So, I limited myself to 25 and started thinking. What a challenge! I decided to give a brief history of punk. I left out a lot, naturally, and for every record that’s on the list, there are 10-20 other records that could easily be put in their place. I went with historical significance over “quality;” for example, Punk in Drublic isn’t my favorite NOFX album, but it’s important.

I present my list to you, but at the same time ask: what would your essential 25 list look like? Post ‘em if you got ‘em!

And hit the break to see my list.

25 ESSENTIAL PUNX LPs
in no particular order

Short, Fast, Loud: The Classics
* Ramones – Ramones
* The Clash – London Calling
* The Damned – Damned Damned Damned

Shorter, Faster, Louder: Hardcore
* Bad Religion – Suffer
* Bad Brains – I Against I
* Dead Kennedys – Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables
* Minor Threat – Complete Discography
* Circle Jerks – Group Sex
* Minutemen – Double Nickels on the Dime

The Skate-Punk ’90s:
* NOFX – Punk in Drublic
* Punk-O-Rama 2/Fat Music for Fat People (seriously, that’s the best primer you’ll get)

A Lot of Bands Ripped Off the Ramones: ’90s Pop-Punk
* The Queers – Love Songs for the Retarded
* Screeching Weasel – My Brain Hurts
* Mr. T Experience – Milk Milk Lemonade

Feelings ‘n Shit: Emo Rising
* Fugazi – Repeater
* Hot Water Music – No Division
* God’s Reflex – Scenes From a Motel Seduction
* Braid – Frame and Canvas

They Do Hype on the Internet Now?: So-called “Orgcore”
* Against Me! – Searching for a Former Clarity
* The Lawrence Arms – The Greatest Story Ever Told
* Dillinger Four – Midwestern Songs of the Americas

A New WAAAAAAVE: Modern Bands
* The Gaslight Anthem – Sink or Swim
* The Menzingers – Chamberlain Waits
* Mixtapes – Maps & Companions
* The Copyrights – Learn the Hard Way

My Best of/Year End List will be going up there in the next week or so, and I’ll have a somewhat expanded version up here at that time. And I have a couple of albums to discuss. It’s gonna be good times, let me tell you.

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And if you run into any bugs or weird issues, please let me know! I hope to get updates up fairly quickly.

1-2-3 FEST!

It’s that time of year again! The annual installment of The FEST is happening in Gainesville, FL, and the schedule has been posted for everyone to cry over. Conflicts abound. I don’t know about you, but having to choose between Red Collar and Hot Water Music is killing me inside. But it must be done, and no matter who you see, you’re all but guaranteed to have a blast!

You can check out the full schedule here. All in all, aside from a few conflicts- like the one mentioned above, or the overlap of the Against Me!/Red City Radio sets- it’s not too bad. I know I’m excited as all get out, to hang out with everyone, party hard, and see a couple of bands here and there!

Get pumped, and I’ll see you all in Florida!

Hit the break for my tentative schedule, so you can come drink cheap beer with me.

FRIDAY
06:25 – 07:05 Small Brown Bike
07:25 – 08:25 Samiam
09:10 – 09:40 Cobra Skulls
10:30 – 11:00 Tiltwheel
11:25 – 12:25 Hot Water Music
01:00 – 01:30 Nightmares For a Week

SATURDAY
01:30 – 02:00 The Soviettes
03:50 – 04:20 Mixtapes
04:50 – 05:20 RVIVR
06:20 – 06:50 The Riot Before
{BREAK}
09:10 – 09:50 Toys That Kill
10:30 – 11:10 Dillinger Four
11:30 – 12:10 Ted Leo & the Pharmacists (probably cut out early to catch RCR)
12:10 – 12:40 Red City Radio
12:30 – 1:30 Against Me! (try to catch whatever I can, if possible)

SUNDAY
03:00 – 03:40 Chris Wollard & the Ship Thieves
04:00 – 04:40 Cheap Girls
05:00 – 05:40 The Menzingers
06:00 – 06:40 Dear Landlord
08:00 – 08:40 Teenage Bottlerocket
09:20 – 09:50 Too Many Daves
09:50 – 10:30 Underground Railroad to Candyland

Sharks Come Cruisin' - A Past We Forget That We Need to Know

Hailing from Providence, RI, Sharks Come Cruisin’– not to be confused, as I did initially, with the Sharks– play music that could be best be described as hopped up sea shanties. There’s a Celtic flair to some of the songs, and when they kick it up with electric instrumentation- as on “Strike the Bell”- it might even cross into Celtic-punk, but unlike so many of the bands that have been tagged in that genre, especially in the commercial wake of the Dropkick Murphys just north of these fellas, it’s not forced, or worse, cheesy.

