‘Burn the Earth, Leave it Behind’ by Wingnut Dishwashers Union

  Recently my friend and bandmate, Jon Clegg, turned me onto what he called “one of the most meaningful bands I’ve heard in years.”. I completely agree. Just when you think punk is dead for good, someone has a slightly new twist on it.

  Wingnut Dishwashers Union is written and recorded by a man named Pat The Bunny. From what I could find out, Pat used to run a CD-R, for the love of the music label called Spare Change Records as well as played in a punk band called Johnny Hobo and The Freight Train (which, I might add, is an AWESOME band name). Pat only recorded as a full band on this album, ‘Burn the Earth, Leave it Behind’. Other than that he recorded a few albums with just an acoustic before he admitted himself in rehab for a drinking and heroine addiction. More on that in a second.

  At first listen, the music on this album may not seem especially amazing. But as I listened, the sound grew. A lot of punk sticks to the formula, guitar, drums, bass, singer. But on this album you have horns, piano, banjo and saw. It’s almost like a punk rock Neutral Milk Hotel. If punk bands do try and experiment, they usually over do it and fail in a big way, but here it’s used in perfect mix with the over all attitude of the album. The real highlight in my opinion about the music is the constant, solid base of acoustic guitar. It really shows off the attention to the song writing aspect of these songs, which is my next point.

  This man knows how to write a song. There such a great mix of songs on here that tie together. The most important aspect of these songs is they talk of revolution and of major problems in the world but they do it in a way that doesn’t preach. Pat isn’t saying “Look at how I live. I am perfect, do as I say.”. There is no “holier than thou” attitude. The feel I get is more of, “This is what I think is fucked up and what I think are good ideas.”. Pat also isn’t afraid to point out how imperfect he is. One of my favorite lines (and sadly one of the most relatable lines for me) is in the tune called ‘Just Because I Don’t Say Anything (Doesn’t Mean I Have Nothing to Say)’ that goes:

“I’d be a teenage virgin,
Jerkin’ off in my bedroom,
IF I WASN’T A 20 YEAR OLD VIRGIN,
WITHOUT A BEDROOM!“ 

  He’s also extremely passionate about what he’s saying. If you couldn’t tell just from listening, just watch him preform:

  Like I said before, Pat admitted himself into a year long rehab for drug addiction. According to his website:

“I have entered a year long treatment program for addiction. During this time I will not be able to send or receive mail. I’m sorry to people who ordered things and did not get them. It’s very unclear whether I will keep playing punk rock music when that period of time is over. I wish that I knew more, but nothing is certain right now. Thank you for liking songs that I wrote, and helping me not feel so alone a lot of the time.”

 This was posted on December 6th, 2009. If my math is correct that means he is soon to be, if not already, out into the world. I have such respect for someone who chooses to get clean on their own. I am not a very big fan of drugs and booze. So even if Pat doesn’t come back to music, God forbid, good for him for doing what he needed to do to better himself. If and when he does get back into making music and touring, I make one plea to all his fans. Do not give him booze and drugs. This man has just spent a year of his life detached from his loved ones to get away from a problem he had. One story that always gets my blood boiling is about Syd Barrett. Before he quit music he apparently tried to get off drugs. During this period, “friends” of his would slip him acid in his tea because “he needed it to create.”. Fuck that. Don’t be an asshole. Help the man stay clean so he’s around to create music for a long time.

 So, to close, if you dig punk with depth, a sense of humor and a general refreshing take on something that’s been around for half a century, or if you just need some more music on your ‘Anarchist Revolution’ playlist, Wingnut Dishwashers Union is where your ears need to be. 

Song: ‘For a Girl in Rhinelander, WI’

‘Pussy Whipped’ by Bikini Kill

 Welcome to Girl Power Week! We are going to celebrate one of my favorite groups of humans, females, and their role in rock’n’roll. From riot grrrls to avant singers, we’ve got them all. Let’s get started!

 Speaking of riot grrrls, no other band embodies the 90’s feminist movement quite like Bikini Kill. Started as a fanzine by Kathleen Hanna, Kathi Wilcox and Tobi Vail in 1990, Bikini Kill evolved into a punk rock outfit with the addition of the only boy in the group, Billy Karren. This band had a message for women. At shows they would hand out lyric sheets to all the girls they would have come up front. The lyrics are often an angry and satirical look at how women in society. After several singles, including working with Joan Jett, Bikini Kill released this record, ‘Pussy Whipped’, as their first full length album.

 Feminism aside for the moment, Bikini Kill is 100% punk rock. The songs are rough, loud, vulgar and gutsy. The group has a complete DIY, anti-establishment, “Fuck you!” attitude to them that I cannot get enough of. The guitar feeds back anytime Billy stops strumming, Kathi wails away on the bass with this low and heavy, rock bottom tone. Tobi plays the drums hard and sloppy giving the song a balance of chaos and rhythm. All that mixed with Kathleen Hanna, one of my favorite voices in the history of music, with her scream that makes the hairs on the back of your neck launch like little rockets off you neck and you get punk rock at it’s finest. These women made music to act tough to. 

 Besides being as punk as a safety pinned junkie, Bikini Kill was here with a message. Bikini Kills lyrics dealt with feminist issues like rape, domestic violence, body image and general sexism in the world, as well as other social and political commentaries. This drew a lot of attention, some good and some bad, from press and fans. Men at Bikini Kill shows would try and start fights with female fans as well as the band. Major press started to report on Bikini Kill and the Riot Grrrl scene causing bands to call for a media blackout due to feeling misrepresented. Now even if you don’t agree with what Bikini Kill and other Riot Grrrl bands are saying, you at least have to give them credit for saying it. They are out there, speaking their mind in a way that gets them heard. If more people cared this much about the things they believed in, maybe the American government wouldn’t be in such a sorry state right now.

 When punk rock started, it showed that anyone with something to say could start a band and say it. Bikini Kill did the same thing for women. Instead of poisoning their minds like female pop and movie stars, They showed women how to stand up and be heard. Now somewhat ironically, Bikini Kill has become one of the bands in rock’n’roll history with the most balls.

Song: ‘Tell Me So’

‘Suicide’ by Suicide

 I’m moving to New York City. I am very excited about it. So much so I started making a playlist of songs about New York and bands from New York. There are a few artist that I think of when I think of New York City. You have folk music like Woody Guthrie, Dylan, etc. There’s jazz greats like Monk and Miles, and then there’s 70’s punk like The Ramones, New York Dolls and Patti Smith. One band that is often left out of that last group is Suicide, who are one of the most innovative and confrontational bands ever. 

 In early 1971, Alan Vega and Martin Rev came together to make Suicide. They were one of the first bands to advertise their shows using the term punk. Now I know what you’re thinking. How’re drum machines, syths and organs punk rock? To which I’d answer with a slap in the face and “DID YOU LISTEN TO THIS?!”. Punk, in my opinion, isn’t about what is being played. Punk isn’t always four guys, one guitar, one bass, one drummer, one singer, loud fast and angry. Punk is making music with whatever you have, no matter what you skill level. Punk is a DIY ethic put forward in music. Punk is just doing whatever you want in a stripped down way. All of these things make Suicide punk. 

 This album is simple. You have Martin on what are now out of date syths and drum machines and Alan Vega calling out lyrics like spells that raise the dead. If the infectious track ‘Ghost Rider’ doesn’t get you tapping your foot than the part of your brain that responds to good rhythm is dead. The way the drum machine pounds away throughout the album feels like a blacksmith creating a weapon to destroy his enemy. 

 Alans vocals are the part of this record that knocks me flat. Live, Suicide would usually be booed from the second the walked onstage. Shows only lasted maybe a half hour before the crowd would riot and take the mic out of Alans hands. Onstage, Alan would often have a chain that he would whip around. Most of these stage antics were inspired by a Stooges show Suicide saw and loved. But I’ll go into why Iggy is king another time. 

 Back to Alans vocals, they really reach their full effect on the track ‘Frankie Teardrop’, a ten minute song about a vet in financial trouble that kills his wife and kid before sending himself to hell. This song is one of the scariest and most intense songs in history. While listening you can’t help but think to yourself, “Please Frankie, don’t do it.”, but Frankie does. It’s truly a heart breaking song.

 Suicide would become legendary after this record but not for sometime. Bands from Sonic Youth to The Kills and even Bruce Springstein would site Suicide as a major influence. They would never sell millions of records or sell out Madison Square Garden but they did something much more important. They experimented and didn’t accept failure in the face of what seemed to be mobs of people disagreeing with what they were doing. For that, all rock’n’roll is grateful. 

Song: ‘Ghost Rider’

‘Murray Street’ by Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth is a band that holds a very unique place in the history of rock’n’roll. With a career lasting almost 30 years, Sonic Youth has always been a leading influence in underground music. They are just one of those bands that has been around forever but has always found a way to doing something new and interesting. The way I see Sonic Youth is as a gateway to more experimental music. They are like the gateway drug of avante-garde music. You listen to Sonic Youth before you hit the heavy stuff.

That isn’t to say Sonic Youth doesn’t make some heavy, crazy music themselves. The SYR series is designated for their experimental compositions. Plus, when they started is 1981 they were a big part of the no-wave scene, helping bring noise rock to more people. As time wore on they became major players in the alternative scene and played with such acts as The Jesus Lizard, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, etc. Sonic Youth survived the 90’s and continued to make music into this millennium. For this album they added on long time collaborator Jim O’Rourke as a fifth member. For their 12th album they created a landscape of simple drumbeats and guitar noises.

This album is made up of my favorite type of Sonic Youth song, the noisy, lyrically thick, stream of consciousness jams that you have to listen to three or four times before you fully appreciate them. Compared to a lot of Sonic Youth records, ‘Murray Street’ is rather light. All the guitar noise you’d expect from Sonic Youth is there but it’s used in a different way. Instead of smack you in the face and throwing you around, it’s used for texture and mood. The most aggravated this album gets is on the track ‘Plastic Sun’ which features the classic angry vocals of bassist Kim Gordon, which is one of my favorite gritty vocals in history. This album is also another example of the rhythm section keeping it somewhat simple for the benefit of the song. I know it works for the song because I’m bobbing along to it.

My favorite part of this album and the and the thing that separates it from other Sonic Youth albums for me is the lyrics. I’m heavily into beat poetry and the whole stream of consciousness type of poetry. While the lyrics of ‘Murray Street’ aren’t all like that, a good portion is. Every line is a poem in itself, wound together to create such a clear and thick image. The words on this record almost breathe with the music. It’s sometimes hard to distinguish a separation. They are the kind of lyrics that it doesn’t matter what they say but instead how they make you feel.

All in all ‘Murray Street’ is a great album to start with if you want to get into Sonic Youth. It’s a point in their career that they were changing sounds so it has elements of all their work in it. It’s not too long or abrasive, which is likely to scare the uninitiated. It’s a beautiful noise punk record.

Song: ‘Radical Adults Like Godhead Style’