I’ve been a little quiet about the upcoming Record Store Day, but as April 18 quickly approaches, I’m going to be ramping up coverage of the event. For those that don’t know, Record Store Day was the brainchild of a group of vinyl enthusiasts that strive to keep independent music retailers from crashing and burning in the wake of the collapse of the major label record industry.

In the last few years, I’ve watched as dozens of local record shops have closed their doors, including Let It Rock, Crazy Rhythms, as well as a handful of non-descript used vinyl stores. I’ve been lucky enough to still have a handful of big shops like Vintage Vinyl within driving distance, but it is getting tough to hunt down new records.

I won’t lie, I steal music off the Internet. If I don’t know the artist, but have some vague curiosity about the band, I will hunt down the record on some random Spanish or German blog site and download it. If it sucks, it gets delegated to my iTunes discount bin. But if it’s good, I make every effort to buy the record (preferably on vinyl) from a local indie retailer or directly from the band if I catch them on tour.

I’m sure I’m partially responsible for the downfall of the music industry, but I’m also pretty certain that a large number of today’s youth are following the same tactic: Support what’s good, ignore what’s not.

In less than a month, hundreds of indie record stores are going to be selling dozens of limited release records from bands like Slayer and the Gaslight Anthem. Find a shop on the list, drive over to a local shop, and spend some money on some good music.

Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Thrice, Gaslight Anthem
Roseland Ballroom, NYC
October 13, 2008

View Photolog on Flickr

It’s been a few years since melodic hardcore giants Rise Against played Manhattan and the hipster saturated island has been starving for some decent rock & roll. Luckily, the Chicago-based quartet brought a healthy dose of adrenaline-charged punk rock along with a nice medley of opening bands to fatten up the trolls in skinny jeans.

On paper, the support for the evening leaned towards emo, but in truth, what sounds lame on Fuse comes off much better in a live hall. Case in point, Gaslight Anthem. For weeks these tattooed Jersey boys have been cloggin up the boob tube with their Bouncing Souls meets Bruce Springsteen posturing. Guess what? They actually rock…and they kinda sound like Bruce Springsteen on speed. I thoroughly enjoyed their set and look forward to hearing the full length.

The same can’t be said for Thrice. I used to love these guys when they sounded like a mellower version of Strife, but the moment I saw the keyboards on stage I got worried. Sure, some of their stuff still resides in the same city as say the Blood Brothers, but they lost me the moment they reached for the Radiohead vibe. Yes, I was bored during Thrice.

With Alkaline Trio you know what you’re in for. They look like AFI, but sound like Eve 6. They are amazing musicians, but the lyrics seem geared for the Emily the Strange set. They can pass for wussies, but at least they don’t have keyboards. I actually was quite entertained by the trio of gothic punks, and if it weren’t for my anxiousness to see Rise Against, I might have actually sang along to some of their catchier numbers.

But then came Rise Against. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo by Jim Graham

Anchorless Records is releasing All Aboard: A Tribute to Johnny Cash on October 21. The record features covers performed by 16 bands that are just below the popularity line, including: Chuck Ragan, The Bouncing Souls, The Gaslight Anthem, The Dresden Dolls, and – most imp, Derekortantly – Russ Freakin’ Rankin doing “I Walk The Line.” It’s kind of a bummer that there aren’t any rockabilly bands on here. But there’s already a psychobilly tribute to the Man In Black, so I guess it’s okay. And yes, there will be a vinyl version. Go to www.myspace.com/weareanchorlessrecords to hear a few tracks. Read the rest of this entry »