ATXMusicMag.com
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Mag Contributors:
JEREMY J. DAVIS
ANA PRYOR LAZARO CHAVEZ JEREMY J. DAVIS PAUL VALENZUELA LAZARO CHAVEZ PAUL VALENZUELA TONE FOX UNITED FUNK OPTION VINYL PENETRATION
MANNY RAMOS TOMMY DONNELLY SUZY ORTON ROBERT HICKS TRE YETT CHRIS THOMPSON JORGE CANO DAVID TEJEDA STUART CHANEY ROBERT GALINDO WALLY GONZALES REGINA MILLER
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ATX Music Mag Info:
WIKKDHEIR.COM FRANK MORRIS JEREMY J. DAVIS PAUL VALENZUELA
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Co-Editors: JOSHUA DAVIS ELIZABETH BORREGO Writers: JEREMY J. DAVIS JOSHUA DAVIS PAUL VALENZUELA ANA PRYOR LAZARO CHAVEZ ROBERT SOKTON LANDON ROBERTS JOSH SCHIMBERG LOUIE VERA LEE ACKERLY CHRISTIAN BARBUTO
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Anticipating First National Tour
Zeale aka Zeale Rapz, an emerging hip-hop artist out of Austin, TX, awaits a long anticipated national tour this fall with AWOLNATION and Imagine Dragons. Backing him up is DJ Rockwell 9000 on the turntables and Gibran Nassif on the drums. Zeale is known for his free styling abilities, but has made leaps and bounds the past couple of years with popular mash-ups which integrate beats from Metric and Austin favorites, AWOLNATION. He just recently dropped his new EP titled Wake Hell Or Make Peace at the 101X Homegrown Live show, which took place at The Parish. The show featured The Reynolds Number, and local indie rock favorites, The Soldier Thread, whom Zeale joined for a track of theirs titled “Anybody”. He later released the EP on his website (www.zealerapz.com), which contains 5 tracks and an interlude to his first video titled “Hope Dies”. It features Patricia Lynn of The Soldier Thread, which local producer, Dwight Baker, provided the track along with a few others. “It’s not a single ... it’s the first one we put out”, said Zeale, which I took as a hint that there are many more videos coming out soon. AWOLNATIONS front man, Aaron Bruno, who also produces for Red Bull Studios, produced another track titled “Black Mr. Rogers”. Zeale and his posse will be heading out on tour with AWOLNATION and Imagine Dragons starting in September. He’ll be hitting 27 cites in 35 days and dates are still being added. They’ll be stopping in Austin at Emo’s East on October 18th. The show is almost sold out so be sure to get a ticket to watch this emerging hip-hop artist take the big stage for his homecoming stop. Also, don’t be surprised if you see him join AWOLNATION on stage for a freestyle or two. He will also be making a last minute appearance, before the tour during Labor Day for our little brother, RGV Music Mag. He’ll be performing down in The Valley for a showcase at Shenanigan’s (Brownsville) on Aug. 31st and will be headlining at Claytons Beach Bar on South Padre Island on September 2nd for RGV Music Mag’s 1st Annual SPI Beach Bash. These will be his last dates before the big tour, so if you can’t wait for the show in October, feel free to book a room in South Padre for the beach bash and prepare to jam music ranging from punk to reggae to dub-step and lastly hip-hop via Zeale Rapz.
