...off to a Flying Start since Sunday 15th August 2010

...off to a Flying Start since Sunday 15th August 2010

Thursday, December 30, 2010

CHRISTCHURCH UNDERCOVERED VOLUME ONE!


Here is the cream of the crop culled from my minidisc archive of jam sessions,four track experiments, and live performances recorded in Christchurch 1992-2003.It all leans on the noisey side with precedence given to munted rock expeditions and free-form scat guitaring.
Indulgence yes!I like it that way...All of these projects were recorded by myself and feature me on either guitar or drums .From musty practice rooms to empty bars this album represents a sound much undercovered so ROCK on ROCKER!
I will now attempt a short biography on these projects, so if any details are incorrect please let me know as the cumulative effects of hard-rocking have slightly impaired my memor y!.

SOD COCKS. Michael Banks-guitar/vocals,Lynton Denovan-drums/backing vocals.
These recordings were done on a Sanyo tapedeck when we were finishing the first or second term of high school in 1992.I had only played the drums a couple of times and Mike was the bass player at the local youth orientated chuch. I hoped we could play more often but Mike was pulled away by the power of Jesus.We were 17 years old.My mum and her friend were listening to us in the dining room next door and afterwards my ears rang.Sod Cock was a character Mike invented who was a punk rocker who vomitted and beat up the audience-I hadn't heard of G.G. Allin yet!

ROCKING WHORES. Tim(sorry forgot your last name)-drums(stalemould,greenest sleeves),Scott MaCashlin-drums(batman),Kent Roper-bass,Kyle Denovan-guitar/vocals,Lynton Denovan-guitar.
This band was going for about a year(vaguely 2002) and we played a few shows with stalemould being recorded live at the Wunderbar and the other tracks recorded at my home on Madras Street(greenestsleeves) and at Shadbolt house in Lyttelton(batman).We specialised in a slowed down rock good for barely conscious inebriants...Greensleeves was the Mr Whippy theme tune and batman was some kind of pervert...

BLACK PANTHERS. Rob Buick-guitar,Matt Alien-vocals,Vaughn Richardson-bass,Lynton-drums.
This track was recorded live at the Jetset Lounge(formerly the House of Pain and the Subway) on Christmas eve 1999. This cover of "you really got me" was inspired by the hard rock version that Human Instinct did in the early 1970's. Vaughn used to play with an afro wig that made him look like a microphone and he still plays in the death metal group called Human. The screaming on this recording is a local drunk death metal singer who refused to leave the stage,I thought he added to the fun...

OPEN MIC. This is the name I decided to call my early four-track experiments.My friend Joe Griffiths sold me his Tascam for $440 when he got too deep in academia and needed the money.This machine is still going and has seen many miles of tape pass through it....
The two tracks here; "that ceo padre"(recorded 1998-99 in St Albans) and "money maker drive"(recorded 2003 at Madras St) were performed by me in my own time.

MACE. Kent Roper-guitar,Joe Griffiths-bass,Lynton-drums/four-track manipulations/chants.
Mace was a bit of a joke really-we had all played together in our first band called Valve who did a few party gigs around Wainoni and Brighton.Bogans and metallers were our audience and as long as there was beer in abundance they were happy.One time I passed out on the snare drum and woke up vomiting on my doorstep-rock keeps you young or from getting old I suppose...
We recorded this on my four-track in Bishop St,St Albans around 1999.I did a bit of tape gymnastics on the session and added a bell and chanting and the rest is history...

MEGABAND. I can only list the names of the participants as I am only sure of one thing;there were a lot of funny cigarettes and crunching chip packets.This track was from a session at Shadbolt House during 2003.We had two drumkits,three guitars,two basses,a vibraphone,keyboards and a whole lot of rhythm.......Recorded to minidisc(overloaded signal and in mono).Megaband was:Izzy Biscotti-bass,Lisa Preston-keyboards/bass(?),Kyle Denovan-guitar,Lynton Denovan-guitar,Rustle Covini-drums/percussion(?),Scott MaCashlin-drums/percussion(?),Ricko-guitar(?),Kent Roper-(were you there?!)..Not sure if anyone else was there at Lisa's practice room.Lost in sound...

ANGRY STRANGER. Lisa Preston-bass,Pat Faigan-drums,Lynton Denovan-guitar/tape dubbing.The three of us had a jam at Shadbolt house which I recorded on my new portable tape dictaphone.I was out one night in Lyttelton and recorded a domestic argument that involved a man shouting one-liners down the main street.Poetry.I crudely dubbed the argument onto the jam session and hey presto!

ULTRASOUND. Kent Roper-bass,Rustle Covini-drums,Lynton-drums.We never had a name that would stick.The best show we did was under the name "Shiharde" after Shihad changed their name to pacifier.We had no singer so I would often use spoken word marketing and religious tapes for vocals.These two tracks were live improvisations with "ultrasound theme song" recorded at the Media Club and and "broadcaster" being recorded on my home stereo from a Radio Lyttelton show that I used to do. Those were the days when I used five guitar pedals.....

UNMANNED BLAZE. Dean(sorry I forgot your last name..)-guitar/Marshall,Lynton-drums.This was my first drumkit and grunge informed the rhythm I played on it.My friend Dean who was a surfer used to have jam sessions with me at his mum's house.He had just gotten into smoking pot and I had no idea what it was all about.This was the recording that we did the day he got his new Marshall combo-I was sober and Dean was blazed!Recorded early 1994.

COPKILLER. Richard Neave-treble guitar,Lynton-rhythm guitar,Rustle Covini-drums. This session was done around 2002 at my apartment on the corner of Madras and Tuam Streets.This is my favourite jam recording that I did with Ricko(R.I.P.) and Rustle.It is a dirge-ridden monstosity.Spewing doom and keeping the dance going....


Thanks to everyone who participated or danced.


2 comments:

  1. call me a muppet but how do you listen to these beautiful sonic debacles????...

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  2. I'll let u know Mr Kent-just click on the link(it is usually a different colour to the rest of the text) and follow the prompt.Then rip the tracks to ipod or cd or tape cassette.Roll up some dried bananaskin and sage then you're away with the purple faeries.....I hope this Helps-and by the way you can download as many copies as you want for promotional purposes!!!!

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