More punk rock than you can (proverbially) shake a stick at.
While pretty much every modern punk band is influenced by Agent Orange and The Dead Kennedys, not too many carry the banner successfully blending surf vibes with ferocious 80s hardcore. Yet New Jersey’s Night Birds do exactly that, all without sounding completely derivative and managing to keep things fresh. Celebrating their 10 year anniversary as […]
I recently caught New Jersey’s hardcore band Sick Shit play in a dingy bar basement in Trenton with PEARS, and I was completely blown away. So much so, that after catching their set I quickly grabbed their EP Thick Spit. Released in March this year and recorded in central Jersey (yes it exists you north […]
I’ve said it plenty times before and I’ll continue to say it: if you aren’t listening to Dark Thoughts, you’re fucking up. I recently just caught them again at The Stone Pony opening for Propagandhi and Iron Chic, and it reminded me I never posted about one of my favorite 2018 releases. The three piece […]
For as long as they’ve been playing, California’s Swingin Utters are of the most criminally underrated bands around. Formed back in the late 80s, Swingin Utters have made a name for themselves over the past 30 years with their raucous rock and roll infused, no bullshit punk rock. I’ve been a pretty big fan ever […]
These days a Paint It Black show is a bit of a rare occurrence, so when the Philly hardcore band announced they’d be playing at Asbury Park’s House Of Independents the day before The Bouncing Souls “Stoked For The Summer” show, I decided to just make a weekend out of it. Paint It Black I […]
This past Thursday, I headed to Philly’s intimate batting cages Everybody Hits to catch one of my favorite punk bands around Off With Their Heads. It’s been almost 2 years since I’ve last seen them when they opened for The Bouncing Souls, and it’s been at least 5 years since I’ve seen them actually headline […]
When your friends are buying starter homes with their accomplishments, driving 3.5 hours on a Tuesday for a show can seem childish and embarrassing. Yet this past Tuesday night I made the trek to Asbury Park’s House of Independents to catch Jeff Rosenstock play a sold out show. As expected, the 500 person venue was […]
I sort of hate the term supergroup, but there really isn’t any better way to describe the newly formed Beach Rats, featuring Pete and Bryan from The Bouncing Souls, Ari from Lifetime, and Brian Baker from Minor Threat/Dag Nasty/Bad Religion. When I saw that they were playing their 2nd show ever at Philly’s intimate PHILAMOCA, […]
Ska isn’t exactly dead, but it’s certainly been in critical condition on heavy life support for a number of years now. Just when you start thinking it might be time to pull the plug, it shows signs of life letting you know that it’s still kicking. The latest signs of life are from NJ’s Hub […]
This past Saturday on a warm afternoon, I headed to Neshaminy Creek Brewery right outside of Philadelphia for their 6th year birthday show, headlined by Richmond crossover thrash dudes Municipal Waste. It was a busy event, held outside with a flea market inside that drew an eclectic crowd… from punk and metal fans to families […]