Category Archives: 90’s

00's, 90's, Music, New Release, Punk, Review, Rock

Album Review: Blink 182 – California

14 July, 2016 Brian Mc Leave a comment

It’s pretty crazy to me that Blink 182 still exists. Don’t get me wrong, I have been a fan since the 90s when they were just some unknown pop-punkers. After all they have been through, all of the fame, all of the drama, and most of all the departure of one Tom DeLonge, wouldn’t you think the band would just call it quits for good already?

Perhaps in a fit of spite, Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker continued on and invited Alkaline Trio‘s Matt Skiba to take on vocal/guitar duties for a reunion show of sorts. I remember thinking “how bad ass would that be if Skiba just joined them and they put out a new album?” I know I was not the only one who thought that either.

Shortly after, it was confirmed Skiba had joined Blink and they were recording a new album. Now here I am about to throw some words and whatnot into a review for it. Perhaps a little delayed, but here it is.

Time for a story about me. Feel free to skip over…

The lyrics “nobody likes you when you’re 23” will always have special meaning in my mind for the rest of my life. Any Blink fan knows what song those lyrics come from. The year that song came out, an immature me swore the song was about my own experiences in a sense as I worked hard to get through a tough year thanks to an ex-psycho girlfriend and my own bad decision-making.

What I am trying to get at is simple, I was a Blink fan back then. “Dammit” was one of my go to songs, I loved Dude Ranch and Cheshire Cat. I remember even seeing Blink live at Blossom with Bad Religion opening for the Enema of the State tour. That was the show Barker missed as he broke his hand punching some a-hole at the Taco Bell my cousin was working at in Akron. Good times.

A few years later thanks to an old friend, I scored a front row ticket to see them again at Blossom with No Doubt. Both shows were amazing.

As the years passed, more Blink albums came out, Angels & Airwaves, Boxcar Racer, Transplants, and other side projects emerged, and Blink slowly moved out of my continual rotation of daily tunes. It happens folks, you know exactly what I am talking about. I got bored with them.

A certain Blink flame was re-ignited inside of me the day I heard Skiba was going to be on their new album. I remember hearing the first single off the new album, I was stoked. I still am stoked. So pardon my fandom and honestly on this post, these are my favorite reviews to do, the ones that I am legit excited to write on.

California is Blink 182’s seventh full-length release. Currently consisting of Hoppus, Barker, and the recent addition of Skiba (Alkaline Trio), who replaced Tom DeLonge. Blink 182 has been around since the early 90s and moved from a silly pop-punk band on underground labels, to a heavy-hitting act selling out stages all over the world.

When I listened to California the first time, my initial thought was that there was a lot of filler songs on the album. Long gone are the days of bands putting out albums with 16 tracks. After listening to the album over and over, that thought went away.

Opening track “Cynical” reminded me of past Blink material, at least the start did. Barker’s over the top drumming helped speed up the song and Skiba’s introductory backup singing proved this was not going to be the same Blink at all and not in a bad way.

“Bored To Death” has already taken over the radio stations. The beginning had an “Adam’s Song” similarity to it, but not enough to discourage. When the band jumps in together at the chorus, it pretty much blew me away. I know in time I am going to get sick of this song in time as it will be played over and over, but until that happens, I am going to enjoy the hell out of it. The video for the song cracked me up too, but only because I have reached old man status and remember feeling invincible once.

“She’s Out of Her Mind” will probably take responsibility for the younger generation to have a sudden interest in Bauhaus. Aside from that, this catchy song really planted a positive reminder that you should be yourself and not care about what others think.

“Los Angeles” was more of a rock masterpiece than a pop-punk track. I would not be shocked if this track alone brings in new fans of all ages. Hoppus and Skiba trading vocals and howls throughout was just perfect.

A more realistic “Sober” sang a story about substance-abused-rough-times in relationships and carried a level of honesty throughout. It was easy to compare my own bad decisions from my past in this track and also recall the apologetic resolutions. This song grew on me the more and more I listened to it. I loved the lyric “I’m a dandelion, you’re a four-leafed clover.”

The quick “Built This Pool” was about as crass as the band got on this album. Seeing how raw they used to be, I am glad they have not completely thrown away their comical ideals. Personally speaking, I really was hoping for a lot more of their humor throughout.

Skiba just killed it on “No Future”. This track was the song that had me smiling ear to ear knowing that Skiba was the perfect fit for the redesigned Blink. Hoppus and Skiba compliment the hell out of one another on this track. This dreary track which seemingly sounded like a humble departure, was one of the more catchier ones on the entire album for me.

“Kings of the Weekend” was one of the tracks I felt was more of a filler track at first, but the more I listened to it, the more I enjoyed it. This is everything a Blink fan could want in a Blink song. Not to mention the different singing styles keep things interesting.

I feel like I can say there is a lot I can say about”San Diego” as it really reminded me of the good times, but I won’t. I will just say it has grown on me a lot and I know the younger generation is going to eat this song up.

“Brohemian Rhapsody” was lame until I saw this:

Then it was hilarious…

All in all, California is an exceptional release. I can admit that I have not been a fan of Blink’s last few releases, but this one hits all the high marks in my mind. Initially I told myself and others that I only liked about 70% of the album, but the more and more I listen to it, the more I am digging it.

Perhaps my liking of California is because Skiba is on board now and I’ve been a AK3 fan for as long as I can remember, but I wish nothing but the best for Blink 182 and love seeing them at the top of the music world again. I seriously hope they continue and can not wait to see what they come up with next.

90's, Music, New Release, Punk, Review, Rock

Album Review: Face To Face – Protection

4 March, 2016 Brian Mc Leave a comment

I am getting to that time in my life where the bands I grew up with and adored are hitting those milestones that make you realize how fast time is moving.

Face To Face have been around for 25 years now. Seriously? 25 years already???

It certainly does not feel that long, but they did form in 1991, so it makes sense. This So Cal punk rock band has been a favorite of mine since the mid-nineties and still are to this day.

So, how do you celebrate two and a half decades of being a band? You release an album with help from an old friend.

Today, Face To Face dropped Protection on Fat Wreck Chords. Without even breaking down the album yet, I need to tell you that this album is killer and certainly celebrates this band in the best way possible. Listening to the album in full, it is clear Trever Keith and crew recorded the album for the fun of it for their fans.

“Bent But Not Broken” started off the album with some force. I loved the quick baseline but loved more hearing Keith sing on what I interpreted as not giving up. Following was “I Won’t Say I’m Sorry”, a track that has memorable lyrics that got stuck in my mind regarding denying fault.

“Double Crossed” reminded me of a much younger Face To Face complete with hard bass lines and group vocals. “See If I Care” to me almost sounded like a statement to those who ever doubted the band. I’m sure it is about some ex though, still, I like my take on it.

“Fourteen Fifty-Nine” was another track I just dug a ton. I think the thing I most about this track was how it spoke on the sad current state of affairs when it comes to entitlement.

“Keep Your Chin Up” was an upbeat positive track aimed at those who could use some confidence. “And So It Goes” closed out the album and was as energetic as the very first track.

To he honest, I have not been this excited by an album for a long time. Protection is exactly what I was hoping for by a band I have adored for more than half of my life (mind you all, I was about 15 when I first discovered them). Still full of emotion and plenty of energy, this band certainly does not sound like they have been around for a quarter of a century.

I am not praising this album just because I like what I currently heard. I am saying this because there are so many bands out there who lose their style that made them great as they mature and go through changes. Face To Face has certainly seen their fair share of changes over the years. Hell, I thought they were going to call it quits forever in the early 2000s.

I’ve been listening to Protection almost daily for almost 2 weeks now. That is saying a lot right there. In fact, I was not even the biggest fan of their last two releases. Protection though for me is very up there next to their self-titled and Big Choice. I know, bold statement by me, but this album was seriously a great listen.

I am stoked the band dropped Protection. I hope you are too.

<a href="http://facetofaceband.bandcamp.com/album/protection">Protection by Face To Face</a>

90's, Interview, Music, Punk, Rock

Interview: Trever Keith of Face To Face

26 February, 2016 Brian Mc 2 Comments

20 years ago, I didn’t care about many things in life except for punk rock. I lived and breathed the genre and knew that it was for me. I fit the role, spoke the language, and enjoyed every single second of it.

I grew up, but refused to leave my love for punk rock behind. The best times of my life were fueled by the music and filled with other advocates of the genre. There’s no way I could ever give up something like that.

When I think about the bands in the 90s that meant the the most to me, Face To Face was at the top. This So-Cal pop punk outfit was the soundtrack to so many episodes of my life. Their music is timeless and never has grown dull on me.

