Man how time flies! I can’t believe it’s already August! That means we’re less than two weeks away from Punk Rock Picnic 3! Jeez, I’ve got a lot of work to do to get that show ready but you guys don’t have to worry about that, all you have to do is show up! In the meantime let’s take a look at what’s going on in local music!

This Friday August 6th The Milestone Club welcomes Guttermouth, The New Threat, South Side Punx and The Not Likelys. Huntington Beach CA’s Guttermouth blast out high energy, melodic punk rock with clever, humorious lyrics. It’s rare they come through the area so be sure to get out and check out these guys! The New Threat are from Florida and have been around since 2003. These guys play it just like it should be, loud and fast with barely a break from the sonic assault. Also on the bill are local kings of street punk, South Side Punx and excellent working class punks, The Not Likelys. This is a great show with a couple of great touring bands and a good representation of Charlotte’s own local punks, check it out if at all possible! Doors are at 8pm and admission is $13 for over 21 and $15 for under.

Sunday August 8th the Milestone Club will welcome Whatever Brains, Yardwork and Brain Flannel. Charlotte’s own Brain Flannel have a slight punk influence but with an ear shredding love of distortion, although the second song on their myspace seems to remind me of the Minute Men a little…Yardwork on the other hand takes much more of an indie-pop direction with their music. The melodic pop reminds me a little of the Flaming Lips, which is a definite compliment in my book. Although the Flaming Lips singer would never scream out the lyrics with the wild abandon of Yardwork. I definitely dig it and hope to catch them live soon! Raleigh’s Whatever Brains seems to fit perfectly between the sound of Brain Flannel and Yardwork, on one hand they are poppy and catchy but on the other they are distorted and fast as hell. Should be a great show, even if it’s guaranteed to make you late for work the next day! Doors are at 8pm and admission is $6 for over 21 and $8 for under.

Over at Tremont Music Hall I forgot to mention a show last week so I will take the time to mention it now. If you haven’t made plans for tonight and you like music heavy enough to loosen the bolts in the cars in the parking lot then amble over to Tremont Music Hall for the bowel shaking sounds of Black Cobra, Howl, Struck by Lightning and Machete! This show will probably set off  the richter scale so don’t be worried if they report seismic activity in Charlotte tonight. Of course, it’s always possible with the power of Black Cobra and Machete in the same place it may warp the fabrics of reality and bring about the end of the world for real. If that’s the case it’s better to be at ground zero ( The site of the cataclysm, not the club in Spartanburg!) so head on out to Tremont and hold on for dear life! Doors are at 8pm and admission is $10 in advance, $12 dos with a $3 surcharge for under 21!

On a completely different note, Tremont Music Hall is having an 80’s hair metal revival next Tuesday August 10th as they welcome Faster Pussycat withL.A. Guns and John Corabi ( formerly of Motley Crue). I have to admit I grew up in the 80’s surrounded by metal and punk. I actually had the first cd by sleazy Los Angeles rockers Faster Pussycat. It was a fun guilty pleasure and occasionally it still is. I was never into L.A. Guns though, even though my wife assures me that they are awesome. I’ve never heard of John Corabi, but I assume he was one of the fill in singers from Motley Crue. Basically I think it’s all good to wax nostalgic for one night and rock out with some 80’s metal/ hard rock. So put on your spandex ( just kidding, please dont!) and tease your hair and head on out to Tremont Music Hall. Doors are at 8pm and admission is $15 in advance and $18 dos with $3 surcharge for under 21.

I would also like to mention the benefit for Charles Inman that is taking place at Snug Harbor tonight. From what I hear Charles was injured in a car crash and Snug decided to throw a benefit to help with the medical bills. The lineup is stellar! It features Charlotte glam punk band Babyshaker, the sleazy sounds of the Troublewalkers and the rockabilly, greaser rock riot of the Belmont Playboys. The doors open at 8pm and the show starts at 9pm, which is early by Snug standards. Cover is $5 and goes to a good cause so get on out and rock out for a cause!

Also if you’re in the mood for rockabilly, head up to Puckett’s Farm Equipment Saturday night August 7th to check out the Bo-Stevens. These guys play some wonderful rockabilly/ western swing and would be a treat to watch in the “Bob’s Country Bunker” type confines of Puckett’s. I suspect the show will start around 9pm and cover will be $5.

Well that’s it for this week, I’ve got to get back to work getting Punk Rock Picnic 3 ready to blast off next week! Hope to see you guys at the show! Until then have fun and we’ll see you next week!

Thanks for the support,

Ryan Dead

Hey what’s up? Sorry I missed my deadline yesterday but I at least got up a flyer for the Queers show that took place at Milestone last night! Hope everyone that went to that show had a blast and hopefully someone will send something in talking about that show!

I would also like to announce that in addition to the big shows I announced last week, Stillnotdead.com is also presenting local surf rock legends the Aqualads at Tremont Music Hall on Saturday August 7th!! I’ll have more details very soon! In the meantime let’s move on and check out the action this week in Charlotte music!!

Let’s face it, we all love the Milestone Club! Whether you met your future wife there ( like I did!), used to run it ( also me…) or just saw your favorite band there, we all have special memories attached to that place. That’s the very reason you should come out Friday night June 25th for the Thought Criminals present: A Benefit for the Milestone! This show features the live hip hop explosion known as the Thought Criminals (who I’ve heard are nothing to fuck with!!), Ty Bru- a hip hop act from Asheboro with a really smooth flow. Also on the show is the Reunion of former Salisbury band Perfo, who moved to Chicago but are coming back to Charlotte for one show only!! As if all that wasn’t enough, opening the show is Dinner, which is comprised of some of the former members of beloved Charlotte shock punk band Planet Piss! Plus I noticed on the Milestone website that the show is a beach party and everyone is expected to wear swim trunks or at least bring beach balls! It’s been my experience that beach balls turn an ordinary show into a game of dodge ball and that is highly encouraged! Doors are at 8pm and admission is $6 for over 21 and $8 for under!

Now I hope you don’t get all partied out Friday night because Saturday night June 26th is a Stillnotdead kind of party as Stillnotdead.com presents: South Side Punx w/ Gore Gore Luchadores, The Not Likelys, Sick Sick Sick and LARF! It’s been a while since we’ve partied with the South Side Punx so we’re really looking forward to this show! I’ve heard they’ve been working on a new record so everyone be sure to show up and scream along to the favorites as well as the new jams! Also for those who have never seen it, Gore Gore Luchadores aren’t a band, it’s a bunch of  girls in mexican wrestling masks and bikinis throwing down in a kiddie pool full of blood! If you haven’t seen it, you owe it to yourself to check out this spectacle! Also on the card are Sick Sick Sick, a longstanding punk band that have been around since back when I was in a band! Also on the show is LARF, a Florida band that sounds heavily influenced by the Queers and a long list of other Lookout Records bands and trust me that’s a big compliment! The doors for this show are at 8pm and admission is $6 for over 21 and $8 for under! Unfortunately this one is 18+ only!!

Meanwhile over at Tremont Music Hall they also have a great show this weekend! Friday night the 25th Charlotte’s excellent hip hop scene continues it’s track record of awesome shows with Quantum Foundry, Mr. Invisible and Potter’s Field Emcees. Quantum Foundry are a two man and an Ipod band that bring awesome flows over well constructed beats and are a local favorite. Mr. Invisible are 2 emcees and a dj who bring impressively fast rhyming and lyrics over atmospheric jams and beats. Plus they aren’t just working the local scene! I saw on Facebook that they recently got back from a stint in L.A.! Big things may be afoot for this Charlotte trio! I would buy the record, this guys are currently high on my list of favorite bands! Also on the show is Potter’s Field Emcees, who don’t have much information about their group on their page but I did manage to check out a song on their page that is very reminiscent of a Tribe Called Quest and that is pure awesome! Doors are at 8pm and admission is $7 for over 21 and $10 for under!

If the Stillnotdead show at Milestone isn’t your speed, then head out Saturday night June 26th to the Visulite for a more laid back evening as the Visulite host Moonshine Racers with special guests, The Old Invention. Moonshine Racers describe their music as “progressive y’allternative”, whatever that means. I’m guessing that they tend to run in the bluegrass/ americana vein from their influences. Openers The Old Invention are strictly bluegrass however! And I mean strictly traditional bluegrass. These guys don’t even use any amps! I’ve seen them play before and although I would advise a little less banter between songs, the music is as authentic as it gets! Doors open at 9pm and the headliner starts at 11. Admission is $5 in advance and $7 day of the show and the show is 16+!

Well that’s it for this week! Tune in next week when I talk about some of the July 4th stuff going down and may reveal a flyer or two, you never can tell. We’re working on finalizing the lineup for Punk Rock Picnic 3 and as soon as I get it all together I’ll release the lineup! Trust me, I can’t wait!! Look for the logo coming soon!! Thanks for the support, come see me Saturday night! I’ll be hanging out at the Milestone Saturday night for the South Side Punx show!!

Thanks,

Ryan Dead

Hi! Hope you’re having a good week so far! I’ve unfortunately got a bone to pick, so to speak and some bad news. So let’s get it out of the way first shall we?

It is with great sadness that I have to report that Elwood’s Music Hall is officially closed. Basically it was due to upper management problems and disagreements about the best way to move forward with the Music Venue/ Restaurant. I’ll leave it at that for now. I know more than I’m telling but will wait on an official statement instead of blowing up everyone’s business on the internet. As some of you know, I was working as an independent booker for Elwood’s and was happy to bring in such artist as The Overmountain Men, Appalucia, Hectagons, Jem Crossland & The Hypertonics, Roots Essential, Through Porchlight, Bums Lie, Carolina Gator Gumbo, 25 Minutes to Go, The Old Invention, Truckstop Preachers, Dr. DP & The Trainrunners and Buckmountain Stranglers to name a few. I would like to thank all those artist for giving me their time and for the most part, having some amazing shows. I think Elwood’s had a really great sound system and a great sounding room and it’s a pity we’ll never get to see it live up to it’s potential.

My other news is pretty funny. You see Creative Loafing had their Web Awards. It’s where you could vote for local websites. I encouraged you all to vote for Stillnotdead for best local music blog, since basically I think we’re about the only one. Well once the voting was finished Creative Loafing took several weeks to “look over” the votes and decided who they think should win. They announced their picks this week and announced winners in all but three catagories.  ”Best Commenter”, “Best Photo Site” and you guessed it “Best Music Blog” were announced as having “no clear winner” according to Creative Loafing and “instead of phoning it in or voting for ourselves”, Creative Loafing decided to not list any sites at all in any of those catagories…. WHAT THE FUCK? Seriously? What type of BS is that? I know a ton of people who voted for Stillnotdead.com as best music blog. I also don’t know of many (if any !) other music blogs in town. I mean, I didn’t really expect to win and I’m too busy to rig the voting but come on! If you have a bunch of people nominated, which is what they implied, and you have no clear winner. Wouldn’t the logical thing to do be to list all the top vote getters in that category?? No, instead of listing us and several other music blogs that could have benefited from the exposure, Creative Loafing continues to deny our existence and hype themselves as the only possible oasis of music culture in Charlotte. I guess they got their feelings hurt that their “Local Music Clog” wasn’t the runway winner in the category. And it would kill them to admit we even exist. Well to them I say screw you, you’re taste in music sucks anyway. You’re about as relevant to local music as MTV is to music in general. PISS OFF!

Okay, well glad that’s off my chest. Sorry to vent like that in public but I thought it was the most assinine way to handle the lack of a “clear cut winner”. Oh well. Whatever. In other news, I’m still waiting on my cd reviews but we should be getting some good ones over the next few weeks. I personally can’t wait. I would also like for someone to step up and volunteer to cover the local punk rock scene. In exchange for writing for Stillnotdead I will get you into as many local punk shows for free as I possibly can, and your friends would think you were so cool… I promise they would..

If you are into any other form of local music and wish to participate I also have room for you! Email me at snddesigns01@gmail.com. I would love to hear from all of you!

Now that we’ve handled all of that let’s take a brief look at what’s going on in local music this week….

Come celebrate Ian Stroupe’s birthday this Friday night 5/14/10 at the Milestone Club! His birthday celebration includes performances by 25 Minutes to Go, The Lights Fluorescent and Appalucia. The combination of these three bands makes it show of the week in my opinion! Expect a packed house and tons of great music. Doors are at 8pm and admission is $6 for over 21 and $8 for under.

Saturday night 5/15/10 The Milestone finally gets the chance to replicate the Mos Eisley Cantina, to which it’s often compared when it hosts the Star Warz Dance Party, presented by Gore-a-licious. This dance party features Angels on Acid, 3X!13 Live and DJ Slurp, DJ Sin and DJ Harlequin. Come dressed as a Star Wars character and may the force be with you! Doors are at 8pm and admission is $10 for over 21 and $12 for under. This show is 18+ only.

Sunday the 16th is the CD Release party for Emotron at the Milestone Club. Either you get Emotron or you don’t. I’ve never been able to get into the unusual and often gross antics of the Emotron, even if his quirky keyboard driven music is catchy. He does have an impressive lineup of bands playing the opening slots though. Moses Gigantus, Hectagons and the Lesser Pauls will all be playing as well as the comedic stylings of the Elder Statesman. Doors are at 8pm and admission is $6 for over 21 and $8 for under. 18+ only please.

This Saturday the 15th, the Visulite Theater welcomes Against Me! This is a last minute add on at the Visulite and no openers or details have been announced except it will be 16 and up, the show starts at 8:00 and admission is $13 in advance and $15 at the door.

