[dazedcola]

Did he do anything of note?

I never heard much about Bert after he left the band. I remember hearing he had another band he put together after thurston made them up and someone offered him a contract. What I mean to ask is there anything post-SY worth giving a listen to featuring Bob?

[kingcoffee]

Hell no.

[Savage Clone]

You think Pussy Galore is "not of note?"
Some of that stuff is great if you ask me.

[tesla69]

Ignorance rears its head. All of his projects have impressed me.

from the wikipedia"
Based in Hoboken, New Jersey, Bert initially came to prominence as drummer for the experimental rock band Sonic Youth during the early to mid-1980s. Bert played on the Sonic Youth releases Confusion Is Sex, Sonic Death, and Bad Moon Rising. After Bad Moon Rising, Bert quit the group. Sonic Youth replaced Bert with drummer Steve Shelley.
Bert contributed during the last half of the 1980's as percussionist for noise band Pussy Galore, as well as their splinter group Boss Hog.
In the early 1990s, Bert helmed the Chrome Cranks (which also included Peter Aaron on vocals; Jerry Teel on bass; and William Weber on stun guitar.)
After the dissolution of the Cranks, Bert joined forces with guitarist Kid Congo, guitarist Jack Martin, bassist/vocalist Jerry Teel and organist Barry London in the rootsy New York City band Knoxville Girls.
Throughout, Bert managed to release a handful of recordings by his percussive/concussive vehicle Bewitched. Releases by Bewitched include the "Chocolate Frenzy" 12" EP; some albums on No. 6 Records; and the "Hey White Homie" 7" on Sub Pop. Bewitched toured with S.Y. and STP (shortlived NYC all-female foxcore band which included PG guitarist Julie Cafritz) during the summer of 1990, the year "Goo" was released.
During the late 1990's, Bert (with his wife, artist Linda Wolfe) began publishing BBGun, a zine that primarily covers punk rock.
Bert currently plays with the International Shades, which features ex-Live Skull guitarist Mark C.

[Moshe]

http://www.myspace.com/bbewitched

The Ballad of Bob Bert's Bewitched


In 1985, I quit this lil' combo called Sonic Youth. Why? This is a question I am frequently asked. No big story here. After years of sleeping on cat-pissed soaked floors around the world, I wanted to try other things. Thereafter, Sonic Youth were back in London giving an interview to the Melody Maker. When they asked him what I was up to, Thurston Moore made up a story that me and our friend Susanne Sasic (who at the time was their merch girl, later to become their lighting director, and from there moved on to work with Nirvana, Stereolab, Beck, Tom Waits, REM and many more) had a new band called Bewitched. Via Paul Smith's Blast First Records, who Sonic Youth hooked up with through their friend and partner in crime, Lydia Lunch, offered to put out a record. Being influenced by ground-breaking music like Einsturzende Neubauten, Big Stick (their 7" 'Drag Racing' was the shit) and the Butthole Surfers, I entered Wharton Tiers' Fun City studio with Susanne on vocals/screams/moans, Dave Rick (Phantom Tollbooth, King Missile, Wide Right) on guitars, Mark Cunningham (Mars, Don King) on trumpets, my marimba, drums and recorded the 12" 'Chocolate Frenzy' and the no wave, Afro-beat inspired 'Swamp Shoot.' Paul Smith wanted to hear it remixed. I enlisted J.G. Thirlwell (Foetus) and Roli Mosimann (Swans), who at the time had a project called Wiseblood. Paul decided against releasing it, so I released it myself on Shove Records the label of Pussy Galore, the band I had just joined that put out their first single, Feel Good About Your Body and an EP called Groovy Hate Fuck.
The first live performance of Bewitched happened a year or so later at Maxwell's for a benefit for Impulse magazine. I recorded a 15 minute eclectic, wall of noise & jumblin' thunderous beats tracks at Fun City and enlisted Sue Hanel (an early Swans guitarist) and with a few drums and showering the audience and club in a rainbow of cereal.
The next few years were spent with Pussy Galore. Around '89 or so, I started jamming with some Maxwell's buddies, Chris Ward on bass and Jim Fu on guitar. I was offered a show opening for Spaceman 3 at Maxwell's so we decided to turn Bewitched into a "real band" to do the show. Someone had to be the singer/frontman, so I alternated between drums, gong and singing to a drum machine and tape loops. Chris brought in his friend Dave P on turntables (to eliminate the tapes) and I dubbed him DJ 'Cream Of Wheat'. Spaceman 3 didn't get into the country so our first show ended up being at Maxwell's with STP, (all girl supergroup featuring Julie Cafritz from Pussy Galore and Sally Barry from the Honeymoon Killers and future Bewitched drummer).
Soon after when I was working at the record store, Pier Platters and I met Terry Tolkin (who worked at Rough Trade at the time and later Elektra, where he signed Luna, Afghan Whigs and others) and who offered to put out our album on his label No.6. We went back to Wharton's Fun City and recorded our first album Brain Eraser. With really cool artwork by legendary cartoonist, Kaz, Brain Eraser was released in 1990.
When Sonic Youth signed to Geffen and released their album Goo, they took Bewitched and STP on tour, which was your only opportunity to see me singing at Roseland Ballroom in NYC. After touring the east coast we got bumped off the rest of the tour for some band called Nirvana that would never amount to anything. We did a bunch of shows with the Jesus Lizard, the newly formed the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and a host of others. We recorded a single for No.6 called '409' backed with 'Junket's Theme.' Shortly after Jim Fu quit the band he was replaced by Art Reinitz. We recorded a second album called Harshing My Mellow with Steve Albini. Did a bout of tourin' 'round the USA. Our deejay split, so we enlisted Sally Barry to play drums. We pretty much turned into a regular rock band, which was the last thing I wanted to happen. We did a six-week tour of the USA and Canada and when we returned the band disbanded.
That was the end of Bewitched, as a live act. In 1992, Sub Pop offered to release a Bewitched 7'' for their Single of the Month series. Donna Croughn of the band, Tiny Lights offered her talent on violin/bass/vocals and together we recorded 'Hey White Homey' and 'Troll Doll' with Wharton Tiers. Later I was asked by an Italian Industrial rock band called Meathead to do a split single. I was being asked to play with the Chrome Cranks at this time, so I had them back me on a song left over from the last lineup of Bewitched called 'Making Out With Satan.' - Bob Bert

