So in a change of events, it looks as if I will not be heading down to the Rock Hall on Wednesday after all (sorry Cleveland!).
Why?
Well, it turns out that folk/punk rocker Jeff Roweis playing the Gurley House in Akron at the same time.
I reviewed Rowe’s debut releaselast year and loved it. This is going to be an intimate show right down the street from my hood. Why would I not go???
Honestly, I was torn for a moment as I know the show going on at the Rock Hall will be entertaining, but then I came to my senses knowing I needed to be at the Gurley House for this show on Wednesday.
Supporting acts The Ohioans and Scott Moses (Annabel, Northwestern, Comfort Clouds, etc) will join Rowe.
The fun starts around 7pm. The house show is free to all who attend but please bring cash to donate!!!
Maybe it was the excessive beer intake last night, but I woke up this morning to the strangest dream I have had in a while. Not to bore you with details, but the dream ended with me in a convertible telling Ryan of Cincinnati/Detroit pop-punk act Mixtapes about this other dream I had within the dream that involved a James Bond like India adventure. He looked at me like I was high and then got mad at me when I asked him what it would take for him to sing me some Wooky Stax.
I took that as a calling today to write a little something something about Mixtapes as well as their alter ego known to many as Wooky Stax.
For those of you who do not know of the pop-punk act Mixtapes, you my friends are missing out.
The male and female front-kinda-sorta-duo sing about everything from thinking that Strung Out is a “mediocre version of the skate punk 90s” to not staying up all night and just kicking it at home drinking Diet Coke. The band is unique in that they are not looking for the fame and do it for fun (well at least I think they do). Most of their material has been released for free on the interwebs through various sites and they never seem to stop touring. They also have a handful of 7″ vinyls out for all you collectors out there.
They are a prolific band you need to check out. I’ve seen them live a couple times and it is a riot.
Wooky Stax is Mixtapes’ alterego rap project. I do not care what anyone says, I love it. It is far from the greatest hip hop and probably was created as a joke to the ever so hardworking rap music industry (can you sense the sarcasim?). Ryan and Maura do their best to rap over samples and honestly…it’s kind of catchy and it’s hella free.
Punk rockers Alkaline Trio (AK3) recently dropped a mostly-acoustic, sort-of-best-of-album entitled Damnesia on their very own label Heart&Skull. The album, that was also released on Epitaph Records, contains seletions from previous releases from the band’s career as well as two brand new songs. If you recall, AK3 already took a stab at releasing some acoustic tracks as seen on last year’s deluxe version of This Addiction. This time though, the band had a reason to dig into their catalog.
Marking their 15 year anniversary, the band saw it best to celebrate their success by putting together an album for the fans. The result is a nice twist at classic songs with some of the re-recorded acoustic / semi-unplugged versions sounding better than the original cuts.
“Calling All Skeletons” started off the 15-track album, sounded well, but just was not overly impressive. “Nose Over Tail”, originally found as a b-side from the “Sundials” single, on the other hand was awesome. I loved that they re-recorded such a great track and it sounded better to me than the original thanks to Skiba’s vocals sounding so personal and heartfelt.
The pianos throughout “This Could Be Love” was a nice touch. A bit gloomier this round, the track was a tad slowed down which was fine by this listener. “Calvicle” kept things moving with a speedy acoustic jam. “Mercy Me” almost sounded rejuvenated with its rebirth into the un-plugged world.
“The American Scream” started with a duo of Skiba and piano playing. I have to admit I enjoyed this version a lot. I loved when the rest of the band kicked in and started playing / singing along. “We’ve Had Enough” continued impressing me. There was just something about this version that made me tap my foot a little harder to the ground while listening to.
One of the two new tracks, “Olde English 800” was an awesome tribute to a iconic malt beverage. The sing-a-long had me craving for a 40oz. or two by the time it was over. Comedic? Perhaps… Sincere? Absolutely. Am I going to have a hangover tomorrow? That is has not been determined yet. All in all, great love song for a top-notch beverage.
AK3 covering The Violent Femmes was not overly impressive to me, but it was nice see them choose “I Held Her In My Arms” over other overly-covered Femmes songs. It was not terrible to listen to at all, it was just not something I was really looking to listen to although I appreciated the light twang feel to it. Then again I never was the biggest Femmes fan.
“I Remember A Rooftop” was the other new track on Damnesia and was a lot more serious than the O.E. 800 song. Andriano took over singing duties this round on the acoustic guitar only track. With lyrics like “I took my lousy shot at public recognition” the lyrics clearly were a little darker, something this beloved band has never been afraid to dish out.
The very Dexter Morgan describing “Private Eye” was another nice surprise to find on this album. A great version of “Radio” closed out the album. Once again, the singing sounded just a little more personal and meaningful on this track. I really enjoyed it a lot.
A lot of times when I hear that bands are going to take songs and re-record them in an acoustic manner I am usually not overly excited about it, sans Unwritten Law’s Music In High Places. AK3 nailed it though with Damnesia. The album takes a nice detour from the punk rock path and brings you to just a nice chill (chilling?) listen many punk rock and non-punk rock fans will enjoy.
Does recording an acoustic album mean the band has slowed down (not trying to knock anyone)? Well, perhaps in some cases for some bands, but I doubt AK3 has any means to take it down a notch anytime soon. This was a nice novel idea for the fans from the band that has been kicking it for a decade and a half. Look for AK3 to be touring this summer in support of the new release as well as means to continue to celebrate their 15 years as a punk rock act.
Andriano had this to say about the tour:
“We’re looking forward to our 15th anniversary tour this summer. We’re going to really try to put together a set that encompasses everything the band has done over the past 15 years and plan to play some songs that rarely find their way in to the set list. We will also play some songs in an unplugged style similar to what we’ve recently recorded on Damnesia. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Yeah, I am a couple years late jumping on the bandwagon on this one…
Recently Rob Coe, front-man of The Enablers, emailed me a link to a kick ass T.I. cover that his band did a few years back. I had heard of his Gainsville, Florida, punk act before but for whatever reason never got to check them out.
The Enablers actually are made up of other bands you may have hear about. Rob Coe is from Fay Wray and their bassist was in some band called Dashboard Confessional. They sound familiar…
The cover of “Whatever You Like”, originally written by the currently incarcerated rap star T.I., is brilliant. I have listened to it over and over and just can not get enough of it. One might be fooled upon hearing it not thinking it is a cover. Here, check it out for yourself:
This cover does sound more like Lucero, but the rest of The Enablers is more like a Social D, Husker Du sound with a little Springsteen vocals added to the mix. Not as fast and furious when it comes to the punk sound, but not exactly to be considered rock.
Here are a couple other songs I found online if you want to hear some of their original material. I know I am digging it.
I am going to be searching for their material online. I believe there is an EP out there waiting for me to purchase. This is stuff I need to have in my vinyl collection. I am not sure how active they are these days but I know Rob Coe did play the Suburban Home Records anniversary show last summer.
I guess there is only one way to find out… Let’s see if Rob wants to do an interview. Stay turned.
You know, it’s been a while since I mentioned the southern bell brat pack also known as Those Darlins… Might as well pimp them out now for a moment while I have your attention.
Many Cleveland fans were bummed to learn that Those Darlins dropped off the bill last June. They opted to do so in order to perform a benefit show, so I guess we can not be too mad at them.
Regardless, they have yet to make a stop in Cleveland in 2011 and it looks like this Fall will be the next time they drop by.
On October 12th, Those Darlins will be playing a show at the Grog Shop with Peelander-Z. Can you say awesome!?!?
Stay cool Cleveland. The girls and Lynwood will see you in a few months…
Speaking of awesome… Looks like the girls and Lynwood are getting some well-deserved attention:
Too bad I would never drive that toaster in public.
So in a change of events, it looks as if I will not be heading down to the Rock Hall on Wednesday after all (sorry Cleveland!).
