Live: The Dopamines with Vacation & Scarlet Letter @ Lost & Found 8.17.11

It's always a cause for much rejoicing when the Dopamines come through town. Initially the tour was going to be with New Creases, but health issues have evidently precluded that from taking place, so Vacation were on the bill in their place. Locally Nude Beach and Scarlet Letter were on the front end of things. While I like me some Nude Beach, the x-factor of not knowing Scarlet Letter and enjoying beer drinking with Drew saw me arriving not far enough into Scarlet Letter set for my cranky old self. They seem like a band from NJ that used to be a lot more hardcore, but has smoothed things out in their old age. That said, I'd put them firmly in the Meh column.

Vacation were up next. They played the P.S. Eliot record release show at Cedar Mansion a couple of months ago with Dead Mechanical and were definitely the band that should have opened. I though they were ok then, but save for the unexpected Thin Lizzy cover, I would have liked to have arrived half way through their set and have been left wanting. Seem like solid dudes and they are far from terrible, but don't have anything that I've been able to latch on to personally.

You can always count on The Dopamines to be a good time. even if they can be somewhat less than tight. The constant rain of (crowd-launched) beer that normally punctuates the average set from said Dopadudes might have something to do with it, but the average just South of D4 level of intoxication they often sport definitely does. Jon W handles the Paddy/Shitwheel smart-ass mic duties and the band generally throws down in a pronounced fashion, even with the curious eventuality of having Mikey Erg in the touring unit as second guitarist rather than his ubiquitous presence on every domestic drum throne in the US. It was the usual Dopamines set, save for Jon's charming suggestion that the crowd be punk enough to shit on the floor. Larry Livermore was called out, a not-particularly well-done pit broke out a couple times, and much (ok, maybe a half-hour) post-Screeching Weasel punk rock was purveyed. See them if you can, perhaps sometime not after midnight on a school night. Here's the web presence.

R

New Dopamines split with Dear Landlord

Hell-o! Wasn't aware this was coming down the pike, but you can bet your sweet ass that JS-NYC is all about Portrait Parle, which the interwebs tell me are the front and side portraits that predated mugshots. Oh, those smarty-punks! Two songs from each of these bands of jokers. It breaks down thusly: New Dopa-dudes tunes are aces. You can smell the canned beer and BO even before you're pumping your fist at the chorus. Dear Landlord continue to maximize their three singer potential with a couple bangers that would have mutes singing along. Save them the trouble and pick this up with the quickness. Let's get a tour behind this gents, shall we?

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

Live: The Dopamines with House Boat, The Challenged, Grabass Charlestons @ Lost & Found 8.16.10

It is always a cause for much rejoicing when the Dopamines make it to town. I was bummed that they weren't playing with Grabass Charlestons, as they had been for the previous week or so, but it was free and I had preemptively taken the next day off, so all seemed to poised to put a check in the W column. This was probably going to be one of the last shows I'd be seeing for a bit and I wanted to make the most of it.

My plan was to arrive to see part of House Boat and The Dopamines set, then go home and eat mass quantities. I posted up about 10:30 to the strains of a curiously Gainesville-sounding band. A quick glance to the merch table confirmed that Grabass were in fact in the house, added unannounced as the first band on the bill. Well played, promoters! It was free and all, but come on! Does no one think it's a good idea to actually announce touring bands are playing? Seems to me it would make it a lot easier to put gas in the van at the end of the night, but hey I'm old. Grabass are great, and I would have liked to have seen more than the four songs I caught, although the Mikey Erg guest spot for the closer was fun to see.

The Challenged were up next. The trio are locals playing the Green Day card who have been increasingly larger players on the scene of late. They have played a bunch of dates recently with the recently de-mothballed Screeching Weasel and dropped their a new full-length called Loaded Language that think I'm going to have to check out. I would have been much more into them if I hadn't missed Grabass beforehand. House Boat were up in fairly short order, sporting their NYC (read: non Zack Rivethead) incarnation. Grath was as drunk and unemployed as he has been of late, and chatty as a result, but when they actually played songs HB were quite good. I can't say I'm that crazy about them that I wanted to catch their whole set, but they are a fun time.

Dopamines were up next, in their double Jon/double Mikey recent incarnation. Spirits, as well as blood alcohol levels were high, helped in no small part by Sib bartending and a five-liter bottle of Jameson the band had picked up a few shows previously. The show was heavy on the awesome new record Expect The Worst, along with a smattering of older chestnuts, all jammed into their now-obligatory half-hour set. A stage invasion by the aforementioned bartender with Jameson bottle in tow stretched things out somewhat, but I was sweaty and sated headed South by ten after one. I'd like to see them longer and earlier, but there are few thing more enjoyable than The Dopamines live in this day and age. Here's hoping we get a tour with Cheap Girls in town real soon.

R

The Dopamines - Expect The Worst

Oh, Dopamines! How I love you so! Adding to Ohio's rich legacy of rock goodness, the Dopamines add another full length to the canon. This time it's called Expect The Worst. Fatalist title-age aside, I'd buy it immediately, perhaps with in conjunction with a number of cold brewed beverages. The Cincinnati three has certainly heard a Dillinger Four record or two in their day, but they pay homage rather than plagiarize. This isn't PMA material, more DUI.

In fact, were you to be short on records to play loud while indulging in vice on a hot Summer night, you could do far worse than this record. Expect The Worse is the first Dopamines release for Paper & Plastick. I expect it won't be the last, as if there is any justice in the world, this little number should move some serious numbers. Times are troubled, so help this over-educated, underemployed bunch of Buckeyes out and pick up a copy of this from P&P. Here's a link. You can get beer coozies and shit, too. Fun!

Our heroes will be at Lost & Found on 8/16. Those in their right minds would do well to be there.

R

Live: The Dopamines with Be My Doppleganger and The Homewreckers @ Tommy's Tavern 4.1.10

It's nice to see that Spring has pretty much sprung in NYC. It just makes it all around that much easier to get on the bike and see shows in Brooklyn without rain or snow to foster laziness. That said, I would walk to Brooklyn to see The Dopamines. They were one of the best bands at last year's Insubordination Fest, but I was looking forward to seeing them in a little smaller room, especially since I have been able to get all their stuff.

After a little jamming and a couple beers in the backyard with Drew and Jim we hit Tommy's. The Homewreckers were just starting, which presented a bit of a problem, as I figured them to be in the lower eschelon of the bill and it was late-ish already. Not that they weren't decent, but save for the fact that the drummer beat the hell out of the kit, I would have missed them if I could. There's some scene cred with the Cristy Road and Frank Unlovable in their ranks, so we'll see if they make their Little Lungs turn for me down the line. Next were Be My Doppelganger, who added a little Chixdiggit to the Midwest punk rock mix. They have been touring with The Dopamines for these dates and they are a good match. I have to track down their records, but they sure were fun to drink PBR to, even if some of the ladies up front couldn't hold their liquor

Drew bailed before The Dopamines, but Jim and I stuck it out to be rocked soundly. Man, are those Dopamines a good time, especially with Mikey Erg holding down the second guitar slot. It was kind of a short set, but we got a healthy smattering of non-hits and a Green Day cover for Larry Livermore's benefit. In checking in with Larry, it seems like that was a fairly epic set by Dopamines standards, and while I could have heard a couple more songs, it was a damn good time. Oddly enough, in checking out Livermore's web presence I assumed that I had missed House Boat, but they were actually the headliners, making the above flier absolutely 100% inaccurate in order. I really like House Boat and would have been all about seeing them, but left thinking I had missed them, begging the question: Is it that fucking hard to list the proper order and start times for a show? Even in punk rock, that doesn't seem to be too much to ask, especially as I'm pretty sure it was creeping 1am by the time Dopamines finished. That said, props to all the bands and to Tommy's (plus Drew and Jim) for a great $5 show.

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

Jaded Scenester Top 10 Records of 2009

Ok Boy(s) and Girl(s):

Just because you clamored for it, here's the formal Top 10 Records of 2009 (full-length) as selected by your pals at Jaded Scenester NYC. Thanks to all of the people therein(on?) for all the sweet ear love that they provided in the wasteland that were the internets most lauded records of 2009. If I have to hear one more bad Fairport Convention (or more probably High Llamas) rip-off record reverbed out to infinity by some 20-something beardo or beardos, I'm going to go John Belushi on some motherfuckers. Don't even get me started on the hip-hop records. Criminy! Sell back that Dirty Projectors record and know, love and buy all the 10 releases below. If you are concerned, please rest assured that single tracks, EPs, reissues and live shows will all get their separate lists. Try and control yourselves. Do take note that we've got a Best of 2009 playlist available for your perusal. It's free, just drop JS-NYC HQ a line and we'll send you a download link out pronto.

Jaded Scenester NYC Top 10 Records of 2009

1. Jon Snodgrass - Visitor's Band

2. Drag The River - Bad At Breaking Up

3. Austin Lucas - Somebody Loves You

4. Lucero - 1372 Overton Park

5. Glasvegas - Glasvegas

5. The Dopamines - Soap and Lampshades

6. The Hold Steady - A Positive Rage

7. Banner Pilot - Collapser

8. The Riot Before - Fists Buried In Pockets

9. Dear Landlord - Dream Homes

10. House Boat - Delaware Octopus

The Dopamines - Soap and Lampshades

I'm embarassed that I'm so late in getting on The Dopamines bandwagon. I saw them for the first time at this year's Insubordination Fest, with a Campbell-kid grinning Mikey Erg playing second guitar. Braving the near continuous barrage of thrown beer rained on our heroes for the duration of their twenty minutes of glory, the Dopamines tore the hell out of the small room at Sonar. Jon W continues the fine tradition of smart-ass Midwestern bassists and the whole enchilada ingratiates me to the point that I'd say Dopamines are my favorite punk rock trio. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the power trio is the best format for the punk rock. When it's done right (see: Minutemen, Husker Du, Jawbreaker) there is nothing finer to hear. Soap and Lampshades is only six songs, five of which fail to break the 1:30 mark. Think the best Copyrights tunes cut in half. The closing title track proves to be their Reoccuring Dreams, breaking the 3:00 mark and the spirits of a lot of shitty bands with a Jawbreaker-y banger. It's all over in just a hair over 9 minutes, but brevity aside, no one with ears should be without Soap and Lampshades. Pick it up from the good folk of Cold Feet Records here. They'll be in Europe for the better part of October, returning in time for The Fest. Keep track of all things Dopamine 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!