Top

The Stranglers – On Stage On Screen

June 12, 2013

Are you a fan of The Stranglers? If you aren't you should be, and if you are, I've got some good news for you. Wienerworld Presentation has released The Stranglers On Stage, On Screen, an excellent DVD that contains not only their full 79 minute electric set at Shepherd's Bush Empire in 2005 as a five-piece, and a 30 minute acoustic set, but also the very strange (but award winning) short film Norfolk Coast starring bassist Jean Jacques Burnel, and featuring cameos by members of the band.

 

The title screen comes up with shots from both sets intercut with scenes from the film showing over a loop of the introduction to "Peaches". The electric set is first, and begins with shots of the crowd dancing and singing with the intro, and welcoming the band on stage. Both the audio and video quality are excellent as the band blazes through all your favorites, including "Skin Deep", "Lost Control", and "Time to Die", before ending with "No More Heroes". Stand-in frontman Paul Roberts is energetic and charismatic throughout the performance, though light on chatter between songs. The crowd is enthusiastic, singing along, even taking over the chorus on the cover of The Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night".


The acoustic set is also filmed at Shepherd's Bush Empire, during the same show, and introduces Roberts on some conga drums as the band comes back on stage. The acoustic set is more of an encore, with an additional 7 songs, including "Dutch Moon" and "Still Life". There's still plenty of power in the acoustic set, and the band are obviously enjoying themselves on stage almost as much as the crowd is, which makes this DVD fun to watch. Roberts at times sounds eerily like David Bowie, but it works well with this mature version of The Stranglers.


Norfolk Coast is a strange little film that will undoubtedly appeal to cinema buffs, and other fans of indy media. Even if you hate it, it's only about 15 minutes long, and packed with interesting imagery, so it won't eat up much of your life, and is worth watching at least once, but it's the concert footage here that's the real gem, and will put this DVD in regular rotation through your player. Copies are available HERE or on amazon.com




-Jo Problems-

Big Wheel Staff  Reporter
 

 


Bookmark and Share

 

                                           Go HERE to see more DVD reviews

 

 

Send your comments to the editor HERE

 

Beijing Punk – DVD Review

February 12, 2013

Beijing Punk - DVD ReviewPunk rock in China, sound far fetched? Well it’s alive and kicking in the countries capital of Beijing where a film maker traveled in the summer of 2008 to document the emerging scene. Most film makers would likely cover the international games known as the Summer Olympics, but an Australian by the name of  Shaun Jefford ventured into the large city and focused on an untold story, the story of rebellious youth who found a voice in Punk Rock music.

In every part of North America and Europe Punk Rock has been a known subculture for 3 plus decades, but to the Chinese who have lived under a fascist like government, exposure to American and British Punk Rock has been very limited until recently. With the help of the internet many Chinese youth are picking up punk rock culture and adapting it to their struggle. The streets of Beijing often resemble a war zone where stray bullets fly as documented in the film, so hardcore punk strikes a chord with many teens in China looking to find a music that reflects life around them. 

An American living in China opened up a music venue (D22) and soon found that many of the youth were talented musicians who quickly put together bands and could often fill the club night after night. Some of the bands adapted a UK 82 style Punk look and sound (Demerit) while another featured band pride themselves on being Beijing Bootboy Skinheads (Misandao). Jeffords films both bands and their poor living conditions which mirrors the same conditions many Punks in the late 70’s and early 80’s survived through. Much like their western counterparts the Chinese Punk Rockers embrace drinking alcohol and playing music very loud. Drug abuse isn’t tolerated in China so many Punks stray away from doing it in public as the risk of getting caught isn’t worthwhile. Misandao’s guitarist is sent away to a work camp for months after being charged for a minor drug offense and the band are denied visas to tour outside of China. Demerit find trouble when they want to release an album with controversial lyrics and have to delay the release of their cd. For a band there isn’t much of a future in China, so touring outside the country is any bands ticket to a career. The film ends with Demerit attaining visas to tour the US. 

Overall this documentary shows a lot about an otherwise unknown part of the world in regards to its Punk Rock connection. For everyone who thinks they’ve lived and seen it all well this documentary is for you. For those who want to see Punk Rock sprouting in another part of the world, this too is for you. The 3rd world country Punk Rock scene is sure growing and this documentation proves just that.




-Louie Bones-

Big Wheel Staff  Reporter
 

 


Bookmark and Share

 

                                           Go HERE to see more DVD reviews

 

 

Send your comments to the editor HERE

 

Circle Jerks: My Career As A Jerk – DVD Review

September 30, 2012

Circle Jerks: My Career As A Jerk - DVD ReviewThe explanation of spontaneous energy is how this movie can be best described. Prolific film maker Dave Markey assembled an excellent historical video document that informs and highly entertains you along the journey of this seminal band. The film starts out on how the original members got together from various prior bands to form Circle Jerks, as well as look into the early years of Punk scene they helped shape as it exploded with true rawness.

In the band members own words they detail how they put together the songs from various random musical pieces that each member had, totally devoid of a master planning and how the music came very organically. You also understand the music talents of each member and how that became a sound that no other band had, but wish they did. Lots of great factoids about the band including he origin of the band's name is revealed by merely looking through an American slang dictionary.

There are way too many highlights in this DVD to cite, yet here are just a few. How they got signed to Frontier Records after being seen by label founder Lisa Fancher at The Cuckoos Nest. The contract for the record was done on a paper bag filled with marijuana. The album was recorded on tape that was already recorded on and reused to record the Group Sex album. Guitarist Greg Hetson expresses how the band was worried that no one would buy it and how they added 4 to 5 records to every song to make the album appear longer, so instead of 57 seconds for the song Red Tape they made it 1 minute 4 seconds. Keith talks about the recording of this record and how it was done in small multiple sessions that he was very surprised that the album had any continuity to it when it was finished. In the bonus footage you will see the original artwork and layout of the Group Sex album -album artwork was produced a lot differently back then. As you watch the bonus footage you will finally learn the origin of the phone number given at the end of the song Group Sex, and the poor guy that got all the calls… you will get a good laugh out of it.

   My Career As A Jerk movie traier


It was very interesting to hear them speak about the 2nd album "Wild In The Streets" that was put out on Faulty Records and how they felt that they could not capture the same vibe of the first album. This is all funny to hear from them since most fans love this album to death, yet it is interesting to hear them be critical of it. You will develop a greater understanding of the band, how the line up evolved through the years with members of other noted bands, you will be blown away with who was apart of this band throughout it's history. Toward the end of the video things get really somber when they spoke about the overdose death of original member Roger Rogerson back in 1996 after he had called all the members of original line up to jam again like the old days and write some new songs.

You will see alot of raw footage of live shows mixed with interviews by the band as they take you through the history and events that made Circle Jerks one of the greatest Punk bands ever. Zander Schloss gives the film a magnum opus moment with this quote that really sums up their career: "Legends are not based on being active all the time, legends are based on their absence, so what a legend does is they do something great and then they disappear mysteriously for awhile, and then come back or die, but legends are based on their absence". The quote resonates so well and teaches that all music fans should never take a band's blood, sweat and tears for granted and see them live every chance we get.

The hour and half will go by so fast and is packed with info and footage that will make you glad that you own this DVD so you can watch it over and over, just like how you play your favorite Circle Jerks record over and over. Plus, the 30 minutes of deleted footage that you get as a bonus is a movie on it's own. If you love the Circle Jerks, this is a DVD you have to have. It will reinforce why you got that Circle Jerks tattoo, put that patch on your jacket or wear that t-shirt proudly.

     ***** This is a MUST GET !


Video is out on MVD Visual: www.mvdvisual.com
The video can be found at better independent record stores everywhere and as a last resort on Amazon.

Information on the film maker can be found here: We Got Power Films: www.wegotpowerfilms.com



-Payne-

Big Wheel Magazine
 

 


Bookmark and Share

 

                                           Go HERE to see more DVD reviews

 

 

Send your comments to the editor HERE

 

Merrell Fankhauser’s Tiki Lounge Set Vol 1 & 2

July 12, 2012

Merrell Fankhauser’s Tiki Lounge set Vol 1 - 2 Surf rock legend Merrell Fankhauser is one hell of a guitarist and if you ever doubted that you will now think otherwise after having viewed any of his new DVD releases brought to you by Gonzo Multimedia. In these releases we see Merrell Fankhausers TV show performances of years prior along with interviews that range from over forty years ago to present time.

