Rag Mag 32
Dearest Rag Mag Maniacs, I am so wiped out from yesterday but in the BEST WAY!! Thank you so much for everyone that came out to party and celebrate with us! Special thanks to Tommy and Natalie for letting us host at Myrtle ( have you been there in East Providence????? Easily one of my favorite spots) Thank you to Tigers on Vaseline, Gossip Collar, Ken Baby and Whyte Lipstick for hitting the stage and for Gut Rot , Hair Metals , Witchfinger General store , Creature and cyborg mall for vending. THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone that picked up a zine and donated to the Rhode Island food bank and to the people that brought canned goods and toiletries. We had in total $100 donated and 12 bags FILLED with food! The world often feels like a hellscape but yesterday felt really good to see everyone come together for a good cause and celebrate the arts and community. Support your community in any way you can because we’re the ones that have each others backs. Hope everyone has a happy and healthy start to 2026.
Xxx Coco
What's up rag mag? Happy New Year. Creature here and we had a blast at the anniversary party and are still recovering! I echo all Coco said above. To jump back to reality, we are so glad to be able to donate so much food to the food bank and remember to keep giving as much as you can. I'm standing in solidarity with the workers at seven stars who have voted to authorize a strike. As to the situation in Venezuela, my demand of the leaders of the United States is No More Blood For Oil.
This week we have Splinters by Leela Corman, Fight Report with Chessy Renee, Wasteland Chick, Hooked on Sonics with Velvet Deluxxx, and Creature's Double Feature.
Special shoutout that Maximum Horror Video (Hosted by the one and only DJ It's Casual) is showing The Lost Boys at Myrtle on Tuesday 1/6 at 8pm. Cmon out, I haven't seen that movie with a crowd in forever.
Hit us up at ragmagclub@proton.me with flyers, art, feedback, column ideas, or just to say hi. We archived columns and music reviews on the new site (rag-mag.ghost.io), so check it out.
Hello and welcome back to hooked on sonics! Are you guys still singing along since the last one?
Last issue I talked a lot about feeling dumb in school when I was a kid. Maybe it was a learning disability or confidence or maybe the curriculum in school just didn’t make sense to me. Who’s to say. I also talked about how music and art were where I felt the most comfortable and where I thrived. It got me thinking about a bunch of bands I love. I love garage compilations where you hear all these bands not doing overly complicated riffs but fuck are they catchy. Just raw rough music. I was thinking about my favorite band the stooges and how simple or “ dumb” the riffs are but did you come up with that riff you can’t get out of your head ? I was also thinking about the Ramones , another favorite. My band and I played as The Ramones for Halloween one year and for years I’ve been told oh those songs are easy they’re simple. But are they? Maybe the simplest riff , the “ dumbest” riff is the coolest, the catchiest, the one you wanna hear over and over. And like I said if its so easy why didn’t someone else think of it first? Also not all those songs are simple ha! Maybe I just love “ Dumb” rock n’ roll ? Well, to celebrate that today we’re gonna learn to spell the word dumb, and who better to teach us than The Ramones!!
So, may I present one of my favorite songs by them “ Pinhead”
I LOVE when Joey screams - D-U-M-B everyones accusing me!! I mean who hasn’t felt that ? unless you're a genius or something but hey thats none of my business. Till next time! Gabba gabba hey gabba gabba hey
-Velvet Deluxxx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u0Ep0XAYXk
Splinters by Leela Corman
The Fight Report by Chessy Renee
New year same old fight for a free Palestine
The Fight Report
Hey yo!!! When I say rag, you say MAG! RAG MAG RAG MAG!
Man, yelling is all you need sometimes. And it’s a new year; a clean slate. Think of how little you have screamed so far this year. GET INTO IT, BUSTER!
On new years eve, I found myself at a rally for Gaza out on the common over by the Park Street station. I’ve attended many protests over there, but never one with christmas carols where the lyrics were changed to confront American complicity in trauma, genocide and war around the world. What a thing to put to song
The night was cold as hell, not as windy as a few days before, but still really stinkin’ cold. I’m happy that I met a friend there so we could hold hands and keep each other a little warmer, physically and emotionally.
I was so focussed on withstanding the cold to stand in solidarity and support this cause, that when the first night parade brought a bunch of people down tremont street I had almost forgotten that there were people downtown to celebrate.
The parade had stilt walkers and dragon dancers, which were really beautiful! It also had plenty of cops and then the average joes following along. The rally crowd started to chant as those in the parade staggered down the street. I love to yell most anything, but one chant that stood out to me this night was: “While you’re walking, bombs are dropping.” Accurate and evocative; short and thorny. But it’s so true you know, the US is always bombing somewhere. And what does it help? We are still a mess here! Anyway I’m preaching to the choir. But it was nice to get out and join a fight as a last move for 2025.
I learned a few things while down there as well - one, that Capital One is being called out right now because they lend a substantial line of credit to a company called Elbit Systems. It’s the biggest weapons manufacturer for Israel. Another, that there are 8 people who were detained in the UK for publicly voicing their support for Palestine and while in prison they have been on hunger strike since the beginning of December. Third, there is a lady named Andrea James running for governor, opposing Maura Healey, for the election in November this year - got some time to do research on that. And Fourth, Boston Food Activists are in Copley 5 days a week (not Mon or Sat) with free food for hungry people. Pretty sick!
Overall, again, it was a great way to end the year, and I hope to be getting my ass out to more rallies and events in person, and showing support for the shit I care about. I was thinking about it today, and I really do believe that goodness only can come from people being good people helping people and people giving a shit. So what do you give a shit about?! Get out there and yell about it, whatever it is!
