Everything in moderation, except politics.

Barack Obama records a weekly address to the country released via internet and on the radio. Consequently, the Republican party issues a rebuttle in order to show how firmly they remain committed to opposing him, his administration, and his party. Most of this week’s address was not much different than those previous. “We must create jobs.” “What I will not tolerate is opposition for opposition’s sake.” “We must work together.” and all that. Basically, he vaguely outlined what an omnipotent super hero would do if he had elaborate plans constructed and ready to implement without letting the listener understand the specifics of any of them. I have come to expect this from politicians, and somehow I welcome his enthusiasm.

The Republican rebuttal was a different story.

It came from a female United States Senator Susie Collins out of the great state of Maine. She found fault in the Obama administration for allowing a terrorist to be tried like an American. It was bad enough that a terrorist plot was foiled, no innocent people were killed, and an “enemy combatant” was in American custody. But this freedom hater demanded a lawyer! Mrs. Collins was upset that, like any properly conducted American investigation and pre-trial hearing, the attempted Christmas terrorist attacker was read his Miranda rights. He was on American soil! He was taken into custody and questioned without a lawyer for an hour! What did you expect Draconian torture using sleep deprivation, medieval machinery, and hot irons? This is the fucking United States!

Take a look at your passport. Somewhere in the first few pages it reads (I’m paraphrasing but bare with me) “This person has been granted a transportation visa from the United States of America. Please grant him or her all rights and privileged afforded therein.” If you were, dare I say, wrongfully accused of a crime while you were in a foreign country wouldn’t you want to be given a fair trial so that you’re able to prove your innocence? This Nigerian terrorist obtained a legal passport and was caught on American soil. Not allowing him a fair trial, regardless of his crime, would be totalitarian. You’d think, due to the severity of the crime, the honorable Senator would want the trial process to run as smoothly as possible so that conviction is more likely and the man gets the punishment he deserves. No, she not only declines to address even one aspect of the President’s address but also recommends, no demands, we set aside rule of law to extradite an accused terrorist without the liberties of the American judicial system. What an idiot.

farewellparty:

I almost forgot I put this record out until today.  It’s almost a year ago that we put this bad boy out over the span of 3-4 months.  Starting on just CD and Cassette then expanding to VINYL RECORD!  One-sided 12”, hand stamped labels and FULL CMYK PRINTED JACKETS BABY.  I’m spinning it right now.  It rips.  I love this EP.  I don’t care how many people hated it, we made like $300 dollars on it. So there.
Even though this was fpr-002, I felt like this was my first release.  I had so much fun. Driving to Albany, seeing caleb live.  So many variants, so much pop punk. Honestly if you don’t have it, you can get it for just $5 in our webstore on veenil.  Or you can just steal it from the interwebz.
I love pop punk, I love vinyl.  Life is good.  The end.

farewellparty:

I almost forgot I put this record out until today.  It’s almost a year ago that we put this bad boy out over the span of 3-4 months.  Starting on just CD and Cassette then expanding to VINYL RECORD!  One-sided 12”, hand stamped labels and FULL CMYK PRINTED JACKETS BABY.  I’m spinning it right now.  It rips.  I love this EP.  I don’t care how many people hated it, we made like $300 dollars on it. So there.

Even though this was fpr-002, I felt like this was my first release.  I had so much fun. Driving to Albany, seeing caleb live.  So many variants, so much pop punk. Honestly if you don’t have it, you can get it for just $5 in our webstore on veenil.  Or you can just steal it from the interwebz.

I love pop punk, I love vinyl.  Life is good.  The end.

Tony's Top Ten List 2009

.

1. Good Luck - Into Lake Griffy

2. The Marine Electric - Head West

3. Transit - Stay Home

4. Shook Ones - The Unquotable A.M.H.

5. Propagandhi - Supporting Caste

6. Defeater - Lost Ground

7. The Menzingers - Hold On, Dodge

8. Tigers Jaw - Spirit Desire

9. NOFX - Coaster/Frisbee

10. Ramona Falls - Intuit

Let’s be real now, Brand New’s Daisy and Polar Bear Club’s Chasing Hamburg, despite being on several website’s year end lists were outright disappointments. You can yell at me until you’re blue in the face that bands can’t sound the same forever, and that each was a natural progression, but you wouldn’t be able to change my opinion on each. The former lacks focus and hooks. Brand New used to absolutely astound me lyrically, musically, and with their live show; they have done markedly less of the above with this release and in the past few years. Brand New should break up, PBC just wrote a bad record

2009 --> 2010

It’s been quite a year. A little more than a year ago today we embarked on our second east coast tour, spending New Year’s playing every song we knew (which was only 11 or 12 songs) to about 25 screaming drunks in a living-room in Greenville, North Carolina. We were the only band on the show, they kept yelling for more songs, songs they didn’t know but appreciated. It was warm. After the show we walked down the street to the Sheetz Station for beer, cigarettes, and water in nothing but tshirts and sweat. New Years Day would be the second morning I would wander half drunk to the Starbucks down the hill to sober up with the New York Times and espresso shots. I haven’t seen those kids, Jeff from the Spazzatorium, the girls that lived next door, or the two kids we affectionately called ‘Napoleon’ and ‘Gel Pack,’ since that night.

We had a lot of crazy times in Greenville. On our first tour, which would amount to mostly popped tires, empty pockets, sweaty shows, and van problems, we somehow got added to a show with Zechs Marquise (featuring members of the Mars Volta), playing to and partying with hundreds of kids we had never seen before. We met a girl who everyone was sure had herpes; her lips pursed in blatant suppuration. We met a boy who in attempting to spray paint his girl friends’ name on the door of the venue misspelled it, instead writing it on the church next door; he got kicked out for drinking heavily underage, he also had never been further than one county away from his hometown in his entire life. Napoleon stuttered at a stop sign next to the venue and almost got a DWI the first night we met him; he always talked as if he forced two tampons up his nose. Gel pack got his nickname by offering Mike, Jay, and Wild some jelly-like drug you suck out of a packet, needless to say he was the only one who could barely talk later in the night. I ate an entire subway sub in my sleep. The fan in the living-room, when oscillating, sounded like two vibrant lovers ravenously having sex. They had roaches.

I would love nothing more to play there tomorrow, but I can’t.

I can’t because Greenville has been trying to shut down the Spazz Haus and Spazzatorium since Jeff started booking shows there six years ago, succeeding a few months ago. I can’t because we still don’t have a drummer, have no new merchandise or practice space, rarely practice, haven’t finished our recordings, and often go weeks without seeing one another. I can’t because I’m too busy.

Not in 2010. Mike and I have been meeting at least once a week to hash out ideas and show each other riffs. Craig is a fucking songwriting machine and has been recording shit with his iphone and showing me new songs every time I see him. The worst of Wild’s degree is behind him, and after he studies in London in May, he should be just about finished with his degree. We will find a drummer, we will buy a van, we will have new recordings, we do have faith. I can not wait to show you what our band is truly capable of. The new year can only bring travel, growth, and renewal. Can’t slow down now.

We're going to have to cancel our winter tour...

Despite several desperate attempts to salvage our winter east coast tour, we will unfortunately have to ultimately forgo our usual post-holiday routing this winter. When the exit of our former drummer left us without a solid rhythm section or a van, we tried scrambling to find both in time to make the confirmed tour dates. As the weeks progressed, and collegiate course loads got heavier, the prospect of actually figuring it all out seemed dubious. We think it would be in our best interest (and the interests of anyone willing to pay money to see us) to forgo the tour, and leisurely finish demoing songs for “Climbing Up a Mountain Just For The View,” complete our search for a new drummer, accumulate money for new merchandise and a van, and write new songs. If this causes any inconvenience for anyone (especially Barrie at Generic Insight Radio, The Marine Electric, Crucial Dudes, Jake at NCFB, Steven with a V, Ravi at Dayton Dirt, Heads Held High, The Buster League, Richard at the Keynote Company, and Half Hearted Hero) we are truly sorry, and tried to make a decision as quickly as possible in order to efficiently rectify any damage done. We’ll be in your neighborhood, vfw hall, basement, and headphones again before you know it. Happy Holidays, and enjoy the New Year. Again we are so sorry for any and all inconvenience and hope that you will keep us in mind for future shows and tours. 

- Caleb Lionheart

http:​/​/​www.​myspace.​com/​caleblionheart
http:​/​/​www.​twitter.​com/​caleblionheart

Message from Kris Wild at 5:50 AM

Biblical, I feel like we’re experiencing more than just minor ball-tappings - are we not ‘Job’?  

Whats next? Welts all over our fucking bodies?  
What I really say is…through thick and thin, and sorry Michael you weren’t there, tonight was the best night ever.  I fucking hated and played So sloppy buttfuckit thats punk/rock.  at least our harmonies were on. 
craig played a bit too much guitar, thats the only complaint i had..
one too many songs.

I guess, What I’m getting @ is….well, if there was a God, the trucker wouldnt of just blasted through that goddamn deer as it lay unconsciously on the pavement…thats just fucked up. 
“fuck, is my car fuck’d up?” Get out; cars fine.  Deer is dancing in the road, literally toe-tapping, beebopping - fucking wasted - just walking into cars @ 11:30 @night.  Stumbldancin, the poor thing hits the ground.
At this point I was thinking, ‘fuck the deer’

“I WANA C IT”
u know what i’m saying?; c’mon craig, whatre u gonna pull it to the side of the road and let it suffer?  
I’ll help.  
we all run assisting in helping this animal suffer when out comes GOD [in semi/bus form] and, well, that deer raised its fucking head for the last time.  literally saw the bright light comin’ atcha. 

“BOOhBAH”
all im really saying is, I just wanted to see that deer suffer.

- Kris Wildermuth

He could say anything, and says that?

The idea that fame corrupts talent depresses me to no end. How did Billy Joel, Elton John, Queen, and the Beatles write thousands of songs as famous musicians and not lose the spark because it went to their head? I had a conversation similar to this with my friends from Brooklyn recently, and they concurred, “what happened to that band?” “They got famous.”

I’m listening to Say Anything’s new record and for whatever reason, I’m wasting my own time by reading the singer’s breakdown of every song on Alternativepress.com simultaneously. Not to mention other numerous lyrical nauseations throughout the record’s duration, there’s a song “Crush’d” about his future wife Sherri Dupree. He explains that it

“Distills my feelings so accurately about when Sherri and I first started talking that it means a lot to her too. It meant as much to me that she loved it and it I wanted her to love it as much as any other person that heard it… If no one ever heard it and it was a song that I just wrote for Sherri, I would be happy because it would let her know things that I can only express in a song.”

Does she dote? Fall head over heals over flattering lines like, “you’re no witch, you’re no wench. You’re like Bjork with better fashion sense.” or “Possibility, that I’m your guy. Though I suffer from dyslexia, mild man-orexia, and my hair cannot commit to one popular genre of music.” The depth, and sincere idolatry conveyed by such prose would make even the hardest of hearts melt. Do these people even reflect on the scribbles on the notebook page before they record it? I can’t get behind something that sounds like it should be signed “Do you like me? Circle Yes, or No” at the bottom. They will never release another record like “Is a Real Boy…” and that sucks. Perhaps this is why Against Me! and Greenday catch so much shit for “selling out.” It’s hard to believe every word of a record, to get them tattooed on your skin, to name your band after song titles or albums, to defend them on message-boards, and have them literally betray you by mediocrity. Saves The Day, Weezer, Against Me!, and a host of other flag-bearers of disappointment, pull out your old releases and listen to them.

Take the Descendents for example. Milo was off achieving All through Bio-Chemistry between 1987 and 1995. The record they wrote before his departure was alright, but when he got back they wrote their most recognizable record, “Everything Sucks.” They were already legendary (“Milo Goes To College” was an essential punk album, Bill Stevenson, former drummer of Black Flag, was recording every punk band that mattered, and All was releasing acclaimed albums), and wrote an album that almost no one can argue with. Not to mention, “Cool To Be You” being released in 2004, which is arguably their catchiest, and most focused effort ever put forth. Most bands can’t claim more than two undeniably awesome full lengths, especially when your career spans 1979-2004. The only logical thing I can associate it with, is the fact that The Descendents was never their meal ticket. They always had other things on the side (Bio-Chemistry, The Blasting Room, All, Only Crime, etc.), and were never fully able to let fame consume their talent.

In the words of Chris Conley, “Get that burn back, scorch your stomach, bleed that passion lost. Don’t forget what picked you up, don’t forget to think this time.” And answer this question before you release something, “Will people care about this decades from now?”

Is anybody listening?

Not to toot my own horn, but I can not get over the caliber of bands coming out of the North East. I was talking to a kid who just got back from a full US tour, and he was telling me that kids as far away as Texas and Arizona, not to mention across the Atlantic Ocean are taking notice of these young bands. Check out them out, not for my sake, but for your own conscience. The stuff is good.

Massachusetts:
Transit
The Stereo State
Maker
Half Hearted Hero

New Jersey:
Crucial Dudes
Man Overboard

New York:
After the Fall
The Marine Electric
Agent
Rust Belt Lights
Such Gold
Longitude
The Knockdown

Connecticut:
Make Do and Mend
My Heart to Joy

Pennsylvania:
Tigers Jaw
Everyone Everywhere
Daylight

There are so many more, I could be on here all night listing bands. It’s so difficult to write new music when so many of your friends’ bands are absolutely blowing your mind. We’ve all got a lot of listening to do.

"Climbing Up A Mountain..." Demos

On Sunday we all woke up at 6 AM and drove to New Bedford, MA to record some demos at The Soundbox with Clinton from Half Hearted Hero. We got all of the drum and guitar tracks finished and should have something up on the myspace in the next month or so. We demo’d “Coney Island,” “Our Miracles,” “Flag Folding” (which Clinton thinks sounds influenced by Propagandhi), and “Make Believe.” Should be going in for a long weekend to finish the rest!

And then there were four...

Jay quit the band. He wants to figure his 18 year old life out and is more than entitled to do just that. If you are really into Crowbar and smoking weed strains with names get in touch with him. He’s going to finish up the rest of our shows and I think Ian from Half Hearted Hero is going to fill in on drums for our winter east coast tour. Long story short: no worries. We’re trying some kids out and have no intention of breaking up. Play drums? Get at us.