This is by no means my favorite Alkaline Trio record, but it definitely the first one I bought and got me into them. I know all the songs by heart and they are second nature to me. Yes, it's a bit overproduced for an album released on an "indie" label like Vagrant, but the songs are catchy and just as terribly tongue-in-cheek. It also marked the first album with current drummer Derek Grant, who may not be Glenn Porter, but he can play the older songs just as well. This record also saw Matt Skiba writing songs for Dan to sing. This album kind of defined my crushes on girls in high school. It will always be etched into my memory.
1. Gorillaz-Gorillaz (2001)
Surprised? I don't think you should be this album is incredible. It set a new standard for records I listened to that followed. When I heard this album I was still into nu-metal, so there was no surprise that I enjoyed the hip hop influence, but who knew this could get me to look beyond that narrow spectrum. If it were not for this album I would not be where I am today. Damon Albran and Dan the Automator really created a masterpiece with a fictional band. Of course, the music is real and real good at that. This record never gets old to me and always brings back the fondest memories.
Well, that is all for the best the decade list. I hope everyone had a good holiday. Coming up next is my best 2009!
It saddens me to know I can't find any traces of this band through a Google search anymore. If you never heard of them, I'm not surprised. I think only people who are pretty close to me have any idea who they are. 3 Prong Outlet was a small band from Catonsville, Maryland that no one really got a chance to discover. They were around from about 1998 till 2003 or 2004. They released three full lengths and an EP/Demo before breaking up. This was their last record and I bought it as soon as it came out. I was so excited in high school, I felt like that cool kid who knew about a band no one else knew about. The music itself is pop punk in it's purest form. I didn't have much to compare it to back then, because all I knew was Blink-182, but they sound very similar to Screeching Weasel and other Ramonescore bands. The lyrics are snotty, but at times actually rather thoughtful. Matt Pless, the song writer/guitar player/vocalist is still one of my all time favorite artists. Whether he's singing about blowing up his school or just being plain depressed he is amazing. I think I can blame this record for how I am now. It made me realize that there is more to music then major labels and indie rock cred.
4. Modest Mouse-Good News For People Who Love Bad News (2003)
This record will always hold a special place in my heart. Not only did it make me pay attention to "indie" music, but it also the first album to make me feel genuinely upset. The best or worst memory I have of this album is listening to it to and from my grandmother's funeral. Even though this record can come off as terribly bitter something about the songs just made me sad, but it was real emotion. Even if they made their first major pop hit with this song, it is far from a pop record. It is on a major label, but it is pretty far from your typical lighthearted pop record. I am glad this album had as much exposure as it did because it turned to one of my all-time favorite bands. Thanks for the memories Mr. Brock.
When I first heard this record, it was unlike anything I had been listening to at the time. It was well into the large success of bands like Thursday, Taking Back Sunday, and Dashboard Confessional. This is what the "media" was selling as emo. I was buying into it until my cousin told me about Cursive. I gave this record a listen and something about it just connected with me instantly. I think it might have been Tim Kasher's amazing story telling. That seems to be the number one selling point of Cursive, at least for me. The music isn't exactly post-hardcore, but it isn't exactly indie either. It is however "emo" in the greatest sense of the word, but Kasher seems invoke real emotion into this wonderful tales of lost love and artistic integrity. The eerie cello of Gretta Cohn is what really made the record for me. The atmosphere is dark and brooding leaving you with the feeling that you just listened to an entire scary movie. The Ugly Organ feels so much like a movie, that there is only a slightly happy ending with the repetition of "the worst is over" in the last track "Staying Alive." Not only is this album a great full length, but it is also an amazing concept album which set me on a path of only being album to write concept albums. Damn you Tim Kasher.
I know, loving this band has become slightly dated. Too be honest though, I remember hearing "Cliche Guevara" for the first time and claiming this was the future of punk rock. In a way, I was right. So many slightly similar sounding bands popped up here and there in every scene and record label, but this sound was nothing new. Bands have been doing "folk punk" way before Against Me and will continue doing it way after them. However, in 2003 this was groundbreaking. For me at least.
Some might contend that Axl Rose is the stronger release, but I would challenge that argument. For one, the production on this album is ten times better. I know, that is not punk rock, but at least I can hear the vocals and instruments clearly. Plus, this record is full of no filler. Where as, let's be honest, there are some tracks on Axl Rose that you are tempted to skip. Don't lie to yourself, you know it is true.
Second, the lyrics on this release are better and less reactionary. Axl Rose is all about being pissed and being at the riot. Cowboy is all about I'm pissed, but I am more informed and ready to make thoughtful decisions that might effect the rest of my life. That's right people, this is grown up folks punk rock. Resist all you want.
Seriously though, this record for me was a turning point in how I looked at genres and introduced me to the ever growing No Idea catalog of bands that I have now grown to love. I don't think I would ever be attending the Fest without hearing Against Me and that is what brings me joy into my meaningless life.
That's right people, orgcore is alive in well in my heart. How can you go wrong with the album though? Not a single bad track on the whole thing. It has that punk rock energy you have come to expect from Chicago bands and that odd thoughfulness. Sure, the Brendan songs are just as sarcastic as always, but even he seems a tiny bit depressed. I think the one thing that stands out the most about this record are Chris' songs. Before this record, Chris wasn't highlighted as much as the singer in the band. He had a few songs on Ghost Stories, but fans (and even the band) seem to ignore that release for whatever reason. But on this record, he truly shines. "Brick Wall Views" is a song that defines exactly how I feel when I look back at my life 3 three years ago. "Right as Rain Pt.2" is such a beautiful song and pretty much my all-time favorite Lawrence Arms song, ever. It took me a little more time to discover the other great Brendan songs on this release, but there is nothing worth skipping. No matter where I am in my life the Lawrence Arms will always hold a special place in my heart. Whether it is those sad moments or the best moments of my life I am forever in debt to them.
I have never been a huge fan of hip hop. Let's be honest(white)people we were just not built to do it. Some artists over the years have been able to find their niche in this at times saturated genre. There was Vanilla Ice, who was an embarrassment and then Eminem who people actually liked in a non-ironic way. Not gonna lie, the Marshall Mathers LP is brilliant, but did not come early enough to make this list. Instead, I take a cue from the "underground" and revel in this indie hip hop masterpiece.
The one thing that makes hip hop great is the production value. The beats and the samples, that is what drives the music. Yes, there are some live instruments, but that's not where this grand tradition of music originated. Ant, the producer and DJ of Atmosphere knows exactly what he is doing on this record. Tons of old soul samples and some great sounding snares and kicks. I have a theory that if you can't listen to hip hop cruising with your windows down in your car, it is not worth your time. This record has that element mixed with the thoughtful and clever lines of Sean Daly aka Slugg. Call it emo rap or love rap, Slugg has great delivery and an even better story telling skill. He is able to, excuse the pun, wrap you into that little twisted head of his. At times humorous, obscene, angry, or just looking for a laugh, Slugg is one the best MCs of the last 10 years. With this album, I was able to grow a stronger appreciation for hip hop as an art form and for that I am thankful.
Let me just say this first, this record is a masterpiece. Given, most of these records are, but by god it is amazing. The only song worth skipping is the first one, but if you skip it you are kind of ruining the experience. Seriously though, not a terrible song on this record. I think Jeff Rosenstock really out did himself with this record. The production, the music, and the lyrics are all balled up into this epic under 40 minute opus. It was the first official release I bought from BTMI! and it is the newest record on this list. I tried to refrain from including "newer" records, but I had to put this on the list. This record has influenced so many of my own song writing ideas and most of my life decisions. Not really about that last part, but you know what I mean. I don't think I'll ever get tired of this album. I always find new tracks to adore for about a week or two. I can't say that for most records, so that is why it made the list.
So, a lot of "important" music publications are releasing their top lists of albums released this decade. I thought I would weigh in on these last ten years of wonderful music. To be honest, at the beginning of this weekend I was just starting middle school and was trying to find myself within the musical landscape. I was super into nu-metal and whatever else was on mainstream rock radio. Some time in high school though, I discovered "punk rock" through the most un-punk sources around: MTV2 and Tony Hawk's Proskater. There, I heard the likes of At Drive-In and Goldfinger. Soon I found myself fully immersed in the scene attending local shows and eventually making the annual journey to the Fest in Gainesville. So, without further a due I present my top ten favorite albums of the past ten years starting with number ten.
10. Shinobu-Worstward, Ho! (2006)
When this record first came out in 2006 it met some lukewarm reviews from sites like Punknews.org. Around that time though, I paid little attention to this band, why? I have no idea! I was missing out on one of the best active bands around at the moment. I didn't purchase the record till December 2007 and kind of slept on it for a few months. I think I was letting the previous reviews get to me, but I'm glad that people today can still think for themselves and that is what I did.
It was not long till I listened to this record non-stop. The song writing is impeccable and the emotion is real. To this day, I can find songs on this record that can make me want to cry. The record isn't a total downer, but Mike's song writing is at times rather melancholy. His love of literature and existentialism shines through in songs like "Hail, Hail the Executioner" and "Same Bastards." Every song has a certain tongue-in-cheekyness to it, which keeps it fun and thoughtful all at once. You'll want to cry or dance, but either way you'll be having a great time.
This record means so much to me and it only lands this low on the list because it's the most recent of my all-time favorites so I wanted to broaden the list out. It will go down in history though as that one record that got me through a lot at my most trying time of need.
After the insanity of the night before, I was ready for an easy going final day of the Fest. This morning, we caught breakfast at Krispy Kreme and ended up at my ex-girlfriend's hotel room. That was the least pleasant experience at the Fest and that's saying a lot considering I watched the Emotron. Anyway, after that terrible blast from the past we made our way back to the "festival grounds" to wait in line to see Broadway Calls and Off With Their Heads. Broadway Calls were a fun band, I've never really listened to a lot of their music, but "Fuck You Seattle" is a really great song. To be honest, I was just waiting for OWTH. Last time I saw them was at a botched house show and I hadn't been listening to their record very much. Over the past 6 months of so, they seem to be the only band I want to listen to. Luckily they played pretty much every song I knew and I think it was a good release to see them live. Everyone could not feel so miserable about their lives for 40 minutes.
Off With Their Heads must have got me really pumped, because now I had to pee and Stephen owed me money. So we made the ridiculously long walk all the way to a gas station across from the Fest hotel. That's right, every bathroom in the downtown area was conveniently closed just in time for the Fest. Afterward we made our way to Durty Nelly's where we saw Arms Aloft earlier in the weekend. Stephen really wanted to check out this Japanese band Worthwhile Way, who were actually great. Hell, they came all this way to play to a bunch of beer chugging white dudes in beards. I think they deserve our attention.
Immediately after them though, I was hoping to go see P.S. Eliot at Cam's Cove, but that did not happen. I did however get to see Teenage Cool Kids for the second time this year. What a fun band, I think a girl left with a broken nose? Either way, everyone was dancing and the venue was right next to the Kickstand where I planned on staying the rest of the night. We stuck around to watch the Emotron. Holy shit, the Emotron was the one of the greatest performances I have ever seen. I will try and attempt to tell you in words what happened, but you might need a better visual. Emotron's music is simple. It's one dude with a sequencer playing songs and he does vocals. Kind of like Atom and His Package, but no additional guitar playing at times. Ironically, he did a cover of "Me and My Black Metal Friends" and a Dead Milkmen cover. Those were great fun and plus all he was wearing was a thong while he threw flour into a giant fan. His set was coming to a close and that is where the great finale came. He was fully naked and had a bottle of chocolate syrup. Now, we're all thinking to ourselves, "what is he gonna do with that?" Well, let me tell you, he put it in his butt hole. The madness did not stop there though. The big finale was him lighting his penis and testicles on fire. If that does not shock you, then you should have been there. That's all I can say.
The funny thing about his performance was it wasn't the last of the night. O Pioneers and Bomb the Music Industry had to follow up this act. However, both bands delievered. O Pioneers seem to get better every time I see them and have grown in members. They now have two guitars, bass, and drums. They were tight too. Sticking to all the good songs from Neon Creeps they also did at least two covers and a new song. Their Piebald cover was insane, people were going crazy. After them follwed BTMI. The crowd for them was ten times more insane and I eventually found myself moved all the way toward the middle of the crowd instead of my up close position at the beginning of the set. Jeff made a short statement about what happened the night before and they broke into a cover of "Dumpweed" in the middle of a song. That the most fun seeing them I have ever had and a great ending to the Fest.
It was chilly the rest of the night in Gainesville and Stephen and I made it home safe only to suffer from the infamous Fest AIDS that everyone gets the week after returning from Fest. All-in-all I made an amazing time at the Fest and would like to thank all the great people I met there, in no particular order. Jose, Jon, Danny, Avi, Trey, Mike from Shinobu and all my other great friends who attended as well.
Waking up after 11 is a terrible idea if you want to catch Steak N Shake breakfast, which is exactly what went wrong on day two of the Fest. I wanted a good hearty breakfast for the busiest day of the Fest, but that was not going to happen. We ended up buying lunch, since I forgot they stop serving breakfast at 11 a.m. What a bummer. After our defeat though, we began our very long day.
To start the day, Stephen wanted to check out the No Idea yard sale. That was a no-go. The line was ridiculous and everyone was walking about with free Avail records. I decided that it would be more worth it to start walking toward the Market Street Pub to check out the Sidekicks. I've only heard their name through Eric from O Pioneers and decided to just check them out. They were a pretty good band, nothing that blew me away, but they were not terrible. From there, we immediately made our way to Common Grounds to check out another band I've only heard about, Banner Pilot. Banner Pilot are making a good name for themselves. After just putting out a new full length on Fat Wreck, they seem to be gaining some notoriety. They play that almost typical new wave of Fat bands, which is not necessarily a terrible thing. Kudos to the lead singer though for losing a tooth, but still completing the set. I would have probably been screaming in pain, but he just kept playing. Keeping with the trend though, we continued to press on.
Fearing missing out on Andrew Jackson Jihad because of long lines, we steadily made our way to the Civic Media Center skipping a band I actually really wanted to see, Dear Landlord. Civic Media Center is a newer venue this year and was originally George's Meat Packing warehouse, but I guess CMC purchased the space and made it a bigger home for their tiny operation. I remember going into the older one last year and thinking it was a really cool place. It really is though, tons of books and zines all there for you to just read. That made it an even nicer venue to enjoy some mellow acoustic music.
I was actually able to see the Grabass Charlestons for the first time ever while attending the Fest they always play. They played a cool acoustic set with at least one Tom Waits cover and a song I actually recognized "Atlanta is a Cocaine Town." The performance was a nice treat, but we were all there for AJJ obviously. You could just tell by the crowd and all the other people that crammed into that warehouse/bookstore. The line was outside the door leaving people stranded outside, but Sean and Ben played anyway. They did a decent set of new and old songs, including a song from a split with O Pioneers!!!, which is rather exciting. The line to leave was pretty bad though and Stephen was unable to purchase any merch, but AJJ did promise to play a set outside for the people stranded, so that was very nice of them.
After their set, we actually had time for a break. All that running around helped my appetite to eat some Boca Fiesta. If you were in Gainesville that weekend, Boca Fiesta was the place to be. It is owned by Gainesville's own Warren Oakes, former drummer of Against Me! and let me tell you the food is great. Stephen went all out and ordered a gator burrito, I kept it modest and got a chicken one, but both were delightfully filling. If you are hungry in Gainesville, I highly recommend eating there. When our bellies were full, we made our way back to CMC to watch Kevin Seconds. I know what you're thinking "Timmy, that's a lot of Kevin Seconds in one weekend," but I assure you it was worth it. Kevin has a very modest demeanor about himself and just seems like an all around nice guy. He played a bunch of songs I have never heard, but they were all great. That man is one of my heroes for sure. Plus after his set I was able to talk to Mike from Hard Girls, geek out on questions, and find out about a house show that would include a super secret Shinobu set. OH JOY!
After Kevin's performance I was hoping to catch Religious as Fuck at 1982, but that was proving to be impossible. The entire venue was to capacity, that means I missed In Defence too. I accepted my loses and thought, maybe I should go see We Are the Union, so I did. Their show was free and on the University of Florida campus in a really nice ballroom type setting. We met up with Eric and most of Go Rydell. With a few awkward UF students in custom hanging around we all watched WATU. It was actually a lot of fun, though I still miss Johnny all the kids at that show were really into WATU so it made the experience better. One of the best shows at the entire Fest.
Quickly, however we jetted back to Common Grounds just in time to see Good Luck and Defiance, Ohio. It was so hot and uncomfortable in that large venue, there had to be at least 300 people in there. Kids were going crazy and I watched Will stagedive. I also met Trey from the Mitch Clem Forum and Danny from the Pillowfights let us cut in line with her. People sure are nice at the Fest, which makes the next event seem way too wild and surreal. Pretty much everyone knew about the house show with BTMI! and the supposed Shinobu show, but I didn't know it was 200 people. As we made our way down the side street you could see the sea of people flooding the street. I was lucky enough to secure a good spot inside the house with Trey and Stephen, but that is when all hell broke loose.
Right when my friend Jack's band started playing the owner of the house announced the show was over. Total bummer, but there was rumor that he just said that so BTMI! could set up, so we waited inside. I could see police sirens, but I figured they got a noise complaint or something minor like that, but then the owner was really pissed and told everyone to, "get the fuck out!" So slowly we made our way out of the house where I saw what seemed like a fight going on in the street. I ran to a white car parked right on the side of the road and I see people stomping someone. To my amazement, that person was a police officer. A police officer holding someone while he tazed them multiple times. The scene was out of those G8 riot videos you see on t.v., it was horrific to say the least. Girls were crying and people were shouting "Fuck the police" or "Stop it!" the entire situation was out of control. Eventually 6 people were arrested and one tazed. The only thing going through my terrified mind was "This is the last Fest ever," and hopefully I will eat my words.
It has been a week since my third annual pilgrimage to Gainesville, Florida for the Fest. I took a week to recount the whole last weekend. Not that I was severally hung over or anything, I just needed a week to think over everything. Friday started off fine. For awhile I thought I would be driving up to Gainesville all by myself, but my good friend Stephen ended up joining me for the weekend. After a short detour to Apopka, we made great time arriving in Gainesville in about two and a half hours. Knowing that registration was going to be crazy, I wanted to get to Gainesville early. The line was crazy, but not too crazy. There was plenty of Double Bubble scattered across the Holiday Inn parking lot, so that was nice of the blow horn wielding hotel guests. Eventually we made our way up to the actual registration table and filled up on free shit. Everyone loves free shit. Got some Razorcake pins and even the new issue of Razorcake. Plus, coozies and free Fest samplers. It really is Christmas.
After registration Stephen and I caught some lunch at Leonardo's where I heard one of the best quotes of the whole weekend. Someone was listening to Metallica in the back and one man shouts, "You can skip 'The Thing That Should Not Exist', more like the song that shouldn't exist." That was probably paraphrased, but to say the least it made me chuckle. Anyway, we enjoyed our pizza and met up with my friend Eric to check into our hotel. Eric was not staying at our hotel, since he lives in Gainesville, but he had to use the restroom and knew a cool back way to our hotel. We settled in and then headed back to downtown for the first show of the night.
Out of convenience, we watched this band Battle! from Gainesville. They were a decent hardcore band, the vocals weren't as strong as I would have liked. We did get to watch a kid get way to far in Contra then any person should and meet up most of the guys from Go Rydell, which is typically a treat. Immediately after Battle! though, we left for the Venue to watch Japanther. When I first heard of Japanther I think I wrote them off as some kind of New York hipster band, but they are quite the opposite. They are actually a fun drum and bass pop punk band for lack of a better word. A tape recorder played continuously during their set adding samples and guitar tracks. It was a very interesting set up and set the party mood for the rest of the Fest.
Wasting no time, we immediately moved to the next venue, Durty Nelly's, which was right across the street. Steve and I joined Will to watch Arms Aloft, a great pop punk from Wisconsin who played a pre-Fest show last year in Cassellberry. I think they did a Jawbreaker cover? "Kiss the Bottle?" Something like that, I really enjoy them I want the one record they have that Will owns. So far, the night was going fine and all the anticipation was building up to the inevitable beach party at the Kickstand.
That's right, the Hard Girls were the next band on my list and I could not wait. While waiting for them to set up I met up with my friend Jose from California. That is right, he flew all the way to Florida to come to the Fest, not only him, but his friend Danny too from the Pillowfights. Both Danny and Jose are the some of the nicest people I met the whole weekend, including Wild Jurkey himself, Jon. Jon is from Long Island, so you can already assume many things about him and his personality, but don't hold that against him. I watched Hard Girls and had some of the most fun I had all Fest long. If you haven't heard the new EP or read my review of it you should. I purchased a shirt and the Shinobu/Pteradon split that Asian Man put out awhile ago. Honestly, after that performance I could have not seen any band and I would be fine for the rest of the day.
Since it was rather late, Steve and I got some Taco Bell then tried to get into 1982 to watch my buddies in Spanish Gamble. That was not going to happen though, because they were to full capacity, which is how it stayed for the entire weekend. Total bummer, so we went back into the Venue and was able to catch A Wilhelm Scream. I have only seen them live once, but I got in just as they were into "The Horse." They played a few great sounding songs from the new EP and I was more impressed with their performance than the last time I saw them. Strike Anywhere was next and of course everyone went crazy. They played their most popular songs right at the beginning of the set and played a few new ones. They always put on a great live show and I almost somehow never miss it. Quickly though, their set ended and 7 Seconds came on. The younger me freaked out to see these older guys going up there and playing songs they wrote when they were younger than me. The stage diving was non-stop and I avoided the pit. I was gonna stay young till I die and not die in that pit. They ended the set with their cover of "99 Red Balloons" and that was the end of my night. Exhausted, we retreated to our hotel room to rest up for the next day, which would prove to be the most insane Fest day in history.
So, for those of you who might not know the Fest in Gainesville is this weekend. This will be my third year attending and I cannot wait. It's like an early Christmas for punk kids all around the world. To celebrate I am going to try and get some interviews with bands and maybe talk to some people on the street. I'd like to keep a daily log of my three days spent at the Fest as well. This is what my schedule for the Fest looks like in case anyone wants to come and say "Hi."
Friday Laura Steveson: 6:10-6:40 (CMC) Margurdergrind: 6:50-7:20 (Common Grounds) Arms Aloft: 7:40-8:10 (Durty Nellys) Failures Union: 8:00-8:30 (Kickstand) Hard Girls: 8:50-9:20 (kickstand) Matt Kurz: 9:30-10:00 (CMC) Spanish Gamble: 10:30-11:00 (1982) The Venue the rest of the night
Saturday Banner Pilot: 2:50-3:20 (CG) Dear Landlord: 3:40-4:10 (CG) AJJ: 4:40-5:10 (CMC) Measure: 5:20-5:50 (CG) Kevin Seconds: 7:00-7:30 (CMC) Religious as Fuck: 7:30-8:00 (1982) WATU: 9:40-? (Rion Ballroom) In Defence: 10:00-10:30 (1982) Common Grounds the rest of the night
Sunday Broadway Calls: 2:00-2:30 (The Venue) OWTH: 2:50-3:20 (The Venue) Radon: 4:50-5:30 (The Venue) Teenage Cool Kids: 6:10-6:40 (George’s) American Cheeseburger: 8:00-8:30(Market Street Pub) Kickstand the rest of the night
If you want more information, please check out the Fest website.
Hey guys, Timmy here I just wanted to let you know that you should have put this EP out at the beginning of the summer.
Love, me.
That pretty much sums up how I feel about the latest release from San Jose's Hard Girls. If you are unaware of Hard Girls they are a super group (sort of) featuring Max and Morgan of Pteradon and Mike from Shinobu. They also provide a backing band for Jesse Michaels' new project Classics of Love.
Each member is talented in their own right and have something to bring to the table with their instrument of choice. Max is one of the best current drummers out there, though he plays nothing overtly complicated he is dynamic in his own way. Morgan's bass lines are smooth and run perfectly with Mike's Pavement/Modest Mouse inspired guitar work. Unlike Shinobu, Mike lays off the distortion and feedback and lets the guitar ring beautifully.
As far as vocals go, both Morgan and Mike share them in most of the songs. Morgan has a desperate approach to his vocal delivery, like that breathe will be his last. You can tell he studies in the school of No Idea, where as Mike uses his typically soothing vocals that make Shinobu so enjoyable. This kind of vocal dynamic in punk rock seems rather cliche in a scene full of bands like the Lawrence Arms, Hot Water Music, and Alkaline Trio, but there's no doubt that Hard Girls are attempting to form their own niche.
That niche could be found in the lyrics. To put it simply, Hard Girls is Shinobu , but more fun? I don't know how else to say it, but instead of introspective tales of devils in the woods and Communist Russia, Hard Girls just wanna have fun. Nowhere can that be found then in the last track on the EP, "Beach Party", which reminds me of those late summer nights when you would go out to the beach with some friends just because there was nothing better to do. That is the overall feeling of this EP and this sudden fall weather is ruining the great vibe I get from this release, but that's O.K. there is always next summer.
All-in-all Hello is a great effort and makes me yearn for a full length in the near future. That seems rather unlikely when you consider all the other projects these guys have going on at once, but one can dream right? For now, I will enjoy this EP and the four songs on a split they put out last year. Together they make a full length, so that's good enough I guess. I can't wait to see these guys live at the Fest and to hear more!
P.S. You can check out the video for "Beach Party" below this post.
P.S.S. You can download this EP and other great releases at: www.quoteunquoterecords.com
Every now and then an artist comes along who you think can do no wrong. Ian Mackaye comes to mind with all his successful projects (minus Pailhead). Mackaye’s credibility goes beyond just his music talent though; most of it comes to his total dedication to Do-It-Yourself ethic of this ever growing community that we know as “punk.” Jeff Rosenstock of Bomb the Music Industry seems to be well on his way to becoming a modern Ian Mackaye if he already is not one. Those of course, are some big shoes to fill, but Rosenstock’s career is full of Mackayeisms.
Mackayeism No.1: Large moderately successful independent label that is changing the idea of how artists can distribute their music.
Mackayeism No.2: An amazing, moderately successful band that is already influencing several up and coming artists.
And last and not least Mackayeism No.3: Respect in the underground DIY community.
Mackayeism No.4 would be the latest release from Bomb the Music Industry, Scrambles, which applies to Ian Mackaye’s inability to release any terrible piece of music. Scrambles had some very large expectations to fill after the phenomenal Get Warmer, the last full length effort from Bomb the Music Industry and like Get Warmer, the first track on Scrambles; “Cold Chillin’ Cold Chillin’” is not all that good, much like “Jobs Schmobs” the first track on Get Warmer. It is a decent song, but with the odd distorted vocals in the beginning, the song seems to lack that punch an opening track should have. That is all right, because as soon as that song is out of the way you get a fabulous one-two punch of “Stuff That I Like” and “It Shits!” two of the albums best tracks. I guess one could consider these songs “singles” if that we were in the music business. Both songs have a BTMI signature which is the one line in the song that will be stuck in your head for days on end. In “Stuff That I Like” there is super catchy line within the verse that goes “Your fuckin’ cocaine party is fuckin’ freakin’ me out”, which will be stuck in your head as soon as you hear it and in “It Shits!” there is another catchy line that goes “Pass out on opposite ends of a couch, of a couch, of a couch, of a couch.” That will run over and over in your mind, even as you sleep (perhaps on a couch?) “It Shits!” also features a cameo by Kepi Ghoulie in which he delivers one of the catchiest verses in the entire song. Three cheers for awesome Asian Man Records artist collaborations!
After both of the singles comes what Rosenstock had promised before the album was released, some seriously rockin’ piano jams. “Fresh Attitude, Young Body”, “Wednesday Night Drink Ball” and “25!” are all Andrew WK inspired piano outings that all seem to link together all rather nicely. They all bring the level of epic to this record up about 10 notches. With its montage-like feel “Fresh Attitude, Young Body” swirls with pianos, synthesizers and a driving drum beat that makes you forget just how depressing the song lyrics are. Same goes for “Wednesday Night Drink Ball”, which is a slower tune mourning nights spent drinking all alone. “25!” speeds up the pace with a tale of feeling like you’ll never grow up and face adult responsibilities. Really, when you break it down all three of these songs are all rather depressing, but are so epic you feel like you can conquer your problems (or at least Jeff Rosenstock can).
From here on, Scrambles kind of hits a mediocre spot. “2,500,000” is another slow depressing song that questions internet celebrity, but isn’t as epic as you’d think. “Gang of Four Meets the Stooges (But Boring)” and “9/11 Fever!!!” are songs that could have probably been b-sides for this record. The first one is about a really bad experience the band had on a stop on tour with an unnamed band at a house show that took all the money made at the door. The second seems like it would have fit in more on the split with O Pioneers!!!, because it’s the only “political” song on the album and just does not seem to fit, but it does lead into one of the hardest songs to learn all the words too that Rosenstock has ever penned, “(Shut) Up the Punx!!!” This song is a total tongue twister. With Rosenstocks incoherent rapid delivery vocals, it makes me wonder how some people learn all the words to his songs. The song itself has all the best elements of a BTMI song though: featuring horns, an actual ska beat and crazy synthesizers all over the place. Plus, he’s dissing all those punk kids who ruin hotel parties.
Although an awesome song title “Can I Pay My Rent In Fun?” lacks any punch you’d expect from a BTMI song, but that’s all right because it ends rather quickly and you get to the two shining moments on the entire album “Saddr Weirdr” and “Sort of Like Being Pumped.” Despite everyone’s complaints of the original “Saddr Weirdr” demo being so much better than the album version, this song is perfect. The chorus, the verses, the instrumentation, and the lyrics are all perfect. If this album only came with 13 versions of this song, I would be content. Following in the tradition of awesome epic closing tracks “Sort of Like Being Pumped” follows through flawlessly. It too, like most of the album, has a rather depressing feel to it, but ends on an uplifting tone. The only slight problem with the song with some listeners might be the constant repetition of “I saw” over and over till the end of the song. Other than that, I have no complaints.
Scrambles has solidified itself as a contender for my top 10 of 2009 and will probably grace many lists with its presence. It is in a long line of solid releases from Mr. Rosenstock, who has not seemed to have lost any steam and hopefully we can see more great releases in the future while on his way to obtaining the utlitmate Mackayeism: Punk rock immortality. It’s a fact, look it up.
Before this review, I will issue a warning to anyone hoping and dreaming that Jesse Michaels will return to his Operation Ivy roots, because his new project Classics of Love sounds nothing like the latter. Now that that issue is out of the way, I can focus on the review at hand.
