C86 Show - Indie Pop

Rob Tannenbaum in conversation with David Eastaugh

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/various-artists-cbgb-a-new-york-city-soundtrack-1975-1986-4cd?srsltid=AfmBOoohm1glA9ey7r6K1osC9drIJOO4YZT5Q0P6y6vXPapBUTVMN2ig

“CBGB was a place for the dirty people.” - Jimmy Destri of Blondie

“Afterwards, I took off and went crosstown to CBGB’s, the stronghold of the unknown, to be with my own people.” - Patti Smith

In December 1973 Hilly Kristal changed the name of his roots music bar from Hilly’s on the Bowery to CBGB and altered his musical policy to hire mostly rock bands. He was indifferent to many of them (“No one is going to like you guys, but I’ll have you back,” he told Joey Ramone), blissfully unaware of how important his scruffy little club would soon become.

In the span of only 15 months, the five groups that comprise the CBGB’s pantheon all debuted: Television in March 1974, followed by Ramones in August and Blondie in October, then Patti Smith in February 1975 and Talking Heads four months later.

Those five groups all quickly got record deals and became popular enough to outgrow CBGB’s. By the fall of 1977, Smith was the only one who was still playing there. What succeeded the Big Five was an array of new and retro styles, all of which feature here: No Wave (Sonic Youth, Mars, DNA, Bush Tetras), post-punk (Ritual Tension, Unknown Gender, Khmer Rouge), mutant funk and R&B (James Chance & The Contortions, Mink DeVille), art-rock bands (R.L. Crutchfield’s Dark Day, The Revelons, Erasers, Jeff and Jane Hudson) hardcore punk (Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Vatican Commandos, Beastie Boys), and lots of power pop (Sorrows, The dBs, The Rudies, The Miamis, The Paley Brothers) .

The club’s best-known bands are present on this compilation but we’ve also revived interest in dozens of unfairly forgotten acts that, for a moment in time, made an album, EP, 45, or even a demo that crackled with innovation, wit, and joy.

CBGB no longer exists, at least not in the physical plane, but what happened between those soot-filled, beer-stinking walls continues to reverberate around the world.

Dominic Blaazer in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXMB0fZMhxw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef0Cw6j70H4

https://dominicblaazer.bandcamp.com/

Adele Bertei in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://www.roughtrade.com/product/adele-bertei/no-new-york-a-memoir-of-no-wave-and-the-women-who-shaped-the-scene

In 1975 a young queer singer from Cleveland meets photographer Nan Goldin - an encounter that will lead them to New York's bombed-out downtown, where something unprecedented is brewing. At Max's Kansas City and CBGBs, in derelict lofts and underground clubs, a generation of visionary women artists is rewriting the rules of creativity, sexuality, and power.

Adele Bertei didn't just witness the No Wave explosion-she ignited it. As acetone organist for the Contortions and Brian Eno's assistant, she was at the epicenter when punk collided with post-punk, birthing a counterculture that fused music, art, cinema, fashion and outlaw literature into an uncompromising explosion of creativity. While mainstream culture wallowed in sexism and homophobia, these artists and more created something fluid, fierce, and transgressive.

Raw, gripping, and illustrated with rare photographs from personal collections, No New York is the definitive insider's account of the women who obliterated every barrier in their path, taking you deep into the artistic and sexual experimentation of an era when true expression mattered more than money or fame.

Ben Vaughn in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://benvaughn.org/

https://www.straightfromthehat.com/

https://lnkfi.re/SFTH

Ben Vaughn grew up in the Philadelphia area on the New Jersey side of the river.  At age 6, his uncle gave him a Duane Eddy record and forever changed his life.

In 1983, he formed the Ben Vaughn Combo.  The band was together five years, releasing two albums and touring the U.S. several times.  They received rave reviews in Rolling Stone and People magazine and video airplay on MTV.  The attention inspired Marshall Crenshaw to record Ben's "I'm Sorry (But So Is Brenda Lee)" for his "Downtown" album.

Ben embarked on a solo career in 1988, recording several critically acclaimed albums, touring extensively in Europe and the U.S. and receiving more MTV exposure.  During that period he produced three records for the Elektra Records American Explorer series (Memphis rockabilly legend Charlie Feathers, Muscle Shoals country soul singer Arthur Alexander) and recorded "Cubist Blues," a collaboration with Alan Vega and Alex Chilton.  He also scored two films ("Favorite Mopar" and "Wild Girl's Go-Go Rama"), as well as appearing as a frequent guest commentator on nationally syndicated radio shows “Fresh Air” and "World Cafe."

Chris Anderson in conversation with David Eastaugh 

https://crayolalectern.com/n-e-w-s

https://crayolalectern.bandcamp.com/

Departure Lounge was initially known as Tim Keegan & Departure Lounge, reflecting the fact that the band evolved from a solo project and Tim Keegan was the singer and main lyricist. They released an album under this name in 1999 (the US version with different tracklisting as Departure Lounge in 2000), Out of Here, which received warm reviews in both the general and music press (subsequent re-releases of the CD have changed the name to simply Departure Lounge).