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

8/13/10 Show at the Burner's

As usual, the show last night at The Burner's kicked ass. However, I made the mistake of drinking a large Dunkin Donut's Iced Latte with an extra shot of espresso in it during the show, and I've been up all night. That's not really that important, so lets get on to the good stuff. Since there were six bands that played last night, I'm going to try and keep it short and sweet (Plus I'm exhausted, running on cigs and coffee).

Ever since this show was booked (even before F.O.D. was confirmed), Walt was excited about it, and kept telling me how good Rough on Rats was. As usual, he wasn't fucking around. These guys were really good. Quick, fast, aggressive old school punk. They're definitely a great band, and I'm definitely planning on seeing them again. Check out their Myspace, and I took a couple pictures of them and they are here, on my Facebook.

When Mark Rooster and I got to the show, one of the first things Walt said to us was that Straphangers got caught in traffic and didn't leave the Holland Tunnel in Jersey until almost 7:30 pm. After Rough on Rats finished their set, no one else went on until Straphangers arrived. I'll admit, I got a bit impatient, but it was worth it. They kicked ass. I don't know what else to say. Everything about them was awesome. The female lead vocals fit perfectly and the music was tight and aggressive. I picked up their CD (and a t-shirt), so there will be a review of it coming at some point. Here's their Myspace and the pics I took are here. They have a show today at Sinix Rock Bar in Essex, MD tonight, and then several shows in NYC in September. If you have a chance to go to any of these, I highly recommend it.This is the second time that I've seen Bad American. I went into this with high hopes and expectations, and these guys didn't disappoint. Their energy level is intense and you can see that in the pics I took. Their set was tight and aggressive, the way a hardcore/punk set should be. I talked to Ray a bit before they played, and he's agreed to do an interview, so look for that in the coming days. In the mean time, if you haven't listened to them, go over to their Myspace and check them out (because you seriously need to hear these guys). Make sure you check these guys out at the 2010 Lehigh Valley Punk Rock Picnic on the 28th

Before seeing McRad, I listened to 1984's "Dominant Force" once. I basically had as much knowledge of McRad as I did Rough on Rats and Straphangers. To say I was blown away would be a bit of an understatement. Chuck Treese's musicianship is amazing. It's not hard to understand why McRad is considered a Philly Skatepunk legend. There were a lot of people at the show that were psyched to see them. I can understand that, but honestly, in my opinion, I think some of the instrumentals went on a little too long. It's not that I didn't enjoy it, it just wasn't what I was in the mood for at that point. I definitely plan on listening to more of McRad's stuff. Check 'em out on Myspace, and here are the pics.

It's becoming a trend that every time I see Ambergris play when I'm not broke, I spend a bunch of money on their merch. This time was no different, I ended up leaving with a t-shirt and their EP, This Blows (the re-recordings of their album "A Whale's Tale"). Their set was killer. If you haven't heard of them, well then you're missing out. Head over to their Myspace and to the pics and check them out. They are playing today in Newark, NJ at a benefit for Red Bull New York's Joe Vide. If you're in the area between 12 and 5 today, stop by and support the cause. They're also playing playing a pig roast next on the 21st, and also at the 2010 Lehigh Valley Punk Rock Picnic on the 28th.

When Walt told me F.O.D. was playing this show, I couldn't help but get excited. I was so impressed with them when I saw them with D.O.A. (first show I wrote about here), and I couldn't wait to see them again. They didn't disappoint. Everything I said about them 2 months ago, still holds true. They are truly intense. They play furiously, and never relent. The speed of all of their songs just completely boggles my mind. I picked up their new cd, Home Lobotomy Kit, and I can't wait to listen to it. Do yourself a favor and check out their Myspace. There are pics of them too.

I know this one wasn't as detailed as some of the others, hopefully no one minds. This show gave me a lot of stuff to do. I have 3 cd's that I'm looking forward to reviewing, and I have to get started on my interview with Ray from Bad American, so I'm done with this. Peace.

Show's Tongiht!!!!!

Two kick ass show's tonight. If you're around Bethlehem tonight you should be at the Burner's shouting "Fuck Musikfest" with Walt, Mark Rooster, and I, and if you're down near Philly and don't have ticket's to This Is Hardcore Fest, then you should be at The Polish Club in Phoenixville for A Day Once Dead's reunion show

Billy Club Sandwich/Razorblade Handgrenade/Not Without a Fight/Sicker Than Most/Copout 6-25-10

Before I start, I want to let you know that the notes I took for this show were not nearly as detailed as the notes I took for the D.O.A. show. I didn't want to be attached to my Blackberry typing the whole time, especially since the crowd was light and I would stick out like a sore thumb. Eventhough it was a light crowd, it was a great show. Shout out to Walt and the rest of True Blue Promotions for putting together a kick ass line-up.

Copout

These guys came up from just outside of Philly with their lead guitarist filling in on vocals. If he wouldn't have told the crowd that, I would have never known the lead singer was in Belize and he was just covering. Their songs were quick and had great breakdowns. I'm eager to hear more of them.

Sicker Than Most

I wasn't really too fond of these guys. They had two guitar players (one looked a helluva lot like Toby Morse from H2O) and no bass player. There were moments that they sounded pretty good, but reverted back to the generic tough guy sound that they had in every single one of their songs. Couldn't understand a single one of their lyrics with the way the lead singer growled into the mic. I was planning on picking up their demo to give them a listen and see if this was just a bad show for them, but I forgot to grab one before we left.

Not Without a Fight

To say that Not Without a Fight's set started off with a few minor bumps, would be a serious understatement. They got all set up, and the bass cut out (Copout loaned them a bass). Once the bass issue was ironed out, the guitar cut out. After getting this problem fixed, their set finally started. While the length of time it took for them to start to actually play was frustrating for everyone involved, they played an extremely tight set. They sounded as good as they ever have, which considering how drunk they were (they admitted it several times each between songs) was a feat in itself. The crowd reacted positively to them, with dancing going on throughout. Pick up their full length CD at either one of their up-coming shows, or at Compact Disc Center in Bethlehem. I plan on it.

Razorblade Handgrenade

What can I say about Razorblade Handgrenade's set? They were fucking amazing. I've seen them once before and thought they were great then, but that was nothing compared to this time. Unfortunately there weren't many people upstairs to see them which sucked, but they still played their asses off. Their "stage" show is great, and they put everything they have into it. Their CD is great (it will be a CD a Day at some point in the near future), but their live show is even better. They have a couple of up-coming shows that unfortunately I can't make it to, but the next time they have a show that I can be at, bet your ass that I will be there.

Billy Club Sandwich

BCS was fucking amazing. As soon as they started playing, the crowd erupted (since every body came back upstairs to see them). They played a hard driving set and had their foot on the gas pedal from the first guitar riff. I've never been hit in the chest any where close to as hard as that tattooed girl hit me (she did it twice by the way). Walt told me the BCS was good, but tehy exceeded my expectations. Again, they are playing a few shows in the near future that I can't make it to, but I will be seeing them again as soon as I can.

Check out next weeks show at the Burner's and keep your eyes peeled for my write up on that one.