Spoken Word Hardcore

Every few months I become absolutely obsessed with some sort of music, whether it is a band, a genre or just a country of origin (my Swedish obsession still kicks back in occassionally). My last big musical obsession was twee, given the awesomeness of the new Los Campesinos album and my rediscovering Bis. My newest obsession is a bit of a backflip, and not really a genre or anything at all. In fact I don't even know what to call it. In my head I have dubbed it Spoken Word Hardcore.


So how to describe it? It's obviously hardcore music, but at the same time it's not. Some of the bands I've grouped into this category have hardcore instrumentals, but almost completely spoken word lyrics (shouted a lot mind you). On the other end there are the almost indie/post-rock/mathrock clean instrumentals with half-shouted hardcore style vocals. Confused? Yeah, I can imagine so. So here's my quick run down of bands that I've been listening to as part of my obsession with this made up genre. I've hidden links to songs, free mp3s, websites, videos throughout all of the text.

Bradley Hathaway
The reason I am in this kick probably goes back to one starting point: Bradley Hathaway. It's not even music, it's poetry. I bought his first book a few months back and I have been slowly reading it while listening to the accompanying CD. It's basically a hardcore (if not uber-Christian) style of poetry. Hell, his book is riddled with testimonials from guys in hardcore bands (The Chariot/Norma Jean/etc). His delivery style is a shouted kind like old school beat-poets and his subject matter touches people in the hardcore scene. Especially the poem/track The Annoying Hardcore Dude That Goes Too Far. Anyone that goes to any heavy shows knows this guy that he is talking about.

Minor Threat & Fugazi
Every genre has a starting point, and in my made up sub-genre it would be Minor Threat, although most people would say they were the starting point to most of hardcore music in general. Their songs were short and fast, with a lot of the lyrics seeming to be quick half spoken/half shouted. They couldn't really sing to keep up with the speed of their guitars. After the short-lived Minor Threat broke up, Fugazi formed from the ashes. Although not as hardcore as Minor Threat, Fugazi slowed things down with more song structure and songs that bordered on indie releases. However, the vocals are still sung in an almost spoken way.

I'm going to go through the bands starting at the clean end and working towards the heavy end.

mewithoutYou
Bordering on the instrumental and folk side of things, mewithoutYou is a band that is hard to categorise. Some of their songs are lovely little folk-acoustic pieces, while some of their songs build up to a loud and distorted crescendo. Over the top of all of this though is Aaron's vocals, an interesting blend of spoken word and hardcore shouting. This band works as hard as any hardcore band I have ever seen and leaves nothing behind when they take the stage. The best example of mewithoutYou is their album Brother Sister, which can turn on a dime from quiet to loud.

Here's a video I recorded of them from my last trip to the USA.

La Dispute
Apart from Mr Hathaway, this band is the other reason that I am on this kick. After being told a million times to listen to them, I finally got around to it. Their sound is unique: indie guitars at times, with beautiful clean melodies and some basic singing and speaking over the top. Then they hit the distortion and the vocals ramp up and become rough and almost screamed. The lyrics are also quite poetic. Their new release is a split EP with Touche Amore and it's slightly heavier than their last album Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair.

Blacklisted
Blacklisted sit nicely in the middle of all of the bands. The instrumentation is much heavier and more hardcore like than the earlier bands, but the vocals are still almost spoken. Well, audibly shouted is probably a better description. Last year they put out an album entitled No One Deserves to Be Here More Than Me, which I unfortunately did not hear until earlier this year, otherwise it would have easily made my top 10.

End of a Year
Very similar to Blacklisted actually, I only discovered this band a few minutes before writing this article. The guitars and music is a bit more on the hardcore punk side than the other bands.

At this point it gets more difficult, because at it's core, isn't hardcore music, especially punk, generally of this style? The gruff shouted vocals don't lend themselves well to singing, so a lot of times bands sound like they are almost speaking their lyrics instead of singing them. So on the heavier side, with shouted vocals, I kind of place these bands in the list too:

Bane
Pissed Jeans (a hardcore band on Sub Pop Records?! You know it's going to be good)
Almost Home (thanks Clus)
and Melbourne's own Carpathian. If you ignore their early stuff with Crafter on vocals.

Girls

Do you remember (if you're an indie fan) how last year was the year everyone finally started talking about Animal Collective? And then they came huge and had a massively packed show at the Tivoli? Well I do. But during any conversation about Animal Collective, the hipster music friends always said "ohhhhhhhh they are so old, the new band you should be listening to is Girls." (Imagine that being said in an ironic hipster voice with lots of eye rolls behind their massive glasses and hair flicks).


