Hey, It's Been Awhile.....Are You Still Here?
Yes, RSR is still here in some form or another. Quite honestly wasting too much time on Facebook is hardly conducive to actually writing. Going back to a print format is completely unrealistic for me at this point because I don't have the time to devote to putting out issues with any regularity. I'll leave the big thick annuals to
The Big Takeover who do it the best as far as I'm concerned. I've been reading this great (maga)zine for years now.
In order to remain somewhat current, I've reviewed a few of the more notable releases I've picked up and performances of seen within the past few months. Some were here in Pittsfield, some were not. Some of the releases were sent by the record labels, some were bought from stores (yes!) or from bands on the road. Please comment on anything you agree or disagree with. Comments are always interesting to read even if the original source doesn't share the same opinion.
Andy
Liveage
Iron Reagan
Bogie’s-Albany NY
February 20, 2013
I’m a fan of the
Municipal Waste side-project
No Friends so
I was bit disappointed to hear they were basically finished due to a member
moving across country. However, I
was really looking forward to seeing
Iron Reagan, which features members of
Municipal Waste and Darkest Hour, at free show in Albany. We arrived just as a band finished but
it was still early. Next thing you
know, after a very short break singer Tony Foresta grabbed the mic and said
“We’re Iron Reagan, thanks for coming out” and then the band tore into a
blistering set of crossover thrash fused with punk rock that was actually
different than that of Municipal Waste.
While the bands are similar, they’re very different. I don’t know how to explain it, but
they ripped through their set to a small but appreciative crowd who took a chance on seeing a
relatively new band on tour in support of their debut LP. The songs retain some of the comic
nature of Municipal Waste, but for the most part its completely different
experience to see Iron Reagan. I
like this band quite a bit and hope they’re able to stick around longer than No Friends.
Cockney Rejects/Youth Brigade/Dan Webb & the
Spiders/OC45
Middle East (downstairs)-Cambridge MA
February 23, 2013
After a long ride to
Boston, it gets to be a longer drive as
you get older trust me, we grabbed some amazing grub and then headed over to
the
Middle East to catch what was anticipated to be a great night of punk rock
featuring co-headliners
Youth Brigade and the UK’s
Cockney Rejects. I’d seen both bands in 2012 at the
Punk Rock Bowling kick-off party in
Las Vegas so it was a treat to catch them both
again. Locals
OC45 started things
off in fine fashion and started to build up the energy in the growing crowd
gathering in the basement of the Middle East. I’d seen OC45 and this time the sound was much better than
before and therefore I felt this performance was much more memorable as they
showcased their best before the hometown audience. The relatively unknown (at least for a punk rock show
anyway)
Dan Webb & the Spiders took the stage after a short break and
closing my eyes for a moment while they played I felt like I was back at that
Buffalo Tom show I saw back in the early 1990s at
CBGB’s. While I like Buffalo Tom, I wouldn’t expect
them to be on the same bill at any of the other three bands and that’s exactly
what I thought about Dan Webb & the Spiders. Not bad, but
Dumptruck wasn’t the headliner. Come to find out that Dan Webb actually
works at the Middle East and the rest of the obvious fell together. When Shawn Stern says to me “this band
has no business being on this show” one can’t help but agree. Youth Brigade’s much anticipated return
to Boston was met with loud cheers and the band tore through many classics from
Sound & Fury as well as Happy Hour and To Sell the Truth.
“Where Are Old The Old Man Bars?” (accompanying video clip of Youth Brigade features Joey on bass and Johnny second guitar from
Old Man Markley) from
their split with the
Swingin’ Utters was a surprising favorite of the night as
everyone for the most part was singing along as was I who doesn’t even
drink. The legendary
Cockney Rejects brought the evening to a fine close as they played hit after
hit and had the nearly capacity crowd singing along and dancing wildly
throughout their set. After seeing
them 3 times within a year’s time, it’s great to see them still performing and
having fun while doing so when they could easily go through the motions to
collect a hefty guarantee. Not
these guys, they’re the real deal and if you missed them, don’t let that happen
again.
Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls/The Sidekicks
Pearl Street (upstairs)-Northampton MA
March 2, 2013
You know your life is busy with all kinds of random details
when you completely forget about a show until 2pm in the afternoon on the day
of the show in question. That was
the case with
Frank Turner and the
Sidekicks in Northampton and had I missed
this show I would’ve been extremely mad at myself. I had no idea Frank Turner was so popular and after finding
a good spot it became increasingly obvious that
Pearl Street upstairs was going
to sell out. The last time I’d
seen it this crowded was for
Public Image Limited a few years ago. That I understood, this was quite
impressive, I still think of Frank Turner as relatively new to the States at
least as far as radio airplay goes, but then again, I live in Pittsfield Mass
which certainly isn’t the hotbed of any sort of music scene or alternative rock
radio. The Sidekicks were the sole
openers and the last time I’d seen them was when I booked them in Pittsfield
and they played to a good crowd for The Room but I wasn’t expecting them to
take command of the stage at Pearl Street as they did and they sounded
incredible!
It was great to see
them play their set and there were people there actually there for them and
they were singing along to many of their songs. The Sidekicks remind me of early
Soul Asylum, mid-period
Husker Du,
The Replacements and even classic
Cheap Trick. They were fun to see and a perfect compliment
to Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls well-deserved headlining slot. Frank took command of the Pearl Street stage like an old friend and from the first note, the crowd sang along as if this was a much smaller, more intimate performance. I would expect this is probably about as intimate as you can currently get as if this show was any indication, Frank Turner & the Sleeping Souls did us a favor by playing such a small venue compared to the rest of their tour. Turner's set consisted of material from all his solo albums and it was great so see him in this setting.
Teenage Bottlerocket/The Prozacs/Nice Try Kid/On the
Shoulders of Giants
Chameleon’s-Pittsfield MA
March 4, 2013
Monday night shows are always an odd thing in
Pittsfield;
and tonight was no exception. One
never knows what to expect when you walk into a club to catch the first
band. Sure there are a few bodies
but then the next thing you know, halfway through
On the Shoulders of Giants’
set, the place became packed!
OTSOG played a couple of covers but most of their material was from
their debut album and they sounded great.
I’ve seen this band a bunch over the past year and they’ve really come
into their own as one of the younger but better bands in the local scene. The same can also be said about
Nice Try Kid, they just keep getting better and better. You can tell they don’t just practice for a show; they are
working on songwriting as well as their live performance. Both of these bands are forces to be
reckoned with. The quasi-local
quartet called
The Prozacs were the next band to play and their lightening fast
pop-punk was the perfect appetizer before the main course of
Teenage Bottlerocket. The current line-up
that features Matty, Jay, John and Jon have started to work on new material and
they busted some of it out tonight.
Good stuff right there.
People drove from all over the region, which always surprises me, for
Teenage Bottlerocket’s first appearance in far western Mass it was well worth
it. TBR played songs off all of
their albums and the crowd was singing and dancing to everything they
played. It was so exciting to see
them in a small club as I’d only seen them once before in a larger outdoor
venue at Punk Rock Bowling.
With all of the touring this band does it’s no surprise the set was
virtually flawless and it was an honor to have them play in the middle of
nowhere to a near capacity crowd on a Monday. They gave it 110% from start to finish and this
is why Teenage Bottlerocket are one of the best touring bands currently on the
road today.
Urban Waste/The FU’s/Dead Aces/Aggressive Response
Bogie’s (front stage)-Albany NY
March 23, 2013
I had many reservations about attending this show and it had
nothing to do with
DYS dropping because their guitarist quit for another
gig. It had to do with other
reasons and I guess I was dragging my feet a bit and missed
Aggressive Response. I’m sure I’ll convince
them to play Pittsfield, so all is not lost. The front room at
Bogie’s leaves a lot to be desired, sure you
can see fine, but it’s a weird set up.
Instead of walking in the door to the merch area, you walk in the door
and it’s like “hello, you’re smack dab in the middle of a show!” Not a fan of that so much and sound was
sub-par as the only speaker was the one in the far left hand corner against the
men’s room wall. Vocals were
definitely difficult to hear over the sonic assault of any of the
instruments.
