Live: The Hold Steady @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg 1.30.11

Another $25 show, and another one that was marked with a fair degree of ambivalence. This one was on a Sunday, and not one bound by a curfew, plus some shitty hipster band was opening. Regardless, Eric got tickets and we ended up hooking up with Dave and Jina for the show. We posted up on the side of the stage while the gents romped through a pretty decent set.

No keyboard this time around. Big homie from Lucero is still in the band, playing decent enough guitar and stepping up with some harmonized leads every once in a while. Still not crazy about that eventuality, but The Hold Steady still can bring it. I didn't get tickets for the second night, nor did I get tickets for the March show at Terminal 5, which seems to mark the end of an era. Kind of a bummer, but life goes on. Stay tuned as to what big act the Hold Steady will be opening for this Summer here and check out the new Live From Soho EP.

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Live: The Dismemberment Plan @ Webster Hall 1.29.11

Ah, The Dismemberment Plan. It's been a long time since the boys were in active rotation. I saw a lot of the D Plan between here and Chicago in their heyday and had a good time doing it. I was bummed when they broke up, but can't say I've revisited their catalog much since their demise. Most of the gents are holding down day jobs in the DC area and making music. Bassist Eric Axelson played with ex-Promise Ring dudes in Maritime for a bit, before joining ill-fated DC locals Statehood. Singer/guitarist Travis Morrison released a couple solo records and had a couple of post-Plan bands in Brooklyn, but is currently the only one of the quartet formally declaring himself formally retired.

It's been over 10 years since The Dismemberment Plan released fan-favorite Emergency And I on Barsuk and almost 10 years to the day since they had played their first shows for it in NYC. Seems odd that The D-Plan would reunite behind a vinyl reissue, but I've learned not to argue. As such, I ended up getting tickets for one of the reunion shows when they went on sale last Summer. As the date(s) grew closer, the boys played on Jimmy Fallon and weren't so good, which made the proposition of getting my scalp on via Craigslist that much more attractive. If the kids are reuniting behind a vinyl reissue, dollars to donuts a live DVD is in the works and my lazy ass probably would like it better.

The DVD remains to be seen, but I rolled up to Webster Hall and waded into a packed room as the Plan started their first tune. I was surprised to see the room as full as it was, and even more surprised that the crowd seemed so young. The kids I was hooking up with to see the show were ten or twelve years younger and halfway through the proceedings I realized that many of the crowd was actually to young to have seen The Dismemberment Plan live. While I'm normally against a $25 ticket charge, the fact that the show was at Webster meant a hard curfew and that I could be on the couch well before midnight. The prospect was an attractive one and the set was surprisingly solid. I though that we'd see a track by track run-through of the record and an oldie or too, but there was a pretty good cross-section of the catalog in the set. There was the tired stage invasion during Ice Of Boston, but by and large it was a pretty great set and it was a pleasure to find that my nostalgia for the band doesn't seem totally unwarranted. I suspect this will mark a more active Dismemberment Plan in the future. Keep tabs on the gents here and grab the vinyl reissue of Emergency and I here from your friends at Barsuk.

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Be My Doppelganger - No Composure

I saw Be My Doppelganger for the first time last year when they rolled through with the mighty Dopamines. I don't remember too much about the parties, but I'm pretty sure no one in the band is svelte enough to be the cover guy. My skinny-guy elitism aside, Be My Doppelganger play the type of shirt-off canned beer rock that has been the soundtrack to a score of basement shows.

No Composure has been out for a bit. Apologies to the gents for taking so long in getting to this, but if you like yourself some of the hooky midwestern punk rock that Dopamines purvey, you may be so inclined as to hoist a frosty beverage and shout along with the twenty-four minutes of delight here. If you're one to play stats-pro with the liner notes, know that Adam from The Copyrights mans the boards with Matt Allison and that it comes out courtesy of your friends at It's Alive. Get it here.

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Lemmy

As I move towards old age, there are fewer and fewer things that a man can count on in this world, but one of the few left is the fact that Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister is a bad, bad man. Not an asshole, mind you, but he undoubtably is an individual who does not suffer fools and their foolishness lightly. There could not be a more apt subtitle to this than 49% Motherfucker, 51% Son Of A Bitch.

