Old Man Markley, Henry's Rifle and New Red Scare Put on a Killer Show in Albany NY

For those of you who missed out, feel free to kick yourself now.  This was a great show.  Old Man Markley brought the party and it was a party indeed!  Henry's Rifle kicked off the night in fine fashion playing some of the most aggressive Americana/roots-infused punk heard in quite some time.  If you ever have a chance to catch this band around, don't miss them.  Equally excited was New Red Scare who seem to play three times a week and certainly sound like they've been around for ages even though they're a relatively new band on the local scene.  Combine bands like The Adicts, Mad Parade and the Lower Class Brats if you need some kind of reference.  Great stuff!  Old Man Markley seem to be following in the footsteps of the Ramones and their eternal tour.  They have barely stopped to take a breath since bursting on the scene a couple of years back in Pasadena CA.  It's impressive that they've managed to actually record anything or write anything for that matter since they're always on the road.  They're currently on tour with Anti-Flag and NOFX, which ain't too shabby!

The New Look Inside RSR! & Punk Rock Bowling Update!

The New Look Inside RSR! & Punk Rock Bowling Update!

BYO's annual weekend of punk rock insanity otherwise known as Punk Rock Bowling was quite intense/insane/ridiculous as there were literally over 30 performances squeezed into 3 days. Do the math, that is a bit over-the-top, but hey, it's Vegas and over-the-top is not only expected, but encouraged! Fat Mike of NOFX and the Fat Wreck Chords team finally took the top spot after more than a decade of "almost". Congrats! Our friends at Northeast Records took second and I actually expected them to take first, what with Batman bowling on their team!

So, I'm in Vegas bowling like complete crap and completely bummed for a couple of reasons. Because of this, I shoot 169 in the first game out of the TQR (Tournament Qualifying Round) on Sunday and BYO goes down like a cheap hooker. Shonna's team didn't do too well either and was knocked out of contention without surviving the TQR on Saturday. Timing is everything and the next thing I know, because she's not bowling and we hadn't started yet, she tells me she won some major dough at the slots! Nice! Whole trip pretty much paid for, room comped for the final night, I was happy even though I bowled terribly.

The flight home was good and I come into the store that night to check up on things something smells. It wasn't me. I turn on the lights and I notice things are completely different! The walls are all the same color in the store (no more blue here, white there, some barf green over there) because of the hard work put in by Jess Derby and Jon Plaid! Thanks so much guys, it looks awesome.

The first show in the new RSR featured Low Character, Colossus, Kyklooppien Sukuputto and Someone Just Like You! It was a great way to kick off year 2. Holy crap, we've been here a year!

Thanks, more to come!