Must've Run All Day.

November 21st, 2009 // GlassJAw & Brand New.
Kool Haus : Toronto, Ontario.














It’s been three years since a band of ruffians and I drove down to see Glassjaw headline the Saints & Sinners hardcore festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Glassjaw had been disbanded for two years already following their third record, Worship/Tribute in 2004 but had recently got together to play three shows scattered across the United States. So naturally, when they decided to open up for fellow Long Island hardcore aficionados, Brand New in Toronto, we had to be there.

I hadn’t heard much from Brand New aside from that one track they released a few years back, but if I could drive the 12 hours to Jersey, I could make it to Toronto to the Jaw play one more time.

For those of you who don’t know, here’s the rundown for Glassjaw. They’re a five piece hardcore punk band from New York – although now they’re classified as a post-hardcore/screamo group. I say ‘now’ because at the time and peak of Glassjaw, those two genres didn’t exist, it wasn’t until their demise some jackass came up with the term screamo and made me want to hit people in the face every time I hear it; but then again, maybe that’s the point. Needless to say this is the stuff your mother warned you about. It’s angry, load poetic music based mainly on vengeance that steams from love, lust and angst; Without a doubt in my mind, the finest example of guitar driven hardcore rock and lyrically quite diverse and profound, blending metaphors and clichés into perfect hate filled harmony – see their second album, ‘Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence’ for more details. Although, for diversity and more commercial sake, I also suggest the third album ‘Worship/Tribute’ (nominated for best/most creative art work at the 2003 Grammy awards).

"I'll hold my child's head underwater.
If it's a boy, I was joking
If it's a daughter, I'll say I did what I did
Because I had to...
And if you find my kid later
Tell her I laughed too."

So now back to whatever I was saying … oh yeah, this is where the story gets fuzzy. You see, that show in Jersey, as cool as it was, was a little disappointing. The group had gone through member changes and it seemed as if they didn’t really want to be there. I mean, it was awesome but lacking. As a headlining band, they didn’t play and encore, didn’t say much; just finished up and walked off the stage. It was intense, the crowd got crazy and a riot began to ensue. Luckily, we were at a metal show so it really wasn’t any different from the rest of the day – although I had missed the other acts because I had spent the rest of the day drinking in the filthiest motel known to man … seriously, we were so close to the venue, bands would come and party at our motel room. Then the bed broke, and the sink too I think. Needless to say I slept fully clothed and with a bottle of Black Velvet whiskey. That’s right, so dirty I needed to drink BV whiskey.


Anyways, the point is my expectations weren’t too high. But then again, it is about the seventh time I’ve seen them so, whatever.

Despite technical and attitude difficulties, the show was intense. The first few tracks, singer and songwriter Darryl struggled to hit his mark and at most points didn’t even recite the actual lyrics to the song. If it wasn’t for all of us hollering out the words and hitting each other, it might have been tough to follow along where the song was amidst the haze. I’m still not certain of whether it was by choice or not but, the five piece group appeared to be missing a key ingredient … their second guitarist – which proved to be the vital in capturing the wall of sound that Glassjaw is known for. And because of this technicality, they couldn’t play many of the tracks from their first two studio albums. But when they did manage to, it was heavy. Remember in ‘Back to the Future’ when Marty heads to the Doc’s house to play with that huge amp before school and it blows, sending him straight across the room and into a pile of boxes. It was like that, except the boxes were gurmans and other drunken hooligans.

"you ask me when do I stop / when the bottles empty."

Afterwards, we all discussed it and some had mixed feelings about the whole adventure. For the most part we were all just happy to see them play again, and play new material at that. We were also quite curious to see what had become of them and more importantly, what we can expect from a new record. A new tour. But despite how anyone felt about their performance and their struggle during it, the main thing is that when Glassjaw has it, they have it. When the track ‘Siberian Kiss’ broke in, you couldn’t help but feel the energy, the magic and chaos that made Glassjaw great and epic in hardcore music’s journey to the forefront. Both musically and lyrically, I find that they along with another hardcore group, Every Time I Die, carry most the most merit and intellect that hardcore has seen since the Swedish revolutionaries, Refused had back in the mid-90’s. It was definitely worth the wait, and with that Glassjaw proves that they will remain what most hardcore wishes it could be; thought provoking indiscretion for misguided angst.

Oh, and Brand New was pretty good too.

GlassJAw | www.glassjaw.net

"has the light gone out for you ... cause the light's gone out for me"

Even before coming into this millennium, it had already been tainted with black clouds. The threat of Y2k, the threat of George W. and a serious lack of flying cars, I wasn't too enthusiastic about the whole thing.

Recently I've been seeing many journalists and reporters review this last decade of music, with little to no thought of what is really going on in music. MSN.com's list tops NE-YO, Avril Lavigne and Kardinal Offishall as all having tracks in the top 25 of the decade ... and that's really said. These are the same cats that are thanking god that Miley Cyrus managed to squeeze in "Party in the U.S.A.", just in time to add it to their shit list.

In a decade where mp3s, 'talent' shows, myspace.com and itunes took to the masses, any musician or half baked act could get heard. But what people don't realize is that the music industry is a lot like a giant baboon. Level with me here ... if you continue to poke and paw at it, steal it's spoiled child's toys, it will react by throwing large amounts of shit at you. And in this case we're not talking handful or buckets, we're talking galaxies worth of shit ... right at you .... right in your face.

So here's just a few tracks to keep in mind when reflecting on all that has been over the last ten years - and these tracks are nothing new, I mean, I'm not going to blow smoke up your ass by citing bands you'd never heard of like some backwoods progressive, art rock band from Iceland that play harps and performs magic during an 18 minute guitar/imported Egyptian bongo solo. I'll leave that to your neighborhood scenesters.


Radiohead | Bodysnatchers.
> 2007.

After nearly a decade since the release of the epic 'OK Computer' record in 1997, Radiohead brought back a sound we had all thought got lost in the mind altering madness of 'Kid A'. The sound is basic in comparison, distorted guitar rifts and clever satirical lyrics that only Radiohead can produce ... and finally did. Not only that, but the beauty of this track - and record for that matter - is that Radiohead is one of the most influential and creative bands of our time and it's refreshing to know that when futurists look back on bands throughout our generation with actual longevity and "purpose", it wont just be lame that the billboard charts said carried merit like, Pearl Jam and the Jonas Bros. (*ps. - Gurm, if you're reading this we will never speak of it again)


the Strokes | Last Nite.
> 2001.

I remember the first time I heard this track on the radio. My sister said something like "hey, I think you'd really like this song." We were sitting in a 7-Eleven parking lot with Big Glups in hand; and before the last note had even struck or my beverage had even been largely sipped, we were at the record store and 'Is This It?'was already in my mitts. This track reintroduced the world to a thing long since forgotten ... rock music. Gritty, danceable rock music. This track along with the band, helped pave the way for acts like Arctic Monkeys, White Stripes, the Killers, the Hives, Franz Ferdinand, and so on. With the release of the track 'Last Nite' the group managed to catapult themselves over several genres, not as lame as the Killers did it, but still, enough to rebirth the genre of dirty underground new york rock. The likes of which that hadn't truly been seen since perhaps the Ramones and CBGB outbreak of the late 70's and early 80's ... yeah, I said it.


Death from Above 1979 | Romantic Rights.
> 2004.

I've praised these cats before as being one that, to me, helped spark an entirely new wave of musical taste. A grimy, clash of punk-rock and distorted electronica that aided in the popularity (in this country anyways) for groups like Boyz Noize.


Dr. Dre | Still D.R.E.
> 2001.

The second installment of the 'Chronic' saga proves to be just as bumpin' and grindin' as the first. The original 'Chronic' took the best in west coast hard base driven funk beats; and the second record, and this song in particular, took the same idea but with a more modern approach and proves to be a great example of where hip hop was at the time, especially when it come from a dude who helped mold it. This to me was one of the last true mainstream hip hop tracks, still gangsta, but actually witty and smart.


Minus the Bear | This Ain't a Surfing Movie.
> 2005

If you have never heard of MTB ... what is wrong with you. Minus the Bear is, again in my opinion, perhaps the best group in my lifetime. I know, it's a bold statement. But these guys continue to challenge themselves as well as the laws and physics of sound itself. You can pick up any, yes any, one of their records and not a single person would say, "yeah that's good but not as good as their older stuff," and that in itself is not only refreshing but unheard of with the majority of musicians over the last few decades, especially in more recent years. I know it's opinion but can you think of all the greatest acts in our time, can you really say that about any of them ... Nirvana? Nine Inch Nails? U2? Van Halen? T-Pain?


Franz Ferdinand | What She Came For.
> 2009

Okay, I love Franz Ferdinand. I was waiting years for 'Tonight' to come out in January of this year. This song is a great example of everything that is these four lads for Glasgow. Its base lines, its tongue and cheek lyrics, its catchy rhythm and its overlapping rock and roll break down to finish. Franz Ferdinand helped bridge the gap between rock n' roll and synth. This track is a good showing of the bare minimum that franz brought to this decade of sound, and reassures all of us that no matter what remix records follow, they'll always know where their roots lie.