Alright, everyone.  As it turns out, I was allowed to play 10 songs of my choice on Hunnypot Radio (August 18, 2008.)  I decided to stay within the confines of “California Punk,” which I thought was very appropriate, considering The Germs were there…and a little more manageable for me, actually.  I had to narrow it down some way.  As promised, the following list is what I played.  I will fill you in with lot’s of details about the tunes in the near future, since most of these songs are very rare and out-of-print.  The last 2 songs have never been released.

1.) THE MUTANTS - “New Dark Ages” (1978) – 415 Records (Reissued on White Noise)

2.) SHATTERED FAITH - “Another Day Passes” (1981) – Posh Boy Records

3.) FLYBOYS – “Crayon World” (1979) – Flyguy Records

4.) TAZERS – “Don’t Classify Me” (1982) – Tazer Records (Reissued on Rave Up Records)

5.) NUCLEAR BABY FOOD - “Sex Fix” (1982) – Mystic Records

6.) VECTORS – “Death To Disco” (1979) – (Reissued on Rave Up Records)

7.) AKA – “Tomorrow’s Theme” (1981) – American Standard

8.) THE LEWD - “Climate Of Fear” (1982) – ICI Records (reissued on Chuckie Boy Records)

9.) THE MECHANICS - “Scream City” (1978) – Unreleased

10.) THE CROWD - “A Disturbing Peace” (1981) – Unreleased   

Here’s some great news!!! 

This show is permanantly available for your auditory pleasure on Hunnypot Unlimited’s blog, called “The Hunnydrip.”  It’s an amazing listen from beginning to end.  Here’s the link:

http://www.hunnypotunlimited.com/blog/node/116

More info about this night forthcoming with pictures…

Until then,

Chris Cormier

I have been asked to DJ an 8-song set on the Hunnypot Internet Radio Show THIS MONDAY NIGHT – August 18, 2008 - at 7:00PM (PST.)  This will be an extra special night for me because The Germs will be there promoting their new biopic called “What We Do Is Secret.”  Oh boy…lucky me!!  I have the luxury of playing anything that I want, so I dug deep in my collection for some really rare and interesting stuff.  I will be spinning songs right at the beginning of the show and will be sure to post my playlist after the fact.  In the meantime, you’ll just have to be patient to hear some great stuff and learn a few things.   

Hunnypot Internet Radio, a part of Hunnypot Unlimited, broadcasts live at www.hunnypotunlimited.com every Monday night from 7:00PM – 10:00PM (PST) and then it streams constantly on the website until the following Monday’s show.   

Hunnypot Unlimited is an independent music publishing company located in Beverly Hills, CA.  It was founded by music industry veteran John Anderson and Music Supervisor extraordinaire PJ Bloom (CSI: Miami, Nip/Tuck, HBO movies, etc.)  These guys love music, have great taste and always champion new bands.  Yes, they are awesome and so is the rest of their team: Manny Montiel and Stacee Coleman. 

Yours truly,

Chris Cormier

First things first. Miranda Lee Richards is my favorite musician and songwriter.  I can still remember the first time that I saw her perform: Monday – June 2, 2003 at The Hotel Cafe in Hollywood, CA.  This was long before they expanded that place into the spacious venue that it is today.  I know for a fact that it was on that exact date because this is the performance that made me start my live music log book.  It’s the first entry.  My life was permanently changed on that night.  Miranda is the most complete musical artist that I have ever encountered and no one will ever surpass her.  The amazing thing is that it only took me 5 minutes to figure that out.    

OK, enough with the crazy fan talk.  Let’s get to the business at hand.  I’m starting to sound unprofessional.  It’s all true though.

On Wednesday, August 13, 2008, I went see Miranda perform with her electric band at the Three of Clubs Bar on Vine St. (@ Santa Monica Blvd.) in Hollywood.  The Three of Clubs is an extremely dark bar with a separate cabaret-esque performance area that has a low stage and some small tables with chairs.  A very intimate setting.  It got really packed in there and, as usual, a bunch of patrons sat on the lower steps in front of the stage, so they wouldn’t obstruct anyone’s view during her set.  This performance gave Miranda a chance to give her band a good workout in front some very important people, namely her record label.

