Click on the pictures for more info on each release.
We are very, very, very excited to bring you our newest release, The Axemen's Sac Tap Nut Jam LP, up for sale now. First 25 orders from our website get the GOLD VINYL version. Click the cover to buy!
For more information on the Axemen, be sure to visit http://theaxemen.org/. The band is currently planning a New Zealand tour in support of Sac Tap Nut Jam.
Spacecase Records is pleased to release Sac Tap Nut Jam—the first new Axemen full length in twenty-one years.
Originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, The Axemen formed in 1983. Shortly afterwards the band solidified around the core of Steve McCabe, Stu Kawowski and Bob Brannigan. (More than two dozen musicians have played in the Axemen, notably Johnny Segovia, George D. Henderson, Mick Elborado and Peter Gutteridge). Initial Axemen releases came out on Steve McCabe's cassette label, Sleek Bott. The Axemen signed to Flying Nun in the mid '80s, releasing the label's first double album, Three Virgins (1986). Like The Swell Maps, The Axemen sound is hard to define—Three Virgins runs the gamut, from country to punk to avant-garde. The Axemen released their second Flying Nun record Derry Legend in 1987. The band put out further cassettes on Sleek Bott, notably Scary (Part III) and Three Rooms (An Elton John Tribute Album), before going on hiatus in the early '90s.
In 2009, The Axemen caught their second wind thanks to Tom Lax at Siltbreeze who reissued the band's cassette-only releases Big Cheap Motel and Scary (Part III). The Axemen toured the United States with Times New Viking the same year. In 2011 The Axemen visited Australia and put out a tour 7"— a label split between McCabe's Sleek Bott and the late Brendon Annesley's Negative Guest List Records. Siltbreeze came through again that year, reissuing Three Virgins on vinyl (original pressings were going for well over fifty dollars).
Sac Tap Nut Jam finds Steve McCabe and Stu Kawowski reuniting with Dragan Stojanovic (who played on 1987's Derry Legend); rounding out the lineup is William Daymond. Recorded in early 2013 in Wellington and Taita, Lower Hutt, Sac Tap Nut Jam—like all Axemen releases—defies easy categorization. There's The Beatles/Dylan pop of Stojanovic's "These Days"; McCabe's post punk-influenced "Doctor's on Speed Dial"; Steve McCabe's inimitable voice and stream-of-consciousness lyric writing comes to the forefront on "Google That Girl".
500 vinyl copies of Sac Tap Nut Jam were pressed up—400 on black, 100 on gold. The Axemen are currently planning a tour of New Zealand in support of Sac Tap Nut Jam.
Sac Tap Nut Jam is the sixth release from Camarillo, California-based Spacecase Records.
via theaxemen.org
US label Spacecase Records is proud to announce they will be releasing the next Axemen 7″ single – just as soon as it is recorded! Axemen spokesperson Stevie McCabe, speaking from his beach retreat at Te Puru, Coromandel Peninsula, stated: “Me and the lads are over the moon about the Spacecase deal – we can’t wait to record the new material in Wellington later this month!”
The single will feature new material and the 7″ track-list will be finalised after the recording sessions later on this month (February).
“We’ll be recording in the studio and at a special free live recording party at the Mighty Mighty on Wednesday 27th Feb – we’ll use the best of the best of the recordings and we hope to do some writing as well – all in all its going to be super-intense” enthused McCabe.
The recordings and gig will feature the same Axemen line-up which toured Australia in December 2011 – Steve McCabe, Dragan Stojanovic, Stu Kawowski and William Daymond.
Review by Ryan Leach
Snapper head honcho Peter Gutteridge is underrated.
Prior to the formation of Snapper, Gutteridge played in early lineups of the Clean and the Chills, and released a great EP (Singles) with the Kilgour brothers under the moniker of the Great Unwashed. In the late ‘80s, Gutteridge focused on his own material; Snapper became an outlet for his songs. An amazing eponymous EP was released in 1989, containing the infectious track “Buddy”; a great Stuart Page-directed video for the track followed.
In 1992, Snapper released their first LP, Shotgun Blossom, on Flying Nun. The album is stunning. Closest reference points for Shotgun Blossom would be Darklands,White Light/White Heat, and Suicide’s Self-titled album. Gutteridge handled vocal, guitar and keyboard duties for Snapper, with Christine Voice backing him on vocals and keyboards. The match supplied heavenly harmonies over heavily distorted instruments. Drummer Alan Haig took notes from Maureen Tucker and Bobby Gillespie, employing their heavy backbeat but with added cymbal work indebted to Tommy Ramone. Dominic Stones was no slouch himself, adding great lead guitar work. This formula all comes together on Shotgun Blossom tracks like “Pop Your Shine” and “Eyes That Shine”; and while “Dark Sensation” slows the tempo down, the distortion and desperation of Gutteridge’s songwriting is still present.
Shotgun Blossom is a record that deserves broader recognition. Its relative obscurity, no doubt due to it being a New Zealand release, is criminal. Of course, this record is highly recommended.
Review by Ryan Leach
Auckland’s the Scavengers was one of New Zealand’s first punk bands. The group’s time in the sun was brief; not counting this posthumous collection, the Scavengers’ output consisted of two tracks on the AK79 compilation and a Propeller single (as the Marching Girls). Nevertheless, the group’s influence transcended its limited vinyl output.
Like the London SS to the Clash, the Scavengers had roots in a proto-punk band called the 1B Darlings. Formed by future Scavengers Paul Cooke (Johnny Volume), Simon Monroe (Des Truction), Mike Simons (Mike Lezbian), and Marlon Hart (Mal Lcious), the 1B Darlings debuted in 1975, playing an end-of-the-year celebration at Auckland Technical Institute. The show was a disaster. Nevertheless, the group continued undeterred, banging out a few more glam covers at subsequent shows before calling it a day.
The Scavengers formed in 1977 after its members read about the British punk scene. Like the UK movement, punk in New Zealand created a scandal. The press ate it up; it was easy and cost-effective for news stations to cover the milieu.
Mal Lcious was ejected from the Scavengers early on; Ronnie Recent (Brendan Perry) replaced him on bass. Sessions for Polydor Records ensued, only to have vocalist Mike Lezbian leave the band to pursue a career in advertising.
Ronnie Recent, with his short-scale Fender Mustang bass (which likely made the difficult task of playing bass and singing somewhat easier), took over for Lezbian. Unfortunately, this lineup change put the brakes on The Scavengers releasing material for some time. Nevertheless, the setback was, at least in retrospect, somewhat fortuitous: it provided the subject matter for the group's classic song, “Mysterex”, a critique of their career-minded former front man:
Well you’re a bloody hypocrite, just a dirty social climber
Nine to Fiver
Social Climber
Oh, yeah
The Scavengers held down a residency at Zwines, Auckland’s first punk venue, in April 1978. The group later appeared on Barry Jenkin’s Radio With Pictures program on New Zealand television before making the ill-fated decision to move to Australia.
Australia didn’t care about the Scavengers (or the Marching Girls, as the group renamed itself). Gigs didn’t materialize, and the Scavengers were marginalized. A single, “True Love”, was released before the band went on hiatus. Brendan Perry later formed Dead Can Dance (seriously).
This eponymous collection contains 10 tracks; two are versions of “Mysterex” recorded at different dates (the second take is likely the Greg Lear-recorded track that appears on AK79). The fidelity is surprisingly high.
The Scavengers’ sound is heavily indebted to the Sex Pistols and Stiff Little Fingers. Perry has a caustic delivery, while Volume’s guitar work is influenced by Johnny Ramone’s barre chords (although the tempos on most Scavengers songs are closer to those found onNever Mind the Bullocks). “Mysterex”, “True Love” (a catchy pop song), and “Violence” are likely the Scavengers' best moments.
