Happy Friday, comrades! We’ve got another cool new exclusive for your earholes on this first day of Riot Fest Weekend. It’s for a band called Grey Gardens, and if you’re not familiar, here’s a quick rundown. Grey Gardens came together early last year as longtime veterans of the Detroit area punk and hardcore scenes. They […]
Happy Friday, comrades!
We’ve got another cool new exclusive for your earholes on this first day of Riot Fest Weekend. It’s for a band called Grey Gardens, and if you’re not familiar, here’s a quick rundown.
Grey Gardens came together early last year as longtime veterans of the Detroit area punk and hardcore scenes. They fully rounded out their lineup earlier this year, and the five-piece are slated to release their debut album, and EP called Into The Sun, next week on Setterwind Records. In order to get you stoked for the release, we get to bring you the track “The New Normal” today. Check it out, and make sure you get on that pre-order, ya heard?
The Venomous Pinks are back with another music video from their debut album Vita Mors, out now on SBÄM Records. Dying Scene is pleased to bring you this exclusive premiere of the band’s new video for “Hold On”, starring Jason Cruz from Strung Out! Check it out below. The song and accompanying video’s storyline follows […]
The Venomous Pinks are back with another music video from their debut album Vita Mors, out now on SBÄM Records. Dying Scene is pleased to bring you this exclusive premiere of the band’s new video for “Hold On”, starring Jason Cruz from Strung Out! Check it out below.
The song and accompanying video’s storyline follows vocalist and guitarist Drea Doll, unlocking a core childhood memory of an argument between parents. Here’s what she had to say about the songwriting process and filming experience on set:
“Hold On” was always a personal reminder that no matter what you go through, things can get better. The message of the video hits close to home for us. I experienced a similar situation growing up so going through the filming process was very therapeutic and healing for me. To everyone who struggles with suicidal thoughts or has a broken home, you are strong and brave and things will get better.”
“This video really cuts deep. Growing up and witnessing my parents go through a similar experience, and seeing my mom crying you can only do so much as a child. I hope this video can relate to others who come from broken homes Just know that you are not broken. Always give a hug because you never know what someone is going through behind closed doors,” bassist Gaby Kaos adds.
The music video’s arrival coincides with SBÄM Records’ involvement in the Band Fussball Cup, a band-celebrity soccer cup where donations are collected for women’s shelters. The event, taking place this Sunday September 17th in Vienna, Austria, also helps raise awareness about preventing violence against women and children. Go here for more info.
“The video, “Hold On”, was filmed on March 19, 2023 before The Venomous Pinks’ tour with the Bouncing Souls and Anti Flag. During filming, I wore an Anti Flag shirt that was printed by my best friend and bandmates’ printing company, Kaos Merch. The decision to wear this particular shirt was to give a shout out to her business, while also promoting a band whose morals I believed at the time aligned with my own. As a woman, I stand and believe the survivors that were impacted by Justin Sane’s horrific acts. While we were on tour with Anti Flag we did not witness any sexual wrongdoing whatsoever, but as a fellow SA survivor, I will not support anyone who has victimized another person. We didn’t know what we know now. We could have requested to edit the video so the shirt is no longer visible. However, we felt it would be dishonest and disloyal to those who were impacted. That does not align to who we are as individuals and collectively as a band. The foundation of the Venomous Pinks has and will always be built on honesty, transparency, and validity. In that spirit, we present the video as it was originally filmed. We apologize if any of our actions have hurt anyone in the process. Our hearts go out to all survivors. As a band we are so proud of those who have come forward to speak their truth.” – Drea Doll
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault please contact the National Sexual Assult Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or visit www.rainn.org
Between technicolor synth and screeching guitar, downtalker paints a picture of trauma and addiction as if running through an anxious dream. The soon to release single, “All My Friends Are Dead”, is a new release from Boston-based band downtalker, following their LP released August of this year, Post Junkie Selfish Millennial Single Father Field Notes. […]
Between technicolor synth and screeching guitar, downtalker paints a picture of trauma and addiction as if running through an anxious dream. The soon to release single, “All My Friends Are Dead”, is a new release from Boston-based band downtalker, following their LP released August of this year, Post Junkie Selfish Millennial Single Father Field Notes.
