Maybe it was the excessive beer intake last night, but I woke up this morning to the strangest dream I have had in a while. Not to bore you with details, but the dream ended with me in a convertible telling Ryan of Cincinnati/Detroit pop-punk act Mixtapes about this other dream I had within the dream that involved a James Bond like India adventure. He looked at me like I was high and then got mad at me when I asked him what it would take for him to sing me some Wooky Stax.
I took that as a calling today to write a little something something about Mixtapes as well as their alter ego known to many as Wooky Stax.
For those of you who do not know of the pop-punk act Mixtapes, you my friends are missing out.
The male and female front-kinda-sorta-duo sing about everything from thinking that Strung Out is a “mediocre version of the skate punk 90s” to not staying up all night and just kicking it at home drinking Diet Coke. The band is unique in that they are not looking for the fame and do it for fun (well at least I think they do). Most of their material has been released for free on the interwebs through various sites and they never seem to stop touring. They also have a handful of 7″ vinyls out for all you collectors out there.
They are a prolific band you need to check out. I’ve seen them live a couple times and it is a riot.
Wooky Stax is Mixtapes’ alterego rap project. I do not care what anyone says, I love it. It is far from the greatest hip hop and probably was created as a joke to the ever so hardworking rap music industry (can you sense the sarcasim?). Ryan and Maura do their best to rap over samples and honestly…it’s kind of catchy and it’s hella free.
Punk rockers Alkaline Trio (AK3) recently dropped a mostly-acoustic, sort-of-best-of-album entitled Damnesia on their very own label Heart&Skull. The album, that was also released on Epitaph Records, contains seletions from previous releases from the band’s career as well as two brand new songs. If you recall, AK3 already took a stab at releasing some acoustic tracks as seen on last year’s deluxe version of This Addiction. This time though, the band had a reason to dig into their catalog.
Marking their 15 year anniversary, the band saw it best to celebrate their success by putting together an album for the fans. The result is a nice twist at classic songs with some of the re-recorded acoustic / semi-unplugged versions sounding better than the original cuts.
“Calling All Skeletons” started off the 15-track album, sounded well, but just was not overly impressive. “Nose Over Tail”, originally found as a b-side from the “Sundials” single, on the other hand was awesome. I loved that they re-recorded such a great track and it sounded better to me than the original thanks to Skiba’s vocals sounding so personal and heartfelt.
The pianos throughout “This Could Be Love” was a nice touch. A bit gloomier this round, the track was a tad slowed down which was fine by this listener. “Calvicle” kept things moving with a speedy acoustic jam. “Mercy Me” almost sounded rejuvenated with its rebirth into the un-plugged world.
“The American Scream” started with a duo of Skiba and piano playing. I have to admit I enjoyed this version a lot. I loved when the rest of the band kicked in and started playing / singing along. “We’ve Had Enough” continued impressing me. There was just something about this version that made me tap my foot a little harder to the ground while listening to.
One of the two new tracks, “Olde English 800” was an awesome tribute to a iconic malt beverage. The sing-a-long had me craving for a 40oz. or two by the time it was over. Comedic? Perhaps… Sincere? Absolutely. Am I going to have a hangover tomorrow? That is has not been determined yet. All in all, great love song for a top-notch beverage.
AK3 covering The Violent Femmes was not overly impressive to me, but it was nice see them choose “I Held Her In My Arms” over other overly-covered Femmes songs. It was not terrible to listen to at all, it was just not something I was really looking to listen to although I appreciated the light twang feel to it. Then again I never was the biggest Femmes fan.
“I Remember A Rooftop” was the other new track on Damnesia and was a lot more serious than the O.E. 800 song. Andriano took over singing duties this round on the acoustic guitar only track. With lyrics like “I took my lousy shot at public recognition” the lyrics clearly were a little darker, something this beloved band has never been afraid to dish out.
The very Dexter Morgan describing “Private Eye” was another nice surprise to find on this album. A great version of “Radio” closed out the album. Once again, the singing sounded just a little more personal and meaningful on this track. I really enjoyed it a lot.
A lot of times when I hear that bands are going to take songs and re-record them in an acoustic manner I am usually not overly excited about it, sans Unwritten Law’s Music In High Places. AK3 nailed it though with Damnesia. The album takes a nice detour from the punk rock path and brings you to just a nice chill (chilling?) listen many punk rock and non-punk rock fans will enjoy.
