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....

Let the Racket Set You Free...

Thanks to everyone who participated or danced.

Earmuff

This is a prime noiserock album that I put together from two sessions we had back in 2002(could be 2003).Scumreggae and Doggy Gym feature the bass guitar talents of Danny who was kicking around town in a band called Substandard.Rustle Covini plays drums on all tracks.I play rhythm and lead guitar on all tunes.Richard Neave plays treble guitar throughout and Lisa Clement plays electric violin on Harley Davidson Apocalypse and Ironbeing.

These were quite fun and spontaneous jams that we did before I left Christchurch to live in Wellington.All songs were recorded on a digitally overdriven minidisc player which gives the noisier Danny-driven tracks a distinct "suction effect" where Ricko pops through with the treble message.

Metal funk;not funk Metal.

The last track entitled "New Blend of Hate" is myself on bass and Rustle drumming.

Lisa was keen to join in so we put her violin through Ricko's amp which created a bit of a see-sawing effect between the two sound source's.They made love through the speaker!

The house that we recorded this was down Kilmore Street next to a power substation that did strange things to my Alron Fatboy amp. Richard,Lisa and I lived here for a while and it has now been demolished by developers.That's how it goes in the Flatcity...

Anyhow,noiseheads and skank walkers should have a picnic out of this one!

Black Sabbath Dead C Plastic Ono Band Gary Glitter

P.s.If anyone has any pictures of Danny or Lisa I will upload them for the write up.

The name Earmuff came about because we were all wearing earplugs.Sensible times insane racket no complaints..also cheers to Dave Kahn for taking this picture of us at his house a year or two ago. Cheers Chris for the photo of Danny!

BLACKBOARD JUNGLE

This is somewhat of a greatest hits package that I put togetther of my brother Kyle's rock group called Blackboard Jungle.Although they recently changed their name to Asshole Rebel Unit I thought it best to stick with the old moniker as most of the tracks included are from that period.Steve plays bass and handles most of the vocals,Kyle plays guitar and sings on "I'm So Bored",Chris plays drums and unfortunately I have forgotten the other two musos names who sometimes play with these guys(I will add this information when I get the data).

They regularly practice every Saturday at Steve's house under the trees next to Canterbury University on the banks of the mighty Ilam Stream.I have had the pleasure of visiting a couple of practices and they are a low key affair with instruments being shared in a rather socialist manner.No rock star egos here...

No-one knows about them due to their lack of interest in self-promotion and I think it adds to the home-on-the-ranch vibe of these recordings. I reckon they should play to the public more often outside their idyllic headquarters but they seem content in their ways. It's punk,funk,metal,reggae,brain splurge paranoia and cathartic frustration..

Anyhow,I am a fan and here it is for your consumption;I just hope more people get to hear this ultra-underzone Christchurch band and perhaps they will play a Battle of the Bands sometime soon...

the best thing about Christchurch

P.s.All recordings were done on one microphone sent into Kyle's laptop.This is lo-fi so have a smoke...

Incisions

This is a band that I played in for a year or so back in Christchurch around 200-2001(this is a guesstimate as my recall is a bit skewered).It was led by Nick Hodgeson who was a very prolific lad on the local experimental music scene establishing such acts as the C.M. Ensemble in the local conscience.Dan Brady played bass,I played drums and Nick(Tony) explored the electrical possibilities of the guitar.Blue Cheer meets Link Wray.Maketh my day.

We recorded on an old tape cassette deck that gave the album an interesting "suction" effect during the silent passages.The drums and bass had one microphone and were set-up in the library of the old sea captains house that I lived in.Tony had a mic all to himself and played through a tiny practice amp much to the annoyance of my flatmates in this Lyttelton mansion.

Dan blew my Holden bass amp.I think it was the feedback.Keep your ears out for my beer bottle percussion.

We played a few shows and parties around town until I got kicked out for being too drunk...

