The Ladder Theory

I first became fully aware of The Ladder Theory YEARS ago. I was hanging out at one of my favourite haunts, a walkabout bar (drunk aussie boys.. doesn't get much better than that) with a bunch of aussie boys I know. We, somehow, got onto the topic of male/female relationships and one of the boys declared that 80% of my male friends wanted to fuck me, and that is why they hung out with me. I thought this concept was hilarious and told him he was being an idiot. He looked at me, and said "why would guys want to hang out with girls.. they can't talk about football, we can't be as open when there are girls around and girls can't drink". (UM.. HELLO? I CAN TOTALLY OUTDRINK THE MAJORITY OF MY MALE FRIENDS IF CHALLENGED!).
Still laughing at his theory, I questioned it.
"so, you want to fuck me?"
"oh yeah." he answered, all, a matter of factly.
"liar," I replied, now in hysterics.
"Seriously. This is not a line. All three of us out with you tonight would. In fact, most of the dudes you hang out with would."

Now, don't get me wrong, I am WELL aware that most of my male friends do not want to have sex with me, and this is something that I am comfortable with. I found this idea as ridiculous as "The Rules," which is a book about how to snag a man (read: how to play games to snag a man) that I read when at University for an essay I was writing.

So, laughing about it, I questioned a bunch of my male friends, and one of them led me to The Ladder Theory. So that night, in my boredom, I read the whole site.

My male friend swears by it. He says this is totally how the male mind works and questioned me about the female aspect of it.

I am going to keep my thoughts about it to myself for the moment.
But have a read of it. Its pretty interesting.

MAKE ME A SUPERMODEL AND NFG CONNECTION

OK.. maybe i lied a bit. There is no real connection at all... but, on this boring, quiet Saturday night, I was watching trashy American TV and came across "Make me a Supermodel."...a show that takes the lead from "Americas Top Model" but add a few factors that make it different enough for the network to be free from litigation... There are male models as well as female models, there are 2 presenters, and America votes off the model.

Yes, i am THAT bored.

ANYHOW, so I'm watching the show, and one of the models looks terribly familiar. I couldn't place it, till midway through the show where the photographs are being judged.

Ronnie looks like Chad Gilbert!!



Ok, a thinner, more chiseled Chad Gilbert, but Chad none the less (this is, by no means, to say Chad is not terribly attractive.. as he is..).

The above picture reminded me of this picture:



(seriously, I looked for a bigger version, but couldn't find one).


Oh come on. You can totally see it.

What happened to the passion? What happened to the reason for screaming.

This is going to be a double post, in that I am taking a section of this post where I talk about the album as my album of the week for my internet radio show on TotalRock.. and considering that I have only done about 3 albums of the week in the history of my show, I think thats pretty good.

In 2002, I attended a festival at Finsbury Park entitled Deconstruction. The line up was incredible, the highlights being H2O and the Movielife. At this point in my life, I was not a huge H2o fan. When first getting into hardcore 6 years previous to this, Sick Of It All became my favourite New York Hardcore band, with Madball a close second. I liked H2O, but i was so excited by these two bands that I never really gave them a chance more than listening to them in my friends car on roadtrips places or singing along to "5Yr Plan" at the awful rock clubs we used to frequent.
A couple of days after the fest, the band played at the Dingwalls in Camden.. again, i remember thinking they were good, picking up their albums but only listening to them once in a while, usually in summer.

Fast forward to May 27th 2008. H2O release one of the most anticipated albums of the year, Nothing to Prove, on Bridge 9 Records and announce a european tour.
H2O fans have waited seven years for this record. And most won't be disappointed. This record is, in one word, fan-bloody-tastic. It has been a while since there has been an album that has held my attention from start to finish and makes me smile as much as this album. Highlights include the catchy chorus of the title track, "Nothing to Prove" and the perfect ending to the album with "What happened?" which includes guest vocals from Lou Koller from Sick of It All and Matt Skiba from Alkaline Trio, a song that has literally been stuck in my head for the past two weeks. (When you pick up the album, make sure you listen to Adam Blakes facts you didnt know about H2O. The best.)

The band were a highlight of Pressurefest 2008, so much so that we roadtripped it up to Luton on Sunday to see them as we couldn't wait for the London show. They played to a room of people like they were playing to the 50,000 kids at Deconstruction, with as much heart and as much passion.

So you need to do two things.
1. Go to your local record store and pick up "Nothing to Prove".
2. Go and see them at the Underworld tomorrow. If you are unable to make this date, the band are also playing the Peel in Kingston on the 21st August (i am GUTTED i cant make this date), Reading and Leeds festival and Ieperfest in Belgium. Go and see them.


You will not be disappointed.

