I know I’m a little behind with this, but I am rather enjoying Portlandia at the moment. Carrie Brownstein is a genius! As well as making my #3 album of last year (Wild Flag), she also found time to write and star in this.

The anniversary of the day the music died was earlier in the month (3rd February), but as Fuel noted on RR today, the music Buddy Holly made had a timeless quality. It would be interesting to  imagine where Buddy Holly’s musical interests might have developed, had he lived, and possibly to speculate whether he would have continued to make music, to produce it,  or whether he would have retired and opened a barbeque and beer joint.

What would he have on his iPod?

Your thoughts?

(PS This is especially for you TFD to cheer you up while you have your rotten cold)

I know it is interesting Mr P - But what does it mean ? ? ?

He Says:

Yes, it’s Hawaii time ! As you may have gathered I am a bit of a fan, having , in the mid 90s, spent more than is entirely sensible or sane on several trips to these lovely tropical islands. Today, children, we are going to concentrate on the music of this blessed ( and cursed a bit too) land. My thesis is that Hawaiians have played a bigger role in the development of our music than most people realise. Several elements that we regard as traditional American things acutally developed way out in the Pacific in the days when Hawaii was still an ( sort of ) independent state. Not least guitar based music, slide guitar, “Slack key” tuning and, by extension, electric guitars ( the first electrics were slide guitars).

So onwards we go , plunging forth like an experienced surfer into the (musical) waves ( doest that work as a metaphor ? I’m not sure it does…)

She Says:

I really do not know very much about Hawaiian Music but I had a lot of fun discovering things I wanted to share with everyone.  The variety of things going on in Hawaii was really surprising, and it I think the mix of US and Pacific and Asian influences with traditional influences also make this a very interesting place to visit on our travels.  It is going be a lot of fun ! ! !

Pairubu - Kai Davis- Kihei

He said: 

Some very typical Hawaiian elements here, slide guitar, ukes, falsetto vocals and a song rooted in “place”. Kihei is on Maui, the island I think of as the “fun” island. It’s the one that attracts honeymooners and vacationers from all over. It’s very lovely, of course, with a spectacular “mountain” ( actually a dormant volcanic peak) from which the views are truly stunning ( hint- take a jumper. It’s quite a surprise to step out of the car in a T-shirt to discover the temperature is only just above freezing !).

This is quite a fast tempoed song, the kind that is often used for hula dancing ( of the wiggly-wiggly kind*, the more stately Hawaiian style is much slower)

* technical term

She Says:

I just love all the typical Hawaiian elements in this.  As soon as it starts I feel like I am on holiday ! ! !  I love the vocals in this and of course I do not understand the words but somehow they sound so cheerful ! ! !  They actually really remind me of the vocals style in some Okinawan folk songs. I love the the hawaiian guitar parts I think they are simply perfect and they match the vocals perfectly .  The rhythm is relaxed and perfect for dancing to and It certainly makes me want to wiggly wiggly *

* technical term

Sakura - B.E.T. – Don’t Stop

She Says:

One of the nice and surprising things I discovered when I was researching Hawaiian music for this post was how big the Regaee scene is in Hawaii.  The style is called Jawaiian and is a really nice easy laid back dance style that I fell in love with instantly ! ! !  B.E.T are my favourite so far.  They are duo and have been active in the Jawaiian scene for a long time now.  This is one of my favourites and it just makes me fell so happy as soon as it starts ! ! !  I think it is good example of Jawaiian reggae.

He says:

Ah ! Jawaiian they call it. It actually makes a lot of sense when you are actually there, sitting under the palm trees sipping a Pina Colda. I’m not sure it “travels” as well as the Jamaican variety though.

I think the problem is the subject matter, (I had this discussion with some locals once), Reggae ( Jamaican style) is often rooted in tribulation and religion. The Hawaiians are singing about the sun, sea and beach ( most of the time). When I asked the local guys what they had to worry about they had to admit that, on the whole, life was pretty good and they didn’t really have a lot of worries to sing about !

Pairubu - Ho’opi’i Brothers – Koke’e

He said:

My favourite Hawaiian artists, a pair of brothers ( duh !) from Maui singing about my favourite place in all the islands. What’s not to like ?

Koke’e is a very special place, it’s upland rainforest on the island of Kauai where it rains…a lot…in fact by some measures the peak of Mount Wai’ale’ale gets more rain than anywhere else in the world ( it’s just around the corner from Koke’e).

