This Cynic's Life

Munich. Part 2.

2010-04-16T17:03:00.005-04:00

Day 2 started a bit late, due to everyone's jetlag/hangover. We decided to grab some breakfast and a coffee, and then just venture out on foot. A few blocks from our hotel was the very impressive St. Paul's church. It's not very old considering the neo-gothic design, only being completed at the beginning of the 20th century. However, the design was amazing and the location of the stain glass windows allowed for the light to shine through, eluminatin off of the marble cast throughout. I was in awe. This is why I came to Munich.

Opens Today- 04/16.

2010-04-16T16:47:00.000-04:00

108 is Dead

2010-03-24T00:39:00.006-04:00

It was announced today by frontman Rob Fish that recently reunited hardcore band 108 are calling it quits...again. The band had broken up in the late 90's and reunited in 2005 and released a record on Deathwish Records entitled New Beat from a Dead Heart. I never heard it. I can't say that I was ever a huge fan, mostly due to the fact that I hate the krishna thing. But I have to admit that Threefold Misery is a fucking ripping record, as is Songs of Seperation. In the mid-90's, I probably was at about a dozen shows in which 108 played, but not once actually saw them. I was either not paying attention, buying records, outside bullshitting, or just left. I finally got to catch them for the first time last year at the Burning Fight festival in Chicago. Vic freaked me out. He was wearing running shorts that would have made Olivia Newton John blush. Not to mention, his overall look was reminiscent of a transsexual that used to roam the streets of the town that I grew up in. Anyway, I made sure to catch them. They were loud, chaotic, heavy, and impressive. They were good, and I decided that's how I wanted the memory to remain. And it appears it will. Rob released a statement on facebook of the break-up, stating something about how they are all best friends, he's not into Krishna anymore, personal exploration, and some other stuff I browsed over looking for drama. I didn't find anything. I decided to give you some 108 music to chant your mantras to.

By the way, can someone explain to me what the fuck Holyname is about? 43 minute record consisting of one track that has only like one song and 40 minutes of some 'shnas pounding on some drums. Ugh.

108- Songs of Seperation

108-Threefold Misery

Superbowl of Hardcore

2010-03-22T17:22:00.003-04:00

This year's installment of the Superbowl of Hardcore has found a new home in the building that was once host to the old Superbowls. The old Ritz located on East 11th st in NYC is now known as Webster Hall. The fine folks at Black N Blue Productions didn't really put together that strong of a lineup this year, but did, however, convince Yuppicide to get back together. That alone rose my interest. So here's the flyer for the gig.

Munich. Part 1.

2010-03-08T22:31:00.006-05:00

So a few friends and I went to Munich. Beers and bratwurst. Why not? We flew in early in the morning and decided make haste and check out the Kloster Andechs monestary. The monks in this baroque church have been brewing some of the best beer in the world for over 1000 years, or at least that's what all the tourist pamphlets tell you. We made our way, with about three words in German between the four of us, and found our way to Heiliger Berg, or Holy Mountain (I know, so metal). Just to the south is the beginnings of the Alps, which you can kinda see in the background of some of those photos.

Alright, on to the beer hall.

We made a new friend. A great dane named Camaro.

After sampling the hells, doppelbock, and pilsner, and also the different sausages, we all had a decent buzz and decided it was time to bail. We found a taxi driver to take us back to the train station. The driver was awesome. He thought we were morons. Obviously.

This insane German drunk literally heard us speaking in English and decided that he would be the new addition to our crew.

I Put A Spell On You

2010-03-08T22:21:00.002-05:00

It's been a little while, I know. I have been off being an idiot in Europe. So here is the first of a few updates to come. As stated in the last post, in response to the earthquake that rocked the small island nation of Haite killing over 200,000, Shane MacGowan recruited some pretty famous names to re-record Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You" to raise money for Concern, an Irish non-profit who's been giving aid to Haiti for over 17 years. In the video, you'll see the many contributors such as Johnny Depp, Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jones, Nick Cave, as well as others.

Shane Does Have a Heart

2010-02-05T22:13:00.002-05:00

As I recover from the news that those selfish bastards in the Pogues will not be doing any St. Patrick's Day shows in NYC this year, I came across a story that had me somewhat bewildered. Shane MacGowan, frontman of the Pogues and mythical character of drinking and drugging lore, took it upon himself to use his notoriety to recruit such big names as Johnny Depp, Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie, and the original Bad Seed himself Nick Cave to do a cover of Screamin' Jay Hawkins timeless hit "I Put A Spell On You." Proceeds from the single will go directly to the Irish charity Concern Worldwide, which has been working in Haiti for over 16 years. See, Shane has a heart, as deteriorated as it may be.

Final Final Mosh

2010-02-05T22:05:00.002-05:00

Floorpunch played their 2nd last US show in Edison, NJ a few weeks back. Being that I missed the first "Final Mosh" at CB's cause I was on tour, I figured I should make an effort to go to the show. The lineup seemed solid with Staring Problem, Get Real, Mind Eraser, Bracewar, Down to Nothing, and Invasion as the support. I took off from work and made the short trip to check out some old friends. I'm glad I went. The show was packed with people young and old, including some friends who were there at FP's first show. FP's set was lively, and I danced about half the set until my out of shape body gave out and I needed a seat. Here's the video.

Floorpunch from KO Films on Vimeo.

Probably Not, but Maybe

2010-02-04T04:21:00.002-05:00

Something Special

2010-02-04T04:09:00.003-05:00

Following in the theme of great shows, it has been announced that the recently reformed Specials will be making two stops on US soil this spring, one at the hugely-billed Coachella Festival (if I wasn't 31 and jaded, I'd actually try to check one of these out) and a NYC stop at Terminal 5 on April 21st.

The Bronx/Mariachi El Bronx/Japanther

2010-02-04T03:59:00.003-05:00

Fuck yeah. Alot of good shows are being announced as of late. But this latest news gives me a rock hard boner. The Bronx are making some appearances in the area in April alongside their alter-egos Mariachi El Bronx and Japanther. Sweet.

Dates:

03.22.10 - Kansas City, MO - Riot Room

03.24.10 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock

03.25.10 - Chicago, IL - Subterranean

03.26.10 - Toledo, OH - Frankie's

03.27.10 - Detroit, MI - Eagle Theater

03.29.10 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club

03.30.10 - Montreal, QC - Petit Campus

03.31.10 - Providence, RI - Jerky's

04.01.10 - Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell's

04.02.10 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall Of Williamsburg

04.03.10 - Philadelphia, PA - North Star

04.05.10 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club

04.06.10 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom

04.07.10 - Baltimore, MD - Sonar Lounge

04.08.10 - Washington, DC - Rock N Roll Hotel

04.09.10 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club

04.10.10 - Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar

04.11.10 - Newport, KY - Southgate House

04.12.10 - St. Louis, MO - Pops

04.14.10 - Colorado Springs, CO - Black Sheep

04.16.10 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater

04.17.10 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge

04.20.10 - Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theatre

04.21.10 - San Francisco, CA - The Independent

04.22.10 - Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues

Summer is Around the Corner

2010-02-04T03:57:00.001-05:00

The Black Keys. Central Park Summer Stage. July 27th.

Get into it.

DBT East Coast Dates/New Album

2010-02-04T03:21:00.004-05:00

The Drive By Truckers will be making a few stops in the Northeast on their upcoming The Big To-Do tour in support of the record of the same name. The record is slated to be released on March 16th, 2010 and the tour kicks off officially on February 11th, going well into May. Lucero is opening some of the dates. I'd be more stoked if they didn't completely suck the few times I've see them live. Here are the dates of interest:

Thu Apr 01 New York NY Webster Hall with Support: Langhorne Slim

Fri Apr 02 Boston MA House of Blues with Support: Lucero and Langhorne Slim

Sat Apr 03 Philadelphia PA Electric Factory with Support: Lucero and Langhorne Slim

Cocaine/Booze

2010-02-04T03:07:00.003-05:00

As stated in an earlier post, Jay Reatard was found dead in his Memphis area home. I had mentioned that it may be an overdose. Well, guess what?

from Punknews.org:

"Medical examiners have released autopsy results in the death of Memphis, TN's Jay Reatard. Shelby County Medical Examiner Dr. Karen E. Chancellor has cited cocaine toxicity as the cause of death, with alcohol as a contributing factor. Reatard, who's real name was Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., was found dead in bed at his home on January 13th. He was 29. "

So, fuck him. The lesson? Cocaine kills...when mixed with alcohol. Losers.

Today

2010-01-16T13:40:00.002-05:00

The last show. For now....

