AUDIO: Penfold Reunion at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ 9.17.11

I came across Penfold sometime in the late 1990's during my drunken college years. It was a demo tape that I played the hell out of. From there, the band released one of my favorite records of that era (possibly ever), called "Amateurs and Professionals." I was a disc jockey at WPSC, the radio station at William Paterson University and we gave the album a great deal of spins. I saw Penfold a couple of times but I don't really recall seeing a complete set. It's a shame too because, for a local-ish band, I really considered the songs to be on par with some of the best stuff national acts were releasing. The band put out another album and over the years, after they broke up, the songs aged gracefully. Needless to say, I was very excited to hear about a reunion show. I was expecting, maybe a 45 minute or hour long set. Maybe 8 or 9 songs. As you can see below, I got more than I bargained for. It was a pleasure to relive and I'm overjoyed to have captured it on tape.

As far as the pictures go, please believe me when I say the audio came out much better than the photos did.

Penfold Reunion: Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ 9.17.11

"Intro/Chapter 2"
"Traveling Theory"
"Sea Of Crisis"
"M"
"The Sound Of Jazz"
"Fate, Coincidence and An Encounter"
"The Secret Nine"
"Microchip"
"Brilliance"
"Kissing the Nightmare"
"Our First Taste of Escape"
"Amateur Standing"
Encore Break
"June"
"Reflexivity"
"I'll Take You Everywhere"

"Our First Taste Of Escape"

AUDIO: Fake Problems at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ 8.3.11

Much like the Lucero show, I walked in as Fake Problems were playing their first song. I need to stop doing that. This is a band I wasn't sure if I liked or not, but from what I heard, they put on a good show. What I heard was right. Now I'm a fan. I had the mic level up a bit too high, but it's not too bad. Still a good recording from a great show.

Fake Problems at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ 8.3.11

"Heartless"
"Soulless"
"Diamond Rings"
"Don't Worry Baby"
"ADT"
"5678"
"Songs For Teenagers"
"RSVP"
"There Are Times"
"Ghost To Coast"
"Heart BPM"
"Encore Break"
"How Do You Spell Hero (E-V-I-L)"

"RSVP"

AUDIO: The Swellers at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ 8.3.11

Second on the bill that night were The Swellers. It was loud as fuck. Impressive to say the least. The audio came out better than I expected too. 12 songs. Just under 45 minutes.

The Swellers at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ 8.3.11

"Runaways"
"Dirt"
"Bottles"
"Sleeper"
"The Best I Ever Had"
"Do You Feel Better?"
"The Damage"
"Watch It Go"
"Vehicle City"
"Parkview"
"Fire Away"
"2009"

"Vehicle City"

AUDIO: Daytrader at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ 8.3.11

Daytrader was the first of three bands to play on this tour. They're from Long Island and some of the guys used to play in Crime in Stereo and Latterman. I don't know who played in what and I don't feel like looking it up right now either. If you're familiar with this type of music, that should be just about all you need to know. None the less, prior to this show Daytrader put out a demo and an EP. They played all the songs from those releases, plus a new one.

Daytrader at Maxwell's in Hoboken, NJ 8.3.11

"Paper Pusher"
"Living"
"Chromatic Living"
"Firebreather"
"Last Days Of Rome"
"Grey Colored Glasses"
"Slow My Brain"
"Death Means Nothing To Men Like Me"
"Kill My Compass"

"Living"

AUDIO: Lucero at Mercury Lounge in NYC 7.23.11

The show was originally billed as a gig by "Nobody's Darlings." It fell on the same day Lucero played The Warped Tour on Long Island. Things got started late and the band were on stage by the time everyone was let in. I was near the end of the line so I missed the first half of the first song. Shit happens. Overall, it's a great recording. Lucero fans will be more than happy. They played three new songs, including one that apparently had never been played live before. It's more than obvious the band was itching to play more than 30 minutes, which is the usual set length at Warped. Drinks were had, fans got rowdy. Good time had by all. Glad I get to share it with you.

Lucero at Mercury Lounge, NYC 7.23.11

"TMFW (clip)"
"Can't Feel A Thing"
"Nights Like These"
"What Else Would You Have Me Be"
"Across The River"
"Like Lightning"
"Goodbye Again"
"A Dangerous Thing"
"Joining The Army"
"Last Night In Town"
"Sixes & Sevens"
"Chain Link Fence"
"Sounds Of The City"
"It May Be Too Late"
"Women & Work"
"Darken My Door"
"Drink 'Till We're Gone"
"The Last Pale Light In The West"
"Mom"
"All Sewn Up"
"Fistful Of Tears"
"Hold Fast"

"Chain Link Fence"

VIDEO: Riot On The Dance Floor Trailer

This is where I attempt to give back... City Gardens was a club in Trenton, NJ I went to when I was younger. I saw The Ramones, Rollins Band, All, Quicksand and some others play there during my punk rock formative years. It was a dirty, dangerous place in a part of town that wasn't safe after dark. Of course, that was part of the fun.

