TRUST FANZINE from Germany turns 25 this month, making them the second oldest continuously-published punk fanzine in the world! MRR has had a long relationship with TRUST — we even published a photozine together back in 1987. We are ever so proud… The next TRUST zine (August/September 2011 #149) will be a special issue about Dischord Records… Watch for it.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag!

X-Ray Spex Live at the Roundhouse, London in 2008. (photo by Dave Knapik)

by Marc Arsenault

On Monday, April 25th, 2011, Marianne Elliot-Said, better known to the world as Poly Styrene — the singer for classic UK punk rock band X-Ray Spex — died after a bout with breast cancer. Her third solo album, Generation Indigo, was released to shocked fans the following day. X-Ray Spex has stood the test of time and taste to stand out from the English punk rock mid-late ’70s era. Their initial handful of singles and debut album – Germ Free Adolescents – some 16 songs total – still stand as strong statements in a field of often now-faded thrashers. That album was released on major label EMI, the home of the Beatles, and it reached number 30 in the UK album charts. But it was punk as fuck, and such was the nature of things in those few brief months in the late ’70s where punk bands were in the mainstream.

OK. So why was Poly Styrene awesome? She was a chubby, mixed-race (Somali/Scottish-Irish) teenage girl with braces in awkward, brightly colored clothes who could barely hold on to the tune. And, despite the mentions of this by the critics of the time and later, and the insistence that she was the antithesis of a rock band front person, she was, in fact, the perfect front person for X-Ray Spex. None of these things mattered. She was just awesome. What she did was brilliant, and it was popular. X-Ray Spex were a chart success in the late ’70s: they were on Top of the Pops, The Old Grey Whistle Test and recorded sessions for John Peel. A few years after X-Ray Spex released Germ Free Adolescents on EMI, the rock band Heart were signed to that label and their lead singer Ann Wilson notoriously received much pressure from the label over her weight. Like I said. It just didn’t matter with Poly Styrene. The subject never came up.

Poly would go on to release some very different solo material shortly after X-Ray Spex broke up the first time around, before vanishing into a Krishna-tinged haze for a bit. X-Ray Spex re-emerged in the mid-’90s to release the little known album Conscious Consumer. The Spex did not get far after that after Poly was run over by a fire engine(!). Poly came back strong during the last decade with two solo albums, an X-Ray Spex reunion (the Roundhouse reunion show was released on CD/DVD in late 2009) and the holiday singles “City of Christmas Ghosts” with Goldblade in 2008 and “Black Christmas” in 2010. She will be much missed.

Poly Styrene Official Site

Obituaries and memories:

A roundup of Twitter memories on Spinner.com

13 Reasons Poly Styrene Was Cool on And Your Bird Can Swing

“Remembering Poly Styrene” and interview on Pop Dose

Los Angeles Times Obituary

The Guardian Obituary

On Friday March 18th, Jose Eduardo Matute, guitarist of Guerrilla Urbana, the band later known as Ataque Frontal passed away. Along with bands like Leusemia, Autopsia, Zcuela Crrada, Narcosis, Eructo Maldonado, Psocosis, Panico, Flema, Luxuria, Juventud La Kaigua, Sociedad De Mierda, Eutanasia, Radicales and others, Guerrilla Urbana/Ataque Frontal were the pioneers of La Movida Subterrenea, the underground music movement that emerged in Lima, Peru, as a result of the mass bloodshed and extreme political and social turbulence in the early ’80s. Ataque Frontal recorded a demo in 1986, which was re-pressed in 1987 by the French label New Wave. This record captures the sound of fury of the band. It’s raw, it’s angry, it’s punk as fuck. You can hear how bands of this time and punks like Matute laid the foundation for much of the Latin American punk we know today. Matute also wrote a Peru scene report that appeared in MRR #26 in July 1985. His contributions will not be forgotten.

