White Collar Punk Rocker

Q&A with Orange

2010-02-23T11:37:00.003-05:00

You’d be hard pressed to find a more apt title for Orange’s latest record.

After months of band turmoil, setbacks and uncertainty they decided to go with Phoenix.
The LA-based pop-punk band, originally signed to the Hellcat label when they were just teens, saw the band nearly dissolve a year and a half ago when guitarists Perry Ladish and Brendan Minded walked away from the group just days apart from each other.

Singer/bassist Joe Dexter and drummer Zak Glosserman thought about walking away as well or changing the name and starting a new group entirely. But having invested seven years in Orange, the duo decided to recast and soldier on.

The result is their most impressive album yet. Less juvenile than the first two releases, but equally catching, Phoenix finds the band in prime form.

Dexter spoke recently about the near demise of Orange, the group’s new lineup and living with Cystic Fibrosis.

I’ve got to say, I’m glad to hear you guys are still around. I really liked the first two records and then I kept reading about band members leaving, so assumed the band had fallen apart.

I’m so happy to be back. The lineup we have right now is just phenomenal!

Well, let’s start off with what happened. You’re still here obviously and your drummer is still here. Is everyone else new?

Yeah, everyone else is new. Kind of what happened was Jack (Berglund) decided to leave the band about a year and a half ago, maybe longer, and quickly after John (was no longer in Orange either. So it all fell apart rather quickly in the span of about two weeks. Me and Zak were like “this is awful.” We lost both of our guitar players and we lost Michael a year before that.

Was it for different reasons? Did they just want to do different things?

They just wanted to do different things. I know Jack wanted to start his own band and John, I just think he knew he wasn’t a right fit. He was more into a lot more of the emo/metal kind of stuff. It was not gelling. We were really scared that Orange was gone and it kind of felt like we were finished. It was such a depressing time and there was one point when I thought we’ve been working for seven years at that time, we got a record deal really early and I’m trying to make my third record here and we cannot give up. Essentially what happened was, I just gave all the best guitar players that we meet across America while on tour a call and asked them to join Orange and they said yes.
That’s pretty cool.
It was really kind of organic and it didn’t take much of an effort. We all practiced in the same room together and it felt big. It felt special.

So where did Perry (Ladish, guitar) and Brendan (Minded, guitar) come from? Were they already in LA?

No, actually Brendan still to this day lives in Vegas with his two kids and his wife and Perry lives in Rancho Penasquitos, but he comes to LA quite often. I met him at a Hellcat (Records) Christmas party about two years before Jack left. I gave them a call and they were both over the moon to be joining Orange.

What have you found that they’ve added to the band? Do they bring in different influences or a different sound?

Oh hell yeah. Well first off they are both really fantastic guitar players, which in the past I always felt we had on one really good guitar player in the band and that was Jack. Perry went to college for about two years to study guitar, so he knows all these crazy chords and really cool techniques and Brendan, the lead guitar player, is one of the most fantastic musicians anyone could ever meet. If you listen to the record, every single one of the solos is improvised. They definitely bring elements of more professional musicians.

It seems like you are a lot more confident lyrically and musically on the new album.

For sure, that’s what we were going for. I love the first records, but for me they felt somewhat juvenile and I knew consciously that we wanted to do something larger than life, something you can listen to in 30 years and still relate. And still I wanted a very diverse and colorful record.

When you were going through the other members leaving did you and Zak ever think, let’s just forget about this or let’s start a completely different band?

Yeah, there was a point when the two guys had left when we felt that it was somewhat finished and we thought about starting something completely new. But I thought we just can’t let this happen. I’ve worked on this since we were 12 years old and I’ll be damned if I let this opportunity slip through my fingers. We kept going and I’m really thankful that I did.

What else can you tell me about the new record?

For me, I think it’s the definitive Orange record. It’s got something for every single person. Not all the songs sound the same and lyrically I really challenged myself and also musically. I knew that I wanted to paint with more colors than just red and blue. We created a really colorful, bright, inspirational record. I hope it doesn’t sound like we’re bragging. I’m just very happy with it.

Did you take a little more time on this one?

We did. The thing is, I write every single day. Writing for me is just a non-stop process. But with the actual recording process, we had Gavin MacKillop produce this one. He’s beyond professional; he’s a really legit producer. We spent about two months recording the whole things for a really good budget and he really hooked us up. Having that extra time allowed us to create a really solid and polished record and I’m really thankful it’s all in tune this time.

Listening to it, I keep coming back to the first song (“Each Other”). What can you tell me about that one?

That song I wrote about living with having an illness like cystic fibrosis and also trying to deal with being a professional touring musician. It’s about life and mixing music with health – which comes first? It also brings in the element of relaying on your friends during hard times. It’s about my lifestyle and dealing with having a disease and being a professional, touring musician.
You can be in absolute prefect health and still get torn down from constant touring.

When you first started touring you were younger and I’m assuming you took full advantage of being out on the road. Do you find you take better care of yourself now on tour?

Absolutely. For the first couple of tours my dad went out with us because he was also our manager for years. He would look after me and it was a pretty good situation because he would look after all of the medical issues and I would kind of focus on having fun and putting on a good show. But nowadays, we’re a lot older, we’re on this tour alone and I’m taking care of myself completely and I’ve found I’m very on top of my game. I take really good care of myself. If I don’t, that jeopardizes the tour and the band. It’s a commitment.

I also found your choice of the Lou Reed cover (“Perfect Day”) on the record as interesting. Did you plan all along to record that song or was it added on at the end?

Yeah man, it was actually pretty random. We started recording the record and it was about three days into it and our producer Gavin turned around and said “Have you ever thought about covering a song”? We’d done that on our past record, so I reeled off a list of songs that I had in mind and he said “These are ok, but have you ever thought about covering ‘Perfect Day’”? There was just this energy surge in the room and Perry got up out of his chair and “Dude that would be amazing.” It was almost kind of meant to be. The idea just struck Gavin out of nowhere and as soon as he said it a light bulb went off.

It came off great and it’s also not an obvious choice.

Yeah, that’s why I was so happy about it. We really wanted to create a diverse record, not just another pop punk record, but one with elements of other genres.

Well, those are all the questions I had. Anything else you wanted to add?

Yeah, I don’t mind if the kids download our stuff for free or go and buy the record, I just want as many people as possible to just go and check this album out because I am just so proud of it. It’s the definitive Orange record. Whether you’re on old school fan or just getting into us, this is the Orange record to own.

Chad Price Q&A

2010-01-21T12:56:00.002-05:00

Chad Price has had a pretty impressive career so far. As front man for the pop-punk band All, he helped inspire a slew of teens to write three minute punk songs. He then took time to stand in the spotlight as singer for the equally influential alt country band Drag the River.

Price has just added another line to his growing resume: Solo singer/songwriter.

He took time recently to speak about going it alone, the future of Drag the River and why John Denver is responsible for punk rockers picking up acoustic guitars.

So why did it take so long for you to finally put out a solo record? How long have you been thinking about putting one out?

I never really thought about doing a solo record until the drag breakup, hiatus, whatever you want to call it. After that happened I suddenly had a lot of free time. I started playing shows by myself and writing new songs so I didn’t have to play Drag songs. Even after I had been playing solo and had all these new songs I still didn’t think about putting out a record until Virgil (Dickerson) from Suburban Home started courting me. I guess you could say, so from the time he talked to me about it to the time it came out wasn't long at all.

Is it more intimidating knowing that it is just you this time around and not a full band effort?

I guess the intimidating thing is playing live. After years of always having at least three other people onstage with me ,now if something goes wrong there's no one else to blame. But the freedom that comes with playing alone is well worth it and I am someone with an extreme case of stage fright.

So why are so many punk rockers drawn to very personal, acoustic records?

I guess the punkers are drawn to it, at least the ones I know, because that's what they grew up on. I mean, John Denver was always on the radio, Kris Kristofferson, other folks like that. For the young punks, I don’t know that they do like it. Another thing ,I guess, is that both styles are just very honest.

Do you ever miss plugging in and playing really loud, fast punk music?

I do not miss playing loud, fast music. I'm now doing what I've always wanted to do, but just took a long time to do it. Running around, singing or screaming as hard as I can is too much work for an old man… at least this old man.

Have you been able to play a lot of the songs off the new solo record live yet?

I've been playing a lot of solo shows around Colorado and Wyoming and I play only songs from my record. Drag just did a leg of the Revival Tour with Chuck Ragan and I got to play at least one each night, but I've been too busy lately to get out and start touring… but that is coming soon.

Are there any songs in particular that you are really proud of on Smile Sweet Face?

I'm proud of everything on the record. It came out almost exactly as I had planned. People might disagree but I think these are the strongest songs I've written so far.

So just how long have you been working on these songs?

I started writing these songs probably about two years ago and wrote the final one the day before I started recording… like "Going Away" is the oldest and "With Bleeding Wrists" just barely got written. I'm glad it did though.

So, I have to ask this one; do you see Drag the River recording again anytime soon?

I'm sure Drag will record again but not anytime soon. Me and Jon (Snodgrass) still have songs that were written for Drag but never got recorded. I imagine we'll try to do more collaborating on the new one but I'm in no hurry.

What else are you working on?

All I'm doing right now is some Drag touring and working on a solo tour.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Keep an eye out for the solo extravaganza… tour, that is.

Mean Jeans open up

2009-12-18T15:29:00.002-05:00

The Ramones may not have put out an album in the past 15 years, but their protégés may have just surfaced in Portland.

The Mean Jeans - with Jeans Wilder on drums/vocals, Billy Jeans on guitar/vocals and Jean Jeans on bass – play snotty, poppy punk rock in the vein of New York’s finest.

With their debut just out on Dirtnap, two of the three were kind enough to answer a few questions via e-mail recently.

BJ = Billy Jeans and JW = Jeans Wilder

How did the band first get together and why the move from D.C. to Portland?

JW: While recording some hot rap jams, we both realized our true calling was more Riverdales related. So while drinking those big Red Stripes from 7-11 on my front porch I told BJ to come over the next day and we would kick out the jams. He showed up, I sat at the drums, he blasted some chords out on the geetar, and we sang what became "Party Animal" on top of that. Then I was getting kicked out of my house and he was bored where we were at so..... Hello Portland.

BJ: Me and Jeans were chilling hard in his mom’s basement in late 2006, eating macaroni and
twerking on a miracle. We wrote a song called "Party Animal" that is actually on our new Dirtnap record. We were doing literally nothing with our crummy lives so we decided to write more party songs and move to Portland.

Portland obviously has a strong indie scene. How's the punk scene there?

BJ: We play pop punk music, which is not necessarily a common or respected practice in 2009. We don't seek out bands who have a similar sound to shred with, but as far as killer bands with killer vibes, Portland is righteous. White Fang, The Flip Tops, The Whines, Meth Teeth, Organized Sports, The Bugs, Therapists, Pure Country Gold - they are all totally different and they all totally wail.

JW: Don't forget Dooom Patrol. Gotta rep all the roommates' bands ya know. That’s how the Communists would do it. Equal rights for everybody, like Peter Tosh said (and he had an AK-47 guitar so you can't fuk wit dat).

What can you tell me about "Are You Serious"?

BJ: Are you serious? Have you ever been serious? Cuz I haven't. Are You Serious is a 90 MPH Astroglide Slip N' Slide through Keanu Reeves' butthole. To jam the record is to go toobin down the Slime Pipeline with Malibu the American Gladiator, a couple of beautiful babes and a case of 30 Stones; someone is bound to spew, but it'll be worth the ride. The songs are short and fast and mostly about partying.

JW: Yeah, what he said.

You guys obviously have an affinity for The Ramones. Do you have any musical inspirations that would surprise people?

BJ: Feargal Sharkey, Angry Youth Comix, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (the Hanna Barbera animated series), Keanu Reeves' band (Dogshit or somethin?).

JW: Billy Ocean, Eddy Grant, Men at Twerk, Men Without Jimmy Hats. Oh and Carl Sagan's the Cosmos (the music, the outfits, the eyebrows).

How did you end up on Dirtnap?

BJ: I was buying a Surf Punks record and Ken Dirtnap asked if we wanted to do a 7 inch. I said shit yea!

JW: Ken's wife made him sign us. Whha-pishhh (whip noise).

Do you plan to do much touring behind this record? Is it tough to find time to get away to tour?

JW: We will tour anywhere, anytime, anyplace, anyways, if somebody organizes it for us. As soon as I wake up early enough to catch the 3 pm deadline for passport renewal at the post office, then we're going to go to Vancouver, BC to play a rad pizza party. Now is the time to do it, before I start my residency at the Geneva Center for Butt Cancer. (The legendary GCBC's).

BJ: We struggle with getting our shoes off before bed and finding food, but tours are in the works. We have some good Portland and Seattle shows booked in December, a bunch with the Cowabunga Babes from Austin.

What's next for the band?

BJ: We are gonna make more party records. We are doing a cassette release with Gnar Tapes N Shit. We hope to do an animated series about the misadventures of three time traveling slackers.

JW: Working on an instructional video on how to party. Hard.

As Tall As Lions Q&A

2009-12-09T20:47:00.004-05:00

After a miserable experience recording their latest record – including three producers and a near breakup – followed by a tour fraught with van breakdowns and health problems, As Tall As Lions are finally on the right path.

The album You Can’t Take it With You turned out better than imagined and the tour with MuteMath still had some great moments.

While the thought of recording their next record still causes guitarist Saen Fitzgerald to shiver, he took the time to answer a few questions about the new record, finding their groove and seeing Kiss up close.

How was the tour with MuteMath?

The tour was a roller coaster of bad luck and great experiences. Our trailer broke down just shy of a million times, and Dan (Nigro), our lead singer, had to miss a good amount of shows due to doctor prescribed vocal rest. On top of that it was the longest stretch of tour we have ever done. There was no break in between MuteMath and the previous tour with Rx Bandits/Dredg. No matter how much you love your band mates, it's hard not to squabble when every moment of the day is spent with them. We definitely learned a lot. It wasn't all-bad though. I'd say our biggest and best shows were on that tour. Even the shows without Dan gave the boys and I the opportunity to be creative with our instrumental and improvisational sets. Not to mention MuteMath were some of the most talented, genuine guys I have had the pleasure to tour with.

You guys also played Voodoo Fest this year. How was that?

It was a trip. Just being in New Orleans on Halloween is enough reason for excitement. The only downside was playing in the morning after an overnight drive. We arrived at the show and immediately loaded onto the stage and played. I thought we were a mess, but looking out into the crowd made me realize the previous Friday night had made everyone that way. I did get to see KISS up close. I'm not a fan but everyone told me to check them out for their kitsch value. It was very funny. I heard they had four fire marshals onstage due to all the pyrotechnics. I spent the rest of the night on Bourbon St. and caught The Flaming Lips the next day. All in all it was a great time and I hope we get invited back next year.

What can you tell me about making You Can't Take it With You?

It was the hardest thing we ever had to do. Even the writing process became grueling. We tried to go about the whole thing in a different way, and like most things in life when you do that you make mistakes and learn along the way. It was just test after test and black cloud after black cloud. We caught the whole thing on camera and released it as a DVD to coincide with the record. We thought that fans would get more out of the album if they knew the story behind it.

You had a number of producers lined up to make this record. Why do you think it was harder to write/record this one?

Well we knew we wanted to make a different kind of record. We had done our previous EP and LP with our good friend and producer Mike Watts. We thought to achieve this new sound we would need to find someone different to push us out of our comfort zone. This led to an endless search for the "perfect" producer that lasted almost a year. We finally found a guy out in California, so we rented studio time and a house for us all to live in. We fell into negotiation issues that soured our relationship with said producer and he pulled out of the project a week before we were scheduled to record. We scattered to find another guy in California, and after a quick but thorough search we found who we thought was the best candidate. He had worked on some of our favorite records and had a unique style that excited us. After two weeks of tracking we were unsatisfied with the sonic quality of what he was achieving and unfortunately had to part ways. We were left in California with half the time and half the original budget to work with.

Who ended up producing the record?

A lovely man named Noah Shain. He saved the record, and in my mind, is the one responsible for its existence. He hustled and busted his ass; working all through the night to make sure everything got done. His attitude and work ethic was inspiring. After losing two producers in a row, we had a bad taste in our mouths. There was a very good chance that if we had gone with someone other than Noah, we wouldn't have gone through with making the album.

I read somewhere that the band almost broke up a few time working on this album. What do you think kept you from ultimately splitting up?

(Laughs) I have no idea. Maybe it was just the concept of the greater good. We had faith that what we were trying to accomplish was good, and that these problems were just temporary setbacks. Though, when the problems kept happening and happening, it really got to us. In order to stay together, there had to be a sense of camaraderie between us. We were soldiers in the mud, and we were just trying to keep our band alive. Looking back on it now I'm very proud of us. We went through a lot of shit and I'm surprised we came out of it, all limbs intact.

Is there a theme to the songs on this record?

There is a loose one, but I wouldn't consider it a concept record. We came up with the album title before writing most of the songs. Everything was underneath the general "you can't take it with you" umbrella. We thought that songs about making money, love and loss, and a lot the "human condition" lyrical content all fit together.

Despite all that you went through, are you pleased with how the album came out?

Very much so. I look at it as our selfish album. A lot of people were trying to freak us out by saying things like, "Your self-titled album was great and a lot of people loved it. You have to make sure whatever you do next is that much more successful or you're screwed." I don't subscribe to that line of thought. We have always made music for ourselves and are astounded when other people like it. I think we were much more conscious about trying to make a "successful" record during the self-titled sessions. We had conversations about trying to write these three-minute pop songs that were disguised in reverb and crazy drum patterns. I think we were trying to make up for dropping the ball on our first LP. I don't remember talking about anything when we made You Can't Take It With You. We did a lot of individual song writing this time around. Looking back, I feel like we were trying to impress each other and write songs we thought the other guys would be turned on by. That's probably why it's all over the place.

Do you have any dread thinking about the next record?

Yeah, in a lot of ways I do. It took us nine months to write and record the self-titled LP. After that we told each other we couldn't bear taking that long again. When it took us about a year to do this one, we were all very frustrated. I tried to convince the guys to record You Can't Take It With You by ourselves, but they thought a producer was needed. I think we are all on the level now. I guess we'll wait and see. I wouldn't be surprised if we wrote and recorded a self produced double album in a week or if we spent the next two years working on a follow up EP. If history teaches us anything, then it will probably be the latter.

What's next for the band?

We are releasing a 7" in the UK that we are all very excited about. It’s just a single for “Circles” with a few songs from You Can’t Take It With You, a song from As Tall As Lions, and a new B-side called “I Could Die Here.” We go over there in early December to support it, opening up for Frightened Rabbit in Scotland and Athlete in England. After that we are planning to head to Costa Rica in January to film a live DVD of us playing acoustic versions of our songs in various locations throughout the country. We will probably take February off and start a U.S. headline in either March or April.

The Scarred Q&A

2009-11-04T14:28:00.003-05:00

Anaheim CA’s The Scarred seems a little out of place in the current world of punk rock.
They play gritty street punk more reminiscent of bands like Stiff Little Fingers and The Briefs than of the Autotune dependent teens that seem to have stolen the punk banner. Even their look, Clash-inspired messaged work shirts and massive Mohawks draw stronger comparisons to the old scene than the skinny jeans wearing modern hair bands.

Scanning the band’s merch table for a neon t-shirt? You’re shit out of luck.
The Scarred, fronted and founded by guitarist/vocalist Justin Willits, is among the last of the breed: punk rockers that put music over money.

The band would have been forgiven for throwing the towel in years ago. In true DIY fashion, they put out their debut on their own label and followed it up with the fantastically-received No Solution on Punk Core Records. The band was mid tour when they got word that their label had imploded leaving them stranded in the middle of America.

Deep in debt and more than a little pissed, the band regrouped and decided to soldier on.
The result is At Half Mast, their strongest effort to date. Released on a new label, Basement Records, with a new line up, the band is currently playing a slew of shows in throughout California.

Willits was kind enough to take some questions recently about the band, crappy scenes and being a punk rock dad.

You mentioned you have a son. I have two little girls. Has being a father changed you and your wife at all?

A lot! I see the world from a completely different perspective now. It's funny how silly a lot of what I thought I was angry about in my life seems now. But it's also funny that I'm angry about a lot of new things. I want my kid to have a future. I don't want him to have the same problems I have. Being truly 100 percent responsible for another human life, and not just physically, but emotionally, completely changes you if you have the basic decency to stick around and try to make it work. A lot of people don't anymore. They're too selfish, self absorbed, and hollow. It takes a lot of selflessness to raise a kid.

Has it made you rethink anything you do with the band?

Nope. If anything it's what keeps me going. Not because it's ever made me a dime, but because it's what I do. We're the last gang in town man. I'm not going to bury my head in the sand yet so my son can grow up thinking I'm a quitter. So I have to exhaust every possible option and push forward as far as I can go. Then at that point worry about rethinking things, you know? I have a lot farther to push first before I give up. And not to prove something to him as much as prove something to myself. That's why I'm here. We have an all new lineup and a new sense of purpose now, and I feel more ready than ever. I'm ready to write and record a new album already.

Are you ready to take him on the road yet?

We've taken him to a few shows but get this: The bars will not let us have him there because he's not 21. Like he's going to have a drink or something! And we can't just leave him in the van with someone all night, or cold parking lots, and we can't afford hotels when we go out. So no, taking him is impossible. But when he's older I'll take him for sure.

Things have certainly changed between records, so how was the writing/recording process with the new record different than the last?

More than half of these songs were written to be on a follow up to “No Solution” that should have been recorded almost three years ago. But I'd say to anyone interested in the writing process to listen to the Lyrics closely, which will be up at TheScarred.com

Your last label shut down just as you were about to get to work on what would become “Half-Mast”. How did you guys react to the news?

We were in the middle of recording an album which had already been delayed a year with the baby and everything. So it literally killed all momentum for us. I don't remember feeling anything. Just numb. I still love the guys who run the label but it was definitely bad timing for us, yeah for sure. We were in so much debt at that point we could not afford to release a record on our own. And we were in debt because we were trying to promote “No Solution” and lay the groundwork for the next album. If someone goes balls out for us, we go balls out for them. And we toured HARD that year. I put 100,000 miles on my van in one year (2006)... That's like someone else's car's entire lifespan. So yeah, it sucked but what was worse than the news itself was realizing we were dead in the water.

How scary was that, knowing that you and your wife had a baby on the way and then your label shuts down?

Not for that reason no. Punk Core(Records) never paid us any money. People have this mistaken impression that any band that was on punk core made money. Yeah right! I don't know of anyone who got paid on Punk Core, but I know a lot of bands who owe Punk Core money, including us. We were upset and frustrated because we invested so much time with the impression that we'd do three albums, so when we found out there wouldn't be any more releases after only one album, it was like someone took the floor out from under us.

Is the song "Medicate Me" autobiographical at all?

One hundred percent.

Is it tough to find time to get away to tour?

Yeah, sort of. If people want us on tour than they need to help us by talking to their local promoters. Find out whose running shows and tell them who you want to see. Write a zine, promote the bands you like to other people, even if they aren't punk. Help your scene. Then you'll start to see bands touring a lot more again. In our case, I can't just leave my wife and kid at home to go play with myself. If I can see people want us to come play their towns then we'll be on the road in a heartbeat. But when everyone's letting their scene go to hell and they don't care about their own town, what the hell do I want to come to their town for, you know? When people care, even just a few people, it can make a huge difference! If just a few kids stopped being apathetic it can turn an entire town around.

Q&A with The Bomb

2009-09-29T14:17:00.013-04:00

When Naked Raygun frontman Jeff Pezzati put together his post NR band The Bomb, he was undoubtedly under a massive amount of scrutiny.

Like a punk rock Paul McCartney moving on to Wings or Johnny Rotten starting PIL - comparisons to his beloved, and highly influential first band were inevitable.

The Bomb are clearly nobody's version of Wings.

For about a decade now the Chicago band, comprised of Pezzati, guitarist Jeff Dean (The Story So Far,Tomorrows Gone), bassist Pete Mittler and drummer Mike Soucy (both from The Methadones), have been churning out amazing punk rock. Their latest "Speed is Everything" may just be their best record yet in an already impressive career.

Guitarist Jeff Dean was kind enough to put up with a handful of questions about the new record, working with J Robbins and punk rock supergroups.

So you guys are in a number of different bands. Does that make The Bomb a supergroup? A side project? Or a full-fleged band?

I don't know if you would call us a "supergroup", but we are a full on band. (Jeff) Pezzati started the band in 1999, and with the exception of us taking a break for about a year,the band has been active since it started.

So do your other bands get jealous when you spend time with another group?

No way! We are all good friends, and I think we all manage our time wisely. I have a lot more time on my hands to work with than the other guys, so I'm able to play in more bands than everyone else, but there is never any jealousy or anything like that.