The album, A Past We Forget That We Need to Know, (hereafter referred to as A Past…) kicks off with the rollicking “Raise Up,” and it gives the listener a good idea of what’s to come: bouncy, energetic music featuring drums, fiddle, and banjo, backing up call-and-response gang vocals. There’s an electric guitar adding some color here and there, but it’s hardly the primary instrument. They keep the energy high leading into “Rolling Down to Old Maui” and roll along on a powerful high until slowing things down with the fantastic rendition of “Shenandoah,” and it’s here that they can really show off the vocals. These guys can sing, especially harmonies.

As the record sails on (yep, I did that) the energy picks back up, especially on the aforementioned “Strike the Bell,” until finally closing out with the subdued “Haul on the Bowline” and appropriately-titled closer “Leave Her Johnny,” singing “I guess it’s time for us to go.” I like albums that close with a lyrically-fitting song. See: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s self-titled album’s “So Long-Farewell-Goodbye.”

The band provides some phenomenal takes on this collection of traditional shanties, with a youthful energy mixed with a clear love for and reverence of the material. Alt-country fans- you folks who love Larry & His Flask and Old Man Markley particularly- will want to give this saltwater-soaked record a chance for sure.

Frontrunner - A Billion Arnies

The first few times I listened to this debut EP from Boston-based hardcore band Frontrunner, I read the title as A Billion Armies, completely missing the obvious reference to an Arnold Palmer can, and the billion or so emptied Arnies littering the picture behind the text. I’m nothing if not observant.

Luckily, for me anyway, the band’s music hits hard enough that even the most obtuse listened- yours truly, in this case- can’t miss the meaning or the intensity.

Frontrunner doesn’t pull any punches here. 8 songs in 11 minutes, one of which is a kind of weird, almost spooky interlude. With songs like “Kill Hollywood” and “Die Pretty Boy Scum,” the point is pretty direct. These guys are angry and fed up with what they see around them, and that anger comes through in a huge way. Singer Brian’s vocals help. I don’t know how he could possibly speak after recording this. Each song sounds like he’s shredding his larynx beyond repair.

The music, while loud, catchy, and brutal, isn’t anything really new. If you like hardcore, this’ll do. It’s not changing the game, but it’s pretty damn good. And with all the songs save for “Loyal to Loyalty” here and gone in well under two minutes, you won’t have time to really pick apart the sonic complexity of the song before the next one is upon you.

Hardcore fans, especially fans of Boston hardcore, would do well to check this band out. The EP is available as a pay-what-you-want download over on their bandcamp.

Bomb the Music Industry! - Vacation

Bomb the Music Industry! seem to be a pretty divisive band. On one hand, you have a substantial, vocal group of proponents who love everything the band does without fail. And then there are their equally vocal detractors, who see their music as ADD-addled goofball nonsense. Indeed, the hyperkinetic ska-influenced rock of BtMI! can be off-putting. I myself was somewhere in the middle; I liked some of their songs (“Ready… Set… No!!!” is a personal favorite) but never got the extreme love, or the extreme hate.

Vacation, though, is a completely different animal from their previous efforts. Sure, the musical progression from Scrambles, the band’s 2010 album, is clear, but it’s still a big leap, and may in fact bring around some of the haters. I had no intention of even checking this out until some friends whose taste I trust recommended it.

The band and Really Records- who were apparently established to release this record- deserve praise for the packaging. If you get this on vinyl, it comes in a gorgeous gatefold with a nice, full-color sleeve. And of course, like all BtMI! releases, it’s available for free over on the Quote-Unquote website.

