Pittsburgh Action Rock heroes, The Cheats, return with their long awaited 6th studio album, “Old Rats On A New Ship.”
After departure of guitarist Rob Senomar in 2023, the band decided to scrap most of the songs they had written with Rob and start fresh with new guitarist/producer, Johnny Razorblade. Johnny produced The Cheats’ 5th album, “Cussin, Crying N Carrying On” (2020) as well as their Action Rock Jukebox single, “Rock N Roll Love Letter.” (2021) and the cover album “XXI” (2022). Johnny also remastered and recorded the live tracks on the “Cheap Pills” 20th Anniversary reissue (2023) The band continued to play live and work on new music. Finally ready, the band entered the studio in 2024 and began recording their strongest material in years, “Old Rats On A New Ship.”
Tracklisting…
Side 1 1. Blood From A Stone 2. I Wanna… 3. The Only Thing I’m Fucking… Is Up 4. I Want You 5. Time To Leave 6. For You (Anti-Nowhere League)
Side 2 7. Control 8. Stuck On You 9. Lie To Me 10. Everything You Love Will Die 11. The Price I Pay
The first single will be the over the top, alcohol infused, rager, “Fucking Up.” Also, the band is currently recording acoustic versions of “No Time” and “Day After Day” off their 2006 “Life’s Short” album. These two tracks will only be available on the CD version.
“It’s been a long while in coming, but some things are worth waiting for. Conflict – back with a vengeance.”Steve Ignorant
“Conflict are the only band apart from the Pistols that has any spunk in them.”John Lydon
Conflict formed in 1981 in Eltham, a district of Southeast London, when frontman Colin Jerwood, inspired by early encounters with the Pistols ‘Spunk’ bootleg and following The Clash on tour, struck up a friendship with Crass and set about crafting a whole new kind of punk that totally upped the ante in terms anger and confrontation. Crass, the renowned anarchist punk collective, having got Conflict started by releasing their debut single ‘The House That Man Built’ in 1982 on Crass Records, ended in 1984 as they had always intended. Now it was up to Conflict to pick up the baton and run with it. And they did, charging into the battle lines of authority. A genuine threat. An unstoppable battering-ram of power. THE UNGOVERNABLE FORCE.
The years that followed saw Conflict go from strength to strength, and from threat to threat, peaking on the 18th of April in 1987 at the London Brixton Academy for the ‘Gathering of the 5,000’ concert. It was an ambitious gathering of the tribes. A climax and explosion of rage and rebellion that inevitably ended up in a police provoked full-scale riot across Brixton with police injuries, arrests, and with the band hopelessly in debt and banned from the majority of major London and UK venues.
Undeterred, Conflict continued into the 90s with their acclaimed ‘Conclusion’ album and remained a mainstay of the live punk circuit throughout. However, after more than two decades since the release of their (2003) ‘There’s No Power Without Control’ album, the band are poised to finally release a new album and ‘This Much Remains’ is set for release on April 25th through Mortarhate/ Cadiz Music.
Featuring sixteen brand new Conflict creations, the album sees the band keeping one eye on their eventful past, and the other firmly on moving forward, both musically and politically. Animal Liberation are still at the forefront of Conflict’s collective minds, giving a voice to the voiceless on songs such as ‘A Mother’s Milk’ and ‘Shut The Fuck Up’, whilst their anger at world governments will never dissipate. “It’s the same old system and the same old song, forty years later and they’ve still got it wrong,” bellows Colin, still with complete conviction on ‘The Collusion Exclusion’. This anger, alongside themes of personal loss, environmental issues and those ‘profit over people’ billionaires like Bezos, Musk and Trump, find Conflict at their most inspired and invigorated.
‘This Much Remains’ also features an appearance by the late Benjamin Zephaniah on the track ‘Cut The Crap’. Benjamin’s relationship with Conflict goes right back to the infamous Brixton Academy gig in 1987 where he performed with the band and it’s right that his voice is found here, with additional lyrics by recent addition to the band line-up, dual vocalist Fiona Friel (formally of Coventry punks Dragster).
“Benjamin is a legend, and I really felt a weight of responsibility when writing the adjoining lyrics to this song,” admits Fiona. “I had some of his books, so I went to peruse through them and started with ‘Windrush Child’ as I felt the subject matter would tie in well. Immediately I saw the line “I am history” and that’s all I needed. I put the book straight down and wrote and wrote and wrote. So much so, once in the studio I had to cut over half of what I had written. I hope I’ve done him proud.”
The maddening insanity of global politics is never far from Conflict’s agenda. In the album’s title track Fiona takes on the role of the Government in the song, opposing Colin’s anarcho rhetoric, whilst ‘The Collusion Exclusion’ is, says Fiona, “about how we are divided and set against each other in order to maintain control, unwittingly colluding in our own oppression. The more we fight amongst ourselves, the more they can exploit the situation to their advantage. Colin wrote the first verse and chorus, and I just finished it off, with my version of the chorus and a second verse. I wanted to use the imagery of a pantomime, as watching what’s happening feels like one sometimes. I mean, Boris Johnson and Donald Trump look like caricatures of human beings, it’s absurd that anyone would vote for them, but they did and have done again in the case of Trump. They are using the devices of turning people against each other. “Look over there! That other poor person is your enemy, not me, the billionaire”.
‘This Much Remains’ is the sound of a band that continues to surprise and progress, decades after it first begun.
“Musically we wanted it to evolve from the last records but still have elements of that classic Conflict angry sound that thousands of people fell in love with,” summarises guitarist Gav King. “This album will not disappoint the diehard supporters and should garner a new wave of activists.”
“Conflict are stronger than ever,” adds Colin Jerwood. “and more relevant than ever.”
This much remains. We are one. To be continued? You better believe it.
This Episode of the Podcast begins with possibly the finest intro ever, the one used by The Ramones from The Good, the Bad, And The Ugly. Then, we delve into another bumper episode of rock’ n roll. Infamous Stiffs kick off with their new single, ‘No Static,’ out on Golden Robot Records.
Tip of the hat to Da Bruders from Taste Testors with the happy and sprightly ‘Don’t Fall In Love With Me’ quickly followed by the majestic tones of Cyanide Pills who just happen to be Yorkshires finest and a band who certainly don’t get the recognition they deserve for serving up album after album of top quality punk rock n roll.
Before we drop The Nasty Rumours track from the EP ‘Bury Me In My Leather Jacket’ we drop the epic Dictators and the classic title track from ‘DFFD’ ‘Who Will Save Rock And Roll’
Neurotic Outsiders have their one and only album out on Vinyl for RSD 2025 so why not play the epic opener ‘Nasty Ho’.
We don’t feature too much Fuzzed out Stoner Rock Infused Rock but Caboose hit the mat of RPM Online HQ. Think Dessert Rock think Hellacopters think Wah Wah and trucker caps and wonderful drawing artwork of hotrods and the such like.
From the mean streets of New York City The Men release ‘Buyer Beware’ on Fuzz Club so what better time than to play the opening track off the album from this New York bunch of rockers ‘Pony’ it’s anything but. We love ourselves some swampy Urban Voodoo Machine style Rock tapping into the darker side of Rock n Roll owned by the likes of The Cramps and Gun Club so when we heard Sloks and their album ‘Viper we had to offer you ‘Do The Slok’ and swampy rock n roll banger I’m sure you’ll agree.
A band we’ve long since banged on about – Ravagers have a brand new album on the way ‘On The Loose’ released on Wanda In Europe and Spaghetty Town in The USA it features a track ‘Dogs’ which came out this past week so get an ear full of this and place a pre order and if yo happen to be in Mainland Europe you can catch them live as they visit in a few short months and have also been added to Michael Monroe when he hit the States Would be awesome if they had the whole tour but it might just be a one shot date.
Heading back to the UK for one of the finest bands currently treading the boards and making fine records, Continental Lovers released their debut album and seven-inch single which we played a few Episodes ago so we bring you the other track on the 7″ ‘Wedding Song’ awesome band and album and one we highly recommend.
Next is our Connections and Three interlinked tracks firstly New York Dolls released their third album in 2006 that featured Steve Conte and Sami Yaffa as well as Sylvain Sylvain and of course, David Johansen and the opening track was the rather splendid ‘We’re All In Love’ followed by ‘Taxi Driver’ courtesy of Hanoi Rocks then finally Teenage Fanclub with their take on ‘Personality Crisis’. We dedicate these connections to David Johansen who went public with his health issues this past week. You can donate at Sweet Relief or buy one of their rather fetching David J T-Shirts Here
Rum Bar Records consistently churns out good records and CDs and always lets a little ray of sunshine through the often murky waters we sail in and this offering is no exception. 20th Century Boys have a track entitled ‘Suzy’ released on the label and a new band on us so we thought we’d share it with you.
Hastings is the place and Haest released a new track on TNS Records ‘Did They Ever Find Out Who Let The Dogs Out’ and what a heart warming slice of punk rock this is too. Awesome song and another awesome label knocking out music for the underground but God knows why these bands are not household names.
Punk Rockers The Pegs from the West Coast have a track called ‘Nature Wants Us Dead’ which fits in with this fine episode .
Nottingham’s finest TV Crime have been quiet for a while but returned on Valentine’s Day with something of a Rock n Roll love letter to anyone who has a heart which is us so it was a no-brainer that it goes in this week’s playlist and what a fine slab of music it is too.
