Showing posts with label washington DC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label washington DC. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
Thursday, September 20, 2018
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
TROUBLE FUNK:
NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
LOVE THIS:
May 30, 2018 | Abby O'Neill -- Go-go — Washington D.C.'s regional twist on funk — reigned in the DMV during the 1980s, and one of the scene's signature acts was Trouble Funk. More than 30 years later, the collective, led by Big Tony Fisher, still fills sold-out venues with heavyweight percussion and call-and-response lyrics. Trouble Funk concerts are bona fide jam sessions, so I was determined to squeeze their unrelenting rhythms behind the Tiny Desk.
With 12 members sandwiched into a cramped space, the electricity was almost tangible as they launched into the 1982 banger "Pump Me Up," a song sampled in Public Enemy's protest anthem "Fight the Power" and M/A/R/R/S's dance classic "Pump Up The Volume." The drum breaks here are definitive go-go and it was hard to discern who was having more fun: the band or the audience. On "Grip It," buoyant and staccato horn melodies propelled the song forward, while "Let's Get Small" featured Trouble Funk's classic call-and-response chants. "Drop the Bomb," another notable gem from their lengthy discography, kept the energy level high and "Don't Touch That Stereo" was all raw, unencumbered funk. To conclude the set, they segued into "E Flat Boogie," their first hit in 1979, with Big Tony's vocals front and center.
While the late Chuck Brown is often acknowledged as the godfather of go-go (and you can see why during his Tiny Desk), Trouble Funk was a key part of the sound's second wave. In a city often interrupted by the transient revolving door of government officials and federal staffers, the funky artform is woven into the fabric of this city and inspires a spirit of dance, rhythm and sheer joy.
SET LIST
"Pump Me Up"
"Grip It"
"Let's Get Small"
"Drop The Bomb"
"It's In The mix" (Don't Touch That Stereo)"
"E-Flat Boogie"
MUSICIANS
Big Tony Fisher (bass), Allyson Johnson (keyboards), James Avery (keyboards), Tony Edwards (drums), Chris Allen (percussion), Larry Blake (percussion), Dean Harris (trumpet), Eric Silvan (saxophone), Paul Phifer (trombone), Derrick Ward (vocals), Keith White (vocals), David Gussom (guitar).
CREDITS
Producers: Abby O'Neill, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Audio Engineers: Josh Rogosin, James Willetts; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, CJ Riculan, Maia Stern, Dani Lyman; Production Assistant: Joshua Bote; Photo: Eslah Attar/NPR.
Saturday, December 16, 2017
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Friday, October 7, 2016
HR “Finding Joseph I”
Trailer for the documentary on BAD BRAINS singer HR
I was wondering what ever happened with this?
"We are very excited to announce the World Premiere for HR “Finding Joseph I” will be at the Doc n’ Roll Film Festival in London, England on Nov.10th, 2016!"
HR "Finding Joseph I" is a feature documentary currently in production, chronicling the eccentric life and struggles of punk rock reggae singer, Paul "HR" Hudson, a.k.a. Joseph I. The charismatic frontman's energetic and explosive live performances helped pioneer hardcore punk rock with the Bad Brains, one of the most influential bands to rise out of the 1980's. HR's heavy devotion to the Rastafarian faith guided him in a spiritual direction leaving the band several times to explore his love for reggae music as the solo artist, HR Human Rights. Over the years, the Bad Brains have reunited several times only to struggle with the unpredictable singer. HR's increasingly strange and abnormal behavior has left many convinced that he his suffering from psychological troubles while others believe he is still living out his journey as one of the greatest frontmen in rock and roll history!
This documentary will feature interviews with musicians and peers HR has worked with and influenced as they share their stories and first hand experiences. Most importantly we will hear from HR himself about his life, philosophies, and career while seeing him continue to write, record, and perform, spreading his passionate message of universal peace and love.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
The National Museum of African American History
is now open
We All must visit.
Here's a great piece from the New York Times http://nyti.ms/2cMOncG
I am honored to have a few photographs I've made on display here.
Wednesday, July 27, 2016
A WHOLE BUNCH OF DISCHORD ALBUMS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON BANDCAMP
from Dangerous Minds:
The Washington, D.C., record label Dischord, co-owned by Jeff Nelson and Fugazi’s Ian MacKaye, is routinely held up as the shining example of an independent record company that maintains its integrity in the face of unrelenting corporate pressures.
The Washington, D.C., record label Dischord, co-owned by Jeff Nelson and Fugazi’s Ian MacKaye, is routinely held up as the shining example of an independent record company that maintains its integrity in the face of unrelenting corporate pressures.