In the first and titular song off the single, “All My Friends Are Dead”, Darin Thompson barks out stories of childhood friends and visitation with his dad in a deep voice soaked in reverb. The quick strummed, funky guitar, and lazer beam synths juxtapose against the morbid lyrics. After the bridge, preceded by an emotional buildup with arpeggiated synth, all instruments cut out while Darin quickly whispers “All my friends are dead.” Quirky but honest and raw, “All My Friends” does a great job of sitting you with the feeling of drinking and dancing through a house fire.
Next up is “Watch Your Heart Break”, turning to a decidedly grittier sound, with those poppy hyper synths mostly 86ed, replaced by classic post-punk style phasers in the bridge. Keeping with the honest, almost stream of conscious lyrics, Darin espouses the beauty of love and self worth, with the warning “Just don’t fuck it up” following on repeat like an alarm. All of this crooned over overdriven guitar and rolling toms a la Viagra Boys.
A jumbled beautiful mess of funny, tragic, hopeful lyrics, backed up by dancing synths and chugging guitar, “All My Friends Are Dead” is a message to those in recovery, 10 years sober, or maybe even thinking about changing that other people have done it, and it’s not all D.A.R.E. commercial tragedy. In Darin’s words, “Music is part of my recovery and part of my healing now and I’m hoping that by being honest about my life, all my experiences will shine a light on this disease and also make others feel like they are not alone. We aren’t alone. We have each other. The song is called ‘All My Friends Are Dead’ but I’m hoping it will have the opposite effect and bring us together. Alone we can’t but together we can.”
Chicago, IL saw the debut of another multi-genre music festival. The one-stage Cultivate Music Festival was at the same time, a celebration of Cannabis Culture. For festival organizers, vendors, musicians, and attendees, it was a good time. It was also a celebration of the fact that in the year 2023, citizens are able to use […]
Chicago, IL saw the debut of another multi-genre music festival. The one-stage Cultivate Music Festival was at the same time, a celebration of Cannabis Culture. For festival organizers, vendors, musicians, and attendees, it was a good time. It was also a celebration of the fact that in the year 2023, citizens are able to use cannabis not only medicinally but recreationally and in the open sans fear of prosecution. Of course, there was also some really good music and performances, including one of the more famous marijuana anthems in decades. Punk was just one of the genres, but those representative bands presented rollicking sets in an otherwise, yes, mellow weekend, including for those who don’t partake in cannabis themselves but agree its use should be legal.
Rewinding the festival from Sunday, August 27 to back to Friday, August 25:
Day 3
Fishbone had the crowd in hand. Angelo Moore led his bandmates through a non-stop set with his legendary facial expressions and dance moves. Strutting across the stage, kicking out his legs at times, other times playing the sax, Moore was electric.
As hyper as Moore was, John Norwood Fisher on bass and vocals was just as powerful in his stoicism while Walter Kibby aka Dirty Walt blasted away on his trumpet.
The trio, along with the rest of the band members, kept Fishbone sounding as fresh and as powerful as ever.
Afroman is not considered to be in the punk genre. However, watch the video to “Lemon Pound Cake,” the first song he performed at this fest, then look up the events that inspired Afroman to write the song. The man is punk AF.
Afroman, whose real name is Joseph Edgar Foreman, announced in December 2022, that he was running for President in 2024. I am not sure of the present status of his campaign but his judging from his abundantly fun set at this fest, I wouldn’t bet against him getting more than a few votes. Backed by DJ on The 1, Afroman led the crowd in a rousing rendition of his most famous tune. Many members of the crowd, those who partake holding up their various cannabis delivery implements, and those who don’t holding up their empty hands, sang loudly, when the title lyric came up.
Oh, and the set was especially a treat for Vee Sonnets of The Crombies, as Afroman borrowed his guitar to play during his set. Afroman shows you don’t have to be “Punk” to be punk.
The Crombies, one of the Chicago punk scene’s favorite hometown two-tone ska outfit, put on an exuberant performance. Lead singer Mike Park (note his Instagram and yes that is me in his most recent image, with long-time friends, including those in the band, and familiar-looking new acquaintances. Photo by Corinne Lydon) in his signature chilled out mode. Despite a recent very serious clavicle break earlier this year, guitar player Dave Simon spun around the stage, as bass player Kevin Lustrup pogoed in place.
