Yesterday when I went to get coffee I noticed that there were some new mugs in the cupboard. They had some very high-quality artistic renderings of Star Wars characters on them, and despite a troubling absence of droids on said drinkware I was compelled to inquire where these mugs had come from.
"Secret Santa!" my mom happily replied, getting up from the couch with emphasis to tell me the story. I think she had been waiting for someone to ask.
She started off by saying "You remember that Raiders thing?" in reference to a plastic candy dispenser emblazoned with an Oakland Raiders logo that I nearly smashed upon sight when I came in the house and saw it on the cat-stairs the other night. (We call the architecture island that supports our staircase the cat-stairs because its shaped like huge stairs and the cats climb them.)
"That's for my coworker!" Mom had said in reply to my obvious disgust. That seemed like a very odd, insufficient reply to my disdain - this is a Chargers household after all - but I said fuckit. I'm not gonna get into a fight with my mom about football.
With this mug revelation in focus, she recounted that the reason for such treason was that the person she got in her job's secret santa draw was some kid younger than my youngest brother who works in the back unloading trucks and then loading other trucks and all she all really knows about him is that he likes The Raiders. They talked one time during break and he was nice and reminded her of Troy. Just, you know, a Raiders fan.
She said that after she gave the candy dispenser thing to him, another girl they both work with told her "that was a great gift. you made his day." etc as she was leaving her shift.
Earlier in the week, mom said, her manager - 'the one I like' - came up to her and casually asked, "So, do you know who your secret santa is?" Mom said she didn't, that she didn't like to participate in the store gossip, but that she did hope that she didn't get somebody crummy. They both had a nice chuckle at that one.
The manager lady continued on, "Yeah, the person I got, they mentioned something the other day and I don't even think they know they mentioned it, but it really helped me figure out my gift for them."
It should have been obvious to my mom at this point but it wasn't because she is as wondrously oblivious as I am, but that nice lady manager turned out to be her secret santa. The reason she chose the Star Wars mugs was because she had overheard my mom talking to a customer about how R2D2 is the real hero of the saga.
My robotic grinch heart grew tenfold upon hearing that last part.
I've been a humbug bastard about pretty much every aspect of "Christmas" since I was young, and that was amplified severely when I worked at TJ Maxx during the holidays a few years ago. The music...I hate Christmas music more than pretty much anything else. I don't like the forced cheer and merriment that's associated with this time of year, it makes me more depressed than I already am, and I work at an hourly job that doesn't do holiday pay so frankly I don't appreciate the missed hours either.
I do, however, enjoy the family dinner we have. I am fortunate enough to have really strong and positive relationships with my family members, but each one of us is kind-of reclusive/self-contained/not-to-be-bothered. Maybe we need this holiday bullshit to give us all a reason to come out of our shells and laugh together and talk about what's been up since we are all sooooo busy and don't have time for each other unless society kinda forces the interaction.
It's like Football Sunday.
For us, this holiday isn't about religion or anything like that; I guess we're an example of the kind of people who are such dangers to the future of Christmas. We see these few days off as a chance to be together and to show people in our life that we appreciate them for who they are. It doesn't matter if you're a Chargers fan or a Raiders fan; this is about Good Will towards mankind.
Happy Holidays Everybody.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Document Review: Second Page of the K-Mart Clipboard 12/24/13
I went to Kmart to get my family stupid shit for the holidays and as we were going through the toy section (despite the fact that no one in my group of friends had any children on their gift list; we just like to see what's new in the world of Ninja Turtle technology) we came across a clipboard that had been carelessly left there by some dimwitted store associate. I perused through the documents and was suddenly overtaken by my kleptomaniac urge to steal things with no actual value but that I find odd. I took the second page of the pile of clipped papers and shoved it in my pocket, thereby throwing a wrench into the clipboard beuarocracy that will surely take generations of floor managers to rectify.
Upon leaving the store I un-crumpled the document and this is the meat of its text:
Rod W Bentley, you are currently logged in
Reopen ticket
Category: Food and Consumables - Merchandise Opportunities
Brief Description: Not receiving items
Product Description: 4' Animal Wellness POG. 4 items.
Last received 8/23. Still at zero. No orders found.
Last received 3/14. Still at zero. No orders found.
Last received 8/23. Still at zero. No orders found.
Ratings Questions:
Did the resolution address the question or give the proper direction?
YES
NO
(Neither box is checked)
Dec 23 2013 - Karie A Timmerman
Ticket closed
Dec 23 2013 - Karie A Timmerman
Resolution: We have turned off these items for replenishment because of the high WOS it was creating in stores. Please expand with adjacent item on planogram.
Dec 17 2013 - Lisa D Vana
Ticket assigned to CAT OWNER - 490 - Karie A Timmerman. Assignment email successfully sent to Karie A Timmerman
Dec 16 2013 - Benjamin H Morales
Ticket approved and assigned to Corporate Category Owner
Dec 16 2013 - Benjamin H Morales
Ticket assigned to RS - 51200 - Benjamin H Morales and assignment email automatically send to RS - 51200 - Benjamin H Morales
Dec 16 2013 - Rod W Bentley
Ticket opened - Route to RS
It sure seems like a lot of people had to get involved in this particular ticket. Animal Wellness? Why is CAT OWNER in caps? What the hell kind of transaction was this? Why is Rod W Bentley still tracking this case when clearly its been re-assigned?
What's going on here?
After we left we stopped by BevMo so Spenny could get a bottle of wine for his dad and while there he got me a bottle of Oatmeal Stout.
I'm gonna get him some cigarettes.
Happy holidays everybody!
Upon leaving the store I un-crumpled the document and this is the meat of its text:
Rod W Bentley, you are currently logged in
Reopen ticket
Category: Food and Consumables - Merchandise Opportunities
Brief Description: Not receiving items
Product Description: 4' Animal Wellness POG. 4 items.
Last received 8/23. Still at zero. No orders found.
Last received 3/14. Still at zero. No orders found.
Last received 8/23. Still at zero. No orders found.
Ratings Questions:
Did the resolution address the question or give the proper direction?
YES
NO
(Neither box is checked)
Dec 23 2013 - Karie A Timmerman
Ticket closed
Dec 23 2013 - Karie A Timmerman
Resolution: We have turned off these items for replenishment because of the high WOS it was creating in stores. Please expand with adjacent item on planogram.
Dec 17 2013 - Lisa D Vana
Ticket assigned to CAT OWNER - 490 - Karie A Timmerman. Assignment email successfully sent to Karie A Timmerman
Dec 16 2013 - Benjamin H Morales
Ticket approved and assigned to Corporate Category Owner
Dec 16 2013 - Benjamin H Morales
Ticket assigned to RS - 51200 - Benjamin H Morales and assignment email automatically send to RS - 51200 - Benjamin H Morales
Dec 16 2013 - Rod W Bentley
Ticket opened - Route to RS
It sure seems like a lot of people had to get involved in this particular ticket. Animal Wellness? Why is CAT OWNER in caps? What the hell kind of transaction was this? Why is Rod W Bentley still tracking this case when clearly its been re-assigned?
What's going on here?
After we left we stopped by BevMo so Spenny could get a bottle of wine for his dad and while there he got me a bottle of Oatmeal Stout.
I'm gonna get him some cigarettes.
Happy holidays everybody!
Monday, December 23, 2013
Directions
Everything they said, it was correct.
I never meant this.
I've heard it all before,
But I won't learn anymore.
I know, you're trying to help;
But I can't get through to myself.
I don't have a reason; I just have an excuse.
I've gotten used to the abuse.
I don't wanna believe it when I hear the truth.
Tumbling through brick walls,
I never learned at all.
I have got a problem that I can't fix.
I am trying to find out which directions I can still go;
I just don't know.
I never meant this.
I've heard it all before,
But I won't learn anymore.
I know, you're trying to help;
But I can't get through to myself.
I don't have a reason; I just have an excuse.
I've gotten used to the abuse.
I don't wanna believe it when I hear the truth.
Tumbling through brick walls,
I never learned at all.
I have got a problem that I can't fix.
I am trying to find out which directions I can still go;
I just don't know.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Playlist for November 2013
This is a list of all the albums, EPs, demos, etc that I listened to in their entirety during this last month of November, along with a list of what I watched and read and saw live and my notes regarding all.
MUSIC:
11/1/13
Apathean - "Eve"
Bad American - "American Dream"
V/A - "Fat Music For Fat People"
Fleetwood Mac - S/T
11/2/13
Secret Fun Club - "Skull With Antlers"
Apathean - "Eve"
The Blessed - "Deep Frenzy" 7"
Tea For One - "Excelsior Lights" EP
The Manx - "Blood Chronicles" EP
Go For Gold - "Mixed Feelings" EP
Early Graves - "Goner"
11/3/13
Narrowed - "Thick Skull" EP
The Rebound -"It Never Rains In San Diego" EP
Tera Melos - "X'ed Out"
Narrows - "New Distances"
Sculpins - November 2012 Demo
Subhumans - "Time Flies...But Aeroplanes Crash" EP
The Rebound - "It Never Rains In San Diego" EP
The Reign Of Kindo - "Rhythm, Chord, and Melody"
11/4/13
Scale The Summit - "The Migration"
Grey Ghost - "Space Ambassador" digital single
Shake Before Us - S/T
Jurassic Shark - "The Beginning" demo
Hikes/GoldSpine - split EP
The Littlest Viking - "Labor & Love"
The Woggles - "Get Tough!"
Welcome To Now - "Know Who You Are" EP
Farabee - "Welcome to the Underground"
11/5/13
The Zermatts - "Audio Recordings"
Basement - "Songs About Weather" EP
Rexx - S/T EP
No Bueno - "PC Violence" EP
Unstrung - "Sucking Fun in the Fucking Sun" EP
Charlie Siren - "This Is Home"
11/6/13
PSO - "Into the Maze" 7"
V/A - Wire Hanger Records Sampler June 2013
Chango Rey y El Moreno - S/T
Stab City - "Tall Can" 7"
The Growlers - "Gay Thoughts"/"Feelin' Good" 7"
11/7/13
Slapshot - "Old Tyme Hardcore"
Between The Buried And Me - "The Silent Circus"
Walls That Talk - "St. Andrews" EP
The Coltranes - "The Man With The Hat" EP
11/8/13
Oceans - Winter 2010 demo
Soft Salad - "Parkway Periphery" EP
The Beatles - "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
11/9/13
The Coltranes - "Never Sleep Again" EP
end of the summer - "Second" EP
11/10/13
Flowers Taped To Pens/Nevasca/American Memories/DayCare - 4-way split
KRAMPVS - "Hangman's Noose" EP
Orphans/Swells - split EP
Desperate Living - "I Think I'm Losing Touch" EP
Erleen Nada - S/T
Goldroom - "Embrace"
White Murder - "Arteries Are Flexible"/"Shutter Speed" 7"
Death Hymn Number 9 - "Smokestack Frightening" EP
Freedom Club - "Starting a War" EP
Jello Biafra & The Guantanamo School Of Medicine - "The Audacity Of Hype"
Autistic Youth - "Landmine Beach"
Neighborhood Brats - "No Sun, No Tan" EP
Power Trip - "Manifest Decimation"
Nicky Venus - "Little Runner" EP
11/11/13
Idyll Wild - "Mouth Amuser" 7"
The Deer Tracks - "Eggegrund" EP
Nimzo Indians - "Summer Blood" EP
Author & Punisher - "Ursus Americanus"
Joint Chiefs Of Math - "Word Alive" EP
The Body - "5 Songs" EP
The Moms - "Viva!" EP
Underpass - "Civilian Applications" EP
Dogs - "Heroin & Flu Shots" EP
11/12/13
Weed - "Deserve"
Gypsy Mamba - "I Keel You Owl" mixtape
Deaf Ears - 3-song demo
11/13/13
Dimlite - "Abscission"
Melt-Banana - "Cactuses Come In Flocks" EP
Zorch - "ZZORRCCHH"
11/14/13
Tera Melos - "Zoo Weather" EP
11/15/13
Silo The Avatar - "Test-Tube Nation" mixtape
S.N.O.T. - "Slaughterhouse" EP
The 4th International - "Nichijou Se No Hakai Wa Wareware No Gensou" EP
KDC - "Naive to the Bone" EP
Smashing Pumpkins - "Pisces Iscariot"
AFI - "Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes"
11/16/13
First Benders - 3-song demo
Shipwrecks - "From Dusk to Dawn" digital single
Ocean Man - "iphone recordings" demo
Go For Fold - "This Life is Now, Not Never" EP
The Atolls - "Hair Machine" EP
This World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - "Whenever, If Ever"
The Great Electric Quest - "Chapter II" EP
65daysofstatic - "How I Fucked Off All My Friends" EP
Caspian - "Hymn for the Greatest Generation"
Follies & Vices - "Trash Can Full of Treasure is Still a Trash Can" EP
Olivias - S/T EP
Zissou - "The Quilted Room" EP
Left Astray - "Confines" EP
Colossal Wrecks - Fall 2012 demos
Coma Regalia/Marital Roles - split cassette
The Anniversary - "Designing for a Nervous Breakdown"
I.E. - "Most Importantly" EP
Bulletins - 2-song digital demo
BLOK - "Lair of the White Worm" digital single
The Foreign Resort - "Scattered and Buried"
11/17/13
clipping - "midcity"
The Gunshy - "Silent Songs"
Andrew Jackson Jihad - "Live at the Crescent Ballroom"
Here Comes The Kraken - "The Omen" EP
Ever Ending Kicks - "Weird Priorities"
Rioux - "Spirit Calling"/"Miniatures" digital single
Vildhjarta - "Omnislash"
AshTreJinkins - "The Worst" EP
end of the summer - "Second" EP
11/18/13
Northlane - "Singularity"
The-Drum - "Sense Not" EP
Plastic City Pariah - "PxCxPx" demo
James Rabbit - "Coloratura"
iji - "Unltd. Cool Drinks"
11/19/13
Joe Bucks - "Go Buck Yourself"
end of the summer - "Second" EP
11/20/13
Daedelus/Teebs - "Los Angeles 6" split EP
Little Bear - "I'd Let You Win" digital single
Structures - "Divided By"
11/21/13
Neighbors To The North - "Starfishes" EP
Bedlam Of Cacophony - "Neuroleptic"
The Mormons - "Forge Ahead" EP
The Black Rose Phantoms - "Beyond the Wall of Sleep"
Noel Jordan & The Slow Mutants - "No Stars At Night" digital single
Natives - S/T EP
Tropical Popsicle - "Ghost Beacons" EP
Octa#Grape - "Red UFO"
11/22/13
Rachel Birke - "When I Get Old, I Hope I'm Glad" EP
Reflex From Pain - "Black & White" EP
Neon Cough - S/T
11/24/13
Protest The Hero - "Volition"
Today I Caught The Plague - "Lore"
11/25/13
Architects - "Daybreaker"
Among Savages - "Start at the Beginning" EP
Shotty - 2012 EP
Bellhaunts - "Deathless" EP
Z-Berg - June 2013 demo
Tiny Hearts - "Stay" EP
11/26/13
We Are Sirens - "Every, Body, Panic."
The Shallow End - June 2011 demo
Kid Koala - "Some Of My Best Friends Are DJs"
Ned Flounders - "Songs To Give Birth To" EP
Laura Gravelle - "In Winter"
11/27/13
Yung Satan - "Out" digital single
Roddy Radiation & The Skabilly Rebels - "Live in Germany"
Kid Armor - "Better Days" EP
Reunion - 3-song demo
Safe And Sound - Rain Fest promo tape
Clear Plastic - "Tethered Body" digital single
Sainthood Reps/Weatherbox - split 7"
House Shoes - "Presents an Experimentation in Instrumentation"
Ancestral Awakening - September 2013 demo
Jeans Wilder - "Totally"
Ed Ghost Tucker - February 2013 demo
KYNG - "California Dreamin'" EP
Tiger Milk Imports - January 2013 demos
Reunion - 2012 demo
11/28/13
Safe And Sound - "Won't Turn Our Backs" EP
Western Settings - S/T EP
John Tejada - "Cleaning Sounds is a Filthy Business"
The Echo & The Sound - S/T EP
Espectro - "The Rapture"
Play Fight - "The Grasshopper and The Goose" EP
The Saline Solutions - "Soledad" EP
Death By Snoo Snoo - "Tasta Saat!"
Tulips - April 2013 demo
The Inspector Cluzo - "The French Bastards"
Blood Dancer - S/T
okay okay - January 2012 demos
11/29/13
Island Boy - S/T EP
Diamond Youth - "Orange" EP
Jackson Price - "Jackson"
Joshua Bitter - "Cult Folk" EP
The Frights - S/T
Struckout - "I'd Hate Me Too"
Texas In July - S/T
Melinda Mae - "A Brief Glimpse of a Moonless Sky" demo
File Island - "4 Covers" EP
The Ghost Inside - "Get What You Give"
The Phantoms - "Crazy Like A Wasp" EP
Citizen - "Young States" EP
The Beautiful View - "The Horseman" digital single
The Gravitys - "Unplugged at The Dial" EP
The Gravitys - May 2011 demo
11/30/13
Hail, Adventurer - S/T
Francie Moon - "Morning Red"EP
Matt Pless - "Short Tales and Tall Stories"
Suspect - S/T EP
Somali Pirates - "The Gold Collection"
Modern Life Is War - "Midnight in America"
Planet Vegeta - "2-Person Game" EP
MPG - 2013 Demo
Luum - March 2013 Demo
Subjection - "Shade" EP
Alexander The Grape - "Planet of the Grapes"
NOTES:
- I'm finally almost done with my Apathean review, 6 months after the initial request. Look for it next summer.
