February 2012
5 posts
11 tags
Just in time for V-Day: Cake Time valentines
I whipped these up to hand out to my co-workers with some candy ‘cos nice cards are a couple bucks each and I kinda skipped out on the past few holidays. If you like them, feel free to download the PDF template and print/xerox yr own (just print page 2 on the back of page 1, cut into four, fold each one, and write in yr msg. Candy not included). With all the money you save on real valentines...
7 tags
Blog of the Month? Old Punk Flyers
There’s nothing quite like cut-and-paste art with a heavy scrawl or questionably-laid-out text xeroxed to shit and stapled to a telephone pole.
In the web 2.0 era, it’s easy to forget how comparatively limited the number of “promotional” channels were just ten years ago. I mean, I remember stuffing 50 manila envelopes with flyers destined for clubs across the US as late...
14 tags
January 2012
4 posts
6 tags
Another killer DIY video:
The German Measles’ “What Goes On,” from last spring’s A German Joke is No Laughing Matter on What’s Yr Rupture?
As I’ve always understood it, GM sprang from the ashes of the beloved caUSE co-MOTION, and it’s songs like this that act as a reminder of that genesis. Some analog signal snow and a hasty four-count kickoff a video featuring precariously...
8 tags
Cake Time Issue #1 out now!
Paypal $3-$5 or send an e-mail for more information to this e-mail address for your very own copy.
The debut issue is a half-page zine of sketches, comics, and poems in a mix of color and b&w spreads w/ a color print 70 lb matte cardstock sover. #1 is hand-assembled and hand-bound with a pamphlet stitch. Thanks to Athena Moore and Gnomon Copy!
November 2011
1 post
Keeping Dan Treacy in our thoughts
I don’t know if anyone has heard any news since the announcement that he was in an induced coma following surgery a couple weeks ago, but I just came across this photo and felt like sharing.
We’re pulling for ya Dan
August 2011
2 posts
10 tags
Recent Vinyl Acquisitions #2 (Part II)
More 12” Single finds from the Rock n Roll Yard Sale:
Sonic Youth - Kool Thing Promotional 12” Single
I picked this up at the Weirdo Records booth, in their box of norm-ier shit (which also contained Alternative TV’s first record—hard to pass up, if only for “Action Time Vision”!). I’m sure the majority of people reading this post know all about...
13 tags
Recent Vinyl Acquisitions #2 (Part I)
After a trip to the Rock n Roll Yard Sale, it’s time for another installment of Recent Vinyl Acquisitions. While this blog is mainly meant to focus on more contemporary little-known artists, these posts are a chance to brag about recent crate-digging scores with bigger-name acts and releases that don’t meet the 7”/single-of-some-sort requirements laid out for the majority of...
July 2011
3 posts
11 tags
CUFFS - Privilege
It’s borderline criminal that I haven’t got around to writing a review of this single until now. First of all, for those who were wondering, CUFFS is the band that ties the previously-reviewed Four Eyes for my favorite contemporary Boston-area outfit. Technically hailing from Cambridge, the band is made up of a veritable who’s who of Northeastern indie popstars fronted by the inimitable Andrew...
Silent Barn got robbed! DONATE plz halp
girlfriendstheband:
Silent Barn got robbed! $15k worth of gear gone, the whole place wrecked. This is a great space w/ cool shit going on + an unpretentious attitude (Rare, OOP). They have been super welcoming to us + other Boston folks + they’re going to need a lot of help to get back on their feet. I highly recommend giving what you can.
Click here to go to their Kickstarter page.
Recent Vinyl Acquisitions #1
Altered Images - Happy Birthday (Dance Mix) 12” Single
RIP Martin Rushent! Pretty standard dance mix treatment of one of the best birthday songs ever—an extended version with extra drum breaks. I doubt any amount of remixing could lessen or heighten my enjoyment of this song. It’s a keeper for the refrain alone: Clare Grogan’s unique Scottish brogue mangling birthday...
June 2011
2 posts
Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion - The...
This bright yellow disc captures four terrifying tunes from the reigning champions of horror surf: Beware the Dangers of a Ghost Scorpion. Ostensibly, BTDOAGS is made up of four undead Texan teenagers from the 60s who met their untimely demise in a post-school-dance-gig car wreck on Goatman’s Bridge in Denton County. Lucky for me, they happen to reappear in Boston just last year only to begin...
Gone Bad - Gone Bad
Following up a slew of demos and live “bootlegs” offered on their website, Brooklyn’s Gone Bad come roaring out of the gate on their first official release: a strong 4-song EP of their posi-aggressive straight-ahead punk rock. Frontwoman Coco Roy is front and center for the entirety of this 7”: from the excellent silver-on-black cover art to her commanding four count on the first track, she never...
Four Eyes - Towards the End of Cosmic Loneliness
Four Eyes is one of my top two favorite Boston bands; their high-energy, low-fidelity poppunk is utterly without pretense or contrived laissez-faire attitude. With one self-released 5-song 7” EP already under their belt, the group delivers another in the same vein via Brooklyn’s Puzzle Pieces Records (this time with pretty awesome full insert and center label art!) Lead-off track “Back To Life”...
May 2011
2 posts
The Twerps - Black Eyes
Whether a band should cram more than one song on each side of a 7” record is a matter of debate. The longer the side, the more information needs to be cut into the vinyl. More grooves mean smaller grooves, which results in lessened sound quality. Furthermore, if the practice forces listeners to spin the single at 33 rpm, the volume will often pale in comparison to 45s in their collection. That...