This is a great video from Alexander, you know, that bearded happy guy in Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
Very unique video if I do not say so myself. The song is amazing too.
Alexander released a solo album back in March titled Alexander. I have yet to dig into the entire album but did check out the song “Lucky” as well as “A Million Years” and really enjoyed what I heard. Check them out:
I remember the first time I heard the one time post-hardcore/screamo outfit Thursday. They were of a genre of music I swore I would never get into, but there was something about them I really was attracted to. Over the years I have watched them mature into phenomenal musicians and it’s no surprise that they decided to try something differently on their sixth studio release.
No Devolución is perhaps the band’s most involved album to date. It is not like any of their previous material and at times and really feels like a well put together work of genius. Geoff Rickly still does wonders with his signing ability while the rest of the band seems to have really mellowed out this round. This is the bands second release under Epitaph Records.
“Fast To The End”, a catchy rock jam, opened up the album. Rickly and crew seemed to keep to that known Thursday sound intact with some screaming thrown in around.
“No Answers” without a doubt was my choice track thanks to the catchy synths that easily could be compared to MGMT. The song flowed so well throughout with very poignant lyrics talking of relations with Rickly singing “No answers, no answers when you’re around” at the end of the track. Sad track, but beyond amazing to listen to.
The piano playing throughout “Sparks Against The Sun” made for a nice, gentle feel throughout. The song itself was easy on the ears with the synths and distorted bass lines backing calm singing.
“Open Quotes” on the other hand had a more aggressive approach. Hinting back at some of older Thursday material, the track had a couple shouts and screams and a little added distorted guitar playing, but overall really could have been a tougher track. It just seemed to dissolve by the end.
Starting slow was “Past And Future Ruins”, a killer track with heavy Muse matching guitar riffs as well as xylophone both over a steady floor tom beat. Rickly had no problem showcasing his vocal ability throughout and even tosses it in a distorted mess a couple of times giving for a very loathing tone.
“Empty Glass” was a sad, sad song. Although beautifully put together, the track was gloomy as hell and easily could bring the happiest person down to a whimpering lull. The electronic driven music along the pitch-shifting singing was haunting yet almost comforting to listen to.
“A Gun In The First Act” was a darker sounding track with very NIN simular synthesizers in the background. The more I listened to it, the more I heard NIN’s version of “Dead Souls” originally performed by Joy Division in it. Overall the track was amazing and was one of my favorite cuts off the album.
“Turnpike Divides” brought the energy back with a old school Thursday feel to it. The track is a no-place-like-home tribute to good ol’ New Jersey. I loved the Bruce Springsteen reference, “it’s hard to sleep when you’re born to run.” This was another song I enjoyed a lot and just stood out over all the other tracks.
Putting an end to the masterpiece called No Devolución was “Stay True”, a motivational track aimed at just about anyone who wants to give it a listen. The Rollins-esque lyrics were quite stern yet compelling to follow along to. Aimed at a novice in life, this song has the ability to shed guidance on those who are looking for answers. Sometimes all it takes is a song for someone to guide them in the right direction.
No Devolución has made me a bigger Thursday fan. Over the years, my music taste tends to change and I find myself getting discouraged sometimes are bands who never challenge themselves. Sometimes the outcome is a disaster, but I have to hand it to Thursday, they put together an outstanding release without forgetting who they once were, and still are.
Thursday will be coming back to Cleveland on 7/23 during their tour with Taking Back Sunday at the House Of Blues. Tickets are $27.50 and are on sale now.
Last night was a blast to the past, specifically 1996, thanks to punk legends Face To Face and Strung Out who made a stop in Cleveland at Peabody’s. The fact that the show landed on a Tuesday night meant nothing to all who filled up the venue to almost sold out proportions. Fans generally were a little older at the show seeing how the main bands playing ruled the punk scene in the mid-nineties. It was actually refreshing to be surrounded by such a crowd as I was in their company 15-years ago at random shows. There were so many familiar faces, it was like a punk rock reunion of sorts.
The Artist Life opened the show but I did not get into the venue in time to see them. My friends really did not have much to say about them, but after checking out their MySpace profile, I would not have mind to have taken them in. The Toronto foursome kind of reminds me of a mix of some of the newer punk acts I have been digging recently like Menzingers mixed with AM Taxi.
Long Beach, CA’s The Darlings took the stage to a full crowd and did their best to impress. The crowd was just not into them at all. They did not heckle the band or anything, but there was not that much cheering or crowd response at all. In fact, the old time the band got the crowd riled up was not when they played a Misfits cover, but when they played “Cruel World”
Strung Out, on the other hand, had no problem what so ever getting the crowd going. Taking the stage, the band dropped into “Too Close To See” and basically just hammered through an impressive set. Fans went wild when they played “Firecracker” followed by “Mind Of My Own” with Jason Cruz sounding better than ever on vocals.
During “In Harms Way” the band decided to reline the 90s a little more and did a nice little breakdown of Pantera’s “Walk” to which the fans all sang along to. Even though they were all hard at work, Strung Out also decided to do a live audition for a new guitarist for all to see and invited Jim Blowers from Pulley to fill in on a “Speedball”. Needless to say, Blowers proved he has what it takes to play in Strung Out.
My pal Chewy said it best about Strung Out’s set when he turned to me while we both took in the show and said that “this is one of those bands you listen to on CD thinking – wow, I wonder if they sound this awesome live?” He paused, turned his head to watch the show for a couple more seconds and looked back at me with a huge grin on his face and happily said “yup.”
He was right. Strung Out is one of the more technical punk rock acts out there and even though the band is going on 20 years, they sounded amazing if not better since the last time I saw them. Rocking through tracks old and new, the band finally thanked Cleveland for allowing them to play for them and finished off their set with “Bring Out Your Dead” and “Matchbook”. The crowd of course wanted more, and I am sure the band wanted to play more, but everyone knew they would have to wait till the next time they rolled through town.
The headliners of the night, Face To Face, finally took the stage to an adoring crowd. The band was all smiles as they broke into “You Lied”, a punk rock classic followed by “You’ve Done Nothing”. About four songs into the set, Trevor Keith announced that his voice was finally coming back and without hesitation started throwing out snark remarks to the crowd in good fun. The crowd took it well and realizing that he had everyone’s attention, Keith announced that the band would be playing a new track titled “It’s Not All About You”.
I am not sure the crowd really was into the new track played, but I can tell you that the following three songs the band played including “Ordinary”, “I Won’t Lie Down”, and “Blind” was a whole different story. Everyone, including myself, had their eyes on the stage and sang along every single lyric to those songs. Keith and company looked impressed and Keith even mentioned hoe he was feeling an “old school punk rock vibe” in the venue and liked how there was not a line of bouncers in front of the stage.
He continued how he wanted everyone to have a fun time and wished for no one to get hurt. He invited fans on stage one to two people at a time as they played and told them to do their thing and jump back in the crowd, just like the good old days. Keith also warned that anyone acting like an ass would have to face the bouncers located on both sides of the stage. After noticing some of the smaller folk in the crowd he even went so far as to inviting a handful of girls to watch the show on the side of the stage. Keith was looking out for the fans last night, that is for sure.
After laying down the rules, the band continued with “Pastel”, another new track titled “All For Nothing”, and one of my favorites “A-OK”. Honestly this might have been the best performance I have ever seen by Face To Face. They looked so happy to be playing on stage again after being on hiatus for about 8 years (minus last year’s 30 minute Warped Tour set).
With minimal breaks between songs, the bad kept moving on with “Velocity” and “Complicated”, perhaps my favorite Face To Face track ever. Hearing it live just made me love it even more.
When fans threw beers towards the stage, Keith avoided acting like a Weasel and laughed saying “I Don’t Want That!” He was having a good time and that made the show that much more entertaining. Just for kicks, the band decided to play a country song, more specifically “Keep Your Hands To Yourself” by the Georgia Satellites. Keith was amazed when the entire crowd sang the chorus in unison and admitted that he thought Cleveland was amazing.
Putting an end to the night, the bad played “Big Choice” and treated everyone to “Disconnected”, perhaps the band’s most commercially friendly song. Popular or not, I loved hearing it live and practically lost my voice singing along with. The band thanked everyone for coming out and exited the stage only to return for a two song encore, one new track, and one old track.
Seeing Face To Face and Strung Out play live together in one night was a dream come true. I felt like a kid all over again seeing both of the 90s acts take the stage. I was impressed with how both bands sounded live and how excited they were to be performing to the crowd. They were both top notch throughout and I could not ask for a better punk rock show.
One of my favorite up and coming punk acts, The Menzingers, have just released a video for “Irish Goodbyes”. This song is a brand spanking new track that will appear on a summer compilation.
Check it out:
The Menzingers: Irish Goodbyes from Love Drunk on Vimeo.
Fun little fact about this video: It was taken in one take (audio / video / live footage). Impressive.
The Menzingers will be playing Cleveland soon. If you have not seen them live yet and enjoy good punk rock, then you have no excuse to not hit up this show.
Sat. June 18th @ Now That’s Class
The Menzingers w/ Title Fight, Touché Amoré, Dead End Path, Light Years – $12
Last week I received a phone call while studying for my last final and I almost did not answer it, but I am glad I did. I thought it was a telemarker and was prepared to be a complete douche on the phone. I am glad I answered it without being a huge jerk because it was Nard from Cleveland’s Radio 92.3 letting me know that I won a contest I had entered on the 92.3 website about a week ago.
I won the chance to do community service with Rise Against on Saturday afternoon at the Malachi House in Cleveland and also scored a pair of tickets to the Rise Against / Bad Religion show later that evening.
I was stoked. Not so much for the tickets, but to work next to Rise Against and perform charity work is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Rise Against made the decision a few years ago to give back to the community any way they can to the cities they tour in. Back in 2009, Rise Against made a stop at the Cleveland Food Bank and donated some of their time. This time around they were asked by members of 92.3 if they would like to do some community service at the Malachi House. Without hesitation they agreed to do so and 92.3 put together a contest for five lucky winners and a guest to do work around the Malachi House for a couple of hours.
Let me explain what the Malachi House is all about.
The Malachi House is a house for the terminally ill that is operated on donations only. There is no government funding at all for this house and is the only house (I will not use the world facility as it is not one, it is a house) of its kind in the United States.
Established in 1983, the house is open to anyone who is basically given six-months to live but have no one to care for them or can not afford to pay for the care. Since they opened, they have cared for almost 1600 people.
The house has 17 rooms for the residents and is open to all ages and races. There is no fee for any resident who decides that they wish to stay at the house. Food is provided to them, they are given a clean bed, clothing, and basically anything else to help make their stay more comfortable.
Once I won the contest, I knew immediately who I wanted to come with me so I asked her and of course she said yes. She was as stoked as I was do be able to offer help to an organization as well as hang out with Rise Against so the plan was to head down to good ol’ Ohio City around 12:30p.
We arrived a tad early to the Malachi House Saturday and hung outside of the building looking ever so lost when a very nice lady named Alice Sawyers poked her head out of the entrance and asked if we were volunteers and let us inside. Once the other contest winners arrived, we all went into a lower-level conference room where Sawyers gave everyone a little history about the Malachi House.
Sawyers, a volunteer coordinator, made us all aware that the Malachi House was in fact a house and not a facility. She was very passionate about talking of this one-of-a-kind organization. Once the band arrived, she gave everyone a tour. We all got to see a huge collection of donated foods and supplies as well as met a couple of residents and even one of the resident’s dog who comes to visit her.
I will admit, it was depressing as hell to listen to her talk about what goes on in the house and then walk through it.
I’ll just say it: People come to die at the Malachi House.
In fact, one of the rooms we were in had a nicely made bed with a heart-shaped pillow and a flower on it. Sawyers informed everyone that when someone passes they leave the heart-shaped pillow and flower for 24-48 hours as tribute to their friend who stayed at the house.
I am not going to lie, that was a little rough to learn. I know I am not the only one who felt that way in the room.
The positive aspect of the house though is that these people who may have had a tough life in the past are given a chance to live comfortably until they pass on. Hospice care comes to the house daily as there are no in-house medical personnel. Basically those who chose to live their final days at Malachi are provided with everything possible at no charge to them.
The donations that keep the Malachi House running come in all forms including food, clothing, and of course money. Sawyers mentioned to us that someone recently donated $5000 and then dropped another check off a couple of days later for $20,000 because the lady who donated the money had bad eyesight and meant to have a check cut for $25,000.
Nice to know there are still good people out there.
The volunteer work was basically light housekeeping and landscaping in and around the house. Tim McIlrath (lead singer/guitarist) and Brandon Barnes (drums) went inside with half of the crew to clean up some of the rooms. I chose to work outside when asked if I would help clean up a parking lot. Zach Blair (lead guitarist), Nard (radio awesomeness), and three sweet ladies (looks like I picked the right group…) joined me in doing so.
In all seriousness though, it was cool to help out the Malachi House do maintenance to the beds that surrounded the lot as well as clean up the debris with Zach and the others. He was a cool dude and told me why Rise Against started giving back to the community.
He in a nutshell told me that they were tired of the bullshit promotions they were asked to do. Were he was totally for meet and greets with fans, he was tired of doing stupid events like racing go-karts and other nonsense. The band all agreed that they wanted to do something where they would not only be able to meet fans but also give back to the communities they toured at.
I should mention Nard tried his best to romance Zach and gave him a flower that might have been accidentally picked. Note: Zach was not wearing the flower during the show later that night. Sorry man, it was not meant to be!
Before I knew it, it was time for the band to head out and do a sound check down the street at the newly named Jacobs Pavilion (I still call it Nautica). All the members of Rise Against made sure that all of the volunteers got some pictures and autographs prior to heading out.
I’ve always liked Rise Against since they first dropped The Unraveling in 2001 and have dug all of their releases since. Hanging out with them at the Malachi House though brought a stronger appreciation for them as people though. They are a bunch of good people who just so happen to rock out nightly. They did not help at the Malachi House because they had to, they did it because they wanted to. That right there I am a fan of.
The show that night was amazing. I went as a fan and not a reviewer or critic. I left my notepad and pen at home and just took in a concert for me with a few good people and thousands of fans. Bad Religion was already playing when I got there which was depressing as it was about 8 o’clock when we arrived… As bummed as I was, I soaked in their top notch performance – like I would expect anything else.
Rise Against took the stage to the sold out crowd and proceeded to just rock out and entertain. It was awesome, and that’s all I am going to say about that. If you were there, I know you will agree…
Thanks 92.3 for putting together this great contest. I know I was not the only one moved by it.
Special thanks to webmaster Carl Harp at WNCX/WKRK for hooking me up with some photos from the Malachi House event.
For more information about the Malachi House, I encourage you to check out their website www.malachihouse.org. As I mentioned before, it is a one-of-a-kind organization that truly is there to help the ones in absolute need. I know I am already planning a way to give to the Malachi House as I was so touched by what they do. With all that goes on in the world daily, it is so nice to see a group of people who just want to help folk out who have no one else to go to.