Hot Blood, Fear of a Unified Public, 2019

Album Review

Asbury Park punk quartet, Hot Blood, are back. With a vengeance. In the time since the band released Overcome Part 2 in 2016, let's just say a lot has happened in the political landscape of the USA and the world. In many ways, we've never been more divided as a people. There's a sense that we're all being gaslighted on a daily basis as we wonder if what we're watching can really be happening.

Over the course of 17 (18) songs in a fiery 30 or so minutes, Hot Blood touch on all of it -- from the sensitive nature of international relations to Donald Trump to the opioid crisis to mass shootings to climate change. And there are also moments when the band narrow their view to the personal and to the connections among individuals. In that way, like all of their past work, Hot Blood's anger and rage at the state of things are tempered by a sense of hope that, through work, we can effect change.

The album opens with early single "Nuclear Summer." Propulsive drums, buzzsaw guitars, and Kiley ruining his vocal chords as he screams about our obliviousness to the threat of impending doom. A  product of Catholic school and a citizen of the most religious country in the industrialized world, Kiley looks for "an education" on how to reconcile the world's misery and division with religious beliefs on "Searching for God." Humans are messy and weird, but it's our differences and imperfections that unite us on "Flaw." "...it becomes so clear that we're all the same and at the end of the game the pawn and the king sleep in the same box."

"On the Roof," when it's just a bunch of workers together on a job, "there's no backwards politics." The band offer some unsolicited advice to the president on "Donald." The surfy "Horse" only takes a minute to get to the tragedy of our country's opioid crisis: "Could've been anyone."

The title track comes at, roughly, the album's mid-point. The chorus lends itself well to fist-pumping, sweaty screamalongs during which participants can forget their differences and chant as one. The band address the toxicity of the politics of division later on "Naptime for Democracy."

Hot Blood take on other high profile issues like mass shootings on "Duck and Cover" ("Is this really who we fucking are?"), rampant consumerism on "Logoland" ("They're always there!"), and climate change denial on "Rising Tide" ("Til hell or high water but they're both showing up."); but they also focus on the personal and the little, human things that unite us -- "My Heart's Still Beating."

Those who purchase the LP version of Fear of a Unified Public also get secret (acoustic!) track "Joke." On it, Kiley gives his deeply personal take on losing friends and feeling like he's losing his mind as he watches the crumbling of our civil society.

With the exception of "Joke," Fear of  a Unified Public is relentless, hardcore punk. Kiley, guitarist Alex Rosen, drummer Billy Straniero, and bassist Charlie Schafer don't let up even for a minute as they take us through their view of American society. Anyone who's been even a semi-regular visitor to this blog can probably tell that hardcore punk isn't necessarily in my wheelhouse, but I've always been able to get behind Hot Blood. I can hear the musicality coming up through the barrage, and the lyrics are always intelligent and spiked with humorous turns of phrase. And while Hot Blood don't go easy on anyone in their crosshairs, they always offer up a sense of hope.

The album closes with a quote from Noam Chomsky that, I think, sums things up pretty well:

"You have two choices, you can say, "I'm a pessimist, nothing's going to work, I'm giving up, I'll help ensure the worst can happen." Or, you can grasp onto the opportunities that do exist, the rays of hope that exist and say, "Well, maybe we can make it a better world". It's not much of a choice."

Fear of a Unified Public is out now on Gruesome Twosome Records.

Interview: Matt Chrystal Talks with Blag Dahlia of The Dwarves. Win 2 Tix to Their 5/11 Show at Wonder Bar with Hot Blood.

Miscommunication 101

by Matt Chrystal

Contest: Leave a comment here or on the Facebook post about this article on the CoolDad Music Facebook page between now and noon tomorrow; and, from that, we'll pick a winner at random to receive two tickets to The Dwarves' show at Wonder Bar in Asbury Park on Friday, May 11th, with special guests Hot Blood.

I did not get into punk rock until my early- to mid-thirties. Sorry, folks. I guess I just needed those extra two decades of life experience to build up enough angst to want to rage against the trappings of my middle-class, suburban surroundings. So when CoolDadMusic asked me to interview Blag Dahlia of The Dwarves, I had basically nothing to go on. My only exposure to the band was from the poster for their upcoming show in Asbury Park and from the few album covers that I had seen on the shelves at Vintage Vinyl. You might think that would be enough to give me a basic idea of what I was in for; but, still, I did not know the scope of it all. I was about to immerse myself in the fast livin', no fucks givin', hard partying, blood soaked, controversial, vulgar, finger in the face of conformity, myth vs reality, rock n f'n roll scope of it all that was the saga of Blag Dahlia and The Dwarves.

The Dwarves are the seminal punk rock / hardcore band, often referred to endearingly as scum-punks, who have a storied career, rich with tales of fighting with each other and audience members on stage at shows, of members performing in lucha libre masks while others are clad only in jock-straps, if anything at all, all the while singing their merry songs about murder, rape and substance abuse.

Controversy has followed the band since their start in the late 1980s with album covers depicting naked women (and an actual little person) covered in blood and a laundry list of song titles and lyrics that detractors claim glorify drug use and promote misogyny and homophobia. It would seem that words like "misogyny" and "homophobia" have become as synonymous with The Dwarves as the terms "punk" and "rock n roll."

But here's the tricky part. Yeah, sure, albums entitled Free Cocaine (1988) and Blood, Guts & Pussy (1990) might not do much in the way of dispelling their bad reputation; but, perhaps, we shouldn't be so quick to judge a book…errr an album... by its cover. Blag Dahlia has long claimed he writes songs about characters and that the songs are stories from those characters' points of view. They aren't necessarily his. I mean, that is a writing device employed by almost any writer who has ever picked up a pen. Should we be so quick to lambast Blag and The Dwarves?

I decided to do some homework, and I dove into the deep catalog of The Dwarves. I came out on the other side in need of some air. The music made me want to bang my head and shake my fist in the air, but the lyrics made me feel kinda sticky and kinda guilty, like I just got caught watching my first VHS porn.

Was Blag entertaining listeners and trolling critics by presenting ridiculous, over the top characters and sending a message of "FTW" to supposed pitchfork-carrying champions of political correctness that want to quiet him down? OR has Blag been trolling all of us even harder for over three decades by telling us that is what he is doing just so he can continue to glorify drug use and promote misogyny under the guise of artistic license?

Seriously, what was I getting into here?  I thought I was just going to talk to a musician about his new album and maybe get a quote or two about life on the road. I did further homework and read some older interviews that Blag has done, and it seemed he stayed in his "bad guy" character and gave quick, humorous, often flippant answers to questions. And nearly every interview found him in defense of The Dwarves and their music. What had I gotten myself into?

Much has changed in the world since The Dwarves released the inspirational, Blood, Guts & Pussy back in 1990, but The Dwarves seem to have found a way to be timeless. These eccentric scamps who once gave us the mantra, "Fuck You Up & Get High," are still continuing to get "Down and Dirty" with 2018's Take Back the Night. This record is the latest release in a long line of introspective albums depicting characters facing relationship issues and the occasional existential crisis.

In the track, "City by the Bay," the narrator speaks of how he garners "queer" looks because of something he said that "wasn't PC." Is this a reference to Blag and the last three decades of The Dwarves' album covers, song lyrics, and onstage antics…?  Or was this just a fictional character making a fictional statement? So many questions! It was time I got some answers.

I called Blag on the phone and caught him while he was taking a mid-afternoon stroll along Newport Beach. To my surprise, I didn't get the "bad guy" character. Instead, I got several different characters throughout the course of the call. I got to speak to Blag, the artist who was eager to have a conversation about his love of music and literature. I got Blag, the rational human being who is concerned with society's continuing lack of communication and understanding when it comes to opposing viewpoints. I got Blag the enthusiast of Icelandic sheep farmers. I got Blag, the egotist who wants the world to now and forever know that The Dwarves are the best damn band in the world; and I got Blag, the touring musician who is just looking to rock out, catch all the feels, and take a shit in a clean bathroom.

Was Blag just playing a character? Was Blag just trolling me? I don't know. I'll let you be the judge -- that is, if you decide to continue on to read to my interview. I came out of it thinking that Blag made and brought up a lot of great points. He also likes Birdcloud, so that makes him pretty ok in my book… I think.

On your latest record, Take Back The Night, there are plenty of balls-to-the-wall ragers showcasing the ferocity that The Dwarves are known for, but there is also a good dose of concise and catchy melodies mixed in there, too. How did this album come together?

BLAG DAHLIA: For this one, I wrote a lot of poppy bubblegum songs, and the rest of the guys came up with some intense hardcore songs; so we thought that maybe we can make another one of those Dwarves' records where it kinda ricochets between the hardcore and bubblegum and leaves everybody scratching their heads. It switches up about every 60 seconds, and that is something we have been working on for a long time. There is a very retro influence in The Dwarves that is pretty garage rock, but then we have this noise rock, hardcore nasty side to us; so we try to get as deep into both of those as we can.

There definitely seems to be a more balanced feel to this album, so perhaps you found that sweet spot you were searching for.

BD: Yeah, I'd like to think so! Part of that is because I have such a great band, and we have been with each other for so long. Each member is a great songwriter; and, because we are that lucky to have that, we can make some pretty cool variations happen. In a lot of bands, there are usually one or two guys that write the songs, so they tend to write the same songs over and over again.

Take Back The Night

Many of your songs are about relationships; do you consider yourself a hopeless romantic?

BD: (laughter) … I consider myself hopeless.

Do you find it exhausting to constantly field questions on whether or not The Dwarves are misogynistic or homophobic or glorifying drug use? Are you counting down in your head until an interviewer brings it up?

BD: It doesn't really bother me because there actually is another whole layer to that where most people will not even talk to me, so they just assume we are misogynistic or whatever. At least if people are talking about it or asking me about it then I can say something.

Basically, I look at it as my songs are depicting characters, and these do not always have to reflect my feelings on things. We have lost our sense of humor as a culture, and we have lost our ability to do basic reading of artistic material. When you go see a movie and there's a bad guy in it, do you assume that the actor, Anthony Hopkins, is going to eat you? You should be smart enough to realize that this guy is playing a character. If I write a song, and it's about a certain kind of person, that does not have to mean it is about me. Even that easy interpretation of source material seems like it is impossible now. So, what you get nowadays are severely limited conversations where people cannot talk about things they cannot bear to imagine because they  are seen as automatically endorsing that.

Fortunately, on the other side of all that, I have had people call me a misogynist or a bad person for over three decades now; so even though it has gotten much more insane during this era, I am just so used to it and it rolls right off me. I ignore it. I don't pay attention to it. I do not think about it. Maybe that's a limitation of mine, but people have been laying this kind of stuff on me for decades; so I just won't play ball with them.

Even though you say that it "rolls right off of you," you have spent much time in the last thirty years having to defend the music of The Dwarves. So it must upset you that people can't separate characters from the writers?

BD: It upsets me on a certain level, but it also upsets me because I want to make more money. I want to sell more records and have more people get into my shit. This has just become indicative of today's society. It's sad. It's also weird that rock n roll is dying on a number of levels. If you look at like the Top 100 records, almost none of them even have a guitar in them! It's like the whole genre has become insignificant.

You were vocal about your frustrations with the emerging wave of political correctness in the 1990s, soooo... how are you dealing with it these days? Does this era of extreme PC culture fuel you even more?

BD: It does and it doesn't. More and more I do see that there is more common ground between my points of view and everyone else's, but the conversations become more and more polarizing. As long as we are having conversations, then I feel good about it; but what really disturbs me is that most people will not even engage in conversations. When I was a kid, everyone who liked punk rock read Maximum RocknRoll, and there was a healthy exchange of ideas in those pages. But, nowadays, institutions like that have changed and unless you are a transgender, lesbian from Finland who is putting out a cassette who has never had a conversation with a record label, then you are not allowed to enter the conversation. It's not enough that I have been making punk records for thirty five years and live on the same street that their headquarters are on. It is still impossible for [Maximum RocknRoll] to have a conversation with me about my records.

