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Frank Iero & The Patience- “Keep The Coffins Coming” (Hassle Records)

“Keep The Coffins Coming” is a prequel, if you will, to Frank Iero and the Cellebration’s next incarnation, Frank Iero & The Patience (Frank has been quoted as saying to always live in the moment). Produced by the legendary Steve Albini (who also produced the full-length,) the EP features one demo off the band’s 2016 release, “Parachutes”, two former solo tracks by Iero, and one previously unreleased cut.

The demo“I’m A Mess” (born of a conversation that Frank had with a fan regarding the struggle with self-loathing), is a stripped-down, guitar-driven version of the final, with the beginning of the emotions which Albini reportedly dragged out of the band during every recording session already detectable in the resigned-sounding vocals that Iero and second guitarist/vocalist Evan Nestor deliver.

The professional recording of “BFF” is a stark departure from the informal demo which accompanied Iero’s home video of himself and his children playing in his basement (the song was reportedly penned by young Lily Iero during an argument with her twin sister, Cherry.) It sounds amazing, but it’s tough not to miss those little voices chiming in.
New(ish) jam “No Fun Club” (no doubt reminiscent of Iero’s running Twitter joke that he belongs to said club because of his restrictive diet and fatherly responsibilities) features Frank’s classic rant style: freeform breakdown and angry guitars with a clever dose of humor.

The final track is a punked-up cover of 1939’s Paul Rice, Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell classic “You Are My Sunshine”, and one that Iero has been playing live for years. This version does a fine job of conveying the heavy worry that every parent feels about anything ever happening to their children, and their attempt to shield them from it.
All in all, a solid piece of music to add to your collection.



Dave Hause & The Mermaid


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FRNKIERO AND THE PATIENCE / DAVE HAUSE AND THE MERMAID
LIVE AT THE MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN, APRIL 18, 2017

Story and photos by Deb Draisin

Brooklyn had the honor and privilege not only of catching The Patience on one of their first shows back in the States after a crippling bus accident almost claimed their lives in Australia, but also of the eclectic Dave Hause’s latest project, The Mermaid, on their debut touring circuit, last month – and Jersey Beat was there to document the sights, the sounds, and the smells of it all.

The Mermaid were the openers this tour, but, as everyone who has ever seen Hause perform in any capacity knows, he always steals the show. Hause had recently scaled back his high-energy performances both with The Loved Ones and as a solo artist with his excellent 2013 release, “Devour,” taken on the road with brother Tim as a mellow acoustic set. Now, Hause brings that bounce back with his latest touring band, The Mermaid, in support of Hause’s February release, “Bury Me In Philly.”

A Frank Iero crowd is not the easiest to win over (this fate has only, to the best of my knowledge, been flawlessly achieved by the charming Homeless Gospel Choir and, of course, the impossible not to love live Against Me!) However, The Brothers Hause and the rest of The Mermaid accomplished the task with ease – so much so that the ever-present fan line was just as excited to meet them as they were The Patience, and they all bought cds. I bought a “Dirty Fucker” shirt, which Hause had the entire crowd chanting as an informal fuck you to the current administration.

The album is amazing, and the songs translate incredibly live. And, as always, Dave threw in a jam for us Loved Ones fans in the audience, “C’mon, Kid.” The set went by way too quickly. Hause is always an electriifying performer and a damn fucking good songwriter. If you haven’t grabbed a copy of “Bury Me In Philly” yet, run, don’t walk, to your latest record store / download site and nab one now.

As incredible as The Mermaid were, Iero and The Patience were not to be outdone. Always engaging and fun to watch onstage, Iero has really come into his own as a frontman. These shows see him comfortable and engaged in between songs, trading laughs and sharing anecdotes with the audience. This album, “Parachutes,” informally the sophomore release to 2014’s “Stomachaches,” performed live with three quarters of this current lineup, is really, really good.


