DEMO REVIEW: Snotrocket

   Snotrocket is a band from Connecticut that was listed in some capacity in the recent KYEO Speaks #8 zine. Recently I've been making lists of all the music listed in zines I read and then just chipping away at it in between other stuff using a convoluted algorithm to determine which list I will use. When I described the entire process to my brother the other day he looked at me with sadness in his eyes because yet another level of my inner lunacy had been revealed.
   Anyway, from the name of the band I had assumed Snotrocket would be a Guttermouth/Vandals-type joke-punk band, but the band actually plays mid-paced melodic punk that reminds me strongly of Jawbreaker or a less strained Hot Water Music. It's a decent listen, very well recorded especially for a demo, but doesn't do a whole lot to differentiate itself from a lot of other bands coming out during this so-called "emo revival." The last 3 songs were a bit stronger than the first 3 but its not like the openers sucked or anything.
   "I Don't Know Why" was probably my favorite in terms of the melody, and lyrically "Tell Me When You're Gone" is definitely the best if just for the wrenching disconnect they convey. Its presented as though the singer were telling someone he didn't want to actually see that they can stay at his apartment because they have nowhere else to go for the night; the fact that he is helping them out, however, doesn't mean that he actually wants to be around them. "Just do whatever. I don't really care" /  "You can sleep on the couch or in the bed. I don't know when I'll be back home. I didn't want you to come but you said you had nowhere else to go." The title of the song says the rest.
   There are female vocals occasionally, including the closing song "On Our Own," which seems to be expressing both a tenacious self-reliance as well as a sense of singular, resigned lonliness.
   For fans of earnest punk that straddles the line of (non-wacky) pop punk on one end and 90s emo on the other, Snotrocket is a solid band I'd suggest checking out. It's just unfortunate about the name...

http://snotrocket.bandcamp.com/

ALBUM REVIEW: Fractalline - "Polymath Theory"

   Fractalline is a Los Angeles metal band who is playing tonight with my friends in the band Madrost up at the World Class Doll Hut in Anaheim. Although I don't plan on going to the show, I thought I'd check out their stuff to familiarize myself with some new SoCal metalz.
   I had expected some kind of lazy crossover thrash because that just seems to be the go-to approach for metal bands from this area lately, but Fractalline have a more modern sound, bridging thrash with death metal and lower-pitched djent/deathcore parts. The song "Digital Eden" in particular had an After The Burial-esque bouncy rhythm but at no point does it devolve into pointless chugadun breakdowns.
   My main complaint would be that the drums, especially the cymbals, sounded like they were maybe digitized or programmed or otherwise played on an electronic set; it just didn't feel organic the way drums for any genre should sound. The artwork is a bit cheesy as well but this is an underground metal release after all. Those minor gripes aside, all the performances were proficient throughout the album and there were some really cool bass parts in songs like "Flawless Design" and the (ironically titled) "Singularity" suite. The vocals were adept, if nothing especially fresh, and overall it was a pretty tight album.
   Recommended for fans of Fallujah, After The Burial, etc.

http://fractalline.bandcamp.com/album/polymath-theory

Playlist for July 2014

This is a list of all the albums, EPs, demos, etc that I listened to in their entirety in the month of July 2014. Afterwards are some lists of the stuff I read, movies I watched, and bands I saw live. My notes for all follow.

MUSIC
7/1/14
Mad Sin - "Break The Rules"
Olivias - S/T demo
Slingshot Dakota - "Dark Hearts"
Cannibal Corpse - "Gallery of Suicide"
Pale - "Fact, Fiction, Opinion" EP

7/2/14
Cut Teeth - "Televandalism"
Seizure - "All Hail The Fucking System" EP
Todos Caeran - "Town Of Cats"
Bouncing Souls - "Hopeless Romantic"
Valiant - "Bury Your Past" digital single
Touche Amore - "Is Survived By"
Sunset Pilgrims/Villages - split EP
Entombed - "Clandestine"

7/3/14
fIREHOSE - "Flyin' the Flannel"
Jethro Tull - "Stormwatch"
Hillary Chillton - "Bourbon Breath" EP
Between The Buried And Me - "The Great Misdirect"
Hoover - "Lurid Transversal of Route 7"
Lein - "Duel" demo

7/4/14
Remainder - "Set Aside Your Fears"
Meth And Goats - "Leisure Time"
Calvin Jalandoni - S/T
Fifteen - "The Choice Of A New Generation"
Sublime - S/T

7/5/14
Cold World - "Dedicated To Babies Who Came Feet First"
Anodes - S/T

7/6/14
Logan Greene - "Never Coming Home" EP
Wu Tang Clan - "Forever" Disc 2
Underoath - "They're Only Chasing Safety"
Guts/Anchorless - split EP
Underminded - "Hail Unamerican!"
Adult Books - S/T EP
Calmosa - "Virtues" EP
Los Olvidados - "Listen To This! Original Recordings 1981-1983"
Hank. - "Pinched"
Ocean Man - "Something Worth Living For" EP
Explosions In The Sky - "Those Who Tell The Truth Shall Die, Those Who Tell The Truth Will Live Forever"
Green Day - "Insomniac"
Isaac - "Chased By The Devil" digital single
The Hound - "The Recovery" EP
Matsuri - "Endship"
Proto Nova - "Modern Renaissance Man" EP
999 - "Separates"
Daniel Johnston - "Retired Boxer"
Birote The Musical - "Shag Me Tender"

7/7/14
Outrage - S/T
For Want Of - "Smoke" EP
Just Nick/Paper Ceilings - split EP
Cerce/Stresscase - split EP
Ratatat - S/T
Restaurnaut - "Contributions 2011" digital single
Matsuri/Moldar - split 12"
Fissure - S/T EP
Human Behavior - "Golgotha"
Mahria/Watcher - split 7"
Dredg - "El Cielo"
AEGES - "The Bridge"
Adobe Homes - "Ristra"

7/8/14
Parliament - "Up For The Down Stroke"
Silver Snakes - "Year Of The Snake"
Jethro Tull - "Songs From The Wood"
Steeples - "Close, at Hand" EP
DivaCup - Demo 2014
Smashing Pumpkins - "Adore"

7/9/14
Mammoths/Living & Wrestling - Split
Big Bad Buffalo - "American"
Daukis - "Fascist Statement"
Ty Segall Band - "Slaughterhouse"
Indian Taker - "Tule Fog" EP
From First To Last - "Heroine"
Omnis - Demo CD
Mother Speed/Take It Back - split tape

7/10/14
Andrew Johnathan - "Between You And Me And Ghosts"

7/11/14
Ramones - "Adios Amigos!"
Dystopia - "Humans=Garbage" 7"
Crisis Arm - "Fetch" EP

7/12/14
Ramones - "Mondo Bizarro"