It seems that Dischord is still seeking to forge its own path—rather than sign contracts with Spotify, it has recently made a relationship with Bandcamp, a website popular among D.I.Y. musicians that makes self-distribution of music much easier. A healthy chunk of the Dischord catalog has just surfaced on Bandcamp.com, which means the fans of Government Issue, Void, Rites of Spring, Dag Nasty, and Nation of Ulysses can now stream their albums without paying Spotify for the privilege.
Furthermore, it’s easy to purchase digital copies of many Dischord albums at a pretty reasonable price (usually $8). I’ve seen it said that “every” Dischord album is now on Bandcamp, but I couldn’t find any albums by Jawbox or Lungfish or Shudder to Think or the Make-Up. In any case it’s a lot of albums, more than 100 albums for sure.
For those seeking information on commitment and back-breaking work that went into the creation of Dischord, Michael Azerrad’s Our Band Could Be Your Life is an excellent resource.
Here are two albums worth looking into that are available on Bandcamp:
Nation of Ulysses, 13 Point Program to Destroy America:
El Guapo, Fake French:
via Stereogum
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Documentary tonight in Brooklyn
POSITIVE FORCE: MORE THAN A WITNESS
I'll be part of a Q&A after the film
Although a lot of people believe I lived in DC, I never have, but I did go down over the years to visit friends and see great shows every once in a while... Positive Force was very inspiring when they came on the scene and I think this documentary is a good testament to that.
Here's a link to the event on FaceBook
Sunday, October 25, 2015
I'll be talking TODAY in Washington DC
from DCLibrary.org
As part of the DC Punk Archive one-year anniversary celebrations, Alec MacKaye will lead a talk with the iconic skate, punk and hip hop photographer, Glen E. Friedman, often called the most important photographer of his generation.or
Friedman’s photographs of local groups Minor Threat, Fugazi, Bad Brains, as well as Black Flag, Public Enemy, Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Dead Kennedy’s and Ice-T along with classic skateboarding originators Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Lance Mountain, Allan “Ollie” Gelfand and Tony Hawk, to name a few, are recognized internationally.
His definitive monograph, MY RULES, features never-before-seen images and personal reflections from some of his subjects, giving readers an unprecedented window into the most significant youth countercultures of the last 40 years. Upshur Street Books will have copies of MY RULES for sale, there will be a book signing after the event, and Smash Records will be in the building with some vinyl. Thank you to HIGHWAY Magazine and the DC Public Library Foundation for making this event possible.
For more information about the DC Punk Archive visit dclibrary.org/punk
sign up at the FACEBOOK event page
"Glen E. Friedman: a live discussion moderated by Alec MacKaye"
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
THIS SUNDAY AFTERNOON
I'll be speaking (and signing books) at the DC Punk Archive in Washington DC with my old friend Alec MacKaye
from DCLibrary.org
As part of the DC Punk Archive one-year anniversary celebrations, Alec MacKaye will lead a talk with the iconic skate, punk and hip hop photographer, Glen E. Friedman, often called the most important photographer of his generation.or
Friedman’s photographs of local groups Minor Threat, Fugazi, Bad Brains, as well as Black Flag, Public Enemy, Run-DMC, Beastie Boys, Dead Kennedy’s and Ice-T along with classic skateboarding originators Tony Alva, Jay Adams, Lance Mountain, Allan “Ollie” Gelfand and Tony Hawk, to name a few, are recognized internationally.
His definitive monograph, MY RULES, features never-before-seen images and personal reflections from some of his subjects, giving readers an unprecedented window into the most significant youth countercultures of the last 40 years. Upshur Street Books will have copies of MY RULES for sale, there will be a book signing after the event, and Smash Records will be in the building with some vinyl. Thank you to HIGHWAY Magazine and the DC Public Library Foundation for making this event possible.
For more information about the DC Punk Archive visit dclibrary.org/punk
sign up at the FACEBOOK event page
"Glen E. Friedman: a live discussion moderated by Alec MacKaye"
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
A new Documentary : SALAD DAYS:
A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-90)
Hey! I will be speaking briefly on a panel this evening over at the IFC theater, here in New York City, after the 7:50pm showing of the documentary film SALAD DAYS: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-90).
“Salad Days: A Decade of Punk in Washington, DC (1980-90)” is a documentary film that examines the early DIY punk scene in the Nation’s Capital. It was a decade when seminal bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Government Issue, Scream, Void, Faith, Rites of Spring, Marginal Man, Fugazi, and others released their own records and booked their own shows—without major record label constraints or mainstream media scrutiny. Contextually, it was a cultural watershed that predated the alternative music explosion of the 1990s (and the industry’s subsequent implosion). Thirty years later, DC’s original DIY punk spirit serves as a reminder of the hopefulness of youth, the power of community and the strength of conviction.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Cool interview with Guy Picciotto,
and great playlist of songs played too...
from Dangerous Minds
or just listen above Like I did!