- "Fat Music For Fat People" is a damn classic
- Starting with that Tea For One EP I began doing cursory reviews of each and every thing I listened to on my alternate music-posting blog Smorgascore.Check it out.
- Some dude at Mark's birthday party told me about The Rebound like 4 times, increasingly drunk and each time completely forgetting that he had already told me about them; apparently there's a member of Griever in the band although they are more like NFG-style pop punk...The guy's name was Phil
- Damn the new Tera Melos is so good, I shouldn't have slept on it for so long
- I didn't think there was Subhumans music I hadn't heard back in middle school but I was wrong
- New Scale The Summit! New Protest The Hero! Both awesome!
- Worst of the month: Grey Ghost (wack); Chango Rey y el Moreno (fucking annoying); First Benders (weak); Follies & Vices (lame); Plastic City Pariah (stupid); Among Savages (completely forgettable); Shotty (also lame); We Are Sirens ("party rock"); Yung Satan (terrible); Jackson Price (insufferably lame); File Island (thin)
- GoldSpine is better live than on album
- Welcome To Now and Farabee are both well-intentioned and have good local followings and everything but they are just so shittily off-key and generic
- All the bands on Wire Hanger basically sound exactly the same and basically have the same members so they might as well just be like one band called the Wire Hangers or something; either way its solid stuff
- For years I foolishly thought Slapshot was a 90s band
- "The Silent Circus" is still as dope now as it was when I first heard it. Conversely, "Sgt Pepper's" has grown on me more and more over the years; When I was a kid I didn't like it much when compared with The White Album but now I'm not so sure
- Favorite new discoveries this month: Soft Salad, Author & Punisher, This World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, Caspian, Colossal Wrecks, clipping, Vildhjarta, Northlane, The-Drum, Structures, Bedlam Of Cacophony, Octa#Grape, Z Berg, Laura Gravelle, Death By Snoo Snoo, Struckout, Hail Adventurer
- The new Desperate Living EP rips, as does the new Left Astray EP
- Author & Punisher is some evil shit
- The Underpass that I listened to is not the same Underpass that I played with a few days later
- Weed is tight. Weed is tight.
- "La Dolly Vita" was never one of my favorites before but it has been stuck in my head for like 2 weeks now...'cool as I scream'
- I listened to alot of music on the 16th I must have done absolutely nothing else but sit in front of that tablet changing Bandcamps
- clipping is the future of hip hop
- Alot of my friends are really into Andrew Jackson Jihad, and I like them okay, but I just don't get how people get sooo damn into them. I just don't get it.
- "Go Buck Yourself" is at once the stupidest album title and the only possible album title a man named Joe Bucks could ever have
- Holy shit Bedlam Of Cacophony is fucking AWESOME
- I probably would have been way into The Black Rose Phantoms back in my AFI/Tiger Army days but not so much currently
- Octa#Grape is like Coltranes/NSU weird-punk but with organs or something...Cool stuff
- Today I Caught The Plague is called The Kindred now and IMO both names suck
- How in the world did I sleep on Kid Koala for so long
- Between Rachel Birke, Z Berg, Laura Gravelle, and okay okay I have acquired several new music-chick crushes this month
- I typed this up at my telemarketing job and when I was typing "John Tejada" I got a call in my headset for a Tejada household...Spooky
- Speaking of which, between Grey Ghost, Erleen Nada, Goldroom, Author & Punisher, The Body, Gypsy Mamba, Dimlite, Daedelus, Teebs, 65daysofstatic, BLOK, clipping, Rioux, The-Drum, Kid Koala, House Shoes, John Tejada, and Subjection I listened to way more electronic music of various types this month than probably any other month this year
- That sucks that Kid Armor had to drop off the show they were gonna play at The Dial because they're dope; also, that was the show that Kevin Crisis asked me to tape Reunion's performance during but I flaked out and didn't even go -- I'm sorry Kevin
- Despite their stupid-ass "Futurama"-related name, Death By Snoo Snoo is one of the coolest damn punk rock bands I have heard in a long long time...Absolutely killer. That singer lady waaaaiils.
- Why some wacky quasi-lounge-rock band called The Inspector Cluzo would be opening up for Suicidal Tendencies, Terror, and Trash Talk is inexplicable
- Every single song The Frights play sounds the same but dammit if they aren't cool little ditties
- Struckout = quality 90's-style screamo
- Melinda Mae is actually the misleading moniker for an acoustic dude named Ian who does mainly short instrumental stuff...Enjoyable
- I don't remember listening to that Beautiful View song whatsoever but I wouldn't have written it down if I hadn't
- Jackson from Hail Adventurer can really play guitar very well
- Somehow that was the first time I ever listened to Modern Life Is War. For shame.
- Every band wants to be Lightning Bolt these days
LIVE:
11/6/13 - Hikes/GoldSpine @ The Dial
11/9/13 - Pilgrims/Unstrung/PSO @ The Dial
11/10/13 - Desperate Living/Swells/KRAMPVS/Deaf Ears/Flowers Taped To Pens @ The Dial
11/13/13 - The Coltranes/Weed/Crisis Arm/Underpass/Dogs/(The Gravitys) @ The Dial
11/30/13 - Matt Pless/Francie Moon/Nicholas Hull/Hail, Adventurer/Sarah Soltys/n8nothing @ The Dial
LIVE NOTES:
- Unstrung has a cool EP but they played for like 15 minutes and mobbed out when it was like, their damn show...Very lame
- The drummer for Deaf Ears is fucking nuts
- I didn't realize it until after their set but I used to know Alex from Underpass, who were on tour from Canada with Weed, when he lived in Temecula several years ago. Small world.
- That acoustic show at the end of the month was real fun; Matt and Francie are so sweet and they slept out in the warehouse while we celebrated Shauna's birthday in the lobby; nice times
MOVIES/DVDs:
11/1/13 - "Tales From The Crypt: The Complete Sixth Season" 3-Disc Set
11/12/13 - "The Lost Weekend"
11/14/13 - "Ted"
11/18/13 - "Tropic Thunder"
MOVIE/DVD NOTES:
- The Cryptkeeper is fucking hilarious
- Wow "The Lost Weekend" is a damn good film; I wish I didn't relate so closely
- How the fuck did Robert Downey Jr. get an Oscar nomination for "Tropic Thunder"
ZINES:
11/14/13 - "thistownsdrunk" #3
11/28/13 - Blood Orange Infoshop Manifesto
ZINE NOTES:
- "thistownsdrunk" is a bit too idealistic for my tastes
MUSIC:
11/1/13
Apathean - "Eve"
Bad American - "American Dream"
V/A - "Fat Music For Fat People"
Fleetwood Mac - S/T
11/2/13
Secret Fun Club - "Skull With Antlers"
Apathean - "Eve"
The Blessed - "Deep Frenzy" 7"
Tea For One - "Excelsior Lights" EP
The Manx - "Blood Chronicles" EP
Go For Gold - "Mixed Feelings" EP
Early Graves - "Goner"
11/3/13
Narrowed - "Thick Skull" EP
The Rebound -"It Never Rains In San Diego" EP
Tera Melos - "X'ed Out"
Narrows - "New Distances"
Sculpins - November 2012 Demo
Subhumans - "Time Flies...But Aeroplanes Crash" EP
The Rebound - "It Never Rains In San Diego" EP
The Reign Of Kindo - "Rhythm, Chord, and Melody"
11/4/13
Scale The Summit - "The Migration"
Grey Ghost - "Space Ambassador" digital single
Shake Before Us - S/T
Jurassic Shark - "The Beginning" demo
Hikes/GoldSpine - split EP
The Littlest Viking - "Labor & Love"
The Woggles - "Get Tough!"
Welcome To Now - "Know Who You Are" EP
Farabee - "Welcome to the Underground"
11/5/13
The Zermatts - "Audio Recordings"
Basement - "Songs About Weather" EP
Rexx - S/T EP
No Bueno - "PC Violence" EP
Unstrung - "Sucking Fun in the Fucking Sun" EP
Charlie Siren - "This Is Home"
11/6/13
PSO - "Into the Maze" 7"
V/A - Wire Hanger Records Sampler June 2013
Chango Rey y El Moreno - S/T
Stab City - "Tall Can" 7"
The Growlers - "Gay Thoughts"/"Feelin' Good" 7"
11/7/13
Slapshot - "Old Tyme Hardcore"
Between The Buried And Me - "The Silent Circus"
Walls That Talk - "St. Andrews" EP
The Coltranes - "The Man With The Hat" EP
11/8/13
Oceans - Winter 2010 demo
Soft Salad - "Parkway Periphery" EP
The Beatles - "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"
11/9/13
The Coltranes - "Never Sleep Again" EP
end of the summer - "Second" EP
11/10/13
Flowers Taped To Pens/Nevasca/American Memories/DayCare - 4-way split
KRAMPVS - "Hangman's Noose" EP
Orphans/Swells - split EP
Desperate Living - "I Think I'm Losing Touch" EP
Erleen Nada - S/T
Goldroom - "Embrace"
White Murder - "Arteries Are Flexible"/"Shutter Speed" 7"
Death Hymn Number 9 - "Smokestack Frightening" EP
Freedom Club - "Starting a War" EP
Jello Biafra & The Guantanamo School Of Medicine - "The Audacity Of Hype"
Autistic Youth - "Landmine Beach"
Neighborhood Brats - "No Sun, No Tan" EP
Power Trip - "Manifest Decimation"
Nicky Venus - "Little Runner" EP
11/11/13
Idyll Wild - "Mouth Amuser" 7"
The Deer Tracks - "Eggegrund" EP
Nimzo Indians - "Summer Blood" EP
Author & Punisher - "Ursus Americanus"
Joint Chiefs Of Math - "Word Alive" EP
The Body - "5 Songs" EP
The Moms - "Viva!" EP
Underpass - "Civilian Applications" EP
Dogs - "Heroin & Flu Shots" EP
11/12/13
Weed - "Deserve"
Gypsy Mamba - "I Keel You Owl" mixtape
Deaf Ears - 3-song demo
11/13/13
Dimlite - "Abscission"
Melt-Banana - "Cactuses Come In Flocks" EP
Zorch - "ZZORRCCHH"
11/14/13
Tera Melos - "Zoo Weather" EP
11/15/13
Silo The Avatar - "Test-Tube Nation" mixtape
S.N.O.T. - "Slaughterhouse" EP
The 4th International - "Nichijou Se No Hakai Wa Wareware No Gensou" EP
KDC - "Naive to the Bone" EP
Smashing Pumpkins - "Pisces Iscariot"
AFI - "Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes"
11/16/13
First Benders - 3-song demo
Shipwrecks - "From Dusk to Dawn" digital single
Ocean Man - "iphone recordings" demo
Go For Fold - "This Life is Now, Not Never" EP
The Atolls - "Hair Machine" EP
This World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - "Whenever, If Ever"
The Great Electric Quest - "Chapter II" EP
65daysofstatic - "How I Fucked Off All My Friends" EP
Caspian - "Hymn for the Greatest Generation"
Follies & Vices - "Trash Can Full of Treasure is Still a Trash Can" EP
Olivias - S/T EP
Zissou - "The Quilted Room" EP
Left Astray - "Confines" EP
Colossal Wrecks - Fall 2012 demos
Coma Regalia/Marital Roles - split cassette
The Anniversary - "Designing for a Nervous Breakdown"
I.E. - "Most Importantly" EP
Bulletins - 2-song digital demo
BLOK - "Lair of the White Worm" digital single
The Foreign Resort - "Scattered and Buried"
11/17/13
clipping - "midcity"
The Gunshy - "Silent Songs"
Andrew Jackson Jihad - "Live at the Crescent Ballroom"
Here Comes The Kraken - "The Omen" EP
Ever Ending Kicks - "Weird Priorities"
Rioux - "Spirit Calling"/"Miniatures" digital single
Vildhjarta - "Omnislash"
AshTreJinkins - "The Worst" EP
end of the summer - "Second" EP
11/18/13
Northlane - "Singularity"
The-Drum - "Sense Not" EP
Plastic City Pariah - "PxCxPx" demo
James Rabbit - "Coloratura"
iji - "Unltd. Cool Drinks"
11/19/13
Joe Bucks - "Go Buck Yourself"
end of the summer - "Second" EP
11/20/13
Daedelus/Teebs - "Los Angeles 6" split EP
Little Bear - "I'd Let You Win" digital single
Structures - "Divided By"
11/21/13
Neighbors To The North - "Starfishes" EP
Bedlam Of Cacophony - "Neuroleptic"
The Mormons - "Forge Ahead" EP
The Black Rose Phantoms - "Beyond the Wall of Sleep"
Noel Jordan & The Slow Mutants - "No Stars At Night" digital single
Natives - S/T EP
Tropical Popsicle - "Ghost Beacons" EP
Octa#Grape - "Red UFO"
11/22/13
Rachel Birke - "When I Get Old, I Hope I'm Glad" EP
Reflex From Pain - "Black & White" EP
Neon Cough - S/T
11/24/13
Protest The Hero - "Volition"
Today I Caught The Plague - "Lore"
11/25/13
Architects - "Daybreaker"
Among Savages - "Start at the Beginning" EP
Shotty - 2012 EP
Bellhaunts - "Deathless" EP
Z-Berg - June 2013 demo
Tiny Hearts - "Stay" EP
11/26/13
We Are Sirens - "Every, Body, Panic."
The Shallow End - June 2011 demo
Kid Koala - "Some Of My Best Friends Are DJs"
Ned Flounders - "Songs To Give Birth To" EP
Laura Gravelle - "In Winter"
11/27/13
Yung Satan - "Out" digital single
Roddy Radiation & The Skabilly Rebels - "Live in Germany"
Kid Armor - "Better Days" EP
Reunion - 3-song demo
Safe And Sound - Rain Fest promo tape
Clear Plastic - "Tethered Body" digital single
Sainthood Reps/Weatherbox - split 7"
House Shoes - "Presents an Experimentation in Instrumentation"
Ancestral Awakening - September 2013 demo
Jeans Wilder - "Totally"
Ed Ghost Tucker - February 2013 demo
KYNG - "California Dreamin'" EP
Tiger Milk Imports - January 2013 demos
Reunion - 2012 demo
11/28/13
Safe And Sound - "Won't Turn Our Backs" EP
Western Settings - S/T EP
John Tejada - "Cleaning Sounds is a Filthy Business"
The Echo & The Sound - S/T EP
Espectro - "The Rapture"
Play Fight - "The Grasshopper and The Goose" EP
The Saline Solutions - "Soledad" EP
Death By Snoo Snoo - "Tasta Saat!"
Tulips - April 2013 demo
The Inspector Cluzo - "The French Bastards"
Blood Dancer - S/T
okay okay - January 2012 demos
11/29/13
Island Boy - S/T EP
Diamond Youth - "Orange" EP
Jackson Price - "Jackson"
Joshua Bitter - "Cult Folk" EP
The Frights - S/T
Struckout - "I'd Hate Me Too"
Texas In July - S/T
Melinda Mae - "A Brief Glimpse of a Moonless Sky" demo
File Island - "4 Covers" EP
The Ghost Inside - "Get What You Give"
The Phantoms - "Crazy Like A Wasp" EP
Citizen - "Young States" EP
The Beautiful View - "The Horseman" digital single
The Gravitys - "Unplugged at The Dial" EP
The Gravitys - May 2011 demo
11/30/13
Hail, Adventurer - S/T
Francie Moon - "Morning Red"EP
Matt Pless - "Short Tales and Tall Stories"
Suspect - S/T EP
Somali Pirates - "The Gold Collection"
Modern Life Is War - "Midnight in America"
Planet Vegeta - "2-Person Game" EP
MPG - 2013 Demo
Luum - March 2013 Demo
Subjection - "Shade" EP
Alexander The Grape - "Planet of the Grapes"
NOTES:
- I'm finally almost done with my Apathean review, 6 months after the initial request. Look for it next summer.
- "Fat Music For Fat People" is a damn classic
- Starting with that Tea For One EP I began doing cursory reviews of each and every thing I listened to on my alternate music-posting blog Smorgascore.Check it out.
- Some dude at Mark's birthday party told me about The Rebound like 4 times, increasingly drunk and each time completely forgetting that he had already told me about them; apparently there's a member of Griever in the band although they are more like NFG-style pop punk...The guy's name was Phil
- Damn the new Tera Melos is so good, I shouldn't have slept on it for so long
- I didn't think there was Subhumans music I hadn't heard back in middle school but I was wrong
- New Scale The Summit! New Protest The Hero! Both awesome!
