Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The "RADIO NAPALM" Special: A History Of The Hormones


'Tis true, brethren. As of January 25th, 2014, The Hormones live again! The new 2014 lineup of The Hormones take the stage at Beerland here in Austin, playing our first gig in three years! Joining Tim "Napalm" Stegall on lead guitar and lead vocals are new lead guitarist/backing vocalist Clint Shay, drummer Rob Laundy, and bassist Tom Trusnovic. Opening will be Clint's band The Stand Alones and ex-Hormone Ron Williams' The Inflatable Baptists. Doors are 9 PM, admission is $5! We will also have $11 t-shirts, $2 1-inch punk rock pins, and $3 stickers! (Out of towners can get all the above for $20, including postage! Contact me at timnapalm@yahoo.com.)

Meantime, "RADIO NAPALM" presents a special program: "A History Of The Hormones." Besides everything we released during our 1994-1998 recording lifetime - all three singles ("Sell Out Young," the ultra-rare "Cartographer Of Love," "Castaway") and every comp appearance - the show also presents SEVEN UNRELEASED VINTAGE RECORDINGS! All taken from lost sessions for The Hormones' debut LP and a live radio session for KUT in Austin cut in 1996, as well as live songs from a local TV broadcast. There's also vintage interview material with Tim and Ron from that KUT live session, and an excerpt of a recent interview with me, and my own off-the-cuff reminiscences.

Click the link below, open your speakers wide, and PLAY FUCKING LOUD! See you at Beerland!



Friday, January 17, 2014

"RADIO NAPALM's" Everly Brothers Special: Songs Don And Phil Taught Us


The world's a far less melodic and harmonious place without the high-pitched, diatonic thirds of Phil Everly blending with his older brother Don. Phil passed away Jan. 3rd, already tarring a fresh new year. "RADIO NAPALM," of course, must honor the man and his genius by honoring the collective genius of The Everly Brothers. Therefore, regularly scheduled programming from The Garage this week to play Don and Phil's best, both big-selling and not, alongside homages from The Ventures, The Ramonas, Billie Joe Armstrong & Norah Jones, and even Eddie Arnold! "RADIO NAPALM" presents as much The Everly Brothers' songs and stories as we can cram into an hour. Click the link and pass the chicken and listen (as one of their album titles put it):


Wednesday, January 8, 2014

"Boss Radio Napalm 2" Special Encore Presentation Is Up At Mixcloud!


Alright, Irregulars! It's a New Year, so "RADIO NAPALM" begins with an old show! Part 2 of the "Boss Radio Napalm" encore, to be precise. This show was done in the old Woody Radio days, and recreates the sound and format of KHJ, Los Angeles' Boss Radio pioneer. The playlist? The Boss 30 for the week of my birth in 1965: Bob Dylan, Charlie Rich, The Fortunes, The Miracles, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Evie Sands, and more! There's a link below, complete with playlist. See? Listen here, and you won't have to sign up for Mixcloud! Open your speakers wide and say, "IT'S JUST GOTTA BE BOSS!"


Tuesday, January 7, 2014

How's your day, so far?

I've been up since 10 AM. I usually try to be up two hours earlier, but I guess I needed the sleep.

I've had breakfast, read some of Morrissey's Autobiography, finished lyrics on a new song I've been writing on since 1995 (now that I'm a born-again Hormone), and listened to the Radio Birdman CD Live In Texas, which Deniz Tek himself kindly sent for Xmas, and The Heartbreakers'  L.A.MF (Track Records cassette version). I've showered, dressed, taken out the garbage, washed my dishes, and tidied Napalm HQ a bit. Right now, I'm typing this, and listening to the Rolling Stones' Hot Rocks on original vinyl. (I've been making a practice, this past year, of buying back all my original teenage record collection on records, bit by bit. I lost it all when I went homeless in NYC ten years ago.)

I only got on the internets about 15 minutes ago.

This is important. The last two weeks, I was house-sitting for friends, and I took a vacation. I didn't write, except for working on songs and writing in my journal, two things I have not done in a long time. I watched lots of movies, ate good food, and took hour-long walks every day, in a pathetic attempt to insert some physical activity in my life and get back into the fighting shape I've lost across the year I've returned to writing and DJ-ing as my vocation. I played lots of loud guitar, trying to get used to the brand new Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III that I got myself for Xmas. And each morning, I would not get on the internet until I'd finished breakfast and reading some pages from whatever book I was reading.

Two of my favorite things.

It was about ten years ago I finally got on the internets for myself, and was introduced to the wonderful world of blogging and social networking, first through Friendster (Wow! Remember that?) and then the brand new MySpace, which would rapidly overtake Friendster the way Facebook and Twitter did MySpace not that long ago. I love it, and still do. But I also now hate it.

The internets are a wonderful tool and past-time, a marvelous source of information, entertainment, a great communication tool. They are also a pain in the ass, a giant time-suck, and a control system. And I am breaking that control.

I am sick to death of looking up from the keyboard and monitor and seeing that it's six hours later, and I haven't gotten a goddamned thing done except post a buncha shit on Facebook that I've just read. I am also sick of every single utterance I make online becoming fodder for someone to argue the piss out of. I like discussion, not debate. There is a subtle difference. And I don't troll other people's posts to start shit with them. Therefore, I expect the same courtesy.

I am happier and more productive under this new regimen than I have been in a long time. Yeah, I still go digital. But I am severely limiting my digital time and living more in the analog world. Because let's face it: Real life is actually better than The Matrix. Right? *smiles*

Happy New Year. You will be seeing far more posts here now. And by the way, as hinted at above, The Hormones live again, in a new lineup. Check out our Facebook page, and please make note of the event below. See ya.