Kind Turkey

Sometime in 2011 the German label Red Lounge Records brought us the debut LP by La Panther Happens. To be perfectly honestly, this is my first introduction to the band and I hadn’t heard of this recording coming out so it was a welcome surprise when I opened up a package from Red Lounge and found this tucked away inside. It’s a pop project from Tulsa, but the band doesn’t really sound like their music is geographically rooted entirely in the South. To my ears it’s rustic West-Coast folk pop meets the Memphis organ pop sound. The band’s sound definitely harkens to past and present Memphis icons like Big Star, Reigning Sound, and The Barbaras/Magic Kids just to name a few. Right out the gate I can’t help but notice how much this band sounds like Kind Turkey alums The Pharmacy, especially on the stellar keyboard and harmony-laced “When I Wake Up”. The mix of the poppy guitar and drawly vocals is what really makes me think of The Pharmacy’s frontman, Scott Yoder’s loveable persona. There’s maybe even a bit of Bare Wires scuzz glam with a bit more gusto hidden in there…AND a bit of amazing oddball/kiddie charm ALA The Barbaras (particularly on “Blowing Out My Brains”). At times I even get hints of the sugar sweet organ pop of Ohio’s Wheels On Fire (also Kind Turkey alums) but this features even more cutesy naivety than WOF. The A-Side ends with a fast paced organ rager called “Alice” that reminds me A LOT of Sonic Chicken 4…which is great considering that band became way less active a few years ago and no one’s quite filled that niche just yet. Not to be mistaken, the band doesn’t just stick to mid-tempo pop rockers. They get a bit restless and a bit rockabilly on the excellent “Gimme Back”, somehow melding the Cramps with the Reigning Sound seamlessly. It’s probably the most coherent and best piece of songwriting on the record. At their best they sound like a less obscured and more focused version of the Fresh and Onlys (one of this author’s favorite bands). To top it all off the overall package is quite nice: Fourteen tracks housed in an elaborate gatefold with artwork by the incredible Lindsay Shutt!

Hear a tune from the LP here:

La Panther Happens on Facebook!
Order the LP direct from Red Lounge Records Here!

Alright it’s been a while since I posted and I’ll be having a big batch of reviews coming soon as well as my best of 2012 list! So stick tight for that!

But! Before we get into the review for the highly anticipated debut LP by Fatal Figures we should give ya a little info about where this band came from…Fatal Figures is made up of three members of the now defunct Blowtops: a high octane, extremely prolific beast that was a completely revered Buffalo, NY institution. Out of their ashes comes an uncompromising breath of fresh punk air. Caterwaul is Fatal Figures debut LP (out on our good buds’ label Big Neck Records) and I know this has been in the works for close to two years. There are moments on Caterwaul that make me think of an amped up and bass-laden Bantam Rooster (“Television” and “Party Girl” most notably). The over the top drawly delivery mixed with the staggering guitar riffage harkens back to the Crypt Records catalogue in all the right ways. On the A-Side closer, “Wayne Bent”, you find the band grappling with lumbering, drugged out lows. The nonchalant vocal delivery is a perfect complement alongside the meandering bass and riveting drums that hold this dirge together. But I think they really hit their stride on the B-Side. Most notably with the EXCELLENT cut, “New God”, where female and male vocals collide to great effect. Overall, this record will pummel you, albeit quickly….very quickly. The whole thing is a flash of wild punk aggression that’s over after nine short bursts…basically you’ll want to catch this while you can…before it flies by and yr stuck on yr couch drunk and listening to the blank hum of a stereo cranked too loud with no tunes flowin’ outta it.

Hear “Go Down” from the LP below:

Fatal Figures on Facebook
Buy the LP direct from Big Neck Records Here!

Dharma Dogs have been making waves around Madison for over a year with their intense, destructive and extremely LOUD live shows that leave listeners wondering if the chaos could possible be captured on tape. Well! It can…and it has…in all it’s noisy glory on the new 7″ EP, “Drown”, released via the Madison based Kitschy Manitou imprint. The word on the street is that Kitschy Manitou will be releasing the excellent “Barb’s Trailer EP” by the fresh new Madison punk band Fire Retarded that I spoke highly of about a month ago HERE.

Known for a highly combustible mix of grunge, punk and garage, Dharma Dogs turned more than a few heads around the Midwest when they hit the road in June to support their first vinyl release, a 5-way split 7″ called “The Obvious Sampler Vol. 1″. With the new EP, “Drown”, the band gets the well-deserved full attention of the whole 7″ format to give you three choice highlights from their ever evolving live show. Essentially this is the band’s debut vinyl release (since the first record was a 5-way split 7″ that didn’t really let the band shine), and it’s quite a rocker. The A-Side consists of two rippers (“Laxadaisy” and “Fluke and Flounder”) fronted by guitarist/vocalist Chris Joutras, and the B-Side features a longer, jammier cut called “Deep Wound” fronted by drummer/vocalist Nate Karls. It’s nice to see the band utilize both singers on the short release. On record the band sounds incredibly sonically charged. Think ’89 Nirvana meets Melvins sludge with the production of classic lo-fi garage rock The Sonics. In a nice twist of formats the band compiled the tracks on the “Drown” 7″ alongside four other songs recorded at the same session onto cassette they entitled “Drown B/W Moon Rocks and Speed”. You can pick up either of the releases at shows or through the band’s Bandcamp. I highly recommend the vinyl treatment since the record’s got a top notch package that includes some primo candy blue vinyl.

Check out “Fluke Or Flounder” below:

Dharma Dogs on Facebook
Buy the record from Dharma Dog’s Bandcamp

Detroit’s Frustrations bring us their second LP, “Negative Reflections” via the premier Detroit punk label X! Records (Home to Terrible Twos, Druid Perfume, and Tyvek…among countless other Detroit gems). This record fits nicely in the label’s catalogue…it’s Detroit scuzz spazz punk at it’s best. The Detroit scene seems to revolve around these weirdo spacey garage creatures with a love for moody angular punk (usually with a bigger penchant for keyboards than this band has). Instead of keyboards this band laces their music with some extreme effects pedaling, as well as some oddball droney and dissonant guitar. It definitely works wonders for filling out their sound, especially on the excellent “Surgeon” where the bass holds it all down while the guitar goes on a Wah-Wah freak out. Ultimately the drums pound you into a Hunchesesque breakdown, giving you a second to breathe before it blasts you back with the Wah-Wah intro riffing. Wild shit man. And yet the guitar gets even more psychotic and dissonant on the next track, “Shimmer”. It’s almost got a Velvet Underground drone violin squeal vibe going on. Pretty gnarly really. And there’s one thing I can’t express enough…This record was recorded extremely well (By ex-Terrible Two’s keyboardist Daniel “Bing” Tomczak)…dark and dingy but completely present and in your face. Between the screaming production points, the dark subject matter, and the ominous tones, this is definitely a record that evokes some sorta bad times feel. It sounds like Detroit, and it definitely feels like Detroit…Shit! It’s such a fitting example of an excellent Detroit record it might even smell like the damn city.

Judge it yrself….

Frustrations on Facebook
Buy the LP from X! Records
Cassette version is also available from Gold Tapes

SHIT! Where did this come from?!?! Fire Retarded is a new Madison garage-punk band who just plopped their demo up on Bandcamp last week. They just played their first show last night (In Kenosha of all places! It ruled). And now Kind Turkey is proud to be the first to inform you of this band…and all you kids out there better TAKE NOTE! Consisting of members of New Years Gang and the now defunct Giant People, this new band decided to try their hand at Coachwhipesque art-damaged garage-cow-punk. There’s an obvious Jay Reatard influence in there as well (I mean the band name psuedo references the guy), but it’s not enough to call them ripoffs or anything like that. They’ve definitely got their own thing going for sure. It’s refreshing to see such a vibrant and young band come out of the sometimes stagnant Madison scene. These kids are sure to be the future scene kings of Madison, so nows yr chance to watch them as they grow and morph into that title. Don’t be late to the party yo! Word on the street is that they’ll be holing up to finish a few more songs and then I might get to try my hand at recording em. We’ll see! The results they got with their ONE microphone live recording is pretty damn good if I do say so myself. Check the self-released/self-recorded demo below…you won’t be disappointed.

