Journey to the Center of the Cramps is a revised version of Dick Porter’s previous biography of the band, written in 2007 before Lux’s untimely and unexpected death stopped the band in its tracks in 2009. If any band’s time was cut too short, it was the Cramps. It’s not like they weren’t given their […]
Journey to the Center of the Cramps is a revised version of Dick Porter’s previous biography of the band, written in 2007 before Lux’s untimely and unexpected death stopped the band in its tracks in 2009. If any band’s time was cut too short, it was the Cramps. It’s not like they weren’t given their kudos while they were active, but they completely missed an era where punk bands are worshipped just as much as the popular rock bands they spent years trying to be different from. Dick Porter’s telling of the band’s story does just that.
Fueled by early rock ‘n’ roll, EC Horror comics of the 1950s, and drive-in B movies, Porter details the story of Erick Purkhiser (Lux Interior) and Kristy Wallace (Poison Ivy Rorschach). Two kids who met in college in California were credited with creating a genre in the 1970s New York City punk rock scene. By all accounts, they were outliers in the Bowery along with other CBGB bands and were essentially known as the hillbilly counterpart of the band Television.
The Cramps were always unique and unable to be put into a genre box, which shines through in Porter’s writing. If you are looking for the comprehensive telling of the band’s story, look no further than this book. The term psychobilly was coined to describe their sound. The Cramps sort of (and believe no one hates using this phrase more than I do) Forrest Gumped their way through rock music, being a CBGB band, but also friends with people like Alex Chilton.
Each chapter starts off with a historic event. The type of history is dependent on what the chapter is talking about related to the Cramps, but mostly related to music. While it does feel monotone in some spaces, it works in the context of the book. As members leave, I do like that Porter ties up loose ends and tells what happened to them at the end of the chapter rather than waiting until the end of the book.
With Lux and Ivy being the only two consistent members, their cut-and-pasted interview responses intertwined with Dick Porter’s straight-man narration work as a foil for the telling of the Cramps’ story in their own words. A frustrating, but understandable, aspect of the interviews was that, outside of the citations in the back, there isn’t any way to confirm what responses came from when. It was hard to tell if these were retrospective or around the time the events actually occurred.
The end of the book would have seemed a little rushed if the band’s activity wasn’t so scant the last fifteen-ish years of their career. With lineup changes, the gaps between records were sometimes longer than others, but the Cramps chugged along, mostly on the rim of pop culture up until Lux’s passing. Surprisingly missing is any mention of the band’s song “Goo Goo Muck” in Tim Burton’s Addams Family spinoff, Wednesday. A moment that reintroduced a newer generation of kids to the band, even if it was about fifteen years too late.
Outside of being a book about the band’s origins, music, the various members, and exploits, it’s no surprise that the center of the Cramps was Lux and Ivy. The book isn’t only a love letter to one of punk rock’s most beloved bands, but also the love story of Lux and Ivy’s relationship. One does not need to be a fan to appreciate that aspect of the Cramps’ story.
Journey to the Center of the Cramps is published by Omnibus Press and can be purchased here.
When I heard that the Buzzcocks and the Descendents were bringing their 2025 Canadian tour through the often passed-over city of Montréal, I jumped on the tickets immediately. Formed in 1976 and 1977 respectively, these two legendary punk acts from different sides of the globe have played a significant part in shaping the sonic landscape […]
When I heard that the Buzzcocks and the Descendents were bringing their 2025 Canadian tour through the often passed-over city of Montréal, I jumped on the tickets immediately. Formed in 1976 and 1977 respectively, these two legendary punk acts from different sides of the globe have played a significant part in shaping the sonic landscape of punk music, whether that be leading the first wave of British punk in the late 1970s or pioneering the catchy sounds of So-Cal pop-punk in the early 80s. The fact that both groups are still touring and performing after nearly fifty years in what can be a pretty unforgiving industry is rare and incredibly lucky, affording younger punk fans like myself a chance to experience firsthand the iconic groups that exerted an undisputed influence on the scene we know and love today. The bands were playing Montreal’s MTELUS concert hall, a venue with a centuries-long history of entertainment and host to the likes of Green Day, Prince, and Radiohead. With a capacity of about 2,500 people, the place was already relatively full when I arrived about ten minutes before showtime. I settled into a floor spot front and center, ready to take it all in.
