Friday, August 23, 2013

Nostalgia Crisis, Twin 55 and The Transmission Now @ Catty Club 8/23/13




Thank you to the Catty Club for allowing this show to happen. Nice to have a new (established in 1897) venue for punk rock in the Lehigh Valley, especially in Little England (aka Catasauqua).

Thanks to The Transmission Now for hooking Nostalgia Crisis up with this gig. It was our first with new drummer Mikey. You may remember him from an old CLAP lineup.

These Nostalgia Crisis photos were taken with my camera... obviously by someone with an "artistic" flavor to their photography skills pressing the buttons. Really, it is Nostalgia Crisis and not the zombie apocalypse!

Nostalgia Crisis ran through covers of Angry Samoans, Cock Sparrer, Chelsea, Undertones, UK Subs, Peter and the Test Tube Babies, The Clash, Sham 69, Devo and Pointed Sticks songs.

Thank you to our friends who came out to have a good night with us. I love sharing my love of punk rock with Catasauqua!

Nostalgia Crisis


 Nostalgia Crisis

Nostalgia Crisis


Nostalgia Crisis



 Nostalgia Crisis

Nostalgia Crisis

Three great bands, a packed house... got to make new friends and reminisce with some old friends. It was one of those nights where the conversations were as memorable as the bands. A tremendously inspiring evening.

Twin 55 is one of the hardest working bands in the Lehigh Valley. Great original punk rock. Hopefully this will not be the last time these three bands play a show together at the Catty Club!



Twin 55

Twin 55

Twin 55

Twin 55

Twin 55

Twin 55

Great conversations, great bands, great atmosphere, great time. Here's to hoping we get to do it again real soon!

Cheers,
Frank FOE

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Up To No Good Radio August 4, 2013 REDS - audio and playlist

Reds took care of the entire 3 hour show on August 4, 2013.



Black Flag @ Union Transfer

Rancid "Up To No Good"
Exploited "Crashed"
Slamhounds "I'd Rather Be Dead"
Slamhounds "Someone Like Me"
Wretched Ones "Rockers"
Dwarves "We Only Came To Get High"
Kraut "All Twisted"


Red Rockers "Know What I Think"
Black Flag " The Chase"
GBH "Am I Dead"
Minor Threat "Cashing In"
DOA "I'm Right You're Wrong"
Poison Idea "Rich Get Richer"
Ruin "Make Believe"
Bl'ast "Poison"
Queers "I Didn't Puke"
TSOL "Red Shadows"


Nightime Dealers "On The Top"
Stuntmen "Still"
Spitfires "Slick Black Cat"
Ultra Kings "Trailer Park Lolita"
Reverend Horton Heat "Hey Johnny Bravo"
Mistreaters "Little Sassy Francis"
Void "Who Are You"
Battalion of Saints "I Don't Like You"
Blut and Eisen "Fleisch Rollt"
Maddog Surrender "Sober Living"
Naked Raygun "Soldiers Requiem"
Battalion of Saints "2nd Coming"
Bad Manners "Lorraine"
Hypnotics "I'm Running"


Professionals "Join the Professionals"
Infa Riot "Each Dawn I Die"
Sloppy Seconds "Ice Cream Man"
Clap "Snowblind"
Iron Cross "Criminal Minds"
Transplants "Weight on my Mind"
Transplants "Gravestones and Burial Plots"
Naked Raygun "Rat Patrol"
Lime Spiders "Slave Girl"
Stiff Little Fingers "Sad Eyed People"


Lords of the New Church "I'm Not Runnin' Hard Enough"
Flipper "Love Canal"
Buzzcocks "Fast Cars"
440s "Feel All Right"
440s "Glamour Kitty"
Boomtown Rats "Joeys On The Street Again"
Slaughter and the Dogs "Cranked Up Really High"
Biters "Melody For Lovers"
NoFx "Jamaica's Alright"
Jack Black "Drive Them Wheels"
Stormtroopers of Death "Kill Yourself"
Social Distortion "Pleasure"
Replacements "Get on the Stick"
TSOL "Wasted"
Dick Dale "Shake and Stomp"
Ramones "KKK Took My Baby Away"
Chron Gen "Pretend"



Cheers,

Frank FOE






Saturday, August 3, 2013

Nails "Abandon All Life" Southern Lord LP/CD

NAILS
"Abandon All Life'
Southern Lord
Release Date: March 19, 2013


First, this is not the Nails from Boulder Colorado who had the new wave "hit" song "88 Lines About 44 Women", who also had Jello Biafra as their roadie when they were known as the punk rock band The Ravers (later changing their name to The Nails).

But for reference, here is the video for The Nails "88 Lines About 44 Women" (a record I love and suggest you obtain):



  Note: includes "s" and "f" bombs

For further lunacy, check out this video for Luke Ski's Dr. Demento classic "88 Lines about 44 Simpsons":


But I digress...


