Saturday, March 31, 2012

FISTULA "Loser" 12" Review

Fistula "Loser" 12" 
Patac Records
2011

For those not in the know, a Fistula is "a permanent abnormal passageway between two organs in the body or between an organ and the exterior of the body." Google it and you come up with all sorts of crazy photos like these instead of information on the band:



If that isn't enough to help you to figure out what Fistula is about, the artwork was done by Eric Harrison, bassist of Grief. 

So you've got the imagery from the photos, you've got the sludge noteworthy artist, the music better live up to the set up. Surely it does. Six songs in twenty-eight doomed minutes. Seasoned EyeHateGod and Grief fans most likely already know about this band. Fistula manage to create a down-trodden, overly distorted, life-hating sound that actually draws the listener in and then assaults them. Like the best of the genre, the uglier the better. But I suppose you have to be set up mentally for this challenging music. If you have a fascination with the above photos, drop a needle on this record and have fun while you Google all the Fistula images you can find! If you are repulsed, well then you certainly haven't gotten this far in the review.




Monday, March 26, 2012

DRI @ Reverb, Reading PA 3/23/12 Review

Reverb in Reading PA is one of my favorite places to see a show. Excellent sound, all ages and over 21 section, great stage, food, beverages, huge screen TVs on the walls, functional bathrooms, outside smoking area w/bar, plenty of space for the bands to sell merch and plenty of parking. 

THE NOID started things off with their precise and energetic punk that sounds somewhere between TSOL and the Misfits, a wonderful combination. 


Up Next were the TIGHT FITS. I kept thinking to myself during their set that these guys from Lancaster PA would make a good partnership with Bethlehem PA's Bad American. Both bands love to play hard and fast, are not afraid to make some noise, and wrecklessly let it all hang out live. Picked up their "Have You Ever Felt Romantic?" CD at the show which was released in 2011. Dave (guitarist) from Angry Young And Poor, one of the coolest record stores around, is in this band. Made a great impression on me!




The REDTOPS from Phoenixville PA ripped it up. I had to join in the circle pit during their set. It looked like too much fun for this 45 year old. It certainly was, but it brought to mind the only thing missing from Reverb, oxygen machines. I felt like a big fat football player who just scored a touchdown and wanted nothing to do with the endzone celebration and wanted to make a straight line right for the oxygen tanks. Oh well, I eventually got warmed up and thoroughly enjoyed the way this crowd was setting things up for the legendary DRI. None of that macho-kickboxing nonsense that drives me nuts. Just old school skanking in the circle pit and thrashing up front. Picked up the Redtops CD "Left For Dead" (which was recorded in 2005) at the show. Very worthy.




COMMON ENEMY was hitting the nostalgia trip at Reverb on this night. Sonic, their vocalist from 2003-2006 (and a tour after that) rejoined the band to play material from their early years including their first CD "Late Night Skate". Lots of energy, the hometown crowd demonstrated their respect and it was pretty much a perfect night for the skate, thrash, circle pit band! 





COMMON ENEMY

D.R.I. has been in the business for 30 years. Metallica and Slayer are celebrating and so is D.R.I. They treated Reading PA to a two hour set of 35 of their songs. Things got started with the classic "Who Am I?". Unbelievable. This crowd was amazing. Massive circle pit, thrashing up front, stage diving and no bullsh#t. Great band, great crowd, great night.




I will remember this as a classic show. That is a lot considering my HC show life began 30 years ago in 1982, that same year D.R.I. started. I was blessed with the fantastic luck of being born in 1966, which means I was 16 and driving all over the place to see shows in 1982. D.R.I. has been an inspiration and a major influence on my life. I can remember getting into AC/DC and the Dead Kennedys (wanting them to do more songs like "Drug Me" - fast and furious), thinking they were great bands, but wishing they would play faster... and then I heard D.R.I. It was all over at that point.


Sunday, March 25, 2012

Up To No Good Radio 3/25/12

Chaos UK

Rancid "Up To No Good"
Chaos U.K. "No Security"
RedTops "Wage My War"
G.B.H. "Am I Dead Yet?"
Tight Fits "Have You Ever Felt Romantic?"
Misfits "London Dungeon"
Anti Nowhere League "For You" (live)
Wretched Ones "The Rockers"
Accused "You Only Die Once"
The Kills "Baby Says"

The Kills

Chris Connelly "The Goner"
Discount "It's Been Years"
Eddy Current Suppression Ring "Walked into a Corner"
Yellow Machinegun "My Eyes Under the Sands"
Social Distortion "Still Alive"
Drones "Lookalikes"
Total F$%&ing Destruction "Everything You Need, but Nothing You Want"
Amoebas "Perverts and Rats"
Amoebas "Nervous Wreck"
F.O.D. "King Sized Twisted"
Bobbyteens "Hate Me Just A Little Bit"


Face to Face "Blind"
Revilers "Fifth Column"
Pagans "Give Til It Hurts"
Cannibal Corpse "Followed Home Then Killed"
Rise Against "Great Awakening"
Unsane "Sick"

Unsane

Operation Ivy "Caution"
Chinga "The Unpleasantry"

Johnny's playlist coming soon...