The show opened with Mattstagraham, an infectiously catchy pop-punk outfit from Tuscon, Arizona. Their music is fun, fast, and unapologetically political, and charismatic frontman Matt Graham had the crowd jumping up and down shouting his catchy hooks back to him from the get-go. The band’s lyrics are biting and witty – on “Can I Be VIP”, the group pokes fun at all the people they barely know suddenly cozying up to them amid their burgeoning success with the misguided expectation of free tickets and merchandise; the pithy “Broke and Hungry” is a scathing indictment of the so-called American Dream. They closed out their set with the anthemic “Caffeine”, whose soaring chorus whipped the crowd into a delighted frenzy. Mattstagraham was the perfect opener to get the crowd hyped up and ready for the acts to follow.
The crowd condensed in anticipation of the next artist, and with good reason. The Buzzcocks are veritable punk legends with a monumental legacy; it inspires genuine awe to even be in the same room as them. The group sauntered onto the stage one by one waving and smiling, seeming almost humbled to be there, as if it were a privilege to be playing for us and not the other way around. They exuded from the outset an infectiously affable energy, which the crowd returned to them in spades – right from the opening chords of “What Do I Get”, the pit roared to life. We knocked each other about good-naturedly in time to the group’s richly sunny, up-tempo tunes, whirling and slam-dancing and jumping up and down, raising our arms to ferry crowd-surfers along above the audience and over the barrier. I pogoed along with the crowd, catching stray elbows in the small of my back and careening from one side of the pit to the other, letting myself be pushed back and forth by a rollicking wave of moshers. It was exactly what I had come there to experience: good fun and a little release. Some of the concert-goers had clearly expected a tamer show and were visibly pissed at the unexpected rowdiness; I think it’s a little deluded to stand up front at a punk show and not expect it to get a little rough.
I found the crowd to be incredibly present and in-the-moment, with hardly anyone filming or taking photos; it truly felt like nobody wanted to miss even a second of the Buzzcocks’ electric show. Free from the distracting glow of my phone and the constant need to document my every lived experience, I found myself connecting to the performance in a much more meaningful way. It was the perfect way to experience the sudden wild surge in energy that descended upon us when that opening cymbal crash of “Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t Have)” rang out. In that moment, we all felt the crushing heartbreak of unrequited romance together; we shouted the lyrics like the people we loved would never love us back; Steve Diggle grinned at us from the stage like that was his plan all along. “Ever Fallen In Love” is one of my all-time favourite songs, and to hear it live was (don’t tell anyone!) a little bit of an emotional experience. I passed off the tears gathering in my waterline as dancefloor sweat and kept right on moshing.
Sticky, bruised, and in desperate need of a glass of water, I relinquished my prime pit spot and headed for the back of the venue to a calmer area behind the mixers, where I met up with a friend who I’d discovered was also at the show. Despite being a good hundred feet further back from the stage than I had been for the previous set, the experience was in no way diluted; when the Descendents trooped out on stage and exploded right into the opening chords of “Everything Sux”, I knew we’d be in for an unrelenting second act.
The Descendents blasted through a jam-packed setlist with that consummate mix of power, precision, and poise that can only be honed over lifetime of performing, ripping through the material with such finesse you’d have a hard time believing that frontman Milo Aukerman left the band several times throughout their forty-odd years of existence to pursue multiple biochemistry degrees. All throughout the show they kept up an energy that was dynamic, playful and zealous; Milo spat his lyrics into the crowd with pitch-perfect fervor, tilting his head upwards to howl them at the sky between swigs from his crossbody water bottle, while Karl Alvarez’s fingers ran expertly up and down his bass, coaxing the group’s signature giddy, meandering basslines out of the strings and slinging them into the crowd for our rabid enjoyment. The energy in the room reflected the ebullient, live-for-the-moment quality that characterizes much of the Descendents’ catalogue – I found myself howling along to goofy lyrics about silly girls and good, good things, flipping my finger to the King of England, and listening with rapt attention as Milo listed all the things he hopes to accomplish in his van. The band played a handful of tunes from their incel catalogue, with “Myage”, “Hope”, “Bikeage”, and reigning incel anthem “I’m The One” all making the night’s setlist, but pull it off with the sort of self-aware, tongue-in-cheek irreverence that reminds us they were once nothing more than a group of self-loathing, lovelorn, adolescent dweebs who just happened to go on to form one of the most important punk bands of all time. And truthfully, which one of us hasn’t been that first thing? Bill Stevenson said it best in a recent interview with DS contributor Forrest Gaddis: “Look, I was a dumbass teenager. Weren’t you?”
The band closed out their electric set with fan-favourite “Suburban Home” and “Smile”, then ran back out on stage for a four-song encore which included “Kabuki Girl” and three other songs I forgot to write down and which, at the time of writing, no generous strangers have been kind enough to add to Setlist.fm. This of course leaves you, reader, with no other choice but to go catch them on tour when they pass through your city. I can promise it’s well worth it.
It was a night of first-rate performances, nonstop dancing, and joyful, unencumbered punk energy, the kind of night that leaves you feeling decidedly awe-inspired, if slightly out of breath. My friend and I ended the night with a few drinks down the street at Montreal punk institution Foufunes Électriques before heading home to crash into bed. My takeaways from the night are threefold: 1) when the pit is good, it’s really good; 2) we should all be putting our phones away at shows more often; 3) sometimes, the best part of the punk show is letting loose, dancing like mad, and knowing that your friends will be dancing just as crazily besides you. However, if you insist on taking only one thing away from this review, let it be this: I did not cry during “Ever Fallen In Love”. That was only sweat.
One of the premier tours of the Fall kicked off Wednesday September 3rd in St. Paul. “A CATACLYSMIC RAPTURE OF FRIENDSHIPNESS!!!” featuring Toronto-based punk outfit PUP, the legendary Jeff Rosenstock, and upstarts Ekko Astral from Washington D.C. PUP is coming off the release of their new record Who Will Look After the Dogs earlier this […]
One of the premier tours of the Fall kicked off Wednesday September 3rd in St. Paul. “A CATACLYSMIC RAPTURE OF FRIENDSHIPNESS!!!” featuring Toronto-based punk outfit PUP, the legendary Jeff Rosenstock, and upstarts Ekko Astral from Washington D.C.
PUP is coming off the release of their new record Who Will Look After the Dogs earlier this year While Jeff Rosenstock is still riding high off the release of another classic album in the form of 2023’s Hellmode.
The twin headlining bill of PUP and Rosenstock is a dream for those inclined towards high-energy pop punk and garage rock with a focus on song-writing. Personally, both bands have played some of the best shows in my memory, so I couldn’t miss seeing them together.
Ekko Astral
Before the headliners, Ekko Astral took the stage for a great set of politically charged post-hardcore, noise punk and art rock. I wasn’t familiar with the band prior to the show, but have definitely checked them out since. The band released their debut record, Pink Balloons, in April of 2024 to critical acclaim. The album even clocked in at the #1 spot of Pitchfork’s “Best Rock Albums of 2024” list.
Ekko Astral played for roughly half an hour and made the most out of every minute. The highlight of the set came when they played some unreleased material off a future project. If the material translates as well in studio as it does live, their follow-up record should be just as lauded as Pink Balloons. The band does a great job of mixing their styles up, going from slow and heavy industrial sounds to a more upbeat pop punk sound. There’s a bit there for everyone and a lot of great political and social messages in their music.
In the current political landscape, it’s important to rally around the people who need support and protection. Ekko Astral is on the forefront of those issues. If you’re coming out to the tour, make sure you show up early enough to catch their set.
Jeff Rosenstock
After Ekko Astral’s outstanding opening, Jeff Rosenstock took the stage for a blistering set that spanned some of the biggest hits and fan favorites from his solo career. Rosenstock burst onto the scene with his work in Bomb the Music Industry! But he has arguably built just as impressive a catalogue under his own name. The California-based guitarist and songwriter showed off his deep discography during the show, playing a well-balanced show with material from all six of his studio albums.
One of the first observations about a Jeff Rosenstock show that one may make is how well he connects with the crowd. The sing-alongs are all met with audience participation, Rosenstock’s banter feels warm and welcome instead of like a necessary but unwanted break in the show. The audience is just as frenzied for deep cuts like his set opener “Darkness Records” as they are for his most popular material. Another great aspect of a Jeff Rosenstock set is how dynamic the pacing is. He has garage rock-tinged power pop bangers like “Scram!”, but also can slow it down with moody and reflective ballads like “Staring Out the Window at Your Old Apartment”.
The wide-ranging genres and topics of Rosenstock songs make for an amazing live experience. He and his band are truly among the gold standards of live punk rock shows. Rosenstock has become one of the most interesting figures in alternative rock as an active artist since 2005. As mentioned, he’s most known for his solo material and time in BtMI! but has also released music with The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, Antarctigo Vespucci and more. If his live performances are any indication, Rosenstock isn’t slowing down.
Highlights of the hour-long set included a spirited rendition of his hit song “Nausea”, a sing-along of the vulnerable “9/10”, as well as the high-energy “Festival Song” a scathing anthem about the commodification of punk and DIY ethos.
PUP
While Jeff Rosenstock’s set was a rollercoaster, going from frantic and chaotic rippers to emotional reflections, PUP is much more primal and guttural. Sure, there’s some letting up in the set, at least sonically, but most of the show is a balls-to-the-wall shit show of anthems for those of us who are feeling the pain of the modern world.
Lead singer Stefan Babcock started the set by declaring that outside the walls of the Palace Theatre in St. Paul, the world is very difficult and unfriendly right now. A lot of us are having a very difficult time for a myriad of reasons, but for the duration of the show, it was important to make that time a good one. This included watching out for fellow concert goers, making sure everyone was having safe and having a good time while tearing it up. The request is appreciated for PUP’s crowd, which tends to be incredibly raucous. Their music is ripe with opportunity for crowd-surfing, moshing and full on circle pits that are unfortunately missing from so many of the “newer” punk bands on the scene’s shows.
The set started with a high-energy fan favorites that included “No Hope” off their new album, along with PUP setlist mainstays “My Life is Over and I Couldn’t Be Any Happier”, “Free at Last”, “Robot Writes a Love Song” and “Dark Days.”
The set included several songs from their new album, which fit well into their trademark high-energy show. As always, a highlight of the night came from the double feature of their classics “If This Tour Doesn’t Kill You, I Will” into “DVP”. The band has been closing shows with those two songs for much of their history, but have moved it towards the end of the set.
Throughout their history, PUP have never been a fan of doing encores. They traditionally let the audience know its their last couple of songs and end the show. For this tour, there once again is no encore, but there is something else. Jeff Rosenstock and his band rejoin the stage for a quick set that includes two PUP songs, two Jeff Rosenstock songs and a cover of Alanis Morrissette’s “You Oughta Know.”
The show was great up till that point, but the double band set was a real highlight. It felt like a joyous celebration of an amazing night of music.
The show truly was an epic night of some of the best pop punk has to offer. The audience responded to everything all three bands did. As a veteran of hundreds of shows, I’ve lost the feeling that I had when I first started going to shows. Sure, all live shows are fun, but there’s times where the experience feels a bit worn, like your old favorite shirt that doesn’t quite fit anymore. Every now and then, a show comes through that gives me the same feeling I had when I went to my first-ever live punk gig, a 2011 Dead Milkmen show at the now-defunct Congress Theater in Chicago. This was one of those nights. If you’re a fan of PUP, Jeff Rosenstock or Ekko Astral already, this is a must-see show. But if you’re interested in a great show and happen to see it coming through your town; go. You won’t regret it.
Indianapolis punks the Remote Controls released their bad ass new album Too Tough digitally last month, and now a physical release is on the way thanks to our friends at Mom’s Basement Records and Fail Harmonic Records. The two labels are joining forces for a vinyl release across three color variants, limited to just 100 […]
Indianapolis punks the Remote Controls released their bad ass new album Too Tough digitally last month, and now a physical release is on the way thanks to our friends at Mom’s Basement Records and Fail Harmonic Records.
The two labels are joining forces for a vinyl release across three color variants, limited to just 100 copies each. We’re stoked to give you the first look at the variants; check ’em out – and listen to this killer fuckin’ record – down below!
If Jawbreaker wasn’t on the radar of record execs before 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, they were after it was released. The album has gone on to be a favorite of the bands for fans and critics alike. Yet, whatever status as darlings of the scene the band had was about to be compromised. Before the […]
If Jawbreaker wasn’t on the radar of record execs before 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, they were after it was released. The album has gone on to be a favorite of the bands for fans and critics alike. Yet, whatever status as darlings of the scene the band had was about to be compromised. Before the album’s release, the band would go on to get an opening spot for Nirvana’s US Tour. Nirvana was well past the point of being known as sellouts. It was only a matter of time before big music snatched up Jawbreaker.
Jawbreaker’s success got them into meetings with a lot of big record labels. They eventually signed with DGC Records, who had signed Nirvana a few years earlier, but with that came a bit of a reform from the band in the way their music sounded. The guitar tone is cleaner, and so is Blake’s voice. Mostly gone were his gruff growls, almost as if he had needed a break from them. It’s no secret that Blake had throat surgery before recording 24 Hour Revenge Therapy, resulting in his singing voice going up a couple of octaves. Blake started writing songs to fit his vocals, and Dear You was the result. It’s something you can feel in the opening track, “Save Your Generation.” With lines like, “We’re killing each other by sleeping in,” the song is a plea to the slacker generation and being pessimistic about the world around you.
“I Love You So Much It’s Killing Us Both” is as close to an older Jawbreaker song as we get tempo-wise off Dear You, but it’s filtered through the band’s updated sound. Lyrically, the song follows what a lot of pop-punk songs about relationships cover: a kind of reluctant savior. The first line of the second verse states, “How could I save you when I couldn’t save a dime?” Essentially saying, “I can’t function like an adult, how can I save this relationship?” When I write these retrospectives, I always feel like I skimp out on how the band plays; really, it’s always solid. There’s no exception here. While tensions may have been boiling between Chris Bauermeister and Schwartzenbach, they’ve never felt more musically in tune with each other.
The first single off Dear You was “Fireman.” The song is Blake detailing dreams about an ex dying in a myriad of ways. Blake’s way of using imagery in this song is fantastic. The melodic riff used in the intro and between the verses seems to be a reset, like the narrator is waking up after each of these, and the riff puts him back into another of these dreams. The chorus and bridge seem to be the narrator acknowledging the dissociation and repressed emotions.
You can’t go into this album without talking about the song “Accident Prone.” This song, along with “Jet Black” and “Basilica,” feel like proto-Jets to Brazil songs. Slower, more meditative, and leaning closer to what would be considered emo than punk rock. The song seemingly is about being at the lowest point in the narrator’s life and the reflections of how they got there. The opening lyrics to each verse bring up an almost fight-or-flight response.
“What’s the furthest place from here?”
“What’s the closest you can come to an almost total wreck?”
”What’s the meanest you can be to the one you claim to love?”
Blake’s intro to the song on Jawbreaker’s Live 4/30/96 album talks about how the song is about a scary time the band had the previous year. Sometimes it only takes a small nugget of a feeling to get to that place. This isn’t the wordiest song, but it does cut hard, probably more than most songs in general.
It would be easy to dismiss “Bad Scene, Everyone’s Fault” as too poppy for Jawbreaker if it wasn’t such a great song. In an album that can be considered musically moody in some points, its bright guitars do stick out a bit. The song tells the story of running into a friend at a party who had recently been dumped by his girlfriend, but the girlfriend was in the other room with her new boyfriend. There’s also this dissection of what it’s like to be the old(er) guy at a party when you’re kind of over that scene. I’m not sure who chose the singles for this album, but this should have been one of them.
As a punk rocker and nerd, I always get stuck debating how I should spend my May 4th, celebrating Star Wars or Jawbreaker. I know, ideally, you can do both, but it’s still tough. That being said, “Sluttering (May 4th)” is hands down one of the best songs about the end of a relationship. It doesn’t fall into the immaturity that some songs did during this era, making either a joke or name-calling, but whoever these songs are about did Blake dirty. Each word of the last verse feels like a nail in a coffin, and each snare drum hit hammers them in place. Blake’s repeating of “If you hear this song a hundred times it still won’t be enough,” clings the sentiment to them.
“Boxcar” was rerecorded for Dear You, but it was not put on the record’s original release, one of the few instances where the band successfully avoided one of their already popular songs being included on their album. The recording was eventually put on an album of B-sides and non-album songs called Etc., released in 2002 and on its rerelease in 2004. This version of “Boxcar” matches the band’s reformed guitar tone, but is played nearly identically to its original version, which in a way describes the reunited band.
Despite initially being hated by fans, Dear You went on to be one of Jawbreaker’s most popular albums. If you’ve followed Blake’s career, it’s nowhere near the left turn that Jets to Brazil would end up being, which is, meant in the best way. On top of using the song title “Bad Scene, Everyone’s Fault” for a tribute record, “I Love You So Much It’s Killing Us Both” was used as a title for a book written by Mariah Stovall, which explores the codependent relationship between two women. The lyric, “What’s The Furthest Place From Here” is the title of a critically acclaimed comic book written by Matthew Rosenberg and drawn by Tyler Boss. “Accident Prone” itself has been covered by the likes of Hayley Williams of Paramore and others, but one of the best renditions of the song is Julien Baker’s piano-driven cover.
I think Jawbreaker would have evolved into what Jets to Brazil became. It’s kind of a shame that the band disintegrated not too long after Dear You was released. Schwarzenbach swore up and down that the band would never get back together, feeling he could not sing the songs anymore and not wanting to do a disservice to the fans, but we all know how that turned out. If you’ve been lucky enough to catch any of the shows since their 2017 reunion, then you know this hasn’t been the case. One of these tours has been specifically to tour Dear You. Fans want another record from the band, but I could see Blake’s hesitancy, given the reception of this album. His last official release was a Forgetters album in 2012. While it’s definitely Blake’s songwriting, it felt like a return to form with Jawbreaker.
Ian Robinson – the artist better known as Black Guy Fawkes – is back with a brand new record, The Misery Suite. Due out next Friday (September 19th) on Asbestos Records, The Misery Suite marks Robinson’s latest full-length under the Black Guy Fawkes moniker. It’s chock-full of guest appearances by heavy hitting familiar names like […]
Ian Robinson – the artist better known as Black Guy Fawkes – is back with a brand new record, The Misery Suite. Due out next Friday (September 19th) on Asbestos Records, The Misery Suitemarks Robinson’s latest full-length under the Black Guy Fawkes moniker. It’s chock-full of guest appearances by heavy hitting familiar names like Angelo Moore and Dave Hause and Linh Le and Kayleigh Goldsworthy and Ian “The Punk Cellist” Legge and many more. Most importantly, however, the album finds Robinson sharpening his claws to finer points than ever before, bringing his songwriting to new heights.
To hear Robinson tell it in the literature that accompanied early announcements of the album, The Misery Suite draws its name from the room that Robinson used as a space for both “brooding” and for engaging in therapy sessions. Engaging in therapy was a new endeavor for Robinson in early 2023, and it very much informs both the process that crafted the record, and the outcome of the record itself in ways that are hugely beneficial to both the art and the artist.
The Misery Suite begins with the tick-tocking of an analog clock. It’s a fitting introduction to album-opener “Beginning Of The End.” Based on the listener’s headspace, the clock plays as either warning that we’re running out of time, or as the predecessor to an alarm, a pending wake-up call that’s about to jolt you into action. Set over a simple four/four alternating chord pattern, the verses and the first of many anthemic choruses on “Beginning Of The End” have us wondering; has a lifestyle of bad choices and mistakes and missteps and transgressions has doomed us to oblivion? Or, perhaps, is there a point to all of this; a way to pull ourselves out of a tailspin with sights set on a redemptive arc. Therein lies the journey we’re about to embark on over the course of the next nine tracks.
This existential struggle is at the core of the album’s recurring theme. “Cause For Alarm” is full of the type of fear, doubt and insecurity that lead many people to a breaking point, or at least to a decision point. “I think I’m breaking down/Cuz I don’t know fucking how to make this lifestyle work” is the type of reflection that can push one to find help, or to make perhaps a more nefarious jump into the abyss of their choosing. “Fear Of Faith,” featuring the incomparable human dynamo that is Linh Le (Bad Cop Bad Cop), is the first big car-crash of a punk rock song. Set over a shuffling tempo, it finds Robinson – and Le – and really, all of us, asking the difficult questions about where exactly we’re supposed to turn for guidance and hope if there is no sign that traditional measures have worked in the past. “The rosary and all its beads// won’t help me get my wants and needs…there’s no sign that this cross will help me get back all I’ve lost” is a sign that maybe we’re not necessarily in this struggle alone, but that we’re going to have to search a little farther and wider for strength. It’s also chock-full of the kinds of brilliant and layered harmonies that have been one of Bad Cop’s calling cards for a decade now.
“Little Black Storm Clout” is a mid-tempo story of alienation and abandonment with a gigantic sing-along, where we all, sweaty arms linked in basement punk show camaraderie, shout along at the top of our collective lungs, wondering what we’ll have to do to be accepted for who – and how – we are. “Disposable” brings Side A of The Misery Suite to a close in tender, acoustic-driven fashion, and features our first of two back-to-back Punk Cellist appearances. It’s a somber track with an almost hypnotic recurring guitar melody, and it once again laments feeling like a castoff, like an outcast who’s been left behind by friends or family or society or all of the above.
“Water & Wine” starts off Side B with a bit of hope. It’s the first real moment of change; the first real moment that the reflection and negative self-talk we might have engaged in in Side A has a counter-balance. “You’re not alone, you’re just misplaced…don’t forget, you’re unforgettable.” It’s got another big singalong outro, which creates the realization that those moments that we’ve spent together in those sweaty punk rock rooms are the thread, the something bigger that unites us, the collective that can help us realize we’re not alone. “Racial Battle Fatigue” is another car crash of a song with a giant, wailing guitar woven in and out, though it’s also the first track that probably qualifies as traditional “folk punk” in the truest sense of the term. It’s a razor-sharp dart aimed directly at the forces in this country that continue to treat minorities as other, as second-class citizens, and as needing to act or think or perform in a certain type of deferential way in order to be something close to accepted. “Glass Houses” might be the album’s high-water mark. Featuring writing – and soaring vocals – from Lauren Kashan (ex-Sharptooth) it’s a massive, stadium-filling rock track with super tight percussion, a slow, chunky breakdown, and Ian’s blood-curdling wail in the bridge. It makes this semi-reformed ex-nu-metal kid’s heart happy. “This Radio” is more of a traditional pop-inspired rock song, the perfect place to feature guest vocals by the great Dave Hause. Dedicated to “the punks, the freaks, the in-betweens,” it continues the redemptive arc in a manner that is so familiar to many a listener; finding solace in music. Finding inspiration to just keep going, to maybe not be perfect but to at least make progress in a way that buys you some time.