Col and I managed to weasel a ticket for the limited theatrical release here in town and settled in among the adoring legions to bask in the history of one of rock and roll's realest. Lemmy walks it like he talks it. Often that walking takes place in tight black jeans and custom boots, and talking comes fueled by Jack Daniels and speed. He's helped with the talking by a host of contemporaries and fans, including Dave Grohl, members of Hawkwind and the creepily ubiquitous Scott Ian, who earns his keep with an awesome anecdote regarding the Kilmister definition of what constitutes shorts in this day and age.

I couldn't keep a grin off my face for the duration of Lemmy and got home to find Motorhead on Conan and that the DVD will be dropping on 2/15. Even better, the release date promo came with the phrase "four hours of bonus content" attached, much to collective JS-NYC delight. There is no possible way you could not be entertained by this. Revel in getting to the bottom of all things Lemmy, save for any discussion of the warts, oddly enough. Here's a link to the official Lemmy movie site, where you should purchase everything associated with this project. Kudos to Greg Olliver and Wes Orshoski for making the best rock doc since We Jam Econo.

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The Get Up Kids - There Are Rules

There was a period of time around the release of their first EP where I had a pretty pronounced fixation on The Get Up Kids. I guess that probably it was 1996, when I was just getting my feet wet on how taxing it could be to be a guy in his 20s dating in Manhattan. As such, emo bands proved to be chicken soup for the sideburned soul.

The following decade found my interest waning. The addition of an egocentric keyboard dude and a desultory late period tour riding the coattails of the mighty Superchunk put the band lower and lower in my estimation as the years passed. It became pretty obvious as the band neared implosion that they really disliked each other and that Matt considered himself the band.

Cue a break-up, a bunch of side projects, then the inevitable cash-in reunion. There was a live record and weak DVD released, then a not especially good EP and a Daytrotter session. 2011 finds the band continuing the trend by dropping a self-released average record called There Are Rules. I wouldn't buy it, but maybe you're one of the douches who shit all over Superchunk and want to hearken back to your edgier days. There are rules, and one of them is that you should probably release a good record if you'd like to reclaim your previous stature. While Bob Weston tries his hardest, I expect that he's currently trying to get his hands clean after the spate of turd-polishing that it took to get this record out. Way too many keyboard-driven songs, way too few hooks. This is not a recipe for anything that JS-NYC can recommend.

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The Punch Line: now at Skyscraper

Hey Kids:

As you may have noticed, JS-NYC likes to laugh. It's a pleasant respite to the vast reserves of angst and stress that we keep on hand for emergencies here and frankly we don't get enough of it. Luckily, the advent of the newly relaunched Skyscraper web presence has provided a forum by which we can all bask in the yuks.

As I also like The Minutemen, the column is called The Punch Line (word to Mssrs. Boon, Watt and Hurley). You can find the first installment here. Thanks to Andrew, Diana and Peter at Skyscraper.

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Crooked Fingers at PopMatters

Ladies and Gents:

If you are so inclined, peruse my review of the new(est) Crooked Fingers EP Reservoir Songs II over at the PopMatters web presence.

Here's a link.

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The Twilight Singers - Dynamite Steps

It's been over fifteen years since Greg Dulli shuttered the Afghan Whigs (with help from Elektra, and arguably a fairly pronounced love affair with marching powder) and started The Twilight Singers. Like most things these days, this makes me feel old.

Dulli has long loved soul and R&B music, wearing his heart on his sleeve with the Whigs Uptown Avondale EP and various interpolations of TLC hits in late period AW shows. The Twilight Singers are not without guitars, but definitely seems to be more rooted in electronica and dance music. Look forward to a more fleshed-out thesis on this soon, but I can see very little chance that Dulli and Kanye are not on each other's radar. In fact, I'll eat my AW Retarded 7" if Dulli doesn't cover Runaway on this upcoming tour.

The Twilight Singers have had many homes in their existence, the most recent being their old buddies at Sub Pop. Historically, the adage goes that Afghan Whigs were on Sub Pop to get laid, and moved to Elektra to get paid. I would expect that the opposite is true this time around. Luckily, Dynamite Steps is money, so both parties should be well satisfied. Eleven tracks here, all as darkly beautiful as the Italian ladies that Dulli is so fond of. I think Gunshots is probably my favorite track, as it hearkens back closest to my dear departed Afghan Whigs, but all of the tracks are solid, whether you find the Whigs or the Singers your favorite. Those who were not on board previously will probably not be swayed this time around, but neither does that excuse said naysayers lack of taste.

Interested proactive parties can preorder Dynamite Steps in cd or double white vinyl form from Sub Pop here and get two unreleased tracks for their trouble. Look for Twilight Singers to start the promo engine on Jimmy Kimmel in the next couple of weeks and stay tuned to JS-NYC for tour dates that aren't in Italy. The Twilight Singers web presence can be found here.

Ciao!

R

Roc Marciano - Marcberg

Your boy Roc Marcy has been getting love from the streets and the backpackers for the longest. Sidelined like most of the Flip Mode while Busta worked on a label deal and getting buzz off the U.N. Pete Rock project post-release, Marciano is manning the boards for his solo debut. Trying to usher in the vibe that you got from Main Source and Ultramagnetic back in the day, Marcberg is mad lyrical, but could use a banger or two to bring it up to the level he aspires to. You may feel differently. Good on ya. Pick it up from the good folk of Fat Beats here.

R

Tony Touch - Best of 2010 Live from Shade 45

There are many you can front on in the world of those that call themselves DJs, but Tony Touch is not one of them. Son has been down for the longest, representing for Uptown and Rock Steady all the while. Whether you know him from his mixtapes, live DJing, or maybe the Piece Maker records, it should be indisputable that Toca is the real deal.

Eminem has certainly noticed. Tony has backed him up on the live tip and was the first DJ to sign to the Shade 45 radio franchise. Discriminating Tocaphiles know that Toca Tuesdays on Shade 45 are known for the guest freestyles. One of the highlights of the years end is always Tony's Year End Best Of Freestyle tapes and 2010 is no exception. Of course, front loading the tape with Rah Digga and Joell Ortiz is always a good recipe for JS-NYC props but know that this is the rare tape where most MCs here are worthy of the title. Get the Top 25 Toca Tuesday Freestyles of 2010 here from the Toca web presence and check out Toca Tuesdays from 8-12 every week at Shade 45.

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Will Hoge at PopMatters

Hey All:

Review of the new EP from your boy Will Hoge is currently up at PopMatters.

Here's a link.

R

Patton Oswalt - Zombie Spaceship Wasteland

I like Patton Oswalt. I've been struggling for a while as to how he first came on my radar. I know it was before I saw the taping for the second Comedy Central special, but it strikes me there was a forum before that. My memory issues aside, Patton has become quite a force of late, doing a host of TV and movie writing and acting and curating the exceedingly successful Comedians Of Comedy Tour(s). I'm pretty sure there's another live record in the pipeline, but in the interim Patton seems to have scared himself up a book deal.

On paper (ha!) Zombie Spaceship Wasteland is a great idea. Patton is an engagingly erudite writer, breaking the book down into various anecdotes, lists, and philosophical chapters. I got the audio book, which again seems like a great idea. It's always best to hear the actual author's voice whenever possible. Oswalt ups the ante by littering the book with REM anecdotes and having them actually voiced by Michael Stipe. (As I understand from a recent Patton TV appearance, may of the lines are misquoted, but our Mr. Stipe was nice enough to play along for the best of the audio book). I have to admit it's pretty badass. Now all the previous seems to be tinged with the portent of some impending textbook JS-NYC hate, but that's not actually the case. The anecdotes are decent, although I think most of them would come off better in print and you could see the end of The Victory Tour story about three minutes into the 40 minute bit. The D&D stuff is charming, but a lot of the stuff here seems to be sight gags articulated by Patton, perhaps to their detriment. I'm going to try and snag a copy of the book and see if it comes off any better, but I have little hope for the concept that gives the book its name. It's kind of a funny bit, and does ok in tying in some of the previous chapters, but all in all, I think I've heard better. I'm sure that Patton is losing a lot of sleep over that. In the interim, I'm going to read this and see if I like it any better. Stay tuned, but in the interim I wholly urge you to ignore this asshole and grab Zombie Spaceship Wasteland here.

R

Touch & Go at Skyscraper

Once again it's on.

A more extensive revisitation of the awesome new Touch and Go compendium you may remember from a while ago is now up at the newly relaunched Skyscraper web presence.

Here's a link.

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The Hold Steady - Live from Soho

Today marks the official release of the recording of the acoustic set that Eric and I saw back in October by virtue of David hipping us to the show at the last minute.

Let us again pause to give props David-ward.

