LAVELLA-BLOG!

Before there was the Angry Samoans, there was VOM. Featuring two future Samoans (Greg Turner and “Metal” Mike Saunders) and rock critic Richard Meltzer on vocals, they only released one EP in 1978, but damn did they make an impression. I could go on for hours about this band (no kidding, I really could) but I’ll just say that they are probably one of the best examples of what this "crazy new thing called punk rock” was before the “rules” about virtually everything slowly fell into place. Lines like “so retarded they were genius” actually do them a disservice, so I think I’ll just settle for “genius” and leave it at that. Enjoy.

Labels: Video

Best 10¢ I ever spent!

Well you come to the letter “U” and you think, I could get cute with this, The Users, UXA, UXB, Urban Waste, The Unnatural Axe even, but to not post a clip of Northern Irelands finest, The Undertones, would be downright blasphemous. I don’t need to say too much about these guys, as they have rightfully established themselves as one of the all time great bands in several genres really, and despite the departure of singer Feargal Sharkey in 1983, in 1999 they reformed and are still at it. This clip falls under the “way too great not to share” category, it’s them in 1978 actually recording their most enduring song “Teenage Kicks,” which somehow never sounds dated. Have no fear blog readers, the letter “V” will be much more obscure.

Labels: Video

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I'll fight anyone who doesn't give the Jackson 5 the respect they deserve, and I've been that way for decades. I can't speak on how Michael behaved as an adult, or the things he did or didn't do. All I know is, from 1969 to 1979 there was THE VOICE, and now it's silent. Luckily there is the music, the videos of the TV appearances, even the Rankin-Bass produced J5 cartoon had soul. It's all a huge part of my life, and probably is for anyone that grew up in the 70's. How much cooler were the Jackson 5 than the Osmond Brothers? There is literally no comparison, they stood alone, and we stood in awe.

I never met the guy, but I always believed Lisa Marie Presley when she said he was a completely different person in private. A guy who drank, swore and joked around a lot, just like any other guy in his 40's from Gary Indiana. The world will never really know for sure, and he'll always remain an enigma, but I for one will miss him. Rest in Peace bro, you earned it.

Labels: Obituary

Among punk rocks many spin-offs and subdivisions (horror punk, funky punk and Christ-knows-what-else punk, etc.) perhaps no movement is as simultaneously obscure and awesome as Medieval Punk. Of course, when there is only ONE band in this beyond-exclusive genre, it not hard to figure out why it was obscure, but I’m here to tell you why it was also awesome. While anyone who has ever seen the 1978 Sex Pistols film The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle knows exactly who Eddie Tenpole is, the story of this band goes way beyond that of a crazy guy screaming “Who Killed Bambi” into a vacuum cleaner. Formed in 1974 while bands like The Sweet and Slade still ruled the UK charts, a young Edward Tudorpole (you can’t make something like that up folks) put together the wildly entertaining Tenpole Tudor, a bit pub, a bit pop, and although their wasn’t a word for it yet, a bit punk. Known for performing in period garb, with Eddie himself in a full chain mail suit, their unique brand of Middle Age madness is perhaps even more apparent in the video for "Wunderbar" but I couldn’t find a clean copy of it, so here is "Swords of a Thousand Men," released on Stiff Records in 1981. The old saying “they don’t make ‘em like this anymore” barely applies here, because in the case of Tenpole Tudor, they never made ‘em like this before or since!

Labels: Video

Labels: Video

Labels: Video

God only knows why Beatles engineer Norman Smith, who also produced such top notch UK acts as The Pretty Things and Pink Floyd, decided to step out from behind the mixing board one fateful day in 1972 and re-invent himself as "pop star" Hurricane Smith. Why Lord?

This is the guy that turned the knobs on total classics like S.F. Sorrow and The Piper at Gates of Dawn fer Christsake! What I'm saying is, HE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER! This horrible song absolutely haunted me throughout my childhood... I mean, it was everywhere, and looking back, I bet that no one was more surprised that it became a huge international hit than old Norman himself. Interestingly enough, the best and worst things I will ever post were recorded within a year of each other. It just goes to show what a totally haphazard and arbitrary time the early 70’s actually were. No wonder the muscle car died out and Detroit was never the same… can you blame it?

