Go support Record Store Day on Saturday April 18th

We are asking everyone that visits the Big Wheel Online Magazine site no matter where you are in the world to go support Record Store Day on Saturday April 18th. Let your local record store know that you appreciate their HUGE contribution to the music scene by buying a CD, vinyl record or other goods from their store. Mark it on your schedule to go patronize an independent record store on Saturday, this should be the MAIN thing you do that day.
If for some reason you can not physically get to a record store on Saturday, go to your independent record store's website and buy something from their website. Do your part to make sure that independent record stores stay around forever.

Record Store Day unites indie retailers "as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally.This brings community awareness to these cultural institutions who are surviving, even thriving, in the changing music environment.

Here is the website around this special day  http://recordstoreday.com

Some of the stores that have been a big support to us here at Team Goon / Big Wheel have been:
TKO Records at 18948 Brookhurst St.  Fountain Valley, CA  92708  714-962-0500
Headline Records at 7708 Melrose Ave.  Los Angeles CA  90046  323-655-2125

*** Send us a photo of yourself or a group of your friends supporting an independent on this Saturday and that will enter you for a special drawing for a big pack of music and we will also kick you down with a pair of tickets to an upcoming show.



Here are some other record stores that we have used in the past to perform the research we do here:

Rockaway Records  2395 Glendale Blvd  Los Angeles, CA  90039

Black Hole Records   108 N Harbor Blvd  Fullerton, CA  92832  714-449-1788

Vinyl Solution Records  18822 Beach Blvd #104  Huntington Beach, CA  92648  714-963-1819

Glass House Record Store   248 W Second St.  Pomona, CA 91766  909-865-3802

Poo Bah Record Shop   2636 E Colorado Blvd  Pasadena, CA  91107  626-449-3359

Radiation Records  1501 N Raymond Ave Ste N  Anaheim, CA.  714-400-0019

Lovells Records & Tapes  6719 Greenleaf Ave  Whittier, CA  90601  562-696-7616



What are doing sitting there???   Go get a record at an independent store!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 Night of Zero Boys – at 924 Gilman St. – Berkeley, CA

I heard the Zero Boys haven’t played in California since 1982, so when I found out they were playing only two shows in California, over 450 miles away from where I live, I gathered up the road dogs and drove up for a weekend of Frisco fun. (They hate it when out of towners call it Frisco hehe) Anyhow we drove up the night before the first show and stayed in a classy part of town referred to as the Tenderloin or more affectionately known by the locals as “Crackville USA”.

Zero Boys: DAY 1

The next morning we checked out Haight and Ashbury, China Town (yes I bought a hat that looks like Rayden’s from Mortal Combat) and made a stop at the respected establishment “The Lusty Lady”. After a fun filled day we crossed the bridge over into Berkeley to go to Gilman to experience the first night of two of the incredible Zero Boys.

Crucial Cause got the night started.  The start was a bit rocky but immediately they hit their stride and started playing songs off of their “Try Our luck” Ep like “Ridiculously Fast”, “Try Our Luck” and my personal favorite “Junkie”. They also played tracks off the brand new “Blood Money” Ep that is now available now at your local record retailer. They even played some brand new tracks that have a metallic edge to them combined with that great thrashcore sound that Crucial Cause plays so well.

Next up were the great Broken Needle who drove up from our neck of the woods. They opened with the new rager “Trash This Place” and blazed through tons of great LP tracks and a bunch of new songs from their upcoming ep. They really got the kids moving and seeing the kids sing along up there really got me pumped for what was to come in the next few hours.

Next up was ADT who seems to be a staple Gilman band due to the fact that almost every time I have played Gilman they have played with us. Metallic tinged D-Beat that still does not impress me even being on a huge D Beat kick at the moment. They played a set and I occupied my time with the loveliest of all ladies in Berkeley.

Next up was Black Fork. Never heard of them and to be honest did not have high expectations. There is something about the use of silverware in a band name that just does not sit well with me. I was pleasantly surprised when they started playing some well - executed rockin tunes with some angry female vocals that could be likened to bands such as Imperial Leather. The singer had good stage presence and they proved to be an entertaining band to watch.

