words by Lauren Jackson, photos by Shaun Regan

Rorschach at LPR - 5/26/12

After a killer set at Maryland Deathfest, Rorschach performed three times in one day this past Saturday (5/26) -- first at ABC No Rio, then in the early evening at Le Poisson Rouge and, finally, at a late night surprise show at Brooklyn's Acheron.

Both later shows were brimming over with enthusiastic fans of Rorschach as well as the supporting bands, especially at Le Poisson Rouge. Much like the venue itself -- polished, cool, even a bit too cool -- so too was the show. Decidedly more star-studded than its later counterpart, the penultimate line-up included noisy newcomers Xaddax (mem Dazzling Killmen), local heroes Indecision and the ever-popular Converge, who played alongside Rorschach to a predictably sold out LPR.

Those in attendance were a curious mix of young and old (see: potbellied old schoolers surrounding a pit of fresh-faced and angsty teenagers). Most of the former faction left before Rorschach took to the stage, obviously drawn to the show less by the legends of both the headliner and Indecision and more by the celebrity of Converge.

Converge acted as a peculiar, if not entirely misplaced, bridge between Rorschach and Indecision. Their younger fan base and undeniably "edgier" aesthetic (frontman Jake Bannon sported a t-shirt for the band Master's Hammer, an obscure and experimental Czech black metal band) added a singular and ever-so-slightly awkward segue between bands. Their performance, however, was as brutal as fans have come to expect of Bannon and company.

In similar fashion, Rorschach delivered the night's crowning performance, bringing the show at LPR to a shrill crescendo. Though one might expect their final performance of the night to be more subdued than the two prior, their set at the Acheron was perhaps more uproarious than at LPR.

The show at the Acheron was significantly more intimate--and more raucous--than the two that came before... and not only because both frontmen of Concrete Cross and Psychic Limb ended up in various states of undress during the night. The true, dedicated, and bedraggled few trekked to Rorschach's final performance of the night, bringing with them an air of camaraderie and familiarity that Le Poisson Rouge lacked.

Characterized by sweat, laughter and grown men in underwear, Rorschach's last hurrah on Saturday was definitely the one everyone should have attended... if not for the striptease, then definitely for the fraternal atmosphere that shows these days too often lack.

More pics from LPR and a video from ABC No Rio are below...

Continue reading "Rorschach played ABC No Rio (video), LPR & Acheron (pics, review) after Maryland Death Fest"

photos by Johnathan McPhail, words by BBG

There's this awkwardness that I love at a hardcore show, the moment when a beloved band plays a new song. It's clear that the crowd wants to dance and go nuts (especially, in the case of Converge who have a rather large hit rate), but no one knows what to do. I can see the Converge-fan's thought process now:

Do I swing my arms now?
Is it time to make the pizzas?
Should I start pacing in circles?
Is this the break?
Is this the end of the song?

That awkwardness happened a few times at Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 14th, when the Massachusetts band played with Pianos Become The Teeth, Git Some and Birds in Row. Converge's new tracks, not suprisingly, sounded exactly like you would expect (no left turns on these) and had names like "Aimless Arrow", "No Light Escapes" and "Empty on The Inside". Check out a video of the band performing "No Light Escapes" below. Of course it wasn't all about testing the waters; Converge also broke out the requisite favorites like "Eagles Become Vultures", "Concubine" and "Jane Doe" among many others (setlist below).

The confused Converge-fan will have the ability to get more familiar with the new tracks when the band teams with Rorschach, Indecision & Xaddax at Le Poisson Rouge on May 26th (!). Tickets are still on sale.

Though we unfortunately missed sets by Birds in Row (who just played another NYC show) and Git Some (them too), pictures from the Music Hall show continue below...

Continue reading "Converge played new songs @ Music Hall of Williamsburg (pics, video, setlist), added to Rorschach at LPR!"

by BBG, Tinsel Teeth video by (((unartig)))

Tinsel Teeth at Death By Audio

Tinsel Teeth completed their round of US dates with a show at Death By Audio on July 3rd with Satanized Unstoppable Death Machines, and Xaddax. The show was one of two at Death By Audio that week for Xaddax, who also supported Dysrhythmia and Guzzlemug at the venue on June 29th. Check out video of Xaddax (ex-Dazzling Killmen) from 6/29 as well as the last 10 minutes of Tinsel Teeth below (warning, the latter is NSFW).

Xaddax has a couple of shows coming up including with Future By Now (ex-Dazzling Killmen, Mars Volta), STATS, and Spanyurd at Bruar Falls on 8/18 as well as with Great Falls (ex-Playing Enemy, Kiss It Goodbye), Radiation Blackbody, and Passage Between at Acheron on 8/11. Great Falls will also play Lit Lounge on August 8th with Fashion Week and A Passage Between.

Videos from Death By Audio are below.

Continue reading "Tinsel Teeth & Xaddax played Death By Audio (videos)"

Dead Milkmen, 2011 (photo by Nina Sabatino)

Joe Jack Talcum (aka Joe Genaro of the Dead Milkmen) will play a solo show in NYC on Thursday (4/7) at Cake Shop. Samuel Locke Ward and Toby Goodshank, who recently released a split 7" on Slumber Party Records, and Xaddax are also on the bill. $10 gets you in the door.

Joe and Samuel also both play a show at Connie's in Philly on Friday with 25 Cromwell Street. Who/what/where is 25 Cromwell Street? Well, all we know is that it's "Rodney's Band." Rodney of course, to quote Wikipedia, "is best known as the lead vocalist, keyboardist and co-songwriter of the satirical punk rock band The Dead Milkmen." Lots of Milkmen in the house at Connie's on Friday. All of Joe's upcoming dates are listed below.

All of the Milkmen will be back in NYC on SATURDAY, APRIL 9th when the Dead Milkmen return to headline Warsaw. Tickets are still on sale. Pioneers of Seduction and Party Photographers open the show. Oh, and we also have a pair of tickets you can win. Details below.

Dead Milkmen at Warsaw in 2009 (more by Lori Baily)

In March the reunited band flew down to Austin for a headlining appearance at the SXSW-week MWTX fest. Someone reports...

A packed audience for the MWTX party at the Eastside Drive-In went on and on past sunset. We watched Davila 666 and Thee Oh Sees for the forth time each and loved it, then went over to see Dead Milkmen. The crowd was nuts. More stage divers than one could count, just throwing themselves on the crowd.

Kids were climbing speakers and most of the people in the front were stamped with Dead Milkmen tattoos. We literally saw a beer can fly straight into the air, probably 15 feet -[Miami New Times]

The Brooklyn show is one of two U.S. dates the Milkmen have coming up. The other is Congress Theater in Chicago on April 30th.

The Dead Milkmen recently dropped their first LP in 16 years, The King In Yellow...

"We began working on new material soon after playing the FunFunFun Festival in Austin, TX in 2008. Basic tracks were recorded in two weekend sessions in November (South Street Soundz) and December (Miner Street Studios) 2010. Returning to Miner Street in February 2011 for mixing with Brian McTear, we were able to put the final touches on the songs and ready the album for mastering and release.

Look for The King In Yellow to be available as a CD in a month as well as through iTunes, Amazon, emusic and other outlets."

Meanwhile you can listen to the record and buy a digital copy at the band's site.

In related news Xaddax, who are playing Cake Shop with Joe, and who feature Nick Sakes of ex-Dazzling Killmen fame, are also scheduled to play May 7th at Union Pool with Young Widows and My Disco. Xaddax will release their debut cassette via Damage Rituals in August. Stream three songs below, alongside contest details, more dates, and some video....

Continue reading "Dead Milkmen released an LP & play NYC Saturday (win tix) ++ Joe Jack Talcum shows, Xaddax and... 25 Cromwell Street"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Phantom Glue - "Brainbow" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Phantom Glue - "Phantom Glue" (MP3)

Phantom Glue, photo by Reid/Bummer City Photo & Design

Phantom Glue recently bid adeiu to drummer Terri Christopher (of 27), but the Boston band made up of members of Huguenots and Proselyte are still on schedule to play a string of dates on the East Coast in late January. January 28th means a Brooklyn show at The Acheron with support from Defeatist, Xaddax (featuring Nick of ex-Dazzling Killmen) and Castevet (who will also appear at the same venue exactly two weeks earlier with Seidr, Lake of Blood, and Falls of Rauros).

Castevet/Defeatist bassist Josh Scott's other band, Radiation Blackbody, will also play a show with Xaddax at Bruar Falls on 1/26 with Vaz and Fall Of Another Day. Josh Scott listed his Top Albums of 2010 for us. Check that out now.

The Acheron will also host Cali-killers The Love Below and NJ's own Pharoah on January 23rd, one day after the two bands play the A389 anniversary in Baltimore with Integrity, Haymaker, Dropdead, Rot In Hell, and a number of notable others. Pharoah played NYC on 12/20 at Lit Lounge with Dutchguts and State Graves (ex-Easter).

Phantom Glue welcomed their self-titled debut via Teenage Disco Bloodbath Records earlier this year. The Kurt-Ballou-produced effort maintains his patented crunch. It falls somewhere between High On Fire and hardcore on bruisers like "Brainbow" and "Phantom Glue" - both songs that are downloadable above and streaming below.

Tour dates, song streams and some video below...

Continue reading "Phantom Glue, Castevet, Xaddax, The Love Below, Pharoah & other shows & tour dates"