Fire Retarded on Facebook
Fire Retarded on Bandcamp

Heyo! We’ve got a brand new EP from our bud Adam Widener! This new slab is a quick 5 tracks running at 45 RPM. The whole thing is an organ-laced garage-power-pop summer record. It’s out on the freshly minted Fuzz City Records label run by one Matthew Melton (See our interview with the Melton HERE!). I gotta say, this is some of Adam’s best work to date. I really dig on “Groovy Intuitions”. It brings ya back to the sunny SF daze that was Jefferson Airplane (minus the drunk female fronting of course), while keeping things a bit more straight-forward. I’m definitely feeling the warm and cozy SF vibes and touches that Matthew Melton put on the recording. All in all this is a fun and fresh EP from a Midwestern man who moved out to the coast at the same time I did back in 2010 (yet I ended up back in the Midwest and he stayed!). Not sure if he’s doing shows or not (I’m guessing not), but I’m sure you can snag a copy either from him online, from Fuzz City, or at a local record store in the Bay Area.

Check out “Groovy Intuitions” below:

Adam Widener on Facebook
Buy the 7″ from Fuzz City!

The Harlequins are a Cincinnati band with a love for all things SF right now. They’ve got a tape out on our friend Zach’s label Random Old Records. Zach runs a great blog and podcast that you should check out as well (link to it below). So back to the band…there’s an obvious Dwyer and Co. influence right on the surface (that just about no one can miss) but with less prominent basslines (which might be the thing that sets Thee Oh Sees apart from many of their counterparts). I guess some of this sound might harkens back to Syd Barrett and co, but I mostly just hear Oh Sees worship. Absurdly awesome pop melodies (also an obvious homage to Dwyer), and a completely delay-ed out guitar sound. I guess this is what Thee Oh Sees would sound with less cheap speed and acid and a bit more alcohol? Something dirge-y and less weird…I guess that’s what the Midwest is all about though, so it makes sense. Not sure if they’re breaking any boundaries or doing anything that new, but I’d say it’s worth a shot for fans seeking out yet more material by Thee Oh Sees (are their actually people out there who don’t have enough of an Oh Sees fix these days?). I think I’d be a bit more excited if this didn’t sound exactly like Thee Oh Sees meets Ty Segall without any of the weirdness and maniacally perfect additional instrumentation that sets both of those bands miles ahead of their contemporaries. I mean this band still throws in the occasional delay swell that instantly makes the recordings sound “wacky” and “SFesque” these days…but does that qualify for true “weirdness”? It’s definitely not the true weirdness that a genius like Dwyer has crafted over a century of playing shows. The best cut is the opener “End For Us All”. My second favorite is “No Not I” which definitely could be an Oh Sees B-side (A killer one at that). Honestly, I couldn’t help but feel like I had heard the rest of the record before though, which could be a compliment or a fault…I’m not sure yet. It’s definitely worth a shot if you need more 60’s psych pop in your life though. Give it a listen below:

The Harlequins on Facebook
Random Old Records Blog/Podcast
Buy the release from Random Old Records!

Hey all you Turkers out there…Especially you Euro Turkeys, The Midwest Beat just released TWO brand new 7″s and have a new Singles Compilation LP coming out on the European Label Wild Honey Records (who did the European version of their last LP “Gone Not Lost”)! Below you can hear two tracks from the 7″s and check the tour dates! The Singles Compilation LP should be in the states soon (albeit very limitedly!). The band will also have a limited edition run of a CD-R version of the sold-out Kind Turkey Records’ Midwest Beat tape entitled “Unreleased and Live” with them on the tour!

The Florida based Certified PR Records is no stranger to the sounds of Wisconsin. They’ve released 7″s by a slew of Wisconsin and Kind Turkey Approved bands such as Sugar Stems, The Onions, and Ramma Lamma. This time they’ve selected one of our favorites, The Midwest Beat, and released a brand new 7″ entitled “Apology Accepted”. It’s a garagey stomper that brings together the raw energy and feeling of CCR and the Beatles pop charm. Incredibly catchy. Check out the title track here:

Certified PR just dropped another Wisconsin 7″ too! By Holly and the Nice Lions. Check it out over at their web site HERE!

The other brand new 7″ by The Midwest Beat is out now on the Swedish label Sound Asleep Records. It features two cuts of ragged and rugged rock n roll. Haunted Blues is a personal favorite of mine so I’m happy to see it got single treatment (even though it ended up on the B-Side!).
Check out the A-Side “Blue Tippecanoe” below:

European Tour Dates!

