Storm Warnings: Iron Maiden Returns to Jersey
Iron Maiden PNC Art Center, NJ June 14, 2008 Click for full Iron Maiden Photolog From the moment Winston Churchill’s legendary speech resonated over the PA, it was obvious that the evening was going to be a special one. Fans screamed as the first riffs of “Aces High” echoed through the amphitheater, rolled over the [...]
Mad Marge & The Stonecutters at Karma
Mad Marge & the Stonecutters Karma, Victorville, CA May 31, 2008 Click for more photos of the show>>> Round trip gas to Victorville = $55 Dinner for two at burrito joint = $35 Tickets to the show = $24 Seeing Mad Marge and the Stonecutters perform in their home town = priceless Sorry, but I [...]
Koffin Kats and Speed Crazy at Asbury Lanes
Koffin Kats, Speed Crazy, Hand Me Downs Asbury Lanes, NJ April 25, 2008 Click for full photolog of the show The Koffin Kats returned to the Garden State last Friday night for a never ending evening of all things psycho. The band played just about every song in their repertoire during the nearly two hour [...]
Mick Jones and Carbon Silicon
at Asbury Lanes
Carbon/Silicone April 2, 2008 Asbury Lanes, New Jersey This is an open letter to anyone that is still bitching and moaning that they never got to see Joe Strummer or the Ramones. GO SEE MICK JONES BEFORE HE DIES. Not that he’s going anywhere soon, but at the rate that John Rotten keeps getting healthier [...]
X Live at Vogue
X / Skybombers March 18, 2008 Vogue Indianapolis, IN I was initially going to skip seeing X in favor of staying in Bloomington for some local bands. I don’t know why–not too many bigger bands come this close to my adopted hometown (seems they generally choose Chicago, about a four hour drive)–and tickets were about [...]
Nekromantix & Koffin Kats at Asbury Lanes
Nekromantix/ Koffin Kats/ The Choptops/ Toothless George Asbury Lanes, NJ November 24, 2007 Click for Full Photolog of The Nekromantix and The Koffin Kats on Flickr! It’s rare these days to catch a show so loaded that there isn’t enough filler time for a bathroom break or a second beer. Nowadays, promoters fill up a [...]
The Avengers & Pansy Division at Maxwells
The Avengers/Pansy Division Maxwell’s, NJ October 25, 2007 Last time I caught Pansy Division was at Lookout Records CMJ showcase way back in 1997. Jockcore was huge at the time, and Pansy Division had a blast plowing through a crowd of hardcore douchebags, spraying everyone with silly string while wearing womens’ underwear. It helped that [...]
Tiger Army at Irving Plaza
Tiger Army/Street DogsIrving Plaza, New York City October 11, 2007 Last time Tiger Army played New York they sold out BB Kings. This time their back with a new album, a subtle new look, but more of the same overdriven psychobilly rock. However, it was the opening act, The Street Dogs, that took the spotlight [...]
M.I.A at Terminal 5
M.I.A. Terminal 5 October 19, 2007by Michael Dolan, Evil PR Guy Seeing M.I.A. at Terminal 5 is something like being caught in a riot, a bit like going to the Limelight circa 1992 and something like falling down the stairs of the Bedford L station. Terminal 5 is a monstrous space, and every inch of [...]
American Steel at The Knitting Factory
American Steel/Sundowner Knitting Factory October 18, 2007 It took me more than an hour to realize that the American Steel that was playing at CMJ was the same American Steel I grew up adoring, and occasionally confusing with then label mates Ann Baretta. Good thing I did, because this was hands down the best set [...]
Cut Off Your Hands at The Delancey
Cut Off Your Hands The Delancey October 17, 2007 Not content to go home and be glum after getting shut out of The Nightwatchman show at Irving Plaza—excuse me—The Fillmore at Irving Plaza, I headed over to The Delancey to take in whatever the club might be offering. I lucked out, Cut Off Your Hands [...]
Bouncing Souls at Webster Hall
Bouncing Souls/Lifetime Webster Hall October 16, 2007 Damn, I knew the Bouncing Souls had gotten big over the years, but I don’t think I was ever expecting to see a packed ballroom singing along to every word of every song–even their cheesier work. Lifetime took the stage after a handful of opening acts. The Jersey [...]
Bad Religion at Nokia Theater
Bad Religion/The Gallows/The Briggs Nokia Theater October 15, 2007 The Gallows blew my mind. The singer played the whole set on the floor, in the middle of a mosh pit. I haven’t seen anyone do that since Converge at a VFW hall in 1994, and that doesn’t count since there wasn’t a stage. They played [...]
The Donnas at Highline Ballroom
The Donnas/Donita Sparks/American Bang Highline Ballroom October 10, 2007 Click for Full Photolog of The Donnas on Flickr! I’ve seen The Donnas a handful of times, but they’ve never really impressed me live. Boy have things changed. Last Wednesday, the queens of punk rock took stage at the fancy new Highline Ballroom and shredded the [...]
Turbonegro at Nokia Theater
Turbonegro/Mondo Generator Nokia Theater September 25, 2007 Click for Full Photolog of Turbonegro on Flickr! Every three years or so, the gods deliver to us the greatest tour on earth–They give us Turbonegro. Fresh of the US release of their blistering new record “Retox,” our favorite denim demons tore through New York, did our drugs, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Agnostic Front & Turbo A.C.s at Luna Lounge
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 [...]
The Stonecutters Take On NYC
Mad Marge & The Stonecutters The Knitting Factory August 12, 2007 Click for Full Photolog of the show on Flickr! It took quite a few years, but Mad Marge and her merry band of Stonecutters have made their way to the East Coast, and it was worth the wait. BullGooseLooney opened the show with a [...]
Sun, Booze, & Luchadores
Warped Tour 2007 Englishtown, NJ August 5, 2007 Click for Full Photolog of the show on Flickr! Boy, was the 13th edition of the traveling punk circus The Warped Tour lame this year or what? A good 90 percent of the bands on the bill skewed towards emo crap, and judging by the boy to [...]
John Doe/Dead Rock West at Maxwell’s
John Doe Maxwell’s July 30, 2007 Click for Full Photolog of the show on Flickr! One thing I’m starting to notice is that although many of my favorite rockers are getting pretty damn old, most of them still know how to rock. X frontman John Doe is no exception. This past Monday night, the punker [...]
Social Distortion at Starland Ballroom
Social Distortion & The Hangmen Starland Ballroom July 23, 2007 Click for Full Photolog of the show on Flickr! Every time Social Distortion swings by the East Coast you are in for a good time. Sure the band has slowed down releasing new material, but who really cares when Mike Ness and company are cranking [...]
Koffin Kats Rock the Asbury Lanes
Koffin Kats & American Speedway The Asbury Lanes July 21, 2007 Detroit’s favorite sons, The Koffin Kats, hit the Jersey Shore one more time for a hell of a romp this past Saturday night. The ghoulish trio pounded out nearly every song in their three-record catalog (including one new tune and a cover), and entertained [...]
A Night of Freaks, Geeks, and Love (Cinema)
Love Cinema Vol. 6/Animal Blood/Scareho Irish American VFW July 14, 2007 When the administration at the Irish American VFW hall handed over the keys to its lovely little bar/hall to Love Cinema, they made the rules very clear: No fights, tip the bartender, and do not fucking touch the portrait of John F. Kennedy. Somehow, [...]