JOHNNY PUKE SAYS SO:
Reviews by Johnny Puke

TOUCH AND GO - The Complete Hardcore Punk Zine '79-83" by Tesco Vee and Dave Stimson (bazillionpoints.com.)

One of the great zines of the early 80's was Touch and Go, based out of Lansing, Michigan and put together by two Midwestern upstarts, Dave Stimson and Tesco Vee (known to most as the leader of The Meatmen). Later it was based in Washington, D.C. where I would pick up issues as a teenager at a record store called Yesterday and Today, and I still have some of those issues today.

This giant book (575 pages) faithfully reprints all 22 issues in their entirety, with interviews with bands now in the legend category and reviews of 7's that were new then (Misfits, Bad Brains) and now worth hundreds of dollars. Even better is how you see the American punk zine develop within the issues of T&G, first covering only import records and writing about shows in Detroit; then later, as the music spread, most of the releases covered were DIY domestic releases and the writers wrote about touring bands like Black Flag and The Circle Jerks coming to T&G's home burg of Lansing.

Aside from the issues reprinted here, there are forwards from folks like Keith Morris, Henry Rollins, and Ian MacKaye, as well as a funny reprint of an early one-off zine Tesco did in 1979 as an ode to the band 999. This really is a neat chunk of history which for me was a great walk down memory lane; but for those who weren't around then, it is a grand testament to the pre-computer, pre-slick zine world of punk journalism that was both "with it and for it," as they say in the circus world.

My only complaint here would be that for such a large tome, Bazillion Points used some cheap ass binding and after not even finishing the book it was beginning to fall apart, and for $30 I should be able to proudly display this on my coffee table, where it belongs. – Johnny Puke

Ultra Violence - Brick Rain (Wefare Records, 58 River St., Haverhill, MA 01832)

Ultra Violence were a NYHC band active in the CBGB's centered hardcore era in the mid-eighties and never quite achieved the recognition of their peers in bands like AGNOSTIC FRONT, CRO MAGS, and MURPHY'S LAW. I still own the 7's and compilations where I first heard UV, records like the "Big City Ain't To Pretty" and "Nice and Loud", and all of those recording from the 80's are included here. The band never recorded a full length in their 80's heydey and since then their original drummer has died, but 3 of the 4 original members have reformed the band and finally recorded 10 new songs which make up the first half of "Brick Rain". While a song like "Eat" is never going to be hardcore classic, the songs here are not without their nostalgic charm and the band still stays true to their hardcore roots and rhythms, and finally the band has some recording production behind them as the 80's stuff sounds so crumby.

HeWhoCannotBeNamed - Sunday School Massacre (MVD audio/Greedy Records. www.MVDaudio.com)

NOFX - "Cokie The Clown"- 7-inch EP /CD-EP (Fat Wreck Chords)

CLASSICS OF LOVE - "Walking In The Shadows" EP (Asian Man Records)

Classics of Love is the new band featuring Operation Ivy singer Jesse Michaels. After Op Ivy's breakup Michaels spent some time in the short-lived Big Rig, then went on to form a band called Common Rider. Common Rider were such a frankly gawdawful band that on the Plea For Peace Tour in 2002, ALL of the members of Michaels band confided in me how much they loathed the music they were playing. Classics Of Love fares a little better, some of the songs have hooks, and all of the six songs here are heavily influenced by jangly Sixties garage rock. Lyrics go from pandering to young people from an old man's perspective ("No Return") to just plain nonsense: "What's beyond the shroud -more than heaven or hell could allow/ Something I could live for - Countdown! / What's beyond the paces, and the bored contemptful faces? / Something I could live for -Countdown!" (It should be noted here that "contemptful" is not even a word, really; look it up.)

Now some twenty years on since Operation Ivy and three almost ignored bands later, it should be obvious that Michaels is never going to contribute music as captivating as the band that made him rich. I am sure that like any musician, with each album, each new band, Michaels really feels like he has a gift for the world, but a listen to any of his music has ears begging to return said gift. – Johnny Puke

HOT WATER MUSIC - No Division" CD Re-issue (No Idea Records)

At last, a re-issue of "No Division", the masterwork among the band's six full-lengths to date as well as on of the most important post-hardcore releases of all time. Originally released in 1999 on Some Records, No Idea has reissued this faithfully, nothing added or changed, and even the original lyric booklet is re-printed exactly(although my copy had the pages stapled together in the wrong order). Produced by Walter Schreifels (Gorilla Biscuits, Quicksand), No Division marks the bridge between HWM’s rough-and-tumble early albums on No Idea to the more polished and melodic releases of their later career on Epitaph. It was during the writing and recording of No Division that co-vocalists Chuck Ragan and Chris Wollard finally honed their coarse vocalizations to a brand of glorious anti-melody that would become a trademark of Hot Water Music, as well as a touchstone for the many bands to follow influenced by them. Schreifels’ production work here also accents the shine of Wollard and Ragan's shimmering dual guitars and brings a much needed clarity to the music.

No Division also took the band’s songwriting to the next level, with each of the 11 tracks here showcasing concise, thoughtful, and downright inspiring lyrics. From "Southeast First," the band's paean to the legendary Gainesville venue The Hardback Cafe and the scene it helped foster, to "It's Hard To Know", a song of hope and self-reliance that Wollard penned for his young son Gary, the songs here provide the bedrock for the legendary status of this seminal band.

Thank you, No Idea for keeping this vital document available and thank you Hot Water Music for all your music, good vibes, and inspiration. – Johnny Puke

NOFX - Coaster (Fat Wreck Chords)

Another fine release from these stalwarts celebrating their 25th anniversary, and continuing to provide a perfect example of how you can be DIY and successful at the same time (NOFX put out their own records, book their own shows, and control every aspect of their career like press and radio themselves). One of the real gems on this new album is a song Fat Mike writes about the death of his parents in 2006; never before have we seen such raw soul-searching and lyrical honesty from smug fucker Fat Mike than on "My Orphan Year". One criticism here is that Mike does seem in a rut lyrically; "Best God In Show" and "Blasphemy (The Victimless Crime)" are his usual windmills against religion, and after several releases focusing on the same topic, intolerance of anything (even an easy target like religion) just becomes intolerance. Songs like "First Call" and "Creeping Out Sara" show Mike's usual clever sense of humor, but "Eddie, Bruce, and Paul" about IRON MAIDEN of all things leaves one scratching his head over how that made the cut. Whatever chinks their may be in the armor here, it is still a great NOFX record and the first two songs, "We Called It America" and "The Quitter," have the redemptive old school NOFX thunder that we still love them for.

CHRIS WOLLARD AND THE SHIP THIEVES (No Idea)

IN THE RED - Volume 2 (Suburban Home)

Mike Hale, former leader of the Gainesville band GUNMOLL, began IN THE RED after a move to California and meeting Matt Glasgow, the world's tallest drummer (really, look it up!). After a couple of releases and bass players, the band has released a breakthrough record and it’s far from the band's more aggressive Gunmoll-esque early material. Using all sorts of guitar and studio tricks, all of these tracks pack a powerful punch, and the doubling of Hale's vocals give some of the songs a NIRVANA-like quality. Hale's lyrics are almost overwhelming in their depictions of loss and loneliness; song titles like "I Want A New Life" and "Alone Is Still A Sound" tell the whole story. While still qualifying for what I would call "Gainesville Punk", this record moves the band into a whole new world, with more mid tempos and subtlety. Awesome.

back to jerseybeat.com l back to top