PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (11/25/15)

Here's the playlist for this week's edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. This episode: "An Atom Afloat", featuring the Canterbury Scene and more. If you enjoy it, remember to also follow the show on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter!

Artist - Song - Album
The Wilde Flowers - No Game When You Lose - The Wilde Flowers
The Wilde Flowers - The Big Show - The Wilde Flowers
Caravan - Golf Girl - In The Land Of Grey And Pink
Caravan - In The Land Of Grey And Pink - In The Land Of Grey And Pink
Egg - Symphony No. 2: First Movement - Egg
Egg - Symphony No. 2: Second Movement - Egg
Comus - The Prisoner - First Utterance
Comus - The Herald - First Utterance
Laserium - Leaving The Gardens - Laserium Presents "Crystal Odyssey": A Classical Fantasy
Gong - Tropical Fish: Selene - Camembert Electrique
Gong - Fohat Digs Holes In Space - Camembert Electrique
Hatfield And The North - The Yes No Interlude - The Rotters' Club
Hatfield And The North - Fitter Stoke Has A Bath - The Rotters' Club
Khan - Stargazers - Space Shanty
Khan - Hollow Stone (Escape Of The Space Pirates) - Space Shanty
Henry Cow - Amygdala - The Henry Cow Legend
Henry Cow - Teenbeat - The Henry Cow Legend
Soft Machine - Slightly All The Time - Third
Van Der Graaf Generator - House With No Door - H To He, Who Am The Only One
Van Der Graaf Generator - Killer - H To He, Who Am The Only One

FILM REVIEW: The Color of Noise

From the outside, it often seems as if running a successful independent record label is an exercise in navigating contradictory impulses. You certainly don't want everything you release to sound the same but you need to establish a cohesive identity, you need to take risks to stand out but you also need a good head on your shoulders and so on and so forth. It's a schizophrenic mix of art and commerce, a tightrope act that Tom Hazelmyer pulled off with a certain dangerous flair during his time as czar of the sprawling noise-rock empire Amphetamine Reptile Records. That's probably because Hazelmyer himself is a bit of a split personality, a Midwestern punk kid turned US Marine whose outrageous story is brought loudly to life in the entertaining new documentary The Color of Noise.

While the film functions as a thorough chronicle of the talent Amphetamine Reptile managed to recruit, a roster that at one time or another included the Melvins, Mudhoney, Helios Creed and Cosmic Psychos in addition to a host of others, the focus here is on the man behind it all. As ambitious as he is uncompromising, Hazelmyer originally founded the label in 1986 as a vehicle for his own band, Halo of Flies, but quickly transformed it into an alternative powerhouse, largely thanks to his tireless work ethic and uncanny ability to form connections with like-minded weirdos from around the world. And with over 50 interviews, plenty of those weirdos, from musicians to visual artists to record store employees, are on hand to recount their often unpredictable interactions with AmRep's prickly but lovable leader.

At two hours, The Color of Noise might go into a little too much detail concerning the imprint's ups and downs, but with so much archival footage, particularly from label staples like Unsane and Helmet, it rarely feels long. It's also lent an unexpected third act by the fact that this look at his life nearly coincided with its end, since Hazelmyer fell into a meningitis-induced coma during production, remaining unconscious for nearly a month. His miraculous recovery, during which he discovered a new passion for printmaking, brings some poignancy to the film but, true to its subject, it never veers into sentimentality. Instead it embraces Hazelmyer's rough edges, showing him to be simultaneously a loyal friend and an unapologetic asshole, both traits which have served him well in his chosen field.

CONCERT REVIEW: Greil Marcus, Jon Langford & Sally Timms (Wehr Hall, Milwaukee)

Accomplished music critic Greil Marcus adapts his 2014 book The History of Rock 'n' Roll in Ten Songs for the Alverno Presents stage with strange and unsatisfying results.

Read my full review here.

PLAYLIST: Mondo Radio (11/18/15)

Here's the playlist for this week's edition of Mondo Radio, which you can download or stream here. This episode: "The Sure Shot", featuring old-school hip hop and more. If you enjoy it, remember to also follow the show on Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter!

Artist - Song - Album
Bambaataa Zulu Nation Soul Sonic Force - Zulu Nation Throwdown - Looking For The Perfect Beat 1980-1985
Afrika Bambaataa & The Jazzy 5 - Jazzy Sensation (Bronx Version) - Looking For The Perfect Beat 1980-1985
Family Four - Rap Attack - Harlem World: The Sound Of The Big Apple Rappin'
Grand Wizard Theodore & The Fantastic Romantic 5 - Can I Get A Soul Clapp "Fresh Out The Pack" - Harlem World: The Sound Of The Big Apple Rappin'
Grandmaster Caz - South Bronx Subway Rap (Original Version) - Wild Style Original Soundtrack
Double Trouble - Double Trouble At The Amphitheatre (Live) - Wild Style Original Soundtrack
Dick Feller - Biff, The Friendly Purple Bear - Dick Feller Wrote ...
"Love Bug" Starski - Starski Live At The Disco Fever (Live) - Kurtis Blow Presents The History Of Rap, Vol. 2
Spoonie Gee Meets The Sequence - Monster Jam - Kurtis Blow Presents The History Of Rap, Vol. 2
The Sequence - Simon Says - Sugar Hill Presents The Sequence
The Sequence - And You Know That - Sugar Hill Presents The Sequence
Funky 4 + 1 - That's The Joint - That's The Joint
Funky 4 + 1 - King Heroin - That's The Joint
Grand Master Flash & Furious Five - It's Nasty (Genius Of Love) - Message From Beat Street: The Best Of Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel & The Furious Five
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious 5 - Freedom - Message From Beat Street: The Best Of Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel & The Furious Five
The Treacherous Three - The Body Rock - The Treacherous Three
The Treacherous Three - At The Party - The Treacherous Three
Kurtis Blow - Take It To The Bridge - Deuce
Kurtis Blow - Do The Do - Deuce
Run-D.M.C. - Rock Box - Run-D.M.C.
Run-D.M.C. - Sucker M.C.'s (Krush-Groove 1) - Run-D.M.C.

CONCERT REVIEW: Skinny Puppy & Youth Code (The Rave, Milwaukee)

Canadian industrial stalwarts Skinny Puppy bring their darkly humorous, blood-soaked spectacle of a stage show to the Rave, much to the delight of their many loyal fans.

Read my full review here.