Much Love to Drive Daily …

My wife has a blog called Drive Daily. In it, she talks about all the thoughts that occur to her driving to and from work, around town, or out of town. The road is her muse, it inspires her. She’s volunteering all weekend so no blogging for her.

However, luckily for her and all of you, I had the camera as I was driving around Concord, MA. What’s this I see?

Click here for more details …

My wife has a blog called Drive Daily. In it, she talks about all the thoughts that occur to her driving to and from work, around town, or out of town. The road is her muse, it inspires her. She’s volunteering all weekend so no blogging for her.

However, luckily for her and all of you, I had the camera as I was driving around Concord, MA. What’s this I see?

Why, it appears to be a boy in a tiger suit. Was he coming from a school play? Was he on his way to Lion King try outs? No idea. But I knew I needed a better pic. My wife would get a better pic if it was her blog.

Better, but not best. Then to my delight. Him and his bro got on their bikes and rode off. Good times.

This last pic was the best. But it doesn’t show one crucial item. When the kid got on his bike, he spent 15 seconds trying to figure out what to do with his tail. It’s hard to see, but he actually tucked it into his front belt. Now he won’t run it over.

Sweet. Much love to Drive Daily for the inspiration.

Triple B Records comes through BIG …

I got a package from Triple B Records recently. It’s was packed full of goodies. The new album from Overdose (check a review coming soon), the Haunted Life / Make or Break split on white/clear spiral splatter vinyl (you can guess what it is supposed to look like), a dope shirt, HELL YEAH and a mouse pad. Yes, a Triple B Records mouse pad. “A mouse pad … a mouse pad. I don’t even own a mouse, let alone many mice that would necessitate an entire pad. What am I gonna do… with a mouse pad?”

Sweet!

COALESCE Salt and Passage 7" …

Coalesce is dropping a new EP. Yeap, Coalesce. When was the last time their name came up?

Click here for more details …

Coalesce is dropping a new EP. Yeap, Coalesce. When was the last time their name came up?

COALESCE Salt and Passage 7-INCH

September 11th Second Nature Recordings/Crash and Bang US Tour August 15th — 25th
“There’s no shortage of great bands doing their own thing, but few capture the intensity, lyrical vision, and technical drive, that Coalesce owned in the late 90’s” – Pastepunk.com

Channeling a piece of the same negative energy that fueled Black Flag, Kansas City, Missouri’s Coalesce have literally beaten their way through hardcore’s extreme end, arriving at one of the ugliest creative nadirs the genre has fostered.” – Alternative Press

“A ferocious blend of brutal hardcore and vicious metal… incredibly infectious” – Metal-Observer.com

“One of the finest heavy bands in recent memory” – PunkNews.org

It’s been 13 lucky years since COALESCE first entered a studio, and still no one’s topped the Kansas City, Missouri quartet’s paradigm-flipping noise/metal/hardcore mash-up. Well, put down your tablature and start sweating, Junior, because the boys are back in town, and they’re tweaking this genre harder in two new songs than their trail of admirers has done in, like, forever. Salt and Passage, out September 11th, 2007 on Second Nature Recordings (in conjuction with the band’s imprint Crash and Bang, is COALESCE’s first release of new material since 1999’s Revolution in Just Listening (Relapse), was recorded by longtime producer/friend Ed Rose and features the now-legendary lineup of Sean Ingram (vocals), Jes Steineger (guitar), The Casket Lottery’s Nathan Ellis (bass) and Nathan “Junior” Richardson (drums). This vinyl-only release will be pressed on deluxe screen printed gatefold packaging and limited colored vinyl and audiophile 70 gram vinyl.

Due to the limited nature of this release (and the fact that many might not have an accessible turntable to review records), we’ve put together a streaming player for press folks:

— URL/password Deleted —

Tracklist:
1. Son of Son of Man
2. I Am This

Vinyl History:
1st Press:
520 70 Gram Black (In Black/Silver Jackets)
367 Black/White
369 Clear/White/Blue
367 Blue/Black/White
367 Orange/Red/Blue
300 Gold/Brown/White (In Brown/Gold Jackets) (Internet & Tour Exclusive)
60 Rainbow Speckles (In White/Grey Jackets) (Tour Exclusive)

COALESCE ON TOUR
8/15 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium (Upstairs)
8/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
8/17 – New York, NY @ Knitting Factory
8/18 – Baltimore, MD @ Otto Bar
8/19 – Richmond, VA @ Alley Katz
8/20 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Lawrenceville Moose
8/21 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
8/22 – Arlington Heights, IL @ Arlington Heights Knights of Columbus
8/23 – Iowa City, IA @ Picador
8/24 – Omaha, NE@ Sokol Underground
8/25 – Lawrence, KS @ The Bottleneck

Go and preorder it now. Maybe I’ll get Subura Sal to review it when it comes out.

Brian Murphy … Merch God??

A friend was asking me about How’s Your Edge? shirts so I did some surfing on ebay, attempting to find one out there. I didn’t find any, but I did come across this sweet auction.

Click here for more details …

A friend was asking me about How’s Your Edge? shirts so I did some surfing on ebay, attempting to find one out there. I didn’t find any, but I did come across this sweet auction.

Description:

Yo this is a Mental shirt from sometime in 2004 or 2005, I’m not 100% certain. What I am certain of is that this is an awesome colour of yellow which looks good on everybody. Word is that this shirt was a friends only release who knows.

