Category Archives: 90’s

90's, Acoustic, Cleveland, Music, New Release, Punk, Review

Album Review: Alkaline Trio – Damnesia

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Punk rockers Alkaline Trio (AK3) recently dropped a mostly-acoustic, sort-of-best-of-album entitled Damnesia on their very own label Heart&Skull.  The album, that was also released on Epitaph Records, contains seletions from previous releases from the band’s career  as well as two brand new songs.  If you recall, AK3 already took a stab at releasing some acoustic tracks as seen on last year’s deluxe version of This Addiction.  This time though, the band had a reason to dig into their catalog.

Marking their 15 year anniversary, the band saw it best to celebrate their success by putting together an album for the fans.  The result is a nice twist at classic songs with some of the re-recorded acoustic / semi-unplugged versions sounding better than the original cuts.

“Calling All Skeletons” started off the 15-track album, sounded well, but just was not overly impressive.  “Nose Over Tail”, originally found as a b-side from the “Sundials” single, on the other hand was awesome.  I loved that they re-recorded such a great track and it sounded better to me than the original thanks to  Skiba’s vocals sounding  so personal and heartfelt.

The pianos throughout  “This Could Be Love” was a nice touch.  A bit gloomier this round, the track was a tad slowed down which was fine by this listener.  “Calvicle” kept things moving with a speedy acoustic jam.  “Mercy Me” almost sounded rejuvenated with its rebirth into the un-plugged world.

“The American Scream” started with a duo of Skiba and piano playing.  I have to admit I enjoyed this version a lot.  I loved when the rest of the band kicked in and started playing / singing along.  “We’ve Had Enough” continued impressing me.  There was just something about this version that made me tap my foot a little harder to the ground while listening to.

One of the two new tracks, “Olde English 800” was an awesome tribute to a iconic malt beverage.  The sing-a-long had me craving for a 40oz. or two by the time it was over.  Comedic?  Perhaps…  Sincere?  Absolutely.  Am I going to have a hangover tomorrow?  That is has not been determined yet.  All in all, great love song for a top-notch beverage.

AK3 covering The Violent Femmes was not overly impressive to me, but it was nice see them choose “I Held Her In My Arms” over other overly-covered Femmes songs.  It was not terrible to listen to at all, it was just not something I was really looking to listen to although I appreciated the light twang feel to it.  Then again I never was the biggest Femmes fan.

“I Remember A Rooftop” was the other new track on Damnesia and was a lot more serious than the O.E. 800 song.  Andriano took over singing duties this round on the acoustic guitar only track. With lyrics like “I took my lousy shot at public recognition” the lyrics clearly were a little darker, something this beloved band has never been afraid to dish out. 

The very Dexter Morgan describing “Private Eye” was another nice surprise to find on this album.  A great version of “Radio” closed out the album.  Once again, the singing sounded just a little more personal and meaningful on this track.  I really enjoyed it a lot. 

A lot of times when I hear that bands are going to take songs and re-record them in an acoustic manner I am usually not overly excited about it, sans Unwritten Law’s Music In High Places.  AK3 nailed it though with Damnesia.  The album takes a nice detour from the punk rock path and brings you to just a nice chill (chilling?) listen many punk rock and non-punk rock fans will enjoy. 

Does recording an acoustic album mean the band has slowed down (not trying to knock anyone)?  Well, perhaps in some cases for some bands, but I doubt AK3 has any means to take it down a notch anytime soon.  This was a nice novel idea for the fans from the band that has been kicking it for a decade and a half.  Look for AK3 to be touring this summer in support of the new release as well as means to continue to celebrate their 15 years as a punk rock act. 

Andriano had this to say about the tour:

“We’re looking forward to our 15th anniversary tour this summer. We’re going to really try to put together a set that encompasses everything the band has done over the past 15 years and plan to play some songs that rarely find their way in to the set list. We will also play some songs in an unplugged style similar to what we’ve recently recorded on Damnesia. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”

AK3 will be playing at the House Of Blues in Cleveland on Aug. 8th.  The Smoking Popes (stoked about this act!!!) and River City Extension will provide as openers.  This is going to be a kick ass show.

90's, Music, New Release, Punk, Review, Rock

Album Review: Fact To Face – Laugh Now, Laugh Later

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I am seriously in an old school punk rock overload as of late these days and could not be happier. It seems as if all these bands I used to adore as a kid are coming out of the woodwork and are releasing albums as well as touring in support of them.  In the last week alone I have seen live performances by some amazing bands from the 80s and 90s including Bad Religion and Strung Out. There is one band though that I was most excited for, a band that I was more or less obsessed with in my high school years.

Seeing Face To Face live completely blew me away.  I saw them last summer at the Warped Tour and they sounded great, but their set was so short it was almost depressing.  For more on the show check out the review I posted last week.

Let’s talk about Face To Face…

Trever Keith and company may have stated that Face To Face was done back in 2004 due to indifferences, but just four years later the band decided to regroup but had no plans on releasing new material.  Featuring Keith (the only original member), Chad Yaro, Scott Schiflett, and Danny Thompson, the California punk rock act is back in the scene.  Not only have they been hitting the roads, but they have also decided to drop an all new album titled Laugh Now, Laugh Later on Antagonist Records. This is the band’s first album release in almost eight years.

“Should Anything Go Wrong” opened the album off strong and almost sounded as if the band never took a break.  With a catchy chorus and fierce guitar playing, the song reminded me why I have loved this band for so long.  “It’s All About You” follow and was a little less intense, but Keith’s lyrics just made the song as well as the fun guitars throughout, especially midway through.  Just two songs in on the album and I was already impressed.

“The Invisible Hand” was an instant classic to my ears.  With lyrics of trying to grasp on to what you can not have, the track immediately was lodged in my mind.  Although I liked the bass lines in “Bombs Away”, I felt the song was a little too Ignorance Is Bliss for me and I just could not get into it.  “Blood In The Water” was a good track though and begged for another listen as was “What You Came For”.  “I Don’t Mind And You Don’t Matter” really could have been left off the album as it just did not fit in with the rest.

“Stopgap” was a nice harsh track with Keith repeating  “you got something you want to say to me / so what’s your story better get it straight / don’t waste my time with your apologies” throughout carried by some great guitar work and drumming.  In a more positive feel, “All For Nothing” was a decent love song that had a couple Social D-sounding notes thrown about.

“Pushover” tried hard to hang on to the old school Face To Face sound.  While the track sounded great, I felt the bass riffs could have been faster and heavier.  They seemed to hide behind a lot of the track on the album, especially this one.  The track was also incredibly short and just dropped off leaving “Under The Wreckage” to close things up on the album.

I interviewed Keith a few years back and remember him saying that they missed playing shows and he had no intentions on recording new material.  It did not sound like he was that excited to create a new album as much as he was with playing older material, but I am pretty sure the tables have turned.  Laugh Now, Laugh Later may not be the best thing I have heard come from Face To Face, but there are a couple gems in there.  I am just more thrilled the band is back and doing their thing.

As previously mentioned, I saw them live about a week ago and they killed it on stage.  Throughout their set their played three of the new tracks and, to me, they fit in just fine with all of the classics they created years ago.  The one thing though that impressed me the most though was how happy Keith and crew were on stage.  They were having a good time doing what they love best and as a fan, I could not ask for anything more.

90's, Cleveland, Good Times, Live Shows, Music, Punk, Review, Rock, The Awesome

Concert Review: Face To Face / Strung Out – Peabody’s – Cleveland, OH – 05/10/2011

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Last night was a blast to the past, specifically 1996, thanks to punk legends Face To Face and Strung Out who made a stop in Cleveland at Peabody’s.  The fact that the show landed on a Tuesday night meant nothing to all who filled up the venue to almost sold out proportions.  Fans generally were a little older at the show seeing how the main bands playing ruled the punk scene in the mid-nineties.  It was actually refreshing to be surrounded by such a crowd as I was in their company 15-years ago at random shows.  There were so many familiar faces, it was like a punk rock reunion of sorts.

The Artist Life opened the show but I did not get into the venue in time to see them.  My friends really did not have much to say about them, but after checking out their MySpace profile, I would not have mind to have taken them in.  The Toronto foursome kind of reminds me of a mix of some of the newer punk acts I have been digging recently like Menzingers mixed with AM Taxi.

