It’s 11:11pm. I’ve got Dirty Penny’s latest work “Sage Against the Machine” playing as usual. I think it’s a work of genius or maybe higher. Humans cannot intentionally design a work this exquisite without the help of a higher power. It could be divinely inspired. I have listened to it just under three thousand times. […]
Category: by Alex Magnussen
Entries by our now incarcerated Ryerson School of Journalism journalist and band biographer, Alex Magnussen.
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Clinton’s Tavern – fri sept 5
The night threatened to pour but did not. Approximately 40 souls attended Dirty Penny’s performance last night at Clinton’s Tavern. Some were fans, others had come for the other bands sharing the stage with DP. It was a shame. It was a rare line-up of talent. Most of these shared band nights are mostly borefests […]
Waiting outside Glenn’s factory rehearsal space, the sounds of derivative grind core bands fall out the second floor windows like sunlight, just as bland. First to arrive is drummer Scott “Candy” Fletcher. He doesn’t see me as I hold open the doors for him and his gear. He is concentrating. He resembles that hard prayer […]
Sitting at a wooden table in a plumber’s bar covered in fake wood and the relaxing faint smell of a thousand mopped pukes all point to the jukebox. The waitress drops off our beers. Nidhan’s beer is an ale. His face is rough, gang related, but his eyes dart around in child like wonder. Standing […]
So it’s true. Bassist Sugar Bear has quit Dirty Penny. Yours truly discovered this while at JC Penny’s home sitting across the table yesterday evening while he and his daughter ate fettucini. I was hungry as well and luckily there was a walnut bowl near the flower piece on the table. He and is daughter […]
WHERE’S SUGAR BEAR? DP bassist Jay “Sugar Bear” Larson was not present last night. I am a little pissed. I endure countless ignominies following this band around, documenting. In exchange I was promised complete disclosure, except for bedrooms. I would write the book and then make enough money to go back to grad school. I’ve […]
I get asked a lot why I spend so much time covering the evolution of Dirty Penny. “Don’t you have better things to do?” friends and my mother say to me. The truth is I spend a lot of time. I basically am allowed to be around them anytime I want except their bedrooms. I […]
This rock reporter is waiting outside Glenn’s rehearsal studio, located in an old sock factory turned run down loft/studio spaces for almost exlusively young filthy white musician men. Young women sometimes enter but are ephemeral. The toilets are revolting and shared. The twinkle they get from their rock and roll boyfriend singing a G’nR love […]
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The Drake – May 12
DP started off the evening with lead vox JC Penny promising “we’re gonna play some ACDC for ya!” to a cheering desperate-for-something-unpretentiously-entertaining Drake crowd. It was a lie. ‘Cigarettes, Whisky, and Wild Wild Women’ (TaDa! 2007) began with lead guitar Lovely Louis’ fingers beginning to blur and they were off. The band just gets better […]
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Preparing for the Drake #3
Tomorrow evening DP does the Drake’s downstairs at 9:30pm. 1150 Queen W. Good luck. Saturday noon saw DP rehearsing at Glenn’s again. Glenn wasn’t iimpressed with the early booking and commented passive aggressively “I feel pretty good considering I went to bed at 6am.” It was clear that Glenn accepted the booking to make up […]
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Preparing for the Drake #2
Dirty Penny roared thru their rehearsal this last tuesday at Glenn’s space in preparation for their monday gig. Glenn wasn’t there but left a woman, Basia, to open the door for the band. Asked if they were considering other rehearsal spaces because of the Melissa Manchester incident the previous week, DP lead singer JC Penny […]
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Preparing for The Drake #1
Dirty Penny got stiffed by their regular rehearsal space this last tuesday. Rich “Yoko” was first to arrive and saw none other than Melissa Manchester in the space with musicians. Glenn, the rehearsal space owner, was quoted as saying “Sorry, man, I had to take this one..” to Yoko at the door before letting it […]