The Soho set was a pleasantly intimate refresher after a troubling Beacon show the night previous. Seven songs, including a run through the awesome Separate Vacations. If you're not a super fan, this is not especially essential, but it is The Hold Steady for chrissakes, so you can rest assured that it's a pretty fair shade better than a Bright Eyes record or some other such shite. I can't say I wouldn't buy it, buy I can say unequivocally that iTunes Live From Soho would be even better if Franz was in the band.

You can probably figure out where to get this all by yourself.

R

Lemuria - Pebble

Personally, it's pretty staggering to me that it was five years ago now that I got the split with Kind Of Like Spitting and got bitten by the Lemuria bug. The Buffalo unit has switched bass players in recent history and made the curious move of signing with new school hardcore enclave Bridge Nine, but little has changed in the Lemuria formula. It's still a post-Velocity Girl meets Breeders vibe, in the time-honored power trio format with mostly female vocals, although the drummer sings a fair bit.

Pebble is only their second formal full-length, but there has been a raft of EP and single releases in the three years since their Asian Man debut. Pebble was produced by the estimable J. Robbins at his Magpie Cage Studios in charming Baltimore, lending just the right amount of spit and polish (as well as some auto-tune, methinks) to the proceedings to make one hell of a record. Lemuria should be well proud of themselves. I'd put Pebble up there with P.S. Eliot and my beloved Little Lungs. You should put it in your earhole(s). Here's a link to facilitate.

R

Bobby Bare Jr. - a storm, a tree, an acoustic ep

So you may have read that Bobby Bare Jr. has a new record out on Thirty Tigers called A Storm, A Tree, My Mother's Head. Well, if you took to that, you may be interested to know that Bobby has also released an aptly named companion six song EP of acoustic demo versions called a storm, a tree, an acoustic ep. It's good. Really good, actually.

Bare Jr. constantly changes his backing bands. He recorded the studio A Storm with most of My Morning Jacket backing him, but the dates behind the band saw Bobby opting for a solo acoustic format backed by former Young Criminals Starvation League cohort Carey Kotsionis and her sister Courtney on backing vocals. He is a natural performer, equally able to front a loud rock band or a solo acoustic show, and equally formidable as a songwriter, making for a compelling performance regardless of its presentation. The six songs on a storm, a tree, an acoustic ep assert that fact pretty definitively, so why not just cut to the chase and pony up a sawbuck for a copy here. Or sign up for Bobby's mailing list here and get it for free. Either way, don't postpone joy. Whether you opt for the album version or the acoustic ep, you're in for a hell of a good time.

R

Bobby Bare Jr. at Skyscraper

Hey Kids:

My review of the new Bobby Bare Jr. record A Storm, A Tree, My Mother's Head (Thirty Tigers) is up at the new Skyscraper web presence.

Here's a link.

R

Skyscraper Magazine Relaunches Online

SKYSCRAPER MAGAZINE WEBSITE RELAUNCHES

All-New Site Heralds Online-Only Era of the Venerable Underground Music Magazine

Today, Monday, January 10, Skyscraper Magazine will launch its fully revamped and redesigned website, located at www.skyscrapermagazine.com. This relaunch marks the completion of the long-running underground music, art, and culture magazine’s transition from print to online publication, as well as an expansion of its content and the beginning of a daily publishing schedule.

A quarterly-published magazine for 11 years (1998-2009), Skyscraper shut down its print edition in 2009 as part of a planned shift to an online magazine format. Although that transition took much longer than intended, today’s relaunch officially announces the return of Skyscraper and the start of a new phase in the publication’s history. Among the biggest differences between the print edition and this online version is that Skyscraper will now publish new content every day, Monday through Friday.

Nevertheless, the majority of Skyscraper’s content should look very familiar to anyone who has ever read the magazine before: critical reviews of new music releases and in-depth interviews with, and articles on, emerging and innovative artists. Added to that core content, though, will be a number of new topics and sections that address subjects that the publication either hasn’t dealt with in a long while, has covered only limitedly in the past, or has never covered before. For instance, the site features much expanded coverage of books and print media, including graphic novels, fiction and poetry, and author interviews. The film and video section is enlarging to include fictional movies alongside music-related nonfiction films. The site is also bringing back concert reviews and singles coverage. In addition, there will be several blog-like columns on genres and topics ranging from modern classical music and the British indie music scene to comedy and small-press recordings (limited edition vinyl, cassettes, et al).

