ULTIMATE LAGWAGON PLAYLIST

Felipe M

Today, it is, unofficially, Lagwagon Day.  Why?  Because it's May 16th!

The California punk rock band has been one of the more influential in the scene, but have been forgotten of late as they have not released a full studio album since 2005.  With that being said, I thought I would pay my respects to one of my favorite bands by compiling a "playlist" of sorts.  I will try to limit myself to 20 songs or fewer along with a favorite quote (or two) from each song.  Also, admittedly, I don't own any Lagwagon albums before 1995.  So not a lot of Duh or Trashed references on this list.  I apologize in advance:

1. "Alien 8"--Double Plaidinum: 
• "Are you a martyr for your pride?"
2. "Gun in Your Hand"--Let's Talk About Feelings: 
• "I'm not going to watch you kill yourself to live"; 
• "If you're not a rebel by the age of 20, you have no heart, but if you haven't turned establishment by 30, you've got no brains."
3. "Raise a Family"--Let's Talk About Leftovers: 
• "Maybe I'm just thirty and I don't want to go to parties anymore"; 
• "Marriage?  Mortgage? Can't afford it!"; 
• "We ain't got no money, honey, it's true, but there's vows in Vegas."
4. "Dinner and a Movie"--Blaze: 
• "It's already better than last time I ruined another girl's life."
5. "Violins"--Hoss: 
• "I assume the role, open my mouth, and clumsy words escape"; 
• "You put me out, the butt of a sick joke, into this ashtray life"; 
• "I assume the role, open my claws, and grasp for your heart."
6. "Change Despair"--...Feelings: 
• "Disappointment and odds in a costume you can't take off"
7. "Bro Dependent"--Hoss: 
• "I try to focus on what I hear and listen to what I see"; 
• "Your problem still remains: obsession, compulsion, overdoing everything."
8. "Making Friends"--...Plaidinum, but Live in a Dive version is much better: 
• "I can see you in the middle of a doubt"; 
• "I will be a freak show when the circus comes to town and I will rain on your parade without a sound"; 
• "I graduate this class with honors and I will never fail drama."
9. "Razor Burn"--Hoss: 
• "[Will] walk the earth alone, I'll never shave again"; 
• "On the night she left me, facial hair grew miraculously"; 
• "I look like a wise man, but I'm an idiot"; 
• "She found out I was lame so I grew a beard of shame."
10. "Mr. Coffee"--Duh: 
• "Where in the this hellhole is my coffee mug?"; 
• "I can now face the day on legal speed, the American way"; 
• "I drink the entire pot so now it's off to work"; 
• "Drinking coffee, I drink coffee everyday!"
11. "Hurry up and Wait"--...Feelings: 
• "We're never going to make sound check so I can't even take a shit, shower, shave, or drink coffee!"; 
• "Come on, we're already late man, let's go!"; 
• "Hurry up and wait!"
12. "Move the Car"--Hoss: 
• "The story it grows older, the story is no story here"; 
• "Just because I don't go to the church where you reside..."; 
• "I can be the hungry, as I eat my own word again"; 
• "Appealing yet appalling, rising to my falling, I'm going to extreme ends"; 
• "Feeling nothing more to hide, consider life a forgery"; 
• "Driven to this thought: death is certain, faith is not"
13. "Leave the Light On"--...Feelings: 
• "Leave the bed sheets unclean and they will reek of you still"; 
• "So please leave the imagery, I can twist it"; 
• "I'd give anything to bring you back to say goodbye"; 
• "Barry, why don't you play an 'A' for Steve?"
14. "Automatic"--Resolve: 
• "Compromise, build a bridge, sacrifice, sacrilege, sell yourself, automatic"; 
• "Everyone drives all day, but none of them have a goal"; 
• "Set a goal, make it happen, imagine love, fake a passion..."; 
15. "Alison's Disease"--...Feelings (Bonus Track): 
• "Murderous hands cripple her eyes and mind"
16. "Burn"--Blaze: 
• "For all the riddles solved and every puzzle you complete, can't seem to find the pieces to the heart that beats"; 
• "At arm's length, you never get hit.  There's too much to gamble when you let someone in."
17. "Infectious"--Resolve: 
• "One positive, one negative, desperate, holding on to healthy images"; 
• "Gained, lost, spent, but I won't think or speak of all that could have been"
18. "Coffee and Cigarettes"--Trashed (Live in a Dive version...): 
• "I'm getting used to getting old, but where's my ambition?"; 
• "I feel broken down inside because my words seem to be trite"; 
• "Recycled words don't justify, these words don't suffice; searching for the sharp words to drive the message in"; 
• "I put the last words down then I begin to question the truth."
19. "May 16"--...Feelings: 
• "There's no gain in failure, but you succeed at being mine"; 
• "I can paint a picture in a moment of memories and there aren't many left"; 
• "I am extradited, uninvited"; 
• "It's just another Saturday"; 
• "Liberate yourself from hell"
20. "To All My Friends"--...Plaidinum: 
• "Cup half-empty, cup half-full, perspectives and beers"

