Shiny Darkly EP

And well… Monday was happy-official-release-day for the self-titled Shiny Darkly debut EP. As most of you of course already know it’s insanely beautiful. Let us present to you six very good reasons why you should give yourself a happy-Friday-present, buy it right here.

“Identifiable as hell, but Shiny Darkly gives you a throughout kick in the heart with the six tracks of the EP”

(5/6) – Århus Stiftstidende

“You feel completely captured in the gloomy universe”

– Geiger

  “The monotonous and replicating songs are confident and spot on”

(3,5/5) – Bands of Tomorrow

“With an immediate fascinating understanding for distortion, noise and not the least simple musical patterns, Shiny Darkly demonstrates a professional understanding for the currents, which shaped new age and the post punk era”

(4/6) – Gaffa

“A band which is impressively uncompromising with their sound”

(4/6) – Soundvenue

“A unique band which borrows from the past and augers well for the future”

(4/6) Lydtapet

These are sweet words and very well deserved don’t you think? One thing the reviews have in common is the optimism on the band’s behalf. As Soundvenue puts it: “they can only grow bigger and darker from here”. Darker, bigger, good.

From the Archives: PowerSolo – Tandløse? Rockabilly? Samfundsrevsere? (by Yebo 26. February 2009)

Sorry for another Danish post. The reason is a review of PowerSolo’s new album on a fine Danish indie site called Undertoner.dk. I thought that some of the criticism wasn’t very factual, and started discussing with the reviewer who is also one of the editors. Kim and I thought we’d put it up here so anybody can chip in with their thoughts!

Og så på dansk. Læs diskussionen nedefra og op, 1-9, men allerførst anmeldelsen, som findes lige her: Undertoner.dk

Skriv dine tanker hvis du tænker!

yebo

9

Done and done! Er oppe om lidt!
y

8

—–Oprindelig meddelelse—–
Fra: Kim Elgaard Andersen []
Sendt: 26. februar 2009 12:56
Til: Jesper Reginal
Emne: Re: SV: SV: Fwd: SV: Powersolo-cover

Hæ, jamen, det er helt fint. Smid endelig diskussionen op på jeres blog (gerne med et link til Undertoner-anmeldelsen, så de ved, hvad vi diskuterer). Hvis det stod til mig, havde diskussionen foregået på vores side, men vi har ikke brugerkommentarer (endnu), så det er da fint, at den kommer op jeres blog.

7

> Hej Kim,
>
> Ahr… vi kan jo ikke begge have ret! D’oh!
>
> Jeg tror nok jeg bare ville kalde PowerSolos nye plade for hi-fi
> garagerock… Kan godt se at de måske er lidt svære at indfange
> genremæssigt hvis det skal være med et særligt finmasket net. Anyway:
> du skrev jo slet ikke det med rockabilly i anmeldelsen (som jeg skam
> har læst fra starten), så lad den endelig ligge – dog… du skrev det
> var klassik rock’n’roll som den spilledes på Buddy Hollys tid… det
> er jeg jo så igen er dybt uenig i… oh shit, here I go again.
>
> Med hensyn til TT og Private: Der skulle nok have stået “man” og ikke
> “du” i den sætning. Det var mere en tænkt position i den diskussion
> dér. En position som nok kun optages af den gode Thomas selv i øvrigt – hæ.
>
> Det er sgu meget sjovt lige at vende det her med dig. Fint at du er
> åben for diskussionen. Hvad ville du sige til at vi smider den her
> email-tråd op på Crunchy-bloggen og så spørger folk hvad DE mener om
> den PowerSolo-skive? Og måske mere generelt om rock’n’roll i den
> postmoderne virkelighed. Det er en meget interessant diskussion et
> eller andet sted (og vi ville egnetlig gerne have lidt mere rav i den
> på vores nystartede blog). Du taler jo godt for din sag og meninger,
> så med mindre du ikke lige synes det skal offentligt ud synes jeg det er relevant nok for fans.
>
> Selvom folk naturligvis vil give mig ret.
>
> y