Gregg Foreman’s radio program The Pharmacy is a music / talk show playing heavy soul, raw funk, 60′s psych, girl groups, Krautrock. French yé-yé, Hammond organ rituals, post-punk transmissions and “ghost on the highway” testimonials and interviews with the most interesting artists and music makers of our times…
This week hardcore post-punk pioneer Guy Picciotto of musical revolutionaries Fugazi and Rites of Spring.
Fugazi, with their reasonably priced records and shows, demonstrated how bands could find their own way without the preconceived notion that you needed corporate label backing to have an impact (and a career!). The conversation explores the early days of DC punk, meeting the Cramps and legendary Atlantic Records mogul Ahmet Ertegun’s attempts to sign the band, the inspiration behind Rites of Spring and so much more…
Mr. Pharmacy is a musician and DJ who has played for the likes of Pink Mountaintops, The Delta 72, The Black Ryder, The Meek and more. Since 2012 Gregg Foreman has been the musical director of Cat Power’s band. He started dj’ing 60s Soul and Mod 45’s in 1995 and has spun around the world. Gregg currently lives in Los Angeles, CA and divides his time between playing live music, producing records and dj’ing various clubs and parties from LA to Australia.
Set List:
Intro
Merchandise - Fugazi
12 x U - Wire
Intro 1 -
Guy Picciotto Interview Part 1
Garbageman - The Cramps
Hey Bulldog - The Beatles
Song # 1 - Fugazi
Guy Picciotto Interview Part 2
For Want Of - Rites of Spring
Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys - The Equals
Intro 2 - Funky Kingston - Rx/Toots and the Maytals
Guy Picciotto Interview Part 3
Greed - Fugazi
To Hell with Poverty - Gang of Four
Police Truck - Dead Kennedys
American Ruse - MC5
Intro 3 - One, Two , Boogaloo - Rx/The Light Nites
Guy Picciotto Interview Part 4
In the City - The Jam
Spectra-Sonic Sound - Nation of Ulysses
I-94 - Radio Birdman
Intro 4 - Dedicated to Love - Rx/Vampyros Lesbos
Guy Picciotto Interview Part 5
(I Got a Catholic Block) - Sonic Youth
New Radio - Bikini Kill
Let’s Build a Car - Swell Maps
Intro 5 - Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag - Rx/JB’s
Guy Picciotto Interview Part 6
Ahemet Ertegun Tribute
Hold On I’m Comin’ - Sam and Dave
Memphis Train - Rufus Thomas
Intro 5 - Restless - Rx/The Cobras
Guy Picciotto Interview Part 7
Margin Walker - Fugazi
Intro 6 - Moanin’ - Rx/Art Blakey
Message via Lux Interior
Pay To Cum - Bad Brains
Outro
You can download the show in its entirety here.
or just listen above Like I did!
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Get Inspired during the Noreaster...
POSITIVE FORCE: MORE THAN A WITNESS
30 Years of Punk Politics in Action
This is a really good documentary that you should watch and own, and share it with everyone you know.
Kudos to the film makers and all the participants, job well done! Thank You.
-GEF
Positive Force: More Than a Witness - Trailer from Bell Visuals on Vimeo.
rent or digitally buy the film HERE
or OWN the DVD by getting it here from PM Press
This feature-length film by Robin Bell skillfully mixes rare archival footage (including electrifying live performances from Fugazi, Bikini Kill, Rites of Spring, Nation of Ulysses, Anti-Flag, and more) with new interviews of Positive Force activists including co-founder Mark Andersen (co-author of Dance of Days) and Jenny Toomey (Simple Machines) as well as supporters such as Ian MacKaye, Jello Biafra, Dave Grohl, Ted Leo, Riot Grrrl co-founders Kathleen Hanna and Allison Wolfe, and many more.
Covering a span of 30 years, More Than A Witness documents the group’s origins, the creation of its communal house, FBI harassment, and the rise of a vibrant underground that burst into the mainstream amidst controversy over both the means and the ends of the movement. In the best punk fashion, Positive Force has applied creative DIY tactics and radical critiques to issues of homelessness, hunger, racism, corporate globalization, sexism, homophobia, war, gentrification, aging, and animal/ earth liberation, while struggling to constructively address conflicting dynamics and visions within the group itself.