Enjoy!

Be sure to catch Joey Cape on tour as he and others will perform in tribute to the late, No Use for a Name vocalist, Tony Sly.

More Music is available here. 

50 GREATEST BAD RELIGION SONGS EVER: Part IV

Chicago are you ready for @badreligion ?
— Greg Hetson (@GregHetson) April 5, 2013

Felipe M

Admittedly, we've done a terrible job in updating our music portion of this site.  We even abandoned the Bad Religion project that was supposed to list the Top 50 Songs of all time by the band.  

So in honor of Bad Religion playing tonight in Chicago (with Polar Bear Club and whatever 3rd band they were able to find.  Last I checked it was The Bronx), we will list the next songs on the list without explanations or personal thoughts:

No.	Song	Album	Year	Writer
21	Sanity	No Control	1989	Gurewitz
22	Cyanide	The Dissent of Man	2010	Gurewitz
23	Kerosene	Recipe for Hate	1993	Gurewitz
24	Better Off Dead	Stranger than Fiction	1994	Gurewitz
25	Prodigal Son	New Maps of Hell	2007	Gurewitz
26	Pity	How Could Hell Be Any Worse?	1981	Graffin
27	Live Again-The Fall of Man	The Empire Strikes First	2004	Graffin
28	Hooray for Me	Stranger than Fiction	1994	Gurewitz
29	Only Rain	The Dissent of Man	2010	Gurewitz
30	Yesterday	Back to the Known	1985	Graffin
31	I Want to Conquer the World	No Control	1989	Gurewitz
32	Infected	Stranger than Fiction	1994	Gurewitz
33	New Dark Ages	New Maps of Hell	2007	Gurewitz
34	Heaven is Falling	Generator	1992	Gurewitz
35	Walk Away	Against the Grain	1990	Gurewitz

  
Go look them up!

What I will do is just quickly point out my favorite lyrics of the songs that were listed and try turn them into easy-to-use quotes to show off to your friends and family.  So here we go: 

• "Walk Away": "Listen well to what I say; now there comes a time for a man to walk away."
• "Heaven is Falling": "God I want to be a man, but I don't want to die with a rifle in my hand."
• "New Dark Ages": "Beyond all hope of light...A pall of truth and reason."
• "Infected": "You and me were made in heaven.  I want to take, break, and supplicate you with thorny roses."
• "I Want to Conquer the World": "Hey brother christian, with your high and mighty errand!  Your actions speak so loud, I can't hear a word you're saying."
• "Yesterday": Yesterday: the good old days, the way we used to play, it just got worse and worse, and the future's been rehearsed."
• "Only Rain": Hey scientist, please save us because your counterpart in the magic art is manufacturing judgment day."
• "Hooray for Me": "Can you imagine, for a second, doing anything just because you want to?  Well, that's just what I do so hooray for me!"
• "Live Again--The Fall of Man": "What good is something if you can't have it until you die?"
• "Pity": "I pity the billions of people, masses of aggression, and future centuries to come."
• "Prodigal Son": "When you least expect it he's going to run like the blood-red path of the western sun."
• "Better off Dead": "If you're looking for a patsy, why not try the entire human race?"
• "Kerosene": "Exposure is a pitiful and pointless way of dying, but before it gets me I'll build a funeral pyre."
• "Cyanide": "Well, there's no place left to hide from the loneliness inside and missing you is like kissing cyanide."
• "Sanity": "It doesn't really matter what I'm figuring out.  I'm guaranteed to wind up in a state of doubt."

Will probably disclose the top 20 after I watch tonight's show.  That is to say, if I can make it to tonight's show as I'm severely sick today, but will try anyway.  Hope everybody has a good time.

The rest of the Bad Religion songs are listed here.

To check out the rest of our music page, click here. 

All Ages Highlights II: Mike Herrera of MxPx (May/2011)

We went to a wedding and a "Punk Rawk Show" broke out!
Ladies and gentlemen, Mike Herrera of MxPx.
(Personal Collection)

Felipe M

The following is part of a series of music shows and events that I attended in the last year and half or so.  

May 27-30, 2011: Mike Herrera of MxPx Private Show--Lake Geneva, WI.

Spending three out of four weekends in May in the state of Wisconsin leaves me with a sickening feeling.  Nevertheless, it's worth going up there when I can't see some of these bands live in Chicago. In this instance, on Memorial Day Weekend of 2011, my buddy Jesse was getting married and I was part of his wedding.  The following is a quick chronicle of the Private Punk Rawk Show that broke out at his wedding. 

Jesse (left) on guitar;
Mike (right) on bass.
(Personal Collection)

Mike Herrera, lead vocalist/bassist of the band MxPx flew down from Bremerton, WA to perform during the "Happy Hour" portion of my friend's Jesse's wedding--except that Jesse didn't know anything about Herrera's arrival.  It was his wedding surprise, all planned out by his wife-to-be.

He thought he was getting an acoustic guitar from Herrera's folk music project, Tumbledown. As much as Jesse was content with the guitar, the look on his face when Herrera came out to greet his is simply, for lack of a better term, priceless.

From what I remember, Mike had flown into Chicago and was being driven to the small town resort of Lake Geneva, WI. He looked fatigued and hungry. None of us knew what to expect of the encounter.  Somebody handed Jesse his electric guitar, Mike took out his bass and what followed was an impromptu set, guitar lesson, and jam session all rolled into one as Jesse and Mike played what had to be 3 hours of MxPx's music catalog.  They literally could have played all night if it wasn't for the fact that, you know--there was a wedding to prepare for and poor Mike was still exhausted and hadn't eaten a thing since arriving in Wisconsin, but he was such a good and humbled sport about the whole ordeal as he toughened it out for our entertainment--one of the most lax people I have ever met.  And really, as an entertainer, Mike knew that the show had to go on, even it was in a small room of just about 20 people watching.  As I would later learn, Mike takes his musical obligations very seriously.

Some of the highlights:

• Announcing that he and MxPx were working on a new album (eventually being Plans Within Plans). 
• Giving us an inside scoop of the current music scene.
• Updating us on the band and its other members, Tom Wisniewski and Yuri Ruley, and how they're now providing and caring for their respective families.
• How he continues to tour without the band with Tumbledown and the MxPx All-Stars. 
• Basically, he explained how blessed he was for having the opportunity to perform for a living and will continue to tour and use his musical and songwriting talents.
• Performing two song requests from me: "Begin to Start" and "Teenage Politics"
• Mike tried setting me up to start doing the vocals for "Politics," but I forgot the words and choked.  The song was abruptly ended, understandably so.  

(Here's a video of my boy Jesse playing guitar and Mike playing bass.  The name of the song is "Heard that Sound" by MxPx.)

Yours Truly on the left.
Mike was definitely dressed for the occasion as well
(Personal Collection)

As mentioned before, Mike was there to do a one hour solo acoustic set before the wedding.  The one song that stuck out that he did play was "Final Slowdance," which I always thought was appropriate for events such as these.  A lot of people at the wedding who never heard of Mike or MxPx came out very impressed and quickly became fans.

