9 days until Jesus Day 2009. Have you been naughty or nice? Do you care?
I can tell you who cares, punk rockers The Briggs. They care so much that they are giving away a free mp3 download of their rendition of “Silent Night”. How freaking generous! The download is available on their MySpace page or you can just click below for a direct link. After listening to it myself I must say I will be adding it to my punk rock Jesus Day mix. Good stuff.
The Los Angeles band actually recorded this version in the middle of recording new material for their next release. Grab it while you can and be sure to blast it on the big day for all your friends and family!
So during this edition of Times Of Yore I wanted to talk about a band that is still around and is still putting out CDs. The band is without a doubt a mainstream act and many know them quite well. The band I speak of is Pennsylvania’s Bloodhound Gang (BHG). The comedic rap and rock mixing band has been a favorite of mine since the mid-nineties.
Sure everyone who knows the BHG is familiar with their hit tracks “Fire Water Burn” and “The Bad Touch”. Both tracks were hits all over the radio and basically helped the band achieve attention (well before Bam Margera included them in his fun). Where I am a fan of the albums that both songs appear on I actually would have to say that their debut full length album Use Your Fingers is my favorite.
Here is the part where I talk about that CD…
I found Use Your Fingers by pure accident. I was at a Half Price Books with my pal Mike one day just looking for stuff to buy. I remember I picked up a copy of the CD and just looked at it. There was a hot looking lady on the cover in small clothing eating a chicken leg that grabbed most of my attention. I looked at the rest of the CD and could not help but wonder to myself what in the hell I had in my hands. It looked like a punk rock CD of sorts and I decided it would be best to buy it before someone else did.
Without hesitation I purchased the CD but had to wait until I got home to listen to it seeing my car at the time lacked a CD player. I remember though the moment I hit the play button on my trusty Sony Walkman (that I still have to this day) that I became an instant fan. I had honestly not heard anything quite like it before. It was hip hop but punk rock with lyrics out of this world not to mention comedian Rip Taylor provided the introduction. Jimmy Pop, Evil Jared, Lupus, and Daddy Long Legs became heroes to my young ears.
I listened to the CD over and over and proclaimed them one of my favorite bands. I would sing along daily to songs like “Legend In My Spare Time” and the “Pretty When I’m Drunk” as well as their cover of “Kids In America” which I still prefer over any version to this day. I just loved the raunchiness of everything the band did from the clever lyrics and samples to the beats surrounding them. Within weeks I had a copy of their debut release Dingleberry Haze EP in my hands. I was a BHG fanatic.
Months later I saw a tiny add in Scene Magazine stating that the BHG was playing in town. I was convinced it was going to sell out so I went out and bought two tickets, one for me and the other for Mike. Boy was I in for a surprise…
I will never forget the night the Bloodhound Gang played the Grog Shop their first time. We got there early so the place was not that full but after time passed we started to notice that not a lot of people showed up to the show. Seriously there was like 8 people there including Mike and I…
The BHG took the stage and played like there was a full house. Mind you that show was years ago so I could not tell you the set at all but I do remember Jimmy Pop singing on the bar at one time. My other memory was when the band asked for volunteers to come up on stage for a contest. For whatever reason I kept my hand down but Mike raised his and they asked the kid with the mohawk (Mike) to come on stage. The game they played that night was a game of darts…on Evil Jared’s back. There were like 3 or 4 other people playing along and one by one they would throw a dart into the human dart board. Mike hit a bulls-eye.
I do not think the band was ready for that as the bulls-eye was drawn rather small on Evil Jared’s back but they still gave Mike a prize, a studded bracelet. I was jealous and honestly I still am. After the show the few of us who hung out got to talk to the band and joke around with them. They were super cool and even gave us some stickers and temporary tattoos.
That night was one I will never fully forget. Even if the outcome was horrible the BHG could care less and not even two years later they returned to the Grog Shop to a sold out crowd with Nerf Herder opening for them. I remember that night too especially when the band pulled me on stage to sing a couple verses from “Fire Water Burn”.
Almost 15 years later I still listen to Use Your Fingers and sing along as I did when I was just discovered them. I can not wait to see what they come up with next and even if they sell out the next venue they play in Cleveland I will always think back to the day when BHG played what seemed like more of a private show for me and my pal.
It’s been a bit since I listened to The Casualties and today I was reminded why I dig them so much thanks to a new video of “We Are All We Have” that posted on MySpace. Having been a huge fan of theirs for years I really have no solid reason why I have not been keeping tabs on their releases. 2004’s On The Front Line has been and will be one of my favorite punk albums to listen to probably for the rest of my life as it just stuck to me.
The NYC street punk band had always stood out over other bands to me primarily due to their dedication to keeping their musical style more like the 80’s punk. I seriously could listen to this band all day.
