SONG OF THE WEEK: 1/31/21

SONG:  "3rd Man In"

ARTIST:  Dropkick Murphys

ALBUM:  "The Singles Collection, Vol. 1"

YEAR:  2000

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Quincy, Massachusetts

YEARS ACTIVE:  1996 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"3rd Man In" appears to be a song about how bonds that were so tight when people are young tend to loosen as we grow older. The vocalist fondly remembers how the guys he hung around with had a one for all, all for one attitude and their friendship was really tight. As he has grown older, some of his friends have gone by the wayside or perhaps they just have grown more and more apart. As an adult, he realizes he has to move forward on his own because all of their priorities are different now, raising a family, work, etc.

DROPKICK MURPHYS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1998 - Do Or Die (Hellcat Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1999 - The Gang's All Here (Hellcat Records)

* peaked at # 184 on the Billboard 200 on 4-3-99

2000 - The Singles Collection, Vol. 1 (Hellcat Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2001 - Sing Loud, Sing Proud (Hellcat Records)

* peaked at #144 on the Billboard 200 on 2-24-01

2002 - Live On St. Patrick's Day (Hellcat Records)

* peaked at #155 on the Billboard 200 on 9-28-02

2003 - Blackout (Hellcat Records)

* peaked at #83 on the Billboard 200 on 6-28-03

2005 - The Singles Collection, Vol. 2 (Hellcat Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2005 - The Warrior's Code (Hellcat Records)

* peaked at #48 on the Billboard 200 on 7-9-05

* certified gold

2007 - The Meanest Of Times (Born & Bred Records)

* peaked at #20 on the Billboard 200 on 10-6-07

2010 - Live On Landsdowne, Boston MA (Born & Bred Records)

* peaked at #25 on the Billboard 200 on 4-3-10

2011 - Going Out In Style (Born & Bred Records)

* peaked at #6 on the Billboard 200 on 3-19-11

2012 - Live At Fenway (Born & Bred Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2013 - Signed And Sealed In Blood (Born & Bred Records)

* peaked at #9 on the Billboard 200 on 1-26-13

2017 - 11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory (Born & Bred Records)

* peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200 on 1-28-17

MY THOUGHTS ON DROPKICK MURPHYS

Much love to my Boston homies Dropkick Murphys! Well, ok they are actually from Quincy, MA but close enough. The Dropkick's got their start back in 1996, a nice little Celtic punk/street punk band formed by Ken Casey (bass/vocals) and Mike McColgan (vocals). Early on, the band received huge support by The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, who took them on their very first tour. They also received huge support from Rancid who signed the Murphy's to their Hellcat label and Lars Frederiksen even produced their first album, 1998's "Do Or Die". Not long after "Do Or Die" was released, McColgan decided to leave the band. The Dropkick's recruited The Bruisers frontman Al Barr to take his place. As the band entered the 2000's, they began to see all their albums charting on the Billboard 200. Their 2003 album "Blackout" started getting some radio support with their single "Walk Away". In 2004, the band re-recorded an old song about the Boston Red Sox called "Tessie" that turned out to be a battle cry for the team en route to their first World Series victory since 1918. 2005 saw the release of their most successful record, "The Warrior's Code". This is the band's only album to be certified (gold) thanks in part to the song "I'm Shipping Up To Boston" which was featured prominently in the Martin Scorcese film "The Departed". This helped the single become platinum selling! At this point in the band's career, they decided to put their albums out on their own label, Born & Bred Records. 2007's "The Meanest Of Times" reached #20 on the Billboard 200 charts. Their next three studio albums peaked in the top 10. Their 2011 album, "Going Out In Style" would be the band's highest charting album, peaking at #6. If you're a Bostonian, you'd love the video for the title track of that album as it features several prominent Boston sports figures and more. Plus a lot of it was filmed at the now closed local pub McGreevy's, which was owned by Ken Casey. The band's last full length release was 2017's "11 Short Stories Of Pain & Glory". The band had been releasing a few songs here and there the last few years and intended to release a new album in September of 2020 but the Coronavirus has fucked up those plans for now. The Dropkick Murphys, in my mind, are at the top of the mountain when it comes to Celtic punk. Am I biased being from Boston? Sure. But the Dropkick's resume speaks for itself. These guys wear their Boston roots on their sleeves, whether they're playing their annual St. Patrick's Day shows in the city or just lending their support to local causes, most notably their charitable support for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings. I knew of the Dropkick's pretty much since they came out but I really got into them when they released "Blackout" in 2003. The songs "Walk Away"and "The Dirty Glass" really made me fall in love with the band and I've been a big fan ever since. This Covid shit really is messing with everything, including bands and music venues. The Dropkick's put on a great live show so hopefully, we all get vaccinated and we can all get together again and enjoy great punk bands like the Dropkick Murphys!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Flogging Molly

The Real McKenzies

The Rumjacks

Flatfoot 56

Street Dogs

TEN DROPKICK MURPHYS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Warrior's Code

2. Barroom Hero

3. The Dirty Glass

4. Going Out In Style

5. Walk Away

6. Rose Tattoo

7. The State Of Massachusetts

8. The Gauntlet

9. Blood

10. 10 Years Of Service

SONG OF THE WEEK: 1/24/21

SONG:  "27th Ave. Shuffle"

ARTIST:  Foxboro Hot Tubs

ALBUM:  "Stop Drop And Roll!!!"

YEAR:  2008

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Oakland, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  2007 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"27th Ave. Shuffle" appears to be a song about depression and addiction, as well as life just seemingly getting in the way. In the end, the vocalist describes being on the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge and leaping to his own death. Very dark and depressing song.

FOXBORO HOT TUBS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2008 - Stop Drop And Roll!!! (Jingle Town Records)

* peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200 on 6-7-08

MY THOUGHTS ON FOXBORO HOT TUBS:

The Foxboro Hot Tubs formed as a band back in 2007, hailing from the Bay Area, California. Of course, if you don't know, the Foxboro Hot Tubs are a side project for the members of Green Day, featuring Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool as well as Green Day touring guitarist Jason White and rounding out with Jason Freese and Kevin Preston. The project came about when Green Day was working on their "21st Century Breakdown" album. It was described as just a fun jam session sparked by drinking too much booze! The band released one full length studio album, 2008's "Stop Drop And Roll!!!". It would seem to be a very short lived side project for the guys in Green Day. When Green Day was in the process of releasing their trilogy of albums, "Uno!", "Dos!" and "Tre!", Billie Joe Armstrong revealed that the middle album "Dos!" was essentially the second Foxboro Hot Tubs album under the Green Day name. The Foxboro Hot Tubs did pop up and play a few shows over the years, the most recent being at the 2014 SXSW Festival in Texas. Also, in 2019, Green Day played a secret show under the moniker The Coverups where they played a bunch of cover songs including some Foxboro Hot Tubs songs. As I said before, the Foxboro Hot Tubs are a side project and Green Day is of course the main focus of the band members. The band is very much a garage rock band in style but Billie Joe's songwriting is distinct so Green Day elements are of course very obvious. Being a Green Day fan, I knew of this project pretty much right when they came out. I mean, if you're a fan of Green Day you would definitely be a fan of Foxboro Hot Tubs. The band hasn't been very active but as far as I know, the guys haven't closed the book on future projects for Foxboro Hot Tubs.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

The Network

Green Day

Pinhead Gunpowder

The Longshot

Billie Joe Armstrong

TEN FOXBORO HOT TUBS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Mother Mary

2. The Pedestrian

3. Stop Drop And Roll

4. Highway 1

5. Ruby Room

6. 27th Ave. Shuffle

7. Sally

8. Dark Side Of Night

9. Alligator

10. Pieces Of Truth

SONG OF THE WEEK: 1/17/21

SONG:  "Guantanamo"

ARTIST:  Venerea

ALBUM:  "One Louder"

YEAR:  2005

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Malmo, Sweden

YEARS ACTIVE:  1991 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

As the title suggests, this song is about Guantanamo Bay, the controversial prison where several people were placed after capture during the Afghanistan and Iraq Wars. For every possible terrorist, or someone linked to terrorism, there are several prisoners there that are completely innocent, just a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. This song is written from the perspective of one of these innocent men who is falsely imprisoned and has no ties to terrorism.

VENEREA DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1996 - Shake Your Swollen Booty (Gift Of Life Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1997 - Both Ends Burning (Gift Of Life Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2000 - Losing Weight, Gaining Ground (Renate/Community Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - Out In The Red (I Used To Fuck People Like You In Prison Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2005 - One Louder (Bad Taste Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2010 - Lean Back In Anger (Concrete Jungle Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2016 - Last Call For Adderal (Destiny/Dirty Six Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON VENEREA:

Venerea is a Swedish band that got it's start back in 1991, when the members were still in high school. Originally the band was called Venereal Disease but shortened the name to Venerea after a few years. Around 1994/1995, the band released a few EP's and in 1996, those EP's were packaged together in a full album called "Shake Your Swollen Booty". Their first proper full length release would be 1997's "Both Ends Burning". The 2000's kicked in with the band dropping the album "Losing Weight, Gaining Ground". Around this time, Venerea really began to hone in on their sound and their next four releases were all top notch, hardcore punk albums beginning with 2003's "Out In The Red", 2005's "One Louder", 2010's "Lean Back In Anger" and their last full length release, 2016's "Last Call For Adderal". This is yet another band I found out about through what seems to be the now defunct website DyingScene.com. This was such an incredible website and I owe them many thanks for turning me on to many a punk band, Venerea included. The first time I heard Venerea was the song "Calling Card" from the "One Louder" album. I was hooked right off the bat. "Calling Card" is a sick song and my personal favorite from Venerea to this day. Venerea's early records are so so. You can tell they were just really young and the songs reflect that. As we got into the 2000's, I feel that Venerea really found their sound. These guys are a hardcore punk band who tend to get political in some of their songs as well, as they do in this week's song of the week, "Guantanamo". Think like a Strike Anywhere type of vibe. Rumor has it that these guys are working on something but who knows what's going on with this Covid shit fucking everything up!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Zero Down

98 Mute

PMX

Asado

Hit The Switch

TEN VENEREA SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Calling Card

2. Mark Of Cain

3. The Real Ewe

4. Throwing Bricks

5. Under Siege

6. Headfoot

7. Rise With The Tide

8. Back To The Start

9. Beanstalk

10. Son Of A Beach

SONG OF THE WEEK: 1/10/21

SONG:  "Only Ever After"

ARTIST:  Placeholder

ALBUM:  "Nothing Is Pure"

YEAR:  2012

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Lancaster, Pennsylvania

YEARS ACTIVE:  2011 - 2015

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Only Ever After" appears to be a song about never having your hopes and dreams ever come to fruition. It's kind of a depressing song because the vocalist appears to seek hope from those around him only to find out they all seem to be in the same funk as he's in. No one's life is going quite the way they had all hoped.

PLACEHOLDER DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2012 - Nothing Is Pure (Better Days Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2013 - I Don't Need Forgiveness (Black Numbers Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2015 - Last Show Live (Dead Flowers Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON PLACEHOLDER:

Placeholder formed as a band back in 2011, hailing from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The band's first release was an EP in 2011 called "Demonstration". They followed that up with their full length debut, 2012's "Nothing Is Pure". The band squeezed another EP in between their debut album and their follow up album, 2013's "I Don't Need Forgiveness". In 2014, the band decided to call it quits but they did release a split single in 2015 as well as a live album, which was recorded from their very last show together. Placeholder was a very short-lived band, only three or four years together. Though the band members never thought they'd do anything more than play live shows locally, they were ecstatic that they got to tour all over the country and more for the brief time that they were a band. This is yet another band I discovered through the what seems to be defunct website, DyingScene.com. They were a good melodic punk band. Nothing spectacular about them but I dug their albums. I haven't heard any news from these guys since 2015 so they weren't lying when they said they were done!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Banquets

Ivy League TX

Living With Lions

Timeshares

Lowtalker

TEN PLACEHOLDER SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Resent

2. Above

3. Caught The Crown

4. Give Up

5. I Feel

6. December 2011

7. Don't Look Back

8. Dying For Nothing

9. Weird Place

10. Only Ever After

SONG OF THE WEEK: 1/3/21

SONG:  "Now We Are 31"

ARTIST:  House Boat

ALBUM:  "The Thorns Of Life"

YEAR:  2011

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  New York, New York

YEARS ACTIVE:  2009 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Now We Are 31" appears to be a song about the vocalist really focusing on his craft and knowing that he has to keep pushing forward and keep progressing. He feels like he's almost there or where he needs to be but he can't slack off or take a step back. He cares too much to take his foot off the gas. He's completely focused.

HOUSE BOAT DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2009 - The Delaware Octopus (It's Alive Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - The Thorns Of Life (Traffic Street Records)

* didn not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON HOUSE BOAT:

House Boat formed as a band back in 2009. They are considered to be a New York based punk supergroup of sorts as members of bands like The Ergs, The Steinways, Off With Their Heads and Dear Landlord came together to form House Boat. The vocal duties are mostly contributed by Grath Madden of The Steinways and Mikey Erg of The Ergs. House Boat dropped their debut full length album in 2009, "The Delaware Octopus". They followed that up with an EP in 2010 called "Processing Complaints" then they released their second, and what would be their last to date, full length album, "The Thorns Of Life". Their most recent effort was an EP in 2012 titled "21st Century Breakroom", a nod to Green Day's "21st Century Breakdown". House Boat is a punk band that is keen on melody, very much in the mold of 90's pop/skate punk bands like Green Day, Lagwagon, Pulley, etc. Most of the guys in the band have several other projects so i'm not so sure House Boat ever intended to be the main focus of anyone in the band. That being said, it's a killer side project. I first heard of House Boat from their "The Thorns Of Life" album and it kicks you in the ass right from the opening track, "Who Let The Dogs Out?", which is my favorite song from the band. I'm pretty sure I learned of this band from DyingScene.com, which was an awesome site to get all kinds of punk news and they really need to get their ass back up and running! Though the band hasn't really released anything since 2012, they haven't closed the door on the project. Most recently they performed a live show in 2018 but it seems like all the members focus is on other projects at this time. 

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

The Arrivals

Timeshares

The Holy Mess

Banquets

North Lincoln

TEN HOUSE BOAT SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Who Let The Dogs Out?

2. A Song In Which I Convince Myself To Stop Being Such A Fucking Idiot

3. My Life Hurts

4. DC Showcase Presents:  Inferiority Complex, Vol. 420

5. ... And On And On

6. A Song For Halfpint To Suck Balls To

7. 21st Century Breakroom

8. Throwing In Those Weird Chords Did Wonders For The Copyrights And The Dopamines (Theme From House Boat)

9. Never Tear Us Apart (INXS cover)

10. I Watched The Biggest Loser Australia