Eventually, I did have, what proved to be a very long conversation with Mike.  After praising his work as a musician and thanking him for creating music that people like me can relate to--despite the fact that I am not a Christian and MxPx has always had the label of a Christian Band--we began having a conversation about stuff.  Lots and lots of stuff.  With respect to Mike, I was not conducting an interview and if I was somebody of importance, we would have been speaking "off the record," but I will try to tip-toe the major issues that were discussed over whiskey and tequila drinks.

• Found out we have something in common: we both enjoy listening to Bad Religion. 
• His close relationship with the bands Thursday and Strike Anywhere. 
• What it means to be part of a band that has been labeled as a "Christian band." 
• I shared with him, that despite not being a Christian myself, that I enjoy listening to bands like Emery and August Burns Red. Again, he reminded me that he likes Bad Religion.
• How he and Chuck Ragan's acoustic music differ despite both coming from punk rock backgrounds. 
• We discussed the pros and cons of technology on the music industry. He explained that there was more exposure, but getting paid as a musician was a lot harder to achieve despite Internet services claiming that they pay a percentage to musicians for letting them use their music for their streaming and downloading services (which is really not news as many bands can attest to this fact). 
• In the August 2012 issue of Alternative Press, he had a more optimistic and detailed view about technology being used as a beneficial tool to succeed as a musician. 
• The real highlight--Mike telling me that I have a place to crash the next time I visit Seattle, Washington. Don't know if he was serious or if I should take his invite with a grain of salt, but I considered it a small victory as annoying as I must have been with all my questions.  Plus it gives me another reason to go back to Seattle.  
• Of course, was able to get his autograph. 

Mike proved to be a very cool, humbled, patient, guy who thankfully, takes his craft seriously.  He's gone through his ups and downs in 2012 (gear stolen in Vancouver), but continues to tour, all over the world--most recently, he went to Australia to play bass for Goldfinger. We at Pathological Hate continue to wish him lots of luck and I personally wish to thank him again for a very memorable wedding in late May. 

Great to meet you too, Mike!--Felipe M (Personal Collection)

2011 BIRTHDAY FORTNIGHT: PART V: Face to Face

Pathological Hate

It's rare for bands to ever get back together and make new music and go back on tour.  Many bands decide to go on hiatus and ultimately break up and call it a day.  That's what Face to Face was facing back in 2003 when they decided they were going to call it a career.  Since "The Only Goodbye Tour" of 2004, the band has not performed on a regular basis since then--a span of 6 years.  During that time span though, rumors circulated that a reunion was not too far off, but each time that it appeared that the band would get together again soon, it would never come to fruition.  Lead singer Trever Keith would do local acoustic shows, sometimes with bassist Scott Shiflett.  There would be reunion shows, here and there, but never a full reunion.  


Nevertheless, optimism among fans would shine bright with each rumor of possible reunion and it finally became a reality when it was announced that Face to Face would be touring the entire leg of the 2010 Warped Tour.  This was followed with the release of a new album in 2011, Laugh Now, Laugh Later along with a spring/summer tour with support from The Darlings and Strung Out.  The band had officially gotten together; thousands of punk fans were pleased.


It is with this backdrop, that Pathological Hate, embarked on a journey to Milwaukee, WI to catch a show that was 6 years in the making.  

May 6, 2011: THE EAGLES BALLROOM, MILWAUKEE, WI--


We were excited to see this band--unfortunately we had to drive to Milwaukee.  It's only a two hour drive, but getting to this city is anything but bearable. However, once the drive is over and you're in the venue.  The Eagles' Ballroom is a HUGE place.  They have multiple floors with the higher level playing dance music (that floor is called THE RAVE), and the 1st floor usually hosting live music.  There's a bar that's adjacent to the main stage that plays live music as well--so there's something for everyone at this place. Basically, on some nights, the only form of entertainment in Milwaukee.

We were certainly ready for a show that's been anticipated for six years. The crowd and energy from Face to Face really left an impression on us. The mosh pits didn't feel quite the same as the ones that we were used to in Chicago.  The differences between the Milwaukee and Chicago crowds at these shows are subtle, but tangible.  They're a bit--ummmm, lame?  It is our opinion that Wisconsinites are dorky and strange to begin with and those are the people on the surface.  So imagine how much weirder the local underground scene is. Plus there's certain unwritten rules that should be followed in the mosh pit that these people have no clue about.  If it happens once, it's an isolated incident, but if it happens multiple times, then it becomes a pattern.  Trever Keith, when he first came on stage, noted that there was "a small, but crazy crowd here in Milwaukee!"  Yes, "crazy" sums it up pretty well.

Regardless, it was great to experience a great night of punk rock.  Up and coming band, The Darlings were very impressive and were able to perform a cover of the Misfits' song, "Astro Zombies" with guest vocals, Jason Cruz from Strung Out.  Speaking of Strung Out, they performed right after and after years of not following this band, we became fans.  Their fusion of melodic punk rock and heavy metal precision is just infectious.  And listening to punk rock, 1990s staples "Firecracker" and "Matchbook" live was a treat in itself.  

Face to face started off with "You Lied" and "You've Done Nothing" and a whole slew of old songs.  They played a couple of their songs from their new album, but that night was all about the oldies: 

1. Walk the Walk
2. Blind
3. A-Ok
4. Pastel
5. Velocity
6. Disconnected

Not only are these few, select songs Face to Face essentials, but these songs are essential, punk rock in the 1990s and have withstood the test of time.  It's just perfectly idoneous to Southern California: the perfect sunny days, spending time at the beach, driving your car on the freeways, spending an afternoon skating--yes these are all cliches, but these are the connotations that these songs bring up.  It's just a good, fairly universal feeling of nostalgia.  

The real treat of the night came when Trever Keith admitted to the audience that breaking up was the biggest mistake that they have ever done and that part of the reason of coming back was to perform these "fun" songs again.  

To close the concert out, "It's not Over" was played on the encore set. Leaving the concert we felt this air of optimism as we walked out of the concert venue.  Maybe it was the cool, but pleasant spring breeze that was prevalent in Milwaukee that night--as if the band brought some of that good California weather with them.  But finally seeing Face to Face live for the first time, after that notion seemed to be all but an impossibility of a dream, sparked much hope that the band will continue creating more music and touring together as a band for many years to come. 

To check out the rest of our music page and read about previous shows we've attended, click here.

Check out another punk rock band from the 1990s, 88 Fingers Louie.

For everything Bad Religion, click here.

2011 WINTER CONCERT WRAP-UP: Streetlight Manifesto

Felipe M

We love Streetlight Manifesto around these parts.  So when we found out that they would be coming to Durty Nellie's in Palatine, Pathological Hate was all too eager to see them live again.

February 15, 2011: Durty Nellie's, Palatine, IL-- This was the first time I've ever been to Nellie's, much less for a show at this venue.  It is definitely an impressive establishment as there's a bar and grill walled off from the stage area.  Overseeing both sections of this facility is a second floor that provides a good view of the action below--unfortunately the good view is only supplied for a few people as views gets pretty obstructed rather quickly as people try to muscle their way into the best view possible without spilling theirs or anybody else's drink.  Really the only perk to staying on the 2nd floor is that it plays as the designated drinking area as alcoholic beverages are not allowed in the mosh pit area.  Yeah, I couldn't believe it either!  

Nevertheless, the best feature of Nellie's is that it has two impressively sized telescreens which display the show for those people who don't want to get too close to the action.  It is pretty unique for a small venue like Nellie's to have such a feature as it adds to the show's experience.

