City Slang ... Sonic's Rendezvous Band & Show # 375


From 1975 to 1980 a band existed in Ann Arbor, Michigan known as Sonic’s Rendezvous Band. The band was composed of Fred “Sonic” Smith (previously of The MC5) on guitar/vocals, Scott Morgan (previously of The Rationals) on guitar/vocals, Gary Rasmussen (previously of The Up) on bass, and ex-Stooges drummer Scott Asheton. Although relatively unknown while they were still active by the mainstream, Sonic’s Rendezvous Band has now elevated to legendary/cult-like status. During their time as a band they only ever released one single "City Slang". The "City Slang" single had the same song on the A side and the B side, although one side was labelled as a mono version and a stereo version, the single contained the exact same song on both sides. “Electrophonic Tonic” was recorded to be the B side of the "City Slang" single, but due to lack of funds the band could only afford to put the one song on the single. Original copies of the "City Slang" single, originally released in 1978 now go for hundreds of dollars.

The band essentially formed from the ashes of The MC5, and The Rationals. Smith and Morgan became friends and prior to the forming of Sonic’s Rendezvous band, Fred Smith contributed lead guitar to Scott Morgan’s first solo single (1973's Take A Look/Soul Mover). The two then decided to form a band, which would go through many line up changes in the rhythm section. The band played their first gig as The Orchids which featured Ron Cooke of Mitch Ryder’s Detroit Wheels on bass. The gig was poorly attended due to a large blizzard that occurred during that night in the bands early incarnation. Shortly after Cooke was out as Scott Asheton came into the group as their new drummer and Gary Rasmussen of The Up signed up on bass. The line up was now complete and the band changed their name to Sonic’s Rendezvous Band and began playing more gigs around the Michigan area starting in 1975. They tried to veer away from playing songs from each of their respective musical pasts instead opting for new original material, but slowly built up a following. The band combined the high energy Rock style of The MC5/The Stooges, with the soulful Garage ethics of The Rationals, but at the same time took a step into a new direction. Several songs were longer songs, evolving from jams that the band had together during rehearsals. Major labels seemed to avoid interest in this band, despite their local following and talent, but things were different then. It was around 1978 that the growing tensions between Smith and Morgan reached greater levels. Eventually the band faded to a stop in 1980.


The bands legendary status was maintained by their fan base through bootlegs released in the 80s of band demos and live shows. Sonic's Rendezvous Band gained international attention during the late 70s Punk scene, which despite the band no longer being together, their fan base grew. In the late 90s, the studio recording of the song “Electrophonic Tonic”, the intended B side to “City Slang” was released by Alive/Total Energy Records. This generated a new interest in the band and two albums were released titled Sweet Nothing (in 1998) which compiled a good quality live recording of the band from Ann Arbor in 1978 and City Slang (in 2000), which followed due to the success of Sweet Nothing. City Slang combined live recordings with the bands 1978 City Slang single, both albums are now currently out of print and were released by Mack Aborn Rhythm Arts. In 2006, Easy Action a UK record label released a six CD box set of Sonic’s Rendezvous Band material. Simply titled Sonic’s Rendezvous Band Box Set, the six CD’s compiled demos, rehearsal recordings, studio material and four live concerts. In 2007, another live recording was released from when the band played The Masonic Temple in 1978 in Detroit.

Following his time with Sonic’s Rendezvous band, Fred Smith married musician Patti Smith in 1980. In 1986 he worked with Patti on her album Dream of Life collaborating as a songwriter, producer and guitarist. This would be one of Smith’s last recordings, in November of 1994 Fred “Sonic” Smith passed away due to heart failure. Scott Morgan continued to tour and record as a solo artist and with groups such as Scots Pirates, Power Trane, Dodge Main, and The Hydromatics. Gary Rasmussen continues to play music as a studio musician and Scott Asheton currently plays with the reunited Stooges. The band reunited as The Rendezvous Band in 1999 featuring Deniz Tek (of Radio Birdman on guitar) in place of Smith at The Magic Stick in Detroit, it was released in 2000 under the titled Getting There is Half the Fun. More info on The Sonic's Rendezvous band can be found at http://sonicsrendezvousband.net/.