DEAD

2010-01-15T15:20:00.006-05:00

Although this picture looks more like Shannon Hoon from Blind Melon or some other dirty grunger, it is, in fact, Matador recording artist Jay Reatard. Reatard, 29, was found dead in his Memphis home at 3:30am on January 13th. Not much is known about the cause of death, but has now been confirmed that the Memphis police are treating this as a homocide.

I can't say I'm a huge fan, but I do own the Matador Singles collection and I like it. Normally when young artists are found dead, it's either a suicide or an OD in which case, I tend to say 'Fuck 'em'. But if he was murdered, that'd suck.

Well, Hello.

2010-01-12T14:10:00.003-05:00

My buddy Dan and I were talking the other day about our local barber. Sometimes he's great, sometimes he's Helen Keller. Our conversation turned to Murray's Pomade, which I have been using over 10 years. Dan brought to my attention that during the Presendential Race in 2008, Murray's released a limited edition can that replaced the normal faces with that of Barack Obama and his wife Michelle. I was stunned. Not only did it seem genius, it seemed rather racist. I went home and investigated. Sure enough, Murray's did release this can, with a percentage of proceeds going to different charities. The can entitled "Pomade for Change" is available on their website for $4.00.

Fuck Christmas

2009-12-24T13:47:00.001-05:00

Snow Day

2009-12-23T01:29:00.007-05:00

The weekend of December 19th saw the East Coast get pummeled by a blizzard. I haven't seen snow like that in a few years. It was the first real snow storm of the year and accumulations were upwards in 18"+ range. Some parts of Long Island recorded over 28". In some ways I guess I liked it. Anybody who grew up in the Northeast deep down in side has a soft spot for storms of that capacity. Life slows down and you tend to see the beauty in it all. However, as the hours pass, you see it for what it is: a pain in the ass. Hours of shoveling, melted snow turning into sheets of ice, treacherous driving conditions, wet shoes, chapped lips, wind burn, more shoveling, trapped in the house, etc. In fact, the Floorpunch show was cancelled and I missed the Jets game on Sunday because no one wanted to drive. Thank god for that though. The Jets lost to Atlanta on the last drive of the game. Pathetic. Anyway, I took some quick shots to remember this bohemoth of a storm.

My Apartment. Snow drift hanging over 2ft off the roof

Taken from my lady's parents' house

Amazing

2009-12-22T12:56:00.000-05:00

Sargent D is coming...

2009-12-20T00:41:00.004-05:00

Stormtroopers of Death was a creation of Scott Ian of Anthrax. He recruited Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante and Dan Lilker of Nuclear Assault and began jamming songs based on his character Sargent D. Longtime NY scenester Billy Milano joined the band as singer and they went on to record the infamous crossover masterpiece Speak English or Die. I don't think they played out much in the mid-80's, but rejoined in 92 for one gig in NYC and released a live recording of it dubbed Live At Budokan. They reformed in 1997 for real and toured the US and Europe, as well as Japan. I caught them in NJ in 97 when they played with Fury of Five and Vision of Disorder. I don't remember much of the show other than SOD's set, and during Fury of Five some little kid got the ever loving shit beat out of him by like 20 kids. SOD was insane. The first and only time I've ever seen them. Speak English or Die remains my favorite crossover record. The mosh part alone in "Kill Yourself" can bring down walls. That shit is hard. More bands should take note.

SOD- Speak English Or Die

Check out Milano's speaker dive at 2:22

FEAR

2009-12-19T22:17:00.005-05:00

via videosift.com

As I stated in the Bonecrusher post, in 1999, I got the oppurtunity to go on the road with Blood for Blood as they were supporting LA punk legends Fear on a tour starting in Texas and hitting the midwest and east coast. I had known Fear from some mix tapes but I can't say I was a huge fan at that point. Every night watching Fear, I grew a great respect for them as a band. They were the first "pro" band I ever encountered. They were tight every single show. Lee Ving's voice was on the money too. His stage banter was great, poking fun at all the punks in the crowd. It was great watching Lee kick kids as they came up to stage dive. The dynamic between Fear and Blood for Blood's live shows was amazing. That was my first real time being on the road. Fuck, what a good time. Fear still tours, but it Lee Ving looks like death now and his rotating cast of bandmates doesn't seem to make it out east too often. They did play Brooklyn last May but I missed it. Nothing compares to their first 2 lp's, The Record and More Beer. Ah, Lee Ving's sense of humor. Here's a sample of the lyrics to the song I Love Livin' in the City:

My house smells just like a zoo
It's chock full of shit and puke
Cockroaches on the walls
Crabs are growing on my balls
oh well I'm so clean cut
and I just want to fuck some slut

Over the years, Lee Ving has been accused of being a racist, sexist, homophobic xenopobe because some of his lyrics. They need a sense of humor. I love Fear. I love beer. You should love Fear and beer also.

Fear- The Record (1982)

Fear- More Beer (1985)

Footage from The Decline of Western Civilization

YouTubing

2009-12-16T13:53:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I really love YouTube.

Faux-Mags Christmas Show

2009-12-09T17:22:00.000-05:00

Fuck You Up and Get High

2009-12-03T04:58:00.003-05:00

Looking up Dwarves footage, I came across this video of an aggro Fort Wayne cop foaming at the mouth at the idea of smashing some teenager's head in. Scary.

Just around the corner...

2009-12-03T04:51:00.002-05:00

Christmas is around the corner. Anyone looking for ideas for me, look no further. I'm sure that this Ford Taurus could be traded for a bucket of the Colonel's delicious thighs and bus fare.

Shit I'm Digging

2009-12-03T04:22:00.004-05:00

I feel like lately I've been really digging some music more than normal. It takes me about 12-15 minutes to walk from my girlfriend's apartment. That is when I utilize my ipod the most. Under most circumstances, I can spend the entirety of my walk shuffling through for something to listen to, arriving in time to catch about the first 30 seconds of the records I reluctantly chose. However, lately, I find myself with endless music to listen to. Some new, some old. But in the most unpretentious way (or maybe completely the opposite), I just wanted to name some things that have been holding my attention as of late.

Camera Obscura- My Maudlin Career
This dude Gerrard I work with was singing praises of this Scottish band the last few weeks, comparing them to a Phil Spector style white R&B. I'm not sure if I completely agree with him. Take aparts of the Beach Boys harmonies, with a definite American soul influence, the vocals from the Sundays, and that's them. Really polished and great (dare I say the word?) pop.

Blacklisted- No One Deserves To Be Here More Than Me
I can't begin to describe my praise for this band. Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God is the best hardcore record of this decade. I can't say that this new lp on Deathwish tops it, but it has elements that makes my respect grow more for them. They don't follow any guidelines for what a hardcore band should sound like, and the songwriting has come a really long way. I have yet to read the lyrics, but George's voice sounds more sincere than ever. Buy it.

Devil Dogs- Saturday Night Fever
Years ago, this girl Jenn I was friends with from DC made me a mix tape of all her favorite bands, 2 songs from each. If she wasn't such a bitchy asshole, I probably would've married her. She had sick taste in music, especially for a 20 year old girl in 1999, pre-itunes and blogs. Sheer Terror, Backyard Babies, TSOL, the Damned, Bowie, Skrewdriver (first time I ever heard 'You're So Dumb', Youth Brigade, Cocksparrer, and this band I've never heard of called the Devil Dogs. Until recently, they kind of got lost in the mix. But I recently got hold of their seminal record Saturday Night Fever. Great fast rock'n'roll straight from NYC, when this city was actually producing great bands. Definitely in the same class as the Dwarves without the shtick. Get into it.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- Let Love In
Nuff said. Moody and almost disturbing, to me the definitive (besides Murder Ballads) Nick Cave record. Cave's voice can evoke emotion unlike any songwriters of my generation. I can honestly say that I hate the piano before I started listening to him.

On first listen, the new Doomriders sounds pretty hard too.

Attention Shoppers!

2009-12-03T03:59:00.002-05:00

If you take the time to set up your produce to look all nice and neat, why wouldn't you take the time to find out how to spell delicious? I mean, there's a ton of words that end in the suffix 'ious'...just off the top of my head there's precious, prestigious, religious, serious, precocious, malicious, ferocious, fruiticious, noxious, etc etc. Losers.

Am I anal? Fuck you.

Fast Times...in Central Jersey?

2009-11-30T18:18:00.002-05:00

Floorpunch is putting an end to the this run of reunion shows. The last show in the States is to be played on Dec 19th in NJ. The scene is different these days, but I'm gonna go out and support my old buddies. I'm sure some old heads will be there...complaining. I'll fit right in.

