Blog — Page 39 of 277

The Menzingers are back on tour and it's a beautiful thing! Despite a two-show stint in Hollywood, The Menzingers still made a stop 40-minutes away to appease the punks of Pomona at The Glass House. The town center was alive with bar-hoppers and concert-goers as i made my way to the venue's front doors. Unfortunately, I missed Sincere Engineer's set, which I was excited for and hoping to catch. I made it in just in time to see them play through their last song. The second band joining The Menzingers on their North American tour is Oso Oso. Not a band I was familiar with. They had their own fan base amongst the seemingly thin crowd. With some spouting from time-to-time how they were only there to see them. They played a tight and energetic set, and when they finished, many of the fans left.

I was beginning to wonder how the crowd would be for Menzingers as it was still a little shallow. Had most of the fans got their fill in Hollywood? Was it cause it was a Sunday night? Minutes before The Menzingers hit the stage, the tide turned as fans started to file in to fill the floor. The band walked out to the sound of Joey Ramone begging the question, "Do You Wanna Dance?" They blasted into the dueling guitars of Hello Exile's "Strangers Forever." The audience made their presence known, but there was a clear awakening once the band went into On the Impossible Past's "The Obituaries." Their voices carried as Greg Barnett lifted the mic stand during the song's bridge.

The band continued to play through fan-favorites from the past their past 4 albums, like "Good Things/Burn After Writing," "I Don't Wanna Be An Asshole Anymore," and "Thick as Thieves" while digging into a deeper like "Strawberry Mansion." The Menzingers have begun to shun their first few releases, which isn't much of a surprise, but I'd love for them to slip in an old gem here and there from at least Chamberlain Waits. While much of that feels like a different band now, there are plenty of hints of what they'd become to fit in with their set. However, understandably, it's obvious that it's not necessary to excite the fans. The energy exploded as that opening riff to "After the Party" kicked off the end of the set and members of the audience begun to launch off the stage while others rose from the center to crowdsurf. The band came back for their encore to finish out the night with "America (You're Freaking Me Out)," "Ava House," and "Lookers."

I've lost track of how many times I've seen The Menzingers now. They're one of the few bands I've followed throughout most of their career. I've seen them grow and change, but they never disappoint. Somehow, Tom May still hops around with the energy of a 5 year old and it's still endearing. The band is only midway through their tour, so if they're coming to your town, I implore you to give them your money. It'll be worth it.

Beastie Boys Book

Michael Diamond & Adam Horovitz

Allen & Unwin

Given that I have only recently covered the influence the Beastie Boys exerted on me during my formative years, it is high time to finally feature their 600 pages strong, comprehensive chronicle of the band.

In essence, the book is not unlike a Beastie Boy album  in that it is a mesh-up of different genres and styles, i.e. essays, liner notes, catalogue of memorabilia and artworks as well as a memoir of sorts with the narrators being mainly the two surviving members, following the untimely departure of Adam Yauch.

Thematically quite a bit of ground is covered, centred around themes like the bond they shared, inclusion, the agnosticism with which they approached genres and styles and what informed their antics, with a welcome yet at times overstated,  omnipresent sense of remorse for their less sensible borderline frat boy days. 

The book describes the lives of three middle-class teenagers who were socialised with punk rock to then morph into a hip hop act inspired by a collaboration with Rick Rubin that created the foundation for not only created a three decade long successful career but the fallout of which launched them into propelling their creativity into a cosmos of their own.

Given the attention to detail and at times brilliant writing, it is no wonder that it took four years to compile: Aesthetically and content-wise, the tome seems to be deliberately put together like a mixtape with bits driving into different directions, varied in style and fragmented with at times only the namedropping of song or album titles giving an indication of the timely context. 

Needless to say, it would not be a book penned by the Beastie Boys if it was not for components that seem to be aimed at messing with the reader, which adds to the appeal as there a quite a few easter eggs to be discovered even for the aficionado.

The Treasures of Queen: A Celebration of the Band, Recordings and Concerts 

Harry Doherty

Allen & Unwin

There is not exactly a shortage of rock music enthusiasts that would not have a problem with attesting that Queen is one of the biggest bands this earthround has ever seen, not merely by merit of their accolade decorated success history, backed by numbers and superlatives in terms of sales and chart topping hits, but in terms of musicianship, charisma and for the way they pushed boundaries.

The Treasures of Queen: A Celebration of the Band, Recordings and Concerts is a telling name for a book that does exactly that, i.e. celebrating the legacy of an all-time great band  in a manner that has been officially approved and endorsed by the band.

Light is shed on both footage and stories what are widely known as well as rarer photos from the early days and unique pieces of memorabilia sourced from the private collections of Queen's members, flanked by photography that rounds out the opulently illustrated book.

While it could be argued that the book is not exactly on par with the brilliant one that came with the vinyl collection boxset and die-hard fans might question for the need for this one, it is nonetheless an excellent book, especially for the uninitiated.

Record Store Day 2022 is finally upon us. I hope you're all out there being safe while you try to get this year's Cure picture disc. I still think about when I was a kid, and my dad would drive me out so I could shop. Sometimes, it was just a short drive to Sounds Like Records in Riverside. That store bit the dust (came back as something else, but I forgot the name), and then it was CD World/Red Planet Records that he'd drive me to. Sometimes Red Planet was a bust and I'd plead with my dad to take me "just a little further" to Mad Platter down by the college, 'cause I knew they'd usually have something good. Every once in awhile, he'd refer to it as, "the far one?" when I'd ask if he could take me to there. We'd stop at a 7-11 on the way, so he could get a newspaper to read in the car while I spent a good 30 to 45 minutes shopping at Mad Platter. Sometimes, I'd be short on cash and would walk out to ask my Pop for a couple extra dollars and he always obliged because he spoiled me. Then he got sick and for a couple years I stopped going to Mad Platter.

When my wife entered the picture, she became my new Mad Platter shopping partner... or should I say, observer? Much like my dad, she spent more time watching me shop rather than shopping herself. She'd passively watch as I bounced back and forth between the "New Arrivals"  and sifted through every used record and CD looking for a bargain. Instead of reading newspapers though, she indulged in Haagen-Dazs. We'd stop by the ice cream shop across from Mad Platter so she could get herself a couple scoops to enjoy while I'd, once again, spend 30 to 45 minutes crate-digging. Sundays were often our day of choice so we could see a movie at the theater for 5 bucks before or after going to Mad Platter, but she was always kind enough to agree when I wanted to go down just to browse and hope I find a good deal on something. Mad Platter even indirectly made it into her vows at our wedding. That's what it meant to me.

I'm sad to say that Mad Platter is no more. It became another store that died due to the effects of Covid. It was where I spent all of my RSD mornings. I haven't really participated in RSD the past couple of years. There hasn't been a store that felt the same since. Not even its sister-store, Rhino Records, which is located about 45 minutes from where Mad Platter stood.  It's great that there's a day dedicated to record stores, but I implore you to support your favorite shops all year round. RIP Mad Platter and Happy Record Store Day!

Coastal Stone and Big River Distilling

Manly Spirits - Coastal Stone

Well, this one has been a long time in the making…

Manly Spirits and their quality gins have been on our radar for the longest time and we have been making a beeline every time we discovered a booth of theirs at gin tasting conventions.

Needless to say, when we learned about Manly Spirits having released their very own single malt whisky brand, i.e. what has become known as the ‘Coastal Stone’ Element Series, it was high time to zero in on their endeavours.

Comprised of five unique and distinct whisky styles from five different casks, the Coastal Stone Element Series started out with a  Sherry cask style, with the remaining expressions, i.e. shiraz, port, bourbon, port and pinot meant to be released over the next couple of months, with the common denominator being that the first fill casks have matured for an average of four years with the barrel selection from Tasmania and South Australia having been informed by Scottish policies. The nomenclature of the series is a telling one as the casks have intentionally been exposed to the unique climate, the maritime elements and raw nature of Sydney’s Northern beaches, with the ingredients sourced locally, thereby adding a distinct grain to glass approach. 

The first expression of the Coastal Stone Element Series I got to acquaint myself with was the Sherry cask, the bouquet of which tingled my nostrils with cherry,  rich dark cocoa tinged notes and cinnamon spicy highlights courtesy of the Seppeltsfield first-fill Apera and Sherry Casks.

What was promised on the nose, was continued on the palate with especially the cherry and chocolate nuances materializing on the top of the mouth with an elegant viscosity, backed by dark fruity flavours and a welcome dose of vanilla.

The elongated finish meanders between stone fruity and oaky territory before culminating where the journey started, i.e. dark chocolate.

Next up was the Bourbon Cask expression, which won me over straight away with its vanilla and burnt biscuits exerting their appealing magic upon uncorking. 

On the palate, things open up and while vanilla still takes on centre stage, it is flanked by apple, borderline cidery, warm honeyed notes, before being rounded out by a sweet and oily finish, set against an interestingly oaky and leathery component. 

