Zines Suck!

Not Really, but it really caught your attention I'm betting. I made these flyers to have on tour. My regular website is still not online, but the blog has been thriving lately, so I figured people might care about its content. The photo is a photo I took of Government Warning at Pointless Fest, and I did the rest in Photoshop (not cut and pasted).
I think zines in the past have been a viable part of hardcore punk, but there's been fewer and fewer good zines. A lot of the zine scene has been overrun with dumb poetry and diary writing zines. If I'm grabbing a zine I want photos, reviews, interviews that just talk about HARDCORE. A lot of people are flying the cut and paste only flag, and I mean it's all well and good, but when you're typing everything up on a computer anyway you may as well just design it on one. What my site lacks in punk look, I feel it makes up for in content. I haven't had any interviews yet, but that's only because I hate social interaction. I think a lot of fly by night zines just start because people try to get free records out of labels. 99% of the stuff I review I bought because it's what I like. Some may say it accounts for the lack of diversity... oh well.
In short, zines still rule, there just aren't enough good ones. The internet rules because it's easily accessible, and nowadays anyone can share their opinions for free. And hey, if you don't like it, there's an X at the top of your screen to make it go away.

*I should note that I have had a subscription to MRR for a while... what else am I gonna read on the toilet?

Question I've always had...

After watching Back to School and Weekend and Bernie's today (life is hard), I had an important question:
Why was "Dead Man's Party" by Oingo Boing used in Back to School and not Weekend at Bernie's?
There was a party at a dead man's house in the fucking movie...

Unemployment ver. 3.0

So for the third time since graduating college I find myself out of work again. To some this may be a welcome vacation, me not so much. I enjoy what I do, and I'm not lazy by any means, I just have the worst luck ever. With this new found free time that I have, I've been trying to get better at skateboarding by skating every morning. I've been applying to jobs like mad, but haven't gotten any responses. If you've been watching the news at all, you know our economy is in the toilet, and most companies aren't looking to take on more employees. Although it's a great time for me to have no savings, no investments, no stocks, no 401k, no job and no girlfriend.
Anybody wanna trade a BFA for hardcore records or vinyl toys?

On the positive side, I will be filling in bass duties for an awesome band from Chicago called Poison Planet. here are our tour dates:

Tuesday October 14, 2008

Vitamin X
Poison X Planet
Everything Falls Apart
Done Deal
Brown Sugar

@ The Argyle
18 Elmview Place
Buffalo, NY

$7.00 6PM

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Wednesday October 15

Vitamin X
Black SS
I Object
Poison Planet

Castle Rochmore
113 W Borden Ave
Syracuse, NY 13205

$8.00 5:30PM

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Thursday October 16

Day off. Recording at Side Two in Boston.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Friday October 17

Vitamin X
Resistant Culture
Perdition
Poison Planet
Morne

Democracy Center
Cambridge, MA

7PM $7.00

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

SATURDAY OCTOBER 18

HARDCORE PUNK SHOW AT...

THE COPRSE FORTRESS
906 PHILADELPHIA AVE.

SILVER SPRING, MD

SICK FIX (DEVASTATINGLY HEAVY, DISGUSTINGLY HARD)
POISON PLANET (UNAPOLOGETIC VEGAN STRAIGHT EDGE.
NO METALCORE CRAP, JUST EARLY 80S INSPIRED HARDCORE )
BAD HABIT (HARDCORE PUNK TO MOSH TO)
NO MINION (1ST SHOW!!!! FAST, 3 CHORD MANIC HARDCORE FRONTED BY THE ANGRIEST MAN ALIVE)

6 BUCKS, 7PM.

http://myspace.com/poisonxplanet

At The Movies (summer blockbuster edition)

First of all, welcome to the 100th post! Secondly, if you haven't left your house recently, you've been missing out on some killer flicks. I'm glad that with today's movie making technology we can get some good comic book movies finally. Iron Man, Hellboy 2 and the Dark Knight were all great!

Iron Man kicked the summer movie season off the right way. I was a little skeptical since I honestly don't think I even own any Iron Man comics. I kinda figured it'd just be a good action movie w/ big explosions and special effects. And it did have all those elements, but it was an extremely well done movie behind all that. Some friends of mine described it as the best comic book movie, and it certainly ranks up there. Robert Downey Jr. is perfect to play the cocky drunk Tony Stark (go figure). Marvel now has their own production studio, so I have big hopes that they'll make some more quality movies based off their characters. Amazing post-credits scene.
I was surprised to see Hellboy 1, but the fact that they made a Hellboy 2 is amazing. Such a great comic book, and with the success of Pan's Labyrinth, Del Toro pretty much is able to do whatever he wants. Thank god, because Hellboy 2 was possibly better than the first one. While the movie didn't follow any comic book, it had the same fairy tale/ legends style story line. The movie was also much more funny, with some Men in Black style moments. Die hards will love it.
Dark Knight had some big shoes to fill being Heath Ledger's last movie, but holy crap did it deliver. Heath Ledger was perfect as the Joker, he played him so dark and maniacal. The Joker is Batman's primary villain, so it was nice to see him in the second movie so they didn't have to waste time on an origin story. I always hated the original Batman series, even as a kid I thought it was lame and cheesy. These more recent Batmans however have taken cues from classic Batman stories such as Year One and the Long Halloween. I really like what they did with Two Face also; his makeup wasn't stupid like the Tommy Lee Jones Two Face either. Overall another solid movie, which might bas as bold as say it was better than the first one.

As far as non-comic related movies I saw this summer... Wall-E, the new Pixar movie was cool. There was a kinda lame love story and a thinly veiled political agenda. It was kinda like watching an animated Michael Moore movie at times. Overall though it was pretty good. Had the typical Pixar cuteness and ridiculously good animation and art.
I also caught Step Brothers one day when my job let us out early and I had some time to kill before a show in Philly. The concept and everything is obviously stupid, but it was a damn funny way to kill time. If you like Will Ferrel and John C Reilley movies, this is one of the better ones I thought. Real low brow humor, but sooo good.

On a side note, they showed a trailer for the new Watchmen movie before Batman. I didn't want to like it, but it honestly looks fucking great. A trailer for the new Wolverine movie also leaked to the internet recently also, and that looks great too!

Never Make a Change

A few weeks ago there was a Barak Obama rally in Philly to coincide with the Democratic primary. There were people w/ Obama signs and posters (designed by Shepard Fairey) all over the city. It got me thinking that even though he seems well liked in my area, and probably the coasts in general, that I don't think he stands a chance against McCain if it comes down to it. Honestly I'm not a fan of any candidate, but I think regardless if Hillary or Barak win the Democratic nomination, they still won't become president.
The Democratic party seems to be pushing the "change" agenda for both candidates, but as we've seen from 2004's election, Americans don't want change. All the presidents in the past have been rich old white men, so why would a woman or a sorta black guy go over well? I'm not a fan of McCain by a long shot either, but I think he's got the best chance of winning. Regardless of who wins, the major problems with the country won't cease immediately. The economy and job markets will still suck, countries/people in the middle east will still hate us, the war's not going to end and the troops aren't coming home.

I think part of the problem is that people don't vote. More idiots voted for the next American Idol than any presidential election. In the 2000 election we learned that write-in votes were only counted if the election was close. That basically means that most votes from college students and soldiers abroad go uncounted. The whole voting process seems to be a joke anyway, as witnessed in the 2000 election. They could easily establish an online voting system, but they make you go to a school on a Tuesday instead. If voting was as convenient as a website or a text message like American Idol, then maybe more people would do it. The voting percentages are only based on a percentage of certain people, not the entire country.
So to sum things up... We're all screwed! (still)

I wonder what PunkVoter has to say about this year's election...

Comics

I've been real busy with a lot of stuff lately, so I haven't made as many posts as I'd like. I haven't done something not related to hardcore/punk in a while. Before I was into hardcore, I was a comic book nerd. While I still enjoy comics, my main collecting has been through graphic novels. While I was working at a book store, I accumulated a bunch of cool graphic novels. I tracked down the "classics" of the genre (Sin City, V for Vendetta, Watchmen...), and checked out some of the newer hyped books (Exiles, Supreme Power...). I mainly always stick to Marvel titles; New Mutants, X-men and Spider-Man in particular. I also got into stuff like Hellboy, Runaways and Y: the Last Man thanks to my local library heavily stocking their "young adult" section with graphic novels.
So, what sparked my recent resurgence into the world of comics is that every Wednesday, people I work with all go to a comic shop near work. I had previously maybe went to a shop every 6 months or so. Here's what I've been reading lately...

Y: the Last Man- This book I got into through trades. The last issue just came out, and it was probably the best way to end the comic. The story is of a plague that wipes out every man from the earth, leaving only Yorick, his monkey and a planet full of women. The last issue takes place in the future with Yorick telling stories to a clone of himself about what happened after the main storyline ended. An epilogue of sorts. I hear that the book is in the development stages to be made into a series of movies. I'm not really a fan of a lot of the comic movies coming out, but this would be one to look out for.

Madman- I was surprised to see that Madman was back, and it's really good. I've been a fan of Mike Allred's work (Madman, Atomics, X-Force) for a while, and it's good to see Madman back. The latest story revolves around the main character essentially dying, and struggling to find his way back. Madman was a part of the indie comics boom in the 90's, but stood out among a lot of mediocre crap.

