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80's, DVDs, Movie, Movies, Music, Punk, The 80's, Times Of Yore, Watch This

Times Of Yore: Repo Man

4 August, 2009 Brian Mc 2 Comments

Back in 1984 a certain movie came out focused around a group of men who ideally remove people’s cars from their property once the owners failed to pay the bank what was owed. The movie, Repo Man, of course was not just about stealing back cars for the bank and had a twist of sorts including aliens, drugs, and also offered one of the best punk rock movie soundtracks to date. The movie is a comedic sci-fi cult classic to many and still to this day one of my favorite movies to watch.

Starring a young brat pack Emilio Estevez (The Outsiders, St. Elmo’s Fire, Men At Work) as well as Harry Dean Stanton (Cool Hand Luke, Alien, Escape From New York) the movie focuses on Otto (played by Estevez), a young punk kid with hippie parents and no plans on life. Soon Otto meets up with Bud (played by Harry Dean Stanton) who takes him under his wing into the twisted world of booze, drugs, hi speed chases, and of course hot wiring cars. Soon Otto is part of the repo crew and he is slowly discovering a sense of maturity.

If the movie sounds boring to you then maybe I should also mention the hunt for a certain 1964 Chevrolet Malibu from New Mexico driven by crazed old man who has something hidden in the trunk. I am not going to ruin it for you but I can tell you the contents in the truck emit incredible heat and also vaporize anyone who opens the trunk door to see the actual contents. With a hefty reward for repossessing the car no one will stop at trying to get it.

Add a crew of druggie punk rockers raising hell in the city, a girl who wants to help the said aliens, and the lady with the tin foil hand this movie really goes all over the place. This crazy trip through the mean streets of L.A. is one hell of an adventure.

One of the highlights during the film for me is to see punk rockers The Circle Jerks playing as a lounge act at a bar that Otto visits. The song they play is a slowed down version of “When The Sh*t Hits The Fan”. I also loved all of the generic food products in the movie. Beer is labeled “Beer” and chips are labeled “Chips”. So generic yet so perfect for the movie especially when Otto eats of an open can of “Food”.

The soundtrack to the movie was one of the first of it’s kind as it was full of punk rock songs from major punk acts of the 80’s. Featuring Iggy Pop, The Plugz, Suicidal Tendencies, and Black Flag just to name a couple the soundtrack was like no other soundtrack of it’s time and remains a classic to this day.

I had actually purchased the soundtrack on cassette when I just was a young kid before I even saw the movie. Seeing a soundtrack featuring Iggy Pop and the Circle Jerks was good enough for me. I eventually grabbed a VHS copy of the move and watched that movie over and over. It was really one of the first movies I repeatedly would watch. Once DVDs came out a good friend of mine bought me the Repo Man collector’s DVD tin box that includes the movie and the soundtrack on CD. Score.

This movie is not going to ooh and aah people who are looking for something serious. It is a comedy action sci-fi punk rock movie with no structured plot other than a bunch of hoodlums trying to get the car to get the reward. Punk music backing up a movie about repo men, guns, drugs, violence, car chases, and a surprise ending. Can a movie get any better than this?

“Repo Man” performed by Iggy Pop:

00's, Music, Music Video, Pop, Review

Lights – Lights – CD/EP Review

28 July, 2009 Brian Mc Leave a comment

The heavy on the synthesizer pop act Lights, also known as Valerie Poxleitner, has been getting a lot of hype for not even having a full length release out yet. It could be solely from her beauty seeing as she is capable of turning one or two hundred heads, but in all honesty this girl is more than just a looker. She is a musician and has the voice to prove it.

The Canadian born singer actually wrote her first song when she was only eleven years old. At twenty-two Valerie Poxleitner was discovered when she casted to be a model for corporate giant bastards Wal-Mart. The modeling supervisor asked if she was a musician while looking at a picture of the hopeful model holding a guitar. Without hesitation she began to sing for them and the rest is pretty much history.

Her songs were first featured in Old Navy commercials and before long, Lights was playing the Facebook party at the 2009 SXSW, appearing on Canada’s MuchMusic, and even playing live for MTV. After grabbing a Juno award for being the best artist of 2009 she jumped on board for a summer tour with the Van’s Warped Tour. All of this happened within a four year period and Lights is still going. With plans on releasing a full length album this September and also acting as a supporting artist for a Fall Keane tour, Lights certainly as a lot on her plate.

