michigan meltdown, grand rapids michigan, 7/18/12

hey! im slowly rebuilding my music collection, the mediafire shit is up in the air, i have to file a counterclaim against a couple takedown notices....dumb shit.....anyways i promised a review of michigan meltdown and here it is! it was a hot wedsday when i went downstate 2 weeks ago. the southern part of the state is parched and everything was brown......luckily ryans house was easy to find....i parked a block down and walked back to his house, i was almost immideatly hugged by rorik (cloud rat) when i got there, it was awesome, the noise acts played in the kitchen while the bands played in the garage.....i missed the first noise dude sitting on the porch fiddling with my phone....anyways DSS (dipshit system, featuring members of positive noise/oily menace) set up and played a blazing set, dylan (their drummer) gave me a shout out during their set wich was awesome....fast furious simple hardcore the way it was meant to be....after their set violet flame played the second noise set in the kitchen....he was ok, but alot of these noise guys kinda run together and sound very same-y.......once his set was finished,republic of dreams played their set in the garage....these german dudes (featuring a member(s?) of louise cypher for those that care) know how to shread your ears with some noise drenched frantic hardcore in the tried and true reversal of man/makara vein....you really have to see these dudes to know how great they are......once their set ended it was back to the kitchen to see lucky bone do his thing....kinda weird, choppy video/noise/performance art.....he set himself apart from the other noise acts, but i still wasnt completely into it......then curmudgeon set up and played their set in the (by them hot and steaming) garage. if you dont know, curmudgeon are a furious female fronted hardcore band from the boston area...crusty and pissed are the bywords here, krystina is a hell of a frontwoman, just brutal and bludgeoning all around.....excellent people too.......then back to the house for peter j woods set.......IMO, he was the best of the noise acts........he put a eyeless ski mask over his face and rolled a ball bearing around a coffee cup while sitting there manipulating his noise devices.......the sound was nice and harsh, as this style of music should be.....a pretty nice dude too.......after  his set we all herded ourselves back out to the garage for old soul.........they are a band from mt pleasant that i had ben wanting to see for a while, and finally i did!  their sound takes me back to the early 2000s when alot of  "screamo" bands were dabbling in post rock and epic-sounding song structures.......old soul seems to have taken alot of cues from bands like neil perry and welcome the plague year and then added some black metal flavor over the top of said influences...very loud, big and clean sounding live.....one of those bands that has the potential to really move you......awesome dudes as well! with no more noise dudes doing their thing, we all milled around until cloud rat set up and started their set........if youve read this blog at all over the past year and a half, then you know i hold this band and the people in it in the highest esteem.....everytime i see them its intense and memorable. never close to dissapointing EVER........all killer no filler.......this time was no exception and in fact it was the most intense set ive seen them play ever.......for reasons partially necessity, partly choice, i was right in madison's face the whole set, that might be why i thought it was so intense, but then again, i dont think that really had much bearing on how i felt at the time and do now.......i cant say enough about madison or rorik, i love them both so much, its beyond words. devastating set that had everyone in that tiny little garage moving and going nuts. if theres one active band that i think you need to see, its cloud rat, yes, they are that crucial right now..........last but certainly not least, oily menace closed out michigan meltdown with 10 minutes of their patented environmentally aware grind.....thick and brutal, just the way it should be........kevin/dylan/travis are fucking A+ individuals in any book..........after the show i hung out with the old soul dudes and drank some tea......madison invited me to go to dinner with the rest of cloud rat/curmudgeon, but things got hazy and for whatever reason, i didnt end up going =(   you guys owe me a raincheck on that! (maybe swimming?) i hung out with my new freind lydia (shes in the rat storm shirt in the header picture of this blog) and we shot the shit for a while......then i ended up talking to kevin (oily menace) and his girlfriend (i forgot your name if you are reading this, im sorry!) for half an hour....hugs were exchanged and then i went back to my truck and drove up to big rapids to get my hotel room........all in all this was the best show of the year for me and i would drive 300 miles to be with my freinds again anyday of the week.......love you all!

peter j woods

 

republic of dreams

curmudgeon

old soul

cloud rat

oily menace.

so i havent been able to update for a while......got a review of michigan meltdown comming up real soon. also getting my new laptop in a few days.......in the meantime my mediafire account has been suspended.....some bullshit claims filed on records by people who have nothing to do with them in the first place.......i had "strikes" against my account while i couldnt access anything so i couldnt do anything about it. in any case ill have to rebuild my collection from scratch and then gradually reupload all my shit.....and this time have it all on an external harddrive for backup incase this this bullshit happens again........fuck mediafire, fuck the RIAA and especially fuck whoever is making these "claims" because ive talked to the members of bands whos records "claims" were made on and they had no idea that shit had even taken place.......this is not the end of mind intrusion, but all the links are dead so you probably shouldnt bother clicking any of them.......stick with me cause this blog will continue through thick & thin.

anyways michigan meltdown review comming up soon....


thanks


johnny.

wett nurse @ upfront & co, 7/12/13 (sekoitus) pt2

wett nurse @ upfront & co, marquette, mi, 7/13/12 (sekoitus) pt1

oily menace @ the commons, marquette, mi, 7/13/12, (sekoitus)

two holes of man @ the commons, marquette, mi, 7/13/12 (sekoitus fest) pt2

two holes of man @ the commons, marquette, mi, 7/13/12 (sekoitus fest) pt1

sekoitus first day (two holes of man/oily menace/wett nurse/m. sword/mountain goat) 7/13/12

so yesterday i went to the opening day of the inaugural sekoitus fest in marquette, michigan.......this looks to be the start of an annual musical exposition in marquette........something the city needs badly in my opinion.....sekoitus is itself a finnish word meaning mixture, as in a mixture of different styles, which is what this fest is all about and that was strongly in evidence on the first day...the festivities commenced with the first three bands playing outside on the marquette commons, basically a big park with a pavilion for the bands to play infront of/under......when i got in, some bar rock band was playing......i sat in my truck and waited them out, basically playing with my phone......(also, it was the hottest day of the year up here yesterday, somewhere in the mid-upper 90s) then two holes of man, who id been told id like, set up and started playing....i was not dissapointed.....their sound is a kind of charged up excitable power pop with certain mathy sensibilities here and there.....(i think their guitarist also plays in witch's tit) they all had weezer shirts on and eventually played a cover of "say it aint so" which IMO was the low point of the set....i havent been a weezer fan since i was 15 so my appriceation for anything to do with that band is sorely lacking....but in any case, aside from that, their set was soild as fuck, the impromtu drum circle that started during their last song was fun too, wouldnt mind seeing them again sometime.

next up was the main reason i came.......oily menace are a band ive been jonesing to see ever since i got my grubby paws on their 3 way split (reviewed in this very blog) they set up and played as good a set as is possible when a band of their style plays outside....thick ugly (but socially aware) grind that hit the spot......after their set, i talked to kevin and the rest of the oily dudes for a while and then we all went swimming down at the beach (well i didnt because i didnt have a spare set of clothes) amazing people, amazing band, cant wait to see them again wedsday at michigan meltdown!

after the swim/talk, we all went over to upfront & co to catch the inaugural evening matinee of  sekoitus being held at upfront & co, a rather upscale bar/brewery(?) downtown.......wett nurse were first up and played for a little over half an hour......they were great but i think their style of psych/surf pop translates better in a cramped basement like merlot mansion than  a spacious club stage....thats just how i see it.........i feel kinda shitty that ive seen this band twice now and i still havent introduced myself to any of them.........hopefully that will change soon.......


m. sword too the stage next and played an uneventful (to me) set that, despite the nifty lightshow and alan parsons-esque 80s tv soundtrack music, never captured my interest........i loved his work with keleton dmd and especially quixote, but i just cant get into his solo shit...........



finally mountain goat took the stage and assaulted the audience with their patented brand of burly fuzz rock..........the first comparison that came to mind was fu manchu......big and lumbering......the sound was decent, but that whole scene isnt really my forte and i was largely indifferent to it......i did like the "black metal" song they played towards the end of their set.....


anyways sekoitus continues today with another 6 bands, most of whom i know nothing of.......just that swimsuit contains fred thomas, formerly of lovesick (who i adored), and witchs tit, who are great live, unfortunatly i wasnt able to make a return trip for tonights festivities.....saving cash for michigan meltdown dontcha know........anyways hanging with kevin & the rest of the oily menace was the highlight of my day. yesterday and it was one of the best days ive had in my 4 years in da UP..........id like to thank nick erickson for working his ass off to help put this fest on and being a hell of a dude too.




not too many pictures this time, as i was more concerened with taping full sets.....

impromtu drumcircle during two holes of man's set.

mountain goat.

fucked up cellphone pic of travis (oily menace) and their roadie just before everyone went in the water.........burns me up that my simcard mangled these pix so badly...........

procession - your turn to feel (2012)

hope everyone is having a safe and fun 4th............i spent most of mine hiking with my uncle and cousins and i have the sunburnt face and aching knees (from trudging over countless sand dunes) to show for it! anyways what we have here is the debut full length from grand rapid's shoegaze kings (and queen) procession. if you have followed this band and heard this full length, you know that 98% of this record isnt new material, its more of a compilation of  older tunes with a couple new ones throw in at the end, but all n all its great stuff.....the melodies shine brightly on every song present and britty sings wonderfully over it all....there was a period over the past few months where i neglected my old procession EPs, but this record  re-hammers home how great a band these dudes/dudettes are for me.....i havent gotten to see them since last june.......theyve toured twice since then but ive never been able to line things up to get downstate when they are playing in driving distance. i need that to change because its been far too long since ive seen them. wonderful music from wonderful individuals. if youve heard it before, youll be pleasantly suprised. if you havent, i think you'll have found a new favorite band.........





procession - your turn to feel

raymond brake / rebar split "7 (1994)

so i guess there will be some july posts afterall. ive been able to commondeer my mom's laptop for a while...........anyways  im hitting you with a blast from the past today........two of the more obscure and largely forgotten indie rock bands from the 90s who seemed to live under the shadows of archers of loaf/sonic youth/superchunk/pavement/ect.......which just means they were around playing shows and putting out (great) records that unfortunately, not many people heard because they where caught up in the aforementioned bands' (generally well deserved) buzz.......each band contributes one song to this split. greensboro, NC's raymond brake starts things off with "davliks" a disheveled, yet breezy tune that sits somewhere between harriet the spy and fellow (much more well known) statesmen, archers of loaf. clocking in at 3:08, this song is over way too soon for my taste, but its A+ indie rock, just like their full lengths were.......on the flipside we have rebar, who hailed from somewhere in california.....they take a longer, slow burning approach to the dischordant indie thing and punctuate their song "tansparent" with an explosion of noisy angst that fades back into the wandering trudge towards the end.........i liked this song alot and have been trying to find other rebar releases over the years but so far, with no luck..........all in all a great split from two bands that got lost in the shuffle. a perfect snapshot of real DIY indie rock from the mid 90s.





raymond brake/rebar split

faulter "7 (1998)

this is something ive been meaning to post, but i always got sidetracked before i could post it. this came out on the japanese label, denied a custom, in 1998. these guys hailed from staten island and played blazing, blistering hardcore with a grindy edge......musically somewhere in the neighborhood of ulcer, in/humanity and devola. really good, obscure stuff thats fallen by the wayside unfortunatly.....people really need to get on this shit........



faulter "7

Degollado - Summer Nights

wett nurse, 6/22/12, merlot mansion, marquette, mi

cloud rat 6/22/12 merlot mansion, marquette, mi (pt 2)

cloud rat, 6/22/12, merlot mansion, marquette, mi

witch's tit, 6/22/12, merlot mansion, marquette, mi

two sunrises. merlot mansion, marquette, mi, 6/22/12

cloud rat/witchs tit/wett nurse/two sunrises 6/22/12, merlot mansion, marquette.

well im back, at least for the duration of this post.........went to my first show since january last night at a nice little basement in marquette known as the merlot mansion........my freinds cloud rat headlined and a bunch of local bands who i knew next to nothing about opened.  i actually missed the first band, (some kind of noise act) while talking to madison and rorik (cloud rat) outside.......the next band, two sunrises, set up and played some really great post/indie rock, somewhere between explosions in the sky and archers of loaf. excellent stuff from a band i hope to hear/see more of in the future. witchs tit was the next band up......huge intense stuff....two drummers, guitar and bass.....somewhere between sludge and noise rock....kinda reminded me of an old kalamazoo band, berwer.........in any case hot stuff. then the main event, cloud rat, took the stage and totally fucking levelled everyone and everything.....michigans best current band? id have to say yes. some of the loveliest, freindliest people youll ever meet? that too. i couldnt ask for more from a group of indiviuals playing this type of music. i already miss them....but ill be seeing them again next month at michigan meltdown (along with a ton of other bands) so this parting is only a temporary sorrow. lastly, wett nurse closed the night with some dancy catchy space/psych pop........they kinda reminded me of the make up or some other dancy yet outta control pop-ish DIY bands from the 90s......it seemed like a ton of people showed up when they started playing too, all in all a great night was had and i hope to see all these bands and people again very soon!

two sunrises

witchs tit

cloud rat

wett nurse

on hiatus till august

rhythm of black lines s/t ep (1999)

this austin tx band rose from the ashes of the hades kick and kodiak and also contained members of paul newman and at the drive in (a surprise to me) i remember when this record came out and being mildly interested, since i was into alot of austin bands at the time (employer employee, kodiak, slave one, tune in tokyo, among others) but then losing interest after hearing that it was "boring indie rock".......well now im kickin myself over that.......a decade after the fact and im finally seeing this band for the greatness they were.......very flowing spacey, echo-ey, stuff thats strongly reminsicent of fellow austonians paul newman (though i guess it shouldnt be much of a surprise since paul newman himself was in this band) theres a bit of late period cars get crushed influence here as well.......really melodic, catchy stuff that still manages to be a force unto itself.........they seem to have been active from 1999-2004 and achieved a fair profile in some indie/post rock circles........highly recommended......

rhythm of black lines

the quad: goddard/motel mattress/debate/campbell trio 4 way split (2012)

im kinda back on a roll right now...feels good to be active again........anyways this is a 4 way split between two american and two brazilian bands who are all on the upswing right now...........things start off with worcester mass's goddard, who ive loved since their first "7, with the song "50/50".......its a jerky, mathy, rockin affair that melts into a slow burning groove that slowly builds back into a mathy outburst and then into some atmospheric riffing to end the track...excellent stuff and a clear progression from the EP and full length (both of which were great) secondly we have motel mattress, who are also from somewhere in mass............they play spastic mathy guitar/drum chaos, a little reminiscent of lighting bolt (with guitar instead of bass of course) its pretty good and im kinda kicking myself for not being able to see both them and goddard live in marquette a month or two ago..........now we get to the brazilian representatives of the split...........debate is first up and surprised the hell out of me by playing a great fucking tune........their sound  lies somewhere between burning airlines and bluetip, maybe with a little regulator watts thrown in for good measure.....very "DC" influenced......im currently trying to hunt down other records of their but so far without luck........just diggin that shit so much..........finally fellow brazilians campbell trio rounds out this split with some passionate explosive emotional hardcore reminiscent of alot of the stuff that went on in the early 2000s in europe (yage, the jukebox scenario, la quiete, ect) this song is a burner and is equal to the rest of their recorded output (their "7 was great as well and im still trying to get a digital copy of it)  jazzy feel at times too............all in all this is a great fucking record, exposing you to 4 bands most people, in all probability, haven't heard. pick it up if you can find it, you'll be doing yourself a huge favor.

THE QUAD

psychic blood - autumn curses (2012)

this is the debut full length from one of massachusetts' best new bands. ive been a fan for a while and this stuff certainly doesn't dissapoint.....9 tracks, including a few that were on the demo if i remember correctly......things are a bit more sonically disheveled here than they were on previous releases.........the guitars are somehow louder and more unkempt while the drums and bass are buried in the background........the tunes are as good as they ever where though and my only dissapointment is not being able to see them on their upcomming tour for the lack of a michigan date...... remember to fix that next time you go out dudes......one of the best 2012 releases to date and im sure alot of you reading will dig it as well.

psychic blood - autumn curses

wives - ask me how (1995)

 

the wives were an all female band from NYC who played fast paced melodic punk/hardcore with  harmonized vocals.....really nice enjoyable stuff, but not what usually comes to mind when i think about reservoir records (who released the lp version of this record)........anyways i remember them touring back in 95-96 and being interviewed by ink 19 before the florida leg of their tour.........i searched forever for their records until i finally was able to get this lp like 6 years later.........they seem(ed) to be on the more obscure forgotten wavelength of  punk/hardcore, even in the 90s and played a very "dated" style of punk thats pretty much extinct in this day and age (unless im just not paying attention) anyways  enjoy!

the wives - ask me how

shonen bat s/t (2012)

too many late nights and waking up sapped of energy lately........a trend which im trying to halt.......anyways i was linked to this band a few weeks ago, after several listens, i have to say im digging it........shonen bat are from spain and play minimalist, drowsy emotive stuff with a mathy edge.....its definately got that 90s midwestern flair displayed by old time greats like braid, sweater weather, the regrets, ect, but alot more sparse sounding than any of the aforementioned acts.....good music to fall asleep to....thats a compliment..........there seems to be a steady flow of bands of this type comming out ofspain at the moment, and these guys are very well worth your while.

shonen bat s/t

troubled sleep demo (2012?)

hey, so ive been neglecting this for a while, it just that im in kind of a doldrum as far as posting new shit goes......just have shifted my interests to some other things currently, but mind intrusion isnt going anywhere, its just that my posts might be fewer and further between...........in any case im back with a new-ish debut from a new-ish band from NYC/DC..........troubled sleep play music that hearkens back to 90s college radio....shit like hayden, built to spill, the breeders, they all come through in bits and pieces here and there throughout their sound.......catchy songs with clever lyrics that end just as your settling into the groove....they played michigan a few months ago, but it was in detroit (i an under no illusion that i could make the drive to the D and back without spending a small fortune in gas and hotels) fortunatly, they will be comming back sometime in the fall and will probably play in GR (most likely at the DAAC) so i await that show with tempered excitement........a really good up and comming band that people should be on the lookout for....cant wait for a full length! A+ effort.






troubled sleep demo

cougar problems demo (2012)

new band from clawson michigan, fast ugly guitarless hardcore.........vaguely reminds me of judas iscariot but this is more straightforward and thrash-oriented....this is just a demo, but its definately a good sign for the future when it gets you dancing around in your living room ready to break shit........excellent stuff and i cant wait to hear more and possibly see them do this shit live.

cougar problems

ill miss this band...........

its official...the shoppers have called it a day......i figure i would write about what they meant to me here........its a huge loss for me and im sure anyone else who was ever touched by this band's music/personal interactions.......



the loss of shoppers is an extremely painful one for me…its like losing a best friend at the height of your friendship…..i was lucky enough to see them multiple times and make one of my newest best friends from this band……they were on an amazing trajectory for sure and (almost) everyone who heard them loved them………in the 25 years ive been listening to/watching/buying music, ive seen/heard/known very few bands who had the kind of personal impact shoppers had on me……in fact i can count the number of bands that touched me in the way this band did on one hand…..once in a decade, once in a lifetime……its not often that you find people like this making music that hits you like a bolt of lighting, music that actually reaches inside you and gets into your heart…….i remember the first time i saw shoppers and how me and meredith talked for hours after the show..how she showered me with awesome free goodies after i told her how far i drove for the show (400 miles)….how i felt like walking on air and stayed up half the night in a hotel room looking at their lp and reading her zine (national handbag) i always had a euphoric feeling after seeing this band……talking for hours after a set with meredith became a tradition for us whenever i saw them……..she was/is (i should say) one of those very rare people i connected with instantly…..someone whos sentences i could almost finish for them…..its like i finally found someone who understands who i am……..in any case the loss of the shoppers is a tragedy…….but hopefully there’s some silver lining to these clouds…….i will support all the members in their future endeavors……i haven’t seen white guilt yet but id really love to…….im not sure if kari has any new projects…..i know meredith has a new band and i cant fuckin wait to hear them……anyways for the band…..you guys affected me more than you’ll ever know……you burned bright and lit up the world and burned out quick…too fast for my liking, but i look forward to the future and what it holds for all of us i love you all and from the bottom of my heart. THANK YOU.

extremely important!

"Our good friend Sarah Kirsch was diagnosed over summer with Fanconi Anemia - a rare genetic disorder that causes Leukemia & other cancers. Despite being put through the ‘fn ringer by chemotherapy and long hospital stays, Sarah is staying strong and fighting hard, finally out of the hospital and at home with her amazing partner Jess and loving caregivers, Paul and Ilya.

Aside from the unconditional emotional and physical support Sarah has received from her devoted extended family, donations to date have been enormously helpful in lightening the financial burden of this kind of illness. The demand for supplies not covered by insurance is, however, unending - from food to cleaning supplies to lotion to kleenex to parking at the hospital…

If you’re able and would like to contribute in this way, please check out our Wepay account below. There is no donation too small, every $ helps.

https://www.wepay.com/donations/sarah [www.wepay.com] » 

Please donate if you can to help a dear friend who changed my life. But first I want to take a minute to say that even if you don’t recognize this name, you may know Sarah. She has been a huge part of the punk/activist community for decades as Mike Kirsch (Fuel, Sawhorse, Pinhead Gunpowder, John Henry West, Torches To Rome, Bread And Circuits, Please Inform The Captain This Is A Hijack, Baader Brains, Mothercountry Motherfuckers, etc….). She not too long ago came out as a proud trans-woman, and almost immediately was confronted with these terrible health problems. Money is badly needed— please help!"  

kirsch  has been in so fucking many bands that were influential to me while growing up….shes given so much to our community, id like to give whatever i can back……..i cant image the pain, stress and anxiety her freinds must be going through right now…..please donate if you can

late bloomer demo (2012)

heres a new north carolina band everyone should know about......late bloomer rose from the ashes of scout, pullman strike and several other bands.........they do not however sound like any of their progenitors...instead this is a throwback to the early 90s and the indie rock fervor that gripped  that era......treepeople, superchunk, archers of loaf.....echos of all the greats can be heard in the songs contained in this demo.....playful and melodic, yet rough and dirty.....this stuff hits the sweet spot...an excellent start from a band that i hope to see at some point in the near future....the new 90s indie rock-influenced wave of bands seems to be picking up steam and these dudes are at the forefront of the movement........highly recommended.

late bloomer demo (2012)

capacities - preliminary recording (2012)

its been a month or so since i last posted anything......ive been either sick or busy or depressed.....sometimes all three.......anyways its my birthday and i thought id pick up the slack a little..........what we have here are the first recordings from a NJ/philly area band called capacities....this band was formed from the ashes of black kites and saddest landscape (and perhaps a few others) and plays some pretty good, if not groundbreaking style of emotional hardcore with strong musical ties to the mid-late 90s.........pretty much a throwback to the members past bands (tom was in you and i/assistant/this ship will sink besides the 'kites and one of the other dudes was in the saddest landscape as mentioned before) recorded well and generally intense......the tunes are a bit short and seem to end just as your getting into a groove, but they are hopefully a good indicator of whats to come.......recommended.



capacities - premilinary recording