Functional Inconvenience Radio
The Neus Subjex
P.O. Box 18051
Fairfield, OH 45018-0051
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eLitter for the virtual floor!!
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| THE
NEUS SUBJEX #71 March 2008 - ?? in the new update it when we feel like it style! |
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| INDEX: THISTLE, THE WHATHAVEYA, C SPENCER YEH, MY LATEX BRAIN, ACCIDENTLY ON PURPOSE, THE LONG GONES, THE WHITE GIRLS, THE SUNDRESSES, THE CHAUNCERS, THE KITECRASHERS, BUFFALO KILLERS, THE SIGNAL, LOU from PERU, KNIFE THE SYMPHONY, C.D. TRUTH, THE CINCINNATI SUDS, THE HORRIFICS, ALONE AT 3AM, ABOUT A SON DVD, SAH, FOR THE WORSE, MY LATEX BRAIN, FIGHT PRETTY, THE WANKERS, |
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Indie Summer Makes a Splash... The city of Cincinnati has been trying to up its hipster image by having weekly showcases of local bands downtown on the newly renovated and ergonomically incorrect Fountain Square. Basically, the city is paying money to provide entertainment to the denizens and freaks that populate the inner city's business district. Also, tossing local bands a healthy monetary bone is a lot cheaper than getting oldies acts like Survivor to play “Eye of the Tiger” three times in a row or James Brown (RIP) to rap about kids staying in school. So on July 18th, P-39 and I ventured down to the land of medium sized skyscrapers to cook in the overly hot and oppressive sun, drink some (actually reasonably priced) beers and check out the White Girls and others. The Sundresses opened up the evening's festivities with their own distinctive brand of swamp blues that was lyrically infiltrated with dry, high brow humor. I would have taken pictures of them, but Brad can't seem to remember my name. Amidst a wall of guitar noise, the White Girls stirred the social crockpot with their brand of bass guitar (non funky) driven new wavish punk rock. As Devo would say, these are the true post post modern men. The eclectic crowd got to dancing and their lead throatist, Matt, had no problem grinding hips with the unclean. Later in the set, he donned swimgear and took a few laps in the city's prized tribute to artistic nudity and finished their set of Joy Division meets the Gizmos styled tuneage completely drenched in the cities most stagnant, albeit, refreshing water. The Chauncers closed out the night, and having previewed their tracks on myspace, I was excited to check out their brand of Wilcoesque americana firsthand. The Chauncers seemed to be somewhat of a local rock super group with the most notable members being Kendall from the grunge era favorites, Ditchweed, and Billy Catfish from the Little Billy Catfish Trio. Even though they had the heat, technical problems, and a soundguy that started sucking down Budweisers, they put on a respectable set that included damn near the entire 6 or 7 piece band trading off lead vocal duties. Feel free to listen to selected tracks from the evening's sets below. AB1 White
Girls MP3
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The Kitecrashers at the Blue Rock Tavern June 27th 2008
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BUFFALO KILLERS - LET IT RIDE, LP I hate waking up from a wild ride the night
before. And it's morning, the hot sun blazin' its way through the window
that you've still forgot to buy blinds, curtains, etc. for! Either way, wake
up, hit the back patio, take your shirt off, sit in the sun and roll one up
and work that farmer's tan off you back. The cooler's always still cold so
you keep stickin' your hand in it...to "chill down" so to speak.
Tilt your head back, thank god that someone invented sunglasses, and let the
Buffalo Killers blow with the breeze. This is Ohio on a hot July morning. We
trip in cornfields, not movie theaters! The BK Killers are the most god's
honest extension of The James Gang that you'll ever meet!! Tits to Joe Walsh
and all, but he fuckin' joined the Eagles and that's a stain that you can
never wash out. But folks!, if you enjoy your hippie filtered through the
midwestern Ohio industrial wastescape, the Buffalo Killers are for you.
