Seattle Dispatch 5/10

I walked into the Sunset Tavern in Ballard after a lengthy bus ride from Capitol Hill on Saturday
night. Earlier in the day, I heard Sailor Mouth was playing a show, and while I wasn't sure who else was playing, I figured if nothing else I’d enjoy their set and leave happy and a little buzzed for the bus ride home. I was pleasantly surprised when Dogs of War, Gladiators and Caligula also took the stage and delivered the type of loud, heavy, rock and roll I was looking for.

The first band, Dogs of War, lived up to their name perfectly. Their stage presence is all about
power stances and vicious melodic assaults on the audience. Drum beats roll in like a B-52 bomber,
laying waste to the ground below it; guitars rattle away like machine guns before breaking into
harmonized riffs and break downs, all while lyrics are barked into the mic. I’m stoked to see these guys play again, and I’ll definitely be keeping my eyes open.

After the dogs, came the Gladiators. Gladiators Eat Fire, and their style of psychedelic post-
hardcore, are an amazing treat to watch live. The singer, Mark, bobs and weaves around the stage,
swaying alternating between screaming his lungs out and softly singing. The guitarist Brian hangs his head low, tapping along the fret board with his hair obscuring his face. There is sweat flying from the
drummer Ian's brow, James makes his bass rumble along. There is a spacey interlude, then speed, and
then, there is chaos. I managed to ask Brian if the band had any pre-show rituals, to which he responded with a smile, “Everyone gets high except Ian.” A perfectly reasonable course of action, considering Ian plays the shit out of those drums and drives the whole beast directly into the crowds collective chest.

Sailor Mouth, a band I've had the unfortunate pleasure to see on several occasions, is always a
sleazy rock and roll delight. If you want hard driving rock and roll with growling vocals that give way to heavy grooves and filthy ballads about your girlfriend who fucked your drug dealer, then Sailor Mouth is exactly what you’re looking for. Seeing what Kale, the lead singer, will do at the live shows is half the fun. Whether gyrating on the mic stand or leaping around like a maniac, he is an excellent front man who knows how to entertain.

Caligula was the only band I was not yet familiar with before the show, and I was pleasantly
surprised when the opening chords reverberated through my chest cavity. Feeding off of stoner metal
bands past, Caligula delivers heavy crunching chords mixed with elements of hard rock. Bass drums
abound and the crowd collectively banged their heads along. But, you know, in that Seattle slightly-
subdued-but-still-way-into-it kinda way.

The Sunset Tavern, located at 5433 Ballard Ave NW in Seattle, is a great venue with a decent bar
too. If you find yourself in Ballard and want to catch a good show, I highly recommend it. Shows are
booked almost every night in May. You’re sure to find one that suits your tastes at sunsettavern.com.
For next shows from each of these bands, check out the Fringe Music Calendar!


Written by: Pete GK
Peter “Rottentail” GK was born in a suburb of Philadelphia and spent much of his youth begrudgingly surrounded by Dave Matthews Band super fans. He has written music as “Peter Rottentail”, with 1 split CD released by the House of Filth Collective in Indiana PA, and has had 3 poems published. A punk, a poet, and a college graduate, Pete now resides with his girlfriend and roommate in Seattle. He spends his free time writing, petting his roommate’s cat, and softly banging his head while listening to Light Bearer.

Burial Suit - 2014 Demo

Hardcore isn't something I think of when I think of Olympia music. Even long term Olympia institutions, like GAG, have their roots in something else. I find Olympia hardcore to be incredibly old-school, maybe with some outside element to bring it forward, but Blank Boys and Kill Shot sounded like they were birthed in California in the early eighties.

Burial Suit doesn't fit into this model. Their music is still undeniably formed from a serious foundation of punk rock, but in the tradition of bands like Last Lights and Gallows, there's some palpable noise influence, and the metallic edge is gleaming for all to see.

This demo is a breath of fresh air, not just for Olympia, but for the world of hardcore at large. Kicking off with a discordant, watery ambiance piece may be an over-done approach, but showing their ability to keep it down and build mood while approaching the inevitable slowdown and feedback ring-out, really grabbed me. Doing a musical intro on a demo might seem like a risky endeavor. I personally think it conjured ideas of the future. It really showcases the band's ability to create a scene, musically. Engaging the listener. Perhaps they could even employ this tactic and give us an album that flows better than something by Pink Floyd or Nine Inch Nails; gods of the concept album.

The first actual song on this demo is a the break-neck, "Broken." It's short and brutal. The drums are demanding. The guitars blast through, with punk-like simplicity, and metal-like precision. Chanting back-ups once again stir thoughts of classic punk in cramped back rooms, while the powerful growls of the leader hearken to a simpler time of brutal death metal. It reminds me of Trash Talk in that way.

The second actual song starts out like something from Comeback Kid, but the second you hear the vocals it loses that. There's no whiny kid leading this outfit. The guy who's in charge here sounds like he ate that guy from CBK for breakfast. The conviction from the entire band really make this track stand out. There are some amazing starts and stops. Most of all, the lyrical content of, "Salesman! Bastard Salesman!' is really relatable. Who hasn't felt like screaming for hours on end after an annoying run-in with some douche at a Verizon Counter? ...or even worse, a car lot? This track really demonstrates the versatility these guys can bring to one song. Just how variable their sound is. How quickly they can glide through that shit.

The last track has a melancholy guitar intro that breeds a feeling of loneliness, then blows straight into intense blast beats. It's fucking unsettling... Then comes the noise break. I think you get where I'm going. It's another master piece hidden right in plain sight.

The demo as a whole is very minor key, dark, diverse, tight as a drum, fast as fuck, and full of the kind of power that could put these guys on the circuit with some of the biggest names in the industry. If you missed them at Bleak Outlook, you'll have to start stalking their Facebook. These guys aren't slated to play Capital City Punk and Core Fest, or Rain Fest. Which was a mistake by the bookers in both cases.

Adam! France talks tour, solo work, and sad times

Adam! France (that's the way he writes it. I swear to God,) is quite talented, quite sweet, and quite handsome. As if swinging around that beautiful guitar in Burn Burn Burn, or hollering in Violent Occurrence weren't enough to get your lady's panties wet; the man also busts out some amazingly heartfelt acoustic work. Trust me, if it was good enough to get me feeling like a rainy October day, it'll melt your lady in seconds.

He recently released three tracks of this gloomy singer-songwriter business on a split shared with Old Growth. To spread the word about this amazing collection of acoustic punk fare, both parties decided to embark on a short tour through the western United States. This was Adam's first tour without a band behind him. In fact, it was the first time he'd taken his solo act out of WA. With the exception of a few little sets on the Burn tour, trying to kill time. According to him, it couldn't have gone better. It was a big gamble. Going out on the road as a solo acoustic act. An unknown, solo acoustic act at that. The risk seemed to be compounded by the fact he was touring with another acoustic project. Playing all acoustic shows. Adam had never played anything but opening sets for punk and hardcore bands... How could it ever work?

Very simply, seemed to be the answer. To hear him tell it, there was one iffy show at the beginning, and everything just got better from there.  Luckily, every show took place where Adam had friends. There was always a floor to crash on. Always a shower to clean up in. They even got to cook on few occasions, which is quite rare on the road. If you didn't know. They always made enough money to pay gas to the next gig. From what I heard, it was a old road-dog's dream.

Funnily enough, there were no old road-dogs on the tour. Adam has toured before in Burn, but he's only been with them for a year and a half. The guy's is only just turning 24. The other guys were younger than him. Adam sounded like he had a good time advising these guys. Being the older, more experienced one of the group. Which is fitting, considering the split they were touring behind was considerably more mature than any of his earlier releases.

Adam started this solo project in February of 2012. He kind of fell apart after his long-term girlfriend left him. You can hear the hurt in his voice when he talks about it to this day. Not a fresh hurt, but an old, scarred wound that has created strength and growth. I'm sure the scar runs deeper and the growth was more profound, thanks to losing his childhood dog at the same time. The pain is there for all to hear on the "Losing" EP. Those songs were some of Adam's favorites. More straight forward and angry. They really lay the groundwork for his career. Recorded alone, in his bedroom, the whole thing comes off like a heart-crushing, coming of age story, told in the most sincere way. The natural environment of heart break is one's bedroom. You can tell that's where this was made. It worked. That's probably why he kept doing it.

His "Learning and Leaving" EP came next and carried the same vibe. Maybe a little more confidence. He'd already done it once. Experience and dedication where very apparent. By that time he had already been encouraged by Drew Smith, of Burn Burn Burn, to open a few shows and really get those heartbreak anthems out there.

As far as I know, the new split was also a bedroom composition. The lyrics aren't so much about terrible women. He's still frustrated, to be sure. It was the initial listen to this EP that gave me insight into Adam's melancholy approach to acoustic punk. That being the case, the rest of his catalog confirmed what he told me. That he's trying to leave that behind. Be a cry-baby no more.

No matter what you feel about acoustic music, singer-songwriters, or Adam's other projects you should get into his solo stuff. It's different. It's touching. It never, ever, sounds like Bright Eyes. It definitely seems like Adam's number one priority. I'm personally a big fan, because it gives a moving look into a massive talent, keen intellect, and deeply sensitive heart. All the while remaining uncompromising, vicious, and honest.

Fools Rush, What a Bunch of Fucking Professionals

Portland, Oregon based punks, Fools Rush, finished up a Washington tour last week. I caught up with them at the Track House last Sunday. I couldn't believe how great they were. The energy was amazing. There was an edgy, gritty feeling to their entire set. The vocals were melodic and beautiful but heartfelt and on the verge of screams, the guitars were graceful and elegant, but still noisy and aggressive... and OH MY GOD that drummer! It was like mathy pop-punk for a gilded gutter. I had never heard them before, and simply showed up expecting to cover another lack-luster punk show, put on by bands I've seen twenty times. It was an amazingly gob-smacking happenstance. They set up quick, spent minimal time talking, and still managed to look effortless and laid-back. The two seconds between songs were filled with awesome one-liners, that off-set the massive sound perfectly.

After the set, I caught up with these guys hoping to get a little insight into the band and what they were doing at a house show in Olympia. I was pleased to find the members of Fools Rush were warm and comical. Humble and gracious. Something often missing from touring bands. Especially ones with this much command over their demanding material. I found out that Drew Smith of Burn Burn Burn had hooked them up with OPP. Damn, Olympia Pyrate Punx, you always do this. Great bands in town, simply because your organization exists.

I found out that Fools Rush was founded by guitarist/ lead singer, Alden, as an acoustic project. He carried the name through many states, got to Portland, and started up a band. None of those guys are in the band anymore. The current incarnation had played about a dozen shows before this tour, with the drummer having been around a lot longer. They started out in Richland, went up to Seattle, got detained on the Canadian border and weren't allowed in due to a lack of work visas, played (and scored free pizza) in Bellingham two nights in row, and finished up in humble Olympia at the Track House. From what it sounds like, every stop was great. The crowd was always awesome and someone even handed them a Benjamin in Bellingham to get a hotel room. Once again, touring WA proved to be an awesome time to people who had no idea what to expect.

As we parted ways, Fools Rush made sure I had copies all of their CD's (DIY beauties in recycled packaging. One cover was printed on a Mike's Hard Cider box.), a hand screened shirt, hand screened (and I believe hand sewn) beer coozy, and some sick squid stickers. When I got home proudly wearing my new t-shirt, I took a listen and the recordings were every bit as awesome as the live show. Something I'm learning to be extremely surprised by. All of their shit is available for free download on Bandcamp. If you couldn't make any of the dates on this tour, do yourself a favor and go get this stuff ASAP.

Enemy Combatants - Ignorant Bliss

If you're a fan of Punkcore Records bands like, a Global Threat, or Clit 45; and enjoy the heavy breakdowns of hardcore bands like Backtrack, there's no reason not to love Enemy Combatants. Not unless, adding "fucking" to the middle of  word to ensure the proper amount of syllables will ruin a song for you.

Their Ignorant Bliss EP is straight punk. From the cover art that I can only assume is Rush Limbaugh slamming pain-killers and puffing a huge cigar, to the total run time of ten minutes and two seconds. Looking at the cover, I expected the tracks themselves to come off a lot more lo-fi. Enemy Combatants is a very DIY band, but you might not guess that from the recordings. The guitars are powerfully defined, the vocals are crispy, and the bass is present without sounding like a down-tuned guitar. The drums seem to have fallen prey to a lack of competent mics, however. The snare is kinda dull and low in the mix, but it still carries the band adequately. The most impressive thing is, I can't tell whether the guys practiced eight hours a day for a month prior, did a million takes, had amazing post production, or are just fucking machines. I couldn't find a single weak or misplaced note on the whole thing. I never got that cut-and-paste feeling that comes from heavy post production, either.

These four cuts give a telling cross section of what Enemy Combatants have to offer. From a typical street anthem about uniting and fighting back, to a low, metal-tinged intro on a song depicting the frustration that comes with a stagnant and abusive political system. The title track really stands out as an amalgam of hardcore and street. Tying together expertly delivered vocals, gang choruses, metallic hardcore breakdowns, and intricate guitar leads. The final track is a crowd pleasing sing-along. "Fuck You" isn't eloquent, it's repetitive, and it's everything that got me into punk in the first place. Telling the world that you refuse to conform, be led, or live within a superficial construct of what it means to be a person. Turning the anger that comes from constantly being forced into a position unfitting of a rat, into something positive. A joyful little ditty to get the kids up and moving.

If you're a lyric listener, and expect a certain level of articulate mastery in your verse/ chorus journey, you probably shouldn't bother. These messages weren't meant for you. The points made here are simple, but heartfelt. If you can look past choruses like, "The time is right, so u-fucking-nite," and "Fuck you, That's what we say. We don't need you. Hey! Hey!" or that happens to be what you're into, then the musicianship is really going to be worth your time.

4 out of 5

Shaun Is Trying To Start a Ska Scene, Bringing Bands Like Skandalism

I went down to Le Voyeur last night after getting a text from my friend Shaun. If you frequent Olympia punk shows, or have ever been to a Kill Shot show in Seattle or Tacoma, you probably know Shaun. He's the tall, lanky, kinda crusty guy who always has a big dopey smile on his face.

You see, Shaun randomly found Bay Area ska-punks, Skandalism, while listening to music online and saw that they were trying to fill a northwest date on their tour. Apparently, they worked out the kinks, and, with a little help from Olympia Pyrate Punx, Skandalism spent their Monday on the sunny beaches of Priest Point Park. From what I hear, it was all PBRs and PBJs until they headed back into town for the show. The guys in Skandalism were very impressed with Olympia's hospitality, the energetic crowd they were able to draw on a Monday night (which was, apparently, better than their Saturday show in Portland), and our record stores. They found a tape by their friends, "Tough Stuff" at Phantom City Records. It was nice to have them here on their first real tour. They said that they'd done San Diego before, but this was the first time they've been out longer than a weekend.

I got there a bit late and the band was covering Operation Ivy's "Knowledge" when I walked in. I had a hunch these guys were going to be young, annoying stereotypes. I was wrong. The musicianship was definitely there (although someone should have turned down the bass player's microphone). The songs were passionate. At times, surprisingly so. The style was blended with a lot of different flavors, including a token Leftover Crack break down. It was refreshing to find out that the Bay Area ska-punk sound of the late 80's and early 90's is still around, and doesn't seem to have become stale or stagnant. To top it all off, the guys were very nice and handed out copies of their album, "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Friends," along with really cool logo stickers.

On my way out, I caught up with Shaun, and he let me know that he plans to be booking a lot more ska shows here in Olympia. His one concern was getting locals. The conversation seemed to be centered on the fact that Oly-ska doesn't exist and Seattle ska is elusive at best. While Shaun has plenty of contacts in touring ska bands across the country, he's going to need a lot of help finding some locals to get on bills. That's going to have to get remedied quick, because Skandalism said they hope to back. Soon. Like, four months kind of soon. If no Washington ska bands step forward, they may be playing by themselves... again.

Hot Hoodoo Talk influences, direction, and plans for their new album.

I heard Olympia alternative band, Hot Hoodoo, for the first time while I was working the kitchen at the 4th Ave Tav. They reminded me of the Afghan Wigs, Mudhoney, Nirvana, and a lot more grungy nineties bands. When I saw them heading away for the night. I excitedly stopped them to ask if I could get an interview. I was super stoked when they agreed and I went home to think about what the hell I should ask these guys.

In preparation, I listened to the demos they have up on their Reverb Nation page. At first, I found myself wondering if I had found the right page. This band sounded a bit more ethereal, more trippy, and definitely more jazz-influenced. It was reminiscent of Pink Floyd and some stuff Josh Holme did for the desert sessions. Could it be the same guys? The track "Mother Liquor" brought to more familiar ground and I managed to assure myself these were the same guys I had seen days earlier.

So what now? All my interest was about that live show. This wasn't what I bargained for. I mean, I liked what I was hearing, but now I'm wondering what was more indicative of their sound. Who Hot Hoodoo really are. I decided to just ask the standard questions and see where we took it. I was glad to find out, those guys really didn't find the recordings to be a good representation of their sound either.

