Dec
27
Posted under
punk,
random by patrick
Well first things first, Happy Holidays (to the 3 of you that read my blog)
My bike finally showed up, but I haven’t been able to do much with it since I’ve been in scenic Springfield, IL visiting my folks.
Here’s an old photo from the 1 wonderful year I got stuck living in Springfield. The year was 2000, and it was my Senior year in High School… (I know, I should let it go already)
Yes, that’s me in the Dead Kennedy’s shirt (which I assume I stole from someone? Politics in music? No thanks)
So aside from partaking in the beautiful Christmas festivities, I managed to get my feet tattooed. Here’s a bad photo:
lost cause
The guy who did it is an old friend of mine, Ryan, who is also seen in the first photo. (3rd from the right). Hurt like Hell, dreading session 2… If you ever find yourself in Springfield, needing to get tattooed, (and who doesn’t?), check him out.
Dec
19
Posted under
Uncategorized,
music,
punk by patrick
Can’t get this song out of my head
allshesmyex1.mp3
I remember my first “encounter” with punk rock. I was a little kid, maybe 8 or 9 years old, and was with my dad on our way to pick something up at his office in Chicago. As we were getting out of our car, I saw something unlike anything I’d ever seen; a group of punk rockers. In amazement, I stared, to which they responded with flicking me off and yelling obscenities. It’s ironic that something that made me cry as a little boy, would become the source of my fascination for the past 13 years… My first 2 “punk” albums were NOFX’s “Ribbed“, and Pennywise’s “Pennywise.” A few years later, I picked up The Descendent’s “Everything Sucks” because I saw it in one of those mail-order ad’s they used to put in Epitaph Records CD cases. I instantly fell in love with it, but it still took me a few years to realize it was a reunion album, and there were other album’s from many years previous. (Damn you lack-of-internet!)
The Descendent’s put out an album in 1987 titled “ALL,” afterwhich their singer left town to pursue his degree in biochemistry . The rest of the band took on that album name, and formed a new band with former Dag Nasty / DYS vocalist Dave Smalley. Since then, the band’s gone through a few vocalists, and have consecutively put out quality pop-punk records.
Bottom line, I love most things Descendents-related. If you’re interested in more ALL history, check out their wikipedia page!
Dec
17
Posted under
music,
punk by patrick
I’ve got a certain tendency to hating all things Canadian right now, but then this little nugget of joy finds its way into my life. I stumbled across their video for “Fish Fight” and was disgusted and thrilled at the same time. On one hand, you have King Kahn, the German Kaiser hat wearing lead guitarist, and BBQ, with his guitar / bass drum / tambourine combo kicking out some bluesy-punk vocals putting other 2 piece groups to shame.
I really have no idea how to full sum up their sound. It’s really a combination of the greats. They roughly fit into the Black Lips / Jay Reatard crowd (who I love, thanks Sailor Jerry compilations!) because they’ve mixed pure basics of rock n’ roll, but added their own flare. I understand that description means absolutely nothing, so just check em out.
I need more of these guys, and I need it now.
Check out this video for the song “Fish Fight”
Update: I’ve purchased their latest album, “What’s for Dinner?”, and let me tell you, it’s better than I thought. Expect a follow up review…
Dec
14
Posted under
music,
punk by patrick
Stop. Action! is a catchy power-pop 3-piece from Los Angeles, California. Their musical influences are many of my personal favorites; Rolling Stones, New York Dolls, Chuck Berry, MC5, The Heartbreakers, etc.
I highly recommend you don’t sleep on these guys. Go download the 4 songs on their MySpace page, and if you have any self-respect or even DECENT taste in music, you’ll listen to them non-stop like I’ve been. These guys really need to find someone to put out a full length, and tour like hell. Do yourself a favor and check ‘em out.
Like many independent bands, all they have is their MySpace page, which doesn’t have much info. Can’t wait for these guys to record a full-length that I can officially review.
Dec
12
Posted under
movies,
music,
punk by patrick
Joe Strummer was the singer for The Clash, as well as many later solo projects. He’s considered one of the greatest punk front-men because of his politically radical and socially conscious viewpoints. With The Clash, he mixed different musical styles that have gone on to influence most music act’s since their first album in 1977.
The documentary is by Julien Temple, who’s most known as a video director (for the musically medicore), but also gave us the gift known as Earth Girls Are Easy. She’s credited as getting her start with the Sex Pistols in The Great Rock n’ Roll Swindle, if that’s qualifications or not..
The doc does a good job at chronologically following Joe’s life from his childhood in Turkey, up through his death. There’s a mixture of Joe’s narration as well as commentary from various friends / musicians / movie stars that really keep the documentary light. It’s strange to hear Joe speak about himself in such a way… I assume his bits are lifted from the radio show he had on BBC Radio (of which I’d love to get my hands on!). Julien did a great job at unearthing stories from a good number of people (could’ve done without Bono and Johnny Depp), all of which are told in such a warm, endearing tone. Some funny, some sad, but all give you a glimpse into the life of an otherwise private life. There are alot of stories here you won’t read in books, as well as gobs of footage unseen, that make this documentary so much more appealing. It does a great job of showing Joe in true form; as a regular man, like you or I, which is why he’s been such a “hero of the people,” because of that certain tangibility. Needless to say, I very much enjoyed the documentary, and would recommend to anyone, fan or not.
On a personal note, Joe is someone I’ve never been able to get enough of. This film does a great job at showing Joe as himself, and not limiting itself to a Clash-only subject matter. It’s always nice to see someone put so much time and hard work into someone you feel some sort of personal connection to. If you’re interested in more Clash related documentaries, Westway to the World was done around 5 years ago, and focuses on interviews by the band-mates themselves, previous to Joe’s passing. There’s also a great collection of live material and official music videos in The Essential Clash DVD.
Here’s the Documentary Trailer via YouTube.
Dec
12
Posted under
Uncategorized,
movies,
music,
random by patrick
Consider this page LAUNCHED! Reviews / rants cominatcha!
I look forward to my first comment (Oh I’m so needy)
