FOE

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Biohazard @ Reverb January 16, 2012

Biohazard, Sworn Enemy, Strength For A Reason, Lifeless, Bottomfeeder
Reverb Reading PA
January 16, 2012

As Sir Edward George Earle Bulwer-Lytton would say, "It was a dark and stormy night..." The perfect setting for my first show of 2012. The sleet and freezing rain that was in the forecast was not going to keep me away from my first show at the Reading club, Reverb. I found out about the club from someone I met at the Murder Junkies show at Jimmy's Place in Allentown. I believe Reverb is run by Chris from Mushmouth and Frank Phobia. Nice to see a venue of this status run by members of the music scene. Reverb is awesome. Great free parking, an amazing sound system, smartly divided over and under 21 areas, affordable food and drink, clean bathrooms, and bouncers who are cordial, yet act fast and decisive to squash what needs squashing, while letting the pit action work out its own issues when it can. Great venue.

Only saw one song by Bottomfeeder, who are based out of Delaware, but I got to speak to one of the members of the band, after their set, who is from Trenton NJ. We talked briefly about their 7", awesome t-shirt designs (see one of them above) and City Gardens. Bottomfeeder's one track was good enough for me to search out their metallic hardcore on stereokiller. Real driving and punishing music.

Lifeless from New Jersey, slug it out with their instruments with quick paced powerful head bashing tunes that are offset by completely down shifted tempos. They create some scary sounds. I really started to notice how under tattooed I was at this show! Especially on the neck, hands and face! I gotta get with the program!

Lifeless

I had never heard of Lifeless before this show, but they have an LP out on Harvcore, which if it is as good as they were live, I will have to obtain.

Strength For A Reason killed. They seemed to have the largest and most energetic fan-base judging by the pit activity. Lots of karate dancers for most of the night (for all the bands), even though just about every band tried to coerce the crowd to start an old school circle pit.

Strength For A Reason

I was looking forward to seeing Sworn Enemy. Their high energy required that they play their guitars wirelessly. Had they actually had cords plugged in they would have ended up in one big knot at the center of the stage by the end of the first song. Love it when the vocalist channels vintage Raw Power ferocity.

Sworn Enemy

I love Biohazard. I have seen them too many times to count. My old hardcore band Forthright opened for them at Airport Music Hall a couple of decades ago, I wrote an award winning article for the Morning Call from an interview I conducted with Biohazard, interviewed them for my zine FOE back in the day, I saw them with my now deceased friend Digger on many occasions and I believe I saw them with Sheer Terror in Philly. Lots of great memories. This would be my first Biohazard memory without Evan Seinfeld. I am very much looking forward to their new album "Reborn in Defiance", which comes out January 20, 2012 and will be available for free at RevolverMag upon its release. Evan recorded for the album but is not a part of this touring lineup. For more on what Evan is up to, check out this interview in Inked. I had no idea he was divorced and now with Little Lupe!

Biohazard

No worries, if you close your eyes, you'd think Evan was singing and playing with the band! They played a variety of old and new tracks. The crowd, having not heard the new songs listened with judging ears. By the time Biohazard got to the old classic "Punishment" (one of the best songs of all-time, by any band), it seemed like everyone was on board and ready for the next chapter of Biohazard.

Biohazard

Thank you to all the bands that played the show. Thanks to the fantastic people at Reverb. I look forward to more visits to Reading PA!

UPDATE 1/20/2012

Biohazard have released the following statement explaining why Reborn in Defiance will not be given away as a free download today, as they had previously announced.

“We regret to inform you all that due to circumstances beyond our control, we will not be able to offer our new record Reborn in Defiance in the US at this time. We love all of you who have continued to support us through the years and can’t wait to share with you a record that we are extremely proud of. Thank you so much for your understanding and patience and a special thanks to our partners Revolver, Repudo and Google for their hard work setting this up. All of our touring plans are still solidified and we are excited to see you all out on the road!”

Reborn in Defiance is still available for purchase in the rest of the world outside North America via Nuclear Blast starting today.

Friday, January 6, 2012

FOD, Nostalgia Crisis, Maestro Please, Dave Phlegmball 1/28/12

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Up To No Good Radio January 1, 2012 Playlist

(Angry Samoans)

Johnny Generic's Playlist (click to listen):

Rancid "Up To No Good"
Johnny Thunders "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory"
Black Tie Bombers "I Don't Wanna Work"
The Nobodys "I Like Young Girls"
The Chumps "13 Rocks"
Angry Samoans "I'm A Pig"
Dr. Know "Watch It Burn"
Lemmy "Thirsty and Miserable" (Black Flag)
Weaklings "You Blow Me Away"
Weaklings "All The Way, Every Night, All Day"
Duane Peters Gunfight "War With You"
Die Hunns "Back in Black" (AC/DC)
Street Dogs "Drink Tonight"
Slamhounds "Rain"
Ramones "Blitzkrieg Bop"
Gang Green "Alcohol"
Gang Green "Skate To Hell"
Germs "Media Blitz"
D.I. "Johnny's Got A Problem"
Vindictives "Pinhead" (Ramones)
Ramones "Time Has Come Today" (Chambers Brothers)
Suicidal Tendencies "War Inside My Head"
Suicidal Tendencies "Possessed"
Neckbones "Cardiac Suture"
Oblivians "Pill Poppers Part I & II"
Clash "Know Your Rights"

(Dr. Know)

Frank FOE's Playlist (click to listen):

Rancid "Time Bomb"
Offenders "Face Down In The Dirt"
Cro Mags "Show You No Mercy"
Cock Sparrer "Riot Squad"
Raw Power "Destroy"
Kraut "Sell Out"
Radio Birdman "Non Stop Girls"
Battalion of Saints "Witch World"
Government Issue "Wishing"
Replacements "Otto"
Clorox Girls "The One"
Rudimentary Peni "Mercy of Slumber"
Crumbsuckers "Shot Down"
Queens of the Stone Age "If Only"
Freeze "We Make Sanity"
Specials "Gangsters"
SOA "Gonna Hafta Fight"
Discharge "Fight Back"
Black Flag "What I See"
Joey Ramone "What A Wonderful World"
Kylesa "Bottom Line"
GBH "Sick Boy"
Jesus and Mary Chain "Upside Down"
Stupids "Melt Me"
Misfits "Earth A.D."
Lime Spiders "Slave Girl"
Warzone "Free At Last"
Napalm Death "Silence is Deafening"
Marked Men "Don't Lose It"
Feederz "Avon Lady"
Naked Raygun "Metastasis"
Joy Division "Love Will Tear Us Apart"
Hairy Phlegmball "Cheap Beer"
Jim Carroll Band "People Who Died"

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Up To No Good Radio December 18, 2011 Playlist

Reds’ Playlist (click to listen):

Rancid “Up To No Good”

The Clap “Silver Bells”

Void “Who Are You?”
Dead Kennedys “Kepone Factory”

D.I. “Mr. Grinch”

Black Flag “Depression”

JFA “Cokes and Snickers”

JFA “Blatant Localism”

Sloppy Seconds “Lonely Christmas”

Misfits “Rat Fink”

Black Flag “Spray Paint the Walls”

Jerry’s Kids “Pressure”

T.S.O.L. “Happy”

TvTv$ “Daddy Drank Our Christmas Money”

The Reds “Whatcha Doing To Me”

Biters “Otherside”

Ramones “Loudmouth”

Devil Dogs “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday”

JFA (photo by Murray Bowles)

FOE’s Playlist (click to listen):

Canal Terror “Abschuss”

Lemmy “Run Rudolph Run”

New Bomb Turks “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”
UK Subs “Limo Life”

Bad Brains “Pay To Cum”

Angry Samoans “My Old Mans A Fatso”

Anthrax “I Am The Law”

Henry Rollins “Twas the Night Before Christmas”

Poison Idea “Sant Claus Is Back In Town”

Buzzcocks “I Don’t Know What To Do With My Life”

Billy Idol “Yelling at the Christmas Tree”

Tuff Darts “Here Comes Trouble”

Angry Samoans “STP Not LSD”
Dead End Cruisers “Father Christmas” (Kinks)

Money Dogs “Count Your Friends”

Descendents “Christmas Vacation”

Showcase Showdown “Ho Ho Ho Chimihn”

Generic’s playlist (click to listen):

Battalion of Saints “My Minds Diseased”

Vibrators “We Vibrate”

Vibrators “London Girls”

Government Issue “Puppet on a String”

Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers “Get off the Phone”

Motorhead “Going To Brazil”

Damned Dirty Apes “The Devil and Sammy Davis”

Die Hunns “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘bout Love” (Van Halen)

Duane Peters Gun Fight “Hell Mary”

Blondie “Rip Her To Shreds”

UK Subs “Killer Time”

Suicide “Thank You”

Dead Boys “I Need Lunch”

Generation X “Kiss Me Deadly”

Murder Junkies “Once a Whore”

F.U.’s “Father Christmas” (Kinks)

Hairy Phlegmball “Cheap Beer”

Blondie

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Adolescents "The Fastest Kid Alive" LP Review

Adolescents "The Fastest Kid Alive" LP

Concrete Jungle Records 2011

There are no clunkers on this record. Considering the Adolescents first LP was released in 1981 (30 years ago) this is quite an amazing achievement, especially when you take into account the Adolescents many career interruptions.

Recognize that the Adolescents debut LP is the standard that all other punk and hardcore bands must be compared to. That said, “Inspiration”, “Wars Aren’t Won, Wars Are Fought”, “Can’t Change the World With A Song”, “No Child Left Behind”, “Serf City” and “Peace Don’t Cost a Thing” prove that the Adolescents measure up on “The Fastest Kid Alive”. They retain the ability to combine hostility, melody and hooks to make a point and do so with some down right enjoyable, skillful, punk music.

Still, if you do not own the Adolescents debut self titled LP you should add “purchase the vinyl version of Adolescents LP” to the “to do list” on whatever app you use to keep track of your modern life. The Adolescents LP is a record you are undoubtedly obligated to own. Once you own that, you are obligated to get this one. I had to drop import priced cash on this, but it was worth it. There is a bit of nostalgia tugging at my heart, proof that the old folks can still hold their own, that we are not alone in growing up decades removed from our adolescent hardcore roots of the 1980s.

Tony Reflex (aka Anthony Brandenburg, Tony Cadena, Tony Montana & Tony Adolescent) still has a great way with words. The tracks on “The Fastest Kid Alive” reflect the world chaos that greets us every morning as we awake from the night’s rest. I treasure this great record.

Iron Lamb "The Original Sin" CD Review

Iron Lamb "The Original Sin" CD

Pulverised Records 2011

Sweden produces remarkable bands in an unfailing fashion. Iron Lamb’s Grga Lindstrom gives these 10 tracks a Hellacopters feel with his vocals. Structurally and sonically, this material compiles Motorhead along with Sweden’s Hellacopters & Entombed to produces a heavy, punk rocking blast. Iron Lamb's "The Original Sin" combines the punk edge and vocals of the Hellacopters, the repetitive chugging metallic abuse of a Motorhead riff, rounded out with the thick guitar sound of Entombed.

Bassist Daniel Ekeroth wrote the book Swedish Death Metal (published in 2008), which apparently looks like I need to add to my collection of books.

Other pluses here include a cover of Motorhead’s “Poison” and the song “I Don’t Like You” starts off with a sample from the Warriors movie, which is always a great frame of reference!

Iron Lamb facebook

Iron Lamb email

MOTORHEAD "Poison" lyrics from the LP "Bomber"

People tell me you didn't know better,

Give me sermons 'bout the things I do,

Come to love 'em, even wrote letters,

You know I even asked it of you, I said,

I've been doing Poison,

I guess I poisoned my life,

I've been doing Poison,

it's better than marrying your wife

On the road, the pace is getting frantic,

Specially when your poisoned out your mind,

A flight of stairs is like swimming the Atlantic,

When you're poisoned, deaf, dumb and blind,

I take my poison,

I guess I poisoned my life,

Been doing Poison,

I wish I'd Poisoned my wife

My Father, he used to be a Preacher,

Never taught me nothing but scorn,

If I ever catch him on the street, yeah,

I'll make him wish he'd never been born,

He was Poison,

Guess he poisoned my life

He was Poison,

I wish my mother wasn't his wife, no!

Friday, December 16, 2011

FOE ZINE #1 1984

(Click cover to go to FOE #1)

1984 was 27 years ago.

I take a deep breath and repeat, 1984 was 27 years ago. There was a time that I thought I wouldn't live to see 24 years of age and I am now 21 years past 24.

In 1984 I was 18 and had printed the first issue of FOE zine.

I had already been a hardcore DJ since 1982. That would be 29 years ago. Which means I will be celebrating my 30th year in 2012. Back in 1982 we prided ourselves as being "hardcore" not "punk".

In 2009, my long time friend, SS, completed a project I did not want to take on myself. He painstakingly took every issue of FOE and made them into PDFs. They were distributed on a DVD "1984-2009: A 25 Year Retrospective". The limited press run was 50 copies.
.

I plan on rolling out each issue's PDF here and on www.frankfoe.com over time.

I want to do this one at a time, so that I can put together an introduction and reflect on each issue rather than just providing a dispassionate file transfer.

To put this all in some sort of context, FOE was literally completed using a typewriter, glue, scissors and access to a copy machine and a stapler. We took pictures and took them to the photo developer and got them back a few days later. I remember buying a stencil template to create the F.O.E. on the cover.

Reflections on FOE #1

Scott "Wad" Andrews wanted FOE to be "Angry Young Produce Workers" as most of the Northampton crew not only were DJs at WLVR but also worked in the Produce departments of local supermarkets such as Weis and Food Lane. We were like a revolutionary army of produce workers. Angry Young Produce Workers of America Unite! was our slogan. My produce career ended in 1988, as did most of our produce careers, so I am glad I convinced Wad that FOE was a better name.
The Money Dogs and the punk rock show at the Northampton Band Shell on September 2, 1984 are the focus of issue #1. As I prepared to upload FOE #1, I was finally downloading the Money Dogs "Salute to America" demo. This is a pretty amazing transition when thought about. Completes the circle as I never had the demo prior to today.
My dad printed FOE #1. My dad now proudly takes credit for introducing me to punk rock via the Dead Kennedys and Pork Dukes around 1980-81. Other great influences on my early punk years were WMUH DJ Bob Massey, Mike Mickley (who made me one of my first punk/new wave mix tapes) and Joe Hanna @ Play It Again records. This N That Records (I think that was the name) in Northampton was also a great provider of my punk rock needs.
Johnny Generic stopped a fight at the Northampton show. He was also a DJ on WLVR back then with us Northamptonites. Johnny and I still DJ together as 2/3rds of Up To No Good Radio.
1984 may seem like old school, but realize that CH3 was about to release "Airbourne" and Black Flag was already on "Slip It In" and Flipside was on issue #43.
Some of the people in this issue of FOE #1 are still among my best friends. Paul and Johnny are still in my day to day life.
Great records reviewed in the issue: