Secret Messages # 537

It's unpleasant when you come to the realization that you wouldn't feel guilty for turning your back on those who take you for granted. However, it's strangely comfortable. Or so I would imagine.

Happy Halloween! Don't get arrested!

Cristina Rosenvinge - Frozen Pool

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Oh, what's this? Well, it looks like Ohrobot is having an indie pop morning. Today I'd like you to give a listen to Ms. Cristina Rosenvinge and her album "Frozen Pool."

Originally released in 2001, this album can comfortably sit on your shelves alongside your Mazzy Star and your Camera Obscura records without drawing any attention to itself. That said, it's a wonderful album that received absolutely no attention from the planet. Hopefully today is the day that you become intrigued. She began her career as a musician with the Latin folk group "Cristina y los subterraneos" and as you can see, started a solo career later on.

If I could command that you play a particular track off of this album first, it would be Expensive shoes.

Play it. Play it now! I command you!

Involved read: Eight arms.

When the octopus grabbed hold of Kenny's leg I knew he'd had it. I could see his skin turning blue and I'll never forget the look on his face when we were trying to pull him back in the boat; despair. There's no other way to describe it. His eyes went hollow. It was kind of like looking at one of those photos of a road that seems to go on forever, you know? Maybe he was giving the once in a lifetime chance to die look? He didn't even scream. All of the yelling was coming from Sarah and me. We never even got the chance to see the damn thing either! I thought we'd tear his arm off, the way we yanked him toward us, but it was obvious that he was a goner. When he finally went under his face hit the side of the boat and then he was suddenly not there anymore. Sarah went nuts! I couldn't even do anything about it because I couldn't move. I wasn't catatonic, but I just sat there with my mouth open trying to process what just happened. She collapsed and with a panicked tone she started telling me that we had to get back to land. I followed her instructions and took us back to the dock. We didn't speak the rest of the way. I stared straight ahead and she just kept staring into the black water.

That night, after a trip to the Police station to explain what happened to our friend, I'll never forget the look on this one cop's face when I told him that Kenny was taken by an octopus. It was obvious that he didn't believe me, but Sarah had a huge meltdown and he started treating us like the victims instead of possible murder suspects. After about an hour or so, Sarah took me home and she cried the whole way there. We didn't listen to the radio. I started to come to terms with the whole thing after I got out of her car and started up the driveway toward my house. Before I put my key in the door I started to worry about her. In her state she's liable to drive off of a cliff and not realize it because it's hard to see the road when your eyes are full of tears. I called her cellphone and listened to it ring clearly from both my phone and from somewhere down at the end of my driveway. She never left. I walked around the front of the car as her friend, but I suddenly had a flash of a sexual image in my head. I thought about holding her, comforting her... kissing her. It's sometimes messed up the way the mind works. Six hours ago her and Kenny were were kissing. He had her at the front of the boat with his hands all over her ass and his tongue shoved down her throat. Coincidentally, her throat was part of the sexual image that flashed into my head earlier; blow job.

After keeping silent for most of the day, she finally spoke. She asked if she could spend the night with me. I was at the crossroads indeed. Is it betraying a friend if he's dead and his girlfriend comes around looking for a little comfort and a stiff cocktail or four? Of course I said yes. Not referring to anything remotely referring to betrayal, I said yes about her spending the night. The next morning we had a few cups of coffee and replayed last night to each other. We spoke about everything from the octopus to the blow job I didn't get. It was weird... we were sad, but we were laughing. She left in one of my shirts. After she left I tried to straighten up my place a bit. Got half of it done before trading off in favor of a good nap.

A few days went by and I hadn't heard from Sarah. We both needed some time to mourn, so not seeing each other was normal, she wasn't really a close friend anyway. She was just Kenny's girlfriend that he brought along once in a while, but I just had to know if she was okay. I went by her house and noticed her little blue car sitting in front. That meant she was home. That girl never went anywhere that she couldn't drive to. I knocked for a while and gave up. Was she sleeping? Taking a bath? I waited outside for forty five minutes before calling it quits. When I got home I called the police to anonymously report a burglary in progress at Sarah's house. I'd have to make the cops stumble upon her. Little did I know that she would be discovered dead on her living room couch surrounded by a bunch of pill bottles. Even the news came around. It was the big thing: Woman found dead Apparent Suicide! At least she died with her clothes on, I thought.

Their faces are stuck in my head all the time now. I can't even make a sandwich without seeing Ken's face in my jar of mayo. I'm a little ashamed to admit that I only see Sarah when I'm in the shower. Since they died I feel really lonely. I have other friends, but Kenny and I were the tightest. We grew up together. We were on the same sports teams, ate dinner at each others house. When we got older we messed around with a couple of the same girls, sometimes at the same time. I miss him a whole lot. Did he suffer much? I hope not. The whole thing happened pretty quick, but at the time it felt like we were pulling at his arm for two days. I don't go out on the boat anymore either. It's been sitting at the dock with a for sale sign on it for about four months now. Sometimes my imagination runs off and I think that people might know that someone died on it and that's why nobody wants to buy it. A few weeks ago a couple of policemen knocked at my door to let me know that they still haven't found his body yet, but they were able to recover his wallet. They handed it to me in a small, clear bag. The only reason they brought it to me was because before we got on the boat I asked him if he'd hold my drivers license for me and it was still in there right next to his. Since the only family he had left was an alcoholic brother who didn't give a crap who lived or died as long as he could be a miserable drunk, I got it. When the cops talked to him, he told them he didn't want anything from anybody. So the cops told me that they felt I should be the rightful owner. After they left I decided to go through it and noticed that there was nine dollars in it. I just broke down and cried. It was that exact moment when the gravity of this whole thing knocked me off of my seat. I called Sarah. She wasn't home.

Mickey & Ludella's Bedlam A - Go - Go

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Ludella Black and Mickey Hampshire are two of England's most rockin' inhabitants. The former being an integral part of The Delmonas and Thee Headcoatees alongside Miss Holly Golightly before embarking on a solo career. Not much has changed except maybe that her solo work is a little more "focused."

The latter, Mickey Hampshire, is a founding member of Thee Milkshakes, Thee Headcoats, and The Masonics. He's proven over the years that real Rock N' Roll pumps through his veins in a major way. It's that Medway sound the kids go nutso for!

These two have teamed up on a whole bunch of stuff, but this my friends... this was Ludella's first record without her homegirls... word.

Videos of the week!

Sic Alps - A story over there





Fresh& Onlys





Suicidal Tendencies - Possessed to skate

Rose Melberg hates clouds

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This record is good. No... perfect. Yes, that's it. Perfect for those rainy days where you end up sitting home alone thinking about the one that got away or the one that left your heart hurting. It's a twee as possible due to the sparse instrumentation and her soft, dreamy vocals featured on it. For the most part it's just Rose and her guitar that gently weeps.

I purchased this directly from her a couple of years ago and she couldn't have been a sweeter person. I swooned, but not in a cartoonish way where my feet left the ground and my heart beat out of my chest. It was more of a head nod because sometimes I just prefer to be boring.

Anyway, she's got a new record out called Homemade Ships and if you like this one you should go out and BUY her latest. I say buy because she isn't rich and she has kids to take care of. Not that that is your problem, but if you get off on looking at hungry kids, heck... go for it!

Couldn't you just taste that yummy ass sarcasm?

Please enjoy "Cast away the clouds" by Rose Melberg.

Lou Reed and the Primitives 7"

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Earlier in this blog I posted a Lou Reed 7" that was absolutely fantastic. Today is not going to be any different. This is some really jumpin' pre-Velevets stuff here. That said, it isn't ground breaking, but as always, it's cool to see what our heroes were doin'' before they became what they are today.

I ripped these from wax so you can dance in your shacks!

A side: The Ostrich

B side: Sneaky Pete

Whirlwind Heat "Color" 7" set

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For a group of guys without a guitarist, Whirlwind Heat do a fine job at creating a racket. Fronted by bass and an organ, the drums expectedly come crashing down and turn these songs into what could be compared to what punk rock aliens from the future galaxy might tap their zorps to.

Fuck it... they're not even called fingers in the future... I know? Right?

Anyway, I ripped this three color set from a trio of 45's that I've kept safe for many years.

