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Do you like sci-fi? Wanna help somebody get the capital together to publish a book? (It isn’t me) Take a look here and decide if you’d like to help: http://kck.st/cc4UbN
Here’s the premise:
The book is about a man who lives in southern California in 2438 AD. His friend from way back gets taken to the world’s worst prison as a political prisoner. It’s his job to save his friend before he gets executed.
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Limozine release their new single Siamese Twins via Beatatlas Records on Nov 22nd.
Limozine’s new single ‘Siamese Twins’, with B-side ‘Jennifer X’, is the bands fourth single and the first single to be taken from their forthcoming third album ‘Full Service’. Limozine were first picked up by BBC6’s Tom Robinson who chose the bands second single ‘You Da Boss’, and the B-side ‘Honey Yeah,’ to feature on his Fresh on the Net show. ‘You Da Boss’ also featured on the new music playlist on BFBS Worldwide Radio, was chosen for the A list on Total Rock Radio and received multiple plays by Gideon Coe on 6 Music. The single was featured on the ‘Classic Rock Jukebox’ in the March issue of Classic Rock magazine.
Continue reading Limozine – Siamese Twins
Mrs Skanotto – The Long Dark Road
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Rating: 
© 2010 Mrs Skanotto
Well folks, I am sonofabitchin impressed. I wrote something; someone actually read it; new audio shows up in the mail. (Specifically I said that I miss ska. Less specifically, I think I screamed it into the night sky.). So here’s what’s shakin’ bacon. I’m listening to the new release, The Long Dark Road by Rochester’s own Mrs Skanotto.
Admittedly, I am not familiar with Mrs. Skanotto. I feel a bit like I have been missing out, this being their 5th release and all. Apparently the Continental Divide does more that determine where water ends up. However, now that I’m in the know, so to speak, I’m digging the new grooves.
The Long Dark Road is a full on New England (maybe NE would be more accurate) 3rd wave ska CD. The disc delivers on 12 tracks of soulful down beat horn dripping ska. Seriously, what can you not like about music that elevates the mind and soul and makes you want to skank to boot.
The more I listen to this CD, the more it makes me think that I’ve heard this band before. On some comps maybe? For lack of any official remembrance, I’ll try to liken the sound to something I’m more familiar with. I’m thinking that an artful blend of Spring Heeled Jack (USA) and Deals Gone Bad (albeit with less Piratude) would be a reasonable assumption.
So here is the big breakdown. The Long Dark Road delivers really solid ska. The content ranges from love and longing to pompous posturing to camp to the dark depths of suicide. Despite the darkness the disc stays on the lighter side musically and keeps you dancing throughout. Oh, and did I mention horns? Honestly, the horns bring it!
-Jerry Actually
For fans of: Spring Heeled Jack, Deals Gone Bad, Toasters, Ska
Track Listing:
1. The Other Man
2. Girlfriend
3. Long Dark Road
4. Smashed Against the Wall
5. Ordinary Girl
6. Girl Come Back
7. Self-Appointed King
8. Get Off the Fence
9. Time to Play
10. Mainstream
11. Finally Happy
12. The 86th Floor
NOFX – The Longest EP
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Rating:
© 2010 Fat Wreck Chords
Do you even remotely enjoy NOFX? Have you? Might you? … If you’ve answered in the affirmative to any and/or all of these questions, then what is not to like about The Longest EP? I know that I’m a bit tardy in getting this review out, but better late than some other thing, right?
At any rate, The Longest EP brings together a career-spanning collection of many of the best EP’s the band has offered up to date. From the one-sheet, it contains, “NOFX’s first Fat Wreck Chords release The PMRC Can Suck On This to their latest Cokie the Clown.” As an added bonus, you also get 8 tunes that have heretofore been unavailable on anything but vinyl (or maybe cassette).
But I digress. If you’re in anyway a fan of NOFX and would like a 30-pack of classic (old and new) tracks on one damn fine compendium, than The Longest EP is the shizzle for you. … I won’t break down the original source material. You can check the track listing below and back-reference on your own if you’re so inclined. … but wait there’s more. It also has a monster of an insert w/ lyrics some that you’ve barely understood until now.
-Jerry Actually
For fans of: NOFX, Punk, Everything that’s good.
Track listing:
1: The Death of John Smith
2: The Longest Line
3: Stranded
4: Remnants
5: Kill All the White Man
6: I Wanna Be an Alcoholic
7: Perverted
8: My Name Is Bud
9: Hardcore 84
10: War on Errorism Commercial
11: 13 Stitches (Acoustic)
12: Glass War
13: Jaw Knee Music
14: Concerns of a GOP Neo-phyte
15: Golden Boys
16: You’re Wrong
17: Everything in Moderation (Especially Moderation)
18: I’m Going to Hell for This One
19: I’ve Become a Cliché
20: Cokie the Clown
21: Straight Outta Massachusetts
22: Fermented and Flailing
23: Codependence Day
24: My Orphan Year (Acoustic)
25: S&M Airlines (7″ version)
26: Dueling Retards
27: On the Rag
28: A200 Club
29: Shut Up Already
30: The Punk Song
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Rating:
© 2010 Them Damned Young Livers
Kansas City’s finest cow punks are back with a new one boys. Time to circle the pickup trucks, tap the kegs and have one hell of a throw down. I assure that it is exactly what Jesus would do. Psalms of Ill-repute picks up off where 2008’s Let The Sin Begin Leaves off, more or less hung over praying to the lord while drinking booze hoping to avoid that next DUI.
Where the current release takes a departure from previous material is in the raw DIY 60’s garage sound. This new, more rough hewn, sound is readily picked up on the first track. The swirling Hammond sounds on “White Bride Escort Service Inc.” primes the listener for a different TDYL experience. This is further augmented by the 70s rebel outlaw rocking of track 8 “Armed and Crazy”. But don’t fear, the same rowdy, drunken, preaching and rocking is still very much present in Psalms of Ill-repute.
The new disc delivers on 13 solid tracks of pasture-inspired booze-fueled rock and roll, the nefarious evil of which can only be tempered by desperate prayers and even more liquor. As a testament to the power of either the former or the latter, the songs of “Ill-repute”, while definitely more raw, are also better crafted. The combination of tighter composition and gritter production lends to on fine drinkin’ CD.
-Jerry Actually
For fans of: Hank III, Georgia Satellites, Reverend Horton Heat, Beer
Track Listing:
1. White Bride Escort Service Inc
2. Love Fight
3. Devil Out The Back
4. All Hell
5. Baby I’m Gone
6. Drinkin (Again)
7. Please Help Me Jesus (I Don’t Wanna Get Pulled Over Tonight)
8. Armed And Crazy
9. Please Stay
10. Georgia On A Fast Train
11. Bus Broke Down
12. Theme From Them Damned Young Livers (Another Song)
13. That Hip Hop You Speak Of
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Alphar Publishing
© 2010, Drew Stepek
Rating:
Los Angeles, present day. Gangs run rampant. Sex, money and drugs are the only economics. Gruesome serial murders, rape and robbery defile every street corner. The festering odor of blood shit and puke foul the air. So, you might as, “what’s makes this any different than reality?”
This time the whole fucking mess is controlled by brutal junkie vampires!
Erase any pictures you have of Lestat and his white ruffled Victorian charm or Edward with his dreamy tween-heartthrob looks. The vampires of Knuckle Supper are hardcore junkies that rape rob and kill for blood and drugs.
Drew Stepek’s gory depiction of modern vampire life delivers the reader into a world of factional gangs vying for control of the streets and the life-forestalling drugs. There is no glamor and no hope for immortality, only the next fix. The grim tale in Knuckle Supper centers around what can be best thought of as a two-bit gang of punks, goths and misfits, The Knucklers. In particular their leader RJ, a violent and grimy punk and his protégé Dez, a quick-tempered goth.
At the outset, RJ and Dez brutally murder and consume a pimp and kidnap his underage prostitute, Bait (short for jailbait). The original idea is to have the hooker lead johns back to their house to make the quest for blood and heroin, the Knuckler drug of choice much more clean and efficient. (Incidentally, their drug of choice is heroin, injected into the victim and then consumed during the imminent death. The consumption often takes to form of ripping off the victims arm and draining the drug laced blood from the end of a severed finger, the knuckle supper, if you will.)
Unsure of his reasons why, even after numerous provocations, RJ can’t or won’t bring himself to kill one of his latest victim, the young hooker. It is almost as if there he has a small spark of humanity. The developing relationship between RJ and Bait begins to unravel his other friendships and alienates Dez to an alarming degree.
Things go from bad to worse when The Knucklers end up with a bag or ill-gotten heroin and decide to sell it from underneath its rightful owner. The world as they know it starts to unravel. Rival vampires begin to battle for control of Los Angeles. The Knucklers are in danger of their very un-lives at the hands of the controlling gang, The Battlesnakes. The downward spiral culminates in a series of not necessarily expected twists.
At any rate, I enjoyed the book. I will state that it isn’t for the faint of heart, there are some serious depictions of violence and sexual abuse throughout the novel that may best be avoided by the sensitive. However, if you’re willing to get past that, there is a pretty good read lodged within. Think to yourself, West Side Story with vampires on heroin and without the music, or maybe its more like The Warriors.
On more of a critical note, I think that the characters were a bit shallow. Or perhaps it was that only the central characters of RJ and Bait were painted with much depth. All the rest seem almost as extras. Outside of that my other major gripe is with editing.
I caught a few text/typo variety errors, no big deal. What bothered me was that every so often a sentence would make a startling drop in continuity as though I had skipped a sentence. On more than one occasion I had to read and re-read the preceding material to be sure that I hadn’t missed something. This was even more awkward when it happened on a page turn.
Without creating too much of a spoiler, Knuckle Supper is a dark portrayal of addiction and life outside of mainstream society. It is potentially and allegory of man’s own inhumanity and the dearth of justice for the denizens of the edges.
-Jerry Actually
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Play Barclaycard’s Rollercoaster Extreme game. You could win an iPad, a trip to Las Vegas or £50,000*.
Barclaycard’s Rollercoaster Extreme is now even more exciting. As well as new multiplayer and ghost racing game functionality, we’re now available for download on the iPad! Even better, you can now also be in to win yourself an iPad, a trip to Las Vegas and even £50,000*!
Simply download Barclaycard’s Rollercoaster Extreme game for free, submit your top score to the Barclaycard Rollercoaster Facebook Leaderboard and you could be a big winner! Every month Barclaycard will be giving away an iPad to the player with the highest score for that month. They’ll also be sending the four all-time top scorers on a trip to Las Vegas for the Rollercoaster Extreme game playoffs. Once in Vegas they’ll play each other for the chance to win £50,000 at NYNY Hotel – which has its very own rollercoaster.
To re-cap the new and previous game features:
NEW. Multiplayer functionality, challenge the person next to you on all eight tracks
NEW. Ghost racing mode, try to beat the times of our top racers all over the world
Race around a 3D New York City
Unlock new areas in the game
Interact with the game environment on every ride
Tilt the screen to dodge obstacles or grab speed boosting energisers
Collect special Rollercoaster Extreme rider badges at every level
This new game is inspired by the Barclaycard Rollercoaster TV ad. If you missed it, you can check it out at www.youtube.com/barclaycardcreate. You’ll also find a demo of game there, so you can see just how fun it is!
SOCIAL DISTORTION ANNOUNCE JAN/FEB WEST COAST
HARD TIMES TOUR DATES
October 25, 2010 – Los Angeles, CA – Iconic Southern California rock ‘n’ roll band Social Distortion have announced a January/February west coast tour in support of their highly anticipated forthcoming album, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, which is scheduled for release on January 18. Touring in support will be Lucero and Chuck Ragan, with The Aggrolites playing select dates. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, October 29 and can be purchased through http://www.socialdistortion.com/tours/.
Social Distortion’s west coast run marks the first time since 2004/2005 the band has done a full tour of the region. The band is currently trekking across the country on a headlining US tour, ripping through classics and previewing songs from their long awaited new studio album, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, for diehard fans.
Their first album in over six years, Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes, builds on singer Mike Ness’ twin footings, one in the haunted American landscapes of Hank Williams and the other in the raw swagger of Exile-era Rolling Stones. While these twin pillars have always been behind Social Distortion’s anthemic songs, on Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes they come roaring to the fore, in one of the hardest rocking, most soulful, albums of Ness’ career. Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes’ first single, “Machine Gun Blues,” will be available for download exclusively through iTunes beginning November 16.
Fans and critics are taking notice as Social Distortion unveils new songs at shows across the country and west coast supporters are chomping at the bit to get in on the action. Don’t miss one of rock ‘n’ roll’s great live bands in a city near you!
###
Social Distortion Tour Dates:
1/20 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues (w/Lucero and Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music))
1/24 – Bakersfield, CA – Kern Fairgrounds Ex Hall #2 (w/Lucero and Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music))
1/25 – Ventura, CA – Ventura Theatre (w/Lucero and Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music))
1/27 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Palladium (w/The Aggrolites and Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music))
1/31 – Modesto, CA – Centre Plaza (w/Lucero and Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music))
2/1 – Davis, CA – Davis Freeborn Hall (w/Lucero and Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music))
2/3 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield (w/The Aggrolites and Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music))
2/8 – Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom (w/The Aggrolites and Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music))
2/12 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo (w/The Aggrolites and Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music))
2/15 – Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Theatre (w/Lucero and Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music))
2/16 – Fresno, CA – EOC Gym Events Center (w/Lucero and Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music))
2/19 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues (w/Lucero and Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music))
2/20 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues (w/The Aggrolites and Chuck Ragan (of Hot Water Music))
For More Information:
www.socialdistortion.com
www.myspace.com/socialdistortion
www.epitaph.com
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Rating:
© 2010 The Enders
Here’s a five track demo by Lafayette Indiana’s The Enders; a blend of Punk and Metal and a smattering of Rock. The disc’s tracks are performed admirably by the power-trio. The band is comprised of Ben Hagood on guitar and vox, Sam Kock on bass and backing vox and Kyle Martin pulling percussion duties.
The songs, in general, are fast paced. However, the center tracks of the demo: Track 2 Martyr, Track 3 Split Decision and especially Track 4 What If I are considerably shorter and more raw sounding than the intro and outro tracks. I have it on reasonable authority that the shorter punkier sound is the more current direction of the band. I certainly approve of that. While I’m not gonna bag on the more metallic tracks, they are seriously over my three minute attention span mark.
Musically speaking the vocals remind me of a strange mix of Nuclear Assault and Sacred Reich, which is odd, but works with compact, punchy riffs and the minimalist drums. Guitar solos in some of the tracks are a bit much, but that is the anti-epic metal in me talking again. If you’re down with solos, so be it. That’s your problem.
The bottom line here is that The Enders have busted out a solid demo, but I knocked of a few points for the excesses of the first and last track in both duration and unnecessary filler. With that, the middle three tracks are like the delicious center of the tootsie-pop. So support your local Midwest punk-metal-thrash-rock bands and go see The Enders, buy this demo so they can make more music like tracks 3, 4 and 5.
A couple notes: if you have cross-fade turned on, you might want to turn it off. The tracks end and start rather abruptly. Oh, and make sure you listen all the way to the end of the final track to get the wicked sweet thrash breakdown.
–Jerry Actually
Track Listing:
1 Role Model
2 Martyr
3 Split Decision
4 What If I
5 Inkblot
