The Formative Years – Spermbirds

First incepted in 1982 in Kaiserslautern and having evolved from the fun punk band Die Walter Elf, an outfit that was more inspired by traditional British classic punk,  Spermbirds established themselves quickly as a trailblazer in the realm of catapulting Germany on the forefront of the firmament of the American hardcore punk inspired scene.

Fronted by the ex-GI Lee Hollis who introduced his other constituents to bands like Minor Threat, Misfits, Descendents, Bad Brains, the Big Boys, et cetera, the band quickly created their own idiosyncratic sound, which was heavily influenced by the attitude of bands like Angry Samoans and Agent Orange.

With the advent of the 1990s, not unlike many of their contemporaries Spermbirds underwent style and line-up changes, with Lee Hollis departing to explore ventures not unlike the more artistically inclined, progressive rock inspired post-hardcore outfit 2Bad. While it saw Spermbirds garnering some mainstream success and a departure from their trademark hardcore sounds, it did not last long before dissolving only to eventually reconnect with their roots, leading to a reunion with Hollis, resulting in them continuing their journey to this day.

Of unwavering relevance to this day not merely for the European hardcore scene are their first four albums - not merely because of their fast, furious and innovative sound and unbridled at times un-PC attitude but mainly due to the fact that they reflect the times and spirit of the nascent German hardcore scene in an authentic and most infectious form.

What’s Sumatra with You?

Mecca Coffee

While Australia is known on international terrain for its great coffee culture with a myriad of quality outlets, in its nascent stage they were few roasters that endeavours to strive for transparency and fair trading as much as Mecca Coffee did, travelling wide and far to both resolve logistical obstacles as well as do better for our planet while appreciating and honouring the efforts of the producers.

Given the aforementioned, perceiving itself as a piece of the mosaic that makes the fabric of the coffee loving community, valuing an ethical approach, sustainability and leveraging its values of authenticity, Mecca became quickly a pioneering roaster, supplying coffee to hundreds of boutique cafés up and down the east coast, including its own high-ceilinged flagship outlet, where one can stack up on Mecca’s curated range of java beans or alternatively enjoy an expertly brewed cup with seasonal house blends, espresso blends, and coffees sourced from Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. 

Apart from Mecca’s milk chocolatey core House blend, which I have grown to love as the foundation for Flat Whites, include the Maria Olimpia variant from Honduras, which with its bright and juicy blood orange and sugarcane accents lends itself particularly well to be enjoyed as a straight up espresso due its nuances not needing to rely on any interference of sugar or milk.

Same goes for Mecca’s maple syrupy Los Rosales and José Hernán Salazar roasts: Sourced from Colombia, especially the latter with its sweetly complex melange of well calibrated bergamot and papaya florals is one of the most delicately balanced Pink Bourbon variants I have had the fortune to taste and a testament to how Mecca channels its alchemy when it comes to the curation of its beans.

Hello Coffee

Based in an area where the espresso heritage holds strong, i.e. the Australian state of Victoria, and nestled in Apollo Bay at the foot of the green hills of the Otways, the community-based specialty roasters of artisan coffees known as Hello Coffee only recently popped up on my radar.

Having started out with an intrinsic love for quality coffee and the willingness to experiment, the founders originally tracked down an old coffee roaster to practise and what started out in a shed has quickly evolved to become a veritable third place for the local community and the HQ from which Hello Coffee roasts speciality grade beans from mainly Central America, Africa but also areas that are not necessarily known for its coffee bean production, i.e. terra australis.

Ranging from light-fruity roasts for filter lovers on one end of the spectrum to darker roasts, e.g. their excellent cherry and dark chocolate  flavoured, vibrant Dark Seas roast, for milk-based drinkers, Hello Coffee offers a wide variety of nuances with its expressions, with the common denominator being the use of quality beans.

My absolute favourite of the Hello Coffee range, apart from their silky smooth The High Road roast with blueberries dancing against a backdrop of chocolatey highlights, is their Whisky Aged Single Origin variant: Sourced from Columbia and carrying the resulting full-bodied characteristics of its origin, the beans have been aged in oak whisky barrels for four weeks, resulting in a tour de force of fortified wine and preserved fruit flavours. 

I can only hope that the fine people behind Hello Coffee harbour a weak spot for Islay whiskies and consider a collaboration with whisky distilleries of the smoky and peaty variant to source barrels from.

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images from company websites

The Formative Years – Dead Moon

After having been in bands like the Weeds and Lollipop Shoppe, Fred Cole founded the punk-influenced Rats in the late 1970s before focussing his efforts on country music and Americana. 

It was not until 1987 that he founded Dead Moon with a line-up that would remain consistent in trio form until the band disbanded in 2006, i.e. with singer/bassist Toody Cole and Fred's wife and drummer Andrew Loomis

Dead Moon dominated Portland’s independent scene and exerted an immense influence on the wider underground scene with their idiosyncratic melange of country, garage and punk music influences. Infused with Cole’s omnipresent 1960s roots, their trademark stripped down sound and rounded out with a gloomy lyrics centred around unrequited love they carve out a lane for themselves.

