Tony Sly was a singer, songwriter and guitar player. He was best known as frontman for seminal 90s California punk rock band No Use For A Name. He also had a successful career as a solo acoustic troubadour, and appeared as one-quarter of the supergroup Scorpios, alongside John Snodrass, Joey Cape, and Brian Wahlstrom.
Happy Saturday! It’s been eight days since Fall Out Boy released their newest album, creating a “new beginning” for themselves. Since we don’t typically cover anything Fall Out Boy-related, my editors gave me a pass and let me take the wheel for today’s post. Which is sponsored by my coffee machine and a record player […]
Happy Saturday! It’s been eight days since Fall Out Boy released their newest album, creating a “new beginning” for themselves. Since we don’t typically cover anything Fall Out Boy-related, my editors gave me a pass and let me take the wheel for today’s post. Which is sponsored by my coffee machine and a record player that’s currently playing Fall Out Boy.
Firstly, this might be an atypical Dying Scene post, but I want to thank Fall Out Boy for shaping my teens and making me question my taste in men later in life. Since Fall Out Boy has become too big for “small” online ‘zines, except Kerrang! I’ve decided to show my undying admiration for them by putting together a top ten all-time best Fall Out Boy songs that aren’t the ones we still hear on the radio from 2006.
So if you like Fall Out Boy as much as I do or want an introduction to them, I’m here to guide you through the magnificent and unique world that Fall Out Boy made with their clever lyrics and ever-so-changing sound. Let us begin! And we are starting with the number 10!
10. I Write Sins Not Tragedies (A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, 2005)
No doubt that this is such an underrated song from their first album. The sound and lyrics are just so unique and ahead of their time. They started Emo, but it’s only 18 years later that we all genuinely have come to understand the uniqueness this song has brought. Thank you, Fall Out Boy for starting Emo <3
9. Lying Is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off (A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out, 2005)
Every time I hear this song, I get emotional when I listen to it. I’m pretty sure it was written for Pete Wentz’s wife, now ex-wife, at that time. But he never replied to my message, so I can’t confirm this.
8. ME! Ft Brendon Urie (Lover, 2019)
Wow, that moment they went full pop and thought they could get away with it. They did for a few weeks during the summer, but I started wondering what I liked about them after that. But one can’t deny that this is a banger!
7. House of Memories (Death of A Bachelor, 2016)
It was a hit BEFORE TikTok started using it, and it is still a banger today. I have nothing to add to this song.
6. One Of The Drunks (Pray for the Wicked, 2018)
I heard this song every time I went partying, this is my jam. Turns out I suck at partying and not everyone likes emo.
5. High Hopes (Pray for the Wicked, 2018)
I wish I was the last good thing of their part of town. I remember cracking this song, wishing the guy I had a crush on would phone me. But he never did. It still slaps and I still do the air guitar, so to the dude that broke my heart for the first time – thanks for giving me a cool skillset. You were the last good thing about that part of town. Asshole.
4. Northern Downpour (Pretty. Odd, 2008)
They did a remix with 100 gecs, Craig Owens, and Nicole Dollanganger. I am so here for it, the summer it came out it was my number 1 on my Spotify list!!
3. Far Too Young to Die (Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, 2013)
From their newest album, this song brings me in such a good mood with it’s catchy lyrics and Patrick’s voice. So it seems the vultures are getting too full to fly. Eat that, haters.
2. Local God (Viva Las Vengeance, 2022)
I know MANIA is a controversial album, but there’s no denying that Wilson stood out as one of the better tracks. Seriously, guys, we have forgiven you for this trashy album. But it’s a good track, ok?
1. The Best of Both Worlds (Hannah Montana, 2006)
The number Uno! “Calm Before the Storm” has got to be my most heard FOB song since I heard about them. Even to this day, I find the lyrics amazing. But as they sing in the song “What you do on your own time’s just fine.”
If you’ve read this far. April Fools – we regret nothing.
Cali based mariachi alter ego Mariachi El Bronx is playing a string of dates in Southern California this May, see below. Tickets for this run of dates are already on sale. The band released Mariachi El Bronx (III) in 2014.
