Dead Aces new CD Ain't That Bad Unless You Believe MRR

Older zine readers, punk fans or what have you probably remember the day when a review or mention in Maximum Rock n' Roll (or even Flipside) was a badge of honor.  Over the years there have been many changes including the homogenizing of the scene in general, the closing of Flipside and the death of MRR founder Tim Yohannan.  While MRR soldiers on into yet another decade, it seems that the hipster mentality has crept into the hallowed pages of this once mighty and influential zine.  Reviews are overly negative and unless you have some kind of weird basement show street cred, play The Fest or reside in Bay Area, you're almost certain of getting either quick afterthought one sentence review or an extremely bad review.

All 3 of Rebel Sound Records' most recent releases have been blasted by MRR and it's almost to the point that I expect to read that the bands RSR has chosen to work with plain old suck.  I usually advise the bands I'm working with to not bother sending MRR anything because they'll most likely trash it.

Troy NY's Dead Aces spent quite a bit of time with Don Fury at his upstate NY recording facility and you know what?  Their record is good, so good in fact it surprised me.  Some of the songs from their previous demo appear here and they've been updated to the point that they kick the demo versions out of the pit.  Fury managed to capture the band at their best as would be expected, but I still think recording with him can be a gamble.  What good does "produced by Don Fury" mean if you've recorded really bad songs?  You're only going to sound as good as the source material and if your songs aren't good he can only use so much polish on a turd before it becomes an expensive historical document.

13 tracks is a perfect amount for long time fans and new fans alike.  You can sing along to most of these songs and they sound familiar while still sounding fresh, which isn't easy to do.  For me personally, Oi! is a very British/European style and it's always been hard for American bands to get it right.   On "Best of Luck in Your Future Endeavors" their Oi! influences show without sounding cliched and are elevated above bands who rely too much on following a particular formula when they write.  Throw in some punk, hardcore and even rock n' roll to give you a good idea as to what Dead Aces sound like. It's a solid album and after 4 years of performing and writing, it's nice to hear someone actually get it right for once.

Ethnic Fair 2010

The 2010 Ethnic Fair was a tremendous improvement over the 2009 event. The crowd was substantially larger, due in part to the wonderful weather in the Berkshires and the ease of finding (and getting to) parking. Also noticeable was a greater selection of vendors and food options throughout the Fair. However, it was odd to see some of the stores in the immediate Fair real estate to actually be closed for the afternoon. Rebel Sound Records saw more new faces and it was nice to meet them. Had we been closed it would've been a different story. We were visited by Mayor Ruberto, Bill from the Garden, Joe Wilk's parents, Cruz "Man About Town" Swinson, Jon Plaid, Jess Derby, PRJ, NY Kelley, Shaun of the City, Mr. Hitchcock, the future Mr. & Mrs. Colin Damaged, Jay of Bare Bones/Mudlark/Low Character, Zach McCarthy, Jon "Stop & Shop" Hanson, some dogs drinking out of the complimentary dog water in front of the store, MAC, Allie of the Furiousity, the WTBR on-air maniacs and more people whom I probably forgot.

Please Help Joe Wilk's Parents FIND HIM

Mr. & Mrs. Wilk came by Rebel Sound Records looking for their son Joe. "Please help, we haven't heard from him in months," said Mrs. Wilk. Mr. Wilk agreed, "Maybe if we were in Williamsburg, he'd take our calls. He probably picks up one out of ten times when we call." Wherever Joe is, please help these seemingly nice people.

I (Heart) Pittsfield! So Fun, Yet, So Strange

Oh Pittsfield, you've gone and done it again! Wait, before I start to criticize you, which is really unnecessary, I will take the more intelligent route and actually think before I type. While compared to the big city of Los Angeles or even the not-so-big cities of Raleigh or Chapel Hill NC or even Northampton, you're lacking in a billion areas. But, believe it or not, the one area you actually excel in is giving the people something to do. This change hasn't happened overnight mind you and while 2010 is very different from 1980, I would say that since you can't go back in time (as much as I'd like to), 2010 is probably the most culturally active Pittsfield has been in decades.

