2012 in Review: J's 5 Favorite Live Sets

Terror @ The Hard Luck

Us Lost Tribe weirdos go to a ton of shows.

Probably not as many as we should. We ARE getting older and we probably miss more shows than we actually get to. We go to more shows than normal people, anyways. Normal people only go to like 30 shows a year, right?

In any event, here is my completely non-scientific and poorly thought out list of my favorite live sets of the year. There's no order here because, you know... fuck numbers.

I reserve the right to revised this shit if my alcohol ravaged brain remembers something else I liked better. And as always, I'm speaking only for myself and not the rest of the gaggle over here.



Masked Intruder – The Horseshoe Tavern – Toronto – August 19, 2012

Anyone who listens to the podcast regularly will be familiar with the absurd amount of handjobs and eskimo kisses I’ve been throwing at this band all year. To summarize: I love this band a lot. Furthermore, I had the pleasure of catching these guys when they opened for Teenage Bottlerocket at the Horseshoe back in August.

The band powered through a healthy mix of tracks from across their 3 releases. Musically, they we're tight as all hell and sounded polished to the point that I can't help but buy into some of the rumors about who this band might ACTUALLY be. They really didn't sound like a group of dudes that just started playing together a few months previous.

As good as they were musically, it was the stage banter that made this show what it was. The band has chosen a gimmick and is sticking with it like a senator's wife. Every minute of the show maintained and underscored the running gag that is MI's whole persona. The fact that the whole thing is delivered with exaggerated, cartoonish Joi-sey accents (isn't this band meant to be from Wisconsin?) is just so ridiculous that it's perfect.

Legitimately funny as well. I seriously haven't laughed this hard at a punk show since forever.

Now that Fat Wreck has scooped these guys up, there should be plenty of chances to see them in your town in future. I can't recommend that shit enough. If you go, just keep an eye on your lady and your wallet. These dudes'll take both.


The Gaslight Anthem - Sound Academy - Toronto - November 25, 2012

My final show of the year was significant in that, after years of fandom, I finally got Gaslight crossed off my list of bands that I'd never seen. They did not disappoint at all. There's a reason that this band has become as big of a deal as they have. Brian Fallon is a crazy good front man and rest of the band provides a solid back bone for him in a live setting.

Honestly, after watching the last show they played here a few months earlier sellout in almost no time, and the crazy scalper feeding frenzy that ensued, just getting in the door for a reasonable price felt like an accomplishment. I suspect that the fact that they had played Toronto recently help keep the tickets relatively available. But, whatever, I just wanted in.

I'm not a huge fan of Sound Academy. If you don't have balcony tickets, the room usually feels too big. Getting in and out always seems to take about 5 minutes to long because of where the exits are. The beer is overpriced and only comes in cans. Lame.

Somehow, Fallon and them made the this 3000 person monstrosity feel like a far more intimate venue than should have been possible. I can't explain how they did it, but by the time they kicked into "Great Expectations" this felt like an honest to god punk show to me and not the radio sponsored, major label "concert" that it so clearly was.

Also, they played "Astro Zombies."

Dropkick Murphys - Hamilton Convention Center - Hamilton - November 17, 2012

Disclaimer: Dropkick Murphys are my favorite band. Ever.

I don't listen to them everyday, but there's is simply not a band that means more to me. Ken Casey & Company could put out a shitty record every year for the next decade and I'll still be there every time they play within 100KM of me. A shitty Dropkick record wouldn't even keep me off a plane to Boston every for St Paddy's Day that I can afford.

Even by my somewhat skewed standards, this show was awesome, managing to overcome both an absolutely horrendous venue and a crowd that left to be desired. They played a set list that featured a mix of songs from all eras, including some stuff of the upcoming record. Even the new songs didn't bum me out.

I fought through some kind of throat issue and screamed along to every song, fist held high. The whole time fully understanding that it would probably mean I wouldn't be able to talk the next day.

I couldn't talk for a fucking week. Worth it.

Bane - This Is Hardcore - The Electric Factory - Philadelphia - August 11, 2012

This one kind of feels like cheating. Half-assing it, at least.

We've sung the praises of This Is Hardcore on this blog and on the podcast so much that I don't feel like I have much else to add in terms of context to this.

Basically, Bane played to a sold out crowd of almost 3000 kids. No one stood still. No one stayed quiet. It was awe inspiring.

"Can We Start Again" was one of my favorite moments of the year. Musical or otherwise. 

Hoax - Siesta Nouveaux - Toronto - February 23, 2012

I saw Hoax three times this year. So, really, choosing one set for this list was kind an arbitrary process.
I'm giving the nod to this one based on the fact that it happened just over a month before Siesta Nouveaux closed down for good. That makes this the second to last show I saw in that delightful little cave. 2012 kicked Toronto Hardcore in balls something fierce. The city lost a great venue in Siesta and a goddamn phenomenal record store in Hits & Misses. I like Hard Luck & Rotate This just fine... not the same though.

Anyways, Hoax brought their normal (that word really doesn't feel right) ugly, hate filled 15 minutes of chaos and violence, powering a pit that cover basically every corner of Siesta's modest space. In my mind, the room was about 50 kids over capacity... but that probably wasn't the case.

Beer covered the floor. Debris flew through the air. A helpless box fan was destroyed. Blood was shed. The crowd united for the bile filled sing along that is "Faget." Then, drenched in a well earned coat of punk sweat, we all spilled out onto Lower Sherbourne.

RIP Siesta.

Stay tuned for more High Fidelity nonsense.

2012 in Review: L.’s Top five 7”s of 2012

L.’s Top five 7”s of 2012

With December upon us it is that time of year again...the time where we all look back on the past year and remind ourselves that while we were writing blogs other people were out there writing music.  Good music!  Good music that should be put into a list!

Now, the Lost Tribe family (and its subsidiaries) make no claim that any of our year-end lists are by any means definitive, authoritative, or anything more than that we specifically enjoyed over the last 12 months.  As there are multiple Lost Tribe writers, there may be similar categories with different choices, or different categories with similar choices. 

Either way, we thought it was worth listing a few great things from this year, so here we go.

L.’s Top five 7”s of 2012

 5. Wrong Answer – Cross a Black Cat’s Path

I first started listening to this band as part of the lead up to This Is Hardcore, and was completely blown away by their performance.  They had that immediacy and hunger that resides almost exclusively with young, furious hardcore bands.  After watching their live show, I quickly scrambled outside and picked up their Cross a Black Cat’s Path 7”.  Initially annoyed that I had to wait to get back to my record player in Canada to listen to it, I was pleasantly surprised when I got home I realized it was worth the wait.  Straight up hardcore done right.  It’s angry, the riffs are great, and “No End in Sight” is by-far my favourite hardcore song of the year.

 4. Pig Destroyer – Blind, Deaf, and Bleeding

Ok, is this technically a one-sided 12”?  And was it an accompaniment to their new full length, Book Burner, rather than a standalone release?  Well yes....and yes....BUT it’s Pig Destroyer covering 1980s hardcore songs!!!  Whether it is Black Flag’s “Depression”, Minor Threat’s “Betray”, or Void’s “Who Are You?”, this is Pig Destroyer paying homage to their roots by combining the raw intensity of these classics with Scot Hull & Co.’s unparalleled sonic fury.  So sure, I had to shoehorn this release into this category (which is also the reason it isn’t in the top 2), but there aren’t enough similar releases for me to make a “One-sided etched 12” EP that accompanies the Deluxe release of a new full length” category.  Also, if you tell me that you aren’t excited by the drummer of Misery Index playing Misfits and Negative Approach songs, then I assume you are an empty shell of a person.

 3. Single Mothers – Single Mothers

I will admit some bias in regards to this band as they hail from my hometown and I’ve played in bands with the drummer, but regardless of my hometown pride, this is one of the most impressive debuts I’ve heard in ages.  I mean, technically Single Mothers has an EP before this release, but on the self-titled 7-inch is where you see the band come into their own.  This release is filled with monstrous rock/punk/hardcore riffs, witty and insightful (without being smug or douchy) lyrics, and plenty of insanely-accurate references about London, Ontario.  All 4 tracks are flawless in my opinion, but “Hell is my Backup Plan” is the best indicator of what these grimy Canucks are capable of.

 2. Purity Control – Coping

For anyone not familiar with these Toronto, ON purveyors of powerviolence really need to smarten up and check them out.  The songs are short, the lyrics are bleak, and this 7” is proof positive that all of the anticipation for this release was not without merit.   Mixing blisteringly fast riffs with a hardcore sensibility really is a recipe for success for a listener like me, and Purity Control really is among the cream of crop with it comes to this unholy fusion.  Once again, if you aren’t into Purity Control you are fucking up.

 1. Graf Orlock – Los Angeles

I know that we were all sitting around, bitching about how there weren’t enough Heat-themed grindcore 7”s, but now that Graf Orlock have provided us with one, we really have nothing left to complain about.  Some people feel like cinema-grind legends may have lost a step on their Doombox 10”, but Los Angeles is a return to form, and further proof that there is no use counting this band out.  Graf Orlock has the unique ability of making grindcore songs that appeal far beyond the minute sub-set of music listeners that are grindcore fans.  They recognize that just because you write breakneck riffs doesn’t mean you have to forget about breakdowns, song-writing, or thematic continuity.  Oh ya, and the mix of a massive breakdown with the iconic/realistic gun sounds of the shoot-outs in Heat in “Quick on the Trigger” is a perfect example of you samples in grindcore can move beyond gimmick-status if done correctly.

So that's it for this first list of things we liked in 2012....be prepared for many more to follow!