R'N'R Babylon

2009-11-25T03:53:00.004-05:00

Over the summer, my buddy Erik and I drove down to Baltimore to see those mutts from Chelsea FC take on AC Milan at M&T Bank Stadium. Erik is a complete neurotic music nazi. If you're in his car, you're listening to what he wants. I actually in all seriousness had to threaten to beat the shit out of him to turn off Lady Gaga. That was the worst of it, besides a bunch of hip hop dogshit that I normally can't stomach. Did I mention that Erik is also a gas pedal tapper? You know those types who can't drive at a speed consistently? The ones who press hard on the gas for a second, then take if completely off just to stamp on it again, like you're rocking on a sea vessel during a typhoon? Yeah, that's him. It sucks, cause I knew I was most likely gonna get shitfaced, so me driving was out of the question. And Erik doesn't drink, so problem solved. Anyway, I will say that on occasion, Erik introduces me to these little gems that make the nauseating car rides worth it. For instance, Erik introduced me to Graveyard (see earlier post). So we're driving down I95 somewhere in Delaware and on the radio is this pretty cool sounding Motorhead-style hardcore punk stuff. When I asked, he replied Inepsy from Montreal. I don't really know much about them, other than this is their only good record. They are French Canadian crust punks with dumb tattoos and piercings, leather jackets, listen to Doom and the like, and probably hate Americans more than they hate deoderant. Normally, I'd say fuck them, but this record is just too amazing. So download this shit now.

Inepsy- R'N'R' Babylon

Fancy Boy

2009-11-24T04:23:00.003-05:00

Peter Shelley of the Buzzcocks, wearing questionable clothing, but writing some fucking rad new wave jams.

If I can get off my ass, maybe I'll upload it.

Blood in the Water

2009-11-19T01:10:00.006-05:00

A few years back, I'm guessing around 2000, veteran Philly scenesters Matt Summers, Fat Rich, and Matt Smythe decided to do a band in the vein of Negative Approach. This band was Shark Attack. Now, they weren't ground breaking in any way, but they did kill it. On any given weekend, you could see Right Brigade, American Nightmare, Kill Your Idols, Fit For Abuse, No Justice, Death Threat, Bane, No Warning, Reach the Sky, or that era of bands play to a million kids in some hall somewhere. Those days were fun. But now I'm old and everything sucks. Shark Attack were pretty good for a short lived core band, and they were good dudes. Most of them are still around in various projects, most notably Zach, who went on to become a cock-rocker on No Warning's Suffer Survive lp who later opened for Linkin Park. Ugh. Fat Rich is an avid record collector and record convention go-er. Summers lost his hair and broke edge, and lives in Philly and wears little hats. Smythe grew lame hair and god knows where he is. I think he was in LA, but I heard Brooklyn (cemetery for ex-edgemen), maybe his grandmother's basement.

A memory that comes to mind when I think of Shark Attack is the weekend of the Mouthpiece reunions in NJ and DC. May have been the last good weekend of hardcore in my life. Mouthpiece and Striking Distance in NJ on Friday, No Justice/Shark Attack/Mouthpiece in DC, and then the Cro-Mags at CB's on Sunday. It was sick. Anyway, I drove down from NJ to DC with Summers and crew to the DC show where I met up with idiot friends Sprite, Mikey, and Lentini who drove down from NYC that day. The show was ridiculous, as to be expected. We were on our way home in Lentini's shitbox Jeep Cherokee. I believe Mikey was riding shotgun, Sprite behind Lentini, and I was behind Mikey. We were driving about 70-80mph up I95 listening to Johnny Cash Live at Folsom Prison when Sprite decides to light off fireworks in the backseat of this poor bastards car, and throwing them at the driver. Lentini had a heartattack. To be honest, it was pretty hilarious, and pretty fucking stupid at the same time. Sprite then solved the problem of Lentini being on fire by pouring a large bottle of soda all over him, whilst still driving. When we finally pulled over, the Cherokee looked like Eric Stultz's van in Fast Times. We made it back to NYC that night, and I slept in Lentini's roomates bed among a vast array of sex toys. Disgusting. Fuck you Lentini. RIP Mikey. The next day was the Cro-Mags at CB's. Sick.

Shark Attack- Discography

BAD MOSHING

Oh Fuck Yes

2009-11-17T22:45:00.003-05:00

Yes, for real, I am stoked for this, as much for the people-watching as for the music. I saw Slayer at the same exact venue a few years back and they were great. I intend to go with the same crew of friends, one of which is unintentionally an 80's metalhead. He wears work boots with Megadeth shirts tucked into either camouflage pants or Levi's just as his normal style. He's awesome. He moshed for ACDC this summer at Giants Stadium....by himself.

SLAYER, MEGADETH, TESTAMENT - 2010 TOUR DATES
January 18, 2010 Seattle, WA WaMu Theatre
January 19, 2010 Portland, OR Memorial Coliseum
January 21, 2010 San Francisco, CA Cow Palace
January 22, 2010 Long Beach, CA Long Beach Arena
January 23, 2010 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre
January 25, 2010 Denver, CO Magness Arena
January 26, 2010 Albuquerque, NM Tingley Coliseum
January 27, 2010 El Paso, TX El Paso Coliseum
January 29, 2010 Houston, TX Verizon Wireless
January 31, 2010 Nashville, TN Municipal Auditorium
February 1, 2010 Duluth, GA Gwinnett Arena
February 2, 2010 Louisville, KY Broadbent Arena
February 4, 2010 Minneapolis, MN Roy Wilkins Auditorium
February 5, 2010 Chicago, IL UIC Pavilion
February 6, 2010 Detroit, MI Cobo Arena
February 9, 2010 Wallingford, CT Chevrolet Theatre
February 11, 2010 East Rutherford, NJ Izod Center
February 13, 2010 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Center
February 14, 2010 Lowell, MA Tsongas Arena
February 16, 2010 Quebec City, QC Pavillon de la Jeunesse
February 18, 2010 London, ON John Labatt Centre
February 19, 2010 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre
February 20, 2010 Montreal, QC Bell Centre
February 22, 2010 Moncton, NB Moncton Coliseum
February 23, 2010 Halifax, NS Metro Centre

To The Point

2009-11-17T22:39:00.003-05:00

Taken in front of Murray's Army Navy in Bradley Beach, NJ. Located directly next door to the local watering hole Darcy's Tavern.

Pardon me, Sir

2009-11-17T18:50:00.005-05:00

Pretty late last night, I was walking home from work to the girlfriend's apartment. As I got fairly close, I noticed a silhouette of a body laying on the ground directly in front of the main entrance. Of course, immediately I thought that someone killed this poor bastard on his way into the building. Upon closer review, I saw the body start to slowly move about the concrete slab underneath him. He must've been just as mad about the Jets losing as I was. He was smoked, so wasted that he couldn't find his way into his apartment. Did I forget to mention that the temperature in NYC was dropping to the low 40s by 4am when I got in? It was chilly. Turns out he lives in the unit directly below my girlfriend's. He eventually must've made it in because we heard ridiculously loud banging noises about a half hour later. I'm sure he didn't feel that great about himself today, and he probably shouldn't.

Nerd Alert

2009-11-10T15:10:00.003-05:00

I don't know why I think this is so funny. Maybe because Rollins was in the Herpetology Club (amphibian geek), maybe because he was a student council geek, or maybe because his future plans are "Nationwide Terrorization"...whatever the fuck that is. Can you imagine a kid nowadays saying he wants to be involved in nationwide terrorism?

So he started as a geek, and then he grew into himself and looked like a thug:

And now he's old. Depressing.

Hey, Shithead

2009-11-10T15:00:00.003-05:00

I was walking home from work the other night and stopped to listen to my voicemails. I went to lean against a fence, and barely noticed a scattered pile of dog shit. After I jumped out of the way, I noticed it had a picture strategically placed on top of it. Upon further review, I realized that I recognized that shit-eating grin. It was our ex-vice president. It made my night.

And yet again, another one

2009-11-04T03:05:00.004-05:00

There is another movie coming out about punk, sure to leave a bad taste in the collective mouth of punks everywhere. Though, from what I've heard of this movie, this tends to delve into the evolution of punk as a DIY movement into a lucrative commodity. I guess I'll have to watch and see, but I'll be sure to wear a clothes pin on my nose.

Negative Approach gigs

2009-11-04T02:47:00.003-05:00

Rumor has it (punknews.org) that Negative Approach are coming to the area soon. I will try my hardest to get to one of these. I haven't seen them yet, but I have repeatedly heard that they are actually amazing live. I may have to see for myself.

