Top 10 Records of 2015!

It's always fun to reflect back on the year and think about all the amazing music that came out considerably somewhat a short time! Unfortunately I'm still playing catch-up with a lot of the music that came out in 2015, so hopefully I won't change my mind twenty times over about this! Based on what I have managed to hear, I'd say these are my top ten:

Korpiklaani's, "Noita"

1. Korpiklaani- Noita: Korpiklaani always brings something interesting to the table with their unique brand of Humppa-infused heavy metal-- and it's usually musically in the form of a wooden pint foaming full of crushing riffs, soaring melodies, and above all extremely well crafted tunes! For die-hard fans or newcomers to the band, the Finnish folk-metal masters have done it again!

2. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin- The High Country: After reading about this record and enjoying their previous albums, I was surprised by their approach on their latest album in contrast to the past few-- it seemed intentionally more simplistic than the previous album, "Fly By Wire" and simultaneously just as, (if not more) beautiful a record. Fuzzy indie garage rock pop gems to get lost in, a soundtrack to a summer to remember!

3. Night Birds- Mutiny at Muscle Beach: With their Fat Wreck Chords debut, Night Birds really hit one out of the park again! They didn't quite out-do themselves with this, but it certainly tied their last effort, "Born to Die In Suburbia" and it doesn't disappoint! This record proves them an exciting band to keep your eye on and will certainly be pleasing their older crowd while gaining them so many more fans along the way! Can't wait to see what is next up their sleeves!

Melt-Banana's, "Return of 13 Hedgehogs"

4. Hop-Along- Painted Shut: I had the privilege of seeing this band open for the War on Drugs at the Norva one night, and was instantly blown away; I dare say they stole the show that night (man was their drummer incredible!) I had to rush out and scoop up this great album and then review their past releases too after that show! Indie-rock that oozes with spirit and their latest record that captures the intensity of their live show! Don't you dare miss out on this one!

5. Melt-Banana- Return of 13 Hedgehogs (MxBx Singles 2000-2009): Normally this would've made #1, this isn't really new--- it's just the second installment/part two of a compilation of all their various EP's, miscellaneous compilation tracks, B-sides, rarities, etc. on another disc--- nevertheless, as per usual- Melt-Banana is still the best craziest band you've probably never heard and still my all-time personal favorite!

6. Taraf De Haidouks- Of Lovers, Gamblers & Parachute Skirts: Once again proving that Taraf De Haidouks are a force to be reckoned with: an album of the finest musicianship with mind-blowing speed, exquisite Balkan melodies, and of course an impeccable sense of style! The Romanian gypsy folk masters simply can't run out of steam!
 

The latest from the Taraf De Haidouks!

7. Beirut- No No No: Zach Condon and company have done it again!  Condon seems to have slightly gone even further in the direction, "Rip Tide" coupled with the soft electronic quality of his Real People project. A beautiful record of indie-pop gems consisting their usual bright melodic flare.

9. Joanna Newsom- Divers: Joanna Newsom continues to blow audiences away this wonderfully progressive indie-folk record, her trademark harp playing, and her increasingly expansive songwriting. Every note is gorgeous from start to finish. Another masterpiece in the amazing catalog of her discography.

10. Swallow the Sun- Songs From the North I, II, & III: Three LP's of truly crushing, beautiful, and powerful doom metal-- it's laid out in a fantastic manner, almost like a play- Act I pummels you with riff after riff, Act II calms things to beautiful acoustic passages just before the storm, and Act III all hell breaks loose! A massive doom metal epic from these Finnish masters!

*Other notable albums of 2015:
Amorphis- Under the Red Cloud
Belle & Sebastian- Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance 
Jello Biafra & the New Orleans Raunch & Soul All Stars- Walk on Jindals Splinters 
Bixiga 70- III
Bjork- Vulnicura
Children Of Bodom- I Worship Chaos
Deeradoorian- The Expanding Flower Planet
Destroyer- Poison Season
Father John Misty- I Love You, Honeybear
Horrendous- Anareta
Joanna Gruesome- Peanut Butter
Slayer- Repentless
Young Husband- Dissolver
Youth Brigade- Demo re-release

Kickin' Out the Jams w/the Fighting Jamesons

@ Shamrockfest 2015.

