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December 26, 2006
Hopefully everyone had a good Christmas. My day was spent mostly sleeping, which is never a bad thing. I'm currently listening to some new music, including 24 Hour Revenge Therapy by Jawbreaker, which I highly recommend. The Year End Review (as well as a Six Month Review) should be up before the end of the year, but I'm pretty lazy, so who knows.
December 10, 2006
I somehow stumbled upon and became interested in the Dew Circuit Breakout contest that MTV 2 and Mountain Dew put on. Watching the semi finals, with Halifax, Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer and Fallen From the Sky performing and then being critiqued by a panel of "experts" was pretty silly, but I did discover that awesomeness that is Fall From the Sky. They sound like a mixture between Hot Water Music, Against Me! and Rise Against; three bands that I flip my shit over. Though they didn't win (Halifax did, somehow), I'm hoping that this contest exposed them to a much wider audience. I hadn't heard them before, and almost wrote them off based on their name, but they blew me away and are a great band. I hope to see them get the respect and admiration that they deserve.
December 10, 2006
Tiredness forced me to do absolutely nothing with this site last week. I meant to, but I was so wiped out by the time that I got home that I couldn't do anything besides lay in bed watching television, dreading the 5:45 a.m. time when my alarm clock would again be going off. I will try and force myself to get more done this week, which shouldn't be hard since I've already accomplished that.
November 28, 2006
The new solo project from Underoath drummer Aaron Gillespie, called The Almost. They play good melodic rock that is pretty upbeat, sounding sort of similar to Brand New. This is a lot better than I expected.
November 28, 2006
Being sick really sucks, especially when I'm stuck in bed instead of being in Boston checking out Dead to Me and Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies. Instead, I spent the day watching "24," "Bowfinger," "The Stuff" and the 1933 version of "King Kong," which was quite cool to watch with the cheesy special effects that were probably amazing for the time. The worst part about being sick is that I'm on vacation from work.
November 27, 2006
It took me over a week, but I was finally able to figure out what went wrong with the site and fix the problem. Everything is back on track, which is a huge sigh of relief, and I can now go back to watching Season One of "24" like an addict.
November 20, 2006
This site is giving me problems for reasons that I can't currently figure out. I am personally having trouble opening the site, and some people aren't getting the links that I'm sending them. I'll eventually figure out what the problem is, and hopefully have everything fixed soon.
November 13, 2006
I'm sure that a lot of people were bummed out about the break up of The Blackout Pact, but two dudes from the band are back with Tin Horn Player, a very good folk/country band waving the punk rock flag. The four songs on here are great, and I look forward to hearing more from these guys.
November 13, 2006
Due to AOL being kind enough to stream albums for free, I was able to give The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me by Brand New. Some songs are great, full of an energetic sadness, but I'm still not sure how I feel about the album as a whole. Nothing jumped out at me as much as their previous albums, but I still see myself picking it up in the near future.
November 13, 2006
Looking through various web zines and message boards, I stumbled upon two punk rock all star bands. One, The T4 Project features members from The Subhumans, Strung Out, Pennywise, Morrisey, The Damned, Naked Aggression, Neil Diamond, Buzzcocks, The Screamers, Circle Jerks, Porno for Pyros and Bad Religion, along with a 40 person choir. They sound like the combination of most of the these bands, especially Strung Out due to Cruz lending his vocals to the project.
The other band, Black President, which features Greg Hetson of Bad Religion among others, sounds like old school hardcore, especially bands like Bad Religion and Circle Jerks. They are not fans of the Bush administration, which is the main point of this enjoyable musical project.
November 13, 2006
I got to witness history yesterday, although it was bad history, as I saw a live NFL game for the first time, watching the New York Jets stun the New England Patriots 17-14. While the game may not have been that great, especially with the lack of spirit and emotion the Pats played with, it was still a cool experience, especially since we had access to a heated clubhouse, which would have come in quite handy had the rain kept up. Some funny moments include a guy who brought a trumpet but only knew how to play one note (which he did annoyingly often) and a kid who, during the Pats' final attempt to tie or win the game, yelled at Tom Brady saying: "Come on, Tom. What are you looking at?" I should mention that the kid said this between plays. Also, the announcer there was the absolute worst, lifeless as they come, which I found hysterical.
