Hey what’s up!! Sorry this is going out late but I’ve been on the run the last couple days. It’s all in preparation for our annual Punk Rock Picnic!! This is the 3rd one overall and the 2nd that Stillnotdead has been involved in. It’s super cool that the brain child of John Austin of the Not Likelys could mutate into the multi stage spectacle that will invade Tremont Music Hall this Saturday! But before I get to talking about that show there are several other shows I would like to mention, let’s get to it!!

Over at the Milestone Club this Friday August the 13th they play host to Prayers for Atheists, The Thought Criminals and Height with Friends.  Everyone knows I’m all for variety, I love having different sounds on a show as I think it opens people up to checking out bands they wouldn’t have normally paid attention to. That is definitely the case with this show. Prayer for Atheists from Providence, RI were explained to me as a punk band and I can see the influence. Honestly they remind me more of Rage Against the Machine but that is a compliment coming from me. They are definitely passionate about what they do and the lyrics are personal and in your front face. Height with Friends from Baltimore, Maryland are underground/ indie hip hop who mix unusual sounds and melodies with heavy beats. There is definitely alot going on under the hood with these guys and it can be hypnotizing and at other times odd beats throw me off a little, but they should put on a fun live show. Speaking of fun live shows, anyone who knows me knows I love the Thought Criminals. This live band hip hop unit from Charlotte by way of Kannapolis produce massive songs with massive hooks and a wealth of lyrical brilliance. This show though there may be an added bonus for coming out. Mikal Khill has made a way to play his Nintendo. With any luck he’ll debut his Nintendo/ instrument at the show tonight. Be there and see history! Doors are at 8:00pm and admission is $7 for over 21 and $8 for under 21. 18 + only please.

If you are still ready to party after the Punk Rock Picnic 3 head over to our other home away from home, the Milestone Club. This Saturday night they feature The Fishnet Stalkers , with Rekless Youth and Bracing for Impact. This should be an excellent melodic punk show and it would make an excellent after party for PRP!

When you think of Friday the 13th you think of Jason, you know from the movie Friday the 13th. You know the unrelenting, brutal, undying juggernautwho comes back again and again, destroying everything in his path. Well this Friday August 13th, Snug Harbor host Charlotte’s version of Jason, the one and only ANTiSEEN with Self Made Monsters and Biggy Stardust & His Wretched Hive. You see ANTiSEEN have been haunting the music scene for over 25 years and show no signs of slowing down. Like Jason they’re brutal and unrelenting and I actually think Jeff could take Jason in a fight, as long as there was barbed wire involved. Also on the bill are long running Charlotte garage rock band Self Made Monsters, who have been around the scene for an extremely long time and the newly reformed Biggy Stardust and His Wretched Hive. This should be a show of monstrous proportions and it ain’t for the weak or meek so don’t say you ain’t been warned….

That brings us to the Tremont Music Hall. This Friday the 13th they have the annual Feast of St. Claires which is a benefit to support Loaves and Fishes. This is actually the third annual feast and this years lineup includes the Trouble Walkers, Leadville Social Club and Lost Souls Traveling Show, which was formerly known as the Holy Smokes. This should be a great event and if you bring a can food or non-perishable food item then you’l get a dollar off entry into the event. Doors are at 8pm and admission is $8 or $7 with a can food or perishable food item. Plus there is a $3 surcharge for under 21.

This brings us to the event I have been working my ass off this week to get ready for, the 3rd annual Punk Rock Picnic!! It takes place this Saturday August 14th at Tremont Music Hall. This started out several years ago as the brain child of John Austin of the Not Likelys and has evolved into a huge event that Stillnotdead throws every year. Last year Tremont got on board and were not only gracious host but the show kicked ass as well. This year we’re following the same formula as last year where early on we’ll have bands on the Stillnotdead side stage in the bar room of Tremont as well as burgers and hot dogs cooked up for us by the Summer of Meat! As the night goes on the action will switch to the Casbah stage in Tremont and finish the night out with the loudest party in Charlotte. There are a few things you should know about this show. First, when the food is runs out, that’s it. In other words, if you want to take part in the free food, you have to come out early! The doors open at 5:30 and the first band starts at 6:15. The food should be ready sometime during the first set. So if you want to grub, come out early!! Second, there is NO SURCHARGE for under age. The price of the show is $8, whether you’re 16 or 26 SAME PRICE. You’re welcome. Third, the schedule for the show will be posted at the door, day of show.

Now let’s take a look at the bands on this years shows! King Sized Killers are making their Stillnotdead debut this year and it’s also going to be their cd release show (hopefully!) so be sure to check out this hard rocking punk band from over toward Asheville, NC. If you dig them let me know, they could appear on future shows. Gruppe 36 contains former/ current members of IED, Carrion Bomb and Brotherhood of the Bomb, and play an explosive (pun intended) mix of street punk with a little metal around the edges. It’s powerful stuff and bound to get the crowd moving! Jojo Taterhead Revival rose from the ashes of the DSC Crew and played their Charlotte debut show at PRP2. They were a huge success, playing to a massive crowd and getting them moving with their kick ass ska sound. This year be ready to dance again! PEN15 are making their SND debut with this show but they are certainly no strangers to me. They used to play the Milestone Club when I ran it in the mid 90’s. This british punk fronted band have a treasure trove of catchy, fun party songs and will have the crowd singing along in no time! I was thrilled when 25 Minutes to Go agreed to play the picnic this year and even happier when they revealed to me that they have something special in mind for this show. What you may ask? Can’t tell you, I’m sworn to secrecy, you’ll have to show up to see what the masters of the ancient kung fu art of “Bladow” have planned. Playing their 2nd year in a row with the Picnic is the Rogue Nations. This local power trio features members/ former members of Obstruction, The Poontanglers and My So Called Band. They’re known for their powerful riffs as well as their socio/political satirist  lyrics. Yet another band making it’s SND debut this night is the Lesser Pauls. I’ve wanted these guys ( and girl) to play one of our shows ever since they debuted in Charlotte. They managed to remind me of Sonic Youth and Jefferson Airplane at the same time and singer Kenni Falls vocals even occasionally remind me of PJ Harvey. Last but not least is IED.  This ska core band has been a favorite on the Charlotte scene for years and finally came out with a debut cd late last year. They never fail to rock out and with this being Punk Rock Picnic, I’m sure you can expect great things from them.

Well that wraps it up, the other important things you need to know is that doors are at 5:30 and the first bands starts at 6:15. This show is all ages and there is once again, NO SURCHARGE for under 21. So for $8 bucks you get 8 great bands and free food. Also there is a small chance that I will be giving out freebies like I did last year so be on the lookout! It don’t get any better than that! Hope to see you all at the show!!

Thanks for the support!

Ryan Dead

MC Frontalot is somewhat of an anomaly in the indie rap world.  Extremely independent and with a fairly rabid fanbase, the 36 year old MC raps about such unusual topics as Character Stat sheets, computer hacking, obscure browser-based MMOs and other nerdy topics.  Some songs are equal parts song and puzzle, the bonus track on his last LP being a tricky test of the listener’s L337ness who’s solution is required in order to figure out how to access the song itself.  All that is secondary to the most important thing about Frontalot’s music:  It’s good.  His flow is concise and on point, his beats tend to make heads bob and his touring band (Vic-20, Blak Lotus & The SturGENiUS) are a tight musical unit that blends styles as effortlessly as the production on Front’s LPs.  I asked Front a few questions after catching their performance at the Local 506 in Chapel Hill.  I went on to BEAT BLAK LOTUS AT MAGIC:  THE GATHERING.

Obviously you are tied to a lot of nerdcore rappers, you invented the term and work with a number of nerdcore rappers on your LPs and shows.  When you were a kid was there an awkward “gangsta” phase that you’re hoarding demos from somewhere?  Have you ever had some sort of doommetal sideproject that most people might not expect?

Nope, I was always pretty geeked out. I think maybe my early stuff was
more abstract and obtuse, if that’s possible. But it was never hard or
mean. I did record various weird pop and rock songs for songfight.org
under a variety of band names. But no metal, thank goodness.

What are some rappers, nerdcore & non-nerdcore, that you find yourself listening to frequently?

I love Del, Busdriver, Brother Ali, Mr Lif, Mos Def, and Blackalicious.
In nerdcore:  YTCracker, Beefy, Schaffer, Dual Core, Random, are all putting good
albums out lately.

