Oceans calling it quits, last shows in Chicago tonight, tomorrow

Chicago instrumental indie-rockers Oceans are calling it quits, according to their PR rep. The band wanted to let fans know that their two final shows will take place in Chicago tonight and tomorrow.

The band plays at 8 p.m. tonight at Reggie's Rock Club with The Ghost, Mt. St. Helens, Burn Tibet and Johnny Bodacious. Oceans is then scheduled for its final show at 6 p.m. tomorrow at Summer Camp with Native, Noumenon, Birth Rites, Victor Fix the Sun and Antarctic. Oceans released "Nothing Collapses" on Copper Lung Records this year.

They Came From The Shadows - Teenage Bottlerocket

They Came From The Shadows
Teenage Bottlerocket

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Released: Sept. 1, 2009
Label: Fat Wreck Chords

Review by: Bill Jones

Since the band’s inception, Teenage Bottlerocket has been subject to the criticism that they aren’t really doing anything more than what The Ramones did more than 30 years ago with their special brand of three-cord pop-punk. It’s a hard criticism to combat, because at the core of it all, it’s true. But the question punks have to ask themselves is – is Teenage Bottlerocket’s reliance upon and perfection of that sound such a bad thing?

Fat Wreck Chords must have seen something worthwhile in the formula, picking up the Teenage Bottlerocket’s latest, They Came From The Shadows, for the band’s first release with the label. The Laramie, Wyo. quartet does little to reinvent the sound, with 14 three-chord pop-punk tunes, and it doesn’t help matters that the inside album photo that features them in a row, decked out in leather. But that’s just the way we (the non naysayers) like about these guys.

Teenage Bottlerocket starts thing off with an homage to the skate culture in “Skate or Die,” declaring, “We’re gonna fight, we’re gonna win / We’re gonna make skate a fucking threat again.” Over the next 13 tracks, they don’t deviate much from the battle plan – driving drum beats with lots of cymbal rides, three-chords giving way only for brief guitar solos, and passionate vocals with plenty of hooks – save for the lyrics which…well, there are actually more than three lines to a lot of these songs, which can be cited as new ground for Teenage Bottlerocket.

While the change may ring false for some, citing the simplicity as part of the charm, Teenage Bottlerocket succeeds because, as it turns out, the boys can write ‘em. “Bigger Than Kiss” marks one of the funniest songs they’ve written to date, slamming Kiss and imagining being bigger rock stars than the Detroit natives.

“Detroit couldn’t rock itself out of a paper bag / Gene Simmons looks kinda cool / But Paul Stanley kinda looks like jag / Ace Frehley can play guitar / But he ain’t no fucking Kerry King”

“Be With You” is another standout on the album, with its catchy chorus…

“I don’t want to be be be with you / No I don’t want to be be be with you / I don’t want to do what you want me to do / I wanna do what I want to”

The production of Bill Stevenson and Jason Livermore at the famed Blasting Room is ace as always. But let’s face it - Teenage Bottlerocket could have recorded this in a garage and it would likely be just as endearing. They Came From The Shadows definitely doesn’t come close to breaking the mold. Teenage Bottlerocket doesn’t use its jump to Fat Wreck to reimagine themselves, but fans wouldn’t have it any other way. No oh oh!

Live from Axis Mundi - Gogol Bordello

Live from Axis Mundi
Gogol Bordello

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars
Released: Oct. 6, 2009
Label: SideOneDummy

Review by: Bill Jones

It is never much of a surprise when a live album sucks. Usually designed as a tie-over between albums, they are packed with music fans have already paid for, sometimes a poorly shot DVD, and audio recordings that do nothing to capture the live performance, leaving listeners better off with the album originals. When a live album is good, however, and exceeds those expectations, it can be a truly pleasant surprise.

Such is the case with Gogol Bordello’s Live from Axis Mundi. The 2-disc (one CD, one DVD) set is put together in a great package by SideOneDummy and the band. Fans are treated to a fold-out digipack, with a couple great photos, as well as a booklet featuring a letter from front man Eugene Hutz and plenty more live photos.

But it is the content on the two discs that truly impresses. The DVD contains a passionate 14-song set from the band, captured in July, 2007 at The Filmore at Irving Plaza in New York City. The Live Nation Studios Production is expertly filmed to capture the high-octane show Gogol Bordello always gives fans, seemingly on a pair of nights when the band was 110 percent on its game, taking to the balcony and riding bass drums over the crowd, all without using cheap editing techniques or mind-boggling quick cuts to get the job done. Between the vibrant visuals that cater to the band’s performance and the great audio (with options for Dolby 5.1 Surround or Stereo), Live at Axis Mundi provides fans the closest thing to being at a show, though without all the sweat.

The DVD is rounded out by four extra live tracks, music videos (“Start Wearing Purple,” “Not a Crime,” “Wonderlust King” and “American Wedding”) and “Bonus Chronicles,” which range from stage antics to a featurette on the band titled “Creative People Must Be Stopped!” It is a nice collection of goodies to make a great DVD even better.

Then the band one-ups itself again, opting for a CD collection of BBC and Gypsy Punk sessions, as well as two demos and an instrumental track, for a total of 11 tracks. It is a much better idea than a simple audio dub of the live DVD, and gives fans new ways to hear some of Gogol Bordello’s biggest and favorite tunes. Live from Axis Mundi is the type of live release that goes above and beyond to be something more than just another album break. Gogol Bordello outdoes itself, and fans should love every minute of it.

Gallop Meets the Earth - Protest the Hero

Gallop Meets the Earth
Protest the Hero

Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Released: Sept. 8, 2009
Label: Vagrant

Review by: Bill Jones

A Star Wars-style scrolling text at the opening of the “Director’s Cut” version of the Gallop Meets the Earth DVD is a pseudo-review/hate letter directed at the band for a performance deemed to be all right, but nothing spectacular. The band lacks the energy and all-out craziness of previous performances, according to the text. If the letter is real, and was written in response to the particular show recorded for this DVD/CD combo, it’s dead on.

Love or hate Protest the Hero, they are known for a sort of metal fusion sound that prides itself on technical proficiency in its wacky, always-changing time signatures, rounded out by fantasy lyrics that would make Rush proud. Such technical performances don’t always translate well to the live setting (especially depending on the actual skill of any given band). Protest the Hero does a decent job of pulling it off, albeit better in a small club setting, and more notably a few years back in the Kezia era. But lately the band seems a little less-lighthearted, and the show suffers a bit as a result.

Vocalist Rody Walker’s jokes still fall flat and piss off the crowd, Arif Mirabdolhaghi keeps quietly at the guitar, failing to deliver any of his signature poses, and guitarist Tim Millar with his ever-increasing facial hair is starting to look like he may be moonlighting as a faux-bo. And that could be a good thing. Maybe the band isn’t trying to be a gimmick but rather simply perform their tunes, but the energy is lackluster, and the performance is mediocre with a recording that doesn’t help, meaning fans should just toss the CD to the garbage heap in favor of the studio albums.

On the DVD side of things, viewers have the option of watching the performance straight through, or a longer cut that features backstage segments awkwardly cut in at all the wrong places to offer a not-so-special behind-the-scenes glimpse at the band. The performance itself is filmed with high-quality cameras, and the crew sets up some impressive visuals that involve confetti drops and great stage lighting. The effort is somewhat undermined, however, by editing that is at times more erratic that necessary, coupled with terribly ugly split-screen jobs that look like they were done with a home video kit on the computer.

The extra material is the usual fare of the band’s tour shenanigans. These are unfortunately not as exciting for the viewer as the fun the band seems to be having in each scene. The highlight is two members of Protest and crew cross-dressing for a metal awards show dance designed to be Bruno-caliber gay. And the liner art is an ugly wave of orange, yellow and black forming some kind of face.

Protest the Hero does nothing overtly terrible with Gallop Meets the Earth. It follows the standard formula for a band DVD release designed to bridge the gap between studio albums, packing in the content, but every piece of it screams mediocrity. And when the performance falls in that same category, the band has a problem on its hands. Gallop Meets the Earth is a disappointment.