Often while listening to this album, I am reminded of Blue Album- and Pinkerton-era Weezer, especially on songs like “Vocal Coach” and “Sick, Later.” All but gone are the traces of ska in the band’s sound; there’s nary an upstroke to be found here, kids. And honestly, BtMI! is all the better for it. They now sound like a really tight power pop group.

Lyrically, Jeff drops some of his best work here. I really love the chorus of the aforementioned “Vocal Coach,” where he sings “If I got a new vocal coach and I could hit the notes, you’d fall in love again.” It’s a simple line, but it’s effective and hits the proper emotional chord without being super-earnest or anything. The album is full of moments like that, and gives the album an undercurrent of heartache.

Vacation seems poised to bring Bomb the Music Industry! to a wider audience. I’m certainly far more interested in the band than I ever had been, and people who had been previously turned off by their music would do well to give this album a spin. This record will make more than a few Top 10 lists this year, without question.

Pray for Mojo.

EDIT: Well, that wasn’t bad. Now we at the latest and greatest!

Landmines - Commerce and Marx

Landmines are a melodic hardcore band out of Richmond, VA, which seems to be a ridiculously fertile ground for musicians of the punk rock-associated type. Commerce and Marx is their second full-length, and second for Paper + Plastick, who should need no introduction, what with their very strong roster of bands. I was fortunate enough to catch Landmines on their recent tour promoting this record, so I got to experience some of the tracks live before listening to the record.

The band’s overall sound hasn’t changed too dramatically from their self-titled debut and the interim Hell is What You Make It EP; if you enjoyed their Strike Anywhere-influenced brand of melodic hardcore before, you’ll like what you hear here. If anything, they’ve refined their attack and upped the melodies. For those who missed out on those earlier releases- and really, you should go give them a listen; “Excess and Indifference” from the self-titled, if nothing else- the band offers up thirteen fast, catchy jams with plenty of energy and sing-along choruses.

The record kicks off with “Hell is What We Make It,” oddly enough not a song that appeared on the aforementioned 2009 EP. The song sets up the record well, with a quick intro riff before the rest of the band jumps in with their aggressive assault, and Paul’s soaring vocals. His frenzied vocals really sell the tracks here; he sings pretty cleanly, but I still can make out about half of what he’s singing. But I want to know more, and that keeps me coming back. It helps that the music alongside the singing is super catchy.

The record blazes by quickly- there’s not a song over three minutes present- and leaves you satisfied, and wanting more. The little hooks will get stuck in your head. Since first hearing it, the gang vocals shouting “Information!” from “You Are Number 6″ enter my head constantly while biking around. These guys know how to get in your head, and that keeps you coming back. All in all, a great record, and well worth your time.

Asian Man Records 15th Anniversary

Over the past week, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Asian Man Records’ 15th Anniversary Festival in San Francisco. For those unfamiliar, Asian Man Records is a label started by Mike Park of Skankin’ Pickle, The Bruce Lee Band, and The Chinkees. Over the years, Asian Man has released many, many records from bands like Slapstick, Lemuria, The Broadways, as well as helping to launch the careers of bands like Less Than Jake, Alkaline Trio, and The Lawrence Arms. Personally, the first time I found the folded-up mail order one-sheet catalog for Asian Man in a CD- it was Less Than Jake’s Pezcore- was a huge moment in my entrance into punk rock.

The festival was 5 days of shows in San Francisco, with high profile reunions of short-lived but classic Asian Man bands, Slapstick and The Broadways, not to mention bands like Slow Gherkin and MU330. The shows I attended were:

• Slapstick, MU330, The Chinkees
• Alkaline Trio, The Hot Toddies, Kepi Ghoulie, The Atom Age
• The Broadways, Bomb the Music Industry!, Ratasucia, Spraynard
• The Lawrence Arms, Toys That Kill, Short Round, Spraynard, Chotto Ghetto

Slapstick, MU330, and The Chinkees

The first show of the festival was perhaps, before the announcement of The Broadways’ reunion show, the most anticipated performance. Like me, many in attendance had not known Slapstick in their time together in the mid-’90s. You know, when being in a ska band seemed like a good idea. Likewise, I’d never had the opportunity to see MU330 or The Chinkees perform. So this show, for me, was worth traveling from Boston for. And the bands involved didn’t disappoint. When Mike Park and The Chinkees took stage, he faced a sold out, highly appreciative crowd. Famously modest- at least, until he ended the band introductions with “I’m Mike Park, and I’m the fucking man!,” a sentiment I don’t think anyone in the room disagreed with- he was an energetic, funny frontman, leading the band through a great set. At one point, he called Matt Skiba up on stage to skank to a cover of Operating Ivy’s “Bankshot,” which he obliged. There are videos, and they are fantastic. The Chinkees opening set felt like a headliner, both in terms of the performance and the crowd’s reaction. It was weird to think, after they left the stage, that the night had only just begun, and two bands were left to play.

MU330 came out next, and played a set that perfectly captured- and even amplified- the energy of their records. While some of them clearly had aged since the Crab Rangoon days (though Dan seems to be unable to age. Less acne, I guess, but aside from that, bouncy and youthful), it didn’t slow them down one bit. One highlight involved the band selecting a guy named Scott from the crowd to play guitar for one song, and Scott did a fantastic job. If you ever read this, way to go, dude!

Finally, the performance everyone (read: I) was waiting for the most, Slapstick. Having only seen Brendan Kelly in the context of his current band, The Lawrence Arms, or solo, actually witnessing him fronting a ska band, right in front of my eyes, was odd. He was, as one might expect, humorous, self-deprecating (at one point quipping “I love all of these guys, and it’s great to be able to spend time with them, even if we have to play ska to do it.”) and grateful for the crowd’s enthusiasm, and especially to Mike Park. The band played a great set, with songs like “Eighteen” and “There’s a Metal Head in the Parking Lot” really sending the crowd into a frenzy. I would have liked to have heard “Nate B.,” but it’s hard to complain about having seen a band I never thought I would have the chance to see.

Alkaline Trio, The Hot Toddies, Kepi Ghoulie, and The Atom Age

I can’t say too much about the opening bands here; my ticket for this show was in my friend’s name, and he didn’t show up until about halfway through The Hot Toddies’ set. I heard the other sets through the door of the Bottom of the Hill, but it’s hard to really assess the performances. The Atom Age and Kepi sounded good, anyway.

The Hot Toddies, from what I saw of their set, were fun, and I really wish I’d had the cash on hand to get their record. Great vocal harmonies, and an almost Go Go’s poppy punk sound.

I was discussing the Alkaline Trio set earlier in the evening with a friend, wondering what kind of a setlist they would pull out for this festival. We speculated on if it would be a standard 2011-era set, or something wild like playing Goddamnit! straight through. It ended up as neither, but closer to the latter than the former. They played a loose, high-energy set that drew heavily from their 3 Asian Man albums- Goddamnit!, Maybe I’ll Catch Fire, and Alkaline Trio. Makes sense, I suppose, but they certainly didn’t have to. Anyway, Skiba was notably drunk, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. And he, like all the other bands, expressed his gratitude to Mike Park for giving them a chance.

The Broadways, Bomb the Music Industry!, Ratasucia, and Spraynard

Spraynard are a pretty new addition to the Asian Man family; their debut on the label, Funtitled, just came out a month or two ago. If you haven’t checked it out, you really should. Anyway, they’re a trio of young dudes, and played a great set- their first of two over the weekend- and the crowd really got into it.

Ratasucia is Dan Hanaway’s (Slapstick/The Broadways) new band, and they’re really, really great live. Loud and powerful, they delivered a great set, which definitely sold me on their record.

Bomb the Music Industry! seems to be one of those “love ‘em or hate ‘em” bands, which very few people left in the middle. I guess I’m one of those people in the middle; I like some of their songs, but most of their records seem like they’d be better as EPs. Oh well. If nothing else, you can’t say they don’t bring it when they play live, and the kids who love it go absolutely nuts for them. So if nothing else, they’re always entertaining live, music notwithstanding. And they did a good job getting people all amped up and ready for The Broadways.