We spent the end of February having a blast in Indiana at all three of the 9 Irish Brothers locations in Lafayette as well as the new one in Indianapolis. Leading into March we zipped out to Charlotte, North Carolina to perform at Amos Southend. After that we went to Salisbury, Maryland to play at the brand new Headquarters Live venue-- they have a really unique and fun setup; a converted firehouse turned into a music venue and bar, we had a wonderful time and those folks are definitely putting Salisbury on the map for concert-goers-- we can't wait to return!

We came back home to Norfolk after Salisbury to play Shamrockin' In Ghent; the Deloreans kicked off the night with their stylish 80's tribute set. Despite the weather, the rain and cold wasn't holding anyone up-- Colley Avenue was filled with people ready to party, and we had a blast jamming out for the St. Paddy's celebration.

The next day we were quite busy in Raleigh, North Carolina-- luckily the rain stopped just in time for us to play-- though the wind and runoff water from the roof of the stage provided a serious challenge, we prevailed. We opened for Carbon Leaf at the festival during the day, then we had the honor of closing out the night, as they had been having numerous groups all day long; with a full set later that night a Tir Na Nog. The house was packed full of people and they were most definitely a fun wild crowd that night: full of moshers, happy boozers, and people pumped up for the pre-St. Paddy's celebration! We had a killer night, and were glad to see some new faces as well as folks who had came to see us before.

@ Tir Na Nog

For St. Paddy's this year we performed at the National in Richmond. Born Crooked opened up the night with their bluesy hard-hitting brand of rock' n roll. They remind me a bit of the White Stripes and the Black Keys. It was refreshing to have something that fit the bill with us, it's great to have a band opening for us that is particularly different from us and adds variety to the lineup for the night. They came along and played with us once more when we rode out to play at the Southern in Charlottesville. Unfortunately the Newport News show was cancelled, however stay tuned as we will be doing a make-up date for it in the near future.

Then we set off for Shamrockfest 2015 in Washington D.C. where we took to the Dewey Beach stage after the energetic Go Go Gadget and gave D.C. an hour of our finest raging celtic-punk tunes; we did a set consisting of some classic Irish folk covers as well as some original material from both the first and second album. Our bassist Ryan Ware and our buddy Cooper even met up with some of the dudes in Reel Big Fish while walking around! Afterwards we came back home to Viriginia Beach to play the Shamrock Marathon and the marathon's after-party at Murphy's as well.  

Fairly recently we added several new shirt designs to our merchandise catalog-- so be sure to check that out at our online merch store (personally, the new fist logo design is my favorite!)-- we've got some exciting plans ahead-- so stay tuned to our Facebook, Twitter, and our official website for the details to come.

All Ages: Boston Hardcore DVD Review

All Ages: Boston Hardcore

This documentary focuses on roughly 1980 thru 1984; it dives into the history of the scene, the clubs the bands played at (perhaps most notably the Rat), the straight edge scene in Boston, the iconic flyer art-- as well as the influences of Black Flag, and other bands outside of the area-- perhaps most notably the D.C. scene and Dischord Records is discussed in relation to the early EP's released (Teen Idles, "Minor Disturbance" EP, S.O.A., "No Policy" EP, Government Issue's, "Legless Bull" EP, etc.. The film expresses Boston was particularly known for being a scene that took hardcore, and tried to take it to the most extreme level possible; after the influence of the first wave of punk rock (particularly that of the Ramones) and the their peers in D.C.-- they took their own spin on punk and tried to make it yet even faster and harder than their predecessors.

The film features interviews with key band members as well as active participants of the scene. SSD (Society System Decontrol) is the first band talked about in detail on the disc. The stylistic influence of Minor Threat, combined with the unique and somewhat clashing personalities of Al Barile and Springa. The back-story of the creation of, "The Kids Will Have Their Say" and its influence during the creation of Boston's hardcore-punk scene.

