Jawbreaker - Bivouac reissue

Ah, Jawbreaker! While we continue the waiting game for the documentary, Adam and his Blackball Records have continued the Jawbreaker reissue initiative by releasing a remastered version of the second full-length to commemorate the two decades that have elapsed since its initial release on Communion/Tupelo.

I'm not going to stoop to the level of telling you why you should be buying this record, but will inform the uninformed that the non-album tracks that previously appeared on the Chesterfield King 12" are included, along with period photographs and art mockups in booklet form.  Sweating collector nerds should be informed that said 12" is also available again. Bivouac is also available in oversized black circular form, should you be so inclined.

Step lively. Here's a link to the Blackball web presence.

R

forgetters - s/t

It seems like the onset of Fall often brings renewed activity in the forgetters camp and this year is no exception. In a pattern seasoned Schwarzenbach followers have come to find familiar, forgetters popped up in the ashes of Thorns Of Life and played a bunch of shows. A pretty aces eponymous double 7" followed in 2011, as did a European tour, after which there was silence.

A random perusal of the J. Robbins owned  Magpie Cage Studios web presence earlier this year showed revealed a blog post reporting Blake and drummer Kevin Mahon had been recording there in the early part of the year. I'm still unsure whether the tracks here are the same, and my download is sadly bereft of any more info, but regardless the eleven tracks here may very well comprise the best Schwarzenbach tracks since the demise of the mighty Jawbreaker. Tracks like Lie Artist and Hoop and Swan hold their own with the best of the Jets To Brazil catalog. I'm not especially crazy about the opening Strike or the pithy In America, and the literary pretentions of Les Arrivistes might be better relegated to Blake's job interviews and/or dates, but the self-titled debut is far from bad. Beyond that, I've got little bad to say about any of the other tracks. The recent show at Death By Audio was purported to be pretty aces, and evidently marked the live debut of new bassist Michelle Proffit, also of Hiretsukan. I bailed on that show owing to my stupid job, but am not going to make that mistake a second time, I'll tell you.

Get the self-titled full-length from forgetters  here in all your favorite formats.

The rarely updated forgetters web interface can be found here.

R

forgetters - s/t double 7"

On the heels of my ass having been rocked fairly soundly by forgetters opening for Hard Skin a week or so previously, I made a point of getting the debut recordings from our Brooklyn heroes into the playlists here at JS-NYC. The eponymous record comes in the curiously popular dual 7" form courtesy of their own Too Small To Fail Records and features art from bassist Caroline Paquita. Those that are less tangibly inclined can get the four tracks as mp3s. Here's a link that will afford you both options. I'd do it. I had pleased that Blake was rocking again, but was kind of lukewarm about the initial stuff I heard. Post morph to forgetters, the year that the trio has taken to gestate before recording has served them well. I assume something longer is in the works, but these four tracks are pretty quality. Blake is playing some pretty inspired guitar and the band makes a pretty big sound for a three piece. My favorite track is Too Small To Fail, but all four tracks are well worth dropping some cash on.

forgetters are out there, peep upcoming dates and all other things forgetters here.

R

Jaded Scenester/forgetters love on Brooklyn Vegan

Hey Boy(s) and Girl(s):

Some quotation love from the Brooklyn Vegan here about the forgetters show at Lit.

Thanks to forgetters for being awesome, and BV for the love.

R

Live: forgetters, Solar Powered Sun Destroyer, Thought and Memory @ Lit Lounge 9.18.9

After the ridiculous punk rock scavenger hunt that the early Thorns Of Life shows ended up being, it was nice to find that Blake had: (1) got another band together in short order and (2) actually started letting people know about the shows. In typical fashion, the first show was a secret and in Crown Heights (see stolen pic at left), but show number two was announced and at Lit Lounge. To sweeten the pot, the show was headlined by Golden City, the newest franchise from ex-Christie Front Drive/The 101 mastermind Eric Richter. I figured it would be a bit of a madhouse, so Eric, Keri and I showed up early and staked out some real estate and libation.

Our early arrival allowed us to catch the full complement of openers, including the lead-off Brooklynites Thought and Memory. I'm glad we did. They had an Explosions In The Sky/This Will Destroy You thing going on that I'd like to hear a whole lot more of in this town. No singer, two guitars, bass and drums. I would definitely recommend checking them out. Hell, I hope So Hideous can play with them sometime soon. Solar Powered Sun Destroyer played next. They are from DC, but don't sound especially like the average band you've heard from The District. In fact, I'd say they are a little ballsy in that a lot of the vocals sounded a hell of a lot like Christie Front Drive. I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be sounding that close to another band on the bill, but that really not this asshole's problem. I'll also keep my suggestion on the name change to myself.

forgetters were the reason for the season for me. Seven songs in just under a half-hour, with no retreads from the Thorns material. They all sounded like fast Blake Schwarzenbach songs, so if you've liked any of his musical projects, you will not find forgetters to be a drastic departure. I recorded the show. If you'd like it, and you're not going to sell it or otherwise rankle them, e-mail me and I'll send you a link. forgetters actually have a collective web presence, so keep track of their upcoming shows (and Blake's political leanings) here.

