TONS OF UPDATES!

Look above. See the pictures? These are the next four releases coming out. And I have a lot more information about each of them, as well as some other cool stuff!
Keep in mind, the above art you see is definitely not the final artwork for each record (except for in the case of PRIZE COUNTRY, which that is the final cover art). So let's address each one.
First off, LEMURIA will record their new 7" the first week of July with a release date shortly thereafter. If all goes well I'm thinking I can do a pre-order shortly after that and things will be done and ready come late August. The artwork is being handled by Ben Sears from Mt. Asleep and will be screened onto special 7" arigato packs from Stumptown Printers courtesy of the rad dudes at Pedal Printing. It's going to look real special I tell ya.
Next, the END OF A YEAR dudes are recording right about now for their new 7" after having just dropped one for Deathwish. If you can get the jist from the mock-up art above it's an homage of sorts and will contain a cover of a certain 80's band, but I can imagine you'll be able to figure out who. Look for this to drop around the same time as Lemuria.
Next, PRIZE COUNTRY are finished recording, finished mixing, finished mastering, and all that good stuff. The artwork is done and this beast, known as "With Love", will drop around October on both LP and CD. These dudes are on their game and will be touring the shit out of this record all Fall and Winter. Get ready.
Finally, THE HELM are in the studio right now recording their new full length "Home". Raging, crusty slabs of face-melting hardcore are being carefully put to tape, as the saying goes, by Chris Common in Seattle's Red Room. Expect this one to drop in October on LP and CD as well. And if Bob can get away from coaching track long enough they may embark on a Winter tour to show what this record is all about. More details to follow.

So what's up with the HELMS ALEE 7", people keep asking me. I'm sorry for all the delays and I'm personally very anxious to hear some new stuff myself! I recently talked with Ben from the band and he assures me they are still on, it's just going to take longer than expected. They're actually writing a new full length (and currently on tour on the West Coast with Isis and Giant Squid) and want to get some of that wrapped up and possibly record the 7" and full length together. So as of now the plans look like fall we'll be hearing more about this. Sorry to shift things to the backburner for this one, but be patient. I'm certain the results will be worth it!

Finally, shout out to our boys in OAK & BONE on completing their first East Coast tour! Look for them on various weekends throughout the Summer. Also, check the short write up they just got on the Brooklyn Vegan site (as well as a free download of "Build Walls" from the 7") here . Just scroll down a bit and you'll see it. Sweet!

OK, I think that's it for the time being. Go out to Dudefest Indianapolis next month! Hex Records will be representing in full, so buy something from us! And rage!

IT'S FRIDAY, HOW ABOUT SOME REVIEWS!

It's been a bit huh? Well, that happens when... um... actually, I have no excuse. There's just been a lot of plotting and scheming on my end in regards to other things so some of this fell by the wayside. But hey, it does mean some cool music piled up. I like to think I get the chance to review a fair amount of stuff that probably goes under the radar of most people and I get the chance to shed a little light on it. So here's some stuff!

BLACK ARROWS OF FILTH AND IMPURITY, “1984 (Eternal)”
Based upon the name alone I wasn’t exactly sure what I’d be getting myself into by listening to this. I’d known their name from playing at Dudefest a couple years ago, but I missed their set. So what we got here is some straight up raging grindcore-powerviolence, sludgy metal stuff that kicks in with all the fury of a swarm of bees chasing after a snot-nosed brat who just threw a rock into their hive. Given that they begin the record with a lot of thrashing and grinding madness I was a bit skeptical that the first song was nearing the four minute mark, which is a bad sign for a band that plays really, really fast. Thankfully, the rest of the songs (at least of this nature) stayed within the two minute mark. Additionally, having long song titles that play on the oh-so-ironic and funny factor made for a negative impression so cringe worthy it gave me shivers of discomfort. Yet upon examining the lyrics and accompanying explanations it’s just the titles that are dumb. Everything else is well thought out and intriguing. Meanwhile, the band thrashes and burns through five complete ragers before going into a 12-minute record closer which feels rather unnecessary in it’s dirge-like sludgy pace. Finally, as a cd bonus, there is one more feedback-laden, tribal drumming encore lasting around 14 minutes. Maybe if that were trimmed down to about half the length it would be pretty killer. I feel like I’ve sort of slagged this band in this review, but quite honestly this is a pretty kick ass record regardless of some characteristics that seem a bit unnecessary. Apparently, this was, up to this point, only available as an LP that was released in 2005 and is now on CD. So there ya go. I wonder what their new stuff will sound like? (Gilead Media, www.gileadmedia.net)

DASHA, “Damned If We Do”
Rochester’s Dasha find their niche with playing subtle and pretty indie rock that is deceptively complex in it’s arrangements and tricky drum and guitar interplay. The soothing vocals of Colleen Vassey act as an anchor, offering a calming tone to music that has just enough in the way of catchiness to keep from the more show-off-ish elements of the very capable musicians in this band from getting too out of hand. The recording is crisp and offers a more mellowed out overall tone, even though drummer Tommy Vollmer is exorcising his inner Stuart Copeland (live it’s a different story.. dude just hits really damn hard) on these tracks and could more than likely dominate this recording were it not kept tastefully in check. Again, balancing the complexity are the soothing vocals and a pretty clean guitar tone. Nine songs well done by this up-and-coming group that sound wise is definitely different than most of the underground bands that have called Rochester home, yet somehow one can tell they’re from there. Don’t ask me how, it’s just apparent from a person who has seen scores of bands emerge from that town. (Whaleplane, http://www.myspace.com/dashaband)

DEADHEAD, “A State Of Punk” 7”
Four songs that go by pretty quick with very to-the-point and bleak lyrics. I suppose that’s par for the course seeing as the music is pretty bleak as well... but nice and fast to keep things fun. Treading the thick and bass-heavy sound popularized by the likes of Tragedy Deadhead take a cue from some of punk’s finest and give it a go. And by the name you thought they’d all be hippies or something huh? I’d love to see an actual Deadhead put this record on and totally get their mellows harshed.... big time. Nothing groundbreaking, but also a fine first effort. (Mayfly Records, www.myspace.com/mayflyrecords)


DIAL, s/t CDEP
Typically, if I receive a promo that is just the cd and nothing more it goes straight to the outbox. Call it elitist, but hey, music is more than just the piece of plastic the ones and zeros are encoded upon. Artwork and presentation say a lot about a group. Well, that’s what arrived for Australia’s Dial and I’m giving them a free pass because this is a damn good release. I’m not exactly sure what to make of this. One of the only words I can use to describe this is ‘suffocating’. Everything sounds so dense and evil all at once, and carries through the entirety of this five song EP. Mish-mashing stop-go noise rock with almost tribal, repetitive and trance-like drumming Dial can ride a single riff for a whole song, but tastefully keep most of them reigned in at the three minute mark. Therefore, the sonic pounding lasts just long enough to keep you wanting more, yet breaks you down the same way a drone band would... minus the boring part. It’s a sonic, primal beating from out of nowhere and I feel like I ought to join an end of the world cult after hearing this and ready my Mad Max survival gear. (Robotic Empire, www.roboticempire.com)

FATHER PHOENIX, “Large Bodies” CDEP
There is one word to describe this and that word is ‘bitchin’’. This EP is totally bitchin’ without question. It is authoritatively bitchin’. Actually, perhaps I ought to elaborate. The organ that often takes the lead for many of these songs is beyond bitchin’. There are four songs here and imagine if you will Clutch, Deep Purple, and the Blues Brothers all jamming as one to bring forth one of the bitchinest project bands I’ve heard in quite song time. You remember that movie, “Nothing But Trouble” where Dan Akroyd played the demented old judge in the middle of nowhere? OK, you probably don’t. Just bear with me. There’s a scene where that old hip-hop group Digital Underground makes an appearance and plays a song in his court and Dan Akroyd busts out an ancient Hammond-style organ and begins playing along. It’s like they resurrected that organ and hooked up a Big Muff fuzz pedal on it and went to town, ushering forth the songs that make up this debut EP. Well done Father Phoenix. I will erect a chicken wire fence in your honor across the stage should you ever grace my town with your presence. (Forge Again Records, www.forgeagainrecords.com)

KILLER, THE, “Not All Those Who Are Lost Want To Be Found”
Chicago’s The Killer may not have chosen the most original name for themselves, but they have at least managed to spice things up in the whole tough guy hardcore realm. Actually, perhaps it’s not entirely accurate to lump them into that category but my bet is that they find themselves playing many of those shows. Regardless, as much as you can hear a good deal metal-influenced NYHC in their sound (think Merauder style double bass) they toss a number of curveballs into their sound, such as some grooving, Crowbar-style breakdowns in, various noisier post-hardcore riffs, the occasional backing vocals that sound like drawn-out chants (track 3), and vocals that have a dirty and strained approach. It definitely mixes things up more than your standard chunky hardcore fare and for that The killer gets brownie points. Plus it’s been quite a long time between records for this band so it’s natural that some progression would be made and it looks like they did a pretty good job of it on this full length. (Organized Crime, www.organizedcrimerecords.com)

LICKGOLDENSKY, demo 7”
To think that anyone had an interest in this band long after they split to reach back in the archives and re-release their demo tape on 7” is almost mind-blowing in it’s desire to more or less set fire to a briefcase full of money and throw it over a cliff. This is not to say that I wasn’t a fan of Lickgoldensky while they were around. I really liked the band. But let’s be honest- they were an acquired taste and I’m sure their name will not go down in the annals of hardcore history at the end of the day. So to dig out this original recording and put it out there for those who never heard it (like me) is great, just sort of financially suicidal. Kudos to Square Of Opposition though. I’m glad to have heard this because it shows that this band had aggression in spades even early on. The music is a vicious blend of Deadguys total ‘kill everything’ frantic insanity and Eyehategod’s (where they got their name from) sludgy bong-ripping messiness (the endings of both “Pinstriping” and “Are the Neighbors Cumming?” illustrating this quite well). Totally drugged-out and manic lyrics accompany the music in screeched wails encourage, “Watch your neighbors bathe/ Watch your neighbors swing/ Watch your neighbors get syphilis from the mayor/ Watch the teens lose their virginity/ Take it to a school board meeting/ Then fuck your soulmate in the ass”. Tasteful. (Square Of Opposition, www.squareofopposition.com)

POISON ARROWS, THE, “First Class, And Forever”
I’ve given this record a bunch of spins in an attempt to try and figure out just exactly what The Poison Arrows are doing. I still can’t quite get a fix on it. They lie somewhere between some of the relaxed atmospherics of a Beauty Pill record and churning post-hardcore math rock spawned in the clubs of Chicago. It’s a rather varied mix. You got some smooth and chill sections that are accentuated with somber vocals and tasteful synth parts. But then they bust into some heavier rocking songs that would fit alongside a Fireside, Hum, or Chavez record. Needless to say I like it, and a large part of that has to do with them performing something that is one part familiar and another part a total mystery. Good and varied, yet tastefully as you know it’s the same band no matter how they mix things up. (File 13 Records, www.file-13.com)

ROBOTS AND EMPIRE, “Color Touches” CDEP
In some ways this band has progressed a lot, and in other ways it’s almost expected that they would eventually get to this point. One could always tell that there was a fair amount of Failure and space rock-era Cave-In love with this band. Yet early on, vocalist Brian Conway had a more guttural approach to his singing that had a bit of a Clutch quality to it and the weight of the music reflected that with a more sludgy style. Now, a bit more refined, I feel like they have come to a point where they want to be at, even if that point is highly reminiscent of Steve Brodsky, Failure, and Cave-In. I’m sure they’re stoked on it. I’d say they do a fine job of bringing forth those more otherworldly melodic elements to the table and still throw in some of those heavy sludgy moments from time to time. (Trip Machine Laboratories, www.tripmachinelabs.com)

TRANSIT, “Stay Home” CDEP
Pop rock played faster than normal. I’m not going to call this pop-punk, or melodic hardcore, or whatever. It’s time for these bands to come to terms with what they do and call it for what it is. You could turn on your local rock radio station and probably hear a song from this band if they got themselves a hot-shit label backing them. I’m not saying this is lousy or anything, it’s just pop rock played by dudes who probably like punk and hardcore. Saves the Day, A Wilhelm Scream, maybe a touch of No Idea Records stuff all comes to mind. Most of it is stuff I’m not all that interested in, but it is what it is. And if you like your rock blasting from the radio Transit will probably scratch that itch. I’d just feel bad for them if they had to be sandwiched between the latest offerings from Godsmack and Fallout Boy while some corny-ass DJ took callers for free tickets to Balloon Fest. (Run For Cover Records, www.runforcoverrecords.com)

RELAX....

Apparently the drummer from Swing Kids didn't like my show write up (see previous entry comments). It's called an opinion guy, it doesn't mean it's correct. It's just my impression of what I saw. By the way, did I mention how much Threadbare and Undertow killed it?

BURNING FIGHT L.A.

Crowd during Unbroken
Unbroken
Swing Kids
Threadbare

So last week I went out to LA for the West Coast Burning Fight show. This is a plan I concocted back in January because I had the money. In the last five months my fortunes have decreased dramatically, so making the trip wasn’t exactly the most financially sound idea (buy some records from me, really, I need the help). But hey, I already had my plane ticket and a ticket for the show, so why back out now?
Regardless, I left the misery of upstate, NY (yeah, it’s still not summer here) for the clear skies and sunny Southern California weather, even if it was just for four days. I had a couple days to hang before the show, so it made for a chance to get some solid hang time in with some ex-East Coast folks who now chose LA as their home turf. Right off the bat, I’d like to extend a gigantic thank you to my pals Vadim Taver, Scott Sprigg, and Luke Muir for the good times they always provide when I’m out in their area. All the new people I met as well provided good times all around.
I had an alternate plan to try and make it out to Lebowski Fest while there, but with no car, and my hosts having little to no interest in this magnificent event I was shit out of luck. All I have to say is they’re a bunch of amateurs. They definitely failed to achieve. And by default, I guess I did too. Mark it zero dude.
Fast forward to the day of the show and we headed out to the Glass House, which was a good 45 minutes (without traffic) away from where we were. Right before we got there though we got pulled over by a cop who must have been bored out of his fucking skull, as he gave Vadim a ticket for driving without CA plates (he still had his old PA ones). I quickly got the impression Pomona is a pretty boring town for criminal activity.
As we walked to the show I quickly began seeing a bunch of faces that I hadn’t either seen in a long time, or totally did not expect to see. Maybe it was because I went to this show with no expectations, and that made the familiar faces all that more surprising to see. There were definitely a few East Coast people I would never have imagined to see, some Seattle kids that warmed my heart, and of course some California people.
I have to point out a couple things as well. It seemed as if a lot of people went to this and not the Chicago Burning Fight show because they wanted to see Undertow. I was in that group. Secondly, it seemed that people were there to have an honestly good time, go crazy, and have fun. It wasn’t like some scenster reunion, or old hardcore dude back-patting festival. It just felt like a really good, huge hardcore show that was a lot of fun. No more, no less. And while I wasn’t necessarily into all the bands that played the ones I did come to see were amazing.
So as far as the show goes, the short-lived Festival Of Dead Deer opened up and were OK. Nothing really special, but then again, they weren’t all that special while they were around either.
Threadbare played next and I was incredibly stoked. The one time they came through Syracuse I couldn’t make it. It might have been my high school graduation, who knows. All I know is that I’ve spent the last 14 years pissed about it. So I finally get to see them and they were probably the most solid-sounding band of the night. They played so tight, so on point, and so forceful. Brian Lovro has one of the best screams I’ve ever heard and it was awesome to see that he still had it down perfect. Songs like “In Error”, “Midas” and especially “Weatherman” were so validating and everything I had hoped for. The closer, "Penicilin" made for a good note to end on with Lovro screaming out "knife into my brain!" over and over. I caught the singer a couple hours later walking down the street and mentioned how happy I was to see them. To my surprise he was smoking, which made me wonder how he still could belt out songs the way he did. Who knows, maybe he’s immune to cancer or something.
Portraits Of Past followed and for most of it I attempted to catch up with old friends. No offense, they were cool, just not totally my thing.
Then it was time for Undertow. I’d been waiting forever for this. Undertow played the first show I ever went to, strangely enough as they’re a Seattle band and it was in Syracuse. It was also the last time I ever saw them. But they made an incredible impression on me ever since that day and I was glad to say they still kicked the shit out of me. Their songs, in retrospect, are nothing groundbreaking, but they’re just incredible in a basic hardcore sort of way. The sounded loud, noisy, chaotic, but still straightforward. John Pettibone spent more time in the crowd than he did onstage and it looked as if the whole band were honestly having a great time, and not playing up some tired hardcore reunion bit, waiting for the paycheck at the end of the show. “Taken”, “At Both Ends”, “Cedar”, “Control”, “Delusion” and ending (obviously) with “Cutting Away” they definitely stole the show. If you take a look at the pictures you’ll see there aren’t any of Undertow. You know why? Because I was too busy moshing.
Swing Kids followed that up and I was kind of wondering how they would go over. I always liked a few of their songs, but never saw them so I guess it was a bit of a bonus just to see what they could do. My impressions are that Justin Pearson still seems about as pretentious as they get, their drummer really got into it a little too much, and most of the crowd seemed mildly interested.
Finally, Unbroken closed things out. I always liked Unbroken, but I wasn’t a fanatic like many people I know. They were also another band that I happened to miss somehow every time they played Syracuse. I’m pretty sure I was even at one of the shows they played here and just didn’t pay attention for some reason. Either way, everyone was obviously psyched for them and I just found a nice little spot to stand where I could see everything and not get killed. The whole set was just a mass of finger-pointing, crowd-surfing energy. They opened with “Blanket” and closed with “Absentee Debate”. I was waiting to get crushed by the sound of that ending, but about two measures in Rob Moran just dropped his bass and freaked out or something. It sort of took away from the energy of what is arguably one of the best breakdowns of all time (OK, top 10 anyway). Meh, not a big deal. I had fun and got to finally see some bands that I really cared about and either never saw, or hadn’t seen in way too long. I can leave satisfied.
Sweaty and sore we trekked back to Huntington Beach and stopped at a Del Taco on the way. All I have to say is I never thought I’d be eating tacos with a guy from Throwdown. It was sort of weird in a ‘I know I’m not supposed to like you, but you’re an A-OK dude’ kind of way.
On the last day in LA I kind of bullshitted around mostly. We went to this record store in Long Beach that I’m fond of and it turned out that acoustic dude Iron and Wine was giving a free in-store show. I’m not a fan or anything, but it was kind of neat to see this dude playing to a small crowd and then just hanging around afterwards. Afterwards we hit up this great vegan restaurant called Native Foods, which I’d been to once before, but it was still nice. Waiting at the airport later on, this massive city of terminals, who should be at the gate across from me but that Iron and Wine dude. That was sort of peculiar.
By the next morning I was back in Syracuse and it was definitely warmer than when I had left. That’s a good feeling.

AARON JENKINS PRINTS...

I just wanted to throw this out there since I am so impressed with this work.
So my man Aaron Jenkins, bassist and vocalist for Ed Gein, has been working on his screenprinting skills for quite awhile now and helps manage a shop here in the greater Syracuse area. Lately my man has been doing a lot of poster screenprinting stuff and it looks awesome.
I think you all ought to check it out for yourselves. Here's the link:
http://www.a-jnkns-prnts.blogspot.com/

SOME REVIEWS BEFORE L.A.!

So, I'm off to LA for a few days starting... um... later today. I planned this thing back in January to go see Unbroken and (mostly for me personally) Undertow, and now I've found out the fabled Lebowski Fest is going this week as well, so I'll have to check that out.
I wanted to get some reviews in before I took off though and I'm proud to say that most of the selections here have some local connection, and have been rocking my world lately. So enjoy.
I'll get a report up when I get back about the show and whatever else goes on out West.

AFTER THE FALL, “Fort Orange”
With a name like this I’d imagine this band was some kind of emo metal. I know they’ve been around for awhile, I’ve just never had the opportunity to hear them. Thankfully, their name doesn’t count for much in terms of sound. Instead this has a far more Strike Anywhere sort of vibe with a lot of technical guitar playing, and super intense drumming. It’s certainly a show of talent, but not really something that gets me going. All the members here can play their asses off (and in the case of the vocalist, sing), so basically take that more new school melodic hardcore punk style and up the ante. The lyrics don’t necessarily come off as prose, instead more like a bunch of stuff being said to you in a ‘matter-of-fact’, ‘here’s what I think’ sort of tone... except, ya know, sung. Again, it’s not really my thing but those seeking some Strike Anywhere flavor with a lot of flashiness will probably dig it. (Raise Your Fist Records/ Ass-Card Records, www.raiseyourfistrecords.com )

BLACK S.S., “Live At the AV Space” DVD
Almost two years ago a wyld shindig went down at the now-defunct AV Space in Rochester, NY where a ton of bands played over two days as a fundraiser for the very same venue that now is just a memory. Essentially it was just an excuse for a bunch of friends from Rochester and Syracuse to hang out for the weekend and go crazy. Syracuse’s own Black Sheep Squadron capped off this event and they’re performance is captured quite well on this DVD where all manner of singing-along, pile-on’s, rafter crawling, moshing in banana suits, and other assorted wackiness ensued. Basically, it was what one would expect in a Black S.S. show. That’s what makes them consistently one of my favorite bands to see each and every time. Of course, the whole set is about 15 minutes long, so a lengthy interview makes up the rest of this DVD where they discuss the finer points of the relation of punk to wrestling, playing to drunk punks in a garage, being old straightedge dudes with mortgages, Moxie cola, and plenty of shit talk on Trustkill Records. If you’ve never heard a Black S.S. record please treat yourself. If you want to see what happens when they play these songs live get this. What’s up with the Atari 2600 style type on the back of this? (They Live We Sleep Records, www.theylivewesleeprecords.wordpress.com)

DEEP SLEEP, “Three Things At Once”
There aren’t that many bands in the wide spectrum of no-frills hardcore playing anything that really excites me. It’s not just because I’m a bit jaded, it’s just that very few bands are taking things in an interesting direction. Sure, there’s plenty of bands that are fun to see live, and have loads of sincerity. But the majority of them I really don’t need to listen to. I’d just rather watch them and get my kicks that way. Deep Sleep are both fun to see live and a great band to listen to. At this point they’ve released three seven inches in a pretty quick span of time and this CD collects all three. As they’ve grown they’ve also honed their melodic side, creating some real catchy songs that fall somewhere between the ferocious speed of the Descendants and the sharp wit of the Wipers. In some ways they’re recycling the past. Yet they do a great job of bringing it into the present. “Out Of Time” may be my new favorite jam of theirs. (Grave Mistake, www.gravemistakerecords.com)

I AND I SURVIVE zine #1.5
So instead of following your basic hardcore zine format Merski opted for asking a ton of people the same 15-20 short questions revolving around United Blood Fest this year. So, essentially, it’s a survey zine of a ton of people who were mostly involved in some way or another (whether they played in one of the bands, ran a label, etc) with the fest. I think I would have found it more entertaining if there was some more variety in the answers, but it seems the large majority of these people (based upon their answers) really like Trapped Under Ice, love their Nikes, believe that Craig Ahead and Mackie are the best bassist and drummer (respectively) of all time, and dislike anything Dischord released aside from the Minor Threat discography. Then again, most of these folks align themselves with one particular niche of hardcore, so I guess that’s what they’re into these days. Throw in an old Eye For An Eye interview and that wraps up the latest I & I Survive. I think the idea for this issue is a really fun one, but could definitely have a bit more variety of responses. (merski123@gmail.com)

LIVING WITH LIONS, “Dude Manor” CDEP
I may be wrong about this, but I feel like this band did some shows with Polar Bear Club recently. It seems a good fit as Living With Lions sounds quite similar to PBC. This Vancouver group tends to move things along at a bit of a quicker pace though, sticking with mostly slightly-faster-than-mid-tempo for the majority of this EP. Insofar as the present goes you can see where the band’s influence/contemporaries lie, though it feels (at least lyrically) there’s an old school nod to some Lifetime going on. (Adeline Records, www.adelinerecords.com)