Think...Blue Cheer, Jefferson Airplane, and even Frigid Pink!! Roll one and
go pick this up!!! (Andy Breighton) 07/20/2008 |
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THE
SIGNAL (2007) DVD For no good reason, during an undetermined New Years Eve in Terminus City (wherever THAT is; I'm thinking CANADA for some reason) a strange signal is broadcast over television and cell-phone lines (but leaving those listening to CD players alone) that causes everyone to think irrationally AND become homicidal maniacs. And this, of course explains why sooo MANY bad decisions were made by those in the love (For Fucks sake, when your facing an apartment building full of killers, PLEASE take off the headphones!) And this time, in this movie, there's no safety zone. Some people control what's happening a bit better than others, but none-the-less EVERYONE is affected. Think 28 Days Later or Shaun of the Dead mixed with The Stand and hints of the more recent Americanfied J-Horror flick The Pulse thrown in together. The movie is basically broken down in three sections, or transmissions, and as much as I can tell, each section is represented by a different director. It starts off dramatic, with a very Grindhouse-like opening, then moves to a comedic middle portion and wrapping everything up in section three, a mind-bending climax. The movie is good. I will admit, it reeks of B-Movie standards AT FIRST, but by time I reached the middle portion, I was loving it. This is one of those movies that you like, but discover you like more than you originally thought once you start explaining some key scenes to your friends... So yeah, I recommend this. (Shawn Abnoxious) 07/02/2008 |
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This is an online Neus Subjex video first. Lou from Peru explains the meaning of a fabulous Sam's Club purchase. Lou waxes poetic about the meaning of life, good living, and quality outerwear. Remember kids, life is weird so be sure to look at it and listen. This is cinema vérité at it's most futuristic. |
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| KNIFE
THE SYMPHONY CRAWLER CD Cincinnati's KNIFE THE SYMPHONY bring forth their first full length effort just in time for a early summer release. My anticipation for great hometown music has more than exceeded the need to keep myself searching for national acts on the rise...(CINCINNATI HAS IT ALL RIGHT HERE!) And while waiting for this release, I can honestly say that the wait was well worth it. (CRAWLER) has been in the works for quite some time... but has brought out a more creative side of KTS that I didn't really expect. The members are now more comfortable with what they can accomplish when not being pressured to just get it out there. The best part of this disc is that the vocals are now shared more often...that adds a new dynamic feel to what KTS can create on disc as well as live. Being only a 3 piece this band's sound has carved its way through the history of rock'n roll to the present for something totally fresh and inspiring. 9 new tracks around 40 minutes gives this disc just enough time to show you that this band is in it for the love of making great music... and making it all their own. Absolutly fantastic Dave Fishwick 06/24/2008 Check out the links for the official release date and show. www.myspace.com/knifethesymphony www.phratryrecords.com |
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"One of the most underrated and ignored bands in Ohio, America and the world! Don't let the weird band name avoid you. If Cheap Trick played punk rock..." - AB1
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C.D. TRUTH FOLLOW ME TO AKRON, DVD One can't expect nothing less than great things from a band like C.D. Truth...Great music, great live shows and now a DVD. Who would have thought that AKRON, Ohio had such a amazing band. Well The Neus Subjex has been following this band for quite some time and it's time for you to do the same. This DVD has set a standard for local bands thinking of trying something like it...all the bells and whistles are here. Videos, live footage, bio's and a gallery to go with it. From 1990 to now C.D. Truth have been on a journey through OHIO and beyond spreading their talents to the masses and gaining lots of fans along the way. It's only now that when someone talks about AKRON I don't immediately think of DEVO. This DVD is just a small example of what CDT can bring to the table and I hope that they stick around for a long time. A great independent band doing great things... definitely worth checking out. Dave Fishwick 06/07/2008 www.cdtruth.com |
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CINCINNATI SUDS - IN YOUR BEDROOM, CD "I was raised by wolves, who had sharp teeth, claws, and jaws...and I don't mind" sings vocalist, Adam Wesley, on the garage blues track, "I Don't Mind" and nothing could be further from the truth! These guys are the epitome of the "I don't give a damn" rockers, and damn they shall rock! The Suds bring the old style goods on tight pants, Nanker-Phelge, "Empty Heart", "Poison Ivy" Stones era R&B rockers like "Killing Time" and "In Your Bedroom". Other tracks like the organ rocker, "The Goblin", bring to mind newer (sic) garage bands like The Mummies while "The Wild Blast" is, well, just plain wild. For some reason, I filed this next to my The Gories records...maybe the sound quality..."but I don't mind". And don't let the sissified pink cover art lead you astray, because any of The Suds would knife you just as quick as they'd hug you! Andy Breighton 05/28/2008 http://www.myspace.com/cincinnatisuds |
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The
Horrifics - Now Fear This CD Heavily inspired by the MISFITS, even the dress code. THE HORRIFICS from FORT WORTH, TX play basement punk rock all the way, except for a couple of slow ones in the mix of this disc...just like the MISFITS. Tight band that I'm sure is great live..I'm just not into the horror pop scene as much as I was when I was a teenager. Halloween can't be everyday, but some wish it was. 17 tracks and 36 minutes later, I realized that people still love the MISFITS and want to be like them. It's one thing to be a tribute band... and another to be a duplicate. Not Great, But not bad. Dave Fishwick 05/28/2008 myspace.com/thehorrifics |
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AT 3AM "City Out of Luck” CD Imagine if BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN was in an emo band. OK-OK songs. Good production and nice packaging. This release seems really like something mainstream radio would just ignore without all the money spent on publicity... Cause this stuff IS appealing, if it hears a couple million ears or so... This is the kind of band with the kind of songs that you TOLERATE when you hear them on the big stations... Once again, IF you hear'em on the big stations. (by Shawn Abnoxious) 05/20/2008 tiberiusrecords.com aloneat3am.net |
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| KURT
COBAIN "ABOUT A SON" DVD I find it funny that after 12 years that people are still out to make money from a band that is long gone, sure the radio still plays their music and we all have their CD's collecting dust and we all enjoyed the music when it was here, but for the story of KURT COBAIN and NIRVANA the story just continues every other year. I admit to being a fan at the time when they were around and seeing them play at DAYTON'S HARA ARENA just before KURT committed suicide and feeling like the world of music could never be the same, but there is a time to move on and put things to rest. This story of KURT COBAIN in his own words takes us to all the places and feelings that he went through during NIRVANA's world wide domination and before they made it big. During this entire DVD interview KURT expresses that he had always wanted to be a rockstar in some kind of way, because he knew that he could if he wrote catchy and poppy enough songs to grab everyone's attention. I was always thinking that he never wanted this success from his suicide note that COURTNEY read after his death, but now it seems that this is all that he ever wanted until he found that perfect mate to settle down with and have the family that he always wanted. The press that has come out ever since his death seems like it was all wrong after watching this, but only KURT knows what really killed him. I remember that night at HARA ARENA and seeing KURT off to the side of the stage to watch THE BOREDOMS and enjoy a few pretzels, till the audience took note that he was there and ignored the band playing and started to yell for KURT till it was just pointless to even enjoy the music that was there and then watching KURT throw his pretzels at the crowd of teenagers and then leaving. I think he had finally had enough of being a rockstar that night, but I was hoping that he was going to get more things to throw, after all he is a fan of music just as much as we are and when you can't enjoy a show you really don't feel like being there. After watching this DVD it seems in the end that KURT was totally content with his life and ready to move on with new adventures of being a father and a husband and ready to put NIRVANA to rest and start to enjoy his life and leave all the negative energy behind him... but something didn't let that happen. Maybe we will never know...and maybe we shouldn't know because that was his personal life and we don't need to know everything about him. I hope that this is the final nail in the coffin of the NIRVANA legacy and wish that the media will put this behind them and focus on killing someone else, after all we all need our privacy and some doors were not meant to be opened. Maybe if NIRVANA never happened the world of music would be different now...but for a band that was so influential to others and creating the GRUNGE movement that genre would not have happened, and maybe if NIRVANA themselves weren't influenced by the music that has been going on for years in the SEATTLE area the GRUNGE movement might have never happened as well. A lot of bands come and go but their music is timeless, but personal lives need to be respected and I hope that his family will someday be at peace. I picked up this DVD at WAL MART of all places for $14.88...so i don't feel totally ripped off. Dave Fishwick 5/20/2008
Neither of the about pictures are from the actual
movie. The movie has lots of trees and logs and ordinary people
like. The soundtrack is pretty good, but missing Flipper. The
movie was made by a writer...because no one reads books. - AB1 |
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| STORY
BEHIND THE SONG: Behind every song is a story.... So, in hopes of further exploring a bands songs for meaning and purpose, exposing a funny story, hidden truth or funny story or maybe just some "fun-fact" associated with the song itself... THE NEUS SUBJEX feature STORY BEHIND THE SONG is designed to give you a closer relationship with bands song(s). Beyond JUST a title, beyond JUST the music and lyrics themselves... STORY BEHIND THE SONG is a liner-note type song to song breakdown intended to act as an accompaniment to a bands release. In this installment the NSX yield the floor to THE WANKERS who were almost added to the list of non-compliances if not for their very own Lou From Peru who responded. You know times are tough when the DRUMMER of a band has his shit together enough to get through something like this. Someone call hell, its about to get cold down there... THE WANKERS “No Need For A Solo…It’s Back To Basics” CD 2006 I.D.G.F. RECORDINGS (Cincinnati, Ohio) Answers by: Lou from Peru (Drummer) Bonus Questions by: Shawn Abnoxious Does this CD usher in a new era for The Wankers? It seems like you sorted through some of your older CD-R’s for the best tracks and put them all in one place. When this CD was recorded, which was actually between 1 and 2 years prior to it’s official release, it did indeed usher in a new era for The Wankers. I say this because this is the first full-length CD that I play on. You have to understand that I am actually the third drummer to play with these guys. Before I joined this group, one might say that The Wankers were strictly a Garage-Punk Band with a hint of surfiness at times. Thereafter, one might say that the sound is leaning slightly away from the “Punk” thing and more towards a straightforward “Rock” thing. I believe the reason for this is because of the “rhythm section” of the band: drums and bass in other words. Pat “the giant” Schlosser, who was the bass player on the album, is very much into the whole british-invasion style of rock that was going on in the 60’s as well as some of the 70’s stuff. I too am very fond of that whole era as well. As far as it seeming like we sorted through our older CD-R’s and putting the best ones all in one place... The recordings on our latest “LP” were all fresh recordings that were not previously released on anything else, other than maybe 3-4 of the tracks being submitted to different music venues as demos. Some of the songs that were on previous releases: the “Girls Are Mean” EP for instance, might sound similar to what’s on the current album. I think that tends to happen though when you record the same song more than once. I’m certain that if you would listen to one of our practice sessions and hear us play some of the songs more than once, you might come to the conclusion that they sound the same. However, that being said, someone who really listens will indeed hear some different things going on between different versions. I for one seldom ever play a song the same way twice, other than the intro’s; and sometimes those are different too. The title of your CD “No Need For A Solo…It’s Back To Basics” brings to mind a sense of being humble and reactionary, but in the same respects, more than one song from the CD could be seen as having a ‘Classic’ solo (to one degree or another) on it. Can you explain the concept of naming the CD what it was named and your viewpoints on solos in band dynamics? My take on the name is simply what it says. “No Need For A Solo…It’s Back To Basics”. In other words: we play together as a group. I think a song in it’s most basic form has an intro followed by a series of verses with choruses in between closed out by an outro of some sort. This basic structure exists so that we, as players, have something solid to go on; a learning tool to help each player learn any song. I know that most bands (with the exception of 100% improvisational bands) have this same basic approach. But for us I think it boils down to style. This stuff is supposed to be fun. It’s not much fun, if you have to learn something that has way too many