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Best Of 2011 According To BHP

27 December, 2011 Brian Mc Leave a comment

Well it would appear that 2011 is coming to an end. With that said, it’s time for a “Best Of…” Broken Headphones 2011 edition.

There were a ton of amazing releases throughout the year as well as live shows that I was able to attend. Below is just a various list of bands that caught my attention, be it a recording or live show, over the past 12 months.

I should add that some of my favorite releases were from local Akron/Cleveland acts. I am not just dropping their names because we are pals or anything, they all worked hard and put out some excellent releases. If you have not heard of any of them, you really should check them out.

I may have missed a band here or there, but the following were the ones that stood out over the rest.

Albums of the Year:

Seahaven – Winter Forever

*Hands down this is one of my favorite albums to drop this year. They just have this indie punk rock sound that is ever so likable – trust me on this. The first time I listened to it, I was hooked. I see big things happening with this band in the near future.

Nothington – Borrowed Time

*This is another album I favored over the rest this year. Catchy lyrics layered over wholesome punk rock is what this album is all about. To make matters even better, they kick ass live. They are coming back to Cleveland next month and I can not wait to see them again. Listening to this band brings me band to the punk rock 90s I grew up on.

All Dinosaurs – Paranoid Indigenous

*So maybe the music was released in 2010, but the LP dropped this past Spring so I consider it a 2011 release. This Cleveland act is beyond fun to listen to plus they put on one of the best live shows ever. They are funny, quote 80s movies and are in it for the fun. It helps they are also all super cool dudes. If you are a Cleveland native, you should already know how amazing this band is.

Dave Hause – Resolutions

*I was a little late checking this album out as it was released in early 2011, but am glad I did not pass it up. Hause (The Loved Ones) is an amazing musician and proves it in this killer solo release. With help from his friends, he put together one hell of a release. Do me a favor, if you like music, listen to this.

Living With Lions – Holy Shit

*Words can not really describe how impressed I was when I heard these guys. All I know is I will have this album playing regularly for a long long time.

Deer Tick – Divine Providence

*The boys in Deer Tick changed it up a bit and put forth a bitching rock album that I really dug.

Dawes – Nothing Is Wrong

*Oh Dawes…you’ve done it again. What a solid release. You guys are on your way to being huge. Keep it up.

Those Darlins – Screws Get Loose

*The girls and Lynwood dropped a impressive follow-up to their debut this year and I adore it. Still kicking around the country-punk attitude, the foursome toyed with a more indie / garage rock sound and did a fine job doing so.

Old Man Markley – Guts n’ Teeth

*This self-proclaimed “New Grass” band was one of the more fun releases I had have the pleasure of checking out this year. I can not wait to see what happens next with these guys and gals.

Banner Pilot – Heart Beats Pacific

*Impressive release by a great punk rock band. They need to play Cleveland soon.

White Wives – Happeners

*This was the surprise release of the year for me. Featuring members of Anti-Flag, this album is far from a pop-punk rock album. On the lines of indie rock, White Wives needs to be heard.

A.A. Bondy – Believers

*This guy really outdid himself. You really have to check it out for yourself to realize why I appreciate it so much. It’s a really beautiful release to listen to.

Bon Iver – Bon Iver

*Not normally something I would listen to, but holy shit – it rules.

The Black Keys – El Camino

*Yeah yeah yeah… The former Akron, OH boys once again put out a release I admit I love. I do not love the fact that the next time they hit Cleveland, they will be playing an arena. It is safe to say they made it big time. Let’s hope they don’t screw it up.

Signals Midwest – Latitudes & Longitudes

*And yet another local act. These guys are a big deal though…to me at least. The dropped a really good record. For serious.

EPs of the year:

Luther – Siblings & Sevens

*Folk / Punk / Rock awesomeness. I was caught off guard by this band. They rule. Sadly they had to cancel their Cleveland show after the band was involved in an accident in Chicago. Luckily no one was seriously injured. I can not wait for their full-length to drop.

Harvey Pekar – Thirty Ghosts

*Dear Harvey Pekar (the band), thank you for existing.

Worship This! – Demo

*I normally do not mention bands that I am really good friends with the members, but I adore this band. That’s all I have to say about that.

Two Hand Fools – Believeland

*These guys better get signed in 2012 or else I am going to fight someone. Another Cleveland act with plenty of talent.

