Harsh Distractions Playlist 4/28/09

Last night was the first episode of Harsh Distractions on Fearless Radio. I got off to a rocky start, but it will improve with time. Here is what I played:

1. Beautiful Skin - Harsh Distractions
2. The Hope Conspiracy - In the Shadow of God
3. Rival Mob - Upside Down - Demo
4. Crocodiles - I Wanna Kill - Summer Of Hate
5. Slices - Desert March – 7”
6. Unbroken - Absentee Debate - It's Getting Tougher To Say The Right Things
7. Deerhunter - Nothing Ever Happened - Microcastle
8. Wavvves - So Bored - Wavves LP
9. Killing Time - Fool's Die Brightside
10. Torche - Across Thjavascript:void(0)
Publish Poste Shields - Meanderthal
11. Harms Way - Warriors Will Reign - Reality Approaches
12. Sister Cities – Sinkhole – Demo 2009
13. Chamberlain - Yellow Like Gold - Fate's Got A Driver
14. Hum - Ms. Lazarus - Downward Is Heavenward
15. 108 - Three Hundred Liars - A New Beat From A Dead Heart
16. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Young Adult Friction – S/T LP
17. Converge – Homewrecker - Jane Doe
18. Convicted - Cyrus, the Almighty - Demo 2009
19. Disappears - Hearing Things - Needs b/w Hearing Things
20. Superchunk - The Popular Music - Indoor Living
21. Damnation A.D. - Rain As My Veil - Misericordia
22. Young Governor - Virginia Creeper - Virginia Creeper 7"
23. Like Bats - Hellbound - Demo
24. Endgame - I Divide - Distracted
25. Tigers Jaw - I Saw Water - Tigers Jaw
26. Gods Reflex - When It's Down to This - When It's Down To This
27. The Daysleepers - The Soft Attack - The Soft Attack EP
28. New Order - Regret - Republic

Harsh Distractions Radio

Starting tomorrow, I will be hosting my own internet radio show every Tuesday from 7pm-9pm CST on Fearless Radio called Harsh Distractions, just like the blog. When I was a kid I'd stay up late every Sunday to listen to the original Sound Opinions and fall asleep to the radio every night. So, the idea of having a show of my own has always appealed to me. Now I have that opportunity thanks to Fearless and I'm very excited. Like this blog, it will focus on music, spanning pretty much everything I listen to and want to share with others. This first show is a "soft opening" of sorts so it won't be advertised on the site nor will it be promoted in any other way. If you are interested in checking it out, go to the Fearless Radio website at 7pm CST on Tuesday and click "Listen Now." I have ideas for the future which include bringing in bands, doing interviews, playing advance material, and hopefully getting to the point where live sets can be recorded specifically for the show in the same vein as the WNYU and WERS sets. For now though, I just need to get acclimated.

Weekend Nachos - Pain Over Acceptance/Shot in the Head

My friends in Weekend Nachos recently posted two new songs from their forthcoming LP, Unforgivable. I wanted to ask John a few short questions while we were at work to give people an idea about these two songs and the new record.

Steve: So, you have a new record coming out soon called Unforgivable. Tell me a little about it. How does it differ from the last few records you've done?

John: Yeah. First and foremost, it's our best stuff, in my opinion. Overall I'd say it's still very fast, but in a more crusty d-beat sort of way. It's a lot heavier, the lyrics keep getting more and more personal and less obnoxious/Spazz-ish. We're just progressing, but in a good way. It's making our songs better and way more genuinely hateful which is what the band is basically about. I'm sick of 12 second songs. Our songs are still short but they're reasonable on this record.


Steve: I'm glad you mentioned the lyrics actually because we've had numerous conversations about not being able to relate to people, both in and out of hardcore. How conscious of this are you in your daily life? How much of this comes through in your lyrics?

John: I am more conscious of this every single day, it's not good. Things get worse, they don't get better. What rules is that I've never expressed it through music as well as I have on this record, lyrically. Originally everyone pigeon-holed us as a band that was basically a joke. I understand that fully, but I really don't think that people are going to be saying that once this record comes out. like it or not, things are different now. All of the discomfort I feel in my life and with society is definitely apparent on this record. It's important to have a band where you can write lyrics about that shit. Any real person out there is going to understand why that's important, others will make fun of it and those people are pussies anyways.



Steve: What is something that you touched upon in the lyrics on the new record that is uncharted territory for WN?

John: Hmm, well we have a song about feeling hopeless and alone and never wanting to go outside. I think that sounds pretty emo-goth-whatever you want to call it, and when we started out I never ever would've wanted to have lyrics like that, cause let's face it, that's some terrible crybaby shit. I'm almost 26 now and I'm still doing this band and things are still fucked. What do I care now? The songs are going to be as real as they can possibly get. There's also a song about stalking and killing ex-girlfriends, but you know, that's not too far off from something I would've written about back in the day, haha.


Steve: Do you think a lot of bands are being as honest as they could?

John: Honestly, I see it more and more these days and the most important thing is to seriously just not give a fuck. You will get shit-talked by plenty of kids who think there's nothing more to punk rock than complaining about how you have to work every day (no thanks to all the '82 style/NA clones out there), but then again, others might relate. If it's what you want to write about, there is nothing anyone can legitimately say that's bad about that. I'm stoked on any band that seems sincere, I seriously don't care what the songs are about.


Steve: Who do you think is doing that right now?

John: Honestly, I'm just gonna name some bands who I personally know the singers and they're very honest about their songwriting and I know what some of their songs are specifically about even. Convicted, Sick Fix, Poison Planet, Cold Shoulder and The Killer are all bands who i know the lyrics are written sincerely and each and every song really stands for something, whether it's personal or political, shit doesn't matter.



Steve: You guys have gone through some line up changes since the last record. How much did that affect the song writing process?

John: It actually didn't effect things that much. We would have all had to learn the songs together anyways and we really hadn't accomplished much by the time Varg and Aaron left. Fortunately we put together a new line-up very quickly and immediately began work on the new album. Andy and Drew are fast learners.


Steve: What made you choose "Pain Over Acceptance" & "Shot in the Head" to be the first songs people heard?

John: Well the truth is, I don't consider those to be the very best songs on the record, but I feel they do an alright job of representing what sound to expect from the new record. I wanted the songs to be good, but not the highlight of the record. This way when people pick it up, they are in store for some more awesome jams than the ones on the MySpace.


Steve: When does the record actually come out? What kind of reaction do anticipate and what are you hoping people get out of this record?

John: The record comes out in May. We'll most likely release it at Maryland Death Fest. I am anticipating a 50/50 sort of reaction to it. I think the people who truly like Weekend Nachos will really be impressed by it. I think the people who like Weekend Nachos because we sorta sounded like Spazz when we first started are going to absolutely despise it and that's good. That's what I want.

Steve: Anything else you'd like to add?

John: Not really, man. Thanks for putting the songs on your blog, we appreciate it.


Weekend Nachos - Pain Over Acceptance/Shot in the Head Download

Spring Mix 4/5/09

As you can see from the photo, spring has sprung in Chicago. Since I avoided the weather and stayed indoors most of the day, I made a mix of some songs I've been listening to lately. Enjoy!


01. Creeper Lagoon - Wonderful Love
02. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Young Adult Friction
03. Young Governor - Virginia Creeper
04. Kleerup - Thank You for Nothing
05. Jim O'Rourke - Please Patronize Our Sponsors
06. Pet Shop Boys - Being Boring
07. Lavender Diamond - Open Your Heart
08. Deerhunter - Never Stops
09. Guided By Voices - Smothered in Hugs
10. Dirty on Purpose - Mind Blindness
11. Cold Cave - Always Someone
12. Brian & Dennis Wilson - I Feel So Fine
13. Ra Ra Riot - Each Year
14. Archers of Loaf - Plumb Line
15. Evan Dando - All My Life
16. The Avalanches - Since I Left You
17. Julie Doiron - Ce Charmant Coeur
18. Astrud Gilberto - How Insensitive

Spring Mix

Capone-N-Noreaga - The War Report

The other day I watched a portion of VH1's Greatest 100 Hip-Hop songs of All Time on VH1 Soul. While I think those shows are interesting to watch, they are extremely narrow in their level coverage. The hard rock/metal countdown seemed short sided to me, but this one was even more incomplete. It just seems unbelievable to me that music journalists specializing in rap music along with a panel of rappers, producers and DJ's would exclude so many important and influential MC's in favor of pop songs like Nelly's "Hot in Here" and MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This." C'mon, no Gang Starr? No Mobb Deep? No Pharcyde? Souls of Mischief/Del/Hieroglyphics? Big L? KRS-ONE? Kool Keith? Even "The Bridge is Over" didn't make the list. It was thoroughly disappointing.

So, on that same note of classic rap, I have to mention the debut by Queens, New York's Capone-N-Noreaga. The War Report is a perfect example of grimy post-golden age era hip-hop - Hard beats, gritty lyrics about crime, drugs and the hood, referring to their housing projects as "Iraq," the continuous use of the instigating phrase "What What," and various other things suburban nerds like me have no real comprehension of. At 20 tracks The War Report drags at times, but there are some definite bangers on here such as "Bloody Money," "LA, LA," "Halfway Thugs," and "Illegal Life." For more insight into the mind of NORE check the links below:

Cocaine Blunts Interview

Noreaga's Twitter

Capone-N-Noreaga - The War Report

Fireworks - We walk the Streets at Night

Since their debut LP All I Have to Offer is My Own Confusion comes out today, I thought I'd share a
semi-rare piece of Fireworks history.

