2012 Vans Warped Tour Compilation

Every year, I pick up the 2CD compilation of Vans Warped Tour bands.  I have them going back to the first year they issued one.

The 2012 tour compilation includes 25 tracks on each CD.  Of the 50 songs, I only would listen to one more than once, Anti-Flag's "Broken Bones".  I don't know why they picked such a bad song by Rise Against to start of the first CD.  There were a few other bands who had decents songs - Nothington, I Am the Avalanche, Blacklist Royals, Murderland, and Ballyhoo.  I guess time has passed me by as I have no interest in most of the stuff that kids are listening to today.

Punk Rock n Roll Vol 01

Here is the track listing in the first of I am sure many of my new series of punk rock(ish) compilation CDs.  I love the lyrics to the Street Dogs "Punk Rock and Roll" so I named the series after that song, and will be making it the lead track for every volume.  Additionally, I love the lyrics to the Dropkick Murphys "Going Out in Style" so I will be making that the final track for every volume.

Vol 01 consists of a mix of different "punk" genres - bluegrass, celtic, ska, swing, street, etc.  I've been working on this one for a month or so, and have found that it makes for great beer drinking for the approximate 80 minutes that it lasts.  Contact me if you want a copy to entertain yourself.

Track Listing:
01 Street Dogs - Punk Rock and Roll
02 Dreadnoughts - Cider Road
03 Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band - Clap Your Hands
04 Flatfoot 56 - Cotton Fields
05 Black Tartan Clan - Country Roads
06 Wellits - Drunk on Spring Garden
07 Deal's Gone Bad - Fire
08 Old Man Markley - For Better or For Worse
09 Kings of Nuthin' - If I Were You
10 Swaggerin' Growlers - Kiss My Ass
11 Larry and His Flask - Land of the Free
12 Pietasters - Maggie Mae
13 Fiddler's Green - Night Pat Murphy Died
14 Transplants - Not Today
15 Old Man Markley - Party Shack
16 Dropkick Murphys - Peg O' My Heart
17 Dreadnoughts - Polka Never Dies
18 Old Man Markley - Rollin' in My Sweet Baby's Arms
19 Flogging Molly - Saints & Sinners
20 Dropkick Murphys - Spicy McHaggis Jig
21 Flogging Molly - Swagger (live)
22 Specials - Tears in My Beer
23 Brian Setzer Orchestra - This Cat's on a Hot Tin Roof
24 Big Bad Voodoo Daddy - You and Me and the Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)
25 Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band - Your Cousin's on Cops
26 Dropkick Murphys - Going Out in Style

Teenage Bottlerocket - Freak Out!

For years, I kinda blew off this band until Earthdog convinced me that I needed to go watch them in the corridor at the Congress Theater during a Riot Fest weekend.  So, here we are in the lobby crunched between stage, the beer stand, and the stand selling the famous Congress pizza slices.  The sound sucked all day long because of the echo from the concrete floor to the concrete ceiling.  Then, these Ramones looking youngsters from Wyoming hit the stage.  Holy shit!  I was addicted to them from that point on.  I have seen them a few more times at Insubordination Fest in Baltimore with Earthdog.  They play Ramones style simple (for someone who may play an instrument) chords with catchy, most of the time funny lyrics.  Most of the songs just crack me up.

Well, their newest release, Freak Out!, is no different.  I've been listening to it a lot the last few weeks.  And, it has been growing on me with every listen.  I can't stop listening to it tonight so I figured it would make for a great time to write about it.

I can't wait to see them at Riot Fest this year!!!

1. Freak Out! - quick blast with more mentions of Freak than any other words and gone in a flash.  As the Guinness commercials said, brilliant!
2. Headbanger - a song about a guy that whips his head so fast he gives himself a concussion.  How can that not be funny?  They even give a throwback to the last release and mention the Kiss Army - "what the fuck are you talking about?"
3. Cruising for Chicks - just what you would think it is about in Wyoming.  "In my mother's old Suburban, cruising for chicks."
4. Necrocomicon - a parody of the San Diego Comic Con.  "I thought I saw fucking Yoda."
5. Maverick - a parody of the movie Top Gun - "I'm the only guy in Top Gun she ever dated."
6. Done With Love - the anti love song.
7. Punk House of Horror - Don't go there as Rat smells like piss and the place is a fucking dive.
8. Never Gonna Tell You - (That I Love You) the love song.
9. In the Pit - a sarcastic song about the jocks who couldn't make the football team.
10. Mutilate Me - the X rated sex song.
11. Who Killed Sensei? - " I wanna know who killed Sensei?"
12. Radical - the 2nd love song about a girl that you can not afford.
13. Summertime - the song about the weather extremes of Wyoming and being hot as Mexico in Summertime.
14. Go With the Flow - the 3rd love song and the back and forth break ups that take place during teen love.

Down by Law - Champions at Heart

I have listened to this CD twice and it sounded different to me the second time around than the first. It is a mature Down by Law. If I had to guess, Dave was listening to a lot of The Clash when writing the songs. There are a lot of references to Clash song titles “straight to hell”, “know your rights”, “complete control”, etc. He also displays song and vocals styles from all of the bands he has been in – DYS, Dag Nasty, ALL, and DBL. I think it will continue to grow on me the more I listen to it. It may be the most diverse group of songs that DBL has recorded on one release. The first few songs are up tempo, there are a few ballads, there is some with acoustic guitar in the background, some singalongs. There are a lot of lyrics about broken relationships, trying to figure out this world, being true to yourself and the punk scene, etc. I am glad they have put out another release, and that they are touring. A few of these songs would hold up well live, but they did not play any the night that I saw them (from what I can remember). As a bonus, there were two previously recorded but unreleased songs by the Pseudo Heroes - “Tiny Answers” and “Perpetual Sorrow” - that see the light of day with Sam on vocals. Lastly, I want to thank Dave for thanking me in the liner notes.

1. Bullets – This song has been out for a while prior to this release. It is probably the best track on the release. “Well she said you're just a silly boy. I've heard that song before.”
2. Nothing – Along with Bullets, this is another track about alcohol causing problems in a relationship. Another rocker in the style we have come to know by DBL.
3. New Song – The intro to this song could be mistaken as a song by ALL. The lyrics are about keeping punk real, not forgetting about its roots, and not being a “costume” punk.
4. Popcorn & Coke – DBL tempo with silly ALL type lyrics about living on popcorn and Coke and staying up late watching TV. “I don't want another fucking salad.”
5. Knock This Town – This is the first ballad on the CD complete with acoustic guitar in the background. Has some feeling to a track on the Clash's Give 'Em Enough Rope. Dave belts out some passionate lyrics about “our town”.
6. Tiny Answers – The first of two Pseudo Heroes recordings with Sam on vocals. This too has acoustic guitar in the background and is very Pseudo Heroish. Looking for answers regarding why we are here.
7. Face Forward – Dag Nasty style vocals. The lyrics are about moving on from a broken relationship and historical personal ghosts.
8. Punk Rock United (Step 1) – A geography lesson of names of cities making up Punk Rock United. Sort of a thank you to cities that were played over the years. “We haven't changed the world but we've made a fucking start.”
9. Homicide – This has a new DYS style feel to it. I can't quite understand these lyrics. Pretty upbeat tempo. It does end with a 999 style “Homicide”.
10. Misfits United (Step 2) – Dazed. Confused. Mixed Up. Misunderstood. Another sorta ballad.
11. Warriors United (Step 3) – very Smalley folk sounding song. A bit of Dixie in the song. Many mentions of Clash songs in the lyrics - “straight to hell”, “know your rights”, etc. The second half of the song picks up the tempo.
12. Crystals – This may be the fastest track on the release. It has a Dag Nasty feel and DBL from the previous release. Another retrospective about staying true to yourself and to the classic punk scene.
13. Perpetual Sorrow – The second Pseudo Heroes track with Sam on vocals. Another broken relationship song. Similar style to the last Pseudo Heroes release.
14. Rebels & Angels – Fighting the odds that the world has put in front of each of us. “One foot in life, one foot in the grave.”
15. Champions at Heart – Acoustic guitar in the background again. Another folk type song. It has a Clash feel too it as well.
16. All In – New DYS style lyrics with a mid tempo beat. Having fun at a show in the pit together fists raised singingalong. There are some early ALL anthems similar to what was on “Alfredo's”.