Yeah yeah, we get it… New Misfits suck blah blah blah… whatever, glad we got that out of the way. In the spirit of Halloween, I’ve been spinning a shitload of Misfits albums as of late, and I’m not going to lie, I am really digging American Psycho.

Released back in 1997, it was the first album to be released without founder Danzig (so you could imagine the reception it got), and yes, it is different than original Misfits lineup. However, I think American Psycho is a damn solid punk album.

With songs about alien invasions, raising the dead, and everything else Halloween related, the Misfits follow the same campy horror themes from their previous releases. Musically American Psycho is much thrashier than earlier work and with a much “crunchier” guitar sound and a more vibrant sound overall . If you’re a Misfits fan but never checked out anything Post-Danzig, definitely give this one a listen, you may be pleasantly surprised.

MP3:
Misfits – Shining

More:
Black Flag – First Four Years
Minor Threat
The Adolescents

Buy:
Interpunk

Last night, after a trip down to DC, I headed straight up to Philly’s Danger Danger to catch “exploding in popularity really fucking quickly” pop-punk act The Menzingers. It’s been over 2 years since I last been to Danger, and the spot hasn’t changed one bit.

The Arteries:

photo by the great blakelarsonphoto.com

I missed openers Leagues Apart, but was able to catch UK’s The Arteries, and holy shit did they put on a good show. I never heard them before but they completely blew me away. Playing an interesting blend of pop punk and thrashier rock and roll, they definitely made a fan out of me with their performance, and I’ll have to check out their recorded shit for sure.

Broadway Calls:

Ok, truth be told, I never was a huge fan of Broadway Calls when I checked them out a few years ago (always a little too poppy for me) but besides the sheer length of their set (I felt like they played for a pretty long time), they put on an enjoyable set. Some of their songs seemed a little heavier and more Lifetime-esque than I remember, and their set is going to get me to spin their albums again.

The Flatliners:

Photo by blakelarsonphoto

People were obviously stoked for Canada’s ska turned melodic punk band The Flatliners, and they had a decent amount of people dancing throughout their set. Even though I’m not overly familiar with any of their albums (the only one I ever really listened to was Destroy To Create), but they always put on a fun live show.

The Menzingers:

Photo by blakelarsonphoto

Philly’s adopted Menzingers have really been making a lot of waves as of late, and have really been making a name for themselves within the punk community. Luckily, they still have the time to play an intimate house show in their stomping grounds for us, and damn do we go wild.

The second the band took the stage, the crowd busted out into a frenzy of stage dives and crowd surfing to their punk anthems. Bringing a keg on stage, seeing the Menzingers always feels more like a party than a show, and the band was feeding off of the crowds energy (with lead singer even doing a somersault into the crowd at one point).

The band played a lot off of their older releases, with a few off of Chamberlain Waits thrown in (and a cover of Operation Ivy’s “Knowledge” because why the fuck not?) As these guys explode, I hope they’ll continue to find time to still play shows like these.

Highlights:
Who’s Your Partner
Home Outgrown
Rivalries
They Speak Of My Drinking But Never Of My Thirst
A Lesson In The Abuse Of Information Technology
Ava House
Knowledge (Cover)
New Song

MP3:
The Menzingers – Home Outgrown

More:
The Menzingers – Chamberlain Waits

Buy:
Interpunk

Scott Sturgeon and his self proclaimed crack rock steady bands (Star Fucking Hipsters, Choking Victim, Leftover Crack) have always stirred mixed feelings among punk rock fans. Earlier this month, Star Fucking Hipsters released their 3rd album entitled “From The Dumpster To The Grave”, and love them or hate them… they sure can write a catchy fucking tune.

In past releases the band mixed elements of punk, metal, ska, and pop to create a infectiously catchy ass song, and they have proven to do the same on their latest. The band places heavy emphasis on ska chord progressions and rhythms this time around, as heard on the title track and Death Is Never Out Of Fashion. In addition to the SFH sound we’re used to, they switch it up a bit with a hip hop track “9/11 Until Infinity” featuring Boots Riley of The Coup, and a cover of of Ana Ng by They Might Be Giants.

The dual vocals still exist, except with some lineup changes, it’s tough to tell exactly who is doing the female vocals at any given spot (Nico De Gallo, Yula Beeri, and Kill-C). I’ll admit that on first listen, I wasn’t a huge fan, but eventually warmed up to it and now listen to it pretty regularly. Cheeky titles and lyrics aside, Star Fucking Hipsters made one hell of a followup album, and I would recommend it if you’re looking for something catchy but still with plenty of edge.

MP3:
Star Fucking Hipsters – The Broken Branches

More Reviews Duuuude:
Leftover Crack – Rock The 40 Oz
Star Fucking Hipsters – Until We’re Dead
INDK – Kill Whitey
Morning Glory
No Cash (For fans of Leftover Crack, Choking Victim)

Buy:
Fat Wreck

Why do all of the best bands break up way before their time? This past weekend, I made the pilgrimage from Philadelphia down to Richmond, VA to catch their Government Warning play their goodbye show. Playing at Strange Matter, I haven’t been there since it was the Nancy Raygun nearly 7 years ago. Strangely enough, the place didn’t seem to have changed at all. The sold out venue was packed with plenty of faces looking to party with GW one last time.

Cloak/Dagger:

I missed the openers, but made it in time to catch Cloak/Dagger. Being from the area, I was pretty surprised that more people didn’t seem to know their songs, but the band still put on an impressive show even if the crowd was pretty nonreactive for the most part. Playing their special blend of hardcore and surf influenced songs, they blasted through tracks from Lost Art and We Are ,with some 7 inch releases thrown in too. Love these dudes, and they played my favorite (Walk The Block) as a closer. Sweet.

Government Warning:

Unfortunately I completely missed Night Birds set due to me being a dumbass and COMPLETELY forgetting where I parked, but I thankfully made it back in time to see the reason I headed down to Richmond in the first place. Opening with my 3 favorite songs by them (No Moderation, Jocks and Cops, Cutting Room Floor) the place instantly turned into a giant dance frenzy with bodies flying through the air to the aggressive 80s sounding hardcore.

They played a solid number from all of their releases, and threw in a few covers as well (I’m blanking, but I believe Minor Threat and Circle Jerks). Bummer to see them go, they put on one of the best live shows in hardcore today.

Setlist (Partial):
No Moderation
Jocks and Cops
Cutting Room Floor
Railroaded
Maniacs
Trend City
Slave Labor
Government Warning
Minor Threat Cover (forget which song)
Sick Of Home
Arrested

MP3:
Cloak/Dagger – Walk The Block
Government Warning – Arrested

More:
Government Warning – No Moderation
Cloak/Dagger – We Are

Buy:
Interpunk

I love Black Flag, but I will admit, there is a bunch of albums of theirs I just simply can’t get into. Sure, everyone loves Damaged and The First Four Years, but it seems like people are pretty divided I just can’t get into their gloomy, Black Sabbath experimental era (“My War”). In 1985 Black Flag released “Loose Nut”, and while it wasn’t exactly a return to form to their earlier days, it incorporated much more of that hardcore sound that makes Black Flag so influential to this day.

Loose Nut consists of 9 tracks, and all of the songs fall into the 3 minute-4 minute mark. Loose Nut contains some of Black Flag’s most classic songs, including the fast paced “Loose Nut”, the incredibly chuggy “Annihilate This Week”, and the overly catchy “Best One Yet”.

If you only dig Black Flag’s Damaged stuff, check out Loose Nut. It was the album that made me open to their later work.

Mp3:
Black Flag – Loose Nut

More:
Black Flag – Damaged
Black Flag – The First Four Years

Buy:
SST

Confession: I’ve been waiting for nearly 11 years to go see Saves The Day. Being from New Jersey, and loving Through Being Cool when it first came out (aaaand throughout the years), I’m sort of embarrassed I waited this long. I was always worried they wouldn’t play anything off their first two albums (the only two I really know), and hence waited longer. I finally decided it was way too long, so I headed out to Philly’s Trocadero.

I almost wasn’t allowed into the venue due to some ticketing problems, but that got straightened out just in time for Saves The Day, and thank god, as they opened with All-Star Me. You could easily tell who the old heads were in the crowd, as we immediately began a pit in the back two stepping, and then the young ones were going nuts for everything after “In Reverie”.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know a lot of the setlist, but Saves The Day played much more off of their old stuff than I imagined (even throwing a song off Can’t Slow Down in there). A solid set, STD (what an unfortunate acronym) played songs to appease both old and newer fans. The only two downsides to their set was no “Sell My Old Clothes, I’m Off To Heaven” and a fucking fight broke out a Saves The Day show (mostly because some people started hardcore dancing… two steps people not spin kicks!

Highlights:

All-Star Me
Shoulder To The Wheel
You Vandal
Rocks Tonic Juice Magic
Third Engine (FUCK YES)
Always Ten Feet Tall
At Your Funeral

Mp3:
Saves The Day – Banned From The Back Porch

More:
Saves The Day – Can’t Slow Down
Saves The Day – Through Being Cool
Summer Means Pop Punk Mix

Buy:
Saves The Day

New Jersey’s Banquets are going to be making waves with their latest release “Top Button, Bottom Shelf”. Following up their “This Is Our Concern Dude” EP, Banquets returns with ten catchy, anthem songs that is sure to please any fan of melodic punk.

The band is able to pack punk rock grittiness in between sensible poppier hooks and harmonies, making the songs pretty reminiscent of The Menzingers and The Reveling. Lyrically, the band is full of some I find the album best listened to as a whole, and it’s also a bit of a grower for me (as is all of this particular style). Perhaps the album is a bit TOO consistent, as the songs all sort of blend together, but god damn, that just means I’m spinning all of these songs again (and again).

Definitely one that I will be spinning pretty regularly, and definitely a band you need to keep your eyes on.

Mp3:
Banquets – Forever Bender

More:
Banquets – This Is Our Concern Dude
The Copyrights – North Sentinel Island
The Reveling – Tributaries

Buy:
Banquets

Bomb the Music Industry is constantly evolving. After the demise of my beloved Arrogant Sons of Bitches, I remember hearing about lead singer’s Jeff’s solo project, Bomb The Music Industry. I listened to his laptop recorded, drum machine, heavy punk rock songs of Album Minus Band and was instantly hooked. Seven albums and six years later, I’m still hooked, as proven by their latest release “Vacation”.

From the ambient opener of Campaign For A Better Next Weekend, it becomes apparent that Vacation is a bit of a departure from the blasting ska-punk BTMI is known for. Think less “Showerbeers” and more well rounded, slightly slowed down punk rock. And the strange part? They make it fucking work. The songs are incredibly catchy, from the laid back “Can’t Complain” to the almost Weezer sounding “Sick, Later”, Vacation works great as a whole album.

Now, I will say that I don’t think Vacation surpasses Scrambles or Adults, but it’s still a damn solid album worth your attention, just know that it’s nothing like their past music.

MP3:
Bomb The Music Industry – Sick, Later

More:
Scenester 101: How to Be a 3rd Wave Ska Dork
Bomb The Music Industry – Adults!!! Smart!!! Shithammered!!! And Excited By Nothing
Bomb the Music Industry – Scrambles
Arrogant Sons Of Bitches – Discography

Buy:
Quote Unquote

Last night I headed out to Philly’s Barbary to catch one fuck of a lineup in melodic hardcore (and pop punk): Strike Anywhere, A Wilhelm Scream, The Copyrights, and One Win Choice. The place had a solid turnout for an early show, although the crowd was mostly dead (for some reason, every Strike Anywhere show in Philly is like that, very different than when I used to see them in DC).

One Win Choice:

Jersey turned Philly’s own One Win Choice opened to a decent gathering for a 6pm show, and every time I see these dudes, they play really damn tight. I know for a fact that One Win Choice is always stoked to be playing with Strike Anywhere (singer even has an SA tattoo) and their on stage presence shows it.

A handful of us were shouting along to all the words to their melodic hardcore, and I heard a few other people who never heard of them before saying how good their set was. Awesome music, awesome dudes… Check them out.

The Copyrights:

I was really excited to be seeing these guys again, especially after their latest release of North Sentinel Island. The new songs translate really well live, and while it seemed like the majority of people had no idea who they were, a decent amount of us were shouting along to every word. The hilarious banter that usually comes with a Copyrights show was absent from the set, and they mostly just blasted through their songs.

Highlights:
Cashiers
Weapons Of Math Destruction
Trustees Of Modern Chemistry
Crutches
Hard-Wired
Worn Out Passport

A Wilhelm Scream:

I’m going to be honest, I’m not too familiar with Massachusetts A Wilhelm Scream except for their 2004 release of Mute Print, but they probably had the largest reaction of the night (which with this tame crowd, isn’t really saying much). The second the band took the stage, the Red Sox jokes from the crowd immediately began.

A Wilhelm Scream played a really tight set, and their melodic hardcore songs are much thrashier live than I remember them being on recording. It was enough for me to pull out Mute Print for the first time since 2004.

Strike Anywhere:

The main reason I came out to begin with, I’ve been a longtime fan of Strike Anywhere for quite some time now, Strike Anywhere has been one of those bands that have been consistently putting out good music since I first heard them when Change Is Sound came out. For some reason though, the crowd was DEAD. I danced around some, but the energy level of the show was just really low for reasons I cannot understand (and it always seems to be with Strike Anywhere in Philly, I really don’t get it), but this was easily the most dead SA crowd I’ve ever seen.

Regardless, Strike Anywhere put on a solid (albeit quick) set, and along with Propagandhi, Strike Anywhere is one of the most politically inspiring bands in punk rock around. They played a decent amount off of all of their releases, with the majority coming off Exit English. I need to go back to Richmond and see these dudes, where I can’t possibly be the only one to lose their shit when they play SST.

Highlights:
Prisoner Echoes
To The World
I’m Your Opposite Number
Chalkline
SST
Sunset on 32nd Street
We Amplify
Blaze

MP3:
One Win Choice – Places
The Copyrights – Trustees Of Modern Chemistry
A Wilhelm Scream – Retiring
Strike Anywhere – You’re Fired

More:
Copyrights – North Sentinel Island
One Win Choice – Conveyor
Strike Anywhere – Change Is Sound

Buy:
Interpunk