Tim Scofield presents, “Aerial Sculpture” December 8, 2006 @ the Sub Station, Baltimore, MD

By: Ivy Lopez, Field Archivist

The saying “you had to be there” holds true to the performance of Aerial Sculpture. Words could not describe the interplay between art and music. However, put simply, so as not to totally bastardize the art of Tim Scofield, it is a performance of “flying machines.”
Tim Scofield practices the fine and lost art of welding. He teaches the finer points of metal work at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) to students yearning to absorb even a morsel of what he knows. Tim has been building what he calls “flying machines” for eight years. He has performed Aerial Sculpture annually for the last five years, with each performance showcasing a year’s worth of work and each performance meeting high praise.

The performance featured four of Scofield’s latest machines, three of which were pendulums and one a teeter-tot. All four machines featured acrobats who were harnessed into the arms of each machine with a rotating belt. This allowed the acrobats to fluidly showcase the genius of the machine. Each pendulum consists of a movable fork that could rotate 360 degrees, while the acrobat could also independently rotate 360 degrees, all while the entire arm of the machine was in motion. What results is a single machine that functions from many movable elements. The acrobats on the pendulums were able to demonstrate the nature of the machines, being massive yet delicate structures. The flying machines interact with each other gracefully, with each acrobat having the ability to “play off” of the other machines. The teeter-tot featured two acrobats, one in each of the forks at the end of each of the arms. This machine showcased its true versatility. It is able to rotate at a high velocity, with the acrobats in full control of the machine’s motions and in full control of their own. Witnessing such a performance was more like watching “Swan Lake” than flying machines. The irony is part of the brilliance behind the creation.

Although the emphasis of the performance was on the fine art of sculpture, it could not have conveyed the emotion Tim Scofield intended without its soundtrack. Aerial Sculpture displays the intricate relationship between art and music. The music was performed by a local band called Grandchildren. It paralleled the movements of the acrobats and the acrobats synchronized with the ebb and flow of the music. The result was a symbiotic relationship and a visual soundscape. Grandchildren encased the warehouse with sounds remniscent of Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.” Independently, the band was very impressive, delivering an atmospheric feel similar to math rock bands like Paul Newman and Tarantel. I would be interested in seeing this band live, not only because they were great musicians, but to hear them in a different context.

Together, the art defines the music and the music defines and embellishes the art. The medium of art can make the soul sing many tunes. Aerial Sculpture is the tune that Tim Scofield has been humming, only this time, we can see and hear it.

The Fest 3 DVD

  

At first I felt a little weird about reviewing the Fest 3 DVD because my old band, the Rogue Set is one of the bands that played and also happens to be one of the bands represented on this DVD. But, considering the fact that I am not reviewing the bands per se, an impossible task made that way because I would have to review 60 bands, my qualms are squashed. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the good folks that edited the video for including the song they did. I can remember our set, and how can I put this eloquently? We were far from Stellar.

What I like about this DVD is that it does a good job capturing the moments that make the individual bands set so memorable: what happens on stage. You get funnier moments, like the singer of Deadsure playing with an all air instrument band comprised of Matt from Strikeforce Diablo and Roy from Lucero, or the overly drunken moments like Lucero’s set. Plus if you’ve been to Fest you know how much of a sensory overload it is by trying to scamper from one area to the next, just trying to catch even ten minutes of one band only to run off to catch ten minutes of another. The sound quality is surprisingly good, considering the acoustics of the different venues. It always seems as though the Common Grounds shows have the best sound but are so blaringly loud, and the Side Bar always sounds like a cave. On the DVD (most) of the bands sound very clear and not over bearing, that is unless that is the bands intent.

I think the downfall of the Fest 3 DVD comes from the lack of attention put towards showcasing the whole Fest experience. Anyone who has been to Fest knows what it is like: drinking, partying, 5 Star Pizza, front porches, awesome bands that you may not see otherwise, and the awesome friends that you may not get to see otherwise. This DVD would benefit from interviews with both bands and attendees,  similar to the Michigan Fest DVD (which oddly enough was put together by the same people, Bifocal Media). It would also benefit from documenting the house shows and the overall organized mayhem aspect of Fest. I think that No Idea has documented the last two Fests in that manner for future DVDs.

With this in mind, if you want to get a general idea of what Fest is like, then pick this up. But if you would like to get a piece of all of the action surrounding Fest you’d be better off getting your ass to Florida to experience it first hand.
No Idea Records

Help Baby Cal Robbins

Some of you are familiar with J. Robbins’ and Janet’s contributions to the punk rock community through the various bands they’ve collectively been in like Government Issue, Jawbox, Burning Airlines, Shonben, Channels, or Report Suspicious Activites. Some of you may be familiar with J. Robbins as the man behind the board on some of the more memorable albums by bands like Against Me!, Murder By Death, and Discount. How you are familiar with these two is not important.  J. and Janet’s child Cal is sick and they need your help. Below is an internet link to a website set up by Bill and Kim (Jawbox, Desoto Records) that explains the situation better than I ever can. I would urge everyone to at least check it out to see if there is anyway that you can help out.
http://www.desotorecords.com/cal/index.shtml

Hickey is Still Better Than 90% of the Current Crop of Bands.

