GNARBOOTS – A.L.B.U.M.

Comprised of members of Bay Area musical outfits including Link 80 and Shinobu, Gnarboots have been wowing crowds all over northern California with their eccentric live shows for a few years now — although when comparing some of the live show clips on YouTube to the material found on A.L.B.U.M., there’s quite a notice able difference.
 Most of their live material is quite silly, to put it bluntly, featuring the band freestyle rapping and performing as what appears to be comedy band.

While some of the lyrical content and delivery is done in a whimsical style, the 11 cuts found on this their debut album have a downright catchy, straightforward punk sound that is quite impressive. I will admit that it took a few listens to get accustomed to the vocals on a few key tracks like “Japan 2” (can you say “tone-deaf”?). With some of the more poppy songs like “Martian Chronicles” and “Grown Ass Man” going into some of the harder tracks like “Tinnitus” and “Omnivore,” one would think that the flow of this album would be off. On the contrary, the mix of tempos from song to song gives the album a fresh flow straight through to the 11th track.

There’s definitely something oddly appealing about Gnarboots’ musical style — something I can’t put my finger on. The first listen was not that pleasurable, but as I tracked through A.L.B.U.M. a few more times, it grew on me like an acquired taste.

(Asian Man Records, PO Box 35585, Monte Sereno, CA 95030)

HUMAANA – Comfort

Reviewing material such as this fine EP from Boston indie rock outfit Humaana always brings me joy. I really wish I could pinpoint the sound of this genre, but simply put, the music on Comfort does just that: it brings comfort. For a little background on the band, Humaana is an offshoot of the defunct group Late Nite Wars, featuring their bass player Aaron Bernard and drummer Tim Manning. Along with Manning and Bernard, Humaana features Ryan Stack on vocals and Jordan Ignacio on keys and backing vocals.

The music featured here brings a mix of repetitive guitar riffs, electronic tweaks, and the catchy, poppy vocals of Stack.  The sound is very similar to other bands that have championed the indie-electronic sound such as Minus The Bear, Facing New York, and Portugal. The Man. The opening track entitled “Passing Parade” draws you in with the spacy guitar cuts and the catchy vocals and leads right into “Live Like The Sixties” — full of  a hard and harsh bass guitar-driven beat. “Winter at Faneuil” closes out the EP with a stripped-down and slowed-down mellow track featuring acoustic guitar and Stack on vocals. It’s a real nice, and dare I say, comforting way to end the album. If you’re a fan of the indie-electro rock genre like I am, you will be impressed by this effort.

(Panic Records, no address provided)

TOTAL CHAOS – Battered and Smashed

It seemed that after the inauguration of Barack Obama, many of those in the punk community took a step back in vocalizing their disgust for the American political system. Los Angeles-based punk rock outfit Total Chaos, however, show no signs of backing down from speaking out about the troubles that still plague our country.

Featured on Battered and Smashed is Total Chaos’s signature mix of punk rock and hardcore that they have been producing for 20-plus years. While Battered and Smashed is full of political commentary, such as on the tracks “Wake Up America” and “Political Recession,” the album also features more fun-filled and lighthearted tunes, including the singalong opening cut “Hooligan’s Holiday,” as well as “Do The Tony.”

Musically, the album is pretty straightforward in delivery. The band’s rowdy and raucous style adheres to the traditional hardcore punk sound, but adds stellar guitar work by way of some blistering solos featured throughout the album.

Just past the halfway point in Battered and Smashed is a surprise in the form of the song “Going Down,” which is reminiscent of Sublime with its mix of a laid-back ska guitar riff and beat with a blistering, up-tempo punk rock chorus. The guitar breakdown mid-song sounds very much in the vein of Brad Nowell, and by featuring lyrics about drug addiction and abuse, I definitely think this was a nod toward the Long Beach band.

Battered and Smashed has its share of good tracks but I found some cuts were too repetitive in lyric and song structure. Even with its repetitiveness, the album stays true to Total Chaos’s brand of punk rock – especially when it comes to the political and social content of the lyrics.

