Tuesday, June 29, 2010

This Makes Me Really Excited

I was at the Lawrence Arms 10 year anniversary show. They made a DVD about it. Crankstrap Productions released a set list for the upcoming DVD 2 clips of it below and what not.





check it out on the link or look below:
1. Cut It Up
2. Intransit
3. Alert the Audience!
4. Great Lakes / Great Escapes
5. On With the Show
6. Chapter 13: The Hero Appears
7. Sixteen Hours
8. Uptown Free Radio
9. Smokestacks
10. A Wishful Puppeteer
11. Recovering the Opposable Thumb
12. Light Breathing (Me and Martha Plimpton in a Fancy Elevator)
13. Necrotism: Decanting the Insalubrious (Cyborg Midnight) Part 7
14. Brick Wall Views
15. Quincentuple Your Money
16. Lose Your Illusion 1
17. An Evening of Extraordinary Circumstance
18. Nebraska
19. Hey, What Time is 'Pensacola: Wings of Gold' on Anyway?
20. 106 South
21. Turnstyles
22. Boatless Booze Cruise Part 1
23. Your Gravest Words
24. The Ramblin' Boys of Pleasure
25. 100 Resolutions
26. The Northside, the L&L, and Any Number of Crappy Apartments
27. Like a Record Player
28. Are You There Margaret? It's Me, God.
29. Presenting: The Dancing Machine (The Robot With the Monkey Head)
30. The Raw and Searing Flesh
31. The Disaster March

Monday, June 28, 2010

this was stuck in my head for over a month and had no idea what it was

There is this badass band called Iron Chic and they have a cool song called "Timecop." The song comes off their "Demos" album that I got a copy mailed to me from the band 2ish years ago for a couple of bucks. I think you can get over at itunes, (which I would check or link to if I was not doing this at work)

Regardless of where you get their music, these guys rock.

I had the part that goes "re-group, re-calculate, rushing in was our first mistake, re-think, re-calibrate, set our sights on something bigger" part in my head for the past month+ but i had the lyrics all screwed up so when I Googled it, nothing came back right.

Below are the lyrics for the whole song.
"Remember when time was all we had?
no care for the sand in the hourglass
each new night was another shot
to stake our claim on a parking lot
remember when friends we're all we'd need?
day followed the night and we'd let it lead
in the basement
on the pavement
we couldn't conceive of an end to it
but it's not like that anymore
re-group, re-calculate
rushing in was our first mistake
re-think, re-calibrate
set our sights on something bigger
(maybe move on to better things)
remember the pain of growing up?
it may have hurt but it sure was fun
it made us who we are now
it gave us a mystery to figure out
this is what we waited for
these days not much has changed
except how we feel and whats at stake
but we are still the same
should we chose to linger
or move on to better things"

you can get a different album of theirs below

Shitty Rambo

Friday, June 25, 2010

named tattoos

so "White Crosses" and "American Slang" both have songs that talk about names being tattooed into skin/arms. And both are amazing lyrics. It is kinda cool.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

I have been putting this off for no real reason that I can think of

So I was pretty damn stoked about a few albums that came out this month. But, after I got them, I pretty much remained quiet about them. Well, i have been listening almost non-stop to all of them and let me tell you the more I do, the more I am getting into them.

"in desolation" by Off With Their Heads- its good. I mean it, it is a solid album. They have definitely stepped up and matured as musicians. The songs are legit. Good lyrics, great driving sound. It is a great addition to any collection. My only complaint is that there sounds like there is some kind of tweak or chorus or something on the vocals. It flattens out the roughness of what Off With Their Heads sounded like on previous albums. It does not kill it, it is not really distracting, but it is somewhat detracting from the overall sound to me.
In Desolation

"Broken Strings" by Let Me Run- For a band that was "discovered" by Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem, even a new singer cannot change that American sound. This new ep, available at paper and plastick, is just awesome. It is a rockin' short little album that fits that same jangly guitar sound that I love