There are various other changes and improvements in store, too; this beta version of the new site will be continually upgraded and expanded in the coming weeks and months. Eventually, the site will host audio-visual content, such as streaming or downloadable music, videos, and photo galleries, and reporting will branch out into still more types of media, including technology, industry, and television. For now, though, the relaunch of www.skyscrapermagazine.com hopefully marks the reemergence of a familiar and welcome voice in the indie subculture. Please share the news of Skyscraper’s return with your readers, colleagues, and friends.

Billy Squier review at PopMatters

Hey Boys and Girls:

It's been 30 years since Billy Squier released Don't Say No.

Peep the review at PopMatters.

Here's a link.

R

R.I.P: The Measure (sa) 2004-2011

The Measure (sa) have made a public announcement about 2011 being the end of the band. Guitarist/ Vocalist, Lauren Denitzio, had the following to say about why the band will soon be calling it a day, their final shows, and future releases from the band.

“After a number of lineup changes, the Measure increasingly became Fid and I finding ways to continue making music together. For a while, that was working, but this Fall I made the decision that I can’t continue with the band. There were a lot of personal reasons behind that and I realized that my heart just wasn’t in the project anymore. It’s not fair to anyone to try to keep going after that, especially when you’re expected to tour and write music and play shows and look like you’re having a good time. As far as parting ways goes, it’s a fairly amicable event and I’m glad that we’re ending the band on good terms and as friends.

We started the band when I was 20, and if you had told me then that I would get to travel around the country, put out over 18 records and play with some of my favorite bands because of it, I’d think you were out of your mind. It’s been a great privilege and I hope those experiences don’t end here. Fid and I will certainly be putting out music in other bands soon, so stay tuned.

We’re planning on releasing the next collection record of the more recent 7”s later in 2011 and intend on playingFest 10 (Oct 28,29,30-2011) for one final show. There’s a possibility of another couple 7”s as well. Locally, we’ll be playing our last shows during the second weekend in April in Brooklyn and New Brunswick. Details to be announced soon.

We want to thank everyone who has been so helpful and supportive over the years. Especially those who have set up shows, given us places to stay and put out records for us (Don Giovanni, Kiss of Death, Salinas, Chunksaah, Ernest Jenning, Art of the Underground, Los Diaper, Team Science, Snuffy Smiles and No Idea) . We’re incredibly grateful to the awesome folks at No Idea who have both distro’d our records and put out a split 7” and LP for us, getting our music out there to a larger audience than we were able to do on our own. They’ve been one of our favorite labels for a long time and it was an honor to get to work with them so closely both as a label and as friends.

To Mike Regrets, Big A, J Nixon, Mikey Yannich, Joel Control, Tim Burke!, Chris Pierce, Gore, Joey Birds, DanO, CJ, and Marco Reosti: thanks for getting through this band with us”.

punkrockneverstop,

Lauren + Fid

Capital - Givers Takers

I haven't been into Long Island hardcore for a long time. I always liked Garden Variety, and the guys from V.O.D always were solid dudes, but it's been only the advent of the Dead Broke roster that brought the LIHC back on my radar. Iron Chic are pretty aces, and although I knew of Capital previously, I didn't realize until a couple of minutes ago that they shared members.

It makes sense, as both franchises bring it nicely. There's a middle ground of Dag Nasty, although Capital definitely blaze more of a hard guy trail. It's not done without a sense of humor, as evinced by the awesome prank call where they impersonate a fake tough guy band from NJ called T.U.F.F, short for Tools Used For Fighting. That is fucking classic.

The rest of Givers Takers is pretty great as well. It's mixed and mastered by Chris Hannah of Propagandhi, if that sways you. I'll go out on a limb and say that there are no real respectable new school NYC area hardcore franchises. Feel free to prove me wrong, but in the absence of any others, major props are due to Capital for keeping hardcore vibrant around Gotham. Capital are giving the digital version of Givers Takers away for free, but those that are of a mind to own vinyl versions can reach out to Underground Communique.

R

News Dispatch from Antillectual

Antillectual plans for the upcoming year

First of all we want to wish you a happy new year! We welcome the new year by new tours and a new bass player. All this to promote our new album “Start From Scratch!”.

Germany and United Kingdom tours
New album
New bass player
Eurosonic/Noorderslag & other shows
Germany and United Kingdom tours

To promote “Start From Scratch!” we will be touring our asses off as much as possible. Starting smoothly with 2 weekend trips through Germany (with Red Tape Parade) and the United Kingdom.

Germany:

Jan 5 GER Köln Sonic Ballroom w/ Red Tape Parade
Jan 6 GER Augsburg Ballonfabrik w/ Red Tape Parade
Jan 7 GER Finsterwalde L 86 w/ The Red Tape Parade
Jan 8 GER Berlin Scherer8 w/ Red Tape Parade + Man the Change
Jan 9 GER Available!
United Kingdom:

Jan 26 BE / FR / UK Available!
Jan 27 UK London The Gaff w/ The Human Project, Code Blue
Jan 28 UK Bath The Green Park Tavern w/ The Human Project
Jan 29 UK Hull Hollywood and Vine
Jan 30 BE / FR / UK Available!
In February we will go back to France (get in touch for dates!), and in April we will head to Russia for the first time ever!

New album

For those living under a rock: we have a new album out, “Start From Scratch!”. You can order an LP/CD through us or stream or download it together with all our music (for free or for a donation) at music.antillectual.com. When you are at our webshop, check out our new shirts, zippers and girlies!

New bass player

A month ago we brought the news that Tom leaves our band and Tim replaces him. Some of you might know Tim from his solo work as Tim Vantol. You can read Tom’s statement here. His farewell show will be at the ACU in Utrecht on February 4, including a solo set by Tim Vantol and other TBA bands.

Eurosonic/Noorderslag & other shows

We are very proud to announce that we will be playing the Eurosonic/Noorderslag Festival in Groningen (NL). The festival is a showcase for hip and happening bands from Europe. And us. We will play a regular set and an acoustic set for Live In Your Living Room. See below for details. Do you want to hear our songs in your town? Email!

Eurosonic/Noorderslag shows:

Jan 13 NL Groningen, Eurosonic/Noorderslag: Shadrak, Main w/ The Picturebooks, Waines, Thee Attacks. Starts 20:00 sharp!
Jan 15 NL Groningen, Eurosonic/Noorderslag: Live in Your Living Room (Hoekstraat 42a) *Acoustic!* w/ Klerkx & The Secret, Awkward I
Other shows:

Jan 22 NL Arnhem, Mallemoere (Yvo’s Vegan Cafe!). w/ DJ Santina Runaway
Feb 4 NL Utrecht ACU Tom’s farewell show w/ Tim Vantol, Break Character, more
Feb 22 FR Bordeaux, Hold’em Saloon
Feb 25 SWI Geneva, Le Tiki’s
Mar 12 BEL Ecaussinnes, Festival Arc-en-Musique, Maison du Peuple
Mar 17 NL Nijmegen, De Bijstand. *Acoustic!* w/ PJ Bond
Mar 18 NL Castricum, De Bakkerij. *Acoustic!* w/ PJ Bond, Tes
Mar 19 BEL Mechelen, Metteko. w/ Straightaway, The Octopussy’s, Not So Much
April 27 – May 3 RUSSIAN tour!
Jun 17 SK Cadca, Bagdad Mosh Festival
Jun 24 CZ Prague, Dejvická Klubovna
Jun 25 CZ Hradek nad Nisou Hradek, Rock Summer Festival. Projekt Parabellum, Atari, Terror

For more news, keep checking antillectual.com

Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir

I can't say that Megadeth were ever my favorite band. Like Slayer, I had respect for them, but always enjoyed them much more vicariously through other metalheads. I enjoyed Mustaine's shit-talking more than I enjoyed the music and recent TV appearances seem to have only sharpened his acid tongue. As such, I was much more stoked at the prospect of a Mustaine book than I was for a new Megadeth record.

On a recent That Metal Show appearance, our hero mentioned that he thought that Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir would be coming out, but that his legal team had expressed their doubts. Those issues seem to have been put to rest, at least to the point where the book could make itself available for litigious response via It Books/Harper Collins.

Mustaine is a pretty good read. Those unlucky enough to be of a non-metal nature may not be the target demographic, but those with even a passing affection for thrash metal will find much to be entertained by. Our hero pulls no punches when it comes to asserting his role in the early days of Metallica or his former bandmates therein. Mustaine is just as candid about his own short-comings and missteps personally and with Megadeth, All of which make for a hell of a great read that JS-NYC recommends highly. I only wish there was an audiobook in Mustaine's own snarl to make Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir totally aces.

R

American Hardcore: Second Edition

Steven Blush released American Hardcore: A Tribal History through Feral House in 2001, documenting the dawn of hardcore and shaking up the shit-talking like Jon Savage had a decade or so before with England's Dreaming. A documentary entitled American Hardcore: The History Of American Punk Rock 1980-1986 followed in 2006. Having not been there, I enjoyed both a bunch, but it seems there had been enough of an outcry that a second edition was in order.

That is not to say that the second edition of American Hardcore: A Tribal History is rife with recanting or revision, but there are new 80 pages of content. All of the chapters are updated, and a new one on spirituality is added. Twenty-five new participants are interviewed and there is a gang of new artwork. I'd say that its worth picking up, but those that already enjoyed the book the first time may be sated without re-reading. Roll the dice. Either way, you can read more or pick up American Hardcore: A Tribal History outright here.

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Dead To Me - Wait For It

I have always been on the fence about Dead To Me. Like a lot of bands today (Lawrence Arms, Smoke Or Fire) they get lots of love from the kids but to this old bastard they always seemed just ok. While I'm sure the lack of JS-NYC affirmation is troubling, they have rebounded, adding Sam from VRGNS/New Mexican Disaster Squad and Ken from Western Addiction. I'm unsure as to whether this means that Dead To Me are relocating to Gainesville (or vice-versa), but the influx of FL into the franchise has prompted more enthusiasm than usual for DTM.

Wait For It, Wait For It was put together for the recent Dead To Me European tour and comes via Dutch label Shield Recordings. It's got three songs with big old hooky choruses that remind me a lot of Avail or D4. I don't remember correlating the two previously, but it works on this little slab of delight. I'd pick it up. Those that are more patient might decide to wait for the full-length coming on Brick Gun Records that reprises these three tracks and assumably adds a bunch more. I guess this means the Fat era is over? Wait and see, but check out Wait For It, Wait For It in the interim.

R

Keith Richards - Life

Unless you have strong negative feelings about substance abuse and/or rock music, Keith Richards ranks pretty high on the list of generally fucking cool cats. I've always ranked The Stones above The Beatles, and the contrarian in me has always ranked Richards above Jagger. The X-pensive Winos records with Waddy Wachtel and Steve Jordan (and Charley Drayton, of course) are better than any or the late period Stones releases, and without question stronger than any Jagger solo material. I can't say that I have a huge interest in paying a million dollars to see The Stones in an arena, but the prospect of solo Richards material remains a compelling proposition.

As none of the parties are getting any younger, the time seems ripe for a Richards memoir. Consider that done. Said memoir is Life and is a pretty damn good read. Our boy calls a spade a spade, turning the light on all parties (including himself) and exposing a couple skeletons in the offing. He generally comes off likeable and a pretty straight shooter. Jagger somewhat less so.

Having viewed the Scorcese doc A Bigger Bang almost immediately upon finishing the book, you can see a palpable amount of tension between The Glimmer Twins. One of the bigger points Richards makes in Life is the irritation that Jagger has felt post-Richards clean-up. It has long been obvious that Jagger considers himself The Rolling Stones and a more present Richards has made it that much more difficult for Jagger to run the day-to-day affairs of The Stones in the arguably monomanical fashion he had previously. Tensions aside, The Stones are still a compelling live entity, but Bill Wyman is right in that its a much safer, by-the-numbers Rolling Stones in the second decade of the 22nd Century.

Life is an engaging read that anyone with even a passing interest will enjoy. Revel in the tales of Richards and the wayward path he has taken over the past seven decades. I'm sure it's sold a bazillion copies during the holidays. I got one of them and you should as well. Those that enjoy being read to should look out for the tag-team audio book narrated by Johnny Depp and Joe Hurley. Evidently the CD version is 20 cds, which seems a tad excessive, but its a great story regardless of whether you enjoy Life virtually or actually.

