Category Archives: The Awesome

90's, Cleveland, Live Shows, Music, Music News, Music Video, Punk, Rock, The Awesome

Face To Face & Strung Out To Play Cleveland!!!

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Excitement is just one of the thousands of words that describe the way I am feeling right now. 

I just learned that Face To Face AND Strung Out are playing a show at Peabody’s in Cleveland on May 10th.

In support of their upcoming release titled Laugh Now…Laugh Later, 90’s punk rockers Face To Face will embark on a multi-city tour with special guests Strung Out who are currently working on their upcoming retrospective album.

This may not be a big deal to you, but it is for me seeing how these are two of my favorite bands of all time.  I am going to be there especially seeing how it is going to be a small club show. 

I caught Face To Face last year at the Warped Tour and remember telling myself how much I wished they would just play a regular show in Cleveland.  Not enough kids there appreciated them like my friends and I did.  I remember how pissed I was when I turned around and saw all the little guppie punk kids sitting on the ground while they played their set…  Well, I guess Face To Face can read minds. 

I have not seen Strung Out in years and missed seeing them play the Agora the night it shut down.  Years ago I got to see them back to back in Cleveland and Cincinnati thanks to an ex who had ins with a guitar tech.  Those were the days.

Who:  Face To Face w/ Strung Out & The Darlings
When:  05/10/11 – Cleveland, OH
Where:  Peabodys Down Under
How Much:  $19.00 Buy Tickets Here

Tour Dates for Strung Out w/ Face To Face (taken from Fatwreck.com):
04/27/11 Vancouver, BC Canada Commodore Ballroom Face to Face, The Darlings
04/28/11 Kelowna, BC Canada Rutland Centennial Hall w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
04/29/11 Edmonton, AL Canada The Starlight Ballroom w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
04/30/11 Calgary, AL Canada Macewan Hall Ballroom w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/01/11 Saskatoon, SK Canada Louis Pub w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/02/11 Winnipeg, MB Canada West End Cultural Center w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/04/11 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/05/11 Chicago, IL The Bottom Lounge w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/06/11 Milwaukee, WI The Rave w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/07/11 Covington , KY Madison Theatre w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/08/11 Detroit, MI Majestic Theatre w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/10/11 Cleveland, OH Peabodys Down Under w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/11/11 Buffalo, NY The Town Ballroom w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/12/11 Toronto, ON Canada Phoenix Concert Theatre w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/13/11 Montreal, ON Canada Olympia Theatre w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/14/11 Boston , MA The Paradise w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/15/11 Portland, ME Part City Music Hall w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/17/11 Providence , RI Lupos Heartbreak Hotel w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/18/11 New York City, NY Best Buy Theatre w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/19/11 New Haven, CT Toad’s Place w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/20/11 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/22/11 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/23/11 Washington , DC Black Cat w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/24/11 Norfolk, VA The Norva w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
05/25/11 Ashville, NC The Orange Peel w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
05/26/11 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
05/27/11 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
05/28/11 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
05/29/11 St. Petersburg, FL State Theatre w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
06/01/11 New Orleans, LA House of Blues w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
06/02/11 Houston, TX Warehouse Live w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
06/04/11 San Antonio, TX White Rabbit w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
06/05/11 Dallas, TX Granada Theatre w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid

Contest, The Awesome

Win 20 Printed T-Shirts w/ Your Logo On Them!

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This goes out to all you up and coming bands out there (or blogs, or art students, or brew-masters, or…you get the idea)… 

My pals over at Flagrant-T have a sweet contest going on.  The winner will receive 20 American Apparel t-shirts with their logo screen-printed on them.  At this time it is just for a white logo on a black shirt, but who cares!!! 

I just had a little something-something made by them earlier this week that I plan on sharing with you all soon.  All I have to say is that FT does a great job printing shirts.  Pimping out this contest is the least I can do to help support them.

This is a perfect way to get your band’s/website’s/whatever’s name out there.

The contest ends on March 26th so what are you waiting for???  Make sure you read the rules below for info on not only how to enter, but also what size the logo needs to be.

Contest info taken from the Flagrant-T website:

Here it is…FLAGRANT-T’s first Free Screen Printing Contest!!!

Win a Free UPGRADED Merch Starter Kit which includes:

20 Black American Apparel T-Shirts screen printed with your logo or design using White Water-based Discharge Ink (super soft just like Affliction, Ed Hardy, and the rest of the fashion brands)

I’ve been blasting the new Social D album, and thinking, how many great rock and roll logos and shirts are just an awesome design simply printed in white on a black shirt…Social D, The Ramones, DRI and tons others.  You can see them from a mile away and you instantly recognize them without even needing to read a word.

Let’s see what you got!!!  This contest is open to anyone…band’s, bar owners, t-shirt designers, art students, entrepreneurs…anyone with a rocking design that would look awesome on a classic black T.