October 30, 2006
I'm guessing Ed Gein does not want me to see them any time soon. I was stoked that they were going to play The Living Room in Providence, RI last night. I was listening to them all day to get psyched for the show, only to get there and find out that they cancelled. Not being a huge fan of any other band on the bill, I left.
October 30 , 2006
A Rest in Peace goes to Celtic coaching/GM/team President great Red Auerbach, who passed at the age of 89. He guided the Celtics to 16 championships, only one of which I remember (1986). Even though the Celtics have been close to a joke for almost 20 years, they are one of the most storied teams in all of sports, and Auerbach's great decision making is quite possibly the main reason for that.
October 25, 2006
Out of boredom, I decided to check out a band called Scream Hello on Purevolume. I dig their melodic indie rock sound a lot, and suggest giving them a chance. They are pretty catchy and worth a listen.
October 9, 2006
I was going through my Emails a few minutes ago, and I found a bunch of band links that I Emailed to myself to post on here. Here's the rundown:
XO Skeletons: These two guys and one girl have a simple old school punk sound that is mixed with electronics. "Asthmagasm" sounds like something F.Y.P. would have written. I like these guys.
Lets Try Leaving: They have a few demo tracks up on their site, which are in the style of The Lawrence Arms and other Fat type bands, except not as fine tuned. These guys still have a bit more work to do, but they've got something good brewing in their instruments.
Chuck Ragan: Do I even need to explain why he is getting mentioned on this site? The former Hot Water Music member is playing acoustic rock that is as good as it comes.
Also, check out an Ecard from the great masters of grotesque grind Regurgitate here.
September 30, 2006
A very respectful Rest in Peace goes out to Randy Hein, owner of The Living Room, a music venue in Providence, who died in a car accident on September 25. This man, in addition to coaching Little League baseball and leading Lincoln to the Little League World Series, has done a lot of good for punk rock, even being mentioned in the American Hardcore book, with the story of his mother having a plate of food ready for all the touring bands. Before his first car accident that he was still rehabing at the time of his death, you could always count on him being at door, whether it was a big show or not. My favorite memory of him was when he threatened to have my friend and I clean the bathroom (it was possibly one of the most disgusting places ever at the time) because we got caught looking through his records that were behind a bar. Luckily, he was joking and told us that nothing deserves that punishment. While I didn't know him well, his passion for local music will live on in my mind forever.
September 10, 2006
Thank goodness football season has started. I'm looking forward to an entertaining Patriot's season. This month also marks the playoffs of the Providence Charity Baseball League, and the Deathhawks came back from a 12-2 deficit to beat Brad Huff for Mayor 13-12. It was a game for the ages (coincidentally, the Pats came back from 10 down to beat the Bills today), and a comeback that left us with a great high. If we played at a stadium, some great jock jams that I can't place right now.
September 4, 2006
A "Law and Order: SVU" marathon on USA is a great way to ring in this Labor Day, keeping me in my room and pajamas all day. Luckily, I was still able to get some other stuff done, including writing some reviews and typing up an interview with The Academy Is...
August 24, 2006
Good bye Rob Corddrey of The Daily Show. He was one of the best parts of the show, and I don't think the show will be the same without him. However, The Daily Show has lost a lot of great reporters, and the show has continued to survive and find up and coming talent, which they seem to have now. Plus, they have the great Jon Stewart at the helm, so this show will be great for years to come.
August 21, 2006
Punk News was kind enough to post a stream of Latterman's new album, ...We Are Still Alive, which is out now on Deep Elm. Latterman play absolute killer punk rock that could put a smile on the blackest of hearts. Their songs are so much fun that it hurts. They play with an honest integrity that could make them as big as another band that I am completely crazy for.
August 15, 2006
Rhode Island has never made a huge dent in the music scene, but Lambgoat was kind enough to post some music by two up and coming bands: Isle of Mann features Jon from Daughters, as well as Mullet, former vocalist of Crippler Cross Face. The duo has a chaotic hardcore sound that I dig.
