Hello again, nice to get back in the rhythm of blogging once more, I actually missed it this weekend. I’ve got to put that CLASH77 license plate on the car soon…it’s sitting on my Clash shelf at present just apparently there to make me smile it would seem. I’ve a few headlines for you which I’ll get to but first I wanted to say thanks for all your growing support for the blog – August has been the busiest month of the year for the blog and its great to see so many return visits so I appreciate that. In the next week or so I’m excited to say we will be welcoming our 200,000th visitor ever to the blog and this week will see our 100,000th visit of the year – so cheers to you all on helping reach both landmarks! September will also see the introduction of our monthly interview series – so keep your eyes open on that.

So the last few days…..Don Letts usually manages to get flagged down around the time of the Notting Hill Carnival and this year was no exception. It was Letts of course who features on the striking cover of Black Market Clash as a then 20 year first generation proud young black man walking the tightrope of tension that was the riots of the summer of ‘76. I can’t say enough about Don Letts, he’s just such a likable character and always looks to be moving the tide forward and celebrating the unique period of time where he grew up and helped reggae and punk reach to cross sections within both camps. In addition he always shows pride and optimism which are so often lacking in some quarters. Anyway, getting back on track I’ll point you in the direction of both recent interviews with Letts as he sat down and spoke to the Telegraph and SKY TV in recent days.

Over at the Telegraph check out the feature on Don as he talks about his heritage, racial integration and his part in what was to be the forming of a soundtrack for mid/late 70’s Britain. Letts was always it seemed in the right place at the right time, or was that part of who he was? Hanging out with Malcolm McLaren and the various incarnations of his shop on the Kings Road, becoming the resident DJ at London’s first punk club The Roxy, befriending The Clash and later even Bob Marley. Then to follow that up as a member of Big Audio Dynamite and an accomplished filmmaker. As Letts himself explains he had an early taste for the counter culture from McLaren and it seems his thirst has never left him in the decades since. As for the music – he knows how vital it was to his peers:

As first generation British born blacks, we copped it the worst. But we came up with a good soundtrack. Tell you what!  They’d better come up with a good soundtrack, these eastern Europeans – that’ll help ‘em!”

Letts shares a sentiment that many of you reading this of a certain age probably reflect on all too frequently, with the current social upheaval globally and lack of equality its remarkable that music/culture seems so passive…so pedestrian when surely the need for a real change resonates as loudly as ever. Letts puts it in better terms than I can:

“Right now it feels like punk never happened. All the things that helped create punk rock, racism, recession, strikes – other than power cuts – all the things we had in the late seventies are happening again today. What’s happening about it? I don’t know. All I know is that all the interesting ideas are coming from the amateur and the naive, and it’s increasingly difficult to find anyone who meets those criteria in the west”

He’s right….and I don’t even know why apathy is suddenly the most popular flavour for much of the generation who should really be tearing down the walls instead of watching the bloody television and youtube. Don is doing the rounds partly because he certainly should but also because two of his more recent projects are getting released to UK cable television and a special film fest at the ICA respectively. More of that in a minute but  the Blighty channel  also premiered at the weekend the Don Letts film Carnival (Notting Hill Documentary from 2009) and interviewed him in conjuction with that event. Well worth a read and a good taster for the film also, full information via this link.

As a reminder – the Don Letts documentary about his life will be getting its UK premier at the ICA (talk about a historic venue!)  ‘Superstonic Sound, The Rebel Dread’, shows at the ICA on 6th, 9th and 10th October. Ticket information and to purchase via this link.

Superstonic Sound: The Rebel Dread plus Q&A (Don Letts will appear at the Oct 6 Screening)

Hello again everybody I wanted to make sure this post out in time especially for those who are many hours ahead of me sitting here in the desert of Arizona. It’s already tomorrow breakfast time in Sydney Australia and Sydney is where you want to be this Saturday night if you are a Clash fan. My sincere appreciation to Evan who has kept me informed about the event taking place on Saturday evening at 8 PM at the Annandale Hotel in Sydney. Not sure if tickets are still available but last year’s event did sell out so make sure to get there early or better still book those tickets online.

“Revolution Rock – a Joe Strummer Tribute” is being sponsored by Bombshellzine.com, Drum Media and Renegades Empire. The event in supported and in tandem with Strummerville. Bands paying homage for 2010 are: The Domnicks (WA) featuring Nick Sheppard from The Clash, The Rumjacks, The City Lights, Madonna (VIC) and The Tearaways (VIC)

This marks the fourth annual occurrence of the Joe Strummer tribute night which has grown in popularity year-over-year and has become Australia’s premier opportunity to recognize the work of Joe Strummer. Better still the expansion of the project now includes a second city in Australia with a special night being held in Melbourne which will cover on the blog also. I believe Evan will be forwarding photographs and video from the night in Sydney to expect those early next week, by which time I hope I’ll have finished covering each of the Joe Strummer events that took place last weekend. Naturally enough there will be some interest with Nick Sheppard appearing on Saturday as a result of his time spent with The Clash during their last years.

Evan and Baz were interviewed about the event by Renegades Empire which is an independent Australian punk music magazine. Evan has kindly allowed me to reproduce the interview below but do check out the Renegades Empire website (as a thank you for sharing this).

1. What brought about the decision to put on Revolution Rock originally?

Basil: As a massive fan of both The Clash and Joe Strummer it made perfect sense to do such an event…I guess the catalyst was a few years after his death I was seeing lots of tribute nights and simply couldn’t believe no-one in Sydney had done one for Joe.

Evan: Baz had mentioned the idea of doing something in Sydney. A lot of people world wide were affected by Joe and his music. So when he passed away people felt compelled to do something. At a rather enthusiastic Bronx concert we started getting serious about the idea. The next day we started putting it together and the rest is history.

2. Are you both fans of Strummer? How has his life and legacy impacted your life?

Evan: Joe Strummer was always making new music as he went on. He never lost his passion or faded away and if anything got better with age. Also, there was also a very human side to Joe in which you saw the highs and low and you could see a real person behind the performer. I always liked his honesty and rather a musician who can be honest and somewhat real than one merely writing a polished bio about how honest and real they are.

Basil: Sure are! The way the guy lived his life everybody should aspire too, he would talk to anybody about anything anytime. He stuck up for the little guy, he had a heart of gold and made amazing music to boot! It is truly amazing to see his legacy live on all over the world and it truly is a testament to what he did when he was alive to impact people’s lives.

Evan: Also in terms his influence in doing these events, I think his DIY approach helped push a couple of guys who were a bit new to putting on shows to pull their resources together and give it a go.

Also his world music sensibilities helped make us look at different styles of bands for these shows. It was important to make it inclusive to all people and musics and not just be about mohawks and three chords.

3. How has previous Revolution Rock’s gone, and what have been some of the highlights for you over the years?

Basil: Every year we are amazed and every year is a highlight…in 2009 we took a gamble and put a completely unknown band on to headline the event (King Cannons) and the gig sold out within half an hour of doors opening! Which goes to show, it is not just the substance of the bands but the idea of the night that brings the punters in.

Evan: Whilst the bands and the music are always amazing, it’s a highlight to meet people from different places, ages and walks of life and see how passionate they are for Joe Strummer. Meeting a guy who’s twice your age who can tell you about seeing the Clash and how it affected him, hits home. I think over time these events have become about the people at the shows and the thing that binds them and that has formed a community in itself.

4. What is the selection process for the bands you choose to play Revolution Rock? Who is playing this year and any insights into what Strummer tributes they will be playing?

Basil: We just want bands that “get” Joe Strummer and The Clash. Not bands that want to be there for fame or money (after all it is a charity event), but bands that genuinely love to play music and genuinely want to pay their own tribute to the great Joe Strummer.

Evan: It’s usually the bands who have that genuine love and excitement for Joe always make the best bands. The bands who are watching the first band till last or who will talk about how stoked they are to play the show are the ones who always give the music the proper respect and connect with the crowd.

