Tag Archives: Grant Hart

Flashlite #542

Dagger Moth

Redd Kross are back with the new single. In Australia, we bring you Monnone Alone for the first time and City of Cool return with a new album too. Over in Italy, Sara Ardizzoni, better known as Dagger Moth released a new cover of Grant Hart’s song Morning Star. Peter Perrett from The Only Ones is back with the new record. Not only do we play the newest single by David Nance, we also play one of his live in Cleveland tracks. Over in the old Yugolands, Igor Djeke of Disciplin A Kitchme has a new tune as Harp Explosion and legendary punk album by Ex-Cess is reissued on Ill In The Head Records.

Guided By Voices – Cool Jewels and Aprons;
Redd Kross – Beyond the Door;
Monnone Alone – The Dystopian Days of Yore;
Datura4 – The City of Lights;
Grant Hart – Morning Star;
Dagger Moth – Morning Star;
City of Cool – I Wanna Be Your Dog;
The Stooges – I Wanna Be Your Dog;
David Nance (Live in CLE);
David Nance – Meanwhile;
Peter Perrett – Walking in Berlin;
The Beatles – She Said She Said;
John Lennon – Well Well Well;
Sad Planets – Bad Cells;
Automatic City – Gas o Line;
Harp Explosion – We are among you;
Ex-Cess – One vole da liče na dečake.

Flashlite #501

GrexTonight we check out the new music from Mark Lanegan, who teamed up again with Duke Garwood. We also check out the new song from J Mascis, with another solo effort. Another legend from around that time, Chris Mars, the drummer of The Replacements has a new album, so we check that out as well. ESC Life used to be a touring band for Grant Hart and now they have a new single. Ty Segall, Charles Mootheart and Chris Shaw from Ex Cult are back with their GØGGS. Desert Mountain Tribe are also back with the new album and so is Brian Lisik, but he is from Ohio. We introduce Grex from Oakland, California. Death of Samantha is in our live in Cleveland segment.

Clara Engel – Microgods of all the Subatomic Worlds;
ESC Life – Vacation;
GØGGS – Ruptured Line;
Ex-Cult – Mr. Investigator;
Ty Segall – Alta;
Desert Mountain Tribe – It’s All Good;
Mark Lanegan and Duke Garwood – Feast to Famine;
Mark Lanegan – Emperor;
Neko Case and Mark Lanegan – Curse of the I-5 Corridor;
Death of Samantha – The Slider (Live in CLE);
Brian Lisik and the Unfortunates – Colorado Avenue;
Chris Mars – Mission of Dead;
Jon S Williams – Figure it out;
Grex – Quicksilver
J Mascis – See You At The Movies.

Flashlite #477

Kak ChannthyJonathan Richman has a new single with our sponsor The Blue Arrow Records and we check it out. Also, we hear the new singles from Eamon McGrath and Low Cut Connie. Two bands share a split EP, Remedy from Austria and ESC Life from Croatia. ESC Life used to be a backing band for Grant Hart when he did a tour in Europe a few years ago. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard continue their hyper-production with yet another new album which they call Polygondwanaland. Our show today is dedicated to the drummer of Flesh Eaters, Christian Free who used to be a part of their 90s line up and passed away last week. Also Kak Channthy of The Cambodian Space Project got killed in a car accident last week. We didn’t play this band before, but it’s still important to pay respect to this spectacularly interesting singer-songwriter.

David Nance – What You’re Doing;
Esc Life – Fill The Void;
Remedy – Fix It;
The Number Ones – Breakin’ Loose;
Someloves – Know You Now;
Amy Rigby – New Sheriff;
Low Cut Connie – Beverly;
Jonathan Richman – Not So Much To Be Loved As To Love;
I Am The Polish Army – My Old Man;
Blackfoot Gypsies – I’m so Blue;
King Gizzard And The Lizard Wizard – Inner Cell;
Eamon McGrath – Power;
The Schizophonics – Venus Transit;
The Cambodian Space Project – The Passenger;
Flesh Eaters – Death Installment Plan;
Velvet Underground – I’ll Be Your Mirror.

Flashlite #452

Patsy's RatsToday we start off with the new volume of The Warfaring Strangers from The Numero Group, Acid Nightmares. Then we stay with The Replacements, and we hear the brand new music from Chris Mars and Bash & Pop. Tommy and Bash & Pop teamed up with Nicole Atkins for a new single. We introduce a duet called Whiskey Charmers from Detroit. Also, M.O.R.T. from Croatia is in our show for the first time. San Mikulec and Å tajner Bend are back with the new record. We also play a tune from ESC Life, who are also from Zagreb, and they used to serve as Grant Hart’s backing band for his Ajvarpalooza toor. Finally, Patsy Gelb and her Rats are back with a new song.

Tyler & the Names – Tower Song;
TNS – Time’s Up;
Sardonicus – Evaporated Brain;
The Enfields – I’m For Things You Do;
Chris Mars – F Galllagher I hope;
Bash & Pop – Kids Are Alright;
Bash & Pop – Friday Night Is Killing Me;
The I Don’t Cares – Wear Me Out Loud;
Bash & Pop with Nicole Atkins – Too Late;
Nicole Atkins – Darkness Falls So Quiet;
Animal Daydream – Canyon Rose;
Cyanide Pills – Razorblade;
Falling Stars – If I’m The One You Want;
Dead Rock West – Stereo;
The Whiskey Charmers – Dirty Little Blues;
Patsy’s Rats – Roundin’ Up;
M.O.R.T. – Tango;
(krnji) Å tajner Bend – Radman vs. Å B;
ESC Life – Bad Influence.

Flashlite #450

Grant HartWe lost Grant Hart about a week ago. Grant Hart was a man who lived his life with curiosity of a wide-eyed kid. His poetic and abstract way of writing stood as a counterpoint to the calculated and equally strong songwriting of Bob Mould in Husker Du. His post Du records gave him an opportunity to further explore history, demons and angels, future of man kind. And some records were simply disarmingly beautiful collections of songs. Grant Hart was unrepeatable. This collection is a mixture of odd stuff he has been creating throughout the years and some are rare live recordings too. Maybe this is the kind of obituary he would put for himself, or maybe not. It’s a selection of tunes that I just needed to put together.

Hüsker Dü – It’s Not Funny Anymore;
Hüsker Dü – Diane;
Hüsker Dü – Books About UFO’s (Live in CLE);
Hüsker Dü – What’s Going On (Live in CLE);
Grant Hart – Introduction;
Grant Hart – Diane;
Grant Hart – Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely;
Nova Mob – Children in the Streets;
Nova Mob – Ballad #19;
Nova Mob – No Promise Have I Made;
Grant Hart – Evergreen Memorial Drive;
Grant Hart – Flexible Flyer;
Arsenal – The Letter;
Grant Hart – Remains to Be Seen;
Grant Hart – I Will Never See My Home;
Grant Hart – I Am Death.

Flashlite #232

Grant HartVeteran’s show today! We open up with Lannie Flowers who was part of the Texas power pop scene since the 70s. He appeared on the new tribute record to the British band Records. We had an exclusive track from Vex and the Voxtones from that tribute a few shows ago, but now we have the whole thing. Then we also have a new tune from Jim Keays who comes originally from the 60s Scottish beat scene, but made his name over in Australia in the 70s. His new album sounds really fresh and it’s called Dirty Dirty. Finally, Grant Hart’s new album The Argument is out. It’s a complex work based on John Milton’s Paradise Lost, or more precisely, on an interpretation of the same work by William Burroughs. It’s been in the making for quite some time, and it’ll probably take some time to completely understand fully. We also have Brent Kirby’s New Soft Shoe – a live recording of their Gram Parsons tribute in our Live in CLE segment.