- Worst of the month: Grey Ghost (wack); Chango Rey y el Moreno (fucking annoying); First Benders (weak); Follies & Vices (lame); Plastic City Pariah (stupid); Among Savages (completely forgettable); Shotty (also lame); We Are Sirens ("party rock"); Yung Satan (terrible); Jackson Price (insufferably lame); File Island (thin)
- GoldSpine is better live than on album
- Welcome To Now and Farabee are both well-intentioned and have good local followings and everything but they are just so shittily off-key and generic
- All the bands on Wire Hanger basically sound exactly the same and basically have the same members so they might as well just be like one band called the Wire Hangers or something; either way its solid stuff
- For years I foolishly thought Slapshot was a 90s band
- "The Silent Circus" is still as dope now as it was when I first heard it. Conversely, "Sgt Pepper's" has grown on me more and more over the years; When I was a kid I didn't like it much when compared with The White Album but now I'm not so sure
- Favorite new discoveries this month: Soft Salad, Author & Punisher, This World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die, Caspian, Colossal Wrecks, clipping, Vildhjarta, Northlane, The-Drum, Structures, Bedlam Of Cacophony, Octa#Grape, Z Berg, Laura Gravelle, Death By Snoo Snoo, Struckout, Hail Adventurer
- The new Desperate Living EP rips, as does the new Left Astray EP
- Author & Punisher is some evil shit
- The Underpass that I listened to is not the same Underpass that I played with a few days later
- Weed is tight. Weed is tight.
- "La Dolly Vita" was never one of my favorites before but it has been stuck in my head for like 2 weeks now...'cool as I scream'
- I listened to alot of music on the 16th I must have done absolutely nothing else but sit in front of that tablet changing Bandcamps
- clipping is the future of hip hop
- Alot of my friends are really into Andrew Jackson Jihad, and I like them okay, but I just don't get how people get sooo damn into them. I just don't get it.
- "Go Buck Yourself" is at once the stupidest album title and the only possible album title a man named Joe Bucks could ever have
- Holy shit Bedlam Of Cacophony is fucking AWESOME
- I probably would have been way into The Black Rose Phantoms back in my AFI/Tiger Army days but not so much currently
- Octa#Grape is like Coltranes/NSU weird-punk but with organs or something...Cool stuff
- Today I Caught The Plague is called The Kindred now and IMO both names suck
- How in the world did I sleep on Kid Koala for so long
- Between Rachel Birke, Z Berg, Laura Gravelle, and okay okay I have acquired several new music-chick crushes this month
- I typed this up at my telemarketing job and when I was typing "John Tejada" I got a call in my headset for a Tejada household...Spooky
- Speaking of which, between Grey Ghost, Erleen Nada, Goldroom, Author & Punisher, The Body, Gypsy Mamba, Dimlite, Daedelus, Teebs, 65daysofstatic, BLOK, clipping, Rioux, The-Drum, Kid Koala, House Shoes, John Tejada, and Subjection I listened to way more electronic music of various types this month than probably any other month this year
- That sucks that Kid Armor had to drop off the show they were gonna play at The Dial because they're dope; also, that was the show that Kevin Crisis asked me to tape Reunion's performance during but I flaked out and didn't even go -- I'm sorry Kevin
- Despite their stupid-ass "Futurama"-related name, Death By Snoo Snoo is one of the coolest damn punk rock bands I have heard in a long long time...Absolutely killer. That singer lady waaaaiils.
- Why some wacky quasi-lounge-rock band called The Inspector Cluzo would be opening up for Suicidal Tendencies, Terror, and Trash Talk is inexplicable
- Every single song The Frights play sounds the same but dammit if they aren't cool little ditties
- Struckout = quality 90's-style screamo
- Melinda Mae is actually the misleading moniker for an acoustic dude named Ian who does mainly short instrumental stuff...Enjoyable
- I don't remember listening to that Beautiful View song whatsoever but I wouldn't have written it down if I hadn't
- Jackson from Hail Adventurer can really play guitar very well
- Somehow that was the first time I ever listened to Modern Life Is War. For shame.
- Every band wants to be Lightning Bolt these days
LIVE:
11/6/13 - Hikes/GoldSpine @ The Dial
11/9/13 - Pilgrims/Unstrung/PSO @ The Dial
11/10/13 - Desperate Living/Swells/KRAMPVS/Deaf Ears/Flowers Taped To Pens @ The Dial
11/13/13 - The Coltranes/Weed/Crisis Arm/Underpass/Dogs/(The Gravitys) @ The Dial
11/30/13 - Matt Pless/Francie Moon/Nicholas Hull/Hail, Adventurer/Sarah Soltys/n8nothing @ The Dial
LIVE NOTES:
- Unstrung has a cool EP but they played for like 15 minutes and mobbed out when it was like, their damn show...Very lame
- The drummer for Deaf Ears is fucking nuts
- I didn't realize it until after their set but I used to know Alex from Underpass, who were on tour from Canada with Weed, when he lived in Temecula several years ago. Small world.
- That acoustic show at the end of the month was real fun; Matt and Francie are so sweet and they slept out in the warehouse while we celebrated Shauna's birthday in the lobby; nice times
MOVIES/DVDs:
11/1/13 - "Tales From The Crypt: The Complete Sixth Season" 3-Disc Set
11/12/13 - "The Lost Weekend"
11/14/13 - "Ted"
11/18/13 - "Tropic Thunder"
MOVIE/DVD NOTES:
- The Cryptkeeper is fucking hilarious
- Wow "The Lost Weekend" is a damn good film; I wish I didn't relate so closely
- How the fuck did Robert Downey Jr. get an Oscar nomination for "Tropic Thunder"
ZINES:
11/14/13 - "thistownsdrunk" #3
11/28/13 - Blood Orange Infoshop Manifesto
ZINE NOTES:
- "thistownsdrunk" is a bit too idealistic for my tastes
Saturday, November 16, 2013
BAND OVERVIEW: Holly & The Italians
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=StJUxSrcpIE
Holly Vincent grew up next to my mom in the early 1970s. My mom had a big crush on her older brother Nick Vincent, who was her first kiss and went on to play keyboards for that band with the "Aquariaus" song.
She didn't know it at the time, but my mom was surrounded by what were to become rock n roll legends. The teen girl who later became "Joan Jett" also went to Taft High School, as well as Cherie Currie. My mom knew them as the "Sunset Girls" because she was kinda awkward and didn't know how to know them.
Holly Vincent was like, the thug of the group. Mom knew her the best because like I said, they were next door neighbors, but she never really got involved.
Holly Vincent dated Joey Ramone for a short while and even made a cover of "I Got You Babe" with him. In my mind, that connects me to The Ramones by proxy.
She became a lesbian and is friends with the Indigo Girls.
Holly Vincent grew up next to my mom in the early 1970s. My mom had a big crush on her older brother Nick Vincent, who was her first kiss and went on to play keyboards for that band with the "Aquariaus" song.
She didn't know it at the time, but my mom was surrounded by what were to become rock n roll legends. The teen girl who later became "Joan Jett" also went to Taft High School, as well as Cherie Currie. My mom knew them as the "Sunset Girls" because she was kinda awkward and didn't know how to know them.
Holly Vincent was like, the thug of the group. Mom knew her the best because like I said, they were next door neighbors, but she never really got involved.
Holly Vincent dated Joey Ramone for a short while and even made a cover of "I Got You Babe" with him. In my mind, that connects me to The Ramones by proxy.
She became a lesbian and is friends with the Indigo Girls.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Smorgascore
I started a new blog that's solely dedicated to listing stuff I listened to...Much like my playlists on this blog, but with links to the music and almost always listed right after I finish listening to the full release....
If you see anything that you have created and do not want listed on my blog or something let me know / Everything is from already-available sources like Bandcamp, Grooveshark, and YouTube.
Check it out if you are so inclined.
http://smorgascore.blogspot.com/
Monday, November 4, 2013
Playlist for October 2013
This is a list of all the albums, EPs, demos, etc that I listened to in their entirety during the month of October 2013. Afterwards are my notes, followed by lists of the live music I saw, comics/zines that I read, and movies that I watched and their respective notes as well.
MUSIC:
10/1/13
The Coltranes - "Never Sleep Again/The Man With The Hat" LP
The Beat - "The Kids Are The Same"
10/2/13
The Beat - S/T
10/3/13
Stage Kids - S/T EP
Mylets - "Retcon"
10/4/13
The Coltranes - "The Man With The Hat" EP
10/5/13
Same Difference - "B-Values"
Pray For Teeth - "I'm Still Finding Feathers In My Hair" EP
Patsy O'Hara/Centuries - split EP
Self-Provoked - "Chalk Fades"
10/6/13
Smashing Pumpkins - "MACHINA/The Machines Of God"
Integrity - "In Contrast Of Sin" EP
Drew Andrews - Europe Tour 2008 EP
Hills Like Elephants - "Feral Flocks"
New Mexico - "Malpais"
Wretched Philiproy - Demo
Big Bugs - "201<3" demo
Power Trip - "Manifest Decimation" EP
10/7/13
Code Orange Kids - "Love Is Love//Return To Dust"
Dolphins n Shit - "Untitled"
Terminal A - "Satellite" digital single
Sashcloth & Ashes - "Just One Night" 7"
Neighbors To The North - "Starfisher"
Fucked Up - "No Pasaran" 7"
Terror - "One With The Underdogs"
Wesley Hartley & The Travelling Trees - "Narrow Gauge Quad Trains"
Goodnight Ravenswood - "Freedom" EP
decker. - "Slider"
10/8/13
Gloomsday - "Paradise Tossed"
The Electric Healing Sound - "Tangled Up"
Shiva Trash - S/T EP
Computer Jay - "Black Smoke" digital single
Rocky Business - "White People Are Drug Dealers Too" mixtape
Spirit Animal - "Kingdom Phylum" EP
Ashen Earth - 2-song digital demo
10/9/13
Lycanthia - "Oligarchy"
end of the summer - "Three" EP
10/10/13
Paul Baribeau - "Unbearable"
Forty Winters - "Reflections"
Cannibal Corpse - "The Bleeding"
10/11/13
end of the summer - "Three" EP
10/12/13
Twitching Tongues - "Sleepy Therapy"
Turnstile - "Pressure to Succeed" EP
Tommy Santee Klaws - "Of Light"
Last In Line - "They Gave Us Free Alcohol" live album
10/13/13
end of the summer - "Three" EP
10/14/13
end of the summer - "Second" EP
The Coathangers - "Larceny & Old Lace"
Coward - "Arise" EP
Rexx - "My Last Moment Of Teenage Angst"
Abiotic - "A Universal Plague"
Greyline/Otis - "Epidemic of the Forked Tongue" split EP
Waking The Cadaver - "Beyond Cops. Beyond God."
10/15/13
Devourment - "Conceived in Sewage"
Pool Party - "Pet Me" EP
Exhumed - "Anatomy is Destiny"
10/16/14
The Coltranes - "Never Sleep Again/The Man With The Hat" LP
The Coltranes - "The Man With The Hat" EP
10/17/13
Children Of Bodom - "Are You Dead Yet?"
Screaming Trees - "Sweet Oblivion"
10/20/13
Refused - "Pump The Brakes" EP
10/21/13
Crisis Arm/Dogs - "Crisis Dogs" split EP
Kettle Cadaver - "Halloween"
10/23/13
He Whose Ox Is Gored - "Nightshade" EP
Hellbent - 2007 Demo
Ground Up - 2008 Demo
Remembering Never - "She Looks So Good In Red"
10/24/13
end of the summer - "Three" EP
The Coltranes - "Never Sleep Again/The Man With The Hat" LP
10/27/13
Wretched Philiproy - Demo
The Coltranes - "Never Sleep Again/The Man With The Hat" LP
10/31/13
Samhain - "November Coming Fire"
MUSIC NOTES:
- "The Man With The Hat" EP is just on repeat over and over and over I cannot get enough of it; "Underneath this house...THIS HOUSE...This house where I was born...I'VE BEEN MINING FOR DAYS"
- I have a song called "Bluff" that I was really trying to grow and then I heard "Will You Listen?" by The Beat and completely lost all inspiration because my main riff is the same as the main riff in that song
- I think I listen to "MACHINA" more than any other Pumpkins album
- Learning Wretched Philiproy songs made Dustin haunt me more than ever
- God damn Power Trip is badass
- Worst of the month: Terminal A (sucky), Sashcloth & Ashes (sucky), Neighbors To The North (boring), Goodnight Ravenswood (boring), Rocky Business (lame), Spirit Animal (super lame - also not the metal band Spirit Animal its some bullshit dance-pop stuff), Twitching Tongues (just terrible), Pool Party (also super lame)
- Thank you KP for making my new eots EP; Crisis Arm says it sounds midi; what do they know
- Twitching Tongues fucking suck, I thought they were supposed to be a hardcore band or something but instead they are like Sevendust if Sevendust wasn't as dope as they are (hint: Sevendust sucks)
- I bet I would have a crush on every single one of The Coathangers if I saw them live
- I assumed that Coward was gonna be like a Japanese noise-core band but they turned out to be a French acoustic project...Needless to say I was a bit thrown off
- Similarly, I assumed that Waking The Cadaver was a toothless deathcore band but they are a brutal death metal band on par with Dying Fetus (who they are currently on tour with)
- I reviewed that Rexx album on this blog just scroll down
-"Are You Dead Yet?" isn't the best COB album by a long shot but its not an utter piece of shit like people made it seem at the time...Honestly I never understood the problem it sounds so similar, metal fans are such nitpickers
- "YOU GOTTA PUMP THE BRAKES! PUMP ON THE BRAKES!"
- The singer for Remembering Never has never ever been on key in his entire life
LIVE:
10/2/13 - The Coltranes/Crooked Bangs/Bad Antics @ The Dial
10/3/13 - The Maxies/The Beat/Ready Steady Go/(The Gravitys) @ The Dial
10/4/13 - Sam Palacios/(Ian C.)/Ethan Harvey @ The Dial Open Mic Night
10/18/13 - The Coltranes @ The Vault
10/21/13 - Lo There Do I See My Brother/He Whose Ox Is Gored/Narrowed/Airs/Crisis Arm @ The Dial
10/25/13 - Sam Palacios @ The Dial Gallery Night
10/26/13 - Them Savages/Crisis Arm/The Coltranes/(The Gravitys)/Planet Vegeta/Liquid @ Anthony Lozano's house -- HAPPY FEST 2013
LIVE NOTES:
- The Beat was one of the best bands I have seen in a very long while and it was an honor to get to perform at the same show as them
- I'm really happy I was able to catch the end of Ethan's set at open mic night; him and I performed together at different open mics way back in the day, always back to back, every Wednesday for like a year...He had to move to Texas and that was one of his last local performances until he comes back. It's a shame nobody was really there
- Sam's solo bass project fucking rules
- I fell and hurt myself really bad during The Coltranes set at The Vault and then Ivan tried to screw them out of their rightful pay...Wasn't really the best night.
- HE WHOSE OX IS GORED: If A Perfect Circle were a bit darker, or if Opeth wasn't as dark, but with more keyboards. Fucking awesome.
- I don't know if that's the correct order of the performances at Happy Fest because as anyone who was there can attest, I was fucking smashed at that party. Shit was fun tho. I lost a Dr. Scholl's.
MOVIES:
10/2/13 - "This Is The End"
10/4/13 - "This Is The End"
10/17/13 - "Toy Story 3"
10/24/13 - "Rushmore"
10/28/13 - "Kettle Cadaver: A Taste Of Blood"
MOVIE NOTES:
- TAKE YO PANTIES OFF!!!
- I cried for like the entirety of "Toy Story 3"
- Goddamn I forgot what sick evil people Kettle Cadaver and all of us descendents truly are.
COMICS:
10/8/13: "Cold Porridge" issue #1 (much dopeness Brandon can't wait for the next one)
10/17/13: "Bongo Comics Free-For-All 2013"
ZINES:
10/27/13: "Pitted Press" issue 1 (another one will eventually surface and it will be way cooler than this first issue. I promise)
MUSIC:
10/1/13
The Coltranes - "Never Sleep Again/The Man With The Hat" LP
The Beat - "The Kids Are The Same"
10/2/13
The Beat - S/T
10/3/13
Stage Kids - S/T EP
Mylets - "Retcon"
10/4/13
The Coltranes - "The Man With The Hat" EP
10/5/13
Same Difference - "B-Values"
Pray For Teeth - "I'm Still Finding Feathers In My Hair" EP
Patsy O'Hara/Centuries - split EP
Self-Provoked - "Chalk Fades"
10/6/13
Smashing Pumpkins - "MACHINA/The Machines Of God"
Integrity - "In Contrast Of Sin" EP
Drew Andrews - Europe Tour 2008 EP
Hills Like Elephants - "Feral Flocks"
New Mexico - "Malpais"
Wretched Philiproy - Demo
Big Bugs - "201<3" demo
Power Trip - "Manifest Decimation" EP
10/7/13
Code Orange Kids - "Love Is Love//Return To Dust"
Dolphins n Shit - "Untitled"
Terminal A - "Satellite" digital single
Sashcloth & Ashes - "Just One Night" 7"
Neighbors To The North - "Starfisher"
Fucked Up - "No Pasaran" 7"
Terror - "One With The Underdogs"
Wesley Hartley & The Travelling Trees - "Narrow Gauge Quad Trains"
Goodnight Ravenswood - "Freedom" EP
decker. - "Slider"
10/8/13
Gloomsday - "Paradise Tossed"
The Electric Healing Sound - "Tangled Up"
Shiva Trash - S/T EP
Computer Jay - "Black Smoke" digital single
Rocky Business - "White People Are Drug Dealers Too" mixtape
Spirit Animal - "Kingdom Phylum" EP
Ashen Earth - 2-song digital demo
10/9/13
Lycanthia - "Oligarchy"
end of the summer - "Three" EP
10/10/13
Paul Baribeau - "Unbearable"
Forty Winters - "Reflections"
Cannibal Corpse - "The Bleeding"
10/11/13
end of the summer - "Three" EP
10/12/13
Twitching Tongues - "Sleepy Therapy"
Turnstile - "Pressure to Succeed" EP
Tommy Santee Klaws - "Of Light"
Last In Line - "They Gave Us Free Alcohol" live album
10/13/13
end of the summer - "Three" EP
10/14/13
end of the summer - "Second" EP
The Coathangers - "Larceny & Old Lace"
Coward - "Arise" EP
Rexx - "My Last Moment Of Teenage Angst"
Abiotic - "A Universal Plague"
Greyline/Otis - "Epidemic of the Forked Tongue" split EP
Waking The Cadaver - "Beyond Cops. Beyond God."
10/15/13
Devourment - "Conceived in Sewage"
Pool Party - "Pet Me" EP
Exhumed - "Anatomy is Destiny"
10/16/14
The Coltranes - "Never Sleep Again/The Man With The Hat" LP
The Coltranes - "The Man With The Hat" EP
10/17/13
Children Of Bodom - "Are You Dead Yet?"
Screaming Trees - "Sweet Oblivion"
10/20/13
Refused - "Pump The Brakes" EP
10/21/13
Crisis Arm/Dogs - "Crisis Dogs" split EP
Kettle Cadaver - "Halloween"
10/23/13
He Whose Ox Is Gored - "Nightshade" EP
Hellbent - 2007 Demo
Ground Up - 2008 Demo
Remembering Never - "She Looks So Good In Red"
10/24/13
end of the summer - "Three" EP
The Coltranes - "Never Sleep Again/The Man With The Hat" LP
10/27/13
Wretched Philiproy - Demo
The Coltranes - "Never Sleep Again/The Man With The Hat" LP
10/31/13
Samhain - "November Coming Fire"
MUSIC NOTES:
- "The Man With The Hat" EP is just on repeat over and over and over I cannot get enough of it; "Underneath this house...THIS HOUSE...This house where I was born...I'VE BEEN MINING FOR DAYS"
- I have a song called "Bluff" that I was really trying to grow and then I heard "Will You Listen?" by The Beat and completely lost all inspiration because my main riff is the same as the main riff in that song
- I think I listen to "MACHINA" more than any other Pumpkins album
- Learning Wretched Philiproy songs made Dustin haunt me more than ever
- God damn Power Trip is badass
- Worst of the month: Terminal A (sucky), Sashcloth & Ashes (sucky), Neighbors To The North (boring), Goodnight Ravenswood (boring), Rocky Business (lame), Spirit Animal (super lame - also not the metal band Spirit Animal its some bullshit dance-pop stuff), Twitching Tongues (just terrible), Pool Party (also super lame)
- Thank you KP for making my new eots EP; Crisis Arm says it sounds midi; what do they know
- Twitching Tongues fucking suck, I thought they were supposed to be a hardcore band or something but instead they are like Sevendust if Sevendust wasn't as dope as they are (hint: Sevendust sucks)
- I bet I would have a crush on every single one of The Coathangers if I saw them live
- I assumed that Coward was gonna be like a Japanese noise-core band but they turned out to be a French acoustic project...Needless to say I was a bit thrown off
- Similarly, I assumed that Waking The Cadaver was a toothless deathcore band but they are a brutal death metal band on par with Dying Fetus (who they are currently on tour with)
- I reviewed that Rexx album on this blog just scroll down
-"Are You Dead Yet?" isn't the best COB album by a long shot but its not an utter piece of shit like people made it seem at the time...Honestly I never understood the problem it sounds so similar, metal fans are such nitpickers
- "YOU GOTTA PUMP THE BRAKES! PUMP ON THE BRAKES!"
- The singer for Remembering Never has never ever been on key in his entire life
LIVE:
10/2/13 - The Coltranes/Crooked Bangs/Bad Antics @ The Dial
10/3/13 - The Maxies/The Beat/Ready Steady Go/(The Gravitys) @ The Dial
10/4/13 - Sam Palacios/(Ian C.)/Ethan Harvey @ The Dial Open Mic Night
10/18/13 - The Coltranes @ The Vault
10/21/13 - Lo There Do I See My Brother/He Whose Ox Is Gored/Narrowed/Airs/Crisis Arm @ The Dial
10/25/13 - Sam Palacios @ The Dial Gallery Night
10/26/13 - Them Savages/Crisis Arm/The Coltranes/(The Gravitys)/Planet Vegeta/Liquid @ Anthony Lozano's house -- HAPPY FEST 2013
LIVE NOTES:
- The Beat was one of the best bands I have seen in a very long while and it was an honor to get to perform at the same show as them
- I'm really happy I was able to catch the end of Ethan's set at open mic night; him and I performed together at different open mics way back in the day, always back to back, every Wednesday for like a year...He had to move to Texas and that was one of his last local performances until he comes back. It's a shame nobody was really there
- Sam's solo bass project fucking rules
- I fell and hurt myself really bad during The Coltranes set at The Vault and then Ivan tried to screw them out of their rightful pay...Wasn't really the best night.
- HE WHOSE OX IS GORED: If A Perfect Circle were a bit darker, or if Opeth wasn't as dark, but with more keyboards. Fucking awesome.
- I don't know if that's the correct order of the performances at Happy Fest because as anyone who was there can attest, I was fucking smashed at that party. Shit was fun tho. I lost a Dr. Scholl's.
MOVIES:
10/2/13 - "This Is The End"
10/4/13 - "This Is The End"
10/17/13 - "Toy Story 3"
10/24/13 - "Rushmore"
10/28/13 - "Kettle Cadaver: A Taste Of Blood"
MOVIE NOTES:
- TAKE YO PANTIES OFF!!!
- I cried for like the entirety of "Toy Story 3"
- Goddamn I forgot what sick evil people Kettle Cadaver and all of us descendents truly are.
COMICS:
10/8/13: "Cold Porridge" issue #1 (much dopeness Brandon can't wait for the next one)
10/17/13: "Bongo Comics Free-For-All 2013"
ZINES:
10/27/13: "Pitted Press" issue 1 (another one will eventually surface and it will be way cooler than this first issue. I promise)
Thursday, October 31, 2013
PRODUCT REVIEW: Warheads Sour Chewy Cubes
I bought these candies yesterday at the 76 gas station in the Promenade Mall circle. KP and I went in while en route to Gravity practice; I intended to get some iced tea but Pure Leaf was out of their "unsweetened" variety, and they are like the only tea brand who even offers such a variety. So I just grabbed a water and foolishly walked into the candy aisle, a place where I found myself weak and helpless against the forces of temptation. I quickly scanned the row of delicious treats, unable to decide what I wanted - looking carefully at the Laffy Taffy and then looking away, reminding myself that I already have Sour Patch Kids in my backpack, instinctively deciding against all things chocolate. I had consumed a PayDay only a fortnight previous so that was out of the question.
I noticed that KP was already paying, and I've been trying to be slightly more mindful about my extreme lagging lately (although I don't think it shows whatsoever) so I just hurried up and grabbed the thing that was in my direct vision at the moment - Warheads Sour Chewy Cubes.
In my mind, I expected "chewy" to represent a Starburst/Mamba-type texture, with the kind of high-level sourness that the Warheads brand is synonymous with. Sadly, however, both of these assumptions were wrong and the reality of these candies is something far less satisfying. The very moment I began chewing I was disappointed.
First of all, the "chewiness" was not the quasi-taffy type that I had envisioned, but was of a softer and more easily-disintegrated texture that did not provide the same physical satisfaction. I know this is gonna sound like a nightmare to anyone who has even the slightest basic knowledge of dentistry, but I kinda like getting all that sticky shit stuck on my teeth.
Secondly, the "sourness" is hardly there whatsoever. I mean, come on, this is supposed to be a Warheads product; I expected an almost upsetting level of sourness. I expected the sourness to come from within, not via a slight smattering of sour dust like a damn gummy worm. For shame.
The best way to describe these terrible candies is that they're like gumdrops coated with an insultingly minimal amount of Sour Patch dust, and the end result is just as dismal as that sounds.
I gave KP one and he was like "It's not that ba..." and then made the tell-tale face of disgust that will heretoforth be associated primarily with Warheads Sour Chewy Cubes.
I noticed that KP was already paying, and I've been trying to be slightly more mindful about my extreme lagging lately (although I don't think it shows whatsoever) so I just hurried up and grabbed the thing that was in my direct vision at the moment - Warheads Sour Chewy Cubes.
In my mind, I expected "chewy" to represent a Starburst/Mamba-type texture, with the kind of high-level sourness that the Warheads brand is synonymous with. Sadly, however, both of these assumptions were wrong and the reality of these candies is something far less satisfying. The very moment I began chewing I was disappointed.
First of all, the "chewiness" was not the quasi-taffy type that I had envisioned, but was of a softer and more easily-disintegrated texture that did not provide the same physical satisfaction. I know this is gonna sound like a nightmare to anyone who has even the slightest basic knowledge of dentistry, but I kinda like getting all that sticky shit stuck on my teeth.
Secondly, the "sourness" is hardly there whatsoever. I mean, come on, this is supposed to be a Warheads product; I expected an almost upsetting level of sourness. I expected the sourness to come from within, not via a slight smattering of sour dust like a damn gummy worm. For shame.
The best way to describe these terrible candies is that they're like gumdrops coated with an insultingly minimal amount of Sour Patch dust, and the end result is just as dismal as that sounds.
I gave KP one and he was like "It's not that ba..." and then made the tell-tale face of disgust that will heretoforth be associated primarily with Warheads Sour Chewy Cubes.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
The Gravitys
In all the forces,
It is the strongest, but also definitely the weakest.
Something there just cannot be quantified.
It can't be measured.
But it brings you down to ground level and it holds you there.
It holds things together.
It makes complete sense until you get to the purely cellular level,
And suddenly the entire thing falls apart.
It makes no sense at all and every item is loosely about;
Randomly dis-positioned.
There in the center, the very being.
Luckily, some flesh cannot be cut.
No design can be imposed.
No one can ever see that buried scar.
No worldly effects can ever help.
No pedal can hold it.
This Bike Is A Pipe Bomb.
Keep smiling and dialing.
Biology is real.
DRIVE SAFELY!!!
\_/
Thursday, October 24, 2013
The Coltranes
You brought your family here, to this place of silent hatred and confusion and horror,
Where spirits of former communities continue to menace and sweetly make their way into the minds of new owners
The whole narrative had been there always
"Our little group has always been,
And always will.
Until the end."
We have to give it back to future owners
We must allow things to smother us,
To forget us
We must recycle.
"Seven liters of your own doing. When it's wasted you will just replace it.
It's called Nutrition."
Where spirits of former communities continue to menace and sweetly make their way into the minds of new owners
The whole narrative had been there always
"Our little group has always been,
And always will.
Until the end."
We have to give it back to future owners
We must allow things to smother us,
To forget us
We must recycle.
"Seven liters of your own doing. When it's wasted you will just replace it.
It's called Nutrition."
Sunday, October 20, 2013
The Turtle
Why do you act like The Turtle is your friend?
Have you ever looked into his eyes?
He just wants to escape,
To get away from this see through box he cannot get out of,
This place of deceit and constant flow,
Where the purifier is always on.
This place that cannot be real.
Have you ever looked into his eyes?
He just wants to escape,
To get away from this see through box he cannot get out of,
This place of deceit and constant flow,
Where the purifier is always on.
This place that cannot be real.
Saturday, October 19, 2013
K-Pax
Who are these jokes directed towards?
Who is supposed to 'get' all this?
Who do you think is adding things up?
What value can there be when everything, every single thing is only halfway there?
Just perhaps. Always maybe.
Who can tell?
What's the fucking end-game here?
Are you ever going to tie things together?
Are you ever going to justify this abuse?
I hope you figure shit out man because I just don't know much longer I can take this.
Rock n roll will never die,
But you will.
Who is supposed to 'get' all this?
Who do you think is adding things up?
What value can there be when everything, every single thing is only halfway there?
Just perhaps. Always maybe.
Who can tell?
What's the fucking end-game here?
Are you ever going to tie things together?
Are you ever going to justify this abuse?
I hope you figure shit out man because I just don't know much longer I can take this.
Rock n roll will never die,
But you will.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
ALBUM REVIEW: Rexx - "My Last Moment Of Teenage Angst"
Rexx is the one-man-band project of Rex Osterkamp, formerly of the band MHV. Although loop/FX-driven solo acts have long been something difficult for me to mesh with, I've enjoyed his live sets when I've seen him play. He always at least appears to be having a good time with his songs, in contrast to many overly-sullen (or just sucky) loopers.
He was booked for a set at The Dial last night with Puzzle and The Aquadolls that I was unsure whether I would go to or not. The Chargers were playing The Colts on Monday Night Football as well, so that pretty much took precedent over any other plan that could be introduced. Come around 6:30 I was still somewhat considering heading to the warehouse when the game was over, however, so I streamed his new album "My Last Moment Of Teenage Angst" from Bandcamp during commercials and injury breaks.
Rexx's songs, not too short or simplistic but not overreaching or confounded either, actually worked very well in the disjointed fashion that I listened to them in; much like commercials they are each well-encaspulated and well-proportioned. Although sonically it fits into a general indie-wave mold, there is enough variance in vibe to make the whole thing not feel tiresome. Most of the tracks are upbeat and indie-danceable but others find a more brooding - yet somehow still slightly playful - middle ground.
The only minor flaws are that the drum programming (while much better-sounding than a large majority of programmed drums people pass off in this mixed-up lofi-for-lofi's-sake world) really puts a one-dimensional feel across the album that becomes almost distracting as it moves along. Also, the vocals are at times (perhaps intentionally) a bit weak/washy, although again, not nearly so much as many of the singular-project people in Rexx's 'genre'. On the whole it's a cool listen, though; catchy stuff.
My buddy David came over and watched the second half of the Chargers game with me and I continued to play songs during commercials because I have an OCD complex about finishing albums once I'm a certain length of the way through. David is more into melodic death metal and old school punk than anything else, but he has a fairly open mind and partway through one of the tracks - I think during the deceptively-upbeat "Going Blind" - he asked me "who is this?" I basically recited the first paragraph of this review to him and he was like "Cool. My dog's name is Rex."
A few moments later he just randomly laughed and said "My dog made an album!!!!!"
I never did go to the show because MNF ran until about 8:40, The Aquadolls dropped off the show at the last minute (again), and I was just kinda over the idea of going out at that point. When David left I decided to just go on a walk and write this review to get my mind tired. I haven't been sleeping well for a good long while now, and I think a big part of that is vegging out on football and online albums all day instead of getting my blood flowing or ever using my mind.
By the way, The Chargers won!! It was fucking awesome, we were making play after play all night and then at the end we were up by 10 points...but The Colts got the ball back with 2 minutes left to play, and we all know how The Chargers like to give up sizable leads at the last second. It's like, a fetish of theirs or something. THIS TIME, however, Andrew Luck threw an interception at the last goddamn minute and my dogs got scared from my dad and I screaming victory screams from both ends of the house.
Like I said, fucking awesome.
http://rexxagain.bandcamp.com/album/my-last-moment-of-teenage-angst
- This was written in an hour while listening to "A Universal Plague" by Abiotic and the Greylife/Otis "Epidemic of the Forked Tongue" split
He was booked for a set at The Dial last night with Puzzle and The Aquadolls that I was unsure whether I would go to or not. The Chargers were playing The Colts on Monday Night Football as well, so that pretty much took precedent over any other plan that could be introduced. Come around 6:30 I was still somewhat considering heading to the warehouse when the game was over, however, so I streamed his new album "My Last Moment Of Teenage Angst" from Bandcamp during commercials and injury breaks.
Rexx's songs, not too short or simplistic but not overreaching or confounded either, actually worked very well in the disjointed fashion that I listened to them in; much like commercials they are each well-encaspulated and well-proportioned. Although sonically it fits into a general indie-wave mold, there is enough variance in vibe to make the whole thing not feel tiresome. Most of the tracks are upbeat and indie-danceable but others find a more brooding - yet somehow still slightly playful - middle ground.
The only minor flaws are that the drum programming (while much better-sounding than a large majority of programmed drums people pass off in this mixed-up lofi-for-lofi's-sake world) really puts a one-dimensional feel across the album that becomes almost distracting as it moves along. Also, the vocals are at times (perhaps intentionally) a bit weak/washy, although again, not nearly so much as many of the singular-project people in Rexx's 'genre'. On the whole it's a cool listen, though; catchy stuff.
My buddy David came over and watched the second half of the Chargers game with me and I continued to play songs during commercials because I have an OCD complex about finishing albums once I'm a certain length of the way through. David is more into melodic death metal and old school punk than anything else, but he has a fairly open mind and partway through one of the tracks - I think during the deceptively-upbeat "Going Blind" - he asked me "who is this?" I basically recited the first paragraph of this review to him and he was like "Cool. My dog's name is Rex."
A few moments later he just randomly laughed and said "My dog made an album!!!!!"
I never did go to the show because MNF ran until about 8:40, The Aquadolls dropped off the show at the last minute (again), and I was just kinda over the idea of going out at that point. When David left I decided to just go on a walk and write this review to get my mind tired. I haven't been sleeping well for a good long while now, and I think a big part of that is vegging out on football and online albums all day instead of getting my blood flowing or ever using my mind.
By the way, The Chargers won!! It was fucking awesome, we were making play after play all night and then at the end we were up by 10 points...but The Colts got the ball back with 2 minutes left to play, and we all know how The Chargers like to give up sizable leads at the last second. It's like, a fetish of theirs or something. THIS TIME, however, Andrew Luck threw an interception at the last goddamn minute and my dogs got scared from my dad and I screaming victory screams from both ends of the house.
Like I said, fucking awesome.
http://rexxagain.bandcamp.com/album/my-last-moment-of-teenage-angst
- This was written in an hour while listening to "A Universal Plague" by Abiotic and the Greylife/Otis "Epidemic of the Forked Tongue" split
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Playlist for September 2013
This is a list of all the albums, EPs, and demos I listened to in their entirety during the month of September 2013. Afterward are my notes, followed by a list of live performances I saw in that time period, followed by a list of the movies I watched this month as well.
I was kind-of in a slump during the middle of the month (more-so than I already normally am) and that can be evidenced by the greatly diminished amount of music going on between the 5th and the 18th.
MUSIC PLAYLIST
9/1/13
MethXBreath - Demo 2013
Crush - Tour EP
Higher Learning - DIY Demo 2K10
Clarity - Demo 2011
FocusedXMinds - "Straight Edge Overload" EP
The Filthy Violets - "Lackluster Blvd." EP
9/2/13
iamsu! - "Young California"
Zak Waters - "New Normal" EP
Freeway - "Diamond in the Ruff"
Social Club - "Misfits"
9/3/13
The Internet - "Purple Naked Ladies"
9/4/13
Quitapenas - "Mas Tropical Vol. 1" EP
9th Wonder - "The Wonder Years"
9/5/13
Danzig - "II: Lucifuge"
9/6/13
The Replacements - "Let It Be"
9/12/13
The Replacements - "Let It Be"
9/13/13
The Replacements - "Let It Be"
9/14/13
Funeral Oration - "Say No To Life"
9/16/13
Poison The Well - "You Come Before You"
Ground Up - 2008 Demo
9/17/13
Crisis Arm - "Caterwaul"
The Gravitys - "Bring You Down"
9/18/13
Kaioken - 2013 Demo
The Illustrative Violet - "Such A Thing As Everything" EP
The Grinning Ghosts - "Pastiche Depression" EP
9/19/13
New Beat Fund - "Coinz" EP
Names Divine - "Thankful"
9/21/13
end of the summer - "Second" EP
Snapcase - "Lookinglasself"
9/22/13
Airs - "Adore"
Apathean - "Eve"
The Burning Of Rome - "With Us"
The Psychedelic Furs - "Midnight To Midnight"
Tiny Telephones - "The Heavenly Child"
The Octopus Project - "Hello, Avalanche"
Big Bad Buffalo - "First" EP
Swift Intruders - "The Sky Readings" EP
9/23/13
Joan Of Arc - "The Gap"
Cruel Hand - "Lock & Key"
9/24/13
Balance and Composure - "The Things We Think We're Missing"
Jeans Wilder - "Simpler Times" EP
Wolf Parade - 2003 EP
Mission Of Burma - "Vs."
end of the summer - "Second" EP
9/25/13
Tropical Popsicle - "The Dawn of Delight"
end of the summer - "Second" EP
Life's Blood - "Defiance" EP
end of the summer - "Second" EP
9/26/13
end of the summer - "Second" EP
Belle and Sebastian - "3...6...9 Seconds Of Light" EP
Belle and Sebastian - "This is Just a Modern Rock Song" EP
9/27/13
The Dickheads - "SxTxCx" demo
Wretched Philiproy - Demo
9/30/13
Forest Kingdom - "Eldritch" EP
Nicole Kidman - "-" cassette
MUSIC NOTES:
- FocusedXMinds are fucking over the top
- Between The Filthy Violets, iamsu!, Zak Waters, Social Club, and New Beat Fund, I listened to a lot of really shitty up-and-comers this month
- I like The Internet
- "Lucifuge" is just so goddamn badass
- I listened to "Let It Be" wayyy more times than this list would imply; on the 12th me and Spenny listened to it on repeat for several hours and then it was in the ratcar for several days...Before this binge I was mainly into "Answering Machine" and "Unsatisfied" but at this point I'm heavily addicted to each and every song on there.
- "Say No To Life" is much different than "Communion" and not nearly as jammed into my head as that album is, but all the acoustic flourishes really put it into competition as my favorite Funeral Oration album
- "Caterwaul" is without a doubt the best album of 2013
- The Illustrative Violet is really good.
- new end of the summer EP available now through Not Punk Records
- wow I forgot how good "Lookinglasself" is. Same for Mission Of Burma in general
- AIRS
- Apathean has been asking me to review that album since before it came out and I
finally listened to it...review coming eventually
- damn Cruel Hand is badass how did I sleep on them for so long
- for some reason I thought Balance And Composure was gonna be some lame poetry-core band like La Dispute but not so much, theyre really good
- LIFE'S BLOOD
- "This is Just a Modern Rock Song"
- Pat from The Dickheads asked me this very morning (10/2) to review The Dickheads on this shit-talking blog...Man are they in for it
- Happy birthday Dusty
LIVE:
9/6/13 - Crisis Arm/Dogs @ Blood Orange Infoshop (Crisis Arm's "Caterwaul" release show)
9/7/13 - Crisis Arm/Obsolete Sun/Dogs/Save The Swim Team/(The Gravitys)/Beanvian Stalks Guava/The Nest @ The Dial (International Cassette Store Day Fest)
9/15/13 - Sneeze/(end of the summer) @ The Dial
9/19/13 - The Grinning Ghosts/The Illustrative Violet/Dani Poppit @ The Dial
9/20/13 - Divided Heaven/Bradley Riot/(end of the summer)/No Red Alice/Jason Crook @ The Dial
9/27/13 - The Dickheads/Beanvian Stalks Guava/Sold Souls @ The Dial
9/28/13 - Pardon Me Sir/Liquid/C. Kitten/Beanvian Stalks Guava @ The Dial
LIVE NOTES:
- I feel so stupid for having slept through the entire Crisis Arm cassette release show and then making a complete ass out of myself and dissolving my own band's set at International Cassette Store Day...I'm sorry to everybody I insulted, irritated, or otherwise imposed upon that weekend. That shit sucked.
- Sneeze was dope as fuck but they sold me a goddamn Youth Large shirt...Can't nobody rock a damn Youth Large, especially not my fat ass
- The Illustrative Violet is really good
- Beanvian Stalks Guava are just such swell fellas
MOVIES
9/3/13
"When A Man Loves A Woman"
9/4/13
"The Weatherman"
"The Place Beyond The Pines"
9/5/13
"The Iceman"
9/8/13
"The House Bunny"
9/14/13
"Role Models"
9/16/13
"30 Minutes Or Less"
9/18/13
"Strange Brew"
9/19/13
"Now You See Me"
MOVIE NOTES
- "The Weatherman" is a weird, weird movie
- Goddamn "The Place Beyond The Pines" was good
- My co-worker claims that "Strange Brew" is her favorite movie of all time but I just don't get it
- "Now You See Me" is by far one of the stupidest goddamned movies I have seen in quite a long time
I was kind-of in a slump during the middle of the month (more-so than I already normally am) and that can be evidenced by the greatly diminished amount of music going on between the 5th and the 18th.
MUSIC PLAYLIST
9/1/13
MethXBreath - Demo 2013
Crush - Tour EP
Higher Learning - DIY Demo 2K10
Clarity - Demo 2011
FocusedXMinds - "Straight Edge Overload" EP
The Filthy Violets - "Lackluster Blvd." EP
9/2/13
iamsu! - "Young California"
Zak Waters - "New Normal" EP
Freeway - "Diamond in the Ruff"
Social Club - "Misfits"
9/3/13
The Internet - "Purple Naked Ladies"
9/4/13
Quitapenas - "Mas Tropical Vol. 1" EP
9th Wonder - "The Wonder Years"
9/5/13
Danzig - "II: Lucifuge"
9/6/13
The Replacements - "Let It Be"
9/12/13
The Replacements - "Let It Be"
9/13/13
The Replacements - "Let It Be"
9/14/13
Funeral Oration - "Say No To Life"
9/16/13
Poison The Well - "You Come Before You"
Ground Up - 2008 Demo
9/17/13
Crisis Arm - "Caterwaul"
The Gravitys - "Bring You Down"
9/18/13
Kaioken - 2013 Demo
The Illustrative Violet - "Such A Thing As Everything" EP
The Grinning Ghosts - "Pastiche Depression" EP
9/19/13
New Beat Fund - "Coinz" EP
Names Divine - "Thankful"
9/21/13
end of the summer - "Second" EP
Snapcase - "Lookinglasself"
9/22/13
Airs - "Adore"
Apathean - "Eve"
The Burning Of Rome - "With Us"
The Psychedelic Furs - "Midnight To Midnight"
Tiny Telephones - "The Heavenly Child"
The Octopus Project - "Hello, Avalanche"
Big Bad Buffalo - "First" EP
Swift Intruders - "The Sky Readings" EP
9/23/13
Joan Of Arc - "The Gap"
Cruel Hand - "Lock & Key"
9/24/13
Balance and Composure - "The Things We Think We're Missing"
Jeans Wilder - "Simpler Times" EP
Wolf Parade - 2003 EP
Mission Of Burma - "Vs."
end of the summer - "Second" EP
9/25/13
Tropical Popsicle - "The Dawn of Delight"
end of the summer - "Second" EP
Life's Blood - "Defiance" EP
end of the summer - "Second" EP
9/26/13
end of the summer - "Second" EP
Belle and Sebastian - "3...6...9 Seconds Of Light" EP
Belle and Sebastian - "This is Just a Modern Rock Song" EP
9/27/13
The Dickheads - "SxTxCx" demo
Wretched Philiproy - Demo
9/30/13
Forest Kingdom - "Eldritch" EP
Nicole Kidman - "-" cassette
MUSIC NOTES:
- FocusedXMinds are fucking over the top
- Between The Filthy Violets, iamsu!, Zak Waters, Social Club, and New Beat Fund, I listened to a lot of really shitty up-and-comers this month
- I like The Internet
- "Lucifuge" is just so goddamn badass
- I listened to "Let It Be" wayyy more times than this list would imply; on the 12th me and Spenny listened to it on repeat for several hours and then it was in the ratcar for several days...Before this binge I was mainly into "Answering Machine" and "Unsatisfied" but at this point I'm heavily addicted to each and every song on there.
- "Say No To Life" is much different than "Communion" and not nearly as jammed into my head as that album is, but all the acoustic flourishes really put it into competition as my favorite Funeral Oration album
- "Caterwaul" is without a doubt the best album of 2013
- The Illustrative Violet is really good.
- new end of the summer EP available now through Not Punk Records
- wow I forgot how good "Lookinglasself" is. Same for Mission Of Burma in general
- AIRS
- Apathean has been asking me to review that album since before it came out and I
finally listened to it...review coming eventually
- damn Cruel Hand is badass how did I sleep on them for so long
- for some reason I thought Balance And Composure was gonna be some lame poetry-core band like La Dispute but not so much, theyre really good
- LIFE'S BLOOD
- "This is Just a Modern Rock Song"
- Pat from The Dickheads asked me this very morning (10/2) to review The Dickheads on this shit-talking blog...Man are they in for it
- Happy birthday Dusty
LIVE:
9/6/13 - Crisis Arm/Dogs @ Blood Orange Infoshop (Crisis Arm's "Caterwaul" release show)
9/7/13 - Crisis Arm/Obsolete Sun/Dogs/Save The Swim Team/(The Gravitys)/Beanvian Stalks Guava/The Nest @ The Dial (International Cassette Store Day Fest)
9/15/13 - Sneeze/(end of the summer) @ The Dial
9/19/13 - The Grinning Ghosts/The Illustrative Violet/Dani Poppit @ The Dial
9/20/13 - Divided Heaven/Bradley Riot/(end of the summer)/No Red Alice/Jason Crook @ The Dial
9/27/13 - The Dickheads/Beanvian Stalks Guava/Sold Souls @ The Dial
9/28/13 - Pardon Me Sir/Liquid/C. Kitten/Beanvian Stalks Guava @ The Dial
LIVE NOTES:
- I feel so stupid for having slept through the entire Crisis Arm cassette release show and then making a complete ass out of myself and dissolving my own band's set at International Cassette Store Day...I'm sorry to everybody I insulted, irritated, or otherwise imposed upon that weekend. That shit sucked.
- Sneeze was dope as fuck but they sold me a goddamn Youth Large shirt...Can't nobody rock a damn Youth Large, especially not my fat ass
- The Illustrative Violet is really good
- Beanvian Stalks Guava are just such swell fellas
MOVIES
9/3/13
"When A Man Loves A Woman"
9/4/13
"The Weatherman"
"The Place Beyond The Pines"
9/5/13
"The Iceman"
9/8/13
"The House Bunny"
9/14/13
"Role Models"
9/16/13
"30 Minutes Or Less"
9/18/13
"Strange Brew"
9/19/13
"Now You See Me"
MOVIE NOTES
- "The Weatherman" is a weird, weird movie
- Goddamn "The Place Beyond The Pines" was good
- My co-worker claims that "Strange Brew" is her favorite movie of all time but I just don't get it
- "Now You See Me" is by far one of the stupidest goddamned movies I have seen in quite a long time
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Meow Of Taz
Why did you bring me here? You don't seem to even remember that I exist most of the time, and the only reason you ever do is because I have to force the issue. I spend all day alone in this place where you have broken everything, and then when you finally return I am your last priority. I have to cry out and tell you that there are ants in my food because you would never think to just check, to just make sure that I was doing okay. That would never even cross your mind. I am a burden for you.
Do you realize that I can't do anything for myself? Do you remember that you took me in, that you said you would take care of me, that you took out my claws? If you hadn't made me so comfortable maybe I'd be able to fend for myself in these trying times. But what's done is done. And you did it.
I don't care if you love me anymore; that issue is moot. I just want to have something to eat. Please clean out my bowl there are ants in there.
Do you realize that I can't do anything for myself? Do you remember that you took me in, that you said you would take care of me, that you took out my claws? If you hadn't made me so comfortable maybe I'd be able to fend for myself in these trying times. But what's done is done. And you did it.
I don't care if you love me anymore; that issue is moot. I just want to have something to eat. Please clean out my bowl there are ants in there.
Monday, September 16, 2013
MORNING REVIEW: Labor Day, September 2nd 2013
I woke up very early, laying on the floor and sweating on a small couch pillow. I didn't want to be awake so early, there was no reason for it, so I just laid there for probably half an hour longer. At early wakings like that, I usually get stricken by immense feelings of regret regarding small details from inconsequential events in my past. Most of the time the regret stems not from blatant errors or missteps so much as it does from oversight and missed opportunities; wasted time. It's not so much what I've done, so much as all that I didn't do, that brings me anxiety and prevents me from falling back asleep. Maybe those events wouldn't have been so inconsequential...
I began to get kinda hungry but didn't want to make real food right then so I went downstairs and grabbed a banana. It worked just fine for the moment, but honestly I should have known better. Bananas at any other time of the day are just fine but for whatever reason (probably a belly full of rotten vodka) bananas in the morning make me puke. Like, without fail I will throw up about half an hour after eating a banana unless I've already had a real meal. I've seen the Tosh segment about kids drinking 7Up and eating bananas as a method to vomitarily get out of school for the day; I guess the same gastronomical property being applied there also applies to waking up hungover.
For a little while I half-passed-out due to post-spew exhaustion, but it wasn't real sleep and soon enough I was hungry again. I decided to just get up and try to begin my day. I went downstairs and made some eggs; eating that made me feel like a whole person once more. It was still early as fuck and I felt just pointless, like a completely pointless entity, so I went out on a little walk to clear my mind.It was already too warm and I was too shitty for an actual jog, but a walk sounded nice.
There are some mile-markers on the trail next to my house that I did the extremely-simple math for; I'm trying to figure out my mileage here. If you go the direction from my house towards Albertsons, where it ends on the hill with the single tree, you'll find a marker that says "1.5 mile". Lately I've been choosing that direction whenever I do rarely decide to leave my house, but I knew there was another marker in the opposite direction, where the cul-de-sac next to mine has its trail entrance. I had noticed them before but this was the first time I had ever paid attention to what the markers actually said. That next one is the "2 mile" marker, so apparently it's a half-mile from the tree-hill to the 2nd cul-de-sac. When I jog from my house to the tree-hill and back, it's nearly a full mile. That's very helpful information. I've never actually watched that show "Parks and Recreation" but I imagine that this is the type of thing they do.Thanks for that addition to the trail, Murrieta City Planning people. I very much appreciate it.
There were a lot of bunnies out that morning and they were like, unafraid of me; they didn't scurry or anything until I was pretty much directly next to them. I walked down past the cul-de-sac, past the ledge where "VELOR" used to do really cool graffiti pieces that have since been painted over. He went back and left a message: "Please just let me paint here!" with a sad-face next to it.That sucks. His stuff was really cool. Further down, as the trail goes downhill, he wrote "Hi Mom" on a utility box latched to a telephone pole.
