Roman Candles show @ Bridgetown December 26

Hey Everyone. I finished my first semester of grad school today, and I'm coming home on Friday for a month. I've got some shows booked, the first of which will be at bridgetown with Dream Caste, Nayru, Meryl Streaker, and Perpetual Motion Machine on December 26. I'm really pumped.

Click HERE for the facebook event.
Dream Caste will have their new tape, "A Calmer Room," listen HERE.

I'm also playing with Benny the Jet, Dogbreth and Moonbandits at VLHS on Jan 6.
click HERE for facebook event.

that's all for now. i'm excited to come home. see you soon. kisses

Favorite Records of the Year 2013

1. White Night - Prophets of Templum cdxx (Recess)
2. Wild Moth - Over Again (Asian Man)
3. Hello Shark - HS (Burst and Bloom)
4. The Exquisites - S/T (Asian Man)
5. Happy Hollows - Amethyst (Self Released?)
6. No Age - An Object (Sub Pop)
7. Rival Mob - Mob Justice (Revelation)
8. Colossal Wrecks -Waste The Moments (Mountain Man / Lauren)
9. Watercolor Paintings - When You Move (Plan-It-X)
10. The Lovely Bad Things - The Late Great Whatever (Volcom)
11. Benny The Jet Rodriguez - Home Run (Recess)
12. Audacity - Butter Knife (Suicide Squeeze)
13. Calculator - This Will Come to Pass (Self Released)
14. Radiator Hospital - Something Wild (Salinas)
15. Leer - Spring Break No Parents (Lauren)
16. Moses Campbell - Expectations (Big Joy)
17. Dad Punchers - S/T (Sea  Legs)
18. Garrett Walters - I Call My Younger Sister Twice A Day (Plan-It-X)
19. Spokenest - We Move (Self Released)
20. Crystal Antlers - Nothing Is Real (Innovative Leisure)
21. Arcade Fire - Reflektor (Merge)
22. Hoax - S/T (Self Released)
23. Lemuria -The Distance Is So Big (Bridge 9)
24. Waxahatchee - Cerulean Salt (Don Giovanni)
25. Ghost Mice / Ramshackle Glory (split) - Shelter (Plan-It-X)

7"s:
Desaparecidos - Te Amo Camila Vallejo / Underground Man
Desaparecidos - Anonymous / The Left Is Right
Tongue - Body + Mind
Dad Punchers / Exquisites (split)
Summer Vacation / Glocca Mora (split)
Dad Punchers - These Times Weren't Made For You
Mynx - s/t
Mynx - Frozen Tide
Heathers - Teenage Clothes
Cat Party- A Thousand Shades of Grey
Black Sparrow Press - Fever Shakes
Fugue - Solitude / Traffic 

Demo Tapes:
Bedhed / Merry Christmas (split)
Fugue - s/t
Loughton - Cheap Shot
Layman- s/t
Palm Reader - Unlucky
Pocketknife - s/t
Michael Vidal - Dream Center
Canyons - s/t
Tobias Funke - Read More
Carte de Visite - We Live, We Grow, We Change

Two tapes making last minute releases that i haven't listened to are Dream Caste and Roses, I'll get those when I get home. 

New Zine coming soon I did an interview with Elliot from Dad Punchers back in October, so keep on the lookout for that. 

razorcake reviews the stowaways issue #14

razorcake reviewed the stowaways issue #14 

i've still got copies of it if you want one

The Stowaways is a slapdash xeroxed document that embodies the urgency and variety of Southern California’s DIY punk scene. For all its aesthetic blemishes (which somehow enhances the earnestness), Chris Gordon’s refreshingly self-assured voice and proudly anti-revisionist stream-of-consciousness format ensures that each issue is a home run. The show reviews might be fascinating only to California residents or those interested in the diary-like minutia of people watching, but there are many worthy humorous observations such as: “The lead singer looked like the dirtiest fucking sewer rat....He literally looked like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ character.” With every new issue, I am reminded of the DIY community’s open-mindedness by the growth of The Stowaways’ letter column. I am also reminded of Field of Dreams: “If you build it, they will come.” –Sean Arenas (Chris Gordon, 5802 Wendover Rd., Yorba Linda,CA92886, fuckthestowaways.blogspot.com)