"White Crosses" by Against Me!- This album rocks. Straight up. George Rebelo from Hot Water Music on drums adds a much stronger, driving sound behind the songs. They have slowed down the pace a little, but there is still that Against Me! urgency. I have been playing the hell out of this album, and even people that don't typically like things by Against Me! have enjoyed this. The songs are certainly more relate-able. They have been catching a ton of shit for "selling out" or whatever it is kinds call it today. But honestly, this sounds like a band that is growing up and growing in to what they are as people. These songs talk more about home and family life, paying attention to what surrounds us and how it makes us feel. It makes us look back at what we were when we were in our formative years, what we thought we were going to do and be doing for the rest of our lives and how those opinions change as we grow older. Think about what you wanted to do when you were 14 or 15 and how that has changed. How you dressed, what you listened to, where you hung out. Most of us have adjusted, refined, matured those tastes as we have gotten older. That is exactly what this album is. They way Tom Gabel says "my name tattooed into your skin" on "because of the shame" is one of the most amazing sounding lyrical deliveries of any album I have heard. There is so much goodness in this album. Totally recommend that you pick up the limited edition copy. There are a few songs that have been released earlier on the spring EP, but "bob dylan dream" and "leigh acres" are truly worth it. Even the song "we're breaking up" almost makes you feel like Tom and his wife Heather have called it quits. We all know that feeling. We have all been there. This song talks to all of us.

My only real complaint on this album is the beach boy-esque "chi chaaaaaaa" that is on "Ache with me." That really just sounds forced and kills a really great thing. But it ends pretty quick. Just cheeeeeeese.

White Crosses (Deluxe)

"American Slang" by The Gaslight Anthem- It is no secret that I love The Gaslight Anthem. They are one of the best live bands ever and overall one of the best bands playing music. At first listen, I was somewhat disappointed in this album. I felt like they were TRYING to do too much. Let's be honest, "The '59 Sound" was just about the most perfect album recorded. By any band. Sure, the vocals had that echo-y chorus sound, but it fit the sound of the album. It really was pretty much a perfect album.

When I first listened to "American Slang," I did not get that instant chill sensation that I had with "The '59 Sound." It just did not hit that hard from the start. But, on the second listen, it leaked into my head. I was starting to sing along. I was starting to hum it when I was not listening to it. This was not a band that was TRYING too hard. This album was recorded by a band that was having fun with it. They were having fun with taking their time and experimenting a little. They are not re-inventing the wheel here. What they are doing it taking what they love to do, which you can feel, and adding to it what they love to listen to. This is almost self pleasuring music. This is about 4 guys having fun and really doing what they love for the sake of that love. I have never seen Brian Fallon sing a song without a smile creeping onto his face during it. They all move around and are comfortable with what they are doing. This is what they want to do.

With any new album, bands go on publicity tours. The Gaslight Anthem played Jimmy Fallon, which you can see in a different post, and they smiled the whole time. I have been finding recordings, live versions, covers, all kinds of stuff from these guys all over as a result of the new album. This to me is what gets me excited. All of the secondary stuff that you can find if you take the time. Much like the Bruce Springsteen/Brian Fallon duet video in an earlier post.

If you take the first 3 albums The Gaslight Anthem have released, you can hear bits and pieces from them all on "American Slang." It is to me what a band that has spent their time playing their songs, having fun with them, and doing their best to bring it to the masses. The more I listen, the more I love it. I know I will continue to listen to it, like I have with the others, for a very long time.

There are few things in the world that feel important. Regardless of whether they are or not. To me, music can feel that way to me. Like if I miss out on it, I will truly be missing out. That is how I would feel about any of these albums. Music to me is important as a whole. But, there are albums that just drive us to want to do more. They inspire others to do things. They do not always inspire music. They inspire us to create, to work harder, to get up in the morning, to be a better person. This is true for all art. For me though, music is the top of the heap.

I am going to go listen to something and fall asleep.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Cool spin article on Gaslight

So yeah, more lazy blogging...just go read it. There are videos that are worth it on their own.

http://www.spin.com/articles/gaslight-anthem-leave-home

and hey, Brian Fallon seems to get freaked out/irritated by hipsters as much as me.

rise against covering Nirvana

not much needs to be said about this one. just watch


Rise Against covers Nirvana

Monday, June 21, 2010

I will reblog this all day

Last year, there were some BAD BAD BAD quality videos of Brian Fallon taking the stage with Bruce Springsteen and singing "No Surrender"

Well, apparently they were recording a DVD for the Boss and this video showed up today. High quality sound and video, but I can not find it to embed. So, head on over to punknews.org and take a listen.

