Less Than Jake w/ Off With Their Heads , Transit (Live In Philly 1/30/2011)

Don't judge: last night I headed out to Philly's Trocadero to catch Less Than Jake with Off With Their Heads. I was originally going to pass on this show like I have on a bunch of LTJ shows in the past, but I've heard they were playing a lot off of their old stuff, and being that they were my favorite band back when I was just a 13 year old punk 12 years ago, the angsty teen in me was stooooked.

Transit:

I made it just in time for Boston's Transit, and was glad I got to see them, as I've heard some of their recorded stuff. I wasn't a big fan of their latest album, but their EP was pretty solid. First thing I noticed was that these guys were much younger than I expected.

The biggest show they've ever played in Philly prior to last night was a bookstore, and they seemed to be a little bit nervous, keeping the stage presence to a minimum (nervous or exhausted... one of the two). Even though the crowd wasn't moving around, there were a decent amount singing along to every angsty post-hardcore lyric. People who dig Title Fight will eat this shit up.

Off With Their Heads:

These guys have become one of my favorite bands, but it's weird seeing them play big venues such as the Troc. When OWTH play smaller places in Philly such as The Ox or The Barbary, they always get a good reaction, with everyone being beer soaked by the end of the set.

While myself and two other dude's opened up a giant pit, 99% of the people there didn't know the band at all, and in the words of Billy Idol, left me dancing with myself. They put on an enjoyable set, playing a majority of songs off their latest (and my #1 pick of 2010) "In Desolation". Hopefully they'll be playing some smaller, more intimate shows soon (although I doubt it, as they're on tour with Dropkick Murphys next month).

Weirdest moment: they opened "Die Today" with a ska riff, which had a bunch of kids skanking... skanking at an OWTH show... fucking weird.

Setlist (From what I remember):
I Am You
Janie
1612 Havenhurst
Terrorist Attack?
Fuck This I'm Out
Die Today
Drive
Trying To Breathe
Clear The Air

Supervillains:

The only band on the show that I really have never heard before, The Supervillains played a blend of reggae, punk, and ska. The most interesting thing was that they had their drummer as the lead singer, which I don't see very often. The crowd seemed to dig them, and they had a cover of Billy Joel's "Anthony's Song" which was fucking awesome (embarrassing secret time: I'm a DIE HARD Billy Joel fan.)

Less Than Jake:

Hoooooly shit, Less Than Jake, welcome back! I was completely stoked by this point for them at this point, but I was still a bit cautious about if their set was going to be all new crap with a few bones thrown at us oldsters. Fuck the fact I was like twice the age of many in this crowd, I was stooooked. The second they took the stage and opened with "Shindo" my worries were put to rest, and us oldsters in the crowd opened up a pit that didn't let up for the rest of the night.

Now, these guys were one of the staple bands that got me through a lot of shit when I was younger, and Hello Rockview was one of the soundtracks of my youth. When the band then announced that they would be playing Hello Rockview in it's entirety tonight, I completely lost my shit. A lot of the younger fans looked confused through out the set, wondering where all of the new songs were, and when they were done with Hello Rockview, they played maybe 1 or 2 newer songs that got all the young-ums moving.

Less Than Jake, thank you for rekindling my love for you last night. Now next time you come around, play Pezcore in it's entirety.

Setlist (From what I remember)

-Shindo
-Sugar In Your Gastank (I think...)
-Look What Happened
-Last One Out Of Liberty City
-Help Save The Youth Of America From Exploding
-All My Best Friends Are Metalheads
-Five State Drive
-Nervous In The Alley
-Motto
-History Of A Boring Town
-Great American Sharpshooter
-Danny Says
-Big Crash
-Theme Song For H Street
-Richard Allen George... No Just Cheez
-Scott Farcas Takes It On The Chin
-Al's War
-Theme From Animaniacs

Encore:
-Plastic Cup Politics
-Science of Selling Yourself Short

MP3:
Less Than Jake – My Very Own Flag
Off With Their Heads - Drive

More:
Less Than Jake - GNV FLA
Less Than Jake - Pezcore
Off With Their Heads - In Desolation
Off With Their Heads - Hospitals
Off With Their Heads - From The Bottom
Transit - Stay Home

Buy:
Interpunk

Octaves - Greener Pastures (For fans of Every Time I Die, La Dispute, The Bled)

Metal influenced hardcore is incredibly tough to pull off, and I only can listen to about 1% of the bands I hear that try to blend the two influences. (Usually they have to add something different for me to dig it.) On Baltimore's Octaves "Greener Pastures", they not only blend the two perfectly, but also go the extra mile.

The album is 8 songs long clocking in about 23 minutes, and it's quite a stylistic frenzy. Taking cues from bands such as Every Time I Die and Dillinger Escape Plan, vocalist Phil Folster unleashes a fury on the microphone while the rest of the band keeps things interesting by constantly changing rhythm and melodies. The band never focuses too long on one rhythmic pattern either, which is where I tend to lose interest with most bands when they slow things down.

Like I said, I usually don't dig this genre of music, but "Greener Pastures" holds my interests, and if you dig aggressive tunes, it's worth you're time to check it out.

MP3:
Octaves - Fix The Fern Back

More:
Espirit De Corps - Under The Constant Influence
La Dispute

Buy:
Hotfoot Records

The Menzingers Live In Philly (1/23/11)

First off, big props to my buddy Tony over at Dead Booking Industries for throwing what I believe is his biggest show to date. On Sunday, I rushed back home from NJ and made it to the First Unitarian Church, and it was immediately apparent that the show was sold the fuck out (bought tickets early this time... no BTMI repeat for me.)

Algernon Cadwallader

I've seen these guys before open for Paint it Black at a friend's house last spring, and they definitely have a strong following. Bunch of scruffy dudes playing melodic emo tinged punk. I don't really like this band much, but the crowd was going apeshit for them. They were definitely feeding off the crowd's energy.

The Menzingers

I've been in Philly for 4 years now, and have yet to see these guys live. Of course, it wasn't until I listened to their 2o1o "Chamberlain Waits" before I really became a fan. The second they took the stage, the crowd instantly started the stage dives and pile-ons (including yours truly). The band played with the majority of songs off of their acclaimed release, but threw some in from "A Lesson In Abuse of Technology".

The band themselves seemed to be having a complete blast on stage, with the guitarist jumping into the crowd and playing on people's shoulders. The band's blend of punk, folk, and pop translated perfectly on stage, and if they come around your area, definitely go see them, or better yet, make a pilgrimage to Philly to see them in their city... It'll be a shit show guaranteed.

Highlights:
I Was Born
Home Outgrown
Tasker-Morris Station
Timetables
Who's Your Partner
My Friend Chris

MP3:
The Menzingers - Home Outgrown

More:
The Menzingers - Chamberlain Waits
Smoke or Fire - This Sinking Ship
Static Radio NJ - An Evening of Bad Decisions

Buy:
Red Scare

Cobra Lung, Cokskar Live In Philly (1/22/11)

I headed out to JR's Bar down in South Philly to catch 609's finest Cobra Lung and a few other bands that I briefly checked out before the show. When I got to the bar, I was insanely early, and was the only person there for the show (the rest were some older locals just having some beers there), but fuck it, I can hang.

GA$H

First up were hardcore thrash band GA$H (no, not the 80s Australian band). These dudes played high energy hardcore without much banter. Within about 8 minutes, their set was over. That is how you do hardcore.

Cokskar

I was not prepared for Minneapolis female fronted thrash/powerviolence band Cokskar. Having only three members (bassists are overrated), I was completely blown away by their energetic live show. The guitarist and blast beat drummer filled whatever perceived void one might feel without a bassist, while the frontwoman's crazed vocals and ramming into the crowd kept things moving. Reminded me of a mix between Crucial Unit and Ceremony.
Cobra Lung

New Jersey's finest NJ thrash band. These guys are young, and pretty fucking talented, and I haven't seen them since the Terrordome days. The band played really tight as usual, and blasted through their set (including their sort of straight edge anthem XVX, neverending Machine Gun, and Project X cover Straight Edge Revenge). Seriously, they don't play many shows anymore, but if they play near you, do yourself a favor and come out.

Flying Trichecos

Cleveland scum punk. I want to say good things about this band because their music was actually pretty tight, but they were kind of douches (or at least the lead singer). Dude takes a mic stand and charges the crowd just standing there, hurting one girl pretty bad. Now, that's not what makes him a dick, as that's just a lapse in judgement... What makes him a dick is when informed that someone got hurt, he says "good!". So yeah, fuck these wannabe rockstars.

More:
Cobra Lung live In Philly

Sainte Catherines, One Win Choice (Live In Philly 1/21/11)

Yesterday, on incredibly little sleep, I decided I was going to skip The Queers playing at the Barbary and would just take it easy. Then a buddy of mine informed me of a basement show happening, and I needed to go. I walked around a certain part of Philly looking for said show and walked into the wrong house for a different basement show (I <3 style="font-weight: bold;">

Restorations:

I never heard of these guys before the show, but they were local to North Philly, and put on a decent set. Personally, I'm not really into the style of music they were playing (a mix between post hardcore, prog, etc), but I was impressed with how tight they played together and the way the bass often drove the songs.

One Win Choice:

I saw these Jersey dudes earlier in the month open for Strike Anywhere and was impressed by their explosive live set, so I was stoked to be seeing them again. I was interested to see how they would deal with the small space, but they kept the stage presence up although I was worried that if the lead singer stood up, he'd get a damn concussion. Playing their breed of melodic hardcore, they threw in a Refused cover which got a decent amount of the crowd singing along. Recently they sent me their latest album, so be on the lookout for a posting on that sometime soon. Definitely check em if they come around your hood.

The Sainte Catherines

Hoooly shit... Why have I not listened to these guys before hand? I knew these Quebec punkers name, but for some reason never got around to checking them out. My mistake! Sounding something like Dillinger Four meets Swinging Utters but used to listen to a tad of hardcore, these guys put on one hell of a set with the singer stating that it was basement shows like this that make them want to keep coming back to the US.

The Holy Mess
One of the main reasons I came, but unfortunately, by the time they started playing I was feeling pretty sick (been fighting something off), so I had to bounce. I caught two songs, and while I'm bummed I missed their set, it DID take them 15 minutes of banter before they played a song... Which they are pretty notorious for.

MP3:
The Holy Mess - A Soulful Punk Tune About A Working Class Dreamer
One Win Choice - Failure To Quit

More:
Holy Mess - Benefit Sesh
One Win Choice - Define/Redefine EP

Buy:
Interpunk

Cerebral Ballzy - Cerebral Ballzy (For fans of Black Flag, Minor Threat, Bones Brigade)

When you think about type of bands coming from Brooklyn, skate influenced hardcore probably isn't exactly what comes to mind. However, Cerebral Ballzy is set out to change that. I've seen their energetic live shows a few times, but I just recently got to listen to their 2010 7 inch "You're Idle".

First of all, I'm usually not one for gimmicky packaging or whatnot, but the 7-inch came in stenciled grip tape, which is pretty fucking sweet. Cerebral Ballzy has a very 80s punk sound to it, bringing vibes of Black Flag on their four song EP. I believe the album is sold out, but if you find a used copy anywhere, definitely pick it up.

MP3:
Cerebral Ballzy - Cerebral Ballzy

More:
Dead Kennedys
Steve Versus The Volcano
Bones Brigade - Endless Bummer

Buy:
Sold Out Homies

Steve Vs. The Volcano - First Round (For fans of Bones Brigade, Cut The Shit, Trash Talk)

Anyone who's been reading Housewives as of late knows that I am a complete sucker for thrashy hardcore punk. The latest band that has snuck into my regular rotation is "Steve Versus The Volcano" from Massachusetts.

To put it shortly and delicately as possible, these guys can fucking shred. Their debut album First Round is a 14 song blitz that ends in just a mere 17 minutes. Their music takes cues from Boston locals such as Bones Brigade and Cut The Shit.

Lyrically, the band doesn't dig to deep and keep it relatively light hearted, such as in the song 211: "I can't afford your fancy fucking beer/if it wasn't for Steel Reserve, I wouldn't be fucking here". Also the album flows really damn well, with most of the songs leading into the next seamlessly. Perfect if you're looking for a rowdy good time, definitely check this shit out.

MP3:
Steve Versus The Volcano - 211

More:
LxExAxRxN - First Lesson
Aneurysm Rats
Bones Brigade - Endless Bummer

Buy:
Steve Vs. The Volcano Myspace

Vision Live in Philly (1-9-2011 at Barbary)

Last night, I had the perfect plan. I was going to head out to the Barbary to catch New Jersey hardcore legends Vision, and then trek the few blocks over to The Fire to see DIY or die duders Bomb The Music Industry... Unfortunately the BTMI show sold out, but at least I got to see Vision.

Damnation A.D

I got to the show in time to catch DC hardcore act Damnation A.D. There were a few dedicated fans up front doing the whole tough guy ninja shit in the pit during their act, and the band put on an ok set, but it's a little too metal and has that "every song is pretty much one giant breakdown" for my taste.

Still, they got their fans pumped, so I guess that's all that matters.

Vision

I've been listening to Vision for quite some time now, and to me they are one of the more original hardcore bands, mixing all types of influences into their songs. While not overly active these days (their last new release came out in 2003) and only playing a small handful of shows a year, I was pretty damn stoked to see them in a small, intimate setting.

The seasoned band blasted into In The Blink Of An Eye, and had myself and only a few others (including Joe Hardcore) up front piling on and shouting every word. Whatever, rest of the crowd's loss. They played a tight set, and played the majority of songs off of their older albums. At one point they asked us what we wanted to hear, and they honored my request of playing "Pick of The Litter". Thanks guys.

Setlist:
In The Blink Of An Eye
The Kids Still Have A Lot To Say
Two Wishes
Wipe The Slate
Again And Again
Pick Of The Litter
Absence Of Hope
The Life
Once
Close Minded
One And The Same
Suspect Device (Stiff Little Fingers cover)
Falling Apart

I would have stuck around to check out 108, but I wanted to try and get into that BTMI show... Oh well.

MP3:
Vision - Close Minded

More:
Kid Dynamite And The Art Of Moshing Everywhere
Static Radio NJ

Buy:
Amazon

LxExAxRxN - First Lesson (For fans of Bones Brigade, Municipal Waste, Cut The Shit)

Holy fucking shit. This. This right here is the reason I fell in love with punk rock to begin with. Italy's fastcore band LxExAxRxN is quickly becoming one of my favorite bands (too bad they broke up), and their release "First Lesson" explains why.

For starters, there are 11 songs that end in about 8 minutes, and as you can guess, there is absolutely no filler whatsoever. LxExAxRxN plays fast, thrashy punk hardcore that is awesome music to skate to, or if you need a quick fix.

I'm keeping this post short in the spirit of the album, but seriously, if you dig stuff like Bones Brigade or Municipal Waste's old albums, do yourself a favor and check this out.

MP3:
LxExAxRxN - You Skate We Feel Hate

More:
LxExAxRxNx - Till Death
Aneurysm Rats
Bones Brigade - Endless Bummer

Buy:
Think it's out of print.

The HandMe Downs - I Think It's About Time (For fans of Rancid, The Have Nots, Koffin Kats)

When I first saw Detroit's HandMe Downs open for Youth Brigade a few months back, while the crowd was pretty unresponsive, they definitely made an impression on me. I figured I had to check out their recorded work, so I picked up a copy of their self released "I Think It's About Time..."

The album features 12 gritty punk rock tunes that any fan of Rancid or the Koffin Kats would dig. The band mixes a few different sub genres of punk in their songs, with songs like "Skate Detroit" sounding a bit Operation Ivy-esque while "My Mind" is a much more anthematic sing a long.

Vocals are pissed and clear, plenty of lead guitar solos without the point of getting annoying, and the rhythm and bass keep the energy up throughout the album. While the album is solid, the songs translate even better live. This is circle pit music.

MP3:
The HandMe Downs - The Corner

More:
Have Nots

Buy:
HandMe Downs

A Little New Year Mix

It's now officially 20 motherfucking 11 people, and I got to say, good riddance to 2010. Hope you all had a shit show last night, and here's to a much better year than last!

MP3:
Thursday - Jet Black New Year
The Lawrence Arms - 100 Resolutions
Bedouin Soundclash - New Year's Day