Show Review: HEAVY ON HIGH FEST 11/14-15

Hell yeah! Three house shows all on one street combined into a weekend mini-fest. We drove up Friday night after Danny got off work and by the time we got there we missed the first metal show. Apologies to TOURNAMENT, the WAYWARD, and THUS CAME.

The drive up was bleak. Rain, darkness, blinding fog and winding mountains for two hours. RWAKE, WORLD BURNS TO DEATH, and DEVOUR were the perfect soundtrack. When we finally arrived, in tact, to Harrisonburg we met up with some friends on Old South High st. Mike Marketti was gracious enough to let us crash at the NERVOUS HABITS house. We spun some records and drank a couple beers before heading about two or three blocks down the street to the second show of the night. When we got there a band called TOWERING was playing, who I assume took NERVOUS HABITS' place (they couldn't play because their guitarist was out of town). We arrived halfway into their set. They played some sludgy hardcore with vocals yelled into a mic suspended from the ceiling. Nothing groundbreaking here but not bad either. The basement was sweet and wide open. The turnout was also good.

Next up were SNACK TRUCK. I'd seen these guys at MacRock and they weren't really my thing, but they absolutely blew my mind this time. Two drummers (both of ULTRADOLPHINS fame) a guitarist and bassist pumped out instrumental jams that are a heavy and crisp mix of indie/prog rock, revolution summer style post-hardcore and weed jamz. Finally an instrumental band that could play a 40 minute set and not bore me once. The guitar tones were incredible and the whole feel of the set was much heavier than I remember. Also, whereas most of the time incorporating two drummers is redundant and a really cheesy gimmick at best/distracting and sloppy at worst, these two played really well together. The dual drummer attack added a lot of energy and they actually played complimentary parts rather than playing the same thing. You can tell SNACK TRUCK loves playing together and practices all the time, because these songs were as tight as can be. Not punk, but this shit was really, really good.

I was psyched to see SWEAT LODGE next, only to learn that the show was over (?!). I guess they played first for some reason? This is the second time I've missed them at a show I've attended. Bummer!

So we went back to the Hobbits' house and raged for a while. Someone made a waterfall out of a 40 oz. bottle. Insane. We played with a stray cat. Smashed some pumpkins. Made some watered down mac and cheese. Drank more beers. Watched Gary Busey in the Buddy Holly Story movie (which was incredible albeit unapologetically factually untrue). Passed out.

DAY TWO

Woke up around 10 to torrential downpour and crazy wind so I went back to sleep until noon thirty. We got up and dicked around until Mike got off of work at Jimmy John's. The weather cleared up and we decided to grill. After we went to a sketchy and nauseating butcher's shop I stopped by food lion to get some veggie burgers. Harrisonburg does not seem like a good place to be a vegetarian/vegan. We started drinking and grilling around 3 while Prescott watched college football and yelled and broke things. A couple veggie burgers, a bunch of mac and cheese and salad, and about 6 beers later I could barely keep my eyes open and I passed out for an hour on Mike's bed. I woke up around 8:30, drank a Tilt and then we headed to the show.

The turn out was great! The show hadn't even started yet and the basement was already packed with more people out in the back yard. In Richmond, everyone except Good Show Steve and whoever was bartending at Nara that night would be sitting around watching reality TV and drinking Joose waiting for someone to call them to say the show had started (including me). People in Richmond are spoiled because there is a decent show almost every night. In Harrisonburg people take what they get and are pumped about it. This can, however, create a strange environment (more on that a little later).

First up were KINGSHEAD. We've played with these guys three times now and this was their best set. They play heavy hardcore that recalls HIS HERO IS GONE. Multiple vocals and some sweet riffs. They have a really good demo available as well. It seems like a lot of people made it up from the Va Beach/Norfolk area to see these guys, which was really cool. I hope we get the chance to either tour or put out a split release with them. Unfortunately, they've changed their lineup a bunch of times and were only able to play a 15-20 minute set. Their last song, a new one, was raging! I love seeing fast, energetic, punk beats with heavy riffs to back it up. They should continue in that direction. Despite the fact that the basement was packed, no one moved at all minus the subtle head bob. Weird.

