MUSIC FIX OF THE DAY: Hate To Say It SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
Hate To Say It
"Hate To Say It"
Spine Punch Music
Released: 2016
Berks County Pennsylvania punk rock that rips. I've seen this band live a few times over the last year. They keep impressing me more and more. They blew me away at the Duffy's Cut gig at Mothers in Easton on September 16. So much so, I am actually looking forward to seeing them on September 30, 2016 at the Menace gig at Jabber Jaws.
They actually have physical copies of the CD in person as well.
Check the song "Problems 101". Demonstrates the ripping guitar work and how well Hate To Say It constructs their songs. Punk with a hardcore edge that isn't afraid to rock it out in the two minutes or so they are allotted! The disc is 6 songs fly by in 15 minutes. Smooth.
The Clap formed in the fall of 1978 in Catasauqua Pennsylvania. Johnny Loftus (vocals and bass) is the only original member of the band to last the entire career. Their first 7", "Don't Say No" / "Killed by Kindness" is a legitimate punk classic. Evidence? "Killed by Kindness" ended up on the "Killed By Death Vol 22" album. In case you don't have all the Killed By Death albums, you should. You should also track down a copy of this 7" for your Lehigh Valley and Punk Rock collection!
The two tracks from the first 7" can also be found on the "Clean Living and Penicillin" CD. Give the songs a listen at these links:
Looking forward to seeing the Clap as they open for Menace on their current Fall 2016 tour!
U.S.A. Tour Dates Supporting Menace!
Sept 29, 2016 Sunnyvale,1031 Grand St. Brooklyn Ny.11211 Sept 30, 2016 Jabber Jaws 1327 Chew St Allentown PA. 18102 Oct 1, 2016 Half Times Music Venue 618 plaza Drive, Newark, De.19702 Oct 2, 2016 Slash Run, 201 Upshur St. NW. Washington DC. 20011 Oct 5, 2016 Cherry St Station 491 N. Cherry St Wallingford CT.06492 Oct 6, 2016 Fire house 13 41 central St. Providence, RI. 02907 Oct 7, 2016 Kung Fu Neck Tie 1250 N. Front St Philadelphia, PA.19122
Menace released two of my favorite punk songs on their fist 7". The songs spoke to a disillusioned teenager. They still speak to me now. Looking forward to seeing Menace for the first time in 2016.
"Screwed Up"
Screwed up eyes in your screwed up head
I bet you don't know what I just said
Your so Screwed Up- Everybody knows your so Screwed Up
Screwed up in the road and your Screwed Up in the street
You think my eyes are painted on you think I can't see
Your so Screwed Up- Everybody knows your so Screwed Up
Is what I'm seeing really real
Or just reflections of the way I feel
Your so Screwed Up- Don't you know I feel so Screwed up
Can this really be happening to me
Turn out the light I don't wanna see you screwed Up
Screwed up girl from your head to your feet
your so screwed up you screwed up everyone you meet
Your so Screwed Up- Oh you make me blow my fuse
Your so Screwed Up- I get used to abuse
Is what I'm seeing really real
Or just reflections of the way I feel
Your so Screwed Up- Don't you know I feel so Screwed up
Can this really be happening to me
Turn out the light I don't wanna see you screwed Up
Screwed up crowds come and you don't know who's who
Your so screwed up you don't know who your trying to pull
Your so screwed up, ain't got a hope in hell your so screwed up
Screwed up lost in your screwed up head
They stab you in the back while wishing you well
your so screwed up ain't no fun your so screwed up
Screwed up everyone
Consider Menace wrote "Insane Society" 40 years ago. Different year, still insane.
U.S.A. Tour Dates
Sept 29, 2016 Sunnyvale,1031 Grand St. Brooklyn Ny.11211 Sept 30, 2016 Jabber Jaws 1327 Chew St Allentown PA. 18102 Oct 1, 2016 Half Times Music Venue 618 plaza Drive, Newark, De.19702 Oct 2, 2016 Slash Run, 201 Upshur St. NW. Washington DC. 20011 Oct 5, 2016 Cherry St Station 491 N. Cherry St Wallingford CT.06492 Oct 6, 2016 Fire house 13 41 central St. Providence, RI. 02907 Oct 7, 2016 Kung Fu Neck Tie 1250 N. Front St Philadelphia, PA.19122 Oct 8, 2016 Jewel 61 canal St Manchester NH. 03101 Cheers, Frank FOE http://www.menace77.co.uk/
I spent many years tracking down Menace's early records. Before CDs and before compilation albums conveniently pulled their material together, before the internet made just about every song available.
We are lucky to be able to now experience Menace's second 7" "GLC/I'm Civilised" with the click of a button.
Menace always had a way of creating memorable and exciting songs that you wanted to singalong with, even if you didn't know what the GLC was or why they were full of sh%t!
"GLC"
Gotta get outa this rat race
Gonna kicka my cage to f*ck
Political Man and your smilin’ lies
You’re all covered in smut
GLC, GLC
GLC, GLC
You’re full of sh*t, sh*t
Sh*t sh*t sh*t sh*t
Waitin’ for a cell in a block of rock
Get me down, get me down, name and number
Get hitched dirty bitch ditch with the baby talk
Oh no! You won’t get lumbered
Court room six, dirty fix
Down a cell, live in hell
What’s your name, what’s your game
Masturbate, magistrate
How do you do it, divide and rule?
Split ‘em up, split ‘em up, keep ‘em out of sight
End up in the factory instead of in a school
Left right, left right, right right, wrong!
If you wanted to look up what the GLC was when I first heard the band, you had to go to the library and read a book. Now you just search for it: The Greater London Council (GLC) was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council (LCC) which had covered a much smaller area. The GLC was dissolved in 1986 by the Local Government Act 1985 and its powers were devolved to the London boroughs and other entities. A new legislative body, known as the Greater London Authority (GLA), was established in the year 2000.
Absolutely get the "Punk Singles Collection for Menace" if you can find it!
The one thing the internet can't provide, is the up close and personal vantage point of being in a neighborhood bar, with the bands drums and amps shaking your soul. Luckily the band is coming to the Lehigh Valley (see rest of tour dates below) on Friday night, September 30, 2016.
Menace formed in London in 1976. So you know, I've been a fan forever and this will be my first time getting a chance to see them!
Punk legends. Don't miss this opportunity.
U.S.A. Tour Dates
Sept 29, 2016 Sunnyvale,1031 Grand St. Brooklyn Ny.11211
Thank you for the birthday present Nails and Nuclear Blast. I turned 50 the day this was released.
I love everything Nails has ever released.
If you enjoy hardcore, noise, powerviolence, metal and anything extreme, I'd recommend all of Nails releases Give the title track a listen, if you dig it, seek out all Nails. Check the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGGGh03jN4w
"You Will Never Be One Of Us" pushes everything to the limit.
Nails is the musical equivalent of driving way too fast.... trying to get a car to move through the gears as quickly as possible to obtain top speed, and then slamming on the breaks and then going fast again... Anything that introduces adrenaline and chaos is comparable to the music of Nails.
Nails sounds sort of like the engine, tires and wheels in this automobile torture video. "What Happens if you Press Your Gas and Brake Pedals at the Same Time".
Nails "You Will Never Be One Of Us" completely reminds me of an engine. Main part of the song is full throttle. The bridges in the songs are short. Like shifting gears short. Just enough to let you know they are on to the next part. Then more full on punishment.
As this guy burns out these tires, I can't help but think of a Nails song as the engine rages then shifts tone...
Wanna try something cool? Hopefully your computer type device will allow you to enjoy this as I have... Play all four of the videos in this blog post at the same time at a really loud volume. Just saying. I love chaos.
"You Will Never Be One Of Us" is 21 minutes. Almost 40% of this album is one song. "They Come Crawling Back" is is just over 8 minutes long. The other seven songs are accomplished in 13 minutes. "Violence Is Forever" is three and a half minutes. So more than half of the album is two songs. I love math. This is not a complaint. Just fact.
Bootblacks are from Brooklyn NY. I have listened to this album a few dozen times this year already. It is out of my expertise comfort zone, but I love this album. Check out the video for "Southpole".
Sure, I can tell you that I consider Joy Division, New Order and Depeche Mode among my all time favorite bands. I have listened to Bauhaus, but didn't quite grasp all of their material. There might be some other bands that can fit into some sort of post-punk, post-romantic, electronic deathrock, goth something or other in my listening experience, but I don't want this to sound like a generic review. I want to get my point across: "Veins" is a majestic, great album. "Veins" is definitely not generic and is one of my favorite records of the year. I love this ghoul-disco, dark wave goth originality. "Veins" sounds like it was released in the late 70s early 80s. The ten tracks take me back in time and out of my mind.
Bootblacks name is derived from novelist William Burroughs’ description of the dark underbelly of glitzy New York City. Here's hoping you love the Bootblacks as much as I do!
Mental Coma are from Denmark. I'm kinda bummed about that as I probably will never get to see them live. Kind of wish they were from Philly or something. Reason I am bummed, is that "Fragments of Democracy" is one of the best thrash albums I've heard in a long time. Mental Coma kill.
There are a ton of bands out there playing old school thrash metal. Most is generic and at best listenable. A lot of people love thrash, a lot of people try to play it, but to excel at it, you have to have to possess a few things:
talented musicians including guitarists who shred and a tight drummer
a "sound"
know how to actually write a thrash song (not just play fast)
have a great vocalist
and... be able to capture the recording so it doesn't sacrifice power just to get the speed.
Mental Coma are successful on all levels on "Fragments of Democracy". They've got it all. This album makes me nuts, which is the final bullet point I forgot to mention above... If my legs wouldn't be bouncing up and down and my head banging as much as possible while still trying to focus on my computer screen to type this, it would fall into the generic and OK category of thrash. Yeah, "Fragments of Democracy" makes me nuts!
"Fragments of Democracy" tracklist: 1. Mental Enslavement 2. Grotesque Reality 3. Civilized Abuse 4. Profitable Killings 5. Mass Media Manipulation 6. The Forgotten Ones 7. Scars Of Loyalty 8. Awake 9. Global Suicide 10. Ashes Of Humanity Lose it to "Profitable Killings": https://youtu.be/rsMwbgOZ7fQ
Tough combination of garage, punk, mod, oi, early rock and r & b.
Duffy's Cut is a recipe for a great time.
Check out their two track EP at their bandcamp page (name your own price) and instantly become a fan of what this band is doing (and become cooler as a side effect).
Duffy's Cut is playing in Easton PA (Mother's Bar and Grille) tonight on a fantastic bill with five other bands including Parasitix (get their split EP with the Blanks 77), Dirty Work, Hate to Say It, Sick 86'd and Clerikal Error (great introduction to this band at the lehigh valley punk rock picnic this summer). The only band I don't know is Dirty Work.
"The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser"
UMe
Released: April 29, 2016
Seeing Rob Zombie at the Sands Event Center in Bethlehem PA today (September 15, 2016). Excited. Very excited.
When this record came out, it was available at Target. So first of all, think about how far we have come that this is available at Target in the first place.
Consider that the first single is "Well, Everybody's F&C*ing in a U.F.O.". Yeah, the video, even on youtube is explicit.
Tracklist
"The Last of the Demons Defeated"
"Satanic Cyanide! The Killer Rocks On!"
"The Life and Times of a Teenage Rock God"
"Well, Everybody's F*cking in a U.F.O."
"A Hearse That Overturns with the Coffin Bursting Open" (Instrumental)
"The Hideous Exhibitions of a Dedicated Gore Whore"
"Medication for the Melancholy"
"In the Age of the Consecrated Vampire We All Get High"
"Super-Doom-Hex-Gloom Part One" (Instrumental)
"In the Bone Pile"
"Get Your Boots On! That's the End of Rock and Roll"
"Wurdalak"
Now consider that if you bought the CD at Target, there was a code in the CD and the label would send you the vinyl in the mail at no extra cost. This is just an insane deal. Pretty sure I paid $12.99 and got the CD and then the vinyl mailed to my house. Ummm. Have you seen vinyl prices lately? Fan-freakin-tastic deal!
I am a huge fan of all things Zombie. I was in on the early White Zombie (lucky enough to be very old). I have been a fan ever since. Love his movies (Devils Rejects is one of my all-time favorites), love his music. By now, he makes this look easy. Smooth.
The first few times I listened to this album, it didn't sink in. There was a little much to grasp, even for me. Now, this is just a flat out, go to record for me. Love everything about it. Some of my all-time favorite records started out the same way... where I was a little confused, but then when I got it, man did I get it.
.
Rob Zombie put on an amazing 105 minute show at the Sands in Bethlehem PA. Seeing these new songs live really drove them into my brain. Love the mix of older songs in the set list. Cover of Diamond Head's "Am I Evil" and Grand Funk "We're An American Band" also ripped.
Before the first "encore" they played the preview for Rob Zombie's latest movie "31" (not the same preview as below).
Per Rob Zombie's facebook:
Here is some 31 info for you.
It will be available to RENT this Friday -- SEPTEMBER 16th ---
31 the movie will be available from : I-Tunes, Comcast, Dish, AT&T, Google, Time Warner, Verizon, and Vudu.
It will be available to purchase October 21 -- the same day it will open in theaters.
If you enjoy streetpunk, oi, melodic, bold, old school to new school punk you should know Vancouver Canada's Bishops Green.
This latest CD compiles two 7" EPs, both titled “Back To Our Roots”. Randale and Rebellion Records each released a 7” with different songs. What I am reviewing here is the digital version on Rebellion which combines both 7"s plus the track “Christmas In New York” (from the compilation “Cashing In On Christmas” Vol. 5 on Black Hole Records).
These six songs hit perfection. "Wake Up" is a pure punk anthem. Somewhere between Templars and Business.
"Burn The Bastards" is a song originally done by the Lancasters (another Vancouver band). The acoustic version is amazing and done by an unknown singer-songwriter, those who happen to have more info about this recording, please contact the band (no joke!). At least that is what information I was provided!
"Trouble" is an undeniable punk rock masterpiece. If you've ever known any kind of trouble, you'll be singing along and saying this is a damn classic.
The cover of Eddie and the Hot Rods "Do Anything You Wanna Do" is a perfect song for this band to cover. It showcases their musical talent, proves their roots are cemented in quality and elevates the band to a legendary status with their take on this all time great song. The emotion is conveyed and on point. True.
I love a great Christmas / Holiday song and "Christmas in NY" certainly is a great one. The entire "Cashing In On Christmas" series on Black Hole is mandatory.
Some of my lifelong friends just call me "Foe" when they talk to me.
Agnostic Front is in my top five bands ever.
"Victim In Pain" is in my top five albums ever.
"Friend or FOE" is one of the greatest hardcore songs ever.
FOE is the zine / record label I started in 1982 or something.
FOE stood for "Freedom of Expression" for many years. Then ended up as Freedom of Evolution.
There was a music mail order distro called FOE, I think they even went by Freedom of Expression, that started up many years after my zine, that I had nothing to do with.
There was a reggae band called Freedom of Expression that I wasn't in... I saw them play in 1987 (or so). I hung out with them. They were very cool people. They did me a favor.
Friend or Foe is straightedge/hardcore/punk. I'm sober 25 years/hardcore/punk.
So yeah, I like that this band has FOE in their name. I like that they named the EP after me (haha). Actually, I don't know these guys, but I LOVE this EP!
Now that we have that cleared up...
Based out of Richmond Virginia USA, this is Friend or Foe's third EP, but first I have heard. 2012 Know Your Rights EP ( free download here: http://friendorfoerichmond.bandcamp.com/album/know-your-rights ) on Reaper Records/Solid Bond Records and 2014 Outsider EP on Triple B Records, are probably EPs I need to obtain as this "FOE" EP freaking kills!
Brutal hardcore taking cues from NYHC legends. Old Agnostic Front meets today recording sound. Definitely appeals to this old head and I am sure this is kicking the newbies in the ass too. This is a phenomenal EP. Simply love this! Stands up as one of the best modern Hardcore records I've heard.
Sick Of It All knows what is up... SOIA brought Friend or Foe along for a set of five shows across the East Coast in September.
09/07 Pittsburgh, PA – Rex Theater
09/08 Cleveland, OH – The Agora Theatre & Ballroom
09/09 Detroit, MI – The Majestic Cafe
09/10 Buffalo, NY – Waiting Room
09/11 Clifton Park, NY – Trickshot Billiards (feat, Walls Of Jericho)
Get this EP. Play it loud, wherever you are, but be prepared as you will have a physical reaction to this EP. If you are in your car, you will be throwing down and your flailing fists might be misinterpreted by passing motorists. If you are walking around with your earbuds in, people will think you are insane as you eclectically walk/thrash to the music they can't hear. If you are blasting it in your home, there will be a guaranteed circle pit, even if it just you and your dog.
Quick Piss is from Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The debut album features thirteen tracks. Thirteen tracks that I have digitally, but by the time this review/write up is over you will understand that I want this on vinyl. Quick Piss formed during the spring of 2013 in Des Moines, IA, at a time when the band members' ages ranged from 16-18. All of them have been friends since middle and high school, and have been active in the local Des Moines music scene since ages 13-15. So right away, yes, they have the amazing boiling blood of the early Replacements. There is so much influence here, it is hard to believe these young cats have this down so well. Give "Thouroughly F*#&ed" a listen.
Throughout the album I am hearing the Cramps, Sonny Vincent and Rocket From The Crypt and Jay Reatard influences. Can these kids be down with these influences? How about "Q.P.I.G.F.Y.S." which takes up 8 minutes of the 33 minute album, a song which climaxes in a Stooges-like zone-out after the Dwarves-like movement. And yes, it stands for Quick Piss Is Gonna F&#% Your Sh$&! "666 Upside Down Crucifix" is a freaking masterpiece. I love everything about this song. The song proves these kids (I'm 50 by the way, so I can call them kids) are the real deal. Love this song. It also makes you understand that they have to know about "I Wanna Be Your Dog" even though they have a song called "I.W.B.Y.S." (I Wanna Be Your Slut").
"Southside and Gomorrah" reinforces that Quick Piss leans more towards GG and the Germs than White Stripes and Strokes on the punk garage scale. Dirty and foul rather then precise and spruced up, at least as far as garage punk goes!
I don't have a lyric sheet, but I am pretty sure the lyrics to the 36 second song "40 Hr. Week" goes something like "40 hour week, f&^$ you!" and then something like "40 dollar tip, F&c@ you, 40 hour week, F&@K no!" As far as I am concerned the only mistake they made on this album was that the song should have been 40 seconds instead of 36 to match the title. Maybe they were on a four second break. Rock 'N' Roll Impotence - Tracklisting 01. Quick Piss 02. Information Withdrawal 03. A Freudian Slipped 04. 40 HR. Week 05. I.W.B.Y.S. 06. 666 Upside Down Crucifix 07. Southside And Gomorrah 08. Instant Party 09. On The Subject Of European Travel 10. Information Withdrawal Ad Nauseam 11. My Country Home 12. Thoroughly Fucked 13. Q.P.I.G.F.Y.S.
Stone Mills: guitar/vocals
Dylan Lamb: guitar
Joryn Brown: drums/bass/guitar
Arin Eaton: bass/organ
Luke Bascom drums
Where the hell do I get the vinyl? I think "Rock N Roll Impotence" is only currently available as a tape or download. Someone like Goner should put this out on vinyl if Red Nude isn't! Yes, I am excited about this record. Cheers, Frank FOE http://www.red-nude.com/releases.cfm https://www.facebook.com/QUICKPISS/
