Heavy Rotation: Fellas of the Belly (Nov. 24)

Roundhouse your week into submission and jam to the wax (and/or digital media) of the deep cuts we've been salivating over for the past 7 days... Eat it, bearfights.

Spleen Latifa:
01. Lords - "Fuck All Y'all Motherfuckers"
02. Akimbo - "Harshing Your Mellow"
03. Trap Them - "Seizures in Barren Praise"
04. The Ergs! - "Hindsight Is 20/20, My Friend"
05. Young Widows - "Old Wounds"
06. Cursed - "II"
07. Dillinger Four - "CIVILWAR"
08. Botch - "An Anthology of Dead Ends"
09. Minor Threat - "Complete Discography"
10. Rise & Fall - "Into Oblivion"

The Hellion:
01. The Acacia Strain - "3750"
02. Slowdive - "Souvlaki"
03. Leatherface - "Horsebox"
04. Mobb Deep - "Infamy"
05. Avail - "Dixie"
06. See You Next Tuesday - "Intervals"
07. Left Hand Cuts the Right - "You Breathed Like Water"
08. HORSE the Band - "R. Borlax"
09. Billy Bragg - "Back to Basics"
10. I See Hawks in L.A. - "Hallowed Ground"

Old Timers: Avail - "Dixie"

Remember 1994? Remember Avail? Remember when they dropped "Dixie"?! While I don't really remember 1994 as a whole, I certainly do remember this album. Avail is one of those bands that all your punk friends listened to and loved at some point in their lives. There's good reason for this. Mainly, because Avail was fucking awesome. The band was probably the only good thing to ever come out of Richmond, Virginia besides the Powhatan Indians. And you know that the Powhatan didn't rock nearly as hard as Avail did.

One of my first punk shows was Avail, and I can still remember how the crowd went ballistic whenever anything was played off Dixie. I'd put money on the assumption that this was pretty much everyone's favorite Avail record. It was the perfect mix of melody, politics, and good old hardcore. I like to call this mix of elements "The Trifecta," even though it has nothing to do with horse betting. (If you don't get that joke, stop using the word.) But seriously, songs like "Clone" and "On the Nod" were instant classics. To this day, when I hear them, I get giddy like a schoolgirl after her first makeout/fingerbang combo. And that's pretty fucking giddy.

So even though I've been giving Tim Barry's solo stuff a lot of airplay, I still love to go back and listen to him yell out the vocals for Avail. I also like the rest of the band; don't get offended guys.

Go back and listen to this. Or die. (Alright, you probably won't die.)

Here's Avail live doing "Clone." The audio sucks, but it captures the energy. I did my best.

Get The Fuck Back Together, Idiots: The Ergs!

So a couple weeks ago, I got to attend one of the handful of farewell shows The Ergs! put on as a result of their surprising disbanding. And though it was incredibly memorable, I think it seriously didn't do their important career the justice it deserved... Specifically, due to having to stop the set two or three times to take care of a faulty stage rig that was falling apart (the show was put on at an old brewery/grain warehouse [fucking sick.], so everything seemed just thrown together to appear as a venue... but not in a bad way) and as well as being the direct support for Dillinger Four's release show/party for their much-anticipated long-overdue new album, the Ergs boys and their tipping of the hat to their legacy seemed greatly over-shadowed.

Fuckin' A, interweb. This was a travesty! ... We here at the Belly have three commandments that we live by, and three only: Drink, Fight, and Fuck. And sometimes we bend the rules and throw Rock, a second Drink, and a Get Radical into the mix as well.. But that's only on special occasions, which are pretty much any days that end in "-day". BUT a band like the Ergs! told us that it was ok to relish in the emotions we beat to a pulp and jammed back deep into a spooned-out divot in our spinal column just below the cavernous blackness that resides in our chests... By taking the good parts of heavyweights like Descendents and Screeching Weasel, then throwing them into a concrete mixer with self-deprecating nerd culture, a nasaly singer/drummer, and a penchant for broken-hearted love songs on meth, The Ergs! packed a hell of a wallop. Seriously, these guys made me believe again that there was a right way "pop-punk" could be done with merit and maturity, intensity and emotion. Not just the beat-down garbage old horse paraded around on TV and the radio for a bulk of the past 15 years.

