Razorcake Podcast #04: With Jimmy Alvarado
I know it's hard for many to believe, but music is as important to me as breathing. It's rare when I don't have something blasting nearby, be it Scandinavian hardcore, Mexican norteños, Balinese gamelan, delta blues, bebop, you name it, and I wanted my first-ever podcast (much thanks to Todd for both his unwavering support and for tag-teaming the task with me) to be a little broader in scope than what might be expected. So, in addition to the requisite punk stuff - including some rarities from my home scene of East LA and elsewhere - I've included some other odd bits here, most of which I'm sure you'd have a bitch of a time finding on your FM dial.
I think it's crucial that those involved in any creative subculture, including punk, be open to influences outside the accepted comfort zones. It's these out-of-bounds forays that make bands like Die Kreuzen, Public Image Ltd., the Blasters, the Pogues and Mezklah (easily one of the most "punk" of LA's current crop of bands even though they obviously don't fit the stereotype) so damned good. It's a simple really: the wider the influences you draw and mix up, the more interesting the result. Keep pulling from the same well, however, and you're bound to stagnate.
As the Big Boys once sang, "Influence, everybody has their own." Here are a few of mine.
Playlist
The Weirdos “Message from the Underworld” (Weird World Vol. 1 CD Frontier)
Toxic Reasons “Can’t Get Away” (God Bless America EP, T-Reason)
Loli & the Chones “The Kids from Boyle Heights” (PS We Hate You LP, Rip Off)
The Brat “High School” (Attitudes EP, Fatima)
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Don Tosti’s Pachuco Boogie Boys “Pachuco Boogie” (Pachuco Boogie Comp CD, Arhoolie)
Lalo Guerrero “Muy Sabroso Blues” (Pachuco Boogie Comp CD, Arhoolie)
Howlin’ Wolf “I Asked for Water” (The Definitive Collection CD, Chess/Geffen)
Old Time Relijun “Vampire Sushi” (Witchcraft Rebellion CD, K Recs)
Nervous Gender “Alien Point of View” (Music from Hell LP, Subterranean)
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Manson Youth “Saw Tomorrow” (God’s Fun Children EP, Dr. Strange)
MIA “Small Man in a Big World” (Lost Boys CD, Alternative Tentacles)
FU’s “What You Pay For” (My America LP, XClaim)
No Slogan “Too Many Things” (Bhopal Stiffs cover) (Mal de Ojo Comp CD, South Kore)
Void “Who the Fuck Are You” (Hit & Run Demo)
Misled “Shattered Vows” (Casbah Demo)
Raw Radar War “Greed Redux” (== CD, Tracktor7)
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Asha Bhosle “Jaadugar Kaatil” (Golden Voices from the Silver Screen Vol. 1 Comp CD, Global Style)
Apache Indian “Chok There” (No Reservations CD Mango)
Mezklah “Quiero Cocido” (Spider Monkey CD, Escuchalo)
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New Model Army “White Coats” (History: The Best of New Model Army CD, Caroline)