My America

Some new music to check: Bad American. Angry hardcore with an early 80s slant. I've heard a lot of different band names thrown around as far as the sound and all are pretty accurate, but you can read those on the band pages below . The other info that gets thrown around is the whole ex-members deal. Members of Weston, Carpenter Ant and Rancor (oh and Grow too). Forget what those bands sound like though and just know that if you dig those bands, you're getting something brand new and just as awesome. I was way into Fresh Meat (a former project), but this is faster and waaay more pissed.

I haven't gotten home to catch them yet, but they're part of a group of Valley bands that I am psyched on seeing or seeing again (B.A., Secret Cutter, Unlearn). I included the demo and the 7 inch, both of which are sold out, or are close to being sold out. The vinyl and demo are worth tracking down, even if they aren't repressed. Get into it and support.

LINKAGE

Bad American Big Cartel

Bad American Facebook

Bad American Myspace

Photo: Mark Anthony Eckert

All For the Ca$h

This looks incredible. Biggest complaint is the usual noodlely hipster/surf soundtrack, but hey, not everybody likes Forward to Death or Harm's Way. Might be fun to pull off next summer in Cape May County.

Stoked & Broke Teaser from www.KORDUROY.tv on Vimeo.

Brotherhood

Going down today.

Some Die For This

The older I get, the less I am interested in the socialness of surfing. Might sound harsh, but I don't really care about the video premieres, hangin', or having the right clothes on when strolling around town. That stuff just gets in the way. In fact, the less people in the water, the better, because it means I get more waves. Might seem weird, but really, all I want to do is keep riding as many waves as I can...until I'm at least 80. They don't have to be good waves and I don't have to surf particularly well, but I just want to keep going. Everything else is kinda, well, whatever.

Everything is marketed these days, from medicines to minivans to booze and surfing is no different. It's easy to get caught up in the gadgets and lifestyle junk to keep that connection going out of the water, but it's all secondary. This spring I rolled up to a spot and saw a guy getting ready to surf. He had the boardbag, the rack, the special changing robe, the boardshorts, rashguard, leash, sunblock, and anything else you can think of. It took me five minutes to check and snag my board, but this guy was still managing and checking his gear. It took him another 15 minutes before he surfaced over the dunes to actually get in the water. The winds were howling and the current was strong and the dude literally spent ten minutes in the water before getting out. It just seemed so stupid to me. He spent more time managing his cool surfer gear than he did actually surfing.
So, I guess I'm kind of over the gadgets, consuming and posturing that goes along with the world of surfing outside of the water. One guy who sounds like he has it figured out is John Haffey. I'm not much of a SURFER mag reader, but the article on this guy really opened my eyes a lot. He lives the life and minus all the weed and reggae, he 's got it dialed. A leash, new boardshorts, or fin isn't going to get me to surf more or longer or better, but they're good distractions while waiting to get in the water. Surfing is pretty simple and I plan to keep it that way.

Crushed on You

It's not really babysitting when it's your own kid, but being the only responsible adult in the house for the next couple of days can bring some anxiety reminiscent of this movie. If you're not sure of the film, see one of the best scenes right here. It's probably where my crush on Elizabeth Shue began.

Inconsiderate Me

If you don't like this, we can't be friends anymore. Sorry.

Horror Show - This Is Hardcore from Chase Wilson on Vimeo.

I'll see you fucking soon!

Never Ending Game

Growing up in the Lehigh Valley, we always played Quoits at my uncle's family picnic. My grandfather taught me how to throw and I remember those games being super competitive and a end of the summer tradition. The slate boards were out this weekend and the tradition continued with dozens of games going down in the woods of Upper Township. I found a spot in Easton that sells authentic slate sets and will be picking up a set this fall.

Sick of Talk

Not a lot of surf talk lately, mainly, because there is not a lot to talk about. A typical summer for south Jersey: swell here and there with crowds everywhere. Surf messageboards are getting almost unreadable feature a host of self-proclaimed know-it-alls and posuers just waiting to use their keyboard to school someone of the dynamics of their special board or how they found a secret spot for themselves to flail around at while everyone else fights the crowds. It's seems like the people with the least amount of information to offer are the ones doing the most typing.

As things start to wind down into fall, it'll be good to strip all of this nonsense away and get back to normal. Tyler Warren could surf on a garbage can lid if you asked him to and could teach these keyboard clowns a thing or two about shutting the fuck up and just surfing.

Disorder

Return to the Void

Welcome back.

Shape Shifter

My favorite set from this weekend wasn't at This is Hardcore. Hardcore's version of Old Country Buffet was really good (unlike OCB) and completely worth the money shelled out, but the Ox show surpassed the other sets I caught at the Starlite by far. And don't take the fact that this was the highlight of my summer as an indication that I had a shitty summer. It was actually a really good one. Take it for just how fucking great this sounded live and in person. Most scenesters with a basic hardcore background know that Sean McCabe was Ink & Dagger and initially looked at the shows with some skepticism, but in the end, the whole thing seemed like a pretty fitting tribute. Despite all the baggage/backstory/justifications that go with explaining why this was ok, it felt pretty right as the band ripped through both seven inches a couple songs off of "Fine Art".

It would have been great to catch all 3 sets, but out of the trio of shows they played this weekend, a warehouse show on Friday the 13th with very little advertising, felt like the best fit to me. While I'm sure the set at TIHC was equally impressive, I was more concerned about the collection of boners, meatheads and doofuses that wouldn't "get" what was going on and put a damper on things. The dust hasn't had a chance to settle on the weekend, but all of the Ink & Dagger comments I've heard in 2010, remind me of the same comments that would follow them back in the late 90s. You either get it, or don't understand it. Whatever. That's the way it was in the beginning and the way it will continue to be.