(Stomp Records, 1223 Blvd. Saint-Laurent, Suite 305, Montreal, QC H2X 2S6 Canada)

THE DIAMOND CENTER – California/Bells

Blending musical elements of folk rock and psychedelia, Richmond, Virginia’s The Diamond Center hit upon their 17th release with this two-song seven-inch EP. Adorning side A is the featured cut “California,” a dreamy tune driven by the light and floaty vocals of Brandy Price with the backing of guitars and organ, giving the song a true ’60s throwback sound — imagine The Doors meet early Pink Floyd.

“Bells” takes up side B’s seven minutes and 19 seconds. Much like side A, the sound replicates that progressive psychedelic sound of the past. Here the sound has a much heavier Floyd influence, reflected in the chord progressions and the overall structure of the song (Floyd’s “Astronomy Domine” and “Echoes” come to mind). Vocals on “Bells” are shared by Price and Kyle Harris. While I personally enjoyed Price’s vocals alone on “California,” the addition to Harris’s vocals really round out the band’s sound and perhaps makes it more whole as a product.

As a two-track EP, I really enjoyed the down-tempo feel of this release — even if it’s just a tease of what The Diamond Center has to offer.

(Funny/Not Funny Records, no address provided)

BRENDAN KELLY AND THE WANDERING BIRDS – I’d Rather Die Than Live Forever

It has been more than 10 years since Brendan Kelly joined forces with Chris McCaughan and Neil Hennessy to form The Lawrence Arms. While The Lawrence Arms continues to roll along as a successful Chi-Town punk rock outfit, the need to break out of the punk rock niche seems to be what Brendan Kelly is looking for in the form of the semi-solo effort I’d Rather Die Than Live Forever.
 
The album features Kelly on vocals and guitar with a backing band to fill in the blanks. In many respects, this album feels like a stripped-down Lawrence Arms album. This could be because Kelly’s vocals are so recognizable and synonymous with the band’s sound. That familiar Arms’ sound can be heard throughout the album, especially in cuts like “Doin’ Crimes” and “What’s a Boy To Do?”

Mixed in with some of the more punk-ish cuts are a few toned-down tracks. “Ramblin’ Revisited” comes across as a driving acoustic Americana folk camp-side tune, which is perfect considering Kelly’s vocals scream to be heard in a song like this. Other cuts off of I’d Rather Die Than Live Forever range from the more catchy selections like the opening track “Suffer The Children, Come Unto Me,” to more straightforward rock tunes like, “East St. Louis.” Even with Kelly not settling to one particular musical on this effort, the flow of this album works nicely. Each track seems to flow right into the next. A solid album indeed.

(Red Scare Industries, PO Box 13285, Chicago, IL 60613)

Interview: Mike Mictlan of Doomtree

Photo By Prentice Danner

Don’t call them a collective. Don’t even call them a hip-hop group.

“We’re more of a legion than anything,” states Mike Mictlan of the Minneapolis, Minnesota hip-hop legion known as Doomtree.

Since 2001, Doomtree has been laying down beats and lyrics in the Minneapolis metropolitan area to an ever growing hip-hop community. Consisting of seven total members, Doomtree’s sound envelops several different musical styles, including punk rock. Most recently, they self-released the album No Kings, gaining mostly positive reviews from a wide variety of media outlets. As Mictlan puts it, the making of No Kings took on biblical proportions — well, sort of.

“All seven members of Doomtree sequestered ourselves in a cabin for a week in northern Wisconsin and wrote 11 out of 12 of the songs in about five different all-day writing sessions,” he says. “The music was made over the previous two months. After writing, we came home and recorded all the songs in about two weeks. Then the following two weeks we mixed and mastered it. So it’s very similar to the whole ‘Christian creation story,’ but we never rested on the seventh day. We just ate a lot and drank.”

I know when I think of hip-hop communities, both the West and East Coast come to mind — not Minnesota. But along with other hip-hop acts like Atmosphere, Doomtree have help build a thriving community of hip-hop and rap enthusiasts in the Twin Cities area. Each December brings what is known as the Doomtree Blowout, where the entire group takes to the stage at the First Avenue music venue in downtown Minneapolis. While New York has its set of bragging rights for their hip-hop community, don’t discount the camaraderie in the chilly Midwest.

“I feel like our hip-hop scene in Minneapolis is a lot more honest and hardworking than many other communities,” Mictlan explains. “There’s a big live show culture here that has always been here. But then again, I might be biased. Then again, I’ve traveled the country and there is no place like Minneapolis.”

The love for live shows in a place like Minnesota makes perfect sense — enjoy some live hip-hop while warming up in a sold-out music venue. But if you doubt the love for Doomtree outside of their local community, you should check out their touring schedule for 2012, including a stop back in March at SXSW in Austin Texas.

“I remember not sleeping, tacos, bratwurst, sweat and people,” recalls Mictlan. “Austin is already a fun town without what’s going on, so it’s pure madness with all those people.”
And while SXSW seems like a musical paradise for enthusiasts and concertgoers, it can be a daunting task to play.

“We definitely came and conquered,” said Mictlan. “[For some of us, this was] our fifth year in a row [playing SXSW]. My view is, you go there and kick ass, or else you’ll lose.”

While not yet on the mainstream scene, Doomtree has become established as a heavy-hitter in the indie hip-hop scene. Playing tours nationwide and having devout fans, including some who have tattooed the “teeth and wings” Doomtree logo — a logo that almost wasn’t.

“Well, it was either going to be that or a meat cleaver tied to a shotgun,” says Mictlan. “We thought the former would be an easier sale.”

With a community of hip-hop enthusiasts and other local artists, the addition of more crew members to Doomtree is a definite possibility in the future. With the group bringing together various different musicians and artists from the Twin Cities area, the option to expand Doomtree or promote other acts is always an option, though not exactly needed in a musical sense.

“Rapping isn’t our only asset,” explains Mictlan. “As of right now we have plenty of rappers. I see Doomtree expanding in a way that doesn’t necessarily depend on adding musical elements — there are plenty of people already close to us and live in our city whose music we would release in a heartbeat.”

With 2012 in full swing, Doomtree sets their sights on the future. With tour stops in Europe and their annual Blowout in December, things can only get better for the septet.

MIKE WATT: ON AND OFF BASS by Mike Watt

Three Rooms Press, 100 pages, hardcover, $25.00
 
Looking west from the shores of Long Beach, California stands the tall cranes of the Port of Los Angeles, and just beyond them sits the small portside city of San Pedro. It was in this city that author Charles Bukowski spent his last years of his life. It’s a place where the films such as Chinatown and The Usual Suspects feature some of their most memorable scenes.

For the punk rock movement of the early 1980s, it’s also the birthplace of the Minutemen. Unfortunately, the band’s existence was cut short when front man and guitarist D. Boon died in a car accident after the band’s van ran off the road in Arizona in 1985. Band mate and fellow San Pedro native Mike Watt went on to form the group fIREHOSE, as well as play bass in the revamped version of The Stooges.

Along with his love for music, Watt also prides himself as being a native and resident of San Pedro (his internet radio show is appropriately titled The Watt From Pedro Show). What is not commonly known is that Mike Watt has a love and interest in photography, especially capturing the environment that surround San Pedro. All of these things are examined in his photographic memoir, Mike Watt : On and Off Bass.
When I think of memoirs, especially those of rock stars and musicians, I think of a book full of stories from the road –- insight on the drama of being in a band, and a look into their youth and growing up. Basically, a book full of pats on the back and self-gratifying praise for being so lucky to do what you love (hopefully) for a living. This book, however, is the furthest things from that.

In these 100 pages, the focus is mostly on Watt’s amazing photographic images of San Pedro, taken from on land as well as at sea (via kayak): early morning shots of the Port of Los Angeles featuring the heavy coastal fog being broken up by the rising sun. Pictures of pelicans, seals, and seagulls resting ashore or on buoys. Images of cargo ships, large cranes, and other industrial equipment clash against the reflection of the water and the clashing of the waves. Watt’s ability to capture both the natural and man-made aspects that make up the community and elements that make up San Pedro really shines through.

Along with these amazing pictures, Watt also gives the reader a chance to read some insightful glimpses into being on and off the road — the emphasis being on the word “glimpse.” The written passages are quite short and small in detail. We also are given a few poems written by Watt. The diary passes span throughout the 2000s, and feature stories about particular performances, encounters with fans, thoughts on life, and his love for John Coltrane.

Mike Watt : On and Off Bass gives you a real down-to-earth look at who he is. It’s a very minimalistic look back at his life, combining the things he cares deeply about: San Pedro, music, and photography.  The book proves that you do not need to bash your fans over the head with anecdotes of how great your life has been — this simplistic approach makes for a refreshing and insightful read.

BLEUBIRD – CANNONBALL!!!

Mixing elements of spoken word poetry and smooth free-styling is Florida-based emcee Bleubird and his new album CANNONBALL!!!. Not being familiar to his brand of hip-hop, my first impression of Bleubird’s style via the first cut on CANNONBALL!!!  (“Fog Rollin”) was that he has been influenced by the likes of Sage Francis. Bleubird’s approach is much like Francis in the way he presents a laid-back flow that easily goes along with the beat of the song.

As the album moves along, I’m struck by the differences in beats from track to track. “Black Sandcastles” features more of an infectious club beat that definitely has a modern mainstream feel to it, while the cut “Pimp Hand” has a deep bass and hi-hat sampled sound (reminiscent of something Jamiroquai would use). Along with Bleubird’s vocals, “Pimp Hand” definitely shines as one of the highlight tracks off of this album.

An odd wrench is thrown into the gears by way of the sixth track, “Christian Wife,” an acoustic guitar duet with Lynne Piper. It’s a really odd break from the hip-hop beats, but works in a way as an intermission with its dry wit lyrical content. Beats laid down for Bleubird’s vocals range from sampled cuts from various sources to live instrumentation of drums, double bass, pianos and acoustic guitars. The album also features special appearances by Radical Face, Astronautalis, and Ceschi.

CANNONBALL!!! has some good material contained in its 11 tracks and provides as a good introduction into the music and artistic styling’s of Bleubird. While I think this album deserves a marginal nod, in the future I would like to hear more faster flows as opposed to the slowed down spoken word segments.

(Fake Four Inc., no address provided)

STARVING WEIRDOS – Land Lines

I like to pride myself as someone who is open to pretty much any kind of music for at least one listen. Sure, I know what I like and what I don’t like, but I’m always down to check out various kinds of sounds. Take Land Lines from Starving Weirdos: this experimental outfit out of northern California have been brewing up an eclectic batch of ambient material for more than 10 years. While their sound could be described chaotic, disorganized, and essentially be considered “noise” to the average listener, those who appreciate the minimalist — yet wildly intricate  – sounds featured on this album will find themselves taken in by what their ears pick up.

Most of the seven tracks featured on Land Lines walk a fine line between using natural elements and sounds and synthetic electronic tones, as a lot of modern ambient artists do. Vocals faintly drift in and out of cuts like “Periods” and the opening track “In Our Way,” but the album remains primarily instrumental. “Meditator” lulls the listener with its Middle Eastern vibe at the halfway part of the album, a truly mellow track. One of the more interesting tracks from Land Lines as to be “Dreams, Endless,” a song that incorporates a soft piano part that lightly plays along as the drones and jangly trumpets of the background come to essentially consume the piano’s sound.

The album closes with another Middle Eastern-influenced track, “Land Lines.” The sitar has its sound warped by effects and sound manipulation, only to bring the sound back to a fading drone to end the album.

Land Lines reminds me of the 2006 release of Dead Voices On Air’s From Labrador to Madagascar in the sense of the fine line walked between natural tones and manufactured electronic sounds. This album is not for everyone, as some will fail to see the artistic achievements made with this album. As Dead Voices On Air’s Mark Spybey says about his group’s music, it’s “music for the eyes.” The very same could be said about what Starving Weirdos have presented here.

(Amish Records, PO Box 1841, New York, NY 10013)

XERXES – Our Home is a Deathbed

It appears that Halls cough drops has a new spokesperson in Xerxes vocalist Calvin Philley. Okay, not really, but after listening to the 12 tracks on their debut album Our Home is a Deathbed, I would say that anyone who thrashes their voice like he does would need a lifetime supply of throat lozenges.