Unfortunately

What with a full time job, RunningRiot booking, Summer trips away, I will not be able to update for a bit till things calm down. sorry kids. keep checking back!

This week so far

so far this week has consisted of...

5 hours on a train...
2 days in meeting/board rooms
2 free meals
1 night in the hilton

and lots of bonding.

Muscles, Muscles EVERYWHERE

Can someone please clarify that if you work out and have muscles, it doesn't necessarily mean you can win a fight?

Im not talking one on one with an MMA fighter, i'm talking a dude who works out with muscles and the average drunk douchebag on the street.

Memories you can hold in your hand.

In August 2004, me and a friend went off to Rome for a week. We had an awesome time, went sightseeing and took hundreds of photos on a camera I had borrowed from my father after mine had been stolen in a club in London.
We ended the trip at Ieperfest in Belgium. To cut a long story short, my bag got stolen and the camera went with the bag. Luckily, my parents were understanding (which reminds me, I need to buy my father a replacement), but I also knew that I had lost all the precious photos that I took.

I spent months on european hardcore messageboards begging whoever had stolen it to return the memory card to me, but was ignored.

The pictures were to be of the last holiday that myself and said friend took together, as we grew apart after that, and it also included pictures of people that I met that I would never see again. I was truly gutted.

A couple of weeks ago, PostSecret linked this website- I Found Your Camera.
A simple but ingenious idea. People find memory cards/cameras, send in the pictures already on the card and hope that the owner/someone that knows the owner will see the picture and contact the holder. There are good people in the world, and this shows it.

If you do find someones camera, by all means, keep the piece of machinary but please, do anything you can to return their memories to them. While I know that my pictures are gone for good, I still return to the site every Thursday to read the success stories.

Damn you Betsey Johnson..

Damn you to hell.

Betsey Johnson, is, by far, one of the best fashion designers around at the moment. A quirky looking woman herself, her clothes have always had an ultra cool "twist" to them. Unfortunately, while her clothes aren't Vivienne Westwood expensive, they are still a bit too out of reach for an individual who doesn't have an above average level of disposable income. If you can bring yourself to pay more than £100 for a dress, lucky you.

She does, on the other hand, have an affordable quaint line of hangbags named "Betseyville". Unfortunately, the bag that I have my eye on, also costs an extra $50 just to have the item shipped.




I repeat, damn you Betsey Johnson!

RunningRiotFest AKA Ninjafest

Ninjafest is over. Myself and Rachel promised each other from the start that if one of us left, the name would go with them. Both Rach and Louise decided that last year would be the last time they would be involved.

I decided to continue. Ninjafest, although terribly stressful, was one of the best times of the year for me. I would put on a fest at the same venue, over the same weekend, with the same sort of theme, but under a different name. I was such an organizational nazi anyway that I knew that I would be able to sort out everything anyway. 2 of my best friends proved to be the most help last year so they are in with me, helping me out.

So the name. For months, I deliberated over names. I knew that it was the last one, but started thinking about a name for the next last June. I was stuck. Then, one day, when on tour, I was talking to the dudes and was like "I can't think of a name!".. Colin turned to me and started reeling off amazing names, old UK punk songs, and then said "Running Riot!". That was the one.
"You come from a country with such amazing punk history, I can't believe you can't come up with a name.". I didn't even think of that. Naming it after a Cocksparrer song was genius (thanks Colin!!).

So here we are. 5 Months away from the fest, and its pretty much completely booked. The smaller bands are done, just waiting on headliners to confirm and then thats that.

While I was worried I would only end up with tough bands (everyone knows my love for tough guy bands), the line up is looking pretty sweet and quite diverse. I returned the original idea of Ninjafest. I didn't care what people thought and I am only generally putting on bands that I am proper psyched on seeing.

so ADD. Line up should be announced in the next couple of weeks

http://www.myspace.com/runningriotfest

Mr Trump.

You should consider firing the person who suggested that you build a luxury golf course in Aberdeen, Scotland.

Why, I hear you ask?

Is it because I think that the dunes/enviroment will be ruined?

No.

This is a picture of your golf course in California. Note, the beautiful sparkling blue sea, the yacht in the distance, the weather that looks amazing.










This is a picture of Aberdeen in June:

Note, the clouds. Don't get me wrong, i'm not knocking Scotland, but really, it's not known for its amazing weather.

"Hey Honey.. I booked us a holiday.. we are going to be staying in a luxury hotel, Im going to play golf, its going to be awesome!"
"Really? GREAT! Where are we going?"
"Aberdeen"
"........."

SUMMER IS HERE!!

Sunshine, booty shorts, no huge handbangs that you can fit your hoodie in, festivals and finally, Big Brother.



