Health and Safety at Militant Actions / :15 / Free / 16M / grounded@rootmedia.org / http://www.action-medical.net / Health and Safety at Militant Actions is a great introduction to the world of protests and the proper way to maintain one’s safety while at events. While the version I have is old (March of 2001), the information is of a general enough nature to still be valid. What seemed most informative to…
“Let Them Know: The Story of Youth Brigade and BYO” teaser posted! Finally an update on the long anticipated BYO DVD! We screened it for the folks that attended our 10th Annual Punk Rock Bowling Tournament, so for those of you who were not able to be there, here’s a sneak peek of the movie!
Underground Mexican hip-hop artist/entrepreneur, SOLOW13, breaks the music game wide open by establishing his own label, TRUTH LOVES LA WFAMILIA, LLC or simply LAWFAMILIA, LLC. The new imprint is a collaborative partnership between SOLOW13 and famed West Coast label, Latin Thug Records—best known for being founded by Cypress Hill’s Sen Dog and home to the Reyes Brothers, B Real’s “Gunslinger†albums and many other notable releases. “Solow brings a lot…
HBKX #2 / $1 / 7.5 by 6 / 32 Pages / Trade / Boyofdead@hotmail.com This zine simply has a lot of reading. If HBKX was $3 dollars, I would still have to classify it as a hell of a deal just because the fonts in the magazine are so small, the pages so big, and the amount of pages so astonishing that it makes reading this magazine feel like…
After releasing a full-length album, a live CD and two EPs, Nashville rock band The Loft is back in the studio with Grammy winning producer Joe West (Emmylou Harris, Warren Zevon, Dropping Daylight) and planning to release a new album later this year. Meanwhile, in order to keep their fans appeased, the band and archivist Nick Graham have sifted through the recordings of over 100 shows and are releasing a…
There is a remarkable blend of Arts and Technology which is molding the career of recent artists and musicians of the 21st century. The debut album “Acroiris†by Anuradha Sharma spins a new captivating sound which echoes an unconscious familiarity in its milieu. Each track on this album is an invitation to soft contemplation while enthused by its jovial rhythmic section which, inclines towards a mood of light hearted distraction.…
Hobson’s Choice #4 / $2 / :35 / 32M / http://www.hobsonschoicezine.com / Hobson’s Choice is a very philosophically-oriented magazine. While it runs for about 32 pages, the effective content of the magazine is much more than that. There are pictures and other breaks from the text, but the vast majority of articles in this issue of Hobson’s Choice are without anything more than white backgrounds with black text placed over…
Proggy Acid Punks Triclops! Sign To Alternative Tentacles; Prep First LP Out Of Africa The Bay Area’s most explosive live act to release anticipated debut on March 25th, 2008 Science fiction authors forewarn the dangers of gene-splicing and its freakish byproduct, but in an Alternative Tentacles tome, “freakish” is a desirable trait. Triclops! (“!” is part of the name) is one such result of SF Bay Area inter-band splicing (featuring…
Rose of Jericho – These City Lights / 2008 Self / 9 Tracks / http://www.roseofjericho.com / The Rose of Jericho is a plant that is found in the Middle East; imagine a tumbleweed that can come back to life a number of times. The band Rose of Jericho is a band that has been around since 2002; 2003 saw their debut album, “Applause of Wingsâ€, released. “These City Lights†originally…
Victims of Circumstance – Do It Yourself / 2007 Financial / 13 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/victimsofcircumstance / Victims of Circumstance play a blend of ska/punk that has not really been heard much since the late years of the nineties. This means that the act blends together equal parts The Vandals and Less Than Jake. Despite the fact that the band plays a style of music that is not that common anymore,…
Crisis in Hollywood – Between The Devil and The Deep Blue Sea / 2008 Financial / 13 Tracks / http://www.crisisinhollywood.com / Crisis in Hollywood consists of a number of members from acts that have all gained some sort of notoriety in their respective region’s music scenes. This means that there are members that spent time in From Adam to Atom, Timebomb, Ask Me Later, and The Staredown. While each of…
Redcast – S/T EP / 2007 Self / 5 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/redcast / This Oregon band teases fans with only five tracks on their self-titled EP. The disc’s opening salvo is “Besides Myselfâ€, a track which links together the style of early sixties pop with a contemporary brand of alternative rock. The linkage of these two styles seems odd at first, but Redcast are able to make this union work.…
Russ Glenn – A Brand New Earth / 2007 Self / 12 Tracks / http://www.russglenn.com / If my math is right, this is Glenn’s fifth recording. Glenn started out with “Starshell†and “Evergoldâ€, took the next step up for 2003’s “Unlessâ€, and continued to refine and innovate on 2006’s “Little Birdâ€. In much the same way, Glenn has continued to evolve his unique brand of funk soul, and rock. The…
John Amen – Ridiculous Empire / 2007 Self / 10 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/johnamen / After seeing the front of the cover of “Ridiculous Empireâ€, I was expecting something related to punk, something angry, and something that looked to change things. I was right, but on the last count. The style of music that John Amen plays on his “Ridiculous Empire†plays on the protest music of the sixties. “Harbingers and…
Audiocrash – Time Sensitive Material / 2008 Dirty Garage / 10 Tracks / http://www.audiocrashmusic.com / “My Fault†begins with little more than a guitar softly strumming. The vocals come in soon after, with a sound that blends equal parts current Bon Jovi and Geddy Lee. The style of music that Audiocrash plays is a very time-tested brand of rock music, ultimately current but playing heavily on the classic rock genre.…
In the Fall of 2007 Lights found themselves in Greg Weeks’ (Espers) Hexham Head studio in Philadelphia. With some analog tape and a little help from their friends, the band wove together their self-titled LP. The album is to be released (late Spring 2008) on Weeks’ Language of Stone label: M & D through Drag City in the U.S.; it’s being released on Andy Votel’s Twisted Nerve label (part of the B-Music collective)…
Hanging Like a Hex #17 ($3.95, 201 Maple Ln., N. Syracuse, NY 13212) First off, this zine is absolutely packed with all sorts of information, whether it be interviews with bloodlet, ted leo, milemaker (isn’t this like the third zine this issue to interview them?), the timeline about the 9-11 events, or the absolutely crazy amount of reviews that Ryan puts in this issue. Looking at the cover of this…
SUNDAY MORNING IN SATURDAY’S SHOES is Richard Julian’s follow up to his critically acclaimed SLOW NEW YORK. Produced by the legendary Mitchell Froom, the new album again showcases Richard’s confessional, whip-smart and witty songwriting prowess. Equally engaging on stage as on record, Richard kicks off a two-month long tour on March 8th.
David Crawford was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. After graduating from Centennial High School in Compton, California. David received a full scholarship to California Institute of the Arts and received a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Music, with a Flute Major.
Lazy Boy / $2.00 / 36S / :20 / gomek@comcast.net / I reviewed Dorothea #1 a few months back. Luckily Mike, the author of Dorothea, found the review and sent me “Lazy Boyâ€, a zine about Mike’s experience with sex, masturbation, and self-doubt. The original aim of Lazy Boy, as described in the one-sheet stapled to the back cover, was to “be a gay men’s magazineâ€. I personally like the…