On the Road with Blue October You know that feeling when you’re at a venue and it’s more of an experience than just a plain old show? Well that’s how I felt at 101X’s Homegrown Live show at The Parish on June 29th with Zeale and The Reynolds Number. Playing to a sold out crowd, The Soldier Thread played all of their local fan favorites and featured local hip-hop artist Zeale for their track “Anybody” as well. We were very grateful to have a table at the show along with 101X, who provided free Mr. Gatti’s to the early birds, and Moniker Guitars who presented a custom electric guitar to Patricia Lynn during the set. The guitar was customized with her actual tattoo’s, making it a one of a kind guitar, which she also played later in their set. TST consists of a four-piece, with Patricia leading the pack with strong soulful vocals, Todd Abels on guitar, Justin McHugh on bass, keys, and guitar, and Drew Vandiver keeping the rhythm with the pigskins. Together, they have a rare indie progressive flow with heavy rhythmic bass lines. Their staple tracks consist of “Matador”, “Anybody”, which features a flow by Zeale, and their most recently released single and video, “Pretty Bones”. Even though they’re a local indie band on the rise, they still do much of the management duties themselves. “We book everything ... it’s interesting ... and difficult, especially in cities you haven’t been to” stated Todd. Patricia then replied, “In those cases it’s good to team up with other bands”, like Stukenberg from the Midwest and Saints of Valory, who have toured the East Coast many times. With as much as they’ve accomplished thus far, much respect to them for booking these shows in-house. They just got off a quick road stint to Chicago, Omaha, and Milwaukee, and a hometown acoustic set at Frank on July 21st. They are then scheduled to play Bat Fest on August 25th right before Alien Ant Farm and at Dia De Los Toadies on September 1st. They will join big names such as local bad asses, Riverboat Gamblers, Mariachi El Bronx, the classic Helmet, and of course, The Toadies. They are then looking forward to being direct support for Blue October on tour once again this upcoming Fall and we’re definitely looking forward to that. Be on the look out for future TST updates on future issues.
Photos: Lazaro Chavez
As if the date could not come any closer, Ghostland Observatory’s gig at Whitewater Amphitheater was finally here. Texans know what to expect when a GLO show is coming. From the beginning to the end, their set consists of strobes, moving lights, and lots of lasers. An hour away from Austin in New Braunfels, Whitewater Amphitheatre was the perfect location for this stellar performance. There is nothing like dancing the night away in the woods while; “All that is electronic and organic”, Thomas Turner’s genius wall of sound keeps you energized. “All that is”, Aaron Behrens flamboyant footwork and operatic vocals has your body quivering while the lasers shine down from the stage. Not only are they party animals on stage but they were courteous enough to host a meet and greet for their fans backstage while hanging with their families. The word has spread on the release of a new album and the crowd was blessed with the sneak peak of their new track, “Only You”. It has been a while since the release of their last album, Codename: Rondo back in 2010 and that new track proves that they have not lost their touch.
Show Review: Lazaro Chavez
ATX Music Mag: Are y’all down in Texas yet? RyMo: No, we’re in route. We’re actually in Omaha right now, or actually sorry not Omaha, um… Tulsa. We’ve got a day off here. ATX Music Mag: I guess you can kind of lose track. RyMo: Yeah it’s easy to. You know, we’re almost in a different city every day. So, it all just swirls into one big blur after a while. ATX Music Mag: So your album’s dropping next month, and it’s your seventh studio album. How is it different than your previous stuff? ut ATX Music Mag: How’d you guys come up with the name of the album? RyMo: The name of the album is actually one of the songs from the album. We had a couple of ideas, and once we started gettingv the album ready to put out we had some art developing and it seemed fitting for it to match the art. I think it’s going to be the first track on the album, so it just seemed like a good choice to pair with the art. ATX Music Mag: This is your longest hiatus in between albums. Your last one was released in 2008. Was there a specific reason for the long break? RyMo: Nothing specific. A couple of the guys recently got married and we’ve all spent time with our families. We’ve been touring a lot. We also finally built our own recording studio back in California, so we could start recording on our own terms. It was pretty refreshing coming from going into studios where you’re paying $1200-1500 per session. It’s pretty expensive. There’s a little bit of an unspoken demand to really perform at your best. Even though we haven’t released a record (in four years), we have been touring consistently for the last 10 or 15 years. So, with (‘On Top of the World’), the focus was basically on slowing down, getting into our own place and recording the music that we wanted to make in our own time. We had a lot of ideas come to us and evolve in a less pressure-filled type of scenario due to the fact that we’re paying monthly what we were paying daily to be in a professional, high-end studio. When we started this process we were like, ‘OK, we’re not going to force a record out. If it takes us 3 years, 3 and a half, 4 years… whatever it is. We’re going to do that.’ We’re releasing 21 tracks on this album, so it’s a pretty full variety of tunes. We also recorded quite a bit more than we used. We recorded upwards of maybe 45 tracks in fairly developed shape. We decided to refine the top 20-22 songs. These were the ones we wanted to release.
