September 26, 2017

BORED!

BY ANGEL SPENT
September 26, 2017

Here it goes our debut show on Soundcloud, Bored! The track listing is pleasantly detailed. As well, some terrific remarks by original members of the bands are added in, starring Steven Metz of Mad Society,  Mike Spent of the Spent Idols and the N. Y. Whores, Kevin McGovern of the Inversions, Danny Shonerd of the Boys, and EVO of the Smärt Boyz. Please share. I hope you enjoy it! And BEWARE! It's Lousy Rock N Roll!

  

 TRACKLIST


1. The Spent Idols - Bored
The show opens with one of my faves, "Bored"
by the Spent Idols, a track from the band's debut demo tape, and which was recorded in December of 1993. "It had been approximate 10 years since there was a full fledged punk scene and in the early 90s grunge was the rage. Some grunge bands had the beginning of good punk riffs that would regress into a drugged out fury of hippy guitar psyche out which would piss me off and disappoint me," said Mike Spent recently. "I was going to shows looking for a good band, and  by 1992 I found one, the Exploding Fuck Dolls, for which I saw my old punk friend Duane Peters roadie for. He later fronted the band before forming the US Bombs, which were originally called Bomb Squad briefly. Well, running into him that night concreted the idea I had about forming a band for old punkers like myself," continued Mike. This version of "Bored" features Mike Spent on vocals, Jesse Spent on drums, Jon Pankopf (a.k.a. Lurch) on guitar, and Henry Spent on bass. "It was my first new song and the lyrics lay out how I felt and what the 90s were like," Mike explained, "bands like Nirvana, Green Day, etc., calling themselves punk. We restarted a punk rock revolution".
https://www.facebook.com/thespentidols/
https://www.facebook.com/mike.spent
https://www.facebook.com/angelspent
https://spentidols.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/spentidols/
https://www.instagram.com/thespentidols/
https://www.instagram.com/angelspent/

2. The Inversions - Hit Me
The follow up track, "Hit Me," is garagey trustworthy punk rock by the Inversions. Based in Columbus, Ohio, amazing vocalist and leader of the Prostitutes, Kevin McGovern recorded this song as the Inversions at Diamond Mine Studios. "...a song I wrote very quickly in the fall of 2001. I had a new guitar player I was working with and his ability was pretty basic. I kept the riff and chord change as simple as I could. Writing is easier for me when I’m creating out of necessity and simplicity. In my head, I thought a fusion of the Ramones “Pinhead” and Cheap Trick's “Hot Love” would make for a nice train wreck of a song,"
described Kevin, "The song is about shooting coke and the paranoia that was everywhere after 9/11. It's about the feeling of invincibility and purity drugs can create when they're present in your life during chaotic and uncertain times. It’s describing the feeling of not wanting to get old and predictable. I was trying to capture a moment in time that I knew wouldn’t last." he carried on, "When I did the handclaps in the studio with my friend Matt, I told the engineer to make it sound pronounced and loud like the handclaps in "Jack and Diane" as opposed to a light garagey 60s sound. The subject matter might have been a subconscious lift." Kevin's backing band on this song was Dave and Doug of Cleveland's GC5. "Hit Me" appears on the Hung By The Phone 7'' EP, released in March of 2003 on the Rapid Pulse label.
Kevin has recorded a new Prostitutes song called “Give Me Head Or Give Me Death,” and he is finishing up 2 more songs for a new EP which is soon to come out.
https://www.facebook.com/tutespunk
https://www.instagram.com/kevinpmcgovern/
http://lousyrocknroll.blogspot.cl/2014/03/hit-me-hit-me-hit-me.html


3. The Boys - I'm Not Satisfied
Third track, "I'm Not Satisfied" was cut by
Lincoln, Nebraska’s legendary power-pop, proto-glam heroes the Boys. It was the b-side of their debut single (She's My Girl) She's All Mine, issued in 1975 on their own label, Outrage Records. This is an alternate mix, starring vocalists and guitarists Danny Shonerd and Allen Havlicek, plus bassist Terry Pieper and drummer Phil Shoemaker. “The first 3 lead guitar notes are “All The Young Dudes” riff , played faster, I remember I just learned the lick and it worked, after that we just used the melody. The song is basically about a break up girl and guy, and wanting answers, but not getting the satisfied answers and being left empty from the relationship,” declared to me Danny lately, “There may be more to it, but I've never discussed it with Allen , we just let one another write what they wanted if it worked with the melody, Sometime if you get to deep with the writer it ruins the song. if you know what I mean...”
https://www.facebook.com/The-Boys-usa-192980907424406/
https://www.facebook.com/danny.shonerd
http://lousyrocknroll.blogspot.cl/2014/04/were-not-satisfied.html




4. Smärt Boyz - I'm A Lion
The Smärt Boyz from San Antonio, Texas perform their Rock N Roll masterpiece "I'm A Lion." I really love this song! The composer, EVO a.k.a. Jay Kipling said: “…that Lion song, I'm singing and playing bass, Mad Matt on drums and Richard on guitar.” This is the demo version of “I’m A Lion” and it was recorded at the Sweatbox Studio in Austin in 2011. "I'm A Lion" is also the title track of the Smärt Boyz EP coming up soon on Crowd Control Media Records. 


5. Mad Society - Riot Squad
“Riot Squad” is a primitive hardcore tune by the likes of Mad Society, a great punk band from West Hollywood. It is taken from their 5-song 7" EP, recorded at Electra Flash Studios, and released in 1981 on Hit And Run Records. All the band members were youngsters at the occasion of the recording session, with 10 years old Steven Metz as their yeller, Louie Metz and Marc Vachon on guitars, Cathy Sample on bass, and Aaron Glascock on drums. These days I have contacted Steven, a very kind person. "We were in an apartment. We had an old four track setup. Bass was in the bathroom. Drums in the living room. Guitars in the dining room.  I was singing in the kitchen. We were there all day…" said Steven, about the recording session for their EP.  “Riot Squad” and all the other songs were written by various members of the band. "Cathy wrote some, Louie wrote some, our drummer etc... we really then sat in the garage and formed the songs together back then," emphasized Steven.


6. Active Dog - Fun While It Lasts
“Fun While It Lasts” by the short-lived Vancouver punk rock band Active Dog, came out on the Vancouver Complication compilation LP, issued in 1979 on Pinned Records. The track features Ross on bass Buck Cherry and Terry on guitar, Bill Shirt (a.k.a. Bill Scherk) on vocals, Robert on drums and Gord on keyboards.



7. N.Y. Whores - Kiss Me!
"Kiss Me" was written by Mike Spent and Eric Nathanson (a.k.a. Generic, of the Dead End Kids). "We always talked about a collaboration band... he actually wanted me to front his band but I refused that." remarked Mike, "So we, armed up with the NYW or New York Whores. He wrote the music and we both did the lyrics." "Kiss Me" is the b-side of the N.Y. Whores second single Play The Fool, released by Rapid Pulse Records on September 1st, 1999. This fine punk tune has Generic's wife, Sherry on






8. Aerobitch - Electrocute Your Cock
The VOM cover of “Electrocute Your Cock” is amazingly performed by the Madrid, Spain punk band Aerobitch, highlighting the incredible vocals of Laura Bitch. This song appears on the split 10” vinyl Aerobitch Vs. Puñetazo ?– 13 Steps To Hell released in 1998 by No Tomorrow Records.
https://www.facebook.com/Aerobitch-808011902577358/




9. Cleopatras - Bye Bye
The ending song, “Bye Bye” by the Cleopatras from Siena, Italy, is a rough instrumental that mixes garage punk and surf. It is contained on their second EP Let's Run With… The Cleopatras, recorded Alpha Earthbase Sound Laboratories, Firenze, and released on Perdurabo Records in 2001.
https://www.facebook.com/thecleopatras/ 
https://www.instagram.com/the.cleopatras/ 




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October 25, 2016

TRACY CHASE: FOR REAL


TRACY CHASE: FOR REAL
Interview With A Very Genuine Artist.
BY Angelo Ruggiero
Tuesday, October 25, 2016

  
"... It all just boils down to working out heartbreak and hard emotions. I guess that's probably everybody. Rock n roll is an whiny teenager at heart." 
- Tracy Chase, October 2016.



