oh'13: the musical year in review.

foreward:
i loved this year in music.  i really, really did.  i think i listened to a more diverse style of music than i've ever listened to at any point in my life.  the late winter/early spring found me getting heavily into garage rock and surf music, which transitioned into a heavy summer of beach boys music, and a re-discovering of pretty much every musical point in my life; whether that be country, pop rock, punk, indie, the whole 9.  it was pretty cool.  all the while, i was LOVING the stuff that was coming out.

i was shocked when i sat down to compile a list of the albums i had frequented this year.  i thought it was going to be near impossible to come up with a "top 10" list because i thought i had been listening to so many albums.  i really hadn't.  i think i listened to more stuff last year than this year, and the immediate explanation i came up with is that last year i was searching for something to blow me away, while this year, so many records i listened to blew me away.

an incomplete list of the shows i was in attendance for this year:
-alkaline trio -water street, rochester
-big d and the kids table - water street, rochester (the last time i saw steve foote with the band...)
-brad paisley - darien lake
-rancid/transplants - toronto @ echo beach
-kenny chesney - CMAC
-dropkick murphys - town ballroom
-christopher titus - helium club
-brand new - town ballroom (deja entendu anniversary show)
-big d and the kids table - waiting room

the first big d show was great, i wish i had known it would be my last time seeing steve with the band.  i had a long talk with him after and he even let me listen to a song off of "stroll" before it even came out.  the second show, later in the year, just wasn't the same.  i have such passion for that band and what they do, and every time they lose a long time member, i get seriously bummed.  but the new guitar player, alex, is solid as ever.  he's like a sean p rogan reincarnate.

brad paisley, well....the show was great, and i'll talk about how great he is later.  kenny was a great experience.  his music has had a huge impact on my life lately.  i just wish i had gotten my hands on kacey musgraves' stuff before the show, as she opened, and looking back on it now, i would love to see her play....plus she's a babe.

the alkaline trio show was absolutely amazing, as was the dropkick show.  and it was cool to see brand new play a show nearly identical to the first time i ever saw them in the same venue.  the rancid/transplants lineup is sooooooo solid.  and i included titus on this list because that guy has his head on right and i wish more people would listen to what he has to say.

albums:
bubblegum  - kevin devine
bulldozer - kevin devine
stomp - big d and the kids table
stroll - big d and the kids table
life on a rock - kenny chesney
wheelhouse - brad paisley
devour - dave hause
we are tonight - billy currington
stoke extinguisher - nofx
blame it all on my routes - garth brooks
my shame is true- alkaline trio
signed and seeled in blood - dropkick murphys
no country for old musicians - reggie and the full effect
in a warzone - transplants
same trailer differnet park - kasey musgraves
heart of nowhere - noah and the whale
true trans ep - against me!
broken wing ep - alkaline trio

disappointments:
"heart of nowhere" - noah and the whale.  i don't know what has happened to this band, but i miss the folk rock and thick guitar of the first two records.  this whole "classic rock throwback" stuff is awful.

"bulldozer" - kevin devine.  this album is not bad at all.  i consider it a disappointment just because i looked at it as being something totally different.  bubblegum was marked as a rock record, and this as just a "kevin" record, which i took to mean it was going to sound more like his older records.  no dice.  still solid, just not what i expected.

some of the rest:
"true trans ep" - against me!  solid enough, can't wait for this record.  i hate that andrew left the band, but i really hope this record rocks as hard as the songs sound live....

"we are tonight" - billy currington.  i like a lot of billy's old stuff.  i HATED the opening single "hey girl" off of this record, and it almost made me forget about the record.  i really don't like that he didn't write anything on this record and i don't think it's as solid as "enjoy yourself" but it's plenty fun.

"in a warzone" - transplants.  this record barely missed my top 10, and the reason is probably more to do to the fact that for the majority of the year i only had it on vinly and didn't have it in my car or on my computer so it didn't get a ton of listens.  but it's a great record.

a "top 10" of sorts.

10.  reggie and the full effect - "no country for old musicians"


this puppy BARELY snuck in.  but it's great.  i was upset when reggie "called it quits" after the "last stop" record, so i was excited to hear this record was happening, and it's a true return to form record.  it's goofy, it rocks, it's got joke tracks, it's got heavy tracks, it's got all of the old quality reggie stuff.  i think "last stop" lacked a bit of this as it was a lot of james dewees working through personal problems...so this record had me stoked on first listen.

9.  dropkick murphys - "signed and sealed in blood"

a lot of rocking songs, a couple sleepers.  the sleepers keep it from being higher on this list.  i really don't like the lead single "rose tattoo" at all, and i think "prisoner's song" is too much of a rehash of "shipping up to boston."  but the christmas track is brilliant, as are a few others such as "the boys are back" and "out on the town."

8.  dave hause - "devour"







i love dave's voice, and i think his stuff has so much feeling.  he's a big inspiration to me.  i really like this record a lot.  i like how records like this can exist on two different plains, the full band version you hear on record, and the solo, often times acoustic, stuff you get live.  i just wish you could get studio versions of the solo stuff as well!

7.  big d and the kids table - "stomp"

the first of two big d records on this list.  anyone who knows my feelings on big d know i love them with all my heart, especially their more experimental stuff.  these two records sound AMAZING.  the production is so thick and it sounds great.  this record, the more "punk" of the two, basically makes "for the damned" look like it was a big joke record, or just a huge mistake.  this album cripples that album.  solid stuff all around.  NO MOANING AT THE BAR!

6.  kacey musgraves - "same trailer, different park"

again, if you really know my musical tastes, you know that if i'm listening to country music and a female singer comes on, i can't change the station quick enough.  unless it's kacey musgraves.  this album is PHENOMENAL.  end of story.

5.  kevin devine - "bubblegum"

i love kevin devine, especially when he's pissed off.  and songs like "fiscal cliff".......he's pissed off.  the title track is also amazing, and the closer is one of my favorite tracks in his discography.  "i don't care about your band" just seems like such an anti-kevin statement from a guy who is so eager to talk to anybody at any show, but it's so solid.  i love it.

4.  alkaline trio - "my shame is true/broken wing"

i combined the two releases, as they were released on the same day, and i think the dan songs on "broken wing" are just flat out amazing.  i have always been more of a dan fan than a matt fan, but this album, it was nice to see matt finally have some great songs again.  it's too bad it took something like a bad break up to make it happen.  this record, and the accompanying EP, got me threw some rough times and had me rocking out in the process.

3.  kenny chesney - "life on a rock"

this may have been my most listened to record of the lot.  the reason it isn't higher is because of a couple of VERY skipable songs.  those are "spread the love" and "must be something i missed."  the rest of the record though............talk about a beach record for a guy who loves the beach.  i look at this record as a sequel of sorts to the "be as you are" record, and it's so great.  songs like "that time of day" really hit home for me.  great, great stuff.  plus, it saw kenny go back to writing a lot of his own material.....aka....a huge plus for me.

2.  big d and the kids table - "stroll"

steve told me he thought this record was better than "fluent in stroll" and i didn't think it was possible.  it really might be.  the 3rd song is a real bummer, but the rest of it is SO good.  "knife" is an amazing opener, and the stuff that's heavy on the doped up dollies is great.  the bonus track "better off insane" is amazing.  man, this record....so many good things to say about it.  it's phenomenal.

1.  brad paisley - "wheelhouse"

how this record got snubbed at the cma's is a head-scratcher for me.  i read someone's opinion somewhere saying they thought it was country music trying to get back at brad for "accidental racist."  if there's one song that isn't a 10 on this record, it's that song, yes, but it has the most powerful moment of the entire album when it calls back the "oh dixie land" from the album's opener.  oh that opener, "southern comfort zone," if you didn't know, is the best country song ever written.  this album was recorded like a good indie rock record, over a period of time, with serious layering, thick guitars, and pure passion, and it sounds like it.  this album to me, is near perfect.  i even went to the cracker barrel to buy the deluxe edition for the bonus tracks (which are also better than 9/10's of the country on the radio).   this album makes you think, makes you laugh, and makes you feel 'officially alive', and makes you wish you were as good as brad on guitar.  bon voyage!


-jc.

brand new, oh'13

whelp, there i stood.  in almost an identical location to where i was the first time i ever saw brand new.  i was a jr in high school and me and my best friend at the time got our tickets way ahead of time and stood at one of the uprising locations amongst the almost inverted-pyramid shaped town ballroom.  back then, we had run into a few other friends who were determined to stay their post while we were anxious to get down to the floor.

long story short, we got right up front after 1 song (jesse played jude law solo, and the band launched into seventy times 7 and it was all over from there), and there we rocked for a good 2+ hours.  that was nearly 7 years ago.  a lot has happened since then.  i had traveled to follow this band up and down the east coast since then.  i saw them 5 times in one year.  i saw them in a 250 person bar.  and then i didn't see them for 3 years.  i lucked into these tickets, i had a serious issue with how the promoting company ran ticket sales and i randomly found someone in florida who was gracious enough to sell me the tickets at face value as opposed to the giant mark-up all over the internet.

and here i was.  back at that same spot.  years later, with different people and they were playing deja front to back much like they did the first time i ever saw them.  and it was just as emotionally enticing.  even without being upfront for the first few songs, i still couldn't help but belt my longues out to the lyrics of the first few songs.  we made a plan to press to the floor during jaws theme while quiet things was being played (we had seen the previous setlists and knew we were in for a front to back deja ahead of time).  so we did just that.   and i found myself 3 rows away after one chorus.

it really was great to hear some of the more "deep" cuts from deja being played live again.  i almost long for the days where jaws and "the boy who blocked" were concert staples.  even though the latter is more emotional, i still feel that jaws is one of their most high-energy live songs.  back in the 2006-2009 era, which i think most long-time fans will consider the golden age of brand new live shows, these songs were common place; and you were greeted with such great moments as a modest mouse ending to "blocked shot" or a great live intro to "jaws" or even an extended jam to "tommy gun."  never the less, the passion was there, and the mood was amazing during these songs.  the only fault i have comes from jesse saying "i'm going to fool you by playing an acoustic song with an electric guitar and an acoustic emulator pedal."  it did NOT do thhe sound justice.  granted, i love the sound of a good chunky clean guitar sound, but him coming out and trying to make a point of it didn't sit well with me. 

regardless, the deja set pressed on, and it was really spot on.  every song sounded damn near great.  and then we came to the song i was most excited for............"good to know......"  why this song?  because out of 13+ shows, i had only seen this one twice.  and both times, it was the highlight of the show.  the first time at the ballroom, it featured vinnie throwing his guitar into the rafters and barely catching it by the neck.  two years later, they're in toronto with thrice for the best show i had ever seen them play, and vin rolls around on the floor playing the solo on his back.  it was just two amazingly awesome sites to see.  so the solo's coming up and i find myself saying "ok vin, let's see it."  now, vin is one of my guitar inspirations and he friggin shredded all night.  he has a certain way of attacking the neck of a guitar that seems so enthusiastic yet effortless.........but..........it didn't come forth on this song.  my eyes were fixed on vin yet jesse stole them.  jesse was stoked tonight.  the whole show, he rocked out.  and it was a cool site.

there was zero, yes 0, derrick sherman.  a LOT of ben homala.  but no derrick.  i found it kinda odd, but regardless, they sounded fine without.  the deja set closed with play crack, obviously, and it sounded great.  vin's back up lyrics have definitely changed.  most likely due to his smoking patterns, but the deeper granier sound is a great compliment, nonetheless.  so we move on, to noro.  no one recognizes the lead except for myself.  granted, i spied the setlists prior, so i knew it was coming, but jesse went out of his way to say "this song is for the guy who knows what's coming" and pointed to me.  it was kinda cool, regardless.

so they ripped through a set of their last two albums.  i was almost nervous they would quit after "you won't know" like they did at a previous show this tour, but i couldn't worry about it too much.  it had been a while since i had seen "you won't know" live, and it's really just as high-energy as it's ever been.  and for them to jump right into another song after was excellent.  i have to admit, the times where the band was rocking out the most were without a doubt during the devil and god songs.  they were straight raging during most of them.

so sink ends, and as the previous setlist had shown, i figured we had "jesus" left and it was curtains.  but jesse turns to the band and throws up 7 fingers.  and we get that old first album classic.  after the first chord, you see vin mouth "oh my god."  see, the ballroom is stacked seating, each level gets higher and higher.  i was 3rd row at this point, but turned around and saw the whole damn place erupt.  it was a truly cool site.

all in all, it wasn't the greatest brand new show i had been to; those are reserved for those late 2000's shows such as the grog shop in cleveland or arrow hall in toronto; but this show definitely fits in my top 5.

setlist:  (with jesse's guitars, for the guitar geeks like myself out there.  vin played 2 mustangs the whole show)

deja. (black jazzmaster, half step down)
noro (black tele, standard)
gasoline
vices
luca (black jazz, half step down)
degausser
you won't know
bought a bride (blue jazz, half step down)
sink
seventy times 7
jesus

i don't wanna live in the modern world!

....in the words of mike dirn't.

well, what a world we've built for ourselves?  eh?  i find that little chorus that's tucked away in a random song at the end of a criminally underrated album to be the words that pop up in my head on a near-daily basis.  that and the question of "how convenient does life need to get before it becomes too convenient?"

we live in a nation where we constantly claim to be the greatest country in the world yet are hated by millions around the world for our ignorance, our arrogance, our poking our nose into other people's business, and our disgusting pop culture.  how do these people at the big mtv board of directors offices sleep at night?  they aren't dumb, they've exploited the youth in a ridiculously clever way.  they've promoted a disgusting culture and embraced failure in young people.....as long as it is "good television."  how disgusting.  we are no longer a production industry, we've morphed into a service industry.  we've become pompous and arrogant about our own ignorance.  hell, most people who use the word "ignorant" have literally no clue of what it actually means!!!!