Next Tuesday the 18th, Tremont Music Hall welcomes Agnostic Front! The hardcore legends will be playing Victim in Pain and United Blood in their entirety. Also playing are Outbreak, South Side Punx and the Rogue Nations. This should be a legendary show and not one to be missed. Doors are at 7pm and the show starts at 8pm. Admission is $13 in advance and $15 at the door plus $3 surcharge for under 21.

Well that’s it for this week. Drop me a line and tell me about your show and I’ll be sure to mention it. Take care of yourselves and as usual, thanks for the support!

Ryan Dead

Hey what’s up? We’re getting ready to roll into Easter weekend and as a result I won’t be doing my usual full length column but there are a ton of shows this holiday weekend and I wanted to mention all of them. If you’ve got relatives in town and wanna get out you should have no problem finding something to do!

First off at The Milestone Club they have a full weekend of awesome shows. First on Friday they host Duofest 3 featuring a completely kick ass lineup of Charlotte duos. Charlotte apparently has an overabundance of two man (or girl) groups. In any case this show features some of the best of the best. Tartufi, 2013 Wolves, The Have and The Have Nots, My Milky Way Arms and Battle Beast make up the lineup for this awesome show.

Saturday night marks the return of the Summer of Meat to the Milestone Club! They will be cooking up hot dogs and burgers and what ever else they have laying around while the Independents, Zoe Vette & The Revolvers and One Eyed Doll rock out inside. What better way to spend a Saturday night than cheap beer, rocking music and a huge cookout?

Sunday night the Milestone finishes off the weekend not with an easter egg hunt but with the a bigger treat as they host Outernational w/ Soft Opening and For Disaster. Outernational just passed through the other week and wowed everyone with their edgy “world music”. These guys are determined to be revolutionaries and with their snarling, innovative sound they may just succeed! I have to admit, the groove to “In Their Sights” is extremely catchy with a Clash like snotty vocal over the top. Plus it doesn’t hurt that Tom Morello produced their cd. Good stuff!

Not to be left out, Tremont Music Hall has a couple of killer shows this coming weekend. Saturday night they are hosting The Lights Fluorescent, Death Becomes Even the Maiden, Hectagons and The Lesser Pauls. This is a great mix of local bands and I don’t have to mention that the Lights Fluorescent are one of the great live bands that exist within our city.

Sunday night Tremont Music Hall host South Side Punx w/ Dr. DP & The Trainrunners and Darken the Sky. It will be a great night of punk and ska on Easter night and should be a great way to end up the Easter weekend. Hopefully nobody will bring Easter eggs because as funny as it would be a Punk Rock Easter egg fight would be horrible to have to clean up!

Well that’s all for now! Hope everyone has a great Easter! It’s a gonna be a great weekend with great weather so get out and enjoy some local music in Charlotte! We will be back next week with more live music! Also be on the lookout for a special preview of the Cash Bash early next week!

Thanks for the support!

Ryan Dead

Ok, this week I’m eagerly awaiting the coming of Spring and all the while I’m swamped with work from all directions! I’m not complaining but it can wear you down a little. If anyone is interested in helping out, I have a mountain of cd’s that need to be reviewed! Drop me a line through the site or forum and I will hook you up with free music in exchange for a review of that free music! In any case we’re here to talk about local music so let’s get to it!

Quit monkeying around and go see Antiseen!

The Milestone Club- ANTiSEEN w/ Vanguard and Pier Six Brawlers- 3/19/10- Antiseen are a steamroller on the local scene, they’ve been around for over 25 years and show no signs of slowing down. In fact with several new members in the fold Antiseen appear to have reenergized and may well rock until there’s no more blood left to leak out of lead singer Jeff Clayton. The legacy of brutality continues and this stop it’s at the Ghetto Fortress, otherwise known as the high temple of punk rock, The Milestone Club. I can’t think of a better match of venue and band. This is one for the ages. Also on the show are Vanguard, a band that is working hard to bring back American Oi music and Pier Six Brawlers, a group who put very little info on their myspace page but give the impression that they are serious business with a thrash/punk/ hardcore sound that will go over quite well with the company they keep on this show! Come early and be prepared for the brutality! Doors at 8pm and admission is $8 in advance and $10 for over 21 at the door and $12 for under 21.

I know it's on the westside but it's not what you think really!

Also worth mentioning at the Milestone Club on 3/20/10 is Crackfest 2.0. Now before you think I’m talking about something different, I’m referring to the 2 year anniversary of funk/ rock/ blues group Crackers and Snackmeat. In addition you’ll also be able to check out Buck Mountain Stranglers, Case Federal & The Agents, Habitual Ritual and South Side Punx. Yeah I said SSP, which officially makes this the most eclectic lineup I’ve seen in a while. Should be a ton of fun! Doors at 8pm and admission is $6 for over 21 and $8 for under 21.