parts and goes on for about 10-20 minutes before one song is even completed. To me it makes more sense to do shorter songs (2-5 minutes; or slightly longer if everyone’s in the zone and feeling the magic at the same time, which boils down to playing live in front of a lot of people/fans). I think it’s really cool when everyone’s groovin’ together and feeling some kind of emotion while playing the songs. I guess what our basic message would be is that we like to let the music flow naturally instead of being mechanical about it. To me, the word “solo” implies that one musician is playing something without anyone else playing with them. A musician anywhere near the state of mastery with how well they know how to play their instrument of choice should be able to achieve the same things playing with the whole group as they do when they’re just getting’ off by themselves for the purpose of impressing someone. I think the more accurate term to use is “lead” like when a guitar player busts into a lead in the middle of the song, which creates what I like to call the “jam” section of the song. I think it’s okay to play solo’s, as long as someone else, or everyone else is soloing ‘with’ you. Do people ever think you are a UK band because of your band name? I have indeed come across some people that think we’re a UK band. Mostly on the internet, though. People do sometimes ask me if any of the members of the band are from Great Britain. Someone once asked me if we were a “British-invasion” style cover band. I think there are probably more people who think we’re a UK band than any of us know. SONGS: NO NEED FOR A SOLO I remember this song being a lot of fun to record. I think we started playin’ this one kind of as a joke. It was short, fast, and so bloody obnoxious. I think this tune was our way of lettin’ our original fans know that we haven’t forgotten how to punk it up old school. I think this song is rather funny. I actually didn’t notice what the lyrics said until after it was recorded. I remember the mood of the band being in a humorous state before, during, and after the recording of this particular number. We actually ended this song twice. It’s slightly lyrically faint, but at the end of this one we punch it home and yell the line: “all songs must end with” then we punch it home again. 3RD SHIFT SUCKS Ah, an instrumental. I love instrumentals. This song goes to the root of my existence with “the wankers”. I say this because it was during a 3rd shift job that I met Pat “the giant” Schlosser in the early 2000’s. When we met, I was wearing a “who” shirt and he had on a “who” button pinned to his army green wartime coat as they say. That got us talking about rock-n-roll. Upon finding out that I play the drums; he told me that he played bass and that he had a group that he wanted me to check out. I went to his gig and thought there was some potential there. He invited me back to his next gig to sit in on a number. I did and was asked to join later that night. FREUDIAN SLIP When I heard the playback for the first time on this one, I immediately decided that I wanted to lay down a hi-hat only overdub on this one. The result was spectacular. During certain segments of this track, you can hear the hi-hats and ride cymbal being played simultaneously; it sounded so cool. I was quite pleased. GIRLS ARE MEAN Once again I chose to do some overdubs. During this overdub session, I alternated between the “bongos” and the “cajon” which is a wooden box that you sit on and play with your hands. It even has a hole on the non-playing side for the microphone. The “cajon” is traditionally used in spanish-flamenco style music and other forms of latin music. It’s actually used a lot in Peru. I remember being blown away when I listened to the final version. I didn’t know until after it was already done that Jelly Bean from MOOT supplied backing vocals on this track. She really gave the song an extra bit of something tasty. I could also easily picture Nirvana having played this one. CAN’T GET YOU Lyrically, I thought that this tune could be an anthem for quite a few people. I can’t help but think of all the lovesick times that I had to endure when I was in high school. Musically, this song sounds like a marriage between ska and thrash metal minus the usually blazing fast guitar leads. I just remember that I kept switching between a ska like beat and that typical thrash beat of the ‘Troy from CDP’ variety. CONSTANTLY TALKING SHIT Oh yeah! This one was a lot of fun to play on. I got to do tons of surfy beats and utilize all of my tom toms. I remember the middle of it coming off like some Green Day song as some kid at some show once pointed out to me. Of course, I never heard that song until quite some time after we recorded this one. I was just trying to lay down some jungle boogie kind of a thing. I think this song usually gets a big reaction from the crowd when we play it live. I also remember thinking that, my god, this tune is so full of anger (lyrically speaking). I also remember thinking that Jeremy Hensley’s part on the keyboards really made the song. I couldn’t imagine this tune without them. Way to go Jeremy. KILL YOUR TELEVISION This song, I must say is one of my favorites to play. I think it’s because it starts out all slow and tribal- like, then builds to quite a nice speed. A total, rockin’ number. I use the word tribal because at the beginning of this track I did yet another overdub. I used a rattler and a rain stick, which I got from Peru. I damn near put myself in a trance. I was imagining myself being with a bunch of spiritual indians. A much better time than just watching TV. I would kill my television any day of the week in exchange for a really cool live experience. All that stuff aside; when we play this song live, if we play it well, it usually gets a good response. At times, I can hear Jimi Hendrix wailing away in my head. No disrespect to the guitar work that’s actually going on in this tune. I guess what I mean by that is that I think this song is good enough for Jimi Hendrix to say: yeah man, this tune is so groovy. TUNE OF A I think this track is completely different from anything else we do. I remember thinking: this tune is so pretty. I also really enjoyed the bass work on this number. At times, I think Pat came off sounding like John Entwistle from THE WHO. YOU This song is a downright scorcher. I always have to shake my hands after playin’ this one. I think it’s because of all the rolls I throw in. I also remember thinking: man that’s some mighty thumpin’ bass work. For me it’s one of Pat “the giant” Schlosser’s best. CABLE TV This tune was a fun little ditty. It came off to me like a marriage between the bands Nirvana and Hole. I believe that this is the first song that I can recall Matt “the kid” Frimming actually having a standard rock lead type moment. SIMPLE DISTRACTIONS Total SKA this one. I know there isn’t horn in this one, but that aside, this tune has a lot of SKA in it. I remember thinking how pretty it sounded especially around the middle. I also did another overdub in this one. Nothing fancy, I just added some cajon in spots to emphasize/compliment the low tones. This was recommended by George Fortse at i.d.g.f . recordings. He said he thought it would sound cool if I hit the cajon at the same time that I hit the floor tom during certain parts of the song. I think he was right. I’M A BEE Oh yeah baby! Sting me. This song for some reason always tends to be a crowd pleaser. I guess it’s because it sounds a little bit like that classic Monkees song: “I’m Not Your Stepping Stone.” On this song, I used a timbale bell, agogo bell, and jam block to bookend the song. BACK TO BASICS Ah yes, the 2nd half of the title to this CD. I had a blast playing this one. I remember thinking when I heard the playback that this song sounded like it came straight out of the “sixties” era. We even stuck in a bit of the old “Gloria” song in there. What’s more “sixties” than that? I thought I was one of the “outsiders” for a second. I think this tune was real dynamical. It’ got some real quiet stuff that builds into some real loud stuff. BIG RIG Yes indeed, Big Rig. If you own it, it’s been trucked as Pat used to say. This song sounded to me like psychabilly, the blues, disco, and surf were all hanging out with each other. Funny story: the harmonica player on this track was some older dude that was at a basement show that we were doing once. I remember seeing him break out his harmonica and start playin’ along when we did this number. So afterwards, Ryan “wanker” Schwass asked him if he would do the same thing on our album. He agreed. I think it was a nice addition. I actually wasn’t there for that session, but I heard it was a blast. I was told that he actually played through the whole song. We used only a portion of what he did and edited the rest out. It was just enough of a contribution to make it sound real bluesy. I really liked Ryan’s rhythm guitar work on this one. ROAD RAGE Pat used to refer to this one as “Inagadda Da Road Rage”. That was because we through in a few bars of IRON BUTTERFLY’S “Inagadda Da Vida” on this one. That was my idea. I just thought it would sound good. I think this was one of those tunes where at certain points of the song everyone was soloing together at the same time. It had a sweet build-up in there. The harmonica player did something on this one too. I really like what Jeremy was doing on the keyboards towards the end. I remember Pat and I sticking in a few bars of LED ZEPPELIN’S “Immigrant Song” during certain parts. This song had everything that I enjoy about playing rock-n-roll in it. I also remember suggesting that we close our sets with this one; and we did too, for a long time. http://www.damnwankers.com/ |
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