#karl hendricks

[frootlooppoptarts]

maximum pleasure guaranteed s01e03 "chunnel"

[bandcampsnoop]

1/15/21.

I can’t pretend that I’m a fan of Come or Codeine (I could very well become one now).  I can’t profess to be a huge fan of The Lemonheads.  But I can say that each of the three Bandcamp-available songs from Chris Brokaw (Cambridge, Massachusetts) - who has been a member of each of the aforementioned bands - are outstanding. 

Brokaw moves between quiet indie-rock (reminiscent of the great Wharf Cat release "Guitar Dreams” by David Vassalotti) to an all-out rock assault on “The Heart of Human Trafficking” that sounds like it could have been on a Wipers album.

This is being released by 12XU (Austin, Texas).  On the 12XU release page, Mark Lanegan (yes, THE Mark Lanegan) states that the songs move to and from “the fragile beauty of the Velvets-esque duet with Claudia Groom, "I'm the Only One for You", and the ghost of Alex Chilton echoing through "The Bragging Rights" onto the GBV-like firestorm of "Periscope Kids", and ending with the ‘On The Beach’-era Neil Young minimal strum of his cover of Karl Hendricks’ “The Night Has No Eyes”.

[saturdayasylum]

RIP Karl Hendricks. 

[donttellasoul-songs]

THE WORST COFFEE I’VE EVER HAD

ARTIST: The Karl Hendricks Trio

HOMETOWN: Pittsburgh, PA

ALBUM: Declare Your Weapons

RELEASED: February, 1998

LABEL: Merge

FILE UNDER: Indie Rock

The break-up song.  The mere mention of this oft-trodden ground conjures ham-fisted metaphors and those Max-Martin-slick, on-the-nose pop anthems that drunken coeds holler from the moonroof of a white limo.  The break-up is now and always has been the pizza of song topics – a reliable standby to fill the space where your verse and chorus go. But in the hands of the right songwriter, it can transform into something stirring, universal and forever. 

The trick is twofold: You have to live it.  And also you have to be talented.

When I hear “Since U Been Gone” do I picture Kelly Clarkson, cheeks stained with mascara, emerging from a cocoon of heartache to shout her freedom from the rooftops?  No.  I picture two middle-aged white guys in a Swedish studio counting their kronas while an engineer works the pitch-shifter. Do I believe Gwen Stefani was sad about Tony Kanal?  Sure.  Do I believe Gwen Stefani has the poetic arsenal and imagination to meaningfully capture that sadness in song?  No.  I am positive she does not.

But when someone breaks the heart of a genius, a song often follows that puts us right there, in those moments of reflection and regret and anger.  We walk with them on the beach, destroyed in the wake of a failed marriage.  We sit with them in quiet as they blame themselves for the loss.  And – as in the greatest break-up song of ALL TIME – we soak up their vitriol and relive their betrayal.

Filed under “angry,” right next to “Don’t Think Twice” is my all-time favorite indie rock break-up song, “The Worst Coffee I’ve Ever Had” by criminally underrated Pittsburgh songwriter Karl Hendricks.  As with Silkworm or Dinosaur Jr., Hendricks is a disciple of the Crazy Horse/Big Black/Gang of Four school of “loud and hollow” – where songs are left blissfully uncluttered, giving those booming drum hits and feedback ample space to breathe.  In fact, Hendricks was often – unfairly – lumped in with J.Mascis, as sort of Dinosaur adjacent. And while the two clearly share a love of crunch and volume, J.’s marblemouth nonsense was never a match for Karl’s candor and literacy (not surprisingly he’s a published author and adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh).

This song – as raw and emotive and anything tracked in the 90’s alt. rock heyday – finds our narrator on a futile quest for a decent cup of joe, against the backdrop of a relationship in bitter collapse.  I rank the final verse here among the most poignant, poetic, acerbic and accurate bank of lyrics I have ever heard:

“She never even gave him back the ring/and you never realize there’s nothing you wanted/until you’ve gotten everything/So let’s go to the toilet, throw up our dreams in turn/but first put that coffee in a thermos, it tastes like shit when it gets burned!”

Goose pimples every time.

(Two quick notes: 1. Not long ago, Karl was diagnosed with oral cancer.  A number of Pittsburgh area fundraisers + a GiveForward campaign appear to have a raised real money to help him fight it, but I cannot find an update on his current condition.  Anyone?  2. If you go to the iTunes store and try to buy this song, you will instead be buying “Magnificent Obsession” by Lambchop (eh). Both songs were released on the same label at roughly the same time, but the main reason for the mix-up is that iTunes sucks shit.)

[bestreasonstowriterecordreviews]

It's July 2014 and KARL HENDRICKS COULD USE YOUR HELP.

Give Forward

No, this is not a fuckin' record review from yesteryear, it's a request for you to consider helping out Mr. Karl Hendricks of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He's dealing with some medical recovery issues. This is what Comedy Minus One's Jon Solomon wrote:

"Make a donation to help our friend Karl Hendricks defer medical expenses as he recovers from oral cancer.

For over 20 years Pittsburgh's Karl Hendricks has been not only a good friend, but one of my favorite musicians. I'm not alone in either of these regards. Karl has personally served as an inspiration to me as a dad, a writer and a small business owner as Karl's the individual who keeps the excellent Sound Cat Records running smoothly. He's a quiet guy, not one to draw attention to himself and certainly not a person who is comfortable asking for help in this fashion. His friends however aren't as reserved. That's why I am writing these words today.

In short: Karl Hendricks has oral cancer. He is working to get better, but it is going to be a long road to recovery. If you would like to make a financial contribution to Team Hendricks, you can do so using this site. This fundraiser is being done with his consent. With Karl unable to work this summer as he mends, times are tight in his household and if you've ever appreciated what Karl has done to better your own life, please consider passing some money his way." 

https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/j805/help-karl-hendricks

Thank you!

[mayoknave]

Karl Hendricks "The Dress You Bought in Cleveland"

[thatssointernet]

//Karl Hendrix Trio - The dress you bought in Cleveland 

a song i'm always afraid is going to happen to me

[drawuslinespgh-blog]

Karl Hendricks Rock Band / "Thank God We Have Limes" Live 8/20/98 at the 31st Street Pub.