Scottish punks The Murderburgers are now streaming their brand spankin’ new EP (by brand new we really mean it was released last week) “Shitty People and Toothache.” The four song EP was released by Brassneck Records in the UK and Asian Man in the US. You can also buy the vinyls from each label in orange […]
Scottish punks The Murderburgers are now streaming their brand spankin’ new EP (by brand new we really mean it was released last week) “Shitty People and Toothache.”
The four song EP was released by Brassneck Records in the UK and Asian Man in the US. You can also buy the vinyls from each label in orange and green from each label respectively.
Check out the new digs below!
Richmond, VA thrash punks 3:33 are streaming their album “S/T.” The album serves as follow up to their single “War On!” that was released in December of last year. Check out the new album below.
Richmond, VA thrash punks 3:33 are streaming their album “S/T.” The album serves as follow up to their single “War On!” that was released in December of last year.
Check out the new album below.
Washington D.C. punks American Television are now streaming their two track EP “Death Defier.” The boys have also created their very own “Death Defier” roast blend coffee which is available (in addition to a download of the EP) for $15. As of right now there are six bags left so make sure to grab one! […]
Washington D.C. punks American Television are now streaming their two track EP “Death Defier.” The boys have also created their very own “Death Defier” roast blend coffee which is available (in addition to a download of the EP) for $15. As of right now there are six bags left so make sure to grab one!
American Television last released “Jane” in November of 2017.
Check out the new tracks below.
Crash-11 are now streaming their new EP, “Songs I Wish I Wrote.” The EP covers five different bands: Rise Against, Bad Religion, Sum 41, Alkaline Trio and Blink-182. Crash-11’s last release was their self titled EP that hit the public in April of this year. Check out the new digs below!
Crash-11 are now streaming their new EP, “Songs I Wish I Wrote.” The EP covers five different bands: Rise Against, Bad Religion, Sum 41, Alkaline Trio and Blink-182.
Crash-11’s last release was their self titled EP that hit the public in April of this year.
Check out the new digs below!
July 14, 2018, found Chicago’s Still Alive hosting their record release show at GMan Tavern, just a few yards down from the legendary Metro Chicago, and almost directly across the street the Wrigley Field. The iconic baseball stadium had Def Leppard and Journey co-headlining at the Friendly Confines. For those who chose the more intimate […]
Still Alive
July 14, 2018, found Chicago’s Still Alive hosting their record release show at GMan Tavern, just a few yards down from the legendary Metro Chicago, and almost directly across the street the Wrigley Field. The iconic baseball stadium had Def Leppard and Journey co-headlining at the Friendly Confines. For those who chose the more intimate setting of Gman Tavern, they witnessed some raw punk rock served up sans the glitz and frills afforded to stadium rockers. I’m betting none of those in attendance at the smaller show would have traded locations.
Chicago’s Still Alive at its record release show at GMan Tavern
The group’s new record, “Assemble,” is made up of 7 tracks including Schedule One. The band’s description of the tune: “This song is about cannabis being categorized as a schedule one substance. A schedule one drug is one that has no medicinal value and is highly addictive, yet the American government holds the THC patent as medicine. We call bullshit.”
Still Alive’s current lineup is made up of Dan Alfonsi on guitar/vocals, Dom Burdi on guitar/vocals, Mikey Cervenka on drums, and Bryan Schroth on bass. I caught up with Alfonsi a few days later and we discussed the band’s formation 9 years ago, their history thus far, and plans for the future as far as he can see from now.
Still Alive
Alfonsi describes the band’s founding, “Still Alive started in 2009 with 3 other friends from other bands that I liked. We all played in some variation of a punk/ska band so we took that and made it a little heavier. From there we just wanted to play fast and heavy while maintaining the ska roots.”
Cervanka and Alfonsi got their musical start early while Burdi “his own way,” and Bryan seems to have grabbed musical influences from just about everywhere.”
Still Alive
Alfonsi recalls a few of the issues they faced and why he characterizes the band’s start as slow. “We played our first show in 2009 once we were able to hold down a line up long enough practice a full set. Things were definitely slow going for a while. We even played a few songs from my old band Young Til We die to fill in the gaps. 2012 was when we really started to play more often and out of the city.”
Still Alive
Getting to play on bills with many of their favorite bands from growing up has been a highlight in itself. Amongst those Alfonsi and his bandmates feel fortunate for having the chance to share a stage with include Suicide Machines, Choking Victim; and Leftover Crack.
However, Alfonsi is quick to point out that the camaraderie experienced by being in a band and a part of the punk rock community, both local and nationwide, is his favorite part “Jumping in the van with some of my best buds and playing out of town is always a blast. Another awesome aspect has been getting to know so many rad people along the way. Meeting other bands and like-minded individuals have made any hard work well worth it.”
The name Still Alive was partially inspired by the name of Alfonsi’s previous band, Young til We Die. The other half came down to the band members picking it out of a hat. Alfonsi tells me he believes the other options were: “Bloodied Up” and “Drink the Punch.”
Alfonsi describes who the group is at its core: “We are a DIY band. We gave the label thing a spin and it wasn’t for us. We write and produce all of our music with the help of our buddy Justin Yates who keeps us in check when recording.”
“Every member that has played in Still Alive is a Chicago area native minus Chuck Vroom who played bass for a bit before moving back to Detroit. There he’s played with The A Gang, Bastardous, For Dire Life Sake and a bunch more,” says Alfonsi
Still Alive
“Mikey works as a Warehouse Manager in the western ‘burbs. Bryan works at Bandago renting vans to touring bands. In addition to Bandago, he is the merchman extraordinaire for Lagwagon, Me First, Less Than Jake and whoever else needs him haha. Dom works as an office manager with insurance dealings. Dom has another band called Beat The Smart Kids that that is pretty killer. Fun ska stuff. I work as an Interior Painter in the city and I also do some festival work when it’s in season. Besides Still Alive I play bass in a hardcore band called The Ox King, drums in The Ridgelands and also drums in rarely active Brick Assassin. All Chicago bands.”
Still Alive
Alfonsi tells me that he cannot nail down his favorite bands long enough to set a list of them in stone. “Personally, my list of favorite bands is too long and constantly changing so I’ll list my top three local bands. There are so many to choose from, but these are my favorites. All three work super hard and put a lot of time and effort into their music. It shows in the recordings and it really shows live: La Armada, Kali Masi, and Blood People. Honorable mention: Bomblower, Turnspit, and Counterpunch.”
Still Alive
As for the future for Still Alive? Dan Alfonsi tells me the band is brewing some exciting things up. Some they can announce and some they are not quite ready to do so.
“Moving forward we just recorded five songs with Justin Yates at A Million Yen Studio. The recordings are for a split with Rebel Spies from Detroit and Justin Shwier of Underground Comminque is putting it out. Aside from that, we have some cool shows coming up to round out the year that aren’t announced yet, stay tuned.”
Of course, we turned the topic to, as must be done, to the role of punk rock in the era of the Trump Presidency:
“Life is becoming more surreal every day under this administration to the point that we as a people are almost used to it. It’s crazy. There is certainly no shortage of topic to write about, but the toll it’s taking in the meantime is frightening to say the least. The best we can do at this point is to treat each other well and hope that closed minds will start to open.”
As great as the record release party was, however, the night did end with a bummer as Alfonsi explains:
“A few hours following our release show 7/14 I was involved in a collision with a motorist while on my bicycle. I can’t get into too much detail because it’s an ongoing thing, but I urge everyone to pay better attention to your surroundings.”
Needless to say Alfonsi, his friends, his family; and the band’s fans are relieved that Dan is Still Alive and on the road to recovery.
We at Dying Scene wish Dan a speedy and full recovery as well so he can be back onstage as soon as possible.
https://stillalive.bandcamp.com/
How often do you find a new favorite band? For me—not very often. I’m a reviewer, I listen to a bunch of music, and as much as I put in my ears, a select handful of it ends up sticking. But, when it does—oh boy. Mercy Music is the latest to be thrown at the […]
How often do you find a new favorite band?
For me—not very often. I’m a reviewer, I listen to a bunch of music, and as much as I put in my ears, a select handful of it ends up sticking. But, when it does—oh boy. Mercy Music is the latest to be thrown at the wall and the latest to stick. Their new album Until the End of Your World makes a case for them being a new and electric voice in the world of misery-melodies and gutter poetry.
There’s something at once urgent and reckless about the music—each and every one written with the finality and verve of a suicide note. It feels indispensable, like music made to last. Album opener “Song For” begins: “Am I too afraid to kill myself?” It’s a gunshot crooned, silky smooth and impossible to ignore, and it hangs heavy in the air until the needle lifts. Mercy Music live in the twilight between acts of self destruction and sugary pop and the final product sounds like an amalgam of earnest songwriting, big hooks, and moody melodic punk. It’s the juxtaposition between singer Brendan Scholz’s smooth voice and his dark lyricism that makes Mercy Music into its own beast, and the production backs the vibe. If there’s a moment that captures Mercy Music at its essence, it’s the first thing we hear: rumbling distortion, punctuated with a melody played by bright sounding bells.