Local Gigs:

Nov 21st- Brooklyn. Southpaw.
Nov 22nd- Long Branch, NJ. Brighton Bar.
Dec 4th- Baltimore, MD. The Otto Bar.
Dec 5th- Richmond, VA. Alley Katz.
Dec 6th- Philadelphia. The Church.

UNDEAD

2009-11-04T02:35:00.003-05:00

Chuck Biscuits in not dead. I was fooled, like most everyone who believes everything they read on the internet. I guess it all started from one blog. Funny, actually. Reminds of a David Eggers' book "A Hearbreaking Work of Staggering Genius" when they convinced actor Adam Rich (Eight is Enough) to play along with the hoax when Might Magazine (Egger's own publication) announced his death as a socialogical experiment. Soon enough, major media outlets relayed the story like a wildfire and the story exploded in Eggers' face. Whatever....read that book. It's hilarious.

Anyway, Chuck Biscuits isn't dead. He's just ugly. And he's been in sick bands. DOA, Circle Jerks, Black Flag, Social Distortion, Danzig and Samhain.

DEAD

2009-11-03T16:56:00.004-05:00

RIP Dr. Werner Klopek

After my morbid search for dead celebrities, I uncovered that actor Henry Gibson passed away on September 19th of this year from a short battle with cancer. For those unaware, Henry Gibson played the the leader of the "Illinois Nazis" in The Blues Brothers, Dr. Werner Klopek in the The 'Burbs, the priest in Wedding Crashers, and also Martin Short's boss at the supermarket in Innerspace (great movie). He was kinda creepy-looking, but it worked well in his favor, as he has an unforgettable face. After some research, I also came to find that Henry Gibson has been a working actor for over 40 years. His IMDB file is longer than Mike Tyson's rap sheet.

Normally, I wouldn't care to post about such an actor, but it just so happens that The 'Burbs is maybe Tom Hanks' best movie, and Bruce Dern should've gotten an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. And The Blues Brothers isn't kind of a good movie too.

God Bless Bruce Dern

DEAD

2009-11-03T16:43:00.003-05:00

I'm a few weeks late on this, I know, but I can't go without acknowledging his death. Captain Lou was a pretty large personality in my youth, when the WWF ruled the TV and Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka was president. Lou had those sick rubber bands hanging from his face and a ridiculous relationship with Cyndi Lauper. I don't know. So rest in peace, chubs. Lou was 76 years old.

So punk

2009-11-03T16:40:00.002-05:00

Audrina's favorite band is the Exploited, at least this is what this picture implies. I don't even really like the Exploited.

Lemmy gets emotional...

2009-11-03T15:45:00.002-05:00

The legendary frontman of Motorhead Lemmy Kilmeister recently recruited Dave Lombardo of Slayer to record a version of Ben E. King's immortal song "Stand By Me." You ask why? No clue. In fact, I think it's kinda bullshit. But it's funny to hear Lemmy try to actually sing. Check it out.

Stand By Me

Holy Shit

2009-10-14T17:50:00.003-04:00

So I saw this teenage Dominican homie kid in Soho the other day wearing a hoodie that read "Punks Not Dead." I was confused as to why this hip hop kid with pants hanging off his ass would be interested in clothing like that. Then I looked closer and saw the Don Ed Hardy logo on it. Wow. I tried to snap a shot with my Blackberry, but it was too dark and said homie was bobbing and weaving too fast. I came home and decided to look it up. Here's my discovery. Holy shit.

$154.00

$86.25

Fuck Ed Hardy. And Hulk Hogan too.

Machine Gun Love

2009-10-14T17:19:00.003-04:00

A few years back, I did a few weeks on the road with Blood for Blood. They were doing a US tour supporting LA legends Fear. The tour started on the West Coast and had a two week lull before the tour picked up again in Texas, where I was to join. Right before BFB was to head back to Boston for the break, they were asked to play a small bar gig with (to them) a relatively unknown LA street punk back called Bonecrusher. Apparently, Bonecrusher was not unknown in the LA area, in main part due to most of their shows ending with blood, ambulances and riot gear. Of course, the guys in BFB were well received from the Bonecrusher crowd, and the show went off without any troubles, just a ton of booze and laughs. So a few weeks later when I joined the tour, in heavy rotation in the van was Bonecrusher's debut lp entitled Working for Nothing. In that time frame, my favorite bands were street punk bands like the Trouble, Bruisers, Anti Heroes, and the like, so I ate this shit up. Really rough and tumble punk rock with ferocious vocals, add some hooks and catchy choruses, and you have this great lp. Bonecrusher are still going these days, although I believe without the infamous vocalist Raybo, and have released a few different records. To me, this was the best. Download this immediately.

Bonecrusher- Working for Nothing

Bonecrusher doing Chelsea's "Right to Work" (the only thing I could find from this lp)

A video for a song off another album, with Raybo still on vocals

Another New Book

2009-10-13T16:17:00.001-04:00

There is a new book coming out about the Anthrax in CT. It looks kinda cool. Here's the trailer....for a book. Check it out.

Everybody's Scene - The Story of Connecticut's Anthrax Club from kencredible on Vimeo.

I love YouTube

2009-10-10T18:19:00.003-04:00

My Favorite Wiggers

2009-10-10T14:25:00.000-04:00

Rock N Roll Outlaw

2009-10-08T17:14:00.005-04:00

I first heard of Rose Tattoo when I first heard Guns N Roses cover of "Nice Boys" on Lies. But I guess I really didn't get into them until about 1999 or so. I was sold the first time I heard "Remedy." Fast dirty riffs with some really good vocals that is undeniably a punker version of ACDC. A few years back, there was rumors going around that DKM was gonna tour Europe with Rose Tattoo, and we were pretty stoked on it. Things never got worked out and the tour never happened. I was pretty bummed considering I've never heard of them making it out to the East Coast. Anyway, here's a little gem for you, their self titled debut album. If I get around to it, maybe I will post Scarred for Life and Assault and Battery, the other two great records. But for now, dl this.

Rose Tattoo-Scarred for Life (1978)

You may recognize the singer, Angry Anderson, from his role as Iron Bar in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

Belmar Pro

2009-10-08T14:26:00.006-04:00

The town of Belmar, located directly on the central coast of New Jersey, has been hosting an ASP event the last few years dubbed the Belmar Pro. I have had limited interest in this event due to the fact that I generally hate surfers/surf culture. I'm not really sure which pros were involved (other than local favorites Sam Hammer and Dean Randazzo), but I'm sure every asshole on the east coast with a sticker on their board gets involved somehow. So, one the weekend of September 12th, I found myself unknowingly driving by the contest on Ocean Ave. I had my camera in my truck and decided to take some shots of the next beach over where tons of people were getting in some practice before their heats. The waves weren't really cooperating, much like any normal Jersey swell, but some of these guys were making the best of it.

Sequence:

What crowd?

Again?

2009-10-08T01:51:00.002-04:00

Kiss is releasing a new record. Yeah, I don't know. But this time, it looks as if Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley enlisted the stylings of Tommy Thayer on guitar, probably to help with the writing process. I used to despise Kiss until recently, when a friend gave me a copy of the Ace Frehely stuff on cd. Now I've opened up, but I can't help to hate this idea of putting out a new record, particularly now that I've seen that asshole Gene Simmons life documented in the reality show Family Jewels. Gene is a greedy old man who pretty much embodies everything I hate about America, minus the fact that an ugly sloth like that can score a hot chick like Shannon Tweed. Anyway, back to Kiss. I do like a lot of Kiss stuff, but I think I'm gonna have to rank this new record in the same vein as new Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, U2, or any other aging rock stars.....irrelevant.

I saw them on Letterman last night, and despite the kinda decent groove in the riff, they proved me right by playing a 4:30 minute song with not much hook. And at this point, I think I'd rather listen to William Hung cover Ace of Spades than ever hear Paul Stanley sing live.

Punk is Dead

2009-10-08T01:26:00.005-04:00

I may be the most jaded dude I know, and I don't really know how I feel about that. I can sit around and talk shit on anything. However, when it comes to punk, I guess I really still hold it somewhat dear to my heart. Obviously, what I know as punk is alot different that what Ian Mackaye knew it as, and that is alot different than what Joe Strummer knew it as. But it shaped who I am, and how I look at things. So when I see pictures of entitled teenage celebrities rocking punk shirts, I tend to cringe at the sight, especially when the teenager in question is the star of the enormously successful emo-vampire film Twilight. Makes my skin crawl.