This Week's Play List:

1. Teenanger - Too Nice To Say No
2. Ghost Knife - Omnipotent
3. Rock 'N Roll Monkey & The Robots - I Should've Stayed In Detroit
4. Flamin' Groovies - High Flyin' Baby
5. Guage - I Saw You On The Telephone
6. Johnny Jaws & The Sharks - Out of Love
7. Pointed Sticks - Part of the Noise
8. Joy Division - Interzone
9. Crocodiles - Soft Skull (In My Room)
10. Mode Moderne - Radio Heartbeat
11. Colleen Green - Green One
12. Hoa Hoa's - Going Out With Her
13. Dog Day - What She Says
14. Empire - Him Or Me
15. The Only Ones - Re-Union
16. XTC - The Rhythm
17. Blue Orchids - The Flood
18. Models - Man of the Year
19. Magazine - Sweetheart Contract
20. Laughing Clowns - In Front of Your Eyes
21. Indian Wars - Old Hotel
22. Sonic's Rendezvous Band - Sweet Nothing (Live)
23. Sonic's Rendezvous Band - City Slang (1999 Mix)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for October 25. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Wick-it The Instigator Nineties FTW


Wick-it The Instigator Nineties FTW (mashup) Must Listen!


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Alternative Rock - October 18, 2011

Published by America's Music Charts.

Active Rock - October 18, 2011

Published by America's Music Charts.

The Ruby Spirit & The White Stripes & Show # 374

This week I will post a few videos for a change of pace. First up a quirky, peculiar video from a Canadian Indie Rock band with a dash of Garage and a peppering of Pop called The Ruby Spirit. The band currently has a six track EP available titled Born under a Veil. The video for "Cagliari" is a stop motion created video that was done by Mike Walter. For more info you can visit http://www.therubyspirit.com/


Here's another cool music video that may or may not be stop motion based:


Also Revolution Rock is now on facebook.  Like Revolution Rock on facebook!!!

The Play List:

1. The Stomach Mouths - Eegah
2. The Rationals - I Need You
3. ? and The Mysterians - It's Not Easy
4. The Barracudas - Rendez-Vous
5. Invasions - Out Of Touch
6. The Remedials - That Look
7. Finks - Can't Say No
8. Martha & The Muffins - Copacabana
9. Southern Culture on the Skids - Zombified
10. The Ruby Spirit - Caligari
11. Magnificent Bastards - She Won't Do It Anymore
12. Bad Vibrations - Losing Time
13. Mad Ones - Behaviour
14. Shimmering Stars - I'm Gonna Try
15. Bear Vs. Shark - Catamaran
16. The Specials - Little Bitch
17. The Equators - Baby Come Back
18. The Ruts - Babylon's Burning
19. The Skids - Night And Day
20. Famous Names - Blind Date
21. Exits - Going Places
22. The Jam - When You're Young
23. The Professionals - Just Another Dream
24. Guided By Voices - Teenage FBI
25. The Hives - Thousand Answers

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for October 18. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Not Now No Way ... The Pagans & Show # 373


Coming from Cleveland, Ohio in 1977 The Pagans are often a largely ignored band that came from the first wave of American Punk bands alongside acts such as The Dead Boys. The Pagans consisted of Mike Hudson (vocals), Brian Hudson (drums), Mike “Tommy Gunn” Metoff (guitar) and Tim Allee on bass. The band pl`yed a unique blend of grimy Garage influenced Punk music, which was filled with venomous attitude. They released their first recordings as a 45 single that contained two of the same songs on side A and side B, “Six and Change”. The sneerful and bone rattling Street Where Nobody Lives was the bands second single, it was backed with the self explanatory, but equally gnarly “What’s This Shit Called Love?” It was followed up by the Not Now No Way single in 1979 and the Dead End America single in the same year. The band split initially in 1979, which along with their anti-famous image and lyrical subject matter put the band to a halt, but not for long. The Pagans reformed again in 1982 and disbanded yet again in 1983.

