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.

Alkaline Trio - This Addiction

The new decade kicks off with an album from Chicago punk veterans, the Alkaline Trio. Now, I love the Trio. Skiba, Adriano, and drummer Derek Grant will always end up on my list of most anticipated new album, regardless of previous efforts. And previous efforts have not always been pretty. We remember Crimson, right? Right. And 2008′s Agony & Irony wasn’t a whole lot better (though it was better). So, with their promise to deliver a sound closer to their roots in mind, how is the latest from these guys?

Quite good, it turns out. The record is overall more driving and aggressive than Agony & Irony was, true to their words, more closely aligned with their earlier material than the direction they appeared to be going. True, there are synths on the album, and even a horn adding a bit of color to “Lead Poisoning.” But neither are negatives; the song with the most prominent use of the synthesizer- “Eating Me Alive”- is probably my favorite on the album. It has the feel of a punk rock Stars, if that makes sense in your head. Trust me, it works.

Skeebz manages to avoid some of the lamer cliches that have started to seep into his lyrics over the years. You know what I’m talking about; the touches of gothy subject matter that’s made them such a hit with the Hot Topic crowd. And I say this despite really liking “This Could Be Love” from Good Mourning. “Draculina” is the big one I can think of where he lets that tendency run wild, and the song itself leaves a lot to be desired. Thankfully, this is the exception rather than the rule.

The real tragedy of this album is that of its eleven songs, Dan only sings three of them. That guys definitely needs more time on the mic, and he’s sadly underused here. His three contributions- “Dine Dine My Darling,” “Off the Map,” and the closer “Fine”- are definite highlights, particularly the latter two songs. Apparently, if you shell out for the “deluxe” edition/download, he has some additional songs among the bonus content. So that’s something. But I guess fans of Dan Andriano will have to wait for a full-length from his solo side project, the Emergency Room.

So, overall, I think this is an Alkaline Trio album that fans will enjoy. Is it the return to form that fans of Goddammit and Maybe I’ll Catch Fire have been waiting for? No, this is more along the From Here to Infirmary/Good Mourning lines. Not a new classic, but a damn fine addition to their catalog, and one of my favorites so far this year.

Riot Fest 2009 promo poster

Chicago’s Riot Fest Records are once again putting on Riot Fest, a multi-day festival of awesome punk rock and ska. Last year’s festival featured ALL, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, the Ergs!, Mustard Plug, the Methadones, the Lawrence Arms, the Bouncing Souls, and so many more awesome bands.

This year’s lineup includes:

• Screeching Weasel
• NOFX
• The Alkaline Trio
• Murder City Devils
• The Dead Milkmen
• Cock Sparrer

I went last year, just to the Sunday show, and it was truly excellent. I will definitely be back for 2009. Hell, Screeching Weasel alone would be enough to merit the trip.

Alkaline Trio - Agony and Irony

I always find myself surprised that Goddamnit only came out in 1998. And it surprises me just as much to realize that 1998 was ten years ago. Has it really been that long? Clearly, I’m getting old. At any rate, it’s been ten years since the Alkaline Trio released their debut LP, and in addition to a deluxe reissue (still on Asian Man Records- props to Mike Park), Chicago’s dark trio have given us a brand-new full-length. Of course, comparisons between then and now and inevitable.

First off, long-time fans of Alk3 will have noticed that their punk tendencies have lessened over the years following their trio of Asian Man releases (Goddamnit, Maybe I’ll Catch Fire, and the self-titled compilation). So anyone entering into this album expecting some full-throttle, alcohol-drenched punk rock hasn’t been paying attention.

That said, there’s a lot to like here. Matt Skiba has grown as a songwriter over the years, and here he turns in a number of excellent songs. The first single, “Help Me,” is a poppy tribute to Joy Division’s Ian Curtis. Opener “Calling All Skeletons” rocks as hard as any of their post-Asian Man material (this is not the backhanded compliment it seems; some of my favorite Alk3 songs come from From Here to Infirmary and Good Mourning). And closer “Into the Night” is a definite highlight of the album.

The vocals as usual are split between Skiba and bassist Dan Andriano, with the majority going to Skiba. Andriano shines on “In Vein” and the underrated “Love Love, Kiss Kiss,” with Skiba coming in on the bridge. The latter song utilizes both of their vocal stylings perfectly, and the song really grows on your after a couple of listens.

The album is not without its share of clunkers, or just songs that don’t work as well as the others. “Lost & Rendered” and “Ruin It” aren’t bad, and I tend not to skip them, but they don’t leave an impression. After several listens through this album, I’ve absorbed a lot of the lyrics by osmosis, but these two escape me. You can’t win ‘em all, Matt.

Despite criticism from their fanbase about how they’ve lost their edge, the Alkaline Trio has released another strong album, picking up from the somewhat lackluster Crimson. Fans of the band will no doubt enjoy this latest effort from Chicago’s morbid threesome.

Alkaline Trio - Maybe I'll Catch Fire

Welcome to part 2 (of 5) of Chicago Week. Wherein I talk about notable albums to come out of the Chicago scene. Today, we take a walk down one branch in the Slapstick Family Tree mentioned yesterday, to Dan Andriano’s next band with Matt Skiba and a rotating cast of drummers, the Alkaline Trio.

Maybe I’ll Catch Fire is the band’s second album, following their now-legendary debut on Asian Man Records, Goddamnit. The earlier album is rightfully lauded as a landmark record. But what about the follow-up?

The album kicks off with the anthemic “Keep ‘Em Coming,” which sets the tone for the album; darker lyrical content than Goddamnit, and generally faster than that album as well. The music has a somewhat darker feel, as well; the second song “Madame Me” is effective at creating a gloomy, evil-feeling atmosphere.

As per usual, the vocals are traded off between Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano. Their voices are pretty distinctive, and by this point the singing seems to be assigned based on their well-developed sense of who fits which song. Dan takes lead on “You’ve Got So Far to Go” and the title track, and I can’t even imagine Skiba singing either of those. It wouldn’t work very well.

This album has a number of songs which would become both fan favorites and live staples over the course of the Trio’s career. Nothing more fits that description that the album closer “Radio.” Covered by various artists over the years (most notably by Hot Water Music for their Jade Tree split with Alkaline Trio), it contains what may be Skiba’s weirdest lyrical image; the song opens with the line “Shaking like a dog shitting razorblades.” Uh, ok. Sure. But the song is a classic, and builds from a slow, quiet number to suddenly breaking open into an all out rocker.

This album is part of the Trio’s winning streak; Goddamnit, this, and their self-titled collection of their other songs from compilations, 7″s, etc. comprise an amazing collection of music that any fan of punk rock should have as part of their collection. The Alkaline Trio helped shape modern Midwestern pop-punk with their dark anthems and alcohol-soaked lyrics, and this stands as perhaps the best of that early work.