SONG OF THE WEEK: 2/28/21

SONG:  "Miami"

ARTIST:  Against Me!

ALBUM:  "Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live In London!!!"

YEAR:  2006

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Naples, Florida

YEARS ACTIVE:  1997 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Miami" appears to be a song about the world going to shit! Everything is turning against us or has been built to destroy us. Whether it's consumerism, big pharma, the food industry, the medical industry, etc. It's like the establishment is watching your every move. All the while destroying everything around you. You may be able to see through the corruption and the fakeness, but it seems you're fucked anyway!

AGAINST ME! DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2002 - Reinventing Axl Rose (No Idea Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - As The Eternal Cowboy (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2005 - Searching For A Former Clarity (Fat Wreck Chords)

* peaked at #114 on the Billboard 200 on 9-24-05

2006 - Americans Abroad!!! Against Me!!! Live In London!!!

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2007 - New Wave (Sire Records)

* peaked at #57 on the Billboard 200 on 7-28-07

2009 - The Original Cowboy (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2010 - White Crosses (Sire Records)

* peaked at #34 on the Billboard 200 on 6-26-10

2011 - Total Clarity (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2014 - Transgender Dysphoria Blues (Total Treble Records)

* peaked at #23 on the Billboard 200 on 2-8-14

2015 - 23 Live Sex Acts (Total Treble Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2016 - Shape Shift With Me (Total Treble Records)

* peaked at #80 on the Billboard 200 on 10-8-16

MY THOUGHTS ON AGAINST ME!

Against Me! is a Florida based band that formed back in 1997. Originally, it was just a vehicle for lead singer Laura Jane Grace (formerly Tom Gabel) to put out acoustic material. After a few EP's and band members being added to the fray, Against Me! became a full on band. It wouldn't be until 2002 for the band to release their debut full length album, "Reinventing Axl Rose". At this point, the band caught the ear of Fat Mike of NOFX who signed the band to his Fat Wreck Chords label. The band's breakout album would be 2005's "Searching For A Former Clarity". This would be their first album to chart on the Billboard 200. Ironically, Fat Mike hated this album. Having Fat Mike, someone very respected in the punk rock community, disrespect their album in public like that perhaps was the beginning of Against Me! being labeled as "sell outs". Probably didn't help their image when they signed to major label Sire Records as well. With Sire, Against Me! released two albums, 2007's "New Wave" and 2010's "White Crosses". In 2012, Tom Gabel informed the band that he has dealt with gender dysphoria all his life and he was beginning his transition to becoming a woman. He now went by the name Laura Jane Grace. He also would form his own label at this point, Total Treble Records. In 2014, Against Me! released their highest charting album, "Transgender Dysphoria Blues", a very personal album for Laura Jane Grace. Against Me!'s most recent full length was 2016's "Shape Shift With Me". There were some rumors that Laura Jane Grace was going to break up Against Me! but she assured her fans that the band will not be going anywhere and though she has released some solo material and an album with her backing band The Devouring Mothers, Against Me! has in fact been in the studio since 2019 working on their next album. Against Me! is an awesome punk rock band. I can't believe the amount of shit they get for being sell outs. Seems crazy to me and I could give a shit less. Is their music good? Are their songs good? Um.. yes and yes! I first heard of Against Me! when "Searching For A Former Clarity" came out, and I thought the album was great. Screw Fat Mike!! lol! In fact, the only songs I don't care for from the band are some of those early EP's where Grace is just screaming over acoustic guitar and sounds like it was recorded in my car trunk!! Since they became a full on band, they've been great. Hopefully the pandemic didn't screw up too much shit for the band and their new album drops soon.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

The Menzingers

The Gaslight Anthem

The Lawrence Arms

Alkaline Trio

Hot Water Music

TEN AGAINST ME! SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Black Me Out

2. I Was A Teenage Anarchist

3. Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show cover)

4. Don't Lose Touch

5. Baby, I'm An Anarchist!

6. From Her Lips To God's Ears (The Energizer)

7. Because Of The Shame

8. Thrash Unreal

9. Sink, Florida, Sink

10. Crash

SONG OF THE WEEK: 2/21/21

SONG:  "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder"

ARTIST:  Useless ID

ALBUM:  "Symptoms"

YEAR:  2012

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Haifa, Israel

YEARS ACTIVE:  1994 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Obsessive Compulsive Disorder" is a song that appears to be about a brutal relationship with an ex-girlfriend who has mental issues. Those issues seem to get a whole lot worse when she doesn't take her meds! The vocalist just wants her to go away but she keeps coming back even though the relationship is over. He's dealing with a psycho obviously!