R

Jaded Scenester NYC Top 10 Comedy Records of 2010

Hey Kids:

Jaded Scenester NYC likes to laugh. Word is that I'll be doing a regular column for Skyscraper Magazine's new web presence in the New Year. That's an exciting eventuality. Stay tuned to JS-NYC for word on that, but in case you were wondering what tickled the old JS-NYC funny bone this year, you can peep the top 10 JS-NYC Comedy nods below. A lot of music was crap, but 2010 was a great year for comedy, whether it be live on TV or on record. It was a shame that we lost Greg Giraldo and Robert Schmmel, and the Artie Lange knife thing really tweaks me pretty hard, but those sad eventualities aside, things look good for 2011 being even better. Here's hoping

R

1. Hannibal Burress - My Name Is Hannibal

2. Big Jay Oakerson - An American Storyteller

3. Artie Lange - Jack and Coke

4. Aziz Anzari - Intimate Moments For A Sensual Evening

5. Bill Burr - Why Do I Do This?

6. David Cross - Bigger and Blackerer

7. Brian Posehn - Fart and Weiner Jokes

8. Paul F. Tompkins - Sir, You Have Fooled Me Twice

9. Greg Proops - Proops Digs In

10. John Mulaney - The Top Part

Jaded Scenester NYC Top 10 Live Shows of 2010

There were good shows in 2010, but they sure were few and far between. NYC sure could use a lot more. Respect due to those that brought it this year. Let's all do our part to have a lot more contenders in 2011.

R

1. Superchunk with Todd Barry @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg 9.19.10

2. The Figgs @ Bruar Falls 12.5.10

3. Iron Chic @ 538 Johnson 9.3.10

4. The Hold Steady @ The Apple Store 10.18.10

5. Dopamines @ Lulu's 8.16.10

6. RVIVR with Little Lungs and The Measure (SA) @ 538 Johnson 10.17.10

7. Hard Skin with forgetters @ Europa 10.22.10

8. Cheap Girls @ Europa 10.23.10

9. Leatherface with Yesterday's Ring and Bridge and Tunnel @ The Knitting Factory Brooklyn 3.5.10

10. Brad with Happy Chichester @ Bowery Ballroom 10.10.10

Jaded Scenester NYC Top 10 EPs and 7 inches of 2010

Brevity is the soul of wit, and it does wonders for bands and their recorded output, too. Here's the Jaded Scenester NYC take on the best EP and seven (in some cases, six) inch delights from 2010, with pertinent links.

R

1. Little Lungs - Living Hell 7"

2. P.S. Eliot - Living In Squalor 7"

3. RVIVR - Derailer 7"

4. forgetters - s/t 7"

5. Jon Snodgrass/Joey Cape - Who Wants To Get Down? 7"

6. Off With Their Heads/No Friends split 6"

7. Jeff Klein - Death Of The Fox EP

8. Austin Lucas - New Home demos

9. OFF! - The First Four EPs

10. So Hideous My Love - I Balance A Daydream On The Edge Of A Knife EP

Jaded Scenester NYC Top 10 Records of 2010

Looking back, while 2010 wasn't the greatest year musically, I've definitely been chuffed to find that there are some great new bands out there like Little Lungs, Iron Chic and bands that have been around for a bit like Superchunk, Glossary, The Hold Steady can still drop a good record when they are of a mind. In some cases, they can top the JS-NYC charts for the year.

After weeding through the posts from 2010 and basking in the nostalgia, please find below the Top 10 of 2010 as perceived by Jaded Scenester NYC, with pertinent nostalgic linkage for the full self-aggrandizing experience.

Here's hoping 2011 bears as much musical fruit.

Look forward to Best Of Lists for 7" and EPs in the coming days, as well as prattling on about Comedy Records, Hip-Hop and live shows. Control your enthusiasm.

JADED SCENESTER NYC - BEST RECORDS OF 2010

1. Superchunk - Majesty Shredding

2. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

3. The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever

4. Iron Chic - Not Like This

5. Tiltwheel - The High Hate Us

6. Dan Padilla - A Collection, Not Perfection

7. The Arrivals - Volatile Molotov

8. Joey Cape/Jon Snodgrass - Liverbirds

9. The Sainte Catherines - Fire Works

10. The Figgs - The Man Who Fights Himself

And that's how the chips fell.

xo

R

Free Jaded Scenester NYC Best of 2010 available

Ok, Kids.

This is less than timely, but JS-NYC has our best of 2010 available for download. If the idea of 39 tracks of JS-NYC sanctioned aural delight rocks your world (or if you just want a copy), e-mail me for a link.

Thanks for a great year!

R