I finally got to see Catbite live last night. A great set, opening for Bouncing Souls. Stopped and said hi to Brit after the show. A pretty kickass evening, especially for a “school night”
-Jerry Actually
Catbite – Live @ Observatory North Park
Tag: philly
Honey Forever Fire Out Now
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| Honey Forever Fire Out Now A very Happy Record Release Day to Honey. The Philadelphia based thrash-metal group, fronted by Jay Laughlin (Turning Point / Godspeed), play it fast and heavy in the vein of early Sepultura and the beloved Powertrip. Forever Fire marks their first album with Trenton indie-label Hellminded Records. Vinyl pre-orders are available at Hellminded Records and include three vinyl variants, a very limited repressing of the bands first EP, and a shirt. STREAM: FOREVER FIRE Bio: Originally, Honey wasn’t conceived as a full band project. It was more of a solo project to serve as “therapy” for singer / guitarist, Jay Laughlin (Turning Point, Godspeed). As Jay puts it, “I’ve been playing in bands non-stop since the 8th grade (1986). In 2017, I had a couple of back-to-back shitty situations which put me into a seriously dark depression. I thought maybe it was time to take a step back from playing in a band and book some studio time to make a record for myself… by myself.” These sessions would take Laughlin back to his roots — the heavy metal and hardcore music that first caught his ear and possessed him to pick up a guitar and write songs in the first place. Towards the end of the recording sessions that became the self-released “Nightmare Come to Life” EP, it was clear that this project should become Laughlin’s next band. Jay explains, “The plan was to play everything myself, but as I was getting deeper into the recording process, I became more and more excited about how things were coming together. So, I decided to bring my friend and old bandmate, Chris Hunter in to play some lead guitar parts to complete the songs. He’s the best guitar player I’ve ever played with, and we were both struck by how much we liked the songs. So, we thought it’d be a great idea to find a drummer and a bass player so we could play these songs live.” Miles Ziskind (drums) was brought to Jay’s attention by his brother-in-law, who said, “I have a friend who’s an amazing metal drummer — you should get him for your band!” So, when the time came, Miles was the first and only drummer Jay reached out to. “Turns out my brother-in-law was absolutely right!” says Jay. Laughlin was introduced to Greg Karlowitsch (bass) by a mutual friend, “This is metal Greg, you two should start a band.” So, it was a no-brainer, Greg joined up too, and Honey (the “therapy” project) became a full band. As Jay puts it, “It seemed like it was meant to be. Miles and Greg blew me away the first time we jammed together.” Fast-forward to early 2020. Honey is a proper band with an EP on the verge of release and live shows are booked, and then… well, we all know what happened next. The world shut down! Live music is gone for the foreseeable future. “The depression that inspired this project in the first-place kicked in all over again.” Jay laments. But there is a silver lining — Honey has since had the good fortune to sign a deal with New Jersey’s, HellMinded Records and are set to record a debut full-length album, which is scheduled for release in the early May of 2021. Jay and the band are excited for the future. Jay sums it up this way, “As much as 2020 has been doing its best to keep everything I love on hold, I couldn’t be more excited to make a record with this band at this time. Playing music that’s loud and fast with my friends will always be the best therapy!” FFO: Power Trip, Enforced, Mindforce, Iron Reagan  Release Date: 5/28/21 Label: Hellminded Records Formats: Digital | Vinyl Purchase Hellminded Records: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Website Honey: Bandcamp | Instagram Album Credits: Jay Laughlin – Vocals/Guitar Miles Ziskind – Drums Chris Hunter – Lead Guitar Greg Karlowitsch – Bass All songs written by Jay Laughlin except Relentless, written by Jay Laughlin and Chris Hunter All lyrics by Jay Laughlin. Produced by Jay Laughlin and Pete Rydberg. Engineered and Mixed by Pete Rydberg at 1934 Studios, Philadelphia, PA 2020 Mastered by Arthur Rizk Cover painting by Adam Burke / Nightjar Illustration Photo: Dave Laughlin |
THE MENZINGERS SHARE VIDEO FOR “AFTER THE PARTY”
PHILADELPHIA PUNK BAND NOW ON NATIONAL HEADLINE TOUR
(Photo Credit Charles Wzresniewski)
Today marks the premiere of the video for “After the Party,” the title track from The Menzingers’ latest album. The Philadelphia punk band’s fifth full-length, After the Party was released last month to much critical acclaim.
Directed by Kyle Thrash, “After the Party” unfolds as a frenetic short film following a young couple through Dairy Queen parking lots, trashed apartments, house parties, motel rooms, pool halls, and rooftops. The video’s gritty yet romantic sensibility perfectly captures the spirit of the song—a bittersweet anthem that Menzingers singer/guitarist Greg Barnett has described as “mundane moments etched behind eyelids that culminate into meaningful realizations, and of course give way to the beautiful trifecta of Sex! Drugs! Rock n Roll!”
Watch the video for “After the Party” here:
Produced by Will Yip (Title Fight, Balance & Composure, Pianos Become the Teeth), After the Party offers a raw yet nuanced look at getting older but not quite growing up. In a five-star review, Blurt praised the album as “one of the best punk records you’ll hear this year.” Also hailing After the Party as the band’s best album to date, Blurt noted that The Menzingers “have been progressively growing from their fiery, aggressive earlier years into something more reflective and introspective, while never compromising energy or attitude.”
AFTER THE PARTY TRACKLIST:
1. Tellin’ Lies
2. Thick as Thieves
3. Lookers
4. Midwestern States
5. Charlie’s Army
6. House on Fire
7. Black Mass
8. Boy Blue
9. Bad Catholics
10. Your Wild Years
11. The Bars
12. After the Party
13. Livin’ Ain’t Easy
The Menzingers are currently on tour in support of After the Party, with Jeff Rosenstock and Rozwell Kid opening up.
Tickets for the tour are on sale now.
THE MENZINGERS TOUR DATES:
Mar 23 Orlando, FL – The Social
Mar 24 Orlando, FL – The Social (Sold Out)
Mar 25 Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room
Mar 26 Tampa, FL – The State Theatre
Mar 28 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Mar 29 Washington, DC – Rock & Roll Hotel (Sold Out)
Mar 30 New York, NY – Irving Plaza (Sold Out)
Mar 31 Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
Apr 01 Boston, MA – Royale (Sold Out)
Apr 04 Brooklyn, NY – Music Hall of Williamsburg
For more information on The Menzingers, visit:
Ruder Than You – Creation Sounds
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© 2009 God’s Ghetto Records
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You know what I miss? Ska. Maybe because it was foundational in my youth and I pine for the long gone days, or more likely because ska is full on awesome, I miss ska. Thankfully I have a mailbox that occasionally gets laced with some of the good stuff. What do I have here (hear) you might ask. Well what I have is a brand new CD, Creation Sounds from Ruder Than You. This Philly ska band has been bustin’ it since back ’89 at Penn State. Eight great tracks of pick it up, dit dit dit, horn laden ska. For the uninitiated, ska music was invented by future robots that came back to the past disguised as Dutch colonists to the island for Grenada. After they invented the bicycle they grew bored and started ska bands. Ok, no really, there is a reasonably apt history of Ska on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ska The jazz and calypso roots are unmistakable on Creation Sounds as is the love of music. Honestly I’m at a small loss for words, but I want to bring you the honest truth (in so far as I perceive it) I’m not as stoked on this as I would be a new MU330 disc, but I’m pretty damn pleased. Support your local ska band ladies and gents, and local or not, support ska by (buy) getting a copy of Creation Sounds new to you from Ruder Than You!
–Jerry Actually