I Went To The Four Chord Music Festival And All I Got Was This Pile Of Waffles

     The Four Chord Music Festival was on Sunday, August 26^th.  It was a long and weird day and the weirdness started as soon as I got into the neighborhood where the club is located.

     Early entry for the festival began at 10am but I was planning on dragging my feet to get down there much later.  That is until there was a social media post stating that there would be a waffle bar involved with the early entry festivities.  The plan changed from heading down later to leaving immediately to make an attempt at eating an amount of waffles that equaled the cost of my ticket.

     The club is located in the Strip District and is in the same spot that used to house Metropol/Rosebud.  I would mention the current name of the facility but it's so stupid that I can't bring myself to type it for fear of my brain leaking out of my ear.

     The club had gone through some structural changes since the last time I was in the building. Somehow the shitty sight lines and $4.00 water were still intact.  I guess some things will never change.

     On my way to the Strip District, I encountered a large mass of people riding bicycles.  They all seemed to have numbers pinned to their shirts that said “Bike PGH.”  For some reason, a city that has an overabundance of hills and poorly designed traffic flow has decided to plaster bike lanes all over the place as if we were Portland.  Regardless of how people feel about the presence of these bike lanes, it would be helpful if those who ride bikes in the city would actually use the bike lanes.   These assholes took up the entire two lanes of a street instead of using the bike lane that was ten feet to their left.  The really strange thing was how none of these bike riders noticed a person yelling from their car, “Hey, shitheads, use the bike lane!!!  There are waffles that need to be eaten!!!”  I guess they were pedaling too loudly.

     After more waffles than I care to admit were jammed down my gullet, the Four Chord Music Festival was officially under way.   I should have my head examined for buying a ticket to a festival where the lineup features only one band that I was familiar with.   I had heard of Bayside and Less Than Jake but I had never crossed paths with them.  Other than Anti-Flag, I had no idea what I was getting into but at least I had a belly full of waffles and coffee to get me through it.

     Three bands into the day and I had come to the conclusion that the festival should be renamed “Whiny White Boy Fest.”  Lyrically, it was a lot of “I kinda like this girl/I wonder if she kinda likes me/Oh wait, now she's gone.”   And whatever the vocal equivalent to a shoulder shrug would be.

     Throughout the course of the day, the bands started blending together to the point where they all sounded the same.  The different configuration of man buns, facial hair and trucker hats were the only clues that helped me to notice that I wasn't hearing the same two bands on both stages.

     By 2pm I felt as if I had made a horrible mistake and should have gone home until 5:30 when the club cut off reentry to the venue.  By 4pm a band hit stage that was so disingenuous with their approach that it sent me running outside to the Blue Sparrow food truck that pulled up for the event.

     Bibimbap with tofu caught my eye on their menu and I was greatly rewarded for my choice.  And the guys working in the truck almost fell over when I ordered it because I actually pronounced Bibimbap correctly.  I've been imagining the butchered attempts that yinzers throw at them.   So far my favorite is “Bibby Bap.”

     I thought I had killed enough time at the food truck for the band that chased me outside to be done but I was incorrect in that assumption.  They played for another ten minutes before they left stage.

     There was so much room left open for one of the younger bands to take the festival by the throat but the majority of them didn't seem willing or able to do so.  Nowadays, it seems that instead of forming jam bands, like everyone used to do, they've all started Emo bands.

     It was a day full of dual harmonies that were slightly off and drummers that were seemingly lost in their own drum kits.  There was a large lack of savagery and precision but a whole lot of posing and mugging for the audience.  There was also a large lack of women and color on stage.

     I knew I was out of my element when the crowd started singing along to Blink-182 when one of their songs came on over the PA.  Next year, if I'm up for some sort of bullshit endurance test to see how much I can put up with, maybe Skullfest would be a better fit for me.

     The biggest let down of the night was the PA company not knowing how their PA worked when it came to handling the top three bands on the bill.  Less Than Jake, Bayside and Anti-Flag are all headliners and run pretty tight operations that are self-contained.  There was a massive delay before Anti-Flag's set due to the fact that the folks running the PA couldn't figure out how to patch over the band's set up to the monitors and the PA at the same time.

     This left no time for an actual soundcheck so the mix was done on the fly.  Anti-Flag muscled through it and turned in their usual great set.  This was their first hometown show since the murder of Antwon Rose so “Fuck Police Brutality” had quite a bit of extra emphasis to it from both the band and the crowd.  They finished their set with Pat playing drums in the middle of the pit and Chris #2 standing on top of his kick drum belting out the end of "Brandenburg Gate."  As many times as I've seen that bit it never gets old and made the day out of the house completely worth it.