Soul Asylum had a short visit to these shores recently so we’ve been playing them at HQ for a while and whilst looking through the songs I have on the big computer I came across this banger from a while back when they did a rather good take of the DKs classic ‘Nazi Punks Fuck Off’.
The most excellent Speedways have released a digital single and Matt was kind enough to send this slice of New Wave, Power Pop perfection for our perusal and boy what an earworm this one is. Infectious Rock n Roll of the highest order and to think Matt and Joe from Continental Lovers used to do this together in The Breakdowns who also had a record released by Rum Bar Records. What a small world it is but I wouldn’t like to paint it.
The penultimate track this week had to be the closing track off the brand new album from Australians Punter and ‘It Ain’t Pretty’ should be on everyone’s want list. A stonking track of hardcore Australian punk with added saxophone (of course it has) if you haven’t already got your hands on this one then don’t waste time you’ll regret it.
To wind up the Episode we bring you the brand new track from Black Spiders ‘Never Enough’ from the album ‘Cvrses’. This brings Episode 58 to an end and once again I don’t think it’s being to big-headed but an absolute avalanche of top tuneage once again from all corners of the globe. Bringing great music to the masses call it a community service because it’s a crime that more people don’t tune in and love these bands like we do. Same place next week? With another show bursting with new songs and some olden but golden bangers. Thanks for joining us on this journey ta ta for now.
Formed on the streets of Paris back in 2007 Guttercats released their debut album in 2009 fast forward to 2025 and the apocalyptic ‘Rise And Fall’ kicks off with the semi-acoustic spaghetti western rock n roller and title track that wheezes into town before kicking on down the line with an uptempo middle eight before gently coming to a stand still in fine fashion with Guts warm and engaging tones as he sets the tone for whats to come.
Mixing classic Jacobites, Sudden, Kusworth, Gun Club and a whole wealth of other influences Guttercats ooze quality and style with a gentle swagger and some well-worn rock n roll slippers dragging their Cuban heels as the ‘Aliens Are Back’ mixes in some Bowie and Reid for good measure. The arrangments are well considered and recorded perfectly Guttercats have a swagger and air of confidence with their music and their use of violins, acoustic and electric guitars is exquisite and songs like ‘Lament In The Night’ have quality and class pouring out of them at every verse and chorus.
The piano-driven ‘Everything I Touch’ will have you leaning into the speakers hanging off every gothic word as the violins add another flavour whilst the rockier ‘Beautiful Curse’ has touches of Bauhaus in their pomp and the solo is wonderfully crafted.
‘All Fall Down’ sees the band charge it up before a smooth and romantic ‘If You Love Me’ swoons with its wheezing organ for a real highlight on an already excellent record. Guttercats have exceeded expectations here with a mature and grande record that meanders lifts and falls with style and some excellent songs.
The album closes with the acoustic rocker ‘Wishing On A World’ that fills the void left by some quality old school and sadly long gone rockers evoking images of Kusworth and Sudden and Sylvain and Thunders all giving it a standing ovation while Bowie nods approvingly. It is a thoroughly enjoyable album from a band who’ve got better with each album and matured like a fine French Wine mixing uptempo rock and roll with more laid-back darker balladeering and they do it with a unique style that draws you in and calls you back for more. Dim the lights and let Guttercats take the strain with one of the finest albums so far in 2025. Buy It!
Those true Sons of the North, The Black Spiders continue their assault on the rock n’ roll world with their 5th opus ‘Cvrses’, the 3rd album they have released since reforming back in the Covid years. It follows hotly on the heels of the 2023 release ‘Can’t Die, Won’t Die’. And if you thought the first single ‘Out Of Order’ was a bit of a banger, then prepare yourself, as that song doesn’t even make the cut on this album. That’s how confident singer Pete Spiby and his band are of these new tunes.
Recorded in the not-so-glamorous rock n’ roll metropolis otherwise known as Doncaster, the five piece Sheffield band consisting of Pete Spiby (guitar & vocals), Adam Irwin (bass), Nate Digby & James Evans (guitars) and Wyatt Wendels on drums have crafted yet another baker’s dozen (there’s a hidden track on here apparently called ‘Lil Death’, but I cant find the fucker anywhere!) of high octane bangers laced with humungous riffs and more hooks than Adrian Smith’s tackle box.
‘Never Enough’ kicks it all off in raucous style with the sort of garage rock, punked-up energy The Hellacopters were shoving in our faces 20 years ago. The shouty, gang vocals seal the deal. Next up ‘Cool Reaper’ goes back another decade or two and mixes up 80’s sleaze metal with a punky attitude to create high octane rock n’ roll. Amps are set to 11 and guitars set to punch you in the gut. Are you paying attention yet? ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ recalls those highly underrated Aussie rockers The Screaming Jets, with its glorious, overly familiar riff, effortlessly cool vocal hook and a guitar solo to melt faces at forty paces.
