The Last Conspirators

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BUY THE NEW CD "WARPARTY" HERE!
THE LAST CONSPIRATORS the new album WARPARTY out now!
THE TIMES UNION BEST CDS OF 2007 The Last Conspirators WARPARTY (Driving Rain) - " The most potent politically charged disc of the year, walking the tightrope between punk passion and polished professionalism."
"Warparty" is a ferocious album, brimming with barbed, political protest anthems, set to a surprisingly varied musical attack.. The high energy of Livingston's punk days is still there for all to hear, but now there's more -- echoes of the New York Dolls, Little Steven, even Neil Young's Crazy Horse. “Rock 'n' roll keeps on rockin'.” - The Times Union
“Longtime local scenesters will probably know Last Conspirators main man Tim Livingston. From 1979 to 1982 he fronted pioneering Capital Region punk outfit The Morons, which regularly held court to pogoing throngs at clubs like Bogie’s and the Chateau Lounge and shared bills with top draws like The Cramps, The Stranglers, and, of course, Blotto. After The Morons burned out, Livingston returned with another project, Ghostrunner, which released one album, 1993’s Beneath the Apocalyptic Rain, before calling it quits. But, as they say, you can’t keep a good man down. Nearly 15 years later, Livingston is back with The Last Conspirators, a quartet that brings a welcome, Information Age crunch to the tough, melodic sounds of late ’70s/early ’80s Brit-punk; think The Clash, The Jam, maybe The Ruts or the UK Subs, but with slightly glossier production values and lyrics that take shots at the soul-sucking, high-tech Noughties. (Check out “Crash,” brimming with grinding guitars and Livingston’s hoarse, desperate vocals; or “Walking in Hellfire,” a moody tour de force highlighted by some sweltering guitar leads.) Warparty, however, isn’t just one rocker after another. The disc also features a handful of protest ballads, Dylan- and Arthur Lee-influenced tracks like the title cut and “American Son,” a commentary on suburban alienation. Though The Last Conspirators formed as a studio-only enterprise, the group headlined a release party for the record in March. Does this mean there may be more gigs to come? See this month’s Nightlife Highlights, opposite, or visit www.DrivingRainMusic.com." — Chronogram Magazine
“Like Mike Ness or Iron Cross’ Sab Grey, onetime Morons frontman Tim Livingston has settled into punk-rock middleagedom : still capable of the two-minute flame-thrower, but also digging roots rock, harmonicas and the mid-tempo in general, with political insight ?you just don’t have when you are 19... There’s OG, Clash-ish punk rock, a John Cougar-Springsteen hybrid, artier 70’s guitar rock and even a beach-party jam... incisive and poetic... overall an engaging album “ - HARP Magazine
"On the Last Conspirators new CD, 'Warparty', the unflappably laid-back Tim Livingston sounds like he's unraveling a little; conjuring up a more deranged version of Mick Jones of the Clash. Trust me, that's a good thing, as are tunes like the mid-seventies CBGB's folk-rock of "American Son", the spacy guitar psychedelics of "Help", plus the ripping "Tribulation Blues" which recalls vintage Richard Hell & the Voidoids. And when's the last time you heard a song that reminded you of Arthur Lee's "Message to Pretty"? The title track does just that, at least to these ears. Best of all is "Crash". Other than the unavoidable reality that it's on a tiny Upstate NY indie with no distribution, this song has got hit written all over it. " - Here 'Tis Magazine
"Frontman Tim Livingston was an original '70s punk, leading Albany's Morons when that was brave down on the Bowery - never mind the Hudson Valley. You can deduce his age (and likely his three band mates) but you'd detect little vestige on WARPARTY. Maybe because he hasn't made an LP in 15 years (Since GHOSTRUNNER's lone Beneath the Apocalyptic Rain), or because he works at valuable '60's reissue label Sundazed - but the appetite remains for a variety of styles replete with political awareness. Reviewers flail at pinning this down, raining comparisons from Voidoids, and the Flesheaters, to the Jam, later Clash, Love and New Model Army. I hear Love, '60's blues rock balladry, ballsy post-punk mashers like 80's Australians, and dexterous guitars that prove ballast for Livingston's burning convictions like "American Son" and our in-foerclosure U.S. of "Innocent"." (drivingrainmusic.com) - Jack Rabid The Big Takeover Magazine “ With Warparty, an anxious late 70’s early 80’s straight-ahead rock groove prevails. Full of conviction and urgency.. like the chaotic lead off track “Help” and sixties sounding “American Son.” The formidable, hard charging  “Crash!”... the lush “Walking in Hellfire,” is a sure highlight with it’s impassioned delivery and fine guitar work, while title track “Warparty (a soldiers song)” has an antiwar vibe complete with harmonica. “Lee Harvey Oswald” (the mother of all conspiracies) is slow and vacant, and the song ?“Surf Rocket” sports a retro vibe to kill. ” - The Daily Freeman
WARPARTY the new album by former Morons/Ghostrunner frontman and songwriter Tim Livingston and his band of rebel-rockers THE LAST CONSPIRATORS now available from Driving Rain Music. WARPARTY is a set of old-school rock & roll protest songs, played with the urgency of Livingston’s early punk group, the Morons (‘79-’82) and the power & passion of his later cult incarnation Ghostrunner (‘93). Ten cutting, socially-charged blasts, served up as a potent Molotov cocktail of garagey-punk and soulful, electric-folk. From the desperate battle-cries of Help & Innocent.. to the cyber-punk meltdown of Crash.. to the underground-Americana of Warparty (A Soldiers Song) and Lee Harvey Oswald, WARPARTY is a rock & roll tour de force! An epic soundtrack to the new-revolution!