Usually, the major complaint is that "there is nothing to do" and while this was partially true in the dark days of Pittsfield when General Electric was in the business of polluting and employing the general populace. Back then, there was really nothing that interesting to do. There was the Cinema Center, which when you think about it was like the Wal-Mart of movie theaters. It was the last stop before you reached hell. There was Thee Arcade, which was always fun if you wanted to potentially have a run in with some sketchy characters and of course, there was the old standby of cruising down North Street. Don't get me wrong, this was actually a ton of fun. When I sit out here on a night light this, a beautiful summer night, I can't help but to think back to days when hanging out down here was fun! This was the place we had to go on the weekends and I'm from Dalton, which makes it all the funnier. People would start at the car wash and once their rides were all clean, they'd head onto "up street". For the record, the entire strip was called "up street". Sure it was stupid, but it was fun and I'm sure it drove the cops nuts but at least they knew where everyone was. That's not to say it was full of bunch of troublemakers, it wasn't. I'm sure there were relationships started and finished "up street". The only thing on my mind during school on Friday night in the summer was going down to North Street. I couldn't wait to come home and get the hell out of my house. Whether it was to see a movie, go to a game (which was an excuse to get out of the house) or simply do nothing but drive around listening to music at ridiculously high volumes and screaming at passing cars like a moron, the major goal was to leave!

For years from what I am to understand, North Street went down the toilet and in all reality, most of Pittsfield went with it. Jobs moved and people followed. It was sad because after living many places in my life, I have come to really love this place. Sure, going away is good too and everyone should at least once but I felt that for some reason, this is where I belong.

What is truly strange about the progress of time and the mass exodus from Pittsfield is that in 2010 there are more entertainment options for everyone and not just the tourists or second homeowners. Those options are still here too, but for the locals, there literally are tons of things to do right in town regardless of what you are interested in. The key challenge is to price it within the locals' hourly waged budget. That ain't easy my friend.

There's at least four distinct scenes within happening on North Street and all are growing rapidly. We now have an active gallery scene, a growing food scene (except we're lacking a real Thai food restaurant and have at least 4 pizza shops within walking distance from each other), a growing music scene and a growing theater scene. This is not including the Beacon Cinema or the retailers (there are many new ones too)!

Yet, with all of these new options on North Street, every one of these thriving ventures is struggling somewhat with the reality of there being a lot less people in Pittsfield willing to come downtown to do anything or to spend money because it's much harder to come by expendable income when you're working your second job at 11pm. This is a problem. Also, North Street still can't shake the reputation it had during the late 1990's when people thought of it as a place to get mugged or buy crack. It looked ugly and there needed to be a change. There was and still is a change happening currently and it's awesome to see.

I've heard it from parents who, were probably cruising this same street when they were teenagers with not a care in the world, drop their kids off to a show here only to hear them mutter "Stay here, don't go outside at all!" Now, okay, sure, if this were say 2am and three doe-eyed teenagers were walking down any street in any city, something might happen criminal in nature, but I hardly think that would happen around 30 other kids here to see some bands. I found that statement to be somewhat funny, but pretty insulting at the same time. People who smoke go outside or they just go out to get some air or hang out for a little bit while still being at the show. I've never known any walk-by mugging to take place or a drive-by shooting either, but I think these people are under the impression Rebel Sound Records is a dark dismal joint similar to Thee Arcade from their youth. Well, it's not but this isn't about that how we're not Thee Arcade or how we're an alcohol-free venue. Yet, the protective power parent monitored things from the car and when more people did show up, he came in and grabbed the kids, forever embarrassing them and making himself look like Mr. Ass quite frankly.

If there was a point, it would be that while downtown Pittsfield faded away from our minds as a safe destination throughout the 1990's, it's actually becoming safe place once again and there's life back down here! People actually choose to live here, which is mind-boggling, yet they do it and still do it at this moment. I'm not going to mention everything by name, because I'll forgot some I'm sure, but on the entire street in summer its pretty cool to be able to walk around and see live music (cover bands, underground bands on tour and jazz groups to name a few), catch a theatrical production Off-Broadway caliber or even experimental productions, live comedy or even take a casual drumming class outside! I mean, really, this downtown corridor has completely done a 180 and quite impressive.

Now, the bad part, there always has to be one right? The bad part is the competition any of these ventures has with the internet (hello Facebook), video games, partying or television. The competition existed to some extent back in the pre-internet dark ages, but not to level of 2010. I couldn't think of anything I rather do than not sit at home and be around my family. I wanted to get the hell out of Dodge! Why anyone sits at home and thinks that's cool and something to do is completely illogical! Okay, sure hanging out on Facebook or My Space (so '07) or playing video games or watching television is completely awesome, but when you're not in school for almost 3 months, how is that awesome for 10-12 hours a day? I hate to say it, but that sucks. For years, the excuse was there's nothing to do. There are many things to do now, in your lifetime and yet what's chosen over doing something truly social is very strange.

Okay, so the Berkshire Mall somehow became the safe babysitter for the modern day power parents, but come on, are you that brainwashed against rebelling? Wandering aimlessly in the mall (not shopping) but going to Spencer's and Hot Topic has replaced imagination and that's pathetic. I remember the day of growing up (yes, I still remember) and had I opted to stay at home rather than do something fun, I would've probably jumped in front of a bus. At best, there is no rain in the mall and you can get some coffee, but for the most part, the mall is a complete joke. When it first opened (or attempted to, there was a time when Pittsfield fought the mall opening like we were fighting a way) there were literally tons of cool stores all over the place. It was pretty incredible. There were stores that sold actually records, two bookstores, eventually a solid comic book store, a flavored popcorn store, gourmet ice cream, Sbarro's....take my word for it, it was pretty cool in that respect. How many people were using the mall as a hangout? Zero. The mall was uncool and it still is. Instead of hanging out with a bunch of friends who all looked weird to the commoners, if any one of my friends showed up at the mall with even so much as a Ramones shirt or Chuck Taylor's, we'd get hassled by any number of idiots that hung out there. Okay, so we get it, you conquered the mall, big deal. Everyone looks like the poster child for Hot Topic. Cool.

So, where are all the kids downtown? Where are all the people downtown? I would've killed for a place and town this cool when I grew up!

It's hard to believe 1.6 Band were only around from 1989-1993 and only played regionally for the most part, yet the band has continued to be huge influence on many bands for over 15 years without even realizing it at the time. Their unique style is virtually unclassifiable yet not so intimidating that they alienated their audience and were only accessible to the few in their immediate circle. They've been compared to the mighty Minutemen for obvious reasons and were contemporaries of so many important east coast bands that you could almost say their influence is better known than the band itself. Underground punk and hardcore had just survived a very ugly period in the mid-1980's with many key and influential bands trying to break on college radio or just alienating their audiences with extremely terrible albums with equally lousy production. While it was down for the count, it certainly wasn't out. Instead of forging on into the abyss, 1.6 Band, Rorschach, Born Against, Nausea, Citizens Arrest, Go! and SFA (who technically started in 1984, but who's really checking!) to name a few, started to challenge listeners in new and exciting ways without deviating too far from familiarity. This was good stuff on record and even more powerful live if you were lucky enough to catch any of these acts in their heyday.

I saw a few of these bands more than once, so fast forward to 2009:

When attempting to book this show, I had no idea the band wasn't full-time gig or even a weekend gig, basically, it's a once a year gig! I started speaking with Mike Yanicelli late in 2009 and while he never said the band was still somewhat scattered throughout the country, he didn't make it seem like it would be an impossibility to book them either. We finally set the date of the show for June 26, 2010 and for me, this seemed like ages away. Rebel Sound has so much rent past due that I now understand how Hilly Kristal felt except that he had 30 years to run into so many landlord/past-due rent issue and I've managed to get there in less than 12 months. This, however, is another story.

Mike kept in touch and even sent a long some of their 1991-1993 Broke Up CD, the Pimpin' Ain't Easy 7" and their new The Checkered Past of Kings Present 7" to sell in the shop. I'd still confirm with him just in case because after booking over 300 bands in a year's time, there have been bands who have either not shown up or claimed to have not known about the show. It happens. I didn't have a bad feeling about 1.6 Band not showing, basically I still was in a state of disbelief. Oh and by the way, the reunion or new (whatever it's being called) 7" is good! This band is back even for limited amounts of shows per year and they're having fun too! A grand total of two shows were scheduled for 2010 and Pittsfield was one of them! Their first show ever was in Schenectady NY so it's kind of fitting that their first show back outside of NYC was in western Massachusetts as it's relatively the same region.

