friday july 15, 2011

The Youngest Ramones Ever

YES! I love it when a plan comes together. 4 years after their birth Renger "Tommy" Ramone, Tijn "Dee Dee" Ramone, Thijs "Johnny" Ramone and Gosse "Joey" Ramone this afternoon had their first ever gig. I saw the real "old Ramones" twice and these youngsters blew 'm away with their playback version of "Hey Ho, Let's Go" aka "Blitzkrieg Bop". The 4 new Ramones are 4 years old each and together they might be 18. Don't know when exactly the first gig of the old Ramones was but I take it their youngest member in 1974 was at least 20.
Anyway here's a first pic, this is the band backstage after their first gig, click on it and you'll see it in the original size. I hope to be able to bring you a cool feature movie on this awesome gig asap.

All this fun comes with a mighty big thank you to Yvonne Ramone, Hanka Ramone, Charlotte Ramone, Berber Ramone, The Haydn School and the immaculate RAMONES ROADCREW.

I think the definitive opening band for the Candy Band has been established. Now we need to get these 4 kids to Detroit or the ladies should come over and play Europe.

saturday july 2, 2011

Sleazefest #13, Amsterdam, friday july 15

Ooh la la. In two weeks there'll be #13 (!) of the infamous Sleazefest festival in Amsterdam. UK's loud garage rockin' Atomic Suplex, Dirty Beaches and cool Anatopia are playing. Cool DJs and about 10 lesser known bands playing but they'll be worth your money. Trough the years zZz's Björn Ottenheim who books the festival clearly showed to have great taste, no worries there.

Check the music on #3voor12's luisterpaal: SLEAZE SAMPLER 2011!!!.
And be there, be outside NL or change dipers.

thursday june 23, 2011
slightly edited june 27, 2011

Smith Westerns + "Geef Voor New Wave"

While still humming the Davila 666 hits (most of them on the 2nd LP) my music-overloaded mind is moving on. Right now it is switching to the (probably) next big things in Grunnen Rocks world. Until august 25 there might be an occasional band that I really never heard of so far. That band obviously might manage to get my ears listening to them all time of the day and spent all my money on their first vinyl 7", you never know. And yes there are some bands playing in town that I might go and see (again), you never know.

But ... first things first and this comes down to me and the girl always first have to go and get the 2nd kid out of his poop-diper and get him to bed and off course bring #1 to school. Inbetween doing that I think the most played record up to august will be that really cool new one by the immaculate Black Lips. And of course both LPs by The Smith Westerns, they'll be playing in Groningen august 25, I'll be DJ and that's "my next big gig". Except for one thing, I will go to the BLOWLANDS festival once again and of course except for the yearly popquiz, as brought to you by Sebastiaan and me, on august 6 in VERA.

Triggered by the sad demise of Poly Styrene (snif, cool girl and best punk-pseudonym ever) I got a copy of "Geef Voor New Wave", with the immaculate "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" by X-Ray Spex. Loads of 1977 tracks by 70s punk/new wave/r'n'r bands on it. Must have some countries for the bands on the compilation wrongly listed, in case you feel like it, please tell me through email.

And off course I'm looking forward to releases on MV50 Records.

And finally here's a well deserved big thank you to JAN HUT!

wednesday june 22, 2011

Davila 666

Well a no-brainer today.

Here's one of my today's tweets:
I will be surprised if not stunned when the @davilasix gig of last nite doesn't turn out to be my best VERA gig of 2011 SUPERBAND #Davila666

thursday june 16, 2011

Davila 666

Eh ... "Mr. GrunnenRocks" ...

1. What vinyl records will you play upcoming days?
2. And what freakin' digital files (ripped, youtube, mp3 or otherwise) will be played until next tuesday (june 21)?
3. What do you consider the best band from Puerto Rico ever?

The answer to all those questions is: Davila 666.
They'll be playing, after The Swains, in VERA upcoming tuesday.
Read all about it in dutch and yes this evening comes recommended!
If you're in town and you miss 'em you'll be sorry.
Don't say I didn't warn you.

saturday june 11, 2011

Bloody Pink Floyd

Thanks to the brilliant Sebastiaan Snijder I now finally typed in the records I have of that so-so british band called Pink Floyd. I used to hate them, back in the 80s/90s, most of all because of the way people loved them. As if they were genius because they did add some fly on I believe "UmmaGumma"? And yes off course that "UmmaGumma" sleeve is a well-thought copy of the idea called "the Droste-effect" in dutch, but hey do I care? Anyway nowadays I recognise their sparse brilliant moments, "Money" for instance and OK ... great songtitles like "Interstellar Overdrive" and "See Emily Play", but they will not ever be my glass of beer or wine. Here's the latest incarnation of my personal all time band list. Pink Floyd is on #20 out of 23, hmmmm ...

