AFS v. 298 ~ Freeform Fellowship

This week in AFS...

* the state of the freeform family is optimistic
* on-air interview w/ KUSF's Carolyn Keddy
* the state of Pink Reason...strong!
* Electric Crush: USA glue-wave's desert-baked missing link

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LUMERIANS | Deathray Bradbury | Dethray Bradbury 7" | Rococo 2010
THE HOLYDRUG COUPLE | Now | Ancient Land EP 12" | Sacred Bones *new
FIFTY FOOT HOSE | Red the Sign Post | Cauldron | Weasel Disc 1994 (orig 1967)
BONGWATER | Great Radio | The Power of Pussy | Shimmy Disc 1991
BUNNY BRAINS | RU Ready Carolyn Keddy? | Bunny Magick | Blackjack 1994
BUNNY BRAINS | Erin Go Boom! (The Pinty Song)
SPROTON LAYER | Up | With Magnetic Fields Disrupted | New Alliance 1991 (orig 1970)
PREFAB MESSIAHS | Prefab Sun | Franz Kafka 7" | Almost Ready *new (orig 1981)
THE ZOLTARS | Party at the Batcave | self-titled 7" | Sundae *new
THE LOFTONS | Stockton Mental Hospital Theme | early demo | no label *new
GREEN SCREEN DOOR | Psychic Rape Machine | self-titled CS | no label *new
SALEM 66 | Lemon Rind | self-titled | Homestead 1984
GRASS WIDOW | Walking Out on Love [Paul Collins' Beat] | v/a: Under the Covers vol. 2 CS | Volar *new
VEGETABLE | Sol | C.F./Sol 7" | Gilgongo *new
J. MARINELLI | Your Ethos is Like a Drug to Me | Pre-Emptive Skankery Sessions | Commodity Fetish Analogue *new
JAMES ARTHUR'S MANHUNT | My God #4 | self-titled | Aarght! 2010
HANGING COFFINS | Ladies Upstairs | Bombers and Blues 7" | Malt Duck *new
ART LESSING | When it Ends | Lectures | KDVS Recordings *new
ART LESSING | Cantina
ELECTRIC CRUSH | Speed Demon | Dropouts in a Drug Haze | Black Gladiator/Slovenly *new
CRASH NORMAL | That's My Favorite Shit | Normal 7" | Royal 1997
CRASH NORMAL | Let's Cook Some Meat
SUBTLE TURNHIPS | Bob | Terd Album | HoZac *new
BUTCHER COVER | Census Man/Forced Friend | self-titled | Rotted Tooth *new
PINK REASON | Empty Stomach | Desperate Living EP 7" | Almost Ready *new
PINK REASON | The Song with No Name
BLACK SNAKES | Ride | Crawl | Radium 226.05 1988
INDUCED LABOUR | Red Deer Travelodge | Untitled 7" | Pleasence *new
JEBERREKENELLE | And My Hands Move Around | split LP w/ Rugburn | Reality Control? 1995

Many other bloggers and social-networkers have spread the word about the abrupt banishment of KUSF from the San Francisco airwaves, but if you haven't heard 'til now, this is truly a travesty. On Tuesday, January 18, the University of San Francisco ordered KUSF's transmitter to be turned off, removed staff from the station, and changed the locks. A deal had been brokered to sell KUSF's 90.3 FM frequency to a classical music network from Southern California. No warning was given, and now one of the greatest cities in the world is without its only full-power freeform community radio station. Over the years, KUSF has been one of the handful of very best radio stations, with tons of great underground music of all flavors, and an incredible array of cultural offerings in many languages. It was only last summer that Rice University in Houston made a move to sell the license and transmitter of Freeform KTRU, causing immediate mobilization of KTRU staff and supporters to block the sale and keep a student and community resource from becoming another dentist's office classical music radio station. The same kind of effort is quickly under way by KUSF's staff and supporters. Longtime KUSF DJ Carolyn Keddy joined me on the air this week to talk about what's happening...and a little about what got her involved with KUSF 20 years ago and what kept her motivated to stay so long.

I'll never forget the day that I first heard The Consumers...it was winter holiday break from UC Davis, and fellow KDVS DJ Todd Urick (of the "Hometown Atrocities" show) and I were driving around the Bay Area blowing mad money on as much rad garagepunk and Japanese hardcore records I could afford, plus Killed by Death and Bloodstains compilations. We'd shopped and spent 'til we could no more...or so we thought! The moment that Carolyn played The Consumers on KUSF, we got off I-80 in El Cerrito--yes, we were on our way home--and turned back around to double back to Amoeba in Berkeley, where we found our copies of All My Friends Are Dead. We bought one each for ourselves, plus a copy for KDVS which we still treasure and play often to this day. Is that a record-nerd story or what? Thank you, Carolyn, for this disease you've given me.

If you want to keep track of what's happening, please check out http://www.savekusf.org/ and http://www.facebook.com/SaveKUSF.

In other news, a crucial piece of American glue-wave history has dropped...Black Gladiator and Slovenly present the dawn of Electric Crush, perfectly preserved in the hot dry Las Vegas air since 2000 when Dropouts in a Drug Haze originally debuted as a cassette. Now on 12" 45 RPM vinyl, this screeching, blazing menace of hot guitar riffs, punched-up drums, unhinged howl-at-the-moon psycho vokills, and odd bits of budget electro booyar is sure to melt all your earwax and get your fist pumping and ass shaking. It makes perfect sense that this retrospective release would follow the revelatory future-primitive 7"es by Vex Ruffin & the Lo-Fi Jerkheads.

Also, Pink Reason is back, and stronger than ever. Bolstered by the walloping rhythm section of Pygmy Shrews, Kevin shows that marriage has not softened Pink Reason. This is the most aggressively rockin' Reason yet, and the best EP since the very first. If you sorta just forgot 'cos so much other music has happened since Kevin slowed down releasing music, then you need to hear this...a loud and clear bulletin that Pink Reason is still one of the best bands on the planet. Can't wait to hear more!