The Association – Goodbye Forever;
Lannie Flowers – Come On Girl;
Lannie Flowers – Up All Night;
The Records – Up All Night;
Syd Straw – Think Too Hard;
Lisa Mychols – Make Believe;
Shoes – Do You Wanna Get Lucky;
New Soft Shoe – Return of the Grievous Angel (Live in CLE);
Gram Parsons – Return Of The Grevious Angel;
Boz Scaggs – Cadillac Walk;
Mink DeVille – Cadillac Walk;
Ceramic Dog – Bread and Roses;
Jim Keays – Dirty, Dirty;
Grant Hart – I Will Never See My Home.

Flashlite #223

Lisa MycholsToday we have new songs for Black Lips and Grant Hart. Nick Saloman and his Bevis Frond has a new double album out called White Numbers. We also sample the new tribute record called Dring A Toast To Innocence: A Tribute to Lite Rock, which collects interesting cover versions of cheesy 70s radio hits. As it turns out, those songs weren’t that bad after all, so we hear Lisa Mychols’ cover of David Soul’s Don’t Give Up On Us and Plasticsouls’ cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Sentimental Lady. Australia is the land of great garage rock bands. Step-Panther is another new name from that scene to prove it.

Jeff Beck Group – Spanish Boots;
Step-Panther – Liar Liar;
Step-Panther – My Neck;
Black Lips – Hippie, Hippie, Hoorah;
Black Lips – Crusing;
Ty Segall – The Motivator;
Steve Wynn – Shelley’s Blues pt 2 (Live in CLE);
The Young Rascals – Find Somebody (Eddie);
Grant Hart – Letting Me Out;
Nova Mob – Buddy;
Miss Chain and the Broken Heels – Little boy;
The Masticators – He’s Coming Out;
Lisa Mychols – Don’t Give Up On Us;
Plasticsoul – Sentimental Lady;
Plasticsoul – Cock Rock 101;
Bevis Frond – Hold The Fort;
Bevis Frond – Cruel World;
Bevel Emboss – City of Amsterdam.

Flashlite #187

Dob LybanSinger singwriters today… some of the greatest ever. Dan Stuart, founding member of the Green On Red is finally back with with his second ever solo album, the first since his excellent debut Can O’Worms in 1995. The new album is called The Deliverance of Marlowe Billings. Italian band Sacri Cuori backs him up for this effort. Then we have Patti Smith who also has a new record out called Banga. Grant Hart is preparing a new solo double album called The Argument based on Milton’s poem Paradise Lost. The album is still not out, but two songs from it came out on a 45. Jon Dee Graham was recently in Cleveland, at Beachland Tavern and he’s in our Live in Cleveland segment. He also has a new album out Garage Sale which I picked at the show. And then there’s the new album from the guy on the picture. We say goodbye to Scott McKenzie, who sadly died recently. Finally, we have an exclusive new tune from a Zagreb band Vex And The Voxtones, who will participate on the upcoming tribute to The Records.

Patti Smith – Mosaic;
Sacri Cuori – El Gone;
Dan Stuart – What Are You Laughing About;
Dan Stuart – Waterfall;
Grant Hart – So Far From Heaven;
Nova Mob – Space Jazz;
Scott McKenzie – No, No, No, No, No;
Scott Mckenzie – What’s The Difference;
Jon Dee Graham – Sleep Enough To Dream (Live In CLE);
Jon Dee Graham – Just Like That;
The Rubinoos – Leave My Heart Alone;
Vex and the Voxtones – Not So Much The Time;
The Records – Not So Much Time;
Spitballs – Boris The Spider;
The Flatlanders – Number Sixteen.

Nova Mob – The Last Days of Pompeii: Special Edition

Nova MobWhen the story of Husker Du ended in 1988, Grant Hart briefly started a solo career, only to put together a new band in 1990 called Nova Mob with two of his Minneapolis friends: Tom Merkl on bass and Michael Crego on drums. The group’s first album was something nobody wanted from Grant Hart in 1991. It was a rock opera with a seemingly bizarre libretto. It was a make believe story with real life characters about the engineer of the Nazi V8 bomb and one of the leaders of the US space program, Wernher Von Braun. In the opera, Von Braun finds himself towards the end of the World War Two on a losing side with a desire to escape. In a prayer to Germanic god Woton, Von Braun asks for an ability to travel in time, which Woton grants through a gateway. Von Braun first travels in future, he learns out about all the space achievements which he would end up contributing in the 50s and 60s. In his adventures, Von Braun runs into the Roman lawyer Pliny.

They both end up traveling back to past to the ancient Rome and city of Pompeii, witnessing the eruption of the Vesuvius on 24 August 79 AD which turns the city and a whole civilization to ashes. Yes, you may think to yourself, pretty wild story. But when it came out in 1991, it made a lot of sense to me. I lived in Yugoslavia at the time and my city saw destruction similar to what happened to Pompeii, although disaster wasn’t natural – it was due to the war. So I could easily work Von Braun into the whole story. I loved the record and I still do, very much!

Of course, as it usually happens in this world, complex work of art doesn’t get a deserved notice. Original “Last Days of Pompeii” saw a shaky distribution through a newly established indie label Rough Trade International. My print of the LP contained bumps, although it otherwise had a pretty good sound. “International” was the part that didn’t work in the name of the label. Distribution was poor and interest for the record was also pretty low. But luckily, Grant Hart decided to reissue the record in 2011, twenty years after it first came out.

So, this review is dedicated to the new reissue, which came out on Cond’or Records, distributed in the USA by MVD Audio. Again, the news about the record was very slow and interest of the audience was poor. I only found about the reissue recently by a chance. Although, it seems quite logical for Grant Hart to make this move, since he’s about to release his second rock opera called “The Argument” based on the Milton’s “Paradise Lost”. Perhaps he wanted to prepare the audience for the new complex work, which is being announced these days as a double album.

The reissue of The Last Days of Pompeii is not your average reissue. Ok, it has a few bonuses, which is pretty normal for reissues. But, it is not a remaster, it is in fact an entire re-mix of the original record. Some songs sound radically different than the original tunes. While some songs like “Admiral of The Sea (79 AD)” and “Space Jazz” definitely benefit from the new remixes, two of the songs “Where You Gonna Fall” and “Lavender and Grey” receive makeovers that do not fit entirely. For instance, vocal mix in “Lavender” and guitar distortion on “Where You Gonna Fall”, were better on the original record. Still, the discovering all the new sounds on the record is a great fun if you are familiar with the old mix. To my knowledge, nothing was re-recorded, only original tapes were used in the new mix, although I could be wrong. We should check with Mr. Hart.

The vinyl print of the reissue is very well done. It’s a heavy weight record, with nice and clean grooves, in a nylon inner sleeve (not just paper!), excellent fidelity and it contains a free download. The mastering and printing was done in Cleveland’s Gotta Groove Records, which is clearly being established as one of the best plants for record printing at the moment.

Lastly, the record cover is completely different. It is an abstract collage with a falling tower, roman remains, statues, mountainous landscape and a building that hangs in the air. The original record had a chaotic collage of tiny newspaper clippings, cuts and rips. Both are done by Grant Hart who has several exhibitions of his collage work in galleries over in Minnesota.

Flashlite #117

Bob and SuzeToday’s show is dedicated to Suze Rotolo, Bob Dylan’s muse from the early days. He wrote some his most beautiful love songs about her. One of his most bitter songs Ballad in Plain D is about his breakup with her. She passed away on February 25th this year. We also have the new music from the New York garage rockers The Fuzztones and London singer songwriter John Bisset. Grant Hart has a new rarities compilation and Strage Boys have a fun single dedicated to the American radio dial.

Bob Dylan – Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right;
Beau Brummels – One Too Many Mornings;
The Fuzztones – We’re Pretty Quick;
The Fuzztones – Between The Lines;
The Music Machine – Double Yellow Line;
The Strange Boys – American Radio;
Buffalo Tom – Guilty Girls;
Buffalo Tom – Directive;
Marrianne Dissard – Merci De Rien Du Tout & Flashback;
John Bisset – Over And Over;
Laura Cantrell – Pile of Woe;
George Usher – Not The Tremblin’ Kind;
Gran Hart – Masters Of War;
Bob Dylan – Ballad in Plain D;
The Association – One Too Many Mornings.