DECEMBER 2004

GIVE ME A BREAK. CORONADOS is back from South America, and VERY tired!!! The band will be taking a much-deserved break until they are ready to rock the D sometime after the new year. The only thing that needs to be reported for now is that the tour ruled, 100% fun and success, and we mean it. We promise to have a very juicy full tour report for you before the year 2018, if label work does not slow down, but please keep checking back, we will post it for you! We promise! We’ll show you a secret link to get a sneak preview of the tour report written up by one of the many cool bands we played with during the tour: The Defectors (Denmark). We crossed paths while they were touring Argentina and Brazil and CORONADOS was touring Argentina and Uruguay. Being the good, orderly Northern European boys they are, The Defectors beat us to the punch and wrote up their tour report as soon as they got back home (bastards! Lovely bastards, though). Here you can read some of their fun adventures (which at times included CORONADOS).
Many tour photos can be found at the NO FUN Fotolog and also here. Also, see some of the tour posters.

GUARANTEED. One of the highlights of touring Argentina and going back to Buenos Aires, the label's original HQs, was to be able to work in person with the local South American bands on the label. Such was the case with THE TANDOORIS whose new full length record, their 2nd on NO FUN, finished being mastered during our stay. They tell us the product will be 100% Science Fiction Guaranteed.

COLLECTORS’ HEAVEN, Part 2. Peru gave us some obscure music gems, true, but Argentina has too! And with us came these precious items:

*ALMENDRA "Almendra" CD debut album circa 1969 by this legendary Psych band from Argentina. Includes all their early singles plus 5 inedit tracks as bonus tracks.
*AQUELARRE "Brumas" CD rare Argentinean Psych gem circa 1974
*COSA SALVAJE #11 MAG thee best Garage-Surf-Billy magazine from Argentina is back!
*COFRADIA DE LA FLOR SOLAR, LA "Idem" CD true Argentine Psych masterpiece
*GATOS, LOS "Antologia" CD outstanding anthology by the #1 Argentine 60s Beat band
*PESCADO RABIOSO "Artaud" CD pure 70s Argentine Psych , ex Almendra!
*THE TORMENTOS "Go!" CD Argentinean kings of Surf, back in stock !!!
*SHAKERS, LOS "Grandes Exitos" Best Of by the Uruguayan Beatles
*SUPERSONICOS, THE "Telekinesis" CD Devo meets Man or Astroman? in Uruguay
*TORMENTOS, THE "Grab Your Board!" CD new album by the current kings of South American Surf

Many more of these items can be found in our extensive and very affordable on-line store.

ROCK FOR TOTS. Meanwhile, THE AVATARS rocked for tots this December! Not only did they contribute to a worthy cause involving little kids (a benefit where bands donated band merchandise in exchange for toys), but they also did it in very good company. On the bill were locals Saturday Looks Good To Me and Sire recording artists The Von Bondies. Needless to say, it was a sold out night at Detroit’s Magic Stick.


NOVEMBER 2004

COLLECTORS’ HEAVEN, Part I. Yes, we are back from Peru! And with us came these precious items:

*LOS BELKINGS "Lo Mejor" CD Peru’s favorites; back in stock!!!
*LAGHONIA "Unglue" CD cult Peruvian Psych group, circa 67-70
*LOS SHAIN'S "Anthology" DBL CD 30 amazing tracks of 100% Latin-Beat
*LOS SILVERTON'S "16 Exitos" CD More-than-groovy 60s Peruvian Beat'n'Surf
*TRAFFIC SOUND "Greatest Hits" CD Peru's first real super group of 70s Psych

Many more of these items can be found in our extensive and very affordable on-line store. This time around, NO FUN would like to thank Pablo "Kaboogie" of Basto Discos for showing us around lovely Lima and for his endless love of music and dedication to the business.

INCOMUNICADO. The NO FUN crew will be off and mostly out of touch for the rest of November for the much-awaited CORONADOS South American Tour. Motor City Rocks, however, won’t let us rest 100% and has asked us to check in with them from the road at some point during the tour. We shall see. Ciao baby!

[As the good boys and girls we are, we did check in! And here’s what Miss Melody Licious had to report after the first 3/4 days of touring in Argentina (the “at least 600 people” turned out to be 800+++ when CORONADOS hit the stage and 1200 by the end of the night)].


OCTOBER 2004

SOUNDS FROM THEE UNDERGROUND INSANITY. We are so happy to report that the label’s yearly fest was a total success and everyone had a grand time, especially backstage where bands were catered sushi and champagne! All bands performed in top form to a packed Blind Pig. NO FUN would like to thank absolutely everyone involved, from the artists to DJs, MCs, lights crew, decorations crew, the venue’s personnel, merch people, press reps who were present at the event and reviewed the festivities, photographers, etc, etc, etc, and of course…the loving audience! If you liked it, come back next year. It will only get bigger and better.
A review by Motor City Rocks and photos can be found here. 