Dead Aces tore
through a set of old favorites and a couple of new songs, but the sound was
problematic and distracting. The
band was tight and it’s a shame you couldn’t really hear the vocals. Seeing
The FU’s was something I’d been
looking forward to since I heard from
Zack Danger that the band was well worth
seeing. The FU’s faced the same
sound issues as Dead Aces and while they put on a great show, it was difficult
to hear James’ voice over the rest of the band. I’d love to see these guys again under different
circumstances.
NYHC pioneers
Urban Waste are still working hard and the multiple member changes in recent years
hasn’t changed their sound as much as one might think. Guitarist Johnny Waste is the sole
remaining original member and is the main constant in keeping the sound of the
band heavily rooted in the classic NYHC sound. Even the new material sounds like you’d expect from Urban Waste. Even without DYS, this was still worth
checking out even with the sound issues.
CJ Ramone/The Damaged/Hijinx/Dead Aces/The Poncherellos
Chameleon’s-Pittsfield MA
March 24, 2013
It had been at least 10 years since I last saw the
Ramones
when they finally broke up. I
hadn’t made it to Los Angeles yet and seeing them hang it up after one last
show would’ve certainly been bittersweet but it wasn’t to be. I missed it. After the deaths of
Joey then
Dee Dee and finally
Johnny I
knew it was definitely over. There
would be no more Ramones with the exception of tributes here and there but the
band was gone forever. To make a
long story short, this is what I thought until I started hearing that one of
the four surviving Ramones, who wasn’t a drummer by the way, was currently
playing some Ramones’ songs live and I had to find out more. After trying to book
CJ Ramone for
almost 4 years, it finally happened.
CJ Ramone was coming to Pittsfield and bringing two members of the
Adolescents with him:
Steve Soto
and Dan Root (Dan also sang for
One Hit Wonder who released four albums between 1994 and 1998). I know Steve is no
slouch and if he’s attached to a project, it’s going to be good and hot damn,
it was awesome. Okay, I’m getting
ahead of myself. The first band to
play are the longest running local punk band of all time,
The Poncherellos and
they played their first show in almost a year. They must’ve been practicing as Jonny, Plaid, Mugy and Andy
played a great set of 11 songs from their never-to-be-released Reach the Beach
album. It was a short but sweet
set, I think it lasted 15 minutes.
Troy NY’s
Dead Aces took the stage next and played a great set of
working class punk anthems that also included a couple of songs not on their
most recent album. The sound this
night was much better than the night before and it showed, the band sounded
great. Upstate NY’s
Hijinx were
next to play and they always put on a good show tonight being no
different. They’re fun to
watch. Local bootboys,
The Damaged really got the crowd moving and ready for the night’s headliner. This was one of the band’s best sets
recently and you could hear Colin’s vocals perfectly. The rest of the band was tight and the packed crowd at
Chameleon’s was into it. The guest
of honor and his band was finally ready to play some of the songs many in
attendance had never seen live as they were too young to have seen the Ramones
before. Others there had seen the
Ramones many times and even one fan drove all the way from Quebec for
this. I only drove from across
town but it was worth it, I would’ve driven for hours if it were in the
cards. CJ Ramone, Steve, Dan and Mike
ripped through what seemed like 3 full albums worth of material from the
Ramones’ catalog including many songs I’d never heard live before. The songs they played off his
soon-to-be released album
Reconquista were fantastic as well. One of the highlights was “I Wanna Be
Your Boyfriend” which CJ said he never got to play before because “as you all
know, Johnny hated Joey and if you sang love songs you were a pussy” and with
that the band started to play it and
everyone sang it with them. When
finished it was “1-2-3-4” into “Glad to See You Go”, touché! After they finished their set, CJ
explained they’re not going to walk off and come back; instead they’ll just
keep playing. After those couple
of songs, the packed room wouldn’t let them leave and after a short discussion,
they played two more songs.
Finally, after what seemed like 30-40 songs, they were done. It was awesome! If you have a chance to see CJ, do it,
it was one of the best times I’ve had in a quite a while.
Tuneage
CD’s
Bad Religion-True North
Epitaph Records
Generator was the last
Bad Religion album I reviewed in a
publication. Back in the old days,
Epitaph sent vinyl LPs for reviews as that was my preference over CDs and now
years later, I received my review copy via email because I needed to make a
deadline. While time and
technology have changed the music business for the rest of eternity, thankfully
any change that may have come to Bad Religion have in fact made them one of the
best punk rock bands of all time.