I don’t know what it is, but Tracy Chase's voice has something magical that I can't resist. Her heavenly melodies are just what everybody needs for falling in love. Tracy’s music has gone forward over the years. It has softened, it has gotten sweet, it’s been enriched by glamorous vocal harmonies. Most recently, she has written, recorded and produced all the tracks from her self-titled solo debut. Tracy Chase, a wonderful album released in 2016 on Burger Records, also available to be purchased on Bandcamp.
http://burgerrecords.11spot.com/tracy-chase-tracy-chase-cassette.html


https://tracychase.bandcamp.com/
 




Based in Glendale, California, Tracy Chase is an American rock musician, well known for her singing voice and guitar playing in the Lipstick Pickups, garage punk band from Anaheim, CA. After a successful split 7" with the Bikini Bumps, Lipstick Pickups did another 7’’ in 2003 on Kapow Records, and a 12" EP on Radio Beat. The song that grabbed me the first time I heard it was "Better Than You" from the Lipsticks Pickups single on Kapow. I felt like that voice was out of this world. Then, after that, I became a fan of the band, and of course of Tracy.


 


Following several compilation appearances, Tracy Chase came back in 2009 with a new project called Schatzi and Hazeltine, which also included Lipstick Pickups’ bassist Vanessa Gonzalez. They only released one captivating single, the Happy Birthday Baby 7’’ that mixes Tracy’s natural sensual vocals with Girl Group sounds.

 
Subsequently, Tracy and Vanessa issued possibly the best Girl Group album around, as Schlitzie in 2013 on Burger Records. 

In May of 2016, Tracy Chase's solo album was released. This event motivated me to interview her and write about her.  She was so kind to answer some of my questions. Enjoy!

ANGELO: What inspires you to compose your songs?

TRACY: Jeez, I dunno… Whenever I set out to write a song with a certain aesthetic it turns out sounding nothing like whatever I had intended… I've realized that I have no control and it's all an accident.  I think I'm going for a dark wave girl group kind of thing and all of a sudden I've got Tiny Tim tracks on my hands.  What are ya gonna do...


ANGELO: Please tell us about your writing! Where do your lyric ideas come from?

TRACY: Someday I hope to be able to say that I make music inspired by something more thoughtful or philosophical, but really it all just boils down to working out heartbreak and hard emotions.  I guess that's probably everybody.  Rock n roll is an whiny teenager at heart.


ANGELO:  Who are your favourite female singers?
 

TRACY: I have a deep and completely unironic love for Britney Spears. She's vulnerable, sincere and not that talented musically, but has a ton of style… Beyond that, my favorites are not that original… If I could have anyones voice in the world it would be a really hard toss-up between Ronnie Spector, Stevie Nicks and Chrissie Hynde. I like how all of their voices are imperfect and husky and rough and sweet at the same time.  I don't have that, but lord knows I tried to cultivate it by smoking too many cigarettes and drinking too much for way too long.  That was dumb.  It didn't work. Actually, I take it back.  If I could have anyone's voice it would be Shannon Shaw from Shannon and the Clams.  She gives me chills.  She's amazing.



ANGELO: Who is the creator of the artwork on  the Schatzi & Hazeltine single’s handmade covers? 

TRACY: Vanessa Gonzalez and I worked on that together. She was also in Lipstick Pickups and we made the Schlitzie record together too. She's the best person and friend.  Anyway, we made the artwork together and our friend Lauren Everett- a really talented photographer- took the photos.


ANGELO: Tell us some of your musical influences, and genres of music that you prefer nowadays.
 
TRACY: That's a hard question because I have a terrible memory.  I fall in love with things and forget about them a week later.  It's a bummer… I guess I would list Shannon again.  And Seth Bogart. He's got such a solid pop sensibility and his aesthetic is weird as shit and I love it.  There's this woman named Sarah Mary Chadwick and she's incredible. Maybe she's from New Zealand… She's been in awesome bands but her solo stuff is heart breaking and dark and raw.  I think my favorite band is the Cleaners from Venus. They trigger some weird set of emotions in my brain, like a childhood I never had and can't get back to… that sounds so emo… I'm gonna go with Britney. Britney and Primus.  They are my favorite.


ANGELO: Whose is the black dog that appears on
the Schlitzie Bandcamp page?

TRACY: That was some random dog.  I'm sure he was a nice guy.  Vanessa sent me that photo from some rooftop party she was at downtown and i thought "yep. That looks about right. That looks like how I feel in most social settings… In over my head and looking for the exit sign."

https://schlitzie.bandcamp.com/


ANGELO: Do you have any plan for a Lipstick Pickups reunion or a new release by them or by Schatzi and Hazeltine, and Schlitzie?