6

> —–Oprindelig meddelelse—–
> Fra: Kim Elgaard Andersen []
> Sendt: 25. februar 2009 21:11
> Til: Jesper Reginal
> Emne: Re: SV: Fwd: SV: Powersolo-cover
>
> Jeg kender udemærket rockabilly, og jeg kender også Heavy Trash (hey,
> jeg har endda anmeldt dem for Geiger engang). Jeg ved sgu ikke, hvad
> jeg skal kalde Powersolo, hvis ikke rockabilly. Måske psychobilly, men
> det er nok heller ikke helt præcist. Som jeg skrev i min anmeldelse
> (har du læst andet end karakteren og afslutningen?), så er Powersolo
> lidt tungere og hurtigere og har små indfald af eksperimenter. Men det
> er egentlig ikke fordi jeg er interesseret i at fluekneppe genrer.
>
> Jeg er ikke enig med Thomas Troelsen om noget som helst vedrørende
> poleret pops potentiale som oprør (hvor har jeg sagt det?). Min kritik
> går jo netop på at Powersolo er for poleret og mangler kant. Og jeg
> synes deres kritik af samfundet virker hul og overfladisk. Det er lidt
> for nemt at synge om at slikke fisse og tro, det gør en revolutionær.
> Når Dead Kennedys råber “Too drunk to fuck”, så fornemmer jeg sgu en
> hel del mere nerve end jeg gør i Powersolos nye udspil.
>
> Du nævner jo selv ironien, som jeg synes mange af Crunchy Frogs bands
> dyrker. Og det har jeg bestemt ikke noget imod. Den kan man bruge mere
> eller mindre kreativt, men det er da i hvert fald ikke “en stor greasy
> fuckfinger til småborgerlighed, politisk korrekthed og al det
> polerede”. Hvis man har mulighed for airplay på P3, vil jeg da heller
> ikke mene, at det er det statement, man går efter. Nu kommer det til
> at lyde som om jeg overhovedet ikke kan lide Powersolo, men du presser mig jo lidt op i en yderposition.
> Jeg synes, det er et fint band og har også nydt et par koncerter med
> dem, men jeg mener bestemt ikke de lægger op til den tolkning af deres
> musik, som du har.
>
> Jesper, du ved jeg har ret. God torsdag 😀
>

5

>> Hej Kim,
>>
>> Fint at du er åben over for kritik, det er der faktisk ikke mange
>> kritikere der er. Paradoksalt nok!
>>
>> Men. Det er jo ikke rockabilly det her. Elvis er rockabilly. Carl
>> Perkins er rockabilly. Heavy Trash er rockabilly. PowerSolos nye
>> plade har måske meget få elementer af rockabilly, men en
>> rockabilly-fan ville godt nok synes det var seriøst falsk
>> varebetegnelse. Bare dette udsagn i sig selv modbeviser lidt at din
>> research er god nok. Det samme mener jeg bestemt er tilfældet mht diner-kulturen.
>>
>> Jeg er helt enig med dig i at der ikke er nogen dybsindig kritik af
>> småborgerlighed i teksterne, men det er heller ikke rigtigt cotumen i
>> rock’n’roll. Det kan Leonard Cohen gøre (bedre). Når Dead Kennedys
>> synger “Too drunk to fuck” så er det heller ingen skarp analyse af
>> noget som helst
>> – det er bare modkultur og dermed en kritik i sig selv. OK, så kan
>> man argumentere at rock-modkulturen jo for længst blevet opslugt af
>> massekulturen og dermed ikke har nogen kritik at byde på længere –
>> eller at det i givet fald er gennem adskillige lag ironi (hvilket
>> PowerSolo ikke er blinde for, og vel også selv er eksponent for) –
>> men det
> er en anden snak.
>> Du kan være enig med Thomas Troelsen i at det i dag er mere rebelsk
>> at lave totalt glat middle of the road pop til masserne (hvilket dog
>> klinger rimeligt hult, ikk?) – men det er bare ikke kritik af
>> PowerSolos plade på dens egne betingelser. Om ikke andet er det en
>> kende rebelsk at udsende plader som man VED ikke kan få airplay på
>> mere end studenterradioer og muligvis P3. Vi er i hvert fald langt
>> fra Tina Dickow (synd hun altid skal være eksemplet på tandløs
>> middelpop, men det er hun nok lidt selv ude om et eller andet sted,
>> og måske også ret OK med det når hun kigger på sit statement fra
>> pladeselskabet…)
>>
>> Nå, nok om det. Sjovt nok lige at lufte disse meninger (og du har
>> naturligvis ret til din) – ikke for at starte en større polemik, men
>> når jeg nu har ret… haha.
>>
>> PS: Jeg vedlægger et eksempel på rimeligt straight rockabilly tune
>> fra Heavy Trash (dog minus den kubistiske guitarsolo) og et nummer
>> fra PowerSolos nye plade til sammenligning.
>>
>> y
>>