Also show up at the Milestone Club for a rare Monday show featuring the excellent Gasoline Heart with special guest Motel Glory, Dear Kavalier and Jonathan Hughes from 25 Minutes to Go making a rare solo acoustic appearance. Should be excellent and it’s worth hanging out at the start of the work week for. Doors are at 8pm and admission is $7 for over 21 and $9 for under.

Tonight (3/18/10) at the Tremont Music Hall will be a great punk show if you’re not too hung over from St. Patty’s Day. It features Bracing for Impact, who have a new cd I haven’t had a chance to review yet but I will say it’s really rocking stuff! Also on the show is Razorkat, who are saying good bye to guitarist and former forum member Ryan Sullivan and the Smokers who may or may not bring a noodle pit with them! Doors are at 8pm and admission is $6 with a $3 surcharge for over 21.

Get down and dirty with Gore-a-licious!

Also at Tremont Music Hall on 3/20/10 is the Carnival de Debauche being put on by the girls of Gore-A-Licious. If you’ve been to any of the Gore-a-licious events then you know what to expect. If not, expect a ton of debauchery, including freakshows, blood wrestling, DJ’s spinning industrial metal, more blood wrestling, freaky people and makeup artist onsite to help you get in touch with your inner freak. Also this time there is  comedy by the Elder Statesman, as well as music by Hot House Hefftones, Astrid Haven and Emotron. It will be a pure spectacle and if you’re easily offended I would definitely stay home. Doors at 7pm for this one and admission is $8 bucks with a $3 surcharge for under 21. This one is definitely 18+ only please!

Also this weekend, The Lights Fluorescent are at Snug Harbor on 3/19/10 along with The Winter Sounds and Today the Moon Tomorrow the Sun.

Tarik Cranke and the VKC Band will be bringing their neo soul/ improv jazz show to Elwood’s Music Hall also on 3/19/10. With them will be local hip hop personality DJ Boney B. Show starts at 9pm. Admission is $8.

Woody & The Stragglers will also be at Elwood’s Music Hall on 3/20/10. This time out Woody and the boys will be playing 2 extended sets instead of having an opener. This show also starts at 9pm.

Well that does it for this week. Come back next week when we’ll talk about what’s coming up in local music! See you at the shows!

Ryan Dead

Okay so once again it has dumped a bunch of snow on us and quite frankly I’m just annoyed with it. We live in North Carolina for Christ sakes. It’s supposed to snow maybe once every two years, not four times in one winter! In any case I hope everyone who was out in the snow last night got home safely.

Oh yeah, just to get it out of the way, there are currently no plans to cancel the show tonight! Forecasters say that the roads should melt off and the D.O.T. has been out scraping the roads so we should be fine for tonight. Let’s all hope our touring bands can make it in. Last time I talked to them they were in Alabama and had been snowed in! In any case, we’ll see you guys tonight at the show!!

In the meantime let’s see what’s going on next week!!

Snug Harbor- “Fat” Country Tuesday featuring The Mangles, Appalucia and  The Howling Owls 2/16/10- Okay so I’m not sure how the Mangles fit into the whole Country Tuesday vibe but I dig the Mangles garage rock/ Ramones sound so I’ll forgive the breach of protocol. Besides Appalucia gives off enough country vibe for two bands so they more than make up for it. They also bring in the Howling Owls and it’s an official Fat Tuesday celebration so come out and celebrate Mardi Gras at Snug Harbor. Besides it’s free!!

Matt's B-Day Bash!!

The Milestone Club- Matt McGee’s 27th Birthday Bash featuring South Side Punx, IED, 2013 Wolves and Gore Gore Luchadores 2/20/10- I spoke about this show last week in a special column but thought it was worth mentioning again. Matt from DBDD is throwing his annual B-day bash and it’s gonna be wilder than ever. Those of you who have been to these shows before know what to expect. Lot’s of rowdiness and special unannounced guest stars, but this year it pushes the boundaries more than ever with the inclusion of the Gore Gore Luchadores. Yeah that’s right, not only will you bare witness to the sonic assaults of such bands as South Side Punx, IED and 2013 Wolves (plus possibly another guest star band..), but you’ll also witness the antics of Gore Gore Luchadores! Don’t know what that is? Basically it’s what happens when a bunch of local girls strip to their underwear and wrestle in a pool of blood and gore. Oh yeah and most of the time they wear mexican wrestling masks!! It’s $5 for over 21 and $7 for under and trust me, this show is definitely 18+!

The Milestone Club- The Goddamn Gallows, Mikal Khill & The Pink Wrist Band and For Disaster 2/21/10-  This is one of those shows with so much diversity that it could only be taking place at the Milestone Club! First up we’ve got Michigan’s The Goddamn Gallows, who seem to give off an intense psychobilly vibe that is actually heavily complemented by an accordion. Believe it or not the accordion gives there already ominous sound just a little more of an evil, mysterious vibe. Mikal Khill & The Pink Wrist Band is the side project of Mikal Khill and several of his Thought Criminal partners. The catch is that it’s not about hip hop but more about acoustic indie rock. Also on the bill is For Disaster which features a bunch of members/ exmembers of Zeus, Dirty South Revolutionaries, Clavius and more. These guys are total hardcore/ metal and if you’re sitting there going “What do all these bands have in common?” I would say absolutely nothing except they are playing the Milestone on February 20th! Admission is $7 for over 21 and $9 for under.

Tremont Music Hall- The English Beat, Fishbone and Outlaw Nation 2/20/10- The English Beat have bring playing their own

The English Beat at Tremont!!

version of ska since 1979 and along with several other bands are credited with bring ska out of the Caribbean and onto the world stage. Now located in L.A. the English Beat continue to tour, this time on the Spring Skaward Tour. It’s amazing after 30 years these ska pioneers continue to tour and delight audiences the world over! Also on the show are the legendary Fishbone, who most of you will remember from back in the nineties when they had a string of hits and were at their most popular. Opening are Louisiana reggae/ hip hop band Outlaw Nation. Tickets are $20 in advance and $22 at the door.

Also worth mentioning is that Through Porchlight will be bring their dreamy indie pop to Elwood’s Music Hall on Friday February 19th. Also on the show is Wylie and singer songwriter Carly Taich. Admission is $6 and be sure to come early in order to partake in some great food.

Guess that’s all for this week. I hear snow plows clearing the road so hopefully we’ll see you all at the Ska/ Hip Hop show at Tremont tonight!! If you come to the show look me up! I’ll be wearing a “Saturday the 13th” shirt!! See you tonight!!

Benefit for Haiti 1/28/10 at the Milestone!

It’s been announced that there will be a benefit concert for Haiti next Thursday January 28th. The all star show will be held at the Milestone Club and will feature the bands IED, The Not Likelys, South Side Punx, Rex 84, Machete! and Psinglewide Psychics. Psinglewide Psychics is a one time all star group featuring Ryan Sullivan, Phillip Shive of the Milestone, Biggy Stardust, Madison of Rekless Youth and Kris Engler of Razorkat.

Admission will be $6 dollars and all proceeds will go to benefit “Doctors without Borders” in their relief efforts in Haiti.

I know it seems a little early to be doing a Christmas edition but a few of the shows I’m reviewing are Christmas shows so what the hell. Anyway on with the show.

Btw, I forgot to mention there is a tribute show to the Clash at Tremont tomorrow night, 12/12/09. But if you go expecting to hear loving tributes to the Clash you’re probably gonna be disappointed. One of the bands actually asked me if I knew any Clash songs they could cover.. If you don’t know a Clash song you can cover then you shouldn’t play a Clash show period. Where are all the punk bands on the show you may ask? They are in Raleigh playing Throwdown Fest and probably weren’t asked.

Anyway, now that I’ve covered that base, on with this edition of “Next Week”!

Tremont Music Hall- Punked Up Xmas featuring: Pen 15, Bracing for Impact, King Sized Killers and the Chiltons 12/17/09- Their once was a band called Pen 15 who could drink their weight in beer. I used to love to have these guys play because their bar tab alone would make them worth having. Songs of drunken shenanigans follow as I’m sure you guessed. Bracing for Impact are slowly making a name for themselves with playing their own version of garage/punk rock pretty much non stop between here and Rockhill, SC. They could use some better recordings on their myspace though but it’s enough for you to get the general idea. King Sized Killers are from Shelby/Forest City area and play a bit crunchier but potent punk rock. Good production values aid this band as there songs sound pretty good on their myspace and the crunchy punk songs sound pretty good rattling around my office! The Chiltons are a Columbia, SC band that show up from time to time and rock the house. Crunchy 80’s punk with fun catchy lyrics and lead guitars that slinks over the top like it’s dying a slow death. “Devils Music” may be my favorite song I’ve heard recently. Merry Christmas punk rock style indeed! Doors at 8pm and admission is $5 for over 21 and $8 for under. All ages!

Through Porchlight at Tremont 12/18/09

Tremont Music Hall- Through Porchlight, The Lo and Beholds, Death Becomes Even the Maiden and Junior Astronomers 12/18/09- Through Porchlight has gotten my attention lately for their unique take on “indie pop” or as they refer to it on myspace “italian pop”. These kids are young but based on their catchy songwriting I think they have a future if they can hold it together. I couldn’t get the Lo and Beholds page to load but I’ve heard great things about them from other people who would know. Death Becomes Even the Maiden are another Columbia, SC band who are the exact opposite of the Chiltons in the previous article. Meeting the more modern standard of rock this guys do bring an uptempo attack with maybe a touch of early Franz Ferdinand. Junior Astronomers are a great live act and the only band on this bill I’ve seen in person. These guys have wonderful energy that shines through each tune with their bouncing buoyant riffs led by awesome vocals. This should be a good show indeed. 8pm doors and it’s $6 for over 21 and $9 for under. All ages!

A Stillnotdead Christmas 2 at the Milestone Club 12/18/09

The Milestone Club- A Stillnotdead Christmas 2 featuring 25 Minutes to Go, Appalucia, South Side Punx, Summer Night Shade and more 12/18/09- The end of our second year and that means it’s time for the second annual Stillnotdead Christmas party! As usual you’re all invited and this year we have a special twist, it’s all acoustic! That’s right it’s gonna be 25 Minutes to Go acoustic for only the second time ever and South Side Punx first ever acoustic performance! Of course acoustic comes natural for the mountain man renegade music of Appalucia, as well as the stripped down, urgent sounds of Summer Night Shade. As usual expect surprise performances like we did last year. In fact this year could feature a pairing you haven’t seen in quite some time. Who you may ask? You’ll have to show up and see, that’s half the fun of it! Doors at 8pm and admission is $6 for over 21 and $8 for under. 18+ only please.

Snug Harbor- The Lights Fluorescent, Harvard, I Was Totally Destroying It 12/19/09- The Lights Fluorescent still bear my title of “best live band in Charlotte” and that’s not a slight to any of the other awesome bands we have in town. These guys just get it right. These guys show all the signs of future greatness. Great songwriting, maturing with age/mileage, dynamic songwriting and the awesome vocals of Erika Blatnik. If you see one more band this year, these guys are it. Harvard are another up and coming Charlotte band that is on a roll. They just recently had their biggest show ever, selling out Tremont’s Casbah for their CD release party and for good reason. Their music brims with great production and expert songwriting. Soaring choruses with intricate instrumental flourishes and complex arrangements fill your ears and the affect is impressive. I Was Totally Destroying It are a Chapel Hill band with a fun name. As far as music goes it’s all totally competent indie rock, although a little more polished than I tend to like it. However it’s a very radio friendly sound and these guys wouldn’t sound out of place on a CW drama. Btw, I mean that as a compliment but I guess it would depend on whether you like CW dramas. Show starts at 10pm. Price is probably $5.

Okay that’s it for this week, tune it next week for our special year end edition. Also be on the lookout next week as I have some more cd reviews and I’m going to add a ton of songs to the media player on the main page so be on the lookout.

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

Hey what’s up? It’s been a crazy week but a chill is in the air and October is finally here! With Summer over don’t expect things to slow down, in fact I’m sure they will only get crazier as we head toward my favorite holiday, Halloween! But let’s not get ahead of ourselves it’s time for another edition of “Next Week”!

Oh the colors and Kirby and hey wait?? Is that Jesus?? In red slippers??

The Milestone Club- Emotron, Drink Up Buttercup, LA Tool & Die 10/9/09- Oh man, this whole show will probably come across like one big acid trip. Seriously you wouldn’t have this many synthesizers in room at a Duran Duran/ Flock of Seagulls reunion show! To start with headliner Emotron, who is quite beloved on the Milestone scene, list his Yamaha QY700 sequencer as a band member! Musically he blast out funny, strange songs like ” Michael Jackson’s” dead and “Me and My Black Metal Friends”. Musically he’s talented and from what I’ve heard he’s quite unhinged on stage, who needs a band! They had another band listed on myspace but according to Milestone Drink Up Buttercup of Yep Roc records is playing. These guys will fit right in with the quirkiness of the night only with a little more jangly guitar. These guys have been getting super reviews and thrive on audience interaction so come prepared. They actually got the Best of Philly award from Deli magazine last year. Also on the bill is Charlotte’s own LA Tool & Die. If we didn’t have a show that night across town I would come thank them for getting “Don’t Touch My Mustache” stuck in my freakin head for weeks on end! Basically this Charlotte Indie band is trying to bring new wave in the vein of Devo back and I have to admit, they may succeed! Layers of synth heaven over catchy beats and hilarious whimsical lyrics will start to describe their sound but I think it’s rather impossible to completely describe. You have to experience it. So get on your favorite day glow colored shirt or Michael Jackson jacket and get out to the Milestone Club! Doors are at 8pm and admission is $6 for over 21 and $8 for under. 18+ only please.

