Misfits "Devil's Rain" (2011)

Review by Mark Rooster
http:markrooster.blogspot.com

New Misfits, post-reunion Misfits, Jerry and the Only's, whatever you'd like to call them--they're not very good. A huge fan of the original incarnation and the 90's version of the Misfits, I've seen Jerry Only's show several times over the last few years, and the live set never fails to disappoint. After Michale Graves left the band, Only got by singing for a while, and brought along folks like Marky Ramone, Robo, and Dez Cadena to back him up, and it wasn't too bad. But he completely lost it a few years ago. Playing the Danzig-era, and some Graves-era, tunes at ridiculously fast speeds, producing a sloppy mess only vaguely recognizable as Misfits songs.

But still, I was kinda looking forward to this album, hoping there might be something worth hearing contained in its fifty-one minutes. After all, I've listened to the "Project 1950" covers album many times since it came out in 2003, and that's got Jerry singing.

No such luck here. Basically, the new album starts out adequately, and after song #2, goes straight down the shitter. I'd say "straight down to Hell," but since this is a Misfits album (of sorts), that would be a compliment. No, "Devil's Rain" takes us nowhere near Hell, but rather to a budget theme park for the whole family, with no scary rides, no roller coaster loops, and nothing too exciting.

Here's a breakdown of the tracks:

"Devil's Rain" really isn't a bad opener. It's got a midtempo beat and is bookended by a thunderstorm, with a catchy chorus, and, while it isn't as good an intro as "Abominable Dr. Phibes" or "Kong at the Gates," it gets the job done. This is followed by "Vivid Red," probably the best song on the album. One of the few almost-thrashers "Devil's Rain" has to offer.

"The Black Hole" is the same kind of boring as "Land of the Dead" and "Twilight of the Dead." It fits appropriately, then, between those two, which by the way have been released together twice as singles ("Land" as the single, with "Twilight" as the B side, two years ago; and now "Twilight" as the single and "Land" as the B side--the album versions this time). Jerry Only knows he's got enough diehard fans who'll buy absolutely anything with the Misfits name on it, so why not put out the same songs twice?

"Curse of the Mummy's Hand" is musically OK, with a decent guitar solo in the middle. But the lyrics to this one are just too silly, even for the Misfits, especially Jerry singing the chorus, "The Mummy's Ha-aaand" in his best attempt at a rockin howl.

Makes me wonder who wrote which songs on "American Psycho" and "Famous Monsters". Lyrics and music on those albums are credited to the band as a whole, but I know from interviews with Michale Graves that different members were responsible for various songs. Graves still performs some of the tunes he wrote for the band, at his solo shows or with various other projects. Musically, "Devil's Rain" isn't very catchy or heavy, two things the Graves-era (and, of course, the Danzig-era) most certainly were, and the lyrics are beyond stupid.

"Cold in Hell" is a good example of lousy writing, with "It's cold in hell, they say, an endless winter" and other similar lines. At least the song's relatively fast. Still, this is about the fastest the record gets. Jerry's habit of speeding up, and in turn muddying up, most of the older songs at their shows really doesn't make sense when listening to this new album. If the guy loves playing those songs so fast, why'd he put out an album of mostly midtempo songs, with only occasional fast moments like "Curse of the Mummy's Hand" and "Cold In Hell"?

"Unexplained" sounds like something Michale Graves could have sung much better. The lyrics are very clear on this one, which isn't a good thing. And "Dark Shadows" seemingly wants to put the listener to sleep; it's a boring ballad that Jerry can't sing properly.

"Father" is almost kinda catchy, joining the ranks of the other almost-good songs on the album.

"Jack the Ripper" is a faster one, the first of two co-written by Dez Cadena. It's all right, but--I guess I probably don't even need to say this anymore--the lyrics are terrible.

"Monkey's Paw" is pretty stupid. The chorus is sang the same way as the chorus for "The Mummy's Hand," and both are equally dumb.

"Where Do They Go?" . . . Here's where the record takes a real southward turn. It was mediocre/tolerable up till this point, but then comes this "throwback" to the 50's. It's the kind of thing Jerry always talks about in interviews, his favorite kind of music, the sounds of his childhood. But having doo-wop girls on a Misfits song (even a 2011 Misfits song) is pretty silly. The chorus comes out of nowhere, makes no sense surrounded by the verses, and is almost embarrassing to listen to.

Almost equally embarrassing is "Sleepwalkin," a lame attempt at throwing some southern rock and blues into the mix.

"Ghost of Frankenstein" is boring, and "Death Ray," the second song co-written by Cadena, is pretty stupid, too long, and ends with a bunch of sci-fi sound effects I could have created on a computer in 1985.

I'm not sure who this album was written for, or if anyone even gives a shit about what the Misfits might be doing these days. If Jerry, Dez, and the guy from Murphy's Law wrote this album for themselves and are happy with it, then good for them. But I can't imagine any fan of either Danzig-era or Graves-era Misfits finding much to like on here. I wonder if they'll speed these songs up for their live show. Actually, that wouldn't be a bad idea, if they have to play them at all: speed some of these bastards up a bit and return the older songs to their proper paces. Or perhaps they'll play these songs in a "block" the way they usually incorporate the "American Psycho" and "Famous Monsters" tunes into their sets, giving the audience a chance to use the bathroom, get a beer, or contemplate leaving early.

The return and H2O "California" (2011)

Well, it's been a hell of a long time since I've written anything for this blog, and I figured it was about time for me to make a (not-so) triumphant return. I've been listening to a shit ton of music recently, but haven't had much of an urge to write anything. I'm not sure if that's because of laziness or because I've just been in one of those weird places that it's hard to dig myself out of. Either way, I'm back and I'm going to try and go back to letting this be an outlet/distraction/worth while hobby. With all of that out of the way, let's get on with it......

Part of my motivation for finally writing something is that H2O released a new 7 inch two weeks ago, and Skarhead just released a new record. These are both two bands I thoroughly enjoy listening to, so I've been pretty amped for both of these releases. However, they're cover records, which I've been hard pressed to find one that I've enjoyed listening to. Today I'm going to focus on the H2O 7 inch, "California", and tomorrow I'll tackle the Skarhead record, "Dreams Don't Die".

A little background on this record, for those of you who don't know. Along with this 7 inch, H2O is releasing two more (Washington, DC & New York City) as pre-cursors to their upcoming full length cover record, "Don't Forget Your Roots" (release date: 11/15). Each 7 inch has a track that won't be on the full length.

As I said not that long ago, more often than not, I'm not a fan of cover records. They always seem like too much effort was put into doing someone else's songs that could have been put into doing your own tracks. Since I'm not a musician, that's probably ultra-judgmental and me talking out of my ass, but generally they seem like a waste to me. That being said, I've already listened to this 3 track 7 inch about 8 times, and have enjoyed it more and more every time. It kicks off with a the Circle Jerks "Beverly Hills" (this track will not be on DFYR) and it's phenomenal. They're take on one of my favorite Rancid songs, "Journey to the End of the East Bay", is on point. Don't get me wrong, Tim Armstrong is an amazing vocalist, but it's a whole lot easier to understand what Toby is saying. They wrap it up with Social D's "Sick Boy", and once again it's another tight track. In both of the last two tracks they change up the lyrics a little bit, so on the first couple of listen it sounded strange and caught me off guard. However, they work. The new lyrics fit H2O and in the case of "Sick Boy" update the song. I'd definitely recommend trying to get your hands on this 7 inch if you can, but from what I gathered from their Facebook page, there are virtually none left. You might just have to wait for "Don't Forget Your Roots"

1. Beverly Hills (Circle Jerks)
2. Journey to the End of the East Bay (Rancid)
3. Sick Boy (Social Distortion)

Defeater "Dear Father" 2011

Yesterday marked the release of Defeater's "Dear Father" EP. It previews their upcoming full length, "Empty Days & Sleepless Nights". From what the information I found on Bridge Nine's website, "Empty Days & Sleepless Nights" is going to be 10 of the heavy hardcore tracks that Defeater is becoming known for, as well as 4 acoustic tracks.

This whole EP carries on the narrative style of Defeater's other releases. It's difficult for me to say which song I like more. The styles are drastically different. "Dear Father" is the heavier of the two tracks, but the story doesn't get lost in needless guitar riffs or breakdowns. "I Don't Mind" is one of the acoustic tracks, and it's amazing. It's a complete change of pace from "Dear Father", and it works well. The storytelling in both of these tracks is fantastic, and I'm seriously eager for the release of "Empty Days & Sleepless Nights" on March 8th.

Track Listing:

1) Dear Father

2) I Don't Mind

Madball "All or Nothing" Video Premiere

Last week I saw that BlacknBlue Productions posted Madball's new video for their song "All or Nothing" off of Empire. I didn't have a chance to actually watch it until today, and I'm glad I did. "All or Nothing" was definitely one of my favorite songs on the album, and the video doesn't disappoint. Michael Distelkamp and Freddy Madball did a fantastic job with the direction, and the video fits the song perfectly. Vinnie Stigma makes a cameo appearance that works very well. You should definitely check it out.

BlacknBlue Productions in association with Convoy Films

I plan on posting at least 3 more reviews this week, lets see if I stick to it

Wisdom in Chains "Pocono Ghosts" (2011)

Remember a couple of days ago how I said that Wisdom in Chains has a new 7 inch coming out in a month or so on Reaper Records? Well, since then a couple of things have happened. First, Reaper Records finally put up a pre-order. The pre-order is available in a gold or a red vinyl, and the three tracks that are on the record were put up on Stereokiller.com.

While I’m sitting here writing this post, I’m listening to all three songs over and over and over and over. From the second “In Case You Forgot” kicks in, you’ll tell that this isn’t going to be anything but a great fucking listen. The lyrics are amazing. It’s hard to say what exactly the song is about because the lyrics can be interpreted a few ways. That is absolutely NOT a bad thing. Everyone has someone in their lives that they can relate this song to, whether it’s a significant other, a best friend, or children. It’s the type of song that I’ve come to expect from these guys. Meaningful, thought out lyrics with the aggression and intensity that gets the point across without any filler nonsense. “Spit It Back” is just as intense. Again, lyrically it’s a fantastic song, and the driving aggressive guitar riffs mesh well with everything else going on in the song. They finish up the 7 inch with a cover of Motorhead’s song “R.A.M.O.N.E.S.”. While it’s not an original, it was a great choice. I’ve heard the Motorhead version and the version the Ramones actually do of this song, and it’s done justice here. In my opinion it’s a perfect mesh of both versions. Musically it’s got the bouncy punk feeling the Ramones gave it, and Mad Joe’s vocals capture the grit of Lemmy.

To say that I’m excited about this 7 inch would be an understatement. Since the very first time I saw Wisdom in Chains a couple years ago with Sick of It All at “The Church” in Philadelphia, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed listening to them. Add to that the fact that they are all great guys, it was a forgone conclusion that I would be buying this as soon as possible. Getting to listen to it before it’s released is sending me completely into “fan-boy” mode.

Deviates "My Life" (1998) and "Time Is the Distance" (2001)

Here's a band that showed a lot of promise and disappeared with almost no notice. I suppose, you know, two albums, that's more than most hc/punk bands put out, so that's all right--but both albums are so good, it's just too bad they didn't stick around long enough to put out a third.

The Deviates, from southern California, put out their first record, "My Life," on Theologian Records, in 1998. Produced by Fletcher Dragge of Pennywise, it's sixteen fast songs, two minutes each on average, with lots of great riffs and very melodic choruses. "My Life," "One Day," "Classes," "I Remember," and "Land of Opportunities," are among the best tunes on the album, but really, they're all great, with the small exception of "Who's Johnny," which has such ridiculous lyrics, the music is somewhat overshadowed. Everything else, though, lyrically and musically, is fast, intense, and fun. A lot of their songs tell stories too; I like when bands do that.