Terminal Boredom reviews Riley Versus Jason In The Battle Of Gracious Living

Roman Candles "Riley Versus Jason In The Battle of Gracious Living" LP
I'll begin by saying thanks to Chris of Roman Candles for sending us all the tapes and singles over the years, despite the fact that I think his music is awful and have consistently said so. Despite the fact that the music he plays is some of the most unappealing stuff I've ever heard, Chris has somehow decided to continue to send records in, which I think he does just as a goof at this point. I mean, it's not like this "band" is getting any better or I'm going to start liking this crap all of a sudden. I'm not sure how he even got to Termbo in the first place, as I think he likes "Termbo music" probably about as much as I like his. Anyway, whatever the reason is that Termbo became a footnote in his band's story I'll never know, but I'm happpy for him, as this LP is on Plan-It-X Records, which I think was pretty much his dream label when he started sending me tapes years ago. You made it buddy. Congrats. The record still sucks. For your reference, Roman Candles are from Yorba Linda and play some of the most awful whining and confessional-zine style bullshit folk-punk. This record seems to be all acoustic, so at least he put away his fucking accordion. Just awful. Chris also does a zine called The Stowaways, wherein he whines about being a well-to-do college graduate from the suburbs and interviews bands I have never heard of - really, his zine is about as good as his music, but I'll hesitantly give him points for trying. Maybe not. (RK)
(Plan-It-X Records // www.plan-it-x.com)

Read it HERE

Razorcake reviews The Stowaways Issue #13

razorcake reviewed the stowaways issue 13

Stowaways, The #13
$2 Stamps or Trade, 8 1/2" X 11", photocopied, 34 pgs. 

Christopher, who does pretty much all (if not all) of The Stowaways is posi. That’s the opposite of a dig. He’s always going to shows, isn’t locked in a micro-scene, always has something interesting to say, and loves music that’s being created and played today. I figure he must drive hundreds of miles every couple of weeks just to feed his music addiction. That’s wholly admirable. His enthusiasm is infectious and the greater L.A. County area, if it knows it or not, owes him a small debt of gratitude for documenting live music with his live show reviews, interviews, and record reviews. The layout’s simple and bare. The photos are often dark and blown-out, but I don’t care. Why shit on someone whose heart and joy obviously shines through all those petty mechanical details? (Todd Taylor)

Maximum Rocknroll reviews The Stowaways Issue #14

Maximum Rocknroll issue #365 reviewed  The Stowaways issue #14.
I still have some copies available. If you're interested email me at
romancandlesmusic(at)gmail(dot)com

THE STOWAWAYS #14 / $1
8.5 x 11 - copied - 12 pgs
This is a single-contributor cut-n-paste fanzine out of Yorba Linda, CA that focuses mostly on reviews of pop-punk shows in southern California as well as a sprinkling of book, record, and zine reviews and friendly-style interviews. Sincere and coming from someone who is clearly invested in promoting and supporting local bands, this zine is a good window into a world of DIY often looked over by a lot of punks including myself. If you're like Chris and are into Plan-It-X-style jams, hunt this guy down and send him a dollar! (FF)

Razorcake reviews Riley Versus Jason in the Battle of Gracious Living

Razorcake reviewed Roman Candles' Riley Versus Jason in the Battle of Gracious Living

It's in the new issue available HERE. 

Sincerity is difficult to measure, but, when it is heard, it’s a statement more powerful than any back patch, denim jacket, or neon pink mohawk. Chris Gordon, aided only by his acoustic guitar, oozes earnestness on every track of his first full length—appropriately released by Plan-It-X. The album was wisely recorded in one sitting and the raw urgency of each song is driven by Gordon’s spastic and melodic voice that is often painfully sympathetic. It would be an oversimplification to call it folk punk—as he never dabbles in gruff Tom Gabel impersonations, and it’d be too easy to compare him to other Plan-It-X songwriters like Paul Baribeau or Chris Clavin—because Gordon possesses a wide range of vocal hooks. Furthermore, Gordon’s lyrics aren’t ambiguous or riddled with cryptic metaphors. Given that he resides in sunny and conservative Yorba Linda, CA, the songs are all rooted in a sense of place. He is critical of his hometown and of how he has spent his time in the Land of Gracious Living. Gordon sings about Yorba Linda being the birthplace of Richard Milhous Nixon, the home of a million damn Mormons, and a place of complacent, wealthy youth, yet it is also the location of an admirable group of friends and musicians. The album is as much a personal history as it is a testament to a cardinal principle: Even if your hometown is a hellhole, it doesn’t mean you have to become an asshole. Chris Gordon is living proof of punk perseverance overcoming ignorant adversity. The LP includes a zine that provides an extensive history of Roman Candles and lyric explanations. –Sean Arenas (Plan-It-X, planitxrecords@gmail.com, plan-it-x.com)

Listen to 'Riley Vs. Jason' in a razorcake podcast HERE

Buy the Record from Plan-it-X, No Idea, Interpunk, Lauren Records, Mountain Man Records, Digital, And Most Independent Records stores in Southern California