I think that might be one of the only occasions a Hex release sells out- when I only make 100 of them! But in reality, the Mistletoe CDEP is not totally sold out. It's just all the copies Hex Records has are gone. The band still has some left over from tour.
So you can still get copies from them, more than likely only at live shows so here's what they got coming up:
12/12/08- Syracuse@ Funk n' Waffles w/ Andrea Doria, Stonelord
1/1/09- Syracuse @ Westcott C.C. w/ Another Breath, Sick Fix, Poison Planet, No People, etc.
and perhaps a mid-January weekend w/ Buffalo's Patrons Of Sweet
Also, I'm guessing people might be wondering what's up with all those other records I have coming out. I think the way it's gonna work is some stuff slated for later might come out sooner, but expect 2009 to be a busy one for the label no matter. Here's a few updates: Oak and Bone is ready to record their debut 7" and ought to be heading into Wayne Manor Studio before year's end. The Night Owls are basically finished writing and have broken in new bassist Rachel Bass. Yet given the members commitments to school and parenthood might keep them from getting recording done until possibly Spring? Just a guess. Helms Alee are wrapping up a tour with Minus the Bear right now and I think once they are back they will start laying the groundwork for their 7". End Of a Year, bless their big fat hearts, have about a million records coming out, write songs like their life depended on it, and are on the straightaway to getting theirs finished. I have faith in the timely manner in which they accomplish these feats given the extraordinary output they commit to. Lemuria just finished up a long tour with Gordon Gano's Army and according to them will be shacking up for the winter to write 7" songs. Finally, The Helm have a good chunk of songs written for the next full length and are looking to record in the Spring so they can have the record out in time for Summer. So that's that. As always, news on any of this stuff will be up as soon as it comes my way.
In the meantime, don't let holiday craziness get to you. I find it best to hibernate, eat good food, and watch movies and avoid the malls at all costs.
Oh yeah, and get something here. Times are hard ya know?
Friday, November 28, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
REVIEWS!
I returned from Florida and worked on stuff. Then I immediately left for tour. Since Monday I've been trying to get these done and catch up with things. So here's the newest reviews. Unless there's some other noteworthy news I'll be posting up year's end best of lists from myself and others associated with the label!
AKIMBO, “Jersey Shores”
If you’re a band that has essentially been churning out the same tune for the last 10 years I can see how trying something new might appeal to you. For Seattle’s Akimbo they’ve been honing their Melvins- KARP-classic rock worship to a fine beer-fueled point over four full lengths and a few EPs with generally pleasing results. It’s sort of in the AC/DC approach to things- they’ve been making the same record for 25 years now and it works for them. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Akimbo seemed to be on that route as well, up until releasing this record. On “Jersey Shores” they have opted to make a concept record based around an incident in 1916 where an unusually high amount of shark attacks occurred on the Jersey shore in the space of about two weeks. The songs all pretty much flow together and are bound by meandering interludes, or droning heaviness. Honestly, it just sounds like a regular Akimbo record (which is great) where every song is exceptionally longer due to the interludes that weave the songs together (which feels sort of unnecessary to me). It’s an interesting story line to pursue, and the same chugging mountain rock-hardcore is still there in spades (the opening riff of “Rouge” and “Great White Bull” stand out in particular)... you just get all this extra stuff in-between that turns six songs into 45 minutes. As far as an Akimbo release goes it’s all good. As far as the experiment goes I’m rather indifferent to it’s presence. (Neurot, www.neurotrecordings.com)
BENARD/ WORN IN RED, split 7”
I’m not sure why I thought this, but I kind of imagined both these bands being a little more on the pop-punk side. Don’t ask why, I just did. The Benard dudes, at one point, were going to help my band out with a show down in Georgia, but then we had to bail and I felt bad because they seemed really cool. Then I saw them in Florida and it was the complete opposite of what I thought they were going to be, which is cool. Plus, their singer looked to be about 12 years old. Either way, the two songs they drop on this split are solid, and tight emotional hardcore that reminds me of mid-to-late 90’s Wreck-Age Records stuff mixed with some early Boy Sets Fire. I’m pretty into it. Worn In Red, on the flip side, aren’t really getting at me. They have one song, and it’s pretty long, and sort of just drags on and on through some early 90’s style emo stuff that could have been on the less hectic end of an Ebullition compilation. Both bands seem to be coming from the right frame of mind in terms of direction and execution, my tastes just happen to fall more into what Benard is doing rather than Worn In Red. (Alaska Records, www.alaskarecords.net)
BRIDGE AND TUNNEL, “East West”
There’s something about this band that makes me so ridiculously happy. Maybe it has something to do with each member being a really great person to hang with. Or that how it seemed that no matter where I was during The Fest weekend in Florida I saw at least one of them actively checking out other bands all the time. Or maybe it’s because when they play it’s with such conviction and intensity, and everyone just feels the energy... it’s like a big pow wow of good vibes. I can’t place it. Regardless, it’s things like what I mentioned that made me instantly pick up their first 7” though I was a bit let down by a lackluster recording that just didn’t do their live show justice. So on this full length they certainly get a good recording, but again, I just don’t think there’s any way that this band will be able to capture just how captivating they are live on record. You just have to be there, because listening to Bridge and Tunnel can be a huge difference. They rely on mostly slower tempos with lots and lots of weaving guitar interplay, somewhat morose male/female vocals trade-off’s (the lyrical content generally goes back to a glass half-full attitude in quite the anthemic manner), lots of tremolo and delay effects as well, and kind of progressive song structures. So, to some, it might seem boring. Yet when they play live it’s like getting the biggest rush of inspiration to just rock out, sing along, and feel good about things. There are a few songs on here that have that quality of sounding a little dull on record but come across well live. And then there’s the ones that come across amazing both on record and especially live, like opener “Wartime Souvenirs” and the entire B-side (particularly “Down For My People Like Jim Carroll” and “Grace For These Wayward Hearts”). I don’t want to bash the recording because it is recorded really well. And I definitely recommend getting this record if you’re into a good emo band (yeah I said it) that actually has something worthwhile to say. But live- that’s where you have to see them to really know just how awesome they are. (No Idea, www.noidearecords.com)
CAPSULE, “Blue” LP/CD
The first song is great (it’s more of an intro) and so is the last one (not counting the bonus track). Everything sandwiched in-between isn’t doing it for me. Then again, I’ve never been a huge fan of overtly hectic bands like Neil Perry and Ampere. As entertaining as they usually are to see live on record it just seems like they’re lacking any structure to their songs and tend to just play as crazy as they can with as many disjointed parts as they can cram into 45 seconds. Capsule most definitely fit this mold, although they make it worse by adding a couple of really long, slow, and dull noisy songs right in the middle of this. I guess I’m into the first and last track quite a bit because they both tend to break the cycle here with a more direct and heavy approach. I know a lot of people are getting wacky over this band right now, but it’s just not for me. This is another recording that comes in the 12” only format, accompanied by a CD with it and it looks really slick. (Robotic Empire, www.roboticempire.com)
CREATURE, “No Love In Hell” CDEP I’m a little late to the game here because this has been out for a while now, and I’ll admit, I passed it up for a long time because let’s be honest- the artwork on this sucks. It’s really bad. On the other hand, Creature, a side project for a few Syracuse dudes involved in a few other bands here, rocks pretty thoroughly. These guys wanted to start a horror-punk band and they have done it well. They offer up 6 songs that clearly stem from some Misfits love, but musically fall more into 90’s SoCal punk territory- a little Bad Religion, a little older Pennywise, and a bit of hardcore too of course. So forget what it looks like, go with what it sounds like instead... which is good. (Punk Buttons, www.punkbuttonsrecords.net)
CRIME IN STEREO, “Selective Wreckage”
An odds and sods collection from this group who are planning numerous releases within the next year. They basically re-invented themselves for their last full length, which I guess people are pretty split over, and on this collection (which is a lot of out takes from that full length, as well as some material from a never released split from the same time period) you’re apt to find songs that are in that vein. It’s still real melodic punk with a heavy nod towards mainstream acceptance. Shit, a couple of these songs could be Fallout Boy b-sides. The rest of it sort of feels like older Saves the Day (i.e.- bad Lifetime) to me. I’m not really selling this, am I? Well, to some people that might sound like the next best thing to sliced bread. To me it’s not really doing it. (Bridge 9, www.bridge9.com)
CRUEL HAND, “Prying Eyes”
I first watched this band when they played a basement in the suburbs to about five people. Regardless of the somewhat odd setting they still played like they had just each downed a six-pack of energy drinks and were bouncing off the walls. It wasn’t too much longer before they were on tour with Bane and playing to a few hundred kids every night. People seemed to really like them then. I guess it’s pretty entertaining. For some reason I remember them playing a lot faster live than on this record. On here it feels like the band is going way more into a NYHC vibe, which isn’t a bad thing. It simply feels like direct and to the point hardcore rather than something that’s knocking me flat on my ass. And don’t be fooled by the cover. This thing looks like it could be the new Wino side-project, or some Deep Purple B-sides collection or something. Nothing like fucking with people’s expectations huh? (Bridge 9, www.bridge9.com)
DEATHCYCLE, “Prelude To Tyranny”
For one reason or another I had initially thought this band was some crusty thrash band, probably based upon their logo, album artwork, and name. While maybe a little of that creeps into their music this sounds way more like good New York and Long Island hardcore in the style of Sheer Terror and Kill Yr Idols. In fact, I’m wondering if some KYI personnel are in this band? Maybe, maybe not? Regardless, it fucking rips in the best possible way that true NYHC can. Deathcycle have a much more straightforward political persuasion to their lyrics, mostly focusing on current issues like the war, repression of civil liberties, and media/government collusion. Geez, this really sounds a lot like Sheer Terror. Great stuff. I’m sure these guys are a wrecking ball live. (Lifeline Records, www.lifelinerecords.net)
GODS AND QUEENS, s/t LP/CD
It’s a good thing when a record is really hard to describe, yet you just want to keep listening to it. That’s the case with Gods and Queens, the new project from ex-Lickgoldensky personnel. Actually, it’s pointless to mention the ex-member thing because this sounds nothing like that band, other than being loud. The band actually describe themselves quite well- mentioning an affinity for DC-area bands and psychedelic shoegazer rock all at once and “failed at every attempt” to “blatantly rip them off”. That works pretty good for me. I guess you can see some of the ideas in place for sweet melodies, gigantic post-hardcore droning, and some upbeat (albeit strange) riffing. I really, really like this. There are no lyrics and all of the 7 songs on here are untitled. I suppose you’re supposed to just take this as it is and that certainly does count for a lot for a group simply trying to just rock the shit out of your face in a rather undefinable, yet vaguely familiar sort of way. Bands like Helms Alee and Young Widows make for good reference material, not because they all sound alike, but because each are taking post-hardcore into new territory. I like where it’s going. The format for this is a 12” with a CD included. (Robotic Empire, www.roboticempire.com)