ATX Music Mag: So does that mean we might be able to expect a follow up album shortly? RyMo: Yeah, I think that was kind of the goal. We wanted to do a little bit of extra stuff now. Once we do get in that sort of mind-frame where we’re recording all of the time and getting creative and being spontaneous, that’s really when things start developing. I think that was sort of the unspoken goal: have some things that are ready now, and have some ideas for future stuff if we wanted to release them down the line on an EP or bonus disc. We’re planning on releasing some stuff on iTunes in the future. ATX Music Mag: On your Unity Tour setlist, what would you say the ratio is of ‘Top of the World’ stuff vs. your older material? RyMo: Well, since we’re doing about an hour show, we’re doing anywhere from about 12 to 15 songs. I would say it’s about 3040% brand new, 30% stuff that’s more familiar, and what does that leave me? 20-30% older, more obscure stuff. We always try to bring a pretty broad spectrum of our musical timeline, so to speak. We don’t release an album and only play that. We want our fans to hear a some of their favorite songs and also do some new stuff so it’s not getting too stale. ATX Music Mag: Have you enjoyed touring with 311? RyMo: Yeah, so far. We’ve just done two shows, but yeah they’re a great band. They’ve been doing it a long time, and in our genre they’re really one of the founders of the reggae-rock fusion thing. Back in the early 90’s it was basically them and Sublime, and they were both really different stylistically. 311, of course, is still going strong, and we’re really happy to be out here with them. They’re vets. ATX Music Mag: Have you guys been able to mish-mash on stage together with 311 yet? RyMo: No. We haven’t yet. Typically when we’re touring with artists, we always like to incorporate other acts. When we’re headlining we always bring up the other acts that we’re touring with for at least a song or two. I don’t know what 311’s policy is with that, but I think as the tour develops we’ll have some collaborative efforts going on. We’ll have some of them come up with us, and us with them. That’s the way we’ve always liked to do it. So, I’m hoping that there are some collaborative ideas that start opening up ..................
by: Josh Schimberg Executive Director, Texas NORML
Prohibition Has Failed, Just Like In the 1920’s
During the 2012 Texas Marijuana March, I was approached by a reporter from the Austin American Statesman named Ken Herman. Mr. Herman proceeded to ask me the same question several different ways, apparently in an attempt to get me to say something specific. The question he was asking basically was, “don’t you, and/or Texas NORML, have some obligation to spend your time and resources telling people to obey the laws?” He asked this, suggesting that Texas NORML’s purpose was to encourage people to use marijuana, thereby encouraging people to break the law. Let me first state very clearly; Texas NORML’s purpose is not to encourage illegal activity. NORML’s Mission Statement is “to move public opinion sufficiently to achieve the repeal of marijuana prohibition so that the responsible use of cannabis by adults is no longer subject to penalty.” This was explained to Mr. Herman, but it appears that he chose to ignore that. From the beginning, Mr. Herman missed the entire purpose of the Texas Marijuana March which was not, as he wrote, about “illegally making themselves comfortably numb”, but instead was focused entirely on ending the criminal prohibition of marijuana. However, it wasn’t surprising Mr. Herman missed the point considering that he began my interview by stating he not only agrees with marijuana prohibition, but also thinks alcohol should be banned. That idea was tried for thirteen years, ending in complete catastrophe as was fully documented recently by Ken Burns’ five-and-a-half hour PBS documentary, “Prohibition.” Just like alcohol prohibition, the idea that demand can be significantly reduced is a pipe dream. Marijuana is the most used illicit drug in the United States. The US Dept. of Health & Human Services estimates around 100 million Americans have tried it, and tens of millions use it yearly. In fact, the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use & Health estimates more than 10% of the entire US population aged 12 & older used marijuana at some point in the past year, and nearly 30% aged 18-30 used marijuana in the past year.
And, just like alcohol prohibition, the idea that demand can be significantly reduced (as Mr. Herman suggested) is just a pipe dream. Marijuana is the most used illicit drug in the United States, with the US Dept. of Health and Human Services estimating that around 100 million Americans will try it at least once in their lifetime, and tens of millions using it yearly. In fact, according to the 2010 National Survey on Drug Use & Health, among all ages more than 10% of the US population used marijuana at some point in the past year, and nearly 30% of Americans between the ages of 18-30 used marijuana in the past year. In addition, polling trends are now showing that more Americans support legalizing marijuana for adults than oppose it. Late last year, Gallup found nationwide support for legalizing adult marijuana use at 50% versus 46% opposed. Little more than a month ago, Rasmussen reported that support for legalizing and taxing marijuana was at 47% with just 42% opposed. This is not a fringe issue anymore, no matter how hard people like Mr. Herman attempt to portray it that way. Despite Mr. Herman’s attempt to label all who support ending marijuana prohibition as “lawbreakers”, the fact is that many Americans who do not use marijuana also do not see fit to use their hard earned tax dollars on arresting, trying, and incarcerating hundreds of thousands of their fellow citizens every year for marijuana. And, yes, according to the FBI, around 850,000 Americans are arrested every year for marijuana offenses, with nearly 90% of those arrests being for possession. Forbes has reported estimates saying that ending marijuana prohibition could yield more than $40 billion annually from tax revenues and savings in law enforcement. That is a significant expense of public resources, no matter how you slice it. It’s ironic that Mr. Herman brought up what Mexican officials have said about this, because both of the previous two Mexican Presidents, Ernesto Zedillo and Vicente Fox, have, since leaving office, have publicly called for an open and honest debate on marijuana legalization. Even Mexico’s current President, Felipe Calderon, has hinted in the press that the US should consider “legal market alternatives” to our current drug policies. Of course, he wouldn’t dare overtly make such statements due to the fact that US taxpayers are sending billions of dollars annually to Mexico for the drug war. A war which has claimed an estimated 50,000 lives in that country over the past several years, which according to DEA officials such as Michele Leonhart is “a sign of success.” Have there been decapitated bodies found in Mexico related to alcohol distribution? Why is it that cartels are not now killing thousands over beer and tequila trafficking routes? The answer is simple; because there isn’t a significant black market for those legally regulated products. Suggesting that demand in the US is primarily responsible for the violent black market in Mexico ignores the fact that marijuana (like alcohol) has been ubiquitous in human society for thousands of years. The cause of the violent black market in these cases lies with the arbitrary prohibitive laws passed in vain attempts to curb their use. And Texas NORML seeks to legally facilitate the end of marijuana prohibition, saving hundreds of thousands annually from arrest, and curbing the violent black market.
T
he fourth-annual Free Press Summer Fest at Eleanor Tinsley Park kicked off with a bang. There were plenty of activities and eight stages that hosted an incredible lineup. It was enough to distract fans from the blistering hot sun. Being that this was our first time to experience FPSF, we wondered what this fest was all about.
Upon entering the festival, we were surprised to see stage seven just a few feet from the gates. At stage seven were local acts such as The Eastern Sea and Schmillion. We were already in the action! Stage six was next door hosting Girl In A Coma and Austin’s very own UME. We were fortunate enough to check out their set at Red 7 when they were touring with Life and Times a few days after the fest. Our adventure down Allen Parkway of Eleanor Tinsley Park had us quite confused. Austin festivals are usually located in large empty lots of grass which usually get slaughtered by the thousands of attendees and inevitably kick up a lot of dirt. It felt great to not have a bandana wrapped around my face. FPSF offered more to attendees than just music. There were entertaining attractions such as art showcases, sculptures, art cars and a unique waterfall walkway that acted as a human car wash. Next we went to the Jeep Power Amp Stage (stage one). A hill lead down to the bayou allowed us to see the main stages like seats in an amphitheatre. This stage had major acts such as Snoop Dogg, Afrojack, Young The Giant, Willie Nelson, The Avett Brothers, Pretty Lights and Starfucker. After Starfucker’s set, we set out to interview them in the Fancy Pants Tent. The Fancy Pants Pass gave attendees the chance to beat the heat and enjoy refreshments and A/C. Austin festivals must get on this IMMEDIATELY! Attempting to reach stage five presented by Chipotle was difficult due to the Jeep Power AMP Experience. This attraction gave attendees the chance to compete in an off road course to win a Jeep Wrangler. Canceling their tour due to Jeff ’s hand injury, stage five missed out on Jeff The Brotherhood. But, they did host acts such as Maps & Atlases and Austin’s very own, What Made Milwaukee Famous, Electric Touch and Zlam Dunk. Stage two, presented by Budweiser had a huge water and paint slide where attendees were going crazy and sliding down the hill going head first. Major acts such as Fitz & The Tantrums, Primus, Best Coast, Two Door Cinema Club, Portugal, The Man, Flaming Lips and The Descendents all killed it. Having had the privilege of interviewing Portugal. The Man before and having attended many of their shows in Austin, I did notice the change of members in the group including Kyle O’ Quin from Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground replacing Ryan Neighbors. The Descendents were back in Texas once again after first appearing at Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest 2011 after years being broken up. They will be back for Riot Fest in Dallas on September 22nd. Flaming lips closed the show at the Budweiser stage and they had amazing stage presence. Snoop Dogg and Afrojack each put $5,000 dollars in separate air balloons to be thrown into the crowd and scavenged. The wind blew the balloons out of our area, but it was still awesome. Our first FPSF ever was a delight. It is a unique and one of a kind festival. Houston came out with full force for their fourth-annual fest. It is growing and vibrant music scene and there was a huge gathering of fans. We were glad to be a part of it all.
