Category Archives: Folk

Akron, Folk, Good Times, Live Shows, Music, Music Video, Review, Rock

Catching Up: Frontier Ruckus @ Musica – Akron, OH – 02/19/2011

Leave a comment

Hello to all you happy readers out there.  Sorry for the lack of posts recently, but I have been really caught up with school the last couple weeks.  

So what have I been up to other than studying too much you ask? 

Well…

Last Saturday I headed to Musica in Akron, OH to check out the amazing folk act Frontier Ruckus.  This band blew me away live.  I have been a fan of them for some time now but always missed them when they came to Ohio.  I made damn sure I was not going to miss them this time.

The band made their final stop in Akron before wrapping up their tour and enjoyed every minute of it.  If you have not heard of them yet and like some honest, good folk rock, check them out.  Their saw player is amazing (yes, saw player).

The band played through a great set with everyone in the house signing along and enjoying themselves.  One kind female fan even showed her approval and tossed an undergarment to the stage.  The band loved it and even made the comment that no one had ever done anything like that for them before.  Once they found out the owner of the garment, they jokingly asked her to prove it was hers.  She had no problem doing so…

Other than a couple of highly intoxicated guys who could not control the volume of their voices, the night was a blast.  Frontier Ruckus are one of those bands that sound so much better live and I am glad I finally made it to experience it.

Opening act White Pines were playing when I got there and besides the Kings Of Leon singing similarities, they sounded awesome.  There was an opening local act that I missed but from what I heard from the hyper Moby-looking bartender (I mean that in a good way), the crowd loved them.

I took a crappy video of them playing “Junk-Drawer Sorrow” with my iPhone during their encore.  The coolest thing about the video I took is that the band pulled the plugs on all of their amps, gathered in front of the crowd and played the song a cappella:

Again, sorry for the crappy quality.  I am going to invest in an HD camera soon I think.

I did not bring my camera to this one, but luckily someone named Kayla Muller did and the band posted her photos on their site.  Nice job Kayla!

Frontier Ruckus was offering a pretty unique FUNRAISER recently (it ended  today – 02/25/2011 actually) to help them get a new touring van.  See this letter for the reason behind the request for donations.   I was just checking out what were offering to raise money for a new ride and I must say I was impressed with the idea.

Bundles were offered as an exchange for a donation and they started at $10 for some demos from the band.  The bundles escalated from there.

For a mere $1000 donation you could have received from the band:
Copy of trinity thaw demos
Copy of live at noordbroek
Copy of live at eddie’s attic
A limited edition I Am The Water You Are Pumping EP
A digital download of Deadmalls & Nightfalls
A digital download of The Orion Songbook
The Orion Songbookon vinyl (2xLP)
A frontier ruckus t-shirt
A personalized song written by Matthew
Hand-written lyrics for personalized song
&
A house concert for you and your friends

I wish I was able to take some donations on my end to make that happen…

Acoustic, Folk, Indie, Music, Music Video, Rock

Into It. Over It.

1 Comment

Solo musician, songwriter, and frontman Evan Thomas Weiss has got himself a sweet little project called Into It. Over It (IIOI). He came through town a couple weeks back and I missed it. Bummed would be an acceptable word I am looking for.

I would sit here and introduce Weiss, but he does it best:

I used to play in a couple bands called The Progress and Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start, but that isn’t too important. I’m 25 years old. I live in Chicago. I’m 6’2″. I’m a Libra. I have a beard. My shoes are a size 9. I’m always busy. I’m always broke. I’m (almost) always happy. I write songs. Let’s kick it.

I have to disagree with Weiss about Up Up Down Down not being important.  I loved than band.

Anyways, here are a couple vids to give you a taste of IIOT.

Maybe I will run into him at SXSW.  That would be awesome.

If you like what you hear check out his MySpace Page and peruse through the page to find links to his releases.

00's, Download This!, Folk, Music, New Release, Pop, Punk, Review, Rock, Ska

Album Review: Fat Music Vol. 7 – Harder, Fatter + Louder

1 Comment

Hey kids, I want to let you in on a little secret.  Before the internet and digital downloads were around, there used to be this thing called a CD compilation ( and before that they were  called cassette compilations).  It was a CD full of choice tracks that record labels would sell at a discounted price (usually) to help share the music of bands that appeared on their label.  No, I am not talking about that never-ending Now That’s What I Call Music series (seriously, when the hell is that garbage going to end?).   I’m talking about music that actually mattered: non-comercial goodness.  More specifically I am talking about punk rock comps.

Today there still are comp CDs released out there, but they just are not the same and most are digital downloads in an effort to save money in this ever struggling business music.  AMP Magazine did a good job for a while there releasing free comp CDs with their magazines, but after a while I just got bored with them.  The 2cd Warped Tour comps are good and feature a ton of bands on them, but I can not stand most of them.  It just seems like the comp CDs of my younger years always had quality songs from great artists that I could appreciate.

Back in my day, man I sound old, I used to eat up punk rock comps when they came out.  Labels like Fat Wreck Chords, Nitro, Hopeless, Vagrant, and Recess (just to name a few) released some killer comps in the 90’s that helped supply new music to my ears.  I did not have the luxury back then to sit at a computer and type in “new unheard of punk rock music I will enjoy”  and get instant results.  I actually had to go to a music store, many of which are extinct, and BUY an actual CD with money and not a debit card.  Ok, I think you get it.

Whenever I think of punk rock comps I always think of the Fat Music series.  Created by Fat Wreck Chords in 1994, the Fat Series were a series of comps featuring bands on their label that were sold for cheap.  I loved the variety on each release and always found a new band on them to appreciate.

Keep in mind this was before you were able to burn CDs at the click of a mouse.  You kids these days have no idea how easy you have it.  I remember the days where I had to actually make mix-tapes because it was the only way…  So yes, comp CDs were where it was at.

The Fat Music series stopped in 2002 with Uncontrollable Fatulence and soon moved on to digital downloads like everyone else as it was a new era of music and, let’s be honest, they needed to cut corners to keep the business alive thanks to illegal downloading.

I really thought that it was the end of a good thing, that is until Fat Wreck Chords dropped Harder, Fatter + Louder last November.  After a 8 year break, the god people of Fat Wreck Chords decided to drop an all new comp featuring newer acts as well as older contenders. I felt like a kid all over again once I had the copy in my hands, I even used my teeth to rip the plastic off the CD.

On the 7th volume of the series, Fat Mike – owner of Fat Wreck Chords, took 22 songs from upcoming Fat releases as well as a couple older tracks that dropped around in ’09 and ’10.  The result is once again a perfect mix of tracks by a bunch of talented bands.

I was stoked when the first song, “For Better, For Worse”, played on the CD by a band I was not familiar with.  It was an instant reminder why I always loved comp CDs.  The band called, Old Man Markley, is not like any band I have heard on the Fat Wreck label as they are more a folky friend jam that emulates both Flogging Molly and the Avett Brothers in a way.  Coincidentally, their debut on Fat entitled Guts N’ Teeth just dropped this past Tuesday.

Throughout the comp, there were a lot of acts I was already aware of like The Flatliners, Mad Caddies, Tony Sly, and of course NOFX.  Honestly, Old Man Markley was the only band I did not know of prior to listening to the comp but I was stoked to hear new stuff from Cobra Skulls and Chixdiggit!.  Most of the tracks were from upcoming albums giving a taste of good things to come and the rest were obviously already released gems.  Regardless if I had heard them before or not, the collection of songs brought together was good.

If Fat Mike asked me to make a mix I honestly think that: a.) That would be the absolute shit. b.) I would have a hell of a time taking the right songs and limiting them to just one CD – I’ll leave it to the pros.

If you are looking for a punk comp this year go out and grab yourself a copy of Harder, Fatter + Louder.  At just $8 bucks for the CD, there really is no excuse not to get this if you like your rock punk.  Come on, all the cool kids are doing it.

DOWNLOAD THIS! – Cobra Skulls – “Hot Sand”
DOWNLOAD THIS! – Old Man Markley – “For Better, For Worse”

Alt Rock, Country, Folk, Hip Hop, Indie, Listing It Up, Live Shows, Metal, Music, Personal Entry, Pop Rock, Punk, Rock

Best Of 2010, At Least According To BHP…

1 Comment

It’s that time of year everyone (in case you forgot), the time of the year where I look back at all that defined 2010.  I am sure many of you can agree that 2010 was not that bad of a year and there were some pretty good releases / events that happened.