LA DISPUTE, “Somewhere At the Bottom Of the River Between Vega and Altair”
Good lord, I really wanted to like this band, but could this singer possibly have his nuts crammed further into his stomach? It sounds like the pimply-faced teenager from the Simpsons after a bottle of NyQuil getting wacky at open mic night night at the local poetry den. After one listen where I was only half paying attention I thought things were going to be alright once I gave it a solid listen, but upon that more attentive spin I couldn’t make through all 13 songs I have to admit. Occasionally the music breaks into some pretty solid heavy rock parts that pull the listener in and remind me a bit of later Refused, though a lot of times the group opts for some bastard mix of dancey rock and noodley emo bits. Whew, this one’s a doosy. I think I’m the wrong guy to hand this to. (No Sleep Records, www.nosleeprecs.com)
MINNOW, “Thirteen Wrongs”
If this had come out in the 80’s it would most certainly have been considered a bitchin’ punk/ hardcore record. And since the members of this band came from that era, it may seem like just that to them. But since it is now closing in on 2009 music like this is considered indie rock. Don’t ask me when it changed over, it just did. That being said I think Minnow is a pretty rad band playing a style that may have been left to the wayside ages ago, the kind of music that makes younger kids scratch their noggins in confusion because they cannot simply categorize it right away. While vocalist Rob Pennington’s (Endpoint, By the Grace Of God, Black Cross) signature yelp is immediately noticeable he channels it in new ways- softer spoken, almost singing at times, and not so immediately in your face. It works well for him. The rest of the band plays with clean-sounding guitars often, evoking something akin to early Sonic Youth, minus all the crazy tunings. Occasionally female vocals enter the picture and are harsh and strained. While this Louisville band’s full length is good it does feel like it carries on a little too long. Each of the 13 songs here are good, but I feel like it would have bowled me over more if they kept it a solid 10... meh, semantics. Overall, pretty cool for those looking for a sound from about 25 years ago refreshed for today. (Noise Pollution, www.louisvillenoise.com)
MISERY INDEX, “Traitors”
Death metal is a tough genre for me to differentiate one band from another. I can spot a few of them, but chances are if I were to be handed a blank CD with various death metal bands on it and asked to guess who they were I’d probably be batting about .100... if that (for those unaware of baseball stats that’s not very good). With that Misery Index does separate themselves from the pack, and it’s primarily in their very overt political stances/ lyrics. Additionally, it feels like Misery Index comes from a punk background, despite all the blast beats and tech metal winding it’s way through this new full length. To this guy, who doesn’t really listen to death metal, it’s not going to stick in my brain. But if I were a death metal dude I’d probably be all over this. (Relapse, www.relapse.com)
MONIKERS, “Wake Up”
There’s a number of things going on with this band that I guess don’t particularly match up with stereotypes associated with presentation, sound, and background that invariably go together. It’s really not a big issue, but perhaps worth mentioning. At first, seeing a couple of the early 7”s from this band I just assumed they were some spazzy hardcore band since the artwork on their records looked like it could have come from a Combatwoundedvetern LP (similar weird artwork adorns this new record, though completely different artists and it looks really cool). Secondly, this has ex-members of Discount in it so one would naturally think that some bouncy and catchy pop punk was in order. Not exactly so. Finally, throw out those last two things I talked about because Monikers don’t really sound at all like what one would expect based on those things. As far as song structure goes this is similar to the straight-ahead rocking punk of Dillinger 4, though a bit more loose. Some of it feels like Blitz just a bit with how catchy it is as well. The vocals have an almost snotty, strained screech to them as well that feels kind of out of place, but I guess it works. Overall, a decent record that throws a wrench into expectations and results in something all their own (Kiss Of Death Records, www.kissofdeathrecords.com)
OLEHOLE, “Holemole”
Alright, just to get it out of the way, it’s pronounced ‘O-lay Ho-lay’ and the record is pronounced ‘ho-lay mo-lay’ . Got it? Moving right along, I heard about this group because a friend from Burial Year is playing with them and if you were familiar with that group forget about comparisons. If you weren’t well... you won’t need to know about them in order to understand this. What you get instead is some good post-hardcore rocking. Although that’s fairly general it’s about as accurate as I can get. For the most part it rocks rather mid-tempo, though sometimes really slow (like the heavy plodding throughout “Union Plague”). It’s as if dudes who really connected with mid-90’s post-hardcore on their side of the country (the left coast that is) kept that in mind when writing for this band, and simply added the modern twist of current technology to the recording process. I dig it. I don’t dig it like my life depended on listening to it, but I certainly enjoy it and like where they’re coming from in terms of their sound. (Underground Communique Records, www.undercomm.org)
PUTRESCENCE/ I DIE SCREAMING split 7”
Yeah, these are death metal bands, how did you guess? With the song titles and descriptions I figure they either like Carcass a lot or they’re joking around. I mean, it’s sort of hard for me not to laugh a little when a band adds, “45 RPMS of malformed hate doused in embalming fluid” to the credits. As far as the bands go, Putrescence is a bit rough around the edges, going with some low-tuned chugging that, for lack of a better description, reminds me a bit of Disembodied except more metal. Their side sounds surprisingly loud for vinyl (even though the drums sound way too low in the mix and the snare is incredibly weak) and the needle was actually skipping a bit. My guess is perhaps some vinyl mastering was left out of the plan? The flip side has I Die Screaming and I gotta say, it’s not my bag. It’s very screechy techy death metal. I just don’t really get into that at all. They’ve got one of those logos that just look like a bunch of sharp twigs jumbled together. The package is pretty nice- some cool sleeve artwork and hazy green vinyl. Time for you death metal dudes to get a turntable. (Eschaton Indistries, eschaton_industries@mac.com)
SERIOUS GENIUSES, THE, “You Can Steal the Riffs, But You Can’t Steal the Talent”
This is getting to be a reoccurring scenario, but... there I was, at The Fest... ya know, that thing in Florida. I was waiting to see Amateur Party and I showed up to the venue early. There was this band playing and they weren’t really going off or anything, but they were just killing it. They sounded awesome and I had to find out who they were. I checked my schedule real quick to find out that it was The Serious Geniuses. What kind of name is that? Their closing song had this great riff going throughout it and sounded so fun and upbeat. Afterwards I found the drummer and asked if the song was on their full length or 7”. He said he didn’t remember, but remembered the name of the song, which I thought was strange. I was in money reserve mode because I’m poor, but by the end of the weekend found myself with a few extra bucks and picked up the LP from the Kiss Of Death distro and when I got home I found the CD waiting for me in the mail for review. I know, this is a great story, right? Well, it gets better because I listened to it... on both formats. And it’s still good. And while that one song that caught me when I saw them remains the best on the record (“Mark Attack” just in case you’re wondering) the rest of the record flows in a sort of Superchunk sort of way, except maybe a little less crafty... a little more simple. Either way, it’s a good rock record with some minor indie and punk flourishes out of the Boston area. I’m hooked on the hooks and picking up what they’re laying down. plus, how about that record title? (Kiss Of Death, www.kissofdeathrecords.com)
TEENAGE COOL KIDS, “Queer Salutations”
An excellent record from start to finish. It’s not quite like this came out of left field because I had a friend recommend them to me, and then when I had the chance to see them I totally pursued it because of the hype built off the recommendation. And I gotta say, when I saw them it was the perfect setting for what they were doing- it was a sleepy and warm Sunday morning (it might have been noon at that point) in someone’s backyard and this band just busted out with something that was both fun and relaxing to hear, yet totally exhilarating at the same time. In order to properly describe this release I’ll have to jump back to the 90’s and use a term that I haven’t thought of in a long time and that would be ‘slacker rock’. Hearing Denton, Texas’ Teenage Cool Kids is like a lo-fi Pixies meeting up with Pavement, even though a few have mentioned that they think they sound a lot like Built To Spill. I wouldn’t really know because I don’t listen to that band. Labels and comparisons aside this is such a good listen from the simple songs, leads and melodies all over the place, and sort of nasally vocals that speak of a spot in that in-between time of still being young at heart, but jaded with the world at large. That time when you’re supposed to be all grown up but you don’t quite know just what the hell you’re going to do with yourself yet. Strangely romantic songs like “Sleeper Hold”, “Awkward Type Of Girl”, and “Reasons Why” straddle the fence between being sweet and ironically cruel. Still, “Write Back Soon” makes hipster hate pretty straight-forward: “Look at you hipster dude/ But I guess that’s what you want/ “Hold my Pabst?”/ Kiss my ass/ Move to Brooklyn or Vermont/ Get tattoos, Nike shoes/ Tell us exactly how you feel in a zine of poetry..” finishing up with the whole lot “embracing devolution”. Very nice. The music is great, the vocals may get some getting used to for some but I love them, and the lyrics are wonderful. What a great band to discover. Glad I took the recommendation. (Protagonist Music, www.myspace.com/protagonistmusic)
THEY AND THE CHILDREN, “Home”
I’m really reminded of hometown ear-rattlers Engineer and Virginia legends Majority Rule when checking out They and the Children. They seem to take many of the heavy influences of those bands and stretch them out to make their own brand of churning and messy hardcore sludge. Bits of the most abrasively droning elements of Neurosis collide with face-peeling crust from His Hero Is Gone and somehow work nicely into a cohesive whole. The eight songs here on this full length will pull you in, punch you in the gut, and hang around just long enough where they don’t quit too early, or bore you with their longevity. Each song seems to take the time it needs to shake your skull and ruin your hearing. Well executed. (Kill Normal Records, www.killnormal.com)
VISION OF DISORDER, “Dead In New York”
VOD was always an experience. Vocalist Tim Williams always looked like he had gotten beaten up the night before, probably for screwing some other guys lady, showing up at multiple shows I’d seen them at with a black eye. When the band played it was dangerous. It wasn’t so much that they were tough guys or anything, the tough guys showed up for them and clobbered anyone in sight. And it typically didn’t help that the band often called out for blood between songs. All this seems highly against my ideals of hardcore, but I’ll tell you this- VOD wrote some ridiculously heavy and punishing music that still makes me want to do some sort of spin kick windmill upside someone’s face. This DVD splices footage from two reunion shows in 2006 that took place in New York and Worcester, MA. I’m not sure how much post-production went into this, but the sound is unreal and the band is as tight as ever. And that’s the thing- VOD weren’t just playing by-the-number mosh-metal. For the time they existed what they were doing was something really original. They definitely leaned more on the side of metal with quite a bit of technicality while the vocals combined singing and screaming in the best way possible (as well as in key). Kids who hear it now might not think much of it, but for ‘96 and ‘97 it really grabbed people’s attention. The footage here makes it seems as if that never ceased... even though it’s about as Long Island as one can get. In the bonus sections fans are screaming out for the band in the most Long Island trashy dude-bro accents ever. Interviews with the band are of the same mentality, yet a bit more humble about their success. The whole thing is assembled well and the sound is good, so if you’re a fan longing for the old days this ought to help. (Koch Records, www.kochrecords.com)
VOETSEK, “Infernal Command”
Thrash vocalists, by and large, need to work on a couple of things. First, cut back on the amount of lyrics you have per song. I know the songs are short and really fast, and that’s a good thing, but every thrash vocalist I hear sounds like they’re mumbling their way through a song like they’re half in the bag, or they have a speech impediment. It’s called rhythm dudes, make it work for you, not against you! Secondly, and this is going to sound mean, but a lot of thrash lyrics are dumb. I know a lot of times the point is to not be too serious, and to be kind of funny. Still, you can only get away with lines like , “Circle pit action/ Let’s keep it counter-clockwise/ Circle pit action, keepin’ it real” for so long before it gets corny. Or just bad. I don’t even want to get into the song about Lemmy from Motorhead’s sexual prowess, it just makes me feel slimy. Anyone who likes thrash should pretty much just focus (and I’m guessing the band focuses on this too) on being really fast, and really tight. Thankfully Voetsek excel at this, and definitely throw in an excessive amount of metal with their thrash. Many solos soar, and numerous breakdowns crunch, and in-between it’s a lot of really fast hardcore. It’s not totally my thing,a nd I’ve heard better, but for thrashers I’m sure they’ll be loving it. (Selfmadegod Records, www.selfmadegod.com)
AKIMBO, “Jersey Shores”
If you’re a band that has essentially been churning out the same tune for the last 10 years I can see how trying something new might appeal to you. For Seattle’s Akimbo they’ve been honing their Melvins- KARP-classic rock worship to a fine beer-fueled point over four full lengths and a few EPs with generally pleasing results. It’s sort of in the AC/DC approach to things- they’ve been making the same record for 25 years now and it works for them. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Akimbo seemed to be on that route as well, up until releasing this record. On “Jersey Shores” they have opted to make a concept record based around an incident in 1916 where an unusually high amount of shark attacks occurred on the Jersey shore in the space of about two weeks. The songs all pretty much flow together and are bound by meandering interludes, or droning heaviness. Honestly, it just sounds like a regular Akimbo record (which is great) where every song is exceptionally longer due to the interludes that weave the songs together (which feels sort of unnecessary to me). It’s an interesting story line to pursue, and the same chugging mountain rock-hardcore is still there in spades (the opening riff of “Rouge” and “Great White Bull” stand out in particular)... you just get all this extra stuff in-between that turns six songs into 45 minutes. As far as an Akimbo release goes it’s all good. As far as the experiment goes I’m rather indifferent to it’s presence. (Neurot, www.neurotrecordings.com)
BENARD/ WORN IN RED, split 7”
I’m not sure why I thought this, but I kind of imagined both these bands being a little more on the pop-punk side. Don’t ask why, I just did. The Benard dudes, at one point, were going to help my band out with a show down in Georgia, but then we had to bail and I felt bad because they seemed really cool. Then I saw them in Florida and it was the complete opposite of what I thought they were going to be, which is cool. Plus, their singer looked to be about 12 years old. Either way, the two songs they drop on this split are solid, and tight emotional hardcore that reminds me of mid-to-late 90’s Wreck-Age Records stuff mixed with some early Boy Sets Fire. I’m pretty into it. Worn In Red, on the flip side, aren’t really getting at me. They have one song, and it’s pretty long, and sort of just drags on and on through some early 90’s style emo stuff that could have been on the less hectic end of an Ebullition compilation. Both bands seem to be coming from the right frame of mind in terms of direction and execution, my tastes just happen to fall more into what Benard is doing rather than Worn In Red. (Alaska Records, www.alaskarecords.net)
BRIDGE AND TUNNEL, “East West”
There’s something about this band that makes me so ridiculously happy. Maybe it has something to do with each member being a really great person to hang with. Or that how it seemed that no matter where I was during The Fest weekend in Florida I saw at least one of them actively checking out other bands all the time. Or maybe it’s because when they play it’s with such conviction and intensity, and everyone just feels the energy... it’s like a big pow wow of good vibes. I can’t place it. Regardless, it’s things like what I mentioned that made me instantly pick up their first 7” though I was a bit let down by a lackluster recording that just didn’t do their live show justice. So on this full length they certainly get a good recording, but again, I just don’t think there’s any way that this band will be able to capture just how captivating they are live on record. You just have to be there, because listening to Bridge and Tunnel can be a huge difference. They rely on mostly slower tempos with lots and lots of weaving guitar interplay, somewhat morose male/female vocals trade-off’s (the lyrical content generally goes back to a glass half-full attitude in quite the anthemic manner), lots of tremolo and delay effects as well, and kind of progressive song structures. So, to some, it might seem boring. Yet when they play live it’s like getting the biggest rush of inspiration to just rock out, sing along, and feel good about things. There are a few songs on here that have that quality of sounding a little dull on record but come across well live. And then there’s the ones that come across amazing both on record and especially live, like opener “Wartime Souvenirs” and the entire B-side (particularly “Down For My People Like Jim Carroll” and “Grace For These Wayward Hearts”). I don’t want to bash the recording because it is recorded really well. And I definitely recommend getting this record if you’re into a good emo band (yeah I said it) that actually has something worthwhile to say. But live- that’s where you have to see them to really know just how awesome they are. (No Idea, www.noidearecords.com)
CAPSULE, “Blue” LP/CD
The first song is great (it’s more of an intro) and so is the last one (not counting the bonus track). Everything sandwiched in-between isn’t doing it for me. Then again, I’ve never been a huge fan of overtly hectic bands like Neil Perry and Ampere. As entertaining as they usually are to see live on record it just seems like they’re lacking any structure to their songs and tend to just play as crazy as they can with as many disjointed parts as they can cram into 45 seconds. Capsule most definitely fit this mold, although they make it worse by adding a couple of really long, slow, and dull noisy songs right in the middle of this. I guess I’m into the first and last track quite a bit because they both tend to break the cycle here with a more direct and heavy approach. I know a lot of people are getting wacky over this band right now, but it’s just not for me. This is another recording that comes in the 12” only format, accompanied by a CD with it and it looks really slick. (Robotic Empire, www.roboticempire.com)
CREATURE, “No Love In Hell” CDEP I’m a little late to the game here because this has been out for a while now, and I’ll admit, I passed it up for a long time because let’s be honest- the artwork on this sucks. It’s really bad. On the other hand, Creature, a side project for a few Syracuse dudes involved in a few other bands here, rocks pretty thoroughly. These guys wanted to start a horror-punk band and they have done it well. They offer up 6 songs that clearly stem from some Misfits love, but musically fall more into 90’s SoCal punk territory- a little Bad Religion, a little older Pennywise, and a bit of hardcore too of course. So forget what it looks like, go with what it sounds like instead... which is good. (Punk Buttons, www.punkbuttonsrecords.net)
CRIME IN STEREO, “Selective Wreckage”
An odds and sods collection from this group who are planning numerous releases within the next year. They basically re-invented themselves for their last full length, which I guess people are pretty split over, and on this collection (which is a lot of out takes from that full length, as well as some material from a never released split from the same time period) you’re apt to find songs that are in that vein. It’s still real melodic punk with a heavy nod towards mainstream acceptance. Shit, a couple of these songs could be Fallout Boy b-sides. The rest of it sort of feels like older Saves the Day (i.e.- bad Lifetime) to me. I’m not really selling this, am I? Well, to some people that might sound like the next best thing to sliced bread. To me it’s not really doing it. (Bridge 9, www.bridge9.com)
CRUEL HAND, “Prying Eyes”
I first watched this band when they played a basement in the suburbs to about five people. Regardless of the somewhat odd setting they still played like they had just each downed a six-pack of energy drinks and were bouncing off the walls. It wasn’t too much longer before they were on tour with Bane and playing to a few hundred kids every night. People seemed to really like them then. I guess it’s pretty entertaining. For some reason I remember them playing a lot faster live than on this record. On here it feels like the band is going way more into a NYHC vibe, which isn’t a bad thing. It simply feels like direct and to the point hardcore rather than something that’s knocking me flat on my ass. And don’t be fooled by the cover. This thing looks like it could be the new Wino side-project, or some Deep Purple B-sides collection or something. Nothing like fucking with people’s expectations huh? (Bridge 9, www.bridge9.com)
DEATHCYCLE, “Prelude To Tyranny”
For one reason or another I had initially thought this band was some crusty thrash band, probably based upon their logo, album artwork, and name. While maybe a little of that creeps into their music this sounds way more like good New York and Long Island hardcore in the style of Sheer Terror and Kill Yr Idols. In fact, I’m wondering if some KYI personnel are in this band? Maybe, maybe not? Regardless, it fucking rips in the best possible way that true NYHC can. Deathcycle have a much more straightforward political persuasion to their lyrics, mostly focusing on current issues like the war, repression of civil liberties, and media/government collusion. Geez, this really sounds a lot like Sheer Terror. Great stuff. I’m sure these guys are a wrecking ball live. (Lifeline Records, www.lifelinerecords.net)
GODS AND QUEENS, s/t LP/CD
It’s a good thing when a record is really hard to describe, yet you just want to keep listening to it. That’s the case with Gods and Queens, the new project from ex-Lickgoldensky personnel. Actually, it’s pointless to mention the ex-member thing because this sounds nothing like that band, other than being loud. The band actually describe themselves quite well- mentioning an affinity for DC-area bands and psychedelic shoegazer rock all at once and “failed at every attempt” to “blatantly rip them off”. That works pretty good for me. I guess you can see some of the ideas in place for sweet melodies, gigantic post-hardcore droning, and some upbeat (albeit strange) riffing. I really, really like this. There are no lyrics and all of the 7 songs on here are untitled. I suppose you’re supposed to just take this as it is and that certainly does count for a lot for a group simply trying to just rock the shit out of your face in a rather undefinable, yet vaguely familiar sort of way. Bands like Helms Alee and Young Widows make for good reference material, not because they all sound alike, but because each are taking post-hardcore into new territory. I like where it’s going. The format for this is a 12” with a CD included. (Robotic Empire, www.roboticempire.com)
LA DISPUTE, “Somewhere At the Bottom Of the River Between Vega and Altair”
Good lord, I really wanted to like this band, but could this singer possibly have his nuts crammed further into his stomach? It sounds like the pimply-faced teenager from the Simpsons after a bottle of NyQuil getting wacky at open mic night night at the local poetry den. After one listen where I was only half paying attention I thought things were going to be alright once I gave it a solid listen, but upon that more attentive spin I couldn’t make through all 13 songs I have to admit. Occasionally the music breaks into some pretty solid heavy rock parts that pull the listener in and remind me a bit of later Refused, though a lot of times the group opts for some bastard mix of dancey rock and noodley emo bits. Whew, this one’s a doosy. I think I’m the wrong guy to hand this to. (No Sleep Records, www.nosleeprecs.com)
MINNOW, “Thirteen Wrongs”
If this had come out in the 80’s it would most certainly have been considered a bitchin’ punk/ hardcore record. And since the members of this band came from that era, it may seem like just that to them. But since it is now closing in on 2009 music like this is considered indie rock. Don’t ask me when it changed over, it just did. That being said I think Minnow is a pretty rad band playing a style that may have been left to the wayside ages ago, the kind of music that makes younger kids scratch their noggins in confusion because they cannot simply categorize it right away. While vocalist Rob Pennington’s (Endpoint, By the Grace Of God, Black Cross) signature yelp is immediately noticeable he channels it in new ways- softer spoken, almost singing at times, and not so immediately in your face. It works well for him. The rest of the band plays with clean-sounding guitars often, evoking something akin to early Sonic Youth, minus all the crazy tunings. Occasionally female vocals enter the picture and are harsh and strained. While this Louisville band’s full length is good it does feel like it carries on a little too long. Each of the 13 songs here are good, but I feel like it would have bowled me over more if they kept it a solid 10... meh, semantics. Overall, pretty cool for those looking for a sound from about 25 years ago refreshed for today. (Noise Pollution, www.louisvillenoise.com)
MISERY INDEX, “Traitors”
Death metal is a tough genre for me to differentiate one band from another. I can spot a few of them, but chances are if I were to be handed a blank CD with various death metal bands on it and asked to guess who they were I’d probably be batting about .100... if that (for those unaware of baseball stats that’s not very good). With that Misery Index does separate themselves from the pack, and it’s primarily in their very overt political stances/ lyrics. Additionally, it feels like Misery Index comes from a punk background, despite all the blast beats and tech metal winding it’s way through this new full length. To this guy, who doesn’t really listen to death metal, it’s not going to stick in my brain. But if I were a death metal dude I’d probably be all over this. (Relapse, www.relapse.com)
MONIKERS, “Wake Up”
There’s a number of things going on with this band that I guess don’t particularly match up with stereotypes associated with presentation, sound, and background that invariably go together. It’s really not a big issue, but perhaps worth mentioning. At first, seeing a couple of the early 7”s from this band I just assumed they were some spazzy hardcore band since the artwork on their records looked like it could have come from a Combatwoundedvetern LP (similar weird artwork adorns this new record, though completely different artists and it looks really cool). Secondly, this has ex-members of Discount in it so one would naturally think that some bouncy and catchy pop punk was in order. Not exactly so. Finally, throw out those last two things I talked about because Monikers don’t really sound at all like what one would expect based on those things. As far as song structure goes this is similar to the straight-ahead rocking punk of Dillinger 4, though a bit more loose. Some of it feels like Blitz just a bit with how catchy it is as well. The vocals have an almost snotty, strained screech to them as well that feels kind of out of place, but I guess it works. Overall, a decent record that throws a wrench into expectations and results in something all their own (Kiss Of Death Records, www.kissofdeathrecords.com)
OLEHOLE, “Holemole”
Alright, just to get it out of the way, it’s pronounced ‘O-lay Ho-lay’ and the record is pronounced ‘ho-lay mo-lay’ . Got it? Moving right along, I heard about this group because a friend from Burial Year is playing with them and if you were familiar with that group forget about comparisons. If you weren’t well... you won’t need to know about them in order to understand this. What you get instead is some good post-hardcore rocking. Although that’s fairly general it’s about as accurate as I can get. For the most part it rocks rather mid-tempo, though sometimes really slow (like the heavy plodding throughout “Union Plague”). It’s as if dudes who really connected with mid-90’s post-hardcore on their side of the country (the left coast that is) kept that in mind when writing for this band, and simply added the modern twist of current technology to the recording process. I dig it. I don’t dig it like my life depended on listening to it, but I certainly enjoy it and like where they’re coming from in terms of their sound. (Underground Communique Records, www.undercomm.org)
PUTRESCENCE/ I DIE SCREAMING split 7”
Yeah, these are death metal bands, how did you guess? With the song titles and descriptions I figure they either like Carcass a lot or they’re joking around. I mean, it’s sort of hard for me not to laugh a little when a band adds, “45 RPMS of malformed hate doused in embalming fluid” to the credits. As far as the bands go, Putrescence is a bit rough around the edges, going with some low-tuned chugging that, for lack of a better description, reminds me a bit of Disembodied except more metal. Their side sounds surprisingly loud for vinyl (even though the drums sound way too low in the mix and the snare is incredibly weak) and the needle was actually skipping a bit. My guess is perhaps some vinyl mastering was left out of the plan? The flip side has I Die Screaming and I gotta say, it’s not my bag. It’s very screechy techy death metal. I just don’t really get into that at all. They’ve got one of those logos that just look like a bunch of sharp twigs jumbled together. The package is pretty nice- some cool sleeve artwork and hazy green vinyl. Time for you death metal dudes to get a turntable. (Eschaton Indistries, eschaton_industries@mac.com)
SERIOUS GENIUSES, THE, “You Can Steal the Riffs, But You Can’t Steal the Talent”
This is getting to be a reoccurring scenario, but... there I was, at The Fest... ya know, that thing in Florida. I was waiting to see Amateur Party and I showed up to the venue early. There was this band playing and they weren’t really going off or anything, but they were just killing it. They sounded awesome and I had to find out who they were. I checked my schedule real quick to find out that it was The Serious Geniuses. What kind of name is that? Their closing song had this great riff going throughout it and sounded so fun and upbeat. Afterwards I found the drummer and asked if the song was on their full length or 7”. He said he didn’t remember, but remembered the name of the song, which I thought was strange. I was in money reserve mode because I’m poor, but by the end of the weekend found myself with a few extra bucks and picked up the LP from the Kiss Of Death distro and when I got home I found the CD waiting for me in the mail for review. I know, this is a great story, right? Well, it gets better because I listened to it... on both formats. And it’s still good. And while that one song that caught me when I saw them remains the best on the record (“Mark Attack” just in case you’re wondering) the rest of the record flows in a sort of Superchunk sort of way, except maybe a little less crafty... a little more simple. Either way, it’s a good rock record with some minor indie and punk flourishes out of the Boston area. I’m hooked on the hooks and picking up what they’re laying down. plus, how about that record title? (Kiss Of Death, www.kissofdeathrecords.com)
TEENAGE COOL KIDS, “Queer Salutations”
An excellent record from start to finish. It’s not quite like this came out of left field because I had a friend recommend them to me, and then when I had the chance to see them I totally pursued it because of the hype built off the recommendation. And I gotta say, when I saw them it was the perfect setting for what they were doing- it was a sleepy and warm Sunday morning (it might have been noon at that point) in someone’s backyard and this band just busted out with something that was both fun and relaxing to hear, yet totally exhilarating at the same time. In order to properly describe this release I’ll have to jump back to the 90’s and use a term that I haven’t thought of in a long time and that would be ‘slacker rock’. Hearing Denton, Texas’ Teenage Cool Kids is like a lo-fi Pixies meeting up with Pavement, even though a few have mentioned that they think they sound a lot like Built To Spill. I wouldn’t really know because I don’t listen to that band. Labels and comparisons aside this is such a good listen from the simple songs, leads and melodies all over the place, and sort of nasally vocals that speak of a spot in that in-between time of still being young at heart, but jaded with the world at large. That time when you’re supposed to be all grown up but you don’t quite know just what the hell you’re going to do with yourself yet. Strangely romantic songs like “Sleeper Hold”, “Awkward Type Of Girl”, and “Reasons Why” straddle the fence between being sweet and ironically cruel. Still, “Write Back Soon” makes hipster hate pretty straight-forward: “Look at you hipster dude/ But I guess that’s what you want/ “Hold my Pabst?”/ Kiss my ass/ Move to Brooklyn or Vermont/ Get tattoos, Nike shoes/ Tell us exactly how you feel in a zine of poetry..” finishing up with the whole lot “embracing devolution”. Very nice. The music is great, the vocals may get some getting used to for some but I love them, and the lyrics are wonderful. What a great band to discover. Glad I took the recommendation. (Protagonist Music, www.myspace.com/protagonistmusic)
THEY AND THE CHILDREN, “Home”
I’m really reminded of hometown ear-rattlers Engineer and Virginia legends Majority Rule when checking out They and the Children. They seem to take many of the heavy influences of those bands and stretch them out to make their own brand of churning and messy hardcore sludge. Bits of the most abrasively droning elements of Neurosis collide with face-peeling crust from His Hero Is Gone and somehow work nicely into a cohesive whole. The eight songs here on this full length will pull you in, punch you in the gut, and hang around just long enough where they don’t quit too early, or bore you with their longevity. Each song seems to take the time it needs to shake your skull and ruin your hearing. Well executed. (Kill Normal Records, www.killnormal.com)
VISION OF DISORDER, “Dead In New York”
VOD was always an experience. Vocalist Tim Williams always looked like he had gotten beaten up the night before, probably for screwing some other guys lady, showing up at multiple shows I’d seen them at with a black eye. When the band played it was dangerous. It wasn’t so much that they were tough guys or anything, the tough guys showed up for them and clobbered anyone in sight. And it typically didn’t help that the band often called out for blood between songs. All this seems highly against my ideals of hardcore, but I’ll tell you this- VOD wrote some ridiculously heavy and punishing music that still makes me want to do some sort of spin kick windmill upside someone’s face. This DVD splices footage from two reunion shows in 2006 that took place in New York and Worcester, MA. I’m not sure how much post-production went into this, but the sound is unreal and the band is as tight as ever. And that’s the thing- VOD weren’t just playing by-the-number mosh-metal. For the time they existed what they were doing was something really original. They definitely leaned more on the side of metal with quite a bit of technicality while the vocals combined singing and screaming in the best way possible (as well as in key). Kids who hear it now might not think much of it, but for ‘96 and ‘97 it really grabbed people’s attention. The footage here makes it seems as if that never ceased... even though it’s about as Long Island as one can get. In the bonus sections fans are screaming out for the band in the most Long Island trashy dude-bro accents ever. Interviews with the band are of the same mentality, yet a bit more humble about their success. The whole thing is assembled well and the sound is good, so if you’re a fan longing for the old days this ought to help. (Koch Records, www.kochrecords.com)
VOETSEK, “Infernal Command”
Thrash vocalists, by and large, need to work on a couple of things. First, cut back on the amount of lyrics you have per song. I know the songs are short and really fast, and that’s a good thing, but every thrash vocalist I hear sounds like they’re mumbling their way through a song like they’re half in the bag, or they have a speech impediment. It’s called rhythm dudes, make it work for you, not against you! Secondly, and this is going to sound mean, but a lot of thrash lyrics are dumb. I know a lot of times the point is to not be too serious, and to be kind of funny. Still, you can only get away with lines like , “Circle pit action/ Let’s keep it counter-clockwise/ Circle pit action, keepin’ it real” for so long before it gets corny. Or just bad. I don’t even want to get into the song about Lemmy from Motorhead’s sexual prowess, it just makes me feel slimy. Anyone who likes thrash should pretty much just focus (and I’m guessing the band focuses on this too) on being really fast, and really tight. Thankfully Voetsek excel at this, and definitely throw in an excessive amount of metal with their thrash. Many solos soar, and numerous breakdowns crunch, and in-between it’s a lot of really fast hardcore. It’s not totally my thing,a nd I’ve heard better, but for thrashers I’m sure they’ll be loving it. (Selfmadegod Records, www.selfmadegod.com)
Friday, November 7, 2008
THE FEST: A RECAP!
On Sunday I'll be taking off for a week to go on tour with my band Mistletoe. If you live in the Northeast come see us. For dates check here: http://www.myspace.com/mistletoe315
But before this goes down I wanted to do a quick report on going down to Gainesville for The Fest, which was over Halloween weekend (and my birthday).
I wrote up this big thing on it, but that would take entirely too long to post up here, so I thought I'd do some sort of quick, bullet point-style recap.
Thursday, 10.30.08
- Woke up at 7:30AM, picked up the rental minivan, picked up dudes, and got on the road around 10AM
- Made a stop in Richmond because it's great there. Harrison St. Coffeehouse and Panda Kahn never disappoint
- Listened to Sleep, "Jerusalem" in it's entirety. We decided that if we got lost we'd just have to look for the smoke. Eventually it would lead to the riff-filled land
- Stopped driving around 2AM when I hit South Of the Border (S. Carolina). Night shift took over.
- Dan and Trev Rock decided to shotgun a Moxie every time we crossed a state line. That's disgusting.
- I woke up in a parking lot in Gainesville
Friday, 10.31.08
- Wandered around downtown Gainesville for a couple hours before registration and found a couple of the venues shows would be at
- Registered right at noon and waited in line about 10 minutes. After looking at some distros I left and the line was already out the door, out another room, down a hallway, down two flights of stairs, through the hotel lobby, and out the door. Good thing I got there early
- Wandered looking for decent coffee and came across a joint called Volta who were super-serious about their coffee. It was pretty good too.
- Found a great little record store called Wayward Council... sweet place.
- Weren't too many bands I wanted to see this day (Ringers, Amateur Party, Halo Fauna), so I discovered a couple really good new ones (Serious Geniuses, Brainworms)
- Watched Paint It Black play inside a U-Haul truck in a parking lot for about 5 minutes with around 500 other people until the cops came on horseback and shut it down. It was total madness.
Saturday, 11.1.08
- We got up early because some dudes wanted to go to a morning house show. I should have went. It ended up being Brainworms, Cult Ritual, Ampere, and Cheeky
- Instead the rest of us went to a nearby coffee place called Coffee Culture. It looked like a convenient store from the outside, but ended up being one of the coolest places around. Plus the girls who worked there were rad.- We all then went to No Idea Records headquarters for a BBQ/record sale. Seems fun? Not at all. I can't believe there was a line of at least 200 people lined up just to look at records. So dumb. Just because stuff you can get online is a few bucks cheaper does NOT warrant standing in line for two hours to buy stuff. What is this, the day after Thanksgiving?
- Time for bands. I spent the first portion of the day at a venue called 1982 watching Olehole (kinda Quicksand-ish post hardcore), Prize Country (best, most overlooked band ever), Liquid Limbs (sweet 2-man Torche/prog-ish stuff), Benard (heavy... um... screamo... but good!), Mouthbreather (really tight and heavy rock-hardcore), and Jena Berlin (small crowd, but so into it, including a sweet ceiling walk)
- Went to The Venue to see Coalesce. It was a huge place. I was skeptical because Coalesce has sucked the last couple reunions I saw them on. This time was like seeing them back in '95. I feared for my life. It was insane, noisy, heavy, awesome, and put a huge grin on my face. Totally awesome to see them back in killing mode again.
- From here it got wacky because I kept going back and forth to different venues that were pretty good walking distance from one another to see bands I really wanted to see. I won't get into details, but to make it succinct: Suicide Note were incredible, Lemuria played to the biggest crowd I'd ever seen them play to and everyone loved it, same for Bridge and Tunnel (and they totally shred as well), Sinaloa was good but it was sort of a bad setting for them in my opinion, Young Livers were so tight and got everyone pretty rowdy, what I saw of Able Baker Fox (ex- Casket Lottery and Small Brown Bike) was really good, O'Pioneers were pretty good, and Young Widows played "Old Wounds" from start to finish, note for note, near perfect. Amazing.
- Oh yeah... I was skeptical of the whole Fest a bit because it was sponsored in part by a beer company and I had a bit of an ethical dilema, as well as a fear of drunk assholes getting in my face all weekend. Thankfully, everyone was pretty damn respectable for the most part. Everyone I came across appeared to be in a good mood and was very friendly. Unfortunately, smoking is still allowed indoors at clubs and that drove my sinuses nuts at times.
- Lemuria were staying at the same hotel as us and some time during the night some jerkoff's ran into their room, jumped all over their beds, and then ran off. No one seems to know exactly what transpired, but if anyone has any information leading to these culprits send it to me and we'll see to it they get their comeuppance.
Sunday, 11.2.08
-It's strange to wake up in another state on your birthday. but that's what I did today and I didn't even seem to notice it.
- Went to another morning house/ backyard show that Slingshot Dakota and Teenage Cool Kids played. Teenage Cool Kids were fucking great. I highly suggest checking them out. Slingshot covered "Waiting Room"... sweet.
- Went back to Co
ffee Culture. Great place. Just fantastic.- Went over to the Kickstand (a really sweet venue by the way) to see Teenage Cool Kids again. Excellent stuff.
- Made our way down to Market St. Pub, which looks like a cross between a Bourbon Street saloon and a rave club. It was confusing. I wanted to see Affirmative Action Jackson and kinda wanted to see Hour Of the Wolf.
- AAJ were OK (not as funny as when I'd seen them before). HOTW were one of the best bands I'd ever seen. Before even playing the singer was shouting, "I did a rain dance! I feel great! I did a rain dance! We're gonna kill you!" The bassist played naked, and the next twenty minutes were a blur of total chaos. Other wonderful quotes from the singer (who also smashed his head over and over with the mic and threw a full can of garbage into the audien
ce, which he also drank out of): "You guys are a bunch of anarchies!", "Punk Fest. Hardcore Fest. Beer Fest. Fuck Fest. You're all gonna fuck. You all have diseases!", "We're not serious" (guitarist). "This is fucking serious!" (singer) "Who are you?!" (to bassist). "I don't even know these guys" (bassist). It was excellent.- Nothing could really top that so seeing Off With Their Heads and The Ergs in the giant, smoke-filled Venue didn't fill me with as much glee as it could have.
- Apparently, one of my cohorts was crowd-surfing during The Ergs and someone tried to steal his shoe so he beat the guy over the head with it and got kicked out. Good for him.
- I attempted to walk really damn far to see Minus the Bear but they weren't letting anyone else in. Sweet walk.
- No interest in seeing Leatherface, so I waited outside 'til my friends came out and we immediately bailed out of Gainesville for a non-stop 18 hour drive back to Syracuse. It was pretty unexciting for the most part getting back, plus my voice was shot at that point so conversation was rather pointless.
- Got a shit ton of great records and made some new pals. Life is good. Fest was rad.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
THE FEST! MISTLETOE TOUR!
I like to do multiple subjects in my posts. It makes it so I don't have to do this stuff all the time.
Now, I wish those two subjects were in some way related, but aside from travel and shows, they sadly are not.
So here's the skinny: I'll be away from October 30th until November 3rd at The Fest. Just so we're on the same page, I'm not too keen on Florida. So if you're from there, and you're going to The Fest please change my opinion of it on the whole! Hex Records will not be setting up shop, but I'll be there and will most likely have some Hex goodies in my bag if you're interested. Let me know. Maybe we can meet up and I can make a special delivery. Here's who I'm stoked to see: Ringers, Amateur Party, Halo Fauna, Young Widows, Young Livers, Jena Berlin, Lemuria, Ole Hole, Prize Country, Benard, Ruiner, Liquid Limbs, Coalesce, Armalite, Shook Ones, Suicide Note, Paint It Black, Catalyst, Municipal Waste, Die Hoffnung, Bridge and Tunnel, Sinaloa, O'Pioneers, Teenage Cool Kids, Off With Their Heads, The Ergs, Affirmative Action Jackson, and Asshole Parade. It's a big list. I'm gonna do my best to get from place to place to see it all. Let's coordinate schedules, yeah?
Secondly, my band Mistletoe is going on tour shortly thereafter. Come see us if you're in the Northeast. It's pretty much the only time you'll get to get the limited CD we made. If you can't come and want one I still have some here
If you need more specific information about any of the shows send a message and I'll try and clarify for you:
Sunday, November 9th, 3PM- Binghamton, NY @ Binghamton University w/ No Connection and Oak and Bone
Monday, November 10th- I don't know. Help us out.
