Tag Archives: Punk

90's, Music, Music Video, New Release, Punk, Random

Green Day, What In The Cornell Are You Doing?

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(I know I am going to get crap for this but oh well… I like to rant)

Dear Green Day,

What the hell happened to you guys?  I recently heard your latest effort 21st Century Breakdown and I must say I was highly disappointed.  I’m not sure I am going to even give the CD a second shot to be honest.  I did mildly enjoy the first single off the album, “21 Guns”, and even got a kick out of the video but once I finally had the chance to hear the whole album start to finish I found myself uninterested and skipped through every song and finally turned it off.  I have not done that with a CD in a long time.

What’s with the mellow sound?  Were you guys hanging around U2 too much???  I didn’t even hear Green Day when I popped in 21st Centruy Breakdown.  At first I thought it was just a cruel joke but then realized that the album was less of what I used to love and more of something I could care less about.

Should I blame Chris Cornell?  Did he command you three to record an album straight from the wallet or is this an honest recording?  Have you learned nothing from that evil man?  I realize you guys are getting up there in age and all but seriously…I think you could have done so much better. 

I hope this was not done for the money although I do know you will make a ton of money from it because a lot of folk are digging it already.  I’m sure sales will be high on this CD and tons of copies will sell to millions and millions of fans old and new, but I will not be one of them this time around.

We all know everyone is entitled to their opinion and [insert worship figure of choice] knows I have a plenty of them.  I am sure some of your fans do not like me saying how I do not like your latest album.  Don’t worry though, because there are other things I do not like too.  For instance, I still think Chris Cornell is a bitch for doing what he did (going solo with Timbaland beats) but I am excited to hear about possible rumors of Soundgarden reuniting.  I do not despise everything.

I’m just not understanding what is going on with you guys.  You were punk rockers to my ears years ago but seemed to change things up as you matured into musicians.  I respect change, but I just don’t know if I can take it anymore.

I’m a guy who was a fan of your band when you were just another punk rock act in California on Lookout! Records.  I have Kerplunk on vinyl, used to have a Dookie poster hanging in my bedroom as a teen, and even once was denied from seeing you live at a free show you played in Cleveland and highly considered joining the other denied folk to riot about it.  Luckily I did not and I stayed out of trouble that day.

Throughout the years you became my modern day Clash pumping out albums like Insomniac, Nimrod, and Warning.  I loved the similarities of your material with classic punk but even more so the idea that you did not completely rip them off.  While creating chart topping hits you did not seem to let it get to your head.  I realize the three albums I speak of did not sell as highly as Dookie, but as a Green Day fan I appreciated the hell out of them.

It must have been tough for you all when the popularity of the band sunk.  At one time I really did not think I would hear anything again from Green Day but you refused to give up and in 2004 dropped the chart topping American Idiot.  Props to you for continuing your dream as musicians.  I am sure it was a tough road traveled.

American Idiot was so much of a different concept and at first I really thought it was a great idea.  The whole rock opera idea was welcomed by almost everyone.  Thanks to a bold move in music styles American Idiot became a hit album and you guys were on top of the world again.  Thanks to non-stop radio play and MTV destroying airplay however it became an commercial disaster and everyone loved it.  I even liked it for about 12 minutes until it was overplayed and became almost annoying.  To this day I can not listen to that album anymore.

I almost wish that Cigarettes & Valentines was never stolen.  I feel that when some jackass stole your master recordings from that potential Green Day release it altered the music timeline in a Back To The Future sort of sense.  I’m not sure why you all never re-recorded that album and chose to create material that later turned into American Idiot but you did it for a reason.  Although the music was never recovered I hope one day that stolen album surfaces so I can hear how amazing it was.  I bet it is much better than what I have been hearing from you all.

I hear you guys are planning a summer tour for 21st Century Breakdown.  Even though I have never seen you live, I have decided that I am going to sit this one out.  Sometimes it’s best to just remember the good old times where pop punk was not so much mainstream / adult contemporary yet. 

I know you are one of the bands that is credited for making punk rock become more mainstream in the 90’s and pretty much putting an end to grunge music.  I do want to thank you for that because without bands like Green Day punk rock may not have gotten the credit that was deserved but come on guys, I know you can do much better than this…

Good luck with your success and I am sorry I can not get into your recent release.  It’s just not my thing.

Respectfully yours,

A Green Day Fan From The 90’s

Also guys, what’s up with the eyeliner in the “21 Guns” video?  Seriously , eyeliner?  I also love the over processed hair-do.  I’m not sure if I am watching a music video or something on Bravo.

Green Day – “21 Guns” – HD

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

Rancid, Rise Against, Riverboat Gamblers – Tower City Amphitheater – Cleveland, OH – 06/15/2009 – Concert Review

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This is not a review.  I repeat, this is not a review.  OK, I am lying, the more I write about it the more it sounds like a review.  Oh well…

Let’s face it, Bonnaroo drained me.  The trip to and from along with the actual four days at the festival took everything I had out of me.  When I returned home I napped for a mere hour and then hopped in the car to go see punk rock legends Rancid with Rise Against and Riverboat Gamblers down at the Tower City Amphitheater.

I was a zombie of sorts.  Only having ingested some terrible Hardee’s in Bowling Green, KY, the arrow in my stomach was pointing to empty.  Luckily my buddy Fatty who was driving owes me big for when we went to see the Bouncing Souls and make me turn my car around on Route 8 because he forgot his ticket.

I could not tell him that I forgot my ticket because I did not have one so I just asked him to stop at Taco Bell for a snack.

I did not have a ticket because someone wonderful got me on the list for Rancid complete with a VIP pass.

We arrived to the venue with the Riverboat Gamblers already playing.  The Austin, TX punk rockers really enthralled me so I made sure to pick up their latest release on LP entitled Underneath The Owl.  I have yet to listen to it but I do know they played a few songs off their new album and it sounded good.  They are one of those bands I never really gave a chance before but will now thanks to their great performance.

Once it looked like the stage was set up for Rancid I headed backstage to get a better view of the band.  I hung out behind the scenes and peered at the from the side.  As pissed as I was that they were not headlining the show I was still pleased with their almost one hour set including classic songs such as “Ruby Soho” and “Olympia”.  They also played some new tracks from their recent release Let The Dominoes Fall… such as “Last One To Die” and “New Orleans”.

They sounded really good live and jumped around youthfully as if they were playing 15 years ago.  Many times I hear that people think Tim Armstrong might not be playing all of the songs but I was right there and it sure as hell looked like he was beating the crap out of his guitar playing to the huge crowd.  Matt Freemon was hammering his bass and killed it during “Tenderloin” and of course Lars Frederickson was doing what he does best, entertain.

Great set by one of my favorite punk bands of all time.

Rancid Setlist:
Radio
Last One To Die
Journey to the End of the East Bay
Roots Radicals
Nihilism
Olympia WA.
Salvation
Bloodclot
New Orleans
Fall Back Down
The Way I Feel
Time Bomb
Tenderloin
East Bay Night
Maxwell Murder
Ruby Soho

Rise Against took stage as the sun said goodbye to the day.  I am a fan of the first three Rise Against albums but their last two releases have not done too much for me.  I stayed afar from the stage and checked them out while I chatted with a couple of my friends who were only there to see Rancid.

Rise Against, I can say, has major stage charisma.  Lead singer Tim McIlrath was running all over the stage singing his heart out to his diehard fans.  Where the band did play a lot of newer songs I was happy to hear some older ones from their first three albums.  I was shocked the band did not play “Swing Life Away” when Tim McIlrath came to stage with an acoustic guitar in hand but I guess they have played that song enough times and perhaps it was time for them to give it a rest.

It was great to see Rise Against headline a show and you knew the band was grateful for the oppertunity as they thanked Rancid as well as named off some of the venues in Cleveland they once played before such as the Agora as well as the Tower City parking lot by the stairs where years ago they were just an intro band to the Vans Warped Tour.  Times have change indeed for Rise Against, I was just glad to hear them admit it.

It was a good night for punk rock in Cleveland thanks to the three bands that took over Tower City that night.  As if the show itself was not good enough right as Rise Against was finishing up their set fireworks started going off over the Progressive Field as the Cleveland Indians game had just finished up.

I had yet to find a setlist for Rise Against or Riverboat Gamblers but when I do I will post it here.

Bad Times, Music News, WTF

Drummer Warren Oakes Parts With Against Me!

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Strange news in the punk rock music world as Against Me!recently announced they parted ways with their current drummer Warren Oakes.

This is the last thing I thought I would wake up to.  Perhaps it is good that the bearded always smiling drummer is doing his own thing, but I just don’t like how his band members announced the news.  Seemed a little harsh.

Tom Gabel had this to say early last month on his blog ifeelsicktomystomach:

May 1st – 4:13AM – Wilmington, NC […]  “We told Warren this afternoon that we are going to look for a new drummer. Andrew, James and I made the decision a couple days ago over lunch. I told them that I didn’t want to play music with Warren anymore. They both agreed that this was a necessary step, it’s been a long time coming. Warren’s heart hasn’t been in this for a while now.”