I booked solid support act months in advance and by the time the show rolled around none of the support bands originally booked were even on the bill any longer! Makes booking shows so unfun, it's not even funny. The only band still on board by the show was Substratus, who there was very little information about floating around on the internet. When I did find their page, I wasn't even sure they were a real band either. Mike swore they were and it turns out all of the guys in both 1.6 Band and Substratus were old friends from way back in the day so I figured they'd be here. At the very last minute for a show promoted since January or February of this year, Outdates and Whirl stepped in and said they'd definitely play. The show that had been cursed was suddenly not cursed!

After all the bands arrived, I breathed a deserved sigh of relief. Attendance was surprisingly (but typical for this town) light considering the amount of talent assembled for this momentous occasion. This was one of the only two 1.6 Band live shows scheduled for 2010 and it was here, in this small western Massachusetts city! I've seen many bands filled with teenagers in my lifetime, the most memorable being Old Skull, but what they lacked in musical ability was completely shamed by the likes of Whirl! This western Massachusetts band based in Amherst completely shocked everyone (including the headliners) with their set. I was in the room for some of their set and when I walked away to check on the front of the store, it sounded as if this music was being played by guys who put out their first records on SST back in the last 1980s. This was excellent stuff and it was so great that they agreed to play this show 5 days earlier! I have yet to listen to their CD, but can't wait.

The Outdates were also another obvious choice that had eluded me and I'm glad they were suggested and agreed. This three-piece is a lot of fun and their songs are filled with a desperate sheer energy that reminds me of the few bright spots that did appear in the dark days of punk rock. They played many songs, the songs were short but they weren't bursts of energy in a power violence or thrash way, it's hard to explain but there was a lot of instrumentation going in what was heard. In a throwback to a bygone era, their cassette is available from the band here.

Both Substratus and 1.6 Band were all really nice people and there was nothing about either band that was disappointing musically or personality-wise. Substratus brought a cool hardcore punk element to the show which was more punk than anything else. It was part street punk, part hardcore and together it was a perfect match. These NYC punk vets played their debut live show here, in Pittsfield and sounded so tight it was pretty impressive. The bass player had only been in the band 3 months but you'd never know it. The natural chemistry was there because they'd all known each other for years. It's okay about the mic stand, really, don't worry about it.

There was a tremendous amount of excitement for this show and the anticipation was literally felt across the northeast as people drove upwards of 2 hours and change from Boston for this event and it's one of those things where you kind of weren't really sure if it was going to happen. Well, it did and 1.6 Band were better than I had hoped they'd be! I think everyone who was here will tell the same story, the band sounded incredibly tight and it was almost as if you dropped a needle on a record because you'd ever know they were only playing 2 shows on the Checkered Past Tour 2010, Pittsfield MA and NYC! I will be the first to admit, I never saw 1.6 Band when they were truly an active band when I was living in the city. I'm not really sure, but I can safely say that I'm kind of glad I didn't. Seeing them here on this date was definitely worth the unintentional wait. Sure, the guys are older, have kids, have other lives, hell, Kevin lives in Austin TX, but so am I and you know what? Being able to reminisce about the fire trap that once was ABC-No-Rio (specifically the Jawbreaker show I caught and the Offspring show I missed) with Mike and about some our old friends from back then and saying to each other "hey, you look kind of familiar, didn't you go to ABC and CB's alot?" was pretty cool I must admit.

1.6 Band setlist June 26, 2010

Awful Jerk
Pets
Sticks to the Skin
Burning Coal
These Giants
Pushing Shit into My Ass
Your Restaurant
Truth Serum
Cancer in My Backyard
Lollipop
Skin Flap
Mary Had A Little Leg
Bullet
Back in Church

Thanks guys, it was awesome!