There is even an episode dedicated to UFO’s and the infamous Area 51 base in the Nevada desert.

I may not know much about surf rock, but I certainly respect where it came from and where it’s going and I owe a bit of that to the word of Merrell Fankhauser and this set of DVD’s that have opened my eyes to his works as well as his contemporaries here on the Tiki Lounge set.

If you are into this brand of rock, then surfs up because you will definitely love this release.
 



Bookmark and Share
 

-Louie Bones-
Big Wheel Staff Journalist
 

 

                                           Go HERE to see all the latest record reviews

 

 

Send your comments to the editor HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinosaur Jr – Bug Live at the 9:30 Club – In The Hands of Fans

July 12, 2012

 Dinosaur Jr - Bug Live at the 9:30 Club - In The Hands of FansI will admit to not being the biggest Dinosaur Jr fan out there, in fact I normally can’t name four of their songs at any given time. However with this release being shot by fans (much like the Iggy & The Stooges Raw Power DVD) I couldn’t help but be very amused and interested in the final product.

What fans get here is Dinosaur Jr performing their seminal album Bug in its entirety before a crowd of super fortunate fans at the 9:30 Club in Washington DC. The bands performance is very good in my opinion (I don’t have much to compare it to) and they seem to be having a fun time belting out classic hit after hit. Eleven tracks are played in total and the show finished without ever being too long or too short, just right if you want the concert experience.


With the camera in the hands of six fans this release is a special treat and pretty organic compared to large production filled DVDs that lack a rawness long forgotten in music releases these days.

The bonus material is great as it is plentiful! Henry Rollins of Black Flag fame (a D.C. native as well) interviews the band on stage as fans get to interview the band behind the scenes backstage. There is also extra footage of the band on stage as well making the bonus end of the DVD longer than the actual concert itself.

As a casual Dinosaur Jr fan I must say I am impressed, I assume the die hard fans out there will love this release
 



Bookmark and Share
 

-Louie Bones-
Big Wheel Staff Journalist
 

 

                                           Go HERE to see all the latest record reviews

 

 

Send your comments to the editor HERE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I Need That Record! The Death (Or Possible Survival) of the Independent Record Store

November 17, 2011

I Need That Record! The Death (Or Possible Survival) of the Independent Record StoreThere are a number of record stores closing around the nation as a result of bad business and a whole lot of both legal and illegal mp3 downloading. You knew that before you read this; though what you will learn from watching “I Need That Record” is a revealing look at how the music industry has nearly collapsed on itself in the last decade and half.

This tell-all documentary explains how music and music formats have de-evolved as vinyl, cassette, and CD have nearly gone the way of the do-do bird.

In essay like fashion director Brendan Toller visit’s a number of indie record stores throughout America’s vast land. He interviews numerous shop owners, employees, long time customers and musicians who have ultimately lived through the music they happen to sell, make, and buy. It’s an eye opening peek at how many people in the indie music scenes have always stood together to support what stands as a cultural and musical foundation in communities across America.

Everything in relation to record sales is discussed here as the corporate mishandlings of label money take radio stations hostage and force feed consumers of the world a butt load of aural crap. The effect big label head honchos have on the record industry is scary as this DVD explains the decline and fall of a once multi million dollar industry that can now barely stay afloat. Interviews with Minor Threat’s Ian Mackaye, The Talking Head’s Chris Frantz, Punk Magazine Legs McNeil, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and Minutemen’s Mike Watt make this more interesting from a punk rockers perspective.

I don’t want to reveal too much, but this DVD is a must have for any music lover out there who has shopped at an independent music store and wants to know why things in the music world have happened the way they have. As someone who has been purchasing music since the age of 10 this is a heartfelt look at how the music I love and care for may nearly be impossible to purchase in store in the not so distant future.

-Louie B.-
Big Wheel Staff Reporter
 


Bookmark and Share

 

                                           Go HERE to see more DVD reviews

 

 

Send your comments to the editor HERE

 

Next Page »

Bottom