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… we do like Mondays with mangy Punk & H/C, we do!
That we are somehow en route to normal can be identified by many pointers: Bands come back on tour, also across the big pond and across borders, and the Hafenklang returning to the Monday evening fixture (“Punkerstammtisch mit Ping Pong, DJ und Schnaps“) with surprise bands.

For this Monday it was a package from the West Coast of the US of A, i bet you on a showstring DIY tour. Whilst Lysol (put forward as sloppy Garage Punk from Seattle) where totally unknown at least Electric Chair (dubbed aptly as frantic 80’s style hardcore punk punk punk from Olympia) had crossed my mu-sick-al radar (though due to the lack of live experience had not made it into me greedy #recordcollectorsarepretentiousarseholes vinyl collection).

Kick of was with Lysol, who did not say a lot for introduction but kicked off pretty harsh – no frills Garage Punk indeed.
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Lysol (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 13.06.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
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They did not play long, i guess less than 30 minutes, and from my single-minded mu-sick-al standpoint their main asset is their guitar, quite a nice job in combining hard riffs, grand pose and tempo. That is paired with a punching rhythm section and some mumbled singing.

It wasn’t right up my alley but it was also not bad. I guess you will need to resort to form your own view, check out their efforts now!

Without too much fuzz Electric Chair took the stage in front of now say 50 odd people. Me and me mates first noted the shirt of the drummer (Gizmos, check), then the shirt of the bass player (Regulators, check check), then his bass (bare bone one, expert check) and then the guitar player (looking like Johnny Ramone when hair down).

We missed the best part though.

The singer, a John Belushi, Darby Crash and Jerry A. Lang mashup. And he came on and did Handstand Rollovers for warm up. Me mate Riebe immediately christened him Jerry B. in order to set the tone. And we knew we where up for something special.

And so it happened.

Boy, what a power. A near perfect backline, fully synced and the engine (think a 426 Hemi with twin superchargers) at full throttle. And did i note it was all in sync? And yes, there was the singer too and he got all the best of the names dropped into the play: Smart and funny, exhaustive and taking no prisoners plus the needed amount of self-destruct.
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Electric Chair (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 13.06.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
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I did like it from the start and i saw a lot of smiling faces around me. The only complaint, which also came down from the stage, was the lack of dancing, the lack of pit and maybe the lack of feedback (other than applause). I guess everyone was simply blown away and thus could not to anything else than to watch in awe.

Did i mention in sync earlier? Just note the first couple of seconds on this snippet: Bass and Drums syncing via eye contact and then the drummer turns into pounding with a bright smile. That is what i mean.

By that point in time i had stopped counting handstand rollovers (Riebe claims 20+), the amount of time spend down in front of the stage or even taking time – Electric Chair engulfed me and the audience in a near perfect way.

And, besides the mu-sick-al output, there was also a lot of eye catching visuals on stage, so count showmanship on top of the ability to handle the instruments. Cudos Electric Chair, cudos.
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Electric Chair (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 13.06.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
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Without a doubt i knew that this performance would lead up to only one result: I got to honor my commitment to buy vinyl off a band that has just convinced me live. A quick check with me mates gave me like minded feedback, this was something to take home.

I guess they played a bit longer than Lysol and at they end they where thoroughly done, the singer just blanked out on the stage like Darby Crash on the cover of the “The Decline Of The Western Civilization” soundtrack.

… done too much handstand rollover. Electric Chair (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 13.06.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)

No holding back, i sure took their latest EP home (which was around thanks to Hamburgs Sound Of Subterrania). Whilst at it, check out #1 and #2 too.

Get this beauty at Sounds Of Subterrania!

It is a beautiful packaged record: Great cover design with silver engraving and included a large lyric sheet on high gloss paper with some nice poster effect on the reverse side. Worth a buy, worth a buy.

Whilst DJ Fab was asking punks if they feel lucky i had a final beer with me mates, watched people playing ping-pong and selfishly applauded me for going out on a Monday evening to this fixture.

Those who missed it, missed a surprise.
2022/06/14
Bücher, schnell gelesen: Teil 1.591

Eryk Pruitt – Das Schnelle Leben (Polar Verlag, 2022)

Gelesen: 31.05. – 04.06.2022 (netto 360 Seiten plus Nachwort)

Herrlich – ein weiterer Kandidat für das beste Anti-Drogen Buch für Jungerwachsene. Warum? Weil die Helden der Story ganz unten sind und es schaffen sich immer tiefer in den Drogensumpf zu arbeiten. Profis halt.

Ihre Namen sind Schall und Rauch, da sie nach jedem Ding, jedem Deal und jedes mal wenn der alte Name verbrannt ist einen neuen annehmen.

Jack ist eigentlich eine Wurst die nix hinbekommt, aber ausreichend brutal und ziemlich clever. Ein guter Hochstapler. Summer ist das Gegenteil, hauptsächlich dicht (was immer knallt wirft sie ein) aber eine geborene Einschmeichler- und Überrederin.

Wenn Leute nicht high genug waren, um nach ihrer Pfeife zu tanzen oder sie interessant zu finden, stopfte Summer einfach ein neues Pfeifchen. Drehte einen weiteren Joint. Endlos immer so weiter, bis sie schließlich ihren Willen bekam.
( (c) Polar Verlag 2022)

Die Story entwickelt sich dabei vom Ausgangsort (Jack & Summer haben ein Kilo Koks geklaut und versuchen das in einem texanischen Collegeort an die Kids zu bekommen) genauso erratisch wie die Tage eines Drogenabhängigen. Sie sind selbst ihre besten Kunden und reißen jeden anderen mit in den Abgrund. Und wenn es irgendwann keinen mehr gibt, dann nehmen sie halt sich selbst.

Eigentlich eine lineare Geschichte, aber Eryk Pruitt nutzt einen kleinen Kniff um dem ganzen die Krone aufzusetzen: Sowie Summer und Jack ihre Namen ändern, wenn sie die Lokation ändern, ändert er auch den Plot. Und von und mit den Drogen kommen wir zur Religion. Und von da zu einer Sekte. Und weiter tief in den Abgrund von Lügen und Abhängigkeiten.

Leichen? Viele! Die beste? Mit einem Bleistift im Hals verreckt. Humor? Schwarz! Tempo? Hoch! Und das beste: Ebenso wie seine Helden hat Eryk Pruitt offensichtlich keine moralischen Bedenken bei der Entwicklung seiner teilweise ganz wunderbar lakonisch und zynischen Geschichte.

Ach ja, passend zu den US of A (und Texas inbesondere) gibt es auch noch eine ordentliche Portion Bigotterie. Und mit religiösen Wahrheiten kehren seine Helden auch mal das Blut eines Jüngers auf.

Ganz großes Kopf-Kino, ich hoffe die anderen beiden Bücher des Autors kommen auch noch in Deutsch. In jedem Fall ein herzliches “Kuck mal, so sieht eine Drogenkarriere aus” Statement.

Da könnt ihr euch dann entscheiden.

Soundtrack dazu: DeRita Sisters – School Free Drug Zone, was sonst? OK, evtl. noch DeRita Sisters – Girls On Drugs!

PS: Und Eryk Pruitt? Dreht auch Kurzfilme mit sich selbst.

2022/06/05
… the post Covid return of Moving Targets (and surprise Finns thrown in & out by Covid)!
It has been a while since i saw a band up on a stage, most down to work duties. This was followed by the urge to spend time away in sunny DK with me love, mainly to recharge the batteries. But good timing allowed to be back fully charged for the Moving Targets annual return to Germany (which was skipped twice due to the Pandemic).

Support was from Finland, my secret love and home of the reigning Hockey World Champion and current Olympic Gold Medal holder (an almost exclusive feat!). Maybe the guys partied to close last weekend when Finland did beat Canada 4:3 in overtime? When the Van Dammes arrived in Hamburg they where sans Bass Player, who tested positive on Covid and could not travel.

It was a bit hard thus for the band to achieve both sound and stage presence but they at least tried – though not necessarily always successful. Maybe due to that they faced a rather empty Hafenklang (that anyway was way too empty on this Wednesday evening).
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Van Dammes (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 01.06.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
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I stayed on, mainly down to the fact that i try not to let down support bands. But i also sensed that they actually have some decent songs, some twangy beat and some neat choruses.

I sincerely hope that they get a 2nd chance with full line up, all in all they seem a worthy effort. How do i know? Because i took home two EP’s after the show, one aptly named “Best Of” (from previous releases) and the other one a near perfect Football tribute.

It was done for the occasion of Finland qualifying for the first time ever for a Euro Tournament which first of all tells me that the band is supporting footie rather than hockey. Also not a bad choice.

But once home and on the record player i have to admit it is a real gem: catchy songs, clever use of synthy & in-the-know lyrics on – yep – grass green vinyl. Try yourself, be convinced and buy the EP, now!

… most likely the best football record of the 2020’s!

Without too much hassle the Moving Targets prepared the stage, got ready and kicked off like this:

Not 100% perfect, as the guitar volume was too low but the sound quickly improved and actually turned out to be near perfect (at least on my side of the stage).

What always strikes me with the Moving Targets is how perfect they work as a team on stage: Emilien with powerful precision drumming, Yves mastering the bass without pickup whilst bouncing around (and emitting the joy of music from his face) and Kenny providing the guitar layers, defining the tempo and applying the final icing on the cake with his voice.
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Moving Targets (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 01.06.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
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What i liked best this time round was that they where able to stretch the songs into something i can only describe as soundscapes: Layers of layers filling the room up so that you felt engulfed in it – at times i even had my mind drifting away. Isn’t that what music is all about and tries to achieve?
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Moving Targets (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 01.06.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
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Unfortunately the turnout was low, whilst pandemic restrictions have been removed the live show circuit has not yet picked out again. Be it that people finally got sick of postponement and late cancellations (hence not getting a ticket in advance – venues tell me that pre-sales are at an all time low) or be it that the current non mu-sick-all situation (War on Ukraine, cost of living crisis) takes it’s tall.
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Moving Targets (Hafenklang, Hamburg, 01.06.2022 (c) gehkacken.de 2022)
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On the other hand most of the attendees got out to see exactly this performance, see the Moving Targets and get carried away by their sound. I saw a lot of smiling faces and i saw a lot of people silently moving their body to the music.

At the end the Moving Targets put an extra on the already extended extra of “Youth Of America”, they gave us Fear Of God on top:

Perfect ending for a perfect show. Period. I would love to see them eg. on a bigger stage and packing say 350 to 400 good folks into eg. the Knust (where they would get a full perfect sound and have a larger space for filling it with soundscapes).

And a Moving Targets show would not be over unless the band came around and asked how it was, as such we had another beer and some good chats more. Luv it!

And for those who are really into it: Get the phenomenal Moving Targets 12″ with Youth Of America and Dead Wrong. I guess the special edition with the band as action figures is sold out but the limited edition with the hijacked covers – just click below!

Hint: It is on They’re Phenomenal Records – th a t name can not be a coincidence, can it?
2022/06/03