The new groups are not concerned
With what there is to be learned
They got Burton suits, ha you think it's funny
Turning rebellion into money

My Favorite Kind Of Bar

2009-10-07T16:26:00.000-04:00

What up, dawg?

2009-10-07T13:51:00.004-04:00

My girlfriend's family has two boxers that are maybe the coolest dogs I have ever had the fortune of being around. These two have enormous personalities and it is really hard not to fall in love with them. A few weeks back, on an early-September overcast day, I took a few photos of these two dogs, Bella and Foreman. Here's some.

Ever See This?

2009-09-22T16:12:00.005-04:00

I found these 2 videos of Robert Dahlqvist, drummer from the Hellacopters, destroying a ridiculous drumset made of ice. The 2nd video shows how it was made.

Kurt Russell vs Patrick Swayze

2009-09-17T00:53:00.009-04:00

So my last post about Swayze being the poor man's Kurt Russell sparked criticism from the girlfriend. I am not sure where that joke started, but it has been going around my friends for years. It probably started when my friend Chris sported the Kurt Russell fluffed lion's mane mullet for a few years. Chris may be Kurt Russell's #1 fan, which led to dubbing him Burt Russell. In any event, after the inquiry from the girlfriend, I decided to research both Swayze and Russell's career and see how they measure up. Being that these two only really made good movies between 1980-1991, I choose that span as my reference point. So here it goes. The bout of a decade (namely the 1980's) between two of the sickest hairdo's on the two of the sickest actors of the 80's.

Patrick Swayze

1. The Outsiders-(1983)
2. Red Dawn-(1984)
3. Youngblood-(1986)
4. Road House-(1989)
5. Next of Kin-(1989)
6. Point Break-(1991)

VS

Kurt Russell

1. Used Cars-(1980)
2. Escape from New York-(1981)
3. The Best of Times-(1986)
4. Big Trouble in Little China-(1986)
5. Overboard-(1987)
6. Tango and Cash-(1981)

Fuck man, my vote is going for Swayze on this one. Red Dawn, the Outsiders, Point Break, and Road House? No contest. Although Big Trouble in Little China is one of my all time favorites since I was a kid, Russell doesn't seem to measure up. Congrats, Swayze. Oh yeah, and rest in pieces, like Megadeth's career.

Another Wasted Night

2009-09-15T17:58:00.002-04:00

If Motorhead grew up white trash kids from Boston, and had a sense of humor, they might sound like Gang Green. Ok, well that is an overstatement, but the Motorhead influence is definitely there. Gang Green formed in 1980 in the suburbs of Boston, let by outspoken drunk Chris Doherty. There's been a million lineup changes over the years and a few releases, Another Wasted Night being their first and, in my opinion, the best. The included an interesting cover of Til Tuesday's "Voices Carry." And "Alcohol" remains one of the best punk anthems ever written. Any band who sings about Budweiser is ok in my book. So get into it.

GangGreen-Another Wasted Night (1986)

What are you?

2009-09-15T17:31:00.002-04:00

I always kinda fancied myself as maybe not a connoissuer of pop culture, but I definitely seemed to think I know what's going on. The reality is, the older I get, the more I turn into a grumpy old man. Point in check: Lady GaGa. The girlfriend and I have had the conversation before of whether or not she's talented, attractive, annoying, an alien, has a penis.....etc. Realistically, I don't give a shit either way. However, she may be the ugliest woman with a penis the world has ever known. And when you sing over computer generated (by someone else) synth-friendly pop dance music, you should at least look like a teenage runaway turned drug addicted stripper. She just looks like the person the character Gonzo from the Muppets was based upon. Take a good look, this is pop culture. Gag.

Dead

2009-09-15T17:06:00.005-04:00

Dalton, I mean Patrick Swayze, died today from pancreatic cancer. The world just lost the best bouncer of our generation.

RIP Poor Man's Kurt Russell

Great Moments in Swayze history.

Dead

2009-09-14T14:27:00.004-04:00

So Jim Carrol of Basketball Diaries fame died on Friday, September 11th at his Manhattan home from what is believed to be a heart attack. He was 60 years old. Poor bastard.

Super Creamy

2009-09-11T00:15:00.001-04:00

Seen this truck a few times around Union Square/East Village. I finally just got a camera phone so I snapped a shot.

New Yorkers are So Racist

2009-09-08T16:38:00.001-04:00

Found this little mag in the bar.

We Are the Blood

2009-09-02T02:45:00.004-04:00

I don't really know where to start with this band. The Trouble were a short-lived Boston street punk band that existed from about 96 until around 99. They formed out of the same Boston/NH/Maine punk scene that spawned The Ducky Boys, Dropkick Murphys, Blood for Blood, The Unseen and the Pinkerton Thugs. The Trouble were fronted by the ever- colorful Gibby, who was a well known staple in and around Boston. He was definitely the first kid I know to start the Mod revival in the punk scene before Wes from American Nightmare and Ryan from Carry On adopted it. Dressed with tight jeans, a tighter Fred Perry, steel toes, cropped haircut, a white belt, he appeared to not be scared of many people. And guitarist Sam later went on to form The Explosion after the demise of the Trouble. The thing that made The Trouble so good, to me anyway, was Gibby's lyrics. The Trouble definitely had songs about drinking, and wasted youth, but written in a more dark, self-reflective way that different. It definitely rang true to the 19 year old me. The Trouble had great shows because of their ability to draw not only the drunked punk kids from Harvard Square, but the skinheads and also the hardcore kids from Mission Hill, much like Blood for Blood. As far as I'm concerned, Blood for Blood and the Trouble where the definitive bands of late 90's Boston hardcore.

The Trouble's record release show for Nobody Laughs Anymore in 1998 (I think) and the 1st and 2nd Church in Boston's Back Bay was ridiculous. The Unseen and Pinkerton Thugs were also on the bill. The lineup drew over 1000 kids into a hall that was legally allowed to hold about 200. The show was ridiculous. The Trouble opened with Slapshot's "Back On the Map" and all the punk kids were not ready for the beating from the hardcore kids. Mike from A Poor Excuse dove from the balcony during the Unseen. The show got cut short when the Boston PD caught on to the gig. But the 6 or so songs The Trouble got to play was amazing. The 2 pics on the bottom are from that show.

The Trouble- Nobody Laughs Anymore

Shots from the record release show:

(familiar faces in the bottom shot: JayBil, Jay Ducky Boys, Ian BFB, Clevo)

Trying to argue with a dining room table...

2009-08-21T02:53:00.002-04:00

So here is the clip I had previously mentioned. I'm sure you've either seen or heard about it before. Barney Frank has got a big pair of balls, but it's about time we see a liberal politician stick up for themselves and not pussyfoot around these ignorant and misled bumpkins. So without further ado....Barney Frank, my new favorite politician:

Almost Forgot This...

2009-08-21T02:50:00.003-04:00

I was looking for the Barney Frank town hall meeting clip on youtube where he lambasts an evil hatemongering woman on her intelligence, when I came across this clip from the David Letterman show. They should give GW his own reality show now that he's not running things. I'd watch it.

United and Strong

2009-08-18T20:14:00.005-04:00

Well, since I just read that Bridge 9 Records is about to reissue AF's United Blood ep and the immortal Victim in Pain lp, I figured I'd beat them to the punch, and throw in the amazing crossover unfluenced Cause for Alarm. Agnostic Front put out some of the best early NYHC that I can think of before turning into a full on metal band, break up and then reform as an oi!/punk influenced hc band, then as crossover band again, then as a metal band, etc etc. Doesn't matter, the early shit is where it's at. I missed out the 90's AF by a few years, but got to see them with the original lineup in the late-90's numerous times, almost always being great.

Two memorable shows for me were Maxwell's in Hoboken (with I believe just Home 33) and the other being some last minute benefit at Coney Island High with Murphy's Law. Maxwell's was insane. It was the night Raybeez passed away on September 11th, 1997. The who's who on NYHC in attendance in that tiny little club: Freddy Madball, Chaka Malik, Billy Milano, Russ Iglay, Lou and Pete Koller, Raybeez, Sab, and a ton of other sketchy dudes. I was 18 and in heaven. It was the first time I got to see them and they were great. Stigma was even playing guitar. Freddy sang Last Warning and Get Out. Tons of stagedives and mosh made the show a total zoo and worth every penny. It is still one of my all time favorite shows. The other show at Coney Island High was much of the same, with tons of dancing, sing a longs, Eliminator (plus the mosh part), NYHC celebs, sketchy dudes, Murphy's Law were great that night....Jimmy Gestapo stage dove during his set, crowd surfed to the bar, threw back a shot, dove back onto the crowd, surfed back to the stage, and finished the song. It was amazing. I loved the late 90's. Check out the legendary Agnostic Front.

United Blood (1983)

Victim in Pain (1984)

Cause For Alarm (1986)

An Unlikely Weapon

2009-08-11T18:21:00.003-04:00

Eddie Adams is a Pulitzer Prize winning American photographer who took this infamous photograph from the Vietman War.

There is a new documentary about Eddie that came out on July 31 of this year. He looks like an interesting watch.

In The Meantime

2009-08-11T16:49:00.005-04:00

In the early-mid 90's, it seems that every NYC hard rock band was being snatched up by a major label. Most of those bands all had ties to the NYHC scene. Bands like Quicksand, Orange 9mm, CIV, Sick of It All, Into Another, Unsane, Life of Agony, and, of course, Helmet.

Helmet has a long list of ex-members that were in some other notable bands, as in Biohazard, Straight Ahead, Anthrax, and Orange 9mm. They formed in 1990 with the demise of singer Page Hamilton's prior band Band Of Susans. With the growing following from their first record Strap It On on an indie, Helmet was quickly snatched up by giants Interscope Records. In 1992, they released their best and highest selling record Meantime.

I remember first seeing the video for "Unsung". It was the hardest thing I had heard at that point. And as a youngster filled with angst, I ate it up. 17 years later, I still find this record great, maybe even more then I did back then. In The Meantime was one of those gateway bands that led me on to a bigger palette of post-hardcore/heavy/hardcore bands. I saw them a few years back on their reunion tour stop at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. The show was virtually empty, maybe 150 people in attendance, which goes to show you how this genre was almost forgotten. Ugh, the poor 90's. Anyway, they played a tight set, with songs off all the records, and everyone seemed into it. I was hoping they'd play out more. In 2006, Page Hamilton reunited the band and released two records Size Matters and Monochrome, niether of which I have heard. They also opened for the Guns N Roses comeback tour. Axl sucks.

So here's a little gift.

Meantime

In The Meantime

another ridiculous clip

2009-08-10T18:13:00.001-04:00

Sprite and I were watching Season 6 and we both couldn't stop laughing at this clip. Ridiculous.

CT Brotherhood

2009-08-10T16:00:00.004-04:00

Around 1995, it seemed every zine I read reviewed some Hatebreed release, mostly demos. I just kept thinking that they would sound like the Misfits because of the name. But the reviews all described them as slow, sludgy tough guy metalcore. So I ignored the band for quite a while. I even saw them play at a show at some tiny hall in Boonton, NJ (birthplace of Glenn Danzig) with Ignite, Bulldoze (I think, but we missed them) and an early version of Purpose. The show was terribly attended, mostly due to a bigger, better basement show happening in New Brunswick that day, also with Ignite. I wonder why we just didn't go to New Brunswick and opt to drive over an hour to this crappy show? I thought Hatebreed was awful. They were some sketchy looking dudes though. Boulder was a large mothefucker. Ok, so fast forward a few years when I became friends with a lot of CT and Boston kids around the time Hatebreed had signed to Victory. They all talked about how great Hatebreed was. I was bullshit. No way could that band get any better. Of course I was wrong. Their first LP Satisfaction is the Death of Desire on Victory, in my opinion, is their best release. It's still very much a hardcore record, but with that crossover metal influence that makes for a hard ass record. We all know where they are now, but this is them in 1997.

Hatebreed- Satisfaction is the Death of Desire

Live in 1999

Around the same time that I started finally getting into Hatebreed, I heard alot of buzz about this band Death Threat from CT who was made up of friends of/ex-members of Hatebreed that supposedly had a similar sound. Someone got their hands on their cd titled Last Dayz. It was pretty good mosh-heavy hardcore. In the summer of 1998, I went with Floorpunch for a weekend in the Northeast with Blood for Blood, Death Threat and Reach the Sky. That's where I got to meet singer Aaron Butkus for the first time. Two years later, Aaron and I both roadied for Blood for Blood on a US tour and him and I became pretty decent friends. He is a dude dedicated to the core, and his band is still doing shows 10+years later. They've released 4 lp's and tons of other ep's and splits. This, to me, is my favorite.

Death Threat- Last Dayz

Live in Baltimore..recently I assume

A Mouthful

2009-08-07T14:13:00.002-04:00

More funny videos like the "Dog + Laser Pointer + Balls = Not having kids" at Heavy.com

What kind of fucked dad would do this to their kid?

All Skrewed Up

2009-08-05T01:55:00.003-04:00

I don't really give a shit anymore, I love the first few Skrewdriver releases. I am not gonna argue semantics, because we all know where they went after these releases. "You're So Dumb," "Anti-Social," and "I Don't Like You" are some of the best songs that embody the early English sound and attitude. So put your ideas to the side, download these two releases, and watch yourself singing along.

Skrewdriver-You're So Dumb/Better Off Crazy 7"

Skrewdriver-All Skrewed Up LP

Dead Snow

2009-08-05T01:21:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago, famed New York artist Dash Snow died of a heroin overdose at 27 years old. It's insane to think that people are still dying from that drug, but that's another story. To say that Snow was interesting is an understatement. He was born to a very wealthy family descended from French Aristocrats and now prominent in the NYC art scene. In his early teens, Dash ran away from home and quickly got involved in the East Village/Lower East Side party culture, eventually getting involved in the graffiti scene under the tag "Sace" and befriending up-and-coming photographer Ryan McGinley and artist Dan Colen. Together, the two young artists indulged in drugs and created pieces all while being documented by McGinley. Snow, connected by his family, starting booking exhibits at galleries in New York and started creating a buzz for his work, if not his crude appearance and sporadic paranoid personality. He didn't use a cell phone, had no email, and basically hated modern technology. On top of it all, he was a well-known junkie. The jury is out on whether Dash Snow was a twisted artist, or a rich-kid scumbag wannabe. Either way, I have been following his work for about 2 years and have grown impressed by him.

Photo by McGinley

L to R: McGinley, Colen, Snow

RIP Frank McCourt

2009-07-20T04:36:00.003-04:00

Frank McCourt, the Pulitzer-Prize winning author of Angela's Ashes, as well as 'Tis and Teacher Man, passed away on Sunday in New York from complications stemming from meningitis, as well as melanoma.

Frank lived an interesting life as a child of poor Irish immigrants. He was born in New York, raised in Limerick during the Great Depression (only to find Ireland's economic state far worse than America) , and then went back in New York as a young man to fulfill his American dream. His style of writing was really engaging and amusing, and captures well the curiosities of being young. If you haven't read Angela's Ashes or 'Tis, I'd advise you to pick them up in the near future.

And after you read them, check out his brother Malachy's books Singing My Him Song and A Monk Swimming. Malachy tells his side of growing up in the McCourt family. His side happens to entail lots of whiskey and a keener sense of humor.

NYC Cabbies: Take 1

2009-07-17T20:49:00.001-04:00

With all this other nonsense

2009-07-17T20:29:00.003-04:00

Too much punk and hardcore in the last few posts. Here's some videos of one of the best reggae bands Steel Pulse.

New Lucero stuff

2009-07-17T19:49:00.002-04:00

Lucero is just about to release their new lp on Universal titled 1372 Overton Park. They also just released a live stream of the new single "The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo". I'm really not sure how I feel about it. I used to love this band so much, then I saw them live. And they blew....twice. 0 for 2 is not a good record in my book. However, I will buy the new record. Like I was saying, the new single has a different sound, incorporating horns as well as more of a poppy sound. Ben Nichols, however, is still singing with his really gruff vocals that will always separate them from the rest of the crap out there.

Stream the new single here:
Lucero- The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo

The One and Only....

2009-07-17T19:40:00.002-04:00

The one and only Harley Flanagan. I'm not gonna sit here and debate the JJ/Harley thing, but I will say that out of all the post Cro-Mags projects from all members, this is the only release that is worth a shit. I mean, this record is fucking hard as hell. White Devil originally consisted of both Harley and Paris in the same band, which obviously were the two driving forces behind the Cro-Mags' songwriting genius. Seriously, just listen to the opening bass line in "Can You Feel"...shit is hard as nails. And "My Life" is a little poppier than what you'd expect, but never gets on my nerves. I'm almost certain that the majority of these songs were re-recorded and released on the so-called Cro-Mags comeback record "Revenge." It doesn't matter really. Check out this ep, it rips.

