At Least We're Still Friends

I finally saw Alkaline Trio live last night. For the past 5-6 years I have been constantly missing them every time they come to town, usually being in Colorado when they are in New Jersey, or vice versa. I couldn't be happier that they played at Cervantes rather than the Fillmore or the Ogden (or similar venues). I also couldn't be happier that American Steel opened for them (disregarding Sleeperhorse, who were boring as always), as they have become one of my favorite bands over the past year or so. They number of American Steel fans in the audience was really low, which I didn't really expect. There were only about 10 or less of us rocking out in the front, which annoyed the teenage girl fans of Trio, but I couldn't care less. American Steel played a Destroy Their Future-heavy set, which I expected and enjoyed, as that album destroys (pun intended). Rogue's March and Jagged Thoughts got two songs each, but I was just happy to hear "Loaded Gun." Despite their limited time, they played a solid set for their limited fans, warming everyone up for the Trio.

Sons of Avarice
Or, Don't You Remember?
Shrapnel
Razor Blades
Rainy Day
To The Sea
Smile On Me
Loaded Gun
Every New Morning
Love and Logic
Mean Streak

With the lights dimmed and the candles place atop the amps lit, Alkaline Trio took the stage to the usual screams, clapping, and shouting. Matt then wasted no time and went into the first song from Agony and Irony, "Calling All Skeletons." The final chords from the song had barely finished ringing when they began playing the opening riff to "Clavicle." From that moment, I knew it was going to be a great fucking show. That feeling was further cemented when they busted out "I Lied My Face Off" The Trio soldiered through their set, taking songs from all their albums, thankfully only taking 5 from Agony and Irony and 2 from Crimson. Thankfully of those 7 songs, only one of them sucked ass ("Love Love, Kiss Kiss"). Sadly, Goddamnit's only representation was "Clavicle." I honestly expected at least one or two more from the album, considering it was just reissued. The band pulled a few cheesy "band" moves, that is to say, replacing words in certain songs with "Colorado" or "Denver" ("Mercy Me" and "This Could Be Love"). I was kinda let down when Matt replaced "Night On Earth" with "Totalimmortal" in "Warbrain," but was still ecstatic they played it. After leaving the stage following "This Could Be Love," the chants for "Radio" began. After opening their encore with "For Your Lungs Only," the band gave the people what they wanted. Singing along in unison to the chorus with everyone in the room was one of the best feelings I've ever gotten at a concert. So Alkaline Trio, I forgive you for your lackluster past two albums, as long as you keep pumping out sets like this. The only way it could have been better was if I went to the Occult Roots tour in '06 (with Against Me!), or saw them in '98-'99

Calling All Skeletons
Clavicle (!!!)
I Lied My Face Off (!!!)
I Found Away
In Vein
Private Eye
Time to Waste
Blue Carolina
Warbrain (!!!!)
Goodbye Forever (!!!)
Emma
Armageddon
Mercy Me
Love Love Kiss Kiss
Crawl
Help Me
Bleeder (!!!)
This Could Be Love
------------------
For Your Lungs Only
Radio

punkrockneverstop

I love The Measure [SA] for several reasons

1)They make awesome music (upbeat, folk-influenced punk)
2)They are from New Jersey (New Brunswick, Hub City Hardcore!)
3) They only release on vinyl, hence the [SA] which stands for strictly analog. (ok the released their first LP on CD eventually, but whatever)
4)Their singer Lauren has a great voice and sure is a cute one.
5) In continuation of point #3, their strictly analog-ness got me into actual record "collecting" Since they are still fairly unknown in wider punk circles, collecting all of the colors and variants of their records is pretty cheap and easy to do. I am only missing 3 colors of the Historical Fiction 7" (the one with Rosa Parks on the cover, and 1 color of the O Pioneers!!! split (the one with Vonnegut). They are still the only band I truly have a "collection" for
6) The fact that the theme for their records is putting people like Rosa Parks, Kurt Vonnegut, and Audry Hepburn on the cover. (Lauren does all the artwork)

Their debut album Historical Fiction (top left corner) is wonderful, lyrically and musically. The only drawback is their other guitarist/singer Mike, who is sloppy with vocal delivery, which kinda drags down otherwise good songs. But he has since left the band after the Means to An End 7" (red one in the bottom left corner with Humphrey Bogart on the cover). Other than his singing, I really like his songs lyrically, so its a shame he's leaving. But most likely, their next album will be a lot stronger. They have a collections LP, another split, and a new EP coming out, so I'm pretty excited for those.

