Buy Max Pelt Tapes & Vinyl / Death to Scumbags

The other night at a show at Wally’s World, local scene fixture Magik Ian had $800 stolen from him. It’s always super depressing when someone opens up their home as an underground venue and scumbags choose to take advantage of them. Ian’s friends are calling on everyone to buy recordings from Ian’s label Maximum Pelt to help offset the loss.

If you’re looking for recommendations, that Midwaste tape from Vamos fucken slays. Very cocky strutting trash-glam rock that doesn’t need to resort to art punk abrasiveness to keep things cut-throat. Go buy some tapes for a good cause, ya jerkwads! OPEN LETTER INSIDE TO THE COMMUNITY INSIDE

Read Article →

Joe Steinhardt Calls Out Peers for Working with Sexist/Racist/Homophobic Punk Bands

Joe Steinhardt, cofounder of Don Giovanni, a label most well-known for signing bands like Waxahatchee, Screaming Females, and The Ergs! recently published a Facebook post challenging “two labels, Recess Records and Asian Man Records to completely disassociate with sexist, racist, and homophobic punk bands like The Queers and Screeching Weasel.”

The call-out was likely inspired by a recent Facebook post made by Joe Queer, lead singer of The Queers, calling the murderer of unarmed teenager Michael Brown Officer Darren Wilson “a man of peace in a world of mayhem” and linking to a fundraiser that many have likened to a bounty or reward for the racist killing. Ben Weasel jumped into the comment fray with his usual “punk singers are supposed to offend you, go listen to some band I don’t like if you don’t like it, weak sheeple diaper babies” free-speech-means-no-one-is-allowed-to-disagree-with-me schtick, which which not received kindly given his track record. MORE REASONS WHY BEN WEASEL IS A PIECE OF SHIT AND RECORD LABEL INFIGHTING INSIDE

Read Article →

WEEKLY AGENDA: Tuesday 8/27 to Saturday 8/30

You guys, I don’t know how to feel about Door #3, the faux-DIY venue beneath Double Door. On one hand, it’s nice to see shows in a low-key atmosphere with cans of cheap beer that doesn’t smell like dirty feet soaking in a festering Blatz swamp. On the other hand, it’s fucked up for a major douchebag Wicker Park venue to co-opt DIY aesthetics and integrity. Should we go see Slushy, The Jollys, and Grosse Pointe there on Thursday anyway? Which do we care about more, punk rock purity or having a fun time? THE ANSWER TO THESE QUESTIONS AND YOUR AGENDA FOR THIS WEEK INSIDE

Read Article →

Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts: Inspiration for Lil Punks

How many little punks got their start sipping on a suicide and making up songs about killing the teacher? Playground Jungle charts the folk progress of naughty playground rhymes, like how Jingle Bells evolved into Batman Smells.

Other topics include the dangers of sipping cider through a straw, the filthy lyrics behind the Miss Suzie rhyme you patty-caked to, the nauseating side effects of Comet, the similarity of psychedelic Beatles lyrics to a gross-out British nursery rhyme, the musical properties of beans, and what’s really going on on top of Old Smokey. There’s even a surprising number of 1950s playground songs about lesbians for the little queercore punks.

Read Article →

Chic-A-Go-Go Taping Saturday 8/23 with The Holy Motors, Sonny Knight, Snake Island

Chic-A-Go-Go is a bizarre Chicago institution, a public access dance party on Channel 19 (CAN TV). Jake Austen, the music historian behind Rocktober, booker for Promontory and all-around amazing dude, hosts a studio taping full of local bands, little kids, and partyin’ puppets. It’s a fun, free, positive time for everyone; and it’s kind of cool to see bands sober in the middle of the day with a bunch of dancing toddlers, hipster parents, and sleepy rockers. INSIDE: TAPING DETAILS & OUR FAVORITE CHIC-A-GO-GO-PERFORMANCES

Read Article →

Weekend Agenda: VoT Record Fair, ElSounds Fest

Victim of Time, one of our favorite blogs (and perhaps a significant influence on this here project) is throwing a banging fest all fucking weekend. It’s only $5 per day, and the first 20 people through the door tonight get a free HoZac record/cd pack.The Friday line-up includes The Yolks, Basic Cable, ONO, Spike and The Sweet Spots, Gross Pointe, and a SPECIAL SECRET GUEST. MORE INSIDE

Read Article →

Mean Jeans to Record New Album

My heart barfed when I read on Twitter that Portland party goons Mean Jeans are ready 2 rip on a new album! Could not be more stoked to eventually hear this.

Rumor has it that Dirtnap Records is also going to be releasing all the Mean Jeans singles in one handy vinyl package. I played my “Are You Serious + 5 singles” tape until it literally wore out, so this is good news for me.

Read Article →

Hollow Mountain Play Friday Night at Cole’s

Local band Hollow Mountain is playing a free show tonight at Cole’s with The Coldies, Red Lion, and Snake Island. After listening to their lackluster, too-lofi-for-even-a-lofi-lover demo I was blown away by their last show. Their sound is much tighter and more raucous, the chemistry between Esther and Steve is palable (it should be, they’re married), and their drummer played in his underwear and literally set the stage on fire. Don’t miss it, and make sure to pick up their upcoming release on Tall Pat Records!

Read Article →

The Blank Generation

Amos Poe and Ivan Krol made the first punk rock film, a hallucinatory 16mm love letter to early 1970s proto punk with a scrambled soundtrack that captures the candid moments of a movement lost forever to time. The only way you can go to a show at Max’s Kansas City is to pop the worn-out videotape from Odd Obsessions in your VCR and sink yourself into the flickering, black and white dream world. MORE INSIDE

Read Article →