Miranda’s second record is called “Light Of X” and it will be released by Nettwerk Records in early-2009.  “Light Of X” is a wonderful progression from her stellar debut, “The Herethereafter” (2001 – Virgin) and I’ve been listening to it incessently for quite some time now.  I can’t say enough positive things about Miranda’s forthcoming record, so let me just say this: If you loved “The Herethereafter,” you will love “Light Of X” even more.  If you don’t have her first record, “Light Of X” will be an excellent and rewarding place to start.  Comprende?  You will all know what I mean when it’s released.  The CD artwork was recently completed and it possesses the same artistic individuality and beauty as her debut (See below.) 

Miranda Lee Richards - "Light Of X" Cover (Nettwerk) (Click to enlarge)

Miranda was fabulous at the Three Of Clubs, by the way.  That’s always to be expected, though.  She switched from her trusty black Gibson “Elvis Model” Dove acoustic guitar to her electric keyboard for particular songs and displayed that her voice is her greatest asset.  I can literally listen to that singing voice all day and often do.  I am very anxious and excited for her to get started on the promotion and publicity for  “Light Of X” and hit the road with a giant bang upon its release.  It’s been a long time coming for her and I know that she’s looking forward to touring and performing.  I have a feeling that she’s gonna do very well with this new record.  Actually, I know she will. 

This is Miranda and me after her performance at the Three Of Clubs.  She and I have become close friends over the years and that dynamic only adds to the quality and appeal of her music.  She’s the best!!!  You will definitely hear more about Miranda on this blog.  That’s a promise. 

Chris Cormier With Miranda Lee Richards (Self-taken with the Blackberry.)

Oh…before I forget.  I made some t-shirts for Miranda and I know that she’s gonna have them for sale on her website and at shows in the near future.  My friend Victor is sporting one of them in the photo below.  He calls it his “favorite t-shirt” and Victor doesn’t lie.  That logo is timeless, in my opinion.

The MLR T-Shirt. If Victor gives it a "thumbs up," you know it's high quality.

Yours truly,

Chris Cormier

Boston’s Muck And The Mires made a very special trip to Southern California recently in order to perform at Bar Pink Elephant in San Diego on 8/8/08 and then at the “Mondo Hollywood Garage Band “ Festival at Knitting Factory in Hollywood on 8/9/08.  For those of you who are not familiar with Muck and enjoy early Beatles-styled songs with some “oompf,” it is imperative that you know about this band RIGHT NOW!!!  If you have a chance to see them play live, DO NOT MISS IT!!!  I’ve been a fan and supporter of Muck And The Mires since the beginning and it was my pleasure to have attended both shows and spend some quality time with the guys…and girl.  Oh yeah…their drummer is a woman…and she is one of the best drummers I have ever witnessed.  She’s THAT good.  I’ve dubbed her the “Joan Jett of the drums.”

Muck And The Mires documented their trip out West and made a little video diary for your viewing pleasure.  Check out the YouTube footage below.  You will see legendary music man Kim Fowley, Bruce Wayne’s office and West Hollywood landmark, Barney’s Beanery.  It’s great when musicians are cinematic geniuses too.   

In the very early days, Muck And The Mires would pretend to be from Canada, say “Ay” between songs and play Beatles “Cavern Club” styled music, but with way more hooks.  Over the next couple of years, they refined their sound and gained noteriety around the Northeast.  After winning Little Steven’s Best Garage Band contest in 2004, they were catapulted into the upper stratosphere of Garageband Land and that’s the where they’ve been ever since…and deservedly so.

BUT…I want to make it abundantly clear that Muck And The Mires are so much more than just a “Garage Band.”  Songwriter Evan Shore (AKA “Joey Muccarino” or “Muck”) is one of the foremost authorities on Sixties music and, in particular, the classic songwriting style that was introduced by The Beatles.  The Music Theorist in me forces me to describe Evan as a “great practitioner of functional harmony in the ‘Pop’ music sense,” which is a huge compliment in my book.  Evan’s craftmanship has made him one of my favorite songwriters.

