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I am not displeased to be introduced to Blk Galaga. I will keep them, as an arrow in my quiver, for a while. They are tight, with nice harmonies. The band has a future touring in cramped quarters, and rocking the venue. What they need is a deal with fat records. I like the band and their sounds, but I expect more out of a band from east of the Rockies. You be the judge.
Jimmy Bile
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© 2012 Hounds and Harlots
[rating:9/10]
Hot on the tail of their most recent demo release, Bay area street punk trio, Hounds & Harlots are back at it with a brand new full length. The record dropped around the tail end of 2012 and is set to be in heavy rotation for me in 2013.
The Good Fight comes fully equipped with 12 tracks of sing-a-long, rowdy, rollicking punk rock and roll. The songs are just like I like ‘em, upper tempo punk rock numbers all hitting around the two minute mark. Lyrically the music is firmly planted in punk culture; life on the road, coming back home, loss, loneliness, the daily grind of a working class life. It is relatable and heartfelt.
Musically, the songs are tight and focused. This is consistently the reason that I tend to like trios. With fewer working parts, each member is forced to be both solid and inventive to create a larger/bigger sound that belies the minimal nature; Crisp guitar, solid bass, snappy drums and articulate vocals complement the arrangements well.
At the end of the day, this is what punk rock is all about. Anger and energy lashed together with a fierce loyalty and albeit battered and bruised, a glimmer of hope at the end of a dark night. So cheers to the fellas from Divisadero on a spot on new release, one that I helps take them up a rung or two higher in rock and roll echelons.
–Jerry Actually
Let the reviews begin!
I am taking a Master’s level writing course, I don’t know if it will make me a better writer or not, but it has made me question a few things. The first module of the class involves questioning things that you read and to look at things from all angles before drawing any conclusions. I think that has caused me to approach writing this review differently than I normally would. A lot of times prior to listening to an album I will read something that has been written about it, and I don’t know if that actually affects my perception of what I am listening to, but it made me aware of that this time.
Before getting my first chance to listen to Signed and Sealed in Blood, the Dropkick Murphys’ latest offering, I read a claim talking about how the guitars are “ballsier” and the hooks are “catchier.” I really wanted to believe that, but then I had to think, this is the Dropkick Murphys we are talking about here, can the hooks really get “catchier?” These guys practically drew up the blueprint for catchy anthems and sing-a-long hooks. So I listened, all the while questioning those statements. What I came up with was this: when placed alongside their other albums, Signed and Sealed in Blood stays true to what fans of the group have come to expect, and serves to illustrate what the word “anthem” means to anyone who thought they knew what it means.
The Dropkick Murphys are not reinventing themselves with this record, but what they are doing is reestablishing themselves as the leaders of their brand of working-class punk. Songs about family, honour, and respect are commonplace on any DKM album, and you will find more of the same on this release. That isn’t to say that these songs feel old or recycled, which may happen to a band with 7 previous studio albums, because they don’t. Each song attacks the subject matter as if it had never been done before. That is what truly makes this album special and helps set it apart from the group’s previous efforts. That and “The Season’s Upon Us”, a Christmas song that can be listened to and appreciated at any time of the year. Signed and Sealed in Blood is what The Dropkick Murphys are all about, singing songs for the everyman, and this album truly is for everyone.
Band Announces North American Spring Tour
To stream the new record, please go to: http://bit.ly/VGb3O1
True North celebrates the power of cogent punk in the face of personal pain and adversity. It is one of the band’s most emotionally accessible albums to date. Beneath the bristling guitars and surging drums exists one of the most cathartic works of the band’s career. With True North, Bad Religion deliberately revisits and refines the fast melodic Southern California sound they helped to define on albums such as Suffer, No Control and Recipe For Hate.
With a new album around the corner, Bad Religion cements their place in punk rock history with 16 studio albums, worldwide critical acclaim and countless world tours and will continue the celebration of their distinguished career with extensive touring in 2013, a rare intimate show in Los Angeles on January 23rd at The Echo in Los Angeles and their first ever appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon this January 30th.
