GAD! Zine

    I love the Abusements!! Fast and funny punk rock for those of us blessed (cursed?) with the keen observation skills to notice how everything around us is at least a bit off, if not outrightly fucked. “Troll Farm”, one the album’s many standouts, is very contemporary in its subject matter (Russians attacking us through social media), but it’s so fun and sing-a-long-able, that we’ll still be blasting it in ten years. Let’s hope it won’t still be topical… Another hit is the single “Space Nazis”. It’s a humorous look at the U.S. government’s past association with former Nazis to meet our Cold War space race needs. Really, just about every tune on IRRITAINMENT!, from “Sex Cult” to “Mall” to “Florida Man”, picks at the way-too-mundane ridiculousness of everyday American life. This is what punk rock is all about: Recognizing that the “normal” people are the crazy ones. Verdict: Snotty and exciting. Loud and fast. Catchy as hell. I want more, please.  -Harmless Buy The Album From T

    Muddy Roots Music Festival takes place Labor Day Weekend at the Junebug Ranch in Cookeville Tennessee. This year, it started Thursday and went until Sunday. Camping is included with the purchase of the ticket. There are 3 stages, 2 bars, food vendors, and even a waterfall you can drive, or if you're brave enough, walk to. This year, I saw Everymen, Pinata Protest, Rock Bottom String Band, The Goddamn Gallows, X, The Dead Boys, The Meat Puppets, Megan Jean and The KFB, Dead Bronco UK, Those Poor Bastards, Slim Cessnas Auto Club, Call Me Bronco, Sleep, Neurosis, Cutthroat Shamrock, Fu Manchu, and James Hunnicutt. Not in that order and I'm sure I'm missing some. This was my 2nd Muddy Roots. I attended 2017 as well. I enjoyed both experiences although there were a few changes this year. There was a larger stage in the back of vendor row, with powerful speakers. We listened to Sleep from the campsite which was quite far away but did not sound as such. There were some new v

A major punk rock force has erupted from Alabama's capital: The Abusements!! I've been a fan since first reading Shannon Heupel 's article about them for the The Montgomery Advertiser . I checked out the videos and instantly fell in love. Snotty and fun, but with bullshit detectors set on max, the Abusements are an antidote to the malaise one suffers even when they actively avoid today's politics . Who are these lunatics and where the hell did they come from? I reached out to the group to get to the bottom of it. " Dominique Bradley on drums, and Chris Eckels on bass , they are both from Montgomery Alabama. DJ Fake Name is on guitar and vocals, he’s from the early 1980s. " Ok... " Like many professional musicians, especially in the south, Dominique’s real gig is playing worship music. That’s what pays the bills. Chris used to be a member of the legendary Creep List. DJ Fake Name was placed into a medically induced coma back i

    Shame that Delaware's PTS has disbanded, but I'm glad they reconvened to "document" their music. It's noisy and punky and Minutemen-y. (Just realized that one of the tunes is called "Political Song For Mike Watt To Sing", so I guess I nailed it!) The sound quality is all over the place and is just as much a part of the experience as any instrument. Please let this release encourage more bands to put their tunes to tape or whatever. Music History is the Best History! I hope these good folks are still making cool noise, even if not together as a unit. If they are, I wanna hear it. -Harmless  Paint The Sun on Bandcamp

For the uninitiated, the Danger Cakes are an Austin-based all-female rockabilly group who deliver 50's bubble gum pop rock with a bit of an edge. Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of the group is lead vocalist and model Jamie Bahr who, in addition to her vocal duties, plays the upright bass. The band’s latest offering, Gloomy Girl, features three unique tracks likely to entice even the most casual of rockabilly fans. The first track, "Not Your Doll", introduces listeners to Jamie’s very sultry voice, at times suggestive lyrics, as well as the group’s twist on the 50's bubble gum pop sound. Next comes "Love Bites", which incorporates a heavy cabaret feel with lyrics featuring plenty of delightful double entendres. The closing tune, "Bruise Blues", is a cute little number that leans heavily into the 50's bubblegum pop aesthetic. Fans of the genre are unlikely to go wrong and those looking to expand their horizons may just be in for a p

The Roach Motel, Decatur Alabama Saturday June 23rd This was an all day event that began at 2pm . I wasn't able to get there until about 6, just as X.Y. Spaces was beginning. The Roach Motel is located in a storage unit, a long one, it's almost in the center. If you go in one side there's a print shop, you can go through into the venue space that also has an exit that lets you out the other side. It's a spacious area with a stage and sound equipment, the only problem is it's a metal tin can with nowhere for the sound to escape. I saw 5 bands and each of them put on terrific shows full of heart, audience participation and gimmicks. X.Y. Spaces had lamp light, which created great shadows in the room, the singer Brady also passed out headshots of himself for people to distribute around town, in hopes he will get discovered. Avowed all wore Hawaiian shirts, and Meadows had matching plain hunter green. They were great performances that had a lot of th

The ground under the underground has new rumblings troubling it’s sedentary haunches yet again. Whispers in the fissures that spread like a network of veins, carrying lifeblood to organs that go unsung, unacknowledged, unnoticed. The ones that, while not sexy, sensual, suckable and able to be wrapped tightly in spandex, leather, (or some other textile of ill-repute)etc. would most certainly be the cause of much agony and suffering, should they fail. Those aforementioned rumblings almost seem to speak, like the vague, breathy utterings of a supposed specter caught on tape. And while the power of suggestion is almost without fail used to decode what these tormented spirits who are incapable of crossing over are supposedly saying, one name has been colloquially agreed upon as being clear as the proverbial bell: ARTIFICIAL DEVICES. What does it mean? More metal than man. More man than machine. Something incapable of setting a course, but unable to stop plowing through ever