Recommends: The Venomous Pinks “Vita Mors”

All roads have to lead to the highly-anticipated full-length album from The Venomous Pinks. After years of grinding it out in the punk scene and being highly valued by its top bands, it is finally their time to shine in the spotlight with Vita Mors coming out on June 3, 2022 on SBÄM Records.

If you haven’t seen them touring with famous bands around the country or listened to their previous EPs, then you are in for a ride. The Venomous Pinks have been around since 2012 and hail from Mesa, AZ. Drea Doll, Gaby Kaos, and Cassie Jalilie make up this 3 piece band and they definitely have something new to bring to the table. They write songs, make music, create merch, host podcasts, the list goes on. They are hustlers that have earned their way to the top of this musical food chain.

Vita Mors has a lot of power and support behind this album. It was recorded at Maple Sound Studios and produced by Cameron Webb and Linh Le. They also had a lot of help from the punk community with additional gang vocals and guitars. I will save all the production info for when you read the liner notes because you are in for a treat. But what does “Vita Mor” truly mean? It translates to “Life and Death”. This seems fitting for the past few years and covers a lot of the themes laid out within this album.

The Venomous Pinks give you the best of everything they do in this full-length. They give all types of punk genres: skate, street, pop-punk, and so much more. They have such a range of musical styles that it just glides between each song. The gang vocals were purposeful and well placed in songs such as No Rules and We Must Prevail. There are also light-hearted tracks such as We Do it Better, which utilizes lyrics from the famous Annie Get Your Gun musical. If Green Day can make a punk musical then we can bring the musical into punk.

Even with the slick guitar riffs and technical drum work that drives this album, there is so much more under the surface. Vita Mors is about the good things in our daily lives but also what we have lost and the battles will continue to fight. Ballads such as Broken Hearts Club and Apothecary Ailment are songs about loss whether that be in love or addiction. Throughout this album, there is also a deep demand for change in the status quo and how this world isn’t working for us. It was especially good to hear a song like Todos Unido on a current punk album, especially in a country that is not in our favor but we continue to fight for our existence and our community. Despite the battles and the loss, Vita Mors remains hopeful about continuing to fight those outside forces and the ones within.

If you like these bands you will enjoy The Venomous Pinks: Bad cop/Bad cop, The Last Gang, Alice Bag, Fabulous Disaster, The Drowns, Get Dead.

Track Listing:

1.) Mercy

2.) I Really Don’t Care

3.) No Rules

4.) We Do it Better

5.) Cross My Heart and Hope to Die

6.) Broken Hearts Club

7.) Apothecary Ailment

8.) Hold On

9.) Todos Unidos

10.) We Must Prevail

Links for The Venomous Pinks: Bandcamp, Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tiktok, Youtube, Spotify.

Pre-order Information: Vita Mors Vinyl

Punk in Austin Project

I started this project during the pandemic to help local businesses to keep their doors open and raise awareness in the community. Austin is a forever-changing landscape and has lots of culture to provide. But due to political, economic, and socio-economic changes throughout the area, things tend to disappear or have to move elsewhere. This was a very real occurrence in 2020 and even has repercussions going on still in this recovery period.

I wanted to take a moment to stop and appreciate the things in this city that make it special. People that build businesses and spaces for us to go and enjoy. I wanted to promote shopping local and getting to know the people around you even in better times. This is just part one and hopefully will have more to celebrate in the future.

Sidenote, a lot of businesses did get attention and increases in business for this in 2020. Thank you to everyone that drew attention to these places and helped keep some lights on during a very dark time.

List of places visited:

Aaron’s Rock and Roll

Best Punk Albums of 2021

Bob Vylan: We Live Here

Jeff Rosenstock: SKA DREAM

Joystick!: I Can’t Take it Anymore

Out in Public: God is Dead and Has Been Replaced by Trans People

Amyl and the Sniffer: Comfort to Me

Sincere Engineer: Bless My Psyche

The Best of the Worst: Better Medicine

Origami Angel: #GAMIGANG

1876: Pow Wow Punk Rock 2

The Dirty Nil: Fuck Art

Turnstile: GLOW ON

Slant: 1집

Tigers Jaw: I Won’t Care How You Remember Me

Soul Glo: DisNigga, Vol. 1

The Raging Nathans: Waste My Heart

Destroy Boys: Open Mouth, Open Heart

We Are the Union: Ordinary Life

Catbite: Nice One

Honorable Mentions:

MDC/Noogy Split

Rebuilder: Live from 2021

Descendents: 9th & Walnut

Idles: Crawler

The Bronx: Bronx VI

Dropkick Murphys: Turn Up That Dial

Meet Me @ The Altar: Model Citizen

Hot Mulligan: I Won’t Reach Out to You

One Step Closer: This Place You Know

Mannequin Pussy: Perfect

Rest Easy: Sick Day EP

Dollar Signs: Hearts of Gold

Face to Face: No Way Out But Through

Death of Guitar Pop: Pukka Sounds

Singles:

The Mighty Might Bosstones “The Final Parade”

Survive “Show Me the Body”

Drug Church “Tawny” and “Bliss Out”

The Linda Lindas “Oh!”

Frank Turner “Non-Serviam” and “Miranda” and “Haven’t Been Doing So Well”

The Capitalist Kids: MTX/TheQueers Texas Tour 2019

*This might be strange to see remains of live music from 2019 in the time of COVID 19. Luckily we saved some gems in our archive for a time like this.

Let’s return back to a different day and time just for a moment. Especially since it is where we want to return to in the future for live music. This past winter, I was fortunate enough to join my friends on a pop-punk filled excursion through central Texas. I went to the Dallas and Austin dates to find out why the fans of the Mr. T Experience and The Queers have such a devoted following after all these years. Since the days of Lookout, both these bands have held their own and have influenced a generation of musicians to follow their roots.

One band that definitely falls in the same vein would be the openers for this tour, The Capitalist Kids. Their power-pop sounds and their punk ethics marry in a delightfully fun way. Don’t sleep on this band because of their flashy pop vibes because there are layers of ethical thought, love, and loss weaved throughout their discography. As stated in this interview, the band has gone through changes, locations, and tours to get where they are now. I can’t think of a better band to represent Texas on this tour with MTX and The Queers. See interview and links to their pages below:

Capitalists Kids: Bandcamp, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Grant Announcement: PRA needs a new face and podcast!

This year I plan on rebranding this blog. I really want to keep writing, posting photos and videos, and discussing punk music as it evolves. It takes a lot of time and a lot of sacrifices but it is worth it at the end of the day.

Bossbabes, a women’s creative collective in Austin, Texas is giving away 3 grants to women-owned businesses that need to take it to the next level. For this blog, my dream is to add a podcast and new branding to make the necessary changes needed for this project. I want to shine a light on the rich Texas punk scene and be able to share that with the rest of the world. If you know anything about audio production, you know that price tag is steep. I currently pay for this website out of pocket. I work several jobs just to keep this website and my life afloat.

So needless to say, I made a video about this website and my qualifications. I discuss what it means to be a woman in a punk world and how this conservation about punk itself should have different narratives. If I gain support behind this video, I will more than likely be considered for this grant. If you are reading this, or have been a reader in the past, please take a second to comment and let them know the importance of women’s voices within the scene and supporting women-owned businesses.

This is my first video EVER online so be kind. I am excited to revamp this website and add new content this year! Thanks for your love and support.

If you liked what you saw or heard please reach out to Bossbabes, comment on Youtube, repost, tweet about this project.

Punk Rock Anthropology: Facebook , Twitter, Instagram, YouTube

Show Review: The Distillers

This might be the golden age of punk reunions. The last 5 years have brought several bands out of hiding and back to what they do best. There are several listed throughout this blog even. The Distillers have made the list of much-anticipated reunion tours. With these limited dates, there has been a lot of buzz about each show. Most of the week I have been following their press and fans on their journey.

I got to relive the magic at the Mohawk here in Austin, Texas. They didn’t have any local support bands but they choose the L.A. based band The Flytraps for all the tour dates. You can guess their possible inspirations; The Cramps, Joan Jett and the Runaways, and just old school rock and roll. They were a fun opener. Kind of cheesy but it worked on several levels. Kristin Cooper is an amazing bassist and she is a frontwoman extraordinaire. The one thing I couldn’t figure out was if their guitarists looked bored on purpose or if it was an act. I have to admit it kept me guessing. Their songs were catchy and had some clever subject matter. I will say they were professionals and got people behind their music. They also got a lot of their merch sold, which bands should take note of their hustle. Even though they were a great opener for this tour, I think a more street punk type of band would have made the tour even sweeter.

The Distillers came out the gate with “I am a Revenant” which would be my top choice for an opening song. Everything they played was pretty much what I wanted to hear. Their discography is not a large one but every album is great. Setlist below:

I am the Revenant
L.A. Girl
Seneca Falls
Die on a Rope
Sick of it All
The Gallow is God
Oh Serena
Dismantle Me
The Hunger
Love is Paranoid
For Tonight You’re Only Here to Know
Drain the Blood
City of Angels
The Blackest Years

They played a little from each album and my favorite had to be “Die on a Rope”. Unfortunately, Brodie’s voice wasn’t 100% at the Austin date. I think this was to be expected on some level since these albums are intense and have real highs/lows vocally. I think the band did their best collectively to make sure the show went on as planned. I thought her voice sounded beautiful in ” The Hunger” which just starts out with just vocals and guitar. One thought I had originally about this tour was Brodie going to able to sing some of this material since it is very personal and haunting. Luckily it seems liked second nature and the band made it seem effortless. I was also really thankful to see a ton of women at the show because in most scenes the female gender lacks in representation. I think this is a sign that there is a need for more female fronted/minded bands that represent all of us. This short tour makes me hopeful for the future of women in music and to hear some new tracks from the Distillers themselves.