Fans can pre-order True North by going here: http://www.kingsroadmerch.com/bad-religion/region/ and can check out the single “True North” via YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKflTc_RT6U
Bad Religion Tour Dates:
| 1/23/2013 | The Echo | Los Angeles | CA |
| 3/8/2013 | OC Fair & Event Center | Costa Mesa | CA |
| 3/9/2013 | Soma | San Diego | CA |
| 3/12/2013 | Backstage Live | San Antonio | TX |
| 3/13/2013 | House of Blues | Houston | TX |
| 3/14/2013 | House of Blues | Dallas | TX |
| 3/16/2013 | The Ritz Ybor | Tampa | FL |
| 3/17/2013 | House of Blues- Orlando | Orlando | FL |
| 3/19/2013 | The Masquerade | Atlanta | GA |
| 3/20/2013 | War Memorial Auditorium | Nashville | TN |
| 3/22/2013 | 9:30 Club | Washington | DC |
| 3/23/2013 | The Wellmont Theatre | Montclair | NJ |
| 3/24/2013 | Electric Factory | Philadelphia | PA |
| 3/26/2013 | Terminal 5 | New York | NY |
| 3/28/2013 | House of Blues | Boston | MA |
| 3/29/2013 | State Theatre | Portland | ME |
| 3/30/2013 | Metropolis | Montreal | QC |
| 3/31/2013 | Kool Haus | Toronto | ON |
| 4/2/2013 | St. Andrews Hall | Detroit | MI |
| 4/4/2013 | Newport Music Hall | Columbus | OH |
| 4/5/2013 | Congress Theatre | Chicago | IL |
| 4/6/2013 | Pops Nightclub | Sauget | IL |
| 4/8/2013 | Granada Theater | Lawrence | KS |
| 4/10/2013 | The Fillmore | Denver | CO |
| 4/11/2013 | In The Venue | Salt Lake City | UT |
| 4/13/2013 | Vogue Theater | Vancouver | BC |
| 4/14/2013 | Roseland Theater | Portland | OR |
| 4/15/2013 | Showbox SoDo | Seattle | WA |
| 4/18/2013 | Hollywood Palladium | Hollywood | CA |
| 4/20/2013 | TBD | Pheonix | AZ |
| 5/26/2013 | Punk Rock Bowling | Las Vegas | NV |
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© 2012
[rating:8/10]
Ah ah Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso. (known further as JCFHA) what wacky blend of ska/funk/punk/calypso have you crafted for us? Well, I suppose that actually rather describes it. The new release by Tampa’s JCFHA, “Curse of the Unsinkable Ship” is, in fact, a blend of Ska, Funk, Punk, and Calypso.
The album holds 15 tracks. This includes both a prologue and epilogue, so consider it 13 musical numbers and some guidance. Conceptually it reminds me of the ska classic, Full Trucker Effect, by Johnny Socko. The tracks are often a bit lower tempo, but that story telling vibe is there. Granted, the storyline is slightly less cohesive. JCFHA seems to be a bit more focused on the comedic elements of their “theme” album. That’s fine. Not judging. Just saying.
Comparisons aside, the album is fun. It has an exceedingly casual vibe and is very very party. However, I’m only halfway through. Things could take a darker turn. I’ll go get a refreshing beverage and let you know.
…
Ok, so the album does take a darker and a bit unusual turn around track 10, Suburban Wasteland. If you’re from the suburbs, then you know the specific kind of hell the song speaks of. I suspect that in their haste to escape the ‘burbs, JCFHA took a wrong turn and ended up in the sticks as track 11 gets decidedly country. Humor still intact, the release travels on.
At the end of the day, what you in Curse of the Unsinkable Ship is a none-too-serious, but seriously fun blend of ska heavy rock-n-roll. If you’re at all curious, check ‘em out here: http://www.reverbnation.com/johnnycakes Seriously check ‘em out. This band has a steel drum player. How cool is that?
-Jerry Actually
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© 2013
[rating:8/10]
Brooklyn’s best kept secret, or so I’m lead to believe by their bio, is a little band called Up For Nothing. Perhaps you remember them from last year’s “Twelve Stories Down”. If not, never fear as there is always time to pick up on what you’ve been missing out on. 2013 brings us a new batch of tunes, five to be exact, in the form of “In Trance” The new EP brings more beloved punk rock sounds with a bit more polish that only comes with hard earned time.
The tracks have a positive vibe, even in situations where the content may be squarely in the opposite direction; up-tempo and nicely orchestrated. Part of this overall goodness must surely due to incredible production. From the band’s bio, “these songs were recorded and mixed by Pete Steinkopf (The Bouncing Souls) and mastered by Stephen Egerton (The Descendents)”. If that doesn’t pique your interest right there, you might wanna just keep on walking.
At the end of it, you get five new punk rock tracks by a solid punk rock band. If you’d like to hear more, check out some of the band’s tracks here: http://www.reverbnation.com/upfornothing
–Jerry Actually
January 3rd, 2013 – Los Angeles, CA – Quintessential California punk band NOFX celebrate their monumental 30th anniversary by announcing the release of a limited edition deluxe LP collection of every studio album they have released, from 1988’s Liberal Animation through 2012’s Self Entitled on February 19th 2013. This limited edition collection will be available for preorder today at: www.nofxboxset.com.
The must-have collection of only 2500 pressings will include all of NOFX’s studio albums, as well as the 2xLP for the “7 Inch of the Month Club,” which has never been available before. Liberal Animation, S & M Airlines, Ribbed, White Trash, Two Heebs & A Bean, Punk In Drublic, Heavy Petting Zoo , So Long And Thanks For All The Shoes, Pump Up The Valuum , The Decline, War On Errorism, 7-Inch of the Month Club, Wolves in Wolves Clothing, Coaster and Self-Entitled are packaged in a beautiful hardbound anniversary box and pressed on colored vinyl with exclusive colors available through both Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph Records.
In addition, all box sets will include a life-size version of the band’s infamous stage banner and 500 LPs will be signed by the band. As a perfect gift for vinyl fans, collectors, and NOFX fanatics alike, the LP Box Set is limited edition and will undoubtedly sell out fast.
Formed in Los Angeles back in 1983, NOFX have sold well over 6 million albums in their illustrious career. Forged in the same fiery furnaces of the L.A. punk rock scene that gave us Bad Religion, Suicidal Tendencies, Germs and Descendents. NOFX emerged as punk rock juggernauts when they joined forces with Epitaph in 1989 and went on to release a string of crucial punk records. Their first major breakthrough came in the form of 1990’s Ribbed, still a fan favorite, followed up by now-classics White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean and Punk in Drublic, the latter selling well over a million copies. That was a wildly successful decade for NOFX as the band popularized the Warped Tour and was the flagship band for the skate/surf/snow culture of the 1990’s.
Now on Fat Mike’s own label, Fat Wreck Chords, their third decade was even more fruitful, which again speaks to NOFX’s indomitable longevity. The band’s decade-long ban on doing the mainstream press and media was lifted as they sought to actively share their dissent for the Bush Administration and speak out against the invasion of Iraq. And once the floodgates were open, NOFX and their “Rock Against Bush” movement were everywhere: Newsweek, Rolling Stone, New York Times, Howard Stern, and network television. All that high profile interest and hype was reflected in the success of their 2003 record, The War on Errorism, which was the #1 independent record in the country at the time if its release and topped Billboard’s Indie chart. The new NOFX full-length, Self Entitled, released on September 11th, is their 12th studio record. A return to their aggressive roots, the 12 tracks embrace the hostile early LA punk sound while maintaining the trademark technical and melodic sound that NOFX is renowned for.
For more information:
www.nofxboxset.com
www.epitaph.com
www.fatwreck.com