Next up were the Zero Boys! I was wondering how this was gonna be but expected them to be great due to what I had heard from people who have seen them before. Right away they jumped right in to “Vicious Circle” which was the perfect opener. The crowd went nuts. Paul’s voice sounded exactly the same. That man has not aged in the throat department at all. With only enough time to readjust your junk and wipe the sweat off your brow, the Zero Boys were into “Aphetamine Addiction”. Followed by “New Generation” and “Dirty Alleys/Dirty Minds” and the classic “Civilization’s Dying”. I kept batting away my erection because they were playing their first Lp in their exact order! They kept up the momentum with more Vicious Circle tracks like “Livin In The 80’s”, “Drug Free Youth”, and a personal favorite of mine “Hightime”. They threw in a new one called “Rain” that caused my swollen member to become semi flaccid but all in all it was not bad. They did a few covers back to back, both being of more obscure Indiana bands. One band they covered was Dow Jones and The Industrials and it was pretty rockin. I tracked down some of their stuff online seeing as it would be near impossible to purchase and yes, I downloaded it and you should too. Great synth punk from Indiana. Anyways before I get sidetracked, Zero Boys continued on and I watched as my belligerent drunk friend Robbie caused a scene and we did the most aggressive freak dancing two straight men have ever done. He then proceeded to cover flyers with Tipper’s Gore stickers and thought it was hilarious since people would be tricked into thinking we were playing. Anyway, my attention once again was on the Zero Boys and they closed the set with the great tune “I’m Bored”. I was not bored however. Everyone walked out sweaty and smiling after going nuts for the Zero Boys and their epic set. End of night one and looking forward to night two.


Zero Boys: Night Two

Stayed at a friend’s house, not much sleep but hey I’m young right? Hung in Berkeley and headed back to Gilman for night two.


Due to the weather conditions I was forced to go inside on account of the rain. I knew literally no one and walked in while a band called Nuts And Bolts was onstage. 

Next up were some old dudes who get it, The Stitches. It had been so long since I saw The Stitches and was excited to see them again. I heard they were off drugs and booze, so of course I was skeptical as to how this would adversely affect their performance. I was wrong, they were buzzin and they played a set that might be one of the best I have seen them play. They opened with the opening track on 8 X 12, “Nowhere”. Perfect way to start a Stitches set. It was basically a greatest hits set, with Mike rocking the mic stand with ferocity and style. They played great songs off 8 X 12 like “My Baby Hates Me” and “That Woman’s Got Me Drinking”. They played their great La Peste “Better Off Dead” cover and went through tracks off of 12 Imaginary Inches and various Eps including “Automatic”, “Pick Me Up” (the anthem of road head), “Sixteen”, and closed with the great “I Just Want To Fuck” (a hidden track on the You Tear Me Out 7”) which at one point I was told they would no longer play. A great set from a band that is still great.

Zero Boys, second time around. At this point I’m in zombie mode trying desperately to hulk up for the Zero Boys set. They opened with a new song “Drive In” which if you have not heard it, check out their myspace, it sounds like it could be an outtake from the Vicious Circle session. Nothing better than a band that can still crank out great material. They continued to play tons of newer material that I was unfamiliar with. They played another great new song I did recognize called “High Places” which is another reason why I am excited for their new Lp, which will be out this Fall. The first half of the set was so different from the night before which I guess makes sense but because the crowd was so different it wouldn’t have mattered if the set were identical. Right when I was about to lose hope the drummer did a floor tom/snare build up and they went into “Hightime”. I was overjoyed. Then they repeated the night before by playing back to back Vicious Circle tracks in their order. They played “You Can Touch Me” and “Trying Harder to close out the night. I walked out half asleep and heard an encore from down the street. Yeah I’m a wiener but what it boils down to is that I came to Berkeley, I saw Zero Boys (twice) and I conquered.