Tuesday, November 11th, 7PM- Doylestown, PA @ Siren Records(?) w/ Lemuria * WE PLAY FIRST AND THEN HAVE TO GO, SO SHOW UP EARLY!*
Tuesday, November 11th, 7:30PM- New Brunswick, NY house show w/ Black Kites, Torchbearer
Wednesday, November 12th, 6PM- Waturbury, CT @ Shakedown Shop
Thursday, November 13th, 8PM- Brooklyn, NY @ Stolen Sleeves Collective w/ End Of a Year, Defeater
Friday, November 14th- Brooklyn, NY- details forthcoming
Saturday, November 15th, 7PM- Annondale, NY @ Bard College/Root Cellar w/ Rejouissance
Sunday, November 16th, 7PM- Purchase, NY @ Purchase College/ Student Union w/ Rejouissance
Now, I wish those two subjects were in some way related, but aside from travel and shows, they sadly are not.
So here's the skinny: I'll be away from October 30th until November 3rd at The Fest. Just so we're on the same page, I'm not too keen on Florida. So if you're from there, and you're going to The Fest please change my opinion of it on the whole! Hex Records will not be setting up shop, but I'll be there and will most likely have some Hex goodies in my bag if you're interested. Let me know. Maybe we can meet up and I can make a special delivery. Here's who I'm stoked to see: Ringers, Amateur Party, Halo Fauna, Young Widows, Young Livers, Jena Berlin, Lemuria, Ole Hole, Prize Country, Benard, Ruiner, Liquid Limbs, Coalesce, Armalite, Shook Ones, Suicide Note, Paint It Black, Catalyst, Municipal Waste, Die Hoffnung, Bridge and Tunnel, Sinaloa, O'Pioneers, Teenage Cool Kids, Off With Their Heads, The Ergs, Affirmative Action Jackson, and Asshole Parade. It's a big list. I'm gonna do my best to get from place to place to see it all. Let's coordinate schedules, yeah?
Secondly, my band Mistletoe is going on tour shortly thereafter. Come see us if you're in the Northeast. It's pretty much the only time you'll get to get the limited CD we made. If you can't come and want one I still have some here
If you need more specific information about any of the shows send a message and I'll try and clarify for you:
Sunday, November 9th, 3PM- Binghamton, NY @ Binghamton University w/ No Connection and Oak and Bone
Monday, November 10th- I don't know. Help us out.
Tuesday, November 11th, 7PM- Doylestown, PA @ Siren Records(?) w/ Lemuria * WE PLAY FIRST AND THEN HAVE TO GO, SO SHOW UP EARLY!*
Tuesday, November 11th, 7:30PM- New Brunswick, NY house show w/ Black Kites, Torchbearer
Wednesday, November 12th, 6PM- Waturbury, CT @ Shakedown Shop
Thursday, November 13th, 8PM- Brooklyn, NY @ Stolen Sleeves Collective w/ End Of a Year, Defeater
Friday, November 14th- Brooklyn, NY- details forthcoming
Saturday, November 15th, 7PM- Annondale, NY @ Bard College/Root Cellar w/ Rejouissance
Sunday, November 16th, 7PM- Purchase, NY @ Purchase College/ Student Union w/ Rejouissance
Monday, October 20, 2008
HEY, GUESS WHAT- NEW REVIEWS!
I'll be perfectly honest. There wasn't a whole lot this week that really tooted my horn. But not all weeks can be amazing for music. I'd say, for the most part, 2008 has proved to be an excellent year for music. Early October, for me anyway, just wasn't. Eh, it's not like there's even a lot of bad stuff here, just some mediocre stuff. And a couple decent books.
I'll be at the Fest at the end of the month. If you know me, say 'hi', If you're a good band I'll do my best to come see you. I hate Florida, but I like good music.
“BRAINFAG FOREVER,”, by Nate Beaty
Alright, so you’re another dude in his late 20’s (early 30’s?) who is bummed on life and cranky all the time because you can’t keep a steady lady in your life, and when you do something goes wrong with it, and then you escape to the wilderness on some island in the Northwest to try and make sense of it all. But it doesn’t work and thus the cycle of being a cranky, bitter chump continues. What a quandary. Why does this happen? Oh, I have a clue! Maybe it’s because you’re a late 20’s (early 30s?) dude who draws corny cartoons of yourself as a half pig man person going through these cycles and obsessing on relationships you had 10 years ago over and over again, drawing them into cartoons that are made for public viewing. Maybe that’s why you might be having trouble in these areas of your life. Throughout this collection of Brainfag comic zines it’s like I’m reading the same story over and over again. Each time the author goes through more heartbreak you not only get the latest tale of woe, but a repeat on the past woes you read about before. Cool. I’m sure the girls who broke your heart really enjoy being drawn as comics that your friends read. At times this guy really seems to put effort into his art and craft (the cover, title page, a couple later issues), especially in the issue that is mostly just pen and ink drawings of bridges and places around Portland (they’re quite extraordinary in fact). But most of it is ad nauseum complaining that really turns me off. (Microcosm, www.microcosmpublishing.com)
DEFEATER, “Travels”
Well, raise my rent... who would know that a band previously known under the ridiculously poor moniker Sluts would be such good dudes? Honestly, under that old terrible name this band wanted to play Syracuse pretty bad and I denied them on name alone. There was no way I was booking a band called Sluts. And I still wouldn’t, even if friggin’ Henry Rollins was their frontman and Neil Peart was playing drums (and that would sound amazing, let me tell you!). Yet with a name change, and a new CD I am finding myself happy to have heard this. There is nothing groundbreaking whatsoever about this band. They simply play melodic hardcore that would sit well alongside Modern Life Is War and Another Breath, most of their songs based around narratives about different people. It’s solid and gets the job done. Individually these dudes are behind the scenes running recording studios, renting vans to touring bands that run on veggie oil, doing eco awareness projects, and so forth. The packaging on this CD is all recycled materials (and it looks really kick-ass too)... maybe these dudes are just sluts to good causes? I dunno. Either way, Defeater is a much better name, yet given the resumes the members have inside and outside of music perhaps that name doesn’t do them justice either? (Top Shelf Records, www.topshelf-records.com)
DON THE READER, “Humanesque”
There’s a bit of mystery with this band for me. For starters, what the hell is their name supposed to mean? Secondly, they sort of came out of nowhere, advertising the shit out of a free record they were giving away. All I could think was how much money they were sinking into this band already. Now they have this full length out (which I’m guessing is NOT free this time) and I finally get to hear for myself what they’re all about. I was hoping for something pretty exciting, but alas, it’s really not all that wild. It’s the same kind of Botch-esque noodling where they kind of get it, but not really. Taking their cues more from pretenders to the throne like Norma Jean than the real masters this delivers very heavy-handed metalcore, complete with some weird time signatures and tons of warped string bends. Yet here we are in 2008, bands were executing audiences with this style 10 years ago and 10 years later it’s gotten fairly dry. I don’t want to say this record is a complete waste or anything. It has it’s moments. But it’s another case of bands working on their brutal fucked up side without writing a good song. It’s just a lot of heavy parts with no one song that really sticks around in the listeners head. (Deathcote, www.deathcote.com)
ENERGY, “Invasions Of the Mind”
Awful. Totally bland music with overproduced vocals that could be taken out of this band , cut and pasted into any number of shitty radio pop bands. Actually, it sounds like AFI, and I can’t stand AFI. That’s just me. I guess this is supposed to be hardcore, but to me it just sounds stale. It’s like the name of this band is a double-edged sword. It’s a pretty bland name in one respect, yet if they really lived up to it the name could really help... but they would really have to kick the shit out of the listener without fail. And well, this fails. (Bridge 9, www.bridge9.com)
“FOLLOW FOR NOW”, ‘by Roy Christopher
“Follow for now, power to the people say, make a miracle. D pump the lyrical. Black is back, all in, we’re gonna win, check it out. Yeah y’all c’mon, here we go again!” Instantly those old Public Enemy lyrics came to mind upon seeing the title of this book. And to my great pleasure I discovered that this book was named after those very same words. That’s a good start. So what lies betwixt the pages? Well, this is a collection of various interviews done between 1999 and 2006 for different publications that emphasize people pushing the envelope with music, culture, science, technology, literature, and media. Through these different people there seems to be an attempt to connect a lot of these folks and their ideas with similar undercurrents to a bigger picture. At times I’m not feeling it, and other times it makes total sense. While the author interviews DJ Spooky he shoots off his influences as computer nerds and philosophers who are interviewed elsewhere in the book. Meanwhile, interviewee Brian Coleman discusses his own book about forming a collected history of hip-hop. Shepard Fairey admits to the influence of punk music on his work while Futurama co-creator David X. Cohen shares how half the show’s writers have advanced degrees in science. Some of these people have great ideas and visions for how they interpret culture while others go right over my head. Others just sound like flat-out new age weirdos. About half the time this book works, but the overall pictures is that it is indeed an interesting look on tying together all these differing aspects of society as a whole. In total there are about 45 interviews that range from post-punkers Milemarker, to author Adam Voith, to hip-hop group Dalek, to writer Bruce Sterling, to skateboarder Todd Swank, to actor/writer Sean Gullette, and a whole bunch of other weirdos and kooks. (Well Red Bear, www.wellredbear.com)
GIT SOME, “Cosmic Rock”
I never got really all that into Planes Mistaken For Stars. When they began they were dull and by the time they got exciting I slept on it. I guess that makes me a bad person. Git Some is the remnants of PMFS, as well as a couple characters from a little band called Peralta who I happen to know quite a bit about. Peralta were fucking weird and spazzy, minimalist like the Minutemen, but just as gnarly as Black Flag... made for tearing up a curb with your skateboard. I was into that band. So all these gnarled dudes got together and formed Git Some and the name pretty much goes hand-in-hand with music you’d pretty much expect coming from these two forces of punk rock. It’s wild and unruly, filthy and messy, and a bit off-kilter and weird all in one. It doesn’t exactly flow and it feels like the band is still figuring out exactly who they are because you’ll hear styles change from song to song. Though they have that dirty-ass punk rock grime well established already. With time it will mesh and this ain’t a bad start to build off of, it’s just a little unfocused. (1-2-3-4 Go! Records, www.1234gorecords.com)
LIQUID LIMBS, “Orquid” LP
Well done! I like when some band I’ve never heard of comes through my stereo and gives me something surprisingly new. OK, ‘new’ might be pushing it because I’m about to drop some reference points that are hardly new. Let me break it down. This is a two-piece band, a guitarist and drummer. Through the magic of awesome gear they get some real low-end tones to make it sound more full. At times things get into sludge-pop mode, a la Torche, but there is something else at work here and it took me a few listens before I could nail it down. See, Liquid Limbs doesn’t just throttle the listener with the lowest possible tuning they can get with sung vocals on top of it. They work in some weird prog-ish melodies, that when mixed with the clean vocals remind me of Yes. Really. Ya, the 70’s arena band Yes? So, yeah, think Torche and Yes tag teaming as a two-man wrecking crew. It works quite well. So when I say this sounds ‘fresh’ it does, even though what it reminds me of is nothing altogether ‘new’. It works for me. I think I dig “We Don’t Get No Sleep” the best, even though the annoying pronunciation of ‘contri-dict-shee-un’ in “Make Peace With War” is a close follow-up (somehow I get the impression that they repeat it over and over on purpose to bore the absurd pronunciation into your head). Good stuff all around. (Sound Study Recordings, www.soundstudyrecordings.com)
“MOSTLY TRUE”, by Bill Daniels
Just like the title implies I can’t really tell how much of this is true and what is reprinted, or made up. The cover says it’s volume 19, issue 7 and apparently it’s the year 1908. As far as I know I’ve never seen this publication and it definitely seems like more of a book. Am I being really oblivious? I’m sure I am. I really have little understanding of the whole train culture, riding the rails and so forth. But this missive gives a more historical view of it all, mostly through hobo graffiti. I don’t mean the huge murals that real deal artists do on the sides of cars. I mean small tags that hobos and rail yard workers would scribble on every boxcar they could get to dating back to the early 1900’s. Old reports are dug up, newsletters reprinted from the 1930’s regarding different known people who either rode the rails for years and years, or the legends (like ‘Herby’ and ‘Bozo Texino’) who worked in the yards, marking upwards of 300,000 cars in their lifetime with their signature. It seems like the most marginal of interests to pursue- tracking these people down, or their decendents to make a patch of history for it all. But in the end it makes for some good stories. Of course, this book isn’t just a pursuit of mystery railroad graffiti artists. There’s plenty more. Random stories from traveling hobos, lots of photos and art from hobo taggers, all sorts of reprinted and mock advertisements from years past. Again, I’m not sure what to make of it all as it has a rather esoteric quality to it. But it was quirky knowledge to which I admit to have found interesting. (Microcosm, www.microcosmpublishing.com)
PAST LIVES, “Strange Symmetry” EP
I could not get into the Blood Brothers. It was just too all over the place, weird, and sassy for me. So when a handful of their members got together to start this band I was most definitely skeptical. Then again, sometimes bands like that will break up, learn from what they did, and do something totally awesome to make up for past mistakes. The debut from Past Lives is batting about .400 for this debut, so that’s not bad. The opening song, “Beyond Gone” and “Reverse the Curse” manage to take some of those weird sounds, and stick to just a few ideas in each song and make the best of them. It works really well. And for once Captain Sassypants on the vocals doesn’t sound like a tool. He uses his annoying voice in the best way possible. The three other songs here seem to still be stuck a little in that sorta Blood Brothers mode of hissyfit spazzouts and sassy dance rock. I can’t really get down with that. But the subtle and pretty builds in the first song, and the repetitious weird rock in the aforementioned “reverse...” really do a great job of showing a bit of restraint while still being very engaging. Hopefully they continue on that path. If so I could see the next thing they release being really good. (Suicide Squeeze, www.suicidesqueeze.net)
RUINER, “I Heard These Dudes Are Assholes”
Man, they couldn’t have come up with a more fitting title! What a bunch of dicks! A bag of dicks, if you will. Not really, but that is a funny title. So, is it really necessary at this point to do a discography? After all, Ruiner songs are really short. And aside from the full length they only have an EP and a split 7” (and a demo, but all the demo songs are on the EP). So why bother really? The only extra on here is a demo version of the title song from the full length. The CD doesn’t offer much aside from a number of live pictures, and what seems to be the progressive filthiness that envelopes Steve Smeal’s face over time (cut your hair, hippie!). There’s not even some notes, or history, or anything to show where these dudes have gone. And I’m sure it would be cool to read about, seeing as Ruiner has been on tour non-stop for about the last two years around the world. I heard the LP version of this comes with a much more thorough booklet with scads of photos, so perhaps that might be more worthwhile. (Bridge 9, www.bridge9.com)
SMARTBOMB, “Diamond Heist”
To my knowledge, this band is following up on another full length that came out pretty recently. So I guess they’re productive, if anything. As far as the music goes I really wasn’t expecting a lot early on probably because this is a pretty ugly-looking record. But they kick right in from the get-go with fast, very Kid Dynamite-influenced punk hardcore. For the first few songs it really works well, until about halfway through when it loses steam and a few of the songs really seem to be about nothing all that important or noteworthy. Yet they bring it back up again before the record is through with “Blood and Sand”, possibly the catchiest song on the entire album. It’s not amazing, but it’s not bad either. It seems to do the job alright, albeit a bit dull around the middle. (Think Fast, www.thinkfastrecords.com)
I'll be at the Fest at the end of the month. If you know me, say 'hi', If you're a good band I'll do my best to come see you. I hate Florida, but I like good music.
“BRAINFAG FOREVER,”, by Nate Beaty
Alright, so you’re another dude in his late 20’s (early 30’s?) who is bummed on life and cranky all the time because you can’t keep a steady lady in your life, and when you do something goes wrong with it, and then you escape to the wilderness on some island in the Northwest to try and make sense of it all. But it doesn’t work and thus the cycle of being a cranky, bitter chump continues. What a quandary. Why does this happen? Oh, I have a clue! Maybe it’s because you’re a late 20’s (early 30s?) dude who draws corny cartoons of yourself as a half pig man person going through these cycles and obsessing on relationships you had 10 years ago over and over again, drawing them into cartoons that are made for public viewing. Maybe that’s why you might be having trouble in these areas of your life. Throughout this collection of Brainfag comic zines it’s like I’m reading the same story over and over again. Each time the author goes through more heartbreak you not only get the latest tale of woe, but a repeat on the past woes you read about before. Cool. I’m sure the girls who broke your heart really enjoy being drawn as comics that your friends read. At times this guy really seems to put effort into his art and craft (the cover, title page, a couple later issues), especially in the issue that is mostly just pen and ink drawings of bridges and places around Portland (they’re quite extraordinary in fact). But most of it is ad nauseum complaining that really turns me off. (Microcosm, www.microcosmpublishing.com)
DEFEATER, “Travels”
Well, raise my rent... who would know that a band previously known under the ridiculously poor moniker Sluts would be such good dudes? Honestly, under that old terrible name this band wanted to play Syracuse pretty bad and I denied them on name alone. There was no way I was booking a band called Sluts. And I still wouldn’t, even if friggin’ Henry Rollins was their frontman and Neil Peart was playing drums (and that would sound amazing, let me tell you!). Yet with a name change, and a new CD I am finding myself happy to have heard this. There is nothing groundbreaking whatsoever about this band. They simply play melodic hardcore that would sit well alongside Modern Life Is War and Another Breath, most of their songs based around narratives about different people. It’s solid and gets the job done. Individually these dudes are behind the scenes running recording studios, renting vans to touring bands that run on veggie oil, doing eco awareness projects, and so forth. The packaging on this CD is all recycled materials (and it looks really kick-ass too)... maybe these dudes are just sluts to good causes? I dunno. Either way, Defeater is a much better name, yet given the resumes the members have inside and outside of music perhaps that name doesn’t do them justice either? (Top Shelf Records, www.topshelf-records.com)
DON THE READER, “Humanesque”
There’s a bit of mystery with this band for me. For starters, what the hell is their name supposed to mean? Secondly, they sort of came out of nowhere, advertising the shit out of a free record they were giving away. All I could think was how much money they were sinking into this band already. Now they have this full length out (which I’m guessing is NOT free this time) and I finally get to hear for myself what they’re all about. I was hoping for something pretty exciting, but alas, it’s really not all that wild. It’s the same kind of Botch-esque noodling where they kind of get it, but not really. Taking their cues more from pretenders to the throne like Norma Jean than the real masters this delivers very heavy-handed metalcore, complete with some weird time signatures and tons of warped string bends. Yet here we are in 2008, bands were executing audiences with this style 10 years ago and 10 years later it’s gotten fairly dry. I don’t want to say this record is a complete waste or anything. It has it’s moments. But it’s another case of bands working on their brutal fucked up side without writing a good song. It’s just a lot of heavy parts with no one song that really sticks around in the listeners head. (Deathcote, www.deathcote.com)
ENERGY, “Invasions Of the Mind”
Awful. Totally bland music with overproduced vocals that could be taken out of this band , cut and pasted into any number of shitty radio pop bands. Actually, it sounds like AFI, and I can’t stand AFI. That’s just me. I guess this is supposed to be hardcore, but to me it just sounds stale. It’s like the name of this band is a double-edged sword. It’s a pretty bland name in one respect, yet if they really lived up to it the name could really help... but they would really have to kick the shit out of the listener without fail. And well, this fails. (Bridge 9, www.bridge9.com)
“FOLLOW FOR NOW”, ‘by Roy Christopher
“Follow for now, power to the people say, make a miracle. D pump the lyrical. Black is back, all in, we’re gonna win, check it out. Yeah y’all c’mon, here we go again!” Instantly those old Public Enemy lyrics came to mind upon seeing the title of this book. And to my great pleasure I discovered that this book was named after those very same words. That’s a good start. So what lies betwixt the pages? Well, this is a collection of various interviews done between 1999 and 2006 for different publications that emphasize people pushing the envelope with music, culture, science, technology, literature, and media. Through these different people there seems to be an attempt to connect a lot of these folks and their ideas with similar undercurrents to a bigger picture. At times I’m not feeling it, and other times it makes total sense. While the author interviews DJ Spooky he shoots off his influences as computer nerds and philosophers who are interviewed elsewhere in the book. Meanwhile, interviewee Brian Coleman discusses his own book about forming a collected history of hip-hop. Shepard Fairey admits to the influence of punk music on his work while Futurama co-creator David X. Cohen shares how half the show’s writers have advanced degrees in science. Some of these people have great ideas and visions for how they interpret culture while others go right over my head. Others just sound like flat-out new age weirdos. About half the time this book works, but the overall pictures is that it is indeed an interesting look on tying together all these differing aspects of society as a whole. In total there are about 45 interviews that range from post-punkers Milemarker, to author Adam Voith, to hip-hop group Dalek, to writer Bruce Sterling, to skateboarder Todd Swank, to actor/writer Sean Gullette, and a whole bunch of other weirdos and kooks. (Well Red Bear, www.wellredbear.com)
GIT SOME, “Cosmic Rock”
I never got really all that into Planes Mistaken For Stars. When they began they were dull and by the time they got exciting I slept on it. I guess that makes me a bad person. Git Some is the remnants of PMFS, as well as a couple characters from a little band called Peralta who I happen to know quite a bit about. Peralta were fucking weird and spazzy, minimalist like the Minutemen, but just as gnarly as Black Flag... made for tearing up a curb with your skateboard. I was into that band. So all these gnarled dudes got together and formed Git Some and the name pretty much goes hand-in-hand with music you’d pretty much expect coming from these two forces of punk rock. It’s wild and unruly, filthy and messy, and a bit off-kilter and weird all in one. It doesn’t exactly flow and it feels like the band is still figuring out exactly who they are because you’ll hear styles change from song to song. Though they have that dirty-ass punk rock grime well established already. With time it will mesh and this ain’t a bad start to build off of, it’s just a little unfocused. (1-2-3-4 Go! Records, www.1234gorecords.com)
LIQUID LIMBS, “Orquid” LP
Well done! I like when some band I’ve never heard of comes through my stereo and gives me something surprisingly new. OK, ‘new’ might be pushing it because I’m about to drop some reference points that are hardly new. Let me break it down. This is a two-piece band, a guitarist and drummer. Through the magic of awesome gear they get some real low-end tones to make it sound more full. At times things get into sludge-pop mode, a la Torche, but there is something else at work here and it took me a few listens before I could nail it down. See, Liquid Limbs doesn’t just throttle the listener with the lowest possible tuning they can get with sung vocals on top of it. They work in some weird prog-ish melodies, that when mixed with the clean vocals remind me of Yes. Really. Ya, the 70’s arena band Yes? So, yeah, think Torche and Yes tag teaming as a two-man wrecking crew. It works quite well. So when I say this sounds ‘fresh’ it does, even though what it reminds me of is nothing altogether ‘new’. It works for me. I think I dig “We Don’t Get No Sleep” the best, even though the annoying pronunciation of ‘contri-dict-shee-un’ in “Make Peace With War” is a close follow-up (somehow I get the impression that they repeat it over and over on purpose to bore the absurd pronunciation into your head). Good stuff all around. (Sound Study Recordings, www.soundstudyrecordings.com)
“MOSTLY TRUE”, by Bill Daniels
Just like the title implies I can’t really tell how much of this is true and what is reprinted, or made up. The cover says it’s volume 19, issue 7 and apparently it’s the year 1908. As far as I know I’ve never seen this publication and it definitely seems like more of a book. Am I being really oblivious? I’m sure I am. I really have little understanding of the whole train culture, riding the rails and so forth. But this missive gives a more historical view of it all, mostly through hobo graffiti. I don’t mean the huge murals that real deal artists do on the sides of cars. I mean small tags that hobos and rail yard workers would scribble on every boxcar they could get to dating back to the early 1900’s. Old reports are dug up, newsletters reprinted from the 1930’s regarding different known people who either rode the rails for years and years, or the legends (like ‘Herby’ and ‘Bozo Texino’) who worked in the yards, marking upwards of 300,000 cars in their lifetime with their signature. It seems like the most marginal of interests to pursue- tracking these people down, or their decendents to make a patch of history for it all. But in the end it makes for some good stories. Of course, this book isn’t just a pursuit of mystery railroad graffiti artists. There’s plenty more. Random stories from traveling hobos, lots of photos and art from hobo taggers, all sorts of reprinted and mock advertisements from years past. Again, I’m not sure what to make of it all as it has a rather esoteric quality to it. But it was quirky knowledge to which I admit to have found interesting. (Microcosm, www.microcosmpublishing.com)
PAST LIVES, “Strange Symmetry” EP
I could not get into the Blood Brothers. It was just too all over the place, weird, and sassy for me. So when a handful of their members got together to start this band I was most definitely skeptical. Then again, sometimes bands like that will break up, learn from what they did, and do something totally awesome to make up for past mistakes. The debut from Past Lives is batting about .400 for this debut, so that’s not bad. The opening song, “Beyond Gone” and “Reverse the Curse” manage to take some of those weird sounds, and stick to just a few ideas in each song and make the best of them. It works really well. And for once Captain Sassypants on the vocals doesn’t sound like a tool. He uses his annoying voice in the best way possible. The three other songs here seem to still be stuck a little in that sorta Blood Brothers mode of hissyfit spazzouts and sassy dance rock. I can’t really get down with that. But the subtle and pretty builds in the first song, and the repetitious weird rock in the aforementioned “reverse...” really do a great job of showing a bit of restraint while still being very engaging. Hopefully they continue on that path. If so I could see the next thing they release being really good. (Suicide Squeeze, www.suicidesqueeze.net)
RUINER, “I Heard These Dudes Are Assholes”
Man, they couldn’t have come up with a more fitting title! What a bunch of dicks! A bag of dicks, if you will. Not really, but that is a funny title. So, is it really necessary at this point to do a discography? After all, Ruiner songs are really short. And aside from the full length they only have an EP and a split 7” (and a demo, but all the demo songs are on the EP). So why bother really? The only extra on here is a demo version of the title song from the full length. The CD doesn’t offer much aside from a number of live pictures, and what seems to be the progressive filthiness that envelopes Steve Smeal’s face over time (cut your hair, hippie!). There’s not even some notes, or history, or anything to show where these dudes have gone. And I’m sure it would be cool to read about, seeing as Ruiner has been on tour non-stop for about the last two years around the world. I heard the LP version of this comes with a much more thorough booklet with scads of photos, so perhaps that might be more worthwhile. (Bridge 9, www.bridge9.com)
SMARTBOMB, “Diamond Heist”
To my knowledge, this band is following up on another full length that came out pretty recently. So I guess they’re productive, if anything. As far as the music goes I really wasn’t expecting a lot early on probably because this is a pretty ugly-looking record. But they kick right in from the get-go with fast, very Kid Dynamite-influenced punk hardcore. For the first few songs it really works well, until about halfway through when it loses steam and a few of the songs really seem to be about nothing all that important or noteworthy. Yet they bring it back up again before the record is through with “Blood and Sand”, possibly the catchiest song on the entire album. It’s not amazing, but it’s not bad either. It seems to do the job alright, albeit a bit dull around the middle. (Think Fast, www.thinkfastrecords.com)
Thursday, October 16, 2008
OK, YOU CAN ORDER THE NEW TRANSLATE AND MISTLETOE EP NOW.
So neither is finished just quite yet. But within a week's time they both ought to be completed and ready to go. Just some finishing touches being put on both before I prepare them to be sent.
The new issue of Translate is just as sweet as always, but in this case mostly bitter. It was a rough summer. you can read all about it within the pages.
The new Mistletoe EP is basically for the band to take on tour with them in November. It's limited to only 100 copies total. The webstore will have about 20 copies total, so if you miss out here you'll just have to go see us on tour. I'm sorry. Live music can be such a pain in the ass. After it's gone though, it's gone. These things are a pain to make (multiple stampings, stenciling, and numbering) so believe me when I say I don't want to make them anymore. The first show we ought to have them at will be in Rochester on October 25th.
That leads me to just where you're going to get these fantastic items! The new webstore is up and running! The old one will still be around for a couple months, but it won't have anything new in it. So go here to get stuff. Also, the link for the store is on the right side of this page as well.
Expect new reviews next week and a full listing of Mistletoe tour dates.
The new issue of Translate is just as sweet as always, but in this case mostly bitter. It was a rough summer. you can read all about it within the pages.
The new Mistletoe EP is basically for the band to take on tour with them in November. It's limited to only 100 copies total. The webstore will have about 20 copies total, so if you miss out here you'll just have to go see us on tour. I'm sorry. Live music can be such a pain in the ass. After it's gone though, it's gone. These things are a pain to make (multiple stampings, stenciling, and numbering) so believe me when I say I don't want to make them anymore. The first show we ought to have them at will be in Rochester on October 25th.
That leads me to just where you're going to get these fantastic items! The new webstore is up and running! The old one will still be around for a couple months, but it won't have anything new in it. So go here to get stuff. Also, the link for the store is on the right side of this page as well.
Expect new reviews next week and a full listing of Mistletoe tour dates.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
NEW THINGS COMING OUT, NEW WEBSTORE, ETC.
Above you will see three pictures. Let me illustrate exactly what's going on here.
Figure 1: These are the covers for the next issue of Translate. I think they look fucking sweet.... and creepy. Just in time for Halloween. In fact, that's about when I expect them to be done, if not sooner. This issue will feature a lot more in the way of personal stories, traveling, and so forth. Also within these pages will be the Devo interview that I posted here, except in comic form. You can judge my art for yourself once it's done. Also, the elusive Dave Larson from Seattle's long-running Excursion Records is interviewed. "Excursion what?" you say? Wise up jerks. Go out and get an Undertow record and watch "The Edge Of Quarrel".
Figure 2: This is something cool I'm trying, and using my own band for the guinea pig. I've decided to start a Hex Limited series, which will be limited CD runs of band recordings, particularly for tour situations. I'm not the first to do it, but I thought it would be fun. So, the first of this series (with hopefully more to come, but nothing set as of yet) is the new EP from Mistletoe. We're going on a Fall tour in November so go check us out. We rock. Your face might fall off from our rock. Serious. To commemorate this will be a limited edition of our new EP (which actually isn't set to come out 'officially' anywhere as of yet). Everything is being hand-assembled. The picture above depicts the covers, which are stenciled and stamped. Each song will have it's own lyric card inside, and all put together in a sweet package, stamped and numbered. This will be limited to 100 copies total. They're a bitch to make so believe me when I say this will never be repressed. We're going to take the majority of them on tour with us so get one then. There will be a limited amount for sale through the webstore (info on that in a second). If you're not familiar with us you can check out the music here
Figure 3: This is what all this stuff is doing to yours truly. I have overburdened myself once again. No biggie, just a face-melt is all.
OK, finally... new webstore coming. Yes indeed. In the effort to phase out the old site completely I'm working on a webstore so I can sell you all this crap. Right now there's nothing on there. But, in the next few days I ought to have most, if not all, the new catalog up there including the new stuff for pre-order. The site address for it is
Hex Records Webstore
It will also be linked off the MySpace, as well as on the left side of this page where all the other links are.
The old site (www.hanginghex.com) is still in operation, and the ordering page there works just fine, and will for a little while longer 'til I get things comfortably switched. So feel free to pick some stuff up before I close the site for good.
Finally, some more news coming regarding other records coming out. I won't say shit for right now because it's still rather far off, but let's just say Hex Records will most definitely be a full-time (and then some) job in 2009. Yikes.
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