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.

tom gabel and why music is so special.

whelp, now that the news has had some time to set in for everyone and i spent a good week listening to against me! like they broke up or one of them died.....i have a lot of thoughts on the situation that i would really like to put to paper.  i have always been very vocal about against me! and the things they do, but over the past year or so, i have discovered a new unwavering love and respect for them, regardless of any animosity i may have had in the past.  and i don't think that will change any time soon.

now do i have any objection to tom's desire to express himself?  absolutely, positively not.  but does it make me think a bit differently about the times we live in?  absolutely, positively yes.

i am very torn when it comes to things such as this.  i have no problem with gay people, bisexuals, or anything of the sort.  my motto has always been "as long as it doesn't directly effect my life, then i have no problem with it."  and the reason behind that motto is that it's not a lifestyle i chose to partake in but it doesn't negatively effect my life at all, so why condemn it?  there's no reason to.  and people who do are fucking foolish.  now, i know tom is not gay or bisexual, as he's said so himself, and is staying with his wife.....but the fact of the matter is still the same.  people who condemn someone for such a thing is foolish because it does not directly effect their life.

however, it's made me think a bit about my own life.  i may be a bit old fashion in some of my values as i do not openly SUPPORT such a thing.  i very often say that if i grew up in the 50s, i would have been much happier.  this has to do with a lot of things, social issues, sexual issues, political issues, and god damn, technological issues.  for the sake of being brief, i HATE how dependent we are on technology and i think it is dumbing us down as a race.  now, did things like what's happening with the frontman of one of my favorite bands NOT happen back in the 40s or 50s or any other time period?  i'm sure they did.  they are just a bit more in the news now.  and it just makes me think that i myself, not society as a whole, would be better off in a different generation.

i've seen a lot of people who have never really bothered to concern themselves with against me! come forward and take a stance on this issue.  many have brought their opinions to me as they know i've been a long time fan.  and the overall resounding opinion of the people who don't know the band has been the same.  "oh good for him/her."  again, i do not think it is an issue that directly concerns ANY of us, except for the people who tom gabel is directly involved with.  so saying it's a giant victory for whatever culture.....i just don't know if i can get behind that.

it's a personal matter.

people worry too much about the celebrity craze and what other people are doing with their lives and i wish people would focus more on their own lives.  and that is why i will re-state my opinion again, and that's that i have ZERO issue with his desire to more openly express himself.  it is NOT my business.

if people were openly bashing him, i would have a much different stance, and i would say it's bullshit that people are doing so because by doing so you are not only meddling in affairs that don't concern you, but you're being a bigot to someone who has no effect on you.  but at the end of the day, the only thing i am truly concerned with, and the same concerns are shared with the fans of the band that i've known for years, is what's going to happen to the music.

white crosses is my least favorite against me! record.  it has some great tracks, but all in all, it's their weakest.  the new songs they've been playing sound amazing.  and if the record is amazing, then against me! will still fucking be against me!  if tom's voice changes, i might be a little taken aback by the issue, but he claims it will not.  so, therefore, as long as their production stays consistent and their live shows are as bad ass as ever, then against me! will always be against me!

tom gabel is someone who stopped a show to dive off a stage onto a bouncer who was pulling me out of the show in rochester, ny.  there will always be a soft spot.

and ya know what?  if the music does change, or this causes against me! to break up, or whatever other terrible thing might happen that i don't even want to think of....it will only matter to an extent.  because the great thing about music is it's timeless.  it will always be there.  as the eternal cowboy is one of the greatest punk records ever made and in 10 years, it's still going to sound the same.  you record music and it marks a time in your life.  and when you listen to that music, it marks a time in your life.

music to me has completely shaped my life.  most major memories i have, i can recall what was on my stereo at the time.  music is timeless, and no matter what direction a band goes in, you will always have the music you fell in love with.  if you hate new green day, dookie is always still going to be there.  for me, "...cowboy" will always still be there, "fluent in stroll" will always still be there, "the devil and god" will always be there....and every other important album to me...it will always stay the same.

and that is what makes music so special.  it can serve as more of a landmark emotional timekeeper than any other picture or place could.  to quote a country artist, "every time i hear that song, i go back."

2011: The Year In Music.

foreward: coming up on the end of this year, i've had a very hard time collecting my thoughts on the year in music. 2 years ago, when i first started writing these, i knew the year was going to be huge for me and the bands i liked. last year, i knew it wasn't going to be. this year, i was overwhelmed and taken by surprise. the concert attendance wasn't as high as i would have liked, but the albums that just poured onto my computer/record player/ipod/car radio were overwhelming. so, with that i present my complete thoughts on oh'11 in music.

an incomplete list of the shows i was in attendance for:
-dropkick murphys/against me! -- rapids theater, niagara falls
-noah and the whale -- the mod club, toronto
-against me! -- water street music hall
-warped tour -- big d, less than jake, street dogs -- darien lake
-brad paisley, blake shelton, jerrod niemann -- darien lake
-alkaline trio -- water street music hall
-reel big fish/streetlight manifesto -- rapids theater, niagara falls.
-big d and the kids table -- town ballroom
-foo fighters -- first niagara center
-noah and the whale -- some other crap club in toronto that charged way too much for beer

shows i regret missing:
-nofx -- kool haus
-manchester orchestra -- water street music hall
-blink 182/manchester orchestra -- darien lake
-the archers of loaf reunion tour
-dropkick murphys -- rochester ----I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT IT UNTIL AFTERWARD
-brand new -- new years eve show



albums:
-akron/family -- S/T II: the cosmic birth and journey of shinju TNT
-akron/family -- bmbz
-against me! -- russian spies/occult enemies
-against me! -- black crosses
-against me! -- total clarity
-alkaline trio -- damnesia
-big d and the kids table -- for the damned, the dumb, and the delirious
-brad paisley -- this is country music
-blink 182 -- neighborhoods
-cake -- showroom of compassion
-dan andriano in the emergency room -- hurricane season
-dropkick murphys -- going out in style
-foo fighters -- wasting light
-green day -- awesome as fuck
-kevin devine -- nevermind
-kevin devine -- part of the whole/luxemburg
-kevin devine -- between the concrete and the clouds
-manchester orchestra -- simple math
-nofx -- 10" of 10 hardcore covers
-noah and the whale -- last night on earth
-radiohead -- the king of limbs
-rivers cuomo -- alone III: the pinkerton years
-she and him -- a very she and him christmas
-sum 41 -- screaming bloody murder

a "top 10" of the year

10. noah and the whale -- last night on earth
9. green day -- awesome as fuck
8. big d and the kids table -- for the damned, the dumb, and the delirious
7. brad paisley -- this is country music
6. manchester orchestra -- simple math
5. cake -- showroom of compassion
4. dan andriano in the emergency room -- hurricane season
3. foo fighters -- wasting light
2. alkaline trio -- damnesia
1. dropkick murphys -- going out in style


10. noah and the whale -- last night on earth


i extensively chronicled my thoughts on this album in the review of the first time i saw them live. it's good. is it as great as their first 2 records? not even close. i don't like drum machines. i don't like too many keyboards. i like charlie fink's guitar playing and consider it a huge inspiration, and there just isn't enough of it on this album. not enough singer-songwriter, too much poppy nonsense. but when it hits, it hits hard. "old joy," "the line," and "just me before we met" are all incredible. unfortunately, the song "life is life" is one of the worst i've heard all year.

9. green day -- awesome as fuck!


this album makes my top 10 simply on the track selection. incredible track listing for a live album by one of the biggest bands in the world. seeing them live on the tour where this album was recorded the previous year blew my mind. they dug so deep into their back catalog and it shows on this album. as a matter of fact, they probably would have made more money off of it if there were more of the hit singles on this. i wish there was a track from the buffalo show, namely "give me novocaine," and i wish some of billie joe's extended crowd interaction and guitar "solos" were a little more cleaned up, but this album is solid.

8. big d and the kids table -- for the damned, the dumb, and the delirious


i was initially very turned off by this album because it wasn't fluent in stroll. i've discussed big d so much lately, that my opinions on this band will become overbearing and old hat to some. this album is solid. they're one of the best ska bands of all time. with sean p still around, i think it would have been better but it's cool that he recorded some of the vocals and guitar on the record. "walls" is one of the most bad ass songs they have, it's right up there with LAX.

7. brad paisley -- this is country music


i wish i had accepted american saturday night quicker. it's become my favorite brad record. but, because i was so jaded towards it originally, i tried to learn from my mistakes this time around. the singles on this album have been pretty top-notch and "be the lake" is one of my favorite country songs of all time. however, there are a few problems i have with this record. it could be a work of art, and i think that was the original plan. the constant throwbacks to the title track are nice, but on my original listen, i thought they were going to serve as intros to segments of the album. instead, they intro specific songs. there are enough running themes that i think it would have been cool to keep it segmented. also, i miss the kung-pow buckaroos....

6. manchester orchestra -- simple math


this album was said to have "the best song i'll hear all year." that song, and the title track are the reason this album isn't higher on this list. that song, "virgin" and the title track fall on their face attempting to be epic. they slow the album down and bring a level of mundane into an otherwise awesome album. the opener is amazing. absolutely amazing. "pensacola" is so engagingly fun. the whole album is really strong minus those two aforementioned tracks.

5. cake -- showroom of compassion


i always thought cake was a gimmicky joke band growing up. i really fell for them this year. they're so damn catchy and so unique. if this album just had "mustache man" and "sick of you" 5 times each, it would still probably be in my top 10. i can't describe the effect they have on me. the guitar riffs are so engaging, the vocal delivery is so unique, and the added musical instrumentation, whether it be percussion, trumpet, or whatever.....it all works so well for cake, and this album is no exception.

4. dan andriano in the emergency room -- hurricane season












a total mood album. i've always preferred dan to matt in alkaline trio, and i was really excited for this album. it didn't disappoint. a lot of really really good stuff. even the songs i didn't consider to be that great have somehow managed to get stuck in my head on random occasions (such as "me and denver" yesterday while i was at work). dan is friggin awesome, i would love to see him live at a solo show.

3. foo fighters -- wasting light


it took a lot to not make this album my number 1 of the year. it's probably the most consistent record that the foo have ever put together and it's damn good from start to finish. when "rope" first came out, i was very hesitant. it was a very unique song-structure for this band. but it's gotten to the point where i crave listening to that song. there are so many hits on this album. any song on it could be a single in my opinion. the return of krist novaselic/dave grohl was great to see/hear as well.

2. alkaline trio -- damnesia


this record is perfect. my only complaint is that it isn't long enough! more songs like this!!!!! the two new originals are great. i thought "i remember a rooftop" was boring and too wordy at first, but now i absolutely consider it one of dan's best. "i held her in my arms" turned out amazing, and all of the re-worked songs from past albums turned out beautifully. i would have a hell of a time trying to make a best-to-worst list of the tracks on this album. so many great emotions covered as well, fun, dreary, depressed, angry, upbeat...it's all there.