4

>> —–Oprindelig meddelelse—–
>> Fra: Kim Elgaard Andersen []
>> Sendt: 25. februar 2009 00:01
>> Til: yebo
>> Emne: Re: Fwd: SV: Powersolo-cover
>>
>> Hej Jesper
>>
>> Jeg synes bestemt, jeg har lyttet ordentligt til albummet. Bare fordi
>> man bander, bliver man jo ikke nødvendigvis edgy. Da du har læst min
>> anmeldelse, må du også have lagt mærke til, at jeg nævner sangen om
>> busserne. Min research er skam god nok. Mit argument går jo netop på,
>> at det virker som en overflade. Det er stil og ikke så meget nosser.
>> Teksterne består langt henad vejen af floskler, og jeg kan ikke høre
>> en særlig dybsindig kritik af småborgerlighed i dem. Når man så
>> holder det op mod en meget stram rockabilly uden de store
>> udskejelser, så lyder det for mig en kende tandløst.
>>
>> Men jeg takker da for kritikken. Det er altid rart at få feedback på
>> det, man laver, om den så er positiv eller negativ.
>>
>> Med venlig hilsen/Best regards,
>> Kim Elgaard Andersen, redaktør/chief editor http://www.undertoner.dk
>>

3

>> Citat af Christian Klauber <>:
>>
>>> Vil du selv svare ham, eller skal jeg svare noget med, at det har
>>> været din vurdering af albummet…
>>>
>>> Med venlig hilsen/Best regards
>>> Christian Klauber, redaktør/Chief Editor http://www.undertoner.dk
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>

2
>>> —– Videresendt besked fra  —–
>>>     Dato: Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:45:29 +0100
>>>     Fra: Jesper Reginal <>
>>> Reply-To: Jesper Reginal <>
>>>  Emne: SV: Powersolo-cover
>>>       Til: ‘Christian Klauber’ <>
>>>
>>> Det var CMYK-farver. Her er det i RGB.
>>>
>>> PS. Det undrer mig en del at  Kim E.A. kan skrive at pladen hænger
>>> sammen med Diner-kultur (???) Hvis man ved noget om amaricana og
>>> musik, så er det da helt hen i vejret. Og med tekster som “gimme the
>>> drugz”, “I want to eat you, little lady” (altså: jeg vil slikke din
>>> kusse lille dame) og “I hate those motherfucking busses” etc. virker
>>> det for mig en kende letbenet at
>>> skrive: “Der mangler bare noget af den vildskab og fråde, som
>>> rock’n’roll uden for dineren lever af. Den rock’n’roll, der er et
>>> oprør mod forældrene og systemet.” Hele albummet er da en stor
>>> greasy fuckfinger til småborgerlighed, politisk korrekthed og al det
>>> polerede (som diner-kulturen
>>> *netop* er et udtryk for).
>>>
>>> Ellers en fin side I har, tjekker den selv ofte, så se ikke dette
>>> som et generelt surt opstød eller noget. Bare en note til dig som
>>> redacteur: manden må mene hvad han vil og jeg skal være den sidste
>>> til at censurere noget som helst, men måske skulle han lytte lidt
>>> bedre efter eller lave sin research bedre en anden gang 😉
>>>
>>> y

1

>>> —–Oprindelig meddelelse—–
>>> Fra: Christian Klauber []
>>> Sendt: 24. februar 2009 13:26
>>> Til: yebo
>>> Cc:
>>> Emne: Powersolo-cover
>>>
>>> Hey Jesper.
>>> Jeg ved ikke helt, hvorfor det ikke virker, men coveret til
>>> Powersolo fungerer ikke. Kan du ikke sende mig det i en gif-fil? Så
>>> ved jeg nemlig, at det virker.
>>>
>>> Med venlig hilsen/Best regards
>>> Christian Klauber, redaktør/Chief Editor http://www.undertoner.dk
>>>
>>>

From the Archives: Reviews of the Heavy Trash album (by crunchy.dk 19. May 2005)

Both International and Danish media has made an exceptionally good reception of the duo extraordinaire, Jon Spencer and Matt Verta-Ray as the rockabilly nouveau outfit called Heavy Trash. Read on to get updated on reviews and get linked up with online interviews.

DANISH REVIEWS »Rockabilly, country, surf og folk i en velkrydret gumbo med friske råvarer fra sydstaternes bugnende rock’n’roll-køkken.« Rating: 4/6 — Politiken (18 June, 2005), read the full review here. »Forrygende stilsikker og forbandet underholdende. (…) Albummet bugner af opfindsomme detaljer og uventede twists. (…) Hans spilleglæde forplanter sig helt ud i dagligstuen.« Rating: 4/6 — Gaffa (9 May, 2005), read the full review here. »Underholdende og veludført.« Rating: 4/6 — Soundvenue (6 May, 2005), read the full review here. »Det er vittigt, virilt (…) bør straks monteres i respektable jukeboxe.« Rating: 4/6 — Jyllands-Posten (13 May, 2005), read the full review here. »Det er ret sejt, det her. (…) gør dig selv en tjeneste og tjek Heavy Trash ud.« Rating: 5/6 — Sirene (June, 2005)

INTERNATIONAL REVIEWS »Deras rockabilly är fortfaranda så skitig att vägdammet kittlar i näsan. (…) Vad mer behöver man?« — Groove (No. 4, 2005) »Denne duoen drikker nok bensin til frokost. (…) Gode melodier og gjennomført produksjon = veldig, veldig gøy.« — Bergens Tidende (31 May, 2005), read the full review here. »Den drypper det bryl og andre væsker av. (…) En morsom plate, gjort med så mye humor og farge at den hadde passet ypperlig for et Quentin Tarantino-soundtrack. Walking Bum er for øvrig med i storfilmen The Island.« Rating: 5/6 — Dagsavisen (August 16, 2005) read the full review here. »Together they reclaim the innocent beauty and innate violence of rockabilly.« Rating: 4/5 — The Guardian (6 May, 2005), read the full review here. »If Jon Spencer (with collaborator Matt Verta-Ray) is capable of writing gritty neo-rockabilly that sounds this cool maybe he isn’t such a wanker after all.« Rating: 8/10 — Vice Magazine (July, 2005) »Stripping to the bone they’ve cut an album of oldschool organic rockabilly (…) This is neo-acoustic, down-‘n’-dirty, scratchy guitar-driven rock’n’roll that sounds like it comes from the beginning of time; a mix of murder ballads and mesmerising chugs recorded in the kind of valve studio where you can feel the music getting laid down, smell the beer on the vocal mic and feel the sex of the grooves.« Rating: 8/10 — Classic Rock (May, 2005), read the full review here. »A hymn to raw, rip-roaring rockabilly recorded in glorious analogue sound (…)« Rating: 4/5 — Independent (6 May, 2005), read the full review here. »Verta-Ray and Spencer once again flirt with the dirt, but they approach it with an intelligence and charm that makes Heavy Trash a breeze of a listen. (…) quite frankly, they consistently write infectious and well-crafted songs.« Rating: 7/10 (Damn Good) — PopMatters.com (15 April, 2005), read the full review here. »The perfect party appetizer for you to whirl right around and press play again.« Rating: 7 — SleazeGrinder.com (13 May, 2005), read the full review here. »Spencer’s Heavy Trash starts the party with a bang. (…) bleary-eyed drinking sentiments, truck driving swongs and warbling steel guitars so spooky and spectral you half expect Johnny Cash to ride up on a horse and shoot you between the eyes.« Rating: 3 — MOJO (4 May, 2005), read the full review here. »(…) a melding of blues, noise, and old school rock n’ roll dipped in subtle electronica and dabbed with a whole lot of balls. This is Heavy Trash.« Rating: 4/4 (Really Rocks) — Life In A Bungalo.com (20 April 2005), read the full review here. »Spencer is in top form throughout, dropping hilarious asides, hiccupping and whooping, crooning and howling like an unholy blend of Elvis, Gene Vincent and Lux Interior [The Cramps]. He and Verta-Ray create a sound that is warm, rich and live, layering acoustic and electric guitars, percussion and Christina Campenella’s sultry backing vocals into a rollicking, thrilling modern rockabilly record that puts everyone who has attempted such an enterprise since Songs the Lord Taught Us to shame.« Rating: 4/5 — AllMusic.com, read the full review here. »Takes the listener to the dark side of Saturday night.« Rating: 4/5 — JunkMedia.org (7 April 2005), read the full review here. »Songs you could picture John Travolta and Uma Thurman dancing to at Jackrabbit Slim’s in heroin-and-coke-fueled abandon, and songs you’d wail along to along on a lost highway at 3 AM. (…) It’ll make you move your hips and incite some lustful activity. It’s as rockabilly as it should be: dirty, sexy and proud of it.« — Kaffeine Buzz (4 March 2005), read the full review here.

INTERVIEWS LowCut — Interview with Jon Spencer »It was a Tuesday afternoon, and I was on my way to the biggest interview of my life. The famous Jon Spencer, from bands like Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and Pussy Galore, had accepted to do an interview with us – and I was petrified. Why should I be scared of this man?« (LowCut #25, 2005) Read the full article here. PopMatters.com — Tuesdays with Matt: An Interview with Heavy Trash’s Matt Verta-Ray »He likes the simple things in life: Gene Vincent, reel to reels, Chevy Novas, and Marcel Duchamp. Matt Verta-Ray puts ’em all together on his strut down memory lane, talkin’ ’bout that new collaboration with Jon Spencer, Heavy Trash.« (4 May, 2005) Read the full article here. Calgary’s News & Entertainment Weekly — Spontaneous combustion »The days of kicking your oversized garbage to the curb may be gone, but the weight and age of hulking sofas and yawning refrigerators recall a time when the world was less complicated, music was more honest and people revelled in the simpler things in life. In that respect, Heavy Trash is a perfect fit for Verta-Ray and his iconic friend and musical partner Jon Spencer, as their indulgence in vintage rockabilly does exactly the same thing.« (21 April 2005) Read the full article here. Stockholm City — Jon Spencer utforskar rockabillyn (3 May 2005) Read the full article here. Djungel Trumman — Jon Spencer (May 2005) Read the full article here. Motor.de — Heavy Trash… C’mon Everybody »Wer schon bei den jüngeren Blues Explosion-Veröffentlichungen dachte, Jon Spencer sei nicht nur ein gnadenlos genialer Song-Rethoriker mit stimmlich changierendem Jagger- oder Presley-Komplex, sondern auch heißblütiger Rock’n’Roll-Nostalgiker, der hat Heavy Trash noch nicht gehört.« Read the full article here.

