REVIEW ARE AT HAND!

This is a nice variety this time around, as well as some records I've been interested in hearing. Punk music comes in all shapes and sizes because it's not quite how you're playing (or in one case, writing), it's how you're going about it and what you're feeling. So read some punk reviews.

BURIED INSIDE, “Spoils Of Failure”
This has always been a band that requires patience. Every song has always been like one giant buildup, or some ongoing climax lasting the entire song (which makes one wonder if it can be called a climax). Some people really dig that. I, for one, can’t always hang with it. Like other records in the band’s catalog most of their songs flow directly from one to the next, with a respite coming with track three... except for that song being almost 12 minutes long. Immediately some will think there is Neurosis or Isis worship going on with the long-winded and massive heaviness going on, but that’s not really the case. Sure, there may be some influence of that in Buried Inside’s music, but not enough to be anything more than an inspiration. Meanwhile the band chugs on doing their own thing. I know the press for this record is stating that these guys aren’t treading the same ground they have in the past, but I’m actually hearing a lot of that. So if you were a big fan of “Chronoclast”, or their other output you’ll love this. I, for one, am sort of bored by it. (Relapse, www.relapse.com)

DEATH IS EASY/ METALIAN split 7”
Who says real hardcore and real metal can’t co-exist side by side on one slab of wax? Of course, the genres have long cross-pollinated, but it’s always strains of the two that pair up, or get mixed together until you can’t really tell what’s what anymore. Both Death Is Easy and Metalian are about as transparent in their endeavors as a priest in a porno shop. Death Is Easy is 80’s styled hardcore played fast and to the point, a bit in the vein of bands like Black S.S. The guitars sound a little thin and tinny on this recording, but I get the feeling they don’t really care what I think. Metalian is on the flipside with one song and I’m pretty sure they’re just Iron Maiden in disguise, or taking a break from their day gig to fuck around with power metal where they’re not trying as hard. It’s not to say Metalian don’t sound mighty, it’s just that you can’t really get any more mighty than Iron Maiden. Either way, thanks for making the review easy for me! (Work N Stiff Records, www.myspace.com/worknstiff)

HEX MACHINE, “Omen Mas”
It’s funny that a band should share the same name as what the ladies call me! *Ahem*, returning to reality, Hex Machine are a long-running project out of Virginia that has had it’s share of members come and go, yet press on with noise rock filth of the highest caliber. I know right now there’s a small current of bands that are championing the AmRep sound, and I’m happy about that. Though I think Hex Machine might win the title for hitting it square between the eyes, what with it’s early 90’s feedback-laden, fuzzy recording. The early Today Is the Day screeches and howls, seething vocals and tortured rhythms are most noticeable. The pounding fuzz of old Hammerhead records beat to shit acting as a conduit for Hex machine’s playing, and their daily worship at the alter of Halo Of Flies... it’s all there. They eat Guzzard for breakfast and shit out The Cows at the end of the day. And for all that I applaud them. It’s a bitter, pissed off listen that hurts in a good way. Somewhere Tom Hazelmeyer is shooting off a rifle in their honor. (Minimum Underdrive, minimumunderdrive@gmail.com)

HOW WE ARE, “To Teach One Hundred and One”
Local pride is a big thing around these parts. Everyone has their own scene, and scene pride for the town they’re in. Myself and many others around here have a lot of Syracuse pride (AKA ‘315 pride’, AKA ‘Assault City’, etc). But there’s something special about the Upstate, NY area in that we are close to a few other cities that have well-established scenes like Buffalo, Rochester, and Albany. There is a degree of unity between all these towns, particularly Syracuse and Rochester. And that’s where a band like How We Are really defined local pride and extended outwards to other cities as well in the surrounding area. They were a Rochester hardcore band first and foremost, but they may as well have been from here because those amongst their ranks spent enough time in my town to call it a second home. How We Are played here often for a few years before they split up in 2007. Their last show probably had just as many Syracuse folks in attendance as Rochester folks. What they didn’t get around to before they split up though was getting their one full length record out on vinyl. With numerous delays and pressing issues it finally has seen the light of day with a new mix (which was definitely a good thing as I thought the mix on the CD was a little thin) and an unreleased song tacked on at the end. How We Are were truly pushing the fast modern hardcore sound to new level because they played so damn tight. Their music was pretty technical for the company they kept, and I don’t mean in a metal sort of way. It was very inventive (particularly with drums and guitar leads) while still keeping it fast and sing-along worthy, and many a hardcore band could take a cue from how these dudes played together. The last song they recorded, “We Are Infinite” is probably the best example of this feat and worth the price of admission alone. They were easily one of the most fun and energetic bands to see at the time and listening to this record might give you a sense of that, but could never complete the whole picture. This comes with a big ass booklet with tons of photos, though it would be nice to have a few linear notes from the members as well. (Start Winning, Stop Whining Records/ Secret Jams, swx2records.com)

“MAKE A ZINE!”, by Bill Brent and Joe Biel
Much of this book was originally published as a series of zines... about making zines no less... around 10 years ago. It’s been given a spit shine and polish, and bound together as a book released by Microcosm, the current reigning kings and queens of making and distributing zines. I feel like their how-to repertoire is getting a little redundant these days, seeing as how they’ve already released “Making Stuff and Doing Things” (which had zine making content inside) and “Stolen Sharpie Revolution”, another DIY how to guide with plenty of zine tips, and now this.. Though being a zine nerd myself I see the differences and took stock from this guide as well for the nuts and bolts of not only creating a zine, but many outside factors as well like getting contributors, getting distribution, copying schematics, computer programs, postage, sales, promotions, and typography. These are often secondary things that most aspiring zinesters don’t really think of offhand and that I know I personally just had to pick up along the way (which I feel is a good way to learn to so you can see the mistakes you make and learn from them). For the hardcore DIY ‘til death type this may rub them the wrong way a bit since this book gives a lot of space to a more professional (i.e.- organized) sort of approach to getting your publication out. Still, I feel there is something in here for everyone. The contacts in the back are an excellent addition, though who knows how long they will be relevant. My opinion overall is that if you have any of the other titles microcosm has released regarding DIY craftiness/zine-making you should be fine with those. But if you’re rather obsessive, and particularly if you want to know a bit more about some of the peripheral aspects of zine-making, this would be a pretty good guide to check out. (Microcosm, www.microcosmpublishing.com)

MOUTHBREATHER, “Thank You For Your Patience”
I’m wondering if the title of this record alludes to the fact that this was recorded over a year and a half ago and has just recently seen the light of day? I’m not sure how many people were salivating for the release of this, though I’ll admit my intrigue at a band who could have possibly taken their name from a Jesus Lizard song. I actually got to see this band before hearing them on record and knowing that they sought out the engineering skills of Chris Owen’s I’d say it’s very fitting as the Lords headsman puts his stamp on here in the form of hard-thumping drums and larger than life bass rumble, common in his recording work. This is definitely one of the big pluses for Mouthbreather, whose approach falls somewhere between post- hardcore, a bit of Gainesville punk, and straight up hard rock. Each song has it’s catchy leads, huge rhythm, and shouted vocals with regular sing-alongs. On the negative side though it seems like every song is very much the same (with the exception of “When A Chemist Dies, Barium”s intro)- same tempo, same shouts, catchy riff, on to the next. It’s like one kick ass song repeated over and over and I wish there was a bit more variety going on because it gets a bit dry after awhile. I think perhaps a little diversity in the vocals and song tempos might give future material a more lasting attention span. One other little concern- there are clearly songs on here that are intended to flow one into the next, yet have pauses between them. A pressing plant issue perhaps? A minor annoyance at worst. Good band, just needs a little more variety. (Kiss Of Death Records, www.kissofdeathrecords.com)