Interspersed throughout this collection are news audio bites from a New Zealand television program, describing punk rock to curious audiences at home. Their inclusion is appropriate. The Scavengers weren’t meant to last. They were a product of their time—back when simply being a punk band was reason enough to get coverage. That doesn’t take away from the Scavengers’ music: the members produced some great ’76-style punk rock, nothing more and nothing less. They pioneered a scene that produced formidable artists, like Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate; stellar musicians, such as Paul Kean; and labels like Ripper, Propeller and Flying Nun.
The Scavengers is a great collection of a special moment in New Zealand rock ‘n’ roll, where nearly everything seemed possible.
(Thanks is due to John Dix’s Stranded in Paradise, Andrew Schmidt’s liner notes to The Scavengers, and the accompanying booklet to the recent AK79 reissue for the historical information.)
Top 5 records
1. Velvets 2nd
2. Suicide 1st
3. Bill Callahan, Sometimes I Wish..
4. Stranglers 1st
5. Kate Bush, The Kick Inside
Top 5 underrated NZ bands, past or present
1. The Puddle
2. The Subliminals
3. The Rip
4. Haunted Love
5. Psychic Maps
Top 5 NZ venues, past or present
1. Empire Tavern. Dunedin
2. Leigh Sawmill. Leigh
3. Chicks Hotel. Port Chalmers
4. Mighty Mighty. Wellington
5. The Burgundy Bar. Dunedin
Favorite Flying Nun singles, EPs or LPs
1. Subliminals, Crystal Chain
2. Sausage Records 4 Star, Wellington compilation
3. Nocturnal Projections, Understanding Another Year in Darkness
4. Scorched Earth Policy, Going Thru a Hole in the Back of Your Head
5. Bailter Space, Tanker
Tape Man
Top 5 surf bands:
1. Roy Orbison
2. Houghton Bay
3. Link Wray
4. King Loser
5. Planet of the Tapes
Top 5 underrated New Zealand groups:
1. Boss Christ
2. The Grand Chancellors
3. Bad Evil
4. Knife Fight
5. Planet of the Tapes
Top 5 reasons analog recordings are superior to digital ones:
1. Just sounds better
2. Often less options so less fucking around
3. No-one cares about it anymore so you can find it cheap and also sounds unique
4. Less boring to talk about
5. Planet of the Tapes
Top 5 bands on Estrus Records:
1. Supercharger
2. Trashwomen
3. Mummies
4. Makers
5. Phantom Surfers
666. (should be) Planet of the Tapes
The Bats play the Sugerloaf Shakedown in Auckland's Kings Arms Tavern, May 22nd, 2011. The show was a fundraiser for the Christchurch music community. It took place only months after a catastrophic earthquake hit Christchurch, killing 181 people.
Photos by Ryan Leach.
Review by Ryan Leach
By Night (1984) was the Bats’ debut EP. It was an auspicious beginning for the group: six great songs and not a dud among them.
The Bats “sound” more or less coalesced on By Night: Robert Scott’s straightforward songwriting and rhythm guitar; Kaye Woodard’s tasteful lead guitar work; Marshall Grant’s steady backbeat; and Paul Kean’s melodic and active bass lines are all present.
It’s hard to pick a favorite among these tracks—Woodward’s 12-string guitar work on “Jewellers Heart” is distinctive; the mismatch of Scott’s reserved vocals with the unstrained subject matter of “I Go Wild” is compelling. The Fall-like, honky-tonk stomp of “United Airways” certainly ranks high. But it’s “Man in the Moon” that comes out slightly ahead of the rest.
Robert Scott’s best work typically comes out in the Bats’ mid-tempo songs, where he adopts an early ‘70s singer-songwriter feel, particularly influenced by John Cale’s early solo work. “Man in the Moon” comes closest to that hallmark.
By Night is highly recommended. Somewhat hard to fine, Compiletely Bats is more accessible, and contains almost all of the tracks off of the Bats’ first three EPs.