“Spotlight” brings the album to a close in a manner that…well, if “Glass Houses” isn’t the high-water mark it’s only because “Spotlight” is. It starts out solo and acoustic before kicking in a massive, Midwest emo riff-inspired verse. Lyrically, it’s a bit of a tale of the struggle that is therapy. “It’s so hard to hold a spotlight on things that keep you up at night.” The album and the process and the journey are not for the faint of heart. The work is hard and it’s messy but it’s cathartic and ultimately freeing. The kind of narrative that only comes when we’re razor sharp in our focus and not afraid to call out bullshit, even when that bullshit comes from elsewhere in the scene or, as is especially the case on The Misery Suite, from the reflections when we look in the mirror.
On 24 August 2025, the Ottobar hosted a night of post-punk and indie rock music. Hometown artists Twings, anocean, and Empris & The Gems were accompanied by Freezing Cold from New York City who joined the party for a great night. Twings is a darkwave band from Baltimore whose members include Charlie Hughes (vocals), Curt […]
On 24 August 2025, the Ottobar hosted a night of post-punk and indie rock music. Hometown artists Twings, anocean, and Empris & The Gems were accompanied by Freezing Cold from New York City who joined the party for a great night.
Twings is a darkwave band from Baltimore whose members include Charlie Hughes (vocals), Curt Schmelz (bass), and Rob Girardi (guitar). Their sound is reminiscent of the 80’s post-punk that will keep you dancing through the night. Their new album There’s a Dark Sky out now. Follow them here.
Freezing Cold is a New York City-based indie rock post-punk band whose members include Jeff Cunningham (vocals/guitar), Leanne Butkovic (vocals/bass), and Angie Boyland (drums). This was their first show in Baltimore and the last stop on this tour, so it was great to share that experience with them. Listen to their new record, Treasure Pool, that was released on 1 August 2025. Follow them here.
anocean (lowercase) is a dreamy noise pop band right from Baltimore whose members include Anna Conner (vocals/guitar), Kyle Franta (vocals/guitar), Pete Ryan (drums), and Dave Mann (bass). The band offers a beautiful atmospheric sound that you will keep wanting more. Their EP, Climbing Walls, was released 1 November 2024. Follow them here.
Empris & The Gems is an indie rock band from Baltimore who opened the show. Empris (vocals/guitar), also known as Emily Priscilla, performed a solo set without the rest of her band. Their latest release, Three of Swords, was released on 30 May 2025. Be sure to find them here.
Rob J Girardi (guitarist for Twings) with his wife, Veronica Jay Clay hanging out at the show. I met them when their project, RjVj played at Simple Bar in Washington, DC on 18 January 2025. RjVj includes Girardi (guitar) and Clay (vocals/synth) album, Elixir, is scheduled for release on 19 September 2025. Follow them here.
Welcome to Four Records! This week Forrest talks to Dying Scene editor Anarchopunk. Anarchopunk’s Four Records: 0-10: Toy Dolls – “Dig That Groove Baby” Teenage: NOFX – “Punk In Drublic” Twenties: Against Me – “Reinventing Axl Rose” Recent Record: Propaghandi – “Victory Lap” Listen on Podbean Listen on YouTube Follow us Instagram Email: fourrecordspodcast@gmail.com Opening […]
Welcome to Four Records! This week Forrest talks to Dying Scene editor Anarchopunk.
After Jawbreaker’s tumultuous breakup in 1996, Blake Schwartzenbach moved to New York City. Trading one trio for another, Schwartzenbach recruited Jeremy Chatelain (Handsome) and Chris Daly (Texas is the Reason) and formed Jets to Brazil in 1997. This new band would go on to record and release their first album, Orange Rhyming Dictionary, in 1998. […]
After Jawbreaker’s tumultuous breakup in 1996, Blake Schwartzenbach moved to New York City. Trading one trio for another, Schwartzenbach recruited Jeremy Chatelain (Handsome) and Chris Daly (Texas is the Reason) and formed Jets to Brazil in 1997. This new band would go on to record and release their first album, Orange Rhyming Dictionary, in 1998. It’s strange that this album was as well received as it was, considering Jawbreaker’s foray into a cleaned-up sound with Dear You did not go over well with their fans. While Orange Rhyming Dictionary feels like its own thing, it definitely still has Jawbreaker in its system. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. This album, like many after a songwriter parts from a seminal band, is expected to have some DNA from the previous outlet.
Almost five years to do the day that Jawbreaker released Dear You, Jets to Brazil released their second album, Four Cornered Night. The album continues Schwartzenbach’s journey into a poppier sound which makes this a riskier album, but it does pay off. Jets to Brazil’s songs have this meditative quality to them, something that was established on Orange Rhyming Dictionary, and is explored much more thoroughly here. By this time, they had added a second guitarist, Brian Maryansky, to round out the band and give them a much fuller sound, but also gave Blake the chance to experiment more with other instruments.
The album opener, “You’re Having the Time of My Life,” shows this well. Its wavering opening riff makes you unsure of what is coming. There’s mystery in it through a build-up that gives way to some strums of the guitar that set everything straight, and goes into the first verse. Later the riff is repeated to transition us to other parts of the song. The guitar is brighter than most of the songs on Jets To Brazil’s previous album and definitely more than Jawbreaker’s catalogue. The chorus is one of the other shiny parts of this song. Not even because of its lyrics, which are some of Blake’s strongest, but with the use of bells as they emphasize the chords after the first line of the chorus. It’s a nice preview of the experimentation with instruments not of the norm on this type of album.
It’s so hard to parse Four Cornered Night down to a handful of tracks without it being too first-side-heavy. It’s perfect in its sequencing and there’s almost a Beatlesque quality to it, especially with “Air Traffic Control.” That guitar tone and riff feel like a slower take on the Fab Four’s “And Your Bird Can Sing” from 1966’s Revolver. Of all the lyricists that have come from punk rock, why Blake’s lyrics don’t get some sort of academic analysis is beyond me. If anyone knows their way around song composition, it’s him. While it wasn’t unusual to compare a relationship to a plane crash, Schwartzenbach’s expanded interpretation of the metaphor is one of the better examples of imagery used on this album.
There’s a good chunk of this album that features Blake on piano or keyboard. Unsurprisingly, he takes to them well. The keyboard intro on “One Summer Last Fall” is another surprise on this album, but Blake’s use of piano on “In The Summer You Really Know” shines and leads the song to being one of the strongest tracks on the album. The piano starts off very prominent and sounds like it’s mixed louder in the beginning, but gradually fades enough until it mixes in with the rest of the instruments, which includes a cello part played by Amy Domingues. Partway through, there’s a break of just Blake’s piano, but at some point, the piano subtly drops out.
If Blake Schwartzenbach has a country song it’s “Empty Picture Frame.” The first minute and a half of the song is just Blake and a guitar before the band joins him; it feels like it could be sung by Hank Williams. While Blake’s vocals and guitar keep with the quasi-honky tonking, the rest of the band comes in a bit shaky. A lot of this album feels like this, but not in a bad way. Sometimes unsure of the risks it takes, it’s almost as if Blake was crucified for experimenting with a softer and cleaner sound or something.
Schwartzenbach had been in New York for about three years when this album was released. “Your X-Rays Have Just Come Back from the Lab and We Think We Know What Your Problem Is,” seems to be about that exact thing. The imagery Blake uses to describe the city, some of its people, and how he’s dealt with them during his time there, paired with this almost upbeat song, gives the impression that NYC is a double-edged sword. While the sentiment isn’t necessarily unique, the observation through his lens surely is.
Everyone’s an artist with a pristine vision
A cellular intelligencer
With a fire in her kitchen
Too many chiefs on dope
And the rich don’t want to listen.
The album ends with “All Things Good And Nice.” The lyrics are written in couplets, two successive lines that rhyme and have the same metre. Blake spends five and a half minutes thanking everyone from his family to his bandmates and even his piano. If you weren’t convinced that Blake Schwartzenbach could write an album full of ballads and pop songs by the end of this album, then you probably never understood Blake to begin with.
Four Cornered Night is Blake Schwartzenbach at his most experimental. From the arrangements of the instruments used to Schwartzenbach’s reflective lyrics, this album feels like an exercise in how to progress as a songwriter. I don’t think he went out to make a post-punk/emo album via Brian Wilson, but it’s what came out. Proving, he’s not just one of punk’s best songwriters, but one of the best songwriters in general.
San Francisco punks Who Asked For This? released a bad ass new EP called Get Comfortable a few months ago and we’re stoked to bring you the music video for one of five tracks “Mental Health Day”. Check that shit out below and listen to the full EP right here. If you’re in the bay […]
San Francisco punks Who Asked For This? released a bad ass new EP called Get Comfortable a few months ago and we’re stoked to bring you the music video for one of five tracks “Mental Health Day”. Check that shit out below and listen to the full EP right here.
If you’re in the bay area, catch Who Asked For This? this Saturday, September 13th. They’re playing at O’Reilly’s Pub with Chino’s Burnin’, Watch This Drive, and Noise In The Room.
This premiere is brought to you in part by Punk Rock Radar. If you’d like your band’s music video to be premiered by Dying Scene and Punk Rock Radar, go here and follow these instructions. You’ll be on your way to previously unimagined levels of fame and fortune in no time.
Royal
“why Blake’s lyrics don’t get some sort of academic analysis is beyond me.” Hard seconding this. Get on it, professors!