Fronted by Trever Keith, the band is celebrating 25 years of being a band this year and decided to put out an all new release on a label that is an old friend of theirs – Fat Wreck Chords.

I am actually in the middle of reviewing their new album Protection, but became so amped while listening to it that I wanted to reach out to Trever Keith and just throw a bunch of questions at him. Of course he was cool with it. Check it out…

BHP: First things first, Face to Face is back with Fat Wreck Chords for an all new release in 2016. How did the band and Fat get hooked up again?

TK: I finally figured out that it would be a good idea and I emailed Erin and asked if she wanted to hear our demos. She did and then told Mike. It was very easy

I have to put this out there… I was stoked Face To Face got back together in the late 2000s. You once told me there was a remote chance the band would regroup, but nothing was certain. Was it the fans that brought the band back?

I would say so. We have such a loyal following. The real appeal for us was getting to play live again as face to face. The fans make the live show what it is. We missed that. There is nothing else like it.

The new album is incredible. What did you guys do differently this time to capture a younger sounding Face To Face and put it in your new material?

We just went back to a simpler more immediate style of arrangement and song. I think they convey the message more clearly. There was a simplicity and honesty to our earlier records. We tried to key into that.

It seriously sounds like you all had fun recording this. This was not a forced release by any means. Am I correct in stating that?

Absolutely. The whole experience really feels like it zoomed by.

“Bent But Not Broken” sounded like a war cry to me as in Face To Face is still here and not going anywhere soon. Was that the intention?

It’s not about us as a band, although I would agree with your sentiment that we intend to stick around for a while longer. It’s more about the type of person who is unwilling to think outside of their dogma.

What is your favorite track off the album? I dig “Double-Crossed” and “See If I Care” a ton, perhaps because they hit on some of my harder times in life.

“Keep Your Chin Up” is probably my favorite song

So, who all is in the band this time around? Scott is, I know that much.

Danny, who has been drumming with us since 2008, is on the record and so is Dennis Hill who has had guest guitar spots on both records since we started playing again.

Can we expect a proper US tour for this release?

That depends on what you mean by “proper”. I can at least tell you that we plan on hitting all of the big cities.

So how does it feel to be back in the band doing your thing?

Amazing

The band has been around since 1991, did you ever think that Face To Face would ever be around for this long?

I never doubted it, but I never really thought too much about it. It’s not surprising to me. They know what they’re doing over there.

Now that you all are more seasoned musicians and humans for that matter, how different is touring versus back in the 90s?

We get tired easier. There are naps…

I remember seeing Face To Face at the Warped Tour in 2010 and literally yelling at kids to get off their asses and get closer to the stage. Did it bug you seeing those kids more amped to see new acts over yours, or were you guys too busy playing to your true fans?

Trying to focus more on the people who were there to see us.

Out of all of your albums, which one would you consider was your finest?

Protection.

In 2008, you dropped a solo release called Melancholics Anonymous. Personally speaking, I loved that album and still listen to it once in a while. Do you think you will ever go that route again?

I doubt it. It was a fun record to make and I even did a brief tour supporting it. These days Face To Face is enough for me.

What do you think about the music these days? Are there any newer acts that impress you?

Western Settings, Iron Chic, Radioactivity

Finally, this is more of a personal question… Why was Big Choice never properly released on vinyl? That promotional album is the white elephant of all LPs out there to me and one day I would love to have a copy in my hands one day. Seeing the album passed the 20 year mark, I’m just curious why it never made it to the turntable.

I am reissuing Don’t Turn Away, Big Choice, and Face to Face on 180 gram colored gatefold, limited edition vinyl in 2016 on my Antagonist Records label to celebrate our 25th Anniversary as a band.

Can I tell you how excited that last answer made me? I did not even get to close the interview down, I immediately looked if those LPs were up for pre-order yet.

Face To Face’s new album Protection drops March 4th on Fat Wreck Chords. Head on over to pre-order it by clicking HERE.

Check out a new track off the release:<a href="http://facetofaceband.bandcamp.com/album/protection">Protection by Face To Face</a>

Here’s the music video the band just released for “Bent But Not Broken”:

90's, Music, Punk, Rock

25 Years of Fat: My Favorite 15 Fat Wreck Chords Releases

24 July, 2015 Brian Mc Leave a comment

It really freaks me out that 20 years ago, I graduated high school. For the most part, I hated that school I attended and can not say many nice things about it to this day. Let me rephrase, the school itself was not the issue, it was the experience I went through growing up there.