The area is home to plants and birds found no where else in the world and it feels very remote in places but, being American, there’s also a cozy lodge where you can get coffee and food and buy tacky souveniers and a museum full of stuffed birds.

It’s very special and was the main draw for me that kept me going back again ( when we had the money !). The song, basically, lists various “towns” and areas locally, you may hear “Waimea” mentioned ( scruffy town, spectacular canyon) and Poipu ( tourist hot spot,dry and dusty) among others. A hymn to Kauai’s lovely South shore.

She Says:

It would not be Hawaii with out a Ukulele ! ! !  I love this track and the ukulele makes a perfect “rhythm guitar” in this track.  The vocals seem to me at places to have a gospel influence as Mr P says it certainly feels like a hymn.  I think Island peoples form deep attachments to homes in away that mainlanders seem not to.  Maybe it because you can really know the total of your island in a way you never can on the mainland. There is always the next town, the next valley, the next river.  On an island you hit the sea pretty quick and you feel the boundaries and  you sense the protection of the land and this makes a deep connection. I love the feeling this song has for the place and the connection to it.

Sakura - Ohta-san - Waipio

She said:

I wanted to include a ukulele track when I new we would be doing Hawaii and of course my first thought was Jake Shimabukuro but I decided to share a track from Ohta-san.  Ohta-san is a Hawaiian of Okinawan descent and actually there is a very big Okinawan community in Hawaii.  He is a really great ukulele player and over the last many years he has really done a lot to show the potential of Ukulele.  He has actually recorded over 100 albums ! ! ! He also appeared in concerts all over the world and has been a big influence on maybe the most famous Ukulele player today Jake Shimabukuro.  I think this track really fits the instrument and conjures up the images we all have of Hawaii, sun. palm trees, and beautiful scenery.  Some how I find this track really very nostalgic and romantic, it reminds me of 1940 decade films actually.

He said:

Stap me ! That guy can play ( damn his eyes !) and make it look so easy too. I want to weep when I see players like this, my own inept fumblings on the the uke are like unto an chimpanzee with boxing gloves on in comparison. I could watch and listen to this type of stuff all day

( and still be totally unable to play even 1/10th as well ).

Pairubu - Squeeze Kamana and Simeon Bright- Hawaiian Scotchman

He said:

Can’t resist putting this one in ! At first glance one  of the strangest musical stories ever. It turns out that in the early 1900′s Scots singer and comedian Harry Lauder ( no relation to Estee) travelled to Hawaii and was a big success, so much so that he went several times.

Here we have a musical tribute to him and his songs but performed in Hawaiian style !

The steel guitar mimics the bagpipe and the “scots” inflections in the vocals are a thing of wonder.

It isn’t actually that odd, when you learn more about the history of Hawaii. The Scots feature large in many aspects of Hawaiian life and you’ll find many a scottish name on buisnesses and in the phone book.

It is a bit odd though, as we discovered, to come across a field full of people dressed in kilts and reciting Burns in the scorching sun.

I love this track, it’s wild , weird and , above all, historic. Real “human” music.

She said:

I was reminded of a Bob Hope and Bing Crosby film actually when I heard this for the first time ! ! ! It is great that music captures the history and different traditions of places in such a fun way.  I really did enjoy this track.  It has a really nice jazz feel to it in places and Hawaiian guitars are great in this track.   I must admit the Scottish references I found a little strange but somehow it seemed to all fit together.  But men often wear skirts in the tropics so I can imagine  kilt made from a nice light cotton would be very nice, actually I can not imagine wearing one in the cold of the Scotland ! ! !

Sakura - Hi’ilawe – Sudden Rush & Gabby Pahinui

She said:

I really like the Hawaiian slack key style of guitar playing and Mr P said in the introduction this has been a very influential style in music around the world.  I chose this track as it features Hawaiian rapper Sudden Rush.  I love the way that Sudden Rush honours his roots and adds something unique and modern to a traditional track and the two artists collaborate to create something really special.  Hawaiian music seems to have always been a fusion of tradtional and modern.  For example the first use of electric guitars and  slack key tuning and this track for me is a continuation of the innovation within the tradition.  I really liked and I hope you do also ! ! !

.

He said:

Not sure about this one. The two elements, I think, would be fine on their own but don’t really work together for me. I suspect it’s because the Gabby Pahinui track is so familiar and iconic. It seems almost rude to mess with it !

.

Pairubu  - Ho’opi’i Brothers- Hawaiian Roughriders

He said:

Ahem ! Yes, I can count but I couldn’t decide which song to leave out , so I’ve gone for an extra one ( sorry Sakura !).

Mainly because I love the song but also because I find it so interesting.  How many people realise that the Paniolo or Hawaiian cowboys even exist ? Well they do and that’s what the song celebrates.

They caused quite a sensation on the rodeo circuit in mainland America when they first appeared. No one was expecting Hawaiian riders to be so good. If you see the terrain they have to deal with and ever have the chance to see the clips of film of the men scaring Tiger Sharks away from the cattle then you will know  that these guys were not only highly skilled but tougher than the toughest tough.

She said:

I do not mind at all Mr P ! ! !

I really like the faster tempo of this track and the ukulele is just wonderful in it.  The Swiss yodelling is also really great and gives the track a really cheerful feel and reminds me of the songs in some of the old cowboy films actually, which I suppose was what they wanted to do ! ! !  I think this is a great track to finish with as it has all the elements of great Hawaiian music that I love.  Ukuleles, Hawaiian guitars, cheerful yodelling and great rhythm.  What more can you want ? ??

♪    ♫    ♪    ♪    ♫    ♪

We say:

We both really hope you have enjoyed reading the post and listening to the tracks.  Hawaii for such a small island has been very influential in world music.  It sits right on the border between the west and the USA and  Asia and has influenced both streams of musical development and been influenced by them.  I was touched to notice how common some of the themes were between Okinawan music and Hawaiian and I was reminded that Island peoples every where share some of the same challenges but that music often is so cheerful and possitive it is easy to forget how tough life can be on an island.  The sense of fun comes through in all these tracks more than anything and we both hope you fun listening to them ! ! !

♪    ♫    ♪    ♪    ♫    ♪

About He Said –  She Said

She  says:

We have had a lot of fun making this mini series and we hope that you have enjoyed it.  We do plan to continue with some He Said – She Said posts in the future but unfortunately we are both quite committed at the moment.  But we will be back shortly we hope ! ! !

He says:

Well that’s all for now, folks !  I hope that Sakura and I will be able to do a few more posts soon. I think we both really enjoy doing them. Unfortunately that damned “life” thing gets in the way sometimes.

Clockwork punks? A “street level Joy Division” ? The Oi! Banshees? A band that tried to stretch the boundaries a bit, the Violators emerged from the Clockwork Orange dystopia of …err… Chapel En Le Frith. Some, such as Garry Bushell, were predicting big things for them, which never happened. They came and went leaving a tiny handful of records, leaving you to wonder what they would have done if they’d got as far as doing an album back in 1982.They were possibly also the only punk band of the time to take their name from an article in The Guardian (“Urban Violations” being the headline)

The Violators were signed to No Future, one of the bigger punk labels of the time, and made their first appearance on the Coutry Fit For Heroes compilation with two tracks Die With Dignity, an atmospheric featuring the melodic vocals of co vocalist Helen, and Government Stinks, a thrashier song featuring the growled vocals of band mainman Shaun “Cess” Stiles. This mixing and matching of male and female vocals, and of the more tuneful elements of punk with the more aggressive sounds gave them the potential to reach a wider audience than some of their peers.

The debut single Gangland / The Fugitive came out in 1982. Gangland was a brooding mid tempo song that drew the “street level Joy Division” tag (Oi Division???), and unusually was over 5 minutes long. Slightly too long in fact, but a minor classic all the same. The Fugitive with Helen on vocals meanwhile had definite shades of the Banshees. The single sleeve featured the most famous photo of the band (not a lot of competition for that accolade admittedly) which, with some of the bad dressed in the very height of droog fashion, saw them labelled Oi (which they weren’t really) and Clockwork Punk (despite the droog look only being adopted briefly by the band, and the lyrics to Gangland being based on The Warriors instead).

The second, possibly best known single, featured (the A Listed!) Summer Of 81, not the only punk single of the time about police brutality and the riots, but one of the most tuneful, and the more aggressive, slightly ridiculous but catchy, Live Fast Die Young. Garry Bushell reviewed the single in Sounds alongside the Dead Kennedys Halloween, suggesting that the Violators were the future of punk, not the DKs. Not for the last time Bushell was wrong.