No, this Nails is from California and has released a colossal monster of an album in "Abandon All Life". There have been tons of game changing albums for me over the years. D.R.I.'s first LP. Agnostic Front's "Victim In Pain". Cro Mags "Age of Quarrel". C.O.C.'s "Animosity". Siege's "Drop Dead".  Some band's work in general like Negative Approach, Accused, Assuck, Spazz, Man Is the Bastard, EyeHateGod and Slayer are/were all game changers (to name a few).


The brutally violent sounding expulsion that is "Abandon All Life", with its ridiculous speed, corrosive sounding guitars, feedback and revolutionary thick production, combines for a cathartic experience that is a game changer in 2013.


So much of this style of music, part hardcore, part metal is far too much just noise and heaviness for heaviness sake, resulting in a din (by definition: a jumble of loud, usually discordant sounds). But the Nails have managed to make the grinding, pummeling noise emotional (aggressively emotional), without bringing in any elements of anything you might consider a melody or harmony.

The true goal of music-its proper enterprise-is melody. All the parts of harmony have as their ultimate purpose only beautiful melody. Therefore the question of which is the more significant, melody or harmony, is futile. Beyond doubt, the means is subordinate to the end.
—Johann Philipp Kirnberger (1771)

Slayer has melodies. Slayer could be played by an orchestra. No freaking orchestra is taking on Nails. For reference, Slayer is my all time favorite band. Slayer is my Beatles.



Nails is awesome. "Abandon All Life" isn't Nails first release and hopefully won't be their last.


I present to you a sampling of Nails lyrics:

Nails
"In Exodus"
Rejected from the start
Unleash the hatred within our hearts
There's no excuse
Return the abuse
Enforce your disgust
Burn in exodus
Never have done it their way
Resolve your vengeance make them pay
Wallow with us
In exodus

Nails
"Tyrant"
Lesser men want control
They'll never have what I hold
The power in my head and hands
Destroy all who oppose
I want to make you suffer
Hated because I don't belong
I live to prove you wrong
There is nothing you can do
I'll take what the f*&# I want
I will make you suffer
Kill

Nails
"Absolute Control"
Force fed lies
Subhuman filth
You don't know
What you believe in
Your mental devastation
A violent confrontation
Shut you down
Keep you down

Nails
"Abandon All Life"
Dead since the day of birth
Oppression by desire
The past is a scar
A reminder of my failures 
Reject the lies
Live by your spite
What you feel is right
Abandon all life
Trapped in a world rejected
Darkness consumes all light
Wield the f*$^ing blade
Pierce with f&%#ing hate
Utter contempt for their weak ignorance
Reject their selfish self serving judgement
Your will is beyond what those cowards possess
Embrace your vision with no neglect
Drop out of the race
Burn through life as a knife to their faith

You get the idea...

Cheers,

Frank FOE

Bl'ast "Blood!" Southern Lord

Bl'ast
"Blood!"
Southern Lord
Release Date: September 3, 2013

I was lucky enough to be receiving promos from SST records back in 1987. Lucky enough to receive the "It's In My Blood!" LP. Lucky enough to still have the physical press kit tucked inside the record sleeve. Lucky enough to have been blown away by this record 26 years ago. 


Bl'ast "It's In My Blood!" cover

"Blood!" is a different recording of all the songs from "It's In My Blood!", minus the song "Look Into Myself", which is replaced here by "Your Eyes", which is still an old song from the "School's Out" EP.

Bl'ast "School's Out" cover

The "Blood!" recordings were from a rare lineup in the band’s lineage, being the only recordings ever made while short-lived second guitarist William Duvall, who was in Neon Christ, and is currently the vocalist for Alice In Chains was in Bl'ast!

Neon Christ 7" cover

I was lucky enough to mail order the above Neon Christ 7" back "in the day".

Bl'ast "Blood!" cover

Dave Grohl is one of my favorite people in mainstream music, not just because he was in Scream or Nirvana or Foo Fighters or Queens of the Stone Age, or that he is super talented and creative (at the same time), but because he is a music fan. 

Bl'ast

Grohl remastered and mixed these tracks. I am sure he approached the project with the energy and enthusiasm of an overstimulated, sugar injected child! 

Dave Grohl

Supposedly Grohl's response to being approached to be involved in this project was, “F&*# YEAH! LET’S DO THIS!”

Bl'ast

I have always felt that Bl'ast sounded like a cross between "Animosity" era C.O.C. and Black Flag, a perfect mix for me in 1987 and still is in 2013. "Blood!" is as powerful today as "It's In My Blood!" was in 1987. 

Bl'ast "The Power of Expression" cover

Maybe the other Bl'ast titles will receive some interest through this release. I sure wish they would all be reissued on vinyl. Maybe a gatefold double LP reissue should be in order for 2014. Please?!?

Bl'ast "Take the Manic Ride" cover

If you don't know Bl'ast, consider the release of this as a blessing. Start your collection right here

Me, I'm as happy as Dave Grohl that Southern Lord snatched up this project!

Scan of the press photo from "It's In My Blood!" stashed away in my vinyl copy of "It's In My Blood".
1987


Cheers,

Frank FOE