How did you get J. Robbins to record the album? What was he like to work with?

J has recorded our last two records, so when we were getting ready to record our previous record"Indecision"there was a lot of talk about who we wanted to do it. I've always been a fan of J's bands as well as his producing/recording. Pezzati and J have been friends since when NR (Naked Raygun) and GI (Government Issue) played shows together back in the 80's, so it just made sense to get him on board. I gave him a call and he was really into the idea. J. is hands down my favorite engineer I've ever recorded with! When we were recording "Indecision", all of us got along so well, and he could understand where we were coming from with ideas, etc. We just clicked. So, that is why J will be the only one to record our albums as long as we are a band. At this point, he almost feels like the 5th member! Ha, ha!

Who else is on the album?

This record was a real collaboration between all of us. I still write the majority of the music, with Pezzati writing most of thew lyrics. But, this time everyone in the band contributed,as did J. He wrote the music for one of the songs on the record. J also did back ups on a lot of the songs too. Dan Yemin (Paint it Black, Lifetime) did vocals on one of the songs,as did Bob Nanna (Braid).

How long did it take to record "Speed is Everything"?

We recorded all of the music and most of the vocals in about six days here in Chicago at a studio owned by my friend Andy Gerber called "Million Yen". Then about a month later, Pezzati and I flew out to Baltimore to mix it and add some additional vocals at J's studio "Magpie Cage" I think we were there for five days.

What's next for the band?

We are actually doing a East coast tour at the end of Oct. with it ending at "The Fest" in Gainesville. Then Pezzati and I are flying out to California to play two acoustic shows on Nov.21 and 22. Its a benefit that my friend Joe Nelson is putting together. We are playing with HR from the Bad Brains, Walter from Quicksand/Rival Schools, and a couple other people. Everyone is playing acoustic, plus its an art show as well. Should be a lot fun. After that, we are going to try and do a European tour in the spring, then maybe work on some new songs.

Anything else you want to add?

I guess that I hope people check out the new record "Speed is Everything". All of us are really proud of it, and if you are a fan of our band or Naked Raygun or whatever, I think you will enjoy it.

The Dear Hunter Video

2009-09-14T14:13:00.003-04:00

The criminally-underrated band Dear Hunter are about to go on tour.

Here's a video update from the band.

Chicago Punk Rock Doc

2009-09-10T16:31:00.003-04:00

The documentary You Weren't There: A History of Chicago Punk 1977-84 is getting great reviews and coming out on DVD shortly.

It's a look at Chi-town's underground music scene (note to NY and LA... you weren't the only ones).

Here's a the trailer:

You Weren't There: A History of Chicago Punk 1977-1984 from factory twenty five on Vimeo.

Westbound Train

2009-09-03T12:01:00.002-04:00

Boston’s Westbound Train certainly didn’t invent ska and reggae, but they sure as hell have managed to put their stamp on the genres.

Four records and eight years in, the seven piece has figured out how to blend classic American Soul to the Caribbean genres, bringing the echoes of bands like The Specials and The Skatalites to a generation of kids who thought Goldfinger and Reel Big Fish were the Alpha and Omega of ska.

The band is about to release Come and Get It, an album that front man Obi Fernandez describes as his favorite so far.
Fernandez spoke with InSite recently about what makes this new record different from the others, new line up changes and a summer plans that include plenty of BBQ.
What can you tell me about the new album?

We are all very excited about the new album. Everything that went into making the record seemed to happen completely natural and organic. We recorded at Sea Side Lounge Studios in Brooklyn, NY and just fell in love with the place as well as the people there. Dave Hillyard of The Slackers came on to produce the album and that was just amazing. He knew exactly where we were headed and didn't let us lose any focus on the sound and the vibe of the record that. The record has tons of soul influence. Old Stax and Motown have always been a part of what we do but on this record we actually recorded some straight up soul tunes. Come and Get It has definitely been my favorite album to make. We did it live over the span of about two weeks. No matter what you are into this album has something for everyone. Fifteen songs that will hopefully get ya party feeling great.

This is your fourth record. Has writing the albums gotten any easier?

Well, you always try to keep writing but I think it does seem to get a bit easier as you go. I think with this record I've really found my voice and have a much easier time communicating what I want to say. The more you write and with each record you put out it seems like each record gets more and more honest. Probably because you've just seen more of the world, lived a little more life. Touring enables you to have this enormous canvas of experiences to paint about.

You guys were on the road a lot after Transitions. Did you take any time off before working on the new one?

We did take time off before making this record. We were just going non stop and needed to take a break. We needed to charge up and make a couple changes to our roster. We'd been spending so much time together and going through a bunch of rough times together that everyone needed to just step out of the situation in order to think about things a little more clearly. We needed to sit in a room and hash a lot of things out and at the end of look at one another and be like "Wait a minute these dudes are my friends first not my colleagues". After we were able to work out the kinks the next thing to do was start writing a new album. It was really great to go through that and start writing for a new record because it really just brought us closer together. We were stronger now, so we really went into this project together and focused on making great music. We didn't have to worry about submitting for tours, van calls, what were our next 10 steps... For the first time in a long time it was just purely about the music.

You mentioned some changes to your roster.

Yeah we picked up Eric Novod and Luke Penella since Transitions. Both people are incredible people and add to the dynamic greatly on and off stage. Eric is a huge soul and jazz fan and when he came into the band our sound just changed automatically. He played a really huge part in allowing us to go into that soul direction that we've been wanting to go in for so long. Luke is an incredible sax player and one of the funniest dudes you will ever meet. Having the both of them has allowed us to really step up our game. They both bring such an arsenal of talent that totally forces everyone to always bring their A game.

You guys have toured with some amazing ska and reggae bands like the Skatalites and The Toasters. Ever get intimidated at all playing with these bands?

I've been intimidated before but in the way that it just inspires you to want to give you absolute best. Bands like that that have really carved out a path and in all that we do we want to be completely respectful of those who came before us. The Skatalites are probably one of the bands we listen to the most. If it weren't for them we would be even further away from nailing the style of music that we play.

Anything else you want to add?

We just want to make music for everyone regardless of what you are into. We want to show people a great time and set off dance parties all over the world. Please pick up our new record Come and Get It. Be sure to keep visiting www.myspace.com/westboundtrain and http://www.westboundtrain.net/.

Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground - New Record

2009-08-11T10:06:00.003-04:00

Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground, the new band from a couple of former Gatsbys American Dream members, has just finished their new record. Trust me, it's great!

The band has decided to stream the entire album on their Myspace page on Friday, August 14th.

Kirk wrote the following on their Myspace blog:
"Through triumph and tragedy we are pleased to announce that our new record is done!we are still developing the release schedule, but since we all collectively feel like big stinky ass-holes for leaving all of you waiting for such an extended period of time to hear everything, we've decided to stream the whole damn record come Friday right here on the old myspace page."

Still no word on who will be releasing it, (they'd be perfect for Suburban Home, if anyone cares).

Girl in a Coma Video

2009-07-30T16:39:00.003-04:00

Great band from San Antonio, Girl in a Coma is signed to Joan Jett's label Blackheart records.

Here's Girl in a Coma's "Static Mind":

The Girls' Guide to Rocking

2009-07-15T10:01:00.006-04:00

When Joan Jett gives your book a blurb for the front cover you know you're doing something right.

Writer and music critic Jessica Hopper has just put out a great book for all aspiring rockergrrrls: The Girls' Guide to Rocking.

The book is practically a life manual for becoming the next rock goddess, covering everything from picking the right instrument to booking shows. Easy to read with practical advice.

I'm thinking about reading this to my 2-year-old daughter before I put her to bed tonight. Much more useful than Good Night Moon.

Hopper is currently in the middle of what looks to be a pretty exhaustive book tour. Here are the dates:

7/13 Portland, OR @ Powells on Hawthorne 7:30 pm
7/14 Seattle, WA @ Vera Project 7:30
7/15 Santa Monica, CA @ Public Library 2 pm (w/Mika Miko)--outdoor show!
7/15 Los Angeles, CA @ Skylight Books 7:30 pm
7/16 Minneapolis, MN @ Magers & Quinn 7:30 (w/ Laurie Lindeen)
7/19 Exton, PA @ Barnes & Noble 2 pm
7/19 Philly PA @ T and P Gallery 6:30 pm (1143 s. 9th)
7/22 New York City @ Barnes & Noble (396 Ave of the Americas at 8th St.)
7/23 Providence RI @ AS220 7 pm
7/30 Chicago, IL @ YouMedia Center @ Harold Washington Library book talk and interactive session 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m
8/19 Oak Park, IL @ Oak Park Public Library 7 p.m., reading & concert w/ Katie Stelmanis (all-ages, free)
8/20 Cleveland OH @ Visible Voice (early bookstore event)
8/20 Cleveland, OH @ Happy Dog Bar (5801 Detroit Ave) Katie Stelmanis & Ghost Bees & me DJ-ing (9 p.m., $4, all-ages)
8/21 Pittsburgh @ Garfield Art Works w/ Katie Stelmanis & Ghost Bees (6:30 doors, reading, bands & dance party, all-ages)
8/22 Brooklyn, NY @ Littlefield w/ These Are Powers & Katie Stelmanis & more bands TBA me & DJ's MNDR & L-Train. ($7, 6 pm, 16+)
8/23 Baltimore TBA w/ w/ Katie Stelmanis
8/24 Washington DC @ Comet Pizza w/ Katie Stelmanis & Ghost Bees & more (9pm, all-ages)8/25 Chapel Hill, NC @ Nightlight w/ Katie Stelmanis & Ghost Bees & Curtains of Night (all-ages)
8/26 Nashville, TN @ Grimey's w/Katie Stelmanis (6 pm, all ages, free.)
8/27 Champaign-Urbana, IL @ The Red Herring w/ Katie Stelmanis & Ghost Bees (7 pm, all-ages, $3-5)
8/28 Bloomington, IN @ Boxcar Books & Community Center w/ Katie Stelmanis & Ghost Bees (free, all-ages)
8/29 Chicago @ Hideout w/ Katie Stelmanis & Ghost Bees & Girls Rock Chicago camper bands 1-4 pm ($4 kids, $7 adults)

Left Alone Q&A

2009-07-02T11:06:00.006-04:00

There are really only three guys named Elvis worth knowing. There’s the one who died about three decades ago, the one married to that hot blues singer and Elvis Cortez, the founder and front man of Left Alone, the phenomenally catchy punk ska band from Wilmington, CA.

After nearly three years on the road nonstop, Cortez put the band on hold briefly to work on some new songs. The hiatus was thankfully short lived and, with a new bassist and drummer, he reassembled Left Alone and managed to record quite possibly the best record in their already impressive cannon.

With the new album out, Cortez was kind enough to answer a few questions.

What can you tell me about the new record? How does it compare to the first two?

Our new record has a new tighter sound as a band. We moved into the studio (something we had never done) and worked on it there, that changed everything from the process of writing to even mixing the album. We had a lot of time to work on the album with no distractions. The songs are stronger in every way and that pushed the record into a new direction. Every song to me seems to complement each other and the whole album seems to be the most cohesive record we have done. This record, as compared to the last two, seems to be better written both musically and lyrically. I really feel I went out into new directions with both and it worked.

Were you listening to anything in particular when writing this album that may have influenced the sound?

I was just listening to the classics Op Ivy, The Clash, stuff like that. Nothing too crazy that would make us bring out a string orchestra or something like that. I usually don't get influenced by stuff I listen to when working on a record.

Any songs in particular that you're especially proud of?

I think "Bombs Away" because it’s a political song lyrically and that’s something I have never done. It felt good to take a look around and put it down on paper the way I see it.

Any guests on this record?

No. Last record we had Tim Armstrong and Patricia Day of the Horrorpops and that was insane, but this time we kept it in the band. Well, we did have our buddy Pablo Fiasco from Baltimore fly in to do a few organ tracks. He always works on our records.

You guys took some time off before recording this album - do you think that helped with writing the record?

It really helped in a lot of ways. From the time we got signed in ‘05 till Feb. 08 we were on the road and that was rad, but after two records in with Hellcat in what it seems to me in my mind of like a year span, I just had to pull back and take a breather and enjoy it. Plus I got a 1963 Chevy Nova and I wanted to drive it, not just park it and be on tour. The time off also helped me solidify the new lineup.

You also went on tour with The Unseen during the break. How was that?

Yup, about two months after my "break" from touring Mark Unseen called and was like "Yo, you wanna play bass for a few tours?" and before I even asked “where? When? Anything.” I was like Hell yeah! The Unseen dudes are great so I jumped on that one quick. So Left Alone took a break (but) I didn't. I left on tour from March till June. That was so much fun, to only play bass; no business no nothing just play bass and, well, get ripped every night with Pat and Scot.

You mentioned the new line up. You've got a new drummer and bass player. How did you recruit Kiel and Nick? Do they change the band's sound at all?

I Met Nick Danger when we toured Hawaii, his home, and he heard we were looking for a new bass player he hit me up. His other band while he was on tour was breaking up so he started learning our songs while on tour and when he came to Wilmington the first day I knew he was the guy. He plays so great and is down to tour and is a Vegan. His bass playing really fills out our songs like never before. I only play about three chords and it’s really nice to have a bass player who can back ya like that. Cobra Kiel, on the other hand, we just hit up for a Europe tour as a fill in but the tour got cancelled and since he was done with his other band he joined at the perfect time. I have known Kiel for a few years now and have always thought he was a great drummer. With these two new guys to me it seems the pieces I have always been looking for to finish the puzzle have finally come together. I can say the band has never sounded so tight and been so ready!

You released a bunch of EPs and singles before signing to Hellcat. Have most of those songs surfaced on other records or do you plan to re-release them in the future?

They are on Smelvis, my label but eventually I’d like them to be out on Hellcat. A lot is the early years’ stuff which is cool because when I get into the band, the early stuff seems to get my attention. So maybe in the future we will re-release everything on a double CD or something.

You're on the road a lot and play with a bunch of regional bands - any band you've discovered on tour that's worth watching out for?

I’d say China Wife Motors from Japan, Random Hand from the UK. In the states Forty Lashes, the howlers and the Shoplifters.

Anything else you want to add?

Yeah. Thank you for your time and people please support true D.I.Y bands and labels. Right now time are tough for dreamers so we need all the help we can get

Q&A with Tiny Animals

2009-06-23T14:43:00.007-04:00

Great pop songs, sibling rivalry and plenty of bad puns. All and all a pretty decent interview with Brooklyn's Tiny Animals (the trendy address aside, don't call them indie kids).

How and when did the band first get together?

Well, we could just give you a date on which the great conjunction occurred, but the story goes much deeper than that. It's basically a family affair. Rita and Chris have been playing music together since childhood. Much like Tiger Woods or Michael Jackson, our father urged/taught/forced us to play guitar and drums so that he could join in on bass guitar. Approximately 16 years later we met Anton (a sufficient replacement for our father), who then became a part of Chris' first band, Fighterpilot. He was called upon to complete the power trio that is now known throughout the universe as Tiny Animals.

As someone with two sisters, how difficult is it to be in a band with your sibling? Any Kinks or Oasis style fights yet?

Yes, Rita and Chris fight constantly. Physical violence is very common. OK, that's a lie. The truth is that we are deathly afraid of Rita. Her biceps are comparable to Arnold Schwarzenegger's circa 1980. So, in order to avoid unwanted brutality we resort to therapeutic discussions, rather than an onstage bloodbath.

What can you tell me about the new record?

Well, we would like to take this opportunity to clear something up. This is not an "indie rock" album. It seems that publications are incapable of reviewing it without trying to pinpoint exactly which specific brand of indie rock we are offering. They either praise us for being indie rockers with a refreshing pop-edge or they bash us for sounding too mainstream for an indie rock trio. Why can't people just call our music what it is...POP ROCK! What exactly makes people think we are playing indie rock? We certainly don't sound "indie". We are signed to a record label (plug: North Street Records). We drive around in Bentleys. We live in Brooklyn....oh wait, maybe that's why. DAMNIT!

Is there a general theme to the songs?

The general theme is total awesomeness. Eh? Seriously though, there is no underlying theme to Sweet Sweetness. But fear not, album number two is already in the works and it is a full on concept album. We can't yet reveal the concept of course, so just let the anticipation simmer.

How were the songs written? Did someone bring in the lyrics and the music was built around them or was it all done more collaboratively?

Ten of the 11 original tracks on the album were written by Chris on his own and then arranged/perfected/tailored in rehearsal by all three of us. “Goodbye July” is the one song on Sweet Sweetness which was a truly collaborative effort. We enjoy playing it so much that we have decided to do a lot more composing as a group. If it doesn't work, we will hire a ghost writer for the next album.

Do you share similar musical influences?

Not really. While there is some common ground, Chris' favorite band is Hanson, Rita mostly listens to whale sounds, and Anton gets most of his influences from 1980's TV theme songs. (Note: Some of this sentence is actually true. You decide what part!)

Anything in particular you were all listening to when writing the record that had an influence on the sound?

No, but during the drum sessions we did watch Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. We'll have to go back and take a listen to find out if there are any direct influences or plagiarisms. We may have lifted a few melodies from the scene where he falls into the shark tank and screams "That's not Snowflake".

Gotta admit, I loved the YouTube video you created. How did that come about?

Thanks! What's interesting is that we were convinced the humor of our webisodes would be too personalized for others to find funny. As for how they came about...you know how sometimes you have a stupid idea and you're like "Man, I should make a video of this", but then your buddy says "No don't do that. You're a moron". Well, our buddy was at work that day. But honestly, we have been doing absurd videos like these since we were kids....there are many more on the way. Stay tuned!

Have you started touring behind this record yet?

Yes, but we are slacking. Can you get us a booking agent?

Anything else you want to add?

Yes. 5 + 16 = 21

The Birds of Avalon Q&A

2009-06-22T14:37:00.004-04:00

Indie upstarts The Birds of Avalon have a fantastic vintage sound to their songs.

The fact that their latest Uncanny Valley was recorded in a makeshift basement studio on a classic 16 track tape machine and some other borrowed equipment, help add to the classic DIY feel of the songs. In a matter of days, the band had a new album to its growing catalogue.

The group formed in 2007, when guitarists (and husband and wife) Cheetie Kumar and Paul Siler left the group Cherrie Valance and hooked up with singer Craig Tilley, bassist David Mueller and drummer Scott Nurkin. Christened the Birds of Avalon, the Raleigh band went to work on their debut Bazaar, Bazaar. They’ve spent the past couple of years opening for bands like Ted Leo, The Raconteurs and The Flaming Lips, continuing to put out more songs along the way.

Kumar was kind enough to answer a few questions before heading back out on the road again. So what's the music scene in Raleigh like now?

Well there seems to be no shortage of good bands around here, it’s kind of hard to keep track! Everything from Bowebirds and Megafaun to Double Negative and the reformed Polvo- it’s pretty diverse. Right now, though there are a few good venues, there isn’t one place that coheres to independent music in Raleigh. We had a wonderful venue here for several years, called Kings (which was co-owned by Paul from Birds of Avalon) but during the downtown “building/ development” boom of a few years ago, the building was torn down to build, what else, a parking deck! So things are spread out to some extent- more house shows and oddball nights at otherwise fairly mainstream venues.

How would you compare Uncanny Valley to the first record?

Aside from the actual recording of it, I think we’re getting better at self-editing and conveying one idea in each song as opposed to some of the more complex arrangements on the songs on Bazaar Bazaar. On the new record, the songwriting is less traditional - non-vocal “choruses”, etc… and we were more focused on getting interesting sounds rather than working too hard on guitar parts. The way we made this album had a lot to do with it too. It was all written and recorded in three weeks in our basement on a 3M 16 track tape machine we borrowed from Mitch Easter. Actually, some of Bazaar Bazaar was recorded on that same machine, but done in the studio. The first album was kind of a compilation of some of our very first songs and it was recorded in a few sessions over several months. Following the release of that in ’07, we toured pretty heavily and then made the very quick EP, Outer Upper Inner, early last year. It was recorded and mixed in five days and done entirely on 4-track tape with not many overdubs. It was kind of an experiment to see if a record could still be made like it was 1968. When we recorded Uncanny Valley it was really helpful to have that experience to draw from in keeping things spontaneous and not getting too bogged down on one thing.

It seems like you went from release the first record, straight on the road, to releasing this one. Did you have any significant time off to write and record or was most of it done on the road?

Actually, you might be thinking about the other record we recorded in December/January, which wasn’t released. After the first album, we released an EP in March of last year and toured for four solid months supporting it. We took a few weeks off and proceeded to write a bunch of songs, recorded an album and then wrote and recorded another album right after that. The second batch is Uncanny Valley, the first batch will be dealt with in the future.

How different were the experiences recording the two records?

The first recording was done at Mitch’s wonderful Fidelitorium studio. It was much more of a traditional process - we wrote all the songs, went into the studio and tracked (on a 24 track machine) for about 10 days and mixed in about a week. That record is a pretty dense record that somehow didn’t make sense to release in the summer. Uncanny Valley was almost the opposite- most of the songs were written as they were being recorded and it was all recorded at home on a 16-track tape machine. We mixed at Fidelitorium very quickly and kept the recording fairly simple, only using 15 of the 16 tracks.

Is there a general theme to the songs on Uncanny Valley?

A lot of the songs turned out to be about disorientation and have a foreboding quality to them. We really didn’t set out to do this deliberately, but I guess we must have been in a dark mindset when we wrote it! The title came after the record was already done- inspired by a phenomenon in which human beings become more unsettled by robots or other human facsimiles in direct proportion to how lifelike they appear. This seemed to sum up the impression we were trying to conjure- where things aren’t exactly how they might appear; being unsettled in a seemingly normal situation.

You've toured with some amazing bands. Have you learned anything helpful from any of the musicians you've toured with recently?

We HAVE been really fortunate to play with awesome bands- all of whom are inspiring in different ways. So even though we aren’t gonna have confetti cannons anytime soon, it was amazing to see how much work goes into making every Flaming Lips show a multi-sensory experience. I also loved seeing all the cool guitar effects Jack White (on the Raconteurs tour) and Steven McBean (on the Black Mountain tour) had.

What's next for the band?

We’re actually leaving for a 10 day tour of the Northeast in about two hours! We’ll be doing dates through early fall while we write and record some more songs hopefully we’ll be putting a new album out sometime soon!

Anything else you want to add?

I think you covered it! Thanks!

New Song from The Honey Brothers

2009-06-18T08:11:00.004-04:00

Great new song from The Honey Brothers (sounds like absolutely nothing else you've heard today!).

Let me know what you think.

AthFest June 25-28

2009-06-17T07:29:00.004-04:00

Label A&R folks may have stopped visiting Athens, GA after R.E.M. and the B-52's were signed, but the city has continued to churn out some amazing bands (The Whigs, The Black Lips, Dead Confederate, etc.).

Next week (June 25-28), the city gets a chance to trot out some of those groups at the 12th annual AthFest held in dowtown Athens. Over 175 bands and artists will perform over four days on two outdoor stages. The all ages shows are free, but wristbands will be sold for the 20 or so music venues.

Among those playing next week are The Black Lips, Patterson Hood & The Screwtopians, Randall Bramlett Band, Dead Confederate and many others.

More info at http://www.athfest.com/.

New Song from Sub Rosa

2009-06-05T13:56:00.017-04:00

Southern California's Sub Rosa, have a strong apprecaition with early 90's grunge (everyone from Screaming Trees to a mellower Nirvana).

The band was kind enough to make an MP3 of their new song "Here In Filth" available for free.

Enjoy:

"Give Me Back My Black T-shirt"

2009-06-03T09:03:00.009-04:00

I am a big fan of t-shirts.

In fact, covering music for the past 15 years, most of the pay I get is in band t-shirts (and I have no idea why they are always black).

Over the past couple of week, I've come across two great t-shirt companies that are worth blogging about.

Worn Free

Launched in 2005, Worn Free is a rock T-shirt company that wants "to resurrect the coolest shirts of all time."

The label reproduces t-shirts worn by rock legends like Joe Strummer, Joey Ramone, Debbie Harry, Gram Parsons, Johnny Ramone and Joan Jett (among many others). The shirts, though not exactly cheap, are among the softest I've ever worn (yup, that's a good thing).

Here's a little more from their press materials:"We’ve spent more than a decade combing worldwide photo archives of music and style icons, learning what they’ve been wearing and bringing it straight to you."

Check out the catalog - the Joey Ramone shirt is really cool.

PLAYBACK CLOTHING

Another great shirt company and this one won't make you feel like a materialistic jerk for buying yet another t-shirt.

This Brooklyn company offers t-shirts and sweatshirts created by recycling cotton scraps and plastic bottles. "PLAYBACK is on a mission to dissolve the uncomfortable, expensive, cardboard look of past sustainable clothing, and replace it with a hip new model that combines quality, style and color." Not just for jam-band lovin' hippies, the shirts are actually very cool looking.

