Dopamines - Vices

Straight-edge warriors everywhere are no doubt rejoicing far and wide that everyones favorite drunken weasels have knocked together a new Dopamines record for their combined disdain and displeasure. Again coming courtesy of It's Alive, Vices serves your earholes up ten songs in just a bit over twenty minutes, resulting in probably the best Dopamines record yet. Figures, as there are ominous rumblings about the band not touring on the regular after the set of dates they are undertaking behind this new release. Think Green Day, if they were from Ohio and hadn't lost all self-respect (or at least hadn't put out a fucking musical) and you've got a good place to start.

Returning Dopamines fans can rest assured that The Two Punk Jons are in damn fine form on Vices, even taking the time to stretch the new songs closer to the three minute mark than they ever have before.  The odd fake ending and subsequent reprise on Don't Mosh The Organ aside, the Vices songs sport girth as well as length. And its not just padding, so get ready for hook after hook of canned beer fueled, basement friendly punk rock. Vocals are a little more layered than usual, bringing things more towards The Copyrights/Dear Landlord end of things than ever before, but you can still put safe money on things getting drunk and shambolic live. Maybe we can blame their tour guitarist on that, but don't hold Mikey Erg against them. Hie your ass hither to get yourself a virtual or actual copy of Vices, aka your soundtrack to an awesome Summer.

R

The Copyrights - North Sentinel Island

I've been a mark for The Copyrights for a while now, mostly since they wiped up the floor with me at Cake Shop a couple of years ago. Recent times have seen half the gents occupied with Dear Landlord, so Team Copyright has been sort of on blocks. The other half has been far from idle, tending to various domestic and professional matters. In drummer Luke McNeill's case, there was a law practice to tend to and the new Copyrights album to write. That task is accomplished, and now North Sentinel Island is here, courtesy of Red Scare Industries.

The Crutches 7" showed a slighter smoother version of the whoa-oh punk we've come to know and love from Carbondale's Finest, courtesy of a band three records in and abetted by Matt Allison. Ultimately, the songs are decent on North Sentinel Island, and I bet I'll enjoy tracks like Restless Head a lot more three beers in at a live show, but all in all it's still a little polished for my taste. I'm sure they are losing large amounts of collective sleep over that statement. North Sentinel Island is far from a bad record, but I would have liked a real banger ala Cashiers to really seal the deal for me. My niggles aside, you could do a whole lot worse for your punk rock dollar than North Sentinel Island. Get it here from Red Scare. Vinyl nerds should check It's Alive.

R

The Copyrights - Crutches 7"

Well it's about time we got something new from the Carbondale killers. Despite the rumored bidding war with higher-profile indies, both this 7" and the new record North Sentinel Island will drop courtesy of the good folk of Red Scare.

Four tracks here, the title track and three demos of tracks that evidently won't be on the full-length when it drops 8/9. Fans can rest assured that Crutches sounds like a polished Copyrights track and the other three sound like Copyrights demos, so lets cut to the chase and snap this up with the quickness.

Here's a link.

R

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.

R

The Heat Tape - raccoon valley demos

The Heat Tape is a new project from Brett from The Copyrights, who evidently recorded the eight songs comprising raccoon valley demos with his roommates at home in their trailer. Said trailer is purported to be in Carbondale, IL but listening to the songs I would have thought they were from Glasgow, as this sounds a hell of a lot like The Jesus And Mary Chain. Like a lot. That's not a bad thing, and it is definitely a refreshing change of pace from all the misguided Pavement jocking that has become hip of late. It's not The Copyrights, but if you enjoy your hooks big and your recordings kinda lo-fi, raccoon valley demos may very well become your new jam. You can try it before you buy it over at their Bandcamp presence, but it is only $5, so maybe live life on the edge and just snap this up. Here's a link.

R

Jaded Scenester Top 10 EPs of 2009

Ok kids. You loved the comp (still free, just e-mail) and were over the moon about the first Top 10 list where we dropped science on the best full-length records of 2009. Let's ride the wave of nostalgia a little more, shall we? Today we're going to give the little guys some shine and select the Top 10 EPs from 2009. Note that while some of these releases were two song 7" releases, JS-NYC is going to shout out the Top 10 individual songs (i.e. singles) later on this week.

Peep it:

Jaded Scenester NYC Top 10 Eps of 2009

1. RVIVR - Life Moves EP

2. Jon Snodgrass/Cory Branan split EP

3. Tenement - Icepick 7"

4. Copyrights/Dopamines - Songs About Fucking Up split EP

5. The Jealous Sound - Got Friends EP

6. Capital - Blind Faith EP

7. Paint It Black - Amnesia EP

8. Superchunk - Leaves In The Gutter EP

9. Minus The Bear - Into The Mirror

10. Celeste - Misanthrope(s) EP

House Boat - Delaware Octopus

I've actually seen House Boat live a couple of times and wasn't really over the moon. Frankly, I thought that the incestuous nature of the pop-punk scene of today was beginning to get more than a little bit ridiculous. This new amalgamation marked the 10,000th band to have Mikey Erg behind the kit, but kept up with the Jones' by having Zack Rivethead on guitar. Ex-member aficionados will delight in seeing Grath and Ace from The Steinways in the fold. Those first couple shows didn't really grab me that hard, but listening to The Delaware Octopus, I've got a new outlook. It's on It's Alive and has Luke from The Copyrights behind the glass, if you needed the pot sweetened any. You get a lucky 13 songs for your hard-earned dollar, only one of which deigns to cross the 90 second mark, but you won't feel slighted after hearing tracks like All Of The Time and Are You Into Metal. Get The Delaware Octopus immediately, then start harassing the gents for some more damn live shows already. Here's a link.

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.

Live: The Copyrights @ Fontana's 11.7.9

If there's any band worth seeing a bunch of nights in a row, it's The Copyrights. Fontanas was the venue for one of the best shows of the year last June with House Boat, Dear Landlord and The Unlovables and our heroes, so it seemed promising that the boys would return, albeit with a hodge-podge of random crappy bands.

They were second, listed as going on at 10, so it seemed to make sense
that I showed up at five of to find them halfway through their set and playing to maybe 10 people. When they drew easily 50 heavy drinkers the last time and played to a rabid crowd the night before, it confounds me that Fontana's would put them on early. The seven or eight songs I did catch were as awesome as you might expect, but fuck Fontana's anyway. Keep track of where The Copyrights are here and pick up the new 7" from No Idea.

R

Live: The Copyrights, Jonesin' @ Tommy's Tavern 11.6.9

An early Fall night and The Copyrights are two of the great tastes that go great together. I stopped off for a pre-game with 2/3 of the aldenbarton rock franchise and posted up in time to hear the end of Nude Beach. Literally, but I ran into the newlywed Dan of Deadly Board Games and Dirtbike Annie and whiled away the dead time til what I assume was Jonesin' played. They played in the punk-optimized power trio format and rocked some noisy gems that crossed Husker Du with newer NYC indie-punk upstarts like Get Bent and Iron Chic are putting out. They were good, but sadly in the unenviable role of opening for The Copyrights, who are definitely the top tier of the current Mid-Weas-tern punk bands. They have a new 7" on No Idea that I guess they are touring behind. I could have cared less, as anytime The Copyrights are playing, one would be smart to be there. They were without one of their guitar dudes and somewhat limited in their selections but still knocked out a solid 10 or 15 tracks, including the delightfully appropriate (and JS-NYC euphoria inducing) This Ain't Broadway. They managed to cough up a couple more tunes as an encore at the behest of Dan and what appeared to be some rogue Steinways, but as awesome as it was, it was over way too soon. Big up to Tommy's and their bizarro smoke/light treatments. It reminds me of old times at The Charleston. Keep tabs on the tail end of this post-Fest junket and other Copyrights goings-on here. Snatch up the new record (a split with The Brokedowns) from No Idea here.

R

The Bomb - Speed Is Everything

The Bomb is Jeff Pezzati's from Naked Raygun's new project. He's got a gang of Chicago heavy hitters, including Pete Mittler and Mike Soucy of The Methadones as a rhythm section. Not a bad choice in any of them. Pete is way up in the mix, as well it should be and Soucy shows why he's also played with The Arrivals and The Copyrights of late.

Speed Is Everything sounds exactly like what you would hope a post-Raygun project sounds like. A pummeling rhythm section, jagged guitar and lots of whoa-oh are to be had for all those that dare venture. If you are one to judge a record by its guest appearances, you can feel good that the Punk Rock Odd Couple of Dan Yemin and Bob Nanna make guest appearances on the record. There are some very 80s pop moments in tracks like A Song For The Helenas and Space Age Love Song, the latter a track that posits a bastard union of Alphaville and Raygun. You would almost think that track was some deep cut from a John Hughes soundtrack. The track features the Nanna guest turn, lending a bit of undue smoothness to the proceedings that is quickly punted into the pit by Integrity the track that follows. No hatecore homage, just the closest thing to Raygun you're going to hear here and something damn good.

After releasing their debut on Thick, Speed Is Everything is yet another feather in the indian headdress of a label that is No Idea. I trust they will be at The Fest as well. I'd pick this up quicklike. They'll be in town on 10/24 at Europa with Used Kids and Basement Black. Good openers, but this might be a bit of a humbler for them, as The Bomb certainly tend to live up their namesakes. Hope the youngsters bring their A game.

Find The Bomb here.

R

The Copyrights and The Dopamines - Songs About Fucking Up

Do the math: Take The Copyrights, add the Dopamines, then knock off some Big Black cover design for the artwork? Sold!

The good folk of It's Alive have dropped this four song slab of sonic heaven on us, and for that they should be praised. Highly. The Copyrights kick things off with two new tracks that are as good as their best. The Dopamines and their raggedy asses come in a little rawer with their selections, but trust me, they are the kind of stray dog you'll want to take in. Peep the awesome Braid-y ending of the last tune, too. There is no way you can lose with snapping this bad boy up. Cut to the chase and dip on over to It's Alive with this link. You can thank me later.

R

Live: Insubordination Fest - day one

With SXSW having become Bonnaroo for douchebags and the economy being in the proverbial shitter, I've been left scrambling when it comes to economical festival opportunities. Luckily, Baltimore is close and I've got places to stay, so Insubordination Fest has been an easy go-to. There are worse ways to spend a couple days than taking in a truckload of the finest pop-punk franchises the genre has to offer. Dillinger 4 and The Dead Milkmen each headlined one of the nights, and the addition of Banner Pilot and The Arrivals made this junket that much more essential to attend.

So once the schedule was released, it came to light that the mighty Banner Pilot would be playing at 5 goddamn 50 in the afternoon on Friday. All well and good, save for the fact I was due to get into town later than that and that the set was only going to be twenty minutes. I opted for an earlier bus to buy myself more time, but by the time I posted up to get into Sonar, I could hear the BP kids finishing their last tune. A profound bummer, and furthermore, fuck I-95 traffic.

Wristband finally acquired, I strolled into the Sonar punk rock multi-plex and staked out some real estate for The Unlovables. As often happens, they were pretty great. It was another short and early set, but Hallie and the boys brought it, as per usual. No Archers Of Loaf cover in the set this time around, but I seem to remember a new track. Either way, pretty great. We need more live shows from the kids, although with Mikey Erg playing in a hundred bands currently, I'm not sure how they are going to handle these things. I'll keep you posted.

This year, there were as many as three stages going at any given time at Sonar. Next on the docket was a trip to the second stage to see California's The Secretions. They were definitely the most mohawk/dyed/vests with band colors of the bands over the weekend. Very California. They also backed up Wimpy from The Queers for his set later on in the Fest. Nice guys, and while not my favorite set of the Fest, they definitely seem worth checking out further.

Next up on the second stage was Ohio's The Dopamines, featuring Mikey Erg on guitar and marking Mike's third set of the weekend. Note that of the first nine bands that played, he played in three of them, a trend that was more the norm than the exception for the duration. I had never seen The Dopamines before, and frankly thought they were from NJ, but either way they were funny as hell in the D4 end of things and had some great tunes in the Midwestern punk tradition. I definitely need to get their records quick. Lots of beer was thrown, and there was a brief stage invasion by someone who was hell-bent on peeing on the band, but the set was pretty tight and the songs were really great. I'd love to see those guys at a basement show. I went back afterward and caught the end of the Underground Railroad To Candyland set, garnering my first disappointment of the evening. I wasn't familiar with their songs before, but they get a lot of Razorcake love, so I was excited to check them out. Sadly, I was less than impressed. Better luck next time.

The Copyrights were up next in the main room. I opted to make them my last band of the evening so I could attend to some hospitality issues, but they made for a more than adequate capper. Lots of hits and sing-a-longs, as well as a frisky crowd. Why people still care about Green Day when bands this good are around is beyond me, but I'm going to enjoy The Copyrights as much as I can while they are still playing the small rooms.

The Dead Milkmen and Boris The Sprinkler had both gotten line-ups back together to close the night, but both of those bands are enough of a toss-up that I opted for a free dinner and couple bottles of wine. With all respect to Norb, I think I made the right choice.

DAY ONE tally:
bands seen: 5
Mike Erg presence: 5 bands

Stay tuned for Day Two coverage tomorrow!

Dear Landlord - Dream Homes

Not since the release of the Shorebirds record last year has there been rejoicing on a level comparable to the elation shown at JS-NYC HQ with the arrival of the Dear Landlord full-length. Comprised of half of the dear departed Twin Cities punk stalwarts Rivethead, along with a couple of Copyrights, Dear Landlord are one of the few bands that is just as good as their predecessors.

Above and beyond their previous bands, you can discern the Screeching Weasel influence pretty easily. No slow songs, no ballads and one cover. All pretty bad-ass. They have re-recorded Three To The Beach in a not altogether displeasing manner, but from where I'm sitting, it's better on the split with Chinese Telephones. Quibbling aside, Dream Homes is out today via the lovable Floridians of No Idea Records. If you don't already have it, you may purchase via this handy link.

R

Live: The Copyrights, The Unlovables, Dear Landlord & House Boat @ Fontana's 6.22.9

I had been saying for a couple weeks now that this show was the NYC show of the year (thus far) and now that it's done, you'd be hard-pressed to get me to say otherwise.

I showed up at Fontana's a couple songs into the House Boat set. Wonderfully enough, the listing of the bands was woefully inaccurate, listing The Copyrights as going on first, an eventuality that was rapidly rushing me towards apoplexy. I was pleased to find that someone was just an idiot. House Boat features the ubiquitous Mikey Erg on drums, along with Grath and Ace from the The Steinways. Zack Rivethead fills out the lineup on guitars and vocals. It's better on paper, at least at this juncture, but it was only their second show. Don't get me wrong, it was real good, but I think I'd like it a lot more with more time to marinate on the songs. There's evidently a record coming soon, recorded at Sonic Iguana with Luke from The Copyrights. Somebody would do well to hook a brother up. Hint, Hint.

Next up was Dear Landlord, who are simply awesome. Featuring half of The Copyrights and half of Rivethead (R.I.P), they have finally gotten around to recording a full-length that's coming out this Tuesday on No Idea. It is staggeringly awesome. Pick it up immediately. We got most, if not all of their canon and the room got real frisky real quick. Every song is a slice of some post-Weasel pop punk goodness that should be played as much as possible. See them live, buy their records, name your children and bands after them.

The Unlovables made one of their increasingly frequent live appearances next. They had a couple of new songs and sounded pretty great. Hallie has not gotten any less lovely, I will tell you, and the older songs still hold up nicely. The local kids were out in force and loving said Unlovables (aided and abetted by liberal amounts of Rolling Rock). They are an awesome time live and the Archers Of Loaf cover doesn't hurt one damn bit. Here's hoping we get some new stuff out quick, and some more live shows soon.

The Copyrights closed the evening in righteous fashion, churning out banger after banger that would make lesser bands hang it up stat. The well-lubricated crowd was chomping at the bit to see the Kings of Carbondale and the gents did not disappoint. If there is a better punk sing-a-long than Cashiers, I have yet to hear it. Luke didn't make it on this trip and Ronnie from The Arrivals has stepped into the breach to savage the drum kit, but that was the only thing close to disappointing. For the record, Ronnie was awesome, as was everything about their set.
How four of the best punk bands in America could play for $8 and not sell out is beyond me. I heard the next night in Brooklyn had a lot more bodies in the room, but there is no reason why a show this good shouldn't have been better attended. You punks need to get off your lazy asses.

R