So what is the hype about Lights you ask? Trust me I was asking myself the same question. While at the Warped Tour this summer I missed out on seeing this Lights act everyone was talking about. I read the schedule wrong and completely missed her set. Finally I have obtained a copy of her EP and I must say it was an interesting listen.

Opener “Ice” reminded me of all the cheap pop acts out there I just never cared for. You know, the one time Mousekateers that grew up to be pop stars that have everyone else do the work for them while they look pretty. I had to keep reminding myself that this was an honest musician. This song aside from the poppiness was catchy and I loved the Vanilla Ice throw in.

“Drive My Soul” was down shifted a few gears from the opening track as was “February Air”. At times I though of Gwen Stefani when she ditched No Doubt to go solo. The one song I actually enjoyed was “I Owe You One”, a thank you song for someone special. I think if Ben Gibbard did some back-up vocals on this track it would have been awesome. I guess it’s me, but I feel the song was very reminiscent of The Postal Service.

Think of a modern day Cyndi Lauper, Tiffany, or Debbie Gibson with keyboards galore and that pretty much sums up Lights. Honestly while listening to the EP I kept hoping for Lights to break into “Goonies Are Good Enough” cover. All I could image was 80’s style throughout the six songs. It was just too much for me.

Björk may be Lights’ most major influence but there is not any egg laying on the red carpet crazy experimental anything going on in this EP. It is straight forward syth-pop music for all the pop fans out there and not for me.

Lights certainly has an amazing voice, and the looks as well. I think it is just the music that backs her vocals that turned me off from most of the tracks. I think with a full band backing her she would sound amazing in my ears and others for that matter. With her full length debut The Listening dropping in a little over a month I can honestly say I am curious to see what is to come.

“Drive My Soul” video:

Download This!, Live Shows, Music, Music News, Music Video

Kid Koala Presents The Slew: LIVE

27 July, 2009 Brian Mc Leave a comment

Kid Koala in my opinion is one of the most amazing vinyl manipulators out there. His ability of scratching vinyl is more of an art form at times especially when he lifts the needle from one groove on a record and drops it to the exact location of the next without missing a beat.

I have been a huge fan of him since I was first introduced to him on his debut Carpel Tunnel Sundrome on Ninja Tune. I loved the experimental feel and the constant scratching that was more of an instrument to the album over just your typical beat interjections.

I have been a fan of scratching for as long as I can remember. Thanks to acts like Praxis as well as RUN DMC I was fond of the style. I used to take my old records and try to emulate them on my Fisher Price record player. Sadly I never acheived the sound.

Recently I learned that the DJ is back with an all new project titled The Slew Tour. The tour is rather a score for a film turned into live set featuring Dynomite D as well as the former rhythm section of Wolfmother. The film was actually scrapped while Kid Koala was working on it but thanks to interest from the Austrailian rockers and Kid Koala’s determination the score was turned into a traveling show.

Armed with six turntables Kid Koala and master mixer Dynomite D will be taking stage with Chris Ross and Myles Heskett of Wolfmother. This is going to be one of those performances not to miss.

Of course the tour is skipping Cleveland. Every opportunity I have ever had to see Kid Koala live has failed. Years ago he came to nearby club in Oberlin with his jam band project Bullfrog. For reasons unknown I did not go and I regret it.

Let me give you a hint of how much I dig Kid Koala. Two of my tattoos are Kid Koala inspired. Actually they were taken from his graphic novel Nufonia Must Fall.

I hope one day to see Kid Koala live. His turntable abilites blow me away while listening, I can only imaging what would happen if I were to see it with my eyes. Oh well, there is always next time

Info about The Slew from an email I received from the fine people of Terrorbird Media:

A couple of years back Eric San (aka Kid Koala) and Dylan J. Frombach (aka Dynomite D) were approached to soundtrack a new documentary feature film that was in production. Koala was already well known for his uncanny turntable manipulation, whilst Dylan had remixed Money Mark and collaborated with the Beastie Boys, amongst others. The duo worked for a long time on the psych rock-influenced score, only for the filming to collapse and any release to be canned. Although the film may never see the light of day, its music is about to be brought to life on stage.

Recently Koala & Dylan met the former rhythm section of Grammy Award-winning Australian rock band Wolfmother and began telling them all about the film and its lost music. Chris Ross and Myles Heskett loved the clips and urged that the material had to be heard; subsequently Kid Koala and the guys decided to put a show on the road.

After intensive rehearsals the show is now ready to go. Featuring drums, bass/keys and the DJs working across a truly excessive six turntables, the set is seventy minutes of raw guitar cuts and heavy beats. We can guarantee that you will never have heard anything quite like this and also that you are unlikely to again. It’s a one-off tour, so when it stops in your town you’ll either be there or will have missed it forever.

Anyone who has seen previous Kid Koala events will not be disappointed – from Kid Koala’s incendiary solo turntable spectaculars to the Nufonia book launch, Deltron 3030 live to the Short Attention Span Theater.

Brash, loud and defiantly turned up to eleven. The Slew Tour is coming to your town. Don’t miss it.

TOUR DATES:

WED 9/23
VANCOUVER, BC
Commodore

THUR 9/24
SEATTLE, WA
Nectar

FRI 9/25
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Independent

SUN 9/27
LOS ANGELES, CA
Key Club

WED 9/30
BROOKLYN, NY
Music Hall Of Williamsburg

THUR 10/1
BOSTON, MA
Great Scott

FRI 10/2
MONTREAL, QC
La Tulipe

SAT 10/3
TORONTO, ON
Lee’s Palace

SUN 10/4
CHICAGO, IL
Abbey

Here are a couple MP3’s from the tour only album 100% for your listening enjoyment:

DOWNLOAD THIS! – Kid Koala – “It’s All Over”
DOWNLOAD THIS! – Kid Koala – “You Turn Me Cold”

Kid Koala in action:

Neat video for “Fender Bender” found on Carpel Tunnel Syndrome:

Speaking of Bullfrog:

Music, Pop, Punk, Review, Vinyl

The Sidekicks – SAM – 7″ Review

23 July, 2009 Brian Mc Leave a comment

I just found my new favorite hometown punk rock band thanks to a friend who literally left me their four song 7″ SAM in my door on Monday. I still have yet to hear their full release but I can tell you that from the four songs I heard I was turned to an instant fan.

The band is called The Sidekicks and they hail from all three major Ohio cities according to their MySpace page. Recently just playing Berea Fest IV the band has a pretty big east coast tour lined up in front of them where they will finish off in NYC but only to hit the road again at the end of October to play the Gainsville, FL Fest 8.

The 7″ was actually a tie me over until their full length So Long, Soggy Dog was released and just gives you a small taste of how great this band is. Heavy pop punk with hints towards acts like The Falcon, The Lawrence Arms, Gaslight Anthem, The Get Up Kids, even O Pioneers!!! This band has some serious potential at making a name for themselves with their upbeat punk as well as a matured indie rock feel.

I did not know what to expect when I spun this 7″ and “Hop On A Sea Cow & Manatee Up” played, but I can tell you I was moderately shocked at how solid sounding it was. The band has some serious talent and this song alone won me over. The first band that came to mind if someone asked me what this song sounded like easily would be Millencolin.

“Bryant Gregst (gets nervous)” honestly had more so an indie rock feel to it but that did not discourage me one bit. The singing alone was so charismatic and inviting I had to give it another listen just to enjoy it some more. “The Island” again was more so an indie rock jam but it was so good especially at the climax of the song where lead singer just explodes vocally.

For a mere four bucks this 7″ can be yours too by heading over to Woah Oh Records, or if you prefer you can download it from iTunes as well. If you want to take it a step further head over to Vinyl Collective and put in and order their full length So Long, Soggy Dog.

If you are a fan of punk rock you really need to at least check these guys out. From what I hear their live shows are not to be missed and now that I know of their existence I will make a huge effort to hit one of their shows.

I’m not sure how much longer a band like The Sidekicks will be and underground punk band seeing as they have the skills to play with the big boys. I can only imagine the crowd at Fest 8 when The Sidekicks introduce themselves to all the punk rock loving fans. I am sure the outcome of their set will be amazing.

Just do me a favor guys, don’t forget about Cleveland.

The Sidekicks – Hop On a Sea Cow & Manatee Up from If You Make It on Vimeo.

