REVIEWS BY
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.
###
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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