Murder Junkies at Milestone Club 10/10/09!

The Milestone Club- Murder Junkies, Planet Piss, Black Out the Sky and Rekless Youth 10/10/09- G.G.’s former backing band the notorious Murder Junkies come around yet again as they continue to try to take advantage of the legacy of their former front man. Obnoxious and disgusting in their stage antics ( last time the drummer stuck a drum stick where the sun don’t shine!), the play hard and nasty punk rock. If you are into it cool, but they ain’t really my cup of tea. In any case they are also playing with Planet Piss who bring a wild stage show of their own. Between Planet Piss and the Murder Junkies there will be way too much male nudity at this show. Also on the bill is Black Out the Sky (formerly Never Again), which is Moss from Dirty South Revolutionaries’ side band. They don’t have songs up on myspace but with Moss in the lead you know what to expect. Also Rekless Youth are on this bill. RY have dazzled critics and built their own fan following but I have to wonder how a band with such a “clean” image is gonna fit in on probably the dirtiest punk bill in town? Who knows they may come out and out dirty everyone! The only way you’ll know is to come check it out! Doors at 8pm Admission is $10 for over 21 ( really??) and $12 for under. 18+ definitely!

Stillnotdead presents: South Side Punx, IED and more!! October 9th at Tremont Music Hall!

Tremont Music Hall- Stillnotdead presents: South Side Punx, IED, Taj Motel Trio, The Nerve Scheme and Andy & The Jivers 10/9/09- Our last party at Tremont was Punk Rock Picnic 2 and it was a blast so we decided to throw another all ages  punk/ ska throwdown at Tremont. This time we got South Side Punx, who didn’t get to play PRP, to headline the whole thing. Anyone familiar with Charlotte punk knows SSP are the kings of street punk and will get the crowd rocking with anthemic sing along choruses and pure punk street anthems. IED rocked the house at PRP and are back to continue to push their ska/ hardcore agenda. It’s a revolution you can dance too and be on the lookout, I know for a fact they’ve recorded a new cd and it will be coming out soon! Taj Motel Trio haven’t been to town since our fan appreciation night ska party so it’s gonna be great to have this Athens, Ga ska band back in town! Expect extremely catchy ska from these guys. Last time the crowd was super hyped for these guys so I can’t wait for this time. The Nerve Scheme are a punk band from Virginia that have catchy hooks and a good sense of melody without seeming too poppy. Starting the whole thing off will be Still Not Dead and Charlotte faves, Andy & The Jivers. This Charlotte ska band has been a favorite for years and always get the crowd moving with their catchy hooks and horn lines that local fans have come to love. This should be one hell of a party so bring your dancing shoes and we’ll see you there! Doors are at 8pm and admission is $6 for over 21 and $9 for under. And for a change it’s All Ages!!!

The Dead walk the earth again October 11th. I wonder if Michael Jackson will be there?

3rd Annual Charlotte Zombie Walk- Phil’s New York Deli and Tavern Uptown Charlotte- Ah the chill of fall is in the air and once again the streets of Charlotte will be filled with creatures with only one thought on their mind, preying on the living. No I’m not talking about the bankers! It’s time for Charlotte Zombie Walk again! Badger’s gearing up for his 3rd annual Zombie Walk which will originate from Phil’s New York Deli and Tavern, located on the corner of 5th and Tryon in uptown Charlotte. As usual there will be a Red Cross blood drive going on during the Zombie Walk and a canned food drive to benefit second harvest food bank. What’s new this year is that they are also supporting Costumes for Kids, which raises money to provide Halloween costumes to disabled and less fortunate kids. It’s a lot of great causes and a great excuse to dress up like a Zombie and stalk the streets! There will be people on hand to help with makeup if you aren’t artistically inclined and the blood drive runs noon to 4:30 pm and the actual Zombie Walk is from 2pm til 4pm! Brains!!!

Well that’s it for this edition of Next Week! Look out for later this weekend when I’ll let the cat out of the bag about another big show coming to Charlotte in December. I’m also going to be unveiling the flyer for Skalloween that we are co-promoting with Bum’s Lie on October 31st at the Visulite Theater! Remember send me your flyers and hopefully I’ll see you this weekend at either the Sk Net show with Jojo Taterhead, The Not Likelys, Princess and the Criminals and The Disregardables or at the Dead Kings 10 year anniversary party!  See you next time!

Ryan Dead