I’m proud to be a Marylander tonight.  I just got home from an awesome house show in College Park with Ante Up headlining.  It was my first time seeing them and I had such a good time.  not only did they cover Affront and Bad Brains (at my request after a conversation with the guitarist about their cover songs), but they had great music of their own!

They’ve obviously taken lessons from The Scare as far as the style of their “Whoa-ohs” and slower parts requiring melodic vocals.  While it does seem a little cheesy and/or sappy at times, the gang vocals, fast metal riffs, and persistent drums compensate.  It’s a fun listen.  These guys took a Bane song title and produced good, not -over-the-top-tough-guy melodic hardcore.  In short, Ante Up > Bane.

Crime in Stereo + The Scare + good times (i.e., covering Blink 182’s “Dammit” as their last song)= Ante Up.

Thank you Silver Spring, MD for giving me something to be proud of.

Check them out.

Wow, I only had to hear about two minutes worth of this band before I decided I would be blog-praising them.

The first thing that pulled me in was the intoxicating vocals.  They sound like Ian Mackaye talking/ singing at times, but they mostly trade off for a more soothing sing/ yell.  The voice reminds me of Ignite or Ambitions because of the genuine singing ability.  The abundance in gang vocals give it that newer hardcore feel along with slow, two step-able double bass spots and a couple metal riffs high on the fret.  The tempo ranges from super fast to mid-tempo and dance-able.  A lot of the faster parts are melodic and Kid Dynamite-ish with more of a metal feel.  The influences listed on their myspace page are pretty accurate - Minor Threat, Fugazi, Battery (Yay DC bands), H20, Decendents.  I am also hearing AFI and Sinking Ships.  These guys are definately not like recent generic hardcore.  They are standing out and I am getting addicted.  Already on my third run-through of their myspace songs.

They’re on tour now backing their full-length Lens. Check out their dates on the myspace page.

I want to thank Baltimore’s Double Dagger, who played the Talking Head (now attached to the Sonar).Thank you for the breath of fresh air during Insubordination Fest. I was drowning in pop-punk, and your sound was like a breath of fresh, non-toxic, arboretum-worthy oxygen. Although they just released a CD/LP on Toxic Pop Records, their sound belongs on a late-80’s Dischord compilation. They take Rites of Spring, smooth it over, add melody, and tone down the screachiness in the vocals. You can’t help but move to the rhythm of the drum and bass while vocalist Nolan Strals sing/talk/screams. Their tunes could be on in the background while you’re just laying around the house or turned all the way up while you’re throwing a house party.
Their live performance cannot be transferred to C.D., which is for the best considering the stage antics of Strals can get to be a bit overwhelming and obnoxious as he stumbles into the crowd and attempts to intimidate them by staring into their eyes and grabbing them while singing, or just rolling around and tangling the microphone wire throughout legs.
I forgive him for his obnoxious behavior because the sound was so refreshing. It’s really like nothing I’ve heard before and I’m happy to represent this local talent.

Sakes Alive!! is a treat. While their style will undoubtedly pull in fans of hardcore in general, they offer an extra spark that will attract metalcore and generic alternative rock fans as well. When I say “extra spark”, I pretty much just mean a couple impressive metal riffs tangled throughout their debut EP, “Presents”. The sound is generally melodic, but heavy. The liner notes claims they’ve only got one guitarist, Chris Vandeviver, doubling as a vocalist, but the combination of melodic riffs and fast-paced strumming makes it hard to believe there’s only one dude doing all of that. The sound remains mid to fast-tempo with a lack of breakdowns or any change of pace, pushing quickly through the three-song demo in seven minutes. They do a good job of mixing music styles, so that they’re not weighing too heavy on either the alternative rock, hardcore, or metal platforms. It will be interesting to see which direction their next couple albums head.