I had a good 2010 thanks to all of my great friends.  I went on two mini road trips to see bands I adore and had good times doing so without injury.  There were plenty of albums to keep me going and a good share of bands made their way to play Cleveland.

So, as a blogger I feel it is my duty to continue my “Best Of…” posts yearly.  I am sure I will miss something but here we go:

Best Punk Albums:
Iron Chic – Not Like This

-Hands down my favorite release this year.  Catchy punk rock at its finest.  They kick ass live too.

Menzingers – Chamberlain Waits

–Easily my second favorite release of the year.  This band is going places.  I can not wait for a follow-up release.  They kick ass live as well.

Bad Religion – The Dissent Of Man

-It’s Bad Religion, need I say more?  30 years as a punk rock band with no sign of giving up any time soon.  It is as if getting old is cool…well it is if you are Bad Religion.

RVIVR – RVIVR

-It was brought to my attention that I overlooked this important release.  I knew I was forgetting something as I thought of what albums I really enjoyed…  Ex-members of Latterman as well as a few whose roots cross with members of Jawbreaker in a band?  Yes please.

Best Rock Albums:
J. Roddy Walston & The Business – J. Roddy Walston & The Business

-I’d be lying if I said that I did not listen to this album 3 times a week.  A few of my friends have been fans of J. Roddy for a couple of years now and thanks to them so am I.  This album is so fun to listen to and so well written that I am shocked all those mainstream music magazines failed to put them on their “Best Of” lists…  Jerks.

Gaslight Anthem – American Slang

-I am sure many of you know my slight obsession with this band.  Their new album slid more towards the rock and less of the punk but I am ok with that.  From start to finish this is an excellent release.

Against Me! – White Crosses

-Kind of funny how much I love these guys seeing how I used to hate them 5 years ago.  I love the direction they are taking with their new material and I am sure many will disagree.  Yes, it is not anything what they used to sound like and that is why they are considered to me now as a rock band.

The Black Keys – Brothers

-I have to give some love to this Akron, OH duo not just because I reside near the city they started in but also because they dropped a solid album.  If you have not listened to this album yet, do it.

Foxy Shazam – Foxy Shazam

-Here’s another album I almost forgot about!  Some might think these guys are going to just be another one hit wonder but I disagree.  Foxy Shazam kicks some serious ass!

Best Metal Albums:
The Dillinger Escape Plan – Option Paralysis

-Love this album.  So much better, to me, than their last release.  Heavy and full of energy.  They put on a killer set at the Warped Tour this past summer too.

Deftones – Diamond Eyes

-Nice to see the Deftones continue moving on.  I was super excited when this album dropped earlier this year.

Best Folk Rock Albums:
Frank Turner – Rock N Roll EP

-All I have to say about this EP is that if you are a fan of Rock ‘n Roll you need to hear the song “I Still Believe”.

Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More

-Still in shock these guys are from the UK…  Not that it is a problem or anything, but they play Americana folk-rock as if they grew up in the mountains.  This album was a suprise listen for me in 2010.  Very addicting if you like this kind of music.

Best Indie Rock Albums:
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

-Never thought in a million years I would admit be being an Arcade Fire fan, but this album brainwashed me into one.  Catchy as hell and just a solid release.

Bars Of Gold – Of Gold

-I love surprises.  Bars Of Gold surprised me with how awesome they were.  Best underground album I have heard in a while.

Band Of Horses – Infinite Arms

-This album snuck up on me.  It took three listens and now I can not get enough of it.

Best Hip-Hop/Rap Albums:
Sage Francis – LI(F)E

-Oh Sage Francis…  You are a talented talented man.  I was not too sure about this album upon my first taste of it, but it is exceptional.  Love the way this guy puts words together.  I also really liked how he got some of the music for some of the tracks – he had indie bands work with him.

Eminem – Recovery

-This guy is good once again.  The end.

Best Film Soundtrack:
Tron: Legacy Soundtrack – Music By Daft Punk

-I had bee waiting for this release since early 2010 when it was announced that the French dup would be providing the soundtrack.  It is insane.  Insane as in good.

Best Shows I Attended:
The Avett Brothers @ House Of Blues – Cleveland, OH

Frank Turner / Social Distortion @ House Of Blues – Cleveland, OH

Bed Folds @ House Of Blues – Cleveland, OH (minus the douche I almost got into a fight with)

Dale Watson & His Lone Stars @ Beachland Tavern – Cleveland, OH

Most Fun Shows I Attended:
NOFX @ Madison Theater – Covington, KY

Gaslight Anthem @ Lifestyles Pavilion – Columbus, OH

The Facials as NOFX @ Now That’s Class  – Cleveland, OH
-Seriously, one of my favorite memories of 2010.  My pals The Facials practiced their butts off to do a Halloween-inspired NOFX cover set.  They nailed it. It was just one of those nights where I was surrounded by friends and felt like a kid. That right there is a show.

Worst Shows Attended:
Van’s Warped Tour
–I did not even make it past 5 o’clock this year.  I got to see some of my favorite bands including Face To Face, but overall it was far too hot outside and I just was not feeling it as I had no clue who most of the bands were on the tour.  I guess a time comes one day when a punker gets too old for this shi-, not to mention, my circle of friends dwindled significantly (2).  After being at almost all of the Warped Tours since they started – I am done (I say this every year…).

Worst Albums Released:
Brokencyde
–Words can not describe how I feel about this band.  I will not even go there.

3OH!3
–Any band that collaborates with Keisha or however she spells it is instant THE SUCK.  I really liked the band’s first album but could not stand their recent effort.  Nice guys, but just not my cup of tea.

Album I Did Not Get Whatsoever:
Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
-Why is everyone giving this album 5 stars?  I do not get it, am I missing something.  I do not think it is that good at all.  That is me of course…  Give me his older material any day.

Looking Forward To In 2011:
Social Distortion’s New Album

Those Darlins’s New Album
–I got a sample of their new material when I saw them play at the Beachland Tavern and I must say…impressive.  I look forward to their new release as it appears as if they have changed up their sound a little.

The Bonnaroo 2011 Line-Up
–This will be the ten-year anniversary and I am hoping for a line-up unlike any other)

SXSW
–I think I am actually going to be able to make it this year finally…

Making new friends and hearing new music. I always look forward to something new.

What are your favorites of 2010? I want to hear! This comment section below doesn’t fill itself out you know!!!

Thanks to all my readers. 2010 was fun – here’s to 2011. Happy holidays everyone!

Acoustic, Folk, Interview, Live Shows, Music, Music News, Music Video, New Release, Punk, Rock, The Awesome

You Know What Today Is… Right?

1 Comment

Today is a lot of things really. History happened, history might be made, and people will be talking about things based upon events from today for years to come.

I know, deep…

I will be ignoring everything today except for the fact that Mr. Frank Turner released an EP today entitled Rock & Roll.  The 5 song EP dropped today on iTunes and is available in limited quantities on CD (here’s hoping for a 7″).  It’s a sample of what Frank Turner is working on for his 2011 release and I have to say that I love it.

What’s that you say?

Of course I love it you say?

What’s that?

I am Frank Turner obsessed?

Yes I am and I fully admit it.

Turner is a kick ass musician and there is no reason for a music lover like myself to not adore his music.  This EP is great start to finish, especially the highly likable anthem “I Still Believe”, a track I was introduced to in October when I got to see Turner open for Social Distortion.  Even if it was a new song, it was so infections that by song’s end, everyone was singing along.

See for yourself:

Fun note: The gang vocals on the track were actually taken from the crowds at various live shows.

With non-stop touring all year, Frank Turner may be one of the busiest musicians out there.  Somehow between playing cross-country tours as well as festivals the guy found some free time to record new material and I could not be happier with the results on the EP.

Here’s to the full length release in 2011.

Proof I like Frank Turner and all he does…

A review I did of Poetry Of The Deed
An interview I did with Frank Turner
A review I did of Frank Turner opening for Flogging Molly
Another review I did of Frank Turner when he opened for Social Distortion