Mullet must be a busy man, as Playgirl play fast metalcore that also features a former singer of Bury Your Dead. These two songs aren't bad, and I look forward to checking both bands out further in the future.
August 8, 2006
Granted, its three days later, but I was at Warped Tour on Sunday, getting home at 4 in the morning after New Jersey traffic kicked my ass and slept after working on Monday, but here are a few thoughts I had about the Gorilla Biscuits show that happened August 5 in Worcester:
1. Murphy's Law should have played a longer set. I'm used to not seeing them play a whole set because they play for hours when they headline.
2. Why weren't there more New York Hardcore bands on the bill? Plenty of bands (Bold, Sick of it All, Agnostic Front and Madball to name a few) from that era are still around that it makes me wonder why they didn't try to base the whole tour on the hardcore spirit of the late 80s.
3. With the show being at the Worcester Palladium, and local bands Guns Up! and Righteous Jams playing, I wonder why one of the most influential current hardcore bands of the state, Bane, weren't on the bill. They've earned it.
4. Arthur, the bassist of Gorilla Biscuits, is extremely skinny. I will go into more detail in my review, but the man may have no fat on him at all.
5. A smile didn't leave my face at all during their set. They were THAT good.
6. If my wrist wasn't broken, I would have been in the pit. Very few bands make me want to go in the pit, especially when I can sit my lazy ass down in the balcony.
7. See this tour at all costs. Gorilla Biscuits is a band that you will kick yourself for missing. I'm still getting chills thinking about it.
July 29, 2006
I stumbled onto Harley Flanagan's My Space page today, and read an interesting blurb about him wanting to bury the hatchet with former Cro Mags vocalist John Joseph, under the headline "Cro Mags Reunion?" I was lucky enough to see the Cro Mags (well, Joseph and Flanagan together at least), and it was pretty great. I would not mind seeing them again. Check out the blurb here.
July 24, 2006
I was flipping through the channels tonight, landing on wrestling. I used to be a huge fan of the show growing up, but rarely watch it anymore. I was pretty damn surprised to see Lita enter the ring in a Seven Seconds T shirt. I read years ago that she grew up listening to hardcore, but I still found it odd to see them represented on such a big stage.
July 19, 2006
I have been listening non stop to Lucero's new song, "I Can Get Us Out Here Tonight." Their new album, Rebels, Rogues & Sworn Brothers, is due out in September, and if this song is any indication, this album will be killer. See for yourself here.
July 19, 2006
Yes, I do need to update this section more, but things like this happen when you are a lazy person such as myself. Anyway, I went to an Anarchist Book Fair in Providence last Saturday (July 15), and I saw people pay $9 for a half hour of parking before walking to the fair. That seems very ironic to me.
July 2, 2006 (10:31 p.m.)
There is a teaser for the new Transformers movie that is coming out on July 4, 2007. The teaser is a bit slow, but I like the idea of the Transformers being from Mars, and am looking forward to the movie. Growing up loving the cartoon helps add to that excitement.
While we're on the subject of movies, there are two trailers for Clerks 2, which opens up on July 21. Yes, that is almost a month earlier than the August 18 release date that was originally set, which is great news. You can check out the trailers here and here. This film is going to be great. Snoogans.
June 19 , 2006 (9:10 p.m.)
Runny noses suck, especially when I keep thinking that my nose is bloody.
June 19 , 2006 (9:07 p.m.)
I find it interesting that its really difficult to find a flat out punk band on PureVolume. However, I highly suggest checking out new Billy Talent songs there. Absolutely wonderful stuff.
June 19 , 2006 (8:52 p.m.)
Despite their incredibly stupid name and downright horrible lyrics, International Superheros of Hardcore, which is supposedly New Found Glory incognito, play some pretty fun music.
June 15 , 2006 (10:57 p.m.)
This is a little creepy, but Johnny Cash has just released two new songs on his Myspace page. I'm not a fan of that site anyway, and it just seems odd that someone-especially the legendary Johnny Cash-would release new stuff on that site. On the plus side, these two songs are really good, as I'm sure American V: A Hundred Highways, which comes out on July 4, will be just as good.
June 15 , 2006 (10:40 p.m.)
I've been crazy stressed out and lonely for the past few weeks, and the one piece of music that has been able to constantly cheer me up (even though it wasn't released until June 6), The Gold Record by the Bouncing Souls, doesn't play on my fucking car stereo. Thats a royal kick to the ass.
June 6 , 2006 (11:44 a.m.)
Make sure to listen to some metal today. There are always the obvious ones, like Slayer, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, but I suggest Vital Remains or Emperor to throw your horns up to.
May 28 , 2006 (9:27 p.m.)
Just in case you are a confused person and need some convincing to buy The Gold Record, the upcoming release (June 6, 2006) by the amazing Bouncing Souls, the kind folks at Epitaph were kind enough to offer up two songs ("The Gold Song," and "The Pizza Song") for streaming. I highly suggest checking these two gems out.
Punk News posted the link for "Don't Be Afraid to Run," a track from the upcoming Greg Graffin solo album, Cold as the Clay. This is an amazing song that mixes folk with Irish music (I hear it), all with Graffin's unmistakable voice at the helm.
May 28 , 2006 (9:12 p.m.)
I know that I don't post about music all that much, so here are some links to bands that you may want to check out:
Decoy Music has streams from Billy Talent, Guns Up!, Blackpool Lights (who I wasn't a huge fan of), Clifton, Push to Talk and Casey Jones that are worth your time.
Young Widows, the new band featuring members of Breather Resist, have posted their song "Charmer" (also the name of the last Breather Resist album, coincidentally enough) here. I like it. It has a slow, rock vibe to it, and its technical like their old band, but not screamy.
May 28 , 2006 (9:01 p.m.)
I don't know how I ended up finding this, but here is a cool link that talks about things (animals and a non animal) that people could have misconceived to be dragons back in the day. It seems kind of geeky, but its a kind of cool read. Check it out.
While you're looking at useless information, this site debunks some myths, which is sort of interesting.
May 18 , 2006 (10:58 p.m.)
I don't know what the hell happened to "The Sopranos" after Tony recovered from the gunshot wound, but the show doesn't seem to be going anywhere anymore. A lot of potentially great storylines (A.J. almost killing Junior being the first that comes to mind) seem to be forgotten about when they would make more compelling television than Vito's gay backstory (it seemed very out of nowhere and didn't do all that much plotwise; plus, there were episodes that didn't touch on it at all). These next two episodes have a lot of explaining to do if they want people to really suffer on the edge of their seats until January 2007 when the final episodes air.
On the flipside, "Big Love" is an excellent show that showcases the out of the box thinking that only HBO can come up with. I haven't been this excited to watch a television show since the days of "Oz" and "Six Feet Under" (there are very few shows that I watch). I'm very excited about the direction this show is going on, and am eagerly awaiting more.
May 15 , 2006 (12:29 p.m.)
There was a very interesting message board discussion on Punk News that I was reading today dealing with Carbon Copy Media signing Signal Home, who are a pretty good punk band. Because label owner JT Woodruff is also in Hawthorne Heights, the faceless message board shit talk started rather quickly, but Woodruff defended his label and the band in a very classy way that made for a pretty good read. I was hoping that he was going to answer some of the random questions people asked (not label related), but this discussion had me scrolling and reading all 124 posts. You can check it out here.
May 15 , 2006 (12:26 p.m.)
"Erect the Dead" is done, and my class is finally the fuck over. This may have been one of the most stressful school semesters of my life, but the end product turned out to be pretty hysterical, and I'm now starting to think about ideas for "Erect the Dead 2 (The Erect Never Die)," which will probably be made eventually. The film is over 16 minutes long, so I won't be able to post the whole thing on here. If anyone is interested in owning a copy, send me an Email, and I'll send one out.
Since the project is done, I'll hopefully be posting more reviews and stuff, as well as trying to make the site a little easier to read. I'm very lazy, so no promises.
May 3 , 2006 (10:07 p.m.)
Making a film, even if its a cheesy student film, is a lot of work and a huge pain in the ass. I got bitched at by the head of the Television and Film Department because I wanted to film a pseudo sex scene in a private graveyard. This has been a huge learning experience, but also one that will be a huge relief once its over. If all goes well and I don't become too lazy (ie: this probably won't happen), I'd like to post it online so people can check it out. I may be posting something about music on this page sometime soon.
April 25, 2006 (11:13 p.m.)
I'm not sure how I feel about Punk News' report about Gorilla Biscuits reuniting for a tour over the summer. On the one hand, its going to be amazing that I may have the opportunity to see them live, but I think part of their charm for me was that I never could see them live. I don't understand why prominent bands of the past decide to reunite all of a sudden.
That being said, how cool would a Gorilla Biscuits, Lifetime tour be?
April 10, 2006 (10:55 p.m.)
I was listening to sports talk radio yesterday, and ESPN baseball guru Peter Gammons was being interviewed by Providence Journal sports writer Sean McAdams. I listened to them talk about Derek Lee's probable resigning with the Cubs (!!!), as well as Barry Bonds and Jonathon Pappelbon's role as a closer. All of a sudden, they started talking about Neko Case and The New Pornographers, which I found very odd since I am a huge fan of her music, and its weird thinking that they listen to hip music (or maybe I'm just really square).
April 5, 2006 (10:12 p.m.)
There are a few good bands that I've been given some serious plays on Purevolume. Unwelcome Guests play some really great folk country with punk influences. They only have one song, "Lorraine," on their Purevolume site, but its a good one. It reminds me of a mixture between Bob Dylan and Lucero.
Punk News posted a link to Chris McCaughan's Myspace site. McCaughan is the guitarist and mellow voiced singer of The Lawrence Arms, and these acoustic jams are finger licking good.
March 28, 2006 (11:27 p.m.)
Lifetime, the band that has influenced almost every band making a ton of money right now, has signed to Decaydance/Fueled by Ramen. Here's the link to Pete Wentz's journal talking about it. After reading some message boards, this wasn't a total shock. My only hope is that this signing doesn't force Paint it Black to take a back seat, because frankly, I think Paint it Black is better, although the guys in None More Black have some high hopes for their new album.
March 26, 2006 (8:01 p.m.)
I just watched the live action Simpsons intro, and I'm a little disappointed. I don't think any of the actors really looked like the Simpsons characters, mostly because of the hair. I thought the hair was going to be similar. I also was expecting a better gag, or a couch gag at all.
March 24, 2006 (11:56 a.m.)
The new South Park episode focusing on Chef's demise was hysterical, and a huge shot at Issac Hayes quitting the show because of his belief in Scientology and an earlier episode making fun of it. They alluded to that previous episode and make it obvious that they were cutting together old clips of Chef's dialogue. Great stuff.
March 22, 2006 (12:15 p.m.)
Thoughts about the Dropkick Murphys St. Paddy's Day show that Sarah and I saw in Boston on March 18, 2006:
1. I think I finally realized that the Dropkick Murphys represent the entire city of Boston. I find that incredible.
2. Matt Kelly could rival any drummer out there. He is pretty amazing.
3. Ken Casey still wants to be the center of attention.
4. They were better last year.
March 13, 2006 (8:48 p.m.)
Ignite has released two amazing tracks from their upcoming album, Our Darkest Days. From these two songs alone, this album is going to be worth it. Its been a long time since Ignite has released A Place Called Home, and it is still getting regular play in my musical rotation. I can't wait for this album.
March 13, 2006 (8:46 p.m.)
I learned that eating an entire box of cereal in less than an hour is not the greatest idea ever. My friends all attempted the feat, but only Matt and I pulled through. My stomach doesn't feel all that great today, but I do feel like I've accomplished something.
March 8, 2006 (7:18 p.m.)
I was working out earlier this morning, and I saw some douche bag lifting weights while wearing sunglasses. What kind of fruitcake to you have to be to wear sunglasses INSIDE while WORKING OUT? The guy looked like a damn fool, and it was obvious that the shades were worn only for style. This is why a lot of people need a hard slap to the back of the head.
March 7, 2006 (11:11 p.m.)