What I find sad is that that there is a fear of interacting with the enemy or the other side. This is the heart of the problem we are having as a society where radically polarized sides cannot see any validly in someone else's opinion. It's ok to disagree with someone's opinion, but where we are at now is that each side just sees everyone else's opinion as invalid.

If I am doing an interview, I will talk about more advanced ideas like this; but, on my records, I don't talk about this stuff! I talk about fucking and death and rape and incest and murder. That is what is in my rock n roll heart!

It's not like my records are making some impassive plea for understanding. My records are a way of expressing myself; I am not trying to bring all sides together with it. What also makes it complex is because half the conversation is just people seeing the album covers and reacting. They see the song titles and react, and they do not even get into the music itself.

You have been open about early Dwarves records being influenced by music you listened to during your younger years such as The Misfits and Ramones. What do you find yourself being under the influence of in recent years?

BD: I listen to a lot of talk radio. I do a talk radio show here called "We Got Issues," and it has made me more interested in listening to podcasts and talk radio than listening to music. In a way that is kind of sad. In many ways, I have done what I am going to do in music; and I know exactly where I am going with my music. But because we are out playing shows all the time, I stumble into bands that I think are good.

When we were in Texas, we played with a band called Birdcloud. I thought they were very funny. It was two girls with funny lyrics, but what I really liked about the band was that they seemed to be friends in such a way that the band couldn't exist without one of them. With The Dwarves, we went the opposite way. We have a posse of ten or twelve people that get substituted in and out; but, with Birdcloud, I zeroed in that it was just the two of them and they were doing their own type of thing. Seeing Birdcloud made me believe that there is still hope out there for music. People are out doing something that only they can do! The Dwarves are that type of band, love it or hate it.

It's not like we are directly related to anything else or any other band, but The Dwarves have been influenced by a lot of different stuff over the years. We have bitten from The Misfits and Ramones and that whole crew. And we have bitten from The Cramps and Gun Club crew. We have bitten from the hardcore crew and the speed metal crew and from the Black Flag crew and we have also bitten off of the crooner crew like Frank Sinatra.

In today's culture, it seems the curtain is being drawn on the era of the straight-white-male; and there are many good things to come out of that, but the bad thing is that people might forget that The Dwarves are the best band ever!

Blag Dahlia by Ester Segarra via thedwarves.com.

Despite your claim that, "rock n roll is dying," is there anybody or anything out there today that has won over your "rock n roll heart?"

BD: I am just a finder of music now. Stuff just comes across my path. It's not like I know about new records or what is going on now. I am pretty old, so it's all just about what I happen to hear and whether or not it touches me. There are still good rock n roll records getting made, I do not think it's dead in that sense. Rock n Roll is dead commercially and dead as a societal thing, but it is not dead in terms of great bands that are coming out.

I saw Scott H. Biram the other day. You can make a strong argument that he is one of the great bluesmen. There is such a great and unique quality about him and how he can assume three different voices. If you are somebody that just likes Son House and Robert Johnson records then maybe you won't like Scott Biram; but, for me, I think he is the obvious answer to who is one of the great bluesmen of the modern era. So, I still see and hear things that I like. I still have hope for music. I am in my fifties, so music being made today is not being made for me; so maybe I am really not the right guy to ask about new records or about is good.

You mentioned you are in your fifties, and over thirty of those years have been spent playing with The Dwarves. So, with that said, what wisdom can you share with us from all those years in a band?

BD: When you are on the road, you always need to find a clean place to shit. Once a day, you need to take a good one. So, to all those club owners out there who are operating without a decent place to shit, shame on you! We need to shit! We also need a good meal, so stop giving us pizza from a microwave oven! Good food and good defecations are the essentials of the rock industry.

Speaking of bathroom breaks and being that you are also an accomplished author, can you recommend any books, for restroom reading or for reading in general?

BD: Wow, good question! I am actually reading this book about Icelandic sheep farmers. It's a very famous book in Iceland. It's called Independent People. It requires you to re-acclimate your mind to reading about sheep farmers. I do not know if I will make it all of the way through, but it is interesting for the moment. Like everyone else, over the last few years, I started reading Politico and The Hill and political websites just to see what is going on out there. In a way that gives you the best window into our fractured world.

People are wildly opposed to each other, not only do they have different interpretations of fact, they also have completely different facts. It's a fascinating time because we are returning to tribalism. People love their political heroes depending on what tribe they perceive themselves to be a part of. Nothing changes people's minds anymore. Actual content does not change people's minds anymore. It's all about whatever tribe you feel you are a part of. It's like 1984 where even if political leaders change their story every day, the tribe will just believe whatever they say. That is fascinating. You do not need core values anymore. It all comes down to tribalism and both the right and the left practice it. I am more sympathetic to the left's version of it; but I recognize that, in a lot of ways, the right and left are interchangeable. There is just a mindlessness to it all that is really breathtaking. It is so fascinating that this is all really going on that it has become harder for me to read fiction.

But I have written a couple novels, and I am working on another now. Fiction is very freeing because different things can happen in the story and I do not need to stick to the facts. That is true with rock n roll, too. I am not trying to be your buddy or your best fucking friend on my records. You can view me as anything you want. You can view me as an independent heroic figure OR you can view me as a disgusting rapist. Both views are equally valid in terms of imagination.

You put forth a lot of energy both on record and on stage. Besides microwave pizza, what helps you to keep going so damn hard?

BD: The shows that are the most fun are the ones that have a great crowd. It's hard to do a great show for a crowd that is not great. Sometimes, we play festivals; and they lack intimacy, but there are thousands of people and so I have to play up on that. Other times, I am in a room with only a hundred people, but the energy is just so intense that I feed off of that. That's what turned me onto rock n roll. I started out listening to much more sophisticated kinds of music. My brother was a jazz DJ, so I was listening to these twenty-minute trumpet solos and then Frank Zappa -- and I still think he is one of the greats -- but this was all sophisticated music with lots of changes and variations; and when I heard The Ramones and Cramps, I was drawn to the simplicity of the music. Then, when I saw The Ramones, and other punk bands live, the crowds were incredible. To me, that is what rock n roll is. It is the intersection of simplistic tribal music with the entire crowd being part of it.

I do not like to travel anymore. I have done all the traveling that I feel like doing, but the reason I will tour to places is so that I can play my music to people and, hopefully, get that feeling and transmit that feeling, that feeling that is at the heart of simple music which is the heart of rock n roll. So, anyways, there's that, ya know?

The Dwarves by Cameron Postforoosh via thedwarves.com.

The Dwarves are legendary anti-hero figures to your rabid fanbase, but signing to a major label is something that still eludes the band. I know, for street cred purposes, you must wear that as a badge of honor; but is the legacy of The Dwarves something you think about or are you just content to be in the moment?

BD: I am an egotistical person. I want to have a great show, and I want to have a great legacy. I think we deserve a great legacy. I think we have a great legacy now, but that is mostly among our fans. So, if I am preaching to my choir, then everybody already knows how great The Dwarves are. I do believe that we should be spoken about in the same breath that you speak about all the great punk bands and about all the great rock n roll bands! We always make really great records because I do not compare myself to the tenth record made by some mediocre East Coast punk band. I compare myself to The Beastie Boys and their best record and to The Beatles and their best record and to The Talking Heads' best record. I am trying to make a record that is amazing and transcendent to anyone who listens to it. I think if anyone shoots for that, then maybe they will get lucky. I think about The Dwarves' legacy, and I feel like it deserves it be so much bigger, broader, and stronger than it is; and it should be making me so much money that I can swim in it.

What are your hopes for the future? Rock n Roll Hall of Fame inductee? Gospel album with full choir? Reality Show? Corporate sponsorship?

BD: I have the podcast "We Got Issues" (It's also on the radio in San Francisco), and I would really like to get into broadcasting more. I find it really fun. I also think I have a few more books in me. I always just want to be involved in the arts, and I always want to play rocknroll. I want to enjoy myself. If the public wants to come along with me, then that would be great. The more the merrier!

Bonus question: What are your thoughts on the term, "Scum Punk?"

BD: (laughs) Scum Punk! Wow! Scum punk was a term for 80s bands that had like a GG Allin influence about them. It doesn't quite describe The Dwarves because I think we have a lot of pop elements to us that aren't there with a lot of the so-called scum punk bands. I always found our humor to have a poppy shell around a core of scum. A lot of people just write reviews of The Dwarves based on other reviews that they've read, so if that original reviewer saw The Dwarves in 1988, then maybe we were scumpunks. It's like making sourdough bread. You need to save a little piece of the old one to make a new one, and people hear or see something about us from one time and just continue to say the same things about us now.  I take words like scum and use it as a compliment. I have to take on being called scum-punk, then cool. Whatever moves a ticket!

The Dwarves with special guests, Hot blood, will be performing at the Wonder Bar in Asbury Park, NJ on May 11th. 

Some Early-in-the-Year Stuff from The Double Negatives, Toy Cars, and Hot Blood

Kiley croons the bad news.

NJ Pals

It's been kinda slow going around here lately. January 19th seems to be the big 2018 kick-off for releases; and the bitter cold we've been experiencing locally (along with two snow days for the cooldaughters) has sent me into a kind of stasis, I think. That's all ok because we've got a big week ahead.

Here are some new things coming out of the frozen Garden State for you to check out as we start kicking things into high gear around here.

The Double Negatives, "My Sun Is Setting" / "Commas"

This Belmar-based five-piece kicked off 2018 with the release of "My Sun Is Setting" / "Commas." The singles showcase The Double Negatives' hard to pin down style. "My Sun Is Setting" is a pretty straightforward, indie / garage rocker in the vein of something like Arctic Monkeys; while "Commas" veers off into some jammier, spacier directions.

You can see The Double Negatives this Thursday, January 11th, at The Saint when they kick off the annual Light of Day festival. They'll be on a bill that includes a host of Asbury-area bands including our good friends, Dentist.



Toy Cars, "Iron Me Out"

Toy Cars will be bucking this year's trend. They'll be coming in a week ahead of everyone else when they release Paint Brain this Friday, January 12th. Last week, the band shared "Iron Me Out" off of that record.

I've always had a hard time classifying Toy Cars' sound. There are elements of NJ-bred emo or pop-punk, I guess. Mostly, though, the sound serves the subject matter at hand. "Iron Me Out" effectively builds tension throughout as it deals with the consequences of keeping thoughts and feelings bottled up inside.

Toy Cars celebrate the release of Paint Brain on Friday, January 19th, at Asbury Park's House of Independents. Joining them for that one will be Halogens, Well Wisher, DRMCTHR, and latewaves.



Hot Blood, "Nuclear Summer"

We've got a loose cannon in the White House engaging in a Twitter war with the head of a rogue state who happens to be in possession of nuclear weapons. What could possibly go wrong?

Leave it to our friends in Hot Blood to tackle the issues of the day head-on. Today, the band released the first single off of their upcoming Fear of a Unified Public LP in the form of a video for "Nuclear Summer." The song is to-the-point as Kiley tells it like it is, gently breaking the news that, "We're all going to die," as is his way.

SXSW Pre-Game

Yawn Mower released What's All This New Piss? at The Saint

I Feel Like I've Already Started

I leave bright and early tomorrow morning for Austin and my second year at South By Southwest. I've heard grumbling over the years from people -- including me -- about how corporate the festival has become; but my experience last year was one of the best times I've ever had doing anything. For someone who enjoys live music, South By Southwest is like a trip to a musical theme park. Just about every minute of every day, there is a band playing somewhere; and you do not have to step foot into a single official showcase to experience it.

I feel like I got myself into festival mode a little early this weekend after heading out to three different shows over the course of about 24 hours and spending most of the time in between editing shots. Personally, I was at The Stone Pony, the Danny Clinch Transparent exhibit at The Asbury Hotel, and The Saint; but this was a busy weekend in Asbury with all of the usual spots hopping.

On Friday for me, it was Sammy Kay, Vanessa Silberman, Hot Blood, and Ruby The Hatchet at The Stone Pony. It had been a while since I'd seen Hot Blood, and it was nice to see that they're still the same rowdy and ramshackle crew. Ruby The Hatchet had lots of friends, family, and fans in the audience. They're destined for even bigger things, I think, as they prepare for their first European tour.

Sammy Kay and The 4th St. Singers

Vanessa Silberman from Los Angeles

Hot Blood

Ruby The Hatchet

Saturday, I edited pictures for a while, drove CoolDaughter 2 home from her cooking class, and headed back to Asbury Park for an afternoon of music at rock photographer Danny Clinch's Transparent exhibit. The spot has become, as Clinch called it, "A regular weekend hang" curated by Rachel Ana Dobken on Sunday afternoons. This past week's edition was on Saturday and featured Joe P of Deal Casino, a short performance from Dobken with some help from Clinch, Joe Michelini of American Trappist, and Michael Maffei of Hunter & Wolfe. It was relaxing and -- for me -- inspiring to sit and listen surrounded by Danny Clinch's work.

Rachel Ana Dobken with Danny Clinch

Joe Michelini

Michael Maffei

Then, it was back home for a bit to edit a few more pictures, have dinner with the coolfamily, and pick up CoolMom for the Burger Revolution / Little Dickman Records / Yawn Mower release show / Planned Parenthood Benefit at The Saint. Throughout the course of the evening, The Saint packed out (sold out?) as Pamela Flores, Stained Glass, Lyons, Yawn Mower, and gods took the stage. Yawn Mower celebrated the release of What's All This New Piss? by, along with all the other bands, raising over $1200 for Planned Parenthood.

Pamela Flores

Stained Glass

Lyons

Yawn Mower

Things got late; and CoolMom and I had to miss the set from gods in order to relieve our babysitter, CoolDaughter 1. I was a little down about this because gods have absolutely blown the lid off of the room the last few times I've seen them, but parenthood...

I've said this before, but we're pretty lucky here when you think about it. It may not be 24/7; but there are lots of weeks when Asbury Park can feel like its own little music festival.

More editing this morning, and then I turned my attention toward packing for South By Southwest. I'm not sure how frequently I'll be posting here, but I'll try to keep you posted on things that should be on your radar throughout my time there. You can follow the CooldDad Music Instagram for regular updates from Austin.

All of the pictures from this weekend will be up in the CoolDad Flickr galleries as soon as they finish uploading.

The Shady Street Show Band and Hot Blood Released Together at Last at The Saint w/ Lowlight and Bone & Marrow, 9/19/15 (PHOTOS)

Two Great Tastes

When Hot Blood's Mat Kiley told me that his band was working on a compilation with The Shady Street Show band on which each band would cover the other's songs, I was a little dubious. I'd seen and heard both bands, and they appear to have very little in common. Hot Blood play pretty traditional hardcore -- super short, super fast songs, lots of stabbing guitars, and Kiley sounding like he's about to blow out his vocal chords. The Shady Street Show Band play a kind of soulful rock -- intricate arrangements, male and female vocals, keys, sometimes a horn section.

But as I thought more about it, I remembered thinking that I always heard something more musical in Hot Blood's songs than typical hardcore. The crowds I'd seen at Shady Street shows all seemed to be rocking out just as much as those at Hot Blood shows. There has always been considerable overlap in the bands' audiences. On Saturday night, both bands showed that their collaboration -- rather than being some weird one-off curiosity -- produced some really excellent music.

Things got started with the proggy, experimental duo, Bone & Marrow. Formerly of Elevator Art, Daimon and Jen Santa Maria create loops on the spot and use homemade props to create something bigger and weirder than two people have any right to do. I'm definitely not what you'd call a Doors fan, but Bone & Marrow put their own spin on a couple of Doors covers that breathed some interesting life into those songs.

Things took a turn toward country as our friends in Lowlight took the stage. Even as more of a rock and punk guy, I've always had a soft spot for the darker side of country and Americana. Lowlight do a great take on that sound, and they've quickly become one of the local bands I'll make a special point to get out and see. In keeping with the covers theme of the evening, they gave us a rendition of Bob Dylan's "The Man in Me."

When the "Shady Blood" portion of the evening began, The Saint was pretty well packed out. Hot Blood led things off, and I joked with Kiley later that they turned in the most organized Hot Blood set I'd ever seen. Usually the band mix a planned set with requests and whatever happens to strike them as the show progresses. This time, they played Together at Last front to back, in its entirety. The crowd reacted to Hot Blood doing Hot Blood as they always do, screaming along and bouncing off one another (always respectfully). During the songs by The Shady Street Show Band, people continued dancing and singing along. Kiley showed a pretty good singing voice on "Home." Even people you may have expected to see hovering around the edges at another Hot Blood show were right up front. The band brought out the Together at Last horns for a couple of songs.

The Shady Street Show band took their turn and played Together at Last back to front. They did amazing renditions of "Don't Be a Dick" and "Chloe (with Cole Ragsdale on vocals)" that gave those songs a whole new spin while showing how strong Kiley's lyrics can be. People embraced, danced, and sang with the band as they did their own compositions, the Together at Last horns blaring from the stage.

To end the show, various members of both bands switched off with one another for a few covers that ranged from Dead Kennedys to Jerry Reed. It was a hugely fun and eclectic evening that showcased a pretty wide range of what Asbury Park has to offer musically. I'm not sure if we'll ever see Shady Blood again, but we can hope.

I sweated through all the sets and got lots of pictures. You can click through the links below to check those all out at Flickr.

Bone & Marrow

Lowlight

Shady Blood

Stream The Shady Street Show Band / Hot Blood Joint Covers EP for Free Ahead of Its Release

Together At Last

About a month ago, I shared two tracks with you from the joint covers EP being released by The Shady Street Show Band and Hot Blood. Together At Last features seven tracks on which the bands alternate covering each other's songs. It works -- maybe surprisingly -- well. There's something to be said for faithfully rendered cover songs; but, sometimes, full-on reinterpretations like the ones done here can bring out features of a song that you wouldn't have noticed any other way.

You can stream Together At Last for free up to its release this Saturday night, September 19th. Just as your opportunity to stream the set expires, The Shady Street Show Band and Hot Blood will be celebrating with a show at The Saint that also features Lowlight and Bone & Marrow. You can hear live renditions of all of these songs at what promises to be an eclectic evening of music.

So study up, and I'll see you on Saturday.

P.S. The album's cover photo was shot by a local, amateur photographer who also maintains a music blog. (It was me.).

Holiday Weekend with Hot Blood, Overlake, and Swervedriver, 9/4-9/5/15

Big Nights for Friends

I didn't go to Against Me! on Friday night. I've really wanted to see the band for a while now, but the thought of a packed to the gills Stone Pony just didn't sound like my kinda thing. And, as it was, our dear friends in Hot Blood were holding the release show for Overcome Part 2 at Asbury Lanes. Not a tough decision.

Honah Lee

It was a really beautiful night in Asbury Park on Friday, and the breeze blowing in through the big, open garage door at Asbury Lanes felt great. Lots of friends turned out to support Hot Blood along with the other bands on the bill -- Execütors, Gangway!, and Honah Lee. Each of the openers had their own take on punk from Honah Lee's more pop punk approach to Gangway!'s combination of hardcore and ska to Execütors more old school sounds. It was almost like a class on the evolution of punk played in reverse.

Gangway!

By the time Hot Blood took the stage, things began to take on their typically chaotic nature. After a few familiar songs, Alex Rosen announced that the band would play Overcome Part 2 in its 4-minute entirety. Kiley chimed in that the band would then take requests.

Execütors

Things got crazier, audience members slipping and sliding on the beer-soaked floor as they tried -- at Kiley's urging -- to start up a circle pit. One by one, various fans and friends of the band climbed onto the stage to assist Kiley on vocals. At one point, Kiley rolled off the top of one of the monitors into the arms of the crowd.

Almost the entire audience climbed onstage for "Class Warfare." Gentleman Jim's voice boomed over the PA warning them that 1/2 inch of plywood wasn't necessarily the most supportive medium for about 75 people. No injuries thankfully.

Hot Blood

Things ended at around 12:30. Handshakes. A smelly, sweaty hug from Kiley (tradition at this point). And my beer-soaked jeans and I headed back home. An evening with Hot Blood can often be more of an interactive experience than a show, and this one was no exception.

Saturday, I edited some pics and kind of spent the day trying to wake up in time to head to Bowery Ballroom later that evening. Jersey City's Overlake had a big opening slot for shoegaze legends Swervedriver. Overlake have grown into one of my favorite bands, and I had such a great time seeing Swervedriver in Philly a few months back that I couldn't miss this one. The holiday weekend meant it was an easy, trafficless shot into the city; and we made it in plenty of time for a few beverages with all of Overlake's Jersey City supporters who turned out for the show.

Overlake

For their part, Overlake made the most of the opportunity and sounded absolutely huge on the Bowery stage. As the crowd pushed up front for Swervedriver, a couple of Swervedriver fans mentioned to me how great they thought Overlake were.

Toronto's Dearly Beloved were main support and leaned more heavily to the garage / psych rock side of things than shoegaze. Bubble guns, a theremin, and a final song done down on the floor among the audience made for a really good set.

Dearly Beloved

Swervedriver were great once again. Frontman / guitarist Adam Franklin came up to the mic a few times looking like he may start some stage banter, but thought better of it and ended up going into the next song. I only had my point and shoot with me, and Swervedriver's set was mostly in the dark; so I was able to just listen and enjoy floating inside the wall of guitar noise.

Swervedriver's Adam Franklin

All in all, it was a really good Friday-Saturday one-two punch. I've been enjoying seeing a lot of the bands I try to support here doing cool things, and I can't think of a better way to have ended an amazing summer of music.

I hope all of your dreams came true this summer. I'll see you out there this fall when, I'm sure, more of our friends will do more great things and Asbury Park will have ample parking.

Friday and Saturday weren't my greatest picture-taking nights, but you can head to Flickr to see what I managed.

Interview: Alex Rosen and Mat Kiley of Hot Blood Talk Overcome Part 2 and Energy Drinks

Overcome

Red Bank / Asbury Park political punk foursome, Hot Blood, will be releasing the second part of their Overcome trilogy of EPs with an all-ages show this Friday at Asbury Lanes.  The Pete Steinkopf-produced, Overcome Part 2 is a four-song quick hit that takes aim at some of the most prominent institutions of modern life. The longest track, single "Chemical Solution," comes in at just over a minute and a half. Somehow, though, the band find time to make their points; and they even throw in a few blistering guitar solos.

I sent a few questions to guitarist Alex Rosen and guitarist / vocalist Mat Kiley as they prepare for the release. They tell us about the ideas behind their songs. We get a little preview of what to expect on Friday night, and I even get Kiley into some good-natured trash talk about a competing show thrown by an energy drink company and a Brooklyn music blog (This series actually often features some of our favorite bands.).

Check out everything they had to say below. Then, on Friday night, head over to Asbury Lanes to celebrate the release of Overcome Part 2 where Execütors, Honah Lee, and Gangway! fill out the bill.

Hot Blood are this interesting combination of thrashing hardcore punk and lefty politics -- calling out the establishment, sticking up for the oppressed kind of stuff. But bubbling up from all of the anger, I’ve always sensed a slight strain of positivity running through your catalog. Is it important to you guys to leave people with the message that change is possible if we all wake up?

MK: I think that's the most important part of what we as a band are trying to say. It's really easy to say "HEY, SHIT'S FUCKED UP, AND WE'RE PISSED." What we want to do is express that we as people have the power to stand together and change the world for the better.

You put out Overcome Part 1 earlier this year, and you’re getting ready to release Overcome Part 2 with Part 3 to follow. What made you decide to do this as a trilogy?

AR: Mat really wanted to do an EP after [debut LP] No Kings. The idea of Overcome pretty much came from Mat and me working together on this commercial solar job. Doing multiple EP's gives room to work with multiple ideas and concepts. Also, for us, we tend to write fast and have a lot of tunes so it works to help get the music out faster than an album. 3 EP's just sounded solid and gives more room to experiment.

Part 1 dealt with the way in which corporations and the government work together to keep the masses quietly working for them. On Part 2, you take on other institutions like churches, the medical establishment, and the education system (in a total of about 4 minutes). Do you feel like all of these major institutions we’ve built up are ultimately working against us? If so, what can we do about it?

MK: Yes very much so. Religion: End the tax exempt status of religious institutions; pressure legislators to keep religion out of politics; and make "money for prayers" type schemes illegal (e.g. televangelist "clubs"). Health care: people are so afraid of Obamacare; but, ultimately, what the people of this country deserve is even further sweeping legislative reform. It's embarrassing how sick people are outright extorted in the US. Education: I'm not even going to get into student loan reform because it would take all day. Do away with the new common core curriculum. Focus more on learning and not just repetition.

Speaking of corporations, what are your thoughts on punk rock shows funded by big corporate entities and sponsored by big, out of town media outlets?

MK: Nothing says punk rock quite like corporate energy drinks and internet tastemakers. Sarcasm is hard to get through text, but I'm laying it on really thick here.

Poster by Alex Rosen

You’ll be holding the release show for Overcome Part 2 at Asbury Lanes on September 4th. The Lanes will be closing for “renovations” soon after, and nobody is really sure what it will be like when / if it re-opens. As a punk band, it has to be tough to lose another independently-run venue. Does that mean more shows in basements and other unconventional places for you?

MK: I certainly hope so. Some of the best shows happen in places a show isn't meant to happen. I have a feeling that, in the coming years, the VFWs and the like will make a showing as venues for displaced bands.

Can you talk a little bit about the other bands on the bill at Asbury Lanes and what people can expect from the show?

MK: Well, Execütors are local, so if you're from the area and haven't seen them you are severely missing out. They are fucking phenomenal. Honah Lee are good friends of ours from the Trenton area. Rad as fuck dudes and a seriously good time to see live. We've played with them a couple times and it is ALWAYS a blast. Gangway! Are from Long Island and are honestly one of my favorite bands on the east coast right now. They blew my mind out the first time I saw them and every subsequent time since. I expect a lot of brain matter to be exploded Friday night.

Not to get too far ahead of things, but what are your plans for after Overcome Part 2? Is Part 3 ready to go?

AR: We have two new songs that are pretty much done. We may put them on a remixed / remastered No Kings re-release which we may put out ourselves. Not 100% sure. We have already put out 3 things this year, so I think we will handle that after Overcome Part 3 haha. Overcome Part 3 we have been working on. We plan to get it out this year. It will be a bit tough. So far Overcome Part 3 is one song and it clocks in at about 11 minutes, which is about 10 minutes longer than most of our songs. We will be having someone else [other than Alex] do the artwork for it which is also a first for us.

And, finally, just to be clear, you guys are putting on the release show all by yourselves -- a local punk band and a bunch of their friends having a great time screaming at the institutions trying to keep us down, right? No RSVPs, no energy drinks, no vicious unmoderated comment sections.

MK: All ages. No corporate sponsors. No tastemakers judging the things you like because they ain't hip. No RSVPs. We're putting this show on ourselves; and, in doing so, we got our favorite bands together to give the locals a great show at our favorite venue in town. We're really looking forward to it. We may put on a pot of coffee for people that REALLY want caffeine.

Cool. Just wanted to make sure that was clear.

Thanks, guys. See you Friday.

Premiere: The First Singles from the Shady Blood Collaboration between Shady Street Show Band and Hot Blood. Yeah. You Read That Right.

"Don't Be a Dick" / "Growing to Stand the Sight of You"

Your childhood friendships are important. They shape who you are and keep you grounded to your true self, no matter where life takes you. If you're lucky, you can maintain a few of those friendships for your whole life. I know that my oldest friends are extremely important to me.

Zac Silva of The Shady Street Show Band and Mat Kiley of Hot Blood have known each other since they were yay high to a grasshopper. Their own musical projects have gone in wildly different directions. Shady Street produce a soulful and melodic mix that relies on intricate arrangements, horns, and Ryan Gregg's impassioned vocal delivery. Hot Blood are a hardcore punk band through and through -- short sharp shocks of songs punctuated with angular guitars and from the gut vocals.

Despite the divergent directions of their musical endeavors, though, The Shady Street Show band and Hot Blood have a deep appreciation for each other; and they decided it would be fun to release a split on which they traded songs. Shady Street put their spin on some Hot Blood, while Hot Blood give Shady Street the hardcore treatment.

The bands will unleash Shady Blood on the world with a show at The Saint in Asbury Park on September 19th. Just to keep with the eclectic theme of the split, joining them on the bill will be country outlaws, Lowlight, and experimental psychedelic / electronic duo, Bone & Marrow.

Ah... But you needn't wait a whole month to hear the product of this collaboration. We've got the first two singles for you right here, right now.

First up, The Shady Street Show Band cover No Kings track and Hot Blood live show stopper, "Don't Be a Dick." Shady Street's arrangement adds almost a full minute and a half of sweet, soulful goodness to the track; and you can almost see Woody screaming "You're a f*#cking dick!" into Buzz Lightyear's face.



Next, Hot Blood give us their take on the already dark and foreboding "Growing to Stand the Sight of You" from The Shady Street Show Band's self-titled EP. Hot Blood's version of red hot anger and rage, though different from the seething slow burn of Shady Street, works really well on this one.



Enjoy, and head to The Saint on September 19th to celebrate the release.

Pics from the Pusher Pedals Launch Party w/ Hot Blood, Hurricane In Mink, and Execütors at Wonder Bar, 6/18/15

Local Noise

NJ's own local effects pedal company, Pusher Pedals, launched their line of gear last night with a party at The Wonder Bar. On the bill for the evening were Freehold punk trio Execütors, new local garage rock band Hurricane In Mink, and the cuddliest hardcore band around Hot Blood. There was a pedal demo station where people could test drive all of the Pusher Pedal stomp boxes.

It was my first night out all week, and I needed it. Even though the crowd was a little (ok, a lot) more laid back than the crowd at APYC on Saturday, there's nothing like a set from Hot Blood to get your blood pumping and to clear out the cobwebs.

Here are highlights from all the sets. Head over to the Flickr galleries for more shots, and head over to pusherpedals.com to check out some of the gear.

Say Cheese!

Ron Santee wishing me a good evening.

Two of These Things Are Not Like the Others

Lately, I've felt like I've been noticing something in my pictures. A trend, if you will. So I went back through my archives to do a little research. It turns out that what I thought was a pretty widespread phenomenon is actually a pretty localized happening. With a couple of exceptions, this thing I've noticed has turned up in a pretty specific population.

See if you can tell what I'm talking about. I'm trying not to take it personally.

Weekend Recap: Northside, Softball, Asbury Park, and Swim Meets, 6/11-6/14, 2015

Hot Blood at Asbury Park Yacht Club

Life Is Pretty Good, I Guess

I had big plans for the number of bands I'd see at Northside Festival this year. You can check out the previews I did if you want to see some of the bands I had on my radar. Things didn't go quite that way, though.

After getting to Brooklyn on Thursday and catching the free sets from Chris Forsyth and Luna, I did manage to see Sharkmuffin, Beverly, and Ludlow ejacula. I sweated it out in McCarren Park and at Alphaville., met up with some people I hadn't seen in a year, and had a great time.

Philly's Chris Forsyth opened Northside Fest with his band, The Solar Motel Band.

On Friday, I headed up to Pet Rescue for the Hearts Bleed Radio showcase featuring Vomitface, The Rizzos, The Planes, Warn The Duke, and Dentist right after softball practice. I thought about maybe

The Rizzos at Pet Rescue

trying to hit The Paper Box for The Battery Electric or Aviv for Sleepies, but a mix-up on The Battery Electric's set time and just the good time I was having hanging with Dentist kept me parked at Pet Rescue.

On Saturday, CoolDaughter #2's softball team had their final game of the season followed by a pizza party. I helped out with the coaching duties all season, and I'm not joking when I say that I welled with pride over how much our first and second graders had improved over the course of the year. They downed about 6 pizzas and an endless flow of Sierra Mist at Luigi's after the game.

Good hangs with the Dentists at Pet Rescue.

Asbury Underground was happening, but I was tired and wanted to spend some time with CoolMom before she left for her business trip. We sat out by the pool as CD2 swam with her friends from the neighborhood. I worked and worked to get CoolMom to join me in Asbury for the evening, but she wouldn't go for it. She wanted to get to bed early.

Working on about 3 hours of sleep, I headed out to Asbury Park where the sold-out Third Eye Blind show made parking a nightmare. After finding a spot in front of Asbury Tower, I walked south along the boardwalk toward Convention Hall as the sounds of The Ribeye Brothers got louder and louder. I caught the last several songs from their set and noticed Spider Bags' Dan McGee, who was up next, bouncing along to the music and enjoying himself.

The Ribeye Brothers

I told the bunch of friends that I ran into at Anchor's Bend that they would enjoy Spider Bags who were visiting from Chapel Hill. The reviews I got back after the band's set were unanimously positive. The wild and sweaty set ranged from short garage pop nuggets to extended jams. McGee called it the best show they played all year, and damned if I didn't believe him.

Spider Bags

Then it was a brisk walk down to Asbury Park Yacht Club where I managed to catch the last three songs from Hey Anna. They closed with infectious recent single "Don't Talk Stop" and sounded great. Afterwards, it was a 180-degree turn from Hey Anna's pristine, beach-tinged pop to Hot Blood's hardcore punk.

Hey Anna

Hot Blood's set was as wild as The Battery Electric's from the previous week. The scrum in front of the stage pulsed and heaved from the first song. Crowd surfers bumped up against the surf boards that decorated the ceiling. Mat Kiley jumped off the bar and landed on top of the crowd during the band's last song.

When Hot Blood were done, I was pretty physically spent. With a 6am wakeup call ahead of me for CoolDaughter #1's Princeton swim meet in the morning, I reluctantly had to call it an evening before We're Ghosts Now took the stage. I've seen the band a few times now, and you should make it a point to catch their set the next time they pop up in the listings. I did get to meet bassist Max Resnick and chat a bit, so that was cool.

Things got crazy for Hot Blood.

The next morning, I got to watch CD1 swim a couple of personal bests. Even though I was kind of in a daze, it still made me smile. Once we got home, it was a couple of hours with CoolMom before she left us until Friday.

I always get a little sad at the prospect of a week without CoolMom. The moment she walks through the door each night really is one of the highlights of my day, and I miss it when she's gone. The girls and I will manage. Maybe do a little breakfast for dinner or just swim in the pool following their half days this week.

As I lay in bed with a drink last night, though, I thought about happier things than missing CoolMom. I thought about how many really good friends I've made over the last few years, and how much I enjoy seeing them when I head out to shows. I thought about how, when certain local bands are playing, it's just as much fun for me to hang around and laugh with them as it is to see their show.

It's not all about seeing as many bands as I can and accumulating pictures and content for this site. If I wanted to to that, I'd have driven back and forth to Brooklyn for four straight days. Instead, it's about discovering new things and new bands, spending time with family and some of the other people I've grown to genuinely love, and being able to balance it all with the rest that life has to offer. That's not always so simple; but, unlike most of the other "work" I've done in my life, it feels like work that's really worth doing.

Check out Flickr for some more pics of the weekend. I still have a few to get through, but they'll all show up there eventually.

New Hot Blood Lyric Video

"Chemical Solution"

We're out of coffee. I got home at 2:30 this morning from Brooklyn, and we're out of coffee. I'm too tired / lazy to go out and get any right now, so I'm sitting here with a growing headache as I attempt to edit pictures from last night.

My headache is getting so bad, as a matter of fact, it's making me realize how dependent I am on caffeine. We depend on a lot of legal drugs in our society. There are drugs that wake us up, drugs that lower our cholesterol or blood pressure, drugs that calm our restless legs, drugs that help us with our shy bladder. Hell, if your kid doesn't seem to be able to pay attention in school or study, there are even drugs for that.

Hot Blood's latest song, "Chemical Solution," deals with that last one. The song kind of takes a lot of what Hot Blood talk about in their music back to the beginning. Create the conformist, emotionless drones that our economy needs through the use of prescription medications at an early age. Better living through chemistry.

"Chemical Solution" is the first taste of Hot Blood's upcoming, Pete Steinkopf-produced Overcome Part 2. 

Check it out below, and then check out Hot Blood for their first-ever, I believe, show at APYC tomorrow with We're Ghosts Now and Hey Anna.

I gotta go get some coffee.