Guitar player Vee Sonnets, drummer Matt Meuzelaar, and keyboardist Karl Gustafson provided powerful, if not flashy, work. They put the steady in rock steady. Gustafson sported a t-shirt emblazoned with words that perfectly sum up the spirit of the festival: “Everything Dope About America Comes From Chicago.” As a born and raised on Long Island transplant to the Windy City, I have slightly conflicted feelings about it. But I dig it and think much is true about it, sans pizza. (NY Slices for life!) Prodigious trombone player, Andrew Zelm added a dash of classic 2-tone ska flair at the far side of the stage. Though Zelm is not always on stage with the band, he has played trombone on every The Crombies recording.
Speaking of horns, Park, who started playing trumpet in the 4th grade, showed off his considerable skills on the instrument.
I never get tired of watching a Crombies set. I am not alone in that, by far.
Milwaukee’s Highball Holiday returned to Chicago and gave an energetic and affable performance. Paraphrasing the band’s lead singer, Shahanna McKinney Baldon, after spotting my cap with this site’s name emblazoned across it, she loudly alerted the crowd that “Dying Scene is in the house!” And we were, though the house was actually a parking lot on a steamy day. She also held up her phone throughout much of the set as she live-streamed the band’s performance.
Highball Holiday also dedicated its performance to Matt Norberg, a member of the band who died on July 18, 2023. David Wake of De La Buena joined the band on stage to make sure they could still perform in the absence of Norberg.
McKinney Baldon spoke of the struggles of mental illness, and had the crowd recite back to her, various crisis hotlines numbers. The national crisis hotline number is 988.
But the band members also celebrated all of their loved ones, and life in general with a delightful set.
Finally, McKinney Baldon made sure to point out sports teams in Milwaukee are better than those in Chicago, while simultaneously bemoaning that Wisconsin has not yet decriminalized cannabis use.
These highballers sure know how make every single day a holiday.
Day 2
Day 2 was an easy one for DS, as there was just one band on our “to cover” list. The Goddamn Gallows, with Mikey Classic, at the helm, put on a rambunctious set. Baby Genius, was a spark plug on both on drums and when he took the mic and the headed to the front of the stage. The hard-hitting ensemble, which also included Jayke Orvis and Bafunfa, tore through its performance. The Goddamn Gallows are currently on tour so check them out when they hit your town. It’ll be a favor you grant yourself.
Day 1
Lucky Boys Confusion, another Chicago group, gave a forceful performance as the day moved into evening. It was an enjoyable set and the popular band fit well on the bill.
Andy Frasco & the U.N. put on a set easily described as dynamic. Frasco, at the keys, gave a magnetic performance. This was even more so when he moved to the hot pavement of the crowd area sans shoes. Dancing joyfully, Frasco requested those in attendance to hold hands as they sang a rendition of the Jewish Folk song Hava Nagila. Naturally, the crowd enthusiastically complied. Hava Nagila is traditionally played at various celebrations, perhaps most notably weddings. Andy Frasco and the U.N. left little doubt it found this Friday a time for celebrating.
Mac Sabbath, the fast food-themed Black Sabbath parody band, may seem silly at first and indeed they elicited many a laugh. But underlying the goofiness of musicians dressed as demented and eerie versions of the mascots for a certain fast food behemoth, there is actually a more serious message. Vocalist Ronald Osbourne, guitar player Slayer MacCheeze; bass player Grimalice on bass, the Catburglar on drums, are sending a warning. The warning being how fun, corporate-created characters are actually devices used to manipulate children into unhealthy eating habits which may last a lifetime. Neither the fun nor the message lost on a certain heavy metal legend and loving “Papa” to a young girl name Pearl in 2018.
OTNES, out of Nashville, TN, kicked off the music at this fest in a solid way. Self-describedas gender-bending pop, OTNES aka Emily Blue, might not be considered punk. However, the pleasant performance was a great way to kick off the festival.
Please see more photos from Cultivate Music Festival. Thanks, and Cheers!
The Salt Shed welcomes Pixies, Modest Mouse, and Cat Power to Chicago on the final leg of their 2023 North American Summer Tour. The iconic Pixies played two nights in a row at the Salt Shed. Their set list celebrated songs from throughout their historic career. Pixies didn’t miss a beat giving their fans the […]
The Salt Shed welcomes Pixies, Modest Mouse, and Cat Power to Chicago on the final leg of their 2023 North American Summer Tour.
The iconic Pixies played two nights in a row at the Salt Shed. Their set list celebrated songs from throughout their historic career. Pixies didn’t miss a beat giving their fans the post-punk indie rock show they deserved. The crowd was only disappointed when the band left the stage. Find them on stage near you here.
Modest Mouse brought their unique take on indie rock to this amazing tour and the fans could not get enough. Be sure to check them out here.
The amazing Cat Power opened the show and set the tone for the night. Check her out here.
Punk Culture and Nerd Culture have always overlapped a little in the ‘Venn Diagram of Counterculture Scenes’. Nowhere is that kinship more obvious than with indie comics where most creators shun the more popular leotard clad superhero stories and focus on non-traditional stories with themes and art that often times are not fit for the […]
Punk Culture and Nerd Culture have always overlapped a little in the ‘Venn Diagram of Counterculture Scenes’. Nowhere is that kinship more obvious than with indie comics where most creators shun the more popular leotard clad superhero stories and focus on non-traditional stories with themes and art that often times are not fit for the general public (sound familiar?). Danny Harrell, writer and creator of the new comic Rebel Grrrls is one of those creators. The comic book, which just came out in late July via Keenspot Comics combines Danny’s love of comics with his love of music, stating that it’s “His love letter to the Riot Grrrl Scene”. And that’s all it took to hook us!
The story focuses on three bandmates in Alabama who have unknowingly been given the power to cater in The Apocalypse by a mysterious Dark Lord. These young punks are also protected by spirits who have attached themselves to the ladies when each experienced trauma in their lives.
After booking a gig at the North Alabama State Fair and being not so well received by the locals, all hell breaks loose and a bloodbath ensues as the riot grrrls begin realizing that something strange is afoot! #rolltide
While the overall story is interesting enough to hook you, with intriguing characters and curious subplots, it was the extraordinary art of Robert Ahmad that really brought everything to life for us.
If you’re interested in finding out what happens next, head down to your local comic shop and ask for the book by name!
Located in the Chicago ‘burb of Villa Park. Punk Rock Tacos provides a place for music. They expand themselves to friend venues at the core of the Chicago punk scene. After 2 years of putting on shows it became a record label. A website featuring all of the bands will be launching soon. On the […]
Mulva with Max the punk rock dog
Located in the Chicago ‘burb of Villa Park. Punk Rock Tacos provides a place for music. They expand themselves to friend venues at the core of the Chicago punk scene. After 2 years of putting on shows it became a record label. A website featuring all of the bands will be launching soon. On the site, each band has its own Big Cartel store where the band handles their own orders and money. “In these times, we need to fall somewhere between LABEL-DIY. It’s still nice to group up and have organization, but we are not a label that owns everyone’s music.” They continue to book top local and touring talent. Overall, a memorable experience was had with the bands and crowd. A great old-school punk show vibe. Very pleasant, courteous, and friendly staff, great food. Very accommodating and I highly suggest seeing shows at this venue.
The day at Punk Rock Tacos 33 kicked off with Surf Candy from the Chicago sub-burbs. Surf Candy is a three-piece Noisy Hard Rock band bringing a taste of Grunge and noise rock. Ian Young (guitar/vocals), Seb Schlau (bass) and Andy Hartmanowski (drums) brought a great sense of energy and played most of the songs off their debut E.P. Surf Candy. Check out more photos below!
Next up was the band Mulva from Milwaukee/Chicago. The band consists of Mike Muse (vocals/guitar), Justin Schenck (bass/vocals) and Jeff Coyl (drums). All veterans of the Midwest scene with punk pedigrees. They bring a strong sense of catchy hook-laden energy and humor to their live show. Their set consisted of songs off their E.P.s I Cant Wake Up/ The Prequel Trilogy. Check out more photos below!”