It pains me to post this, but if we've learned anything from Newton, it's that "for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction" so if I posted that genius and long lost Sparks footage, I simply have to post this... sorry, but I can't break the third law of motion, not even for this blog!

Look, I’ll be the first one to admit that I am prone to exaggeration. For some, it is a part of my “charm” and for others it’s a minor annoyance they put up. But I assure you that I’m not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that this is the greatest thing I will ever post. Why? Let’s start with the fact that I first saw this clip THIRTY FOUR YEARS AGO on the long forgotten late night ABC TV show In Concert, and it’s not a stretch to say that it totally changed my life. I only saw it once, but it set off a life long… shall we say “obsession” with the band Sparks that continues to this day.

Before seeing this, I never knew that rock and roll could be so clever, both ingenious and totally ass-kicking at the same time. Even among the slew of so-called “glam rock” bands that Ron, Russell and the boys were inevitably lumped in with, they were entirely unique, and I don’t think that’s ever been better illustrated than in this footage. Clearly they had fans in high places, besides the mob of screaming teens, you see none other than Keith Moon and Ringo Starr teaming up to introduce them. In all seriousness, I remember this clip like I saw it only yesterday; no other musical performance ever made such an impact on me. Do yourself a favor and stick with it until the end, because after they do “Something for the Girl with Everything” they break into a killer version of “Talent is an Asset” that still has me jumping around like I did when I was nine years old. Enjoy.

Labels: Video

Did you ever wonder what goes on at an NBA playoff game during a TV time out? Well, since your boy MLV was there and my trusty Casio Exilim digital camera can make short Quicktime movies, I thought I'd share... cover your ears!

My first ever NBA playoff game was everything I ever imagined it could be... and more! The amazing intro! Toni Kukoc in the house! The roar of the crowd when homeboy Derrick Rose hit the court! TRIPLE overtime! Ray Allen puts up 51 points in a loss! All that and... Joakim Noah! Lord knows I love the Golden State Warriors like I love my own mother (flaws and all) but... THE BULLS! This is what the NBA is all about baby!

Been chillin' with Alexei in Chicago for a few days now... Drink, talk, eat, drink, repeat! We got tickets for Game 6 of the Bulls vs. Celtics tomorrow, I'll definitely let you know how that goes...

Oh yeah, about this picture: Did you really think that I could walk by the Biograph Theater where John Dillinger was gunned down in 1934 and NOT do this?

The annual Gearhead inner-office NBA playoffs pool... in the immortal words of my nemesis Jeremy Stoner, "It's on, sucka."

Yes, Gearhead Magazine #18 is actually here, actually for sale on the website, and is shipping right now. So friends, I gotta check out for awhile so I can ship the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of copies (this was just one days shipment, about 1600 pieces) to fine folks like yourself all over the globe. So subscribers, you’ll get yours soon… advertisers, that goes for you too. And stores, if you haven’t ordered yours yet, please feel free to do so… seriously please do! I’ll be back ASAP, but right now, I have a several weeks long date with a box cutter and a tape gun… see you soon. Did I mention that it’s THOUSANDS of copies?

Arguably the coolest thing that ever came out of the lonely town of Perth, Western Australia, this totally genius band lead by Kim Salmon formed there in 1978 before taking off for Sydney in 1981, where they stayed until they relocated to London in 1984. They finally called it quits in 1987 after nearly a decade of kicking out some of the finest jams since… well since The MC5 first showed the world what kicking out the jams was all about. Just freakin’ killer stuff.

In the 80’s, my friend Frank Pappagallo (he of Where’s The Pope? Fame) from Adelaide, regularly sent me the latest Scientists releases in trade for American stuff like D.R.I. and Pleased Youth. I'd say I definitely got the better of that deal, but the point is, I’ve been a fan of The Scientists for over 25 years now, and I’m sometimes shocked that people that should definitely know about them still don’t. Well, if seeing them here in 1980 on an Australian TV show called Countdown doing the classic track “Last Night” doesn’t hip you to these guys, I guess nothing will.

Labels: Video

"I have no idea when the new Gearhead with me and Roger Miret on the cover will be out!” Well you can finally relax Alex, it’s at the printers now…