A few years ago for Halloween they went and recorded four The Misfits covers to celebrate the holiday. Some people don't seem to be into their take on these classic songs, but I think they did a solid job. They always make covers their own with deviating too far off the path of the original structure. Obviously, nothing will compare to The Misfits, but I think these are definitely worth having if you're into Fireworks.

Fireworks - We Walk the Streets at Night

Convicted - Demo 2009

My friends in Convicted recently recorded a new set of demos with Andy at Bricktop Recording. Admittedly, I always felt underwhelmed in regard to Convicted's recorded material, but I think the two new songs here and the re-recording of "Cages" sound great and far more representative of the band in a live setting - really heavy, fast, and intense. Check it out if you're into heavy hardcore similar to Turmoil, Buried Alive and other good bands.

Convicted - Demo 2009

Convicted on MySpace

Seam - The Pace is Glacial

This was another record purchased on a whim sometime in high school. The main selling point was the $2 price tag it boasted in the discount bin at Bizzy Bee in Naperville, IL, where I purchased records during my formative years. I had only heard of Seam through the fliers that covered my bedroom walls at my parents house, but I knew they were an indie rock band on Touch & Go Records and that was enough for me. I listened to this record constantly, finding more and more things to love about it. The laid back, almost bouncy riffs, singer Sooyoung Park's breathy, hushed vocals and the simple leads that often get stuck in my head the way vocal melodies normally would. Seam only really seems to get their due within a certain, select facet of the indie rock community, but The Pace is Glacial (along with the rest of their discography) is essential listening for the genre.

A few years ago Touch & Go celebrated their 25th anniversary and Seam reunited to play on the final day of the weekend. It was a rainy, grey fall afternoon and by that point in the day the numbers dwindled because of the weather and the previous two days of shows, but Seam was great. They played almost everything I wanted to hear and they looked like they were having a great time. It was absolutely worth getting rained on and possibly the perfect accompaniment to their song selection.

Seam - The Pace is Glacial

Right Brigade - S/T

During my senior year of high school my friend Joe took me to the now defunct Reckless Records location in Evanston. I went actively searching for a copy of Chain of Strength's The One Thing That Still Holds True, but also picked up the Right Brigade EP on a whim. The summer after high school my friend Matt and I took a trip to the east coast to attend Hellfest in Syracuse and visit some friends in Boston. We listened to this EP a lot during that week and since then it has secured a spot in my Top 5 hardcore records of the past 10 years.

Right Brigade didn't really seem like anything out of the ordinary to me upon first listen, but it became clear after repeated listening that they were everything a good hardcore band should be - fast, angry and have breaks so hard they make me want to get in random, unnecessary fights on the street. They were a fairly short lived band and only released a demo, this 7", a split with A Poor Excuse and an ill-fated LP on Revelation. However, in the few years after their break-up it became apparent just how influential they were. So many bands bit them left and right, especially in the early part of the decade - Frostbite, Outbreak, Murder Weapon, even early American Nightmare had some tinges of what Right Brigade were doing. Ultimately, they were just a solid hardcore band and if the 7 songs on this EP weren't enough, check the video for further proof - front flips, stage moshing, a good Agnostic Front reference and double handed mic grips. So hard.




Right Brigade - S/T

Material Issue - International Pop Overthrow

Growing up my friend Nick was pretty lucky to have two older sisters into good music. One put him onto things like skateboarding, punk rock, graffiti and miscellaneous rebellion. The other was an academic, but really into 90's indie rock, shoegaze, new wave and brit-pop. There was a fair amount of musical crossover between the two so I'm not sure which one got him into Material Issue, which coincidentally got me into Material Issue. Truth be told, I could not stand them at first. Sometime in middle school Nick and I were watching a VHS tape full of music videos one of his sisters had and "Valarie Loves Me" was on it. I think I might have said "they are trying too hard to sound British" or something at the time, but either way, I wasn't having it. I was a hard sell as a kid because I remember hearing the Morrissey single "The more you ignore me the closer I get" and Blur's Modern Life is Rubbish around the time I first heard Material Issue and I was put off by all three. Morrissey being the most offensive to me at the time. It more or less boiled down to the fact that none of those bands were Nine Inch Nails and I didn't really want to hear anything that wasn't fast, heavy or both.

A few years after the original exposure, Nick was listening to International Pop Overthrow in his car and it occurred to me that I really hadn't given Material Issue a fair shake. While they aren't the most mind-blowing, innovative band ever, they still put out a record full of incredible, jangly pop songs about girls and heartbreak. An old friend of mine always said he wanted his wedding song to be "The Very First Lie." Kind of funny given the backhanded nature of the lyrics, but a great song nonetheless.

Though this record sold fairly well, they were certainly overshadowed by other, edgier bands coming up in Chicago music at the time. They released a few more records following International Pop Overthrow, but like many (I presume), I've never actually listened to them. Sadly, lead singer Jim Ellison committed suicide in 1996.

Material Issue - International Pop Overthrow