The Bastard Son of Johnny Cash: Check this guy out!

His name is Jesse Morris. He appears to be from San Francisco according to his myspace page. He does punk songs in the the style of Johnny Cash. Here is his version of "Six Pack", the infamous old Black Flag tune. I would buy this guy's record if there was one. Black Flag and Johnny Cash both had that "in yer face" attitude to their music, and Jesse mixes them together very well here. I would like to see him tour with Hank III, Wayne Hancock and Big Sandy. Now that would be a great show.

Keith Morris - New Project OFF!

Keith Morris - Circle Jerks
Originally uploaded by wanapixel

Keith Morris is one of the grandfathers of American punk. He traces his roots back to the early LA punk scene, as former frontman for legendary Black Flag. As the 80s dawned, he went in a new direction with his band the Circle Jerks. I loved the Jerks because of their weird sense of humor and hard riffs.
So, not long ago, I hear he has created a new supergroup called OFF! Seems natural, first Black Flag and now OFF! He will be creating great punk until America runs out of pest control products. Can't wait to see what comes of it. A cd? A tour? Who knows, but even RAID can't kill these old roaches, who keep putting out great punk into their fourth decade. Geez are we getting old?

Ten Essential Uplifting Punk Songs for these Hard Times!

"Rise above" graffiti, Erie Canal
Originally uploaded by jcolman

Times are tough. Here is a batch of punk songs that will make it easier. In no apparent order, here are some of my favorites:

Rise Above - Black Flag
The be all end all of great punk tunes! "Try to stop us, it's no use!!!" Henry Rollins screaming into the mic, and he means business...

I'm Not Down - The Clash
A very personal and thoughtful account of personal trials and mustering up the strength and courage to overcome them.
"I've been beat up, I've been thrown Out
But I'm not down, Oh I'm not down
I've been shown up, but I've grown up
And I'm not down, Oh I'm not down"

Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Me First and the Gimme Gimmes
If this classic song done up SoCal punk style doesn't bring a smile to your face, then, as Louis Jordan would say, "Jack, you dead!"

I'm OK You're OK - MXPX
In a comforting way, MXPX is like your old pal, reminding you of better times, and that things are gonna be alright...

Do or Die - Dropkick Murphys
Leave it to the Murphs to give you the wakeup call against complacency. Don't let the bastards get you down!
"Your dreams are in danger, and We Must Rise
Our time has come we are under the gun It's Do or Die"

Living - The Circle Jerks
"Everyday is such a test, When this world's such a mess
But I'll try hard- I'll do my best, Won't get bogged down- like all the rest
Got no hamsters in my head- No monkeys on my back
No chains and shackles- to hold me down I wanna fly- I wanna fly"
That was my theme song back in the early 90's. I better find that cd and give it a spin!

New Day Rising - Husker Du
The whole lyric is like, Bob Mould shouting and screaming over and over "New Day Rising", but for some reason I get comfort from this...

Somewhere - Husker Du
Once again, in bittersweet verse, Bob Mould promises us that:
"Somewhere the dirt is washed down with the rain
Somewhere there's happiness instead of pain
Somewhere satisfaction has no name Somewhere I can
be the same". Hopeful lyrics.

I Believe in Miracles - The Ramones
I used to be on an endless run. Believe in miracles cause Im one.
A have been blessed with the power to survive. After all these years Im still alive.
I believe in miracles.
I believe in a better world for me and you.
I have been blessed with the power to survive.
After all these years Im still alive.
The futures here today. Its not too late.
Its not too late, yeah! I believe in miracles.
I believe in a better world for me and you.
Oh, I believe in miracles. I believe in a better world for me and you
Very deep stuff in a Ramones sort of way.

Rise Up - Pennywise
"Well it's up to you what you really want to do - take time - to find a way
Focus on your vision you're on a secret mission
Ignore what the masses say
Well it's up to me what I really want to be
And I'm still searching for the day
We got to fight we got to feel we got to know that this is real
If we're going to win this race
We gotta rise up open our eyes up."

Put these tracks on a playlist and you might find yourself feeling better about the world, the economy, the situation we are currently in. I know you folks out there have some favorite tunes, so PLEASE comment below!
Rise Above!!!