The band has been playing live in support of the album and so far have showcased at such venues as; the Mercury Lounge, Maxwells, and the Albany larkFEST. They have shared the stage with the likes of New Model Army, Hamell On Trial, Echoes & Shadows and Casey Neil. WARPARTY has been played on radio stations; WFMU, WEQX, WVCR, WRPI, WEXT, 104.9 The Edge, , 103.1 WHRL, WSPN and the band has been featured on WAMC’s Performance Place, CRUMBS Radio, WEXT-518 and Kaleidoscope.
All songs written and produced by Tim Livingston
Mixed by Chris Fisher at Easter Island Productions
Mastered by Bob Irwin at Sundazed Studios
THE LAST CONSPIRATORS Tim Livingston (The Morons, Ghostrunner) on vocals/harmonica/organ
Al Kash (Fear of Strangers, Leopard Society, Ghostrunner) on drums
Terry Plunkett (Mares Nest, Axe Iron Suns) on guitar
Jeff Sohn (Coal Palace Kings, Names for Numbers) on bass.
Special guest: Bob Irwin - guitars on Walking in Hellfire
Track listing Help / American Son / Crash! / Walking in Hellfire / (Warparty) A Soldier Song / Innocent Tribulation Blues / Lee Harvey Oswald / Surf Rocket / Two Cats in Suits
*****
With the release of his first album in 14 years, WARPARTY, former Morons/Ghostrunner front man and songwriter, Tim Livingston, has hit the boards once again with his new band The Last Conspirators.
While Livingston has been reclusive from the New York Capital Region live scene since his legendary days with the Albany punk pioneers, the Morons (‘79-’82) and his short stint as Ghostrunner (‘93), the old school rock & roll outlaw has continued to write and record and has now returned to the stage in support of his critically acclaimed new release WARPARTY. Drawing on a wealth of original material spanning three decades, starting with his work leading the Morons, to his visionary concept album as Ghostrunner, and of course the new project WARPARTY, Livingston is a fabled performer and his live shows are always high-energy affairs.
TL started writing rock & roll early in life. His brother’s record collection, sixties AM radio, Where The Action Is, the Ed Sullivan Show and living on top of a nightclub in Wildwood, NJ as an 8 year old all contributed to this direction. The Rolling Stones, 60’s punk, the New York Dolls, Mott the Hoople, early Alice Cooper Group, Ronson-era Bowie and later the Clash all influenced the glam-tinged but straight ahead rock & roll approach to his own music.
In 1979, at the age of eighteen, along with JB Homicide, he started his first band, the Morons. Under the alias of TL Stone he fronted the Morons for over two years, in the process co-writing over forty songs. The Albany, NY based punk rock group wreaked havoc across the Capital Region during their day. Notorious for their rambunctious stage show and satirical social commentary, the self-proclaimed “Only Band That NEVER Mattered”, offered up “Modern Music For A Not So Intelligent World” powered by a fast punk/pop beat. In a 1981 review, the Times Union called them “a snottier version of the New York Dolls”. Metroland Magazine hailed the first single saying: “it shows an affinity to the basic drive of British punk circa 1977.. ‘Suburbanite’ is a nifty little rocker, with tongue-in-cheek lyrics that set it apart from the pack.. the band’s playing is top-notch and the arrangement, which even features a Stones style sax break at the end, is marvelous”. Years later, the same magazine remembered them as “desperate and flashy”.
Starting as a party joke, the Morons began life “Chewing on Tin Foil”, and staked their claim with such songs as: “John T Law”, “I Got Television”, “Here Come The Cats with the Jetpacks!”, “BOY” and “Ballad of a Moron”. They started playing house parties, showcase gigs, and dives throughout the area from opening slots for the Cramps, the Stranglers, the Motels, Gary Myrick & the Figures, SVT, Blotto and others, at J.B. Scotts, to one night stands at early capital region scene clubs like 288 Lark, the Chateau Lounge, Hullabaloo, Blue Angel, Towne Tavern and Bogarts.
After the Morons’ demise, away from the live scene, Livingston continued to write and record demos. Some of these were re-recorded to become 1993’s Beneath The Apocalyptic Rain, an album released on compact disc under the band name GhostRunner. Comprised of a mix of storming rockers and empty-bottle ballads, the album had Buzz Magazine declaring Livingston was “back with a vengeance”. New York Roxx Magazine hailed it as one of their “favorite releases of the year... Pink Floyd B-sides played by the legendary punk band the Sex Pistols... destined to be a cult classic..” The Fabulous Sounds called “On The Quiet Side of Town”, “a gem... “a mesmerizing song with gorgeous female back-up vocals that complement Livingston’s desperation”. Despite the critical acclaim, Livingston’s days as Ghostrunner were numbered and the band played only five gigs before vanishing with the only trace being one brilliant album.
In 2007, Livingston returned with a new album, WARPARTY, and a new band dubbed The Last Conspirators. The Times Union named WARPARTY one of the BEST CDS OF 2007 saying; ‘The most potent politically charged disc of the year, walking the tightrope between punk passion and polished professionalism." The album release has been supported by a series of showcase live shows including; Tim’s return to LARKfest, the Capital Region’s largest festival, opening dates for UK legends New Model Army on their North American tour, including a sold-out performance at the Mercury Lounge in NYC, and other various club and concert dates. For more information on The Last Conspirators, the album, tour dates, The Morons, Ghostrunner, photos, video and more ... DrivingRainMusic.com
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