Feel free to comment about other dates on this tour or photos/videos!

Show Review: Millencolin/Success

Screen Shot 2016-06-03 at 1.10.38 AM — True Brew Tour 2016

Millencolin has finally done a legit U.S. tour after all these years. As a fan that has been waiting for a tour on this side of the Atlantic, this one was not to be missed. I saw them on a random date last year in Dallas but that left me wanting more from Millencolin. It was awesome that they came back to Texas and gave Austin a shot this time.

For myself, seeing a band like Millencolin was a right of passage. There are certain bands we listened to in our punk journey that we dream about seeing live. Basically, any band that was on a Fat Wreck compilation or Punk-O-Rama is on that list. Throughout May and June, they are joined by Success and MXPX, which are great additions to this tour. They are also doing tour stops during the Punk Rock Bowling Festival (Las Vegas and Denver dates).

Let’s begin with their opening band Success on this particular tour date. I wasn’t a hundred percent sure what I was about to hear. I just knew they are a band from Seattle. I have read a bunch about them over the past two years since they have been on several festival lineups and have been touring frequently. I was really surprised by their sound because I was built up to believe they were more pop punk than they actually were. When I think of pop punk as a genre, it sometimes can lean on the sugary sweet side. You can tell who their influences are in the punk genre but what was truly fascinating was the overall musical influences they have. They are music nerds and not afraid to show it. They fused their set by playing their songs that would somehow end up playing “Carry on Wayward Son” by Kansas. These poor guys played their hearts out in the hot Texas humidity and didn’t fail to impress.

Millencolin’s set was everything I expect from them. They played a few songs from their latest release True Brew, thus why the tour is named as such. What I really enjoyed about their set is that I didn’t feel like I saw the same set twice. It consisted of their hits such as “Penguins and Polar Bears”, “Twenty Two”, and “Mr.Clean”. Also my personal favorite “Black Eye”. I know I have seen these songs at the show last year but it honestly felt refreshing rather than repetitive. Especially since this band only does so many releases over the years, it is crucial to stay fresh and innovative for your fans. I definitely feel they keep this idea in mind on their tours and their music. I hope their absence from Texas won’t be the many years it has been and we will get more great music from this band in the future.

Punk Rock Festivals 2016: Lineups, Reunions, and Hang Overs

052613_mainstage_crowd4_by_tyson_heder_web — Photo by Tyson Heder

This time of year, in my opinion, is the beginning of the punk festival season. I think between Punk Rock Bowling and Fest is the prime picking for festivals in the United States. With these amazing lineups and the Misfits reunion, we can all see the money flying out of our bank accounts. Just remember there is no price on memories even if we might black out and forget….

Here is the break down for every major punk lineup in the U.S. and a few international mentions:

Punk Rock Bowling: Las Vegas, NV( May 26-30), Denver, CO (June 2-4), and Ashbury, NJ (June 10-12)

I am VERY biased when I say this is my favorite festival. I have been several times now and it is the quintessential punk rock festival. All the punk kids having fun against the glitzy Las Vegas lights is a sight to be seen. This festival also brings cool and unique club after shows. Did I mention there is a bowling tournament too? With the gambling, pool parties, and karaoke, the fun never stops in this 24-hour festival. This year they are attempting to branch out by having dates in Ashbury and Denver. Here are the lineups for each date:

Riot Fest: Chicago, IL (Sept. 16-18) and Denver, CO (Sept. 2-4)

Riot Fest REALLY brought the surprise of the year by only announcing the Misfits reunion in their initial band. They didn’t mention any of their other stellar artists and let us just freak out for a moment because hell froze over for a second. Of course, in our heart of hearts, we could see this happening but no one was holding their breath. But it’s happening! I will be there this September to give all the details of this reunion for you guys. This might be my favorite lineup of all the festivals this year. It has such punk gems as Bad Religion, Lagwagon, NOFX, The Aquabats, Against Me!, and Leftover Crack to name just a few. Both lineups are very similar but it depends on how much you want to see certain headliners and old school favorites. They are still announcing more to each lineup so stay tuned:

Fest 15: Gainesville, FL (Oct. 28-30)

Fest is on my bucket list of punk festivals to go to before I die. I think it should be on yours as well. Anyone that I have discussed Fest with says that it is a place where new punk bands are made and found. This year is very special since it is an anniversary of the festival. They have a heavy lineup of alumni playing, which makes it harder to decide who you want to see. This is a great problem to have. So cancel all your Halloween plans now and make it out to Fest 15 this year, check out the official lineup below:

Remember the Punks Fest: San Antonio, TX (October 1, 2016)

A super surprise for the state of Texas. As a punker growing up in Texas, we tend to miss out on bands from the other coasts that can’t afford to tour here often. So when this festival popped up, the internet lit up! I feel the lineup is equal parts street punk, pop punk, and ska. It will be amazing to see Bigwig, Slapshot, The Exploited again since it has been a hot minute. I think this festival will do well since the venues will cater to every kind of punk. I will also be covering this festival since it is in my backyard, which in Texas means a 2-hour drive.

Fun Fun Fun Fest: Austin, TX (Nov 6-8)

This has been my favorite local festival for many years now. This 10-year festival is uniquely Austin. These festival people love bands such as the Descendents, GWAR, and Fat Wreck bands, and reunions. And don’t forget tacos. I hope this is not the end of the road for this festival since the company has changed owners this past month. It is a great festival that is equal parts electronic, hip-hop, comedy, punk, metal, hardcore, and indie rock. Every year they do a recap video and I think it gives a good depiction of what good times to expect. Fingers crossed for another great year and lineup to come!

Other Honorable Mentions:

Since some of these festivals are overseas or have already happened, here is a quick list of festivals to hit up outside the U.S. Get those passports ready!

Punk Rock Holiday Tolmin, Slovenia (Aug.9-13th 2016)
Amnesia Rock Fest Montebello, Canada (June 23-26, 2016)
Rebellion Festival Blackpool, UK (Aug 4-7, 2016)
Groezrock Meerhout, Belgium (April 29-30 2016)
POUZZAFEST Montreal, Canada (May 20-22, 2016)

Get FESTING in 2016 and feel free to share local festivals within the comments. See you out there!

The Dicks from Texas Documentary Release

This documentary was a long time coming. After 16 years, the documentary film project is finally done and is going to be shown this weekend at the Dick’s hometown. The documentary is called “The Dicks From Texas” directed by Cindy Marabito. The reason this film is getting so much regard is due to what the Dicks really meant to the Austin punk scene in the 1980s. The Dicks were a larger than life punk-hardcore band that pushed the envelope of sexuality, politics, and music. They are best known for their songs such as “Hate the Police” and “Kills from the Heart”.

The reason this documentary is important to watch is that it is a piece of Austin’s music history and a pivotal moment in the punk scene. They rocked against Reagan. They played alongside MDC and the Big Boys. Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, and Mike Watt all want to talk about how great this band was. I don’t think I really have to sell much more here.

They are also releasing a tribute album with such bands as The Bulimics, Black Irish Texas, The Fuckemos, and much more. It is currently streaming here: The Dicks From Texas and Friends

Also here is the link to the event April 1st at the North Door: https://www.facebook.com/events/1042028645817597/

Pre-orders and additional information on the documentary can be found here:http://www.thedicksfromtexas.com/dicks.html

Tiger Army is Back! (Finally)

Tiger Army’s mantra is “Never Die” and for a while, I thought they might actually die off. In 2013, the band acted like they were disbanding. After the departing of Geoff Kresge in February 2014, there seems to be a radio silence of what was to come next. Also the fact that Tiger Army hadn’t been to Texas since 2008, it seemed pretty damn bleak. As always though, founding and constant member, Nick 13 said the band would continue.

After all the drama this band has seen over the decades, I was still pretty excited when I heard they would be touring with the great Dropkick Murphys. I was expecting they would play it safe and play old hits. The set was actually a little bit of everything. They stuck to their roots and also debuted some of their new material. They had been gone so long I forgot how much I truly love Nick 13’s voice. I rarely can hear the crispness of a vocalist, especially at a big venue like Stubbs. I am not gonna sugar coat it but I do miss Geoff Kresge as the bassist because I loved his style of playing but Djordje Stijepovic is definitely up to par. They also have another drummer Mike Fasano, who has played on a previous album. Nick 13 has definitely planned this revamp carefully. By getting top musicians such as Dave Roe and Mitch Marine, that have worked with other artists such as Dwight Yokham and Johnny Cash, the new record will have a rich vintage sound. Also the fact that it was recorded by Grammy winner Ted Hutt, who also records Dropkick Murphys, Old Crow Medicine Show, and The Gaslight Anthem. Check out the new song “Prisoner of the Night” which they are debuting on this current tour:

This new and improved Tiger Army will also be returning to Texas again for Houston’s Free Press Summer Fest on June 4-5 this summer. An obvious statement here is that: Tiger Army Never Dies.

Editor’s Note: The original post was modified to name the correct musicians in the current touring band and on the album. Apologizes for the mix-up and the correction was made. Thanks for reading and the kind words.