BALACLAVA was up next and I'm in that band so I'm not going to review it. Suffice it to say that, despite some technical difficulties, it was a really fun set. The crowed continued the practice of exerting as little energy as possible. It felt a little awkward. Pete and Danny and Joe lit a joint at the beginning of our set and passed it around. I think some straight edge kids were pissed about it. Good times.

Last was SAVAGE LAND. It was their record release show. They played dumbed down and pissed hardcore. They are definitely into the Grave Mistake thing. From what I understand only half of the band is claiming the edge, singer not included, but they might as well have been a straight edge band. The aesthetic is there and the music is pretty two-steppy. Apparently kids in Harrisonburg dig them because for the first time all weekend people moved. They sang along and danced around. I guess they have to pick and choose who they rage for. They finished the set with a cover of MINOR THREAT's "Minor Threat." Sweet end to a sweet show. The SAVAGE LAND dudes were cool to us and I picked up their 7".

After the show was over we hung at the house for a while meeting some people and then took off to some college type party. Lots of hipsters dancing ironically to music that sucked in the 90s and still does. It wasn't punk at all so we stood outside in the cold yelling "PALIN 2012" at people for a while. We were all pretty fucked up so we decided to walk back to the NH house and get more fucked up. 12 veggie chicken nuggets later and I was passing out on the couch watching Freaks and Geeks. We woke up the next morning, thought about going to the Little Grill collective but knew it'd be packed, and went to Dave's instead. I had another fucking veggie burger. The drive home was much easier and less scary than the drive up, and the new WARKRIME CD fit the bill.

All in all it was a great weekend.

SHOW REVIEW: 11/11 @ Nara, JAVELINA, HUMAN SMOKE, JAIL, SOUR MILK SEA

I had been anticipating this show for weeks. Up first was Richmond's SOUR MILK SEA and, unfortunately, I missed them. This wasn't out of apathy though. I was pretty excited to see these guys because their bass player, Tommy Hamiliton, was once a member of Florida's early 80s punk heroes HATED YOUTH. HATED YOUTH played fast, furious hardcore punk reminiscent of the early 80s DC Hardcore sound. Along with ROACH MOTEL, these guys were the essence of the early Gainesville punk scene. He has subsequently spent his time recording a variety of sweet bands and playing in a few himself. Unfortunately, Wilbo wouldn't answer his damn phone to tell me when the show started and by the time I got there SOUR MILK SEA had just finished their set. I heard they were pretty sweet though.

Next up was JAIL. If I'm not mistaken, the female guitar player was formerly a member of Kansas crust/down-tempo heavyweights SAMOTHRACE. JAIL played a pretty good set of stoner metal that was fairly generic at times and pretty damn powerful at other times. The vocals were pretty evil sounding. I wish they would ditch some of the noodley blues riffs that I've heard countless stoner bands rehash over and over. They had a few moments where everything clicked and it sounded pretty badass though. All in all a solid set and definitely solid dudes/dudette.

Third was Philly's JAVELINA. Last time JAVELINA came through they played at Nara with SOURVEIN and they owned. They played another great set this time, although I think it carried on a bit too long. JAVELINA plays a unique brand of hardcore that's really, really heavy on the low end and incorporates some down-tuned metal riffery and and a brutal, pounding pace. Short/no hair and neck beards abound. The best part about this set was the vocals from the guitar player on the right with short hair and a slightly longer, thinner, neckier beard than the other guitar player with short hair and a neck beard. He only provided about 30 percent of the vocals but I wish he did more because it was absolutely brutal. The best song they played by far was the last song of their set, which kicked right into a faster punk beat and didn't relent. I wish they could have maintained that energy level through the entire set. They have a CD out on Translation Loss record (apparently it will be available on vinyl soon) and some really evil and well done shirt designs. Definitely worth checking out.

Last was Richmond's very own HUMAN SMOKE. These guys haven't played a show in 6 months and all the locals were stoked. I don't think I've ever seen HUMAN SMOKE when at least one of their members wasn't robotripping. Unfortunately, the only one consuming cough medicine this time was Mark (vocals) because he was actually sick as shit. This was a pretty long show and I was heavily intoxicated by the time they went on. HUMAN SMOKE plays drug riddled punk that's a mix of FLIPPER's fucked up, relentless grunge and some stoner metal riffery. They played a short, sweet, 4 song set that spanned about 15 minutes. Something I never noticed before but really stood out this time was Scoot's (guitar) vocals. They were burly as hell. After the set Scoot and Delicious (drums) played a two man encore song that was evil as hell. I don't know if that's a potential side project or just a jam but it was awesome. HUMAN SMOKE sounds a little like a bad mushroom trip that's lasted way too long and on top of it all you're starting to get a killer hangover, and I mean that in the best possible way. If that doesn't mean anything to you, you'd probably hate HUMAN SMOKE. They'd probably hate you too.

Heavy on High Fest

The details for the Heavy on High mini-fest are in:

All nine of these bands should be pretty rad. Both venues are houses I believe. My band, Balaclava, will be playing on saturday night. I'm going to post a show review after it's all said and done. If anyone needs any more info on this let me know.

EDIT: Hmm...I cant' seem to get these flyers formatted right. Sorry about that. Here are the details:

DAY ONE: Fri. Nov. 14th. 7 PM sharp. 1065 Old South High St. 3 bux.

THE WAYWARD
THUS CAME
TOURNAMENT

Same day, 10 PM, 750 Old South High (right down the road). FREE

SNACK TRUCK
NERVOUS HABITS
SWEAT LODGE

DAY TWO: 10 PM, 750 OLD SOUTH HIGH. FREE

KINGSHEAD
BALACLAVA
SAVAGE LAND

Random Notes

Obama was just elected president, I've had a few beers and not nearly enough sleep. Here are some things on my mind before I pass out:

-Japan's UNKIND just released a fucking ferocious EP eloquently titled Crustie Not Hippies. Brilliant. This is blown out as fuck crusty punk that's as fast and furious as Framtid but much more chaotic. The recording is very raw and the intensity level here is just ridiculous. I first looked into this thinking it was Finland's UNKIND who also play a form of heavy, crusty hardcore (albeit much cleaner, a bit slower and nowhere near as noisy). Both bands are worth checking out, but the Tokyo product will just leave your head spinning. If you're looking for more refined crust with dark metallic harmonies in the vein of martyrdod then check out the Finnish version who also claim to draw from the classic Finnish Punk sound ala Tampere 82 but sound more Swedish than anything else.

-In Layla Gibbon's column in the newest (November) issue of MRR she gives a brief background on some influential all-girl punk bands. She suggests Nog Watt as an example of raging female punk at its finest. She ain't lying. This band is so amazing. They played d-beat style punk with more innovative guitar parts than Discharge and more ingenuity than 99 percent of Dis-worshipping bands. The vocals and imagery will haunt you. Get your hands on the Fear 7" if you can find it. Actually, if you can find it, sell it to me!

-On MSNBC's post election coverage, conservative and liberal anchors alike are gushing at the implications of having our first African-American president. Now, this is a huge moment in African-American and just plain American history, and its importance shouldn't be understated, but the notion that simply because a black man was elected president we have somehow stepped beyond our racist history and complex contemporary race-related issues is both absurd and dangerous. I can easily envision a slippery-slope scenario in which we use Obama as straw man excuse for our racist tendencies; that we will be able to say to the rest of the world "we aren't a racist nation. How could we be? We have a black president!" Just like "...some of my best friends are black!" doesn't excuse your lame-ass racist joke at a party, "...our president is black!" doesn't excuse systematic and institutionalized racism in the United States.

I decided to vote this year because of some of the specific implications of this election, but I fully expect to get my heart broken time and time again over the next four years. As charismatic and promising as Obama might seem to progressives, there is not much he can or will do to significantly alter the political landscape in America. Simply focusing tax cuts on the middle class and minimizing tax cuts for the wealthiest in the country led to the Right accusing Obama of favoring socialistic economic redistribution. Those firmly on the Left know that, tragically, this could not be too much further from the truth. I should have gone to see Bad Brains instead.

That's all for tonight. AJ Burnett opted for free agency today and there are reports that the Orioles are favorites to land him because of geographical advantage (his wife's family lives in Maryland and he has a house right outside of Baltimore). I don't have too much to say about it right now though. I just watched half of Inland Empire. It's 3 hours long! I really like David Lynch and the movie was pretty cool so far, but it was just too much for one sitting. My head is spinning.

An Introduction

The vast majority of my knowledge and interest is contained within two categories that the vast majority of people don't give half a shit about: punk rock music and baseball statistics. Because of that, I don't have too many friends. That's okay with me, because most of the things people find interesting bore the hell out of me anyway. If you think that we don't have much in common and wouldn't get along, you're probably right.

I guess I'll use this blog to write about whatever crosses my mind regarding punk music or baseball and more or less no one will give a shit. Maybe I'll print it as a zine at some point, but I don't have any delusions of grandeur.

The title of this blog comes from the B-side of the OFFENDERS I Hate Myself 7", which I've been playing to death lately. The OFFENDERS were an Austin, Texas punk band that started in 1978 but really came into their own in the early 80s as they transitioned from UK/77 style punk to faster, American hardcore along the lines of MDC, BAD BRAINS and CIRCLE JERKS. Lots of bands successfully made this transition around '82 but the OFFENDERS developed a style that really stood out. Their brand of introspective, self-loathing lyrics placed over raging songs that combine all out thrash, mid tempo punk, and slower, darker, melodic riffs with just the right amount of wailing guitar melodies really came to a head on this 1984 7" with "I Hate Myself" quickly becoming an anti-anthemic classic. The B-side is the real treat though. "Bad Times" perfectly encapsulates the desolate perspective of an outcast kid living in a world that makes absolutely no fucking sense. I'm usually wary of old punk lyrics denouncing God and religion because, about 90 percent of the time, they come off as oversimplified and rhetorical. "Bad Times" is neither. This is one of the best American punk bands of the early 80s that largely flew under the radar.

I've never been much for the more well-known '77 punk bands. Whenever I listen to '77 style punk my initial reaction is to wish they were just playing faster and dirtier, with less pop sensibilities and more recklessness. The DEAD BOYS are definitely an exception. This Chicago band retained all the insanity and threatening atmosphere of the best IGGY POP and the STOOGES records while somehow stripping it down and making it feel more accessible. "Ain't it Fun" is one of the greatest songs ever written by anyone.

"Ain't it fun when you're always on the run? Ain't it fun when your friends despise what you've become? Ain't it fun when you get so high that you, well you just can't come? Ain't it fun when you know that you're gonna die young?"

Fuck yeah!

On to the baseball side of things (just to alienate 90 percent of the 10 people who might still be interested)...

So the Phillies are the world champions. Fair enough. They were probably the second best team in the NL and maybe the 5th best team in baseball. Maybe. Outcomes have been wackier.

The Rays were clearly a superior team. Cole Hamels might be better than any starter on the Rays staff, but after that the drop-off for Philadelphia is massive. The Rays might have had the best starting rotation in baseball and have a great core of young, talented players who are locked up for at least a few years. They'll need to start trading their established players when they get too expensive in order to restock their system with young talent, as they won't have the luxury of drafting in the top 5 spots year in and year out anymore. They will see a modest increase in payroll, but they'll still be a small market team.

This Cinderella season for the Rays came about a year ahead of schedule, but it is not surprising. Their young talent just developed a bit quicker than I had expected. I'm not shedding any tears about them losing to an inferior team in the world series (7 game series...the ultimate small sample size). It's reasonable to assume that they weren't even the best team in the AL. The wild-card winning Red Sox had a better expected win-loss record based on runs scored/runs allowed. One could argue that the Angels were a better team as well. In any case, it will be exciting watching the Rays compete with the Red Sox and Yankees for the next decade in the AL East. The Blue Jays are stuck in a cycle mediocrity but will continue to be a .500 team. Even the Orioles are stacked with young talent after trading off veterans Erik Bedard and Miguel Tejada for top prospects and finally having a couple successful drafts. Their time will come in 2-3 years.

Well, that's about all for now. Punk rock and Baseball. Whatever.

-Dan

Afterthoughts: The new Warcry album is awesome, despite the fact that it's less than 13 minutes of music on two sided 12".

Vinyl Conflict, a new record store in Richmond, Virginia, is beyond words. This is the best punk oriented record store I've ever been in. We are incredibly spoiled. Amazing selection, prices that can't be beat. Go spend lots of money there and make sure it never goes away.