The set from The Broadways was announced late, and initially only offered to people who had already purchased tickets to other shows in the festival. Every effort was made to ensure that fans, not scalpers, were getting these tickets, and I think it worked. The Bottom of the Hill was packed full of deliriously happy people who, Brendan noted, had never seen the band before; so noted because, as he said, no one at their shows back in the day knew the songs, and even less people liked the songs. Here, on the other hand, the crowd knew every word. The band fed off the energy, and seemed incredibly grateful at the response they got. While he was probably exaggerating a little, to see a project that meant a lot to you finally get its due must be a good feeling. Anyway, they played a great set, and when they closed with “15 Minutes” off Broken Star, the crowd went absolutely nuts.

The Lawrence Arms, Toys That Kill, Short Round, Spraynard, and Chotto Ghetto

The final show, for me, of the weekend. (meanwhile, over at Thee Parkside, Bomb the Music Industry! was headlining another show) Chotto Ghetto I had never heard of before. They had a sort of early-’00s post-hardcore sound. The lead singer moved around like Daryl Palumbo, and claimed to rip off The Blue Meanies in his early songs. I wish they had sounded more like the Meanies, actually. They were alright, but not really my thing. Apparently they have an LP coming out on Asian Man soon, hence their appearance this week.

Spraynard rocked out again, this time with a beach ball bouncing around the crowd. Some guy tried to stop the frivolity and pop the ball, but was unsuccessful, prompting the band to tell us “You can’t pop fun!” which I would totally wear a t-shirt proclaiming. Someone get on that.

I hadn’t really known Short Round before, though I knew of them- and I’m pretty sure I own a CD or two by them, thanks to ordering a pack of like 40 Asian Man CDs at some point- but I dug what I heard. More rock than punk, they were fun. And it’s always good to see someone other than a white dude fronting a band.

I was particularly excited to see Toys That Kill. I had seen part of their set at The Fest 9, but the venue had been so tightly packed and hot that I had to escape early. This time, no such issues. Apparently TTK had put out an EP on Asian Man way, way back. They were fun, and while the while crowd didn’t react to them like they deserved, those of us who were into it danced wildly.

Finally, The Lawrence Arms took stage, and in sharp contract to Alkaline Trio’s set a few nights before on the same stage, they played maybe two or three songs from their Asian Man albums, instead concentrating on their later Fat Wreck material. So a pretty standard set from the Larries, but kind of disappointing, when you consider the context. And actually, they played less from the Asian Man releases than the last time I saw them, this time lacking perhaps my favorite Lawrence Arms song, “An Evening of Extraordinary Circumstance.” But, the set was solid regardless, containing most of The Greatest Story Ever Told’s side B- it’s stronger half, if you ask me- and some great cuts from Oh! Calcutta!. Brendan seemed pretty sober for the entirety of the set, which was really weird. At the encore, he said they had gotten a “weird request” that they couldn’t honor; I really want to know what that request was. Probably Mike asking for some deep cut off Cocktails & Dreams.

Final Thoughts

Asian Man 15, as it’s been called for the sake of brevity, was an absolute blast, and I didn’t even experience the whole thing. While I was seeing bands at The Bottom of the Hill, there were shows happening at Thee Parkside down the street, not to mention the BBQ at Thee Parkside on Saturday afternoon.

Two things all the shows I attended had in common: first, every band played a fantastic set. They all brought out their A games for this week, and I think that shows how important Asian Man Records and Mike Park was and is to them. Second, and related, every band, though the headliners in particular, made sure to stop and express their gratitude to Mike for everything. Some of the bands shared stories about working with Mike or first meeting him- or, like Matt Skiba, being mistaken for Slapstick’s Matt Stamps and worming his way into a record deal that way- or something along those lines. And it really helped underscore how deserving of such a big festival Asian Man Records is. Speaking from my own experience with the label, I don’t know how deeply into punk rock and ska I would have gotten had it not been for Asian Man. I also don’t know if I wouldn’t have gotten jaded with the whole scene without people like Mike Park trying to do good in the world, either through the Plea for Peace project or just battling racist, sexist, or homophobic thoughts inside and outside of the scene.

I’m glad I was able to make the trip out and celebrate the history of one of the finest labels- and one of the best people- in punk rock, one so deserving of the praise. Hopefully, in another 15 years, we can do it all again.