City Gardens closed in 1994, the year after I graduated high school. Much to my delight, there's now a full length documentary about the club in the works. But the film makers need your help. Watch the trailer. Maybe it'll inspire you to drop a few bucks and help with production costs.

I'm not making any money off this blog, nor do I plan to. All the music I post here is free for anyone who wants it. I just wanted to put up this trailer in the hopes that maybe one person might feel inspired. For more info, visit either the Riot On The Dance Floor Kickstarter page or citygardensfilm.com

AUDIO: Walter Schreifels at Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ 6.17.11

One man show. If you don't know who Walter Schreifels is, shame on you. The man has a long, storied history. This was a great, intimate gig in front of a few dozen people. He did songs by Agnostic Front, Walking Concert, Quicksand, Gorilla Biscuits, Minor Threat, and even George Gershwin. Of course there was some solo stuff as well. The audio quality is excellent.

Walter Schreifels: Dingbatz in Clifton, NJ

"Where I'm From"
"Maybe With Some Time"
"She Is To Me"
"Beirut or Bust"
"Arthur Lee's Lullaby"
"Audrey"
"A Lot To Expect"
"Society Suckers"
"Aluminium"
"In My Eyes"
"Through The Morning"
"Too Official"
"Life of Crime"
"Forgotten"
"Open Letter"
"Summertime"

"Audrey"

AUDIO: New Found Glory @ The Bamboozle in East Rutherford, NJ 4.30.11

Another one from Bamboozle. This time it's New Found Glory, who put on one of the more energetic sets of the day. I only missed the first song. Not bad considering the hectic schedule. Quality is ok. Not the best, but not bad at all.

New Found Glory: Bamboozle 2011

"Don't Let her Pull You Down"
"Hit or Miss"
"All Downhill From Here"
"Truck Stop Blues"
"Kiss Me"
"Failure's Not Flattering"
"Truth Of My Youth"
"Blitzkrieg Bop" (w/Marky Ramone)
"Intro"
"My Friends Over You"

"Truck Stop Blues"

VIDEO: Lucero @ The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ 11.5.10

Nights Like These:


Wasted:


Smoke:


Bikeriders:


Aaaaand for the hardcore Lucero fans, click here for a little something extra via nyctaper.

AUDIO: The Gaslight Anthem @ The Bamboozle in East Rutherford, NJ 4.30.11

Unfortunately I didn't get the entire Gaslight performance on tape. I was watching a different band when they went on so when I ventured over, Gaslight was just finishing up the first half of their set. After drinking for many hours I pulled up some asphalt safely away from the crowd, set the recorder on the ground and watched the rest of the show. As you can hear, my proximity to the stage takes nothing away from the quality of the recording. I'm continually surprised by how good this tiny piece of technology can capture live music. I hope you feel the same way.

Photo courtesy of Future Breed. Check out his website and spend hours looking through all the great stuff he has.

The Gaslight Anthem Bamboozle 2011

"Wooderson"
"Bring It On"
"The '59 Sound"
"Miles Davis & The Cool"
"American Slang"
"Drive"
"Blue jeans & White T-Shirts"
"The Backseat"

"Drive"

AUDIO: River City Extension @ The Bamboozle in East Rutherford, NJ 4.30.11

I can honestly say I haven't heard the entire recording of this yet except for tidbits so I could adjust the audio. I figured I'd just post it anyway and deal with it later.

*Update (Cinco de Mayo, 2011)... finally listened to it last night. Audio is pretty good. It's clear enough, but since it was outside it has a funky feel. You can also hear a friend tell me about how she failed getting me a beer during one song. Overall, it's still probably just as good or better than a lot of bootlegs on the internet.

This is pretty much RCE's entire set from Bamboozle. They jumped off the stage at the end and did a song in the crowd, but it was impossible to hear so I stopped recording. I also had to piss like a motherfucker.

River City Extension at Bamboozle

"The Ballad of Oregon"
"Something Salty, Something Sweet"
"Adrianne"
"Mexico"
"Our New Intelligence"
"Too Tired To Drink"

"Our New Intelligence"

AUDIO: Frank Turner @ The Bamboozle in East Rutherford, NJ 4.30.11

UPDATE #2: (7.10.11): Our friends over at The LuceroArmy Tumblr may or may not have hooked this show up again. Click the link and find out.

UPDATE (5.24.11): I just noticed this file was removed due to a violation of the terms of service. Not really sure what that means, and I'm not happy about it, but I'll play nice for now and leave it down. For those of you who scored this gem before it was too late, enjoy it. For everyone else... apologies.

Pretty good recording for a festival atmosphere. Not too much background noise considering there were nine stages of music. I had my recorder set in a good location. Frank broke a sting at one point and had problems with his guitar during another song. Shit happens I guess. Still... a good piece of audio.

Frank Turner: Bamboozle

"I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous"
"Try This At Home"
"I Still Believe"
"I Am Disappeared"
"Dan's Song"
"Long Live The Queen"
"The Road"
"Photosynthesis"

"Dan's Song"

AUDIO: Tim Barry @ The Mercury Lounge in NYC 4.16.11

The audio is real good. The review is a bit cheesy. Here's how I wrote it up for The Bowery Presents:

You owe it to yourself to see Tim Barry play at least once. And if not Barry, an artist with an equal amount of honesty and integrity. There are too few troubadours these days—and too few musicians who care less about opulent lifestyles or trends or making a name for themselves. We’re talking about someone who is willing to stand onstage and connect with the audience on a human level. Not someone singing to you, but singing with you.

With three well-received solo albums behind him, the (perhaps) former frontman of the seminal punk band Avail, took his solo act to a sold-out audience at Mercury Lounge on Saturday night. It was there, acoustic guitar in hand, that Barry took another step toward solidifying his reputation as a modern-day underground version of a young Johnny Cash. Battling a sore throat, Barry soldiered through an hour-long set with little accompaniment. He sang about hopping freight trains and living simple, topics not exactly native to the hustle of our fair city, but romanticized through his Southern folk style.

At one point Barry hopped into the crowd, sans microphone, and did a rousing version of “Bus Driver” with his jubilant fans easily filling the room as backup singers. He later introduced “Prosser’s Gabriel,” a song about a slave uprising, by reminding the crowd that all it takes to make change happen is the ability to care. Barry, a man who doesn’t do encores, finished the night with two audience favorites, “Wait at Milano” and “Avoiding Catatonic Surrender,” and the accompanying sing-along chorus proved to be more fitting than any applause that could warrant a curtain call.

Tim Barry: Mercury Lounge

Set List:
"Shoulda Oughta"
"Moving On Blue"
"Idle Idylist"
"This November"
"Walk 500 Miles"
"Dog Bumped"
"Ronnie Song"
"South Hill"
"Church of Level Track"
"Bus Driver"
"Prosser's Gabriel"
"Wait At Milano"
"Avoiding Catatonic Surrender"

"This November"

VIDEO: Frank Turner @ The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ 11.5.10

Thunder Road:



Sons Of Liberty:



Long Live The Queen:



Try This At Home

VIDEO: Strife @ Death By Audio in Brooklyn, NY 10.12.10

Waiting:



Will To Die:



Lift:



Blistered:

VIDEO: Sick Of It All @ Webster Hall in NYC 3.26.11

Quick iphone video of Sick Of It All doing "Scratch the Surface" from their 25th Anniversary Show in New York City.

AUDIO: Bouncing Souls @ The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ 2.10.11

On February 10th, 2011 The Bouncing Souls played the second of four so-called "Home for the Holidays" shows. All four were supposed to have taken place between Christmas and The New Year, but were postponed because of a massive winter storm that shut down Asbury Park completely. Instead the shows took place the following February. Each night The Souls played two of their albums in its entirety. On this particular night, it was the self-titled record and Hopeless Romantic. A keen eye will will notice there are a few songs missing from the s/t album. No idea why. I also missed the very first song. My bad, but the rest is in the following zip file.

Bouncing Souls 2.10.11

Set List:
"Say Anything"
"Kate Is Great"
"Lowlife"
"Chunksong"
"East Side Mags"
"The Toilet Song"
"Single Successful Guy"
"Whatever I Want (Whatever That Is)"
"Serenity"
"Holiday Cocktail Lounge"
"East Coast Fuck You!"
"Shark Attack"

break

"intro"
"Hopeless Romantic"
"'87"
"Kid"
"Fight to Live"
"Bullying the Jukebox"
"You're So Rad"
"Night on Earth"
"Monday Morning Ant Brigade"
"¡Olé!"
"Undeniable"
"Wish Me Well (You Can Go to Hell)"
"It's Not the Heat, It's the Humanity"
"The Whole Thing"

"Hopeless Romantic"

VIDEO: Avail @ Krome in Sayreville, NJ 1.10.03

Full Avail show shot during their One Wrench tour.