The show began last thursday, claiming to be the most strict series to date. The contestants include a blind man, a bunch of girls that love themselves, 2 lads, a crazy little Thai lady, the token gay guy, a black man with an american accent that is an albino, an old couple that have an air of "swingers" about them (I am willing to put money down that they are), and a boy that really resembles Frank from the Gallows.
We have already formed loyalty to the one that we want to win (personally, i like darnell, the black albino, but being that we are a nation of sympathisers, the blind man will probably will prevail).

GO DARNELL!

People You Need In Your Life. Interview #2: Sheep

"Are you sure he's straight-edge?", the euro boy I'm talking to asks, as he watches Sheep with another of my friends run out of the Belgian club, wearing nothing but a balcava and when I say nothing, I mean NOTHING. I grin and nod as he shakes his head in disbelief.

This was nothing we all hadn't seen before. Sheep has always, and will always, be the life and soul of the party. With more energy than anyone I know, and more passion than most, Sheep is, by far, one of my favourite people on the planet.

A talented photographer, frontman of one of the UKs hardest working bands, Honour Among Thieves, and a good friend, I bothered him whilst he was on tour in Australia to ask him some questions.

You all DEFINITELY need more Sheep in your life.

Name: sheep
Vital Statistics: 28, tall and skinny with a fake beer belly.
Location: Based in London
Current Occupation outside of music: photographer

Describe yourself in 3 sentences. EXACTLY 3.

annoyingly hyperactive northern lad who talks too much. quite likes a
bit of mischief and doing things most people don't do. likes to party.

Hi sheep, How you doing?

not bad. i was up till after 7am, but had to get up at 10 to switch hotel rooms (long story). now i'm up, waiting for the sweet mexican place down the road that does tofu burritos to open so i can get dinner.

You have been an active part of UKHC for a long time. The first time I heard your name was when Sakari Empire was being mentioned. For the younger kids that haven't been around for that long.. would you care to explain what exactly this was, from how you got the name to what was done with it?

sakari empire was a record label i used to run in 2000/2001. sakari empire was originally the name of the edge collective run by the boys from canvas in leeds circa 1997/98, i just pinched it. ironically, i seem to remember nathan bean claiming he had come up with the name or something, but i guess that mustve been before everyone realised he is a total fucktard.
It didn't last very long, i put out 3 records and a few demos... to be honest i don't think it was ever very important in the grand scheme of things, no one really cared about the majority of the records i put out. I guess in the clear were an important band for out scene at the time though, but it was probably more a case of the band making the label, rather than the label making the band.

it's worth noting that the kneejerk record i put out features Frank Turner, who went on to play in million dead with a reasonable amount of success, and now has even more a country/punk/folk singer.

Ian Wiles of In The Clear went on to form the last chance who we all know and love (i hope) and founded dead and gone records, one of the biggest hardcore labels this country has ever had.

the label folded in late 2001 when i moved abroad.... wasnt keen on trying to run it from another country.

You have put on loads of shows in your time. Which would you say was your favourite?

mmmm that's a toughie... so many good ones! the american nightmare/walls of jericho all dayer at josephs well in leeds, 2003 stands out. as does sweatfest in 2004, mainly because everyone was going mental for UK bands. i always get stoked when kids lose their shit for homegrown talent. more recently the pre-ninjafest show last year was a banger for the same reasons.... one of the very early shows i did stands out too, withdrawn, area effect, canvas and vengeance of
gaia, the packhorse, leeds 1997. it broke even (a rarer thing those days), all the bands were rad. i think i foolishly made a tiny speech at the end of the gig about how awesome hardcore was or something like that, but i was only 17 at the time so i'm willing to forgive myself.

As I write out this interview, you are on tour in Australia tourmanaging Bring Me The Horizon. How did this come about?

well i've known the bmth dudes since before they were a band.. they used to come to my shows. i remember ripping oli for wearing a scarfin a roasting hot blood brothers show on the blog i used to keep at the time when he must've been like 16 or something. been TMing them for a little while now. It's neat, i get paid to go to cool countries and hang out with cool people. job does have it's downsides but mostly it's awesome.

You have been in several bands.. The earliest I remember being 12th Angel Calling.. Whats your favourite memory of being onstage?

i never really regarded myself as being a band dude. 12th angel calling never really did anything and no one liked us anyways, so i dunno if i'd even count them. the 1st real band i was in that did anything was seventh cross, i joined them in late 2005... so i'd been going to shows for a decade before i was in a proper band.

like i said, no one cared about 12th angel so i don't really have any cool onstage memories with them, just the chill outs and tour shit. i have a good story about the aftermath of a gig in grimsby but that wasn't onstage so i guess it doesn't count.

playing with seventh cross was fun.. i guess the highlights would be the one show we played in sweden, ghostfest and the last 2 shows, they were both pretty mental. i suppose the shows where kids went mental are always gonna be the standout ones for me.

i think the best ever would probably be the demo 7" release show for HAT last year... so many kids singing along. i was uber stoked. nothing is like that feeling at all.....


Your "new" band, Honour Among Thieves. Tell us a little about it?

um... if you're after some kind of summary (the type band members hate having to do) then i'd say we're a melodic hardcore band with an aggressive edge and socially aware lyrics and topics..... we've only been going about a year so it's early days at the moment but we're
having a lot of fun.

When you first started, I asked you to describe your sound.. You said it was a mixture of comeback kid and someone else who I cant remember. The sound that you guys developed is not really a sound adopted by many hardcore bands here in the UK. Do you think that has benefited or hindered you guys?

to be honest i'd say it has hindered us. if we had more breakdowns and moshy bits i'm sure kids would dig us more.... but when we started out we didn't want to be just another moshy band. i'm glad we're maybe doing something a little bit different, even if no one cares that
much.

You have done a number of uk tours, a russian tour, played mainland europe...your band seem very driven, to be doing this off a back of a 3 track demo?

well most of us in the band have been around for a while and have a few friends here and there, so we just utilised those connections.... we should've put something else out by now but cuz we've been touring a fair bit it hasn't happened... the band is pretty much the only reason i still live in england, so i wanna make the most of it while it's going... so i guess driven is a word that's fairly accurate. we just wanna play everywhere and anywhere we can.

Congratulations on the signing to GSR by the way...

cheers. we've known rob and theo for a long time, and they actually approached us back in october, but it took a little while to get it all ironed out. we don't really fit in on their roster but it makes an interesting challenge! i can't wait to put the full length out with them...


Lets move on a bit. You and Sean Oxley are possibly two of the most famous stagedivers due to that picture. How do you feel when you hear that people you dont know have blown up the pic to cover a wall or put you on their credit card?

ha i dunno if i would agree.. in recent times maybe, but there are quite a few classic 80s dive pics (the swazzi on the balaclava diver for example) that have that pic beat hands down. it's kinda funny that the pic travelled so far and wide. when i saw the pic of that dude who
had it blown up on his wall i just laughed. it's funny. i never saw the credit card but i heard about it, that's pretty funny too. i bet ryan wishes he was scoring some kind of royalties for all the use his pic has seen!

As a photographer, do you sometimes wish you had taken the pic?

it's funny that you should ask that as a lot of people actually get confused and think that i took it rather than being in it. it would be a sweet pic to have taken, but life is about living not watching so i'm glad it's the way it is.


Plug your photography here...

err.... pay me to take pictures of stuff? i'm dead good, honest.

and now please plug a UK band that you feel everyone has to listen to.

well i'd normally say dead swans cuz they are the shizznizz but they're blowing up so they don't need any help right now.. where as MORE THAN LIFE from bristol are amazing and are looking for a label.they just recorded a new MCD and it's smoking. so good. hook them up
if you're a label dude! www.myspace.com/morethanlifehardcore

What does the rest of 2008 hold for you?

a whole lot of touring.. i'm supposed to fly home from oz on the 10th, but think i might stay to tech for the ghost inside who are on the road here till the 22nd... then i get back, and bmth have some euro fests to do. then probably warped tour with them. then i guess we have
to record an album... then touring some more. so mostly touring.... although when i get home i'm definitely looking forward to riding my bike. it's been too long....


THANKS DUDE. We miss you x

The Devil Wears Primark

This show was supposed to be aired today at 9pm on Channel 4, but has mysteriously disappeared from the latest tv listings.

Word on the internet grapevine is that one of the biggest clothing retailers in the uk have not only been training staff on their "ethical trading initiative" and that the company had taken legal action to prevent the show being aired.

The programme had gone undercover and revealed that companies, used in India to supply the chain, had broken their own ethical code of conduct. Workers were forced to work in unhygenic and unsafe conditions, often working overtime unpaid, and possibly employing child labour.

Primark has revolutionalised the high street fashion world. With new lines added every week, super cheap prices and clothes sometimes going for as low as £1, the chain is, by far, the biggest clothing retailer in Britain at this present time. It has been featured in every fashion magazine, including fashion bible Vogue, and many style programmes also.

Stop any woman residing in the UK on the street, and more than likely, she will be wearing at least one item from the store. With such a fast turnover of styles, it also means that there arent thousands of women on the streets of London wearing the same thing.

Case in point:
2 years ago, Primark released a polka dot dress.. a couple of days later, said dress was featured on "This Morning" and the dress flew off racks becoming one of the best selling articles of clothing of the year.

