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The 2010 Vans Warped Tour (well some of it…) – Cleveland, OH – 07/08/10

12 July, 2010 Brian Mc 1 Comment

It’s no lie, the Vans Warped Tour is the longest running traveling festival of all time. The punk rock summer camp has been going strong for 15 years now and once again has shown no signs of quitting any time soon. I am sure it is safe to say that Kevin Lyman, the Warped Tour founder, has no intention what so ever of shutting down his vision that has brought bands and fans together yearly all over North America.

The festival for myself has been more or less a ritual over the past 15 years. I have gone with my friends to Warped Tour almost every summer since I was a little 18 year old punk kid without a care in the world. Some of my best memories come from spending hours in intense heat watching bands I love with others who share the same interest. I have written about many of those memories last year so I am not going to repeat myself but I will say that “Eiffel Tower” and “FAFGAD” will always bring a smile to my face when one of my friends happens to bring them up.

Now I will admit that last year I announced my retirement to the Warped Tour. At the time I was serious and felt it right to stop going while I was still having a good time. I stood by my decision and was ok with it. After going to the Warped Tour for 14 years I decided I saw all the bands I could ever want to see and just did not have it in my anymore to continue going.

Well I lied. Sort of…

I just came out of retirement early and it was all because of a little Californian band called Face To Face. The second I found out that they reunited and were playing the 2010 Warped Tour I had no choice but to go again. Can you blame me?

So yes, I am a liar like Henry Rollins. Oh well. I might as well talk about my day at the 15th annual Vans Warped Tour in Cleveland. I will warn you that there may be some shocking material in this post featuring yours truly. So without further adieu…my review.

“I’m getting too old for this sh*t” – Me upon entering the gates of the Tower City Amphitheater.

It was ridiculously hot on Thursday as I got my ticket scanned for entry to the festival. When I say hot I am talking 95 degrees with a heat index of at least 100. The sun was a bastard and just scorched all who got in it’s way. I knew to dress accordingly and to bathe in sunscreen so I had no worries about getting sun burnt but I was pretty damn miserable the moment I set foot into the grounds. I laughed at myself knowing that I might have made a bad choice by coming out of retirement but decided what the hell and chose to make the best of it.

Before I even got started roaming around I wanted to say hello to my cousin who was at the tour as well but not as an attendee. He was working EMT in one of the first aid tents near the entrance. When I greeted him there was a young kid in the tent already with a war wound like none other. Half crying the young music fan was holding a towel to his head and was just covered in blood.

My cousin smiled at me giving indication that he was in for a long day. He called for an ambulance as the kid needed stitches due to a 2 inch gash in his forehead. Apparently the kid was watching metalcore act Confide and fell in the pit – headbutting the ground with his skull. I felt band for the little guy mostly because I knew that not only was his day cut short but I was also pretty sure his parents would never allow him band to the Warped Tour again.

Every Time I Die was already opening the day by the time I arrived to the main stage. I was bummed out to see such a killer act play the early slot but that is one thing Warped has always been known for, no set schedules. In fact one of the reason I missed some of their set was because I had to partake in my little ritual of going to the inflatable schedule and writing down what bands I wanted to see. Closing with “We’rewolf”, the band thanked Cleveland for coming early to see them and was positive that they had set the level for the day. I could not agree more.

I took one, count ’em, one lap around the festival grounds. Why? It was too freaking hot. I just wanted to see if there were any interesting merch booths and maybe take in a band I had not heard of before. I had intentions of spending more time exploring but found myself stopping at the Kia / Kevin Says Stage to see Left Alone.

As they rifled through their set playing songs like “Sad Story” and “I Hate Emo” the kids in the crowd showed their support and early on energy by dancing around as well as forming a circle pit that spun around the soundboard. Lead singer Elvis Cortez enjoyed the insanity but did call out one long haired kid who clearly was moshing like an a-hole. Elvis Cortez was also the only original band member on the stage. What was up with that?

I shook my head in disbelief as I walked past the AP stage and saw apparently a popular Mike Posner on stage swooning hundreds of little girls with his R&B soul music. All I could think of was what in the hell this guy was doing at a punk fest? I did not even give him a moment of my time and headed to the main stage where I would remain for the next few hours.

Before staking ground under the giant shade tent I detoured to the Skullcandy stage where a band called AM Taxi was playing to a very small crowd. The band, who features members of Luck Boys Confusion, put on a good rock show and impressed me with their sound. I will be checking them out more in the near future.

Alkaline Trio took to the main stage under the shade tent that seemingly served no purpose. Even if the sun was blocked it was still 100 degrees under that giant tent with no airflow at all. Even if I was a sweaty mess I still enjoyed AK3’s set including “Cringe”, “Armageddon”, “Dine, Dine My Darling”, “This Addiction”, and also “97”. There was little movement on stage by the band during their set but overall they put on a good show.

New Jersey metal act The Dillinger Escape Plan were without a doubt the most energetic group I’ve witnessed at the Warped Tour for a while now. Lead singer Greg Puciato was all over the stage causing fans to go insane and at one point hopped on top of some stacked amps and leaped without a care. A few songs after, guitarist Jeff Tuttle, who joined singing duties repeated the feat and leap off another stack of amps. It was an insane performance and one of the highlights of my day.

I had many the option to check out other acts while the bands on the main stage while their sets were being broken down and new ones were set up but I was finding myself overheating. I consumed more water than I thought my body could handle so it was nothing to do with hydration. I was just finding myself exhausted to the point where I just was not caring anymore. It was a scary thought as I used to go to Warped Tours with intentions of just pounding beer after beer but in reality I am getting up there in age so I was not completely shocked.

The whole reason I came out of Warped Tour retirement, also known as Face To Face, finally took to the stage to a much smaller crowd than I had anticipated. Trever Keith and company sounded absolutely amazing and played the radio friendly “Disconnected” as well as “Walk The Walk”, and one of my favorites “I’m Trying”. The band announced they were finishing up a new album and even played a cut off of it.

In the middle of their set Trever Keith called out to the huge group of young kids just sitting down under the amphitheater seeking shade who were clearly ignoring his band. He shouted at them “I just want you to know there was music before 2005. You should go ahead and Google it.” The true punk rock fans applauded in approval while the kids – just sat there clueless. It was depressing to see such an influential punk rock band have such a small crowd. Not letting it affect them they played their hearts out to the older Warped Tour crowd.

A few more people seemed to enter the main stage area before the Bouncing Souls were to take the stage but still it was nothing in comparison to previous years performances from bands like NOFX and Bad Religion as well as the kiddie pop punk act Paramore and (cough, cough) 3OH!3. It just seemed as if the people who paid the $40+ for a ticket were more interested in the younger acts playing the smaller stages. Honestly when I thought about it, things were running as designed (bands playing for fans) but I just was hoping for a little more respect for the bands that made the Warped Tour what it is today… The main stage just did not seem to be the focal point of the day.

The East Coast punkers took to the stage with Dillinger Escape Plan’s Jeff Tuttle who ran all over the stage getting the crowd riled up. Greg Attonito took things a step further and jumped down from the stage and started singing songs to the fans at a more personable level from the barricade. Countless kids crowd surfed their way towards Greg Attonito and each time one came close to him he would hold his hand out and pull them closer.

A few songs into their set they brought out UK act The Exposed to the stage with them to play along. Seeing members of other bands hit the stage with them through their just screamed how punk rock they really are. The band sounded great and clearly was happy to be playing to all their fans on summer day. Hearing “The Something Special”, “Lean On Shena”, as well as a handful of other Souls’ songs put a giant smile on my face and at that moment I forgot about the sweltering heat and sang along enjoying every moment. Ending their set with “True Believer” I could not be happier with what I just saw. Long live the Souls.

It was about 5 o’clock and there were could other bands I wanted to check out before Andrew WK was to hit the main stage. I sat there and contemplated which stage I should check out and if a lap around the grounds was in order. Sum 41 was to play as well as All American Rejects and Polar Bear Club in that 2 hour span so I had plenty of options but chose to do something completely different.

I threw in the towel.

That’s right folks, I gave up. As happy I was at the end of the Souls’ set my body was pleading with me to get the hell out of dodge and find some air conditioning. I sat there for at least 10 minutes trying to convince myself that leaving was a good idea. I knew I was going to miss some of these bands and most of all would be missing puke rocker Andrew WK, someone I have admired for years.

I finally grabbed my gear and headed for the exit. As much as I wanted to see Andrew WK, I knew those 2 hours until showtime were going to kill me. It just made sense to head out and hope the puke rocker comes back to Cleveland another day. My few friends who were there were not even bothered by the fact of me bailing, some of them followed my lead.

I do not think I will be returning to the Warped Tour ever again. This is my letter of resignation. It is not because I have issues with the way the festival is running, it’s more or less issues with myself. Feeling like I’ve been caught on fire for an entire day is just not my idea of fun. The kids, on the other hand, love it and I hope they continue to do so for another 15 years.

If by some chance next year has an amazing line up that can not be missed then maybe, just maybe, I will succumb. Until then I am done. I just do not have it in me anymore to do a day long festival on asphalt. I’m still all for festivals and hope to hit Bonnaroo again but as far as the Warped Tour goes, I am out. Fifteen years is good enough for me.

This years line-up was a little weak for me personally because I just had not heard of any of the bands on the roster or had no interest. Again, that is just my opinion because I saw a whole lot of other music fans in their glory. I looked at them and remember the times when I was younger and was just overwhelmed. As for myself I only cared about eight bands total and had no intentions of exploring for more music.

So yeah, this is a half assed review since I bailed and decided to get pizza and go record shopping. Well, that is kind of punk rock if you think about it too right?

So am I getting too old for this sh*t? Not really. Mentally I am with everyone else, physically on the other hand is a different story and I know when my limits have been met. Face it, the Warped Tour is for the kids. I was there once…

00's, 90's, Cleveland, Good Times, Live Shows, Music, Music Video, Personal Entry, Rap, Review, Rock

Let’s Talk About 311

1 July, 2010 Brian Mc Leave a comment

So last night thanks to Cleveland.com I got to attend the 311 show at the Time Warner Amphitheater VIP style. I was not planning on going at all but last week I “re-tweeted” a Twitter post that Cleveland.com put up for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the Unity Tour 2010 and I thought to myself “why not?”

A day later I got a message saying I won the tickets. I was stoked. I mean why wouldn’t I be? Free is good these days plus I got to rendezvous with an old musical friend of mine.

311 and I go way back. I am not trying to sound like one of those music trendy scraps out there who just say random things to impress others. 311 and I have been down (no pun intended) since I was in high school. I have seen them many times live, owned countless overpriced bootlegs, was a member of their fan club before the internet existed, and even was knocked out at once of their shows at the Cleveland Agora.

I vaguely remember what happened but will always remember the incident. I know I was in the pit of that show when a size 12 combat boot slammed into my head knocking me the hell out. The next thing I remembered was my pal Philippe asking me if I was ok. I think I said yes but I was more confused over anything trying to figure out why I was not in the pit anymore. Apparently Philippe dragged the knocked out me from the pit and into an alley through some emergency doors. He told me that I looked at him, smiled, and ran back into the pit. And I wonder why my body hurts so much these days… (Additional note: I bought a 311 work shirt at that show and I still wear it to this day)

High school ragers were not only fueled by cheaply processed beer but also Grassroots and Music. I remember when their self titled album came out in 95 my friends and I freaked out and basically listened to the album on repeat until the cassette wore out. Yes, cassette.

We wore 311 apparel, did our best to emulate Nick Hexum and S.A. Martinez (sounds terrible when thinking about it these days), and might have stolen room number signs from various secret locations that said, you guessed it, 311.

In 96 Enlarged To Show Detail was released on VHS and we had competitions on who could watch it the most in a three month period. I made it to 278 if I am not mistaken and my pal Brent surpassed 301 times. We were addicted.

By 1999 though most of us friends were growing up, attending college, or maybe even raising babies. 311’s music style was growing up too and to be perfectly honest I lost interest in them. I stopped wearing the shirts, the CDs collected dust, and I moved on to other things. I never stopped liking what they had done in the past but I just could not get into their material after Transistor (minus the cover of The Cure song of course). 311 kept putting out albums and touring obviously but I just did not care, that is, until those tickets I won reached my hands.

***Time Out – As I am typing this I can not help but grab my copy of 311’s self-titled record (yes, record) and throw it on the turntable…

It was a unseasonably chill night in Cleveland as I arrived to the venue. Parking the car and walking the lot all I saw was kids who were either in college or never lost the college mentality pre-game it with beer pong games and jello shots. Not into that anymore I walked past them and aimed towards the VIP entrance.

For the record, VIP is not that much better. There is a little bar to the side that still charges you $42 for a beer as well as a private bathroom that some other VIP drunk ass will most likely vomit all over in (it happened later in the night).

After making it through a terrible set from a shirtless, shoeless, surfer boy band called Pepper I found out that the Offspring were not even playing the Cleveland stop of the 2010 Unity Tour. I was bummed out as they were another band I used to really like in the 90’s but that is a whole other story.

While waiting for the headliner to take the stage I glanced at my ticket stub and realized I had box sets. VIP and box seats? That was a pretty good prize if you ask me… I took my place in the box sets, which are not that good at all if you ask me, and took in a 311 show.

The boys, who are all almost 40 with the exception of P-Nut (36), took the stage just as the sun was saying goodbye to the day. They all looked very youthful as they did 15 years ago and almost the same except this time there was no bleach blond hair. More importantly they sounded amazing and I am not just saying that as well as were genuinely excited to be on stage. They were on point for all of their songs regardless if I knew them or not and were all about the crowd.

It was not until 5 songs in when the band dished out “Taiyed” that I started feeling like I actually belonged there. Immediately after they dropped into “Plain” followed by their first chart breaking hit “Down”. During those songs I started having non-drug induced flashbacks of the times I previously mentioned.

Shortly after all the members of the band minus Chad Sexton left the stage so he could beat on the skins for a while. He put on an amazing drum solo that lasted at least 15 minutes and to make the little segment cause for more applaud, the rest of the band came back out and joined in on a synchronized drum circle of sorts. Kind of jam band if you ask me, but it sounded great and all the fans loved it.

The remainder of the night again consisted of a good blend of older and newer material. I do not think at any time did I not see movement in the huge crowd. Song after song people were jumping around having a good old time just enjoying themselves. The band really pushed forth a solid set and delivered just as good of a show as when I saw them almost 15 years ago live.

311 Cleveland Style — This was a shirt at the merch booth and I am kicking myself in the ass for not buying one...

During that show all these juvenile memories of my friends and our love for 311 hit me. I could not help but shoot a few texts to a couple of the guys who I remain in touch with letting them know where I was that night. It was a good night indeed thanks to a one time unknown Omaha act that has been rocking out since 1988.

311 Setlist:
Jackpot
Sick Tight
Mix It Up
Freeze Time
Taiyed
Plain
Down
Hostile Apostle
Brodels
Applied Science
All Mixed Up
Livin’ & Rockin’
Come Original
Eons
Hey You
Never Ending Summer
Nix Hex
(bass solo)
Off Beat Bare Ass
Amber
Creatures (For a While)
Encore:
Beautiful Disaster
F*ck the Bullshit

Download This!, Music, Music Video, New Release, Punk, Review, Rock, Ska

The Flatliners – Cavalcade – CD Review

24 June, 2010 Brian Mc 1 Comment

The Flatliners are about as punk as they come and I am not just saying that. The foursome who hail from Toronto, Ontario does not care about the fame and fortune so many bands seek these days. They prefer touring in vans, playing in dive bars, and sleeping on floors over lathering in luxury. Recently releasing their third full length entitled Cavalcade on Fat Wreck Chords, the band continues on with their seven year career with just one thing in mind – play punk rock music because they want to.

Starting off as a ska-punk act, the band has matured into a more melodic punk rock outfit that clearly is represented on Cavalcade. The powerful opening track “The Calming Collection” starts off album and introduces the listener to what is to be expected throughout the twelve song release. “Carry The Banner” continues with a forceful track that was heavy on the rock with gritty group singing throughout. Their sound is more likable than ever and just by hearing one song I knew I was in for something good. I also got a kick out of the opening line sampled from the 80’s metal spoof band Bad News.

Bordering on pop-punk, “Bleed” is exactly what you would expect in a punk anthem sing-a-long with plenty of opportunities for the listeners to get involved. It was the best track on the album i my opinion hands down. “He Was A Jazz Man” reached back to their ska-punk roots and sounded just amazing. “Shithawks” followed fast and furious with great harmony. Then there was “Monumental” which laid off the punk for a moment producing a great rock track I really enjoyed as well.

Proving that they have no solid genre of punk “Filthy Habits” kept a heavier sound with plenty of screaming and authority. “Count Your Bruises” stood out over most tracks with a much more mature style musically and lyrically. I was impressed thoroughly with the whole album that displays how mature this young band has become.

The Flatliners have already been going places and will continue to do so based upon their way of life and ability to rock out. Following their dream one day at a time, the band seems to always be on tour and not to mention continues to release solid punk rock efforts in a timely manner. Fans of the real punk rock, not that fashionable crap, need to have the Flatliners on their playlist. This release holds high as one my favorite punk releases so far this year and once you listen to it you just might agree.

DOWNLOAD THIS! – The Flatliners – “Carry The Banner”
DOWNLOAD THIS! – The Flatliners – “Monumental”

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The Constellations – Southern Gothic – CD Review

22 June, 2010 Brian Mc Leave a comment

I cannot believe it is June 22^nd already. Summer is officially here and what better way to bring in the warm fun season than to jam out to some amazing music – but what exactly is out there to listen to? Luckily Atlanta act The Constellations have decided to drop their debut release titled Southern Gothic just in time to provide a great soundtrack for your summertime fun.

After two years in the making with assistance from producer Ben H. Allen (Gnarls Barkley, Animal Collective), the eight piece act has released an album that mixes all the fun of bands like Outkast, MGMT, and the Gorillaz with almost a 90’s grunge / soul combination all while adding their own flair.

Honestly there really is no way to define a genre for this band as their songs range from rock to hip hop to pop – that is not necessarily a bad thing. Lacking consistency never sounded so good. Add in love for Tom Waits and guest appearances by Cee-Lo Green and Asher Roth, it is quite apparent this band is not a gimmick you are listening to.

“Setback” opened the release with a funky electronic jam heavy on the bass with lead vocalist Elijah Woods almost rapping over music that easily could be thought on something the Chemical Brothers might have created or even Fatboy Slim. This was the song that was brought to my attention to earlier in the year and needless to say it sparked my attention tremendously.

Not giving the idea that Southern Gothic might be only an electronic album came “Perfect Day” a relaxed and very cool sounding track reminiscent of good ol’ Gnarls Barkley. It’s only fair to mention Gnarls Barkley seeing as “Love Is A Murder” featured ½ of the act otherwise known as Cee-Lo Green who provided a monologue throughout the track. This was one of those songs that easily will stick to the minds of many and be broadcast all over the radio.

“December” was another track that just screamed to be played on the radio and sounded like a unreleased Broken Bells track. I could not help but think of how perfect the song would be for a going out on the town mix. “Take A Ride” proved to be another inebriated party track with the message to just raise hell starting at the barstool.

“We’re Here To Save The Day” sounded like a strange alliance between Beck and Eminem. Listening to Asher Roth supply a flow of heavy heard rhymes throughout it was apparent song clearly was out of place with the rest of the tracks yet was amusing to listen to. I also could not help but wonder why Asher Roth was almost blatantly shown the spotlight on the song while earlier Cee-Lo barely crept through his spoken word of sorts.

“Step Right Up” was by far my favorite track on the album as it was a clear tribute to Mr. Tom Waits. The song was a completely off the beaten path revolving around one of my favorite artists of the 70’s. Keeping with the iconic storytelling individual this song also keeps the funk moving around for almost ten minutes. I can not see everyone getting a kick out of this song but something tells me this is one of those songs best seen live.

“Remurder Is A Lovemix” was a soulful piece with the commonly heard advice “if you really wanna live, you gotta be ready to die”. I enjoyed this song with Elijah Woods changing up his singing style as well as the random distorted guitar solo that jumped in the middle of the track.

Southern Gothic is a gallant release by a group of musicians who seemingly refused to keep their material contained. Usually the result of something of this nature could be disastrous but The Constellations manage to pull it off in a great way. Already turning heads at SXSW and Bonnaroo the band continues to tour and will be making a stop at Lollapalooza. Do yourself a favor and make sure that Southern Gothic is part of your playlist one way or another this summer. This band will be going places, I know it.

DOWNLOAD THIS! – The Constellations – “Setback”

The Constellations – “Setback”

THE CONSTELLATIONS | MySpace Music Videos

Folk, Hip Hop, Indie, Music, Music Video, New Release, Review, Rock

Sage Francis – LI(F)E – CD Review

24 May, 2010 Brian Mc 1 Comment

Hip-hop artist Sage Francis recently returned with LI(F)E, an all new album on ANTI- Records. This time around the lyrical genius has tried a different approach to his music by asking for assistance from various musicians who provided personal selections for him to work with. Skip the bass heavy beats and typical hip-hop soundtracks that have gone with many of his previous works, this time around LI(F)E proves to be Sage Francis’ most sundry work to date.

Having been a fan of Sage Francis since about the time Y2K seemed a threat, I have only gotten more thrilled in anticipation with each of his releases. I never listened to his albums as much as I studied them. The man always impressed me with his ability of taking words and formulating them into something intriguing all while accompanied with sometimes self-made hip-hop and even jazzy beats. This comes from the guy who bought a Sage Francis hoodie from Sage himself a couple years back at one of his shows and did not even realize it was him until mid-way though our conversation. Oops.

I had to admit I was stoked to see the album cover for LI(F)E was drawn up by contemporary street artist Shepard Fairey. A young Sage Francis graces the cover and I later found out that it was a dated photo of Sage Francis reminding him of the harder times in life when he slept on the floors at his friend’s houses and just lived day by day. Not getting down by this things have obviously changed for the better over the years.

“Little Houdini” opened up the album featuring music written by ex-Grandaddy turned solo artist Jason Lytle. The music, previously written as an instrumental by Lytle, originally had no lyrics to go along with. Once obtained Francis worked his magic and created a song focused around a fugitive who escaped custody to see his dying mother based from actual events. Francis had no problem putting his flair on top of the music and one would think both were written at the same time. The song was one of the better cuts on the entire album.

“Three Sheets To The Wind”, featuring music by Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie continued with a appealing track but it just did not match up to the opening track The questionable “I Was Zero” started out great until Sage just inserted a weak refrain repeating “when I came out my momma, I was zero”. For a seasoned hip hop artist that holds many wins on freestyle challenges in the past I felt more effort could have been put forth in this track lyrically. Perhaps my expectations were set high for Sage and I should include that some of the lines he flows out during the song contained amazing selections of words but the music provided perfect for a rap of sorts with a generic chorus killed it for me.

I enjoyed “Slow Man”, a slow folky track summing up the thoughts in many aging individuals, if not Sage himself. If Sage’s voice had more baritone in it on “Diamond’s & Pearls” I swear I would have been listening to Everlast. The impressive “The Baby Stays” was a profound story based around the results of a redundant establishment called life only to succumb to the new outlook at the result between an unlikely pair. The folk soundtrack, courtesy of Tim Rutili, aided Sage to the very ideal story about an unwanted life turning into the greatest thing ever.

Screaming children assist Sage in “London Bridge” a fun track full of random wonders and events in the world. The song was fun and I think that is all it was meant to be featuring Sage, a bunch of kids, and once again Chris Walla. Without looking too deep into it I left it at that and enjoyed it.

The late Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse) collaborated with Sage on “Love The Lie”, perhaps my favorite cut on the entire CD. It was chilling to hear this song knowing that Linkous ended his life for reasons that will never be known. The track was upbeat from start to finish and almost inspiring yet clearly full of sarcasm. This is the kind of song you had to actually listen to in order to understand how Sage works.

“The Best Of Times” was another track on LI(F)E that I admired over the others. The more spoken word track recalled personal stories of Sage making for a powerful close to an impressive release. As if sitting there listening to Sage was not great enough the musicthat accompanied Sage’s verbal memory was created by Yann Tiersen.

I loved how the album ended as strong as it began. Sure there were a couple head scratching tracks in there but overall LI(F)E was a pleasure to listen to. It’s not a hip-hop album by any means but more of a carefully premeditated project from a guy who happens to be good at rapping. It’s easy for anyone who is familiar with his older material to just not get it – it’s different. Taking written music in favor of generated beats this round, Sage has created a branch off of what he loves to do and I honestly admire his doing. Without sounding too cliché, give LI(F)E a chance.