In a sneak preview of what’s to come in MRR #324, which doesn’t hit the presses till next month, this week’s new band alert focuses on a some teenage Danish punks, iceage who have made one of the best 7″s I have heard this year. It was recorded by Peter Peter, of the Sods and Sort Sol, who also, I believe, recorded my last favorite group of Danish teenagers, Hul. iceage do not capitalize the first I of their band name, in a ee cumming stylee, and their sound is taught, tense, and sounds like it could have been recorded in ’79 — truly great post-punk with an urgent and disturbing nervous energy.

Their 7″ came out on Escho Records, which usually puts out dance music, I believe, so it’s not something I woulda discovered if not for the fact my friend Ethan saw them play when he was touring with his band in Denmark and mailed me a 7″. Unfortunately, I think it’s out of print now, but apparently they are working on an LP, which I can’t wait to hear…

This just in from MRR correspondent Kate Wadkins…

The International Girl Gang Underground compilation zine aims to document and dissect how Riot Grrrl’s legacy has manifested twenty years later, as well as provide guidance for those who want to transform “revolution girl style now!” into “REVOLUTION GIRL STYLE FOREVER!”

We want your submissions!

If Riot Grrrl doesn’t resonate with you or your cause, that’s okay! We also want to know about all the do-it-yourself, grassroots music movements currently being run by women/girls/trans/genderqueer/queer folks today.

Talking points include, but are not limited to:

• ESSAYS ON…
  
  • What would a modern-day “Riot Grrrl manifesta” look like?
  • The successes and failures of Riot Grrrl and what we’ve learned from them
  • Your experience as an immigrant grrrl, genderf**king boy, revolutionary pornographer, Muslimah punk, working class queer, etc
    
• REPORTS ON…
  
  • What was your experience as a Riot Grrrl in the ’90s?
  • What’s going on in your community that supports feminist & queer DIY musicians today?
  • Scene reports from regional DIY music scenes that traditionally are lady- and queer-friendly (London, Berlin, NYC, or your town)
  • Individuals who are making a difference–musicians, activists, writers, whomever!
  • “Where are they now?” (Riot Grrrl edition)
    
• HOW-TO…
  
  • “Get off the Internet and meet in the street”
  • Reclaim feminism for the 4th wave
  • Organize conferences, protests, benefits, etc
  • Combat the “dude-first” mentality of your music scene
  • Use new technologies to organize effectively
  • Start a band/go on tour/create a zine/etc
  • Create spaces for working class, POC, international and rural women and queers
    
• BAND/ZINE/COLLECTIVE/ACTIVIST GROUP INFO…
  
  • We’re creating a directory for the International Girl Gang Underground–send along info on your project to be included!
    
• ART…
  
  • Print, digital, audio, video, whatever–so long as it’s in an easily rendered format for a black & white zine or can be included on an accompanying CD-R for distribution, we want it!
    

I have one thing to ask of you: PLEASE, SUBMIT!

I am surrounded by amazing people that make music and participate in feminist cultural production – that play in bands, write zines, make art, and live life in a do-it-yourself feminist context. We want to hear from you! We want to encourage a multitude of voices in this project, and in particular want to encourage POC voices and trans/queer/genderqueer/ally folks – including transguys and cisguys, to submit their work. The due date is May 31st, 2010, at 11:59 PST.

Go to our website or email us at girlgangunderground {at} gmail(.)com

If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, now is the time. It runs until the 12th of March at Needles and Pens on 16th St., between Guerrero and Dolores in SF’s Mission District.

Alien Kulture

Paco played us this record a few years ago, and it became an MRR obsession, but I never even thought to look them up on YouTube… The perfect antidote to the endless parade of clueless punks who endorse Skrewdriver (“Only the early work/BlahBlah Blah”). As someone who grew up in Thatcher’s Britain, with the dark shadow of the National Front and Combat 18, that never sits right with me… The lyrics to “Culture Crossover” are so fucking great and punk — Alien Kulture rules…

You can read the Alien Kulture story on their website here or in the Observer here.

In honor of the recent reissue of The Brat’s classic song, “The Wolf,” as a limited edition single on Timmy Hefner’s 540 Records, here is the feature on the band from the February 1982 issue of Low Rider magazine. (“The Wolf” was originally only available on the Rhino’s 1983 East LA comp LP, Los Angelinos: The Eastside Renaissance). I had only ever seen the cover of this Low Rider issue before, so thanks to Dave Hyde for posting the whole damn thing! Pretty incredible… I gotta hear the song “Misogyny” now! When is that Brat discography ever comin’ out??

[Click on the pages below to see them at full, readable size.]

Some more Tim Yohannan-created flyers for MRR Radio — these ones are pre-MRR magazine! You can still tune into the world’s hottest rock ‘n’ roll party at right here. This week and next week are the best of the decade shows, which coincide with the best of the decade issue, containing the top records of various shitworkers and reviewers here at the magazine, which also will be available to buy here this weekend!

Some more awesome Tim Yo art from the early days of MRR Radio… How awesome would this be as a MRR Radio T-shirt?

Bruce brought over a bunch of pasteboards for old MRR Radio fliers, and this was on the back of one of them. Looks like this was what was being considered as a name for the Not So Quiet on the Western Front comp: May I Have the Next Thrash? Because this was on the back of another board, it’s cut off in the middle of the band names…

I went to see the Raincoats play a couple days ago. My old band played their first reunion show in 1993, when the first LP was reissued on corporate overlord Geffen for some reason (otherwise known as Kurt Cobain). Sixteen years later their first LP has just been reissued again by Kill Rock Stars this time, I believe it’s vinyl only. Anyway, they played this weird post-punk revival show with Viv Albertine from the Slits, and she joined them for this song. I always go to reunion shows with a heavy heart, you know, do you really wanna see a bunch of middle aged people reliving the past? It’s like a theater performance sometimes, like Civil War enactment displays, where both the audience and band are playing the part… Anyway, the Raincoats were refreshingly shaky and charming, reminding me of why I loved that first LP so, and this song exemplified some weird alchemy for me at least…