Posts Tagged ‘punk outlaw’

Viva Las Vegas 2012 Recap Video

// May 14th, 2012 // No Comments » // Videos

If a photo is worth a thousand words.. how much is a video worth? Well, assuming it’s worth something, here’s a little video recap of Viva Las Vegas 2012 for ya. Thanks to the organizers of VLV as well as the cool bands, attendees and those who participated in the video.. oh and thanks to our Russian comrades (the Punk Outlaw interns) for their help in putting this together.

Hope to be around to give you guys even better coverage in 2013.

Punk Outlaw Records Signs Leading Punk Band From Serbia

// April 11th, 2012 // No Comments » // Photos

PUNK OUTLAW RECORDS SIGNS LEADING PUNK BAND FROM SERBIA 

- UPS! (Stand Against the System) Releases first CD “Evolution of the Transition” -

 Los Angeles, CA April, 11th, 2012 – Punk Outlaw® Records announced the signing of their first band outside of the Americas with UPS! Hailing from Petrovac na Mlavi, Serbia (the former Republic of Yugoslavia), UPS! is a Serbian abbreviation for “Ustani Protiv Sistema!” which translated means “Stand Against the System!”

No stranger to the atrocities of war during the last century, Petrovac na Mlavi can now boasts having the distinction of spawning the first Serbian punk band ever signed to a U.S. record label. UPS! began performing in 2006 when the band, impoverished but believing in their vision,  persevered and began by borrowing instruments to play covers and eventually originals. When they couldn’t find rehearsal space they practiced in a nearby sheep meadow creating a quiet a spectacle for the local sheep herders.

Their vision and hard work paid off. In 2009 UPS! won the qualification rounds of the GBOB Serbia Contest (a country wide battle of the bands). They then participated at the national finals in Belgrade, where they earned the distinction of being the only punk band to reach the finals. They later toured all over Eastern Europe and even Switzerland with other famous regional rock bands.

After five year of struggle and hard work, UPS! has released their debut album “Evolution Of the Transition”, an aggressive, edgy release that features 10 originals railing against corruption and mistrust of authority in a way that can only be described as both angry and authentic.

“We’re excited to have UPS! be our first band from the punk music hotbed of Eastern Europe” states Robert Rose, Founder of Punk Outlaw Records. “These guys have important things to say and our intention is to help them say it” Rose continued.

UPS! influences include Pennywise, Rancid, Bad Religion, NoFX and Bouncing Souls, as well as local bands Atheist Rap, D?a ili Bu, Goblini, etc. Their trademark sound is speed combined with melody and powerful vocals.

“Evolution of the Transition” is currently available on iTunes, Amazon Music, Google Music, CD Baby and other digital music sites. Samples of the music can be heard and official bio and photos can be viewed at www.upsband.com and www.punkoutlawrecords.com site. Current members of the band include Jovan Kostic (Mandow) – Vocal & Bass, Darko Stojanovic (Dare) – Drums, and Luka Glasnovic (Luka) – Rhythm Guitar.

ABOUT PUNK OUTLAW RECORDS:

Punk Outlaw Records is a digital record label and publishing company with a focus on distribution and promotion of socially conscious punk, ska, reggae, rockabilly, psychobilly and other forms of music from around the world. The label’s mission is to facilitate music’s ability to bring social awareness and change to some of the world’s most pressing issues.

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THIS is Rockabilly…Viva Las Vegas 2012

// April 10th, 2012 // 3 Comments » // Events, Photos

Woke up late on Saturday, packed up my camera and I and my painfully chapped lips and headed over to the Viva Las Vegas Car Show at the Orleans Hotel. Other than my  aforementioned  chapped lips, I love the desert air in April and it was an almost picture perfect day for any outside activity. It’s been five years since I’ve attended VLV and as if further evidence of it’s tremendous growth and popularity over the years were needed, I present Exhibit #1… The Car Show, which this year in addition to the classic cars and hot-rods, featured dozens of vendors on site and a large festival stage with bands playing all day until sundown.

I finally hooked up with my buddy Alex Blue, from the Los Angeles band Normandie Blue who was hanging with our mutual pals at the Spitfire Interiors (Whittier, CA) booth. I’ve known the crew from Spitfire for years and they have some of the most unique punk, rockabilly and psychobilly type of merch I’ve ever seen and they were doing a brisk bit of business at VLV. When I arrived, their booth was so crowded I couldn’t fit inside and shoot at the same time. The guys were preoccupied just trying to provide change for the cash being shoved in front of their faces.

Most of the vendors, like Spitfire, were mom and pop entrepreneurs and artists plying their wares for an appreciative client base. Booth prices are relatively affordable so vendors have a good shot of not only promoting themselves but making a nice profit at events like VLV. As well they should, exhibiting at these events is a lot of work but for most, well worth it (not to mention, a more than little fun is had in addition to raking in all the cold, hard cash).

The cars were insane as always. My favorites are the ridiculously low riding cars with the narrow front windshields and the old timey, two-seater hot rods. Many cars are towed in from around the country on the backs of trailers but I saw more than a few driving in the slow/truck lane on the drive to and from Los Angeles on the way in and out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the great things about VLV in general and the car show specifically is the diversity of unique fashion that’s on display. The ladies had their  Sunbrellas out in force to fight against the high desert sun and most of the fashion reflected the tattooed lifestyle of rockabilly or psychobilly fanatics. But there were also plenty of punk and other types of fashion influences mixed in amongst the crowd of strolling pin up queens and retro enthusiast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The live musical acts on the huge outdoor stage was a great addition to the event from when I attended 5 years ago. There were great acts throughout the day but one of the highlights for me was catching a performance by the legendary British band “The Polecats“, who are a great, high energy rockabilly band dancing and playing on the edges of the genre where it melds with punk and psychobilly.

The Polecats

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the Polecats gig and the car show wound down, I made my way back inside the Orleans. If for some ungodly reason the car show wasn’t your scene, then there was STILL plenty going on… VLV is like Rockabilly amusement park where only your body’s need for sleep (or your tolerance for loads of alcohol) can prevent you from feeling entertained every second of the entire 4 day affair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In addition to another pool party going full blast, I discovered a couple MORE music venues I had somehow missed PLUS  a whole separate vendor area featuring retro clothing and old remastered classic rockabilly CDs and band posters. Yep, VLV has gotten huge.. but unlike so many things that see this kind of success, it has only gotten better in the process of growing.  Everywhere you went, PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon) was on tap for a measly $3.

Finally, burlesque.. that oh so popular retro and relatively recently revived art form that, at VLV at least, often meant braving snakingly long lines to secure a pass to the sold out shows. You may know how I feel about lines, basically I don’t do them. So I felt pretty smug when I was able to waltz into Burlesque Bingo without standing in so much as a 2 person deep line.

Now I’m not a big bingo fan exactly, but the fact that I could roll right in armed only with my VLV armband and press pass, well then bingo was a great excuse to get up close and personal to some burlesque dancing. Ah dear reader.. the sacrifices I make to bring you the pics and the story. I sure hope you appreciate it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m not going to explain how Burlesque Bingo works but lets just it’s not your typical church bingo, of that you can be pretty certain. The highlight of the event for me was the chance to see the reigning 2011 Miss Viva Las Vegas Burlesque Champ, Miss Inga Ingenue (AKA Little Blonde Bomb) perform… wow! ,

And for any of you with delicate gender political sensibilities, you should know this was not a room full of dudes ogling scantily clad performers, far from it. It was at least 50/50 male-female ratio with some of the most raucous applause coming from the ladies in the bunch, many of whom were there with their man.

Inga Ingenue .

Lets see… burlesque, bingo, bowling… fashion, art and hot-rods… tattoos, leather jackets and rolled up jeans, sun-brellas, tight dresses and high heels..

Pool Parties with Tiki Bars, Hawaiian Shirts & Hula girls… Pachucos with Zoot Suits,

Guys with Mohawks, Quiffs and Pompadours..Girls channeling Sophia Loren and Bettie Page…

Mexibilly and Hillbilly Billy music with sliding guitars!

Drinking PBR out of a bowling pin or a plastic cowboy boot…

Elvis in with a pink cadillac scouting couples for the wedding chapel…

Chuck Berry and Richi Valens blasting from hot rods…

Greasers and Car Clubs…Sophia Loren and Bettie Page lookalikes..

Torn Suicidal Tendancies T-Shirt guy next to a Johnny Cash look a like..

Fans from Japan, Romania, Scotland, England…

Guys in overalls looking straight up from the movie “Brother Where Art Though?” and I saw a tough looking dude in combat boots and a kilt!

ahhh.. silly, ridiculous Las Vegas… oh and lest forget…

great live music from all over the world.

This is Rockabilly… this was Viva Las Vegas 2012.

 WANT MORE VLV? 

For the complete set of photos from Viva Las Vegas 2012 visit our Flikr Page HERE!

and stay tuned for some video clips from Burlesque Bingo and the Polecats coming soon!  

 

 

 

 

Atomic Drifters Rock Viva Las Vegas

// April 8th, 2012 // No Comments » // Videos

Here is a little video clip from the Atomic Drifters (Denver) Performing at Viva Las Vegas.. Enjoy!

 

Elvis & Bettie Page Sightings @ Viva Las Vegas – Day 2

// April 7th, 2012 // 3 Comments » // Photos

DAY 2 (My Day 1) – Viva Las Vegas

I love subcultures. At Viva Las Vegas weekend you get to experience a world flipped on it’s head where it seems almost  EVERYONE is a rockabilly character from some 1950′s movie or I Love Lucy episode.   When I drove up to the Orleans hotel I knew I was in the right spot before even checking the sign. There were James Dean greasers walking into the venue and crazy looking hot-rods out in the parking lot.

The Orleans is huge and with it’s over the top Louisiana cajun theme, it is the perfect locale for a rockabilly weekender. After 15 years, I would say the Orleans Hotel and Tom Ingram’s Viva Las Vegas have pretty much perfected the art of the event.  And it is art. It’s packed full of activities from 10 AM on Thursday until the wee hours of the night on Sunday. When do the people sleep? From the looks of things… not much.

To the casual attendee, things sure seemed to flow along without a hitch. I arrived early afternoon to see an incredibly long line snaking it’s way through the casino floor. It seemed to have no end in sight. I panicked thinking I was going to have to stand in that line to pick up my passes. But not to worry, that was the line to pick up tickets for the popular Burlesque Show later that evening. That dear reader, would have to carry on without me.

Picking up my press wristband and pass was much easier and in a matter of 3-4 minutes I was good to go. I headed straight to the vendor area to see what kind of unique items were being offered this year.  Underneath the rockabilly soundtrack and booming live band next door, I heard the faint buzz of tattoo needles where people were getting inked up. Next to the tattoo booth was a spot for Rockabilly girls to get a makeover.

There were of course old Rockabilly albums and photos of bands from back in the day, lots of vintage items including old movie posters from the 50s and 60s, plenty of booths with all kinds of unique clothing for guys and gals, customized knobs for the gearshift of your hot-rod and even a zoot suit booth for those who rock the pachuco look.

Happy Customer with George (Right) - The House of Jorge

I think my favorite booth wasn’t so much of a booth but a little area called “The House of Jorge” run by, you guessed it George from Denver, Colorado. George had custom belts, some cool chain wallets and some really cool, really popular and yes, expensive ($75+) PBR belt buckles. The stuff was unique  (and expensive.. though I hear he’ll cut you a deal if he likes you) because it’s custom, one of a kind and made by hand by George himself. George is not only a talented artist, he’s a nice guy. We had a good time talking about the end of social networking as we know it (what, you haven’t heard? well you heard it here first kiddies).

Next up was bowling. Now with bowling shirts so popular in this scene, it should, I suppose be no surprise that the “sport” of bowling is equally popular. The upstairs area of the Orleans has a kick ass bowling alley and for $5, VLV attendees received 2 games, shoe rental and a slice of pizza.

There was a constant supply of music everywhere in the hotel and it was all the right kind, rockabilly and old time rock and roll.

Detroit's "Royal Rhythmairs"

One of my favorites was a band from Dallas-Ft. Worth called “The Royal Rhythmaires” introduced by our buddy DJ Del Villareal of Motorbilly Radio from Detroit.

DJ Del Villarreal from Motorbilly Radio

We also saw the Atomic Drifters from Denver and the Phantom Shakers from Detroit as well as our good buddy DJ Rockin Vic (Los Angeles) spinning classics for a packed and swinging dance floor.  There was a cool pool party featuring the “kings of hulabilly”,  “Hula Girls” and when I say cool, I mean literally cool, it was chilly in Vegas.

Hula Girls @ the Pool Party

One of my favorite things the entire day was the VIP Screening of the documentary Bettie Page Reveals All.. a documentary years in the works that was officially authorized and narrated by Bettie herself. What an amazing thing to actually hear (but not see) the older Bettie Page telling her incredible life story just before she passed away.

Atomic Drifters

Before the screening there was a red carpet and a Bettie Page look alike contest. BTW – A complete review on Bettie Page Reveals All is coming up later.

Phantom Shakers

One of the many great things about VLV is that there is so much to do that you can’t possibly do (or in my case) cover it all. So you pick and choose your favorite things and if you are bored, well, it’s because you want to be. There are so many bands, so many different things to do you just have to relax, highlight your “Must Dos” and let the rest come as it may, naturally.

It’s sort of like a short vacation to another country, except in this case, it’s not only another place but a completely different era. You can’t do it all, so you do what you can and don’t let the fact that you can’t do it all stress you in any way. I didn’t see a lot of stressed people at VLV by the way, it seemed everyone was having a good time.

Which brings me to the question, if everyone is in the subculture, then is it a subculture anymore? While I don’t think there is any danger in rockabilly taking over the planet anytime soon… hitting the VLV at the Orleans hotel gives one a slight taste what life would be like if it did. And I have to tell you, so long as Elvis is around to be our president and roll around in his motorcade in a hot pink cadilac, I think it might be pretty cool.

MORE TO COME: Today we’re hitting the Car Show, seeing more bands and we’ll many, many more pics and videos up soon, so stay tuned.

 

 

Viva Las Vegas – We Arrive

// April 6th, 2012 // No Comments » // Events

Yesterday was Day 1 of the big Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender and despite our intentions to leave bright and early, we left around 1 pm and thanks to a car accident on the outskirts of Los Angeles arrived kind of late to Vegas, hungry and tired.

The hungry part was addressed with some cheap but awfully good Mexican food at some not so little hole (everything’s big in Nevada.. wait, wrong state.. never mind) in the wall.

Vegas Road Trip

The tired part, well, I must be getting old because I didn’t seem to bounce back from the 5 hour drive like I hoped.

So yes, you guessed it, I was in Vegas and it was just after 10 pm and off to bed I rolled. Hope I didn’t break any local laws.

On the flip side, I woke up this morning completely rested and refreshed right? Wrong! I was up at 5am for some unknown reason… I finally went back to sleep around 7Am but I feel like the elusive God of Rim sleep skipped my bed last night.

Wow.. how boring it is to type about these minute details of my life. As you know, I usually try to stick to the more exciting things (mugging attempts, con-men, fights, etc.) when covering behind the scenes… and now, my friends, you know why.

The good news? I’m heading over to VLV right now… to pick up my media pass and stand in line to get my pass for the burlesque showcase.. (I guess it’s pretty popular because access to the press is limited). So things are bound to pick up when I actually do what it is I came to do… so stay tuned.

In the meantime, I just finished some pancakes and I think I’ll grab a shower.. Will the mind blowing details of my journey to the exotic land of Las Vegas never end? Wait… I better twitter that pancake blurb really fast!  People will want to know.

 PUNK FANS!?

Punk fans, bored by all this rockabilly talk? Well I ran across this article in the local Vegas CityLife paper about punk history in Las Vegas. Bands like Tomorrow’s Gone and Faded Glory. They put up an online archive series for you punk history buffs called www.PunksInVegas.com .  Check it out.

 

We’re Heading to Viva Las Vegas Baby!

// April 4th, 2012 // No Comments » // Events, Photos, Videos

In 2006 I happened to be in Las Vegas for some business reason or another when Viva Las Vegas was in town. I stumbled upon the pool party by accident and saw a guy named “Pachuco Jose y Los Diamantes” playing his brand of boogie woogie out by the pool and all these tattooed and retro looking people in a variety of dress swinging and dancing to the music and generally having a good old time.

The music was in Spanish… the crowd was at least 50% Latino and this was as entertaining of a scene as my NYC jaded eyes had seen in a long, long time.  I decided then and there that I’d be back the following year with cameras to feature the event on my syndicated TV show I was producing at the time, American Latino TV & LatiNation.

In 2007 we returned and did just that. We spent a couple days there gathering footage and interviews, checking out the car shows, talking to pin up queens and rockabilly cats from as far away as Japan. We interviewed the founder Tom Ingram and gathered enough material to produce a few segments on the phenomena.

