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Dying Scene Album Review: Take The Reins – “I’m At Your Door”

Windy City punks, Take The Reins have brought back that feel good, pop punk greatness we all know and love with their newest seven track album I’m At Your Door. This fantastic quintet kills the classic sound and do a kick ass job at making any kid who ever went through an “emo phase” have […]

Windy City punks, Take The Reins have brought back that feel good, pop punk greatness we all know and love with their newest seven track album I’m At Your Door. This fantastic quintet kills the classic sound and do a kick ass job at making any kid who ever went through an “emo phase” have a blast to the past. Their positive approach to the music and their overall fun attitude, is perfectly blended with some slower and more sentimental tunes to break up all the excitement. This is the perfect album for either listening cover to cover or for the listener who wants to be able to shuffle the album still have it sound killer.

The album’s first two songs kick things off with a very lively and traditionally fast paced punk feel before backing off a little for the third track with a more moody atmosphere. “Last Stop Model” brings the tempo back up for a fun, bouncy riff that you can easily head bang to. Although not as slow this time, the album takes another turn towards softer side with “Dorothy” before launching into the title track “I’m At Your Door” where the jumping and thrashing can once again resume in full force! The album also features an awesome acoustic version of their song “South Side Rules” which was previously released in 2017 on their debut album, Addiction by Subtraction.

All in all, this album is very well written and just as expertly arranged. It showcases the band’s technical abilities and the front woman’s vocal talents in such a kickass, throwback way. I can’t wait to see what else they pull from their bag of riffs and melodies!

Amazing job, Take the Reins. Way to bring us all back to the “good old days”!

I’m At Your Door (Flat Aht Records) is available on all streaming platforms right now!

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Dying Scene Photo Gallery: Child Bite, Living Terror, Idol Throne, and Speed Pvssy; Live Wire, Chicago, Illinois (02/19/2024).

DS saw a show at the legendary Live Wire with an awesome line up! Child Bite was the headliner with Living Terror, Idol Throne, and Speed Pvssy as opening acts. It was a great way to start the show. Child Bite from Detroit, Michigan shared a unique sound of intense high energy punk/metal their with […]

DS saw a show at the legendary Live Wire with an awesome line up! Child Bite was the headliner with Living Terror, Idol Throne, and Speed Pvssy as opening acts. It was a great way to start the show.

Child Bite from Detroit, Michigan shared a unique sound of intense high energy punk/metal their with Chicago fans! Find them here.

Living Terror from Plano, Illinois. They describe themselves perfectly, “spread true, old-school, aggressive thrash metal throughout the Midwest.” Find them here.

Idol Throne is an Indiana based thrash/power/prog metal band. Find them here.

Speed Pvssy is a speed metal band from Chicago. Be sure to check them out here.

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Dying Scene Photo Gallery: Octopoulpe, Pray for Death, Stiff, Real Bad Real Fast, and Bad Chemicals at Liar’s Club, Chicago, Illinois (11/5/2023).

Octopouple made his way to the shores of Lake Michigan from Korea by way of Mexico and found himself with a great opening line up at Liar’s Club. The opening bands consisted of Pray for Death, Stiff, Real Bad Real Fast, and Bad Chemicals. Dying Scene was on their to witness it all. Octopoulpe is […]

Octopouple made his way to the shores of Lake Michigan from Korea by way of Mexico and found himself with a great opening line up at Liar’s Club. The opening bands consisted of Pray for Death, Stiff, Real Bad Real Fast, and Bad Chemicals. Dying Scene was on their to witness it all.

Octopoulpe is a solo hardcore punk project! Literally, Jean-Philippe “JP” Lejal plays drums while controlling the lights, audio, and video. DS captured this magnificent creature in action! Find him here.

Pray for Death is a father and son heavy music duo from Chicago. Be sure to catch them.

Stiff is a thrashy punk rock band from Lake County, Illinois. Stiff played a great set.

Real Bad Real Fast put on a great performance. The audience danced and had a great night.

Chicago’s own Bad Chemicals is led by vocalist and author Kyle Decker. They put on a great show.

Octopoulpe Photo Gallery.

Pray for Death Photo Gallery.

Stiff Photo Gallery.

Real Bad Real Fast Photo Gallery.

Bad Chemicals Photo Gallery.

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Dying Scene Resurrection Show – Lowell, MA

The second installment of Dying Scene’s ‘Resurrection’ shows took place on Friday, June 10th, at Thirsty First in the blue-collar mill town of Lowell, Massachusetts. Lowell native Kevin Stevenson kicked off the evening’s festivities. One of Stevenson’s many bands, the locally-beloved The Shods, kicked off a handful of the very first shows I went to […]

The second installment of Dying Scene’s ‘Resurrection’ shows took place on Friday, June 10th, at Thirsty First in the blue-collar mill town of Lowell, Massachusetts.