Their second album, "Time Is the Distance," came out on Epitaph three years later, and it took me a little while to get into it, but once I did, and realized what a good record it was, I started listening to it even more than "My Life." The album features a very slick recording sound, which turned me off at first. Forgive the cliche, but there's something really cool about the "raw" sound of "My Life."

"Time Is the Distance" is good in other ways, though. It continues the storytelling style of the first album, and is much darker and moodier than "My Life." But that in no way means it's slower. They continue their style of fast, melodic hardcore, but there's something much more pessimistic about the album's lyrics. Kinda makes you wonder what happened to them, or to their singer anyway, in the three years between records. Standout tracks are "Come With Me," "Right Back To You," and "So I Become," but again, they're all good, with the exception of "My Crime," a lyrical misfire about how the singer likes to curse, and people shouldn't give him a hard time about it. Uh-huh. . . . Otherwise, great album.

I saw these guys a few times when they were together, and was disappointed to hear they'd broken up. I don't recall any kind of announcement; I just went on their site one day and saw that they'd thrown in the towel. It would have been interesting to see how they'd further develop their sound with a third album, but it was not to be. Check em out; definitely one of the more impressive, and rarely talked about, SoCal punk bands to come out of the late 90's/early 00's scene.

Supertouch "Lost My Way" (2011)

Today marked the release of Supertouch’s 7 inch, “Lost My Way”, on Reaper Records. I won’t sit here and pretend that I’m a big Supertouch fan, because I’m not. I’ve had the opportunity to listen to it a bunch of times, and my opinion on it is that it’s a good record. The songs are well written lyrically and musically, but I’m not real sure what the big deal is. I’ve listened to “The Earth is Flat” a whole lot, and “Lost My Way” isn’t as heavy. We’ll get back to this in a second. The title track, “Lost My Way” is in my opinion the best on the 7 inch, but just like the others it sounds like an indie rock track instead of a hardcore track. I’ve been confused as to how Supertouch is classified as hardcore. When I saw them at the Black and Blue Bowl last year, and then with listening to “The Earth is Flat” and now “Lost My Way”, I’m even more confused. Maybe one of you that actually reads this blog can fill me in, because especially now, I feel like they’re an indie rock band. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t listen to this, it’s definitely worth listening to. I just don’t see it as a hardcore record. Let me know what you think.

Track Listing:

1. Get On Get On

2. Just These Days

3. Lost My Way

4. Now That You're Far From Home

Wisdom in Chains "Die Young" Vinyl Re-issue

A week and a half ago I was on RevHQ.com, trying to figure out if I wanted to order the new Social Distortion record, “Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes”. I was looking through the list of records releasing on January 18^th, and when I got to the very bottom of the list, I immediately knew I wasn’t ordering the Social D record. Cupcake Records did a vinyl re-issue of one of my top 3 favorite hardcore albums, Wisdom in Chain’s “Die Young” (the other two are H2O’s “FTTW” and Blood for Blood’s “Outlaw Anthems”). I ordered it immediately without hesitation, and I’ve been waiting less than patiently for it to arrive, and FINALLY today it showed up.

I’ve owned “Die Young” on CD for a while, so getting it on vinyl wasn’t completely necessary, but with my new addiction to vinyl, it had to be done. I’m glad I ordered it. As great as it was on cd, the experience of listening to it on vinyl is worth it. The vinyl is missing the live versions of “Dragging Me Down” and “We’re Not Helping” and the track “Snakes” that are on the CD, but they’re replaced with “Looking Down on a Friend”. While the three tracks on the CD are great and a lot of fun to listen to, they aren’t missed as much as I thought they would be, because “Looking Down on a Friend” is a great song.

Now that it’s here, I have my top 3 albums on vinyl, and I plan on adding more. You can order the vinyl (or the CD) from RevHQ.com. Wisdom in Chains also has a new 7” releasing Feb/March on Reaper Records called “Pocono Ghosts”, keep your eyes out for that.

LP Track Listing:

1. We're Not Helping

2. Liar

3. Nowhere

4. One of These Days

5. Fade

6. Dragging Me Down

7. The Game of War

8. Pass the Cup

9. Friday Night Drama

10. Die Young

11. Fighting in the Streets

12. Too Far Gone

13. Get To Steppin'

14. Out of Season

15. Time to Play

16. Smash Your Face

17. Nothing Like You

18. Looking Down On a Friend

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.

New Miseries "I AM WITHOUT ME" (2010)

I missed most of last Friday's show at the Burner's because I went to see Bob Dylan, which is why there wasn't a write up of the show. Luckily, the first 3 bands (the one's I missed) were giving out their Demos/EPs for free, so I picked them up. I'm going to start with New Miseries today since they were the first band to play. Plus, since they're from Stroudsburg, they're pretty local.

Track Listing:

1) (11:11)

2) Black & Blue

3) Rain

4) Deathbeds

I'm going to start off by saying that according to their facebook page , they're a melodic hardcore band. I don't really see that. The first track is very melodic, but it's an intro track with no vocals. Musically the rest of the tracks are fairly melodic, but not what I typically think of when the words "melodic hardcore" are used. That being said, this is a fantastic demo. The recording quality is great. Everything fits well together. The guitars feed off the drums and bass and vice versa. The aggressive vocals mesh well with everything else. It's most definitely a demo worth listening to, and they have a show in Tobyhanna this Friday that if you can make it to, you should. I don't regret going to see Bob Dylan, but I do regret missing New Miseries set. Click on the mediafire link (posted by the band on their facebook) to download the demo.

http://www.mediafire.com/?5a2ridxu17a13dp

November and December Shows

**I did my best to put on a list of all the local stuff going on this month and next. If there's anything that you know of that isn't on this post, let me know and I'll add it. You should definitely go to as many of these as possible, even if you have to drive a little bit. The facebook links underneath each date go to the events page so you can get more info on bands and such.

11/17-

Facebook

11/19- Relapse Records Showcase feat:

Hero Destroyed, Iron Thrones, Fight Amp, Mose Giganticus

Secret Art Space

Located on Rink St.

(the alley behind 4th st./diagonal to Wildflower)

Bethlehem, PA

$8 Doors at 7:30pm

Facebook

11/21-

Facebook

11/24- 5th Annual Thanksgiving Eve at Gravel Pike

Animal Haus, Run For It, Stoked on Being Pumped, & Rough Justice

The Gravel Pike Inn

595 Gravel Pike

Collegeville, PA

$5 Doors at 7pm

Stay On Point Booking

Facebook

11/26- All Ages Phoenixville Punk Show

Rough on Rats, Run For It, Stoked on Being Pumped, Dead End Kids

Lighthouse Lounge

243 Bridge St

Phoenixville, PA

$7 Doors at 6:30pm

Facebook

11/26- Food Not Bombs Benefit Show

We Have Heaven, Pet Milk, The Complete Strategist

Secret Art Space

Located on Rink St.

(the alley behind 4th st./diagonal to Wildflower)

Bethlehem, PA

$6-$8 Donation Doors at 7pm

Facebook

11/28- Black Friday Indie Craft Mart

Come see 15-20 local crafters/artists/packrats selling their wares and score a perfect holiday gift for all the loved ones on your list. Screw the mall, shop local!

Confirmed: Eskandalo Hair/Wink Magazine

Loly Designs- Fabulous hair accessories for the holidays!

Save the Kales

Square of Opposition/LVAC

Renee Uzzardi

Matthew Zillhardt and Jessica Echevarria

Christine Rallis- Unique Jewlery and handspun wool items

Paula Donham- Mosaics

Emi Fox - knitted crafts

Sam Keller- Jewlery and Photography inspired by nature

LEOPOCO- Robert Daniels

Blind Willow Book Shop

Raw Stone Images

Kansas Boxes (excellent way to give a gift!)

Gina Mento

Christina Galagarza- C2G2- Repurposed jewlery

Secret Art Space Located on Rink St.