BACK TO PERU VOL. 2. And again, we’re not talking about the compilation CD! For the 3rd time this year, the NO FUN crew is going back to Peru. Stay tuned to find out what Latin Psych, Beat and Garage rarities from the 60s we’ll be adding to our on-line store after this upcoming trip to the Inca Rock’n’Roll Empire.

VON BOYAGE! This month CORONADOS will host a South American Tour Kick Off Party in Detroit. Come out to say bon voyage to the band!
Poster for the event looks like this and detailed tour info can be found here.


SEPTEMBER 2004

SOUNDS FROM THEE UNDERGROUND 2004. The exciting countdown for the label's yearly festival has started! The best underground sounds of the area will be heard this October 16th at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor courtesy of NO FUN recording artists CORONADOS and THE AVATARS, accompanied by no less than THE SIRENS (featuring Melody Licious of CORONADOS), THE HARD LESSONS and SISSY. Lots of glam and quality rock'n'roll for your pleasure. This explosive night will also feature DJ CHUB-E of The Elevations family and two deluxe MCs to introduce the bands and entertain us inbetween sets: QUEEN BEE and ESQUIRE!!!!!!! WOW!!!!!! Party time, anyone? Yes! Will have to be seen to be believed, so come on out and experience a rare night like no other in Ann Arbor. There will be surprises throughout the night and label's and bands' merch giveaways! It's a date; dress to kill!

GOING SOUTH. Real South! CORONADOS will be taking South America by storm this coming November touring Argentina and Uruguay. The band will take part of a major festival as well as other local shows, an amazing surprise gig to be announced at their biggest performance, and THE TANDOORIS CD release party, their second on NO FUN. The band will also share bills with Uruguayan NO FUN artists MOTOSIERRA. A live performance on Uruguayan National TV was in the works but has unfortunately just been cancelled due to scheduling problems. For more detailed tour info, go here.

INTERNATIONAL SHOWS. We're anxiously awaiting the upcoming BA Stomp 5 yearly festival that takes place in the kick ass city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Fest features 1 long night filled with pure Garage-Surf-Rockabilly, and more. NO FUN RECORDS recording artists CORONADOS will play the fest on Friday November 12. This year's festivities offer more of an international edge than previous years: besides CORONADOS form the U.S., other bands on the bill include Denmark's #1 Garage outfit, The Defectors, Jesusracer from Spain, Big Trep from Brazil, and Los Kahunas being the only local band to open the night. For specific details please visit the fest's official pages at www.bastomp.com.ar

ORDERS. As we've done since this Fest first got started, and despite the fact that the label's HQ are now in the U.S., No Fun will have a merch booth at the Buenos Aires BA Stomp 5!!! This will be an amazing deal for all of you people down there in South America, since you will be able to find all of the label's releases at local prices (as opposed to USDs). The other amazing deal we are offering is that we'll take oders in advance on any of the items available in our on-line store for any of you who would like to stop by our merch booth at the Fest to pick up and pay the goodies in person. Items from the on-line store will be in our affordable USD prices and you will save all your shipping charges! This will be your one-time chance to get your hands on the best of Garage-Punk, Surf, Power-Pop and more, on CD, LP or 7" format, at the best prices and without shipping. Now, so where's the deal for all the music lovers in this part of the world???...that we are going to South America in person!!!! So, listen up collectors of rare trash! Send us your wish list and we'll see what we can dig out for you at any of the obscure record stores down there that are off limits to you up here. We can't promise you anything, but we'll try. Don't you love us or what? Please contact us for details at info@nofunrecords.com.

LET'S NOT FORGET THE BOYS. FORGOTTEN BOYS has just returned to their native Sao Paulo, Brazil, from a mega successful tour of Buenos Aires, and word on the street is that they might be getting ready to head back to the Pampas in December. This was the BOYS' first international tour ever, which they appropriately called "Forgotten Boys Southlands Tour."

ITALIAN MUSIC MAFIA. NO FUN just got major international press in Italy. The mega important Rumore Magazine (full color, 30,000+ copies, etc) reviewed MANGANZOIDES' "Radio Komodo" and FORGOTTEN BOYS' "Gimme More and More." In addition, its Italian counterpart Punkster Magazine "The Uncool Bible of Rock'n'Roll" published "Tango y Rock'n'Roll," a 4-page full color article written by Charlie Lorenzi detailing the history of the garage scene in Argentina, its current bands, several of them on NO FUN, and talking about the label's beginnings in the Pampas, this being a crucial element for the healthy status the scene enjoys these days. To view the articles go here and scroll down to No Fun Records Press. The No Fun crew would like to thank Claudio Sorge for thinking of us for his publishing empire.