3 songs in and seriously, I forgot how good Black Spiders are. Fat riffs, tongue-in-cheek lyricism and stadium-sized choruses are the order of the day. The Black Spiders are back, they mean business, and business is good. I mean, songs like ‘Tom Petty’s Lips’ and ‘Up All Night’ are up there with the best you’re gonna hear this year. Five hairy dudes from Sheffield have no right to have such killer tunes in their possession, but here we are. I’ll wager you’ll be singing those refrains long into the night after just one listen like I was.
Elsewhere, Grunge-inspired desert rock riffage is certainly prevalent. Feel the sun beating down on your face and the sweat on your brow as ‘Dia De Muertos’ straddles the plane of Alice In Chains meets Kyuss, which is a good place to be in anyone’s book, surely?
And then there’s the hilarious ‘Mofo Sauce’, a song that screams out for a high budget promo video featuring chicks in bikinis, dwarfs and swimming pools. It’s full of over the top 80’s rock references, bombastic beats, big guitars and a killer hook. What’s not to like here? Tongue-in-cheek? Tongue-in-ass-cheek more like! If Black Spiders ever needed a trademark anthem to be remembered for, they got it now.
‘Obey’ lulls the listener into a false sense of security with a Tarantino-esque guitar intro before breaking into a wall of noise. The album closer ‘Rotten To The Core’ with its acoustic guitars, harmony vocals and 60’s west coast California Dreamin’ vibes, is a bit of an epilogue, a fitting end to the album and a standout track that leaves you wishing and wanting more.
There’s an old cliched statement that most bands give out in the run-up to an album release, and it goes something like; “This is our bestest, strongest and most focused album ever”. And guess what? In this case there is some truth to that statement, as the Black Spiders have released a monster in ‘Cvrses’.
Its a righteous ride through the annals of rock n’ roll and a statement of intent that thrills and excites in all the right places. The perfect combination of hard rock and metal with power pop hooks aplenty and guitar solos everywhere. And with not a duff track in sight, it’s a thumbs up from me. Long may the Black Spiders weave their web.
First off, thank you for taking the time to answer some questions. I am hopeful that the news I saw regarding the fires around Los Angeles being better contained are true, and the long recovery can begin for everyone affected by them.
Thank you! Yeah it’s been a pretty crazy fucked up start to the year here. Thankfully the fires are out now! It’s going to be a long road to recovery, but the community has really come together like I’ve never seen before to help each other and it’s awesome to see.
I had not realized how long I have been listening to you until I realized the ‘High on Yourself’ single came out almost 10 years ago now. Frankie and The Studs have just released your first full length album through Deadbeat Records which contains a mix of new songs and some former singles. Ironically, one of the more recent singles ‘Drain Me’ is not on the album. How did you go about determining what songs made the album?
Almost 10 years already?? Damn!! So you’re probably also wondering what took us so long haha. Yeah, we decided not to put ‘Drain Me’ on the record because that song came from a time of experimentation during lockdown and we wanted to go back to our roots and put out something more raw. We actually had a lot of songs that were in the same universe as ‘Drain Me’ and we re-recorded them as a live band. Whenever we play ‘Drain Me’ live, we play it totally differently to fit our 4 piece live band setup. So we wanted the whole album to just reflect what it feels like to go see us live. I’ve always thought of us as a live band, and to go back to the 10 years thing. I spent a lot of time just playing and getting all that experience under my belt. Right now felt like the right time… I know who I am as an artist, and the band feels solid. My bandmates are my best friends. We’re all in it together. The band went through some different iterations over the years and I’ve been fortunate to work with incredible musicians, but there were times the band felt more like a solo project, but now we feel like a band… so it was time to put out an album!
One of the new songs has to be relatable to anyone who has worked a few jobs in their life is ‘Fuck this Shit.’ My daughter has grown to love the song and is very careful to just sort of mouth the words to the chorus. From live clips I have seen online, the song understandably gets the crowd singing right away. I catch myself playing it at least twice in a row each time I play it. Did the song come quickly when you were writing it?
Hahah that’s awesome, I always tell children to cover their ears if we’re playing an all ages show. Yeah our guitarist Frank Salazar actually wrote that song and when he showed it to me I came up with the lyrics to a second verse pretty quickly, because like you said, I think we can all relate to that feeling!
‘Flash’ is an older song that I called out in my recent review as one of my all-time favorite songs in general. I have a custom playlist where it slots beautifully between a song by D Generation and the New York Loose. How did that song come about?
