Gary Angelo is a staunch supporter of the Youngstown music scene and knows more about all types of music than anyone I’ve ever met. 
I used to think my tastes were underground or fairly off the radar until I met Gary. Not only did he know every single band I mentioned to him, he gave me about 50 others in the same relative genre that I had never heard of.
Sometimes his reference points are so obscure you would swear he was making it up. Then you do a quick Google search, and sure enough an entire discography of some unknown gem of a band comes up and you can’t help but research them for yourself.
Gary goes by the name Damien Killjoy during his frequent appearances on The Homegrown Show with Viking Jim on 93.3 The Wolf Sunday night’s at 9.
I always love when Gary throws out a comparison to a band that neither Vike, nor anyone else listening has ever heard of. Gary is small in stature but you can’t help but be crushed by his musical knowledge.
He is one of the world’s good guys as it were. He’s quick to attend a variety of shows and if you give him a minute, he’ll turn you on to music you’ve never heard simply based on your current tastes.
In the second installment of the Juke Joint, Gary throws down his ultimate playlist.
And as usual, he’s given me another vast collection of artists to research for myself.
“Juke Joint” picks by Gary S. Angelo/Youngstown Music Journalist/Writer/Radio personality
Artist: U-Men
Song: Freezebomb
Album: Freezebomb 7” (1988) Amphetamine Reptile also compiled on “Solid Action” Chuckie Boy Records (1999)
Description: I love the diabolical chanting in this song and the frenetic energy that it evokes and of course you can’t help but to think of Batman and Robin and Mr. Freeze. I believe U-Men stood apart from their Washington State peers in that they were a beautiful mess of rockabilly, surf, no-wave and Dadaist –inspired post-punk. They liked to call their style of music “swamp –a-billy,” but it still evokes the passionate anger of Nick Cave. These guys shared stages with acclaimed heroes like The Cramps, Butthole Surfers, Saint Vitus, Bad Brains and Soundgarden, but no one is as crazy as the U-Men.U-Men always make perfect sense to me whether its 5 a.m. or 5 p.m.
Artist: The Prisoners
Song: “Far Away”
Album: The WiserMiserDemelza BigBeat UK (1983)
Description: I think one of the best parts of the 80s was the mod / garage revivalist movement. The Prisoners sound ranged from dark-organ driven landscapes to catchy garage stomps. The band played and gigged with contemporaries like Billy Childish and his fellow Milkshakes. To me “Far Away” captures the aura of Britain circa 1983.
Artist: Scientists
Song: “Murderess In a Purple Dress”
Album: Blood Red River 1982-1984 (Citadel Records)
Description: I love Australian garage punk, and I could probably do an entire list of Australian greats for a “Juke Joint” section. I decided to scale it down to one and I chose the Scientists. I think the Scientists influence a lot of what we listen to today, at least my surrounding peers can agree. For me Blood Red River was an instant love. The Scientists inspired all of our Scratch Acids, Jesus Lizards, and Laughing Hyenas. The Scientists roll it up all together with outback –inspired slide guitar blues, 70s Glam, 60s Acid rock and my favorite no-wave noise. The track “Murderess In A Purple Dress” to me really sticks out with its whirlwind guitar buzzes and howls.
Artist: Stress Magnets
Song: “Prurience”
Album: These Are My Boys Go Kart (1995)
Description: One of the key structures I look for in a song is a strong bass and rhythm foundation and this post-punk rarity made me more appreciative of these components. “Prurience” embodies that slap bass method underneath caustic post-punk noise guitar. Paul Velat aka Lord of the Yum Yum used to play gigs with Stress Magnets back in the day with his fIREHOSE (Mike Watt post Minutemen band) inspired project, Herbal Flesh Tea. Now lets talk about the Baltimore , Maryland’s Stress Magnets. I was never a huge fan of funky rhythms until I picked up “These Are My Boys.” Its intriguing awkwardness goes head-on with the guitar precision of Mission of Burma and Alice Donut. Interesting fact, Stress Magnets drummer, Rob Oswald has spent time in the bands Nebula, Queens of the Stoneage, and Year Long Disaster, just to name a few.
Artist: Loop
Song: “Fix To Fall”
Album: Heavens End ATILA Revolver/Reactor (1987)
Description: This song was the muse to my many moth paintings. I love it because it sounds like the end of the world in slow motion, and to me that’s absolute rock ‘n’ roll . It’s like Saturn’s rings are caked with rust. Loop was always my all time favorite shoegaze band because they successfully intertwined heavy, grinding, no-wave noise with polished progressive noise. I could always have Loop’s “Heaven’s End” blasting in one room and My Bloody Valentine’s 1988’s “Isn’t Anything” in the other, which is the ideal progressive psychedelic experience which isn’t by any means “throwback.” This song opens with Loop founder Robert Hampson’s guitar shrieks and reverb- soaked hums and progresses with a slow burn grind. Loop was a very short-lived band. For all you aggro-rock connoisseurs out there, when Loop split up in 1991, Hampson joined Godflesh for just a short amount of time. It was either Loop’s “Fix To Fall” or Fudge Tunnel’s “Soap and Water” off of their 1991 Hate Songs In E Minor. In the end Loop’s “Fix To Fall” is the weapon of choice.
Artist: Pitchblende also known as Pitchblende Quartet
Song: “Discoskull”
Album: Kill Atom Smasher Cargo/Fist Puppet (1993)
Description: Former Youngstown native Justin Chearno played drums in this DC noise rock powerhouse. A lot say these guys were disciples of Mission of Burma and Sonic Youth, but I always felt they had their own unique musicianship, which I can’t help admiring. The track “Discoskull” is a driving instrumental and Chearno’s drums provide the perfect anchor. Pitchblende is a classic. Everyone in Youngstown should know this band.
Artist: Drive Like Jehu
Song: “Step On a Chameleon”
Album: Self-Titled Cargo/ Headhunter Records (1992)
Description: Any fan of any type of “core” subgenre should delve into Drive Like Jehu’s self-titled full length record. To me, Jehu’s sound represented the next evolving door of post-hardcore sounds to arrive in the mid 90s up until the present. The tracks “Step On a Chameleon” and the album’s opener, “Caress” are my personal favorites, but I went with “Step On A Chameleon,” for its melodic chorus and spastic jumping structures.
Artist: Swervedriver
Song: “Girl On a Motorbike”
Album: Mezcal Head A&M Records
Description: If you know me well enough, you know Swervedriver will eventually end up on some list of mine as far as influences. It’s hard to choose just one Swervedriver track. The album Mezcal Head is a straight -up shoegazer, but with a very clean and pronounced volume. The songs are compiled in a cohesive fashion. “Girl On a Motorbike” evokes a lot of mystery and its dark ethereal mystical charm makes it the prettiest song on Mezcal Hea,d right next to “The Hitcher.”
Artist: Ride
Song: “Close My Eyes”
Album: Smile 1990 Sire/Creation
Description: Perfect morning- after -ditty or when you are having one of those days where you are just haulin’ ass. “Close My Eyes is comprised of reverb soaked jagged pop at its finest. The amplifiers hissing just serve as that perfect trill, which looms in the background during the beginning. The live version of “Close My Eyes” on Ride’s 1995 live Mutiny Records Disc, Live Light, is a bit more stripped down but just as visceral as its fine studio original. I had “Close My Eyes” by Ride on a constant spin while attending YSU. It’s so weary, tired, but yet uplifting. To me, that is the most exuberating contrast of worlds.
Album: Mousetrap Twin Tone Records (1989)
Description: It took me a long time to warm up to this album, but I am so glad I held on to it because I love the heck out of it today. Das Damen’s “Moustrap” is just as blissed out and wonderful as their 1988 SST Release, Triskaidekaphobe and the band’s 1986 self- titled album on Thurston Moore’s (Sonic Youth) label, Ecstatic Peace. Das Damen was a simple mid to late 80s New York mood rock band. The guitar chime at the opening of “Mirror Leaks:” is absolutely larger than life. This song embodies one of the most stellar wah pedal- induced guitar solos.” The guitar’s crunch and then lapse into a glassy jangle during the song’s chorus that adds to the ideal introspective moment.