Cherry Cola Champions – EP

*I remember the first time I saw these guys live. I was not into them during their first song, and once their second song started, I was blown away. Looking forward to seeing what this duo has up their sleeves next year.

The Awesome:

-Going to SXSW and seeing bands such as The Dead Milkmen, Flatliners, Dead To Me, Eyehategod, and tons others at various venues in Austin, TX earlier this Spring. It was one hell of an experience to see so many bands cramped into such an amazing city. Sadly when you have that many bands, you tend to miss out on some great sets by amazing bands. Regardless, it was just awesome. Plus…I saw Dale Watson play at Ginny’s. That right there made my trip.

-Hanging out with Ninja Gun for a few days. These guys are some of the best dudes I know. They wanted to play shows on the East coast and I was able to lure them to Kent to play a show in September. We all enjoyed hanging out so much that they kicked it for a couple more days where I took them up to Melt for some cheesy deliciousness.

-Getting Dave Hause to play a house show in Akron. After seeing that Dave Hause was not playing a show in the Cleveland area just 2 weeks ago, I threw him the idea of a house show and he and tour mate Cory Branan were totally down with the idea. The result was a show to remember with Hause and Branan trading off songs all night long.

-Hanging out with friends, new and old, at the Inner Sanctum Pier show on the E. 9th pier. More people could have showed up, but regardless, I had a killer time that sunny day and got to watch Pat The Producer turn into a human tomato.

-Hanging out with Rise Against and doing some charity work them at the Malachi House in Cleveland. The guys were super cool to hang with and really did not have that “rock star” attitude built from success. Props to 92.3 for making that happen.

-Making the trip back to Austin, TX early November and attending Fun Fun Fun Fest. I got to see some of my favorite bands all in one weekend including Murder City Devils, Hot Snakes, Hum, Slayer, Eyehategod, The Damned, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, and Russian Circles. This was one of my favorite festivals of all time. It was a festival I had wanted to attend for a a few years now and I decided to go for it. I am so glad I did.

-It’s A Kling Thing House & Girley House. Both houses put on some amazing shows in 2011 with local acts as well as touring bands. Seeing Jeff Rowe over the summer as well as Mixtapes just a month or so ago in a basement is as good as live shows get for this guy.

-Daytrotter’s Barnstormer Tour. What a great evening of music that was. The show was in a freaking barn. Yes, I do not remember much as the beers were going down like water, but I know I had a blast with some pretty special people.

The Suck:

-Ben Weasel’s SXSW blowout. Sadly I was on the other side of town watching Cleveland’s very own Ringworm in a ghetto ass bar. Don’t ask me why I skipped out on seeing Screeching Weasel live, I was under the influence of many ice cold Lone Star beers. Honestly, I am kind of glad I missed Weasel acting like a little girl on stage.

-Danzig’s Fun Fun Fun hissy fit. One of the main reasons I wanted to go to Fun Fun Fun Fest was because the Danzig Legacy was playing it. I was stoked to finally see Danzig sing some Misfits songs with Doyle on stage. Instead I witnessed a diva take the stage late and get their set cut as they played past curfew. I only heard two Misfits songs and left with a bad taste in my mouth. People can think what they want about Danzig and that night. I was in the crowd watching heater being pulled on stage as well as the side of the stage tarped up so that little Glen would not get cold. It was over an hour until the stage met his needs and the dude was fully aware of the curfew. I will say that the two Mistfits songs had me feeling like a kid all over again. Shame I could not witness the entire set that he had planned. Lucky for me Ted Leo did a TV Casualty set the next day and made up for the Danzig drama.

-Seeing NOFX over Those Darlins. I regret that decision a lot. Two of my favorite bands played the same night and I had to choose one over the other. The good news was that I got to see and meet Old Man Markley. Sorry Darlins, I will not miss you next time you all hit up Cleveland. Please forgive me.

-Atari Teenage Riot’s Cleveland show getting cancelled. I was stoked to see these guys and was prepared to lose my hearing that night. Hours before the show, their promoter cancelled the show. Needless to say, I was pissed.

-92.3 and 107.3 changing formats. Cleveland is a lost cause with radio now that both those stations were yanked.