Frank Iero & The Patience


Don’t let the innocent faces of this young crowd fool you, kids: this band is punk through and through, and those kids are pretty damn hardcore. Crowdsurfers pepper the pit and beer and sweat hit faces as Iero and the crowd scream every word together. I’m told that it was Iero who insisted that the barricade be removed that night, to eliminate the barrier between band and fan.

The set included the full “Parachutes” album and most of “Stomaches”, as well as a handful of Iero’s solo songs, including “B.F.F.,” which was written by his six-year-old daughter. Their shows are a like a bloodfest of frenetic energy. The band moves so rapidly onstage, that all photographic attempts wind up blurs until they’re in between songs. Everyone’s hair is in their mouths and everyone’s voices are shot at the end of the set – both artist and aficionado.

Iero is a very adept songwriter and interesting performer, and this tour, in particular, is very well worth the trip, but if you can’t make it out, definitely check out “Parachutes,” it’s a total ass-kicker.

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READ UP, LISTEN UP, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL ARTIST:
http://frank-iero.com
http://www.davehause.com/


 

 

TIM KASHER – No Resolution (15 Passenger Records)

Cursive and The Good Life’s illustrious songwriter and vocalist, Tim Kasher, has topped himself yet again with his latest undertaking: an ambitious 15-track solo concept album entitled “No Resolution.” With every project that he takes on, Kasher reinvents the wheel. No two projects sound remotely alike – with the only common denominator being his dark humor.

“No Resolution” commences with a haunting prelude, ominously named “Not Over You,” and then continues along with the mood: violins, symbols and dissonant guitar tones, with an unexpectedly catchy vocal melody kicking in shortly after the “Runts” intro, with a sound that will immediately appeal to fans of The Beatles’ “Let It Be” era, like myself. As Tim chastises himself to “Settle down, settle down, settle down” as the strings reach a crescendo, Tim surprises the listener with the refrain “Fuck my life, she said, popping half a Xanax,” and here we get to enjoy the sardonic wit that he is known for.

The pretty, heartbreaking “Break Me Open” laments a long-lost innocence, while “No Secret” takes on a Broadway-esque confessional vibe. The listener then takes a break during another prelude, wondering what Jean did to “kill the party” in the “Answer For Everything” prelude, or who’s “Holding Out” in the ensuing track: Tim, or someone close to him? There is an awesome “Runts” reprise entitled “Wandering Eyes” before the cd travels into the floaty “Hollow,” which treats the listener to some fun sound effects (meant to mimic a helicopter, perhaps?) “We are mirrors of our constellations; I am seeing the same shit you see” he soothes.

A “No Secret” reprise follows, where the listener “Meets Shawna and Tracy,” whom I guess had the secret to tell – or were in on it? Then the romantic, pleading “Messes” kicks in, about an affair. “An Answer For Everything,” heavy on the triangle, intriguingly implores the subject to “Fold up (their) toaster, chuck (their) cup inside the unknown” as it traverses through the nostalgic salad days of a relationship.

There is a “Holding Out” reprise entitled “Heading Out,” which is then aptly followed by “Post Script,” lamenting that “A woman sings a lullaby: if only I could hear it.” A “Hollow” reprise entitled “Kyle’s Smoke” follows next, which really gets the listener wondering who all of these folks are that Tim is mentioning in this album!

The album closes out with the Pumpkins-toned “Not Over You,” which has Tim sighing “In my head, I’m packing my bags, but I won’t get up from this park bench” and repeats “I am not over you being over me,” which I take to be the general point of the album. This was quite an enjoyable listen: a relaxing experience, though rather melancholy, even if striped through with just enough humor here and there. Definitely recommended.

