Hot Water Music - Live In Chicago

Like a lot of bands, Hot Water Music are a band that I want to like a lot more than I actually do.

Not that it was for lack of trying. Back when I still had to do such things, I bought all their releases and enjoyed them live easily a half-dozen times, but at the end of the day, I always wished I could work up the fervor that HWM invoked in their most rabid fans. Ultimately, and I know it is aggressively to my old guy detriment, I chose to throw my lot in with Alkaline Trio, who have done little in recent years to thank me for my endorsement, save for perhaps eschewing trans-gender assignment surgery, to keep that love affair alive and unembarrassing. To that end: In a continuing nightmare, the Trio have announced their new record would be called My Shame Is True, a moniker that even Dave Vanian would have problems embracing in 2013. I feel for Danny.

Returning back to the subject at hand, beyond establishing the post-Leatherface template that a hundred bands stole part and parcel from them in the 90s, Hot Water Music are known as being no stranger to a break-up, splitting at least three times that I can remember before their most recent hiatus in the early part of the new millennium. A series of reunion shows last year started with the fanfare of sold-out Terminal 5 shows and ebbed into much smaller rooms, neither of which I took advantage of. Truth be told, I was excited to see them with the Descendents this Summer, but don't get me started on that whole thing.

The most recent shows in town were behind a new record, one that I gave a couple spins and couldn't tell you another thing about, not even the name, so when the new No Idea fostered live record Live In Chicago came my way, I exactly wasn't running to get it in heavy rotation. It was a pleasure to see Hot Water and No Idea back in bed together, but there was little beyond old guy nostalgia to attract me, save for the fact that it wasn't as utterly execrable as the recent legacy tarnishing Braid output. Both Chuck and Chris have been pursuing the bearded acoustic troubadour route in recent years, a choice that will hardly have Townes Van Zandt worrying about his legacy being diminished, albeit one that also seems infinitely wiser than, say, Mike Hale's choice to leave carpentry behind.

It definitely seemed that the personal HWM allegiances were not aligned toward the gruff shouty punk rock I am of a mind to hear from them, but after consuming a goodly amount of herbal and caffeine-based perspective realignment aids, I waded into Live In Chicago. Frankly, I would have liked to have seen the video portion of this more, as it captures the second night of the tapings in its entirety, but the double cd/triple vinyl musical portion offers up 30 songs in 90 minutes total. Recorded over two nights at The Metro in 2008, the recordings find the band in tightly workmanlike form. Black and Rebelo continue to be a monster rhythm section, and tracks like Turnstile and Aluacha still make me want to hoist a beer in the air, but even two decades in, I wish I was more excited about this.

JS-NYC crankiness and companion old age aside, The Metro crowd here is an enthusiastic one. I've not laid eyes on them, but I would venture that the crew attending these shows in 2013 is cut from a younger, less jaded cloth than JS-NYC and never saw the quartet in their unshaven, barefoot heyday and are using these shows to make up for lost time. Fair enough. Not nearly as right, but still charmingly ragged and beautiful, Hot Water Music encapsulate a solid catalog on Live In Chicago. 

R

Live: Bridge & Tunnel @ ABC No Rio 4.21.12

While it was sad to see The Measure (SA) go the way of the buffalo, NYCers can take solace in the fact that we still have Bridge And Tunnel as our local No Idea franchise. This ABC show was the last local show before the foursome dashed off to Europe for a couple weeks and as it was a stone(r)'s throw from JS-NYC HQ, I figured I'd make the scene. In charming punk fashion, no one could offer any insights into when Bridge & Tunnel was going on, not had any band appeared to have played when I showed up an hour and a half past the start time listed on the flier to the left and in bouncing back and forth, I managed to miss all of the bands before I came back in the room a third time to finally see B&T setting up.

Microphones were not kind to our heroes from the get-go, as Jeff caught a million or so volts in the mouth right before things jumped off. Vocals continued to be an issue for the duration, continuing the time-honored tradition of compression-free underpowered vocals at America's oldest DIY musical venue, but the band was pretty damn tight in the absence of vocals and monitors, blazing through forty or so minutes of recent-era Bridge & Tunnel to a small, but enthusiastic crowd.  New music is rumored to be in the pipeline, but in the interim check out East/West and keep track of all of all other things Bridge and Tunnel here.

R

Bridge and Tunnel - Rebuilding Year

Bridge and Tunnel might be my favorite non-Drew related band here in town. It's nice to have a strong No Idea franchise in town, especially one that plies its trade in some co-ed 21st century post-Jawbox meets Jejune rock. And well at that.

Singer/Guitarist Jeff Cunningham pens much of the vocal material, but I would venture that Bridge and Tunnel are very much a democracy and co-guitar/vocalist Rachel Rubino is a powerful presence. Much is made of the female from Screaming Females, but Rachel tears it up here. She is no stranger to a fingertap, but is equally good with textures. Or singing lead on tracks like Hands. Ex-Jawbox-er J. Robbins recorded Rebuilding Year, lending a little bit of fat and smoothness to the sound while still masterfully matching the layers of vocals and guitar to make the strongest Bridge and Tunnel release we have heard to date.  If you like(d) the Midwestern rock of the late 90s and the last three decades of music DC has had to offer, I would snatch up Rebuilding Year and the entire Bridge and Tunnel catalog with the quickness. Get Rebuilding Year here from your friends at No Idea and use this link to keep track of all things B&T.

R

Armalite - Humungous 7"

Hey now, new Armalite record!

I would have though Eric would have hipped me to this (or maybe even recorded it) but it appears to be a solid no on both points. Armalite is a Philly scene-as-fuck amalgamation of your boy Atom Goren (sans His Package) with Dr. Dan Yemin from PIB/Lifetime/Kid Dynamite, Jeff from AAJ and Mike from Kill The Man/Amateur Party throwing down the D4-tinged jams for your listening pleasure.

There are three of said jams this time around, two sang by Mike and one from Atom. All solid, although those unenchanted by Atom's voice previously will probably remain unmoved hearing him in a more hardcore aesthetic. That caveat extended, Humongous is still pretty fucking aces.

If you are a fan of any of the aforementioned acronyms and/or the players therein, you can't really go wrong with Humongous. Get it here from the lovable nerds at No Idea and keep track of all things band-y and Armalite here.

R

Small Brown Bike - Fell & Found

I've been embarassingly remiss in writing about this, which is odd, as I really like Small Brown Bike in 2011. I was (and am) a little surprised at how much I like the 7"s and how ridiculously solid Fell & Found is. I wish I could say the same thing for the Braid EP that I'm praying was mislabeled.

But I digress.

Small Brown Bike called it quits in 2004 after a pretty decent eight year run. The projects that the members got into post-SBB (Lasalle, Able Baker Fox) were ok, but they more often than not reminded me that I should bust out the old stuff. SBB were pretty aces at Cake Shop this Spring and while they played a couple of these tunes, most notably In Need Of Everything, I personally didn't see the signs that Fell & Found was going to be so damn aces. But it is. J. Robbins does his usual stellar work with the top-notch material, lending an expansive sound to material that is mature, but not in a played-out Split Lip to Chamberlain sort of way. I would recommend anyone who is a fan of the genre to go out of their way to buy Fell & Found with the quickness.

Find here the linkness.

R

Leatherface - Viva La Arthouse

Today (and No Idea) brings us a new live record from Sunderland titans Leatherface. Given their issues at the US border recently, a Leatherface live record might be the best way to see Frankie and Co. on this side of the pond. As more intuitive readers might glean, Viva La Arthouse was recorded at The Arthouse in lovely Melbourne, Australia, although with all the Leatherface jocking that goes on in The Sunshine State, one wouldn't be too off to think it was Florida.

Said Arthouse was a long standing punk-friendly music institution Down Under that I understand is now closed after a couple decades run. Viva La Arthouse comes courtesy of No Idea (shockingly) and was evidently set-up at the last minute through the bass player and recorded unbeknownst to the rest of the crew. Lineup changes have made Leatherface a mercurial proposition in recent years, but the gents sound in good form, not especially surprising as they've toured pretty heavily behind their most recent studio release The Stormy Petrel and this show was the last of an Eastern Rim run. I'd like to see a(nother, more recent) DVD from the gents, but those that love the Leatherface will not be disappointed by Viva La Arthouse.

R

Seaweed - Service Deck 7"

Lookee here: new Seaweed 7", courtesy of the lovable nerds of No Idea. That bade well, and I'm pleased to be able to say that it sounds like a Seaweed record, with enough of a Four vibe that I loves to put it on repeat. Clint is behind the board working the magic in positive fashion. While Aaron definitely sounds older, but who doesn't really. If you like Seaweed, you'll like this.

Get it here from No Idea.

R

Samiam - Trips

Hey now! The rumored new Samiam record is out. That is always a cause for much rejoicing at JS-NYC HQ, but even more surprising is how damn good it is. Now, yes, I am a mark for most things Samiam, but the new Trips has maybe the highest percentage of awesomeness this side of Astray. Not that the records in between were especially bad or anything, but the gents are definitely hitting a new stride here, even if a couple of the more mid-tempo songs have a curious Gin Blossoms tinge to them. Not a bad thing, but nothing I would have anticipated either.

Sergie had mentioned that they were trying to get a new record together. When word came down the pike that they were recording Trips at Green Day's complex in Oakland, my blood ran cold, but luckily they seem to have left untainted. With luck we won't hear about any Samiam theatrical productions and we can get back down to the business of reveling in the Samiam awesomeness. I'd say that 80 West and Dead are the frontrunners, but Trips is one of the rare non-Superchunk/Snodgrass selections that has been getting full album rotation on the regular lately.

Trips is out courtesy of Hopeless Records and the Samiam are out working it currently. Here's a link. Provided Jason is off the Jameson's they are a damn good time. Check the dates here. See you at Santos.

R

Live: Dear Landlord with House Boat and Mikey Erg @ The Knitting Factory 5.12.11

Looking at the fake poster to the left for this show, one might surmise that we had a contender for the show of the year for JS-NYC. I enjoy all off the parties, but it was really the mid-card that had me excited. It had been well over a year since the Unlovables had played out and The Sainte Catherines have a hell of a new record. Putting them on a bill where I could start thing off with the tail end of a House Boat set seemed like a fine recipe for an evening in Brooklyn. In what is becoming my new favorite irritation, the aforementioned two bands that I hadn't seen a million times before dropped off the bill just as soon as I bought the ticket. Don't get me wrong, it was only $8, but come on.

I considered bailing, but Mikey Erg jumped on the front of the bill, so I figure I'd make it an early evening and count my blessings. Mikey put in a good solo set, albeit one without the Cee-Lo cover that highlighted his solo show last week at Cake Shop. House Boat were up next. I always enjoy them a lot more than I expect to, but could deal with about 50% less drunk Grath per show. Suffice to say, he is no Paddy Costello. This show featured the recording, rather than ad hoc local, HB lineup with Zack and Mikey. It was good and hopefully now that Grath has a job, we'll get less talk and more rock in the future. As such, I hear there is a new House Boat record on the way, so we'll see how things transpire.

Dear Landlord came on at the wonderfully reasonable hour of 10 to a rambunctious crowd. I like me some DL, but was surprised to see the number of DL painted jackets and his and her t-shirt combos out at the show. Dream Homes has been out for a bit now and there is the new split with The Dopamines, but it still doesn't leave an epic amount of variety set-wise. I was more than pretty stoked to find that Zack and Brad have got the Copyrights half of the franchise knocking out Rivethead covers. That will get me to make the long walk down the block to ABC next month. All in all a good set, and I made it home by 11:15, so I will call this a win, despite the fact that I sure would have preferred to have seen The Unlovables and The Sainte Catherines on the damn bill.

R

Samiam at Skyscraper

JS-NYC Massive:

My review of the new Samiam singles comp Orphan Works is up at Skyscraper.

Here's a link.

R

Cheap Girls/Lemuria split 7"

In the midst of a bleak late winter in Gotham City, it was a pleasure to get a fat mailer of the punk rock from the good folk of Southern Living. While this wasn't inside, in popping over to the No Idea web presence, the pot was sweetened considerably by news of this little bit of vinyl delight.

Now Lemuria I like generally, but Cheap Girls I like a whole big bunch. As my god is a cruel god, there is but one Cheap Girls track here, paired with two new tracks from Lemuria. The CG track is the great mix of Lemonheads and Gin Blossoms you've come to expect from the Lansing threesome. Called Pure Hate, it might be accused of being a wee bit long, but its still pretty damn good. The Lemuria tracks are sparkly little gems, especially Lemons. The other track is a little saccharine and deals with falling in love with a single mother. I'm not going to play it every day, but it's a fair shake better than a lot of stuff, even if there appears to be xylophone on the track. Check out their new full-length Pebble.

I'd like to see some dates with Lemuria and Cheap Girls behind this little slab of delight. With Cheap Girls out with the nightmare that is Against Me!, I'm not sure when this might could happen, but keep tabs at No Idea HQ here and grab a copy of this split while you're there. The Lemuria web-presence is here. Cheap Girls is here. Enjoy!

R

Live: Samiam with The Casting Out @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg 10.13.10

I had been looking forward to seeing this show for a while. Eric had picked up tickets a couple months ago and I figured it would be a pretty hot ticket. Samiam haven't played NYC in a very long time, easily a decade in my estimation and I was embarassed to have never seen one of my favorite Bay Area bands live.

I rolled in just as The Casting Out started. I hadn't realized that this was Nathan from Boy Sets Fire's new project. Meh. I got in the room to see no obvious singer, and I feared that we might have to endure a drummer with a headset mike driving the proceedings, but realized in short order that Nathan had opted to sing from the floor, leaving his bandmates to look like a bunch of tools while he Glee-d it up. As I find seeing a band a big part of the live experience, I hate it when bands set up on the floor. If I'm paying, populism can suck it. Put the singer and band on the stage where we can see him/them, unless he needs to go into the crowd and regulate. Found Eric a couple songs in and was amused to find he had the same confusion about the singer. The Casting Out sound a lot like Samiam, I mean a lot. Nathan has got Zoli Ignite range going on, which is good I guess, but it being a school night and all I could have dealt with a whole lot less of their set. They have a record out, investigate it at the web presence here, if you are so inclined.

As we staked out real estate for Samiam, it became pretty obvious that half of the already half-filled room had left, leaving a fairly paltry crowd in attendance for our heroes. Hardly a hero's welcome, it proved an ominous harbinger, as this was pretty much a trainwreck of a set from the jump. Jason took the stage whiskey drunk, propositioning a bearded gent in the front row before singing a note and spending a good portion of the early set Fletch-ing his vocals and pretending it was the sound guy's fault that no one could hear them. Other highlights were Sergie's appropriating of Pete Hayes' facial hair from last decade and the drunken woman who couldn't stay off the stage, culminating her invasions by reentering the crowd like a falling tree and taking out another woman late in the set. Lots of interpretive dancing by older fat dudes in the crowd, too. Good times. All the songs I wanted to hear were covered, but the lack of vocals ultimately did put a damper on things overall. I left after they played She Found You satisfied enough, but sure hope they don't take another ten years to come to town and that Beebout stays off the sauce next time. These shows were precursors to another of their regular German tours, ostensibly behind the new odds and sods comp called Orphan Works that dropped recently via the lovable nerds of No Idea Records. Look for a review soon on the JS-NYC soon.

R

Grabass Charlestons/Toys That KIll split 7"

Your friends at No Idea are always good for bringing the coasts closer together, whether it be through The Fest or through slabs of wax like this little dilly that unites home team heroes Grabass Charlestons with Pedro powerhouses Toys That Kill. Not a bad pairing at all to these ears. I enjoyed what I saw of the recent Grabass show at Lulu's and had made a mental note to revisit their back catalog. While said note has gone unheeded, someone's looking out, as this just popped up at JS-NYC HQ. Five songs, four new and a Flavored Onion Rings cover. I'll give the lead-off track Sad And Beautiful World the nod for the best of the lot, but the East Coast represents respectably for their side.

On the flip, San Pedro's Toys That Kill continue their D4 resurrection to digitize five tracks of garage-y punk, albeit with some tracks from '05. Same deal with the tracking, although TTK opt for a Rocket From The Crypt-ian revisitation of a Joy Division chestnut. It's decent, especially the closing I'm Foaming, but I continue to try to reconcile my love for Come Home Smelly with my ambivalence with the entirety of their back catalog. Either way, you should probably get this. Here's a link to your buds over at the No Idea. Wise consumers would do well to act with haste before things get lost in The Fest.

R

Off With Their Heads/No Friends split 6"

Possibly released to commemorate their recent tour dates together, this split 6" pairs Twin Cities' juggernaut Off With Their Heads with Richmond Orlando axis powers No Friends. One cover from each band. One might be able to figure out from the cover art that Pegboy and Dag Nasty are the honorees. Two guesses how that splits up. Good showings from both parties, but I'll give the crown to OWTH by a hair. This is all around a good time so posi up and buy it here from No Idea.

R

Off With Their Heads - In Desolation

Minneapolis has always been a north star for me when it comes to the rock music. The Holy Trinity of Mats, Soul Asylum and Husker Du still loom large in my sphere of musical influences. The mighty Dillinger 4 filled in the space before Sean Na Na, Banner Pilot, The Hold Steady and Off With Their Heads came around to share the weight of being America's finest punk scene.

The first Off With Their Heads EP, Hospitals, came around at a time where I was feeling kinda Ryan Young-ish my own self. At that time, having another crazy guy to scream along with was a good thing to have around the house and the troubled mind of the OWTH leader was just the ticket. Young's troubled existence made for an inconsistent musically, but always interesting, live show. As OWTH has been on tour for the last two years at least, they made up for it with sheer number of opportunities to see them. They dropped a full-length and singles comp on No Idea and have now jumped on the Epitaph roster for In Desolation.

I had been pretty bored with the last four or five Off With Their Heads shows that came through town, but listening to this little firecracker on my last couple of rides has got me buying a ticket for the show next week with Dear Landlord. Buying In Desolation gets you twelve shades of the artist going through his everyday nervous breakdowns and still living, for better or worse. Every one of these songs is so damn good that I can't think for the life of me they were playing any them at any of the live shows I'd seen before this dropped. Granted, I Just Want You To Know is reprised from The Measure split, but from the opening Drive to the closing Clear The Air you get a bumper crop of quality post-Weasel punk rock. Hopefully this marks the start of an Epitaph resurgence. At the very least, we may see Ryan and Dan Andriano burying the hatchet. Gauge the chances of both by going to the Epitaph site here and bagging a copy of In Desolation. Off With Their Heads are back on the road, check here to see dates for the first hundred or so shows. I'll see you locals at the Knit next week.

R

Tubers - Anachronous

It’s been a twenty-five years since Revolution Summer, but evidently no one bothered to tell Tubers. Cultivated in the rich Florida soil that fostered Twelve Hour Turn and The South before them, Tubers ply their trade in the Dischord-ant rock bands like Fugazi and Dag Nasty did so well before them, with a soupcon of San Diego for good measure. The St. Augustine three piece certainly turns up the heat on Anachronous, throwing down meaty slabs of post-hardcore with shouted unison vocals that will have you spazzing around your favorite home-based listening station in short order. Rob McGregor displays the same production flair he has lent to the lion’s share of the No Idea roster, capturing the sound of a band that refuses to be contained. Placed in the same room, the men of Tubers coalesce into something that is much more than four guys in a room throwing down. And don’t get it twisted: throw down they do, but know that the men of Tubers are men of good general bearing and refinement, so you can rest assured that restraint is exercised (when need be).

R

Worn In Red - In The Offing

This has been sitting in the pile for a while now. I think it's because I confused it with the Mike Hale band that I kept passing it over. That's not a burn on Mike, who is undoubtably one of the nicest guys I've ever met, but after being not so crazy about his acoustic stuff, I was wary of not liking that either and feeling even more guilty. For the record: this isn't the Mike Hale band.

No ambivalence here. At all. I'm all about this fucking record. Screamy vocals over tight, heavy arrangements with great recording quality? Sign me up. Worn In Red are from Richmond, VA and sound like it. Rarely have I found that to be a bad thing and In The Offing is no exception. Four dudes, probably with a high beard percentage, playing their hearts out. You can't go wrong with that. Pony up the $8 and get In The Offing from No Idea right away. They are streaming it over there, too, if you're a doubting thomas. The gents are on tour currently, so pop on over to their web presence and see if they are coming your way. If In The Offing is any indication, I can't see Worn In Red doing anything but fucking killing live.

R

Bend Over And Take Your Royalties...

On the heels of this screed from the men of Rehasher and as I have been taking it in the pocketbook like most of America this year, I thought I might cross-post this little delight I found on the Portastatic blog about major labels and digital royalties from Tim Quirk of Too Much Joy. More and more, it seems like going for self is the way of the walk.

That said, while I am sympathetic to the men of Rehasher's plight and will admit they have been known to be good sometimes, the idea that 3000 people would buy their record, especially in the first month, smacks of hubris and reminds me how good the weed is in Florida. I'd bet that maybe 5% of the No Idea (who released the first Rehasher and are distro-ing the new one) roster even press 3000 initially. Now, it appears the new Rehasher is self-released on their own Moathouse Records. I applaud that, but I'd be very surprised if they pressed up 3000 cds in the first pressing. Bully to them if they can sell 3K right out the gate, but it doesn't seem likely from where I'm sitting. Looking at the Moathouse and Rehasherweb presences, there are some interesting eventualities. First off, I would be interested as to why they are selling it for $3 more than No Idea (plus $2 postage). With very, very few exceptions, asking $12 bucks ($10 and postage) for a record that is maybe a half-hour would (and will) make me download it, at least initially. Oddly enough, that $12 seems to get you vinyl with a die-cut cover from No Idea (shipped), a price that seems more than reasonable for collector nerds. If I was buying a CD from you on tour for $10, it would be a whole different ball game, but someone needs to take a step back and look at the big picture asking $12 for mailorder, especially when you're a punk band who is recording a record for your own label. While digital downloading is hurting some bands, it also exposes the average band to exponentially larger numbers of people. Most bands would be stoked that 3000 people would even care about hearing their record. And also take into account that 3000 is most definitely 3000 people around the world, a scope that many people, including me and my stupid band, would be wholly in favor of operating in.

If any Rehasher dudes rebut, I'll post it unedited. I'll also probably download and review it. For free. Listening to the I-tunes clips, it sounds pretty decent. Not better than Susquehanna Hat Company, but decent.

R

Read the comments on the PunkNews article, too. While they do speak volumes about how charmingly out of touch the young "punks" are today, there is an especially hysterical anecdote from a guy who supposedly dropped 50K on his record and gave/is giving it away. While that is just plain silly and I wish that my Dad was rich, too, the really funny part is where he claims he got over half of it back from donations. In two months! The internet sure is a great place for lying. Well, gotta go, just got a $1 million check from Google Ads, gotta get that in the bank....

R

Small Brown Bike - Composite, Volume One

Whouda thunk? The Small Brown Bike is back! And with the original lineup even. Works for me. I've had an SBB sticker on my Surly for years now and while it garners the odd bit of mockery from the odd Figg drummer here and there, most of the feedback has concerned how great they were back in the day and how scads of bands have ripped them off. While the ex-members have started various ill-fated side projects like Able Baker Fox and LaSalle, none of the post-Bike projects caught fire on a level of the original franchise.

Small Brown Bike played The Fest this year to much adulation from fans old and new. The nice young(ish) men that they are, they have been kind enough to actually trot out some new material to commemorate their return. It's a 7" on No Idea called Composite, Volume One and I'll be damned if it doesn't sound a lot like some of the best stuff from their early years. While you should, don't take my word for it. Var and Co. have both tracks streaming over at the No Idea web presence here, so why not try that shit then buy that shit. It's the perfect gift for Mom for the holidays.

R

The Copyrights and The Brokedowns split 7"

So this is the 7" that I alluded to in my cursory coverage of the recent Copyrights shows. The Brokedowns have been getting a lot of notice lately, playing most of the good Midwestern punk shows with D4, The Dopamines and our heroes, The Copyrights. They have two songs here, none of which really rock my world, but I suspect that if I had a handful of Old Styles in me, I might very well feel differently. I'm not prepared to relegate them to full-on Cobra Skulls over-rateddom yet. Pairing themselves with The Copyrights will certainly get them some shine, but they sure do pale in comparison from where this asshole is sitting. The Copyrights lead off with the banging I'd Rather Die Than Be Alone and seal the deal with Get Got, another number that will enrich your life in many ways. No Idea is the bestest, so why not drink one less beer and help all the parties involved keep the lights on. Here's a link to enable your expenditure.