Finally, a new post

It’s been over two months since I’ve written anything. Until recently, I didn’t think anybody noticed that, but I had three different people come up to me and say “Dude, you haven’t posted anything since November 16^th. What’s going on?” or some variation of that statement. Truth is, I haven’t really had much drive to write about anything. I made plans to write things several times, and just never got the motivation to do it. I thought things had gotten a little stagnant, but now I’ve gotten the motivation again, and I have a lot of stuff planned for the near future. Now that all of this is out of the way, on to the actual reason for this post……

This past weekend was filled with kick ass shows. It was also a weekend where I left my comfort zone, and went to places that I’ve never been to for a show. Both venues were great, but very different environments.

Friday night I FINALLY made a trip down to the Polish Club in Phoenixville (PA) for a show. I have gotten to know a few people from down that way from them making the trip up to the Burner’s to either play or see shows that Walt and Dukes were putting on, so it wasn’t a completely foreign environment to me. That being said, the Polish Club is a pretty great spot to see a show. The floor area is large, and the sound is good. Start to finish it was a good show, that had a great lineup. My Turn to Win played a great set, Vision was a helluva lot of fun to watch (as usual), and Death Threat killed it.

Saturday night Dukes and I made the trek to the Moose Lodge in Brick Township (NJ), another great spot to see a show. It was nowhere near as large as the Polish Club, but it was more intimate. The show floor was literally the size of a pretty standard living room, so everyone was piled in with the band. Again, all the bands put on a great show. From the first band, Changes, it was balls to the walls. Sicker Than Most played a great set, and Razorblade Handgrenade was even better in Jersey than they were the few times I’ve seen them in PA. Seeing Wisdom in Chains in such a small setting, was absolutely the highlight. Unfortunately we didn’t stay for Social Decay or Maximum Penalty, but that was only because it was a 2 hour drive back home, and Dukes had places he wanted to be (that’s the sound of the bus running him over by the way).

Both of these places had great crowds, which was awesome, but both of these venues were not in anywhere near as heavily a populated area as the Burners. The scene in the Valley pales in comparison to the thriving scenes in Jersey and the Philly area. It’s a shame because great shows are put on at the Burners, but the turn out is sometimes weak.

I have one more point that I want to make. I’ve heard mention of the Philly/Baltimore dancing mentality being rough and “fists flying everywhere”, but didn’t really pay attention to it. I’ve gone to a lot of shows in Philly, but not in Jersey/New York to compare it to. Saturday I saw the difference. Friday night when Death Threat played, the Polish Club went nuts. It went from basically no dancing for the other bands, to fists and feet flying everywhere. It was pretty much guaranteed that if you were near the front you were getting hit and kicked. I’m not bitching, it’s part of the expectation when I go to a show that I’m going to get knocked around a little. Saturday was a completely different story. It was an extremely confined space, and there was dancing, but it was not nearly as violent. Anytime someone was dancing towards the crowd, they flew into the crowd back first, instead of fist first. It was a noticeable difference.

It was great getting away from the area this weekend to go to some awesome shows. I can’t wait till winter is over and more shows start going on at the Burner’s. If this weekend was any indication, it’s going to be a great fucking year.

First Blood "Silence is Betrayal" (2010)

Track Listing:

1) Intro

2) Silence

3) Preamble

4) Enemy

5) Resist

6) Truth

7) Detach

8) Enslaved

9) Confront

10) Fear

11) Occupation

12) Fascism

13) Lies

14) Messenger

15) Survive

16) Armageddon II

When I first listened to First Blood's debut album "Killafornia" a year and a half ago or so, I enjoyed it. It was heavy and it was aggressive. When I heard that they were coming out with a new album, I was marginally excited. At the very least I thought it would be a decent listen and not a waste of time. I seriously under-estimated it. First Blood took the formula from "Killafornia", refined it, injected more anger and aggression, and "Silence is Betrayal" is the result.

How often do you see one word song titles? It's rare to see a band that can convey the meaning of a song so easily. Most song titles are a phrase, and on rare occasions, a sentence long. From the start of "Intro" to the end of "Armageddon II", the songs all fit their names. I feel like this is a concept album for sure. Lyrically the songs are pretty socially concious and focus on the state of the world right now. Whether it be the wars going on in Afghanistan and Iraq, or the way corporations take advantage of the masses, it's all covered. The anger and aggression in the music gets the point across that something needs to be done, and that sitting back and doing nothing is contributing to the problems.

After 3 listens, this album has exceeded all my expectations. I expected to like this album, but it has joined Terror's "Keepers of the Faith", Madball's "Empire", and My Turn To Win's "No Challenge" (I've been meaning to write a review on this since I got my vinyl copy, but haven't yet. I'll get there) as my list of favorite albums of 2010. Definitely check it out.

Interview with Jess from My Turn to Win

**I know I said that this was going to be posted soon a few weeks back, but it took a little longer, and it was seriously worth the fucking wait. I emailed the questions to Jess like a did with Ray from Bad American.

FTTW: In the last few days I've come up with a bunch of questions, but I have no clue where to start, so we'll just go right to a band question or two. MTTW is made up of sXe and non-edge members. When I first started listening to hardcore, I was one of the people that thought sXe and non-edge didn't mix. How does that dynamic work with the different beliefs you all have?

Jess: Regardless of everyone in MTTW being sxe with the exception of Dave, it doesn't really matter. We're not a "straight edge" band, and none of us gloat or preach about it (being straight edge, that is). Honestly, I don't even really call myself "edge". Personally, I don't need a label to identify who I am and/or what I believe in. The only reason I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs is for myself and not anyone else. Those things are just not for me. If other people want to do any or all of the above.... well that's their choice; it's not affecting me any, and I have the choice to be around or not be around people partaking in things which may make me feel uncomfortable. I have a lot of friends who aren't straight edge. And, especially, Dave is my best friend in the whole world. Just because someone is or isn't straight edge doesn't make them any better or worse; or smarter or dumber than another. In my opinion, the only way sxe and non-sxe doesn't mix is when people are unsure of who they are, or aren't comfortable with who they are, themselves; that's when the ignorance and "I'm better than you" attitude comes into play.

Now that you're done with school and have your degree, where does hardcore fit into your future as compared to "growing up" and entering the "real world"?

Hardcore will always be a huge part of my life. This is a really good question, but man, is it going to be hard to answer this with the right words to describe my thoughts. I'll tell you what.... I wish my mom could understand and it's a shame that she never will. Anyways.... Hardcore has led me to the lifelong friends I have all over the world, has helped shape the ethics and morals that I stand by, has given me an outlet, and most importantly has shaped my view of the world.... something that "normals" will just never grasp. Hardcore has taught me to stand up for myself, it's given me something to fall back on when I feel like complete shit, and it's taught me to say, "fuck you", while questioning everything and everyone around me and the bullshit they're trying to sell. It's taught me to go against the grain, and that it's okay to be different; to make up my own rules. It's taught me a DIY ethic that has proven to be extremely useful, and that greatness isn't achieved by asking permission... and from all of this, I feel like regardless of degree or no degree... I can do anything as long as I put my mind to it. Why not, right? Yes, I have graduated college and I have a piece of paper to prove it, but going to college hasn't created this strong sense of self that has kept me happy. That's all I want in life; to be happy. I've never been much of a planner, and honestly I don't know what it is, exactly, that I want to do as a "career". I just want to take things day by day and see where that takes me. As long as I can pay my bills, I don't really give a hoot. While the majority of America is trying to achieve the, "American Dream", I'll be busy living out my own. I have hardcore to thank for that.

What was the first hardcore band/record that you heard, and how did that bring you into the scene?

I don't know if it was "for sure" the first hardcore band I've heard.... but it was definitely the band that got me hooked; and that band is (of course) H2O. In middle school, a friend of mine who shared similar musical tastes as I did wore H2O "My friends look out for me like family" t-shirts all the time. I mean, every day it was the same shirt but in a different color. This intrigued me. Thank the good lord for Napster and the high speeds of 56 K, 'cuz in 15 minutes I had one H2O song downloaded in no-time at all. That song was, "One Life, One Chance". I then immediately asked my Mom to drive me to the mall so I could just buy the whole damn album at The Wall (Speaking of which, since that store is no more, what happens with the lifetime guarantee?). It was when FTTW first came out. Anyway, that just opened up tons of new doorways for me and getting into hardcore. I started going to shows with friends whenever I could and things just kinda snowballed from there, little by little. The lyrics were what really got a hold of me and I liked that I could strongly relate to them. I felt alive listening to this stuff and thrived on the words and music that actually held some type of meaning to my own life. One thing led to another, and, well, here I am.


Ok, the music questions are done. I saw that Top Gun is one of your favorite movies, and I won't lie, that's pretty fucking rad. Top Gun is one of my favoite movies also, what's your all time favorite scene in the movie?

Obviously, the only answer would be the volleyball scene. Sweaty hairless muscley dudes? Need I say more? Yes, please, I'll take it. I don't care if he's absolutely insane.... Tom Cruise in Top Gun is hot. That is all. The Princess Bride is still my favorite movie of all time, however.

I took a look at your blog, and every post is really upbeat. What helps you keep such a PMA?

I am very happy to say that I have the most amazing friends in the world and I take much pride in the company I keep. My friends and family are a huge help to keeping my head on my shoulders, even when times are tough. I can't thank them enough for that. H2O plays a big part in it, too. I can't tell you how many countless times I've been stuck in a rut that H2O has gotten me through. Over the past 2 years or so I've also gotten into yoga and have read a bit on Buddhism and have found myself incorporating a lot of their "rituals" (for lack of better words) into my day to day thinking and doing. I read a lot of things similar to this blog: http://zenhabits.net/start/

In my own blog I force myself to document only things which are positive because those are the things that I will want to remember. These are the things that make me feel only good feelings. I feel like there is no reason to waste time and energy making your blood get hot over focusing on the crappy things that happen 'cuz while you're busy doing that you're overseeing and ignoring good, simple things going on around you, nah mean?

I'm sure you could tell either by my green lantern t-shirt at the show, or the fact that I told you I could recite the Green Lantern Oath that I'm a bit of a comic book nerd. If you could have any super power what would it be and why?

Among all of the super powers I would like to possess, I think the ability to NOT have to sleep would be at the top of my list. ONE THIRD of our lives are spent SLEEPING. That's WAY too much for my liking. I could be out having adventures instead. Life is way too short as is.... just imagine how much more time we'd have to do cool stuff if we didn't have to sleep. Other super powers I would like to possess would be to eat as much as I ever wanted and to not have it affect my health or weight, to fly (duh), to teleport, to time travel, to morph into a watery puddle like Alex Mack, to be able to warp into TV shows, cartoons, and video games, and to be able to have magical powers like witches and fairies and stuff so I could make inanimate objects come to life. Now I will ask you a question.... which superhero would you consider to be the most BAD ASS? We had this discussion at work today. It was getting heated. I argued that Batman was the most badass, because if you stripped all superheroes of their powers, they wouldn't have much. However, Batman doesn't have superpowers. Even if you took away all of his "fancy do-dads and what-have-you's", he'd still be equipped with his stealth ninja skills... not to mention handsome looks.

** Alright, sorry guys, I didn't catch Jess asking me what super hero I thought was most bad ass, so I'm fixing that now. I absolutely think the Hal Jordan Green Lantern is the most bad ass. He doesn't take shit from the guardians and does what he thinks is right, whether they tell him not to or not. He's overcome a ton of obstacles since he first got his Green Lantern ring, and it's because of him that the rest of the Green Lantern Corps can use their rings against yellow (which was first thought to be the Green Lantern's "kryptonite"). Even right now with what's going on in the DC Universe Hal Jordan is still doing what he perceives as right, not what someone else's definition of right is. Plus his power is strictly based on the strength of his will. His ring will only form things that his will power allows it to. To me that means he has to be unwavering in his commitment to be a protector, no matter what the cost to himself personally. Don't get me wrong, Batman is bad ass with his gadgets and the fact that he's the greatest detective aroung. And Barry Allen, is the best Flash alive, and can help you out in a pinch, but if I needed someone in my corner to help save the world, the first call I would make would be to Hal Jordan. Daredevil may be "The Man Without Fear", but that's only because he learned from Hal Jordan. Apparently you guys have all figured out I'm way into Green Lantern haha.

What's your favorite video game of all time?

Seriously? Is this a real question? This is too difficult. I can't just pick one. However, the first thing that came to my mind was The Ocarina of Time so I'm gunna just keep it at that to prevent myself from making a scroll. I wish that game were real life.


When everything is all said and done, what do you want your legacy and the legacy of MTTW to be? What do you want to be remembered for/as?

Whoa.... LEGACY? That word is pretty epic. I just want people to be able to relate to and enjoy our music. We have fun making it and playing it, so I just want people to have fun listening to it. If myself and/or our band makes a difference in just one person's life.... I'm totally and completely happy as well as extremely appreciative.



I know that you guys have been doing shows in support of "No Challenge", is there anything else you're excited about and/or want to promote?

We're touring Canada and some of the US in November and I am REALLY stoked about that. More than anything, I would love to go to Europe next year. If you are reading this and could help us out with that, by all means, please let us know! MyTurntoWin@gmail.com! haha. (I want to visit castles SO bad.) We also have new merch up online: http://myturntowin.bigcartel.com/ We had another t-shrit design, but it's lost at an APO somewhere because the postal service dun screwed up. THANKS A LOT, JERKS. FIND OUR MERCH. Other than that, you can follow MTTW on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MYTURNTOWIN

Thank you so much. :)

--
Thicker than water.