“Is it a walnut? A brain? A wrinkley butt? No clue.” – Brian “Howsyouredge.com” Murphy, Merch God

Payment is due at most 3 days of auction’s end. Paypal only please. Shipping will be $8 flat for North America, more to Europe so message me if you think you will win it. Be sure to check out the rest of my auctions. A lot of good merch from Mental, The Wrong Side, Shipwreck, Have Heart and more…

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZebimbib

Thanks for looking and good luck.

It’s official. My status has been upgraded from hardcore kid to merch god. All hail me.

Here’s a gem … Bold Speak Out Reels …

Here’s a sweet, little gem. The Bold reels from the Speak Out recordings. It even has an extra track. I know the track was released on the latest Bold discography, but I’m pretty positive that track was mixed off a cassette recording. Definitely not from the original recording. Here’s your chance to own a crucial piece of NYHC history. Sweet.

So dope.

Last Minute Info – Killing Time/ Uppercut Brooklyn

Here’s some last minute info. Please note. This show is TONIGHT. Look into it.

A Benefit for Dominic Intervallo with:

Killing Time
Joe Coffee
Uppercut
Awkward Thought
Skin Candy
Everyday Dollars

Thursday, Aug 02, 2007 7:00 PM EDT
at Europa 98 Meserole Ave Brooklyn NY 112222
adv Tickets www.ticketweb.com

Killing Time … Amazing.

The Steal Hop The Pond US Tour …

The Steal are a hot band from the UK. They are coming to America for a super quickie tour in support of the US release of their self titled LP. My friend Charles over at Get Outta Town Records hooked me up with a copy. And of course, hooked me on their tunes. So good.

Click here for more details …

The Steal are a hot band from the UK. They are coming to America for a super quickie tour in support of the US release of their self titled LP. My friend Charles over at Get Outta Town Records hooked me up with a copy. And of course, hooked me on their tunes. So good.

US Tour – August 2007
10th – Philadelphia, PA – w/ Armalite, The Ergs! & Pink Razors
11th – NEED SHOW in PA / VA
12th – Raleigh/Greensboro, NC TBC
13th – Greenwood, NC
14th – NEED SHOW in PA / VA
15th – New Jersey – Cobra Skulls, Dirty Tactics
16th – NEED SHOW in Washington DC / Baltimore
17th – Philly Hardcore Fest? / Day Off?
18th – Windsor CT – St Casimirs Hall.
19th – Easthampton, Mass – w/ RELICS, THE STEAL, SHORT ANSWER
20th – Buffalo, NY
21st – Ithaca, NY
22nd – New York, NY

If you can help with a show on the 14th or the 17th, contact The Steal. Buy the new US album too. I’m sure Charles has something fancy set up for it. That’s how he rolls.

Heads Held High – Do Or Do Not … There Is No Try – Two Legs Bad Records #007 – 2007

Oh man. Hands Held High. I knew I was in trouble when I saw the name of this album. C’mon. Feel free to use cheesy straight edge phrases for an album title like “true till death” or “positive youth crew.” But to name your album after a quote — albeit a positive quote — from star wars?? That just sinks too low in nerdery.

Here’s the part of the review where I rip apart the bio. If you don’t want to know what I have to say about the bio, feel free to skip down to the section after the album cover art.

You know I love to rip apart an over the top bio. Granted, if you are korn, Slipknot (Rev, duh) or Youth Of Today, I fully expect a “we kick ass” bio. I don’t care if it’s because you’ve sold a trillion albums or knocked sense into many outcast youths around the world. At that rate, you deserve an over the top bio. But you have to EARN it. You can’t just up and claim it one day. Until that day, stay humble. Wait for the post humus bio to get heady.

In a day and age where the term “hardcore” has become synonymous with the phrase “for lack of a better word,” few groups rise to the challenge of showing what it truly means to be a hardcore band – honesty and aggression. Cleveland’s Heads Held High welcomes that challenge.

Heads Held High formed in early 2004 when Rob Schultz and David Breda, (formerly the rhythm section for a mildly successful Cleveland band) …

Hardcore? “For lack of a better word” hardcore, perhaps. These dudes are from Ohio. The home of Integrity, Ringworm, Confront … They should know hardcore.

Why does this drummer from a “mildly successful Cleveland band” have a terrible drum tone? I thought the first couple of songs had too much cowbell until I realized it was the snare. Wow. Who are these guys? Is Biastfear the “mildly successful Cleveland band??” I had never heard of them. Googling them lead to the description “heavy metal mixed with hip hop.” Oh lord. Granted, this is probably all PR bullshit, nothing to do with the band. I hope so. After watching a few videos on youtube, the in between song banter gives off a much chiller vibe. I can hang with that.

Lets get back to the album before someone accuses me of not even listening to the album. It has happened before. I’m not going to lie or sugar coat it. I’m not a fan. I just can’t get over that drum tone. Despite never hearing Hawthorne Heights, this is what I would imagine them to sound like. Great comparison, right? Out of all the songs, I’d have to say the one I can enjoy is All We Got. I’m not super into the harsh, torn throat screamy singing, but the sections that remind me of Strike Anywhere, have my head bobbing. HAHA, I just realized they references Strike Anywhere at the end of the bio. Makes sense. “Intensity of Bane and d.i.y. mentality of Black Flag??” Um, ok. I don’t see it.

Here’s the video for the song Not My Enemy.

Nike Tech Pack

Normally, I would prefer not to regurgitate blog entries from other sites, but this pack has caught my eye. I’m feeling a little emo over it. Anyone who knows me, knows I like a nice tech jacket, but something uber simple. One or two colors, some water proof zippers, maybe a little wind stopper tech. Well, Nike must have heard my prayers.

Ooooooh, so good. You can check out more pics over at Hypebeast. Nice.