In honor of nothing, it is time for everyone to gather ‘round for the new sound sensations of one middle-aged dude’s taste in music. Yep, you heard that right, and in doing so you will be subjected to, hopefully, sounds new and unfamiliar to most. Of course, I do realize that there will be people who have heard and or heard of all of my music, but, well, we need a dance party here, sounds to groove too, drink too, and maybe cry too.

So, you might ask, what is ZWAK music? Well, it isn’t too complicated. I like punk, post-punk, alt-country, soul, funk, some ambient, a little bit of sludge, and, well, that sort of thing. Or, perhaps, a better way of describing it would be Music to Turn Up. I like to listen to music my LOUD, and I do not insist on good speakers, a properly dialed-in amp, or any other uptightness. I am looking to have one band a week, a couple of live videos, and a little background info. Some bands or artists have a long and strong enough career to need multiple weeks, and some peter out and end up recording acoustic albums and playing the lunch crowd at corporate bookstores (looking at you, .)

And so, to start.

The Gun Club.

Jeffery Lee Pierce, who grew up in the ass end of east L.A., was always an outcast, an outsider, a rebel. So, it was a good thing when punk hit southern California. Pierce formed the Gun Club at around the same time as X, The Germs, Los Lobos, The Rezillos, and the rest of the first wave of that area’s punks and misfits. Gathering a few of his high school dropout friends, he, through sheer force of will, created an amalgamation of John Lee Hooker, Glen Campbell, and Iggy Pop. And then proceeded to piss off everyone who loved or cared for him. As I said, one of the original punks.

The Gun Club is one of those bands that are often referred to as an artist’s artist. Not well listened to at first, always struggling, but other bands take immense inspiration from the direction Pierce took music. He built a career based on albums and touring, and of course, gaining fans all over the rest of the world. Sadly, Jeffery Lee Pierce died of a brain hemorrhage in 1996.

Until next time, same ZWAK channel, same ZWAK time.