Record/Zine Reviews (early summer 2011)

The bulk of this batch or reviews post is going to be zines, since I picked up a bunch recently. In today's instant gratification culture, it's real good that people are still making zines. Also, you may notice that I changed the format of my reviews slightly. I want people to go out and buy the good releases for sure, and support new bands releasing demos. After being basically called an elitist on a local message board for wanting to wait until I got a record in the mail before passing judgment on some mp3s, I feel like actually buying releases is more important. Downloading is convenient, but it devalues the efforts of the bands you claim to like. Before publishing this, I came across a (self-proclaimed) hardcore blog where the write said "I'm not a fan of the physical format." Fuck off asshole, I actually own all of the things I review. If this is the future of the HC scene, what's the point of even dropping out? What will you do, delete your hard drive?

7":

Waste Management- Power Abuse (Painkiller Records)
So these songs came out last year on a cassette, which also had a live set. These new songs were too good to fade into obscurity. If you have ears, you no doubt loved their first record, which blended SSD with early AF. The new record has that, but adds some Discharge elements. "Too Much Unity" is about keeping hardcore for the weirdos, which I can definitely support. The cover art is a crazy full color illustration that reminds me of Agnostic Front's Cause for Alarm LP. If you only get one record this month, it should be this. Includes a digital download.


Ripcord- The Damage is Done (Boss Tuneage Records)
So to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Ripcord's first 7", the fine folks at Boss Tuneage were cool enough to re-press this record. The original was on a flexi, so even if you found an original, it probably is in some rough shape. The re-press is on a nice thick piece of vinyl, so it will last another 25 years. This is Ripcord at their most raw. Their sound was heavily influenced by the early 80's USHC, though filtered through Discharge's raw intensity and anger. Some of these songs were re-recorded later, but I prefer these versions better. The version of "Furder" is by far superior w/o the opening mosh part being ruined by a sample. 3/4 of Ripcord now play in Violent Arrest, who are also awesome.


Night Fever- Transparent (No Way Records)
I LOVED Night Fever's New Blood LP, so not only was I psyched to get this new 7", but I get to see/play with them twice on their US tour. In the past, I described them as Youth of Today mixed with Guns N Roses. This new 7" has 3 songs, which display a bit more Thin Lizzy style rock n roll vibe, though the lyrics are still hateful and vocals still ridiculous. Hopefully you caught them on their US tour, pick up this record for sure, and get the reissue of New Blood if you don't have it already.


No Statik- Clarified, Distilled, Recomposed b/w We All Die In The End (Iron Lung Records)
Picked this up based on the ex-members of What Happens Next? and Look Back and Laugh, expecting it to be pretty good. Unfortunately this 2 song single is insanely boring. The A-side is an ok song, but pales in comparison to LBAL. The B-side is some boring instrumental that turns into some techno crap. I don't know if their LP on Prank is any better, and frankly I don't want to find out.


Criaturas- Aranas En El Corazon (Lengua Armada Records)
Cariaturas is a band from TX, who are female fronted and sing in Spanish. I believe there's some Deskonocidos members involved in this. The music is a melodic early 80's punk, sort of like a Spnish version of the Comes. The vocals are screamed, while the music is a reverb drenched D-beat. Not too bad, into it.


Poison x Planet- Bleed For Me (Third Party Records)
Here's a record I'm sure was fun to make. For Poison Planet's recent European tour, they decided to release a 7" consisting of 2 Dead Kennedys covers that they recorded with their last 2 EPs. Unfortunately for us, the lyrics of both of those songs still hold true today as much as they did in the 80's The government is still underhanded, and nazi punks still need to fuck off. Nick sings in his own way, and doesn't try to emulate Jello's signature style. The lyrics are printed inside along with how they relate to us almost 30 years later. If you like Poison planet and Dead Kennedys, then this is a fun release. If not, then you're fuckin' up. I would have like the see a PxP take on the old DK logo for that B-side label though.


Remission -Winds of Promise (React! Records)
Reission is a band from Chile, a country not generally known for their hardcore output. Not really knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised. Their sound reminds me of the mid-80's DC sound like Dag Nasty and Swiz, however not treading into pop-punk or boring indie rock. The songs have a lot of punch to them. Coincidentally, they have a split with Police and Thieves that just came out, and I feel like both bands play a similar style. This 3 song 7" definitely left me wanting more. Includes a digital download.


Street Sweeper- s/t (Shoe City Records)
Street Sweeper is a new band from MA who plays a style of HC more like bands from NY. I get a Leeway or Killing Time vibe from this. The music is mid-paced and heavy, however straying from metal guitar tone in favor of heavy riffing. While not my favorite style, this is actually done very well. My only peeve is that the songs don't flow into each other, it seems like the feedback could have easily been blended between songs without a break. That may just be something I notice, but an overall impressive debut.


Villain- Trouble At Home (Shoe City Records)
Villain is another band from MA, who also play a harder style of HC, similar to bands like Think I Care and Tarpit. They balance the slower mosh parts with the faster HC/punk parts. I kind of wish there were more fast parts, as I think they're more interesting. I could see someone into the Ceremony style being into this. Includes a digital download.

12":

Soul Swallower- Devoured (Painkiller Records)
Soul Swallower was a side project that released a 7" back in like 2005, that sort of flew under the radar when it was released. Though it was good, Mind Eraser related bands have a lot more interest nowadays. Musically, the LP is a bit more dark, taking cues from Taste of Fear, and mixing black metal elements with fast hardcore. There's a good balance of fast and heavy parts here. Would have been nice to have a lyric sheet, but it's pretty decent. Includes a digital download.


Poison Planet- Ugly Truths Vol. 1 (Carry the Weight Records)
Another Poison Planet record to coincide with their European tour. This LP compiles their first and second 7"s, along with 2 covers and some new songs. Since I've already reviewed their 7"s, I'll keep it brief. Poison Planet is a politically conscious vegan straight edge band, who plays hardcore similar to bands from the early 80's. I thought it was interesting that they chose to cover Get It Away and Cold Shoulder, 2 bands from recent years that are local to them. One of the new songs, "Who's to Blame" takes the intro to "Eyes Wide Open" and has an animal rights speech that sounds like it's through a megaphone. Kinds reminds me of the LP version of "Furder" by Ripcord. However both songs open each side of the LP, so the A and B sides both start with the same music. This LP is a good way for newcomers to PxP to catch up on their releases, and get some new stuff.


Pure Hell- Noise Addiction (Welfare Records)
This reissue came out like 2 years ago, but was recorded in the 70's, so it's still relevant in my eyes. Remember the Death LP that everyone went crazy for? Here's another all African American punk band from the 70's who's material went largely unreleased. Pure Hell's music is more along the lines of the New York Dolls and Sex Pistols, with a lot of attitude.


Get The Most- s/t (React! Records)
I had never checked out Get The Most before, but this LP compiles their 2 7"s and demo, so it's a perfect refresher course. I was really surprised, because this is a pretty faithful youth crew style HC, complete with Ray of Today style growls. More bands need to do that, you can say it's goofy, but you're wrong. The main riff in "Pass It On" reminds me of the mosh part in the A-Team TV show theme song, which is not a bad thing for sure. They also cover my favorite Abused song on here. Unfortunately the band is breaking up soon, and now I feel stupid for sleeping on them this long. Includes a digital download.

CD:

Villain- It’s Rough
This is Villain's first release, and while not as good as their recent 7", it's not too bad either. Lyrically is seems a lot less serious, while musically it's not as fast. I kind of liked how their 7" had a balance of fast and mid-paced mosh parts, but this isn't very fast. A bit too much focus on the mid-paced mosh for my liking. Not a bad debut, but I prefer the direction that their 7" is showing.