1. dropkick murphys -- going out in style


i've occasionally heard the term "a triumph of the human spirit" be uttered by i myself have never used it until now. i would consider "bamboo bones" off of against me!'s white crosses to be a triumph of the human spirit because it is so jam-packed with emotion that it just slams into you when you crank the volume. and this is on an album with no emotion whatsoever anywhere else. so what happens when you have an entire album bursting with this very triumph of human spirit? you get "going out in style." it's fucking perfect. it's amazing. it is so overwhelming. i listen to it and i just want to scream the lyrics and be in a crowd of blue-collar workers having a beer. the gang vocals and giant sound are part of the reason for this. another is the excellent cameos. fat mike, bruce springsteen, it's great. even the weaker songs are better than 75% of the songs in the rest of this top 10. i don't think i could come up with a bad thing to say about it if i spent all day thinking about it. the title track and "memorial day" are incredible singles, "broken hymns" is truly beautiful, and this album has one kick ass closer. a triumph of the human spirit and the ideals of a blue collar, working class society who want's to work for what they have and have pride in where they came from.
_________________________________________________


let down of the year:
Radiohead -- the king of limbs
i adored "in rainbows." i thought it was a really phenomenal album. i had to force myself to get through this album. it's boring, it's pretentious, it's lame, it fails at what it's trying to do. this band can do so much better.


thoughts on the rest:

akron/family -- what they did with the record store day release/fake leaking of their album was hilarious. i just wish i hadn't spent 15 bucks on the record without knowing that's what i was buying. the actual album is pretty good. i don't think they'll ever touch their old music in my opinion, but some of this stuff really still hits hard.

against me! -- awesome stuff from these guys this year, both live and on record. the new 7" was really friggin good. the total clarity stuff is pretty decent. black crosses is superior to white crosses. i think replacing warren was a bad decision for white crosses, he sounds great on this release. that being said, jay weinberg is a great fit for these guys.

blink 182 -- neighborhoods -- it's what i expected. a not-that-great follow up to a great album coming off an idiotic hiatus. there's some great songs on here (i'm looking at you, "after midnight") but there are some real sleepers. "wishing well" is the worst song they've ever written. what's with the production on this album?! it's so slick that it sounds like plastic. the guitar sound is friggin terrible, there's no meat to it at all.

kevin devine -- he's consistent. the 2 7"s were really good, with luxemburg being the superior of the two. his idea to cover nevermind was novel, it's something i could see myself doing with some of my favorite albums if i were to ever make it. but come on, i doubt anybody prefers it to the original. the angst and aggression just isn't there. his new full-length wasn't great in my opinion. it wasn't bad though. it was right in the middle. like i said, kevin is consistent.

nofx -- 10 hardcore covers -- the thing with nofx is you know what you're going to get, even if it is something new. they said this would be different and they explained how it would sound. they were right. it's exactly what i expected. aggressive, sloppy, fast, almost off-putting. not bad, just not my thing.

rivers cuomo -- alone III -- eh. i expected more. it's "the pinkerton years" and i was expecting it to reflect the greatness that is that album. this is very close to fitting into the "let down" category. i wanted this album with the book but it's so ridiculously over-priced. half the songs sound like he just recorded them without putting any forethought into what he was going to sing about. and it really goes to show that pinkerton was the superior to songs from the black hole.

she and him -- yeah....i listened to this whole album. i like zooey deschannel and i wish she still looked the way she did during elf. baby it's cold outside.

sum 41 -- screaming bloody murder -- it is what it is. another thing that was exactly what i expected. there's a few good songs and a lot of "meh." their time has passed and if they can continue to make music for the love of it, then good for them....i respect that to the ends of the earth. but they aren't about to blow up again any time soon.
_________________________________________________

best of shows:

this was the first time sense 2006 that i didn't see brand new once all year. kind of a bummer.

i so so so so so so so wish that the dropkick show came 2 weeks later. it came just days before the album was released and they played a lot of it. the show was awesome and i could tell the new album was going to be good before it even came out. i just hate seeing songs live that i have yet to hear on album. it was such a high energy show and so much fun, it probably would have been one of the shows of the year for me if i had "going out in style" in my hands ahead of time.

against me! killed it at this show and it was the reason why i went back to see them in rochester later in the year....and thank god i did.

seeing noah and the whale live was something i had always hoped for but never really thought would happen. so to see them twice in one year was awesome. the first show was the easy superior to the second. they've strayed too far away from the band i loved at this point. the lack of guitar playing by charlie and the weird stage presence they had at the 2nd show was very off-putting. but that first show....magical.

my trips to darien lake weren't as successful as the previous year. warped tour was garbage, i think i was home by 3 in the pm. brad paisley was a hell of a time though. that line-up was awesome. again, like last year, i wish had been more sober for it.

the against me! show in rochester was the show of the year. i wrote enough about it already. you can look for what i wrote or read all the reviews of the controversy partially caused by me all over the web. i will forever support this band after that show.

after the alkaline trio show had happened, i thought it was a let down. a couple weeks later, however, i realized that it was friggin awesome. i just wish they played longer sets.

i'm not a big streetlight fan but i've been a reel big fish fan for years. they've gotten old. aaron barrett looks old. and it's weird to me. the eternally youthful feel of their music set to a gray-haired skanker in a hawaiian shirt is just odd. losing scott is a real heart-breaker in my opinion.

the big d show was interesting, as they all seem to be. i love talking to those guys and drinking beer with them. eternal thanks to ryan for sneaking me in after i got kicked out. the show was not the same though. the lack of sean, the lack of the dollies, the lack of the lights, the lack of dave's normal energy.....it wasn't bad, it just wasn't what i know these guys are capable of.

foo fighters are fucking awesome. what else can be said but that? they played for a fortnight. the highlight to me was the acoustic set dave played, namely "long road to ruin." if only they had played "wheels"!!!!!


looking ahead:

i really don't know what's to come in the new year. apparently new against me!? i hope so. with them on their own label, i think they can return to form. i really don't even know what else i have to look forward to. new motion city and maybe new brand new? who knows. maybe that's a good thing considering how this year turned out.

one thing, through hell or high water, there will be a next week's weather full-length in oh'12.

thanks
-jc

this site will slowly transition into updates for said album, so please feel free to come back and visit...

david mcwane.

david mcwane is one of the most important musical figures in my life. a lot of the people i'm friends with probably don't even know who he is and may not have ever even heard of him. and that's too bad. in the world of your lady gagas and your nickelback's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5tBJ34wfOA), very few musicians in popular music seem to have a heart, a soul, and sometimes even a pulse. there are some exceptions. dave grohl seems to be about as genuine as they come and he's one of the most successful musicians of the past 20 years. but if you watch the foo fighters "back and forth" documentary, he too seemed to go through a period of being a rather awful person.

david mcwane is geniune. and to reverse his own lyrics, has a heart and has the soul. a few weeks ago, however, i was worried about how much longer he would in fact have a pulse.

david mcwane is the singer of punk/ska/stroll bostonians "big d and the kids table." he's also the only person left on the planet who wears cargo pants. and just over a month ago, news came out that the band had to cancel their current european tour because he was diagnosed with "throat cancer." this was one of the first real times that i concerned myself with the life of a "celebrity" in quiet some time. but it's tough to call dave a celebrity.

although big d's most recent album, "for the damned, the dumb, and the delirious" was not at all the smash hit for me that "fluent in stroll" was, the guys who are and have been in this band are people i will respect forever. i've written about it before and i've had conversations with the band themselves and some friends, but the punk community and the way they handle a band changing their sound is something that can really cripple a band. and from an outsider looking in, it really put a lot of stress on big d.

fluent in stroll is, in my opinion, one of the most upbeat, positive, and engaging records i've ever listened to. it came to me at a point in my life where i was down right miserable and it just put a smile on my face that wouldn't leave for a long time. but it wasn't a punk/ska record by definition or design. instead, it was a poppy blend of 100 musical stylings, perfectly meshed into the ultimate summer album. punks don't like that. they want you to sing about how the elitist los angele'ietes (don't think that's a word) are assholes. they want power chords and loud drums. they want stage dives and obnoxious horns. so outcome the guns with fluent in stroll in their scopes. bass player steve foote had a long talk with me about this twice, once in rochester after their show and once in buffalo before their most recent stint in wny. it hurt the band, and it showed.

they had a lot of line up changes. long time trumpeter dan stoppleman left the band, founding guitar player sean p rogan left the band, live fill-in brian klemm from the suburban legends was in the band for only a few months before being replaced by nick pantazi. steve foote even left for this past warped tour to, in his words, "have a real job to pay the bills...that i hated." that's a lot of line-up changes. with the subtraction of the doped up dollies, and all the above changes, this past warped tour, the only familiar faces were ryan o'connor on sax, derek davis on drums, and of course....david mcwane. now, it's hard for me to say with complete assurance, but i really think how poorly received fluent in stroll was by the more vocal members of the punk community had a lot to do with all these changes.

so out comes the new record. it was a self-proclaimed "return to form," bringing back the rock. is it a great record? eh. it has some killer songs on it and has an awesome opener, but it doesn't touch their past 3 releases in my opinion. and, again, a lot of other people's opinions were equally critical. it's funny in the punk community, you're bashed when you take a creative leap and then you're bashed when you scale it back and play it safe. what the fuck is that nonsense?

so on top of all this, david mcwane is diagnosed with cancer and the band claims they lost over 10,000 dollars by canceling the tour early. a huge bummer. i was terrified about the fact that i might never again see a band i've jammed to sense 10th grade.

see, like i said, david mcwane is real. so is every member past and present (or at least from "how it goes" on). i've hung out with all these guys, drank beer with most of them, done shots with brian klemm, helped dave find ryan's cell phone, the list goes on. hell, at the most recent show, me and who i was with got kicked out cause he didn't have his id on him. ryan o'connor snuck me in through the back door... and then they talked about it on stage at the end of the show. that's awesome.

these guys don't deserve some of the shit they get, they're the most legit people in music.

they've influenced my life in countless ways and i can not be happier to hear that he should be back on tour in a couple months. it's tough because these guys have been around for a long time and they only have a couple founding members left. it's hard to say they're going to blow up and take the ska scene by storm. they'll most likely forever be regarded with a lot of respect in the community and that's that.

but in my mind........different story.

hell, if the band ever happens to read this, and you guys don't have much luck with the new guy on 6-string, hit me up. i know probably 30+ songs of yours, live on the east coast, and have professional grade equipment...just a thought.

music's a steady riot in my soul. and i hope like hell that the one day where they stop stealing beer from clubs and stop hanging at the bar with the late night punks and lousy women......well i hope that one day never comes.

Why "Tattoos on this Town" By Jason Aldean is the Worst Song of the Year

in preparation for my annual review of music for the year, i thought i'd share some thoughts on what the worst song of the year is and why it should be held on such a pedestal.

jason aldean struck out in 2 swings with this song.

now, this album, "my kind of party" was released last year, and "tattoos on this town" was the forth single released from it. this piece of garbage somehow climbed it's way to #2 on the country charts and is the poster child for why so many people are so jaded towards country music. this is an odd turnaround as the single that preceded it was the huge hit "dirt road anthem" which attracted many not-so-country fans.

i don't get why this song had to be released as a single, or even written in the first place. it was written by three people, none of who are jason aldean. that alone already makes me dislike it. one of my biggest problems with country music is how often the song is written by someone other than the "artist" who records it. this is also one of the reasons why i respect brad paisley so much; dude writes much of his own music. but that's a story for another book. shame on these folk for penning a song that glorifies a terrible aspect of growing up.

what is that terrible aspect of growing up?

why, it's the glorified sense of entitlement that comes with being a teenager on your way out of high school. "we sure left our mark on it," the chorus boasts, claiming how much of an impact this particular group of teens made on their home town. it's like they left tattoos! oh but wait. that's not how growing up is. this song glorifies a fictitious sense of entitlement that so many high schoolers have when they are getting their diploma. every grade thinks they were so influential and did so much and were so unique. i remember my senior year, we had t-shirts that said "it took 2007 years to get a class this good." NO! NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! we were nothing outlandishly over the top, we were very ordinary. nobody cares about the class that graduated 4 and a half years ago now. they just don't.

this song reminds me of that other country song, "boys of fall." both songs share the same sense of youth, only "boys of fall" gives a reason for remembrance. there are towns out there where if the football team is doing well, then the town may get behind them. but still, tattoos on that town? no. maybe a few years later, some old folk who go to the games might be sitting at a diner or a bar and reminisce about how good that team way back when was, but they certainly weren't that influential.

so if you think that you're so god damn special to your town and that you left such a mark on it.....wait a few years, you weren't. and jason aldean and the smucks who wrote this should NOT be glorifying such thought. it's just aiding to the already overwhelming sense of entitlement that plagues the current youth of america.

now some people might read this and go "oh but it's catchy! it's a toe tapper!" eh....not really. sonically, it leaves much to be desired. the chord progression is bland, the song structure is redundant, and the instrumentation is nothing to make itself stand out.

it just sucks. it's the worst song of the year.

i mean, even toby keith, who usually is so overwhelming with his obnoxious salute to america, his belittling "i like america more than you" attitude, and general slob'ish'ness managed to set aside his red-white-and-blue kiss ass'ing to put out two quality tracks this year (red solo cup and somewhere else). so that leaves you alone at the top, mister aldean. not even sum 41's bland new album or the garbage that is "wishing well" by blink-182 can touch the crap that spews out of this particular track.

coming soon:

-why david mcwane is so important to me and what his throat cancer means to music.

-musical year in review, oh'12

-my year in review, oh'12

stubborness and not admitting when you are wrong.

whelp. baby here i am again, kicking dust in the canyon wind....

i mean.

i've really had a hard time dealing with one of the issues in which the headline of this little ditty references. but seeing as the two are so closely related, and i am the definition of one of them, a discussion on the two is fitting in my eyes.

i am one of the most stubborn people i know. i am very set in my ways, i hate change, and i am often accidentally arrogant. granted, i'm often purposely arrogant for the sake of comedy, but that's entirely different. the fact of the matter is, if people can not understand when i'm being sarcastic and being condescending as a joke, then they either need to lighten up or aren't people i want to socialize with. however, not being able to admit when you are wrong is a whole other issue. i've been guilty of it on occasion, but i've also often admitted it and ran away with my tail between my legs. listen, if you debate me on an issue i feel strongly about, i'm either going to talk circles around you, go toe to toe with you, or, on a rare occasion, be put entirely in my place. and that's fine. if the stats stack up against me, then i need to be the adult and admit it.

but what happens when people CAN'T admit when they're wrong?

i know a lot of people like this. 3 of them have been an important part to the summer of oh'11 (rest in pieces). one was an important part of the fall of oh'10, another around sense hours after i was born, and the third, a new comer to my life. each situation is entirely different. the first is someone who was too immature for me to have dealt into my life. i made a mistake there. and the fact that they see no fault in their ways shouldn't be one to surprise me because i'm sure i was a lot like that at their age. hell, i know i was. i never gave a fuck what anybody thought of me, i was me and if you didn't like it, then fuck you. but. i'm still me. only now i'm proud of me and i strive to be the best person i can be. that's where the me back then differs from the me of now. i can admit when i'm wrong cause it's often times in a way in which i need to address my own personal character (ie. not knowing the full information on an issue i feel strongly about, making the wrong moral decision, etc. etc.)

the second person is someone far my superior when it comes to age, education, and wealth. unfortunately, for whatever reason, this person's stubbornness has grown to a level too big for his own house(s). it's fine, he worked hard to get to where he is, but even the highest of higher-ups fuck up, and you see politicians step down for a reason. everybody makes mistakes, and you need to be able to be the bigger person and say "hey, i'm sorry." i've gone months without talking to this person and have always been the one to bring them back into my life, even when i wasn't at fault for what happened. never once have i heard this person say "i was wrong" or "i'm sorry." and they've done some downright BAD things. why? why the ego? why the perpetual need to always be right? it's childish. it makes you look bad to the people who know what's really going on. and that's the whole point to all this, you're stubbornness and inability to admit you're wrong often just makes you look foolish.

finally the third example. this one is one i don't understand at all. this person was one in which i really decided i cared about, but i did so way too early. they lied to me. flat out. they lied about almost everything they said in the first week i knew them. did they ever admit to it? nope, they beat around the bush or ignored the situation. did i get upset and act out of character? absolutely. i was wrong in doing so. see that? i was wrong. admitting it. so when i hear this person say "oh i found out who he really was after." i think, well ya know what? fuck you. you knew who i was cause i was honest to you, you're the one who lied your face off and didn't admit to it. people act out of character when they're angry, that's to be expected. but when you can't act in character in normal situations or see the error in your ways when the anger subsides, then there's a problem.

people do other people wrong all the time. and sometimes all it takes to make things right is a simple "i'm sorry for so and so and so." that's it. but stubbornness and your own egos are way too prevalent in the world today.

listen, chill out, be yourself, be honest, and if you make a mistake, admit to it. it will make so much more sense in the long run. and, in the case of these 3 examples, it won't cut out somebody that is potentially important to their lives.

-jc

currently listening to:

-you and tequila make me crazy -- kenny chesney

-black crosses -- against me!

-cake.

a few years ago, tom gabel called the punk scene a "ghetto"

and, i can't help but admit his word choice was incredibly poor, but i'm pretty sure i understand perfectly what he meant.

i wrote this on an internet forum discussing whether or not "ska was dead" and it's got me thinking a bit more about the grand scheme of the ska and punk genres.

"ska is dead but i love it oh so much. here's an abbreviated reason as to why it's dead. first and most relevant example to current day: the new big d and the kids table album. coming off of an album that they said was their most fun time in the studio as a band, and an album that put their necks out on the line to try something new, the negative response from so many ska punk kids bummed them out (yes this is true, they told me themselves). so they go back into the studio and put out a generic medio-core album with minimal stand out tracks. why? to appease the mass ska-punk assholes who refuse to let a sound progress. i hate to quote tom gable but maybe he was right with some of his critique of punk, because so many of the hard-core punxxxxxx refuse to let a band progress with their sound. so the heart is taken out of the music. next example. the mad caddies. their last album was the same kind of thing, a big departure from their punk roots and a bit of experimentation in a more laid back sound. i saw them live in support of that album, and they said it was their lowest attended show in 10 years. that's fucking weak. ska shouldn't be dead, but because people refuse to let it off life-support, it may as well be."

there'll be a lot more about big d as this bit of thought progresses. but the fact of the matter is you can't progress very easily in such a scene of music. i mean, that's if you develop as a band with any sort of real involvement in the culture. a band like alkaline trio is a band that can change their sound without a ton of backlash, and the reason is because they were never the DIY hardcore punk ethic kind of band. the hardcore punks seem to never really be that into alkaline trio, they always seem very indifferent. never much hate, and the love for them is a different kind of love than you see with some more hardcore punk-ethic bands.

and there's your nofx's. their sound hasn't wavered, but their opinions have become more politically and self aware. the hate for them is never too strong. sure, the street punks might not like how big fat wreck is (even though it's not even part of the RIAA) or how it has an outside distribution deal, but the fact of the matter is fat mike has done a lot for the scene and never changed his sound too much, so their legion of fans has stayed rather constant.

but let's get back to the idea of punk being a ghetto, or maybe a place where music isn't allowed to progress. i'm writing while listening to what i believe is the absolute best rancid album. life won't wait. life won't wait is an album unlike any other rancid album. it's actually rather different than most punk out there. this album has so many outside influences, it's so unique, and it has some of the most intelligent lyrics tim and lars have ever put out. speaking of lars, it's the last album where he scored the opening vocals. but that's neither here nor there. everything clicks on this record for rancid, their ska influences are in their element, matt freeman is shredding the bass, you can actually distinguish tim's guitar playing (something almost impossible, even in their live show), and the guys are at their highest point as musicians. i know punks who hate rancid and would give anything for another op ivy record, but love life won't wait.

and what happens? everybody bitches because it's not hardcore enough. where's the punkkkk rancid i grew up on? blah blah blah. complain city. now, i'm not going to lie, i got into rancid when the nofx/rancid split came out, and the last album i ever bought of theirs was life won't wait. and why was that? cause the band hardly ever acknowledged it, so i didn't think it was worth my time. it's the least represented album in most of their live shows, and i think the reason was the mini-backlash.

now i don't think rancid are the kind of people who really give too much of a fuck what people think. especially nowadays. they want to be long-timers, and i'm pretty sure they know they're best ablums have been made. dominoes was a bad attempt at trying to fool people into thinking the next wolves is right around the corner. and the fact that nothing has ever been said about why brett reed left is another odd "we don't care" kind of example. they don't care, they know who they are and they're comfortable with it. but the fact of the matter remains. punks bitched about the lack of "punk" on life won't wait and the next album was a direct response to that. rancid V, or rancid (2ooo), or whatever you want to call it, is undeniably their most hardcore album. and they've never dipped back into the kind of sounds found on that monstrous forth album. sure they still play bloodclot, and hover street, and occasionally a few others, but you don't see as much as the other albums. it's too bad, really.

hey, i'm not saying a band shouldn't ever try and please their fans, but they shouldn't do it quiet so drastically. again, i could be wrong cause rancid don't seem like they give a fuck, but they definitely took a big risk with life won't wait and i'm sure they all were very proud of it and had wished it was as big as wolves. there's a level of chance taking that's between artist integrity and fan appreciation that is tough to find.

that's big d's current problem.

they have gone about for the damned, the dumb, and the delirious in all the right ways. saying "oh we didn't have the punk songs in us at the time, so we had to wait for the inspiration again" and yadda yadda yadda. but read sean p rogan's thoughts on fluent in stroll and look at the mass exodus of band members. or hell, read the post i made about the night i spent with these guys. they were bummed that the album they put all their heart into and had a blast making was rejected by the hardcore punks. big d, you're not allowed to not be a punk band. how dare you spread your horizons and make an album unlike any other out right now? to the guys who criticized that record, fuck you. you're allowed not to like it, but the shit that was talked was unjust. i can't think of anything more punk than doing something completely unfamiliar to you and taking a huge chance on something. punk is supposed to be anti-authority and inherently anarchist, fluent in stroll put aside all the rules of what a ska punk band should be.

i will say this. people are the most vocal when they're unhappy. if everybody was happy, we'd have a quiet world. the people who loved fluent in stroll weren't the ones who were bitching about it. and now that damned is out, the people who liked it are complaining. people love to bitch, and you're going to always see more negative comments than positive. it's the nature of the world.

but it didn't sit well with the guys sitting at the kids table. nobody wants to be hated, and their spirits were down. in the words of steve, "i was reading comments on punk news telling me to kill myself. that sucks." so where are we now? sean p rogan, founding member of the band, is out of the band, living in mass with his new wife, playing solo shows and giving guitar lessons. i have a hard time believing if this album took off, he wouldn't still be in the band. dan stoppleman, long time trumpeter, tired of touring. big steve, not even at warped right now. seeing big d at warped last week, the only familiar faces were derrick, dave, and ryan. that's a more than 50% turn around in personnel. and how's the new album? generic. you're a DIY punk, how dare you change your sound. it's not allowed. i don't care if it makes you're band unhappy.

so let's now take a look at the guy who called the punk scene a ghetto. freshly off a major label and back in the streets where he started...just with a lot more money. they signed to fat-wreck after being sabot and no idea veterans and putting out one of the best folk-punk records i've ever heard (as the eternal cowboy). oh there's that backlash, they're on fat-wreck. they better up the punk hard or we're gonna hate them. nahhhh, searching for a former clarity pushed the creative envelope further than cowboy and was their sonically best sounding album. was it their best album? no, that's still cowboy. but it definitely had the best sound.

but they go to sire, and out come new wave and white crosses and in comes the backlash. but i can't help but support some of the criticism. tom acted like a prick, warren seemed to get kicked out of the band, and their setlists were awful. but lately, man. all i gotta say is go back and read my review of their recent set in rochester. i will defend this band from that day forward, unwaveringly. unless they change their sound too much and i gotta join the hardcore punks in hating them.

some criticism is warranted when it comes to artistic development. what green day did was the wrong decision at the time, and they almost deserved to be cast out of the scene. but lookout! couldn't support them anymore, they were getting too big. and you can't criticize a band for being liked, if you made music to be hated and have no fans, you wouldn't be around very long, and even the punks wouldn't like you. but. there were other options. for example, epitaph was starting to take off and they handled smash just fine. but, instead they went reprise. which wasn't the right move. but hey, dookie was a good record. and they could have never made such an amazing album like warning: on lookout! records. those songs wouldn't sound good at gillman street. sorry. but what happened after warning:? the same thing i've been talking about throughout this whole piece. it was a creative gamble that turned out amazing, but was critically ill-received. and as a result, the band went into hiatus. granted, i don't know if it was the punks who hurt green day's feelings. this was probably very much more a weezer post-pinkerton breakdown than a big d breakdown. and oddly enough, weezer and green day both regrouped after a few years and put out a medio-core record that was somehow well received amongst critics and fans alike.

but i'm starting to stray from the point. there are too many punks that can't be happy. if tom gabel isn't an anarchist, and mike mccolgan isn't the singer for the dropkick murphys, then life sucks. big d better play LAX at every show, fat mike should have fed those fans piss, the mad caddies better not play too much reggae, and the day blink-182 breaks up again will be the best day ever for the true punxxxxx.


-jc

fireworks.

the 4th of july has always been one of my favorite holidays. now it's no news that i'm not very patriotic, so the reason is very much more about me having a lot of really great memories from this holiday. and that's what holidays are supposed to be, right? making memories with people you love.

fireworks to me are kind of dumb. a lot of money for very little pay off over a very short time period. but, a professional display is something i've always enjoyed. as a little kid, you always want to see fireworks, it's such a cool thing. it's like an explosion you pretend happens every time you beat up all the bad guys and save the day when you and your cousin are playing. but it's an explosion in the sky that can take your breathe away as a little kid.

it's the kind of reaction that i imagine parents live for. that's probably why after my parents got divorced, my mom would drive around in the old blue beat up pickup she had until we got to a high point somewhere with a good view so i could see them. we didn't have anywhere to go, we were in a rough spot as a family, but she still wanted me to have fun. so there we sat atop a hill in eden where we could see the lake and see fireworks, parked in that old truck.

few years later, we're on a boat in lake erie watching the fireworks display in dunkirk. my step-dad's dad, on the top of the boat dancing just to get a reaction out of the kids. and there's me all upset that they won't let me up there without a life jacket.

it's so hard to see how fast time flies.

the past handful of 4th's have all been sunset bay-located. but before that, there were plenty of little kid-version's of me and my cousins playing with sparklers in my grandma's back yard by the pond.

lately it's been different. it's been drinking, it's been partying, it's been hanging with friends, hell, it's even been playing in a band at a party in sunset (that was a good one). it's the spontaneity of it that's been so enjoyable.

maybe i've just been in an exceptionally cynical mood lately or maybe it's because we're getting older, my cousin's getting married, i'm not as adventurous or outgoing as i used to be, or family issues, or whatever. but this year i settled for the quieter approach. sure, yesterday i had my share of fun, but tonight i was okay sitting in the sand outside my grandma's cottage watching the fireworks all down the bay. it just brought back all these memories and it was both very peaceful and very lonely. having someone to sit with would have been nice, but solitude's good for the soul.

time goes by too quick. it's amazing how quickly things can change from one year to the next. this time last year i was on a kayak with my cousin and his soon-to-be-fiance watching the fireworks all over the lake, completely at peace with everything except my lost sunglasses. this year, it's a lot different. i'd like some peace.

-jc

currently listening to:

noah and the whale -- mary

archers of loaf -- chumming the ocean

brand new -- play crack the sky

Against Me! Against Water Street. 6/12/11

have i criticized against me! in the past? yes. and i was very vocal about it at times, even here on this site. one of the few album reviews i've ever elaborated on was for "white crosses" and i mainly bashed the album. but, for my review on music for the year, i firmly placed my tail between my legs and admitted the album grew on me and that i may have been wrong. a lot of my criticism of this band was put to rest this past sunday, and hopefully this little bit of literature will put some other people's criticism to rest as well.



it's lame to say it, but this band is still "reinventing axl rose," just in a different way than they used to. everything about their show at rochester's water street music hall was what i would hope to see from this band, and then some. but let's backtrack a few months to their set opening for dropkick murphys in niagara falls. i went into the set hoping amongst all hope that i wouldn't get a set of new wave and white crosses with their back-catalog forgotten, i mean, their last stint at warped tour was primarily new wave and i figured the set times would be similar. i was terribly mistaken. they played a great mix and an incredible set. so, when i found out they would be at water street in a few months time, i knew i had to be there.

the opening bands weren't anything incredible, but i will say this, i don't know if i've ever seen a girl shred the guitar like the singer of "screaming females." she was impressive.

i got to the venue right around the time of doors, and bought my ticket. 20 dollars. hmm...i thought it was advertised as 18, i asked the door-man. "no, sorry, that was a misprint" he told me. oh well, 2 bucks, no big deal. there was reentry, so i bought their 2 latest vinyl releases and went back to my car to leave them there and drink a couple beers before the show. i got back mid-lemuria and made my way to the front.

when the time came for against me!'s set, i was front-row-center and ready to yell my brains out for the guys to play "disco..." they blasted into "cliche guevara," and from that point on, i knew i was still very much in love with this band. a good 20 songs later, including "35%" from the "disco..." ep, and "reinventing axl rose" (a song i had somehow never seen them play in the 4 previous shows), they arrived on the intro to t.s.r., and that's when the show got interesting. tom stopped before the party was over (if you'll excuse my pun) to thank the opening bands and to tell water street to fuck off. there was no misprint on the price of the tickets, the venue was overcharging people. and he made sure everybody knew it. he then said he'd be happy to give back the money to whoever was overcharged. next song, "sink, florida, sink" tom's mic was cut out. either suspicious or a coincidence? regardless, he grabbed andrew's mic and finished the set there.

come encore time. after yelling it all night, "disco before the breakdown" made it to song #2. was it written on the set? probably. but who cares, i was stoked they were playing it, and andrew saw my reaction and gave me a salute. the familiar closer came after a clash cover, and "we laugh at danger" lit the room on fire. tom's mic was faulting again, and he decided it was time to start smashing it in to the monitor. i've been a fan of this band long enough to remember the days when fans would hit the stage during the end of this song, and after catching eyes of another fellow long-term-fan, all i had to say was "let's go" and away we went. bouncers got to him quick, and i almost made it. instead, however, i was pulled back by the collar of my shirt and put in a headlock and dragged to the side of the stage. wait, here comes tom gable to pull the bouncer off of me? yeah, he stopped the show and told him to leave me alone, and stop being a "fucking jerk." it was awesome. absolutely awesome to see a guy who so many people criticize prove he still really cares a hell of a lot about his fans.

the band left the stage pissed, and away went the fans. i walked around the side of the building just to see who was hanging around, and sure enough, there was jay weinberg. if there was any drummer who could fill the fans hearts who were upset about warren leaving, it's jay. the guy is awesome. i shook his hand and said thanks for everything (oh, and they stole a bottle of jameson). i figured if they were all coming out, i'd stay and say thanks to tom personally for him sticking up for me. unfortunately, no such luck. i did have the opportunity to have james come up to me and make sure i was okay, and there was andrew, staying true to tom's word with a giant wad of one dollar bills, giving them away to whoever wanted a refund. i talked to him for a while about music, struggling to make it on my own, his joining against me! and some other various stuff. he was seriously a really cool guy. unfortunately, i had a drunken friend with me and i didn't want to pester him too much even though he said i wasn't.

without a doubt one of the most amazing shows i've been to and one of the coolest concert memories i have. it was incredible. the only down side was falling asleep at the wheel because i was so exhausted on the way home and scrapping the hell out of the side of my car. but that's what insurance is for (hopefully) and it was still very much worth it just for the experience and for the memories.

Setlist (in ALMOST the correct order)
-cliche guevara
-pints of guiness
-from her lips to god's ears
-new wave
-because of the shame
-don't lose touch
-violence
-russian spies
-walking is still honest
-rice and bread
-rapid decompression
-white people for peace
-americans abroad
-reinventing axl rose
-miami
-tonight we give it 35%
-white crosses
-teenage anarchist
-t.s.r.
-sink, florida, sink
-slurring the rhythms
-you look like i need a drink
-clapping hands/balled fists
thrash unreal
--------------------------------
-occult enemies (i think)
-janie jones (clash cover)
-disco before the breakdown
-we laugh at danger



amazing.