Blistering Listens & Strange Sounds, Thank You: 2018

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

BLASST 72: CHARLIE VELA - TRACKLIST + NOTES

BLASST 72: CHARLIE VELA
TRACKLIST
1. The December Drive - “Portland”
2. Kikker Daddy Legacy -
“El Corrido De Country Roland”
3. Grupo Mojado - “Piensa En Mi”
4. Jesika - “Party Is Over”
5. Twin Tribes - “Talisman”
6. Diana Tovar & Rudy Cerda -
“Life Is A Mystery”
7. The Caveliers - “Seaweed”

LISTEN HERE

INFO:
Today's episode brings us a holiday treat! Charlie Vela has recorded and produced hundreds (if not thousands) of records by artists from the Rio Grande Valley and beyond over the past 20 years. His involvement in the Rio Grande Valley music scene began as a musician, most notably as a founding (and lasting) member of RGV emo/rock giants The December Drive, and most recently under the solo moniker, Calavera, with which Charlie composes shadowy electronic cumbia jams. In recent years, Charlie has also entered the realm of documentary filmmaking alongside his longtime friend and partner, Ronnie Garza, with the production of As I Walk Through The Valley, a vibrant film about the history of the RGV's music scene. Through traveling to screen the documentary in different parts of the country, Charlie and Ronnie came across the opportunity to produce a compilation featuring solely RGV bands, Wild Tongue. Recently, Charlie has opened up a new studio space in his hometown of Weslaco, Casa Panchita, where he continues to record and produce musicians.

Honestly, I haven't even hit the tip of the iceberg with Charlie's accomplishments here, so I recommend you check out our conversation where we talk about all of this and much, much more. Having known Charlie for almost 10 years, and somehow managing to keep up with his progress in that time, it brings me great pleasure to have him on the show.

Rate and review us, etc etc. Happy Holidays. Don't drive drunk. That's about it. My parents bought me a keurig and I don't know what to do with it.

Buy/Download Wild Tongue
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Tuesday, December 18, 2018

BLASST 71 - TRACKLIST + NOTES

BLASST 71 TRACKLIST:
1. Back to Back - "Flesh and Bone"
2. The Men - "Ailment"
3. Farai - "National Gangsters
4. The KVB - "Above Us"
5. Mothers - "Copper Mines"
6. Object Blue - "Even In You
7. Combined Minds - "More Knobs Than Notes
8. Johnny and the Hurricanes - "Crossfire"
9. Pedro Santos - "Flor de Lotus"
10. Erik Griswold - "Day Dream"
11. Longmont Potion Castle - "LPS 8 Theme"
12. Yamasuki Singers - "Yamasuki"
13. Deafear - "Whenever"
14. Sisters of Mercy - "Lucretia My Reflection"

LISTEN HERE

INFO:
This episode was a little rushed, I fell out of my production rhythms this past week following the passing of my grandfather and his subsequent wake and funeral. I have, however, been spending more time with my family and actually enjoying bits of it, which I did not expect too much. Sometimes families aren't perfect, and it took a while for me to be okay with that, but more than ever I've affirmed myself in the realization that if I'm proud of who I am today, it has something to do with my family, whether their impact be positive or negative (both, to be honest) each impact has helped shape me today, and I am thankful for being here today, as opposed to not.

I'm getting off topic, but my point is that I haven't done a lot of listening and prepping for this week's episode as I should have (and it shows) but I'm happy with the things I did do in that time: cleaning up at home, seeing friends, doing things with friends, working on music, and so on. I have, however, been putting together a playlist of my favorite tracks from 2018 to play on New Year's Eve, which falls on a Monday >:}. The show will air live, and will be two hours long, counting down to midnight in Central Standard Time! How exciting is that? Better be somewhat exciting, tbh. I'm considering throwing a party and hosting the episode intermittently during the party. We'll see how that goes. My cat Dindi may even make an appearance.

And now, a correction. In today's episode, I forgot to mention that The Men's new compilation has a name: Hated (2008-2011) (out now on Sacred Bones) features music from the band's first four years as a band. The track I played ("Ailment") is originally off of their debut EP, We Are The Men. I like this band a lot, and have for about 6 years. I first saw them with Osmar and Joseph from Jungle Bodies one of the nights we had traveled up to Austin to play a show. They played with Destruction Unit at what was then Red 7. Destruction Unit blew our minds (literally to pieces) but the Men further pulverized them, more so than the confetti that littered the floor following D-Unit's set. It was a very inspiring night for me, and one I will not soon forget. I mean, hell, I'm still talking about it today.

For the listeners curious about the character/game I'm referencing at the end of the show: look no further.

Also, the military's packing up and going back where they came from, so that's good at least. Thanks for listening this week. Next week's episode (Christmas Eve) will feature an interview with my good friend, Charlie Vela! What a gift!

Keep your ears peeled for that one.

And now for brand-related information:

Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and leave a comment if you're so inclined. No pressure either way. I do this because I love it. If you share my enthusiasm, you are encouraged to share that with me.

con respeto,

Ferrerito Rocherito over and out.

Insta: @u_punk
Twitter: @universal_punk
E-mail: uupunk@gmail.com

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

BLASST 70: TRACKLIST + NOTES

BLASST 70 TRACKLIST
1. Lonnie Holley - "I Woke Up In A Fucked Up America"
2. Las Ketchup - "Aserejé"
3. QUADRY - "Nowhere To Be Found (feat. Ida'ye)"
4. Weval - "Gimme Some"
5. Girls Rituals - "Black Cloud"
6. Chassol - "Little Krishna & The Girls"
7. Sebastien Pynasco & Orchestre Black Santiago - "Sadé"
8. Cabaret Voltaire - "Silent Command"
9. Naked City - "No Reason To Believe"
10. Silver - "Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang"
11. Träd Gräs och Stenar - "I Can't Get No Satisfaction"
12. Hugh Masekela - "Getting Fat In Africa"
13. Cerrone - "In The Smoke"
14. Vulfpeck - "Love is a Beautiful Thing (feat. Theo Katzman & Monica Martin)"

LISTEN

INFO
It seems a lot of news outlets have moved past the military occupation of the border for their daily news cycle. Even the Rio Grande Valley's local stations have moved onto more pressing news, like celebrating George H.W. Bush, one of the many war criminals to have held the office of the president. I don't blame the media for moving on from the military occupation of the border; it's much harder to sell a story about the troops if all they're doing is getting fucked up at the local Buffalo Wild Wings and laying waste to the surely swollen patriotic arm of the Tinder community. At the same time, I'm disappointed to learn that one station in particular, KGBT (Channel 4 News) in Harlingen (about 30 minutes from McAllen) is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, the largest telecommunications conglomerate operating in the United States, and also the culprit behind regular "must-run" segments pushing conservative perspectives on topics of the day. Case in point: this recent spot defending the use of tear gas on immigrant children. This is especially harmful in cases of people who turn to their local news to understand the world, and get fed this warped perspective instead. Literally, the definition of fake news. But I digress.

There are a couple of things that are on my mind as of late. First of all, I've been feeling the weight of the torrential downpour of content being thrown at me every day. The interconnection of things has me exhausted. I was watching a video earlier today on YouTube that collected clips of Nirvana's appearances on MTV's 1992 Video Music Awards. More than just their performances, the video also contained interviews and peripheral appearances on the program by the band. I had never seen any of these clips before, but I was familiar with their mischievous antics and rebellious gestures on stage (perhaps even chaotic through the eyes of the network?) from their part in the music documentary 1991: The Year That Punk Broke along with a few bits of footage I've seen of the band through various outlets growing up.

(1991: The Year Punk Broke)

Anyway, I marveled at the disconnect of things. No one had a cell phone. No one was lost in a texting or scrolling hole or snapping shots of the group's performances. Everyone (I assume, though I may be wrong) is left to operate on everything that they know up to that point in time. No one can Google something in the moment. No one's tastes and tendencies are being monitored and predicted through the microphone of a small device in their pocket which they have on their person at all times. I mean sure, the networks could track ratings and demographics to a certain degree (perhaps they were simpler then?) but they still had no clue how far their efforts would extend in the not-so-distant future--the endless well of information, the veritable fountain of youth sitting in a stream of metrics willingly divulged by the gullible youth of the world who are just trying to connect with one another and find clues as to who the hell they are and how they should feel about things, including--and most importantly--themselves. Little do they know the reflection they see in their respective black mirrors is a distortion, a shadow self composed of corporate greed masked by whatever face their metrics tell them they need to wear that day. No, at that point in time, the wealth of information that made up a person's interests, their personality, their lived experiences...that could still be a secret. There was no pressure to put all of ourselves into the internet, depositing every thought and impulse we have to our social media accounts, and letting our mental wallet run dry, so to speak.

Now, I don't mean to romanticize the sunset period of the pre-Internet era, but the more I think about the differences between the world at that time and in it's present state, I can't help but be so confused and dismayed at how things have progressed. The Internet once felt like the last refuge available to people who wished to escape the world of corporate greed, away from all of the consumerism of mainstream music (no matter it's creative caliber). When it first arrived on the scene, it provided arguably the greatest resource for communication the world has ever known, and in a form that could be shaped and refined by it's users. A blank canvas. It bred nothing but innovation for a long time, and perhaps in that innovation, it reached a point of no return. Once it began changing how countless industries worked, it was only a matter of time before said industries would try to make the internet work to their advantage. Now, the corporate world has immersed itself in every window we open on our phones, computers, tablets, with every word we speak into our Alexas and Siris revealed to come with a price tag. All content is branded content, including our own. Whether or not we put work into our respective 'brands' determines our viability as content creators (a job that comes free with every smart phone and pays us nothing) and when the primary modes of communication between people are through content creation, the only way we are able to meet this very basic human need is by serving the role of cog in this large perverse machine. 
As you can probably tell, there are a lot of anxieties I have about the world and the way it has been operated. I think it's doing more harm than good, and am personally feeling the effects of it. As mentioned on the episode, I will be taking a social media sabbatical for the foreseeable future. I don't know how long this period will last, but I am going to actively try to sever the bond I have with my social media accounts. One way I will be doing this is by pouring most of my thoughts into these blog posts every week. If you regularly listen and read these, I appreciate you so much. I will not be reliably reachable via Facebook or Twitter, but I will still be active on Instagram, and of course, I check my e-mail every day, so you can also reach me that way. I will strive to live offline as much as possible, and should you wish to do so as well, I encourage you to reach out if you need support. We all do eventually.
I'm reminded of DEVO's primordial art film, 'The Truth About De-Evolution". Some of the language is dated for sure, but that's to be expected: it's 42 years old. The stuff they've been writing about is still very relevant today. While it may have been easier for the public to ignore in the 70s, thanks to the interconnectivity of today, we now know what's going on, and are powerless to do anything about it if we continue to play a part in said large perverse machine (LPM).

(The Truth About De-Evolution, 1976)

And now for brand-related information:

Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and leave a comment if you're so inclined. No pressure either way. I do this because I love it. If you share my enthusiasm, you are encouraged to share that with me.

con respeto,

Ferrerito Rocherito over and out.

Insta: @u_punk (personal: @fuchitsucio)
E-mail: uupunk@gmail.com

Tuesday, November 27, 2018

BLASST 69 TRACKLIST +NOTES

BLASST 69 TRACKLIST

1. KRGV - "Report" 0:00
2. Metal Urbain - "Panik" 0:39
3. The Deltoids - "Silly Freak" 10:15
4. The Deltoids- "Pleasure" 11:24
5. Noseholes - "Styling" 14:42
6. Kim Jung Mi - "Your Dream" 24:50
7. VeLO - "Waffle" 31:44
8. Sonic Youth - "Incinerate (live on Letterman)" 45:35
9. Zhane - "Hey Mr. D.J." 1:01:19
10. LA GOONY CHONGA - "CLARO QUE SI" 1:08:32
11. Strutter - "Will To Learn" 1:14:38
12. Essential Logic - "Stay High" 1:19:11

LISTEN TO THE CHOW

NOTES
Today's episode brings us an interview with one of my favorite people in the entire world, John Morales. I've known John for about 5 years now. We met through some friends in the RGV music scene and would eventually become bandmates via one fateful evening at the end of 2012, which we delve into in this wonderful episode, among other excellent subjects such as John's many bands both current and past, our mutual love of Sonic Youth, and most importantly...food. This was not a planned episode, though John and I have been talking about sitting down to record an episode for months; we just decided to do it while we were hanging out together on Friday, no tracks were picked out previously, it was all on the fly, and honestly, it's one of my favorite interviews/episodes to date. We both had a lot of fun in this one, and it brings me great pleasure to add John to the list of BLASST guest DJs. Tune in again next week for regularly scheduled programming...whatever that means.

A couple of corrections: I incorrectly refer to Essential Logic's song "Stay High" as "Albert", and mistakenly claim that Lora Logic joined X-Ray Spex after playing in EL when, in fact, she left X-RS to form the group. These things happen when you talk on the fly (and enjoy a fine wine on a fine afternoon), but they have now been corrected. Ta-da.

ALSO: please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts so we can get higher placement on their charts, above all the normally spelled "B-L-A-S-T" podcasts. It's a weird flex but it's my weird flex, ok. Thank you very much.

con respeto,

Ferrerito Rocherito over and out.

Blog: http://blsst.blogspot.com
Insta: @u_punk
Twitter: @universal_punk
E-mail: uupunk@gmail.com

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

BLASST 68 TRACKLIST + NOTES

BLASST 68 TRACKLIST

1. KRGV - Report Excerpt
2. The Monks - "Complication"
3. Dennis Coffey - "It's Your Thing/Union Station (live)"
4. Peter Donato y Rafael Hernandez - "Popurri Boleros"
5. The Fendermen - "Mule Skinner Blues"
6. Pip Blom - "I Think I'm In Love"
7. Des Demonas - "Tuff Turf"
8. Buffy Sainte-Marie - "God Is Alive, Magic is Afoot"
9. Devi McCallion & Katie Dey - "Into the Sky"
10. NOUS - "Shumisah"
11. Louis Cole - "Mean It"
12. John Zorn - "Inside Straight"
13. Ambitious Lovers - "Copy Me"
14. Michele Samson & His Orchestra - "Aubade D'oiseaux"
15. Yellow Magic Orchestra - "Rydeen"

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

INFO
Today's episode brings us a wide array of tunes that I've been stockpiling for the past two weeks (some even longer), which may be why some of the stylistic shifts in the show are a little more jarring than others. Nonetheless! This episode paints a pretty clear picture of what I've been jamming lately, save for a few releases that are a little too mainstream or popular to warrant being featured on my show (It's not like the new Mariah Carey LP, Caution, the new Travis Scott LP, Astroworld, or the new Beatles White Album remaster need any promotion from my humble little self and my humble little program, anyway. They do just fine on their own, I'm sure). I try to feature stuff that isn't necessarily on a major label or under some popular radar, though with literally ALL of the taste-making arenas constantly on the hunt for the latest underground, undiscovered, proverbial oil well of sensational music--sonic gold, if you will--, that is sometimes not the easiest thing to do. Hey, great minds think alike, what can I say? Some tracks I'm really happy to have on the show today are, of course, my favorite new cooking music courtesy of Peter Donato's warm, soothing electronic keyboard goodness, a selection from Devi McCallion & Katie Dey's collaborative world of pop-unease, which you can find here, a beautiful piece by Buffy Sainte-Marie, a Canadian artist whose work has evaded my eardrums for an embarrassingly long time, and finally, I've been wanting to play Ambitious Lovers on the show for a while now. They're one of Arto Lindsay's less canonized (though I have no idea why) projects after and apart from his work in DNA, the pioneering no-wave group, blending tropicalia with jazz, funk, and a delicate sprinkling of his signature guitar "noise". I refuse to call it "skronk", because that word is hardly befitting of a sound that can only be described as microphones being scrubbed with sandpaper. Anyway, this is a fun jumble of an episode and I hope you all enjoy it very much. Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts so we can get higher placement on their charts, above all the normally spelled "B-L-A-S-T" podcasts. Thank you very much.

con respeto,

Ferrerito Rocherito over and out.

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Tuesday, November 13, 2018

BLASST 67 - TRACKLIST + NOTES

BLASST 67 TRACKLIST
1. REINFORCE - "DISGUST FEAT. LINDA GONZALEZ"
2. I OBJECT - I SAW THROUGH"
3. I OBJECT - "8" OF CRAP 7" OF PASSION"
4. TRASH TALK - "FLOOD"
5. DAUGHTERS - "SATAN IN THE WAIT"
6. REINFORCE - "LSB (LIFE'S SO
BORING)"

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

NOTES:
Going to wait to mention anything regarding the recent midterm election until next week. Take a breath and appreciate the space you are able to hold today.

Today's episode features an interview with one of the premier hardcore groups of the Rio Grande Valley, Reinforce. The band is on the verge of releasing their first full-length album, Blemish, which is a milestone for the band, who've previously only released smaller collections of songs such as EPs. In this interview, I speak with Danny, Levi, and Pat--the vocalist, bassist, and guitarist from the group respectively--about the new album, their journey as a band, and as musicians themselves. It proved to be a very informative and revealing conversation, as members of the band have seen and experienced several waves and generations of goings-on in the Rio Grande Valley music scene, and wear those experiences on their sleeves. It was a privilege to speak so candidly with them for an evening, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

To get in touch with the band, drop them an e-mail at: reinforceHC at gmail.com
Find them on bandcamp at: http://reinforceHC.bandcamp.com

Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts as well and so on!

-A

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

BLASST #66 TRACKLIST + NOTES - VOTE !

BLASST 66 TRACKLIST
1. Des Demonas - "The South Will Never Rise Again"
2. The Skids - "Into the Valley"
5. Wally Gonzales - "Que Me Entierren En Wal-Mart"
6. Death - "Politicians In My Eyes"
7. The Minutemen - "Maybe Partying Will Help"
8. Leche - "Trickle Down My Ass"
9. Dead Kennedys - "I Fought The Law"
10. The Vivids - "Drugged Out and Bloodless"
11. Devo - "Jocko Homo"
12. Sergio Mendes & Brazil 66 - "One Note Samba"
13. Blystex - "Peligroso"
14. Warthog - "Corroded"
15. Stereolab - "Our Trinitone Blast"
16. Phil Ochs - "I Ain't Marching Anymore"
17. EXEK - "Punishment"
18. Immersion - "drive"
19. Broadcast - "We've Got Time"

LISTEN TO THE SHOW

NOTES:
In short, today's episode has me a bit frustrated. I kept getting stuck reading headlines about the military's operations on the border aka my BACKYARD. It's surreal to say the least, and hard to think of as real, despite there being evidence to the fact. I featured excerpts from two different news stations on the show, one from a national outlet, Democracy now, and one from a local outlet, KRGV Channel 5, which I've been watching since I was a kid. The perspectives are very different. Where Democracy Now is a left-leaning operation, they also make sure to feature some of the more damning and volatile part of the news cycle, while our local station (one of 3) gathers a variety of opinions (from people who actually cross the border regularly, aka older latines who have a very complicated perspective on life in the rio grande valley. Nothing has ever been simple here since it was overtaken by white entrepreneurs in the 10s and 20s looking to establish a new tourist attraction on the border. Our culture is mixed, our experiences of prejudice are varied, with even poorer, less affluent whites experiencing prejudice and a seeming lack of privilege within the confines of mostly latine social circles. It's honestly not something I can break down into a blog post, it's so complicated...and infuriating. Growing up here, you don't think about how the Rio Grande Valley fits into the world picture. You don't realize how living on the border of a violently imperialist country means you never truly have control of your surroundings. The military can barge in on the whim of a raving racist rapist who--while your country may not have elected him president--is still able to rally massive support from his followers by simply echoing their violent rhetoric with his own little shit stain of flair. Case in point: there are currently 200 militia members mobilized and ready to invade the border with their guns, hunting gear, bait & tackle, whatever, all because of Donald Trump's fearmongering about the border. These assholes have the resources to gather weaponry and organize themselves in such a way that they can act as armed vigilantes to further whatever warped understanding of the world they have. That's terrifying. I understand the historical value of militias but in those days the militias were not aligned with the goverment, they were created to defend the people's (white ones mostly) right to autonomy should the government try and take that away. These days militias have been reduced to the playthings of entitled white men with money who fear people of color, believe women are beneath them, and think the president is their best fucking friend. Great. I'm rambling a bit now. More news about the patreon and upcoming music market as it arrives. Thanks for listening this week and every week. Review us on Apple Podcasts, rate us, etc. Send us an e-mail at uupunk@gmail.com!
Blog: http://blsst.blogspot.com
Insta: @u_punk
Twitter: @universal_punk

THE BORDER SHOULD NOT BE MILITARIZED!

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

BLASST #65 TRACKLIST + NOTES

Blistering Listens & Strange Sounds, Thank You