Does recording an acoustic album mean the band has slowed down (not trying to knock anyone)? Well, perhaps in some cases for some bands, but I doubt AK3 has any means to take it down a notch anytime soon. This was a nice novel idea for the fans from the band that has been kicking it for a decade and a half. Look for AK3 to be touring this summer in support of the new release as well as means to continue to celebrate their 15 years as a punk rock act.
Andriano had this to say about the tour:
“We’re looking forward to our 15th anniversary tour this summer. We’re going to really try to put together a set that encompasses everything the band has done over the past 15 years and plan to play some songs that rarely find their way in to the set list. We will also play some songs in an unplugged style similar to what we’ve recently recorded on Damnesia. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Yeah, I am a couple years late jumping on the bandwagon on this one…
Recently Rob Coe, front-man of The Enablers, emailed me a link to a kick ass T.I. cover that his band did a few years back. I had heard of his Gainsville, Florida, punk act before but for whatever reason never got to check them out.
The Enablers actually are made up of other bands you may have hear about. Rob Coe is from Fay Wray and their bassist was in some band called Dashboard Confessional. They sound familiar…
The cover of “Whatever You Like”, originally written by the currently incarcerated rap star T.I., is brilliant. I have listened to it over and over and just can not get enough of it. One might be fooled upon hearing it not thinking it is a cover. Here, check it out for yourself:
This cover does sound more like Lucero, but the rest of The Enablers is more like a Social D, Husker Du sound with a little Springsteen vocals added to the mix. Not as fast and furious when it comes to the punk sound, but not exactly to be considered rock.
Here are a couple other songs I found online if you want to hear some of their original material. I know I am digging it.
I am going to be searching for their material online. I believe there is an EP out there waiting for me to purchase. This is stuff I need to have in my vinyl collection. I am not sure how active they are these days but I know Rob Coe did play the Suburban Home Records anniversary show last summer.
I guess there is only one way to find out… Let’s see if Rob wants to do an interview. Stay turned.
Wow, what a bummer. I just learned that Frank Carter announced his departure from the UK punk act Gallows. In a statement taken from Frank’s website frankxcarter.com, the tattooed bad ass had this to say about why he is leaving the band:
It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce my departure from Gallows. It seems that Gallows have hit a crossroads in our writing process and unfortunately myself and the rest of the boys have different ideas regarding the sound of Gallows going forward. Gallows have decided they are going to continue on without me and I wish the boys the best of luck for the future.
This does not mean I am giving up on music. I have a new band called PURE LOVE which I have been working on with my brother Jim Carroll (Suicide File, Clouds, Hope Conspiracy) for a few months now. A lot of late nights in the studio have meant that we will be recording our debut album in September and then will hit the road later this year. I hope to see you all there.
I want to say thank you to my brothers Stephen, Jonathan and Richard, my parents and the rest of the boys in Gallows for their support not only over the past few months, but the past 6 years. I also want to thank all the fans that helped us build Gallows into something I could really be proud of. Without you it would have meant nothing. Thank you all. Forwards ever, backwards never. Pure Love.
Frank Carter
I am curious on this new band of his called Pure Love. I have been a huge fan of Gallows since the first time I saw them live at a Warped Tour years ago. It was one of those bands that I had never heard of before, but by set’s end, wanted to hear more.
Frank’s energy is unline anyone else and he never holds his tounge. He had no problem bashing non-punk bands at a Warped Tour a couple years ago (targeting 3OH!3 and Jeffree Starr) as well as climbed the rafters at a Grog Shop show while the kids moshed under him. He takes his performances to a personal level and marches in the middle of the crowd with mic in hand, it was quite the experience.
I would love to see both the Gallows and Frank continue in their musical careers, but am still a little disappointed that Frank will no longer be fronting Gallows.
Hopefully Pure Love will be as amazing as Gallows were. Guess we wait till September to find out… Until then, enjoy some videos I found:
I came across a new demo from a new band called Crow Bait. Not only is the band’s name awesome, but the band also features members of: Jonesin’, Iron Chic, Wax Phantom, Sister Kisser, Halfway To Hell Club & more. That right there is damn awesome!!!
Maybe it was the excessive beer intake last night, but I woke up this morning to the strangest dream I have had in a while. Not to bore you with details, but the dream ended with me in a convertible telling Ryan of Cincinnati/Detroit pop-punk act Mixtapes about this other dream I had within the dream that involved a James Bond like India adventure. He looked at me like I was high and then got mad at me when I asked him what it would take for him to sing me some Wooky Stax.
Then there is Wooky Stax…
I am curious on this new band of his called 