The MastanMusic Hour Episode 16 features two very exciting segments this week. In Part 2, our performance portion of the show, we bring electronica artist and accomplished keyboardist Asher Fulero and DJ mix master Joel Barber together as the hypnotic live beats duo Surrounded By Ninjas. We are proud to present brand new versions of some of their latest creations. Read the write-up below to learn just how far and wide these guys get. We also created a very cool video-single of their piece "Reich and Roll" that you are going to want to check out. It's available for viewing at the bottom of this webpage in Part 2's section and on our Blog page.
PART 1 features legendary music maker, producer and film maker Mike Lastra spinning tunes by bands featured in his latest documentary film Northwest Passage: The Birth Of Portland's DIY Culture. We get in depth with Lastra about the making of the film, the rise of the Portland punk scene in the 70's and an update about his band Smegma and how the world may finally be awakening to the concept of "Free Noise", or as Mike puts it, "whatever that means." Northwest Passage makes it's American debut February 15, 2007 in two showings, 7 and 9 pm at Cinema 21 in Portland, OR. Check out the videocast movie preview in the Part 1 section below or, on the Blog page.
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Lo Tek, Neo Boys, Poison Idea, Stiphnoyds, The Bags
Lo Tek played high energy punk rock. "Nervous," the track featured here was recorded as part of the Live at the Earth Tavern 10/29/79 compilation available from Greg Sages' Trap Records, alongside tracks from Smegma, Stiphnoyds, Neo Boys, The Wipers, and others.
Neo Boys
Described by the Willamette Week as "four wholesome young ladies" the Neo Boys weren't boys at all. They were part of the male dominated music world of the 70s and represented a precursor to the NW riot grrl movement. "Thirty years ago I was wandering the streets of my hometown, Portland, Oregon, when I heard a deafening racket coming from the floor above my favorite record store, Longhair Music. I found the entrance to the building, climbed the stairs, and walked into a music scene unlike any I had ever heard or seen before. The band on stage called themselves The Neo Boys - three or four (I can't remember which) girls ... They thrashed at their guitars as though the instruments somehow pissed them off, playing songs that only lasted about a minute-and-a-half. And it's no wonder. They shot through the poor things at a tempo I'm pretty sure music was never meant to be played at. In fact, I wasn't even sure it was music. I was sure of one thing, though. I loved it." Church of Rick, NOVEMBER 07, 2005
Poison Idea
"The Heaviest Band Around", Hardcore pioneers Poison Idea were formed in 1980 in Portland, Oregon by vocalist Jerry A. (Lang). The first lineup of the band featured drummer Dean Johnson, guitarist Tom Roberts (aka Pig Champion, R.I.P 2006), and bassist Glen Estes. Influenced by the attitude of bands like Motorhead, the Germs and Black Flag, they were more musically inspired by Discharge and SOA. Their influence on the NW punk and grunge scene is undeniable. "They were as now, fast and raw, they believed it because they lived it. A true Punk band. They continued into Hardcore and practically invented the whole genre. Their influence kept lesser Portland bands going, creating a real atmosphere of punk rock community, (Yikes!)."Dave Corboy, of "Sado Nation", Guerilla Urbaine
Stiphnoyds
The Styphnoids frequently played at the famed Portland punk club, "The Long Goodbye". They were also seen onstage at "the Clockwork", and "Joe's Club", both of which were run by "The Alternative Arts Association", a non-profit punk rock organization that helped to support Portland's punk rock scene. The Wipers, Neo Boys, Lo Tek and Sado-Nation were among their peers. This track is from the "Afraid of Russions" EP on Trap Records.
The Bags
The Bags started out in LA in 1977, wearing bags on their heads to conceal their identity. It was a short lived plan, as the bags were removed by aggressive fans at the first show. One of the first L.A. bands to independently release a record, The Bags were on the Dangerhouse Records debut punk compilation YES LOS ANGELES. They also appeared in the documentary film The Decline of Western Civilization by Penelope Spheeris.
Surrounded by Ninjas first release, "Realtime Modify", is a completely improvised album, recorded live at the Goodfoot Lounge in Portland, Oregon. "Dual Processor" is their 2006 release, "a gently matured album grown naturally and organically in the earth using silicon seeds, digital fertilizer, and futuristic harvesters". RE:UP Magazine, January 2006 Both CDs are available online at www.reapandsow.com.
SURROUNDED BY NINJAS - VIDEO SINGLE
LIVE THE MASTANMUSIC HOUR
"Reich and Roll"
Guest DJ Mike Lastra
Mike Lastra
This episode's guest DJ is legendary NW musician. producer and film maker Mike Lastra. His spectacular discography includes being a founding member of the influential "art noise" band Smegma and having produced the likes of Portland's Dead Moon, Wipers, Earth/Kurt Cobain, Thrones, Napalm Beach to just name a very few. Mike dropped by the MastanMusic Studio to talk with us about his upcoming film Northwest Passage: The Birth Of Portland's DIY Culture which documents the late 70s/early 80s alternative music scene in the Pacific Northwest.
During the late 70's and early 80's the Pacific Northwest witnessed a surge of idiosyncratic creativity that, for a time, banished the slack-jawed mentality of mainstream music and art to the shabby bargain basement of the cultural wasteland. Countless young men and women turned their backs on the hollow blather generated in corporate boardrooms, producing their own music and art with rebellious glee. NORTHWEST PASSAGE: THE BIRTH OF PORTLAND'S DIY CULTURE is an independent film that examines the alternative music movement in Portland, Oregon from 1978 to 1983. Directed and produced by Mike Lastra, NORTHWEST PASSAGE: THE BIRTH OF PORTLAND'S DIY CULTURE is a narrative told by musicians and artists via interviews photographs and vintage news clips. Bands that appear in the film include: POISON IDEA, SADONATION, The WIPERS, The DEAD KENNEDYS, The NEO BOYS, SMEGMA, The BAGS, The RATS, and The STIPHNOYDS
Northwest Passage: The Birth Of Portland's DIY Culture
A Film by Mike Lastra
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MastanMusic Hour - Episode 16 - Part 1
The Styphnoids