The tempo changed for the day whenOf Wolves hit the stage with their blend of crusty punk, sludge, post-hardcore & gritty stoner doom. Steve Wolves (guitar/vocals), Ivan Wolves (bass/backing vocals) and Tom Wolves (drums/backing vocals) brought some thunder that day. Songs from their album Balance and a few others turned the volume to 11 and let it rip. Check out more photos below!
x.Oracles.x with their blend of Chicago-style Punk Rock/Blues brought a great vibe to the day. Members Ms. Lynch (vocals), Bonezz (drums), The Sausage King of Chicago (bass) and Rev. Dracula (guitar/vocals) played a great set with a definite nod towards First Wave New York punk/New Wave stripped down to the blues. Fresh off their new release on Punk Rock Tacos RecordsGitcha, Gitcha and an incredible cover of “Psycho Killer” they made more than a few new fans that day. Check out more photos below!
From the Western Burbs, Radar Waves‘ Charlie Thornton (guitar/vocals), Rob Wash (bass/vocals), and Mikey Cervenka (drums) had a fun and upbeat set of Trash Rock with a wide variety of influences on display coming together to create a unique energy filled set filled with songs from their various releases including the latest “Everybody’s Bitchin'”.
Chicago Punk Rock veterans Squared Off brought a solid lineup of classic punk rock with an old-school working man’s vibe. Tony (guitars/vocals), Hoser (guitar/vocals), Nomi (bass/vocals) and Fabian (drums) ran through a set of new and familiar songs from their deep catalog. Their cover of “Safety Dance” was on point with a lot of crowd participation. Always a fun band to see.
Downhill Runner took the stage just as the sun was setting for the day and it was perfect timing for the Three-piece Punk/Alternative band on Punk Rock Tacos Records. Brian Matejk (drums), Jim Burchinal (guitar) and Daniel Fredrick played a great set of songs from their album Rebel Radio.
Next up was The Turdles from Elgin, Il. Josh Holbrook (vocals), Dave Cherek (bass), Dan Cuchiara (guitar), Brian Stream (drums) came on and rocked the stage with songs from their releases Just Another Turd In The Toilet (2023) and Party Pooper (2022). With their infectious dirty Punk/Boogie they brought they got the crowd moving. I look forward to seeing them again.
Closing out the night was Nahuales Underground a five-piece band that brought it with their brand of rock, punk, metal with their songs that are about social revolution, love and political ideas. Loco Dub (vocals/guitar), Ish Echeverria (bass), Chente Echeverria (lead guitar/vocals), Javi Pantoja (percussionist) and Memo Hernandez (drums) played an excellent infused set that had the crowd dancing along.
Head below to check out slideshows from each of the bands on the fun and eclectic lineup!
Greetings, and welcome to the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is the weekly* column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl; new releases, reissues… you name it, we’ve probably got it. Kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, crack open a cold […]
Greetings, and welcome to the Dying Scene Record Radar. If it’s your first time here, thank you for joining us! This is the weekly* column where we cover all things punk rock vinyl; new releases, reissues… you name it, we’ve probably got it. Kick off your shoes, pull up a chair, crack open a cold one, and break out those wallets, because it’s go time. Let’s get into it!
Check out the video edition of this week’s Record Radar, presented by our friends at Punk Rock Radar:
I’ve always gotta give love to Floridian ska bands, so we’ll start this week’s Record Radar with a shoutout to Chilled Monkey Brains. Back to the Mud is their first new record in a long time – check out the lead single below and pre-order the LP and/or CD here.
Speaking of bands who haven’t released a new album in a while, Paint it Black surprised everyone this week with the announcement of a new 8-song EP called Famine. It’s due out November 3rd on Revelation Records. Check out the lead single below and get the record here.
Last week we premiered a new single from American Television, who has a new album called Scars due out September 22nd on Smartpunk Records. They’ve got some sweet color variants up for pre-order on their webstore; each is limited to 200 copies. The band will have a tour variant (ltd to 100 copies) available at their upcoming shows as well.
Some random Fat Wreck releases are getting EU exclusive color variants from Final Vinyl. Up first is Lagwagon’s latest album Railer, with a new red variant limited to 500 copies. You can get it here.
And the other record is Rise Against’s debut album The Unraveling, with a new yellow color variant also limited to 500 copies. Grab it here. Looks like both of these should start shipping on September 30th.
‘68 has a new album coming out later this month on Pure Noise Records. Yes, and… is the 3rd LP from the two piece band fronted by Josh Scogin (ex-The Chariot, Norma Jean, etc.). Check out the first single “Removed Their Hooks” below and grab the record on one of the awesome color variants available here.
The Fest is right around the corner and Sell The Heart Records & Iodine Recordings are releasing an awesome compilation LP to celebrate. The comp is limited to 200 copies and features songs by the Smoking Popes, Wolf-Face, Celebration Summer and more. Get the record here or at the Fest Flea Market.
Here’s a new pressing of an old album. Early 2000’s pop-punk band Over It’s Timing is Everything is getting its first ever vinyl release in honor of its 20th birthday. There are three variants – split yellow/red (300 copies), solid red (300 copies), and black (400 copies). Get yours here.
Nebraska pop-punk veterans The Young Hasselhoffs have a new record coming out next month on Mom’s Basement Records. Check out the latest single below and pre-order Dear Departedhere. They’ve got a bunch of sweet color variants and bundles on offer.
Asian Man Records announced two new releases this week, with the first being from The Atom Age! Their new self-titled LP is due out September 29th, but pre-orders are shipping now. Check out the single “New Season” below and grab the record here.
Asian Man’s other new release is from a band called Bat Boy ft. members of Spraynard and Sundials. Check out the single “Decoder Ring” and head over to the Asian Man webstore to get your copy of Fun Machine.
Millencolin released an LP combining their first two demos last year and it quickly sold out. Now it’s back in print with two new color variants, limited to 300 copies each. Head over to the band’s webstore to get Goofy & Melack on green and/or pink vinyl.
And last but not least, a record I’ve been anticipating for nine months now – the debut album from one man melodic punk band Dead Alright! The project from Louis-Charles Berthiaume of Brand New Lungs has been drip feeding single after single all year, leading up to this announcement of a full-length album due out October 6th on Thousand Islands Records. Check out the latest single below and pre-order Dancing Through the End of Days here.
Well, that’s all, folks. Another Record Radar in the books. As always, thank you for tuning in. If there’s anything we missed (highly likely), or if you want to let everyone know about a new/upcoming vinyl release you’re excited about, leave us a comment below, or send us a message on Facebook or Instagram, and we’ll look into it. Enjoy your weekend, and don’t blow too much money on spinny discs (or do, I’m not your father). See ya next week!
Wanna catch up on all of our Record Radar posts? Click here and you’ll be taken to a page with all the past entries in the column. Magic!
A week ago Friday, beloved Boston punks Rebuilder finally held the very-long-awaited record release show at Cambridge, MA’s Sinclair for their latest full-length, Local Support. If you read our recent chat with Rebuilder co-frontman (and Local Support‘s primary architect) Sal Ellington, you’re no doubt aware of the trials and tribulations that went into the drawn-out […]
A week ago Friday, beloved Boston punks Rebuilder finally held the very-long-awaited record release show at Cambridge, MA’s Sinclair for their latest full-length, Local Support. If you read our recent chat with Rebuilder co-frontman (and Local Support‘s primary architect) Sal Ellington, you’re no doubt aware of the trials and tribulations that went into the drawn-out making of the album. All of that added up to not just the successful release of a wonderful album, but an extraordinary evening of revelry and celebration that truly exemplified the idea of “local support” in the best ways possible.
The evening was kicked off by a tremendous four-piece known as Trash Rabbit. If you’re not familiar with Trash Rabbit…well, you’re like I was until a couple of days before the show when I decided to familiarize myself with them. The results were tremendous. The original Trash Rabbit trio (Mena Lemos on vocals and guitar, Nick Adams on bass and Gibran Mobarak on drums) have been playing together since their formative years and took their talents to the vaunted Berklee College of Music, adding Gia Flores on guitar to fill out the sound. The sound is up-tempo garage rock, a sort of post-emo cacophony of hooks upon hooks upon hooks. The crowd were infinitely more familiar with Trash Rabbit than I was and were at the ready with their dancing shoes afoot. Adams and Mobarak switched places for set closer “Scuba Queen,” a delightfully weird and interactive singalong.
Speaking of bands who have been together since their formative years, I feel like beloved Boston punk quartet Choke Up have been playing together since they were diapers. They don’t play in Boston – or many other places – much nowadays because life happens; Sam put out pretty great solo record and Harley moved to NYC and plays in a fun band called Sadlands and James plays in like 87 other bands including the super rad Cape Crush for example. And so it’s always a celebration when they do get together and especially when they play on the big stage at Sinclair. Songs like “Blue Moon” will never not turn into glorious, drunken, sweaty-arm-in-sweaty-arm singalongs.
Thanks to the high-energy table-setters on the bill, the mostly-full crowd at the 525-capacity Sinclair was sufficiently warmed up by the time Rebuilder graced the stage. In keeping with the album-release theme, the band took the stage in matching lemon-print Hawaiian-style shirts and in a formation that I don’t think I’d previously seen despite this being my 19th Rebuilder show to date. Choke Up’s Harley Cox did double duty, manning the drum kit for the set’s first couple of songs while normal Rebuilder drummer Brandon Phillips joined co-frontmen Ellington and Craig Stanton in a three-guitar attack, alongside stalwart Daniel Carswell on bass and frequent Rebuilderer Pat Hanlin on keys.
After a few songs as a six-piece, Cox departed and Phillips assumed his throw behind the kit as the band tore through a set that, as you might imagine, leaned heavily on the new material. Because the album was released on time a few weeks prior to the show (thanks Iodine Recordings!) a solid number of showgoers were already singing along to tracks like “Hold On” and “Wedding Day” and “Another Round.” For album closer – and set closer – “Disco Loadout,” Ellington left his guitar to the side and assumed full-on frontman role as the band were joined by a pedal steel player and not-one-but-two horn players to fill out the sound (and/or turn them into the world’s first ska/Americana (would that be Ameriskana or skamericana?) pop-punk band.
And thus it was time for the evening’s headliners, although No Trigger frontman Tom Rheault joked that since the evening was Rebuilder’s record release show, there was essentially no pressure on the antifascist sextet from straight outta the Worcester Hills. Everyone’s favorite discount Strike Anywhere blazed through a super fun set that included crowd-favorites old and new like “No Tattoos” and “Too High To Die” and “Dogs On Acid” and, of course, “Anti Fantasy.” Rheault programmed the digital backdrop to include a mix of No Trigger artwork and logos and scenes from all your favorite sociopolitical documentaries, like “Dumb and Dumber” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret Of The Ooze”.
Head below to check out slideshows from each of the evening’s bands! And Jeff Bridges pooping!
The Burlington Bar welcomed Nox Novacula and two Chicago bands, Black Cross Hotel and The Feral Ghosts, for a night of death rock, industrial, and darkwave bliss. Hailing from Seattle, Washington, Nox Novacula brought their death rock style to the Windy City. This Pacific Northwestern gothic rock-n-roll band consists of vocalist Charlotte Blythe, bassist and […]
The Burlington Bar welcomed Nox Novacula and two Chicago bands, Black Cross Hotel and The Feral Ghosts, for a night of death rock, industrial, and darkwave bliss.
Hailing from Seattle, Washington, Nox Novacula brought their death rock style to the Windy City. This Pacific Northwestern gothic rock-n-roll band consists of vocalist Charlotte Blythe, bassist and keyboardist Dav Tafoya, guitarist Zu Leika, and drummer Ezra Bolotin. Check them out here.
Black Cross Hotel is a Chicago-based 80’s horror inspired post-punk industrial band featuring vocalist Dee DeEmme, guitarist Marcus Eliopulos, bassist Sanford Parker, drummer Mike Miczek, and keyboardist Andrew Ragin. Check them out here.
Also from Chicago, The Feral Ghosts is a dark post-punk psychedelic band. This dynamic trio consists of guitarist Alex, vocalist/bassist Annu, and drummer Lucy Boots. Check them out here.