wednesday june 8, 2011

Gideon Festival in Grunnen:
The Dwarves and 130 bands moore

This is just in case you're a local moron ...
Upcoming weekend there's the yearly Gideon Festival in Grunnen Rocks City.
130+ bands are playing, lots of cool ones, but ...
Thee headliners are The Dwarves.
Third time in this city, 4th time I'll be seeing them. One of thee best punk bands ever, and amongst the best 5 of thee creepy gunk-punk loaded nineties.
Other bands playing: Traumahelikopter, Loud Squirt, Fuckups, Voodoo Swing, Def P, E.T. Explore Me, El Camaro, Sexton Creeps, The Monroes & Svetkoff Lamps.

All bands and especially the festival come recommended.

friday may 27, 2011

The Embarrassment

HA! Finally got my hands on a vinyl record by The Embarrassment. It's their 2nd(?) release, recorded in 1980 and released in 1981. And yes it has the immaculate "I'm A Don Juan", as introduced to me on that cool "Rough Trade Shops Rock And Roll" 1 7" comp (Mute, 2002). Original art-garage-punky band, from the USA off course. Check 'em out on youtube: The Embarrassment - I'm A Don Juan

And a late call, but saturday evening you must be at @VeraClub --> De Kik is playing, with The Madd's Dave Von Raven and Mark & Spies' Arjan Spies.

thursday may 26, 2011

Just trying #2

Let's see if these facebook-badges are any good.

Any reactions on the use of this "badges" -->
       please use @GrunnenRocks or email
       or use, only when you have to, Grunnen Rocks @ facebook.com.

I myself am a little doubtful, don't be shy or hesitate -->
       please tell me what you think of it.


Anyway the 3rd top 10 candidate for 2011 is ...
Moon Duo's "Mazes" (Sacred Bones/Souterrain Transmissions).

wednesday may 25, 2011

Just trying

Let's see if this twitter-widget is any good.

Any reactions on the use of this widget -->
       please use @GrunnenRocks or email.

I myself am a little doubtful, don't be shy or hesitate -->
       please tell me what you think of it.


Anyway the 2nd top 10 candidate for 2011 is ...
Davila 666's "Tan Bajo" (ITR, what else?).

sunday may 22, 2011

The Volebeats

And what the heck, once again -->
My fave record of 2011 so far is:
The Volebeats new (9th) album.
Just to let you know.

Will try to describe the music on that album now. It's kind of a mix of the Beach Boys' poppy songs, Built To Spill's "Car" and Beatles "Norwegian Woods". A slight #garagepop touch added, otherwise this record wouldn't have made it to here. So this is 100% (the best available in store now) "how to charm your lady music while she has a headache" music.

Thanks to Robbie who got me this CD,
thanks to Jan who sold me the 2xLP and
thanks to myself for lending it to somebody and not remembering to who.

wednesday may 18, 2011

The Volebeats

The Volebeats

friday may 6, 2011

A late call: Moon Duo --> tonight in VERA!

Moon Duo, an awesome relatively new band, tonight in VERA. Do not miss 'm, like silly me missed Red Dons last tuesday.

#2 wednesday april 6, 2011

Dum Dum Girls & Lieuwe

Funny how things appear to interact now and then. Some 9 months ago Lieuwe's delivery process was started about the time when I was trying to have the DUM DUM GIRLS play in VERA when my website existed for 15 years. That latter thing didn't succeed, never organised anything else basically. The first thing did succeed, original due date was april 10, soon adjusted to april 9. Last fall, october 4, I saw (together with neighbour girl Stella, thanks to Bob) the DUM DUM GIRLS being the main act on a tuesday night in Paradiso, Amsterdam with MGMT closing in. Cool show, sound was below par (probably tuned for MGMT instead of DDG) but a mighty good show nevertheless. Same night I managed to see 2 tracks by the Magic Kids. Later on a VERA show was booked for the DUM DUM GIRLS, scheduled april 8. I was booked as a DJ, but due to a Communication Breakdown that didn't work out. Later my girl got gestational diabetes and last week, in the hospital, LIEUWE was born, being forced out by some serious SM drug called oxytocine (big thanks to Renske Gardenbroek). Since that he only slept at days and at nights we didn't until yesterday. That changed last night, so things are opening up for upcoming friday. Next friday I'm gonna finally see the band that released last year's best album ("I Will Be") in the world's best club. Needless to say you must be a moron to miss this AWESOME band, and if possible buy the awesome new 12" ("He Gets Me High"), that awesome debut album and/or anything else. RECOMMENDED