The band released a self titled album in 1983, and continued to release music off and on. A compilation album of the bands recordings was released in 1986 titled Buried Alive, which is often regarded as the best compilation and release from The Pagans to ever be released. The compilation compiled the band in their nasty, snotty glory featuring all of the bands early seven inch recordings and several unreleased tracks. The first CD compilation was released in 1994 entitled Everybody Hates You, and several other compilation albums cataloging The Pagans material has been released since then. A book was released by Mike Hudson titled Diary of Punk in 2008 chronicling his time with The Pagans. The band while they reformed several times, have released numerous recordings that at the time of its initial release was greatly under looked. They have now come to be more recognized by others Hudson’s lyrical style often attacked society related issues and at times came off with a stark lyrical imagery that when combined with the bands anti-star attitude made them not only a unique and at times offensive band, but one that were truly original

The Play List:

1. The Stooges - I Wanna Be Your Dog (Alternate Vocal Version)
2. DOA - Smash the State
3. Existers - Telex Love
4. Plan Nine - I Ain't No Robot
5. Rage - I've Got Your Number
6. Sports - Side Effect of Talk
7. Dum Dum Girls - Always Looking
8. Kasabian - Let's Roll Like We Used To
9. Television - I'm Gonna Find You (1974 Unreleased Song)
10. The Strollers - I Fell Right Down
11. Thee Mighty Caesars - Little By Little
12. Chang-A-Lang - Lay By Your Side
13. Neil Young - Vampire Blues
14. The Locusts Have No King - Last Night In My Favorite Bar And The Reprocussions Thereof
15. Johnny Cash - Locomotive Man
16. Will Currie & The County French - Railroad
17. Johnny Thunders - (She's So) Untouchable
18. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - New Pleasure
19. Generation X - New Order
20. The Bears - Fun, Fun, Fun
21. The Pagans - I Don't Understand
22. The Pagans - Not Now No Way
23. The Dead Boys - Ain't Nothing To Do
24. Compulsive Gamblers - Whole Lotta Woman
25. True Lovers - Obsession

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for October 11. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

(Return to) Friday at the Hideout


This Friday I filled in for CJAM's Willy Wilson on the program Friday's At The Hideout. A few months back I filled in for the very same show, my play list on this program reflected the Surf, Garage, Punk, and Folk genres. Willy Wilson also hosts the program The Motorcity is Burning every Tuesday at 7 PM, Friday's At The Hideout can be heard every Friday from 8-10 PM.  The program can be downloaded below.

The Play List:

1. Link Wray - Law of the Jungle
2. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Shake Some Evil
3. The Collectors - Eyes
4. The Townsmen - Back Yards
5. Prehistoric Cave Strokers - You're In You're Out
6. The Fuse - Sad Eyes
7. The Hi-Fi's - Look What You've Done
8. Sports - Played Yourself
9. Dum Dum Girls - Hold Your Hand
10. Kasabian - Neon Noon
11. Drew Smith - Smoke & Mirrors
12. Will Currie & The County French - Railroad
13. The Mekons - Geeshie
14. John Doe - Walking Out The Door
15. Twin Library - I Asked Her To Build Me A Phone
16. Chang-A-Lang - Japanese Eyes
17. The Remains - Don't Look Back
18. The Uniques - You Ain't Tuff
19. The Count Five - Psychotic Reaction
20. Square Root of Margaret - Attack of the Giant Problem vs. The Creature From The Planet of the Incredible Shrinking Solution
21. Mark Sultan - Mortal Man
22. Radio Birdman - Do The Pop!
23. The Misfits - Hollywood Babylon
24. Ramones - You Should Never Have Opened That Door
25. The Adverts - Safety In Numbers
26. Buzzcocks - I Don't Mind
27. The Exploding Hearts - I'm A Pretender
28. The D4 - Joe 90
29. The Clash - The Leader (Live Amsterdam 1981)
30. Dex Romweber Duo - Climb Down
31. Dave Allan & The Arrows - Outer Surf
32. Velvet Underground - I Found A Reason (Demo)

The show can be downloaded here. 

Everybody jumps from the sound of the shotgun

In April 2011, Fred Durst (on twitter) informed fans that a meeting between the band and their record label (Interscope) had taken place. Fred described the meeting to have 'went awesome', and gave the official release date for Gold Cobra, that being in June, 2011. This was later confirmed by Interscope. Durst concluded his tweet by saying 'Time for videos.' Just days later, when asked by a fan via Twitter 'when is the single going to be released?', Durst replied with "they say the singles come soon in May." The lead single, "Shotgun," was then released on iTunes.

Everybody jumps from the sound of the shotgun
Yeah in my neighborhood, everybody got one!

Pop pop pop off the rock ship:




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