and back to this whole mtv thing.  these jersey shore/real world/bullshit look-at-me-i'm-a-clown tv shows have embraced a frat-boy-stereotype culture that is disgusting to share a bar with.  i don't need to hear some idiot yell "yolo" while he does a shot of crown and talks about how his girlfriend is a "hot mess" while i'm trying to sip my beer and watch the hockey game.  and why is it ok for these meat-heads to wear t-shirts with blatant vulgarity on them!??!?!?  remember when a man dressed like a fucking man?  and wore a nice shirt, nice pants, and a nice hat on a daily basis?  why can't we go back to that?  nobody needs to see your biceps dude.  except, of course, the girls who are even dumber than you are and so brainwashed by the television that they think you're hot cause you look like the dude on real world.

and god forbid everything we do isn't broadcast to the world INSTANTLY.  instagram.  facebook.  twitter.  smart phones.  do we really need these things?  i survive without 3 of the 4 and i do just fine.  and being gone for 5 days and not being able to check my facebook was wonderful.  HOW CONVENIENT DOES LIFE NEED TO GET BEFORE IT BECOMES TOO CONVENIENT!!!!?  it's disgusting.  these things are idiotic.  i do not care about your twitter feed and what you're doing every second of every day.  stop fucking hashtagging key words and if you really have something interesting to say, then spell it out for real.  i'm disgusted by these people who are a slave to their own technology.  video games are just as big of a culprit.  man, anything we can do to escape our own boring lives, right?  god forbid we get our hands dirty and learn a trade or develop a hobby.  that's just gross to even think about.  i mean, who retains any knowledge these days anyways?  you can just look up everything you need to know on your smart phone!

we are a disgusting culture!

and twerking?  jesus h. christ.  dancing in general has gotten out of control.  i don't dance, i've made that publicly known many times before.  but if you wanna dance with me like how they danced in the old age, then i will gladly hold your hand and go for a twirl.  i will not, however, be humping you on the dance floor like we're ready to have sex.  it's disgusting.  how did such a romantic and culturally significant act degrade itself and turn into a disgusting display of sex?!  can't we save our sexual tension for where it belongs?  ya know...keep it personal between you and your partner?  of course not, cause i mean.....who doesn't cheat these days?  it's just totally fine to go around banging other guys/girls....i mean, unless your the one who's getting cheated on while trying to be faithful.  but fuck that square anyways, he/she's gotta get with the program and start banging out other people behind their significant other's backs.  and really, what do we dance to?  it doesn't sound like music to me.  i thought music had instrumentation...didn't it at one point at least?

but hey, we're all "progressive thinkers" nowadays.  facebook is cluttered with "republicans are idiots" "you're an idiot if you believe in god" or "don't take our guns" posts.  shut up.  half of you are idiots and are just spewing out the rhetoric of other people anyways.  where's your belief structure?  when obama got elected, people flipped shit because of his skin color....but everyone i asked who was celebrating (by setting off the fire alarms of all the dorm rooms on my college campus by the way, a huge safety issue) had literally no idea of his policies.  it's the whole randy marsh "it's change, everything's going to be different but i don't know why!" stand point.  thank god for south park, it's at least kept me partially sane for a while.  but i digress.  so obama gets elected and people riot for reasons that they themselves don't understand.  fast forward a few years and george zimmerman is found not guilty.  and people riot again for reasons they don't understand.  can't you idiots research ANYTHING before you flip out?  the most racist thing about that whole trial wasn't the shooting, it was the way people reacted to the verdict without looking at any statistics involving interracial crime.  SHUT THE FUCK UP!  PLEASE!

i made an effort about a year ago to try and stop focusing on politics so much because it was making me miserable.  i used to really focus on the corruption and the conspiracy and the off-kilter idiocy of everything and i wanted to worry more about what makes me happy.  but what it did was make me realize just how idiotic we are on a social level.  i mean....how DARE we suggest there's any conspiracy in government.  the american government....there's no possible way they could have any involvement in the world trade center attack or any of the other outrageous political bullshit that has occurred since.  and if you think there is, you are clearly a wack job, right?  i mean...it's not like we didn't stage bombings to try and take out castro, or that we didn't know about pearl harbor ahead of time and turn a blind eye so that it gave us an excuse to go to war.  oh wait....all that did happen.  but not anymore!  that's in the past!  right?!?!?!?  RIGHT?!?!?!?!? give me a fucking break!  you people are morons.  we're in a bigger mess than ever.