Snake Face- Ignorant Youth
From what I can tell, Snakeface is a band from Australia. The CD packaging has some of the worst art I've ever seen, and I thought it'd be some sort of ironic hipster indie rock crap. Thank god they had that crude drawing of a dick on the inside cover instead of, oh I don't know, lyrics/contact info? Musically though it's pretty fast/heavy hardcore in the same style as bands like Ceremony. Most of the songs clock in under a minute, but it's not enough to hold my interest.

Demos:
Stab (tape) (Painkiller Records)
I had seen a write up about Stab on a blog that referred to them as a UK straight edge band that sounded like Ripcord. Welp, I was sold. Lucky for me, Painkiller re-pressed it and had copies in the store (now sold out) when I placed my order. No false advertising here, I get a definite Ripcord, where it's fast, but not venturing into grind territory. The production is real raw and distorted, like Discharge. Overall an awesome demo. Also, it turns out that I met some of these dudes while in the UK, and this was the band they told me about. Wish I was able to see them.

File 13- Generation Lost (pro-tape)
File 13 is a new band from Richmond, VA. Their sound reminds me of recent bands like Wasted Time, Crispus Attucks or Rations; in that they play fast but with a heavier/ thicker sound. The vocalist also reminds me of No Justice. Not enough bands play this style, and I think it makes them stand out. Smart lyrics and a cool cover graphic make this a demo worth your time. Definitely looking forward to what they do next.

Beware (tape)
This is a new band from PA, with the former singer of Let Down and some other folks from other bands. They remind me a lot of Mouthpiece, or Chain Of Strength w/o the fast parts. The music is somewhat mid-paced, but powerful. When I saw them they covered my favorite Turning Point song, so that rules. This will be a band to keep an eye on for sure.
*I should note that I had to review this based on mp3s, since my tape had the first song repeated 3 times. It starts about half through the song, then repeats twice and cuts off in the middle of the 4th time. I don't even know how this could happen, who was dubbing these? Bands: just pay the extra money to get your tapes pro-duplicated, so we don't have these problems. Thanks!

Zines:
Got Myself #5
This is a zine based out of VA, which I've picked up before. The inside layout is some top notch cut and paste. Not too sloppy and easy to read, but the layout has no boring white spaces. There's interviews with Wasted Time Double Negative and Night Birds. I like that there's more than just a page of reviews, I wish more zines dedicated 1/3 of their content to reviews. The writer also makes numerous references to how much they hate VA. I hear ya dude, try living in NJ.

Seven Inches to Freedom No. 9
SITF is a nice little half page zine from FL. The inside layout looks like it's been run through a photocopier from the 80's, but is very clean and easy to read. The content is similar to MRR in that there's a good amount of guest columns, interviews and reviews. I'm not really into any of the reviews or interviews, but some of the articles a real interesting. The how-to guide to creating a successful straight dge band, ot crust band was funny. The retrospective look at Sound Idea records was good as well. My old band wound up playing our last show there. Great store. Pretty cool zine overall, but probably wouldn't pick up another.

Litmus Test Issue 2
Picked this one up on a whim, I figured a straight edge zine may be cool. Not really into Bracewar or Let Down, so the interviews weren't of much interest and the reviews were very minimal and mainly focused on Richmond bands. The article on women in straight edge was kind of interesting, though I would have liked to see more quotes or interviews with actual women. Oddly, I found the political writings more interesting (which isn't a good thing). Clean computer looking layout, but not really anything special. Did the thanks list really require the whole back cover?

Punks! Punks! Punks! Volume 3
This zine reads like it was written for the high school newspaper. The layout is an ugly computerized look, but trying (and failing) to look cut and paste. Did you really ask one of the Casualties about what's punk or not? Did you really reference Have Heart in the Ian Mackaye interview? The best part is when the singer of Reckless Aggression tells him these are the worst questions he's ever read. This reads like the B9 board or the Youth Attack jerkbooth. .

Chunks Issues 2+3
Town of Hardcore was arguably the best zine of the 00's, but Chunks just became my top contender to carry their torch. I picked up issues 2 and 3 recently, and loved them. There's well written interviews with good questions, short and to the point reviews (I don't need 3 paragraphs on a 7 minute record) and packed with photos and a cut and paste layout. The interviews are probably the best part, since they read like someone who knows the bands personally and genuinely gets them. They stray far from the typical "who's in the band," "tell us about your touring plans" type boring questions. These 2 issues have interviews with Waste Management, Reckless Aggression, Rival Mob and Omegas- you you know they're good. Both zines are kind of thin, but are packed with nothing but quality material. Not for the weak, hardcore zine for the hardcore.

Counterfeit Garbage #5
Another great issue of this zine, a little thinner than the previous issue, but still high quality for sure. Good interviews with No Class and Devour, as well as reviews and rants. The highlight for me is Matt's review of a terrible show he went to in China, where he talks about hating white people numerous times. Great zine, probably the best in the states.

Social Hardcore Issue 2
This one's interesting, an Australian zine, but written based on a trip to the good ol' USA. It's kinda cool to see a foreign take on the bands we maybe take for granted. There's a focus on the NYC and Boston bands. The zine is only 8 pages (2 pages folded,) and the inside is all photos. Not the best photos, but cool bands for sure. Pretty cool despite its size. Would pick up again.

Things I Learned in Europe

Last month I accompanied Coke Bust on their first European tour. I had a great time, met a lot of cool people, went a lot of cool places. I kept a journal with me, and wrote about each day. Rather than bore you with a long Tour Diary post, here's a list of things I learned abroad.

