Monthly Archives: March 2007
For Callum
I generally don’t accept advertisements on Sink or Swim, and to be honest this isn’t even an advertisement on the collective parts of the people mentioned, rather this is a rally cry to the punk community at large to help out. Along with the many benefit shows that have been booked around the country for Callum Robbins (son of J. Robbins and Janet Morgan) Catlick Records has just released a 32 song double CD featuring some pretty damn amazing bands from the past and present like Engine 88, Jawbreaker, Engine Down, The Life and Times, Mission of Burma, etc. For those of you unfamiliar with Callum’s situation, he has been diagnosed with SMA or Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Not being the best person to write about SMA, here are a couple of links that should fill in the gaps for you: www.callumrobbins.blogspot.com and www.desotorecords.com/cal. Your help and support is greatly appreciated! Check out http://catlickrecords.com/callum/ to find out how you can get your grubby little hands on this release. Also, for more information on SMA please check out http://www.fightsma.org/.
Six Degrees of Separation Between Me and the Boss!
Holy crap, it’s almost like I know the man!
Permanent- Sink/Swim CD
I’ll be the first to tell you that I am completely out of touch with modern hardcore. I honestly could care less about whiny chug/screamo/whatever you want to call it these days bands. Victory Records can suck it. From Autumn to Ashes can suck it. The Red Chord can suck it as well. These labels and bands represent the furthest resemblance to hardcore music. Where’s the honesty and the integrity? No, give me a good dose of 90′s DIY hardcore like Crudos or His Hero Is Gone or a band like Kid Dynamite and I’m set. With that said, the only modern hardcore band that I’ve listened to in the past few years that has done anything for me has been Modern Life Is War. The thing that did it for me (with them) is their lyrics, something that a lot of newer hardcore bands don’t focus on. Enter Permanent, a melodic hardcore band from Richmond, VA.
The first thing I did when I opened this CD was head for the thank you list where Permanent came up with their own “check out these bands kind of list.” Hey, they mentioned Avail (who they have played shows with) and Hot Water Music. Kudos in my book. I think it’s safe to say that Richmond has had its fair share of amazing bands, so right off the bat it is going to be hard for a newer band to stake its claim. How do they size up? I think fairly well.
Permanent bears a resemblance to bands of yore as well as current bands today. Like Gorilla Biscuits, Permanent infuses melody into their songs, which I absolutely love. I’ve always said that the true measure of a good song is whether it has that pop hook or melody in it, two great qualities that Permanent exhibit. The songs are not one dimensional switching from fast paced to mid tempo and back again leaving no time to get bored. What really impressed me was their ability incorporate other music styles into their songs, such as reggae. Don’t get me wrong, they are not a shittty reggae punk band like Sublime in any sense; where they added reggae was very tasteful. I also hear some Modern Life Is War styled songs. This isn’t to say they are as heavy as MLIW, it’s just how the songs are put together, which tells me that they are coming from a punk rock background VS. being a shitty metal band that has no concept of punk. Vocally, you can understand every word the singer is saying. Don’t get me wrong, I love harsh style vocals but at the same time I like to be able to hear what the singer is saying. The lyrics ( a major point of contention with me when speaking of new bands) are pretty good which is a plus.
As mentioned before, it takes a lot for me to be interested in modern hardcore, but Permanent found a way to get on my radar. Good job guys!
FCAT Fever…Catch It!
Ah, spring time in Florida brings warmer temperatures (ha, who am I kidding), blooming flowers, allergy attacks, renewed optimism, and the FCAT. I guess the FCAT kind of has a damper on the renewed optimism, but I’ll take what I can get. You know, I’ve always thought of myself as one of the teachers that doesn’t get stressed out during the FCAT. Seriously, I don’t put more un-needed pressure on the kids because it just doesn’t make sense. If I’m as good of a teacher as I think I am the kids will be learning what they need to pass the test anyway. But the other day during FCAT I realized that I am stressed out more than usual. It’s like FCAT fever is in the air, and no matter how hard you try not too, it’s inevitable; you catch it.
I think about where I was at this time last year, and holy shit, it’s where I’m at right now. Last year around this time I was coming home from school grumpy, and all I wanted to do was sleep. This year, the same. Last year I was taking out all of my frustrations on Shannon, which led her to moving out for three months. This year I’ve become more conscious, but I have caught myself letting out my frustrations in the same manner. Last year on was on edge everyday in class. This year, the same. Thanks a lot FCAT!
If I’m this stressed out, I’d hate to see how the students feel. I definitely empathize with them, more so now than ever because my future at this school potentially hinges on the FCAT results no thanks to the Bush brothers and No Child Left Behind. The only thing that I look foreword to on FCAT days, is pretty much the opposite from what the kids look foreword to; the time to get things done in class. One 120 minute test gives me a lot of time to grade papers, get the classroom organized, work on my zine, and google my name. But it’s still not worth all of the stress.