and on a side note, why are you close minded if you oppose gay marriage?  not that i oppose it, i could really care less.  but it's these "progressive thinkers" that think you're an old redneck bible thumper if you're not into gay marriage.  ya know, the people who say "everyone has a right to have their own opinion!"  well....what if that person's opinion is that they believe in the religious sanctity of marriage and that's the way they interpret the bible?  is it not ok because their right to an opinion isn't YOUR opinion?  shut up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  you are soooooooooooooooo backwards!

ya know, i really hate it.  i friggin hate it man.  it makes me scared to ever want to bring a kid into this world, or even live past 30.  how bad is it going to get if it's already this disgusting?  i often say i feel i was born in the wrong time period, and i really believe that.  there's so very few things that are truly pure in society anymore.  and believe me, i know that i'm far from perfect.  i wish i knew what to do about it.  maybe it's that old jesse lacey phrase, ya know, let's die young and save ourselves.  or maybe it's an even older rivers cuomo phrase, and sometimes it don't seem so bad to settle down with a good woman....ya know, and just settle into an old-fashioned happy marriage and ignore the idiocy.  but then what happens when you have kids and they go to school and see this disgusting culture?  you can't home school them, because then they have no social skills and become an outcast.  how do you win?  i really don't know.

thank god pumpkin beer is out already, it's gonna be a long end of summer/fall.

if you read all of this, then man, i hope i didn't ruin your day.
-jc.

ps: the album is still coming.

album update #1

well, it's been a few weeks since i've said anything on this album i'm working on publicly.  now, this may very well not be "public" cause who knows how many people will read this post, but i like   anto write this stuff so i can look back on it.

so what's been happening?  it seems as if most of the lyrics to this album are going to end up having been written while sitting on a fork truck at a home improvement store, and i'm totally fine with that.  i do my best work when i'm not doing the work i should be doing.  and besides, i'm typically outdoors while doing so, so it's very motivating and inspiring.  i've got a lot of ideas, one song that really came to fruition today is inspired by the people who work at said store who are older and really great people.  i am blessed to have a great job and don't particularly need said fork-lift-driving-job but some of the other people who work there....well, that's all they got.  and they work long hours and miss out on a lot of family time.  it's inspiring yet depressing to see great people have to go through so much.  the song is pretty bare-bones, almost dropkick murphys meets easton corbin.  a lot different than the garage-punk surf-rock kinda stuff i've been recording.

i've got 4 songs pretty well demo'd and they'll be being sent to the first band member i've recruited so he can start ironing out drum parts.  he seems to be as into the idea of just having a blast making music as i am, so here's hoping it works out.  the songs in the bank are the intro which i've already put out, the second track which is a groovy garage-rock'y bass driven song.  then there's a heavier song about quitting your job in favor of the good life, and a slower song i'm going to call "funny names"....i'm a big fan of the sound on that track.

still to come, and actively completed, there's a song called "dave lies," inspired by a chronic liar i used to know, and a song that i had an idea for but really came to life after a really bizarre situation i found myself in last night.

all in all, i'm still pretty stoked.  this is going to take time, but it'll be worth it.  not to mention, the amount of just amazing music that's been put out already this year has been so damn inspiring....
-jc

this world is a mess, so let's make our lives a blast.

On any given day, when I have some free time, the site in my bedroom is one of a cluttered mess.  You may see 4 or 5 guitars littering the floor, a piano in the corner, a trumpet, microphones, my normally neat pedal board in complete disarray….it’s controlled chaos.  Due to some unfortunate situations I found myself in during the January month of oh’13, I found myself in need of a complete personal overhaul.  The result has put me in the most comfortable, positive state of mind that I’ve ever been in. I’ve never been more confident, I’ve never been more creative, and I’d be willing to argue I’ve never been happier.  There’s something to say about really going after what you want in life and no longer settling for complacency.  And that’s why you’ll see my room in the shape that it’s in.
    I’ve created a makeshift recording “studio” and am in the process of demoing the most ambitious thing I’ve ever done.  I can’t wait for people to hear it, and if you’re reading this, I really hope you give it a chance.  I guess this change in mindset really started in the fall of oh’12 when I stopped being dirt poor.  I just couldn’t relate to the music I used to make anymore.  I found my tastes changing a lot-almost reverting to an earlier time in my life.  Ska, punk, and country became mainstays in my car, and I became obsessed with big chunky guitar sounds.  Then I heard a song that probably has had the most profound impact on me since big d and the kids table put out “fluent in stroll.”  That song was “southern comfort zone” by brad paisley.  I’ve never been so amped on a song for so long.  Where is all this going?  Well, I am so friggin stoked on life right now that I want to create music that embodies it.
    A friend of mine said something along the lines of music not always being something that makes you feel happy, but rather is something that is just supposed to make you feel.  Now I can completely agree with this statement but when you go to a show, you plan to have fun at the show, don’t you?  The problem with overly upbeat music, a la foxboro hot tubs, is you tend to lose any real point that may be being made by the music.  So why not try and combine the two?  Let’s really “feel” or really think, and let’s have a fucking blast while we do it.
    I’ve combined every influence in music that I’ve probably ever had, and am digging deep into my back catalog of songs.  If you’ve heard my old music, hardly any of those songs are going to survive.  But I’m resurrecting some very old ideas, and I’m combining some new ones and….fuck.  I’m just very excited.  I have so many brilliant ideas for this project.  Some will turn out as excellent as they are in my head, and I’m sure some will fall flat.  But the point is, you gotta go after what you really want in life.  I’m tired of complacency and it’s time we all started making our own luck.  This world is a god damn mess, so let’s make OUR lives a blast.

-jc
make your own luck.

    attatched is what will serve as the intro to this collection of songs.  It’s not done yet, there’s no drums and there will probably be some more instrumentation, whether it be keys or a horn line….but…take a gander…give it a go.  More to come.


https://soundcloud.com/nextweeksweather/intro-demo

2012, the musical year in review.

foreward:  2012 was not the musical power house of years past.  there was no sleeper record like 2010's "my dinosaur life" to blow me away, and there was nothing from many of my old stand-by's like the dropkicks, brand new, alkaline trio, or even big d to an extent.  it was an odd year for me as i feel like i took a lot of steps back in terms of what i was listening to.  not that it's a bad thing, but i found myself revisiting a lot of the ska and punk from my high school/early college years.

what there was, however, was a lot of music to be had.  unfortunately, none of it really hit me that hard.  coming up with a "top 10" of oh'12 is something i just couldn't bring myself to do with as much certainty as years past.  there was no clear #1, nothing that really blew me away.  so instead, in the spirit of keeping up with tradition, i gave my best to give a brief run-down on some of the 10 releases that WERE a bit notable throughout the year.

an incomplete list of the shows i was in attendance for:
-less than jake - rapids theatre
-the revival tour - mohawk place
-big d and the kids table - some bar in toronto
-big d,  goldfinger, reel big fish - town ballroom
-against me!/the cult - thursday in the harbor
-weezer - thursday in the harbor
-brad paisley - darien lake
-dropkick murphys - the outer harbor
-sum 41 - town ballroom

now, a lot of these shows were seriously excellent.  big d is and always will be my favorite live show.  i always walk away with a new story about them after each and every show.

sum 41 was oddly excellent.  i went into the show expecting the worst but i was incredibly impressed.  i've definitely gone back and listened to some of their old stuff since the show.

it was nice to finally remember a brad paisley show, and he was damn good.
the weezer show in buffalo was probably the best i had seen them.  no theatrics, just a rock show.
it was odd seeing against me! right after the big laura jane/tom gabel news, but i have a lot of hope for their new record.  it's still a serious blow to me that jay weinberg isn't in the band anymore.  he was awesome.

the dropkick show was a lot of fun.  the only drawback, which i can say about the last time i saw them as well, was that they love to play new songs.  that's not necessarily a bad thing, but both times they overloaded their set with music on records that hadn't been released yet.  kind of kills the energy.

the revival tour was unbelievably amazing.  all i had hoped for.  seeing dan andriano solo acoustic was a dream come true.  hanging out with chuck and dan after the show and doing shots was a blast.  also...discovering cory branan was one of the biggest stories of my musical oh'12.

an incomplete list of the albums i visited this year:
zac brown - uncaged
tenacious d - rize of the fenix
reel big fish - candy coated fury
nofx - self entitled
motion city soundtrack - go
matt skiba and the sekrets - babylon
less than jake - seasons greetings
kenny chesney - welcome to the fishbowl
interpol - turn on the bright lights 10th anniversary edition
hot water music - exister
green day - uno, dos, tre
dropkick murphys - live at fenway
dan andriano - of peace, quiet and monsters
the bouncing souls - comet
big d - built up from nothing
the beach boys - that's why god made the radio
bad books - II
cory branan - mutt
blink 182 - dogs eating dogs

sleepers/disappointments:
blink 182 - dogs eating dogs - i hated neighborhoods and this little ep was NOT a return to form.  it did nothing for me.  i'm ready to give up on these guys.

reel big fish - candy coated fury - no scott, no care.  i mean, not really, but i just find them boring now.  i don't get excited with reel big fish.  it all sounds the same, there's no real emotion. it just seems too shallow for me nowadays.

a "top 10" of sorts:
10.  tenacious d - rize of the fenix


nothing like a band that considers themselves to be the greatest band ever.  great to see them come back with a new record.  the title track is great, as is the ballot of hollywood jack and the rage cage.

9.  dropkick murphys - live at fenway

hard for this not to make the list, as it's basically just a live version of oh'11's album of the year for me.  i have a few issues with the way the live album is presented.  the cd has some bonus tracks that the vinyl version doesn't have, but they don't edit the live banter, so a lot of songs don't lead into each other correctly.  it's an odd mistake to leave in.  the piano intro on "time to go" is great, as is the dvd.

8.  dan andriano - of peace, quiet, and monsters

i'm in love with everything this guy does at this point.  a great couple of songs and i can not wait for more solo stuff from dan.

7. beach boys - that's why god made the radio

i had a lot of fun with this record, and i wasn't expecting it.  i get into these moods where i really obsess over certain musical situations.  some examples would be matt sharp's departure from weezer or kurt cobain's death.  i had a bit of a beach boys/brian wilson period this year.  but that's beside this point.  this album got a lot of mileage in the car on my way home from work over the summer.

6.  kenny chesney - welcome to the fishbowl

 i was expecting this album to fall a lot higher on my list.  but that's because i expected something completely different.  the artwork/colors/title had me expecting a total beach album.  instead, i got something completely unexpected.  in no way was it bad, there are some serious jams on this album, it just wasn't what i was planning on or hoping for.  time flies, the title track, and feel like a rock star are all classic kenny.

 5. big d and the kids table - built up from nothing

a pretty solid collection from my favorite people in music.  that being said, the highlight of this for me was the dub version of "chin up, boy."  i'm craving more stroll music out of these guys.  the back of the record claims an alternate version of "i,i,i" but it's nowhere to be found on the album.  total tease.

4. motion city soundtrack - go

there's some sleepers on this album (see, this top 10 is not as good as years past, for real.  last year's #4 was hurricane season, which blows every album on this list out of the water....) but there are some great songs.  timelines is one of my songs of the year, wonderful retrospective piece.  circuits and wires is another brilliant track.

3. cory branan - mutt

discovering this guy was probably the best thing to come out of the year.  he's brilliant.  i didn't just delve into this release, i spent a lot of time on his back catalog as well.  that being said, "corner" is in my top songs of the year without question.  this guy is beautifully brilliant.

2.  green day - uno, dos, tre

these albums are interesting for me.  i fell in love with green day for their lyrics as a teenager.  the lyrics on these albums seriously suck.  but.  the albums themselves rock.  the sound of the albums is a very cool, very groovy green day that they've really never fully let loose on.  i have a lot of fun listening to these records but they're definitely not something i listen to when trying to provoke thought.  if i had to list the three from worst to best, i would put them at uno, tre, dos. 

1.  matt skiba and the sekrets - babylon

very solid record from the lesser alkaline trio song writer.  there's some really cool stuff on here.  it's an album i've forgotten about a few times, but every time i've come back to it, it's dominated my car stereo for days at a time.  it's how i feel alkaline trio would have sounded in the 80s.  not a bad track on the album either.

songs of the year:
5.  timelines - motion city soundtrack
4.  dropkick murphys - the season's upon us
3.  mutt - cory branan
2.  stray heart - green day
1.  southern comfort zone - brad paisley

so there we have it, another year of music in the books.  it really was not the best year of music, but as a person, i had a pretty solid year, so it all works out.  i have a lot of hope for the year of oh'13.  a lot of my heavy hitters will be back in action.  two of the songs from my songs of the year are set to be on albums for 2013.  brad paisley's "wheel house" is without a doubt my most anticipated.  the dropkick record is already out and it's pretty solid.  other notables coming up are against me!'s "transgender dysphoria blues," the new alkaline trio, new kevin devine, new big d, and who knows what else....i'm hoping noah and the whale return to form.  so here's to hoping for the best!

-jc

Why "Southern Comfort Zone" by Brad Paisley is the Greatest Country Song Of All Time.

"look what AP just brought by, lemon meringue pie!"

i traditionally write about my thoughts on the year in music every december/january, and as i was thinking things over, this song, to me, deserved a little extra thought.  i honestly believe that this is the greatest country song ever recorded.

everything about it is so perfectly crafted.  the name itself is witty yet tongue-in-cheek.  the single artwork is beautiful, as is the accompanying lyrical video; the colors are so vibrant and lively yet the imagery is so simplistic.  the acoustic guitar and the t-shirt brad has worn in performances of it are equally as beautiful.  and the music video itself is so well done.  the message is wonderful, and again, so simple: see the world.  basically, before even getting into the song itself, the entire way this song has been packaged is perfect in my eyes.

the music video and the song almost present the song in two different ways, which i find very unique.  the audio clips of country and southern culture in the song itself add such a wonderful feel to the song.  the music video, with him playing the song live with background music and the hum of an old tractor gives a similar feel but in a much different way, it's a brilliant dynamic between the two.

the simple, yet very driving guitar part really sets the song up to build nicely and the pace of the song has a lot of natural energy.  the musicianship, as is the case with most songs by brad, does not disappoint.  the drama kings shred it up in a wonderful arrangement that is well beyond the creative boundaries of most popular country musicians these days.  the fact that brad writes and co-writes most of his music and plays all of his own guitar tracks is something that sets him apart.  being a musician myself, i can not stand how many country "artists" have minimal connection to their songs besides a vocal track. that being said, his guitar solo so wonderfully compliments the song, and the addition of the gospel choir at the tail end of the solo brings you right back into the mood of the song.

the message is almost one of country music in a more traditional time.  such as a "great day to be alive" or "check yes or no" kind of feel, the song has a very relateable feel.  country is supposed to be known for that, but this song takes it to a whole new level.  the imagery is wonderful in lines that take you deep into southern culture and then across the pond to france or up to alaska to see the northern lights.

basically this song takes everything good about country music and puts an exclamation point on it, while adding a creative element that is often times forgotten in the genre.  it's brilliant.  seeing brad play the guitar solo with a giraffe hanging out in the background is a great visual.  and seeing that little cowboy outline diving into the water against a brilliant sunset makes you long for summer without hating that it's winter.  if you haven't given this song a fair shake...then what are you waiting for?

Why Mario Williams and the NHL Have Ruined Professional Sport For Me.

everyone knows athletes are over-payed.  no news there.

 that's not what bothers me.

what bothers me is the genuine lack of heart exhibited by some athletes and the absolute short-sighted arrogance that comes from others.

mario williams is set to make 98 million dollars as a buffalo bill.  50 million guaranteed.  he had two tackles against the kansas city chiefs.  arguably the worst team in the nfl.  i play club rugby for one of the more renowned clubs in the area, and yes, it's not the nfl, but i think i could somehow find my way in front of two tackles over the course of a 60 minute nfl game.  and he made more in that game than i'll make over the next 3 years.  the guy is laughing all the way to the bank.  i knew it was going to happen.  when they signed him, i went up and looked up some articles from his time in houston and what fans were saying when he left.  it was all the same.  nobody was complaining about him leaving.  instead, they were talking about how he would disappear for weeks at a time and only show up when the spotlight is on.  so, here we are, primetime game against the miami dolphins, look who halfheartedly shows up and makes a couple plays.  it makes me SO angry.  this guy was heralded as a king when he came to buffalo.  he had a cereal named after him (yes the proceeds go to charity, but that's not the point).  you know who deserved to have his face on a cereal box?  doug flutie.  that's it.  why?  cause he had heart, he played with heart, and you could see how much passion he had.

mario williams has a football with a dollar sign on it tattoo'd on his "injured" wrist.  hm.

it's a joke.  this guy doesn't deserve any of it.  nobody should make that much money, especially when you have the attitude he has.  he is the only person on the bills roster who has it built in to his contract that he CAN NOT be interviewed by reporters except on media day.  fuck off, man.  fuck off.

mike schopp on wgr was making a comment today about how he thinks the top professional athlete should only make 4 million dollars.  i've been saying something along these lines for years.  they are doing something that millions of kids around the country would LOVE to do, and would do for much less.  these athletes, over time, with contracts just getting bigger and bigger, have become arrogant, out of touch, cry babies.  case in point.....the nhl lockout.

the average nhl player makes more money than me and you do combined.  gets top of the line gear, gets to travel the world, gets free food, and, if you're in a city like buffalo, gets treated like a king.  and they are just bitching and bitching and bitching.  "oh my god, the commissioner is a thief, he's stealing from the fans, you should all be outraged!" blah blah blah blah blah.  NO!!!!!!! NO NO NO NO NO NO!

you should be happy with the fact that you have these huge contracts while the rest of us are struggling to put a turkey on the table!

i recently ran into a guy i know who is one of the head chefs at a summer-time restaurant.  he's a cook up in the sabres suites.  nah, not any more.  he works at a chain restaurant.  how many other people have been laid off by this lockout?  how many bars and restaurants are losing revenue?  i guarantee ryan suter hasn't even thought about it.  at least he didn't think about it when he was complaining that his 4 million a year isn't enough and that the owners are stealing from the players and the fans.  SHUT UP!

i've just become so jaded over it.  it's so whiny and pretentious and arrogant and......ugh.  it's just not what any kid who ever started playing hockey in his driveway or football in his backyard thought about.  where's the heart?  where is it?  it's selfish and arrogant and it makes me sick.