White Devil- Reincarnation

Psyched to Die

2009-07-17T19:20:00.003-04:00

Psyched to Die are a hardcore punk band from NJ whose members have been kicking around for some time in other known bands such as the Ergs, Splitting Headache, Forward to Death, Hunchback, and Fast Times. It also features my favorite internet feather ruffler Brian Gorsenger. I'm posting their demo and the 7" which contains some of the same songs, different recordings. I'm digging the 2 different singers, which takes the band down either a more hardcore sound, or a catchier punk sound. Psyched to Die are a good band and you should give it a listen. They are touring this summer with Deep Sleep from Baltimore (another good band).

Psyched To Die- 2008 Demo

Psyched To Die- Sterile Walls 7"

Warzone videos

2009-07-15T16:37:00.002-04:00

Some Knights of Columbus Hall in Upstate NY 1987. Raybeez has a sick mesh cap. So much energy. Bust!

Would love to know where/when this video is from. Anyone?

Another one I'm not sure about the year. It's at CB's though.

The Good Old Days

2009-07-15T16:27:00.003-04:00

This video was shot at one of Robby Redcheek's shows at the YWCA in South Philly. This show was pretty cool from what I remember. It was Kid Dynamite's first show, The Judas Factor's first show, and Better Than A Thousand (who cares?), and Floorpunch. This venue in this era as awesome. Great stage and there was always tons of kids. The Burn show here was awesome too.

Identify Me

2009-07-15T16:00:00.004-04:00

Souther California's answer to Judge, Against the Wall came into my life in about 1993/1994 with their "Identify Me" 7" on Nemesis Records. For a band that came on the tail end of some really good bands in the LA/Orange County area in the mid-80's, they certainly made their mark with this 7". As far as I know, this was their only proper release, having released 2 demo tapes prior. In any event, out of that whole So-Cal scene, most of the bands kinda fell off my radar as I got older. The only bands that still hold up, in my opinion, are Inside Out and Against the Wall. I mean, seriously, what 30+ year old ex-edge dude can honestly sit around and listen to Insted? Trust me, I've tried. It's like a nightmare. Anyway, check out this 7" for some aggressive NYHC influence core.

Against the Wall- Identify Me

Richard Pryor- 2 Albums

2009-07-15T02:39:00.004-04:00

I got a little treat for the 5 of you who actually check this blog. I found these two albums from Richard Pryor, Supernigger and Bicentennial Nigger. I don't care what other comedian critics say, he was the best. I don't have much else to say, but download it and spread the comedy wealth.

Bicentennial Nigger (1976)

Supernigger (1982)

Loser

2009-07-14T02:15:00.002-04:00

I was looking up Black Keys live footage and saw this video. Kids nowadays suck. I mean, yeah, cool that you can do kickflips to smith grinds on toy highway dividers and all, but I highly doubt that Jenny Braces is gonna be interested in that when it's time to ask her out for pizza.

The Black Keys from Cole B on Vimeo.

A Poor Excuse

2009-07-14T00:24:00.003-04:00

A Poor Excuse were fucking great. I don't know what else to say. They were a streetpunk/hardcore band from Boston led by infamous skinhead and all around troublemaker Mike McCarthy. Mike was quite a character. For a while there, Mike would always find the highest point at any venue to dive off. He didn't give a fuck. He once told me that his dad dragged him at the age of 16 to get his first tattoo. I became friends with these dudes around 1999/2000 through mutual friends, and had seen the band quite a bit in their short existence. They played on some great bills with great bands such as Madball, Fit For Abuse, Shark Attack, Dropkick Murphys, Forced Reality, Right Brigade, American Nightmare, etc etc. They were all really good dudes and haven't seen any of them in quite some time. I became pretty upset when I heard the news just recently that Josh has passed away. So please check them out if you haven't already.

A Poor Excuse- A Poor Excuse 7"

A Poor Excuse- Crashed Out, Wasted, Useless, Hated

Wild, Man....Wild

2009-07-14T00:08:00.009-04:00

So if anyone knows me, they know that I am strangely obsessed with wild animals. More accurately, I'm obsessed with wild animals that can rip me apart with ease: mainly bears, sharks, and, in this case, alligators/crocodiles. I love zoos, aquariums, and other completely useless plot of land that stores miserable out of shape predators. So when Lianna and I decided to go to St. Augustine, I asked a friend who went to school there was there is do there. "Alligator Farm" was his reply. Sign me up. This place was pretty cool, with the exception of bird shit everywhere and what seemed like an unnecessary amount of jean shorts. But I battled through the tide of white trash to see some pretty cool shit. Here's some pictures.

Racists

Aryan Alligators

Damn Teenagers

"You think I can take that thing in a fight?"

These things were massive

Look closely. Those white spots are bird shit. Huge birdshit stains. As if it's not bad enough that the gators live in a small polluted pond, the birds gotta antagonize these poor bastards by painting a bull's eye on them and conducting target practice? Birds have no respect. No wonder the Irish hate them.

These birds look like they have AIDS, and will probably pick a human apart in seconds. I wanted to fight him too.

Punk as fuck

Turtle Sexual Assault.

Good look, lady.

The cool thing about this lady was that her husband was totally fixated on my tattoos, as if I'm the weirdo. Your wife looks like she change all 4 wheels in a pitstop at the Daytona 500 without breaking a sweat.

Mariachi El Bronx

2009-07-10T19:10:00.004-04:00

The Bronx are hands down my favorite band at the moment. In fact, I've been consistently blown away with every release they have put out. They have been fiddling around with their side project Mariachi El Bronx now for a few years, which is essentially the same idiots dressed up like the Three Amigos and playing mariachi music. Now, under normal circumstances, I would somehow find a way to call them pretentious assholes and unfunny. But in this case, the Bronx can do no wrong (besides their choice in support acts on their tours) and I'm into their sense of humor. As it goes, the Bronx released a press statement today stating that they will actually be releasing a full length lp of Mariachi El Bronx on September 1st on Swami Records. Hopefully it won't suck, backfire, and make me hate them. I think I just jinxed myself.

The Road

2009-07-07T23:06:00.003-04:00

I've never really been into post-apocalyptic films because the storylines are generally, for the most part, terrible. I'm not gonna sit here and lie about having read Cormac McCarthy's novels before because I haven't. But I do think that No Country for Old Men may be one of my favorite movies to come out in the last 10 years or so. Granted, a nod has to be made to the adapted screenplay, but the story itself is insane. And I can only imagine that The Road will be much of the same. Viggo is a great actor and Charlize is not only a filthy little thing, she is also a tremendous actor. The director John Hillcoat is relatively unknown at this point, having only directed a handful of projects, one being a Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds video. The Road hits theatres October 16th.

Check out the trailer here in HD on the Apple Trailer Site

Filthy dirty bacon.

2009-07-07T22:57:00.002-04:00

I was on some blog and found this post about bacon. There is nothing really to say. It looks great and awful at the same time. Someone please make this and invite me over. Thanks.

Click on image for higher resolution.

I'm From the Neighborhood, Fruit!

2009-07-02T04:07:00.004-04:00

In the summer of 1995, Integrity had just released "Systems Overload" and were doing a US tour. I had seen them the previous year at Middlesex County College and was beyond stoked to see them again. On tour with them was a band who had been causing quite a stir before ever even releasing a record. Of course I'm talking about Cleveland's One Life Crew. The band featured Mean Steve from Confront and Meanstreak, as well as Chubby Fresh from Integrity. They were labeled as a hard ass straight edge band, and being a straight edge kid at the time, I was curious. So the anticipation built for the show.

As the show approached, it appeared that me and my buddy Brent didn't have a ride to the show. Either people weren't interested in going, or their cars were already filled. Being as we were only 16 at the time, Brent and I spent the entire night before on the Point Pleasant boardwalk begging our friend Derrick to drive us to the show. He regretfully agreed. We took off headed to Philly in his piece of shit yellow scrap metal deathbox of a car and headed down 195W. This thing was seriously scary. No room, smelled like shit, the windows didn't go down, no radio, etc etc. Somewhere just outside of Philadelphia on the NJ side, we drove into one serious thunderstorm. Derrick then decided to inform us that his windshield wipers didn't work. Great. So there we were, on a major NJ highway with tons of traffic, in the middle of a downpour, driving about 7mph literally blinded by rain, not to mention, Derrick wasn't the most trustworthy driver to begin with. I was terrified with the tractor trailers flying by us at 65mph, nearly shitting my pants. Long story short, the storm ceased, and we made it in one piece.

