right ear is frizzling.

Bands like Genesis, Van der Graaf Generator and Gentle Giant found an audience in Italy before the rest of the world. Why do you think Italians love prog rock so much?

Urlo: Because in Italy people is more interested in the good technique first. That's why nobody like Ufomammut here...

Poia: You have said all...

Were hardcore bands like Raw Power and Negazione an inspiration?

Urlo: Not for me. Never listened to them too much.

Poia: I'm sorry, I know them only by name.

Who’s the biggest mammone (mamma’s boy) in the band?

Urlo: Poia? Or me? Or Vita maybe? We're all mammoni!

Poia: Ufomammone.

Is it frustrating to go on tour and have to endure inferior food?

Urlo: Sure. We need spaghetti to survive, like vampires we need to refill our bodies with pasta. And coffee.

Poia: Of course. As Italians we are very proud of our food and wine. We know, we are boring about food, but it's probably the ONLY thing in which “Italians do it better” ;-)

Why do northern Italians look down upon their countrymen below Rome?

Urlo: Because we're idiots.

Poia: Since the fall of the Roman Empire, Italy has always been divided. It is a quite young nation, formed by several regions, each with its own dialect/language, food, wine (again!) and, amongst all, habits.  This is peculiar of Italy, but could be a problem for someone. Even in 5 km things slightly change. For many people difference between us is an excuse for divisions, instead a matter of enrichment. We can apply the same consideration on what it's happening today with the problem of foreign immigration. It's a natural and unstoppable process, the chance of mixing dna and cultures. But it's seen as a real danger, especially from the “most blind” part of our country, including our government.

What’s next Ufomammut?

Urlo: Ufomammut again. And hopefully a little of Farwest Zombee...

Poia: Dont know, we'll see in future.

Preferisci pasta e ceci o pasta e fagioli?

Urlo: Pasta e Ceci forever!!!

Poia: Pasta, aglio,olio e peperoncino.