Please enjoy "Orange" "Pink" and "Purple"

Coachwhips time!

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John Dwyer. To most people this is just an ordinary name. A name that could belong to a lawyer... a baseball player... or a school shooter. To them it is just a name, but to folks like me, it means a whole other thing.

See?

John Dwyer is a prolific musician in the garage punk scene. His musical output is proving itself to be in competition with Billy Childish in terms of how many recordings can one man possibly release? It seems like every time you blink this man has already recorded, packaged, and released a new record. He is also a man that doesn't stay in one band for too long. Pink and Brown, Thee Oh Sees, The Hospitals... plus a few more that I can't recall right now. He keeps busy.

I remember when my ears first met him...

He was loud and obnoxious, but exciting at the same time. It was the split 7" with Trin- Tran. I bought it because I liked the cover. It had a guy hovering menacingly over his bowl of cereal while clenching silverware in his fists.

However, after a few plays I turned my back on his sound and sold it to the highest bidder. It wasn't until earlier this year that I visited his work again. Since then I've managed to purchase a lot of his stuff up to his current band. Most recently I was able to pick up the Double Death LP in all its glorious red and black vinyl goodness! That was actually yesterday.

I firmly believe that he is a crazed man. Though to be honest... I'm glad he isn't any other way.

Please enjoy "Hands on the controls" by Coachwhips.

Interview with Ben from Des Roar.

L-R: Ryan, Ben, Alan, Lyla

I should begin this by telling you that Ben and I have been friends for many years now. We've played music together and between the two of us, have probably drank more alcohol than a tour bus full of Billy Joels. I know this because I have absolutely no memory regarding any adventure we've been on. Well... there was that one time where he passed out and we buried him beneath: Two bicycles, a tree, assorted books, a few guitars, a frying pan, some rock n' roll record albums, a statue of a labrador, and a human girl who later would attempt a wheelie across his lifeless body. All in all, the man knows how to party. That's not to say that he isn't a hard worker. Des Roar, the NYC band with whom he sings and plays guitar for, have just completed their debut long player, Mad Things. Besides working on that, they've been playing gigs nonstop and breaking hearts across the map. It's a wonder how we actually had the time to get this interview done at all.

Oh Robot: Hey man, it's good to finally talk to you. Let's be fake professionals here and try to remain sober while we do this. Okay? Introduce yourself to the people and describe your sound.

Ben Wolcott: Hello there. My name is Benjamin Charles Wolcott. I play guitar and sing in a band called Des Roar. We play Rock N' Roll music. I enjoy Powers whiskey by the bottleful. How's that so far?

Oh Robot: We're off to a grand start here, but I don't think I want to be sober.

Ben Wolcott: I've already taken a swig. Fi-yah!

Oh Robot: See? We're already getting off track. Tell me about the record.

Ben Wolcott: Well, it's called Mad Things and the eleven songs on it will take you about thirty five minutes to hear them out. The whole process took us a while to finish, but we're all pretty happy with the end result. I think that when the time comes for the next record to be recorded, we'll have less of a headache because we now know what not to do.

Oh Robot: Who writes the songs?

Ben Wolcott: I do the majority of the writing, but at some point or another we all give our two cents. It's just trying to figure out what works and what doesn't fit. I just try to play as much as possible. When I'm playing a lot, the songs just seem to come together easier. After I get one finished off I'll usually record it with a friend and listen to it a bunch. From there I'll make revisions. Maybe add a part here or take out a part there. Then, practicing the shit out of it kind of finalizes the song in terms of arrangement and instrumentation.

Oh Robot: How long have you been playing music? What inspired you to do it versus becoming let's say... a tennis champ?

Ben Wolcott: I was a really young kid and my parents were in a bluegrass band called Heaven's Mountain Band. I used to watch them practice all of the time and I'd get to tag along during the festivals they'd play. Also, when I was nine I played the Alto sax in my elementary school school band. I'm not sure how good it was though. As far as inspiration goes, I don't think you can be a drunken tennis pro. Music has just always been my thing. Without it I'd have a lot of free time on my hands.

Oh Robot: You guys are spending a bunch of your own cash to release the album. Are you worried about it leaking and getting served up all over the blogosphere?

Ben Wolcott: Something like that is totally out of our control so I don't think about it much. It's bound to happen though. It's a double edged sword, you know? You want people to be excited and hear the music, but at the same time you want to be able to not have to work a day job and just focus on making more music. We hope people will want to buy the record.

Initial wheelie perseverance test.

Oh Robot: What are some of your favorite albums?

Ben Wolcott: I really adore the first three Ramones records and Transformer by Lou Reed. Besides that, a lot of Chuck Berry and a great deal of the Beach Boys.

Oh Robot: Yeah, Transformer is an awesome record. I've got to see if I can dig up the cover of Perfect Day that we did. You know what though? We were pretty tanked that day and I'm not certain we actually pressed the record button. What are your favorite songs to play live these days?

Ben Wolcott: King of Kuffs is probably my favorite song to play right now. Also, there's a new song we did called Watch your step love. That one's about a bar doorman. It's easily one of my faves.

Oh Robot: If you could hand pick a line up of bands to tour with who would it be?

Ben Wolcott: Oh man, I'd love to hit the road with our good friends Gringo Star. Those guys are incredible. The Reigning Sound would be awesome. Detroit Cobras... Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and last, but not least The Warlocks. I have a lot of admiration for them.

Oh Robot: Have you guys had that "moment" where you knew that people were starting to take notice to what you guys were doing musically?

Ben Wolcott: We've got friends all over. Just the other day I was walking to work through the Lower East Side and from out of a patrol car I can hear Baby you're too young blaring from inside of it. Fuckin' mad things, these cops man.

Oh Robot: Who's in the band?

Ben Wolcott: We've got the lovely Lyla Vander on drum and vox, my longtime friend Mr. Ryan Spoto on the bass and vox, and the wild man Alan O' Keeffe on guitar and vox as well.

Oh Robot: Do all of you sing on this record?

Ben Wolcott: Lyla and I are the two main mouths, but yeah, we all open our traps at some point or another.

Oh Robot: I'm starting to feel tipsy so in honor of that I'm going de-professionalize this interview. Answer quick... New York or Los Angeles?

Ben Wolcott: Definitely New York! I fucking love this city!

Oh Robot: Beatles or The Stones?

Ben Wolcott: I've got to go with John, Paul, Ringo, and George. Although, I do love both bands.

Oh Robot: Sausage or bacon?

Ben Wolcott: Again, another tough call, but I've got to say bacon. I could eat it all day long. I actually have a wallet that's made to look like strips of bacon. I wish they actually made bacon scented candles or bath soap. I would buy it in a heartbeat. In terms of my favorite style of food? I'm going to say Italian and Mexican.

Oh robot: Are you currently in any other bands besides Des Roar?

Ben Wolcott: Nothing formal. Although I do play music with people outside of the bands. I'm constantly trying to get my friends to let me sit in on their practices. Not necessarily because I want to be in their bands or anything, but because I just love playing their songs.

Oh Robot: What's in store for the future? Are you guys going to do some heavy touring to promote the record?

Ben Wolcott: We just want to travel and play more. Play all day and all night. We also have loads of new songs. Maybe we'll put out a forty five or just start thinking about our second album. As far as touring goes, we've been playing NYC pretty much non stop. We'll be hitting the West Coast soon. Also, we've got some shows coming up in DC, Philly, and Connecticut. We're basically going to plug in wherever someone will have us. Maybe a few spots where they won't have us as well. Challenges are good.

Oh Robot: I noticed that you didn't mention Charlotte, North Carolina. Are you still weirded out by that guy that pulled a shotgun on you?

Ben Wolcott: Shit, I forgot about that guy. Yeah, he pulled out a gun and aimed it at us because we had finished our set and it was time to leave. We played that show with a band called Elevator Action. Coincidentally, none of us were hurt during our visit. That guy was kind of dodgy.

Oh Robot: Alright man...I think I've accurately captured what I needed to here. Although, my female readers might want to know who the ladykiller of the group is?

Ben Wolcott: That would be Mr. Ryan Spoto. He is an actual lady killer.

Wheelie test successful. Ben still sleeping.

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"It's not over for me" by Des Roar.

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