Bar Pink Elephant Show: Friday – August 8, 2008 (San Diego)

This was a great night for Muck And The Mires.  It was their first live date in San Diego and their performance was nothing less than a professional stage show that knocked everyone’s socks off.  I filmed the entire set with Evan Shore’s digital video camera, so let’s hope that they post the footage in its entirety very soon (they used a couple of snippets in the YouTube footage above.)  There is no immune system that can withstand the infectious sound of this band in the live setting…it’s undeniable.   

“Mondo Hollywood Garage Band” Festival: Saturday – August 9, 2008 (Hollywood)

This 2-day “festival” turned out to be a debacle for the promoters (I’m positive about that,) but I am very happy to report that Muck And The Mires were the best band on the Saturday bill, turning in another energetic and polished set that made almost everyone shake a little, including this blogger.  Sure…Mary Weiss, the legendary lead vocalist from The Shangri-Las, was on the bill, playing LA for the first time, and so was Magic Christian, a garage band supergroup of sorts, consisting of Cyril Jordan (Flamin’ Groovies,) Clem Burke (Blondie,) and Eddie Munoz (The Plimsouls,) but neither couldn’t compete with Muck’s stage show on this night.  Kim Fowley was the Emcee and his zany musical descriptions are always fun to hear.

Speaking of Kim Fowley, he co-produced Muck And The Mires’ latest full-length effort, called “Hypnotic,” along with Maria Baglien  The record has not been released yet, but I managed to get my hands on a copy a while back.  I like it a lot…really, A LOT.     

Now…Go get yourself all mucked up.

www.muckandthemires.com 

www.myspace.com/muckandthemires

Yours truly,

Chris Cormier

I went to San Francisco recently to approach a couple of bands and attend the “Pioneers of Punk” event at The Fillmore, which took place on July 26, 2008.  Having gone to the first “Pioneers” show at the same venue last year, I knew what to expect.  In fact, it was almost the same band line-up as last year.  Nonetheless, I was very excited to see my 2 favorite SF Punk bands: The Avengers and The Mutants.  Adding to the appeal of the night was never-before-seen concert footage from the legendary Target Video.  The big question that I kept asking myself throughout the night was: “So, why is Flipper headlining over The Avengers for the second year in a row?”

“Pioneers of Punk” Band Recap (in order of appearance):

1.) TARGET VIDEO 

Amazing live concert footage from the late-70’s and early-80’s that lasted for an hour.  Too many classic Punk bands to mention.  I vividly remember watching The Nuns with co-lead singer Ritchie Dietrick commanding the stage during “Child Molester” and “Decadant Jew” (For some reason, I always thought that Dietrick played a subordinate role to Jeff Olener in The Nuns…Boy, was I wrong) and former-Noh Mercy singer Esmerelda doing her borderline avant garde staple “Caucasian Guilt.”  What a treat.

2.) NEGATIVE TREND 

As a teenager, I was exposed to this band through my interest in singer Rik L. Rik.  Rik was supposed to be the “New Iggy Pop” and he recorded a handful of songs with Negative Trend as his backing band.  These recordings ended up on the “Tooth and Nail” (1979 – Upsetter Records) and “Beach Blvd.” (1979 – Posh Boy) compilations, both of which I still listen to on a regular basis.  Negative Trend were a fine-yet-surprising addition to the line-up, but original singer Rozz was nowhere to be found, which was disappointing for me.  Rik, on the other hand, was probably watching them play on a giant flatscreen TV from that big house in the sky and thinking to himself, “I wish I were there singing those great songs again.”    

3.) THE MUTANTS 

I’ll never get tired of this band.  3 lead singers (Fritz, Sally & Sue) and song arrangements that make Barry Manilow look like a novice.  I’m gonna go “on-the-record” and make a couple claims here: Fritz Fox is one of the greatest and most unique vocalists to come out of U.S. Punk and Brendan Earley is one of the most underrated guitarists to come out of U.S. Punk.  I’m dead serious about that.  On a sad note, this may have been Sally Webster’s last performance with the group, so I feel fortunate to have been in attendence.  We seem to be living in the “New Dark Ages” again, so let’s hope that Sally stays in the mix for future shows, etc.