7/13/14
The Wrath - "Overcoming Failure" EP
Signal Man - S/T EP
In Loving Memory - "Negation Of Life"
Sledding With Tigers - "A Necessary Bummer"
Golden Bats - "IV"
Watercolor Paintings - "When You Move"
V/A - "Fest 12" 6-way split
Griever - "Inferior" EP
Pswingset - "All Our False Starts"
Age Of Collapse - "Burden Of Beast"
Wolfnote - Demo 2013
Inspired & The Sleep - "Pool Guard" digital single
Tel Fyr - "Sermon 15" digital single
Tel Fyr - S/T
Capsize - "I've Been Tearing Myself Apart" EP
Begrime Exemious - "Wasteland of Damnation" EP
Jehova's Fitness - "The Village Of My Mind"
Cope - S/T EP
Skrewdriver - "All Skrewed Up"
Volcano Science Project - "Time Saver" digital single
Punch - "Nothing Lasts" EP
Radiohead - "The Bends"

7/14/14
Larry - "DiPi"
Napalm Death - "From Enslavement To Obliteration"
Devo - "New Traditionalists"
AFTEREPTILES - S/T EP
John Cota - "III" EP
Moss Icon - "Lyburnum Wit's End Liberation Fly"
Greys - "Drift" EP
The Casualties - "Resistance"

7/15/14
Fugazi - "End Hits"
Olibata - "Fall Mind" mix
Arcing - "Doubt" EP
Maimed For Life - S/T EP
Eager Sea - "Everything is Temporary" EP
City Of Caterpillar - S/T

7/17/14
Men Of Bissau - "To Heal In Paradiso"
System Of A Down - S/T

7/18/14
Indigesti - "Osservati Dall'Inganno"
Sleep - "The Clarity"
Snapcase - "Lookinglasself"
Husker Du - "Zen Arcade"

7/19/14
Ghostlimb - "Infastructure"
Melting Corpse - "Ramirez" demo
Melting Corpse - Live 2010 Demo

7/20/14
24-7 Spyz - "Gumbo Millennium"
The Gravitys - "Nutrition"
Husker Du - "Metal Circus" EP
Spoonboy/Colour Me Wednesday - split LP
Dr. Dre - "2001"
Remainder - "The Frozen World Thawed"
Bogsey & The Argonauts/The Last Centurion/Little Bear - "Not Today You Mayan Bastards" 3-way split
KRS-One - "Return Of The Boom Bap"
U2 - "The Joshua Tree"
The Home Team - "Black Sheep" EP
Warren G - "Regulate...The G Funk Era"

7/22/14
Sam Kinison - "Have You Seen Me Lately?"
The Suburbanists - "Can I Go To Hell Already?" EP
Albert King - "Born Under A Bad Sign"

7/23/14
U2 - "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb"
Nathan Soul/Kirby Jayes - "Punks Are People Too" split EP
Ice-T - "VI: Return Of The Real"
Gogol Bordello - "Multi Kontra Culti Vs Irony"

7/24/14
Red Curtain - Demo
Glass And Ashes - "Aesthetic Arrest"
I'm Glad It's You - "June" EP
Off With Their Heads - "All Things Move Towards Their End"
V/A - "This Is Lemon Grove"
Stressors - Summer Tape 2013
Planes Mistaken For Stars - "Fuck With Fire"
Fallujah - "The Flesh Prevails"

7/25/14
V/A - "Jock Rock 2000"
Mothership Psychosis - "Waxing and Waning"
Fifth Hour Hero - "Not Revenge...Just A Vicious Crush"
At The Drive-In - "Vaya" EP
Sparta - "Wiretap Scars"

7/26/14
Petra - "Jekyll and Hyde"
Crevasse - S/T 2-song demo
Bridge And Tunnel - "Homecoming"/"Mixed/Media/Messages" digital single
Animosity - "Empires"
V/A - "Punk Rock Strike"
Hope - "Feeling Like A Buck Fifty"
Blink 182 - "Cheshire Cat"
Smashing Pumpkins - "Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness" Disc 1
The Church - "El Momento Descuidado"

7/27/14
Nirvana - "Bleach"
Still Remains - "Of Love And Lunacy"

7/29/14
Foo Fighters - "One By One"
Nirvana - "Bleach"
Uniform Choice - "Screaming For Change"
Ministry - "The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Taste"

7/30/14
Fake Tides - Demos
Nirvana - "Bleach"
The Queers - "Love Songs For The Retarded"
Tom Grrrl - "I Miss Jamal" digital single
Onion Flavored Rings - "Funny" 7"
Heathers - "I Know" cassette
Pretty Boy Thorson & The Falling Angels - "Ain't It Funny"
Girlpool - S/T EP

7/31/14
Ground Up - 2008 demo
Poison Idea - "Pick Your King" EP
Youth Of Today - "Can't Close My Eyes" EP


NOTES
- Most boring/not necessarily "bad" bands of the month: Pale, Isaac, Daniel Johnston, Steeples, DivaCup, The Suburbanists, Fake Tides
- Favorite "new finds" of the month: Todos Caeran, fIREHOSE, Hoover, Remainder, Hank., The Hound, For Want Of, Big Bad Buffalo, In Loving Memory, Age Of Collapse, Moss Icon, Glass And Ashes, I'm Glad It's You, Off With Their Heads, Nirvana, Pretty Boy Thorson & The Falling Angels
- "I don't know what other people think or what they think is love, but I know what it means to me: I fall in love so easily. I'm A Hopeless Romantic."
- Touche Amore isn't nearly as annoying as I had remembered
- How was this the first time that I ever listened to fIREHOSE? It's like exactly what I'm into...same thing with Albert King, like, HOW? Same thing with Planes Mistaken For Stars but like, in a different fashion.
- I will never understand why people were so fixated on Underoath when I was in high school...Like, they're cool, but shit people acted like they were the next coming of Christ...Pun? Intended?
- Big ups to my boy Jason Crook, The Hound is cool stuff
- Splits can never possibly be as good as individual releases. Splits are a waste of time, most of the time.
- "Songs From The Wood" is much better than "Stormwatch" but "Stormwatch" is still really good so that just goes to show how awesome "Songs From The Wood" really is
- I've had "Behold! The Nightmare" stuck in my head since the 8th
- I listened to "Adios Amigos" the day before Tommy Ramone died. I know a lot of people completely already understand and relate to my adoration and deep love for The Ramones, and a lot of other people will never understand how I could possibly have such a strong feeling towards something that I guess is kinda childish and stupid and shallow. But that second group of people, they are the ones in the wrong. The Ramones are the greatest band there ever was. Better than The Beatles. There, I said it. The Ramones, because of what they MEAN, are better than The Beatles. If you don't get it, whatever. You're hopeless and I don't wish you the best. "I'm glad to see you go." Gababa gabba. Rock n roll will never die.
- When is Griever gonna release more music? It's been awhile
- White-power apologists have tried to tell me throughout the years that Skrewdriver's first album was non-racist so I would probably like it since I like Oi music so much but Skrewdriver isnt even really that good whatsoever; Their racist venom from the later years probably made the early stuff seem cool to some kids who are, like I said, APOLOGISTS, but in rock n roll terms "All Skrewed Up" is not that interesting or substantial.
- "From Enslavement To Obliteration"
- Devo could suddenly become America's Official National Band and they would still be underrated
- My friend Miller has really good taste in music but it's also very peculiar. Screamo and techno. But like, not what you're thinking of.
- Why would I listen to an entire Casualties album? In 2014? Why?
- In a way I'm ashamed of saying it because they are such an obvious band in some ways but goddamn System Of A Down has some badass guitar parts
- Holy fucking shit Indigesti may very well be the best hardcore punk there ever was, I just wish I understood Italian
- Sleep has a new album/song out and like, I just don't even give a fuck. It's Sleep. Nothing new.
- "Zen Arcade" is not the best Husker Du album and you are insanely wrong if you try to tell me otherwise.
- Ghostlimb is on another level. Other hardcore bands should try to be even a little bit as cohesive as they are.
- "Shrooms Of Doom"
 - "Gumbo Millennium" is probably the best single dollar I ever spent. Talk about a life-changing 99 cents.
- "It's called Nutrition."
- "Y'all forgot about Dre"
- U2 is holy. Thats why they suck so much.
- "Have You Seen Me Lately?"
- That Ice-T album was actually pretty good, if maybe a bit unrealistic
- You will never be able to sell me on Gogol Bordello. That shit sucks. There's a reason Romani music is so overlooked. Because it sucks.
- Damn Fallujah's new album may be the best metal album released in 2014. It is truly enormous and heavy and THERE.
- I love you DevMo
- Learning that Petra is a Christian band made their entire album make so much more sense. But they still suck.
- Me and Troy moved and when we did that we listened to Blink 182
- It's impossible for me to convey how differently I see the album "Bleach" now that we are living where we are.
- "Even when silence is broken..."
- "I'M QUEER."
- Pretty Boy Thorson is something you should listen to if you have a drinking problem. It will make a lot of sense.
- My guitar playing was a lot more on-point when I played hardcore.




