Category Archives: Punk

Cleveland, Good Times, Live Shows, Music, Music Video, Punk, Review

Rancid, Rise Against, Riverboat Gamblers – Tower City Amphitheater – Cleveland, OH – 06/15/2009 – Concert Review

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This is not a review.  I repeat, this is not a review.  OK, I am lying, the more I write about it the more it sounds like a review.  Oh well…

Let’s face it, Bonnaroo drained me.  The trip to and from along with the actual four days at the festival took everything I had out of me.  When I returned home I napped for a mere hour and then hopped in the car to go see punk rock legends Rancid with Rise Against and Riverboat Gamblers down at the Tower City Amphitheater.

I was a zombie of sorts.  Only having ingested some terrible Hardee’s in Bowling Green, KY, the arrow in my stomach was pointing to empty.  Luckily my buddy Fatty who was driving owes me big for when we went to see the Bouncing Souls and make me turn my car around on Route 8 because he forgot his ticket.

I could not tell him that I forgot my ticket because I did not have one so I just asked him to stop at Taco Bell for a snack.

I did not have a ticket because someone wonderful got me on the list for Rancid complete with a VIP pass.

We arrived to the venue with the Riverboat Gamblers already playing.  The Austin, TX punk rockers really enthralled me so I made sure to pick up their latest release on LP entitled Underneath The Owl.  I have yet to listen to it but I do know they played a few songs off their new album and it sounded good.  They are one of those bands I never really gave a chance before but will now thanks to their great performance.

Once it looked like the stage was set up for Rancid I headed backstage to get a better view of the band.  I hung out behind the scenes and peered at the from the side.  As pissed as I was that they were not headlining the show I was still pleased with their almost one hour set including classic songs such as “Ruby Soho” and “Olympia”.  They also played some new tracks from their recent release Let The Dominoes Fall… such as “Last One To Die” and “New Orleans”.

They sounded really good live and jumped around youthfully as if they were playing 15 years ago.  Many times I hear that people think Tim Armstrong might not be playing all of the songs but I was right there and it sure as hell looked like he was beating the crap out of his guitar playing to the huge crowd.  Matt Freemon was hammering his bass and killed it during “Tenderloin” and of course Lars Frederickson was doing what he does best, entertain.

Great set by one of my favorite punk bands of all time.

Rancid Setlist:
Radio
Last One To Die
Journey to the End of the East Bay
Roots Radicals
Nihilism
Olympia WA.
Salvation
Bloodclot
New Orleans
Fall Back Down
The Way I Feel
Time Bomb
Tenderloin
East Bay Night
Maxwell Murder
Ruby Soho

Rise Against took stage as the sun said goodbye to the day.  I am a fan of the first three Rise Against albums but their last two releases have not done too much for me.  I stayed afar from the stage and checked them out while I chatted with a couple of my friends who were only there to see Rancid.

Rise Against, I can say, has major stage charisma.  Lead singer Tim McIlrath was running all over the stage singing his heart out to his diehard fans.  Where the band did play a lot of newer songs I was happy to hear some older ones from their first three albums.  I was shocked the band did not play “Swing Life Away” when Tim McIlrath came to stage with an acoustic guitar in hand but I guess they have played that song enough times and perhaps it was time for them to give it a rest.

It was great to see Rise Against headline a show and you knew the band was grateful for the oppertunity as they thanked Rancid as well as named off some of the venues in Cleveland they once played before such as the Agora as well as the Tower City parking lot by the stairs where years ago they were just an intro band to the Vans Warped Tour.  Times have change indeed for Rise Against, I was just glad to hear them admit it.

It was a good night for punk rock in Cleveland thanks to the three bands that took over Tower City that night.  As if the show itself was not good enough right as Rise Against was finishing up their set fireworks started going off over the Progressive Field as the Cleveland Indians game had just finished up.

I had yet to find a setlist for Rise Against or Riverboat Gamblers but when I do I will post it here.

70's, Cleveland, Live Shows, Music, Music Video, Punk

Detroit’s The Dogs Are Making A Comeback!

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Mark your calendars all you aging punk rockers.  Detroit’s original punk rock act The Dogs are coming to Cleveland!

What’s that?  You have never heard of The Dogs?

Well according to their MySpace Page:

Formed in 1969 in Lansing, Michigan, the trio of “Loren Dog” Molinare (guitar and vocals), Mary Dryer (bass), and Ron Wood (drums), channeled the pummeling power of Detroit rock and Chuck Berry inspired riffs into tough tunes with a pissed off social conscience.

Raging out of the legendary Motor City rock scene of the ’70s, which spawned such musical touchstones as the Stooges, MC5, Amboy Dukes, Up, and other lesser known but equally ferocious proto-punk acts, The Dogs packed all the feral energy and cultural angst of that era into their live shows and an enduring set of recordings.

The Dogs opened for such acts as the MC5, Ramones, Television, Dictators, AC/ DC, Kiss, and Van Halen, and became one of the seminal LA punk bands of the era after locating there in the mid ’70s following a stint in New York

They disbanded soon after returning from a ’78-’79 tour of England, finding that hair metal had taken over the scene and punk had fallen out of favor.

With the 2001 release of the ‘Fed Up’ compilation on Dionysus Records, which they answered in 2003 with a set of new material entitled ‘Suburban Nightmare,’ The Dogs were encouraged to hit the stage once again. 2007 saw the release of ‘The Dogs Tribute… Doggy Style,’ a 26-band, 2-CD package from Future Now Records that also features several historic, unreleased tracks from The Dogs.

A live DVD, ‘Purity Not Perfection,’ has been released in Mar 09, and a new CD and live dates in the US, Europe, and Japan are slated for 2009 — the year that will mark The Dogs’ 40th anniversary.

So if you find yourself a fan of the original punk rock, the classic punk rock, or even some good rock n roll perhaps it would be in your best interest to head up to the Beachland to cheek these guys out!  I know I am highly considering making it out there if I can.

John Rock and Roll Sinclair

YoU Can”t caTch ME”

Download This!, Music, Music Video, New Release, Punk, Review, Ska

Left Alone – Left Alone – CD Review

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Street punk shows it has a nicer side thanks to Left Alone, a Wilmington, CA act on their latest self-titled album Left Alone released through Hellcat Records.  On the band’s third release they continue to play street punk material but incorporate elements of pop punk, reggae, and ska making for a real fun listen.

Opening track “Spiked With Pain” was a full punk rock track with sing along abilities and guitar and bass riffs suggestive of Rancid.  There is a reason why this band was signed to Hellcat and perhaps Tim Armstrong enjoyed the similarities of Left Alone and the band he fronts.

“Branded” follows with the same energy as the first track with front man Elvis Cortez’s raspy voice just appealing to my ears.  As if that was not good enough, the bass lines were sick throughout and overall the song is just screaming to be released as a single.

Almost sounding like the Madness meets Operation Ivy was the brisk “Sad Story” with a more ska approach that is easily likable and surly makes you want to skank away.  The song was easily one of my favorites on the entire CD.  See below for the music video of the song.  Good stuff.

The catchy “3 Bottles Of Wine” and “Porcelain” both seem more pop punk tracks. They seem to escape the street punk image held by the band but still are enjoyable for what they are worth.

“Bombs Away” sounding a lot like The Clash’s “Police And Thieves” carries on just fine as the song is not a direct rip off but more so a compliment to the UK grandfathers of punk.  “Brindle” starts off with a strong bass line that strays right into a fast paced track sure to be a hit at one of their live shows as it makes you want to swing your arms and dance around carelessly.

I loved “Self Made” with the more so 90s punk feel and an organ playing in the background.  “Wishing Well” continued that feeling with a simple yet catchy punk track with some group vocals.  These are the kinds of songs that turned me into a punk rock fan in the first place.

It’s nice to see a band like Left Alone not label themselves as one specific genre of music and experiment with their talent.  This album is full of tracks with sing along qualities that span back to their previous releases but add a more fine tuned effort making for a good listen if you find yourself a fan of punk rock.

Left Alone is far from a commercial pop punk act and thanks to their recent release they should be grabbing some attention.  Perhaps it is a good thing they stay away from the mainstream though as they have too much talent to be considered just another pop-punk act out there.  Having already been fans of their previous releases Lonely Starts and Broken Hearts and Dead American Radio I can honestly say this CD is just as good of a listen if not better.

Download This! – Left Alone – “Sad Story”
Download This! – Left Alone – “3 Bottles Of Wine”

(I would totally let the girls in this video kick my ass)

Funny, Music, Punk, Review, WTF

Punk Rock Dogg – Songs For Deviant Dogs – CD Review

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Last week I received a package in the mail that I was not expecting.  It was a copy of the promotional CD from Punk Rock Dogg with a note signed by Murphy Dogg.

Murphy Dogg?  Yes, Murphy is a dog.  Murphy did not really write the note.  Come on people…haha.

Normally I might scratch my head and wonder why the hell someone would send me something like this but I did order some Punk Rock Dogg Hardcore Treats for my boys last month and I suddenly remembered the site’s owner telling me she wanted to send me something to check out.

Before I even begin to talk about the CD itself I thought I would mention that the Punk Rock Dogg Hardcore Treats were really enjoyed by my boys.  I blogged about the treats a while back just because I thought it was such a great idea –  human grade dog treats.  I even tried a couple of them myself once I received them in the mail.  They tasted like a bland biscotti and honestly I kind of liked them!  You can read more about the treats I purchased on a previous blog by clicking HERE.

Honestly this CD is for people with a sense of humor and a true love for their dogs, cats, llamas, whatever…  It is not to be taken serious and I am sure many of my punk rock friends with pets will laugh at the adaptations on some of the tracks.  If you don’t find it funny then maybe you don’t know how it feels to have a dog poop in your shoe (that really happened to me) or know how awesome pets really are.

So let’s get back to the CD…

The album cover for Songs For Deviant Dogs had a liberty spike wearing, motorcycle jacket wearing, guitar carrying punk rocker and a Boston Terrier looking to tear up the mic.  I was intrigued from the moment I laid eyes on it.

Seeing how I am a huge fan of Caninus I knew I was going to like this regardless from the get go.  I have a strange appreciation for many things in life and dogs incorporated into music is one of them

Note: If you have not heard of Caninus, you need to at least check them out.  They are Pit Bull Grindcore.  Think hardcore vegan metal fronted by big ass barking dogs….I love it!

The CD begins with a statement welcoming the listener with a public service announcement declaring that the CD is for entertainment purposes only and that there may be some swearing in the CD.  Seeing how swearing would not stop me from listening to any CD I continued on.

“Punk Rock Dogg”, a clear take on The Dead Milkmen’s “Punk Rock Girl” was clever with a hilarious adaptation on the classic punk track from 1988 but funny lyrics about dogs and not a human.  “My Dog Is A Punk Rocker” continues with the Weird Al Yankovic turned punk try on the Ramones‘ “Sheena Is A Punk Rocker”.

Then there was “Mama’s Little Monster”, a track that had this Ron Burgandy flute-like playing that cracked me up as the song sang about a certain little pooch.  “Punk Rock Dogg Bop” had some very impressive singing (barking) buy a canine punk rock dog.  The song is sure to be a club hit at the pounds.

The closing song on the CD was a cover of Dennis Leary’s “I’m An A$$hole”, a song I used to worship when I was a kid, so needless to say I was curious to hear the Punk Rock Dogg version.  The song of course had lyrics that pertained to dogs and not cancer sticks that spoke of doggie farts and other embarrassing dog trends that usually have their owners shaking their hears with a smile.  As a dog owner and lover I could not help but to laugh while listening to this imagining my two dogs…

Sure the music is not top notch, the singing is not anywhere near in tune, but the idea of it is funny as hell.  Any punker who has a dog or dogs will get a kick out of this CD for what it is worth.  It was recorded for fun and was not meant to be taken seriously at all.  In fact the note I received from Murphy Dogg stated his mama paid the guys in the band with beer and pizza.

So how do you get one you ask?  Well I wish I could say you could buy a copy at your local indie record store, but the truth is you need to head to Punk Rock Dogg’s website, order $40 worth of treats or merch (or both) and they will send you one on them.  Not too shabby.

Visit www.punkrockdogg.com to purchase some Punk Rock Dogg Hardcore Treats and to check out the awesome apparel for both humans and their four legged best friends.

Check out The Murphy Dogg Blogg.  I actually got a shout out on the 05/26/09 post!  Nice.

Good Buy, Music, Punk, Vinyl

Good Buy: Detournement – Screaming Response EP

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While at the Bouncing Souls show last week I was checking out the merch booth grabbing some goodies for myself.  As I was waiting for the merch guy to return to the booth, I saw this interesting looking 7″ vinyl on the counter.  It grabbed my attention mostly because of the jacket.  The jacket was actually wrapped in sand paper making for a unique look.

Not knowing who the band was I added it to my pile of goodies and went on with my night.

Today I finally had a chance to check out my impulse buy.  The band is called Detournement and their debut EP titled Screaming Response was released on the Bouncing Souls’ record label Chunksaah Records.  The band enjoyed the EP so much they were selling it at their shows and boy am I glad they did.

The eight song EP is full of political powerful punk rock goodness with very thought out lyrics combined with punk music that almost reminds me of Rancid especially with the Matt Freemon-like bass riffs throughout the EP.  Heavy on the hardcore punk side at times and overall a good listen, I really enjoyed this blind purchase a lot.

If you want to pick up a copy for yourself head over to Chunksaah Records and grab one for the low low price of $6!

Detournement features members of Lifetime, Bigwig, Ensign, Plan A Project, and Worthless United.

Pressing Info:
Yellow Version: 195 pcs available from Pirates Press Records
Grey Version: 190 pcs available from Chunksaah Records
Black Version: 85 pcs available at Detournement shows (or Bouncing Souls as that is where I got mine)