Bad Religion have managed to overcome challenges that would most
certainly break up other bands who couldn’t handle the pressures of the curve
balls pitched by life on a daily basis.
True North kicks off in high gear with the solid title cut and shows no
signs of letting up throughout the 16 tracks. It’s high energy without redundancy and there’s enough
variety without Bad Religion losing any of what makes them great.
“Crisis Time” comes to mind as one of
my favorite tracks on the album, it’s almost like a pop song, but not pop-punk
or even a true pop song, but there are elements of song structure that is
different for a band like Bad Religion and they hijack it and make it their
own.
“Robin Hood in Reverse” is
another favorite. It’s all there:
the solid drumming, the “ooh’s” and “aah’s”, the urgent bursts of guitar solos,
a solid vocal performance by
Greg Graffin and all out music attack by this well
established band. Trends have come
and gone and for the most part Bad Religion show no signs of letting up. Of course they can’t do it forever, but
if they keep releasing albums like True North, I’d like to see them try!
Off With Their Heads-Home
Epitaph Records
Off With Their Heads kick off their second release on
Epitaph with the excellent modern punk rocker
“Start Walking” and don’t leave
much to be desired. This album is
one of my favorites from OWTH and the buzz that has been surrounding Home
actually rings true.
It’s that
good if not better than expected. Ryan Young is the nucleus of the band
and his cohorts this time around are long-time member bassist Robbie Swartwood
and drummer Justin Francis. A tip
of the hat goes to the team at the Blasting Room who can add another notch to
their bedpost with this one.
They’ve captured a band reaching their stride with just the simple
formula of guitar, bass, drums and solid vocals throughout. That’s rock n’ roll and this is already
in contention for album of the year as far as I’m concerned. “Focus On Your Own Family”, “Stolen
Away”, “Alter Boy” and “Don’t Make Me Go” are definite favorites on
Home….actually, all of the tracks are favorites. Scrap that last sentence. An unexpected surprise is a rerecording of an early OWTH
favorite “Janie”. Under normal
circumstance I can’t stand when bands rerecord newer versions of older songs,
but this actually works. Janie”
was a favorite on All Things Move Towards Their End and it’s a favorite here
too. You won’t be disappointed; I
endorse this album 500%.
Alkaline Trio-My Shame Is True
Epitaph Records
When bands release a song here and there prior to the
release of their album being released, I get nervous. It’s kind of like a movie preview, is this the best
part? Does the rest of the album stink? In the case of
Alkaline Trio and the
constant amount of any criticism they get at this point in their career, it’s
tough not to think the worst.
However, and it’s a big however,
My Shame Is True is a perfect follow-up
to This Addiction in that it retains the classic AK3 sound at the same time
allowing their mature song-writing to show through. At this point for Matt, Dan and Derek when they get together
as Alkaline Trio, it has to be like putting on your favorite t-shirt or pair of
jeans. The songs are fun, dark and
even somewhat mischievous, which is what you’d expect from Alkaline Trio. “Kiss You to Death”, “I, Pessimist”
(featuring
Tim of Rise Against), "I Wanna Be A Warhol" (see below) and “I’m Only Here to Disappoint” are
stand-outs but to be fair, this is another case where the album wasn’t rushed
and My Shame Is True is a solid performance from a band that people hold near
and dear to their hearts.
Dropkick Murphys-Signed and Sealed in Blood
Born and Bred Records
Did you know the
Dropkick Murphy’s are from
Boston? Did you know they’re
Irish? Of course you did, but did you know
that
Signed and Sealed in Blood is actually a solid throwback to the sound that
made them a one of the best underground bands within the past 15 years? Probably not and I am always skeptical
of any DKM release, I’m not Irish, I don’t live in Boston, so why would I
care? Long before they were
Boston’s unofficial mascots, the Dropkick Murphys released some great albums
and singles that had little to do with either really. As they started to incorporate more traditional sounds into
their punk rock, it became increasingly obvious they were in for the long
haul. They were no longer only
appealing to the punk and skinhead demographic; they had their sights set on
bigger audiences. Bands can never
keep releasing the same record and at first look Signed and Sealed in Blood is
just another Irish-punk record, but after multiple listens, the Dropkick
Murphys have managed to keep things fresh, yet familiar and definitely not
dull. Some songs are serious in
nature, but many of them share a sing-a-long fun quality that the album doesn’t
get bogged down in one theme.