Photos by: CFO Farley
Our first stop was the pool at Golden Nugget. The area was packed with style that scares Midwest families, and that was comforting. We hopped on the waterslide, met a bunch of new people, drank our asses off, and ventured into every area we could. This day started off as a blast and there were no limits to our fun. But there was shit to be done that night so we headed back to the room for what rest we would have for the weekend. After a nap we headed to The Bunkhouse to catch Adolescents, Dr. Know, and Union 13, and Vegas locals, The Vermin. Unfortunately, we missed The Punk Rock Bowling kickoff party due to interviews we had set up. Before the show, we had the chance to catch up with Kyle Toucher (original singer of Dr. Know) who was nice enough to sacrifice a few minutes to speak with us. Kyle gave props to the Stern brothers for setting up the Bowling weekend. He also mentioned that this was their first time playing it. They were on tour so this was a one-night deal for them. They played a lot of old shit (none of the new stuff) and everyone loved it. Dr. Know’s energy always moves the crowd. They were responsible for the Nardcore movement, having started in Oxnard, CA, and it has carried on through subsequent
generations. Kyle had a refreshingly positive vibe about him. Having been asked how hyped he feels after so many years, he stated, “It’s actually more fun now at 50 than it was when I was 25.”
Writer: Joshy Wastrel It’s 6:30 a.m. on a Friday morning and for the first time in a while I’m awake before my clock alarm demands my attention. I feel like an anxious five-year-old on a Christmas morning, except that at I’m almost 30 and there is no tree with presents beneath it, only the bags I have packed with the clothes and booze I need for my trip. I had been waiting for this particular weekend for months now. All travel plans were coordinated, money was saved, and fun was anticipated. There were shows to be watched, pool parties to attend, and my level of enthusiasm was at an all-time high. What was so special about this weekend? It was Punk Rock Bowling weekend- the equivalent of Super Bowl weekend for fat drunks. The five hour drive to Vegas went by in a flash (since we boozed it) and by 2:00 PM we were in the lobby of The Golden Nugget in the Fremont district of Vegas. As I entered the lobby I felt at home amongst fellow punkers. In every direction you could see tattooed sleeves, colored hair, unique hairstyles, and on top of that, many sexy punk rock girls. We left our bags in our room and headed straight to the elevator for some action; it was on!
Soon after our talk with Kyle we caught most of Union 13’s set and I was stoked. I listened to them back in high school off a Punk-O-Rama compilation I got a hold of. It was sad to see they sort of fell off the map which made me think that I would never get to see them play; luckily after six years here I was getting to see them play. They played a lot of stuff from Why Are We Destroying Ourselves, which was cool because I love that album. They were also nice enough to step aside and speak with us.
The Adicts
They’re really down-to-earth guys and speaking with them was cool as can be. They spoke about a tour they went on and how one of them didn’t remember shit (check out the interview on atxmusicmag.com and you’ll hear it all). They loved Vegas and appreciated how supportive the crowd was. They said they love to have fun and have accepted the fact that there are good shows and bad shows. Said Edward, “Even if there are only 10 kids at our show, we still give it our best…we still give it 100 percent.” Their conviction exuded throughout their set, having rocked out balls to the wall. These guys were really cool to hang with and they look forward to doing it again soon. So after our night at The Bunkhouse, we stumbled our way down
the streets of Vegas and figured we’d see what was going on at the Beauty Bar, and sure enough it was poppin’. On any night in Vegas you might catch a celebrity here and there, but it just so happened that Eric Melvin (NOFX), Greg Hetson (Circle Jerks, Bad Religion), and Stan Lee (The Dickies) were all hanging out at the Beauty Bar (during Punk Rock Bowling, go figure). I could not believe that three of my favorite guitarists were in the same building- wow, what a trip! While partying out at the Beauty Bar with a gang of fellow punkers, we got a call from our buddy DJ. He told us he was hangin’ with The Adicts back at the Golden Nugget and that we should cruise over and down some drinks with them. Having drinks with The Adicts in Vegas sounded like a unique experience so we hauled our swaying bodies back to the Nugget. We met up with our buddy and he was with Monkey and Pete Dee of The Adicts. They had friends and family with them and everyone was having a good ol’ drunken time, and what a better time to join in on the fun. This was a major highlight of the trip- that you get to hang with the people who wrote the music you’ve listened to for most of your life. No pressure, no status, just you and them. We got to hear interesting tour stories, tell jokes, well, basically party with
that I didn’t get to catch any bowling action or as many shows or sets as I wanted to (since I tend to lose some control in Vegas), but what I did experience could only happen through Punk Rock Bowling: getting to party and meet with the musicians and bands that I listened to and was influenced by. I recommend anyone into punk rock to attend this event. Also, what’s cool about this weekend event is that anyone can join in the bowling tournament (which we plan to do next year). I believe
The Adicts them. And to top this night off, we ventured into a limo and rode around Vegas stopping at many cool places (what happens in Vegas…well, you know) ‘til around 10 in the morning. After a good sleep (well, passing out), we headed out the next night to see the first night of the actual music festival. When we arrived, NOFX had just started playing, and boy were they on point. They had the crowd moving, which by the way was made up of a few thousand people. Besides being musically tight, I really appreciated NOFX’s banter between songs; it cracked me up. The next night we showed up to the festival and caught Rancid. This was my second time seeing them since 1998. They played much faster this time around with a greater range of material to play. Of course everyone loved their set. Everywhere in crowd people were singing every song. That was really neat to see and be a part of. I must admit that by that time I was drained. I headed back to the room and on the way reminisced the weekend. It sucked
Fat Mike and DJ Farley they had over 250 teams par-
ticipate this year. You’ll find many of your punk rock favorites bowling in the tournament too. They have a party before the tournament and an awards ceremony after the weekend. This along with all the music going on makes it a must-attend event every year. Cheers, see you all in Vegas next year!
when you see it in action and understand the programming involed, it’s mind-blowing.
A typical Summer in Austin for myself includes hiking down to the greenbelt, going to the lake, chillin’ at the pool, maybe an occasional boat party, and of course, covering the annual Warped Tour in San Antonio. I used to go to Warped early in my college years when they were booking bands like The Offspring, The Vandals, NOFX, The Bouncing Souls, Bad Religion, and other punk rock staples in the scene.
After the festival grounds started clearing out, we decided to chill and check out Dead Sara at the Kevin Say’s stage and they killed it. They had a very grungy early 90’s Nirvana feel, and they capped off our experience at the tour... or so we thought.
AXIS UNITY
In recent years, whenever I’ve check out the line-up to Warped, I usually can count the bands I know on the bill with both hands, and I’ll only follow a handfull of them. But since they invited us out last year, I was in for a serious music lesson... I discovered artists such as Passafire, Grieves, Weerd Science, and got to see and interview some of our favorites like Pepper, The Expendables, and Less Than Jake. This year, I can say I knew less bands than last year, but once again I left with a stack of awesome new albums to add to the arsenal, which included Dead Sara, Jukebox Romantics, Say Hello to the Angels, Ballyhoo!, and I Fight Dragons. We were also fotunate to land an interview with Matthew Lillard (SLC
Then while heading to our car, we caught Anti-Flag playing catch with a football in the parking lot. We were able to meet their frontman, Justin Sane, and got to chill with them for a bit and talk some politics. That reason alone is why Vans Warped Tour is so cool. You have the opportunity to intercact with killer on a personal level, which is something every music fan can appreciate.
YOUNG COSTELLO
Punk, Scream, Scooby Doo....) thanks to Bethany who has continued to hook us up whether it’s at Warped Tour or SXSW!
Sure it’s not an Austin festival, but Warped Tour has something on most Austin festivals. Because the artists are touring all summer long, it seems that they feel more comfortable around fans, rather than your regular 2 to 3 day festival. We got to drink some brews with Jukebox Romantics and Say Hello to the Angels, who are both signed under JT Habersaat’s Altercation Records. We also got to chill and interview I Fight Dragons, which blew me away with their synthesizers that were hooked up to Nintendo controllers and Guitar Hero guitars. It sounds cheezy, but
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/ August 2012 / ATXMusicMag.com
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Actor Matthew Lillard best known for his roles in Scream, SLC Punk and most recently the Oscar nominated film The Descendents has made his directorial debut with Fat Kids Rule the World. The flim co-stars comedian Jacob Wysocki (Terri) and Matt O’Leary (Natural Selection, Cinema Verite) have jumped on the Vans Warped Tour to promote their punk rock coming of age story that see Wysocki manifest himself from a ridiculed obese teenager to an underground rock star. Lillards adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel by K.L. Going made its premiere in SXSW taking home the Audience Award and is set to
release in the second half of 2012. The 42 year-old actor/director said the film felt much like his 1998 cult classic SLC Punk and its potential effect. “I realized the impact that movie had on a generation of punk rock kids [and] this [film] is akin to that” Lillard told ATX Music Mag. “It’s about kids that are outside the normal constraints of high school and find something they love, and that’s punk rock and we tell that story.” Fat Kids Rule the World is a co-sponsor of the Vans Warped Tour with one of the promotional perks being anyone can set up a special screening of the film throughout the United Sates by visiting www.Tuggthefatkid.com.
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No Holiday takes no shortcuts when it comes to brewing the classic recipe of skate punk with an infusion of thrash. With influences from Dead Kennedys , Bad Religion , Screeching Weasel, a dash of Minor Threat, 2 tablespoons of Face to Face, a half-cup of NOFX and 2 ounces of Up Yours! WHO COULD GO WRONG? As their name says These boys
take no breaks when it comes to energy and diversity. Rex Chris and Tommy all hail from the crap hole of Texas known as “The Valley” to be more specific Brownsville, where we hear you can buy cheap “imported goods” So we’ve heard . There are speculations that Rex ( drums ) was raised by a family of Chupacabras. No confirmation yet though.
James aka “Dingo” is a Dirty Aussie from down unda kicked out of his country for training kangas to rob banks. All have been exiled from their homeland to bring you classic fun-filled punk rock. Refreshing and energetic if you see these guys around, there is a reward for their capture or you can just leave them be and enjoy their killer set!
Thieves to Release “Achiever” on 7/31
Thieves will release its new album, Achiever, on July 31 independently. It’s the Austin, TX-based pop-punkers third release, and first since the 2011 full-length Just Give It Up. The band has released a short, three-minute video explaining the album’s concept to go along with the announcement, which can be viewed on Vimeo. Thieves’ album concept video features clips from live shows, along with a clip of a new song from Achiever at the end. The band’s upbeat, positive-natured pop-punk is supported by a technicality in musicianship that far exceeds the standards of the genre, and Achiever’s concept is one that is sure to hit home with college-aged listeners, and those slightly older and younger as well. The album and Thieves’ contagious energy combine for a special listening experience. Thieves has also announced new tour dates for the Achiever Tour, featuring Sucker Punch and Far From Proper on a Midwest and Northeast run at the end of July and throughout August which can be found on their website at................
www.thievestx.com
“Doubt Creeps In”
http://goo.gl/DgOCI
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Whiskeydick - The Wicked Roots (2012)
Outlaw country devotees take note: this is the real deal! The fourth CD offering from this “acoustic” duo (Johnson, lead guitar and Fritz, rhythm guitar and vocals) from Ft. Worth is quite possibly their best yet. Considering the prolific and highly regarded back catalog, “best yet” is no easy feat. Check out youtube videos of the tracks “Drunk As Hell,” “Jim Beam and Me,” and “Wookie Pussy” for examples of previous greatness and fan devotion. The Wicked Roots is the second WHISKEYDICK CD produced by Kurtis D. Machler at Austin’s own Million Dollar Sound Recording Studio. The barebones instrumentation consisting of one rock-solid acoustic rhythm guitar, one acoustic but sometimes very electrified lead guitar and one powerfully HUGE voice is all that is necessary to get this robust, urban-country sound across. This record is an excellent representation of what these guys do to rooms nightly across the country and frequently in Austin for lucky patrons of Headhunters and Bull McCabe’s. Given this sparse yet huge sound, the variety of musical styles presented on this disk is pretty impressive. From the opener, a rowdy sing-along rocker called “Shootin’ Guns,” to the closer, the Irish drinking romp “Hillbilly Toast,” a lot of ground gets covered. “Murder Love Song,” “Evil’s Got A Hold of Me” and “Horse Made Of Acid” are typical of the duo’s darker, Outlaw (wicked maybe?) roots and are all strong tracks.
Rating
8.3 Review by: Dr. Sob Rock
Riverboat Gamblers - The Wolf You Feed (2012)
They’re back. While 2009’s pop experiment Underneath the Owl (Volcom) was a critical success, it left some old school Gamblers fans worrying that they were experiencing some kind of Green Day-esque shark jumping moment. The Wolf You Feed should put those fears to rest as the band returns to it’s slick but aggressive glory. From the fiery opener “Good Veins” to the final moment of “Eviction Notice,” the record delivers the band’s most inspired and most energetic music since 2003’s Something To Crow About (Gearhead Records). Other standouts are the moody “Gallow’s Bird” and the driving “Soliloquy.” The CD title refers to a Cherokee legend of the two wolves, one good and one evil, living inside each of us. Here’s to letting the Gambler’s pop wolf go hungry for a while.
Rating
8.5 Review by: Dr. Sob Rock
Slightly Stoopid - Top of the World (2012)
After a four year hiatus, Slightly Stoopid is back with their new album titled Top of the World. Through a generous 21 tracks, this album features artists like long-time band friend, G. Love, as well as Angela, Don Carlos and former Jurassic 5 member Chali 2na. Setting this album apart from the band’s other projects is a puritan and almost nostalgic approach to 1970’s Reggae. Unlike their last six albums, this was the first to be produced in their own recording studio, undeniably giving the band the opportunity to “let [our] ideas evolve in a less pressure-filled type of scenario” says band drummer Ryan Moran aka RyMo. Never straying from their melodic sounds and velvety vocals, Top of the World is laced with their signature paradigm of bass licks, off- beat drum lines and Ska. Also, for all you “stoopid punk” fans, the last track closes with a one minute teaser … possibly a prelude of what’s to come on the next 24 tracks that were, according to RyMo, produced but saved for later. Overall, fans can expect to hear a more mature sound that some might say alludes to their endeavor of making it to the “top,” and if it was anything like the feel of this album, it must have been a smooth ride.
Zeale - Wake Hell or Make Peace EP (2012)
Where to start with this EP. First of all the title of it is almost as clever as his some of his lyrics. Wake Hell of Make Peace starts off with “Black Mr. Rogers”, which is a pretty catchy tune, then my personal favorite, “Frenemy” is a tribute to all the haters out there. My favorite flow on it goes “Pause, you’re an imposter, it sucks cause you used to be number one on my roster” haha! We all have that friend and it’s a lyric and a song everyone can relate to. Then it goes to “Whomp!”, which serves as a self-motivational track which I blasted at full volume everytime it came on. Then is “Halo” which is pretty chill, and sounds a bit Drake-ish. It then ends with “Hope Dies”, which he just released a video for and features Patricia Lynn of The Soldier Thread with an ever so captivating hook. That track involves real real talk. He stated that he was going for an NPR feel, “Not all the gloss-over bullshit news”. He touches subjecs such as world tragedies and issues, war, and the list goes on. For an EP release, it sure got me anticipating the full-length album.
Rating
8.0 Review by: Landfill
Rating
9.0 Review by: Jerm