Would the show have done any damage to Primark? Probably not. A similar show was aired on BBC3, entitled "Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts" which showed six brats living like indian sweatshop workers. What it did show was that MOST high street retailers use sweatshops. But these high street retailers have been losing profits due to the popularity of the chain , so the show maybe would have benefitted them. The TV series also did not make people stop buying clothes.


Hopefully the show will be reschduled though.
And for the record, I love Pri-marni.

"Priceless"

(last post deleted due to discrepancy of source. hah)

Last night, I attended a preview of this film. Despite having a bunch of chavs sat behind us ("LE HORS DE PRIXS.. BWAAHAHHAHA.. AWWWHHH NAAAAW.. IT REALLY IS IN FRENCH!!"), I really enjoyed it.

Set in the French Riviera, the film follows Irene (Audrey Tautou of "Amelie" fame), a young gold digger, trying to find that perfect old rich man that she can live off for the rest of her life. I say perfect, as, apparently, there is such thing as a flawed old rich man. She wants a man with no alimony to pay off, who can afford her 700€ underwear sets, Chanel shoes, and afternoon sipping of expensive champagne.

One night, when her Sugar Daddy gets drunk and passes out, she goes down to the hotel bar and meets Jean, a hotel employee working behind the bar, a point that he forgets to raise with her. Drunk on champagne cocktails, they hook up.

The film follows Jeans quest to get the girl, who, in the meantime teaches him her ways of gold digging.

A cute romantic comedy with an unrealistic ending that leaves you with a warm feeling inside.

Go see it if you can!

CLEARING MY NAME

Dear Kerrang!

I did not say, in my vox pop, that I wanted to go out to buy the latest "This Is Hell" album from HMV when asked what I thought about their show at the Barfly last month.

What I, in fact, said was "I enjoyed them more than I did last time they played here in London at the Electric Ballroom, and were not as good as the first time they played at the Underworld."

As you can see, this is not what was put in the magazine.

I have not been into the cd section of an HMV for about 5 years. The only reason I have set foot into said store is to buy DVDs. And, while I think This Is Hell are a pretty good band, they would not be the band that I would break my "large record store" hiatus for.

Thank you.

May xx


PS. Face erased as the pic you took of me was awful. But ferguss and Trumans are staying

Sex and the City, Part 2

Teaser trailers. I spent a week at university going to lectures on this. Its a known fact that they show the best parts of the film.

But, i'm watching some special on channel 4, and they have just given the whole plot of the film away.

Yeah, thanks guys. REALLY.

9 Years Ago

I lived with my old best friend Nicky. We used to wake up on Sundays, bum around the house for a bit and inevitably end up at the local "its a scream" pub watching the Chelsea match. Sunday lunch, followed by a couple of drinks ("a couple") followed by 90 minutes of us screaming at a large screen.. Wise was still playing for us, and Vialli was Manager. It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday.

Now, don't get me wrong, watching the footie with the boys is awesome but:

1. none of them support Chelsea
2. watching it with Nicky was better.. not only were we on the same side, but saying "aww isn't he cute" about football players to boys is possibly a bigger sin than being at a show and mentioning a guy in a band/the crowd is hot. Boys see this as you not taking their passion seriously, and thus will look at you like you are insane for saying such a thing, turn away and not pay any attention to your views from that point on, forgetting that you are a girl, and that if a dude is cute, a dude is cute, but that is another post for another day.

ANYHOW, Chelsea reached the Champions League Final and last night, in Moscow, played against Manchester United.

We watched the first half in a pub in Kingston about 75% full of Man U fans (HOW DOES THAT EVEN HAPPEN IN KINGSTON?!) and it was awesome but i felt myself getting carried away, mostly because Chelsea were playing and it was the last chance for the team to win ANYTHING this season, but partly because i HATE Christian Ronaldo.

While an amazing striker, I will give him that, he's a fucking cheat. I know that my hatred for the boy is much more deep rooted and stems from "the wink", but still. He makes my skin crawl.


I then spent the rest of the night running from the room in The Peel with the stage whilst Crime In Stereo were on (they are playing tomorrow so I am going to watch the whole set then) and the bar where they were showing the match that eventually went to penalties. And we lost.

That was it. My night was ruined. The game ended, CIS did about 4 encores, and still I was miserable.

On the bus home last night, I thought about Nicky, and how, even if we lost the match, happy we would be at the end of those Sunday evenings, not thinking about how awful we would feel the next day.. I miss those days.

Several things in one entry

- Sex And The City
Ask any female you know. They will have seen this show at least once, even if to only see what the fuss was about. The film comes out next week and the world has gone Sex and The City mad.
Apparently, HBO was a terribly male orientated channel till Sex and The City came along, but apparently, quite a large percentage of straight men are fans of the show, but will not admit it in public.
Boys. Own up. Every boy/man I know despises this show. The reason? Because men don't want to think that us females discuss them as frankly as they discuss us. They like to think that female conversation is limited to what we allow them to hear when they are around. Yes, they have heard us talk about men, but not as we do when with the ladies. Every group of girls really is like the Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte, albeit on scales of how rich they are and possibly much less free time (I know I don't have time or money to meet my friends every morning for breakfast, dinner and drinks every night).
I'm excited. Watch out, Great Britain. Cinemas everywhere are going to be taken over by gaggles of giggling women.

-Madonna
Does anyone other than me watch her and cringe? You are in your 50's love. You can't continue to parade around like a 30 year old forever. It's just the video for 4 minutes. Seriously. You look good but you also look like a drunk mum at a party trying to be in with the kids.

-NERD.
A couple of months ago, there was a call on the Bridge 9 board for hardcore kids to star in the latest NERD video.
A couple of weeks ago, kids started posting about the shoot. Standard extra rates ($100 for a days work). Most didn't get used and were sent at home.
The finished product looks like that it has come out of the pages of Vice, styled by American Apparel. The best part of this video is Pharrell skanking.

Everybody Nose
by yardie4lifever2

When I was younger, I was an extra and it SUCKS. It involves a lot of standing around and waiting to be told what to do. Being an extra in a music video sucks even more. When you aren't standing around, you and about 100 other people are being herded around like cattle, all the while, you have to listen to the same song for hours on end so I feel terribly for those kids.. Not saying that I wouldn't do it again hah.
(anyone that even mentions that I look like the drugged up girl at the end of a night out without the drugs but with a bit to drink gets a smack hahah)

Groezrock shortest rundown ever.

Excuse my terrible camera. Plans to purchase a new on payday that isnt held together with gaffa tape in the books (any suggestions for one under £200 would be awesome).

In fact, im just going to tell you what happened via pics.

We stayed with Rudi. Kid is fucking awesome and so nice. We all went to see Down To Nothing and No Turning Back in Holland.


The coolest van in the world was our mode of transport for the weekend and is owned by Max. Run on vegetable oil, the van has a kitchen, a bed, a tv and a playstation with guitar hero.







Getting stuck in the biggest traffic jam in Holland is great. Dudes bring you bottles of water. You cant see it but there are people running down the hard shoulder towards me:



Down to Nothing, despite the fact that they didn't play Home Sweet Home, my favourite of theirs, were awesome. The reaction in Arhnem reminded me of the reaction the band got the first time they played London. Kids were into it but not as much as any london show nowadays which I obviously prefer and they deserve.

Watching NTB now in a town that was close to their home town, at a record release, was awesome. I have seen NTB in Holland before but this was over 4 years ago when I was doing merch for Caliber and they hadn't reached the height of popularity that they are at now.

The next morning at 9am, we headed off for Groezrock. The show was awesome. It was spent sitting in the sun, gossiping with friends, having a few drinks *ahem* and watching awesome bands. I caught The Loved Ones, Cursed, SOIA, a bit of Bouncing Souls, and Agnostic Front.

I seriously doubt I would have been able to get home if it wasnt for Joe. Thank you.

I should have taken a pic from the side of the stage when the braveheart was happening but, man, i was not in the best of states haha.

O HAI

My weekend fucking ruled.

Wimbledon

Wimbledon on a late Friday evening. Look at the sky.

Home.

I want to work for Google!!!

WATCH THIS VIDEO (Apparently the BBC Website are too good to give us embedded videos).

Massage tables? Food being no more than 100 metres away??? SLIDES??? And breaks whenever you want? Fuck, I get shit for taking more than two cigarette breaks a day.. I need to work at this place.

But, there has to be a downside, right? I mean, they are offering breakfast, lunch AND dinner for free (mmm Ostrich), and an area that suspiciously looks like a bar. And note that they never actually show the office area/cubicles. Probably because zombies are operating their systems.

I think the workers are never allowed to leave. EVER.

People you need in your life. Interview #1: Dave Heck

A couple of years ago, in a room in Sweden at a festival called Deadfest, I met Dave Heck. In the space of the night, in his words, "we became friends, loved each other, hated each other, were awkward with each other...and then we were friends again".
I decided that Dave would be the first person I interviewed for this blog. He is known by everyone, loved by everyone and literally one of the best men in the world. That, and you all can never have enough Dave Heck in your life.


Name: Dave Heck
Vital Statistics: i've been to more continents than i have had sexual partners.
Location: Lansdale, PA, USA. philly suburbs.
Current Occupation outside of music: master of stolen goods on ebay.
Describe yourself in 3 sentences. EXACTLY 3.
I am a hermit that likes to travel. that makes sense i swear. i really, really like reptiles.


Hi Dave.. whats up?

ahoy.

So why Reign Supreme out of all the bands that are around at the moment? And I ask this question with a double meaning.. Why should we listen to them and why did you decide to join them out of all the hardcore bands that are around at the moment?

Well, when originally asked to be in RS, i was still in palehorse. i was actually in the van on tour with palehorse, with palehorse sitting all around me...so it was kind of awkward. either way, at that time i had my plate full with palehorse and my girlfriend already hated me for being away so much. either way, palehorse broke up and i talked to jay (singer of RS) on the way home while driving through NYC from connecticut. he said we'd meet up and discuss shit. i went to sweden the next day and came back about a week later. i tried out and i fit in with the guys in RS pretty well. Some members were old friends and some i had never met before. we're all pretty different but for the most part, we get along very well. i wanted to play with them because they wanted to tour and just play as much as possible, and that's exactly what i wanted to do.

as for why you should listen to RS, i don't know. we're really heavy and our singer looks good naked (like, seriously). the rest of us are kind of slobby retards with bad tattoos. on the whole, there are a lot of great bands out there right now. perhaps we are one of them, who knows.



You have been in a number of bands, which, at 25, these days, is not a big deal for someone into hardcore. Which one was the most fun being in, including your current band, Reign Supreme, and why?

I think my "old" bands were (and still are) the most fun bands i have played in. I play trombone/sing in a thrash/punk/pop punk band and we have been playing since 1998. our live show is interesting to say the least. Leavenworth is still a band, although none of us ever really hang out with each other because of school/work/other bands/drugs. these things take up time and shit. either way, i've had some of the best times of my life with those guys. palehorse was an experience and a half, but it was bittersweet more often than not. RS is fun as hell but i think some of the other guys take the band way too seriously compared to me, but i also don't really care about like, anything. so who knows.

The best person you met because of music (other than myself, which i'm sure would be your first answer, heh)?

honestly you are one of my favorite people i have ever met, and i'm really not just saying that. your follow countryman, xsheepx, is another favorite. i feel like we are the same person, just with different accents...and i'm fat. all of my friends in sweden are like family to me as well. it's really hard to put a thumb on the best person i've met because of music. joey, the singer of the now-defunct Fight Like Hell, is an amazing dude. i could really go on forever. i suck at this.

You have a deep love for Scandinavian cities. And you have been all over the world. What is it about scandinavia that stands out above all the other countries in the world?

well, i'll start at the beginning. my dad is norwegian, but he was raised in new jersey so he's basically just a shitty american like myself. either way, i was always really into the whole norwegian thing growing up. i've always listened to a lot of swedish bands (like my favorite, raised fist. shut up.) and had a thing for the nordic languages. after taking a pretty long vacation by myself in norway/sweden (when i met you) i learned to love the quality of life that scandinavians enjoy. not just the whole healthcare thing or the ridiculously hot girls...but everything. they (as well as most europeans) focus on different things in life than americans do. the concept of wealth, spirituality, community and just general, civilized behavior is much different. i don't know, it's weird. i really liked japan a lot too, but i'm not exactly japanese, so it's harder for me to be into their culture as much as i am into the nordic one.

honestly, i think how i saw the world changed a lot as i grew up (just like anyone else, haha). americans constantly have a false sense of pride shoved down our throats, it's fucking weird. we are taught that our lives are the best of anyone on earth. once i finished a couple world cultures books i kind of thought to myself "yo, america sucks". scandinavia was and still is much more appealing to me. everything i have in life i have because i was raised in a privileged home in a privileged country in a very un-privileged world. i can't really do much about it, but i can always see the world for what it is.

You are into reptile rescue. How many snakes do you have and how did you come to get into this?

i have 4 pythons, 3 boas, 3 kingsnakes, 2 ratsnakes, 2 milksnakes, 2 cornsnakes, 2 leopard geckos, a blue-tongued skink, a bearded dragon and an american alligator.
between being a vegan and just a fairly compassionate dude, i've always been into animal rights and trying to make life better for those who can't help themselves. i worked at a pet store that closed and basically kept all the reptiles that were in the store. i started taking in various animals (reptiles mostly) from vets, other rescues, schools and such. i've studied reptiles basically since i was like, 2. from over 20 years of experience, i'm just a snake dude or whatever.


You have a choice of erradicating one hardcore band off the planet and propelling one into superstardom (this band cannot be one of yours). Who would you choose in both instances and why?

i would eradicate too pure to die and basically any of the seventh dagger-type bands that make straight edge such a joke. it's nothing personal, i just miss when hardcore was, you know, hard.

i would shoot Trapped Under Ice into superstardom. i feel they will get there on their own. such a breath of fresh air in this day and age. best guys, totally deserve everything they get. check them out/support the fuck out of them. tell them i said yo.

and in the same breath, you can bring a band back, and im not talking a lame reunion tour. Im talking, bringing them back so they were the same age, and had the same enthusiam as when they were together.. who would you bring back?

i guess i would have to say the cro mags. i was never a worshiper of them like a lot of people were/are, but in their rawest form i feel they were untouchable as a band. they had so much right, it wasn't even funny. i know it's kind of a generic answer, but it's the truth.

Kevin wants to know when you are going to break edge?

probably right before i kill myself. couple years, max.

and he also wants to know who you think the best hardcore band is and the best topic on b9 ever was? hahaha

i'm guessing he means current bands, but i don't know. currently i would say that when it comes to heavy hardcore, death before dishonor has the world on lockdown. for more punk hardcore, wisdom in chains is doing very well. i'd also give honorable mention to blacklisted and have heart. those 2 bands work hard as fuck and it has payed off for them.

You have been to england a bunch of times. Whats your favourite thing about it, and whats your favourite UK band?

The girls in Scotland. hands down. haha. for me it would be the people in the hardcore scene there. from the By My Hands guys to you, XsheepX and company, i have some of my best friends in the UK. honestly i don't like much else about the UK besides the hardcore scene, the people it involves and scottish girls.
My favorite UKHC band is knuckledust, duh.



and whats your favourite memory of Sheep?

so many. us pissing into the english channel together...him ripping trash cans off the wall and throwing them into the channel (same ferry ride, haha). so, so many. i would say on the whole though, him teaching me how to play conkers (sp?) outside Deadfest 2005. him and i getting to know each other, wandering around linkoping and making fun of people. it ruled. that whole weekend changed my life, kinda weird to think about.

Thats about it. Thanks for your time, dude. Any last words?

check out my zine (myspace.com/gtrzine), everyone from the UKHC scene has a place to stay at my house whenever you need, listen to millencolin and nasum. buy records, support sincere bands. live the punk rock dream.

thanks may!

The Loved Ones

A year and a half ago, I went to see Strike Anywhere at the Underworld in London. A band I previously had never heard of before, The Loved Ones, from Philadelphia, were supporting.

The band completely blew me away. American Punk Rock at its finest.. They reminded me of Alkaline Trio A LOT. The catchiness of their songs.. the hooks were incredible. I got my hands on a copy of their album, "Keep Your Heart", and "Jane" was put on heavy rotation on both my Radio Show and my ipod.



The band are playing in two weeks in the UK to promote their new album, entitled "Build and Burn" on Fat Wreck:

May 7 2008 Joseph’s Well Leeds
May 8 2008 Barfly London
May 9 2008 The Cavern Exeter

I urge you to go and check them out. You will NOT be disappointed.

Opinions. Have them, fuckers.

This past year, I have had 2 seperate band dudes comment on me saying that their band was terrible online on some messageboard. Not naming names because frankly, it's not worth it, but I found this terribly amusing.

So, at 12am on a Thursday night, I asked some people online that I know that create music a simple question..

"If someone you never met before, went online and a number of times, fuck, every time your band was mentioned, went on about how "awful" you were, when everyone else was going on about how ace you are, would you care? "



I told everyone that answered that I would keep their answers anonymous.

"well if everyone was going on about how ace we were, it wouldn't matter"

This was the general response. Most people said that they wouldn't care..

"not really...i love that shit ha ha..not everyone is gunna like your band"

My theory is that even if someone is saying bad things about your band, at least people are still talking about them.

Im going to use an example. My Children, My Bride. This is a metalcore band from across the water that I wouldn't have even bothered listening to if they weren't the most slated band on a board a lurk last summer. Ok, they weren't good at all, but at least I listened to them.. someone else might have listened to them and loved them.

"cos i write music that I wanna hear, and I give up my all to play it to people for very little/no reward! so how could you not be a little miffed if someone just wrote off something you put your everything to in just one measly internet sentence"

This was one of the more negative responses. I see where he is coming from which is why I generally usually say "they aren't my thing". Not every band that fall under this catagory are bad bands. With some bands, the fact that they are good musicians, that they have good songs, can be seen, but is not necessarily the band that I would want to listen to when I'm walking home from work. They really are just not my thing. Doesn't mean that I wouldn't go watch them.

"I think as you mature as individuals and as a band you give less of a fuck about what other people think"

That was the only quote I could end with. I am a nobody. It shouldn't matter what I think. Because I say that I don't like your band doesn't mean I'm shittalking. It means what it says. I don't like your band. Its an opinion which all of us are entitled to, and along with the shit that comes along with the internet, it means that more of us can state it, BOTH positive and negative.

Don't mistake someone stating their opinion as shit talking. Shittalking is when someone saying "I don't like that band because their singer is a dickhead"... when something personal is said about an individual.

Not when someone says "I love this band on record but think they suck live".