Michale Graves has new songs, looks like Hipster Moby now

 Completely because of my own ignorance I assumed Michale Graves had died fallen off the face of the earth after he left Misfits. Turns out he's been (quietly, it's fair to say?) releasing music this whole time. Sorry Mike.

After the beure with the wide mouth STFUs, it cuts to some hipster Moby lookalike with a weird voice OH MY GOD THAT'S HIM ISN'T IT. That's what he looks like now..What happened, Michale?!

Anyway, after a very creditable acting performance, and a staggering 4 minutes 30 seconds in, the video finally starts and everything is good with the world. DAT VOICE. And it seems he wrote some of my favourite Misfits songs, aaaand has a few albums out. I'll have to get catching up...

Henry Rollins and Danzig want you to read

They're serious you guys, we better go read!!

Sum 41, Billy Talent and more, Vancouver, March 14, 2013

From the moment Deryck Whibley hits the stage, it is clear the diminutive Sum 41 singer has not aged well. But more on that later.

Taking our seats in the old person section, we did not have long to wait for this hockey arena show to kick off. And the time we had was filled with the running, slack-jawed commentary of two Canadian rednecks who were in the row behind us, every word coated in pot smoke.

Indian Handcrafts

Like an ugly, 'warts and all' music documentary at the Oscars, Indian Handcrafts both surprise and merit smatterings of applause, but really they are just tolerated rather than appreciated. Which is a shame as their slightly psychotic blend of blues, doom, hardcore, shrieks and indie was quite fun to behold. Never the type of music I would listen to at home, but good live music for a certain period of time regardless.

Hollerado

That guy...

More on par for the night these fresh faced guys have parent-and-teen-friendly good vibes as they cliche their way through some indie poprock.  It wasn't my thing but I can understand why the kidz might like it, especially if they have never seen an arena show before. The singer had a bit of That Guy going on, but hopefully the incident at the end of their set will make him reconsider his stage presence. In a preplanned move, the song built to an ending where he rebelliously launched his guitar a whole 4 feet in the air and caught it with the final cymbal crash. Pretty cool, eh? Unfortunately he caught it WITH HIS FACE, which caused the redneck to hoot and holler, and caused quite a bit of bleeding also I imagine. Still, chalk it down as a lesson learned.

Sum 41

Avert your eyes, children!

And so with little or no waiting around Sum 41 blaze into The Hell Song and damn, they are good live! I missed my chance to see them 8 or so years ago when they played Ireland and then they pulled out of a tour a year or so ago. The sound is impeccable, a wall of noise that is complemented by a sweet light show but there is something distracting that is gnawing away at my pure, unadulterated enjoyment of the moment.

What is it? Oh yes; the singer has a fat face so he looks like the novelty 'blow up head' part of New Found Glory 'My Friends Over You' video (1.26), topped with 'older lady trying to look younger' messy, crimson hair. This, coupled with his extremely camp onstage demeanor, and a speaking voice that sounds like the aural representation of a pubescent child with lung cancer, means the whole effect is that of an elderly drag queen who is influenced by anime. So in between killing it with a whole backpack full of hits, we were treated to the odd spectacle of Deryck c 2013.

Not that it took anything away from the performance. I was actually the happiest I've been at a gig of this sort in a very long time. It is not often that you can see a band a decade too late and still really enjoy the set. Of course they did ham it up, with Arena Rock fan interaction parts in every second song, but that was counterbalanced by them bringing up some kids on stage for most of the set and, well, sounding pretty damn good.

Billy Talent

I've always meant to listen to Billy Talent a bit more, I've never heard a song of their that I didn't like and I've actually known them for a long time, maybe 10 years or so. This tour seems to be a BIG DEAL to them as they're doing coast to coast of Canadia, playing arenas, using big screens, nice looking sets and recording the whole thing. They took about 2 months to set up, with a huge curtain covering the activity behind. Then, the guitarist with the weird hair and the singer with the weird hair started the set by themselves IN FRONT OF THE CURTAIN. It did of course drop as the band kicked into the song and everyone cheered but I dunno, seems like they're still figuring the process out!

Five songs in, it becomes clear that I don't know a lot of BT songs and after a good opening, I'm beginning to lose a little interest. But hey, I'm getting old and I had work that day... This isn't really a discredit to the band, they gave it their all and I was kept entertained by the cool camera that was in the mic stand and gave really unique shots of the action. The band deserve major props for staying together for 20 years and I'm pretty sure they started in their mid teens, which makes it even more impressive. The fans seemed suitably whipped up into a frenzy and there was barely a note out of place during the entire set.

Again, it was a case of DAT VOICE in between songs and during the screechier parts of his range. But it is unique vocal experience and one that has gotten BT to where they are today, so who am I to judge, except a slightly cynical music lover with slightly damaged eardrums.

Pennywise, Lagwagon and Stick To Your Guns. Commodore Ballroom, Feb 21st

***Usual disclaimer: If you are looking for an in depth review that includes a set list then this is probably not the place for you, soz bro.***

So, I thought Pennywise were pretty good with Jim and really good with Zoli but now Jim is back even though it seems a bit awkward and forced but hey who am I to judge? If you've been a punk band 25 years and are making a living out of it then you can do whatever the hell you want in my book.

I showed up early and had the misfortune to be second in line behind a wigger in his 40s who was off his face. The gentleman in question had a pretty haggard wife sitting at the bus stop and he seemed genuinely amazed that I had heard of Bouncing Souls. I took a quick walk to rid myself of his attention and was rewarded with the sight of Joey Cape from Lagwagon walking towards me. We gave each other 'the nod' and said hey, just as a scalper asked the bemused singer if he was buying or selling any tickets for the show tonight. And so an incredulous Joey went back into the venue and I lost my chance to talk to the guy. Oh well.

Stick To Your Guns

Sticking out like sore thumbs, these passionate, vaguely emo hardcore menchildren (and a man from Evergreen Terrace) were probably always going to struggle to make an impact on this tour. I quite enjoy them in small doses so I joined the other 11 people who decided to watch them and they weren't half bad until the singer started his motivational speeches. The BELIEVE IN YOURSELF type of POSITIVE THROUGH STRUGGLE hardcore stuff is pretty lol already, but when they guys saying it are younger than 99% of the audience the lols go into overdrive.

'Yo, if you're in a bad place I understand man. I know most of you have kids and mortgages and I spend most of the year in the back of a van with a bunch of dudes, but I understand. My cousin is in prison so I've been through some shit.' - Jesse Barnett, Stick To Your Guns

Lagwagon

DAT SIZE DIFFERENCE

Undoubtedly on my list of 'bands I'd love to see but will probably never get to see' I was probably most excited about this set. On many levels they didn't disappoint! Cramming tonnes of old songs and new favourites into their relatively short set, Lagwagon strike a balance between fun, punk and good musicianship, a combination that is a rare thing in the punk world. The sounds was pretty awful, which sucked doubly as the sexy guitar work is half the appeal of the band for me. The sound is pretty much out of their hands though and they still joked and rawked their way through a set that included Mr Coffee, Lazy and May 16 amongst others so I was happy enough overall.

Pennywise

As well as the backdrop and general stage layout, the sound also magically transforms when headliners Pennywise go on. I picked my usual gig spot just behind where the bros were OPENING UP THE PIT and tried to avoid the plumes of weed smoke that are a staple of most gigs in Vancouver. It's pretty lol when men in their 40s introduce a song as being against fathers, but Same Old Story is one of my all time favourite P-wise songs so I headed into the flailing maelstrom that is the punk rock pit. Taking a breather at the front of the sweaty black hole, I got barged in the back in one of the continental drift movements that happens at theses gigs and somehow found myself at the front, with a hand on the barrier. With teenage years of experience at positioning myself as close as possible to bands, it was then no problem for me to ease myself into a spot along the front row, directly in front of Randy.

The Pennywises steadfastly ignored the new album and its solid to excellent material and stuck rigidly to the old stuff, which I guess is the point of a 25 year anniversary tour. I would have thought they could have been the bigger men and just played one or two songs, but I guess when you're still encouraging people to put their middle fingers in the air when playing a song called Fuck Authority 12 years later you're a bit set in your ways. The band are a well oiled machine and it looks like Fletcher at least is still enjoying it.

I obviously like a lot of Pennywise songs that aren't popular enough to be included in the set list (Open Door anyone?) but I had a good time shouting along about the System and Perfect People and all that noise. I got a mandatory neck crushing hug during Bro Hymn, delivered by an overly enthusiastic Mexican gentleman beside me.  While it was amazing to see the performance from a few feet away, it felt more professional than punk. Understandable of course and it did mean the songs were played to near perfection. I just wish I had seen them a decade ago. Best parts of the night were when a fan, confined to a wheelchair, rolled onto stage at various points to drink beer and sing along.

Still, another of the 'bands to see before I die (or they die)' off the list, next up; Bad Religion!

The new Alkaline Trio is promising

Alkaline Trio are one of my all time favourite bands. They are also pretty much at the 'Bad Religion stage' of their career where they could probably give up or start making weird interpretations of what they think is pop music and we'd still have to give them the benefit of the doubt because they've earned the right to do whatever they want by now. I may get into my theory on how odd numbered albums are generally better (ie the first, third and fifth albums) some other time.

The last two albums weren't bad exactly, they just seemed to be mellowed out a little, which again, is understandable given the fact the guys are not carrying quite as much emotional baggage as they used to. They continue to write and put out music, which can be a double-edged sword for us fans, but thankfully the new single 'The Torture Doctor' is showing signs of a return to form.

• The opening riff and verse are strong. And if I'm gonna get over-analytical about it, I think the production in general is as good as it has been the last few albums, but the guitar tone is a little rawer and more like it used to be. We're talking minuscule differences in gain levels but hey, what can I say, I'm white and nerdy.
• Dat misfits inspired pre-chorus. Nothing new for them of course but still, it's nice.
• I cringed when I heard the 'hey! ho!' It's 2013 guys, what are you doing? On the other hand I will admit it is a solid hook and one that will draw the peoples in.

There is also another song, 'I Wanna Be A Warhol'.

• The intro has got a great energy that diminishes as the song goes on. 
• Verse is good but the chorus lacks any of the bite the band used to have. 
• I'm hoping it's a slow burner, as was Mercy Me back on Crimson. 
• For some reason it reminds me of modern blink-182 in the verse now that I listen to it again. 
• Definitely will be a popular song over time I think.

The new Bad Religion is goood y'all

Bad Religion don't need to make albums anymore. I'm pretty sure they're all rich enough from their 800 releases to date that they can easily just spend their days reading the newspaper, or wandering around the grocery store and generally do whatever it is that older gents do to pass the time. But, they're STILL making albums so it seems that they still love-a the punk rock-a and that's cool.

The preconceptions

• It's been said that the Bad Religions have been writing the same song for the last 52 years and while that is kinda true, it's a pretty fucking good song!
• Many people will say BR haven't been on the top of their game in many years and the newer albums suck. I say they've been consistent and Maps of Hell is a good CD.
• True North has been called their best since The Process of Belief. TPOB is probably my favourite album so this is a lot to live up to inside my tiny head.

The evidence 

True North

Now that's some classic Bad Religion! Lead single/title track True North is a quintessential BR song; short, snappy, with a, eh, succulent chorus. Yeah, succulent. The subtle stop and rhythm change around the 1.02 mark is what separates them from the generic punk that they can border on. Me gusta!

In Their Hearts Is Right

This is probably my favourite song as of now. The transition from good punk song in the verse to DAT CHORUS is just ridiculous as the guys flex their songwriting muscles and toy with your ideas of what a punk song should be. It's somewhere between System of a Down and the Beach Boys, right?! The best part is that as BR are one of the classic punk bands, loads of teenage AGGGGHPUNKX will listen to this and realise you don't have to vomit your songs/vocals into the face of THE MAN to get your point across. Let's face it, a lot of punk is horrible, out of tune and badly written. This, however, is like having your ears hugged by a little political panda.

My Head is Full of Ghosts

This goes about as hard as Bad Religion go! But it's still full of honey sweet harmonies and an almost youthful bounding pace that reminds me of, yes, The Process of Belief. This seems effortless, it's not exactly reinventing the wheel but then again the wheel is pretty good as it is. Who the fuck wants a square wheel?

The Island

Let it not be said that they don't try anything new! How about the little stop mid verse and multiple rhythm changes, eh?! Everything works so nicely and flows so well and I'm super jelly of their skillz.

I doubt I've said anything that fans didn't know already. Or changed any opinions. Like DAMN, I'd given up on Bad Religion, but NOW I'm gonna reconsider. But if for some reason you haven't checked out the album yet and want another dozen or so songs to add to your music library that will never be embarrass you when you put shuffle on at a party, then this is for you!

The new blink-182 is underwhelming

Everyone knows that blink-182 hit their peak of awesomeness just after Travis joined the band and just before Tom turned into a douchelord. While their lyrics were still about being fuckups, girls and generally not wanting to grow up, their songs matured greatly thanks to Mr Barker and the structured flair he brought to proceedings.

That's not to say that Dude Ranch isn't a great album, or that the self-titled album doesn't have some good songs. Anyway, Blink went on hiatus, came back, released an okay album that I hungrily reviewed at the time but haven't listened to since, and now they have a (relatively) new EP out called Dogs Eating Dogs.

My first thought was HOLY CRAP HOW SWEET DOES THAT COVER LOOK, THIS IS GONNA RULE, IT'S SO BADASS.
I calmed myself down by remembering one of the guys behind this was the guy behind Angels and Airwaves and their 8 minute 18 second music videos. Then I remembered how The Offspring have gotten old and put out some curious music lately. But then I thought about how an EP is a pretty cool idea for a band like blink who have three members pulling in different directions. I thought that maybe an EP would trim the fat and leave nothing but sweet jams!

And it doesn't start off that badly. Opening song When I was Young is a typical TomSong circa TOYPAJ, the verse is stripped down and then the chorus goes big. (These are real terms, y'all). *disclaimer* Tom does whine on about random metaphoric crap, the chorus isn't amazingly catchy or anything and it does stray into weird electronica. Having said all that, the song is okay and I might listen to it on a bus ride, maybe.

Next up is Dogs Eating Dogs a MarkSong, as the 2nd song for a blink release usually is. This is very like modern blink by Mark or in other words Plus 44. I think I'm more disappointed by Mark songs because I <3 him and feel he's being held back by Tom singing about a 'crippellling feeer uv hiiites'. Another trend I've noticed is that Mark sings a lot higher than he used to and added to the underpowered (self) production, it all sounds a bit weak.

From a none to inspiring start, things start to go downhill quickly with Disaster, which is basically an Angels and Airwaves song. Maybe when I'm old and need music that doesn't cause any type of emotional reaction in me I will understand Angels and Airwaves. I'm going to stop posting the videos now, they're online if you want them..

Boxing Day is a Christmas song of sorts. It's the musical equivalent of an endless plate of plain spaghetti, if you just get through it without paying too much attention you'll survive, if you concentrate on what you're doing, you'll slowly lose the will to live.

Tom makes me sad with the last song, Pretty Little Girl. This is 4.20 long and has a rapper towards the end. Not that I'm against rappers but, yeah.

Closing thoughts

• The EP was a good idea (as opposed to a full album of this mediocrity)
• They should get someone else to produce their music
• Dogs Eating Dogs = DED
• Going back to pretending they were DED after the self titled.

There is something inherently funny about Mute videos

Mute are a really good skate-punk band, from Quebec in Canada, that combine speed, melody and some tricky guitar-work (that borders on metal at times) so you can see why I would like them. If you like A Wilhelm Scream or Strung Out I advise you to skip my rambling and check out some of their stuff further down the page!

For some reason I had never actually watched any of their videos... This is particularly rare as Youtube is usually the first port of call upon hearing of a new band. A good video can make or break a band as it lengthens the attention span while drilling the song into your subconscious. In this case however I took a recommendation of their awesomeness and just went with it without doing any more research. I wasn't disappointed. It was only later that I checked to see if they had any videos...

Bates Motel

This is actually one of their newest offerings, from their 2011 album Thunderblast. I was expecting some young dudes, possibly with some slightly emo hair (as is oddly common in Canadian skate-punk bands). Instead my eyes were hit with two receding hairlines and a beardo! Then...

• 00:06 - The drummer sings has emo hair and sings! Though not sure if he's passionate or in desperate need of a toilet break?
• 00:13 - Srsly, has the drummer opened his eyes yet?! And his face during the snare hits, SO INVESTED IN THE FEELINGS OF THE SONG
• 00:19 - We've seen some WIDE EYES, more passionate singing with closed eyes and then the drummer finally opens his eyes, yay he can see!
• 00:28 - Oh, now the bassist is making a habit of O.O eyes
• 01:10 - *genuinely to into the song/mesmerised by technical elements to make bad jokes*
• 01:13 - Okay, I love the palm muting and the singing but WHAT is the bassist doing? Swaying all over the gaf.
• 01:35 - Mmm the chorus is so good, has it all going on.
• 02:00 - These guys go pretty hard for old guys. Really hope they're not actually 24..
• 02:15 - Love the breakneck speed and technical parts and then it runs into a "jump" part <3
• 02:50 - Oh shiiii here comes the solo!

Other notes

• I love the drummers flippy hair flips
• Who is the dude in the Led Zepplin merch. He even gets the mic during the gang chant. C'mon man, just, no.
• Dat metal ending

Well, I couldn't just leave it there now could I? Next video!

To Be With You

• Aw sweet, a 'tells a story' video, this should be good!
• Oooof it's a cover, not sure if I can stomach this..a shame because I love skateboard/performance videos. Moving on I think!

 Nevermore

• Hmm it's from the latest album but they seem to be experimenting with some filmmaker techniques and filters, SO PROFESSIONAL!
• 00:50 - Still not really sure what's going on here...
• I always find it kind of off putting when the music and vocals are fast but the video is slow moving by comparison
• Is the old guy genuinely confused or acting or what? I like to think he is the dad of a band member contemplating on how he wanted his son to be an accountant.
• So it seems it was all recorded on phones as part of a contest. Is that why it has no fucking connection to the actual song or am I missing something?
• Aw man, the breakdown part deserves a better visual representation than an old man dressing himself.
• 02.50 - An actual guitar! Being played by someone sitting on a comfortable sofa? Ok...
• 03:40 - Oh wait there's the band!
• Next video!

 Fading Out

• Waah the singer has different hair and he's still pulling faces!
• Now I know I should just do the research but I'm guessing this is an older video? There's lots more hair for one thing..
• I think this is probably a better single. It's still got technical parts but they're just the extra ribbons and glitter.

So yeah, sometimes videos are a great way of showing you band in a good light and helping your career. Other times they mean some guy make a post about them on his blog. Although I guess there's no such thing as bad press! Check out Mute and tell them we want to know what's up with their videos.