BIG D AND THE KIDS TABLE – For The Damned, The Dumb & The Delirious

I remember seeing Big D live years ago and falling in love with their album Good Luck released back in 1999. Their high-energy punk ska music backed by a kick-ass horn section really made their sound stand out. Then I caught them at Warped Tour about five years ago and realized what I loved about this band had been utterly destroyed — a horn-driven pop-punk band.


For The Damned, The Dumb & The Delirious is a return of sorts to what I enjoyed about this band 12 years ago, although it’s a far cry from Good Luck. “Walls” opens it off with a taste of the older punk ska stylings from Big D, and the carefree fun filled ska feel continues into the next song “Clothes Off.” From here on, the remaining 16 tracks are hit and miss. The song “Best of Them All” comes across as a horn-filled rip-off from fellow Boston lads The Dropkick Murphys. The flow of this album just doesn’t do it for me. Granted, there are some decent tracks, most of which have that older Big D sound — tracks like “Set Me Straight” and “Not Our Fault” — but there are other tracks that just don’t seem to fit. Then there’s the horns — they just seem to lack any real impression, no power and quite lackluster. I just don’t find anything here that excites me, not like the old Big D I used to skank it up to.

(Side One Dummy Records, 1944 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90068)

THIEVERY CORPORATION – Culture Of Fear

Washington DC’s electronica and down-tempo pioneering duo Eric Hilton and Rob Garza are back with their sixth studio album Culture of Fear. Compared to their past few releases, there’s more of a classic down-tempo flow and feel to this album. While the opening track “Web of Deception” hits you hard with funky guitar riffs, electronic hooks, and effects, and the title track featuring Mr. Lif on vocals features a driving beat with horns, Culture of Fear is full of chill-out tracks.


One of the more mellow cuts featured here is “Take My Soul,” with Thievery Corporation regular Lou Lou on vocals. Sleepy Wonder is back with the dubbed-out reggae track “Stargazer.” While it seems like Hilton and Garza have stepped back from the world beat sound that has defined much of their music since the release of The Mirror Conspiracy back in 2000, they have adopted more of a dub dominated sound to go along with their electronic lounge and trip-hop vibe, especially with the track “Overstand” featuring Ras Puma.

One complaint I have heard from Corporation purists in the past is that they feature too many artists on their albums. This may be true to some extent — there are a total of seven featured guests here — but the flow from artist-to-artist works well in the nine tracks in which they appear. “Fragments,” “Tower Seven,” and the drum solo-driven “Light Flares” are the only instrumentals on this album — kind of a disappointment. The album ends with a smooth cut featuring the poetic styles of Kota on vocals called “Free,” a truly thought-provoking way to end the album.

As with past albums, Culture of Fear presents a commentary on the political climate. In this case, it’s a concept album of sorts about life in our post-9/11 world. The cover of the album is quite poetic in its simplicity: a CCTV camera inside a bubble enclosure. The title track questions the actions of our government in the name of national security, stating “don’t succumb to this culture of fear.” With “Tower Seven” and “False Flag Dub” it seems as if Garza and Hilton have made a subtle comment on 9/11 itself. “Tower Seven” representing World Trade Center Seven, a 47-story building that mysteriously fell at free-fall speed on the evening of 9/11, and “False Flag Dub” referring to the term False Flag (a covert operation made to appear to be the work of another entity). Safe to say Hilton and Garza have opened their eyes to 9/11 Truth? Maybe — maybe not — but this album will definitely open some ears to the sit-back-and-chill sound of Thievery Corporation.

(ESL Music, 1849 Calvert Street NW, Washington DC, 20009)

NICK 13 – S/T

Taking a look back at Tiger Army‘s discography, it’s easy to see the love lead singer/guitarist Nick 13 has for roots Americana and traditional country and rockabilly. Cuts like “Outlaw Heart” on their self-titled debut full-length and “In The Orchard” off of Tiger Army II : Power of Moonlight spotlights Nick’s ability to shed that psychobilly sound in place for a more mellow laid back classic country twang tone.


