I’m going to be blunt: The Revenge’s debut 2007 release “Less Talk, More Shots” is one fuck of an underrated album. 23 minutes of face splattering, hardcore tinged with a bit of punk rock… hell yeah.

The Revenge hail from the hot as balls Phoenix, Arizona, and from the second the album opens, you know what the band is all about: brutal hardcore but without ever forgetting their rock and roll roots. It sort of reminds me a bit of Cloak/Dagger.

Definitely check this out if you dig hardcore, or just need some melt facing music.

MP3:
The Revenge – Like A Fine Bottle Of Good Pussy

Less Talk, More Rock:
Cloak/Dagger – We Are
Western Addiction
Rise Against’s Brand Spankin’ New 7″
Ten Yard Fight

Buy:
Interpunk

It took me quite some time to finally listen to The Menzingers “Chamberlain Waits”, and quite frankly, I’m embarrassed. Not only are they from my adopted city of Philly, I’ve had the freaking promo on my desk for quite some time. Every time I’d be ready to give it a spin, I’d be in a pissed off mood and didn’t want that to influence my decision (and rather listened to Ceremony).

Let me just say off the bat, The Menzingers are fucking tight. Melodic punk rock with a tinge of pop, but not enough to make me want to rip out anyone’s eyeballs or jam sharpened pencils into my ear cavity. This style of punk is usually a bit of a grower for me, and I like “Chamberlain Waits” more with each listen.

A solid listen with passionate vocals and intricate guitar melodies, highly recommend this if you dig stuff like Smoke Or Fire.

MP3:
The Menzingers – Home Outgrown

The Housewives Wait:
Smoke or Fire – Above The City
Smoke or Fire – This Sinking Ship
Static Radio NJ – An Evening of Bad Decisions

Buy:
Red Scare

So, I’ve been having some issues with my current city Philadelphia, and the problems all stem from this website you’re reading here. Not too long ago, in order to try helping pay some of the cost of the hosting, I’ve put a few ads up, and last year, I actually wound up making a very little bit of money (less than $100) on the website.

Philadelphia, the oh so rational city that it is, demands that I get a business license for running a god damned website. Ok, no problem, except the license costs $300. That’s right, the city wants me to pay $300 dollars for a website that I’m making less than $100 a year on, and that’s not including all the time I put into it. Any other website owners in Philly? What the hell did you do?

Oh and let’s have some songs from the city.

MP3:
Stay Sharp – Hatfield Of Dreams
The Low Budgets – Lawsuit
Atom and His Package – Mission #1: Avoid Job Working With Assholes
The Virus – Rats In The City
Atom and his Package – Philadelphia
Paint it Black – White Kids Dying of Hunger
Kid Dynamite – Pits & Poisoned Apples
None More Black – 10 Ton Jiggawatts

More Mixes:
Songs to Piss Off The Personal Fitness Trainer Below Me Mix
Drunken Yuppies Breaking Into My House Mix
Your Job Sucks Mix
Every time it Rains, The Bus Is Late Just To Spite Me

Buy:
Interpunk

Say what you want about Rise Against (and I’ve talked some shit in the past), regardless of what they’re doing now, these Chicago cats were one of the best melodic hardcore bands around, period. Need proof? Just check out their first release ever, demo/EP “Transistor Revolt”.

Transistor Revolt was self released back in the year 2000, shortly after the breakup of 88 Finger Louie, and is one of the lesser known Rise Against releases. While 3 of the 4 songs were eventually rerecorded for the face melting “The Unraveling”, it’s pretty sick to hear them in their original form.

The one song that was not released anywhere else was Join The Ranks, and that is one of the most brutal punk rock songs that Rise Against ever released.

Since I don’t live in Chicago, I’ll never be able to catch them in a basement playing their old shit, so spinning these tunes are the closest I’m ever going to get.

MP3:
Rise Against – Join The Ranks

More Rise Against:
Kickass 7 Inch
The Unraveling
Revolutions Per Minute
Appeal To Reason Sucked
The Killing Tree (Tim’s Old Band)

Buy:
Think this one’s out of print homies.

Ahh work… how life would be so much better without it. I’m a programmer, and this past weekend, my work tried to get me to come in and work without pay, handing out fliers to people. Uhhh what?

I eventually worked something out with my boss where she would give me some days off during the week to come, and I was pissed, but decided to show on Saturday. Apparently, it’s business professional dress (unknown to me) and my hardcore band hoodies weren’t cutting it. After working two hours, I was sent home.

I was supposed to go in Sunday as well, but fuck them. Obviously they didn’t need me too badly if they sent me home on Saturday. They weren’t too happy about my skipping, and am about to get fired… So… let’s have a mix!

Oh, and why you’re at it, check out this site I recently made. I don’t know how much time I’m going to dedicate to it, but let me know what you think: My Job Is The Suck

MP3:
Strike Anywhere – You’re Fired!
Bouncing Souls – Monday Morning Ant Brigade
Bomb The Music Industry – Jobs Schmobs
Atom and His Package – Mission #1: Avoid Job Working With Assholes
Chixdiggit – Quit Your Job

More Mixes:
A Ramones Core Mix For The Shorties
Songs to Piss Off The Personal Fitness Trainer Below Me Mix
Drunken Yuppies Breaking Into My House Mix

Buy:
Interpunk

Off With Their Heads, my go to band when I need an anthem about self loathing and generally being a fuck up. I’m a huge fan of the band, but for some reason, I never really gave their 2006 “Hospitals” EP a chance. Shame, because Hospitals contains some of OWTH’s finest material.

Sounding a bit like fellow Minnesotan’s Dillinger Four sort of mixed in with Teenage Bottlerocket, Hospitals contains some of the catchiest melodies I’ve ever heard mixed with some incredibly dark lyrics.

Songs such as “Your Child Is Dead” deals with the issue of school shootings, but not in an immature way like some bands *cough cough* Leftover Crack *cough cough*. Most of their songs deal with drug addiction, dead end job, or some similarly depressing subject, but still manages to be some of the catchiest, almost upbeat sounding punk rock around.

MP3:
Off With Their Heads – Die Today
More:
Off With Their Heads – From The Bottom
Over Stars and Gutters – Consider This Your Curse
The Soviettes – LP

Buy:
Off With Their Heads

Thank god for Google Calendar huh? Yesterday, I hopped on my computer, only to get a notification letting me know that Bomb The Music Industry’s show was happening… shit I completely forgot about that! I made the long trek from Philadelphia over to Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park NJ to catch one of the most DIY ska punk bands around.

Slightly apprehensive to go as my doctor told me to make sure that “no one steps on you” due to a sprained foot, I decided “fuck it” and got there right in time for one man show Franz Nicolay.

Franz Nicolay

Most famously known for his involvement in circus punk band World Inferno Friendship Society, and classic rock band The Hold Steady, Franz took the stage with three instruments laid out before him: a guitar, an accordion, and a banjo. His set was a mix of song, tales, and a bit of jokes as well, and I was surprised by how completely captivated I was by the entire set.

Taking the stage and playing a guitar number (about putting guitars down… ironically enough) and told us a few stories. I was amazed by his clever use of his feet, providing the percussion for the majority of the songs. At one point someone shouted out a Hold Steady song, and he just said “If I were to never play that song again… it would still be too soon.”

I’m not too familiar with his work unfortunately, but two standouts were Jeff Penalty and Dead Sailors. Definitely go check him out if he comes around you’re area.

Bomb The Music Industry:

I wasn’t sure if the band was going to be Jeff with his mp3 player or if we’d be treated to the full band. Not only did we get a full band, we also had a rare, extended setlist as well. Yeah, it was a good night to be in Asbury Park.

Opening straight into… haha wait no this is Bomb The Music Industry we’re talking about so they took the stage and goofed off for a bit before blasting into “Blow Your Brains On Out On Live TV” which had the small crowd explode into a pit.

About 10,000 foot steps later, they played a nice mix from all of their albums, with the majority coming off of their newest “Adults!!! Smart!!! Shithammered!!! And Excited By Nothing!!!” After someone fell and was sprawled across the guitar pedals, the band jokingly threatened us to “behave, otherwise we’ll walk off stage, turn on an iPod, and just listen to “Strictly Rude” for the rest of the show”.

The band seemed to be having a good time, and once they got through their normal set, they came back out for an encore playing mostly joke covers. At this point the I-have-sand-in-my-dick-hole sound guy shut the band off, and then said “I’ll give you one more song, and you better fucking make it a real one”. Yeah ok tough guy…

A solid show, even the asshole sound guy couldn’t put a damper on the fun.

Setlist: (pretty complete, I think)

Blow Your Brains Out On Live TV
You Still Believe In Me
I’m A Panic Bomb, Baby
Slumlord
It Shits!!!
Pizza Clause Is Coming To Town
493 Ruth
All Ages Show
Big Ending
The First Time I Met Sanawon
Fresh Attitude, Young Body
25!
King Of Minneapolis I & II
Saddr Weirdr
Congratulations John On Joining Every Time I Die
I Don’t Love You Anymore

Encore:
Shower beers
Funcoland Vs. The Southern Electorate
Say Anything (Bouncing Souls Cover)
My Own Worst Enemy (SR-71 Cover)
Self Esteem (Offspring Cover)
Sort Of Like Being Pumped

MP3:
Bomb The Music Industry – 493 Ruth

This Better Be A Real Fucking Article:
Bomb The Music Industry – Adults, Smart, Shithammered, and Excited By Nothing
Bomb the Music Industry – Scrambles
Arrogant Sons Of Bitches – Discography

Buy:
Quote Unquote

San Francisco’s Ceremony is one of my favorite hardcore bands around, and I’ve been pretty stoked about their upcoming Bridge 9 release “Rohnert Park” due out on June 8th. The band has posted one of the upcoming songs on the Bridge 9 MySpace page.

The song has a very old school punk feel, and has that building sense of urgency that never topples over (something Ceremony has mastered).

Take a listen, then come back here to check out some of our right ups on Ceremony.

More Shiznit:
Ceremony’s Set From “This Is Hardcore 09″
Ceremony – Violence Violence
Ceremony – Scared People EP
Ceremony – Still Nothing Moves You

When most people think of female fronted punk rock, one of the first bands that come to mind is Tsunami Bomb. I had the pleasure of seeing them once open for the Bouncing Souls and Strike Anywhere (actually on their guest list from a contest I won at punknews like… 7 years ago), and they are one of the few bands who can capture the energy of their live show on album.

The Invasion From Within was one of their first EPs released back in 2001, and the six songs on here all slay. The band is able to mix heavy, catchy punk riffs with Agent M’s voice to create some high energy punk rock. In addition, The Invasion From Within also features a keyboard player, which adds another layer to the music.

Definitely worth checking out, and if you already know it, give it another listen. I’m sure it’s been a long time.

MP3:
Tsunami Bomb – No Good Very Bad Day

Housewives Bomb:
The Soviettes – LP I
Teenage Bottlerocket/Broadway Calls Split

Buy:
Tsunami Bomb