With a couple of successes under their belt a minor disaster then struck when a big gig in London went badly (“cos of technical problems..and the amount of illegal substances taken prior to our arrival at the venue” according to Shaun on the sleeve notes of the No Future Years retrospective CD). I can confirm the gig was a disaster as a bootleg exists, with a set punctuated by continual cock ups and on stage arguments. After this the band lost momentum, split in two with Helen and guitarist Coley forming the more mainstream Taboo and vanishing into obscurity, and the rest carrying on with a new line up. Like several others on No Future Records they were pushed in a more post punk/ “futurist” direction. The label rebranding itself Future Records and even producing a “no swearing” contract for band recordings! The final single Life On The Red Line was definitely in post punk territory, and didn’t go down as well (certainly judging by the number of second hand copies I’ve seen)with the punk scene, although at the risk of destroying any cred I may have I quite like it. After this they relaunched as Ice The Falling Rain. A band that had once talked of mixing synthesisers with punk , now started producing  delicate OMD style synth pop, leaving behind the Life’s Illusion single as the incriminating evidence.
The Violators, unlike many of their peers, haven’t jumped on the reunion bandwagon (yet) but the few tracks they recorded stand up with the best of 80s punk. Roll on 2015 (or whenever the almost inevitable comeback gig happens)

We all love music – that is why we spend so much time on The Spill and RR, but sometimes it can really make you want to scream ! ! !

I want to find out what really makes you scream.  The J-Pop Idol group C-ute are maybe for me the most annoying group ever, on so many different levels but part of it is because their tracks are so catchy that however much I try once I hear one on the radio, then the stupid thing is stuck in my head all day.

This Happened to me today and made me think of this challenge.

Is this the most annoying lyric ever ? ? ?

In the track Dance To The Bakon they sing the line:

Mainichi ga shoubu PANTSU

Which in Englsih means (more or less)

Every day I wear lucky panties.

If there is a lyric in a song which is more annoying that that then I really want to know it ! ! !

So the challenge is what is the line from a song that really really REALLY makes you want to scream when you hear it ? ? ?

Have fun ! ! !

C-Ute -  Dance to Bakon

T-Bone Burnett – Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend (Monroe cover)
They say those who can’t, teach – which in music translates to those who can’t, produce. Not so the ubiquitous T-Bone Burnett, who has shone as a producer, writer and player. Perhaps this unlikely cover will show the scope of his creativity.
Tincanman

Everly Brothers – Baby What You Want Me To Do
Looking back (a long, long way) I’ve realised that, coming from a music-indifferent family as I did, this must have been the introduction of my junior self to the blues. It’s a Jimmy Reed song and it featured on the Everlys’ 1961 album A Date With The Everly Brothers. Bit different from the rest of the album, though.
Treefrogdemon

The Cardigans – Iron Man
Swedish knitwear tackles Ted Hughes via Ozzy Osborne. It seems that the twee popsters had a penchant for Black Sabbath; on their first album they turned Sabbath Bloody Sabbath into a sugary confection. Here, they do a much better job, with just the right amount of chilled vocoderiness.
Zalamanda

Dizzee Rascal – That’s Not My Name
The original by the Ting Tings was given an almost feminist aggressive slant in the way it was performed. Dizzee, known for his own somewhat ”in your face” presentation, gives this track a more lighthearted (and ‘Laddish’) slant, as well as making a point about the use of the ‘N’ word. It was recorded in 2008 as part of the Radio 1 ‘Live Lounge’ sessions.
Bluepeter

Franky Perez & Los Guardianes Del Bosque – Times They Are A’Changin’ (Espanol)
I first heard this in an episode of “Sons Of Anarchy” (my current fave TV show). I know nothing about Frankie Perez or Los Guardianes Del Bosque, except that they throw a whole new light on “Times They Are A Changing” by singing it in Spanish. Lovely.
RockingMitch

Garcia & Grisman – So What
Even jazz haters know this Miles tune. After a 20-year gap, Garcia and Grisman started playing together again in 1990 and, as you can hear, they really enjoyed each other’s musical company. It may be noodling, but it’s damn fine noodling.
Chris.

As ever, please send your lovely tunes and write-ups to earworm@tincanland.com.  Thank you!

bonus track for Fuel – and one I’ve been searching my mind for:

Way back in the 80s when I was a mere teenager just beginning to investigate The Clash’s back catalogue I remember seeing the name English Dogs painted on the back of a punk leather jacket and thinking it was the ideal name for a punk band. I didn’t get to hear them for around ten years (no youtube in those days) – could the music live up to the name? When I finally got to hear it, it turned out that their debut release the Mad Punx And English Dogs 12” was overall probably the best punk EP of the 80s(my opinion of course but I don’t think I’m alone). Even if they’ve never matched it in their confusing, tangled on-off history, this release got them their place in punk history.

English Dogs started out in Grantham, home of a certain Maggie Thatcher. Like contemporaries such as GBH, they took the influence of the harder 70s punk bands, but were tighter with a beefier guitar sound. Unlike some they also wrote memorable songs, instead of relying simply on speed and volume. What I suspect made them really stand out was having a genuinely bonkers frontman in Wakey, or Walrus as he was also known early on, probably due to being on the large and whiskery side. He fits on the frontman spectrum somewhere between “lovable eccentric” and “drug crazed maniac” and he found novel ways to get the attention of a audience – eg throwing eggs in the faces of punters between songs.
They were signed to Clay Records, also home of Discharge and GBH, and Mad Punx was released in 1983. With a fine production by Clay records supremo, Mike Stone, it feature 6 songs, 5 of which had titles with words like “death” and “kill” in the title, apparently by accident(“It was a surprise for us when we first saw the EP” – Wakey). However this was not a depressing listen – the songs here were energetic, with a black sense of humour and a slight edge of madness. Max The Millionaire opens with the what for me is best bass intro ever; Psycho Killer, their best known song, is a manic, thrash punk singalong classic with one of the best dumb-but-brilliant choruses ever (“Psycho killer on the loose again – demented brain in constant pain!”); Free To Kill features the kind of riffing that no doubt saw some old 77 punks tutting that this was just metal with spiky hair; and Left For Dead is a singalong anthem about being on the receiving end of a beating based on the real life experience of bassist Wattie at the hands of “an aggrieved boyfriend who had a head like Spike in Tom and Jerry” (Wakey).

Side 1 – Max The Millionaire / Psycho Killer / Free To Kill

and from Side 2 – Left Me For Dead

A full length album Invasion Of The Porky Men followed. It wasn’t quite up to the same standard, partly due to a weaker production, but then what is? It still featured some classic tracks

Caveman Brain

Soon afterwards Wakey departed to take up a travelling lifestyle that he maintains to this day. New vocalist Adie joined along with an additional guitarist with the unlikely name of Gizz Butt, who seemed to fancy himself as some kind of spiky haired Eddie Van Halen. The band went from punk with a metal influence to bona fide metal. Unlike many of their contemporaries English Dogs seemed to have some success in the metal field (signing to a Music For Nations subsidiary, getting played by Tommy Vance) although this was not to everyone’s taste – “people would cross the road sniggering and pointing “it’s English Dogs”” claimed Wakey, but then he does have a vivid imagination. Despite their burgeoning reputation as axe-twiddlers, English Dogs split before the end of the 80s.
English Dogs relaunched in 1993 with a mixture of both line ups at which point the band history started to look like a particularly messy Pete Frame Rock Family Tree, a tangled web of splits, reunions, changes of vocalist with Wakey rejoining, leaving, rejoining, leaving, and now fronting his own version of English Dogs. In fact if Pete Frame were to try he would be able to identify 3 entirely different bands without a member in common that have existed at different times under the name English Dogs. The current version, featuring Wakey as the only original member, have just released a promising sounding EP called Get Off My Fucking Moon, but Mad Punx And English Dogs is still the definitive record (cue howls of derision from metal fans).

(Quotes from interview with Wakey in Product fanzine, 1999)

Just wanted to make sure people knew…

Guardian obituary

Dub Syndicate – What Happened?
Electrafixion – Who’s Been Sleeping In My Head?
Butthole Surfers – Who Was In My Room Last Night? [Trent Reznor RMX]
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Thirsty Dog
Offspring – The Worst Hangover Ever
Serious Drinking – Hangover
Mekons – Amnesia

Clock DVA – 4 Hours
Nina Nastasia & Jim White – Late Night
Tindersticks – Raindrops [Live '03]
Malcolm Middleton & Alan Bisset – The Rebel On His Own Tonight
Low – Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me
Mountain Goats – Your Belgian Things
Barzin – The Dream Song