#1 wednesday april 6, 2011

Dow Jones And The Industrials & The Gizmos

In general I'm not into any (re)release of old stuff, except for bands that I've known by name for long and don't have in my collection at all. The famous debut (and only) 7" by Dow Jones And The Industrials was reissued and I was able to buy a copy at the local recordstore. Off course this brought me to dig up the only release by The Gizmos I have at home. Me digging up old(er) records I used to play is always a good thing and actually playing them on a recordplayer is even better. Good times are killing me.

wednesday march 30, 2011

Lieuwe Rocks

HA!
Born today at 16:13, 3710 grams of LIEUWE NIJKAMP!
Click on the small pic and see a bigger one.
;-) ;-) ;-) ;-) ;-)

saturday march 26, 2011

Covers by Dum Dum Girls

Another go at the page of the awesome DUM DUM GIRLS. This time I tried to identify all covers they released so far. After humming "Baby Don't Go" for a year now I finally checked who recorded the original, that is cool duo Sonny & Cher. All 'n all the Dum Dum Girls recorded and released 7 covers so far:

1. Gilbert Bécaud's "Let It Be Me"
2. Black Tambourine's "Throw Aggi"
3. Delta 5's "M.Y.O.B."
4. Misfits' "Last Caress"
5. Rolling Stones' "Play With Fire"
6. Smiths' "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out"
7. Sonny & Cher's "Baby Don't Go"

wednesday march 23, 2011

Dum Dum Girls

Allright here's another attempt to a complete listing for a band, this time it's mighty cool DUM DUM GIRLS. Their debut LP (last year's "I Will Be" on Hozac, later rereleased on Subpop) is my fave 2010 album. This year they released an even better 12"EP entitled "He Gets Me High" (on Subpop again). A very powerfull mix of The Shangri-Las and The Jesus And Mary Chain, what a sound and what a songs. There's even a Smiths cover included: "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out".

And yes they will play your fave club (to quote ERIC DAVIDSON of NBT: one of the three best clubs on this planet) VERA GRONINGEN on april 8. Be there or be stupid or just be A 2nd time father.

You all know you should not confuse girls and boys, so be sure not to confuse the Dum Dum Girls with either one of these 3 bands:

1. DumDum Boys (norwegian rock)
2. Dum Dum Boys (french garage with a twist)
3. Dum Dum Boys (american hardcore)

wednesday march 16, 2011

Complete (?) Tyvek listing!

Allright here's an attempt to a complete listing for Tyvek. Complete is an attempt by definition but I do think I managed to list all vinyl released with them on it. In case you know anything missing please email me. And while you're at it be sure to check last year's awesome NOTHING FITS LP (ITR), that one is among my 2010 fave top 10.

One question remains though:

Is the Heath of Mountains And Rainbows either

     1  Heath Heemsbergen from Little Claw
or
     2  Heath Moerland from Tyvek
?

As always any help is appreciated.

monday march 14, 2011

Great Tyvek

YOWSA!
Allright 2011 VERA-gig #1 (for me): Tyvek was mighty mighty cool, great gig, cool people, awesome female bass-player (now and then I'm a "sexist bastard from hell", admitted, sorry) and 3 boys. They even played both sides of their debut 7", anybody complaining? Not Me. Be sure to check 'm live or otherwise.

Next up:
friday march 18 - TRIGGERFINGER (2 shows, both sold out)
saturday march 19 - ERIC DAVIDSON
about his great book "We Never Learn" and UK-band Johnny Throttle
And:
sunday march 20 - WOODS

wednesday march 9, 2011

Tyvek

While the todo list (on all fronts) is growing all the time I'm mighty well looking forward to the first super-gig of this year in VERA. Two more days and on friday march 11 we'll have our minds blown away by TYVEK. Be sure not to miss 'em when you're in town (or anywhere else on this planet). Last thing: hope they'll do both sides of their awesome debut 7" (pictured to the right).
BTW be sure to keep an eye on VERA's cool "main hall" schedule' for the coming months, lots of cool gigs coming. Will try to keep you posted, but hey there's a 2nd bun in my girl's oven ;-) Due date is april 9, but we won't reach that due to gestational diabetes (no thanks to anybody).

tuesday january 4, 2011

Happy 2011

I hope for all of you and us 2011 will outwit 2010 on all (positive) accounts.
For B, G & me I hope the 2nd kid will be born around april 9 and be as cool a rocking girl/guy as the guy to the right.
For this website I hope Drupal will bring some life into it. Any help for that is appreciated. Thanks to skilip = Philip Vergunst btw.
Next up: my fave albums of 2010.

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