NOFX To Release "The Longest EP"

Hey Everyone!

So punk legends NOFX have announced that they will be releasing a collection of EP tracks. The tunes will date back to 1987 all the way to the present date. They have decided to title the work: "The Longest EP". Very fitting I'd say, including all those tracks would definitely make it a pretty long EP... most EPs are only a few songs long. However, with the average track length under 2mins, I suppose it could balance out. Guess we'll have to wait and see.



Have to say, I'm not much a fan of NOFX. I know, I know, backlash awaits that comment in the punk community. I am sure that in admitting this, I could stand to lose a few followers. The thing is, I respect their career... they have worked long and hard to get where they are. I like that they have really solidified their place in modern punk history, HOWEVER, after watching them "share their opinions" on more than one occassion at various Warped Tours, I lost A LOT of respect for them. For me, Punk isnt about being so outspoken that you insult everyone around you... its about being free to believe what you want. Its about being your own person. But that doesnt mean that you have to criticize people for what they believe in... its not the way I work. I dont mind some of the music- a lot of it is great punk, but I just cant watch these guys play live shows anymore... its frustrating for me I guess. Anyways, thats my thought on the subject. Feel free to disagree, music is something that everyone has their own opinion on, especially when it boils down to the politics of the whole thing.

So new NOFX EP... looking forward to it? I'll give it a listen, but dont look for me at live shows!
Rock On,
-Girl At The Rock Show

Screeching Weasel Announce Toronto Tour Date

Hey Everyone!

American punk band, Screeching Weasel announced earlier this week that they will be playing in Toronto, Ontario in May. This is big news for Canadian fans, as the tour dates tend to be few and far between, especially on this side of the border. The Chicago natives formed back in 1986, drawing inspiration from the heavy early punk scene of the time. They gained more notoriety in the early 90s after they signed with the punk label, Lookout! Records (responsible for signing bands like Operation Ivy and a young Green Day). In fact, former members of the band include Mike Dirnt (Green Day bassist) and Phillip Hill (Teen Idols).

With a classic repertoire that has withheld the tests of time, this band is not easy to forget. Punk fans should be excited to see them back in action. Mind you, reunion tours do appear to be a recent specialty of the group which tends to take away from the appeal, sadly. Not putting them down, I'm happy to see this tour date and I am actually thinking about heading down to Toronto to check it out. Its not often that punk legends of the prime come here anymore.

So what do you think of the tour date? Do you plan to hit up this show? Why or why not?

Rock On!

- Girl At The Rock Show

Song of the Day: Punk Rawk Show by Mxpx... "We ain't got no place to go, Lets go to the punk rawk show, Come and take me by the hand, Gonna see a punk rawk band"... and yes, they actually DO spell it "rawk" haha that is not some awful typo or ridiculous spelling mistake... please keep in mind this is a rock blog, I should be incredibly familiar with that word by now ahaha.

New Anti-Flag Video: "The Economy Is Suffering"

Hey Everyone!

Punk rock quartet Anti-Flag have released a new video for the song "The Economy Is Suffering". The song comes from their full length 2009 release "The People or the Gun". Check out the video here and see what you think!

Anti-Flag - The Economy Is Suffering -

Anti-Flag | MySpace Music Videos

Rock On!

- Girl At The Rock Show

We Haven't Had Enough Of The Alkaline Trio

Hey Everyone!

Today I'd like to share with you all a band that I really enjoy. I've been a fan of this trio ever since I first discovered their album Good Mourning in a bin at a local used CD shop. I used to do this a couple times a month... take a few bucks downtown and see how far I could stretch it, picking up CDs that caught my eye. This 2003 album just happened to be one of them, and since the first playback, I have been hooked on the Alkaline Trio. 

Founding member (the only one currently still in ALK3), Matt Skiba formed the band in Illinois back in 1996. After a rocky startup and a few line up changes, the group finally found a working formula to build on. Strange dark lyrics, punk style chords with a little flare and some simple theatrics are a definite recipe for success. They have currently released six studio albums with a seventh slated for a february 2010 release. Their album Crimson is often said to be the one that broke them into the mainstream, containing several ambitious and oddly ambiguous tracks that drew a lot of new fans to the punk rock trio. 

As a crucial foundation block of the thriving Chicago punk scene, this band has worked hard to earn a place at the top. Each of the tree members Matt Skiba, Dan Andriano and Derek Grant, have put work into side projects and helped to support other members of the community through touring, friendships and collaborations.

I had the opportunity to see them on tour a while back, opening for other Chicago natives, Rise Against and honestly I was by NO MEANS disappointed. Their set was great, the sound was fantastic and I was left wishing they were playing more than a 40min opening slot. I highly recommend checking out their music, and if you enjoy it, see them on tour. I'm sure with a new album in the works, a tour is not far from sight.

DISCOGRAPHY:

Goddamnit (1998)

Maybe I'll Catch Fire (2000)

From Here To Infirmary (2001)

Good Mourning (2003)

Crimson (2005) 

Agony and Irony (2008)

This Addiction (Unreleased, Due Feb.2010)

TRACKS TO CHECK OUT:

Burn

Calling All Skeletons

Stupid Kid

We've Had Enough

Time To Waste

Radio

So what do you think of these guys? A little different, so take from it what you will but I hope you enjoy it!

Rock On,

- Girl At The Rock Show

Song of the Day: You've Made Us Conscious by The Audition... they have toured with the Alkaline Trio, another Chicago based band. Just goes to show how interconnected and friendly the Chicago music scene can be if you know how to become part of it!

The Battle

Good Afternoon!

Its only been a day and I'm back, making sure this blog writing habit sets in as fast as possible! Today, I'm just going to share with you a piece that I wrote a little while ago. As a little punk kid in high school, people used to take one look at me and say "rock is dead". I never understood how people could say such a thing. Surely rock had changed over the years, but dead? I didn't understand... I was a regular at the rock clubs downtown. The Embassy, Call The Office, Rum Runners, The Salt Lounge... these places were my home away from home. I saw rock in all its glory, reborn time and time again. From the rise new wave hardcore, to the indie explosion, to the top 40s pop rock of today, change is adaptive. Every genre undergoes a transition. To expect something to stay constant and static over the years is to expect it to be dull. Rock, to me, is about being new, being bold, being whatever it wants to be. Personally, I hope rock music continues to change, because that is the only way to ensure it never truly dies.

The Battle

Each weekend, these seemingly silent streets turn to a war zone for the city’s teenaged population. Though it has been said that punk rock is dead, the truth is, it is alive and thriving. You just have to know where to look. As night falls, they step into the darkness to claim the night. Outside, they line the streets behind the overlooked, dilapidated buildings ignored by the general public. Adrenaline coursing through the line, excitement lingers in the smoke filled air. 

Open the heavy paint chipped doors, pay your seven dollar admission fee, and enter a world like nothing you have ever seen. Here, it almost appears to an outsider, that a makeshift militia has been formed. They meet each Friday night, prepared for another drill. The soldiers arrive in brigades of three or four, dressed in a uniform of slim fitting dark band tees held together by pins and patches, low slung studded belts with tight denim jeans and dyed hair teased to an extreme. They proudly flaunt their battle scars in forms of bruises, casts and chipped teeth. Medals are displayed through vibrant art and silver jewelry, decorating the skin. 

They have come ready for battle against an unseen enemy. Their weapons of choice? Pumping fists and violently thrashing bodies. Among the sea of veterans, lie the new recruits anxiously awaiting the mission. The environment is buzzing with anticipation as the musicians take their positions on the frontline. Like drill sergeants, they coax the crowd to a frenzy. The screams of protest dictate their movements as they charge headfirst into the rhythm. Bodies are thrown into each other, passing high above the heads before crashing to the floors. But on this battlefield, no man is left behind. They march for this cause, together. As much as the rules of the mosh may dictate that its ‘every man for themselves’, this unity cannot be broken. It’s a scene of victory alone to watch the pit move as a single being. Fists raised high, voices echoing into the night. The guitars blare melodic chords, merely noise to the virgin ears. Pounding drum and bass lines guide the rhythm of the enthusiastic crowd. In unison, they jump. 

As the night carries onwards and the hours reach early morning, the troops begin to exit the trenches. The battle dies with the last guitar chord that echoes through the night, much like the haunting tune of Reveille called the end. Bodies are scattered across the wooden bars, clutching cold beers and raising them in silent victory. The battle has been won tonight, and as long as these soldiers keep fighting, the war will never end.

Rock On!

-Girl At The Rock Show

Song of the Day: Long Live Rock by The Who

The title on this one says it all.