Posts Tagged ‘Videos’

Punk Rock Picnic Satisfies!

// April 29th, 2012 // No Comments » // Events, Photos, Videos

Ever had that vague craving you just can’t put finger on?  Well Saturday, I think I figured mine out. I needed some live punk music and fellowship and the Punk Rock Picnic was serving it up in huge, tasty portions. This, my friends, is why I came to the West Coast.

The setting was in the heart of West Coast punk… deep inside Orange County at the Oak Canyon Ranch. So deep inside in fact that GPS and cell phone may or may not work and if you haven’t been here before (or like us, even if you have) you very likely may get lost.

Ah but once you arrive, Punk Rock Picnic is a classic punk rock event de force with punk rock acts on at least half a dozen stages of various sizes and even a few acts playing off to the side.  As is usual at these type of gatherings, it was an extremely diverse crowd with older cats, some 50 or even 60+ freely mixing in with teens and even little kids, some as young as 2 or 3 and others, like this kid Lucky we met who was around 7 and just starting school. Lucky came with his dad, an original hardcore punk from OC who was intent on passing punk down to his youngest son and had Lucky sporting a mohawk with a black flag tattoo (temporary) on the shoulder.

There was only the very occasional incident… like when in mid interview with cameras rolling I lost my train of thought  when I spotted in the background, a security guy chasing an older, slightly fatter punk full speed for some infraction or slight. The punk threw his beer straight up in the air and bolted off at full gallop as people gathered around to watch and chuckled at the spectacle.

I laughed thinking to myself regardless of the outcome, this isn’t Cuba and we are comforted by the thought that our portly punk friend isn’t going to rot away in some undisclosed political prison to be tortured… he most likely just got tossed from the event. The United States, land of the not so free sometimes, but also a land where you can run from security and not get “disappeared”.

Yes, it was at that moment that I realized, I was having a hell of a good time. Surrounded by thousands of people who in real life are sometimes considered “outcast” or “weirdos” by the main stream. People who are so varied in their looks and background that I don’t think I even saw the same punk band T-shirt on more than one person.  At these events you quickly understand you are not dealing with the “sheeple” mentality plaguing the world.

The world needs more punk rock (Cont. below)

Having been in the scene a few years myself now, I know that the most intimidating looking punks are often, some of the nicest folks you could ever hope to meet. Punks seem to have an underlying code of conduct that “if you fall down, I’m going to pick you up”… that goes beyond a Rancid song or an out of control punk pit.

Or was that just the beer talking? I don’t think so, it’s a feeling I’d been missing and it felt like I had gone home again even though I’m not sure where my home is anymore. Maybe instead I have several and it was comforting and soothing to be back at Oak Canyon with punks, most of whom I’d never met but still felt like I knew.

Yes, my friend, punk can both indeed tame and unleash the savage beast in all of us.

Lucky wasn’t the only little kid in attendance, there were several sightings. And while one could possibly debate the wisdom of bringing kids to a loud, noisy concert, Punk Rock Picnic is different, it’s an out door festival where you can roam from stage to stage and there were vendors and even some activities just for kids.

Punk rock is here to stay. While it so often seems, with all the documentaries and books written, that punk is just a bunch of history from the 70s and 80s (and there was plenty of history at PRP with Drain Bramaged, Jello Biofra (Dead Kennedys), Fear and more)  there are lots of good things going on right NOW in the scene.

I say lets don’t ONLY live in the past, lets live in the moment for a change…

Enjoy some pics from some very recent history with pics and video from the 5th annual Punck Rock Picnic 2012. More coming soon.

PS Thanks to my amigo Francisco Mora for help on getting some cool pics and and climbing on stage with Jello B. to get the cool video below.

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.

 

Youth Brigade in LA

// March 1st, 2012 // No Comments » // Events

Our good buddies Youth Brigade are coming to Los Angeles! Oh wait, they live here. OK, our good buddies, Youth Brigade are playing in LA! Ok, they are not our good buddies, we met the lead brother, Shawn Stern once in NYC but hey, he was cool and he seemed to like us. He really did.

OK enough namedropping. We know, we know, we sound like a Hollywood douchebag.. And why do I keep referring to myself in the plural “we”? I have no idea.

Anyway, we’ll be covering the show (in this case, I do mean we, it’s me and the Russian interns, Tim & Snik), so look for us if you go and if you don’t for some silly reason, like say, geography (living in South America or Russia is no excuse to miss this show dear reader), then look for photos and videos on Saturday.. or Sunday.. or Monday at the latest.

Here’s a little flipcam video from that show in NYC a few years back with Youth Brigade.. singing my all time YB favorite song  ”I Hate My Life”.. and you know what.. sometimes I do.

“Lokekeda” – “Espinas Assesinas” Music Video

// February 27th, 2012 // No Comments » // Videos

Lokekeda,  (roughly translated from Spanish to English means “leftover food”) hails from Envigado, a small and quaint suburb in the southern part of Medellin, Colombia which has it’s own distinct vibe including it’s own bars and restaurants, it’s own town square, it’s own little slice of Medellin life and it’s own punk scene.

It’s where I took Spanish classes and where I first met the guys from “Lokekeda” who thankfully, because my Spanish classes didn’t really stick that well, had an English speaking drummer, Cesar.

Cesar is actually a local English teacher. Cesar speaks with a decidedly British accent when he speaks English, having learned English himself from a British teacher.

Cesar’s English is not the only British influence on Lokekeda. They site classic punk bands like Sex Pistols, Addicts, The Damned as well as more mainstream bands like AC-DC as influences.

I first decided to sign “Lokekeda” to Punk Outlaw Records when I heard this song, “Espinas Assesinas” which very, very roughly translated means killer spine or killer thorns. Some things don’t really translate as well as others it seems but the thing I remember about hearing this song was hitting the play button over and over again until I wore down the “play” grooves out on my ipod player’s button.

Espinas Assesinas is a featured single on the “Punktology Volume 1 – Free Cuba Now!” CD Compilation put out late last year and it will be featured on our upcoming CD release for Lokekeda entitled “Medellin es Punk” which has been available in Colombia for a while, but will make it’s debut outside of the country on Punk Outlaw Records.

Word is, the guys are working on a 2nd follow up CD with our buddy Andres Ocampo, lead singer for legendary punks “Los Suziox” providing producing duties at his studio in Bello, the northern most suburb of Medellin.

So the guys from the Southern most suburb of Medellin are traveling all the way to the northern most suburb of Medellin to create punk/hardcore music that will find it’s way to laptops, stereos and ipods the world over?

Punk music, my friends, has become global and we should enjoy it, open our minds, hearts and our ears to music in other languages. Whether you speak or understand Spanish or not, I hope you dig this video from Lokekeda. Please stay tuned for news on their upcoming CD “Medellin es Punk” coming soon to Punk Outlaw Records.

Dorados Releases New Music on Our Brand Spanking New Site

// January 31st, 2012 // No Comments » // Music, Videos

PUNK OUTLAW RECORDS LAUNCHES NEW MULTIMEDIA WEBSITE

& SIGNS ROCKABILLY BAND FROM COLOMBIA   

- Emerging Label Features Several Newly Signed Bands from Latin America &     Announces First Rockabilly Release with Colombia’s “Dorados Rockabilly Trio” -

Los Angeles, CA January 31st, 2012 – Punk Outlaw® Records announced the launch of its newly redesigned website at www.PunkOutlawRecords.com which showcases several newly signed bands from Latin America.

The site also displays greatly enhanced features where fans can preview and listen to the individual artists’ releases and if they choose, purchase and download music. Fans can also view photos and videos from the different bands as well as join the newsletter where they can keep abreast of new releases and receive free music downloads on a periodic basis.

In addition to the label’s recent releases from the label’s original roster,  Colombian Punk Rockers “Los Suziox” and Uruguayan Punkabilly stalwarts, “Rudos Wild”, the label recently released its first compilation collection, “Punktology Volume 1 – Free Cuba Now!” which features 16 punk and hardcore tracks from 8 artists from Latin America and the Caribbean.

The label’s site also features the debut release from the label’s first rockabilly band, Colombia’s “Dorados Rockabilly Trio”. The release titled “Conflicto de Espacio Blanco” (White Space Conflict) features six (6) original tracks, in English and Spanish including one dedicated to pin up icon “Bettie Page”.

“The redesigned site will help us more effectively share the musical experience of punk, rockabilly, psychobilly, ska and reggae from our travels all over the world. We plan on signing more bands and releasing more music and we hope that the fans will come to view the site as a valuable resource for discovering new music and artists regardless of their geography” States Robert G. Rose, Founder of the Punk Outlaw Records. “We plan to run the label in a non traditional manner, more like a cooperative, with artists and fans both contributing to and benefiting from the label’s success. We also hope to always keep a higher purpose in mind, experimenting with unique promotional ideas that can also help others” Rose continues.

The fledgling record label hopes to showcase a minimum of at least one new release each month, from a variety of punk genres and subgenres from artists the world over. The label’s current roster of bands include the afore mentioned Los Suziox (Colombia), Rudos Wild (Uruguay), Dorados Rockabilly Trio (Colombia) as well as Punktology Vol. 1 participants, Anti-Everything (Trinidad), Demeter/DMTR (Ecuador), El Terrible Y Los Mongoloides (Peru), Lokekeda (Colombia), Warning (Guatemala) and Fertil Miseria (Colombia). More announcements are expected in the coming weeks.

Visit www.PunkOutlawRecords.com or email info@punkoutlawrecords.com for more information.

# # #

 

 

 

Comunicado de Prensa

Para su Publicación Inmediat

Punk Outlaw Records

info@punkoutlawrecords.com

Tel (646) 644-6153

PUNK OUTLAW RECORDS LANZA UN NUEVO SITIO MULTIMEDIA E INCORPORA UNA BANDA DE ROCKABILLY DE COLOMBIA

El incipiente sello discográfico cuenta con diversas bandas latinoamericanas incorporadas recientemente y anuncia el primer lanzamiento de rockabilly con la banda “Dorados Rockabilly Trio”  

Los Ángeles, CA, 31 de enero de 2012 – Punk Outlaw® Records anunció el lanzamiento de su sitio web recientemente rediseñado www.PunkOutlawRecords.com, el cual exhibe diversas bandas latinoamericanas incorporadas recientemente.

El sitio también muestra funciones totalmente mejoradas mediante las cuales los aficionados pueden previsualizar y escuchar los lanzamientos de sus artistas favoritos, y comprar y descargar música si lo desean. Los aficionados también pueden ver fotos y videos de diferentes bandas, así como unirse al boletín informativo con el cual pueden mantenerse al día respecto de los nuevos lanzamientos y recibir descargas de música gratuitas periódicamente.

Además de los lanzamientos recientes de la lista original de artistas del sello discográfico, los artistas colombianos de Punk Rock “Los Suziox” y los gigantes uruguayos del punkabilly, “Rudos Wild”, la discográfica lanzó recientemente su primera colección de compilados, “Punktology Volume 1 – Free Cuba Now!”, la cual cuenta con 16 temas de punk y hardcore de 8 artistas latinoamericanos y caribeños.

El sitio web del sello discográfico también cuenta con el lanzamiento debut de la primera banda de rockabilly de la discográfica, los colombianos “Dorados Rockabilly Trio”. El lanzamiento titulado “Conflicto de Espacio Blanco” cuenta con seis (6) temas originales, en inglés y español, incluido un tema dedicado al ícono del modelaje fotográfico “Bettie Page”.

“El sitio rediseñado nos permitirá compartir de manera más eficiente la experiencia musical del punk, el rockabilly, el psychobilly, el ska y el reggae obtenida en nuestros viajes por todo el mundo. Nuestro plan es incorporar más bandas y lanzar más música, y esperamos que los aficionados vean el sitio como un recurso valioso para descubrir nueva música y nuevos artistas, sin importar el lugar donde se encuentren”, dice Robert G. Rose, fundador de Punk Outlaw Records. “Nuestro plan es administrar la discográfica de una manera no tradicional, más como una cooperativa, con artistas y aficionados que contribuyan al éxito del sello discográfico y se beneficien de él. También esperamos mantener siempre un importante objetivo en mente y experimentar con ideas promocionales exclusivas que también puedan ayudar a otras personas”, continúa Rose.

