AFS v. 240 ~ Sonic Chicken 4 live on KDVS!

Tonight's special guest--Sonic Chicken 4--came all the way from Perpignan in the south of France to tour the USA for more than a month. Of all the bands I saw at the Gonerfest 6 in Memphis a couple weeks back, this band was up there with Box Elders and Davila 666 among the most smile- and laughter-inducing bands of the entire fun-packed festival. So, please download and enjoy one of the most contagiously fun bands on the planet today. Their set begins just past the halfway point of this program...

Also in this week's AFS...

* What is this mysterious Astro Boy(?)/Hamtramck(?) 7" anyway?
* R.I.P. Dickie Peterson of Blue Cheer
* New Sacto pure pop perfection by California Innovations

Download this program within two months at this link...
CLICK HERE for 192kbps rate.
or
CLICK HERE for 320kbps rate.
or, if you have a slower/20th century connection
STREAM IT HERE by next Monday night!

(Email me if there are any downloading problems, please!)

ASTRO BOY | Rebel Now | Holidays at the Beach | Hamtramck 1994 (??)
WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH | Ghost 20 | Art Galleries 7" | no label *new
BATWINGS | Dr. Ohm vs the Exploding Amp | split 7" w/ When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth | Us Two *new
OXFORD CIRCLE | Mind Destruction | Live at the Avalon 1966 | Big Beat 2007
BLUE CHEER | Second Time Around | Vincebus Eruptum | Philips 1968
FUNGI GIRLS | Clouds | Seafaring Pyramids | Play Pinball *new
FUNGI GIRLS | Crystal Roads
THE AXEMEN | The Church of the Loosely Brethren | Scary! | Siltbreeze *new
UZI RASH GROUP BAND | New Clear Winter | Hight and Phree | Freedom School *new
WILD MAN FISCHER | Don't Ever Get Mad at Me | Nothing Scary | Rhino 1984
WILD MAN FISCHER | My Friend Robert
WOUNDED LION | Big Boots [Wild Man Fischer] | Friendly? 7" | In the Red *new
THINKING FELLERS UNION LOCAL 282 | 2x4s | Lovelyville | Matador 1991
FRESH & ONLYS | Laughter is Contagious | Laughter is Contagious 7" | Trouble in Mind *new
KITCHEN'S FLOOR | Failure | Loneliness is a Dirty Mattress | R.I.P. Society *new
KITCHEN'S FLOOR | Sparkles
PIGEON RELIGION | Scorpion Milk | Scorpion Milk 7" | Parts Unknown *new
JACK STANDS | You Suck | Box of Feelings CDR | no label *new
JACK STANDS | Black President
GENERAL INTEREST | Sick of Waiting | Right by the Beach | Ride the Snake *new
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SONIC CHICKEN 4 live in Studio A
Neon Night
Airplane Girl
Margharita
Shadow on the Boat
Sonic Night
Girl 66
Crushed
Only Lose
Shalalalalove
Depuis que j't'ai Rencantre
Right Side of...
Creature in a Picture
Too Much to Drink (Last Night)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BEATERS | Fishage | Fishage 7" | Volar/Single Screen *new
ANDERS ANGEST | Just Nar Allt ar sa Roligt | v/a: Total-Pop! | no label 2009 (orig 1980)
CONTAINER | Livet Stinker | v/a: Total-Pop! (orig 1980)
CALIFORNIA INNOVATIONS | Love is not a Gun | cassingle | Palace of the Golden Cassette *new
NODZZZ | True to Life | True to Life 7" | What's Your Rupture? *new
ADAM PAYNE | ...if you... | Maybelline Weeks 7" | Malt Duck *new
THE INTELLIGENCE | Becky is a Bummer | split 7" w/ Unnatural Helpers | Dirty Knobby *new

I found this 7" record lying around on a table sleeveless which is by a band called Astro Boy, or is it Hamtramck? Songs were copyrighted in 1994 by Astro Boy and credited in parentheses to Astro Boy. The label is either Hamtramck or the Honeyking Record Co. at 11343 Klinger in Hamtramck, MI 48212. All I know for sure is that it has three songs: "Holidays at the Beach" and "Gong Li" on side A; "Rebel Now" on side B. And it's damn near un-googlable no matter what search I try. This record is plenty good, though? Each settles into its own grudgeful groove. Please enjoy the bristly cave-stomp of the B-side, batting lead-off tonight. It positively reminds me of early Cheater Slicks oompah-damage or Feedtime. If you know the story of this record, please gimme the facts!

A crucial piece of Davis and Sacto Valley music history has passed away. Dickie Peterson of was the bassist and singer of Blue Cheer, the band recognized by many historians for releasing the first album in the history of heavy metal, Vincebus Eruptum, in 1968. Most writers cite Blue Cheer as a San Francisco band, but their history includes a few Davis chapters at the beginning. Here's the story of his passing at age 61 due to liver cancer.

California Innovations is a new band from Sacramento, but hold it...Scott Miller (of Bananas, Nar, Ski Instructors, and English Singles among other rad bands) said this snappy lit'l two-song tape was just the result of one Saturday of screwing around in the basement with buddy Jason (also formerly of Nar, Ski Instructors, and more (see the Sacto Inbred bands database to see how incestuous it is/was)). He said Jason has a ton of songs...some of which are slated for an upcoming tape release under a different band name. Here's to hoping that it's more than the one-off Saturday sesh. Breezy, plucky pop with a brainworming effect...so beware! You might not be able to forget these melodies for a while. Scott sings in his best register (high) on the chipper, yet wise "Father Time" which is incredibly memorable for such a short song of two very short verses and 2.5 chorus refrains including a brilliant giddy finale. Jason's plaintive vocals work a more subtle angle. Both of these pop crooners deploy boyish charm and oodles of wisdom. I reckon that if they mess around in the basement for four or five Saturdays in a row, we might have a perfect pop album for living life to the fullest and cutting all the bullshit. Mini-anthems for aging gracefully? Different ways of saying carpe diem without invoking an over-quoted movie? Practical relationship advice? Seems like that basement might be a budding hit factory.