Bellwether

It's been a relaxed week, so it's time to pad out my posts ... er, I mean look ahead to upcoming shows and chat about hot new records and CDs occupying my time. First, some pictures of The Bellrays playing Bluesfest 2004.





Of course this weekend is looking good with The Silver Hearts performing at Barrymore's with Deadly Snake Andre Ethier. Speaking of Andre, I recently bought the double-vinyl version of 2005's Porcella, A Bird in the Hand is Worthless. The extra songs all blend in so seamlessly I don't see how they could bear to leave them off the CD. Saturday The Supersuckers play Zaphod's and The Fucking Machines and Muffler Crunch demolish The Dominion. I already have my Supersuckers ticket, and plan to pop next door to catch the Muffler/Machines dual release party. There are sundry acts between now and the end of April (Horrorpops et al. at Babylon, etc.), but looking further ahead ...

• May 6 Glam rockers Crash Kelly will be on stage the next day with The Populars and Manpower; Feu Therese perform at Zaphod's with As The Poets Affirm and City of a Hundred Spires; next door, The Dominion has apparently snagged British punk veterans The Vibrators.
• May 12 Heavy Trash (Blues Explosion honcho Jon Spencer and Matt Verta Ray of Speedball Baby) play Babylon with The Sadies.
  
• May 22 Unicorns survivors Islands play Babylon;
• May 31 The (International) Noise Conspiracy plans to babble on at Babylon at month's end; they're bringing The Fever with them;
• June 6 The Pink Mountaintops and haze-rockers Black Angels will play Barrymore's;
• June 13 Same venue, Vancouver punk legends D.O.A. play with Layiterslayit;
• June 15 The BellRays - yes, there was a reason for those two pictures - and Weapons of Mass Seduction play Zaphod's.
• June 16 Pelican, Mono, Mare. Barrymore's - bring earplugs.
• June 26 White Cowbell Oklahoma hits Barrymore's (no doubt with a new album in tow), The Double Pumpers and Good2Go round out the bill.

... and that's not even mentioning all the excellent local acts with shows coming up (e.g., The Sick Fits at Barrymore's May 5 with Good2Go and The Bushpilots) and planning CD releases - looks like a good couple of months!
Speaking of CDs - Gluecifer may have broken up, but they have some disciples in Germany's Boozed. I got Tight Pants, their debut on Bitzcore, and I've got to say Captain Poon and Biff Malibu would most likely approve - or call their lawyers to launch a cease-and-desist order. Britain's The Heads are still fuzzing on - Under The Stress of a Headlong Dive is their latest, and it's another slab of brain damage sub-Sabbath guitar groan (that's a good thing, incidentally). Similarly fuzzy fiends Witch also do a smashing job on their self-titled debut. I'm already familiar with drummer J. Mascis' outside work, so I'll just have to go hunting for records by Feathers, which lent a couple of members.