USELESS ID DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1998 - Dead's Not Punk (Falafel Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200 

1999 - Get In The Pita Bread (Falafel Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2001 - Bad Story, Happy Endings (Kung Fu Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - No Vacation From The World (Kung Fu Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2004 - Redemption (Kung Fu Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2008 - The Lost Broken Bones (Suburban Home Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - The Lost Broken Tunes Vol. 1 (Bullion Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - The Lost Broken Tunes Vol. 2 (Bullion Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2012 - Symptoms (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2016 - State Is Burning (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON USELESS ID

Useless ID formed as a band back in 1994, hailing from Israel. After recording a few full length albums and EP's in their native Israel, the band caught the ear of The Ataris frontman Kris Roe. Roe invited the band to be on a split EP with his band The Ataris in 1999, called "Let It Burn". This gave Useless ID some exposure in the United States. Kris Roe would go on to help the band sign with Kung Fu Records and he produced their first album on that label, 2001's "Bad Story, Happy Ending". Much like Roe and The Ataris were instrumental in helping out Useless ID, another band, No Use For A Name, were also instrumental in lending a hand to Useless ID. No Use's frontman Tony Sly helped produce and write the band's 2003 album "No Vacation From The World". No Use and The Ataris would always welcome Useless ID to open for them on tours in the States as well as Europe. It was no surprise that when Tony Sly passed away in 2012, the guys in Useless ID took the news very bad as he was a major mentor for them. Useless ID rounded out their deal with Kung Fu with the release of "Redemption" in 2004. When Useless ID dropped "The Lost Broken Bones" in 2008, you could sense they were starting to change up their style a bit. Early on, they were very much a pop punk band and while, they still could be considered pop punk, they were getting a little more rough around the edges. It was probably just the band maturing and for me, I think it was for the better. In my mind, it all came together for the band with their 2012 album "Symptoms". I really feel like this is the album where they really found their sound and it's really a solid album. Maybe the influence of signing with Fat Wreck Chords rubbed off on the band. The band's most recent full length, 2016's "State Is Burning" is a solid album as well. The last release for Useless ID was an EP called "7 Hits From Hell" in 2019. Useless ID is a very good punk band. As I said earlier, the band was mainly pop punk early on, in the same vein as The Ataris but around 2008, they shifted to a more mature sound, I'll call it aggressive pop punk!! I really dig the slight sound shift. I think they are a better band because of it. I first heard of Useless ID from the 1999 split with The Ataris. Being a huge No Use fan, you can definitely hear Tony Sly's influence on "No Vacation From The World". But it was 2012's "Symptoms" that made me go all in with Useless ID. That is just a really solid punk rock album. These guys seem to stay pretty active in regards to releasing new material so I wouldn't be surprised to see them put out a new album soon.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

No Use For A Name

Authority Zero

Lagwagon

Millencolin

The Ataris

TEN USELESS ID SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Before It Kills

2. Killing A Ghost

3. It's Alright

4. We Don't Want The Airwaves

5. No Time For Me To Be A Teenager

6. Running Late

7. At Least I Tried

8. Dissolve

9. Leaving Town

10. Confused

SONG OF THE WEEK: 2/14/21

SONG:  "My Bonnie"

ARTIST:  The Real McKenzies

ALBUM:  "Pissed Tae Th' Gills"

YEAR:  2002

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

YEARS ACTIVE:  1992 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"My Bonnie" is a traditional Scottish folk song. Here's a snippet from Wikipedia which may explain what the song is about. "Although the song's origin is uncertain, its original subject could possibly be Charles Edward Stuart ('Bonnie Prince Charlie'): after the defeat of the Prince at the Battle of Culloden in 1746 and his subsequent exile, his Jacobite supporters could have sung this song or one like it in his honour; and thanks to the ambiguity of the term "Bonnie", which can refer to a woman as well as to a man, they could pretend it was a love song." I chose the live version of "My Bonnie" for my song of the week. You can check out the studio version on The Real McKenzies' 1995 self titled album.

THE REAL MCKENZIES DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1995 - The Real McKenzies (IFA Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2000 - Clash Of The Tartans (Golf Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2001 - Loch'd & Loaded (Honest Don's Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2002 - Pissed Tae Th' Gills (Sudden Death Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - Oot & Aboot (Honest Don's Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2005 - 10,000 Shots (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2008 - Off The Leash (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2010 - Shine, Not Burn (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2012 - Westwinds (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2015 - Rats In The Burlap (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2017 - Two Devils Will Talk (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2020 - Beer And Loathing (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON THE REAL MCKENZIES

The Real McKenzies are a Scottish/Celtic punk band from Vancouver, Canada. Vocalist and founder Paul McKenzie formed the band back in 1992. While The Pogues would definitely be considered the original Celtic punk band, it was bands like The Real McKenzies and Dropkick Murphys that carried the torch for that style from the early 90's to the current day. The Real McKenzies dropped their debut album in 1995. After four studio albums and one live album jumping label to label, The Real McKenzies found a home on legendary punk label Fat Wreck Chords in 2005. Their first release for Fat Mike was 2005's "10,000 Shots". This album features my personal favorite song by the band, "Pour Decisions" which uses the same melody as Monty Python's "The Lumberjack Song". The Real McKenzies have been on Fat Wreck Chords for 15 plus years now, dropping six studio albums and one live record, their most recent being 2020's "Beer And Loathing". Almost approaching their 30th year anniversary as a band, The Real McKenzies have dropped ten studio albums as well as two live albums not to mention EP's, splits and compilation appearances. These guys are a hard working, hard touring band no doubt! Founder Paul McKenzie has been the only constant member of the band. In fact, he has said that there have been over a hundred band members throughout the years! Not sure how accurate that is but I'll take the man's word. I don't quite remember where I heard "Pour Decisions". Not sure if was a comp or I heard it on the internet but either way, I have been a fan ever since. As I said earlier, these guys and Dropkick Murphys are really at the top of the mountain when it comes to Celtic punk.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

The Rumjacks

Dropkick Murphys

Flogging Molly

The Killigans

Flatfoot 56

TEN THE REAL MCKENZIES SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Pour Decisions

2. Chip

3. Droppin' Like Flies

4. Due West

5. Catch Me

6. Beer And Loathing

7. Mainland

8. Wild Cattieyote

9. Loch Lomond

10. My Luck Is So Bad

SONG OF THE WEEK: 2/7/21

SONG:  "Come Back"

ARTIST:  Pearl Jam

ALBUM:  "Pearl Jam"

YEAR:  2006

IN MEMORIAM:

Robert "The General" Roberto

1940 - 2021

Everyone who knows me knows that I'm not a religious person. So much so, that when I attend a wake and approach the casket, lots of times I'm just kind of rambling thoughts in my mind. It's not a prayer. I wouldn't know a prayer. What could I say to the father of one of my best friends since 1st grade. I kept it simple. Thank you. Thank you for allowing us into your home and making us feel like family. I look at my core group of friends. Guys I have known now for decades. These guys aren't my friends. They're my brothers. The General was like an extra Dad to all of us. As we grew from street hockey playing kids to 21 year olds who loved getting smashed, The General opened his home to us. And yes, most of the time we were loud. Most of the times we were sloppy drunk. Hell, sometimes there was even fights! I think back and say we could've been doing this somewhere where we could get into all kinds of trouble. By letting us have somewhere safe to be young and stupid probably is a huge reason why we are so close as friends. It was our hang out. My friend Mike's Dad, and his Mom Angela who passed away a few years ago as well, were always generous to all of us. I remember many a New Year's Eve, going upstairs and hanging out with The General and the rest of his family. He was always quick to offer you food, which I always accepted! Or a glass of Dewar's and water, which I always accepted as well! And no matter what time you went by the house, it seemed The General always had a sausage going on the stove. He had them at the ready at those New Year's Eve parties at midnight and he had them at the ready when I went to his house at 10 in the morning to pick up football cards!! No matter what, Mike's Dad and Mom always welcomed you into their home. They always wanted to shoot the shit with you over a cup of coffee. I always felt like I could just be myself around The General and Angela, aka The Commander In Chief!! Even moreso than with some of my own family members. There are so many stories I can go through and so many memories that I have with my friends and a huge foundation of those happened in The General's basement, aka The Blue Room. We have grown into who we are today because of those times. And sure, we all stink, but ya know what, I think we're actually alright. So, as I kneeled before your casket General, I just wanted to thank you for your generosity and your kindness. I know you and Angela are together somewhere in spirit. And always know that your son always has friends who will always have his back. I want to say I'm sorry to Michael and the whole Roberto family for the loss of their Dad just a few days ago, as well as their Mom just a few years ago. 

Rest in peace..