tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-107253932009-07-05T16:01:34.889-04:00This is the home of reviews, articles, interviews and general thoughts about punk, indie, metal, alt country, alternative, no depression, hip-hop, hard rock, soul, etc, etc, etc. Really, it's just a bunch of rambling garbage about rock n roll that spills out of my head...bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.comBlogger803125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-77649810450134539762009-06-25T12:52:00.006-04:002009-06-25T13:14:28.247-04:00

Back in 1988, I caught an Amnesty International benefit show at the Towson Armory in Towson, MD. Having seen locals Black Friday a few months before, I was anxious to catch them again along with Pearl Fishers, Sunday Cannons and the Unknown. While the latter was fairly rotten (one of the few bands whose set I walked away from), the other three were all very good. Sunday Cannons were so good,

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-72870988824386842202009-06-24T12:00:00.004-04:002009-06-24T12:19:13.699-04:00

Check out this rough mix of the title track from the Gypsy Pistoleros' forthcoming album (due in October on Lime Records)."Welcome to the Hotel de la Muerte" mp3Myspace

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-81855102538909329982009-06-23T22:38:00.005-04:002009-06-23T23:19:05.212-04:00

Label: Warner BrosReleased: June 23, 2009Straightforward. Subdued. Accessible. If Octohedron had been recorded by just about any other band, those words would never cross anyone's mind. However, the Mars Volta has pushed the boundaries of their music and their mania time and again, leaving the expectation that each album will be a further exploration of psychedelic insanity. This album

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-53919619721192049082009-06-19T14:06:00.000-04:002009-06-19T14:06:52.100-04:00

Label: self-releasedReleased: March 10, 2009Folk and punk has found some common ground over the years. From Billy Bragg's incendiary love and politics to Elliott Smith's dark beauty, the two genres have occasionally met in strange ways that have never been entirely one genre or the other, yet clearly rooted in both.Brian Bond is a similar artist in a sense. Musically, he's clearly a folk artist

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-69932319165470286742009-06-10T20:44:00.005-04:002009-06-10T22:11:15.525-04:00

John Mellencamp will release Life Death Live and Freedom, the eight song live companion to last year's Life Death Love and Freedom. Get a sneak preview mp3 until the album is released on June 23rd."If I Die Sudden" MP3

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-20526992903564108132009-06-04T09:56:00.006-04:002009-06-04T14:07:36.992-04:00

Label: Hear MusicReleased: June 9, 2009Elvis Costello has had quite a long and varied career to say the least, making albums bordering on punk on one hand and working with the likes of Burt Bacharach and Allen Toussaint at others. The genres he's avoided, like metal or hip-hop, are surely more by choice than inability. There's no question that as both a performer and a songwriter, he has few

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-13055646757897255002009-05-27T13:56:00.000-04:002009-05-27T13:57:07.318-04:00

Label: White Elephant RecordsReleased: September 29, 2008Even those who love prog rock often understand that its shortcoming stems from putting the head before the heart. While no genre in rock can compete with prog's technical prowess, it's still often dismissed as self-indulgent and lite where the true spirit of rock n roll is the exception, not the rule. That leaves any band that takes the

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-32694843613204496662009-05-23T01:54:00.003-04:002009-05-23T02:14:59.150-04:00

Before this film had even been released, the comparisons to Spinal Tap were coming from all quarters, including, it seems, the film's creators and promoters. There's good reason too, because the parallels between the two films are uncanny, especially considering that one is parody and the other reality. While director Sacha Gervasi surely emphasized the similarities in the two stories (did that

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-35884113989848909402009-05-22T00:17:00.001-04:002009-05-22T00:17:42.874-04:00

Label: Columbia RecordsReleased: April 28, 2009When Bob Dylan released Love and Theft back in 2001, it seemed that he had more good music left in him than anyone expected. Five years later, Modern Times said otherwise (though many surely disagree). It was tired and old and adult. Now, in 2009, Dylan offers up yet another late career album that will perhaps give a clue as to which of the

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-12138493727698294012009-05-20T11:10:00.001-04:002009-05-20T11:10:40.607-04:00

May 7, 2009, Recher Theatre, Towson, MarylandThe Gaslight Anthem released one of 2008's best records, were a highlight of last summer's Vans Warped Tour, released an fantastic 10" on Record Store Day and are now on the verge of opening for perhaps their biggest influence, Bruce Springsteen. There really couldn't be much more of a positive vibe or greater expectations (yeah, pun intended) coming

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-88339006422974510062009-05-07T15:10:00.001-04:002009-05-07T15:12:29.028-04:00

Cool song. Cooler video.Dirty Sweet - Marionette from Dirty Sweet on Vimeo.

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-49157735926155429942009-05-05T23:14:00.000-04:002009-05-05T23:14:59.054-04:00

Label: Evil Weevil RecordsReleased: April 7, 2009I'd almost forgotten what emo was like before it became a dirty word, but Everyone Everywhere is a clear reminder. Sure, the mohawk crowd is still going to find this to be too sappy, but it never devolves into the self-conscious and saccharine whine-fest that consumes the genre today. The vocals, sensitive, but never over-dramatic, ride the

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-18881417811491056302009-05-05T22:44:00.002-04:002009-05-05T22:44:53.682-04:00

Oceans "We Are Ruins" in HD from Hannah Rosner on Vimeo.

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-40206877708884532132009-05-05T22:09:00.004-04:002009-05-05T22:13:35.464-04:00

Flipper will release Love, their first album in 16 years, on May 19th. You never know what you're gonna get with a band like Flipper and over a decade and a half since they last recorded, it's even more up in the air. However, you can check out "Be Good Child" to get an early taste before the release.

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-776644657734280822009-04-30T15:38:00.001-04:002009-04-30T15:39:14.459-04:00

Label: Forcefield RecordsReleased: January 27, 2009This vinyl-only release collects two earlier City of Ships EPs from 2006 and 2007 that are clearly worthy of being issued on this superior format. Both EPs feature monstrous waves of dissonance underscored by shockingly melodic lines. The tension created isn't pleasant, but reflects that nice is a minor virtue next to truth and truth isn't

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-50910405193924173232009-04-21T07:55:00.000-04:002009-04-21T07:56:19.634-04:00

Label: Able Heart RecordsReleased: April 28, 2009I wonder why it is that when a band rehashes 60s garage psych or 70s hard rock, I'm so much more open to it than I am to the now-popular revisiting of 80s pop. I think the answer is two-fold. First, I lived through the 80s. I missed the 60s and was too young to appreciate the 70s, so those decades hold more mystique for me than the 80s. I have

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-15428968663201851192009-04-16T23:45:00.000-04:002009-04-16T23:45:59.652-04:00

Label: EmarcyReleased: March 31, 2009Over the years, John Scofield has worked with a who's who of jazz and fusion artists. He has established himself as one of the top names in jazz guitar and is almost as well known outside of jazz circles as he is within. He's one of those artists who finds himself in the unique position of being able to try whatever he wants. While that position many times

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-71340863683975365862009-04-15T17:59:00.000-04:002009-04-15T18:02:40.797-04:00

Label: self-released (available at the bands Myspace and at shows)Released: January 31, 2009In recent years, there have been a number of bands who have returned to punk's old loose hooks and gritty melodies. Against Me is at the top of that pile with bands like Gaslight Anthem quickly climbing up behind them. Many voices are screaming to be heard behind these front runners. Not all are worth

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-68848699897979566112009-04-13T14:25:00.000-04:002009-04-13T14:26:08.633-04:00

Label: Hopeless RecordsReleased: March 10, 2009Label: Doghouse RecordsReleased: April 7, 2009Thirty years ago, a subgenre of rock that had been building for a few years was just about ready to explode. AOR took the best elements of 70s rock, dummied it down, made it safe and sold millions of records whose broad appeal was based on the least common denominator. While what they did was generally

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-90968750691380531222009-04-11T11:39:00.001-04:002009-04-16T07:04:09.119-04:00

Label: Copper Lung RecordsReleased: March 24, 2009I have long believed that artists only are only half of the creative force behind art. The other half of the creation is the interpretation. Often, the greatest art allows for significant breadth of interpretation even as it guides the very same. Most often though, the artist errs on the side of doing too much and closing too many doors. This

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-12840983928502913682009-04-09T08:38:00.000-04:002009-04-09T08:38:30.884-04:00

Label: self-released (CD Baby)Released: April 28, 2009In the waning days of the first wave of punk, several bands took the groundwork it had laid and mixed it up with a frantic sense of dancability. For lack of a better desciption, we called it post-punk. Three decades later, it seems like everyone wants to "rediscover" Joy Division, the Fall, Pil and their peers. Motorik, despite their name's

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-90755335911411735312009-04-07T07:34:00.000-04:002009-04-07T07:34:43.159-04:00

Label: Fixing a Hole RecordsReleased: February 2009Ken Decter, infamous leader of Florida fun punks F, once said of his band, "We don't have a message. If we had a message, we'd put out a newspaper. We're just a stupid band." That statement could be applied to any number of punk bands from the goofball antics of Adrenalin OD to B horror movie shenanigans of the Misfits. At a time when punk

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-38422195253297885602009-04-01T23:25:00.001-04:002009-04-01T23:26:11.428-04:00

Label: Orange Dress RecordsReleased: March 17, 2009On the surface, Kate Mann finds herself channeling a bit of Joni Mitchell and a bit of Janis Joplin, her music swinging gently across the short space between folk and blues. While it is that bit of Joni that shows up in a clever musical phrase here and there, it also manifests itself in the albums lighter, less compelling moments. But Mann's

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-18556027881273929502009-03-31T21:44:00.001-04:002009-03-31T21:44:50.279-04:00

Label: self-released (distributed by Fontana North/Universal)Released: April 28, 2009Terms like lo-fi and DIY have become quite commonplace these days. Unfortunately, these terms are often applied to music that could also be described as contrived or just rotten. The Weather Station is certainly the epitome of both of those common terms, but not of the descriptions which often destroy them.The

bob_vinylhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08414008312753058491noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10725393.post-60206664672837460622009-03-19T13:48:00.000-04:002009-03-19T13:49:15.641-04:00

Label: Jump Start RecordsReleased: February 16, 2009Hardcore has struggled on and off for years with the concept of melody. When bands in late 70s and early 80s first decided to abandon traditional songwriting and simply go for broke at near light speed, a lot was lost despite the opening of a new avenue. Over time, bands began to rediscover that old sense of melody (especially in DC with the

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