The Mudlarks! Mudlarks! CD

New York's Ionik Recording Company brings you the self-titled, long-awaited and highly anticipated full-length debut from Cincinnati's own soundtrack-of-yet-forgottens known as The Mudlarks!

Packed-full of Cincinnati music scene alumni/anti-heroes that brought (and in some cases are still bringing) you bands like The Highwaymen, 11,000 Switches, The Wolverton Brothers and By-Products of America, The Mudlarks! rise as-if a Phoenix would from the bosom-valley of a scantly clad '50s pin-up, from a band called Go To Hell who, themselves, had a good run providing meaningful and timeless jams that still live in the decaying halls of infamy within the fragile damaged psyches of PTSD'd punk-rock music lovers frm across the entire Cincinnati Over-State Region, as documented on their preceding sonic-nod of Killed By Death ragers proudly titled Rough Stuff.

On Mudlarks! you get it hard. Balls-hard—squarely in the balls! Ranging from solid tracks like "You Love You" that sounds as if it could be a studio-version of a song from German punk band tirned RCA artis PVC and their unforgettable Punk Rock Berlin to the Television guitarist turned solo-artist, Richard Lloyd's Field of Fire sounding gem "Dirty Things." Its not a stretch to instantly fall-in-love with what your hearing n this album.

Proceeding onward in a non-stop fashion, from the pre-apocalyptic thriller/warning of "Help Us" that screams of humanities cataclysic doom with a welcoming, unspoken 'told ya so' attitude, a certain momentum is established early-on that keeps the energy level as high as the volume knob will allow... On thru Testors (Sonny Vincent) fueled burners like "This Storm" and "Red Window" onward to "Trav-L-Lodge" which serves as a suitable and masterfully delivered combination of Lloyd, PVC and Testors conveniently located in one, loud place.

As you can probably foresee, I do declare: Mudlarks! is mandatory listening—but only if you like good music. Do you like good music? Ha! Gotcha you dirty motherfucker!

Ear-Re:

"The Only Feeling" by Richard Lloyd from Field of Fire

http://youtu.be/12ujjC1DbxE

"Wish I Could Die" by PVC from Punk Rock Berlin

http://youtu.be/Zem06-L09FY

So You Want to Be A Zinester? b/w Happy 20th Anniverssary Neus Subjex!

I hope many of you have forgotten that in February of 1996 the first issue of The Neus Subjex was released. One-hundred single-sided black & white photocopies, small typewriter print, cut and paste style layout, no price tag but packed with lots of attitude.

The rest, as they say, is history.

History you can try to out-run, or walk, but history you cant escape no matter how hard you try or how far you attempt to pack the memories away in a plastic box under all the other stuff you cant yet find the courage throw-away.

I have stopped doing the zine, The Neus Subjex Messages of the Board is long gone as well as its attempted re-surgent attempt The Faux Subjex. Both a victim of accountability in one way or another.

I just wanted to take a minute and say thanks to everyone who read, helped, hated, threw-away or otherwised contributed in some form or another to what The Neus Subjex was, did or will ever do. Good or bad, those times were times, these times were times, tomorrows times are yet to be determined—arent they?

Since ceasing the production of The Neus Subjex, I have moved on by creating this blog, publishing my chapbooks of poetry, short-stories or entering and actually making a bit of cash doing for-real freelance writings and even moving sideways by creating a new zine altogeather called Bad Day At The Plastic Mines.

I would like to think I've passed the torch but still, I havent seen anything like The Neus Subjex since I stopped doing it. I wish that werent the case but I have enjoyed moving on and doing something different.

In closing, you are a piece of shit. Im a piece of shit. We are pieces of shit in the buthole of life waiting for a bright light at the end of the tunnel.

Waiting... Waiting... Waiting... You fucks.

Shawn.

Visit The Neus Subjex Un-Blog 

www.neussubjex.wordpress.com

SO YOU WANT TO BE A ZINESTER?

Say Goodbye to Friday Nights

If you aren't willing to forgo a Friday night of drinking and drugging or being able to afford drinking and drugging, to write, layout or fold your zineYour a scenester not a zinester!

You Wanna Make Money? Ok! Writing Zines? Good luck.

Good try. You won't. Tell me how because you probably won't. The only way you will make money with a zine is trading in reviewed materials at record stores. That's why you should ask for two review copies. That way if it's something you like, you can keep one.

Ouch!

Your not pissing someone off with the writing in your zine, then your doing it wrong. I found the best things to shy away from are religion, religion and... You guessed it: religion. Be prepared for backlash from dissenting opinions and when confronted, don't let them see you sweat.

Throw Press Releases Away

If you get a press release with a review request, most of the time it is the review. Throw it away immediately or you are wasting your time. You don't wanna write, you want to regurgitate.

How Much?

