It feels like ages since I've been to any gigs. I was supposedly going to see Municipal Waste play a secret show in London a couple of weeks back, but that got cancelled the day before due to a family emergency. However, I manage to go to three gigs over the weekend, so that kind of made up for it!
First of all was Our Time Down Here last Friday. I was planning on seeing them in Southampton, but then they announced a hastily set-up free gig in my hometown so though I may as well head to that as well. I missed the support bands, whoever they were, as I was in the process of drinking much alcohol. The band were pretty cool, I saw them once before in a massive venue but in a small pub they were much more impressive. The singer jumped about a lot and it wore me out just watching him. Usually I don't enjoy the sort of music they play, hardcore with a few pop-punk elements thrown in, but there's something about them that I'm drawn to. An energetic live show and plenty of gang vocals... not that I could make them out live due to the poor sound.
On the Sunday I went to see Our Time Down Here again, at another small pub. The first band on were Marwood, who I think I may have seen in Southampton before. They play some solid enough punk rock, but there's nothing too outstanding about it. Nothing astounding, but at the same time nothing too disappointing either. When they find their feet they may evolve into a decent band though, I'd be up for seeing them play again in the future. After their set I decided to stumble around and attempt to sell a copy of Kill Your Own to various people, my sales pitch being that there was a picture of Sam Russo and James Hull going for a wee together. Needless to say, I didn't manage to shift the zine. Next on were Our Time Down Here with yet more jumping. The crowd didn't seem to be as up for it as they were when I saw them a couple of days before, a bit strange being a hometown show and everything. Despite that, they still played a decent set. Headlining were The Don Ramos Players, a band I'd heard of many times before but never actually listened to. I was pretty drunk by this point but they must of been good because I bought a vinyl, CD and tshirt after the set. Will definitely go see them again, perhaps while less inebriated.
Finally on the Monday I went to see Good Luck, a band I had never even heard of before. However, Mega Games and Break The Habit were supporting and I like them so I decided to go. Mega Games were first up, and played an awesome set. I don't think I could ever get tired of listening to them, there's something captivating about a band that combines acoustic guitar with melodica. Break The Habit played afterwards, and I suppose I should be nice because I kinda know the guitarist. But all bias aside, it was a great set. Following them were Caves, probably the best band I saw that weekend. Catchy tunes and some great female vocals. Good Luck (pictured) headlined, and after several punk bands that sounded sorta similar something a bit more jangly and less gruff was welcome.
I don't think I actually saw a bad band, which is very unusual! An awesome few days, and hopefully I won't have to wait so long between gigs for a while. I'm meant to be going to loads over the next couple of months, but whether or not I'll be able to afford them all is another matter! I apologise for the lack of description about the bands, but it was several days ago and I was drunk at every show so cut me some slack ok? Just go check out their websites -

Our Time Down Here - http://www.myspace.com/ourtimedownhereuk
Marwood - http://www.myspace.com/marwooduk
The Don Ramos Players - http://www.myspace.com/thedonramosplayers
Mega Games - http://www.myspace.com/themegagamestwo
Break The Habit - http://www.myspace.com/wearebreakthehabit
Caves - http://www.myspace.com/wearecaves
Good Luck - http://www.myspace.com/wearegoodluck

Mongo Ninja - No Cunt For Old Men

Whilst my friend was flicking through a magazine they spotted this band name and were sufficiently amused to announce it to all of us present. I'm glad they did, because it is some of the best punked up metal I have heard in quite some time.
Hailing from Oslo, Norway and featuring members of The Cumshots and Emperor including Faust on drums. He once stabbed a man. Cool guy. This is their second full length after forming only last year, an impressive feat for something which is more of a side project than a full time band.
They play a dirty and dumb style of punk rock heavily influenced by thrash metal, so pretty much my ideal style of music. I usually go through phases of really getting into a particular genre but punk was my first love, and the one I can always go back to. To see a band mix hardcore punk with metal so well is a delight.
One quick glance at the track listing will let you know that this band don't take themselves all that seriously. With song titles like "Broken Cock" and "Wheelchair Hooker" you better look elsewhere if you want some political insight or philosophical musings, this band are about being as fun and un-PC as possible. Not that it matters to them one bit, as guitarist Pete Evil puts it, "We can't start a band called Mongo Ninja and be a serious band anyway."
To see a band from the homeland of deadly serious kvlt black metal not give a fuck and play songs with a sense of humour is refreshing. Hail Satan for bands like this that can put a smile on my face. If songs about limbless prostitutes appeal to you then check them out - http://www.myspace.com/mongoninja

Downloading

For one of my uni assignments I wrote a feature on downloading, I got a decent mark for it so I thought I'd share it on here. I wanted to focus on the small independent labels and how downloading effects them, both the negative aspects of it and what they're doing to use it to their advantage. Paul Savage, mastermind of the Punktastic website, and Tom Beck from Walnut Tree Records were kind enough to allow me some of their time.