Oh and a side note, fans of the Howard Stern Show will be interested to know that some of the 1.6 Band guys played on Sal Governale's infamous rap song that has been the bone of contention for Sal for quite some time. What a funny fact. Almost all of the 1.6 Band and Substratus guys will give any Seinfeld trivia geek a run for their money...yada yada yada.

WE AIN'T CLOSIN'-The Latest News Regarding the End of RSR-the Store

After a long discussion with a good friend I have known for many, many years......basically, we're scheduling into August & beyond....so now, please support the damn thing. Buy something(s), come to shows, tell your friends.......whatever it takes, if you like RSR, then please do this, that's all I ask.

Promo Clip for New URBAN WASTE LP

This is pretty damn exciting, let me tell you! Here's the first official peek at one of the tracks from the currently untitled first-ever full-length LP from NY's URBAN WASTE! Urban Waste are one of those legendary NYHC bands who remained highly influential due to the strength of their incredible sole release, a 7" from the early 1980's. Rebel Sound Records is pleased to announced that not only are three of the four original members of Urban Waste appearing on this release, but it totally kicks ass too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljeNNvGxlec

Follow the link for the video on You Tube

LIVE Review! 8 Inch Betsy, The Soundtrack, The Furiosity, The Dance Cancer

Rebel Sound Records Live! 8 Inch Betsy (Chicago), The Soundtrack (Atlanta), The Furiosity (Boston), The Dance Cancer (Pittsfield) Saturday Nov. 7, 2009



It's always nice to go to a show where you are vaguely familiar (or not even familiar) with the bands but walk away with a new sense of inspiration from seeing a great live show. This was definitely the case on this fine Saturday night. Never knowing what to expect the show kicked off with The Furiosity who's energetic set was beyond expectations of what you can hear on their My Space page. Sure, the songs are good online, but live they were great! I can't wait until they make it out this way again.

Atlanta's The Soundtrack were on a pretty extensive east coast tour in support of their recent self-titled EP, which is a fine power-pop effort. While they're riding the current wave of what's appealing to the high school crowd, The Soundtrack actually can pull it off live, which some out there can't do. One of the best things about hosting over 300 bands since opening is that you come across diamonds in the rough like The Soundtrack. Familiar enough to get into them without staring blankly at them.

8 Inch Betsy are a great 3-piece punk band out of the Windy City and fans traveled from as far as Northampton to check them out. So far so good and this show was 3 for 3 with one talented band after the other. 8 Inch Betsy played many songs off of This Time Last Time Everytime and they got a great response from the very enthusiastic crowd. Had they brought me a pizza from Giordano's as requested, I would say they could play here anytime. Okay, kidding, they can, whenever they want.

Pittsfield's The Dance Cancer made their local debut tonight and they had a great time closing a solid night of music. They've definitely got a Revolution Summer/90's college radio sound along with a punk back-beat creating something rather original for the somewhat stagnant local music scene. This band is good and they're definitely worth checking out if you get the chance. While they're young, they are very smart with their influences and don't fall into the trap of what everyone else is doing and that a very good thing.

Until next time, see you at the show!!!!

Mayor James Ruberto Wins, Credits Rock For Ruberto With the Assist!

Mayor James Ruberto was re-elected as the Mayor of the City of Pittsfield on Tuesday November 3rd and let me tell you, I couldn't be happier. While involvement in local politics may seem rather nerdish or uncool (for years, that was my opinion actually), I came to realize that the reason I dragged Shonna along with Jazmine the dog and Roger the rabbit across the country from Los Angeles was because of the work Mayor Ruberto had been doing in Pittsfield. I would read the Eagle's website almost daily and was excited to learn of the accomplishments as Mayor.

I'm sure the common opinion is that Pittsfield is bunk and places like LA or NYC or Boston are cool. It's like comparing apples to oranges, there is no comparison. Most people don't hold where they grew up in high regard, but after being away for so long, I came to appreciate Pittsfield for a whole set of other reasons. I'm getting too far off the topic (it happens, I'm long-winded) so let me reign myself back in.

