Author: Jerry Actually

Retox Beneath California Out Now

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Los Angeles-based hardcore punk band Retox has a new album Beneath California out today via Epitaph. Visit The FADER to watch the video premiere of “Without Money, We’d Be Rich” http://www.thefader.com/2015/02/10/spiders-fight-in-a-cemetery-for-retoxs-without-money-wed-all-be-rich-video. The video documents the popular pastime of spider fighting in the Philippines. (Arachnophobes, look away.)

The Retox lineup consists of Justin Pearson (The Locust, Head Wound City, All Leather, Swing Kids), Michael Crain (Festival of Dead Deer, Kill the Capulets), Brian Evans, and Keith Hendriksen (Kill the Capulets, Virginia Reed). Since their conception in 2011, they have toured with similarly like-minded acts such as Melt-Banana, Tomahawk, OFF!, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Trash Talk. Retox is a band that aims to simultaneously reflect and defy, using music as a way of holding a broken mirror to the rest of us, exposing different pieces of our own fucked up realities, and forcing the acknowledgement of the inevitable self-imposed apocalypse we are creating for ourselves.

Retox kicks off their month long tour tonight in San Diego at The Casbah. Full tour dates listed below and tickets are on sale now.

Beneath California Track List

1. Die In Your Own Cathedral
2. We Know Who’s The Prick
3. The Savior, The Swear Word
4. Let’s Not Keep In Touch
5. Disappointing Grade
6. The Inevitable End
7. This Should Hurt A Little Bit
8. Death Will Change Your Life
9. Without Money, We’d All Be Rich
10. You’re Only A Crook If You Get Caught
11. Wooden Nickels
12. Strong Wrong Opinion

Retox Tour Dates

Feb 10 San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Feb 11 Tempe, AZ – 51 West
Feb 12 Las Cruces, NM – Trainyard
Feb 13 Dallas, TX – Three Links
Feb 14 Austin, TX – Red 7
Feb 15 Houston, TX – Fitzgeralds
Feb 17 Atlanta, GA – The Earl
Feb 18 Chapel Hill, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Feb 19 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar
Feb 20 Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie
Feb 21 Brooklyn – NY – St Vitus
Feb 22 Cambridge, MA – The Middle East
Feb 24 Montreal, Quebec – Turbo Haus
Feb 25 Toronto, Ontario – The Cave @ Lee’s Palace
Feb 26 Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop
Feb 27 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick Lounge
Feb 28 Chicago, IL – Cobra Lounge
Mar 01 Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock Social Club
Mar 02 Omaha, NE – Slowdown
Mar 03 Kansas City – Minibar
Mar 04 Denver, CO – High Dive
Mar 05 Salt Lake City, UT – Bar Deluxe
Mar 06 Boise, ID – The Shredder
Mar 07 Seattle, WA – Black Lodge
Mar 08 Portland, OR – Ash Street Saloon
Mar 09 Oakland, CA – Metro Oakland Operahouse
Mar 10 Los Angeles, CA – Los Globos

For more information on Retox, visit: https://www.facebook.com/RETOXRULES

Getting Back on Track

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Wow have I ever fallen off the beaten path. It’s been over two months since I’ve bothered to post anything. Even before that I noticed myself beginning to slack off. I seem to keep making excuses. Here’s some more. It has been a tumultuous prior six months. I changed jobs. The kind that pay. Not this. A lot of my energy has gone into that. Suddenly the holidays showed up. Lately I’ve been looking for a house. Things have been hectic. I apologize. After this weekend I’m seriously going to make an honest effort to get things back in line. !upstarter isn’t dead yet, just tired.

–Jerry Actually

Downtown Struts Debut Latest Single “Abused”

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DOWNTOWN STRUTS DEBUT LATEST SINGLE “ABUSED”
NEW EP HOPE YOU’RE DOPE TO BE RELEASED ON NOV. 18TH!
STREAM IT HERE: http://apdot.net/10R2hSl
DOWNTOWN STRUTS have premiered “Abused” on AbsolutePunk. The track is the second single from the band’s upcoming EP Hope You’re Dope out Nov. 18th on Pirates Press Records.

The EP is currently available for pre-order at http://smarturl.it/HopeYoureDope.

Swingin’ Utters – Fistful of Hollow

© 2014 Fat Wreck Chords

[rating:8/10]

fistful-of-hollow-croppedIt’s been a long time since I could drag my ass in front of a computer and be bothered to write anything at all. I’d like to blame it on a lot of things, but in truth, it’s my own fault. Thankfully there is a new album from $wingin’ Utter$ to kick me in the pants. Officially released today, the new album has been streamable through several outlets for a couple weeks now. If you haven’t already heard it, get on this!

15 tracks of both class sounding Utters and a new eclectic sound that brings new dimension to the bands punk rock pedigree. The tracks are arranged in a tilt-a-whirl of back and forth styles. From the angular opener, Alice and into the the title track, Fistfull of Hollow sees the band back to form and then bolting off of standard form into Tell Them Told You So. The album progresses in this manner throughout.

I can understand if it might be a bit off putting at first. There’s a lot of experimenting with styles that might leave some questioning the direction of the band. It’s my opinion that as a band matures, they’re going to either give over to experimentation or grow stale. To that end, it makes me think of how things changed on Let’s Go Bowling’s Stay Tuned release, or later era Clash. Yeah, maybe it wasn’t you thought it was supposed to be, but it was damn good.

Overall it’s a rewarding listen for old and new fans alike. At the end of the day, there’s nothing so far out of form that the familiar tracks won’t drag you back in to give the next tune a try.

–Jerry Actually

Awesome and The Asskickers

© 2014

[rating:9/10]

aak_cropsAll hope was lost. Children and goats cried out in the dark of night. Productivity was high, yet morale was low. Suddenly things were different. Somehow all hope was not lost. A new album appeared and it was Awesome … … … … … and the Asskickers!

Following up on their bold and dashing EP from 2008 comes a new full length release from Orlando’s most rocking luchadores, AAK, heretofore known as Awesome and the Asskickers.

Quit Fucking With Our Crops brings 11 songs, many of which are new, seemingly better, renditions of “classic” AAK tunes. Naturally when your band is this powerful, you don’t just live on the legacy of your past material, even if you easily could. New sweet track faves include: “Tombstone”, an homage to delicious frozen bake-in-your-own-oven pizzas, (One wonders if the AAK crew ever got to enjoy sweet sweet Tombstone Pizza before their terrible corporate takeover in the 80s?) “I like Making Friends”, a wonderful song of friendship and nachos, and Still Alive, a bit more, how shall I say, musically mature, instrumental.

But enough about that. Now it’s time for this. If you are unaware of the sound that AAK’s putting down, it’s a wacky blend of Ramonesesque punk riffs, a dab of surf guitar, the Grease soundtrack, Meatmen style gruffness, a Broadway musical, and the Latino flair of Manic Hispanic. So dig on that if you can.

At any rate, there’s a new AAK release. It is your new immediate favorite. If you need to contact the band to play your sister’s quinceanera or something, you can google ‘em up on the interwebs at www.awesomeandtheasskickers.com

If that all ain’t enough to get your guts in a bunch, I got two more questions to ask you. Are you ready? Are you ready for meatball spaghetti?

–Jerry Actually

Solid Gold Balls – Dream Is Real

© 2014
[rating:8/10]

solid-gold-ballsSo, of course, I’m going to mention that this band is named Solid Gold Balls. Right off the bat it garners attention. After you get past the initial thoughts of “is this going to be schlock?”, “um, ok, humor band?”, or “seriously?” and you start to listen to the tracks, you are rewarded with something perhaps better than expected.

The songs are straight forward rock and roll with musical influences ranging from Sonic Youth, Presidents of the United States of America, and maybe Beck. Lyrically the tracks are fun and generally speaking very kid/family friendly. (at least on the surface). Rhyming pony with Rice-a-Roni, for example gives you an inkling of an idea about how the other songs might go. On an amusing note, Google Play Music has every last of the 14 tracks on Dream Is Real listed as explicit. … I feel this is akin to the PMRC advisory labels of yore.

Heck, I think if this release were cleaned up a little bit, especially in regards to track 11: Favorite Things, it would be a potential candidate for Mike Park’s family/kids label Fun Fun Records.

Content, or interpretation thereof notwithstanding, Dream Is Real brings you 14 solid tracks of catchy fun poppy punk rock delivered with a solid band and song craft behind them. The only major drawback for me is that perhaps the songs are too saccharine. If you listen to hard things can come off as trite. So I suggest sitting back, relaxing a bit, and not taking things so damn seriously.

–Jerry Actually

Getting to Know Solid Gold Balls

sgb1

1. MATT
Who are you and who does what in the band?
I’m Matt Souther. I play bass and really bring the backup singing to the next level.

How would you best describe the sound?
Not really basement rock, but more garage rock, with lyrics about how the fucking kids have made a mess out of the garage.

Dream rock moment (real or not)?
My dream has always been to see the country in a van. I’ve seen the west half of it in previous bands, but still wish to see the east, and now I’m pretty keene on seeing Europe from a van too.
And I too fantasize about playing SNL. Hopefully on a night when Natalie Portman hosts.

Still got day jobs?
Sort of, I own my own business, and co-own another business with Dan the drummer, laser engraving shit.

Any regrets?
Not doing this band sooner, back in the 90’s when they were handing out record deals to anyone with a shitty guitar and a loud amp who was also head to toe in flannel.
Continue reading Getting to Know Solid Gold Balls

Street Dogs European Tour

Street Dogs just announced a European headliner in August with Bishops Green as support. If you could post these dates on your website that would be greatly appreciated. Please let me know if you’d like to set up any interviews or other press with the bands. Thank you!

http://www.facebook.com/streetdogs
http://bishopsgreen.ca/

8/6 – London, England – Underworld
8/7 – Blackpool, England – Rebellion Festival
8/8 – Winchester, England – Boomtown Fair
8/9 – Torgau, Germany – Endless Summer
8/10 – Frankfurt, Germany – 11er Club
8/11 – Lindau, Germany – Club Vaudeville
8/12 – Eindhoven, Netherlands – Dynamo
8/13 – Oberhausen, Germany – Kulttempel
8/14 – München, Germany – Backstage
8/15 – Portomaggiore/Ferrara, Italy – What Is Rock? Festival*
8/16 – Stemwede, Germany – Stemweder Open Air Fest*

* – denotes no Bishops Green

Bum City Saints – Ride The Storm

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© 2014 Pirates Press Records
[rating:9/10]

bum_city_saints_ride_the_stormArriving more or less hot off the heels of their prior full-length, Spirit of the City, San Francisco’s own hard as fuck punk rockers, Bum City Saints are back with a new EP. (See, I told you new stuff was on the way, didn’t I?)

The “Ride The Storm” EP batters its way through five original tracks and one glorious cover. The songs are almost entirely done at a breakneck pace and clocking in at, for the most part, well under the two minute mark. If the track times alone are an indication, let me reinforce that by saying this EP rocks it out hard core from start to finish.

If you’re not all that familiar with the band, they’ve been rocking the Bay area since around 2007. Their music is a tight blend of punk and hardcore. The band, at least by sound, wears the street punk mantle with the Oi style sing-along whoa whoa whoas and the blue collar ethos. I’ve also noticed a progression towards some trash-esque melody in their later releases.

With multiple releases this year, the band is continuing strong. Three cheers for Bum City Saints! If you’d like to find out more about the band or check out their summer tour dates, hit up their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BumCitySaints

–Jerry Actually

Tracks:
1. Crush All
2. Bury Me
3. Into The Fire
4. From Ashes Rise
5. Calling Us Away
6. Eye Of The Tiger

Less Than Jake Tour Dates

LTJ have a new release out called “Do The Math”.

The a-side is from last year’s exceptional See the Light album while the b-side is a previously unreleased original titled “Connect the Dots” from their See The Light recording sessions. Read what drummer Vinnie Fiorello had to say about this single below:

“The song is an important one to everyone in the band, it encapsulates being through ups and downs in life- not only remembering who was there for you but also who is still around. The notion that you have to carry this heavy weight around on your shoulders becomes null and void when you realize the people, places, and things that matter the most in your life.”

You can catch them this summer on VANS WARPED TOUR, dates below!

06/13/14 Houston, TX at Reliant Park-Main Street Lot
06/14/14 San Antonio, TX at AT&T Center
06/15/14 Dallas, TX at Gexa Energy Pavilion
06/17/14 Albuquerque, NM at Isleta Amphitheater
06/18/14 Mesa, AZ at Quail Run Park
06/19/14 Las Vegas, NV at Luxor Lot
06/20/14 Pomona, CA at Pomona Fairplex
06/21/14 Mountain View, CA at Shoreline Amphitheatre
06/22/14 Ventura, CA at Seaside Park
06/25/14 Chula Vista, CA at Sleep Train Amphitheatre
06/26/14 Sacramento, CA at Sleep Train Amphitheatre
06/28/14 Southeast Auburn, WA at White River Amphitheater
06/29/14 Portland, OR at Portland Expo Center
07/02/14 St Louis, MO at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
07/03/14 Indianapolis, IN at Klipsch Music Center
07/04/14 Toronto, ON Canada at Molson Cadadian Amphitheatre
07/05/14 Montreal, QC Canada at Parc Jean Drapeau
07/06/14 Holmdel, NJ at PNC Bank Arts Concert Center
07/08/14 Buffalo, NY at Darien Center
07/09/14 Scranton, PA at Toyota Pavilion
07/10/14 Boston, MA at Xfinity Center
07/11/14 Camden, NJ at Susquehanna Bank Center
07/12/14 Wantagh, NY at Nikon at Jones Beach Amphitheater
07/13/14 Hartford, CT at The Comcast Theatre
07/15/14 Pittsburgh, PA at First Niagara Pavilion
07/16/14 Cinncinnati, OH at Riverbend Music Center
07/17/14 Cleveland, OH at Blossom Music Center
07/18/14 Auburn Hills, MI at The Palace of Auburn Hills
07/19/14 Chicago, IL at First Midwest Bank
07/20/14 Minneapolis, MN at Canterbury Park
07/22/14 Columbia, MD at Merriweather Post Pavilion
07/23/14 Virginia Beach, VA at Farm Bureau Live
07/24/14 Atlanta, GA at Aaron’s Amphitheatre
07/25/14 St Petersburg, FL at Vinoy Park
07/26/14 Miami, FL at Cruzan Amphitheatre
07/27/14 Orlando, FL at Central Florida Fairgrounds
07/28/14 Charlotte, NC at PNC Music Pavilion
07/29/14 Nashville, TN at Tennessee State Fairgrounds
07/30/14 Milwaukee, WI at Marcus Amphitheatre
07/31/14 Kansas City, MO at Sandstone Amphitheatre
08/02/14 Salt Lake City, UT at Utah State Fairpark
08/03/14 Denver, CO at Sports Authority Field at Mile High