Tin Cans and Strings.

Summer In The Adirondacks

christophercarlthomas — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 23:28:32 +0000

Laid back lifestyle all summer long. It’s fall now, so these pictures are reminding me of warm days and no school. They were taken at Indian Brook in Bolton Landing, NY. The town is right on Lake George, and my Father’s side of the family has a nice big house on the lake. I’ll be going there until I die.

Braindead Record Release Show, Siren Records 6/18/08

christophercarlthomas — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:46:12 +0000

Review

My band (myspace.com/hollowspa) got added to this show last minute, and we couldn’t have been more excited. Local favorites Braindead dropping their new LP, and an awesome tour package of Killing The Dream from California, The Carrier from Boston, and Gravemaker from Vancouver. I had my camera at the show and wasn’t planning on taking pictures, but I decided to partway in, causing me to miss taking shots of Gravemaker’s set.

Gravemaker played a played a decent set. They had a lot of energy and seemed sincere about what they were doing. No new ground broken musically, though, just pretty standard melodic HC like the other bands playing the show.

I was very excited to see The Carrier after listening to their new 7″ No Love Can Save Me on Deathwish Inc. several times in the weeks before the show. They were ok live, nothing that really moved me. A group of four or five kids I had never seen before were losing it to the band though. The fact that they struck bro poses the whole time they sang along was hilarious. One of my friends was talking to one of the kids who said “I can die happy now!” At least they were stoked on a relatively new band.

Braindead played next, with their tour bass player filling in, though their normal bass guy was at the show. Since the last time I saw them they added a whole bunch of interludes between songs, perhaps taking a cue from Blacklisted in making the time during guitar tuning a little more interesting. They sounded great, and kids went off. I hope these guys get some real recognition on their current U.S./Canada tour with Ruiner and All Teeth.

Killing the Dream is a band I wish I had gotten into earlier, but I’ve been really into their new album Fractures lately. They play really creative melodic HC that is both tuneful and extremely angry. Unlike most bands that play at Siren, KTD’s singer did not stay on the stage during their set, instead prowling the floor. It definitely made for a more intimate show experience. After their set I talked to their singer Eli, who was a very nice guy. He took some Hollows demos with him, let me know if you got one at a Killing The Dream show.

Photos

The Carrier:

Braindead:

Killing The Dream:

Thanks for looking! Send feedback to chris.thomas (at) temple.edu

The Endless Blockade, Coffins, Birth Control @ Jan’s Room, 5/21/08

christophercarlthomas — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 05:38:08 +0000

Seeing foreign bands is awesome, especially Scandinavian and Japanese bands. I have had the privilege of seeing several bands from both areas, including Victims, Hero Dishonest, and Breakfast. They were all not only awesome musically, but really funny guys. Tons of hilarious comments during their sets and great antics. Japan’s Coffins were the first metal band I have ever seen from the country, and their guitar playing threw up the horns so many times I could feel the fires of hell coming from his just-over-5-foot body. They were awesome though, and the guest vocalist for the last song was amazing. Local sludge band Oxygen Destroyer opened the show with a Led Zepplin cover and a 10 or so minute long dirge. They really are loud. I was very excited to see Birth Control, Brad TFK’s new band. I missed them several times over the school year so this was my chance to make up for it. My friend Arthur is currently their singer, though I don’t think it’s permanent. Good times anyway. Check them out at www.freelegalhighs.org. Seriously. The Endless Blockade from Canada were the definite highlight of the show. I have never seen a hardcore band where each member (including the singer) had 5+ pedals at their feet. They had a definite noise vibe going on, but playing some of the tightest powerviolence I have ever heard. Kids drove all the way from Pittsburgh to see this band, they must be doing something right. They just put out a split with Iron Lung, track that down. I already talked about Coffins, but I want to reiterate the fact that they love metal. The Japanese tend to do every genre of music well, this was no exception. Look them up.

Birth Control:

The Endless Blockade:

Coffins:

Random:

Thanks for reading, check back soon for Bridge & Tunnel pictures.

War Pigs Record Release Show @ Siren Records, 4/26/08

christophercarlthomas — Wed, 21 May 2008 04:40:53 +0000

Review:

Two dollar shows are hard to come by these days, especially one with an awesome bill like this. Most of the bands that played this show are high up on my list of great local bands, and Title Fight and Let Down are a couple of the best bands in punk/hardcore today. Check them out a.s.a.p.

New Doylestown HC band Concrete Jungle played first and didn’t make much of an impression. Their singer was all about the crazy antics though, even taking part in one of my least favorite things, throwing the mic at the crowd. I’ve seen a bunch of bands do this lately, and I don’t get it. Stagedives from the singer make sense, but launching a couple pound of hard metal at the heads of kids who are stoked on your band is beyond me.

New (I think?) sxe band Force Fed from Perkasie, PA played a quick, angry set. Decent stuff, though not too special. Kids were into it though.

Wilkes-Barre HC young guns and members of Title Fight the Early Birds played second. They’ve been in this blog before, and I have nothing but good to say about them. They have some neat and creative guitar work that sets them apart, and they cover “No Spiritual Surrender” by Inside Out fairly regularly.

Title Fight from Kingston, PA are hands down the best Lifetime-influenced pop punk band around. They are catchy has hell and write great songs. They just put out a new 7″ called Kingston on Flightplan records. Check it out at www.flightplan.bigcartel.com, it’s amazing. This was my first time seeing them and I was so excited. Kids go nuts for this band and they deserve it. So much energy and heart.

I’m not edge, but I love Let Down. They are genuinely pissed off, like every HC band should be. One of my favorite thing to see at a show is when a band totally confuses a crowd to the point of bumming them out. Doylestown kids LOVE Let Down and were clearly excited for the set, but were totally not expecting a Hole cover as the first song. Vocalist Bob Wilson actually sang the song, even using a mic stand. I think I saw two or three people that actually realized what was going on. The rest of the set was really well received, the band sounded great. Pick up their new LP “We’re In This Alone” on Six Feet Under Records.

I saw War Pigs a week before this show at the Deathwish Records showcase. They were great and I was excited to see them. This was the record release show for their new 7″ on Leave ‘Em records. Get it at myspace.com/leaveemrecords. The band departed from their usual formal dress during their live show for flannel shirts and bandanna headbands. They also had an awesome giant upside down cross hanging behind them and some evil red lights. The band was tight and are always great live. They finally getting the attention they deserve, look for some out of town shows soon.

Pictures:

Concrete Jungle:

Force Fed:

Early Birds:

Title Fight:

Let Down:

War Pigs:

Thanks for reading!

Deathwish/Malfunction Showcase @ Siren Records 4/19/08

christophercarlthomas — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:21:17 +0000

Review:

Definitely one of the crazier hardcore shows I have ever been to. Local metal/HC crossover band War Pigs opened the show, and the strong reaction they got, especially during their last song, set the tone for the rest of the night.

The much-hyped Trapped Under Ice played next. I am not a huge fan of the Biohazard/rap-influenced style of HC, but they were tight and kids went off for them. Check out their new 7-inch. The bands actually on Deathwish/Malfunction went on next.

Philly locals Reign Supreme played a really loud set, the floor was shaking from the volume. They have a really great frontman who knows how to get the crowd going. I rode home from the show with their bass player, and it was one of the funniest car rides of my life. Constant ripping on two girls no one else in the car knew but were riding with us for some reason.

Meltdown from New England played next, but I really don’t like them. I didn’t even bother taking pictures, I used the bathroom instead.

Everyone was all about Trash Talk from CA over the past year, but I never got around to seeing them. I liked their recordings, and their set lived up to the expectations. Their singer was wasted and spent a lot of time on top of the crowd. I guess their guitarist and bassist ran into some legal trouble and this was their last of show their tour with TUI, but as of May 4 they are back on the road. Best of luck to them, go check them out with Coliseum in the next couple of weeks.

Wilkes-Barres heavyweights Cold World closed the show. They were heavy, and I was wondering how many of the younger kids wearing their shirts got the obvious cocaine reference on them.

Overall they show was a lot of fun, and I saw some great bands that I had never seen before. Head over to www.deathwishinc.com and pick up the new records from their bands.

War Pigs:

Trapped Under Ice:

Reign Supreme:

Trash Talk:

Cold World:

Thanks a lot for reading! Check out my band at myspace.com/hollowspa, we just put out a cassette demo. $3 in person, $5 ppd, paypal to abolishthewar517(at)aol.com and make sure to put “hollows demo” in the comments section.

Cruel Hand, Mongoloids, Braindead, Early Birds, War Hungry @ Siren Records 2/9/08

christophercarlthomas — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 06:05:02 +0000

This was my first show at Siren Records in Doylestown, PA, and it was a banger. The mosh was brought, a fight almost broke out, and a mic cable was severed. Young guys Early Birds from Kingston, PA played some sloppy, fast hardcore and covered No Spiritual Surrender by Inside Out! Philly’s Braindead played a very tight set, fairly dark HC with lots of melody. Maine’s Cruel Hand had just lost one of their guitarists, so the guy that was left had two full stacks behind him. War Hungry from Wilkes Barre got a pretty crazy reaction, lots of kids from their hometown came to the show and went nuts. The Mongoloids from New Jersey closed the show, with only two of their actual members with them on the tour. They still played hard, and kids went nuts. Check out Siren Records if you are in the area, they get some seriously awesome shows.

Early Birds:

Braindead:

Cruel Hand:

War Hungry:

The Mongoloids:

Jan’s Room, January 18 with Surroundings, Middle America, others

christophercarlthomas — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 23:11:57 +0000

This was my last show in the Lehigh Valley before returning to Philadelphia, and it was awesome. It was billed as a joint release show for the first issue of Evan’s Brain Case fanzine and new Valley band Oxygen Destroyer‘s first tape. Jersey bands Seasick and Static Radio opened the night with short sets, fast, energetic hardcore from the former, and Kid Dynamite/Lifetime poppyness from the latter. Ohio metallic HC band Paralyzer played, and I got smacked in the face by their bass player’s dreadlocks. They were totally nice guys though, and the music ripped. Baltimore’s Surroundings played a style similar to their hometown contemporaries Pulling Teeth, and in my opinion were the best band of the night. Plus their singer walked with a cane but still managed to put on a good live performance. Lehigh Valley heartthrobs Middle America featuring renowned prick Tom D on drums played next, with their usual chaotic early 80′s style. This band is seriously good, try to track down their demo tape, and keep a lookout for a new 7″ sometime soon. Oxygen Destroyer‘s set was my first experience with this band, featuring a couple of noisers and a jazz percussionist playing sludgy metal at high volumes. Here are the pictures from the show:

Static Radio:

Seasick:

Middle America:

Paralyzer:

I have no idea…

Surroundings:

Oxygen Destroyer:

Thanks for looking, hit me back with feedback.

New Year’s Day Hardcore Show! Blank Stare, Coke Bust, Sick Fix

christophercarlthomas — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 06:46:02 +0000

2008 started with a banger of a show at Jan’s Room in Allentown, PA. I was not hungover, because NYE was spent watching Mr. Show and Upright Citizen’s Brigade. Fun night. Anyway, on to the show. Buffalo, NY’s White York and Halo Fauna were added last minute to the show, but mixed up the atmosphere with some poppy indie jams. White York sounded a bit like what Against Me! should be doing right now. Reading, PA’s I Hate This were next, with an intense female vocalist and guitars with “I <3 Powerviolence” stickers. D.C.’s Coke Bust played exactly what hardcore should be, fast and pissed. Their singer was all over the place, and spoke his mind on some of the song topics. They shared members with the next band, Sick Fix, so their was little downtime between sets. Sick Fix also had a rad female singer. It was awesome to see two girls singing in hardcore bands at one show, especially because they were super into what they were doing and provoking though with the time they had during their sets. The band I was really excited for, Blank Stare from Boston, played last. Their singer was really into it, and they ripped. Here are the pictures:

White York:

Halo Fauna:

I Hate This:

Coke Bust:

Sick Fix:

Griffin Moshes during Sick Fix’s set:

Blank Stare:

Thanks!

Hulk Smash/Fight Amp/Baroness at the FU Church 11/29/07

christophercarlthomas — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 05:51:17 +0000

This is a long overdue update, the show that the pictures are from was over a month ago. Oh well, here they are. They show was on the floor of the church, a welcome departure from the normal stage. Smaller shows there should definitely be on the floor. First up is Hulk Smash, a noisy prog-rock bass and drum duo. They mixed up the show a little by playing behind the merch tables in the back of the First Unitarian Church basement. Lots of effects and yelling made for an interesting set. Local hardcore punk band Fight Amp (formerly Fight Amputation) played next, bringing the Tragedy/Severed Head of State sound with a little more grungy metal feel. I picked up their newest 7″ on Translation Loss Records, and it is a banger. Georgia’s Baroness played last. Their newest release, The Red Album came out on Philadelphia’s own Relapse Records recently, and is by far their best work to date. They play a varied form of metal, with lots of odd time signatures, but no crazy spazz-outs like label-mates The Dillinger Escape Plan. Lots of prog-rock and punk influences. They played a flawless set showcasing the new album. Their drummer is amazing, one of the best I have ever seen. Check Baroness out, they are blowing up right now.

Hulk Smash:

Fight Amp:

Baroness:

11/15/07 Show at Planet Mollie in Philadelphia, PA.

christophercarlthomas — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 01:04:01 +0000

This show started off with a member of Hey Hey and another kid playing acoustic Civil War songs. They were awesome. New screamo band Boy Problems (ex- Make Me, Street Smart Cyclist, This Lady is not for Burning and current Storm the Bastille) were very impressive. Danny is a great front man. Red Wing Black Bird played some nice acoustic jams. Each Other’s Mothers (member of Bridge and Tunnel) played dancey instrumental music. Algernon Cadwallader brought their trademark Cap’n Jazz/Kinsella Brother worship.

Boy Problems:

Each Other’s Mothers:

Algernon Cadwallader: