The Loved Ones and The Gaslight Anthem Rock The Middle East

Last night, I attended the sold out Loved Ones show at The Middle East upstairs in Cambridge. I got there around 9 pm, and the first opening act, LaGrecia, hit the stage at around 9:15. I'm gonna take a guess that they haven't been together too long, but that's only because they look so young and are the first opening act for a group that just got over being an opening act themselves. This threesome from Brooklyn has some real chops when it comes to playing music. What the lead singer lacks in vocal talent he makes up for with his undying passion for the songs. This band, which features a chick on drums (wink, wink?), was extremely tight and each of their songs faded seamlessly into the next, a feat usually accomplished only by seasoned veterans of the rock club circuit. Bravo, LaGrecia, hope to see you guys around again sometime very soon. 

Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing for the next act, The Ergs. This trio looked like three geeks from high school, but I don't like to judge a book by its cover so I decided to check them out. MISTAKE #1!!!! They played like a bunch of geeks, too. The drummer sang, or should I say whined, the ridiculously cheesy lyrics into the mic while trying to keep an honest beat and was for the most part, successful. Now, when it came to the guitarist singing, it might be helpful to think of the sounds made by a dying animal, but luckily he only had lead on a couple of songs. The bass player, aside form looking like he had down syndrome while playing, was actually an incredibly talented musician. However, that was not enough to save this sorry act. NEXT!

By the time The Gaslight Anthem gets up on stage, I'm thinking maybe I wasted my money on this show. MISTAKE #2!!!! This foursome from Jersey absolutely rocked the house. The lead singer and rhythm guitarist belted out the lyrics with a huge smile stretching across his face the whole time. In fact, everybody in the band was smiling and laughing as they played. The crowd sang along the entire time and Brian, the exceedingly charismatic frontman, seemed to love the crowd as much as they loved him. It was the perfect union of man and music. Their setlist included songs that ranged in influence from Sam Cooke to Bruce Springsteen to The Clash. At one point, Brian even sang a few bars from "Stand By Me", the Ben E. King song famously covered by John Lennon. I highly recommend this band to Against Me! fans and any and all serious music fans. Their bass player even looked a little like classic Sid Vicious clips when he brashly stuck his chin out and mouthed the words while smiling and nodding at the crowd like he knew something that they didn't. The only difference, of course, was that he could actually play his instrument, unlike Sid. When it came time for the last song in the set, nobody in the place wanted them to leave. As soon as they were off the stage, I was at the merch table purchasing the debut CD and a t-shirt of my new favorite band. They have a new EP out called Senor and the Queen. GO GET IT!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!! P.S. They're from New Jersey, shocking!? Not even a little.

I don't even need to review The Loved Ones performance. I have now seen them three times, and believe me, they never disappoint. They had an excellent mix of songs from the new album and older tunes in their repertoire. Seeing two amazing acts in one night was so much more than I could ever ask for. Thanks guys for putting on such an awesome show. 

RANT!!!!!!!!!!

This past weekend has caused me to realize my hatred for several varying things in my life.

First on my list is BU "comedy" troupe, Liquid Fun. This is a misnomer, for the troupe is neither fun nor is there any relevant connection to liquid other than the sweat dripping down their necks from lack of laughter. To be fair, they suck at what they do so fuck them. Brooke Assad (see last post) coerced me into working an overnight shift at the GSU Friday night into Saturday. I arrived at BU Central around 2:00 am, armed with several drinks high in caffeine. At this point, the performers were already knee deep in embarrassment. I quickly ordered a pizza from Domino's to help assuage the pain brought on from the boredom that the night was sure to provide. It wasn't much help. I left at 7:00 am and was asleep before my head hit the pillow around 7:30.

Flash forward to noon, Saturday. I awake to the sound of Flannigan's Ball, by the Dropkick Murphys, my current ringtone and obnoxiously loud chorus that pisses off my roommates. It's my twin sister, Kelly.

"I'm going home. Are you coming?"

Ughhhhhhhhhh. Fineee.

I take a few moments to clear my schedule and gather my things, and the next thing I know, I'm on the T on my way to South Station. Before I can even fully process the events that have taken place, I am on a cramped Lucky Star Bus on my way to New York, fifteen bucks poorer and in need of a good shower and shave. After six grueling hours of being stuck behind potheads who keep pushing their seats back in search of a more comfortable baked-out position, we finally arrive in Chinatown. A quick stop to visit my dad at work and my sister and I are minutes from arriving home to the comfort and amenities that only your mother and the house you grew up in can offer.

"How about some Chinese food?"

AHHHHHHH!!!! No more Chinese anything!! 

But I never win, so I polish off my fortune cookie and some Coldstone ice cream and it's time to hit the sack for some well-deserved rest. But I can't even make it up the stairs to enjoy the consolation of my soft, fluffy mattress. No, I have to fall asleep on the couch while watching TV. A decision I would regret some twelve hours later when my family woke me up to go pick up my car from my dad's house.

12:30 pm, Sunday afternoon

I arrive at my father's humble abode to find that he needs to run some errands before having a little breakfast. Sounds good, Pops. I'll make the bacon...And I did, as soon as we returned to his kitchen around 4 pm. 

"Hey Dad, let's watch One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. I still haven't seen it. It was one of my favorite books."

"Sure, let's just watch the first few minutes of this shitty movie I Tivoed. Oh, and then we can watch another shitty movie I Tivoed. During that one, I'll wake you up every time you almost fall asleep."

I just want a shower!!!!

Two horrendous movies and a couple of episodes of The West Wing later, I'm on my way home in my own car. Luckily, it's only around midnight.

Monday morning, Noon

YAAAAAAWWWWNNNNNNNN. It's Presidents' Day, so I'm happy because I'm a patriot and an avid supporter of past, present, and future members of the Executive branch of government.

I get in the shower. AHHHH, finally. An hour passes and I'm back on the Lucky Star Bus on my way back up to Boston and my triple dorm room that was meant for a double. I hate you so much, Shane.

Okay. I wake up Tuesday morning around 5:30 am to do my radio show. My co-host Anthia and I trek through the frigid iciness of the godless Boston winter to discover that the COM building is locked. The evil weekend decided to stick around for an extra day or two. But I'm an optimist (anyone catch the irony?), so I find the silver lining in the fact that I can get some extra Z's before work at 10.

I wake up. 10:30. Sweet.

No shower today either, I suppose.

If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any luck at all.

Let's recap: Liquid Fun, the Chinese, potheads on buses, movies my dad has on Tivo, my dorm room, Shane, the COM building, sleep. You're all on my hit list for the time being.

~A very angry young lad

Oh, by the way, there's a new poll up. Get your vote on, heathens.

This One's for You, Brooke

Okay, so here's the deal. I don't have anything new to announce, however, one of my co-workers at the GSU (and an excellent friend, I might add), Brooke, has requested that I post something new on my blog. Look Brooke, you're famous now!

As for the rest of you, the next episode of SIQ on WTBU is scheduled to air on Monday, February 11 at 6 A.M. As a special treat for all of our early bird listeners, Anthia and I will be spinning our favorites from 2007 as well as taking requests from you for your favorite tracks. In the same vein, if you want to vote for your favorite album of 2007, you can conveniently do so to your right.

Also, the show will be debuting the full line-up of characters as we officially welcome our new intern, Noelia Rivera (get ready for some serious hazing and bitchwork, Boston University). 

They never should have given me a radio.

Keep the Peace,

~The Irish MC

P.S. Any questions about zombies or the killing thereof may be directed to BU's resident living dead expert and 2007 recipient of the BU Funniest Student Award, Damon Davidson. Damon can be reached at the second floor of the GSU at the Union Information Desk and will be available for zombie training sessions beginning next week.

Y'all best be practicin' yo frisbee playin', ya hear.

The Loved Ones Release Build & Burn

Yesterday, one of my favorite bands, The Loved Ones, released their sophomore effort, entitled Build & Burn, on Fat Wreck Chords. This is the follow up to their highly successful debut album, Keep Your Heart, released on Fat Mike's label in 2006.

The punk rock foursome from Philadelphia expands their unique sound on this record, adding guitarist Dave Walsh and bassist Chris Gonzalez (formerly of The Explosion) to the already tight duo of Dave Hause on vocals and guitar and Mike Sneeringer on drums. Despite the additions, the best lead guitar lick on the album is provided by Tad Kubler of The Hold Steady on the "rollicking Johnny Cash-meets-Ramones 'Louisiana'" as described by the Fat Wreck website (which offers free downloads of the songs "The Bridge" and "Sarah's Game"-- what are you waiting for? Get over there!). 

The album kicks off with a song that could have been on their debut and is sure to be a fan favorite, called "Pretty Good Year". Following suit, the second track, "The Inquirer", is one of the best songs they've ever written, however it still follows the mold of many of their earlier songs. Then, the centerpiece of the album, the anthemic "The Bridge", completely obliterates the mold and effectively pushes the rest of the album in the new direction that the band seems to want to travel in. "Brittle Heart" and "3rd Shift" get the job done and according to the boys at Fat Wreck, feature vocals by the wives of Walsh and Hause, respectively, but you can't really hear them. 

"Lousiana" leaves nothing to be desired. It transcends genres and conveys a message of hope for the future that is all too often absent from the mindset of the American media machine. The album's final track, "I Swear", is the band's first foray into love songs. Much slower and quieter than most of the songs on Build & Burn, this track is quite at home in The Loved Ones repertoire even if only for its honest lyrics and Hause's instantly recognizable vocals. Oh yeah, and it's an amazing song that will leave you wanting more of The Loved Ones. I sincerely hope that these guys get huge because they deserve it.

The album clocks in at just under thirty-three minutes, featuring ten tracks. It was recorded at the Wild Arctic in Queens and Kate's Place in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Bryan Kienlen and Pete Steinkopf, members of the Bouncing Souls as well as friends of the band, produced the album and added backup vocals and some extra guitars according to the album's liner notes. 

The Loved Ones will be in Boston in support of their new album on Saturday, February 23. They're playing at The Middle East in Cambridge with The Gaslight Anthem, The Ergs, and Lagrecia. BE THERE! I know I will.

It's an excellent album.

GO BUY IT! 

NOW!

I just created my first blog ever!

Hey guys, my name is Mike Carlos and I co-host the sickest show to ever blare through ya eardrums earlier than 8 AM. 

The show's entitled SIQ, which is an abbreviation of a phrase my co-host Anthia (she's Greek, it's cool, she comes with accent already downloaded) came up with about her cat ruling the world. You can hear us on WTBU, the beat of Boston University. Stream it live from the web at wtburadio.org or listen in BU dorms on Channel 6. 

We're on every Monday morning from 6 to 8, which is SWEEETTTT because nobody has anything better to do (fuck sleep?) that early so they (all three of them, including my mom) listen to our show. LISTEN TO IT!

So, blogs are alarmingly easy to create. I just got published with two clicks of my mouse.

PEACEEE,

MIKE

P.S. I almost forgot, I don't have any eyebrows. Go fuck yourself. Hence the name of the blog