Thank you for listening!


Sunday, March 18, 2012

Revilers "Revilers" LP Review

Revilers "Revilers" LP 
Black Hole / Patac / 4subculture / Contra Records
2012
Also available on CD or download

As a college radio DJ, I spent a lot of time "cleaning" up this record to be able to play on the radio. The Revilers live up to their name with many F and S bombs as we call them on Up To No Good Radio.



re·vile   [ri-vahyl]  
1. to assail with contemptuous or opprobrious language; address or speak of abusively.

The Revilers are a Boston punk rock band that draws from overseas (Contra and 4Subculture took notice in Europe) influences such as the Exploited (pre-metal) and Abrasive Wheels. They also draw from US influences (Black Hole and Patac are taking care of this release in the States), but don't expect the Dropkick Murphys just because they are punk and from Boston. I would align the Revilers with more of a Headache records sound. The great Wretched Ones, Limecell and Headwound come to mind from the legendary Headache camp.


All thirteen tracks are poignant daily reflections from the Revilers' working man's gut. "No Bullsh*t Reactor" is a perfect song to start things off, puts things right into perspective. 

Chorus: I am a no bullsh*t reactor - don't mix my words and I don't fight fair - I am a no bullsh*t reactor - smash your pretty boy face cuz I don't f*&^ing care


My favorite tracks include the "Fifth Column" (anthemic and melodic), "Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired" (tribal-like in an early Exploited way), "Quit My Job" (for it's absolute bluntness) and the complete punk'd up version of the Jerry Lee Lewis track "End of the Road" (no piano).


Punk rock is alive and well in 2012.


Saturday, March 17, 2012

Corrosion of Conformity "Corrosion of Conformity" LP Review


Corrosion of Conformity "Corrosion of Conformity" LP + 7" 
(also available as CD or download)

One of the ways I consider myself lucky was that my parents timed my birth at just the right time so that I would grow to be a wild teenager going to see C.O.C. in the early and mid 80s. Back in those days, C.O.C. had talent that would not be confined to the typical hardcore scene that they were born in, as evidenced by their worldwide success (1.1 million records sold in the US alone) that came later in their career.




Crossing over to a more metal sound was an obvious step as soon as anyone heard C.O.C.'s version of "Green Manalishi" (Fleetwood Mac did the original, made famous in the metal scene by Judas Priest) from the "Eye For An Eye" LP. With each C.O.C. release that I was exposed to, starting with the "Why Are We Hear?" compilation tracks and then with the "Eye For An Eye" LP, I was blow away. I remember playing tracks like "Minds Are Controlled", "Rabid Dogs", "Poison Planet" and the title track relentlessly on my radio shows back in the 80s. Yet, for as truly groundbreaking the "Eye For An Eye" LP is, "Animosity" took things to an entirely new level. Never before was there an album this creative, visionary, heavy and electric. It was an original. To this day, nothing sounds like it either. It is a must own record, standing the test of time.

I am lucky to be alive today as along with Discharge, Battalion of Saints, Slayer and Dr. Know, C.O.C. provided the soundtrack to the chaos that was my life at the time. As crazy as the music was, my life was equally insane. Sometimes I think I was trying to match the ferocity of the music in my daily life.

In 2010, the "Animosity" lineup of C.O.C. (Mike, Woody and Reed) decided to get back together and the result is the 2012 release of "Corrosion of Conformity" a heavy and dirty dose of metal, speed and groove (sorta-doom/stonerish at times).


I love the diversity of the eleven LP tracks and 2 bonus tracks on the 7". You've got the very "Animosity"-like "Leeches", the creatively structured metal of "The Moneychangers", the pounding, percussive and rockin' "Rat City" and the moodiness of "El Lamento De Las Cabras". This record begs to be played loud.


I kept listening to this record to make sure it was worthy of my high praise and not me just letting my nostalgia get a hold of my opinion. While no "Animosity", I would not consider my record collection complete without it and keep listening to this out of enjoyment, now that I have proved to myself "Corrosion of Conformity" isn't just a nostalgic ride into the depths of my mind, but a classic stand alone record that once again proves that Mike, Woody and Reed are magic together.

Check out the video of "The Moneychangers".




Monday, March 12, 2012

UTNGR March 11, 2012

T.S.O.L.

Welcome to the Up To No Good Radio post for March 11, 2012.

Reds' Playlist (click to listen or download):
Rancid "Up To No Good"
Transplants "Romper Stomper"
TSOL "Black Magic"
Ron Emory (TSOL) "Inside These Walls"
Lene Lovich "New Toy"
Dickies "I've Got A Splitting Hedachi"
Dead Kennedys "I Am The Owl"
Johnny Thunders "One Track Mind"
Vibrators "Sweet Sweet Heart"
Beastie Boys "Girls"

D.R.I.

DRI "Madman"
Circle Jerks "Coup D'etat"
Gang Green "Have Fun"
Slamhounds "Sheryl Crow"
The Clash "Straight To Hell"
Sublime "Santeria"
JFA "Beach Blanket Bongout"

FOE's Playlist (click to listen or download):
Buzzcocks "Are Everything"


Revilers "Sick of Being Sick and Tired"
Dag Nasty "All Ages Show"
Black Tusk "Bring Me Darkness"
Professionals "Kick Down the Doors"
Casualties "Great American Progress"
Motorhead "Devil I Know"
The Probers "New Kind of Kick" (Cramps)
Hardcore Superstar "Bring Me Back"
Cock Sparrer "Last Orders"

Revilers

Revilers "Quit My Job"
Yo Gabba Gabba "Don't Bite Your Friends"
Sick Of It All "A Month of Sundays"

Bad American

Bad American "The Jumper"
Ty Segall "Girlfriend"
Napalm Death "Opposites Repellent"
Black Breath "Mother Abyss"

Mr. Generic's Playlist (click to listen or download):
Lene Lovich "I Think We're Alone Now"
Siouxsie and the Banshees "Hong Kong Garden"
PIL "Public Image"

Joneses

Joneses "Ms. 714"
Cockney Rejects "East End"
Cockney Rejects "Hate of the City"
The Clash "I'm So Bored With The USA"
The Briefs "So Stupid"
The Briefs "Medications"
D.I. "Guns"
Angry Samoans "Not of this Earth"
Angelic Upstarts "Teenage Warning"
Vibrators "Pure Mania"
Channel 3 "You Make Me Feel Cheap"
MIA "Small Man In A Big World"
Rancid "Ruby Soho"
UK Subs "Tomorrow's Girls"
Sex Pistols "New York"
Suburban Studs "Questions"
Subhumans "Can't Hear the Word"
Subhumans (Canada) "Death to the Sickos"

Subhumans (Canada)


Thank you for sharing our love of punk rock and other assorted nasties!!!!

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Up To No Good Radio March 4, 2012 Playlist


Your pal Johnny Generic was playing punk rock and other assorted nasties on his own this week as Reds and FOE took much needed personal days!

March 4, 2012 Playlist
Rancid "Up To No Good"
JJ Pearson / Toxic Reasons "Caught In  My Eye" (Germs)
Damned "Machine Gun Etiquette"
The Out "Who Is Innocent"
Slaughter and the Dogs "Quick Joey Small"
Saints "River Deep Mountain High"
Vibrators "Wrecked On You"

The Vibrators

Vibrators "Keep It Clean"
Vibrators "Disco In Moscow"
UK Subs "CID"
UK Subs "Killer Time"
Ruts "Staring at the Rude Boys"
Ruts "I Ain't So Sophisticated"
Ambergris "Smash My Radio"
Dead End Drive "Dead vs. Living"
B-52's "Mesopotamia"
Undertones "Jimmy Jimmy"
GBH "I Am the Hunted"
GBH "Slit Your Own Throat"
Distillers "Bullet and the Bulls Eye"
Cock Sparrer "Runnin' Riot"

Cock Sparrer

Peter and the Test Tube Babies "Banned From The Pubs"
Peter and the Test Tube Babies "Maniac"
999 "Titanic Reaction"
Cockney Rejects "I'm Not a Fool"
Cockney Rejects "Bad Man"
Descendents "Gotta"
Descendents "Grand Theme"
Generation X "Untouchables"
Generation X "Valley of the Dolls"
Redd Kross "Annette's Got the Hits/Cover Band"
Adolescents "Word Attack"
Adolescents "Within These Walls"
Echo and the Bunneymen "Do it Clean"
Chron Gen "LSD"
Social Distortion "I Won't Run No More"
Lower Class Brats "Pill Box"

Lower Class Brats

The Briefs "Who is Who" (Adolescents)
FOD "Surfistas"
The Jesus and Marychain "Just Like Honey"
7 Seconds "Sink With California" (Youth Brigade)
JFA "I Don't Like You"
Exploited "Dead Cities"
Pennywise "We're Gonna Fight" (7 Seconds)
Duane Peters Gunfight "War With You"
Gang Green "Hate"
Dropkick Murphy's "Fight to Unite" (Youth Brigade)
Jeff Dahl "Leather Frankenstein"
Government Issue "Religious Right"
Angelic Upstarts "Teenage Warning"
Buzzcocks "Love You More"
Steve Diggle "Shut Out the Light"
Buzzcocks "You Know You Can't Help It"
Suburban Studs "Traffic Jam"

Suburban Studs


Wreckless Eric "Whole Wide World"
Sham 69 "Borstal Breakout"
Lurkers "Ain't Got A Clue"
Rancid "Dead and Gone"
Rancid "Stranded"
Weaklings "You Blow Me Away"
Dag Nasty "I've Heard"

Thank you for sharing our love of the punk rock and other assorted nasties!!!


Saturday, March 3, 2012

Records and Record Player Photos


These are some of my favorite photos featuring records and record players!!


"The difference between enjoying your music on vinyl vs. digital is similar to the difference between experiencing the world's beauty in person and looking at pictures of them on the net."
Frank FOE