Illegal downloading is killing the music industry. For years now major labels have been proclaiming this to all that would listen, but many feel unsympathetic towards such massive faceless corporations. It is those on the lower rungs, the fans that go one step further and release CDs by obscure bands that they love that are really feeling the effects as every sale counts to them.

To the owners of small labels it is a hobby, not a job. To see hours of their free time and disposable income disappear due to people downloading what they have released must be disheartening. So what drives them to go to all this effort when it would seem there are no rewards in it, and what are their views on downloading?

“I wanted to be more involved in the whole process of finding new bands, working out their releases, promoting the finished products etc. I was working on a different genre of music in my full time job and was falling out of love with music a little and wanted that to change,” explains Tom Beck of Walnut Tree Records.

Tom is in the unique position of not only running his own independent label, but also holding a full time job for one of the majors, Universal Music. Recently his employer announced plans to lower the RRP of their CD releases, hoping that this would result in an increase in sales.

“If you make a chart CD £7 in Tesco...people will buy it, that's considered a bargain for people spending £200 on their monthly shopping. It's a much more realistic price for a CD in my opinion. Universal still need to continue pushing out worthwhile talent at the same time. If they're putting out awful releases I don't think the price will matter as much.”

While Universal’s tactic to help boost their sales seems a pretty simple but logical plan, Tom is attempting to tackle it in his own way by offering his fans a little extra.

“I look to combat illegal downloading by offering better physical releases and more exclusive t-shirts, bundles etc to encourage someone to come out and buy something physically from me. It genuinely works with some people - but others are too far gone to even care about that.”

While Tom seems positive about his label, others that have been there and done that don’t share the same view. Paul Savage, founder of the website and community www.punktastic.com, started Punktastic Recordings back in 2004 but has since given up on the label.

“When we started in 2004 people still purchased physical CDs - our very first release sold almost 2,000 physical releases which for a new 'underground' label was a fantastic achievement. It kind of worked, we had a good five year run but it became a bit of a chore and outgrew a small hobby.”

It seems many small labels release music because of their love of the physical format, taking their time over special editions and vinyl and even cassette releases. But after originally being an advocate of the physical, it seems Paul has become a fan of digital. His last release, Punktastic Un-Scene 4, was a digital only affair. “Financially digital is much, much cheaper and easier for a label to cut costs as there aren't any,” he explains.

So with a drop in CD sales, and digital releases being cheaper for the small labels where exactly is the music industry going to be heading in the next few years?

“I see the music industry continuing to increase their revenue from selling bands as a whole product - rather than just selling the bands music. Universal in particular are very good at sourcing income from endorsements, product placement, retail tie ups etc. It's certainly the future, rather than just concentrating on selling a physical cd in a high street store,” reckons Tom Beck.

It seems the next few years in the music industry will certainly be interesting, as they continue to go through a transitional phase. No matter which way you look at it, digital downloads will be a much more important factor for labels, as well as producing something different to help drive physical sales. At the end of the day, the winner in all this will be the consumer.

Punktastic - http://www.punktastic.com

Walnut Tree Records - http://www.myspace.com/walnuttreerecords

Cynics - Stones I've Thrown 7"

Another post beginning with me at the Homestead... I met Cynics aka Giles Bidder there and he drunkenly kissed me at the end of the evening. I didn't think all the much of his live set, but the man certainly left an impression on me. Especially after seeing him in Front dressed as a woman a few days later, that's a sight that still haunts me when I close my eyes.
So when his 7" (ooo-errr vicar) "Stones I've Thrown" went on sale, I thought I'd give it a go despite him being a cross dressing possible closet homosexual. I'm glad to say it wasn't a mistake.
The record came with a download code, which is awesome. It can be difficult finding smaller releases like this for download, so a quick and legal way to do it is always appreciated, means I can enjoy the songs on my mp3 player/laptop instead of having to be at my turntable to play it. The fold out insert was also cool, featuring the lyrics and some pretty nice artwork by Ema Smith. There was also a slip of paper in the sleeve explaining that the money from the release is being donated to Partners In Health. The fact that a lot of effort has clearly gone into the package, as well as being for charity, is something that you just don't see enough of. Especially for 7" releases which are quite often just the record in a cardboard sleeve.
The music itself is upbeat, jaunty acoustic punk inspired by Gordon Gano's Army and Billy Bragg. Opening song "14 Coleman Street" is an ode to sleeping on floors and playing shows that whilst not exactly making it sound glamorous, certainly makes it sound more appealing than sitting on your arse and doing nothing. A sentiment that is echoed in the insert by Giles himself, saying "If I've done this, so can you. Do it yourself. Don't take yourself too seriously. Have fun." Following this is "You're Alright", a more downbeat song perhaps but just as memorable and catchy.
Side B opens with "Be Excellent To Each Other", perhaps my favourite song due to the Bill & Ted reference and the line "I'll be doing more this winter than drinking chocolate milk and listening to Take This To Your Grave". The hand claps in the song are great too, more songs need hand claps. The record closes with a cover of Paint It Black's "Memorial Day", which works surprisingly well as an acoustic song.
I can't get these songs out of my head, and I'm hoping I can catch Cynics live again soon now I have more of an appreciation for the songs. I think I've managed to memorise almost every word on the record, something which is rare for me due to the amount of music I listen to!
Check Cynics out at - http://www.myspace.com/ihatecynics

Kill Your Own

Back when the Homestead was still putting on shows, I headed down there to a Sam Russo gig as I'd always been wanting to check him out and see what all the fuss about the Homestead was. It was an awesome night, and I met some damn cool people including a dude by the name of Ian McIpod. He performed on the night as MC Ipod, a geeky white boy rapper in the vein of MC Lars. He had a song about wrestling and did an Andrew WK cover, what more could you want? The man had impressed me! Anyway, the point of this little story - Ian wrote the zine "Excuse Me Do You Have Any Cocaine?". Whilst I never had the opportunity to read either of the issues, I did pick up issue #3 after the name had changed to Kill Your Own.
I'd read a couple of zines before, but they either concentrated on scenes further afield from me or just ignored local music all together in order to mimic the popular music rags. Seeing as Ian is a rad dude that raps about wrestling, I decided to pick up his zine and was sufficiently impressed. There's all the usual stuff you'd expect from a zine, but with the added bonus (for me at least) of featuring a lot of gigs and features about music in my area.
Recently, Kill Your Own have set up a site offering pay what you like downloads of loads of fantastic UK punk bands. An awesome idea, and something which should of been done a long time ago. Its not always easy to get hold of these releases, and to have quick and easy (and legal!) access to them is fantastic. I've managed to listen to a bunch of bands I've always been meaning to check out, and found some new acts which more than likely would've passed me by. Both the site and the zine are well worth a look if you're a fan of lovely gruff punk. Although that's not strictly all they cover, there's enough variety for fans of hardcore, pop punk and acoustic lovelyness also. My pick to download is Mega Games "Let In These Hands To Hold", best use of melodica I've heard in a punk band.

Check out some awesome free downloads (and donate to the bands if you're the charitable kind) - http://killyourown.bandcamp.com/
Purchase the zine - http://killyourown.bigcartel.com/

Got these in the post the other day from Brassneck Records. First time I've bought from that distro, and my order arrived quickly and with free stickers and a poster which is always a bonus! So onto the records themselves -

New Mexican Disaster Squad "Don't Believe"
I bought this without ever having heard a note of their music. The only reason I bought it was due to the band No Friends, which a few members of this band are in along with Tony Foresta, lead singer of Municipal Waste. To my delight, they sound exactly like No Friends pretty much. Hardcore punk without the bullshit posturing and breakdowns, just heads down, fast, fun tunes. I really enjoy the artwork of the release as well, not your cliche punk/hardcore black and white artwork with guns or brass knuckles or whatever the shit is in that month. I discovered that Horse Bites did the artwork, which wasn't much of a surprise - he has quite a distinctive style and an awesome use of colours. He also happens to be the drummer in the band!
I've got a few vinyl releases from No Idea Records now, and they pretty much all seem to be along the same lines as this one. A weird mix of colours for the record which looks pretty cool, and means each one is a bit different. Certainly more interesting than a plain coloured record at least!
If you're into bands like Kid Dynamite, Paint It Black, Dillinger Four then you'll probably find something to enjoy here! Sadly they've broken up now (I'm always late to the party) but you can still check their music out here - http://www.myspace.com/newmexicandisastersquad

The Lawrence Arms "Buttsweat & Tears"
Back when I was first getting into more punk music, The Lawrence Arms were a name I'd hear often from various friends and on internet message boards but for some reason I just never checked them out. A little while ago I took a chance and bought a couple of their CDs from a dude on punktastic and immediately regretted not giving them a try sooner. They're also one of the rare bands that I feel get better with each release, I'm sure many will argue with me on this point but I'll take their latest release "Oh Calcutta!" over their first couple of albums any day.
This EP was their first release in 3 years, and whilst its a shame to only get 4 new songs after all this time at least it's something I guess.
One of my favourite things about this band are the vocals. Not the usual gruff style you expect from this music, I suppose they can be a bit off putting to begin with but when it clicks you couldn't imagine the music without them. I suppose it also marks them out as something a little different from the usual fair. Their vocalist recently played a one-off solo show in Southampton, I had a ticket but was gutted when I had to miss it due to work. Perhaps it wasn't such a band thing, I read in Kill Your Own that it was a bit of a drunken shambles!
Don't be a fool like me, if you're into the No Idea/Fat Wreck/Epitaph style bands then give them a go http://www.myspace.com/thelawrencearms

Corrigan Floppy Disk

One of the most original ideas for releasing music I have heard of, Brighton pop-punk band Corrigan have released a song on floppy disk.
The floppy disk contains a song that they promise will never be released on any other format, presented in a hand made box and complete with user manual. The artwork mimics old school PC game boxes perfectly, and is bound to cause nostalgia in anyone old enough to remember when PC games came in massively over sized boxes.
This is exactly the sort of unique idea that more bands need to start coming up with. Just the novelty factor of it is tempting me to buy it, even though I don't care much for the band.
You can check them out at http://www.myspace.com/corrigantheband

Crazy Arm - Born To Ruin

Crazy Arm are one of those bands that I missed the boat on, and have lived to regret. I’d heard a lot of hype about them at the beginning of last year just prior to this, their debut album, being released but never got round to giving them a chance. Then a few weeks back I picked up their split with Frank Turner which had the song “Still To Keep” on it, and instantly fell in love with them. Playing that oh-so-familiar folk punk that many bands do these days, they inject it all with a healthy dose of other musical influences that marks them out from the overflowing scene.

So, a brief history of the band; forming in Plymouth in mid-2006, they self-released their debut EP “Cross Country” and followed it up with the “Broken By The Wheel” 7” single, before their debut album “Born To Ruin” was released on Xtra Mile Recordings in 2009. All four guys in the band (Darren Johns: Vocals/Guitar, Jon Dailey: Bass, Simon Marsh: Drums and Daniel Couling: Guitar) are veggies and supporters of animal and human rights. In fact, in the liner notes for their album is a list of various websites dedicated to different causes, a pretty cool thing to do I thought.

Speaking of the liner notes, along with all the lyrics they have added a short explanation of the song. It doesn’t go in-depth enough to prevent you interpreting it in your own way, but it’s cool to see where the inspiration for various songs came from and what the thought process was behind it. It certainly helps you connect more with the music rather than just downloading an mp3.

One thing I enjoy most about this album is the pacing. Instead of sticking to the same tempo for the duration or the usual formula of slow acoustic song half way through or at the end of the album, Crazy Arm actually mix up their sounds well. Starting with a tension building intro straight from a Rage Against The Machine track (a strange comparison, I know, but that’s what it brings to mind), “Asphalt” bristles with energy with its declaration that “there’s nothing left for us in the city, I’ll take my chances on the road”. They then hit full throttle with “Still To Keep”, slightly more of a pop sound than the majority of the album but raucous and full of sing a long parts. The album continues to surprise, throwing in more country influences and even some acapella vocal harmonies.

Even Tom Gabel is enamoured with the band, saying on his blog over at I Feel Sick To My Stomach, “I can’t stop listening to Crazy Arm. Their album, Born to Ruin, is the best I’ve heard in a while.” Hopefully I’ll be catching the band live when they tour with Against Me in the UK later in the year. I urge any fans of Against Me/Dillinger Four/Gaslight Anthem to check them out.

http://www.myspace.com/crazyarm