Ten Essential Women of Punk?

calendar girl punk rock jenny 3
Originally uploaded by Robots For Magnolia

Who are the Ten Essential Women of Punk? I can think of lots of great candidates. Nowadays there are tons of great punk singers of the female persuasion. The Soviettes, The Eyeliners, Tilt, the list goes on, and there are plenty of great female artists in the punk genre... But who were the first? Who paved the way? Here is my list. If I left anyone out, feel free to comment! In no particular order.

Patti Smith:
Who is considered the poet laureat of punk. I remember her stuff coming on the scene in the late 70s (editor's note, I am an old fart) and the passion of her lyrics and vocals. She brought a literate and lucid vision to the music scene at the time, and was (and still is) an original. Most people are at least partly familiar with her from the near hit Because the Night. My fave was always Pissing in the River.

Exene Cervenka (X)
Passionate singer of the great SoCal punk band X, I always loved the sense of urgency Exene displayed in her vocals. The album Los Angeles is a definite "add" for any collection, and my favorite tune by X was Breathless. This was actually done for the soundtrack of the 80's film Breathless, but the tune was better than the movie anyway.

Wendy O.Williams (Plasmatics)
When punk was scary and new, so was Wendy O. My mind reels with pictures of WOW blowing up a car on the Tom Snyder show, blowing up school buses, wielding a chainsaw onstage. She was both scary and exciting, like her music. The blonde mohawk and schoolgirl skirt, whipped cream and duct tape. Not to be confused with any other band leader on the planet... She had attitude, and showmanship. She tragically ended her life a few years back.

Debbie Harry (Blondie)
Not a true punk by today's style, but punk in a NY art house sort of way. Like Talking Heads, Blondie, Television, etc. who were considered punk in the 70's. Debbie had a great stage presence, classic beauty and an interesting voice. I always liked Rip Her to Shreds with its attitude. She pioneered mixing rap and rock with Rapture. They delved into new wave, electronica, dance and punk.

Joan Jett (The Runaways)
I am the same age as Joan and these ladies. As a hormone- raged teen, seeing Joan, Cherie, and Lita et al, was quite overwhelming. One performance of Cherry Bomb was enough to start an adolescent male riot. I give Joan the vote since she was the best known, but all the Runaways deserve the nod. They paved the way for riotgirl punk and bands like The Donnas.

Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth)
Noise, art punk, hardcore or whatever, Kim was one of the original noisemakers who helped launch the avant garde punk scene in the early 80s. She was just one of the band, not a novelty, as bands with female members were in the days before the came on the scene.

Gaye Advert (The Adverts)
From the other side of the pond, I needed someone to represent britpunk. Gaye fills that bill. She is one of the original britpunk women I remember from back in the day. Good punk vocs and stage presence, with tons of the britpunk attitude. I like the old snarling dog style of the British rockers.

Kira Roessler (Black Flag)
Kira gets the nod because she was tough enough to tour with Black Flag. I'm not sure that I am even tough enough to tour with Black Flag. Van rides to nowhere, sleeping on floors, eating stale fast food... For additional punk rock cred, she was once married to Minutmen bassist Mike Watt as well. And a very good bassist. I saw her and Mike Watt in Chicago as "Dos" doing their 2 bass spiel back in the early 90's. Good show!

Nico (Velvet Underground)
Not punk as we know it, but proto-punk. Nico showed that women did not need to all sing ballads and play the victim, but could be on the cutting edge of rock music. I give her the pioneer award for her work with Lou Reed and the Velvets.

Suzi Gardner (L7)
Although more of a grunge player, I am giving Suzi props because she walks the line between grunge and punk. She also appeared on the Black Flag cut Slip it In. She was the female character providing miscellaneous moans, vocals, screams, etx. It don't get more punk than that.

Alright, who did I leave out? Post angry and insightful comments below! I love girls with guitars!!! Especially the angry ones.