MY TURN TO WIN:
http://www.myspace.com/myturntowin

http://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Turn-to-Win/187925488246?ref=ts

Yeah, I was "That" guy

I know it's been a long ass time since anything that wasn't a video has been posted, and even the video posting was sporadic. Walt and Kate have a bunch of things going on, I was sick and then I was lazy, so that's why nothing has been posted. Now it's 4:30 AM on Monday morning, I can't sleep, and I have the sudden urge to write something. I'd write about the show Friday night, but I did what I swore I wouldn't do anymore, and partied to hard at the show. So much to the point that I was one of those people that were doing something other than watching the bands play (ie. throwing back beers in the bar). I feel like such a hypocrite for doing that because it wasn't that long ago that I was bitching about it on here, and then I go and do that.

I ended up only seeing three out of the six acts, and feel like a complete douche bag because of it. I was sitting down in the bar drinking a beer and Weeded Out started playing. I finished my beer and literally as soon as I got off the bar stool to walk upstairs to see them, the music stopped. They only played a few songs, and I obviously didn't drink fast enough.

I did make it upstairs to see Jabberjaw, who I was told was playing their 4th show ever. They were really fucking good. They were aggressive with heavy moshing parts. They'll be playing at the Burner's on 10/1 (with Straphangers) and I'll be there for sure.

I missed out on Contender's set because .... you guessed it, I was in the bar. The upside to this was Dave Phlegmball enlisted my intoxicated help with rhyming words for his song "You Can't Rhyme Nothin' With Orange", at least that's how I remember the song title. This is where I might normally complain that people weren't around for Dave Phlegmball's set, but since I was guilty of doing that, I'm going to keep my mouth shut (you know that saying about people who live in glass houses). His set was hysterical. There's no doubt that his lyrics were goofy as hell, but they didn't hide the fact that he is a very talented musician.

I'd like to say that I saw Get Railed play, but I was outside talking Bill Duke$ ear off about something.

However, I did not miss My Turn To Win's set. Just like last time, they killed it. They were awesome. They played a bunch of songs off the new record ("No Challenge", which I scored a 12" of), and they ended with "Best Goalie Ever", which was absofuckinglutely the highlight of my night. Walt made sure to tell Jess from My Turn to Win that I wanted to interview her for the blog while I was barely managing to stand up straight, so I've got to get my shit together and write down some questions. Look for that in the near future.

Sorry to all the bands that I didn't see play and to all the people I may have said something that was drunkenly slurred together.

Kate took a bunch of pictures of Dave Phlegmball, Get Railed, and My Turn To Win, so I'll post a link to those as soon as she throws them on her photography page

Wisdom In Chains will be at the Burner's on 9/24 so don't miss out on that (New post of upcoming shows will be up in the next couple of days).

Upcoming Area Shows

Here's a list of Upcoming Shows:

9/4- ORDER OF ENNEAD w/ members of Deicide,SINCE THE FIRE,Rivers of Nihil,MACHINA INFERUS,EBENEZER,A.O.A.,HELLISTIC THREAT

@ THE HARDBEAN CAFE BETHLEHEM,PA. ALL AGES 21 TO BYO (Biz R Entertainment)

9/10- Benefit to help Walt BTB with attorneys fees and fines with My Turn to Win, Outlast, Get Railed, Dave Phlegmball, and more TBA. Donation of $7 to $10, and a raffle. Prizes include band merch, an original painting by Little Chico (http://www.littlechicotattoo.com/) and more. 6:00 PM The Burners, South Bethlehem (True Blue Promotions)

9/11- Ambergris at Planet Trog. Tickets $10 in advance, $12 day of the show. Free game of laser tag included with ticket purchase. 3:30 PM Planet Trog Whitehall

9/17- CDC/Lionheart/Donnybrook/Call To Preserve/Stand United/More TBA. $10 6:00 PM The Polish Club Phoenixville (Stay On Point Booking)

9/24- Wisdom in Chains, Whut? (from Chicago), Lifeless, Animal Haus, and Unlearn. $7, 7:00 PM The Burners, South Bethlehem (True Blue Promotions)

10/8- "Flashback Fest" w/ Home 33 (last show ever), Cipher, Solomon, and more.The 90s are coming back to get ya...