Man, I just listened to this again today. It’s been a long time, but you know what? I’ll be damned if it doesn’t hold up to the test of time.
Matty Luv RIP

North Lincoln/The Gibbons-Split 7″

I first saw these two bands play when they were on tour together a few years back. They played at the Emerald, a place that many of you may be familiar with. I owned the North Lincoln demo CD and thought it was really good, but had never heard or heard of the Gibbons. The show was really good, and I picked up the newer releases from both bands, which happened to be EPs. The North Lincoln EP was awesome, but to be honest, I regretfully never listened to the Gibbons EP. Looking back on things now at least I could say that I was fortunate enough to see them. Between releasing those older EPs and this split, both bands released killer albums. North Lincoln with Truth Is A Menace, and the Gibbons with Hope, Inc. I listened to Hope, Inc. constantly when it came, and I became a huge fan of the Gibbons. I was so excited to here that they would be releasing a split EP with North Lincoln.

Unfortunately this release is bitter sweet to me because sadly, these are the Gibbons last three songs. Similar to their prior releases, they stay loyal to their tried and true formula of Lawrence Arms esque melodic punk with personal and political lyrics that deal with the state of the world. What I’ve always respected about the Gibbons is that they present their lyrics in a manner that makes them applicable to everyone. That’s not to say that they dumb the lyrics down for everyone, because they are well written, but they don’t feel the need to make their ideas so abstract that only a fringe amount of people understand what they are trying to convey. I hope they start new projects (soon!) because I am very bummed that they are no more. On to the North Lincoln side.

Make no mistake about it, their older songs were awesome, but their newer material is stunning. These songs are very well written, where you can still tell where they came from, but they have perfected their formula. They smoothed around the edges making their infectious brand of melodic punk sound even more infectious. There seems to be a greater sense of melody adding a different dimension to their songs, something that they hinted at prior to this. I can’t wait to hear what North Lincoln has in store for the upcoming list of releases mentioned on their webpage.                                                              
Salinas Records

The Measure (SA)-Historical Fiction CD/LP

Historical Fiction, is the first album from this New Jersey band, and it’s doozy. The Measure (SA) formed a few years ago as a folk punk band, but as they continued to practice they found that they became louder and faster. They have all but left the folk punk influence behind, and have risen to become one of the better bands to come out in recent years. With the ability to tie together influences as diverse as the Pogues, Discount, and American Steel, the Measure (SA) have created an album that is dynamic from start to finish. What I find refreshing about Historical Fiction is the variety of the songs presented, leaving never a boring or dull moment.

I also love bands with multiple vocalists, and this band is no different. Mike has that Shane MacGowan quality in that his vocals are partially gruff, and partially drunkenly slurred. Lauren has an almost Allison from Discount approach to singing where the vocals shift from sweet to strong. The lyrics are also great as they are personal, and many times deal with the alienation of everyday life in the way that leaves us the listener able to relate to them.

The songs flow well together leaving an album that sounds like it was intentionally put together in the order it is presented. The music varies from straight ahead melodic punk tunes such as Just Go, and Letters, to the more folk/country influenced tunes such as Autonumously, and It’s Me or the Marlboro Man. Dare I say there is an almost Psychedellic Furs as channeled by bands like Jawbreaker or American Steel, meets Billy Bragg influence in the songs.

If it isn’t apparent, I think this album is great. I look foreward to seeing them in a few weeks when they swing through St. Pete on their winter tour.
Salinas Records/Don Giovanni Records

Scientology isn’t just the cute little religion whose followers believe in aliens…

That Scientology is more of a money grabbing cult than a religion shouldn’t be news to you. That they potentially kill members of the congregation should definitely enrage you. Click the link fool!

http://theunfunnytruth.ytmnd.com/

Also, Myspace is potentially deleting the accounts of people that have some sort of anti scientology literature uploaded. Check this page out for more information:

http://www.scientomogy.com/myspace1.php

Old American Steel Interview

I just linked the piece I wrote on American Steel with an interview from a while ago. I think it was written by Puckett? I could be wrong. In any case, it came from the webzine Punkrock Academy. Check out the link at the bottom of the piece titled “American Steel re-release???“

Murder By Death-In Bocca al Lupo CD

When I first heard of this band called Murder By Death I was drinking on a porch with a bunch of friends. We were celebrating that my old band just finished recording. This girl was there drinking with us, sadly her name escapes me. She was, how do you say, a very pro Hot Topic kind of person. You know what I mean, the pseudo goth/My Chemical Romance type of person, and she was telling me about this band that I had to check out which happened to be Murder By Death. My first thought was that they were probably a horrible emo hardcore band as that was (and I guess still is) all the rage then. I checked their website out, and noticed they were on the same label as My Chemical Romance, and they played some shows with bands of that ilk. In my eyes, my suspicions were confirmed. They never had a chance.

Fast foreword about a year. My buddy Ryan flew to New York to see the Weakerthans, Lucero, and Murder By Death. Besides the fact that he said they were awesome, he mentioned that the cellist had a cello with an Iron Maiden mural on it, and that’s pretty damn cool. I also thought well, if the Weakerthans are going to take them on tour, maybe I should give them a shot. Then Against Me! took them on tour, and I continued to toy with the idea of checking them out. Finally, one day my buddy James came into town and brought his iPod with him. We swapped songs from each others iPods on to our own, and low and behold Murder By Death was one of the bands that was now on my iPod. So, I listened to them and I realized that I my idea about them was wrong all along. After that I started listening to them all the time. I was hooked.

Their new CD, In Bocca al Lupo (which literally means “in the mouth of the wolf,” in Italian, and translates to good luck in English) came out recently, and let me say that it is incredible. They continue to play their style of dark music, kind of like Johnny Cash meets Eastern European folk meets rock n’ roll. Dare I say they even sound like the bastard son of Tom Waits and the Black Heart Procession. The songs run the gamut from sea chanties (Dead Men and Sinners) to Country Western styled ballads (Shiola), from barroom anthems (Brother) to Americana styled hymns (The Devil Drives). It doesn’t hurt that J. Robbins tweaked the knobs on this recording, and it sounds great. The instrument and vocal levels are perfect, and never drown out the very bass and cello driven songs.

What I also appreciate about Murder By Death, and this CD really reinforces this idea, is that they are so far out there especially when you think about what the kids are into these days, that they appeal to a wide range of people. A quality that most bands aim for, but miss. I’ve seen them tour with bands as varied as Lucero, the Life and Times, and William Elliot Whitmore, and somehow they fit on every bill. I highly recommend this album!
Tent Show Records

Parasites, The Ergs, and 3 others Saturday, December 2, 2006 @ The Ottobar, Baltimore, MD

By: Ivy Lopez, Field Archivist

I’m used to Florida shows where things rarely start on time, and usually, when they do start it’s not until a few hours before the bar closes. So, as habit would have it, I was late to the show and missed the first three bands. And, as poor memory would have it, I don’t remember their names. So, I apologize that I can’t comment on any of the opening bands.

The Ergs began their set by playing bits of Black Flag songs and insisting that it’s not necessary to hear more than ten seconds of any Black Flag song that was released after 1985. With that, they launched into their set. The Ergs play concise, and solid punk rock. Their songs are exactly what needs to happen, without sounding at all predictable. It’s hard to describe The Ergs without drawing a comparison to The Descendents. From the “noodley” basslines, to the subject matter, to the “catchiness” of their songs, it’s evident that they’ve been largely influenced by one of the great punk bands of all time. However, they still maintain an overtone that’s uniquely their own. In fact, they did a cover of my favorite Descendents song “Bikeage” which I liked more than the original. What I love most about The Ergs is that their songs are innate, which translates into them being perhaps one of the “tightest” bands out there. They played a mix of mostly old songs from the “Dorkrockcorkrod” album and the “Jersey’s Best Prancers” album.

Thrown in for good measure was not only a Descendents cover but also a Black Flag cover (this time they played more than ten seconds worth), which I still can’t figure out the name of, and the Gin Blossom’s “Hey Jealousy,” which I’m convinced would be the bee’s knees if it were truly an Ergs song. They also played three brand new songs that are slated to be released on their new album that’s coming out in 2007. These songs seem a little more developed and more dynamic……Sounds like the makings of a damn good album.

Ahhhhh, Parasites. Not the kind that eat your intestinal tract, but the kind that makes you feel warm all over. It’s pop punk at it’s best and pop punk in its hey-day. Dave Parasite has resurfaced to make peeps such as myself very happy and nostalgic for yesteryear. Life and music was much simpler then. Pop punk was big for a reason. People were starving to hear songs that were simple, tangible and down right catchy. People were starving for bands like The Ramones. Although Dave Parasite is the only original Parasite, I would venture to say that he is the most defining element of the band. His vocal style is the signature sound. His melody and register remind me of The Beach Boys if they sang half an octave lower. With that said, Dave Parasite sings songs in a similar vein as the Beach Boys. Songs that tug at your heart strings and remind you of that day at the state fair when you ate cotton candy to your heart’s content, rode those nauseating rides and won a stuffed Tweety bird. All the while, the sun was shining and there was not a cloud in the sky. Such bubblegum type vocals are properly anchored by thick (mostly three) chord progressions giving it just enough grit to qualify it as punk rock.

Due to the fact that Dave Parasite is the only original touring, he was backed up by The Ergs. Double duty!! They did a great job and maintained the integrity of it being a Parasites show. They played old songs (I guess they’re all old at this point), and one new song. A new song? Does this mean a potential new release? We can only hope…Now, if only The Beatnik Termites would get back together.