With his self-titled debut solo album, Nick 13 takes the route taken by other punk rock vocalists like Bad Religion‘s Greg Graffin and Avail’s Tim Barry by releasing a collection of stripped-down ballads and singer-songwriter material. Nick’s voice is something I’ve admired throughout the Tiger Army years, but hearing his voice used solely in material like this really takes it to a new level. While sounding quite traditional in his vocal approach, there’s something amazingly unique to the sound, even haunting to some extent. Most of the songs here feature Nick on acoustic guitar and vocals with a backing band playing pedal steel guitar, including the bass-driven track “All Alone.” One of the few tracks to feature electric guitar, “101,” tells the story of leaving a small sleepy town in search for the big city life — a story I can only guess is reflective of Nick’s past life living in Ukiah, California (where Highway 101 runs right through the town).

Nick also covers a few Tiger Army cuts, “In The Orchard” and “Cupids Victim.” Both are stripped-down and given the traditional roots Americana treatment. This album is going to turn some heads and make those not familiar with Nick 13′s past contributions to Tiger Army take notice, especially since this album has been released on Sugar Hill Records — a mainly Americana and bluegrass label.

Mark my words, Nick 13 will become a heavy hitter in the alternative country arena if he continues down this solo path.

(Sugar Hill Records, no address provided)

ISIS – Live I – V

It’s been more than a year since the post-metal cult status icons Isis called it quits after a 13-year-ride. They were known for putting on killer shows featuring enduring sets of ambient droning and electronic sound-scapes, filled with intense bass lines and powerful drum lines and guitar riffs. Some cuts featured gut-wrenching vocals, but much of their material was based on repetitive instrumentation that built up and evolved into a climactic event. The music seems simple to the average listener, but the details are very intricate to those who listen with an attentive ear.


In honor of the one-year anniversary of the band’s demise, Isis has re-released their live five-album set. The five albums were recorded from 2003 to 2006 at different shows in various locations.

The first live album was recorded at the Fillmore in San Francisco on September 23rd, 2003. Like most of these live albums, the audio is taken from a bootleg recording, giving the listener a much lower quality experience than a soundboard recording. The San Francisco recording is noticeably heavy on the low bass lines and bass drums and also features quite a bit of chatter from the audience during more quiet sections of the set. For being a bootleg, the quality is high enough for the listener to enjoy the material being played, especially songs like “Weight.” Unfortunately, the beginning track, “From Sinking,” was omitted from the release due to recording problems.

The second album was recorded in Stockholm, Sweden on March 19th, 2003 through a Swedish radio station, so the quality is much better than the first live album. Many more tracks on this album feature the vocals of Aaron Turner. Unlike the first album, “From Sinking” was recorded and opens the album as the first cut. “Carry” and “Weight” are also featured on this album, along with songs like “Glisten” and “Celestial”.

The third album in this five album set was recorded in Albuquerque, New Mexico at the Launchpad on December 7th, 2004. This was also a bootleg recording, but the audio quality isn’t too bad. This particular album features many tracks that appear on their 2004 album Panopticon including “In Fiction,” a 10-plus-minute head-bobbing jam featuring a killer beat.

The fourth album was recorded during several tour stops from 2001 to 2005. Many of the cuts on this album feature much harder material with Turner’s harsh vocals. The album features older cuts like “Gentle Time,” but also features a cover of Nirvana‘s “Endless Nameless” as well.

The fifth and final album features the best recording of any of the Isis live albums, taken directly off the soundboard. It was recorded at Koko’s in London on July 23rd, 2003. This performance features the 2002 album Oceanic played in entirety. Out of all of the live albums in this series of five, I would suggest picking this one up if you had to get one due to the quality of the recording. This album gives you the best experience of hearing Isis live without being there.

For anyone who missed out on picking up this live set when it was originally released, this is another chance to get a hold of a set from band that many feel quit before they should have. Needless to say, Isis fans need this set as a pivotal piece of the band’s 13-year history.

(self-released, no address provided)

LESS THAN JAKE – Greetings From…

Doing as they often do, Less Than Jake have released a spur-of-the-moment EP entitled Greetings From… featuring five new tracks.


First thing you’ll notice about this release is that 80 percent of the tracks feature that familiar ska sound we’ve come to know and love. Those who have complained over the years about the lack of horns will be pleased to know that both Buddy and JR are heard blasting away on all five cuts. “Goodbye Mr. Personality,” which has been released by the band for free online, is definitely the catchiest song on this EP. “Harvey Wallbanger,” another pop-rock-driven ska song, proved to be another highlight for this album with more catchy hooks. Things slow down a bit with “Oldest Trick In The Book” before ending with the more upbeat cut “Life Led Out Loud.” Chris takes on a majority of the vocals, with Roger popping in here and there in a few songs.

In relation to where this fits in the LTJ discography of  sound, these tracks are definitely reflective as being post Anthem in feel. No old school Pezcore or Losing Streak feel, but that’s been the case for more than a decade, no shock there. In all, this EP holds water to those expectations from the hardcore LTJ fans. Hard copies can be found at Warped Tour dates across the country at their merch booth, or you can download it at www.lessthanjake.com.

(Sleep It Off Records, C/O Paper + Plastick Records, PO Box 12081, Gainesville, FL 32604)

Show Review: RX Bandits at the Art Theater, Long Beach CA 8/3/11

Photo By Mike Murray

Progress — a word not only acting as a title of one of their most successful albums, but also a word to describe the musical explorations of RX Bandits. The band’s music has gone though continual changes throughout the years. From singing silly ska songs as the Pharmaceutical Bandits on their first full length effort Damn Those Bandits and the follow up album Halfway Between Here and There, to taking a complete one-eighty with the social and politically scathing commentary on Progress and The Resignation, staying stagnant in their art has never been a problem. After a move to drop the ska sound all together by phasing out horns and moving more into the realm of experimental progressive jam rock with the release of their latest album Mandala, the band decided to go on an indefinite hiatus after a “farewell tour” that made a stop in Long Beach, California, a place where a few of the band members call home.

The Art Theater is Long Beach’s historic art deco movie house located in the city’s 4th street art district. The recently renovated theater usually hosts independent films as well as some more mainstream releases. It’s rare to see the theater used for musical performances and for good reason I might add. The sound and lighting system (or lack thereof) is minimalistic. There’s also a noticeable lack of standing area in front of the stage, with the rest of the theater filled with seats. Unfortunately Long Beach lacks a decent music venue since the demise of Vault 350, an impressive music venue located in downtown Long Beach. While being an intimate location for a hometown show, the functionality of the venue seemed to take away from the show.
Now, the crowd — I can’t say they sucked like the venue. After being warmed up by the Hot Toddie and Zechs Marquise, the crowd were pumped up for the headliners. The fan base for the Bandits are quite dedicated. One guy flew in from Chicago, Illinois for the few Southern California shows.

One by one the band made their way to the stage. Guitarist Steve Choi and drummer Chris Tsagakis started out the show with a duel drum solo set. Vocalist and guitarist Matt Embree soon joined the rest of the band on stage to officially start the show. The show consisted of the normal RX Bandits live show formula — a lot of crowd interaction, mini jam sessions between songs and a lot of sporadic dancing. Most of the material played included cuts from …And The Battle Begun, The Resignation and Mandala. A few songs were played from Progress, but not nearly as much as I would have expected for being a “farewell tour.”  Nothing was played from Halfway Between Here and There, which was also a disappointment. A highlight for me was the opening bass line for “Overcome (The Recapitulation),” in which hearing this the crowd started spontaneously singing the opening lines (“We’ve had enough of these politician’s wars, what we need right not is love”). I also particularly enjoyed the extended performance of “Only For The Night” and the chaotic sound of “Decrescendo.” Lauren Coleman — also known to some as the musical act Pebaluna — joined Matt on stage for a rendition of “Ain’t No Sunshine.”

Photo By Mike Murray

Musically, the guys were as good as they’ve always been. I’ve been to quite a few Bandits shows over the years and they never cease to amaze me with their overall musical ability and improvisational prowess. The absence of horns was noticeable, though. I know, they’ve moved on from that horn-driven sound, but hearing a song played without horns that was originally written with horns in mind leaves a total void and ultimately changes the song. I was expecting some horns or in the very least a horn, especially at a hometown “farewell show,” but it wasn’t meant to be. The lack of horns didn’t kill the show experience for me, but I must be honest in saying that some of the originally horn driven songs played (“All The Time” and “…And The Battle Begun”) without horns did come as a disappointment — they felt incomplete.


After an encore, the crowd chanted and hoped for more music, even as the house lights came on and the sound techs unplugged the microphones. Leaving hot and a bit sweaty from being shoulder to shoulder with fellow concert goers, I questioned if this was really it, “Is this the last time I’ll see RXB live?” We can only hope they take a break and regroup in attempts to create more music. The future is wide open for the RX Bandits and who knows what will come next.