FAVORITE STUFF FROM THE YEAR 2014

It is indeed that time again.  This is extensive.  No room for other people to share their 'opinions'.  I will say this- musically, I happened upon way more new bands than usual and that's a great thing.  Lots of people making awesome music out there.  And I re-discovered some old stuff too, which is always nice.  While so many are quick to proclaim the death of physical music (records, CDs, etc) I found myself buying more records than ever.  And I'm happy to because it keeps the band moving, a good label operating, and good art to continue circulating.  Keep that in mind and put your money into things that matter.  Here's what kept me going this year:

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1.) MOUTHEATER, “Passing Key”

By a long shot the most played, most riffy, most air-guitared and headbanged to record this year.  Dudes spent a good year or so perfecting every twisted howl of feedback, every nuanced affectation of honest and real desperation and depression, every godamned face-smashing slab of molten sludge grunge to make a near-perfect document of harsh sound.

 
2.) GREYS, “If Anything”

Second most played, riffy, air-guitared record this year.  The perfect mix of Fugazi, Jehu, and a little
Quicksand tossed in a blender and shot out with wild and energetic punk songs from these Toronto fellas.

3.) YOUNG WIDOWS, “Easy Pain”

“Old Wounds” is the standard-bearer for this group.  “In and Out Of Youth and Lightness” was a bit harder to digest, a heavy body of work that required thought and patience.  It’s as if the band channeled a perfect mix of “Old Wounds” blunt ferocity, “In and Out”s minimalist approach, and more of the band’s insane exploration of crazy guitar pedals on “Easy Pain”.  Screw me if “Doomed Moon” ain’t the best song I heard all year.

4.) BLOOD SUN CIRCLE, “Bloodiest/Sunniest”

The Syracuse brothers mind-meld and create an incredible album that swirls with love for things Nick Cave, Young Widows, and whatever is louder than what you think is loud.

5.) EYEHATEGOD, s/t

I was never huge on this band until they decided to kick everyone’s asses and get back in action with this long-awaited reunion record.  It’s like all the feedback-strewn sludge noise of the past with a great recording and riff after riff of molten lava heaviness and glass shrapnel vocals over it.

6.) PRAWN, “Kingfisher”

This band has been perfecting their craft for several years already and I just got into them with this, which is a beautiful and carefully calculated collection of uplifting melodic music.  Heavy on the Braid influence, but presented in a way that makes you feel like you’re out to sea; all the beauty, open space, and occasional tumult that accompanies it.

7.) HELMS ALEE, “Sleepwalking Sailors”

I had to warm up to this one a bit.  The production feels a little softer, but the songs hit just as hard as ever.  Ben’s fierce growl.  The ethereal vocals of Dana and Hoiji.  The sinew-y, knotty riffs, and avalanche-as-math drumming.  Oh, and the unbelievably heavy tones they get.  A great addition to their already stellar catalog.

8.) CAYETANA, “Nervous Like Me”

It’s awesome when you see old pals just go for something new/foreign and just nail it.  The ladies of Philly’s Cayetana just went for it and put forth an awesome record of honest emotion, plaintive beauty, and incredibly catchy indie/punk jams.  Very satisfying.

9.) FUCKING INVINCIBLE, “It Will Get Worse Before It Gets Better”

Another record where I had to warm up to the recording, as it felt a bit fuzzy and didn’t quite capture the harshness this band is all too capable of delivering.  After repeated listens though it sunk in, which you will need because it takes all of about 15 minutes to get through this whole thing.  One speeding trainwreck of blast beats, primal barbarian breaks, and spewing venom left and right.

10.) PUP, s/t

So it came out last year.  Big whoop.  99% of you didn’t hear it until this year, myself included.  Not only did these Canadians make some of the coolest videos ever, they also happened to make some of the rockinest sing-along punk jams this side of Niagara Falls.  They deftly mix up pop-punk, math rock, insanely talented guitar work, and some post-hardcore vibes into one chunk of wildly energetic music.  Well done.

Runner-up’s:

CREEPOID, s/t

A psychedelic cornucopia in the form of a dozen songs that trip you up, confuse and bewilder you, sing you to sleep, and then rock you the fuck out.  Incredible male and female vocals, followed by layers upon layers of shoegaze dream rock, and chunks of sludge rock in one trippy stew.

SECRET CUTTER, s/t

One singer with a feedback box, one drummer that beats his kit into oblivion, and one guitarist with a store’s worth of gear behind him.  It makes for one album so chock full of heaviness a new word needs to be invented to describe it.  Bits of Coalesce and Turmoil fuse together to make one hell of an awesome record.

HELMS ALEE/ YOUNG WIDOWS split LP

Helms Alee deliver one mathy track, one weird/soothing track, and one song with hands-down the heaviest riff of the year on their side.  Young Widows took the throwaways from “Easy Pain” and planted them on the B-side.  Their throwaways are better than most band’s best stuff.

EVERY TIME I DIE, ”From Parts Unknown”

It’s hard to follow up how awesome “Ex-Lives” was, and that kept me from enjoying this record as much as I should have.  It caught up to me though.  This is seriously an awesome collection of songs.  Great lyrics as always, furious riffing, humor, insane energy; many imitate, none can duplicate.  The record opens with Keith screaming “Blow your fucking brains out”.  Chew on that.

7” category:

EX-BREATHERS, “EXBX”

Definitely a favorite new(-ish) band making the rounds.  I like how they try something new with each release.  This tackles cramming a dozen songs on a 7” and still keeping it interesting.  Minutemen’s musical ethics, Fugazi’s creative energy, Jesus Lizard’s aggressiveness, and just a dash of metal. 

EX-HEX, “Hot and Cold”

All these songs made it to their full length, but I like the recording on these songs better.  Mary Timony and company keep it sassy, tearing through their riffs like it was 70’s arena rock, but still sticky sweet.  The video for “Hot and Cold” with Ian Svenious is ridiculously funny on it’s own. 

PSYCHIC TEENS, “Face/All”

The band can do no wrong.  One somewhat heavy song, another sad and depressing song.  Both make full use of the groups feel for goth-y vocals, ear-piercing volume, and shoegaze guitar squall.  Joy Division meets My Bloody Valentine in arena combat.

By Demos Be Damned:

WRONG, “Stop Giving”

Total Helmet worship done better than the actual Helmet.  If there were an unreleased demo between “Strap It On” and “Meantime” this would be it.

BLEAK

Whatever multiple forms these songs took over the last year it’s still a demo to me and Syracuse does good by these cats that carry the torch of Disembodied to a frightfully heavy new level.  Nothing but next-level destruction from here on out.

TYPEWRITER, “No One Clears Out a Room Like…”

This was sort of an official release by the now-defunct Upstate locals, but presented in a sort of demo form.  Whatever the case, they knew how to throw down multiple styles of catchy indie rock and made it all work.  I got a heavy Elvis Costello vibe at times, Chisel at others, (older) The Men on one song, Superchunk popping up often. 

