Bel Argosy - "The Wreck of the Bel Argosy" 7" Review (Power-Punk)

DOWNLOAD: Bel Argosy - "Into the Distance"

Brooklyn four-piece Bel Argosy are a young and fairly new band but they have a familiar sound that is comparable to some of the late 70's CBGB bands. The band just released their debut 7" - a limited edition (ltd. to 200) vinyl single - which comes with a hand drawn comic by lead singer Billy Lopez. Across the disc's four tracks (9 minutes), the band bashes out melodic garage-rock influenced power-punk that seems to draw from bands like the Ramones and Marbles.

The disc starts with "Into the Distance" which is a 'ragged but right' guitar-driven number with Joey Ramone style vocals and a big chorus. The next track, "P-Centric", follows in a similar vein but the vocals are more upfront and the track has a glam-rock swagger. "Yer Business" is a melodic power-punk number with a nice bass line and "World's Not Me" is an old-school 70's punk number about a girl ("You can f*ck who you want to f*ck and that's cool with the world...but its not alright with me").

"Bel Argosy plays pop-rock-punk songs about a series of imaginary, lazily-composed myths and legends involving stone dog statues, familial curses and elevators. And airports. But don’t worry: There are also a few songs about GIRLS! (Girls – aren’t they the best?) Billy Lopez (vocals, guitar) started the band with Julian Graham (drums), Chris Cumming (bass) and Beau Alessi (lead guitar) in late 2010 after deciding it was probably a good idea to get this sort of thing out of his system before he turned 30." - from the band's bio

These guys have to be a lot of fun live but, unfortunately, there are no shows scheduled at the moment.

Links:
Bel Argosy

Harley's War: Harley Flanagan Signs with Southern Lord

I'm both impressed and glad to see Harley back in action...

Harley Flanagan, bassist/vocalist of Cro-Mags and Harley's War fame, has officially signed with Southern Lord for several upcoming releases!

Southern Lord owner Greg Anderson released the following statement regarding this new alliance with Harley's newest endeavors:

"Harley Flanagan is one of the most revered, controversial and infamous musicians of the last 25 years of underground music. His resume and reputation speak equal amounts of vitriolic decibels as does his bass stack blaring in your face. I have personally been a huge fan of Harley and his work with the Cro-Mags from the first time I heard their debut album Age of Quarrel in 1986. Much like the feeling you got when you first heard Bad Brains, Discharge or Minor Threat, Cro-Mags were musically and aesthetically on another level that was matchless. Through the power of the net and sheer luck I started talking to Harley Flanagan over emails and telephone past year. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the intensity and honesty of his playing also carried through in his personality. Harley is humble, raw, intelligent, driven and focused. To say it is an honor for Southern Lord to be working with Harley Flanagan is a enormous understatement! We're in shock and CAN NOT WAIT to get this shit going! The first release we will be doing together will be the forthcoming Harley's War album. The demos of the material he has shared with us for this are fucking phenomenal! The new Harley's War material has the same feeling as the initial musical impact the Cro-Mags first had in the mid-'80s. Killer songwriting, raw lyrics and Harley Flanagan's trademark bass playing. As mentioned above this is "other level" shit! Expect nothing less than a brutal musical beatdown from the master!"



Links:
Cro-Mags

Cro-Mags - "The Final Quarrel: Live at CBGB 2001" DVD Review (MVD Visual)

The latest incarnation of the Cro-Mags (with John Joseph and Mackie Jayson) have been touring pretty regularly over the last few years and it seems hard to believe that it had now been twenty-five years since the release of Age of Quarrel. I’ve read some recent interviews where John has been talking about recording a new Cro-Mags disc which should prove to be interesting as the band’s last recorded legacy was the “final quarrel” show that John, Harley and Doug played at CBGB back in May 2001 under the moniker Street Justice.

To give some background for this show, Harley & Parris (along with Rocky George and Gary Sullivan) released the Cro-Mags final studio disc Revenge (2000) but a major falling out between Harley and Parris resulted in Parris breaking up the band. The Revenge lineup reunited the following year with John Joseph and Doug Holland and started touring in support of Soul Brains (the reunited Bad Brains). Former rhythm guitarist Parris Mayhew attempt to stop this lineup of the band from calling themselves the Cro-Mags (see segment of Parris’ posted quote below) so I can’t remember whether the band was playing CBs as a ‘secret show’ or if this was to avoid Parris’ threatened lawsuits.

"This recent attempt to perpetrate fraud on the fans was easily stopped with the friendly notification to the venues involved in the SOUL BRAINS tour, that the use of the name CRO-MAGS was not permitted by the owner. As of today, most of the venues are voluntarily pulling any current advertisements using the name CRO-MAGS. Their reaction to the issue was apologetic and immediate. They knew and recognized the ethical and legal position they were being deceived into being put in and expressed their shock and regrets.” – Parris Mayhew ‘01

Taking a look back at the Street Justice / Cro-Mags show, this video does a solid job of capturing the vibe and experience of a Cro-Mags show. The band rips through almost the entirety of Age of Quarrel, substituting “Everybody’s Gonna’ Die” (from the band’s 1985 demo) for “Seekers of the Truth” and adding a breakneck cover of “Blitzkrieg Bop”. Both Rocky and Gary are solid players in their own right, so the absence of Parris and Mackie isn’t that noticeable.

The show is filmed with a single camera from above the crowd so I'd have to guess this was filmed from the soundboard loft. The sound is clear but the mix is "off" as Gary Sullivan's drums and Rocky's guitar are too high in the mix while John's vocals are too low. The reality though is that none of this matters as the Cro-Mags were all about aggression, energy and attitude (which is well documented here) and this is what they sounded like from the crowd on any given night.



Included as a bonus feature on the disc is a full set from Harley’s War which was filmed during the final days of CBGB at the “last hardcore matinee” (where the bill also included Agnostic Front,Murphy's Law and Sick Of It All). The show is well filmed and looks and sounds great. Harley is a solid front-man with a great voice for the music and Craig Ahead (from SOIA) joined the band for "Hard Times". The set includes a mix of Cro-Mags songs and tracks from Harley’s War debut CD. Here is the full track list:

1 – Intro > Sign of the Times
2 - World Peace
3 - Show You No Mercy
4 - Malfunction
6 - Days of Confusion
7 - Street Justice
8 - Survival of the Streets
9 - Don't Tread on Me
10 - Do Onto Others
11 - Fuck the Middle East
12 - Down But Not Out
13 - It's The Limit
14 - Crush the Demonic
15 - Life of My Own
16 - Hard Times
17 - We Gotta Know



Other bonus features include Harley giving a tour of post-closure CBGB, Harley and his son in a pre-show warm-up and two live videos ("Life On My Own", "Down But Not Out") from 2002 when Harley's War first got started.

From this corner, I’d love to see one final Cro-Mags tour with the AoQ lineup. Harley’s been trying to bury the long-standing beef between band members but it sounds the likelihood of a full reunion is comparable to “hell freezing over”. A couple years back Harley posted: "Growin' up everyone has favorite bands that break up, and as fans, everyone always wishes they would reform or do a tour, and the fans don't care about the beefs, they just want the band back together. Very seldom do you have the opportunity to make a lot of people happy with one simple act. But unfortunately, it is not all that simple. People have a hard time growing up and old beefs die hard.”

One can always hope though….

Links:
Harley's Cro-Mags Site
Parris' Cro-Mags Site
John's Cro-Mags Site

Bouncing Souls Release "Live at Lime" Digital EP (LimeWire)

DOWNLOAD: Bouncing Souls - "I Think That The World..." (Live at Lime)

I have to give kudus to LimeWire as they have successfully transformed themselves from a P2P network (earlier this decade) to a online subscription-based music store.

LimeWire has been releasing a number of exclusive live sessions and the most recent is a digital live EP from Bouncing Souls that was recorded this past August. The five-song EP features Souls' classic numbers "Gasoline" and "True Believers" (featuring Sick of It All's Lou Koller), as well as "The Mental Bits" (featuring Fishbone's Angelo Moore), "I Think That the World..." and "Sing Along Forever".

The EP is $4.95 but you can sign up for a 7-day trial of LimeWire which allows you to download and keep 50 free songs.

Links:
LimeWire
Bouncing Souls

Does Music 'Grow' Better in Sunlight or in Filth? (You Can't Go Home Again)

I'm starting to feel really old --

I spent last weekend in DC and walked by the old 9:30 Club (picture below). That whole side of F Street has been remodeled and it looks like none of the properties have been rented (go figure...). Somehow, I don't think you would have had the music or the scene that sprung up out of the 9:30 Club in a neighborhood that now has a McCormick & Schmick and Gordon Biersch.

The same sentiment hold for CBGB. Forgetting the rent debacle, would the club have survived on the Bowery given the high-end stores and restaurants that have opened up around it?

Given the sky-high rents in most major cities, it just seems like there is no going home again.

After moving from DC to NYC in the 90s, I was a regular at the Continental (Divide) and Coney Island High and was sad to see both club go. (There was a quote from Trigger on BrooklynVegan a few years ago: "I’m surrounded by McDonald’s and Starbucks and K-Mart and I’m paying that level rent."

What took the cake for me was that I was on St. Mark's Place earlier today and the former Mondo Kim's location is going to be a karaoke bar. I wasn't that big a fan of Kim's - good used CD selection, major attitude from the employees - but I suppose that a karaoke bar makes the transformation of St. Mark's Place complete.

I fully recognize that change is a continual thing that happens everywhere (and that I'm the one who is out of the step with the pace of change) but I have a hard time seeing how this change is for the better.

Reckless Sons: Live Photos from John Varvatos Show, NYC 3-5-09

Last night, the Reckless Sons played the John Vervatos' Thursday Night Live show. It was a bit bittersweet as this was my first time being back in the old CBGB space. I probably should have taken some photos of the walls as the store tries to retain some of CB's seediness (perhaps the right word is "Bowery credibility") and it falls a bit short.

I can't complain too much though with free music and free beer - it isn't the store's fault that Muzzy pushed the club out. For anyone who hasn't caught a show at John Vervatos, the stage is on the right side of the room (I think it is right where the bar ended in the old CB's) which means that you can get caught on one side of the stage or the other and the sight lines aren't the greatest.

Reckless Sons went on promptly at 9PM and played a solid 30+ minute set, mixing new new tunes with old favorites. The room was full when the band went on and those in the front (who had a little room to move around) spent the time dancing. I didn't keep a set list but remember the band playing "Gimme A Sign" and a lengthy finale of "Blood".



Reckless Sons just finished a new EP, "Everybody Knows", which is scheduled for a May release.

Links:
Reckless Sons Website

Suicide - Live 1977- 1978 CD Box Set (Blast First)

This set looks like a must have...for the uninitiated, Sisters of Mercy, New Order, Soft Cell and many other bands have cited Suicide as one of their influences.

This limited-edition box set (limited to 3,000 copies) captures Suicide at the height of their riot-inciting days. The box contains 13 shows recorded between 1977-78 at locations ranging from hometown NYC shows at CBGB and Max's to European dates opening for Elvis Costello and The Clash.

Here is the complete track listing:

DISC 1: 1977, NYC [46:52]
1 SUICIDE CBGB Sept 29 1977 24:43
2 SUICIDE CBGB Dec 3 1977 set2 22:09

DISC 2: 1978, NYC [71:21]
1 SUICIDE Palladium NYC Jan 7 1978 21:45
2 SUICIDE Maxs Jan 13 1978 22:55
3 SUICIDE CBGB Feb 3 1978 26:41

DISC 3: 1978, BELGIUM/FRANCE [70:42]
1 SUICIDE Brussels June 16 1978 23:44
2 SUICIDE Paris Olympia+Backstage June 18 1978 46:58

DISC 4: 1978, GERMANY [68:29]
1 SUICIDE Hamburg Audiomax June 28 1978 21:26
2 SUICIDE Berlin Kant Kino/Neue Welt June 30 1978 22:42
3 SUICIDE Berlin Kant Kino/Neue Welt June 30 1978 set 2 24:21

DISC 5: 1978, UK [64:17]
1 SUICIDE London MusicMachine July 24 1978 25:37
2 SUICIDE Our Price Radio Ad 1:09
3 SUICIDE Erics Liverpool July 29 1978 31:12
4 SUICIDE Erics pt 2 Frankie Teardrop July 29 1978 6:19

DISC 6: 1978, NYC [AFTER EUROPE] [43:35]
1 SUICIDE Maxs August 25 1978 recorded by Eric Mache 43:35

MP3 and FLAC downloads are available through the Blast First Petite shop for 7.99 pounds. Physical copies of the box are available through Amazon (and I saw a copy at Kim's on St. Marks last time that I was in the store).

Suicide is playing Club Europa in Brooklyn on December 11th with A.R.E. Weapons.

CBGB - A January 2008 Update

I walked by CBGB tonight on my way to the train. Muzzy Rosenblatt, from the Bowery Residents' Committee, just had to have Hilly out of that space because the property was worth $40-50K a month in rent. Well Muzzy...CBGB shut down in October 2006...how much rent have you collected thus far?

CBGB - January 2008













CBGB Gallery - January 2008


Here is my suggestion - write a letter to Muzzy and ask "Was it worth it? You pushed out CBGB who was paying rent and tried to keep order on the block and you couldn't get The Gap, Starbucks or KFC to take over the space"






Here is the contact info for Muzzy and the the BRC:

Bowery Residents' Committee
324 Lafayette Street, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10012
Phone: 212-533-5700 Fax: 212-533-1893
Email: info@bowrescom.org

Television and Joan Jett are each Playing Free Shows this Month

Television is back (again) and are playing a free show next Saturday (June 16th) at Summerstage in Central Park. Allegedly, the will be Richard Lloyd's last show with the band.

Supporting Television are The Apples in Stereo and Dragons of Zynth. Gates open at 3:00PM but, as Television hasn't played in town in quite some time, I'd recommend being in line by 1PM at the latest.

Even though I am a big fan of Television's music, I have met Tom Verlaine on a few occasions and thought he was a complete jerk. His personality aside, I am also not a fan of band leaders who attempt to write former members out of the band's history (see the snippet below copied from the Summerstage website). C'mon Tom, everyone knows you started the band with Richard Hell.

One of the most important bands to emerge from the mid-‘70s New York punk scene, Television was founded on the double-guitar attack of leader Tom Verlaine and Richard Lloyd. But where most guitarists of the time specialized in extended jam snooze-fests, Verlaine and Lloyd pioneered an angular, yet tuneful, style largely stripped of blues references and heavily indebted to the garage rock of the ‘60s. Television was the first band to play regularly at CBGBs, and its success encouraged the club to book other unknown acts like Patti Smith, The Ramones, Blondie and Talking Heads.

Joan Jett, who continues to put on fabulous live shows, is playing Pier 54 at the Hudson River Park on Thursday, June 28th. Supporting acts are The Dollyrots (new band signed to Joan's Blackheart Records label) and The Paybacks.

Doors open at 6PM for this show.

The Dictators Release New 7" of Vault Material from 1978

New material from The Dictators is always great news. Norton Records has just released a new 7" of previously unreleased archive material from 1978. The tracks are:

16 Forever which was recorded at Bearsville Studios July 7, 1978 - the original board mix, which was never finished and Stay With Me which is the demo for the song on the Bloodbrothers album.

This 7" is available directly from Norton for only $4.00.

Patti Smith Plays 3 Shows at Bowery Ballroom on April 24th

Patti Smith is playing three separate shows at the Bowery Ballrom on April 24th. This should be a wild night -- I have heard that each show will be a different set and Patti's new CD (Twelve - which is a CD of cover tunes) will be given free with each ticket purchased. Tickets for each show are only $17 and a "3-Session" ticket for all three shows is $51.

If you buy the 3-Session ticket, you get a bonus 7" single with two non-CD tracks which has Patti covering:
A: A Perfect Day (Lou Reed)
B: Here I Dreamt I was an Architect (The Decemberists).

You can also get the bonus 7" when you purchase Patti's new CD from select indie music stores (link).

Sin-e is Closing on April 2nd

It is sad to see another downtown club closing. Sin-e is near and dear to my heart as I did some promo for them when they first re-opened on Attorney Street. I have been reading some of the commentary since The Continental and CBGB closed and it seems a popular response is "it is just a club - new clubs are opening". I don't know...for me it isn't the same.

These weren't just clubs but these were places where memories were made. I clearly remember seeing Joey and Dee Dee at The Continental, more acts than I can remember at CBGB, hanging out at Sin-e and talking with Steve Wynn until an ungodly hour of the morning.

So -- to all the people I have met at Sin-e over the years, I wish you the best.

Sin-e is going out with some strong acts. The third to last night features the following bands:

9pm Miss Guy
10pm Pretty Boys
11pm Theo & the Skyscrapers -- former front woman of the Lunachicks
12pm Glass Hand

21+, $10 cover

advanced tickets on ticketweb

Sick of It All to open for Hatebreed at Roseland Ballroom on Dec. 28th

NYHC legends Sick of It All are celebrating their 20th anniversary and seem to be playing a lot of shows in the area as of late. The band is still a top-notch live act as evidenced at recent shows at BB King's and CBGB. The band's next show in the area is at Roseland Ballroom on Dec 28th in support of Hatebreed.

Tour dates for the mini-East Coast tour with Hatebreed are:
Dec. 26 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Dec. 27 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
Dec. 28 - New York, NY @ Roseland Ballroom
Dec. 29 - Buffalo, NY @ TBA
Dec. 30 - New Haven, CT @ Toad's Place

Sick of It All had a great "return to form" CD entitled Death to Tyrants released earlier this year on Abacus. There will be a tribute to Sick of It All released next year on Abacus entitled "Our Impact Will Be Felt". This CD features bands such as RISE AGAINST, BLEEDING THROUGH, BOUNCING SOULS, SEPULTURA, and HATEBREED covering their favorite SICK OF IT ALL tracks. The release date for this CD is February 3, 2007.

Bad Brains Live at CBGB 1982 DVD Review

Bad Brains were one of the most influential punk bands on the scene in the early 80's and this DVD captures the band at its prime. It is compiled from a three night stand in December of 1982 at CBGB and features a number of songs from the then soon to be released Rock For Light LP.

The three shows are filmed in a semi-pro style with two cameras so this DVD really captures the feeling of what is was like at a Bad Brains show in the early days. My only complaint is that predominately only one camera angle is used during the final show so there seem to be equal number shots of the crowd (and the mosh pit) as there are of the band. There is some really great footage of HR, Earl and Dr. Know across all three shows. What is a little strange is that Daryl Jenifer is rarely, if ever, seen.

All complaints are minor as the band is on fire during these shows and lives up to their legend. It is somewhat amazing to watch the crowd sway in place as the band switches from hardcore to dub/reggae. The power, energy and aggression of the band make this DVD required watching. Watch the trailer below and see for yourself.



I was at the first of the Bad Brains reunion shows at CBGB last month and the biggest difference between the 1982 and the 2006 version of the band is HR. On this DVD, HR rules the stage and covers all corners of it. On both Riot Squad and Coptic Times, HR is all over the stage dancing and singing with the crowd. At the show last month, HR barely moved and it seems that he is in a "different place" now. In an interview last year, Daryl Jenifer said "It's hard for us to do shows...That's mainly on H.R., with his mental and emotional state. He's my man. He's a weird dude and I love it -- there's freedom right there. I've really come to that conclusion, that the dude is the [most free] person you'll ever meet."

Below is a YouTube clip of Pay to Cum , which was the encore from the first night of the reunion last month.

Bad Brains @ CBGB, NYC Oct. 9, 2006

I have been reading the reviews of last night's show and it seems that people either loved it or hated it but there was no middle ground. I am one of the one's who loved it -- it is great to see these guys back together after so many years. I'm still waiting to see if the new hardcore CD that the band is supposed to be working on (with HR) will actually surface this year.

Brooklyn Vegan has some great pictures from the show on his site, including one with HR wearing his helmet mic.


HR/Bad Brains @ CBGB, NYC Oct. 9, 2006 


Bad Brains Live @ CBGB, NYC Oct. 9, 2006 


Darryl Jennifer/Bad Brains - CBGB, NYC Oct. 9, 2006 


"The Pit" @ Bad Brains - CBGB, NYC Oct. 9, 2006 


Darryl Jennifer/Bad Brains - CBGB, NYC Oct. 9, 2006 


Bad Brains - CBGB, NYC Oct. 9, 2006 


HR/Bad Brains - CBGB, NYC Oct. 9, 2006 

Gorilla Biscuits Live @ CBGB, NYC Sept. 3, 2006

I was out of town when Gorilla Biscuits reunited last year to play at one the Save CBGB benefit shows. Yesterday's show was well worth waiting for because the band was in top form. The music scene has strongly missed bands like Gorilla Biscuits who break down the walls between the band and the audience and within the audience. It almost felt like the late 80s again.

For a band that hasn't toured or played together since 1991 (last year's reunion aside), it was amazing how good the band sounded. In listening to Civ, it sounds like the band is now permanently reunited and Time Out reported that they are working on new material for a future release. For the 75 minutes that they played yesterday, the band concentrated predominately on the back catalog and gave homage to their past. Porcell (Youth of Today) jammed with the band as did Toby Morse from H20. Toby and Gorilla Biscuits covered a Warzone song as a tribute to Raybeez. Ray got a number of shout-outs from the stage and was described by Civ as the skinhead ghost that haunts CBs.

At the show, the band was selling a limited edition tour grey vinyl single of two newly recorded songs (pictures below) and At the Matinee was played, according to Civ, for the first time live yesterday. It is things like this that will get me to finally hook up my turntable again.




Pictures of the Tour Single