The Mutants (from left to right): Dave Carothers, Brendan Earley, Sue White, Paul Fleming, John Gullak (face hidden,) Fritz Fox, Sally Webster

4.) THE AVENGERS 

One of the best performances I have seen from them since they got back together about 10 years ago.  Penelope Houston is simply amazing and inimitable – she always has been and always will be.  Greg Ingraham still plays guitar with more fire and passion than any pimply 15-year old who just discovered The Ramones.  Greg was playing his black Les Paul through a Marshall JTM reissue on this night because his blackface Fender Bassman needs new capacitors.  The Marshall JTM worked just fine, but nothing beats the piggyback Bassmans in my mind.  Regular drummer Luis Illiades couldn’t make the trip from New York, but the fill-in drummer, Cary Lascala, did an excellent job.

The Avengers (from left to right): Greg Ingraham, Cary Lascala, Penelope Houston, Joel Reader

5.) FLIPPER

Alright, I will admit…Flipper is a good band and “Generic” (1981) is a good album, but the key word on which to focus is “good.”  Flipper has no business headlining over The Avengers for so many reasons.  I will admit that Flipper had some “artillery” working in their favor though.  First, Krist Novoselic is now the full-time bass player (Yes…the really tall guy from Nirvana) and, secondly, the promoter of this event was, in fact, Flipper’s drummer.  So, you do the math.  Flipper was “good” enough for me to NOT walk out on them this time and it was fun to see Klaus Flouride (Dead Kennedys…or is it now The Fake Kennedys?) join in on bass for “Sex Bomb.”

Overall, this was a very worthwhile and entertaining event for anyone interested in the origins of San Francisco Punk.  San Francisco is one of my favorite cities, so no complaints from me about having to make the trip.  The big changes from last year’s “Pioneers of Punk” show were: (1) Negative Trend in place of No Alternative, (2) No Chip Kinman doing Dils songs with No Alternative and (3) Neil Hamburger taking over emcee duties for the late Dirk Dirksen.  I tell ya, that Neil Hamburger has one of the best hairstyles known to man and he did a fine job filling in for Dirksen.  As always, it was great for me to see Penelope Houston and Greg Ingraham again.  I’ve known Penelope and Greg for several years now and they both mean a great deal to me, on a musical and personal level.  I’m normally not a “Can I take my picture with you?” kind of guy, especially with artists I’ve known for such a long time, but I made an exception this time around with Penelope and Greg.

Chris Cormier with Penelope Houston

Greg Ingraham with Chris Cormier (Yes, self-taken photo with the Blackberry.)

Some interesting things to mention…

While speaking with Penelope at the After Show party, a very cool thing happened.  Krist Novoselic came up and introduced himself to us.  Apparently, Krist and Kurt Cobain were big fans of The Avengers and, in particular, the record label that released the lion’s share of The Avenger’s material, including the must-have “Pink” album (1983) – CD Presents.  Honestly, it was surprising for Penelope and me to hear the words ”CD Presents” come out of his mouth (I won’t go into the details here,) but I must say that it was an absolute pleasure meeting Krist.  It was plain to see that he is still passionate about music and that he and Kurt grew up listening to the right records.  On top of that, Krist was extremely nice and easy to talk to.  Krist mentioned that he is recording a new record with Flipper and that it should be available sometime in the near future.  I say, ”Thank you Krist Novoselic for being such a nice guy.”  I might even be willing to say that I like Nirvana now…we’ll see.

Ahh…The Fillmore…Bill Graham…the history… 

While catching up with Michael Belfer (Guitarist: The Sleepers, Tuxedomoon) at the After Show party, something downright WRONG happened.  The “Security” was trying to get all the ”unauthorized” people out of The Fillmore and happened to notice that Belfer was not wearing a laminant (like the one I’m wearing in the Penelope photo above.)  They asked him to leave and Belfer kindly acknowledged their request.  Apparently, he didn’t move fast enough, so the “Security” grabbed him and started to shove him toward the stairs leading to the first floor.  Belfer demanded, “Get your hands off me,” as if he were about the knock one of them out, but managed to keep his composure.  He tried to explain that his ride home was at the After Show party with him and that he would leave as soon as he found her; Belfer’s ride eventually came to see what the commotion was all about.  Well, the “Security” wouldn’t be reasonable and about 4-5 of them ganged up on Belfer, roughed him up a bit and then pushed him down the stairs like he was a piece of trash or some drunk, homeless hooligan.  I kept shouting at them, “Leave him alone!!!  He’s cool!!!”  Shame on The Fillmore for allowing this to happen.  Now, here’s the capper: right before the “Security” so rudely interrupted us, Belfer was telling me that he is in the process of moving back to friendly San Francisco from LA.  Ahhh…the irony.  Welcome back to San Francisco, Michael.  They missed your awesome guitar playing and producing skills.  Yes, I know that I put Security in quotations…I think for obvious reasons.

Yours truly,

Chris Cormier

Hello Everyone:

Chris Cormier here – reporting for duty.

Well, a lot has happened and it’s time for us to play “catch up.”  However, before getting started, I would like to mention a few things about the Perjection logo.  We hope you think it’s as cool, classy and unique as we do.

One of my all-time favorite movies is “Dead Reckoning” (1947) with Humphrey Bogart and Lizabeth Scott.  It’s a certified “Film Noir” classic and should be placed in your Netflix queue, if you have not seen it.  After obtaining some original 1940’s advertisements for “Dead Reckoning,” the logo font, treatment and color scheme hit me like a ton of bricks.

I enlisted the graphic design expertise of prominent New York artist ALONE ONE.  I showed him the movie ads and basically said, “This is how I want the logo to look.”  Within a week, ALONE ONE came back with the final result (see below,) as well as, business card and letterhead layouts.  Needless to say, it was very important for Perjection to have a simple-yet-striking brand identity and I am truly grateful to ALONE ONE for making it a reality.

Perjection Logo By Alone One

Now, imagine “Dead Reckoning” in place of “Perjection” in the logo above and there you have it.  In case you haven’t guessed, ALONE ONE had to draw some of the letters for us by hand…out of necessity, of course.  Yeah, we were impressed too.

If you would like to find out more about ALONE ONE and see more of his artwork, please click on the banner below.

Perjection is very excited to announce its first signing: a brand new Los Angeles-based band called THE GOLDEN WARRIORS.  This band is SO new that they have yet to play any shows and don’t even have a MySpace page or a functioning website yet.  So…why did Perjection sign this band?   

Well…let’s turn it over to Perjection Head Chris Cormier for some answers:

“The Golden Warriors and Perjection are a match made in musical heaven.  I am very happy to have signed them at such an early stage and look forward to having them grow with us.  I feel that they are very talented and unique in the creative dept., have the right musical attitude and share the same musical vision as Perjection.  They are not interested in joining the cliched Silver Lake/Echo Park music scene…or any scene for that matter.  They have a strong connection with music from the past and are very sure about where they want to take their music to make it fresh and exciting…and I absolutely love the name of the band and the concept behind it.”

More on the bandname with various details to come in a separate post.  Trust us, it will all make more sense at that point. 

Currently, there aren’t any photos of THE GOLDEN WARRIORS and the bandleader only wishes to be identified by his guitar rig for right now (see below.)  His reason being: “As a guitarist, there comes a certain point when the ONLY thing that matters is guitar tone.”  Makes sense to us.  Stay tuned.

THE GOLDEN WARRIORS - 1964 Fender Tremolux Amp and (2003) Gibson Historic Collection 1959 Les Paul guitar with "out of phase" pick-ups. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Hello Everyone:

Welcome to the Perjection Blog.

Perjection is an independent artist management and music consultation company located in Los Angeles, CA.  In the coming days, weeks and months, this blog will be used to discuss, publicize and promote the artists, bands and music companies with whom we either work or support wholeheartedly.  Adding to the blog mix will be various posts on music and art as Perjection deems important and relevant to today’s worldwide musical landscape.  We also look forward to incorporating a regular blog entry entitled “Know Your History: The Old Is The New.”  Last but not least, we would like to just come out and say it…you will not find these posts, subjects, views or opinions about music anywhere else.

Sincerely,

Perjection