Hunter’s Revenge
For the two of you that are wondering what Hunter is up to while the important half of AFI is on tour…
Dropkick Murphys at Roseland Ballroom
Dropkick Murphys/The Horrorpops
The Roseland Ballroom
September 15, 2007
Click for Full Photolog of the Dropkick Murphys on Flickr!
Halfway through The Horrorpop’s set at the sold out Roseland Ballroom, singer/bass fiddler Patricia Day asked the crowd a stupid question: Are there any Irish people in the crowd? The jam packed ballroom, drenched in green and orange with flags waving screamed in response as if they were being flogged. Yes, lads and lassies, the Dropkick Murphys (and their fans) were in the house. Read more »
Head "No Hugging No Learning"
Head
“No Hugging No Learning”
Evil Clown Records
I have no idea how long this album has been out. It says 2006 on the back but I only just heard about it. I thought Seattle, WA’s Head completely disappeared after their 1997 The Monkeys LP. Apparently they’ve been around in one form or another (guitarist Giggles is no longer a full-time member, although he appears in the background on the free gigantic poster that comes with this LP).
About two years ago I wrote them a letter while drunk and they never wrote back; I figured they were long gone and closed their post office box, but alas, they still have the same address… fuckers! They have a 7″ due any time now on Memphis, TN’s Goner Records (they’ll be playing this year’s Gonerfest in September and I’ll be there!). Read more »
Blaqk Audio at The Grand Ballroom
Blaqk Audio
Grand Ballroom, New York
September 7, 2007
Click for Full Photolog of Blaqk Audio on Flickr!
As two-fourths of the goth-adored, punk scorned East Bay Hardcore troupe AFI, singer Davey Havok and guitarist Jade Puget are worshiped for their punk-leaning, adrenaline rush anthems. Yet for the last few years, this band of Danzig loving punks have towed the techno line, dabbling with digital sequences and ambient tones (much like Danzig himself, just more Depeche Mode than Rammstein). Read more »
Ben Weasel "These Ones Are Bitter"
Ben Weasel
These Ones Are Bitter
Mendota Recording Co.
I really wanted to hate this album but I guess I don’t. If anyone follows Ben Weasel’s writing (www.benweasel.com) they’ve been forewarned that this album is going to sound different than Screeching Weasel or the Riverdales (his two most noted outfits) and be more “polished” than the aforementioned bands. Polished is a word that sets off alarms in many a punk rocker’s head, but with the advances in home recording technology, any out-of-the-gate pop-punk band can sound like they recorded at Sonic Iguana studio. What I wanted to shit on was the “digital only” release of this album. I thought it was strange that a man who seemingly led the anti-CD/pro-LP charge in early 1990s punk would embrace something, so… technological. Read more »
Interview: The Donnas
From the moment Lookout! Records released the self-titled Donnas record in 1997, punk rockers the world over were smitten with this quartet of rock & roll hotties. Luckily, the band had the chops to back up their pixie-like demeanor. These gals play rock as if it was forged into the Earth by a female god rather than Gene Simmons, and they shred harder than any of the punk rock boy band gracing the cover of Rolling Stone. The best part, they could probably kick my ass. Or at least shred it. Life In A Bungalo Digest chatted with drummer Torry Castellano about their new record, new label, and being forced to do dumb things at photo shoots. Transcribed interview will be up in a few weeks, but check out the podcast right now.
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Danny Fields is Not a Sexual Predator
It’s always fun to see legendary punks mentioned in mainstream mags, but I don’t think that’s the case with this juicy tidbit in today’s Page Six. Richard Johnson reports that legendary punk manager Danny Fields is pissed off that Out Magazine painted him as a creep pedophile in a recent article about the 1970s East Village punk rock scene. Fields, who managed punk gods The Stooges, The Ramones, and The MC5, was quoted as babbling:
“The ’70s was sure a lot of fun, but I was sure a lot of young. Boy, if you didn’t get laid, then it was your own fault. I don’t remember ever being inhibited by saying ‘I’m the manager of the band. If you want to meet them, come to my hotel room and sleep with me, and I’ll introduce you to them in the morning.’ “
Fields told Page Six:
“I never said that. The implication is while my bands were playing, I was trawling the audience for kids . . . like I used the performances as an excuse to cruise and pick up underage teens. The quotes are also so ungrammatical. I would never even talk like that. I have advanced degrees in English literature . . . They gay-bashed me.”
Black Francis "Bluefinger"
Black Francis
Bluefinger
Cooking Vinyl
Two seconds into the first track “Captain Pasty,” and it’s almost impossible to believe that legend/indie rock god Frank Black has spent the last decade floundering in a country rock wasteland. Without a doubt, “Bluefinger” is Black’s greatest solo CD to date, even pounding out his former masterpiece “Pistolero.”
Black obviously took his former Pixie’s moniker to signify some sort of return to rock. But seriously, this CD should have just had The Pixies name on it because it’s balls to the wall awesome. The droning bass on “Tighter Black Rubber” and the choppy, distorted guitars on “You Can’t Break Your Heart and Have It” punctuate Black’s screaming roar. A handful of tracks are accompanied by some dreamy female vocals, but even the mellower songs are extraordinary.
For the last decade, Black has pumped out at least one album every year. It got to the point where they all started blurring together. “Bluefinger” is the exception to every misconception you’ve had about Black’s solo career. This is not Frank Black. This is not The Catholics. This is Black Francis, and he’s come to whoop everyone’s ass.
Doesn’t Rock l Kinda Rocks l Rocks l Really Rocks
