photos by Tim Griffin

The Walter Schreifels Band, led by Walter Schreifels of Quicksand, Gorilla Biscuits Civ, Rival Schools, and Youth of Today fame, performed at the BrooklynVegan CMJ showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg on October 20th (with Fanfarlo, Laura Marling, The Antlers, Think About Life, and The Wheel.) Since then, the band (which also features Dave Hill on guitar and Arthur Smilios of GB/Civ on bass) played another show in Austin. They were actually on the same bill as Voxtrot at the Mohawk on Saturday night. It was a Fun Fun Fun Fest afterparty and Walter and Arthur were already in town because Gorilla Biscuits played the fest proper (those pics coming soon).

Walter's next show will take place this Saturday night, 11/14, at the Court Tavern in New Brunswick, NJ. Also on the bill are Atlantic/Pacific (Garrett from Texas Is The Reason), Dave Walsh (The Loved Ones), and Tom Dunphy. Walter is also making an appearance at Lolita Bar in NYC on Wednesday, 11/18, but at that...

"I'll be reading with this Italian translator reading some choice Italian pop songs in translation, A banjo playing double decker bus tour guide and the beautiful banshee Kamara Thomas from Earl Greyhound."

He also has two shows coming up in California. All dates, the NJ flyer, with more pictures, video, and the setlist from CMJ, below...

Continue reading "Walter Schreifels Band played BV-CMJ (pics & setlist) & a FFFFest afterparty, playing Court Tavern, Lolita Bar"

by Black Bubblegum

Walter Schreifels @ Fun Fun Fun Fest (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

...And the punks will say "Oi To The World"! And by punks, I mean Walter Schreifels during a FREE live set at the Punk Slope "Xmess Party" at Bar 4 (444 7th Ave @ 15th St) in Park Slope on Dec 20th (not the first time Walter played that party). The shindig kicks off at 10PM and along for the ride on the wheels of steel are Chris Daly (ex-Texas Is The Reason, 108 & Jets To Brazil), Jay Gotrian (Eye For An Eye), and Josh Grabelle (Trustkill Records).

Walter recently completed a music video for a cover of Agnostic Front's "Society Suckers" from the hardcore landmark Victim In Pain (viewable below). Why cover a classic track from a classic album? Let the man speak:

Agnostic Front vs. Mozart

Victim In Pain by Agnostic Front is one of my favorite records of all time, it's classical music. If you don't know this album I highly recommend that you get familiar with it. Don't be scared away by the misleading artwork, although that's part of the album's "Power" (title of a song on VIP) AF's music fights against fascism and the attitudes of fascists ("Fascist Attitudes")

I think cavemen would have liked Victim In Pain better than anything Mozart ever came up with, or the Beatles. If you had to get psyched up to kill a Wooly Mammoth, would you listen to The Beatles with Sgt. Pepper on french horn or Victim In Pain with Vinny Stigma on lead? I can almost hear the cave men screaming (if they had developed language) STIGMA!!!

It's timeless music, post apocalypse Mad Max people will be rocking to it in a thousand years. Do you think anyone is gonna give a shit about The Shins when you could be raped, lit on fire, dragged by a motorcycle and killed for a liter of gas (which kind of defeats the purpose)? Shit, Apes from Planet Of The Apes would love AF, though the Chimps and Orangutans maybe not as much.

Anyhoo, it's not a music competition, I like The Shins and there is a place for them too but I think that Victim In Pain is more important and unique in the evolution of music, art, mankind, that it goes beyond indie rock and steps into Smithsonian Institute territory.

For that reason I covered AF's "Society Suckers" from Victim In Pain. My version doesn't approach the aggressive power of the original but I had fun interpreting it, an homage. I think of it as classic folk song like "This Land Is Your Land", I wish Woody Guthrie would do a version in the time/space continuum. -Walter

Word. Walter and Rival Schools recently played Mercury Lounge, Irving Plaza with Bad Brains, Fun Fun Fun Fest, and the Brooklyn Vegan Day Party during CMJ on Oct 25th. Walter also recently played The Studio At Webster Hall with The International Noise Conspiracy. Read part one of our interview with Walter and Sammy from the band, and stay tuned for part two (I swear).

The video and Punk Slope flyer below...

Continue reading "Walter Schreifels covers Agnostic Front, playing Punk Slope"

"Opening up was Garrett from Texas is the Reason's new band, Surrounding Areas. It sounded like a slowed down possibly, at times, country influenced, Texas. Good but not spectacular...

...Finally, Bluetip came up and just blew everyone away. They sounded so tight and just so damn anthemic. They played almost every song I wanted to hear (besides Castanet) and really just fucking rocked it." [ThePunkGuy]

by Black Bubblegum

Bluetip

The recently reformed Bluetip (featuring members of the mighty Swiz) have lined up a handful of dates including one at Mercury Lounge on August 24th. Tickets are on sale. Let's hop in the time machine, courtesy of the world's most accurate encyclopedia:

Bluetip was a rock band from Washington, D.C. It was formed in 1995 by ex-members of Swiz, and released four albums, an EP, and a number of singles before splitting up in January 2002.

Bluetip's music is a fairly accessible brand of 'post-hardcore' punk rock, but without the bleak introspection of many of their Dischord labelmates.

The reunion is based on the 1996 lineup of Jason Farrell, Dave Stern, Jake Kump, and Joe Gorelick.

Following the demise of Bluetip, Jason Farrell and Joe Gorelick went on to form Retisonic, who are also on hand for the show. Retisonic was captured by Punkcast a few years ago. The Netherlands (the band, not the country) and The Surrounding Areas, a band constructed Frankenstein-style from pieces of Texas Is The Reason, Walking Concert, and Jets To Brazil, will jumpstart the evening.

Ex-Swiz-er Nathan Larson recently reunited with his band Shudder To Think at Baltimore's Virgin Festival.

Walking Concert figurehead Walter Schriefels has reformed Rival Schools.

Post-emo in the house.

DOWNLOAD: House and Parish - What Am I Still Waiting For (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: House and Parish - Summer Programme (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: House and Parish - Standardesque (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Texas is the Reason - Back and to the Left (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Foreign Islands - No Holiday (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Blacklist - Dawn of the Idols (MP3)

House and Parish

House and Parish is a new band featuring Jason Gnewikow (guitarist from Promise Ring), Brian Malone (drummer from The Gloria Record), John Herguth (singer/guitarist from the Love Scene), and Scott Winegard (bassist from the-recently-reunited-for-two-shows Texas is the Reason). They'll play their first show ever this Thursday night (June 14) at Luna Lounge in Brooklyn. To make it more interesting, Garrett Klahn, the singer of Texas is the Reason, will open the show with a solo set, and Antarctica's drummer Glenn Maryansky's new band Blacklist will go on after them. Then to keep the hipsters (kidding) happy, Foreign Islands are headlining the show. Tickets are on sale.

House and Parish are also playing Maxwell's w/ The Narrator on June 21st.