I met with Hot Hoodoo at the Gyro Spot, downtown. I've never interviewed anyone before this, despite being on the other side of the questions more than once. If I were to include the transcript, or the actual recording, you'd all get to see that I, as usual, got ahead of myself and talked a lot. Maybe too much. Probably more than the guys in the band. I was tired, kinda high, and really excited to finally sit down with some musicians and share some point of view. As such, I found it hard to stay focused and get what I came for. That being said, I feel like I got some good stuff out of these guys. Here's the interview without all the weird in-between bits, and Paulie stories:

Me: How long have you guys been playing together?

Grant: We've been a band for... What is this? The third year?

Tyson: I'd say like two years and three months, probably. So, a little over two years, yeah.

Me: How'd you guys end up working together?

Grant: Tyson and I went to high school together. We jammed. Just the two of us.

Tyson: We've been jamming since we were pretty young, and then we met Josh through another guitarist that used to be in our band. We used to be a four piece.

Me: What are your major influences? I was listening to the stuff you've got up on Reverb today, and... to me, I heard some Josh Holme stuff. Like, maybe a little Queens of the Stone Age, maybe?

(Confused looks from all three members of Hot Hoodoo.)

Me: I don't know... Maybe that's just me...

Grant: Yeah, it seems like everyone who listens to it has a different impression.

Me: ..but you seem to have a little bit of a late 90's Seattle vibe in there.

Grant: Yeah, that's kinda what holds it together, but...

Tyson: Our style has kinda changed a little since we did those recordings. We're a little funkier now.

Grant: Stuff's changed, and those recordings didn't exactly sound like us.

Tyson: I remember when we recorded them, we recorded them very slow. Not a lot of energy. We're actually going in tomorrow. Starting our new album.

Me: Yeah. You guys are recording at South Sound Sound, right?

Tyson: Yeah.

Me: I recorded with that guy... [long, unnecessary story about my recording experience, why Jason Suko is awesome, and how other people I know had good experiences there.] You made the right choice.

Grants: Seems like a lot of bands, locally, are going to him too.

Tyson: Yeah, it seems like the big choice.

Me: We found him by accident. Just searched online, "recording studios in the Olympia area."

Grant: (Points at Tyson) Isn't that what you did?

Tyson: Yeah. (laughs)

Me: So, what can you tell me about that new album? I read somewhere... Is it supposed to be a concept album?

All: Yeah

Tyson: It's a concept album. It's uh...

Grant: Hopefully adding little tid-bits that aren't in our live set.

Tyson: We're gonna do more percussion work in the album than we do live. Add shakers. A lot of shaker work. Probably some bongo stuff, and...

Drums: There's a whole thing that you're supposed to do the album as you are live. Then it's like... you can make it so much cooler if you add all this crazy stuff to it.

Tyson: We want this album to be really rhythm heavy.

Grant: A lot of my favorite albums definitely have added stuff in there.

Tyson: The old psychedelic albums with all sorts of crazy stuff going on in them.

Me: You guys into Pink Floyd at all?

Grant: Yeah.

Tyson: I like a lot of Pink Floyd.

Me: I heard a lot of Pink Floyd in the guitar.

Tyson: I am a pretty big fan of Pink Floyd. So...

Me: Is there any other psychedelic stuff that heavily influences you?

Grant: (Points at Tyson) Hendrix for you, for sure.

Tyson: I like Hendrix. All that odd ball stuff. Fuzzy Duck.

Grant: It seems like we're both pretty into the psychedelic rock. Hendrix, the Doors, Cream.

Me: Do you guys have a mission statement as a band? Any political statement?

Tyson: We don't have a political statement yet. We just want to play as often as we can. Get as many people to listen to it as possible, I guess.

Me: What are your goals? Are you trying to make this a career?

Tyson: Try...

Me: Get a couple tours under your belt?

Tyson: Yeah. We're actually working on a tour this summer. Washington, Oregon, and California tour.

Grant: We'll try that and see what happens.

Tyson: We're starting to branch out a little more. Up until now we've only really been playing Olympia, Tacoma, Seattle.

Me: Have you guys done anything to promote your music outside of Washington?

Tyson: Not really. At all.

Grant: We've only had that little demo that we weren't super impressed with.

Tyson: We're waiting for this new album to come out and then we're really going to start pushin'. Pushin' everywhere.

Me: So I guess the obvious question... If you could play with any artist or band, living or dead, who would it be?

Grant: The band I'm really into is Kingston Wall. They're from Finland. They were in the 90's. Like, psychedelic rock.

Tyson: They are pretty cool. I'm gonna say Blind Melon. Yeah... I'm going with that.

Grant: Blind Melon? Interesting choice.

Josh: Love and Rockets?

Tyson: Yeah... Don't say "the Love Rockets."

Josh: Well, I'm super into punk rock music. So... I don't know though. I just like bands that have tons of energy.

Me: So like, Bad Brains then?

Josh: Bad Brains is a good band!

Me: Back flips on stage.

Grant: That's what you need to do, Josh. Back flips on stage. It will improve our stage-presence exponentially.

Me: So what are everyone's names and what do you play? I should have started there, and I totally skipped it.

Tyson: I'm Tyson. I play the guitar.

Josh: I'm Josh, on bass.

Grant: Grant on drums.

Me: I think I have everything I need. Wait... do you guys have a time you hope the new album will come out?

Tyson: Shooting for early May.

Me: Do you guys already have your art work planned out? Order of Songs?

Grant: We have our order of songs. That's where we're really struggling. Our album art.

Tyson: We have ideas, but...

Me: Are you going to get an artist to do it? Are you guys artistically inclined? You gonna do it yourselves?

Grant: We're not terribly artistically inclined, and we don't really know anyone that's a good artist.

Me: I know some artists who have done album art. Maybe I could put the word out.

Grant: That would be cool. We were thinking that cool, psychedelic, Israeli Gears type of album cover would be awesome, but none of us has the aptitude at it.

Me: Maybe we can put that up in the interview and see if anyone wants to get back to you.

Tyson: Do it. Yeah.

Grant: Yes, because if we're in charge of the art it would turn out pretty questionable.

Me: How are you planning on releasing it?

Tyson: We're going to do CDs and digital.

Me: Have you ever thought about pressing any vinyl?

Tyson: Yeah. It's a little more expensive.

[I give a long spiel on why selling vinyl is better, and how record players are becoming common place again. (Post comments about what a hipster I am below)]

Me: Do you guys have any cool shows coming up?

Tyson: We're playing Jack Fest at the Midnight Sun on the 11th [of April].



That's where I stopped the tape. We bantered a bit more, Tyson dropped the adage, "Nothing kills the mood like a metronome" in reference to not using one on the new album, and we parted ways. I thought of several questions on the way back to my car.

All in all, I was nervous, but I had a great time and I feel like I got to know Hot Hoodoo a lot better. If you haven't seen them yet, be sure to find them on Facebook and Reverb Nation, to keep track of when they're playing and where. It's definitely worth your time. I, for one, can't wait for the new album.

Handwritings - Boring, Dumb, and Fine

Handwritings is a lo-fi, indie rock band from Olympia, WA. I happened upon their most recent album, "Boring, Dumb, and Fine;" because a friend of mine saw them open for Pat the Bunny. I was glad I did.

They've got the slacker thing down. Managing to portray the "trying really hard to seem like there's no trying being done at all," that was popular with 90's bands like Pavement and Marcy Playground, without coming off as emo. All of the disjointed slack-rock that comes out after about 2000 seems so whiny to me. It's refreshing to find a solid example of that kind of music, advanced 20 years, and not tainted by the overly-hip, acoustic whine-fest, that is bands like the Mountain Goats, or Rural Alberta Advantage.

Handwritings is your typical guitar, bass, drums three piece rock outfit. The guitars come off as slightly out of tune at times, and the vocal harmonies are a bit off key, but that's obviously what they were looking for. I can hear some really juicy riffs, and mind-destroyingly catchy hooks, that were cleverly hidden behind the "we're no good at this" image they seem to be going for.

For example, 'Other Guys' boasts the hook line, "Smoke rings and cough medicine. Tell me, tell me where to begin," which should get lodged in your brain until you beat it out, but it's delivered in such an uncaring way, that it fades in with the rest of the lyrics you probably won't listen to.

For the most part, these guys come off as bored, probably stoned, and definitely lazy. Which is super relatable to the Olympia community at large. Everyone I've ever met in this town, knows all about long days spent too stoned to get up and go to that class you've skipped twice already that week. I can see this band getting lots of play here in town, or fading into obscurity, simply because the indie-hipsters care less than Handwritings want you to think they do. The fact that none of the songs really come off as a hit probably won't do them any favors either. The album as a whole, however, belongs in the cars of underwhelmed, twenty-somethings everywhere.

I give it a 3.5 out of 5.

SuperNothing - "Life We Chose"

What can you find in Kent, aside from T-birds hockey? These five fucks! Hardcore punk band, SuperNothing has been tearing up the scene since the summer of 2009. After 5 years of amazing shows and sing-alongs recorded in small bursts, they finally gave us all what we really needed; 68 minutes and two seconds of pure hatred and contempt for societies institutions.

"Life We Chose" seems to be presented to an audience that isn't gioing to get it anyway. The cover photo is the Kentcore menace playing at the 2 Bit Saloon... to a room full of punks checking their phones and having side conversations. The only people in the room that seem to care are the ones on stage, and the photographer. As they say in the title track, "We play shows that no one goes to. At least it's the life we chose." Judging by the conviction with which the lyrics are spit forth, the power of the drum kicks, the break-neck riffs, and the juiciness of the bass pops, they chose the right life.

On the surface, this LP comes off as a typical punk tirade against all the usual suspects. Junkies (Sonic Junkie,) the media (Face Time,) and the church (Jesus Fucking Christ) are all targets. Each one decimated more than the last. There's something personal in the way the lyrics are written. The words "you" and "I" pop up a lot. You can feel the belief behind the lyrics. Like Dre has honestly been writing this shit to keep from ripping the throats out of random passers-by. That's what really makes this album stand out from your standard punk fare.

To be honest, "Life We Chose" isn't the most innovative thing, musically. Somehow it never comes off as cliche. Sure, you probably won't be blown away by some genre-bending, life-changing diddy (unless you count 21 Gun Solution,) but you will not be disappointed. It's reminiscent of some early new millennium street-punk, while having what seems like a solid Fat Wreck influence. You can hear the ska, thrash. black metal, and crust influences, as well. These guys know their roots, and they know which way their leaves are growing.

The last thing I'll say is that these guys re-did some old jams and I think "Face Time" was way better this time around. Giving a very desperate, paranoid vibe to whole thing. "Dope Sick" probably should have been left the way it was. It's the only song on the album that feels like an after thought.

So, if you're new to SuperNothing, or you're an old fan, you should give this album a try. I'll be spinning it at work tonight for sure. The delivery is solid, the choruses are chantable, the lyrics are relatable, and the conviction in the performance will suck you in and make you want to smash the state right along with them.

I give it a 4 out of 5.

Burn Burn Burn - This Machine

Burn Burn Burn is a beloved Seattle punk band that I have had the pleasure of seeing and, in my Kill Shot days, playing with on many raucous occasions. Their stage presence rivals some of the greatest bands I've ever seen. I remember the Adicts exploding on stage at Punk Rock Bowling a couple years ago, and the feeling I had in my gut was almost exactly the same as the feeling I had the first time I watched Burn tear up the back room of Olympia's Le Voyeur. These guys may be fucking drunks, but the self-proclaimed Seattle Alcoholics sure do know how to hit ever note in the face, with Bruce Lee like precision. At the end of the "Life is Tight" tour, they made another stop in Oly, and killed every song. Needless to say, I had high hopes for this album.

From the opening snare hits, this EP speaks to my youth, my attachment to the concept of youth, and my discomfort with all things serious and frivolous. I get overwhelmed with thoughts of beers in the back of my friend's car, on the way to see some Seattle show. The experience of stale farts, spilled beer and accidental cigarette burns was always followed by the most glorious of slam-dancing, and a bruised and boozed night in a hotel room. That's what 'This Machine' is to me.

Everything I loved about punk rock back in those days is on this album. I thought it had been lost. That the melodies would never be as passionate, or that the albums would always be too produced. I found it in this EP though. In 2013! Can you believe it?

The song, 'My Friends,' points out that your buddies are really what matters, even when your lady decides you're too immature. 'Aim For the Drain' glorifies the life style, and alludes to the life saving comradery and self-satisfaction that come with being in a band.  'Bastard Church' cuts down the Westboro Baptist Church and gives you your angst fix. It all gets tied up with 'Tall Tales/ Entrails' which is a hyper, passionate song against the existence of Hell, and the brainwashing done by Christianity (I think.)

The album flows amazingly. The songs are true to life, while not sounding like an amateur closet recording. The label that picked it up is the real deal. If you haven't already, get your hands on copy and never let go.

I give it a 5 out of 5