Formed in 2009, Xerxes may appear on the surface to be just another hardcore act, but after examining the material found on this album, it’s clear that there’s more than meets the ear. The opening track, “Wake,” serves as an intro that does not truly reveal what is next to come. Be sure to have your speakers at a reasonable level, as the second track, “Sleep,” hits hard with those thrashed vocals of Philley over the chaotic guitars and percussion.

One of the first audible surprises found on Our Home is a Deathbed comes with the third track, “Tide,” as we are confronted with a straight-up punk rock beat. Other odd elements of non-hardcore sounds come out in a few of the other songs featured on this effort. “Suburban Asphalt” has an indie rock feel to the instrumentation, all while Philley blasts his voice out in a true hardcore style. One thing I admire about Xerxes and their debut album is the fact that they are attempting to draw from other musical styles outside of the hardcore arena. Taking chances like that might piss off some puritans, but to people like myself it shows an attempt to keep things fresh and original.

(No Sleep Records, 16651 Gothard Street Unit E, Huntington Beach, CA 92647)

Show Review: MusInk Festival 2012 Featuring Tiger Army, Against Me!, and Alkaline Trio

Tiger Army

Friday, March 2nd

Rock music and tattoos fit perfectly, like peanut butter and jelly. To the mainstream, the combination is synonymous with living life on the edge. And to those close to their gods, the tandem is a sign of the great Satan himself. However, no such presence could be found at MusInk 2012 — gathering at the Orange County Fairgrounds was, instead, an enthusiastic and diverse mix of people who share a common bond: a love of ink and rock music.

MusInk held its first gathering back in 2008 with the help of tattoo artist and star of TLC’s “LA Ink,” Kat Von D. After a successful first run, the festival has been going strong since. Now in its fifth year, the fest (which no longer has an association to Kat Von D) returned for another three days with bands including Tiger Army, Guana Batz, A New Found Glory, Yellowcard, Against Me!, and Alkaline Trio. In addition to featuring some top-notch musical acts, the festival has also attracted more than 300 world renowned ink-slayers like black and gray maestro Mark Mahoney, color aficionado Nikko Hurtado, and famed Sublime artist Opie Ortiz.

David Lozeau

As you enter the tattoo expo hall, you are immediately hit with the buzz of countless tattoo guns going off, like a swarm of angry bees, and the smell of cleaning liquids used to wash away excess ink fills the air. As you walk among the booths, you pass by people being worked on, as well as photos of the featured artists’ previous work. Amid the tattoo artists are retailers selling various products, including tattoo supplies, fine art, and other rock n’ roll-related goods. I was especially impressed with the work of David Lozeau and his Dia De Los Muertos-themed artwork.

The parking lot on Friday night was oddly quite empty — or, at least, not as full as I expected it to be. However, with Tiger Army and Guana Batz as the Friday’s headlining acts, there was no shortage of pompadours and pegged jeans. The underwhelming crowd size was no problem for trailblazing UK psychobilly outfit Guana Batz. The Batz are regarded as one of the pivotal bands that helped to create the psychobilly sound in the UK along with The Meteors. Their impressive half-hour performance was brimming with energy and bravado. Their set consisted of a mix of original material and cover tunes, including a really cool cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m On Fire,” Billy Idol’s “Rebel Yell,” and Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll.” The use of the double bass for some of these covers made the end product sound quite interesting, though due to horrible acoustics, the bass sounded flat and tinny, rather than full and bold. The band ended with one of their most notable tunes, “King Rat.”

 Guana Batz

It wasn’t long before Tiger Army took the stage to a crowd that seemed to swell following the Guana Batz performance. The crowd went wild with the opening number “Prelude: Nightfall,” and the enthusiasm level remained high through the entirety of the hour-long performance. This was Tiger Army’s second time performing MusInk, and their first since the inaugural 2008 festival. The set contained a mix of music both older and newer, including many cuts off their latest album, Music From Regions Beyond. I personally enjoy their material from their first two albums, which were represented by songs including “FTW,” “Cupid’s Victim,” and Eddie Cochran’s “Twenty Flight Rock.” A three-song encore concluded the show with “Devil Girl,” “Valley of Dreams,” and “Never Die” in that order.