Always put a price on the cover of your zine even if you plan on giving it away for free. If a prices is listed, and someone gets it for free, they will more-likely cherish it. In pricing your zine, aim to cover production cost. Take the cost of one zine copy, multiply it by two add the price for an envelope and stamp and that should be your cover price. As for how much money you get out of the cover price? You won't, or you shouldn't. This is a zine dumbass. It's fueled by passion not money!

Advertising? 

Don't rely on it but be prepared to nclude it. Be flexible about pricing guides but also if you are going to offer ads, then have a price-guide. Working hand-in-hand with your cover price your aim is to cover printing cost first.

Print Run

Print what you feel you can distribute in a timeframe that's comfortable for you.

Tricks

Hand-numbering, using colored paper and announcing limited editions are some fancy tricks but be aware of added cost and time.

Old NSX paid advert(s)

Random NSX Situationist type art.

Keep Warm — Bern The Rich

I realize that it's prolly no great feat to imagining that personally, I am behind Bernie Sanders for the next President of The United States. In fact, he is the furthest 'politically right' candidate that I have ever declared myself as intending to vote for since I have been voting.

Will Bernie be the next President? Well, I hope so but realistically—in a country that dosent know what Socialism is and continually confuses it with Big Bad Good ol' Tyme Pink/Red Communism or Fascism of the Itallian, German or Obama styles or types, and shudders at the mere mention of the word—it is verily unlikely.

That's OK though. It's time for Americans of the mainstream two-parties to realize that there are alternatives. They might not be as popular as the Republicans or Democrats, but that dosent mean that they should just be ignored or seen as a cast-away vote! It's going to take time to get people to realize there is another decision besides the popular two choices continually hammered into Americans brains by 'liberal media.'  To myself, Bernie Sanders represents one of the original American principals: compassion.

In my opinion, Bernie Sanders also represents a change from the status-quo. A change I am not only getting behind, but taking verily seriously. Standing-up for what you believe in, despite overwhelming odds in the earliest moments of the Presidential Primaries, and considering a very real chance of losing, is not only fighting the good fight but despite its outcome–for good or bad, for better or worse—is the realist and perhaps most endangered American virtue that I've seen in quite some time.

Feel the Bern.

S.A.

NOTE: PLEASE FEEL FREE TO USE, ALTER OR OTHERWISE DISSEMINATE THE 'KEEP WARM-BERN THE RICH' DESIGN.

I Was There The Day America DIED!

"Hope you got your things together. 

Hope you are quite prepared to die.

Looks like we're in for nasty weather. 

One eye is taken for an eye."

—from "Bad Moon on The Rise" by Creedence Clearwater Revival

I fully expected Donald Trump to be victorious in the 2016 Republican Primaries giving him momentum to his eventual election. It's not what I want, but what I expect. America is mad, violent and pissed-off place—in one way or the other. Compassion is an endangered idea. Deceit is rampant. Socialism is a 'bad word' and often confused with Communism and Fascist principles. The Anti-PC backlash gives permission to be mean, rude and when used in relation with ageism, racism and the class system—has the people more divided than ever. Money, gold and oil hold even more importantance. George Orwells 'Two-Minutes of Hate' concept from his novel 1984 seems far surpassed in the amount of time spent on such a thing. Just two-minutes would appear to be a blessing!

Although this shit-storm presidential election process is just getting started, and Trump maybe victorious after-all, the sense of doom amoung myself and most of my peers has already set in deep and quite possibly may have nothing to do with Trumps election, but just part of the current American Zeigeist. In trying to capture that feeling, I fashioned the Trump Doom image from an image found on the Internet in the same vein as then famous Obama Hope image from the 2008 election. Use this image freely and accordingly.

Below is a fresh belles-lettrest writing encompanasing many of the foreboding doomness that I'm feeling. In reference to one of my favorite parts in one of my favorite movies Woodstock "Get off the towers, man... A storm is coming... Get off the towers!  Hold onto your neighbor everybody... Everybody chant: No Rain! No Rain! No Rain!"

The rainstorm of course came, but the storm was weathered...

-S.A.

AT HOME IN THE REPUBLIC OF 'FUCK-OFF'

On the horizon of a stereo-moon... Kiss yourself goodnight and say "See you soon!" [Please] Note: the species of imaginative screens and the way they seem... It's been days since crime has been privatized and no one can see the difference! Their bloodshot greedy, glazed eyes don't miss a thing. The expiration date of a secret is your attention span divided by two. Do the math if you have too.

Terror fills the heights, in disguise of flying knives.

Attention-Slaves of the lowly hum... Together as a sum; the same way the tribes played their drums... The age of distraction has no hold on the dream of traction. The sea of possibility leaves you stranded hundreds of miles inland turning the turnstiles of a new plastic flavored path... Written in a cryptic note found inside a bag of potato chips "My super weapons can beat up your super weapons." 