The Dirty Dozen Year End Round Up: The Twelve Most Popular Stories on The Dissident Times for '08

These are the most popular stories voted on by your little mouse-clicking fingers. A little schizo, but so is our blog, our readers and that's okay. Man does not live by punk and politics alone! In a world where Al Franken is a maverick, and John McCain is on Saturday Night Live, anything can happen. What a great year.
Drum Roll please:

1. Henry Rollins Spoken Word Tour of 2008 There seemed to be mucho interest in what Henry has to say, as this was the top article of the year. Henry is a rennaissance man and all-round interesting character. Little did I know during his Black Flag days that he would go on to have a successful career as a talk show host and spoken word artist. I was lucky enough to meet Henry back in '86. He was "intelligent and intense". That is how I always describe him. He has a busy mind, a great sense of humor, and a vitality that is always refreshing.
2. Ten Essential Punk Albums You Should Own. This article was one of my "Ten Essential" series that I like to write to help expose people to new music and artists. I tried to get 30 years of punk and boil it down to the 10 best albums. I could have made it the Top 100, as it was hard to narrow down the list. I tried to pay homage to as many styles of punk from different locales and eras as I could.
3. Anti-Flag Playing a free show at the Republican National Convention. A lot of hits on this came from ground zero itself, Minneapolis. Don't be confused, they were not doing a gig at the RNC, but at a different venue. The concert also featured Rage Against the Machine and others, and was great by many accounts.
4. Story of the Year Releases New Album. This seems like it should be number one, as "story of the year", but it managed a respectable #4 on the list. The St. Louis band turns out tasteful licks with just enough hard edge, good lyrics and hummable melodies to keep you tuning in. The new cd satisfies in several categories. Buy it.
5. New Release of Eva Cassidy material. Who is Eva? She is a jazz/folk/pop singer from DC that died 10 years ago. She had such a powerful voice that it will haunt you. Why else would bloggers like me be talking about her 10 years after her death. She had a purity and natural talent that stands tall even after all these years. Celebrate her life and get some Eva. I know this is a punk blog mostly, but give in to your tender side, bro. I think I love her.
6. Fender's New Joe Strummer Telecaster. Here is an amalgam of everything I love. Punk-The Clash-Fender guitars-Street art. The only way it could be more appealing to me is if it had a picture of my kids on it, got 50 miles per gallon and smelled like pizza.
7. MXPX celebrates 16 years in-yer-face. This article was a nice little howdy do to a punk band that I have always liked. They are straightforward, melodic, classic punk and a nicer bunch of boys you will not find. Happy 16th, MXPX!
8. Live CD: The Clash at Shea Stadium. The Clash at their best in a live concert cd at Shea Stadium. The band sounds tight, vibrant and as important as ever. Buy this disc too or ask Santa to get it for you. I love the Sandinista and London Calling era, and I love this too.
9. Unknown Hinson's Live CD in the works. For the uninitiated, Unknown Hinson is half vampire, half pyschobilly master of the Telecaster. He comes to town a couple of times a year looking for fresh blood. Nice sparse tunes done full-blown rockabilly style, with Unknown's unique delivery. This is priceless stuff!
10. Camper Van Beethoven retrospective Camper Van was there before indie had a name. Their stuff was quirky and different. This article was just a little roundup of a band that I remember fondly from the late 80s and early 90s. I think I accused an old roomy of stealing that CD, but I found it again in a cd folder since the article was written. What is the statute of limitations on libel?
11. Ten Essential Reggae Artists to Know. I never claimed to be a reggae expert, but I do like the music. Here, I just wanted to pay respect to some Reggae artists I felt have had a big influence on the genre over the years. I always loved how bands like Black Uhuru could sound so hopeful and so sad at the same time. There are tons of great reggae bands out there, and this was my list of ones I found worth the listen.
12. The Urges- Psych Ward New cd that merges the atonal and tuneful, the straight ahead with the psychedeilc. It is nice to see newer bands coming out with worthy takes on classic genres, and taking the music to new places in the process.
    
    So that, my friends, is it. Have a great new year, keep your ears open to new music, and contact us with your favorites and opinions on our favorites. May 2009 rock and rock hard!
    
    
    

Drag The River - My New Bestest Favoritest Band, or one of them...

Chad Price of Drag The River
Originally uploaded by matthewadamslife

File "Drag the River" under the category of Bands I would Like to Hear More from in 2009. Drag the River features Chad Price, who's warm vocals and homey style connect with the listener in an intimate way. Their material seems well thought out and tuneful, and the melodies stay with you. The music is consitently great, even while the lineup has been inconsistent over the years. I caught on to them with the Suburban Home sampler cd series, that feature the label's alt country, indie and lo-fi artists.
Here is some info from their website to give it all a little background:
"During the early days of the Blasting Room there were many open hours for learning how to make records. Jon & Chad recorded around 20 some songs in late '96 ... Whoever was in the studio that day could play. They just basically had to learn the songs in the time it took to play them. Over the next couple years those recordings were bootlegged alot.So they finally released "Hobo's Demos" and did some touring around the turn of the millennium. In March 2002 the band released "Closed" which was also on Upland/O&O records. That label is owned & operated by the All-Descendents family & co run by Joe Carducci of the legendary SST label. They put out all your favorite 80's punk records like Black Flag, the Minutemen, DESCENDENTS, Meat Puppets, FIREHOSE, Husker Du.....all those and too many more to mention.At that time Karl Alvarez left & J.J. from the NOBODYS joined and they started traveling more seriously. Later that Oct. 2002 they put out "Live at the Starlight" on Mars Motors (Jon, Flash and Chris Irwin's label) & produced their live, vinyl only release. That was a bar room idea that had little chance but actually happened. The companion to "Live at the Starlight" is "At the GREEN DOOR O.K.C." a humbling & totally different show recorded five days later in front of a less than excited crowd. The "Chicken Demos" is the sister release of "Hobo's Demos" and came out May 2004, also on Upland/O&O."Hey Buddies" e.p. was released in Nov. '04. 6 songs co-released by the fine people at Red Sand. It was super limited to begin with and more limited when more than half of them were stolen at a show in Green Bay. Two months later a more widely available version with different art & packaging was released by Mars Motors & distro'd by suburban home records....beginning that relationship. At this point Zach went back to school and the band kept on as a four piece....but not without infrequent visits from Chad Rex who easily stepped in when available. Casey Prestwood picked up the steel & lead duties for a year and a half from Feb. 2005 thru Oct. 2006. In October 2005 Paul entered his silver years surfing in California. He was in the band a full decade. He later joined the Street Dogs Dogs from Boston & has sat in with DTR on several occasions since.
Dave Barker played drums for a year and a half from the end of 2005 to the beginning or 2007.
In Dec. '05 the band mixed songs for 3 different 7inches. Chris Peirce of ''technical ecstasy studio" in N.J. mixed & recorded two songs for a "THIRD WORLD INDUSTRIES" 7in.& the others were mixed at Jon's where they were recorded.the first release is from our friend Darick's label "wallride" in MD.

In January '06 the band recorded a new record at the Hideaway in Sedalia Co. with Marc Benning. An all analog studio totally lost in the Colorado mountains.There is also a split with the DENTS from Boston where the bands cover each others songs.& Roger De Rok released ''gabba gabba HEY BUDDIES'' on vinyl w/ bonus songs. "It's Crazy" from Suburban Home Records came out June 6th 2006. 10 years of music for the band.January 2008 "you can't live this way." was released.Summer '08 more songs have been tracked & mixed in the garage and at the Blasting Room. Shows happened and continue to happen.
Some are Jon & Chad duo shows & as many are with J.J., Zach & Chris Pierce of N.J. on drums.....it never ends."
Check them out. You will be glad you did.

2009 Warped Tour Bands - Still Ironing Out the Details

These bands have been mentioned as Warped Tour 09 participants. We have some good ones. There are the classics like Anti Flag, NOFX, Bad Religion, Bouncing Souls, Less than Jake... These are the MUST SEE's... There are a lot of others on the list that are more specialized, such as ska-meisters Big D and the Kids Table, and the celt punk Flogging Molly, the more metal-tinged acts like Underoath and Thrice. Alot of the other bands are up and comers you will be better off for having seen as well. The Tour looks to be a nice primer for the school of punk, with something for every taste. From the ska, the old school, the emo's, the metallic, and the celt/folk punks. Get there early and take notes. School's out.

The list:
3OH!3
A Day to Remember
A Skylit Drive
Alexisonfire
Anti-Flag
Bad Religion
Bayside
Big D and the Kids Table
Black Tide
Bouncing Souls
Breathe Carolina
Brokencyde
Cash Cash
Chiodos
Dance Gavin Dance
Dear and the Headlights
Dirty Heads
Escape the Fate
Every Avenue
Flogging Molly
Gallows
Hit the Lights
I Set My Friends on Fire
Jeffree Star
Less Than Jake
Lights
Meg & Dia
Millionaires
NOFX
Outernational
P.O.S.
Saosin
Scary Kids Scaring Kids
Senses Fail
Shad
Silverstein
Sing it Loud
Streetlight Manifesto
Tat
The A.K.A.s
The Architects
The Ataris
The Devil Wears Prada
The Maine
The White Tie Affair
There For Tomorrow
Therefore I Am
Thrice
TV/TV
Underoath
Valencia
Westbound Train

NOFX turns 25!

NOFX 073
Originally uploaded by Juan The Fly Factory

Geez am I getting old! NOFX, the band that I considered the new punk, is 25 years old. It is funny that the whole 1980's wave of SoCal punk bands that emerged after the original onslaught of bands like Black Flag, the Dead Kennedys, et al... are now the old guard. Bands like Lagwagon, NOFX, Rancid, Bracket, etc.
So NOFX are turning 25 years old. Lots of great music. Lots of great cds, lots of great shows. The band that will play a punk show ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, for ANYONE deserves our debt of grattitude for keeping the fire going. The last cd they put out was a live one that captures the fun that is a NOFX show and it is definitely worth the listen. NOFX has done everything but a Christmas cd. How about NOFXmas? Nice idea, huh.
I always like the sense of humor in their music, their prolific writing, their liberal politics and their sloppy great musicianship. Believe me, it takes a great musician to sound like you don't practice...
Fat Mike and the gang, Here is to another 25 years! I will be 70 years old at that time, but probably still a punk, after all...

Ten Essential Grunge Artists You Should Know

Grunge
Originally uploaded by thedrio

In the minds of many, grunge is dead and gone. Though the heyday has long past, the genre did produce some very good and interesting bands. I like to compile lists of artists and albums that I call the "Ten Essential". In no particular order, I group up ten artists that I consider essential if you were to start a record collection of that genre. So break out the old jeans with the knees torn out and your best (torn) flannel shirt... without fanfare, here is my list of ten essential grunge artists you should know.

Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains, alongside Metallica, was the definitive metal band of the early '90s. The band featured a bleak, minimalistic sound that balanced grinding hard rock and subtle acoustic tracks. They straddled a line between metal, punk and garage that placed them among the front ranks of the Seattle-based grunge bands.

Green River
One of the first, if not THE first grunge band, and named for the Green River in the Seattle area, members went on to form other notable grunge bands such as Mother Love Bone, Mudhoney and Pearl Jam. Their tone has been described as dirty, sludgy and gleefully ugly... I can't disagree.

Mudhoney
Here is what allmusic.com says about the band. Mudhoney were the first real success story for Sub Pop Records; their indie-scene success laid the groundwork for the movement that would (briefly) make Seattle, WA, the new capital of the rock & roll universe; and they took the sweat-soaked and beer-fueled mixture of heavy metal muscle, punk attitude, and garage rock primitivism that would become known as "grunge" to the hipster audience for the first time, who would in turn sell it to a mass audience ready for something new. Well said...

Nirvana
The breakout artist of the grunge movement. They were not the first, but they were at the onset of grunge's popularity, with their gazillion seller "Nevermind". In the minds of many, they created grunge. We know this to be incorrect, but in terms of influence, Nirvana topped the scene. After Kurt Cobaine's death, a great post-grunge band Foo Fighters emerged from the ashes.

Pearl Jam
Back in '90, my roommate wore out the cd "Ten". I think it was my cd, but he wore it out. Rising from the ashes of Mother Love Bone, they went on to become one of the most popular bands of the '90s. According to allmusic.com: "After vocalist Andrew Wood overdosed on heroin in 1990, guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament assembled a new band, bringing in Mike McCready on lead guitar and recording a demo with Soundgarden's Matt Cameron on drums. Thanks to future Pearl Jam drummer Jack Irons, the demo found its way to a 25-year-old San Diego surfer named Eddie Vedder, who overdubbed vocals and original lyrics and was subsequently invited to join the band." the rest is history, as they say.

Soundgarden
This was actually the first grunge band I caught on to. I heard their first outing, and it seemed to be a refreshing hard rock (read: non-hair band) take in the late 80s.A guy I know from A&M gave me a demo copy of their first record, and I enjoyed the fresh sounds. Zeppelinesque, I thought at the time. These guys brought a metal tone to alt rock.

L7
More than just the obligatory "all girl" band of the genre, L7 brought a punk sensibility and ethos to grunge. They hailed from LA, but were often lumped in with the "Seattle Movement" of the early '90s. Founded in 1985 by a pair of guitarists/singers, Suzi Gardner and Donita Sparks, they forged a sound that was in the right place at the right time for success. Suzi has punk street cred, as she was featured on Black Flag's "Slip it In".

Melvins
The Melvins revelled in the slow, sludgy sounds of Black Sabbath meets Black Flag. Slow and heavy and barren of indulgent guitar solos — it's dark and plodding. The Melvins' first record was released in 1987 and in 1993 they went to a major label, thanks to Kurt Cobain. The band formed in Aberdeen, WA, the same town that produced Nirvana's Cobain and Krist Novoselic.

Mother Love Bone
On the grunge family tree, this band gave birth to Pearl Jam. One of the original grunge acts, they were harkening back to a sound from the early 70's glam and metal scene. The untimely death of lead singer Andrew Wood brought about the early demise of MLB and the birth of Pearl Jam.

Screaming Trees
The Trees melded punk, psychedelia and metal into an awesome sound. Never quite the darlings of the MTV grunge explosion, they had a sound that seperated them from the run of the mill acts of the time. These guys were cut from their own cloth, and not easy to pidgeonhole alongside other acts and therefore never attained the towering heights of other Seattle area bands.

Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots turned grunge into stadium rock, to the delight of fans and scorn of critics, who saw them as derrivative of arena rock and other Seattle acts of their era. Less like the dark lyrics and droning of many other bands, they had a tight, radio-friendly sound that holds up pretty well.

Circle Jerks News

Warped Tour 2007 - Circle Jerks
Originally uploaded by sammistimpson

I have long been a fan of these guys. Keith Morris, lead singer for both the Jerks and my other favorites, Black Flag, and Greg Hetson of Bad Religion fame are two guys who have been around for the long term. While there will be no new album in the near future, Circle Jerks have released two new vinyl editions of their album, Group Sex. The first version is a 12-inch picture disc, a selection of which have been autographed by the surviving original band members Keith Morris, Greg Hetson and Lucky Lehrer. The signed copies are available exclusively through Aural Exploits.

The band has also released a set of limited edition colored vinyl of the album. The run includes various colors including pink, clear and clear blue. The skinny on the blue vinyl is that it will be exclusively available through retailer Hot Topic while pink and clear will be in mom and pop stores. Red and yellow clear vinyl will be available in the new year via Porterhouse Records.

Finally, much of the band's back catalogue is now available as mp3 downloads at various outlets. Also, the Jerks have unveiled plans for a tour of South America in March of 2009. The band's last studio album, Oddities, Abnormalities, and Curiosities, was released more than a decade ago. Though the band released a new song last year, guitarist Greg Hetson mentioned this past June that a new album from the long-running band may not happen in the near future. That is a shame. These guys were pioneers, and make great music together.

Henry Rollins Spoken Word Tour Fall '08

Henry Rollins looks to be very busy this fall. He has announced a slate of spoken word gigs throughout this tattered nation. Glad to see he will be here in Louisville. I remember Henry before he was a media tour de force. He was still sporting the long hair and fewer tatoos. This was in the early 80s. Henry was intelligent but intense. Some punk smarted off to the mighty Black Flag and got his ass kicked. He had it coming. Like I said. Henry was intelligent but intense. That tour was with Painted Willie and Gone. Greg Ginn was in rare form... Ah the 80s...
He probably won't kick anyone's butt on this tour, but you never know... His spoken word material is funny, thought-provoking and entertaining. Worth the price of a ticket...
Sept. 18 Ames, IA Stephens Auditorium
Sept. 19 Berkeley, CA Zellerbach Auditorium (Univ. of California/Berkeley)
Sept. 24 Nashville, TN Tennessee Performing Arts Center
Sept. 25 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
Sept. 26 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues
Sept. 27 Fort Lauderdale, FL Revolution
Sept. 28 Fort Lauderdale, FL Revolution
Sept. 29 Tampa, FL Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
Oct. 3 Stafford, TX Stafford Centre
Oct. 4 Dallas, TX Lakewood Theatre
Oct. 5 Austin, TX La Zona Rosa
Oct. 7 Albuquerque, NM Kimo Theater
Oct. 8 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theater
Oct. 9 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
Oct. 10 San Diego, CA 4th & B
Oct. 11 Santa Barbara, CA SoHo Restaurant & Music Club
Oct. 13 Portland, OR Newmark Theatre
Oct. 15 Missoula, MT Wilma Theatre
Oct. 16 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
Oct. 18 Bend, OR Midtown Ballroom
Oct. 19 Vancouver, BC Centre for Performing Arts
Oct. 20 Calgary, AB Jack Singer Concert Hall
Oct. 21 Edmonton, AB Winspear Centre
Oct. 23 Duluth, MN Sacred Heart Music Center
Oct. 24 Minneapolis, MN Pantages Theatre
Oct. 25 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
Oct. 26 Detroit, MI The Fillmore Detroit
Oct. 27 Toronto, ON Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Oct. 28 London, ON Centennial Hall
Oct. 29 Buffalo, NY Town Ballroom
Oct. 30 New York, NY Town Hall
Oct. 31 Albany, NY The Egg
Nov. 1 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre
Nov. 2 Philadelphia, PA First Unitarian Church
Nov. 3 Alexandria, VA Birchmere
Nov. 5 Louisville, KY Headliner’s
Nov. 6 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
Nov. 8 Boulder, CO Boulder Theater
Nov. 9 Aspen, CO Belly Up T
Sept. 20 Concord, CA Sleep Train Pavilion
Nov. 10 Salt Lake City, UT Murray Theater
Nov. 26 Seattle, WA Moore Thea

Ten Essential Punk Albums You Should Own

Here is another of my useless "Ten Essentials" lists. This is my subjective, opinionated, useless list. If you disagree with it, fine. How punk is that?

Black Flag- Damaged

This was the "White Album" for alienated youth in my day. Black Flag and Henry Rollins combined to form a scary amalgam of punk and metal noise not unlike the Hindenberg crash. When Henry shouts "I want to live... I wish I was dead", it was like a rallying cry for us 80's punks.

Dead Kennedys- Frankenchrist

This album was deemed so dangerous that the LAPD had to break some heads... Jello Biafra's satirical lyrics and the band's fast-paced delivery set the tone for Reagan-era punk. This infamous psychedelic edged hardcore album features 10 tracks including the old favs Soup Is Good Food, Jock- O- Rama, Goons Of Hazzard and MTV Get Off The Air!

Descendents- Somery
What more can be said? "All"! These guys wrote the blueprint for SoCal self-effacing punk with a sense of humor. Their "heart on sleeve" tunes were emo before there was emo. Short, interesting uptempo songs rule the day. All-O-Gistics should be a recognmized religion...

Husker Du- Zen Arcade

Recorded in a whirlwind session, this double album set the standard for hardcore and noise punk. The swirl of guitar feedback, and pounding drums set a thousand imitators in motion. Songs like "Broken Home Broken Heart" invented emo, while others like "Standing by the Sea" pushed hardcore into new directions with longer and slower arrangements and new ideas. This is a must have cd.

Minor Threat- Discography

Invented straight-edge punk. Sparse, emotional music that predated emo, before emo was a bad word. Minor Threat was short-lived but long will be remembered. One of the all time classics.

Minutemen- Double Nickels on the Dime

This double album had like a hundred songs on it. All of them good. DIY punk from 'Pedro CA. This was my soundtrack for the 80's. "This Ain't No Picnic" was a great one... The neat lyrics by D. Boone, the pounding bass from Mike Watt and the impeccable druming of George Hearly was a match made in indie punk heaven. The sound was sparse and excitable. As Mike Watt would say in his unique dialogue: "These guys jammed econo".

Rancid- 2000

The Punk Revival record that shows that punk is still alive and kicking. This album is THE punk record of the new millenium. Makes you love punk again. In the 90s, as I got a job and became a member of society, I was searching for some new grooves. Along came great SoCal bands like Rancid, NOFX and the gang. This album rocks, it goes for the throat, and it proves that the younger generation "gets it". Punk lives!

Ramones- Ramones

The first punk record ever. The Ramones invented punk. Do not be misled...

I remember hearing this album and thinking, these guys are nuts. Second playing... these guys are pretty good. Third playing... these guys are gods... Took arena rock and sacraficed it on the alter of rock and roll.

Sex Pistols- Never Mind the Bollocks

The Britpunk esthetic. Snarling, bad attitude, off key. Often imitated, never topped. Johnny Rotten set the standard for impudent, arrogant, hateful band leaders in the early days. Sid Vicious was, well Sid Vicious. And the rest of the band wailed with an urgency and self-destruction that let you know that the Pistols would self destruct but become imortal.

The Clash- London Calling

As a high school kid growing up, this album was my favorite. So many songs. So many styles. The Clash showed that you can be punk and still cover a lot of territory. Here is ska, punk, crooked jazz, street folk, and a plethora of other styles filtered through this amazing band.

Hope you find some good albums on this list. If you have any comments, or other albums I forgot, let me know. Here is a good start for a punk cd collection that will show you a lot of different bands that were important along the way. Happy listening!

No Need for an Introduction! No Use for a Name!

NO USE FOR A NAME has a great new record out! Who are they? Here is a little info gleaned from their page at Fat Wreck Chords. They are a four-piece punk rock band from San Jose, Ca. who started their act in 1987. Already veterans of two full lengths cds, "Incognito" and "Don’t Miss the Train", they were signed by Fat Wreck Chords in 1993. Their first Fat release, "The Daily Grind", was so well received that they immediately got right back in the studio to record their "Leche Con Carne".

After the release of Leche Con Carne, Chris Shiflett (no relation to Bluegrass artist Karl Shiflett as far as I know) joined the band, and in addition, Matt Riddle, formerly of Face to Face, took over the bass playing duties and broadened the band’s sound even more. Their signature sound is catchy, clever punk rock tunes, with introspective lyrics that, as Fat Mike (NOFX) puts it "...make even the dumbest punk rocker sit back and think, if such a thing is possible."
NO USE FOR A NAME went into the studio in July of ‘99 to record "More Betterness". Chris Shifflet left to join the Foo Fighters, a mistake in my humble opinion, but anywho... and was immediately replaced by Dave Nassie, formerly of Suicidal Tendencies.
Next up was a live record "Live In A Dive", then "Hard Rock Bottom". It was all academic from there, as NO USE spent 2002 on the Warped Tour’s mainstage, also joining Sum 41 on tour.

2005’s full length, "Keep Them Confused"contained 13 tracks that made up a nice full length cd. It included catchy punk songs, mid-tempo rockers, and a couple slow-paced tear-jerking hits. All this only further strengthened their touring dominance as mainstage headliners of the 2005 Warped Tour.
As of late, they have been touring intimate small clubs, along with a trip to South America in support of their “Best of” collection, All the Best Songs, which came out in July of 2007. This essential “best of” is a reminder of their quality songwriting and energetic punk rock for two decades.
Their 9th proper studio release, "The Feel Good Record of the Year" has the band recording in Ft. Collins, CO at the Blasting Room with legendary producer Bill Stevenson (Descendents, Black Flag) and just might be their best record to date, both in song quality and production value. The 14 song record is a perfect blend of all their previous albums and was released April 1ST, 2008.