Ill Blood

In 2001 Bridge 9 re-released Toronto's No Warning's self-titled 7'', and it was my introduction to the band. I remember going to many Worcester shows, seeing B9's small (at the time) discography on sale, and after awhile I broke and bought it. That record, with "A Day In The Life" and "Too Much To Bare" hooked me and I probably listened to it everyday that year.

Then one year later they put it to a full-length and released "Ill Blood", a record that not only introduced hundreds of younger hardcore kids to the Cro-Mags and Judge, but was absolutely the best NYHC record of my generation...and they're from Toronto! The energy, the hooks, the riffs, the lyrics, the heavy drums and that nuts live show.

In those couple of years I saw No Warning three times in New England, but the best was at the Back To School Jam in Framingham, MA. The line-up was out of control: Some Kind Of Hate, Impact, Fit For Abuse, Count Me Out, Panic, No Warning, Reach The Sky, Converge (canceled because Kurt broke his hand, Hatebreed showed up and played a set of covers), Stars & Stripes, Slapshot and Blood For Blood. Yeah, my thoughts exactly. Anyways, I remember that "Ill Blood" has just come out, kids were flying everywhere and the singer kept instigating the cops who were doing security.

"Ill Blood" was one of the greatest hardcore records to come out of my generation of hardcore bands and they inspired legions of bands to copy the sound that they copied and perfected themselves. Everyone needs this record. Even if they made some, ahem, bad decisions further down the line, it's heavy, pissed and focused.

Bjorn from Rise & Fall has a two-part interview with the guitar player at his blog: http://www.mindovermatter07.blogspot.com/

CURSED RIP

fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck

[http://yourfuckingfuneral.blogspot.com/]

Cursed III: Architects of Troubled Sleep

(For fans of all things very heavy and very angry.)

I've been a fan of Cursed since Deathwish put out their debut "I", in 2003. I loved the darkness in the guitar tones, Chris Colohan's intense lyrics and growl, and the band's imagery, evident on all their releases and merch. I remember buying "II" in the summer of 2005 and to this day that record reminds me of driving up and down 95 in the dead heat of summer, blasting those cold, sinister songs.

Three years later Cursed finally put out "III: Architects of Troubled Sleep", and it is by far their angriest, most intense record so far. The minute and a half sample collage that opens it sets the tone for the rest of the record. Voices go in and out, talking about fear. In the end a woman states, "We really begin to feel that you don't have any power. That you're just going through the motions," before a man interrupts her with, "Go shopping. Go back to the mall, go back to your normal lives. We'll take care of everything." With that, Cursed leap into a blast beat that they don't relent from for the next 30 minutes. Insomnia, distrust and frustration are the keys and fear through religion and government is the subject they explore.

Cursed are on the top of their game and I am sick of waiting patiently for them to tour the States, (they're from Toronto). Oh yeah, and the artwork (top picture) was done by Baroness's John Baizley. That man's resume is incredible.

"Kill the bosses.
Kill the priests.
Kill the shepherds.
Save the sheep."

"Don't wanna bite the hand that feeds
I wanna fucking break it off."

The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

Yesterday at the bar I met a local Vietnam veteran. I picked his brain for a half hour about his experiences and when I asked him if his year and a half tour was of average length he replied, "My tour was a little more than average and at the time I was furious, but compared to our troops' tours today, I have no complaints."

After that I started thinking, really thinking about what it means to serve two + tours like is commonplace today. All I kept thinking about was the Pogues' "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda". The eight-minute traditional song, sung from the point of view of a young Australian soldier about his experiences at WWI's Battle of Gallipoli is, as my friend John drunkenly declared to me on St. Patrick's Day at his apartment in Cambridge, undoubtedly the saddest song we know.

The more I think about that declaration, the more I believe it. I don't know a sadder song. I can't think of another song that literally hurts to listen to like "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda". Love songs hurt on a personal level; "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda" hurts on a human level. It extends beyond your small life and looks at the experience of war that has lasted as long as humans have been on Earth.

No wonder Shane MasGowan's an alcoholic.

Cutest Couple of 2008

True Punk & Metal

http://truepunkmetal.blogspot.com/

This blog has been one of my absolute favorites over the past year or so. I think the guy who does it has a hand in Gloom Records, a great Albany label that has put out awesome bands like Last In Line, 9 Shocks Terror, Close Call, Cut the Shit and the Prowl. Anyways, he searches his amazing record collection, uploads a record, and reminisces about it. He pulls out a lot of gems and tells great stories about growing up as a metalhead in Albany in the 80's.

Example:
"I eventually bought this only because the band thanked bong hits & brew hahs, I was baffled that this came out on the label that it did, not typical at all. Listening to this totally brings back those memories of Luke picking me up Friday after work, and us hitting all four record stores in Albany. I typically might have spent about $80 a week on records back then."

Soo good!

Also

A good week for Providence

Also, Tragedy tomorrow!

IN RETURN

I've been thinking a lot about Florida's Torche lately. Since I first heard them I've been absolutely hooked and they remain one of the heaviest live bands I've ever seen.

In the Spring of 2006 I went to see Mogwai at the Starlight Ballroom in Philly and was absolutely blown away by the volume and heaviness of the opening band, Torche. I knew the name, as they had opened up for Paint It Black a couple of years prior at the Church, but I had missed them then. I know the drugs had something to do with it, but I just couldn't get over their sound that night at the Starlight. Since then I've seen them once more, opening for Isis at the TLA.

The idea of intense riffs mixed with a slight pop sound is so simple and incredible that I wonder why it wasn't capitalized on earlier. Sabbath and QotSA might have flirted with it, but Sabbath relied more on songwriting than just riffs and Torche is a HUGE riff band.

Also, check out this awesome packaging courtesy of Robotic Empire.


I recommend: "In Return" and a six-pack.

sabbathbloodysabbath

Study the cover, imagine what it sounds like. It's necessary.

Night On Earth

Since I first saw "Dead Man", I've always loved Jim Jarmusch's films. The characters, dialogue, atmosphere and array of Tom Waits songs make them engaging and particular. I recently watched "Night On Earth", a 1991 film, which is (I think) only available on DVD through the Criterion Collection, making it a bit pricey.

Well, I just got Netflix so it was my first pick. "Night On Earth" features five short stories about the connections made between drivers and passengers in five taxis in five cities around the world. It takes place in Los Angeles, NYC, Paris, Rome and Helsinki. While overwhelmingly funny, there are some poignant moments that make it more than a comedy.

I highly recommend this film. Roberto Benigni's segment alone is worth every penny.

SPRING

Deathwish Inc.

When I starting veering from punk to hardcore in high school, Bridge 9 Records was making a name for itself with awesome records from bands like American Nightmare, Shark Attack and Carry On. Around the same time, Deathwish Inc. was putting out the more metal-inspired side of things, which I paid less attention to.

Over seven years I've watched a majority of hardcore recede from a scene of truth and individuals to a circus of flat-brimmed hats and tough guy attitudes. One of the only punk record labels that I've seen evolve and make an effort to branch out and put out new sounds is Deathwish Inc. I cannot compliment DW enough; they've released AWESOME bands like Rise & Fall, Life Long Tragedy, Pulling Teeth, Cursed, Breather Resist and Knives Out. These bands exist outside of the coffin that hardcore made for itself in this decade. They took hardcore back from the messageboards and reminded us all that no matter how dissonant, music is art. The packaging and artwork make me excited to buy music. It's no wonder it's run by a member of Converge.

I'm so fuckin thankful and stoked right now.

RIP Joey

7 years ago today Joey Ramone died from complications due to lymphoma. The entire world misses you, man. I'm sorry that Michael Pitt had to be in this video. You deserve much better, my friend.

Narrow Teeth

I rarely make the effort to get into new bands anymore, regardless of their genre. It's not that I think "it's all been done", there's just decades of music that's already been released and I'd like to focus on where everything from today came from, as opposed to where it's going. Traditionalist, I know.

It's not that I'm not into progressive music, it's just that I see a lot of today's music as idle and unoriginal. Unless the grandchild is Refused or Hot Water Music, why not focus on the grandparents? They were much more interesting. It was all their idea anyway.

Now, all of this of course comes with exceptions. I've been drooling over two new(er) bands for a while now. The first is Narrows, a band with only a single song available (http://www.myspace.com/narrowsnoise). The catch is that it has members of Botch, TAAS, Unbroken and many others. Botch's singer is back, this time with the brainchild of TAAS's awesome riffs, Ryan Frederiksen. I am so excited for this band to release their first 7'' on Deathwish later this year.

The second exception is Baltimore's Pulling Teeth. Their newest full-length, "Martyr Immortal" is the perfect batch of hardcore, punk and metal. P-E-R-F-E-C-T. I don't think they've created a new genre or anything but I just can't stop listening. Their doomy imagery, harsh vocals and riffs make me giddy inside. (http://www.pullingteethmd.com/)

New Wind

I recently found 7 Seconds' 1986 LP, "New Wind" on sale so I picked it up. As someone who grew up on "The Crew" I was expecting short, fast and lo-fi. Instead, the opening track "The Night Away" greeted me with long, slow and (still) lo-fi. I let it drag out hoping for a change in the rest of the songs and overall I think I got it. Although the songs are all longer and slower than most Seconds songs, it definately has some strong points. Standouts include "Grown Apart", "New Wind", "Man Enough To Care" and "Put These Words To Music."

The harmonies are surprising and honestly, some of these songs really aren't that great. Regardless, "New Wind" proves that although this is probably my least favorite 7 Seconds record, they can't put out a truly bad one.

I heard that in the liner notes for the original pressing of the LP they thank U2 for "inspiration". That might tell you something. Also, I found some evidence that they toured on this record with Youth Of Today and Verbal Assault.

Is this the new Green Day?

Shelly's in town for a couple of weeks and we spent the past three days seeing Henry Rollins, Paint It Black and Strike Anywhere in Providence and Cambridge, which was followed by 20 hours of getting drunk and philosophical with John. Thanks to the Sparks I consumed down by the Boston piers yesterday, I barely slept 4 hours last night. Today I feel like death and aside from coffee, Stiff Little Fingers' 3rd record, 1981's Go For It, has helped me get through the day. It's (obviously) no Inflammable Material, but the opening track, "Roots, Radicals, Rockers and Reggae" is really damn close. I can't believe I waited so long to get this.

"Comfort the afflicted and keep them from harm
Let age be protected and the infants be strong."

The World

In junior high and high school, my buddy and I used to trade our CD's and tape them, making copies for ourselves and expanding each other's knowledge of punk rock. One Friday he brought in the U.S. Bombs' The World, which was released in 1999 on Hellcat Records. I was really excited because the few songs I had by them on compilations had always stuck out to me with their Clash sound. That weekend I stayed at my grandmother's house, and I remember listening to that CD over and over again on my discman, in my mother's old bedroom. I didn't see one of those 18 tracks as filler; I loved them all.

I was drawn in equally by the sound, which took from the punk rock that I loved, ('77 punk as opposed to the pop-punk that was rampant at the time), as by the skater, cut and paste political imagery. I loved that the political imagery wasn't all anti-US as most of my punk records were. Although there remained criticism of the US ("US bombs the world"), there was underlying American pride in the WWII imagery and songs like "Yanks & Rebs", where Duane sings, "I'm proud to be an American!"

The standout track for me was "Joe's Tune", which is credited in the liner notes as written by Strummer himself. I have yet to find out the real history behind that song. Was it written by Strummer for the Bombs? Or is it a cover of a Strummer song I've somehow never heard? Either way, The World remains one of my favorite punk records from the 90's, and thankfully it's still in print.

"Well the black man got the rhythm
And the white man got the law
And I know one thing I've been workin for."
-Joe's Tune

"That dunce in the corner says he wants to be a cop
Caught me smoking in the toilet stall
Said "I'll get you when I grow up."
-Billy Club

Homme

As with most people with pulses, I think Josh Homme is the fucking man. And it's not just because he was in Kyuss or anything, but look at the man. Watch him smoke. Jesus. And he knows his garage rock history pretty damn well. Before I die I want a night out drinking with Homme and Jesse Hughes. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has thought that today.

Nobody Laughs Anymore

When I was first getting into punk in the 8th grade I immediately found a small group of older and like-minded friends. Together we started a tradition where everyday we sat on a ledge outside of our high school listening to CD's through crappy computer speakers connected to an old disc man. Though we listened to a lot of classic bands such as Minor Threat, The Dead Kennedy's and the Ramones, we were lucky because at the time the New England punk scene was blowing up. All of the best bands around were available for us to see live on a monthly basis in Boston and suburban Massachusetts. This was right when the Dropkick Murphys gained Al Barr from the Bruisers and started making a name for themselves nationally, and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones had released their commercially successful Let's Face It. Underneath all that were unbelievable bands like The Showcase Showdown, :30 Over Tokyo, The Pinkerton Thugs, The Ducky Boys, and my favorites of all of them, The Trouble.

Along with a couple of compilation tracks and 7'''s, The Trouble only released one LP, Nobody Laughs Anymore on GMM Records, which was re-released by Bridge 9 in 2005. The sheer force and energy of NLA along with Gibby's excellent lyrics, hooked me right away and I often found myself listening to it over and over again. I've always loved how it's a simple punk rock record, but in it are strong traces of street punk and hardcore. The lyrics are reflective, violent, and often dark, and the cover of Joy Division's "Insight" as a secret track cements NLA as a moody classic.

It's no surprise that the singer went on to form Panic, a front runner of the 2002'ish lyrical hardcore scene along with American Nightmare and Carry On. I'm sure a lot of people who didn't know The Trouble got into them from AN's cover of "Dead & Gone" on The Sun Isn't Getting Any Brighter EP, and because of the B9 re-release of Nobody Laughs Anymore. Either way, it's a classic 90's punk record, which gets played in my room on a weekly basis, and deserves more recognition.

"All things lost, nothing gained
Every passing day intensifies my pain
I look towards tomorrow, yet cling to yesterday
Hoping sometime I'll find my way.

Each day a reminder of my mistakes
Each day a reminder of what it takes
Nothing to look forward to from what I can see
The old days ended too soon for me."
-Dead & Gone