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Channel: Royal Trux - Stereogum

New RTX Video –“Knightmare & Mane”

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Truth be known, one of us swore by Royal Trux in his younger days, going as far as sporting a Thank You sticker on his guitar. Twin Infinitives and Cats And Dogs anyone? They were the sleazy, noisy, bluesy, real-deal shit that went to darker, more buzzed places than their straight-and-narrow indie brethren. That said, after Neil Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema went separate ways — he to a solo career under his given name and the Howling Hex, she to art, modeling, jewelry-making, writing, etc., and RTX — the old magic wasn’t entirely there, despite the strength of any given individual release. But hey, behold the weird energy conjured in the sunspotted Sasha Eisenman-directed surfing safari video for “Knightmare & Mane.” Remember that disconnected junkie thing? Let’s pitch it against a psychedelic beach ramble: We get to see an oceanside blonde-on-Slash-y guitar moment, a dude riding waves with a cat mask, and Jennifer toking in the sand.

Even with your eyes closed, song totally rocks. And for Royal Trux diehards, how about some vintage station ID action? Hilarious.

RaTX is out on Drag City.

The post New RTX Video – “Knightmare & Mane” first appeared on Stereogum.

Truth be known, one of us swore by Royal Trux in his younger days, going as far as sporting a Thank You sticker on his guitar. Twin Infinitives and Cats And Dogs anyone? They were the sleazy, noisy, bluesy, real-deal shit that went to darker, more buzzed places than their straight-and-narrow indie brethren. That said, after Neil Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema went separate ways -- he to a solo career under his given name and the Howling Hex, she to art, modeling, jewelry-making, writing, etc., and RTX -- the old magic wasn't entirely there, despite the strength of any given individual release. But hey, behold the weird energy conjured in the sunspotted Sasha Eisenman-directed surfing safari video for "Knightmare & Mane." Remember that disconnected junkie thing? Let's pitch it against a psychedelic beach ramble: We get to see an oceanside blonde-on-Slash-y guitar moment, a dude riding waves with a cat mask, and Jennifer toking in the sand.


The Walkmen Cover Neil Hagerty, Royal Trux

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When the Walkmen stopped by Daytrotter recently, they decided to make it Neil Hagerty tribute day, covering "Yellow Kid" from Royal Trux's 1998 album Accelerator along with Neil Michael Hagerty's "Chicken, You Can Roost On The Moon" and "Greasy Saint" and "I'm Your Son," both from 2003's Neil Michael Hagerty & the Howling Hex. I'm a longtime Hagerty fan, solo material and all, but have always especially dug (and still dig) the dirty blues and psychedelic barroom squalls of Royal Trux, his project with Jennifer Herrema. My personal favorite is 1990's Twin Infinitives because it found me at the right time and appealed to the free-noise part of my brain, but you'd do well to take the Walkmen's advice and search out the later, more reigned-in Cats And Dogs. Before you listen to Ham & Co. give it a go, it's interesting to read their thoughts behind Hagerty and the covers:

Black Bananas –“TV Trouble” Video (NSFW)

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Black Bananas

The former Royal Trux member Jennifer Herrema now leads the trash-rock band Black Bananas. In their new "TV Trouble" video, she and her homies sit around watching TV Carnage-style montages of trash television while looking extremely stoned. There are also a whole bunch of scenes where a caveman wears bloody underpants on his head and jerks off with raw chicken juice, so I'm going to go ahead and call this one NSFW even if you don't see any actual caveman schlong. Don't make my mistake and watch this one while eating. Daniel Perez directs. It's below.

Progress Report: Jennifer Herrema

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Progress Report: Jennifer Herrema

Name: Black Bananas
Progress Report: Jennifer Herrema talks about her new project, Black Bananas, and all kinds of other rad shit.

There are few humans that embody the notion of “bad ass” quite as thoroughly as Jennifer Herrema. As one half of Royal Trux, Herrema made druggy scuzz rock that would suitably inspire and terrify an entire generation of indie-rock lovers. These days she is busy with Black Bananas, a somewhat more schizophrenic but still suitably rocking new band. She’s also designing things, styling things, and smoking things. I shared an early morning beer with her to find out what’s up.

Black Bananas –“Physical Emotions”

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Black Bananas (aka Jennifer Herrema, formerly of Royal Trux) is becoming very active in 2014 after a few years of silence. First we heard her crazy remix of Liars' "Mess On A Mission," and now she's announced a new album. First single "Physical Emotions" features her singing through warped filters that bounce over a thick web of synth melodies that squelch and distort even as they groove. Check out the awesome Pen & Pixel-esque artwork above and the song below.

Royal Trux Announce Reunion Show

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The great '90s scuzz-rock duo Royal Trux released 10 albums between 1988 and 2002, but they broke up in 2001 and haven't made any noise about getting back together. Since the breakup, both members have stayed busy: Jennifer Herrema with RTX and Black Bananas and Hagerty with the Howling Hex. Both of them were dealing with drug problems when they broke up, and they've said in the past that any reunion would be "depressing." But as Pitchfork points out, we should all get ready to be depressed. Royal Trux are getting back together for at least one show.

Royal Trux Albums From Worst To Best

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Lex van Rossen

Royal Trux just might be the most misunderstood band in indie rock. But their influence can be seen in contemporary bands like Liars, the Kills, Sleigh Bells, MGMT, Primal Scream, of Montreal, and others. On the surface, they've never been the easiest to digest upon first listen, from Jennifer Herrema's gravely grunts and growls, to Neil Hagerty's decidedly un-indie guitar workouts and snarling backing vocals. In a world where experimenting and taking chances with music often takes a backseat to image and playing it safe, Royal Trux flipped the script and did the opposite; because they could, and because, for them, it was always, and only, about keeping themselves interested and happy with the music. Their goal from the outset was to deconstruct rock 'n' roll and put it back together as they saw fit, with their own artistic vision. It wasn't always pretty, but good art often isn't. What is true is that their music has stood the test of time and sounds just as, if not more, relevant today than it did when conceived.

Watch Royal Trux Reunite At Berserktown II Festival

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Lex Van Rossen

Earlier this summer, magnetic '90s drug-rock greats Royal Trux announced that they'd reunite for one show at L.A.'s punk-leaning Berserktown II festival. Thus far, they have no plans beyond that one reunion show. But this past weekend, they played Berserktown, and it looks like they held it down. From the fan-made videos we've seen, it looks like Jennifer Herrema and Neil Hagerty picked right up where they left off, finding that old sloppy chemistry intact even though they haven't played a show together since 2001. Watch some fan-made videos below.


Royal Trux Announce NYC Reunion Show

Royal Trux Announce First Album In 17 Years

Royal Trux –“Sometimes”

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'90s scuzz-rock swamp monsters Royal Trux broke up in 2001 and reunited for a few live shows in 2015, and last month, they announced the impending release of Platinum Tips & Ice Cream, their first new album in 17 years. Rather than heading into a studio like normal people, the band recorded the album live at their New York and Los Angeles shows, and they've just shared a live version of "Sometimes," which appeared on their 1992 untitled album. It's a lurching two-minute noise-blues attack, and you can hear it below.

Stream Royal Trux Platinum Tips + Ice Cream

Classic Drag City Albums Now On Apple Music

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Drag City have long been holdouts in the streaming wars. The Chicago indie took their time bringing releases to digital retailers like iTunes and Bandcamp, and until very recently, their music was completely unavailable on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. Today, per Reddit, a handful of the label’s classic releases found their way onto Apple Music. Though Apple makes it a challenge to sort by label, uploads so far include '90s classics like Pavement’s Westing (By Musket And Sexant), Smog’s Red Apple Falls, Bonnie “Prince” Billy’s I See A Darkness, The Red Krayola’s Coconut Hotel, Royal Trux’s Untitled, the Hey Drag City compilation, and Silver Jews’ American Water. Check them out over on Apple Music and revisit SPIN's feature on “America’s best record label” here.

Royal Trux Reissuing Catalog, Recording New Album For Fat Possum

Royal Trux –“Every Day Swan”&“Get Used To This” (Feat. Kool Keith)

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We last heard from '90s scuzz-rock duo duo Royal Trux last year, when they released Platinum Tips + Ice Cream, an album of live recordings from the band’s LA and New York shows. Now, Jennifer Herrema and Neil Hagerty are gearing up to release a new album for Fat Possum, who are also reissuing the entire Royal Trux back catalog this year.


30 Essential Noise Rock Tracks

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Grind. Skronk. Pigfuck. Seemingly every word associated with noise rock sounds incredibly unflattering out of context, and even in context doesn't fare much better. Before noise rock had a name, rock critics such as Lester Bangs and Robert Christgau came up with their own suitably unpleasant ways of describing the tortured sounds of music oozing out of the American underground in the late '70s and early '80s. Out of the roots of hardcore and punk slithered something much nastier and much noisier. That vile beast is the sound we now know as noise rock.

Royal Trux –“White Stuff”

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Lo-fi rock luminaries Royal Trux, the duo of Jennifer Herrema and Neil Hagerty, have been creeping back into action in recent years. After reuniting for some shows in 2015, they documented those gigs with a live album in 2017, their first new discography entry since 2000's Pound For Pound. Early last year Fat Possum announced it was reissuing the Royal Trux catalog ahead of a new album in 2019. And back in October they shared their first new songs in 18 years, "Every Day Swan" and the Kool Keith collaboration "Get Used To This."

Royal Trux Reschedule Tour Due To “Unresolved Issues Arising From A Past Arrest”

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In early January, Royal Trux confirmed that their new LP, White Stuff, will be out in March via Fat Possum, their first since 2000's Pound For Pound. The duo comprising Jennifer Herrema and Neil Hagerty shared the album's title track which follows "Every Day Swan" and "Used To This." The band was set to embark on a tour starting next month, but today they announced that the tour has been postponed due to "unresolved issues arising from a past arrest."

Royal Trux –“Year Of The Dog”

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Noise-rockers Royal Trux have shared the fourth single from their upcoming comeback album. The duo of Neil Hagerty and Jennifer Herrema broke up after 2000's Pound For Pound but reunited in 2015. Since the reunion, they have released an album of live material, 2017’s Platinum Tips + Ice Cream. And lately they've been rolling out White Stuff -- their 10th proper LP overall and first in 19 years.

What Is This Royal Trux Drama On Twitter?

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The rollout for White Stuff, Royal Trux's first album of new material in 19 years, has been going less than smoothly. The release of advance music is moving along steadily, but the band itself seems like it might fall apart at any minute.

Royal Trux Cancel Tour





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