“Burn” is a great fun up-tempo song that follows the album’s first
single “Rose Tattoo”, which is good but it’s one of the weaker songs on the
record. “Out on the Town” is
another favorite. This is the
first album I’d actually listened to since
Blackout and the
Tessie EP and it’s
safe to say this was worth the wait!
Various Artists/Sound City-Reel to Reel
Roswell/RCA Records
For those who don’t know,
Sound City-Reel to Reel is the
official soundtrack to Dave Grohl’s documentary about the famous recording
studio in
Los Angeles. Grohl
assembled a who’s who of musicians that recorded at Sound City and while you’d
never expect to find
Rick Springfield, Stevie Nicks and
Pat Smear on the same
album, it actually works and works well I might add. There have been reviews all over the spectrum for this and
while I’m not surprised, I am surprised that I like most of it. Some of the tracks on here remind of
70’s AOR (album-orientated-rock) radio, but that’s not to say it’s a bad thing,
it actually brings me back to my youth (yes, I’m that old). Hearing Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac
backed by the Foo Fighters and
Wallflowers on one song and then Rick
Springfield with the Foo Fighters and Pat Smear of the Germs/Nirvana brought a
smile to my face. The Rick
Springfield track, “The Man That Never Was”, is one of the best on the
album.
Another one of my favorites
is the
Lee Ving track “Your Wife Is Calling”, the
Paul McCartney/Nirvana track
“Cut Me Some Slack” and the almost 8-minute album closer from Josh Homme, Trent
Reznor and Grohl called “Mantra”.
This album goes hand and hand with the Sound City documentary and any
music fan of good rock n’ roll should check out either. This CD couldn’t include everything,
which is the only downside for sure.
David Bowie-The Next Day
Columbia Records
Every hipster doofus under the sun is going to say, “the new
David Bowie album is amazing! It’s
a crucial listen!” Now I don’t
disagree, but come on. The Next
Day is a very good album at this point I wasn’t expecting much because quite
honestly,
Tonight was so bad I had written him off at that point. Okay, to be
fair, I did like that
“Under the God” song by Tin Machine, but that’s about
it. Most of the hipsters feigning
excitement about The Next Day weren’t even born when Bowie was all over
MTV in the 80's so I really don’t know what they’re comparing this too. You can’t compare this to classic Bowie
because that is in it’s own category.
But The Next Day is a great follow up to
Scary Monsters and that’s how I
see it. David Bowie pulled a fast
one and not only did he record an album in secret but he recorded an album I
have listened to multiple times.
In the day and age of shuffle that says a lot. He thankfully ignored current musical trends and stuck to what
he knows best and for this we’re grateful.
Chelsea Light Moving-s/t
Matador Records
My key source for disappointment with
Chelsea Light Moving’s
self-titled debut is that while it sounds like
Sonic Youth, it’s not Sonic
Youth even though this is Thurston Moore’s new project. I have been a Sonic Youth fan since
picking up the noise-filled Sonic Death release on cassette many, many years
ago and stuck with them through the end.
There was no farewell tour in North America, just some inactivity and then
it was over. This album signifies
that Sonic Youth is truly over and instead of Moore releasing another solo
album, he formed a new band and almost picks up where his previous band left
off. He assembled a top-notch band featuring musicians who have recorded for
Moore’s
Ecstatic Peace label.
Moore covers guitars and vocals with Samara Lubelski on bass, Keith Wood
on guitar and John Moloney on drums. It’s hard not to compare Chelsea Light
Moving with Sonic Youth and the differences are slight as there’s feedback,
unique arrangements and of course Moore sometimes singing and sometimes
not. "Alighted", "Empires of Time" and "Burroughs" are 3 stand out tracks, but it's even tough to pick stand outs when the entire release is worth listening to repeatedly. There are 9 originals and a
cover of the Germs’ classic
“Communist Eyes” that rounds out this great but
bittersweet debut. Moore has moved on in his career with Chelsea Light Moving, let's hope for a long chapter.