Wrapping it up…

2011 ended with a bang for this music lover. Thanks to all my friends from all over who made this year extra special for me. You all know who you are. From letting me crashing on couches to allowing bands to play in their basements you helped make this year what it was. Also to everyone who attended shows with me and shared the same passion I have for music, thanks.

Happy holidays everyone and thanks for taking a part out of your day to visit this site.

Ok 2012, let’s see what you have in store.

00's, 70's, 80's, 90's, Alt Rock, Austin, Babble Blog, Fun Fun Fun Fest, Good Times, Grindcore, Hardcore, Hip Hop, Indie, Live Shows, Metal, Music, Personal Entry, Pop, Pop Rock, Post-Hardcore, Punk, Road Trip, Rock, The Awesome

Dearest Danzig…Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011 Still Ruled.

10 November, 2011 Brian Mc Leave a comment

I am sure many of you caught my last post about good ol’ Danzig’s awesome show I caught at Fun Fun Fun Fest this past weekend. Love it or hate it, Danzig’s set on Friday night had the potential to ruin my weekend.

I knew the plug was going to get pulled the moment he announced to the crowd that they were told they could only play 5 more minutes. That’s why I grabbed my camera and took that terrible video. I wanted to capture the moment shit hit the fan, and I did. I just discovered the Spin.com has used the video in one of their posts.

Prior to that announcement, I was finally starting to get into the set, granted the band just played “Vampira”. I will not lie, they could have sounded way better. I am sure there was a multitude of factors that resulted in what I heard. It was windy as hell out and the equipment was heavily used all day , but there is no doubt in my mind that the band’s techs were not satisfied with their sound check. Not only did the asshats do an impromptu sound check while the Murder City Devils were still playing (dicks), but they also had that extra 45 minutes before Danzig went on stage.

One of the whole reasons I went to Fun Fun Fun Fest this year was to check out the Danzig Legacy. I was so hoping to hear “Hybrid Moments” and maybe even “Hollywood Babylon”, but we all know that was not the case. Instead I heard heard Danzig, including 2 mediocre songs, some not so good sounding Samhain, and you know what happened after…

Plug pulled + Temper tantrum on stage = Me leaving and getting awesome vegan pad thai in downtown Austin.

Danzig make $100k that night and never finished his set. The fans were all disappointed, and I was too. Face it, we were all standing in front of the Black Stage to hear Misfits songs and nothing else. With the time limit, one would think that Danzig could scrap one part of his set and focus on what people really wanted. I felt worse for Doyle who probably just caked all that make-up on his face before coming out on stage.

Don’t worry, I did not want to tear off my Misfits tattoos and stomp on it after what I saw. Hell, I am still a fan and always will be. I was just pissed that Danzig was acting like a diva but also knew that I had 2 more days of Fun Fun to look forward to. Perhaps the Misfits, the REAL Misfits, were never meant to be resurrected. I do not care what Danzig has done for the music world, all I know is what I saw was unprofessional and beyond rockstar. He was given fair warning of the time limit, did not want to even play, and then pulled his shit. You know what? I’m done talking about it. Maybe if the Danzig calamity happened Sunday night I would have a different “Attitude” about the weekend but it was only night one.

I was already in a great mood after seeing Murder City Devils and Russian Circles take the stage Friday night. Saturday I got to see Hot Snakes and The Damned (both were mind-blowing). Sunday I saw Eyehategod, Kid Dynamite, Cannibal Corpse, HUM ( amazing) and eff’n Slayer. I also throughout the weekend saw Major Lazer, Diplo, Childish Gambino, Big Freeda, Spoon and Del The Funky Homosapien.

There was one quick performance though that just made me happy to be a part of the entire weekend. While my friends and I were walking across Auditorium Shores to check out a veggie hot dog eating contest we noticed that there was a band covering Misfits songs on one of the main stages. We all stopped dead in our tracks and literally ran to see what the hell was going on. We caught the end of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists’s set where Leo and friends were performing their Misfits cover band TV Casualty. It was awesome, it was funny, and it sounded awesome. The four songs that Leo and crew played made up for the bullshit Danzig stirred up Friday night.

I’ve been to a whole bunch of festivals in my time. This years Fun Fun Fun Fest was the best one I have ever been to and I was only at maybe 1-1/2 of it. I missed all of the early shows due to other things going on in Austin like eaten grub or getting a sweet tattoo (stay tuned for that). I was ok with missing a couple of the acts as the main ones were in the evening. I got to see MCD, Hot Snakes, and HUM all in a weekend. How cool is that?

This is not a review. This is me declaring how much fun I had last weekend. Great music with the greatest of friends, old and new. Throw in the sweet motor-boating I did on a healthy rack right before Slayer and, my friends, I may have had one of the best weekends ever, in fact, I know I did. Thanks Austin. Thanks Fun Fun Fun Fest. I wish it was last weekend all over again.

Acoustic, Akron, DIY, Download This!, Experimental, Folk, Good Times, Metal, Music, Pop, Post-Hardcore, Punk, Rock

Friday Night At The Gurley House

27 August, 2011 Brian Mc Leave a comment

Once again, the Gurley House in Akron, OH, has proved for a great evening of music. There is nothing quite like seeing a show in the basement of a house that just makes it that much more personal.

Tonight I got to see four bands, some of which I have heard of and some who I have been wanting to check out after hearing about them through friends. The result was four performances by different genre bands all of which caught my attention in various ways.

My resident pal Roscoe started off the night with an electric acoustic solo performance. He played some of his material, some of which I really think needs to be recorded. Seriously, it was good shit and even though he hardly plays solo shows anymore, he had no problem jamming out a few tunes.

The Ohioans followed with an acoustic set. The last time I saw them is when they opened for Jeff Rowe in the very same basement a few weeks back. I was really impressed by their initial set and really enjoyed the acoustic session. If you like folky rock you need to check out this up and coming local act. Head on over to their BandCamp page and download their self-titled album for free and see why I dig these guys so. Check out the track “512”, one of my favs off the album.

Michigan’s Protected Left were supposed to be the headliners of the night, but one of the bands was running late due to a previous commitment. The threesome had no problem shifting slots and just rocked out hard to the gathering of music loving people. This band seriously rocked. Mixing punk, metal, and thrash (sweet sweet thrash…), the band got all technical at times when playing reminding me of shit Strung Out likes to pull yet kept a melodic pop-punk feel throughout. I loved this band’s sound and really hope to see them push out a full length one day. Until then, head on over to their BandCamp page and download their 3-song EP titled Songs Of The Doomed for free. Check out “At Least I Didn’t Cut My Ear Off” and tell me it is not catchy and just bad ass to listen to. Not only do they play good tunes, but they are also a bunch of cool peoples to hang out with. Really stoked I had the opportunity to meet them and see them play. Can’t wait thill them come back to Ohio again.

The last band to play the night was a local act I had heard of through friends but had never seen (or heard) before. The band, Cherry Cola Champions, not only has a great name for their two man act, but also pretty much blew me away with their set. Just download the Cherry Cola Champions EP for free and see what I mean (check out “Fievel Goes Midwest”). I honestly did not think I was going to be able to get into them after their first song, but suddenly I was hooked. It was experimental at times and very post-hardcore. I look forward to seeing these guys again.

So that was my Friday night. What did you do? Never mind telling me, I’m too tired now… Just do me a favor and check out the bands I just talked about. They are all free downloads and worth listening to.

Cleveland, Emo, Music, Music News, Post-Hardcore

Share A Bus With Thursday

24 January, 2011 Brian Mc Leave a comment

Be the first to hear Thursday’s forthcoming new album! On their bus!!!

Wait. What?

It’s true. Emo/Post-Hardcore act Thursday are currently in the middle of a tour and want their fans (well, 6 of them at each show) to hang out on their bus and listen to a few songs off their new album.

See the following from the band:

“Throughout our current tour with Underoath we’re giving you a chance to hear a little bit of the brand new album! Each show we’ll bring 6 fans onto the bus to hang out and hear a few songs. All you have to do to enter is send an e-mail to turnpikedivides@gmail.com with your NAME, CELL PHONE NUMBER and the DATE/CITY of the show you’ll be attending. We’ll be notifying the winners a few days before the show so keep an eye on your e-mail as the date of your show approaches. Winners will also receive a text day of show letting you know where to meet for the listening session.” – Thursday

Pretty sweet if you ask me.

What’s even sweeter s that they are coming to Cleveland on Feb 10th. Shoot them an email and try your luck if you are going to the show.

Thursday Tour Dates:
Jan 24 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
Jan 25 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre
Jan 26 – West Hollywood, CA – House of Blues
Jan 27 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
Jan 28 – Las Vegas, NV – Hard Rock Café
Jan 29 – San Diego, CA – Soma
Jan 30 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom
Feb 1 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theatre
Feb 2 – Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
Feb 3 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
Feb 4 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
Feb 5 – Salt Lake City, UT – In The Venue
Feb 6 – Denver, CO – The Summit Music Hall
Feb 8 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
Feb 9 – Chicago, IL – House of Blues
Feb 10 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
Feb 11 – Buffalo, NY – The Town Ballroom
Feb 12 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
Feb 13 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Concert Theatre
Feb 14 – Montreal, QC – Metroplis
Feb 16 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Zoo
Feb 17 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
Feb 18 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium
Feb 19 – Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero
Feb 20 – New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place
Feb 22 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
Feb 23 – Charlotte, NC – Amos’ Southend
Feb 24 – Knoxville, TN – Valarium
Feb 25 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
Feb 26 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues
Feb 27 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Revolution

00's, 80's, 90's, Cleveland, Music, New Release, Post-Hardcore, Punk, Review, Rock

Leatherface – The Stormy Petrel – CD Review

20 April, 2010 Brian Mc 1 Comment

Unknown to some but adored by many, Leatherface is back with their ninth release this time around on No Idea Records. The UK punk rock band holds the title for being not only an influence on many current bands of today, but also in shaping DIY punk rock. Formed in the late 80’s, Leatherface continues to rock on The Stormy Petrel. This is the bands first release in over six years.

Having been a fan of Leatherface for years now I really was curious to see if they band still could contain their sound still and I will say that they have not lost their punk / folky / post-hardcore edge.

The best way for me to describe The Stormy Petrel is to imagine what Gaslight Anthem might sound like if a tired Lemmy from Motorhead fronted the band. Of course I am not saying it sounded exactly like that, but with gruff vocals on top of catchy melodic guitars I could not help but find the similarity. The combination of the soft spoken singing of Frankie Stubbs, the last of two original members (Dickie Hammond being the other) I might add, and appealing rock jams just kept inviting me to listen to the album over and over.

I also liked the symbolism encased in the album’s title as it is in reference to a bird called a storm-petrel who sadly is threatened by human activity. If you want more information about what storm-petrels are all about you should click HERE. Don’t ask me how I knew this, let’s just say I love the Discovery Channel.

Looking deeper into the meaning I also discovered The Stormy Petrel refers to Joseph Hodgson, a man named a hero over a dozen times yet to this day has no tribute for all he accomplished. Check out HERE and HERE for more interesting information about this man who was passed up in the history books.

“God Is Dead” started off the CD and I found myself immediately digging what I heard. The lyrics were a little bizarre speaking of burying someone of a higher power in a shed but it was enjoyable to listen to as was the refrain that begged to be sung along with. “My World’s End” just maintained my interested with a little more punk rock edge to it. The music was not too overbearing and just fit perfect with Stubbs’ vocal strain.

The song “Broken” really proved upon my earlier music comparison as the music mirrored something Gaslight might play. Perhaps one of my favorite tracks on the album, I could not help singing along with the uncanny track. The following track picked things up a bit with “Another Dance” proving this album was emotionally all over the place. Other tracks worth mentioning were “Diego Garcia”, “Monkfish” and album closer “Hope”.

With more of a melancholy feel throughout, the album was still a good listen from start to finish. At times the lyrics seemed to repeat too much on tracks but it was not enough to turn me away. It’s nice to see that this band is still putting out worthy material to listen to and what’s even better is that the band is currently touring in support of the release. To hear that a 22 year old band is still hitting the clubs and playing out just proves that you are never too old to do what you love.

Look for Leatherface to play May 9^th at Now That’s Class in Lakewood with very special guests Ninja Gun, Dead To Me, and Cleveland’s F*cking Cops plus others. Doors are at 9pm and I am sure there will be a healthy crowd there that night so make sure you get there before it sells out!

UPDATE: Sadly Leatherface had to cancel their Cleveland stop due to an uncontrollable situation including border control. Should I find any more information out I will be sure to post.