The second floor is where we watched Terrible Things' full setlist.  Terrible Things is a group compiled from ex-members of Coheed and Cambria and Hot Rod Circuit.  However, the reason why you would know this band is because it's fronted by ex-Taking Back Sunday member, Fred Mascherino.  Admittedly, I recognized Mascherino, but just wasn't sure where I have seen him before.  Weeks after the show is when I realized who he was.  Nevertheless, the band's sound seemed to be "out-dated" and the energy was just lacking, as the songs were very uninteresting.  However, there was a small fan base that was digging the set so all was not totally lost.

If Terrible Things was a necessary evil to endure that night, then Streetlight Manifesto was ready to send us to hell.  Just like at the show at The Metro in July (of 2010), the mosh pit area was hot!  We're in the middle of winter, but the mosh pit was scorching and humid like a tropical jungle.  The crowd was simply amazing as they knew almost every word to every song and never stopped moving.  No band can constantly keep the crowd moving like Streetlight Manifesto.  I myself had to take a long water break midway through the show as the heat was unforgiving.

As far as the band goes, they are simply marvelous.  The band's setlist was similar to the one in July, 2010, with a few additions here and there, most noticeably  their cover of NOFX's "Linoleum" and a personal favorite of mine, "Failing, Flailing".  Just like the show in July, they synthesized "Point/Counterpoint" with "Keasbey Nights"--that never gets old!  They finished their set with what's quickly becoming my favorite song all time from the band, "Somewhere in the Between."  The encore featured "Linoleum" and just like in July, ended with "The Big Sleep." 

It was a cold, drizzly, winter's day in the Chicagoland area, and it was about two weeks after the biggest snowstorm in Chicago, but the hottest place to be in mid-February of 2011 was at Durty Nellie's as Streetlight Manifesto put out another bombastic show for a terrific crowd.

Make sure to check out last year's 1st Quarter Concert Wrap-Up.

Streetlight Manifesto has also recorded their version of Bad Religion's "Skyscraper."  Be sure to check out our countdown of the 50 GREATEST BAD RELIGION SONGS EVER.

Find out what Devon was also doing during the month of February as he covered the 2011 Chicago Auto Show.

Is Image Everything? Felipe's Music Manifesto

Felipe M.




I just finished reading David Konow's Bang Your Head: The Rise and Fall of Heavy Metal.  Admittedly a bit dated, it was published in 2002 right as Metallica were about ready to hit rock bottom in their careers.  Nevertheless, it was a very interesting read as every chapter reads more like mini-biographies of not only famous heavy metal acts, but hard rock acts as well such as Led Zeppelin and Kiss--think That Metal Show in book form.  

When reading non-fiction works about the genre, I can't help but to get very excited when the works starts memorializing the "Thrash Metal" movement--usually sandwiched between chapters that speak of bands that wear face paint and make up (i.e. Alice Cooper and the aforementioned Kiss), to bands that insist on wearing as much leather as possible on and off stage (i.e. Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, etc.), before them and bands that cared more about their hair than their own music (or their own well-being, such as Motley Crue, Poison, etc.) after them.  Clearly, I have not hidden the fact that my musical tastes are rooted in punk rock and all of its genres and sub-genres so I can appreciate the existence of bands that developed their imagery based on the ideal to do away with glamour, theatrics, and visible imagery in metal music.  In its place were bands that wore black t-shirts (more often with other bands' logos), black jeans, and black shoes/boots with Anthrax even paving the way to wear shorts on stage.  Also missing from this movement was well-groomed, overly cared for, and chemically enhanced hair as grizzled beards and frizzled and scuzzy hair took over.

I will not be here telling whoever is reading this that they should only listen to this band and not the other band.  You can make that decision for yourself.  Instead, I will share with you the music code that I follow when listening to new bands and I like to think that it is solely based on music and not any other crappy image or gimmick the artist is trying to sell to me.  So without further ado...

FELIPE'S SIMPLE RULES ON PUNK AND METAL

• Rule #1: If you have to wear a mask, excessive make up, or face paint, I don't want anything to do with you or your band.  Kiss, Slipknot, Marilyn Manson--you might garner lot of fans and sell many records, but I want nothing to do with any of you!  Something about covering your face makes it seem to me that you're trying too hard on displaying an image or working too hard on theatrics to worry about your music.  Also makes me wonder what the hell it is you are hiding (not in a cool, mysterious way either).  You can tell me all the reasons why Manson is one of the most artistic people in the world and how Slipknot are uber-talented; I will continue to avoid them like the plague.  

• Rule #2: Let me preface by saying that I'm a guy who refuses to shave on a daily basis and I only wash my clothes if their longstanding odor isn't too offensive to me.  I also don't care if my haircut is not "punk enough" or if I'm wearing enough black clothes from Hot Topic so the whole world knows I'm expressing myself by letting people know I listen to Punk Rock and Metal music.  Nor do I worry that my lack of tats and piercings make me any less punk or metal.  If I find that a band seems to go out of their way to work a bit too hard on their image, then i-Tuned them off.  Bands like Anti-Flag and AFI come to mind, especially when they signed their first major label deals.  Travis Barker is another guy who went from being a punk rock drummer to being a drummer who has a punk image to go with his "punk attitude."  So to summarize, even if your band is not wearing makeup or funny-looking masks, any attempt to "dress up" is also grounds for dismissal.

When I go to a concert, I don't want to have to wait for a band to come on stage because they don't look "punk or metal enough" to get on stage yet.  Or maybe their "guyliner" isn't quite dark and guy enough yet, but a few coats promises to do the trick.  Or if their Liberty Spikes looks too punk, but not faux enough.  Nope, that just won't do!  Don't get me wrong, I do tolerate and even enjoy music by Anti-Flag, AFI, Green Day, and Blink-182.  But when I see these bands work so hard for their "look" they just simply come off as clowns.   

Yes, the quality of music is always first, but there are plenty of bands out there who don't go out of their way to create that "punk" or "metal" image.  Basically bands who "look like me" always get preferential treatment on my music rotation.  I'm talking about bands like Bad Religion, A Wilhelm Scream, Darkest Hour, The Lawrence Arms, etc.  When I see Hatebreed on stage and you have Jamey Jasta wearing a baseball hat, another band's t-shirt, shorts, and regular boots, I can appreciate that--the dude has nothing to hide and doesn't need much to get on stage, but a mic and his voice.  When i see Darkest Hour lead singer John Henry refuse to take his glasses off for a band photo, I say to myself, "Hey, I wear glasses and this guy looks like a total nerd like I do and we both like our music loud, aggressive, but with substance."  Best of all, we don't go out of our way to look like some sort of circus freak show.  When I see Bad Religion's lead singer, Greg Graffin's clothes and I can't recognize the brand names that he's wearing, I can relate because I sometimes have a hard time figuring out what brand of clothing I'm wearing (that's why I have a girlfriend so I don't have to worry about trivial stuff like that).

Probably the best personification of my decree to decide which bands will be given my valuable attention is the band Against Me!  These guys simply go on stage wearing all black--no corporate sponsored t-shirts, not even band t-shirts.  It's the coolest thing ever to see a band just go on stage and it's just four guys against the world as they put it all on black.  Their "image" is the epitome of what punk rock should be and it's more in spirit of what the genre is all about than any other fashionably conscious, popular faux punk rawk band out there.  

I can't help but think that both the punk and metal scenes are not and should not be about creating an image to appease a mainstream audience who probably does not care about the music as much as they care about the image that is being sold to them.  It's like the band Against Me! sing in their song "Reinventing Axl Rose":

We want a band

That plays loud and hard every night

A simple way to judge a band.  Very hard to quantify such a quality in today's world where attention spans keep getting shorter and shorter and style constantly trumps substance.  Worse, originality in music is pushed to the side for the chance of success by transforming into one of many copy-cat molds.  Because of this brave new world we live in, a lot of these bands have to find themselves a niche in the scene just to get our attention and avoid being accused of being a copy-cat band.  Hell, Kiss have been triumphant since the 1970s with the simple maxim that having a gimmick was better than being good, but unknown musicians who were dirt poor.

I also understand that many of these bands want to make a living out of their passion and not live dirt poor for the rest of their lives.  But for every band that has a gimmick to survive the music business, there has to be a lot more bands that are surviving who--you know?--work really hard at honing their skills in order to make great, memorable music and are making a comfortable living doing so.  At any rate, I'll continue to root for bands who classify with the latter and hoping for nothing but the worst for the bands that can be classified in the former.  

50 GREATEST BAD RELIGION SONGS EVER: Part I

Felipe M.




Finally, Part I has arrived!  We countdown the best Bad Religion songs ever and let you know the album and year it was released and a short comment as to why it made the list.  Without further ado:



#50. "Delirium of Disorder"-SUFFER (1988): Suffer is one of my favorite albums ever and I can still listen to it from beginning to end without hesitation.  However, for a while, the one song that I hated was this one because of the introduction as someone with a robotic, Satanic voice would very suddenly say the phrase "DELIRIUM OF DISORDER."  That used to scare me every single time the first several times I would listen to this album.  Eventually it won me over because it is a typical fast-paced Bad Religion song that blasts into your ears.  

As with a lot of Bad Religion songs, if your vocabulary is limited, you will have to bust out the dictionary to look up words.  This song in particular, as with a lot of Bad Religion songs, mocks the idea of people thinking that they have a significant reason for existing besides mere survival.  

Quote--"Chaos is the score upon which reality is written." 

#49. "Them and Us"--THE GRAY RACE (1996): Song was part of the soundtrack for the video game Crazy Taxi and helped a lot of people become Bad Religion fans undoubtedly.  

The song deals with race (appropriately enough for an album called The Gray Race) and how foolish it is to divide people into groups and categories because in the end we are all the same.  However, the song does acknowledge that humans, through psychological and social structures, cannot help but to create these differences--differences that are so rigid, which ultimately leads to this "Them and Us" mentality.

Quote--"Hate is a simple manifestation of the deep-seated, self-directed frustration.  All it does is promote fear and consternation."

#48. "It Must Look Pretty Appealing"--NO CONTROL (1989):  This album was the first Bad Religion CD I ever bought and pretty much was the gateway for the rest of the band's work.  

This song in particular focuses on the theme of introspection, almost encouraging an individual to question their comfortable, but routine, day-to-day life.  Greg Graffin's voice almost dares the listener to change their boring life, but he ridicules and teases the listener throughout the song, knowing very well that the individual will continue to lead a dull existence in reverie.


Quote--"You're too scared of other people not like you"


#47. "Anesthesia"--AGAINST THE GRAIN (1990): Many fans have stated that the first verse of this song was about the Charles Manson murders and it might be, as Bad Religion is known to find witty ways to reference events.  The lyrics and the fact that Brett Gurewitz wrote the song, might be autobiographical in nature as Mr. Brett has had problems with drugs and the song is littered with vague drug references, especially heroin.  A good example of how the band uses double meanings in their lyrics. 


Quote--"I've been hanging out here, for eleven long years, like a church mouse wondering where the cat has gone."


#46. "Bored and Extremely Dangerous"--THE PROCESS OF BELIEF (2002): I always thought that this track was in some way connected to the song "Broken" in that same album.  Where "Broken" ends in an optimistic note for a couple of teens, the perceived young person (or persons) in "Bored" is not so lucky and is constantly crying for help, compassion, and understanding.  The individual in the song will even resort to violence (whether harming themselves, others, or both) if not given the proper attention they so desperately need.  


The alarm clock and telephone ringing in the middle of the song is creepy as if to say "time's up"---appropriate for an isolated teen in high school who loathes having to go to class to be judged, persecuted, and bullied or the adult who lives a meaningless life and does his real living in his dreams every night only to be interrupted by the daily grind that is his day-to-day life.


Ironically, as the song ends and Greg Graffin cries for someone to "Listen to me," one will notice that the vocals go from being plea-like to hopeful, suggesting optimism for those that need such charity.


Quote--"Yeah, sure I might do harm and bear my right to arm."


Part II is available, here.....