From the Archives: VibraCrunch6 ROCKED y’all! (by crunchy.dk 18. August 2004)

People, people, PEOPLE! Thank you one and thank you all for a most memorable day and night. Both the bands and the fans were all part of making VC6 the best one ever. We have no way of measuring how many was there but we estimate that during the whole day about 5000 people must have visited Bastionen. Some hung out all day and some just drifted to and from and checked their favourites out. All seemed to enjoy the good weather and the excellent cast of bands. Here is a report for all of you poor sods that missed out. A central hang out between the two stages was the merchandise booth. Here it is manned by Thomas and Soren from the Crunchy Frog staff. Thomas, by the way, is talking to Kale, the mother of Yebo and Nalna – two of the founding fathers of Crunchy Frog. During the day several of the band members were present and met with friends and fans. One of the good things about VibraCrunch: the back stage area is so small that it is usual for the bands to actually come out and see each others’ shows and get drunk off their asses with all us other music lovers.

First band on was the totally terrific trio Talking To Teapots. They are Swedish last we checked, but entered the stage saying “Hello, we are from Poland”. MAD hatters alright. But not as mad as their special brand of music. Some sort of mix between The Beatles and The Residents. Reminiscent of the Copenhagen band TWANG you could say. Talking To Teapots was the perfect band to kick off the whole thing, and they did a remarkable job before packing their stuff and going right to the Emmaboda Festival where they were to play later the same day.

As first band on the indoor stage the growing audience experienced Moon Gringo. The lead singer Mette and her boy-toy Anders (guitar+voc) had flown in from Berlin especially for their VC6 show. We were most grateful for this as was the rest of the band, who without the singers of the band would have had to do 40 minutes of instrumental euro-dance along the lines of, say, Eiffel 65. Thankfully this did not happen, and the MGs did a cool show. Great sound, strong performances and lotsa fine tunes from their latest album “Ingrid Superstar”.

After Moon Gringo left the stage it was time for a small set from Learning from Las Vegas’ lead singer and songwriter. Klaus Mandal Hansen is hands down one of the most talented songwriters in Denmark. Today he did a small acoustic set which really brought out the fine lyrics in the songs, and actually suited his voice really well. An intimate and poetic little concert for a seated audience enjoying the sun and cold beers. What more could you ask for? Next band up was Sandy Mouche – local heroes from Malmö. The beautiful singer Helena in front made a great impression on the many Danes, that probably had never witnessed SM’s sweet sweet brand of pop music. Several songs were in French, which was a nice touch. For some reason girls singing in French is just, well, a really nice touch.

Sterling’s lead singer Mads took full advantage of the nice weather and sported a white badminton suit and red maracas. Apparently he’s trying to put some distance between himself and his moniker “The fat boy from Sterling” – and what can you say: there’s not one ounce of fat on that hunky body of his. He is indeed good enough to eat. Mmmmm. Sterling had a really good show with great sound and lots of energy that beamed into the receptive crowd. Danish lyrics, indie pop and analog synthesizers is the mark of honour for the 4 piece band – at this occation joined by a keyboard player by the name of “He Who Rock!”

You can aaaalways count on an entertaining show from the skinny brothers and chickenman. The threepiece tour de force from Club Crisp. Yes! We are talking about the Power of Solo. The Soul of Powwow. The band you hate to hate. The band you love to love. That’s POWERSOLO! Yeah! Kim Kix, Atomic Child and Jens Benz (and Fzattebassen stroking a gentle Moog bass off stage) blasted the crowd to oblivion with hits such as “Juanito”, “Oak Tree Girl” and “Kat Nazer”, plus old favourites such as “Stupid Little Bitch” (always dedicated to Grandma) and “Asshole”. If you haven’t witnessed the hillbilly genius of their spring album “It’s Raceday” then go out and buy it NOW!

All the way from Stockholm came Radio LXMBRG. A band we discovered recently at Crunchy Frog when their 3 track demo came our way. At once we tried to book them for VibraCrunch6 and luckily they agreed to take the journey for the benefit of the VC6 visitors. Sweet melodies and interesting soundscapes. Easy to listen to and easy to love. The Radio LXMBRG proved a most enjoyable relaxing experience between the actionpacked hi-energy shows from PowerSolo and Tiger Tunes.

Why is it always such a treat to watch a Tiger Tunes show? Apart from the actual music, which is great of course, it must be the fact that these guys seem to actually LOVE LOVE LOVE to play. Smiling faces all around. The sheer pleasure of making loud noises and making people dance and clap their hands seems to be the energy that gets Tiger Tunes going. Well, it is something of a treat isn’t it? Kaare – always the dandy – was wearing a Hawaii flower necklace and stirring up a frenzied crowd. The songs are a wee bit crazy and – between us – so is the band, but their melodies are sheer pop power. You gottta love them.

Bob Log III is something of a phenomenon. A one man band in an Evil Knievel suit and a pilots helmet with a telephone melted into the plastic shield. Performing rustling slide guitar sitting down playing a kick drum and cymbal with his feet + operating a prehistoric drummachine as well. All of this resulting in a most entertaining mayhem of screething almost inaudible vocals, fast pounding beats and deft fingerpickin’. At one point Bob got up and proclamed his 16$ spare guitar the cheapest piece of shit being played on VibraCrunch. He might be right about that even though Jon Spencer’s legendary Korean guitar he uses in Blues Explosion is supposed to have been purchased for a similar amount (sounding way better). Another of Bob’s great party tricks is to get two girls to sit on his lap while he plays a song. At this picture he is in Boob Scotch Heaven strumming along with a couple of chicks bouncing up and down in front of him.

Local boys Niccokick proved to be a huge draw for the Malmö crowd. When it was time for their show the tent was packed, and stayed that way the rest of the night. With their blend of indie rock they had the fans going from start to finish.

As the night started to fall the newest addition to the Crunchy family entered the out door stage. The summer night was a perfect setting for the eclectic pop sounds from epo-555. This band is quickly gathering a good fan base – and with good cause. Their show at Roskilde festival received 6 out of 6 stars and the show at VC6 was in many peoples opinion way better. Intimate, poetic but also powerful and noisy at times. A magical sonic universe that continues to please and surprise you.

epo-555’s debut-album “Dexter Fox” is going to be released next month, and this night they gave several samples of the rich and varied flavours it contains. Here at Crunchy Frog we can only recommend that you buy at least 10 copies when it is out on September 13th. Here is the lady of the beat Camilla “I was young and needed the money” Florentz in a focused moment playing her miniature keyboards during the highly addictive “Pre-Emptive Stroke”, which is the first single from the album.

As a symbol not only of the brotherhood of the Danes and the Swedes but also of the two soul mate record labels Crunchy Frog and Vibrafon Records (the two labels that started VibraCrunch 6 years ago) The Tremolo Beer Gut took over the main stage at 10.30 pm. Featuring The Great Nalna on lead guitar and Bas Morgansen on organ and percussion, two of the owners of each label was present on the stage at the same time to give the audience all the old school surf & western they could just about take without bursting in ecstacy. At this point the festival site was getting so crowded that the security guards had to close the entrance. A lot of people had to see the last shows from the outside the fence turning the adjoining closed street into one big block party. As an added bonus the king of suave, the secret son of Elvis, the very cool Mr. Jon Spencer joined TBG for two songs: “Tahonga Lounge Babe” and the Beer Guts rendition of Blues Explosion’s “She Said”. The stuff of legend, kids! So damned cool! for the very last song Dr. Neuss even laid down a mean theremin adding the last touch of hysteria… and then everybody burst in ecstacy. And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is how it’s done!

You love Money Your Love and they love you. That is the way of the world and there ain’t no two ways about it. Money Your Love was last band on the outdoor stage. The crowd at this point was ready to get down to the danceable beats and melodic songs. The 3 hipsters in MYL did their best to give the crowd no good reason not to dance, and all the beer everybody had been drinking all day didn’t hurt either. All in all a hot show, that unfortunately was cut short by the stage manager. The thing was that due to some misunderstanding the last band on the other stage started a couple of minutes early. This shouldn’t have meant that MYL couldn’t finish their set, but – alas – it did. Apologies for that, but just all the more reason for y’all to get on out there and see the next Money show anywhere near you! (this picture by Signe Pedersen)

Last band of head liner of VibraCrunch6 was of course the Blues Explosion. Even though the band was on a promotion tour (and not doing shows) they agreed to come to VibraCrunch and give it hell as a special favour. What a goddamned TREAT people! The BX hasn’t played in Malmö for ages, and it’s been even longer since their last legendary show at Loppen in Copenhagen. And they came back in style. Fit, bold and mean. Classic tracks and loads of tunes from the forthcoming “Damage” album. Action, danger and pure rock’n’roll poured from the stage and into the grateful crowd. What an incredible end to a wonderful day. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Crunchy love goes out to all the participants. See you next year we hope!

From the Archives: PowerSolo Rules! (by crunchy.dk 10. March 2004)

PowerSolo Rules!
As all of you probably know by now, our crisp and crazy trio – PowerSolo – has just released their much awaited Crunchy Frog debut album: IT´S RACEDAY…and your pussy is GUT!!! The first single from the album – Juanito – has already shown to be a real smash-blockbuster-spring-hit!
This irresistible mexicana sing-along was chosen as Single Of The Week by Denmarks biggest musicradio P3 and the hilarious video is now enjoing a lot of spins on Boogie TV.
To top this PowerSolo has also been doing some tv and radio shows as well as newspaper and magazine interviews (including, Rundfunk, Snurre Snups Søndagsklub, P3 Rock, Politiken, Chili etc). This sure is a band in demand!

Since the album has been out in the shops, the Danish press has so far given the band great reviews. Here´s a little recap of some of them:

Gaffa – music magazine:
4 out of 6:”…with PowerSolo the danish rockscene has got a new devil-may-care string to play on.”

Sirene – womans mag
5 out of 6: “It´s Raceday…” is rare and strange, but it´s cool!”

Jyllands-Posten – daily newspaper
5 out of 6: “Proud jutlandic hillbillies kick ass on a troubled disturbing debutalbum that either set the scene for removal on the locked ward or world domination”.

DR Musik – Denmarks National Radio:
5 out of 6:”…PowerSolo is GUT and is capable of moving the garagerock outdoor and into the light.”

Tjeck – youth magazine:
5 out of 6:” The result is cheery and humorous with cool numbers like Oak Tree Girl and the garage rocker NASCAR. It will sure be a great experience to see the group live on the festivals this summer.”

Berlingske Tidende – daily newspaper:
4 out of 6: “It´s a pure party of draught-beer-bath, call-out-choir and clog-dance”.

Politiken – dailiy newspaper:
4 out of 6: “PowerSolo and the band leader, Kim “Kix” Jeppesen, has the right personality and an original approach to the genres, that are featured on this album.”

Euroman – mens magazine:
4 out of 6:” With “It´s Raceday…And Your Pussy Is Gut!!!!” the trio from Aarhus candidate for the most crazy enterprise on the Danish musicscene right now.

Soundvenue – music magazine
5 out of 6: “It´s Raceday…and your pussy is GUT!!! is shortly said a fantastic well-written, stylish and thorough album”…”with PowerSolo Crunchy Frog has once again signed a band, that smells of international succes.”

Lowcut magazine – music mag
4 out of 5: “The Band has found the right balance between humour and hillbilly twang, and the songs are infinitely superior and a zillion times more exciting. It´s Raceday…is a must for rock ´n´-rollers looking for something unique with that strange cow dung smell.”

Urban – daily newspaper
3 out of 6: “Powersolo is a badly needed, exotic spice in the Danish popsalami”…Completely irresistible is the cheery Oak Tree Girl and the unvaluable mexicanahit Juanito

Citadel – monthly magazine
4 out of 6