POLICE AND THIEVES, “Amor Y Guerra”
The thing with bands like this is that I want to like the idea of what they’re doing and the fact that they bring about a sound that is genuine hardcore at it’s roots. But the fact that I’ve heard so very many bands that do quite the exact same thing really makes it something I can’t differentiate from any other band of this ilk. Sure, what they do is all well and good- fast angsty hardcore with some mid-80’s DC style at it’s base. Who can argue with that being bad? I certainly can’t. But do I find it interesting insofar as something original being done? Not in the least bit. I have a ton of Dischord stuff and Dag Nasty is a good listen, and they’ve been done. I don’t need more of the same ya know? Either way, three different sessions make up this CD: a demo, a couple 7”s, and some unreleased stuff and you can hear the differences. Everything was recorded between 2005 and 2007. (Youngblood Records, www.youngblood-records.com)

SCALE THE SUMMIT, “Carving Desert Canyons”
I’m not gonna lie. I had preconceived notions about this band. I’d seen their name pop up here and there, and knew they were some kind of metal band, and they were signed to Prosthetic Records. There’s really no logic behind it, I thought they were some Johnny Come Lately shitty haircut halfcore mall metal bullshit. That’s just what came to me. Here’s the reality though- this is an instrumental metal band comprised of some serious music school dudes who probably hang out at Guitar Center clinics (either checking them out or teaching them) and make bread by teaching lessons to other music dorks when not on the road. A little Meshuggah, a lot of Steve Vai, way too much Dream Theater, and no vocals. That’s Scale the Summit. There’s progressive guitar and drum wizardry going on here that uses technical terms that I have no vocabulary for (sorry, I’m limited to ‘crushing’, ‘shredding’, ‘epic’, ‘massive’, ‘filthy’, and ‘heavy’), so if you’re a Berklee student that can’t get enough of Between the Buried and Me you will probably eat this up. Check it out and see if you can’t score some extra credit by doing so. (Prosthetic, www.prostheticrecords.com)

STINKING LIZAVETA, “Sacrifice and Bliss”
I’d say the biggest thing that has held back Stinking Lizavetta from garnering more success in all their years of hard touring and numerous records is that they have a terrible name. It’s just awful. Would you buy a Stinking Lizavetta? What is it? Is it some bad meal you come home to after a hard day’s work? “Honey, I’m home! What’s for dinner?” “Stinking lizavetta.” “Again?!” It also sounds like something that happens to cheese that’s been sitting out in the sun for a few humid days and even the neighborhood raccoons won’t get near it. Aside from a bad name, and having two members that look like leftovers from the paleolithic era and a drummer who looks like Danielle Rousseau after she lost her mind, they’re a pretty good band. If you’re into heavy King Crimson-inspired instrumental prog metal that treads ever-so-slightly into doomy sludge than you’ll probably thoroughly enjoying this new offering. The last thing I heard from this band was “Scream Of the Iron Iconoclast” and this follows similar territory. Yet while that record seemed to be more on the thick and sludgy side this one has a cleaner recording in my opinion. I wouldn’t say it works against the band, I think I just prefer this group emphasizing a more dirty tone to go with their righteous jamming. I finally caught them a few years ago open up for Clutch and they came pretty close to blowing them away. There was a ridiculous amount of energy and wild stage antics courtesy of guitarist Yanni Popadopoulos, while brother Alexi hammered away on an upright bass. For long time fans this is nothing new, just a solid addition to the already large canon of material they have. (At a Loss, www.atalossrecordings.com)

TOMBS, “Winter Hours”
“Gossamer” is probably the best song to start off a heavy record so far this year. I know it’s only February, and this may change by year’s end, but shit on me if it isn’t a hell of a great song. You got your pounding toms, raging guitars, some air raid-siren squall happening on guitar, and the rally cry of “Fear is the weapon!” shouted by the weathered and gravely voice of Mike Hill. This is a good start. Tombs have most certainly stepped up their game for this record. I feel like their self-titled debut had very good intentions, some great riffs, but they were still kind of figuring out their identity. Here the cacophony of blast beats, howling post-metal tsunamis of sound, and epic forays of heaviness combine to form a damn good first full length. Tombs successfully manages to meld a few styles seamlessly, as if they were meant to go together by taking numerous influences from Celtic Frost to My Bloody Valentine and making their own unique thing out of it all. Believe me, it sounds weird, but they do a great job of presenting it as a completely natural vibe. (Relapse, www.relapse.com)

ED GEIN!

I'm just as excited as anyone else, even if it's nothing huge. Straight from the horses mouth, the return of Ed Gein:
"Ed Gein is not broken up. We are actually finally going to get together
and start playing again. It's been difficult to get all our work
schedules and lives to line up, and to be honest, after years of
constant touring and everything we weren't in a huge hurry. But it
seems we've got a game plan now and are going to see what happens. None
of us are sure exactly where this is going to go but I think I can say
with some certainty that you shouldn't hold your breath for any tours.
Maybe a few scattered shows...maybe a short tour in the very distant
future...but right now we all just want to write some tunes and enjoy
our home lives. We are planning to get together next week to practice
together for the first time in over a year and a half. Should be
interesting to see what happens....."

Also, the Oak and Bone dudes have some out of town shows this week in New York City and Pennsylvania. Go to their page to see what's up and go check them out because they are a force of nature to be reckoned with in the live setting. http://www.myspace.com/oakandbone

As for their record... it's off to the presses! I'll be adding a pre-order soon on the webstore. I want to wait for the Night Owls stuff to be in the bag before I do so though so I can put both up for pre-order at the same time and do some special deal for you folks. So keep checking, it ought to be up soon.

HIPPIES- OAK AND BONE RECORD COVER

That's what they wanted, that's what they get. Don't be fooled though. This slab of vinyl will rock your face off. The four songs are on their final stages of mastering and then it's off to the press! A pre-order ought to be arising within the next two weeks and all the details will be filled in at that time.

INTERVIEW IN 20 WATT MAGAZINE

A couple months ago I was interviewed by 20 Watt Magazine, which is a quarterly (I think) publication created by students at Syracuse University. It finally came out a couple weeks ago, and despite the piece stating it would appear on their site it never did. I mean, the physical edition is out, just not the digital. So I figured I'd post it up here for people to check out. Yes, if you ever wondered about where I operate, how weird I look in pictures, and what kinds of toys (few) and records (many) I have it's all here. So click on the pictures to see a larger version and read the article. Also, as a bit of an incentive I'll offer a contest: the first few pictures are from the magazines front, back, and inside covers. They're all pictures of my record collection. If you can correctly name any five of the records in these pictures (and these ones only!) I'll send a prize pack of goods to the first 2 people who answer correctly. Send your guesses/answers to: hanginghex@hotmail.com
A few things to keep in mind though:
1- I look like I have a lazy eye or something in that first photo. I don't usually look like this.
2- They got my website address wrong at the end. Great.

* UPDATE: GAMES OVER BUMS. Within about 3 hours I got two lucky winners. Congrats!

REVIEW TIME!

I figured I waited long enough (truth be told, I've just been going through the Winter doldrums of not wanting to do ANYTHING). But hey, the word must be spoken and the real truth be told... in the form of critical appraisal of items that fall into my mail slot that are not bills. Enjoy.

ACCIDENTE, “Exotic Payday”
Accidente is probably what it sounds like to be drunk on cheap booze, kinda sick from eating too many tacos, and still under the delusion that it would be a good idea to steal lawn ornaments from your boss’ house and huck them at stranger’s windows... in the Bronx, all at the tender age of 35, clearly a time when you ought to know better. This band is the sound of turning a boring Wednesday afternoon into a Saturday night at some fucked up basement rager. On more than a few occasions the band recalls the sound of the Jesus Lizard not only in vocalist Peter Makowski’s wild howls and manic slurring, but in the noodly bass slithering and recreational wild guitar riffs. It’s the kind of music that you could hear in a biker bar inhabited by comic book nerds. It’s a collision of opposing worlds that love their music heavy and wild, weird and unhinged, but riot worthy in every respect. It’s not the greatest thing I ever heard, but it certainly surprised me a few times. Song titles such as “Crackhore” and “Sexy Space Bitches” kind of made me think twice, but I attempted to forget about that part and focus on the rocking songs instead. Thanks. (Exigent Records, www.exigentrecords.com)

BLACKENED, “This Means War”
Does this really need to be done? Is it necessary to endure another band that relies on bland mosh breakdowns, mid-paced metal riffing, maybe some Biohazard grooving, and the ugliest band logo I’ve seen in 2008 and 2009 (I’ve seen this CD in my review pile for weeks now) combined? On one hand, there’s nothing wrong with Blackened. These Connecticut music vets (they’re a new band, but the members have served time in dozens of bands over the years) write music how they know, or as we might hear it- NYHC meets metalcore, and everything seems to fall into place musically. No tricks, no gimmicks. On the other hand I had my fill of this stuff about 10 years ago. Nothing changed, or I should say, ‘advanced’. It’s the same old thing. And it really does nothing for me at all. One song title implies everything that I dislike about the genre- “Kill the Weak”. Another title describes exactly my feelings about this record- “Enough Already”. (Think Fast Records, www.thinkfastrecords.com)

CITY OF SHIPS, “Live Free Or Don’t Tour” LP
I thought this was going to be a single from Hall and Oates or something, what with the gradient color scheme on the cover. And then it became some sort of samurai with a pyramid for a head. The neon green/black vinyl didn’t help much either. But once the music is on don’t figure on hearing anything 80’s about this whatsoever except for maybe the decade in which the members of this band were born. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what style of music this band is playing, and that’s usually a good thing. It shifts throughout the record and I guess that ought to be obvious since this is two EPs slapped together on one LP and clearly shows how the band has progressed thus far. Side A has a crustier, sludgier feel to it, as meaty riffs drag through mud only to fall off a cliff screaming all the way down. Yet layered on top of it are frequent forays into guitar effect-lovin’ shoegazin’ melodic passges that pull the songs up from the muck and into more ambient realms. The B-side seems to explore this element even more and , unfortunately, doesn’t keep my attention as well. Still it’s a neat change of pace for bands that tend to be either/or with these major elements, and they usually go together about as good as peanut butter on jelly. What with the cover art and all I think this band could add the proverbial ‘bread’ by bringing a bitchin’ laser light show to the whole thing. Seriously, think about it. (Forcefield Records, www.forcefieldrecords.com)

DIAGONALS, “Valley Of the Cyclops”
There’s so many things this band is reminding me of and none of it seems to accurately portray this band as what they really are. The first song sounds like it could have been Blur in 1992, what with the jangly guitar pop and retro feel to it. After that the keyboards are really put to use and lay a rather gloomy foundation for more bluesy rock that has all the same stylings as The Murder City Devils, but with much less piss, vinegar, and alcoholism. Yes, as varied as these reference points are it really does no justice to what Diagonals are really doing. At times I hear a slacker garage band. Other times they appear cool and calculated. And it seems in a lot of songs they’re really into lighting joints. Somehow it all seems to work into a cohesive whole that’s their own thing. This might not be on repeat for me, but it certainly is a refreshing listen of an interesting band that have their own thing going on. Accompanying this CD was a mini-comic called “I Could Be Happy” by Michael Berryhill, whose art bears a ever-so-slight resemblance to Charles Burns if he weren’t so smooth with his linework. The story is really short and really odd, and I’m not exactly sure how it ties into the record. But it’s a package so go with it. Consider it an oddball bonus to an already weird record. (Monofonus Press, www.monofonuspress.com)

FINAL FIGHT, “Half Head, Full Shred”
Final Fight seem to be your average modern hardcore band full of spirit, a reasonable degree of ethics, and a sound pulling together variants of Boston hardcore, SoCal punk, and a little melody from both coasts. This is their second full length and I’m not exactly sure why they have taken the route that they have, releasing it on a significantly smaller label (fans of “Arrested Development” will appreciate it) whereas their last record was on Deathwish. Who’s to say? All I know is it seems peculiar that one would go from the hardcore promised land to... well, I don’t know, somewhere that’s probably got a nice view but isn’t the promised land. I suppose that’s all just minor semantics, though it might be the same route Trash Talk took by self-releasing a full length after they got their name out on an established label. Perhaps that’s what’s going on here as well. Regardless, “Half Head, Full Shred” may imply that thrashing abounds but between the actual music and the kinda artsy-fartsy cover it’s anything but. For lovers of melodic hardcore it will satisfy, even though I found the overall mix to be a little thin. (Gobias Industries, www.myspace.com/finalfight)

LIKE WOLVES new demo
If there’s hope for the Rochester hardcore scene right now it’s these dudes. Unfortunately, the scene is in a pretty dismal state currently due to police cracking down on anything that might resemble the combination of music and fun. It’s like some bad mixture of “Footloose” meets “Robocop” and personally, it bums me out. So out of the stale wreckage of anti-fun comes Like Wolves, who have already self-released a seven inch and now strike back with this three song blazer that seems to hone their sound a bit more. They’re playing by the code of the more recent Louisville style- big amps, loud as fuck, and loose. Previous to this I enjoyed the band, but found their songs a bit hard to follow, sort in the same way that early Lords stuff was all over the place. With these new songs they’re still all over that loud and loose punk-hardcore style but with a little more refinement bringing to mind Black Cross more than anything. Without a doubt one of the more entertaining bands to see in upstate New York... if only the fuzz would give ‘em a chance. (http://www.myspace.com/likewolves666)

MOUTHPIECE, “Can’t Kill What’s Inside”
New Jersey’s Mouthpiece were one of the early bands that I was exposed to when I first got into hardcore. By this time the band was in their prime and everyone seemed to be familiar with their stuff. In my attempts to get a hold of whatever passed as hardcore at the time to feed my insatiable hunger for this music Mouthpiece’s “What Was Said” record found it’s way onto one of many dubbed tapes that friends would cram as much music as possible onto so we could fully immerse ourselves in this crazy subculture. While at the same time I was exposed to Gorilla Biscuits and Minor Threat, I knew they were older bands and the current bands that I was fond of played slower metal-influenced hardcore. So Mouthpiece were sort of a weird band for the early 90’s (at least to me) because they played fast youth crew styled hardcore. There seemed to be sort of a love-hate relationship with them around my town because I’d see people wear their shirts, but also affectionately refer to them as ‘Mouthpiss’. Plus, you couldn’t windmill or spin kick to their music... it was too fast. They were alright I guess, and I really liked that “To the Side” song from the Anti-Matter compilation. Still, it wouldn’t be until I got this discography of everything they ever did (plus a bunch of live songs as a bonus) that I’d be able to really decipher that Mouthpiece had a considerable amount of well thought out melody to their music, bringing to mind stuff like Turning Point and The Faith as opposed to just a one-dimensional in-your-face crewcut black and white, meat and potatoes hardcore sound. I guess for the period in which they existed they held onto a sound that was quickly being replaced with post-hardcore and mosh-metal stuff, thus somewhat leaving them to fend for themselves. In that respect this is rather commendable. On the other hand, I’ve never been a huge fan of the youth crew style although I will say I’m glad that I’ve finally picked up on the fact that Mouthpiece wasn’t simply a cookie-cutter copy of Revelation ‘88 hardcore, but instead had a bit more to offer. A very through discography with a complete show listing, 25 songs, tons of pictures, and more. (Revelation, www.revelationrecords.com)

OUTCLASSED, “This Could Coincidence, But I Swear I Saw the Street Lights Dance” 12” EP/CD
Despite the rather excessive amount of packaging colliding with the clear lack of making it interesting or grammatically correct (note the title of this record), I’d say Pittsburgh’s Outclassed should let the music do the talking. I guess I don’t really see the point of making crazy colored vinyl for a one-sided LP in a gatefold package with a CD included, but that’s probably just my frugal nature at work. Regardless, Outclassed take a musical path that aims for spazzy, smash your face with a microphone and then break your guitar on the floor emo. Any time I hear bands like this I’m usually relieved that this is their idea of ‘emo’ and not ‘spending three hours on your hair before playing music that completely sucks shit’ emo. Additionally, it’s not over the top in the way that I feel Ampere is with how fast and discombobulated their quick bursts called songs are, nor does it bog the listener in way too much unnecessary guitar noodling that all too often rears it’s confused little bespeckled head. Instead, Outclassed manage to combine a healthy dose of both these styles, making for a mixture that experiments with intensely wild music and still keeps a loose sense of structured composition- just enough to barely keep it grounded. And it’s always fun when a band is teetering on the edge of over doing it, the tension of completely loosing it always hovering immanently. All five of these songs manage to keep that spazzy intensity going strong and thus making it a pretty good debut. (Forcefield Records, www.forcefieldrecords.com)

OUTRAGE, “Savior” CDEP
At first listen there was really nothing special at all about Outrage, but then again, I wasn’t listening too intently. So I only have myself to blame for not picking up on anything interesting. Upon second listen it wasn’t all that much different, though I did kind of figure out my thoughts on this young band. There’s something kind of mid-90’s in their sound, which I guess I always have a soft spot for since that’s the era I grew up in. Some of the more metallic moments, as well as some of the more interesting leads and melodies brought to mind Harvest. Those spots are mixed with a more traditional hardcore sound akin to older Trial, yet lyrically stick to a sort of miserable ‘the world is a festering shithole’ frame of mind. It’s nothing new, but it brings back something kind of older to me at times and it makes for a well-rounded listen. (Panic Records, www.panicrecords.net)

PATRONS OF SWEET, “Go Whatevers”
There’s some school of no-doubt paranoid-delusional thought that implies that there is a little man/ morlock in the center of the Earth who operates a device which makes the world turn. If this man were to die the world would simply stop spinning and we’d all perish (or move to whichever side the sun was still shining). By that same logic I think that if Vic Lazar ever stopped writing songs (which I think is a scientific impossibility) music would cease to exist. In the 10 plus years I’ve seen this guy performing non-stop in one Buffalo-area band after another, as well as sometimes solo, he’s constantly got a vault full of music that continuously pours out of him like so much water from a natural spring. He’s got his own style, which certainly takes some melodic cues from J. Robbins, that shows up in every project he’s been in and Patrons Of Sweet is no exception. While this CD is fairly new I think they already stopped playing half the songs in lieu of a new batch already written since it’s release. What you’ll find here is great indie rock that leans into a bit of post-hardcore territory, if you’re definition of that includes a healthy dose of Rival Schools and a lot of mid-90’s Dischord Records output. The songs are ridiculously catchy and could easily pass for pop rock if us critic types who know everything ever didn’t spot all the neat little melodic angularities and clever beats, all the while getting bum-rushed by a thick rhythm section. Stuff like this is a no-brainer for smart people into good music, so wise up and stop looking into conspiracy theories. Just appreciate consistent creativity for what it is and check this band out. (Headless Actor Records, www.myspace.com/headlessactorrecords)

TRIPFACE, “Some Part Hope”
Outside of Long Island is there demand for this? I really can’t say. Outside of Long Island did people even know about Tripface? Again, it’s a question for the ages. I know, for myself, Tripface were on Wreck-Age/Exit Records and at the time basically anything that label released I was usually quite into. So that’s how I knew about them and subsequently was able to mosh to them. Tripface made up a piece of the enormous pie that was the mid-90’s Long Island hardcore scene. They were like the gooey sugar-sap betwixt the apple chunks of C.R. and the solidifying foundation crust that was Vision Of Disorder. Of course, they sounded like neither, I was just trying to make some unifying, delicious analogy. Regardless, Tripface wasn’t out outside the norm for bands at the time- hardcore at the base, a little bit of emo metal on top of it and a good deal of moshcore to round it out. They released one decent full length in 1996 and broke up not too long afterwards. What I didn’t know was they had been around since 1993 and had some demo and live material to show for it, as documented here in their much younger and more straightforward hardcore days. There isn’t too much in the way of linear notes, or even a great deal of photo documentation, which would be an added bonus. It’s simply a collection of everything they did and a piece of the Long Island hardcore story. (Motherbox Records, www.motherbox.com)

TOUR DATES FOR OAK AND BONE, PRIZE COUNTRY

The dudes in Oak and Bone will be embarking on a mini-tour this Winter, their first jaunt on the road! They need a little help with things so check out these dates, and tell them to come to your area! Sorry I don't have the specifics on these dates.

Their debut 7" will see the light of day around April if all goes as planned. It's all recorded and sounds great... now to get it to press!
They also just put up a bit of live material on their page (along with the proposed tour dates) at http://www.myspace.com/oakandbone

OAK AND BONE ON THE ROAD
Jan. 24th- Oswego, NY @ KOC w/ Polar Bear Club, Forfeit, Like Wolves
Feb. 18th- Rochester, NY
Feb. 19th- Allentown, PA
Feb. 20th- Washington, DC
Feb. 21st- ???
Feb. 22nd- Arlington, MA

The dudes from Prize Country are getting to record their next full length. In the meantime, they will (as usual) embark on another tour. This one will mostly be West Coast so go see them if you live on that side of the country.
Singer/guitarist Aaron Blanchard just did an interview (that includes some music too from them and other bands) on the site Evymetal.com
Here are the tour dates:

....

.... Jan 23 2009 9:00P	Comet Tavern w/ Black Eyes and Neckties and Madraso	Seattle, WA
.... Jan 24 2009 9:00P	Dante’s w/ Black Eyes and Neckties	Portland, OR
.... Mar 7 2009 9:00P	Ash St. Saloon w/ Sirhan Sirhan & Android Hero	Portland, OR
.... Apr 17 2009 8:00P	HQ Basement w/ Swamp Donkey & Sixteen Eighteen	Reno, NV
.... Apr 18 2009 9:00P	Burt’s Tiki Lounge w/ Kingdom of Magic	Salt Lake City, UT
.... Apr 19 2009 10:00P	Double Down Saloon w/ Kingdom of Magic	Las Vegas, NV
.... Apr 20 2009 8:00P	tba	Flagstaff, AZ
.... Apr 21 2009 8:00P	tba	Phoenix, AZ
.... Apr 22 2009 8:00P	tba	Tuscson, AZ
.... Apr 24 2009 9:00P	Radio Room w/ Kingdom of Magic	San Diego, CA
.... Apr 25 2009 10:00P	The Relax Bar w/ Kingdom of Magic & District of Evolution	Los Angeles, CA
.... Apr 26 2009 9:00P	Billy O’s w/ Kingdom of Magic	Venture, CA
.... Apr 27 2009 9:00P	Monterey Live w/ Kindgom of Magic & Razorhoof	Monterey, CA
.... Apr 28 2009 8:00P	Chinatown Youth Center w/ Kingdom of Magic	Fresno, CA
.... Apr 29 2009 8:00P	tba	San Fransisco, CA
.... Apr 30 2009 9:00P	Stork Club w/ Kingdom of Magic, Hurry Up Shotgun & Mount Vicious	Oakland, CA
.... May 1 2009 9:00P	The Kennel Club w/ Kingdom of Magic	Sacramento, CA
.... May 2 2009 11:00P	The Alibi w/ Kingdom of Magic	Arcata, CA
.... May 3 2009 10:00P	East End w/ Kingdom of Magic	Portland, OR

LISTS ARE IMPORTANT!

Everyone like a good list/opinion/critical opinion... whatever. Maybe not. Either way, this might be the last of 'year end' stuff you get to feast your eyes upon and bid farewell, for good, to 2008.
A great little site called Scenepointblank just put up an exhaustive year end set of lists between staff and a whole shitload of interesting band/label type people. It's nice to see the Playing Enemy stuff made it up there a couple times. If you didn't pick it up I don't know what's wrong with you, but you can go right ahead and order it here.
They interviewed yours truly as well regarding ought-8, and you can read it right here.

In other news, Oak and Bone finished recording their 7". There's some last mixing touches to add, as well as mastering. It's gonna be fierce. Night Owls started recording over the weekend and should be finished up before months end if we're lucky. Prize Country will begin recording their next full length in February. Life is good!