(the alley behind 4th st./diagonal to Wildflower)

Bethlehem, PA

12pm to 7pm

Facebook

12/11-

Facebook

12/17- Skarhead, Wisdom in Chains, Naysayer, Animal Haus, Through This Defiance,

Concrete Reality

The Polish Club

328 E High Street Phoenixvilla, PA

$10 Doors 6:30pm

Stay On Point Booking

Facebook

12/18- Pearls and Brass, Serpent Throne, Gods and Queens

The Nowhere Club@ Christian's Spring 2890 Christian Spring Rd

Nazareth, PA

$10 in advance (http://nowhereclub.bigcartel.com/)

$12 @ the door

Doors at 8pm

18 and over, BYOB w/ID and $3 Corking fee

Facebook

12/25- Super Bang Pow Xmas Funtime Hangout feat Paxton (last show) + 2 or 3 TBA

Secret Art Space Located on Rink St.

(the alley behind 4th st./diagonal to Wildflower)

Bethlehem, PA

50 Cents doors at 7pm

Facebook

Interview with the Straphangers

Hello everyone,

New for this week, an interview with Straphangers, from New York (mostly). These guys have played St. Bernard's a few times, and seriously know how to party. They've got a six-song demo out, aggressive, old school hardcore, it's excellent, fucking great, and more songs on their myspace, the address of which is at the end of the interview.

The following is an interview with the band, conducted via e-mail. Be sure to check these guys out, their recordings are super-intense, and they have a great live show.

I seem to remember at one of your past shows you mentioned that the five of you are from different towns in NY and NJ. Is this right? I mishear things all the time, but if not, how does that work as far as practicing and whatnot?

Yes, three of the Straphangers live in queens, Emily lives in NJ, while Larry travels two hours each way from Staten Island. But traveling once a week to Queens to practice is doable and when we have to bring equipment for shows someone always manages to find a ride.

Any favorite places to play? How far west have you played?

We have had pretty good responses in PA. We were in Bethlehem and Pottsville twice and had some fun times there, and Pottsville was the farthest west that we have played. And once a month we will play somewhere in the city. Most of the punk/metal venues are now in Brooklyn and Queens so there’s usually a pretty good turn out for the shows in those boroughs. A lot of the places that we started out in are closed, like Bar 131 in Queens, the Continental, Knitting Factory (closed in Manhattan and re-opened in Brooklyn), Otto’s is always a favorite of ours located in downtown NYC, but they recently had a fire so we’re not sure when we can start playing shows there again. Most recently, the best response we had was at the Hill Tap Tavern and we’ve deemed it “the best response” because three people were bleeding profusely by the end of our set.

Your style pulls a lot of from hc, punk, and metal—what kinds of bands do you find yourselves playing with? I’d imagine you could get on all kinds of different shows.

We have played with so many different kinds of bands since we started. We are always happy to cross genres and play with new and different bands, but we have also been booked on some shows where we were completely out of our genre. In those instances we either cleared out the room because we were too heavy or the place went insane because people had been waiting for an aggressive band. When playing out close to home we usually play with a lot of the Adrenaline Head bands, one of those bands is YoScunt who just played some PA shows with us back in October.

I like the artwork on the demo. You all horror fans?

Yes, very much so. We’ll even cover some horror movie theme songs so keep an ear out for those when we play.

You guys have been together almost ten years. How has the lineup changed in that time?

Straphangers has gone through many changes over the years, and the music has progressed to what it is now. There have been several guitarist changes and Mike, the drummer, left for a couple years and sang in another band, but he is now back permanently. We are all very happy with the line-up now and hopefully things will continue to progress.

What bands have you seen that have had a strong effect on you—anyone in particular who’s had an influence on your style on stage?

The local New York scene has affected us greatly. Our peers are probably the most influential components in our lives as musicians. We all feed off of each other’s energy and creativity and it has been very interesting to see all the bands that we’ve been playing with for years change and grow.

Do you have upcoming plans for touring and/or recording?

We will begin working on a full-length album in January and February and hopefully by the spring time we’ll get back on the road and start promoting the CD. We all have full-time jobs and some of us are parents so it’s hard to do long tours, but we are going to try one or two 4-5 day tours in the summer.

Since this is a Bethlehem-based blog—do you think you’ll be out this way again in the near future? The last two shows you played at the Burner’s seemed to get a pretty good response.

We definitely want to hit Bethlehem again. Probably won't return there until the spring though, after we are done with the CD. True Blue Productions hooked us up with the past two shows at the Burners so I'm sure Billy Dukes and Walt will have us out there again when we are ready to do some more mini-tours in PA.

Thanks again to the Straphangers for the interview--check out their info below, and by all means, if they're playing nearby, go see em. -- Mark Rooster

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Straphangers/123179234370450 http://www.myspace.com/straphangers/

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 Dan from BURDENS

Hello everyone,

Here's an interview conducted recently with Dan Zimmerman, guitar player for BURDENS. These guys are from Pennsylvania and recently put out a split 7" with Cut Short, from Delaware. The record kicks ass--check it out if you haven't yet. Fast, heavy, metal-influenced hardcore, very aggressive and fun.

BURDENS will be playing next month, November 12th, at St. Bernard's in Bethlehem. Check em out if you can; they have a few other upcoming dates scheduled as well, posted after the interview.

Here it is . . .

You went on tour with Cut Short this past summer—how did that go? What kinda places were you playing?

As with any tour, it was hit or miss with each venue. Either way it was a great time playing house shows or legitimate venues, though we love house shows. Michigan and Ohio were definitely two of my personal favorites. Hopefully we’ll be back there again soon.

Do you have any upcoming touring plans? I’d imagine, like the rest of us, you guys have regular working schedules too—is that hard to work around?

Finding time for touring is a pain. We definitely love getting out and playing different areas, but three of us are in school, and working, Chris is student teaching, and Nick just graduated. We’re currently working on some weekend dates with our friends in Full of Hell that are tentatively planned for January 7-9. Other than that, we definitely plan to tour this summer. We’re also happy to drive out for a far show here and there.

I found out about you guys due to the split 7” with Cut Short, after a show they played earlier this year at St. Bernard’s. I gotta say, both sides are fucking great. How did that record come about? Did you know those guys before?

Thanks a lot. We were really excited about the record and were very thankful that Dave Heck of Get This Right Records could put it out for us. We basically just had 4 songs written, and had seen Cut Short at some shows around our area. We were at the same place in the band’s lifeline, with only a demo out, so we talked about doing a split. We ended up recording 4 songs, 3 of which are on the split, the other that is up for free download on our site.

You’ve had some lineup changes recently, including vocals. Was it easy to switch that up, and how’s the new lineup working out so far?

Unfortunately our past singer, Jared Birdseye, had plans to move away to get his degree, which we fully support. We spent some time trying to find a replacement, but found it was much easier to switch Chris to Vocals from guitar and get a new guitarist, Nick. The new lineup is working out great. Our sound has changed a bit, but it’s most definitely a progression towards better songs.

You’ve got a new record, “You Can’t Save Us All,” coming out soon. Do you have a date on that?

It’s been sent to the presses and should be out Dec ’10 or Jan ’11. Vince of Harvcore Records should have pre-orders up pretty soon and we’ll be planning a release show somewhere in the Philly area. We’re all really excited about the new songs and ready to start playing some more live once the record is out.

The three songs on the split 7” have a little less metal influence than the demo. Was that intentional—or perhaps I’m completely off on this one?

If that’s how the split comes off, then no, it wasn’t intentional. I still feel that it has some real metal influence, especially in “untitled”, and that our demo was a mix of the two genres as well. You’ll be able to find some bangers in our new EP that’ll make up for it.

And what’s the new record like, is it similar to the split with Cut Short, or a different direction?

“You Can’t Save Us All” is definitely a new direction, but still has the backbone of the sound we’ve had since we started. It’s got a song under a minute that after listening, you won’t even know what happened, to a straight rock ‘n roll headbanger. We’re all extremely proud of the 5 songs we recorded at Skylight and are excited to join the Harvcore family.

Thanks for the interview, Mark. Hopefully we’ll be seeing you and some new faces in Bethlehem Nov 12^th.

Upcoming Shows

Nov 5 - The Phoenixville Polish w/ A Life Once Lost, Rock Bottom
Phoenixville, PA

Nov 12 - St. Bernard's (the Burners) w/ Common Enemy, Run For It
Bethlehem, PA

Nov 26 - Harleysville Branch Creek Church w/ Subcolour, Debtor
Harleysville, PA


More Info

www.myspace.com/burdenspa
www.facebook.com/BurdensPA
www.coldcutsmerch.com/gtrr (buy split with Cut Short)
www.sendspace.com/file/une9f8 (free download, 2008 7-song demo)

Thank you to Dan and BURDENS for the interview -- Mark Rooster

Madball "Empire" (2010)

Track Listing:

1. Invigorate

2. Danger Zone

3. Timeless

4. All of Nothing

5. Glory Years

6. Empire

7. Shatterproof

8. The End

9. Con Fuerza

10. R.A.H.C.

11. Hurt You

12. "Tough Guy"

13. Dark Horse

14. Spider's Web

15. Delete

16. Rebel4Life18

When I found out about this record, I got excited. Madball is definitely one of my favorite hardcore bands, and I enjoyed the two tracks from "Empire" that I got on "The Real American HC" 7 inch. I have literally listened to this CD 7 times since I bought it this afternoon.

It's everything you expect from a Madball record. It's fast, it's heavy, and it's filled with the raw emotion that I've come to expect. There isn't a bad song on this CD. The only thing that irks me a little bit is that during the chorus of "The End" the vocals sound a little funny to me. It's nothing that takes away from the enjoyment of the song, and at this point is not nearly as noticeable as it was the first few times I listened to the CD. This is absofuckinglutely an album that's worth buying and listening to. Start to finish it flows nicely, and each song feeds off the one before it. Even with how much I loved Terror's "Keeper's of the Faith", I think I like this more. I just wish it came on vinyl.

Best Why?

I originally intended on pre-ordering "Empire", but a fund shortage prohibited it from happening. When I got the cash to do it, I decided to hold off because by the time it got to me it would have been days after I could have it in my hands if I got off my ass and went to a store. Since the selection of independent record stores in my immediate area is pretty slim (Play It Again in South Side Bethlehem is the only one that comes to mind that sells new CDs), I decided for curiosities sake I would check Best Buy's website to see if they were selling it. They were, so this morning I got up and went to Best Buy.

First off, I fucking hate Best Buy. There is not one redeeming thing that I can think of about the store. I've spent a lot of money at Best Buy over the years, but that is simply because other options are virtually non-existent. Small video stores have pretty much vanished, along with small record stores.

When I got to Best Buy today, I went directly over to the CD new release section, because that seemed like a logical place to start. It was nowhere to be found, but that's probably just because how much shelf space Lil Wayne's new CD was occupying. So off I went to scour the shitty music section to find Madball's place in the M's. Since Best Buy has pretty much squashed their music section it didn't take long to find Madball sitting on the shelf between Loverboy and Madonna.

As I'm walking to pay I notice two things, one that I know for fact is Best Buy's doing and the other that I can only hope is just for Best Buy's audience. You can see in the picture that there is a brief explanation of who Madball is, so anyone just randomly picking up the CD gets an idea of what they are in for. If you can't read it from the picture here is what it says "Madball are an iconic force in hardcore as Slayer has been to thrash. Like Hatebreed, Madball's rise from the streets to dominating stages across the earth is nothing short of legendary". I have absolutely no problems with Slayer or Hatebreed, but I feel it really sells Madball short to have to include two bands that have both had commercial success in order to get the ignorant masses to give this record a listen. The second thing I noticed is that Best Buy classifies it as "Hard Rock". Come on now. That immediately lumps Madball in with the likes of Staind and Nickelback, are you fucking kidding me? Could they have picked a more generic term that's even less fitting then calling it "Metal"?

I'm not even remotely trying to call Madball out as sell outs. I get why their CD is being sold at Best Buy. There aren't a whole lot of other options. I hate Best Buy, but unfortunately if it wasn't for that devil of a store, I wouldn't be sitting here with "Empire" blasting while I write.

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