The lyrics are impressive, obviously Vaneviver took his time playing with words and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s got some poetry classes under his belt. So even if you don’t appreciate the music, at least admit that this man can creatively rely his messages. His subject matter deals with worry and confusion about the future, loneliness, superficiality, and cutting tension - all with an empowering edge. There are also a few “Hey, Hey, Hey”s thrown in for a nice punk twist. The sound reminds me of Incommudicado, Crime in Stereo, Dillinger Four, and Olympia.

Wow, you know what I just remembered . . . Modern Life is War broke up and it sucks. This is a draft I started a while back and was too embarrassed to post it. Not anymore. I fucking miss you MLIW!

I just need to say goodbye.

This blog post is about to be cheesy as hell, and most likely long, but I feel it just needs to be done.

This morning I was daydreaming and I had a memory take over my mind - a Modern Life is War basement show in Harrisonburg, VA last September. I didn’t so much think about the set list or crowd reaction, but more just my friends and I’s reaction. We’d make eye contact and smile at parts of our favorite songs since we have all expressed our favorite lyrics to each other and incorporated them into inside jokes. Maybe you could consider us dorks, but we’ve even been known to act out our favorite lyrics. In the song “DEADRAMONES”, Jeff sings the line “Tonight we’ll get our kicks, tonight we’re all letting go . . .” Well sure enough when he said, “get our kicks,” Jason and I pointed to our feet and kicked our right legs. Wow, we’re losers. Maybe it’s for the best that MLIW is breaking up, and now we can all get lives. Nevertheless, I’m going to miss their shows - full of pile ons and fighting for the mic at our favorite lines (James once stole the mic for my favorite MLIW line, “The world isn’t against you, my dear. It just doesn’t care”, after insisting that he would help me up to get the mic at that point. He still thinks it’s funny.) After seeing them the first time back in January 2006, at every show of their’s that I’ve attended, I”ve struggled to be in the front row to smile at their (former) guitarist, Sjarm, and yell in Jeff’s face.

Modern Life is War has meant a lot to me, maybe too much.

They came along at just the right time in my life. I was 19 and lost when I first heard them, now I’m 21 and even more lost after graduating. However, Jeff’s inspiring lyrics pop into my head almost daily and give me hope. Just the simple, “we overcome, we push ahead” from My Love. My Way.’s “First and Ellen”. Like he said at their last show, knowing someone can feel the same as you is just indescribable. It really is. I can talk to friends about all the crap in my head, and if they can’t empathize, I at least recognize that someone felt the same and already wrote something inspiring relating to it.

I don’t know if Jeff will ever read this blog again so I don’t feel too awkward basically admitting that he’s kinda one of my heroes.

I don’t know if i will ever feel the same about another band…

</sappy>

These guys . . .

That’s them at my house in Jan. 2006 with their two roadies Sean and Josh I believe???

Only three of those five remained in the final line up, but yeah. I promise that is my house and this isn’t some random image I found on google.

Start new bands, guys. Start new fuckin’ bands.

July 4th is shaping up to be an amazing day.  None More Black announced that they will be putting on a free show in Philadelphia and I am stoked.  I just missed the boat on these guys, checking them out only when they released their last album, This is Satire, in 2006.  They broke up shortly afterwards and I never got a chance to see them live.  I will be there.  Thanks, Punknews.

Credit: Chris Schmelke

While Radiohead’s Kid A plays on the overhead, many of the almost sold-out show are fighting back yawns before the headliners Tokyo Police Club take the stage at D.C.’s Black Cat. Although they name Radiohead as a major inspiration, Kid A might’ve been a poor choice for overhead music before their set because the D.C. audience did a whole lot of standing still during TPC’s entire set; it was not easy to get them moving. Tokyo Police Club didn’t seem to mind; of course why would they? They’ve been selling out venues across the world and they’ve been getting thrilling responses. The night before D.C., in Philadelphia, “They went nuts.” Bassist and vocalist Dave Monks said of the audience. “It wasn’t just one or two people doing it . . . it was kinda like (throughout) the entire set,” he said, excited that a show in the states could be as intense as a show in Canada; Tokyo Police Club’s hometown is Toronto, Ontario. While a lot of audience members at indie shows tend to avoid dancing and opt for standing still, Dave admits, “I’ve seen a lot of bands live and I’m absolutely guilty of not moving at shows.” The guys in TPC do like to see energy coming from their audience, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be kinetic, “We had an amazing show in Japan where people didn’t make any noise at all when we were playing but afterwards you could just see the smiles on everyone’s faces and everyone was cheering. It was definitely kind of bizarre, but it just felt right,” said Dave. “Just responsiveness in any way” will be appreciated by the members of TPC, said Dave.

While they’ve been selling out venues lately, TPC’s goal is to establish themselves as a long term band. “Don’t’ want to be a flash in the pan type situation . . . just establish ourselves as a band that’s going to be here for a while not just one of those bands,” Greg Alsop, drummer, explained. Before venues were selling out on the nights they visited, TPC’s goals were a lot more modest, “When we first started we’d play anywhere to anyone . . . At first I didn’t know we’d be playing the Black Cat,” said Dave. The guys, recent Letterman performers, were shocked by any media attention at all to begin with. “When I first heard ourselves on the radio in Toronto . . .I mean . . .that was not part of the plan,” Dave said, explaining original goals for the band.

“Your view of success changes so much . . . you kind of refine your goals as you go,” said Greg.

As they continue trying to establish themselves as a long term band, TPC just released a new album, Elephant Shell. It was released on April 22^nd but the majority of the D.C. audience may not have picked it up yet, considering they didn’t show much energy as TPC plowed through at least half the songs from the album. Elephant Shell is their first full length, and it’s a good listen. It seems a bit more relaxed than their previous LP A Lesson in Crime, but there is still a good amount of poppy riffs, clapping, and dance-able They guys in TPC are happy about the response to the album so far and feel that most fans like it more than the old stuff, “As far as live shows, it used to just be that new songs would get the standard obligatory applause, like ‘cool cool, now let’s hear something we know,’ but now its working out that even the new songs get louder cheers than old songs,” said Dave. “We’re really happy with it and we tried to make a record where every song could be someone’s favorite Tokyo Police Club song,” he said. Dave named his favorite song on the new album as “The Baskervilles”, the very last track. Find your favorite Tokyo Police Club song at www.myspace.com/tokyopoliceclub.

I wrote a short review about Gaslight Anthem’s new EP, The Senor and the Queen, a while ago.  I slacked and didn’t post it.  Quickly enjoy these 223 words . . .

The new Gaslight Anthem EP, Senor and the Queen, has managed to keep the same ol’ Gaslight Anthem sound, and that is a good thing. They have yet to alter their sound a whole lot, staying on the same wave of alternative/folk/pop/punk. The music seems to straddle Against Me!, Hot Water Music, and Bruce Springsteen all at once. Their fun, hard-to-classify sound debuted with the LP Sink or Swim, and this four-song EP flows perfectly in the same vein. They’ve really struck gold with their specially brewed genre, as it’s quite vague and their small alterations to tempo and instrumentation don’t really push it out of its realm, and it keeps fans wondering what new sounds will make them dance next.

They’re still singing a lot about nostalgia, falling in love, having a party, and dancing with girls named Maria. Vocalist/ guitarist Brian Fallon’s voice sounds a little hardened, but still soothing as he tells stories of times past and times to come. Overall, filling listeners with a hopeful, good feeling; no songs seem to end on a bad note, but rather hopeful. Giving a listener an inspiring lyric is like giving a mouse a cookie, they’re going to keep coming back for more. Gaslight Anthem will likely be around for a good while handing out more inspiring lyrics and good punkish tunes.

]]> http://burp182.wordpress.com/2008/04/23/another-post-about-gaslight-anthem/feed/ burp182 http://burp182.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/band-in-dc-get-it-get-it/ http://burp182.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/band-in-dc-get-it-get-it/#comments Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:13:15 +0000 burp182 http://burp182.wordpress.com/?p=57

As D.C. looses some of it’s recent hardcore big-names - 86 Mentality and Set to Explode - we’ve manged to keep on truckin’ with a couple nice venues (Bobby Fischer Memorial on North Capitol St. and Alfishawy Cafe on Georgia Ave.) and a handful of up-and-coming bands.

Here is a short, lazily compiled run-down of some recent bands within the 495 region that are worth your time:

Broken Bodies is a new hardcore band playing the best stuff - 80’s style hardcore.  It’s fused with a couple wailiing metal riffs here and there, which is alright in my book if it’s kept at a minimum.  Kind of angry and pretty fast.

Bad Habit.  Number one, they cover Descendents live.  Number two, a couple breakdowns.  Number three, they cover Descendents live.

Mindset = constant fun straight-edge breakdowns.

Coke Bust is super thrashy, so I can’t get into it until they slow it down and allow the crust to settle (I’m so witty), but a lot of kids really dig this.

Time to Escape.  Imagine some semi-crusty circle pits clearing out to make room for ‘bows gettin’ thrown during two-stepping and picking up change.  Parsons voice is crackly and angry, yet somehow not too intimidating.  Possibly because his former band Bail Out! revealed in their song “The Ballad of Bail Out!” that he once used sour cream for fun in the bedroom with a lady when he was out of whipped cream.

I’m sleepy.

I interviewed Lauren Measure last week.  Here is the resulting article:

(from myspace.com/themeasuresa) 

Forming in the summer of 2004, and not expecting the band to last for very long, The Measure recorded their debut LP, Historical Fiction “just to have a record of the band,” said Lauren.  They’ve kept on truckin’ and releasing numerous 7 inches along the way.  So far they’ve got seven 7 inches out in addition to Historical Fiction.  Each 7 inch displays the ever-changing sound of The Measure, as they break further away from the “pop-punk” label, “If you listen to our first album verses our 7 inches that we just put out, it’s really different.  You can probably tell the 7 inches now are by the same band that put out Historical Fiction, but I think we’ve definitely come a long way as a band,” guitarist and vocalist Lauren said.  The Measure can’t be simply be labeled, and they like it that way.  While they fall into the “pop-punk” genre, “you can’t really label us as just a pop punk band, just early 90s rock, or just and indie band.  We try to not just sound like one specific sound . . . I think we all want to write songs, but that don’t sound like we just wrote a pop punk song.  We want it to be more interesting than that,” said guitarist Lauren Measure.  A lot of the Measure’s influences come from folk and country musicians such as Bob Dylan and Billy Bragg.  Lauren named punk and pop punk favorites as Screeching Weasel, The Clash, Jawbreaker, NOFX, and Green Day.  Lauren agrees that recently there has been a pop-punk revival, “I used to think that it was just me getting into more pop punk, but I definitely think there are a lot of bands that are getting back to pop punk whereas for a while you saw a ton of hardcore bands and metal making a comeback . . .I think a lot of what I see now is pop punk . . . I think that’s cool ‘cause I’m having a good time,” she said.  Lauren has good reason to be having a ton of fun because a lot of those bands accumulate in the New York and New Jersey region; The Measure is one of them with a hometown in New Brunswick, New Jersey.  “The New Jersey scene is just great,” she said.  “Bands from New Jersey are putting out some of the best records I’ve heard in a long time and we’re all friends and I just think it’s great.  I think I’m really lucky to live in close proximity to that,” she said.  The Measure is also able to take inspiration from these bands in close proximity, “We’re really influenced by a lot of bands we play with all the time.  They keep pushing us to be better,” she said, listing some newer bands as inspiration, “I’m really into bands that are out there now – The Ergs, The Hunchback, This is My Fist, Ringers.”    

The Measure tends to play a lot of shows with these hometown bands and at their local shows they expect to see their friends up front going off, but as they’ve been touring more and more, they’ve started to see fan emerging all over the place.  “More and more our records are getting out there . . . we went on tour recently and we saw kids that we don’t know sing along and having a really good time -I was really excited about that,” she said.  They’ve started playing bigger venues and their only current goal is to just keep touring.  “We definitely want to go on tour.  That’s the only thing we keep talking about,” she said. 

The Measure has gone through a couple line-up changes and it currently consists of Lauren Measure - guitar/vocals, Fid - guitar/vocals, Andrew – bass, Mikey Yannich – drums. 

To hear The Measure check out  http://www.myspace.com/themeasuresa.

I interviewed Dr. Dan recently.

It was the best interview I’ve done in a long time.

This feature on Paint it Black is almost 1,700 words. Tell me what you think.

photo: Chrissy Piper

It’s not uncommon to sometimes see Dan Yemin referred to as a God or a hero. Check punk rock message boards, fanzines, or music news outlets. The musician has performed in four well known acts within the punk scene – Lifetime, Kid Dynamite, Armalite, Paint it Black. He’s been the guitarist for all but Paint it Black, where he’s on vocals – mostly screams, “It’s been established that I can’t sing,” said Yemin. But how does he respond to hearing that someone claims him as a god or a hero? “That’s ludicrous,” he said. Not only does he believe “the God part is offensive,” but he also said “I hope people can choose more inspiring heroes.”

However, he’s not all that vexed by the notion, “When people refer to me as a hero I’m flattered . . . if I’m a positive figure for people that’s awesome . . . but I can’t take credit all for myself,” he said, suggesting that all of his projects have been collaborative efforts. He also admits that he tries not to keep his worshippers and fans in mind when creating new material with his bands. “You’ll be dishonest if you’re writing for fans . . . it’s to them not for them,” he explained.

It seems his most recent project, Paint it Black, is where he is investing a lot of his interest lately, especially after the release of their third full length, New Lexicon, in late February. Yemin admitted he is super hyped about this album, naming it as one of his most proud accomplishments musically, “The new album- I haven’t been that excited for an album since Hello Bastards (Lifetime’s first record released in 1995),” he said.

New Lexicon has been getting great reviews and all of Paint it Black’s members are happy with the response aside from Jared, drummer, who is the newest addition to the group and had been too apprehensive to read reviews. He joined two years ago and New Lexicon has been his first chance to showcase his talent with Paint it Black on an album, but his band mates assured him that everyone loves the new album. “We sound the tightest and most bludgeoning that we have. You know, I think people are always shy about complimenting people to their face, but at least one person every night on this tour has come up to me and said ‘I was a little nervous about the change in drummers, but God damn!’,” said Yemin. Paint it Black recently played a select few dates on Strike Anywhere’s tour with Riverboat Gambler and they stopped at DC’s Black Cat on March 6^th.

Paint it Black has had a few line up changes as far as guitarists and drummers, but the two originals, Dan Yemin and Andy Nelson, bass, agree that the lineup is solid and they’re playing the best they ever have. Dan also expressed that “this band has the best work ethic of any group of people I’ve ever played with,” he said. Bassist Andy feels “I think that with Josh (guitar) and Jared . . . for the first time we have become a cohesive unit as opposed to a series of people playing songs that are written,” he said. The band might work so well together because “As a band in general we’re friends outside of it and that definitely comes through. We can hang out and do other things outside of it,” said Andy. They also try a lot different things during the creating process to get the best result, like playing all the songs at half speed. Andy explained why they chose to do that while recording the last record, “Hardcore bands and punk bands tend to favor velocity and volume over precision and detail, really . . . when we slowed it down, played it quiet and really paid attention to every note…it yielded a lot of things that probably wouldn’t have been there if we were just playing hard and fast,” he said. The creating process generally follows the pattern that Dan explained, “I write the lyrics and I write the skeletons of the songs . . . these guys cut it open, pull all the organs out, rearrange it so that the head is sticking out of the ass and like wrap the intestines around the neck,” he said. In the end, “I’m really proud of the dynamics on this record,” said Dan. Something he’s come to learn through working with so many different musicians in various bands is “learning to trust other people with my songs,” he said.

