Good Times, Road Trip

And So It Begins – Pre-Bonnaroo Shenanigans

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I write this with tired eyes from a Holiday Inn Express in Kimball, TN – a podunk Tennessee mountain town about 40 miles away from the actual Bonnaroo venue located in Manchester, TN.

The ride was tough and I did it all by myself. More on that in a second.

I do believe though I am a bit of a psychic though.  You see, I wrote a little pre-Bonnaroo scenario about our drive as included with a mix I submitted for Addicted To Vinyl’s Monday Morning Mix just this past week.  I comically mentioned things about the drive I found funny including sleeping and physical harm.  Some it what I wrote about actually came true…

For the record, this crap does not work at all... 3 cans of Monster energy drink however does.

Matt, Rad-am (Adam) and I hit the road around 3am Wednesday morning with hopes of getting to Nashville around the lunchtime hour to meet up with some folk.  In a nutshell I drove the entire way while Matt slept most of the time and Adam rose and fell into subconsciousness.  For fun when Adam would start bobbing his head I would relentlessly smack the back of my hand into his chest.  I am sure he did not find it as funny as I did but it kept me going.

As we rolled through Kentucky there was a terrible thunderstorm that made the drive tough.  This was a reminder of what could come this weekend.  Bonnaroo + Thunderstorms = Not Fun.

It got bad, real bad.
It got bad, real bad.

Having been up since 5am on Tuesday I was having a tough time staying awake but I kept at it, took rest stop breaks when needed, slammed sugarfree energy drinks, and finally got the three of us to Nashville where we met up with the wonderful John and Katie at Thirty Tigers.

John and Katie were supercool folk who I look forward to kicking it with hopefully within the next couple of days.  Very good people who are all about music.

Speaking of music, their office is actually located above one of the sweetest record stores I have ever set foot in, Grimey’s.  This music store specializes in new and pre-loved (awesome) CDs and vinyl.  I was like a kid in a candy store looking around and talked myself out of a lot of purchases.  By the time we had to head out I had purchased two LPs and a 45.

From there we checked out Music Rd. where we had lunch with one of Matt’s friends who runs his own networking music promoting company.  Awesome conversations and a shrimp poboy sandwich made for a great lunchtime hour.

Drained and in need of serious sleep we made way to the hotel.  I can not tell you how great it felt to put my head on that pillow and take a 4 hour nap.  Not wanting to waste the entire night Adam and I went to see what was good in Kimball, TN.

Well, there was the neon heavy Tennessee Alabama Fireworks Souvenir store…

I’ll get a better picture later since my camera fogged up during all of the other ones I took.  This place sold fireworks, beer, and tacky ass typical souvenirs.  It was glorious.

That was about it for the city as far as standout attractions.

Bonnaroo starts around noon tomorrow.  The weather is calling for strong scattered storms tomorrow.  I may play it safe and leave the cameras in the car.  I hope the showers stay away though…

Wish us luck.

I’ll post an update tomorrow when we get back from day 1 at Bonnaroo.

Bad Times, Music News, WTF

Drummer Warren Oakes Parts With Against Me!

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Strange news in the punk rock music world as Against Me!recently announced they parted ways with their current drummer Warren Oakes.

This is the last thing I thought I would wake up to.  Perhaps it is good that the bearded always smiling drummer is doing his own thing, but I just don’t like how his band members announced the news.  Seemed a little harsh.

Tom Gabel had this to say early last month on his blog ifeelsicktomystomach:

May 1st – 4:13AM – Wilmington, NC […]  “We told Warren this afternoon that we are going to look for a new drummer. Andrew, James and I made the decision a couple days ago over lunch. I told them that I didn’t want to play music with Warren anymore. They both agreed that this was a necessary step, it’s been a long time coming. Warren’s heart hasn’t been in this for a while now.”

Sounds to me he was fired.  “We are looking for a new drummer” does not sound like anyone parted…

A second post not even 12 hours later adds a little more info:

May 1st – 2:42PM – Driving to Columbia, SC […] “After load in today Warren asked if he could talk with us all again. He said that after thinking about it over night he completely agreed that this was the best decision to make, that he realized his actions as of late have been, if not subconcious, indicitive of him not being fully invested. With his Mexican Restaurant opening soon, he seems ready to start a new chapter in his life. I wish him luck.”

The comments that follow this post are diehard fan comments with positive thoughts for Warren as well as outcries directed towards Tom Gabel for what happened.  There are truly mixed feelings with this and I wish I knew a little but more about why this had to be. 