-Europeans think I'm fat
-Coke Bust covering Youth of Today with me on vocals was better than the "real YOT" which toured Germany the month before
-Squats in Germany are better organized than some legit venues
-The food we got for free that people made for us at shows was better than the food we paid for in restaurants
-Poland is 10% on fire at all times
-Most stereotypes I had of Europeans were all absolutely true
-Hostels aren't as creepy as I assumed they would be, and were actually quite pleasant
-European punks take things more seriously, and there are a lot more older people at shows there.
-The ban we have on indoor smoking in the USA is a good idea
-British people have a real snarky attitude, which rules
-Breakfast of bread and various spreads is common
-Soda tastes way better there, since they use sugar instead of corn syrup.
-Jubert can lose all of his clothes, and come home with nicer ones for free
-In Poland, prostitutes hang out in the woods wearing coats in the afternoon
-The hookers in the Red Light District are mediocre looking at best
-Sheep are more common than trees in the UK
-Pizza in northern/ eastern Europe is terrible (corn? really?)
-Nico is the coolest guy in all of Europe
-Dierk has the coolest stuff in all of Europe
-The British really are into tea (with milk and sugar of course)
-"Brown Sauce" is a staple in a proper British breakfast; it goes well with beans on toast.
-If regular haggis is as good as vegan haggis, I wanna try it
-Belgians will make you waffles if you ask nicely
-There aren't many skin byrds in the UK
-Don't brag about you encounter with a skin byrd on Facebook, it makes your girlfriend very mad.
-Coke Bust severely overestimated the European straight edge scene from a t-shirt sales perspective.
-Jubert loves soda, and gets real sassy after 2
-Germans love to play kicker (fooseball) at shows
-The phrase "Good Night White Pride" can be funny when said like "Good Night John Boy"
-Some European urinals are like a horse trough
-Some European toilets have the "poo shelf" which keeps the poo out of water, and keeps it stinky. Not backed
-Burritos in Germany are just as bad as you'd assume they'd be
-German rest stops expect you to pay .70 Euro to use the toilet, but you can pee outside for free
-It's way easier to steal stuff in Europe
-UK showers have no water pressure
-Fish and Chips tastes just like I assumed it would: greasy and delicious
-Donner kabob (sort of like a gyro in the US) is pretty damn tasty
-Schnitzel is pretty damn shitty
-Robert Refuse is the Nick Baran of Europe
-Europe has a much better selection of bootleg LPs
-The landscape of most of Europe looks like northern Pennsylvania
-The Czech Republic has a tourist trap rest area similar to South of the Border
-The Anti-Fascista movement is 90% stickers
-Eastern Europe really over compensates for the whole nazi thing
-There are 5 black people in all of Europe, which makes the white pride movement even more ridiculous
-Top 3 bands we played with: Ruidosa Inmundicia, Sick Fuckin-O, Short Fuse
-Top 3 songs of tour: "Bed Intruder Song," "Ba Ba Americano," "Teenage Dream"
-Nico used to mosh hard at shows, and earned the nickname "the Butcher" in the pit
-South Park is possibly the best American export
-Hearing English people talk with American accents is hilarious
-"Handy" and "Blowy" are (or at least should be) new British slang for sexual acts
-Nico is a better wingman than Nicktape
-Swedish people like to talk about how cold it is, or will get
-Most European shows take place in bars, or places with bars, which maybe gives the sXe stance more meaningful there
-Bands get paid better, and treated nicer in Europe than America
-Punks carry tote bags to shows for their records; I support this
-Vita Cola is the best soda in Europe, followed closely by Mezzo Mix. Both are orange flavored cola
-Sleeping on a tile kitchen floor is just as uncomfortable as you would think
-Chris at all times travels with at least 4 layers of clothing
-There are no fat people in Amsterdam
-Most of Amsterdam travels by bicycle, including women in short skirts. BACKED
-Seeing Coke Bust 21 days in a row didn't get boring
-Germans love David Hasselhoff

Zines Suck!

Not Really, but it really caught your attention I'm betting. I made these flyers to have on tour. My regular website is still not online, but the blog has been thriving lately, so I figured people might care about its content. The photo is a photo I took of Government Warning at Pointless Fest, and I did the rest in Photoshop (not cut and pasted).
I think zines in the past have been a viable part of hardcore punk, but there's been fewer and fewer good zines. A lot of the zine scene has been overrun with dumb poetry and diary writing zines. If I'm grabbing a zine I want photos, reviews, interviews that just talk about HARDCORE. A lot of people are flying the cut and paste only flag, and I mean it's all well and good, but when you're typing everything up on a computer anyway you may as well just design it on one. What my site lacks in punk look, I feel it makes up for in content. I haven't had any interviews yet, but that's only because I hate social interaction. I think a lot of fly by night zines just start because people try to get free records out of labels. 99% of the stuff I review I bought because it's what I like. Some may say it accounts for the lack of diversity... oh well.
In short, zines still rule, there just aren't enough good ones. The internet rules because it's easily accessible, and nowadays anyone can share their opinions for free. And hey, if you don't like it, there's an X at the top of your screen to make it go away.

*I should note that I have had a subscription to MRR for a while... what else am I gonna read on the toilet?

Question I've always had...

After watching Back to School and Weekend and Bernie's today (life is hard), I had an important question:
Why was "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boing used in Back to School and not Weekend at Bernie's?
There was a party at a dead man's house in the fucking movie...

At The Movies (summer blockbuster edition)

First of all, welcome to the 100th post! Secondly, if you haven't left your house recently, you've been missing out on some killer flicks. I'm glad that with today's movie making technology we can get some good comic book movies finally. Iron Man, Hellboy 2 and the Dark Knight were all great!

Iron Man kicked the summer movie season off the right way. I was a little skeptical since I honestly don't think I even own any Iron Man comics. I kinda figured it'd just be a good action movie w/ big explosions and special effects. And it did have all those elements, but it was an extremely well done movie behind all that. Some friends of mine described it as the best comic book movie, and it certainly ranks up there. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect to play the cocky drunk Tony Stark (go figure). Marvel now has their own production studio, so I have big hopes that they'll make some more quality movies based off their characters. Amazing post-credits scene.
I was surprised to see Hellboy 1, but the fact that they made a Hellboy 2 is amazing. Such a great comic book, and with the success of Pan's Labyrinth, Del Toro pretty much is able to do whatever he wants. Thank god, because Hellboy 2 was possibly better than the first one. While the movie didn't follow any comic book, it had the same fairy tale/ legends style story line. The movie was also much more funny, with some Men in Black style moments. Die hards will love it.
Dark Knight had some big shoes to fill being Heath Ledger's last movie, but holy crap did it deliver. Heath Ledger was perfect as the Joker, he played him so dark and maniacal. The Joker is Batman's primary villain, so it was nice to see him in the second movie so they didn't have to waste time on an origin story. I always hated the original Batman series, even as a kid I thought it was lame and cheesy. These more recent Batmans however have taken cues from classic Batman stories such as Year One and the Long Halloween. I really like what they did with Two Face also; his makeup wasn't stupid like the Tommy Lee Jones Two Face either. Overall another solid movie, which might bas as bold as say it was better than the first one.

As far as non-comic related movies I saw this summer... Wall-E, the new Pixar movie was cool. There was a kinda lame love story and a thinly veiled political agenda. It was kinda like watching an animated Michael Moore movie at times. Overall though it was pretty good. Had the typical Pixar cuteness and ridiculously good animation and art.
I also caught Step Brothers one day when my job let us out early and I had some time to kill before a show in Philly. The concept and everything is obviously stupid, but it was a damn funny way to kill time. If you like Will Ferrel and John C Reilley movies, this is one of the better ones I thought. Real low brow humor, but sooo good.

On a side note, they showed a trailer for the new Watchmen movie before Batman. I didn't want to like it, but it honestly looks fucking great. A trailer for the new Wolverine movie also leaked to the internet recently also, and that looks great too!

Comics

I've been real busy with a lot of stuff lately, so I haven't made as many posts as I'd like. I haven't done something not related to hardcore/punk in a while. Before I was into hardcore, I was a comic book nerd. While I still enjoy comics, my main collecting has been through graphic novels. While I was working at a book store, I accumulated a bunch of cool graphic novels. I tracked down the "classics" of the genre (Sin City, V for Vendetta, Watchmen...), and checked out some of the newer hyped books (Exiles, Supreme Power...). I mainly always stick to Marvel titles; New Mutants, X-men and Spider-Man in particular. I also got into stuff like Hellboy, Runaways and Y: the Last Man thanks to my local library heavily stocking their "young adult" section with graphic novels.
So, what sparked my recent resurgence into the world of comics is that every Wednesday, people I work with all go to a comic shop near work. I had previously maybe went to a shop every 6 months or so. Here's what I've been reading lately...

Y: the Last Man- This book I got into through trades. The last issue just came out, and it was probably the best way to end the comic. The story is of a plague that wipes out every man from the earth, leaving only Yorick, his monkey and a planet full of women. The last issue takes place in the future with Yorick telling stories to a clone of himself about what happened after the main storyline ended. An epilogue of sorts. I hear that the book is in the development stages to be made into a series of movies. I'm not really a fan of a lot of the comic movies coming out, but this would be one to look out for.

Madman- I was surprised to see that Madman was back, and it's really good. I've been a fan of Mike Allred's work (Madman, Atomics, X-Force) for a while, and it's good to see Madman back. The latest story revolves around the main character essentially dying, and struggling to find his way back. Madman was a part of the indie comics boom in the 90's, but stood out among a lot of mediocre crap.

Scud- Another great comic from the 90's returns. Scud is probably my favorite comic book ever. It is about a robotic assassin who is supposed to self destruct once it kills its target. This Scud however decides to just cripple his target, and take up freelance assassin gigs to pay the hospital bills. Scud ended in 1998 with a huge cliffhanger, now 10 years later it returns for 4 more issues to wrap up the series. I'm extremely excited, and the first issue back actually progresses the story 10 years. The creator of Scud went on to do some great things in Hollywood (Monster House, Sarah Silverman Show), and thanks to the writers strike was able to finish this. There will be a huge collected trade once all 4 new issues wrap up. I couldn't recommend a comic any more than I can with Scud.

Runaways- Another comic series that I got into through the trades. The story is about a group of children who find out that their children are super villains. Only one of the children in the group have superpowers, though one child has a pet raptor. The kids have to rely on their own resources to outsmart their parents, and strike out to make up for their bad deeds. It has a youthful charm, which reminds me of the New Mutants.

Manchild- This comic only exists in a series of graphic novels. The illustrator/ writer is somewhat known in the HC/Punk community for doing art for some classic records, and playing drums in Double Negative. The comic strips are humorous observations and stories. A lot of the subject matter is HC/Punk related, but is humorous and pokes fun at people without being condescending. The most recent graphic novel comes with a bonus CD of a Melvins demo from 1987.

Exiles- Exiles also just published its last issue, followed by a relaunch soon after. The back story is a cross between X-Men and Quantum Leap, with superheroes traveling to different time periods to fix their own time lines. The series started out strong, then got weak once Chuck Austen took over, then got better later on, then got re-crappy. I think it really suffered when Marvel did the Age of Apocalypse and House of M crossovers. Maybe it was just me who had no interest in it.

Spider-Man- You know Spider-Man, and you know his story. The most recent "One More Day" storyline really fucked up good. Aunt May gets shot, and is going to die (finally!). But in order to save his Aunt, Peter Parker makes a deal w/ Mephisto that if he makes it so Peter and MJ never got together, Aunt May would survive. This basically relaunches all the Spider-Man books, and re-writes history. I'm sorry, but this just doesn't make any sense. Has Marvel forgot the Spider Clone disaster?

TV Party- Annihilate all week long

So the new TV season is in full swing, and unfortunately with the writers strike, may be over soon. I'll let you know what I've been watching, as if you care...



MONDAY
At 8pm on CBS is How I Met Your Mother, the premise behind the show is of a father telling stories to his kids about his friends and how he met their mother (who they still have yet to introduce). The show's really funny, and is basically a cross between Scrubs and Friends (before it got terrible). Pretty much the only thing on CBS worth watching.
When I was working in NYC, there were huge billboard for 2 new shows: Chuck (on NBC) and the Big Bang Theory (CBS). I've given both a shot, and neither are really all that great. Chuck starts at 8, but I just flip to the last half hour before Heroes comes on. The premise of that one is that a nerdy dude happens to get an e-mail w/ government secrets in it. Now he works with the FBI and done some crazy James Bond type shit. Big Bang Theory is about nerd who live next door to a hot chick, yawn.
Heroes is on NBC at 9, and is probably my favorite show on TV now. I know I've talked about it before, but it's basically a comic book in a live action setting. Unlike 90% of the comic movies that have come out recently, it's totally not crap. The most recent Season adds new characters, and puts some of the prominent ones from last season into the background. The mid season cliff hanger in 3 weeks may be the season finale, and I read that they made an alternate ending just in case. Fox's 24 will have some tough competition for the 9pm slot.
After Heroes at 10 is a new show on NBC, JourneyMan. It's somewhat similar to Quantum Leap, except the guy jumps into the past in his own body, and has to fix the future. It's not bad, but by the end of the hour I start losing interest. I'll probably keep with it until the end of the season, but if it changes time slots, I probably wouldn't follow it.

TUESDAY
The only thing I really watch on Tuesdays at 9 is House on Fox. Dr. House is an unorthodox doctor, who always has some sort of crazy diagnosis. This season however, he needs to find a new team since his last team abandoned him last season. It started out interestingly enough with an American Idol style weeding out of people, but it's still not decided who the new team is. It's still entertaining, but it's becoming more like CSI and Law and Order, where each episode is basically the same.

WEDNESDAY
An interesting new show on ABC is Pushing Daisies, which is like a crime drama mixed with a Dr Seuss book. There's a narrator which follows the storyline, and gives background information. Pretty cool, and probably the only thing I watch on ABC.
9-10 is kind of a bust until LOST starts again (if it starts again). I've been watching Kitchen Nightmares, where a chef goes to disgusting restaurants and tells them what to change to stay in business. Definitely not something to watch while eating, but it's funny to see him make fun of these dumb owners.
At 10, Comedy Central's been showing the new season of South Park, which for some reason is still just as witty 10 years later. Obviously you get the same satirical gross out humor, but there's been a lot of political shows and shows where they just make fun of a celebrity for a half hour.
The Sarah Silverman Program is a relatively new sitcom. Sarah plays herself as a character who's extremely juvenile and annoying. The supporting cast consists of her sister and her boyfriend, and her 2 gay neighbors. Pretty good off the wall humor that I'd take any day over Mind of Mencia.

THURSDAY
Thursday's a pretty big day, where I stick to NBC. At 8, it's My Name is Earl which is kind of different this season, since Earl is in prison. Normally it revolves around Earl traveling around with his brother Randy. The supporting cast of his ex-wife, the crab man and the maid at the hotel where they live are also great. Unfortunately the dynamic of the characters has been a little off this season, but I hope Earl gets out of jail soon, and they get back on track.
At 8:30 I usually watch 30 Rock, which is basically a sitcom about the making of an SNL stlye sketch comedy show. It stars SNL alumni Tina Fey (former writer), Tracy Morgan (former cast member) and Alec Baldwin (frequent guest). It's an alright show, but hardly the best of the lineup.
The Office has been a favorite of mine for a while. It took a little while to click, but the dry awkward humor is perfect for on the job based comedy. The show is set up like a reality show, and is based on a BBC program of the same name. This is by far my favorite comedy right now, and it even has a soap opera aspect to it.
This is the final season for Scrubs, and while I enjoyed the show since its beginning, it's the right time. The show's still funny, but the characters are changing, and the show's seemed to have lost it's stamina. JD just had a baby, Carla and Turk also have a baby, Elliot called off her engagement, and they killed off Laverne. It just doesn't have the same spark as it did before. Don't get me wrong, it's a great show, but I'd stick to the re-runs.

FRIDAY
I'm rarely home on a Friday night, but if I am, Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet is pretty awesome. Occasionally Discovery Channel will have Mythbusters reruns on, and that show is amazing.

SATURDAY
As big a loser as I am, I don't watch anything on Saturday.

SUNDAY
Sundays have been dominated by Fox for me because of theSimpsons. However at this point, it's more a force of habit since the show hasn't been funny in about 10 years. It's kind of ridiculous how long that show's been on TV. I remember when it started, me and Bart were both in the 3rd grade. Of the almost 20 years the show's been on TV, it maybe had 5 or 6 truly great seasons. The jokes now seem extremely forced and predictable. I'll occasionally watch it, and it has gotten better than it was, but still not at the level of its hey day. The Simpsons movie was surprisingly decent though.
I think King of the Hill is on after that, but that is seriously the WORST show. I have no idea who watches that crap, probably the same people who like those redneck comedy shows.
Family Guy got resurrected from the dead a few years ago, and I honestly wish it hadn't. Originally it was fresh how they had little non-sequitor parts would break up the story. Maybe it loses its charm over time, but the tired pop culture referances and lack of plot really lose my interest now. South Park had a good episode which tore into the fact that their jokes cover up the fact that they have no plot.
American Dad is done by the same pople as Family Guy, and relies more on plots than pop culture jokes. It revolves around a right wing CIA agent and his wacky family. It seems to only get by when placed before/after Family Guy, but probably couldn't stand on its own.

ALL WEEL LONG!
Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming has been reigning supreme over my late night TV viewing since it started up. During the week it runs from 11-12:30, then the Anime starts, and I go to bed. The Daily Show and the Colbert Report on Comedy Central are usually good for more high brow / low brow humor. During the 11pm-12am block of time, Adult Swim has Futurama and Family Guy (both of which I own on DVD), so I'm not really missing much if I decide to miss those. Adult Swim has original programming which airs in mass on Sunday. Great original shows like the Boondocks, Metalocalypse, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Harvey Birdman, and old shows like Sea Lab 2021 and Space Ghost are ridiculous and great. The Adult Swim style of humor is usually pretty offensive, and sometimes ridiculous. I still don't get why anyone watches Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job.

At the Movies

I've recently caught 2 horror movies in theaters, one being Rob Zombie's interpretation of Halloween,the other being Hatchet. Halloween is pretty much showing everywhere, but Hatchet was only playing in 1 theater in the tr-state area.
While I'm not a fan of more recent horror movies, and even less a fan of remakes, I saw Halloween anyway. I had seen Devil's Rejects, and thought it was ok, so I figured Rob Zombie might do a decent job. The original Halloween movies were pretty awesome, but the last few were terrible. In this one, they try to go more in depth with the origin of Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis' relationship. In reality, they waste a good 45 minutes to establish that Michael just kills for no reason... As if I couldn't figure that out already. They show his affinity for masks, and how he obtains his trademark jumpsuit. There's plenty of blood and nudity, which all self respecting horror fans love. Zombie naturally cast his usual cast of characters to play cameos in this as well. The best casting decision was to cast Danielle Harris (Halloween 4/5) as one of Laurie's friends. The ending seemed so forced that by the end of the movie I really didn't care anymore. It seems like they added an extra half hour just for a chase scene through the house. Hopefully there won't be any sequels, which I don't think they planned since Michael and Loomis seem to be dead.
Hatchet is promoted as "old school american horror," which is basically referring to classic slasher gore. The movie follows a group of tourists who find themselves stranded in the woods of New Orleans when their boat tour crashes. The woods are inhabited by Victor Crowley, a deformed man who was thought to have died in a fire. Or maybe it's a ghost, either way the dude's huge and violent. The special effects are all makeup and no CGI (thank god), and the gore is top notch. The story kin dof falls apart, since you don't really see much of Victor aside from when he's mutilating people, and the tourists are all annoying and un-funny. This movie had a lot of potential, but could have been a lot better. If this had the support that Halloween did, maybe they would have put more development into it. Even though it was kind of disappointing, it was still way better than most recent horror movies by far.
I did see a really good horror movie recently, which was the straight to DVD movie, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. It started off as a sort of documentary of a reporter following a man in trainign to be a killer. In this reality Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and Freddy Kreuger are all real people. They follow his training, finding his target and setting traps in a house. In the end, the reporter and camera crew find themselves in the main event. In a way it's similar to Scream how they talk about horror movies in a horror movie, but didn't completely suck like Scream did. This movies is a horror movie for horror fans. It's got loads of cameos, humor, gore, nudity and a damn good story. I highly recommend giving this one a spin, I found it on DVD real cheap on Amazon.

Ramen Noodles

Being as I've been unemployed for the past few months, I've fully embraced the lifestyle. I've been going to the local library pretty regularly, and eating a lot of Ramen Noodles (8/$1.00!!!). I've taken the liberty of suggesting a new recipe, since the one on the back of the packaging is totally wrong. The most glaring problem being "serve immediately for best results."


1. Boil 2 cups of water (that's the only thing they did right). For god's sake don't add any salt to make it boil faster.

2. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the flavor packet. I recommend "oriental" or "beef." The packet should dissolve instantly.

3. Place brick of noodles in water without breaking them up. Let them sit in there and soak up the broth.

4. Once the noodles begin to soften, lower the heat, and unfold the noodles. You can see the difference in color, so make sure to stir it around.

5. Let the pot sit and cool for around 15 minutes. There should be little broth left, and the noodles should be brown colored.

I recommend putting the whole pot in a large bowl and eating it with a fork (or chop sticks if you're so inclined). Enjoy!

shows and records, records and shows

So I wouldn't consider myself a show promoter really, but if a good band needs a show and wants to play NJ (for some reason), I'll set one up. I only work with venues that don't charge for the space, usually basements, but I did do a show at a burrito shop a few weeks ago. I set up 3 shows this past month, and each show seemed to go well in retrospect, but seemed worse and worse. The first show was pretty well attended, though I thought more should've been there. The second one was kinda last minute, but between going to 3 shows that week and handing out 50 flyers at a show around the corner 2 days prior, only 12 people came. And most of them were from PA. The third show had another low attendance, and the touring bands showed up late and drunk, despite them asking for a matinee show, so it would end earlier. The sad turnout really put a bad taste in my mouth about doing more shows. I mean the bands all appreciated it, but it makes me re-think my loyalties to other local bands. I've gone to shows for a while, and have bought records from bands I don't necessarily like just to support them. The fact that my band even played 2 of the 3 shows, and people who's bands I supported weren't there. I'm in the process of getting 2 shows in June going, but I'm trying some different places and different bands. Also, my favorite NJ band, the Degenerics are playing a reunion show at the end of June, which I'm very excited about.

The past month's been crazy! between job interviews, setting up and promoting/ attending a bunch of shows, sick w/ allergies and just general work I haven't had much time to rest. Luckily, I've had a nice chunk of sweet records to listen to.

7"s

the Vicious- Igen
The new Vicious record was luckily ready for their US tour, which I was lucky enough to catch on 4 dates. The new record isn't nearly as good as Obsessive of Alienated, but still really catchy. 3 new songs, and 2 of them aren't in english. I don't really mind when foreign bands switch up english and foreign lyrics (like No Hope For The Kids), so maybe this will be more regular for the Vicious. The new stuff has a real Gorilla Angreb vibe to it. I wouldn't suggest this as a good starting point, but it's a good indication of where they are and where they're going.


Terminal State- Sick
Terminal State didn't do too much since that 7" came out in 2005, but this new record shows that their sound has matured a bit. They've always reminded me of old early 80's KBD style hardcore, with a DC simplicity. These 3 songs are great, I just wish there were more. They played a show in NJ a few weeks ago on a weekend tour, and they've got a bunch of new material that's totally killer. Probably going to be an LP from these guys sometime soon, and it'll be great!


Acid Reflux- s/t
This 7" is basically their demo on vinyl. Since I already reviewed the demo, I'll spare repeating myself. This band rules, get this fucking 7"!


Dustheads- Tall Tales II
Following up last year's "Tall Tales" 7" with its second installment. Dustheads continue where they left off, with heavy rock influences over some old school sounding fast hardcore. Occasionally the rock parts seem a bit forced, or mismatched, but when it's good it's real good. "Altered States" is a great beginning, and should appeal to fans of hardcore and heavy stoner rock. I think both "Tall Tales" will be on one LP, once both 7"s are out of print.


Total Fury/ the Jury
Another new release to coincide with a US tour. Total Fury is from Japan, but don't play the traditional "buring spirits" style. They have a sound that's much more early 80's american HC, like the DC bands. However, there's an intensity to the sound that not many bands can touch. This has a re-recorded version of "You're Too Old" from the LP, with some more rockin guitar parts. There's also a Scream cover. The Jury had a 7" come out last year, which reminded me of 9 Shocks a lot. This stuff is fairly similar, but compared to TF, it kinda falls flat. They also cover "Crash The Pose" by Gauze (HOLY SHIT!), but it doesn't really touch the speed and intensity of the original. Overall it's pretty rough to tackle a song by the gods of Japanese hardcore, and do a split w/ a totally raging current Japanese band, but I applaud the effort.


Dissystema- s/t
The Philly "motorcharge" returns after a hiatus with a new drummer. A lot of their older stuff was pretty standard D-beat / Doom sounding stuff, but there's some real cool Motorhead sounding parts on here. Their sound's breaking out of d-beat mold, and would probably appeal to people into crust and fast hardcore. They're recording their 2nd LP soon, and it should be a rager and a half.


Harpoon Guns- s/t
I liked the LP they had out last year, so figured I should check out this new 7". This time you get more fast old school sounding hardcore, with some surfy leads. The rough recording quality makes it sound old too. The ammount of great old HC sounding bands from California right now is crazy.


Out With a Bang!- I'm Against It
Some good fast Italian hardcore here. They cram an LP's worth of songs on this 7", and it doesn't let up. They have a real old dirty punk sound, with some rockin guitar leads. Similar to classic old offensive hardcore punk, I really wish I saw them on their last tour. Stupid flooding rain and an hour drive kept me away...


Upstab- Somebody Threw a Jug of Thunderbird Wine at Me
This little guy came out a while ago, but I just got myself a copy recently. If you're not familiar w/ Upstab, it's Chris Erba's (H-100s) new band. Similar to other related Clevo bands, they rage through some of the best sloppy fast hardcore punk. I think they broke up already, but Cleveland bands never really die.


Hostages- Legend In My Head, Failure to the World
Kinda different, I did a show for them when they were on tour w/ Ruiner last month. Not really my thing, kinda sounds like a less metal influenced version of the Hope Conspiracy. some good parts, but they have a lot of songs which seem to ring out for a long time. I'd prefer things more stripped down and faster, but definitely a solid debut. I'd take this over a lot of more popular modern hardcore bands.

12"s

the Ergs- Upstairs/Downstairs
The long awaited 2nd full tength from NJ's own pop-punk masters. A lot of these songs I've known for while between seeing them somewhat often, and from demo versions. Overall, I think DorkRockCorkRod was a little faster, but Upstairs/Downstairs won't disappoint. The last track (Upstairs/Downstairs) is a really long mostly instrumental, which I think is pretty boring. "Books about Miles Davis" would've been a perfect ending track.


Severed Head of State- Power Hazard
Most bands get boring and more predictible with time, not Severed Head of State. The last few 7"s that came out after their "Anathema Device" LP were great. This EP/LP picks up where they were going, but with more songs. With bleak lyrics and crushingly heavy riffs, you can't help but do the crusty fist banging thing. Somehow Severed Head of State write some catchy songs, without being melodic at all.


Bastard- Wind of Pain(boot)
If you're not familiar with Bastard, they're a pretty legendary Japanese hardcore/thrash band. I would put them in a caliber with Gauze, Gism, Lip Cream, etc. This material has been bootlegged a few times before, and with good reason... It rules! This LP had their Wind of Pain LP, as well as their 7" and comp tracks. Japanese hardcore records are usually hard to come by in America as it is, so boolegs have a positive aspect of putting some classic foreign hardcore in American hands. If you're into raging classic styled Japanese hardcore, and don't have this then you're missing out.


V/A- DC Demo's(boot)
My favorite scene of early 80's HC/punk is without a doubt the DC scene. So many classic diverse bands came from there, and this LP combiness 4 of their demos. Void, Artificial Peace, Double O and the Faith. Some of the Void tracks were put on the "Condensed Flesh" 7", and are good but don't match the power of the Faith split. Same goes for the Faith tracks; I think the Faith hit their peak with the "Subject to Change" LP. A lot of the tracks were re-recorded, so it's cool to see where they came from. Most peope are probably only familiar w/ Artificial Peace's awesome contributions to the "Flex Your Head" comp, but they have a ton more material. It was all bootlegged on an LP called "Outside Looking In" on Lost and Found some years back. Either way, these demo tracks all rule, but I think they may have been a pre-AP band called "Assault and Battery," but I can be wrong on that. Double O most people don't know at all. They did a 7", which was half released by Dischord. They evolved from Red C, and incorporated the emo-ish sound of revolution summer, without sounding weak and boring. I actally like these demo tracks more than the 7". I'm done nerding out about harDCore, good luck finding this bad boy.


Subhumans- s/t (boot)
This little gem is by the far superior Canadian band, not the crappy UK Subhumans. The Canadian band had a much more catchy melodic sound. This boot compiles a few 7" and comp tracks, but unfortunately is missing the classic "Death to the Sickoids" 7". These guys recently released an LP of brand new songs on Alternative Tentacles, but what I heard didn't really do anything for me. This LP though compiles some of the band's best material, and would be a great intro to their stuff, which you can probably also find on some mp3 blogs.


V/A- Retro Is Poison
This is a 4-way split between Ciril, Karnpaven Attack, I Object and Active Minds. I had a Ciril CD which I found in a used bin and wasn't super into it. They kinda sound like late 80's California punk, with some crossover influence. Karnvapen Attack are named after a Mob 47 song if I'm not mistaken. They're from Spain and play some hyper fast screamy hardcore punk in the same vein. I Object follow up their awesome LP with these few songs. The songs continue in the same fast hc/punk w/ heavily political lyrics. This is also Ryan's last stuff w/ the band, hopefully their sound won't change too much. This is the newest Active Minds stuff in a long time; they are an old UK political hardcore band. Overall, a pretty solid mix of current politically charged hardcore punk.

CDs

the Horror- The Fear, The Terror, The Horror
The Horror's new CD is killer. If you've been under a rock, the Horror is basically all of Voorhees w/ a different singer. On their earlier records, the singer had a more high pitched voice, but on this it's much deeper and still sounds cool. Definitely still rooted in old school hardcore, but adding some classic rock guitar riffs. Not in an obvious way, but just subtle enough to set them apart from similar styled bands. If you were lucky enough to catch them on their recent tour, you'll know they rip live too.


the Misguided- Fuggets
Similar to the Major Conflict reissue on the same label, this compiles the discography of a little known early 80's NYHC band. I found mine in a used bin without a cover, which is kind of a bummer, so I don't know much of the history of the band. I had mp3s of 2 of their 7"s from an mp3 blog, and those are good. This also has some live and demo tracks. The Misguided kind of remind me of a less raw version of SOA or Urban Waste. A cool compilation by a band that most people aren't too familiar with.


L'Amico Di Martucci/Ozuharu- Collection
So here's a little history lesson on these two bands from Italy. Ozuharu was this band, then they broke up, and members went on to do L'Amico Di Martucci. After that, Ozuharu reformed and did an LP and US tour. Members from both now play in La Piovra, who you may have seen on their US tour last year. L'ADM I was familiar with from their awesome 7" that came out a few years ago on 625. Ozuharu, not so much, but I assumed they were good. This is the early Ozuharu stuff, which is alright, but I think L'ADM are much better. I haven't heard the Ozuharu LP, but I'm sure it's also good. Both bands have a smilar thrashy fast-core, with rock guitar influenced leads. This is a discography for both bands, and you get cover songs of DRI and Anthrax(!).