Following my gut instinct that this type of content would play well in our biggest TV market (For a Latin targeted show that is Los Angeles, NOT New York City) and in markets throughout the west and southwest, we started weaving rockabilly and punk content into the shows. When covering music, fashion or other cultural stories instead of just focusing on the latest salsa or reggaetone artists or Latin celebrity, we also included this very underground culture that rarely received any mainstream national media attention.

It worked. Our ratings and awareness increased and I can honestly say of all the smart and stupid things I did in the 8 years I produced the shows, this was one of the smarter moves. It was a marketing home run.

Possibly in part because I was personally fascinated with the culture and people and genuinely interested in this lifestyle, not only from a Latin point of view, but overall.

This my friends, is how Punk Outlaw initially began. Despite the success of the ratings, American Latino & LatiNation couldn’t be all rockabilly, punk and psychobilly all the time. Our mission was much, much broader than that and the vast majority of viewers, while intrigued enough to watch some segments, would never watch entire programs dedicated to the culture. Not to mention our 100+ local affiliates and our dozen or so advertisers didn’t sign up for this type of show.

So walah.. Punk Outlaw was born. First as a simple site with some videos on You Tube then later the current version you see now, which incorporates my world travels as I work on the documentary “Punktology… the worldwide influence of punk”… to most recently, the launch of Punk Outlaw Records.. which is still feeling it’s way around finding and promoting various genres of underground music from around the world so that everyone can enjoy.

Well, now, in 2012, a good 5 years after we first covered VLV and provided some unique, never before seen coverage that I’m still very proud of to this day, we are heading back.

We’re driving this time from Los Angeles and beginning tomorrow will be there through Sunday where we’ll provide daily updates on the blog as well as video segments.

So if you can’t make it VLV this year, never fear dear reader, we got you. Stay tuned for daily updates and pics right here and we’ll do our best to bring it to you in all it’s glory. Should be a rollicking good time.

Enjoy some videos and pics from 2007.

 

 

 

Yee-hawww! Deep Southern Fried Punk & Punkabilly! umm..ummm.. Good!

// March 30th, 2012 // No Comments » // Photos, Videos

Just about an hour and a half north of Miami, near West Palm Beach is Lake Worth, Florida. Turns out Lake Worth is home to a plethora of artist and musicians and quiet possibly… an even bigger musical movement.

Why do artists choose Lake Worth over nearby West Palm or Ft. Lauderdale? Because it’s cheaper of course!

Cheap(er) living has always attracted artists… from the early days of punk and the Velvet Underground when Soho NYC  had industrial lofts where artists lived or squatted rent free… to the Lower East Side and the infamous Alphabet City, when living there pretty much guaranteed a mugging … to today where NYC artists and musicians are more likely to live in Brooklyn and Los Angeles artists live in places like Silverlake or Echo Park.

…and in South Florida you have Lake Worth, Florida where a burgeoning music scene unlike any other is taking hold.

I was able to interview the bands from the recent Wayward Parade which took place at the legendary Churchill’s Pub in Miami last weekend.. smack in the middle of the Ultra Music Festival and the Winter Music Conference.

The crowds at South Beach were huge and if you read my article a few entries back, I referred to these electronic musical gatherings, rather harshly perhaps, as a “Douchebag Convention”. Be that as it may, the crowd on this particular Saturday night at Churchills was smaller but decidedly more interesting with nary a douchebag in sight.

Among the crowd was a cool, lanky cat called “Scarecrow Jenkins” who actually was one of the musicians who played a variety of instruments for a band called “Los Bastardos Magnificos (The Magnificent Bastards).  Also on the bill was Darling Sweets, a really talented and enjoyable female fronted band that I really dug. There was a slightly harder, possibly more inbred band (just joking guys!) called “Everymen” who whipped the crowd into a frenzy. It was like Deliverance meets the Warped Tour! I loved it!

There was also a band called Holly Hunt.. (no relation to the famous actress, though I heard she tried to stop them from using the name) who played some SLUDGE which is the the word I heard someone describe this non-vocal almost ambient sounding combo of drums and incredibly distorted and loud guitar riffs. Call it what you will, it works.

One of my favorite acts of the evening was Diablo Dimes, a retro duo featuring a sexy, sweet little songbird along with her guitar and kazoo playing band mate. I felt like I was hearing Johnny and June Carter Cash mixed with Josephine Baker reincarnated, along with some good old fashioned dixieland or boogie woogie.

In addition to the aforementioned kazoo, there were banjos, fiddles, washboards, accordions and stand up basses a plenty at this gig. The musicianship on display was evident. Many played multiple instruments in multiple bands.

The comraderie of the crew from Lake Worth was obvious and combined with the history of Churchills, made for a great atmosphere.

Is Lake Worth going to be the next Seattle for this… this.. this hillbilly/punk/Americana or whatever you call it type of music?  Maybe. But if so, never fear. No need to pull out your flannel shirt from the closet. You’d be better served getting a pair of overalls or hitting the thrift shops if you want to fit in with this artistic crew of talented musical misfits.

It’s country, it’s punk, its retro, it’s rockabilly and its none and all of the above. It’s a bit confusing so just believe me.. it’s good and you need to check them out for yourself.

The Pope & Punk Rock

// March 28th, 2012 // No Comments » // Videos

Havana, Cuba

What do the Pope and the Catholic Church have to do with Punk Rock?  Well, the Pope is in Cuba now and Punk Rock and the Catholic church have this in common; both are calling on the Cuban government to stop it’s human rights abuses and allow the Cuban people basic freedoms, including freedom of expression, which has been sorely missing since the elder Castro took power over 50 years ago.

I thought it might be a good time to remind people that punk music and the punk lifestyle and indeed most sub cultures are outlawed on the island nation just 90 or so miles south of Florida. Worse yet, anyone who criticizes Castro in public (and even in private) risk indefinite arrest  or worse.

Don’t believe me? just ask the “Ladies in White”, a group of wives and mothers of Cuban political prisoners who have been harassed, beaten and arrested by pro-government thugs sure to be the Castros’ minions.

Where I come from (Tennessee) if you hit a lady you are the lowest form of a coward and if anybody found about it, chances are you wouldn’t be able to do it a second time.  Maybe a little Tennessee justice is in order for Fidel who thinks it’s cool to beat and imprison little old ladies.

But who am I to criticize a repressive government? How about we let some punks who live in Cuba do it… I only hope they didn’t get punished too harshly for speaking their mind on camera.

Think this doesn’t affect you? Well, O.K. then, neither does Israel, Libya, Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt and Syria (anyone besides me begging for a little news coverage OUTSIDE of the Middle East?).

Whether you can connect the dots or not, believe me, it affects all of us. But even if it didn’t, that wouldn’t mean we should turn a blind eye to abuse. If Cuba had huge oil resources do you think for one minute Fidel Castro’s regime would be allowed to survive over 50 years just a few miles south of U.S. soil? “Evil triumphs when good men (or women) do nothing” right?

But alas, Cuba has very few natural resources the “Yankee Oppressors” can’t do without, so the international community allows Cuba to wage a decades long war against it’s own people all because one man in power is probably certifiably crazy, definitely senile and evidently has no qualms about beating up defenseless women.  Why intervention and wall to wall media coverage of Syria, Libya and Egypt but not Cuba?

OK, Cuba oppresses it’s people, so what can you do about it? Not much, I agree. But you can be aware and you can try to correct the incredible volume of propaganda so often regurgitated by mainstream media outlets (and the sheeple that believe them). They tell you that Cuba is an idealistic island paradise stuck in time with great healthcare (a lie) and education (possibly?).

What good is a decent education if you can’t express yourself and have but a limited access to the outside world? Some of the most ignorant people I’ve met went to Ivy leagues schools in the U.S.

Student loan debt in the U.S. recently surpassed $1 trillion. The U.S. is educated, but people are still quiet ignorant simply because they refuse to travel outside the boundaries of the “best country” on the planet (that all inclusive resort in Cancun doesn’t count) and open themselves up to new experiences and see for themselves, if the U.S. truly is the “best country” on the planet.

Cubans are educated (minus the $1 trillion in debts), but they CAN’T travel. How ironic? Ignorance serves a lot of masters.

The Pope is in Cuba as I type. He’s doing a delicate dance, a mambo if you will, around the subject of human rights in Cuba so as not to too deeply offend the Castros while he’s there. But at least it’s shining a media spotlight so often directed at our wars and the alleged “terrorists” in the Middle East. Sunlight is always the best disinfectant, which is why, I suspect, the Castros don’t allow freedom of expression or the international media to get the true story.

I’m not Cuban.. not even close. I’ve only visited Cuba for a few days but based on what I saw in those 8 short days, (arrests for no reason, harassment, poverty, crumbling infrastructures, etc.) I  will never return until they become a free country that allows at least a minimal amount of freedom of expression.

But if I were to return, Fidel, you’d better watch your ass. As I said, where I come from… people who beat up defenseless women usually aren’t able to do it a second time. I’m not a real tough guy. I’ve never trained to be a Navy Seal and I’ve been on the losing end of a few fist fights growing up in  a rough and tumble redneck culture that celebrated brawn over brains, but I think I can take an ailing, delusional and crazy old man… either with my fists or my brain.

WANT TO HELP CUBAN YOUTH?

Try visiting our buddies at CUBASKATE.COM who help out disaffected Cuban youth.

Or if you are a punk music fan, you might consider buying a track or two or the whole CD “Punktology Vol. 1 – Free Cuba Now!” which features 16 songs from 8 artists in Latin America who are supporting Cubans’  right to express themselves freely and without harassment or arrests. And 50% of our profits will go to help Cuba Skate.

 

Anti-Everything “Children of a Globalised World”

// March 15th, 2012 // No Comments » // Videos

As you may or may not have noticed, we don’t do a lot of CD reviews around here. Partly because I feel “what makes ME qualified to say what music is good, bad or in between”? Basically, I’m just a fan who knows what I like and on occasion I’ll share the love of a particular bit of music with others.

What music gets my motor running may or may not even fit in your gas tank and visa versa. There are so many ub-genres of punk, it sometimes seem a moot point, but one of the biggest joys I get out of punk music are

1) being turned onto new music and artists and

2) turning people on to new music and artists.

So here goes.

You may have been reading our blog last April 2011 we were in Trinidad & Tobago and spent a lot of time with the ONLY punk band for the whole island nation of just over  a million people. That band was Anti-Everything and those guys took really good care of us while we were on their home turf, picking us up from the airport, showing us around and even took us around town to try some of their legendary Trini cuisine including Roti, Shark-N-Bake and Pigs Feet  Souse (yup, I tried it).

But beyond being good guys, I was super impressed by the intelligent lyrics and good music these guys had been consistently cranking out in a place more known for Carnival and Calypso than than a Punk Pit and Hardcore Music.

These guys are no slouch musicians and their lyrics are biting commentary for the corruption that is rife in Trinidad and, indeed it appears, much of the world.  When you hear an Anti-Everything song telling it like it is, you almost feel yourself going “ouch that hurts” and almost feeling sorry for greedy, scumbags the world over… almost.

Lets just say I’m glad I’m on their side. I would NOT want them to write a song about what an a&&hole I am. If someone was to be assigned to write a theme song about Kony 2012, it should be these guys. You get the point.

When we were there, the guys were working on their new CD “Children of a Globalised World” and it was released late November 2011. We are just now getting around to writing about it, partly because I’ve been super busy and partly because I like to have a few months to listen to a CD and let the music sink into my thick if not overly large brain. I like to let music marinate and build some grooves through my grey matter. It helps me separate the bubble gum from the real stuff.

In this case, I don’t think anyone would call Anti-Everything’s “Children of a Globalised World” bubblegum and I think many might agree it was worth the wait.

The lyrics speak truth to power, in a  place where that might not necessarily be the prudent thing, with songs like “(The Honourable) Crime Minister”… an absolute classic (take a listen on our sound-cloud page HERE)

Other titles I dig include “Silent Streets” and “Starving Youth” and all in all there are 12 really, really strong tracks on this album, including one we featured in the “Punktology” Free Cuba Now! compilation, called “Ratchet Design”

Trinidad may be small but the sound these guys put out is not. It’s smart, it’s hard core, it’s in your face and it’s hard to ignore. I really invite you to give the CD a listen. It’s for sale over at i-Tunes.

And don’t forget their other really fine, earlier release “The International Conspiracy to Push You Down” featuring a couple of my favorites “Punk Rock Sucks” and “New Generation”.

It’s not everyday you hear a punk band that can seamlessly include the sound of Caribbean calypso and the steel drum and still make the music sound both angry and melodic at the same time. I think these guys would be worth a listen on that basis alone, but judge for yourself and check the guys from Trinidad out… you just might like them.

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