Yes, Home 33 have confirmed and are playing this! Get stoked! Lineup tba soon! 6:00 PM The Burners, South Bethlehem (True Blue Promotions)

10/31- "Halloween Madness" Halloween is here! It's gonna be a big ol' blowout to celebrate! Costumes, candy, gorey movies, bands, etc... Stay tuned! 2:00 PM The Burners South Bethlehem (True Blue Promotions)

11/18- Altercation Comedy Tour. The Altercation Comedy Tour returns for another dose of stand up comedy and punk music! 6:00 PM The Burners South Bethlehem (True Blue Promotions)

****If anyone knows of any shows going on to add to this list, please let us know

My Turn to Win/Olde York/Run For It/Unlearn/Capital Crisis

Capital Crisis

It's hard for me to knock a band who wasn't awful and were into what they were doing. That being said, Capital Crisis left a little to be desired. You could tell that individually, they were all talented, but collectively it didn't mesh. The tempo was off in most of their songs. They covered the Misfit's "Skulls" and the song was jerky. Tempo would speed up and then slow down pretty regularly. They attempted their last song twice, but gave up on the second time the drummer couldn't keep the beat going. They weren't awful, so please don't think I'm trying to bash them. They have the potential to be a good band.

Unlearn

Unlearn was great. The played an intensely energetic set. When I met Nick, he was the bass player for Back to Back, and both times I've seen Unlearn, I've been impressed with his front man ability (not to say he wasn't good as a bass player). Chaos (also was in Back to Back) has always been a mad man on guitar. The only things that I could say were a little off were that the guitars and bass drowned out the vocals, and that Nick would occasionally not sing into the mic. Neither were big deals, or detracted from their set. I picked up their demo (at strong suggestion from Nick, thanks to Mark for loaning me the two bucks), and it'll be in the "Record a Day" section sometime this coming week, so look out for that.

Run For It

When I looked up Run For It before the show, I was kind of nervous about them. I got the impression that they were more of a Taking Back Sunday kind of band (not knocking them, never listened to them) than a melodic hardcore band. So to say that I went into their set with limited expectations would be a fair statement. However, I really liked them. They were more melodic than I'm used to listening to. I haven't really dipped that much into that kind of music (I've listened to The Movielife's "Forty Hour Train Back to Penn" once, and only thing i really have to compare it to), but they were enjoyable. The set was energetic, with well written songs and great music. I definitely recommend listening to their EP "We've Got the High Ground".

Olde York

This is the second time I've seen Olde York, and the bits and pieces of how good the first show was (I blame Miller Lite and Soco) were refreshed today. They are an amazing bad and put on one hell of a fucking show. The energy they put into their music comes through in every guiatar riff and bass line. They don't come around here often enough, but if you get the opportunity to see them, fucking do it. Don't ask, just do.

My Turn to Win

My Turn to Win was amazing. When I see bands like My Turn to Win with female members (singers, guitarists), it makes it easier to understand why girls find guys who play in bands so appealing. I'm not trying to be a pig or anything, but when an attractive woman can play kick ass guitar in a great hardcore band, it's great. It also makes me wonder deeper things, like what it's like to be one of a few women in a heavily male dominated scene (i know there are a lot of girls at shows and i'm not trying to be chauvinistic, but it's still male dominated). I don't have the answer to that and I'm straying way to far off my subject matter. Their set was aggressive and in your face the entire time. Their album "Weight of the World" was great (http://fasterthanthaworld.blogspot.com/2010/07/record-day-7-my-turn-to-win-weight-of.html) and their live show was even better. I definitely would like to see more of them.

Record a Day #7- My Turn to Win "Weight of the World" (2008)

Track Listing:

1. You Can't Swim in Leather Pants

2. Invisible Man

3. Hard Luck

4. Far Out

5. Hear Me Now

6. Schrute Bucks

7. Tits Rule

8. Best Goalie Ever

9. Enough is Enough

10. A Man on a Train With No Answers

11. 20/20

12. I'll Stick Around

13. Me Vs. the World

I figured I would bet a jump on things and actually review a bands album before I saw them instead of waiting till afterwards. Since I'm seeing My Turn to Win tonight at the Burner's, I figured today would be the day that I review their album "Weight of the World".

I thoroughly enjoy this album. My Turn to Win is definitely a heavier hardcore band, but it works better than some other bands that I've listened to. The vocals are aggressive, but understandable. The drums are balls to the walls, and the guitar and bass lines are driving. Every song sounds like it was written with moshing in mind. The album flows nicely, never letting of the gas pedal. I've listened to this about 8 times, and love it more each time. Definitely get your hands on it.

Come see them tonight at St. Bernard's (The Burner's) in south Bethlehem. It's a killer line-up and guaranteed to be a great fucking show.