This
is the second time this issue has been prepared. Crash went the file the first time. This time it is better.
Welcome to FOE.
In honor of 17 years of one day at a
time.
I prefer to think that
God is not dead, just drunk. ~John
Marcellus Huston
If you know someone who
tries to drown their sorrows, you might tell them sorrows know how to swim.
~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
I like liquor - its taste
and its effects - and that is just the reason why I never drink it.
~Thomas Jackson
I envy people who drink
- at least they know what to blame everything on.
~Oscar Levant
Remember:
"I" before "E," except in Budweiser.
~Author Unknown
Drunkenness is
temporary suicide. ~Bertrand Russell, The Conquest of
Happiness
Beer is the cause and
solution to all of life's problems. ~Homer Simpson
Drunkenness is nothing
but voluntary madness. ~Seneca
Everyone who drinks is
not a poet. Some of us drink because we're not poets.
~From the movie Arthur
WORDS ABOUT RECORDED
MUSIC
BRIAN MCGEE & THE HOLLOW
SPEED “S/T” CD
www.myspace.com/mcgeehollowspeed
Yes, that is Brian McGee of Plow United fame. Brian McGee and the Hollow Speed are a real,
honest to goodness roots country band.
My three-year-old son, who loves the country music on the Cars
soundtrack, loves this CD and he is a good judge of music. Even if I didn’t know Brian, I’d swear by
this CD. Typically, when I am in the
mood, I love to listen to music like Alison Krauss, Merle Haggard, George
Jones, Johnny Cash etc… This CD has all that, but it also has that, greaser,
punk rock, beer drinker holding up his bottle from the back of the room
feel. “Hawk On The Highway” is a song
that is covered in dirt and has the feeling of a shot of whiskey. The playing
is top of the line. There are great
grooves and fiddle playing without being too pop or too contrived. “Hell Is Open All Night” is a classic song
to end a disc. If you like the country meets rockabilly sound, try this.
Catch Brian McGee and the Hollow Speed at the Khyber Pass on
April 4th, 2008 along with Weston
Short Sharp Shock
“S S S” LP
Earache Records
Short Sharp Shock reminds me of Stormtroopers of Death. Their mosh parts are killer riffs, their
fast parts thrash like crazy, and this is just a good old time thrashing! Glad this type of metalcore still exists! I think this will stand the test of time and
not be a piece of unmemorable rehashed thrash.
SSS have the riffs, skills, and energy to cut above the generic. My copy is on clear vinyl. The earache site states that there are a 100
of each color; Purple, Blue, Black, Green, Yellow, Grey, Clear, White, Orange
and Red.
999
“Gimme the World” 7”
Dr. Strange Records
I know the Doc at Dr. Strange is very proud to have released
this record. 400 copies are on sweet
black and white starburst vinyl and 100 copies are available on black
vinyl. So, if you are a fan, move
quickly! The three songs, “Stealing
Beauty,” “Gimme the World” and “The System” are all classics, and by classic I
mean, this sounds like original UK punk.
This could have been released decades ago, but just like a classic,
still sounds fresh today. Now all we
need is someone to release the CD/LP of “Death in Soho” from which these tracks
are cultivated, here in the US!!!
DISFEAR
“Live the Storm” LP
Relapse Records
Disfear is one of the current leaders in the brutal, d-beat
genre, taking what Discharge started into the future. The riffing is abusive, the sound is harsh, and the feeling is
that of gritting ones teeth and clenching ones fists. Disfear have added a bit of street punk backing vocals that
really sets this apart and breaks up the punishment nicely. This ferocious music is a real high. It gets the adrenaline flowing freely. The vinyl is white a black starburst. Nice.
Disfear
AMERICAN SPEEDWAY
”SHIP OF FOOLS” LP/CD
Prophase Music
www.myspace.com/americanspeedway
This is a band that escaped my radar up until I discovered
their bio on Interpunk.com, who stated that American Speedway was a
high-energy, kick-ass rock and roll band, mentioning the likes of Zeke,
Speedealer and AC/DC. So I obviously
went for it, taking the chance, as I love that style of music. They were right
but they forgot how much the singer and the music sound like Nashville Pussy. This is a great album from start to finish,
packaged just the way I like it with a CD that comes along with the vinyl. They are from the Philadelphia area, so I am
looking forward to checking them out live. This is limited to 500 copies. Do not let this punk and rock energy speed
under your radar!
BORN/DEAD
“THE FINAL COLLAPSE” CD
Prank Records
This has a feel of an anarcho punk band, but the desperation
in the lyrics also has a personal touch, relating to the feelings caused by the
atrocities in the world, rather than just reporting the atrocities. The disc’s images, the song’s lyrics, and
the hardcore punk energy of the music bring it home quite bluntly. Hailing from Oakland CA, they have a number
of compatriots and do the history that surrounds the area proud with this
release.
IRON LUNG
“Sexless//No Sex” LP
Prank Records
Harsh.
Power-violence hardcore punk.
Abrasive. Punishing. I find it amazing that this is a duo. How 2 people create such a fierce, thick
sound amazes me. Twenty songs in just
over 21 minutes, leaves you feeling dizzy.
It is overbearingly crazy. The
immediately noticeable Nick Blinko (Rudimentary Peni) artwork makes this a
piece of music you need to obtain on vinyl for the full effect.
SUPERBUICK
“Superbuick” CD
Motherbox Records
www.myspace.com/motherboxrecords
The return of Motherbox records is a hyper-drive,
rock’n’roll CD by Superbuick. The band
has been around since 2004 and has a lineage that includes Violent Society and
Fisticuffs. This is in your face; rock,
with punk rock fury. The energy and
chops are all included; there is no need to jump-start this Superbuick!
SUPERBUICK
HANDSOME FURS
“Plague Park” CD
Sub Pop
“Plague Park” is sparse and dark, yet not domineeringly
heavy. There is lightness to Handsome
Furs’ moody music. The Canadian duo
manages to combine a bleak sound with a free feel. This is a great listen in the winter.
VAMPIRE WEEKEND
“Vampire Weekend” LP
XL
www.myspace.com/vampireweekend
The track “A-Punk” is what got me hooked. What a single! It is so catchy, it made me want it to go away, but it kept
pulling me back in, sucker that I am.
That track is sort of a jumpy, odd, ska-mod-punk inflected, roots song
that is nothing if it is not a classic indie rock song. Well the rest of the tracks are just as
roots, in whatever style they perpetrate.
Vocally this could bring in 50s crooner, teen idol stars through Simon
and Garfunkel. Having met as Columbia
University students, these NYers make some truly creative songs. The sparse and odd pop manifestations are
magnetic.
KINSKI
“Down Below It’s Chaos” CD
Sub Pop Records
First off, not sure how they ended up touring with Tool, but
that must have been an experience! To my
ears, Kinski bash around from Sonic Youth multilayered guitar dreamscapes to
full throttle Fu Manchu fuzz density.
Those are two bands I love and combined in the effect of Kinski is a
treat I will have seconds of please.
VARIOUS ARTISTS
“Thrashing Like A Maniac” LP
Earache
Thrash metal is back in the forefront of the metal
community! I love this compilation of
today’s thrash with all the fury and speed of the mid 80s! It reminds me of the
“Grindcrusher” compilation in that it brought together a quality sampling of
great bands of a genre, that you would listen to repeatedly. Evile, Municipal
Waste, Warbringer, SSS and Send More Paramedics are among my favorites! Comes
complete with a thrash zine!!!