[record 10]
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I saw this band in the basement of the Vets' Hall in Santa Cruz in 1996. I heard they were a supergroup of sorts but didn't know anything about the members. We were just there to see the Bouncing Souls, anyways.
Listening to the record years later, it's clear that this is a prime example of mid-90's Bad Religion-influenced nasal punk rock. 22 Jacks is a So-Cal band that could have started the Epitaph sound with all the other So-Cal bands at the time. Full of sing-along anthems and very nice guitar sounds, boom-chk boom-chk and woah oh oh oh's. I bet punks from the 80's hated these bands. They slogged through years of crappy sound and angst to find that Los Angelenos and, worse, San Diegans had polished up their grime and layered it carefully so that a thousand bro's with their shirts off could feel tough while they weren't playing football.
The problem with this too-polished punk sound is that the five part harmony and dueling perfect guitar solos seem to drain all the soul from the music. Maybe there's some point to all of the fanciness, but the only reason I remember even one of these songs is that the chorus is simplistic and repetitive. They play really well, but these songs don't inspire me.
Wait, did I say they play really well? By including the awful demo version of Stockton on side B, they provide a counter-example to that claim. It's a sort of surfy instrumental where one of the guitars is played by someone who knows all the notes but can't seem to always hit them correctly. Too drunk, maybe? As it fades out and the B-side comes to a close, this addition makes an innocuous So-Cal punk record kind of terrible.
Listening to the record years later, it's clear that this is a prime example of mid-90's Bad Religion-influenced nasal punk rock. 22 Jacks is a So-Cal band that could have started the Epitaph sound with all the other So-Cal bands at the time. Full of sing-along anthems and very nice guitar sounds, boom-chk boom-chk and woah oh oh oh's. I bet punks from the 80's hated these bands. They slogged through years of crappy sound and angst to find that Los Angelenos and, worse, San Diegans had polished up their grime and layered it carefully so that a thousand bro's with their shirts off could feel tough while they weren't playing football.
The problem with this too-polished punk sound is that the five part harmony and dueling perfect guitar solos seem to drain all the soul from the music. Maybe there's some point to all of the fanciness, but the only reason I remember even one of these songs is that the chorus is simplistic and repetitive. They play really well, but these songs don't inspire me.
Wait, did I say they play really well? By including the awful demo version of Stockton on side B, they provide a counter-example to that claim. It's a sort of surfy instrumental where one of the guitars is played by someone who knows all the notes but can't seem to always hit them correctly. Too drunk, maybe? As it fades out and the B-side comes to a close, this addition makes an innocuous So-Cal punk record kind of terrible.
Tracks:
A: Swallow
B1: So Now You Know
B2: Stockton (Demo Version)
A: Swallow
B1: So Now You Know
B2: Stockton (Demo Version)
David (06/02/2008):
As a member of H is for Hellgate I'm naturally more biased toward the attitudes and views expressed by the said member/s.
Anyone excited by music deserves their expressive explosions. Whether that be the generic "Whooo!" or a hand clap.
If you going to excret a negative perhaps you can balance it with a positive,
Hooray!
As a member of H is for Hellgate I'm naturally more biased toward the attitudes and views expressed by the said member/s.
Anyone excited by music deserves their expressive explosions. Whether that be the generic "Whooo!" or a hand clap.
If you going to excret a negative perhaps you can balance it with a positive,
Hooray!
- don (06/02/2008):
true. i've edited my review, since i like your band and wouldn't want it to seem like this was a personal attack or anything.
however, your argument, "Anyone excited by music deserves their expressive explosions," is rather hollow. my expressive explosion for when i enjoy music is to kill babies, do i deserve to be able to express it?
david, i think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this point. it doesn't mean i'll stop going to shows and neither should your bassist. i just hope he's thought about how his actions affect others and either decided not to care or decided he has a right to free speech. i would hope that if i did something annoying all the time that someone would point it out to me so i could choose to change it or choose to flaunt it.
see you out there. good luck with your solo project, too. (that's you right?)
true. i've edited my review, since i like your band and wouldn't want it to seem like this was a personal attack or anything.
however, your argument, "Anyone excited by music deserves their expressive explosions," is rather hollow. my expressive explosion for when i enjoy music is to kill babies, do i deserve to be able to express it?
david, i think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this point. it doesn't mean i'll stop going to shows and neither should your bassist. i just hope he's thought about how his actions affect others and either decided not to care or decided he has a right to free speech. i would hope that if i did something annoying all the time that someone would point it out to me so i could choose to change it or choose to flaunt it.
see you out there. good luck with your solo project, too. (that's you right?)
Ben (06/03/2008):
Maybe the question you asked falls under the category of rhetorical, but I feel if somebody takes the time to trash talk me on a public forum I should at least have the courtesy to reply.
The Hooray! thing was never meant to be funny. I was at a show a while back and wanted to show my appreciation for the band, but could not clap due to the drink in my hand. So I decided to vocalize my appreciation. After that it kind of just stuck with me.
I moved to Seattle about 3 years ago and was excited to find an amazing music scene. I was a bit surprised that a lot of the people(but not all) in the audiences would look kind of bored, standing with their arms crossed and clapping a bit between songs. That's just not how I am. If I really like a band I'm going to let them know.
I love 31Knots. They have been one of my favorite bands since I first saw them perform about 6 years ago. So I was probably a little over excited. In no way did I intend to annoy any audience members or band members. I apologize.
I didn't know that it bothered anybody until after the show when my wife informed me that " some guy was giving you dirty looks". Had I known I might have toned it down(a little). That being said it's probably a bit to late to change who I am.
Love,
Ben Baier
Hooray!
Maybe the question you asked falls under the category of rhetorical, but I feel if somebody takes the time to trash talk me on a public forum I should at least have the courtesy to reply.
The Hooray! thing was never meant to be funny. I was at a show a while back and wanted to show my appreciation for the band, but could not clap due to the drink in my hand. So I decided to vocalize my appreciation. After that it kind of just stuck with me.
I moved to Seattle about 3 years ago and was excited to find an amazing music scene. I was a bit surprised that a lot of the people(but not all) in the audiences would look kind of bored, standing with their arms crossed and clapping a bit between songs. That's just not how I am. If I really like a band I'm going to let them know.
I love 31Knots. They have been one of my favorite bands since I first saw them perform about 6 years ago. So I was probably a little over excited. In no way did I intend to annoy any audience members or band members. I apologize.
I didn't know that it bothered anybody until after the show when my wife informed me that " some guy was giving you dirty looks". Had I known I might have toned it down(a little). That being said it's probably a bit to late to change who I am.
Love,
Ben Baier
Hooray!
- don (06/03/2008):
fair enough, Ben. and nice to virtually meet you. it probably wasn't me giving you the evil eye, by the way. and i never really considered this trash talk, but just some friendly advice. no one read this blog before this post anyways.
fair enough, Ben. and nice to virtually meet you. it probably wasn't me giving you the evil eye, by the way. and i never really considered this trash talk, but just some friendly advice. no one read this blog before this post anyways.
-- Matt Brown (06/04/2008):
Well, now we're reading, and MY friendly advice is that Benjamin J. Baier can do whatever the heck he wants to express his appreciation after a band finishes playing a song. If he was shouting stuff DURING a song, that would be a different matter.
"Hooray" is a fantastic counterpoint to self-conscious inaction and apathy, and I love how it bums people out when I shout it out at "cool" shows.
You're certainly free to point out what you feel is annoying, and I give Ben major points for his kind apology to you. Be warned, however, that I'll be attending 31Knots' next local show, and I'm far louder and more annoying than my dear friend Ben.
Cheers, Don!
Well, now we're reading, and MY friendly advice is that Benjamin J. Baier can do whatever the heck he wants to express his appreciation after a band finishes playing a song. If he was shouting stuff DURING a song, that would be a different matter.
"Hooray" is a fantastic counterpoint to self-conscious inaction and apathy, and I love how it bums people out when I shout it out at "cool" shows.
You're certainly free to point out what you feel is annoying, and I give Ben major points for his kind apology to you. Be warned, however, that I'll be attending 31Knots' next local show, and I'm far louder and more annoying than my dear friend Ben.
Cheers, Don!
-- don (06/05/2008):
Thanks Matt. I've been warned and I understand his freedom of expression is unstoppable. I guess I'll just have to conjure up my own exclamation, like COWABUNGA! or SUPER DUPER! or I LOVE CAKE! ...or just keep celebrating my love for music by singing along really loudly when i even sort of know the words, dancing around like a crazy person when appropriate, or politely clapping and smiling when i'm only sort of stoked.
for my bonus points, i'd like to apologize for calling him out specifically, as, i repeat, it wasn't my intention to trash talk. but i was naive and thought that people don't get all that bothered by some random dude who started a site to share his pains and joys with the world, and gets excited/weirded out when the biggest traffic day is 57 people, happens to mention something is annoying. i've learned my lesson.
also, i think you were almost our housemate once.
carry on.
Thanks Matt. I've been warned and I understand his freedom of expression is unstoppable. I guess I'll just have to conjure up my own exclamation, like COWABUNGA! or SUPER DUPER! or I LOVE CAKE! ...or just keep celebrating my love for music by singing along really loudly when i even sort of know the words, dancing around like a crazy person when appropriate, or politely clapping and smiling when i'm only sort of stoked.
for my bonus points, i'd like to apologize for calling him out specifically, as, i repeat, it wasn't my intention to trash talk. but i was naive and thought that people don't get all that bothered by some random dude who started a site to share his pains and joys with the world, and gets excited/weirded out when the biggest traffic day is 57 people, happens to mention something is annoying. i've learned my lesson.
also, i think you were almost our housemate once.
carry on.
-- Matt Brown (06/10/2008):
Try complaining about the High Dive's refusal to book a wimpy band who objects to their "sexist" advertising. I've heard that one's blog traffic increases at an insane rate... right along with the hate mail.
Blog on, Don. I'll keep reading. COWABUNGA!
Try complaining about the High Dive's refusal to book a wimpy band who objects to their "sexist" advertising. I've heard that one's blog traffic increases at an insane rate... right along with the hate mail.
Blog on, Don. I'll keep reading. COWABUNGA!