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Best Of 2011 According To BHP

27 December, 2011 Brian Mc Leave a comment

Well it would appear that 2011 is coming to an end. With that said, it’s time for a “Best Of…” Broken Headphones 2011 edition.

There were a ton of amazing releases throughout the year as well as live shows that I was able to attend. Below is just a various list of bands that caught my attention, be it a recording or live show, over the past 12 months.

I should add that some of my favorite releases were from local Akron/Cleveland acts. I am not just dropping their names because we are pals or anything, they all worked hard and put out some excellent releases. If you have not heard of any of them, you really should check them out.

I may have missed a band here or there, but the following were the ones that stood out over the rest.

Albums of the Year:

Seahaven – Winter Forever

*Hands down this is one of my favorite albums to drop this year. They just have this indie punk rock sound that is ever so likable – trust me on this. The first time I listened to it, I was hooked. I see big things happening with this band in the near future.

Nothington – Borrowed Time

*This is another album I favored over the rest this year. Catchy lyrics layered over wholesome punk rock is what this album is all about. To make matters even better, they kick ass live. They are coming back to Cleveland next month and I can not wait to see them again. Listening to this band brings me band to the punk rock 90s I grew up on.

All Dinosaurs – Paranoid Indigenous

*So maybe the music was released in 2010, but the LP dropped this past Spring so I consider it a 2011 release. This Cleveland act is beyond fun to listen to plus they put on one of the best live shows ever. They are funny, quote 80s movies and are in it for the fun. It helps they are also all super cool dudes. If you are a Cleveland native, you should already know how amazing this band is.

Dave Hause – Resolutions

*I was a little late checking this album out as it was released in early 2011, but am glad I did not pass it up. Hause (The Loved Ones) is an amazing musician and proves it in this killer solo release. With help from his friends, he put together one hell of a release. Do me a favor, if you like music, listen to this.

Living With Lions – Holy Shit

*Words can not really describe how impressed I was when I heard these guys. All I know is I will have this album playing regularly for a long long time.

Deer Tick – Divine Providence

*The boys in Deer Tick changed it up a bit and put forth a bitching rock album that I really dug.

Dawes – Nothing Is Wrong

*Oh Dawes…you’ve done it again. What a solid release. You guys are on your way to being huge. Keep it up.

Those Darlins – Screws Get Loose

*The girls and Lynwood dropped a impressive follow-up to their debut this year and I adore it. Still kicking around the country-punk attitude, the foursome toyed with a more indie / garage rock sound and did a fine job doing so.

Old Man Markley – Guts n’ Teeth

*This self-proclaimed “New Grass” band was one of the more fun releases I had have the pleasure of checking out this year. I can not wait to see what happens next with these guys and gals.

Banner Pilot – Heart Beats Pacific

*Impressive release by a great punk rock band. They need to play Cleveland soon.

White Wives – Happeners

*This was the surprise release of the year for me. Featuring members of Anti-Flag, this album is far from a pop-punk rock album. On the lines of indie rock, White Wives needs to be heard.

A.A. Bondy – Believers

*This guy really outdid himself. You really have to check it out for yourself to realize why I appreciate it so much. It’s a really beautiful release to listen to.

Bon Iver – Bon Iver

*Not normally something I would listen to, but holy shit – it rules.

The Black Keys – El Camino

*Yeah yeah yeah… The former Akron, OH boys once again put out a release I admit I love. I do not love the fact that the next time they hit Cleveland, they will be playing an arena. It is safe to say they made it big time. Let’s hope they don’t screw it up.

Signals Midwest – Latitudes & Longitudes

*And yet another local act. These guys are a big deal though…to me at least. The dropped a really good record. For serious.

EPs of the year:

Luther – Siblings & Sevens

*Folk / Punk / Rock awesomeness. I was caught off guard by this band. They rule. Sadly they had to cancel their Cleveland show after the band was involved in an accident in Chicago. Luckily no one was seriously injured. I can not wait for their full-length to drop.

Harvey Pekar – Thirty Ghosts

*Dear Harvey Pekar (the band), thank you for existing.

Worship This! – Demo

*I normally do not mention bands that I am really good friends with the members, but I adore this band. That’s all I have to say about that.

Two Hand Fools – Believeland

*These guys better get signed in 2012 or else I am going to fight someone. Another Cleveland act with plenty of talent.

Cherry Cola Champions – EP

*I remember the first time I saw these guys live. I was not into them during their first song, and once their second song started, I was blown away. Looking forward to seeing what this duo has up their sleeves next year.

The Awesome:

-Going to SXSW and seeing bands such as The Dead Milkmen, Flatliners, Dead To Me, Eyehategod, and tons others at various venues in Austin, TX earlier this Spring. It was one hell of an experience to see so many bands cramped into such an amazing city. Sadly when you have that many bands, you tend to miss out on some great sets by amazing bands. Regardless, it was just awesome. Plus…I saw Dale Watson play at Ginny’s. That right there made my trip.

-Hanging out with Ninja Gun for a few days. These guys are some of the best dudes I know. They wanted to play shows on the East coast and I was able to lure them to Kent to play a show in September. We all enjoyed hanging out so much that they kicked it for a couple more days where I took them up to Melt for some cheesy deliciousness.

-Getting Dave Hause to play a house show in Akron. After seeing that Dave Hause was not playing a show in the Cleveland area just 2 weeks ago, I threw him the idea of a house show and he and tour mate Cory Branan were totally down with the idea. The result was a show to remember with Hause and Branan trading off songs all night long.

-Hanging out with friends, new and old, at the Inner Sanctum Pier show on the E. 9th pier. More people could have showed up, but regardless, I had a killer time that sunny day and got to watch Pat The Producer turn into a human tomato.

-Hanging out with Rise Against and doing some charity work them at the Malachi House in Cleveland. The guys were super cool to hang with and really did not have that “rock star” attitude built from success. Props to 92.3 for making that happen.

-Making the trip back to Austin, TX early November and attending Fun Fun Fun Fest. I got to see some of my favorite bands all in one weekend including Murder City Devils, Hot Snakes, Hum, Slayer, Eyehategod, The Damned, Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears, and Russian Circles. This was one of my favorite festivals of all time. It was a festival I had wanted to attend for a a few years now and I decided to go for it. I am so glad I did.

-It’s A Kling Thing House & Girley House. Both houses put on some amazing shows in 2011 with local acts as well as touring bands. Seeing Jeff Rowe over the summer as well as Mixtapes just a month or so ago in a basement is as good as live shows get for this guy.

-Daytrotter’s Barnstormer Tour. What a great evening of music that was. The show was in a freaking barn. Yes, I do not remember much as the beers were going down like water, but I know I had a blast with some pretty special people.

The Suck:

-Ben Weasel’s SXSW blowout. Sadly I was on the other side of town watching Cleveland’s very own Ringworm in a ghetto ass bar. Don’t ask me why I skipped out on seeing Screeching Weasel live, I was under the influence of many ice cold Lone Star beers. Honestly, I am kind of glad I missed Weasel acting like a little girl on stage.

-Danzig’s Fun Fun Fun hissy fit. One of the main reasons I wanted to go to Fun Fun Fun Fest was because the Danzig Legacy was playing it. I was stoked to finally see Danzig sing some Misfits songs with Doyle on stage. Instead I witnessed a diva take the stage late and get their set cut as they played past curfew. I only heard two Misfits songs and left with a bad taste in my mouth. People can think what they want about Danzig and that night. I was in the crowd watching heater being pulled on stage as well as the side of the stage tarped up so that little Glen would not get cold. It was over an hour until the stage met his needs and the dude was fully aware of the curfew. I will say that the two Mistfits songs had me feeling like a kid all over again. Shame I could not witness the entire set that he had planned. Lucky for me Ted Leo did a TV Casualty set the next day and made up for the Danzig drama.

-Seeing NOFX over Those Darlins. I regret that decision a lot. Two of my favorite bands played the same night and I had to choose one over the other. The good news was that I got to see and meet Old Man Markley. Sorry Darlins, I will not miss you next time you all hit up Cleveland. Please forgive me.

