CITIZEN BLAST KANE Surreptitiously Stocks Up Second-Hand Stores with Their Brand of Lo-Fi Punk Tunes Set to a Mind-Melting Mix of Clips and Snips from VHS Flicks Mingled with Original Music Videos!
That's right, Tapeheads! Tune in, Turn up, and FREAK OUT.
LM: What is Citizen Blast Kane? What’s it all about? ABakaLJ: CBK is a musical instrument band/gang. It’s my associates and I roaming the streets of Hackensack hard up for hot dog money. It’s about fun at all costs mostly all of the time.
The most excellent artwork for CBK: VALUE ONE. So many gems on here. It's like perfect.
The CBK Value One tape is free? That rules. AND you’re putting it in Salvation Army stores and stuff, right? It’s free from me and it’s good for you! I figured if I tried to sell it, Victor Wooten might sue me. I’ll be dropping them off sometime next week. We first unloaded merch at thrift stores when we were at SXSW in Austin. Z-Mang and I drew some pretty strong bootleg Barts and skulls on napkins and notebook paper and loaded up DVD cases with the Lobster Dinner Demos CD and the original DVD of CBK’s music videos. That being said, I recommend that you try it. Sneaking things into the Salvation Army instead of using the designated drop off is rad ass. It’s like reverse stealing.
Super-Mega-Rad-Bitchin' Bootleg Bart fixin' for some comfort, man! COOL SHIRT, TOO.
It’s also available for free online RIGHT HERE; but, for the yell of it, tell us what we can expect from CBK Value One. I see you got some really gnarly and obscure clips runnin’ through there. BEACH HOUSE 5EVA. BEACH HOUSE RULEZ! You can expect to see some BEACH HOUSE and BEACH HOUSE is powerful! I tried to avoid using clips most people have seen before but sometimes I can’t help but throw in a dash of Arnold, ya dig?
Yessir, sit on down with this CBK magnetic mixer and you'll be as happy as this dude right here. And you should have a sandwich like this dude. Always have a sandwich.
Oh, I can dig it! What’s up with FASTBALL? SOV? You guys did a song for the soundtrack? FASTBALL was a SOV film by Chas Dente, our first drummer. It’s a TR movie about a college baseball pitcher who gets accused of selling coke and kills his entire team with fastballs revenge style. CBK had the titular track. It was the summer of 010’ and I did a lot of swims.
A still from FASTBALL which features CBK tunes. STEEEEEEEERIIIIIKE!
How long have you been collecting VHS? What is it about the format that draws you in? I started collecting mostly horror and 80’s comedies when I was 16, but I’ve always had a VCR. My father claims to be one of the first people in West New York to own one, admitting he essentially spent $1,000 so he could tape ABBOTT AND COSTELLO reruns. It was a huge tank of a bastard that sat in the living room and people didn’t understand. Rewinding baseball games was like magic then. So anyway, yeah, I’ve been watching VHS since I was young. My father would tape TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE for himself and FOLLOW THAT BIRD for me on the same tape. Good times!
A shot of CBK partying on stage. Little known fact: Livingroom has TWO other people in that thing with him. Suh-weet.
What do you think of all the VHS love that’s sweeping the nation again? How’s your experience been with the current VHS collecting community? I think the current VHS resurgence is great! I’m always surprised at how all of us are collecting and watching the same tapes. For example, I think we both just watched BEACH HOUSE. You’re from NJ, so I can ask you this: Wawa Apple Fritters, or Tastycake Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes? Nerds ropes my man, I hate my teeth. I’d personally go with the Tastycake over the fritters. Dude, how you gonna play out Victor Wooten? It’s cool. Just askin. Victor Wooten is a close personal friend of Rick’s. Rick More Anus played with him during Bass Day 97’, so he’s been down with Beaver Felton and the rest of those boys since like day one, so it’s cool. Vic knows we’re just messin’.
Old Vic is more funky than an open hamper and he don't being called, that is when you call him dapper! VIC5EVA.
You guys seem like you know how to party. What’s your recipe for a most excellent party time extravaganza? One part delicious sandwich, one part flavored drink, three part powerful mix tape (or substitute a movie starring John De Hart) and you got yourself a kitchen slam, baby!
A most radical still from CBK's "Sandwich Time" video. Yo, now THIS is a party. LOOK AT ALL THAT BREAD. And is that Tupac? Dope.
What’s next for CBK? Where can we catch you live? When can we expect another mix of analog excellent from the CBK HQ? We are currently finishing up our new album “Straight to Video”. With that we will have more CBK videos and another mixtape coming your way. Value Threes: Part Juan coming this summer to a thrift store near you in NJ mostly. You can see us live in the NY & NJ area. Our next show is this Friday May 9th, at Don Pedro’s in Brooklyn, NY for Joey Steel’s Videoholic Birthday Bash with The Will, Gozer, Scab Eaters, and The Reppellers. Screening VHS behind the bands e.g. ENEMY TERRITORY, TENEMENT, CBK: VALUE ONE, etc. Anything else you wanna scream and shout to all the Tapeheads out there? I got some extra copies of Dom Deluise’s EAT THIS: THE VIDEO (complete set) and SWAYZE DANCING with the postcard for trade. Hit me up. AND, don’t forget to pick up your free copy of CBK “Value One” this Friday night at Don Pedro’s in Brooklyn or keep up to date with our Facebook page for local thrift store drop off info! RESPECTO MONTALBON! LUNCHMEAT MADE A MAN OUTTA ME!Hey, I don’t know exactly what means, but COOL! Yo, Livingroom’s got some serious magnetic magic on the trade chopping block, so you best hit him up and get yourself dancin’ and prancin’ like the Sway. Legends never die, kid, especially when they’re gyrating and groovin’ on reels of analog excellence . And, hey, don’t forget to groove on through to the show tomorrow night for a taste of CBK’s lo-fi laffs and trash rock jams and keep your eyes drilled into CBK’s Official Page so you can keep up with all of their oncoming onslaught of analog antics. These dudes are RAD. You can quote me on that shit.
Groove and Groove and Bacon Grilled Cheese Party Down.
Josh Schafer