Mondo Bizarre Magazine Sunday Songs

The Clash – Jail Guitar Doors

Hi. Today’s Sunday Song is by my favourite band, The Clash, about the late Wayne Kramer, one of my favourite musicians from another of my favourite bands, MC5.

The second is Borderline from MC5’s debut album Kick Out The Jams (1969).

Jail Guitar Doors is about Wayne Kramer time in prison. Years later, in 2007, as a tribute to Joe Strummer, Billy Bragg would create Jail Guitar Doors, a programme to provide prisoners with instruments for music as part of rehabilitation.. In 2009 Billy Bragg and Wayne Kramer founded American Jail Guitar Doors in the United States of America.

In 2022 friends of mine released the compilation album Louiville that includes the track Amerika, an Oscar Pinho instrumental to a speech by Wayne Kramer. The money gathered from Louville sales goes to Jail Guitar Doors Los Angeles.

If you want to know more about Jail Guitar Doors https://www.jailguitardoors.org.uk/ – Jail Guitar Doors UK | https://jail-guitar-doors.myshopify.com/ – Jail Guitar Doors US. For more about Louiville, the album: https://gremioprt.com/

Wayne Kramer wrote about his life, including Jail Guitar Doors in his memoir The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, the MC5, and My Life of Impossibilities.

Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concerts, Reviews

Lanterns On The Lake, Mouco, Porto, 27.01.2024.

© Mondo Bizarre Magazine/Paulo Carmona

words: Paulo Carmona (freely translated by Raquel Pinheiro); photos: Paulo Carmona

Many went to Mouco to New Castle band Lanterns On The Lake first concert in Porto.

The band started with The Likes Of Us, Real Life and Every Atom. Right there it shows the band is instrumentaly very competent. Be it 9n the rhythm or the melodic section. The harmonic sequences are irreproachable.

Hazel Wilde’s lead vocals are impregnated with loud, vibrating sounds that perfectly dress the songs, fully tailored for her vocal range. As it is said, it fit like a glove. Indie rock set Mouco’s the room on fire with Blue Screen Beams, When It All Comes True and Rich Girls. Paul Gregory’s guitar is so intense that it is impossible for bodies not to vibrate with its riffs.

Before the encore, Hazel jokes a little with the cliché saying they will no behind that door and be right back with a few more song, which generates laughter. After the show, I wandered around and was left with the impression of a friend’s gathering in which between people who did not knew each other well. Music does such things.

Mondo Bizarre Magazine Amazing Sounds & Other Delights, Radio Show, Raquel Pinheiro, YéYé Radio

Amazing Songs & Other Delights #58 – Your Surprise, is My Surprise edition by Raquel Pinheiro, Monday 29th @ Yé Yé Radio.

Joan Baez, Montreux, 1975

My next Amazing Songs & Other Delights is #58 – Your Surprise, is My Surprise and airs Monday, 29th, 3-4pm (gmt) on Yé Yé Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app).

This edition is wide choices range from a a excerpt of Waṯu, a song that is, at least, 60 thousand years old voiced by brothers David  and Daniel Wilfred, singing in  Wagiläk language (an Australian Indigenous language. David and Daniel are  keepers from Arnhem Land) to just released songs thorough some that would horrify my teenage and younger self.

The programme title comes from four things. My surrprise finding a fabulous Joan Baez song – just marvel at the lyrics, the voice, the, guitar -, dad rock aka The Dire Straights mega hit Sultans of Swing being able to pass for a groovy indie song (it all depends, of context),Mantra, the gentle instrumental by Dave Ghrol Josh Homme and Trent Reznor, and the absolute beauty of a song that is Blunt Knives, by Basalto.

Elaborating a little. I’ve could never could stand Joan Baez. She was always a pet peeve for me. When, by chance, I recently happened upon Diamonds and Rust I was, amazed. The song may ecen gain a place among my all time favourite songs.

The Dire Straits’ Sultans of Swing? It played all the time, everywhere. Dad and his, friends, loved the Dire Straits. Indie kids would get anywhere, near Mark Knopfler’s band. Yet, the song, and probably always was, upbeat and danceable. Besides, Mark Knopfler plays mostly with his fingers rather than with a plectrum and for many years his guitar of choice was a, Strat the guitar he plays on Sultans of Swing. Since I start replaying guitar I have a Strat model and I have always mostly play guitar plectrum less.

Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, Trent Reznor’s Mantra came from my brother Renato. I wasn’t convinced it would be that interesting, he insisted it was, but I didn’t listen to it for a, while. Turned out to be a great instrumental.

Basalto was a fabulous surprise too. I don’t know how I hadn’t noticed Basalto before, but I’m very happy to have it sent to me. Portuguese singer-songwriter Guilherme de Sousa newest single is a delicate, intense, marvelous song.

Trackist: 01 – Basalto – Blunt Knives; 02 – Dire Straits – Sultans of Swing; 03 – Corridor – Mourir Demain; 04 – Aziza Brahim – Bubisher; 05 – Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, Trent Reznor – Mantra; 06 – Dragged Up – Missing Person; 07 – Hand to Earth – Waṯu (excerpt); 08 – Joan Baez – Diamonds & Rust; 09 – Michael Platter – The Alchemist; 10 – Mitski – I’m Your Man (live @ blogotheque); 11 – Paul Weller – You Do Something To Me; 12 – Pete Astor – Model Village; 13 – Vitória & The Kalashnicoles – New World; 14 – Zenxith – She is Lying