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?

Best of 2009

A month later, a new post.

A few years ago I started keeping track of my favorite shows, events, movies, and music of that particular year. Somewhere along the way I started to mix up when things came out but 2009 has been a very fun year overall. So without further opening rambling I present to you The Best of 2009!

AUSTIN LUCAS Somebody Loves You

I first heard a single demo from Austin Lucas late last year and wound up playing it non stop on a drive from Phoenix to Tuscon. This whole album is just unbelieveable. While the idea of "alt country" may be a worn out catchphrase, it does a serviceable job explaining the sound of this album. Listen below if you haven't heard Mr. Lucas just yet.



Under the Influence

Last year Suburban Home Records started a series they called "Under The Influence". The series revolved around current artists covering bands that have greatly influenced them. Some of my favorite songs of the year have come from this series. Lemuria covering The Pixies, Frank Turner covering Bruce Springsteen, Austin Lucas covering Dolly Parton, and more have opened my ears to many great bands and great songs. Take a shot with any of the tracks below, some may not be to your liking and some may be a little rough but all of them have been great.





Chuck Ragan - Gold Country
Not all of my favorite releases came from Suburban Home/Vinyl Collective, but Chuck Ragan's "Gold Country" sure sounds like it could have. From doing solo shows to the Revival Tour, ChucK Ragan has covered a lot of ground this year, much like he has the last 15 or so. "Good Enough For Rock n Roll", while not the best track on the album, gets stuck in my head atleast once a day. Don't have anything to stream so I'll throw out the myspace page http://www.myspace.com/chuckragan and this:



New Found Glory
New Found Glory: Everyone's favorite guilty pleasure and legitimately one of my favorite bands of all time put out the alleged comeback album: Not Without A Fight. This album from top to bottom is awesome. I won't go so far as to say its my absolute favorite, but it is really close. I honestly can't say enough about it, but I'll try and show you some of it here:



Thursday - Common Existence

A number of years ago I saw Thursday and was blown out of the water. They became one of my favorite bands within seconds of hearing them. Their newest album "Common Existence" was a continuation, not a return to, form for this band. While many still bemoaned that it isn't like their first few albums, I have to disagree. This album shreds from start to finish. Check some of it out here:



Lemuria - Ozzy 7in

A year without a release from Lemuria wouldn't be a good year at all. As it is, 3 new songs is still better than nothing. This album has some of the best packaging of any album in recent memory with a cardboard fold over encasement housing the vinyl itself. The songs themselves further push into indie rock territories continuing to balance the female/male vocal dynamic the band has come to be known for. You can check out the release here (scroll down for artwork of the Lemuria record) http://hanginghex.blogspot.com and you can check out Lemuria themselves here http://www.myspace.com/lemuria. Here's a live taste of Ozzy:



There will definitely be more labels, artists, shows and Best of 2009 over the next few days so feel free to come back and check it all out. Also be sure to come back for a potential Best of 2000 to 2009 if I can remember to write it up in a timely fashion.

Thanks for reading, and remember the sage like wisdom of Bill S Preston Esq and Ted Theodore Logan "Be excellent to each other!"

Everyone blogs

I am not very good at updating this blog, and anyone reading would probably say i'm not that great at blogging in general. Regardless, I wanted to take a moment and point out some truly excellent blogs for anyone interested.

First is one from the mysterious "Aicram". This is one exciting read with a witty, insightful point of view (its almost christmas, so ignore the brown nosing). In all honesty this is a great blog.

I am an unashamed fan of DC Comics and the DC Comics Animated Universe. I once considered doing reviews of their shows/dvd's until I found Justice League Revisited. This is one of the most thorough episode by episode deconstructions of any series you could hope for.

That is actually the only two I've got for the moment but you should definitely be following both. Tomorrow, or maybe later tonight, some short reviews for the massive amount of new music I've gotten since going on tour. I will also detail some of the fun of spending two weeks in a cramped van with four other people :).

My favorite moment

Tonight in a moment that reminded me why I love technology, I downloaded the movie "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist". I am not going to go through any of the reasons I really enjoy this movie (most of it involves kat denning) but it did make me think of one moment of most weekends that I love above all else: The moment before the night begins. Whether it involves prepping the band/loading the van, or making calls and scheduling, or just meeting with some friends for a few drinks, my favorite part of any night out is the beginning. There is a degree of hope, anticipation, and expectation that combines into something. Whether that something is fun or horrible is up to what the night brings you and the choices you make. I just love those beginning moments of the night.

Now to reflect on my previous post. Hanna Barbera has been putting out collections of cartoons from the 60's and 70's. I recently purchased the 1960's collection vol 1, and the complete Space Ghost. Some of these cartoons have not aged well but some of them are truly awesome. I'm a big fan of the aforementioned space ghost, along with the impossibles,top cat, the herculoids, and a host of others. I won't call this a review so much, but trust me when I say the dvd's are worth it. Here's a taste of the herculoids and the impossibles. (thank you Youtube)





You know you want it.