The Quakes
“Psyops”
Orrexx

The Quakes have spent the better part of the last decade trapped in a world between psychobilly and rockabilly. This upstate New York trio rock way harder than any band with the word cat in their name, but have a groove and swagger that swings way cooler than most metal-leaning psychos. Not to mention, they don’t sing about zombies and vampires.

With Psyops, the bands’ tightest and best produced record to date, the band continues to confound critics and I really don’t think The Quakes could give a shit. Case in point, “USA Psychos,” a take no prisoners anthem for today’s youthful wreckers. “Never thought I’d see the day/ All across the USA/ Psycho kids in every town/ Rock this place right to the ground,” singer Paul Roman cries excitedly. The song is a fuck you to everyone that bitches that the scene is being killed because the music is getting too popular.

The Quakes are well know for the cover of The Rolling Stone’s “Paint It Black,” but the band is far from done producing kick ass homages. This time around, the band ramp up an Adam Ant tune and a true to form version of “Send Me An Angel.” You think I’m kidding, but this is one of the best covers ever. Other stand out tracks include the hilarious “Asshole on the Freeway” and “Home Again,” which recalls classic ’60s bubblegum pop.

True to their namesake, The Quakes are all about shaking things up. If you don’t like them by now, this record might swing you the other way. Then again, you might get freaked out by the covers, in which case you have no right to listen to music.

Doesn’t Rock l Kinda Rocks l Rocks l Really Rocks

Mitch O’Connell, master of the modern pin-up girl, just released a new book through Last Gasp simply called “Tattoos.” The book reprints all the flash drawings from his previous professional tattoo collections (only available at actual tattoo parlors). 264+ pages of pin-up girls, tiki gods, monsters, and devils are drawn in a simple old school tat style reminiscent of Sailor Jerry, but with a modern, lowbrow bent. Tons of saturated colors and crazy designs make this book a must have for any art or tattoo fan.

Even better, O’Connell is part of a fantastic art show taking place right now in the recently revitalized downtown area of Asbury Park. We stopped by the CryBaby Gallery to take a peak at the show and find out what a super-hip gallery is doing in Asbury. First off, the space is amazing. Located in a sprawling loft on Cookman Ave, the gallery is a home to CJ, who along with Jenn, run this den of urban art.

Mitch O’Connell’s work takes up a chunk of the show, with equal portions dedicated to his print work, as well as new canvas paintings. The rest of the gallery belongs to Bethany Marchman and Sunny Buick, two kickass female artists that are causing a stir in the art underground. Marchman paints Betty Boop-style children that come off both creepy and surreal. Her large-scale painting at the gallery, “Is That All There Is?,” is a must see. Buick took over an entire wall with her Day of the Dead skull paintings, each designed with tattoo art, and traditional day of the dead imagery. The skulls were so cool, we picked up one for the Bungalo.

If you are ever in Asbury Park, do yourself a favor and head on over to the CryBaby Gallery. The place is worth visiting no matter what artist is showing. Just don’t get lost trying to find the Parkway.

Are you bored tonight? Come down to the Fuse Gallery, NYC. Shirt off your Back is a benefit show for MercyCorps, an organization dedicated to bringing art and culture to third-world countries.

Just got this message from the UNKL people:

Way back when we kicked off the UniPo-By-You Contest we figured, heck, we’ll get a baker’s dozen or so of entries and we’ll feel like people love us and all that. Four hundred entries (from 18 different countries) later, here we are.

We sifted through the entries until we were blue in the face and our fingers were whittled down to little nubs. And we couldn’t just pick one. So we picked four, and we’re calling the winning entries “The Fan Series.” These little buggers, designed by four immensely talented UNKL fans - Peter Creten, Chatal Knook, Scott Rench and Raul Villares - will hit stores in late 2007.

Details for the yearly Joey Ramone Birthday Bash have now been announced. The 7th annual bash will take place Saturday, May 19 at The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza. As in past years, tickets to the event were entirely sold out even before the line-up was announced. Now Mickey Leigh - event organizer and brother of Joey Ramone - can announce that in addition to a full roster of superstar artists, the evening will include a full set by rock and roll legends The New York Dolls.

Says Leigh, “Joey used to play the first Dolls album so much that the grooves eventually wore out on the vinyl, creating new arrangements to the songs, but he kept playing it anyway.” Leigh adds “The New York Dolls” influence on the Ramones is well documented, and a nod is given to them in just about every interview the Ramones did regarding the band’s formative years.” Read the rest of this entry »

Nekromantix @ Asbury Lanes—May 5, 2007

Forget “Curse of the Coffin”—I’ve been cursed to never get to see Nekromantix. From the ill-fated Psycho vs. Punks tour in 2002 through today, every single time I’ve tried to catch this wild psychobilly band, I’ve been cursed to either miss their set, or have the show get canceled. Their set at Asbury Lanes on May 5, 2007 was no exception. After a two hour drive, two driving citations, and two failed attempts to find food, we arrived at the venue only to find out that the band was already on stage and it was sold out…I almost dropped dead. Luckily, the hottie running the door at The Lanes was super nice and let my poor soul in and told me that the band was actually performing their first song. The curse has been lifted. Read the rest of this entry »

Kid Robot just leaked an awesome quartet of Dunnys from Huck Gee. Not much info has been released yet, but here’s what we know: They are coming out in June, and there’s going to be two colorways of each figure—blue and red. No word on cost or run size.

You read it here first. Legendary creepy dude Crispin Glover (from Back to the Future fame) will be screening his new movie “What is it?” at the Baronet Theater on May 4 & 5 at 8pm. Glover will be in attendance and will be hosting a Q&A session afterwards. This may be the coolest thing to happen at the Jersey shore in years, so you best not miss it.