MERIT, “Arson Is For Lovers”
Reading the press release for Merit’s newest record makes it feel as if the publicist is almost at as much of a loss for words as I am writing this review. It’s as if they wish to convey how exceedingly average this band is. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. But I get it too. These cats are from my hometown and I’ve even played C-lo with them before. Each member of this band is an exceptionally talented musician. They sound really good live. Brenna has a great range with her voice that can hit all the right notes and still sound gritty at the same time. But there’s nothing truly outstanding, or incredibly catchy about the songs. There’s also nothing wrong with them. It’s an all around well-written and executed rock record with a good recording. Yet there’s nothing that keeps me coming back. Who knows... they’re a band without a gimmick. That’s a good thing right? Heck, they’re giving this thing away on their website, and if you really dig it the physical copy looks pretty cool too. (www.gomeritgo.com/ www.arsonisforlovers.com)

MOVING MOUNTAINS, “Forward”
Long, drawn out, and filled with dynamics... just like good sex. This band seems to understand that if you’re going to write songs that typically break the 8-minute mark you gotta keep it interesting and thus many up’s and downs and tinkering with various instruments throughout the four songs on this record do just that. I’d say it works about half the time. When they intro and outro songs with a minute plus of feedback it seems like they’re just cheating to make those long songs count as long songs. But once they hit their stride and fill up the guts of the song with some powerful slabs of indie rock I guess you could say they’re working their Sunny Day Real Estate vibe in slow motion and tossing in a bit of Elliott for good measure. For those with short attention spans it’s not going to be your cup of tea. Yet those who love their Mogwai, and other such loud indie giants will appreciate this. (Caetera Recordings, www.movingmountainsmusic.com)

PSYCHED TO DIE, “Sterile Walls” 7”
I get the impression that there’s a good deal of hype about this band simply because members of The ergs are in this group. Well, don’t expect any of that here. Just figure on 80’s style fast and simple hardcore punk. Then again, it’s on Grave Mistake so what would you expect quite honestly? On one hand this is instant gratification, “Damaged”-era Black Flag style, punk. On the other hand it’s really nothing new at all to the point where you could stack 500 of the same type of bands together and not tell the difference. It doesn’t mean it’s bad, it’s just been done a thousand times over. Something tells me these kids don’t give a shit and just want to kick out the jams. Bonus for the simple, yet really cool, cover art. (Grave Mistake, www.gravemistakerecords.com)

REJOUISSANCE, “Moss On Monuments”
The songwriting for Rejouissance has come a long way since their inception (which essentially started as a one man band, and has since expanded to two set dudes, with a rotating rhythm section that accompanies live whenever possible). The execution is very similar in terms to what the Evens are doing- baritone guitar (both acoustic and plugged in) and drums, except no back up female vocals and extra guitars to accompany it most of the time. So take a couple parts The Evens, one part Credence, and one part gravel-throated vocals and you get an awesome mix that is Rejouissance. Things start off great with “The Grail” and what could almost be thought of as a breakdown at the end. It’s probably the heaviest moment this group has come up with and I really like where they’re going with things. Seeing and listening to Rejouissance has always been a great emotional experience, very inviting, very sincere, always fun, and always giving 100%. And it most certainly shows on this new full length where the members have always done their own recording and you can see how they are getting way better at the process. I fully vouch for this band and this record and I highly recommend you give them a shot as well. (Time To Operate, www.timetooperate.com)

URCHINS OF THE NIGHT, “Reentry”
So far this year hasn’t been amazing insofar as new music goes. There’s been some good stuff here and there, but nothing that really has gotten me really stoked. So finally, as we enter into May, I’m getting my first real surprise of a record that totally blows me away. Urchins Of the Night are some familiar faces (at least around these parts) doing a different thing. The group consists of the whole We the People lineup (as well as half of the core of Rejouissance as well as The NoJons) minus their singer, but instead of doing a more street punk/Oi oriented thing opts for a mid-80’s punk feel, a la Husker Du. Actually, this really sounds a lot like Husker Du. The method of recording even harkens back to that 80’s vibe with a lot of reverb on everything and could be mistaken for something that came out on SST that not even Greg Ginn knew he released. Each member takes turns on vocals as they pound out melodic punk rock with super catchy hooks layered over it all. These are all anthems through and through, and while I get the feeling people into more modern punk won’t get this the sound and the attitude is 100% there. Each song is full of sing-alongs and a vibe that sends shivers down my arms, and if you hear these songs and don’t feel that way too I feel sorry for you. Try spinning “Teenagers” or “On the Road” and tell me it doesn’t kick your ass. It certainly did for me and I think I’m going to go listen to this about 500 more times. (Time To Operate, www.timetooperate.com)

WHAT’S THE JAM #1
I can only imagine the amount of time that went into making each copy of this zine (of which there are apparently 75 copies). The copy I received has a cover made out of an old Beatles record cover with the title cut of felt and glued on. If this process was done for each copy... well, it puts my endeavors into DIY packaging to shame. The guts of this fun and easy-going read are basically all hand-written/drawn and feature little bits on shows attended, entertainers discussed (International Noise Conspiracy, and David Byrne- bonus points for that), recipes given, music reviewed (mostly older obscure 60’s pop), and opinions stated, all in a fun and carefree manner. While there is nothing groundbreaking going on here reading this will most certainly put a smile on your face and make you feel stoked on life. (whatsthejam@yahoo.com, myspace.com/whatsthejam)

ZINE YEARBOOK 9
The Zine Yearbook is assembled once a year by a rotating team of editors who basically cull snippets from hundreds of zines they get each year, compiling the best bits into a book. This year some of the folks at Microcosm were in charge of getting everything together and it’s, for the most part, a pretty entertaining array of material. Since I have no previous editions to base an opinion off of I’ll just say that I’m a bit curious as to how they decide on what to use? I’m under the impression that this is supposed to be a best of the best sort of thing, but in all honesty some of the material they chose is fairly lackluster. Some of it is wildly entertaining. Is it because they only selected material from submissions they received, or did they just pick and choose out of zines they were familiar with and liked? Granted, some of the zine material I wasn’t all that impressed with could be an overall good zine, but you just get a couple reprinted pages from each one, seeing as there are over 100 zines represented here. Some familiar ones like Avow, Invincible Summer, Doris, and Duplex Planet show up, but it’s the niche ones I’d never heard of (like QSL USA, Next Stop Adventure, Papercutter, and There Is a Danger) that piqued my interest . I enjoyed the Tom Gabel (Against Me!... whom I dislike) in Coffeebreath where he talks about living in hotels for a year and the history of anarchist mathematicians in One Way Ticket especially. The zine yearbook, I guess, serves as both a decent introduction to hundreds of zines that people may not have heard of, as well as a celebration of the ones that apparently thrilled the editors to no end. My only suggestion is to perhaps divide the space a little more evenly to other styles of zines rather than focusing mostly on perzines. (Microcosm, www.microcosmpublishing.com)

HOLY SHIT... THE RETURN OF ED GEIN!

FIRST SHOW IN TWO YEARS!
Current mood: stoked

Well, after almost exactly two years it looks like we're gonna do what bands do and play a show!

Sunday, June 14th, 2009

The 5th annual SHAUN LUU HORROR FEST

@ The Westcott Theatre

524 Westcott St.
Syracuse, NY
13210

Doors @ 1:00pm, All Ages, $10.00

(in alphabetical order)

ACHILLES (http:​/​/​www.​myspace.​com/​achilles)
ARCHITECT (http:​/​/​www.​myspace.​com/​architectkills)
BLACK SS (http:​/​/​www.​myspace.​com/​blackss)
CHRIST CRUSHER (new band, no website)
ED GEIN (http:​/​/​www.​myspace.​com/​edgeinband)
ENGINEER (http:​/​/​www.​myspace.​com/​engineercooldud​e)
MISTLETOE (http:​/​/​www.​myspace.​com/​mistletoe315)
OAK & BONE (http:​/​/​www.​myspace.​com/​oakandbone)
PHOENIX BODIES (http:​/​/​www.​myspace.​com/​phoenixbodies)
SULACO (http:​/​/​www.​myspace.​com/​sulaco)

If you live in the north east think about making a weekend trip out of this show! This is the second day of the fest. The first day (Saturday June 13th) is eight awesome movies on original 35mm film at a really cool old movie theatre! Come up and hang out in Syracuse for the weekend!

Check out www.​myspace.​com/​shaunluuhorrorf​est for more info!