MOVIES
7/12/14: "The End Of The Century: The Story Of The Ramones"
7/26/14: "Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby"
7/27/14: "Dave Chappelle: Killing Them Softly"

ZINES
7/15/14: No, We Can't Just Get Along: Exploring Hip Hop, Gang Unity, and the LA Rebellion excerpt by Jeff Chang

LIVE MUSIC
7/27/14: Toasted Plastic/Beisbol/(The Gravitys) @ The Dial
7/28/14: Tough Stuff @ The Dial

LIVE NOTES
- I'm like, not even excited about music anymore. Music is lame.

Three Wishes

   I was at a warehouse show with some friends, and after the second band finished their set we were all milling around the parking lot. Ryan grabbed me to go smoke a bowl with him and his friend who had a backwards hat on. The car was in the lot behind the venue, next to an emaciated tree being held up by posts in an industrial island. I got into the back passenger side seat.
   As we passed the pipe around, Ryan posited a fairly straightforward question, as far as stoned inquiries go anyway: If some kind of Aladdin scenario were to ever befall us, were a genie to grant us three wishes, what would those wishes be? What do we really want?

   His friend answered pretty quickly, "unlimited weed." We all agreed that that was a strong answer but Ryan pointed out that such a concept should be expanded to general multiplicity, so that one could not only have unlimited weed but also unlimited food & drink, whatever. Point well made.
   Traditional superhero-type 'powers' like flying, invisibility, transportation, etc. were being bounced around the car, and believe me I would have no qualms with any of those things being bestowed upon me, but somehow none of those things felt like the right answer to me. Those are physical attributes, mere characteristics; what is a 'power' beyond a means to an end?
 
   What value does ability have without purpose?

   It's not something I've never pondered before. Surely, that laughter in the university hallway held some weight, right? Reading of the universe, beholding the absurdity,
   Feeling the unimportance...
   Surely.

   As the chatter continued in the front seat I stared out the window towards the tree, withering in a concrete holster and being force-fed nutrients so it will stay alive. Why should it stay alive? As a reminder? A condolence to those paved? Do those futile leaves desire their existence?
 
   Forever in the stone.

   "So what do you say, Ian?"
   I had no answer.
   "What's your wish?"

   I had no answer so I changed the subject so I wouldn't have to think about it but I couldn't stop thinking about it because when a knife cuts into your heart it's best to just leave it in there; if you take it out everything is gonna spill and you're gonna have to clean it up. Just turn the knife until it fits.

   The smoke was gone and we got out of the car, and I never had to answer their question.

Playlist for June 2014

This is a list of all the albums, EPs, demos, singles, etc. that I listened to in their entirety during the month of June 2014. Afterwards is a list of the live performances I saw in that time period, as well as my notes regarding both.

MUSIC
6/1/14
Ghost Noise - "This Is The Next Part of Your Dream"
end of the summer - "Second" EP
end of the summer - "Three" EP
Remembering Never - "She Looks So Good In Red"

6/2/14
Chasms - "Riser" EP

6/3/14
The B-52s - "Cosmic Thing"
KMFDM - "WWIII"

6/4/14
Pedestrian - "Everyone I Know Who Skis Is Dead"
Suicide Silence - S/T EP
The B-52s - "Cosmic Thing"
The Gravitys - "Nutrition"

6/5/14
The Gravitys - "Nutrition"

6/6/14
Madonna - "Ray Of Light"
51D - S/T EP
Midlife Crisis Winery - Demo

6/7/14
Jimi Hendrix - "People, Hell, and Angels"
The Mamas & The Papas - "16 Greatest Hits"

6/8/14
Violent Femmes - S/T
Violent Femmes - "Crazy" digital single
Hail, Adventurer! - S/T
Coalspur - "Others"
Black Flag - "Six Pack" 7"
Sparks - "Hello Young Lovers"
Francie Moon - "Free to a Good Home"
Minuet - S/T
The Pretenders - "The Singles"
Parallax Scroll - "Floaters"
Banshee - "Raoul" digital single

6/9/14
John George Campbell - "The Family Album"
Open Mike Eagle - "Sir Rockabye" EP
Leonard Lawrence - July 2013 Demos

6/10/14
Calexico - "The Black Light"
Code 13 - "Discography 1994-2000"

6/11/14
The Gravitys - June 2011 Demo
The 144 - "Goodbye Cool World"/"Rock and Roll" digital single
Paleface - "One Big Party"
Duffy & The Beer Slayers - S/T

6/12/14
Damages - "Unlucky Love in Lonesome Twenty-Something Hell" EP
Riboflavin - "Trapped in the Toy Aisle"
Secret Machines - S/T

6/13/14
Jack's Smirking Revenge - "A Monumental Shame"
Mouse Ear - S/T 7"
Cool Drinks - S/T demo
Crisis Arm - "Fetch" EP

6/14/14
Ocean Hands - "Singles" CD-R
Pinegrove - "Mixtape Two"
Graf Orlock - "Destination Time: Today"
Wolf Parade - "Four-Song" EP

6/15/14
Tiger Army - "Music From Regions Beyond"

6/16/14
Chic - "C'est Chic"
Kaioken - Demo
Flaccid - Demo
Langdon Alger - "Following the Lizard King"

6/17/14
Khanate - "Clean Hands Go Foul"

6/19/14
School Of Seven Bells - "Disconnect From Desire"

6/20/14
The Gravitys - "Nutrition"
Plague - "Unholy Offerings" EP
Diamond Rugs - S/T
Leer - "SPRINGBREAKNOPARENTS"
Transcendence - "Morbid Reality" EP
Battles - "Mirrored"
Sum 41 - "All Killer, No Filler"
Madrost - "Maleficent"

6/20/14
P$O - 7-song demo CD
Refused - "This Just Might Be...The Truth"
Television - "Marquee Moon"
Devastation (DVT) - "Rebel Streets"

6/21/14
Faith No More - "Who Cares A Lot? The Greatest Hits" Disc 1
Tiny Hawks - "People Without End"
Susy's Owner/Contron - Split
D.A.V.E. The Drummer - April Mix Pt. 1
Bucket Full Of Teeth - "IV" EP
Whitman - "Sinking" EP
The F.U.s - "FU82" EP
You, Me, and Us - "Stay Inside" EP
Fatty Cakes - "1998 Lisa Frank Diary" EP
Steve Miller Band - "Greatest Hits 1974-78"
drowning with our anchors - "You Can Never Go Home Again"
John Thill - "Broken Freeways"
Necrophagist - "Onset  of Putrefaction"

6/22/14
Born Against - "Battle Hymns of the Race War" 10"
D.K. Slider - "The Greatest" digital single
Tawny Peaks - "In Silver River"
Wisp - "The Shimmering Hour"
Demimonde - "Gentrify This!" EP
Whore Paint - "Swallow My Bones"
Ground Up - 2008 4-song demo (mastered version with bass)

6/23/14
Svvipht Noir - "Farce Alarm" digital single
Regents - S/T EP
V/A - "Cali Co-Op Vol.1" mixtape
Leftmore - "Smile, It's Not That Bad"
The Nerves - S/T EP

6/25/14
Mother Room - "Scorched"
Operation Ivy - "Energy"

6/26/14
Necrophagist - "Epitaph"

6/27/14
Solids - "Blame Confusion"
We Were Skeletons/MNWA - split EP
Dangers - "Five O'Clock Shadow on the Edge of the Western World"

6/28/14
Sunn O))) & Ulver - "Terrestrials"
Out Of Focus - S/T EP
Red Hot Chili Peppers - "What Hits!?"
His Hero Is Gone - "Monuments To Thieves"

6/29/14
Blonde Redhead - "Misery is a Butterfly"
Eastern Bakery - S/T EP
Kidcrash - "Naps" EP
The Wrath - 5-song demo CD
Just Friends - Demo 2013
Dysplasia/Detroit - "Repulsed" split LP
Korn - "Issues"
Karoshi Boy - "Nothing Is" EP
Rude Geeks - "Naughty Language/Strains of Bullshit" digital single
Opeth - "Ghost Reveries"

6/30/14
Hell/Mizmor - split 12"
Detroit - "Vs. North America" tour tape
Nodes Of Ranvier - S/T
Ash Borer - "Bloodlands"
None Of The Living Remain - "Grim to the Brim"
Between The Buried And Me - "Alaska"
Dangerously Sleazy - "Bad Things Just Happen" EP
Brain Eater/thediscordofaforgottensketch - split EP
No Truce/Crucified - split EP
Witch Prayer - "The High Priestess Reigns Again" EP
Santana - "Abraxas"

MUSIC NOTES
- I had "Amethyst" by Ghost Noise stuck in my head for like a week straight
- I might do a needlessly in-depth review of "Cosmic Thing" one of these days
- KMFDM is a drug against war
- How in the blazes does Jimi Hendrix have a new album out???
- Jackson Doty aka Hail, Adventurer! is probably my favorite local guitarist besides of course myself
- This was a pretty good month for 'new finds', some of the bands I 'discovered' this month really hit me hard. Favorite new finds for June: Coalspur, Minuet, Diamond Rugs, Leer, Tiny Hawks, Contron, Bucket Full Of Teeth, Tawny Peaks, Wisp, Svvipht Noir, Solids, Dangers, Kidcrash, Just Friends, Dysplasia, Ash Borer
- I listened to that Coalspur album twice in a row. I never do that. Check them out they're excellent.
- That single Pretenders listing is a poor indication of how often I was listening to "Talk of the Town" on repeat this month..."Maybe tomorrow; Maybe someday, When you've changed your place in this world..."
- The one or two solid songs on my dad's CD are drastically overpowered by the many, many godawful ones
- Worst of the month: Leonard Lawrence (boring/overdone/predictable); Riboflavin (so over the top cutesy that they have a song about goddamn Disneyland); Ocean Hands (trying to be Neon Trees I think); Fatty Cakes (mind-blowingly annoying); Dangerously Sleazy (sloppy and lame)
- "This is hardcore for the kids, not for the fucking system. If we're not doing it for ourselves, you see, it makes no difference."
- I thought Paleface was gonna be like post-HC or something, not the quasi-folk stuff it really is...Disappointment
- I can't believe I forgot about how much I loved that Secret Machines CD..."Last Believer Drop Dead" and "I Never Thought To Ask" are both like modern classics in my mind, especially the latter...Fucking beautiful
- Graf Orlock never gets old
- "Music From Regions Beyond" is far and away Tiger Army's worst release, which is a shame because it's also their most successful, so a lot of people probably got a poor idea of them from that - especially with that terrible 80s-inspired song, sheesh
- "Freak Out! Le Freak, C'est Chic!"
- Man, Khanate is dark but just way too droney for my tastes...let's not even get started on Hell.
- SVIIB will always hold a special place in my heart...ILU
- Diamond Rugs is a side project from the Deer Tick guy and it sounds so much like Deer Tick its stupid...but I like Deer Tick so its also okay by me
- That was the first time I listened to more than Sum 41's radio hits and I feel completely justified in talking all that shit for the last decade
- There is a lot of shitty throwback/skate thrash coming out of this area again and it makes me look at former me like the dumbass I really was
- Every song on that Refused album has like the exact same guitar stuff going on but my god is it badass
- I never realized how fucking stupid most of Steve Miller's lyrics are...just turrible
- I can't put my finger on who the dude from Born Against reminds me of the most...there are elements of Guy Piccioto or maybe even D Boon but like, more core
- I can't believe I scoobied around and waited until AFTER Tawny Peaks played at The Dial to listen to their stellar album and learn that date was part of their FINAL TOUR.....I'm such a dumbass
- I didn't like Jason's singing on "Eve" (as duly noted in my review on this blog) but his solo acoustic project Svvipht Noir is very very good
- How did I sleep on Dangers for so long?
- RHCP is so annoying most of the time but goddammit if "Behind The Sun" isn't a burner for the ages
- "Issues" isn't nearly as terrible as I imagined it was gonna be; that said, its still really not my shit. Johnathan Davis is just the worst.
- I know I've listened to that Karoshi Boy EP at some point earlier but this time around I liked it a lot more
- "You're gonna have to die young."
- I was hoping that Detroit would be so much doper than they are...That's an cool name
- Ash Borer is some heavy, evil shit
- It's weird how the first time I ever listened to "Alaska" I wasn't really into metal at all yet and it was like the most technical thing I'd ever heard...Nowadays it's like second nature to hear songs put together the way they do but goddamn if this wasn't part of the blueprint for whats normal in metal today
- thediscordofaforgottensketch almost got put on my "Worst Of" list because I didn't like a single one of their songs, but I can see how they could be good and maybe I just heard them at a weird time...Its just too off for me but maybe it comes together on their album or something
- That No Truce/Crucified split really makes me miss my earliest days getting into hardcore, even though these bands came after that period, it just seems like modern hardcore isn't the same...
- Some of my friends are tripping on Witch Prayer right now, and I like them okay, but I don't get being like really stoked on them yet...Then again they're still very new

LIVE PERFORMANCES
6/1/14 - In Tetra Heights @ The Dial
6/2/14 - Crisis Arm/All Your Sisters/Pale/Chasms/60 Cycle Hum @ The Dial
6/6/14 - Cash'd Out @ Uptown Tavern
6/19/14 - Kaioken/Eros/(The Gravitys)/The Swift Beats/60 Cycle Hum @ The Dial
6/25/14 - Crisis Arm/King Woman/Mother Room/Foie Gras @ The Dial
6/28/14 - Ill Com/Happy In Hemet/Interracial Bookclub/(The Gravitys)/The Violent Mindfield @ Morgan's Tavern

LIVE NOTES
- All Your Sisters is goddamn heavy
- I usually don't like cover bands but a bunch of older couples started old-school couples dancing for some of Cash'd Out's set and it was really dope
- That Gravitys set was the first time Jason had played live with us since 2011. Eros covered "Weird Fishes" really well, and then I hurt my back headbanging to Kaioken. It is an injury that still persists.
- That second time seeing Crisis Arm last month was one of the best times I think I've ever seen them play. Which is saying a lot since I've seen them about 20 times
- One of my coworkers came to our show at Morgan's Tavern in Riverside, making it the first time someone from my office has come to see me play in the 2 years I've been here...and it wasn't even a local show. Odd.

TIME NOTES
- I can't believe this year is already halfway over. It really did fly by.
- Congratulations to the Class of 2014

INTERVIEW: Paul Collins from The Nerves/The Beat

   Last October I interviewed Paul Collins when he came to perform at The Dial warehouse in Murrieta with his longstanding band The Beat. For those who are unfamiliar, Collins is a fairly iconic figure in early DIY rock n roll, having first performed in the seminal 1970s groups The Nerves and The Breakaways before starting The Beat and continuing to perform with various incarnations of the band for over 30 years. He is sometimes referred to as "the King of Power Pop" due to his various groups' contributions to the development and popularity of the style, as well as his unwavering dedication to its survival through non-stop DIY touring. Considering his influence both to the power pop genre and to underground tour networking in general, I made a point to get some words in with him while he was in town to better understand his perspective on these aspects of American rock culture that he's spent the better part of his life dedicated to.
   It took me way too long to transcribe this but here's how our conversation went:

Ian: This is Ian speaking with Paul Collins from The Nerves, The Beat, The Breakaways, many other incarnations; First of all, how are you doing tonight?
Paul: I'm good, I'm happy to be in Hemet
I: Actually we're in Temecula right now
P: Oh, Temecula
(laughter)
[We were in Murrieta]
I: I just have a couple questions because you have kind of embodied the DIY thing for a long time. I did notice when I was looking up The Nerves - I've been a fan for a long time but this was the first time I really looked into your history - you had set up a tour way back in the day when you guys were first starting out and you kind of did that all by yourself, before that was really the thing to do
P: I believe it was one of the first DIY national tours ever.
I: How did you go about [booking that]? Did you contact the bands themselves or the clubs themselves...?
P: We contacted the clubs. I just did my research which was by looking at newspapers or calling, getting people - actually, one time I think I called a police station to find out the clubs where they were busting people! Just, this is back in the day, before Internet and cell phones and all that so you had to - actually the tour, the claim to fame was that I [literally] booked it on a dime, because I would go to a payphone and I would call the operator and I would say, 'how much is a call to Chicago?' '$2.15 for the first 3 minutes.' So I would call back and say, 'hey I was calling Chicago, a number in Chicago, and I got cut off!' and they'd say, 'well how much did you put in?' and I'd say '$2.15!" So if you had the right amount, they believed you. 'Okay sir, we'll reconnect you." So I had to do all my business in 3 minutes.
I: Damn that's pretty cool. So to juxtapose that, and I'd agree that's one of the earliest methods of underground touring...
P: Yeah we were so pre-"DIY" that we didn't know it was "DIY"
I: You just had to do what you had to do
P: That's right
I: And so now, it's like, you were on kind-of bigger labels, you did stuff in the '80s like "American Bandstand" - I can't even believe that - and now you're doing the DIY tour circuit again, how do you feel about [then versus now], do you see like a parallel or do you feel like there's a different [vibe]?
P: It's totally different. The biggest thing that changed everything was the Internet. I mean you can network online. That makes a big difference. And there's a lot more bands to network with and the concept of DIY is a lot more accepted. But it's [also] still the same, the nuts and bolts are still the same: you're going out there by yourself or with another band, and it's rough & tumble and down & dirty & gritty, and you're still struggling for exposure and to get people to come out -- To Get People To Come Out. You know, rock n roll, at its nucleus, is in the clubs, and it's always been that way. You go see a band, you get turned onto them, and you get that whole experience of feeling that music live
I: In person
P: That's where the energy level is. I mean, records are great too, records are great because they travel all over the world, and some guy in New Zealand can listen to your record that you made in New York or in California. But it's come full-circle; I mean that's why all the bands are out, from Bruce Springsteen and Lady Gaga all the way down. The road is where it's at now.
I: That's something I had wanted to ask you about - in your career you've had experience with larger arena-type acts; did you ever feel like you had a disconnect with them because you had this understanding of the "DIY" ethic early on when the 'rockstar' attitude was probably even more prevalent than now; Can you speak to that at all?
P: No, I mean I've been hustling all my life, I've always been hustling. We met some of those big people but we were never at [the level of] one of them. It's a big deal, I mean, I don't know what its like to walk out onstage in front of 20,000 people or 60,000 people. I can't wrap my frame around that one. Definitely, some people play for more people than I play for in 5 years in one night. So, right now I've come to accept my position in this and I just out and do it. My main thing right now is just to get the people in the room. That's all it's about for me, whether it's 5, 10, 20, 100, 200...
I: Like you were saying, [you're] just doing what you're doing; a lot of the music that you've made is strongly associated with 'power pop,' often seen as one of its foundations. How do you feel about that term, 'power pop'? Do you feel that it is something that does actually characterize what you've done?
P: When it first came out, we hated it. We thought it was, you know, bogus and empty; and of course we considered ourselves a rock n roll band, sure. But power pop is a genre of rock n roll, and I what I say to people now about this whole thing - because it is a pro and a con, it's kind-of a stigma, like power pop is nerdy or whatever or that it's not mainstream (and well, it isn't mainstream) - but, power pop to me embodies all the best parts of any great rock n roll: great songs, great guitar licks, great melodies, great harmonics...
I: And quickly done a lot of the time; [songs] don't take, like, forever
P: I read a review, or I heard something, whatever, I read or heard something about Elton John's new album. It said, if he spends more than 40 minutes on a new song, he gets bored. So, some stuff happens quickly, some things take a long time to find their place, you know? Power pop today, it doesn't mean anything of what it did back then. Back then it was a curse. Today its not a curse anymore and I embrace it because - for better or worse - that's what people say I do, so I'm not gonna fight it. But it's an underground genre, and it's still a genre that really needs a lot of help. Bands that do this kind of music, it's tough! You can't go out there and make a living doing this! I mean, I'm doing it now by the skin of my ass. And I'm thankful for that, but in general, it's not like "indie rock." It's not like "garage rock" where [they can go] make 30 grand in a night. Why? Why? Is it because this music isn't good? Because it's inferior? It doesn't have the same kind of merit or quality? It's fucked up. But it's the way it is. And a lot of times, just like, getting people exposed to it - once they get exposed to it they love it - but it's so underground and it's so niche, it's struggling for its survival. I think after now, power pop is in its second generation, so there's no doubt - there can be no doubt - that it's a valid, legitimate genre. But it's still fighting for its life. Plus, the power pop today, is not, you know...I think I see it as a much more elastic genre than it was back in the day. Kids today - they absorbed the music from the past and they make it their own. It's an influence that can be combined with a number of other ones.
I: And at this point, there are so many "pasts"; kids are looking at all these different things, and obviously because of the Internet we're able to find things that in the past was a bit more difficult to mine into
P: People in general have this mania to classify things, but at the end of the day it's still rock n roll. To me, Chuck Berry is rock n roll and Sex Pistols are rock n roll. Although they're not the same, they're still rock n roll.
I: I completely agree with you...Kind of related to that [idea of genres being related], I noticed that you have an alternative-country side band or something?
P: A lot of people say that. I went through a period where I put out an album or two like that, but I don't have a side project.
I: Okay maybe I'm misreading into that
P: No, people have said that
I: Did you ever do anything, like, in the country circuit?
P: Listen, if I went to Nashville, they would shoot me in my head. I am so...I am not country, even if I have songs that might remotely sound a bit country. Most rock n roll musicians love country; country and rock n roll and blues, they're all intertwined. I mean, rock n rollers love Johnny Cash.
I: And Willie Nelson
P: A bunch of cats
I: Alright well I need to actually go get ready for my own set, and I'm really stoked for yours. This is gonna be great.
P: Wait, you're playing a set?
I: Yeah I play in the band right before you
P: Which one?
I: I play in a band called The Gravitys
P: Oh cool
I: But that's besides the point
P: Are we gonna have people here tonight, Ian?
[In a fortunate turn of events, several of my own friends happened to show up and pass by the van right at this moment]
I: I'm trying; Here's some people!
P: There ya go, there's some people
I: Hopefully there's gonna be more...
P: Alright let me ask you, why is it so hard to get people out?
I: Honestly I don't know; My experience has been that nowadays bands are so damn aggressive, you know? [In] my band, I play like an acoustic guitar plugged into an electric amp and I'm pretty melodic with it, and that's always been my goal because a lot of my friends are in hardcore bands or in metal bands or things like that. Sometimes, like, kids just wanna mosh. They're so into the aggressive side of things that they're forgetting about the actual songcraft.That's what I think is kinda lost in the shuffle of saying 'I can play faster than you' or 'I'm more technical than you;' they forget about songcraft I think. So there's this built-in crowd around that and they're just not as interested in more song-based music I think.
P: So maybe we should start a thrash metal band.
[Laughter]
I: I don't think so. I don't want that to happen. Well I'm gonna tie this up cuz I do need to help my drummer
P: Well, listen, thank you for helping us get the word out. You're a part of The Dial?
I: Yeah!
P: Well thats very cool
I: Indeed...Well my last question that I try to ask anybody I interview, and it's kinda arbitrary: what would you say is your favorite breakfast food?
P: My favorite food now is the way they serve breakfast in Australia, which is: fried eggs with some fried mushrooms, fried tomatoes, toast, crispy bacon, and sometimes they put a little bit of steamed spinach. They call it "brekky." It's awesome.
I: That sounds very good. Alright Paul, thanks for the time and insight
P: Good luck on your set!
I: Thank you!!

Playlist for May 2014

This is a list of all the full-length albums, EPs, demos, singles etc. that I listened to in their entirety during the month of May 2014. Afterwards are lists of the movies I watched, shows I went to, zines I read, and my notes regarding all.

5/1/14
Clitorati - "At Least We're Not Arby's"
The Two Tone Boners - 2013 Live Demo
Such A Mess - "Times Like These" EP
Second Guess - "The Greatest Hits" EP
Go Deep - "Counseling" EP
VYGR/At Our Heels/Griever - 3-way spli
Desperate Living - Demo 2012
Bone Sickness - Demo
Skinfather - "Succession/Possession" EP
Nails - "Obscene Humanity" EP
ele - "Noir" EP
Dirt Squad - Demo 2013
La Bella - "Recomposition" EP

5/2/14
Man Vs Man - "MvM" EP
Griever - "Inferior" EP
Circle Takes The Square - "Decompositions: Volume Number One"
The Speaking Tongues - S/T
Pretty Little Demons - "Unknown Species"

5/3/14
Peg - "Unwinding of a Vein" digital single
Hydro Thunder Hurricane - 2014 Demo
Burn Infinite - "En Fury" EP
Caveman Movies - "Presents..." EP

5/4/14
Endeavor/Servants - split
The Gravitys - "Unplugged at The Dial" EP
AvLMKR - "Thugged Out" mixtape
My Iron Lung - "No Such Thing" EP
Gates - "You Are All You Have Left To Fear"
Frameworks - "Small Victories" EP
Tiny Moving Parts - "Old Maid"/"Coffee With Tom" 7"
Malditas Drogas - Demo 12
Kybele - "Slipped Out" digital single
Lost Years - "Traditions"

5/5/14
WCKR SPGT - "Shitty Lou"
Wooden Wand & The Vanishing Voice - "Early Days, Volume 1"

5/6/14
Holy Shit! - S/T
Simon Joyner - "Ghosts" 2XLP
Roxy Music - "Avalon"
Japanese Game Show - "Live at Lucky's 1.11.13"

5/7/14
KRAMPVS - "Hangman's Noose" EP
Rodents Of Unusual Size - Demo
Them Jeans - "Balloons" EP
Gardens & Villa - S/T EP
Crisis Arm - "Rend"
Little Bear "I'd Let You Winn" digital single
Half Goon - "Thee Men's Warehouse Session" EP
Ground Up - March 2008 Demo
Supertramp - "Breakfast in America"

5/8/14
Whip Hand - "Carnal Sect" EP
New Gods - "Sex & Destroy" EP
Serengeti - "Brett and Vance" digital single
Yoni Wolf - "Old Dope" mixtape

5/9/14
Downward Spiral - "Fall" EP
New Gods - Demo 2013
Haruka - S/T EP
Prince - "3121"
Faith No More - "The Real Thing"

5/10/14
Holy Shit! - "Jazz Phase" EP
Prettiest Eyes - "PEEP" EP
Fury - 6-song demo
Strike Fast - "Time's Up" digital single
New Brigade - Demo
No Truce - "My Life. My Struggle" EP
Vanna - "The Search Party Never Came" EP

5/14/14
Melting Corpse - "Ramirez" demo
Adolescents - S/T

5/15/14
Lobster Party - "Party of One" digital single
Ed Ghost Tucker - "Sofia" digital single
Inspired And The Sleep - "Fly Low" digital single
Pharmakon - "Abandon"

5/16/14
Birote The Musical - "Things Could Be Way Worse...I Forget What I Was About To Say"
DK Slider/File Island/Suzy's Dead - 3-way split
Dogs - "Inquire Within" digital single
Robber's Roost - "Live @ The Filling Station"
CityCop/Les Doux - "Family Ties"/"Labors of Love" split EP
So Much Light - "Supine/Spellbound"

5/17/14
Astronaut Samurais - "I'm Gonna Stay The Night" EP
Caveman Movies - "The Digital Tracks"
enjoiSka - "Dirty Love Songs" EP
Blood Orphans - S/T EP
The Telephone Projects - "Sigil." EP
Be Still Cody/bulldog eyes - split EP
Plastic City Pariah - "A Rambling of Somewhat & Some Sort"
Hot Hot Heat - "Elevator"
bulldog eyes - "Shame"
Exiled Force - "The Dirty Dog" demo
Blood Orphans - "blanket ghost" EP
The Crucifucks - S/T
Active Kissers - S/T EP

5/18/24
Igor Amokian - "Beat Expo Sampler" digital single
cleaninglady - "Friday 01/02/13" digital single
Pigs Of Exile - "Hey Girl" digital single
Golly Gee Whiz - "Pony Should Mashup Pony (Nonsexually)" digital single
Dogs Of Ire - "Sterile Thoughts From A First World"
Media Jeweler - "No Exit" digital single
Canyons - "Human Pyramid" digital single
flowergirl - "My Therapist is a Rapist and I Want to Die" digital single
Wide Streets - "Little Babies" EP
Holy Shit! - "What The Fuck?" EP
Arjuna Genome - "The Universe is Blinking"
Singled Out - West Coast Tour March 2014 Promo CD
Heathers - "Fear" 7"
Post Life - "23" digital single
Dash Jacket - "Ten Thousand Things"
The Crucifucks - "Wisconsin"
Surprise Vacation - S/T digital single
The Freeze - "Freak Show"
Neighborhood Brats - "Total Dementia" EP
Holy Shit! - "Jesus Fucking Christ!" cassette
Zero Boys - "Pro-Dirt" EP
Goldfinger - S/T
Pod Blotz/Mark Lord - split
Witch Prayer - "The High Priestess Reigns Again" EP
Dissension - "Why Work For Death?"
Fejhed - S/T
The Freeze - "Crawling Blind"
Jay Levy - "Classy Enough for a Cardigan, Punk Enough for Jameson"
Dharma - "Sea Nothing" EP

5/19/14
Struckout - "You're Not Very Good At This" EP
Band Aparte - 4-song demo CD
French Exit - "statecheck" digital single
Hard Girls - "Isn't It Worse?"
The Acetates - "Self Portrait (alt. mix)" digital single
Summer Vacation - "Condition"
Skate Death - "You Break It You Buy It"
The Crazy Brave - "Television Television" digital single
Pg. 99 - "document #8"
Filter - "Short Bus"
Calculator - "New Forms" EP
Imaginary Pants - "Kites at Night" EP
The Teen Idles - "Minor Disturbance" EP
Pig DNA - "LIVENOTLIVEFUCKER" digital single
Bogsey & The Argonauts - "Skinned Knees"

5/20/14
What Life Is - "Ill Intentions" EP
Embrace - S/T

5/21/14
Courtaud & Bobtail - "I Can't Get My Shoes On" single/EP

5/22/14
Integrity - "In Contrast of Sin" EP
Go Deep - "Counseling" EP
What Life Is - "Ill Intentions" EP
The Gravitys - "Nutrition (rough mixes)"

5/23/14
Leechbath - "Insight" digital single
Ridgeway - "Sleep" EP
Head Creeps - 2014 Demo
Vices - "The Out Crowd Blues" EP
7 Seconds - "New Wind" demo
Innards - "I've Lost Everything"
Cursed Graves - S/T EP
V/A - "Metal For The Masses Vol. 666" Century Media Records sampler CD

5/24/14
Wiccans - "Field II"
Encyclopedia Of American Traitors - "Discography"
Steel Cranes - "Ouroboros"
V/A - "The Hard & The Heavy" Disc 1
Tzadikim Nistarim - S/T 7"
Maladjusted - "Death is the Only Relief" EP
SOA - "No Policy" EP
Gas Up Yr Hearse/Coma Regalia - split 7"
Cottontail/Moon Bandits - split 7"
Gorilla Biscuits - "Start Today"
Suicide Machines - "Destruction By Definition"

5/25/14
end of the summer - "Three" EP
The Gravitys - "Nutrition (rough mixes)"
Charlie Moon - "Little" EP
V/A - "The Hard & The Heavy" Disc 2
Enta/Anodes - split EP
Minor Threat - S/T EP
Government Issue - "Legless Bull" EP
Minor Threat - "In My Eyes" EP
Youth Brigade - "Possible" EP

5/26/14
VERSEatyle - "The Reel" mixtape
Thrash Kitten - "Are You Kitten Me?" EP
The Art Of Noise - "The Best Of"
EmptySev - "Seven Empty"
Norma Jean - "Bless The Martyr and Kiss the Child"
George Michael - "Patience"
Real J. Wallace - "HashOilBluntFullOfKeef" digital single
Sea Of Trees - S/T
P.O.D. - "Satellite"
The Effigies - "Reside"
External Menace - "The Process of Elimination"
B.Watt ft. Nevonte Sparks - "JFK (Head Shot)" digital single
Foxmoulder/Coma Regalia - split 5"
My Former Self - 4-song promo CD
Bam Circa 86 - "Soufca Rising" digital single
Ten Grand/Meth and Goats - split 7"
Mr. Bungle - S/T

5/27/14
Youth Code - S/T
Secret Smoker - "Part Time Retail" digital single
Whirr - "Pipe Dreams"
External Menace - "Seize The Day" EP
Bastro - "Sing The Troubled Beast"
Nothing - "Guilty Of Everything"
The Coltranes - "I've Got Heaven In My Smile"
The Gravitys - "Nutrition (rough mixes)"

5/28/14
Rudimentary Peni - "Echoes of Anguish"
Joos - "Don't Smile" digital single
The Insect Surfers - "Infra Green" LP Version
Suzy's Dead - S/T EP
Michael Jackson - "Xscape"
Shad - "The Old Prince"

5/29/14
Helmet - "Unsung: The Best Of Helmet (1991-1997)"

5/30/14
Nayru - "Recollections"
Flowers Taped To Pens - "Nice To Meet You, I Hate You"

5/31/14
The Saddest Landscape - "Exit Wounded" EP
Gang Green - "Another Wasted Night"
60 Cycle Hum - "Don't Cast Your Spell On Me" EP
Adaje - "Yore Veils"
Ghost Noise - "This is the Next Part of Your Dream"
At The Drive-In - "Acrobatic Tenement"
Suis La Lune - "Riala"
Bur Gur - "Alligator Cheesecake"
Jurassic Shark - "Miracle" EP
Saves The Day - "Stay What You Are"

NOTES:
- Clitorati and The Two Tone Boners are both just as stupid as their names would imply
- Go Deep had their van and all their possessions stolen, including nearly an entire album's worth of recordings, while in the middle of the country on tour a few weeks ago; help them out if you have anything to donate: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/go-deep-we-were-robbed-in-chicago
- Favorite 'new finds' for this month: Bone Sickness, ele, Gates, Half Goon, New Gods, Holy Shit!, Pharmakon, So Much Light, bulldog eyes, Media Jeweler, Hard Girls, Pg. 99, Encyclopedia Of American Traitors, EmptySev, Youth Code, Bastro, Suis La Lune
- Worst of the month: Malditas Drogas, enjoiSka, Active Kissers, Golly Gee Whiz, Jay Levy, Pig DNA, Tzadikim Nistarim
- New releases from Skinfather, Circle Takes The Square, Crisis Arm, Zero Boys, Vices, Whirr, and Nothing all kick major ass
- "Breakfast In America" is so classic...Some old fat guy who got hired at my call center says he did some minor engineering on it back in the 70s which is badass if true but I don't see why it wouldn't be because he introduced the subject without him knowing that "Casual Conversations" has become an obsession of mine come lately...He said the saxophone parts were recorded in a bathroom
- Goddamn Pharmakon is brutal
- I'm not much into folk punk because much of it seems so unauthentic but in terms of musicality in that realm Robber's Roost is pretty legit. Similarly most surf music all the sounds exactly the same to me but The Insect Surfers really fucking wail; very very good guitar work on that album.
- The Crucifucks have really grown on me over the years, especially the second album "Wisconsin"
- Every time I listen to that Dogs Of Ire CD its as good as it was when I first was blown away by it...One of my favorite hardcore albums of the last 10 years for sure
-I almost never listen to multiple releases by the same artist in the same day but that happened with both Blood Orphans, Holy Shit! and The Freeze this month, the latter 2 both occurring on the 18th together....Not mention listening to those EPs by Go Deep and What Life Is multiple times...At least with the others they're different releases
- Dissension and Skate Death were both highly underrated...I have albums from both on a collection CD called "Hit Squad For God 2" and I'm surprised I can't really learn anything about either band because the music itself is really good, especially the Skate Death album..."My Parents Are Disappointed"
- What the hell ever happened to What Life Is???
- I can't wait to unveil the new Gravitys album to the world because that shit fucking kicks ass
- Listening to "The Hard & The Heavy" compilation after all these years really cemented home how godforsakenly terrible most of the metal music coming out in the late 90s was
- My copy of "Start Today" is scratched to shit
- You read that right: I listened to full-length albums from both George Michael and P.O.D. in the same day...I can't say I'm proud of every decision I've ever made let's just leave it at that
- External Menace sucks
- It's weird how all these up-and-coming rappers are trying to charge like $5 for a digital single...Like what world are they living in? How much are they used to paying for a full album?
- I never thought I would ever hear Rudimentary Peni sound as tame and boring as they do on that "Echoes Of Anguish" album...Some bands just don't benefit from increased sound production and man o man are they one of them
- The new Michael Jackson album is actually pretty alright; what sucks is that the song with the best groove happens to be about child abuse and I'm just thinking, was this really the wisest subject choice for you MJ?
- "Wilma's rainbow of peaceful colors; The richest drug dealer."
- Man the screeching tire vocals on that Nayru album are just way too much for me to take
- "Another Wasted Night. I've lost another friend."
- I didn't realize til reading about the album as I re-listened to it but "Acrobatic Tenement" has a different lineup than any of the other ATDI albums and Omar is actually playing bass not guitar...Say Whaaaaat
- Last time I checked out Jurassic Shark I actually listened to the wrong band that was mainly girls so when we played with them in Pomona a few months back I was all confused but apparently there are 2 Jurassic Sharks and the other one is from the East Coast.

SHOWS:
5/8/14 - The Coltranes/New Gods/Whip Hand/Half Goon @ The Dial
5/28/14 - Alone/Bur Gur/(end of the summer)/Suzy's Dead @ DBA256 Wine Bar
5/30/14 - La Bella/Kilgore Trout/Flowers Taped To Pens/Leechbath @ The Dial
5/31/14 - Abideer/Ghost Noise/(end of the summer)/60 Cycle Hum/Jurassic Shark @ The Dial

SHOW NOTES:
- I got a 15-minute interview with all 3 of the members from Ghost Noise after their set on the 31st; Transcription coming in like 5 months.

MOVIES:
5/8/14 - "We're The Millers"
5/16/14 - "Top Gun"
5/25/14 - "What Lies Beneath"

MOVIE NOTES:
- That was the first time I had ever seen "Top Gun," despite it being Mark Gravity's favorite movie and it constantly being played at his house
- "What Lies Beneath" is an alright movie but wasn't what I was hoping it would be like and goddamn it was long...But theres no denying Michelle Pfieffer's hotness

ZINES:
5/19/14 - KYEO Speaks 6 - Winter 2012

ZINE NOTES
- I made a list of all the artists named in KYEO 6 and have been slowing chipping away at listening to everything...Hence all the "skramz"