Tag Archives: Punk

NOFX – Cokie The Clown – CD Review

Leave it to NOFX to keep it unique for their fans. This time around the 25 year punk rock veterans have released a five song EP titled Cokie The Clown. The uniqueness of this EP is that four of the songs were choice cut tracks for their most recent full length release that the band chose to take off Coaster and release at a later time. Like a chaser swig of beer to a strong shot, Cokie The Clown follows Coaster perfectly giving the fans just a little bit more NOFX zing to tie them over until the next round.

The cover of the EP shows Cokie The Clown, rather a scary looking Fat Mike clown portrait that makes Pennywise in Stephen King’s IT look harmless. On the back of the EP is a circus flier comically showcasing the band as entertainers of the mediocre show.  The EP contains four unreleased tracks and an acoustic version of one song that appeared on Coaster.

Opening track “Cokie The Clown” incorporates anti-sobriety with full on abuse in a first person sung song about said clown and his shenanigans with Eric Melvin providing introduction. I cracked up upon hearing the clown asking to be watched while juggling “eight balls” as well as the line “I will trip you down those 12 giant steps” knowing exactly which steps he referred to.

“Straight Outta Massachusetts” resembled something that Matt Stone or Trey Parker of South Park fame might have written for a musical. Still catchy and fun the song told the story of a rowdy 5 year old (who later grows up to be Fat Mike I am assuming) shun by his father from the east coast to the west coast to be with his mother. The song originally appeared on an episode of Pancake Mountain featuring Fat Mike and his adorable daughter.  (If you have never heard of Pancake Mountain you should click THIS.)

“Fermented And Flailing” and “Codependence Day” both kept with the fats riffs and ever so candid lyrics speaking of the pros and cons about alcoholism.  Just like most NOFX songs the lyrics are to the point about their opinion but also well formulated.

Unquestionably the most depressing song of the year “My Orphan Year” that already choked me up on Coaster got even sadder thanks to Fat Mike picking up an acoustic guitar and slowing things down all by himself. The true story formulated into song about Fat Mike losing his folks in 2006 seriously will bring tears to eyes of many (including myself). Let it be know, even rampant punk rockers have feelings too.

The EP is available on CD and also will be split into two 7”s for all you vinyl junkies out there. As an added bonus Fat Wreck Chords is offering a Cokie The Clown bundle including a t-shirt and either the CD version or the two 7” discs of the EP.

Cokie The Clown comes out on November 24th but if you can not wait you can pre-order it right now by going HERE.

Fat Mike actually dressed up as Cokie at the Riot Fest in Chicago and pulled a not so typical prank involving a plastic flower and some white stuff…

If that is not hilarious enough, check out the video that just posted up on MySpace for “Cokie The Clown”:

NOFX – Cokie The Clown

NOFX | MySpace Music Videos

Here is the Pancake Mountain version of “Straight Outta Massachusetts” featuring Fat Mike and his daughter:

New Rancid Video!!!

Rancid just posted a new music video for “Up To No Good” today!  Check it out:

The video actually shows in the background a map of sorts showing all of the cities the band toured at over the summer including Cleveland.  I only wish I was able to see them more than one time but I am not complaining at all about that, after all I was back stage for their performance…more on that HERE.

Babble Blog: Weekend + Punk Rock + Friends + Beer = Great Hang

What a weekend…  Time to blog about it!

I’m sitting here right now next to my trusty electric radiator as I really need some heat now that the temperatures are dropping here in tropical Ohio.  I just finished some hot tea, have the pups cuddled up next to me as I type this, and have the final football game of the evening playing in the background.  It’s no surprise the Colts are kicking ass currently and I am still grinning slightly at the Browns’ first win, even if it was pathetic and ugly…

As of late my weekends have been amazing thanks to my gang of pals.  It might help that I am putting myself out there finally after all that I had been going through.  It would appear that I am moving on in the right direction.  Beer helps too.  I have been good, so do not worry.  I am not in the mood to getting plastered.  I have really been appreciating the finer beers in life such as Great Lakes and of course my elixir, Guinness.

My weekend started off a little early this week as some of my punk rock friends and I hit up the Grog Shop to see Strike Anywhere, Polar Bear Club, Crime In Stereo, and Ruiner play.  There is nothing quite like a punk rock show on a rainy evening with good friends and huge cans of PBR.

Ruiner started the evening with a hardcore performance that set the level rather high for the night.  The way they played without care reminded me that sometimes playing show is all about fun.  At times their new drummer missed a couple of beats but the band was quick to laugh it off and start over.

Crime In Stereo was one of the bands I had not heard of before.  Let’s just say I will be buying all of their CDs soon.  They were freaking awesome with their high energy punk rock as well as emo shifts comparable to Brand New, but it was Polar Bear Club and of course Strike Anywhere that won the night over for me.

Having already heard Polar Bear Club’s recent album Chasing Hamburg I already knew I was going enjoy their show.  They sounded amazing and the kids in the pit went nuts singing along and thrashing about.  I stood in the back, I am too old for the jumping around and getting close with my fellow concert goers and I am ok with that.  With my trusty PBR I was contempt with observing and rocking my head to the beat.

Strike Anywhere took the stage in full force and rocked out until their last song.  The political heavy hardcore punk rockers were excited to be back in Cleveland and really put on a great show to all the fans who came out for the night.  Dread-locked lead vocalist Thomas Barnett admitted that even though the band has been around for 10 years that they had not done one thing in Cleveland but were able to earlier in the day as they finally made it to the Rock Hall for a tour.  I hope they enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed their performance.

All of the bands are currently on Bridge Nine Records so there was plenty of merch to be sold at the show.  Sadly the shirt I wanted was not in my size and I was strapped for cash so there was no indulging in vinyl goodness.  Thankfully the internet will be my merch table when I have a few extra bucks to help support those bands.  Here are all of the performing bands newest releases if you care so much to check them out:

After the show a couple of friends and I went to Steak N Shake for a late night stack.  I felt like we were in a creepy movie with the 3rd shift staff looking a little sketchy but they were pleasant, the onion rings were good, and the milk shake was satisfying.

Friday night after my late shift I met up with my pals at a local bar for some beers.  It was not the best choice of bars as I think we could have found something a little more entertaining but it was still nice to sit around at a table and just converse.  My one friend had it in his head that he was going to find girls for us but it did not happen and honestly I was ok with that.

Getting home late night I rest my head on the pillow and before I knew it the sun was up and I was starting on what would turn into a crazy busy day.

I took some time in the morning to update my iPods and got ready for my visit with Matt from Addicted To Vinyl.  Yes folks, Matt visited me.  He drove all the way down to my place with no intention on sitting in my back seat as I escorted him to a festival of sorts.  He was coming to hang out and I was excited like…I don’t know, I was just happy for the hang.

We had a early lunch at Mike’s Place in Kent where our waitress cracked us up with her table departing “You’re Welcome” that was clearly fake and practiced ever so hard.  After eating mad amounts of tater tots and a delicious veggie reuben we made our way into the beautiful downtown area to visit Spin More Records.

Matt had never been to the shop so I was happy to take him there.  We shopped, heckled at an autographed Tesla CD, and did a fair amount of BS’n in the store.  Good times.  Upon leaving the store Matt handed me a 45 of a promo only copy of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts‘ “Roadrunner (Cleveland)”.  Matt explained a lot to me about the song and honestly I value the 45 even more now.  As soon as we got back to my house I dropped the needle on it and we listened to it at high levels.  Matt pointed out the Cleveland references throughout.  Good jam.

Matt had to get going to I slammed the door in his face and did not pay him for The Avett Brother’s I & Love & You LP he so kindly fetched for me from Music Saves (honestly is anyone else as shocked as I am that he is being so nice to me as of late???).

My best buds came over a couple of hours later and we headed to my one friend’s sister’s boyfriend’s housewarming party…phew!

The house was in Akron in a beautiful neighborhood and honestly I was jealous of it.  It was a great looking house with a creepy ass third floor that could very well supply the scenes for future horror movies.  A lot of cool people showed up and everyone mingled while drinking an array of beers.  I stuck with Great Lakes…yum.

After a taco eating contest (I did not take place in it), managing to piss off one of my pal’s sister’s friends, house to garage jumping, a cornhole win, and a chair mysteriously finding it’s way to the garage roof, I found myself sitting around a fire pit with my good friends.  It was the perfect way to end the night.  There is nothing quite like sitting around a fire bringing up past stories and burning old lead paint coated cabinet doors.

We headed home earlier than we all anticipated but honestly we were all beat from day long activities.  Once I got home I just hung out for a bit with the pups and headed to sleepy land.

I woke up and as soon as I got motivated headed to Solon to meet up with my friend and his folks for breakfast.  I had a feeling the jerk was not going to wake up in time and even tried calling him to confirm the meal was still on but received his voicemail.  I completely forgot that his phone was dead but still tried to call my other friend who did not answer as well.

Right before I got off the freeway my friend called stating he had no left yet and just woke up.  I took the opportunity to head to the Borders Books & Music I used to work at to see who was working.  I lucked out as one of my longest known friends was working.

After catching up with him I poked around the store and grabbed this:

www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400049628?ie=UTF8&tag=brokenheadpho-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1400049628

Laugh all you want…I’ll be prepared for when it happens.  What’s your zombie escape plan?

Once my friend finally called me telling me they were almost there I departed the book store and stuffed my face with breakfast.  I love me some breakfast, especially when my friend’s dad insists on paying for it.

We all headed back to the parent’s house for a quick digestion/relaxation and I said my goodbyes as one of my friends had to head back home to Cincinnati.  See ya next time pal…

I headed to my brother’s to watch the ugly Cleveland Browns game and upon the end of the game left slightly satisfied with their first win.

By the time I got home I wanted nothing more to do than throw a blanket over my body and fall in and out of sleep during the rest of the football games.  Instead I played with the boys for a bit, jammed out to some music, and got some work done.

It was a great weekend.  I keep mentioning how great my weekends are and I will continue to do so when they are because it’s times like these that I cherish the most.  Being with friends and family.

Next weekend I am heading to see the Northeast Ohio Rock ‘N’ Roller Girls do their thing at the the Summit Country Fairgrounds.  This will be their last bout of the season so if you have nothing going on head on out and help cheer them on for a win!

Look for an interview with members of the team shortly!  I had the privilege to chat with a couple of them and plan on sharing the outcome with you all soon.  Until then, be well.

Contest: “Tweet” New Found Glory

Punk pop rockers New Found Glory (NFG) are asking fans for help in finding local opening acts for their small club headline shows the are playing in the upcoming months.  They will be touring in support of their new album they released this past Spring called Not Without A Fight.

So how can you help you ask?  Excellent question.

All you have to do is send a “Tweet”  to @xchadballx and @steveisdareason on the popular mini-blog site Twitter the local band you think should open for them. They will pick the bands based upon the number of local requests they get.

What a novel idea…   The dates for their headlining tour (they will also be touring with Dashboard Confessional this Fall too but this contest does not apply to those shows) are listed below.  If you know of a local band you think should open for NFG then I suggest you tweet them a little message.

I have a couple local favorites in mind I will be tweeting them about…  I suggest you do the same.  Hell, even if you are in a band it could not hurt to tell them from perhaps a friend’s Twitter account how awesome your band is.  You never know, they may ask you to open for them!

The above was reshaped and manipulated from a message from Chad Gilbert of NFG. Here’s his take on the whole idea as well as some other words:

Support Your Local Scene!

Before NFG head out on tour with Dashboard Confessional this fall we will be doing a limited amount of smaller intimate club shows. For the past few years NFG have not been able to hook up local bands due to a full traveling line up. We know how important it is to support local bands and local music scenes. That is how NFG got our start. We use to open locally in South Florida for bands like MxPx, the Get Up Kids, Unwritten Law,Bane etc. Playing those shows helped build our band and build our local scene. This tour will give us an opportunity to finally help out a little.

We ask you to “Tweet” @xchadballx and @steveisdareason some suggestions for local bands to open up the NFG show in their town. Please check http://www.myspace.com/newfoundglory for all the tour dates. Make sure you request bands only for our own headline shows, Not the shows we will be playing with Dashboard Confessional.

We do not want to piss any one off or discourage any bands so NFG will not be picking the specific band. We are just compiling a list of bands that we get the most requests for and submitting it to the local promoter to pick.

Also on all of these shows will be a fellow Floridian band called Fallen From The Sky and Pennsylvania’s TITLE FIGHT!

thanks so much and we hope to see you all this fall!

DONT LET HER PULL YOU DOWN the movie coming soon!

your friend always
@XchadballX

Tour Dates (for their headlining shows only)
Oct 18 2009 – Toads Place (Headline Show) – New Haven, Connecticut
Oct 19 2009 – Chameleon Club (Headline Show) – Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Oct 21 2009 – The Chance (Headline Show) – Poughkeepsie, New York
Oct 22 2009 – Northern Lights (Headline Show) – Clifton Park, New York
Oct 24 2009 – Eleanor Rigby’s (Headline Show) – Jermyn, Pennsylvania
Oct 25 2009 – Higher Ground (Headline Show) – Burlington, Vermont
Oct 27 2009 – The Intersection (Headline Show) – Grand Rapids, Michigan
Oct 28 2009 – Peabody’s Downunder (Headline Show) – Cleveland, Ohio
Oct 30 2009 – Southgate House (Headline Show) – Newport, Kentucky
Oct 31 2009 – The Rave (Headline Show) – Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Nov 1 2009 – People’s Court (Headline Show) – Des Moines, Iowa
Nov 2 2009 – Slowdown (Headline Show) – Omaha, Nebraska
Nov 3 2009 – Station 4 (Headline Show) – Saint Paul, Minnesota
Nov 5 2009 – New Daisy (Headline Show) – Memphis, Tennessee
Nov 6 2009 – Emerson Theater (Headline Show) – Indianapolis, Indiana
Nov 7 2009 – Pop’s (Headline Show) – Sauget, Illinois
Nov 23 2009 – Cine El Ray (Headline Show) – Mcallen, Texas
Dec 1 2009 – Cat’s Cradle (Headline Show) – Carrboro, North Carolina
Dec 2 2009 – Recher Theatre (Headline show) – Towson, Maryland