I will tell you though that I had a solid core of friends there who all helped me through the bad times and ensured the good times were plentiful. Lucky for me, one of my good friends introduced me to Fat Wreck Chords. I am forever grateful for that.

Fat Wreck Chords has been around for 25 years now. They remain an independent label and continue to pump out amazing releases.

I can not imagine Fat not being in my teenage years. They supplied the soundtrack of my life and have continued to do so.

In an attempt to look like all of the other sites out there posting random things, I thought I would post 15 of my favorite Fat Wreck releases. Here we go…

Fat Music Vol. II: Survival of the Fattest
-This is the one release that I will always hold near and dear to me. I fairly certain I snagged the cassette version of this back in 1996 at the Warped Tour and was immediately introduced to some of my favorite bands (well, technically it was after the show was rained out and my pals and I were driving home listening to it). To this day, I will throw this album on the turntable and relive some of my teenage days. Best comp ever. That Diesel Boy song still rules…

Useless ID – Symptoms
-Hands down, this is my favorite Fat release. I am still amazed at how good this album is. To this day, I listen to it quite regularly. It’s catchy, it’s powerful, it’s just good. I can not wait for their follow-up. If you are not familiar with Useless ID, you need to change that.

NOFX – I Heard They Sucked Live
-When I think of this live album, I think of when I would listen to it front to back and recite not only the lyrics of the songs, but also the drunken commentary by the band. I think the best part about this album is that I acquired the original pressing that I used to listen to from my friend a couple of years ago. Talk about a keepsake.

The Loved Ones – Build & Burn
Dave Hause and crew rule on so many levels. Out of all of their albums, this is the one that I hold dearest to me. “I Swear” gets me every time. You swooner Dave…

Flatliners – Cavalcade
-This is the perfect Fat release. Everything about this album is incredible. If you disagree with me, I could care less. This is my blog, not yours.

Descendants – Cool To Be You
-Sure, their SST Records releases are far superior than this one, but still, this is a great album by one of the best bands out there and I think it is bad ass that Fat was able to release it.

Rise Against – Revolutions Per Minute
-Who’d a thought some little band from Chicago would blow up and turn into rock stars? Spite how their music has matured into more of a rock sound, this album slays.

No Use For A Name – Leche Con Carne
-RIP SLY (I can not believe it’s going on 3 years…). Thank you for putting together one of the best albums ever. This one album holds some of my favorite songs ever. If any of you punkers out there have not listened to this album 400 or more times in your life, you need to reevaluate your status. This album paved so many paths for future bands. Respect.

Swingin’ Utters – Here, Under Protest
-This album may hold a different style of what the Utters used to possess in their earlier years, but I love everything about it. I remember the first time I heard it and how I questioned how it was possible for them to drop such a quality album after 8 years of nothing.

Old Man Markley
-Old Man Markley was so different from the rest of the Fat roster and I immediately fell in love with the album the moment I heard it. The folk-rock-bluegrass sounds are unique and fun, not to mention the band puts on a hell of a performance. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen someone shred a washboard. Trust me on this.

Face To Face – Don’t Turn Away
Two staple songs of my life exists on this album, “Disconnected” & “You’ve Done Nothing”. I someone decided they needed to create a documentary about my pathetic existence, these two songs would need to be on the soundtrack.

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – Have a Ball
-I remember the first time young punk rock me heard this album in its entirety. I thought it was the greatest thing in the world. Who’d a thought taking lame music my parents listened to and putting a punk rock spin on it would be so amazing?

Banner Pilot – Collapser
I could have easily just listed all of Banner Pilot’s albums on this post as I adore them all, but for the sake of variety I chose one. This album contains so much energy it’s ridiculous.

Strung Out – Exile In Oblivion
This band has definitely matured over the years. I am sure a lot of you can agree they are almost metal now these days. The technical punk rockers completely won me over on this album.

Against Me! – Searching for a Former Clarity
I always like to remind myself how much I thought I hated this band. Sad thing is, I never gave them a chance. Once this album came out, I realized what I was missing out on. I love seeing how far this band has gone and can not wait to see what they have in store for us fans in the future.

Given the history of Fat Wreck, I think it is safe to say we can expect plenty of releases coming at us moving forward. As of late, they have been building up their roster.

What are some of your favorite releases? Comment below if you want. Someone’s bound to read them. Enjoy.

00's, 70's, 80's, 90's, Acoustic, Cleveland, Indie, Music, New Release, Punk, Review, Solo, Vinyl

7-Inch Reviews: Jonathan Richman – “O Sun” & “Keith”

5 April, 2015 Brian Mc 1 Comment

Sometimes a review is tough to start. I find myself sitting here trying to think of how I am going to select the right words to create an introduction to the musician or band that I would like to share with the world.

I find this blog entry particularly a little more difficult to start out with not only because I am a huge fan of the musician of the EPs I am about to talk about, but I am equally a huge fan of the label that has put them out.

Blue Arrow Records is not only a brick and mortar staple in Cleveland thanks to their amazing selection of vinyl, music memorabilia, and other vintage goodies, but they are now a record label.

Makes complete sense to me.

I have been a fan of Blue Arrow since they first set up shop in 2009 and think the world of owners Pete and Debbie. Not only do they run one of my favorite stores in my neck of the woods, but they are also quality humans. I am lucky to know them and was floored when they told me they were going to start their own record label and first on the roster was none other than Jonathan Richman.

I adore all things Richman. Chances are if you are reading this, you might too. If you do not, I highly encourage you to check out anything Modern Lovers or just jump into Richman’s solo material. His style is unforgettable and almost always is in the most upbeat approach. Richman always has seemed to put me in a good mood.

This month, Blue Arrow Records is releasing two 7-inch singles by Jonathan Richman including four songs: “O Sun”, Wait Wait”, “Keith” and “They Showed Me the Door to Bohemia”. These are the first releases by Richman in five years.

I need to pause for a second and let you all know that I have been holding off on reviewing these 7-inches until I could literally just down and spin them endlessly next to me. With luck on my side this past Friday, I was able to set up a listening station of sorts by my desktop with the full intention of listening to these releases and reviewing them.

Moving along…

The 7-inches are both beautifully pressed with “Keith”/”They Showed me the Road to Bohemia” in white (33rpm) and “O Sun”/”Wait Wait” in turquoise with light hints of red (45rpm).

“Keith” paid tribute to the one and only Keith Richards. I loved the line Richman said regarding Keith’s style was “not exactly the blues cause it’s sorta European too.” “The Showed me the Road to Bohemia” was a spoken word jam by Richman that was relaxed yet joyless. Richmond can’t always be a ray of sunshine folks. He is human after all.

“O Sun” carried a more vintage beachfront island sound that I really was not expecting but completely loved. It was nothing too technical and quite repetitive, but mysterious like something you would hear in an old school James Bond movie soundtrack. “Wait Wait” really reminded me of the young Richman post-Modern Lovers I had adored for so many years. Plenty of clapping and good times were thrown in this jam with thanks to Juanramon Jimenez, a poet who Richman claimed “helped me express a feeling.”

I know I tend to tell everyone what I like and honestly, that is the whole premise of this little blog I have been holding onto for a while. If can find just one person out there who has not heard of Richman yet and they turn into a fan, then my job is done. I do this because I want to and there is no other reason.

Both 7-inches only have me excited even more for the full length that Blue Arrow Records aims to release this fall. Until then, you can stop in the shop and pick up both copies or click on the album covers below to place your order today at Blue Arrow Records ($10 each + shipping):

I find my posting of this appropriate with the statement that Pete released about Blue Arrow Records and their involvement with Record Store Day. If you have not read it yet, please do. It is a highly well-written discussion about his somber decision to not partake in perhaps the most popular retail event for independently owned record stores.

My thoughts about RSD are not as strong as they once were and I blame the greedy (the labels and the flippers). Where I love to see people standing in line to buy limited pressed releases, I feel it has gone too far and has turned into just another way for big business to make their money as well as shady flippers who throw them up on eBay and make a killing (sometimes even before RSD).

There are too many releases to even count this year and honestly, there were only maybe two that I might have raised an eyebrow about. What I am trying to get at was that I wasn’t excited about this year’s RSD offerings. Hopefully not everyone agrees with me and still will be lining up at their favorite local shop next week.

There may not be new pressings coming out that I give a crap about, but there are stores like Blue Arrow Records with tons of old and previously loved releases that I will happily flip through with hopes of finding a gem.

Don’t dismiss RSD. Remember it is about records, not just the new re-re-re-repressings on an 138 gram glitter-gold pressing with hologram download cards. Go out and support your local record store and find something that you can call your own.