When it comes to power trios, there’s a very real danger of writing an album of chord progressions with no real songs. But, throughout Until the End of Your World, it becomes clear that there are some great songwriting minds at work in Mercy Music, and each individual instrument works hard to not only carry us through the changes, but to emphasize rhythms, introduce counter-melodies and to build honest to goodness songs. The album wouldn’t be as good as it is if it wasn’t for these instrumental considerations.The drums deserve special mention, providing beats evocative of Phil Spector and 60s pop, while singer/guitarist Scholz shreds, palm-mutes, and riffs his way through anthem after anthem. These disparate elements—the pitch black lyrics, the aggressive fretwork, and sugary pop backbone—join together to form the core of Mercy Music’s sound.
It was, however, the lyrics that first jumped out and bit me. From the opening line, (which, in my mind, has already become iconic) to little lexical rattlesnakes on “Mark Your Wrists” (“You have a way with words and I’m too abrupt.”) and “Mr. Universe,” (“Are these the last words I’ll ever write? And is it too late to suck you in tonight?”), the lyrics are constantly coiling, rattling, and ready—fangs dripping with venom. They ask plaintive, painful questions that bleed and in turn resonate, like calls from the void, desperate for even an echo.
Until The End of Your World is full of great songs, and beyond great, honest lyrics, musical cohesion, and the fact that this is a power trio in every sense of the phrase—it was the songs that kept me coming back. On my first listen, I toe-tapped to the beats as little lines crawled out of melodies and white-knuckled my attention. On the next listen, I started learning melodies, singing along. Soon, I had a shortlist of favorite tracks. Then, I got to see Mercy Music live with Spanish Love Songs and I heard them again for the first time: I witnessed their scrappy, electric energy in person and watched them breathe life into the songs I didn’t know yet. And now, however that all adds up, I have a new favorite. Eleven songs of anxiety, depression, and injured hope—eleven songs I’ll sing for the rest of my life.
5/5
Long Island punk band Iron Chic announced on their Facebook page that they will be releasing a new split with San Pedro’s Toys That Kill. The split LP will be coming out sometime this year and will be a joint release between Dead Broke Rekerds and Recess Records. It will include 4 previously unreleased Iron Chic […]
Long Island punk band Iron Chic announced on their Facebook page that they will be releasing a new split with San Pedro’s Toys That Kill. The split LP will be coming out sometime this year and will be a joint release between Dead Broke Rekerds and Recess Records. It will include 4 previously unreleased Iron Chic tracks.
Iron Chic’s most recent release was the 2017 album You Can’t Stay Here.
Chicago-based punk band October Bird of Death have announced that they are releasing a new EP. Assemble is scheuled to be released August 17 via Zap Records. The opening track from the EP, “Beckoning Beast,” is now available for streaming at the band’s Bandcamp page. Listen to the tune below.
Chicago-based punk band October Bird of Death have announced that they are releasing a new EP. Assemble is scheuled to be released August 17 via Zap Records.
The opening track from the EP, “Beckoning Beast,” is now available for streaming at the band’s Bandcamp page. Listen to the tune below.
Winston-Salem NC-based punk band Wolves & Wolves & Wolves & Wolves have released the final video from their Live From the Rock Room sessions. This last one is the title track off their album The Cross & the Switchblade which was released in 2017 via Wiretap Records. Watch the video below.
Winston-Salem NC-based punk band Wolves & Wolves & Wolves & Wolves have released the final video from their Live From the Rock Room sessions. This last one is the title track off their album The Cross & the Switchblade which was released in 2017 via Wiretap Records.
Watch the video below.
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UK punk group Muncie Girls have announced the dates for their upcoming US/Canada tour that they are embarking on this November. They are touring in support of their upcoming LP Fixed Ideals which will be out August 31 via Buzz Records. View the tour dates below. The band’s last album was the 2016 LP From […]
UK punk group Muncie Girls have announced the dates for their upcoming US/Canada tour that they are embarking on this November. They are touring in support of their upcoming LP Fixed Ideals which will be out August 31 via Buzz Records. View the tour dates below.
The band’s last album was the 2016 LP From Caplan To Belsize.