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.

Nerf Herder : greatest band ever?

Nerf Herder : greatest band ever
Originally uploaded by shellorz

Out with their latest and greatest, Nerf Herder IV, the nerfs are back at it with more of their wacky SoCal party punk. They have been described as nerd rock, garage punk and one of the signs of the apocalypse (by none other than Buffy the Vampire Slayer), you gotta love Nerf Herder. Their name is taken from an insult Princess Leia laid on Han Solo in Star Wars. I caught on to these guys a little late, with their American Cheese cd, and by the airplay they got on the defunct XM radio station Fungus. All of their albums are full of fun tongue-in-cheek punk pop that will infect your brain like a bad computer virus. For those older punk fans in the world, you can hear them channel the Descendents and other fun-loving punk bands of yore in their sounds... My favorite track of the band is called Welcome to My World, which goes into great detail about the author's post-breakup life, which sounds quite bleak... The best part is how he starts raving about how much he hates the show Cheers, including that "...Dumbass mailman..."
So anyway, if you like your punk fun, lively and full of hilarity, you can do no wrong with Nerf Herder, SoCal punk's answer to (I forgot the question...).

Frank Navetta, founding member of Descendents has died

The Descendents w/ M.I.A.
Originally uploaded by Kopper

Frank Navetta, founding member of Descendents has passed away. Frank founded the band with Tony Lombardo and Bill Stevenson in 1979. He died of a short but undisclosed illness.
We're very sorry to announce that founding member of The DESCENDENTS, and close friend Frank Navetta passed away on October 31, 2008 after becoming ill over the course of a few days. This is obviously a huge loss for the DESCENDENTS family. His contribution to the band, and to music in general can not be overstated. Frank will be truly missed. We will share information about memorial services when we find out.
Among other classic albums, Frank wrote and played on Milo Goes To College. Descendents was influential in forming the school of SoCal punk that gave rise to the diy, self-effacing, sophomoric dude-punk that still exists today in bands like NOFX, Lagwagon, Bracket and many others. Our deepest condolences to Frank's friends and family.

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.