How involved are you with the production aspect of your albums?

I mix them myself. I had help this time from Brendan Brown of Wheatus.
Nate Van iLL works closely with me on the vocal comps. Gm7 and Baddd
Spellah co-write with me while the grooves are developed and as the
arrangements take shape. But I tend to make all final choices about
what stays where and how.

I know you have played the Milestone previously, any interesting stories to tell?

There was a small tragedy when MC Lars wrote something about how nice
nerdcore is on the big graffiti wall, but he accidentally wrote it
over Michael Stipe’s big REM tag. I will have to annotate that this
time through.

What is your favorite videogame of all time?

I usually say Lode Runner for C64, but today I am going to go with the
split decision between Shadow Of The Colossus (PS2) and Psychonauts
(PC/XBOX).

I know you have toured with basically the same crew for quite a bit, what’s rehearsal like?

We tend to rehearse in short bursts before important shows and tours.
There’s no regular practice. The boys are too busy and at the moment
living too far apart.

What LP’s of the non-hiphop variety are you bumping at the moment?

The new Mike Doughty disc Sad Man Happy Man is fantastic.

You can catch MC Frontalot, along with Quantum Foundry, The ThoughtCriminals & Kbaz at the World Famous Milestone on Thursday, April 8th!

-Mikal kHill

April 7th, 2010

"This cover just oozes 80's!"- Ryan Dead

Babyshaker – Legendary (self-released)

I still remember when Ryan Dead and I were living at Morningside Apartments and he brought home the first Babyshaker CD, The Best of Babyshaker.  It must have been 2001 according to the copyright date on the back cover.  I remember us listening to it and deciding that the production didn’t do them any justice.  At the time I considered Babyshaker (www.myspace.com/babyshaker) a party band thanks to adopted stage names like DC Superstar and Dallas Thunder, the glam clothes, etc.  In my view most party bands bring it live, but don’t usually end up getting much playtime when I’m away from the show.  Knowing that Babyshaker finally had their second album coming out I decided to revisit that first album for the first time since 2001 just to have it as a point of reference.  I didn’t find the production quite as off-putting this time around and I found more depth to their songs than I recall noticing back then.  Despite all of that, I could tell that they were no longer quite the same band today as they were back then.  The term “party band” doesn’t spring to mind quite so readily when I think about the music they’ve been playing live in recent years.  I’m not saying that the party’s over, but this is not the same party I was crashing in 2001. I think I’ll stay at this party a little longer, thank you!

Even a casual listen to their new 7-song, vinyl-only LP Legendary underlines the fact that they’ve changed with a huge, blossoming sound hitting you straight out of the gate.  The LP comes with a coupon allowing you one free download that includes all 11 songs recorded for this album.  Produced and recorded by Don Dixon at The Milestone during off hours with the club functioning as a studio, the band recorded live and with minimal overdubs.  Frequently, when local or regional bands, who I regularly see play live, put out a new album I don’t find myself listening to their albums much because their recordings just don’t capture their live energy all that well, but this album manages to escape that fate in spades.  I’m not going to compare them to other bands because I can’t think of any immediate reference points.  That’s actually a good thing since I hear so many bands these days where I find myself thinking “yeah, they’re trying to sound just like…”.  The glam band power chords are still here, but they’ve deepened.  The good times on this disc share space alongside songs that ride atop an edge of desperation and sadness.

For a few years now I’ve thought that Babyshaker’s greatest anthem was “La Boutisserie” (the one where the chorus is “we like the girls, girls, and the girly boys”) and I’m happy that the song is one of the download-only bonus tracks.  But the fact that they didn’t include it on the vinyl proves that Babyshaker are well aware of the musical and spiritual changes that I’ve touched on in this review.  I guess that songs like the fun-loving “La Boutisserie” just don’t happen for them quite so frequently or casually anymore.  Nowadays, they’re more likely to stumble onto a song like “My Karate Is Good Tonight”.  Since I was handed a CD-R of this album a few weeks back I have been thoroughly obsessed with “My Karate Is Good Tonight”.  The spoken verses add a chilling, dramatic effect which finds its only release in the haunting, plaintive melodic pleas of “Hey Viriginia” in the choruses.  I’ve heard them play the song live quite a few times, but the recorded version is one for the ages.  I spoke with lead singer Scott Weaver last week and he told me that the band’s newest material continues in this same direction.

