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QUITE LITERALLY NOTHING IS HAPPENING WITH OUR BAND.
I'm not sure what to do about it.
We have some great new songs, and have been playing a few of them off and on for four years now. Mostly off.
It's quite a conundrum, isn't it?
It used to be, we'd record all our new songs, before we'd even written them. It was a game-changing process that's since been co-opted by many much more famous groups. A few examples? 1) PRINCE. 2) FLATT & SCRUGGS.
What would the combos we most admire do, when it gets too lonely at the top, and their once-promising careers sit snugly in a broken toilet? Historically, some rose like proverbial phoenixes (Badger, Volcano Suns, Kenny & The Casuals), whilst others chose to wallow in their own filth (Mickey & Sylvia, The Nervous Eaters, Neville Mariner & The Academy Of St. Martin-In-The-Fields).
So, the path is not clear. Those of you who have IDEAS, about how things get DONE, please write us, either via this website, or by thee U.S. Mail at:
Young Fresh Fellows
c/o The Cruddy Record Dealership
c/o Book Records
17 Library St.
Binding USA
No suggestion will be deemed too ridiculous. See you round the old spittoon,
Sir Robert Stove, Mayor, Teen Town
Once again we have returned from the welcome arms of Spain. We'd like to thank Heart Of Gold, Funtastic Dracula Carnival, and Rock & Roll Inc. for making it another memorable trip.
Little did we know what we'd return home to this week. Perhaps we should have stayed.
Especially in honor of our upcoming Spanish sojourn, we have concocted a compact disc worthy of such an occasion. Consisting of rare and previously unreleased gems, EXTINTORES y TXIPIRONES is pretty much as advertised (although some might say it's more likely to fuel a conflagration than extinguish it). Some of these songs have appeared on long-out-of-print 45s or compilations, some nowhere at all.
One thing is guaranteed: this disc is a BLAZER from start to finish. We'll be selling the ignominious little slab for a paltry ten dollars or euros, depending on your preference.
We should have it available at The Sunset Tavern on Oct. 20, and then throughout the following Spain tour.
Come and git 'er!
Bob Mehr's recent TROUBLE BOYS chronicles the downs and ups and downs of one of our very favorite bands.
YFF donut-tosser Scott McCaughey will join Mehr and Replacements' ex-manager/friend/protector/A&R/all-around-good-guy Peter Jesperson for a chat about the 'Mats in all their ragged downtrodden glory.
Portland, Oregon, Powell's Books (downtown location), Sunday July 24, 4 p.m.
It's on! The Fellows are heading back to Spain this October for the FUNTASTIC DRACULA CARNIVAL (apparently we only play festivals that The Mummies are also playing). Expect to see a batch of other dates added. We can't wait!
You may have noticed that as the years roll on, the Young Fresh Fellows get more and more persnickety about which gigs we choose to play. Our time is so very precious! That's why we played at Chop Suey last month with our great pals Girl Trouble and the Tripwires -- certainly a show of that QUALITY cuts the mustard, and a sold-out crowd of our favorite knuckleheads proved that, once again, our judgement was infallible. Thanks to all who came to witness what surely will go down in history as a rock show.
But now, on to the MEAT of the matter. That's right, we are talking the BURGER BOOGALOO, an event of such magnitude that the very John Waters will make the trek from Baltimore to MC this wild weekend for the second consecutive year. And 2016 is the year the Burgermeisters take it up another notch, inviting the Young Fresh Fellows to lend our special magic to the festivities. And lend we shall! Check out the stellar line-up of legendary purveyors of punk'n'roll and you'll no doubt understand how honored we feel to be listed amongst all of these true greats. We're going to have to bring our A-Game, there's no doubt about it. And maybe we can catch an A's game while we're at it.
It's June 25-26 in Oakland CA. EVERYONE is going.
For tix and info on this festival extraordinaire:
Well, it's that time of year again, dear listeners. No, I'm not talking about breaking out Phil Spector's Christmas Album (though that's never a bad idea - even in July). I'm talking about 6 p.m. December 23rd (name your time zone), when stalwarts scattered the world over raise a pint of Guinness (or acceptable beverage of one's own choosing) to Jimmy Silva, the great friend and songwriter who left us now twenty-one long years ago. If you are a fan of the music of the Minus 5 and/or the Young Fresh Fellows (and why would you be reading this if you weren't?), then you know Dr. Jim Silva was a collaborator and inspirational instigator from the beginning, and in fact far before. This year we toast also Jimmy's true pal and musical accomplice Eric Scott, who has recently joined whatever version of the Goats is currently performing wherever the two of them reside. Maybe Ian McLagan, who we lost a year ago, is handling Wurlitzer/B3 duties. And John Lennon is supplying walls of ear-splitting feedback.
Hopefully you have some of those rare Silva sounds on hand to partake of this evening. Or perhaps the excellent tribute CD Through A Faraway Window, on which a diverse group of luminaries perform many of Silva's finest songs. Lacking any of those, I'm sure Jimmy and Eric would be happy to know you were listening to The Who, Kinks, Byrds, Small Faces, Beatles and R.E.M. on their behalf.
By the way, this seems as good a time as any to announce the upcoming release of the one and only FLYWHEELS album, coming in 2016. Eric Scott and Kim Wonderley, besides their work with Silva, have written and sung songs together for many years, and now a newly-recorded collection is near completion. This album is a true labor of love, and I believe it comes across that way -- it's a beautiful record! Featuring Kim & Eric plus various members of the Minus 5/YFF, Orange Peels, Smithereens, etc. And there will be a musical celebration of Eric's life at Thee Parkside in San Francisco, February 20, 2016. More on that later...