-Atari Teenage Riot’s Cleveland show getting cancelled. I was stoked to see these guys and was prepared to lose my hearing that night. Hours before the show, their promoter cancelled the show. Needless to say, I was pissed.

-92.3 and 107.3 changing formats. Cleveland is a lost cause with radio now that both those stations were yanked.

Wrapping it up…

2011 ended with a bang for this music lover. Thanks to all my friends from all over who made this year extra special for me. You all know who you are. From letting me crashing on couches to allowing bands to play in their basements you helped make this year what it was. Also to everyone who attended shows with me and shared the same passion I have for music, thanks.

Happy holidays everyone and thanks for taking a part out of your day to visit this site.

Ok 2012, let’s see what you have in store.

Austin, Cleveland, Interview, Music, Punk, Reggae, Rock, Ska, SXSW

Interview: Chicken of Dead To Me

11 December, 2011 Brian Mc 1 Comment

San Francisco punk rockers Dead To Me recently dropped a new album titled Moscow Penny Ante on Fat Wreck Chords. The band, having been around since 2003, has had their fair share of changes with musicians coming and going, but never really lost their sound. Their ability to mix up a bunch of genres like reggae and ska into their punk rock groove always stood out to me. Having caught them twice this year, you could say I dig them a little.

Having toured the US in 2011, the band will be heading to Europe for a tour in 2012. I seriously do not think these guys, between touring and recording, ever take a break.

Recently I had the opportunity to chat with bassist / vocalist Chicken. He was more than kind in doing an interview with me. Check it out:

BHP: So, how’d 2011 treat you guys?

Chicken: This year has been great for us! We have toured pretty much non stop and we recorded a new album and released it. So needless to say we have been very, very busy. It’s a good thing.

I’ve been lucky enough to see DTM twice this year, once in SXSW. Any comments about that magical evening in March?

That night was crazy. I learned how to play guitar listening to Screeching Weasel, so I was pretty bummed out about what happened. I just wish the whole thing never happened. It was a bummer too because the other bands that played (Dead To Me, Banner Pilot, The Flatliners) all worked really hard to get to Austin for SXSW and we all played great sets. Unfortunately, no one remembers because of the whole Ben Weasel fiasco.

DTM played CMJ in NYC recently. How did it go for you guys?

CMJ in New York was so much fun. Fat Wreck did a great job of putting together an amazing evening of awesome bands. We had a blast! We played two shows in one day in NYC, and that is super hard to do. Just getting around NYC with all our gear is a nightmare, but we pulled it off. We played a free show in SoHo at the Chrome Bag store with kegs of beer and lots of drunk New York hipsters. Good times.

Your band’s style mixes up a plethora of punk rock goodness that spans from almost a street punk to a reggae-vibe. Was this style how DTM always was since its inception or has the band experimented throughout the years?

We have always just wanted to write songs that we want to hear. If it has a little Reggae vibe to it, then so be it. We love bands from all different genres like Hip Hop, Reggae, Hardcore, World Music, etc… so we just want to be able incorporate all of our influences into the songwriting process.

Fat Wreck Chords has been there for you since your debut. How does it feel to be on their roster? You actually worked for them for a few years correct? Being employed by Fat Mike on two different levels…nice.

Yeah, it is awesome being on FAT. I used to work in the mail room there and it was so much fun. It was like a family vibe for sure. We did tons of stuff together, not just work. We would play in bands together, go to shows together, go out to eat all the time and all that. Now being in a band on the label, I consider it an honor. When I call the label and have questions about this or that, I am talking to people that have known me personally for over ten years now, so I trust them completely. It’s a great feeling for sure.

DTM’s new album Moscow Penny Ante dropped a couple months back. It is a great release by the way. What can you tell me about this new release?

We are all really excited about our new record, Moscow Penny Ante. I love the job Matt Allison did producing it and am so excited to be playing new songs live, it rules. We have been touring so much over the last two years that this batch of songs is a very good reflection of the live spirit of DTM. It is much more cohesive than African Elephants and has a little more straight forward delivery I think.

Does the title have any reference to your country of origin?

No, I grew up in California. The title is taken from a term Malcolm X used to define his crew of small time thugs in Harlem, NY. I feel like a small timer in a sea of boys in bands that want to be big time and I could care less. I am happy with everything we have been able to do and I’m riding this thing until the wheels fall off. I never though in a million years that because of songs I wrote in my bedroom, it would take me to places as far away as Moscow.

What was done differently on this album that stands out over previous releases?

I feel like there as an overall confidence in song writing on this new record that wasn’t as apparent on previous releases. We got experimental on African Elephants and I love that record for that, but on Moscow Penny Ante I felt way more confident with what my melodies would end up sounding like and how I wanted the guitars to sound.

Will the band be taking a break anytime soon. Seems like you boys have been touring all over the world this year?

What is a break? I’ve never heard of that before.

Aside from DTM, your drummer Ian does some amazing artwork on used vinyl. I am kicking myself in the ass for not buying one when you played in Cleveland. How long typically does it take him to turn a beat up vinyl into a work of art?

I am sure he will be bringing some with him on our European tour in Jan/Feb 2012 so come to a show and try to grab one before they sell out. His pieces can take anywhere from an hour to twenty minutes to three hours sometimes. It depends on what materials he has laying around and how much time he has available to work on something.

Would you agree that punk is not dead?

It never has been and never will be!!

Did you ever think that you would be where you are now 20 years ago?

I definitely used to dream about playing in a touring punk band all the time 20 years ago. I knew with all my heart that it was what I wanted to do. I feel so insanely fortunate that I am able to do it now. I have literally traveled much of the globe and met amazing people world wide. I feel very lucky to be on FAT and lucky to have been able to play with some of my all time favorite bands over the years. It’s like living in a dream, it rules.

Awesome. Well that’s all I got…anything you care to add?

Thank you for the interview, we appreciate it! To anyone reading this, come hang out when we come t Europe in early 2012, it’s gonna be a blast!

Acoustic, Music, New Release, Pop, Punk, Review, Rock, Vinyl

7″ Vinyl Review: Roll The Tanks – Goodnight Jimmy Lee

16 November, 2011 Brian Mc Leave a comment

If it looks like cake and smells like cake, it must be cake right? Not in this case. This cake-looking and smelling thing I speak of is the birthday cake scratch n’ sniff 7″ titled Goodnight Jimmy Lee by LA rock act Roll The Tanks. The two song 7″ was released on Sabot Productions in early October.

The threesome, who have toured already with Against Me!, have have sparked the interest in many and not just because they recruited Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ Joe Sirois to play drums. They have rubbed elbows with the right people and played their asses off making sure the world noticed them. Their determination and hard work has paid off as the band will be dropping a full length debut titled Broke Til Midnight.

Title track “Goodnight Jimmy Lee” is a catchy-sounding yet brutally honest tribute written about the late Jimmie Lee a.k.a. Jay Reatard. “Now he’s gone and I’m no Jimmy Lee” bounces over catchy guitar playing that screams 90s alternative rock. As fun as the song is, the deeper meaning pays homage to an artist who left this world far too early in his career. The b-side, “Pistolero”, is a cross between that twangy country rock all the kids seem to be getting into these days with indie rock of the 90s. The acoustic-driven song almost carries a nice Fake Problems feel, but far more upbeat.

I am looking forward to hear what Roll The Tanks can dish out on their debut. Until then I have the feeling I will be listening to these songs on a regular basis as well as scratching and sniffing the cover smelling the goodness that is birthday cake. Did I mention that the cover smells like cake? Yes, I may be a little excited about this.

Cleveland, Good Times, Live Shows, Music, Photography, Punk, Review, Rock, The Awesome

Concert Review: NOFX / Anti-Flag / Old Man Markley – House Of Blues – Cleveland, OH – 10/12/2011

15 October, 2011 Brian Mc Leave a comment

There is nothing punk rock about the House of Blues at all. Sure they sell PBRs in those big cans, but it is not the typical place for punk rock bands to take over on any given evening. That’s not to say punk bands have never played there before, I am just saying when I think of a punk rock show playing a club, it is not HoB. Hell, there’s even a bathroom attendant who will hand you a paper towel after you just pissed away said PBR. I will say that the HoB is a clean, organized venue, a venue that hosts some kick ass shows at that.

Wednesday evening was the perfect example of this as the the place was filled to the rim of punk rockers of all types thanks to the popular independent godfathers of punk rock NOFX bringing their Eastcoaster Tour to town with special guests Anti-Flag, Old Man Markley and The Bombpops.

Thanks to an accident on Euclid Ave., it took me a moment to get parked and into the nearly sold-out HoB show. Apparently someone felt they were ok to cut off one of those giant RTA futuristic train-looking busses. Needless to say, there were lots of flashing lights and Cleveland’s finest Fire, Police, and EMT cleaning up the mess. Because of this, I missed the opening act The Bombpops. From what I heard, their female driven pop punk rock was actually pretty enjoyable not to mention the two ladies in the band are beyond cute. I will be checking them out soon.

Punk / bluegrass act Old Man Markley took to the stage just before 9 p.m. and showed Cleveland just exactly what they were all about. Having never been to Cleveland before, the band gave it their all while performing tracks from their Fat Wreck Chords debut Guts n’ Teeth. With seven members on stage playing their version of “Newgrass”, they proved Cleveland that they were not copying the likes of Flogging Molly or Gogol Bordello.

John Carey and Annie DeTemple took turns signing a whole slew of songs including “Do Me Like You Do”, ” Guts n’ Teeth” and the ever catchy “For Better For Worse”. The crowd clearly was loving what that heard and for the first time ever I witnessed a square-dancing circle pit . Ryan “Old Man” Markley played the absolute shit out of his washboard and Katie Weed (swoon) just about sawed her fiddle in half. Then there was Joey Garibaldi and his homemade washtub upright bass – impressive. The band decided to close their set with their unique rendition of Screeching Weasel’s “Science Of Myth”.

To say I was entertained by the band was an understatement. I have been wanting to see OMM live since I first heard about them a year ago and can not wait to see them again next month when they play an after show at Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin. This band performing live was right up my alley. I see good things happening with them in the years to come.

Up next was Pittsburgh’s pop political punk rockers Anti-Flag (and clean cut too) who welcomed to the stage by cheers and boos. Apparently some Browns fans just can not shake the fact that if a band hails from the rival team’s city that they suck too. I might as well admit that I am not the biggest Anti-Flag fan, or shall I say I have not been the biggest of fans for a while now, but these guys killed it on stage. Their stage performance was well-done and they had the crowd obeying every command. Playing what seemed a ton of songs with a few from 2006’s For Blood And Empire including “The Press Corpse”, “This Is The End” and “1 Trillion Dollar$”, the band rocked out throughout their entire set and played like the rock stars they have become.

At times it appeared that Justin Sane and Chris Barker were trying to outdo one another with stage kicks and jumps (Barker actually jumped from atop the bass drum at one time), but it was all in good fun for the foursome. Barker made the comment that the Cleveland stop was the “second best” show that he had played on the current tour and left it up to Cleveland to make it the absolute best by starting a giant circle pit. I think Cleveland earned the title of best show after they were just running in circles.

It was no surprise to me that the band started preaching politics and many of the young ears listened. Speaking of the whole Occupy Wall Street amongst other current political affairs, the bad knew what they were preaching and hopefully inspired one or two folk in the crowd to learn a little more about what goes on in this crazy country we live in. I was more interested in the rock and not the talk so once they started playing again I started paying attention again and good thing I did as they performed a cover of “Should I Stay Or Should I Go?” and nailed it.

During the last song of their set there was some commotion on stage and suddenly Pat Thetic jumped in the crowd and was handed some of his drum set by Sane and Barker. In a moment’s time, with help from the fans in the pit, Thetic assembled his set and started playing his drums with fans holding on to it preventing it from moving while the rest of the band played on. I’m pretty sure they played “Power To The Peaceful” as the closer, but to be honest I was too busy jumping up on the barrier between the stage and crowd so I could take some pictures. It was a pretty awesome site to witness.

Finally the band that everyone was waiting for all night was to take the stage. The curtains rose and there was El Hefe standing there by himself admitting he had no idea where anyone else in the band was. Smelly soon jumped behind his set and did not have a clue either where Fat Mike or Eric Melvin were. 11 minutes later the missing half stumbled onto the stage. Fat Mike, sporting two drinks in hand, took a few moments to sip out of each cup and made faces that clearly proved whatever he was drinking could fuel a car.

Within the first two songs, the band signaled out a the-die wearing hippie dude in the crowd and started maxing fun of him. The hippie dude took this opportunity to crowd surf to the front and Fat Mike yelled “dude, you don’t even shave your legs?”

I loved that they played one of my all time favs, “Linoleum”, as well as “Franko Unamerican” and even “Seeing Double At The Triple Rock”. I also enjoyed hearing “Arming The Proletariat With Potato Guns” as well as watching the people dance around me during El Hefe’s horn playing. Honestly that may have been more entertaining. NOFX also played Rancid’s “Radio Radio”, a version I almost prefer more to the original.

During “Lori Myers”, the two girls from Bombpops came out to fill in for female vocal duty after El Hefe called their band “Kids-bop” and sang the part pretty much perfectly followed by a well deserved stage dive into the crowd. As much I wanted NOFX to play “The Decline”, they did not as they played it at the HoB in 2006 (the only time I missed them), but they did play “Murder The Government”, “Don’t Call Me White” and “Dinosaurs Will Die”, a couple other favorites of mine.

15 years ago I got to see NOFX play a Warped Tour in a gravel parking lot and then later that year with the Bouncing Souls and Hi-Standard at the Agora. In those 15 years, they have put out 6 albums and toured the world god knows how many times. A lot of songs played that night spanned throughout their almost 30 year career but they played pretty much the same songs that they have the last two times I have caught them live. I would have loved to have heard more songs off White Trash, 2 Heebs, and a Bean as well as Punk In Drublic, but I guess there is always next time. El Hefe seemed to be the sober man of reason that night while Melvin was in his own little work of happiness and Fat Mike, who admitted he was not on pills to the crowd that night, was half way to black-out land.

For a band that never signed to a major label or ever has their songs played on commercial radio, they filled up the HoB with no problem. It was a good night of music from all the bands on a Wednesday night. People young and old were all over the place having a good time and sang along at every opportunity. Based on the condition of the crowd by the end of the show, I am guessing many called off work the next morning or went in with a severe hangover. That’s punk rock right? Regardless it it was or not, it was tons of fun thanks to all of the bands played to Cleveland.

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

Concert Review: Strike Anywhere / Dead To Me / Menzingers / Holy Mess / Signals Midwest – Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH – 10/09/2011

10 October, 2011 Brian Mc Leave a comment

Last night was more or less on the the best punk rock lineups I have seen all year and I am not just saying that. Originally there were supposed to be two Sunday night shows in Cleveland featuring all of the bands listed on the flier on the right, but some way, some how, the bands decided to jump together on one super bill making for an incredible evening of music.

It was almost as if someone who wanted to go to both shows at the same time made a wish and it came true. As corny as that may sound, I am not the only one who thought that last night.

Originally there was to be a show at Now That’s Class featuring the Menzingers and Holy Mess as well as a show at the Grog Shop with Strike Anywhere and Dead To Me. As a fan of all four bands, this was a super hard decision to make and I was planning on leaning toward the NTC show but as previously mentioned, for whatever reason (I am actually curious to find out), the bands all decided to share the same bill at the Grog Shop providing for one of the best punk rock shows money could buy.

Cleveland’s Signals Midwest started the night off. Having seen them just a couple of days ago, their previous set was still stuck in my mind as I watched them. The band once again played a pretty kick ass set to the slowly increasing crowd. Lead signer Max Stern and crew even debuted a hew song about the house they had their first band practice, the Milk Crate House. It was also announced that the band’s recently released album Latitudes & Longitudes was dropping on vinyl in a month. The crowd got a kick out of that as did I. Seems as if this Cleveland band has got their shit intact.

Up next was the Holy Mess. The Philadelphia punk rockers were full of energy and put on a killer performance to tons of excited fans. Playing a welcomed mix of punk rock and trash, the band was all over the stage and just looked to be having the time of their lives. The venue was filling up a plenty as the band played on and by the end of the set, the fans were going crazy. I really enjoyed seeing these guys live finally. I can not wait till they come back. They were just a ton of fun.

Scranton, Pa’s Menzingers were up next and it is safe to say that most people in the Grog Shop made sure they were there in time to see latest band to sign to Epitaph Records. Rifling through songs from Chamberlain Waits as well as their previous releases, everyone in the house was signing along and enjoying the set to the fullest potential. Tom May was barely tall enough to be seen at times from where I was standing, but that kid has mad jumps and at one time jumped up and grabbed a steel beam climbing over the fans screaming his heart out. A couple of the songs seems to be slower than I was used to. Perhaps that is because Holy Mess was playing songs that were four times faster, but still, that was my only concern. I loved when the Menzingers peeked out on music for a moment telling (bragging) to the crowd how they got to see Leftover Crack play Chicago – I know I was not the only one jealous at that moment… The Menzingers are one of today’s most exciting up and coming bands and I was stoked that they came back to Cleveland to play. You should have seen everyone around the venue smiling and singing, it was awesome and reminded me why I love punk rock so much.

As far as I am concerned, San Francisco’s Dead To Me had the best set of the night. Chicken was in a zone the moment he struck his bass and just start at the crowd looking like he was going to destroy everyone around him. DTM took their time of the stage to play a whole array of songs from all of their albums in front of the healthy sized crowd. Their style is live none other; during one song kids were slam dancing and tossing fists in the air and moments later a much more broken down ska-like track was pushed through the amps and everyone got into a groove. It seemed like the band played 100 songs and I wanted 100 more. Chicken took a moment to have a realization in front of the crowd and started ranting on how he has been listening to punk rock for 20 years and at 33-years-old, he never in his life thought he would be in a punk band playing shows let alone with the bands on Sunday night’s lineup. His words hit me because there I was, in the crowd, looking at someone about the same age as I am still rocking out and doing his thing. Age does not mean a damn thing and Chicken reminded me that it’s all about the love for the punk rock that keeps us going. Towards the end of their set, DTM played a new song and all I have to say this this: Oct. 25th can not come soon enough, that song was bitching. During the last song Chicken started recruiting some of the crowd to help him sing along and before long people surround Chicken all screaming their hearts out. It was awesome to see that.

The headliners of the night, Strike Anywhere, had the entire crowd in the palm of their hands during their set. Fans and bands were all singing along to the Richmond, Va. punk rock heroes. Taking their stand at politics and social ideals, the band took a moment to ask the crowd what “occupies Cleveland”, in reference to the ongoing protest of cop orate spending. The kids in the crowd flung out plenty of examples proving they all know what is going on in this messed up world. SA’s set was full of old and newer tracks and everyone, and I mean jut about everyone, was singing along with some kicks taking their change at jumping up close and personal to sing with Thomas. I won’t lie, I did not stay for the entire set and I am sure I missed a great end to SA’s set, but I had to be responsible and head home so I could function half-assed at work in the morning. I’ve seen SA a few times before and they never disappoint. The first half of the set I did stay for was just perfect for a close to a Sunday punk show.

As tired as I am right now writing this, I would not have missed last night’s show for the world. Five great bands kept the punk rock flowing steadily throughout the whole nice. Each band did their thing, thanked the fans and the bands, and looked all to be happier than hell to be on stage. People of all ages stood throughout the venue soaking in the goodness that is music. As a reviewer I could have been a little more in depth with this review, but the fact of the matter is that I wanted to be a fan more than everything last night and decided to throw down the notepad and just soak in the energy.