THANK GOD IT'S NOT WEDNESDAY...Hiraeth by Darko

Yello Wednesday warriors, and welcome to another edition of THANK GOD IT'S NOT WEDNESDAY. Today I am pumped to share the first single off Darko's upcoming album, Bonsai Mammoth. Check out the raucous music video for this track, titled Hiraeth, here.

Sine they formed in 2009, Darko has been espousing a brand of aggressive melodic hardcore that's 2 parts skate punk, 1 part crossover thrash and a dash of tough guy hardcore. Calling upon the sacred powers from a diverse range of fore-bearers, like Propaghandi, Bigwig, Protest the Hero and Comeback Kid, Darko's newest release represents an evolution in their efforts to build upon their signature sound: a refined and thoughtful addition to their body of music that is already quite prophetic.

Headquartered in Surrey, UK (think Woking, Chobham, Weybridge....anyone?! The War of the Worlds, guys!), it seems like the band decided to write this track to match the weather. Hiraeth is full of grayscale tones, and a heavy, at times oppressing, mood permeates throughout the song. But between thrashing guitar riffs, a blazin' fast rhythm section and growling scream vocals, Darko manages to recount a tender and touching tale of a lost friend; indeed, Hiraeth is a Welsh term that's defined as "a homesickness tinged with grief or sadness over the departed"

Bonsai Mammoth, which will be released through Bird Attack Records and supported by Lockjaw Records in the UK, is slated to drop on February 3. Make sure to keep an eye out, and buy your copy of the album when it becomes available!

You got your brains dehydrated

Hey there Wednesday warriors, and happy Burns Day! If you came here looking to drown your doubts and sorrows for the world's future with some funky lil punk ditties...well you done good. We got a rowdy lineup today, ranging from old fart tunes like Wasted Youth and Sex Pistols to more recent (-ish in most cases) releases from NOFX, Pulley, Strung Out, Saint Motel and more. Without further ado let's get crackin' on this playlist.

Oh...and thanks for tuning in to our Silver Jubilee (25 episodes, not years..) of Wednesdays With Andrew!





The web player link here

And, as always, a couple unsolicited thoughts on this list:

No Equalizer is off Down By Law's 5th album, Last of the Sharpshooters, which is also the last album they released through Epitaph before moving to another label. Name of the game time - Down By Law derived their name from the 1986 black and white indie film of the same title.

Wasted Youth (aka LA's Wasted Youth) was part of the LA hardcore scene during the 80s, alongside other greats like Circle Jerks, T.S.O.L. and Black Flag. Problem Child is the 2nd track off their debut album, Reagan's In: a 10-song record that clocks in at just under 15 minutes long.

Full Of It is the title track from Portland, OR rockers Summer Cannibals' latest full-length. Delivering sugary melodies and blaring guitar riffs on top of a moody bass motif, this song reflects the rockin' yet intricate material that's found throughout the whole album. Go give it a listen!

Runaway is one of the most addictively poppy skate punk tracks ever written. But it still retains that speedy, punch-in-the-balls sound we've come to love from our Epitaph bands.

Daydream/Wetdream/Nightmare is a meandering, glam ballad off Saint Motel's first effort, Voyeur. Based in Los Angeles, this indie prog foursome is gaining a lot of traction across the country. They released their second full-length, saintmotelevision, in late 2016 as a follow-up to their successful My Type EP.

Featuring some old and new from NOFX today. The first track is a deeply personal tune from their latest (13th!) studio album; a sort of lyrical patricide of Fat Mike's dad, delivered posthumously. The next is off one of my all-time favorite albums, 1992's White Trash, Two Heebs and a Bean.

Boston duo Dresden Dolls have been having fun doing their dark cabaret thing since 2000. My Alcoholic Friends may be one of their most recognizable tunes. Wasn't it in an Apple commercial or something?

I mean what can I say about the Sex Pistols? Everyone knows 'em and loves 'em. And their solitary Never Mind the Bollocks... album.Fun (-ish) fact: I went as Sid Vicious for Halloween and at least a handful of people got it.

We end our playlist with The crippity Cramps and their horror dirge I Can't Hardly Stand It. Frequent visitors of CBGB during the 70s, The Cramps honed their rockabilly chops in the punk scene and became a forerunner, and inspiration, for the psychobilly movement. Leading couple Lux Interior and Poison Ivy formed the core of the band, and incorporated b-rate horror/sci-fi elements and references wherever they could. Suffice it to say, always an interesting listen.


Alright guys, I am out. Until next week!

Forget longevity, we’re just trying to get by

Good morning Wednesday warriors, and welcome to another episode of Wednesdays With Andrew. Boy, do I have some treats in store for you...just get into my nondescript white van and see! From the Misfits to Primus, from Swingin' Utters to PUP, from Jawbox to Dead Kennedys...we got you covered. So pour yourself a sippie cup of your favorite brew, turn the volume up to 11, and let's have some fun.


Here is the link to the web player: https://play.spotify.com/user/agood1no/playlist/5xAXLioZBUI1AXrJgSLcJX

And here are some knowledge knuggets and brain farts pertaining to this week's selection (to read along with the playlist, duh):

Post-Danzig Misfits is good too! Although Helena doesn't feature lead creep bag Glenn Danzig, this song is a rollicking fun time. This is off Famous Monsters, the second full length to feature new vocalist Michale Graves.

Hunx & His Punx provide the much needed bubblegum punk component to this week's playlist. You Think You're Tough is off their 2013 release, aptly titled Street Punk. In addition to his musical endeavors, Hunx (née Seth Bogart) owns and manages his own clothing line, Wacky Wacko, and used to run a hair salon in Oakland.

Bob's Party Time Lounge is a strange party dirge from the inexhaustibly creative mind of Les Claypool and his Prime Ass band. This track is off their 1997 Brown Album; although this album represents, to me, a dark period in Primus' career, where they weren't playing with one of the greatest drummers of all time (Tim Alexander), it's still one of their weirdest and most aggressive to date. DID YOU KNOW - beyond just being an incredible songwriter, dope bass player, producer, author, filmographer and all around eccentric dude, Les Claypool also makes and sells his own wine.  You can buy bottles with Primus-ish names like Purple Pachyderm and Pink Platypus from Claypool Cellars.

Swingin' Utters have been playing loud, twangy street punk since the early 80s, and were one of the Bay Area bands to frequent Gilman during the heyday (weird...i always thought it was spelled Hay Day) of 90s punk renaissance. This was the title track for the Utters' 4th full-length record, and you may also recall hearing it on the Tony Hawk 2 soundtrack.

Phantoms is a spooky surf tune from San Diego band Mrs. Magician. If you dig this track, you'll probably also enjoy their latest single, You'll Fall in Love, which just dropped a few weeks ago. Go look it up and support them here!

Aahhh man, I couldn't even go one week without throwing in a cover. This time, I'm including Turning Japanese, originally written by one-hit wonder The Vapors, skankified and re-recorded by no-hit wonders Skankin' Pickle.  According to the song's author, and contrary to popular belief, this song is NOT about masturbation. Though Kirsten Dunst also did a music video cover of the song..SPLOOSH

Nazi punks, fuck off! 'Nuff said.

Say 'Yurf Rendenmein' out loud. See, it's not German! This song was off AFI's debut album, when their style favored more Reservoir Dogs and less South Park goth kid.

Canadian punk band PUP has been making waves since forming in 2013, building a grassroots following and garnering critical success. Reservoir was the first single off their debut album, originally released through Royal Mountain Records and with some financial support from the government of Canada...holy crap, that sentence is so fucking Canadian I want to hug someone.

I know that I play a lot of weird shit on these weekly playlists, but Isolate by Bender may be the most random song to date that I've featured. Following in the grand tradition of mediocrity that Milwaukee boasts (Pabst Blue Ribbon anyone?), Bender is just pretty OK.

I'll close out today's session with Mirrorful, a soulful piece of emo work written and performed by DC natives Jawbox. Jawbox was founded in the late 80s by J Robbins, after the demise of his old band Government Issue, one of the District's longest-standing punk fixtures.

I don't wanna hear it

Howdy there creeps, and welcome to this week's episode of Wednesdays With Andrew. First off...you'll probably notice that the format for these blog posts are changing slightly. As always, I'll continue to focus first and foremost on the selection of songs for the weekly playlist which will continue to drop, like cockwork, every Wednesday morning. I will include some notes around the music here and there, but won't do the full write ups that I've done in the past.

In addition, I'll start focusing more on doing reviews and write-ups for upcoming and recently released albums, and feature those on days that don't start with 'W'. So, if you're a punk band, or you know a punk band, or you know someone who knows a punk band, send me that shit and I'll write pleasant things about your music!

Alright, finally, to the music. This playlist has some fun little tunes, including a couple awesome covers. If you're into the 90s, we got you more than covered. And if you're not into the 90s, don't worry, we got some good stuff for you too.



Annnnd the web player link: https://play.spotify.com/user/agood1no/playlist/2DFLq68ikGIT4LRqe5DqXg

Some interesting tidbits from this week's selection:

The Meteors, opening this playlist with their spooky rendition of the classic by Sam Sham and The Pharoahs, are the first band to self-identify as psychobilly. I wonder how their parents took it...

Ten Foot Pole's song My Wall, from their sophomore album Rev, was also included on the first installment of Epitaph's famously curated Punk-O-Rama compilation series, released in 1994. My Wall was also my first taste of Ten Foot Pole, and I have been listening to them non-stop ever since.

The Night Marchers are a stoner/sludge rock outfit of the highest caliber, hailing from San Diego. You probably recognize the primal, vicious vox of lead man John Reis, who has been in a ton of bands, including Rocket from the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes. 

DAMN YOU TO HELL, 2016!! Another celebrity casualty of the Year-Which-Must-Not-Be-Named, Alan Vega was an artist, vocalist, weirdo extraodinaire, and half of the electro-punk duo known as Suicide. 

Shit, Kid Dynamite's cover of this classic tune by Minor Threat is fucking great. Everything Kid Dynamite does is great. Go listen to Kid Dynamite after this.

Swedish skate punk bands from the 90s are just the bee's knees. That's why we have two this week! Bonus points if you can point out both (hint: the band names rhyme with Frillencollin and Blow Gun rat Ball)

Hmmm why does this band Great Collapse sound so much like Richmond melodic hardcore gods Strike Anywhere? Possibly because this is Strike Anywhere frontman Thomas Barnett's latest project. Dooooooiiiiiii!

Cock Sparrer, the epitome of 70s working class street punk, derived their name from 'Cock Sparrow,' which is a Cockney term of endearment used between friends and family.

H2O is a great melodic hardcore band from New York! But DID YOU KNOW...it is also the chemical formation for mint chocolate chip ice cream?

SNEAK PREVIEW...You Bring This On by Generals of Monrovia

Hey people! Thank God It's Not Wednesday, amirite?  I am very excited to share a song off an upcoming release by pop punk renegades Generals of Monrovia.  Following the migratory patterns of their winged brethren, these Canucks (originally from British Columbia) struck out a new home base in Austin, TX, to flee the nightmare that is Canadian winter.

Generals of Monrovia’s new release, aptly titled Immigrant Punk, will be hitting the digital shelves February 17, 2017. As a follow up to the success of their debut 2015 EP, Immigrant Punk solidifies the Generals' commitment to hook-driven and melodically pounding punk rock.  You can listen to the first single off the album, You Bring This On, here: https://soundcloud.com/generalsofmonrovia/06-you-bring-this-on-r2

Reminiscent of a 90s anthem you’d expect from a band like Face to Face or Bad Religion, You Bring This On goes beyond the simple 4-chord formula, providing substance and depth that drives us forward into a new age of pop punk.  Boisterously catchy, oozing hum-along melodies and layered harmonies, the track also denotes the heavier sounds these top brass rely on, through a thoughtfully forceful rhythm section.

Do yourself a favor, and go grab this album when it drops February 17. Stay frosty.

Hard times are comin your way..but never surrender, never go down!

Hey there kiddos, and welcome to another episode of Wednesdays With Andrew. I am eschewing the typical format of doing write-ups for each song, mainly because I have been very busy (read: drunk) with the new year, friends, family, yada yada yada. That means you get all the sonic goodness without having to strain your eyes reading my bullshit. Some really neat tunes today, ranging from old school thrash/hardcore from Cro-Mags to sunshine ska sounds a la Catch 22, all the way to good old fashioned skate punk anthems courtesy of blink-182, Dillinger Four and Guttermouth...and even a little more.

OH ALSO...tune in later this week for a sneak preview of a yet-to-be-released album from an up-and-coming punk band outta Austin, TX. It's gonna be schwifty



Annnnd the link for the web player: https://play.spotify.com/user/agood1no/playlist/0NCdKscL2kWnE5htM1bkT0