Monday, November 27, 2006

Underground Communique Playlist 11/24/06

Michigan and Smiley- Compliments to Studio One- Rub a dub- Studio one
Fugazi- Provisional- 13 Songs- Dischord
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Jets to Brazil- Crown of the Valley- Orange Rhyming Dictionary- Jade Tree
Rhythm Collision- Out Again- Irrepressible- Stiff Pole
Defect Defect- Little Ways- Yeah, I'm a Terrorist 7"- Clarence Thomas
Observers- Where I Stay- "" 7"- Deranged
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Avail- The Falls- Front Porch Stories- Fat
Latterman- Videogames...- No Matter Where We Go!- Deep Elm
This is My Fist- Yank Fiction- Letters From the Landfill- Left of the Dial
Latterman- Doom Doom Doom!- No Matter Where We Go!- Deep Elm
Jawbreaker- Ashtray Monument- 24hr Revenge Therapy- Tupelo
Kill Your Idols- hardcore circa 1999- split w/ FSA- hell bent
Dillinger 4- let them eat Thomas Paine- Hopeless
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Ambition Mission- Run, m-f'er- You name it...- Gov. Music
Radio Beats- Ready To Shake -Ready to Shake- Big Neck
Discount- Rooftop Empathy- Wonder Pulled me Under- Liquid Meat
the king khan and the bbq show- ill never belong- whats for dinner?- in
the red
Carl Perkins- Matchbox- the sun story- rhino
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Johnny Cash and the Ten. 2- folsom prison blues- sun story- rhino
Deadfall- Keep Telling Yourself It's OK- ""7"- Tank Crimes
Shellac- Wingwalker- Uranus-s/r
RSA- Brezhnev- Dreamland- Under Comm
Fucked Up- Crusades/David Comes to Life- Hidden World- Deranged
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Red Monkey- Pro Choice- Make The Moment- Troubleman
Blatz- Lullabye/chuck- Shit Split- Life Is Abuse
Screamers- Punish or be Damned- in a better world- xeroid
Pink Lincolns- Oh Bondage!- Sumo Fumes- Stiff Pole
Chumawumba-Never Do what you are told/ I never gave up -split Noam
Chomsky- Ak Press, Allied
Grey Matter- October- Thog- Dischord
Carbonas- September Gurls- s/t- Raw Deluxe
Pedestrians- Violent Red/state of emergency- Ideal Divide- Wrench
The Lee Harvey Oswald Band- Blastronaut- Panic in Hanoi- Touch n' Go
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7 Seconds- Satyagraha/busy little people= Soulforce Revolution- Positive
Force records
Carl Perkins- honey Don't- sun story- rhino
Formeldahyde Junkies- Road Hazard/Shitty Life-...are a total wreck-
Fashionable Idiots
mickey lee lane- hey sah-lo-ney- shakin fit- candy
CBDS- Between the lions- s/t 7"- lookout
donoman and the the lakettes- here comes the fool- all tore up- bluesbeat
cadets- stranded in the jungle- 12 original soul hits
mary welles- bye bye baby- greatest hits- motown
The Jam- Bitterest Pill I ever Had to Swallow- "" single- Polydor
Agent Orange- Bloodstains- Living in Darkness- Posh Boy
999- obsessed- concrete- polygram
Devo- the day i gave my baby a sooprize- duty now for the future
Rites of Spring- Deeper than inside- s/t- Dischord
cat power- say- moon pix- matador

Friday, November 17, 2006

Underground Communique Playlist 11/17/06

1. Teenage Bottlerocket - Radio - Total - Red Scare
2. Modern Machines - What I Be Leavin' - Take it, Somebody! - Dirtnap
3. Moral Crux - Window Shopping - Pop Culture Assassins - Panic Button
4. Beat Beat Beat - Hate Me - Living in the Future - Dirtnap
*Break
5. Lemonheads - Poughkeepsie - S/T - Vagrant
6. Sludgeworth - Someday - Losers of the Year - Lookout!
7. Copyrights - Button Smasher - Button Smasher 7" - It's Alive Records
8. Crimpshrine - In My Mind - Sleep, What's That? 7" - Lookout!
*Break
9. Defect Defect - Yeah, I'm a Terrorist - Yeah, I'm a Terrorist 7" - Clarence Thomas Records
10. Pedestrians - Bloodstains - Ideal Divide - Wrench in the Gears
11. Busy Signals - Love and Dust - S/T 7" - Douche Master Records
12. The State - No Illusions - No Illusions 7" - Havoc
*Break
13. Eske - We're Still Here - Big Trouble in Little Village - Southkore
14. Minor Threat - Small Man, Big Mouth - Complete Discography - Dischord
15. Gorilla Biscuits - Things We Say - Start Today - Revelation
16. Intefada - Short Fuse - 4 Way Split - S/R
*Break
17. Pegboy - Not What I Want - Strong Reaction - 1/4 Stick (request)
18. AVAIL - Lombardy Street - Over the James - Jade Tree
19. Street Dogs - Common People - Fading American Dream - Brass Tack
20. Embrace - Said Gun - S/T - Dischord
21. The Trouble - This One's For You - S/T - Bridge Nine
*Break
22. Weekend Nachos - Intro/End of Your Faith - Torture EP - Tooth Decay
23. The Jury - I Hate the Future - S/T 7" - Electric Mayhem
24. Drunken Boat - Stop Everything - S/T - 1234...Go! Records
25. Carbonas - Cold Waste - S/T - Raw Deluxe
26. Soviettes - Bottoms Up, Bottoms Out - LP - Adaline
*Break
27. Dag Nasty - Values Here - Can I Say - Dischord (request)
28. Latterman - My Dreas About Not Sleeping Until 3PM - Turn Up the Punk, We'll Be Singing - Deep Elm
29. O Pioneers!!! - Enemies on Speed Dial - Black Mambas - Team Science
30. Fake Problems - Born'n Raised - S/T EP - Sabot
31. Astrid Oto - Apology - Discography - No Idea
*Break
32. American Steel - Rotting - S/T - New Disorder
33. Kraut - All Twisted - An Adjustment to Society - New Red Archives
34. This is My Fist - I Realized My Error on Harrison Street - I Don't Want to Startle You, But They are Going to Kill Most of Us - Left Off the Dial
35. Nostrilsaurus - One Step Forward - Lake County Freak Show 7" - S/T
36. Banner Pilot - Bender - Pass the Poison - Arsenic
*Break
37. The Ergs - I'm In Trouble - We'll Inherit the Earth... A Tribute to the Replacements - 1234...Go! Records
38. Bananas - Don't Touch That Thing - A Slippery Subject - Plan It X
39. the Minds - My Place - Plastic Girls - Dirtnap
40. Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Ain't Talkin' Bout Love - Where'd You Go EP - Taang!
*Break
41. Circle Jerks - Deny Everything - Group Sex - Porterhouse
42. Ambition Mission - History Defeats Itself - S/T - Government Music
43. Fleshies - Your Universe - Scrape the Walls - Alternative Tentacles
44. Dead Moon - Graveyard - Echoes of the Past - Sub Pop
45. J Church - Flirting With the Bourgeois Dream - Seishun Zankoku Monogatari - Snuffy Smiles
*Break
46. Apocalypse Hoboken - Brett - Strikes Back - Dyslexic Records
47. Not Rebecca - Driveway - Twin Cities Obituary - Johan's Face
48. Tiltwheel - All I Care About is Me, My Rum and You - Hair Brained Scheme Addicts - S/R (Reissue)
49. Pink Razors - Do You Wanna Go to Maymont? (Couple Skate) - Scene Suicide - Robotic Empire
50. Radon - Radon - Radon 7" - No Idea
*Break
51. Inquisition - We Got a Bomb - I Think It's Called Inspiration - A-F
52. Screeching Weasel - I Wanna Be With You Tonight - My Brain Hurts - Asian Man
53. Devo - Through Being Cool - New Traditionalists - Warner
54. Catholic Boys - Messin' Me Up - Brainwash Cities - Kryptonite Records
55. Naked Raygun - Managua - Throb Throb - 1/4 Stick (Request)
*Break
56. Bear Proof Suit - Science is Dead - Science is Dead 7" - Criminal IQ
57. Cardiac Arrest - Fool Me Once - Life is a Dead End 7" - Grave Mistake Records
58. Against All Authority - All Fall Down - All Fall Down - Hopeless
59. Fun Boy 3 - It Ain't What You Do... - S/T - Chrysalis
60. Functional Blackouts - I'm a Modern Modern Man - The Severed Tounge Speaks for Everyone - Criminal IQ
*Break
61. Johnny Thunders - Chinese Rocks - After the Dolls - Cleopatra
62. Guitar Wolf - Jet Generation - Jet Generation - Matador
63. Void Control - We Are the Citizens - Any State Alliance - S/R
64. Elvis Costello and the Attractions - Senior Services - Armed Forces - Rhino
*Break
65.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Roots Rock Rebel

I started the morning today with the mellow sounds of Tapper Zukie's album, MPLA. This album is a great example of great 70's reggae that isn't Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, or Peter Tosh.
Tapper Zukie (also known as "Tappa"), was a reggae producer who was also a performer in his own right and was instrumental in the formation of what is now known as Dub Reggae. Along side his influence on reggae, he was also involved in the punk community, which was what helped reggae come to the forefront of pop music in the 70's, both state side as well as in the UK.
I first heard Zukie when I was doing my Friday morning radio show, "Wake Up Screaming," on WLUW here in Chicago. I was looking for something a bit more mellow to end my show with, which would normally lead into community affairs programming and while looking for a Deals Gone Bad CD, I stumbled across this. I read the review that was taped to the front of the CD and decided that I should give this a spin. I fell in love with the groove and horn hook on the title track so much that after my show, I locked myself in the production studio and listened to this album a couple times, before deciding I should run out to the record store and pick up this album. I spent a day looking for it with no luck and would spend a couple years casually looking for it in the reggae bins at various stores on my normal record shopping route. In the meantime, I was functioning on a burned copy of the album, which I've since replaced after making a stop in at Hard Boiled Records on Roscoe here in Chicago. Finding this records was one of those moments where you get that heart flutter and hear a chorus of angels sing. During that same trip, I found a copy of the Guitar Wolf movie, Wild Zero, but that's a story for another day.
Admittedly, my first exposure to reggae was Bob Marley back when I was six or seven, when I saw a performance video on channel 66 (in the early 80's, channel 66 in Chicago was all music videos). Later, I would hear Eric Clapton's version of "I Shot the Sheriff," at a friend of the family's house and thought it was bad ass. This friend of the family's son told me that Eric Clapton was punk rock, which I hesitantly accepted as truth (come on, I was like 8 years old at the time, cut me some slack). When I was 13, I heard the original Bob Marley version and decided that Bob Marley singing "I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot he deputy" was significantly more punk rock than Eric Clapton singing it. Shortly after hearing Bob Marley, my cousin, who is four years older than me and at that time was heavily into the east Bay scene, played Operation Ivy for me and I was surprised to hear the off beat guitar picking and said "are these guys trying to play reggae?" She corrected me and said they were playing ska. I had no idea what ska was, so she played the Specials, Selector and Madness for me. I recognized Madness as the band that did that "Our House" song and she quickly told me that that's when they "sold out." Regardless of what my cousin's thoughts on sell outism were, ska did me well. Despite being a full blown metal head who appreciated Bob Marley, the Specials struck a certain chord with me. They played up beat dance music, but they were kind of angry about it. There was something very aggressive about the tracks "Do the Dog" and "Night Club," especially the line "I won't dance in a club like this, the girls are sluts and the beer tastes just like piss." It made want to dance, but with clentched fists.
As I got older, I started discovering more and more modern ska bands like Erector Set, the Toasters, Tom Collins and the Cocktail Shakers and a local band called the Blue Meanies. I saw the Blue Meanies at the first Winter Nationals in 1993 and they were one of the most insane live bands I'd ever seen. Seeing a room full of mohawks and shaved heads scream "pave pave pave the world" at the top of their lungs, almost drowning out the music being played, was extremely powerful and instrumental in my further pursuit of bands like this. The only other band that I was listening to at that time that was more fucked up than the Blue Meanies was Mr Bungle and I very quickly tied the two together in my mind. Usually they would follow each other on mix tapes and up until Bungle's album, Disco Volante came out, I was hoping to see a Bungle/Blue Meanies show. Of course, once Disco Volante came out, all bets were off and Mr Bungle officially became the most fucked up band my ears had ever heard. More fucked up than John Zorn, Frank Zappa and Merzbow put together.
Disco Volante was like theme music for a cartoon about serial killers. I could picture an animated Richard Spec or John Wayne Gacey doing horrible things to this music. I remember my friend Tim and I would drive around listening to this album on warm summer nights with the windows open scaring the shit out of other motorists. This record became the soundtrack to the summer 1995 for me.
I think what I'm getting at is that the way we perceive music is always changing and it all connects somehow. When you think you have something figured out, you peel back a layer and you find something completely different. Whether it's someone who's uninformed calling Eric Clapton punk rock that leads you down a road that leads you to Bob Marley and Peter Tosh or whether you find a connection between an semi-obscure reggae artist like Tapper Zukie and an art rock collective like Mr Bungle. Music, not just punk can take you down some weird winding roads, so it's always worth researching your favorite artists deeper than their favorite color of M&M's, because you don't know what you'll find.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Underground Communique Playlist 11/10/06