Scud- Another great comic from the 90's returns. Scud is probably my favorite comic book ever. It is about a robotic assassin who is supposed to self destruct once it kills its target. This Scud however decides to just cripple his target, and take up freelance assassin gigs to pay the hospital bills. Scud ended in 1998 with a huge cliffhanger, now 10 years later it returns for 4 more issues to wrap up the series. I'm extremely excited, and the first issue back actually progresses the story 10 years. The creator of Scud went on to do some great things in Hollywood (Monster House, Sarah Silverman Show), and thanks to the writers strike was able to finish this. There will be a huge collected trade once all 4 new issues wrap up. I couldn't recommend a comic any more than I can with Scud.

Runaways- Another comic series that I got into through the trades. The story is about a group of children who find out that their children are super villains. Only one of the children in the group have superpowers, though one child has a pet raptor. The kids have to rely on their own resources to outsmart their parents, and strike out to make up for their bad deeds. It has a youthful charm, which reminds me of the New Mutants.

Manchild- This comic only exists in a series of graphic novels. The illustrator/ writer is somewhat known in the HC/Punk community for doing art for some classic records, and playing drums in Double Negative. The comic strips are humorous observations and stories. A lot of the subject matter is HC/Punk related, but is humorous and pokes fun at people without being condescending. The most recent graphic novel comes with a bonus CD of a Melvins demo from 1987.

Exiles- Exiles also just published its last issue, followed by a relaunch soon after. The back story is a cross between X-Men and Quantum Leap, with superheroes traveling to different time periods to fix their own time lines. The series started out strong, then got weak once Chuck Austen took over, then got better later on, then got re-crappy. I think it really suffered when Marvel did the Age of Apocalypse and House of M crossovers. Maybe it was just me who had no interest in it.

Spider-Man- You know Spider-Man, and you know his story. The most recent "One More Day" storyline really fucked up good. Aunt May gets shot, and is going to die (finally!). But in order to save his Aunt, Peter Parker makes a deal w/ Mephisto that if he makes it so Peter and MJ never got together, Aunt May would survive. This basically relaunches all the Spider-Man books, and re-writes history. I'm sorry, but this just doesn't make any sense. Has Marvel forgot the Spider Clone disaster?

TV Party- Annihilate all week long

So the new TV season is in full swing, and unfortunately with the writers strike, may be over soon. I'll let you know what I've been watching, as if you care...



MONDAY
At 8pm on CBS is How I Met Your Mother, the premise behind the show is of a father telling stories to his kids about his friends and how he met their mother (who they still have yet to introduce). The show's really funny, and is basically a cross between Scrubs and Friends (before it got terrible). Pretty much the only thing on CBS worth watching.
When I was working in NYC, there were huge billboard for 2 new shows: Chuck (on NBC) and the Big Bang Theory (CBS). I've given both a shot, and neither are really all that great. Chuck starts at 8, but I just flip to the last half hour before Heroes comes on. The premise of that one is that a nerdy dude happens to get an e-mail w/ government secrets in it. Now he works with the FBI and done some crazy James Bond type shit. Big Bang Theory is about nerd who live next door to a hot chick, yawn.
Heroes is on NBC at 9, and is probably my favorite show on TV now. I know I've talked about it before, but it's basically a comic book in a live action setting. Unlike 90% of the comic movies that have come out recently, it's totally not crap. The most recent Season adds new characters, and puts some of the prominent ones from last season into the background. The mid season cliff hanger in 3 weeks may be the season finale, and I read that they made an alternate ending just in case. Fox's 24 will have some tough competition for the 9pm slot.
After Heroes at 10 is a new show on NBC, JourneyMan. It's somewhat similar to Quantum Leap, except the guy jumps into the past in his own body, and has to fix the future. It's not bad, but by the end of the hour I start losing interest. I'll probably keep with it until the end of the season, but if it changes time slots, I probably wouldn't follow it.

TUESDAY
The only thing I really watch on Tuesdays at 9 is House on Fox. Dr. House is an unorthodox doctor, who always has some sort of crazy diagnosis. This season however, he needs to find a new team since his last team abandoned him last season. It started out interestingly enough with an American Idol style weeding out of people, but it's still not decided who the new team is. It's still entertaining, but it's becoming more like CSI and Law and Order, where each episode is basically the same.

WEDNESDAY
An interesting new show on ABC is Pushing Daisies, which is like a crime drama mixed with a Dr Seuss book. There's a narrator which follows the storyline, and gives background information. Pretty cool, and probably the only thing I watch on ABC.
9-10 is kind of a bust until LOST starts again (if it starts again). I've been watching Kitchen Nightmares, where a chef goes to disgusting restaurants and tells them what to change to stay in business. Definitely not something to watch while eating, but it's funny to see him make fun of these dumb owners.
At 10, Comedy Central's been showing the new season of South Park, which for some reason is still just as witty 10 years later. Obviously you get the same satirical gross out humor, but there's been a lot of political shows and shows where they just make fun of a celebrity for a half hour.
The Sarah Silverman Program is a relatively new sitcom. Sarah plays herself as a character who's extremely juvenile and annoying. The supporting cast consists of her sister and her boyfriend, and her 2 gay neighbors. Pretty good off the wall humor that I'd take any day over Mind of Mencia.

THURSDAY
Thursday's a pretty big day, where I stick to NBC. At 8, it's My Name is Earl which is kind of different this season, since Earl is in prison. Normally it revolves around Earl traveling around with his brother Randy. The supporting cast of his ex-wife, the crab man and the maid at the hotel where they live are also great. Unfortunately the dynamic of the characters has been a little off this season, but I hope Earl gets out of jail soon, and they get back on track.
At 8:30 I usually watch 30 Rock, which is basically a sitcom about the making of an SNL stlye sketch comedy show. It stars SNL alumni Tina Fey (former writer), Tracy Morgan (former cast member) and Alec Baldwin (frequent guest). It's an alright show, but hardly the best of the lineup.
The Office has been a favorite of mine for a while. It took a little while to click, but the dry awkward humor is perfect for on the job based comedy. The show is set up like a reality show, and is based on a BBC program of the same name. This is by far my favorite comedy right now, and it even has a soap opera aspect to it.
This is the final season for Scrubs, and while I enjoyed the show since its beginning, it's the right time. The show's still funny, but the characters are changing, and the show's seemed to have lost it's stamina. JD just had a baby, Carla and Turk also have a baby, Elliot called off her engagement, and they killed off Laverne. It just doesn't have the same spark as it did before. Don't get me wrong, it's a great show, but I'd stick to the re-runs.

FRIDAY
I'm rarely home on a Friday night, but if I am, Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet is pretty awesome. Occasionally Discovery Channel will have Mythbusters reruns on, and that show is amazing.

SATURDAY
As big a loser as I am, I don't watch anything on Saturday.

SUNDAY
Sundays have been dominated by Fox for me because of theSimpsons. However at this point, it's more a force of habit since the show hasn't been funny in about 10 years. It's kind of ridiculous how long that show's been on TV. I remember when it started, me and Bart were both in the 3rd grade. Of the almost 20 years the show's been on TV, it maybe had 5 or 6 truly great seasons. The jokes now seem extremely forced and predictable. I'll occasionally watch it, and it has gotten better than it was, but still not at the level of its hey day. The Simpsons movie was surprisingly decent though.
I think King of the Hill is on after that, but that is seriously the WORST show. I have no idea who watches that crap, probably the same people who like those redneck comedy shows.
Family Guy got resurrected from the dead a few years ago, and I honestly wish it hadn't. Originally it was fresh how they had little non-sequitor parts would break up the story. Maybe it loses its charm over time, but the tired pop culture referances and lack of plot really lose my interest now. South Park had a good episode which tore into the fact that their jokes cover up the fact that they have no plot.
American Dad is done by the same pople as Family Guy, and relies more on plots than pop culture jokes. It revolves around a right wing CIA agent and his wacky family. It seems to only get by when placed before/after Family Guy, but probably couldn't stand on its own.

ALL WEEL LONG!
Cartoon Network's Adult Swim programming has been reigning supreme over my late night TV viewing since it started up. During the week it runs from 11-12:30, then the Anime starts, and I go to bed. The Daily Show and the Colbert Report on Comedy Central are usually good for more high brow / low brow humor. During the 11pm-12am block of time, Adult Swim has Futurama and Family Guy (both of which I own on DVD), so I'm not really missing much if I decide to miss those. Adult Swim has original programming which airs in mass on Sunday. Great original shows like the Boondocks, Metalocalypse, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Harvey Birdman, and old shows like Sea Lab 2021 and Space Ghost are ridiculous and great. The Adult Swim style of humor is usually pretty offensive, and sometimes ridiculous. I still don't get why anyone watches Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job.

At the Movies

I've recently caught 2 horror movies in theaters, one being Rob Zombie's interpretation of Halloween,the other being Hatchet. Halloween is pretty much showing everywhere, but Hatchet was only playing in 1 theater in the tr-state area.
While I'm not a fan of more recent horror movies, and even less a fan of remakes, I saw Halloween anyway. I had seen Devil's Rejects, and thought it was ok, so I figured Rob Zombie might do a decent job. The original Halloween movies were pretty awesome, but the last few were terrible. In this one, they try to go more in depth with the origin of Michael Myers and Dr. Loomis' relationship. In reality, they waste a good 45 minutes to establish that Michael just kills for no reason... As if I couldn't figure that out already. They show his affinity for masks, and how he obtains his trademark jumpsuit. There's plenty of blood and nudity, which all self respecting horror fans love. Zombie naturally cast his usual cast of characters to play cameos in this as well. The best casting decision was to cast Danielle Harris (Halloween 4/5) as one of Laurie's friends. The ending seemed so forced that by the end of the movie I really didn't care anymore. It seems like they added an extra half hour just for a chase scene through the house. Hopefully there won't be any sequels, which I don't think they planned since Michael and Loomis seem to be dead.
Hatchet is promoted as "old school american horror," which is basically referring to classic slasher gore. The movie follows a group of tourists who find themselves stranded in the woods of New Orleans when their boat tour crashes. The woods are inhabited by Victor Crowley, a deformed man who was thought to have died in a fire. Or maybe it's a ghost, either way the dude's huge and violent. The special effects are all makeup and no CGI (thank god), and the gore is top notch. The story kin dof falls apart, since you don't really see much of Victor aside from when he's mutilating people, and the tourists are all annoying and un-funny. This movie had a lot of potential, but could have been a lot better. If this had the support that Halloween did, maybe they would have put more development into it. Even though it was kind of disappointing, it was still way better than most recent horror movies by far.
I did see a really good horror movie recently, which was the straight to DVD movie, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. It started off as a sort of documentary of a reporter following a man in trainign to be a killer. In this reality Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and Freddy Kreuger are all real people. They follow his training, finding his target and setting traps in a house. In the end, the reporter and camera crew find themselves in the main event. In a way it's similar to Scream how they talk about horror movies in a horror movie, but didn't completely suck like Scream did. This movies is a horror movie for horror fans. It's got loads of cameos, humor, gore, nudity and a damn good story. I highly recommend giving this one a spin, I found it on DVD real cheap on Amazon.

Ramen Noodles

Being as I've been unemployed for the past few months, I've fully embraced the lifestyle. I've been going to the local library pretty regularly, and eating a lot of Ramen Noodles (8/$1.00!!!). I've taken the liberty of suggesting a new recipe, since the one on the back of the packaging is totally wrong. The most glaring problem being "serve immediately for best results."


1. Boil 2 cups of water (that's the only thing they did right). For god's sake don't add any salt to make it boil faster.

2. Once the water is at a rolling boil, add the flavor packet. I recommend "oriental" or "beef." The packet should dissolve instantly.

3. Place brick of noodles in water without breaking them up. Let them sit in there and soak up the broth.

4. Once the noodles begin to soften, lower the heat, and unfold the noodles. You can see the difference in color, so make sure to stir it around.

5. Let the pot sit and cool for around 15 minutes. There should be little broth left, and the noodles should be brown colored.

I recommend putting the whole pot in a large bowl and eating it with a fork (or chop sticks if you're so inclined). Enjoy!

shows and records, records and shows

So I wouldn't consider myself a show promoter really, but if a good band needs a show and wants to play NJ (for some reason), I'll set one up. I only work with venues that don't charge for the space, usually basements, but I did do a show at a burrito shop a few weeks ago. I set up 3 shows this past month, and each show seemed to go well in retrospect, but seemed worse and worse. The first show was pretty well attended, though I thought more should've been there. The second one was kinda last minute, but between going to 3 shows that week and handing out 50 flyers at a show around the corner 2 days prior, only 12 people came. And most of them were from PA. The third show had another low attendance, and the touring bands showed up late and drunk, despite them asking for a matinee show, so it would end earlier. The sad turnout really put a bad taste in my mouth about doing more shows. I mean the bands all appreciated it, but it makes me re-think my loyalties to other local bands. I've gone to shows for a while, and have bought records from bands I don't necessarily like just to support them. The fact that my band even played 2 of the 3 shows, and people who's bands I supported weren't there. I'm in the process of getting 2 shows in June going, but I'm trying some different places and different bands. Also, my favorite NJ band, the Degenerics are playing a reunion show at the end of June, which I'm very excited about.

The past month's been crazy! between job interviews, setting up and promoting/ attending a bunch of shows, sick w/ allergies and just general work I haven't had much time to rest. Luckily, I've had a nice chunk of sweet records to listen to.

7"s

the Vicious- Igen
The new Vicious record was luckily ready for their US tour, which I was lucky enough to catch on 4 dates. The new record isn't nearly as good as Obsessive of Alienated, but still really catchy. 3 new songs, and 2 of them aren't in english. I don't really mind when foreign bands switch up english and foreign lyrics (like No Hope For The Kids), so maybe this will be more regular for the Vicious. The new stuff has a real Gorilla Angreb vibe to it. I wouldn't suggest this as a good starting point, but it's a good indication of where they are and where they're going.


Terminal State- Sick
Terminal State didn't do too much since that 7" came out in 2005, but this new record shows that their sound has matured a bit. They've always reminded me of old early 80's KBD style hardcore, with a DC simplicity. These 3 songs are great, I just wish there were more. They played a show in NJ a few weeks ago on a weekend tour, and they've got a bunch of new material that's totally killer. Probably going to be an LP from these guys sometime soon, and it'll be great!


Acid Reflux- s/t
This 7" is basically their demo on vinyl. Since I already reviewed the demo, I'll spare repeating myself. This band rules, get this fucking 7"!


Dustheads- Tall Tales II
Following up last year's "Tall Tales" 7" with its second installment. Dustheads continue where they left off, with heavy rock influences over some old school sounding fast hardcore. Occasionally the rock parts seem a bit forced, or mismatched, but when it's good it's real good. "Altered States" is a great beginning, and should appeal to fans of hardcore and heavy stoner rock. I think both "Tall Tales" will be on one LP, once both 7"s are out of print.


Total Fury/ the Jury
Another new release to coincide with a US tour. Total Fury is from Japan, but don't play the traditional "buring spirits" style. They have a sound that's much more early 80's american HC, like the DC bands. However, there's an intensity to the sound that not many bands can touch. This has a re-recorded version of "You're Too Old" from the LP, with some more rockin guitar parts. There's also a Scream cover. The Jury had a 7" come out last year, which reminded me of 9 Shocks a lot. This stuff is fairly similar, but compared to TF, it kinda falls flat. They also cover "Crash The Pose" by Gauze (HOLY SHIT!), but it doesn't really touch the speed and intensity of the original. Overall it's pretty rough to tackle a song by the gods of Japanese hardcore, and do a split w/ a totally raging current Japanese band, but I applaud the effort.


Dissystema- s/t
The Philly "motorcharge" returns after a hiatus with a new drummer. A lot of their older stuff was pretty standard D-beat / Doom sounding stuff, but there's some real cool Motorhead sounding parts on here. Their sound's breaking out of d-beat mold, and would probably appeal to people into crust and fast hardcore. They're recording their 2nd LP soon, and it should be a rager and a half.


Harpoon Guns- s/t
I liked the LP they had out last year, so figured I should check out this new 7". This time you get more fast old school sounding hardcore, with some surfy leads. The rough recording quality makes it sound old too. The ammount of great old HC sounding bands from California right now is crazy.


Out With a Bang!- I'm Against It
Some good fast Italian hardcore here. They cram an LP's worth of songs on this 7", and it doesn't let up. They have a real old dirty punk sound, with some rockin guitar leads. Similar to classic old offensive hardcore punk, I really wish I saw them on their last tour. Stupid flooding rain and an hour drive kept me away...


Upstab- Somebody Threw a Jug of Thunderbird Wine at Me
This little guy came out a while ago, but I just got myself a copy recently. If you're not familiar w/ Upstab, it's Chris Erba's (H-100s) new band. Similar to other related Clevo bands, they rage through some of the best sloppy fast hardcore punk. I think they broke up already, but Cleveland bands never really die.


Hostages- Legend In My Head, Failure to the World
Kinda different, I did a show for them when they were on tour w/ Ruiner last month. Not really my thing, kinda sounds like a less metal influenced version of the Hope Conspiracy. some good parts, but they have a lot of songs which seem to ring out for a long time. I'd prefer things more stripped down and faster, but definitely a solid debut. I'd take this over a lot of more popular modern hardcore bands.

12"s

the Ergs- Upstairs/Downstairs
The long awaited 2nd full tength from NJ's own pop-punk masters. A lot of these songs I've known for while between seeing them somewhat often, and from demo versions. Overall, I think DorkRockCorkRod was a little faster, but Upstairs/Downstairs won't disappoint. The last track (Upstairs/Downstairs) is a really long mostly instrumental, which I think is pretty boring. "Books about Miles Davis" would've been a perfect ending track.


Severed Head of State- Power Hazard
Most bands get boring and more predictible with time, not Severed Head of State. The last few 7"s that came out after their "Anathema Device" LP were great. This EP/LP picks up where they were going, but with more songs. With bleak lyrics and crushingly heavy riffs, you can't help but do the crusty fist banging thing. Somehow Severed Head of State write some catchy songs, without being melodic at all.


Bastard- Wind of Pain(boot)
If you're not familiar with Bastard, they're a pretty legendary Japanese hardcore/thrash band. I would put them in a caliber with Gauze, Gism, Lip Cream, etc. This material has been bootlegged a few times before, and with good reason... It rules! This LP had their Wind of Pain LP, as well as their 7" and comp tracks. Japanese hardcore records are usually hard to come by in America as it is, so boolegs have a positive aspect of putting some classic foreign hardcore in American hands. If you're into raging classic styled Japanese hardcore, and don't have this then you're missing out.


V/A- DC Demo's(boot)
My favorite scene of early 80's HC/punk is without a doubt the DC scene. So many classic diverse bands came from there, and this LP combiness 4 of their demos. Void, Artificial Peace, Double O and the Faith. Some of the Void tracks were put on the "Condensed Flesh" 7", and are good but don't match the power of the Faith split. Same goes for the Faith tracks; I think the Faith hit their peak with the "Subject to Change" LP. A lot of the tracks were re-recorded, so it's cool to see where they came from. Most peope are probably only familiar w/ Artificial Peace's awesome contributions to the "Flex Your Head" comp, but they have a ton more material. It was all bootlegged on an LP called "Outside Looking In" on Lost and Found some years back. Either way, these demo tracks all rule, but I think they may have been a pre-AP band called "Assault and Battery," but I can be wrong on that. Double O most people don't know at all. They did a 7", which was half released by Dischord. They evolved from Red C, and incorporated the emo-ish sound of revolution summer, without sounding weak and boring. I actally like these demo tracks more than the 7". I'm done nerding out about harDCore, good luck finding this bad boy.


Subhumans- s/t (boot)
This little gem is by the far superior Canadian band, not the crappy UK Subhumans. The Canadian band had a much more catchy melodic sound. This boot compiles a few 7" and comp tracks, but unfortunately is missing the classic "Death to the Sickoids" 7". These guys recently released an LP of brand new songs on Alternative Tentacles, but what I heard didn't really do anything for me. This LP though compiles some of the band's best material, and would be a great intro to their stuff, which you can probably also find on some mp3 blogs.


V/A- Retro Is Poison
This is a 4-way split between Ciril, Karnpaven Attack, I Object and Active Minds. I had a Ciril CD which I found in a used bin and wasn't super into it. They kinda sound like late 80's California punk, with some crossover influence. Karnvapen Attack are named after a Mob 47 song if I'm not mistaken. They're from Spain and play some hyper fast screamy hardcore punk in the same vein. I Object follow up their awesome LP with these few songs. The songs continue in the same fast hc/punk w/ heavily political lyrics. This is also Ryan's last stuff w/ the band, hopefully their sound won't change too much. This is the newest Active Minds stuff in a long time; they are an old UK political hardcore band. Overall, a pretty solid mix of current politically charged hardcore punk.

CDs

the Horror- The Fear, The Terror, The Horror
The Horror's new CD is killer. If you've been under a rock, the Horror is basically all of Voorhees w/ a different singer. On their earlier records, the singer had a more high pitched voice, but on this it's much deeper and still sounds cool. Definitely still rooted in old school hardcore, but adding some classic rock guitar riffs. Not in an obvious way, but just subtle enough to set them apart from similar styled bands. If you were lucky enough to catch them on their recent tour, you'll know they rip live too.


the Misguided- Fuggets
Similar to the Major Conflict reissue on the same label, this compiles the discography of a little known early 80's NYHC band. I found mine in a used bin without a cover, which is kind of a bummer, so I don't know much of the history of the band. I had mp3s of 2 of their 7"s from an mp3 blog, and those are good. This also has some live and demo tracks. The Misguided kind of remind me of a less raw version of SOA or Urban Waste. A cool compilation by a band that most people aren't too familiar with.


L'Amico Di Martucci/Ozuharu- Collection
So here's a little history lesson on these two bands from Italy. Ozuharu was this band, then they broke up, and members went on to do L'Amico Di Martucci. After that, Ozuharu reformed and did an LP and US tour. Members from both now play in La Piovra, who you may have seen on their US tour last year. L'ADM I was familiar with from their awesome 7" that came out a few years ago on 625. Ozuharu, not so much, but I assumed they were good. This is the early Ozuharu stuff, which is alright, but I think L'ADM are much better. I haven't heard the Ozuharu LP, but I'm sure it's also good. Both bands have a smilar thrashy fast-core, with rock guitar influenced leads. This is a discography for both bands, and you get cover songs of DRI and Anthrax(!).


Imperial Leather- Something Out of Nothing
This Cd came out a while back, but I just found the CD in a used bin. I had heard good things about these guys, so I got their "Antibodies" EP that came out last summer. I liked it, but probably didn't listen to it as much as I should have. Imagine if Turbonegro were less weird, and had a female singer, and you'd more or less get Imperial Leather. Despite it being on Profane Existance, this is more of a rock n roll mixed with older punk sound. This predates "Antibodies," and is almost as good.

Demos
Middle America (cassette)
Saw these guys a few times, and they've always been real fun and played good covers. If these guys were from someplace like VA, more people would know about them. They're from the Lehigh Valley of PA, and share a similar approach as the Gatecrashers, who were from the same area. Fast no frills old sounding hardcore, like the Neos or Die Kreuzen. Recording quality is a little rough, but totally fit their style. This rules, seriously.

Staring Problem (cd)
Real nice packaging on this, and it's an actual pressed CD too. the Jersey Shore's Staring Problem is Andy's (FTD/TIU) new band, and has a somewhat similar sound to other recent shorecore bands. It has elements of old school hardcore, with some heavier parts. The vocals are sung kind of high, and fall flat in certain places. It is a demo, so I'll cut them some slack. Decent first offering, but I'm not really blown away.

Disnihil (cd-r)
Disnihil, from Long Island NY play heavy hardcore, similar to His Hero Is Gone. I guess a more modern equivilant would be somewhere between Celebrity Murders, Deathcycle or Tragedy. This cdr has the demo, plus some live stuff and tracks from their upcoming CD. Has some potential, but lacks the more crusty/Japanese influence that keeps bands like Tragedy interesting. I liked them live when I saw them, so maybe the new stuff is better.

I also got leaked versions of the new albums by Pissed Jeans and Municipal Waste, but I don't feel right reviewing them fully. Pissed Jeans isn't as catchy as "shallow," but if you liked the long heavy pats, you're in luck. All the songs are pretty long, but don't really hold my interest as well. Municipal Waste ups the production level and their ridiculous level. You're not gonna be let down. They also re-recorded an extended version of "Born to Party" from their split w/ Crucial Unit from like 2002.

*this post's been almost a month in the making. I've already got another stack of records to go through, damn!*

American Hardcore DVD review

After reading the book of the same name, I wasn't exactly about to go out of my way to see the movie. The book was loaded with opinions, one-sided arguments and inaccuracies; the movie naturally was full of the same. It seemed like certain topics, like the violence and craziness overshadowed the more positive aspects of hardcore. Straight edge and women's roles in the scene were merely glanced at. Notable problems were the lack of any Misfits or Dead Kennedys content, and the inclusion of DOA (who are from Canada) and way too much on the Cro Mags (who suck). I'm sure some of it due to legal reasons, but they were in the book so I don't see why not include anything. There was a lot on the NY scene, which didn't really take off until after they claim HC died, or maybe the NYHC scene killed it. It also seemed like they directors wee playing favorite with who's stories were told, since it seemed like certain people were always talking. There was also some poor editing decisions, which cut off stories before they ended. I also thought it was weird that certain people's credits under their name were omitting bands of worthy mention. For example it said "Brian Baker: Minor Threat," what about Dag Nasty and Bad Religion?

My biggest gripe is that (like in the book), they stated the fact that hardcore died in 1986. I mean if that's true, what have I been doing with my life for the past 10+ years? You look at the footage of Black Flag, SSD and DYS from their later eras, and could see why people would lose interest. Here it is in 2007, and that stuff still sucks, but their earlier stuff still sounds awesome. They try to blame the fact that they were losing interest and writing shitty music on the scene dying away. If hardcore was dead, why would anybody know who these people were or care about this "documentary?"

The bonus features had some of the live footage, deleted scenes and footage of the opening party in Toronto. The live footage was all stuff shown in the movie, except in its entirety, of course I would have wanted more... The deleted scenes are interesting, but not skippable, so you need to watch it all the way through. Plus it seems like the deleted scenes got cut out too. There is a pretty funny moment w/ Vinnie Stigma and Jimmy Gestapo at NYHC tattoo at the end. There's also a director's commentary, which I am reluctant to give a chance.

Despite all its problems, it was an alright movie. I think you'd need a lot more than an hour and a half to cover the history of hardcore, but I'd be willing to watch that DVD. There would need to be a lot more live footage, and it would need to cover all the important states and their bands with more live footage. American Hardcore probably won't open people's eyes to hardcore who weren't already into it, but at least the soundtrack to the movie makes for a pretty decent mix tape.

Birthday Blog '07

So here it is again, you may remember that I made a blog post on my birthday last year. Here's what's going on currently, if you don't already know.

I've been working at the same place for the past year, and it is absolutely terrible. I'd say that the majority of the time I was there I had nothing to do, and had to make up little projects for myself to keep me busy. The internet, while fun for slacking off, really doesn't hold my interest for 8 hours. When I was hired, I knew my salary was really low, but figured after a few months they'd see that I know what I'm doing and I'd be getting paid what I should be. Over as year later, and despite many efforts, no raise is in sight. Recently I told them I wouldn't design anymore, since I'm not being paid for it, and you'd think they'd fire me right? NOPE. I've been interviewing a lot lately; I had one yesterday that went OK I guess. At this point I'd take basically anything, but ideally a design firm located somewhat near Philly.

Aside from work, I've got 2 bands to occupy my time. SPG (stands for Special Patrol Group) has been together since July, but for one reason or another averages one practice per month. I wish it was more frequent, but the practices always rule, and I'm sure once we record it'll sound great. I'm crossing my fingers for a 4 or 5 song demo tape by the end of March. SPG started by me posting on some message boards that I wanted to do a band, and I was surprised to find 3 like-minded people. Our sound is similar to bands like Deathreat, old hardcore w/ Japanese thrash influences.
My other band, Wormeaters recorded a practice song a few weeks ago, and I'm hoping we can get a demo done before the April 13th show (see below). I also just found out that we got to play with the Inmates on June 2 in Baltimore. Hoping we have a 7" done by then. The music's prety cool,it sounds like older HC bands like Agnostic Front, Negative Approach, YDI, Mental Abuse.... Our singer's got a real gruff voice, like the singer from GISM or something, so it sounds real different.

To "celebrate," I'm going to a show tonite (big surprise), I gave myself a shitty mohawk, and I bought myself a sweet Project X longsleeve. Good times, I'm gonna see if root beer 40oz's exist because I want one...

car > health?

On Friday, my car broke down on the way home from work. While I was waiting for the tow truck, I had some time to think. Why is it illegal to not have car insurance, but health insurance is a privilege?
I guess having car insurance be mandatory insures that if you get into an accident, that your insurance company will pay for the damages to the other person's car. This seems to be the only time it's ever used though. My car needed a new alternator, and by the time it was done, it cost $450, and the brakes still squeak, the check engine light is still on, and the car's still filthy. I mean you figure for what I paid (over a week's salary at my shitty job), it'd be running better than before. When you go to the doctor for a checkup, health insurance covers it. Why is it that car insurance doesn't cover maintenance? If I didn't have to have car insurance, I could have saved the money to fix the car by not paying insurance for a few months. Car insurance money is basically wasted unless you get in an accident, and when you do use it your insurance rates go up. So basically, unless your car is totalled, it's completely useless.
The insurance industry makes no sense to me. It seems like health care costs are astronomical, because insurance companies will pay them. This however leaves health care unaffordable to the common person. You basically pay into this account monthly, and whether you use it or not it's the same. If you just set aside a savings account for car insurance, you could have interest added onto your savings. Granted it would take discipline, but there's at least some benefit to it. It just makes no sense to me that people's health would come second to people's transportation. Universal health care and car savings accounts would by ideal, but will never be a reality.

OK, I swear I'll do more reviews next time; I'm sure nobody care about my insane rants.

SIIIICK!

Ugh, so anyone who's talked to me recently may know about my recent health problems. I'm sure I've commented on them in relation to my insurance ere. Basically I have IBS, which you can read about on Wikipedia. It basically means my stomach feels like crap regardless of what I eat, or if I eat at all. It comes and goes at random times, and medicine seems to have no effect.

I had gone to a Gastrointerologist a few weeks ago, who is making me go for some tests. Today I had an upper GI test, which was pretty weird. It started off with me having to change into these gigantic paper clothes. Then I was brought into a room, where I had to drink some weird stuff. First I had to drink this stuff that was basically alka seltzer, but I wasn't allowed to burp. Then I had to drink this thick white liquid, which looked more like paint than milkshake. It also tasted more like paint, and felt like it weighed 5 lbs. After drinking it, I had to lay down on a table and get a bunch of x-rays. The X-rays tracked the progress of the sludge flowing through my system. Later a doctor came in and gave me another scan. During which, I had to drink some more white liquid. This time, it was diluted, but still tasted horrible. Then after those, I had a ton more x-rays. After that I was told to drink some more of the disgusting white liquid. There wasn't too much left at this point, but the sight of it made me want to vomit. However if I did vomit, it would only result in drinking more crap. I finished and kept it down, and had a few more X-rays and another scan. The whole thing lasted about 3 hours, but I'd rather have the liquid go in my mouth than have the other option (enema).

I won't know the results for a little while, but I hope maybe I can get some answers. Right now, my stomach is killing me, and I've been pooping white.

*UPDATE: I got the test results, and there is nothing physically wrong with me. I have a follow up appointment at the end of March, so I guess we'll determine the next move then.*

Carlos Mencia needs to shut up

I guess when Dave Chappelle walked away from his show, Comedy Central thought there was a void in the racially themed humor department. Enter the completely not funny Carlos Mencia. I can honestly say I've never found anything he's said remotely funny. I basically only watch Comedy Central, and now stupid Mind Of Mencia is on literally every night. His stand up special has been on quite a lot lately too. It's horrible all he does is state obvious racist jokes. Mexicans jump the border, black people are criminals, white people are lame, asians are smart. Real ground breaking stuff there Carlos... He also makes fun of the handicapped with his stupid fucking catchphrase of "deet dee dee." Again, real ground breaking. Dave Chappelle's racially observant humor was always fairly witty, but Carlos is basically rehashing worn out territory. You'd think that for someone whos ripping off jokes, they can at least be funny.

thanks to the Carlos Mencia Isn't Funny Myspace page

record collectors are pretentious assholes

I suppose I would call myself a "record collector," I mean I have a ridiculous amount of records, and am constantly on the search for more and more. However, with the internet, it seems like it doesn't take much effort to accumulate an "impressive" collection. I mean if I'm willing to pay infinite amounts, I can get the entire Dischord collection, or whatever extremely scarce KBD record is hyped up right now. You can easily acquire these record if you have the means, it's not a matter of trading and hunting anymore. With so many record stores closing down, it will soon be a thing of the past to go to a shop, and browse through tons of used vinyl, hoping to find that great score. Another byproduct of the record collecting culture is that now when people get that rare find, they run straight to ebay and triple their profit. It's also nice to just find a cheap record, and even though you don't know what it sounds like, you give it a chance. If all music shopping is done online, you'd have to know exactly what you want, and it kills the fun of browsing.



Another trend in record collecting seems to be collecting everything by one specific band. It seems like record labels are aware of this, and use it to their advantage so that people will buy 3 different versions of one record when it comes out. I mean I'd rather see a record label get money for their release than some lucky jerk on eBay. I just think that it's not necessary to press 10 different versions of a record just for collector value. I mean honestly I'd like to have a colored version than a black pressing, but if I don't get one, I'm fine with the other. I listen to all my records, and it just seems pointless to me for people to buy a record they already have, and never listen to it. The records they take off the market could be going to someone who's never heard the band before. I'd rather spend $200 on many records than on one really rare one I'll never listen to.

LOST is right...

I've never really talked about my TV watching on here, but I've been watching ABC's Lost since it started. I feel like I keep watching it to figure out what's going on. Between the season finale last year, and the season premiere this year, I fell like no questions were answered, but now I've got even more questions. Do the writers even know where they're going with this? In the first 2 episodes, they haven't really explained anything, and now there's even more questions. I think I've lost interest, let them all die on that confusing island, I've stopped caring.

On a more positive note, the show Heroes on NBC is really awesome. Has a definate comic book vibe, and has been pretty interesting the first 3 episodes. It reminds me a little of one of my favorite comics, Rising Stars. Normal people developing super powers, and there's some mystery in terms of what exactly their powers are, and who's going to do what. I like it.

If This is Hardcore....

At what point did the ethics of punk become so perverted that "wigger" frat boys are now considered hardcore. I'd been reading the book, the Philosophy of Punk, which talks about the social and political movements associated with the punk scene. It seems weird that now, bands who promote things like "partying" and "ignorance" are now what's popualar.

"If this is hardcore, I'd rather be punk / If this is straight edge, I'd rather be drunk" -D.S.-13

I Don't Want to Grow Up

It's no secret that I'm going kicking and screaming into adulthood, but I just don't understand the mentality of people my age. It seems that people act one way in high school, another way in college, then it seems that the second they graduate they become boring adults. I feel like whenever I talk to someone from school, all people talk about is work. Work takes up a lot of my time, but it's not my main interest or the highlight of my day. It's sad that we have to be defined by our careers. It's the same thing with people in serious relationships, or married. At what point do hobbies and interests take a back seat to career and marriage? I mean I have a full time job, but once I'm done; I'm thinking about records, going to shows, band practice, painting/ drawing, riding my bike, etc... I don't want to seem immature, but why become a boring adult at 24, when you have plenty of time to "settle down" later in life. I want to keep my interests separate from my career. I'd rather talk about owning an original copy of the Clitboys 7", or that I showed my paintings in an art show, than talk about my stupid job.


"why should older mean boring/ why should kids only have fun"- I Object!

Who's gonna help when my body is broken?

As if I haven't complained about my job enough on here... I was supposed to get Health Insurance after working here for 6 months. However, It's more like 8 months by the time it becomes active. Apparently the insurance company needs 30 days to activate, then it has to activate on the first of the month. Rather than being punctual with this matter, and give me the paperwork early; they decided to wait until exactly 6 months had passed and gave me the paperwork a week later. I started on Feb 3, six months from then is Aug 3. My actual insurance won't be active until Oct 3... 2 months late! One of the major reasons I took this job was because I thought it would be nice to have benefits for once, and here it is 7.5 months later and absolutely nothing.

Since our country does not have universal healthcare, a lot of people like me are drawn to crappy companies with good benefits. If benefits packages were eliminated from the employment process, companies may actually have to increase the pay rate. However, the health care industry is so messed up from insurance in the first place, that anyone without insurance can instantly go bankrupt trying to pay bills to stay alive. It's ridiculous that money is actually a deciding factor in saving a life in the first place.

Anyway, lately my stomach's decided that whenever I put food in it that it doesn't want it in there anymore. Which leaves me with annoying cramps, and being afraid to eat much. Because of my stupid job, I'll have to pay for the doctor's visit myself. With insurance it would be $20, but w/o it will be probably in the $100 range (which is over a day's pay).

NO more SPEC work!

I came across No ! Spec yesterday, after talking about some of my recent client troubles at work. In the graphic design industry it seems pretty common that people will try to get you to do work for them without paying you. Speculative work would be a scenario where if you do this one thing, they'll pay you for the next thing. There is no contract or guarantee that more work or payment will come at all. Contests are also this way, in that it cheapens professional designers by having people spend their valuable time working on something with no compensation. As a professional designer, I can potentially be spending my time working on paid client work, or improving my portfolio. By wasting time on jobs with no benefits, it really serves no purpose from my standpoint.
The past few potential gigs I've lost due to artists who will lowball their rates to a ridiculous proportion. I don't think my rates are high at all, and I make them up based on the client, but it seems like clients themselves aren't willing to spend money for quality. I recently got in contact with someone who had wanted me to do an illustration for a t-shirt. We had a few back and forth e-mails, and then he told me that he had no budget to pay me but would give me free shirts and promised more work in the future. This job was also advertised on Craigslist as a "job," if it was advertised as "do stuff for me for free" I doubt anybody would have responded to it.
Clients: If you want quality work done, you're going to have to pay proportionally for it.
Designers: Don't sell yourself short, you cheapen all of us by bowing to the whim of these people. Clients should have to sell themselves to you just as much as you have to sell yourself to them.

Addicted to Oil

I might say that the only thing I ever agreed with George Bush on was his statement of "America is addicted to oil." I don't think he was sincere in his concern by a longshot, but the need for oil is a huge problem. Cars are getting bigger, and gas prices are getting higher, yet virtually no solutions have been put in place. Hybrid cars may get good mileage, but they are in limited supply, and cost more than a regular car. People can convert their cars to run on corn oil, but there is a lot of preparation involved in getting the oil and removing impurities that can clog up your car. Despite gas jumping up to $3 per gallon, there is no less amount of Hummers and SUVs. We're more or less backed against a wall, and are forced to pay whatever oil companies want us to pay. Oil companies post billions more in profits over the past year, because the cost of oil is so high. If the supply of oil was running lower, you'd figure it'd be more expensive to acquire/ distribute/ manufacture. I guess not, it probably costs the same, they just figured it would be about time to exploit America's need for it.
Oil puts us in a weird position, especially with things in the middle east, where the majority of our oil comes. Do you honestly think that America would care about who's in charge over there if we didn't have some sort of interest? There are oil fields in Iraq and Afghanistan, and if the US had someone in control that they could easily do business with, it makes getting oil over here much easier. Saudi Arabia is considered an ally, yet most of the 9/11 terrorists were from there. If all the terrorists in that plot were from Iraq, you know we would have bombed the shit out of it within a few hours. They say that "war makes strange bed fellows," but now it seems that our greed is making for some strange bedfellows.
What can you do? Nothing, sit back and take it? Pretty much, however since it's you who ultimately chooses where to stop when you go for gas, you can choose who gets your hard earned cash. Keep in mind there's no such thing as a "Mom and Pop" oil company, they're all big evil corporations, but Exxon/Mobil is the biggest oil company in America. Maybe if everyone stopped going there, and distributed their potential profits across the board prices could go down. If you need a reason to boycott Exxon/Mobil, remember the Exxon Valdez? If you don't, click here. A Gigantic oil split ruined the wildlife and economy of a small town in Alaska. Did you know that Exxon hasn't paid any reparations to that town since 1986, and it's been 20 years since the accident and it's still not back to where it was before the accident. Exxon/Mobil could care less about you, why should you feel loyal to them? There's tons of gas stations around, it's your money... Use it with a conscious

FYI: When I got my license in 1997, gas was $.89 in NJ, which has full service gas stations. Today, gas is $3 or more for unleaded. Seems a little bit ridiculous, doesn't it?

Pointless Fest review AKA: I Hate the Kids

I had originally planned to do a full review of all the bands I caught, and recount the events of the past weekend. However, if you've been reading various messageboards lately, you may have heard about a riot at this year's Pointless Fest. I'm not going to spread rumors, just stick to an account of what I saw.

THURSDAY
Ray, Katy, and me got there a little late, and totally missed Carpenter Ant. The only thing I have by them is their first 7", which kinda sucks, but I hear they got a lot better. Got there in the middle of Witch Hunt. I unfortunately wasn't able to get any pictures of them, since I couldn't stalk out a good spot. Witch Hunt recently added a new drummer, and their old drummer moved to second guitar. Their new stuff is really really good, I didn't get a chance to pick up their new LP though due to the fest ending early. They ended with the song, "Twenty Five" which reminds me a lot of the Degenerics' "Send in the Clones."


Fighting Dogs were next. I had seen them a bunch of times, and they've always been really good. Since recording their LP they've added a new guitar player and bass player. I guess I should mention that the second guitar player is female and handles half of the vocal duty. Pretty awesome stuff, I picked up the CD of their newer demo.


No Hope For the Kids was the main reason I was willing to venture to Philly on a Thursday. Musically, NHFTK is very melodic punk, from Denmark, that's extremely catchy. They flew out just to play this fest, so I knew that if I didn't go I may never get to see them. Aside for a little argument between members at the beginning, I thought they were awesome. I had a pretty good spot for pictures also. Played all the songs I wanted to hear, and a lot of people knew the songs.

After that, Hellshock played. I never really heard them before, but gave them a shot. The sounds was almost more metal sounding than anything really punk. The vocals were screamed, with double bass drums. Maybe it was just such an extreme difference from NHFTK, but we left early since we had work in the morning.

FRIDAY
Since we got there late yesterday and missed the first band and part of the second band, we decided to leave early. We wound up catching the last 2 Violation songs. Doors were at 7, and we got there at 7:30 so they must've been running pretty early. I've seen Violation like 3 times before, and they're not bad. They're from Philly, so I'm sure I'll get to see them again soon.

Pissed Jeans was next, and I've seen them about 3 or 4 times, and knew what to expect, but wasn't sure what the Pointless Fest crowd would think. Their sound is a heavy stoner punk, and their singer is a maniac. Couldn't get close enough to take pictures, but enjoyed just watching them. They closed with a song off their new single, "I Don't Need Smoke To Make Myself Disappear," which is a slow droning long song. There were a few heckles from the crowd, but people seemed to be into it for the most part.


I was also unsure of what people would think of Government Warning. When Career Suicide played the fest 2 years ago, it seemed like maybe 10 people were really into it, but those 10 people loved it. I made sure to get a spot right against the stage so I could take pictures, which was great, but I got pushed pretty hard into the stage and the speaker a few times. Government Warning has 2/3 of Direct Control, and have a similar old hardcore punk sound, but more melodic. They played a bunch of new songs off their "No Moderation" LP, which was available for the first time at the fest. Thanks to the internet though, it seemed pretty much everyone in the front already downloaded the LP and knew the new songs. They also covered the Descendents, Vile and the Adolescents. I would say they were hands down the best band on this fest.

World/Inferno was next, and I really wasn't interested. I took this free time to go to the record room, and go shopping. I wound up dropping around 50 bucks on records, mostly from the Government Warning table's distro boxes. I had planned on picking up the rest of the items on my shopping list the next day, so I didn't bring all the money I took out. This moderation proved to be a bad decision.

Around 10:30, someone came into the record room and made an announcement that the show was over, and the cops were there. This meant that Severed Head of State wouldn't get to play. When I left the show, I saw a paddy wagon in the middle of the street to the left, and lots of cops with clubs running down the street on the right. There were also news cameras; that would be my cue to exit. When I got to the car, I saw a helicopter hovering over the church so I knew something really bad must've went down.

When I got home, I saw a lot of messageboard posts about how the squatter punks had a riot with the cops. Let me explain, people travel to this show to not see bands, but hang out in the alley on the side of the church and get wasted. These people are a cross between homeless people and hippies and sometimes have dogs with them. They smell and look terrible, from not showering or eating well. Apparently they'd been harassing people in the neighborhood, which got the police in the area. From what I hear, there was an altercation where a group of these "punks" surrounded and attempted to overpower a cop, which was when backup was called and a riot of sorts broke out. None of this would have happened, however, if they were inside watching the bands. So the actions of a few idiots who decided it was cool to be an asshole and travel to Philly to hang out outside the show ruined everyone's weekend.

SATURDAY
After reading that the show was cancelled, I conceded and showered. However around 1pm it was announced that at one of the after party shows that was already scheduled, that Kylesa, No Hope For the Kids and the other out of state/country bands would get to play at the Mill Creek Tavern at 9pm. After destroying some burritos, Ray and me got there, and it was already almost packed. This show was 21+, since it is a bar which in theory should keep the riff raff out. However, the trouble-makers from the night before were probably my age and older.


I haven't seen Kylesa in a few years, and to my surprise they've upped the ante with 2 drummers! I've always loved Kylesa a lot more live than recorded, but I'm still really excited to hear any new stuff with this 2 drummer line-up. They sound a lot heavier than before, and it works really well for them. For some reason I have no interest in metal sounding stuff in the summer, but in the winter I listen to metal a lot. Must have something to do with the weather.

Dismal were supposed to play the after party show anyway, but were also on the fest. I wasn't really too into it, sounded like heavy metallic crusty hardcore. Not generally a bad thing, just didn't really stick out as anything too different. People seemed to like them...

Thought Crime was next, and were laughable terrible. If you were to make the most generic punk band ever, it would sound like Thought Crime. Despite the awesome name, it just sounded like generic "smash the state" punk, complete with a British accent.


It was really awesome to get to see No Hope for The Kids two times, since they were supposed to play Sunday's show and I didn't plan to go to that. I think they played a lot better here than at the church on Thursday. They also played a new song, which was awesome. I had a different side of the stage for pictures this time, so I got some of the other guitar player, despite some chump who kept standing on the stage pretending to know the words.


Severed Head of State apparently played the after party show the night before, and were taking World Burns to Death's place on the show due to their drummer apparently having a seizure the night before. I have a bunch of SHOS records, but haven't listened to them in a few years. I wish I was more familiar with the majority of their songs, because they were fucking incredible. I had a spot on the left side of the stage for picture taking.

After that was the West Philly All-Star Oi! Tribute, however it was getting really late at that point and we made the trek back to NJ, getting home around 3am. Overall, it was a really good time, I just wished it went more according to plan. It just sucks that the actions of a few assholes had to ruin a lot of people's weekend, and ruin future Pointless Fests.

"If you contribute nothing, you deserve nothing; if you contribute something, you deserve everything"- Jack Control (SHOS)

iPod RIP (?)

So I got an Ipod back in March, and since that time, it's forgotten half my songs on at least 2 occasions. This past Wednesday, my work computer decided to shut itself down out of nowhere, with my iPod attached. When I restarted it, the iPod didn't show up, so I had to disconnect it unsafely. When I turned it back on, I wanted to see if I lost some of the recent things I put on there. To my surprise, I lost EVERY song on there. I plug it back in, and It tells me there's some sort of volume error, and I'd need to reformat. So I do, and spend the next half hour + loading up all the music I have on my work computer. I take it home, and plug it in there, and I get the volume error message again, and it doesn't read it in iTunes. It tells me to refomat again, so fine, I do. I spend an hour + loading up the music from my home computer. I unplug it from the computer, and instead of a menu, there's a folder with an Exclamation point on it. Under the folder icon reads "http://apple.com/ipod/support," not good. I go to the site, which offers no help. I remember I got a 2 year warranty with Best Buy, so I went back to show them that it's dead. As it stands now, they have to do testing to see if it can be repaired, which takes 3 days. After that if it can be repaired, it will be gone for 2-3 weeks. If it's definately dead, I'll get a new one.

Way to go Apple, you've really got a stellar product on your hands!

related post: http://bleedingedges.net/blog/2006/05/ipod-2-months-later.html

UPDATE (8/8/06): I got a call yesturday that Best Buy's Geek Squad was able to restore it. It seems ok for now, but I'm sure if something goes wrong, you'll hear me complaining again.

Apparently I should look different...

So I was out in public earlier this week (something I try to avoid as much as possible), and someone told me they expected me to be more social. I guess on the surface, you'd see a shaved head, earrings and tattoos; I guess that's generally associated with more open types. For me, it's not really a sign of wanting to seem like something I am not, It's just how I am. The shave head is due to my fucked up curly hair, which grows in unnatural directions. I had shaved my head a few years ago out of being sick of slopping gel on my head to make it look somewhat normal. When I tried growing it out over the winter, I realized that my hair not only curls, but parts itself in the dumbest places. The earring for the most part were gotten out of boredom, and I've probably only changed each of them once, and never take them out. They're just kinda there. The tattoos are I guess a little different. As an artist myself, I like the idea of having art on my body. I'm not going to lie and say I enjoy the pain, or it's not too bad, because I'd be lying. But generally speaking all my tattoos are generally covered up. The ones on my arm are usually covered in a short sleeve shirt, but in the summer the ones on my legs are more visible. It's not that I'm ashamed of them, But I got them for myself not to make people thing I'm a tough guy or anything like that. Plus most of my tattoos are the nerdiest things ever. I guess I could end this with the ol' "don't judge a book by it's cover" adage; despite my outward appearance, I'm still a shy, socially awkward nerd at heart.

Fuck You, Senator!

...a lot of kids don't know what work is. They think work is a four-letter word -Hillary Clinton

Dear Senator Clinton:

My name is Jeff DeSantis, I represent the generation you speak of with no work ethic. My problem with work is not that I feel entitled to a great paying job with no effort, but the fact that I've put forth the effort to no rewards. I went through High School, then to a county college, then to a 4 year state college; I posses a HS diploma, an Associates Degree, and a Bachelors degree. I graduated in 2003, and it took me 2 and a half years to find a job in my field. I wouldn't say I felt I deserved a six figure salary job, but I felt (and still feel) that I was somewhat entitled to a job that would be complimentary to the efforts I had made with my education. I currently have a job, where I am underpaid, that I took in order to gain experience and have it on my resume that I worked full time doing what I went to school for. Jobs don't want people with no work experience, but you can't get experience without a job, so we're all supposed to take low paying jobs in order to get experience. What was college for? I certainly didn't get enough experience to get a job there.

It's not that we expect work or that we think work is something bad, since a child we were told: go to school - go to college - get a job. Now the fact that we have trouble finding jobs, and when we do it's something we don't want to do just so we can pay off our student loans. I bet your daughter didn't go unemployed for 3 months after college because she couldn't find work. I bet she didn't work at a retail job, since her student loan payments were coming up, and she needed money. I'm sure that she found a job right out of college due to her parent's connections. I'm sick of privileged people who've had things handed to them based on who their parents know, turn around and call me lazy because I don't have the same advantages as them.

You say we're lazy, you say we hate work; but we've worked hard and got nowhere, and we see people who just knew the right people have no problems finding their first job within weeks of graduating. I've been through your system, I've done everything we'd been told to get a job, and now when it comes time for the pay off we're thrown scraps. We see no benefit in hard work, and it's not our problem it's the economy and work environment. So, in closing, FUCK YOU SENATOR CLINTON!

Sincerely,

Jeff DeSantis
- Generation Y representative

Reunions are lame

In the past few years there's been a lot of old hardcore or punk bands reuniting. I can't honestly say I care about seeing the majority of them. There are various circumstances for reunions, for a purpose, for fun, or for money. The first two I have no problem with really. It's that last one that's shitty. Bands have done reunions as benefit shows, which is cool because you know the money they make is going to a good cause, and a lot more people than usual will go since it's a special reunion show. Another purpose could be an unreleased record or discography being released, and to celebrate such thing the band gets together and plays another show. I've seen shows where all the members happen to be at the same show, and on the spot decide to play a few songs together. Sometimes these lead to the band burying old arguments and deciding to be a productive band again, like the State and Lifetime recently.

Other bands, especially the straight edge ones, who do reunions don't stand behind all the values their songs once preached. Bands like Youth of Today and Carry On members both stopped being sXe after they broke up, but when they got together sang the same songs. It takes the meaning and passion away from the music, and contributes even more to straight edge looking like a joke. Now the Gorilla Biscuits are doing a reunion tour, after their one time reunion to "save" CBGB's last year. Again, a straight edge band who went on to form bands featured in car commercials. I mean I love the Gorilla Biscuits, and they were one of the first HC bands I got into, but I have no interest in seeing them in a shitty rock club with for like 20-30 bucks. I'd rather see current bands sing Gorilla Biscuits covers, and actually stand behind the lyrics.

"why play for us if your heart's not in it"- Gorilla Biscuits

It's kind of sick that within the hardcore/punk scene it's actually a possibility to do a reunion for the money. People seem to be more concerned that they're seeing the original members doing the old songs again, and aren't concerned with the moral conflict of them singing about things they no longer believe.

Stalemate

Hmm, maybe I've talked myself out. I bought a few new records recently, took some pictures, made some flyers, did some new stencil paintings, and made my first show poster. Other than that, I haven't really done much interesting stuff.

On a side note, the recent trend of people showing up to hardcore shows late, then staying outside until the band they want to see plays, then leaving afterward is pathetic. These same people complain about hardcore not being interesting any more, and how there's no good bands. This also goes for the bands, a lot of bands will show up, load in their gear, leave then come back to play, then leave or stay outside for the rest of the bands. You can give all the shoutouts during your set you want, but you're not fooling anybody because you weren't watching those bands you were just praising. The real kids can see the fake ones a mile away.

grr record player issues...

So for some reason my record player doesn't like to work in the summer. Maybe it's the heat, but it seems pretty ridiculous. I will sometimes play once, then when the arm goes back automatically, it won't stay down, or won't go onto a new record. So needless to say, it's very frustrating. I'll review these 2 records I got last week based on what I could get to hear.


Look Back and Laugh- Street Terrorism
A new 7" by one of the best current bands these days. I picked this up when I saw them last week, and boy is it great. Their sound is pretty fast harsh energetic hardcore punk. Pretty much picks up where the last LP left off. This one even has a sick intro, and maybe a little more (dare I say) melodic. Vocals are still harsh as ever, and I'm still surprised a female singer can sound that fierce. It's great, I want more.


Siege- s/t
This LP has the classic 7", which is pretty much the foundation for grindcore. What can I say about siege, it's essential stuff and influenced a lot of heavy fast hardcore bands. It's waaaay faster than anything else that came out in 1983, and is awesome.

Poison Control- demo (cassette tape)
Luckily I don't need a record player (or a cd player) for this one. First off, the demo came on a cassette with a photocopied cover. May not seem like a big deal, but it's been too long since I've gotten one of these. I caught this band last week with LBAL, and they were awesome. Really cool old sounding hardcore punk that kinda reminds me of the Freeze. Lyrically, they touch on politics and conspiracy, as well as growing old in the scene. It's really good, and adds to the long line of great bands currently blossoming from the Boston area.

New policy on junk mail

So if you're like me, I'm sure you get at least 3 credit card applications per week in the mail. I saw this on 60 Minutes (yea, why was I watching that?), that since they always send you postage paid envelopes, just send it back. I used to just tear it in half, then throw it in the recycling basket. It's so much more satisfying to fold it back into the envelope they gave, and have them foot the bill to get their own junk back. I even fold up the envelope they sent the original letter in. Make sure to tear off any info to avoid revenge from the credit card company, and have fun.

"Why? Cuz Fuck 'em"

Mac Users Are Pretentious Assholes

I'm sure you've seen these dumb commercials on TV recently. If not you can see them on the apple site. Basically it shows a hip youngster (symbolizing a Mac) talking about computers with some old square nerdy dude (symbolizing a PC). The Mac talks about how it runs better, is smaller and has no viruses. Now I'm no hacker, nor do I pretend to be, but if you made a big deal about not having viruses, I'm pretty sure that's going to be taken as a challenge. Now I can see a few years ago, Mac hard drive capacity was higher, and the operating system was a lot more stable compared to the PC and Windows. Nowadays, you can get as much memory in a PC as you can a Mac if you custom build it. I use a PC at home, and a Mac at work, and I can definitely say the Mac freezes a whole lot more than my PC with Windows XP. Mac also says that they can organize all your music, videos and pictures, however that can all be done through iTunes, which is a free download for PC and Mac.

Now I have no problem at all with Macs, I can't honestly say I prefer my PC to a Mac or vice versa. I just hate the stupid attitudes that Mac users have, where they think they're better than PC users. It's just a computer, get your head out of your ass. Most Mac users use their computers in the same way as a PC user, they just get to join an elite clique and pay more to do the exact same thing a PC does.

EDIT: The new Macs with the intel chips freeze up Adobe and Macromedia programs, which are extermely important to graphic design jobs. Graphic Designers are some of the most rabid Mac supporters, so it seems like a slap in the face that now they seem incompatible.

T-Mobile Can Suck It!

Last November I switched to T-Mobile. When I first started using it, the service was lousy, so I returned the phone and got a new one. It made things better, but only by 1 bar of service (which made it a total of 2 bars). On average I fluctuate between 0-2 bars, rarely more. I called back in January, because being a new customer, I was unsatisfied with my service. They said they'd send a technician over to check the area. I called back and then they agreed with me that the service was poor.

Fast forward to last night, I get sick and tired of just accepting the fact that my phone service has gone from bad to horrible I call up, and everyone I talk to is really nice, but offer no help. They suggest changing SIM cards, turnign the phone off and on, and re-searchign for a network. The problem however is that my home area is graded "fair" service, but only outdoors. Basically nothing can be done to make me have better service at my house, except to build a new tower. I'm under contract until next November, so basically my options are to sit back and take it up the ass from T-Mobile, or cancel and pay the cancelation fee then switch to Verizon. I even asked if there's anything I can do, since they basically told me that I get bad service in my area. One of the people I talked to even tol me that they themselves only get 1 bar of service in their house, and suggested I use a land line when in my house. WHY WOULD I PAY YOU 60 BUCKS A MONTH, SO I CAN USE A LAND LINE T-MOBILE? I asked that since I want to cancel my account because I'm not getting my fullest service, not by my own negligence, can I get a discount on the cancellation fee. They said if I got NO service they would waive the cancellation fee, but because I get SOME service they couldn't. As it stands, a technician is coming by Friday, and I'm sure they'll tell me the same old story. At this point, if I continue paying my cntract, I will in total be paying T-Mobile around $325, if I cancel now I pay them $200. To me, it's a loss, but to not give them $125 of my hard earned cash for a horrible service might be worth it.

The big payoff...

As as a follow up to my blog on education, I figured I should talk about where my own personal education and experience has gotten me. After graduating TCNJ with a BFA in Graphic Design, I went 2 and a half months without being able to even get so much as an interview. Then, out of desperation and needing to pay student loans and other bills , I took a job at a small bookstore. I figured I could do this shitty little job while looking for a real job. 2 years later, and not nearly enough interviews later I get laid off due to bad/shady business decisions of my former employer. I enjoy the fruits of unemployment for 6 months, while working a few part time jobs here and there. Then, with 1 month left of unemployment benefits left, I find a full time job. I've been at this job for 4 months now, and still have yet to see anything I've produced actually get made. I feel like I do nothing, since everything I do seems to get wasted. In the grand scheme of things, I've learned that when working 40 hours a week, it's nearly impossible to look for a new job at the same time. And the big payoff is... The transition from shit retail job, to professional graphic designer really only gave me a 3 dollar an hour pay increase. End result being that I can pay off my bills and buy lunch each day, but pretty much do nothing else (and by bills I don't mean rent money, since I can't afford an apartment). A lot of people complain that they're underpaid, I'm about $4 an hour underpaid for what I SHOULD be paid, and more like $10/hr. less than what I WANT to be paid.

So basically, I feel that I got where I am based on my own skills and dedication rather than any outside help from anyone. At no point did TCNJ, or even the Unemployment office help me with finding a job. People who didn't waste their time on school have the benefit of no student loans, plus they didn't waste 4-5 years of their life learning useless subjects, so they are potentially able to enter the "industry" earlier. Basically, nobody's going to do anything for you that doesn't benefit themselves in some way; you have to fend for yourself to get anywhere.

Punk's not Dead!?

For as long as I've been going to shows (about 10 years or so) I've heard the phrase "punk's not dead" about as much as "punk's dead." It seems no matter how old or how young you are, people will always complain that "shows aren't like they used to be." I'm kind of in the middle age group, too old for the young new kids and too young for the old dudes. I've watched people come and go, luckily it's the good and sincere people who stick around for the most part.

I guess my own definition of what punk is and its relation to hardcore. Punk rose up from bands who were sick of disco and arena rock, and were more influenced by tripped down rock and roll than what was occupying the airwaves at the time. However, in a few short years the fashion and lifestyle seemed to take a front seat, and punk wasn't something hidden away. Around 1979 is when punk was more or less considered officially "dead." A lot of bands who were punk decided to add crappy keyboards and go new wave. However at the same time there were people who saw what punk was, and what it could have been. Bands like Black Flag and Minor Threat took to releasing their own records, and booking their own tours which essentially kick-started the DIY hardcore scene. A lot of people will try to tell you that "hardcore" is and always has been about being tough and "hard," not so. Hardcore merely referred that they were more passionate, passionate about their music and their community. This phase of hardcore punk was considered "dead" around 1986, when all the founding bands had either broken up or started to sound like bad metal bands.

So if punk died in 1979, and hardcore died in 1986, then why re there still punk and hardcore shows now? Simply put, hardcore punk didn't die... The people who were into it at the time lost interest and wrote it off. Rather than see that things changed, and make an effort to do something about it, people choose to move on with life. There are currently tons of people in DIY hardcore bands who tour all over the world, release their own records and book their own shows. The music can be just as raw as ever, these bands still exist but you have to put forth the effort.

Nowadays the garbage on the radio, while it may certainly be punk-influenced, it has nothing to do with punk. Operation Ivy said "music [is]somehow more than just sound," which I think explains punk perfectly. While these bands can get a fashion makeover and look punk, the fact of the matter is that a real punk wouldn't care about looking good for a photo shoot or making a music video. People view this as what modern punk is all about, and I can see where people would definitively say punk had died long ago. These new bands all over MTV2, regardless of where some of them were they have long forgotten their punk roots by catering to the corporate rock machine. Bands like Green Day and AFI at one time used the DIY touring network to tour the country and get their name out there. These bands then turned to the type of bands who play major label showcases and radio station festivals. Bands like this do not represent people who are passionate about keeping out scene away from those who want to exploit it. I'd say that the punk bands on the surface are so far removed from the ethics and values we have that it's not even punk anymore. There are still people who care, there are still bands that care, you just have to care enough to find them.

"If Punk is Dead, Then What The Hell Is This?"- taken from the back cover of the "Not So Quiet on the Western Front" compilation LP (1982)

ImmigrationMasturbation

There's been a lot of talk about immigration lately, out of nowhere to get everyone's minds off the failing "war" abroad. It seems odd to be much of a political issue, since many large corporations and rich folk alike love immigration. Why pay someone a fair day's work when some illegal immigrant will do it for half the price? They don't get rich by being honest... The fact of the matter is that it's impossible to guard every stitch of our borders, even the parts that don't touch land could potentially enable someone to come in illegally. You can't put a wall up on our coastline and have people guard it constantly. A lot of it seems to be more concerned with Mexican immigrants than Canadian immigrants, which is more of a thinly veiled racist issue. I don't have any statistics, but I'm sure there's a good number of Canadian illegals here as well.

I had a Canadian friend who had moved to America, and married an American. You'd think that'd be enough to convince immigration to grant a citizenship, nope. He got a work green card, but the process to become a legal US citizen was so much of a hassle that him and his wife moved to Canada. First of all it was extremely expensive, then he had to list every organization he'd been a member of since the age of 18. This included internet sites and mailing lists. I know I've probably signed up for tons of useless crap on the internet I could never remember. The problem begin that if they find out you omitted an affiliation, you could be denied citizenship and be out your money and basically screwed. Another thing that was weird was that you couldn't leave the country for a year. I mean if you're coming from Canada or Mexico, chances are you have friends/family there. You wouldn't be able to see them for a year? That hardly seems fair, I think there should be a little more leeway within the continent of North America. If anything, it's almost flattering that so many people want to join our country, but if there's such a problem with them being there legally, there should be some effort to make it easier to obtain legal citizenship.