The RadioActivist

Like many of the artists on Smog Veil’s roster, Pistol Whip emerged in the burgeoning American underground of the 1970s with a style that bridged the gap between protopunk and punk rock. Claiming the title of Erie, Pennsylvania’s first punk band, Pistol Whip’s tumultuous existence is chronicled on this CD+DVD combo, from their initial run of releases in 1977 and 1978 to their subsequent reunions in 1988 and 2009. Though probably fairly jarring to Middle America by early 1970s standards, Pistol Whip’s brand of speed-inspired rock 'n’ roll seems like fairly standard fare in 2009. Like a less catchy, though more technically-versed version of the Ramones, Pistol Whip blasts through 12 songs in 33 minutes on the CD portion of the release. The first two songs comprise the band’s sole 7-inch (whose original two-track master tapes were miraculously unearthed in August of 2009), and serve as a proper sampling of what Pistol Whip was capable of, from the swirling electric organ of “Heart Thr...

It seems like it’s getting harder and harder to celebrate good driving music with the awareness of our rising global temperatures, smoggy cities and decreasing supply of fossil fuels. But with a new CD player in my car and a copy of Burning Streets’ debut Is It in Black and White, there really couldn't be a better combination. With their noted admiration of the Clash, it seems likely that Burning Streets took their name from one of Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros’ best songs off their final release, Streetcore. Said admiration is also embedded in the album’s lyrics as the opener “Kiss the World Goodbye” suggests, “The future is unwritten, true hearts never die / But if you've lost all your passion, kiss the world goodbye." Musically, Boston’s Burning Streets don’t so much resemble the Clash as they do melodic street punk neighbors like Far from Finished, the Ducky Boys and Street Dogs. The Bouncing Souls catch a namedrop on “13 Hours” and would also seem to serve as an inf...

There’s no way you could possibly take enough drugs to make this album good. There’s no way you could possibly take enough drugs to make this album tolerable There’s no way you could possibly take enough drugs to make this album. …Unless your name is Joe Newman, and in 1987 you decided to throw together a chaotic spattering of spastic Casio melodies, schizophrenic children’s vocals, and drum machine cadences under the guise of the Rudy Schwartz Project and call it Bowling for Applicances. The only noteworthy effort to legitimize this sonic earfuck in its press material is that allegedly Jello Biafra is a fan. This isn’t actually a huge surprise as it seems Jello isn’t a hard sell as long as an artist is strange and doesn't follow some set of rules. The vaguely similar Casio-punk of the late, great Wesley Willis is an example of music that Biafra not only endorsed but released on his Alternative Tentacles label. But where Willis lacked the complex compositions of the Rudy Schwartz P...

Back in September, the Framed and Banner Pilot shared a release show at the 7th Street Entry in downtown Minneapolis, as Banner Pilot had just dropped Collapser and the Framed were promoting Angels and the Knives They Carry. In between sets, a small group of friends was gathered outside, remarking on their disbelief that recent Fat Wreck signees Banner Pilot were playing before the Framed, whom they had never before heard. I’m guessing they were out-of-towners, because it seems unlikely that multiple people in the Minneapolis punk scene wouldn’t have heard of the Framed, a band that’s been building a faithful following for the better part of 10 years, and who are referred to as “the mighty Framed” by Patrick Costello on Dillinger Four’s First Avenue Live album. Angels and the Knives They Carry is a healthy dose of Midwest pop-punk, polished street sonatas, and rock 'n’ roll rowdiness. Guitarist Matt Benson has some of the best chops in town, and isn't afraid to show them off on...

Even without excessive hyperbole, there are a few ways that parallels can be drawn between Choking Victim and Wu-Tang Clan. Superficially, they both emerged from the NYC area in the 1990s, and musically, they separately created styles that would be as influential in sound as in imagery and subject matter. But whether it’s the hardcore Kung Fu hip-hop of RZA and company or the Crack Rock Steady of Stza and associates, both acts’ members would go on to spawn a virtual franchise of additional projects and offshoots built on the success of their full-length debut. While Enter the 36 Chambers was followed by such offspring as Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., Tical, and Liquid Swords, what followed No Gods, No Managers and the break-up of Choking Victim saw the eventual formation of a multitude of projects including, but not limited to, Leftover Crack, InDK, Crack Rock Steady 7, Public Serpents, Morning Glory, Piss Shit Fuck, American Distress and our subject here, the Star Fucking Hipsters. When...

What do you get when you cross one of the lamest and most played-out formats available (live CD + DVD) with one of the most entertaining live acts in recent years? Well, not a bad release in this case. The DVD is certainly the more fun part, capturing visually what can only be described as the world’s foremost gypsy punk ensemble in their natural environment: a sweaty, liquored-up NYC club filled to capacity. That club is Irving Plaza, and for two nights in 2007, Gogol Bordello played passionate sets of their trademark Balkan/Ukrainian/dub/punk hybrid comprising their previous two releases and the then-new Super Taranta!. With an arsenal of cameras and more flashing lights than Battling Seizure Robots, the feel of the moment translates remarkably well through the TV screen. Among the highlights include vocalist Eugene Hutz climbing a stairway of amps into the balcony to give a female fan some affection, washboard instrumentals and the bongo drummer (?) coming out front and center to to...

Top 5 reasons Mr. T and his hip-hop album Mr. T’s Commandments deserves a review on Punknews: 5. Ice T, the Original Gangster/Cop Killer/Cop on Law and Order, ghostwrote all the raps for Mr. T’s Commandments. 4. Bad Attitude Baracus: straight-edge by day, face pounder by night. Perhaps the surrogate role model for Elgin James? 3. Like Sid Vicious, Joe Strummer and John Doe, he’s known only by his punk name. Err, stage name. 2. He’s got a fucking Mohawk for crying out loud. 1. Without Mr. T, there could be no Mr. T Experience. And that, of course, would be a terrible shame. The review itself: The album pretty much sucks. There are seven songs of horrible '80s sound effects and cheesy hip-hop verses covering everything from “Don’t Talk to Strangers” to “No Dope No Drugs.” Sure, there are plenty of amusing moments (“Mr. T, Mr. T (He Was Made For Love)) and inspiring lessons that rival even the most optimistic posi-core (“You Got to Go Through It”), but with song lengths eclipsing the ...