I faced a few obstacles as I tried to open up the first variation of what Rebel Sound Records and The Room is today and I was getting fed up with everything. I had too much invested in having it not happen, so I got desperate. I called the Mayor's office to bitch. No one else would listen or they were sick of hearing it.

After a couple of days, the Mayor returned my call and he kind of got and earful from me. I wasn't yelling at him, I was actually frustrated with the situation. The conversation was positive for the most part but nothing was resolved in what I saw as a battle fought and lost. Shonna and I actually marched in the 4th of July Parade that year along with WTBR where Rebel Sound Radio had hit the air earlier in the year and when I noticed the Mayor was in the parade, I made it a point to introduce myself towards the end of the route at Wahconah Park. Mayor Ruberto remembered me and we spoke briefly and then that was that.

Fast forward a couple of years later to 2008. I could see that Pittsfield was still on a progressive course to being a pretty unique place to live that captured some of the glory days that I remember, but also looked toward the future. For years there was this silly slogan that was something like Pittsfield: It's Happening! It took 20 years, but now I really felt that things were happening! I was determined to open this place come hell or high water and after convincing a landlord that while I am insane, I make a lot of sense. After some hemming and hawing, we came to an agreement and in March 2009 I turned the key on Rebel Sound Records my way without any help from anyone. In hindsight, that was probably pretty stupid and reckless, but what the hell, this is punk rock right?

I was told by my friend at work that this upcoming election could spell trouble for the creative direction of Pittsfield and I was not happy about this. After realizing what was at stake and after a summer of relatively successful live events, I had to get involved. I credit Cultural Pittsfield for reaching out to a new tenant who has a basic idea of what he's doing as business owner (well, organizational skills are questionable) as one of the key reasons I got involved in helping the Mayor retain his position in city government. The race started to get heated very early on and I felt things were calling for drastic measures.

The youth demographic has been ignored more times that naught in local politics and I said to Tim at work "You know what, I'm going to hold a rally for Ruberto with all of the Pittsfield-based bands who vote and appeal to new and younger voters. I need to do this, there is no way I'm going to sit back and watch this election happen without doing something! I drove back from LA twice to be here, no one is taking this from me without a fight!" From that day forward, I was involved, holding signs at stand-outs, displaying lawn signs, making phone calls to undecided voters and organizing Rock For Ruberto; an event featuring 10 unique acts from across Pittsfield who donated their performances in order add some flair and underground credibility to an election that almost surely would've been ignored otherwise. I'd met the Mayor a couple of times prior to this event, but not after I had started to plan this with Tim so I was pretty surprised when I called and his secretary made time in his schedule to appear and speak at Rock For Ruberto, an extremely non-traditional election season event.

When he arrived he couldn't believe it! Everyone was really excited he was there and when he gave his speech, it was almost as if he was a rock star! It was really cool and you know what? I'm glad he's in office for another two years. I'm glad I can actually go to see a movie in my own city that will hopefully not show movies with Happy Meal tie-ins or numbers after the title. You never know, there may be a couple of those, but I hope not too many.

On Election Night, Shonna and I decided to stop by the ITAM to see if anyone was still there. No one was answering their phone and I had to call Jon Hubbard on the way to Pittsfield and he confirmed the Mayor won by a slim lead. Yes, it was a slim lead but I was really excited and relieved. We pulled in and there will still quite a few people there. Tim yelled to me "Ruberto won!" We went in and found an ecstatic and celebratory packed house. We waited patiently to speak with the Mayor and after more hugs from several people he came right over and thanked me profusely. I couldn't believe! Here I was, some punk rock guy who just bowled 3 rather average games (646 maybe?) being thanked by the Mayor of Pittsfield for all my help with his campaign! I still can't get over it. I know for sure that Rock For Ruberto helped him in the end and he said so himself! He wants to do it again, to thank everyone one of the bands and young voters who supported him! Megan Whilden and Tricia Farley-Bouvier said the Mayor is getting his own leather jacket. Now that's pretty damn cool if you ask me!

I'm excited about the future of Pittsfield not only because I have an investment here, but because I like what I do, no matter how much I complain about things.

See you at the shows (I hope!)

Andy

There will be some reviews here soon along with a recap of all the bands who played in Pittsfield this year at the Room!