Gregg Foreman’s radio program The Pharmacy is a music / talk show playing heavy soul, raw funk, 60′s psych, girl groups, Krautrock. French yé-yé, Hammond organ rituals, post-punk transmissions and “ghost on the highway” testimonials and interviews with the most interesting artists and music makers of our times…

This week in conversation with Gerry Roslie, keyboardist and vocalist of the highly influential garage band The Sonics, Lee Rickard and Sean Bohrman, founders of the cassette revival record label Burger Records and Jonathan Toubin, founder of New York Night Train and the “Soul Clap Dance Party.”

Photo by Jini Dellaccio
 
Mr. Pharmacy is a musician and DJ who has played for the likes of Pink Mountaintops, The Delta 72, The Black Ryder, The Meek and more. Since 2012 Gregg Foreman has been the musical director of Cat Power’s band. He started dj’ing 60s Soul and Mod 45’s in 1995 and has spun around the world. Gregg currently lives in Los Angeles, CA and divides his time between playing live music, producing records and dj’ing various clubs and parties from LA to Australia.

Set List:

The Fall - Mr.Pharmacist (Intro)
The Sonics - Shot Down
The Ideals - Go Get a Wig
Sonics Gerry Roslie Part One
Set Chosen By - Bobby “Pantichrist” Butler (The Voodoo Rhythm and Pantichrist Hardware Store / Bern Switzerland)
The Wailers - Out of Our Tree
Billy ‘The Kid’ Emerson - A Dancin’ Whippersnapper
Little Richard - Keep a Knockin’
Richard Berry - Louie Louie
Sonics Gerry Roslie Part Two
Set Chosen By - Mr.Pharmacist (The Pharmacy / Los Angeles, Ca)
The Ikettes - Don’t Feel Sorry for Me
Les Jaguars - Jaguar Shake
The Equals - Green Light
King Coleman - The Boo Boo Song
The Avengers - Be a Caveman
Burger Records Sean and Lee Part One
Set Chosen By - Victoria Rawlins (All Girls , All Vinyl / Los Angeles, Ca)
Small Faces - What ‘Cha Gonna Do about it ?
Johnny Kidd and the Pirates - Shakin’ All Over ’65
The Seeds - Can’t Seem To Make You Mine
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins - Frenzy
Burger Records Sean and Lee Part Two
Set Chosen By - Mr.Pharmacist (The Pharmacy / Los Angeles, Ca)
Ike and Tina Turner - Strange
The Ideals - Go Go Gorilla
Etta “Miss Peaches” James - Tough Lover
Junior Wells - I got a Stomach Ache
Sonics Gerry Roslie Part Three
Set Chosen By - Rick Barzell (Green Slime / Los Angeles, Ca)
Don “Pretty Boy” Covay - Bip Bop Bip on Atlantic 1957
The Cadillacs - Holy Smoke Baby
The Rumblers - I Don’t Need You No More
The T-Bones - Rail Vette
Sonics Gerry Roslie Part Four
Set Chosen By - Jonathan Toubin (NYNT + Soul Clap / NYC)
Jenny Rock - Le Train Pour Memphis
Erma Franklin - I Don’t Want No Mama’s Boy
Lorenzo Holden - The Wig
What’s Happening - Hot Buttered Buns
Jonathan Toubin of Soul Clap

Outro

 
You can download the show in its entirety here.
 
Below, Sonics’ “The Witch”:

The two have modeled for Saint Laurent. Because look at them.
 
Remember a post I did way back on eerie avant-garde two-piece, The Garden? Comprised of now-20-year-old identical twins Wyatt and Fletcher Shears, whom I likened to two “little twin baby Richard Hells?” Well they’re about to release three 7-inches through the wonderful folks at Burger Records, and they have a new music video out for “Crystal Clear.”

The Orange, California, pair’s debut album The Life and Times of a Paperclip came out less than a year ago, but their murky, spastic sounds immediately garnered attention from unexpected sources. Hedi Slimane, creative director for Saint Laurent (Yves Saint Laurent’s ready-to-wear line), hired the two to walk the runway in a Paris menswear show. Though they’re usually a little more thrift store than high fashion, they look like actual runway models. (Fletcher is also known for wearing women’s clothes and make-up, to lovely effect.)

They work a kind of deconstructed early goth sound, and the video is all abduction, abuse, and alienation. I suggest you start smoking now and lose yourself in the sort of arty ominousness that makes you wish you looked good in heavy eye-liner. It should be noted that The New York Times recently did a feature on Burger Records—let’s hope it’s the beginning of a new upswing in boutique labels pushing weird bands doing weird DIY shit. 
 

And lookat ‘em! They’re like little twin baby Richard Hells!
 
I’m a total sucker for anything from Burger Records.  It seems like every few weeks I can pop in and find a new awesome band. Their bread and butter (and what initially drew me to the label), tends to be a lot of self-referential punk and/or garage, so when I first heard The Garden, I was taken aback by the jarring earful of bass and drums.

Brothers Wyatt and Fletcher Shears manage an odd balance of murky, spastic, and mean. The vocals flux from convulsive to crooning, sometimes in the same song (most of which are under 60 seconds long).

It’s like if a minimalist David Byrne got into hardcore and surf… or something. The effect is jarring, but cool. Like, Karen O cool. Like, Bauhaus cool. Borderline too cool. I mean, I don’t look good in black and I’m not very good at “careless indolence” these days, but damn if it doesn’t get you in the mood to try!

They’ve got a few tracks up on YouTube, and are soon to release their second cassette on Burger, which I eagerly await.