- Davey F. -

 

 

                                          Go HERE to see all the latest show reviews
 

 

Dr. Dre Day with Old Man Markley – Pussy Cow – Horace Weitraub – Stab City – at Blue Star – Los Angeles, CA

For the past three years, my friends and I have celebrated the birth of Dr. Dre at an event known as Dre Day.  The idea was stolen from a club in Minneapolis.  When I first read about it, I thought that it was a damn shame for Los Angeles not to have our own Dre Day celebration.  After all, Dr. Dre is Los Angeles’ native son.

It started off simple enough.  My friends and I just hung out at my house listening to Dre produced music and watching movies starring the great Dr. Dre.  That year we decided that the next year, we would make it even bigger.

The second year was everything we imagined it would be.  We had bands do their own takes on Dr. Dre songs and had The Chronic photo booth where patrons could replace their own heads in the classic album cover.  We passed out several stickers that featured classic lyrics on them.  Our Dre Day show became a much talked about event that year.

This year, Gabe (aka Horace Weintraub) and I decided that we would celebrate Dre Day at a bigger and better venue, The Blue Star Café. The Blue Star Café is always good to us and we knew that they’d work with us.  If you have never been there, you should know that the Blue Star is an outdoor venue.  This left Gabe and I constantly worried that it would rain that night.  There was a light sprinkling as I pulled up to the venue but other than that, it was clear skies.  I didn’t notice it until that night but the combination between the outdoor venue and the barbed wire added something to the general ambiance.

Last year, all the bands we had playing were Punk bands with the exception of the closing hip hop act. This year, our bill had a much more diverse line up.

The opening act, Stab City, usually plays a dirty style of rock n roll.  They started by cueing an ipod up with Dr. Dre instrumentals that they then rapped over.  Guitarist, Sailor, was in all black with his head covered by a Chicago White Sox hat.  Bobby, the drummer, assumed the part of Snoop Dog in their first cover, Deep Cover.  Bobby had the words, “Deez Nuts”, scrawled across his stomach.  Bassist, Dan, was in a bright sparkly yellow shirt which depicted a hip hop version of Nintendo character, Mario.  He was the perfect Dre to Bobby’s Snoop.  The ended the cover portion of their set with, L’il Ghetto Boy.  Sailor picked up his guitar towards the end of that one and added a few licks to the song.  Then they launched into what Stab City was born to do: Rock our pants off.

After Stab City, it was time for our annual Eddie 40-hands competition.  This years contestants were Ryan Scumbag (last year’s loser) and this girl named, Alex.  I made sure they both had a ride home before duct taping their hands to 40 oz bottles of Miller High Life.  The winner was announced following our second act.  Ryan won but Alex was incredibly close to winning herself.  Ryan won a Gangsta Rap Coloring book and Alex won a cassette single of Nuthin but a G Thang.

Next was Horace Weintraub.  In my opinion, Horace stole the show that night.  If you’ve seen Horace before, you sort of knew what to expect but many people there had never heard music like this or seen it performed live.  Think of Horace Weintraub as the silly version of industrial artists, Babyland. Their first Dre cover, Nuthin but a G Thang, was recited by a computer.  Horace would tell the audience to “Stop Talking” in between songs.  3D glasses were passed out and hilarious songs were played.  The second Dre cover, Nigga wit a Gun, had the support of three female back up singers.

Next was my band (Pu$$y Cow). I took some time to recite the lyrics to all of our covers next to my car seconds before it was show time.  As soon as I hit the stage, I realized that I was pretty drunk and nervous.  I was dressed as if I was sponsored by Dickies.  We dedicated our set to Lux Interior.  While Lux probably wasn’t the most avid Dre listener, I felt that Lux was a fan of showmanship and that every band playing that evening had showmanship coming out of their ears.  The songs we covered were Still D.R.E, The Next Episode and California Love.

Luckily I only messed up one lyric in all of those. Chissum changed the lyric in Still D.R.E from, “Representing all the gangstas all across the world, hitting the corners in them lo los girl” to, “Representing all the gangstas all across the land. I’m wiping off boogers down in Disneyland”. It was a classic Chissum move.  We pretended to end our set and then kicked into California Love.  We called out all the neighborhoods of the band and the crowd.

