About Moosejuice

+Mark Boyd is an avid indie and underground music historian trying to bring attention to unknown and forgotten bands through The Sonic Abyss and Abysmal Radio. He also sings and plays music, is an independentSEO and Internet marketing consultant and enjoys time with his children :D

Clutch – Live in Flint, MI & Live in Melbourne, AU

Posted on August 13, 2012 by Moosejuice

2004 River Road Records 2007

I recently came across these gems from my favorite band online and I’m just stunned. Though I should have known they would be excellent.

Both discs are worth seeking out if you’re a Clutch fan. Being a proud veteran of numerous shows, I can confidently say they’re both fine documents of Clutch live and up close, and “Heard It All Before” is kinda special due to the fact that our fave Maryland boys recorded it live on their first Australian tour.

One of the discs, however, stands out as absolutely one of my favorite live albums of all time, and that’s Live In Flint, MI. Recorded live at the Machine Shop in front of a rabid crowd, it documents a two hour show from the “Blast Tyrant” tour and features material from all their albums, as well as some cool B-sides like “Hoodoo Operator.”

The surprising highlights for me, though, were the tunes from the self-titled “Clutch” CD from 1995. I was originally not a huge fan of that disc, due to what I feel is a powerless drum mix that doesn’t do Jean-Paul “The Master” Gaster justice, and really an overall mix that lacks power and crispness. With said power and crispness, those tracks are my overall favorites here, with “Rock and Roll Outlaw” just leveling the place and “Tight Like That” translating well to a heavier live format and providing the perfect chaser for “…Outlaw.” “Escape From the Prison Planet” and “I Have the Body of John Wilkes Booth” show up in powerful form here, as do “Big News I” and “Big News II.”

Honorable mention goes to “Walking in the Great Shining Path of Monster Trucks” and exemplify how well the inimitable Neil Fallon is able to make these older tracks work with his newer vocal stylings, as they were recorded with his old monotone growl on the studio versions. The more modern Clutch tunes from “Elephant Riders” through “Blast Tyrant” sound as excellent as you would hope, too.

I’ve flown many, many times to and from Louisiana to spend time with my children and I can’t tell you how many times this has been my music of choice to get my mind off of my fear of flying. Dozens easily. One of those few live documents that actually makes you feel like you’re a part of the celebration not apart from the celebration. The proudly face-melting mix makes you feel like you’re right there…you can almost smell the sweat.

For Clutch fans, this is a must have. For the uninitiated, “Live in Flint, MI” is a great introduction to a superb rock band and will undoubtedly have you hungry for their back catalogue.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Some Weekend Jam From I Love You

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Moosejuice

In 1991, a band called I Love You released their debut album on the Geffen Records label and went on tour as the opening band on Pearl Jam’s first national tour. Little was heard from I Love You after that, their follow-up CD a couple of years later going virtually unnoticed.

It’s a shame, too, because the CD is very good and chocked full of melodies you’ll be humming for days…weeks…years. This is probably my favorite track from the album, presented here to rock your weekend.

Abysmally, of course! Enjoy:)

The Big F – The Big F

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Moosejuice

1989 Elektra/FFF

I don’t think I’ve ever heard an album whose existence is so totally in a vacuum like this disc. Doomed from the time of its release in 1989, it went virtually unnoticed by everyone except music nuts like me who were constantly in search of the perfect jam.

Why was it doomed? Because no one could really write about them. The band got little (if any) press and even the pictures on the inside of the album and CD sleeves are unfocused so as to prevent recognition…all because two of the three members were from the 80’s pop band Berlin (yes, “Take My Breath Away” Berlin) and that connection would have destroyed their street cred. I remember when the album was released I was working at Paradise Records in Baton Rouge and the record company (Elektra) was very secretive about the band’s origin. Not a very smart strategy, given that hard rock was so visually driven at that time.

The result is a rockin’ and beautifully flawed album that represents perfectly the transitional time of its release…when hair bands were on the way out and grunge was about to take over. This album is neither, and musically could have come from just about any era. As timeless as your favorite pair of jeans (frays and holes included) and just as street-sure.