Another helpful aspect is that the Paint it Black members all listen to a wide variety of music and they all bring something different to the table with their different musical backgrounds. “You can’t write good hardcore if you only listen to hardcore,” Andy said, attributing the advice to Dan Yemin. All of the band mates agreed with this statement, and “if you look at Jared’s IPod it’s proof,” said Dan. Jared listed some of his favorite musicians as Nirvana, Fugazi, Roy Orbison, and John Bonham in addition to a few hardcore acts. All of Paint it Black admitted to being huge Fugazi fans, admiring the way the band worked together to create music and got to know each other so well they could feel what their band mates wanted to play live and didn’t need a set list. Andy and Jared of Paint it Black both suggested that sometimes they get that feeling while practicing together and both understand what song the other wants to play. “You couldn’t do that without me,” said Dan. “You would say ‘1,2,3,4’ and I would start singing something completely different, Dan said, jokingly.

Dan is also a big fan of underground hip-hop including KRS-One, Chuck D, and MF Doom. All of the hip-hop MCs have a huge effect on Paint it Black, explained Dan. He admires hip hop in the way that they give a character voice, tell a story with a character, and have fun with language. He tries to apply this when writing lyrics, and he also realizes that “what’s catchy is the cadence over the beat,” he said, and this is very apparent on the new album; you could easy catch yourself bobbing your head to the beat seeing as how Dan snuck those catchy aspects into his lyrics.

When he writes, “it usually starts with one line and goes from there,” he said. His lyrics are always a social commentary and he tends to encourage hope through his lyrics. “The best compliment I ever got was ‘it’s amazing how you make disillusionment seem so hopeful’,” he said. He feels that hope is important and every song ends on a hopeful note. “Hope is courageous. Hopelessness is cowardly,” he said. He went on to talk about how he believes change is important and hope is tied into change. “I stake my life and career on the fact that people can change,” he said. He hopes his lyrics can be inspiring, “words and relationships can be catalysts for change. I offer words and hopefully this band offers a relationship (for the fans),” he said.

One common theme on this last record is challenging religion. In his lyrics, Dan mentions that he doesn’t believe in God and he envies those who do, “I wish I had your faith, maybe then I’d feel safe,” he yells on “White Kids Dying of Hunger”. “On this record, I interrogate the idea of faith a lot. It’s a duality because faith is what gets people through the day, but it’s also a tool to oppress and it’s a tool for social control,” he said.

Fans seem to really be digging the new material. They’ve been getting great responses at their live shows. Dan said they no doubt get the best response in Philly, their hometown, and since the record’s been out for a month, they are getting an ever bigger response. “People are really going for it with the new record,” said Dan. He admits that being on vocals can really take it out of him, especially when the crowd is going wild. “I’ll come home with bruises and my wife will say she wishes there was some other way for the crowd to show their appreciation . . . some nights feel like I’m not going to make it through the set . . . I feel like I’ve been beaten by 2×4s,” he said, referring to the multiple pile-ons at shows when the kids go crazy and fight to get the mic from Dan to sing their favorite lines. It must not help that Dan keeps up his intimidating attitude on stage, however. At their second record release show in Philly back in January he told the crowd he wanted to see a lot more stage dives that night than the previous night, or else “I’m gonna kill you,” he announced to every one in the crowd. Of course it’s meant to be funny, but when you get what his band mates call the “Eye of Sauron,” it’s still a little scary. In DC, a crowd member in the front row shouted, “Show me your degree!” (Dan Yemin is a child psychologist). Dan responded quickly by saying, “I’ll show you the bottom of my foot.” Being behind a mic is a lot different than just being behind a guitar. He admits it’s “much more physically taxing . . . being on guitar is easier,” he said.

Dan admits that sometimes being on stage can be “the best feeling in the world,” he said. “If the band has got it together musically, and there is good crowd participation . . . we’re going to give it 100 percent no matter what, but when the crowd is into it, it’s like, times ten . . . it’s a cyclical inspiration. We’re inspired when someone gets stoked . . . it’s like your first orgasm all over again. You realize ‘wow! I could do this all day long!’”

Check them out. www.myspace.com/paintitblack

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