Old Man Markley is a bluegrass band made up of members of some of Los Angeles’ finest Punk bands. They started their set with a corn rowed Annie singing the Eazy E classic, Automobile.  There is nothing more charming than a girl reciting the smutty lyrics of Eazy E.  Every member was dressed to the nines and every song was beautiful.  Their washtub bassist, Joey Balls, led them in a sped up Forgot About Dre ho down.

After the whole thing was over, it started to rain.  A perfect ending to a perfect night.

See ya next year, bitches!

- Joe Dana -

 

More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 

                                          Go HERE to see all the latest show reviews
 

Video courtesy of Smash
 

Lux Interior of The Cramps passes away at age 62 in Glendale, California

Eulogy by Joe Dana

I discovered the music of the Cramps in the year that I lived in Wisconsin. This girl I was seeing introduced me to them. We listened to Stay Sick, Look Mom No Head and Smell of the Female over and over on her cassette player. We would jump and down on her bed and do the twist.

I had heard about them for years. I remember seeing Christian Slater wearing the famous Bad Music for Bad People T-shirt in the movie, Gleaming the Cube.

Something about them really clicked with me. They were like my favorite parts of the music I grew up listening to on KRTH and KRLA but with a certain wildness. The songs were about drugs, sex, and everything in between. The Cramps instantly became my favorite band.

I spent all my money working at a record store back in Los Angeles buying each of their releases. I quickly took note of the differences between the early albums and later ones. I quickly learned that while the formula was the same if one listened to an album with Bryan Gregory, it was completely different from listening to an album with Candy Del Mar. There were subtle nuances and differences in the sound but one thing would remain constant and that is what kept the people coming back.

The constant, of course, was Lux Interior and Poison Ivy. I rented every one of their bootleg videos from Mondo Video a Go Go. Lux was this mad cap performer and a mix of every great entertainer in Rock n’Roll. He was a Mick Jagger, Jerry Lee Lewis, Iggy Pop cocktail. For every ounce of Lux that was wild, Ivy was this demure figure that hardly ever smiled. She owned the stage just by being talented and beautiful. She provided the structure for Lux’s dangerous chaos.

The problem was I was only in my teens and the Cramps almost always played 21 and over shows. They’d come to town and I would get so frustrated that I didn’t have a fake ID. I’d rent more videos and buy hard to find cramps merchandise from Ebay and have my own personal Cramps concert on my parents’ TV.

At the age of 20, the Cramps played an all ages show at the Palace. Guitar Wolf and the Demolition Doll Rods opened for them starting the tradition of the Cramps getting me into new and relatively unknown bands. I can’t tell you how excited I was.

In my mind, every band that played before the Cramps that night sucked. Guitar Wolf were 3 Ramones-esque balls of fire. Fuck them. They ain’t the Cramps. Demolition Doll Rods had two girls in the band with their breasts out. Don’t care. They ain’t the Cramps.

The Cramps finally took the stage and blew me away. Lux was climbing on top of 12 ft tall speakers and jumping from them. He’d take mic stands and bend them over his head. He’d pour bottles of red wine down his throat and all over himself. The show ended, as it did most of the time, with a crazy noisy dripping with feedback rendition of Surfin’ Bird.

Lux destroyed the stage, exposed himself and crawled off the stage. Ivy waved at the crowd and left as well.

I don’t remember how or why but that night I got to meet the Cramps. I quickly bought a copy their album, Big Beat From Badsville so that I’d have something for them to sign. I was standing in front of Lux and I felt tiny next to him. His high heeled boots made him tower over me. The whole time I was star struck, I kept hearing another tiny star struck voice next to me. He was paying Lux all kinds of compliments.

It was Rob Zombie. This was back when he wore the huge hat and had the dreads. It was pretty striking seeing that guy kiss Lux’s ass. I’ll never forget the moment as long as I live. I also remember someone handing Ivy a Barbie doll that looked just like her.

I asked them all to sign my record and went home. I decided that I would try to see the Cramps as many times as I could. I wanted to see them for as many years as I was alive. I got about halfway there.

The Cramps mostly played around Halloween. Every year, my Halloween was dictated on whether or not the Cramps would play. You’re having a Halloween party? I’ll try to make it after the Cramps show. I even drove to San Francisco twice to see them at the Fillmore. The year my band got together, the Cramps didn’t play Halloween so I insisted that we learn 3 Cramps songs at our own Halloween show.

Several years and several shows were much like the first time I saw them. There were different line ups and different set lists but they would always leave me awestruck and inspired. Lux was my father’s age and Ivy was my mom’s age. My parents are pretty cool but I couldn’t picture them rocking a stage at their age. Lux and Ivy were born to do it. It seemed like they bled rock n’ roll. Every year that I would see them would make me scoff at the idea of “getting older” and “growing up”. The Cramps are still rocking and so am I.

Today, I found out that Lux has passed away. It is truly a sad day for rock n’ roll. I’ve already cried a few times which I haven’t done in a few years. I keep rereading the press release and hoping it is hoax.

R.I.P Lux. - Stay Sick.

 

This statement came from the band's publicist:
Lux Interior, lead singer of The Cramps, passed away this morning due to an existing heart condition at Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, California at 4:30 AM PST today. Lux has been an inspiration and influence to millions of artists and fans around the world. He and wife Poison Ivy’s contributions with The Cramps have had an immeasurable impact on modern music.

 

Big Wheel Magazine presents – 10 Things Going Extinct

Since time is linear we often showcase the new and remember the old, but what about the things that we haven’t quite left behind completely? These things are what we will  bring to light and make you say “oh yeah, that’s right!” These items or places still exist today, but are slowly fading away only to be replaced with something more convenient or modern. Here is the first installment of  ten things that are fading away.

 

 

1. Telephone Booths
Remember these? The telephone booth has been a staple of American communication for over 100 years. They took residence on street corners inside buildings and were often the target for attempted world records to see how many people you could stuff in one. Depending on where they were they could be in pristine condition or smell of urine. They afforded us a degree of privacy when we needed to make a call. Take notice and ask yourself “Where have all the phone booths gone?” the answer is that you and I destroyed them with cellular phones.

 

 
2. Tube Televisions
Many people still have tube televisions, but with the upcoming conversion to a digital signal we may soon start to see less and less of these sets. Take a trip to an electronics store. You won’t see many tube televisions left, but LCD and Plasma televisions are definitely in abundance. Do you remember the smell of your old tube television? Do you remember what it was like to turn off your old tube television; the picture folding into a single white line across your screen before finally disappearing into a dot, and then oblivion? The days of the tube television are definitely numbered with repair shops disappearing in favor of simply replacing your broken electronic item. 

 

3. Film Cameras
Do you remember going to a party, family event, or taking a trip and taking your camera with you? Many of us still do today but we no longer fill our cameras with 35mmfilm. Though you can still quite readily purchase film from your local grocer or drug store, I believe the appeal is mainly as a novelty, or someone who appreciates photography as an art. Gone is film in favor of a memory card. Gone also is the quality of a developed photograph in favor of a quick and easy printed photo.

 

4. Address Book (little black book)
You needed to find a date or needed to call a friend; you checked your address book, sometimes referred to as your “little black book”. Open it up. If you still have yours it still has all your old numbers; some crossed out, some changed. Different color inks or all one uniform color if you are that type of person. Why did you ever stop carrying it? It’s that cell phone again! Why carry a book of numbers when you have it all stored in your cell phone’s memory. However, don’t drop your phone in water or else your little digital black book is toast. At least when you got pushed in a pool all you had to do is let your old paperback dry out and you were good to go!

 

5. Ashtrays in public places
Take a look at the outside of elevator doors, public toilet stalls, lobbies, and on the tables at a restaurant. Where have all the ashtrays gone? Its no doubt that if you live in a smoke free state many of these things have been gone for quite some time, but what about the permanent ashtrays that were installed in walls or as a fixture? Many of those had to stay, sometimes being converted into a trash can or a planter. However, more and more of these fixtures are being removed and patched over as if in an attempt to help us forget that smoking had ever existed indoors. Don’t forget, remember. Remember when a department store had the faint smell of a cigarette?

 

6. Hand written letters
Who hand writes letters anymore? We live in a time defined by speed and ease; hand written letters just don’t fit the bill. Though they do take more time, patience and are harder to correct, a hand written letter is much more personal than something typed up on the computer and sent by email. Along with the decline of the letter comes the decline of penmanship. How much longer till the ability to write ends up on this list?

 

7. Checks
Very few are the instances now when a check can be more useful than a modern ATM check card or direct deposit. Once only used as a pass to get cash out of an ATM, the check card acts as a direct link to ones bank account allowing the user to pay for goods or receive cash back. Credit card ease without the fees! Looks like the only time you will see checks is when you receive a birthday card from grandma.

 

8. Stand alone bowling alleys
All the rage in the 1950s and 60s; stand alone bowling alleys are commonly marked by classic mid-century modern architecture. For a while falling out of popularity, many have been torn down to be replaced by shopping centers or big box stores. The silver lining that may be in store for the long neglected stand alone lanes is that the new millennium has brought about a rekindled interest in bowling with the swanky “Lucky Strike Lanes” opening up in high traffic, upscale locations. This could help resurge interest in the old stand alone lanes or perhaps put the final nail in the coffin for the lonely neighborhood stand alone bowling alley.
 

9. Car hood ornaments
Up until about 20 years ago the hood ornament was something that you saw on many mid to high grade cars on the road. We aren’t denying that the hood ornament has been long gone for many years; however seeing it disappear from the road is what we are experiencing now.  With many of the older cars finally going into retirement for a number of reasons many of the cars leaving the road have hood ornaments, or at least used to have them. Another factor in the disappearance of the hood ornament is theft. Sure, there still a few out there, but having a hood ornament is just about as out of style as wearing a stolen one on a chain as a piece of jewelry.

 

10. Coffee Shops (Diners)
Don’t worry, your local Starbucks isn’t going anywhere. We’re talking about REAL coffee shops, the places where you could get a decent meal and a cup of black coffee for a reasonable price. Still not sure what I mean? Sometimes referred to as “old people restaurants” or “diners”. There was a time when fast food wasn’t the first option to eating an economic meal. A few examples of the coffee shop are Norms, Bobs Big Boy or even Denny’s, but don’t let the quality of the modern coffee shop fool you, at a true coffee shop you can get a chicken dinner, soup, bread, and desert for under $10. Seek these places out and get it while you can! 

 

 

Los Angeles radio station Indie 103.1 is off the airwaves – Is it becuse they would not play the corporate radio game?

WOW, we are bummed to hear that Indie 103.1 will not be broadcasting live over the airwaves any longer. From the very start of this station 5 years ago we were an early supporter of the station. Over the course of time Big Wheel/TG was given the to opportunity to film and photograph many of the live guests that appeared on the air. TK and everyone over there were always great to us, we are sure we will see them around. There are alot of bands that got their first airplay on this station and later went on to be major bands.


Here is the announcement we just got-

This is an important message for the Indie 103.1 Radio Audience -
Indie 103.1 will cease broadcasting over this frequency effective immediately. Because of changes in the radio industry and the way radio audiences are measured, stations in this market are being forced to play too much Britney, Puffy and alternative music that is neither new nor cutting edge. Due to these challenges, Indie 103.1 was recently faced with only one option --- to play the corporate radio game.

We have decided not to play that game any longer. Rather than changing the sound, spirit, and soul of what has made Indie 103.1 great, Indie 103.1 will bid farewell to the terrestrial airwaves and take an alternative course.

This could only be done on the Internet, a place where rules do not apply and where new music thrives; be it grunge, Punk, or alternative - simply put, only the best music.

For those of you with a computer at home or at work, log on to www.indie1031.com and listen to the new Indie 103.1 - which is really the old Indie 103.1, not the version of Indie 103.1 we are removing from the broadcast airwaves.

We thank our listeners and advertisers for their support of the greatest radio station ever conceived, and look forward to continuing to deliver the famed Indie 103.1 music and spirit over the Internet to passionate music listeners around the world.

www.indie103.com

Here is some more on this story from LA Weekly

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