So here is the Historical Fiction LP. If you like it, I highly recommend you buy it!

The Measure [SA]
Historical Fiction

1. Just Go
2. Key Ring
3. Little Things
4. Letters From the Earth
5. Ballad
6. Autonomously
7. We'll Always Have Asbury Park
8. Angell Street
9. So Much For That Vow
10. Media Free
11. Sleep
12. It's Me or the Marlboro Man
13. Desperation Song
14. Trainage

"Time's a locomotive that'll run you over anyway!"

Post to Fan the Flames of Discontent

"I will hold your burning flag in my hand as I watch your empire fall."
-Coup D'Etat

So I'm currently listening to Refused's furious 1996 album, Songs to Fan the Flames of Discontent. Although it is no Shape of Punk to Come, its still awesome in its own right. Its a pure unadulterated radical Swedish hardcore blast that I picked up at a Borders of all places a couple years ago. I've been neglecting hardcore recently in favor of more mellow music, or at least poppier. What was I thinking? I fucking love this shit! This is modern hardcore the way it was meant to be played (see also Modern Life Is War and New Mexican Disaster Squad). In honor of crazy anarchist hardcore bands, here's a

Playlist to Tear It All Down To:
1. Refused-Coup D'Etat
2. Strike Anywhere-Amplify/Blaze
3. Paint It Black-The New Brutality
4. Western Addiction-Matrons of the Canals
5. The Suicide Machines-Your Silence
6. New Mexican Disaster Squad-Get the Bullet Out
7. Rise Against-Blood Red, White, and Blue
8. Please Inform the Captain This Is A Hijack-Defeat or Humiliate the United States of America
9. Crass-You're Already Dead
10. Anti-Pasti-No Government
11. Conflict-One Nation Under The Bomb/Blind Attack
12. Flux of Pink Indians-Some of Us Scream, Some of Us Shout
13. Oi Polloi-Resist the Atomic Menace
14. Aus Rotten- The System Works for Them
15. Discharge-Protest and Survive
16. Articles of Faith-What We Want Is Free
17. MDC-Corporate Deathburger
18. Born Against-Shroud
19. Bad Religion-Damned to Be Free
20. TSOL-Abolish Government/Silent Majority
21. Choking Victim-Fuck America
22. Morning Glory-The Whole World Is Watching
23. Dead Kennedys-Stars and Stripes of Corruption
24. Subhumans-Black and White (Live)

Download Link

"Remember the Day the Country Died"
-Subhumans

Pretty Pathetic

You should have heard me sobbing
As I drove home that night
Got into bed and stayed there
For days I just laid there
Having been permanently changed
But we won't get into that now
Let's take it from the start

You should have seen me smiling
Like the world was mine
She used to call me baby
Softly, sometimes
But if I dwell on those days too long
I feel like my life is over
And that's no good
So let's move on

To the part where I begin to sense
Her distance
I panic and hold on tighter
But that makes it worse
How am I supposed to take it
When she said:

"This is something I'm going through,
It's got nothing to do with you"

I had a special evening all planned out
Desperately determined to reignite
Some spark between us
She had to feel something for me
A love as strong as ours
Doesn't just go away
You can't just turn it off
Unless she was lying all those times
But I don't think so
I really don't think so
The way she used to look at me
Made me a thousand feet high
The meaning of the word cool
Not the same geek
Who fumbled through his words that night
The ugliest night

I said some pretty awkward things
I got the feeling that she felt sorry for me
I should have seen it was hopeless and left it alone
But I had to go on embarrassing myself

"I miss what we had I need you so badly,
I miss what we had I need you so badly"

I must have sounded pretty pathetic, I know
That's why I don't blame her for what she said
But listen to me rambling
We don't know each other that well
But you're so easy to talk to
I feel like I can tell you almost anything
I hope I haven't put you off
I have a tendency to do that
Why don't I just be quiet?


how the hell did I forget about this band and this song?

I Don't Wanna Be A Pinhead No More

I experienced my first (and most likely last) Pinhead Circus show last night. The late, great band decided to play a one-off reunion show at the Marquis Theater, and I thankfully, was already in Denver. I had only heard a few songs by them prior, but according to my friends, they were the greatest band to come from Colorado. Thankfully Rancid was playing in Denver as well that night, so it was mostly an older crowd, which worked out great for me. Seeing as the rest of my friends in attendance were over 21, I managed to score a bunch of free drinks, and so by the time Pinhead took the stage, I was in a good place. What I experienced was one of the funnest shows I've ever been to. The crowd wasn't full of douchebags, and thus, said douchebags didn't crowd the pit. It just really sucked that I had never gotten into the band before the show, which would have made the experience that much better. From what I heard, the set was great, full of raw and honest melodic punk rock, and according to my friends, it was probably one of the best sets they've heard them play. Every so often, the band would take a jab at Rancid and The Offspring (who were also playing a different show that night), and telling the crowd they were awesome for supporting their local assholes rather than millionaire gutter punks. So that was pretty funny.
After the show, we bummed around LoDo for a bit before heading home, and were nearly killed by a drunk driver on the highway. Thankfully we were unscathed except for a shattered headlight and increased adrenaline. I finally ended my night arriving home at 5am with the sun slowly creeping over the plains.

In other news, I finally saw The Dark Night today, and it totally fucking kicked ass.

God Isn't Dead, But I'll Get That Bastard Someday

Time: 2:14am
State: Drunk (though slowly but surely sobering)

Its always interesting when you're told that your ex-girlfriend was a bitch to you and you deserve better and that you should open your heart and love God by two different people on the same day. The former was told to me about 4-5 hours ago by my roommate over a few beers with some friends and the latter was told to me by a complete stranger while I was attempting to exit the post office.
Since the latter is a slightly more interesting story, I'll refrain from going into details of the former. I had just finished mailing a package to the primary subject of the former, when the antagonist (?) of this story approached me while I was nonchalantly read the fliers on the wall near the exit door. He mentioned how fucked up it was that red bull was attempting to advertise that drinking it would improve studying ability. I agreed with him, hoping that the forecoming conversation wouldn't last longer than a minute or two, and I could continue my plans to ride to the library. The conversation instead lasted several minutes longer, and morphed into something I didn't expect. A discussion of my belief in an ultimate creator. The man asked me if I believed in God, and I told him what I told everyone who asks me the same question. I don't necessarily deny the existence of higher power/creator, but I certainly don't concretely believe in the existence of one. If God exists, awesome, but If he/she/it doesn't, well hopefully I live a fulfilling life. And I certainly don't subscribe to any religion.
He then began to tell a parallel story of how I should embrace God the same way an infant embraces its mother, despite not really knowing why it does. He went on for a few minutes, saying that even though I reject religion, I should wake up each morning and tell how God how much I love him/her/it despite not understanding him/her/it. Needless to say it was an interesting encounter, and all though I'm not going to do what he suggested, It certainly made me think. I've been approached by religious people before, and usually they try to convert me to their religion. Usually it's Mormonism. But this random guy managed to put resisting consumerism and embracing my supposed creator in the same conversation. It definitely kept me on my toes, even if I still think he's wrong.

In light of the conversations of failed love and faith in God, I'm listening to the awesome and under-appreciated Johnny Hobo and the Freight Trains. Songs of drugs, drunkenness, depression, loneliness, anarchy, and being a bum all in one awesome 1-2 man package, depending. I wish I could write simple, honest, yet amazing songs as good as this. Here is everything that they/he have/has released that I "own."

The Anarchy Means I Hate You Demo
1. Only Two Of My Friends Are Actual People
2. Church Hymn for the Condemned
3. Fuck the Dictionary
4. DIY Orgasms
5. Below Good and Evil
6. I'm So Punk I Hate Punk
7. Put Arsenic In The Frosting Next Time
8. Untitled
9. PUNKROCKANARCHY

All Power to the Wingnuts!
1. "No Trespassing" Waltz
2. Spraypaint and Alleyways (Crackhouse Song)
3. Homebum Song

Love Songs for the Apocalypse
1. New Mexico Song
2. Church Hymn for the Condemned
3. Whiskey Is My Kind of Lullaby
4. Acid Song
5. Election Song
6. I Want Cancer for Christmas
7. Harmony Parking Lot Song
8. Untitled
9. DIY Orgasm

Caught In the Act of Not Being Awesome (live) (combined with Is Dead)
1. New Mexico Song
2. Put Arsenic In the Frosting Next Time
3. Harmony Parking Lot Song
4. Election Song
5. Acid Song
6. Church Hymn for the Condemned
7. Whiskey Is My Kind of Lullaby
8. DIY Orgasms

Is Dead!
1. Free As the Rent We Don't Pay
2. Sellout Song
3. Skaggy
4. Crackhouse Song
5. Tampa Bay Song
6. "No Trespassing" Waltz
7. Where is My Coffee (Where Is It?)

No Album
Fuck Cops
It's Not My Revolution Oi
Life Starts Now, Wait Give Me A Second
The Politics of Holy Shit I Just Cut Open My Hand On A Broken Bottle

Up the Punks Up The Punks Up The Punx

So the Ghost Mice show in my basement last night went great. About 25-30 people tops, half of which I didn't meet until that night. I nervously debuted Jack's Smirking Revenge, and thankfully my friends and everyone else there, including the bands, were all really nice and supportive. The fact that Heather from Ghost Mice was sitting in front of me bobbing around brought a smile to face, not to mention the applause and cheers (jeers?) from everyone. I don't think I thanked anyone for that, and I left out some songs that I meant to play, I was so hot, sweaty and nervous that I completely forgot I had other songs to play. My favorite moment was when I got everyone to clap along to Nausea. I wish I at least recorded that song, I know someone who would have appreciated hearing it. Oh well here was my setlist at least:

Sounds Like A Good Album Title
After All, Who Needs Courage When You Have...A Gun?
I Never Once Saw God Playing Skeeball
Alright Alright, If It'll Make You Happy, I'll Overthrow Society
Nausea (Not the Band)
Boxcar (Jawbreaker)


Heathers started almost immediately and without warning, and everyone who hadn't heard them before (I only had heard their songs on myspace) were blown away by how fucking good they were. Great at harmonizing, write a good pop hook, and, to quote half of my friends, irresistibly cute. If I had they $5 , I would have gotten their cd, but I can always order it from Plan-It-X later on.


Ghost Mice started playing, after a short break so everyone could escape the hot basement for a bit. Since there were some people there who went to the Denver show the previous night, Chris promised that they would try not to play songs they already played. So we got treated to some songs they apparently don't typically play, plus two new songs (!). Despite having to constantly yell at two of my roommate's friends to shut up and not be assholes while the band was playing or trying to talk to the audience, everything went great, and everyone had a lot of fun.

Setlist: (out of order, and from what I can remember)

The Moon Will Rise
Monsters Get Slain
Sing Out
Lightning Bolt
Song For Tomorrow
Spain (?)
Boy Meets Girl
New Song 1
Gone Gone Gone
The Devil and My Family
Free Pizza For Life
Up The Punks
The Good Life



After packing up, and talking with anyone who wanted to talk, the bands, another dude whose name escapes me, and I went to Cosmo's to get pizza, and that was fun time, listening to Ellie and Louise's stories from Ireland, Chris and Hannah's stories from Gainesville and Bloomington, and trying to say Tomato in a myriad of different silly ways. I bid goodbye to everyone when were all going to bed, as they were leaving early in the morning for Kansas. Hannah said not to be a stranger anytime I was in Bloomington, and the girls said the same if I was ever in Dublin. Hopefully it won't be long till I see those wonderful people again. Also thanks to Hannah for leaving her breadsticks for me to eat for breakfast this morning

Self Checkout

Sick of going out of my mind everytime I see
Somebody that looks like you, it's killing me
Because I think you're there for me
And when I realize your not, it's back to this mess
So please, take note, I'm going crazy
Did you get a chance to read the letter I sent to you?
Or did you throw it away cuz of everything I put you through?
I guess I understand
Just realized I'm looking for help from a friend
And you, you're the only one I can trust
I wanna tell you all about how I try so hard to keep it under track
I wanna tell you about the times I fuck up and wake up flat on my back
I wish I could call you to pick me up
I know its too much to ask
So I sit up and light a cigarette
And tell my self over and over again
It was all just a dream
And it's time to come clean
And it's time to move on
No matter how hard it seems
It was all just a dream

Off With Their Heads' new album went on sale today, and I managed to grab a secret tour edition (/200) from the No Idea distro page. I also was able to listen to it (like I am now) on punknews' stream. In addition to The '59 Sound, its a top contender for album of the year. Seriously, it fucking destroys. Its one of the albums that come into your life at the right time, and it never leaves, much like Hospitals did. Speaking of The Gaslight Anthem and vinyl, their new album also went on sale today, resulting in major shenanigans at both Vinyl Collective and Side One Dummy webstores, resulting in the latter being completely crippled. VC almost suffered the same fate, but thankfully only had a major slowdown. Despite the problems, I was able to get a hold of a White /500, after 30min of frustration. Huzzahs are in order!

Huzzah!

Other than that, I didn't really do much today other than play an unhealthy amount of GTA San Andreas. Since I can't take my anger out with a gun in real life for a myriad of obvious reasons, nor can I punch a cop off his motorcycle, I have to do it while playing a black dude in pseudo-los angeles. Which is fine with me. Also, I finally finished Johnny Cash's fantastic autobiography Cash.

Huzzah!

I think I'm gonna read me some On The Road next.

Alright, Alright, If It'll Make You Happy, I'll Overthrow Society

sometimes things just fall into place in your head:

We talked dreams of
wheatpaste and spraypaint
tear gas and blockades
revolution™ and freedom™
and fiction
maybe the only place left
where can still find them
tattered pages in these books
centuries old to today
in lyrics, poems, and liner notes
that seem permanent
as spoken words drift away
like my belief in these slogans and catch phrases
the needle on my record has begun to skip
my mind begins to ache
is there any point in isms
or do they just hold us back
from realizing our true potential
or will we continue to lack
the common sense to realize
we've been trying to to cross
these broken bridges
to many times before

but no
we mustn't lose faith
in ourselves or each other
because that's the all
that has kept us going
from paris to catalonia
it all boils back to belief
in our dreams and conversations
whispered under bedsheets
and into tapped phones
and twice opened letters
or heart drenched paint
on stairwell walls
and bedroom ceilings
chords hastily strummed
words sloppily sung
to a room full
or to just one accomplice
I won't lose faith.

Another Side of Folking the System

I ain't lookin' to compete with you,
Beat or cheat or mistreat you,
Simplify you, classify you,
Deny, defy or crucify you.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

No, and I ain't lookin' to fight with you,
Frighten you or uptighten you,
Drag you down or drain you down,
Chain you down or bring you down.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I ain't lookin' to block you up
Shock or knock or lock you up,
Analyze you, categorize you,
Finalize you or advertise you.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don't want to straight-face you,
Race or chase you, track or trace you,
Or disgrace you or displace you,
Or define you or confine you.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don't want to meet your kin,
Make you spin or do you in,
Or select you or dissect you,
Or inspect you or reject you.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.

I don't want to fake you out,
Take or shake or forsake you out,
I ain't lookin' for you to feel like me,
See like me or be like me.
All I really want to do
Is, baby, be friends with you.


what a great fucking album. found it at the record store used the other day. Listen to it now. I don't know why I stayed away from Bob Dylan for so long. I was really missing out. Now if I could only find "Freewheelin'" on vinyl...

Download Link