Favorite  re-issues:

ROLLINS BAND, “Lifetime”

As if this record couldn’t have gotten better, it sounds so loud and present after a commendable re-mastering job.  This is the band just getting their feet wet, back in ’87-88.  No expectations, all crazed energy and revenge.  “Burned Beyond Recognition”?  “Lonely”?  “Wreck-Age”?  “Turned Out”?  Fuckin’ right, this is about as angry and bad-ass as it gets.  “Walking alone down Sunset Boulevard.  Feeling lonely, feeling mean, feeling hard”.  When Rollins sings it it just sounds real.  Anyone else would come off as a cornball.

JIMMY EAT WORLD, “Static Prevails”

This is the only LP by this band that I have ever enjoyed and I have always adored it.  There is an awesome raw energy to it that I feel severely lacks in everything else they did, which I chalk up to over-production.  The band wears their influences heavy on their sleeves here, but who cares.  It’s awesome emo music for nerds, but try listening to “Anderson Mesa” and not getting super emotional about it when that huge climax happens near the end.  You gotta give in.  I got this record and cranked the shit out of it and it felt damn good.

UNWOUND, “No Energy”

These box sets have been getting released all year, each covering about 3 albums worth of Unwound stuff. This is the third one.  Their early material doesn’t quite do it for me.  But once they get to “Repetition” I’m floored.  This has that, “New Plastic Ideas”, some B-sides and a huge book thing in a case.  The packaging is beyond awesome.  The band was nothing short of incredible.

Shows I knows:

ROCKET FROM THE CRYPT/ EX-HEX Boston & NYC 4.1.14, 4.2.14

Not only did I see RFTC two nights in a row at fairly intimate venues, but I was also introduced to the awesome Ex-Hex, a new band featuring Mary Timony (Helium, Autoclave) that was a great surprise.  I got put on the spot at the NYC show when she called me out on my Swiz shirt and I got all embarrassed.  Oh yeah, did I mention I saw RFTC twice?  They’re pretty much the greatest rock n’ roll band ever, always, forever.

LEFT FOR DEAD/ DROP DEAD/ FUCKING INVINCIBLE, Machines With Magnets, Providence, 5.23.14

Three insanely wild bands at a place that holds about 200 people and the whole thing was on the floor.  Best F/I set I’ve ever seen (as a 5-piece, as intended), Drop Dead did what they do so well, and LFD sounded just as pissed and raw as ever.  Old dudes killing it.  Plus, I got to hang in Providence with solid homies and eat good food.

BLOOD SUN CIRCLE/ DIALYSIS/ NIGHT OWLS/ SECRET CUTTER/ AFRO NIPS, Westcott Community Center, Syracuse, 5.30.14

Night Owls re-united.  Blood Sun dropped an awesome record.  My own band played one of our most fun sets ever (“Wheel Of Torture” audience participation ruled).  It was a good day.  Hex Records 15 year anniversary to boot.

MENZINGERS/ LEMURIA/ PUP/ CAYETANA, El Corazon, Seattle, 6.17.14

Friends doing bands that are awesome, and getting to see them last minute while we all happened to be on the opposite coast.  I was going to skip this since my plane left that night, but after running into Lemuria at Mighty-O Donuts it was kismet and we were destined to go.  Pup also ruled face.

LAST BADLANDS SHOW, Badlands, Syracuse, 6.28.14

People talk about violence at shows being a bad thing.  This is an instance where violence and danger were integral to the ‘punk experience’.  Smoke bombs, beach balls, garbage cans thrown around, ceiling lights smashed, blood, bongs, and a bunch of bands (my own sharing the honor of playing) tearing the roof off our stupid little punk venue before closing for good.

CEREMONY/ IRON LUNG/ NOTHING, First Unitarian Church, Philly, 7.19.14

My band played a show in PA and instead of playing a show the next day we just went to Philly instead and watched Iron Lung rip tits.  An Iron Lung show on the East Coast is a rare and beautiful thing, and always incredible.  Nothing and Ceremony were pretty awesome too.  What a bill.  And I got to chill with my dogs in Philly for the day.

BLACK S.S./ DAMNATION ad/ PSYCHIC TEENS/ FUCKING INVINCIBLE/ DAMAGED III, Westcott Community Center, Syracuse, 10.26.14

Here’s some bucket list type shit here.  I booked Damnation A.D. at my favorite venue, no stage.  I’ve been into this band for nearly 20 years and they were so fucking cool and positive (despite their bleak music).  Plus, a couple of my newer favorite bands got to play to a bigger audience, and BSS did a rare show, which is always wild.  I got to play a Black Flag cover set dressed as Rollins and the Halloween tradition was back in effect.

FEST, Gainesville/Tampa, FL, 10.29-11.2.14

Fest is always awesome.  I get to fuck off from Syracuse for several days and forget that it’s probably snowing at home while I’m in Florida.  I walk around all day watching bands and having fun.  I’m the only non-drunk person out of like 5,000 people and there is rarely ever incident of ‘shitty drunk dude’ behavior.  Good food, great record store, I always run into a ton of people I rarely see, and usually make a few new friends while there.

Bomb Comics:

SEX CRIMINALS

Whenever this guy gets off he can stop time.  This other girl has the same power.  They both think they're alone.  Then they hook up.  Then they decide to use their power to rob a bank.  Then they get in trouble with the Sex Police.  Hilarious and well-written adventure/comedy from Matt Fraction (Hawkeye)

HIP-HOP FAMILY TREE

Ed Piskors ongoing serial about the history of hip-hop, going from the mid-70's up to the early 80's.  In-depth, humorous, adventurous, and full of some of the wildest characters in music history.  Drawn like it was a 70's comic book.

SACRED HEART

Liz Suburbia put up over a dozen chapters online of her book to be released by Fantagraphics next year, and supplemented it (sort of) with her zine Cyanide Milkshake and regular contributions to As You Were.  Crazy awesome flowing style, punk, humor, and a story about a town where there are no parents and kids get into stuff that kids do.  In punk speak, "can't wait for the full length".

LAST OF THE 2014 REVIEWS

Before the annual 'end-of-year favorites' list is put forth (regular readers will probably be able to figure out a few of mine) I shall dispatch one last pile of reviews for you all to pour through.  Filled with many things Philly and 7" format it just sort of ended up that way.  But what better way to introduce oneself to a new band than through that tried-and-true format of the 45?  It's very little investment for something that could prove to be a doorway to something wonderful.  Heck, you all ought to go out and buy a few 7" records right now.  I know a guy who has a label that sells some.

CLOAKROOM, “Lossed Over” 7”

From my understanding this group is sort of a side project of some other, more active, Midwest bands.  They released an EP last year and I remember hearing the first couple songs off of it and was very impressed.  And then not as impressed with the other couple songs on it.  Still, it was enough to keep me curious as to what was next.  And this is it.  I guess this is a teaser of sorts for their full length, as one of these songs is supposed to be on it.  First off, I think this band has a really cool name.  Secondly, I’m very much into their overall style of slow-core/sludgy shoegaze.  Sure, they meander a bit into some slacker melodies, but it’s sort of a soft crushing of the atmosphere and your cranium when the thick riffs are applied correctly, and I can get behind that.  The B-side has a song that engineer and Hum frontman Matt Talbott sings…  and yeah, it sort of sounds like Hum on downers with a big epic chorus.  (Run For Cover)

CLOTH, THE, 7”

First things first, bands that go all out with some sweet letterpress cover that folds up all interesting-like get a free pass.  That shit looks awesome.  Secondly, they got a song called “Freak Beach” that is under a minute and it slays.  The other three songs on this circular fucker aren’t too shabby either.  As if it weren’t evident I dig on noise rock bands and this group chops and hacks away at their instruments in a sludgy, noisy, grungy sort of way.  They take fierce stabs whether it’s throwing in some trippy Breather Resist-style guitar bending, or just hammering away at your face like KARP on an adrenaline rush.  Whatever the case, consider me pleased.  (Reptilian)

COURTESY DROP, “Stabilize” EP

Behind all the emo chill and pretty melodies comes a fierce wave that seems to punctuate each of the five songs on this Nashville (and part Rochester) band’s second release.  I’m not bowled over by what they do, and I hope it doesn’t sound like any sort of insult, but to me this sounds like Touche Amore if they were slow and had longer songs.  I just don’t listen to many bands like this, so I’m sort of in a bad spot with comparisons.  Sunny Day Real Estate if they played a bit more evil?  Fuck if I know better.  It’s cool, just not kick my ass all over town cool.  (Animal Style Records)

FAKING, “Vices” 7”

Philly is an incestuous scene that breeds one awesome band after another.  You’d think with all the cross-pollination and member sharing some of these bands would have extra toes or an extra chromosome or something.  So, with Faking these dudes share a musical family tree amongst former and/or current members of Fight Amp, Ladder Devils, Gunna Vahm, and Creepoid (and probably more).  They clearly have the noise rock thing on lockdown, furthered by a loud, sharp bass sound all over this short-player.  They don’t quite have song transitions down to a science, as breaks between parts sound like almost totally different songs at times, but hey, they make a heck of a racket with what they’re doing and I’m cool with it. These blue-bloods are onto something.  (Reptilian)

LADDER DEVILS, “Clean Hands” LP

Finally, my dudes lay it down on a proper full length that does justice to what I always knew they were capable of doing!  I think they had sort of a slow start, what with changing drummers, and evolving their style over two EPs that collectively made up their last LP, a rather disjointed effort that was the band at two different spots and not quite sure of themselves.  But all these guys have been playing in other bands together for ages (heck, two of them are related) so their natural chemistry is finally showing on “Clean Hands”, their first LP as a band with a now solid lineup and a collection of songs all written together.  Sure, so two of these songs were on the split with Helms Alee, but they re-recorded for this and they sound better.  Those in the know will need no description, but their chunky noise rock culls from the vat that brewed up like-minded noiseniks in Fight Amp, Helms Alee, and Young Widows.  And while all those bands have their own very dialed-in and distinct sound Ladder Devils have done the same with some seriously bad ass tones and riffs.  A solid effort all in all. (Brutal Panda)

PRAWN, “Settled” 7”

Prawn released one of the best LPs of the year and these two songs were left off of it.  I can see why, as they don’t quite fit into the almost seamless transitioning of the tracks on the LP.  It’s not to say they’re clearly throwaways or anything, far from it.  They just don’t fit the overall vibe of the album and so you get them here on this 7” instead.  “Settled” has an almost older Death Cab feel to it for the first half, and then goes for Prawn’s big, spacious build up and bringing in that trumpet that enters their songs every once in awhile to accentuate the awesomeness of the ending.  “Built Of” goes for a faster, slightly more aggressive feel before they roll in with some female backing vocals and violin.  It’s definitely the band throwing some minor curveballs in terms of presentation, but still clearly the band fans will already know and love.  Once again, killer artwork in the packaging of this fella.  A nice companion to “Kingfisher”.  (Topshelf)

SWEET JESUS, “Box” 7”

Swiz worship.  They know it.  I know it.  If you like Swiz you’ll know it too.  And that’s perfectly OK.  Oh, you don’t know Swiz?  First, stop reading this and get “No Punches Pulled”, their whole discography.  Got that out of the way?  Good.  I’m glad you stopped reading this for a few days to absorb all that.  So yeah, Sweet Jesus- part time Providence band filled with dudes from lots of other good bands going for a late-80’s Dischord sound.  Rock n’ roll hardcore with loose guitar, a heavy swing, and swirling around all the ripping action are doses of awesome melody.  The first couple songs are super punchy and short and that would make a perfect blueprint for everything else they do.  And while the second pair of songs are only slightly longer they drag a bit and feel a little less chaotic, they don’t have quite the stabby goodness of the first two.  Still, a solid introduction after a demo that circulated a couple years ago.  (Triple B Records)

WRONG, “Stop Giving” demo

It’s a late addition, but this is easily the best demo of 2014.  There have been plenty of bands that have tried to nail the sound that Helmet perfected over 20 years ago.  Most have failed, or not quite got it exactly.  This sounds exactly like Helmet.  Someone could have told me that this was an unreleased demo between “Strap It On” and “Meantime” and I would have believed them.  Everything down to the recording, the booming drum sound, the clever play on timing, the enormous wall of noise guitar and the rhythmic thud that permeates these 4 songs has me hungry to hear more.  Even the tape cover looks like it came from the early 90’s.  Get on this.  It’s downright incredible.  (Wrong)

WEEKEND DISCOUNTS!

We heard there's some sort of holiday going on?  People are out killing each other for cheap TVs or whatever?  Well, sounds like a good enough reason to start a sale of our own now. Goes all weekend. Everything in the store is marked down. No code, no hassle, just order stuff. Plenty of distro items and current/new stuff going on the cheap. Stuff from Blood Sun Circle, Dialysis, Moutheater, Godstopper, Tendril, TAXA, Ed Gein, Engineer, Achilles, Ex-Breathers, Spit Spewing Snakes, Like Wolves, Oak & Bone, Black Throat Wind, and plenty more!  

http://hexrecords.bigcartel.com/products

GIVE THANKS FOR REVIEWS

As the second best holiday of the year dawns upon us (Halloween is still tops, and yeah, there is a holiday between Halloween and X-Mas) let us give thanks for many wonderful records being made and offered up to us.  Give some thanks back and buy a few of these because they're good.  So while gorging on mashed potatoes and tofurkey (because I'm just going to assume every one of my readers is vegan...  if not, your loss) do it to the soundtrack of a band like Today Is the Day, and pretend the lyrics are about beheading European colonizers and eating squash.  It works for me.

BRIEF LIVES, “VHS” cassette

After seeing this band at Fest I was blown away by their wild set and by how wonderfully they channeled a perfect Quicksand/Helmet hybrid of post-hardcore awesomeness.  I immediately went to purchase all the recorded music they had available.  Having recently switched vocalists (Valient Thorr himself now commands the mic) all they had was a demo on that most silly of formats- the cassette.  They made a good joke of it though by drawing a VHS tape on the front (hence the demo title), but I have nothing to play it on.  So I paid for a download of it.  And what I’m getting instead is a little less on the heavy-handed Helmet vibe and more of a DC/Swiz style of hardcore with a good post-hardcore groove.  I can most certainly swing with that just fine.  Two of the songs move along at a pretty good clip, while closing track “Kipple” sticks close to that slower, riff-oriented vibe.  Enjoyable.  Nice little prank call after the credits roll as well.  (Brief Lives)

EX-BREATHERS, “EXBX” 7”

Anyone who peruses this site knows I got a lot of love for this band.  Heck, I even helped release a record for them (which, shameless plug, you ought to buy).  So, on this new 7” they make an effort to crank out 12 songs in less than 12 minutes.  Seeing as their last full length was about the same amount of songs this is an exercise in making the most out of a small amount of space.  The band does an excellent job here, and pull out some influences that may have been hanging in the back previously but are brought to the fore here.  Kind of imagine a little less heaviness than their full length and split 12”, but still really damn fast (duh, 12 songs on a 7” kind of has to go fast), a good deal of older Mission Of Burma influence appearing in the song structures and shouted dual vocals, and the ‘cut-the-fat’ approach of the Minutemen.  The only two songs to surpass the one minute mark, “Hang” and “Auto-Correct”, definitely get on that aforementioned Mission Of Burma vibe with a slower and plaintive style.  It’s an excellent turn for the band, who continue to take aggressive music, a bevy of various influences, and make it all work under some weird unifying umbrella that cannot be easily categorized.  (Texas Is Funny)

EX-HEX, “Rips”

There’s not too much to say about the debut full length from DC’s Ex-Hex.  It’s catchy as hell, rocks in a Joan Jett/Pretenders/Heart sort of way and has the distinctive croon and guitar riffery of frontwoman Mary Timony.  I would have liked if they didn’t re-record all the songs from their seven inch (“Hot and Cold” somehow sounds way more pronounced and full on the single) and threw on some new songs instead to round out the other nine short and prickly rockers on this record.  Whatever the case, Ex-Hex has a heck of a good debut here.  It’s to the point and still a little rough around the edges in the best way possible.  I guess they chose an appropriate title for the LP because it certainly works for them.  (Merge)

IRON LUNG, “Savagery” 7”

Tell me, can your band blast through 12 songs in about 8 minutes?  Didn’t think so.  Iron Lung can though with ease.  And that’s what you get on their latest 7”, “Savagery”.  Hell, they start the record by yelling it at you; you should know what’s coming.  I guess the theme of this one here is starting every song with the letter ‘S’ and then going through their blasting powerviolence with slow and primal riffs to back it up.  It’s not quite as thought out or refined as the material that makes up their full lengths, but it will do for now…  until the mighty Iron Lung decides to create another full length that redefines what hostile music can sound like.  (Iron Lung Records)

JAZZ JUNE, THE, “After the Earthquake”

Of all the random bands that do reunions this one comes out of left field.  The Jazz June were a mid/late 90’s PA band that were fairly prolific in their time, but didn’t make any sort of huge waves that often warrant drool-worthy reunions that fanboys jerk each other off to with stories of how many times they saw them ‘back in the day’.  That being said, I saw the band several times, back in the day.  Heck, I think I even booked a show for them at one point.  Additionally, the reunions of bands that weren’t by any means big tend to produce the best results because they really have nothing to live up to.  There’s no pressure.  So I guess it’s cool this band decided to make another record?  I don’t have a great frame of reference for most of their later material because they did not make a huge impression on me.  I do remember, though, they had three guitar players, which was pretty unique at the time.  It made for a very layered approach and the band tended to have a very rhythmic and catchy, bouncy sort of style.  But hey, people change with age and this essentially just sounds like a rock record.  There’s nothing terribly unique about it.  There’s also nothing bad about it (though I’m not much a fan of the vocals).  Some of the guitar parts are a little strange in a fun way, but mostly it just exists as a middle of the road sort of rock record.  Hell, if the band is having fun, why complain?  If they’re stoked, good for them.  I’m neither offended nor intrigued.  (Topshelf)

PALE ANGELS, “Primal Play” LP

After seeing this band play an eardrum-splitting set I was so impressed by their energy and volume I picked this LP up right away.  I guess I should have just stuck with the live set.  While they write some excellent scrappy songs that are inspired by equal parts all things Bob Mould (Husker Du and Sugar mostly) and Nirvana the sound on this LP is in serious need of requiring a better recording.  I guess I don’t quite see why a band would take what essentially amounts to a practice room recording and put it on LP.  I mean there are spots all over this record where the sound goes in and out or sounds like a low quality mp3.  I realize the three members of this band all live in very different places, so getting together must be tough, let alone arranging schedules for a proper recording.  But geez, at least throw in a few bucks for a proper mastering.  It’s a disservice to otherwise awesome songs, most of which hit the three minute mark save for the last track that is a 13 minute roller coaster that builds up more and more, until blazing forth before it slowly sputters out again.  Go see them and have your eardrums blown out.  Hold off on the recordings though, it’s just not the same.  (Kiss Of Death)

PSYCHIC TEENS, “Face”/ “All” 7”

The Philly/Jersey psych/goth-y/shoegaze/noise rock/whatever-the-heck-you-want-to-call-‘em-because they’re just going to throw it back at you three-piece returns with their first new material since their incredible “Come” full length.  This time it’s a limited run 7” in a series of PA noise-rock records being released by the back-in-action Reptilian Records.  It comes in a really neat package and offers up two of the finest slabs of music the band has come up with yet.  “Face” opens with a creepy guitar riff heavy on the reverb that soon explodes into grand torrents of epic guitar wail and into one of their trademark post-punk/Joy Division worship bass lines and deep spoken vocals.  But those giant guitars are not far off and soon put about twenty different ‘loud’ and ‘louder’ pedals to work.  It’s a passionate and compelling track.  A good lead-off for this single.  On the B-side is “All”, which is quite different from anything the band has done before as it is about the closest thing they have to a ballad.  Slow, spooky, melodic, and yet sadly beautiful during the chorus and one of the best songs they may have written.  I could use even more hyphenated verbiage and adjectives to describe how red I think this is, but hopefully you get the picture.  (Reptilian)