I wanted to find the next mile-marker, the "2.5 mile" marker, and I was sure that it was just past where the trail breaks at N General Kearney. I got all the way out to the gate past the street, the one kids crawl under to skate in the basin, and still hadn't come across it. Why would it have been taken down? How have I seen it in passing before but now that I'm actively seeking it out, it's gone? My first inclination was to blame imaginary roving gangs of unruly teens causing mayhem with no regard for the honest trail-using citizens of the community like myself, but some mysteries can never be solved.
The house that my brothers and I grew up in is being foreclosed on right now and we don't know how much longer we are gonna be there or where we are all gonna go when it eventually happens, which is something that I try not to think about too much even though it affects every single aspect of my life so much more than the meaningless things I do put alot of time into. As I walked back home, past the house where the dogs snarl at the fence and past the spot where we used to spend entire weekends building bike jumps, it hit me how much I am going to miss this trail when we don't live next to it anymore. I feel like I took it for granted, like it was always gonna be a part of my life. I love this trail.I had my first kiss on this trail, before either of us knew how to kiss. I got into my first fight on this trail, before either of us knew how to fight. This trail knows me and I'm truly gonna miss having it a part of my everyday existence. I don't want to move.
I had gotten a bit more hungry during my walk so when I went back inside I ate 2 pieces of bread. I tried to lie back down but the walk had done nothing to calm my spirits. If anything I was a bit more anxious than I had already been. Clearly sleep wasn't in the cards for me so I begrudgingly got back up.
I got my mom's tablet and streamed an album by iamsu, a Bay-area rapper who's opening up the main stage for Rock The Bells this year. My listening schedule for this month fluctuates between artists performing at upcoming festivals that I probably will not go to and and artists performing at upcoming SoCal club shows that I probably will not go to. iamsu fell into the former portion of that criteria. I was pretty unenthused with his album actually, it was okay at times but he's doing that sing-song rapping style that Drake popularized and that's lame. He had a rhyme in one of his songs that went, "I be running shit, call me diarrhea." I found that to be unforgivably ridiculous and pretty much a death-nail for the entire album. I posted the offending song "E.S.P.N." to Facebook in a mocking fashion and my friend Damien - who records hip hop as DNVSTY - commented almost instantly on the post saying that iamsu is legit and I am dumb, basically. I just went ahead and deleted that post.
During the album I cleaned up my desk, which was covered with clutter and trash. Sometimes I don't understand how the mess gets so bad. Why can't I be a little but more proactive about things? Why don't I just put stuff away when I'm finished with it or put away the laundry when it's done? Why do I let shit pile up until it's unmanageable?
I put my broken stereo under the bathroom sink where I put all my broken electronics; I feel bad about throwing stuff like that in the trash but I don't know where 'electronic waste pickups' etc. are located so it all just gets put under the sink. I got my bags of trash together, along with my bag of vodka jugs for the recycle, and brought them out to the bins outside. It was a nice day.
KP let me know that everybody was going to Sandia Creek for the day and that sounded like a great idea. I took a shower and he picked me up a little bit later. It's beautiful up there and we had a great time hanging out in nature with our close friends.
I'm not gonna write about that.
I began to get kinda hungry but didn't want to make real food right then so I went downstairs and grabbed a banana. It worked just fine for the moment, but honestly I should have known better. Bananas at any other time of the day are just fine but for whatever reason (probably a belly full of rotten vodka) bananas in the morning make me puke. Like, without fail I will throw up about half an hour after eating a banana unless I've already had a real meal. I've seen the Tosh segment about kids drinking 7Up and eating bananas as a method to vomitarily get out of school for the day; I guess the same gastronomical property being applied there also applies to waking up hungover.
For a little while I half-passed-out due to post-spew exhaustion, but it wasn't real sleep and soon enough I was hungry again. I decided to just get up and try to begin my day. I went downstairs and made some eggs; eating that made me feel like a whole person once more. It was still early as fuck and I felt just pointless, like a completely pointless entity, so I went out on a little walk to clear my mind.It was already too warm and I was too shitty for an actual jog, but a walk sounded nice.
There are some mile-markers on the trail next to my house that I did the extremely-simple math for; I'm trying to figure out my mileage here. If you go the direction from my house towards Albertsons, where it ends on the hill with the single tree, you'll find a marker that says "1.5 mile". Lately I've been choosing that direction whenever I do rarely decide to leave my house, but I knew there was another marker in the opposite direction, where the cul-de-sac next to mine has its trail entrance. I had noticed them before but this was the first time I had ever paid attention to what the markers actually said. That next one is the "2 mile" marker, so apparently it's a half-mile from the tree-hill to the 2nd cul-de-sac. When I jog from my house to the tree-hill and back, it's nearly a full mile. That's very helpful information. I've never actually watched that show "Parks and Recreation" but I imagine that this is the type of thing they do.Thanks for that addition to the trail, Murrieta City Planning people. I very much appreciate it.
There were a lot of bunnies out that morning and they were like, unafraid of me; they didn't scurry or anything until I was pretty much directly next to them. I walked down past the cul-de-sac, past the ledge where "VELOR" used to do really cool graffiti pieces that have since been painted over. He went back and left a message: "Please just let me paint here!" with a sad-face next to it.That sucks. His stuff was really cool. Further down, as the trail goes downhill, he wrote "Hi Mom" on a utility box latched to a telephone pole.
I wanted to find the next mile-marker, the "2.5 mile" marker, and I was sure that it was just past where the trail breaks at N General Kearney. I got all the way out to the gate past the street, the one kids crawl under to skate in the basin, and still hadn't come across it. Why would it have been taken down? How have I seen it in passing before but now that I'm actively seeking it out, it's gone? My first inclination was to blame imaginary roving gangs of unruly teens causing mayhem with no regard for the honest trail-using citizens of the community like myself, but some mysteries can never be solved.
The house that my brothers and I grew up in is being foreclosed on right now and we don't know how much longer we are gonna be there or where we are all gonna go when it eventually happens, which is something that I try not to think about too much even though it affects every single aspect of my life so much more than the meaningless things I do put alot of time into. As I walked back home, past the house where the dogs snarl at the fence and past the spot where we used to spend entire weekends building bike jumps, it hit me how much I am going to miss this trail when we don't live next to it anymore. I feel like I took it for granted, like it was always gonna be a part of my life. I love this trail.I had my first kiss on this trail, before either of us knew how to kiss. I got into my first fight on this trail, before either of us knew how to fight. This trail knows me and I'm truly gonna miss having it a part of my everyday existence. I don't want to move.
I had gotten a bit more hungry during my walk so when I went back inside I ate 2 pieces of bread. I tried to lie back down but the walk had done nothing to calm my spirits. If anything I was a bit more anxious than I had already been. Clearly sleep wasn't in the cards for me so I begrudgingly got back up.
I got my mom's tablet and streamed an album by iamsu, a Bay-area rapper who's opening up the main stage for Rock The Bells this year. My listening schedule for this month fluctuates between artists performing at upcoming festivals that I probably will not go to and and artists performing at upcoming SoCal club shows that I probably will not go to. iamsu fell into the former portion of that criteria. I was pretty unenthused with his album actually, it was okay at times but he's doing that sing-song rapping style that Drake popularized and that's lame. He had a rhyme in one of his songs that went, "I be running shit, call me diarrhea." I found that to be unforgivably ridiculous and pretty much a death-nail for the entire album. I posted the offending song "E.S.P.N." to Facebook in a mocking fashion and my friend Damien - who records hip hop as DNVSTY - commented almost instantly on the post saying that iamsu is legit and I am dumb, basically. I just went ahead and deleted that post.
During the album I cleaned up my desk, which was covered with clutter and trash. Sometimes I don't understand how the mess gets so bad. Why can't I be a little but more proactive about things? Why don't I just put stuff away when I'm finished with it or put away the laundry when it's done? Why do I let shit pile up until it's unmanageable?
I put my broken stereo under the bathroom sink where I put all my broken electronics; I feel bad about throwing stuff like that in the trash but I don't know where 'electronic waste pickups' etc. are located so it all just gets put under the sink. I got my bags of trash together, along with my bag of vodka jugs for the recycle, and brought them out to the bins outside. It was a nice day.
KP let me know that everybody was going to Sandia Creek for the day and that sounded like a great idea. I took a shower and he picked me up a little bit later. It's beautiful up there and we had a great time hanging out in nature with our close friends.
I'm not gonna write about that.
Monday, September 9, 2013
The Story Of No-Face
I will preface this story by acknowledging that it is kinda dark and some people may not understand or appreciate the Humour being expressed.
Several months ago I was at the Leisenring house and Big Mark came out to the garage to smoke a cigar. He was a bit swervy and you could just tell that things were about to become hilarious. He was in a good mood.
I can't remember what would have sparked this story, why it ever even came up, but it was incredibly appropriate at the moment and has remained strongly embedded in my memory.
When Big Mark was in high school, way back in the day, there was some guy he knew who had really low confidence in himself. Just the way he even began the story gave off the impression, "the person I'm about to talk about is fucking pathetic."
Somehow this guy did manage to find a girlfriend, but it didn't last long, and she broke up with him. He got all distraught about that and his initial reaction was to commit suicide by sticking a gun in his mouth and shooting his brains out. This guy was a fucking loser though and he failed. He just shot off his face and turned himself into a mutant.
A few weeks after that all happened, the guy worked up the courage to return to school and show everyone what he had become. He even tried to reconnect with the girl who dumped him but of course that was fruitless.
Mark and his friends gave him the name "No-Face" because he didn't have a face anymore. I can still to this day distinctly recall Mark recounting how they berated him:
"You really did it this time, No-Face; Now you got no face!!
She's never gonna take you back now."
Pretty much everyone in the garage collapsed into uncontrollable fits of laughter upon hearing this because it was so absolutely, ludicrously heartless.
Mark said he wasn't sure what happened to that guy after high school and went back inside.
"You really did it this time, No-Face."
Several months ago I was at the Leisenring house and Big Mark came out to the garage to smoke a cigar. He was a bit swervy and you could just tell that things were about to become hilarious. He was in a good mood.
I can't remember what would have sparked this story, why it ever even came up, but it was incredibly appropriate at the moment and has remained strongly embedded in my memory.
When Big Mark was in high school, way back in the day, there was some guy he knew who had really low confidence in himself. Just the way he even began the story gave off the impression, "the person I'm about to talk about is fucking pathetic."
Somehow this guy did manage to find a girlfriend, but it didn't last long, and she broke up with him. He got all distraught about that and his initial reaction was to commit suicide by sticking a gun in his mouth and shooting his brains out. This guy was a fucking loser though and he failed. He just shot off his face and turned himself into a mutant.
A few weeks after that all happened, the guy worked up the courage to return to school and show everyone what he had become. He even tried to reconnect with the girl who dumped him but of course that was fruitless.
Mark and his friends gave him the name "No-Face" because he didn't have a face anymore. I can still to this day distinctly recall Mark recounting how they berated him:
"You really did it this time, No-Face; Now you got no face!!
She's never gonna take you back now."
Pretty much everyone in the garage collapsed into uncontrollable fits of laughter upon hearing this because it was so absolutely, ludicrously heartless.
Mark said he wasn't sure what happened to that guy after high school and went back inside.
"You really did it this time, No-Face."
Sunday, September 1, 2013
Playlist for August 2013
This is a list of all the albums, EPs, demos, etc that I listened to in their entirety during the month of August 2013. Afterward are my notes and a list of the live performances I saw, as well as the new addition of the zines I read and movies I watched listed as well.
8/1/13
Ty Segall - "Goodbye Bread"
8/2/13
Thee Oh Sees - "The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In"
8/8/13
!!! - "Strange Weather, Isn't It?"
Exhumed - "Gore Metal"
8/9/13
Charles Bradley - "Victim of Love"
Old Wounds - "Terror Eyes" EP
They As In Them - S/T EP
8/10/13
Walter Mitty & His Makeshift Orchestra - "Overwhelmed and Underdressed"
Peter Gabriel - "So"
Tiny Moving Parts - "This Couch is Long and Full of Friendship"
Modern Baseball - "The Nameless Ranger" EP
8/11/13
When Whales Collide - S/T EP
Sloths - "Knives" EP
Knelt Rote - "Trespass"
end of the summer - summer 2013 demo
Keyes - "Therefore/Without" EP
Ground Up - 2008 demo
Flume - S/T
8/12/13
STRFKR - "Miracle Mile"
8/13/13
end of the summer - summer 2013 demo
8/14/13
Slow Children - "Those Who Mind Don't Matter"
8/15/13
Crisis Arm - "So Bummed" demos
8/18/13
Kurt Vile & The Violators - "The Hunchback" EP
Bobby Meader Music - "My Coffee's All Cold"
Bicep - "You"/"Don't" single
Shlohmo - "Bad Vibes"
Inspired & The Sleep - "Teenager"
Craters - "Velcro"
Les Savy Fav - "3/5"
8/19/13
Roky Erickson - "Gremlins Have Pictures"
Criminal Instinct - 2012 Demo
Soul Search - "Nothing But A Nightmare" EP
Death Grips - "The Money Store"
Toro Y Moi - "Underneath The Pine"
8/20/13
The Melvins - "Stag"
No Age - "Everything In Between"
The Locust - "New Erections"
8/21/13
Yo La Tengo - "And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out"
8/22/13
Holy Ghost! - S/T
Lazy - "Party City" 7"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Mosquito"
The Breeders - "Last Splash"
8/23/13
Washed Out - "Within & Without"
Beach House - "Bloom"
8/24/13
My Bloody Valentine - "m b v"
8/29/13
Afflictive Nature - "Strictly Savage" EP
Jungle Juice - "Involuntary Convulsions" 7"
Desperate Living - 2012 Demo
The Yoots - "Bad Acid" EP
Tobias Funke - "Read More" EP
Moderat - "II"
NOTES
- Old Wounds is badass. So is Knelt Rote.
- I thought "So" was gonna be alot better than it is
- The upcoming Crisis Arm EP is gonna be awesome
- That Roky Erickson album had like a million songs but it was good. I regret missing his set at FYF, my friend described it as "some old guy having an aneurysm." Sounds awesome.
- For some reason I thought Soul Search was gonna be like a posicore band. Not so much.
- I just don't really get the appeal of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
- "I'm just looking for one divine hammer"
- I'm definitely among those who was severely disappointed upon hearing the new MBV album. Sorry.
LIVE PERFORMANCES:
8/7/13: Spring Break 95/Swamp Wolf/Sold Souls @ The Dial
8/10/13: Modern Baseball/Tiny Moving Parts/My Iron Lung/Just Nick @ The Dial
8/11/13: Sloths @ The Dial
8/12/13: Au Revoir/Rexx/Pioneer Atlantic @ The Dial
8/14/13: Opposition Rising @ The Dial
8/16/13: Crisis Arm/Rookie Town/IBN UBO/(The Gravitys)/California Bleeding/Beanvian Stalks Guava @ The Dial
8/22/13: Lazy/The Nest/Pilgrims @ The Dial
8/24/13: Death Grips/FLAG/Thee Oh Sees/The Locust/The Breeders/Joyce Manor/Charles Bradley/Metz/Waxahatchee @ FYF Day One at LA Historic State Park
8/25/13: My Bloody Valentine/MGMT/The Melvins/Yo La Tengo/Touche Amore/Chelsea Wolfe/Guards @ FYF Day Two at LA Historic State Park
LIVE NOTES:
- Sloths were amazing
- Dez Cadena doing vocals was cooler than Keith Morris doing vocals
- Some guy who was in front of me during Death Grips had really stupid hair it looked like he had a lobster on his head
- The Melvins were one of the best live sets I've ever seen
MOVIES:
"Gummo"
"Austin Powers: Goldmember"
"Sound City"
"Bridesmaids"
"Funny People"
ZINES:
Isolation Zine
Pitted Press
Feral Faun
LA Weekly (LOL)
8/1/13
Ty Segall - "Goodbye Bread"
8/2/13
Thee Oh Sees - "The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In"
8/8/13
!!! - "Strange Weather, Isn't It?"
Exhumed - "Gore Metal"
8/9/13
Charles Bradley - "Victim of Love"
Old Wounds - "Terror Eyes" EP
They As In Them - S/T EP
8/10/13
Walter Mitty & His Makeshift Orchestra - "Overwhelmed and Underdressed"
Peter Gabriel - "So"
Tiny Moving Parts - "This Couch is Long and Full of Friendship"
Modern Baseball - "The Nameless Ranger" EP
8/11/13
When Whales Collide - S/T EP
Sloths - "Knives" EP
Knelt Rote - "Trespass"
end of the summer - summer 2013 demo
Keyes - "Therefore/Without" EP
Ground Up - 2008 demo
Flume - S/T
8/12/13
STRFKR - "Miracle Mile"
8/13/13
end of the summer - summer 2013 demo
8/14/13
Slow Children - "Those Who Mind Don't Matter"
8/15/13
Crisis Arm - "So Bummed" demos
8/18/13
Kurt Vile & The Violators - "The Hunchback" EP
Bobby Meader Music - "My Coffee's All Cold"
Bicep - "You"/"Don't" single
Shlohmo - "Bad Vibes"
Inspired & The Sleep - "Teenager"
Craters - "Velcro"
Les Savy Fav - "3/5"
8/19/13
Roky Erickson - "Gremlins Have Pictures"
Criminal Instinct - 2012 Demo
Soul Search - "Nothing But A Nightmare" EP
Death Grips - "The Money Store"
Toro Y Moi - "Underneath The Pine"
8/20/13
The Melvins - "Stag"
No Age - "Everything In Between"
The Locust - "New Erections"
8/21/13
Yo La Tengo - "And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out"
8/22/13
Holy Ghost! - S/T
Lazy - "Party City" 7"
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Mosquito"
The Breeders - "Last Splash"
8/23/13
Washed Out - "Within & Without"
Beach House - "Bloom"
8/24/13
My Bloody Valentine - "m b v"
8/29/13
Afflictive Nature - "Strictly Savage" EP
Jungle Juice - "Involuntary Convulsions" 7"
Desperate Living - 2012 Demo
The Yoots - "Bad Acid" EP
Tobias Funke - "Read More" EP
Moderat - "II"
NOTES
- Old Wounds is badass. So is Knelt Rote.
