and you will know us by the trail of dead, midnight masses & the so so glos @ bowery ballroom 02/28/2009

back at the end of the part of my life known as high school i got into this indie noise rock band with one of the longest names i'd come across. ...and you will know us by the trail of dead. i only got to see them once back then but managed to catch them one of their two nights in new york city before they headed back out on tour with brooklyn based band midnight masses (who share members).





i had caught midnight masses back in december (pics), and was thoroughly impressed with their soulful indie rock and overall stage pressence. so i was excited to see them for the first time with all of their members on stage. lead vocalist autry fulbright has one of those inspiring etheral demeanor on stage. that isn't to say that this is a band with a 'front man' or 'girl' or even 'a band that jason reece is in'. no, midnight masses' is truly the sum of their equal parts. not sound like one or two or even three of the bands that the members came from, but a new original band that feeds of each other's creativeness. and for my money when a band can end a set with an acapella harmony that can be heard from the back of the room, you just have to know that they're that good.

midnight masses are on their first major american tour and to ordain that tour they recorded a tour 7". heaven can be bought here and comes with a bonus mp3. i suggest everyone pile in to union pool this friday when they make their return home to brooklyn.

the so so glos on next are not the collective work of different bands, but of two brothers and two friends. the so so's have a very punkish sound and remind me a lot of the descendents back before pop was cool in the punk underground. they didn't seem to be there to impress the heads of anything, just their fans and the hordes of new people standing in front of them that night. at one point lead singer/basses (name), said to the crowd, "i know this is new york city, but its okay to dance during our set". displaying the fact that they saw their music as fun and inspiring, but not in that serious we're going to change the world all at once.

the so so glos' set seemed short, but i think they stretched it out to fill in the time slot. i definitely need to see them again...but they're myspace has them on the west coast for the next month...

i made the mistake of leaving my mid stage spot to say goodbye to some friends after the so so glos set, and when i returned, i could even get through the back door.

trail of dead played a good mix of old and new. leaning more to the newer side, but at one point brining midnight masses on stage for a song followed by a fan favorite, homage. by the 3/4 mark of their set i was out the door and halfway into the stairwell at the back of bowery. i took this as a sign and although was hoping for some more, i packed upand headed home.

goblin cock @ highline ballroom nyc 02/11/2009

low and behold. i don't know what it is about rob crow. i've met him in person on a couple of occasions and he seems genuine and down-to-earth and other peoples accounts of him are that he's an easy going family man who probably won't pass up an autograph or a conversation. but goddamn if he doesn't stay busy with his multiple musical on takings. there's his main band, pinback, his solo work, thingy, and optiganally yours. former projects include such bands as heavy vegetable, ladies, and physics. he recently stared his own label, robcore records, which is releasing a bunch of his newer projects. and the one that probably gets the most laughs/scorn/questions is his metal band goblin cock.

the night was far from uneventful. i ran into a random guy that needed to follow me to the venue, and i barely missed someone that i didn't want to run into at all, shook hands with mr. crow shortly before he ran off to the green room to get into his on-stage persona (aka lord phallus).

when i first heard the name goblin cock, some years ago, i laughed heartily at the obvious double entendre, but didn't give a "metal" band as they were described to me a fighting chance. it took a car ride and a cd changer in the trunk for me to ask the question 'who is this?' and be interested in, bagged and boarded, goblin cock's first official release. but it was this year's, come with me if you want to live, that brought them back to nyc and into the arms of all their adoring fans.

goblin cock definitely knows what they're doing. from phaser-laced distorted vocals to matching death shrouds to the copious amounts of fog spewing from stage right. the visual aspect of their live show is almost as powerful as the the music. you have to love a band that can put out arena size showmanship to a more intimate crowds. flashy and heavy, but without blowing out my eardrums. throw in a couple covers by well known new wave artists and all of the sound everyone can enjoy it not just the rabid fans who want to hear all the songs from both albums.

i love rob crow's musical styles and seeing goblin cock perform was a moment of shear ecstasy on a rather humdrum week.


you can download come with me if you want to live here. do it! its not what you would expect from a band tag as heavy metal...its more.



and just to show what sort of variety the band displayed...here's a video i shot of them covering tears for fears .

teenage bottlerocket sign to fat wreck chords

(tbr @ knitting factory cmj '08)

fat wreck chords, who has brought us great music from such acts as dillinger four, the loved ones, nofx, descendents, and screeching weasel (to name just a few), has just signed laramie wyoming punk outfit teenage bottlerocket.

this is great news for everyone! tbr will finally get the kind of exposure that a band like them can hope for, fat wreck adds another stellar band to their already legendary roster (see above) and fans of both label and band will have better access to the band's music.

teenage bottlerocket's first release is scheduled for later this year.

(tbr @ knitting factory cmj '08)

(tbr @ knitting factory cmj '08)

and some pictures through out december 08

the king kahn & bbq show @ the wired store 12-03-08

golden bones @ pete's candy store 12-03-08

midnight masses @ zebulon 12-07-08

the dirty pearls @ mercury lounge 12-18-08

white suns @ cake shop 12-28-08

the loved ones - distractions ep

3 february 2009 - fat wreck chords

(the loved covers?)

philadelphia punk band, the loved ones, released what i'd like to think of as a filler ep while i wait for their next lp last tuesday. distractions features three new songs along with three covers all of which can be heard streaming on the bands myspace. at a glance, i was excited to hear the loved ones' interpretation of three classic songs by three artists who are known worldwide as legends. the first cover is johnny 99 by bruce springsteen. both springsteen and loved ones' singer/guitarist dave hause choose to go solo on the song. and while hause's vocals do a great deal of justice to this ominous song the distorted reverb of the guitar takes me away from the story that bruce captures. the second song covered on distractions is lovers town revisited. a short lil ditty by billy bragg. going against the original on this track by bringing in the full band to blow through the seventy-five second song. its just too short of a song for me to even critique the song. the drums add a new dimension but the guitars aren't attempting anything new or unique and vocals don't even stray from the original save one moment at the beginning of the third verse. the last cover on distractions is coma girl by joe strummer and the mescaleros. this selection is my personal favorite. coma girl ends coming across as the most original of the covers on the ep. the band has minimal involvement with the song. a tambourine here a soft guitar line there no discernible bass. the song by the late, founder of punk pioneers the clash would be proud of the loved ones discernment of his song.

the three primary songs on the album are obviously the new material being put forth. all three songs, distracted, last call and spy diddley, are wonderful to listen too. last call, has a great piano line in the chorus and organ pulling the bridge together adding new depth to the bands sound. while spy is, what can be perceived as a, straight forward punk rock song.

i personally prefer the first three songs over the latter three, but each song has its place. i foresee this as the start of a creative year for the loved ones and i don't have to wait ages and ages for a long play album to come out. (and i hope that last call makes onto the full-length...maybe a little reworking of the track? a new mix? or mayhaps they'll just scrap the entire recording and do it all over again?).

experiencing music through pictures(and a couple videos) thus far 09

i'm trying to play catch up, so here's a quick visual overview of the shows i caught..lucky for you i inherited the gene that causes you to have a camera super glued to your hand...

1/3/09 freeblood @ death by audio

(a band i forget the name of...i think it was science?)



free blood

1/9/09 world inferno @ webster hall

emannuel and the fear @ bowery poerty

1/20/09 fucked up @ market hotel



80s hardcore

vivian girls

pissed jeans

fucked up