Hope this inspires you to get out there. Your voice matters, so make it heard!!
Tell Capital One Execs to stop supporting genocide
Boston Food Activists - in Copley Sq everyday except Mondays and Saturdays
Wasteland Chick
Do you think you can moltov cocktail a slushie? Greetings and Salutations, fellow Wasteland Chicks. Welcome back. It’s a new year, and Ragmag’s One Year Anniversary! Hope all of you punks enjoyed the party, now let’s get back into routine by reviewing a song I’m 80% sure I didn’t review before: “Freeze Your Brain” from Heathers The Musical. Wow guess who got the Heathers The Musical CD for Christmas? It’s not Heather. Anyway, first, let’s tackle the rhythm and melody, which I give a 8 out of ten. I like the near-gentle and venting piano mixed with a tinny sounding string instrument, it really adds to the feel of…singing in a 7-11. I also like the sharp, contrasting guitar when J.D. goes deeper into his slushie spiral, adding to the venting feel of the song nicely. Next, let’s tackle with a ten pound metal door the lyrics, which I give a 9 out of ten. Firstly, I love the comedy of some of the lyrics, especially the heavily memed “when mom was alive-”, because-WHAT! HOW DO YOU GO FROM ~freeze ur brain~ TO CASUALLY SAYING YOUR MOM FUCKING DIED?! How does one do that, I ask? Anyway, I also like the depth of some of these lyrics, especially ones like “Happiness comes, When everything numbs. Who needs cocaine? Freeze your brain…”, which convey the sense of numbing the pain without murder (that’s for later), “You're planning your future, Veronica Sawyer, You'll go to some college and marry a lawyer. But the sky's gonna hurt when it falls, So you'd better start building some walls!” which adds to the guitar breaking point and why J.D. does this in the first place, and even more especially “Shatter your skull, fight pain with more pain!” which provides a great sense of the sharper edge of a slushie spiral. Final review time! I give this song a nine out of ten, the rhythm and melody are a perfect yin yang balance of gentle and sharp, and the lyrics are mixed with comedy and depth! New year, a new sheriff in town, my loves. See ya next review! Bye!
Sincerely, Wasteland Chick
Jumping right into this week's double feature, I wanted to bring up a meme (change my mind) posted by in issue 31. A helpful reader pointed out that the guy featured in the meme (unbeknownst to any of us here at Rag Mag) is some right wing chud "comedian" scumbag. I always thought the guy in that meme was Billy Eichner, so sorry billy! (even if I think i only like your comedy when Julie Klausner writes it) Anyways, bringing it up here just because of how these right wing assholes try to insert their culture wars and "normalize" their radical fucked up views through "innocuous" things like a silly internet meme nobody thinks a second about resharing if it makes them laugh. These fascist fucks know their ideas are unpopular in general, but they infiltrate pop culture by inserting themselves into the conversation or making themselves recognizable, and instead of nazi skinheads on Jerry Springer we have an actual fascist ghoul like Stephen Miller in the president's ear. Reject the normalization of this shit and never engage with them like they are serious people. The only thing they are serious about is getting their way, no matter who they hurt, they don't give a fuck about any actual idealism, they are just greedy pathetic toddlers, but even a toddler can be reasoned with.
Now for some more blatant self-promotion, I recorded a new song for my solo project Well Intended called Wash it Away. If the world is getting you down, I recommend you say goodbye to 2025 and disappear in the drone. I recommend listening with headphones and loud (as with most music haha)
Bandcamp New & Notable Aug 8, 2016
For the second half of the double feature, I wanted to share some photos I took of the December exhibit at the speedshop. It was by artist Maddie Dennis and was called Creatures of the Half Light. I really like her style, particularly the ink drawings and those little weird egg dudes. Her style is so sick. Check it out.
Creatures of the Half Light by Maddie Dennis
Records of the Week
Sunflare - On 2xLP
First up for records of the week is a double LP by Portuguese noise/psychedlic rock band Sunflare called On put out on Feeding Tube records a couple of years ago. It consists of one LP for the 2018 recording "On" and a bonus LP of an earlier tape called "Red" from 2010. They had a couple of scorchingly in the red fuzz monster LPs around the time of the Red tape that I loved back then. Time did not slow this band down and they are in full on destruction mode, like high rise at their noisiest. Excellent band and this is fucked sounding in the best way. No matter what speed I play it at, it sounds wrong, but so right too
gonzoride67
Geizz - We wait for song of geizz - 7"
Second up is a Japanese metal punk/hardcore record from 1985 I picked up at WFMU record fair in the fall. We Wait For Song of Geizz by Geizz. They recorded this sole record, but members went on to play in The Execute, Final Bombs, Last Bombs and more. To the music, this is great UK hardcore (think Discharge or Chaos UK), Motorhead and the almighty GISM. While the musicianship and recording may not be as professional as GISM, its more than made up for with the spirit and raw sounds on this one. My favorite thing about the record though is that they thanked Lemmy (from the Execute) for letting them borrow his "nice" leather jacket for the photo shoot. Love it
Soul Song of the Day
I don't know anything about the Jennings Brothers or their song Don't Rush other than this has been a set ending staple for pal DJ It's Casual and I never knew what it was. Thankfully he gifted me this very copy for the holidays, and now I want to share with you. What a goddamn good song
That's it for this week Rag Mag. Here's some flyers and keep sending stuff in (ragmagclub@proton.me)
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