This is L.A., Not Boston: An interview with Failing Up

Los Angeles has played a vital role in the history of punk rock in America. From the resurgence of hardcore in the early 80s to iconic local scenes like Nardcore, Los Angeles’ music underbelly has always been a welcome contrast to the city’s glamorous (and commercial) sheen of the pop industry. Through the 90s it became the hotbed for the punk explosion, as labels from Epitaph Records to Reprise Records found incredible success from the goldmine of California punk. Their artists became the sound of the genre’s mainstream persona that would end up changing the landscape of popular music.

Punk in LA continues to thrive amongst the gloss, a scene ever-changing with the city but one that remains close to its roots. LA-based punk band Failing Up have called the city home since their formation in 2015, and have found that even though it is filled to the teeth with artists trying to establish themselves, they have found community and comradeship amongst LA’s punks.

Fresh from the release of their new EP, the terrific Sword and the Wall, we spoke to Tanya, Adam, and Ben from the band and corresponded about Los Angeles, the importance of community, their new EP, and what it is like being a punk band in 2019 LA.

Congrats on the new EP- how does it feel now that it’s out?

Tanya: Feels good now that we are finally done and it’s out. We put a lot of work into it, and we are really looking forward to continuing to write more music.

SWORD AND THE WALL
– Read our review
– Purchase

The reception to the EP has been good so far- how do you all respond to the positive feedback?

Ben: I have trouble dealing with praise sometimes. I guess that’s a thing for a lot of artists, to be super self-critical. But I’m getting better at it.

Tanya: It has been surreal. We put a lot of hard work into Sword and the Wall and we are super proud of this release. It has a lot of cool sounds that represent us as a whole and it is a good push to write more.

Tell us how Failing Up came together. How did you all meet? Are you all originally from Southern California?

Ben: We all come from different places, but we met here in LA. I met Tanya in 2015, when I auditioned for a band that she was singing for called The Newports. We played in that band together for just under a year, until things sort of fell apart. After she quit, she approached me and asked if I wanted to collaborate on a new project. I said yes, and we got to work right away writing what would become the first Failing Up songs. Adam joined shortly after, and that’s when our sound really started to take shape.

Adam: I saw Ben and Tanya play in a band opening up for our buddies Rayner from my hometown, Las Vegas, and was impressed with their vocal delivery. A few months later, I saw an ad they posted for a guitarist in a new project, and I hit them up. The rest is history as they say.

Tanya: Adam came to audition, and we hit it off super well. We played with different drummers in the past, but it was just last year when Andy joined Failing Up, and he blew me out of the water with his versatility and style. I grew up in Puerto Rico, so punk music wasn’t necessarily the norm on such a small island. I’m super stoked to be in this small DIY scene.

How did you get into punk? What were the bands and the records?

Tanya: When I first started listening, I was only exposed to mainstream punk bands. It was only several years ago that I was introduced to the DIY scene that I love so much now.

Adam: For me it started with Green Day’s Dookie, The Offspring’s Smash and Bad Religion’s Against the Grain. There are countless other records that have influenced me but those 3 were the first!

Ben: I started listening to punk back in the sixth grade. It was the first genre of music that I really felt connected with. Misfits, Operation Ivy, Dead Kennedys, and NOFX were all in heavy rotation. I’ve grown to appreciate other types of music over the years, but punk will always be my first love.

Failing Up have been around for a few years only, but from the first release you seem to gel really well together. What would you say has been working really well for you?

Tanya: Personally, I think the ability to communicate and respect each other’s creative ideas has worked really well for me in the past, and I try to incorporate that in our newer releases.

I was in LA a few years ago- as a tourist, doing tourist things- but I found it very sprawling. I used to live in Stockton (terrible place), so it was tiny in comparison. I know LA has a historic place in punk history, but what is it like for bands and punks today?

Ben: It’s very cool to be in a place with so much history. But it can also be tough sometimes because there’s so much going on. On any given night, there might be multiple punk shows happening across town. So it can be hard to get people’s attention.

Tanya: It can definitely be challenging for DIY punk bands to grow within the scene. But we have a lot of friends who are in LA-based punk bands and that makes the community awesome.

Is it a good place for young bands to record, play shows and meet likeminded people?

Ben: Definitely a great place to meet like-minded people. We are really fortunate to have so many talented friends in the scene, and we all try to support each other whenever we can.

Tanya: LA has a lot to offer in terms of venues that cater to live music. There are so many rad places where you can go record, whether it’s a live video at a studio, or recording some awesome material for future band work. We have a lot of friends in the scene who are down to earth and likeminded. Any of the DIY punk events that you go to in LA allow for opportunities to meet other musicians or people who genuinely enjoy the music and company.

Next time I’m in LA, where do I go to check out some bands or even do simple things like, find a cool record store?

Tanya: Support the local scene! My advice is to look through any local shows nearby on social media.

Ben: Five Star Bar or The Redwood are good places to check out local bands. Amoeba is king of the record stores. But also make sure to check out Headline Records on Melrose. It’s a small shop, but they have a lot of hard-to-find punk and hardcore.

You guys recently played with Naked Aggression- how was that?

Tanya: It was a great experience. They are awesome people who have great energy both on and off stage and are super solid musicians.

Ben: They’re veterans on the scene, so obviously we look up to their work ethic and their ability to stay relevant. Plus, they’re super nice people! We’ll be doing some more shows with them for sure.

I love the album art on your records- they were done by Amy Pate?

Adam: Yes! Thank you. Amy is an old friend of mine from Las Vegas. We used to play shows together with my old bands. Check out her art on Instagram @tattooer_amy_pate, and her bands, Sounds of Threat, Candy Warpop, and Child Endangerment.

Musically, Sword and the Wall is an absolute punch in the face (like “Deal With This”) but you also switch things up a little with tracks like “The Method”. Did you approach the songwriting a certain way, wanting to get a specific sound, how did it all come together?

Ben: I always liked the idea of having some variety in the sound. I don’t want Failing Up to easily fit into any subgenre of punk. We all contribute to songwriting so that helps to mix it up a bit.

Adam: I actually wrote the core music for “The Method” about 5 years ago, and it had a few different renditions before it found traction in Failing Up. We have different ideas and interpretations as musicians that make everything sort of fall into place, rather than achieving a specific “sound”.

Do you guys do everything DIY? Booking, marketing, merch, etc?

Tanya: Absolutely, all aspects are a collective effort amongst the band. It can be challenging sometimes, but it is a good learning experience and you get to meet such amazing people that are always willing to help, whether they help you set up a show if you’re touring, or even housing you for the night.

Ben: We get by with a little help from our friends, but we have no manager or anything like that.

I know the EP just came out, but is there a full length in the works, and what are some of your plans for 2019?

Tanya: We are currently working on new music for a full-length album. We have some shows coming up locally, as well as a mid-summer tour on the West coast. Writing the full length this year is a priority, while also working on the momentum of shows and potential tours for the rest of the year.

Failing Up’s new EP Sword and the Wall is available now via Bandcamp and Sound Speed Records. To find out more about the band, visit their Facebook page.

Idlewild – Interview Music

It’s been a long time since we labeled Idlewild’s The Remote Part 2002’s album of the year. The album proved that an artist’s ascent to the peak of their critical and commercial powers could go hand-in-hand. The Remote Part was wonderful, in every respect, and ultimately proved to be a difficult achievement to replicate. While the albums that followed for Idlewild did not quite reach the same pull as The Remote Part, there were still plenty of gems in the work that followed. 2005’s Warnings/Promises opened with two stellar tracks that remain as some of the band’s best work. Make Another World still had “No Emotion”, a tonal balance between the more frenzied nature of 100 Broken Windows and The Remote Part’s more composed maturity. So it’s been with these last two albums, the two since the band’s lengthy break and return, that things have seemed a little off-kilter.