Sounds to me he was fired.  “We are looking for a new drummer” does not sound like anyone parted…

A second post not even 12 hours later adds a little more info:

May 1st – 2:42PM – Driving to Columbia, SC […] “After load in today Warren asked if he could talk with us all again. He said that after thinking about it over night he completely agreed that this was the best decision to make, that he realized his actions as of late have been, if not subconcious, indicitive of him not being fully invested. With his Mexican Restaurant opening soon, he seems ready to start a new chapter in his life. I wish him luck.”

The comments that follow this post are diehard fan comments with positive thoughts for Warren as well as outcries directed towards Tom Gabel for what happened.  There are truly mixed feelings with this and I wish I knew a little but more about why this had to be. 

Could Warren not take the major rockstar feel?  Did he in fact really want to focus on his own restaurant?  Were the other members of the band jealous of his charisma that lie behind his magnificent beard???

The official statement was released on the Against Me! MySpace blog:

“After coming to the conclusion that it was time to start a new chapter in his life, Warren Oakes has left Against Me!. While we don’t rule out the possibility of some day playing music together again, for now the four of us feel like this is the best decision to make. We’d like to wish Warren the best of luck with his new Mexican Restaurant, “Boca Fiesta”, which he just opened in Gainesville.”

Warren Oakes added to the blog stating:

“I’ve spent the past 8 years making beautiful music with my best friends and sharing it with amazing people all over the world. I’ve had the honor and privilege of traveling with the most dedicated road dogs on the planet and sharing the stage with the greatest bands. I have been embraced by so many with such graciousness and hospitality and love. Thank you so much to everyone who helped make the dream a reality, especially Tom, James and Andrew. I’ve had the time of my life, and I owe it all to you. 
-Warren Oakes”
The comments that follow the above statement by Warren are all heartfelt messages of luck and thanks.  He was one in a million and regardless if he was pushed out of the band or just was not into it anymore and did in fact want to be a burrito slinger he will always be remembered by me as that drummer who always had the biggest smile on his face when playing live shows.
Good luck Warren.

Related stories on the web:
PunkNews.org
AltPress.com
Download This!, Music, Music Video, New Release, Punk, Review, Ska

Left Alone – Left Alone – CD Review

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Street punk shows it has a nicer side thanks to Left Alone, a Wilmington, CA act on their latest self-titled album Left Alone released through Hellcat Records.  On the band’s third release they continue to play street punk material but incorporate elements of pop punk, reggae, and ska making for a real fun listen.

Opening track “Spiked With Pain” was a full punk rock track with sing along abilities and guitar and bass riffs suggestive of Rancid.  There is a reason why this band was signed to Hellcat and perhaps Tim Armstrong enjoyed the similarities of Left Alone and the band he fronts.

“Branded” follows with the same energy as the first track with front man Elvis Cortez’s raspy voice just appealing to my ears.  As if that was not good enough, the bass lines were sick throughout and overall the song is just screaming to be released as a single.

Almost sounding like the Madness meets Operation Ivy was the brisk “Sad Story” with a more ska approach that is easily likable and surly makes you want to skank away.  The song was easily one of my favorites on the entire CD.  See below for the music video of the song.  Good stuff.

The catchy “3 Bottles Of Wine” and “Porcelain” both seem more pop punk tracks. They seem to escape the street punk image held by the band but still are enjoyable for what they are worth.

“Bombs Away” sounding a lot like The Clash’s “Police And Thieves” carries on just fine as the song is not a direct rip off but more so a compliment to the UK grandfathers of punk.  “Brindle” starts off with a strong bass line that strays right into a fast paced track sure to be a hit at one of their live shows as it makes you want to swing your arms and dance around carelessly.

I loved “Self Made” with the more so 90s punk feel and an organ playing in the background.  “Wishing Well” continued that feeling with a simple yet catchy punk track with some group vocals.  These are the kinds of songs that turned me into a punk rock fan in the first place.

It’s nice to see a band like Left Alone not label themselves as one specific genre of music and experiment with their talent.  This album is full of tracks with sing along qualities that span back to their previous releases but add a more fine tuned effort making for a good listen if you find yourself a fan of punk rock.

Left Alone is far from a commercial pop punk act and thanks to their recent release they should be grabbing some attention.  Perhaps it is a good thing they stay away from the mainstream though as they have too much talent to be considered just another pop-punk act out there.  Having already been fans of their previous releases Lonely Starts and Broken Hearts and Dead American Radio I can honestly say this CD is just as good of a listen if not better.

Download This! – Left Alone – “Sad Story”
Download This! – Left Alone – “3 Bottles Of Wine”

(I would totally let the girls in this video kick my ass)