Here's some more info from the company: "Unlike other sustainable brands that take rolls of organic fabric and dye them into color, PLAYBACK achieves its profound success by utilizing the preexisting color of the original recycled material to color the yarn. This eliminates one of the most harmful processes used in clothing production- the chemical dyes. Since the products are made with only existing materials, PLAYBACK has also eliminated the need for extra cotton growth and in turn does not require massive amounts of land and water. By reducing the amount of textile and plastic bottle waste, PLAYBACK takes recyclables out of the landfill and puts them to good use."

The color names themsleves are cool as well: "Beer Bottle Brown," "Soda Bottle Green" and "Water Cooler Blue". Here's a link to their catalog.

Putting Dirt On the Coffin

2009-05-21T07:09:00.005-04:00

When I was 15, I thought KISS was the coolest band in the world.

Last night, the 15-year-old version of me, died of embarrassment for the band.

R.I.P. Gene, Paul, Ace, Peter and a teenage me.

Punk Rock at 7 Inches Tall

2009-05-18T09:56:00.006-04:00

GG Allin has always scared the crap out of me. And even at 7 inches tall, he's not any less intimidating.

Aggronautix is releasing limited edition GG Allin and Tesco Vee (Meatmen) collectibles. There will be 2000 of the GG Allin "1991" figurines and only 1000 of the mini Tesco Vee's. Each "Throbblehead" (their term, not mine) figures is made of polyresin, and will be displayed in a tri-windowed box.

Both figures will be distributed by MVD Entertainment Group - a company specializing in music-related distribution - and DKE Toys.

According to the press release, the idea first surfaced two years ago when Aggronautix pitched the GG figure idea to Merle Allin, GG's brother. "I had been thinking about doing a GG figure for a while, so when the guys came to me with the idea, I was into it," said Allin. "The proofing process took a long time, but we got it right. The doll looks really good and I'm happy with it."

The company then turned their attention to Vee. "As a toy collector of two decades, and classic bobble head collector, imagine just how geeked I became, when informed that yours truly would enter the pantheon of 'Throbblehead' punk rock losers, along with poopy soulmate GG Allin!," said Vee.

The figures are now available for purchase on www.aggronautix.com and www.seeofsound.com. They will also soon be available at many independent retailers, comic shops, tattoo parlors, etc. Aggronautix is currently working on a Dwarves "Two-Headed Throbble" to be released this summer.

The Pansy Division

2009-05-13T12:07:00.007-04:00

I'm about two-thirds through Deflowered, the memoirs of Jon Ginoli, founder and front man of San Francisco punk group Pansy Division (the Godfather of queercore).

The book is hilarious and I am kicking myself for not going to a book signing he had in Atlanta recently. As my penance, here's a list of his upcoming book signings.

At the event's, which are free, he'll read from his book, do signings and play an acoustic set.

5/13/09 Borders 3600 McKinney Ave Dallas TX

5/14/09 Borders 570 Meyerland Plaza Houston TX 77096

5/15/09 Bookpeople 603 N. Lamar Blvd. Austin TX 78703

5/16/09 Full Circle Books 1900 Northwest Expy Oklahomo City OK 73118

5/17/09 Kirby’s Beer Store 3227 E 17th St N Wichita KS 67208

5/18/09 Barnes & Noble 420 W 47th Street Kansas City MO 64112

5/19/09 Left Bank Books 399 N. Euclid St. Louis MO 63105

5/20/09 Carmichaels Bookstore 2720 Frankfort Ave. Louisville KY 40206

5/21/09 Barnes & Noble 500 Main Street Royal Oak MI 48067

5/22/09 Aroma Cafe 118 N. Neil Champaign IL 61820

5/26/09 Tool Shed 2427 N Murray Ave. Milwaukee WI 53211

5/27/09 Public Space One 115 East Washington St Iowa City 52240

5/28/09 Barnes & Noble 3333 Oakview Dr Omaha NE 68144

6/5/09 Rebel Reading Series/The Knockout San Franicsco CA

6/6/09 Yerba Buena Performance San Francisco CA

Dears Tour Bus Stolen

2009-04-30T15:44:00.003-04:00

How the hell do you fence an f-ing tour bus?

The night before they were supposed to leave on tour, The Dears' tour bus was snatched from their hotel parking lot.

Here's the press release:

LOS ANGELES, April 30, 2009 - The Dears' tour bus was stolen last night in Montreal as the band was home packing for their six-week North American tour. The coach was taken from the parking lot of the Comfort Inn at 700 Blvd. in St. Jean, Pointe-Claire while the driver was asleep in the hotel, prior to their 6 a.m. scheduled departure. Fortunately, no luggage or gear was on board at the time of the theft and the band's trailer was left behind. True to The Dears' resilient nature, the veteran band isn't letting this minor mishap slow them down and will kick off the tour tonight in Toronto. All shows are planned as scheduled. If anybody has any information about the stolen tour bus or knows of its whereabouts please contact your local authorities. Bus model: Prevost, Series 60. Accuride Alcoa; license plate: V957YW

When Bad Names Happen to Great Bands (Q&A with Ninja Gun)

2009-04-24T07:27:00.005-04:00

You can’t get more unpretentious than Valdosta, GA. Nestled in Southern Georgia, just a few miles from Florida, you’re more likely to see a tractor than a tour bus passing through downtown.

Like their hometown, the guys in Ninja Gun are just as laid back. You’ll never catch any of them squeezing into girl’s jeans or delicately applying eyeliner before taking the stage. Their music is equally modest, just beautifully-executed, roots-based rock with hooks that would make Brian Wilson jealous and punk rock sensibilities.

Having hooked up with Suburban Home for their second release (“Restless Rube”), the band is about to storm the East Coast.

Front man Jonathan Coody spoke recently about the band, being the son of a farmer and life in Valdosta.

Did you all know each other growing up?

Yeah, Jeffrey and I are actually cousins. We grew up down the dirt road from each other. We kind of cut our musical teeth together too. I'm a few years older than him and when I was in high school I played drums in a band called The Primates. He was always around and he started playing drums around that time I guess. We met Thad and Jacob a lot later. They were childhood friends that also started playing together at a very young age.

What made you decide to start the band?

About 10 years ago Jeffrey and I were in a band called The Bleeding Gumdrops in which he played drums and I was the guitarist and singer and our buddy Jason Fernandez played bass. The Gumdrops eventually called it quits and I started writing a lot of songs by myself on an old Silvertone acoustic folk guitar that I found under a bunch of other stuff in the top of my dad's closet. He ordered it from the Sears catalog when he was a kid and never really did much with it. I eventually wound up with a bunch of songs that I didn't know what to do with. They weren't anything like the stuff I had written for the Gumdrops and I was curious how they would sound with a full band. Jeffrey and I went to the One Up club here in Valdosta one night to see some friends of ours play and Thad and Jake's band Caspian was the opener. We had never met them before. Caspian was an instrumental band in the vein of Tortoise or something. They were all so young and they were really good players. They couldn't have been more than 15 or so and I was intrigued that they were playing music like this that had so much depth at such a young age. I guess we asked them to come out to The Trailer of Tears (the single-wide that we practiced in) to jam around some time and they eventually did. When I heard what those songs could sound like in the hands of those guys I knew we should be a band. Here we are 6 years and two albums later. Same four guys doing what we love.We were called Watermelon Fast for our first show because I read somewhere that Mike Love from The Beach Boys freaked out on a bunch of drugs in the sixties and ate only watermelon for a year. We gave away watermelons that we grew at that show. We eventually changed the name to Ninja Gun and I'll never tell where that came from. Probably should've kept Watermelon Fast.

How do you describe your sound to those who haven't heard you yet?

Ooh, that's always a tough one. I think as a writer it's very important to listen to a wide range of stuff so you have a lot of colors to paint with. Having a homogenized sound may make it easy for you to get laid and sell records or whatever, but it makes for bad art in my opinion. I see so many haircut bands these days that work really hard at sounding just like whatever haircut is selling at the time. That just tells me that they have nothing to say. I think the best songwriters filter life through themselves and spit it back out with some degree of perspective attached. We actually thought about calling the new album "Eclectic Warrior" in tribute to T-Rex - Didn't do it though. It's called "Restless Rubes" because that's what we are. As a cop out, I'll tell people what I hear other people compare us to. We get a lot of Tom Petty, The Lemonheads, Replacements, John COUGAR Mellencamp, Weezer, Smoking Popes, and stuff like that.

Are you still a farmer when you're not on the road?

Well, my dad's the farmer. I've never had any ambition to pursue that as a career. It's just something I've done my whole life to help him out. It's a damn near impossible way to make a living these days. Government deregulation and corporate farms have really decimated small family operations in the past twenty years or so. I feel like my generation is kind of the last of the farm kids. I know a lot of farmers around here have encouraged their kids to go to college and try to find some other viable way to make money. It means the death of that way of life and it's really sad. That's why it was initially really hard for me to explain to my folks that although I have a college degree I would rather travel around in a van playing songs that I wrote in my underwear for little to no money. They place a lot of value in financial security because they know what it's like to struggle to keep the bills paid. I can appreciate that, but I just can't seem to rationalize trading in my happiness for a 401k or whatever. I know what I was built to do and I have to do it or I'm going to be miserable. Everyone in this band feels that way and that's what keeps us together.

Is it easy for all of you to get time off to record and tour?

Yeah, getting time off to tour and record is always a challenge. Being in a touring band in Valdosta, GA is kind of like leading a double life. There aren’t any cool record stores, record labels, or anything like that to work at around here so you have to work some square job where people aren’t going to get what you do. There’s no support network like there is in other more music-centric towns. With that said though, I like living here because I think the best art comes from isolated places because it has to gasp for breath in a sea of fucking practicality. It weeds out a lot of bullshit because you have to work really hard to be heard. On top of that, it provides you with a unique viewpoint that others might not have.

What can you tell me about the new record?

It’s called “Restless Rubes” and it just came out on Suburban Home Records. We worked on it on and off for about a year and a half. It was recorded here in Valdosta with Lee Dyess at Earthsound Recordings and we’re really proud of it. The songs are ripped straight out of our lives and they’re honest. I hope that comes across to the listener. I hope somebody can relate to or find some kind of value in them. I guess growing up in an environment that has a built in belief system that we don’t agree with was the catalyst for a lot of these songs. Things like poor rural people having blind faith in an administration that doesn’t care about them really troubles me. Most people around here don’t ask questions. Life here is a lot easier if you don’t. The “Good Old Boy Network” is the law of the land here and if you don’t rock the boat, you’re afforded a better quality of life. You have to work the right job, hate the right people, vote the right way, and the best thing about it is you don’t even have to think for yourself.

How did it come out compared to your first record?

Coody: Our first record is called “Smooth Transitions” and it came out on a label called Barracuda Sound out of Gainesville, Florida. Our buddy Jon Reinertsen who also plays drums for Whiskey and Company put it out. We had a lot less time to work on it because of financial constraints, but I think it’s a pretty good portrayal of who we were as a band at that time. Barracuda Sound is also co-releasing the vinyl for Restless Rubes with Suburban Home. There’s a four year gap between the releases of both of our albums so there’s a lot of undocumented growth.

How did you hook up with Suburban Home?

I think I just sent Virgil an email of the roughs of the new songs and told him to give them a listen. He wrote me back and said he liked them a lot and we went from there. He’s a super nice guy who was willing to take a chance on a relatively unknown band just because he liked what we were doing. That type of integrity is hard to find these days and we’re extremely lucky to be associated with Suburban Home. We were in Denver on tour about a month ago and we got to meet everyone that works at the label and a lot of the bands on the label. They’re a great bunch of folks and they made us feel welcome and I would like to publicly thank them now!

I live in Atlanta and the rock scene is pretty bad here. I can’t imagine what it’s like in Valdosta, GA?

Well, the cool thing about living in an off-the-radar town is the lack of pretension. Our local punk scene has always been about playing for your friends and just doing what gets you off. Valdosta always has a core of about five really good bands that write their own stuff and they all sound completely different. There’s a lot of cross pollination because the kid that is 16 and is in a Black Flag style band is playing shows with a band that sounds a little like Pavement or something. I’ve never been a fan of going to shows and seeing three bands that sound alike. The byproduct is that the fans of each band get turned on to something that they might not have normally been exposed to. The rest are haircuts and Dave Matthews cover bands who stoke out sorority girls by playing Brown Eyed Girl for the thousandth time. They’re also good at giving AC/DC the pop country treatment. Gross. Check out these locals if you get a chance: Second to Edison, No More Analog, False Arrest, Knock Galley West, and Fancy Blood

Dead Town Revival Q&A

2009-04-22T08:09:00.003-04:00

In early 2007, Chicago’s Dead Town Revival released ‘Hasta La Muerte', one of the best classic street punk records of the year.

After nearly two straight years of touring, the band is releasing a stellar new split EP ('Duct Tape and Broken Dreams') along with Milwaukee’s The Spent .50's and their sound is tighter than ever. And gas prices permitting, the band may be coming to a town near you.

Front man Nate Pujdak took some time recently to talk about what the band has been doing since the release of their debut.

The last time I spoke with you guys for Loud Fast Rules ‘Hasta La Muerte' was just coming out. What has happened since then?

Well, we've been doing our best to get on as many quality shows and short tours as possible. We really believe in this band, and this music, and we want as many people to be able to hear it. If that means driving through the night to get to Omaha from Chicago and back, then we're willing to do it. Not everyone out there has been given the opportunity to be in a band, and I want to make sure we take full advantage of that for as long as we are breathing. Also in our time home, we have had the opportunity to get back in the studio with producer Andy Gerber, and cut a few new tracks that I'm personally very proud of. These will be on our second record that we are releasing as an EP.

Have you pretty much been touring non-stop since the record came out?

We've been out on the road quite a bit actually since the record was released. Mainly regional tours that have taken us from Chicago to Florida to Texas to Oklahoma and just about every stop in between. I think our tour to Texas last spring was probably the most fun we've had as a band since the record came out. We were able to hit several dates with our friends Flatfoot 56 and The Frantic at that time, culminating into a week filled with shows at SXSW 2008 in Austin.

Along with that, we've been lucky enough to do some pretty great shows with The Smoking Popes, Supersuckers, and most recently, a sold out show in Chicago with punk legends Agent Orange. When you get a chance to share the stage with bands like that, it makes this whole thing worth while.

What can you tell me about the new EP?

I've had a few songs rolling around in my head for a few months now that I felt just needed to be recorded. The New EP 'Duct Tape and Broken Dreams' is five tracks long, but I believe that they are a solid five tracks. A few are reminiscent of songs that you might hear on 'Hasta La Muerte,' but we threw a few slower ones in the mix also. Every once in awhile at a live show, we would play one of these songs as an addition to our set, never intending for them to be recorded at all, but we got so many compliments on them that we thought, what the hell, if the fans like them we should record them.

So in a roundabout way, the songs on this EP were selected by our fans more than they were by us, which I think is a good thing. If you ever ask a band which song on their record is their favorite, they usually pick one that not too many fans would say is their favorite. That being said, I think more bands should listen to their fans more than they do themselves. After all, they're the ones that are going to buy your records and support you. I think people will really like this record. It's a bit different from the first, but it stays rooted in what I think is the Chicago sound.

Were you listening to anything in particular when writing/recording that influenced the sound?

I don't think it was much different than what I would normally listen to. I know things have a tendency to rub off on you whether you want them to or not. I've stuck with pretty much the old standards of Pegboy, Danzig, lots of Johnny Cash, old Waylon Jennings. I'm a huge fan of the new Smoking Popes record, or any Smoking Popes record for that matter. Buzzcocks, Rise Against, Street Dogs...go buy all the Street Dogs records if you haven't already…Face to Face. I could go on.

I'm a bit regimented in my listening habits. I'll play a CD over and over until it's so scratched from my shitty CD player that I'll have to go buy another copy. I've seriously done that several times in the last year. I ruined my copy of ‘Empire’ by Bad Religion, so much so that I had to get a new one. Not very economically sound, but it's true. Maybe I should get a new player. People tell me to buy an MP3 player, but I'm a holdout on that. The quality just isn't there like you get on vinyl or CD.

Why put out an EP now instead of waiting to put out another full length?

I have to be perfectly honest with you; I'm not sure how long full length albums will be around. With the way kids buy music now, there isn't much of a demand for a full length record. I'm sure we'll do more of them in the near future, but for now, I'm content with trying this EP out and seeing how the fans react. You can pick your best few songs, and put them out, and pass the savings on to the fans. Too many times bands try to fill a record up with what's known as filler material. We have never believed in doing that, and we will never do that on any record we put out. Every song we record has had a lot of thought put into it, prior to going into the studio. It's about quality not quantity. This just seemed like a good time to do it. It also gives us an opportunity to keep publishing music while we write our next record. Who knows, if it's a success, maybe we'll put out another one in between our next full length.

Do you plan to tour much behind this new record?

I think we'll keep doing what we've been doing unless opportunity knocks, and we get picked up for a full tour. We've been pretty content the last few months doing a lot of weekend gigs within eight to 18 hours of home. With gas prices the way they've been, it's been hard on touring bands. You really have to watch how you travel, and make every show count. We appreciate all the fans out there who buy our merch at shows. They have no idea how far we stretch those dollars in order to make any of this happen. If it wasn't for them helping us and supporting us, none of this would be possible, so to the fans I say THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

Is it to early to talk about the next record?

It's never too early to talk about the next record. We are constantly writing new material. I'm hoping that this next spring we can get back in the studio and start laying down some new tracks. It's just a matter of weeding through all the songs we have and picking the best ones to record. Live shows are a good way to test out new material, so we do that as much as possible. If the fans like it, we'll consider it for the next record.

You guys must here some pretty decent bands on tour. Any great "unknown" bands worth checking out?

We were in Milwaukee this past summer at a show and my guitarist Mike (Galvin) was like, "Hey, you have to check out this band. They're called The Spent .50's." These guys blew our minds. Great guitar riffs, unbelievable vocals. They reminded me of the kind of punk rock I fell in love with years ago. Of all the new bands we've had the chance to play with in the last year, these guys were the best. We've since become great friends and have been able to put a string of dates together, so look for show dates in your area this winter and coming spring. You don't want to miss these guys if they're playing your town. Part of what we did with this new EP, was to release it as a split EP with these guys, so if you're at a live show, and you pick up our new disc, you'll also get The Spent .50's music along with ours. I really think people should hear this band. If you like Dead Town Revival, you'll like them.

What's next for you guys?

We're going to keep writing good quality songs as best we know how, and play live as much as possible. One of the things I love more than anything is getting out on the road and playing in front of new faces. I don't think I'll ever lose my desire to travel. Making music and performing is what we do, and I don't see any signs of slowing down any time soon.

My hope is that our fan base will continue to grow, and we'll be able to one day tour nonstop. There are plenty of cities and small towns we have yet to play in, so I hope we can visit them all someday.

We're putting together a small tour for the west coast, and hopefully we'll be able to get out there in a few months. I've always wanted to play shows in California, but have never been able to get out that way with the band. Hopefully next year will be different for us.

Anything else you want to add?

If you get a chance, and we're coming to your area, we would love to see you all out at a show.

We've been able to play with some of the coolest unknown punk bands in America. Every time we go to a new city, I'm always impressed with the locals we get to play with. Some of the best bands around are right in your own backyard, so get out to a show and check them all out. You never know when you’re going to come across a punk rock gem.

Also pick up a copy of our new CD and let us know what you think. We'd love to hear from all of you. Thanks for all the support everyone has given us these past few years. It means the world to me.

Banner Pilot Q&A

2009-04-16T15:38:00.007-04:00

With news of Banner Pilot signing to Fat Wreck Chords last week, thought it was worth posting this interview I did recently with bassist Nate Gangelhoff.

For a band with just four members, melodic punk rockers Banner Pilot could pretty much sell out a club just by inviting band mates from all the current and former groups they’ve put in time with.

Between them, the guys in the Minneapolis band have played in or are currently playing with Off With Their Heads, Rivethead, Gateway District, These Riffs, Cave Death, The Manix and Pyongyang Metro.

With a new member and a slew of songs, Banner Pilot is currently focusing on finishing their new record and perhaps a quick tour of Japan.

Bassist Nate Gangelhoff spoke with me recently about the new songs, finding time to get on the road and the lack of harps and tubas on their new record.

Have you started working on the new record yet?

Yep! We've actually written a full 12 songs and now we're in the process of fixing them up, working out the little details, trying to get tight on them so we don't blow four days in the studio failing to play them correctly. So yeah, we're actually almost done with the new one. After that we'll probably try to do a series of splits and 7"s or something.

Any idea of what it will sound like?

In the grand scheme of things it's pretty close to Resignation Day, but I think there's more variety this time. I'm sure most people reading that are going to think "Uh oh", and with good reason, but it's actually not a dramatic departure or anything goofy and pretentious. There's a couple slower songs and a couple faster songs... basic changes like that. We're not adding textured harp parts or tuba solos or anything. It's still punk rock stuff simple enough that a well-trained monkey could approximate it. Actually, that's not true-- I'm exaggerating. There's no monkey out there that could touch the stuff we're working on. It's that good.

Same line up as before?

Nope, last time around we were a three piece and I played guitar and bass in the studio; this time we'll have a full four piece band.

Who are you going to be recording with?

Our friend Jacques Wait. I played on the Off With Their Heads album that he recorded and everyone was super happy with how that sounded, so we'll be going for a similar thing on the next Banner Pilot record.

Do you think labels are still important for punk bands?

They can be, but it's definitely less so than five or 10 years ago. Nowadays it's pretty easy to record an album, distribute it, and book a tour all from basic tools on the Internet. But labels can still help and do things you can't do on your own. We self released our EP and it seems like the album on Go Kart has gotten around more and, obviously, required less work and upfront money from us.

Do you plan to tour much behind the new record?

We're not really a "tour six months out of the year" band, but we'll definitely do a couple weeks out somewhere plus a ton of Midwest shows on the weekends and stuff. Our goal this year is to make it over to either Europe or Japan.

Is it hard for you guys to find time to get put on the road?

Yeah, we all have jobs and stuff so it's not feasible to tour for super long stretches at a time. But we do what we can and it seems to work out ok.

Do you still enjoy touring or do you see it as a necessary evil?

I enjoy it, but in smaller doses. I've done a couple of month long tours before and that's about the most I'd want to do in one block. If I was in a position to tour a bunch, I'd probably still want to ideally do it like three weeks on, two weeks off, or something like that. I don't think it's really a necessary evil-- your band will do better the more you tour, but you can still get people to hear your songs without touring. I imagine that was harder to pull off 10-plus years ago than it is now.

Is the Minneapolis music scene still pretty tight?

Yeah, it comes and goes but right now it's pretty great. I'm sure it'll be overtaken by some ridiculous subgenre in a year or two but for now there's a fair amount of good bands

Anything else you want to add?

Get the new-ish Shorebirds album; it's really good! That's the only thing I have to add.

Project 27 Q&A

2009-04-15T09:49:00.002-04:00

Project 27

In the nearly eight years or so that Project 27 have been writing, perfecting and finally recording their first proper full length, hundreds of bands have started, churned out a few forgettable records, broken up and reformed other bands.

Not that it’s a bad thing. In fact, judging from the songs that make up Smarten Up, Ben Weasel may finally be able to retire now that his pop punk heirs may have been found.

Drummer Joey Mac, one of the Long Island band’s founding members, spoke with me recently about the record, their founding and their new home at Rally Records.

How did you guys all get together?

I started a band named Drowning in the Kiddy Pool with two high school freshman named Sergey and Guy in 2000. We got hooked up with RP, our lead singer, in high school and became Project 27 in June 2001. We turned from a know-nothing punk band to more musical sounding pop-punk band. We recorded two full-length demo CDs that were never really released. Guy kind of faded out of the band in summer of 2003 and joined the army and went to Afghanistan. Sergey quit in December 2007. After a few talented members came and went (including Kate Eldridge of Cheeky, Johnny Stamos of the John Stamos Project, and Mark Bonner of the Monikers), we solidified our lineup with Kris and Dutch on guitar, and Richie Roast on bass. That’s where we are now. We’re a good team and a happy family.

It seems like so many new bands throw together a CD just months after getting together. You guys demoed for awhile and put out some 7 inches first Was that a conscious decision or more of a financial one?

It was conscious decision, not a financial one. We didn’t want a full-length until all the songs were quality. Lately I’ve been very critical of my songwriting so I look back and only love half of the album. But people that are into whatever they’ve heard here and there online or elsewhere will like the album very much, I think. We’ve gotten great feedback on it so far.

How did you connect with Rally Records?

Jonny of Rally Records approached us about a release after we got a little buzz going in the pop-punk scene. We agreed. Since, we’ve released the Next September 7” and the Smarten Up CD on his label. Thanks Jonny!

What can you tell me about the Smarten Up CD?

It’s good, ha! I wrote 11 of the 12 songs so it encompasses my thoughts and actions from ages 16-21. People can relate to it, being bitter about breakups and letting your “friends” know how you really feel, but Smarten Up yields positivity too. All of the songs on the album except one are personal stories about my life; the “love” songs are about three ex-girlfriends in particular. There was no rush on the CD so I tried to compile the best songs I had, even if that meant rehashing some ones that had already been released. The artwork is pretty snazzy too!

Do you have any big tour plans for 2009?

No, but we will likely be out and about, on short tours and weekend trips. We haven’t promoted our tours so effectively in the past, plus we have jobs or are in school, so that’s quite a hold-up.

You guys have been doing this for almost eight years or so. Anything really surprised you about being a touring indie band?

It’s cool that people like us, who don’t matter, can be fooled into thinking they sort of matter when on the road.

Any advice for kids just now forming a band in their parent's basement?

Follow your dream because I believe it leads to something good. Communicate within and outside the band well, and perform well.

Anything else you want to add?

A new full-length CD, either from Project 27 or perhaps a solo CD from me will very likely arrive in the second half of 2009. Thanks for reading.

Mike Hale's New Record (FREE!)

2009-04-08T20:23:00.011-04:00

I realize this is about to turn into the Suburban Home Records blog (not that would be such a bad thing...), but they just seem to have a shitload of great news to announce lately.

So here's some more great news from the label: they'll be giving away Mike Hale's new solo record "Lives Like Mine" for free (read that last sentence again Chico. For free!). Mike now fronts the band In the Red and and used to play in Gunmoll.

Here's the news from SHR founder Virgil Dickerson:

Today, we are excited to announce that we have made the decision to give away Mike Hale's upcoming album, "Lives Like Mine" for free digitally. Mike just announced it in his Punknews.org column, "For Those Still Standing" which has been his journal of his life after making the decision to quit his job, end his lease, sell back his car, and stop life as he knew it for a full time life on the road.Finding inspiration from Chris Anderson's FREE, QuoteUnquoteRecords.com, and the knowledge that any internet savvy music fan can get pretty much any album they want for free, I called Mike up a few weeks back to share with him my idea. It took him a minute, but after he thought it out, he agreed that this was as good time as any to do this....

In the end, it is our hope that as many people as possible listen to the albums we release. So much work goes into the making of a brand new album and we hope that if you like what you hear, you might consider buying a copy on CD, on vinyl, or through a donation. Any proceeds raised from the sales and donations will go towards recouping the expenses that went into making the record. Any profits will be split equally between Mike Hale and Suburban Home Records.

Mike is also about to start a massive tour with label mates Ninja Gun (an absolutely amazing band from Augusta, Georgia. They put out one of my favorite records last year).

Download Mike's new album, buy a CD, see 'em live and pick up a t-shirt. Come on, what else are you going to spend your money on?

I've already pre-ordered the Mike Hale deluxe pack (with LP, CD, shirt and coffee mug) and I'm extremely cheap!

FREE Suburban Home Records Comp

2009-04-06T08:43:00.006-04:00

Suburban Home Records has just put out a stellar 25 song label sampler for FREE!

Click on this link and it will take you to a page where you can download individual tracks or the entire sampler as a zipped folder.

Comp. includes tracks from most of their bands' (Mike Hale, Jon Snodgrass, Austin Lucas, Joey Cape, etc.) most recent releases and a few live tracks from Chad Price, Two Cow Garage, and Drag the River (including covers of the Beatles, Replacements, and Misfits).

Download it. Now! What are you waiting for?!?!

Best label kiss off... EVER

2009-04-03T13:24:00.002-04:00

I can't claim to be a huge Dresden Dolls fan. But, I've interviewed Amanda Palmer in the past and was impressed with her honesty.

Thanks to this kiss off to her label, Roadrunner Records, I'm thinking about buying everything she put out from now on.

Q&A: The Welch Boys

2009-03-30T07:25:00.004-04:00

The Welch Boys

Born out of the ashes of two of Boston’s most underrated punk bands, The Blue Bloods and Slapshot, The Welch Boys have a sound that is decidedly working class Boston and still fiercely independent. Their debut on Sailor’s Grave did a decent job of introducing them to the world, but it’s Drinkin’ Angry, their two years in the making follow up record, that is going to force punk fans to really pay attention.

Eighteen songs of anger, tension and bar room poetry unfolding in just over 45 minutes, the record is much more focused than their debut and showcases a stellar punk band that has finally found its voice.

TJ Welch, former member of The Blue Bloods, and guitarist/founder of The Welch Boys, spoke recently about their new record, the death of their original drummer and finding time to tour.

What have you guys been doing since the last record came out?

We have been writing and recording new material, and playing occasional live shows. We would like to make a third disc within a couple of years. Since we do not tour that much, we like to do videos. We worked with director Stefan Glidden on a video for "Head in the Sand". It’s up on our MySpace page http://www.myspace.com/thewelchboys.
We are in the process of working on an animated video for Police Dog with another director. Other than that, we may get a chance to tour in Europe this summer. We are working with our label I Scream to make this happen.

I Scream put out Drinkin' Angry overseas and unfortunately your old label Sailor's Grave is having problems - have you started looking for someone in the U.S. to release the album?

Sailor's Grave is still in operation, however, not at the pace that they were at before. They are putting out a few releases a year now. They just put out a great CD by Mark Lind. We miss working with that label.... however; we decided to go exclusive with I Scream worldwide on this disc. I Scream is now operating in the U.S. as well. The label president, Laurens, lives in New York. They have done a good job by getting the CD in stores in the US.

How does Drinkin' Angry compare to the last record?

The debut CD was a band finding its sound. We were still feeling things out when we recorded that. I like the disc, however, our song writing was not evolved yet. I think that we are more complicated on this disc. We are also musically more mature. We lost our drummer and good friend to drugs, and that shook us all up. We have endured divorces, births, deaths, addictions, and a world gone to hell. The music is angry and dark, with a healthy dose of disregard and black humor. In between the lines, you may also hear a little hope and faith. Something's got to keep us going.

Do you even need a record label nowadays to get your music out there?

I think that the Internet is a great way to get your music out there on your own... DIY is king in the world of punk, but I have found that sooner or later, as a band grows, they need an established label. I think record labels are necessary. Even in the age of MySpace and mp3’s, bands still need the influence, connections, and distribution of a label. Generally, we are artists and not music business people, and we do best when concentrating on producing music. A good label can handle much of the other business aspects of making sure that our music is out there in both CD and MP3. They make sure that the music is promoted, and sold at the proper places. Record labels have the machine in place to do more than a band could do on their own.

How tough is it for you guys to find time nowadays to write, record, practice and tour?

It is very difficult to tour, or even play out locally with any regularity. Most of us are married, with young kids. We have tough jobs with long hours. I work two jobs. On the other hand, writing and recording music is easier. We can do that without having all of the band members present. We have the use of technology to record and refine our demo material. When we have a CD's worth of demo songs, then we go into a good studio like the Outpost, and record with a great producer like Jim Siegel.

I love the song "Pervert" off the new record, but what did Pete Townsend do to piss you guys off?

Everyone in the band are all big fans of his music. We cannot fathom how anyone could justify paying for and looking at child pornography under any circumstances.

Do you guys have plans to play shows outside of New England in 2009?

Yes, we hope to play in Europe for a week or two this summer. We have been invited to play some of the music festivals there, and we are working with I Scream Records to try to make that a reality. Our music seems to be bigger over in Europe than it is here. We may also do some shows opening for bigger bands like the Dropkicks. They always seem to make sure that we get a chance to play a few shows with them. They are great guys. I think we are opening for Fear in May when they come to town. I have always liked them. I can see us playing a few east Coat shows at some point, but I do not see us playing a proper U.S. tour this year. We just do not have the vacation time. Even the Europe deal will be hard to pull off.

Can you tell me about the benefit you are playing for Ron Holbrook?

Ron was our drummer on the first CD. He was a good friend that PJ (Dionne, guitar) and I had known for many years. We talked him into playing in our band, even though he didn't know shit about punk music. He was a great guy. He crushed his finger by accident while operating a forklift at work, and had surgery. This delayed the recording of our first disc for a few months, but he bounced back, and played great drums on the CD. Unfortunately, when he was recovering, he developed an affinity for pain killers that grew into a full blown addiction to opiates. Shortly after recording the disc, we had to ask him to leave the band. We tried to help him and stayed in contact with him. He tried to get better, but never was able to kick. He passed away in August of 2007.
Ron left two young daughters behind. Ron's brother, Craig and I worked to put on a concert in October of 2007 to memorialize Ron, as well as raise money for his daughters. We had a bunch of great local punk bands that played for free. The Blue Bloods, Death and Taxes, The Beantown Boozehounds, etc. It was a big success, and raised a lot of money.
We are going to try it again this year. We have a bunch of bands playing with The Welch Boys over two nights on Feb 21st and 22nd at a club called Great Scott's in Boston. We have about 10 bands playing, including the Ashers, Mark Lind, The Scars, Refuse Resist. It will be a great way to remember Ron, and raise some money. We would like to keep doing this every year. We are grateful to have so many great Boston bands that help to make these shows a reality.

The Boston scene has always had a distinctive sound. Is it still a pretty tight community?

Yes, for 30 years this town has produced some of the best punk music ever made. The community is tight. All the bands know each other. We all have a reverence for bands that have come before us. Gang Green, SSD, Bosstones, Dropkicks, DYS, The FU's, Mission of Burma, Slapshot, Jerry's Kids, Darkbuster, The Unseen, The Ducky Boys, The Freeze... this list goes on forever. We know that we have something special here, and we are glad to have our scene. This is a rock and roll town. Most bands are made up of working class kids. There is not a lot of flash and image. The fashion consists of jeans and a t-shirt. Our nectar is a two dollar and fifty cent 16 oz. can of Pabst Blue Ribbon. We like our old Marshall amps and we don't like to use effect pedals. Subject wise, our music is similar to rap music. It comes from the city streets. We all show up at each other's shows. We buy each other beers, we buy each other's shirts and CD's. The club scene is pretty good. There are still a lot of all-ages matinee shows going on. There is a unique set of circumstances that goes into producing the Boston sound. I love it.

What have you been listening to lately?

We are all over the place. Ed (Lalli, vocals) likes punk and hardcore. PJ is more of a blues and metal guy. Steve (Maffeo, drums) likes a lot of alternative. Mark (Powers, bass) likes Irish and punk. I listen to a lot of vinyl. All genres with guitar are ok by me. I like bebop jazz too. Lately, I have been listening to the new disc by MGMT. I've also renewed my appreciation of older stuff by Prince, Thin Lizzy, Love, Lenny Kravitz, Bob Marley, Spearhead and Shuggie Otis. The new CD by The Sword rocks. AC/DC's new one is great as well. Local discs by Mark Lind, Refuse Resist and Death and Taxes are great.

What's next for the band?

I think the most important thing now is writing new material. We would like to do a third disc within two years, and we need to get going now to do that. Right now, we are trying to write a song for a UFC fighter from Maine, Marcus "The Irish Hand Grenade" Davis. He likes our stuff, and he asked us to try to write something. Gotta try to help out a fellow Irishman.

Jon Snodgrass Interview

2009-03-25T07:18:00.003-04:00

iTunes is stacked with musical legends who do nothing more than re-release the same album over and over again. Jon Snodgrass is not one of those musicians.

Whether it’s playing 90’s pop/punk in Armchair Martian or drown-your-sorrows cowboy rock in Drag the River, Snodgrass can never be accused of writing the same song twice. So it’s no surprise than that his solo work is just as diverse.

Snodgrass just weeks away from release his first solo record, Visitor’s Band, spoke with about the album, playing punk rock and sets the record straight about Drag the River.

What made you decide to finally do a solo record now?

I'm going out to do a bunch of solo shows here in the states and in Europe with my friend Joey Cape. I wanted to have some fresh music out. That's all really. I always hope to put something out once a year too. Drag The River has too many songs as it is. I just sent out music for three different new DTR 7 inches the same day I sent my record. One of them consists of songs we pulled from the last release that didn't fit... but the other two are things Chad and I tracked a couple months ago.

What can people expect it to sound like?

I didn't want to make a record that sounded like Drag the River or sounded like Armchair Martian....so it kinda sounds like both. Whoops. I am what I am it seems.

Did you find it easier or tougher to write and record on your own?

It's the same process.

What musicians did you record with?

I did a song in Rhode Island with Two Cow Garage, my friend Emerson Torry Jr. and his Dad, Emerson Torry. It's a song I taught to Two Cow the night before by playing it on the jukebox at Jake's bar in Providence. Emerson's dad was in a band called The Schemers with Mark Cutler. E.T. Jr. and I had always wanted to cover this song of theirs. Two Cow is good and we pulled it off live in the second take I think; Then eight songs in Kansas with Chad Rex, Matt Brahl and Jason Magierowki. Same deal, live with a lot of bleed; one song in San Jose with Eric Powers, Chad Rex and John Elliot. We used a big kick drum and recorded in a big house; A bunch more in New Brunswick, New Jersey with Chris Pierce. Joe from the ERGS! came and played some bass one night too. I like recording songs wherever I can. You put yourself in different situations and just see what happens. I never like the idea of booking time in a studio. You never know if you want to make a record 2 months or weeks down the road.

So is Drag the River officially over or just taking a break?

I NEVER said Drag the River was over...and it never will be. We will have played 50 shows this year. I think that's the way we should have been doing it for a long time. We missed Minneapolis, Richmond and a couple other places. We'll do those at some point. Chad is doing the California part of the tour with Joey (Cape) in February. We're playing this weekend with the band and going to Florida in January... So yeah, it's still a thing. I love playing with Chad. We were running it pretty hard for a long time though.

Do you plan on doing more solo records in the future?

I could. Like I said, this was just a collection of songs written at the same time. It's funny ‘cause up until three weeks ago I'd thought eight of them were lost. I wasn't too concerned...I hadn't heard them since we'd tracked them. I'm glad they turned up because they came out better than expected. We were just goofing around in Kansas with some new songs. We got decent sounds and Chris Fogal mixed them for us in Denver a couple weeks ago. Anyhow, I kinda thought I was gonna put out a 7 inch. 12 inches is better.

Do you ever miss playing the punk music you started out with?

I still play it.

You spend a lot of time on the road - any great bands you've discovered on tour that people should know about?

Sure. Most of them end up on the Suburban Home record label and I know The Enablers are working on a new record right now. That'll be good. I like Cory Branan a lot too.

Couple of Great new releases...

2009-03-18T10:09:00.014-04:00

Suburban Home Records, one of my favorite indie labels, has two great releases coming out in April.

The first is from Mike Hale (from In The Red and Gunmoll). He has a fantastic new solo record coming out in April (You should also give a listen to In the Red, if you haven't already). SHR is putting it out on CD, a limited LP release and a deluxe set (which includes the LP (grey w/ red haze), a CD, a coffee mug , poster, t-shirt, coozie, and button).

I'd go for the deluxe, if all my money wasn't tied up in diapers and strollers!

Here's the specifics:

Mike Hale - Live Like Mine

Pressing info
300 on Black/Clear Inside Outside
700 on Grey w/ Red Haze

There is a test pressing contest for this album; pre-order it and have a chance to win. Records should ship by the end of April.

You can stream two tracks from Mike Hale’s Myspace page here.

Second release is from Montreal's Yesterday's Ring.

SBH label founder Virgil describes the band as such: "At times I am reminded of Murder City Devils, at other times I hear some Lucero/Drive By Truckers, and for a brief moment, I hear some Rancid/Tim Armstrong."

This one is also coming out as a 15 song CD and/or a 16 song double LP. Additionally, there will be 100 deluxe sets for sale, which include contain a double LP (black/purple radioactive vinyl), a CD, a pint glass, button, poster, shirt, and coozie.

Here are the specifics:

Yesterday's Ring - Diamonds in the Ditch

Pressing Info:

300 copies on Black vinyl

700 copies on Black/Purple radioactive vinyl

You can listen to two tracks from the album: Punx Not Dead, It’s Just Sleeping and Quebec City Blues on the band’s Myspace page.

What Do You Think?

2009-03-18T09:36:00.013-04:00

Thanks to Maggie at ILC PR, we have a sneak preview of the first track off of DUBIOUS RANGER's forthcoming new album.

That song is called "Weapon" and the CD is Uneasy Truce at the Watering Hole.

They are a San Francisco-based band with a sound described as "mixes (of) David Bowie, Pavement, Talking Heads and modern indie rock."

Listen to the MP3 and please leave feedback good, bad or indifferent.

Happy listening!

Better Than Green Beer...

2009-03-11T08:56:00.004-04:00

St. Patrick's Day is less than a week away, so here's an early St. Patty's Day gift. The Pogues playing a live version of "If I Should Fall From Grace With God."

The Pogues are Irish, so it counts.

Dirty Little Secret...

2009-02-20T21:14:00.009-05:00

I've been hiding a dirty little secret for decades now.

Beneath the faded black Clash and Bad Religion t-shirts, lies a heart that beats just as hard for good pop music as it does for punk rock. I'm not talking about The Jonas Brothers or Pussycat Dolls - get your mind out of the gutter - I'm not a tasteless idiot. I mean pure, well-written pop songs. Strong melodies, sweet harmonies and classic girl-breaks-boy's-heart themes.

The PR folks at record companies try and take the sting out of it for me by labeling it pop-punk or more recently Power Pop (which it most definitely is not - please listen to anything by 20/20 or Material Issue if you're that unsure of what Power Pop really sounds like), but no one's fooled: it's pop music. Maybe, maybe pop-rock, but punk really should not be used in the same sentence. The Format's Dog Problems is absolutely flawless, from start to finish. I listen to it at least once a month. Despite write ups in AP and PunkNews.org, it is still a pop record - a brilliant pop record, but a pop record nonetheless.

The Bouncing Souls and Sex Pistols still make it into my car most mornings, but lately I've been sneaking in CDs by The Rocket Summer (a band of which I'm about 15-20 years past the demographic for) and Everybody Else (again, I'm probably a good 10 years older than even the bartenders at their shows).

Having heard a few songs off of his/their (?) MySpace page, I'm already adding NeverShoutNever to my list of bands I'm afraid the cool kids will find out I listen to. Still a teen, Christofer Drew's songs are deceptively simple. The production is clean, free of any weird effects (I'm looking at you All American Rejects) or vocal polishing. Straight up, Beatles-influenced pop songs that I'll likely be playing inside my head for the next year.

I'm not ashamed of it, I've learned to live with it.

Innocent Words Relaucnhes

2009-02-10T14:13:00.009-05:00

One of the music mags I write for (and serve as Features Editor on), Innocent Words, has just relaunched online with their latest issue. The layout is amazing!

It has always been a stellar publication with a greater focus on independent musicians, and the new site will help solidify the IW brand.

Here's the press release:

INNOCENT WORDS MAGAZINE LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE WITH ISSUE #32

Innocent Words Magazine, an independent entertainment publication, is very pleased to announce the launch of it’s new Web site http://www.innocentwords.com/ along with their #32 February/March issue.

The print-to-Web transition marks an exciting step in the seven-year history of Innocent Words. The new website enables Innocent Words to accommodate more musicians, help publicize additional new albums, and assist bands and artists in receiving the recognition they deserve. Fans will also benefit by having more information to read.

The #32 February/March 2009 issue of Innocent Words Magazine includes the following:
Cover Story: Rise Against frontman Tim McIlrath talks about the new album, the tour, politics and their hometown of Chicago; Also in this issue we have interviews with Cheap Trick - 30 years after Budokan; The punk rock band Dead To Me; eccentric folk singer Larkin Grimm; Thrice frontman Dustin Kensrue on his solo projects; and the legendary Ska-rockers Reel Big Fish. Plus reviews of CDs and books.

About Innocent Words Magazine:
Innocent Words Magazine has covered indie music from around the U.S. and the world since 2001. Each issue features exclusive interviews, CD reviews, and other assorted content such as DVD and book reviews. Before it became a Web-only publication in 2009, a print version was distributed to 100 locations in 19 states. Artists who have appeared in Innocent Words include Ani DiFranco, Pearl Jam, King’s X, Tegan and Sara, The Shins, Our Lady Peace, Mudhoney, Flogging Molly, and many, many others. More information is available at www.innocentwords.com.

Latest "Under the Influence" Releases

2009-01-29T08:03:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite labels, Suburban Home Records just announced the latest release in their Under the Influence series:

Andrew Jackson Jihad / Cobra Skulls

I'm too lazy to retype all the details and label owner Virgil Dickerson does it so well, so here's his note:

We are excited to announce the sixth release of our Under the Influence series. The series finds bands we love recording songs that have influenced their song writing. The artwork is being done by the very talented Mitch Clem and Nation of Amanda who has been asked to make their own renditions of the album art that the song being covered originally appeared. For this sixth release, Andrew Jackson Jihad are covering Neutral Milk Hotel's "Two Headed Boy" and Cobra Skulls are covering Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues". The 7″s will come with a coupon that will allow you to download the tracks as mp3s. The 7″ will be pressed as an edition of 2,000 copies. We should have copies by the middle of March.

Listen to the tracks from this Under the Influence plus the previous 5 volumes here. You can also listen to them at the Andrew Jackson Jihad and Cobra Skulls' Myspace pages.
PRESSING INFO:
300 ON MAROON
700 ON SWAMPWATER GREEN
1,000 ON BLACK/WHITE HALF AND HALF

The Pre-order will commence today, Thursday, January 27th, at 2pm Mountain (4pm Eastern,1pm Pacific, 9pm London, 10pm Berlin, 6AM Friday Tokyo,8am Friday Sydney)

God, I hope it's the heroin talkin'...

2009-01-27T08:57:00.002-05:00

BEST. E-MAIL. EVER.

2009-01-22T07:39:00.005-05:00

So not music related, but after reading this post, you'll understand why I had to post it.

A friend of mine received this e-mail and it has got to be the best Spam message ever! (despite no ask to forward on for good luck or promise of millions from a Nigerian bank...) It does involve Scarlett Johansson, the Antichrist, Nazi's and self-censoring of the word 'damn'.

Here's the message in it's entirety, with no editing on my part:

IT IS NOT A SPAM, but if you received that message second and plus time JUST CLICK DELETE button and have a nice day. Don't feel bad, please understand original Scarlett's family very desperate to shut down that humiliating antichristian "actress" clones line career development. Hello dear Ladies and Gentlemen! I would like inform you that Scarlett Johansson (actress) actually is a clone from original person Scarlett Galabekian last name, who has nothing with acting career. That clone was created illegally by using stolen biological material. Original person is very nice (not d**n sexy),most important - CHRISTIAN young lady! I'll tell you more,those clones (it's not only one) made in GERMANY - world leader manufacturer of humans clones, it is in Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Rhineland-Palatinate, Mr. Helmut Kohl home town. You can not even imaging the scale of the cloning activity. But warning! Helmut Kohl clone staff strictly controlling all their clones (at least they trying) spreading around the world, they are very accurate with that, some of them are still NAZI type disciplined and mind controlled clones, so be careful get close with clones you will be controlled as well. Original person is not happy with those movies, images, video, rumors and etc. spreading on media in that way it would be really nice if we all will try slow down that ''actress'' career development, original Scarlett will really appreciated that. Please remember that original Scarlett's family did not authorize any activity with stolen biological materials, no matter what form it was created in it was stolen and it is stolen. It all need to be delivered to authorize personals control in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Original Scarlett never was engaged, by the way! Her close friend Serge G. P.S. CONTROLLING ACTIVITY OF ANY CLONES IS US MILITARY OPERATION. Check also here: http://www.flickfilosopher.com/blog/2008/10/warning_stolen_biological_mate.html H.R. 534, the Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2003, was introduced to the U.S. House of Representatives on February 5, 2003. After discussion, it was passed on February 27 by a vote of 241-155. It now moves on to the Senate for consideration. This bill makes it unlawful for any person or entity to perform or participate in human cloning, or to ship or receive embryos produced by human cloning. The penalties are imprisonment of up to 10 years and fines of $1 million or more. These now join other nations as diverse as Norway, Australia, and many other countries, which had already added cloning for any purpose to their criminal code. And in Germany where it carries a penalty of five years imprisonment they know a thing or two about unethical science.

<http://www.nationalpost.com/_assets/images/logo-np-large.gif>

9/28/2008 3:39:44 PM

Scarlett Johansson weds Ryan Reynolds in B.C. <http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=845158>

, National Post
Published: 9/28/2008 3:39:44 PM

Hollywood starlet Scarlett Johansson married Vancouver actor Ryan Reynolds at a ?remote wilderness resort? near Vancouver on Saturday

read more <http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=845158>

2008 Top 10

2009-01-15T11:43:00.004-05:00

In no particular order...

Flogging Molly - Float (Side One Dummy) Just about every band with access to a mandolin and a tin whistle is now a Celtic rock band. But few will ever be able to turn out an album even remotely resembling Flogging Molly’s fourth proper record. From the opening jangly chords of “Requiem for a Dying Song,” to the album closer, Float is flawless all the way through.

Gaslight Anthem - The '59 Sound (Side One Dummy) It’s no secret that punk rockers love The Boss, but Gaslight Anthem’s sophomore release is a practically a love letter to Springsteen, with a few nods to everyone from Roy Orbison to the Counting Crows. With perfect sing-along working class odes to everything from classic cars to Miles Davis, The ’59 Sound is proof that this band is bound to be around for decades to come.

The Loved Ones - Build & Burn (Fat Wreck Chords) One of Philly’s best punk bands is starting to move a little further away from the punk camp and settle for more of a straight ahead rock sound, but there’s no complaining here. Build & Burn, their second full length release and most experimental record so far, is also their strongest lyrically and hopefully a prelude for what’s to come next.

The Clash - Live at Shea (Legacy) A few tracks from this New York, early 80’s opening gig for The Who have popped up on records here and there, but Live at Shea is the first time The Clash’s historic show has been available from start to finish. The set could almost stand in as a greatest hits disc for the band with songs like “Train in Vain,” “Spanish Bombs” and “London Calling.” I don’t care how big of a Who fan you are, there is no doubt the punk rock upstarts from England owned this night.

The Riot Before - Fists Buried Deep in Pockets (Say-10) These Richmond kids get my vote for most underrated album of the year. Drawing inspiration from other DIY outfits like Hot Water Music and Smoke or Fire, between basement shows and VFW Hall gigs, The Riot Before managed to turn in a stellar second album, brimming with blue collar punk rock anthems like “Election Day” and “Threat Level Midnight.”

Tim Barry - Manchester (Suburban Home) Former Avail front man Tim Barry picked up an acoustic guitar a few years ago and hasn’t let go of it since. On his latest, Manchester, Barry seems to have perfected the punk/folk hybrid, bringing politically-charged lyrics (“South Hill”) and angst-tinged vocals all backed by subtle acoustic guitar and drums. The genre is ideal for Barry’s distinctive, emotion-laden voice that sounds just as powerful when he’s not competing with distorted guitars.

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive (Vagrant) Listening to Stay Positive, the latest from New York by way of Minneapolis band The Hold Steady, it’s kind of hard to believe bars existed before these guys were around to play in them. The Hold Steady strip away all pretentiousness and faux attitude in favor of substance and solid songwriting. Stay Positive is the best record Tom Petty never wrote this year.

Osaka Popstar - Rock 'Em O'Sock 'Em Live! (Misfits Records) It was hard to believe that this punk rock super group, comprised of refuges from The Misfits, The Voidoids and The Ramones, could top their 2006 debut Osaka Popstar and the American legends of Punk, but adding the immediacy of a live audience managed to do just that. A hybrid of originals and covers recorded at a small Jersey club show finds the band in their element. Can’t wait to see how they are going to top this one.

Ninja Gun - Restless Rubes (Suburban Home) Ever wondered what the son of a Valdosta, Georgia pig farmer would write about? Judging from songs like “Red State Blues” and “Restless Rubes,” it’s pretty much about feeling out of place and being stuck out in the middle of nowhere. The band’s sophomore record is a packed with amazing roots-based rock songs that would make Gram Parsons shed tears of joy.

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL recordings) There’s a reason why everyone from the trendy indie kids at Pitchfork to the Boomer-loving editors at Rolling Stone all threw Vampire Weekend into the their Best of ’08 lists: there is no getting around how great this release is. Recorded by over-educated, African drumming-obsessed, children of privilege, I wanted nothing more than to write this album off as more undeserved hype from the next big things, but from the first track on, the record is one of the most exciting releases in years, even if it’s members ironically wear boat shoes and pop up the collars on their pastel polo shirts.

Another Band Worth Knowing...

2008-12-19T10:28:00.006-05:00

Did a brief e-mail interview recently Josh Ocean, singer with New York-based electronic/pop punk band TV/TV. They are currently unsigned, but certainly not for long.

How did you all first get together?

I started the band as a music project with my roommate in our East Village apartment. The goal was to write pop music that we wanted to listen to and play small clubs around the city. We booked a residency at Piano's on the lower east side and when we needed a drummer and bass player we searched MySpace. We first found Francois and later Camillie. Francois and I from New York and Camillie is from New Jersey.

You had a pretty big name producing team to record your EP, without label backing. Was it hard to convince them to produce your record?

Actually no. Zack and Kenneth were very into the band since we first e-mailed them a demo of "Indie Rock Girl". They were busy working on the "Band in a Bubble" (Cartel) show on MTV, but we were the first band they contacted when they got out of the bubble.

Why did you choose them?

We wanted to get out of the city to record for a few reasons. Most of all we knew that they would bring a real pop sound to our more rock and indie type songs.

Are you surprised by the amount of attention you have gotten after the release of the EP?

Yes. It blows my mind to think that we put the band together in five months and then recorded the EP. The buzz that followed was pretty crazy. The craziest thing to me is that the buzz seems to keep growing.

Do you plan on signing to a label or trying to go it alone for awhile?

Yes. We will definitely sign with a label when we feel the time is right.

What's the toughest thing about doing all this alone, without a label?

We have to pool our resources to make everything work.

What's the upside?

We own everything and we have complete control.

Do you all still hold day jobs? Is it hard to tour around those schedules?

We are in limbo at the moment. It is really hard to have a job when you are home from tour for a few weeks then have to go out again.

Have you started writing a full length yet?

We have just been focused on writing for the new EP coming out in early 2009.

What's next for the band?

We are playing the entire Warped Tour in 2009. We will release a music video and continue to tour non-stop.

Anything else you want to add?

Check us out at http://www.tvtvrock.com/. I just ask people who haven't heard us to take a listen because that’s all it takes.

Band Worth Knowing...

2008-12-12T11:08:00.004-05:00

Amazing new record from Richmond, VA-based band The Riot Before.

Here's a recent interview with them:

Just two records into their career, the guys in The Riot Before have managed to create an album many longtime punk vets would kill to have their name on.

“Fists Buried Deep in Pockets,” The Riot Before’s sophomore effort, may be steeped heavily in Hot Water Music and Avail, but is still remarkably original. Lyrically and musically it’s a fantastic counterargument for those cynics who whine that good punk music died sometime in the mid-80’s.

California transplant Brett Adams, now firmly entrenched with the rest of the band in Richmond, VA, took some time recently and answered a few questions via e-mail, discussing “Fists”, high rents in Santa Barbara and why guys with beards shouldn’t wear mascara.

How different is Fists Buried in Pockets from Horseshoes and Hand Grenades?

If our records thus far were that depiction of human evolution which shows a monkey over the course of five or so pictures increasing in human characteristics, “Horseshoes” would be scrunched over on the far left, Dryopithecus I guess, while “Fists” would stand a little more upright, one or two fundamentalist-Christian-denying monkey-men to the right, maybe Homo Habilis. “Fists” is more evolved in pretty much every way, though I don't put it all the way on the right because I hope that it's not the most evolved record we will ever make. Maybe a few records down the road we will be metaphorically standing completely upright and we will literally be totally rich and famous. I could go through every nuance of betterment between our first record a Fists, but instead I'll just say that we recorded “Fists,” not just as a band (something “Horseshoes” didn't even have), but as an experienced band who had spent months and months preparing for the record trying to anticipate everything that would confront us in the studio, and two years playing nearly 300 live shows. I think that increase in experience shines through on the songs. Also, I'm three years older and I think I've grown up a lot, and that maturing has shown itself (I hope) in more thoughtful and nuanced lyrics, written with a lot more perspective and humility.

How long did you work on the new record?

Total time recording, mixing, and mastering was about three weeks, but that's really just the tip of the iceberg. A few weeks before officially recording everything we went in and demoed the whole record so we could listen to it and make appropriate changes. That was preceded by about two months of very intensive practices working everything out, planning the exact order of songs and how they would all work with each other, and going back and teaching out new guitarist, Jon (Greeley), all the songs we had worked with Garrett (Berneche) on, including re-writing all the lead guitar parts. I had spent the last year and a half or so working on songs, not incredibly diligently, but at least persistently. Accumulated, it was a ton of work.

Do you guys share similar musical influences?

For the most part our musical influences fall under the same very broad umbrella of punk, though we all have our unique divergences from that. Though we were all influenced by more or less the same genre, we didn't necessarily listen to the same bands. I grew up pretty isolated from the punk underground so I missed out on a lot of the bands that defined the genre for the other band members. Also, we all grew up in different parts of the country so what was popular in Chicago was very different than what was popular in central California or Virginia. But yeah, it's all pretty similar. None of us are metal heads at least.

How did you end up connecting with Say-10?

Cory (Crime, bassist) had known Adam (Gecking) from when he lived in Virginia Beach. Adam had run a label a few years back and was looking to get back into it, so he offered to help us put out a record. We were broke, he's a really trustworthy guy, and the rest is history.

Of all places, how did you end up in Virginia?

After I finished college in Santa Barbara I knew I wanted to move far away from California (just for the hell of it really, nothing against the state) and that wherever I moved would have to be a place I could hub a touring band from. I always wanted my band's bio to read heavily of touring and hard work, and so I couldn't move some place like New York where rent was as bad or worse than Santa Barbara, and I'd have to spend more time at work paying bills than in a van paying dues. So after looking around and asking a ton of people, I ended up picking Richmond for very practical reasons. It's pretty cheap and right in the middle of the east coast so you can easily tour north or south in a part of the country that is very densely populated. Plus, I'd never been to Richmond and I knew no one, so it totally fit the and-then-I-packed-my-car-up-and-drove-across-the-country-to-a-city-I-new-nothing-about narrative that I'm so fond of. So, if anything, it was guaranteed to be a good story.

So maybe you can tell, what is it about Richmond that produces such down to earth punk bands? I have yet to see anyone from that town in a band that uses mascara?

This question kinda stumped me for a bit cause I never really thought much about it before. I just accepted the fact that if you played in a shitty pop band or had mascara on your eyes, it was probably a good idea to skip Richmond. Then again, that's really only true of the city. The suburbs love that stuff. I'm sure Aiden would draw a decent suburbs crowd here, though there's no way they'd be able to be from the city. I talked to a friend about this last night and he had a pretty good answer so I'll steal it. There's a really big art college here in Richmond, and so pretty much everyone is some sort of artist, or at least surrounded by artists, and that really affects the taste of the city. You get a bunch of pretentious artists together and the last thing that they're gonna tolerate is eyeliner and music that is a copy of a copy of something that was kinda cool in '98. Granted, there's still a lot of pretension, but its way more veiled. And when pretentious people are trying to pretend they're not, they end up liking bands that actually aren't pretentious at all (i.e. Avail, Strike Anywhere). Does that make sense at all? I think it does. Maybe the answer is simpler, like: beards are popular here, and you just look stupid if you have eyeliner and a beard, so people just don't wear mascara.

How was playing Fest this year? Did you get to catch any of the other bands playing?

This was our second year playing the Fest and it was a ton of fun but also incredibly tiring. I love the Fest because it brings together a lot of the people in the country (and a few other countries too) that actually like your band, and our show at the Fest has been our best of the year two years running. The turn our this year was surprisingly good considering we had to play at the exact same time as The Lawrence Arms, No Trigger, and Andrew Jackson Jihad (three bands I really wanted to see) and given the choice, I don't know if I would have gone to our set over those other bands. Luckily I had no choice. Not only does the Fest bring together a lot of fans of music, but also the musicians themselves. There are a ton of bands we've become friends with over the years, but because we're always on tour we pretty much never get to hang out with them. So it's great being able to catch up with good friends you don't get to see very often. As far as actually watching other bands, I tried and mostly failed. There was just too much going on. It's like standing surrounded by people shouting at you and trying to pick out and pay attention to what everyone is saying. It's impossible and really tiring, and eventually you just give up and go back to a friend's hotel room and watch House for a few hours and comment on how the show is pretty much just Scrubs but with more somber lighting and Dr. Cox as the protagonist. I did get to catch some good shows though. Then venue we played at on Saturday was good all day long so I just hung around and watched the Cobra Skulls, Nothington, Broadway Calls, The Menzingers, Polar Bear Club, Fake Problems, and a few others. I watched Hour of the Wolf's set on Sunday and that was completely insane. There was blood and nudity and trash, all in a set of incredible songs. One of the downsides of the Fest for me is that I have a really bad memory when it comes to the people I meet on tour every night. Like, I don't just forget names, I forget faces. It's awful but there's just no way for me to fix it. Let's say I meet ten new people every night on tour (which is a pretty conservative number), if we play 150 shows in a year, that's 1,500 people that I talked to in one way or another, and I'm completely incapable of remembering everyone. You never really know who you'll meet again and who you'll never see anymore, so my brain just kinda files everyone in the same brief-encounter-folder and it's really hard sorting through it all in an instant when someone says hi to you. At the Fest there are all these really great people from all over the country that I met in the last few years and they would come say hello and I would just stare at them, trying to figure out even what state they were from. And everyone kinda just expected me to remember, so they wouldn't re-introduce themselves or be like "hey it's _____ from ____" (cause once I had that info I pretty much remember everything). So the Fest ended up being this really great and fun reunion where I walked around constantly in fear of being a dick, terrified that I'd run into yet another person I didn't remember. I felt awful at lot of the time. We meet all these really generous people who basically sustain our band every single night and I can't even remember most of them. I hate it. I ended up having a lot of anxiety and not really going anywhere or making eye contact with people I didn't think I knew.

Any tour plans for Dec. or early 2009?

Sadly no. We're broke and our van is not too mechanically sound. We really don't trust it on long drives and so we're looking at trying to buy a new one, which is not cheap. At this point it looks like we're gonna try and get back out on the road and hit up the whole U.S. next March/April, hopefully Europe in May, and then maybe the moon late next summer. I'm probably going to go crazy if I have to stay in the same city until next March and I'd really like to leave before that, but right now finances are dictating out touring plans.

What's next for the band?

We'd like to spend the bulk of next year on the road. That's our only goal pretty much all of the time, to play shows. Granted, we have other goals that are more personal: Freddy wants to introduce a line of hair care products, you know like mooses and styling gels; Cory wants to be on Project Runway; and Jon wants to play forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, but all those things are a ways off. Right now we just want to play shows to more than, like, ten people at a time.

Anything else you want to add?

Check out These Numbers Have Faces over at thesenumbers.com.

X-mas Song from Scott Reynolds

2008-12-04T13:08:00.005-05:00

Suburban Home Records received a cool little Christmas song from Scott Reynolds the other day ("It's Christmas Anyway").

Here's the message Suburban Home honcho Virgil Dickerson received from Scott:

Last year I recorded a little Christmas ditty for my myspace. It ain't much of a recording (used a toy drum set, my epiphone, and my trusty mac computer), but it's a nice song, and I figured it would make a good Christmas present this year. So here it is. If you're not a Christian, don't worry. Neither am I. I don't think it matters much. SO HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY CHANUKAH, KILLER KWANZAA, AND A PEACEFUL AND HAPPY NEW YEAR. GOD BLESS US EVERYONE, AND TO ALL A GOODNIGHT!!! ……………….. Scott

It's a great song and SHR and Scott are giving it away free. Here's the download:
http://www.suburbanhomerecords.com/mediafiles/ScottReynolds/xmas.mp3

Scott's a great musician, so please download it and pass it along.

The Clash Review

2008-10-30T07:38:00.006-04:00

The Clash – Live at Shea Stadium (CD/Legacy) and THE CLASH by The Clash (Book/Grand Central Publishing)
The Sex Pistols get points for being there first, but The Clash are by far the most influential punk rock band. Formed in 1976, just a year after The Pistols - a band known more for safety pins, studs and a heavy dose of brattiness - The Clash focused more energy on songwriting than publicity stunts, injecting a heavy dose of working class politics and a touch of anarchy into their songs.

The Pistols, though a goofy band and influential in their own way, only released one proper album before imploding, while The Clash kept their heads down and focused on their music, inspiring an entire generation of punk rockers in the process. Consider the best known punk and punk-inspired bands playing today: Green Day, Rancid, Dropkick Murphys, Rage Against The Machine; None of these bands would be around if Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon and Topper Headon hadn’t first paved the way.

The band may have finally gained entrance into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, but the back to back releases of the “Live at Shea Stadium” concert on CD and the new book THE CLASH by The Clash, do more to honor one of the greatest political music acts to ever record.

“Live at Shea Stadium” is the only full show live album released by The Clash. Recorded in 1982, when the band opened up for The Who, the sound quality is flawless. The recording starts off with an introduction by sometime manager and longtime band friend Kosmo Vinyl who prods the crowd for not being loud enough then proclaims: “We ain’t got no baseball tonight, we ain’t got no football tonight… but what we have got is a little bit of what’s going on in London…” before bringing out The Clash, who jump into “London Calling.”

Playing during a steady downpour of rain, the band tears through 15 songs in under an hour. The set list is tight for the most part, with the band playing all of their hits that were out at the time including “Train in Vein,” “Tommy Gun,” “Spanish Bombs,” and “Should I Stay or Should I Go.”

The Clash sounds a bit testy at times, telling the audience early on to “Stop yakking!” Not very punk rock, but then again I’ve never played in a stadium in front of tens of thousands and had to sing over people talking.

Not every track’s a winner, (Paul Simonon’s turn at the mic for “The Guns of Brixton” was probably a good time to go get a t-shirt), but taken as a whole, the album is a fantastic snapshot of one of the world’s best rock bands, at their peak, playing a brilliant show. Because of Strummer’s death from a heart defect in 2002, most of never got a chance to see The Clash play. “Live at Shea Stadium,” though hardly a substitute for the real thing is still a decent memento worth getting.

Equally impressive is the book THE CLASH by The Clash, crammed with hundreds of color photos and interviews with the band. There have been plenty of Clash bios over the past few decades, but this is the first time the band has given their own story of The Clash. Every band member is included (Strummer participated in several of the interviews before his death).

Though the interviews are great, it’s the pictures that justify the book’s hefty $45 price tag, with many never before or rarely seen material like tour posters, artwork, and pics of the band at home, on stage, in the studio and on the road.

There will always be great punk bands, but there will never be a band like The Clash, the first to combine incendiary guitars and strong political themes railing against everything from fascism to Thatcher’s right-leaning version of England. Long live The Clash!

Ever Get the Feeling You've Been Cheated?

2008-10-02T14:57:00.005-04:00

Sex Pistol's front man Johnny Rotten (ne John Lydon) doing a butter commercial. Seriously. Filthy Lucre indeed.

Rise Against - Behind the Scenes

2008-09-19T10:40:00.018-04:00

I was a bit slow to catch on to Rise Against. It wasn't until the release of "Siren Song of the Counter Culture" about three years ago that I finally decided to pay attention to the Chicago band. I've heard the new record, "Appeal to Reason" (due out on Oct. 7) and think the group has just turned in their best record. It's still filled with plenty of political diatribes and the guitars still ring, but there is strong eveolution in the band's sound that can't be ignored. I'll have a review up in about a week or two.

Doing a Nov. story on the band for MeanStreet magazine, so should have plenty more info to post about Rise Against soon. In the meantime, here's some behind the scenes footage of the group making a video for their first single off the record ("Re-Education").

Making Of Re-Education - Rise Against

The Clash - Live at Shea Stadium

2008-09-12T10:22:00.002-04:00

I got a promo copy of The Clash Live at Shea Stadium. Amazing! I'll have a review up closer to the release date (Oct. 7). Here's a taste.

Your Next Favorite Band...Fun

2008-08-27T10:01:00.006-04:00

In 2006, The Format released "Dog Problems," a record that is nearly flawless from start to finish.

Produced by Redd Kross's Steven McDonald with arrangements from Roger Manning (former Jellyfish founder), the record was criminally underrated. Lyrically and musically, it is one of the best pop/rock albums to come out this decade. Drawing influences from bands like XTC, ELO and Jellyfish, the duo (Sam Means and Nate Ruess) was miles ahead of their peers in terms of creativity and musicianship.

I was working on a piece for AMP magazine earlier this year and had interviewed Ruess by phone. I asked about a new record and he said they were going to get back to work soon, and were bringing back McDonald and Manning to help again. A few weeks later, however, it was announced that The Format was splitting up and there would be no follow up to "Dog Problems". The break was cordial, but the news still completely sucked.

Last week, the gods of music decided to make the world a little brighter. Through a MySpace post, Ruess announced that he had formed a new band, Fun (the band's name, not a commentary from me), with Andrew Dost of Anathallo and Jack Antonoff of Steel Train (both bands were constant tour mates of The Format). A press release went out soon after announcing that Fun will begin recording their debut album this September with.... (wait for it)... producer Steven McDonald, arranger Roger Joseph Manning Jr. Nice.

Their debut album should be available in February, 2009, but they have already posted a demo for the song "Benson & Hedges" (which can be downloaded from their MySpace page). And all is right with the world again.

The Format post coming soon...

2008-08-26T09:45:00.005-04:00

in the meantime, watch this:

Needed: New Spokesperson for Slipknot

2008-08-21T07:34:00.008-04:00

I can't say I'm a fan of the band Slipknot, the goofy, gimmick-prone metal heads from Iowa (they wear masks for God's sake!), but someone needs to help out the group and offer better advice than their label.

The British and South African media this week have been reporting on a brutal incident in South Africa where a 16- year-old wearing a Slipknot mask and carrying a sword killed one fellow student and injured a few others at the school. In a predictable move, school officials are using an old chestnut from the 80's, blaming the attack on "Satanic music" (about 20 years ago, this was known as the "Ozzy Osbourne/Judas Priest" theory).

What was Slipknot's response?

Glad you asked.

Someone from Roadrunner Record's, the band's label, said: "We've had no confirmation that it was, in fact, a Slipknot mask. The band is not going to respond."

The teen apparently did not buy a sanctioned Slipknot mask from an approved seller, so the band has no response. Not a "We are saddened by this tragic event," or a "Our thoughts are with the victims' families," etc. The kid didn't shell out cash for the real thing, so the band will have no comment.

Stay classy Slipknot.

CD Reviews - The Replacements Edition

2008-08-08T07:35:00.007-04:00

The Replacements
Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash; Stink; Hootenanny; and Let it Be (Remastered)

I’m the first to admit that re-issues of old albums are generally nothing more than a cynical way to cash in on a record twice.

There are very few albums that sincerely deserve a re-launch and are actually worth all the extras picked out of some long-forgotten vault, dusted off and slapped onto the re-release. The Replacements first four records, however, are a major exception.

The first couple of records (“Sorry Ma…” and the “Stink” EP) show a sloppier band that is bursting with potential. They tempered a bit of the brattiness with “Hootenanny” and Paul Westerberg started to evolve a bit lyrically. With the release of “Let It Be,” boasting songs like “Unsatisfied” and “Androgynous,” the band solidified itself as one of the best American rock bands. Ever.

The bonus outtakes and demo tracks Rhino added to these records make them worth the re-release. Here’s hoping their later albums get similar treatment. One of life’s big mysteries is how a band as brilliant as The Replacements have remained the darlings of critics everywhere and served as inspirations for an entire generation of punks and garage rockers, but never really managed to garner the mainstream success that far, far weaker bands have managed to snatch.

The Clash - Live! (Finally)

2008-08-06T11:38:00.006-04:00

Those bemoaning the current state of popular music (the line forms just behind me) can take a moment and relax.

Epic/Legacy has just announced that they will finally release "The Clash Live at Shea Stadium". The CD comes out on Oct. 7. There will also be a new Clash book coming out in November, "The Clash by The Clash."

This soon-to-be classic CD captures the band's Oct. 12th and 13th shows, opening for The Who's farewell tour, (as recounted in numerous bios on The Clash and Joe Strummer).

Here's the track listing:

Kosmo Vinyl Introduction

London Calling

Police On My Back

Guns Of Brixton

Tommy Gun

The Magnificent Seven

Armagideon Time

The Magnificent Seven (return)

Rock The Casbah

Train In vain

Career Opportunities

Spanish Bombs

Clampdown

English Civil War

Should I Stay Or Should I Go

I Fought The Law

The band was on the road promoting Combat Rock, at the time. This record is a must buy for any Clash fans - casual or die hard -and required listening for any up and coming bands who think punk rock started with Green Day and Blink 182.

Band Worth Watching: War Stories

2008-08-01T12:55:00.007-04:00

It's easy to get cynical about music when you consider the overwhelming amount of mediocre, slapped together static that passes for music nowadays. But, every now and then - and it doesn't happen nearly as often as you'd think - I come across a CD from an unknown band that just blows me away; reminds me just how brilliant a band can be when you combine talent, emotion and ambition. San Diego four-piece War Stories is one of those bands.

Here's an expert from a recent interview I did with the group's singer. Their record comes out on Aug. 19. Here's a link to their MySpace page where you can listen to a few songs.

