This is a failed blog about sexism and sexism in punk rock.

I’ve totally tried to write eloquently and seriously about sexism and sexism in punk rock. I continue to fail at this, and it upsets me. Growing up in DC punk rock is, I think or hope anyway, a little different from growing up in other punk rock scenes. Maybe it’s because the women that created spaces in opposition were unstoppable, or maybe it was because Ian MacKaye, a patriarch of punk was pretty awesome to talented people and his example for us dudes led the way. Coincidentally, I think that Ian MacKaye as my punk patriarch, as problematic as the mythos about the man were, was my greatest role model.

Part of my problem is I’m not a hyper-aware kind of dude. I don’t believe that my beloved DC punk scene was free of sexism. In fact, some parts of it that I rolled in from time to time were down right misogynistic. But there was a post-punk, DIY, politically minded scene where a lot of great women were involved. Not just as musicians but as organizers, label heads, show promoters, engineers, etc. They were also role models to me, people who did amazing things, often tirelessly, thanklessly and in opposition. And sure, the women I got to know in DC punk had tons of stories of sexism, but they always seemed to be from on the road, far away from our scene. But again, I am aloof. It’s not that I don’t care, I’m just careless. I get aware of the bands on stage, making the noise I love. I’m not paying attention to the crowd of people next to me, or the interactions. I was oblivious to it. Not because I don’t like to confront bullshit, that’s just how I get around live music, oblivious to the world around me.

But there is no doubt that the problems of sexism, and her brothers homophobia and racism, existed in my scene and in punk rock at large. I just wish I knew what I could do about it. Especially at 34 from Albuquerque, NM where I haven’t found the DIY, punk, political scene too much. Except for Ronoso (can’t get the damn tile to work) who are grind, and vegan, and awesome. I know it’s not much different in regular society, and I know my own behaviors aren’t always awesome, but I want to be an active, involved and engaged ally. Part of the problem is the engaged thing.

Another problem is embracing parts of “maleness” that might be threatening or just make people uncomfortable. Look, Dude Jams, Too Many Daves, fat, drunk guys without shirts are things I love. Part of it is celebrating just being a loser, which is something I identify with. Part of it is saying fuck off to the “ideal” masculine paradigm by celebrating fat bodies and alternate types of maleness. Some of it is just dumb fun. Some of it is thoughtless, and thoughtlessness can be harmful to other people. It’s trying to navigate the space so we can all be self celebratory and comfortable with each other. Sometimes people overstep boundaries. Sometimes they do it because fighting makes them tired so they just take. Sometimes they do it because they don’t care. Sometimes they do it because they don’t know that shit that seems awesome and natural and self celebratory to them might be offensive or make other people uncomfortable. Bodies and the way we celebrate some and reject others in America is totally fucked up and not right. There has to be a way to reclaim that shit.

So, part of my process is just writing about it here. My problems, my confusion, my messy head, just getting these words out is how I try and learn and get better. Another part is once again looking to the brave, amazing, talented and powerful women in punk rock who are again, tirelessly and thanklessly talking about these issues. They are doing so in the face of more, predictable, fragile punk rock boy whining whose fear birthed that whole gotheMo movement that I think, maybe is done? I hope. Anyway, the rad blog I Live Sweat has three awesome essays by three awesome ladies that I think you should read and think about. No matter where you are on the gender/sexuality spectrum. No matter if you like Black Flag or Jay Z. This little scene is just a small microcosm of the larger world anyway. You can replace “punk” with any other scene or just remove the word all together and it still matters.

I am gonna continue to think about this shit, try to be a better human being, think about my own words and actions, how they affect other people and try to create safe and awesome spaces for everyone, no matter their identity in this world, self or societal. If there are experiences or readings about this shit, done especially by men, about this shit that you think I or the world could benefit from, please comment. That would be rad. Let’s make a dialog, let’s get action going, lets honestly put our selves in check. We can do all of this and still be awesome and have fun! Being respectful does not have to equal boring, lame and reserved. It mostly mans not being a self-centered asshole. Life is an awesome, beautiful, amazing party with so much awesomeness and rad dudes. We should get into it, be active about it and have a good time.

Tattoos are Stupid, Don’t Get Them

Since moving to the Land of Enchantment, I’ve noticed something. So far as I can tell, there are more tattoo parlors then there are black people. This speaks more to the fact that there are far too noticeable amount of tattoo shops, while the African-American population of this country seems far under-represented. This also means that Albuquerque is probably per capita one of the most tattooed cities and the most poorly tattooed cities in this country.

It will come as a surprise, especially after this little pictorial that I have planned that I adamantly am against people getting tattoos. Some people will tell you that tattoos are deeply personal and have a lot of meaning to the people who get them. And this can be true. For me, this is true as well. But that’s not why I got my first tattoo and it’s not why I have committed my body to the art form.

For as long as I can remember, I wanted to get tattoos. Much to my wonderful, loving mother’s chagrin, I was drawing on my skin since I can remember. I think I wanted tattoos before I even really saw tattoos on other people. They weren’t too prevalent in my life until I discovered heavy metal at age nine. This of course only heightened my desire. Oddly enough, it took me until the age of 20 to get a tattoo, an om kanji on my right arm. The reason I got that was because I wanted a tattoo and was studying Tibetan Buddhism at the time. I still like the tattoo, wish I had gotten it bigger and placed better, but it’s sat on my arm nicely in an unfinished ring next to a DC Flag and a rat bones scrawl, co-opted from the Dog Town boys. That particular one was done because I used to draw that on my arm all the time as a kid. So it just made sense.

The reason I don’t think people should get tattoos is because they aren’t something to be taken seriously or lightly. I have a lot of tattoos that are silly and stupid. They are great tattoos and I don’t regret them. I don’t regret them though precisely because any normal, thinking person who did this to themselves would and should. But I don’t feel like Tattoos are something that can just be applied without consideration to who you are as a person. If I see one more tramp stamp, butterfly, kanji, barbwire or cartoon figure on an otherwise bare and standard looking body, I might just start the final war and wipe out this failed experiment we call humanity.

So in honor of that, I thought I would give you a tour of my body. The art here varies from really good, to really bland and terrible. Some of these tattoos are deeply personal, others were and their meaning has faded. Some of them I just think are really cool or are really funny and ill-advised. Enjoy, and let this serve as a warning should you be considering a Care Bear or a dolphin or something as equally stupid. Your tattoo won’t mean shit to you in a few years and you’ll either forget about it or regret it. Also, it will be trendy for like five minutes (See: Massive Unicorn on left Pectoral) and then it will just be laughable, another branding of the herd.

These beauties are the beginning of a very large, very funny and very expensive concept. See, one of my favorite bands right now is this band called Too Many Daves. They have this song called “The Night The Light Went Out in Chattanooga”. It’s 39 seconds long. Let me repeat that, it’s 39 seconds long. It’s a blink in the eye of even their short attention spanning songs. The majority of the lyrics for this song are “You can’t slay the dragon, one more fucking dragon, until you ride the unicorn. Unicorn, unicorn.” Now, I could sit and say how this is like a metaphor for conquering your fears by capturing your dreams and shit like that, but the fact is, I just think it’s really funny. To the tune that I have mutilated a significant part of my body. This is not what I originally imagined but when Leo Gonzales at Stay Gold here in Albuquerque drew up this Dungeons and Dragons art work, I got psyched. $600 in and I can’t wait to finnish it. Unfortunately, I really need a job and can’t justify spending any more cash on this until I have a steady supply of cash. Leo and his shop partner Marie Sena do some amazing work. If you’re gonna get your body modified for life, at least be smart and have them, or people like them, do the work. They are passionate not just about tattooing, but art and are more well-rounded then most tattoo shops and artists I’ve come across.

Fredericksburg, Virginia has been really good to me in terms of body art. There is an amazing shop down in that not so small anymore town that does, as far as I am concerned the best tattoo work on the entire east coast. After all the years of punk rock shows in DC, Philly and even NY every now and then, I have never seen work as good as the work that comes out of Jack Browns Tattoo Revival. Honestly, if I had been going to shops of this quality the entire time I was getting work done, my tattoos would look a lot cooler. But I didn’t start going there until relatively recently. I’ve had four different pieces done there, all of which are amazing. I first saw Kenny Brown, part owner of the shop to do some cover up work. My initial design idea was simple and stupid. I just got really tired of people grabbing my wrists to read the non-sensical words I had added to my wrists. I liked those tattoos a lot by the way, but if I had known a lifetime of assholes would be grabbing my arms without asking, I would have thought differently about their placement. Anyway, Kenny knocked out these two awesome lotus flowers on my wrists. These were easily done over five years ago by now and the color is still as amazing and vibrant as when I first got them (this photo sucks, taking photos of your own tattoos is really hard). At that point, I was sold that this was the place I would always go so long as I lived in the DC area. Sure it was an hour drive, but the pricing was better than any shop in DC or the surrounding area, the guys were way more approachable, cared more about the work and it made the drive totally secondary.

After Kenny did my wrists, I made another appointment to get some more work done. I decided to get an interpretation of some artwork from Thurston Moore’s Psychic Hearts, which I own an original LP pressing of. The art work was originally by Rita Ackermann, but I wasn’t too keen on the coloring choices. So Kenny and I reworked them. It was the first time I had blood lines etched in my skin. This tattoo has absolutely no deeper meaning to me whatsoever. I just thought that the art work was really cool. It remains one of my favorite tattoos that I ever got in my life and was the first time I really saw the beauty that modern tattooing was capable of.

A few years later I was finally financially in a position where I could get more ink done. I decided, I was gonna go for it, the ultimate tattoo idea I had ever thought of. Penguins. Now, here’s the thing. I don’t really have any grand relation with penguins. I don’t like the movie Happy Feet or March of the Penguins. I don’t really know a lot about penguins other than I think they are kinda cute. But I think lots of animal creatures that we share this planet with are cute.

The best thing about these tattoos is they are total soccer mom magnets. I get more ladies complementing them and commenting on them in check out lines then I ever thought possible. If yr gonna get visible tattoos on your arms, make sure you get cute stuff that people can’t argue about. That way if you are discriminated against (and I have been discriminated against by a boss who HAD A FUCKING MARINES TATTOO) then it’s only because the person is a total asshole. I mean seriously, how can you not love these guys. I’m thinking about getting round two done on my other arm if I can come up with some more actions for penguins to do.

   

The last tattoo I got at Jack Brown’s before I left the east coast was actually a pretty personal one. Since I didn’t have time to schedule, and frankly trusted the work of all the artists in the shop, I drove down super early on a Saturday, the only day that one dude, Kelly Drake, does walk-ins at Jack Browns. Kelly, I have to say, is the man. I mean, tattoo artists are nice, if you are nice to them and treat them like the people they are in a service industry. Tattoo artists have to put up with a lot of dumb shit. Like idiots brining kids into the shop. Idiots asking lots of dumb questions about price and size. Idiots questioning artists about what can and can’t be done well. And then of course they have to take their incredible talents of drawing INTO HUMAN skin so you can have a fucking My Little Pony or a Redskins Logo etched in you for life. I have a rule that if I want to get something done, I want the artist to have input and control. Even if it’s based on something I like, I want it to be good art, like the Rita Ackerman piece. Unfortunately for Kelly, I had a specific, basic tattoo I needed this time. This is my tree of life tattoo, done graciously by Kelly Drake for a ridiculously small amount of money. Thanks Kelly. It means a lot to me, this one.

So all the work up to this point is really quality work. But I have some half-assed, no thought, I walked in and ask for this shit tattoos as well. Now, some of the artists are really good artists. As is the case with the birds on my arms. The problem with this is, ten plus years and I can’t decide what color to get these damn birds. I really want them colored, but I have no concept of what color I want them. The other problem is, the original design had a banner under it but I had that taken out. However, I failed to notice the remnants of the banner ends on the inside of the tattoo. A small, but permanent mistake. I want to get the whole upper arm colored in and I hope those lines can be hidden with some wizard dust trickery, but until those check come in for being an awesome dude. I just don’t see that happening.

On the inside of my left leg I have a version of a Sailor Jerry tattoo. That is the LTD name for any tattoos that resemble the old school navy tattoos. I replaced the blonde bombshell for a Bettie Page looking lady because I was really into (and still love and admire) Bettie Page at the time. This tattoo in concept is pretty good, but I failed to realize that the artist couldn’t really draw faces that well that small. I wish I had paid more attention to that because I probably would have reconsidered it. Again, it’s a small, but permanent detail. Also, over the years the blue has kind of gotten all mushed together and some of the detail has been lost. Not sure if this is just do to age and older ink types, because I liked this tattoo a lot more when I first got it, now it just doesn’t present well. Hence why I am not naming the artist or the shop, because I still think that guy does good work, and have seen tattoos he’s done long after mine that have held up over time.

Finally, for you, my right leg. My right leg is my cosmic leg that basically just doesn’t look good anymore. Never get words tattooed really small on your body. The tattoo artists who did that part of the tattoo should have talked me out of it and redesigned it and worked with me. But he was more interested in my $50 than actually working on something cool, doing some design, taking his time and getting more money. The other stars, are basic. One is in memory of a friend of mine that passed away. She wasn’t a close friend, but it felt appropriate at the time. At this point, my idea with this leg is to get a full sleeve on it and have some of the goopey words covered up and re-do the whole cosmic thing and just get better stuff done. It’s probably another thousand dollars I am looking at, and again, if from the start I had a better grasp of what could be done, I might have already been there. I still like the concept, but the execution came off poorly. Partly it’s my fault, but it’s also the artists not wanting to take time to do exceptional work. Had I never gotten the great work at Jack Brown’s or Stay Gold, I would have never really known that this work was inferior. Further,  they are simple and there is no joy for the artists in this kind of work. It’s not that the work itself is bad, again, it’s just thoughtless. Luckily there are no holes and they healed well, but in relation to the work where both the customer (me) and the artist were dedicated, it just doesn’t stand up.

So yes, here we have the pros and cons of actual tattoo work. Maybe I was just dumb, impatient and too trusting when I was young. Sure that’s part of it, but I wouldn’t trade these, or the other experiences I have had with tattoos. I went to one tattoo artists several times just because we had good conversations. I mean if I’m going to pay to talk to someone about shit, I might as well get something cool out of it. But in all seriousness, unless yr willing to donate your money, comfort, life and the vision of your body to another person, who also has economic interests in mind, and you are willing to live a life of visible idiocy, don’t get tattoos.

Dude Jams – How to Abuse Everything

Dude Jams
How To Abuse Everything
ADD Records (Currently only available on iTunes but Physical Copies Available Soon)

Punk rock history taught me that the movement, the music and the scene started with a serious desire to say fuck the man and had a bit of crass humor. At the very least, the Sex Pistols may have been all about Anarchy in the UK or they might have just been a bunch of filthy jokesters. The Ramones played fast and loud, but let’s face it, the songs were also light-hearted and amusing. The Clash didn’t really have any sense of humor in the music or on stage though, but they were still the greatest band to ever come out of England. That’s sorta besides the point. Over time, punk rock factioned off into two schools. There was the crude side of things, with songs about fucking, drinking and doing stupid shit and there was the more serious, politically minded and social conscience people. One side took to the standard set of power chords and 4/4 tempos. The other created a litany of new experiments to where, only the ideas of revolution and fighting back really stayed put (notable exceptions to this include Strike Anywhere, Anti-Flag and Rise Against, the latter two becoming major label darlings for the mall punk revolution).

Growing up, I spent some time in the drunk punk scene for a little while. It was full of a lot of beer drinking, dorky looking, working class dudes and some pretty hard looking women who were, for the most part, nearly nonexistent. It was an alright time, but it was definitely a time of excessive drinking and total thoughtless anarchy, crammed in the hours after my 9-5 job and on weekends. It all came crashing down and I quickly abandoned that scene. The music was never the point. It was mostly about hanging out with a group of friends I had at the time.

Today, punk rock is a million dollar industry. Indie bands look all glossy and pretty and it’s hard to say where so many bands get their influence from. Musically, it’s a bit more than The Ramones, but the content is even more vacant than anything I can attest to with confidence. Mostly it looks like hair cuts and make-up are the center of it all. This music, amazingly did not come out of the alcohol fuel raged of the previously mentioned working class, street punk scene. The music is more closely related to the post-punk, proto-emo of the early nineties. It’s just fueled with a lot less substance and meaning. So, it begs the question, which scene, which path really kept true to the essence of punk rock?

Dude Jams sits somewhere on the line of punk rock bands made up of dudes, playing to dudes, singing songs about dudes. Clearly, they are after all called Dude Jams. And what do they do? They pick up guitars, write songs with power chords that have a bit of a hook to them, sing about getting fucked up (i.e. songs titled “Fucked Up”), drinking too much (“Drink. Drank. Panic”) and odes to beer (“12 Pack Anthem”). There really isn’t a lot else about it. Either you have room in your life to realize that the race to the middle is all your going to get and that shit is always going to suck, or you don’t. Dude Jams, much like their brothers in Too Many Daves, chose not to wallow in the misery and sorrow, but take the down trodden truth and turn it into a celebration.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about these two bands, why they do it for me. I mean, I do genuinely like the music, it’s a mild, fast pace bit of pop-punk with funny lyrics and song titles. Part of it is a relief, a release from the worry about being unemployed, on a path to not too much and destined for a life of working until I die. There is commiseration in this music. Part of it too is that it’s all truth and no bullshit. Dude Jams is not trying to be something more than what it is. The so-called intellectual punk rock movement, those versed in political and social ideologies, made up of mostly privileged white kids from suburbs who have chosen a working class life, is filled with just as much of the base desires found in their drunk punk brethren. The difference a lot of time is expectation, language and a lot of guilt and denial. It’s still people getting fucked up, doing fucked up things and fucking. But so often these people cloud themselves in rhetoric and theory. Some of which I find valid and true, for sure. But Dude Jams, there just dudes, playing jams. It’s meant to be inclusive and accepting, even if it isn’t totally enlightened or thought to death. It might be male centric, but it’s only because it’s told from the perspective of the people making the music.

I’ve already over-thought the entire thing. This is a lot of words dedicated to a 23 minute album of mid-range, middle of the road, drunken punk rock music. I dig the music, a lot. It makes me feel okay with my mediocrity. Somehow, here in the middle, I know it’s gonna be okay. There’s always a beer or 12 at the end of any shit day. There’s always some dudes I can rely on when shit sucks. There’s always a couch to crash on when the bill collectors take everything away. In that, I know, I can always pull myself up until the day they toss the dirt over my coffin. That’s the magic of Dude Jams.

Punk Rock Saves My Life Over and Over Again

The Arrivals
Volatile Molotov
Recess Records

I’ve always been the first to admit that I am often last on the hype boat. If you were looking for a more timely review of this album in October when this album came out, well sorry for that, but I just got on The Arrivals band wagon, so feel blessed you get the science from me on this album at all. I know absolutely nothing about this band. I think Paddy from D-4 is in it, but I only suspect that because of a Mitch Clem comic. I even bought their split series 7″ with Grabass Charlestons from the fine folks over at Razorcake last year. It’s not like I am totally unfamiliar with the band, but to be honest the 7″ didn’t really blow me away. However, I had read some really good things about this full length and decided to spend some of my well-earned i-Tunes gift cards (of which I am still accepting, email goodgovernor@yahoo.com and I will send you an address, thanks) received from the holiday season on the boys. I am very glad that I did.

Had I been on top of things Volatile Molotov, despite its awkward title would have been a contender for my tops of 2010, but at that shit was already written and I still haven’t had as much time with said album, it had to wait for my attention in the new year. But never mind, it’s a good, stomping, traveling kind of record. It’s the kind of album you can chill out to, or listen to in a museum, or while grocery shopping. It’s gonna heighten the experience. The song writing is superb, on a Ted Leo like level and is presented in a similar fashion. The whole way through songs build and progress, drive and bounce and stomp. There are remnants of Fugazi and Billy Bragg and the Clash. There’s some old-time Rock and Roll. Through out the songs break and burst out of the speakers and get you psyched up. What more can you ask for? Not much really.

Too Many Daves
Weekend at Daves
ADD Records

Too Many Daves is currently my favorite band in the whole world. I think they are fucking geniuses to be quite honest with you. They can say more in a one minute song with one line of lyric then most bands say in their entire career that spans shitty album after shitty album. Too Many Daves is what punk rock is all about. Writing good, fast, loud songs about the bullshit and partying and getting by. It’s not about high art or any of that other serious stuff. Well, sometimes it is, but you must have room in your heart and your head for some really dumb music sometimes, because if you’re just serious all the god damn time your life is going to suck. Too Many Daves is one of the reasons why my life does not suck. So now that I finally have Weekend At Daves (no thanks to any of you fuckers!) I feel a whole lot better about my life.

There isn’t much like deep shit to say about this album. I just think it’s really fun and good. It has songs where the lyrics are “Restraining Order” (Restraining Order) or they sing about making a dudes room while the significant other is at work (Dudes Room). They do a cover of “Cop Killer” by Body Count where they got kids to sing the “Fuck the Police” refrain. They understand that without beer, “dudes like us would fail the test of life” (Dudes Like Us). They use the word dude a lot in their lyrics and song titles. And we all know how I feel about the word Dude. They smoke weed, they eat Pizza, they drink beer, they play rock music and they don’t care about dumb bullshit or hurting your feelings. They aren’t pricks, but they’re just dudes, jamming out like dudes should. Also, every one in the band is named Dave. That has to be some cosmic shit right there.

I’m not that into telling people what the fuck they should do with their lives. But if you’re feeling depressed and down on life, get this album and get a good religion of partying, getting fucked up and eating Pizza. I know, I know, that’s not the most cerebral, thoughtful thing you could do. Some would call it poison. But I’ve never found those people to have a great sense of humor or know how to have fun. Life is hard, for almost everyone out there, sometimes you just have to let loose. You can do that with Too Many Daves. I suggest you get on that shit, dude.

Best of 2010 – EP’s, Tapes and Singles

I am, and have always been an album kind of guy. The only time I’ve ever liked Mix Tapes was when they had a bunch of stuff I never heard that I knew the creator loved. There is something about continuity that really strikes me. For me, that continuity comes through different twists and turns. But as it is, so much great music gets released in little teasers like the EP, the Demo Tape or the 7″ single. These formats are incredibly frustrating, because almost always they make me want more. Either more music from the band, or a bigger production. They often hint at untapped or unreleased greatness that is lurking in the members or on some assholes hard drive.

2010 was a year I actually got really back into the single and buying 7″ again. It seems a lot of DIY bands are doing tapes and 7″ again. To which I say AWESOME!, especially since they have digital downloads a lot of times so the need to digitize them or collect anthologies down the line are no longer necessary. So here are the best of these formats that found their way into my lap this year.

EP’s
1. No Friends – Traditional Failures – Kiss of Death
Seriously, No Friends is a pretty awesome band. The fact is, I told you this shit was free when it came out. If you don’t know how infectious this band is by now, you are living in the dark ages. This EP was pretty welcomed as I picked up their self titled LP earlier this year. It just extends the fun, playing the full discography from front to back. This is a very good thing.

2. Double Dagger – Masks – Thrill Jockey
I saw Double Dagger open up for the Jesus Lizard in their home town of Baltimore. That show would have been a lot better if the weirdo, solo guy wasn’t in between these two bands. Because it was like seeing the past and the present collide. Double Dagger make really fucking great, art-rock music. Which is hard, because that shit can come off as disingenuous. Smart music that is actually soulful and genuine is hard to come by. Masks on the other hand hints at a band that hit their stride and decided that wasn’t good enough. I really wanted this to be an album because it is so damn good.

3. The Max Levine Ensemble -  Them Steadily Depressing, Low Down Mind Messing, Post Modern Recession Blues – Asian Man
Washington DC has been in a state since 2001. Fugazi, The Dismemberment Plan and Q and Not U broke up since then. The beginning of last century gave us so much hope and it all burnt out so quickly. Little did we know that a pop punk band from Takoma Park, Maryland would emerge. It’s hard to say where the Max Levine Ensemble will go at this point. This EP is the best music they have ever made. If they put out an album building on this, punk rock will get face punched. They are ten years old now, they do not have the recognition they deserve from DC or elsewhere, this EP should be heard by more people. This band should be loved by anyone who likes music.

4. Puerto Rico Flowers – 4 – Fan Death
Fucking Fan Death Records are the real deal. They are just this small label, run by a pair of music geeks who don’t give a fuck about your band. The bands you are into (me included) are trivial. The thing about their shit talk that hit the DC internet in waves this year is that its backed up by some sick fucking bands. Puerto Rico Flowers is one of those bands. This “cold wave” (whatever the fuck that shit is) project of John Sharkey III, the instigating former front man for sludge rockers Clockcleaner, is a total head fuck. It evokes Joy Division, but resonates with a stark, dark, morose tone that would make Ian Curtis turn his head. The band refuses to tour, Sharkey having moved to Australia, and they are all but unwilling to talk publicly about the music. But what is there to say that the songs don’t already say? This is some other world type shit here. Never mind what you are listening to, it sucks.

5. Trap Them – Filth Rations – Southern Lord
Trap Them is actually better in short bursts. Probably because they are so brutal over four songs, that anymore would just cause soul fatigue. Filth Rations is the Providence band’s latest and easily greatest. They are a band that seems to shift and morph between releases, which personally has been a bit off-putting at times. Filth Rations however,  nails it right on the head. It comes on full speed and doesn’t let up. Frankly, it’s fucking incredible. Metal/Hybrid Metal/Hardcore/Post Hardcore, what ever the hell this is, it’s brutal and if you want to hate yourself, which you should because you suck, then get this, now.

Tapes

1. The Gift – S/T Demo – Self released. The Gift are terrifying. They combine song writing with blistering, terrifying noise. This music will boil your skin. The demo tape is loose and crazy, remnants of a band that has grown into their own. With a full length album already on the horizon, this young band is going to ruin lives. The bands these kids were in (Exosus, Turboslut, Anchors, etc) should tell you what you are in for, but only informally. The Gift kills it.

2. Zomes – Improvisations 1 & 2 – Imminent Frequencies. I love Zomes. You can’t get this tape anymore. You should be jealous. This is meditative, universal, space music. I truly can not get enough of Zomes. Ian MacKaye, are you listening? Get Asa in the studio, put out a solid release. I love the lo-fi, but it’s time to put the music world to bed. Zomes.

3. Body Cop – S/T – Fan Death. There is a reason Fan Death are all over this blog post, because those fuckers have their finger on the pulse of the most fucked up music on the planet now. Body Cop is one of the reasons I am sad to leave DC. No shit, they totally blew me away with their fucked up sludge. Body Cop, along with the Gift are redefining and owning DC’s punk rock history.

7″

1.Frodus – Sound Laboratories 1 – Lovitt Records. When I first heard the three songs that make up this 7″ I wanted to cry. This is such a fucking tease from one of my favorite bands as a youth. The Frodus boys were my contemporaries but they made music so beyond their years. Shelby Cinca and Jason Hammacher have finally caught up to their music as musicians and Sound Laboratories 1 is document of a musical duo that has grown up together. I want more, so so so much more than can be reasonably expected. While Liam Wilson from Dillenger Escape plan does a great job on bass, I do miss Nate Burke, who to me was the missing piece. Regardless, this was so important and amazing. FCI is back.

2&3. Give – Boots Of Faith/Going Confetti – Deranged Records, Heaven is Waiting/One – React Records. Right now, in DC, Give is the most important band in operation. That’s a tall order and one I could probably argue against on any given day. But for now, right here, I mean it. These singles, coupled with a self released EP, are a document to a band that needs to be heard more. That the globe isn’t demanding more from Give is a travesty. DC always has best kept secrets, much to my chagrin. Give is that secret now and it needs to stop.

4. Puerto Rico Flowers – 2 – Fan Death Records. No quite as strong as the songs on 4, 2 still offers some really out of earth type music. It’s slow and drowning and punishing to listen to. If you just aren’t depressed enough after listening to 4, then this single will push you over the edge.

5. Too Many Daves/Dude Jams split 7″ – ADD Records. As much as my best of lists are always replete with a lot of really damaged music, I have a soft spot for punk rock. Dudes just bashing out honest or even silly songs will always capture my attention. This single was awesome and seriously, it makes me happy there is a band in the world called Dude Jams.

Episode 16 – Best of 2010 – Punk Rock Edition

I must say, I am inclined to disagree with my friend Joao over at Discoparlante who stated as a header for a recent post that 2009 and 2010 was the years that most music sucked. I think that 2010 was a pretty good year. Lost of music out that got me really psyched up. There was a great deal of really awesome punk rock music. Some of this stuff you will no doubt have read about to any of my regular readers. So yea I totally put together an awesome podcast of awesome punk rock songs that made me feel like raging.

This Podcast was brought to you buy the great minds at The Korrupt Yr Self Office For the Unemployed Fucker. Download it here. Also, we still fucking need tech support.

Black Thoughts – OFF! – The First Four EPS
More Talk From Some Guy
Anthemagic – Dude Jams – split with Too Many Daves
Snortin’ Smurfs By The Dashboard Light – split with Dude Jams
The Last Arrivals – Dan Padilla – As The Ox Plows
Can’t Remember Shit – Tiltwheel – The High Hate Us
Guy Talks Even More
Dale – Grabass Charlestons – Split w/Toys That Kill
Pure Joy – FIYA – Magic Words
Checklist – The Measure (SA) – Notes
Another Dance – Leatherface – The Stormy Petrel
Oh Shit, More Talking
Liar – Young Offenders – Leaders of the Followers
Hey Fuckers – Imperial Can – Hey Fuckers
It’s Not A Fire – Get Rad – I Can Always Live
Can I Say – Dag Nasty – Dag With Shawn
Conditioned Minds – Magrudergrind – Crusher
The Last of the Talking From That Guy
Kids Under the Bed – VRGNS – Manimals
Resilient Bastard – RVIVR – Dirty Water
(44:34)

The Worst Blog Post Ever

Tonight, I was gonna work on writing my top five record round ups. I started to listen to the #5 album I am gonna write about. Then I had to switch over to Too Many Daves because they have a song called “The Night The Light Went On In Chattanooga” which has the line, You Can’t Slay The Dragon Until You Ride the Unicorn! That’s pretty much the best line of poetry, lyric or any other sentence in the known and unknown universe. How in the fuck am I supposed to think about any other bands when that line is running through my head constantly.

You can gift me the new Too Many Daves album Weekend At Daves to goodgovernor@yahoo.com. You can find a link to the awesome here. Hook an unemployed brother up.