Two videos were released, fortunately, for two of the stronger tracks (Doctor Vine and Alpert Tango)…so if you check them out here and like them, you’ll probably like the rest of the album. The Big F is an album that succeeds as much because of its flaws as because of its triumphs. Vocals go from confident, brooding, melodically growling to an occasional high-pitched wail that was definitely a sign of the times. Fortunately the latter doesn’t happen too often and we’re treated to a very tight three piece with chops, hooks and power.

Alpert Tango is probably my favorite tune, whatwith its relentless and tight percussive attack and growling vocals that sound like a nice guy trying to sound tough and succeed because of it. In many ways, the band’s origin makes sense as pop songwriters who want to get down and dirty and just rock. Hard to describe this album’s timelessness, other than “it rocks.”

Definitely more hard rock than metal, it’s guitar, bass, drums and vocals. No frills.

And, quite frankly, it sounds even better today than it did (gulp) 20 years ago.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Buy or Download The Big F…You’ll Be Better For It

Movie Break: Quite Possibly The Greatest Music Documentary Ever. Complete: Behind the Music

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Moosejuice

Today I stumbled upon what is quite possibly the funniest video I’ve ever personally seen in my life. To quote Dave (the delightfully sarcastic and witty narrator)…“I cannot begin to describe to you what you are about to see. I would like you to take one moment and picture the absolute worst band you’ve ever seen in your life. And there is no way…NO WAY you could have conceived of anything as bad as this.”

Even with the detailed (and Complete-ly relevant) 4 minute intro, I still could not believe what I was seeing and hearing. It is truly beyond description and you have hereby been warned:

I have laughed uncontrollably and absolutely to tears a handful of times in my life, and this video is responsible for probably the most uncontrollable and convulsive laughter I have ever experienced. Nothing can prepare you for what you will see here.

Quite possibly the greatest music documentary ever made. And please watch the whole thing…the narrative comments are totally worth it, as are the interview bits. It’s a shining cautionary tale of how practice sometimes doesn’t make anything remotely close to perfect.

So, to quote the should-be legendary documentarian Dave…

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you…COMPLETE

Rating: 10 (ten) out of 5

Weekly Abysmal Video – 1/25/11

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Moosejuice

The best part about having this humble blog celebrating the underexposed and underappreciated music that is out there waiting for us is that I get contacted by bands that I’ve missed along the way and wind up finding new jam to share with you all.

This happened this morning, as I received a link from a French band that has been labelled “Avante Garde Metal.” That pretty much sums up their sound as it’s not like anything you’ve likely heard before. Elements that shouldn’t be together are stirred into the pot to create an insane thrill-ride of sound that has me confoundedly shaking my head in a way that I haven’t since hearing Hot Head Show’s brilliant 2010 debut The Lemon EP.

The band here is called Akphaezya and is built around a theatrical concept that you can read about on their website. As for sound…imagine Gwen Stefani (note: Dr. Chadrock’s assessment, and he’s right on) convincing her buds in No Doubt to listen to nothing but Dillinger Escape Plan for 6 months and then go in and record an album and you’ll get the idea.

Seriously…you’ve never heard this before.

But the best thing to do is simply open your mind…and enjoy Abysmally…

Rockers We Said Goodbye To In 2011

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Moosejuice

From original Alice In Chains bassist Mike Starr to GWAR’s Flattus Maximus to former Weezer bassist Mikey Welsh, we had to bid farewell to a number of known and not-so-well-known rockers in 2011.

Celebrate their music in 2012, since it’s supposedly the last year of our existence anyway. Click the link below to see the full list with some great pics of the boys in their element on stage. Props to Dr. Paulo for sharing this link and to LoudWire for creating such a nice tribute on their website.

And look for the 10 Most Truly Abysmal Albums of 2011 and the 10 Most Truly Abysmal Songs of 2011 coming shortly.

RIP: Rockers We Lost In 2011

Weekend Jam from Texas rockers Toadies…Turn This Up To 11. Seriously…

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Moosejuice

Once upon a time (the mid 1990’s to be exact), a terminally cool band from Texas released one of the most unorthodox (and did I mention COOL?) rock CD’s I think I’ve ever heard with the hit that wouldn’t die, Possum Kingdom.

When they submitted their follow up disc to their label , Interscope, around 1997 it was rejected.

Yep. And it never saw the light of day until a year or so ago.

For the life of me, after listening to the long-awaited release of that follow-up disc Feeler I don’t know what Interscope was thinking. This was every bit as good as their debut disc Rubberneck, and I’ll never understand it being rejected.

Proudly unorthodox as all of Toadies discs are, it’s a joy to finally be able to crank these songs and bask in the glow of some great modern rock. This song is my personal favorite from Feeler and is one of my 2 or 3 favorite songs they’ve ever done.

It just rocks relentlessly. I love Toadies! Love ’em, too, and enjoy Abysmally…

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD Feeler AND OTHER TOADIES MUSIC THROUGH AMAZON.COM

Weekly Abysmal Video – 11/29/11

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Moosejuice

The BritPop explosion of the 1970’s was repeated again in the mid-1990’s with bands like Oasis and Blur, though they had little to do with the art-rock leanings of that early 1970’s era.

When David Bowie set up his legendary Ziggy Stardust performances at the Rainbow Theatre in England, he hand-picked a band to open the show…a band that would itself rise to legendary status in the annals of rock music without the international success of Bowie himself.

The band included noneother than Brian Eno himself in their ranks when they did the (then) unthinkable…they released a debut single that wasn’t included on their debut album, simply titled Roxy Music. That single was Virginia Plain, and is a great example of a stellar pop song that for some reason fell on deaf ears here in the States. That figures, as American top 40 radio has rarely been a breeding ground for musical innovation…this song being a shining example that “pop” doesn’t have to be a dirty word.

This song reached #4 on the British charts in 1972 and nearly 40 years later is our WAV…enjoy Abysmally.

CLICK HERE TO BUY The Best Of Roxy Music, INCLUDING THEIR DEBUT SINGLE “VIRGINIA PLAIN” FROM AMAZON.COM

Weekly Abysmal Video: Dead Milkmen – Punk Rock Girl

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Moosejuice

I remember seeing this video on MTV back in my college days (i.e. back when they actually PLAYED music videos) and just cracking up over and over again. It’s always cool to see a band having a blast in true DIY fashion and making some memorable – and FUNNY – music.

They first gained national exposure with the song “Bitchin’ Camaro” from their 1985 LP Big Lizard in My Back Yard, but this is the first song I personally ever heard and it’s been stuck in my subconscious world ever since. Especially since they refer to “California Dreamin'” as a Beach Boys song. LOL Enjoy Abysmally…

Punk Rock Girl (Album Version)

Beelzebubba

Weekly Abysmal Video – 11/6/11

Posted on November 6, 2011 by Moosejuice

My apologies for our British friends, who will no doubt be laughing a bit at this. While this band achieved cult status here in the United States, they were in a rather heated “BritPop War” with rivals Oasis over in England and were the first of the two bands to achieve a number one hit.

Meanwhile, while this battle was going on in Britain, here in the United States our pop radio was being inundated with the usual milquetoast drivel by Whitney Houston, Maria Carey, NSync, Backstreet Boys, Brittany Spears, and whatever bad pseudo-metal was left over from the 80’s bands who refused to put away the hairspray. (Incidentally, all of the bad leftover unused 80’s “power ballads” would later become country hits.)

But I digress. Most Americans know Blur from the quite wonderful “Song 2” off the self-titled Blur album, but this band was making incredible music for years before that. This week’s WAV is the song that achieved them that first number one hit in England back in 1995 and, considering the current state of our US economy and the real reason our economy is in this state, it’s perhaps even more relevant 16 years after the fact.

An excellent song and a pretty funny video to go with it. Enjoy Abysmally…