Sept 28 FRI – Honky tonky – Seregno (MI)
Sept 29 SAT – Krank Festival – Fara Vicentino (VI)
Sept 30 SUN – Casa del Popolo – Firenze
Oct 01 MON – Spectre Club – Bucine (AR)
Oct 02 TUE – Lio Bar – Brescia (IT)
Oct 03 WED – Sidro – Savignano sul Rubicone (FC)
Oct 04 THU – Jack the Ripper – Roncà (VR)
Oct 05 FRI – Agora Bar – Basel (CH)
Oct 06 SAT – Haus – Kassel (DE)
Oct 07 SUN – Waldmeister Club – Solingen (DE)
Oct 08 MON – H. 17:00 – acoustic show at Leseglück Bookstore – Berlin (DE)
Oct 08 MON – H. 21:00 – Wowsville – Berlin (DE)
Oct 09 TUE – Komet – Hamburg (DE)
Oct 10 WED – - Hellmuts – Dresden (DE)
Oct 11 THU – PMK – Innsbruck (A)
Oct 12 FRI – Sedel – Luzern (CH)
Oct 13 SAT – Bergamo Sottosuolo @ Edonè – Bergamo (IT)

The Midwest Beat on Facebook
The Midwest Beat on Bandcamp
Certified PR Records
Sounds Asleep Records
Wild Honey Records

Hey Everyone!
It’s been a while since I wrote something for ya’all…cuz…well…The Hussy’s been busy! So has Kind Turkey Records. I planned a big show over at Mickey’s Tavern for the third annual Turkeyfest!!! This shit is what started it all back in 2010 when we threw the first Turkeyfest and released the first Kind Turkey Records release! So tonight we honor 3 Kind Turkey bands and one insanely amazing out of town band called Vacation Club that have been The Hussy’s homies for many years now! The Midwest Beat will have copies of their new 7″s at the show! AND The Hussy will have copies of the Weed Seizure LP repressed on Yellow Vinyl at the show!

ALSO ALSO ALSO! THE HUSSY IS GOING TO GONERFEST 9! SO check out the tour dates at the bottom of the post!

Here’s the info!

TURKEYFEST 2012
Friday September 21st, 2012
Mickey’s Tavern
10 PM
21+

THE HUSSY (Tic Tac Totally Records, Kind Turkey Records, Science of Sound, Eradicator, Slow Fizz, Goodbye Boozy, ETC…)
http://www.facebook.com/thehussyknowsall
This is our Gonerfest Tour Kickoff Show! One last show before we leave for a quick trip to Memphis to play GONERFEST 9!!! The cassette version of Cement Tomb Mind Control will be released at this show on Kind Turkey Records!

VACATION CLUB (Glory Hole Records)
http://www.facebook.com/VACATIONCLUBALRIGHT
On tour from Indiana! These kids do bubbledumb right and are wild as all get out! Get them drunk!

THE MIDWEST BEAT (Dusty Medical Records, Kind Turkey Records, Certified PR, Wild Honey, Tax Return, ETC)
http://www.facebook.com/MidwestBeat
MKE/Madison based ‘Angry Bubblegum’ band. Last Madison show before the European Tour!

THE ARKOFFS (Kind Turkey Records)
http://www.kindturkeyrecords.com/artists/arkoffs
Weirdo psych punk garage that turns heads. Rare appearance!!

FACEBOOK EVENT:
http://www.facebook.com/events/196567010475703/

THE HUSSY FALL TOUR DATES:
Sept 25th – Chicago, IL @ The Burlington w/ The Biz, Zed (Ex-Vee Dee) and Outer Minds DJs
http://www.facebook.com/events/417718341619681/

Sept 26th – Bloomington, IN @ The Ream w/ Ancient Slang, Punk Talk, Facts Machine
http://www.facebook.com/events/283177138454475/

Sept 27th – Nashville, TN @ The Springwater w/ The Sex Bombs
http://www.facebook.com/events/110202459132326/

Sept 28th – Memphis, TN @ GONERFEST 9 – Buccaneer Lounge Day Show
w/ No Bails, Toxie, The Anomalys, Johnny Lowebow
http://www.facebook.com/events/183680428429072/

Sept 29th – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon w/ THEE OH SEES, TY SEGALL, TRIN TRAN
http://www.facebook.com/events/232485456868270/

Oct 22nd – Madison, WI @ Mickey’s Tavern w/ Digital Leather, Destruction Unit, New Villains