It’s true, Classics of Love sounds nothing like Operation Ivy, and in fact it is much more reminiscent of Common Rider, Michael’s last band. Except this time, there seems to be no ska influence on the overall sound of the band. Just imagine all the more punk sounding songs on This is Unity Music and you have a decent idea of what the Classics of Love sound like. The comparison seems rather fair when you consider that and the split with Against All Authority were the last releases from Common Rider. Each had more of a punk rock sound opposed to say, Last Wave Rockers. Part of the departure from the ska-punk sound could be because this time around Michaels recruited a straight forward punk band Hard Girls from San Jose to serve as his backing band. (You might recognize the guitar player and vocalist of Hard Girls as Mike from the band Shinobu.) The term “backing band” sounds wrong to use to describe them though, because the band is not Jesse Michaels and the Hard Girls, Classics of Love is indeed its own entity.
As far as the music goes, it’s very melodic punk rock played at what seems a perfect tempo. It’s never too fast or too slow, but still holds your attention. For a band that has only been around for less than a year, they sound incredibly tight. I am sure the fact that Hard Girls have been playing longer together helps them remain tight and obviously Michaels knows what he wrote to begin with. The only song that sounds slightly ska influenced would be the last and title track “Walking in Shadows”, which features that signature Eastern sounding bass line that you can find in many Common Rider songs.
Besides upsetting all those rude boys out there, the real disappointment, for me at least is the lack of Michaels’ signature vocal delivery. Anyone who follows Michaels’ career knows exactly what I am talking about. For those who don’t know, ever since Operation Ivy, Michaels has been known to recite his lyrics like he is rapping. It is not evident on every song, but you can find perfect examples of it throughout his career. With Classics of Love though, he seems to focus more on just singing his lyrics. It works though. There is great melody within the songs that make them great for sing-a-longs and no one can get tongue tied with his quick rhymes. The lyrics are not ultra metaphoric or poetic so they won’t go over any typical punk’s head, but they are still thoughtful and what you would expect from a wordsmith as talented as Michaels.
All in all, Walking in Shadows is a great debut which was released by Asian Man Records, so you know its quality material. It fits very well with the feeling of summer time and hopefully they will get up and tour more nationally over the summer. I mean, the least they could do is play the Fest in October down in Gainesville, because I for one would love to hear these songs live and I am sure all the other devoted Jesse Michaels fans are just as eager.
This second interview, is an old one way back from last spring with a fellow Mitch Clem Forum member from the Great White North.
Believe it or not, Canada has a rich punk rock history. With legends like DOA coming from up north during the early 1980s to the critically acclaimed Fucked Up, Canada has nothing to prove to the rest of the punk rock community. The Knife Party, are one of those bands full of Canadian punk tradition. Borrowing from bands like the Dwarves and the Stooges the Knife Party are a Canuck force to be reckoned with. I sat down with their drummer Eric Bourque, a member of the same punk rock message board as me and asked him all about being a band from Canada and my obscure attempts at trying to make a connection to the Ergs!
Me: What is it like being a band from Canada?
Eric: Probably the same as being a band from America, except you have to move your gear in -40C weather and sometimes up to 35cm of snow. The parka is punk rock in Canada out of necessity.
Me: Is it harder to try and get shows in the states and do you think it's better to cross the border to get your name out there?
Eric: Yeah it’s kinda rough. We’re still a pretty new band, so we haven’t put a ton of effort in, but other bands from around here have had some hard tours in the States. Some of the biggest punk bands in Canada are almost unknown across the border. The Replacements, Ripcordz, Forgotten Rebels, D.O.A… They get minimum name droppage at best. Even some of the all-time great New Brunswick bands (past and present) don’t get a lot of exposure West of Quebec. It’s never really been a concern to us, though. We’ve got a really strong (albeit small) punk scene here, but it’s more than enough for Knife Party to be content with. We’ll be trying for a little touring from here through to Ontario next year sometime, but in the meantime we’re working out kinks in the live show.
Me: Your lyrics seem rather aggressive and slightly sarcastic, who writes them?
Eric: I wrote all the lyrics for the first demo (Just Like You, Only Better) and Danny Whoremoan wrote a few tracks off the upcoming EP we’re working on. Half the songs are sarcastic and the other half are about movies and video games. I write what I know, which is mainly pop culture and shitty people, so I guess that reflects in the music. I was a little younger and going through a stressful period of my life when the first half of the demo was written. All the songs were written over the course of a year and all reflect my moods. At first, I didn’t write so much about being angry, as much as aggressively disappointed in people in general. It came to a head in Clusterfuck, which is admittedly a little harsh, and then I just gave up on making sense of people’s actions and just got ridiculous with the song writing. That’s when Just Like You, Killdorado, River City and Death By Dialogue were written. Killdorado’s about a friend’s overreaction to noisy kids at a restaurant, Death By Dialogue is about a guy I worked with who had the same fight every night with his lady, Mutated Street Beatniks is about Mike Allred’s Madman comic, and River City Ransom is about how awesome River City Ransom is.
Me: I know that River City Ransom is a video game, do you guys play a lot of them and why write a song about that game?
Eric: River City Ransom, along with Galaga (which I have a tattoo of on the back of my neck) were my favorite games as a kid. River City Ransom was the first game I could wrap my head around as a kid and kinda relate to. It’s a virtually generic storyline now (save the girl) but it was my first time playing a game with that story that didn’t confuse the shit out of me like Super Mario Bros. did (Mushrooms, duck-turtles, Goombas? The fuck?). Plus, I love that your little dude got better at stuff over time, what with the experience points and move upgrades and stuff. It was just awesome. We were messing around the in the jam room one day just talking about old games and the song just wrote itself.
Me: Any Ergs connection?
Eric: Ah, okay. Great song, but no connection. I don't think that song has anything to do with the game. I think River City is just a catchy thing to say.
Me: Also, I was just reading some of the lyrics and thought maybe people who take some the lyrics as "women" hating. I don't think you are chavunist though, I listen to the Dwarves so I guess I'm unmoved by it?
Eric: Dwarves rock. My other band covers Back Seat Of My Car. Most people don't understand a word Danny is saying, so we've been safe on that front.
Me: Many of the songs seem to deal with kids who are perhaps "posers" or "poseurs" in the punk rock scene are there several kids like this in your local scene?
Eric: Nah, not really. I never really liked the term poseur anyway. No one was born into a pair of bondage pants and a leather jacket. We all dressed like douches at one point or another. Calling someone a poseur just screams insecure. The only theme in our songs close to that is of liars. Punk Rock Fairytale in particular, is about moving to town from wherever and just talking shit and dropping names thinking you’ll impress me. Yeah, you know Jeff Rosenstock? Cool, I hear he’s nice. I like his musi- Oh yeah, that song’s about you, eh? Uh huh, uh huh…Even if it’s true, I’m tuned out by the ninth anecdote. Not sure why it irks me, it just does.