Jerry's Kids is the second band thoroughly examined in this tribute to Boston hardcore. Known for being a highly energetic band always jumping around; a nice selection of both reunion footage as well as early live footage of Jerry's Kids appears throughout the film. Their iconic record "This Is My World" is touched on in the film as well as a highly influential and notable album for the Boston hardcore sound. D.Y.S. is also covered a bit, along with Gang Green, and others.

Though Boston is full super fast bands of it, Gang Green and the Freeze were probably the two most musically proficient groups; both fast and on-point. Gang Green briefly talks about making the, "Pre-School" EP in an 8-track studio.  The "This Is Boston Not L.A." compilation is discussed too; it taps into the exclusion of S.S.D (as Al Barile's policy was no compilations), the inclusion of Gang Green being an obvious choice for their sheer speed alone, and explores the different opinions on its portrayal of the scene. The film also has some reunion footage of D.Y.S. (Department Of Youth Services) sprinkled in the both the beginning and the end.

Boston was a unique scene in both the records and the type of bands that it produced in this time period; hardcore became faster, tougher, and exploded into a new movement of bands releasing incredible and iconic albums that would influence further generations of punk bands to follow. This was a really interesting film and a neat glance into the early Boston hardcore-punk scene, and a fairly informative look into its sound and the groups within it.  One can only hope it offshoots further films on the individual groups and cover Boston hardcore in more depth.

A diamond in the rough.... from my vinyl vault: Bill Costa's, "La Bella Italia"

Bill Costa's, "La Bella Italia".

I picked up this little gem off of Ebay. It's definitely a straight forward album and what you see is what you get: classic Italian folk tunes arranged for tradtional accordion instrumental versions. This is a highly affordable record-- you can usually find a perfectly well functioning copy of it for $3 or $4 online-- and the material itself is a steal for that price. It's a cheap one, but a good one!

The record kicks off properly upbeat with one of  the most famous Italian tunes ever, "Tarantella Napolitana" and then into the lovely, "O Sole Mio"-- a beautiful song that has been reinterpreted countless times by so many artists (Rachid Taha's is perhaps my favorite-- his style mixes Raï and world combined with elements of rock, and he covered it and gave it a very middle eastern feel that is really unique and definitely worth checking out!)-- but when it comes to an accordion instrumental take on it, this one takes the cake.

The backing band consists of gentle acoustic guitar, light bass, light percussion, and vibraphone-- some tracks boast an occasional pinch of jazz, but overall this record keeps it in a traditional pocket for these italian standards. Additional highlights of the album take place on side B with the gorgeous soaring of, "Sorrento" and the fun bouncy folk of, "Funiculi Funicula", and the wonderful version of, "Arrivederci Roma".

Back of, "La Bella Italia".

As for Bill Costa himself he has a few other similar records available, such as, "Holiday And Rome", "Bill Costa and His Accordion", and one or two others I've seen online out there. Surprisingly, other than the records themselves on Ebay and Amazon-- I can't really find any other information on him. Luckily the back of this record alone clues us in a bit: he went to Julliard, worked and appeared on both NBC and ABC television, appeared in a decent list of jazz quartets, recorded with: Sammy Kaye, Dorothy Collins, Ben Selvin, and Jerry Jerome-- that sums up a decent chunk of the bio on the back of the album.

All in all, this is a great affordable fun album of authentic Italian folk tunes as accordion instrumentals-- it'd be an excellent addition to the collection of anyone interested in collecting specifically Italian, world music in general, could slightly interest some jazz fans perhaps, accordion enthusiasts, or even just if your looking to branch out your collection with something new of this caliber that you didn't dabble in before; in which case, this would be a perfect starting point.

A diamond in the rough.... from my vinyl vault: Mayhem's, "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas"

Mayhem's, "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas"

I picked up this incredible reissue of Mayhem's debut black metal classic today at Skinnie's Records. It was re-released a little while back by Back On Black records in 2013 on 180 gram and on a limited 500 copy press of purple splatter vinyl.

This album came third in line after Burzum's first two albums and Darkthrone's first three albums; and the Mayhem debut along with these albums are the three quintessential bands that created the second-wave black metal sound that would spawn countless of other bands to follow in their footsteps and make it known beyond the borders of Norway and as a new subgenre of its own.

Mayhem have always had lots of controversy surrounding them with the suicide of their original vocalist Per Yngve Ohlin (better known by his stage name, "Dead") and the murder of Øystein Aarseth (a.k.a, "Euronymous) by Mayhem's own Varg Vikernes, whom is also the one-man band behind the Burzum moniker. However, plenty of media coverage/silly hype and documentation is rather over-saturated on this angle. This review, and the reason for my personal interest in the group is strictly for musical purposes only and for its historical importance within the context of heavy metal.

Back of, "De Mysteriis Dom Sathans"

There are a lot of interesting things happening musically around the creation of this album, and there was virtually almost nothing else quite like it with the main exceptions of Burzum and Darkthrone (of course some first wave black metal such as Bathory also applies-- the bottom line is that its a very short list of a small handful of groups mostly in Norway all contributing to an entirely new extreme form of metal).

Key characteristics of the album and of Mayhem's early sound are part of what made this album and the early era of the second wave of black metal so unique. Hellhammer's drumming is arguably totally the most impressive display of talent up to this point within the genres early releases; effortlessly blastbeating away, excellent tom rolls, with pummeling double bass on the kick drum. The fuzzed-out guitar effects created the icy distortion the genre is so known for-- the tonality of it was so distinct and different from the classic death metal tones of the time, particularly from that of the Swedish death metal scene. Tremolo picking pulls and breaks apart minor chord progressions, along with thrashy pulverizing riffs, coupled with melodic chunky bass lines. Varg Vikernes (though not a permanent member of Mayhem's lineup) did fill in to play bass on the album, the bass lines are well executed-- but its the drumming and the guitar work that takes the spotlight on this record. I would argue the most addicting track is the legendary, "Freezing Moon"-- the song showcases an incredible riff and a sense of memorability to it, while also displaying all the trademark characteristics of the bands sound.

Attila Csihar took over vocal duties after their original vocalist Dead shot himself. There are recordings of demos and live concerts with Dead--- but this was the groups first studio/official LP recording, and Attila took over after Dead's suicide. His style is unique to the genre at the time-- he intentionally did very strange moans and deep eerie chant-like voices, he sets a very haunting atmosphere appropriate for Mayhem, and his performance matches the music well. 

Reissued on purple splatter colored vinyl.

Originally released on Euronymous's Deathlike Silence label, the record has now been re-released a total of 31 times on various formats. An original copy of the first LP pressing (cataloged as Anti-Mosh 006) has up to date sold at the highest at $453.14 on Discogs (too rich for my blood-- I will just enjoy this reissue!). So the reissue of this historically important and also timeless classic of the Norwegian black metal scene is now affordable and a neat addition into the collection of diehard metal fans. I imagine it will only be a short time before it gets reissued time and time again, as a record so ahead of its time is bound to have people looking back and listening to it over and over; as black metal continues to evolve, and even the newest and most groundbreaking bands within the genre carrying the torch today are undeniably influenced by Mayhem.

Out on the road with the Fighting Jamesons....

Arriving at Lake Saranac, NY. Photo by Geo Bauman.

We finished 2014 with a run starting from the shores of Rehoboth Beach Delaware all the way up to Saranac Lake, New York near the Canadian border. We returned to Rehoboth Beach amped up and excited to bust out our raucous setlist. Rehoboth Beach is a great stop for us, the audience is always receptive, and ready to dance the night away.

After our first night of revisiting Rehoboth Beach we headed for Pennsylvania to perform at Philadelphia's World Cafe Live. We arrived early enough to go for a stroll through Philadelphia and unload the van. After soundcheck, we met and watched local openers the Bloody Catholics play a nice set of mostly bluesy-laced original folk tunes.  We took the stage and gave Philly everything we had for a great night of celtic-punk fury at its finest.

Next we returned to Amityville, New York and played with Bangers and Mash along with a handful of other punk/alternative groups that evening at Revolution Bar and Music Hall. We geared back up and hit the road for Allston, Massachusetts to play Brighton Music Hall. We arrived early and got pizza nearby, and when went back to get set-up I noticed a plaque on the wall for Amanda Palmer & the Grand Theft Orchestra for a date they had previously done on their tour supporting her second album; I thought it was neat to see that hanging since I'm a fan of her music and happened to be reading her new book at the time. I also noticed a picture hanging of Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, another artist I'm a fan of-- it's always neat to see other groups you fancy on the wall! 

at Lake Saranac, NY. Photo by Geo Bauman.

We closed 2014 on a high note at the town hall of Saranac Lake. Already a beautiful snowy mess when we got there, it's a charming town and only a small hop away from the Canadian border. The venue was a very neat building in itself, and the show had a very bouncy (quite literally-- it was cartwheels galore on that dancefloor!) and enthusiastic audience, making for the last show of the year an insanely fun night.

Entering into 2015, we've got some new surprises on our setlist and we'll be back on the road kicking off  the new year properly fairly soon-- keep posted to our website for the tour dates as we continue to count down the days to St. Paddy's!

Tales from the Spaceman: Ace Frehley's, "No Regrets".

Cover of Ace Frehley's, "No Regrets".

Though I don't normally do book reviews-- I felt this would make a great first (of hopefully many more), considering it being a KISS-related and music-related topic. Through all of the KISS books that have just came out over the past few years-- Ace' Frehley's autobiography, "No Regrets" was first of the recent string of self-penned books by the band and seemed to cause a chain-reaction in the release of Peter Criss's book, Paul Stanley's autobiography as well, and the KISS, "Nothin' To Lose" book by both Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley on the creation of the band and its early years.

The previous two I haven't had the pleasure of fully reading just yet. However, I have read Peter Criss's, "KISS and Make-Up" as well as the biography of the whole group, "KISS: Behind the Mask" by Ken Sharpe and David Leaf. The different angles and perspectives of the band make each book, especially Ace's in particular, all worth reading for KISS fans.

Ace's book is a total mind-blower of a tale: full of car crashes, fireworks, guitar solos, wild women-- if he had not have actually lived it, it would sound more like a James Bond flick. Unlike some books that tend to fast-forward up to a certain point of time-- Ace takes you from his childhood to long walks in New York in his years as a gang member; onward to his first moments of picking up a guitar and the moment KISS began, as well as the journey of his solo career. Basically, Frehley doesn't leave anything out. 

Ace's story is also told in what might seem at first to be a bit of a cliche rockstar-alcoholic-goes-to-rehab-defeats-struggles-then-triumphs-over-alcoholism lens. In reality, his story is not so black and white and cannot be simplified as just another sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll story. Of course, all those elements are present in his story-- but it's just one portion of it, and it doesn't revolve around that. The story shines a light on the harsh realities of those situations, and the portions of the story about his struggles don't leave the reader bored and rolling their eyes. Instead, it leaves you thrilled at his overcoming his addiction while witnessing his rising to be arguably one of the most exciting guitarists of rock 'n roll history. 

Ace Frehley & his famous smoking guitar.

Ace's story is unique in the incredible up-close glimpses he gives you into his life, the sort of thing most people can only imagine-- yet within those rare sneak-peeks of seemingly unfathomable stardom he also mentions the less obvious moments he encountered, and these are often the most exciting moments of the book. Some highlights such as these are when he tells of meeting Mitch Mitchell (drummer of the Jimi Hendrix Experience) and Steppenwolf by sneaking backstage and simply pretending as if he was part of a stage-crew and casually walking past security; setting up drums for Mitchell and changing guitar strings for Steppenwolf.

Ace's book gives you his first-hand account of joining and the formation of KISS, designing the logo and his makeup, the explosion of their fan-base with KISS Alive!, his personal philosophy on guitar playing and solo improvisation, his light-bulb moment when he created his smoking guitar-- to his struggles with the band, fighting to get some of his material included like, "Shock Me", the seed of separation being set with the simultaneous four solo albums releasea, the outrageous filming of KISS Meets the Phantom Park, and so much more!

This book is an incredibly fun and insightful look into KISS's original lead guitarist and there is something remarkable for every KISS fan, or quite possibly any music fan in general for that matter. It is one of the most memorable and unique stories from a critical member of a band that pioneered so many exciting aspects into putting on a rock 'n roll show that no one else before or since has ever even dreamed of.