the best thing that happened today

i love the idea of recording the best thing that happened to you each day so i'm totally stealing this idea from (you guessed it) "the best thing that happened today" blog.

my favourite music-related moment of today was that I got a tram to my job at the union while listening to Millencolin. put me in the best mood.

and on my way home I listened to "Hate and Jealousy" by Lucero on repeat. beat that!

and despite my good intentions, I didn't go to see Monarch play tonight, maybe on the weekend....doomy sludgey blackmetal from France, according to semi-reliable sources

38 year old men dressed like 14 year olds

they played it, they played it, oh my god they played it! they played "Bringer Of Greater Things", so now I can die happy, or at least I can say I fell asleep happy last night.

the foolish crowd antics were still an hilarious romp, but the Melbourne version had a slightly different feel to the Brisbane version. How shall I put it? Let's see if this captures it just a little: "crowd heckling duties taken care of by vaguely-libertarian drunkenly-moronic shirtless pop-punk yobbos".

exhibit A: people hooting and hollering when the singer of Propagandhi (well I think it was the singer) mentioned it was Charles Darwin's birthday soon

exhibit B: old-mate beside me yelling out "marijuana is awesome!" when a Prop member member regaled the audience with a pot-related ancedote

but some things never change, despite standing to the side of the stage, I still got caught in a mosh (ha), got beer poured over me and got punched hard in the stomach by someone trying to start a circle pit. and I still thought it was an awesome show!

Punkrock Record Stores part ii: Poison City Records

Can you tell I'm no longer procrastinating about packing up my worldly possessions in preparation for moving to Melbourne? Now that I'm actually here (or there, depending on how you look at it), I'm procrastinating about all manner of practical things. I could go look for a bed and some furniture, but instead I go looking for vegan breakfast delights, go see Values Here at Next and spend some QT with my laptop haha.

Only 2 more sleeps til Propagandhi! I saw them in Brisbane and I get to see them again on Sunday! seriously, SUCH a good band, apart from the fact that they are quite the munter-magnet. As my friend Alex put it in a text message from the Sydney show "Sydney show is approximately 60% sports munters. Etiquette seems to be if you like the band, throw your beercan. And if you don't, throw two."

Yep pretty much sums it up better than I could put it. But that said, I had SUCH a great time watching them in Brisbane, surrounded by my good pals watching Prop totally kill it, and having an hilarious time watching foolish crowd antics.

I am praying and hoping and crossing my fingers (whatever it takes) that they play "Bringer of Greater Things" from Potemkin City Limits on Sunday night. In a way, I hope they play "Ska Sucks" just cos it would be so hilarious.

So now I bring you Part II from the little series we did on the 4ZZZ Punk Show featuring interviews with people who run punkrock record stores in Australia. The first interview was with Graham who runs Resist Records in Sydney. This one is with Andy who runs Poison City Records in Melbourne.

So like c+p this link into yr browser and then put it in yr ipod and listen to it on yr headphones when yr stuck on a bus/train/tram sometime. Listen carefully, you may even hear your favourite A Death In The Family song

http://onlythesadsongs.podbean.com/2009/02/20/interview-with-andy-from-poison-city-records-melbourne/

um like totally / go to hell 2008

3 days in a row? Heck yes! So I was thinking that I should, like totally, post the playlist from our radioshow from 30 December. The reason being of course that it was the night that we did our Top 5's of 2008.

We usually invite *the punks* into the studio to be guest presenters for our Top 5 segment, so on this particular show, it was our turn to present our top 5 shows/bands/records/songs/punkrock happenings of this year.

[naturally, no-one ever sticks to 5 though, all the cool people sneak in all manner of "honourable mentions" and sub-sub-lists. as did we, like the good punkrock geeks that we are]

"This week's 4ZZZ Punk Show was the last show for 2008, so we (Christian Danger, CJ, Kylie) thought it would be the perfect time to bring you our ultimate 2008 Top 5 lists:

First we played:

BLACK FLAG: My War
HYMIES: Corpse Grinder
INSURGENTS: Firing Squad
JFA: Skateboard
JAWBREAKER: Do You Still Hate Me? (tonight there was a breakthrough with Jawbreaker appreciation...Christian Danger is FINALLY learning to love this Jawbreaker song for more than just its lyrics, ha)
JAWS: Elitist Uptight Asshole

CJ's TOP 5 of 2008:

1. DAMN THE EMPIRE: Riot, Reset, Riot
2. THE HERD: Toorali
3. STREET DOGS: Into the Valley
4. TIM BARRY: Trash Inspiration
5. ME FIRST AND THE GIMME GIMMES: Only The Good Die Young
6. BLACK MARKET: All is Gold

KYLIE's TOP 5 of 2008 + HONOURABLE MENTIONS!!

My top 5 was in no particular hierarchical order, but it was pretty fitting that first up was the Gaslight Anthem, a much-loved/much-played band on the Punk Show and by me in general

GASLIGHT ANTHEM: Wooderson

(from Sink or Swim, not technically released in 2008 but that's when I discovered them, plus live at Rosies in July...best show of the year for reals, also I've JUST started listening to their newer release 'the 59 Sounds', which also rules)

THE SPITZ: Tell Me Something True

(the Spitz are, or should I say WERE, a Sydney band who are by no means from 2008, but they did play a reunion show at Maggotville in Sydney in January with The Thaw, Fear Like Us & Defiance Ohio...such an amazing show, and such a special, beautiful beyond-punk band)

THE DIAMOND SEA: Restless

(from the 'Slow Signal' ep, and live at LIVE AND LET DIY FEST in February, and house-show at the Petrie Terrace house in August)

THE GIFTHORSE: Cold Turkey Isn't as Delicious as it Sounds

(again, not technically from 2008 cos it's from a CD marked 'Demo 07', but I only got it in January so it's in MY 2008 list)...although they have since put out an actual album, I love this song a whole lot)

BRIDGE AND TUNNEL: Call to the Comptroller's Office

(soundtrack to my posi days of spring/summer 2008)

Kylie's honourable mentions (who could easily be snuck into the top 5 list):

FEAR LIKE US (live at the Brisbane show on the Defiance Ohio tour - ahem that I put on, but who cares, it ruled! and the CD, of course)

A DEATH IN THE FAMILY (Brisbane shows and all recorded stuff)

CEREMONY (live at the Princess Theatre in Brisbane and Byron Bay High School in...Byron Bay!...it's not that often I get stoked on 'hardcore')

WALRORA at Live and Let DIY Fest

and 'Mother' by DANZIG (reminds me of sweet times driving at night to the radio station with my Punk Show co-hosts/pals singing along like dorks)

LIKE...ALASKA show at Fat Louies the other week (and getting drunk with Dale afterwards!!)

DEXTER Series 1 and 2 ha!

then we snuck in a little top 3 'the 4ZZZ PUNK SHOW COLLECTIVE TOP 3 SONGS FOR DRIVING TO THE RADIO STATION AND SINGING ALONG LIKE DORKS'.

these are dedicated to Bridget:

DANZIG: Mother
A DEATH IN THE FAMILY: My Pal (God cover)
ONE INCH PUNCH: Down Syndrome

CHRISTIAN DANGER'S TOP 5 and HONOURABLE MENTIONS LIST of 2008:

CEREMONY: Dead Moon California (Midnight in Solitude) / The Difference Between Looking and Seeing

(Amazing show and amazing album 'Still Nothing Moves You'. Saw them in Brisbane and it inspired us to drive to Byron to see them again a few days later.)

THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM: Meet Me By the River's Edge

(Awesome feel-good show at Rosie's and great album, 'The '59 Sound'. Awesome songs about girls and driving around listening to the radio and smoking cigarettes, etc. i.e. LIFE.)

EXTORTION: Medication

(...from the concept album, 'SICK', which rules and so did their INTENSE show upstairs at Rosie's earlier this year.)

JAY REATARD: See/Saw

(This is from the 'Matador '08 Singles' compilation LP that came out this year, although it was the 'Blood Visions' album and the show at Rosie's that blew me away. It was one of those shows that had me grinning like a fool from start to finish.)

THE GIFTHORSE: Passed The Break

(a total killer of a song from this Brisbane band's debut and self-titled album. The launch was also one of the best shows I saw this year (and ever).)

Christian Danger's Honourable mentions for 2008...

A DEATH IN THE FAMILY

(shows and releases, especially that they covered My Pal by GOD)

LIVE AND LET D.I.Y. FEST

(awesome weekend of bands and workshops, and something that brought people from all over Australia in the name of DIY and punk rock)

JET SET READY

(as a band and as dudes)

FEAR LIKE US

(so punk rock, even with acoustic guitars!)

LIKE...ALASKA

(awesome show at Fat Louie's about a month ago)

...and a dishonorable mention to SPITFIRE LIAR, for being a disgrace... ha ha!

(Mouldy phoned up and said that although he couldn't configure his Jack Daniel's addled brain cells to form a top 5, the Bronx show was definitely a highlight of 2008)

Word on the streets is that The Bronx and Gorilla Biscuits rate a mention as awesome shows in 2008 as well!

PERTH TOP 2 NEW BANDS OF 2008
(thanks to Ben of Perth band Project Mayhem for sending this to Chris)

THE CRAW: Kings Park After Dark
BATTLETRUK: 6am

That was it for 2008! Thanks for listening!
over and out,
love,
The 4ZZZ Punk Show
xx

Punkrock Record Stores Part i: Resist Records

Wow, 2 updates in less than 24 hours. Can you tell I'm procrastinating about packing up my worldly possessions in preparation for moving to Melbourne? Lots of big questions to consider: should I take the owl salt-and-pepper shakers? My collection of vintage guardian angel wall pictures? My records even though I don't own a record player? oh my!

So well, luckily I am now distracted from such dilemmas by having podcasts to upload.

On the Punk Show on 4ZZZ FM, we did a little series featuring interviews with people who run punkrock record stores in Australia. The first interview was with Graham who runs Resist Records in Sydney.

Question: What do you get if you cross Resist Records with Mission of Burma ("What We Really Were")?

Answer: This podcast!

http://onlythesadsongs.podbean.com/2009/02/07/interview-with-graham-nixon-from-resist-records-sydney

hmmmm blogger isn't being very kind to me with posting that link, fix it later!

alone in a crowd

I just dug up something from my personal punkrock archives that I'd totally forgotten even existed!!!

But first! Let me explain a little. So, I'm moving to Melbourne in approximately one week (last minute regrets ahoy) and I'm living at my parents house while I'm in that "in-between" stage. Hilariously, my mum ordered me out into the garage to *finally* sort through some boxes of stuff I've had stored there for at least a few years now.

But it was ultimately a good thing, cos I found a transcript of an interview I did with Tibor from Kafe Kult in Munich, Germany. holy shit!! oh yeah, in case you've never heard of it, Kafe Kult is a really cool independent music venue, run by the coolest kids in Bavaria.

Sometime in early 2004, I was in Europe with a dictaphone and a half-baked (haha) idea to do a series of interviews with people about how they overcome social awkwardness at punkrock shows.

I was travelling with some of my best pals during the summer, but then suddenly all my fellow wanderers went in different directions, and I found myself alone and very much not liking it.

Well, kinda liking it in the "ultimate character-building" sense, but definitely not liking it in the immediate sense and especially in terms of how UNFUN shows in strange cities had suddenly become.

My idea was to do a bunch of interviews with people about how they deal with being alone in a crowd, or how they get/got past feelings of social ineptitude in punkrock settings.

Then I would collate all the interviews in a zine and leave them at show venues, so that other socially-awkward people sitting in the corner on their own between bands could read it and feel less alone. Or something like that.

Cos at least in my case, whenever I've been travelling and find myself alone at show, I always end up reading every single flyer/poster/zine/etc in the venue to pass the time between bands!!!!!

I only ever did one interview and it was with Tibor. Well it's not so much an interview as a "chat" really...I'm pretty sure we were hanging out in the Kafe Kult "office" late at night, after a Tragedy show, and I hit the "record" button.

If you've ever been in a DIY/punkrock band that's toured Europe, then you've pretty certainly met Tibor on the Munich stop of your tour. Here's a photo of him spazzing in his old band Schickeria Dropouts at a houseshow in Glasgow in 2004 (the night before the Tragedy club show).

PS. I don't know if Tibor is still involved in Kafe Kult, I haven't been in touch with him probably since that show in Glasgow, so Tibor, if you're reading this, hope it's still okay to use the interview after all this time!!xx



Kylie: Hey, what’s your name and what do you do?

Tibor: My name’s Tibor Kantor, I’m 26 years old. I’m setting up shows at Kafe Kult, singing in a band called Schickeria Dropouts, I have a small distro with no name yet. I’m planning to release my first zine maybe at the end of the year. And I smoke way too much weed..

Kylie: Oh yeah I heard something about you breaking the edge after one year…

Tibor: I just stopped drinking alcohol for one year and I’ve wanted to take a pause, to get rid of it for one year and I’ve wanted to see if I can make it. I made it pretty easily at the end, so I’m more confident about drinking again right now.

Kylie: This is something I’m really interested in asking you about…like, a lot of times when you first start going to shows, or when you travel to new cities and go to shows where you don’t know anybody there, you’re like basically standing in the corner like a dork.

My question is a pretty simple one: what do you DO when you go to a show on your own, when you don’t know anybody there?

In your case, even if you went to a show on your own in Munich, you would basically know everyone there, because you’ve been involved in the scene here for a long time. But say you went to a show in another town, what would you do then?

Tibor: So, speaking of hardcore shows or punk shows?

Kylie: Yeah

Tibor: Probably the easiest approach is to talk about bands and stuff like that, maybe talking about patches or shirts that other people are wearing. I try to approach people who are selling zines, not just like a merchandise stall, but single persons who are just selling one zine, their own zine. I try to approach these people because I think, as they creating some form of expression, they are more likely to communicate with me.

Because if this person is doing a zine, I suppose that this person will communicate with other people. But that doesn’t happen at every show, so I also just ask people stupid questions about bands or so, or maybe ask if anyone knows some cool places around town, stuff like that. And you see pretty quick if the person is interested in communicating or not.

Kylie: And if they just give you a basic answer, well that’s cool, and you just know that you’re not really gonna connect any further with them. But if there’s more, well that’s cool too, there is the possiblility to have a bigger connection.

So, did you ever go to shows in Munich, maybe before you knew many people, where you felt awkward or alienated or socially inept or kinda like sitting in the corner reading a zine and smoking too many cigarettes?

Tibor: (laughing)…Yeah there was a time…I don’t know, I’m doing shows now for 6 or 7 years, so it’s hard to remember the time when I didn’t know anybody. But there was a lot of shows before that time, where I tried to connect with people maybe from the club itself. And then I tried to reach other people when I saw they were regularly going to the same shows as me. So it was just a question of time until I started to ask “hey, how’s your night?”

Kylie: Staring to recognise people and seem them round and make some kinda connection…

Tibor: Yeah, in the beginning I felt too “young” to approach some people or so, but after several times, you see that the same people are basically always at the same shows. So why not just ask them about their name and what they do. And then finally my special experience now of doing shows at Kafe Kult where you know everybody!

Kylie: Yeah I guess now you’re at this stage where you’re pretty involved with shows in Munich, and the whole scene around Kafe Kult, that maybe the situation can be “the other way round” now.

As in, I’m guessing that sometimes you would see people that are maybe 15 or 16 and you recognise that they are really awkward and make an effort to at least say hi and make them feel welcome at Kafe Kult. Like, in a way, I guess you have a special responsibility to do that…

Tibor: Yeah totally. I totally try to approach those people and ask…it’s always kinda stupid questions at first like “How did you find out about the show?” or “How did you get here?”, stuff like that. And today, 3 people like that are here at this show. 3 really young kinds from the suburbs who are around 16. They were really shy at their first two shows or so, and then we approached them and it came out that because they are from the suburbs, they can’t stay til the end of the shows…

Kylie: oh right, because they can’t get the last bus or whatever?

Tibor: Yeah, so we arranged that they can sleep here and go back home the next day. So ever since, they come to shows and sleep here. It’s something that I still try to care about, to not keep people alienated.

Kylie: So like these kids that you helped out with a place to stay, were they quite new to punk and quite amazed that someone offered them a place to stay…you know, that would never happen to you at a bigger rock show, right?

Tibor: Well the kinda amazing thing was they were already here at shows with “Doom” patches all over their clothes, so they were totally into “it”, but they probably just knew it from some zines and from some local bands at their local youth centres maybe. So now they’ve reached the age where they can go to shows by themselves and well we feel it’s kinda like a duty for us…

Kylie: yeah totally

Tibor: Because we have the space to do what we wanna do, or to set up something that we want to do, and we want to show others what is possible. It’s not like it’s our space, it’s everybody’s space, we just try to “watch over it” to make sure new kids know it’s their space as much as ours.

So if we can sleep here, why can’t they sleep here? As long as they don’t break anything. This sort of situation is a special thing because it’s really something that comes from the DIY punk culture.

At Kafe Kult there is not only DIY punk shows, there’s also like more “poppy” shows, where the audience has almost nothing to do with DIY. But even then, we try to approach people and try to show them we’re just a bunch of kids like them, who happen to help run a concert venue..

Kylie: like showing by example, that anyone can put on a show, that anyone can make things happen in the DIY punk scene, that you don’t have to be extra-special or magical or a “professional” or an “entrepreneur” or anything gross like that…

Tibor: it’s like if you want to talk to the bands, go talk to the bands, they’re just normal people. A lot of people, especially in Munich, because it’s such a coke-sniffing yuppie city, are totally unfamiliar with this kind of “privacy”, ie. the band is hanging out with the audience at the bar and so on.

Kylie: Right, exactly, people aren’t familiar with the bands being normal people..

Tibor: A lot of people feel alienated and think that the bands are a total clique that they cannot belong to. We try to show those people, it’s not like we are some kind of cigar club and you’re not allowed to come in here. It’s like, we can make a really big cigar club if you want, just join us, or start your own cigar club or whatever.

[and I pressed "stop" right after that. here's a photo of Kafe Kult to warm your heart. also *some* people say that on the super-sanitised streets of Munich, this is probably the only graffiti you'll see in that town, so this picture is doubly-awesome]