2015’s Everything Ever Written meandered a little too much into dreamy pop landscapes and didn’t have enough of tracks like “On Another Planet”. Now four years later and things seem to have continued on the musical trajectory of Everything Ever Written. On the surface, Interview Music comes across as a little too same same, weaving in and out of a dream-like tendency to rely too much on a kaleidoscope of pop, 60s psychedelia, and tired melodies. Take opener “Dream Variations” as an example- sounds OK at first, but at the 3-minute mark it dives down to slow, plodding bass-driven ruminations that honestly, becomes rather tedious. “There’s A Place For Everything” does little to assuage the plainness- skittering percussions sprinkled over the mid-tempo airiness of its pop-tinged structures means the opening stanzas of Interview Music disappears into the background far too easily. You really do have to push through before you make it to the title track where the band finally show some life.

Thankfully, the vocal work of Roddy Woomble never wavers- and his poetic, sometimes spoken-word tone of his voice remains a strong aspect of Idlewild’s music (best seen in the track “Same Things Twice”). “All These Words” is the album’s best moment- part “American English”, part “Love Steals Us From Loneliness”, the song exhibits some of the musical resolve the band showcased on their first few albums. And this resolve isn’t about being loud, or brash, but rather just being memorable and resonate. Unfortunately there just isn’t enough of it through Interview Music. There is just too much of not much in the mix; songs like “You Wear it Secondhand” and “I Almost Didn’t Notice” seem to just blur together, like much of the album. It’s a shame really. Interview Music is not a terrible album, it’s not even a bad album, it just doesn’t have the spark the band so wonderfully showcased earlier in their career.

(Empty Words)

Rise Above It All: On the phone with I Prevail

I recently got the chance to jump on the phone with I Prevail guitarist, Dylan Bowman, and was able to pick his brain about their new album Trauma, touring, making music, and how they marketed themselves starting out.

Josh: A couple of years ago I remember checking Facebook all the time and I just couldn’t get you guys out of my newsfeed. There was a constant relay of videos with extracts from “Scars” and the Taylor Swift cover you guys did, all captioned with “tag a friend that needs to hear this”. What was the original idea behind that kind of marketing?

Dylan: A lot of what we do through our social media goes through our clean vocalist Brian, so he’s really the mad scientist behind all that. But I think the idea behind it was to try to get people to have fun with the idea of sharing music with their friends. Personally, when I hear a song that I love I share it on my Facebook, for instance, I did the new Parkway Drive song, “Wishing Wells”, I just shared that today. So that’s just the idea with it, getting people excited. Through that, I feel like we have a really nice organically grown fanbase.

Josh: Oh yeah for sure. It seems like it happened really quickly, and for me like I’m from a really small country town, and a lot of my friends that don’t typically listen to heavier music actually love you guys, and it came largely from those videos and how you marketed yourself. Do you think that is because of any particular reason? And was that intentional?

Dylan: You know that’s interesting because that actually happens in the United States too. I’m also from a small country town where not a lot of people get into heavy music, but I find that even some of those people still get into I Prevail because even though it’s the heavy instrumentals with the screaming and the growling, our heavy vocalist Eric is pretty good at articulating his screams. So you can still understand him, and I feel like that’s one thing that makes it easy to get into. On top of that, I think the way we grow our market helps, like most people use social media, so no matter what they’re going to see it. And if you’re scrolling and it’s the third time you’re seeing that post or that flyer that day, you’re gonna go “oh well what’s this I Prevail band about”, and you’ll at least end up giving it a listen.

The new album, Trauma. Out now via Fearless Records.

Josh: I saw you guys at Download Fest in Melbourne earlier this year, and noticed every song after you guys finished playing that you were met with a huge amount of screaming from the crowd, which I’d say is something quite rare for heavy bands?

Dylan: I think some of it was because that was the first time we had been back to Australia since 2017. We did a short run over there and sold out the entire tour, which was amazing, then went on a little bit of a lull for a while. We’ve had such a great fanbase in Australia, and they’ve been really vocal on our social media about like, “when are you guys coming back???” So when we announced Download I was dumbfounded with how many people were commenting things like “I can’t wait to see I Prevail again!” Just being there was kind of like a homecoming, even though we aren’t from Australia which was pretty cool.

Josh: Do you guys enjoy it here?

Dylan: Oh we love it there. Obviously, it was nice there, it was Winter back in the US in Michigan, so it was nice to get into the warm weather. On top of everything else, the food, the culture, it’s so interesting and so fun to be around.

Josh: Yeah it’s alright I guess. So can we expect you back soon?

Dylan: Yes! We don’t have anything set in stone yet, I wish I could give you some dates but I don’t have anything yet. I know we are trying to get back in our Fall time, so around November. We’re doing what we can to get back there as soon as possible.

Josh: Oh yes lovely, lovely. In regards to the new album, Trauma, I was just wondering what the inspiration behind the songs is, instrumentally and lyrically?

Dylan: A lot of different things. As far as instrumentally it’s gonna vary from song to song, but as for singles like “Bow Down”, we take inspiration from even video games. Like if we’re playing Doom or something that has Nine Inch Nails, we take influences from a lot of different places instrumentally. With the lyrical content, a lot of it talks about traumatic experiences. Going through what we’ve gone through in the past two and a half years with the end of the Lifelines cycle, and touring for so long, it obviously took a toll on our home lives. Brian went down with a vocal injury and that was a big deal. So we kind of had a lot to write about to do with being anxious or being depressed, and that’s kind of the message that goes through Trauma.

Josh: That kind of thing I guess is always really tough to write about, so when you’re doing so what is the writing process like?

Dylan: It varies. Kind of like when you start a puzzle and you’re just looking for a piece or a corner you can start with first. Most of the time we try to lay down some sort of musical base, then Brian or Eric or somebody will come up with a pretty good idea for a melody or a verse of things like that. It really just depends. As far as Trauma goes we had a lot of time with a few producers doing some co-writes, and then we brought those home to an Airbnb in the middle of nowhere in the country. From there we plowed through the rest of the album.

Josh: It’s interesting how everyone goes about it. I know a lot of bands here write songs purely just by sending each other bits and pieces through dropbox from home, is that kind of thing really a thing in the US?

Dylan: It certainly can be, it just depends on who’s doing it and what genre of music it is. With I Prevail we feel like it wouldn’t be the true magic if we all didn’t sign off on the idea before continuing forward with it.

Josh: That’s true, that’s a really cool way to go about it. The last few years you’ve been on a hot streak of US headline shows, but you’ve had nearly a year off them now. The next tour is looking quite big it’s fair to say, how are you guys feeling about that?

Dylan: We’re super excited. We’ve really upped our production, and this is a much more mature look for us. The Rage on the Stage tour was the last headliner we did and that was all pro-wrestling themed, and there was a bunch of gimmicks and monologues and stuff like that. But this tour is so much more about the music, to match the feel of just what this album means to us. We’re trying to take out as much talking between songs as we can, and are just going to let people enjoy the music for what it is on this tour.

Josh: Oh yeah so trying to focus on the atmosphere. Cool cool. So I know you played some shows with We Came As Romans before all that horrible stuff with Kyle Pavone happened, how was that?

Dylan: Well we had the Rage on the Stage tour right before Kyle’s passing, and they were all big influences on us growing up as we were from the same area. They’re from Detroit, we’re from Metro Detroit area. I can speak for everyone that was living with us at the time, Eric and a couple of the other guys and crew guys and I, that when we found out about Kyle’s passing it was devastating. When they asked Eric and me to be a part of his memorial show we said “absolutely”. But to be able to play the last full tour with the full lineup of We Came As Romans, it sucks to say because I miss Kyle because he was a great guy. But it feels good to say that we sent them off in a good way, but that’s not to say that they’re done. They’re on tour right now and I’m going to go see them this weekend actually and they still kill it.

Josh: So awful and it sucks but it’s still special to have those memories. I remember in particular we watched them perform a few years back and it was actually Kyle’s birthday so we all sang happy birthday to him.

On that slightly sadder note, we ended our interview, but throughout the conversation, I feel Dylan shared some incredibly insightful things about what goes into I Prevail. Their new album, Trauma, is available via Fearless Records and on Spotify, Apple Music, and all music streaming services.

Avengers: Endgame is the near perfect conclusion to the MCU

It is hard to believe that it has been 11 years since we first saw Iron Man. The 2008 film did not feel as much of a beginning as it did an opportunity, a chance, and a belief that superhero films could someday be the biggest reason huge audiences made the trip to the cinema. Even those early iterations of this now connected universe showed that it was hard to shake some of the stigmas of the Avi Arad generation of cinematic superhero films. Arad’s films never quite shook off the “it’s a pretty good movie but it is just a superhero movie” sheen that was only occasionally taken seriously by critics and the public (most notably, Spider-Man 2). But as soon as Kevin Feige arrested control away from Arad, and the films became more focused on Feige’s new vision, we got to see the potential globe uniting qualities that have become the norm for most MCU films.

There were the unexpected highs of The Avengers, the trademark idiosyncrasies that became part of the MCU tradition (the humour, easter eggs, post-credit scenes), the critical acclaim that changed superhero movie perceptions (The First Avenger, Guardians of the Galaxy, Black Panther, Captain Marvel) and the interwoven social and cultural characteristics that solidified these Marvel movies as being in-tune with today’s world.

So how does a franchise that stretches across some 20+ films possibly reach an acceptable, conclusive end? It’s a question that has been asked since we first saw Thanos in The Avengers. That film was also the first time we got a glimpse at what Feige and Marvel had been dreaming of after the success of Iron Man. It was in part, the scale and the scope of a much grander plan that no one could have ever expected, a brand new standard of the comic book to celluloid translation. Enough momentum and success followed and what we’ve gotten this past decade or so is potentially an everlasting mark on film history- it has to be, nothing matches its scale and ambition. Comic book lore, once reserved for basement dwellers and societal outcasts, flourished and thrived in the mainstream.

Avengers: Endgame is then, the culmination of these 11 years, the exhaustive and complex world of characters, worlds, dimensions, and stories interweaved together with Feige-like precision. It hasn’t always been perfect of course, but like the MCU itself, the ambition and scale of Avengers: Endgame is ultimately part of its defining characteristic.

One can argue that directors Joe Russo and Anthony Russo have been the most consistent at the helm of MCU films. Since Captain America: The Winter Soldier, they have been at the crux of this concluding story arc, and their films have a consistent vision and tone that most likely, closely matched Feige’s. Avengers: Endgame is then, part epic finale and part long epilogue to the MCU. Avengers: Infinity War was an Earth-shattering entry into the cannon, and Endgame does more to wrap the entirety of the story than it does to expand on Infinity War’s deep emotional blistering. It is not to say that Endgame doesn’t pull on the heartstrings, how can it not? It is in every respect, the end. And so it packs a lot into its 181 minutes, far too much to make it as riveting as The Winter Soldier or as culturally impactful as Black Panther, but honestly, it doesn’t need to be. Endgame needed to be the grand farewell, the exhale, the unburdening of all our collective movie-going shoulders of an 11-year emotional cinematic experience.

So Endgame is a little heavy on multiple plot lines, doesn’t quite give some of the characters we’ve fallen in love with over the last few films enough time, and its climax is a big, orchestral crashing of CGI and big battle scenes … but how else would the MCU have ended? What else could we have wanted after 11 years? Avengers: Endgame is every bit a tribute to its fans and the desires of a movie-going audience as it is a conclusion to its story. We are able to see these characters for the last time (some for the last, last time), get the sign off we’ve always wanted, and to close a glitteringly successful and captivating chapter in blockbuster cinema. You can critic the film for its flaws (most reviews have been positive, some negative, some just plain stupid), and you can say that Marvel and Disney are giant money printing monoliths who have turned profit into an art form. But so what? Marvel Studios have done more to keep people in cinemas than almost any other franchise save Star Wars, and well, guess who owns that too.

After the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame I was left with a tinge of sadness. Sure, some of it because of the film’s content, but mostly because this journey has come to an end. For the last 11 years, I have been part of this global audience who with much anticipation enjoyed almost every film, reveled in the connectivity of a shared universe, and have had a blast escaping into Stan Lee’s expanse. The next Spider-Man film is said to be the final movie in Phase 3 of the MCU, but it is hard to figure out how the story could possibly progress from here. We’re getting a Loki television series, a Hawkeye television series, and most likely Black Panther 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy 3. But in reality, the best we will ever get ended with Avengers: Endgame. Not that the future can’t be as bright, but for now at least, this was everything we ever wanted.

Chamberlain and “Some Other Sky”

Americana-influenced indie rock band Chamberlain have returned to release the new single “Some Other Sky”, the band’s first release since the 2010 single “Raise It High”.

Chamberlain first came to prominence as post-hardcore band Split Lip, before reverting to the Chamberlain name and releasing the magnificent The Moon My Saddle on Doghouse Records in 1998. The band released another full length, the underrated Exit 263, and a collections album, before calling time in the early 2000s.

We spoke to David Moore, vocalist for Chamberlain back in 2002(!), not too long after they had wrapped up their initial run. It is one of our fondest interviews and we recommend you checking it out and reading up on a little Chamberlain history.

“Some Other Sky” picks up where “Raise it High” left off, painting the lush American sounds the band are known for. The single is paired with the B-side “Street Singer”, a reworked version of the song that appeared on their debut (and Split Lip album) Fate’s Got a Driver. David Moore has a distinct voice, and paired with the songwriting of Adam Rubenstein, “Some Other Sky” is trademark Chamberlain. The song is a warm embrace returning from a cold, cold winter.

Listen to “Some Other Sky”:

SPQR – Low Sun Long Shadows EP

Definitely not for everyone but a sound for the disenchanted to absorb. This is SPQR, and they’re delivering thought-provoking, stylish art rock. Four loud, unapologetic songs make up the new EP, Low Sun Long Shadows, and yes, it is different, and the concept is multi-layered. But none of these tracks fade out into the black, rather they all help spearhead this band’s elevation. 

What SPQR do well is gravitate towards keeping it fresh and daring. They don’t keep their personalities encased in cotton wool either, they don’t zip their lips, and they just tell it as it is. “Slowly” starts proceedings. The vocals bounce off and create an exhilarating chorus. The protagonist of this tale isn’t well or equipped for the daily constraints of life. The track slows and enters subtle avenues, embracing both worlds. The drum beats excel here also. “Our Mother’s Sons” is a brash punk extravaganza. It’s rough and volatile. The guitar presence is breakneck, offering a brilliant contrast. The song falls into a melodic mode until it bashfully bangs the mind again. “This Gore” opens with sentimentality running throughout it. Inside the very heart of it, there are rushes of adrenaline, there is boldness, and brazen, thumping guitar lines. It is compelling work. 

Rarely do we get acts which brush against or even try to pulverize the status-quo. SPQR are a beast of curiosity and one which will spearhead revolutions and defy the norm. It’s refreshing to hear music that overthrows the ordinary, one that forgoes cheap lyrics and one-dimensional tones.

Low Sun Long Shadows isn’t an easy listen but it isn’t a rigid one. There is so much depth and intelligence within it. You can say that SPQR are musical captivators, stretching their talents like multi-colored chewing gum, keeping together a paper love heart that has seen better days. They’re the type of act molding possibilities from bare happiness, a unique outfit orchestrating a sound for the renegades. Low Sun Long Shadows is gratifying and rebellious, and we ready for the onslaught. 

(Modern Sky UK)

Cokie the Clown – You’re Welcome

The resurgence and mainstream acceptance of punk that emerged in the 1990s can be attributed to many things- but it is undoubtedly hard to look past at some of the individuals that would ultimately become the face of a genre’s revival. One such individual is, of course, NOFX frontman Fat Mike, who on the back of an already successful career with the band, hit new heights with the release of 1994’s Punk in Drublic. While it did not reach the kind of levels Dookie or Smash did, Punk in Drublic’s Gold-selling status is made even more incredible with the fact that it was all essentially, because of the content of the record and word of mouth. While Green Day and the Offspring became the namesakes of the mainstream punk explosion, NOFX continued its mantle as the clown princes of the underground. They never seemed to waver from their brand of humor, snotty attitude, and anti-establishment persona. Fat Mike, of course, was the spearhead for every controversial story that involved the band- from no interviews to never signing to a major label, Fat Mike was always and above, the crux and centerpiece of the band.

Over the years we have gotten to “know” Fat Mike as the label head of long-running independent label Fat Wreck Chords. We got to know his politics with Punk Voter, we know that he likes to crossdress, doesn’t mind a little S&M, and was never shy of being controversial on stage, on record, or afraid to feud with other artists from all genres. This was the public’s version of who Fat Mike is, but it wasn’t until we met Cokie the Clown back in 2010 that we finally got to see the man behind Fat Mike. At first, Cokie the Clown was just an eye-opening character who released an EP and made a noted appearance at SXSW. It is not until now that we finally get to see and hear the real Cokie the Clown.

“I peeled my fuckin’ skin off for this record,” says Fat Mike. And it is that level of honesty and openness that defines You’re Welcome. The album, 10 songs of gut-wrenching vaudevillian punk, is as brutally open as a personal record can get. It is not a NOFX record by any means. And if you’re looking for NOFX’s melodic, attitude-filled punk blasts of politics, social commentary, and humor, then you’re better off listening to Punk in Drublic or The War On Errorism. Instead, You’re Welcome is perhaps the most unconventional punk record of recent times. While you’ve heard “Punk Rock Saved My Life”, the rest of the album doesn’t veer into punk’s guitar-heavy urgency. Instead, choosing to adopt orchestral compositions and theatrical histrionics that occasionally sees heavy rock influences (“Negative Reel”), but relies more on sad piano reflections and string-based melancholia. The truth is, You’re Welcome is not a happy record at all. Whether it is the painful family memories of “The Time I Killed My Mom” (“Yes please end it sweetie / I can’t live with this much pain / I’d like to die surrounded by the people I most love / I brought you in to this world you gotta take me out”), the rough and tumble relationships of his life (“Pre-Arranged Marriage”) or the acoustic, heavier sound of the rather self-explanatory “Fuck You All”, You’re Welcome is as he says in the song, the music of a sad clown.

The album may be anything but a NOFX record, but what’s more punk rock than writing a punk rock record that doesn’t sound like a punk rock record? Sure, it’s nice that Travis Barker drums on the record, and that Guns N’ Roses alum Dizzy Reed is the featured keyboardist, but in reality, You’re Welcome makes an impact because Fat Mike’s unrelenting honesty and unconventional approach to lyricism and songwriting is still ever-present, just done a little differently. And the results are captivating, eye-opening, and filled with the oft heartbreaking reality of being human. Rarely if ever, has someone in his position been so personally open on a record- and rarely has a person been as free, or care-free, about the consequences to do so. But the work he has cultivated as a self-made man means that he’s reached a level where he can. And ultimately for the genre, You’re Welcome is both vital and groundbreaking.

“Punk Rock Saved My Life” is a wonderful anthemic song, the summation of Fat Mike’s life, family and history- all parts of the puzzle that made him the influential, globe-conquering punk singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. NOFX fans will know that throughout his discography he’s written songs about how good it is to be Fat Mike (“Thank God It’s Monday”) and for the last 30+ years we’ve gotten to know Fat Mike as an antagonist, provocateur, and iconoclast. But for the first time in all these years, we’re finally getting to know Mike Burkett.

(Fat Wreck Chords)

Three days of Woodstock, an entire generation

If there was ever an event, a word, or a movement that defined a generation, it would have to be ‘Woodstock’. Aptly so, PBS has unveiled the trailer for the upcoming documentary Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation, a new documentary about the event that features previously unseen footage.

The festival, originally held over the weekend of August 15-18, 1969, signaled the changing wave of culture that permeated the United States in the late 60s and early 70s. A moment that ultimately changed music and rock n’ roll, Woodstock attracted some 400,000 revelers and featured live performances by 32 acts including The Who, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, CCR, and the Grateful Dead.

The PBS documentary aims to shed some new light on an already well-told story, Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation;

“tells the story of the political and social upheaval leading up to those three historic days, as well as the extraordinary events of the concert itself, when near disaster put the ideals of the counterculture to the test. What took place in that teaming mass of humanity — the rain-soaked, starving, tripping, half-a-million strong throng of young people — was nothing less than a miracle of unity, a manifestation of the “peace and love” the festival had touted, and a validation of the counterculture’s promise to the world. Who were these kids? What experiences and stories did they carry with them.”

Revel in the spirit of one of the greatest festivals in the history of music and as we surge to the 50th-anniversary edition of Woodstock, let’s take time to remember that in 1999, the spirit of love was Fred Dursted into oblivion. He did it for the nookie.

Check out the trailer below.

China’s Life Awaits are “Better Now”

If you told me 20 years ago that a post-hardcore band from Beijing, China would sound as big, pummel as hard, and ultimately, show the kind of commanding musicianship as many of their North American counterparts do, I would have told you that you were crazy. But here we are, with Beijing’s Life Awaits and the release of their new video for “Better Now”.

The band recently signed to heavy music label Famined Records, and “Better Now” is their first single for the label. Life Awaits formed in 2015 and released their debut album, Waves, in 2017.

Vocalist Yu talked about the new single, calling it an escape from the inner demons;

“I personally suffered from bipolar disorder for a period of time. So there’s anger in it and there’s also desperation. But most importantly, there is an exit from it all. And we hope the song can reach out to those who have the same problem and can find their own way out.”

I have to admit, it’s a lot better than I could have ever imagined. Growing up in the region (close-ish), the thought of a local band making the same kind of noise as some of the heavyweights was such a far-fetched idea. But the last 20 years have seen so much growth and accessibility to music that would have never gone to the far reaches of the globe. Life Awaits took this opportunity and really hit hard.

Check out the video and single below, and be as impressed as I am by the potential and growth of post-hardcore in China.

August Spies – Corruption of The Human Heart EP

August Spies is the new solo project from Justin Schlosberg. Those might know him as the front man from the English post-hardcore band Hell Is For Heroes, however, his first EP titled Corruption of The Human Heart is a clear deviation from his previous work. The EP is filled with melancholic, bittersweet songs about darkness, addiction, love, and loss. Those who appreciate the broody sounds of Tom Waits, Nick Cave or Matt Berninger (The National) will instantly enjoy these intimate songs as Schlosberg takes his voice and songwriting powers in a new creative direction.

“This Is How It Ends” is the lead single from August Spies and from the beginning drums and slightly distorted guitar strokes, you know this is a totally different but welcoming sound from Schlosberg. The grand and immersive baritone vocals describe a tale of a tragic romance which is then solidified when Schlosberg belts out the words “stand by my side” to begin this saddened but triumphant chorus line. Towards the end of the song, the pain we hear in the vocals are taken over by a screeching guitar solo, which matches the tone of the tragic love anthem.

Throughout Corruption of The Human Heart the songs are complex and filled with conflicting emotions. One moment you will be reminded of depressed emotions, then next rejoicing in a certain joy. “Accidents Happen” proves this when it starts with a slow driven piano slowly building to an uplifting climax filled by reverbed guitar melodies and violin.

The title track “Corruption of The Human Heart” steps more into the folk territory as Schlosberg’s vocals are joined with soft female vocals to perform a dramatic duet. The story between both vocalists is so profound and their voices complement each other, which makes me want to hear more from the two of them. However, the song is placed in the middle of the EP and because of its tonal shift from the previous two songs, it, unfortunately, becomes the weakest of the five tracks.

Listening to the EP you may find yourself overcome by hopelessness, but this is when “Put Your Hands Together” comes in perfectly timed and takes you to a more optimistic place. It might be the most cheerful of all because of the use of a singing choir underneath Schlosberg’s vocals. The repetition of the choirs’ chants establishes an empowering feeling leaving you on a high.

The last track “You Killed My Love” finishes the EP with a dark and slow melody. The piano repeats this heart-breaking melody and becomes even more theatrical when Schlosberg’s somber vocals climb to a powerful loud punch, which then eventually and slowly dissipates as the song ends.

Corruption of The Human Heart not only showcases Schlosberg’s full talents as a dynamic vocalist and songwriter but his ability to capture moments of deep sorrow in ways that make the listener feel inspired. Schlosberg’s August Spies is an exciting solo project that I will be eagerly waiting to hear more from.

(self-released)