I've recently posted my thoughts on Metal Fest, so I figured that it would be time to talk about the other fests that are going to take place: Warped Tour is the most popular of these fests, and with bands like NOFX, Bouncing Souls, Rise Against, Against Me!, Thursday, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and a ton of other great bands playing, this should be a great year to sweat your ass off to this summer.
I think last year's line up for Sounds of the Underground was a little better. This year features Cannibal Corpse, In Flames, Gwar, As I Lay Dying, The Black Dahlia Murder, Trivium and some other decent bands, with more to be announced.
Ozzfest is looking pretty cool this year, with Between the Buried and Me, All That Remains, The Red Chord, A Life Once Lost, and Unearth being the bands that I am most excited about seeing.
February 27, 2006 (12:17 p.m.)
Here are some more One Line Reviews:
You should not buy Get Hustle's Rollin in the Ruins because its attempts to sound "artsy" come out sounding like an annoying drunk drama queen Arab on Radar fan at a campfire. (Three One G)
You should buy Monserat's Points and Connections because they have that great raw emotional hardcore sound and integrity that can be found on any band gracing Level Plane's roster of bands. (?)
You should buy The Autumn Offering's Revelations of the Unsung because it features some heavy metalcore riffs that I wasn't digging during my first few listens, but am loving right now. (Victory)
February 27, 2006 (12:12 p.m.)
AMP Magazine seems to have taken a turn towards money grubbing. I remember when their issues used to be packed full of content and only $.99. It quickly became one of the best zines out there. It was so good that I didn't mind when they raised the price to $1.99. $2.99 was a bit odd, but this $3.99 price tag for their latest issue seems like a slap to the music lover's face. It is still chock full of great content and I will continue to support the zine, but it seems like greed has overshadowed the office.
February 22, 2006 (10:36 p.m.)
Lambgoat was kind enough to post the line up for this year's New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, which takes place at the Worcester Palladium April 28-30. You can find the as yet to be completed album at that site. I made a list of about 20 bands that I'd enjoy seeing, but Cryptopsy, Damnation AD, Necrophagist, and Ringworm are bands that I'm super stoked to check out. I'm a little disappointed in the line up right now, as there isn't as much metal as I'd like, but Metal Fest is always a good time, if for no other reason than the amazing distro tables, including $10 CDs from Relapse Records. I'm hoping to see Dying Fetus added to the bill.
February 9, 2006 (10:58 a.m.)
This is a new feature that I want to do in this section, entitled Short Reviews. Lets face it; a lot of reviews don't need much more than one line about them. The reviews on here will start with either YOU SHOULD BUY THIS ALBUM BECAUSE..., or YOU SHOULDN'T BUY THIS ALBUM BECAUSE... Here goes nothing:
You should buy Boy Sets Fire's The Day the Sun Went Out because it is out of print and is an essential part of this innovative band's discography, featuring wonderful songs like "In Hope," "Swingset," and "Cadence." While you're at the record store, pick up Before the Eulogy, which features rare and older material that may be hard to find. (Equal Vision)
You should buy I Am the Avalanche's self titled debut because they play great pop punk with some amazingly catchy hooks, and it is good to hear Vinnie Caruana's voice again fronting a band. (Drive Thru)
February 8, 2006 (8:31 p.m.):
Its only Wednesday, and this has already been a wretched week for sports. First, the Super Bowl was a total bust with literally nothing good about it unless you were a Steelers' fan. The game sucked, the officials sucked, the Rolling Stones sucked, Big Ben sucked, and the commercials sucked. The only good thing about it was hearing people bitch about the game on sports radio.
Second, the NHL may be in deep shit with this betting scandal going on. This is actually a very interesting story, equipped with mob ties, like The Sopranos on ice. I'm going to be following this story closely, and hope that it doesn't take down the sport.
February 3, 2006 (12:21 p.m.):
I'm not usually one to get excited about still photography, but Peter Beste does some great work. His website is probably the only place where you can see pictures of both people from the Norwegian Black Metal scene (1349, Gorgoroth, Nattefrost) and gangs in Beste's hometown of Houston, TX. Check the site out HERE.