Borne on the FM waves of the blog.

One word: Uh-maze-ing.



Anyone know where I can get a pair of those Bermuda shorts? Shit's hot!

Pretty good blog.

As we near the middle of the year, I'm starting to revisit some of my favorite music from earlier in the year. First up on the ol' iPod is Build & Burn, the sophomore album from the Loved Ones, which was released this past February on Fat Wreck Chords. The other night, I took to my drumset and cued up this record to play along with, and let me just tell you, what may sound like simple punk beats are actually quite complex stickwork from Mike Sneeringer (dude just completely owns the hi-hat and bass drum on some of these jams). It takes skill to make a backbeat sound this easy.

I hadn't spun this record in some time, mainly because I spent pretty much the first two months of this year listening to it nonstop and it sort of burned me out. But re-approaching it with fresh ears makes me appreciate the down home rock 'n' roll goodness of tracks like "The Bridge," "The Inquirer" and "Louisiana" even more, and it also gets me supremely stoked for their show in Cleveland next month with the Hold Steady (aka the greatest band in the history of the world, at least for a few minutes until I change my mind back to Minus The Bear or Against Me!). There's still a few songs on this disc I'm not wholly stoked on, but the good ones are so good that it makes up for any shortcomings. Check out TLO's new music video for "The Bridge" -- anything with mustache humor gets an automatic thumbs up from me:

The Bridge


As for new music, I'm currently contemplating a move to Canada as the new albums from Winnipeg's the Paperbacks and Montreal's Malcolm Bauld are both brilliant. The Paperbacks' alt-country An Illusion Against Death was produced by the Weakerthans' John K. Samson, so you know it's gotta be good; Malcolm Bauld's debut solo offering, Covered In Dust, is a killer slab of singer-songwriter traditional folk-punk. If you like Bauld's voice but want more grit in your tunes, check out his old punk band the Frenetics -- their album Grey Veins To The Parking Lot is one of my favorite records of the past five years and is sorely underappreciated.

Enough about what I'm listening to; what's currently setting your last.fm charts ablaze? I wanna know, so leave me a comment!

We've got a big blog on our hands.

Keeping in the spirit of the previous blog, I got to hear some more new music today, in the form of tracks from the upcoming albums from the Academy Is... and Gym Class Heroes. Our buddy Glenn at Atlantic Records flew in to visit us and spin us some tunes, and spin did he ever: We got to hear four brand new TAI songs and about 10 tracks potentially on The Quilt, GCH's new one out this September. My thoughts:

-The four TAI songs we got to check out were unmixed and unmastered, so it's hard to properly judge what they're going to eventually sound like, but all had guitars cranked to 11, especially the potential single (which, based on the chorus, I'm guessing will be called "I'm Not Loving You" or "I'm Not In Love With You" or something along those lines) and the second song we got to listen to, which was a majorly fast-paced number with Billy Beckett's lyrics revolving around the days of the week. Could this guy:



Be the next this guy?



I suppose only time will tell.

-As for the GCH tunes, we heard cameos ranging from Busta Rhymes to Daryl Hall (the latter of whom guests on a really, really emotional track with some heavy lyrics from Travie), but that's not the biggest surprise: Disashi gets in front of the mic, and let me tell you, that boy can sing. One song we heard (featuring sung vocals from both Sash and Trav) could've just as easily been an outtake from Head Automatica's Popaganda -- it was just straight-up, head-bopping power-pop.

Don't worry, GCH fans: There was plenty of hip-hop on the disc, with all sorts of crazy instrumentation, too (I heard a horn section on more than one track, and they sounded immense.) I'm not sure what out of what we heard will actually make the cut for the record, but I'm definitely stoked to hear the finished product, whenever it's ready.

So yeah, that's how I spent my Friday afternoon; it certainly could've been in worse ways. I just wish there were more hours in the day, though; I got a full version of the new Norma Jean and the new Underoath is en route to me, but I've been rocking the new Girl Talk album nonstop for the past 48 hours that I don't know how I'm going to work anything else into rotation. Oh, the struggles of my life...

Self-employed blogger. (Formerly known as "Discipline your bloggers.")

Okay, yeah, Jason's cooler than me -- he got to hear the new Underoath album in its entirety when he was in L.A. last week. But unlike him, I just got to jam two tracks off the other most anticipated metalcore release of this fall:



And even though it's only two tracks, I'm sufficiently impressed. One song, "Death Of The Anti Mother," is slow and sludgy (a fair comparison could be Baroness or ISIS), and the other, "Self-Employed Chemist" (mislabeled as "Discipline Your Daughters" when originally sent to me) is very uptempo and strangely melodic, with semi-clean vocals throughout that, in a bizarre way, sound sort of like Jason Shevchuk (Kid Dynamite/None More Black). Neither are what people have come to expect from Norma Jean (and more importantly, neither sound like Botch), and both songs are making me wonder why it took me until right now to realize this band kind of totally rules. They will definitely be on my bands-to-watch list when I'm on Warped this summer (July 27-August 3 -- you better say hi to me if you're gonna be there, too).

I wish I could be some maverick, renegade blogger and post the songs on here for all to enjoy, but I like my job and have every intention on keeping it for a while. However, I will post this video of the band working on a new song in the studio with Ross Robinson(!) and Chino Moreno(!!):

Bloggin' the suburbs.

Thanks to the magic of the internets (which may or may not be a series of tubes), I've spent the past 40 minutes or so watching the masterful Ben Folds plow through his set at Bonnaroo courtesy of the AT&T Blue Room. Goddamn, he sounds so good (as usual). I missed the first 20 minutes or so of his set so I don't know if he played any new material then, because he hasn't since I tuned in, which is a bummer. (However, I may or may not have five new BF songs on my iTunes at work courtesy of a very nice person at Epic Records, and they are delicious.)

I'm peeved I missed Against Me!'s set earlier today, though; they played a new song called "Amputations" and I didn't get to see it. Argh. I'm sure it will surface on YouTube eventually.

As for seeing concerts in real life and not on my computer screen, I spent last night braving the elements (well, just one element, really: rain) alongside Rachel and some of our other co-workers seeing Death Cab For Cutie in downtown Cleveland. It was my first time seeing them, and after a nearly two-hour set, I was reminded why I appreciate that band so much: Sure, there's not much in the way of stage activity, but man, their songs are just so damn sharp and well-written. They truly saved the best for last, ending their encore with "Tiny Vessels" leading into "Transatlanticism." I stood, mesmerized, with their white stage lights flooding the audience as they build to the song's crescendo, and then I did something I never do at shows.

I took my earplugs out.

Normally, I'm the first person to scold my friends for not wearing earplugs at shows, but for some reason, the moment just struck me, and as soon as they came out, I was washed over with a simultaneously melodic and dissonant wave of guitar distortion, and it was just heaven. Not gonna lie: I even got a bit teary-eyed. (Of course, that may have been because the song's all about Ben Gibbard's significant other being very, very far away from him and wanting her to be, as he sings, "so much closer," and boy, how I can relate to that currently.)

Anyway, they were great. And if you can't see them on this current tour, you should tune into their Bonnaroo set tomorrow night at 10 p.m. EST over at the Blue Room. I recommend logging on at 8:30 to see Sigur Ros, too -- seriously, how fantastic is their new album??

Blog this way.

I just got the following email from a publicist regarding a new band. I've edited it slightly to keep the identity of the offending group a secret (and also to spare your ears). My changes are in bold:

Wanted to get in touch with you regarding my new client TERRIBLE BAND NAME. They are this new band on SOUL-SUCKING MAJOR LABEL. 5 guys all from CITY WITH "HOT," "COOL" MUSIC SCENE-- Think Good Charlotte mixed with Maroon 5 but edgier.

Notice how that last line--the Good Charlotte-meets-Maroon 5 line--is completely unaltered.

Okay, seriously, I try not to be too much of a music snob because I realize my tastes do not necessarily align with that of the music-buying public (or even my co-workers and readers), but come on: Does that band not sound like the most awful thing ever? Thank your lucky stars I'm not telling you who this band is, because they're patently horrible. Consider it my gift to you.

(However, the blog title is a clue, if you must be so inclined to search this monstrosity out.)

Do you really want to blog me?

The strangest e-mail subject line I've received today in my inbox is as follows:

"Boy George to perform for NYC Dept of Sanitation"

In what world does it seem like a good idea to have this guy:

Perform for these guys:

The music industry is truly mind-boggling sometimes.

I worship raw blogs.

1. I like numbering things.

2. It was a busy weekend for a whole lot of us AP editors. If you read Tim's most recent blog entry, you'll know he was traversing up and down the Eastern seaboard working on his first-ever cover story for the magazine. As someone who's written two (Saosin and Against Me!), I can tell you they're an incredibly exciting, nerve-wracking experience, and I am thrilled that Tim is being inducted to our little cover-story fraternity (god, will you look at me, I sound like I'm some big shot -- I've only written two out of 250 or so, big deal).

3. Speaking of being thrilled, I'm thrilled for Rachel as she spent the weekend moving out of her apartment and into what looks to be a totally sweet house she and a friend are renting. I can't wait to go visit once the place is fully set up; the pictures alone made it look awesome. I'm even more thrilled Rachel didn't ask me to help her move this weekend, as I helped her move from apartment to apartment last year and good lord, I thought I was going to keel over and die from carrying so many boxes up three flights of stairs.

4. So instead of helping Rachel move, my girlfriend and I decided to party hard with Andrew W.K. at Ohio University (photos/video here). It was a free, outdoor show and the crowd was a bit sketchy at times, but we definitely enjoyed ourselves. I mean, look at this photo -- how could you not pledge allegiance to the United States of Partying?


5. Here's something random: Twice tonight I saw a Ford commercial featuring Toby Keith with the background music being none other than Angels & Airwaves' "The Adventure." While the musical mingling was strange enough as it is, I wonder what Tom DeLonge -- an outspoken liberal who went so far as to publicly endorse John Kerry in 2004 -- thinks about his music being used as the background for Toby Keith -- a Red-Stater if there ever was one -- to shill for trucks.

(I won't get too political on this blog very often; I just think it's an interesting use of music that I bet Tom would be bummed out on. Or maybe not -- you gotta pay the bills somehow, right?)

6. Things I'm currently into:

• My Morning Jacket's Evil Urges (how have I slept on this band for so long?)
• The Vinyl Collective podcast (download/subscribe)
• TodaysBigThing.com (a funny video a day keeps the doctor away, I hope...)
• Cooking breakfast (who knew I was able to fry bacon and scramble eggs by myself? It only took me 26 years to realize it)
• Tom Gabel's blog (I've interviewed him at least five times, and I still don't think I've cracked the surface of who he is -- maybe this will help)

What are you into? Leave me a comment and share!

Ohio is for bloggers.

As by now you're probably read, Hawthorne Heights and Victory Records have reconciled their differences and the band will be releasing their new album, Fragile Future, on August 5. Now I'm not going to analyze just what sort of legal mess this whole situation came out of or anything; frankly, I'm just happy to see these four guys still soldiering on. Not many bands can say they've seen both the mountaintops and seemingly bottomless pits that Hawthorne Heights have (and in such an incredibly quick timespan, too). All the bad stuff that's happened to them in the past year or so couldn't have happened to a more undeserving group of people, as anyone who has met the band will testify that they are truly some of the nicest, most personable guys in this scene.

I first met the band in January 2005; we had just gotten in the 100 Bands You Need To Know In 2005 covers, and they were headlining in Toledo that weekend. It seemed like a no-brainer for me to grab a box of them and head out to the show to surprise them (plus Spitalfield were opening, and man, do I love that band). The show was packed, and when I delivered the issues to the band, they were blown away and super-excited. Since that night, I've seen them a number of times, watching them go from the Take Action Tour (where they blew Sugarcult off the stage) to opening for Sum 41 (at which point, HH's The Silence In Black And White had already outsold Sum's new album, Chuck) to headlining Warped Tour and more. While I've never been a huge fan of the band's music, I've always respected them because they worked their tails off to get to where they are, and even though they had some big opportunities created for them by Victory, they never stopped working on their own. A good work ethic is something very, very had to find in today's scene, with so many young bands having a huge sense of entitlement towards everything; maybe it's because they're from the Midwest (which by default makes them earnest), but Hawthorne Heights have always appreciated everything that's come their way and never been greedy and asked for more.

Earlier today, Victory sent over to us an MP3 of "Rescue Me," the first single from Fragile Future. What I heard was a band revitalized and refocused, with a strong rock vibe and a good hook. Casey would've approved. When Jason listened to it, he said, "It's more closer to deftly arranged pop than generic screamo," and I have to agree. If their whole album is like this, I think the band can easily make a comeback--I, for one, hope they do. We need more nice guys making good music.

My blog over you.

NFGISHCFYSADTRCIS.

US tour this September.

Enough abbreviations for you? See if you can figure 'em all out...

Blog for the scraping.

As the music editor of AP, I'm supposed to not only be familiar with but have a deep knowledge of pretty much every band in the punk underground from the '70s to present day. Not only that, I'm also expected to be a champion for the "good guys" -- the bands that are function over fashion, talent over teenybopper, integrity over endorsements. Fugazi are all of that and more; they are essentially the greatest American underground punk band of all time.

And up until October 2007, I never even owned one of their albums.

That's not to say I haven't been aware of this pioneering D.C. quartet for over a decade. My older brother got into them in the mid-'90s, as I was spending my time memorizing Green Day and No Use For A Name albums. He always played them for me and told me about how groundbreaking they really were: All shows were $5; the band actively discouraged violence at shows, even stopping mid-set to break up a fight or stop crowd-surfing; and they never, ever, ever sold any merchandise outside of their records (if you've ever seen a Fugazi T-shirt or sticker, it is 100-percent bootlegged). Not only were the band's ethics and beliefs stronger and more informed than seemingly any other band, their music was an incendiary mixture of dancable post-punk, thunderous post-hardcore and bits of dub and reggae thrown in for good measure, with lyrics that resonated from deep inside your soul, simultaneously covering socio-political issues as well as man's struggle with oneself.

And up until October 2007, I never even owned one of their albums.

It's funny how you can just avoid certain bands for years and years, even if you have the utmost respect for who they are and what they've accomplished. I didn't really start listening to Bad Religion until The Process Of Belief came out in 2002, over 20 years after their inception. I'm sure many of you can relate: Think of a band you were just incredibly late to the game on, and that you felt foolish playing catch-up with, and that's how I felt about Fugazi. I knew their importance and their talent, yet somehow their music had previously never grabbed me. It was on a whim that I picked up Steady Diet Of Nothing used last fall since I had some extra pocket money on me, and after a week or so of being locked inside my car stereo, I finally "got" Fugazi. I got what everyone else had been getting for over 20 years.

I'll be even more forthcoming: Out of the 23 bands we chose to feature in this month's cover special, I only own music by nine of them. Nine! Of course, that doesn't mean I'm wholly unfamiliar with the others' legendary music and historical significance; it just means that no matter how many albums I buy and concerts I attend and books I read, there will always be more music to consume. I'll never stop absorbing, and neither should you. Just because you've never heard of, say, Moss Icon or Fuel or Screamers doesn't mean they're any less culturally significant than Sunny Day Real Estate, Operation Ivy or Black Flag. And if you've never heard of any of the 23 bands in our special? Well, it looks like you have some catching up to do. I'll see you in the "H" section of your local record store (I still need to pick up that Heroin discography...).

Before I go, I'll leave you with what's quickly become one of my favorite Fugazi songs. It's called "Bed For The Scraping," and it's taken from their 1995 album Red Medicine, which, like all of their recorded output, is available through Dischord Records: