our noise: the story of merge records - the label that got big and stayed small written by john cook, mac mccaughan and laura ballance came out last year on algoquin books. it covers the first twenty years of merge records in fourteen chapters. this is the most enjoyable book i've read in a really long time. the interviews offer a look into one of the most important record labels of our time. the beginning of the book made me nostalgic for everything 90's. with full color pictures, you immediately enter a world of yesteryear. these pictures include everything from superchunk setlists, show flyers, personal letters, intimate postcards, and even record invoices. the pictures alone are worth the cost of the book. and with whole chapters dedicated to butterglory, neutral milk hotel, spoon, and arcade fire there is really something for everyone. the book is definitely re-readable making it completely worth investing in. the story ends in a world where the music industry is completely changing due to digital downloads, poor record sales, and dying major labels. however, it offers hope for the independent labels like merge whose only business tactic has been to put out records they love. highly recommended. purchase here.
the last time i was at chain reaction was april 2007 to see dusty rhodes and steel train. i hate that venue, and have been boycotting it for over three years now. i gave in last night and went back. we caught the last song of knife fight which features the lead singer of nails on guitar. i probably would have liked them, but i just didn't see enough to be able to tell. lack of interest played second. they had two lead singers, and were pretty awful. if you're going to have two lead singers you better be able to work the crowd. they were boring. i watched half of their set and then went outside. paint it black played third. they were much pop-ier then i remember them being. they are awesome though - one of my favorite hardcore bands. before i saw ceremony last night, i thought dan yemin was my favorite frontman. however, i was quickly in for a wake up call. ceremony opened with their new single 'sick.' kids were stage-diving before they even started singing. i don't really know how to describe what happened last night, other then saying ceremony is the best hardcore band i've ever seen play live. ross farrar, the lead singer, is literally insane on stage. no one has a better stage presence. everyone should see this band-it should be required.
fingerprints is easily my favorite record store. they are known for having really cool intimate instores, and this one was no exception. as the henry clay people got bigger and started playing more shows, many of those shows were 21+, which meant i could never attend. therefore, i was usually left seeing them in awkward settings. however, i've come to appreciate them as a band who could win over anyone in any setting no matter how uncomfortable. they played most of the songs on the new record as well as 'you can be timeless,' and a few covers including operation ivy's 'knowledge' and the replacements 'can't hardly wait.' i really wanted them to play 'randy where's the rest of me?,' but other then that it was a pretty perfect set.
the hectors played opened the show. they were solid female fronted rock. she used a violin bow to play her guitar on some of the songs which was pretty cool. they ended their set with a cover of the monolators song 'lets be best friends in space' which sounded really awesome. i would see them again. olin and the moon played second. they took way too long to sound check. i thought their set was really boring. they played for about four songs too long, and the lead singer who had no charisma talked way too much. they're not bad though. people were definitely into them. they're just not for me. the henry clay people opened their set with 'fine print.' they played an awesome set drunkenly celebrating the release of their new record 'somewhere on the golden coast.' they played all the songs on the album, and they all sounded really good. they ended their set with a cover of the boss' 'born to run,' before playing a four song encore. they ended the night with 'somewhere in the water.' they played a really fun set.
last night was media blitz's tour kick off show. this was my first time seeing media blitz since december. they continue to improve every time i see them. the new songs sounded great live. 'never grow up' sounded especially good yesterday. the played some minor threat covers, and ended with 'get the fuck out.' if you don't have their new 7" you should definitely pick up a copy. in defence headlined the show. they are really awesome. i had never seen or heard of them before, but i was really impressed. they instigated a wall of death on the basis of who loved tacos vs. pizza, which was really funny. they ended with a cover of 'rise above.' they'll be back in southern california in july on tour with off with their heads.
when he made the mystic valley band record, they made a documentary of them on tour and in the studio. you can watch it here. for some reason this song didn't make it onto the record. it's amazing.
the cabin is this really awesome house in garden grove. the bands played in the living room, and the sound was surprisingly good. there were probably a good seventy people at the show yesterday. we showed up a little bit late and missed the first band, but we got there just in time for nails. nails is really heavy. they do more as a three piece then some hardcore bands do with five people. there was not a lot of room for dancing, but kids seemed to make the most of what little floor space they had and really go off. i would love to see nails again; they're a great band. creatures had members from downpresser filling in on guitar and drums. they played a few new songs off their upcoming 7". there were kids who knew every word to every song, which was really cool. i've seen creatures play better shows in more appropriate settings, but seeing them play in a house was awesome. this show made me want to listen to more hardcore.