Aw thank you, that’s a high honor!! We wrote that song fresh off a tour with the Longshot in 2018. We all got in a room and started jamming some ideas for new songs and that one turned into a song about how you get everything you want and it goes by in a flash. Kind of a reminder to myself to be present and appreciate what you got. I grew up idolizing Billie Joe, and to be able to meet him let alone tour with him, was beyond a dream come true. I kept pinching myself… I still do!
‘Not This Time’ is a beautiful soft rocker that channels, to my ears, Bowie in the Ziggy Stardust era. What would we find in your own record collection? What are some of your favorites and maybe what artists would surprise us?
That was definitely the main source of inspiration behind that one! I wrote that one with my friend and collaborator Stewart Cararas. His saying during our sessions is always “WWBD – What Would Bowie Do” The obvious ones would be the Ramones, the Runaways, The Clash, T. Rex.. Some of the more surprising ones would probably be Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynne, Tammy Wynette.
I grew up when Bananarama had a hit single with ‘Venus.’ Your cover adds a nice crunch to it and works perfectly with the hard rock approach. Part of me would love to see your cover take off and help the band get some exposure, but I wouldn’t want that to be ‘what you are known for’ if that makes sense. (Readers- Let’s make ‘Fuck this Shit’ the song for 2025). When did y’a’ll discover that was a perfect song to cover?
Let’s do it and I hear ya! Billie Joe actually sent me the Shocking Blue version one day and suggested we cover it. I remember growing up hearing the song in Venus razor ads lol. We first tried it live and it had such a vibe we decided to record it and put it on the record.
How did you choose which two songs would be the bonus tracks for the CD version? ‘She’s Insane’ is one of your oldest songs, ‘Some Kinda Love’ provides a great groove.
She’s Insane has always been a part of our set, so it felt right to add a new and improved version as a bonus track. Funny enough, when we opened the session file to re-mix it we found a long lost synth track that we were debating on putting on the original recording. It ended up getting vetoed because we wanted to be able to play the songs true to the record live, but we added it back in for the bonus track. I also did a new vocal take since I’ve grown up a lot since the first recording. ‘Some Kinda Love’ was a track I recorded with Macy Gray and it was her idea to cover the Velvet Underground song and make it our own. I always loved this version and had just been sitting on it, so this was the perfect opportunity to put it out.
How did the current band members come together? In the video for ‘Fuck This Shit,’ there is a cohesiveness where things seem to be clicking from an outsider’s perspective. The ‘cool’ factor is definitely present, and it seems to work across generations as my daughter stops what she is doing to watch it.
I love that your daughter is a fan of that song/video! Nick Rossi has been in the band the longest, he joined the band in 2018. We first met in 2017 when I was looking for drummers for our tour with the Biters and he came recommended by my friend Jorma Vik who responded to a Facebook post I put out looking for drummers. Lizi, is an italian singer/songwriter and has her own band LIZI. We first met at one of my shows in 2018 I think?? and she handed me one of her band’s CDs. Flash forward a few years later she was in my dad’s studio recording her album. She asked me to sing on one of her songs “Dying Inside” and we became instant friends. We’ve toured in Italy with both our bands together and when I needed a bass player for a gig she filled in and now she’s a Stud! Frank Salazar, is my boyfriend we met on Tinder 6 years ago haha! At first I didn’t want to intertwine the two but he’s an amazing songwriter, guitarist, singer and we just naturally started to make music together so it made sense!
Established bands are currently struggling to tour and break even. I have resigned myself to watching live shows from your band on YouTube, including some shows from Italy at the end of 2024. When it comes to live shows, can we expect to see any shows outside of California in 2025?
That’s the goal! My main goal for 2025 though is to play outside of LA more.
My assumption would be you grew up in a very musical home. I first started listening to your Dad (joining Alice Cooper’s band for his current tour) back in the late 80’s when he was in Kill for Thrills. He has obviously seen the music industry go through a lot of changes from the time he was in Candy until now. What words of wisdom has he given you over the years you have been performing?
The best advice he’s given to me is “if someone can do it, why can’t you!”
Away from the music, you had a clothing arrangement with Forever 21. I wasn’t sure if that was still ongoing.
Yeah we did a Frankie and the Studs x Forever 21 collection for festival season in 2023. That was a really wild experience! The collection sold out pretty fast.
What final words do you have for our readers?
We’re getting ready to put out another single and put the album out digitally. We decided to first put out the record on vinyl/CD only because we think that’s the best way to hear music. But we also realize it’s not easy to get vinyl across the world, so it will be out everywhere very soon!
Thank you Frankie for taking the time to answer questions for us. Please watch for live dates in the future and pick up the awesome ‘Life’s a Glitch’ album.
It was almost 40 years ago that L.A. Guns established themselves as the undisputed sleaze kings of the Sunset Strip, and, eventually, the world. At this point in time, most bands in their position would be content to lay back, rest on their rock ‘n’ roll laurels and trot out the hits on endless repeat for the fans.
Instead, L.A. Guns, in true down ‘n’ dirty form, are grinding with the April 4 release of their 15th studio album, LEOPARD SKIN, on Cleopatra Records. The mouthwatering first single, “Taste It,” was released today on all digital outlets. Pre-orders for the album are available now on all digital outlets here, CD/vinyl pre-orders available here, and the Jason Wisch-directed video can be found on Cleopatra Records’ official YouTube page.
“There’s the saying, ‘a leopard never changes its spots,’” founding guitarist Tracii Guns says. “But even so, they have a million different spots. And they’re all unique. It’s the same with L.A. Guns. We can’t shed our leopard skin, but there’s a lot of different spots in this band.”
Those spots run the gamut from early anthems like “Electric Gypsy,” “Rip and Tear” and “Over the Edge,” to indelible ballads like “It’s Over Now” and “The Ballad of Jayne,” to more recent classics like “Speed,” “Cannonball” and now, the ten tracks that comprise the new album.
Not only is LEOPARD SKIN hot on the heels of 2023’s BLACK DIAMONDS album, but is also their fifth studio effort in seven years, since the core team of guitarist and band founder Tracii Guns and singer Phil Lewis reunited in 2017. LEOPARD SKIN, like the last few L.A. Guns records, reconvenes the tight-knit lineup of Guns, Lewis, bassist Johnny Martin, guitarist Ace Von Johnson and studio drummer Adam Hamilton, but beyond that it is its own unique beast. True to form, it’s a hard-and-heavy, tough-as-nails L.A. Guns set. But the music also presents the band at their funkiest, rowdiest, most classic-rock-worshipping best. And it’s clear they’re having a helluva lot of fun playing it.
Explains Tracii, “When we started doing records again in 2017, I wanted to be really aggressive. We hadn’t put out anything new in a lot of years, and we needed to be focused to have an impact. This one was a different approach. Musically, it was more about James Brown and soul music, with some ’70s sensibilities – things like Joe Walsh and the Rolling Stones and the New York Dolls. And the process was more organic. It was, ‘Here’s a riff, go for it. Let’s see how many riffs we can build after this riff, and then going into the next riff.’”
The results speak for themselves. You want a four-on-the-floor AC/DC-style stomper? Cue up anthemic opener “Taste It.” Slippery funk-rock? Try out “Lucky Motherfucker” or “Don’t Gimme Away.” Rollicking ‘70s-style glam? Drop the needle on “If You Wanna.” Swampy, slide guitar-laced grooves? Crank up the Zep-tastic “The Grinder.”
Where does that position L.A. Guns in 2025? Tracii returns to LEOPARD SKIN. “The song title ‘Lucky Motherfucker’ kinda says it all,” he says. “Because I don’t know how many other bands that have been around almost 40 years are still out there not just touring consistently, but putting out records consistently, and the thing just keeps getting bigger and bigger from year to year.”
He continues. “So the work ethic is yielding what it’s supposed to, you know what I mean? The fans stay excited, we stay excited, and we keep making records. And as long as we have that opportunity and there’s a place for this music in the world, there’s no reason to ever stop.”
DATECITYVENUE
3/10 – 3/15 Miami, FL Monsters of Rock Cruise
Tue 4/22 Warrendale, PA Jergels
Wed 4/23 N. Tonawanda, NY Riviera Theatre
Fri 4/25 Derry, NH Tupelo Music Hall
Sat 4/26 New Bedford, MA The Vault Music Hall
Sun 4/27 Millersville, PA Phantom Power
Tue 4/29 Annapolis, MD Rams Head on Stage
Wed 4/30 Ardmore, PA The Ardmore Music Hall
Thu 5/1 Leesburg, VA Tally Ho Theater
Fri 5/2 Hopewell, VA The Beacon Theatre
Sun 5/4 Virginia Beach, VA Elevation 27
Tue 5/6 Atlanta, GA City Winery Atlanta
Fri 5/9 Fort Myers, FL Buddha Live
Sat 5/10 Dania Beach, FL The Casino’s Stage 954 @ Dania Beach Entertainment Center
Sun 5/11 Mount Dora, FL Mount Dora Music Hall
Tue 5/13 Largo, FL Central Park Performing Arts Center
New York, NY (February 10, 2025) – David Johansen, legendary co-founder of the New York Dolls, has been living with stage 4 cancer and a brain tumor. Diagnosed in 2020, Johansen made the decision to keep his illness private, but due to the severe financial burden, he is ready to share. In November 2024, he fell and broke his back in two places, which required surgery. Despite a successful procedure, David is bedridden and incapacitated. For the best chance of recovery, he requires around-the-clock care.
Assisting in the Johansen family recovery efforts, Sweet Relief launched the David Johansen Fund. The most immediate needs are full time nursing, physical therapy and funding for day to day vital living expenses. With professional specialized care, the Johansen family remains hopeful that David can regain some mobility and independence. Sweet Relief is also offering a special Johansen T-shirt with all proceeds going to his treatment.
Johansen shares, “We’ve been living with my illness for a long time, still having fun, seeing friends and family, carrying on, but this tumble the day after Thanksgiving really brought us to a whole new level of debilitation. This is the worst pain I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. I’ve never been one to ask for help, but this is an emergency. Thank you.”
Aric Steinberg, Executive Director at Sweet Relief Musicians Fund adds, “Sweet Relief is honored to help David and his family during this difficult time in their lives. Our Directed Artist Funds can provide a meaningful solution when the community rallies around the recipient, and we anticipate that David’s community will be eager to help here. His influence on the musical landscape with the New York Dolls is indelible, and his career as an actor and an artist has touched many people around the world. He’s been knocked down but we’re here to help him back up with the help of his family, friends and wider community of supporters.”
David was recently the subject of Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi’s documentary Personality Crisis: One Night Only which brilliantly captures an evening of David’s songs and storytelling, and gives a little context to the wild tapestry of David’s life. David was the lead singer and songwriter of the legendary New York Dolls, widely acknowledged as one of the first (and coolest) punk bands. David started his own group, the David Johansen band, before reinventing himself yet again in the 1980s as Buster Poindexter. Inspired by his passion for the blues and arcane American folk music David formed the group The Harry Smiths, and toured the world performing the songs of Howlin’ Wolf with Hubert Sumlin and Levon Helm. Of all these incarnations, David is most often recognized for his work in a handful of beloved films, like the Christmas classic Scrooged, and the race track comedy Let it Ride. He continues to host his weekly radio show “The Mansion of Fun” on Sirius XM. David had an exhibition of his paintings in New York this past summer at Elliot Templeton Fine Arts gallery.
Benmont Tench, legendary keyboard player and founding member of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers is set for the release of his second solo album The Melancholy SeasonMarch 7 on Dark Horse Records.
Tench’s first solo effort in over a decade, The Melancholy Season isproduced by Jonathan Wilson (Father John Misty, Margo Price, Billy Strings) and includes performances by Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), singer/songwriter Jenny O. and Sebastian Steinberg (Fiona Apple, Iron and Wine, Soul Coughing).Pre-order the record HERE.
In anticipation of the forthcoming release, the album’s title track “The Melancholy Season” is debuting now alongside a video directed by Chloe Badner (Caroline Polachek). Tench notes, “The meaning of the song is subject to every listener’s interpretation, but I will say that the ‘Orion’ in the song is the constellation Orion, whose arrival in the night sky above my old house always signalled the coming of colder weather, and the emotional change that came with it.”
Benmont Tench “couldn’t be happier” about finding a home for The Melancholy Season at Dark Horse Records, saying ‘It’s an emotionally resonant label for me. And they have George’s music, Cat Stevens, Joe Strummer — these are writers. To be in that company, it’s perfect.”
With a career spanning five decades, Tench is celebrated as one of contemporary music’s finest keyboardists, renowned for his exceptional work on the organ and piano.
Tench has not only shaped the sound of the Heartbreakers but has also contributed to an impressive array of recordings with a diverse roster of artists, including Stevie Nicks, Willie Nelson, Alanis Morissette, Bob Dylan, Neil Diamond, the Chicks, the Replacements, The Screaming Trees, John Prine, Waylon Jennings, John Fogerty, Elvis Costello, the Rolling Stones and Johnny Cash.
Join us for Episode 57 where we offer up plenty of brand new tunes to the Rock n Roll Gods as well as some older ones. We play three connected songs and a cover or two. this week’s show kicks off with the latest offering from The Wildhearts with their new single ‘Troubadour Moon’ lifted from their forthcoming opus ‘The Satanic Writes of The Wildhearts’.
Next Chris got excited when the new tune from Punter ‘It Ain’t Pretty’ hit the speakers here in the Pumphouse at wall shaking volume and playing at volume paid off because Chris got as excited as me when he heard what he described as his new favourite band. ‘Australienation’ is the album and it’s up for pre-order from Drunken Sailor Records right now so we urge you not to snooze on this bad boy. This record absolutely rages and is possible the most Australian sounding record we’ve heard since Stiff Richards last offering. Superb stuff.
Next, we have our triple threat or triple treat with Ultrabomb playing ‘Woke Wars’ (Greg Norton) followed by Soul Asylum and a track off their Bob Mould Produced debut album with Bob Mould Sugar track ‘Hoover Dam’ recorded at the BBC for good measure. We’re sure you’ll agree that’s a hefty three right there.
Millie Manders and The Shut Up have released the track ‘Me Too’ Proceeds from the release, and from the accompanying limited edition Angry Ted Plushie Bear will be donated to Sexual and Domestic Abuse charities. The band also head out on tour through the next three months covering a lot of the UK so get out there and support the band. Tour details and places to play the single and album are Here
Black Eyed Sons have just released their debut album that includes many collaborations with some pretty big hitters in Rock n Roll but the finest track on the record features Alan Clayton (Dirty Strangers) and Steve Conte (Michael Monroe) and the excellent track is ‘Savoire Fair’.
Local South Wales punk rockers Kikker have covered a legendary local 70s punk band Dyfatty Flats classic ‘Trouble On The North Bank‘ and have done a sterling job of it too. South Wales underground punk from the first wave of alternative punk is much sought after and when you rediscover lost classics like this it has to make you want to look up Kikker and hear what these young men are feeding us. It’s Garage Punk kids and you should inhale as much of this as possible before it’s illegal.
If that isn’t convincing you then how about some Norweigan power pop with added muscle in the shape of Death By Unga Bunga. don’t let the name frighten you off because these gents do some wicked power pop and with this album, they’ve beefed it up somewhat with added studded wristbands and bullet belts for good measure. this track off the album is ‘Raw Muscular Power’ and it’s enough to start a bar brawl by itself. Thunderous stuff.
Head back to the late 70s for our next track as Leyton Buzzards had a ‘Saturday Night Beneath The Plastic Palm Trees’ from their album ‘Jellied Eels And Record Deals’ these glammed up power poppers knew their way around a banging single and this was their finest four minutes. Geoff Deane was also in pop band Modern Romance and wrote for Divine. This was and is a stone cold classic with superb lyrics.
The Oxys and their ‘Ticking Timebom’ got Chris all excited with their punk rock blitzkrieg from their ‘Generation Irrelevant’ album that came out in 2023. A banging track from a banging album you should check em out.
Taxi Girls get with the current weather on ‘Rainy’ coming outta Montreal this four-piece dishes up another excellent tune that’s available on 7″ wax.
Raw Power KEXP, a tribute to Iggy & the Stooges was performed by Seattle musicians Mike McCready, Duff McKagan, Mark Arm, and Barrett Martin, and recorded live on the roof of Pike Place Market. Recorded August 23, 2015 and to be fair it was a blistering set and the eLP is well worth tracking down if you can. This week we’ve chosen the classic Stooges track ‘I Got A Right’ which I’m sure you will agree just slays.
Another new track on us this week comes courtesy of The Monsters. One Guitar, Bass and TWO DRUMS (CLONE DRUM SET) that’s the Monsters sound. AC/DC, TEN YEARS AFTER, THE RAMONES with a Twist of their own CHAINSAW MASSACRE GARAGE TRASH PUNK. The Monsters call it: RAW RIFF TRASH ROCK we call it TRAAAASSSHH !!! This one is called simply ‘Gimme Germs’ I thank you. These loons will be releasing their new record soon and no doubt terrorising towns across Europe very soon.
Electric Children are up next with their fuzzed-out brand of Stoner Garage Rock. Don’t expect me to know what ‘Reptilian Royalty’ is all about but if you supply the legal high I guess we might one day find out.
If you are still with us ( everyone should) we have The Mistons with ‘Bronze Age Collapse’ and what a fine beastly riff that is. Outta Portland these rockers follow a fine line of Portland punk n rollers. Nadine Records are excited to be releasing their new 7”- “Single”, coming out Feb 21, 2025. “Bronze Age Collapse” and “Anxiety” were recorded with Mike Vasquez (Monkey Wrench, Cherubs, Mooney Suzuki, Toys That Kill) at his Astoria studio during a long weekend in September. The Mistons further their quest to empower and ask questions with every release. These two songs; one an ancient history lesson masked as a dance tutorial and the other an instrumental (based on a theme by Greg Sage) expertly embodying its own title, offer an apt testament to our times.
To sign off this week we bring you the brand new track ‘Sense Of Adventure’ from Crymwav who’ve just announced a show in London at the ‘Cart & Horses’ where Iron Maiden began cutting their teeth at this very same historic venue many moons ago. Friday 28th March is the date for your diary.
So there you have we finish on a high with yet another new track so don’t let people tell you Rock n Roll is dead because you can share this link and prove that it most definitely is not and comes in many shapes and forms but mostly round RPM Online its top notch. Like – share – subscribe – catch you next week!
Recent Comments