Given the fact that Dead Moon refused to play outside their neck of the woods in the US until the mid-1990s, they were better known in Europe and countries like Australia, where they developed a fanatic cult following from the get go.

While I have to admit that I did not click instantaneously with Cole’s high, quavering vocals when I first encountered them as a teenager, they eventually grew on me once I realized how unique their own enthusiastically expressive brand of vintage punk rock was, which was further amplified by the fact that most of their recordings have been mastered on a mono recording lathe and released on their own label Tombstone Records.

Once one delves into the back catalogue of Dead Moon, it should not prove wondrous to realize how much of an impact that had on what was to emerge as grunge in Seattle, with especially bands like Pearl Jam making no secret of the fact that they adored them.

Check out one of their late reunion shows:

Gallery Bastian and Anselm Kiefer

Gallery Bastian had not only been internationally known, renowned for their exhibition spaces and firmly established itself firmly on the firmament of art aficionados due to their astute curatorship when it comes to presenting remarkable artworks of both modern and post-war eras, but also been on my radar for the longest time.

Needless to say, when I learned about Bastian Gallery’s ongoing collaborations with Anselm Kiefer culminating in-focused exhibitions, I had to zero in on their efforts. 

What sets Bastian Gallery apart from other galleries is the fact that they are not merely focussed on the tested and tried but instead are focused on pushing boundaries and with its access, are in the position to exhibit exclusive and more recent works of well-established artists, with most of Kiefer’s more recent emissions being based on the common denominator that their physical presence is pervaded by a tangible fragility, elevated haptics and lyrical analogies. 

Bastian Gallery’s most recent Anselm Kiefer exhibition served as a christening of their newly established gallery pavilion in Berlin,  which saw Kiefer center his artworks thematically around poems of Arthur Rimbaud, explorations of metaphysical dimensions along with his trademark references to post-war Germany set against the backdrop of the historical developments in the twentieth century as well as current ones.

Bastian Gallery also has a publishing arm, which accompanies their exhibitions with dedicated catalogues, with Heiner Bastian’s monograph on Anselm Kiefer being not only being one of the more comprehensive ones but allowing a glimpse into Heiner Bastian’s approach to curation and his outlook on art at large, which is substantiated by the profound essays he penned to contextualise and pay homage to Anselm Kiefer’s oeuvre at large.

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image from gallery website

The Menzingers are back on tour and it's a beautiful thing! Despite a two-show stint in Hollywood, The Menzingers still made a stop 40-minutes away to appease the punks of Pomona at The Glass House. The town center was alive with bar-hoppers and concert-goers as i made my way to the venue's front doors. Unfortunately, I missed Sincere Engineer's set, which I was excited for and hoping to catch. I made it in just in time to see them play through their last song. The second band joining The Menzingers on their North American tour is Oso Oso. Not a band I was familiar with. They had their own fan base amongst the seemingly thin crowd. With some spouting from time-to-time how they were only there to see them. They played a tight and energetic set, and when they finished, many of the fans left.

I was beginning to wonder how the crowd would be for Menzingers as it was still a little shallow. Had most of the fans got their fill in Hollywood? Was it cause it was a Sunday night? Minutes before The Menzingers hit the stage, the tide turned as fans started to file in to fill the floor. The band walked out to the sound of Joey Ramone begging the question, "Do You Wanna Dance?" They blasted into the dueling guitars of Hello Exile's "Strangers Forever." The audience made their presence known, but there was a clear awakening once the band went into On the Impossible Past's "The Obituaries." Their voices carried as Greg Barnett lifted the mic stand during the song's bridge.

The band continued to play through fan-favorites from the past their past 4 albums, like "Good Things/Burn After Writing," "I Don't Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore," and "Thick as Thieves" while digging into a deeper like "Strawberry Mansion." The Menzingers have begun to shun their first few releases, which isn't much of a surprise, but I'd love for them to slip in an old gem here and there from at least Chamberlain Waits. While much of that feels like a different band now, there are plenty of hints of what they'd become to fit in with their set. However, understandably, it's obvious that it's not necessary to excite the fans. The energy exploded as that opening riff to "After the Party" kicked off the end of the set and members of the audience begun to launch off the stage while others rose from the center to crowdsurf. The band came back for their encore to finish out the night with "America (You're Freaking Me Out)," "Ava House," and "Lookers."

I've lost track of how many times I've seen The Menzingers now. They're one of the few bands I've followed throughout most of their career. I've seen them grow and change, but they never disappoint. Somehow, Tom May still hops around with the energy of a 5 year old and it's still endearing. The band is only midway through their tour, so if they're coming to your town, I implore you to give them your money. It'll be worth it.