Lowell native Kevin Stevenson kicked off the evening’s festivities. One of Stevenson’s many bands, the locally-beloved The Shods, kicked off a handful of the very first shows I went to in my days as a teenage punk rocker, including a memorable set at the Mighty Mighty Bosstones‘ Hometown Throwdown in 1996, so it was a pretty special moment to have him get things started on this night. Bonus points for the Elvis Costello cover – complete with requisite wide-rimmed spectacles!


Next up were Stereo Vulture, who also hail from a little bit farther down the Merrimack River Valley in Haverhill. All four are longtime scene vets, so you’d never know that it was only their fourth show as a unit. Their sound is a combination of hardcore and old-school punk and good, old-fashioned rock-and-roll, and feels right at home in a gritty, working class bar.


The show was running a little ahead of schedule (I know, right?! A punk rock show ahead of schedule?!) so who better to help fill a little air time than longtime radio man and veteran of the local hip-hop and rock scenes D-Tension, appearing in this format with his Secret Rock & Roll Band. He’s got stories for days, and did well to weave them through an eclectic mix of danceable, sing-alongable rock tunes backed by a band that borders on virtuosic.

DNZL played the evening’s penultimate set, and to call it a barn-burner would be to put it mildly. For the uninitiated, the four-piece are a hardcore/thrash outfit from the Boston area who play songs inspired by the cinematic oeuvre of a certain actor with whom they share a name. They’ve got songs called “Blue Magic” and “Remember The Titans” and “Book Of Eli,” if you still need a hint… ANYWAY, frontman Mel Allington and crew wasted no time in getting the show-goers whipped up into the first “pit” of the night. It was also a bit of a monumental occasion, as it was DNZL’s last show for the foreseeable future, as Allington is moving to the Pacific Northwest (and, in fact, has probably already moved by the time you’re reading this). Hopefully the scene won’t be without him long, as he’s got the kind of dynamic presence we certainly need.

Longtime Boston scene veteran – dare we say ‘legend’? – Lenny Lashley closed out the show under his Lenny Lashley’s Gang Of One moniker. One of the beautiful things about Lenny’s Gang Of One project is that you never really know what the makeup of the band will be. It might be Lenny playing solo acoustic, it might be Lenny with a pedal steel player, hell, it might be Lenny with former Street Dogs bandmates Pete Sosa and Johnny Rioux. In what’s at least the seventh or eighth different lineup I’ve seen over the years, this particular night found Lashley and his beautiful Gretsch Black Falcon fully plugged in, backed by a rhythm section of the mighty Jonathan Ulman (drums) and John Sheeran (bass) with Tom West on keys. Lenny’s been around a long time and his reputation as an honest and hard-working songwriter and supportive member of the scene has won him favor with a wide cross-section of individuals; see the on-stage shoutout from DNZL’s Mel Arrington and the presence of Gang Green great Chris Doherty in attendance as proof.

A fun night was certainly had by all – especially by the guest tambourine player! Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate the relaunch of Dying Scene. It certainly felt like the hot and sweaty and diverse and positive sort of night that made us remember why we fell in love with this scene in the first place! Check out more photos below!

*If you’re interested in donating to our cause but couldn’t make it out to one of our shows, you can send your extra dollars and cents to paypal.me/dyingscene!

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Dying Scene Show Review and Photo Gallery: Windy City Sensation w/ Flesh Panthers, Criminal Kids, Some Hearts, RMBLR and more

Story and Photography by Meredith Goldberg Windy City Sensation returned in Chicago over the weekend of July 16-17, taking over Liar’s Club for two nights of a loud and rowdy rock cocktail with a twist of punk and hardcore. The iconic bar/venue on West Fullerton Avenue played host to a multitude of bands all competing […]

Story and Photography by Meredith Goldberg

Windy City Sensation returned in Chicago over the weekend of July 16-17, taking over Liar’s Club for two nights of a loud and rowdy rock cocktail with a twist of punk and hardcore. The iconic bar/venue on West Fullerton Avenue played host to a multitude of bands all competing for title of most hyper-energetic set.

Of course, the music was pretty damn good too.

Jump starting the weekend were some well-liked sons of the Windy City, Bad Sons. The Chicago born and bred street punk crew has two modes working in conjunction “Fast. Loud.” The band hit its targets on both. 

Though no exact stats available at the moment, Milwaukee might be the non-Chicago city with the highest number of bands having played at Liar’s Club. Convert, the first of the weekend’s several Milwaukee bands, followed Band Sons. Convert made up of musicians from two different hometown scenes: punk rock, and electronic music.  Somewhat obscured through a very dense layer of blue fog its performance nonetheless broke through strong and clear.  

Some Hearts is based out of both Tulsa, OK and Los Angeles, CA, which one member, Niah Bervin, joked was “weird, I know haha,” found its way into the heart of the opening night crowd with its energetic set. 

Criminal Kids has around for a while and has deservedly developed a reputation for rollicking sets. From the regularity of the band’s appearances at Liar’s, it is obvious this is a favorite spot for them. It even recorded a live record at the venue in September 2021. All of this contributed to a sense the band was very much at home, among friends, on the compact stage at 1665 W. Fullerton. Its performance did not disappoint. 

From Criminal Kids immediately to a crime of another sort. Crime Line comes out of Norfolk, one of the cities making up Hampton Roads, a metropolitan area in southeastern Virginia. (Note: it is also where I lived for several years so I know the area well) Along with its Naval facilities, Hampton Roads might be musically best known for homegrown hip-hop legends Missy Elliott and Pharrell Williams. As shown in the documentary, “Hardcore Norfolk: The Movie” (2011) it also has a strong punk rock legacy. The most well-known of which is likely Waxing Poetics.  Crime Line carries that legacy forward with its rambunctious performance. Lead singer Ray Braza might have been purposefully or perhaps subconsciously but bloodily inspired by   Jack “Choke” Kelly from legendary Boston hardcore band Slapshot.  Braza smashed up his own head with the resulting blood running down his face and garishly mixing with sweat to soak his white t-shirt failed to stop him. Alas, it was difficult to determine if tears completed the metaphorical holy trinity symbolizing the hard work it takes to succeed. 

Capping off night 1 was Dinos Boys out of Atlanta Georgia. Chase Tail pulled triple duty for the weekend. Tail is the lead singer for both Dinos Boys and RMBLR, with each band at the top of its respective night’s bill. In addition, Tail organized the event. However, if he was exhausted at any point, it did not show. 

Aces, from Milwaukee, got the Sunday session off to a pummeling start with its no flash all thrash set. The band appeared to be buoyed by its latest EP, released this year, “Raw Deal,” which includes the single, “Outta Time.” 

Flesh Panthers are vets of the Second City punk scene. Revrend Zombotron led the group with an enthusiasm which led the crowd to slam against the stages and the walls surrounding the compact stage. Flesh Panthers’ lively performance was a highlight among many highlights during the Windy City Sensation 2022 weekend. 

And then there was Baltimore’s BBQT. The 5-piece crew from Charm City delivered an especially exciting set. Gabbie “Sleaze-E-G” Torres dominated both the stage and the floor. At times she appeared ready slither right off the stage. Thankfully, the stage is built fairly low to the ground.  Her bandmate,  guitarist Alex Briscoe, brought to mind a whirling dervish with his nearly continuous spins. He remained in perpetual motion for the duration of the BBQT set. 

Closing out the weekend, RMBLR left the crowd panting and exhausted. Event organizer Chase Tail growled into the mic, slashing across the stage. At one point he dropped to the floor of the stage and proceeded to easily do one-handed push-ups.

Despite a few brief technical glitches with sound gear and guitar straps, the weekend was a bit of chaotic glory. If there is a Windy City Sensation 2023 there will be high expectations to meet. I have little doubt that organizers can and will exceed those expectations. 

Please see below for more images from Windy City Sensation.

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Fest Review & Gallery: Punk Rock Saves Lives Fest 2022 – Day 1 (Ratio Beerworks – Denver, CO)

Punk Rock Saves Lives has been doing some incredible shit in our beloved community for a few years now and during that time, they’ve come to be one of the largest non-profit scene related charity organizations, focusing on Health Concerns (both physical and mental), Equal Rights, Human Rights, and so much more. If you’re not […]

Punk Rock Saves Lives has been doing some incredible shit in our beloved community for a few years now and during that time, they’ve come to be one of the largest non-profit scene related charity organizations, focusing on Health Concerns (both physical and mental), Equal Rights, Human Rights, and so much more. If you’re not familiar with them, check them out, give them a follow and stop by their tent at pretty much any large punk fest in North America and say ‘Howdy’!

This year the ever growing charity decided to throw their first ever Punk Rock Saves Lives Festival in Denver, CO. The terrific, two day event (not counting the pre-party show at EastFax Tap on Friday night) was held at Ratio Beerworks (Overland) to help raise awareness and funding to allow them to continue providing vital resources to our comrades in punk (anyone really, they just lean towards us filthy lowlifes for some reason 😛). Since The Masked Moron, Anarchopunk lives in the Mile High now, we dispatched him to take some pics, drink some locally brewed beer, eat some great food truck grub (those CFH Sliders from Brutal Poodle truck slapped), party with a whole slew of awesome people…..and get Covid. We hear that he successfully accomplished his mission (especially the getting Covid part), so check out his report below!


