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I will likely update in the near future, however my updating has significantly slowed with my upgrade to staff reviewer at punknews.org since I don't see much point in putting my reviews here as well. For you now can check here for my punknews.org reviews:


http://www.punknews.org/review/writer/OverDefined

There will be more random pics soon. Moles, drawings of people, etc.

Pet Promise Rescue Run May 24th Columbus, OH

Reena and I participating in the Pet Promise Rescue Run on May 24th in Columbus, OH. This 5k walk/run is designed to raise awareness and money for pets in need of homes. We will be doing the walk with our dog, Miles and have set up a page on the Pet Promise website to raise money. To view it, check out the details, or donate go to www.firstgiving.com/milesdavis .

This for a good cause that will have immediate benefits for animals in need.

War Pigs - No Hope, No Faith, No Point 7" Review

Starting a new record label is 2008 is a risky endeavor. Back in the 90s if you wanted to start a punk label you had to get all of the bands you knew together and put out a bargain-priced compilation. Now with the music industry firmly entrenched in the digital age, CD compilations are thing of the past. For a start-up label this means skipping the introductory free ride on the backs of established bands and going right to putting out kick-ass releases. Leave ‘Em Records has gotten its introduction right with War Pigs No Hope, No Faith, No Point 7” as its inaugural release.

Sure to gain initial attention by nicking their moniker from one of Black Sabbath’s most enduring songs, War Pigs certainly draw some influence from their almighty namesake, but are by no means defined by it. In fact, even at only four songs, this is one of the most varied hardcore releases I’ve heard in long time. As most bands have one basic sound, this band seems to revel in switching gears and pulling influences from various eras of punk, hardcore, and even straight up rock and roll.

Take the first track, “Savages”. Opening with a big rock riff that would sound equally at home on a Motorhead or Suicide File record as a Motley Crue record, it soon gives way to a straight-up fast hardcore part, before an awesome half-time groove that could be called a breakdown if it didn’t have such cool guitar work and zero formulaic chug-chug aspects. It’s exceedingly rare to find a band that can eschew the clichés of its genre and do something original while remaining true to its roots, but War Pigs makes it look easy.

The second side opens with a bass line reminiscent of DYS “Wolfpack” before ripping into another fast rock and roll jam that ultimately sounds nothing like DYS. When you think you know where this band is headed they pull out something different that ends up better than expectations. More proof of this can be found in the last track, “Drag Me Down” where the rock and roll groove gets so focused that they manage to throw in some eighth note block chord piano over-top the romping guitar chord progression; unorthodox for sure, but it works. Who knew that piano could make something sound heavier?

A band with influences this varied and chops to boot should have something that will appeal to just about any fan of punk or hardcore. Fans of Fucked Up, Black Sabbath, The Bronx, or any current hardcore bands at all should give this 7” a shot.

War Pigs Myspace
Leave 'Em Records Myspace

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Leave Em is a Columbus-based label run by long-time guy Scotty. He's doing a great job so far with his label. Now he just needs to put out a Triceratops record.

Saves the Day - Bamboozle Roadshow Live Review

The inaugural Bamboozle Roadshow rolled into Columbus, OH last Sunday (April 27, 2008) with a strangely diverse line-up that was mirrored by the diverse crowd it attracted. Scene girls rubbed shoulders with old hardcore dudes and everyone witnessed a wide range of music from electro-pop scene garbage to pop-punk singalongs. Oh yeah, and Saves the Day headlined while singer Chris Connelly got wasted on stage.

The first band I caught of the night was Metro Station. Playing a mix of modern emo-pop and basic dance music, these four haircuts wowed the little girls and bored everyone else with their vapid songs and vaguely sexual lyrics. After their set I heard rumors of Billy Ray Cyrus lineage, which turned out to be true. Yes, the “Achy Breaky” son and Hannah Montana bro fronts the lamest band you will ever hear. If you are on this site, it is probably in your interest to avoid this band.

Up next was a complete 180-degree turn, with Set Your Goals slamming out a no frills and high energy set. The band does not quite match the fun peaks of their records, but still turned out a competent and engaging set with a strong instrumental presence. They hit all the best tracks from 2006’s Mutiny and “Goonies Never Say Die” from the Reset EP, but none of the covers I have heard they do.

Set Your Goals is often noted for having two stand alone front men that both sing with their own take on the Lifetime and New Found Glory template, however their respective live presence could not have been any more different. Lower voiced Jordan Brown was all over the stage interpreting the lyrics with his hands and constantly calling for crowd interaction. Conversely, higher pitched vocalist Matt Wilson (who is a significantly smaller person than Brown, which I don’t intend as an insult to Brown or Wilson- rather the size difference only serves to enhance the visual discrepancy) was mostly stationary, standing center stage and singing his lines in a mostly uninspired manner. Any imperfections aside, they put on a solid set that had the crowd singing along and running a surprisingly long-winded circle pit for most of the set.

After Set Your Goals, the show returned to its emo-pop start with Armor For Sleep playing Rock Star for 40 minutes. While this band is generally respected for its conceptual and atmospheric take on what is essentially basic modern rock, I usually find them to be just ok (boring). With a recent move to major label waters, the band’s set featured new material complete with triggered drum beats (which is a shame because drummer Nash Breen is the clear standout of the band) and no longer interesting lyrics. At the end of the set, their bassist stood at the edge of the stage and held his bass in the air above his head for at least 30 seconds in a pose similar to what you might expect to see when an epic warrior defeats an entire army by himself. Apparently, Armor For Sleep defeated the hordes and redeemed their people, although all I noticed was that the guitar player was wearing his own band’s shirt.

Headlining the night was of course, scene veterans Saves the Day. Being a long time fan, I have seen the band numerous times both in Ohio and in Massachusetts during my time of residence in both states. This was unfortunately my least favorite STD set that I have witnessed as the band leaned heavily on material from In Reverie and last year’s Under the Boards.

After opening song “The End”, Chris Connelly announced that the band’s printer had run out of paper and they would be performing a set comprised entirely of songs requested by the fans alternating with requests from each band member. While this sounds like it would make for an awesome set, it didn’t. When it was time for fan requests, Connelly displayed a knack for only hearing what he wanted to hear. With all the classics in their catalog I have a hard time believing that fans were overwhelmingly requesting songs like “Wednesday the Third” and “Don’t Know Why”. Drummer Durijah Lang had the best requests with actual fan favorites like “Handsome Boy” and “Sell My Old Clothes, I’m Off to Heaven”.

Throughout the member changes that have plagued this band, each new line-up has shown an increased level of professional musicianship. Clearly, today’s Saves the Day (oddly enough featuring two former and current members of Glassjaw) is an experienced and skilled band capable of a wide variety of styles. The first third of their set displayed this as they solidly flowed through their songs with Connelly sounding near perfect on every vocal.

At the halfway point, even with a weak set list, the band was sounding great. Then the drinking started. Off-stage, apparently, Set Your Goals was sending out shots and beers to the band and soon the performance started to suffer. Connelly became that dorky friend that can’t handle his alcohol and seemed overly exited about directing the complex alternating fan/band song request plan. As more shots flowed onto the stage, the breaks between songs grew and the other members grew visibly annoyed with Connelly’s belligerent ramblings. At the 11pm set closing time, Connelly refused to leave the stage repeatedly asking, “isn’t this a college town?” As his band left the stage he managed to sneak in a final solo electric performance of “Jessie and My Whetstone” which managed to put a nice cap on the evening.

While many fans have written off the band over the last few albums, their consistent live show has held them in high esteem with those that have stayed with them. After all of the excellent Saves the Day sets I’ve witnessed in the past, this is the first time I have seen them be anything but professional and solid. Perhaps their set was a symptom of playing in Columbus, Ohio and being less concerned with quality than they would be in “more important” cities like Boston or New York. Ultimately, I hope that Sunday’s performance was a momentary slip and not an omen of the future.

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This review is on Punknews.org as well.

Since Punknews (like any music related website that allows user comments) is infamous for overly negative comments I have decided not to respond to any comments on that site. However, I couldn't let this one pass:

"this review is terrible. of course i only disgree with the saves the day part, the only part i read. i dont disgree with your disagreement, just the writing and mixed reviews of a good/bad show. just because of an unorthodox way of deciding a set list doesnt make them bad. and i would be surprised if the many other times you saw chris how much he had had to drink. dont let the free shots sent to the stage fool you. the guy sings about booze afterall for chrissakes." -Threewords

I don't even know where to start with this. How about the fact that this guy didn't read the whole thing and admitted in his second sentence, but still has the confidence to say the review is "terrible". Next, he think that since I liked some aspects and not others that it was a mixed review and this is not acceptable? What?

Then he obviously didn't comprehend what he read as he claimed that I was upset about how the STD set was decided, but I actually said it seemed like a good idea until Chris Connelly cheated. Then he belittles me and says basically that Connelly has surely been drunk on stage before and that I was too naive to notice, especially since there are 2-3 drinking references in his six albums worth of songs. Also, if you don't capitalize, you can't criticize someone else's writing. Lastly, what is "chrissakes"?

I spent probably 90 minutes writing this review, he spent 30 seconds spewing out garbage. This is the internet.

Punknews.org Staff

So Punknews.org has asked me to be a staff reviewer. I originally started this blog to write reviews and other things, and just submitted reviews to them to see what would happen, so this is a (welcome) change of plans. For those of you unfamiliar with this site, it is one of the two or three premier punk and hardcore news and review websites. I have been a faithful reader of the site since 2000 and am excited to be writing for it.

What this means is that my review output is going to escalate as I have promised them two a week. I'm not sure if I will still post them here, but most likely will. This also means that I may post less, or I may take this blogzine in a more personal direction with stories and thoughts rather than pure reviews. Time will tell.

