Bees of the Mind

I've gotten a lot of good records lately, but haven't had a chance to review them, so I thought I'd start with my favorite one of the lot. Two copies of this record were on my doorstep the other day and being that I was out of my mind excited to hear it, I it's gotta come first. Any description of Secret Cutter would not do them justice, so rather than come up with some clever analogies or stupid comparisons, I reccomend you visit their myspace and listen to all of their tracks.

http://www.myspace.com/secretcutterusa

I didn't think there would be a record that would top Fresh Meat's "Leather Daddy", but this one comes awfully close (Two completely different records, I know). The tracks on the record are the same that were available for downloadable demo, so if you've got that, you won't be hearing anything too new, but it is a must, nonetheless. Go see them live too. They are insane.

Finally, support Square of Opposition Records. Chris puts out a lot of good stuff that is way better than that stupid Artic Monkeys or Pearl Jam record you were going to waste your money on.

Picture Postcard

Here's a few shots from the weekend shows. First up, 30 years of LVHC. Definitely a weird vibe being that I was at least ten years younger than most at the show. Seeing paramedics, wheelchairs, backstage passes and dudes trying not to spill their beers while they bobbed o the music was really strange to me. Middle America RIP. I'm sure the fest promoters will have them on the bill for a reunion show next year. They covered Breakdown and the crowd seemed to care less. That's just plain ridiculous.

Mr. Yuk, definitely a crowd favorite. I skipped out on their first reunion show at Scarlett's years back, so I was glad I finally got too see them. Wish I had a copy of the album ahead of time to know some of the songs.
Forthright were awesome. High energy, sing-alongs, and only a hint of fatigue by the end of the set. I did hear Steve ask if the band wanted to do an Antidote cover for one more song, but they declined, which was kind of a bummer.
I ended up getting the show at St. Bernard's late and missed Oxygen Destroyer and GSGA, two bands I would have liked to have seen. Saw a lot of good stuff from bands I don't normally listen to, but didn't get pics of all of them. Back to Back were great, so much so that I am going to give their CDR demo another listen this week. They covered Blood for Blood and had Ray come up to do two Carpenter Ant songs from the early catalog. Memes was really hyped and I didn't think they could live up to it, but I was really impressed with what they did. So good.

I had missed out on Fresh Meat twice now and was glad to finally catch them in person. They went off and so did the crowd. They tore through their set as the crowd ripped each other to shreds. Definitely a highlight.
It seemed like a lot of people left after FM, which I couldn't understand. I love the Secret Cutter demo so needless to say I was amped to be able to catch their set, seeing as I don't see them play as often as other bands. Holy fuck were they heavy. Another highlight of the weekend for me.
Wish I could get up there to see some shows more often. Having to pick and choose shows to drive up to see is a pain and since most of my friends have given up going to shows, flying solo to them can be a pain too. Adult crash I guess. Still, a great weekend.