I have made arrangements with friends in Austin, TX and will be heading down there having absolutely no idea what to expect. SXSW has been something I have wanted to attend for years now and I could not be happier to finally be a part of it.
I have been to tons of concerts and festivals throughout the years, but can’t say that I have been to something quite like SXSW. I am looking forward to seeing as many bands (and maybe even movies) as possible in one of the, in my opinion, greatest cities in the world.
Punk rock icons/godfathers Social Distortion are back with an all new album entitled Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes. After seven long years, Mike Ness and crew have released a self-produced album on Epitaph Records. This is the first time the band has taken production into their own hands in their 30+ year career.
Before I go any further, I have to confess that I have been a life long fan of Social D. Sure, I am sure there are a lot of us out there who can say that, it is almost hard not to admit that. I was introduced to Social D at a young age thanks to some cool kids and was hooked ever since. They were one of the bands that helped me identify the genre of music that I liked most – punk rock, however; they were the band that also got me into country and rockabilly. Over the years they were part of the soundtrack to my life and still are to this day. They will be one of those bands that stay with me for the rest of my existence.
So with that said and done, let’s talk about Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes. This is the band’s seventh release in their career and the first on the independent label Epitaph Records. The major difference in this release over all the others is that Mike Ness produced the album himself giving him the opportunity to do things his way for once.
Opening track “Road Zombie” was a two-minute instrumental piece of awesomeness. It was almost like a teaser to any listener who has been waiting seven years for Ness and crew.
A less gritty-sounding Ness sang on the following track entitled “California (Hustle and Flow)”. With female backup vocals that could have fit on any Springsteen track in the past, the track was more rock n roll sounding than I was expecting and honestly, I was impressed. The smooth and easy going track still had that Social D vibe I was hoping for including a certain ball and chain reference. Full of soul and a certain twangy feel made this song even more impressive to listen to.
“Gimmie The Sweet And Lowdown” brought back that sound I was looking for previously. With lyrics that begged to be memorized and a guitar riff that won’t be leaving my mind anytime soon. The gangster “Machine Gun Blues” was a stand-out track thanks to the old school feel with Ness just tearing up his Les Paul on this track towards the end.
“Bakersfield” really paid helm to the country and blues that Ness grew up on with a clear mention of Buck Owens. Whether or not the song was based upon a true story, the ending carried a certain hope of return. The track has been played live for a couple of years now by Ness during his solo tours and by Social D with good reason – it is amazing.
“Writing On The Wall” hinted heavily of Lynyrd Skynyrd (seriously, I was waiting for “Freebird” to interrupt the song), but once I got listening to it I could not help but identify with the heartfelt lyrics like “they say if you love someone you gotta let them go. and if they return to you that’s surely how you’ll know.”
“Can’t Take It With You” was another rock n roll track guaranteed to make you move. As if Ness’ singing was not good enough, throw in some more lively female vocals, barroom piano playing, and just some bad ass guitar jamming to make for one fun song.
Closing up the album was “Still Alive”, a track that almost defined the life of Mike Ness and all that is Social D. This was without a doubt my favorite track off the album. I loved the lyric “and I’m here to make my stand with a guitar in my hand.” Poetic justice at its finest.
Upon my first listen of Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes, I think I was a little too focused on looking for the Social D sound that I had become so accustomed to. I had concerns on how clean the album sounded and not once thought for a moment that maybe this is what Ness wanted to do now that he had full control. After a couple of listens though my opinion changed. Not only did I appreciate the collaboration of references throughout the rock n roll album, but I also dug the lyrics Ness put together; lyrics I intend to grow up with further in my life. The album is solid from start to finish and I doubt there will be many Social D fans out there who will disagree.
Making a public announcement about 2011 being the end of the band, guitarist/ vocalist Lauren Denitzio had the following to say on why they decided to split as well as talked about their final plans as a band including live shows and releases.
After a number of lineup changes, the Measure increasingly became Fid and I finding ways to continue making music together. For a while, that was working, but this Fall I made the decision that I can’t continue with the band. There were a lot of personal reasons behind that and I realized that my heart just wasn’t in the project anymore. It’s not fair to anyone to try to keep going after that, especially when you’re expected to tour and write music and play shows and look like you’re having a good time. As far as parting ways goes, it’s a fairly amicable event and I’m glad that we’re ending the band on good terms and as friends.
We started the band when I was 20, and if you had told me then that I would get to travel around the country, put out over 18 records and play with some of my favorite bands because of it, I’d think you were out of your mind. It’s been a great privilege and I hope those experiences don’t end here. Fid and I will certainly be putting out music in other bands soon, so stay tuned.
We’re planning on releasing the next collection record of the more recent 7”s later in 2011 and intend on playing Fest 10 (Oct 28,29,30-2011) for one final show. There’s a possibility of another couple 7”s as well. Locally, we’ll be playing our last shows during the second weekend in April in Brooklyn and New Brunswick. Details to be announced soon.
We want to thank everyone who has been so helpful and supportive over the years. Especially those who have set up shows, given us places to stay and put out records for us (Don Giovanni, Kiss of Death, Salinas, Chunksaah, Ernest Jenning, Art of the Underground, Los Diaper, Team Science, Snuffy Smiles and No Idea) . We’re incredibly grateful to the awesome folks at No Idea who have both distro’d our records and put out a split 7” and LP for us, getting our music out there to a larger audience than we were able to do on our own. They’ve been one of our favorite labels for a long time and it was an honor to get to work with them so closely both as a label and as friends.
To Mike Regrets, Big A, J Nixon, Mikey Yannich, Joel Control, Tim Burke!, Chris Pierce, Gore, Joey Birds, DanO, CJ, and Marco Reosti: thanks for getting through this band with us”.
punkrockneverstop,
Lauren + Fid
The Measure (sa) released their final studio album, Notes, at the end of 2010 on No Idea Records. You can still stream the album in its entirety on the band’s Punknews.org band profile page!
Hey to all you Social D fans! You can stream their new album Hard Times And Nursery Rhymes right now by clicking HERE.
For each 100,000 plays the the price on Amazon.com’s preorder for the album will drop $1.
The album drops on 01/18/2011 and is the first release from the band since 2004.
I’ll have a review of the album shortly once Apple decides to call me back and tell me my Mac Mini is repaired (faulty hard drive). I sure hope that is today…
So in 2009 I made a promise that I could not keep. I said that I was going to go to SXSW in 2010. Sadly it did not happen that year…