Read up, listen up, watch a vid:
https://www.timkasher.com/
https://timkasher.bandcamp.com/


AMANDA PALMER / EDWARD KA-SPEL - I Can Spin A Rainbow (Cooking Vinyl)

Fans of The Dresden Dolls’ Amanda Palmer are lucky enough to have the ability to maintain almost constant contact with her, even when she is on hiatus or across the world from them. Fans of The Legendary Pink Dots’ founding songwriter and vocalist/keyboardist, Edward Ka-Spel, not so much. But that all changes with the release and subsequent tour for “I Can Spin A Rainbow,” a collaborative album by the two eclectic singer/songwriters.

These two worlds have collided before: The Dots were an early influence upon young Amanda’s fledgling career, and they opened for her at NYC’s Irving Plaza on Halloween 2010. The Dots’ sometime violinist, Patrick Q. Wright, will also be joining the duo on the summer tour.

The album opens with “Pulp Fiction,” featuring Amanda laying some “Oh’s” over Edward’s classic syncopated keys, which she then layers with a monotone vocal line that eventually picks up a haunting echo before the string sounds kick in. Halfway through the song, Edward’s familiarly high British vocals take over for a bit before both singers’ vocals blend together into a chilling crescendo. Edward wraps it up with “For pity’s sake, what would it take for you to listen?” We’re listening, Edward!

“Shahla’s Missing Page” opens with the lovely piano playing that Amanda is known for, with Edward’s vocal lines practically spoken over it “So I could fight the night men; so I could sleep forever” as Amanda coos “Be brave.” Definitely reminiscent of Alice Cooper’s super creepy “Steven.”

The oddly named “Shock of Kontakt” has Amanda crooning about young love with a woman named Astrid over a building electronic background provided by Edward, wrapping up with a lovely violin refrain. The gorgeous “Beyond the Beach” blends both artist’s styles perfectly, while the spooky “Clock at the Back of the Cage” is classic Ka-Spel with Amanda adding some pretty melodies behind Edward’s whispers.

The memorable “Changing Room” is about a woman named Carolina struggling with her life choices, while the heartbreaking “Jack of Hands” is a circus-y number about a child coping with death. Ten-minute-long “Prithee: Liquidation Day” is nothing short of a theatrical masterpiece, which, surprisingly, does not close out the album.

The haunting “Rainbow’s End” and in “Subway,” with its intriguing blend of sounds and voices, are the third and second longest tracks on the album, respectively. The album closes out with the instrumental “The Sun Still Shines,” with Amanda’s notorious ukulele making its first notable appearance on the album.

You’re gonna need a lot of time on your hands for this one, but if you’re a fan of either or both of these guys, this collection is a must.

Read up, listen up, watch a vid:
http://amandapalmer.net/
https://www.patreon.com/amandapalmer
https://legendarypinkdots.org/
https://edwardka-spel.bandcamp.com/

Give Amanda a shout (Edward is the strong, silent type):
https://twitter.com/amandapalmer
https://www.facebook.com/amandapalmer/


 

FRANK IERO & THE PATIENCE - Parachutes (Vagrant/BMG)

Now replete with new bassist, Alex Grippo (a bandmate of Evan Nestor’s in Science,) replacing departed stringman, Rob Hughes, right out of the gate, I noticed how much more METAL this album is than this band’s first incarnation, frnkiero andthe cellebration’s freshman effort, “Stomachaches” was. Another surprise was the gang vocals – a newer development on an Iero project; an ambition perhaps achieved due to the prolific presence of legendary producers Rick Ross and Steve Evetts (who have worked with the likes of Korn, Sepultura, and Incite, just to name a few.) However, casual studio moments are also incorporated in between songs –a nice way to bring down the pretention of high production, reminding the listener that we’re all just human.

This album is the band’s first truly collaborative effort, and it absolutely shows. “Parachutes” feels like a cohesive band project. These dudes have always performed live with passion, but now, for the first time, listeners get to hear this passion at the studio level. “Stomachaches” was meant to be solo exorcism of, well, stomachaches, hidden away in the dark depths of Iero’s closet, maybe to be found in a decade or two by one of his children.

The lyrics do follow Iero’s aesthetic of self-deprecation, while the album art maintains his mystique by featuring his infant self on the album covered flanked by two painted ghosts (a trademark of artist Angela Deane http://angeladeane.com/home.html.)
The heavy bass lines, particularly in opening tracks, “World Destroyer” and “Veins,” invoke crossover bands like Black Flag. The titles themselves seem a bit more suited to a Slayer album than a hardcore one.First single, “I’m A Mess,” with its catchy refrain and head-bobbing speed, Iero has said was inspired by a button given to him at a show, while “They Wanted Darkness” gets just a little bit funky. “Betting Man” is a swayer. Second single, “Remedy,” sounds like might have once have been a “Stomachaches” holdover, but a much more polished reincarnation. “Dear Percocet” brings the pace back up, while “Miss Me” is a wistful, pretty little acoustic number. “Oceans,” with its commercially-friendly sound, ironically laments “I hate everything that waits outside my door.” Floaty jams, “Existential Crisis,” and “Viva Indifference” sound very much like something one would blast when they’re struggling with life that day – their cadences a passing nod to another one of Iero’s hugest influences, Jawbreaker. However, it’s closing track “12 September 6th” who pays tribute to Iero’s greatest influence of all: the grandfather that he lost last year.

Says Iero about the album title: “The act of living can be random and strange, beautiful and ugly at the same time and the only thing that is undeniably certain is eventually we are all gonna hit the ground. Some of us plummet at an incredible rate and it’s over in a flash, but some of us get saved and are able to enjoy the view for a little while. This album is one of my parachutes.”

Here’s hoping that it will become one of yours as well.

(Note: The band was recently involved a bus accident while wrapping up an Australian tour. While Iero himself was not injured, a couple of unidentified band/crew members were, but are reportedly in stable condition. Due to this incident, the band was forced to cancel their North American tour. Here’s wishing them all a speedy recovery!)

Read up on all of Iero’s various projects here: http://frank-iero.com/


Descendents, Fucked Up, Night Birds - Live at PlayStation Theater, NYC - Oct. 8, 2016

There are a few things that you await eagerly in life as a music fan: An anniversary performance of “Dear You” by the original Jawbreaker (provided that Blake can stay out of trouble long enough,) the hologram version of a Nirvana reunion, or Descendents coming to your town, just to name a few.

I was pretty stoked about this lineup, but, alas, I got completely screwed out of Night Birds’ set entirely, and half of Fucked Up’s set thanks, in part, to shitty NYC traffic and Playstation Theater’s airport-like security setup. However, I heard that they fucking tore the doors off the place. Punk News also gave NB a really nice write-up this summer - you should go check it out here.

I reached the pit just in time to see Fucked Up’s lead man, Damian Abraham, leaning into the crowd with a mic chord wrapped around his neck, as the band’s road crew desperately attempted to feed him enough wire to keep him singing. The joint was JUMPING, I can tell you that. Fucked Up was enjoying a full capacity crowd, and working the hell out of it too. Having put out a product a year to date (2014’s “Glass Boys” and 2015’s installment of the 12” Zodiac series, “Year of the Hare,”) Fucked Up played their set with buoyancy, as the band backed up Damian’s frenetic front stylings. It was kind of a bummer to see them go, quite honestly! I’ll definitely have to catch one of their headlining gigs the next time they’re in town.

Next up, the dudes about whom I loved to annoy my crust punk friend, Josh, by reminding him that they are considered to be one of the first pop punk bands in American history, fucking Descendents! With their high-energy, brand spanking new full-length, “Hypercaffeinate Spazzinate,” under their belt, these dudes could easily have played a four-hour set by themselves and never bored their audience, who bounced along to every tune that they pulled out (even the normally subdued sidestage crowd was fist-pumping and singing along to the newest and oldest jams alike.)

The pit was so raucous that shoes, hats, and even a bra (which wound up on Milo’s head) were flying everywhere. A statue of liberty foam hat made its way through the bandmembers, as did way too many jokes involving the word “pussy.” Descendents blasted their way through a 37-fucking song set, which included two encores (always wait for the houselights to come up, newbies!) The crowd was so dense that folks were having difficulty getting themselves raised up to surf (although they managed nonetheless.)

Classics such as “Everything Sucks,” “Clean Sheets” and “Bikeage” happily intermingled with rarely heard jams such as “No! All!” “Van” and “Coffee Mug.” Newer jams blended so well with the older ones that you could barely tell which era of Descendent’s grand era you were in.

But, of course, all good things must come to an end, and this evening eventually did, but everyone went down swinging.




Bad Religion, Against Me!, Dave Hause - Irving Plaza, NYC - Oct. 3, 2016


There are few lineups in a punk enthusiast’s life which can be enough of a show-stopper to warrant unblinking ticket site watching, rapid viral recovery techniques, time off of work and school in order to arrive at the venue by doors, and limited PBR consumption so as not to squander the better part of the evening in the restroom. This effort would normally be reserved for epic punk festivals such as Warped Tour (in its heyday,) Punk Rock Bowling, and Riot Fest. However, the irresistible lineup of Bad Religion Against Me! and Dave Hause (of Loved Ones fame) fell firmly into that category for this chick. Dubbed the “Vox Populi Tour” (meaning “the opinions or beliefs of the majority,” this month-long traveling punk show dug its roots into the soil in our home state of New Jersey on September 30 and ends its run in Hollywood on November 4 and is selling out QUICKLY.

Fortified with some quality vegan grub and red wine, my friend, Jaimie, and I set out to plant our tootsies firmly on the barricade to check out Dave Hause and his brother, Tim’s loving tribute to Hause’s critically acclaimed 2013 effort, “Devour” (I adore that damn thing – you should do yourself a favor and pick up a copy) while new release “The Falcon” percolates until next year. Happily for the security detail up front, the Brothers Hause kept it low-key (for once,) sticking firmly to their mellow keyboard and acoustic guitar vibe for the entirety of the set. The crowd received the jams eagerly, with many mouths singing along to every note. It was a nice beginning to an impressive evening.

Next up was one of my all-time favorite live bands, hands-down, Against Me! Fresh off their killer new release, “Shape Shift With Me,” this band’s energy is so legendary that even my son, who abhors concert settings in most cases, really wants to check them out. As the openers for a renowned band proudly sporting a tremendous thirty-inch (er, SONG) setlist, AM was forced to cut down their classic discography down to just ten songs, (all of which were received enthusiastically by the crowd, The set was a nice mix of old and new, performed to the screaming masses with AM’s usual vigor. The audience even burst into an impromptu re-rendition of “Sink, Florida, Sink!” as the band left the stage.

As one of the undisputed godfathers of punk, Bad Religion, still riding the high of their intensely awesome 2013 full-length, “True North” and planning an as of yet unnamed 2017 release, hit the stage with confidence and ease. With new faces on guitar (Mike Dimkich) and drums (Jamie Miller,) BR owned their crowd like the pros that they are. Loyalists were treated to both the standard fare (“Modern Man,” “21st Century Digital Boy,” “Infected,” “Sorrow,”) as well as some very welcome surprises (“Television,” “Robin Hood Reverse,” “Streets of America.”) The place totally blew the fuck up, and the formerly relaxed security detail of Dave Hause’s yesteryear were no more: tossing bodies quicker than they could catch them.

No matter how long a BR set is, it never feels like enough, and the evening wound up much too quickly for me – even though it was midnight and a workday for most. Crowd-singing “Modern Man” as we exited the building, Stage Right, I can state with no hesitation that this was absolutely a gig worth waiting for to any self-respecting punk rock girl (or guy.)

 

 


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