Reign of Bunnies

I really was doing well with keeping up to date on shows I've seen this year. Then I got lazy. I'm going to blame Reign of Bunnies (currently my new favorite phrase) and leave it at that. While I can't recall every show I've seen over the last few months, there are some very noteworthy ones.

8/26/10
Jeff Rowe
Movers and Shakers
Joe McMahon

Great Scott, Allston MA.

This was one long awesome drunken friend-fest. The kind of show where everyone knows everyone and it was a celebration of jeff's record release. The date may actually be wrong and I apologize to my 2 readers if it is. Joe McMahon, of Smoke Or Fire, kicked things off by playing original tunes mixed with SoF songs. If you haven't seen Movers and Shakers you either don't live in Boston or we aren't friends. I love this band, and they always amaze me. Then the highlight of the evening, Jeff Rowe came out swinging and the crowd came out singing. Jeff has been in many amazing bands, from Boxingwater to Tomorrow The Gallows to Larcenists. He is truly one of the most talented people I know and I am proud to have been up front for this record release show. If you've found yourself reading this and haven't heard him, go to either Anchorless Records or Jeff's Myspace Page and get in on it.

Speaking of old friends bands, the saturday after Thanksgiving was the gigantic Boxingwater and Lost Cause reunion shows. I only made it to the show at Great Scott and it was one of the best shows I saw this year. Its rare to see the kind of enthusiasm that was on display this night. I'll let some pictures do the talking.





In early December I caught Save Finds, Dan Webb and the Spiders, The Young Leaves, and Lemuria. Its partly because it only happened a few weeks ago, but its mostly because it was one of the best shows I saw all year that made it so memorable. Both the self titled album and this years release "Oh Sure" by Dan Webb and The Spiders have been on constant rotation for me this year. The Young Leaves have been blazing a trail throughout the northeast for a while now and continue to impress every time I see them. Lemuria is easily one of my favorite bands going today. I'm sure you've heard them but if you haven't they play a catchy indie rock with male and female vocals.

Check out the bands:

Lemuria
Dan Webb and the Spiders
The Young Leaves

Those are just a few of the things I saw this year. I'll rack my brain and try to come up with a few more and we'll see what i come up with later.

1 Angry dwarf and 200 solemn faces

Its been a little while since the last update of shows. I definitely need to update more frequently. Anyways, this is another update with the assistance of the day planner.

July 22, 2010
O'briens
Allston MA

Larcenists
Nassy
??????????

I don't actively recall the opening band, Nassy were pretty good. The real highlight, as per usual, was seeing Larcenists. Friendship aside, these guys are just amazing musicians. This show marked the last time Jeff Rowe would be playing with them, and they all certainly played their hearts out (again, like always). I've seen Larcenists numerous times and they have never disappointed me. Word around the gym is they are writing new material and will be back with a vengeance in october.

August 12, 2010
Anchors Up!
Haverhill MA

Bane
Ceremony
The Nasty
Beartrap

Maybe I am getting old, or tastes have changed but all of the openers just didn't do it for me. I get the appeal but at the end of the day the general brand of thrash/power violence/etc just isn't my cup of tea anymore. Bane was awesome as usual, although I do wish Aaron would sing more. All in all it was a fun, sweaty, slightly ridiculous night.


So I thought I had gone to more shows since the last update but apparently I'm just working a lot. I'll probably be posting later tonight after Jeff Rowe's cd release show w/Joe McMahon (from Smoke Or Fire) and Movers and Shakers.

Got really lazy...

So here's a massive update covering a lot of shows.

In all fairness I'm writing this out of a combination of drunken memory and my day planner, starting in early april so here we go.

April 18, 2010
Heavy Trash
The Konks
The Cobra-Matics

TT The Bears, Cambridge

I had the priviledge (sp?) of working the door for this momentous occasion of garage rock. The Cobra-Matics and The Konks are long standing garage rock favorites of boston while Heavy Trash is the current, and amazing, band fronted by Jon Spencer of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and a band from the 80's I can't recall at the moment. This was a phenomenal night and if anyone ever has a chance to see these bands, I suggest that you do so.

Now I also feel the need to know that I will not generally include shows that I personally worked at for the sake of my own sanity.

May 17 2010
Horsehands

O'briens, Allston

I recall liking Horsehands a lot. I don't recall anything else about this show.

May 29 2010

The Call Up
Where The Land Meets the Sea
Everyone Everywhere

O'Briens, Allston

Everyone Everywhere play a sorta braid/promise ring kind of rock that I loved and bought a 7 inch of and have lost to the merch band/black hole in the practice space. The Call Up had a reunion show, first of 2, and it was awesome. Where The Land Meets the Sea had their last show and I blogged about it here

Seriously thats all I've got on that one til I watch and edit the video I shot.

June 5th 2010
Jeff Rowe
Coyote Kolb
Tulsa

Harpoon Brewery, Boston

Short and simple, Harpoon Summerfest....got wicked drunk and watched awesome bands. Seriously thats all I've got, again.

June 6th 2010

Lemuria
The Cold Beat
Dan Webb and the Spiders
The Young Leaves

Great Scott, Allston

Atleast I'm pretty sure Dan Webb played this one. I recall The Cold Beat and Dan Webb being their usual awesome selves and Lemuria ruled the friggin earth, as expected. I don't recall much else except I didn't drink this night.

June 19th
Bane
Strike Anywhere
Other bands

Club Hell, Providence

Hardcore is a young mans game but I still loved the hell out of this show. Thats all I can say about it.

June 21 2010
Off With Their Heads
Dear Landlord
The Fake Boys

Great Scott, Allston

Loved it! Seriously all around, had a blast. Got a 7in split with OWTH/Detournement with Care Bears on each side. Great night!

July 19th 2010
Wolves and The Radio
Nothington
Spanish Gamble
Fake Boys

O'briens, Allston

Long story short, left after Spanish Gamble. First half of the show was awesome, second half was said to be awesome too.

So that's all I've got for now, hopefully some new videos and photos will be forthcoming, hopefully.

Got lazy for a moment...

3/21/10
Middle East Upstairs

Guns Up!
Ashers
For The Worse
Watchfire
Word for Word

This was quite the line up to conclude the 3 day Boston Rules, Ok? music festival. I'm not as into hardcore as I used to be but still enjoyed myself over all. Below are a few pictures of Guns Up! with their former roadie on vocal duties.





Moving on...

4/5/10
Great Scott, Allston MA

Smoke or Fire
Dan Webb and the Spiders
Jeff Rowe

This was the 4th show I believe in as many days for Smoke or Fire's return to MA. They certainly did not disappoint. They covered a lot of ground from Above the City to This Sinking Ship, a few cuts from the new 7in on fat wreck chords, and I believe a song from their time as Jericho/Jericho RVA.

Dan Webb and the Spiders are easily one of the best things going today for Allston punk rock. Featuring members of way too many bands, they ripped through songs from their self titled album and new cd "Oh Sure". There really are no words to adequately describe how much fun these guys are live.

Opening the show was Jeff Rowe of Larcenist, formerly of Tomorrow The Gallows, Boxingwater, and a few other bands here and there. His set included original songs, TTG songs, Larcenist songs, and a lot of singing along. He's been playing all over town more and more and it would do you a lot of good to go check him out.

Thats all for now, but I promise to update more often, and hopefully with more content.

I go to shows sometimes

3/8/10

Larcenists
Quixote
Look Mexico
Makeout Party

Middle East Upstairs
Cambridge MA

The night before I turned 29 I had the great pleasure of seeing Larcenists continue to kick ass and take names. If you haven't heard this band yet, go find em and get into it now or hear about them a lot later. I missed Quixote due to a quick stop into T.T. The Bears Place next door. Look Mexico was actually kind of disappointing especially since I really enjoyed their recorded work so far. Makeout Party opened and were a lot better than expected. Overall it was a great night and a great time.

3/19/10

Big D and the Kids Table
We Are The Union

Paradise Rock Club
Boston MA

I randomly got myself onto the guest list for this show and had a great time. I realized I haven't seen Big D and The Kids table in well over 10 years. The last time I saw them was in a VFW hall in Long Island in 2000 or so. The band now has expanded to include 2 female back up singers along with a sax and trombone section, base/drums/guitars and the now signature vocal styling. Unfortunately I literally recognized 2 songs they played due to having not really listened to the band in quite some time. The entire set was excellent overall.

We Are The Union opened for them (along with 2 other bands that I missed unfortunately) and played a strong pop punk style with a little bit of a late 90's ska influence. They have a release coming up on the 30th on Paper + Plastick which should be very solid and continue to grow their fan base. All in all this was an enjoyable little night.

Next up is the return of Guns Up! tomorrow and possibly Ted Leo on april 10th. Oh yeah!

Big time fun

Harpers Ferry
Allston MA
03/04/10

Leatherface
Yesterdays Ring
Bridge and Tunnel
Where The Land Meets The Sea

To be honest with you, I kind of ignored this show despite being there for all of it. Everyone sounded great, Leatherface played an extensive set that seemed to cover a lot of ground in terms of all of their albums. Yesterdays Ring brought a distnct alt country with emphasis on the alt part. Bridge and Tunnel came and rocked hard. Where the Land Meets the Sea continued to gain new fans and impress audiences. All in all it was a great time.

I didn't necessarily mean to ignore the show but I found myself entranced by lawn darts/bag toss, bowling, and of course big buck hunter. Some where along the line I developed a decently high aptitude for these arcade machines. At the very least I get really into em. Blame it on a childhood playing video games I suppose. Now if only I could afford one of these systems in my house...

Not so angry anymore

....but I still love hardcore.

3/2/10
Middle East
Downstairs

Crime In Stereo
Transit
Defeater
Make Do and Mend

I've been listening to hardcore for longer than I care to admit. Despite never being straight edge, I do tend to love a lot of straight edge hardcore. I also love hardcore in general, despite no longer feeling the angry/fire that really fuels the genre. Originally this show was supposed to be a matinee show on saturday 2/27 but was postponed due to the awesomely destructive force of winter.

Make Do and Mend opened the show and came out swinging. There was a palpable passion brought forth and I felt moved by the music despite not knowing any of the words. They do what they do (play hardcore) and they do it damn well.

Defeater is a band I've heard a lot about but have not previously had the chance to see. The band includes both Gus and Jay Maas, longtime northshore hardcore stalwarts. They definitely tore the house down playing songs off of their full length and a recently released EP.

Transit was described to me as a group of young guys with a lot of potential who play really well. This was definitely an apt description and the only thing I can add is that they have no where to go from here but up. They reminded me of a more aggressive very early Taking Back Sunday (I promise you thats not an insult). Hopefully you'll be hearing more about them on here and the Rush N Attack blog.

Finally Crime In Stereo came in and blew the roof straight off the place. There are really no words that can do these guys justice. They rock hard and they rule even harder. I haven't met a more sincere and heartfelt band. They truly appreciated everything they've achieved and are even more thankful towards their fan base. I wish I knew more of their songs and could sing a long, but even without that knowledge, there is still the urge to sing or atleast scream along with every sentiment the band puts forth.

All in all this was an amazing way to spend a tuesday night and if anyone reads this and sees this tour coming through, it would be in your best interest to check em out.

Next up:
Leatherface, Bridge and Tunnel, Yesterdays Ring, Where the Land Meets the Sea......stay tuned!

Still have a pop punk heart

House Of Blues
Boston MA
2/21/10
New Found Glory
Saves the Day
HelloGoodbye
Fireworks

Unbelieveable as it may seem, this year marks the ten year anniversary of New Found Glory's self titled album. A lot of people like to use the term "guilty pleasure" but I certainly don't. I have genuinely loved every album that NFG has put out. I remember exactly where and when I bought the self titled album (Newbury Comics in Salem NH while on my way to work at Not Your Average Joes). I've certainly seen them play more times than I can recall. Last night was easily one of the best performances I've ever seen.

As for the openers...well Fireworks does what they do very well and what they do is sound a lot like NFG. We missed the first half of their set but the last few songs were pretty good and seemed very inspired. HelloGoodbye has never really done much for me, but a lot of people also enjoyed them.

Now Saves the Day were once one of my favorite bands in the world. Something last night didn't quite feel right to me and I couldn't put my finger on it until I was discussing the show later. All of the songs after the album Stay What You Are have been significantly slower and the older songs were played in the same vein. This all lead to a very awkward listening experience to anyone who saw them 10 or even 5 years ago. The song selection was pretty incredible regardless with longtime favorites Sell My Old Clothes, Firefly, Shoulder to the Wheel, and Freakish all being enjoyable.

NFG came out and absolutely ripped through all 12 tracks of their self titled album. The album itself is certainly not flawless, but each song was brought to life even bigger and with more excitement in the live setting. The encore was almost like an additional show with an almost greatest hits selection covering almost all of the bands previous albums including No Reason Why (Gorilla Biscuits cover), All Downhill From Here, Head on Collission, Understatement, and closing with My Friends Over You. All in all this was an amazing night and the kind of night that included everything I love about music.

First Show of the New Year

Great Scott
Allston MA
1/7/10

End of A Year
Tigers Jaw
Crooked Ways
Afficianado
Where The Land Meets The Sea
Zlam Dunk

The term "better than I could've hoped for" was tailor made for this show. I went into it without any expectations and wound up having an awesome time. A whole lot of indie rock greatness from start to finish. Picked up the Crooked Ways 7inch and the Tigers Jaw lp. I also managed to take a few pics of WTLMTS before my camera died. D'oh.



Ian on the drums, Jit slappin the bass, and Nikki banging on the keys



Vera on guitar and singing, Jit on the Bass

There are some very cool things coming up over the course of the spring, more news on them as it develops. The next show for 2010 will be the last Stretch Armstrong show in Jacksonville with support from Bane and Evergreen Terrace, of course pictures and a small write up will be forthcoming.

New Years Resolutions

A lot of things can happen in a year. A lot of things can be forgotten in a year. This year I am committing myself to a few simple resolutions:

1. Get Rush N Attack productions off the ground with multiple shows, a blog, atleast our first 3 releases, a webstore, and some awesome times.

2. Show reviews or atleast acknowledgements on the blog here.

3. Album reviews or atleast acknowledgements of what I've been buying and whats been coming out this year.

4. Do whatever I can to make this year better than the last.

Sure it sounds simple but we'll see how it goes. Friday will see the first show review featuring Where The Land Meets The Sea, End of a Year, and Tigers Jaw.

What are your resolutions?