RESTORATIONS, “LP3”

No doubt this band will always hold a place in my heart as they have consistently released records of a very high quality.  But seriously, how do you top “LP2”?  It was so perfect.  Instead of feeling pressured by the accolades that record received and trying to top it it feels as if Restorations just set out to make a record they felt cool with playing for the joy of it.  In that respect it makes this record awesome.  In another respect it’s a bit tamer than “LP2” and jams a bit more in certain parts, goes for more straight-ahead rock in others.  Some of those huge, sprawling songs I love about them show up here, most noticeably in “Misprint” (my favorite song here), “Tiny Prayers”, “The Future”, and the bass-heavy rocker “No Castle”.  The songs where they try some new stuff (most apparent on trippy opener “Wales” and the country-ish slide guitar on closer “It’s Not”) don’t necessarily succeed as crowd pleasers, but work as a band just giving something new a shot.  Without question worth getting if you’re already a fan.  If you’ve never given them a chance though I guess I wouldn’t suggest this as a jumping off point.  And shit, if you just like good rock music as played by a band with limitless creativity and passion this is certainly worth your attention.  (SideOneDummy)

SELF DEFENSE FAMILY, “Duets” 12”

I kind of wonder if Pat wrote the lyrics on this record, or if it was a collaborative effort with Caroline, who does the other half of the vocals here?  It’s certainly not in his usual clever prose for the most part.  In fact, lyrically, it’s primarily somewhat standard fare.  But both their voices work together quite well and are actually the highlight of this one-sided 12” record.  The band drops five songs that also fall into a somewhat relaxed indie rock vibe.  I realize the band are constantly evolving and shifting their sound, but for lack of a better comparison (and I imagine they will all appreciate this) much of their current output has been in a trance-like repetitive Lungfish style, and I really dig that.  Like, I could imagine these songs being on some chill radio station.  Honestly, some of it is bland.  “Location Scout” is friggin’ great though.  Get some of their current 7”s (there’s basically a new one every month) for great stuff.  This here is for the completist…  or people who like mellow indie rock.  (Iron Pier)

TAXA/ DOE split 7”

Canadian brethren in Taxa return with a split 7” where they put forth one new song of their melodic chaos, heavy on the bass and reeking heavily of Unwound and Shotmaker worship.  That is, of course, a great thing.  Their contribution to this split is a fairly long track and we’re all better for it because it will improve your life most likely.  Doe hails from the UK and reminds me quite a bit of late 90’s Southern Records output like Beekeeper and Lung Leg.  That may not mean much to any of you, but for me that’s pretty cool.  Think catchy and gruff indie rock with female vocals and a pinch of spite…  but mostly in a good mood.  (Clue #2 Records)

TODAY IS THE DAY, “Animal Mother”

I have not purchased a Today Is the Day record in quite some time.  All their early material profoundly affected me in my understanding of weird and heavy music.  They have always had a way of taking sharp, sonic stabs at the listener without necessarily having to beat them over the head to do so.  It was sonic terrorism at its finest and most lethal.  So when they began making moves towards a sound that owed more to death metal and grind I kind of lost interest because that weird abrasiveness was gone.  I will admit being a bit ignorant to their last couple of records so I’m by no means an accurate judge; it’s just what I noticed over the last 10 years.  But yeah, “Animal Mother” is sort of a return to form while still moving forward.  I personally don’t feel the lyrical punch I did on records like “Willpower” and the self-titled record.  The music though…  hot damn.  It takes a lot of those fucked up cues that made “Willpower” so devastating and couples them with the raw, down-tuned explosive power felt on records like “Temple Of the Morning Star” and “In the Eyes Of God”.  I appreciate that TITD can take heavy musical concepts and shove them down your throat in less than two minutes.  They can go from down-tuned sludge with a strange electronic hum over it, to an acoustic track, and into a fast and abrasive attack, one song to the next.  Hell, there’s even a great Melvins cover at the end.  If you were a fan in the past definitely get this.  If you’ve somehow never heard this group, and like heavy music, give it a shot.  (Southern Lord)

4 WAY SPLIT IS OUT! NEW DISTRO STUFF AVAILABLE AS WELL!

That 4-way split thing we've been talking about for a few months?  Yeah, it's now available!  Please pick up a copy!  There's brand new tracks from Ex-Breathers, Ovlov, Gnarwhal, and Woozy to cram into your earholes.  And, I might add, as an outsider whose input into this record is minimal at best (it was co-released with Community Records), all the contributions are stellar.  Go pick up a few copies right here.

Additionally, there's been a few new additions to the distro section of the webstore.  We got some copies of the monumentally crushing new Moutheater, "Passing Key" LP, the bizarre- yet satisfying- split 7" between Godstopper and Tendril.  We also got a few copies of the split between our homies in Taxa and their new UK pals in the poppy Doe.
And I may have mentioned it before, but we added a new Dialysis t-shirt design to the store.  It's pretty weird.  I'd get it if I were you.

Stay weird.

FEST 2014- A REPORT FROM THE FIELD

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Every year (almost) I go to Fest, down in Gainesville, Florida.  Every year I come back with piles of records, a crappy tan, and loads of stories.  This year I started off at Pre-Fest in Tampa before venturing up to Fest official.  here's what happened.

DAY 1

Airport anxiety.  Not a fear of flying, but of airports taking forever to get through, flights being delayed, connections missed.  I dread the hassle.  But it’s the Syracuse airport.  When have I ever spent more than 15 minutes getting through TSA?  Never.  This was no different, yet I still barreled down the highway to get to the airport over an hour early, making sure I would not miss my flight.

            Florida is the land where everyone smokes.  They ought to just hand you a pack of Marlboros when you get off the plane as a welcoming gift to their state.  A friend of Glenn’s picks me up.  We have a nice chat.  I get my registration biz sorted out and he then takes me to Glenn’s new record shop Vinyl Countdown (check it out if you’re in Tampa and enjoy records and comics…  a perfect mix if you ask me).  It’s a small shop, but all quality stuff.  I pick myself up an old Guilt LP.  We go back to Glenn’s house.  I meet his riled up dogs, and then we head out to Ybor to get on with the business of watching bands.

                                                 Self Defense

            Self Defense Family is first on my list.  It’s been a few years since I’ve seen them play, but I’ve been keeping up with the musical progression.  They play a bunch of stuff I don’t know and a couple from the recent LP.  Pat’s ramblings are in top form.  One of their guitarists plugs an old phone into her guitar and plays harmonica into it.  I’m not sure the exact effect this is supposed to produce (the sound here is a little weird), but it sure looks cool.

                                               Self Defense

            Honestly, there are not many bands I have an interest in seeing here tonight, or at Pre-Fest for that matter.  Flying to Tampa was more of a convenience than the massive headaches I endured in past years flying into Jacksonville.  But regardless, I’m a stranger in a strange land, may as well check out some venues.  Everyone smokes.  Did I mention that already?  It’s also like mid-July down here.  So the humidity is thick in the air, mixed with cigars and cigarettes, and it’s fucking with my sinuses that have just adjusted to Upstate NY Fall chill.  And out of nowhere I blow a nose gasket and blood starts gushing out.  I have a weird thing where I tend to get nosebleeds from a combination of flying and sudden changes in climate.  Either way, I must have looked like I got into a fight or something because I’m bleeding out into the street, over a garbage can and getting blood all over my hand and face.  It’s a truly disgusting sight. I could have passed for a bath salts abuser who just tried to eat someone’s face.  I’m certainly in the right part of the country for it to be believable.  Eventually I make my way into a venue to wash up and take care of my stupid nose.

                                                        That's my blood

            Moving on, and wandering from venue to smokey venue I catch parts of sets from Dowsing (minor Superchunk feel), Bear Trade (English No Idea style), and Astpai (pop punk with weird time changes).  I stop to get a falafel sandwich at a place where the waitress is too busy with her phone to actually provide service to the customers.

            And then a band I had on my short list to see- Cumulus- plays on a patio in an outdoors type venue.  They’re very poppy, with bits of synth, and a fun and energetic feel.

                                              Cumulus

            Then it’s off to see Restorations.  They play a bunch of new stuff and it sounds tight.  They play so goddamned well and solid though it’s impossible to ignore them.  They really have it dialed in.  Stoked for those dudes.

            From there I catch back up with Glenn and we bail out.  Once back at his house the nose starts up again and I’m preoccupied with making the bleeding stop.  I barely sleep the night.  Um, this isn’t sounding like a great vacation so far, is it?

            When I do wake up its about 15 minutes before my nose starts bleeding again.  What the shit. Why can’t I just get FestAIDS instead?  I think it would be preferable to a gross and bloody sniffer.

                                                   Restorations

DAY 2

            I barely made an agenda for today, and maybe that’s what leads to adventure of the best kind- unplanned.

            I was dropped off in front of the Orpheum.  Kaiju Big Battle was getting under way and I was excited to see what surely would be dumb, ridiculous entertainment.  And was it ever.  Consider this scenario- dudes wearing monster outfits and wrestling among cardboard cityscapes while a crazed announcer did the play-by-play through it all.  Some of the monsters who partook in the madness: Dust Bunny (dusty space rabbit), Kung-Fu Chicken Noodle (dude with a can of soup for a body), and Gambler Bug (self-explanatory).  It was way too much fun.

                                              Kaiju Big Battle- Dust Bunny vs. Gambler Bug

            Yet once it was over I had a good six hours to kill before anything else I was interested went down.  I ran into an acquaintance I barely knew from Philly and basically spent the rest of the day tagging along on their adventures, which was great because much of that day was spent exchanging opinions on music, comics, veganism, and other assorted stories…  ya know, the stuff that lets you know for sure if you got a solid person in your midst or not.  Congrats Kate, you pass with flying colors.  Continue being rad.  The days travels brought a long walk downtown to partake in the fabled Taco Bus.  It was decent, but way overpriced for what I got.  I ended up watching several bands I wouldn’t normally subject myself to, and they were met with about a 50/50 ratio of success- The Bennies (and Australian Andrew WK meets weirdo ska hybrid), Dear Landlord (Fat Wreck/Fest style…  yeah, ‘Fest’ is now a genre of music), Smith Street Band (not my thing, but I get why people like them, very epic sing-alongs), Laura Stevenson (indie/folksy, but genuine and quite original).  Sprinkled betwixt were bands that were on my list to see- the fuckin’ Night Birds (intense raging surf/hardcore rippers), Pale Angels (incredibly loud and manic Sugar-meets-Nirvana rock), PUP (you all know who they are at this point, deserved hype and so godamned wild to boot).   

                                                   Night Birds

        

Crisscrossing town all day, it felt good.  But by 11 PM I was beat.  I gave Glenn a ring but he was going to be a bit so I decided to take a gander at the Screaming Females set.  I’ve seen them a bunch, and they always impress, so I guess it couldn’t hurt to see them once more, right?

            Finally I get to the crash pad and am ready to pass the fuck out, but am somehow convinced to stay up an extra hour or so while the people at the house chat up about TV and comics (yeah, it’s a running theme this weekend I guess).

                                                Pale Angels

DAY 3 (HALLOWEEN)

            Get me to the bus.  Wait in line for awhile and then jet up to Gainesville for the main event.  Rolling into town so many things are racing through my head to try and accomplish all at the same time- drop off inserts for the 4-way split LP to the guy from Community Records I’ve never met, hand out the Hex Records Newsletters, eat and drink something before I pass out, meet up with my Syracuse connection so I know where I’m sleeping tonight, take a massive dump…  ya know, essential stuff.  Somehow a miracle appeared before me and I was able to take care of all of these things in less than two hours.  Sounds like no big deal right?  Wrong.  Imagine trying to coordinate all this stuff in a city where 5000 punks are all congregating at the same time, all trying to take care of their own shit.  Not so easy.

            And yet, I am still so hungry.  I need food.  I also need to hit up the new Arrow’s Aim (AKA, one of the best record stores I’ve ever been in).  Which need do you think I satiated first?  Before you take a guess just understand that I would not do well in a post-apocalypse scenario.  After dropping nearly $100 at the record store I dropped a whopping $4.25 on a couple tempeh tacos from the always amazing Flacos.  Needs=met.

                                                       Record haul

            Time to see bands.  After catching Ma Jolie I swung over to 1982 and took in Brief Lives.  I’d say they were the most ass-kicking band of the day.  They covered Helmet.  I was overjoyed.  It’s as if Swiz and Quicksand got busy in a back alley, Cutman perved in on the action and nine months later Brief Lives were birthed.  Destructo-rock.  Friggin’ singer of Valient Thorr is their vocalist strangely enough.

                                             Brief Lives

            So let’s see how this whole Bo Diddley Park thing works out.  Lemuria playing outdoors in a park to thousands of people.  It’s the most ambitious step I think I’ve seen Fest take over the years and it actually works pretty well.  Aside from the corny barriers which made things a bit impersonal it was about as good as they could make things overall.  I’ll take the band in a club any day over this, but it was still alright.

                                              Lemuria

            After a handful of songs I shot over to 8 Seconds to see what I could of Paint It Black.  How will this go?  Awesome apparently because they took down the barrier!  So yeah, Dan Yemin- righteous dude, insane stage dives, sing-alongs, destroy everything evil with overwhelming posi hardcore vibes and harsh riffs.  You cannot deny the power of Paint It Black or the chaos that ensues.

                                              Paint It Black

            Halloween in Gainesville- where it’s totally normal to see a posse of skateboarders all wearing Devo costumes, or a strapping 6’5” dude in a sexy Snow White get-up.

            I didn’t see PUP again.  I saw the line for PUP.  It stretched around the block.  That’s a lot of people who won’t see PUP.

                                              PUP (Pre-Fest)

            I made a stupid schedule for myself crisscrossing town back and forth and by the end of the night I thought my feet were going to fall off.  But one more time over to 1982 to catch a little Canadian band called Life In Vacuum who played to a tiny crowd.  That’s OK.  The small crowds tend to mean the band is usually pretty awesome.  And they were.  Loud, tight, crazy dynamics and tones, mathy, hard, interesting.  Like the sassiness of These Arms Are Snakes and Monorchid, but wound tight and louder with the discipline of Shellac.        

                                              Life In Vacuum

   

            Stupid schedule attacks again- back across town, and further, to see Dave from Ex-Breathers play Superchunk songs at CMC.  I caught all of 1 ½ songs due to the long walk, but at least one of them was “Hyper Enough” so that works.  But now I’m hungry enough as it is (see what I did there?) and I get some snacks over at Pop-A-Top, including my first Fest root beer of the weekend (see last years write-up on that). I roll with a Bulldog brand, which ain’t too shabby, but not terribly original either.  It does the trick though.

            Finally, it’s over to High Dive to see Prawn.  I imagined metal dudes mistakenly showing up thinking Prong is playing and having a similar reaction as the Motherboy fans had in that one episode of Arrested Development.  Fuck.  Prawn was probably the overall best band I saw today.  They sounded incredible and everyone was singing along, as they should be, because “Kingfisher” is one of the best damn records I heard all year.

                                             Prawn

            On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a Taco Bell and witnessed a gaggle of girls dressed as, I don’t know, either Playboy bunnies or hookers, exit the place.  According to our driver Allyson, she saw them earlier in the night and one of the girls was wearing underwear where ‘you could see her vag’.  How about that?  Imagine the lonely cashier tasked with working the late shift on Halloween Friday night and in parades this gang of broads flashing their naughty bits and buying tacos.  Maybe it brightened his day, maybe he went home a bit more sad.  Who’s to say? 

DAY 4

There’s time to kill early on so I suggest that Mike ought to go see the alligators.  He’s never seen them.  Heck, he’s never been to Fest.  You got to see the gators at some point.  But it’s like NY weather out here today (as in, it’s like 50 out today) so who knows if the gators will be out.  So we seen some gators and they still look like they’re made out of rubber, but I’ll go ahead and believe they’re real.

                                              Gatorin'

            Afterwards I convince my crew that they need to witness Kaiju, as they’re performing again today.  Some of it was the same as Tampa, but they also threw in a couple other characters I hadn’t seen, like the breakdancing Silver Potato being the highlight.  “He doesn’t just pop and lock”, as the man says.

                                              Kung Fu Chicken Noodle- Kaiju

            I get word a little bit later that the line at the High Dive stretches back to Tallahassee so I best get over there and use my magic pass to get in before it gets tight.  I knew Cayetana kinda had some hype behind them, but this seemed excessive. Nevertheless, I’m happy for them and am excited to see them again.  I had to endure a Weezer cover band before Cayetana would begin.  Yet when the Weezer band finished half the place emptied out like schmucks.  Whatever, more room for me to watch a band that rules.  And yeah, Cayetana basically played their whole album and there was still a good sized crowd there, so all was right in the world.

                                                       Cayetana

            I convinced another crew to go get lunch at Reggae Shack.  Why wouldn’t I make at least one trip there this year?  My ignorance in years past made me pass them up, I have to make up for it.  I ate until I felt dumb.  The food was great, the service not so much.  Try the Ackee Bruschetta.  It looks kinda gross and sorta has the texture of eggs, but believe me, it rules.

            Wandering back I figured I ought to queue up for Dangers until I saw that the line was backed up to Timbuktu.  Not even my magic pass would save me on this one.  I don’t think I’ll even bother.  I suppose I’ll go back to Arrow’s Aim and look at more records.  It’s like starring into the abyss and having it stare back at you.  ‘This is your life, flipping through one record at a time’.  Exit stage right I suppose.

            Pace around, wander, watch, repeat.

            Into Durty Nelly’s to see All Eyes West.  It’s a smokey Irish pub and I feel a bit awkward here. But I have ditched out on seeing this band for like three years so I guess now’s the time to finally put up and check them out.  They fuckin’ kill it too.  The guitarist, who looks at least seven years my elder wraps himself around the crowd, banging and pushing, jumping, etc.  Now that’s inspiring.  

                                           All Eyes West

            I jet halfway through to try and catch a bit of All People’s set at 1982.  It’s definitely weird shit.  They bring up a self-described drag queen during their set who self-identifies as ‘Madonnathan’ to sing a show tune with them and it’s pretty great.  Varied sound, weird vibes, entertaining times.

            With some more time to kill I finally get over to patronize Karma Cream and get some tea.  I catch Dan Yemin and talk that dude up for awhile.  Always a welcoming dude and genuine human.  Walk back to Pop-A-Top and grab a root beer (an Old Red Eye, not necessarily worth writing home about).

                                             All People

            Now I’m chilly and I’m wearing a t-shirt.  And I decide to go see the Descendents outdoors.  They’re exactly as I’d expect them to be.  Now, I’ve never been a massive Descendents fan.  I enjoy their music, but don’t celebrate it daily or anything like that.  And it’s been approximately 18 years since I have seen them and not much is different, but it’ still pretty fun.  So after about 20 minutes and most of the songs I’d care to hear I make a bee line to the Atlantic because I know as soon as the Descendents are done that line to get in is going to get stupid again.

It’s a good two hours before Self Defense plays and every band before them is terrible.  And I don’t mean terrible musicians or anything, just music that I can’t understand for the life of me why it is popular.  But I’m also old and have sore feet, so not much is awesome at this particular moment. 

            But finally SDF takes the stage again and play pretty much the same set as the other night, but the sound is better here and everything comes off crystal clear.  Pat goes off on fighting internet shit-talkers, and Ecto Cooler.  Perfect stage banter for whatever sort of band they’re supposed to be.

            Creepoid closes out the night.  They go off, but not quite as nuts as I’ve seen them in the past.  Then again, I believe they did drive something like 18 hours straight to get here.  They broke out a couple older songs that I thought they may have retired and that was a bonus.  What wasn’t a bonus:  nearly clocking the drunk guy behind me who kept yelling out chauvinistic bullshit during the whole set (met with a sea of rolling eyes), who decided to drunk mosh into everyone during the last song.  After getting rammed a few times I took the fella by his jacket, pulled him forward, then threw him back a few yards, and told him to relax.  Afterwards he got all sad sack on me and said, ‘don’t be mad at me’.  Geez, what a palooka.

                                              Best shirt I saw all weekend

DAY 5

            I had a dream this morning where I was wandering around a house singing a Black Flag song that didn’t exist.  A circa-’83 Rollins look-alike followed me around singing and dancing too.  The song was called “Throw You Off the Roof”.  It had a pretty catchy chorus too.  I hope Greg Ginn doesn’t sue my dreams.  And then blobs of blood gunk started flowing out my nose in the dream and I figured that was a good time to wake up.

            So, the last day of fest was fraught with concerns of what to do/who to see/ what sort of mischief to get into on this, the day of my birth.  Yes, most years during Fest my birthday happens to coincide and generally watching bands is a good way to celebrate.

            So I started with Direct Effect.  The singer of this band will be portrayed by Javier Bardem, no doubt, should a biopic ever be made about them.  Not as wild live as I thought they’d be considering their record sounds like it’s coming apart at the seams, but they were still pretty good.  Afterwards I got some lunch across the street at Harvest Thyme, where the tiny dreadlocked waitress looked like a cross between Beth from Walking Dead, a cartoon, and a crust punk.  That sounds terrible but I honestly mean that in the most complimentary way possible.

            Back to the Atlantic and catch sets from Weak Teeth and Dredger (who were basically the only powerviolence style band I saw, and they all look like older dudes.  Into it.) before Ex-Breathers got on, who I was mostly there to see.

                                           Ex-Breathers (not actually taken at Fest)

            I just have to ask though- why does no one go off for Ex-Breathers?  This is some hostile/energetic music.  What’s wrong with people?  Is Fest getting more tame, or am I just showing up for the wrong bands?  Is moshing over?  Am I old?  Regardless, they destroy everything with a non-stop set of thrashy riffs, Fugazi-like dynamics, and weird transitions.  Non-watchers ought to be ashamed.

            I dash across the street to the Wooly to catch Whores and a scant crowd is present.  It soon starts filling up though as the band can probably be heard from miles away with the thickest slabs of noise rock sludge this side of a Melvins show, which, in case you didn’t know, the Melvins are playing later tonight.  Fuck my camera for being dead because these dudes are basically the most photogenic band around, carelessly throwing their guitars around and kicking into their cabs, or the air, or other people, whatever.  Riff after riff.  Avalanche of riffs. Riffy McRifferson.

            And then, back to the Atlantic (again).  Fucking Invincible.  Like I’m not going to watch them.  They had a younger version of their usual bassist/sometimes guitarist George filling in.  I mean, like an exact replica, only 20 years younger.  So yeah, people moved for them, because if they didn’t I would have figured a bunch of corpses were watching.  They play Infest-styled blast hardcore with plenty of meaty riffs to pulverize you.  I mean, their name is Fucking Invincible, they have to live up to it.

            I zip over to 8 Seconds to try and catch a bit of the Restorations set and I see them play two songs, which is fine.  Both are from the so-far fantastic (and just released) “LP3”.  One I know, and will probably be my favorite on the record, the other is one I’m not familiar with yet. 

            Back to Wooly!  I’m finally going to see United Nations.  I’ve missed them in years past and I want to know what they buzz is all about. I have to admit- almost every song kind of sounded the same:  open with blast beat part, transition into aggressive Thursday/screamy part, repeat.  It’s not a bad way to go, just an observation.  Lots of snarky chit-chat between songs that sounded sort of like vocalist Geoff Rickly was trying really hard to be hateful about things.  I don’t know, maybe he’s got genuine beef against the Beatles. 

            Time for a root beer.  I go with a solid, consistent winner:  a Sioux City Root Beer.  It’s my birthday, I can drink whatever root beer I want.  Once again, it’s chilly, I’m in a t-shirt, and I’m about to stand outside in the dark and watch Lifetime for the first time since 1996.  I will not be denied.  Life is weird.

                                              Bo Diddley Park

            I see Lifetime.  It’s kind of surreal.  It’s like a version of something I really dig.  They’re so far away, but the songs are so good.  The band is clearly not in their element (which would more likely be a basement, indoors).  Instead they’re playing on a big stage in a park to about 2000 people.  They still play all my favorite stuff so I’m happy.

            Time to close out the night.  I return to the Wooly early so I can warm up.  On the downside I have to sit through Circle Takes the Square.  It’s not my ting, and especially difficult to take in the incredibly complex music they’re playing when I’ve been raging through five days of bands non-stop.  But my pals Nate and Sarah help me get through it as they have brought me a delicious birthday cupcake to satiate my appetite, and loads of laughs as we take pictures of people ‘bored at Fest’.  At this point in the weekend it’s pretty easy to do, a lot of people are wiped out.  I’m almost there.

            And then I see Coliseum and all is well.  They barrel through solid rock jams that are well known, one brand new song that sounds like Swiz, and even a few real old ones.  Always a pleasure to see these dudes.

            The Melvins take forever to begin.  But they’re the Melvins, so what do they care?  To kill time my cohorts and me dance up on everyone who walks by.  Finally, the Melvins begin and it’s another set where I know nothing that they play.  I have to admit, I really enjoy the Melvins records that I have.  But that’s all of about 4 LPs out of the Grand Canyon-sized catalog they have to draw from.  And basically they’re going to play whatever the fuck they feel like playing, no matter how bizarre and obscure it might be.  That’s part of the ‘fuck you’ charm of this band.  So after about 40 minutes I’m ready to check out.

                                          Bored people at Fest, after 5 days of non-stop mania

            I collect my shit, say my goodbyes to Syracuse brethren who are off to greener pastures in Orlando, and chill in front of the Hampton, where I am to crash with some other folks for the night.

            While waiting for my party to arrive I see my pal Brian from Kiss Of Death exit the hotel.  I call out to him and we talk for a minute.  He asks what I’m doing waiting around and I explain that I’m just waiting for my group to arrive and he just hands me his hotel card.  In fact, he just gives me his room.  He says he’s paid up to tomorrow, but wants to get back home to Tampa tonight to sleep in his own bed and I can just have his whole room.  It’s all mine.  No other people.  It’s got two king sized beds in it.  I can’t make this up, dude just GAVE me his room.  At a really expensive hotel.  Now that’s birthday gift.  Needless to say, after a few nights of weird sleep I finally get the best nights rest I’ve had all week.  Fuck partying until the dawn, I’ll take a good rest.

            In the AM I get up, get out, get food, and board the bus back to Tampa.  I wait around in the airport and board my plane.  I make my connection and then get back to Syracuse late at night.  It’s honestly the first time in years I’ve flown and had absolutely no travel complications whatsoever.

Thanks Fest, always a blast.