1. Lawrence Arms - The Devil's taking Names - Oh! Calcutta - Fat
2. Tiltwheel - All I Care About is Me, My Rum and You - Hair Brain Scheme Addicts
3. Jawbreaker - Chesterfield King - Bivouac - Tupelo is Communion
4. This is My Fist - Beer for Breakfast - We'll Inherit the Earth... A Tribute to the Replacements - 1234...Go! Records
5. Broadways - Police Song - Broken Star - Asian Man
*break
6. Neurosis - The Choice - The Word as Law - Lookout!
7. ID Under - Bela Legosis' Not Dead (You Are) - S/T - Underdog
8. Snuky Tate - New Time - Who Cares? 7" - Blammo Records
9. Spits - Spit Me Out - S/T - Sloverly
*Break
10. Soft Boys - I Wanna Destroy You - Underwater Moonlight - Matador
11. Pist - The First Stone - Split w/Half Empty 7" - New Disorder
12. Army of Jesus - Mea Culpa - S/T 7" - Criminal IQ
13. Pedestrians - Flag of Yesterday - S/T 7" - S/R
14. Busy Signals - Do What You Want - S/T 7" - Douche Master Records
*Break
15. Reatards - Sick When I See - Not Fucked Enough - Empty Records
16. Ramones - Do You Wanna Dance - Rocket to Russia - Sire
17. the Shrubbers - Cash Flow Flood - Split w/Screwballs 7"- S/R
18. Nomads - Be Nice - Back From the Grave - Crypt
19. Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper - Ain't Got Nobody - V/A, Restless Variations - Restless Records
20. The Cramps - How Far Can Too Far Go? - Date With Elvis - New Rose
*Break
21. 999 - So Greedy - Concrete - Polydore
22. Joe Jackson - Crime Don't Pay - Beat Crazy - A&M
23. New Bomb Turks - Automatic Teller - Punk O Rama #654 - Epitaph
24. Out With a Bang - Out With a Bang - I'm Against It EP - Proud to Be Idiot
25. Propagandhi - Anti-Manifesto - Fat Wreck
*Break
26. Agression - Ripped Off - Grind Kings - Lucky 13
27. Apocalypse Hoboken - Hello, Hello - Jerk Lessons - Dyslexic
28. Intifada - Our Town - Mal De Ojo/4 Way Split - S/R
29. Tapper Zuki - MPLA - MPLA - Virgin
*Break
30. Bad Brains- Leaving Babylon- s/t- RIOR
31. Clash- Pressure Drop- Black Market Clash- Epic
32. Bad Brains- Sailin' On- S/t- RIOR
33. Soulside- 103- Bass 7"- Dischord
34. Endpoint- Chalk- Last Record- Doghouse
35. Beefeater- Just Things/bedlam Rainforest - House on Fire- Dischord
36. Rites of Spring- Spring/deeper than inside- S/t- Dischord
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37. AoF- American Dreams- Give Thanks- Bitzcore
38. Life's Halt- Luul-a-bye- Start Something- 625!
39. Assfactor 4- Attempted Control- s/t- Old Glory
40. Voetsek- Kick It- Kick It 7"- Deep Six
41. Seein' Red- Resist- Marinus- Ebullition
42. Holy Mountain- Wrath- Wrath 7"- No Idea
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43. Fucked Up- Triumph of Life- Triumph of Life 7"- Vice
44. Seige- Drop Dead- Disco- Deep Six
45. CoH- Fight or Die- Disco- SubT
46. Fugazi- Margin Walker- 13 songs- dischord
47. Kerosene 454- Easier- Two For Flinching- Art Monk
48. Crimpshrine- Trying Too Hard- Duct Tape Soup- Lookout
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49. Jets To Brazil- Chinatown- Orange...- Jade Tree
50. Fake Hyppi- Opinion of Feeling- 7 reprises of 7 seconds- weewee
51. Horace Pinker- You Know- Knives, Guns, Ammunition- Rhetoric
52. Observers- symbols, slogans, and lies-s/t- yellow dog

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

Mixing Pop With Politics -or- This Fest Ain't No Riot

Aside from the Democrats taking the House and potentially taking the Senate, which ultimately means that the center which poses as the left might have to actually grow a spine and take some sort of a stand now that they have control. Call me cynical, but I can only assume that they will drop the ball, much like they did after taking control of the House and the Senate after the Watergate scandal. Let's keep these slimey fucks accountable, ok?

This Ain't Riot, it's a Shopping Mall
When I heard that the people who put together Riot Fest every year were doing it again, I cringed, rolled my eyes and pretty much assumed that it was going to be a collection of washed up has beens, legendary bands fronted by movie stars and other bullshit of that sort. Shortly after, they announced that Naked Raygun, the Bollweevils and the Blue Meanies were going to be playing this show as well as 7 Seconds, Youth Brigade and the Effigies. "Man, what a collection of incredible bands," I thought. I never got to see Naked Raygun the first time around for various reason, so this was a big deal to me. The Bollweevils and Blue Meanies were old favorites of mine, so I thought that it would definitely be worth the pre-sale cost of 14.50 or whatever. What shocked the shit out of me was when I saw the local support they put on this show. The stand outs were I Attack and the Gravetones, but where were bands like No Slogan, Canadian Rifle, Shot Baker, Functional Blackouts, Busy Signals and other genuinely awesome punk bands? Instead, there was Fear City, the Massacres, Audio Violence (who are punk by label and not by any action or connection to actual DIY culture), Secret Agent Bill and Deals Gone Bad. The latter two are staples of the Chicago scene and for the most part make sense, but where is the real Chicago punk scene? One band? Come on. If you want to really show the lineage between what's going on now and what was going on ten and twenty years ago, you're not going to find that connection in bands like the Massacres and Audio Violence. Maybe these bands are all onto something that I'm missing. Maybe they felt that playing shows with beer and mainstream radio sponsorships, barricades, thug security guards and big, dumb light shows aren't punk? I think I'm right in this notion. Smoke machines, barricades, dancing lights and twenty feet between band and audience is by no means punk rock. At all. Granted, I can understand why the credible bands on this show played it, because it was a really good line up. If I were in any of those bands and you said "we've got Naked Raygun, 7 Seconds and Youth Brigade playing a show together," they'd have me at Raygun. Of course, I'd take it all with a grain of salt, which I'm sure most of the bands did. Back to my point. There's nothing punk rock about backstage passes. Separating the audience from the music like that is creating a fourth wall and in turn inventing the illusion of the rock star. Punk was never meant to be "the rock star." Some people might argue, but remember, Billy Joe Armstrong drives a BMW now. If that doesn't yell "sell out," I don't know what does.
All this being said, let me give a one by one run down of the show.
I opted to show up late, in order to miss the first handful of bands, but unfortunately, I missed the Gravetones and I Attack. I caught the tale end of Secret Agent Bill's set, which consisted of their ska song and some other song. I went for a walk after they were done in order to find a tasty beverage that wouldn't cost me five dollars. In the process, I ran into an old friend of mine, who filled me in on the opening bands. I don't feel like I missed too much, aside from the two bands I wanted to see.
We returned in time to catch the very end of Deals Gone Bad's set, but really, if you've seen them once, you've pretty much got the idea. They're a fun band to see if you don't see them often, but I do, so I wasn't horribly heart broken about missing them.
Following DGB was everyone's favorite Christian right wing, pro-war, pro-Bush administration Celtic punk band, Flatfoot 56. Assuming I didn't know anything about them, I probably would have thought their set was fun, but instead I laughed at the irony of their cover of the Ramones classic, "Commando." I think the irony of a pro-war band covering an anti-war song was pretty much lost on them. The highlight of their set was probably after they talked up their cover of "Amazing Grace," getting booed by over half the audience for giving the "big ups" to Jesus. Sorry guys, my other Jesus is a Camaro. It's also pretty cute that they have a credit card machine at their merch table. Up the punks indeed.
Up next was the Effigies, who played a lot of new songs and not enough old songs, but for the most part were an enjoyable set. No complaints here.
Following the Effigies were the Toasters, who as usual put on a phenomenal show. Unfortunately, with the giant mote full of gorillas, the kids couldn't get up on stage and dance like at normal Toasters shows.
Up next was the Business, whom I've never been a fan of. I sat it out and watched them play. I'm assuming it was a good set, judging by the crowd reaction.
Following the Business came the band I was waiting for, Youth Brigade. I absolutely love this band and they were pretty much the icing on the cake for this show. They got off to a rocky start due to a shitty monitor mix, but once that was sorted out, they pretty much brought it. I have a feeling that was the first time a lot of these kids had heard Youth Brigade, so it was quite the experience for them. They had a lot of good stuff to say between songs, taking shots at organized religion, the Bush administration and encouraged people to go out and vote.
Following them was Mustard Plug, who in all honesty I could go another ten years without seeing them and they'd probably be playing the same set they played in 1996.
7 Seconds were up next and this is where the thug bouncers were showing their colors. One of them ejected my friend Kyle for having X's on his hands. He's straight edge, but apparently that made little difference, since the security thugs X up people who are kicked out. This was bullshit. I also saw one of the security guards dropped a crowd surfer without making sure they were OK. 7 Seconds played really well and pulled out all the classics. I just think that some of these bands should really speak up when bullshit goes on with security.
The Bollweevils played a set that was pretty much on par with their past shows. Unfortunately, the disconnect with the audience really sucked a lot of energy out of their set. The kids seemed to like it though.
The Blue Meanies were fun, but seemed to sort of "phone it in," which is unfortunate. During their set, Billy Spunk threw his megaphone into the crowd and the thugs pretty much beat up the kid who caught it in order to take it from him. Fucking fascists.
Finally, the moment I'd been waiting for since 1992. Naked Raygun took the stage. Forget the fact that they were somewhat low energy (Jeff Pezatti was sick), forget the fact that the dip shit security kept blocking my view, forget the fact that they didn't play a lot of the songs I wanted to hear and forget the fact that Bill Stevens isn't half the guitarist that John Haggerty is. I saw Naked Raygun and it was good. If they play another show, I probably won't be forgiving, but if they do another show, it probably won't be at the Congress theater.
All in all, if I were to apply the name of this blog to Riot Fest, it would probably read "Not Punks, but Profits." Making money off of punk rock is big business these days and somehow the Riot Fest people have found an excellent way to exploit it. What I find unfortunate is exactly what my friend Kyle said about that night. Most of the kids who go to Riot Fest think that this is what going to shows is supposed to be like and that this is what punk rock is. That's why they don't understand small DIY spaces or think they can get involved with punk beyond buying into the consumerism of it all. Remember, in the words of Fugazi, "It's not what they're sellin', it's what you're buyin'." You don't have to give anyone your money, or your parents money. Think before you spend your cash. This will probably be the only Riot Fest I ever go to. Regardless of whether or not they can pull off an Articles of Faith reunion next year. These people don't deserve my money and they sure as hell don't deserve yours. Instead of supporting mainstream outlets for music, support DIY venues. Here's some links:
http://www.soutkorerecords.com
http://www.chicagohardcore.net
http://myspace.com/chicagopunkshows

All of these links have lists of shows going on around town. If you don't recognize a band, go to the show anyway, because you might see you new favorite band and meet some awesome people. Trust me. It's easier than ever to get involved, so instead of reading this blog, or crossing your fingers for another Adicts show, go get involved in the real punk rock scene.

Music Reviews! 11/08/06

Various Artists - We'll Inherit the Earth... a Tribute to the Replacements - 1-2-3-4... GO! Records
In the history of modern rock music, specifically that which is punk and indie rock, one of the most prolific and all around seminal bands of said genres most definitely was the Replacements. Forming in the early 80's Twin Cities hardcore scene, they put out a handful of incredible punk records before switching gears to allow Paul Westerberg to grow as a songwriter.
As far as tribute records go, this one is pretty much top notch. The bands are clearly all fans and do these songs justice. The stand out tracks on here come from the Ergs, Off With Their Heads, Modern Machines, Tiltwheel, Against Me!, Drag the River and probably the biggest shocker, the true to form version of "Unsatisfied," done by the Queers. Joe Queer doesn't sound like Joe Queer, but instead more like Paul Westerberg. I was expecting a classic Queers style track out of them, but they really show their fandom on this one.
This is worth the money, so if you're a fan of the Replacements, or if you're not, but instead a fan of any of these bands, you should grab this. This would be an excellent doorway into one of the greatest indie rock bands of all time.
http://www.1234gorecords.com

Report Suspicious Activity - Dreamland - Underground Communique Records
Featuring ex-members of bands like Articles of Faith, Jawbox, Government Issue and Kerosene 454, you can only imagine that this band is going to be somewhat intense. This four song EP rips through a post hardcore work of art. The guitars are angular, the basslines are melodic and the drums are huge. The vocals are intense and accusatory, while making you believe everything that's being said.
When hearing their debut album, I dubbed it the angriest album ever recorded. This isn't nearly as angry, but it's definitely a damn near perfect release that leaves you wanting more.
Pick this up. I not kidding and neither are they.
http://www.undercomm.org

Various Artists - Mal De Ojo, 4 Way Split - S/R
Four bands, fifteen songs, all destroy. This sounds like a collection of demos or 7"s, but instead of putting out individual releases, these bands got together and put out one solid release.
No Slogan starts this off with some great mid tempo hardcore in the tradition of their debut Southkore Records release, followed by a speedy song and a cover the Bhopal Stiffs classic, Too Many Things.
After that is Tropiezo who bring a late 80's hardcore flavor, not unlike Articles of Faith.
Following Tropiezo is Intifada, who play hardcore along the lines of Los Crudos, Charles Bronson and Non Fiktion Noise. All good stuff.
Closing out the record is Juventud Crasa, who are much more street punk than they are hardcore. Still, their songs hold up really well next to the more aggressive bands on this comp.
If you can track this record down, it's worth the few bucks it'll cost you.