Lagwagon – Duh / Trashed/Hoss/Double Plaidinum (Reissues) (Fat Wreck Chords, 2011) Remasters, reissues, demos, outtakes, studio sessions — I usually don’t buy into these things. It’s just too overwhelming to try to keep up with new music AND try to immerse myself in every sound that came out of making an album I loved...
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For as long as I can remember, the name Golden Voice has been pretty synonymous with great punk and metal shows. I believe my first ever punk show (GBH/The Accused) was a Golden Voice sponsored tour, so when I showed up at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium on Sunday night I was proud to...
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Fun Fun Fun managed the transition from Waterloo Park to the much larger Auditorium Shores without losing what made it special in the first place. While the short walk between stages (and scenes) became somewhat of a hike, this really gave more room for those spaces in between and removed the noise battle that...
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Not only did the city of Austin approve a 3rd day of Fun this year, but the people over at FFF6 tacked on an extra 30 or so Nite shows…for free. As if a couple days of ear, liver and brain abuse wasn’t enough, this year is going take a whole new level of...
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Post-hardcore was a short-lived passion of mine. Having discovered Minor Threat and Black Flag slightly too late to be a part of that movement, my generation could be found trying to recreate that scene with bands such as Good Riddance, Strung Out, Lagwagon, NOFX and others. When the old regime did come through town,...
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It took half an hour for Keith Morris and OFF! to blast through every song in their punk rock repertoire. 30 minutes provided the time needed for 17 songs, plenty of onstage banter and even a few breaks for the 56-year-old legend to catch his breath. The seasoned vets gave it their all, so...
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Trophy Scars – Never Born, Never Dead (Independent, 2011) Trophy Scars – Messengers To be honest, I had never heard of Trophy Scars before I came across Never Born, Never Dead. A Jersey band that started out as a post-hardcore live act, evidently transformed themselves in a blues experiment of sorts. The six songs...
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The Power of the Riff kicked off its second year in L.A. with a line-up that would make anyone on the East Coast blind with envy. As if that full day assault of brutal hardcore, metal and crust wasn’t enough, Southern Lord brought their genre and generation crossing festival up the coast with stops...
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Fucked Up – David Comes To Life (Matador, 2011) A hardcore concept album concerning a heartbroken factory worker? An 80 minute album of epic proportions from a band that was known for 7″‘s overflowing with screw-you-in-your-face political punk rock just a few short years ago? The end, right? They literally fucked up, right? What’s...
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The clatter of the garage door rolling shut, the lights brought down to a dull blood red and the bald figure onstage beckoning us closer. All nerves on the precipice of panic. Beer buzz replaced by extreme claustrophobia. This is Blast-O-Mat. This is Acephalix. Just moments ago I was outside reflecting on teenage years...
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If there was one show I was sorry to have missed while in Asia, it was the Metalliance Tour at Summit Music Hall. I don’t know anyone who made that show in Denver, but Genji (and Ian Mackaye) caught the House of Blues show on 4/5 and his review is like salt in the...
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