Ok so that is not entirely true. Rock lives everywhere. Rock is where the heart is? Ok, I will stop.
Now you can buy rock in Columbus, not that I know that personally or anything, but you can also rock out hardcore for a weekend thanks to Rock On The Range returning to the Columbus Crew Stadium on May 22nd and 23rd. This will be the festival’s fourth run in the center city of Ohio and the lineup caught my attention more so this year than any other year before.
When I see that Coheed & Cambria, The Deftones, Helmet, Rise Against, Mastodon, and Killswitch Engage are all playing over one weekend I immediately want to go.
Other bands appearing at the festival are Godsmack, Rob Zombie, Three Days Grace, Limp Bizkit, Seether, Slash, Papa Roach, Five Finger Death Punch, Bullet For My Valentine, Theory of a Deadman, Puddle of Mudd, Sevendust, Drowning Pool, Skillet, Apocalyptica, Halestorm, Airbourne, Mushroomhead, Adelitas Way, Escape the Fate, Cold, Anberlin, Nonpoint, 2Cents, Violent Soho, Janus, Shaman’s Harvest, Year Long Disaster, Taddy Porter, Like A Storm, and Noise Auction
I can tolerate some of the acts but others I just can not stand and I fear if I go I am going to be punished…
Couple other personal comments in regards to the line up:
Who the hell are half of these bands?
Cold is still together? So is Puddle Of Mudd?
Five Finger Death punch is still the stupidest band name I have ever heard next to The Prisoners.
Matt from Addicted To Vinyl (also a ROTR veteran) pointed out there is a possibility that Mushroomhead may play a bigger stage than Helmet. If that is true I will be a sad panda.
Why no Jimmie’s Chicken Shack? While I am at it, why no Monster Voodoo Machine and are they still a band?
I’ll be thinking about this heavily over the next few weeks. I would hate to miss the opportunity of seeing a couple of my favorite bands but I do not know if I have it in me to sit though the whole weekend. We shall see.
If you are interested in the festival head over to Rock On The Range’s website for ticket information as well as other info in regards to the weekend rock-out.
The band had actually thought of a different album title in mind initially and recently talked about it on Fat Wreck Chords’ website:
When we were on tour last March, we met Joey from Full House (aka Dave Coulier) in a bar in Cleveland. I drunkenly slipped him a copy of ‘The Great Awake’ and we began talking about music and Canada. He turned out to be a pretty cool dude, other than ironically wearing a Betty Ford Clinic shirt while drinking red wine. Anyways, after Uncle Joey left the bar that night, the jokes began that we would name our new record ‘Dave Coulier Has Our Last Record.’ Once we sobered up in the morning and realized that was an awful idea, we decided to name our new album ‘CAVALCADE’. And we are beyond stoked to announce that it will be coming out this April on FatWreck of course.
Since every record is vaguely conceptual even if you’re not going for the painful uber-concept-record thing like Coheed and Cambria, and since we basically live like homeless people while we’re on tour most of each year, ‘Cavalcade’ has taken on the overall theme of unity through disconnectedness. Happiness in uncertain times. Humanity is flawed but we can all still party, right? That’s what we wrote about, and that’s how we live. We love what we do an couldn’t be happier with the way it has all turned out.
Two things about this…
1.) Why did they not keep the name?
2.) I missed The Flatliners AND Dave Coulier in Cleveland???? Where was I?
If one of your New Year’s resolutions for 2010 was to listen to more punk rock music you are in luck. Recently Fat Wreck Chords put out their first ever anthology full of punk rock goodness — 88 songs to be exact. Wrecktrospective is a three-disc collection of greatest hits, demos, and even limited edition material that spans the 20 years since the label was founded.
Formed by NOFX frontman Fat Mike with little advertising and no commercial help, the independent punk label has issued over 280 releases and is a well known favorite of many Warped Tour fans. The three-CD set contained in the digi-pack is just a sample of all that has been Fat.
The anthology is more or less a musical history of the bands that have put out material over the last 20 years since Fat Mike decided to start the label. Featuring punk bands from the past and present, I can only imagine that it was no easy task to take so many songs from such a span of artists and put them into the compilation, but it was done perfectly.
Throughout the set I was reminded of a slew of bands I stopped listening to over the years and was happy to hear them all over again. When a label has put out over 280 releases, sometimes it’s hard to remember them all.
The first disc is full of non-commercial hit songs also known as “Fattest Hits.” Listening to the first segment was like a blast from the past for me as I have been a Fat Wreck fan since its inception. Featuring familiar tracks by current label mates NOFX, Strung Out, and the Mad Caddies, the CD includes 33 songs by 33 different bands.
The disc also contains tracks from former Fat alumni who either disbanded or went on to bigger and better things over the years such as Against Me!, Less Than Jake, Hi Standard, and others. The first disc alone brought back good memories of amazing bands that I used to rock out to on a daily basis. If I were to make a greatest hits Fat album I might have selected just a handful of other tracks for some of the artists, but all in all they did a good job putting it together.
The demo disc, or disc two, features many tracks that were hidden gems until now. I had heard some of these tracks as well as variations on other Fat compilations before, but having all of them all on one CD is so much more fulfilling. From the Mad Caddies’ “Polyester Khakis” (where they sample Body Count) to the acoustic “Everyone Is Telling Me I’ll Never Win, If I Fall In Love With A Girl From Marin” by Bracket, I really enjoyed the collection.
Perhaps the most exciting feature of this set is the third disc as it contains the limited release Fat Club 7″ series in its entirety. For people like me who missed out on the Fat Club this is a dream come true as it previously was not available on CD. Then again I am sure people who were lucky enough to join the Fat Club will appreciate this as well so they don’t have to figure out how to use the USB record player to transfer their prized collection onto their computers.
I would have loved to have seen a fourth disc in this set including all of NOFX’s 7” of the month club tracks and the joke in its entirety but I’ll take what I can get at this time. At only $15 on the Fat Wreck Chords website this is a steal of a release and even includes a fold-out poster showing every Fat Wreck Chords release ever put out.
My only complaint with this set is the lack of a DVD. I think it would have been fitting to throw in a disc featuring live performances and music videos by an assortment of the bands. Seeing how Fat Wreck Chords strayed away from mainstream overload (aka MTV), I would have thought they would have built up a collection of videos and footage that further helped celebrate the two decades of accomplishment. Who knows, that could be in the works.
Previous Fat fans may not get as much out of this set as a newcomer might mainly because many of the songs on the disc have been on other Fat compilations over the years. Still it’s a nicely put together collection of what makes Fat Wreck Chords.
Upon checking out the music I took a minute to read the insert pertaining to the record label written by Fat Mike himself. It’s really an interesting read as Fat Mike confesses that the record label was all about “putting out punk bands that I really like” and talks about the ups and downs he went through starting his own business.
Knowing how the music business has been going these days, I was not shocked to read that Fat Wreck Chords is basically back where they started with little financial gain but I am so proud of them for doing their best to continue. With so many labels out there that folded over the years due to money issues (i.e. Grand Royal), I really hope to see Fat Wreck Chords last another 20 years and with their roster I have the feeling it will not be that difficult.
To grab a copy of this 3 CD punk gem head over to Fat Wreck Chords and nab it for only $15.
Here is a funny video:
(please note this is for humor purposes only and if you can not take a joke then you are a jerk…)
Track Listing:
1: NOFX – The Separation of Church and Skate
2: Lagwagon – Violins
3: Propagandhi – Back to the Motor League
4: No Use For a Name – Soulmate
5: Bracket – 2RAK005
6: Strung Out – Too Close to See
7: Face To Face – You’ve Done Nothing
8: Good Riddance – Weight of the World
9: Tilt – War Room
10: Me First – Leaving on a Jet Plane
11: Wizo – Raum der Zeit
12: Frenzal Rhomb – Never Had So Much Fun
13: Hi-Standard – Wait for the Sun
14: Snuff – Martin
15: Goober Patrol – Easy Life
16: Swingin’ Utters – Windspitting Punk
17: Screeching Weasel – Cool Kids
18: Mad Caddies – Mary Melody
19: Consumed – Brutal Truth
20: Sick of It All – The Bland Within
21: Avail – Black and Red
22: Less Than Jake – Gainesville Rock City
23: Anti-Flag – Turncoat
24: Rise Against – Heaven Knows
25: The Real McKenzies – Kings of Fife
26: The Lawrence Arms – Like a Record Player
27: Dillinger Four – AMERICASPREMIEREFAITHBASEDINITIATIVE
28: None More Black – Everyday Balloons
29: Against Me! – T.S.R.
30: Descendents – ‘Merican
31: Only Crime – R.J.R.
32: Chixdiggit! – I Remember You
33: Dead To Me – By the Throat
34: Good Riddance – Flies First Class
35: Rise Against – Alive and Well
36: The Flatliners – Eulogy
37: NOFX – It’s My Job to Keep Punk Rock Elite
38: The Lawrence Arms – On With the Show
39: Lagwagon – Bury the Hatchet
40: Western Addiction – The Church of Black Flag
41: The Loved Ones – Living Will (Get You Dead)
42: Star Fucking Hipsters – Immigrants & Hypocrites
43: Bracket – Everyone is Telling Me I’ll Never Win, If I Fall in Love With a Girl From Marin [Acoustic]
44: American Steel – Sons of Avarice
45: Nerf Herder – 5000 Ways to Die
46: Propagandhi – Middle Finger Response
47: None More Black – Slytherin? My Ass!
48: Swingin’ Utters – A Promise to Distinction
49: Against Me! – You Look Like I Need a Drink [Acoustic]
50: The Soviettes – Multiply and Divide
51: Zero Down – No Apologies
52: No Use For a Name – Always Carrie
53: Dead To Me – Writing Letters
54: Strung Out – Alone
55: The Dickies – My Pop the Cop
56: Avail – Done Reckoning
57: Mad Caddies – Polyester Khakis
58: The Sainte Catherines – Hau Weg die Scheisse
59: Epoxies – It’s You
60: Smoke or Fire – Goodbye to Boston
61: Anti-Flag – Underground Network
62: The Vandals – Underground
63: The Vandals – Why Are You Alive
64: American Steel – Middle of the Night
65: American Steel – New Religion Everyday
66: The Real McKenzies – Another Round
67: The Real McKenzies – Loch Lomond
68: MXPX – The Road Less Traveled
69: MXPX – You Hold the Key
70: Strike Anywhere – Antidote
71: Strike Anywhere – Asleep
72: Randy – I’m Stepping Out
73: Randy – Unite
74: Randy – Freedom Song
75: NOFX – Zyklone B Bathouse
76: NOFX – Spaghetti Motel
77: Swingin’ Utters – Black Mountain Rain
78: Swingin’ Utters – Outside Life
79: Strung Out – Dig
80: Strung Out – Lost Motel
81: Enemy You – The Promise Breakers
82: Enemy You – Kind Hearts
83: Enemy You – Emma
84: The Lawrence Arms – Porno and Snuff Films
85: The Lawrence Arms – A Toast
86: The Lawrence Arms – Overheated
87: One Man Army – Victoria
88: One Man Army – She Wants Me Dead
I can not even begin to tell you how excited I am about this post. I had the pleasure today to interview Frank Turner through email and could not be happier. If anyone knows me, Frank Turner is a big deal to me. I have to admit my appreciation for me grew to unmeasurable amounts after I heard his latest release Poetry Of The Deed.
I confess, the name Frank Turner was not fresh in my mind beforehand when I heard that album. I continually smack myself in the head still as I could not put two and two together when listening to it at the time and realizing he was the guy in the UK post-hardcore, now defunct, act Million Dead. I knew of Frank Turner but prior to his last release was not aware of his solo material.
Some music fan I am right? Regardless I am a huge fan of Frank Turner so it only made sense for me to try and set up an interview with him. It was easier for us both just to do it over the email and I must say no one has ever replied faster than him.
Such a proud moment for me here. Let me take a moment and soak in all that is awesome for what I am about to share…
Ok I am better.
Enjoy!
BHP – Before I even begin, thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions for me. I know you have been a busy man for quite some time touring and all. How long have you actually been on tour now?
FT – Actually I just took 3 weeks off, which is the longest time I’ve gone without playing a show for about 6 years now. I did my first tour when I was 16, and have been pretty much constantly on the road since 2004. It’s great. Answering questions is no bother.
Were you been able to take any breaks prior?
I get little breaks here and there, and like I say I’ve just had quite a bit of time off (by my standards). I get very claustrophobic if I stay in the same place for more than a few days, I think I’ve rewired my brain now, haha. So when I’m not touring or in the studio, I generally find excuses to get on a train or a plane and go visit some friends or something.
Photo by www.christopherdibble.com
I along with many of your other fans have been able to keep tabs on you thanks to your Facebook/Twitter posts. How important is it to be more personal to the fans?
What I like about stuff like Facebook and Twitter is that it pulls aside the curtain on rock’n’roll. I was never that taken with the whole business of mythologizing what it means to be a musician. I like to let people know what the realities of life on the road are like, and to point out that I’m no different from anyone who listens to my music. That’s the strength of the whole web 2.0 thing.
How stressful does it get traveling overseas from the US to the UK and beyond on any given date?
I don’t find it particularly stressful at all – in fact I find it quite liberating, and I find being in the same place quite stressful. I mean, transatlantic flights are always going to be a drag, but it’s a small price to pay. Whenever I get to go to new places I haven’t been to before solely on the basis that I play guitar, I think it’s absolutely wonderful, if a little insane. I pinch myself occasionally.
Seems like 2009 was your year to get noticed thanks to the release of Poetry Of The Deed. How does it feel to have a growing fan base?
It feels great. Without wanting to sound defensive, I’ve worked really hard in the last few years at what I do, to make the best albums and to play as many shows as I can. It’s a great feeling to see hard work pay off, and to see some of the dreams I’ve had since I was a kid start to come true. It’s as awesome as you’d imagine it to be. I’m very privileged to be in these shoes right now.
What prompted you to go into a more so acoustic solo career once Million Dead disbanded or was that something in the works prior to the band’s ending?
I think that when that band ended, in a lot of stress and recrimination and so on, I was just done with hardcore as a sound. I felt like I’d poured everything into that band, and when it didn’t work, I needed to do something different. I’d started listening to folk, country and so on quite extensively in the last few years of the band’s existence, and when it ended, well, it seemed like a good way to go. It also meant I could stay on tour without having to put a band together, without having to rely on other people, something I was very wary to do at the time.
So have you spoken to any of the members? Or were the differences that led to the band’s departure more personal and evident of a reunion never to happen?
We’re all on at least reasonable terms now. The drummer and I are firm friends. It’s all water under the bridge now – that was a very intense band to be in, but now that we’re all clear and the dust has settled, it doesn’t matter as much. There won’t be a reunion though, I’ll say that for sure. I’m just not interested in looking back like that.
Who are your musical influences these days?
These days I tend to bore into a handful of bands at a time, get really obsessed with them, and they influence my thinking about music.
Springsteen has been an overshadowing presence in my music for the last few years, but more recently I’m super-into Loudon Wainwright III. He’s fucking amazing.
What bands have you been listening to as of late?
Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of Neil Young again because I’m reading a book about him. Beyond that, I’ve finally got into the latest Weakerthans album (which I’m fast starting to think is their best). Also Crazy Arm, who are coming on tour with me in Europe in March and April, and Ben Marwood, a friend of mine who puts me to shame with his excellence in songwriting.
I heard that Flogging Molly recently asked you to join them on tour. What was your initial reaction when they asked you?
I thought it was great, very flattering. And then I found out how popular they are in the States, and I was blown away. The shows we’re doing are biiiig.
Anyone else you would like to mention that you are touring with in 2010?
I’m happy that I’m going to be returning a favour in March – Chuck Ragan has taken me out in the USA and been a great friend and inspiration to me in recent years, and now he’s coming out on my next UK tour, which is a big one – 3000 people a show or so – so it feels good to be paying that one back. I’m also excited about Revival Australia – I’ve never been there before, and I get to play more shows with Tim Barry, someone I can’t get enough of right now.
Are you still going to play house shows here and there now that you are making it into the spotlight? I have a place in Cleveland you can play if you ever want to…
Sure, here and there. If you can put up 6 people (me, band and crew) after the Flogging Molly show in Cleveland, I’ll play a set there as well. Deal?
Sweet! So you still do house shows?
I still do a fair few of them – I’m playing a house show in Toronto tonight actually. It’s something that’s easy to put together, so it’s always an option.
Obviously there is more to Frank Turner than just yourself. Can you tell me about the backing band that helps you out on the album and tours?
My band [members] are amazing, and I’m really excited about them coming to the USA for the first time next month with Flogging Molly. It took me a while to get the line-up right, I wanted the best, and also a set of people who would gel together well as musicians. We finally got the chemistry right at the end of 2008, and we haven’t looked back. They’re all amazing musicians, much better than me, and they’re great at helping me get ideas out of my head. Plus they’re cool guys.
Any reason there is no actual band name like “The Frank Turner Band” or “Frank Turner and the…whatevers”?
You know, we’ve spent a long time talking about this, I really want a name for them – I don’t want them to be faceless sessionistas or whatever, they’re a band, you know? But we’ve struggled to find something everyone agrees on. The Contraband has been doing the rounds recently, and the 161 Band (a reference to where we used to rehearse and where I recorded my first album) but we’re still tussling over it. Some day.
The video for “The Road” to me was an amazing concept. 24 shows in 24 hours? How difficult was that to shoot?
Logistically it wasn’t so bad, we had a schedule and we stuck to it.
Physically it was a little more challenging. We did 8pm-8pm, and by time we hit around midday, everyone was fucking drained and unhappy, haha. It was pretty miserable for a few hours there. But we burned on through, and we made it to the end. It was a good experience.
Any plans for another music video off your latest release?
We did a tour video for the song “Poetry Of The Deed”, which you can find on YouTube. Then I think I’m making a video for the song “Isabel” when I’m in Los Angeles next week.
Last year you appeared in an alternative 90’s compilation and covered UK’s Kerbdog. Why Kerbdog? “Sally” is a great choice as a cover for a band that never really made it in the states.
I love Kerbdog, they were such an awesome band. I was actually asked to record a song for a Kerbdog tribute album, which I did, and then we decided to use it for the 90s thing as well. Great song, and apparently Cormac thought I did a good job too, which is cool.
You also covered a Bruce Springsteen song at one time. Have you heard any feedback from The Boss himself about your version of “Thunder Road”?
Not directly, though I know Brian Fallon [of the Gaslight Anthem] put a copy of the 7 inch into the Boss’s hands, so he has to be aware of its existence, haha. I’d be very excited to meet Springsteen, he’s a real hero for me.
Speaking of The Boss you are headlining a show at Asbury, NJ on Feb. 24th. Can we expect to hear about any special guests?
I wish, haha. We shall see.
How does it feel to be a part of the Epitaph family?
Great. It’s a label that I grew up with and that has an amazing roster now, so it’s a cool association. And now I’d count a lot of the people I work with as close friends. They’re very effective at promotion and so on.
So yeah, I’m very happy about it, all in all.
Can you tell me about a certain tattoo you got in Texas while at SXSW?
Haha, uhm, well… I’d been there for a few days and had some great shows, basically sealed the deal with Epitaph, had a lot of old friends around, that kind of thing, so I was in a good mood. I had one day where I had no shows to play so I got wicked drunk with the guys from Fake Problems, we went to see Van Pelt do a one-off reunion show, which was pretty emotional for me. Anyways, after about 14 hours on the booze I ended up in a tattoo parlour with Casey Lee, and we both got Texas tattoos. Seemed like a good idea at the time.. I was a little dismayed at first but I quite like it now. It has a good story with it.
Any regrets in life?
I do my best not to. I’m still sad that Million Dead never quite achieved what I thought we were capable of. Beyond that, not really.
What’s next for Frank Turner?
I’m on tour most of this year, it looks like, all over the world, which is great. I have a rough ambition to get another album recorded before the end of the year, so we can get it out in early 2011. We’ll see. The songs are coming together, it’s more a question of finding the time to record it properly. I also want to do an album of traditional English songs sometime. Keep myself busy.
Why should someone check out Frank Turner?
That’s not for me to say, really. Why not?
Catch Frank Turner playing with Flogging Molly on the Green 17 Tour on March 5th, 2010 at the House Of Blues on Euclid Ave. Rumor has it the show is sold out but if you look hard enough online you might be able to find a ticket for a decent price. I will be there.
I also should mention that Frank Turner is serious about the house show and I am going to be working my magic trying to find a suitable place for him and his crew to play a set as well as crash for the night. If any of you readers in the Cleveland area know of an appropriate spot where Frank Turner can play a house show please email me at broken@brokenheadphones.com. I have a few places in mind but am open to suggestions. Keep in mind the set he plans on playing would be after the Flogging Molly show. If this falls into place I will also be looking into filming it for the site.
Keep your fingers crossed!!!
If you do not own Poetry Of The Deed yet you really need to have it in your collection. CLICK HERE to order it (or the album cover below) and if you are wondering why you should own it CLICK HERE to read the review I did of it last year.
Then again you can just watch the following too…
Stay tuned for possible house party featuring Frank Turner!
Oh and if you have never heard of Kerbdog and were wondering what they were all about…
Last year I said I was going to SXSW. Not happening. I want to, I really do but I can not afford the trip to and from one of my favorite cities in the world…Austin, TX. I will make it there one day and that is a promise. 2010 will not be that year.
I also said I retired from the Warped Tour. After years of going to the punk rock summer camp I announced that I was going to quit. Well…
…and I lied.
If Face To Face plays the Cleveland Warped Tour you can bet your behind I will be there. Andrew W.K. is a must see for me as well.