El novel sello discográfico espera exhibir, al menos, un nuevo lanzamiento por mes de artistas de diferentes géneros y subgéneros del punk de todo el mundo. La lista actual de bandas del sello discográfico incluye a las bandas antes mencionadas: Los Suziox (Colombia), Rudos Wild (Uruguay), Dorados Rockabilly Trio (Colombia), y a los participantes de Punktology Vol. 1: Anti-Everything (Trinidad), Demeter/DMTR (Ecuador), El Terrible Y Los Mongoloides (Perú), Lokekeda (Colombia), Warning (Guatemala) y Fertil Miseria (Colombia). Se esperan más anuncios en las próximas semanas.

Visite www.PunkOutlawRecords.com o envíe un mensaje de correo electrónico a info@punkoutlawrecords.com para obtener más información.

 

 

Mooneyes Madness on the West Coast

// December 14th, 2011 // No Comments » // Photos, Videos

So this weekend I made my way East (Living in Santa Monica, I can’t go much further west), to the Irwindale Speedway to take in the big Mooneyes Car and Music Festival. It’s an annual X-mas event that’s been around for quiet sometime but it was my first. And what better way to get into the spirit of the season than some vintage hot-rods, hot pinup & rockabilly girls, hot rockabilly and surf music and some even hotter weather? Now that is my kind of Xmas celebration.

 

The cars were the main draw. There were all kinds of hot-rods from the 1920s all the way to the 1960s and beyond. If your a muscle car buff this is your show and/or if your a rockabilly or psychobilly enthusiast, this is your show.

If not for the cars, you might mistakenly think this was a tattoo convention. I think myself and maybe one old lady were the only folks not tatted up Mike Ness style.

But overall Mooneyes is a family event. I mean they do sell beer, have drag races and host some pretty good rockabilly and surf music, with vendors from all over the rockabilly planet but in many cases the whole family was in tow, some kids towed along in some customized strollers! Kids with mohawks and all tatted up (ok, no tattoos on the kiddies that I actually saw but plenty of mo and faux hawks).

Mooneyes is like many of the other events and get togethers on the west coast where punks mix in seamlessly with psychobilly psychos and rockabilly fanatics.
 

 

Lets see, you’ve got your

- Betty Page and Marilyn Monroe lookalikes – Check!

- Surf and Rockabilly Music – Check.

- More tattoos per square inch than you can count – double check,

- Customized Hot Rods – triple check

- Mom and pop vendors and artists plying their wares – check..

- People drinking beer and in general haveing a good time and looking pretty cool – check, check and check.

Yep, I’m on the west coast of the U.S. of A, the home of psychobilly and rockabilly subcultures and it feels great. Feliz Navidad yall!

Enjoy the pics and the video from this cool little rockabilly band!

 

 

Punk Character.. Revisited

// August 2nd, 2011 // 1 Comment » // Videos

Havana, Cuba

Some of you may remember during the early days of the blog we visited Cuba and found and interviewed some punks there. We had to be super careful because we weren’t supposed to interact with the locals, much less interview them on camera.

Well, we did anyway, and one of the punks we were trying to interview got hauled away to jail just for talking to us. I still feel very bad about that incident.

I’m a little surprised the police didn’t confiscate our camera, which was a semi pro digital camcorder. In the end, that fact probably saved us because it looked like a typical tourist’s camera.

Well, after the poor guy’s arrest we were much more careful about things but we were able to get the following interviews as some punks spoke to us even after their buddy’s arrest. The video below is just a compilation of some of the interviews we edited down and I hope to get more up soon.

Lately I’ve been getting a little spam from people who don’t want attribute themselves but want to criticize other bands, other punks.. calling them posers or what not. In other words, they are “haters” but like most “haters”, they don’t include a real name or email. I guess they wish to remain anonymous.

I notice on all the news forums that most of the ignorant, hate filled comments are anonymous. Same thing on You Tube or wherever.


And it made me think about the people in Cuba. Who risk arrest for speaking out and have virtually no protection for freedom of expression.

Maybe, people are taking their freedom of expression for granted when they send critical emails, spam and posts, and are then too cowardly to even include a legitimate email or let people know who they are.  After all, they don’t even risk arrest, just public scrutiny. Yet they can’t even muster up enough courage of conviction for  that.

Yet these punks in Cuba spoke out, even though they risk arrest or worse for expressing their criticism of the government or even talking to a foreigner.

I re-posted this interview because I guess I needed to see some punks I respect in action after interacting recently with people I thought had character but now it turns out they may be cowardly and small.

It’s funny the cowards always complain and never show appreciation for what they have and never take responsibility for where they are in their lives, always blaming others.

If I sound jaded, then forgive me, because lately it’s been a little tough. I mean one of the things that really impressed me about the punk lifestyle was the way they take care of each other. Fall in the pit, and they’ll pick you up.  Super honest, super genuine and full of integrity.

Lately people, supposedly punks, I thought were solid have shown themselves to be nothing but short sighted, dishonest and spoiled children really.

In reality they are not much better than the greedy bankers and dishonest lawyers I’m always railing against, proving you don’t have to have a lot of money to be a  person of low character. Character doesn’t care how much money you have. True, it might be easier to be honest when you have more money, but in the end, character is how you react when times are bad, not when times are good.

And money or success won’t buy you character. It can’t.

Well these Cubans didn’t have s**t, they were low on food (rice and beans one day, beans and rice the next gets old I bet) and oppressed by an ignorant and out of touch government, but they show more character and courage than I’ve seen in a while.

Its not the interview per se, it’s the backdrop for the interview that inspires me. If you, like me, need some inspiration, well here you go!

 

Paisa Punkabilly Kings… The Dorados!

// June 6th, 2011 // 3 Comments » // Photos, Videos

The Dorados Rockabilly Trio

I knew there had to be a rockabilly scene in Colombia. I just figured it would be in Bogota, not in Medellin where the Paisas (people from Medellin), rock out to the sounds of punk and metal to such legendary bands as I.R.A. and Los Suziox along with other really talented cats like Los Sornos, Industrial punks Nues, the hardcore Fertil Miseria, Desadaptadoz and newer bands like Lokekeda, Alkoholema, Insurgentes, Grito and Nacion Criminal.

I mean there are so many good, solid punk bands in Medellin I’m discovering them by accident all the time.

Dolman - Bass & Vocals

I guess I should not have been surprised after discovering that yes; there is indeed a rockabilly scene in Medellin! Or should I qualify that as there is a rockabilly band in Medellin that is doing its best to establish a scene. They are the Dorados Rockabilly Trio.

Now I discovered them (or should I say they discovered me) through my good buddies Andres (Los Suziox) and Faber (Medellin Rock Festival) at the Medellin Moto Show a few weeks back.


I immediately hit it off with the guys. Felipe Ossa, the bands singer / lead guitar who spends some time with family in New Mexico had just been to the U.S. and witnessed his first Social Distortion in concert there so we had a lot to talk about. Felipe looks a little bit like a young, Latin Mike Ness himself (before the jail time) don’t you think?

Carlos - Drums & Vocals

At the time, I was headed out of the country to Ecuador to work on my side project “Raw Travel” but I promised you that when I returned I’d be featuring some music from these guys.

Good to his word Felipe stayed in touch with me and I made it out to their rehearsal on Friday night.

They played a good mix of covers of rock-n-roll classics (Richie Valens, Eddie Cochran, etc.) as well as a few of their originals which I really dug.

Felipe's tricked out guitar

We had some studio time left over so we ripped through a version of Cold Feelings (Social Distortion) & Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash/Social Distortion) with yours truly at the mic before I let the guys finish it out with “Don’t’ Think Twice” (Bob Dylan/Mike Ness) and “Reach for the Sky (Social Distortion).

Rehearsal was a roomfull of Social D. fans

Good rockabilly finished off with some punk and punkabilly… Now that my friends is a good couple of hours well spent.

Well, proving that I ALWAYS tell the truth MOST of the time, here ya go, a video clip of their original song “Bettie Page” from their rehearsal session is below.

 

 

 

 

STAY TUNED: And coming up, pics and genius insights from my recent Ecuadorian Punk Odyssey and, keep your fingers crossed, a complete interview and feature on the Dorados Rockabilly Trio.

And for more pics of the Dorados Rockabilly Trio head to Punk Outlaw’s Flikr page HERE.

Quito’s DMTR… Fast, Furious and Fertile!

// May 21st, 2011 // 2 Comments » // Photos, Videos

Our first official day of shooting in Quito, Ecuador and we had a date with DMTR at the famous local rock bar “The Garage Bar”. In case your wondering, DMTR stands for Demeter and refers to the God of Fertility.

Now, I had done my research on these guys before hand and though there was not a ton of info on them, I had already previewed their music on Myspace, really dug it and really wanted to feature them.

Alfred - Vocals/Guitar for DMTR

So I sent about a dozen emails via myspace to no avail and finally, tracked them down on their facebook profile and tadah.. they answered back and we were all set.

We arrived to The Garage a little early and after we set up for our 3 camera shoot, the guys ripped through their two recorded songs “No Balas Sin Fronteras” (No Bullets Without Borders) and “Mentira” (Lie) for our cameras and a small entourage of friends, managers and girlfriends.

The music was fast, furious and melodic (and yes, fertile too). To me, it had a distinct U.S. west coast punk flavor and by the 2nd performance I was hooked on DMTR.

Afterwards we had a short interview for Raw Travel and the documentary Punktology.

The guys from DMTR are eager to record more of their songs and tour outside of Ecuador, including possibly Colombia and the U.S. No matter where you live, if they come to a town near you, trust me, you will want to check em out.

In the meantime, enjoy this clip from their performance of “No Balas Sin Fronteras” from one of our cameras at the shoot.

For more info on the band be sure and check out their Myspace Page or Facebook profile.

With DMTR After The Shoot

Also if your ever in Quito be sure and look up the Garage Bar for good live rock and punk Music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday (this is not a paid endorsement, just a bit of advice, you punk cynic you).

Disfruta (enjoy) the vid and see if you don’t think this is some fine ass punk music regardless of language, location or whatever!

One Las’ Lime

// April 25th, 2011 // No Comments » // Videos

Trinidad has been on holiday since last Friday, which is cool for Trinis (no work) but not so cool for travelers (it’s tough to get around, find food, etc.). But alas my amigos at Anti Everything have been so cool that we got together for one last lime at Randy’s house.


One more lime!

Good food, drinks and we each played turn as DJ of You Tube to broadcast our favorite punk (and even some not so punk tunes). The night ended with a little jam session of acoustic punk, a cool little diddy called “New Generation”.. see the video below.

But what I’d really like you to check is one of Anti-Everything’s music videos from the 2010 elections in Trinidad. While you may not be familiar with Trini politics, you can probably guess that they struggle with the very same issue that most countries deal with.. corruption, duplicity or just insert your transgression here ________________ actually.

Bryan & Alan (Anti Everything)


From Eastern Europe to small Caribbean Countries to the so called greatest empire the world has seen (the U.S.A), bad politicians the world over divide and conquer, lie and steal and in general make life more miserable for the rest of us even though we elect them (if we’re lucky) to do the opposite. Some even resort to murder.

Yet I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention there are a few good eggs out there who faithfully serve… at least I hope.

What I like about bands like Anti Everything and my buddies from Los Suziox in Colombia and punk bands in general is that they don’t let the bad guys get away with completely exploiting the masses without at least making some noise about it.


Johnny & Randy (Anti Everything)

On a personal level I can relate. In the neighboring and much more touristic island of Tobago I was gouged relentlessly my first day there (but not excessively and quite politely I might add) and while I went along with it (I had little choice), I made sure to let the “gouger” know that I knew they were being dishonest, but me being the “gougee” ended up giving them the money anyway.

It was the exploiters (tourist) and the exploited (locals) doing a little dance, one trying to turn the tables on the other. It was unseemly and gross after such realness in Trinidad, but unfortunately an all too common occurrence for the frequent traveler.

It’s an ignorance tax we must pay as travelers who may arrive on the wrong day, or at the wrong hour of night or don’t check around for competitors, or whatever, and perhaps that is what the politicians think of their little “excesses”. It’s just another tax on the dumb, ignorant and apathetic masses. A tax that goes directly to some politician’s pocket more times than not.

And maybe they are right. Maybe we get the government we deserve but at least bands like Anti Everything and punk bands the world over challenge it and their songs let them know that we know they are hoodwinking us and we aren’t as stupid as they think (at least not all of us).

I feel this video for “I’z Da Man” hit this tone perfectly and it features a little kick ass steel pan music.. now when is the last time you heard a punk band do that?

Check it out and let me know what you think.

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