     I was planning on bailing after Anti-Flag due to the length of the day and my desire for quiet and sleep but as I was walking past the loading dock, I noticed the band loading out from the stage, through the stage door and directly onto the sidewalk.  I said what I thought were my hellos and goodbyes but ended up lending a hand to get their gear off of the sidewalk and into the trailer.  I forgot how much I hated moving bass amps and was given a very blunt reminder especially since all of their equipment is packed in road cases.  Back in my day, all of the bands I worked for were small time and we just jammed everything into the back of the van and hoped for the best.

     After load out, I caught the end of Bayside and hung around for Less Than Jake before calling it a night.  Punk with a horn section was never my thing but Less Than Jake sure was entertaining.  The toilet paper guns were a nice touch.

     I have learned my lesson in all of this and will certainly think twice before I buy a ticket for an all day festival even if there is a mountain of waffles, a food truck and Anti-Flag involved.  I'm not sure why I thought it would be a good idea to drop myself into a situation that I knew I no longer had a tolerance for for no other reason than to see if I could write something about it.  Hopefully it was worth reading.

Fuck It!!! We'll Do It Live!!!

     Those are the only words uttered by Bill O'Reilly that I could ever agree with.  The live album, when done correctly, can be one of those releases that cement a band's legacy or can document an artist at a specific point on their chosen path.

     Here's a list, in no particular order, of live albums that I always find myself coming back to.  Due to the nefarious nature of bootlegs, I have excluded them from the list.  Given the amount of gambling involved with sound quality from the initial recording down to the pressing of the record, as much as I have an appreciation for a good Misfits bootleg, I wouldn't want to point someone in a direction that wouldn't be rewarding for their ears.

     The live album should serve almost as a mix tape that documents a band at a certain point in time in their history.  Whether it's the cohesion of a band when they are firing on all cylinders after a few albums and several miles down the road or the band sounds like they are flying apart in different creative directions, also after a few albums and several miles down the road, the live album is a snapshot of where they were there and then at that point in time.

James Brown—Revolution Of The Mind: Live At The Apollo Vol. III

     Revolution Of The Mind was recorded over three nights in July of 1971 at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.  These shows featured the JBs line up that had two drummers.  Jabo Starks and John Morgan were both holding it down while trying to find room for each other to play.  This record is not for the James Brown fan whose only exposure to the man's work was his appearance in Rocky IV.  The JBs were in the business of bringing the serious funk and they done brought it on those nights for The Hardest Working Man In Show Business.

The Ramones—It's Alive

     Recorded at the Rainbow Theatre, in London, on New Year's Eve 1977, It's Alive, shows the Ramones at the height of their powers.  The album was recorded after the release of Ramones, Leave Home and Rocket To Russia so it has a mind numbing amount of their best songs on it.  The band played at a break neck speed jamming twenty-eight songs into fifty-four minutes.  A few years back, the video footage of this performance was discovered, cleaned up and released on DVD.  The remastered audio was also pressed to vinyl and sounds infinitely better than the original release.  This is also the last time that Tommy Ramone can be heard on drums.  He moved to a producer role with the band and was replaced by Marky Ramone.

Iggy Pop—Post Pop Depression: Live At Royal Albert Hall

     Recorded in May of 2016, Live At Royal Albert Hall goes to show that Iggy Pop keeps getting better and better with age.  His backing band for this show included Josh Homme and other members of Queens Of The Stone Age as well as members of the Arctic Monkeys.  Homme assembled a band that was good enough to contain and challenge the hurricane that is Iggy Pop.  There were no Stooges songs in this set.  It was mostly Iggy's early solo material from his time working with David Bowie and songs from Post Pop Depression.  As many times as I have listened to The Idiot, Lust For Life and other Iggy live records I had never heard those songs hit so hard.  Hearing the new songs in a live environment gave me a new appreciation for Post Pop Depression and immediately made it one of my favorite Iggy albums.  I was lucky enough to make it to Philadelphia to see one of the few shows that this lineup played together and it was one of the best shows I have ever seen.

     There was a 3LP Record Store Day release of this concert as well as DVD/Blu-Ray/CD combo packs for your digital needs.

Nirvana—Live At Reading

     Recorded during the band's performance at the UKs Reading Festival on August 20^th, 1992, bits and pieces of this show ended up on the Live, Tonight, Sold Out video that stitched together live footage from various Nirvana shows.  After having burned out on their music due to over exposure in my youth, I had not listened to Nirvana for quite a few years.  Live At Reading was the release that renewed my appreciation for the band.  The emotional baggage that I was carrying around with this band had lost its weight and I was able to hear Nirvana for what they really were.  They were just a really good band.

OFF!—Live At The 9:30 Club

     Back in 2011, Dinosaur Jr. played at the 9:30 Club on a tour where they were playing their album Bug in its entirety.  OFF!, featuring Keith Morris of Black Flag and Circle Jerks fame, was the opening act.  Dinosaur Jr.'s set was being filmed and recorded so tape was rolled for OFF!'s set as well.

     This was shortly after the release of OFF!'s first recorded output, The First Four Eps, which I was having trouble getting my ears around.  I was lucky enough to be in the audience for this show and after the first two songs I completely understood what OFF! was about.  Keith Morris approached each song as if his dreads were on fire and, after the Circle Jerks fizzled out, he finally had a band that could keep up with him.

Anti-Flag—Live Vol. 1

     Taken from a series of shows recorded at the Troubadour, in Los Angeles, during Anti-Flag’s 20^th anniversary tour, the sound quality of Live Vol. 1 is far superior to any of the other live recordings that the band has released.  Since this was an anniversary tour, the band pulled songs from all over their catalogue.  As well played as the older songs on this record are, it was great to hear Anti-Flag tear into the more recent songs, at the time, from American Spring.  As many times as I have seen this band play they have never disappointed so it's beyond time for them to have a live album that reflects what they are capable of on a stage.  And rumor has it that Live Vol. 2 will be released in the near future so I will most certainly be in line for that one when it comes out.

https://anti-flag.bandcamp.com/album/live-vol-1

     Doing it live is where the rubber meets the road with music and where a band shows what they are made of.  So always remember, "Fuck it!!!  We'll do it live!!!"

Buncha Savages In This Town

     For the past several years, the Sony MDR-V150 headphone has been my headphone of choice.  When I'm chained to my desk at work and unable to enjoy my stereo at home they provide a decent frequency range while I'm plugged into a 160GB iPod Classic.

     I stick with the iPod because I don't like to rent my music from streaming services due to sound quality issues and the inability to pay the musicians for their work that these services seem to have.  I also go with iPod because I'm sure that having some sort of turntable setup on my desk might be frowned upon by the management.  That and lugging a crate of vinyl around with me every day doesn't seem very practical.

     The V150s are lightweight and have a long enough cord that I can reach across my work area and not drag the iPod along with me.  If the ear pads start to wear out or if the cord goes bad, they only run around $20 to replace instead of the $100 that some other headphones run.  These headphones fit in rather well with my utilitarian way of life so I always find myself going back to them if a new set is needed.

     I mention all of this because I had to recently replace a pair of my beloved and very necessary headphones because some pigfucker stole them off of my desk after the office had cleared out at the end of the day.  I alerted management of the theft but beyond that not much else could be done.  As much as I would have liked to have gone full Batman on the perpetrator that would have more than likely led to cameras being installed in the office.  My thirst for vengeance would have to go unquenched.  I'd much rather pony up $20 for new headphones instead of having Big Brother watching me while I try to stay awake and pretend to be busy.

     The immediate issue at hand was how to survive eight hours of my coworkers prattling on about the inane details of their lives as if the sky was falling.  I wasn't even fifteen minutes into the day and had more than my fill of conversation about reality shows and bad hair days.  All I wanted to do was listen to the newly discovered John Coltrane album, Both Directions At Once, but my plans were foiled by some asshole that will probably use my pilfered headphones to listen to dub step or some other over-produced disposable music.  Those headphones had passed Eyehategod through their speakers so I can only hope that they will melt to his head in rebellion if he tries to put Kenny Chesney through them.

     As someone who medicates with music on a daily basis, I physically did not know how to do my job without music playing.  I sat there staring at my computer trying to figure out how to put my day back together.  Music also serves as a barrier between my coworkers and myself.  It prevents me from hearing them and it prevents me from yelling at them because I heard them.

     Luckily, there was a sonic ally in the area that made an emergency run to the store for a temporary remedy so I wouldn't end up on the evening news after Hulking out because some nonsensical conversation was the gentle breeze that pushed me over the edge.

     The V150s have been replaced and Both Directions At Once was an amazing listen.  All is not right with the world but at least it's back to its usual level of suck.

Here's some info on the lost Coltrane album:

John Coltrane's 'Lost Album' Is A Window Into His Pursuit Of The Impossible

I Was A Middle Aged Anarchist Or Taking A Schvitz With Laura Jane Grace

     On Thursday, August 2^nd, 2018, I was drawn by the almighty powers of the Punk Rock to venture an hour south once again to 123 Pleasant St. in Morgantown, WV.  This time it was to witness the rock 'n' roll greatness that is Against Me!

     Even though I had seen Against Me! on multiple occasions, to see a band that can easily draw a thousand people in a space that can hold a few hundred is something that should not be missed.  The only downsides were my poor planning which did not leave me any time to grab pre show food and getting stuck in a battle of semantics with the door guy over what is meant by “Will Call.”

     Typesetter, from Chicago, opened the proceedings.  They had a very Jimmy Eat World vibe to them which is a sound I had grown out of over ten years ago.  Typesetter did what they do rather well but it just wasn't for me.  The folks that showed up early seemed to be really into them.

     Speedy Ortiz was up next.  I had been wanting to see this band for years now and they did not disappoint.  Speedy Ortiz reminds me of the more laid back moments of Veruca Salt.  It was nice to have a calming groove to relax in for a few minutes before the mayhem of Against Me! hit the stage.

     Against Me! came out swinging with a one-two punch of “Teenage Anarchist” and “White Crosses” to set the tone for a long, sweaty night.  The club had completely filled in and everyone was going off.  Due to a lack of room, the pit area didn't get too out of hand.  It was only able to form into a large mass that would move back and forth like a Jello mold.

     Because of the weather conditions created in the club by the lights and the crowd, there were multiple instrument trade offs just to keep things dry.  Every time the drummer's hand came down there would be a splash of moisture sent into the air.  There was a constant cloud of humidity and steam hanging over the crowd during their twenty-five song set.  I kept thinking of the stories I've read about early Ramones shows where clubs were packed like sardine cans and those in attendance were as hydrated as a potato chip by the end of the night.

     With the exception of “Haunting, Haunted, Haunts,” the set was filled with older songs due to the return of Andrew Seward on bass.  He had departed in 2013 so he was not around for the writing and recording of the latest album, Shape Shift With Me.  The newer songs were probably left off so he didn't feel as if he was in a cover band.

     When they started into “Pints Of Guinness Make You Strong” I was almost compelled to jump into the pit.  That is an urge I had not felt in over ten years.  I suddenly remembered that I wasn't in my twenties anymore and came to my senses.

     The encore started with an acoustic cover of “Going To Georgia” from the Mountain Goats and then the devastating “Two Coffins.”  That's the song that Laura Jane Grace always dedicates to parents.  Of the four times that I've seen that song played live, I don't think there was a time that “Two Coffins” hasn't made me roll a tear.

     By the time Against Me! called it a night, everyone had sweat through their clothes and you could see moisture rolling down the walls.  Our Punk Rock forefathers would have been proud.  At the beginning of the night, I had no intentions of buying a t-shirt but grabbed one on the way out so I wouldn't have to drive for an hour while stewing in my own juices.

     It was recently announced that Laura Jane Grace will be putting out a record with a new band called the Devouring Mothers.  The record is due out this fall on Bloodshot Records.  It will be her first solo effort since Heart Burns came out several years ago between New Wave and White Crosses. If the title of the new album doesn't include the words “Heart Burns II: Electric Boog-a-loo” there is no justice in the world.

     When the album was announced, I spent way more time than I should have trying to do the math on why it was not a new Against Me! album.  It had been two years since Shape Shift With Me was released and the timing fits in with record/tour/record/tour cycle.  Then Laura posted online that the songs were heavily influenced by the six-string samurai, Rowland S. Howard.  That's when it clicked in my head.  These songs are their own separate animal from Against Me! and deserve to be released under a different entity.

     Rowland S. Howard did time with Nick Cave in The Birthday Party, back in the early 80s, before going off on his own.  His final album, Pop Crimes, was a thing of beauty and very haunting.  The world lost Howard back in 2009 due to multiple liver ailments.

     Needless to say, I'll be first in line when the Devouring Mothers' record comes out.  Hopefully there will be more tour dates that will bring the band further east.  So far the only dates are in the Midwest.

Here are links for the curious:

http://www.againstme.net

https://www.bloodshotrecords.com

To Boris, With Love

     While killing time on the internets the other day, I came to find out that Japanese noise masters, Boris, had put three new releases out into the world without my knowledge.  The band is sneaky like that.

     There was a Live At Third Man Records session that was released in late 2017.  There were forty available on half pink/half blue to those who attended the session in 2016.  And another forty available during the Japanese leg of the band's 25^th anniversary tour, in December 2017.  The prices on the half and half vinyl would involve the selling of vital organs so I settled for the standard black vinyl which is widely available.  The session was recorded during the tour where Boris was playing their album Pink end to end.  Hearing those songs live was a life altering event so I'm glad Third Man put this out for me to lean on when I need to.

     The second release was eternity.  This was a live album recorded, in Japan, on December 28^th, 2017.  It was only made available as a digital download from Japanese music site Ototoy.  It was a massive download of nearly 2GB for the thirteen tracks.  The album clocks in at almost two hours. There are two pdf files included with the download.  One is a six page file that contains credits and artwork for the album.  The other is a 73 page photo book of shots from the show.  I have been letting this thing rip for the majority of the evening while I write this.  It is a massive piece of sonic art.  I am suddenly jonesing for a two or three LP deluxe vinyl version of this thing.  I'm imagining a hardbound coffee table book type release with all of the photos printed on thick, glossy paper.

     The third release is a three song EP called Phenomenons Drive.  This will be released on August 8^th and it will be a limited run of 600 on clear vinyl.  The release is being handled by Japanese label, Hello From The Gutter.  It is also available through another Japanese label called Inoxia.  I'm not sure if these are new tracks or if they were taken from previous sessions but I can't wait to find out.

     Boris is a band that will make you jump through hoops to get a hold of their music.   To the extent that they've released records that were only available at their merch table on tours.

     They've put out records that were only available in Japan.  Some of them have been soundscape type affairs so their North American label, Sargent House, may have passed on them.  Or the records may not have been offered to North America.

     Sometimes, Boris will put out a record on a small label that can only afford to put the vinyl out in small batches.  The records disappear in the blink of an eye only to reappear weeks later on Discogs and eBay at nosebleed inducing prices.  This is why I was shocked that I was able to snag a copy of Phenomenons Drive while it was still up for preorder.  I usually miss out on these things and have to play catch up at a later date.

     Boris has a history of putting out two very different sounding records on the same day.  Or releasing two different edits of the same records.  Nothing seems to be off limits or set in stone with this band.

     The recent reissue of their album Pink was a glorious bit of madness.  The full length versions of the songs “Pseudo-Bread,” “My Machine” and “Farewell” were only available on the vinyl but not on the CD or the download that came with the vinyl.  Due to the extended length of those three songs, the track listing between the vinyl and the CD of the new release was different.  This was done so all of the material could fit on four sides of vinyl.  A different track listing will lead to a different listening experience so it is worthwhile to have both versions at the ready.

     And all of this is going on before you get into the weird cardboard box packaging and four different colors that were pressed.  There was clear with pink splatter, pink with purple splatter and light pink/dark pink swirl in addition to the standard black.

     Then there were the nine bonus tracks that were on the third LP.  Normally, when a band puts out a reissue with a slew of bonus tracks, you can very easily tell why they weren't included on the original album.  That is not the case with these songs.  It looks like they were cut as a matter of logistics and had to be sacrificed due to a lack of time and space the first time around.  Not a single one of these tracks felt like filler that could be trimmed and put on a shelf.  They were all strong enough that the songs could have been put out as their own individual album at some point.

     In this day of commodification, most bands would not even attempt to release music in this manner for fear of over saturating the market.  Boris has a very “Hey, look what we did” approach to their music and will put out records whenever they see fit.  Which is why they spread their releases over different labels and territories.  It's a living hell trying to keep up with but the sonic rewards are worth every bit of the journey.

     In addition to all of this, there are also their collaborations with artists such as Sunn O))) and Merzbow. This material is not for the faint of heart casual listener.  This is music that will definitely alienate your friends and loved ones but at least the crazy vinyl colors will look good while doing it.

     Around the release of their last album, Dear, there was word that Boris might be calling it quits in the near future.  I hope this is not the case.   The world certainly needs their brand of weirdness in it. And if the world doesn't need that weirdness anymore, I know I sure do.

Here are some links for the curious:

Boris-Pink

Boris-Live At Third Man

Boris-eternity