Some FEATURED ARTISTS on this week’s Stronger Than Dirt (Saturday, April 22, 8-10pm) include the Quick, Magazine, Spizzenergi, Soft Boys, Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club, Dislocation Dance, Suburban Lawns, Glorium, Helen Love, Ugly Beats, lots of new music as well as the weekly Dusty Diamond.
COVER ART OF THE WEEK: Spizzenergi were a British punk/new wave band fronted by guitarist and vocalist Kenneth “Spizz” Spiers. Active in the late 70s and early 80s, they changed their name every year, incorporating “Spizz” into the name (e.g., Spizz Oil, Athletico Spizz 80). “Where’s Captain Kirk?” was released in late 1979 on Rough Trade and became the first single to top the newly formed UK Indie Singles Chart in January 1980. The front cover featured an uncredited Warhol-ized image of Captain James T. Kirk. The back included a photo of the band by Tony Mottram. Click on image to enlarge.
DUSTY DIAMOND OF THE WEEK (a forgotten gem from the STD vaults): The Solid Statesmen were a short-lived Seattle garage band active in the mid 90s. They released two 7” EPs, one each in 1993 and 1994. “Summers Eve” begins with some chill, relaxing notes on the guitar before bursting into an energetic and joyous celebration of everybody’s (outside of Texas) favorite season. It appeared in 1994 on the “Melodies of Man, Machine, and Nature” EP on Empty Records. Listen to it here:
Promo art from the Quick’s 1976 “Mondo Deco” album on Mercury. Design by Desmond Strobel and photography by David Alexander.