Street punk, gutter punk, punk punk – call it what you want. These boys know how to dish it out.
Their new album We Are All We Have dropped in stores late summer (and apparently is available at Target???) and sadly I still have yet to check it out but after seeing the video below I want to check it out more than ever now. Looks like I am off to Target.
I am really excited to hear new material by these punk favs of mine…
Thanks to the fine folk at Epitaph Records for this:
Alkaline Trio has announced the birth of Heart & Skull, the band’s own label formed in partnership with Epitaph Records. The band will release its seventh album through Epitaph/Heart & Skull in early 2010.
Commenting on the formation of the new imprint, named for the band’s longstanding logo, Alkaline Trio singer/guitarist Matt Skiba said:
“We made the decision to form Heart & Skull to put out our own records after having been through every kind of label deal in the industry, big indies, small indies, majors. We knew it was time to adapt to the shifting tides of the music industry and we could not be more thrilled about doing that in conjunction with the team at Epitaph. Taking control of our own label situation was something we always wanted to do but never thought was possible, but now thanks to Brett Gurewitz and the fine folks at Epitaph, it is. All three of us in Alkaline Trio have always had the utmost respect for the music and the work ethic of the Epitaph, Anti- and Hellcat family and now we’re honored to be working together under one big happy roof. Heart & Skull/Epitaph is truly a dream come true for us.”
Alkaline Trio bassist/vocalist Dan Andriano added:
“For our band at this time it really makes sense to release our own records, but we wanted to make sure we could partner up with good people who we would want to share in something very special to us. When Brett called and said he wanted to be involved, that was it. Epitaph is a label I’ve admired and supported for more than half of my life! I couldn’t be more excited for how this is turning out!”
Alkaline Trio first emerged from Chicago in 1996 and has since released the full length studio albums Goddamnit, Maybe I’ll Catch Fire, From Here To Infirmary, Good Mourning, Crimson and last year’s Agony & Irony, which was the highest charting record of the band’s career to date. The band is comprised of Skiba, Andriano and drummer Derek Grant, all of whom are partners in Heart & Skull.
Here are some videos for your punk rock entertainment consideration…
Leave it to NOFX to keep it unique for their fans. This time around the 25 year punk rock veterans have released a five song EP titled Cokie The Clown. The uniqueness of this EP is that four of the songs were choice cut tracks for their most recent full length release that the band chose to take off Coaster and release at a later time. Like a chaser swig of beer to a strong shot, Cokie The Clown follows Coaster perfectly giving the fans just a little bit more NOFX zing to tie them over until the next round.
The cover of the EP shows Cokie The Clown, rather a scary looking Fat Mike clown portrait that makes Pennywise in Stephen King’s IT look harmless. On the back of the EP is a circus flier comically showcasing the band as entertainers of the mediocre show. The EP contains four unreleased tracks and an acoustic version of one song that appeared on Coaster.
Opening track “Cokie The Clown” incorporates anti-sobriety with full on abuse in a first person sung song about said clown and his shenanigans with Eric Melvin providing introduction. I cracked up upon hearing the clown asking to be watched while juggling “eight balls” as well as the line “I will trip you down those 12 giant steps” knowing exactly which steps he referred to.
“Straight Outta Massachusetts” resembled something that Matt Stone or Trey Parker of South Park fame might have written for a musical. Still catchy and fun the song told the story of a rowdy 5 year old (who later grows up to be Fat Mike I am assuming) shun by his father from the east coast to the west coast to be with his mother. The song originally appeared on an episode of Pancake Mountain featuring Fat Mike and his adorable daughter. (If you have never heard of Pancake Mountain you should click THIS.)
“Fermented And Flailing” and “Codependence Day” both kept with the fats riffs and ever so candid lyrics speaking of the pros and cons about alcoholism. Just like most NOFX songs the lyrics are to the point about their opinion but also well formulated.
Unquestionably the most depressing song of the year “My Orphan Year” that already choked me up on Coaster got even sadder thanks to Fat Mike picking up an acoustic guitar and slowing things down all by himself. The true story formulated into song about Fat Mike losing his folks in 2006 seriously will bring tears to eyes of many (including myself). Let it be know, even rampant punk rockers have feelings too.
The EP is available on CD and also will be split into two7”s for all you vinyl junkies out there. As an added bonus Fat Wreck Chords is offering a Cokie The Clown bundle including a t-shirt and either the CD version or the two 7” discs of the EP.
Cokie The Clown comes out on November 24th but if you can not wait you can pre-order it right now by going HERE.
Fat Mike actually dressed up as Cokie at the Riot Fest in Chicago and pulled a not so typical prank involving a plastic flower and some white stuff…
If that is not hilarious enough, check out the video that just posted up on MySpace for “Cokie The Clown”:
