 FAT
MIKE - HOME STREET HOME - Original Songs From The
(S)hit Musical (Fat Wreck)
Back in the early 2000's when "Hedwig And The
Angry Inch" was all the rage on Broadway, the
members of NOFX and their crew, and particularly frontman
Fat Mike caught Broadway fever. Those in the bands'
inner circle can tell you of countless backstage performances
of numbers from "Hedwig" or "Avenue
Q", the latter of which became an encore of sorts
for a short period. So it should come as no surprise
that over the last year and a half Fat Mike has written
his own Broadway musical, "Home Street Home."
Although most of the vocal performances here are female,
anyone familiar with Mike's work with NOFX can hear
him all over the songs here, the attitude obviously,
but even his phrasing. Mike wanted this show to be
taken seriously so he has surrounded himself with
the best musicians he knew ( folks from Lagwagon,
Descendents, Mad Caddies, etc), but also the best
of Broadway, having Jeff Marx co-write and produce
the show (he created "Avenue Q") and even
enlisting Tony award winner Lena Hall ("Hedwig
and The Angry Inch").
Other Bay area punk bands have released musical albums
before (Schlong, Green Day), but this stands above
those in terms of message, memorable songs, but most
importantly cohesion. Without seeing the show (scheduled
to open February 20th in San Francisco), one can easily
follow the story line of a young girl molested by
her father (played by Alkaline Trio's Matt Skiba),
running away and experiencing the joys and sorrows
of street life. There are memorable funny songs here
just like in "Avenue Q" ("High Achievers",
"Fecal Alcohol Syndrome", "Let's Get
Hurt"), but also some touching moments to like
"Missing Child", where one can hear the
ache of a mother searching for her lost daughter.
This is an impressive writing feat if nothing else
and makes me yearn to see the full production which
of course is another animal entirely.I'll be playing
these songs alot in the coming weeks, my mind adding
the costumes and sets to this vibrant and memorable
story and collection of songs. I'll imagine what
the cutter scene looks like or what amazing lights
they will no doubt be using during the Brian May-esque
crescendo of "Life...Oh What A Drag".
Who knew the world need a punk rock "Rent"?
Fat Mike, that's who.
 NOFX
"Stoke Extinguisher" CD EP (Fat Wreck
Chords)
Consisting mostly of leftovers from 2012's "Self-Entitled"
full length (the band's twelfth), this cd offers
fans six "new" songs, two of which many
have heard before like a demo of "I Believe
In Goddess" and a reworking of "Wore Out
The Soles Of My Party Boots". The newest cut
here is the band's excellent cover of Tony Sly's
"The Shortest Pier" in which they add
a haunting vocal at the end of the recently departed
Sly himself. Fat Mike continues his trend of recent
years in adding at least one deeply personal song,
although dealing with it's subject matter in his
familiar twisted and humorous way, "My Stepdad's
A Cop and My Stepmom's A Domme". In this song,
Mike lets the insiders in on an odd reality in his
post-divorce life where his youg daughter is bound
to notice he is in fact dating a dominatrix and
his ex-wife has been steadily dating a young San
Francisco police officer, he offers "They both
lock people up, they both keep people down, they
do their crazy jobs when I'm not around". "
Two unreleased songs round out the package with
the rocking "Stoke Extinguisher" and "New
Year's Revolution". A hard vinyl 7" version
is available with the title track b/w "The
Shortest Pier".
 VARIOUS
ARTISTS – The Songs Of Tony Sly: A Tribute
(Fat Wreck Chords)
Last August, I was tour managing Joey Cape and
Tony Sly as they toured supporting their second
album together on Fat Wreck Chords, "Acoustic,
Volume 2". In Jacksonville, Florida we put
Tony on a plane home as Joey and I had another week
of shows until the tour ended. Tony arrived home
in California, went upstairs to lay down, and died
in his sleep, leaving behind scores of shocked friends
and family. Tony also left a grand catalog of songs,
not only from his years with No Use For A Name,
but his two solo albums as well, and those songs
are the source material here for this expansive
compilation featuring 26 bands paying tribute to
a fallen brother.
There are a bunch of heavy hitters on here, big
acts like Pennywise, Alkaline Trio, and Bad Religion
all contribute alongside lesser known bands (Get
Dead, The Flatliners), and even the totally unknown
(remember Karina Denike? From Dance Hall Crashers?
Didn't think so.)
Plenty of Tony's bandmates are represented too;
Joey Cape, Jon Snodgrass and Lagwagon were absolutely
required if you were to do a project like this,
and proceeds from the album's sale will go to Tony's
two young daughters.
Overall this is a solid covers compilation with
very little to be said critically, except I am still
scratching my head as to how Yellowcard or Simple
Plan were appropriate additions. The Rise Against
track may be the melancholy highlight here, where
the band covers "For Fiona," a song written
for Tony's first daughter. Tony's band mate in Scorpios,
Jon Snodgrass, provides a haunting vocal melody
behind Tim McIIlrath's stirring vocals as the lyrics
at the end reassure Fiona, "I'm always here."
It's truly beautiful as well as chilling. Another
unforgettable moment has to be the very last line
of NOFX's cover of "The Shortest Pier,"
where the band allows a recording of Tony himself
to deliver the final line; it's one of those neat
moments where you genuinely feel his presence with
us in some form, winking to us all from among the
pile of 26 songs.
Tony is greatly missed by his friends and fans.
The staff at Fat Wreck have done his legacy a great
service by getting all there disparate musical entities
to collaborate on such a big project and get it
out in such a short time. Tony's daughters have
lost a father but through this album the punk community
can help them with their futures in a way that unfortunately
their father cannot. Actually as I write this today
would have been Tony's 43rd birthday. Tony, I miss
you buddy. But I sure feel like you are a little
closer when I hear your songs, and now I have a
new batch to stir up old memories. – Johnny
Puke
 CHRIS
WOLLARD & THE SHIP THIEVES - Canyons (No Idea)
They say the reason most sophomore albums suffer
is that it takes an artist years to come up with
their first release and only a short time thereafter
to produce a great follow-up. Exactly the opposite
is true of Chris Wollard and The Ship Thieves. While
it did take Wollard a long time to come up with
the songs on 2009's self titled debut, he did so
with only one member of the band now solidified
as the Ship Thieves, collaborator Addison Burns.
The 2009 debut was a scattered collection of acoustic-leaning
tunes which at best comprised a love letter to Paul
Westerberg and at it's worst could have passed for
Everlast B-sides. However in the ensuing years Wollard
has found a solid line up of musicians to serve
as his Ship Thieves and all of the songs on "Canyons"
are obvious products of wood-shedding with a solid
line up of musicians writing parts that best serve
the songs rather than Wollard simply charting out
his acoustic sketches on tape. The ten songs that
make up "Canyons" solidify an actual band
personality, they are elastic and undulating and
in many ways come off as perhaps the classiest "Jam"
band you will ever hear. Songs like "Never
Have Time" or "Sick Sick Love" have
a jam band sense to them but are true gems propelled
by the roiling bass lines of Chad Darby. Those fans
who are most familiar with Wollard's work in Hot
Water Music or The Draft will get a kick out of
"Canyons'" more straightforward rock numbers
like "Zyzoutta" or "Dream In My Head",
where his signature hoarse voice and clear guitar
lines entertwine in an inimitable manner. Recently
Producer Bill Stevenson (who worked with Wollard
on Hot Water Music's current release) called Wollard
the greatest guitar player to have ever recorded
at Stevenson's famous recording studio, The Blasting
Room. "Canyons" is finally a solo effort
that shows all of Wollard's talents clearly, buoyed
by a dynamic and attentive line up, and is the best
thing I have heard in weeks. Get this now.
 SNUFF
- 5,4,3,2,1...Perhaps? (Fat Wreck Chords)
It's been ten years since "Disposable Income",
the last proper release from this seminal UK punk
band, and the band's comeback release, "5,4,3,2,1..Perhaps?"
is their tenth release. I remember when I first
heard this band in the late 80's and was struck
with the way the band melded British Invasion pop
sensibilities with a refreshing raw punk edge, I
immediately ordered a bootleg VHS of one of their
performances at CBGB's. I was terribly disappointed
when the video arrived and I became aware that the
singer of SNUFF was in fact the band's drummer and
completely invisible of the smoky fan-shot tape.
I have since had the pleasure of seeing the band
in a live setting and can safely report that they
really put on a great performance complete with
all the horns and keyboards that set apart the bulk
of the band's recorded output as well as the eleven
songs on "5,4,3,2,1...Perhaps?". Always
wearing their KINKS influence proudly, SNUFF craft
great pop songs with layers of vocal parts, brass
and keys, best exemplified here on "EFL",
and the track "Mary Poppins" could be
right out of the Fab Four's songbook. But this is
a decidedly punk band, the very simple guitars are
pure UK punk rock and the band can also play at
breakneck speeds, and a song like "I Blame
the Parents" sounds like classic FEAR. At times
the slight muddiness of the production doesn't serve
the songs as best it could, but I'll take that before
I take another decade of no SNUFF. Up the Punks,
boys, and thanks for the new tunes! – Johnny
Puke
 ME
FIRST AND+ THE GIMME GIMMES "Sing In Japanese"
EP (Fat Wreck Chords)
The self-proclaimed "greatest cover band in
the world" turns in six songs on "Sing
In Japanese" by performers popular in the "Land
of the Rising Sun" but unknown stateside, like
The Tigers and The Kai Band. Embarking on a series
of EP's that celebrate the music and cultures of
other nations, this is the second in the series
that started last year with the Australian themed
"Go Down Under;" French and German collections
are to follow.
Unless you have been living under a rock you know
that Me First and the Gimme Gimmes is an all star
affair (members of Foo Fighters, NOFX), that takes
songs from the 70's, 80's and more and gives them
the old punk rock treatment by speeding them up
some, and throwing in licks from classic punk songs
to spice up the mix - a D.O.A. lick here, a Descendents
run there. But the real appeal of Me First both
live and in their recorded output has been that
uniting feeling of familiarity, that we can all
share a musical moment, however brief, over our
shared recognition of an Elton John song or a Stevie
Wonder number. It is exactly that which is lacking
here for me; as an American listener, that has never
been lacking before on Me First and The Gimme Gimmes
selections. Even the Australian tunes covered on
last year's "Go Down Under" were at least
passingly familiar (Air Supply, INXS). And even
when the band tosses a nod to an old punk by referencing
Social Distortion's "Story of My Life"
on "Kekon Shiyoyo", or sneaks Agent Orange
licks into "CCC", these songs are still
so......foreign.
The band is of course impeccably tight, no surprise
considering their pedigrees; and vocalist Spike
Slawson (Swingin’ Utters) does an amazing
job on the vocals. The band hired a native Japanese
speaker to be in the studio and to teach Slawson
the songs phonetically, and apparently he has nailed
them all. One has to wonder if Japanese audiences
familiar with these songs are just now appreciating
the brilliance of the Gimme Gimmes the way fans
such as myself began to ten years ago. To them,
this may be the most profound thing they have heard
in years; for me, it's a footnote, a chance for
someone else to hold my treasure for awhile till
I can finally get it back one day. I mean, I wanna
hear French songs like I wanna get a root canal,
right?
 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)
The controversial, spastic, masked runt who plays
guitar for The Dwarves has released his first solo
record, and it has all the power and bombast one would
expect for a man of HeWho's pedigree. Not quite as
versatile a vocalist as Blag Dahlia (who guests here),
HeWho's vocals are in the GG Allin/Tesco Vee vein
and the lyrics to songs like "Duct Tape Love",
"Wake Up", and "Happy Suicide"
are right out of The Dwarves' playbook. Some of the
funnier songs here like "Machine Boy", and
"Bill Vs. The Gnomes" seem less sinister
lyrically and I have heard a rumor that these songs
may have been collaborations with mentally challenged
people HeWho supposedly works with in some sort of
institutional capacity. Don't know if that's true
or not, if it is... awesome but if it's a rumor started
in the Dwarves camp like HeWho's faked death back
in the Sub Pop days, even better!!!!!!
 NOFX
- "Cokie The Clown"- 7-inch EP /CD-EP
(Fat Wreck Chords)
NOFX release a few tracks leftover from their recent Coaster album, the 7-inch vinyl version containing 3 songs - "Cokie the Clown", "Codependence Day", and "Straight Outta Massachusetts" - with the CD adding two additional tracks, "Fermented and Flailing" and "My Orphan Year {acoustic}". While none of the tracks here are crucial, the title track has Fat Mike's signature sense of humor as well as his attitude of thumbing his nose at the "Just Say No" crowd. Punk parents out there may have caught an acoustic version of "Straight Outta Massachusetts" on the punky children's show "Pancake Mountain" where Mike performs the song acoustically on a bed with his cute daughter and a talking goat. "Straight..", as well as "My Orphan Year", mark a notable shift in Fat Mike's writing style, both being autobiographical, honest and personal, "My Orphan Year" painfully so. Fans will want to pick this up regardless, and vinyl collectors will rush to scoop up one of the thousand copies made, 100 on white, 900 on green.
 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)
Chris Wollard has been in lots of side project bands (THE CROWS, THE BLACKTOP CADENCE) aside from the two bands he is best known for (HOT WATER MUSIC and THE DRAFT), but CHRIS WOLLARD AND THE SHIP THIEVES is his first real solo project, and far from his best work. An uneven collection of songs, from the lyrically and musically disposable "Up To The Moon" all the way to the album's best cut "No Exception," which itself has a little too much Westerberg and not enough Wollard. Production decisions don't help the record either as a perfectly serviceable "In The Middle Of The Sea" gets a backing vocal that transforms the cut into an EVERLAST out-take. Make no doubt about it, Wollard is a defining voice of our generation and has a legacy to back that up. But this first foray into solo project land needed a direction and comes off ham-handed.
 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.
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