Long Beach, CA’s The Darlings took the stage to a full crowd and did their best to impress.  The crowd was just not into them at all.  They did not heckle the band or anything, but there was not that much cheering or crowd response at all.  In fact, the old time the band got the crowd riled up was not when they played a Misfits cover, but when they played “Cruel World”

Strung Out, on the other hand, had no problem what so ever getting the crowd going.  Taking the stage, the band dropped into “Too Close To See” and  basically just hammered through an impressive set.  Fans went wild when they played “Firecracker” followed by “Mind Of My Own” with Jason Cruz sounding better than ever on vocals.

During “In Harms Way” the band decided to reline the 90s a little more and did a nice little breakdown of Pantera’s “Walk” to which the fans all sang along to.  Even though they were all hard at work, Strung Out also decided to do a live audition for a new guitarist for all to see and invited Jim Blowers from Pulley to fill in on a “Speedball”.  Needless to say, Blowers proved he has what it takes to play in Strung Out.

My pal Chewy said it best about Strung Out’s set when he turned to me while we both took in the show and said that “this is one of those bands you listen to on CD thinking – wow, I wonder if they sound this awesome live?”  He paused, turned his head to watch the show for a couple more seconds and looked back at me with a huge grin on his face and happily said “yup.”

He was right.  Strung Out is one of the more technical punk rock acts out there and even though the band is going on 20 years, they sounded amazing if not better since the last time I saw them.  Rocking through tracks old and new, the band finally thanked Cleveland for allowing them to play for them and finished off their set with “Bring Out Your Dead” and “Matchbook”.  The crowd of course wanted more, and I am sure the band wanted to play more, but everyone knew they would have to wait till the next time they rolled through town.

The headliners of the night, Face To Face, finally took the stage to an adoring crowd.  The band was all smiles as they broke into “You Lied”, a punk rock classic followed by “You’ve Done Nothing”.  About four songs into the set, Trevor Keith announced that his voice was finally coming back and without hesitation started throwing out snark remarks to the crowd in good fun.  The crowd took it well and realizing that he had everyone’s attention, Keith announced that the band would be playing a new track titled “It’s Not All About You”.

I am not sure the crowd really was into the new track played, but I can tell you that the following three songs the band played including “Ordinary”, “I Won’t Lie Down”, and “Blind” was a whole different story.   Everyone, including myself, had their eyes on the stage and sang along every single lyric to those songs.  Keith and company looked impressed and Keith even mentioned hoe he was feeling an “old school punk rock vibe” in the venue and liked how there was not a line of bouncers in front of the stage.

He continued how he wanted everyone to have a fun time and wished for no one to get hurt.  He invited fans on stage one to two people at a time as they played and told them to do their thing and jump back in the crowd, just like the good old days.  Keith also warned that anyone acting like an ass would have to face the bouncers located on both sides of the stage.  After noticing some of the smaller folk in the crowd he even went so far as to inviting a handful of girls to watch the show on the side of the stage.  Keith was looking out for the fans last night, that is for sure.

After laying down the rules, the band continued with “Pastel”, another new track titled “All For Nothing”, and one of my favorites “A-OK”.  Honestly this might have been the best performance I have ever seen by Face To Face.  They looked so happy to be playing on stage again after being on hiatus for about 8 years (minus last year’s 30 minute Warped Tour set).

With minimal breaks between songs, the bad kept moving on with “Velocity” and “Complicated”, perhaps my favorite Face To Face track ever.  Hearing it live just made me love it even more.

When fans threw beers towards the stage, Keith avoided acting like a Weasel and laughed saying “I Don’t Want That!”  He was having a good time and that made the show that much more entertaining.  Just for kicks, the band decided to play a country song, more specifically “Keep Your Hands To Yourself” by the Georgia Satellites.  Keith was amazed when the entire crowd sang the chorus in unison and admitted that he thought Cleveland was amazing.

Putting an end to the night, the bad played “Big Choice” and treated everyone to “Disconnected”, perhaps the band’s most commercially friendly song.  Popular or not, I loved hearing it live and practically lost my voice singing along with.  The band thanked everyone for coming out and exited the stage only to return for a two song encore, one new track, and one old track.

Seeing Face To Face and Strung Out play live together in one night was a dream come true.  I felt like a kid all over again seeing both of the 90s acts take the stage.  I was impressed with how both bands sounded live and how excited they were to be performing to the crowd.  They were both top notch throughout and I could not ask for a better punk rock show.

90's, Cleveland, Live Shows, Music, Music News, Music Video, Punk, Rock, The Awesome

Face To Face & Strung Out To Play Cleveland!!!

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Excitement is just one of the thousands of words that describe the way I am feeling right now. 

I just learned that Face To Face AND Strung Out are playing a show at Peabody’s in Cleveland on May 10th.

In support of their upcoming release titled Laugh Now…Laugh Later, 90’s punk rockers Face To Face will embark on a multi-city tour with special guests Strung Out who are currently working on their upcoming retrospective album.

This may not be a big deal to you, but it is for me seeing how these are two of my favorite bands of all time.  I am going to be there especially seeing how it is going to be a small club show. 

I caught Face To Face last year at the Warped Tour and remember telling myself how much I wished they would just play a regular show in Cleveland.  Not enough kids there appreciated them like my friends and I did.  I remember how pissed I was when I turned around and saw all the little guppie punk kids sitting on the ground while they played their set…  Well, I guess Face To Face can read minds. 

I have not seen Strung Out in years and missed seeing them play the Agora the night it shut down.  Years ago I got to see them back to back in Cleveland and Cincinnati thanks to an ex who had ins with a guitar tech.  Those were the days.

Who:  Face To Face w/ Strung Out & The Darlings
When:  05/10/11 – Cleveland, OH
Where:  Peabodys Down Under
How Much:  $19.00 Buy Tickets Here

Tour Dates for Strung Out w/ Face To Face (taken from Fatwreck.com):
04/27/11 Vancouver, BC Canada Commodore Ballroom Face to Face, The Darlings
04/28/11 Kelowna, BC Canada Rutland Centennial Hall w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
04/29/11 Edmonton, AL Canada The Starlight Ballroom w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
04/30/11 Calgary, AL Canada Macewan Hall Ballroom w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/01/11 Saskatoon, SK Canada Louis Pub w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/02/11 Winnipeg, MB Canada West End Cultural Center w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/04/11 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/05/11 Chicago, IL The Bottom Lounge w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/06/11 Milwaukee, WI The Rave w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/07/11 Covington , KY Madison Theatre w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/08/11 Detroit, MI Majestic Theatre w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/10/11 Cleveland, OH Peabodys Down Under w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/11/11 Buffalo, NY The Town Ballroom w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/12/11 Toronto, ON Canada Phoenix Concert Theatre w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/13/11 Montreal, ON Canada Olympia Theatre w/ Face to Face, The Darlings
05/14/11 Boston , MA The Paradise w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/15/11 Portland, ME Part City Music Hall w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/17/11 Providence , RI Lupos Heartbreak Hotel w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/18/11 New York City, NY Best Buy Theatre w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/19/11 New Haven, CT Toad’s Place w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/20/11 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/22/11 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/23/11 Washington , DC Black Cat w/ Face to Face, Cerebral Ballzy
05/24/11 Norfolk, VA The Norva w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
05/25/11 Ashville, NC The Orange Peel w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
05/26/11 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
05/27/11 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
05/28/11 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Revolution w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
05/29/11 St. Petersburg, FL State Theatre w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
06/01/11 New Orleans, LA House of Blues w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
06/02/11 Houston, TX Warehouse Live w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
06/04/11 San Antonio, TX White Rabbit w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid
06/05/11 Dallas, TX Granada Theatre w/ Face to Face, Blitzkid

00's, 70's, 80's, 90's, Acoustic, Cleveland, Folk, Live Shows, Photography, Punk, Review, Rock

Concert Review: Social Distortion / Lucero / Frank Turner – 10/24/2010 – House Of Blues – Cleveland, OH

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Three different levels of rock took place last night in Cleveland thanks to Social Distortion and their hand-picked bill.  The punk rock icons made a stop at the House Of Blues Sunday night with special guests Frank Turner and Lucero.  The venue was packed from end to end with tickets selling out weeks ago leaving the last minute fans standing in the rain looking for extras – literally.