All you have to do is:

  1. “Like” Flagrant-T’s facebook page
  2. Send your logo or design to contest@flagrant-t.com by March 25th
  3. On March 26th, all the entries will be posted on Facebook on a contest page/photo album…get the most “Likes” in the next two weeks, and you win!

As far as art requirements:

  1. Send a jpeg or tiff, a photoshop file, or for vectors a .eps or .cdr file
  2. White logo on black shirt (full color contest coming later!), print size up to 12″ wide x 17″ tall
  3. You must own the rights to your design…for example, if you are submitting a skeleton drinking a Martini, your name better be Mike Ness.

That’s it!  Let’s see those designs…and stay tuned throughout the year for more contest…including full color printing, foil printing, and many more!

The value of this contest is upwards to $200, so if you do not try you are a fool. Do it today!

Cleveland, Folk, Mid-Week Pick Me Up, Music, Music Video, Punk, The Awesome

Mid-Week Pick Me Up: Larry And His Flask

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Larry And His Flask just hit my ears this evening in a good way.  I had heard about them before but never had the chance to check them out.  What the hell took me so long?  This band is amazing.  So who are they?  Hailing from Bend. OR, this band is a six-piece stand up act that infuses punk and folk perfectly into some pretty catchy sounds.

Seriously, if you have not heard of this band – and I know I say this a lot – but, you are missing out.

Here, check this out:

More?  Ok…

Looks like the next time these guys are hitting up Cleveland is when the Warped Tour makes a stop at Blossom Music Center in July.  I know I retired from the Warped, but I really really want to see these guys live…

Austin, Good Times, Live Shows, Music, Personal Entry, SXSW, The Awesome

T-Minus 18 Days…

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I am sure I have bragged about this before but…  I’m going to be checking out SXSW finally, well sort of.  I am going to be missing a few days of it thanks to school but will be able to catch the latter end as I will be arriving in Austin on March 18th around noon.

Why am I telling you all this?  Well why wouldn’t I?  I’m stoked to actually check some of this amazing span of days in one of my favorite cities.

Plus I am hoping people from Austin will read this and give me a ride from the airport to the city as I have things to do!!!  Just kidding, I made arrangements already.

Shirts For A Cure will be putting on a free show at Red 7 that will start right around the time my plane lands.  I am hoping I can make it there in time to see Paint It Black, Fake Problems, BANE, Title Fight, Riverboat Gamblers, Dave Hause, and The Flatliners. I am not holding my breath though as I am sure a ton of kids will get there before I do.

Later that night I need to poke around the city and find The Scoot Inn as Screeching Weasel, Banner Pilot, Dead To Me, and The Flatliners (2 shows in one night!) will be playing a later set.  I am pretty certain that this show is going to not be free and I will do my best to find a way in as I did not obtain a SXSW bracelet since I am only going to be there technically for two days.

Saturday afternoon it looks like Alternative Press is having a free afternoon of music as well but I am not too sure I am going to dig any of the bands so we shall see.  If anything I will spend that day eating good food and seeing good people.

I plan on making it over to Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon (see Ginny on the right) and see Dale Watson and crew play a show on Sunday the 20th.  That right there would make my weekend.  Plus I hear the chicken-shit bingo is a ton of fun too.  Mike B., I’ll be looking for you man!!!

Other than those couple events I have nothing really planned for my 5 days in the coolest city in Texas other than hanging with one of the coolest ladies on Earth.  I hope to mingle with some other friends too that I have who live in the area as well as meet up with some of the PR folks who help keep this site awesome including JT and Vanessa.

I am sure I will spend a dollar or two at Waterloo Records and I am hoping to see the cool parts of town and maybe see about getting a permanent souvenir again at Triple Crown Tattoos (not counting on that as Austin is going to be insane, but still…).

I am done bragging…for now.

 

00's, DIY, Indie, Music, Punk, Rock, The Awesome

DIY Punk Rockers Explosivo! Given A Second Chance…

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Once upon a time there was a melodic punk/indie/rock band called Explosivo!.

Hailing from the quiet town of Long Island, N.Y., the band featured a group of guys who you can now find in acts like Iron Chic, Wax Phantom and Small Arms Dealer.  They were good, they were damn good.   

Dead Broke Rekerds described them as a mix of  “Piebald & Pantera hanging out at Guns ‘N Wankers house.”  Sadly they broke up in 2001 so finding anything by them has been quite the challenge.

Lucky for us Dead Broke Rekerds & Limited Pressing were nice enough to re-release a hidden gem of a DIY album.  Released digitally on  BandCamp (see below) as well as vinyl, it is almost like Explosivo! has been given a second chance to be heard by anyone who might have missed them long ago.

If you are a vinyl fanatic like I am hurry up and grab onebefore they sellout.  Act even faster and you might score yourself a glow-in-the-dark version that is limited to 50.  At $10 you can bet your grits I already grabbed one!  Plus the rest of the Dead Broke Rekerds store is full of awesome swag and shipping is only $4!

Want to hear some Explosivo! now?  Enjoy: