Category Archives: Review

Cleveland, Live Shows, Music, Photography, Punk, Review, Rock

Concert Review: Dropkick Murphys / Against Me! / Off With Their Heads – House Of Blues – Cleveland, OH – 03/06/2011

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If anyone in the Cleveland area was suffering from the Irish flu Monday morning, chances are it was because they were one of the many who the filled up the House Of Blues Sunday night to see the Dropkick Murphys (DKM) with special guests Against Me! and Off With Their Heads.  The Irish punk rockers just kicked off their St. Patrick’s Day tour in support of their new album Going Out In Style that was just released last week.  Having been sold out for months now, all who filled that venue last night were well aware that they would be treated to a top-notch performance by two of the most talented punk rock acts out there.

Fans of all ages waited anxiously outside the House Of Blues along Euclid Ave. prior to the doors opening.  The weather was relentless to all who showed up early with frigid winds hammering down upon everyone, especially to those who few decked out in kilts.  Everyone obviously was from Northeastern Ohio though as the cold did not ruin anyone’s spirits.  The doors to the venue soon opened and everyone made their way inside.

Opening act Off With Their Heads took the stage around eight o’clock and played through a straight up punk rock set.  The Minneapolis, MN band had no problem introducing their style to the packed house and by the third song of their set the crowd was getting into them.  Not worrying about initial crowd reaction, the band seemed more focused in on rocking out as they tore through their set with songs including “Fuck This, I’m Out” and “Terrorist Attack”.

Gainesville, Florida’s Against Me! followed soon after delivering one of their best live sets I have seen to date.  These boys have come a long way in their career and really are not that punk rock band they used to be.  They have turned into rockstars, there is no doubt about that, and fully embrace their change in style to the fullest.

The fans went crazy as the band played quite a few selections off their newest release White Crosses as well as older material like “Pints Of Guinness Make You Strong”, “T.S.R.”  and one of my favorites, “Turn Those Clapping Hands Into Angry Balled Fists.”  Tom Gabel, James Bowman and Andrew Seward were beyond energetic and encouraged crowd participation throughout the set.

I was sad to see that Warren Oakes was not behind the drums anymore as he departed from the band back in 2009 in favor of becoming a restauranteur, but their current drummer for 2011, Jay Weinberg, was absolutely amazing.  Many of you may know his father – Max Weinberg, you know, the that guy who played drums for Conan O’Brien as well as some guy named Bruce Springsteen.  Like father, like son, young Weinberg was a treat to watch live with the rest of the band.

Ending their set with “Sink Florida, Sink”, all the Against Me! fans in the crowd sung with the band as loud as they could proving that rockstars or not, there were plenty of true fans gathered to see them play that night.

Gabel with his very similar James “Buffalo Bill” Gumb looking hairdo and crew were all smiles throughout their shorter-than-I-preferred-set.  I may be biased sounding here, but I am used to seeing this band headline shows so to see them fill in a middle slot with no encore was kind of a bummer.  I was not the only one who felt this way either as other Against Me! fans begged for just a couple more songs, but the band needed to make way for the headliners.  Headlining or not, this band gave it their all from the moment they took that stage until the last note was played.

Taking the stage in style, DKM emerged to the crowd in the dark while Thin Lizzy’s “Boys Are Back In Town” blasted over the PA.  The Irish punk rock heroes of the working class took their place on stage and immediately tore into “Hang Em High” with Jeff DaRosa starting things off on banjo as well as Scruffy Wallace doing his thing on the bagpipes.

To say that the crowd went wild would be an understatement.  They went insane and pretty much stayed that way for the band’s entire set.  It probably helped that lead singer Al Barr kept jumping down off the stage and into the crowd throughout the night to get some help from the fans as well as the rest of the band sounding amazing as ever.  Sadly James Lynch was not able to make the Cleveland show, but their guitar tech saved the night and filled in.

Focusing on newer material throughout the set, the band cranked through “Captain Kelly’s Kitchen” as well as “Deeds Not Words” but also played a few gems like “The Gang’s All Here” and even “Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya”.  “Barroom Hero” with Ken Casey taking the lead was without a doubt my favorite song played.  Casey also was the one in the band who spoke up about the union issues going on currently and dedicated “Worker’s Song” to all who are dealing it.

The female that joined DKM, whose name I did not catch, not only played fiddle throughout the night, but also did a hell of a job singing with Casey and Barr on “The Dirty Glass”.  In fact, for a quick moment I thought Stephanie Dougherty snuck up on stage.

“I’m Shipping Up To Boston” was without a doubt the crowd’s favorite song of the night.  The moment the first notes of that song started everyone knew exactly what was about to happen.  Barr screamed at the crowd with mic in hand atop a wooden box for a moment and soon thereafter jumped towards the crowd again for some more help.

The encore was more like an all out party.  Hordes of female fans were invited onto stage as DKM played the crowd ‘s anthem of the night “Kiss Me, I’m Shitfaced”.  Tons of girls all took advantage of the invite and continued to jump on stage until there was no more room left.

Of course the band had to invite all the boys to the stage soon after to help sing the final song of the night, “Boys On The Docks”.  I was seriously tempted to push my way up front and try my luck at jumping up there, but clearly there was not enough room for the what looked like 100 fans that were already up there.  Honestly I am not quite sure how the band was even able to play, but they did, and it was awesome to watch.

People off all ages (and I mean all ages – there was a seven-year-old front stage and center) were Irish for a night.  It was really cool to see all the different types of people who came out that night and enjoy themselves.  Some folk were holding up union shirts as a symbol of thanks to the DKM for their stand with all that is going on with the workers labor issues while others held up their pints high.  Everyone was signing loud and proud throughout the night all thanks to DKM and their 15-year career.

Off With Their Heads setlist:
1612 Havenhurst
Drive
Their Own Medicine
Trying To Breathe
I Am You
Terrorist Attack
The Eyes Of Death
Fuck This I’m Out
Cover Song (Fake Boys)
Keep Falling Down (I think…)
Die Today
Clear The Air

Against Me! Setlist (from what I gathered):
High Pressure Low
Pints Of Guinness Make You Strong
From Her Lips To God’s Ears
Cliche
Don’t Lose Touch
Rice and Bread
White Crosses
New Wave
I Was A Teenage Anarchist
You Look Like I Need A Drink
Turn Those Clapping Hands Into Angry  Balled Fists
White People For Peace
Bamboo Bones
T.S.R.
Walking Is Still Honest
Thrash Unreal
Sink Florida, Sink

DKM Setlist:
Hang ‘Em High
Captain Kelly’s Kitchen
Barroom Hero
The Gang’s All Here
Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ya
Never Alone
Deeds Not Words
The State Of Massachusetts
Memorial Day
Road Of The Righteous
Curse Of A Fallen Soul
Going Out In Style
Take ‘Em Down
Worker’s Song
Cruel
The Gauntlet
The Dirty Glass
Citizen C.I.A.
The Auld Triangle
Broken Hymns
The Irish Rover
I’m Shipping Up To Boston

Encore:
Kiss Me I’m Shitfaced
Skinhead On The Mbta
Boys On The Docks

Music, Music Video, New Release, Punk, Review, Rock

Album Review: Me First & The Gimmie Gimmies – Go Down Under

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There is a huge difference between a gimmick and a good idea.  For Me First & The Gimmie Gimmies (Me First), a punk rock super-band of sorts, their idea of covering classic songs with a punk rock twist is far from a gimmick.

Featuring members from acts such as Swingin’ Utters, NOFX, Foo Fighters, and Lagwagon, Me First originally was just a side project with the members only wanting record cover songs to offer them up on compilations.  Soon after they were releasing singles followed by full length albums through Fat Wreck Chords that covered all sorts of genres from rock to country and to even showtunes.  16-years later the band is still pushing out cover songs that sometimes (who am I kidding – everytime) sound better than the original.

This time around, Me First has graced everyone with five Australian band covers on the Me First Go Down Under EP.   It’s a quick listen, but at the same time absolutely brilliant.  The band also made sure to drop the EP when they were touring in Australia. 

So what is it about hearing a punk version of  “Never Tear Us Apart” by INXS that is so damn enjoyable?  Maybe because it is sped up, or perhaps because lead vocalist Spike just has a great singing voice.  I should admit that I may have liked that song growing up, but prefer the Me First version hands down – it sounds so much better.

Hearing Air Supply’s “All Out Of Love” made me wonder about the challenge this band endured while covering such a cheesy track.  As much as I despise this song I could not help but crack a smile while it played through and hold myself back from singing along.

“Friday On My Mind” by the Easybeats was entertaining but not as much as hearing the boys cover Olivia Newton-John’s “Have You Never Been Mellow”.  I used to hate that song but now have a new found love for it.  Thanks guys.  Ending the EP was a Rick Springfield cover of “I’ve Done Everything For You”.

It is very possible that Me First recorded this album in a weekend for kicks and giggles on their end as well as for their fans.  I am sure it was still a difficult task to learn the songs with a straight face as well as find some free time to get together.  After all, these guys have full time gigs in the music world.

Being that Me First is just a side project, the band members are all some pretty busy people with their actual bands.  It’s nice to see them keep up this fun little cover band, one that I have been a fan of since high school.  I hope for their sake and mine it continues for years to come. 

I still have yet to see this band live as somehow I missed them when they played the Warped Tour years ago in Cleveland.  I blame beer for that one because I know I was at that show.  Still, I am sure they will be back soon and maybe if I win the lottery anytime soon I can head to Vegas and see them play at the Punk Rock Bowling show on 05/29/2011.  That would be awesome.

I may have mentioned before that Me First is not a gimmick but also they are not to be taken seriously.  They are a group of great guys out there just having some fun reinventing classics into something much more tolerable to most folks’ ears.  Check out their latested EP, I guarantee you will enjoy it.  At just $8 for a 7″ or CD it is well worth the price for something fun to listen to.

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

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

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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…

Cleveland, Documentary, Film, Good Times, Metal, Music, Punk, Review, Rock, The Awesome

Lemmy: The Movie

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Last night was a blast.  In case some of you missed it, there was a screening of the new Lemmy documentary called LEMMY: 49% Motherf**ker, 51% Son of a Bitch at the Beachland Ballroom in good ol’ Cleveland, OH.  It was a great film and I invite anyone who is a Motorhead fan to check it out when it comes out on DVD in a couple of weeks.

I would like to consider myself the soul reason the movie appeared last night at the Beachland.  It was not because I organized the event or got in touch with director Wes Orchoski and asked him to come out and do a Q & A – That was Matt @ Addicted To Vinyl.

The reason was because I provided the Blu-Ray player.  Yes friends, if it were not for me last night, none of this would ever have happened…

Ok, it was not my Blu-Ray player.  Still, I was the one who brought it in and hit “play” when the lights went out.  I had a job to do last night and I did it well…

It really did not go that smoothly though…

I arrived a little early to the Beachland Ballroom after a couple failed attempts at doing some vinyl shopping on Warterloo.  I forgot it was Sunday and the shops tend to close earlier.  It worked out to my advantage though as the sound and video folk at the Beachland were waiting for my arrival.

We hooked up the Blu-Ray player as the tribute band set up and then just hung out in the soon to be filled ballroom.  During the downtime I hung out with Wes who is a really kick-ass guy.  He talked about his statewide tour showcasing his project that took him four years to create as well as some of the musicians he interviewed.  Needless to say, I was jealous.

By 8 o’clock the place was packed.  It was funny because I snuck downstairs for a bit to chill out  abot 20 minutes earlier and when I came back upstairs almost all the seats were filled.  It was a full house.  All the chairs were filled and people were standing, all waiting for the film to start.

I was asked to join WJCU/Auburn Records Owner Bill Peters and Chris Akin on stage to introduce Wes to the stage for a shot opening speech by Wes and then was given the cue to start the movie.

So what do I do?  I screw up.

I forgot to take out the screensaver disc and enter the blu-ray into the player.  As I stood there confused the crowd was wondering what the hell the kid in the Social Distortion jacket was doing on the side of the state.

It was me vs. the crowd and I did what I do best – ignored them…for a moment at least.

I stood there looking at the screen wondering why the damn movie was not playing and then it hit me…  I quickly realized what I forgot to do, exchanged discs, and threw up a fist-pump for the crowd (many who cheered).

I am an idiot.

The movie started and all I can tell you is this:  It was a funny, truthful, honest, and real documentary on the hardest working musician on the planet.  I loved all the interviews Wes was able to capture including some great stories from Scott Ian (Anthrax), Dave Grohl (Nirvana/Foo Fighters/Pro-Bot), and Henry Rollins (duh).

There was plenty of music throughout and also some history of Lemmy that many probably are not aware of.

Lemmy himself was a blast to listed to talk, when I could understand him – thankfully there were plenty of subtitles throughout.

It was one of the better documentaries I have seen in my time and enjoyed every moment.  Wes asked me to go back up stage with him and kill the movie once the credits ended so I made my way up there and turned the Blu-Ray player off.  Lots of the crowd wanted more and thankfully Bill Peters introduced Wes one more time for a Q&A.  This gave me enough time to get everything packed out and I snuck off the side of the stage.

Everyone who joined in on the Q&A had some good questions for Wes.  Well that is not entirely true as one lady asked why Lemmy didn’t come…  Anyways, it was a blast to see the crowd interact with Wes.

The tribute band immediately followed and rocked out.  All who stayed enjoyed their performance.  I stayed for a few songs and made my way to the exit.

I had a blast helping out with the event and make some really awesome new friends.  I was 1/16th rockstar that night as I got to stand on stage and miserably fail at starting a simple movie.

The crowd rocked, the documentary was entertaining, and now of course now I want to go out and buy all the Motorhead and Hawkwind vinyl I can get my hands on.

Thanks to Addicted To Vinyl’s Matt for putting on the event, thanks to all who showed up, and special thanks to Bill Peters and Chris Akin for helping out as well.

Interested in checking out the Lemmy movie?  CLICK HERE.

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

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

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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”