Could Warren not take the major rockstar feel?  Did he in fact really want to focus on his own restaurant?  Were the other members of the band jealous of his charisma that lie behind his magnificent beard???

The official statement was released on the Against Me! MySpace blog:

“After coming to the conclusion that it was time to start a new chapter in his life, Warren Oakes has left Against Me!. While we don’t rule out the possibility of some day playing music together again, for now the four of us feel like this is the best decision to make. We’d like to wish Warren the best of luck with his new Mexican Restaurant, “Boca Fiesta”, which he just opened in Gainesville.”

Warren Oakes added to the blog stating:

“I’ve spent the past 8 years making beautiful music with my best friends and sharing it with amazing people all over the world. I’ve had the honor and privilege of traveling with the most dedicated road dogs on the planet and sharing the stage with the greatest bands. I have been embraced by so many with such graciousness and hospitality and love. Thank you so much to everyone who helped make the dream a reality, especially Tom, James and Andrew. I’ve had the time of my life, and I owe it all to you. 
-Warren Oakes”
The comments that follow the above statement by Warren are all heartfelt messages of luck and thanks.  He was one in a million and regardless if he was pushed out of the band or just was not into it anymore and did in fact want to be a burrito slinger he will always be remembered by me as that drummer who always had the biggest smile on his face when playing live shows.
Good luck Warren.

Related stories on the web:
PunkNews.org
AltPress.com
Download This!, Good Reads, Music

Addicted To Vinyl’s The Monday Morning Mixes

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If you are searching for something to look forward to weekly I think it would be in your best interest to head over to AddictedToVinyl.com every Monday and check out his fan submitted The Monday Morning Mixes.

Head over to www.addictedtovinyl.com for more details!
Head over to www.addictedtovinyl.com for more details!

Remember back in the day where you would sit there in front of your stereo and record special songs on a cassette for your friends and maybe even for that someone special?  Yeah, it’s like that.

This idea was created by Matt at Addicted To Vinyl as a way to share the love of music at a fan’s perspective.  It is a great idea and I have seen some amazing mixes by some good people in the last few weeks since it’s inception.

To make it even cooler, the mix is available for download!  That’s right, free mixes!  (Note:  The mixes are only available for one week so if you fancy one of the mixes and need to have it, it would be wise to download it as soon as possible!)

This week actually features yours truley.  I created a mix inspired by forseen events that may happen during my trip to Bonnaroo.  Check it out by clicking HERE.

70's, Cleveland, Live Shows, Music, Music Video, Punk

Detroit’s The Dogs Are Making A Comeback!

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Mark your calendars all you aging punk rockers.  Detroit’s original punk rock act The Dogs are coming to Cleveland!

What’s that?  You have never heard of The Dogs?

Well according to their MySpace Page:

Formed in 1969 in Lansing, Michigan, the trio of “Loren Dog” Molinare (guitar and vocals), Mary Dryer (bass), and Ron Wood (drums), channeled the pummeling power of Detroit rock and Chuck Berry inspired riffs into tough tunes with a pissed off social conscience.

Raging out of the legendary Motor City rock scene of the ’70s, which spawned such musical touchstones as the Stooges, MC5, Amboy Dukes, Up, and other lesser known but equally ferocious proto-punk acts, The Dogs packed all the feral energy and cultural angst of that era into their live shows and an enduring set of recordings.

The Dogs opened for such acts as the MC5, Ramones, Television, Dictators, AC/ DC, Kiss, and Van Halen, and became one of the seminal LA punk bands of the era after locating there in the mid ’70s following a stint in New York

They disbanded soon after returning from a ’78-’79 tour of England, finding that hair metal had taken over the scene and punk had fallen out of favor.

With the 2001 release of the ‘Fed Up’ compilation on Dionysus Records, which they answered in 2003 with a set of new material entitled ‘Suburban Nightmare,’ The Dogs were encouraged to hit the stage once again. 2007 saw the release of ‘The Dogs Tribute… Doggy Style,’ a 26-band, 2-CD package from Future Now Records that also features several historic, unreleased tracks from The Dogs.

A live DVD, ‘Purity Not Perfection,’ has been released in Mar 09, and a new CD and live dates in the US, Europe, and Japan are slated for 2009 — the year that will mark The Dogs’ 40th anniversary.

So if you find yourself a fan of the original punk rock, the classic punk rock, or even some good rock n roll perhaps it would be in your best interest to head up to the Beachland to cheek these guys out!  I know I am highly considering making it out there if I can.

John Rock and Roll Sinclair

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