Both the Let Down and The Carrier reviews are featured reviews at Punknews.org.

Let Down - We're In This Alone Review

Imagine you’re watching a hypothetical Larry Clark (director of Kids, Bully, Wassup Rockers, etc) film that follows several misled youth through the wasteland of suburbia. In the vein of a typical Clark movie, you watch a string of offensive and mindless acts before the film hits its climax at an overcrowded hardcore-punk house show complete with deranged teens, fights, and a general feeling of out-of-control youth. As some horrific act takes place that will change the course of the main characters lives, there is a band playing in the background that matches the “scare the shit out of your parents” vibe of the movie. If this hypothetical movie were real, that band would be Let Down.

That’s not to say that Let Down is a scary band, like the way Marilyn Manson or Alice Cooper worried parents and media in the past, rather they are an unfiltered explosion of angst and rage. They display the kind of honest youthful anger that questions the world and refuses to conform (the kind that should be scarier to parents than blood and facepaint). Their goals, if even defined, have little to do with music, but everything to do with just letting go and exuding unadulterated rage.

While I respect Let Down as a concept, it’s not something I would choose to listen to on a daily basis. The music is adequately described by the vague phrase “hardcore punk”, owing as much to early pioneers like Minor Threat and SSD as any modern band and is most sonically reminiscent of Ceremony’s manic bursts.

Unlike many bands of this ilk, as musicians they are surprisingly competent. The drumming stands out and the band is tight, with decently well-written, and well-performed music. That said though, there is little variation, it is basically unrelenting, and for most people, front man Bob Wilson will be the make or break aspect of the band. His delivery is honest and raw but at its worst is reminiscent of an overly enthusiastic little dog at the dog park, yapping constantly regardless of the situation around him. While he is screaming his head off in untainted anger, his high-pitched voice is not the most ear-pleasing sound for 18 straight minutes.

Lyrically, you will most certainly enjoy Let Down’s message if you are of the straight-edge persuastion. With lyrics like “drinking is bullshit”, “that bottles getting smashed in your fucking face”, and “I sit around and count the days until you die in a drug filled haze”, (each line is from a different song) Wilson certainly isn’t beating around the bush.

To put it simply, Let Down is an uncompromisingly pissed off hardcore punk band. If this sounds good to you, then you will love this band. If this doesn’t sound good to you, you should still give them a listen because they stand out strongly against the trend hopping and rock star goals of many of their peers. While it may not be aesthetically pleasing, punk rock and hardcore need bands like this to continually remind those of us involved what attracted us to this slice of culture in the first place.

Let Down Myspace
Six Feet Under Records

The Carrier - One Year Later Review

There is almost no one who could listen to The Carriers debut full-length, One Year Later and say that it’s bad. It contains solid musicianship, great production, and an overall confident feel. There is even a good grasp of personal voice shining through the clear American Nightmare and Modern Life is War influence, however it ultimately sounds like a band in training, just shy of reaching the dizzying heights they strive for.

Coming across as deeply personal, The Carrier, like many modern hardcore bands, attempts to document the dark times in life; questioning oneself and wrestling with demons. This is evoked not only in the lyrics, but also in the music with varying tempos and near constant use of octave guitar chords, often in harmony. It lends an epic and catastrophic feel to the record. However, when every second is intended to be emotional devastating on a grand level, it detracts from the overall effect, and the record, for the most part, is unable to shed the curse of just sounding like one long song, as good a song as it may be.

The Carrier’s biggest strength is their overall sound. At any given spot on the record it just sounds good and the band plays together extremely well. Vocalist Anthony Traniello has an enviable screaming voice, thick and full, but never sounding tough-guy or annoying. If the lyrics are to be trusted, it’s hard to believe that he was 19 at the time of the recording as he has the delivery of a seasoned veteran.

Undoubtedly, many people will love this record, but there are several less than perfect moments, from a near pointless instrumental intro track to some strange choices in the lyric phrasing. As much as I enjoy the first full song, “Wasted” I will forever be bugged by the opening lines stating, “I will not wait for you, and I’ll never wait for you to be the person you promised to be”. Repetition like this strikes me as awkward, and it is small flaws like this that separate the album from what I believe the band is capable of.

Besides the band itself, one aspect of the album worth noting is the superior production. Records on small labels aren’t supposed to sound this good and with this releases and others, Jay Maas and the Getaway Group Studio are raising the bar on what smaller bands’ records can sound like. Every instrument is thick and defined without ever sounding fake and glossy. It sounds just as good in my car and on tiny computer speakers. Also of note is Ken Stewart’s cover art, which perfectly matches the dark sound of the band.

One Year Later shows a young band full of promise. All the ingredients of a stunningly good band are there, but because they strive for so much with their music, it feels like they need a little bit more time in the kitchen to perfect their recipe and hone their execution. I look for this band to remedy their flaws on subsequent releases and become a driving force in the hardcore world.

The Carrier Myspace