Stranglers Cobra Lounge Chicago June 7, 2013

"I had a woman ship / I took her overseas / She left her hold unlocked / I had to find a dock / I was a toiler on the sea / I was a toiler on the sea."

After 20 years they returned to play the States with a few dates in New York, Detroit (cancelled) Chicago and Long Beach.   I was lucky enuf to be on their mailing list.  One of my favorite bands of all time!!!

The opening song, Toiler on the Sea, laid the foundation for the plundering to come.  Bass infused riffs emanating non-stop from J.J. Burnel's bass, hands never tiring, up and down the fret board, hammering out simple yet blistering rhythms as their Norse boat cracked the waves.

  "We came across the West sea.  We didn't have much idea 'bout the kind of climate waiting."

After four songs they stood there at the front of the stage... quiet... expectant... listening.. for requests?  The crowd could only come up with a cheer.  I didn't yell any song names, didn't have any on the tip of my tongue.  I didn't want to have to think.  I only wanted the entertainment to sweep me up in a  punk- funk frenzy that only the Stranglers can deliver.

and deliver they did....powering into what i think is their #1 song Nice N Sleazy, easily one of the best rock n' roll songs of all time.

"An angel came from outside, Had no halo, had no father, with a coat of many colours...."

They performed their staples, Peaches, Walk on By in workmanlike fashion and brought the house down with Who Wants the World?  Their hard core fans recognized this little ditty as another of their very best, songs.  Dig the unusual mix of bass, vocals, odd syncopated rhythms and keyboards!

who wants the world?

Not to mention, "Golden Brown," "Skin Deep," Get A Grip (On Yourself), "Nuclear Device" "Tank, Hanging Around," etc.  The Stranglers obviously do not rely on formula to come up with their songs. They all sound so different.  The interplay between guitar and keyboards deserves mention in that these guys are more trained musicians than those other songsmiths who depend on more rudimentary forms.  They do not consist of 3-chord rock ala Gabba Gabba Hey!

The Stranglers deserve a wider audience than what they got. They never were media darlings. The critics held a grudge against them since Burnell was known to beat up the competition including a sex pistol or two..  They seemed so much more intellectual than the Clash or Pistols with songs about concepts (No More Heroes, Skin Deep) and stories (Nice n Sleazy, the Raven), and with the addition of a maestro keyboard there was an extra element going on making them the most musically proficient band  labelled:  "punk."

 "He spoke of brothers many, wine and women, song aplenty, he began to write a chapter in his story"

Having had the pleasure of seeing a truly original band in this age of copycats, the audience was thoroughly pleased.    When all was said and done, we wiped our brows, encamped upon the new world, all pillaging behind us, les voyageurs left to explore the world with memories of Stranglers classics afresh in our minds.

"All quiet on the Eastern front."

 Obliterati

Destroyed Newspapers

On May 31, 2013 I got the idea to rip up the newspaper.

I hadn't made any art for quite a few months and I had the sudden urge to express myself.

Being a subscriber to the Chicago Tribune for some time, I thought about the hypocritical content that the newspaper feeds its customers... day in and day out...

....supposed to be dynamic, ever changing, always "new," but somehow, I got the feeling I was digesting the same, regurgitated messages.

So I ripped it up. 

It felt good.  It felt right.

I tied it up. 

I bound it up and took pictures of it. 

I got the upper hand.

I took control.

I thought it would be a one shot deal but my curator suggested a series.

It keeps working.  It feels good.  Ever changing.  It feels right....

developing intellectually, like a painting. I will do it for a year!

Take world events, the weather, the letters to the editor and rip them up. 

Shred them.  Transform them. 

Tear up the paper. 

Make your own headlines.

Joe Kotas

Chicago, 6/17/2013

1980

The Movie

"A masterpiece of color, composition music and light. The Walking Dead meets The Harlem Shake.   Thirty three (33) years ahead of its time."  NYTimes Art Critic Karl Kink, April 1, 2013

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, I finally got around to transferring my super-8 film 1980, which was made in..  you guessed it... 1980! 

Here is the flyer that went with a showing at one of western NY's most beloved nightclub's:

photo credit:  the Szpakowski bros. (c) 1981

"1980"  made its debut at HALLWALLS, Buffalo, NY's premier art gallery on March 9, 1981.

HALLWALLS

Featuring unpaid actors, famous in their own right, who btw, haven't commented on it's recent premier, hand-picked by our casting director, Guy Manning.  The idea was to dance around in a cemetery to celebrate their mortal existence.  After being transported to a strange and otherworldly placement, the dancers were no longer able to find their natural rhythm.  This idea finds its roots in the philosophy of Hegel and Kant (dance.)

Any who, after 33 years in captivity..... we present.... "1980."