WAR STORIES

You’d have to go back pretty far in the annals of rock to find a more appropriately named band than War Stories.

In the midst of a major tour, trying to build up name recognition across the country show by show, the guys in San Diego’s War Stories got shoved out the door of a moving tour van (figuratively speaking, of course) by Sony Records before their debut even landed on the store shelves.

To make matters worse, their label refused to let the band keep any of their songs, preferring to preserve them a closet somewhere.

Bruised, a little jaded, but more determined than ever to bring their songs to light, front man Evan Robinson, along with drummer Adam Barker, bassist Eric Mace and guitarist Reid Curby went right back to work on their second, first record. The result is Vol. I, nearly a dozen beautifully-crafted songs that manage to sound both hauntingly intimate at times and tailor-made for packed arena sing-alongs. Though it’s almost cliché to compare a rock band to U2, a song like Vol. I’s “What Does God See” could easily fit alongside any of the tracks on the Irish band’s groundbreaking “October”.

I spoke with Evan recently in a very frank and open interview, covering everything from the band’s abrupt dismissal from the Sony family to the future of War Stories.

How did you find out that your debut was not going to be put out by Columbia? Did they give you a reason?

Evan: I got a call from our management half way through our U.S./Canadian tour with Kasabian and Mew. They said, "Columbia is dropping your band and is not going to put out the record." To be honest, I was not surprised. Even though we had great tours, a beautiful video, a strong record and an overall great "team"(ha) behind us, something didn't feel quite right. I often found myself in situations where I was forced to compromise my musical and personal integrity to keep the interest of the "machine." Though my experiences with the "machine" all seem horrible, in reality it was one of my life's greatest learning experiences. No regrets.

Did they let you keep the songs from that record?

Evan: Absolutely not. And given the fact that they basically hosed us off and hung us out to dry, you would think that the least they could do is give us back our songs that we wrote. But OH NO, NO my friends! For the last two years we have been trying to get our songs back. But in order to fight the "machine" you need an attorney, and attorneys LOVE money, and since we don't have the bank of Sony behind us anymore, no one wants to give us their time. All legal bullshit aside, those are our songs that we wrote. We are going to treat them that way.

Did you ever consider calling it quits after the first record fell apart?

Evan: It actually motivated us. It forced us to re-evaluate our intentions behind creating music. It reminded us that we write and perform music because it is simply who we are. The writing of songs and sharing them with people is what we love to do. That being said, we came to the conclusion that we were going to remain a working band whether there was $2 or $2 million dollars behind us. The end of 2006 was the time we were dropped. But it was also a time when we felt a sense of freedom and relief that we were no longer part of the major labels downward spiral. spi.ral- a plane curve generated by a point moving around a fixed point while constantly receding from or approaching it.

Once you finished this new record, did you consider talking to major labels again?

Evan: Of course the thought crossed my mind. I am a kid with a dream of playing music for a living. Major labels allow you to do just that. The problem is that the "dream" usually lasts for a very short period of time and sometimes comes with lifelong consequences. I’m 25 years old. If I want to be doing this when I am 60, I cannot put my career in the hands of a record company that throws their artists against a wall in hopes that it might stick. Not to mention being part of a "machine" that was designed to make the rich richer and keep the artist in debt. No thank you.

With the current state of the music industry, do you think bands really need record labels now?

Evan: Nope. You need a good manager, a part time job, committed members and passion.

Can you tell me a little about the songs on the new record? Is there a central theme?

Evan: This record is a compilation of 11 heartfelt songs. It’s the soundtrack to life. From the issues of depression and addiction addressed in "Without Love," to my frustration with the music industry stressed in "Rage," to my gratitude expressed to my guitar on the track "Beautiful," the songs are just real. I have experienced a whole hell of a lot these past few years, and it is really rewarding and therapeutic to share those experiences through my songs. The central theme to this record could be summed up by unconditional love.

Have you started touring behind this record yet?

Evan: No one in the band is independently wealthy, therefore making tour a difficult task at the moment. Plans to tour? Yes! I plan on spending the majority of my life on the road. There is no greater experience to me than sharing and performing our songs to new faces every evening. I believe that you experience more in one month of constant touring than most people experience in a lifetime. Call me old fashion, but I am a big fan of: playing our set, sitting down at the merch table, taking the crinkled up 10 dollar bill out of the persons hand, making a new friend and sending them home with a great record all at the same time. To meet and converse with the fans, the people that encourage us to continue to do what we love the most is a really great thing.

Anything else you want to add?

Evan: Ya, I would love to add this...Right now is a very exciting time in the music industry. Like Johnny Cash said, "What's done in the dark, will be brought to the light." As the greedy heart and selfish character of the business is revealed, the torch is being past on. The power is now back in the hands of the artists. The people that create and love music are now in control. As much as the "machine" would love to think that it is still in control, it is not. In fact, it is about as in control as a sperm that is trying to fertilize an egg inside a women who is on the pill. That translates to 0.1% control. As for the remaining 99.9% of bands, we need to embrace this change and take action. With the help of our fans, I truly believe we can resurrect the music business - this time being built on a foundation of sincere love for music. I hope to see you all at a show one day. Remember; where there is passion, there is success. Peace and Love.

Is there anything this man can't do?

2008-07-17T08:23:00.004-04:00

According to a Reuters report, Bruce helped end communism 20 years ago.

CD Reviews

2008-07-14T13:12:00.003-04:00

Millencolin - Machine 15 (Epitaph)
After 15 years and seven full lengths (not counting EPs), the Swedish pop/punkers in Millencolin have finally moved away from being just another skate punk band with snarky lyrics and have entered “influential punk rocker” territory. After a three year break, the band’s latest offering, “Machine 15.” is by far Millencolin’s best effort to date. Brimming with pop-worthy sing-along choruses, a driving rhythm section and perfect punk rock guitars, the sadly underrated band is bound to win over a whole new crowd with the new record while holding onto enough of their old sound to satisfy longtime fans. Along with a slightly matured sound, the band has also grown immensely in their songwriting, with snatches of brilliant political protest in songs like “Broken World.” That’s not to say that the band has turned into Europe’s answer to Bad Religion. One just needs to listen to a slightly goofy track like the highly infectious first single “Detox,” to be assured that the guys in Millencolin can still crack a smile. The band’s evolution from just another skater band with a jones for So Cal pop/punk to one of Europe’s best contemporary punk rock band’s may have taken awhile, but thanks to a record like “Machine 15” the trip was well worth it.

1997 – On the Run (Victory)
Victory Records, one of the most powerful indie labels operating today, may be best known as the home to teeth rattling post-hardcore and metal acts, but oddly out of place on their roster is one of their best signings, the piano-heavy emo-tinged indie pop act 1997.The Chicago natives play endearing, lush pop that is separated from their contemporaries thanks to their trade off of boy/girl vocals. The addition of new singer Alida Marroni propels “On the Run” way past their decent, but decidedly uneven debut. Their latest record is stronger mainly due to the risks the band takes this time out. The almost Brian Wilson-like opening vocals on “January 19th” and the sing-along tracks like “Winds of Change” (probably one of the best emo songs Dashboard Confessional didn’t write) show a band much more confident. That’s not to say the album is flawless. There are musical risks that don’t pay off, but the successes far outshine any missteps. With “On the Run,” 1997 have taken piano and stellar vocals to help define the new sound of Victory Records.

Nerd Herder – IV (Oglio)
Nerf Herder has never been able to shake comparisons to the other jokey nerd rockers in Weezer. Both bands play chuckle worthy, sing along pop, with the big exception being that Nerf Herder are all for exploiting their goofiness for the sake of good songs (they also don’t have a head case for a lead singer). The band called it quits a few years ago then had second thoughts and reunited in 2005. It took awhile to finally put together IV, their first record since reuniting, but these tracks are just as strong as their earlier material. With songs about loser stalkers, backpacks and embarrassing high school reunions, the band doesn’t stretch much on this record, but then again they wouldn’t be as much fun if they actually matured. Taken for what it is, a silly pop-punk record, Nerf Herder’s “IV” works just fine.

Same Old Song

2008-06-30T11:38:00.010-04:00

Complaints about the current crop of "rock stars" signed to major labels is certainly nothing new. Like payola and bad morning DJ's, moaning about the current state of popular music is nearly as old as radio itself.

That being said, I am a card carrying member of Generation X, and believe it is my God-given right to cry in my flannel about the mediocre soon-to-be has-beens that pass for musical heroes nowadays. Below is a Saturday morning rant a buddy/music fan/and longtime music mag publisher sent over this weekend. Thought I would share:

I have become one of those music snobs and I just realized it today. I am sitting here with a stack of CDs on my desk per usual and listening to this average band at best playing radio friendly adult contemporary music you might find in 1986. Why is this relevant in 2008? Why do people record this stuff and spend lots of money to put it out?

I have become jaded because some of my rock heroes have become my friends and I think their music is the elite. So why can’t these unsigned bands be as good as Pearl Jam, King’s X, Juliana Hatfield, Hamell on Trial or Ani DiFranco and I think that is a pretty diverse selection of music mind you.

Where has the soul and heart and passion gone in music. Who would really make the commitment in today’s bands to play a three hour show and sweat through their clothes like Eddie Vedder or Bruce Springsteen and those dudes are in their latter years. They could out rock any of these new punks on the block who think they know about music. Hell they think music started with Blink 182, Green Day. They only like the Clash, Joe Strummer, Sex Pistols because it is “punk cool” to like them. But do they know the history, do they know the literal blood sweat and tears some of those bands put into their music?

Sure there are still good bands out there playing for the sake of the music but in this era of downloads, My Space what not, anyone can play three chords, write and record a song on their computer and call themselves a musician.

A friend of mine, who was mentioned above, told me that music was becoming disposable and sadly they were right. One click of the button and you can throw a song into your computer trash bin or erase it from your IPod when you are sick of it. But how can anyone really get sick of music?

After reading his rant, I decided to go through my own stack of promo CDs to find one solid release courtesy of a major label. Nothing. There is some great stuff coming out on smaller indies (the new Gaslight Anthem on SideOne is amazing and the Osaka Popstar live record will likely be in my car stereo for the next three years!), but small labels are limited in their distribution and the amount of money they can spend on promoting a band, so chances are you will likely never hear about any of these bands if you don't regularly hit the small dive clubs and bar.

All that being said, I will continue to do my admittedly small part and trumpet these smaller, far more talented bands in any way that I can, from magazines to blogs. It's a drop in the bucket, but it at least makes me feel better about myself.

2008-06-30T11:38:00.001-04:00

Dennis Wilson Review

2008-06-12T09:55:00.006-04:00

OK, so you don't always (or ever) think of the Beach Boys when someone mentions punk rock. But Dennis Wilson did hang with Charles Manson ever so briefly, so that may be a strong enough connection to justify mentioning him in this blog.

Legacy Records just released a remastered version of the former Beach Boy drummer's only solo record, with tons of extra (including a never before released second record!). R.I.P. surfer man.

Here's the review:

Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue (Legacy)

History is packed with drummers that tossed away their sticks and grabbed the mic (Dave Grohl, Phil Collins, Glen Fry, etc.), often with uneven results. Former Beach Boy drummer Dennis Wilson was one of the few drummers who could actually pull off the change.

Though he may have spent his brief musical career behind the shadow by his older brother Brian, the re-released version of his 1977 solo record shows he was every bit as talented. Wilson’s solo record was/is a big step away from the traditionally cheery Beach Boys, melody-soaked songs, leaning more toward beautiful, melancholy piano-backed efforts. Light on production and extra instruments, Wilson uses little more than a piano and his voice to move the songs along.

The Legacy Records deluxe set treats this often neglected gem of an album right, with four bonus tracks that didn’t make it on the original record and second CD of Wilson’s never released “Bambu” project: 16 rarely-heard tracks, and a new version of the unfinished song “Holy Man,” aptly enough, with Foo Fighter’s drummer Taylor Hawkins on vocals. The package also comes with a 44 page book of photos and several essays about the musician.
Listening to “Pacific Blue” in its entirety, followed by the salvaged songs on “Bambu,” you can’t help but mourn for the short, but understated brilliant solo work of Dennis Wilson and what might have been had he not died in 1983.

Band Worth Knowing: Ludo

2008-06-03T10:24:00.004-04:00

The only back up plan the guys in Ludo had was “don’t have a back up plan.”

It seems to have worked out OK for the St. Louis-based rock band. Just a few years into it’s existence and Ludo has already signed with Island and are hitting the road with the Presidents of the United States of America to promote their second full-length “You’re Awful, I Love You.”

Co-founder Andrew Volpe took time recently to speak with me about the beauty of not looking back.

So where did all of you meet?

We came together in pieces. Tim Ferrell and I played together as Ludo while we both were in college. We started playing acoustic shows full time in early 2003. Tim Convy, who had known Ferrell since high school joined after that spring and the three spent that summer recruiting a rhythm section and got Matt (Palermo) and Marshall (Fanciullo) that summer. We recorded our first album after being together for a few weeks, and immediately went on tour.

I know at least some of you dropped out of college for Ludo. How thrilled were your folks about that?

I think all of our parents had a feeling early on their kids were going to pursue something like this. They've all been very supportive - they see how hard we work, and they know how much we love what we do. Of course there's an occasional "get a REAL job!" but for the most part they've all been great.

How would you describe the band's sound?

Describing what music sounds like is like trying to draw a picture of what spaghetti tastes like, so it's not really something we like to do but in short - we're a rock band.

Do you guys have any influences that would surprise people?

We really like Chuck Berry and we've all got individual tastes that would surprise people. Tim Ferrell has been really in to music in "pure" intonation which basically abandons all rules of Western notes, chords, etc and it's crazy!

Have you all been able to quit your day jobs yet or do you still work between tours?

We've been very fortunate and have done nothing but Ludo from the day we started. We always say "If you have fall-back plan, you'll fall back on it." Before Ludo we did everything from bartending, DJing, graphic design, and selling shoes, futons, and all sorts of things.

How did you get the attention of Island records?

We played a show at South by Southwest in Austin and there was an A&R guy there from Island. He saw us, took us out to eat the next day and then brought his boss to see us at home in St. Louis.

How long have you been working on the songs that made this record?

Years. Some of the songs have existed since December of 2003, and others were written while we were in the studio.

How was the recording process this time around?

It was really amazing and probably one of the most positive experiences we've ever had as a band. Our producer, Matt Wallace, was incredible and supported us in making the record we wanted to make. We also got to live in Hollywood for two months which was quite an experience in and of itself.

What are the largest and smallest crowds you've played in front of?

We played to over 4,000 people at a show during the Final Four in St. Louis. We also played to about four people in a swimming pool at college in Texas.

Any advice to bands that are just now starting out?

Love it. Do it for yourself. Write lots of songs. Push each other. Play every show you can. If something isn't fun, don't do it. Get plenty of sleep.

What do you have planned for the rest of 2008?

We're going on tour with The Presidents of The United States of America. Before that, we need to get the oil changed in the van. And after that, who knows?

CD Reviews

2008-05-27T12:22:00.008-04:00

Old 97’s

Blame It on Gravity
New West Records

The Old 97’s have been churning out their endearing brand alt-country/power-pop now for nearly 15 years. With their latest, “Blame it on Gravity”, unfortunately the wear and tear is starting to show a bit. It’s not that the 13 track record is bad – in fact it is still better than most efforts the genre is likely to offer this year – it’s simply that the Texas boys set the bar so high with their earlier efforts. Songs like “Time Bomb” (off of “Too Far to Care”) or “Victoria,” (off of “Wreck Your Life”) were instant classics. In comparison, there really are no obvious classics off of the group’s latest. “No Baby I” would have obviously been overshadowed and ignored if it were on one of their first records, but comes off as one of the stronger outings on “Blame it on Gravity.” This record is still a must-own for anyone who was a fan enough of the band to buy front man Rhett Miller’s solo efforts. For all others, I’d suggest picking up a copy of “Too Far to Care” and waiting to see what the next record brings.
http://www.old97s.com/

Good Riddance
Remain in Memory - Live
Fat Wreck Chords

Coming in at 31 tracks, it’s easy to dismiss “Remain in Memory,” Good Riddance’s live album, as overkill. But for an underdog band that made it almost 20 years, churning out good-to-great political rants, backed by solid punk rock only to be ignored by many outside of their native Southern California, 31 tracks almost seems like not enough for a band that’s more than earned their place in punk rock history.

Recorded on May 27, 2007, in their hometown of Santa Cruz, “Remain in Memory” marks the band’s very last show together. Throughout their career, they were overshadowed by far less talented bands with bigger resources, but the guys in Good Riddance, undaunted, continued to turn in album after album of passionate punk rock fight songs. Fueled by old Bad Religion and Dead Kennedy’s albums, distorted guitars and a healthy dose of cynicism, Good Riddance managed to put out eight albums before finally calling it quits. Lacking a greatest hits record, “Remain in Memory” is a perfect starter album for those just discovering the band and a nice keepsake for longtime fans.
www.myspace.com/goodriddance

The De’Villes
Switch Blades & Heartaches
Motherbox Records

New York has a storied history of churning out stellar punk bands and The De’Villes are no exception. On their debut, NY Rock and Roll, the Long Island foursome play solid punk rock in the vein of Social Distortion and The Dead Boys. The eight song E.P. starts off strong with “Coulda’ Been My Baby” and doesn’t let up. Jarett Slionski's scratchy vocals complement the band’s sound perfectly. With a subtle nod to rockabilly and the occasional blues riff thrown in, the De’Villes are proof that NY has not lost its touch for launching great bands. Though not known by many outside their turf yet, the group is a full length record away from launching a brilliant career.
http://www.thedevillesrnr.com/

Hair Metal is Taking Over Again

2008-05-08T09:19:00.005-04:00

So Poison front man Bret Michaels is a TV Dating Show super stud now and Axl Rose may be the best thing to happen to Dr. Pepper since the aluminum can, now Def Leppard, the best metal band with a one-armed drummer has just debuted on the Billboard Top 200 charts at #5. Seriously.... There is no punch line there. Well, maybe one. Their first single is a duet with Tim McGraw.

Here's the press release:

“SONGS FROM THE SPARKLE LOUNGE”
Debuts at #5 on Billboard Top 200!

Band’s New Release Garners Highest Charting Debut Since 1992’s Adrenalize

“Nine Lives” Maintains #1 Spot on Classic Rock Chart for Three Solid Weeks

New York, May 7, 2008 – Def Leppard, Great Britain’s premiere arena rock band, released their 14th studio album, Songs From The Sparkle Lounge (Bludgeon Riffola/Island/UMe) this past Tuesday, which has debuted at #5 on the Billboard Top 200, earning Def Leppard their highest-charting debut since their 1992 album Adrenalize. Songs From The Sparkle Lounge contains 11 new songs including the new hit single “Nine Lives,” featuring a groundbreaking collaboration with country music superstar Tim McGraw. The song has been sitting atop the Classic Rock chart at #1 for three weeks, and is also holding at #15 on Mainstream Rock radio. The band recently kicked off the release of their new album last week with a slew of high profile television performances on ABC’s Dancing With The Stars, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and NBC’s The Ellen Degeneres Show.

Recorded last year during month-long stints at lead singer Joe Elliott’s Dublin studio, the album’s title refers to a backstage area called “The Sparkle Lounge” on Def Leppard’s 2006 tour where the band would go to write songs. In addition to the album’s hit single “Nine Lives,” other standout tracks on the album include “C'mon C'mon,” which will be the album’s next single, “Go,” reminiscent of the band’s classic track “Rocket” in its power and aggressive tribal beat; “Love,” an emotive and moving epic song; and the anthemic “Tomorrow,” a song written by guitarist Collen about the death of his father.

Songs From The Sparkle Lounge includes a limited edition custom PIKCARD®, which unlocks the Def Leppard online "Vault” (named after the band's best-selling greatest-hits CD). Inside the “Vault,” Def Leppard fans have exclusive access to a variety of content, contests and memorabilia, featuring highlights such as personal photos from the road, registration to the band's fan club, entry into an exclusive contest to win backstage passes and VIP access the next time Def Leppard comes to the winner's town, new album lyrics - handwritten by Joe Elliott- and a personal message from the band.

In addition to the album, Def Leppard have partnered with Activision Inc.'s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock on an epic three-song track pack that gave fans an exclusive opportunity to sample the band's #1 new radio single, "Nine Lives," before their upcoming studio album hit stores. The track pack became available starting April 24th and also features live versions of "Photograph" and "Rock of Ages," two of Def Leppard's most beloved chart-toppers from their multi-platinum Pyromania album.

With more than 65 million albums sold worldwide and two prestigious Diamond Awards to their credit, Def Leppard--Joe Elliott (vocals), Vivian Campbell (guitar), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick "Sav" Savage (bass) and Rick Allen (drums)—continues to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career, the band has produced a series of classic groundbreaking albums that set the sound for generations of music fans and artists. The group’s spectacular live shows, filled with powerful melodic rock anthems, have become synonymous with their name and are an institution in the touring industry as they continue to sell out arenas worldwide.

Punk Rockin' in China

2008-04-30T09:51:00.006-04:00

Chinese punk band Brain Failure have just recorded their new EP, which includes the song "A Box on a Broken Ball", (no idea what that means, either) a collaboration with Public Enemy's Chuck D that talks about China's environmental problems.

The lyrics detail severe pollution problems - a result of China's fast economic growth - and the recent abnormal weather changes due to global warming. The band unveiled the song at a press conference in China. Again, Brain Failure held a press conference IN CHINA - a country not exactly known to welcome dissenting views - to talk about a song that is critical of their own country. Now that is punk rock!

Here's a link to the song: http://www.myspace.com/brainfailurepunk

The single is being released through the iTunes Music Store exclusive on April 30th. Their third album, "Made in China," is expected this fall.

Great band. If Joe Strummer were raised in Beijing he would definitely have started this group.

Interview Do's and Don'ts...

2008-04-14T07:50:00.013-04:00

The main reason I started covering punk music - aside from the brilliance of The Clash - is that the interviews tended to be much more spontaneous. I'd covered mainstream music in the past and it had all the pleasure of chewing on tinfoil.

The bands' PR department's had media-trained any originality out of the musicians. I would see the quotes from my story picked up in half a dozen other articles about the band. There also seemed to be a sense of unearned self-importance around a lot of these bands. They were signed to a major label, In their little world, they had made it, so granting an interview to the press was seen as little more than a favor to the record companies.

About five years ago, as a favor to a friend I did a piece on a small punk rock band and was shocked at how much fun it was. The band loved talking about themselves and did not shy away from a single question - controversial or not. They were crammed into a tiny van with their buddies for months on end, eating peanut butter on white bread to save some money for beer and couldn't be happier. They knew that major labels were never going to come knocking on their van door with a million dollar contract, but that didn't seem to matter. They had day jobs and twice a year, saved up enough money to tour behind their albums, playing to small, but devoted crowds of kids who loved their music. They also saw an interview as a great way to speak to their fans. I was sold.

From that day on, I tended to concentrate mainly on covering punk bands.

About a year ago though, I noticed that these interviews have started to become less and less fun. The problem almost always seems to come when I'm covering younger bands, on tour behind their first record. Not sure if it's a generational thing - Millennials who were pampered by their parents and now think the rest of the world should treat them like the precious little snow flakes their parents raised them to be. Regardless, it's starting to get annoying.

That's why I've thrown together this helpful list of do's and don'ts to help out these snow flakes and their PR folks (my day job is in PR, so I'm not asking you to do something I wouldn't do myself).

Here we go:

Let's drop the attitude. I'm sure you were a big deal at your high school talent show, but I've never heard of you before and chances are 99.9% of the record buying public hasn't either. You're not too good to spend 20 min. on the phone with a reporter who is trying to give your band a little publicity. I have interviewed some of the bigger names in punk, folks in Bad Religion and Flogging Molly, who don't need a mention from my magazines to sell records, and they have been fantastic, entertaining every single question I had without an eye roll. You'd be lucky to have a career half as successful, so suck it up buttercup and handle the interview like a big kid.

Buy a watch. This one seems obvious, but if you're on tour, I know you have nothing to do until sound check late in the afternoon. There's no need to be two hours late for an interview. Put down the PSP and show up to the interview on time.

Pretend like it's your first time. I know interviews can sometimes get tedious. Especially when you get asked the same questions again and again. Here's a little secret: we're asking you those same generic questions because we know absolutely nothing about you. At all. You've been together as a band for less than a year, you have one five-song E.P. to your name and your bio includes absolutely no interesting details other than your drummer spells his name with an "i" rather than the traditional "y" spelling. We're just desperate to keep the conversation going longer than three minutes. If you're give us nothing, then you're going to get questions like "How did you guys first get together?" Here's a deal I'll make with you, you don't sigh loudly when I ask a question you've heard before and I won't ask how your band got it's name. Deal?

You're really not that funny. I'm sure it can get boring on the road. You need a diversion, so why not screw with the reporter and not take a single question seriously. Being sarcastic is an art form that few can pull off (Fat Mike, being one). Chances are you will not come off funny, but will inevitable just sound like a douche. Nice job! You have now pissed off the reporter who will never write about your band again and alienated tens of thousands of readers who might have bought your record. At least your bass player laughed, though.

This one's for the flacks. Dear publicist, I know you got this job to one day meet the guys in Green Day and now you're stuck pitching a band like Cute is What We Aim For (one of my worst interview experiences ever, by the way), but suck it up. Return that e-mail and answer your phones. The only time I hear from some of you is when you are pushing some no-name band that is about to disappear into the ether and your client is pressuring you for a clip. I have no problem covering small bands if the publicist has been cool in the past. Mike at Earshot and Vanessa at Mutiny and Fat Wreck Chords, for example. I would cover anyone for these guys because they have been extremely helpful, setting me up with hard-to-get interviews and ALWAYS answering my e-mails, even if it's a question about when a record is coming out. Earshot and Mutiny have a phenomenal client list, in part because their owner's know how to deal with the media.

This one's for flacks, Pt. II. Tell me the truth. I know I'm not writing for the New York Times. If your client doesn't want to talk to every outlet, that's fine. Just don't tell me "he's not doing interviews," when I will pick up a competitor's magazine next month and see an exhaustive Q&A with the dude. Again, I'm in PR, so I know those conversations are uncomfortable, but if I lie to my reporters they don't cover any of my clients again. I'm the same way. You're dead to me. Also, don't pester me about covering some horrible band and then go silent the second I ask to get some more details on one of your bigger clients. If that's your M.O., don't be surprised to see your clients walking out the door because you can't get a reporter to answer your calls.

OK, I have stepped back down from the soapbox. All in all, the vast majority of bands and PR folks I deal with on a day to day basis are extremely professional. They make this job, of which I get paid almost zero dollars for, worth doing. To all of you I say "Thanks".

To the others, remember this phrase: "Would you like to supersize that?".

Me and Willie

2008-04-03T07:44:00.010-04:00

So I woke up to another birthday this morning.

I am now officially 35 and while it would be easy to start ticking off all the cliched dreads that come with getting older (another day closer to death; thinking about all that I haven't done; all the money I haven't put aside yet; blah, blah, blah)... not this year. This year I greet the anniversary of my ride down the log flume of life with a great big grin. Why?

Because last night, the Fed Ex driver left a package at my front door. Inside was the Holy Grail: A copy of the latest Willie Nelson box set "One Hell of a Ride: (thanks Randy @ Legacy/Columbia!).

Wille - who incidentally turns 75 later this month - has been a constant in my life and in my CD (formerly tape) collection. Despite years of evolving musical tastes, Willie has always been there for me. I may have been sporting a bolo tie and paisley vest in the mid/late-80's but I was listening to "Whiskey River" as I was getting ready to hit the skate ring.

In fact, Willie and Bruce have been the only two constant anchors in the Mt. Rushmore tribute to my musical heroes (unfortunately, at a low point in my musical tastes they would have been sharing real estate with Kiss and a handful of hair metal bands).

I'm turning the tables on the tradition of gift giving this year and handing you a present. Take 3 minutes and listen to this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1J_CmSi6CVI

No need to thank me.

Is Axl Rose a Pepper, too?

2008-03-28T08:02:00.006-04:00

In a brilliant PR move from Dr. Pepper, the company recently offered everyone in the U.S. (with the exception of former Guns N' Roses guitarists Slash and Buckethead) a free Dr. Pepper if the long-gestating "Chinese Democracy" is released this year. the record has been in the works for 17 years and counting.

The release, in part, states: "In an unprecedented show of solidarity with Axl, everyone in America, except estranged GNR guitarists Slash and Buckethead, will receive a free can of Dr Pepper if the album ships some time -- anytime! -- in 2008. Dr Pepper supports Axl, and fully understands that sometimes you have to make it through the jungle before you get it right."

And who knew Axl had a sense of humor? Here's the response, posted on his Web site:

Guns N' Roses
March 26, 2008
Press Release from Axl Regarding Dr Pepper By Axl

We are surprised and very happy to have the support of Dr Pepper with our album "Chinese Democracy," as for us, this came totally out of the blue. If there is any involvement with this promotion by our record company or others, we are unaware of such at this time. And as some of Buckethead's performances are on our album, I'll share my Dr Pepper with him.
Axl Rose

Can't Listen to the Boss? That's a Stabbin'

2008-03-13T07:18:00.008-04:00

Not that I condone this reaction, just sayin' I'm a big fan of the boss as well, and this might deserve some sort of pardon...

Woman stabs partner to death after fight over Bruce Springsteen

(CNN) -- An Australian woman pleaded guilty Thursday to fatally stabbing her boyfriend because he objected to her listening to Bruce Springsteen's music.

The national news agency, Australian Associated Press, reported that the Supreme Court in the city of Brisbane sentenced Karen Lee Cooper to eight years in prison.

Cooper told arresting officers she "just got tired" of her boyfriend, Kevin Watson, bossing her around during their two-year relationship.

"I couldn't even play Bruce Springsteen on my stereo. Can you believe that? Can you believe that?" Cooper told police, according to the Courier Mail newspaper.

Later, in a formal police interview, she repeated her claims: "I mean, who doesn't like Bruce Springsteen? I am 49 years old and I want to play my own music."
Springsteen is an award-winning American singer-songwriter, best known for his lyrics about the struggles of the common man.

The couple had been drinking at their rental home the night of the stabbing two years ago when they began arguing over Cooper's choice of music, the Australian Associated Press said.
Cooper's lawyer told the court she experienced a "brain snap." She ran to the kitchen, grabbed a knife and stabbed Watson, 49, after he said he didn't want her to listen to a Springsteen CD, the newspaper said.

Cooper took a handful of pills before calling police. She told officers she hoped the pills would kill her before they arrived.

According to the press reports, Cooper regretted the stabbing and did not think her boyfriend deserved to die.

Again, not condoning her reaction, I'll just ask the question we're all thinking: why would you want someone to turn off Bruce Springsteen?

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

2008-03-11T08:27:00.008-04:00

So last night VH1 (or more likely VH1 classic) aired the latest Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony... and I watched Jon & Kate Plus 8 which some how seemed much more rock and roll than the bloated RnR rubber chicken dinner (let's put on tuxes and sit at assigned tables! Rawk on!!!)

I'm not even going to bother to list the inductees, because Johnnie Cougar is the only one that really mattered this year.

Which brings me to the (only) greatest moment in Rock& Roll Hall of Fame history, when they tried to encase the Sex Pistols. Johnnie Rotten (aka John Lydon) may be the biggest ass in music history (and I'm including the Oasis brothers), but he was the first and only to give the appropriate response when the folks at the Hall of Fame knocked on his door.

"Next to the SEX PISTOLS rock and roll and that hall of fame is a piss stain," said a statement the band sent to media. "Your museum. Urine in wine. Were (sic) not coming. Were (sic) not your monkey and so what?"

The band also rightly pointed out that folks had to shell out $25,000 for a table, "or $15,000 to squeak up in the gallery."

"Your (sic) not paying attention. Outside the shit-stem is a real SEX PISTOL."

Here's a link to the full statement, psychotic handwriting and typos included.

Maxim Reviews

2008-02-29T11:28:00.007-05:00

Nice job Maxim! You could almost be forgiven for giving the new Black Crows record 2.5 stars without ever having listened to it (aren't all Black Crows records the same?), but you got caught reviewing the new Nas record... when he hasn't even finished recording it!

Since when did Maxim start including words, by the way?

Here's the response from Nas:

"I'm finishing the album now, and it will be out April 22," Nas told the New York Post's Page Six. "I'd prefer [a review from] Playboy," he added. "That kind of stuff doesn't reach my radar or effect anybody around me. I don't know what a music rating from Maxim is . . . I don't know what it even means really."

In the spirit of Maxim's contributions to journalism excellence, I have decided to Maxim-ize a few reviews of my own, having never heard a note of these records.

R.E.M. - Title TBD (due some time in April). Decent attempt to re-live the 90's, but Michale Stipe and the GA boys fail yet again. 2 stars out for 5

Coldplay - Title TBD (Due sometime this Spring). Zzzzzzzzzzzz. More non-offensive British moping over piano. Nothing earth-shattering, but decent enough for background music. Expect to hear in a Grey's Anatomy commercial any day now. 3 stars out of 5

Madonna - Title TBD (No idea). Crappy dance music; vocals fed through millions of dollars worth of computers, and a pitiful attempt at speak/rapping. 1 star out of 5

Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping (Oct.) Hipster band still not accessible enough for radio, but pasty, trendy indie kids can't get enough of this album. 4 stars out of 5

Label Profile: Sinister Muse Records

2008-02-19T20:43:00.005-05:00

I found out about Chicago's Sinister Muse Records about 6 months ago when an editor asked me to profile one of their bands. The band, Dead Town Revival (brilliant street punks in the vein of everyone from Sham 69 to The Clash), I learned was just the tip of the sonic iceberg. Though home to just four bands, each was nearly as exciting as the next (DTR, The Frantic, The Tattle Tales and Random 55).

I had to find out who started a label that is home to four incredible, though solidly diverse bands. After trading e-mails back and forth with the label founder Christian Picciolini, I finally asked last week if he'd be up for a quick interview. By the way, at the same age and somewhat similar backgrounds, anyone who knows me will peg Christian as a much, much cooler version of me. My punk rock doppleganger, perhaps?

Follwing is the transcript from the interview with Chris:

How long ago did you start Sinister Muse?

Well officially I started Sinister Muse Records in 2005, but the idea had been there stirring for quite some time before that.

How old are you and what's your background?

I'm currently 34 and my background is actually pretty diverse. Over the years I have been involved in the music industry in several different capacities, from owning my own indie record store (Chaos Records) in the mid-90s, to playing in bands (Random55), producing songs, managing bands, and even selling dubbed cassette tapes out of my backpack when I was in high school. More recently, I worked as a marketing and operations specialist for IBM for 7 years. It was pretty strange coming off the "street" to work for a Fortune 100 company, but I think it was my ambition and my fresh approach that made me excel while at IBM. I also learned a lot being exposed to corporate culture. I now try to find a good balance between the corporate ideals I learned and the street knowledge I have and blend them into a working philosophy that suits me better than either one did individually.

Why did you decide to start the label?

Well, I knew that I still wanted to continue to make music and that didn't necessarily mean strapping on a guitar and hitting the studio. While I do still enjoy to physically make music, I tend to enjoy working with bands that are making music even more. I guess I am living vicariously through them. The real reason I decided to leave a high paying job at IBM to get involved with music again was that I just wasn't feeling passion in my life anymore. Around the same time, my brother was shot and killed and that really made me question whether life was too short to not do what you are passionate about. So I decided that I could take what I learned and already knew, take what little money I had, and use that to help artists that had the talent but didn't know how to navigate their way through the music industry.

How many employees do you have?

Sinister Muse has fluctuated from the very beginning where we initially had 5 people doing various jobs and eventually life led these people to other careers. I guess I never replaced these people as they left and I found it more efficient to outsource their roles to independents who already had a good track record. For instance, our various publicity, retail, video and radio promotion activities are handled by very capable indie promoters. All of our design and marketing is done in-house. Bookings are handled by various agents, etc. In a nutshell, I am the only remaining employee. I hope I never have to fire myself. Ha!

Are you at the point where the label is now your only job?

The label has been my only job now for the last several years. It's important to me that the bands know they are entrusting their livelihoods to someone that is completely focused on their careers. I wouldn't have it any other way. It's also why I am very selective with who I decide to work with.

You have some phenomenal bands, from straight punk (Dead Town Revival, Random 55), solid power pop (the Tattle Tales)and pop punk (The Frantic). Did you make a concerted effort to sign bands with different sounds?

While I try to stay somewhat within the realm of rock or punk because of my roots in those genres, my only real criteria for bands I decide to work with are that I must be completely passionate about their music, as well as equally respect them as people. As far as diversity, I also signed a great folk artist out of Portland, Maine by the name of Graham Isaacson. While he is no longer with Sinister Muse, it shows how diverse my tastes really are. When I decide to work with a band I am "all in" physically and emotionally and it is for the long haul, so it is important that everyone involved is very realistic, up-front, and committed.

How do you find your bands?

Believe it or not I have never found a band I wanted to work with by receiving their demo in the mail. All of the bands I either found myself live or they were recommended by someone I trust. Although I did find some by just poking around on MySpace. Amazing how many good bands there are out there. But there are also a ton of bands that really need to be realistic about how bad they sound. I get dozens of emails a week saying "I've got this band and we're real good. We don't have a demo yet and we're still looking for a singer but if you sign us we'll promise to make you millions and tour for 40 years." Unfortunately, I don't think they are being realistic.

Who was the first band you signed?

The first CD we released was from Random55, which was my old band from the mid-90s. I released that for pure posterity purposes. But the first band I signed was Dead Town Revival from Chicago. Great guys, amazing songwriters.

Do you encourage bands to send in music to the label?

I listen to everything I get, and I get a lot! But it's true what they say about putting your best song first. I rarely have time to listen past the first song or two and even more rarely do I have time to sift through 12 pages of a bio and press clippings and photos and stickers and any other tree-killing things people often send me. My best advice to all bands is to send a well-produced CD with contact info and a simple one-sheet of concise information outlining your accomplishments. What's even better is short email with a link to your Myspace or Purevolume page. That way, the artist can save their money on shipping and put it into production and touring. Rest assured, if I like what I hear I will ask for more information from the band. Along with running the label, you also do A&R.

Are you encouraged by the music you are hearing now or are too many bands trying to sound like everyone else?

Some bands are good, some bands are bad. Every once in a while you find a great band that rocks your world. I love A&R or scouting for new artists. I think it goes with the territory of always searching for something fresh and exciting.

Obviosuly the major record lables are having a hard time figuring things out right now. Do you think independent labels are better equipped to be successful moving forward?

I think so. We're more nimble and we have the same resources available to us as the majors do. I think majors are inherently antiquated, although there are definitely some more progressive ones out there trying to replicate the relative success the indies have had lately. It's a very democratic and interesting time for music. I'm glad to be part of the revolution.

What's your stance on file sharing and downloading music without paying?

I am really torn on the subject. While I certainly don't condone stealing of music, I do feel that giving away free music is the best promotion any band can do. We encourage our bands to give away a majority of their music by passing out digital download cards at festivals that contain a code to download a few free songs from their album. If people like the music, I believe they will buy it. "File sharing" has always been there in one form or another, even when we used to make dubbed cassettes for our buddies or mix-tapes for our girlfriends back in the day. Does that date me and make me sound fucking old? That's how I got turned on to some of my favorite bands and became a fan for life. Once I liked a band, I went out and bought their entire catalog. I encourage everyone to do the same, or their favorite bands won't be around long enough to enjoy. Support music, go to shows, buy merchandise. That's my stance.

Any new music you are listening to now that you'd recommend?

I love The Frantic and think they can save rock and roll (shameless plug!). But outside of my own label, I am really digging the new Foxy Shazam, Flatfoot 56, and The Mars Volta records.

Any new releases Sinister Muse is putting out soon?

I have made a conscious decision to focus only on what I have on my plate right now. It is important to me that can devote 100% to my projects before I decide to take on anything more. But, you never know.

What's next?

I am currently developing an artist development and management company called CRIMSON Music Group. I think I am better served helping talented bands who need some guidance maneuvering through the industry while making the most effective impact. It is a boutique artist development, management and consulting group. That's where my mind is taking me these days.

ZEPPELIN TO APPEAR AT BONNAROO!

2008-02-07T13:04:00.000-05:00

This was a brilliant move.

Shortly after Led Zepplin's completly over-hyped reunion show (please note my obvious bias from an earlier post), news got out that (gasp!), the dinosaurs were coming to the U.S.!!! Aparently they would be playing amongst the petrulli and Birkenstock set at Tennessee's jam band packed Bonnaroo fest (though with the addition of Metallica to this year's bill, there might be fewer hippies making the pilgrimage).

The folks behind Bonnaroo's marketing let word get out on message boards for weeks, before their PR firm finally sent out a release yesterday stating, that yes, the rumors were indeed true. Zepplin would, in fact, be playing this year... I'll let the release explain the rest:

NEW YORK, February 6, 2008 – After rumors following Led Zeppelin’s reunion performance at London’s O2 Arena in December that Led would headline the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Bonnaroo promoters have finally confirmed that the 2008 Festival will, indeed, feature an historic performance by Zeppelin – Lez, that is -- the New York City-based, all-girl quartet that has gained international acclaim as one of the world’s most exciting and talked about live acts. Several major news organizations, who mistakenly reported that Led Zeppelin would headline the festival, scurried early this morning to correct the snafu. Said to embody with blazing accuracy the spirit, sound and swagger of the original, Lez Zeppelin is the first “tribute” act ever to be asked to appear at Bonnaroo.

Nicely played Bonnaroo. Nicely played.

This Album Brought to You By...

2008-01-16T13:54:00.000-05:00

Read a piece yesterday in the British press (so it's got to be legit, right?) that made me spit coffee out at the computer screen. I actually went back and re-read the article to make sure I understood correctly. So far, more than 700 media outlets have picked up on the story, giving it more credibility.

Based on several reports, EMI, which just this week dropped the axe on 2,000 employees, is floating the idea of letting companies sponsor albums.

"EMI will allow its artists, who include Coldplay and Kylie Minogue, to be sponsored by corporate companies, according to reports.

The proposals, which could see Coldplay’s new album ‘Prospekt’ released with corporate branding, are expected to feature as part of an extensive shake-up of the company.
Terra Firma, EMI’s new owners, believe the plans would help increase the label’s revenue as it struggles to meet the growth of the digital marketplace."

Here's a quote from the Financial Times:

"Football teams have very distinct corporate sponsorship. Why shouldn't some of the leading bands have the same sort of relationships?" said EMI Chairman Guy Hands.

Are you kidding me?

So this is what we can expect in 2008:

Lexipro Presents... Britney Spears!

Ambien Presents... Coldplay!

Bengay Presents... Aerosmith!

You got any others?

Best of 2007 (aka Lazy Journalism)

2008-01-02T07:34:00.001-05:00

I hate getting the end of the year magazine issues. They're always crammed full of what happened over the past year in timeline format (very useful if you were in a coma for 12 months, not so much if you have a functioning memory), and the ubiquitous "Best of List." (more on BoL in a minute).

It's simply lazy journalism to just rehash the past year, every December. If the cut and paste function were disabled from all newsroom computers, I doubt these issues would look the same. Come to think of it, I would love it if a magazine gave me the option to opt out of the end of the year issue and have an extra month added to my subscription.

OK, so here's my problem with Best of Lists. Almost no one is going to be honest and tell you what they really liked. Sure they may sneak in a handful of true picks, but then there is also this need to pack the list with too-cool-for-school trendy indie releases that no one really likes, but go a long way in building up street cred. If Radiohead, Interpol, Iron & Wine or Cat Power put out an album it's going to make the list, regardless of how good it may actually be (and I know these bands occasionally make list-worthy records, but come on... every release?).

That being said, I was asked by an editor the other day to put together my Best of List for 2007. And I am willing to defend each and every record on this list. Please note the absence of Radiohead and Iron & Wine, both of whom had releases in 2007. You can, however, probably find them on lists by Paste magazine or Pitchfork.

Sean Na Na – Family Trees Or: Cope We Must (Dim Mak)
With his latest, Sean Tillmann (aka Sean Na Na) turns in a stellar collection of indie pop. He has a remarkable knack for taking the most inane topics - like getting friends to visit when it’s cold outside (“We’ve Been Here Before”) – and turning them into Dylan-worthy works of poetry. A nearly flawless effort from start to finish.

Motion City Soundtrack – Even if it Kills Me (Epitaph)
On their third record, Motion City Soundtrack delivers it’s most mature and accomplished effort to date. Produced by Ric Ocasek and the duo of Adam Schlesinger (Fountains of Wayne) and Eli Janney (Girls Against Boys), the album still feels comfortable enough to appease longtime fans, but is experimental enough to win over any remaining holdouts.

Bruce Springsteen – Magic (Columbia)
Eleven new songs by New Jersey’s favorite son, backed by the E Street band. Enough said.

Joe Henry – Civilians (Anti-)
On his first record in almost half a decade, singer-songwriter Joe Henry turns in the best record of his career (and that’s saying a lot). With smart lyrics that are matched perfectly with his brilliant arrangements, Henry has set the bar extremely high for his next effort.

500 Miles to Memphis – Sunshine in a Shotglass (Deep Elm)
Best described as country punk, the debut from Cincinnati’s 500 Miles to Memphis is a solid take on the genre, showcasing a band that could hold its own against groups like Lucero or The Drive By Truckers. The band blends the noise and energy of Social Distortion with the songwriting of one of the Highway Men. Think distorted power chords with plenty of lap steel guitar.

Against Me! – New Wave (Sire)
Call them sell outs for jumping to a major label (many have), but Florida’s best punk band has turned in a fantastic collection of conscious-raising, fist-pumping rock tunes. With an album this great, I only wish they had sold out years ago.

Chris Trapper – Hey You (Starlit)
On his third solo disc, former Push Stars front man Chris Trapper roots his songs in a strong pop foundation, but experiments more than ever before, bringing in steel guitars, accordions, whistles and horns. The result is just as strong as anything Trapper has turned in before and likely to impress anyone who has ever owned a Cheap Trick or Big Star record.

Limbeck – Limbeck (Doghouse)
On their third full length release, Limbeck have started adding in some sharper pop hooks to their already stellar take on Americana rock. Falling somewhere between Wilco and The Format, it’s almost inconceivable that this band is not selling out venues on every stop of every tour. No need to wait around for the next Old 97’s record, just get a copy of Limbeck’s latest.

Chuck Regan – Los Feliz (SideOne Dummy)
When Hot Water Music broke up last year, three/fourths of the band went on to form The Draft, while front man Chuck Regan decided to go it alone and turn in two remarkable acoustic solo efforts in the span of just a few months. It’s tough to decide which was better, but I’m going with the live effort, “Los Feliz.” With the passion of a Springsteen show, Regan tears through a dozen Billy Bragg-esque folk rockers.

Everybody Else – Everybody Else (The Militia Group)
In the vein of bands like Squeeze and The Kinks, Everybody Else writes smart, sing-along pop songs with choruses that stick with you for days. On their self-titled debut, the band bounces through a dozen tracks, each nearly as good as the last. With a strong grasp of pop music history, they still manage to put their own sound to the music.

I Hate Led Zeppelin

2007-12-11T12:26:00.000-05:00

Confession Time. I hate Led Zeppelin. That's not true. I don't hate them, I just never bought into all the hype.

I tried. Especially in high school. I even drew the ZoSo symbols from their fourth album on the white rubber part of my black Chuck Taylors in 9th grade. I chalk it up to peer pressure.

Robert Plant has a cool voice; Agreed. Jimmy Page is a solid guitar player; No argument here. John Bonham kicked ass on the drums; No doubt. Individually they are brilliant. But put them all together and you've got a decent band, but not the defining moment in rock.

What most Zeppelin fans won't ever admit (regardless of how often these deep dark thoughts creep into their sweatly little heads) is that the idea of Led Zeppelin, the legend behind the band - everything from the wild groupie sex stories to the rumors of Satan worship - is far, far greater than the band's actually musical contribution.

I know I'm going to get challenged on this one. Name a song that you can't possible live without. Stairway to Heaven? Whole Lotta Love? Rock and Roll? I'll take a Replacement's song any day of the week.

Great Site for Live Shows

2007-12-04T13:35:00.000-05:00

I realize I may be the last person in the world to discover this site, but have been listening to it all afternoon.

(Thanks for the heads up, Phil).

FabChannel, out of Amsterdam, is the best site I have run across so far for live concerts. The play list in incredibly diverse and the quality is amazing. Ready for the RIAA cease and desist order in ...3,2,1.

In their words:

"With a team of dedicated, music loving directors, editors, programmers and promoters Fabchannel has built one of the biggest online concert archives in the world. 700 full-length concerts, festivals, performances, debates and lectures can be freely experienced in the Fabchannel video on demand archive. Live from the famous Paradiso and Melkweg Amsterdam."

I have already listened to shows by Motion City Soundtrack, Nada Surf and De La Soul. Excited to see they also have Pennywise and The Street Dogs.

Another Band You Should Know About

2007-12-03T10:54:00.000-05:00

All too often, I'm asked to write about bands that are completely unworthy of the buckets of ink that have been wasted to promote them. But bands with big names sell magazines, so I'm asked to churn out more celebratory dribble for a group that just happened to have a sound generic enough, and a look marketable enough to please folks at a record label that, ironically, doesn't know a damn thing about decent music. (In fact, I'm convinced most folks who run major record labels actually hate music. How else do you explain Daughtry?)