Basil: This year we have playing The Domnicks from WA which features Nick Sheppard who at one point in his life was actually a member of The Clash! We also have The Rumjacks, The City Lights, Madonna and The Tearaways, couldn’t hope for a better line-up! I hear one band is doing White Riot this year, which is a first for Revolution Rock, believe it or not!

5. Tell us about Strummerville and why should people support the charity? How can people support it if they can’t get to the gig?

Basil: Strummerville is an amazing charity which was set up by Joe’s family and friends following his passing in 2002. It provides facilities and resources to young bands that perhaps otherwise wouldn’t have access to these facilities. It also provides mentoring for the bands, and who knows maybe one day the next big thing could come straight out of Strummerville!

Evan: I think people who are into Joe’s music are also into new music’s and diverse forms of creativity. So getting behind Strummerville is essentially helping support the very music and ideas we all care about. Back in the 70’s Joe Strummer had Tymon Dogg to help him learn his chops and get his start and now in 2010 kids now haves Strummerville to help them out.

Also Strummerville have always backed this event 100% and have given it great support.

Basil + Evan: If people cant get to the show on Saturday at the Annandale or the Birmy on the 4th of September in Melbourne they can donate online or buy some merch at www.strummerville.com You can also do things like organize a benefit and spread the word and let people know of their work.

6. The night has only been held in Sydney the last couple of year, what influenced your choice to take it to Melbourne as well this year?

Basil: Every year we get bigger and bigger and we always wanted to expand to other states as there is a lot of interest from bands and fans in those states. One guy and his wife flew over last year to Sydney from Adelaide just for our Sydney show! So we really want to take this to the other states and spread the love so-to-speak. Next year – Perth!

7. What can we expect for this weekend’s Revolution Rock in Sydney?

Basil: You can expect 5 of the best bands in this country all playing dedications to Joe Strummer and The Clash in their own way and style…it really is something for all ages (over 18 of course!) as we have young punks every year and then old rockers, and people that attend the events love getting together with like-minded fans and dancing their arses off!

Evan: Five great bands, a lot of good vibes and Baz’s long awaited return to the stage (the sleeping giant has awoken)

8. What’s next for you guys?

Basil + Evan: After the post show nap, we’re launching a small music label called Paperbag Music which will be a host to bands, shows and a distro for a variety of great bands and hope to continue helping up and coming bands get out there for all the world to see. Also bunch of new shows on the boil and the sad realization that we’ve gotta wait till 2011 to do another Strummer show.

9. Last words?

We just wanted to give a quick thanks to everyone who has made the pilgrimage from near and far every year to this event. Also to all the bands who give their time and do great performances each year. Finally everyone who’s supported us over the years by posting something online, telling a friend about the show or just letting us know how much they enjoyed the gig.

The show just isn’t about bands or hearing Clash songs but a community of people coming together and sharing their enthusiasm and love for music and for Joe. They’re the heart of this event.

I do have something else about the event planned for you tomorrow evening so check back then, and if you happen to be in or around Sydney really hope you make it along on the night. I’ll be back more with some more new stuff – Tim.

Hello once again and thanks for dropping back in to the Clash Blog. What’s new around here you might ask, it’s been an up-and-down day. Up due to the very late and highly anticipated arrival of my Clash license plate for the car (more on that tomorrow) and rather down due to the official Clash blog cat “George” having to be returned to the emergency vet this evening. She’s in for observation so we will know a bit more tomorrow, I don’t think she’s used more than three or four of her nine lives yet so hopefully the news will be good. I tend to like cats more than most people so it’s fair to say I’m worried sick and more than a little sad.

Tonight though I wanted to continue our look back at the Joe Strummer birthday events from the weekend just past. Last night we had a look at Austin Texas and tonight we go to the West Coast for the annual Joe Strummer night that is held in San Francisco. If I’m not mistaken the Bay Area also celebrates Joe in December though I may be wrong, perhaps a whole year has passed and covering last year’s event, this was the seventh year that San Francisco has hosted a Stummer event. First of all though a quick look at the venue itself: the club is called “Bottom of the Hill” I’m assuming because it’s located near the bottom of the hill (which indeed it is). Located just south of the heart of San Francisco in a neighborhood that could be best described as semi-industrial the club looks like a pretty standard San Francisco home from the outside, check the image to the left to see what I mean. Inside however it’s been refurbished into a pretty cool night club which Rolling Stone magazine has called ‘the best place to see live music in San Francisco’. You MUST watch the InterChords on the right video sidebar…stunning!

Come to think of it I’m pretty sure it was a year ago when Billy Bragg appeared at the Joe Strummer event in tandem with each the Jail Guitar Doors project. This years event went off without a hitch by all accounts and with tickets at just $10 a Joe Strummer/The Clash evening was in the capable hands of half a dozen bands including the Armagideons, The Hooks, Monkey, Sistas in the Pit, Stigma 13 and Interchords. Once again San Francisco did a great job supporting another Strummerville event when the date rolled around. I’d like to ensure a huge thanks is offered to Gil for providing and filming the video clips (and recommending clips) of the evening and also huge thumbs up to The Call Up for the summary reproduced below via his MySpace page.

Great show, thanks to all!
Not fully rested yet, but another great tribute this year. We seem to manage to pull in a bit more each year for Strummerville. This year we are able to send $968.50 (USD) to Strummerville!

There were even a couple more last minute backline donations and raffle items. Marlon from the Interchords contributed to both

Sistas In The Pit - Joe Strummer night SF 21/8/10

causes and gave up an autographed copy of London Calling, signed by Paul Simonon. How amazing is he?! The acoustic set he played with his brother takes the tribute where no band has gone before and they pulled it off amazingly. Hopefully the video comes out okay. To pull off acoustic Mag 7 into Ivan meets Gi Joe? Come on!

The Hooks donated an autographed limited edition copy of their recent release in vinyl, Everything is Golden! Marble disc beauty it is! And the music…well, its The Hooks! Its great. They played a fantastic set as they always do, full of energy and Joe’s spirit.

New bands to the tribute this year all played great. Stigma 13 just nailed it blew some doors away at the front of the club! Thanks to Commander Cookie Wolf for the suggestion of Stigma 13! Sistas in the Pit paid a soul groove funky tribute to Joe and the crowd loved it. Monkey, the first reggae/ska band at a San Francisco tribute (I believe) kept the crowd moving and played great.

That leaves Cliff Truesdell and his Armagideons. For those who don’t know, Cliff is a veteran of Strummer tributes, having played with The Black Furies. When it looked like a tribute wasn’t going to happen in ‘06, Cliff, along with Eric McFadden, saved the tribute and introduced me to Strummerville! The Armagideons line-up may change over the years, but the delivery of the music is fantastic every year. I still cannot get Pressure Drop out of my head. They ended the night with a damn furious White Riot and just like that, the show was done. Time to pack the gear, close up shop and head home.

A hearty thanks again to all the bands for playing so well, to the great audience and raffle ticket buyers, Justin the always emcee, Gil on point for pics and vids, Neil on some pics this year, all the donors to the backline on the wall of thanks, to Bottom of the Hill, to Jock at Clashical Threads for all the support with flyer, schwag and moral boost, to Trish and all at Strummerville for their support and trust with Raffle items, to Henry Rollins for the autographs on last year’s flyer, to my family who gives me time and space to pull this off, to anyone else I’ve forgotten and to all fans, family and friends of Joe.

Excellent 4 tracks from The Hooks

Sincere thanks to everybody who attended and played in San Francisco, I watched even more of the video clips and you truly ought to do the same, loads of excellent cover versions – I really wish I was there – hopefully next Summer. You could do many worse things with your time than heading over to Gil’s youtube page where most of the evening was captured. Please read more about the participating bands via the links provided. That’s all for this evening more tomorrow I’m sure.

The (frankly brilliant) Hooks

InterChords

Sistas In The Pit

Monkey

Stigma 13