[atari 2600]

Originally Posted by tesla69

Ignorance rears its head. All of his projects have impressed me.

Oh, but didn't you know that kingcoffee has profound (some say infallible) knowledge?

[Bal]

is there anything you dont know about Moshe?
big ups!

 

[ZEROpumpkins]

Originally Posted by tesla69

STP (shortlived NYC all-female foxcore band which included PG guitarist Julie Cafritz)

???

[Qonox]

All I know is Bob Bert was rude to me when I emailed him. Oh well. BBGun is a cool mag though.

[habibtheantiamericanbitch]

....and i own his original TAMA drum set he used to record all that classic stuff. Bought them directly from him. a proud owner i am......

[Pookie]

Originally Posted by Qonox

All I know is Bob Bert was rude to me when I emailed him. Oh well. BBGun is a cool mag though.

I've always had very friendly replies myself.

[silverfreepress (sdasher)]

About a year ago at the Knitting Factor BB said that he's stopped trying putting out new issues of the zine. Shame, that zine had class.

[PAULYBEE2656]

bob was in stp???? never knew that....

[Dead-Air]

His drumming in Pussy Galore was awesome, totally in line with what he did with Sonic Youth. Dial M for Motherfucker is the total classic in my book, and the rhythms are fucking amazing. Their version of Neubauten's "Feed My Ego" is totally great too, and shows how influence by the German industrial stuff he really was.

That said, Bewitched is the only group featuring somebody in SY that I've ditched. Just boring alt rock. Not as boring as Cell, but god, coming from Bert it was disgraceful.

[hellotwentyfifteen]

youre right, it wasn't very graceful

[habibtheantiamericanbitch]

yeah, bob gave me the Bewitched single 'hey white homey' but i didn't care for it. gave me a few bbguns too. nice little mag! PG was incredible. either love'em or hate'em.

[Dead-Air]

A weird piece of trivia I remember from some old SY interview - Pussy Galore actually toured Japan before they ever did.

[guitarpro]

I think Bob did a good job on the early albums but Steve is the man on the drums.

[Human Fly]

BB's drumming may be the reason why I prefer the earlier stuff. I've never thought of it like that but who knows. Anyway, PG were awesome and Bewitched had a couple of goodish songs but the current International Shades stuff totally leaves me cold. I just don't get it at all.

[greenlight]

Originally Posted by habibtheantiamericanbitch

....and i own his original TAMA drum set he used to record all that classic stuff. Bought them directly from him. a proud owner i am......

now, that's what I'm talking about.