Local solo act, Sputnik Slovenia started things off, promising to be the tamest act of the night and even though I think he was right, we were still treated to some pretty raucous tunes including a rousing cover of the theme to “Gilligan’s Island” which scored major fan participation points, because who doesn’t sing along to that one, even if it’s just the “…threeeee hour toooouuuur” part?


Next to hit the stage was Adams County’s premiere appliance repairmen/punk rock band, Dryer Fire. Some bands have political messages, others may speak on cultural/social issues, some just sing about having fun. But for this group, appliance safety is paramount, taking ample time between songs to remind everyone to clean their lint traps and check their dryer exhausts on a regular basis. Sooooo……go clean your lint trap and check your dryer exhaust.


Tacoma, WA based pop punks, Let Me Downs flew in on short notice to cover for a band that had to fall out and I think the crowd appreciated them a little extra for that because the energy level spiked significantly during their thirty minute set, which was supposed to be the last indoor set of the night (that’s called foreshadowing, kids).


Time for some fresh Rocky Mountain air! Local favorites, Discomfort Creature (fresh off of a Euro Tour) kicked things off on the outdoor stage. The extra space on the lawn was quickly filled with a humble yet aggressive circle pit and the band fed off of the power that was generated by the constant swirl of the denim and leather clad cyclone.


Denver based super-group, Record Thieves were up next and the crowd definitely knew it as they started slowly creeping towards the stage area, in small waves prior to the band taking the stage. Musically speaking, these guys probably hit the highest mark on the ‘Talent Meter’ for Day One and always bring a pretty high level of intensity. But the highlight for me was hearing the first live performance of their new single “Fault Lines”. Stellar work as always, comrades!


Thousand Island Records representing hard at PRSL Fest! Chicagoland residents, Counterpunch took the stage next. The Windy City punks played through some songs from their most recent LP (and AoTY Contender?) Rewire. But they also tipped their hat to the local scene by inviting The Gamits‘ ex-frontman Chris Fogal to provide vocals for their cover of the defunct band’s most popular tune, “Dotted Lines”. Side Note: I think I have a new favorite basser. That cat fucking briiiings it!


Yes, everybody enjoyed all of the other bands. Yes, everyone had a fabulous day, all around. But let’s be real, everyone was ultimately here to see Chicago hardcore stalwarts, The Bollweevils. Before the set even started, the pit was starting to form and it got more fervid as the band took the stage. After the first song, the weather started to shift and Dr. Daryl, as expected, took his secondary position down in the middle of the ever swelling pit, thrashing around with the fans. The weather continued to deteriorate and as the winds picked up to 25+ MPH 98Gotta love Denver weather), a large tent that was affixed the pergola caught air and nearly flew away. At that point, it was determined that for eh safety of everyone involved, the show had to move back indoors. The sound crew did an amazing job and had the show back in operation inside in about twenty mins. As the set recommenced, The Good Doctor asked the crowd if they could remember where they had left off before Mother Nature interrupted, to which the reply was a hearty “Start Over!”. The band complied and we were treated to a bonus ‘extended set’! It’s been four years since I’ve been tossed that badly down in the pit. Damn, it felt good!

*Check out the rest of the day’s action in the below slideshow! Keep an eye out for Day Two coverage, coming soon!


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Festivals & Events: Scowl, SPEED, Poison Ruin, more to play Thrasher's Death Match

Thrasher has announced the lineup for this year’s Death Match show. Too $hort, SPEED, Scowl, Hotline TNT, Poison Ruin, Stone Vengeance, Nuovo Testamento, and Kumo 99 will be performing. The Blackouts, Nuge, and Kate Clover will be DJing the event. Thrasher Death March will take place on September 14 at Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown, CA.

Gang Green

Gang Green is an American punk rock band originally from Braintree, MassachusettsChris Doherty (guitar), Bill Manley (bass) and Mike Dean (drums) started the band in 1980 and broke up in 1983. Doherty reformed Gang Green the following year, and the band experienced numerous lineup changes until its dissolution for the second time in 1992. Doherty has been the band’s only constant member and has kept Gang Green active from 2005 onwards. The band was influential in the formation of the East Coast hardcore punk scene, and went on to become one of the forerunners of crossover thrash and speed metal in the late 1980s

JOHN unleash a new kind of hypnotic thrash in ‘Trauma Mosaic’

<p>There’s probably a point in all of our lives where we’ve exclaimed some variation of the phase: “Oh shit, John is here.” We’re doing that today (April 25) with a swirling excitement as JOHN, the Google-headache of a London punk duo, unleash a hypnotically thrashy new tune called “Trauma Mosaic.” It hits via Brace Yourself and Pets Care Records; was recorded by Tom Hill at The Bookhouse in South London; was mixed by Seth Manchester (METZ, Big Brave, Battles); and was mastered […]</p>
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