Archive for October, 2008

Riot Fest continued as my blood sugar level and energy started dropping. I went to the catering room backstage for a quick sugar fix, stepped out the side door to make a quick phone call and then got back to work.

Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Mighty Mighty Bosstones

The next band was one that a lot of people in the audience were there to see. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. I was not one of them however as I’ve never understood the appeal. About 100 people came out on stage dressed in suits and picked up a variety of instruments, including horns. There was one guy on stage whose sole job it was to dance around. He didn’t hold still for more than about 2 seconds at a time. The band plowed through what I imagine were all their “hits” though I didn’t recognize all but one of them. The crowd was the biggest in size that I’d see all day and they were all having a great time watching and dancing and singing along. It was nice to see a lot of happy faces in the crowd even if I didn’t understand how that was the band that did it for them. Despite not liking their music at least the band were entertaining to watch, they are good showmen, I’ll give them that.

Jay Reatard

Jay Reatard

Jay Reatard

Jay Reatard was next. I know lately he’s put out a bunch of records and people seem to dig him, but until this show I never heard his stuff before so I was curious to see what the hype was about. All I can say is holy shit, I think I get it! Fast melodic punk with a bit of a lo-fi edge to it. It reminded me like a faster Ramones with more punch. I am making a vow right now to pick up a couple of his records and I’d love to see him play again sometime for sure.

Big Drill Car

Big Drill Car

Big Drill Car

Big Drill Car were a band I remember being around and hearing a couple of records by but never really paying much attention to. I wasn’t even aware that they either stopped playing or got back together for this show. When they started playing their sound seemed a little familiar to me. By about the third song they really seemed to take it to the next level and something about them just clicked with me and I was really enjoying them. When they were done I felt bad for not giving their records a listen more (or even keeping any of the ones that were sent to me in the old fanzine days) and now I’d like to revisit them. They weren’t an obvious choice to me except for their association with All, but when they were done, I was really glad they were part of this show as they ended up being one of the highlights.

Leftover Crack

Leftover Crack

Leftover Crack soon followed. I’ve seen them play once before and they are another band that I never understood the appeal. The kids really seem to love them and they are an energetic band, but ska punk is pretty much my least favorite style of music. For whatever reason, Security decided to kick out all the photographers after three songs which is the only time the entire day they did that so as a result I only got a few usuable photos of these guys.

The Casualties

The Casualties

The Casualties

The Casualties took awhile to set up but once they started they came out with all guns blazing. They played last year’s Riot Fest as well and this year I think they sounded a lot better. They really don’t let up and they have a very old school sound to them which I liked. Aside from their soiling of a Ramones song to close their set with (which I think they also did last year), I really enjoyed them this time out. The crowd did as well, the kids were flying all over the place.

All

All (and Lew singing along!)

All (the mighty Bill Stevenson)

All

This just left All, who took their sweet time setting up and got off to a late start. In the past I saw All twice, once was their very first tour with Dave Smalley as their singer, and once a couple of years later when they changed singers. I don’t recall the other singer’s name as I stopped following All after the first couple of records. They were one of the bands that I just let slip through the cracks for no reason other than I just was lazy about keeping track of them back then. They too had a sizeable crowd eating up their every song. I have to say that I only recognized a few of the songs, along with a Descendents song which drove the crowd crazy, but every song I heard sounded really good and you’d think they never took any kind of break from playing as every song was tight and sounded excellent.

All

All

I was so wiped out from being in the middle of work crunch and not sleeping much that I didn’t have the engergy to stay until the end of All’s set. I guiltily slipped out of the venue about half way through their set. I was told that a few songs shy of completion, the club pulled the plug because the show ran late and the crowd were pissed off, and rightfully so. I also learned this was all the venue’s doing and was in no way the fault of the Riot Fest staff. It sucks that such a good performance was cut short.

Riot Fest 2008 was a more diverse show this year and I think that worked to their favor. Despite my being worn out before I got there, the show lifted my spirits and I had a great time and so did everyone I talked to in attendence. The show is becoming an institution here in Chicago and I’m glad to see it continuing as it really is one of the highlights of every year, and one of the only things that makes the bringing of the cold weather tolerable!

With fall comes the changing of the leaves, the beginnings of crappy weather, the kids go back to school, and if you live in Chicago it also means the return of Riot Fest. The annual punk rock festival rears its spiked head about this time every year and for me it’s usually the one show i look most forward to every year. This year the fest was split up over three days and hosted at a variety of venues both big and small, with the big, all day show at Congress Theater being the big finish. Due to my unfortunate work schedule that week, I was unable to attend the Friday night show as originally planned, so this year I only attended the all day Sunday affair. Luckily for me all the bands I cared most about were participating that day.

It should be noted that this year aside from the main stage in the theater, another smaller stage was set up out in the main lobby and there were bands playing on it all day. All the bands I wanted to see were playing the main stage so between that and the lack of good lighting and room at the small stage, I did not shoot any of the bands playing it, though I did go out there from time to time to see what was going on.

Black President

Black President

Black President

Unfortunately due to some last minute problems, two bands i really wanted to see, TSOL and Municipal Waste, had to cancel which led to a shift in the lineup. i arrived in what I thought was just enough time to unpack my gear and see Valient Thorr, but as it turned out I was now a bit early and Black President were playing as I walked in. They were very loud and aggressive and something about them made me think about the Cro Mags, though they didn’t exactly sound like them. I think it was more in the look than the sound as Black President were a lot less one-dimensional than the Cro Mags were.

Valient Thorr

Valient Thorr

Valient Thorr

Valient Thorr

Valient Thorr

Next up was the band I was most excited to see that day, Valient Thorr. These Southern Rock super heroes can command a stage like no other. They play like they are on a stage in front of a million people whether there’s one person or one thousand people in the crowd. The band played flawlessly, full of energy while the singer flailed around the stage trying to send his energy off into the crowd, more than half of whom didn’t know what to make of this band. By part way through the set it was obvious the crowd were really warmnig up to them as a lot of them were starting to really move around. This in turn made the band even more energetic and they easilly stole the show. I seriously could have gone home right after that and been fully satisfied but there was much more ahead of me, including some more really good bands.

Mustard Plug

Mustard Plug

Mustard Plug had the unfortunate task of following. I hate ska, thus be default this band was of absolute zero interest to me. After snapping a couple photos for the sake of telling the story, I went to take a walk. I was told that while I was out wandering around the venue, they played a Fugazi cover. Luckily I missed that travesty or it may have been just the thing that could have been a buzzkill from my Valient Thorr induced euphoria.

D.O.A.

D.O.A.

D.O.A.

D.O.A. were next and I was stoked about seeing them yet again. They came racing out of the gate full speed with a few old songs before starting to mix in some newer material with the classics. It’s amazing that not only does the new material fit in well (Joey’s songwriting style has been pretty consistent over the past 30 years), but that three decades later and striped down to a 3-piece, D.O.A. still kick a lot of ass. It was a pretty flawless performance and the crowd were loving it, there were people jumping around everywhere, many of whom weren’t even born the first time I ever saw D.O.A. play! It was nice to see some old timers get their deserved crowd respect.

Horrorpops

Horrorpops

Horrorpops

Horrorpops was another band I was happy to be seeing again after they caught my interest at Warped Tour. Their guitar player, who also does time in Nekromantix, is quite a charasmatic player. They played their gothabilly/psychobilly style music to a bit of a smaller audience than was hanging around for the last couple of bands, but those who were there seemed to be enjoying what they were witnessing. In between songs the singer would occasionally entertain the crowd with general banter.

Check back tomorrow for part two!

As a huge fan of music and a record collector, good record stores are some of my favorite places on earth. Every time a record store I liked closed, I would always get sad and I still am mourning the losses of various stores I used to frequent. When I got an email today from Bob Suren of Sound Idea, I felt that same kind of sadness but this time it was for a store I never stepped foot in, only purchased records from through the mail from time to time and also sold records to on my label. The email he sent is as follows.

The current economic climate has made it impossible for me to run Sound Idea Distribution and the Burrito Records label as I’d like. Rather than compromise my vision, I’m putting it all to rest. Here’s some information that might concern some of you.

SOUND IDEA DISTRIBUTION: No more mailorder or wholesale effective immediately. All my bills have been paid and all trades have been completed. If you think I owe you something, please get in touch. If you have a credit slip, send it in for a refund or merchandise. The web page will remain online for about a year with my contact information. For your wholesale needs, I suggest Ebullition. For mailorder, please try Dr. Strange.

SOUND IDEA STORE: Last day of business is Sat. Oct. 18, 2008. Everything will be on sale really cheap and a lot of stuff that I can’t take with me will be given away.

SOUND IDEA EBAY STORE: The stuff in the Sound Idea eBay store will remain available. Same product, same prices, same service.

SHOWS AT SOUND IDEA: All cancelled, but I am working with a group of people to start a new all ages venue in the Tampa area. The new venue will get my P.A. system, some of my furniture and the remainder of Sound Idea inventory to sell at gigs. Locals, keep your ear to the ground for details. It’s up in the air now. Touring bands, we will be ready for you by December 2008.

SOUND IDEA ZINE LIBRARY is being left in full to the folks starting the new venue.

SOUND IDEA NET RADIO: Last broadcast is Sat. Oct. 18, 2008. Broadcast will remain online until at least Sat. Oct. 25, 2008. I’m going to miss doing the show. It has been my favorite part of Sound Idea for the last year or so. I have a bunch of episodes in the can that won’t get posted online. If anyone is interested in the unheard episodes, get in touch and I can put them on CD for you.

BURRITO RECORDS: All future releases on Burrito Records have been cancelled. Most of the remaining Burrito stock has been shipped to Ebullition, who will be selling it very cheap. The folks starting the new venue in Tampa will also have select Burrito titles for trade. Bands, if you want your masters or original art back, get in touch.

BURN BRANDON ZINE AND BURN BRANDON RECORDS: Locals, if you want to keep this going, it is up to you. You will still have access to my photocopier.

It’s a lot for me to think about and I am still figuring out some of the details. I’m getting out of the music business but I’m not getting out of music. I’ll see you at the gigs and in the record bins. I do not want to fall behind on new music, so bands and labels, feel free to keep me up to date. My phone and fax will be disconnected in late October 2008, but I will keep my PO Box and email address.

I would like to thank all of the wonderful mailorder, wholesale and store customers who have been a huge part of my last 15-plus years. And I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of my peers, especially: Al Quint, Maximum Rocknroll, Havoc Records, Grand Theft Audio, Ebullition, Dr. Strange, Alternative Tentacles, Get Hip, MCR Company, Prank Records, Tankcrimes and Six Weeks.

Thanks for reading,
Bob Suren
PO Box 3204
Brandon, FL 33509-3204

In the “music business” Bob Suren is a rarity. His Sound Idea store has been a staple of punk rock for a long time now. He had very old school mentality of all the good traits of the early punk scene and applied them to his business model. He had a great store with great prices, he was totally upfront and honest in all his dealings, he sent items promptly, and he was extremely supportive of “the scene”. Not only did he have a store, but he’d put on shows in the store and had a zine library in there. Bob also had a label, Burrito Records, which put out some pretty good records including some great reissues of obscure but legendary Florida punk bands F, Roach Motel, and Hated Youth. If it wasn’t for him, few people would have heard the great You Are An EP by F without paying a ton of money for an original copy.

The punk rock scene is suffering a great loss with Bob Suren’s exit from the music business part of the scene. I hope people appreciated everything Bob did during his years in it because he’s one of the good guys, a rare breed that I’m sorry to see have to go.

Thank you Bob for making punk rock a better place with what you did, I wish I would have been able to have made the trip down to Florida to experience it all in person before it was too late.

The ladies at Frontier Records sent over the latest color vinyl pressing of one of the best hardcore punk albums of all time.

Circle Jerks – Group Sex

The first Circle Jerks LP is now appealing to its feminine side by now appearing on opaque pink vinyl. As with the other recent color vinyl pressings, this also comes with a nice two-sided lyric sheet which the countless black vinyl pressings over the years with the exception of the very first.

As always, this and other colored vinyl gems can be ordered direct from the Frontier Records website for a very fair price. Thanks again Frontier for sending the goods!

MVD, who for years now have been putting out some excellent music related DVDs is getting in on the vinyl craze with four upcoming releases:

DEVO – Watch Us Work It
This will contain four versions of the song “Watch Us Work It”: Teddy Bears Version, Original Devo Demo Version, Karaoke Version, and “Still Workin’” Version. It was recorded at Mutato Muzika in Los Angeles and produced by Sweden’s famous Teddy Bears. The DELL company heard it when Paul Malmstrom and Linus Karlsson at the Mother agency in NYC pitched it as a possibility for a TV campaign for the newly developed, high-end laptop computer. DELL loved it, so they used it for nationwide TV ad campaign. The vinyl will also include “Devo Was Right About Everything” by Attery Squash (re-mix by Robert and Gerald Casale).
Info: Not available until 2009

GG ALLIN – Freaks, Faggots, Drunks and Junkies
Vinyl edition of what is probably GG Allin’s greatest studio album. This was GG’s fourth album when it was originally released on Homestead Records in 1988. Recorded with a backing band featuring members of New England punk/thrash heavies Psycho, this one contains some of GG’s best songs. “Die When You Die” is arguably the most famous GG Allin song and this album features the original, best version of the live warhorse. It also includes GG’s rewrite of David Allen Coe’s “Longhair Redneck” titled “Outlaw Scumfuc.” The punkest man alive (at the time) at his peak.
Info: http://mvdb2b.com/item.php?s=MVDLP4811

PLASMATICS – WENDY O WILLIAMS – Beyond the Valley of 1984
This is their second album and features some of the best songwriting of their career, as well as a lean and tight sound combing metal, punk and hard rock. A truly ground breaking release that sums up everything the band stood for and still sounds completely fresh over 25 years after its release.
Info: http://mvdb2b.com/item.php?s=MVDLP4812

DWARVES – Dwarves Limited 10 Inch
Way limited 10″ picture disc vinyl split, one side Dwarves, live KSZU FM Stanford, recorded in 2004. The other side is Dwarves singer Blag Dahlia covering AC/DC (Big Balls) and the Ramones (The KKK Took My Baby Away) as well as some originals. This record is limited to 1030 copies and these are the last of them. Full color picture disc of a delightful young woman in a Mexican wrestling mask and not much else.
Info: http://mvdb2b.com/item.php?s=MVDLP4667

Since nearly all of these bands have DVDs out on MVD, it makes sense that they were chosen to be the first of what hopefully will be a long line of quality vinyl releases.

If you asked me back when I was in junior high school and I discovered the Sex Pistols if I’d think in a million years that Johnny Rotten would be doing a commercial, I’d have told you that you were crazy. You see back then the band was considered “dangerous” and if you liked them you were pretty much an outcast open for ridicule and beatings by the “in crowd”.  Hell, if you asked me 5 years ago I might still have thought you crazy. You see, when I think about Johnny Rotten/Lydon I think about punk rock, the Sex Pistols, and Public Image, Ltd. The last thing in the world I’d likely be thinking about would be butter.

Yet somehow, some butter company overseas thought Johnny Lydon would be the perfect spokesman to shill their product in a TV commercial. I never thought I’d see the day that Mr. Rotten would be doing a commercial that you’d likely see during a soap opera but the evidence is below. Of course, I never thought I’d live long enough to see gas cost $4 a gallon either. Times are a changing.