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.

D.C. Hardcore film, "Punk the Capital" on Kickstarter + from my vinyl vault: Faith's, "Subject To Change + the First Demo"

DC punk/hardcore film: Punk the Capital

When I first heard that there was a film being made that will be tackling the history of punk/hardcore in Washington D.C., I  totally flipped out!!!! I'm a huge fan of punk & hardcore in general; specifically the D.C. scene and many of the groups on Dischord Records that were very involved and integral parts of it.

As a kid/teenager, I was incredibly inspired by this scene. I spent all weekend usually with a small group of friends jamming to early D.C. hardcore bands; we'd play covers of Government Issue's, "Bored To Death", "Asshole", and, "Hour of One",  the Faith's, "You're X'd!" and, "No Choice", the Teen Idles, "I Drink Milk", S.O.A.'s, "Draw A Blank"and, "Gonna' Have To Fight"-- the list goes on! At that particular time we were too young to drive to go to many shows ourselves, much less play anywhere at that point in time-- we just hung out all weekend, and took turns switching instruments; teaching each other any new covers we learned, printed out the lyrics and all took turns doing vocals for a couple covers each, etc. Even though we weren't a serious band at the time and didn't gig, it was such a great time, and also provided the insight necessary to develop in order to be in bands that went out and played later on.

Faith's, "Subject To Change plus first demo" LP.

So naturally, when I discovered that they were having a Kickstarter to help complete the project, I was super excited and ready to contribute. In my choice of contributing $40 to the completion of this film I not only get to go to a private screening at the Black Cat for it, but also later will receive it on a 2-disc DVD. Perhaps most importantly, in a neat small way-- I get to give something back towards the scene that was a huge inspiration to me and one of the principal reasons I decided to play music in the first place; by contributing, it helps ensure this music will be properly documented as it rightfully should be.

I've also been happily immersing myself in the reissues Dischord has put out of some older and previously never officially released material; most recently being Faith's, "Subject to Change plus first demo. I just ordered this about a week ago, and it just came today right in time for all the excitement and hype of this film, as members of Faith are some of the many people interviewed in the film, as revealed in a trailer that has been posted.

Back of, "Subject to Change".

On this particular re-release of, "Subject to Change" the original 8 tracks that consist of that album are all put on to side A. The only thing excluded is the ridiculously long and exhausting looping laugh that was at the end of the record. Instead, now side B contains all of the bands first demo, which after being remastered; sounds full of new life and perfectly captures the intensity of the group in their earlier stages as a band. For a demo, its surprisingly incredible quality; its just as great quality-wise and just as impressive as the other side of the record, despite being a demo.

What's really exciting about, "Subject to Change" was that for this particular album the group had expanded their line-up to now also having Eddie Janney on second guitar, which really added to the dynamics and brought a new sense of melody into their sound. The contrast of this stylistic change with the demo featuring just the single guitar of Michael Hampton on side A is interesting and shows the groups growth and change of direction, its still furious relentless hardcore, but the melodic undertones of the additional guitar did make a significant change compared to the average run-of-the-mill hardcore bands that unlike Faith don't stand the test of time.

Inner sleeve cover w/Eddie Janney

What sets aside the D.C. hardcore scene of that time and Faith was the incredible songs that these bands were writing. Musically these groups certainly had similarities being within the genre "constraints" (for lack of a better term) of hardcore; however, the spirit and energy of the D.C. hardcore scene of that time will probably never be matched or surpassed. These groups, and Faith in particular proved themselves a force to be reckoned with, by presenting unique song structures into hardcore along with a sense of melody (see the song, "Untitled" for example). The lyrics were also incredibly passionate, and thought provoking.

Back of inner sleeve w/lyrics.

You could pick up your finger and randomly point to any song on the lyric sheet and find an intelligence that is quite contrary to the stereotype often expected of hardcore. "Untitled", "In Control", and "No Choice" are all just a few shining examples. Behind a great hardcore band is a great frontman-- in this case Alec MacKaye. The guy not only penned the groups incredible lyrics, but his undeniably unique tone to his voice and remarkable stage presence (if you youtube some live footage, you will definitely see!) created a channel for the energy of this relentless hardcore sound to travel.

I'm extremely thrilled that I'll be attending a fundraiser at the Black Cat this Tuesday for Punk The Capital that will have a Q & A with the filmmakers Paul Bishow and James Schneider, and hope they succeed in documenting this incredible moment in punk music. For any of those as equally as excited for this film as I am, here is the Kickstarter link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1137256310/punk-the-capital-straight-from-washington-dc

Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers at the Black Cat!!!

Shilpa Ray @ the Black Cat.

I owe a seriously huge thanks to my friend Doug for first telling me about this band a couple years ago; he had seen them at a festival I believe, and one day mentioned that he thought I would be interested. He definitely hit the hammer on the head with that statement. Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers gave an energetic and exciting performance, as I was lucky enough to witness it firsthand on Memorial Day at the Black Cat in Washington D.C.

Shilpa Ray uses a harmonium. A harmonium is a neat free-reed instrument, with a a keyboard and a drawer in the back that you repetitively open and close in order to pump its bellows. Sort of like if you took the bass/button/left-hand off an accordion and then laid it down flat. It's certainly an interesting factor in part of the creation of their unique sound; it's not a common inclusion in a band, especially not often so heavily used when included. Although the harmonium is perhaps most commonly associated with Indian music, her usage of it in this band is rather separate from that-- and probably has more in common with Nico's (yes, the same Nico from the Velvet Underground) solo albums than the latter. 

Shilpa Ray has a rather peculiar voice, not dissimilar to the spirit and charm of Patti Smith or the soulful grunting and howling of Janis Joplin. Yet her voice is certainly strong enough to stand on its own, and only faint reminders of others artists come to mind; just enough to make it seem somewhat familiar, but just different enough to be exciting and fresh. This is also true of the music itself-- it's equal parts early first-wave punk, indie-rock, and sixties psychedelic/acid-rock; all thrown in with  time-signature curve-balls, grooving melodic bass lines, buzz-saw guitar galore, and a propulsive rhythmic drive.

At this particular performance, the group did I believe all or just about all four of the songs off of their latest EP, It's All Self Fellatio; along with a healthy handful of selections from their debut album, Teenage & Torture. One thing I noticed right off the bat and was immediately caught up in was their drummer, John Adamski. This dude is a seriously hard-hitter!!!! He also had some rather intricate ways of doing things; not necessarily out of the ordinary, but a bit uncommon. He held his sticks more like a jazz drummer than most in rock outfits, he performed at least the first several songs with no cymbals-- all toms, bass, and snare. He stops and starts on a dime, and pounds away like there is no tomorrow. He was truly an impressive percussionist.

Shilpa Ray at the Black Cat.

Nick Hundley the bassist, had some very interesting melodic moments, and some rather fanciful walking lines here and there-- occasionally switching roles with the guitarist and often doing some pedal-steel guitar himself. Guitarist Andrew Bailey gave the audience both the attitude and immediacy of punk with his rhythmic playing, but also the stylistic chops and skills of a lead blues guitarist in his shining moments.

Though there was no opening act, it was honestly wonderful to just skip to the main attraction right away. The group gave a performance nothing short of impressive. They filled the room with hauntingly beautiful melodic drones, danceable grooves, and a crunchy guitar assault; with Shilpa's voice leading the way through their hard-hitting, sweat-drippping, blaring unique blend of indie-rock-- all topped with a wonderful and very brief split-second of awkward silence at the end of each song. That perfect delayed moment of realization that they just made your jaws drop to the floor before the room erupts into applause.

A huge diamond in the rough.... from my vinyl vault: Dischord Records compilation/1981: The Year in Seven Inches....

"Dischord Records 1981: The Year In Seven Inches"

It's not a rare story, and it's already been told by the ones who were there and lived it before, but its still worth hearing and amazing to think about every time. Most people know Ian MacKaye and about Dischord Records to a certain extent at least- to sum it up though: Dischord was founded when the Teen Idles wanted to make a record to document what they had done, and since no one else was gonna put out their band that was virtually unknown and played a style of music that was considered not safe or unmarketable from a record company's point of view (also the band had already broken up)- they made it their mission to do it themselves. They did this totally independent and successfully released it pre-internet. Think about that for real for a minute... I mean really give it some thought... let it sink in. Ok, now consider this- now anybody can record a punk EP (or just music in general), spend very little if any money and throw it on say bandcamp- just do it all digitally- and be done with it for relatively low to no hassle- but pre-internet? The amount of energy outside of the music alone just to accomplish this, for an exceptionally young group of people I might add- a group of late teens to early 20's- to release their own record- is really phenomenal and an accomplishment in itself. They did the first thousand copies by hand, and reused the money made to be able to continue to put out other releases, gradually growing the record company overtime into what it is today- making this historically remarkable and as far as I'm concerned a truly iconic and one of a kind D.C. hardcore punk compilation.