It’s been a little over four years since Social D took the stage in Cleveland, far too long of a hiatus.  It was no surprise at the amount of fans who lined up outside of the venue waiting for the doors to open.  Everyone in line looked excited and knew exactly what was going to be happening in just a short time except for a Cleveland police officer who pulled his motorcycle up on E. 9th asking if anyone had an iPod with Social Distortion on it so he could see what they sound like.

Opening act Frank Turner took the stage just after 8 p.m. to a very full and energetic crowd.  This was his second visit to Cleveland ever and this time was much better than before as he was not battling the flu and none of his bandmates slipped on the stage and fell on their ass during the set.

Playing “Try This At Home” it was clear that more people in the crowd this time knew who Turner was as they sang along to his folk rock songs.  Turner excitedly announced a new sing-along called “I Believe” and taught the crowd their parts.  Needless to say, the song was amazing and provided a nice hint of what his new material sounds like.  He continued with “Sons Of Liberty”, the ever catchy “The Road” and also played “Photosynthesis”.  The set was shorter than the crowd would have liked but was enjoyed by all.

Good ol’ boys Lucero took to the stage after a brief break and did their best to win over the crowd.  Sadly not as many people seemed as excited during their set but there was a nice chunk of true Lucero fans who sang from the beginning till the end as loudly as possible making sure all their surrounding neighbors realize they were missing out on something good.

The southern rock act played through their set including “I’ll Just Fall”, “Sixes & Sevens” as well as “Noon As Dark”.  They sounded amazing live and appeared so happy to be on the stage with lead singer Ben Nichols even saying “This is a dream tour for us.”  “Mom” was a highlight to many in the crowd who all knew the lyrics by heart as was the set ending “Tears Don’t Matter Much.”  Their set flew by entirely too fast and many were wishing that was not the case.

Social D made way to the stage with lead man Mike Ness donning an almost rockabilly / Swingers outfit with baggy khakis and a white button up shirt.  After absorbing the cheers from all over the venue Ness was handed a guitar and the band broke into three classics “The Creeps”, “Another State Of Mind”, and “Mommy’s Little Monster”.  Looking and sounding solid as ever, the band played with great energy and soaked in all the excitement from the crowd.

“Sick Boys” got the fans moving around as Ness and crew thrashed about the stage while everyone sang along – Rock N Roll never sounded so good.  With beers in hand and eyes focused on the stage, Social D continued with “I Was Wrong” as well as played a new song from their upcoming album entitled “Still Alive”.

Moving around their catalog, the band played older and newer tracks including “Ball & Chain”, “Bakersfield” (another song from their upcoming release) and “So Far Away”.  For having been around for 30+ years, the band showed no signs of being too tired to play or any hints that their musical career would be ending anytime soon.  By the sounds of the cheers it was certain that everyone was enjoying themselves at one of the better shows that has come to Cleveland.  Add in “Prison Bound” and Cash’s “Ring Of Fire” and many Social D fans were beyond satisfied with the set.

The only downfall of the show that could be seen were the folk who just didn’t know when to stop throwing back drinks – more so than other recent shows.  It was quite apparent that a lot of Sunday night concert goers would be calling off Monday morning.  A couple fights erupted, one during Lucero, and a select few fans were so piss drunk that they could not stand on their own two feet halfway through the main performance.  Nevertheless the surrounding crowd was unscathed by their actions and paid attention to the real reason they came to the House Of Blues: To take in a Rock N Roll show by one of the best acts out there.

January 18th, 2001, Social Distortion will be releasing Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes, the band’s first release in over six years.  By the show that the band put on last night, it’s evident that excitement for their new album has reached higher levels.

Social Distortion Setlist:

The Creeps
Another State Of Mind
Mommy’s Little Monster
Sick Boys
Don’t Drag Me Down
I Was Wrong
Bye Bye Baby
Still Alive
Ball & Chain
Through These Eyes
Bakersfield
King Of Fools
When She Begins
Making Believe
So Far Away
Prison Bound
Down Here With The Rest Of Us
Cold Feelings
Ring Of Fire