Stolen from the band’s bio on their website:
Boston-based punk/emo outfit Trash Rabbit has been playing together since 2018. Founding members guitarist/vocalist Mena Lemos, bassist/vocalist Nic Adams, and drummer Gibran Mobarak, met in high school and began writing songs and performing in the Boston DIY scene. Taking inspiration from all kinds of music, from punk and emo to jazz, the band created a unique and refreshing sound that has been fueling mosh pits since its start. The band released their first EP, Trash/Cable, in 2018, and followed it with their first full-length LP Boy Problems, in 2019. The band began attending Berklee College of Music in the fall when they released their next single, Deadhouse, in November 2019.
The band continued through COVID, triumphantly playing their first show back at Lynch Family Skatepark in 2021, along with releasing Trash Rabbit Presents: Rabbit’s Rumble. In addition, guitarist Gia Flores joined the group, adding a new shimmering voice to the band’s sound. Since then, Trash Rabbit has played countless shows both in their hometown and across the northeast, opening for such acts as Guerrilla Toss and Speedy Ortiz and playing at venues such as the Sinclair and the House of Blues. They most recently have released a multitude of singles: Rock Bottom, Rubberneck, and Ace Anthem, which showcase the sonic signature that Trash Rabbit has to offer.
T.S.O.L. (True Sounds of Liberty) is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California. Although most commonly associated with hardcore punk, T.S.O.L.’s music has varied on each release, including such styles as deathrock, art punk, horror punk and other varieties of punk music.
T.S.O.L. have a short string of California shows to end out the year. No Consent and La Pobreska open. The jaunt kicks off December 7.
TV Party is made up of five friends from Ventura, Ca. Jesse Brinkenhoff’s vocal tone has been compared to the likes of Peter Murphy (Bauhaus) and Julian Casablancas (The Strokes). The music is reminiscent of late 70’s / early 80’s power pop. Bridging the early punk sound of New York and London, Tv Party delivers a fresh darkness with a full band sound.
After the birth of my children I found, as many do, that my social circle changed as did my activities. Gigs, festivals and club nights were replaced with baby groups, cafes and play dates. I’m not complaining, it’s an inevitable part of being a parent but I confess, I got lazy. Listening to the same […]
After the birth of my children I found, as many do, that my social circle changed as did my activities. Gigs, festivals and club nights were replaced with baby groups, cafes and play dates. I’m not complaining, it’s an inevitable part of being a parent but I confess, I got lazy.
Listening to the same old bands, never branching out, never putting time into new artists. I was tired, I didn’t have the energy to spend on new music and when I did get the chance to enjoy music (mostly limited to in the car) I wanted an instant, familiar hit. I didn’t have time to waste on something that might not satisfy my needs.
As my kids get older, I’ve invested time and effort in catching up. There’s been a lot of great bands come and go over the last ten years, and playing in my own band has opened me up to whole genres of punk, where old guys like me feel safe.
On this musical journey I discovered that the type of punk that I like (the sing along, street punk, skin head music) is popular across mainland Europe, and there are many great bands currently delivering this style of music. Away from the “mainstream” of Spotify and YouTube, Bandcamp has been a great asset in discovering new bands, searching by country, as has the radio shows of punk n oi worldwide.
It was on this journey of musical discovery that I came across Ukrainian punk bands, and with the on going conflict in Ukraine, I wanted to highlight that behind the invasion, the murder and the headlines, there are people like you and me, and bands and a punk scene, and when this senseless violence is over, there will still be people like you and me, and bands and a punk scene.
Cios (Polish for punch), formed in 2011 in Khmelnytskyi in Ukraine. Formed from members of a folk/ska/punk band. Gigs in neighboring countries preceded their first release, followed by a line up change due to emigration of the singer to Poland. At this point, Punk Rat took on vocal and guitar duties, Ruslan was drafted in on bass and Vadik continued on drums. January 2014 saw the release of an eponymous album and the superb 8 track album, Streets on Fire. 4 further releases bring us up to 2021’s Pain. Abuse. Dirt, 23 minutes of slightly different sounding tracks to earlier work, with more of a garage rock sound, opening track “Defector” has a feel of The Hives at their prime, and title track “Pain. Abuse. Dirt is a dramatic soundscape, leading into penultimate track “Everyday life”.
All releases are available on their Bandcamp Page with money going directly to Ukrainians affected by the Russian violence.
Bezlad (it means derangement according to Google!) hail from Kharkiv, which if you follow the news on what’s happening in Ukraine, has been a hot point for the violence. The band had a recent tour derailed by failing to gain permission from the ministry of culture to leave Ukraine. Since the start of the combat, most men aged 18-60 are not able to leave the country without permission, and sadly this was declined.
2019 saw Bezlad release a debut EP “Kharkiv Hardcore Skins”, four tracks of blistering street punk, and the eponymous track has an excellent video capturing some of the energy of the punk scene Bezlad are a part of. Grab the EP here.
Beton (Concrete) released a cover of The Clash’s “London Calling” reimagined as “Kyiv Calling”. Wide publicity for the band raised suggestions of fascist leanings as a member of the band was pictured in a T-shirt depicting Stepan Bandera, a Ukrainian nationalist who collaborated with the Nazis during WW2. Guitarist Andriy Zholob was quick to deny the allegations and described Beton as being an anti-fascist band and released a statement condemning fascism and trying to explain the complexity of the history of Bandera, and why his nationalism is often seen by Ukrainians as a symbol of their independence and strength.
Despite playing together for 12 years, this group from Lviv didn’t form as Betonuntil 2017. Playing hardcore punk of the more classic style than the modern growl sound, I’d perhaps describe them as more street punk style if I’m honest, with singalong choruses and shouted verses. Either way, it’s catchy, and I have no doubt superb when played live in sweaty basements and dive bars. Head over to their Bandcamp page for more!
Stinx, from Kyiv are more of an old school punk rock band, formed in 2005, they have seven releases, all available on Bandcamp. The first thing you’ll notice with Stinx is that they sing in English, making their music immediately more accessible to western audiences, and lyrically they’re strong, tackling the usual punk topics of alienation, anger and the love of punk rock.
The above bands are just a tiny taste of the quality music coming out of Ukraine over the last few years, and it is important to remember that when all this is over, these bands, these people will need our support to rebuild and provide hope and distraction for the punks living in Ukraine. Punk brings people together, and those that have lost friends, family, band mates, instruments, venues and practice spaces will need the support of the international punk scene to rebuild and come back harder. If a recent gig featuring Bezlad, Cios and Mauser, performed in a bomb shelter is anything to go by, these bands won’t be held back!
Half Dead is the latest EP from Brooklyn’s Ultra Major. I’ll let the press release tell you what the deal is, but I can also tell you I vouch for it!
With their latest album, Half Dead, Ultra Major hitch their towering ‘90s-indebted melodic hooks to the restlessness of 2020s anxieties; creating a roadmap to finding comfort in a thorny world. The foundation of Half Dead is seven songs that firmly anchor one foot in youthful nostalgia to be able to authentically make sense of today. At stake is the front man Ty Jontz’s quest to make his life work on his own terms.
While the group hails from New York City, and carries the weighty grit that pervades much of the region’s sonic output, their music reaches far beyond the city limits to pull from a vast spectrum of American rock. Keen-eared listeners might catch traces of that midwest Pumpkins-esque sneer within the first seconds of opening track, “Fader”, or the howling echoes of 4AD-ready guitar lines that weave throughout the album. Perhaps amongst the inescapable energy and searching emotions they’ll recognize the imprint of those trailblazers who first blurred the boundaries between indie, punk and hardcore.
“Picture Perfect” is a runaway ripper where Jontz reflects on the eternal quest to find a sense of community; in his case it’s a world of music freaks and basements. “As Seen On TV” thrashes against the mainstream current with punishing guitars backing the warning that “it’s spitting you out, and calling you in”. “Niners” lets frustrations boil over amongst a crunching bass and guitar riff as Jontz rails at the frustrations of working with someone who never seems to be on the same page.
Half Dead is music for those who find themselves forever drawn to the left of the dial, those unquiet souls constantly seeking to make sense of now while never forgetting yesterday.
SoCal punk band formed in 1990 by drummer Wade Youman. Unwritten Law has released seven full-length albums, producing Top 5 singles like “Seein’ Red” and “Save Me (Wake Up Call)”.