Neat clear disc edition.

At this point, you are quite possibly wondering why is this compilation is so special/what makes these EP's so special? Afterall, these bands didn't single-handedly create a new form of music, it's definitely a fair argument to look at all the other punk and hardcore acts at the time spread across the country; its a fair argument that they weren't musically inventing anything or remaking any wheels so to speak. So perhaps your wondering what separates these bands/this record from the herd?

Let's take a minute and dissect it: what's happening musically might not have been 100% brand spanking new; however, to be fair, hardcore-punk as a genre actually was new, so they were participants in a new movement and at a time in what was the birth period of this new subgenre- and in that sense it is very new, completely new. Sure, it can be easily slapped with a plain old hardcore/punk rock tag- but its not overly generic/dull material by a long shot, and to blatantly oversimplify it is really an injustice to the music itself. In fact, musically- what makes this record, (along with some of the other Dischord material that would soon follow) so incredible was that amongst a sea of hardcore and punk that was happening during this era; is that the fact this material really stands out and has withstood the test of time.

Back of the sleeve.

The songwriting on these EP's (and on the Flex Your Head compilation as well), and the subsequent material to follow with the Faith, Void, Scream, Marginal Man, and Minor Threat was all totally strong across the board. A lot of the songs have anthem-like qualities (Teen Idles, "Sneakers" is really catchy, State of Alert/S.O.A.'s chanting during, "Riot", Youth Brigade's chorus on their EP opener, "It's About Time That We Had A Change") unique chord progressions (for example Government Issue's, "Asshole" and, "Rock and Roll Bullshit" have really memorable riff qualities in the guitar lines), and bold and unmistakable frontmen. When you hear John Stabb- there is no one, I mean no one in hardcore that sounded the same as him- his voice is very particular; kind've parallel to what Jello Biafra's voice was for the Dead Kennedys and what Barney Greenway of Napalm Death is for grindcore/death metal. Despite the fact that hundreds of bands have come along since within those genres of music, each time you hear any of these guys get behind the mic- its unquestionably them, they have an irreplaceable presence that cannot be done quite the same by anybody but them. The ferocity of Henry Rollins, his vicious delivery in, "Gonna Have to Fight", his intimidating vibe in, "Public Defender".  Nathan Strejcek's blaring fury and sincere delivery throughout the Minor Disturbance EP and particuarly in, "Deadhead". The record is full of radical lyrical content and unique ideas: Teen Idles, "Get Up and Go" really captures the essence of it all and what I'm talking about below when they said, "You keep talking about talent. Talent, what do you know? Instead of studying theory- we're gonna get up and go!". S.O.A.'s song, "Girl Problems"- the relate-ability of it all- the whole songs lyrical point of view- what guy hasn't felt that way at some point in their life? Government Issue's "Bored to Death" capturing the angst of it all in the first verse, "Ain't got a job. My life's a drag. I'm just a waste- put me in a bag. I went to school- to learn how to cheat. And all I got- were words on a sheet" while also taking an important and interesting stance by the time the second verse rolls around, "When boredom sets in. I just wanna' die. I just can't move no matter how I try. I don't do drugs and I won't start. I did 'em once and got blown apart."  Youth Brigade just catapulting you into the energy of the moment with, "Full Speed Ahead". Overall, it's the high energy spirit of all these bands that really put both Dischord Records and the D.C. music scene on the map.

Inside sleeve.

For me personally, this record has a lot of sentimental value; when I was in high school, after the last class let out on Fridays and on the weekends, a close group of friends and I would get together and play covers from this record, it was the biggest influence and reason that we wanted to play hardcore too. Plus it was so much fun! Hardcore and punk rock in its purest form is so much fun and the beauty in it is that you don't have to be a musical wizard to do it! So you can have great ideas, teach yourself, learn the basics with a group of friends, soak it all in, and spit it back out! It's a great experience- you don't have to be discouraged that you can't play your guitar like Hendrix; you don't have to be the greatest band in the world to learn as you go, have fun, create music, and just get up and go!

This reprinted edition of the EP's as a comp. came out on CD too. I got this neat clear disc version for my copy on vinyl, I'm pretty positive it's available in the traditional black (and I think transparent red, but not totally sure). If your into punk music in general, interested in adding  to your collection, or just searching for something exciting and new- this is a really great and inspiring compilation to get started with. Records like this change you after you put it on, you wanna get out and start your own band after hearing it.