A well rounded early highlight with an immense level of depth and a perfect companion for a boilermaker in combination with a Mountain Culture IIPA.

While I find the Pinot and Shiraz expressions intriguing , the highlight of the wine casks informed variants was the Seppeltsfield Tawny Port casks based Pavlovian response evoking Port expression.

At cask strength, this little number is a tour de force in vibrancy: 
An orangey, creamily sweet nose opens up a spectrum that ranges from stone fruity nuances to cherries and vanilla cake, which with the first sip seamlessly transitions onto the palate by adding peppery and nutmeggy highlights that sit against a backdrop of a foundation comprised of raisings and bourbon vanilla.

The beautiful, near endless finish leaves one lusting for another dram with its tannic and sweet highlights that reverberate and linger with spicy remnants. A hell of a delicious dessert dram.

My only grievance is that due to having had mini samples, I have yet to encounter Coastal Stone’s award winning designer bottles, which are fabled to have eroded contours of weathered cliffs and capped with a sandstone stopper.

Big River Distilling

Within the five years of its existence, Canberra-based Big River Distilling has established itself as a veritable heavyweight on the firmament of Australian craft gin distilleries, which is not further wondrous given the Chief Beverage Engineer’s expertise and highly developed palate in the realm of winemaking and viticulture, which served as a foundation from which he set out to reinterpret and innovate what gin could be.

If I had a pinpoint the DNA of Big River Distilling’s approach to channelling its alchemy in the realm of artisan gin creation, I would condense it to the middle ground between citrussy, savoury, herbal and floral notes in a bid to pay homage to the Canberra terroir as well as to local botanicals , thereby counterpointing alcoholic notes and the endeavour to have it culminate in a crisp finish. 

The fact that Big River Distilling’s bottles are easy on the eye with labels being created by local artists does not hurt either.

My first exposure to Big River Distilling was via their core expression, i.e. the Canberra Dry Gin, which is essentially a nod to the much lauded, tried and tested London Dry style. Infused with botanicals from the Canberran environs, it adds an idiosyncratic note and sense of place and character to it.

With juniper notes assertively taking centre stage, flanked by the grounding, earthy characteristics of angelica root, liquorice and cassia, the subtly nuanced citrussy highlights are derived from a melange of lemon myrtle, oranges, coriander and lime.

What I love about the Canberra Dry Gin is the well-calibrated spectrum of flavours, with the aforementioned being further accentuated and rounded out with Australian mountain pepper leaf, which adds a distinctly spicy and savoury dimension without being overpowering. 
The remarkably long finish culminated with the slightest hint of cucumber, leaving one lusting for another sip.

Given the complexity of the drop, I find that adding tonic is only detracting from the experience and I can only hope that Big River Distilling is considering to branch out into the creation of their own whiskey range soon.

The Formative Years – Flipside Fanzine

In the late 1980s / early 1990s, they were two American punk rock fanzines that served as global sources of information and de facto bibles of the scene with their consistent presence covering the ever-changing underground communities:  Maximumrocknroll and what was originally incepted in 1977 as Los Angeles Flipside. 

With the common denominator of both outlets was the fact that they had a cast of highly opinionated contributors, Maximumrocknroll adhered to its fanzine aesthetic throughout its existence, while Flipside morphed from a black-and-white photocopied fanzine released in an edition of 1,000 copies to a widely available professionally published veritable magazine with glossy web offset printed covers, eventually growing big enough to warrant being printed in both the US and Germany to be distributed locally across two continents.

Inspired by one of the first independent labels on the West Coast, i.e. Dangerhouse Records, Flipside Records started alongside the fanzine and left an indelible mark with not only its 7” releases but especially the fantastic 12” compilations, with the three volumes featuring a wide variety of both established and up and coming punk bands accompanied by a newspaper style booklet with photos and lyrics.

Over ten volumes, the video arm of Flipside started out releasing live footage along with interviews of bands  Big Boys, Social Distortion, Final Conflict, Corrosion of Conformity, The Dicks, Adolescents, et cetera, which offered for many European scenesters the first occasion to actually experience some of the current trailblazing bands in their natural habitat.

Summa summarum, Flipside was one of highly desirable  zines at a time where information was hard to come by and updated one on punk scenes in all the cities of the US. I never not read it cover to cover, took notes and by snail mailing the bands and labels I found out about, became part of the of the scene myself.

For anyone not familiar with Flipside, I recommend the recently Ten Year Anniversary Paperback, which compiles scans of issues one to fifty.