 TRACY: Oh, no.  I realized I have a one-and-done pattern with projects.  I really enjoy making a thing, feeling out a mood and then moving on to something different.  I don't think that's necessarily admirable- it's pretty typical of the disposable-culture we live in I guess… also, I'm lazy and have a short attention span.  Which I guess is saying the same thing twice.

 ANGELO: Do you have any 2016 touring or show
plans to support your solo album?

TRACY: No… I made that record really as a way to work through some heavy life stuff and while it feels good to have finished it and put it out, I'm more happy to put it behind me and move on to better things.
ANGELO: Your songs have eventually evolved into master pieces like the ones on your latest solo release. Please, let us know more about these beautiful recordings?

 TRACY: Jeez Angelo, thank you… I think that might be too generous, but I'll take it.  I made that record in my room, recording into the built in mic on my computer.  I had intended for them to be demos and made about 30 songs over the course of a couple of years and thought I would re-record the ones I liked best.  I had been listening to a lot of Guided by Voices and Cleaners from Venus and realized how much I loved their messy lo-fi sound and then realized- I'm too lazy to relearn all of these songs… So I had my super talented friend Jesse Novak remix them and clean them up a lot and sent them to my friends at Burger.  I grew up with those fine gentlemen.  They were very kind to put it out.





ANGELO: Thanks Tracy! I really love your sincere answers.

TRACY: Thank you for all the kind words!




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August 31, 2016

INTO THE BLACK


THE LION INTERVIEW
Featuring MIKE SPENT +
LOREN MOLINARE and TONY MATTEUCCI  of the DOGS

 Article and Interview by Angel Spent
August 31, 2016.




"I had a blast with Richard, we got to play the middle solo in section just like Steve Hunter & Dick Wagner with Alice Cooper...  I guess we live in a time warp of when music could change the world and move people. " - Loren


From Left to Right: Loren Molinare, Mike Spent, Richard Duguay, Tony Matteucci, and Diane Nile, August 2016.










Based in Los Angeles, CA, Mike Spent Black Belt is the new project by Carlsbad punk icon, and original Spent Idols’ founder Mike Spent. This time, he has been produced by the Dark Lord Richard Duguay of Personality Crisis and the Hellhounds. Spent City Unlimited has just released the band’s debut single, I Am A Lion, which is available on Bandcamp. Everyboby can't help liking these songs!

  

     

Mike Spent Black Belt is composed of Mike on vocals, Richard on guitar, Loren Molinare on guitar, Diane Nile on bass, and Tony Matteucci on drums. Loren and Tony come from legendary Detroit’s punkers the Dogs, who have given the band a compact killer sound, perfected and polished by the natural talents of Richard Duguay. Recently, I interviewed some members of the band on the making of the I Am A Lion single. Enjoy! 


What inspired you to write such a great songs as “I Am A Lion” and “Sun Goes Grey”? 

 MIKE SPENT:  Well, it's a team effort between us, all over 200 years of experience in Punk and Rock n roll. I got to collaborate with musical Black Belts! This took months to complete and I'm very pleased with its outcome. 

What can you tell me about the Into The Black recording session for "I Am A Lion" and “Sun Goes Grey”?

MIKE SPENT: Ok Angel,  “I Am A Lion" was written by myself and Rich [Duguay]. Richard is a well known Canadian musician who started in the band Personality Crisis, and he owns a platinum record from Guns and Roses for his work on the Spaghetti Incident album. It is developed, actually completely rewritten from a song by the same title that I played on tour in 2015 written by Jay Kipling, and I tweaked the lyrics to fit the Spent Idols.

 As for “Sun Goes Grey,” it is a guitar riff by Loren from Detroit’s the Dogs. He wrote it over 30 years ago, and he brought it to me, and he, myself, and Diana Nile came up with the song! Loren has been playing since 1968 and is a well known Detroit rocker who moved the band finally to LA.
The lyrics to “Sun Goes Grey” came out of the ether, they came too me. It's a twisted version of a 1960s garage song.  

 LOREN MOLINARE: Hi Angel! Great hearing from you! Well I have known Mike for awhile from gigging with his band the Spent Idols and the Dogs down in San Diego. We became friends and shared a lot of the same musical influences. We talked about writing some songs and the whole thing was very organic how it happened.
I introduced him to my good friend Richard Duguay from Canada, who is guitarist, writer, and producer. Mike and Richard did a re-write of Mike’s tune “I'm A Lion,” which Mike had done years ago. Richard gave it a cool refresh to the music. I was asked to add the 2nd guitar part in it. I had a blast with Richard, we got to play the middle solo in section just like Steve Hunter & Dick Wagner with Alice Cooper.
The song "Sun Goes Grey," Mike and myself wrote this one. I had an idea to write a song in the fashion of the great short moody songs that were written in the 60's by the Stones, the Kinks, the Animals, or the Yardbirds. So I showed Mike the riff and he came up with the moody lyrics and title, which I thought were perfect. I guess we live in a time warp of when music could change the world and move people. In the studio, Richard came up the great counterpart guitar line against the vocal melody, and we also wanted a real Ann Arbor Stooges cloudy day distortion sound on my guitars to make it very late 60's garage rock sound.

TONY MATTEUCCI: With both songs I attempt to "feel" the song without analyzing what I'm playing.... to what degree I'm successful is determined by the listener.


Who's the author of the Mike Spent Black Belt logo? 



MIKE SPENT: Jed Bridges! He is a graphic artist from Carlsbad. I gave him my idea, and he developed the orange fist for me. I then gave it to my friend Skank who owns Scallywag Printing, and we further tweaked it for stickers and tshirts. I wanted it to have 1969s stooges/psyche vibe of black lights and bong water and stripped it down as I do to the basic elements. I made it lousy! In my lousy Rock n roll tradition!



Given the songs’ slower rock tempo, was there any special feeling you wanted to give to this single?
TONY MATTEUCCI: When we recorded SGG [“Sun Goes Grey”], I tried to capture the dark mood of the lyrics...yes, it's a slower tempo, but I think that and the simplicity of the drums create the proper mood.... at the end of the day, I hope the song creates a feeling suggested by the lyrics.


 MIKE SPENT: Yes it's a departure of my musical style! Finally after 35 years, I allowed myself to be produced, I want the songs to be anthems sing alongs at your local watering hole.








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July 17, 2016

MIKE SPENT BLACK BELT

I AM A LION 
BY ANGEL SPENT 



I AM A LION  Single
Mike Spent Black Belt debut single, recorded at Into The Black Studios, North Hollywood, CA, by Richard Duguay, and mastered at Pawn Shop Recording Studio, Van Nuys, CA, by Patrick Burkholder.
TRACKLIST
A  I Am A Lion (Spent, Duguay, Kipling)
B  Sun Goes Grey (Mike Spent, Loren Molinare)
© 2016 Spentcity Unlimited Publishing

LINKS
https://mikespentblackbelt.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-a-lion-single

 https://soundcloud.com/spentcityunlimited/i-am-a-lion-v4 

 https://soundcloud.com/spentcityunlimited/sun-goes-grey-main-mix-1

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/bands/mike-spent/


 BIO
Mike Spent is an independent Punk Rock singer, songwriter and recording artist living in Burbank, CA. In 2015, he embarked upon a West Coast  tour with his re-newed Spent Idols in support of the album Land Of The Lost. 
With a marked enthusiasm for great music, Mike Spent started working with Richard Duguay in 2016 to record and mix tracks for his new project Mike Spent Black Belt. With the cooperation of his Black Belts (Richard, Loren and Tony of the Dogs, and Diane Nile), Mike completed a brilliant set of songs, two of them being released on Bandcamp in August of 2016. 




CREDITS
Vocals - Mike Spent
Producer, Guitar, Bass - Richard Duguay
Guitar - Loren Molinare
Bass – Diana Nile
Drums - Tony Matteucci
Video By - Angelo Ruggiero







CONTACT
https://www.facebook.com/mike.spent 

https://www.facebook.com/thespentidols 

https://www.facebook.com/rawkunroll
SHOWS
Saturday August 27th 7-10PM
Skinny's Lounge in NOHO
4923 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, California 91601

Performances by
Fuck You Fame Whore, Richard Duguay & Paula Tiberius, R.d. Cane, Mike Spent Black Belt.





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