Wow. Don't try to google search for them. It's mainly porn. So this is the picture you get.

The music of the band is simple: melodies with a lo-fi ethic. Their 2009 album Album has that distinctly grainy quality which makes you think they recorded it themselves in a bedroom, but that is the sound they are going for.

They will be in the country for the Meridith Music Festival down south, but we are lucky enough to get a sideshow on December 9th at the Zoo.

http://www.myspace.com/girls

Valley Fiesta!

I've finally had a look over the lineup for the free music extravaganza that is the Valley Fiesta and I thought I'd share my picks with you. Running from the 9th to the 12th of September it is a celebration of all things in the Valley, at least the cultured part of the Valley, not the shitty night-club and strippers end that we all know and tend to avoid until one too many drinks have been embibed.


I personally recommend the Cairos (if you like poppy-indie), John Steel Singers (guitar indie) and Parades (harmonised indie). Yes, this year is mainly indie and mainly local bands, but it's free! And you may find a band you like! I've linked the band names to Triple J Unearthed where you can download free music of all of the bands.

I don't really know the Boat People or Ball Park Music, but people have talked about them a lot of late, so I may go see what they are like. Because it's free, it doesn't matter!

If you don't like free stuff, all of the music venues are also holding events in conjunction with the Fiesta. Check out the official website for the full lineup.

All the news in one! Because I haven't had time this week

Sunday Afternoon Free Music
At the Powerhouse. From 3:30 catch local boys The Paper and the Plane. I've seen these guys open for some of my favourite bands of all time (From Autumn to Ashes and Brand New) and not to mention they are just tops guys that run the Kill the Music store. Catch them for free at the Powerhouse.

MySpace

Xiu Xiu
Speaking of the Powerhouse, on the 4th of September, one of the strangest electronic/goth/post-rock bands you've never heard of is playing. Xiu Xiu, from the USA are playing as part of the Frankly! pop festival. It's probably not most people's cup of tea, but they do some interesting goth pop music. I hope they play the song Chocolate Makes You Happy.

www.xiuxiu.org

Muse Supports
Muse are playing the Entertainment Centre on the 5th and 6th of December. They announced their supports today, Scottish rockers Biffy Clyro, who seem to be coming down under a lot in the last 2 years. Unfortunately for us, they are playing all of the shows of the tour but Brisbane. Instead we will get the local prog-rockers Dead Letter Circus, fresh from 2 sold out shows at the Zoo. I like them, but at the same time, I feel like we are getting slightly jipped.

Further Seems Forever
Everyone's favourite Christian-emo band of the 90s is back! And for those of you who don't know, the lead singer Chris Carrabba left to go start Dashboard Confessional. And that's when they went shit. But now, he's back, and the band is back in the studio! They've leaked a bit of rehearsal footage:

Spring 2011 from dashboardforever127 on Vimeo.

Ben Harper
...has disbanded his recent band the Relentless7, after their no show at Splendour. However, he has formed a new "super band" featuring a Beatle's son (George Harrison's son to be exact). They are called Fistful of Mercy and will be releasing an album on the 5th of October. Not too bad on first listen:

Free album?
Lastly, Melbourne band the Basics are giving away their new album for free! It's live, but it's a quality recording (and they rate it their best!). http://thebasics.bandcamp.com/

Soundgarden!

Is back! Well, sort of. Well yeah. The legends of Seattle grunge have been back together for the last few months, which means that Chris Cornell hasn't been in rehab.

Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun
Uploaded by hushhush112. - See the latest featured music videos.

They've got a new/old song out now. It's new, as it will be on their new album. It's old, as it was recorded years ago for another album session and never released. Check it for yourself here. Honestly, I really like it. But I just really like Soundgarden.

I hate to say I told you so....

But the Bam! festival has been cancelled. I feel bad for them, as they had a reasonably good idea: a festival that doesn't stop, but continue all throughout the night. Unfortunately for them, they've put it in the middle of a great festival year and with a lineup that doesn't have any major drawcards. And all for a reasonably high price in a cash strapped economy.

The official statement from the Bam festival organizers:

It is with great sadness and disappointment that we here at BAM! HQ wish to announce that have not sold enough tickets to run this event. As a result, BAM! Festival has been cancelled.

After the release of our 2 for 1 offer, the slight improvement in ticket sales was last night decided to be insufficient to warrant the financial risk involved in proceeding with the festival.

While profit was not our goal, and our entire team were volunteers, our responsibility in being able to provide payment to our suppliers was paramount to our success. While everything else for a great festival is prepared, without ticket sales we are unable to go ahead.

We would like to thank every single person who has spent time and effort supporting and creating BAM! Festival. Your efforts did not go un‐noticed, and we are truly grateful for your assistance.

To all those who bought tickets to BAM! and were looking forward to the new and different type of festival we were trying to create – thank‐you for your sign of commitment to the festival, and we are sorry that there weren’t more people like you. We hope that you will continue to be supportive of the local music industry in the future.

Apparently they did a 2-for-1 ticket push, and over the last month they only sold 60 tickets. Hard luck guys.

U2 tour

U2 and I have a love/hate relationship. I honestly believe they should've broken up around 1988 with the Rattle and Hum album (with the exception of the 90's song Miss Sarajevo... classic). I also hate Bono so much that I want to punch him in the glasses. See:


That list is actually on my fridge. And I rate him higher than Kochie. You know that's bad.

Anyway, U2 are bringing their 360 degree arena spectacular to Brisbane, which will be their first time in our city for over 4 years. Yay, I guess. They will be playing Suncorp Stadium on December 8. I'm sure you've seen it plastered all over the TV now that the election ads have stopped.

Apparently they will be offering seats from as low as $40, which probably means you will be in the top most corner of Suncorp looking at their backs the whole time. As the concert is "360" they will be performing the whole show on a circular stage in the middle of the stadium. Probably so they could pack more people in and make more obscene amounts of money.

The part of this that pisses me off the most (apart from Bono, and his green ways which are thrown straight out the window with the energy and pollution and destruction of the environment that comes with a show like this and flying over 130 stage crew and an entire fuck-off massive stage to our country and between cities/hypocrisy) is that their opening act is Jay-Z. Yes, Mr H-to-the-Izzo, who's married to Beyonce, and one of the best rap producers there is.

I can just imagine it now, Mr and Mrs Joe Average-Bogan, sitting in the stadium, talking about the last Broncos game they saw here (or comparing it to how it looks on TV during Origin games), probably wearing a horribly made black U2 tour shirt they payed $60 for, which features a badly drawn picture of Bono on the front (or maybe a wolf), pulling faces and wondering what this "rap-crap" (to steal their favourite radio station Triple M's words) is they have to suffer through. They'll probably make a lot of noise and ignore it, drink a few overprice beers, read the program (only giant concerts like this have a program... why the fuck, I still don't understand) and complain how they didn't pay to see this shit music (and maybe even make a racist comment or two).

Reminds me of my first concert. Ozzy Osbourne was the headliner, but the old farts had to sit through Mudvayne and Rob Zombie first, and they just looked disgusted.

Meanwhile, I'd love to see Jay-Z and not U2. Hopefully there will be a few sideshows.

Edit. It's also apparently the same day as a Brisbane Roar game at the same stadium. Possibly the same time. That could be interesting, trying to play a soccer game around the crowd.

No Sleep Til festival

I mentioned it a while back, but there's an official release now for the festival featuring the Descendents. It is the No Sleep Til festival.


The poster says it all. December 19th at the RNA Showgrounds. Apparently it's going to be about $140 a ticket. And feel sorry for Perth, they pay the same and don't even get all of the bands.

Comeback Kid/Architects/This Is Hell

One of my top albums recently released has been a hardcore album all the way from the snowy depths of Canada: Comeback Kid's Symptoms and Cures.

I caught this hardcore band at this year's Soundwave while I was waiting around for A Wilhelm Scream. And I was mightily impressed (but not as much as I was by the insane bass player in A Wilhelm Scream). Their new album seems to be a bit more thrashier than their earlier hardcore sounds, but to me it's still sweet sweet music.

They've decided to come down on a tour which has been the worst kept secret and most reschedule hardcore gig of the year. It's been announced in a few different forms, and then unannounced (is that a word?). But as of today, we know the full hardcore lineup: Comeback Kid, Architects and This is Hell. All three great hardcore bands that appeared on this year's Soundwave.

I'm not sure who the headliners will be, but this will be the hardcore tour of 2010. Wait, no, second best hardcore tour (Dangers/Graf Orlock will hold that special place in my heart).

This is Hell do the old-school melodic hardcore punk thing. Architects do a metalcore/almost mathcore sound and hail from Britain. I'm not as knowledgable of these two bands (at least in relation to Comeback Kid), so check out their music for yourself.

The HiFi, 3 December 18+

Comeback Kid
Architects
This is Hell

New Pornographers

Canada has some great indie superbands and one of my favourites has to be the New Pornographers. Their album Twin Cinema was the soundtrack to the summer of 2006 for me. I even managed to catch them back then and recorded a shockingly dodgy video on my antiquated camera technology of the past:

Their music style is just happy-pop music with some funky subject matter. Although their last few releases have fallen into the traps of tried-and-true typical indie it's still pretty damn good music in the scheme of things.

You'll be able to see them try to squeeze their extensive lineup onto the small Zoo stage on November the 9th (18+). Fingers crossed they will be bringing my favourite, yet rarely touring member, Dan Bejar (also known as Destroyer) with them. He has written most of the songs I love, the ones that have that off-kilter feel to them. Jackie Dressed in Cobras on their MySpace is one of the great examples, while Myriad Harbour is another.

Bedroom Philosopher

When I went to Melbourne a few weeks ago, my beautiful host made me watch this video before we went out:

It pretty much got me prepared for the people I was going to see over the weekend. The track was recorded by a rather elusive artist called the Bedroom Philosopher, who a few years ago charted on Triple J's Hottest 100 with the song I'm So Post Modern.

He's put together a band to tour his comedic songs and he'll be making a stop in Brisbane on the 29th of August, playing an all-ages matinee show at the Old Museum. Joining him will be the Boat People and Pinky Beercroft (of Machine Gun Fellatio fame).

Marathon new EP tour

Marathon are one of those local bands that you always see opening for everyone. And when you don't see them playing, you see them at all the shows you go to. And you even share beers with them at Rosies. They've got a new EP out, which is currently sitting in my inbox, waiting for me to listen to. I know, I'm slack, but I've been busy.

To launch the EP they'll be playing an all ages show at Burst City this Friday. This is also the kick off of their Never Safe Tour. They'll be playing with Thick Skin, Vassals, People Rain and Lo!

They've also been added to the Snitch show tomorrow night with I Exist/Extortion/Sex Wizard. Tomorrow will be amazing local hardcore.

MySpace

Local hardcore

Do you like hardcore music? Do you like supporting Australian bands? Do you like a little gig in a random location with people that actually care about music? Well then I have the show for you, featuring bands from all over the East Coast.

On August 29 you can catch:
Ghost Town
The Dead Ends
Shock Value
Thick Skin
Embrace the Cold
Hold the Fort

all playing at the all-ages venue the Fort.

I saw the headliners, Ghost Town, open for Converge and Genghis Tron; while I saw the Dead Ends open for Carpathian a while back. They were both very good bands, at least from my partially remembered drunken state.

A Decade on the Green

Wow, unbeknownst to me, the Day on the Green event at Sirromet Wines in Mt Cotton has been going for 10 years. Every year I say I really should go, but every year I don't. This year is no exception with Blondie and the Pretenders playing.

To celebrate the decade, there is going to be a second Day on the Green (well, technically a first. It's coming before the Blondie one). And it is a celebration of all things Australian music that is a little... rustic? Maybe not the right choice of word there, but basically a synonym for slightly old and well aged.

Headlining it is Jimmy Barnes. With that as a headline, you know it's classic Australian rock and pop of the last few decades line up. Which includes Vanessa Amarossi, Tex Perkins, Diesel, Mark Seymour, Richard Clapton and Dan Sultan. Woof, dust off your parents and bring them along for the wine and the music they love!

Apparently all of the artists will be guesting at some point within everyone else's sets. All of this will be happening November 14 at the Sirromet Winery at Mt Cotton.

Female lead noise

I saw the movie Scott Pilgrim vs the World over the weekend and I loved it for two reasons: it's nerdy video game references and it's music-dorky hipster music references. Sadcore? I lost it at that point. Over all, the music in it was such a highlight for me. When it wasn't using the Zelda theme, it had music by the made-up band Sex Bob-omb who played simple noise garage rock. The kind with 3 instruments, all distorted and played fast, and yelled and distorted vocals. I've always had a soft spot for that kind of music. You can download one of the tracks from the movie here: http://fusion45.com/scott-pilgrim-v-the-world/ to see what I am on about.

But as I was driving around the next day, listening to 4ZZZ, they played a song of the same genre that made me even more in love with the sound. The difference was, it was a female singer. The song The Message, by Brisbane locals the Grates is a great example of female-lead distorted noise-garage rock (or whatever the hell it is called).

The Grates "Message" Music Video

Jeremy MySpace Video

Of course, these days they are slightly poppier. But this was the first song I heard by them and the one I still love the most.

The first song I ever heard in this style was from the first EP from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The song, Art Star was also the first I had ever heard from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and I swooned. I've not been able to really get into them after hearing Karen O scream her heart out on that EP and then seeing how they changed their sound. Get it here.

I don't know much other bands in the genre, but it seems Australia has quite the talent for it. Another one of my favourite local bands is I Heart Hiroshima, who, although a bit more quiet and laid back, still like to rip into the raw sound a lot. They've got 3 vocalists, only one being a female, but you still get a lot of her singing. Neutron Pop Song, an earlier single, is a great example of it. You can get the track here.

My all time favourite band, that kept this sound going, is actually from Canberra and Melbourne. Young and Restless. I picked up their CD at the LifeLine bookfest a few years back (unfortunately after they broke up) and I was blown away. Don't let the little Indonesian lead singer fool you, she just blows you away with her almost-post-hardcore style. A great example from their only album is Police! Police!

I am going to look more into this type of music, because I just love it. And it makes the female lead singers absolutely beautiful in my eyes. If you know any other bands, please let me know.

Baroness tour

Apparently one of the caveats of bringing Metallica over on a tour is that they get a rest day every third day. So while that's all good for the money spinning giants, what about the support bands they bring over? What are they supposed to do when stuck in each town for a week with a few days to kill? Play a show of course. Which Baroness are nice enough to do.


Baroness was one of the two bands that I had never heard of before Soundwave this year, but fell in love with (as well as Isis). I was enthralled by Baroness' post-rock meets sludge-metal sound. It's not metal as most people know, not just riffs and head banging, but more as if some indie-kids decided to make a metal band.

Catch them at the Zoo on the 17th of October. 18+ of course.

Myspace. Or get your hands on their album the Blue Record. It's amazing

Summafieldayze

Of all the festivals of festival season, Summafieldayze is probably the one I get the least excited about. Probably not surprising, given my taste in music most days aren't really what they play at these festivals. However, each year there's always one or two bands that make me want to leave my indie/hardcore/punk shell and go hang out with the fluoros dancing away the night in a giant field with glowsticks while on acid.

And looking at this year's lineup, those bands would be N.E.R.D. and Justice. Will I? Probably not. I would love to see those two bands though.

January 2nd, at the Doug Jennings Park on the Gold Coast.

4ZZZ

It's true that I don't listen to the radio often, but when I do I am generally tuned to 612ABC talkback, even if the cricket isn't on. I find Australian radio to be mindlessly repetitive, playing only the most popular playlists day-in and out. I remember working at my old retail job and being able to tell what time of the day it was by what song was playing. I also remember turning it off when music wasn't playing, as the mediocrity of the DJs bored both myself and my customers to tears. During this time I used to listen to JJJ (aka Australia's supposed youth network), but now I find it as repetitive and mind numbing as the rest of mainstream radio. I'll still turn it on if I'm in the car during Short Fast Loud or some other reasonably good show, but that's maybe a few minutes a week.

If I do tune to a radio station, it will be 4ZZZ. It's community radio, but don't let that fool you. It's damn good. It's as if I ran a radio station as in one sitting you can find yourself listening to interviews with politicians, followed by gangster rap, followed by grindcore, followed by Adam Sandler, followed by classical. Because they mainly do what they want when they want which makes it bloody beautiful.

The other day on the way to hiking I forgot my CDs, so Clus tuned it to the Z's just in time for Kids with Class Kick Ass. Never heard of it? If you're awake early on a Saturday you should bloody well listen to it, it's an amazing punk radio show unlike any in Australia.

I had the Z's on last night on the way to the dentist and caught almost the entire show Kickstart my Heart. And I fell in love. The host played everything from Outkast to Against Me! with a choice cut from the new Norma Jean album, which she seems to love as much as I do. Basically, I swooned in my car. Luckily there were no accidents due to the light traffic of the Ekka holiday. I had no idea what I was listening to at the time, but I preceded to look it up online and even found a picture of the host. She's bloody cute and not scene. And she has a good taste in music. And she's on 4ZZZ. Marry me Sarah?

Now where was I going... Oh yeah, 4ZZZ is pretty much the only good radio station left. And they need your help. It's all community funded via subscriptions, which is a small annual fee for great rewards. Next week is their Radiothon, which is their big drive to raise money while giving away good prizes. If you've always been hesitant about subscribing, like me, this is the time to do it. Why? They are giving away great prizes! A gold pass for a year to every show at the Zoo. The exlusive use of the Mana Bar (video game bar in the Valley) and a bar tab for a night. A year pass to the Dendy Cinemas. And much more. So do your part, sign up, maybe win some prizes, keep the radio station going as strong as ever and feel good about yourself at the same time. And keep Sarah on the radio for me.

Not to mention they keep bringing out great shows for all of the local bands for us punters. To celebrate Radiothon/their 35th year, this Saturday night they are having a show at the Zoo called Behind the Banana Curtain.



The show is a launch for Radiothon and their new CD, showcasing the best of local music from the last 10 years. Some awesome bands will also be playing, including SixFtHick and local post-punkers Turnpike (free downloads of their music).

Del the Funky Homosapien

It's a hip-hop family affair this week, with Ice Cube's cousin releasing a new album. Del the Funky Homosapien, aka Del tha Funkee Homosapien, aka Deltron, aka Deltron 3030, aka Del the Ghost Rapper. He's probably best known for the song Mistadobalina and the rapping on the first two Gorillaz albums, which is a pity, as he is one of the better hip-hop artists of the last decade.


Del's new album is entitled It Ain't Illegal yet, and you can get it legally right here: http://delthefunkyhomosapien.bandcamp.com/album/it-aint-illegal-yet-pick-your-price. Like a lot of other artists these days, Del is making it almost free ($US3 is the cheapest you can get), on a sliding scale of what you want to pay. For a lazy few grand he will even make an EP with you as the creative input.

And for you cheap bastards, the first song is free.

Wayne Brady

For a long time I was obsessed with the improv TV show Who's Line is it? In the USA version, the best comedian by far was Wayne Brady. He really shone in coming up with songs on the spot, in any style you could imagine. And damn was he good at it. He's also a very funny man, as shown in this Dave Chappelle video:

I love the behind the scenes commentary on that. Apparently it was almost impossible for Wayne Brady to be mean, or even to say the word "bitch." It took him like 20 takes.

On November 30 you'll be able to catch him at QPac doing a completely improv show. Expect music, impressions and just to be in pain from laughing too hard.

http://www.qpac.com.au/event/Wayne_Brady_10.aspx?utm_source=enews&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=12aug10

Cancer Bats show

For a while I was consider going to the Bullet for my Valentine and Bring Me the Horizon show at Riverstage, purely to see the Cancer Bats. These Canadians do hardcore punk with lots of dirty southern rock.


Their last few tours have been the same, them opening for some larger band that I didn't want to see forcing me to pay more for tickets. Luckily, it's changing on this tour!

On September 11, when they have finished opening at Riverstage, they'll be running across town for a solo show at the Zoo. Well not much running, I doubt the doors will have even opened at the Zoo before they even finish at Riverstage. I can't wait!

Last.fm, including lots of full length free tracks.

Sunset Sounds

I mentioned a while ago that Public Enemy would be performing their ground-breaking album Fear of a Black Planet at Sunset Sounds next year. Well today was the day the rest of the lineup was announced.

INTERPOL (USA)
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS (USA)
KLAXONS (UK)
THE LIVING END
THE NATIONAL (USA)
ANGUS AND JULIA STONE
TAME IMPALA
PUBLIC ENEMY (USA)
LADYHAWKE (NZ)
COLD WAR KIDS (USA)
THE SOFT PACK (USA)
SLEIGH BELLS (USA)
PEACHES (USA)
PAUL KELLY
KITTY
DAISY AND LEWIS (UK)
THE COOL KIDS (USA)
DAARA J FAMILY (AFR)
HOT HOT HEAT (CAN)
ASH GRUNWALD
CHILDREN COLLIDE
THE MIDDLE EAST
CLOUD CONTROL
BOY AND BEAR
YACHT CLUB DJs
WASHINGTON
CHARLIE PARR
JUNIP (SWE)
THE MORNING BENDERS (USA)
THE BAMBOOS
TIJUANA CARTEL
CHRIS BAIO (USA)

As far as I'm concerned, it's a pretty damn good lineup of bands with good CDs out this year. Sleigh Bells (Poison the Well guitarist doing pop with a female singer), the Klaxons (finally after what seems like half a decade), the National and the Morning Benders. Bands I've seen live and liked: Peaches, Living End and Hot Hot Heat. And not to mention bands I've always wanted to see: Interpol (who had one of the best debut albums ever), Public Enemy, Cold War Kids.

January 5th and 6th at Riverstage.

concert updates

I had a bit of a predicament with the Gorillaz and Descendents shows being on the same day. But after looking up the prices for the Gorillaz (at $100 for the worst seats) I think it's easy enough to say that I will be putting on my nerd specs, slicking my hair over and going to see the Descendents!

Also, word has it that the Bouncing Souls/Hot Water Music tour in December is going to sell out soon. The Melbourne one already has. So hurry up and get tickets! Well, save one for me, I haven't bought one yet....

Pop punk tour (10 years too late?)

If you dig your pop-punk from the late 90's and early 2000's, you would be very familiar with two of the bands in this tour, Rufio and Mest.

Rufio, hot off a reunion and the release of a brand new album Anybody Out There (which isn't half-bad, but it sounds like nothing has changed in years) will be playing a run of shows in Australia. Rufio were a band my mates listened to when I was just starting high school, that I never really took a shining to. Except this cover, which was one of the first songs I learnt on bass guitar.

They will be playing the Globe on the 4th of November.

There's a bit of debate whether it will be supported by Mest or Mest's lead singer's other band, Kisses for Kings. Either way, they'll be playing a lot of the old Mest songs.

Mest

New album goodness!

Hank Williams

Hank Williams is without doubt one of the greatest country artists of all time, even though he died in 1953. And it's good to see his family continue the tradition. His grandson, Hank Williams III continues on with the country goodness. At times. But what I love him for is his crust-hardcore band Arson Anthem, which includes Phil Anselmo of the band Down. I recently discovered their 2008 release and I am madly in love with it.

Apparently their long awaited 2nd album will be out in October and according to Phil:

Phil Anselmo wrote of the new material, “We know the mission is to write unforgiving hardcore inspired by a slew of ‘80s bands ... but the result is its own animal, yet not too terribly removed from the genuine article.”

I'm excited for it.

MySpace

Weezer
This is the cover of Weezer's new album:


It will be named Hurley, after Hurley from the TV show Lost. Unfortunately the album has nothing to do with the show. Hopefully it will be a step up from recent Weezer albums though.

Jimmy Eat World
JEW, as they are affectionally known, have a new song on their webpage here. They've been a big miss with me lately, but I kind of like this song.

If you want to hate the way music is today...
Here's the new Good Charlotte song. *shudder*

Today was a good day...

One of my favourite mini-stories played out over music videos was done by Ice Cube, with the polar opposites that is Today Was a Good Day and Check Yo Self.

And we'll get another chance to see him churn out of all of his gangster rap hits.

The Tivoli, October 30, 18+. Supported by London Grime rapper Scorcher.

Supports!

The support bands for a bunch of shoes have been announced. Here they are.

Jack Johnson
December 13, Riverstage. Supported by Canadian pop-duo Tegan and Sara. The girls that NOFX sang about.

http://teganandsara.com/

CKY
August 15, HiFi. Former Bodyjar members Cola Wars have already announced they are supporting CKY. But apparently Bam Margera, skateboarder, jackass and brother of the drummer, will be coming out to MC the evening. No idea what he will do, but it will be interesting.

Against Me!
October 7, HiFi. Brisbane locals An Horse will be supporting. Featuring the girl from Iron On (and also former Skinny's record clerk) and the boy from Intercooler, they do pleasant indie-pop. It's a bit of a surprise pairing, but go them!

http://www.myspace.com/anhorse

Misfits tour

You'd know of the Misfits, even if you don't know who they are. It's hard to go anywhere without seeing this:

It seems every punk and hardcore person at some point aknowledges the Misfits. Formed in 1977, they combined punk (and to a lesser extent melodic hardcore and metal) with horror movie themes, creating the genre horror-punk. Their original singer/main songwriter, Glen Danzig, left in the 80s and there was a huge lawsuit resulting in Danzig getting royalties, while the other members (mainly Jerry Only) could record and tour under the Misfits.

Which brings us to today. The current line up of Misfits is slightly more metal oriented and features members of punk classics Black Flag. And with this lineup, they'll be coming down to Australian in 2011.

February 6th, the HiFi, 18+

The song Dig Up Her Bones is one of the more popular ones in the post-Danzig era:

Misfits - Dig up her bones /w lyrics @ Yahoo! Video

Although it's not the same without Danzig, it will still be an excellent concert to see the roots of most of the punk music I listen to today.

New punk festival

Originally for me, the Soundwave lineup announcement was overshadowed by a text message I received at about the same time. The Descendents are coming to Australia for the first time. And they are going to be playing at the Riverstage in a new punk festival.


For those of you (unfortunately probably most) that don't know the Descendents, they are a pop-punk/melodic-hardcore band first formed in 1978. Unlike most of their contemporaries, they sang about light-hearted subject matter. In this way, they pretty much started pop-punk as we know it.

Apparently this festival includes NOFX, Me First and The Gimme Gimmes, Dropkick Murphys, Killswitch Engage, Atreyu, Frenzal Rhomb, Parkway Drive and "about 10 other internationals (all punk, metal or hardcore)."

WOW. I am stoked. This could be better than Soundwave. It's happening December 19th at Riverstage.

Descendents MySpace
or come over and I will spin you their 1982 record, Milo Goes to College.

EDIT: FUUUUUUUUUCK. It's the same day as the Gorillaz. What to do?!

Soundwave 2011

I'm back from holidays, and that leak I posted of the Soundwave festival has been confirmed! But no venue confirmation yet. For a recap, here it is:


As far as Soundwaves go, it's not as punk/hardcore as focused as all of the earlier festivals, but it is indeed an interesting mix. Bands I'm very excite for include

• Iron Maiden
• Queens of the Stone Age
• Slayer
• Primus (my favourite band)
• Slash
• Rob Zombie (part of the first concert I ever saw)
• Stone Sour (good boys from my old US home)
• Pennywise (not sure how they will be with a new lead singer)
• Gaslight Anthem (think a punk Bruce Springsteen)
• Sevendust (one of my favourite nu metal bands from way back)
• Less than Jake
• The Bronx (as mentioned earlier)
• Monster Magnet (90s grunge-stoner rock)
• Protest the Hero
• the Melvins
• Mad Caddies
• Trash Talk
• Foxy Shazam (keyboard led hardcore funk)
• Nonpoint (I used to drink to their first album in first year uni)

Ok, on second thoughts, it's a pretty good lineup for me. And for metal heads. Like most years, there will probably be no sideshows in Brisbane. However, I will travel wherever I have to go see Primus (hopefully with Foxy Shazam).

Soundwave leak

I'm on holidays right now and can only type this on my phone, but here's the leak of the Soundwave festival 2010 lineup

Dad-core shows x 2

This year has been amazing for shows that I want to take my Dad to. And here's two more.


The first one involves the Australian every-man, Frankie J Holden. Actor, bad comedian and host for a night of great Australian classic rock. The Australian Rock Legends show at QPac will feature Joe Camaleri from the Black Sorrows and Jo Jo Zepp and the Falcons, Grace Knight the jazz and Europop singer and Normie Rowe, the greatest Australian pop star of the 60s.

They will be getting together September 2nd to play a bunch of songs, share stories and just act like a bunch of mates at a bbq with their instruments. They'll be joining forces and playing their greatest hits, including the songs Shape I'm In, Hit & Run, Harley & Rose, Chained To The Wheel, Heaven, We Will Together, City of Soul, Fever, Shakin' All Over, Que Sera Sera and It Ain't Necessarily So.

The second show feature's Australia's favourite adopted band, which of course means they are from New Zealand. Crowded House are playing the Convention Centre on November 9th. If you don't know who they are, you've never listened to Australian radio. Check out their Wikipedia for all of the praises heaped on them and a few of their more famous songs can be played.

Pixies, the Zoo, July 31 2010

Today saw a very rare and amazing event in the history of Brisbane live music. Kate and I, with less than 500 other people, saw something that you normally can only see in a stadium or entertainment centre. The Pixies played a club show at the Zoo.


They were using this small show as their warm up for the Splendour headlining slot tomorrow night, but it barely showed. Every now and then they missed some notes or a lead in, and had a laugh, but most of the time they were the Pixies I love.

They were the only band playing tonight and they left a very anxious and tightly packed crowd waiting for a while before they hit the stage. They opened up with a little country number, which sounded a lot like the start of the TV show King of the Hill. But after that, the long wait was forgiven.

In over a 2 hour set, they pumped through what seemed to be every single song ever written by the Pixies. Songs I've never had the privelage of seeing live I finally got to. The two stand outs for the night for me were their faster songs Planet of Sound and Nimrod's Son, the latter being one of my favourite Pixies songs. They also fit in a Neil Young cover, Winterlong, which of course they made sound like a unique Pixies song.

As a band, the Pixies are obviously not used to such small venues, as their gear did not fit on the stage. In fact, Kim Deal was set up almost directly behind the PA, as that is the only space she could fit in. But that didn't stop them. It seemed they also had a lot of fun playing for us, as we even got to hear Black Francis talk and joke (normally it's just Kim doing all of the talking).

I'll probably never go see them again, as nothing will ever top this almost religious experience.

I managed to record Debaser. I apologise for the crappy quality, but I had to use my camera phone due to the Zoo's ultra strict no-camera policy.

Edited to add the setlist:

1. CECILIA ANN
2. ROCK MUSIC
3. BONE MACHINE
4. MONKEY GONE TO HEAVEN
5. GOUGE AWAY
6. HEY
7. VELOURIA
8. DIG FOR FIRE
9. ALLISON
10. DEBASER
11. PLANET OF SOUND
12. ALEC EIFFEL
13. CARIBOU
14. WINTERLONG
15. RIVER EUPHRATES
16. CACTUS
17. IS SHE WEIRD?
18. BREAK MY BODY
19. THE SAD PUNK
20. HEAD ON
21. WAVE OF MUTILATION
22. TAME
23. ISLA DE ENCANTA
24. BROKEN FACE
25. NIMROD'S SON
26. GIGANTIC
ENCORE-
27. WHERE IS MY MIND?
28. HERE COMES YOUR MAN