FUCK YOU DONNY!!

We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming for this breaking news item…the nation had a brain fart and decided to elect Donny Trump to become leader of the free world. Trump, a sociopathic narcissist with the decorum and poise of a drunk chimpanzee with Down's Syndrome, will go down in history as one of the most dangerous demagogues of our time. We’ll all be sad to see our dude-in-chief Barry Obama go, and now must come to terms with the fact that a spoiled rich brat with donkey brains will be rubbing his jollyrancher-sized fingers all over the nuclear codes. May the gods have mercy on our souls.

OK now on to important business…this week we have some great classics, like the Guttersnipes and Bad Brains, to relative newcomers such as RVIVR and the Heartburns. Enjoy the playlist!

And here's the web link: https://play.spotify.com/user/agood1no/playlist/1p6qf7PvqAEWeULCeStlZy

The Heartburns – Help Me Make it Through the Night

We start this playlist with the blaring rock n roll sounds from Finnish punkers The Heartburns. Based in the frigid tundra known as Helsinki (I just looked up their weather…it’s like 20 degrees and snowing there, what the fuck?!),The Heartburns write driven and energetic songs over top of simple 4-chord arrangements, punctuated by piercing guitar leads and sing-along choruses. These Vikings have been putting out music since the release of their 2006 EP, Fucked Up in a Bad Way.  Help Me Make it Through the Night is off their 2008 full-length, Fixin’ to Die, released through the Combat Rock Industry label.

 RVIVR – Big Lie

RVIVR have been electrifying crowds since 2008 with their speedy, pop-fueled melodic punk and energetic live performances. Based in Olympia, WA, the band stays true to their city’s storied riot grrrl past, committed to spreading feminist ideals while blasting macho culture. Big Lie is off their 2013 full-length The Beauty Between, and displays RVIVR’s ability to balance meaningful and complex songwriting with driving speed, aggressive hooks and singalong melodies.

Bad Brains – Sailin’ On

Sailin’ On is typical of the chaotic yet rooted sounds engendered by hardcore pioneers Bad Brains. Originally conceived as a jazz fusion band, the DC natives quickly favored the blistering and frenetic guitars and breakneck paces heard here over the more RnB and groove-based songwriting they originally contemplated. Sailin’ On is off the band’s critically acclaimed self-titled debut album, released as a cassette-only offering in 1982. You can hear the lasting impact this album has had on popular music today, impacting a range of artists from Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sublime to Beastie Boys, Soulfly and 311, and even acts like Moby and No Doubt (both of whom covered this track).

Black Eyes – Deformative

Speaking of noisy DC bands…Deformative is off the debut album of DC post-punk band Black Eyes, who were active in the early 2000s. Willing to explore new spaces and eschew conventional arrangements, Black Eyes distinguished themselves through their use of discordant dueling vocals and incorporation of jarring synth sounds. Reminiscent of a disco night in Hell, Deformative is driven by drum and bass and marked by piercing melody lines that cut straight to the core. Although Black Eyes has been defunct for over a decade now, all the dudes from the band are active with other projects, including but not limited to Mi Ami, Earthen Sea and 

The Guttersnipes – Highest High, Lowest Low

Highest High, Lowest Low was off UK punk band The Guttersnipes’ 1994 album, Asylum. Haunting and jangly, this track features dark surf tones, throaty vocals and even a Van Halen Eruption-inspired guitar solo. Formed in London by ex-Cock Sparrer vocalist Shug O’Neill and bassist Andy Kline, The Guttersnipes built off the success of the UK street and Oi punk movements.  This past August their old record label came out with a previously unreleased live recording of a 1980 Guttersnipes concert in Copenhagen; it’s called 1234 See You at the End and is on Spotify…go check it out!

Authority Zero – One More Minute

One More Minute is an island-soaked anthem from Mesa, AZ natives Authority Zero, a band formed in 1994 by a group of high school buddies who had nothing better to do in the desert. Early on, Authority Zero went through numerous lineup changes, focused mostly on local shows and continued to refine and re-refine their sound. The guys didn’t release their first full-length, Passage of Time, until 2002, to critical acclaim. The album, which includes One More Minute, blends up-tempo skate punk and aggressive vocals with heavy reggae and Spanish guitar influences. Fact time - of the 5 original members, only vocalist Jason DeVore is still actively involved with the band.

New Bomb Turks – Jukebox Lean

Jukebox Lean is a rollickin’ tune from long-time Epitaph band New Bomb Turks. The founding members all met on campus at Ohio State University in 1990 and quickly honed their unique garage punk sound, inspired by forbearers like Naked Raygun and Didjits as well as feeding off contemporary acts like The Devil Dogs and Dwarves. Jukebox Lean is chaotic and heavy-hitting, and showcases New Bomb Turks’ staple scratchy vocals and unforgiving fuzzy guitar hooks. It was originally featured on their 1996 release Scared Straight.

Butthole Surfers – Who Was In My Room Last Night

Next up is a track from Butthole Surfers’ 1993 album, Independent Worm Saloon (which sounds like an album title Dave Barry made up). Butthole Surfers creators, Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary, formed the band in the late 70s when they met at college in San Antonio. Early on in their career, Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra discovered the surfers of butt and paid for studio time to release their first self-titled EP through Biafra’s Alternative Tentacles label. Fueled by psychoactive drugs and a dark sense of humor, and rooted in 80s hardcore punk, Butthole Surfers would make a name for themselves through their unique blend of psychedelic rock, punk and electronica. They got their big commercial break in 1996 with the hit track Pepper, which was the first single off their album Electricclarryland.

Lagwagon – Tragic Vision

Tragic Vision is the opening track off Lagwagon’s debut full-length, Duh, which was recorded and produced by Fat Mike in 1992.  It acts as a sort of cautionary tale for, and laments the cyclical nature of, the effects that lazy greed and apathy have on shaping our society.  Blazin’ speeds, intricate lead guitar parts and hook-minded choruses define the album’s sound, and Duh went on to be a very influential punk record through the 90s and beyond.

Bad Astronaut – Needle in the Hay

Trying to stake out new territory, Lagwagon’s singer Joey Cape formed Bad Astronaut in 2000 to explore a different sort of sound. Where Lagwagon focused on fast and sometimes thrashy melodic skate punk, Bad Astronaut was an outlet for more emotional alt-rock and indie-centric songs. The goal of this project was always to release records (and not worry about touring), and Bad Astronaut only ever played 4 live shows. Needle in the Hay comes off the band’s debut album Acrophobe, released through Honest Don’s Records, which was a subsidiary of Fat Wreck Chords designed to publish material that didn’t fit the Fat Wreck bill.

The Living End – Bloody Mary

We close out our weekly playlist with this soulful and creeping song by Australian band The Living End. Bloody Mary is off their breakout eponymous debut album, which was released in 1998 through EMI’s subsidiary in Australia, Modular Recordings. Bloody Mary, lyrically themed around the old-timey children’s game, encapsulates the band’s wide-ranging influences, from 50s rock n roll like Elvis Presley to rockabilly à la Stray Cats all the way to punk trailblazers like The Clash and Rancid. The Living End was very favorably critiqued for bringing fresh ideas to rock and roll, and bassist Scott Owen has famously made playing upright acoustic bass cool again.

OK that’s it for this week guys. Let me know if you have tracks you want played, if you’re a band who wants me to make them famous, or just send over a list of your darkest fears and/or deepest desires. Follow me on facebook and all that jazz. 'Til next week folks!

Comportez-vous mal!

Bonjour messieurs et mesdemoiselles, et bienvenu à Wednesdays With Andrew, votre dèstination pour toutes choses punk rock. As some of you may know (and probably most of you don’t), I lived in Toulouse, France for 5 years when I was in middle and high school. This was the era of my life when I was exposed to, and fell in love with, the music and attitude of punk. So for this week’s playlist, I am going to be featuring bands solely from the old country; a land of cheeses, terrible beer, great wine (if you’re into that) and friendly folks. Many of these French bands I listened to and saw live back in the day; many I have just come to discover as I put together the playlist. I hope you enjoy these songs as much as I do, and remember, comportez-vous mal!

Web player link – https://play.spotify.com/user/agood1no/playlist/3EzUSFabAMssDWVwNuS0NA

Uncommonmenfrommars – Dead Inside

We start the week with the track Dead Inside, courtesy of one of my favorite bands from high school, Uncommonmenfrommars. Dead Inside is the 2^nd track off their 3^rd album Scars are Reminders, which was released in 2006 off the Parisian indie label Wagram Music. This album was a departure from their earlier, more carefree sound and signals a maturation of their thematic and musical concepts…but overall still embodies that catchy melodic skate sound that made them national favorites. Three of the 4 guys are brothers, and are actually originally from DC (like me), moved to France at an early age (like me), are super cool (like me), and decided to stay in France and become rock stars (unfortunately not like me). I fondly remember drinking beers with them after a show they played in Toulouse – super chill dudes, and they make phenomenal music.

Bérurier Noir – Vivre Libre ou Mourir

Bérurier Noir is a Parisian punk band that has inspired a huge cult following across France since forming in 1983. From what I hear, their live shows were a weird mélange of circus freak show and anarchy rally (Insane Clown Posse anyone?) Aiming to replicate the style (and success) of the 70s punk movement in the UK, Bérurier Noir wrote songs built off of simple power chord arrangements, street punk chorus chants and lyrics focused on anti-consumerism and disenchantment with the current social order. Their decision to opt for a drum machine over a live drummer created some distinction, and ended up being a staple of their sound throughout their long career.

Ludwig Von 88 – William Kramps le tueur de bouchers

Oh you like drum machines? So do French punk bands from the 80s. A contemporary of Béurier Noir, Ludwig Von 88 focused their sound around fast and hardhitting power chords, drum machine and other electronic instrumentation, dissonant harmonics and nonsensical and often juvenile lyrics. William Kramps le tueur de bouchers features some of that speed and noise, while also rolling in a horn section and syncopated ska guitar riffs.

La Femme – Où va le monde

Up next is Où va le monde by psychedelic krautrock act, La Femme. Born in 2010 in the luxurious tourist haven of Biarritz by leading members Sacha Got and Marlon Magnée, La Femme craftfully blends synthetic pop with punk and surf guitar tones against a backdrop of mesmerizing dual melody lines.  Où va le monde is an enchanting track that sounds like it belongs on the soundtrack of Pulp Fiction. This song is off their sophomore full length, Mystère, released in September of this year on the Born Bad label. Do yourself a favor, and go check out this release – it’s a fun listen.

Les Betteraves – Euh…punk?

Les Betteraves were a party-fueled ska punk band formed by high school buddies Meuh and Kojack in Paris in 1999. Dripping with irreverent humor and heavily rooted in the ska movement of the early and mid 90s, Les Betteraves (DUH alert: it’s a play on words of ‘better halves’) quickly gained a large fan following through constant touring and fun live shows. Their popularity continued to grow even after they broke up in 2003. Euh…punk? is indicative of their breakneck speeds, growling vocals and dedication to the ever-popular ska breakdown bridge.

Guerilla Poubelle – La fin suffira

After Les Betteraves disbanded in 2003, Meuh and Kojack didn’t waste any time putting together a new project…this time in the form of skate/street punk band Guerilla Poubelle. This new group drew from a lot of the speed-driven melodic sounds honed during their time with Les Betteraves, while refining their songwriting depth and breadth, and focusing on more serious topics like environmental stewardship, DIY concepts and breaking free from social norms. La fin suffira is the 2^nd track of their debut album, Il faut repeindre le monde…en noir. Annnnnd now….a gif of my main man Zidane’s headbutt felt ‘round the world:

Freygolo – All Is Said and Done

All Is Said and Done is from ska-punk band Freygolo, based in the beautiful town of Nice. I remember after I met them, they asked me to edit some of their lyrics cos their English wasn’t so good; I think I probably made it worse. This is a driving and forceful tune that works to catch you off guard through the use of interweaving reggae hooks. All Is Said and Done comes off Freygolo’s 2004 sophomore release, Time to Drop the Gun, published through the Medside Music label. Freygolo’s first album, Sur(Prize) Fool, is one of my all-time favorites, and I have probably listened to that CD ten thousand times (and it has not yet burst into flames). Woefully, you can’t find Sur(prize) Fool on Spotify, but you can check out some songs on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBYa3jvx_Dc   Oh yea and speaking of Nice…fuck violence, fuck guns.

Burning Heads – S.O.S.

S.O.S. comes to us from Orleans punk/hardcore act Burning Heads. Of all the bands on this week’s playlist, Burning Heads probably gained the most popularity here in the U.S., thanks to their breakout album Be One with the Flames, released on Epitaph in 1998. S.O.S is off their following album, Escape, which was released through Victory Records. This record refined their NY-style hardcore sound, while delving into additional influences, from atmospheric ska to pop punk and melodic hardcore. Formed in 1988, Burning Heads is active to this day with their original line-up. They want you to be their friends on facebook! Go do it here: facebook.com/burningheads/

Noir Désir –L’homme pressé

This cheeky track, translated to ‘The Busy Man’, is from Bourdeaux rock gods Noir Désir; specifically, from their 1996 double-platinum (in France, this means selling over 600,000 copies) 666.667 Club. Noir Désir was a big deal in France (and the rest of Europe) through much of the 80s, 90s and early 00s. They created a distinctive sound, feeding from a lot of genres that were popular at the time, ranging from punk to grunge to funk and even some traditional celtic folk. As well as the fame afforded for being part of a seminal rock band, frontman Bertrand Cantat also found himself in the middle of a sad international conflict when he “accidentally” killed a well-known actress in Lithuania. Oh yeah I guess while we’re at, fuck domestic abuse too.

  

Seven Hate – Golden Dream

We close out this symphonie fantastique with a staple of the European melodic hardcore scene, Seven Hate. Formed in the picturesque town of Poitiers in the early 90s, Seven Hate liked to make fast, pounding songs dripping with sticky sweet melodies. Golden Dream is off their critically successful 1999 full length, Is this Glen? Although these guys haven’t been super active since 2004, they do get together every once in a while and do limited tours for their ardent fanbase.

Alright, mes amis, that’s a wrap for this week. This is such a small sampling of all the great punk rock tunes that come outta France, so please go explore and find more!  As always, let me know if you have ideas for playlists, song requests, dick pics, etc. Follow me on facebook (and maybe twitter soon? I don’t know). OH and please please please go fucking vote next week. Donald Trump is such a little shit nugget, we really all need to band together and reject this threat to our democracy. Until next week, live long and prosper.

FIN