The onetime member of hardcore act Million Dead has been doing things his own way just prior to Million Dead calling it quits. Since then Frank Turner has been doing things his own way with a more folk approach and this September he’s releasing an all new album on Epitaph Records titled Poetry Of The Deed.
I can not even tell you how excited I am for this release.
Epitaph was kind enough to send me a link to share his first single off the track titled “The Road”. The song is insane and I think it would be in your best interest to download it now and thank me later.
Banded then disbanded then rebanded, American Steel is back with their second release since their regrouping.After reuniting just two years ago after a five year hiatus the Bay City punkers have a follow-up release on Fat Wreck Chords titled Dear Friends And Gentle Hearts since joining forces with the independent label in 2007.
Having been around since 1995 the band has had some obstructions with some change ups and personal battles including a bout of Leukemia, but they overcame those obstacles and seem to be back in full force.With their onward battle to keep as a band they pretty much keep the punk rock tough in their music on their latest release making for a solid listen.
Opening track “Emergency House Party” has a full forced approach to it.Reminding me of the SoCal punk styles of the nineties I found myself already enjoying the CD just one song in.Before the track “Tear The Place Apart” even finished I found myself tapping my foot and singing along as if I had heard the song a hundred times before.
“Your Ass Ain’t Laughing Now” is a clear callout to someone that might have overlooked the abilities of American Steel in their early stages or perhaps jaded them.The song is comical as well as just fun to listen to with a small ska feel hiding behind guitar playing.
Hinting at a Strung Out style was “The Blood Gets Everywhere” a track that was a little more technical than the others.I absolutely adored this song and found myself sitting there with the CD book open in front of me reading the lyrics while listening along to the song.I felt like a kid all over again.
Title track “Dear Friends And Gentle Hearts” was a little more of an upbeat punk track inviting you to move along to the song but with a clear discontented message that really will make you think.If a video has not been made for this track showing people carelessly dancing around then maybe one should be.
“Lights Out” was more of a rough sounding punk rock track once again hinting back to the SoCal style of the nineties.Fast paced and to the point the track really reminded me of Face To Face.“Bergamot” continued with the awesomeness of the album as well did “Where You Want To Be”.
This album is going to be liked by a lot of people once all of the current American Steel fans tell all of their friends how great Dear Friends And Gentle Hearts really is.From start to finish I was treated to a revelry of a punk rock album.With no dull moments throughout, this is one of those recordings out there that sets the standard for wholesome punk rock.
American Steel truly has outdone themselves on Dear Friends And Gentle Hearts as they just sound stronger and more controlled than ever.One can only hope they expand their mini tour of the West Coast to more of a statewide venture.I would love to see these guys rock out live. Fans of Alkaline Trio and Face To Face will get a kick out of Dear Friends And Gentle Hearts as well anyone else out there who likes straightforward punk rock from a band not trying too hard just to turn heads.
Portugal. The Man is perhaps one of the extra genre jumping bands out there that I am perfectly ok with.The band that once hailed from Alaska is back with an all new album called The Satanic Satanist on their very own Approaching AIRballoons label through indie label Equal Vision Records.Full of indie rock goodness as well as other variations of music styles this album has become a favorite of mine for 2009.
The album was actually leaked on the internet in late June but it did not bother the band at all.Rather than get discouraged about the rash release they encouraged their fans to download the album but also asked that they support the band by purchasing the album when it came out if they liked it.
The joyful sounding “People Say” clearly is a call out to the poor achievements during a certain someone’s presidency.With lyrics like “What a lovely day, yeah, we won the war.May have lost a million men, but we’ve got a million more” it’s apparent there is some sarcasm directed towards a seemingly never ending war.
“Lovers In Love” was full of harmonious singing and had more of a overseas pop dance style along the likes of Jamiroquai.It’s really a pleasant jam about love and what it can make you do.
The soulful “The Sun” makes you want to pull close someone you love and sway away the night. This is one of those songs I will be putting in the next mix I create. “The Home” kept things interesting with crazy keyboards throughout this indie rock track.
“The Woods” had a funky feel to it in a good way again hinting towards something Jay Kay might have done.It’s an incredible track I really got a kick out of as was “Guns & Dogs” a song that reminded me of Oasis short the uni-brow.“Everyone Is Golden” was very evocative of a Beatles song in a good way.
Portugal. The Man has moved in so many directions since their conception it’s difficult to brand them musically and I think they feed off of that. I can say this album is a little tamer when it comes to the band being experimental but overall is a great listen.I almost think that this is going to the album that hurls the band into the likes of mainstream candidacy.
On Tuesday I ventured the hip streets of Waterloo before checking out Those Darlins at the Beachland Tavern. Any time I ever see a show at the Beachland I make sure I stop at two of my favorite shops in Cleveland. Both shops are independently owned music stores by awesome folk.
The floors of this store are amazing. Yes, those are all record covers.
Every time I go in this store I page through the bins of vinyl hoping to score something good to take home and throw a needle on. I have found some great finds there including some old Rollins Band records as well as a Propellerheads vinyl. I love the randomness that I can find there and the constant music playing on the speakers is enjoyable as well.
Focusing on mostly rock the store offers all sorts of genres of wax. Store owner Pete Gulyas not only knows his stuff but loves to share it with others. The guy also has one hell of a personal Clash collection on display at his store right now.
Blue Arrow Records is one of those stores for any seasoned music fan as well as novice collector to go crazy about. Recently Pete told me that he is going to be the east side distributor of Derek Hess prints. The store got even cooler once he told me that.
About a block down the street is the other shop I always make sure I stop in at when in the area. The store is Music Saves and recently the store celebrated their 5 year Store-A-Versary. More on that in a bit.
The coolest Dunny sits on the Music Saves counter.
Music Saves is the other mecca of a music store on Waterloo I try and frequent a lot. The store is full of new and used vinyl as well as carries CDs most of which are indie bands but there is also punk, hip hop, and rock too. If you can’t find what you are looking for, the good folk at Music Saves will even attempt to special order you something. The owners are pretty damn cool too and so is their black cat appropriately named Vinyl Kitty.
While visiting on Tuesday I was informed that Music Saves was celebrating their 5 year Store-A-Versary on Thursday at the Grog Shop featuring some great music and guaranteed good times. I was invited to stop by and hang out so I made plans to do so. Sadly I knew Vinyl Kitty was not going to be there but I still planned on attending.
On Thursday before I headed to Coventry I made a stop with my friend to stop at the St. Greg’s carnival in S. Euclid as a handful of old friends were hanging out there and grabbing a bite to eat. There is a memory from my past that always comes to mind when someone says St. Greg’s carnival.
Story time… (Mom you might not want to read this, haha)
I met this group of friends while taking classes at Tri-C. There were five of us yet we called ourselves “The Four Horsemen”. These were the guys I bowled with and partied with while in my early twenties. I even got a place with one of them for a year but that is another story in itself. “The Four Horsemen” slowly drifted apart mainly because I moved to Akron and a couple of them started families but we made a pact to start hanging out a little more frequently.
Anyways I am sure you are wondering about this St. Greg story.
These friends of mine all grew up in S. Euclid, all went to school together, and have all been friends since childhood. They took me in and treated me like I was one of their childhood friends and before long they were taking me to a summer ritual of theirs, the St. Greg carnival.
The church ran carnival featured some of the best Italian food as well as legal church gambling, games, and of course beer. One particular year we attended I was broke and joked with my friends as we walked past the fishbowl game that if they won a fish I would eat it but they would have to buy me a beer.
I did not think they were going to do it to be honest, but they did and the guys started pulling out $20’s and bought endless amounts of ping pong balls to try and throw in the fish tanks to win a fish prize. Shaking my head as they keep trying to win the fish I asked myself what the hell I got myself into. After five minutes of throwing ping pong balls there were seven goldfish in bags being held by my friends with huge grins on their faces.
Not being one to ever back down I took the first goldfish, popped it in my mouth and had a nice little sushi snack.
People started gathering around me as I downed the second and third fish. The carnie behind the fishbowl game booth was cheering me on as were most of the crowd. There were of course a few people yelling at me for doing such a terrible think but they did not understand I was getting beers out of it. My friends of course were going nuts.
Seven fish later we were off to the beer stand for my reward. Was it worth it? Yes.
Oh memories.
So it was to be expected when I saw my friends at St. Greg’s this year they offered to win more of fish. Instead I was treated to some fired dough, ciabatta bread, and other delicious Italian foods. We sat around for a few and chatted but just before 9pm I had to get going so I could make the show.
While driving down to Coventry I decided to make a couple of shortcuts so that I could just get to the parking deck without driving down Coventry and boy am I glad I did. As soon as I got in the area I noticed that there was an abundance of cars parked on the streets and soon started seeing streets closed off. I managed to get my car to the parking deck and snagged a great spot. When I went to put some quarters in the meter I saw this:
Honestly I had never seen anything like it before. The entire strip of Coventry was closed from Euclid Hts. to Mayfield road. It was crowded as hell too…
Slowly making way to the courtyard in front of the Grog Shop my concert going pal and I made it before the show started. My friend Ryan who is the drummer for Upsparing Sea spotted me and we chatted for a bit before they took stage. I’ll be honest with you all and confess that even though Ryan is a pretty good friend of mine, I had no idea what his band sounded like. So when he and his three other band mates took the stage I was just as curious as the rest were to hear them.
Unsparing Sea put on a great show and I have to admit I really got a kick out of their style. I loved the fact that they had a cellist and also an Ol’ DIrty Bastard poster hanging from the lead vocalist’s mic stand. Their sound was more indie folk and they really sounded well. I did feel bad for the band though as they had to pack their instruments into an already clogged stage thanks to the headliner but it did not seem to bother them at all. Head over to their MySpace page to get a taste of some Unsparing Sea. Who knows, you might like it just as I did!
Here’s a video of Unsparing Sea’s “Wolves At Wedding”:
The second band, Baltimore’s Ponytail really confused me because I could not decide if I liked them or not. Almost all of the crowed loved them but I myself could not grasp why. I enjoyed the music tremendously but the lead girl with the mic making random yeps and cries was giving me a headache so bad that I opted to leave mid-set and head home.
I of course took a video to share with you all. This was one of the tamer songs and the more and more I watch it, I think I like it…
Ponytail on stage. This some weird indie sh@t…and I think I like it.
Moments later:
I lied. This sh@t is way too weird for me. Sounds like wild animals having sex on a piano.
Followed by:
Someone take the goddamn mic away from the little kid on stage. Oh wait, some people are actually clapping to this noise.
Finally:
All I can say about this band is WTF. Seriously I feel so lost. I am not cool enough to be here. I do not understand. Help.
I was not kidding when I said I left mid-way through Ponytail’s set. I opted to miss out on Yeasayer and kind of regret it but at the same time I had a pretty busy day and just wanted to get home. I got hell from Melanie from Music Saves when I said bye to her and I deserved it.
Walking down Coventry with my friend we opted to hit up Phoenix Coffee for a little pick me up. It was a good ending to a busy day. With the streets still crowded after midnight we walked back to the car and headed back.
We all know what happened today… The world paid tribute and said goodbye to one of the most important people in music history. Michael Jackson you will be missed.
A lot of people remembered Michael Jackson today. I chose to not watch the media circus that was the public viewing/memorial for the late singer. Instead I hung out at work all day and tried to keep up with all the memories going on in my head.
With all of the memories going on in my mind about Michael Jackson one seemed to stick out over the others. The memory is not even of a song that Michael Jackson created or a movie that he was in. The memory is a song by the experimental act Negativland.
The song is called “Michael Jackson”. I used to listen to it all the time…