Emo, Hip Hop, Mash-Up, Music, Music Video, New Release, Punk, Review, Screamo, Techno, WTF

BrokeNCYDE – I’m Not A Fan…But The Kids Like It! – CD Review

22 July, 2009 Brian Mc 2 Comments

This was the review I was never supposed to do, a release by a band that really is a slap to the face to all musicians out there by a group of four who do not look like they take themselves too seriously. The album title alone of BrokeNCYDE’s debut release pretty much could sum up reviews of many; I’m Not A Fan…But The Kids Like It! All I can say about this band is that they are indeed the bastard cousins of NSYNC, the ones your parents warned you to stay away from.

It was tough for me even to put this album in the CD player after I took a look at the front cover. Four tattooed “bros” decked out in fur lined coats all holding alcoholic beverages sitting in the back of an SUV just does not do anything for me. Add some hair styles that would get the boys in Fall Out Boy jealous and you can just count me out. I like hip hop, crunk, screamo, and punk but I did not think I would when it was all combined together. Still there was some curiosity to the CD so I finally grabbed it, threw it in, and as much as I hate to admit, actually liked some of it.

What is it about BrokeNCYDE’s beyond opened minded crunk mixed with punk and screamo that is even slightly likable to me? I honestly have no idea but some of the songs just get stuck in my head. Perhaps I like it because I have never heard quit a mix up before. Apparently I am not the only one that likes it either. The CD debuted #87 on the Billboard #200 and has had almost 40 million plays on their MySpace page.

Imagine musical styles of Hawthorne Heights, Enter Shakari, 3OH!3, and Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz layered with pro-buzz claims and booty favoring ideals and that should pretty much sum up what the band has to offer. As annoying as it can rub off I actually found myself getting a kick out of some of the songs but mostly for novelty reasons.

“Skeet Skeet” is a mess of a song with screamo cries and crunk-like jams making for a song that will get all the crunk rock worshipers out there moving. “Booty Call” featuring E-40 will easily be a dance floor anthem for all the clubs across the world. The song is has the ability to sneak its way into all the hip hop lover’s ears with undergarment dropping success.

“Yellow Bus” on the other hand was the worst song I have ever heard in my life. For some reason the boys in BrokeNCYDE call their manhood a yellow bus (maybe you should get that looked at fellas). I feel sorry for the poor bastard that had to listen to this song over and over while it was being mastered while those terrible cheap quick lyrics barely spoken over decent beats. “Get Up” was not much better although it did feature Daddy X of the Kottonmouth Kings.

“40oz.” is another deranged club song that easily will keep the dance floor moving. Tristan Krause, the man behind the beats on this track really has a good thing going for him. It’s a complete variety of different hip hop beats and electronica blended just right.

The lyrics of “Sex Toys” cracked me up and by no means are for listeners 17 and younger. Think Eminem clever lyrics meets Tommy Lee‘s craving on an outrageous demeaning quest that is just not necessary by any standards. Once “Rockstar” came on and I heard the chorus I admitted I had enough and turned the album off. “Getting retarded” and “drinking Bacardi” is fine but when they started talking about their mating preferences being smooth on top (you know there) I had enough.

Even though the album seems to give a nod to Lil John a lot I feel that I have heard some of the beats before. The lyrics were clearly attention getting as that is pretty much all that BrokeNCYDE has going for them. Maybe if they toned down the partying and sexual innuendo lyrics and just sung about something with meaning they would be tolerable to more folk out there. Luckily I like all types of music so I was able to find some good in this CD, just not a lot.

Having already seen crunk and punk mashed before by bands like 3OH!3 this band takes it to a new level. I never once thought it would be possible to hear a mess like this, but they do it so well. I can guarantee most of you will hate this band for all they are worth. Musically declined, they have found their niche in entertainment but with a unique flair. Currently making a full tour appearance on the Van’s Warped Tour I have this feeling this will not be the last time we hear from these tattooed crunk loving mongrels. I just hope next time they can do it a little differently, possibly with meaning.

Here is a video from one of the songs I liked from the album. I know it sucks, but to me it sucks in a good way…
brokeNCYDE – Booty Call Feat. E-40

This one…not so good. Looks like some douchbaggery at it’s finest:
brokeNCYDE – 40oz

brokenheadphones.com