After 11-1/2 years together most bands are creatively spent or, at best, are sticking with what they know and are not likely to take an unexpected and engaging turn such as Babyshaker have taken here.  This is rare and a cause for celebration.  Speaking of which, the release party for this album takes place where it was birthed at The Milestone on Sat. April 10th.  Oh, and I plan to stay at this party until it ends, so if you’re not busy…

- Chris Peigler

Man it’s been cold as hell lately! I’m hoping you are all staying warm. Hopefully these burst of arctic air aren’t keeping you from enjoying the great shows that have been taking place around the area. If so, tune into the video player on the main page of Stillnotdead.com and check out the videos from the Flat Tires/ Mad Brother Ward & The Dividers/ Angry Youth/ Bucketflush show we sponsored on January 2nd!

Oh yeah and just a reminder, Throwdown Fest is Sunday January 10th at Elwood’s Music Hall. That’s 7 bands for $8 bucks with no surcharge for under age. Also Elwood’s has just announced that they will be serving a limited menu, so you won’t have to leave the venue to get something to eat and risk missing a band! I hope everyone comes out and has a good time! For directions visit the clubs website by clicking on the link!

Jucifer and Machete at the Milestone Club January 16th!!

The Milestone Club- Jucifer w/ Machete! 1/16/10- If you are a big fan of your hearing, this may not be the best show for you. That said, if you like bands that are so loud they may blow your eardrums out of your head then you’ll be right at home. This may be the ultimate power duo show! You’ve surely heard me go on about Jucifer before. These self proclaimed nomads have toured the earth since 1993 and have come to redefine the term power duo. While it’s easy to say (as I’ve done in the past) that Jucifer is easily one of the heaviest and loudest bands I’ve ever witnessed, it would also be misleading. You’d only be getting part of the picture with that description. You see while they are blistering loud and heavy when they want to be, they can also generate some very delicate and almost fragile moments. Their songwriting is often overlooked and that’s a big mistake because for a band with only two members to generate this much volume is impressive but for them to generate this much depth is down right scary! Also on the bill is local band Machete! This two man group also seems to pray at the altar of Jucifer but minus the delicate parts. If these guys were a real machete they wouldn’t be sharp slicing you to ribbons, instead the blade would be decidedly unsharp and used more for bludgeoning you to death instead of cutting! Their sheer volume alone and heavy as hell sound will stun you into submission. And I don’t think I’m going out on a limb by saying that Machete! probably has the most abused drum set in Charlotte!  Go enjoy a show where it sounds like 10 people onstage but is actually only 2! Doors are at 8pm and admission is $8 for over 21 and $10 for under.

The Thought Criminals at Elwood's Music Hall 1/16/10

Elwood’s Music Hall- The Thought Criminals w/ Shane Hall & The Tickle Bomb Orchestra, Quantum Foundry, The Mad Cowboy and Speaker for the Dead 1/16/10- Speaker for the Dead (http://www.myspace.com/GregMcKillop) is a solo project forGreg McKillop, and sounds like Death Cab For Cutie, but less cute and more depressing. The Mad Cowboy (http://www.myspace.com/mmkhmusic) a.k.a. Matthew M.K. Hopewell mixes surrealist poetry with a psychedelic 70’s blues-rock sound, reminiscent of a Hendrix-meets-Borroughs aesthetic with a decent amount of Zappa thrown in on top. Quantum Foundry  (http://www.myspace.com/quantumfoundry) are a hip hop duo with a smooth flow and a lot of energy to get the party flowing. Shane Hall & The TickleBomb Orchestra  (www.ticklebombmusic.com/) The TickleBomb Orchestra plays songs from Shane Hall’s record “Basic Draining”, traversing the American musical landscape from hip hop to country and rock. The Thought Criminals (http://www.myspace.com/thoughtcriminals) hail from Kannapolis with their roots firmly in Wu-Tang. The influences are definitely on display but don’t sell this hip hop/ live band outfit short, they bring a ton of energy and versatility to the stage so come expecting a killer live show! Btw, since it’s at Elwood’s I would suggest coming early and getting dinner before the show! The bbq and smoked chicken are excellent! Show starts at 8pm, Elwood’s is open earlier for dinner in the lounge. Admission is $6 dollars!

Snug Harbor- Hope Nicholls Birthday Bash featuring Renelvis and Guam High 1/16/10- Hope Nichols has been responsible for a lot of music out of the Charlotte area. From Fetchin Bones to Sugarsmack to the most recent incarnation Snagglepuss, Hope has been a fixture on the Charlotte scene for years. Even opening a funky clothing store known as Boris and Natashas in Plaza Midwood. Tonight she celebrates her birthday with Renelvis, Charlotte’s own phillipino Elvis impersonator. This may is legendary and on my list of things you should check out in Charlotte before you die. Also on the bill are hipsters Guam High. DJ Scott Weaver and DJ George Brazil will be spinning and the coolest part is the admission is free! Come enjoy the spectacle at Snug Harbor!

Well that’s it for this week, hope you all have a great week and we’ll catch you in the next edition of “Next Week”! See you on the forum or out at the shows!!

Ryan Dead

Here are a few shows that I wanted to add to the mix. Check them out cause they will be massive fun!

The Milestone Club 10/30/09 DBDD presents: South Side Punx, Brainworms, Jojo Taterhead Revival and Snacktruck- Dead Bodies Don’t Drown suffered a horrible loss earlier this year with the passing of Stuart Chamberlain, however they vowed to carry on the tradition of great shows and are getting down to business with this pre-Halloween bash. Advertised as “the party that won’t end until Halloween” , this bash will feature local punk rockers South Side Punx who will do their best to rock the house with their near riot inducing sing along anthems. Also appearing on the card is Jojo Taterhead Revival, a great ska/reggae band formed from the ashes of DSS. Also on this show are a couple of bands off of Rorschach Records. Brainworms are a Richmond , Va band that reminds me of the Meat Puppets early stuff. At times it’s quirky, other times it’s a noise fest, either way it’s straight up awesome! Snacktruck are also from Richmond, Va and the first song I clicked on was a strange instrumental that one minute sounded like the Ventures and the next minute rock forward like a really strange prog rock song. I get the feeling from listening to the first couple of songs on their myspace that these guys tend to be more than a little math rock. Cool stuff, will be interesting to see how this plays out live. It’s a riff-a-thon complete with off beat (on purpose) drums and no vocals that I can find on the first few songs anyway. It’ll be a very interesting night at the ‘Stone. Doors are at 8pm and admission is $5 for over and $7 for under. 18+ only.

The Milestone Club 11/2/09- A Wilhelm Scream w/ Living with Lions, The Riot Before and We Shout Goodnight- A Wilhelm Scream have toured with the likes of Rise Against, Strung Out and Lagwagon and in fact just got off tour with Hot Water Music. Now they are invading the Ghetto Fortress in a last minute booked show. This is a really good opportunity to check out a band that Alternative Press hailed as “the new heirs of the skate punk scene!” Personally I think these guys have a rocking sound. High energy tempo riffs with gruff vocals screaming out the lyrics over the top of the wall of guitars. Anybody that has a song called ” Bulletproof Tiger” has got to be cool in my book! Also on the bill is Living with Lions who have a little more melodic, mid tempo feel to them. However the song I listened to had a massive sing along “Woahohwoah” chorus so that should bring plenty of opportunities for sing alongs. The Riot Before are from Richmond, Va ( another band? What’s that 3 in one weekend?) And claim to be so not punk that it’s punk. Of course you can expect them to be punk with statements like that. Truthfully they rock pretty hard though. They lack the “really big wall of sound” that the headliners have but that’s a good thing. A little more stripped down but very melodic, these guys aren’t above doing a few acoustic sounding numbers. My favorite song is the very catchy, uptempo ” Youcantsexydancetopunkrock”. Fun stuff for sure. Charlotte band We Shout Goodnight opens the show and they claim they are “Charlotte Punk Rock” in big day glow letters. Truthfully this is more new punk than old punk but it’s still really uptempo melodic stuff. Seems more rock than punk but it’s good stuff and it kind of reminds me of another Charlotte band, The Junior Astronomers. This should be an epic night of rock at the Milestone Club. I highly encourage those of you who feel up to getting you ass rocked on a Monday to get out to the show and check out these awesome bands. The way things go in this town it will be a long time before most of these bands ever come through again. Doors are at 8pm and admission is $10 for over and $12 for under 21. 18+ only please.

Ryan Dead

Come hang out with Stillnotdead at the Charlotte Local Music Showcase!

Welcome to our brand new version of Next Week! I decided to start doing it like this in order to make it more interactive for you guys and a little easier for me. Now you can subscribe to this column and leave comments. I may add more goodies later but now on with the music!

The Visulite Theater

4/11/09 Charlotte Local Music Showcase- The Charlotte Production Group presents this excellent lineup of bands crossing a lot of genres to showcase some of the best that Charlotte has to offer. It’s a charity event for the muzak heart & soul foundation, a charity that helps aspiring students achieve their musical dreams. Plus it’s a great networking event. There will be an unprecedented amount of Charlotte promoters and bookers at this show so it will be a great chance for your band to gain exposure as the promoters are going to have booths set up where you can meet them and learn more about what they do. The music industry booths include Triple S Booking and Promotion, FFM Promotions, UNCC 318, J&T Music Promotion, Creative Loafing and yes, Stillnotdead.com will be there too! So come and touch base with promoters and help you band find it’s way onstage in Charlotte. As if that weren’t enough, There’s also going to be a great sampler of Charlotte live music as well. Bands include Order of Chaos, a really heavy southern band, The Omega Cell, who play industrial rock, Transmission Fields, are an interesting power pop band that are relatively new to the scene, Junior Astronomers, a great up and coming indie band, Crossfire, who play blues and rock and of course, The Not Likelys, who will bring their 3rd wave ska influenced punk to the show. It’s a great cause and a huge event so hopefully I’ll have plenty of you out to keep me company at our Stillnotdead Booth!! Doors open at 7pm and the first band starts at 7:30, come out and enjoy the night! Admission is $10.

Snug Harbor

4/10/09 Lamb Handler, New Killer Stars- Lamb Handler are continuing to rock the earth in support of their new cd ” Jingle Jangle”, which adds some country tinge to their distinctive rock sound. Definite good stuff! Also on the card at Snug is New Killer Stars, a band from Leeuwarden, Friesland Netherlands. These guys have a great ’90’s indie rock sound to me that is part garage/ part indie with a touch of punk. I really dig it! Should be a really fun night! Show starts at 10pm!

Neighborhood Theater

4/11/09 Dubconscious w/ Collective Efforts- Dubconscious brings their Dub dancehall flavored reggae to the Neighborhood Theater. If I wasn’t at the Local Music Showcase I would go check this show out. As their name suggest, they play great dub flavored dancehall reggae. It tends to be a little hippy tinged but they always get the dance floor moving with their beats and melodies. Collective Efforts open. Doors are at 8pm and the admission is $10

The Milestone Club

Andy the Doorbum CD Release Party 4/10/09 @ The Milestone Club!

4/10/09 Andy the Doorbum cd release party with Lisas Sons and KP Soloman 5000- What can I say, this is a HIGHLY anticipated release by Andy the Doorbum. We’ve been hearingabout this cd for months and now it’s finally time for it to hit the streets. For those who don’t know Andy the Doorbum is a Charlotte original who plays acoustic guitar with the fury of a death metal assault. Not singer songwriter type stuff. Maybe a little like early Beck, if he took huge hits of meth. Definitely tip your local doorbum! Opening is KP Soloman 5000 who you may know as Kyle from 25 Minutes to Go. Kyle is a more traditional songwriter than Andy and puts on a great live show. Check out Stillnotdead TV for a video of KP playing at his debut show! Also playing is Lisas Sons, who seem to specialize in Ween style assaults of casio keyboards. Doors are at 8 and the cost is $3 for over 21 and $5 for under 21.

Well that’s it for the new edition of Next Week! Hope you liked it! If you have a show coming up send me your flyer and I’ll talk about it in the column! Be sure to check back as I may post additional updates during the week occasionally! Be sure to leave me a comment and let me know what you think!! Thanks  and we’ll talk to you next time!!

Ryan Dead