Life In A Bungalo

Bedlight for Blue Eyes
Life on Life’s Terms
Trustkill

Bedlight for Blue Eyes is a rotten band. Plain and simple there really isn’t a single redeeming quality about them. The press release talks of their “insanity” and “passion.” What we get is painful boredom and a lot of piss poor ballads.

New singer Daniel Rinaldi, who apparently responded to a Myspace post to become the band’s new singer, offers a lot of whining and stereotypical emo boy crying. As the 14 year-old female demographic goes bananas for shit like this, I’m left scratching my head.

I should note that before the band released this second full length on Trustkill their original vocalist and bassist ran for the hills. What is left is the hollow shell of a band with no direction or soul.

These songs will generally be featured in prom scenes of the next slew of bad teen movies. The band will go on to be a semi-popular opening gig for bigger emo bands around the country, then they’ll finally grow up, realize all of their music is bullshit and hang it up for good.

Trustkill should have sent this band packing as soon as the original vocalist left. “Waste My Time” is the standout track and ironically that’s exactly what I’ve done with your time with this review.

Doesn’t Rock l Kinda Rocks l Rocks l Really Rocks

Dropkick Murphys
The Meanest Of Times
Born & Bred Records

For many bands, maturity and progression are the kiss of death. Change a tiny bit and fans yell sell out. But the The Dropkick Murphys (and maybe the Bouncing Souls), seem to be the exception to the rule. Listen to every record from the second one down, and no two sound alike. The riotous topics, and whiskey-drenched brogue via Boston singalongs are still there, but the band has matured, expanded, and continue to release epic albums that constantly top each other. Read more »

Agnostic Front, Roger Miret & The Disasters, Turbo A.C.s, Stigma
Luna Lounge, Brooklyn, New York
August 24, 2007

Click for Full Photolog of the show on Flickr!

Old School punk rock fans got a real treat Friday night as The Rumbler’s annual car show kicked off with a no holds barred rock festival featuring, among other cool things, a short reunion of Agnostic Front (well, three at of four members isn’t bad). Read more »

Punknews.org broke the story last night and the media swarmed—Legendary punk bassist Karl Alvarez had a heart attack (albeit, a little one), and needs help paying the bills. We’re huge fans of The Descendent’s four string slinger and have trekked to every local ALL and Descendents show to listen to him babble endlessly about just about anything. At last month’s Only Crime show, Life In A Bungalo chatted up Bill Stevenson (who was manning the t-shirt booth) and was tipped off that Bill and Karl will be pitching in for the upcoming Lemonhead’s tour in the fall. The duo played rhythm on the last record, but have yet to tour behind Evan Dando. Hopefully Alvarez will be able to make the gigs.

If you want to donate to help pay for Karl’s medical bills, visit the Karl Alvarez benefit Myspace and drop a dime or two.

Hated: GG Allin & The Murder Junkies
Special Edition
MVD Visual

For all those diehard GG Allin fans who have been foaming at the mouth for a special edition of “Hated,” the GG Allin documentary, your wishes have been answered. MVD has released a new version of the classic film, crammed with a ton of cool extras and what looks like a spiffed up version of the classic movie.

For those not in the know, Hated is an hour long look at punk rock legend GG Allin: his rise to infamy, his music, his show, and ultimately, his explosive death. Known for his ultra-violent stage show, Allin drew a cult following everywhere he went. Hundreds of fans worshiped Allin by pounding the snot out of their hero, and bathing in his shit and blood. Director Todd Phillips (Old School, Starsky & Hutch) does a great job documenting the grimy late-’80s New York scene, plagued with hookers, junkies, squats, and fights. It’s a look not only at the Allin, but the world that created the maniac.

Bonus footage includes live videos, two commentary tracks, and a very rare interview with GG’s mom, who explains in detail why she chose to name her son Jesus Christ. The film is short, but the commentary tracks make it worth repeated viewings, and the disc comes with an offer for a replica poster of GG by John Wayne Gacey. Hated is a must own film.

Doesn’t Rock l Kinda Rocks l Rocks l Really Rocks

I posted the NYC Hardcore video yesterday to show just how silly media can be when they latch onto the latest hot topic. Hardcore kids were just more intelligent and slightly more aggressive punks that enjoyed hanging out together and looking different. Twenty years later, same shit different bands. The latest issue of Rolling Stone features a massive story about the death of an Iraqi vet at the hands of an FSU member (allegedly). The article has already caused a blitzkrieg of coverage in the punk rock and mainstream press, and everyone is wondering where these hardcore kids came from.

Maybe they should search Youtube, because there is a ton of newscasts talking about this dangerous “new” movement. Same as the Peter Blauner article that lead to the Donahue episode, Rolling Stone has latched onto a subset of hardcore and has basically damned the whole movement as a gang of potential murders. This group in particular, FSU (Fuck Shit Up/Friends Stand United), is located in the Jersey, Boston, Philly area and from the look of some of the players, they aren’t exactly former Korn fans who started listening to Hatebreed. These guys are old school punks that are talked up like all they do is go to shows to beat people up. Read more »

This might be the greatest video ever. Featuring almost every member of the early to mid-80s New York Hardcore scene including Ray Cappo, John Joseph, and Jimmy G. It’s a classic.

Blaqk Audio
Cexcells
Interscope

Ever since AFI made the leap from Nitro to the big leagues, the band has been tinkering with electronica. For the most part, the synth tracks have played second fiddle to the band’s bombastic punk riffs and melodic hardcore vocals. Vocalist Davey Havok can clearly sing, but the trappings of AFI forces them to stay at least mildly true to their punk roots. Enter Blaqk Audio, Havok’s side project with guitarist Jade Puget, a retro bleep-pop record that recalls tons of ’80s classics but still sounds like AFI.

True, no one can recreate Havok’s vocals and many punks have long considered AFI an acquired taste, but Blaqk Audio works on a couple of important levels. First, Cexcells is the best album Depeche Mode has made in years. The songs are catchy and have a groove that fans of pop, goth, and electroclash can easily latch on to. That said, the record is not dark. Sure, there are some slower tunes, but nothing that would make you fantasize about killing yourself. Second, hopefully Cexcells will let Havok and Puget release all their pent up techno lust and allow AFI to just stick to the rock. Read more »