But, I'm lucky enough to have some pretty decent editors who do actually like music. A few months ago, Lisa at AMP and Loud Fast Rules sent me a link to the Teenage Frames MySpace page. She saw them at a club show in LA and asked if I was interested in writing something up on them. They play fantastic pop songs in the vein of Material Issue and Cheap Trick.

Below is the result of an hour-plus long conversation with their front man Frankie Delmane.

Teenage Frames
Every now and then you come across a truly brilliant band that you can’t help but wonder why the rest of the world has not caught on to yet. The Teenage Frames are one of those bands.
Ten years in the making, the LA-group (by way of Chicago, and Portland before that), plays straight ahead rock and roll that would make Robin Zander proud. Crammed with three chord-guitars, sing along choruses and two-and-a-half-minute time limits, the Teenage Frames play music that’s reminiscent of everyone from Cheap Trick to Material Issue.

They record songs not to channel long-suffering self-esteem problems or to play into some pretentious concept album, but to simply get people to sing along.

Along with fronting a truly amazing band, Teenage Frames singer Frankie Delmane is also the man behind Trash, a zine that looks at long-forgotten albums and gives band mates a chance to gush about their influences, like a recent MASH note to The Romantics.

Delmane, co-founder of the Teenage Frames, spoke to Loud Fast Rules recently about the band’s formation over a night of drinking, their love/hate relationship for their adopted city of LA and their master plan to win over fans, one city at a time.

LFR: How did you guys first get together?

Frankie: Originally me and the drummer (Jim Holiday) lived in Portland and we knew each other from high school bands and stuff from the early 90’s. At that time, the whole grunge thing was going on and I just didn’t go along with the other kids my age; I just didn’t get it. I just got into rock and roll music. Jim and I decided that Portland was sort of in the grips of this northwest metal blow job fest and we just didn’t feel comfortable with it, so we said “Let’s go to Chicago.” In Chicago you had Urge Overkill and Material Issue and Cheap Trick. That’s where we met Eric (Vegas, guitar). I think what convinced us was an all night drinking fest that a lot of people go through when they form bands and we were watching videos all night, drinking until the sun came up and talking about all these bands that we love like the Beach Boys, Cheap Trick and the New York Dolls and at that point it was a no-brainer and we were off and running as a band.

LFR: So that was 1995, how did you get Aaron (Money, bass) involved?

Frankie: Aaron was someone we met when we came out to LA. When we lived in Chicago we had two different bass players… When we moved out here we had to find a new bass player.

LFR: What was the Chicago scene like at the time you guys first formed there?

Frankie: It was all sort of indie rock, Touch & Go sort of stuff. Bands like Pavement were really big, post-rock stuff like Tortoise. But it definably wasn’t geared toward rock and roll. What me and Jim started doing in Portland we thought was an anomaly. We went to Chicago and it was even more so. And it’s not like we are dealing with something that is revolutionary, but it was almost seen that way, because it was so different than the other stuff people were playing with. We were playing these tiny dive bars and there were maybe one or two other bands that had the same sensibilities, but it was really dry. You’d think there would be bands coming out of the wood work to just string together two chords and play snazzy, snarling rock because it’s so much fun. It gets people moving.

LFR: Is that why you decided to move to Los Angeles?

Frankie: Yes and no. Being in Chicago we toured a lot and every time we came to LA we liked it. We had some friends that had moved out here and it was just enjoyable. The weather is obviously fantastic and the Chicago winters were starting to get to us. I think it also just goes in line with who we are as people, me and Aaron and Jim. We just have this obsession with forward movement. So we have this idea that if we just live in every city and play there for a few years, we would have established something in every town. (Laughs.) We have all talked about New York as a step in the future. I think we want to do some more touring before we approach something like that. We do it because it’s fun; it’s an adventure.

LFR: I’m sure the scene in LA is completely different than what you faced in Portland and Chicago.

Frankie: Oh yeah. LA definitely has its own language. I feel like it’s like an island. It’s a place that’s so removed from every place else and there’s positives to that and negatives to that. There’s an enormous cross section of people who are all here for very different reasons, but most of them happen to be here for some sort of industry. It’s a strange place, because it changes all the time. There’s no permanence to it. Every nine months there’s a turn over of a new trend that kids are going through. It’s amazing to sort of watch it unfold if you’ve been here for awhile. When I first got here, in 2001/2002, the whole things was still revolving around indie rock and then it sort of moved into a rock and roll phase for awhile in 2003, but then people grew weary of that really fast and got into folk music and that’s been swirling around for the past couple of years. Then there was the whole post-punk thing that happened.

LFR: Does any of that affect your music at all? Have you found yourselves changing your music a little based on what you’re hearing?

Frankie: I would say it really hasn’t affected us at all. To me it’s really more a process of the industry and marketing then it is natural thought. People get into things, especially in Los Angeles where you see the fashions change and the music change, and you realize that these are really just lifestyle accessories for a lot of people. Everybody’s trying to get laid; they’re trying to get a better job; they’re trying to be popular. I think if you allow yourself to be hampered by that it will just ruin you. I don’t think you’ll ever really do anything of quality because you’re always chasing something you’re never ever really fully comprehending or grasping because you’re always going to be on to the next thing.

LFR: In terms of musical influence, have your tastes changed at all in the 10 years or so the band has been together?

Frankie: I would say individually they have, but as far as the band is concerned, we sort of started it on the premise of a very… I think all of us agree that we love the art form of rock and roll, very simple and to the point and economic and give yourself a two and a half to three minute time limit. But you can do an amazing amount of things in that time. We like to keep the structure the same because I really do think there’s a real art behind that. If you listen to a really well-written song by any classic rock band, Cheap Trick or Thin Lizzy or the Dead Boys, it’s almost like they’re the more modern version of folk music to me, because they created these songs with wonderful structures for us to bounce our own ideas off of. It’s something that every body can do. That’s what folk music is, two chords to entertain your friends.

LFR: Besides your music, you are also known for your zine Trash. How did that come about?

Frankie: I’ve been doing that since about the early 90’s. When I started from about 91 to 92 on up to about 2000, I would do these issues and they would be about once every year and at that time they were just 8.5 by 14, three pages put together. Then in 2000, Jim was like “you need to make this a real thing.” I took all of the issues that I had done up to that point and I condensed them into one sort of anthology and then I started doing regular sizes from that point. What I would like to do is about four a year.

LFR: Do you put together all of the content.

Frankie: Yeah. I literally write everything… except Eric contributed an article about The Romantics because he’s a big fan of them. I always ask people to solicit things because I just love to hear about great records that people really care about. I love all the forgotten records that came out in 1989 and not many people bought it.

LFR: After a number of full length records, you’ve been churning out a few EPs lately. What’s the reason behind that?

Frankie: We had this idea that we wanted to do four EPs. Each band member would get to design an EP, pick the songs, etc., etc. We got to do that and we are on the third one right now, which is Glamourish Trash and it’s been great. We put these out ourselves because we didn’t really think anyone would put out four CDs that have four to six songs. It’s just not cost effective for a label. That was a project that we just fell in love with and wanted to do… We’ve already started writing songs for our next full length.

"Best Kept Secret in Music"

2007-11-20T15:22:00.000-05:00

I feel fairly confident in saying that most of the bands out there that are unsigned or relegated to a teeny tiny indie label are there for a reason - they pretty much appeal to no one (including the band members themselves).

Then there are scads of groups out there selling millions with about as much musical savvy as a lip syncing act at a middle school talent show (Look at me when I'm talking to you Maroon 5!).

Lastly, there are those few musicians who genuinely deserve a far bigger audience then they currently have.

With that in mind, here's a new feature I want to try out: "Best Kept Secrets in Music".

Today's entry is Baltimore's J-Roddy Walston and The Business (thanks Dorie for tipping me off to these guys). Sounding like a cross between a "Shake Your Money Maker"-era Black Crowes (when they knew how to smile), a butcher version of Queen and Ben Folds with a full backing band and a fistful of Lexapro, this band plays straight ahead rock that would make Elvis fall to his knees and weep tears of joy.

Anyone have a band to suggest?

On that note, hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving.

CD Reviews

2007-11-14T10:09:00.000-05:00

Here's a few more CD reviews. If you've heard any of these albums, let me know what you think... or don't. Life will still go on regardless.

In Theory
This is it (Shelter From the Storm Records)

Punk rock has thrived for decades in the underground thanks, for the most part, because it was largely ignored as a genre. Photocopied zines, basement shows and word of mouth was enough to turn the small, but loyal crowds onto better bands. Now that the spotlight from major labels and mainstream glossy magazines has been shined on the scene, every kid that steps into Hot Topic is now trying to throw together a punk band.

Group’s like LA’s In Theory, though certainly not the main cause of the problem, are defiantly one of the symptoms, threatening to ruin the genre. Their debut This Is It, is so formulaic it could easily have been created on a laptop. Taking cues and liberal amounts of inspiration from every flash in the pan band from the last two years (Panic at the Disco: check, Fall Out Boy: check, Cartel: check), polish off anything remotely resembling an edge, create a MySpace page and rush the single to radio station before their sound is deemed passé.

It’s not that In Theory are offensively bad musicians, it’s just that their debut lacks any semblance of an original musical thought. Here’s hoping the record-buying public will collectively decide to move onto the next big thing and allow punk rock to go back to rebelling against whatever that sound happens to be.

Todd Snider – Peace, Love and Anarchy (Oh Boy Records) and Live at Grimey’s (New Door Records)

In a perfect world, Todd Snider would be headlining arenas, his songs would be popping up in car commercials and his house would be staked out by paparazzi. But this is reality, so Fall Out Boy and Gwen Stefani get all the glory, while Snider quietly packs tiny clubs, perches on a bar stool and strums out some of the best songs never to be heard by the masses.

In the midst of promoting his latest release, The Devil You Know, Snider is back with two quickie releases: a collection of B-sides and rarities from his old label and a seven song live record.

A decent number of the 14 tracks on Peace, Love and Anarchy have been heard in one form or another on other records and at live shows. The demos and alternative takes are interesting, but pretty much prove Snider was right to record the versions that made it on the proper albums. But even Snider’s cutting room floor tracks are stronger than many songs currently charting.

The EP, Live at Grimey’s, offers a stronger look into just why Snider has managed to build up such a loyal, cultish following. The song intros and audience banter are all captured from the October show recorded in Nashville. Focusing mainly on songs from his latest record (which include some of his best, like “You Got Away With It” and “Happy New Year”), the only strike against the album is that it is far too short.

Prince: What's That Purple Freak Up to Now?

2007-11-07T07:42:00.000-05:00

I honestly never thought Prince was crazy, just a tad bit weird.

But ticking items off the list it's starting to add up to a big pile o' crazy: Wearing nothing but skimpy purple undies throughout the 80's, the ass-less chaps, the unpronounceable symbol, going door to door in Minneapolis as a Jehovah's Witness, and now threatening to sue fans.

Prince = Not all there.

It's been reported recently that Prince has had his lawyers reach out to his fansites and order them to immediately take down all lyrics, pictures, album covers, etc. (please note the unauthorized use of a Prince pic in this posting.)

As if that's not bad enough, a letter from his purple lawyers asks those running the fansites to provide "substantive details of the means by which you propose to compensate our clients [Paisley Park Entertainment Group, NPG Records and AEG] for damages".

Suing your fans. Why didn't Metallica think of that!

Prince is dead. He is now The Artist Currently Known as Jackass.

Let's Go Crazy!

My Ethics for a T-Shirt

2007-10-31T15:25:00.000-04:00

I feel close to you people, so it's confession time: I'm a whore for t-shirts (that's size XL if you're wondering).

It started in college, while writing for my school paper. I was sent a package from some PR firm hired by MTV to promote the winner of a Battle of the Bands-type contest. Along with a press release and cassette (yup, I'm that old), there was a black t-shirt. I think they got to play at the MTV Beach House all summer (remember the MTV Beach House?). I was still in J-school at the time, and had already taken my ethics courses, so naturally filled to the brim with smugness. I wasn't going to be swayed by a T-shirt... But, man this was a cool shirt. It was for the winning band (if you consider playing at the MTV Beach House winning); a crappy alt/grunge group from Maryland: Bovox Clown (still remember 'em, that's how cool their logo was. It was this creepy grinning clown face on a black background).

A week later, I was wearing the shirt, so after much internally struggle, I felt compelled to write about this sub-par, paint-by-numbers grunge band... and I did. You never forget your first time. For the record, it was a very matter-of-fact article free of any superlatives or gushing accolades.

Flash forward about a decade and I now have two dresser drawers jammed so tightly with short-sleeved band T's that they don't quite shut all the way.

I get a slew of CDs send to my door each week and try to listen to every single one, at least once, but sometimes it takes a month or so to get through the rotation. And sadly, I still manage to get swayed by a band t-shirt. I'm pathetic. I can admit it. 100% cotton is pretty much all it takes for your record to move to the top of the pile - no matter how lame I think it's going to sound. Trust me, I'm not proud of it, but it's true... Don't judge me! I get paid on average 0 dollars and 0 cents for my reviews and articles, so let me keep my spoils.

Have I ever given a band a shitty review despite receiving graft? Sure. Ever given a shitty band a good review because of a shirt? Nah (it's a shirt, people, not bars of gold).

But, I've also gotten swag from some very cool bands (for those keeping track, I'm wearing a Mental Records T right now, home to some killer bands like Automatic 7 and Chesterfield), so I think it all evens out in the end.

Imagine what I'd write for a hoodie...

Unprepared for Interview

2007-10-30T11:50:00.000-04:00

I like to think that I do a pretty good job of prep work before interviewing a band. I dig around on their Web site, read over bios and press releases, listen to the record a few times and occasionally troll message boards looking for recent rumors about, and online feuds with the band.

If the group is willing to give up 20-30 minutes of their time I can at least make sure I've done my homework. However, I do have a full time job that has nothing to do with interviewing bands, and a 3 month old and wife at home, so every now and then I forget that I have an interview lined until the phone rings and a 212 or 310 area code pops up on caller id.

Over the years I have learned to stall for a few minutes while I get online and frantically pull up the band's MySpace page, bio or Wikipedia entry.

Here's a quick list of good stalling questions I have started to collect (please feel free to toss out more in the comments section if you can think of them, because I probably have an interview tonight that I've already forgotten about):

Tell me about the new album - is there a theme tying together the songs? Classic stall. Unless it's The Who's Tommy or Green Day's American Idiot, who gives a shit? Certainly not the person reading these interviews, but it never fails to illicit at least a three minute response. Plenty of time to Google the band and come up with a couple of questions.

Any good road stories from the current tour? This one buys you about five minutes, easily. The answer, though certainly interesting to the person telling it, is almost always incoherent, rambling and never quite as funny as he/she thinks it is. Kind of like listening to someone describe a dream they just had.

How did the band first get together? ... Or the reason why I always skip the first paragraph of any band bio. The answer is either: We all went to school together, but weren't really friends at the time; We played in different bands around the scene for years; or I placed an ad in [insert local alternative weekly]. Unless you found your bass player because your mom brought him home from a bar one night, the story is never really that interesting.

What inspired the album cover? I have NEVER once printed this response in an interview, but it also never fails to bring about an extremely detailed answer filled with vague descriptions of symbolism and other weird shit that only makes sense if you're stoned.

Any others I should add to the repertoire?

A Few CD Reviews

2007-10-29T09:37:00.001-04:00

Here's some recent CD reviews, by category.

Punk:

Boys Like Girls – Boys Like Girls (Columbia)

Like the third tier grunge bands that were thrown on the band wagon just miles before it officially ran out of gas in the mid 90’s (I’m looking at you Candlebox), Boston’s Boys Like Girls is proof that the music industry is casting one last wide net trying to grab the last remaining emo/pop-punk bands that were somehow overlooked over the past couple of years.

Churning out heart-on-their-sleeve pop songs with as much creativity as they put into choosing their moniker, Boys Like Girls deliver less than a dozen quickly forgettable teenage crush tracks on their debut. It’s hard not to pass a cynical eye over the band that seems like they were put together in the back room of a Hot Topic. They fit the mold perfectly, complete with asymmetrical hair cuts and go-to producer Matt Squire (Panic! At the Disco).

Indie:

Imperial Teen – The Hair The TV The Baby & The Band (Merge)
If you haven’t heard of Imperial Teen by this point, you likely never will… and that’s your loss. Fronted by former Faith No More keyboardist Roddy Bottum, Imperial Teen plays power pop like few others. It’s no coincidence that almost every mention of the band is followed by a few lines about Fountains of Wayne, who formed around the same time, clear across the country; both groups play smart, catchy power pop unlike any other bands. The only big difference is Imperial Teen’s boy/girls vocals.

The Hair The TV The Baby & The Band is a reference to the other jobs held by members of the group (hair stylist, TV music writer and mother). This, their fourth record, shows Imperial Teen still writing brilliant pop nuggets as catchy as anything on their first three outings. It’s hard to find a stand out track on the album, as each are nearly flawless, but “Everyone Wants to Know,” which sounds like the last great song The Breeders never wrote, is destined to be a band classic. It’s been five years since they last put out a studio album. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another five more years for the next one.

A Bit Appropriate

2007-10-24T13:59:00.000-04:00

So I know I'm not the first to point this out, but how foretelling is this Bad Religion song?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43rgB93AvSM

God and the Rock Star, Pt. II

2007-10-24T07:58:00.000-04:00

As a follow up to my entry a week or two ago about young punks and headbangers who start bands as an outlet for their religious fervor, here's a somewhat related piece on rockers who find God after success.

In doing a handful of interviews recently with some of the bands I was really into in the 90's, I've started to run into a number of rockers who have suddenly "found God".

The Smoking Popes
The reason the Popes broke up years ago was because singer Josh Caterer decided to embrace Christianity. Not just show up at church every now and then, but "I'm-going-to-quit-rock-and-everything-it-stands-for, turning- my-back-on-everything-I've-created"kind of embrace. A great band cut down way too early.

A couple years ago, the band decided to get back together to play a handful of shows and record a live album. In the interview I asked Josh about the whole God thing and he said he simply wasn't happy with all the drugs and drinking that surrounded the band. He became born again and quit rock music all together for awhile, focusing on religious tunes (never bothered to check them out - read God and The Rock Star, Pt. 1 for my feelings on Christian music). He slowly got back into rock through a new band Duvall, then finally realized God probably doesn't hate good music and got the band back together. I caught one of their come back shows at The Masquerade in Atlanta last year and they were amazing (though Josh did take the opportunity to preach once or twice from the mic. You could see how uncomfortable it made the others in the band).

Superdrag

OK, this one took me by surprise. The Knoxville power pop band turned out a slew of brilliant records in the 90's and early 00's. (Though "Sucked Out" is the only song people remember. Go figure.) I found out they were doing the reunion tour thing, as well (which, by the way makes me feel old as shit). In doing research for the interview, I discivered front man John Davis had another one of those spiritual awakenings that seem to be going around, again thanks to booze. Copying off of Josh's paper, he also started working exclusively on Christian songs. I finally spoke with John recently and he was super cool, but I chickened out and didn't ask him about embracing God (so no big answers for you. Sorry). By the way, he strating to rock again, as well.

Couple of weaker examples:

Korn guitarist Brian Welch
In his case, I think he's just using his sudden spiritual awakening and cult-like new life as an easy excuse to walk away from a truly crappy band.

Alice Cooper

The same guy who used to guillotine himself on stage in the 70's is now a golfer, PTA dad and (gulp) Republican. He's also found Jesus. Again, in this case, I think he woke up one day and realized that he was a washed up irrelevant former rocker whose biggest accomplishment was playing "School's Out" on an episode of the Muppet show. Devil horns for the shock rocker!

So after much thought on the issue, I am left with one of two answers to the question of why rockers turn to Jesus:

1. Years of hard partying and meaningless groupie sex makes you search for a deeper meaning.

Or...

2. God is actually a roadie, converting the masses, one musician at a time.

Any thoughts?

Sell Out!

2007-10-19T09:10:00.000-04:00

Nothing brings trendy indie kids and punk rockers together like their mutual love to debate whether or not a band is selling out. Whether it's The Shins licensing a song for a McDonald's commercial or Against Me! signing a deal with Sire records, everyone suddenly has an opinion.

In the Washington Post last week Bill Wyman took the selling out debate to a new level with an actual mathematical formula. Named aptly enough The Moby Quotient (for those who forgot, the baled-headed vegan made every single song off of his album Play available for licensing), the formula "determines the degree to which artists besmirch their reputations when they lend their music to hawk products or companies."

Each factor is ranked on a scale of 1 to 10; the number assignments can be subjective, but the formula is useful in gauging the relative outrage fans should feel with each instance of this continuing cultural blight. The higher the result, the greater the degree of selling out.

So, as Bill points out, the fact that a Fall Out Boy song is used in a Circuit City commercial should warrant very little outrage from fans - these emos kids have made no secret that they like the cabbage. More money means more guyliner!

On the other hand, someone like punk rock Godfathers The Clash, rightly got a lot of flak when "London Calling" showed up in a f-ing Jaguar commercial. Yup, the common man's band, who continued to squat in abandoned buildings even after signing a record deal, saw it as appropriate that their legacy be tied to a car for rich bastards. White Riot indeed.

God and the Rock Star

2007-10-14T11:49:00.000-04:00

One of the biggest surprises for me about covering bands (and in particular punk rock) is the overwhelming amount of groups that identify themselves as Christian rockers. Metal may have had Stryper in the 80's, but now there's a full blown movement, complete with weekend long festivals devoted to Christian metal, punk and hardcore.

I was talking to my editor at AMP this summer about the stacks and stacks of CDs that have been coming to house recently from Christian punk bands and she started counting off every genre and sub genre that now has its Christian component: Christian metal, Christian hardcore, Christian pop/punk, Christina emo, Christian Oi punk and, I swear to God (there you go), Christian rockabilly.

The phenomena is so big that the Vans Warped tour last year held nightly bible meetings. Seriously! The tour that made a name for itself bringing gnarled punk vets like the Buzzcocks and Pennywise to rock suburban mall rats hosted daily discussion on the temptations of booze and groupies... Isn't that why most started a band to begin with?

Is being Born Again a fad for Gen Y? Is this what rebellion has come to: Toting a bible and an unhealthy amount of guilt for simply having normal teenage urges?

It's hard not to think there are more cynical reasons for band branding themselves as Christian rockers. There is an entire audience that will snatch up your music, simply because you give a shout out to your Lord and Savior in the CD booklet, regardless of how shitty your band may be. Quick name a great Christian rock band (and no, U2 does not count). Switchfoot? Creed?

There also seems to be something very unsavory (if not out right blasphemous) about exploiting some one's religion to make money. If it's simply about "spreading the Good Word" than make your music available for free via download. Don't roll you big tour bus into town, sell tickets for $60 a seat and then gouge the true believers at the merch table ($40 for a hoodie! WWJBuy?). There is not much difference in my mind between Oral Roberts in the 80's saying God wants you to send him money and Christian rockers getting tweens to fork over their babysitting money, all in the name of God. I'm sure when Jesus was carrying the cross through the streets, he was thinking "I really hope people will be able to make some money off of my sacrifice some day. Please exploit me!"

There is also a rule in Religious Rock Star Bible stating that once you start to draw attention from mainstream press, you then have to refuse to answer any questions about religion and, in many cases, turn your backs on those kids who bought your records from the Christian bookstores (the Judas Rule?).

Death to the Record Label?

2007-10-10T08:01:00.000-04:00

So it's not earth-shattering news that the traditional system of delivering music is stumbling toward a freshly dug grave.

It took about half a century for musicians to catch on, but they have finally come to the conclusion that they are getting screwed big time by the major labels (smaller record labels are the exception, as many discover these bands, nurture them for years and watch some jackass A&R guy from Warner walk into the club with ironed jeans and a FallOut boy t-shirt and walk out with the band). They come up with the songs, write 'em, record 'em, cram into a van filled with stale farts and pop tarts and tour the country for about two years, collect a check for a few thousand bucks and do it all over again, while some douche from the record label takes a moment from counting his money to remind the band how lucky they are to be doing what they're doing (cue the maniacal laughter and thunder clap).

In a recent letter, hardcore vet and Throwdown front man David Peters claims that buying CDs actually encourage the current system to keep on keepin on.

"I encourage our fans to acquire our album however they please. The philosophy I’ve adopted is that if you’re supporting disc sales, you’re keeping the old model around longer…the one that forces dudes like me to tour 9 mos/year if they want to make ends meet with a career in music. If you wanna really support a band, "steal" their album….help bury the label….and buy a tshirt when you show up at their show and sing every word."

Great thought, but that brings up a larger question: Once the current system crashes and all label heads lose their jobs, who's going to buy all the coke and hookers? Tom Sizemore?