Annnnywho, so Jeff was leaving the band and the other two Ergsdudes thought it wouldn't be right trying to keep the band alive without him. Noble. But there is a tiny bit of a silver-lining in this, us as fans of Jersey's best prancers get two posthumous releases from the boys in nerd frames. One coming by way of 7", of the songs they were working on right before the split, and the other as a massive 33 song collection of all rare tracks, split tracks, 7" tracks, and such of yesteryear. So go out and pick that shit up, listen to some of the old stuff while remembering that broad that took a massive shit on your life... oh, and tell the Ergs! if you see them, get the fuck back together, idiots.

The Ergs! - Most Violent Rap Group/Pray For Rain (live)

Important Moments In Powerviolence: Fear Does Commercials for Radio Stations(?)

Yea, I know, sounds a little fucked up... And seriously I have no idea what the story is behind these at all. They were just a few little gems I stumbled across yesterday on the youtube.

All I can gather from the video content and descriptions is that Fear was thought of as a fucking insane entity threatening the moral fiber of America® (duh)... And some company who owned a couple top 40's only-the-hits radio stations across the country thought it would be a good idea to let them be crass as hell in a TV commercial to show what would NOT be played on that station (fucking brilliant). Even if for obvious reasons this ad campaign didn't hit its intended mark, we still have wonderful footage of Lee Ving at his combative and charismatic best, taking a giant steaming shit on the safe, corporate, family-friendly agenda.

GnarVideo of the Week: iwrestledabearonce - "Tastes Like Kevin Bacon"

Can ya feel it, kids? That simultaneous tingle of the back of the neck and just beyond the balls? That one that starts the full body shiver shakedown? ... That's your central nervous system alerting your cerebral cortex that the Belly is back in full swing. Duh, girl.

So the one column that I think regrettably fell by the wayside (nobody's fault but our own... sorry, these brews had to be downed then these kids had to be driven to school. aka we got busy. assholes.) was the GnarVideo, and I am so happy to bring it back out of its coma, since everyone knows how I get a Voltron mecha-boner anytime a band I dig takes the time to put out something engaging that I can watch and enjoy during the time I spend daily, angrily looking at their myspace tour dates that never seem to list my city... Anyway, if you haven't already indulged yourself in Century Media and Heavy Hitter's new grind/ synth-metal/ dark-ambient/ hardcore-freakout/ sample-junkie/ technical prodigies iwrestledabearonce yet, consider yourself on notice. These asshats got their shit together and they're steamrolling at an incredible rate. Also, I am a firm believer in the power of marrying comedy and brutality (see: the Red Chord and Every Time I Die for further proof) and these kids bring it in spades. Whether using the theme from Inspector Gadget for the riff of a breakdown, choosing samples like a jalopy car horn to usher in a tune, or just the video below, they spare no expense in the department of just having a good time... while melting faces. Even their merch is fucking incredible (see here, here, and here)... Not to keep rambling, but sidenote, their singer is also a damn fox. And that is something the Hell Fulla Belly can always get behind... And that wasn't meant in a creepy sexual predator way... Or was it?

So..... What the problem is? Enjoy.

Dispatches from Powerviolence: Trap Them Listening Party/Chugging Contest TONIGHT

So in honor of our release from the shackles of self-imposed hiatus and laziness, I felt it necessary to alert you all to a wonderful shindig going down this evening out the Brooklyn way. One of the Belly's faves, the mighty Trap Them, birthed out their new album "Seizures in Barren Praise" unto the world two days ago (which sadly, the Spleen has yet to get his hands onto, but surely will soon enough, so expect a review in the near future... yes, I'm a douche. But you know that already.) and to celebrate this glorious day, the kind-hearted souls and merchants of destruction over at Deathwish Inc. decided to throw the NYC area a little hoedown... complete with a listening of the album and a chugging contest for prizes (fuck yes.) ... Hopefully we get to pick our poison of choice, cuz I'd rather not have to guzzle down pints of The Urine of Beers (fuckin' High Life), but if doing so could mean a cornucopia of Deathwish swag, mainline that shit straight to my gut.