BUSY BEES. As you can see, things are pretty hectic at the NO FUN HQs, and as if that weren't enough, the label will feature a merch table at the Monster Ann Arbor Record & CD show on October 17. Yes! The day after the label's Sounds from thee Underground festival. Do we ever rest? No. Duh!


AUGUST 2004

SAVE ROCK AND ROLL. This past month rocked --hard. The No Fun crew found the label's European darlings, THE FLAMING SIDEBURNS, surviving the streets of New York City with the purpose of bringing their rock'n'roll assault to thee amazing --and without a doubt historic-- Little Steven (International) Underground Garage Festival. These Finnish boys came to show that Detroit rockers have tough competition on the other side of the Atlantic. Heavily influenced by the Motor City glorious sounds, true, the Sideburns have created a whole rock'n'roll animal of its own kind though. Now we only ought to bring them over to this land, so stay tuned for a possible tour update.

WALKING BLIND. Quit walking blind and find your way through the darkness to the fantastic land of Science Fiction Guaranteed! Yes, THE TANDOORIS second full length, a much awaited follow up to their genious debut, Walking Blind, on No Fun is in the making at Chatterbox Studios in Buenos Aires as we type! With production work by hit-maker Marcelito di Gregorio. The band has promised: 100% Science Fiction Guaranteed. We believe them.

SOUNDS FROM THEE UNDERGROUND 2004. The NO FUN HQs have kicked into high gear to start preparations for the label's annual fest scheduled for Saturday October 16 at the legendary Blind Pig in Ann Arbor. This will be the 3rd Sounds From Thee Underground festival and will mark its first American version, being that the previous two fests were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The night will feature No Fun recording artists, and others, to make up a total of 5 amazing bands along with surprise MCs, DJs, merch booth, No Fun giveaways, and more! More details to come next month.


JULY 2004

BACK TO PERU. No, we are not talking about the compilation. NO FUN cannot get enough of the old Inca empire that gave us so much raw garage rock during the 60s. This time, July found us skipping the city of Lima to travel south to beautiful Arequipa. Special thanks go out to our friend Coco Herrera, an old-school Arequipa rocker who welcomed us to his world of rock'n'roll memories from way back in the day, and took us through the streets of his amazing city. We brought back amazing material from Peruvian lands and still have a few one-of-a-kind original little treasures from the 60s left, including LOS HOOLIGANS, LOS GATOS, LOS BELKING'S, LOS SIDERAL'S, LOS GOLDEN STARS. These items are too exclusive to be in our catalogs, so email us at orders@nofunrecords.com if you wanna be one of the lucky prospective owners of these gems. Collectors' heaven indeed. You are welcome, we know you love us.

SUDAMERICA HERE WE COME! On their mission to spread the rock'n'roll gospel, CORONADOS, will be striking South America with full force this coming November. This will mark the band's 1st come back to their stompin' grounds since its last appearance in 2002, and it will take the opportunity to introduce an almost all new line-up that features Claudia Leo of The Avatars (Ann Arbor) and Melody Licious of The Sirens (Detroit). More juicy details, tour dates, etc., to come. Stay tuned. While still in Detroit, CORONADOS continues to rock --having just had a very successful packed show with Detroit fellow rockers, Demolition Doll Rods-- and they have no plans to slow down. This coming month they will be joining no other than Texas Terri! While on the topic, big No Fun hugs & kisses to Margaret Doll Rod who is, incidentally, touring South America as we type!

PICTURES OF YOU. Make sure to join in the fun of the new No Fun Records Fotolog! message board. Postings seem to be very popular with the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking crowds, but so now we want YOU!


JUNE 2004

NEW YORK, NEW YORK. NO FUN's mastermind, Charlie Lorenzi, joined the Lower East Side's guru of junkie rock Kevin K for his 3 Detroit dates. Shows went over successfully as scheduled. No Fun artists CORONADOS and THE AVATARS headlined 2 of the dates. Thanks to Kevin for sharing all the fun, oldschool stories over late breakfasts.

CORONADOS. Already now, finally, no more name changes...forget the Thee, The or Los, and start printing some good looking merch with plain old CORONADOS on them! The kids promise, it's the last time they change their name. Also check out the band's brand new promo shots in photos. All photos by the infamous and ultra talented photographer of all photographers of Detroit rock: Doug Coombe.

ON-LINE ROCK COMMUNITY. So, feeling a little lonely in this harsh world of too many office jobs and not so much Rock'n'Roll?...Wanna meet the variety of other freaks who also dig No Fun? Then please join in! Meet all the --beautiful, I must say-- faces that make up the No Fun backstage family, share your stories, read up news, leave messages for other fellow rockers from all over the world, and much more! Check out the daily updated pics and message board at the No Fun Records Fotolog!

MATH'S FOR NERDS BUT STATS DON'T LIE (whatever that means!). Another addition for your pleasure is the stats section on the side bar of our homepage. Every month you'll be able to find out what MP3s NO FUN lovers enjoy the most, which bands people read most about, and what crazy key phrases cyber rockers are searching for that have them land on the NO FUN planet.

UPCOMING FUN. CORONADOS and THE AVATARS will be joining old school garage stomp rockers The Woggles, all the way from Atlanta, for their Michigan dates. If you've been craving to see a band like no other, come out to check out The Woggles, their live show will leave you speechless. Life will make much more sense after that!

ALL'S QUIET ON THE EASTERN FRONT. Not much more going on at the NO FUN HQ...well, tons actually...but nothing that can be announced yet, so keep checking back. Curiosity killed the cat.


MAY 2004

UNDER MY HEELS, Vol. 1. The NO FUN RECORDS-sponsored fest featuring No Fun Rcds' artists LOS CORONADOS and THE AVATARS at Detroit's Magic Bag was a sold out success. Special thanks to rock empresarias: lovely mastermind Alicia Gbur, No Fun's Claudia Leo, and the multi-talented Melody Licious for making the event come together, and to everyone who came out to contribute to a fun night of memorable rock'n'roll led by thee hottest ladies of Detroit rock. Other bands participating in the fest included The Sirens, The Nice Device and The Hard Lessons. Watch for next year's explosive Under My Heels…perhaps for its international version someday??? We'll see.

NO FUN ART. What's left of the full-color, signed, limited edition 17"X11" posters for the first ever UNDER MY HEELS. Vol. 1 fest is now for sale in the Other Trash section of this website. Posters available in red, hot pink, and the more rare orange print. Order while copies last!

BACK FROM THE CAVES. So we are back from our Peruvian adventure. Oh, how to describe its uniqueness! Pre-Columbian Spanish glory mixed with modern day decadence and wild'n'dirty 60s garage? That seems fair, if you can only imagine it!
Thanks to all our friends and counterparts in Peru who welcomed us to their world of rock south of the border. Special thanks to Michael Lucas for all the good tips, to Manganzoides' Gonzalo Alcalde, rock manager, photographer and record label wiz Richard Nossar, to Andres Tapia from Recycled Vinyl, and to everyone at Galerias Brasil for making our stay in Peru so much more rocking. And here's what you were waiting to hear: few of the vinyl gems that fell victims to our hands include LOS HOOLIGANS, LOS GATOS, LOS BELKING'S, LOS SIDERAL'S, LOS GOLDEN STARS, and LOS SAICOS, to name a few. These are now ready to fall victims to your hands! So get in touch if you are interested, they are all one-of-a-kind items. First come first serve.

NO FUN TALENT FOR HIRE. CORONADOS and AVATARS guitar player, Charlie Lorenzi, as well as AVATARS lead guitar player, Chris "Box" Taylor, will become part of the Kevin K band for his next month Michigan performances. AVATARS are scheduled to headline one of the Kevin K shows while CORONADOS will also be headlining another show to accompany Kevin K, all the way from New York City.

THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT. Stay tuned for more upcoming news.


APRIL 2004

FRESH OFF THE OVENS. FORGOTTEN BOYS' "Gimme More (And More)" and MANGANZOIDES' long-awaited "Radio Komodo" are both finally out!!! If you're into the high energy of the Hellacopters make sure to check out FORGOTTEN BOYS, and if you are into Los Saicos, or any of the other amazingly wild bands that Peru gave us during the 60s, you cannot miss this new MANGANZOIDES release. And if you don't know who Los Saicos are, you sure the hell should!

PERSONALITY CRISIS. THEE CORONADOS / LOS CORONADOS….boy line-up / girl line-up…what? Is this the same band???? YES, YES, it sure is. For those confused fans (we don't blame you) here goes the official announcement that CORONADOS will be featured as LOS CORONADOS in English-speaking territories, and under their original name of THEE CORONADOS when performing in their stompin' grounds of South America. Also, as it's already been announced in the past, LOS/THEE CORONADOS has left behind its all-boy line-up days to welcome a girl majority in the group.

ON THE ROAD. Speaking of Peru, May will find the NO FUN RECORDS crew cruising Peru's very own caves in search of that unholy garage punk they were known for during the 60s. Collectors of rare trash, listen up! We'll be bringing back sought-after little treasures in our suitcases, so shoot us an email if you wanna know what one-of-a-kind original vinyl you can get your hands on this time!


MARCH 2004

HOME SWEET HOME. THE AVATARS are back home from a successful tour through the Midwest along with pals The Von Bondies right before having to part their different ways for Stollsteimer and his crew to head off to Australia and Japan. The tour found THE AVATARS playing with other amazing bands/friends along the way such as The Woggles, The Tough and Lovely, The Dials, etc. The kids are now taking some time off the spotlight, and only playing selected gigs, to write new material for a full length expected to come out later this year.

CHIC-A-GO-GO. While passing through Chicago, THE AVATARS also made a special appearance on Chicago's uber hip kids' TV show, Chic-a-Go-Go, that airs on CAN-TV. The band performed Honey Do followed by a brief interview by the show's hostess Miss Mia.

MORE PRESS. NO FUN's contribution to Rock'n'Roll keeps getting noticed around the world as we speak. The last of these flattering manifestations can be found in an extensive review of many of the NO FUN releases made by Vanya of No Brains Records (Holland) in a report of the rich South American Garage Punk scene.

THE NEAR FUTURE. THE AVATARS are gearing up to play the only show they'll play in Detroit for a while. The event is presented by No Fun under the name of "Under My Heels, Vol. 1" and it will also feature THEE CORONADOS among other important Detroit acts, all enlisting female performers in their line-ups. It will be the first year this fest takes place, it will feature a total of 5 bands and it promises to be a highly featured, well-attended event. More news to come in April. NO FUN itself is gearing up to take part of the Ann Arbor's Monster Record & CD Show on April 18th. See you all record record nerds there!


FEBRUARY 2004

ON THE ROAD. Yes! THE AVATARS are hitting the road with fellow rockers The Von Bondies for a juicy Midwest tour. The band's first and latest release on No Fun filled with contagious tunes, and their hyperactive schedule have had Michigan and British critics, as well as other international press, paying close attention to the most refreshing band to emerge outta the Detroit scene in the last year. THE AVATARS will be promoting their single throughout the Midwest tour. This No Fun release features a very glamorous cover art and it guarantees one hit per side. More detailed info on tour dates in tours/gigs.

NO FUN PRESS. The world is not only tunning their ears to THE AVATARS but to their label as well. People are noticing indeed, and you can find proof of it by getting the different major publications in which NO FUN has been featured in the last month or so. Recent press includes an extensive Metrotimes article by Chris Handyside (USA), another major feature in the Current Magazine by Josh Steichmann (USA), and yet another one in the Ann Arbor Paper by Ray Wagel (USA). And there's more! Part I of a 6-page interview has also been published in Dig It! Magazine by Lo-Spider (France). You can read all of this material in the NO FUN press section in bands/press.

COMING UP. New release featuring the return of MANGANZOIDES with their "Radio Komodo" CD. Outstanding new full length by Peruvian cavemen Garage-Punk monsters. Los Saicos lovers, watch out! Also, FORGOTTEN BOYS with their "GIMME MORE (AND MORE)" CD with bonus tracks. These are Brazil's very own High Energy Rock'n'Roll Gods and this is their very first US release ever!. All of this material first time available outside of Brazil.
The CDs are already being manufactured and will be available by mid March.


JANUARY 2004

UPCOMING RELEASES. Besides being in the process of finalizing the last details of the upcoming MANGANZOIDES and FORGOTTEN BOYS releases, we have also added a hot new act to the No Fun family: THE AVATARS. Hailing from Ann Arbor, and coming out of other happening local acts such as Rael Rean, Done Wrongs, Mazinga and Powertrane, this hyperactive girl/boy band is shaping up to be one of the hottest acts in the Detroit area. Their fun No Fun debut 7 inch will feature "Wait b/w There Was a Time," and it will be their first U.S. release ever, due to come out in mid February. The band, that has been performing heavily in the Ann Arbor/Detroit area, will embark in a March tour of the Midwest with an important Detroit act (details cannot be disclosed yet! but keep checking The Avatars webpage www.theavatars.us for the latest updates, or No Fun's upcoming February news). The band will also come out in a Brazilian compilation on Ordinary Recordings along with No Fun artists THEE CORONADOS and a bunch of other ultra cool bands. Compilation is due to come out in July and will hit the stores in August.

2003 NEWS ARCHIVE