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Classic Fugazi clips
Dupont Circle Washington DC 1989
I love these clips! Only saw them for the first time last week. I was taking photographs most of the show up front, and there's a spread from there in my Fugazi book Keep Your Eyes Open and a couple in Fuck You Heroes and My Rules as well, Same day we made the photograph that appeared on the back cover of REPEATER.
See bottom of post for even MORE footage - unedited/higher quality...
Here's some of my photos taken this day:
a bit of an interview after too:
check out the entire video made from the day here from the Independent Video Archive: event starts at around the 32 minute mark and Fugazi takes the stage at around 42 minutes and there's a little more than 20 minutes of footage (they did not film the entire show, but there's another 10 minutes not seen above of just great footage with crazy sound):
Thanks Ian!
Saturday, November 29, 2014
SALAD DAYS: A TALK WITH THE FORMER FANZINE KIDS BEHIND THE NEW 80S DC PUNK DOCUMENTARY
from Dangerous Minds:
During the ten-year timespan that encapsulated the Reagan presidency and the emergence of Washington, D.C. as the nation’s murder capital, the1980s DC punk underground became a hotbed of incendiary youth activism. The 1980s saw the birth of Dischord Records and DC bands like Minor Threat, Beefeater, Fire Party, Soulside, Rites of Spring, and Fugazi as the harDCore scene matured around community action groups like Positive Force that advocated for punk rock to take direct action against societal injustice.
The early scene was not without its critics, and was sometimes derided by music reviewers like Robert Christgau who, according to Positive Force founder, Mark Anderson, in his seminal history of DC punk, Dance of Days, once called the emerging aggressive breed of young punks “muscleheads.” As a counterpoint, according to Anderson, the comment lead to the title of Flex Your Head, a compilation of DC punk released on Dischord Records in 1982.
The DC underground’s fiercely D.I.Y and, often, cerebral take on traditional punk rock continues to resonate.
A new documentary about the era called Salad Days: The DC Punk Revolution, is set to make its debut in a few weeks. Created by Director Scott Crawford, a then very youthful fanzine chronicler of the 1980’s DC punk scene and Jim Saah (Director of Photography and Editor), a now professional photographer who taught himself the art in large part by shooting DC punk performances, the Kickstarter-funded film will begin seeing the light of day in November after being in the works for nearly four years. Salad Days features interviews with DC punk and post-punk luminaries Ian MacKaye, J. Robbins, Brian Baker, Kenny Inouye, Dante Ferrando and many others. DC post-punk outfit Soulside, three members of which went on to form Girls Against Boys, will reunite for a handful of shows in conjunction with the NYC and DC premiers.
I sent both Crawford and Saah a few questions via email recently and asked them to discuss the upcoming release of the film, their backgrounds as young fanzine creators, and what the 1980s DC hardcore scene meant to them.
DM: Scott, tell me about your years of making underground publications and what drew you to the Salad Days project.
Crawford: My love of magazines started as a kid when I published a fanzine called Metrozine that was focused on the DC punk scene. I did that for almost three years until I started playing in a band. Years later, I started two other zines that focused on the indie rock world at the time and I worked with some amazing writers and photographers (including Jim Saah). In 2001, I started another consumer music magazine out of my basement called HARP that was eventually bought by another publishing company. I worked as the Editor and Creative Director for seven years—and the focus was independent music and culture. Unfortunately once the economy bottomed out, so did the magazine industry and we were a casualty.
I’d been wanting to document the DC punk scene in the 1980s somehow and just thought a documentary film was the best way to tell the story. Speaking with a lot of the people that I’d spoken to almost 30 years ago (as a fanzine kid) provides a type of perspective that I think offers a unique take on the story. Honestly, after the magazine went under, I was floundering a bit personally and professionally. While the film took almost four years to complete, it’s been therapeutic, humbling and incredibly satisfying.
DM: This music was literally life changing for so many young people, but there have always been haters out there about it from critics to other punks who thought the scene was overly earnest and self-righteous. As you pointed out in your Kickstarter campaign, so much is misunderstood about DC punk in the 80’s. What’s the biggest misunderstanding?
Crawford: The DC punk scene in the 1980s was polarizing. Whether it was straight edge, socio-political issues or “emo”, they all provoke a reaction of some sort—which speaks volumes for the impact that this city has had not just on independent music but the culture at large. My eight-year-old daughter has never heard an Embrace song, but she uses the word “emo” on a daily basis. But as the film explores, not everyone was straight edge, humorless and pious. It was a diverse community and while it had its share of disfunction, it was made up of incredibly creative, hard-working people that created a thriving music scene at a time when there was no real local radio support or music industry infrastructure to help support it. That’s no small feat.
