SKiN GRAFT News for You's

B A L L P E E N B U L L E T I N S ( ! )

updated: 04 / 04 / 2003

BREAKING NEWS ( ! )
From the ashes of
Arab On Radar and Six Finger Satellite come
The Chinese Stars.
Their debut release "Turbo Mattress" will be available this July. Watch this space for more info and check out their new website:
http://www.thechinesestars.com

ITEM! Effective immediately SKiN GRAFT and the SYMBIOTIC LABEL GROUP have joined ALLEGRO MUSIC and NAIL DISTRIBUTION for distribution across North America and beyond! For retailers and record store loiterers alike, that's what we call "mm-mm good" news!

A special catalog has been assembled to pimp the Symbiotic wares, record store buyer types can check it out as a PDF file HERE (Adobe Acrobat required). We recommend downloading this sucker to your desktop, it's a big one.

ITEM! As YOU FANTASTIC! so eloquently pointed out a few years back with their "Pals" CDEP, everybody needs a friend. And it sure seems like plenty of you have made Pay Pal your buddy when it comes to scoring stuff over the internet. So to make it even easier for you to drop coins in our coughers, we proudly present the brand-spanking new SKiN GRAFT PAY PAL SHOP!!! Purchases in the SKiN GRAFT shop allow you to pay with mom's credit card, e-check or even straight from your bank account. If you are not already a PayPal member, you'll find more info and can sign up HERE. Inside the SKiN GRAFT shop you'll find a plethora of purchasing possibilities, CD's, LP's, posters, stickers and even a SKiN GRAFT 1" Logo Button - a perfect match for your white belt (or socks). To hop to the SG shop, click HERE and you'll be whisked away. Of course you can still get your SG fix in the tried and true way, by sending us your $$$$ through the mail. To make things easier for you traditionalists (and so you don't feel left out), we've created a handy order form for you to print out! Just scribble your order onto it and mail it our way with your check or money order. Check it out HERE. And for further mailorder instructions, allow me to redirect you to our CATALOG page.

ITEM! I have heard the upcoming album from CHEER-ACCIDENT. I have seen the preliminary artwork. The title resides on the tip of my tongue and, by crom, is it sour! The new C-A epic has been christened "Introducing Lemon", and folks, the aftertaste of this one will leave you puckered up and open to the sucker punch. An advance MP3 has already been leaked to the SKiN GRAFT Club and reaction has been fanatic. Stay tuned for more taunts, teases and that inevitable release date, and perhaps the biggest shock of all - word of another C-A full length, completely different and scheduled SOON! More on that next time! In other C-A news, Dylan Posa has relocated to New Orleans, so filling his sizable slippers is none other than Kurt Johnson (another Flying Luttenbachers alumni)!!! More? Go HERE to read up on the band.

ITEM! RUINS rule.

ITEM! We've got two ARAB ON RADAR T-shirts back in stock for mailorder. Choose from the "Bloody Crotch" or "Gold" design. Sizes available include Large, Medium, Small and Youth Large. Prices are $12.00 each postpaid. Supplies are limited, so get 'em while the gettin's good!

updated: 02 / 04 / 2003
drawing by mark fischer

Hi Trüe Believers ( ! )
SKiN GRAFT's Ace Reporter, "Jazzy" Joe Romita here with yet another update to tempt and tease the tin-eared and iron-jawed alike (!), so glom onto your neighbor's shoulder, get yourself comfortable and lets go!

ITEM! As was recounted some time ago on these very pages, the members of Gorge Trio (John Dieterich, Chad Popple and Ed Rodriguez, of the late, great COLOSSAMITE) were in the midst of hurdling great distances, preparing an album for release here on SGR. Well, wisenheimer, they ain't finished it yet, but yes, they are ON TOUR... across Europe even!!!

FYI: Gorge Trio have two previous full length CD's out courtesy of Italy's prestigious Freeland Record label: "Dead Chicken Fear No Knife" and "For Loss Of" with Milo Fine (of the Free Jazz Ensemble - circa 1969). John also performs in Deerhoof, whom Gorge Trio will be traveling with - see?:
g o r g e . t r i o
tour of europe 2003
~~ February / March
~~ with DEERHOOF

2 / 3 / 2003 The Pit's KORTRIJK, BELGIUM
2 / 4 / 2003 Worm ROTTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
2 / 5 / 2003 Occii AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
2 / 6 / 2003 Scsi Cell DEN HAAG, NETHERLANDS
2 / 7 / 2003 Les Tanneries DIJON, FRANCE
2 / 8 / 2003 Les Instants Chavires PARIS, FRANCE
2 / 9 / 2003 Le Mondo Bizarro RENNES, FRANCE
2 / 10 / 2003 Le Local Univerel BORDEAUX, FRANCE
2 / 11 / 2003 Le Caravan Serail TOULOUSE, FRANCE
2 / 12 / 2003 Cafe Music LYON, ITALY
2 / 13 / 2003 Classico Village ROMA, ITALY
2 / 14 / 2003 Mercati Generali CATANIA, ITALY
2 / 15 / 2003 i candelal PALERMO, ITALY
2 / 16 / 2003 CAULONIA MARINA, ITALY
2 / 17 / 2003 Marabu NAPOLI, ITALY
2 / 18 / 2003 Kset ZAGREB, CROATIA
2 / 19 / 2003 Mark's Haus VIENNA, AUSTRIA
2 / 20 / 2003 The Cafe Exzess FRANKFURT, GERMANY
2 / 22 / 2003 Molotov HAMBURG, GERMANY

NEW DATES ADDED (without Deerhoof):
2 / 23 / 2003 aarhus ( in an art school )
2 / 24 / 2003 malmo
2 / 25 / 2003 Moss
2 / 26 / 2003 stavanger ( chekpoint charlie )
2 / 27 / 2003 bergen( landmark )
2 / 28 / 2003 oslo ( bar moskva )
3 / 01 / 2003 aalborg (1000 fryd )
3 / 2 / 2003 copenhagen ( play / rec club)
3 / 3 / 2003 berlin ( ausland )
3 / 4 / 2003 leipzig

Get a (big) load of this MP3 sample:
GORGE TRIO w/ MILO FINE "One Hand & One Foot" / 9.30 MB
from their album "For Loss Of" on Freeland (Visit them via the Links Page!).

ITEM! The posture of the the unholy trio of Rockin' Rob Syers, Mirthful' Mark Fischer and Jeepin' Jeff Bentle has never been worse. See, in the corners of their respective apartments these guys have been hunched over at work on a NEW issue of SKiN GRAFT COMiX - after a TEN YEAR hiatus!!! Word has it that an astonishing 4 pages have already been partially penciled! Fortunately, while we all wait for 'em to get it in gear, Rob and Mark each have new comics available for your bemusement now ~

In ROCTOBER Magazine, Rob continues the Nine Life Deathwish of Gumballhead The Cat! In the latest installment, issue number 35, Rob pulls out all the stops in "GIANT" - featuring a giant (natch), the Maharinces of Franistan, shady FBI dealings and MURDER BY HOT ROD!!! Issues of ROCTOBER can be ordered by visiting their website HERE - and your efforts will be aptly rewarded (with stomach cramps) cuz Rob's comics will have your sides splitting!

Meanwhile, Mark drops the third installment of STAGGERING STORIES for Seattle's MATTE MAGAZINE (issue number 3). This time out the Karate Chimp and his hulking companion come face to face with those "fuckers" from another world, and they'll stop at nothing to solve the secret of the Now Wave! Mark has drawn up chapters for all three square-bound issues of Matte, so order a set via their website HERE, and raise the IQ of your bookshelf.

Next time I'll see if I can scam a sneak peak at Jeff Bentle's new Ass Bandit strip currently in development for SG Comix!

ITEM! A few new photos have come our way courtesy of Josh Wiese. Check out the new pics of SHORTY and DAZZLING KILLMEN in the photogalleries. We're still short on Shorty pics, so if you've got any stashed away, send em in this direction.

ITEM! Thanks for all of the sympathy cards over the passing of ARAB ON RADAR. We here at SG are plenty broken up about it, but glue is at a premium price these days and we stick together pretty well. We know the drill - and Arab On Radar follow in the fine tradition of Brise-Glace, Space Streakings, Dazzling Killmen, Lake Of Dracula, Colossamite, Shorty and about six Flying Luttenbachers lineups by busting up in their prime. Between you and me, I can tell ya that two new bands are knocking themselves out in their respective practice spaces as I type, so hit the highway atheists, there is life after death.

ITEM! Yes, we still have a VERY limited number of the Arab On Radar / Kid Commando split 7"s for mailorder. We had backorders through the roof for this thing from distributors, but we turned 'em all down so we could serve the platters up to our faithful mailorder-ers. Act now before we start selling 'em on ebay to finance that new hot tub... ITEM! And having just mentioned THE FLYING LUTTENBACHERS (well, three items ago), best of luck to Weasel Walter on his move to Oakland, California. Weasel will be assembling a new TFL lineup out west and as we all know, there's gold in them thar hills!

ITEM! If you've experienced problems getting some of the streaming videos at the SGTV page to work in the past, then it's time to experience some good times! All, with the exception of The Luttenbachers live show (that one is still AWOL), are back up and running! Check 'em out HERE.

ITEM! Just enough time for a quick plug for the new split 7" sporting two post-Dazzling Killmen acts; Darin Gray's GRAND ULENA and Nick Sakes' SICBAY! The single is the first release on NIck's own Sawtooth Record label in many, many moons and it's 7 inches are sure to bring you at least 3 feet of pleasure! To score, send $4.00 (US) or $5.00 (world) payable to: Nick Sakes 3000 NE Polk, Minneapolis, MN 55418 or send paypal payments to sicbay@hotmail.com.

ITEM! And lastly, please join me in a three armed salute to Brian "piles" Peterson who has elected to take an early retirement from his post at Sgraft in order to focus on his booking activities at MP Shows. Brian served the label and it's bands well during his tenure as "Les Charm" of SKiN GRAFT Enterprises and he will be missed. Effective immediately, Rob Syers has stepped up to see that the SG U.S. mailorder goes out, the checks get written and the dragon is fed. Mark Fischer will continue to swab the decks from his HQ in Vienna, Austria.

Friends, the dark side is calling so I leave you with the immortal words of Fabian Vad L'Rouge (the 2nd): "Biniquona lephant yolasus!", which, when translated, comes out something like...

Excel-sore!

"JAZZY" JOE ROMITA

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