Imperial Leather- Something Out of Nothing
This Cd came out a while back, but I just found the CD in a used bin. I had heard good things about these guys, so I got their "Antibodies" EP that came out last summer. I liked it, but probably didn't listen to it as much as I should have. Imagine if Turbonegro were less weird, and had a female singer, and you'd more or less get Imperial Leather. Despite it being on Profane Existance, this is more of a rock n roll mixed with older punk sound. This predates "Antibodies," and is almost as good.

Demos
Middle America (cassette)
Saw these guys a few times, and they've always been real fun and played good covers. If these guys were from someplace like VA, more people would know about them. They're from the Lehigh Valley of PA, and share a similar approach as the Gatecrashers, who were from the same area. Fast no frills old sounding hardcore, like the Neos or Die Kreuzen. Recording quality is a little rough, but totally fit their style. This rules, seriously.

Staring Problem (cd)
Real nice packaging on this, and it's an actual pressed CD too. the Jersey Shore's Staring Problem is Andy's (FTD/TIU) new band, and has a somewhat similar sound to other recent shorecore bands. It has elements of old school hardcore, with some heavier parts. The vocals are sung kind of high, and fall flat in certain places. It is a demo, so I'll cut them some slack. Decent first offering, but I'm not really blown away.

Disnihil (cd-r)
Disnihil, from Long Island NY play heavy hardcore, similar to His Hero Is Gone. I guess a more modern equivilant would be somewhere between Celebrity Murders, Deathcycle or Tragedy. This cdr has the demo, plus some live stuff and tracks from their upcoming CD. Has some potential, but lacks the more crusty/Japanese influence that keeps bands like Tragedy interesting. I liked them live when I saw them, so maybe the new stuff is better.

I also got leaked versions of the new albums by Pissed Jeans and Municipal Waste, but I don't feel right reviewing them fully. Pissed Jeans isn't as catchy as "shallow," but if you liked the long heavy pats, you're in luck. All the songs are pretty long, but don't really hold my interest as well. Municipal Waste ups the production level and their ridiculous level. You're not gonna be let down. They also re-recorded an extended version of "Born to Party" from their split w/ Crucial Unit from like 2002.

*this post's been almost a month in the making. I've already got another stack of records to go through, damn!*

American Hardcore DVD review

After reading the book of the same name, I wasn't exactly about to go out of my way to see the movie. The book was loaded with opinions, one-sided arguments and inaccuracies; the movie naturally was full of the same. It seemed like certain topics, like the violence and craziness overshadowed the more positive aspects of hardcore. Straight edge and women's roles in the scene were merely glanced at. Notable problems were the lack of any Misfits or Dead Kennedys content, and the inclusion of DOA (who are from Canada) and way too much on the Cro Mags (who suck). I'm sure some of it due to legal reasons, but they were in the book so I don't see why not include anything. There was a lot on the NY scene, which didn't really take off until after they claim HC died, or maybe the NYHC scene killed it. It also seemed like they directors wee playing favorite with who's stories were told, since it seemed like certain people were always talking. There was also some poor editing decisions, which cut off stories before they ended. I also thought it was weird that certain people's credits under their name were omitting bands of worthy mention. For example it said "Brian Baker: Minor Threat," what about Dag Nasty and Bad Religion?

My biggest gripe is that (like in the book), they stated the fact that hardcore died in 1986. I mean if that's true, what have I been doing with my life for the past 10+ years? You look at the footage of Black Flag, SSD and DYS from their later eras, and could see why people would lose interest. Here it is in 2007, and that stuff still sucks, but their earlier stuff still sounds awesome. They try to blame the fact that they were losing interest and writing shitty music on the scene dying away. If hardcore was dead, why would anybody know who these people were or care about this "documentary?"

The bonus features had some of the live footage, deleted scenes and footage of the opening party in Toronto. The live footage was all stuff shown in the movie, except in its entirety, of course I would have wanted more... The deleted scenes are interesting, but not skippable, so you need to watch it all the way through. Plus it seems like the deleted scenes got cut out too. There is a pretty funny moment w/ Vinnie Stigma and Jimmy Gestapo at NYHC tattoo at the end. There's also a director's commentary, which I am reluctant to give a chance.

Despite all its problems, it was an alright movie. I think you'd need a lot more than an hour and a half to cover the history of hardcore, but I'd be willing to watch that DVD. There would need to be a lot more live footage, and it would need to cover all the important states and their bands with more live footage. American Hardcore probably won't open people's eyes to hardcore who weren't already into it, but at least the soundtrack to the movie makes for a pretty decent mix tape.

Birthday Blog '07

So here it is again, you may remember that I made a blog post on my birthday last year. Here's what's going on currently, if you don't already know.

I've been working at the same place for the past year, and it is absolutely terrible. I'd say that the majority of the time I was there I had nothing to do, and had to make up little projects for myself to keep me busy. The internet, while fun for slacking off, really doesn't hold my interest for 8 hours. When I was hired, I knew my salary was really low, but figured after a few months they'd see that I know what I'm doing and I'd be getting paid what I should be. Over as year later, and despite many efforts, no raise is in sight. Recently I told them I wouldn't design anymore, since I'm not being paid for it, and you'd think they'd fire me right? NOPE. I've been interviewing a lot lately; I had one yesterday that went OK I guess. At this point I'd take basically anything, but ideally a design firm located somewhat near Philly.

Aside from work, I've got 2 bands to occupy my time. SPG (stands for Special Patrol Group) has been together since July, but for one reason or another averages one practice per month. I wish it was more frequent, but the practices always rule, and I'm sure once we record it'll sound great. I'm crossing my fingers for a 4 or 5 song demo tape by the end of March. SPG started by me posting on some message boards that I wanted to do a band, and I was surprised to find 3 like-minded people. Our sound is similar to bands like Deathreat, old hardcore w/ Japanese thrash influences.
My other band, Wormeaters recorded a practice song a few weeks ago, and I'm hoping we can get a demo done before the April 13th show (see below). I also just found out that we got to play with the Inmates on June 2 in Baltimore. Hoping we have a 7" done by then. The music's prety cool,it sounds like older HC bands like Agnostic Front, Negative Approach, YDI, Mental Abuse.... Our singer's got a real gruff voice, like the singer from GISM or something, so it sounds real different.

To "celebrate," I'm going to a show tonite (big surprise), I gave myself a shitty mohawk, and I bought myself a sweet Project X longsleeve. Good times, I'm gonna see if root beer 40oz's exist because I want one...

record collectors are pretentious assholes

I suppose I would call myself a "record collector," I mean I have a ridiculous amount of records, and am constantly on the search for more and more. However, with the internet, it seems like it doesn't take much effort to accumulate an "impressive" collection. I mean if I'm willing to pay infinite amounts, I can get the entire Dischord collection, or whatever extremely scarce KBD record is hyped up right now. You can easily acquire these record if you have the means, it's not a matter of trading and hunting anymore. With so many record stores closing down, it will soon be a thing of the past to go to a shop, and browse through tons of used vinyl, hoping to find that great score. Another byproduct of the record collecting culture is that now when people get that rare find, they run straight to ebay and triple their profit. It's also nice to just find a cheap record, and even though you don't know what it sounds like, you give it a chance. If all music shopping is done online, you'd have to know exactly what you want, and it kills the fun of browsing.



Another trend in record collecting seems to be collecting everything by one specific band. It seems like record labels are aware of this, and use it to their advantage so that people will buy 3 different versions of one record when it comes out. I mean I'd rather see a record label get money for their release than some lucky jerk on eBay. I just think that it's not necessary to press 10 different versions of a record just for collector value. I mean honestly I'd like to have a colored version than a black pressing, but if I don't get one, I'm fine with the other. I listen to all my records, and it just seems pointless to me for people to buy a record they already have, and never listen to it. The records they take off the market could be going to someone who's never heard the band before. I'd rather spend $200 on many records than on one really rare one I'll never listen to.

Pointless Fest review AKA: I Hate the Kids

I had originally planned to do a full review of all the bands I caught, and recount the events of the past weekend. However, if you've been reading various messageboards lately, you may have heard about a riot at this year's Pointless Fest. I'm not going to spread rumors, just stick to an account of what I saw.

THURSDAY
Ray, Katy, and me got there a little late, and totally missed Carpenter Ant. The only thing I have by them is their first 7", which kinda sucks, but I hear they got a lot better. Got there in the middle of Witch Hunt. I unfortunately wasn't able to get any pictures of them, since I couldn't stalk out a good spot. Witch Hunt recently added a new drummer, and their old drummer moved to second guitar. Their new stuff is really really good, I didn't get a chance to pick up their new LP though due to the fest ending early. They ended with the song, "Twenty Five" which reminds me a lot of the Degenerics' "Send in the Clones."


Fighting Dogs were next. I had seen them a bunch of times, and they've always been really good. Since recording their LP they've added a new guitar player and bass player. I guess I should mention that the second guitar player is female and handles half of the vocal duty. Pretty awesome stuff, I picked up the CD of their newer demo.


No Hope For the Kids was the main reason I was willing to venture to Philly on a Thursday. Musically, NHFTK is very melodic punk, from Denmark, that's extremely catchy. They flew out just to play this fest, so I knew that if I didn't go I may never get to see them. Aside for a little argument between members at the beginning, I thought they were awesome. I had a pretty good spot for pictures also. Played all the songs I wanted to hear, and a lot of people knew the songs.

After that, Hellshock played. I never really heard them before, but gave them a shot. The sounds was almost more metal sounding than anything really punk. The vocals were screamed, with double bass drums. Maybe it was just such an extreme difference from NHFTK, but we left early since we had work in the morning.

FRIDAY
Since we got there late yesterday and missed the first band and part of the second band, we decided to leave early. We wound up catching the last 2 Violation songs. Doors were at 7, and we got there at 7:30 so they must've been running pretty early. I've seen Violation like 3 times before, and they're not bad. They're from Philly, so I'm sure I'll get to see them again soon.

Pissed Jeans was next, and I've seen them about 3 or 4 times, and knew what to expect, but wasn't sure what the Pointless Fest crowd would think. Their sound is a heavy stoner punk, and their singer is a maniac. Couldn't get close enough to take pictures, but enjoyed just watching them. They closed with a song off their new single, "I Don't Need Smoke To Make Myself Disappear," which is a slow droning long song. There were a few heckles from the crowd, but people seemed to be into it for the most part.


I was also unsure of what people would think of Government Warning. When Career Suicide played the fest 2 years ago, it seemed like maybe 10 people were really into it, but those 10 people loved it. I made sure to get a spot right against the stage so I could take pictures, which was great, but I got pushed pretty hard into the stage and the speaker a few times. Government Warning has 2/3 of Direct Control, and have a similar old hardcore punk sound, but more melodic. They played a bunch of new songs off their "No Moderation" LP, which was available for the first time at the fest. Thanks to the internet though, it seemed pretty much everyone in the front already downloaded the LP and knew the new songs. They also covered the Descendents, Vile and the Adolescents. I would say they were hands down the best band on this fest.

World/Inferno was next, and I really wasn't interested. I took this free time to go to the record room, and go shopping. I wound up dropping around 50 bucks on records, mostly from the Government Warning table's distro boxes. I had planned on picking up the rest of the items on my shopping list the next day, so I didn't bring all the money I took out. This moderation proved to be a bad decision.

Around 10:30, someone came into the record room and made an announcement that the show was over, and the cops were there. This meant that Severed Head of State wouldn't get to play. When I left the show, I saw a paddy wagon in the middle of the street to the left, and lots of cops with clubs running down the street on the right. There were also news cameras; that would be my cue to exit. When I got to the car, I saw a helicopter hovering over the church so I knew something really bad must've went down.

When I got home, I saw a lot of messageboard posts about how the squatter punks had a riot with the cops. Let me explain, people travel to this show to not see bands, but hang out in the alley on the side of the church and get wasted. These people are a cross between homeless people and hippies and sometimes have dogs with them. They smell and look terrible, from not showering or eating well. Apparently they'd been harassing people in the neighborhood, which got the police in the area. From what I hear, there was an altercation where a group of these "punks" surrounded and attempted to overpower a cop, which was when backup was called and a riot of sorts broke out. None of this would have happened, however, if they were inside watching the bands. So the actions of a few idiots who decided it was cool to be an asshole and travel to Philly to hang out outside the show ruined everyone's weekend.

SATURDAY
After reading that the show was cancelled, I conceded and showered. However around 1pm it was announced that at one of the after party shows that was already scheduled, that Kylesa, No Hope For the Kids and the other out of state/country bands would get to play at the Mill Creek Tavern at 9pm. After destroying some burritos, Ray and me got there, and it was already almost packed. This show was 21+, since it is a bar which in theory should keep the riff raff out. However, the trouble-makers from the night before were probably my age and older.


I haven't seen Kylesa in a few years, and to my surprise they've upped the ante with 2 drummers! I've always loved Kylesa a lot more live than recorded, but I'm still really excited to hear any new stuff with this 2 drummer line-up. They sound a lot heavier than before, and it works really well for them. For some reason I have no interest in metal sounding stuff in the summer, but in the winter I listen to metal a lot. Must have something to do with the weather.

Dismal were supposed to play the after party show anyway, but were also on the fest. I wasn't really too into it, sounded like heavy metallic crusty hardcore. Not generally a bad thing, just didn't really stick out as anything too different. People seemed to like them...

Thought Crime was next, and were laughable terrible. If you were to make the most generic punk band ever, it would sound like Thought Crime. Despite the awesome name, it just sounded like generic "smash the state" punk, complete with a British accent.


It was really awesome to get to see No Hope for The Kids two times, since they were supposed to play Sunday's show and I didn't plan to go to that. I think they played a lot better here than at the church on Thursday. They also played a new song, which was awesome. I had a different side of the stage for pictures this time, so I got some of the other guitar player, despite some chump who kept standing on the stage pretending to know the words.


Severed Head of State apparently played the after party show the night before, and were taking World Burns to Death's place on the show due to their drummer apparently having a seizure the night before. I have a bunch of SHOS records, but haven't listened to them in a few years. I wish I was more familiar with the majority of their songs, because they were fucking incredible. I had a spot on the left side of the stage for picture taking.

After that was the West Philly All-Star Oi! Tribute, however it was getting really late at that point and we made the trek back to NJ, getting home around 3am. Overall, it was a really good time, I just wished it went more according to plan. It just sucks that the actions of a few assholes had to ruin a lot of people's weekend, and ruin future Pointless Fests.

"If you contribute nothing, you deserve nothing; if you contribute something, you deserve everything"- Jack Control (SHOS)