All props are due to Golden City, but Daddy had to get home to keep up false pretenses for the family. I hear the show was good. Keep track of when I'll see them next here.

R

Banner Pilot - Collapser

Finally, the long talked-about new Banner Pilot record is here. It's called Collapser and it's on Fat Wreck. It's not terribly surprising that a new label is in the game, as I'm pretty sure their demo got better distro than Resignation Day got through Go-Kart.

Lest you be concerned, Collapser sounds like a Banner Pilot record. That is not to say it doesn't sound a lot like various Blake Schwarzenbach franchises we've enjoyed over the years, or that the gents are ignorant of The Lawrence Arms and Asian Man era Alkaline Trio. Both readers here realize than none of the aforementioned bands are hated at JS-NYC HQ and that I am pretty queer for the Minneapolis punk rock, so let me make the shocking disclosure that I'm pretty into Collapser. I think it takes a little bit of time to get under way, but Farewell To The Iron Bastards and Losing Daylight are two tracks that will definitely be highlights of the new live set and all of the songs are more than worthy additions to the BP canon. When we will see them in this small town we call NYC is up in the air. I spoke to Nate at Insubordination Fest and he thought they might be out here with Dead To Me and AmSteel. Doing the math, I hope it's a proper tour and not a CMJ show. CMJ gets to be more of a nightmare every year, and since it's easily been five years since Banner Pilot played in town I think we deserve more than 25 minutes. Don't get me started on the regional record release shows wherein the East Coast show is in Chicago. Really, guys?

My bitchy douchebaggery aside, you would do well to pick up Collapser pronto. The twelve songs pass in just a little over a half hour, making repeated plays pretty much a necessity. Set those wheels in motion by popping over to Fat Wreck and grabbing a copy here. The Banner Pilot web presence can be found here, should you want to enter their little corner of cyberspace.

Thorns of Life: Live @ Gilman 1.31.9 live download

What's more to say, really? Thorns Of Life have been playing some shows on the West Coast recently, and assumably recording a new record. They played Gilman on 1/31 and someone made a pretty good recording of it. My boy Eric hooked me up with it, but there's a link off the Blackball message board, too. It's a good show, better than the one I saw at Disgraceland, I'd say. There are some warts, but they are a new band and seem to be sounding better with every show. Now lets get some of those Thorns back in NYC already. The link for the Gilman St. show download is here, for the time being. Get it while you can. It rocks.

R

Live: Thorns Of Life at Disgraceland, Philly 11.29.8

I'm as excited, if not more, than the average guy when it comes to the return of a band fronted by Blake Schwarzenbach. I bailed on the Underground Railroad To Candyland show that ended up being first unannounced Thorns Of Life show and fell for the red herring that the show was cancelled about the second show, so when I saw a snippet on line about a TOL show in Philly and knew I'd be passing through town, I was determined to see the show if I could. Cue three days of phone calls and shenanigans that precipitated my getting the address 45 minutes before the show, through the luck of friendly punks on the street. I understand that they want to keep Disgraceland under the radar, but the level of subterfuge that is going on for these Thorns Of Life shows is bordering on the ridiculous. I'm sorry, but when you have Blake Schwarzenbach, Aaron Cometbus and an actress from The L Word in one band, its going to be hard to keep things a secret for long.

I ended up squeezing my way in to Disgraceland, but as the place was three or four times past capacity and I was wearing a bag, there was no way that I was going to be able to shed my outerwear, making for a sweaty, sweaty time for me. Most of the rest of the crowd were in the same boat, although there were the odd pre-emptive 40oz and Natty Bo's scattered through the space. The space seems to be well run and the sound was decent enough, so here's hoping that they are able to keep the place going for some time to come.

The first band was Philly's own Restorations. Despite playing to a full room of people that really wanted to see TOL, they played a really good set of stuff that sounded like The Weakerthans or early Hot Water Music without so much shouting. They are evidently also 3/4 of the band Jena Berlin, if you're familiar. I'm not sure whether this is a project thing or a full-time band, but they are well worth checking out. Do that here.

I passed Blake going the other way down the street from the venue and was pleased to see that he was actually coming back for the set. The room was so full that the drums had to be passed over the crowd but the band managed to take the stage in short order. Shows have to be over by 10pm at Disgraceland and I couldn't be more excited about that trend. May that trend move to NYC with the quickness. Thorns Of Life took the stage by 9 and played ten or so songs that were pretty decent. Two of them, especially the one about NYC were exceptional. It was good to see Blake and Aaron. Both look older, but Blake was quick to point out that he is 41, so I'd say they've held up ok. The stuff is raw, yet melodic, more Jawbreaker than Jets, save for the song about losing his virginity. I'm told they are recording in the early winter or late spring. I'm not sure when or if they are going to grace us with a web presence, but if you hear, holler at your boy.