El viernes 18 de marzo, Jose Eduardo Matute, guitarrista de Guerrilla Urbana, la banda conocida despues como Ataque Frontal, murió. Junto con bandas punk como Leusemia, Autopsia, Zcuela Crrada, Narcosis, Eructo Maldonado, Psocosis, Panico, Flema, Luxuria, La Kaigua, Sociedad De Mierda, Eutanasia, Radicales de Juventud y otros, Guerrilla Urbana/Ataque Frontal eran los pioneros del La Movida Subterrenea, el movimiento subterráneo durante y resultado de las matanzas y de la turbulencia política y social extrema en los años 80 en Lima, Perú. Ataque Frontal grabo un demo en 1986, que salio en vinilo en 1987 por New Wave Records de Francia. Estas canciones capturaron el sonido de la furia del tiempo — es rabioso, crudo y es Punk. Usted puede oír cómo las bandas punk de ese tiempo y los punks como Matute pusieron la fundación para mucho del punk latinoamericano que conocemos hoy. Matute también contribuyó un reporte que apareció en MRR en Julio de 1985, la edición #26 de la escena Perúana. Las contribuciones de Matute no serán olvidadas.

“Tengo ahora pocas penas…estoy seguro de lo que hago…y hago lo que tengo que hacer…”
—“Memorias”

Pirates Press Records, Longshot Music, and Maximum Rocknroll are very proud to offer this special chance to help our beloved friend Bruce Roehrs to be immortalized in San Francisco’s Columbarium, and be part of something that can hopefully continue to help effect music in the way Bruce did for decades.

The Columbarium is the one place in San Francisco proper allowed to be someone’s final resting place. There are no cemeteries in SF. This is a very special place, and a very special honor — truly one that a lot of us believe he deserves.

Bruce had taken people there and shown it off as a place of solace and peace for him — a place he unquestioningly appreciated. It is a very expensive proposition though, but one many of us, his closest friends, are very passionate about. If we succeed, he will be with many other people who have also shaped San Francisco.

Those of us who attended Bruce’s memorial saw that it is filled with the high and mighty of San Francisco’s past, and a load of characters who illustrate the vibrant scenes and cultures San Francisco always prides itself on… What the Columbarium still needs is an intelligent and thoughtful, tough as nails Rock N Roller — and Bruce is the perfect person for the job. Regardless of your religious affiliation, one can imagine and appreciate how Bruce would shake things up at that party… and how much he would enjoy it.

Furthermore, it gives Bruce’s family, friends, loved ones and fans a place to pay their respects to a man who was constantly showing his respect and love to everyone around him.

This project was started on a whim, because of the music. It in many ways exemplifies Bruce, and the effect he had on a music scene and the people involved. The Harrington Saints were all very close with Bruce, (as everyone who saw him front and center shaking a fist at one of their shows can attest to) and share deeply in our passion for making this record successful. Booze and Glory, who knew of Bruce and had read his columns in MRR, (without intention) wrote the song “Swingin’ Fuckin’ Hammers”, which essentially sparked all of this. Hearing it, we felt it was Bruce — as it is many of our hardworking brothers and sisters — but him especially!! We hope you agree.

UP THE HAMMERS!! AND UP BRUCE!! Oi! Oi!

ALL proceeds from this record will be donated to the Bruce Roehrs Memorial Fund to secure his place in the SF Columbarium. Any additional funds will be used to help organize Roehrs Records, a record label in Bruce’s honor, run by a coalition of his friends, to promote unsigned bands he would have been a fan of and whom would have most likely never been given a chance by anyone else. Through his column in MRR, Bruce was the unheard voice of the little guys and the underdogs and he made it his mission to make that voice heard. Through an annual release on Roehrs Records we can all help him to continue to promote and discover new music to be excited about!!

If you haven’t heard by now, Japan was hit with a devastating Earthquake followed by a giant Tsunami. To all of our friends and those who have family in Japan, all of us here at MRR have you in our thoughts.

Narm Discos sent us this link which may be helpful for anyone searching for loved ones in Japan, and we will pass on any information we receive in assistance to the tremendous relief effort that will be needed.

Taken from Huffington Post, Associated Press writers Jay Alabaster, Mari Yamaguchi, Tomoko A. Hosaka and Yuri Kageyama contributed to this report…

TOKYO — A ferocious tsunami spawned by one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded slammed Japan’s eastern coast Friday, killing hundreds of people as it swept away boats, cars and homes while widespread fires burned out of control.

Hours later, the tsunami hit Hawaii and warnings blanketed the Pacific, putting areas on alert as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast. In Japan, the area around a nuclear power plant in the northeast was evacuated after the reactor’s cooling system failed.

Police said 200 to 300 bodies were found in the northeastern coastal city of Sendai, the city in Miyagi prefecture (state) closest to the quake’s epicenter. Another 88 were confirmed killed and at least 349 were missing. The death toll was likely to continue climbing given the scale of the disaster.

The magnitude-8.9 offshore quake unleashed a 23-foot (seven-meter) tsunami and was followed by more than 50 aftershocks for hours, many of them of more than magnitude 6.0.

Dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile (2,100-kilometer) stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the epicenter. A large section of Kesennuma, a town of 70,000 people in Miyagi, burned furiously into the night with no apparent hope of the flames being extinguished, public broadcaster NHK said.

“The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan,” Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at a news conference.

The government ordered thousands of residents near a nuclear power plant in Onahama city to move back at least two miles (three kilometers) from the plant. The reactor was not leaking radiation but its core remained hot even after a shutdown. The plant is 170 miles (270 kilometers) northeast of Tokyo.

Read the rest of this entry »

Phil Vane, from the seminal grind/crust band EXTREME NOISE TERROR, died on February 17, 2011. He was 43 years old. ENT session bassist Andi Morris sent us this remembrance of the legendary vocalist…

I remember the first time I met Phil. My band, Desecration, were on the last date of a European tour with EXTREME NOISE TERROR. This was during the period that Phil had left the band, but he had come along to the London show as he had not long moved back from Switzerland and was going to get on stage and perform a few old classics with the band. I had seen photos and videos of Phil playing in and old days of ENT  beforehand, and I thought I knew the kind of wild character I was about to meet. However, the person I was introduced to backstage at the London venue was a mild-mannered, charming, friendly and completely welcoming. Years later I discovered the true extent of his charm when he managed to talk himself and an entourage of us hungover punks onto a plane that was actually due to leave before we got to the check-in desk. Just a hint of the cheeky Vane smile and we were being escorted through the airport by stewardesses and onto the plane.

This was indicative of Phil as a person through and through. Always chatty, and incredibly humble, he would always take time to chat to fans and would always be found out in the crowd checking out the other bands on the bill. A music fan, and a punk to the core, he was always getting excited about such and such new band that he’d been sent a recording by, or had discovered on the web. Such excitement was often followed up in practical terms by him arranging tours or gigs with the bands that he was listening to.

I did not know Phil during his wild years and I’m sure that there are plenty of people out there with a crazy Phil story or two, but I am grateful for all the time I spent trapped in a sweaty van traveling the world with Phil, and am even more grateful for the hours I spent on stage with him.

RIP Phil Vane
1967-2011

As an addition I would also like to say that after having just spoken to Dean on the phone that he wanted to say RIP to his best friend, the most kind and honourable punk in the world, and that he is too choked to say more at the moment. He also wanted to say that “Extreme Noise Terror will continue!!”

By Christopher Fons via counterpunch.org

The stakes were high in Madison, Wisconsin today as Governor Scott Walker’s bill to overturn most collective bargaining rights for public workers came to the floor of the State Senate. Tens of thousands of teachers, students, tradesmen, firemen, and workers of all stripes assembled to stop the vote, at least for today, they were victorious. How did it happen? Through massive direct action and a trip to Illinois by the Senate Democratic caucus.

Republican leaders were confident last night after caucusing and by the morning the common wisdom expected a solid party line vote for union busting but the people and their allies in the Senate had a different plan.

For a while today the capitol building was simply too noisy and too filled with people for anyone to move. Elementary teachers were obviously the majority as hands went up to quiet the crowd by the thousands when important information was to be conveyed.

The peak of the day came around midday as the Senate leader growled to the sparsely populated chamber that some of the members of the body had not showed for work. It was then that over 20,000 protesters erupted into collective euphoria as we realized that quorum was not to be had. For the rest of the day the crowds grew and grew and a more festive atmosphere reigned as we learned that the Senate Democrats had purposefully packed up and left for the land of Lincoln.

One of the most striking aspects of this protest movement is the organic character of its motion. Lots of organizers have made the calls, hired the buses and lined up the speakers but in the Capitol building rotunda the crowd chants, yells, sings and cries together in a collective way. Protesters are not told what to do, they simply figure out what needs to be done, make decisions on the spot, and act.

Another inspiring part of the demonstrations is the affection showed towards a group who have been exempted from the bill, fireman and police. The firemen are the favorites. Sporting their uniforms seasoned with soot, bagpipes bellowing, and signs declaring their loyalty to labor, they give evidence and meaning to the word solidarity. It’s not just the firemen showing their support, however, it’s the police too. Cops got huge cheers today as they entered the floor of the rotunda and fed protesters hot dogs and coffee.

It was a victorious day. Each passing day further clears the brush and reveals who is on what side. Each passing day elevates the consciousness and the confidence of workers. After today’s tactical victory the teachers union and AFSCME have called for another day of action. Friday should bring another massive response…more to come from the front line of the war on workers.

In a shocking move early Tuesday, the University of San Francisco locked the doors to its long-running public radio station, KUSF, and announced that it had been sold to the University of Southern California, which immediately replaced the station with a classical music format. Technically “KUSF” is still owned by USF, and is supposed to continue to operate as a web-only radio station (yeah, great). But its place on the radio dial, 90.3 FM, which KUSF has used to broadcast its alternative/underground music and multi-lingual, community oriented format since 1977, is now being used by KDFC, a formerly commercial, now public classical music station recently acquired by USC.

KUSF has long been a staple for punk rock and many other kinds of music and programming not represented by other stations, and is well known among radio aficionados worldwide as being one of the seminal alternative college stations, and one of the first in the country play punk and new wave music.

Maximum Rocknroll movie reviewer Carolyn Keddy, a longtime DJ on KUSF, was one of the many staff members who were locked out of the station or kicked out by security guards on Tuesday. A protest is planned for tonight at 7pm, so if you live in the Bay Area please try to come out in support of KUSF staff, USF students, and community radio supporters who are outraged at this move by the University.

UPDATE (1/20): Last night’s demo actually turned out to be a meeting (of sorts) with the president of USF to discuss the sale of KUSF’s broadcast license and the way in which the station’s closure was handled. The university’s story: President Stephen A. Privett received an offer from a broker for $3.75M for the station, which he took because…well, because he’s the decider! A non-disclosure agreement was signed (which was the president’s main excuse for not having told anyone about the sale), no negotiations were made, no bidding, certainly no input from anyone actually involved in the station. Privett felt that the money from the sale could be used to better serve the students, who are a bigger priority than the community. Yes, he really did more-or-less tell the community that they could shove it.

About a dozen people had an opportunity to ask questions, most of whom used the time to express their outrage, but several people made very good points to counter the president’s poor excuses. For example, if USF needed the money from the sale of the station, why did they take the first offer that came in the door? There are a few reports on the event — one very accurate one from Bay Citizen HERE, one from SFGate (aka the San Francisco Chronicle) HERE, and a TV news report.

Click to enlarge photos of the event below. (All photos by Paul Curran.)