Nick 13 of Tiger Army

Saturday, March 3rd

Day two of MusInk brought with it not only new bands, but also an entirely different kind of crowd. With A New Found Glory and Yellowcard headlining Saturday’s musical entertainment, the dynamics of the festival took on a totally different feel. The event was far more crowded, and the butterheads and Betty Page knockoffs were replaced by Orange Country bros and an overall younger crowd.

Yellowcard’s energetic performance was met with a mostly enthusiastic crowd, as hardcore fans packed themselves up to the front of the stage and fully enjoyed Yellowcard’s set. The majority of the tunes they performed were from their newer albums, and the band played nothing older than material from their 2003 release, Ocean Avenue. Fans sung along with lead vocalist and guitarist Ryan Key to tunes like “Hang You Up,” “Way Away,” and “Light Up The Sky.” New bassist Josh Portman seemed quite comfortable, which is impressive considering that he’s only been with the band for less than a month.  As expected, Yellowcard ended their set with their 2003 hit, “Ocean Avenue.”

Ryan Key of Yellowcard

To end the night of nostalgic pop-punk acts, A New Found Glory also came out to a mixed crowd of diehard fans and curious spectators. Unlike Yellowcard’s set, A New Found Glory really attempted to dig up those nostalgic feelings by playing a ton of older material, most of which was from their 2000 self-titled album. They opened up their set with “Understatement” from 2002′s Sticks and Stones, and also included “Dressed to Kill” and “Hit or Miss.” The band also mixed in some newer tracks, including “Truck Stop Blues” (from their 2009 release Not Without a Fight) and covered the Ramones “Blitzkrieg Bop” and Green Day‘s “Basket Case.”
One has to admire the nonstop energy put forth by the members of NFG. Even if you can’t dig the angst-ridden lyrics and the sugar-coated tunes, you should appreciate the fact that these guys are still going strong. Some might say pop-punk is dead, but it was very much alive and well in the hearts of those in attendance at MusInk.

New Found Glory

 Sunday, March 4th


As I arrived at the fairgrounds on the third and final day of the festival, I seriously anticipated a protest by the Westboro Baptist Church. Seeing as how Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba is a card-carrying member of the Church of Satan, I thought this was a prime opportunity for everyone’s favorite hate-mongering group to show up and give us a sample of their protesting skills. Nope, no protesters were to be found.

Against Me! took to the stage in front of a crowd significantly smaller than the previous day’s. The Florida natives have risen from the indie punk scene to become a successful mainstream punk act, much in the same vein as Rise Against. Their set was intense and impressive. In addition to having an amazing stage presence, Against Me! managed to play their entire hour-long set without taking a real break between songs. It’s quite possible they played nearly 15 to 20 songs in an hour, something most bands who chatter between songs could never even think of doing (NOFX, I’m talking about you!).

Tom Gable of Against Me!

I was especially blown away by drummer Jay Weinberg. He’s the son of Max Weinberg, the drummer for Bruce Springsteen (and the former leader of Conan O’Brien‘s house band), so you know the kid’s got chops! The crowd sang along with vocalist Tom Gabel to such songs as “White People For Peace,” “I Was A Teenage Anarchist,” “Thrash Unreal,” and “Black Me Out” — but unfortunately, the acoustics in the expo hall were so bad that most of the music came across as jumbled noise, and vocals were extremely hard to decipher (the band was nearly halfway through “White People For Peace” before I recognized which song was being played). Despite the acoustics, the set was one of the best performances of the entire festival.

Looking to top — or at least live up to — Against Me’s performance, Chicago’s own Alkaline Trio soon appeared onstage to close out MusInk. They opened with “Cringe” from their 1998 album Goddamnit, which was surprising, as it had been publicized on several websites that they were going to perform their album Maybe I’ll Catch Fire in its entirety at MusInk. Clearly this wasn’t the case, and I was fine with that, as it’s not their best work.

Matt Skiba of Alkaline Trio

The acoustics suited Alkaline Trio better than Against Me!, as their music is more toned down than Against Me!’s mix of loud, melodic punk rock. Unfortunately, once again, the vocals were lost in the instrumentation. Luckily, Skiba and bassist Dan Andriano had a loyal crowd to back them up as they belted out tunes that spanned their entire career, such as “Hell Yes,” “Crawl,” and “This Could Be Love.” “Madam Me” was dedicated by Skiba to Orange County legends Social Distortion.