The show was at a place called Upstairs at Nick's or something that sounded like that Yaz record. OLC was retarded. They opened with a mosh-heavy intro and blasted through heavy fast old school hardcore. All the shore kids were psyched. I bought an OLC demo that was recorded live at Peabody's in Cleveland at their first show. I also bought an Integrity tour 1995 shirt. I wish I knew what I did with either. Integrity was insane too. So good. I have pictures somewhere from that show that I'll try to dig up.

But 14 years later, the novelty of One Life Crew wore off. They wrote stupid lyrics and did it for (I hope) the shock value. They released a 2nd record that was just a clear insult to people's intelligence with songs about immigration, AIDS, homosexuals, and whatever else that will offend the normal liberal-minded hardcore kid. With that said, Crime Ridden Society has some hard mosh, some catchy singalongs, and is a pretty good record. Just don't pay any mind to the lyrics. They read like if Andrew Dice Clay got political and acted like a hardass.

One Life Crew- Crime Ridden Society

And so I heard that Joe Hardcore in Philly had booked a One Life Crew reunion at the Church in Philly, but the ARA witch hunters called the police and local media and somehow had the show shut down a few days before it went down.

Who's That?

2009-06-28T01:09:00.005-04:00

The girlfriend came across this and I thought it was hilarious. This is a computer-generated picture of what Michael Jackson would look like if he stayed a black man.

Eyes of the Sea

2009-06-27T15:26:00.003-04:00

I'm obsessed with lighthouses. Always have been. So in my recent trip to St. Augustine, I demanded that we check out the lighthouse. Of course it was sweet, and I was content. Here's some pics from it. I'm the fat slob with the v-neck, obviously.

I'm Silly

2009-06-27T15:19:00.003-04:00

I don't know why, but I was cruising the nerd when I came across this link. Can't remember what site posted it, but it brought be back to my younger years when this shit was the funniest thing I ever heard up to that point, maybe with the exception of Raw and Delirious. But yeah, the Jerky Boys were pretty funny. And at that point, this had never really been done. It was reality comedy before there as even such a thing. These guys had some balls. The gay dude is my favorite, expecially when he is calling about a job and told the girl that he can "pull large pieces of furniture out of my ass." Great. See for yourself.

Here

DEAD

2009-06-27T15:15:00.001-04:00

Who cares?

Stolen from EasternBoarder blog.

Start the Violence, Fuck the Facts

2009-06-25T16:26:00.003-04:00

It has come to my attention that Breakdown will be playing another NYC gig at Santo's Party House in September. I'm pretty psyched. They were always one of my favorite NYHC bands and can always get me moving. Bracewar is awesome too.

Here's the flyer, jerks.

This is footage from the Superbowl of HC 2008, which was supposed to the last Breakdown show ever. I'm psyched it wasn't. Chubby ol' me is in there somewhere doing the mosh dance.

From God's Mouth to My Windshield

2009-06-25T16:02:00.003-04:00

So me and the ladyfriend just got back from St. Augustine, FL last week. It was a good weekend getaway. Spent the majority of the trip on the beach in the 95 degree weather. On one of those days, however, the sky became frighteningly dark and the clouds looked as if a tornado was forming. Now, as a shmuck from the Northeast, I shit my pants at the idea of a tornado. We left the beach and decided to pull over and snap some shots of the oncoming monster. It was gnarly. These pictures hardly do this storm justice. It rolled in like a train and whipped up 55mph gusts and some pissing rain. The storm overall only lasted about an hour, but it was intense. The girlfriend was pretty scared at some of the lightning. At one point, we were driving toward back the condo where were staying and a bolt of lightning struck a telephone pole no further than 200ft from us. The sky turned completely white for a split second and briefly blinded me. Sparks shot off the pole and the girlfriend nearly cried. Ok, not really, but she was terrified. Here's some of the shots we took before the storm unleashed.

BOOM!

2009-06-25T15:40:00.005-04:00

I first heard of the Tacoma, Washington band The Sonics about 7 years ago from listening to Little Steven's Underground Garage show here in NY on Q104.3. The band existed from 1960-1960 and recorded some of the best stripped down rock and roll from that era. Somehow, they fall under the radar of general music fans, but are revered by rock enthusiasts, and that for good measure. The band's most known for their borderline hits "Psycho", "the Witch", "Boss Hoss" and "Strychnine". Also, you may have heard the band's ripping covers of "Louie Louie" and "Have Love, Will Travel", which was recently heard in either a Ford or GMC commercial. Their energetic sound is unreal, very raw with fuzzy guitars and powerful vocals. Here are two records for you to listen to: Boom! and Here Are The Sonics. Let the music boners commence.

Here Are The Sonics (1965)

Boom! (1966)

London Calling

2009-06-25T15:36:00.001-04:00

A Georgia-based artist that goes by the name "Iri5" recreated the famous cover of the Clash's "London Calling" album cover using the actual tape from a Clash cassestte.

Costa Rica...Part 2

2009-06-18T13:47:00.005-04:00

Yeah, so this Part 2 may have taken a while, but at least it's here. Here it goes

Costa Rica...Take 2

After a long first day, Gordo and Keith come up with the great idea to rent motorcycles and cruise around Jaco the following day. Mind you, Gordo has never stepped foot on a motorcycle, and I've seen him eat shit on a beach cruiser. In fact, other than my novice experience on a tiny Honda 50cc dirtbike, Keith was the only one with any experience on a bike. And these weren't exactly easy bikes either, they were full on dirtbikes. Throwing caution to the wind, I ignorantly agreed. Brody, being the sane dude that he is, upon checking out the bikes, opted out of the idiocy and decided to go with the Honda street scooter instead. So this was obviously gonna turn out bad.
The rental place was retarded. The shop consisted of three burnout dudes with tons of motorcycles at their disposal. All we needed to rent these things was $35 and a signature. The main guy, in a moment I can only describe as revelation, asked us if we all have motorcycle licenses in the USA. "Yeah, yeah, sure" was the response he got. He felt no need for proof of licenses. The following picture is all four of us right before our takeoff. Check out the moron on the left going over our paperwork.

Like I said, Gordo had no clue what the fuck he was doing. And the first time riding a motorcycle isn't easy, especially trying to get into first gear. Anyway, Keith hops on his bike and just takes off. Gone. We didn't see him again for another hour or so. Brody then took off on the scooter. Next up was Gordo. His bike took off like a bat out of hell, directly across the street into a parked car, Gordo's feet dragging behind while his hands firmly gripped the handlebars. The bike smashes into the car and keeps going. He eventually fell off and had himself a decent tumble, somewhere smacking his head on the street pretty hard. This happened directly in front of the rental place on the extremely busy main drag in Jaco. I ran over to see if he was ok. He was, but had some nice road burn all over his 4 limbs. I could tell he was kinda bugged out. When he seemed to shake it off, Brody and I laughed our asses off. It was so awesome. He had to pay for the repairs to the car and the dirtbike, which may have been I think about $150 along with a bruised ego and probably a minor concussion. At that point, Gordo and I followed Brody's lead and rented the single gear scooters. It was so stupid. We raced up and down the drag about 3 times each, and headed straight to a bar on the beach where the smartass bartender signed our tab as "los gringos." We drank a few beers while Gordo's limbs oozed blood. haha. Keith finally met up later on after taking his bike in the muddy hills and getting it stuck. He was bummed he missed Gordo's fall. Honestly, I was just glad it didn't happen to me.

On one of those nights, we were out a this dump called the Jungle Bar playing pool and drinking beers. All of a sudden, the entire town's electricity went out. Brody decided to take the shirt off. I don't know. It must have been out for the better part of an hour. The bar lit candles and stayed open. I then met a tico kid whom I asked to get me some herb. He hooked me up with some sketchy Jamaican (totally a black dude from probably Columbia). I asked fake Jamaican for good herb. He told me he only had the best and then handed me a napkin and walked away. Once again, it was brown shit herb and I got fucked again. Fucking dirty hustler. I don't understand how these people smoke dirt on a daily basis. It sucks. Makes you tired and gives you headaches. The same night, we also met these disgusting tico chicks with some serious issues. They wanted to party.

Costa Rica Heffer Patrol

Drunk

At some point during the first part of this trip, we were all out surfing when Rosa got literally attacked by some insane jellyfish that wrapped it's tentacles around his arms and his back. It really messed up his skin. It was gnarly. I didn't take a picture, and I'm regretting it now. His skin swelled up and left a pretty gross rash all over his arms, chest, and back. Glad it wasn't me...again.

Here's some other random shots taken from the place we stayed.