All of it withheld, soft-licks provide you just a taste of you are... Evil finds a way. The worst is sometimes the best that's offered. Get a beer or two... Watch the news.  Every time you hear the word 'Hero' take a drink... The solem rainbows... The hissing rainbows... The contemptuous rainbows. High on promise, low on proof... Travelling at the speed of a Dollar-Menu meal-deal twisted like a shining wheel. "Do you want fries with that?"

Double-down when the bubble drowns and declare this zone free from trouble. Just as doomed as the Ravens squeal... XXXX, with their belly full on the doves in-flight, in spite of everything—It's gonna be alright! If we have to die, we die in plain sight. Then leave it up to the zeros, posng in bent light. Armed with a bitter pill and drinking swill... Without a fight... It will go down, at a meter of alright.

Evil always needs an audience, so please take your seats. You are currently the 8th most terrifying vampire in a list of seven. Good try though... I was there when America died and it smelled like fried chicken.

At The Comet on January 30th 2016...

"My Son, he rents when he should be buying. 

My son, he rides a bus when he should be driving."

—from "My Son" by B.P.A. on Maybe Use My Knife" CD

I hate the first really warm day of the year. The fickleness of Greater Cincinnati's citizens leads to wearing shorts, buying ice cream, washing cars and drive haphazardly. You know, it's just basically going outside. It's sooo typical.

If not for my all-time local favorite art-punk heroes By Products of America (BPA) playing the book release for a new Aurore Press offering titled Blue Jay Slayer, I would have stayed home; inside, drinking ice coffee and watching re-runs of/and Baskets and The Expanse; two TV shows that I can't get enough of—just like Arbys Curley Fries.

It's been a while since I've been 'out in the scene' or seen BPA. In fact, too long. Their set was near-flawless. Loud, droning, noisy and chaotic; I was invigorated that they included older hits like "My Son" and the best live version of "Forensic Dentist" I've yet to hear, but newer songs that are developing into prospects of a completely new full-length that should be ready, according to Tim Benz, by 2036. Immediately, their new songs reeked of a heavy influence of The Fall—with slight leanings toward a refined take of reggae dub that BPA pushed forward into uncharted territory. There's a reason why BPA are 'Top5' in my Thwart Top 40 Influential Punk Songs and on this night, BPA proved why!

Water is my choice drink of the night but The Comets back deck ('Colorado') lured me. Eventually, I succumbed... Charged with a heightened sense of paranoia and released from the confines of my cinder-brick feet, I 'let go' and let the night degenerate into comics and random situationist sloganeering via pen and paper with myself, AB1 and Lo-Fi City's C.I.C. (commander-in-chief) Johnathan S. providing end results (of which follow in all their abstract-destructionist glory.

I can say that the rest of the bands kept the energy up, inspired more drawings and captured ears repeatedly. 

Louisville, Kentucky's Xerxes brought to mind early sped-up Interpol mixed with The Rakes. They played a great live show and sounded more interesting and held better attention than their bandcamp offerings—in my humble opinion. With over 11k likes on FB, I'd figure more than five guys in baseball caps bobbing their head in unison would have show up. This is a good spot to blame the warm day.

I had a difficult time keeping up with the other two bands and exactly who they were, but over-all, they were good listens. My lack of remembering their names is by no means a reflection of their impact or ability. I was literally on my own plane of existence. I was 'aiming high and floating low.' Really though, who needs a memory anyway when they can just look-up FB invites post-event?

I suppose it's even more cliché to say that 7 Speed Vortex (7SV) brought to mind early Go-Go's demo works , because of the lady fem-fronter and all—but they did—and that's a good thing! Reverbnation samplings of 7SVs' 1998 release Hard Luck Din are closer to their indie-noise pop label, but still—easy on the ears and something that I'd like to hear more of. I should have went and checked out the merch table but my negative bank account kept me rooted. Drawing like a madman. I really liked the energy and edgy-ness of 7SVs' live sound and look foreword to them (hopefully) playing lots more shows.

Clifford Nevernew, a band that I remember being a 90's precursor to Squirtgun, has refined their pop-punk sound into more of a oblation to the mighty return of power-pop. Their set was fast, tight and prophetic. I believe that power-pop and its return is imminent but in the meantime, Clifford Nevernew will serve as its local representatives.

The ride home was populated with thoughts and worries that the conspiracy theory known as Agenda 21 was beginning at Rinks Flea-Market in Mt. Healthy, while a really great song—which turned out to be a cut on (and form) a show called The Grateful Dead Hour (or something similar to that) on WNKU—gave the ride a sense of urgency. Yeah, it didn't mix well. My paranoia pulsed like a heartbeat as I was glad to have decided on the way to The Comet, take 'the back way' to my safe suburban home.

Negative bank account be dammed! This show was worth emptying the gas tank!

XERXES

https://www.facebook.com/xerxesband/?ref=ts&fref=ts

7 SPEED VORTEX

https://www.facebook.com/7speedvortex/?ref=ts&fref=ts