During the set, a fan tossed his Derrick Rose Chicago Bulls jersey at Dan Andriano, and he threw it on. Skiba brought the fan onto the stage during the last song during their encore, “97,” to end an amazing night of music, as well as an unforgettable weekend of music and art.

Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio

USELESS ID – Symptoms

Israeli melodic punk rockers Useless ID have found a new home for their latest album Symptoms, now a part of the Fat Wreck Chords roster. Symptoms marks the band’s first album in nearly four years and was produced by Descendents’ drummer Bill Stevenson.

The move to Fat seems like a no-brainer considering the band’s rough-edged pop-punk sound. The album starts off on a promising note with the harder edged opener “Live or Die.” The impressive start continues through the second song “Before It Kills,” and the more melodic cut “Normal With You.” Unfortunately, the flow of the album slows and becomes stale at times due to the repetitious nature of Useless ID’s songwriting (verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus/end of song). The album features very little instrumental exploration beyond basic unison drum and guitar breakdowns.

Lyrically, most of the material deals with issues surrounding relationships and self-discovery – basically, very angst-y subject matter (not surprising considering the roots and influences of this band). After a few spins, I will admit that the material becomes more and more appealing to the ears. Don’t get me wrong, Symptoms isn’t a bad album in the sense of an overall product. The catchiness of the music definitely will appeal to those who dig bands like No Use For A Name (the cut “Somewhere” sounds like NUFAN), and the production under Stevenson gives a touch of that trademark Descendents sound. While it’s not terrible, Symptoms offers up a sound that’s been done many times before and the unoriginal territory taken here will be sure to put some people off. To put it plainly, it’s a very safe album.

(Fat Wreck Chords, PO Box 193690, San Francisco, CA 94119)

MORE NOTES OF A DIRTY OLD MAN by Charles Bukowski

City Lights, 248 pages, paperback, $16.95
 
Let me start by saying that I’ve never read any of Charles Bukowski’s work before picking up this book. I remember I was quite young when I stumbled upon an audio clip of one of his poetry readings entitled “It’s Authorized,” and the visualizations provided by that piece that raced through my mind freaked me out.

My next encounter with Bukowski did not occur until about three years ago. I watched a clip from the film Supervan on the website Everything is Terrible and was intrigued by Bukowski’s cameo appearance. I started to read about his life and watch various clips of interviews and poetry readings. At 30 years old, I can now handle the subject matter much better than at 12.

When the opportunity to review More Notes of a Dirty Old Man arose, I jumped at it. I’ve been a fan of the “transgressive fiction” genre of literature for a while now, having read almost every novel released by Chuck Palahniuk, the extremely confusing (yet transfixing) Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs, and the unapologetic work of Hunter S. Thompson. So to tackle some Bukowski seems like a natural next step.

With the authors mentioned above, their work seems to revolve around some kind of mind-altering substance in relation to their characters. Palahniuk focuses on characters who are addicted to — or, at the very least, fancy —  pharmaceuticals. Burrough’s work was inspired by his own addictions to heroin, and Thompson was a madman who experimented heavily with all kinds of substances, and introduced such centralized themes in his stories and novels. But Bukowski’s material embraces the bottle and the down-and-out life of being a man…and a drunk. Rather than disavowing the disease, through his work and in his personal life, Bukowski celebrated it. His raw and unadulterated stories of life as a lowlife have become inspiration to many.

More Notes of a Dirty Old Man – assembled and edited by Bukowski aficionado David Stephen Calonne (who also provides the afterword) – is a collection of short stories, interviews, and columns by Bukowski that were published from the late ’60s into the mid ’80s, many of which originally appeared in The LA Free Press and Open City. The book has no real flow, which at times makes for some difficult reading — especially during some of the interview pieces.

