Mummies/Back CC’s
June 9, 2009 – (two sets) Maxwell’s, Hoboken, NJ
June 10, 2009 – Southpaw, Brooklyn, NY
“So why do you think they played here in 2002?”
I turned around and saw my friend Jan laughing, as he brought over Maxwell’s and Telstar Records owner Todd Abramson to ask me this. I climbed drunkenly over another friend and sat on the top of the booth seat. “Well,” I said, “it was listed on their website and I’m pretty sure I saw it in the Village Voice.”
You see, ever since November 2002, I’ve been kicking myself because I missed the Mummies play at Maxwell’s (presumably to promote the then just-released Never Been Caught CD.) Or I thought I missed it. According to Abramson, the Mummies did not play Maxwell’s in November of 2002; he wasn’t aware it was listed on their website and said it was probably just a joke. Read the rest of this entry »
The Damned, The BelRays, Electric Frankenstein
Fillmore at Irving Plaza May 14, 2009
It’s sad to say, but the number of living legends from the early part of punk history is dwindling rather quickly. With the death of three quarters of The Ramones, Joe Strummer, Arthur “Killer” Kane, and (most recently) Lux Interior, the need to see bands that are still alive (and killing it on stage) is a must.
Luckily, the dark princes of punk, The Damned, are still vivacious as ever, churning out new records and putting enough emotion in their concerts to show up even the rowdiest new band.
The Damned made good on their cancelled December dates, returning with two pure rock acts in tow—Jersey street rockers Electric Frankenstein and R&B rave up act The BellRays. Read the rest of this entry »
“You can hate a hammer but it’s a good tool,” said Pat Todd, owner of independent label Rankoutsider Records (and front man for Pat Todd and the Rankoutsiders) when asked about the good and bad of South by Southwest. I had no idea what to expect from SXSW – how would it compare to lame-o festivals like Lollapalooza,Warped Tour and CMJ? Why the hell am I, a person who suffers regular, frequently crippling, anxiety attacks willingly surrounding myself by tens of thousands of people?
“Bands of our level spend $1000 to make $100,” continued Todd, matter-of-factly, when asked why independent bands go out of their way to play SXSW. The four-day music festival is undeniably good exposure, not just for bands that are looking for a label or management, but to get their music heard and their name out there. Todd said his label doesn’t pay to bring in its acts, they come in on their own dime and they don’t expect to make any money.
Rankoutsider Records solo artist Patrick “Salt” Ryan drove himself down from New York and seems to be enjoying the party atmosphere (I watched him do three shots of whiskey before his 12:30 p.m. set.) What a way to begin a four-day bender… I thought I should wait a few more hours before I began drinking but that plan lasted about a half hour. Read the rest of this entry »
If Buffalo, NY’s chosen sons The Quakes are known for one thing (besides their zeal for ’80s covers), it’s that they release the most consistently marvelous records year after year.
“Negative Charge” is no exception, commencing with the poppy “Seven Seas Alone,” an apropos tune in these days of non-swashbuckling pirates and a rocking non-sea chantey dowsed in twang and tremolo.
This record is a bit less aggressive than some of the band’s earlier outings, but the quality of the production and the catchiness of the tunes outweigh the need for slam dance fodder. The Quakes are now writing their own new wave classics, most notably “Ghost Town,” a classic number in the vein of old school Echo and the Bunnymen. Read the rest of this entry »
Toby and the boys just dropped their new video for “Nothing to Prove” from their superb record of the same name. The video is short, but you’ll have a blast picking out the hardcore legends singing along to the tune.
Green Day have announced a ton of North American tour dates in support of their eighth studio album “21st Century Breakdown,” which will be released by Reprise Records on Friday, May 15. This is their first record since the rock opera “American Idiot.” For those that can’t wait for Green Day goodness, the band’s third release “Dookie,” is now available on 180 gram vinyl and I’m pretty sure a reissue of “Kerplunk” is now out with bonus tracks.
Record Store Day turned out to be a huge success in Northern New Jersey this past Saturday. I woke up early to head out in search of some limited vinyl records, only to get a call from my friend Josh that Vintage Vinyl had already been pillaged and that the place was pretty packed.
So I decided to find Scotti’s Records, an old CD store I use to visit for Ticketmaster tickets (back before the Internet). Record Store Day’s Web site was down so I put all faith in my GPS and it actually found one of the stores in Summit, NJ.
Luckily, the place was pretty well stocked with some of the exclusive gems, including the first Bad Religion 7-inch, the Slayer psychopath red 45, an Elvis Costello 7-inch, a Jenny Lewis duet with Costello, the Sonic Youth/Beck split, and the Gaslight Anthem live 10-inch. I also snagged the reissue of The Misfits’ “Walk Among Us” on 180 gram vinyl (not a special release, but still pretty cool).
We eventually made it to Vintage Vinyl, but there was no parking and the place had a line out the door. I caught the final few chords of Willie Nile covering “Sheena is a Punk Rocker” before running out as throngs of emo fans made their way to the stage for an upcoming Mayday Parade performance. It was great seeing the place teeming with vinyl entusiasts and kids willing to spend money on actual physical music.
Sure, I never scored the Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen exclusives, but the joy of seeing the record stores that filled me with so much joy as a kid actually making some cash was more than worth it.
Subway Art
Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant Chronicle Books
A few months back, I took my parents on a trip to Manhattan. I work there, so it wasn’t a big deal for this bridge and tunneler, but for my parents—who have not been to New York City in almost 25 years—the trip was a culture shock.
See, my mom and dad remember a very different New York. One teeming with prostitutes, drug dealers, grime, and graffiti. Watching my mom step foot on a subway in the evening to go from City Hall to 42nd Street, it was difficult to ignore that she was clutching her purse a little closer to her chest and eyeballing the homeless person in the corner. In the 15 years I’ve been going to New York on my own, I’ve never been robbed, assaulted, or even harassed. They don’t know this New York.
The Manhattan they know is the one from Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant’s “Subway Art,” a photo retrospective of the early New York street art scene. This is the 25th anniversary for the book and it’s been reissued in a large format with a new intro and more pictures. The two photojournalists were entrenched in the underground art movement, meandering around train yards and dilapidated buildings to capture artists like SEEN and DAZE in the middle of the night.
The photos are vintage New York—dirty alleys and ugly subway cars adorned with breathtaking colorful artwork and massive bombings. It’s still mind boggling, in this day of graffiti-proof subways, that so much paint could be applied to public transportation. It’s also shocking that so much quality art trumped gang signs and scratchy tags.
The best part of the book, however, is not the art or the scenes of a chaotic New York, but the portraits of the artists as young men. You get a wonderful look into the eyes of kids who just wanted to express themselves. These are not criminals or monsters, but bored youth trying to get their voice across in a visual manner. These are kids my parents were scared of, and the ironic thing is, many of these kids are now legends.
“You can hate a hammer but it’s a good tool,” said Pat Todd, owner of independent label Rankoutsider Records (and front man for Pat Todd and the Rankoutsiders) when asked about the good and bad of 
The Quakes
Green Day have announced a ton of North American tour dates in support of their eighth studio album “21st Century Breakdown,” which will be released by Reprise Records on Friday, May 15. This is their first record since the rock opera “American Idiot.” For those that can’t wait for Green Day goodness, the band’s third release “Dookie,” is now available on 180 gram vinyl and I’m pretty sure a reissue of “Kerplunk” is now out with bonus tracks.
Subway Art 