Me: Do you guys ever get pegged as a chavunist band? Or does that kind of go with the garage rock style?
Eric: Not that I know of. We get pegged as a ska band a lot because we wear matching black suits and pink ties, but it’s hard to call a band that sings about video games and comic books chauvinist. What do you think? Do we come off that way?
Me: That is funny about the ska thing, because that would happen to my old band, but only because we had someone who played trumpet...on one song that was far from ska.
Eric: We've had walk outs once people saw us. The other night at a club, some guy asked if I was going to "rat him out" for smoking in the bathroom. I couldn't understand why I would and his explanation was I was wearing a suit, therefore "could not be trusted". Ah...punx...At least the ladies like the suits. Honestly, the suit thing was an idea brought up on day one of being a band and as our sound progressed and our set list grew, I found it became more important to follow through on it. We didn't want to draw any similarities to other bands in and around Moncton in terms of sound—and that essentially went hand-in-hand with our look, too. I'm not saying that everyone in Moncton looks the same and blah blah blah blurghity blah whatever… We just didn't want to be lumped in as another run-of-the-mill punk rock band, so we thought the best way to stand out onstage was take our style polar-opposite. Instead of dressing homeless, we dressed corporate and classy, but added the pink ties for that touch of sass. Also, because it made our bass player uncomfortable to wear pink. Another benefit was it made us more recognizable. It creates a band image. The Ramones, unfortunately, beat us to the best look by a few years and I was doing a lot of reading on the history of the suit at the time and said fuck it. I really like suits, so let's wear them. Now we're the "guys that wear the sissy little pink ties."
Me: What exactly is "Tainthammer" about?
Eric: Ah, "TAINTHAMMER." The most feared move in MMA history! We like writing over the top hardcore songs from time-to-time, like KILLDORADO on the first demo. We wanted to do another one and a buddy of mine had recently moved to Montreal to take up MMA training professionally, so we decided to write him some theme music. Tainthammer actually came from a deleted scene on the Human Giant – Season 1 DVD. We’re big Human Giant fans and the Tainthammer was a bit of a running joke for awhile. Like anything awesome, we jumped at the chance to turn it into a song. Stay tuned for Jason Vorhees: Cockblock on the next release.
Me: Recently your record was reviewed by Razorcake, how did that feel seeing that?
Eric: It has been an adjustment. People don’t look at us the same way. We’re by and far the most respected and renowned band from New Brunswick in the past 30 years now. We get a lot of calls from people who claim we used to hang out with, but it’s hard to keep remember everyone once you’ve become the only band to shatter the Punk Rock Glass Ceiling so many have tried and failed to even reach. Actually, nothing’s changed at all. We haven’t sold a single fucking demo and I’m pretty sure we didn’t even make it to the actual printed magazine. So it’s just sitting there on the World Wide Web for anyone to read and forget about. Maybe We did thank Craven for the kind words. Clearly, he likes bad music as much as we do.
Me: Did you feel like you accomplished something?
Eric: We make minimalist rock & roll music with a front man you either love or hate instantly (but you should really get to know). We’re gaining an O.K. following and we’ve played with some fantastic bands and met some really great people we’d never have had the chance to meet as a result of Knife Party. For something we started out of fun, and never expected to take off at all, the fact we’re still enjoying it and getting the odd free beer ticket is plenty.
Me: Where and how did you record the record?
Eric: Just Like You, Only Better was mixed and recorded by Kyle McDonald at Cabin Studios here in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. He could probably tell you more, but it definitely involved microphones and some fancy computer editing. He’s also part of SuperBob Records, who are currently distributing our demo.
Me: Was it self financed?
Eric: One hundred percent independently financed. We cut, printed and folded every cd insert ourselves and all the art was commissioned locally (Ian Doucett drew the back and insides of the cd and Ian “Legasee” MacMillan designed the front logo). We paid ½ with money we’d made playing shows and the rest out of our pocket.
Me: Are you thinking about perhaps sending it to some larger independent labels?
Eric: We’ve sent it around for reviews, mostly. We’re not against signing, in fact we’d sell out in a heartbeat, but no dice as of yet.
If you'd like to look at some fine young men in suits, be sure to check out their website www.knifeparty.ca which just directs you to their Myspace. Go pick up some issues of Razorcake too.
A long time ago I made a playlist of hip hop vs. pop punk. This is the third in the series, the theme is love.
1. The Ergs!-Most Violent Rap Group 2. MC Chris-Fuckin' Up My Christmas 3. Ben Weasel and His Iron String Quartet-Got My Number 4. Scapegoat Wax-Aisle 10 (Hello Allison) 5. Mr. T Experience-I Fell For You 6. Jay-Z and Danger Mouse-Change Clothes 7. blink-182-Josie 8. Sage Francis-Broken Wings 9. Screeching Weasel-Love 10. Slug and Murs-Another Knight 11. Fifteen-Liberation II 12. Atmosphere-Lift Her Pull Her 13. Alkaline Trio-This Could Be Love 14. Eminem-Kim
This would be the first post. I am not entirely new to this, but I will try and keep this updated as much as possible. My first few posts will be older material, then newer material will come in as I work on it. The first thing I want to post is an interview I did almost two years ago in the summer.
During the summer of 2007 I began booking shows with a few touring bands here and there. When I heard that Matt Wixson, former keyboard player for the Flaming Tsunamis was going on a solo acoustic tour, I booked him a show here in Orlando immediately. The show was not all that successful, but he ended up spending two days at my place and I felt the need to sit down and pick his brain on certain subjects near and dear to his heart. You can tell by some of the questions just how dated this interview is, but I enjoy it nonetheless and I hope you do to. If you like it, there are more to come. Enjoy!
As Fox News would say “Some people say” that ska is dead.In fact, there’s an entire tour that has been going on for quite some time that has claimed that ska is dead.However, Matt Wixson does not believe this or at least he didn’t get the memo.In all honesty, Matt Wixson has taken the barely breathing genre of ska-punk, added some folk roots, and elevated it to a classic roots rock reggae sound.He hasn’t completely left ska, but rather jumping ship before the 4th wave hits.After spending two days sleeping on my couch and putting a show on for him I sat down on a beautiful Orlando Tuesday morning and discussed the possible reemergence of ska music in the mainstream, Dennis Kucinich’s alien sightings, and the highly “controversial” free edge philosophy.
Me:So, Matt with your new free digital release Best Intentions you tried a more reggae/dub sound, how did this come about?
Matt:It wasn’t conscious; it’s basically music I like to listen too.I wrote one song and eventually I had an entire album.
Me:What about the hidden track “C.R.E.A.M” or rather “Checkers ruin everything around me”?In it you seem to attack the current trend of young bands coming up being more influenced by bands like Catch 22 and Reel Big Fish, instead of traditional ska and reggae.
Matt:Yes, first let it be known that I enjoy both Catch 22 and Reel Big Fish, but I faced a perfect example of what frustrates me not too long ago.There was this band I was playing with and they all had on the “ska uniform” with checkers and black t-shirts and did a cover of “Keasbey Nights”.Then on top of that they did Big D’s cover of “Little Bitch”.
Me:As opposed to the Specials version?
Matt: Yes, which I’m sure they had no idea that the Specials originally did the song.
Me:Wow, now last night we were discussing the “4th wave”, tell me a little bit about this supposed 4th wave of ska.
Matt:Well, recently a new movie is in the works called “Lock n Roll Forever” and it highlights this all girl Japanese ska band called Oreskaband, which translates to “we’re a ska band”.The catch is though that it’s being produced by the same people who did “High School Musical”, so it’s guaranteed to be huge.That and the new Aquabats T.V. show could possibly bring about the 4th wave, but make it more kid focused.This is bad for artists who take the genre rather seriously, like me.
Me:What about bands like Bomb the Music Industry and the Flaming Tsunamis, are they the next step in ska?
Matt:I’d consider bands like those including Fatter Than Albert and even the Blue Meanies to be considered progressive ska bands who are taking the genre and making it fresh and interesting.That’s kind of how my other project Babylon Party Machine came about.
Me: Ah yes, tell me about BPM.
Matt:Basically, I was listening to Tokyo Ska Paradise and Rick Johnson and thought it would be cool to mix techno/dance music with ska and reggae.Since ska was traditionally dance music, it just seemed to make sense.
Me:Now, if anyone knows anything about your music you are rather politically outspoken and a Dennis Kucinich supporter, tell me do you think he really was visited by aliens?
Matt:Honestly, if he said it he can’t be lying.Really though, I truly supported his views.He was consistent in his views.Like his peace coalition which goes hand in hand with him being vegan.
Me:Another “long shot” candidate was the internet phenom Ron Paul, do you have some thoughts on him as well?
Matt:As a libertarian, he has some controversial yet interesting views.The most intriguing thing though, was the amount of visibility he was able to garner despite his controversial views on certain issues.At the same time though, he was very confusing in his policy.
Me:What about Barack Obama?
Matt:Though he is very mainstream, he has some great ideas, though I’m still not sure on how I will vote.
Me:How about running mates?I’ve heard about Bill Richardson.
Matt:Hilary Clinton seems the most obvious choice, but Richardson would be interesting as well.Either way though, he will be able to galvanize liberals.
Me:Despite his mainstream appeal do you think people will base their vote solely on his name and Muslim heritage?
Matt:Oh, definitely.It’s sad to think that there are still close minded people out there in 2008, but I’m more than positive it will happen.What makes it funnier is he isn’t even Muslim, he’s a Christian.
Me: I’m not sure if you’ve heard about it, but have you seen the recent cover of the New Yorker?
Matt:No, I haven’t
Me:Well, it has Obama and his wife dressed up like Islamic terrorists in the white house with an American flag in the fire place and a picture of Osama bin Laden over the mantle.
Matt: (Laughs).
Me:Judging from your reaction, do you see this as just satirical or is it pushing the envelope to slightly offensive?
Matt:No, I think they are just being satirical and exploiting that image that several people truly believe and how they perceive Obama, which is ridiculous.
Me:This is just a personal concern of mine, but perhaps you share the same fear.Do you fear for Barack Obama’s safety if he were to become president?
Matt:I never really thought about it, but I think there is a small possibly.It’s terribly pessimistic, but not far from the truth.
Me:I think the Curious George t-shirt guy has it out for him.
Matt: (Laughs) Yes, even though I’m not sure if he knew he was really being racist.
Me:He is from Georgia though.
Matt:That’s true.
Me:Now Matt, with most of your releases you seem to take a strong stance against Christianity or at least religious fundamentalism, what are your thoughts exactly on an issue like religion?
Matt:Well, first I’m not Atheist, but rather more Agnostic or rather I’m not sure about the existence of God or a God.Religion is a tough subject, because it always seems to do more harm then good and generally perpetuates ignorance.
Me:Like Mormons and Christian hardcore?
Matt:Exactly, Christian hardcore is even worse because it seems to be easier to get into, way too safe.
Me:Final thoughts on religion?
Matt:It just feels like people can’t just know.
Me:Another controversial subject you have written songs about and even an entire concept EP about is your “Free Edge” philosophy.As someone who is straight edge, but has a good sense of humor I can always appreciate parody on any level of what seems to be almost a disheartening fad.How did this idea come about exactly?
Matt:Originally, it started as a joke while I was on tour with straight edge people and buying beer was not economically possible.So I came up with the idea of only drinking when it’s free, so you have free edge.
Me:Do you get any flack from hardliners or people who don’t think you’re being very funny?
Matt:Well, obviously drinking and drugs are not healthy and I’m a strong believer in alcohol in moderation, but I also don’t think its okay to go around beating up smokers and drinkers.Some times straight edge appears as a sort of cult with strict guidelines and need for rules.Basically, people defined by what they don’t do. The guidelines of free edge are more of suggestions.I mean it real helps when you’re broke.
Me:What do your straight edge friends think?
Matt:Well, my mom gets mad at me because younger kids are taking my example.I don’t see much harm in underage drinking though, as long as it’s in a safe environment.
Me:How about marijuana?
Matt:I would like to see it legalized.I mean, I’m not a pothead, but if we could tax it, we could make a large profit.In the end it all comes down to making a responsible society.
Me: That’s pretty much all the questions I have, thanks Matt.
Matt: You are very welcome!
For more info on Matt Wixson, be sure to check out his Myspace at www.myspace.com/mattwixson. There you will find free releases and funny videos about dead '90s alternative band front men.
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