NOFX-Self Entitled
Fat Wreck Chords
How a band this old manages to be so prolific without
writing a slew of lousy songs on equally lousy records is beyond me.
Fat Mike may be the most revered and
hated man in punk rock depending upon the week, but hot damn, he writes great
lyrics with
Erik, Eric and El Hefe coming through with solid arrangements and
musicianship. Those following
along will appreciate some of the dare I say, self-reflective lyrics of who are
we kidding, not-so-fat Fat Mike.
If he’s fat I must be a blimp.
Anyway, “I, Fatty” and “I’ve Got One Jealous Again, Again” are fun but
at the same time deal with somewhat heavy subject matter at least for
NOFX. If you love NOFX, you’ll dig
Self Entitled and if you’re not too familiar with them, but at this point who
isn’t, this is actually a good place to start.
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds-Push the Sky Away
Bad Seed Ltd.
I was lucky enough to get a limited edition copy of the new
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds and it’s beautiful. It comes in a book with the CD inside the front cover and a
DVD that I haven’t watched yet, inside the back cover. This isn’t a soft cover edition either;
it’s a hardcover book with heavy paper stock filled with photos and copies of
original handwritten lyrics, not a cheap item to say the least. Nick Cave has been one of my favorite
artists for decades first with
The Birthday Party and then with whatever he was
doing since. He’s been most
prolific with the Bad Seeds and this album, like the new
David Bowie release,
Push the Sky Away is exactly what this world of fly by night hit makers and
songwriting teams needs from a veteran artist: one of the best albums of the year! If any band has defined this style of
darkwave or gothic music it’s Mr. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. Cave’s haunting vocals and the
arrangements the Bad Seeds have created are excellent. I love this album!
Teenage Bottlerocket-Freak Out!
Fat Wreck Chords
TBR continue to do what they do best on their latest
Fat Wreck Chords release Freak Out! 14
tracks of
aggressive pop-punk that’s a must for any fan of the Ramones,
The Queers,
The Dickies, Danzig-era Misfits,
Zero Boys and
NOFX. Teenage Bottlerocket have refined their
sound but they’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, they do what they do
because they can do it extremely well and sound like they’re having a blast at
the same time. If a band can write
songs that have you trying to sing along before you’ve even finished hearing
the song for the first time, then that’s a very good sign. Great album in Teenage Bottlerocket’s
discography!
Mike Watt & the Secondmen-Hyphenated Man
Clenched Wrench/Org Music
Technically this release is a couple of years old, but
really at this point, what’s old and what’s new? In the digital age it's rather daunting to
try and keep up with what your favorite musicians are doing, it’s nearly impossible to keep up.
Mr. Mike Watt has been writing and
recording music since the early 1980s and he’s still innovative 30 years later
showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. I was lucky to catch
fIREHOSE a few times before they called
it quits just after leaving SST for Sony/Columbia. I wasn't lucky enough to see any
fIREHOSE reunion shows but did catch Watt’s first solo tour for his
Ball-Hog or Tugboat, a
Minutemen set at the Flipside reunion (with an empty mic in place to
honor D. Boon) and then oddly enough a couple times in the Punk Rock Karaoke
band in Los Angeles. I think he
finds himself most comfortable in a trio situation and Hyphenated Man is a
mammoth 30 song rock opera of sorts that sounds like the lost album never recorded by the Minutemen. I
love the chemistry between Watt and his band comprised of Tom Watson on guitar
and Raul Morales on drums, the fury of the Minutemen is still there, somewhat aged, but still thankfully in tact.
Free and clear of the major label grasp,
Watt handles bass and vocal duties with a sense of determination and purpose that's clearly for the fun of it rather than because he's in need of fulfilling contractual obligations.
Without spelling it out, this is a fine tribute to his past
while looking into the future. You
can listen Hyphenated Man out of sequence on shuffle or song by song but that would clearly defeat the purpose. This is an album intended to be listened to from start to finish. The
longest songs are just over 2 minutes and Watt’s story telling and the band's musicianship is a pleasure to listen to in the 21st century. If you can catch them live, don't hesitate by thinking twice.
CLASSIC PUNK CLIP FOR NO REASON
Why not? Here's a classic from
The Big Boys with some great vintage footage of this pioneering band. If you don't know them, well, watch and learn, that's all I can say.