With that being said, it is worth fighting through the slower material to reach some of the short stories. Many feature Bukowski himself as the main character, as he tells tales of being a traveling poet, finding himself in some very particular and unusual situations. Some of the most memorable stories deal with his relationship with women. Bukowski’s view of women has been frowned upon as being sexist and violent, and in some of these stories he lives up to those accusations. But one story in particular reads like a romance novel, as he tells a story about a woman who randomly shows up at his door. Revealing she’s a fan of his work, she wants to see the man who writes like the way he looks (“an undergrown aged gorilla dying of cancer”). They eventually screw in an extremely passionate way, but it’s the way he describes this woman and the details of her body that are so striking. I’ve got to admit, it turned me on.

In the course of this book, Bukowski tells stories of preaching the gospel of alcohol to a group stuck in the drunk tank, the life of being a boxing booking agent who ha fallen on hard times, and a boy who witnesses his demented and twisted dreams come alive. The highlight of the book comes in the form of his nonfictional-inspired fictional story about his encounters with two French men named Jean and Steve. The story, entitled “My Friend, The Gambler,” ends the book on a lighthearted note — no rough sex or drunkards throwing up to send you on your merry little way.

More Notes of a Dirty Old Man highlights some of Charles Bukowski’s forgotten work as a columnist for several publications in the later half of the 20th century. It’s a nice collection that really shows Bukowski’s love of telling stories filled with the grime and the filth of life as a normal working man in a concrete jungle. Some might pass his work by due to the stigma of the subject matter and how he brought it to life by his words (written and spoken), but to do so would be a huge injustice to the world of literature. Some may get it, some may not. But Bukowski’s mark on the world should not to be held in judgment. The man was as real as one can get.

THE BRAINS – Drunk Not Dead

Take the fury of slap bass-driven psychobilly and mix it with the crooning vocal styles found in the swing revival sound, and you wlll get the The Brains and their new album, Drunk Not Dead.
 
I must admit that I’m not that familiar with this band, but I do love the lightning-fast psychobilly sound that’s associated with acts like Nekromantix, Tiger Army, and The Reverend Horton Heat. Immediately I was taken in by the opening track, “Four Beast Ride,” with its amazingly fast slap-bass and driving guitars, along with the somewhat out of place crooner vocals of Rene D La Muete. D La Muete’s vocals remind me a lot of Murder By Death’s vocalist Adam Turla (especially the sound of Murder By Death’s song “Brother”), but Muete’s style comes across more along the lines of a lounge singer — Michael Andrew from the swing band Swingerhead comes to mind.

While Muete’s vocals reflect that retro sound, the music does not. Some cuts like “Six Rounds” and “Drunk Not Dead” are more melodic in their sound, reminiscent of The Living End. The harder tracks on the album, such as “Oh Murder” and “High On Speed,” are heavy on guitars and group vocals.

Overall, the 13 tracks featured on Drunk Not Dead are extremely enjoyable. Full of high energy and excellent instrumentation, The Brains are a band I am glad to have discovered.

(Stomp Records, 1223 Blvd. Saint-Laurent, Suite 305, Montreal, QC H2X 2S6 Canada)

THE PLANET SMASHERS – Descent Into The Valley Of The Planet Smashers

It has been six years since Canada’s own The Planet Smashers released their last album, Unstoppable. With their newest effort, Descent into the Valley of The Planet Smashers, not much has changed in their sound. The songs are upbeat and catchy, full of their signature hard-hitting bass line-driven ska-punk, and the lyrics are humorous and lighthearted.

Listening to the 15 tracks featured here, I can’t help but think back and reminisce about the good old ’90s where music like this was being put out on a massive scale. Along with the carefree pop-punk ska sound The Smashers are known for, bands like Buck O’ Nine and early Big D and The Kids Table come to mind when I sit and listen to the material here. The album’s opening cut, “The Hippopotamus,” is extremely catchy, and “UPS of America” presents some social commentary but remains to be humorous and non-preachy.

An unexpected twist comes in at the 12th track in the form of the song “Something Special,” as the band breaks from the punk-ska sound to favor something more traditional in the ska vein.

Descent into the Valley of The Planet Smashers is another enjoyable album from the veteran skankers from the great white north. Fans of the ’90s pop-punk ska sound will dig this.

(Stomp Records, 1223 Blvd. Saint-Laurent, Suite 305, Montreal, QC H2X 2S6 Canada)