I will probably get a lot of negativity for saying this, but I honestly think the verse Brian Fallon sings kind of puts the Boss to shame on this track. I mean, Brian openly admits to Springsteen being one of his heroes and you can hear it in his voice. But really, there is a more melodic quality to Brian Fallon's voice. Maybe it is just youth or the fact that he was not singing the whole show so he had fresher vocal chords. I''m not sure, but the video is worth checking out

watch it here

Sunday, June 20, 2010

NY Times article on the Gaslight Anthem

There is nothing really groundbreaking, and honestly, I think the writer lost his little string on how the bar in the beginning has changed, but overall, I think the NY Times have a pretty cool Gaslight Anthem article.

American Slang [+Digital Booklet]

Thursday, June 17, 2010

The Gaslight Anthem was on Jimmy Fallon last night

They did a great live version of "Boxer" off their new album "AMERICAN SLANG"



But, they did an amazing cover of Pear Jam's "State of Love and Trust" which you can watch below, or go to the jimmy fallon site

Monday, June 14, 2010

great ending to an interview question



I think we all get that way when we start talking about things...

Saturday, June 12, 2010

gaslight played at Bonnaroo

and you can hear it at NPR.


OR listen here if you want.



I will say, the new album is pretty fucking good. Will be writing about it and others soon.




American Slang

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Limited Pre-Order for Matt Skiba's new album "Demos"

Head on over to Asian Man Records website and pickup your pre-order for Matt Skiba's new album "Demos." There are only going to be 300 of the limited edition which includes 2 vinyl color variations, cd, tshirt, poster lots of stuff. I did.

check out their myspace to hear "S.O.S" from the album

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Monday, June 7, 2010

good for your ears

NPR is streaming the new gaslight album. I wanted to wait until I owned it to listen to it through. But, damn it is good.

What is a pirate's favorite letter? "RRRRRRRRRR"

So, there is an article from Billboard stating how last week was the worst week for album sales since Soundscan started keeping track in the '90's. They estimate, based on some kinda numbers from the past, that don't 100% exist, that this could be the lowest sales point in music since the early 1970's. And guess what? The end of the article has a record industy exec stating that this is due to Pirates. Yes, really.

What the article kind of glosses over is the fact that while physical cd purchases, I assume they do not include vinyl on this because it seems to have a pretty mainstream music lean to it, have gone down, with a staggeringly low 4.8 million units sold, they kind of fail to mention that there was 21.7 million digital album purchases. Soooooo do the math. total, that is 26.5 million albums purchased. That seems pretty amazing to me right there. More than half of the all-time high sales point that Soundscan has.

But, let me ask you this. Did you buy anything last week? I was pretty disappointed with the new release list from last week. I think I bought a few albums because I was having music A.D.D. and needed something. (Excluding my 17 cds from asian man records and their crazy ska cd deal).

I have not been a best buy, (since that is about the only physical location left around here that has a decent selection,) in a long time to a buy a cd. Most of what I get comes for mailorder, shows, interpunk, amazon etc and the digital stuff all comes from iTunes and amazon mp3.

But what I really want to know is, with over 21 million albums purchased for download last week, how is the decline in physical formats due to pirates? Look at everything you have at home, cds and digital downloads, what cost less to you? CDs as a whole have not gone down in price, yet digital sites have $5 deals, and lower rates overall. Now, i know "Scott, you don't get a booklet or case or anything to hold and look at and read." I know, I miss that too. But honestly, I am kind of low on funds to go spend $12 or more just to have a booklet. I would rather test my luck and try to get the download for $3.99 as a deal of the day or something. Trust me, I am a HUGE fan of owning the physical copy. But I prefer to get it from the label or band directly, then at least I know where the money goes. And labels and what not have it for much cheaper than anyone else does.

But still, I have not answered my own question. How are pirates responsible? I think they are not. I hate when people steal music. But, what incentive do people have to buy things? There is ton of music out there that sounds like everything else. Ke$sha does not have an original sound. There is nothing new and revolutionary out there. The amount of bands that are great for being great, not because people say they are is limited. Why buy something that sounds like everything else?

Now, there are plenty of bands out there that few have heard of, and they are typically pretty amazing. And I think the small labels know this. Record labels, at least in the independent and punk side of things have a really great thing going. Most of the time, if you order something, or preorder something, you get something free. It is almost a reward for supporting your favorite band. I like to call it appreciating your fans. But, does Soundscan even know these preorders and direct album sales are even happening? My guess is no.

With the amount of amazing artists releasing albums in June, I agree with the Billboard article, that sales will show more. But, everything they mentioned is pretty much popular, mainstream music. So, will my preorders of Against Me!, Off With Their Heads, and The Gaslight Anthem count for anything with these industry insiders, probably not. But, in the end, music is not going away. There are a lot of labels giving albums away for free or donations. They are still signing bands and releasing things. There are tons of kids making their own copies of their own cds, making their own shirts and touring. Music is always going to be around. Formats change, and every time they do, the habits of consumers change with them. Quit worrying about how few cds you are selling and embrace what is selling. Market for that. Sell t-shirts. Give away songs to get people interested.

Most importantly, if your artist that is out there to compete with the same sound as someone popular, be ready to see people decide to choose one over the other. People get tired of the same shit being regurgitated over and over again. Considering very few of us have the money to do everything we need to, let alone splurge on ever cd that comes out that we want, why not just try to make it accessible to everyone who wants it? If you want to get rid of the pirates, why not compete with them? Pirates are not out there advertising their bootlegs. Why not invest on getting your music out there first? Beat them at their own game. (This does not mean make it harder to copy, they will always figure out a way)

My closing point is this, people are always going to share music with their friends and family. How else do you share your excitement about a band you just discovered? I don't think everything should be free, but read the article on quote unquote records, they get huge donations from people because those people believe in what they are doing. That is because people are willing to pay for something that is quality, for something worth it. Let me put it this way, shitty beer is usually the cheapest. College kids by Milwaukee's best because it is cheap and gets the job done. But, how many of your friends go out and buy a craft beer or small batch beer for the cost of a whole case of shitty beer. That is not because they are trying to be better than everyone (usually) it is because they enjoy a quality product and are willing to pay a premium for it.

New video from Rise Against (and fans)

Rise Against has been hands down one of the most consistently awesome bands I have ever listened to. From the first blast of music from "revoltuions per minute," I have been hooked. I have seen Rise Against live I think more than any other band. Honestly, if you have not listened to them you should. Check out the video for "From Heads Unworthy" that is more of a slide-show made by and for friends than anything, and if you want my opinion, this is what music is all about.


Rise Against Slideshow

Rise Against | MySpace Music Videos



Rise Against has a ton of music available,even album is worth your time and money

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Why I love dealing with record labels directly

So yesterday I got a really cool quasi-surprise, a box in my mailbox with 17 albums in it. See, a week or so ago, mike park from Asian man records had a special deal: 25 bucks gets you at least 15 ska albums maybe more. They were all random but various bands and no duplicates. To me, this is a badass deal and a great way to get my hands on some bands I might have never heard.

I was able to get music from: bomb the music industry, potshot, skankin' pickle and a bunch of other bands. What I love about dealing with labels is the freebies. Labels really seem to appreciate customers and their support. They always seem to throw in extras when you order directly. Also, u can usually get things at a great price, know where the $ goes when you spend it and typically get things before their streetdate.

Now if my against me album or gaslight album come early I'll be stoked.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

my head and back are killing me so you should go read this...

Jeff Rosenstock of Bomb The Music Industry and owner of Quote Unquote Records did a pretty rad interview at jewcy.com

There is a lot there, take a little time and read it. All of his music is donation based on his label's site. Pay nothing or something and still get great music.

My favorite quote on the whole article came from the interviewer himself, Jon Reiss, "There is no common thread on the Internet. There is no mainstream. As a result, recommendation, association and word of mouth have become powerful tools. People have no choice but to seek out their music."

that quote right there, that is how I spend ALOT of my time.

Against Me! did a daytrotter

I am not surprised there is an Against Me! daytrotter session since they played a daytrotter sponsored show not that long ago. Songs are cool. Free to download. I am not going to rehash anything that punknews.org or the daytrotter site have to say, so check the links and give it a listen