- I thought "So" was gonna be alot better than it is
- The upcoming Crisis Arm EP is gonna be awesome
- That Roky Erickson album had like a million songs but it was good. I regret missing his set at FYF, my friend described it as "some old guy having an aneurysm." Sounds awesome.
- For some reason I thought Soul Search was gonna be like a posicore band. Not so much.
- I just don't really get the appeal of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs
- "I'm just looking for one divine hammer"
- I'm definitely among those who was severely disappointed upon hearing the new MBV album. Sorry.
LIVE PERFORMANCES:
8/7/13: Spring Break 95/Swamp Wolf/Sold Souls @ The Dial
8/10/13: Modern Baseball/Tiny Moving Parts/My Iron Lung/Just Nick @ The Dial
8/11/13: Sloths @ The Dial
8/12/13: Au Revoir/Rexx/Pioneer Atlantic @ The Dial
8/14/13: Opposition Rising @ The Dial
8/16/13: Crisis Arm/Rookie Town/IBN UBO/(The Gravitys)/California Bleeding/Beanvian Stalks Guava @ The Dial
8/22/13: Lazy/The Nest/Pilgrims @ The Dial
8/24/13: Death Grips/FLAG/Thee Oh Sees/The Locust/The Breeders/Joyce Manor/Charles Bradley/Metz/Waxahatchee @ FYF Day One at LA Historic State Park
8/25/13: My Bloody Valentine/MGMT/The Melvins/Yo La Tengo/Touche Amore/Chelsea Wolfe/Guards @ FYF Day Two at LA Historic State Park
LIVE NOTES:
- Sloths were amazing
- Dez Cadena doing vocals was cooler than Keith Morris doing vocals
- Some guy who was in front of me during Death Grips had really stupid hair it looked like he had a lobster on his head
- The Melvins were one of the best live sets I've ever seen
MOVIES:
"Gummo"
"Austin Powers: Goldmember"
"Sound City"
"Bridesmaids"
"Funny People"
ZINES:
Isolation Zine
Pitted Press
Feral Faun
LA Weekly (LOL)
Thursday, August 29, 2013
EP REVIEW: The Yoots - "Bad Acid"
The Yoots are a punk band playing in Riverside tonight with my friends Liquid so I gave their EP "Bad Acid" a listen. It's okay. I like this kind of garage-punk generally but I didn't get too hyped at any point throughout this EP. The coolest song as called "Real Life Sucks." The first couple songs had a 70s drunk-punk throwback vibe that directly reminded me of Kirby and The Hell raisers, but the last 2 songs, which were the best, were like a more melodic version of The Dictators, with shades of 80's Ramones as well.
The Yoots are okay, if nothing new. I feel like I might like them better if I was plastered.
Yoots.bandcamp.com
The Yoots are okay, if nothing new. I feel like I might like them better if I was plastered.
Yoots.bandcamp.com
Sunday, August 18, 2013
INTERVIEW: DR Records/The Pocket Rockets/Ancient Animals June 1st 2013
A few months ago I went up to LA with Crisis Arm because they were playing Day 2 of the awkwardly-named Three-Dee Fest, being hosted by DR Records and KXLU at the LA ArtShare. Bands that we saw that day included Aftergloam, The Aquadolls, Cat King, and and Dona Nicha.
I had never been to the space before, and in between bands I walked around to check things out. Some of the rooms were theatres, some appeared to be classrooms, and on the upper floors were apartments with individually-painted and decorated doors. It appeared to be a multi-use facility and I was curious to find out how they operated, so I got a few words in with Lyndon, Chris, Andy,and Dan - a few of whom play in the Pocket Rockets, a few of whom perform as Ancient Animals, and all of whom are involved with DR Records.
This is a transcript of the conversation we had out on the sidewalk out the space. I don’t distinguish between the different voices because they all kinda talked at once and I’m not familiar enough with these dudes to tell who is who on the recording. It took me way too long to transcribe this but finally it has been done.
IAN: What’s up, my name’s Ian, I’m with The Dial Collective down in Murrieta.I just wanted to get a quick perspective [on the LA Art Share] because we had never been up here and were impressed with everything. When did you guys all start doing things at this space?
DR:: The first time we had a show here was probably for FMLY Fest, in 2012. It was The Fort who put that together, up there by skid row. They got closed down since then but they had shows similar to this, and we got Avi Buffalo to play, which is really cool. He’s a cool dude.
IAN: How often do you guys have events here?
DR: Out here in downtown, probably like once a month or every two months, but we have shows regularly out in East LA, like all the time.
IAN: Where do you have events out there?
DR: At our houses, at parties
IAN: So do you guys have like a collective? What is DR Records?
DR: What we’re trying to do is have everything recorded, so everything is for free download, just to have music out there. [We put on] live shows, you have an EP we’ll put it out, whatever you know.
IAN: So when you do things downtown like this, is it usually [this type of festival format] with alot of bands at once?
DR: Most of the time it is...We try to get alot of bands because alot of times we book bands that are known, so we try to get other bands that we want to see, or bands that we want to play with, so that everyone gets exposure. It’s like a unity thing....Maybe we’ll get a band who’s only been playing for like a year and has only really played like backyards, and we’ll put’em with a band like Avi Buffalo or like Hindu Pirates because we like them
IAN: So [this space] is like, an art gallery as well? I noticed it says “Residences” [on the street-facing wall] What exactly is this space?
DR: Its a lot more than a ‘space’, it’s a non-profit organization art share and apartment complex [The residences] are actually why we have to stop the noise at 12...They get alot of their lease money from those people up there. They (the LA Art Share) try to make everything pay for itself which is what we want to try to do as well.
DR: Its a lot more than a ‘space’, it’s a non-profit organization art share and apartment complex [The residences] are actually why we have to stop the noise at 12...They get alot of their lease money from those people up there. They (the LA Art Share) try to make everything pay for itself which is what we want to try to do as well.
IAN: I’ll just end it with this one: at our space down in Murrieta it’s like really important that we don’t have drinking etc; you guys haven’t had police intervention here or anything?
DR: Not really...They drive by but we have our foam-cup policy and no bottles policy...Especially too since it’s in Downtown, and its BYOB, only the older people can get beer, people who are of-age, so you don’t have kids coming in with it...They [the cops] have bigger things to worry about here.
IAN: Okay my last question just to wrap things up is, what’s your favorite breakfast food?
Lyndon: A waffle / peanut butter and jelly
Lyndon: A waffle / peanut butter and jelly
Chris: Some sunnyside-up eggs
Andy: I really don’t eat breakfast but when I do I eat chocolate parsons (?)
Dan: All-American Breakfast : Bacon eggs toast and fuckin...french toast
Chris: And hash browns! Homefries!
Chris: And hash browns! Homefries!
Dan: Total staple American breakfast
IAN: Okay so DR Records, is that the best thing to contact you guys through?
DR: Yeah thats the name of a street that we all lived on and we all record out of and have shows on...Downey Road
IAN: Where’s that at?
DR: East LA...When you’re driving on the 65 towards San Diego you’ll see “Now Entering East LA” and after that you’ll see Downey Road. The first exit is Downey Road.
IAN: Well I will send you this when I get it all transcribed but thank you for having this event! This has been very cool!
DR: Thanks!
DR Records: http://drrecords1.bandcamp.com/
The Pocket Rockets : https://www.facebook.com/TPROfficial
Ancient Animals: https://www.facebook.com/ancientanim
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
SHOW REVIEW: Death Crisis/Bridgejumper/Moxiebeat/DVT/Braineater @ The Dial -- July 20th 2013
I started my day at work, getting 4 1/2 hours of overtime pay but longing to do something outside. When I finally got out of the call center I texted several friends to see what was good but not a whole lot was going on. David and Jason went to Austin's for a little BBQ, but I didn't have a guaranteed ride to the show afterward were I to get dropped off. Plus, my brother Forrest was making delicious pizza with his handmade dough so I wanted to wait for that. He somehow got like really good at cooking recently it's cool.
While waiting I went on a short walk on the trail next to my house to abate my feeling of constantly being confined to my cubicle or my room. I just HAD to be outside for a little bit.Upon returning to my house, however, I came across a semi-rotted cat skull that still had fur along the jawline. The fur was white and grey, the kind my missing cat Michael Jackson had. Something about the pattern of the colors told me these were the remains of a different cat, but that might just be hopeless wishful thinking. The signs point to the worst. Poor baby.
After munching down a pretty hefty piece of spinach and pepper pizza I told KP to come get me.When we arrived at the warehouse the first band, called Braineater, was already playing so we went inside. As I crossed the thin crowd the singer guy was imploring people to start moshing, which is a major pet peeve of mine, but the lead guitarist came back came back with some self-deprecating humor ("maybe we're just not very good") that evened things out. Braineater is yet another throwback death-thrash band like the many Riff Haus regulars in the SoCal scene right now. The whole band is pretty good at flipping their metalhead hair in circles like they were from the 80s; that should tell you all you need to know right there. The drummer was playing so fast at times that he seemed to fly off course, but the power with which he was hitting those things more than made up for it. They're fundamentally a speed/thrash metal band but they excel at incorporating death metal tinges in their songs, particularly slower rhythmic passages like Suffocation pioneered. In fact the highlight of their set was when they 'pretended to care about the bassist,' who did main vocals for a song that blended very adept blast beats and other black metal-esque elements into the mix. Partway through the set the main frontman put down his guitar and they did a pretty cool cover of "Police Truck" by the Dead Kennedys. Always cool to see bands cover something outside of their immediate genre. Unfortunately, the microphone kept cutting in and out during their set - a constant problem with the current P.A.at The Dial - and it was clear that the band was upset about that. Overall Braineater was a pretty dope band, especially for playing a style as beaten-to-death as thrash metal is.
After the set we went out to the front table area so KP could smoke. He's been trying to quit the habit using an e-cigarette, but he's still partaking in the real deal fairly often so I don't know how well that's going. The topic at the table was the relatively new Dial membership card system. Navis remarked that some people thought it was cool they get a Dial or Not Punk pin upon signing up, while others feel like, "this is a $2 pin." I can kinda see both sides.
Next band up was DVT, which is short for 'Devastation,' but I will never call them that out of deference for the classic German death metal band that has had that name for like 30 years. Like, how are you gonna name your band without doing a quick Google search to see if its taken? This isn't the damn 80s anymore when there could be 2 Agent Oranges and 2 Anthraxes playing different styles of music in different countries without knowing the other existed. Even if it was a relatively unknown or up-and-coming band who had the same name that would be a bit of a problem (fuck The Gravities from Minneapolis, I don't even need to hear a song from them to know that I hate that band...fucking 'ies' at the end of the name, that's fucking ridiculous, learn to spell you same-band-name-as-mine-but-spelled-differently bastards) but having the same name as a prominent, legendary band, that's just a straight-up faux pas.The kids in DVT have been in metal bands before and follow the current scene too, they should know better. Jus saying.
Beyond the name DVT is an okay band, although clearly confused as to what they want to be. Right out of the gate, they transitioned from a dub intro to a DRI-style fastcore song to an Unseen-style street punk song. Later in the set was a song that sounded nearly exactly like the song "All Fall Down" by Good Riddance (which vocalist Maui started off by fist-pumping and attempting to start an "OI!" chant - ugh) and a pop-punk/ska song without any trace of the grit they seem to be going for in the rest of their songs. Theoretically, all these style are all part of the same basic family and shouldn't clash too hard, but something about DVT's approach seems jumbled and almost insecure, like they can't decide who they are. The strongest song of their set was called "Cancerous," another fastcore song that the lead guitarist did screechy vocals for and which ended in a pretty convincing breakdown. They also threw in a capable S.O.D. cover at the end of their set which elicited a 3-person mosh. On the whole, DVT is alright when they're going for the fast/skate/Cali-core sound, but they fall back on anthemic street-punk vibes more often than not (the drummer had a goddamn Global Threat T-shirt on) and that's just not my bag.
Again I went outside and chatted with the table people in between sets. Navis was relating that he had dropped his phone directly into a glass of wine the night prior and was currently experiencing the problems associated with such a problem. I definitely understood the predicament, as I myself have gone through probably 30 phones in the last 5 years, at least 2 of which fell victim to my jubilant sprints into the Pacific Ocean during beach trips. Electronics are a bunch of bullshit anyway. If they're gonna be all weird when we go to the beach I guess they were never really my friends in the first place.
Moxiebeat was next up. I very much enjoy this band. A couple of the dudes, the main guitarist and the bassist at least, used to be in the band Dogs Of Ire, a Riverside-based hardcore band from the mid-2000s whom I discovered during my senior year in high school. I had written to Ethospine Records (which I believe they operate) at some point in 2005 requesting a catalog or a sampler CD or something, and in response they sent me the full-length gatefold CD release of Dogs Of Ire's album "Sterile Thoughts From The First World." At the time my experience with 'hardcore' music was pretty limited to 80s or 90s stuff, or the metal that people called hardcore in the early part of the 2000s, so the stuff on that DOI CD really threw me for a loop. I had heard Converge and Botch and stuff like that before so the concept of 'experimental hardcore' wasn't entirely new to me, but their stuff was so much more cerebral than other stuff I had heard to that point.
It's been 8 years since then and Moxiebeat embodies much of what I had loved about DOI.The first time I streamed their track "Art of the City," I couldn't put my finger on what exactly it was reminding me of but it was something specific, and then when I learned the DOI connection it all came together. The very unique style of art-core that band played has carried over to Moxiebeat, if maybe a bit more amplified in a very literal sense. Moxiebeat is fucking LOUD. I had never worn earplugs at The Dial before (probably should have when Whirr and Nothing played) but I opted for them on this occasion. Both guitarists and the bassist do vocals that crash in and out of each other at seemingly unpredictable intervals, adding to a sense of paranoia but not necessarily incongruity. There are 'atmospheric' guitar elements strewn throughout the songs as well as in the between-song interludes, but its not distracting or overwhelming. There's not an overriding focus put on the pedalwork, instead the flourishes become meaningful additions to the song. Also refreshing is the prominence of the bass guitar in the mix and the interesting things being done in that realm; many bands, heavier bands in particular, don't make a very clear distinction between "bass parts" and "guitar parts played on the bass" but Moxiebeat utilizes the instrument as an entity of its own. (Random tidbit: For whatever reason the bass guy has his microphone set up at like, chest-level, so he crouches down to scream. It's kinda funny-looking.) Overall this is a very good, unique-sounding band that I imagine are effortlessly capturing what many other contemporary bands are aiming for and not quite achieving.
When their set ended I went to the warehouse lobby and looked through a little distro box of vinyl records that was on the merch table. KP came up and looked at stuff as well, coming across a 7" by some band called Retard Strength that had an image of Mike Tyson yelling over his fallen opponent. That gave us both a good laugh. I also came across a split 7" featuring the band Los Sobrios Emputados, a Los Crudos-type Mexican-pride punk-core band whose demo CD I got in the mail years ago and never heard of again. The dude sitting next to the merch table, who turned out to be the vocalist for Death Crisis, remarked that they had recently toured with them or something, and I just thought it was cool that they had done stuff past that initial demo. Some bands never do.
Bridgejumper was the next band, a heavy hardcore band with chalky, chuggy full chords and lots of stoner/sludge-style repetition. They have a female vocalist, which was not immediately obvious when I listened to their EP beforehand. They were pretty cool but didn't really do much for me, featuring nary a fast part and relying far too heavily on riffs that are cool the first 4 times but aren't nearly as dope when repeated for 12 measures. The final song in their very short set started with a pensive From Ashes Rise-style intro part that went way too long. Their ride cymbal sounded like a hi-hat.
There was a group of 4 or 5 bro-core looking dudes who came inside only for Bridgejumper, looking like they were about to start moshing, but they never moshed. I think they left before Bridgejumper's short-ass set was even finished. It's like, whats the point in even coming out to the show? Similarly, most if not all of the thrash kids from the first two bands and their crews had left by the end of Bridgejumper. It's a bit disappointing when the 'local support' leaves well before the out-of-town headlining bands have even played, taking all their friends with them, especially when there are constantly cries about the local scene sucking or whatever. Like, don't bitch about people not coming out to your shows when you yourself don't stick around to watch the groups you play with. It's karma.
Death Crisis was the last band of the night and its a shame nobody stayed for their set because they kicked ass. The drummer used to be in Life Crisis, a mid-2000s punk-core band I had a 7" record from when I was a kid. Apparently they had always joked that their next band would be called Death Crisis, and this is that joke manifested. These dudes are a bit older and play 80s-style thrash-core to a T. It seemed straight from 1982. The singer was like a combination of Keith Morris and Robert Plant, intense and snotty yet still somehow cosmic with the whole thing. Their songs were short and to-the-point, reminding me of stuff like Articles Of Faith or Scream; "Secrets and Lies" was almost like a "Pick Your King" outtake, with a cool Raw Power-esque guitar-slide part to boot. Another song had cool single-string spooky-riffs almost like Dr. Know or even The Misfits. It was a pretty short set but this type of punk is best in short bursts anyway. I think Moxiebeat's odd loudness scared all those thrashers from the first half of the show away, but they probably would have enjoyed Death Crisis had they stuck around.
After the show was over KP and I helped coil up the cords and cables and I went and bought that Retard Strength 7" from Death Crisis's distro. I don't know why I felt so compelled to give them $2 for a 7" of some band I had never heard before when I don't even own a record player of my own anymore, but I was fucking sold on that album art. We listened to it a few days later and it turned out that it was a split 7"; Retard Strength was on one side and the other side was CFL, which stands for Concrete Facelift. Those bands have way cooler names than songs, I'll just leave it at that.
While waiting I went on a short walk on the trail next to my house to abate my feeling of constantly being confined to my cubicle or my room. I just HAD to be outside for a little bit.Upon returning to my house, however, I came across a semi-rotted cat skull that still had fur along the jawline. The fur was white and grey, the kind my missing cat Michael Jackson had. Something about the pattern of the colors told me these were the remains of a different cat, but that might just be hopeless wishful thinking. The signs point to the worst. Poor baby.
After munching down a pretty hefty piece of spinach and pepper pizza I told KP to come get me.When we arrived at the warehouse the first band, called Braineater, was already playing so we went inside. As I crossed the thin crowd the singer guy was imploring people to start moshing, which is a major pet peeve of mine, but the lead guitarist came back came back with some self-deprecating humor ("maybe we're just not very good") that evened things out. Braineater is yet another throwback death-thrash band like the many Riff Haus regulars in the SoCal scene right now. The whole band is pretty good at flipping their metalhead hair in circles like they were from the 80s; that should tell you all you need to know right there. The drummer was playing so fast at times that he seemed to fly off course, but the power with which he was hitting those things more than made up for it. They're fundamentally a speed/thrash metal band but they excel at incorporating death metal tinges in their songs, particularly slower rhythmic passages like Suffocation pioneered. In fact the highlight of their set was when they 'pretended to care about the bassist,' who did main vocals for a song that blended very adept blast beats and other black metal-esque elements into the mix. Partway through the set the main frontman put down his guitar and they did a pretty cool cover of "Police Truck" by the Dead Kennedys. Always cool to see bands cover something outside of their immediate genre. Unfortunately, the microphone kept cutting in and out during their set - a constant problem with the current P.A.at The Dial - and it was clear that the band was upset about that. Overall Braineater was a pretty dope band, especially for playing a style as beaten-to-death as thrash metal is.
After the set we went out to the front table area so KP could smoke. He's been trying to quit the habit using an e-cigarette, but he's still partaking in the real deal fairly often so I don't know how well that's going. The topic at the table was the relatively new Dial membership card system. Navis remarked that some people thought it was cool they get a Dial or Not Punk pin upon signing up, while others feel like, "this is a $2 pin." I can kinda see both sides.
Next band up was DVT, which is short for 'Devastation,' but I will never call them that out of deference for the classic German death metal band that has had that name for like 30 years. Like, how are you gonna name your band without doing a quick Google search to see if its taken? This isn't the damn 80s anymore when there could be 2 Agent Oranges and 2 Anthraxes playing different styles of music in different countries without knowing the other existed. Even if it was a relatively unknown or up-and-coming band who had the same name that would be a bit of a problem (fuck The Gravities from Minneapolis, I don't even need to hear a song from them to know that I hate that band...fucking 'ies' at the end of the name, that's fucking ridiculous, learn to spell you same-band-name-as-mine-but-spelled-differently bastards) but having the same name as a prominent, legendary band, that's just a straight-up faux pas.The kids in DVT have been in metal bands before and follow the current scene too, they should know better. Jus saying.
Beyond the name DVT is an okay band, although clearly confused as to what they want to be. Right out of the gate, they transitioned from a dub intro to a DRI-style fastcore song to an Unseen-style street punk song. Later in the set was a song that sounded nearly exactly like the song "All Fall Down" by Good Riddance (which vocalist Maui started off by fist-pumping and attempting to start an "OI!" chant - ugh) and a pop-punk/ska song without any trace of the grit they seem to be going for in the rest of their songs. Theoretically, all these style are all part of the same basic family and shouldn't clash too hard, but something about DVT's approach seems jumbled and almost insecure, like they can't decide who they are. The strongest song of their set was called "Cancerous," another fastcore song that the lead guitarist did screechy vocals for and which ended in a pretty convincing breakdown. They also threw in a capable S.O.D. cover at the end of their set which elicited a 3-person mosh. On the whole, DVT is alright when they're going for the fast/skate/Cali-core sound, but they fall back on anthemic street-punk vibes more often than not (the drummer had a goddamn Global Threat T-shirt on) and that's just not my bag.
Again I went outside and chatted with the table people in between sets. Navis was relating that he had dropped his phone directly into a glass of wine the night prior and was currently experiencing the problems associated with such a problem. I definitely understood the predicament, as I myself have gone through probably 30 phones in the last 5 years, at least 2 of which fell victim to my jubilant sprints into the Pacific Ocean during beach trips. Electronics are a bunch of bullshit anyway. If they're gonna be all weird when we go to the beach I guess they were never really my friends in the first place.
Moxiebeat was next up. I very much enjoy this band. A couple of the dudes, the main guitarist and the bassist at least, used to be in the band Dogs Of Ire, a Riverside-based hardcore band from the mid-2000s whom I discovered during my senior year in high school. I had written to Ethospine Records (which I believe they operate) at some point in 2005 requesting a catalog or a sampler CD or something, and in response they sent me the full-length gatefold CD release of Dogs Of Ire's album "Sterile Thoughts From The First World." At the time my experience with 'hardcore' music was pretty limited to 80s or 90s stuff, or the metal that people called hardcore in the early part of the 2000s, so the stuff on that DOI CD really threw me for a loop. I had heard Converge and Botch and stuff like that before so the concept of 'experimental hardcore' wasn't entirely new to me, but their stuff was so much more cerebral than other stuff I had heard to that point.
It's been 8 years since then and Moxiebeat embodies much of what I had loved about DOI.The first time I streamed their track "Art of the City," I couldn't put my finger on what exactly it was reminding me of but it was something specific, and then when I learned the DOI connection it all came together. The very unique style of art-core that band played has carried over to Moxiebeat, if maybe a bit more amplified in a very literal sense. Moxiebeat is fucking LOUD. I had never worn earplugs at The Dial before (probably should have when Whirr and Nothing played) but I opted for them on this occasion. Both guitarists and the bassist do vocals that crash in and out of each other at seemingly unpredictable intervals, adding to a sense of paranoia but not necessarily incongruity. There are 'atmospheric' guitar elements strewn throughout the songs as well as in the between-song interludes, but its not distracting or overwhelming. There's not an overriding focus put on the pedalwork, instead the flourishes become meaningful additions to the song. Also refreshing is the prominence of the bass guitar in the mix and the interesting things being done in that realm; many bands, heavier bands in particular, don't make a very clear distinction between "bass parts" and "guitar parts played on the bass" but Moxiebeat utilizes the instrument as an entity of its own. (Random tidbit: For whatever reason the bass guy has his microphone set up at like, chest-level, so he crouches down to scream. It's kinda funny-looking.) Overall this is a very good, unique-sounding band that I imagine are effortlessly capturing what many other contemporary bands are aiming for and not quite achieving.
When their set ended I went to the warehouse lobby and looked through a little distro box of vinyl records that was on the merch table. KP came up and looked at stuff as well, coming across a 7" by some band called Retard Strength that had an image of Mike Tyson yelling over his fallen opponent. That gave us both a good laugh. I also came across a split 7" featuring the band Los Sobrios Emputados, a Los Crudos-type Mexican-pride punk-core band whose demo CD I got in the mail years ago and never heard of again. The dude sitting next to the merch table, who turned out to be the vocalist for Death Crisis, remarked that they had recently toured with them or something, and I just thought it was cool that they had done stuff past that initial demo. Some bands never do.
Bridgejumper was the next band, a heavy hardcore band with chalky, chuggy full chords and lots of stoner/sludge-style repetition. They have a female vocalist, which was not immediately obvious when I listened to their EP beforehand. They were pretty cool but didn't really do much for me, featuring nary a fast part and relying far too heavily on riffs that are cool the first 4 times but aren't nearly as dope when repeated for 12 measures. The final song in their very short set started with a pensive From Ashes Rise-style intro part that went way too long. Their ride cymbal sounded like a hi-hat.
There was a group of 4 or 5 bro-core looking dudes who came inside only for Bridgejumper, looking like they were about to start moshing, but they never moshed. I think they left before Bridgejumper's short-ass set was even finished. It's like, whats the point in even coming out to the show? Similarly, most if not all of the thrash kids from the first two bands and their crews had left by the end of Bridgejumper. It's a bit disappointing when the 'local support' leaves well before the out-of-town headlining bands have even played, taking all their friends with them, especially when there are constantly cries about the local scene sucking or whatever. Like, don't bitch about people not coming out to your shows when you yourself don't stick around to watch the groups you play with. It's karma.
After the show was over KP and I helped coil up the cords and cables and I went and bought that Retard Strength 7" from Death Crisis's distro. I don't know why I felt so compelled to give them $2 for a 7" of some band I had never heard before when I don't even own a record player of my own anymore, but I was fucking sold on that album art. We listened to it a few days later and it turned out that it was a split 7"; Retard Strength was on one side and the other side was CFL, which stands for Concrete Facelift. Those bands have way cooler names than songs, I'll just leave it at that.
Friday, August 2, 2013
Playlist for July 2013
This is a list of all the albums, EPs, and demos that I listened to in their entirety during the month of July 2013. Afterward are my notes and a list of the live performances I saw during that time period.
7/2/13
Defiance, Ohio - "The Calling" EP
The Garden - "Everything is Perfect"
7/9/13
Brandon Thomas de la Cruz - "Common Miracles"
7/15/13
Fugazi - "Steady Diet of Nothing"
7/17/13
Dragons - "Feelings"
7/18/13
Moxiebeat - S/T EP
Bridgejumper - S/T EP
7/19/13
Death Crisis - S/T EP
Death Crisis/Same-Sex Dictator - split EP
7/21/13
Waxahatchee - "Cerulean Salt"
Antwon - "Fantasy Beds" mixtape
Retard Strength/Concrete Facelift - split 7"
7/22/13
The Underachievers - "Indigoism"
7/23/13
Fear Of Men - "Early Fragments"
Owen Hart - "Earth Control"
Lemuria - "The Distance Is So Big"
Metz - S/T
7/24/13
Pional - "Last House On The Left" EP
Guards - S/T EP
Mikal Cronin - "Gone" 7"
Prince - "Sign O' The Times" 2CD
Spazzkid - "Desire"
The Orwells - "Remember When"
7/25/13
Chelsea Wolfe - "Prayer for the Unborn" EP
Crystal Antlers - "Two-Way Mirror"
Foxygen - "We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace And Magic"
Joyce Manor - "Constant Headache"
7/26/13
Cerce/Stresscase - split EP
Mr. Fisher & The Hospitality - "Stay Safe"
7/27/13
Eleanor Friedberger - "Last Summer"
Glasser - "Ring"
Delorean - "Transatlantic KK" EP
Mac Demarco - "Rock and Roll Nightclub" EP
7/28/13
Omar Souleyman - "Rima" EP
Touche Amore - "...To The Beat Of A Dead Horse"
Title Fight - "Floral Green"
Poolside - "Pacific Standard Time"
Rotting Out - "Street Prowl"
Nosaj Thing - "Home"
7/29/13
Baroness - "Yellow & Green" 2CD
7/30/13
Dan Deacon - "America"
Final Last Words - "Normal" EP
Count To Four - "Between Two Cities"
Classixx - "Hanging Gardens"
7/31/13
Jonathan Richman - "I, Jonathan"
The Pretenders - "Greatest Hits"
NOTES:
- The Underachievers are some of the best hip hop I've heard in a good long while
- Its a damn shame that Owen Hart/Earth Control's show at The Dial got cancelled because that album fucking RIPS
- "Sign O The Times" really didn't need to be a double album it probably could have been shaved down to a much more powerful listen without some of the junk on there.
- I don't like The Orwells, I don't dislike The Orwells, The Orwells are just straight-up unexceptional
- God I love The Pretenders
LIVE PERFORMANCES:
7/5/13 - Ethan Harvey/(end of the summer) @ The Dial Open Mic
7/6/13 - Streetlight Fire/The Ill Motion/Third World Labor Force/The Nobles @ The Dial
7/11/13 - The Dead Shakes/Kids In Heat/(The Gravitys)/The Dead Cats @ The Dial
7/14/13 - Save The Swim Team/Survay Says!/Kill The Bats/Heart Like War/(The Gravitys) @ The Dial
7/17/13 - The Frights/Dragons/Sinbad @ The Dial
7/20/13 - Death Crisis/Bridgejumper/Moxiebeat/DVT/Braineater @ The Dial
7/22/13 - Black Mask/Young And Heartless/Into The Open Earth/Controllers @ The Dial
7/27/13 - Homewrecker/Illustrations/Stresscase/Higher Learning/Hands That Mold @ The Dial
7/2/13
Defiance, Ohio - "The Calling" EP
The Garden - "Everything is Perfect"
7/9/13
Brandon Thomas de la Cruz - "Common Miracles"
7/15/13
Fugazi - "Steady Diet of Nothing"
7/17/13
Dragons - "Feelings"
7/18/13
Moxiebeat - S/T EP
Bridgejumper - S/T EP
7/19/13
Death Crisis - S/T EP
Death Crisis/Same-Sex Dictator - split EP
7/21/13
Waxahatchee - "Cerulean Salt"
Antwon - "Fantasy Beds" mixtape
Retard Strength/Concrete Facelift - split 7"
7/22/13
The Underachievers - "Indigoism"
7/23/13
Fear Of Men - "Early Fragments"
Owen Hart - "Earth Control"
Lemuria - "The Distance Is So Big"
Metz - S/T
7/24/13
Pional - "Last House On The Left" EP
Guards - S/T EP
Mikal Cronin - "Gone" 7"
Prince - "Sign O' The Times" 2CD
Spazzkid - "Desire"
The Orwells - "Remember When"
7/25/13
Chelsea Wolfe - "Prayer for the Unborn" EP
Crystal Antlers - "Two-Way Mirror"
Foxygen - "We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace And Magic"
Joyce Manor - "Constant Headache"
7/26/13
Cerce/Stresscase - split EP
Mr. Fisher & The Hospitality - "Stay Safe"
7/27/13
Eleanor Friedberger - "Last Summer"
Glasser - "Ring"
Delorean - "Transatlantic KK" EP
Mac Demarco - "Rock and Roll Nightclub" EP
7/28/13
Omar Souleyman - "Rima" EP
Touche Amore - "...To The Beat Of A Dead Horse"
Title Fight - "Floral Green"
Poolside - "Pacific Standard Time"
Rotting Out - "Street Prowl"
Nosaj Thing - "Home"
7/29/13
Baroness - "Yellow & Green" 2CD
7/30/13
Dan Deacon - "America"
Final Last Words - "Normal" EP
Count To Four - "Between Two Cities"
Classixx - "Hanging Gardens"
7/31/13
Jonathan Richman - "I, Jonathan"
The Pretenders - "Greatest Hits"
NOTES:
- The Underachievers are some of the best hip hop I've heard in a good long while
- Its a damn shame that Owen Hart/Earth Control's show at The Dial got cancelled because that album fucking RIPS
- "Sign O The Times" really didn't need to be a double album it probably could have been shaved down to a much more powerful listen without some of the junk on there.
- I don't like The Orwells, I don't dislike The Orwells, The Orwells are just straight-up unexceptional
- God I love The Pretenders
LIVE PERFORMANCES:
7/5/13 - Ethan Harvey/(end of the summer) @ The Dial Open Mic
7/6/13 - Streetlight Fire/The Ill Motion/Third World Labor Force/The Nobles @ The Dial
7/11/13 - The Dead Shakes/Kids In Heat/(The Gravitys)/The Dead Cats @ The Dial
7/14/13 - Save The Swim Team/Survay Says!/Kill The Bats/Heart Like War/(The Gravitys) @ The Dial
7/17/13 - The Frights/Dragons/Sinbad @ The Dial
7/20/13 - Death Crisis/Bridgejumper/Moxiebeat/DVT/Braineater @ The Dial
7/22/13 - Black Mask/Young And Heartless/Into The Open Earth/Controllers @ The Dial
7/27/13 - Homewrecker/Illustrations/Stresscase/Higher Learning/Hands That Mold @ The Dial
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)