In this clip from Salad Days, Ian MacKaye talks about still addressing the straight edge issue.
DM: Talk about the Soulside reunion shows that are coming up in conjunction with the film’s release.
Crawford: I’d been talking to the band for a while about doing a reunion show when the film was ready to come out. They haven’t played on a stage in over 25 years so I really wasn’t sure if it’d actually come together, but I think the timing just worked for them. Personally speaking, they were always a favorite of mine, so it’s particularly meaningful to have them onboard. It’s going to be a really special weekend.
DM: Is there still a movement mentality in the D.C. underground?
Crawford: I think that’s part of the DNA of folks living in DC and active in the underground music community. I think having organizations like Positive Force in the city helps keep the activism alive.
DM: Jim, How long have you known Scott Crawford and how have you guys worked together over the years? How’d you get involved in the Salad Days film?
Saah: I’ve known Scott since he was twelve years old. He called me and asked if he could use my photos in his fanzine. Then later on I would shoot photos for the various music magazines he would do over the years, Noise Works, Bent and Harp. I did fanzines of my own that Scott wrote for as well. In the 80’s I did Zone V which was a photo/fanzine, then in the 90s I did about a dozen issues of Uno Mas, which was more of a culture fanzine. I’ve thought about doing a book from time to time about DC punk rock but not a film. Scott came to me with the idea to make a film. He actually had to talk me into it a bit because I thought it was a daunting task. And it was! But since we have a long friendship and have collaborated on many things over the years it was very easy falling into a good workflow for the film.
DM: You shot everybody from the DC underground in the early 80’s including Faith, Government Issue, Scream, Black Market Baby, Iron Cross, and Minor Threat (including their last show at Landsburgh Center in 1983) to name just a few. How old were you in 1983? Did you feel like these bands were making history?
Saah: I turned eighteen in March of 1983. I didn’t have a sense of history being made at the time, but there was a sense that we found something special, something that spoke to us and wasn’t what everyone else at school was into. It was special. I was incredibly excited by the whole thing. I discovered older punk rock first; NY and British stuff from the late 70’s. But then I quickly found out that people were making incredible punk rock right now in my backyard! So we went to every show and drank it all in. I didn’t start a band but I did start a fanzine and took photos at all the shows and loved the community and camaraderie. It was a beautiful thing to be accepted by like-minded people.
(I asked both Crawford and Saah the following) What’s the underlying message of Salad Days and what do hope for young musicians and artists to take away from it?
Saah: For me the underlying message is that this music scene and community taught me that I can do anything I set my mind to, that I didn’t need anyone’s permission to be a photographer. I just needed to do it. It set me on a path that I’m still on. I took pictures of bands for my fanzine, then for the City Paper then for the Washington Post. The punk ethos taught me to believe in myself, and also taught me how to not settle for what’s put in front of me in regards to art and culture. It taught me that it may take a little work to find a band or book or movie that’s not easily found on the radio or in the library or at the Cineplex at the mall, but people are making incredible, moving and inspiring art that’s off the mainstream radar and it’s extremely rewarding to go find it. I’m still on the hunt to this day. And now my kids turn me on to cool shit that I didn’t know existed.
Crawford: Salad Days isn’t about nostalgia for me. It’s about looking at that period in my life and applying the things I learned then to my life now. In other words, my best days aren’t behind me—they’re ahead of me. Hell, they’re right now.
DM: How can people get their hands (or at least eyes) on the film once it’s released?
Crawford: We’re premiering the film over the November 14, 2014 weekend at DOC NYC Film Festival in NYC, and in the Midwest (the same night) at the Sound Unseen Film Festival in Minneapolis, MN and on Sunday, November 16 at the Olympia Film Festival in Olympia, WA. Then our Washington, DC premier begins on December 19 at the AFI Theater and runs through December 22. After that, we’ll be doing a few more film festivals followed by a theatrical run and DVD/VOD.
Look for updates on the film’s Facebook page and check out the trailer for Salad Days below:
Monday, February 13, 2012
Happy Birthday Henry Rollins
Henry turns 51 years old today, fucking incredible!
One of my very earliest classic photos of Hank.
This one's from the cover of Fuck You Heroes.
And a rare soundcheck photo from the same day.
(click to enlarge pic's)
Two classics from my favorite LP of all time:
One of my very earliest classic photos of Hank.
This one's from the cover of Fuck You Heroes.
And a rare soundcheck photo from the same day.
(click to enlarge pic's)
Two classics from my favorite LP of all time:
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