Welcome back bruisers and losers to carnival of cacophony, and I hope to see all our east coast bare-knuckle bearfights at the Charleston tonight... Let's look at it as an unofficial welcome home party for your prodigal sons, The Hellion and Spleen Latifa.

Review Your Face Off: Long Live the Smoking Gun - "We Build Empires"

It may surprise you to learn that this LLSG album was recorded with only two members. When you give this record a first listen, it sounds like a full on band with multiple guitarists. But, as I said, it’s not. Adam Taylor handles the drum work, and Rob Easter pulls off the rest. That includes vocals, all guitar layering, and bass. Not too shabby, if I do say so myself, especially since my version of a two man band would be me playing guitar and a friend playing triangle. In the end I’d probably kick that guy out anyway for not drinking enough whiskey and finding me enough slutty tang. So straight off, you have to give credit for the accomplishment of recording a record that certainly has more shit going on than most two-man ensembles, because we all know the White Stripes suck.

But more importantly, one should give these gentlemen credit for putting out a good record. As soon as you drop the needle on this thing, “Justice is a Ghost Town” comes out blazing with ripping guitars and the sense of urgency you feel when you realize your face is on fire. And guess what; that feeling pretty much sticks through the entire album. Except for “Goodmen,” which is more of a low key track, this thing is full of riffage and swagger. That makes for 4 songs of fighting music and 1 song to catch your breath in between. I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell am not complaining. Plus, this bad boy is tinged with some of that Southern rock feel I have been hearing so much about. Seems the Southwest, from whence these boys hail, is all about that these days. I say go for it, because it makes my butt dance, and that’s pretty much how I decide what I like and what I don’t like.

I mean, you can't really go wrong with this album. It's got a good amount of punch to it, so it's sure to have you rocking. It's also well executed. You can tell there is talent within these guys. Since 1912 Records (the label that released this album) has been putting out some great shit, you know what you're in for: a good time.

So check Long Live the Smoking Gun out. I’ll put money on it that you won’t be disappointed, because we here at the Belly only like good music and fast women. Unfortunately, only good music is generally accessible for us.

Heavy Rotation: Fellas of the Belly (11/11/08)

The Hellion:
01. Austin Lucas - "Putting the Hammer Down"
02. Blues - "Snakepit"
03. I See Hawks in L.A. - "Hallowed Ground"
04. Drive-By Truckers - "Brighter than Creation's Dark"
05. Tim Barry - "Rivanna Junction"
06. Suffocate for Fuck Sake - "Blazing Fires and Helicopters..."
07. The Handshake Murders - "Usurper"
08. Mogwai - "The Hawk is Howling"
09. Red Sparowes - "At the Soundless Dawn"
10. Bats and Mice - "Believe It Mammals"

Spleen Latifa:
01. Total Abuse - "Total Abuse"
02. The Bronx - "The Bronx" (III)
03. See You Next Tuesday - "Intervals"
04. Swamp Thing - "The Youth Is Sick"
05. Fucked Up - "The Chemistry of Common Life"
06. Dillinger Four - "This Shit is Genius"
07. The Banner - "Frailty"
08. For Science - "Revenge for Hire"
09. Screeching Weasel - "Weasel Mania"
10. Ruiner - "I Heard These Dudes are Assholes"

Dispatches from Powerviolence: We are Fucking Back

Hello, world. Ok, so I know we have been saying we are coming back for quite some time. And we had lied, because we really didn't post much. That's about to change. I know what you're thinking: You assholes are lying again. I don't blame you. But this time I'm serious. Shit, I'm even about to post a new review! That's right, not just a "Heavy Rotation," which I will also post, but a full-on review. That's dedication.

Speaking of reviews, I think we are going to implement a bit of a change in the way those are handled. We have decided to start doing normal reviews so we can cover more albums than those that we would murder for and those that we hate. Don't worry, "So Sick It Hurts" isn't going anywhere. But when we put an album up under that, you better believe that it's the hottest shit you've ever heard. We are talking 10/10, can't stop listening to it, would kill anyone who stole it.

So get ready to get back into the action, because the Belly is rising like a phoenix from the ashes of... laziness.