I shall post some other recordings we did with AlC5 on bass and the legendary Wunderbar gig where I played two drumkits and were graced by a sleazy guest on saxophone. Kato Records have released a cd of the previous line-up which is more of a fifties rock and roll noise as opposed to this metal mannered beast. In fact Dan and myself enjoyed the previous incarnation of the Incisions so much that we managed to prompt Nick into getting this version of the band up and running after a year or so of retirement...See what you reckon,comments are compulsory.

PleaSURe caN bE pAInFuL

P.S.Let me know if all the tracks work as I have tried for the first time to upload this as a zip file and am not sure if I did it right.

For Ricko....

It's been a few month's since I have posted anything because I have been without the internet.The Bat's back!

Recently a very good friend and artistic collaborator of mine passed away.Richard Neave had recorded this album and had given it to his friends Sharon and Karl in Christchurch.He told them that the tunes hadn't been titled yet and if they had any ideas for names he'd be keen to hear them.Unfortunately he died before this process was complete so i am posting this recording as a tribute to a truly great friend.

I didn't feel like doing a speech at his wake last week so I guess this is where I will share a few words of appreciation.....

I met Richard Neave when i moved into a flat about fourteen years ago at 45 Holly Road,Christchurch.He seemed very nervous and we instantly bonded over a smoke and an episode of Sapphire and Steele.The first time i saw him play was after Mincheng moved in and he invited us into his darkened room where we were instantly assaulted with a barrage of treble.He started to scream into his guitar pick-ups and I thought that something was wrong and that he might do something violent to us!Catharthis.

Mincheng,Ricko,and myself(Lynton) soon organised ourselves into a disorganised music animal called the James Last Appreciation Squad. Our drums and guitars played or rather stormed a few venues around town such as the Blues Bar during their jam night.Hamish Noonan joined us for some of these and I remember the soundman asking us not to break anything.To their credit they let us have five minutes and then pulled the plug.Plug pulling was a common event except when we imposed our racket on friends who I guess have a palate for this sort of hi-jinx.We made our own fun.Toy Love's bass player pulled the plug when we played the amphitheatre at Canterbury University.Apparently we had complaints from the lecture theatres.This performance was my good bye to uni life and also part of a local protest group's Indonesian invasion of East Timor statement.You could say we were boozey and drugged and I guess conflict is a bit like that...

Anyhow I coined Ricko's nickname which he once told me to stop using;I thought it suited him and kept calling him that.He didn't mind after a while and the Ricko persona continued to thrive and grow often putting us into awkward situations that afterwards made me laugh.

Richard was very unsentimental and never wanted to draw any attention to his problems but would instead try to offer others his warm hospitality.I hope he is bursting angels eardrums in the sky!

He definitely pushed himself to the limit and had very little time for lower frequencies and instead opted for ultra-treble which would carve out new destruction within one's earcanal!

I do not know who else appears on this recording but there is perhaps a drummer.If anyone wants to fill in the details of this recording feel welcome to do so...

I miss you greatly.

BLOW YOUR SPEAKERS!

track one

track two

track three

track four

track five

track six

track seven

track eight

track nine

track ten

(p.s.Thanks Chris Andrews for taking the photo of Richard and letting me use it as an album cover and thanks also to Sharon and Karl for passing the c.d. on to me so I could publish it..)

nude p o s t

Contempory Classic Kiwi Pop

Here is a couple of tracks from my good friends Terror of the Deep.They self released this album last year.It was recorded in Wellington at Fred's(which is an old church now used as a venue for interesting happenings.The band is on myspace so look 'em up if you want to get the full album as I have only uploaded a couple of tunes...

Oly Dixon-guitar/vocals

David Michaels-drums/vocals

Mason James-guitar/vocals

Taip Adams-bass/vocals

Dan Beban-recording/keyboards/vocals

spacewoman

two wizards

what to do

spEnjo!