Dispatches from Powerviolence: Norma Jean Drummer Leaves Band

Its a sad day here at the Belly folks... While on review assignment *slash* getting my rock on at the Norma Jean show last night, they reminded the crowd of a kinda downer bit of news right before their second to last song: that this would be Daniel Davison, their drummer's last show with the band. I completely forgot that I heard that rumor back in the end of September, but last night it was all confirmed. Cory, their singer, gave a really nice parting speech, that was suprisingly emotional, given the brutal attack that their live show consisted of thus far. And the crowd was actually quite responsive with their cheers and claps while the rest of the band exchanged hugs and gratuitous high-fives with Daniel. But the crowning moment of the night was after their closer, when their guitarist flung himself into Daniel's drum kit, smashing down into his lap, and taking out the entire thing in the most Cobain/Keith Moon/turboviolence manner... and then joined in a full-band destruction of said kit... It was glorious... In Daniel's own words, in a public statement, he says "I am not leaving the band on bad terms with any of the guys, but there are differences between us, both personal and spiritual, that I felt were too great for me continue on with, or ignore any longer." We sincerely wish him the best in wherever the road takes him, and thank him for his dedication to such a powerful band for the past decade... Daniel we'll miss your keen ability to make mountain man beards on skinny dudes seem elegant again, and in your honor, Memphis will certainly be laid to waste.

Featured Live Show: Norma Jean (and a Bunch of Crapola)

**Pre-show Post**

Alright, Bellions... Another NYC show goin down tonight that will get our usual live show lip service. BUT unlike the rest of the shows we've reviewed, where there was usually a pretty good bill going on, this one has ONE good band on it... as in UNO... and the rest of the show is a complete pile. BUT this one band (to little ol' me) is worth the ticket price alone.

I'm talking about the mighty Norma Jean... whose live show is like a hammer-smack to the jaw... and I like that kind of shit... but not in a sexual way or anything. I was actually quite looking forward to this show tonight, even with the atrocious bill, since I missed them last time they bopped through the area with The Chariot and A Life Once Lost cuz i was outta town. But this time, they're sandwiched in a deathgrip of completely expendable wastes of time... and I'm referring to the trifecta of trite: Saosin, alexisonfire, and Envy on the Pieceofgarbage (or something). Basically, this show is going to be like when you were a kid, and you swallowed that sick Cracker Jack decoder ring, and then the doctor told your mom that she had to sift through your crapzer for the next week or so to make sure you passed it, cuz if you didn't it could give you cancer or lay decoder ring eggs or something, and then when it finally did pass through, your mom tossed it in the garbage, but you secretly dug it back out again and cleaned the fuck out of it with bleach and rubbing alcohol, because you missed your shitty plastic code-breaking friend.... ok, maybe its not exactly like that, but the metaphor is in there somewhere... I'm gonna be sifting through a load of crap to find my special little decoder ring.

So expect a show review shorter than most... since I obviously will be throat-punching my liver with beverages during three of the "bands" tonight... but there is a slight chance it could rear its head and turn into a vicious rant onto those three Debbie Downers as well... but you'll just have to tune back in later to find out... Same Belly time, same Belly channel.

Indulge, jokesters... Norma Jean - "Bayonetwork: Vultures in Vivid Color"

GnarVideo of the Week: The Jonbenet - "Behold the White Whore"

Out of all the past GnarVideo posts, never once have we here at the Belly picked one that wasn't clever in some way, or didn't have some interestingly rad schtick to it... but this time we felt like unleashing a vicious one that doesn't need any of that delicious jazz, and just cuts out the fat. This video just plain out shreds because it is so simple and pure... like a pummeling little packet of Sugar in the Raw... with fangs... I dunno, I just feel something still is to be said about sticking some dudes in a room, hit on the low lighting, have 'em rock out passionately like their manhood depends on it, edit it with so many renegade, skillful camera cuts that it feels like a digital seizure, and for kicks, maybe throw in a swinging bare light bulb... Done. Fuckin stick a fork in it... But anyway, these duders lucked the hell out -- had a great idea, a great director, and a great vibe. Thank damn that no one thought to bring in a giant neon sign, a crunk chalice, and some animated bulldickcrap... Thank damn indeed.

The Jonbenet - "Behold the White Whore"

Featured Live Show: Between the Buried and Me, HORSE the band on Halloween

Halloween is one of my favorite fake holidays: It's an excuse to eat shitloads of tooth-rotting sweets and dress up as bloodthirsty serial killers, zombies and assassinated presidents. But last week, I forwent my annual costumed partying and gluttonous candy-eating by attending a concert at the Blender Theatre at Gramercy. And with good reason: Between the Buried and Me were playing a headlining show with support from Horse the band, Animosity and Giant.















First up were Giant. The Raleigh, North Carolina quartet recently replaced The End after their guitarist abruptly quit the band. But Giant's squalls of melody, bass grooves, atmospheric guitars and occasional throaty shouts didn't go over well with the Blender crowd -- people began spewing the typically unimaginative insults ("You suuuuuuuuuuuuck!") during most of the quieter instrumental parts. (Clearly no one else was a fan of Isis, Pelican or Cult of Luna.)






















Next were Animosity. I had first heard of them a few weeks ago when I received their new album Animal, which was produced by Converge's Kurt Ballou (the disc caught my attention among my pile of CDs because it had a neon album cover that featured a vomiting bear), and I was really psyched to see them live. When they came onstage, each member wore a mask of a giant photo of their own heads. "We're Animosity, Bobblehead Edition 2008," said singer Leo Miller, whose "bobblehead" bore green sunglasses and an open mouth. They immediately launched into "Toothgrinder" from the new album; they also played "Bomb Over Rome," "A Passionate Journey" and "Plunder Incorporated" from Animal as well as older tunes. Animosity's fast metal guitars, pummeling blastbeats and strangled screams induced non-stop mosh pits and left the crowd wanting more -- when their set ended, the "one more song" chant turned into "one more set."















To prepare for HORSE the band's performance, roadies began putting out fake trees, a giant inflatable turkey and a funeral horse and carriage on the stage. Then the drummer flitted into the spotlight in a short dress and fairy wings; the guitarist came on in a belly-baring genie outfit, the bassist was dressed as a witch and the keyboardist wore a yellow evening gown. When the singer walked out in a mermaid outfit (complete with a red-haired wig and seashells covering his hairy man boobs), it became apparent that Htb were dressed as female Disney characters (that's Tinkerbell, Jasmine, Maleficent, Belle and Ariel for the Disney deprived).






















"We're HORSE the band from another land," said frontman (er, frontwoman) Nathan Winneke in a high-pitched voice, setting off the band's raucous set of frantic tunes laced with lung-burning howls, breakneck guitar runs and manic 8-bit video game-inspired synthesizers worthy of the greatest NES games. Htb played both new and old tracks (from R. Borlax to The Mechanical Hand to their latest, A Natural Death) including crowd-pleaser "New York City" (natch). The little mermaid was wigless and topless ("Let's see that at Disney on Ice, you motherfuckers!") by the time they got to their closing song "Cutsman," which had the audience going apeshit over the "Nintendocore" classic. Even if Htb isn't your cup of tea, you can't say that they don't put on an entertaining show.






















Finally, the headliner: Between the Buried and Me. The last time I saw BTBAM in NYC was October 31, 2004 at the Knitting Factory, when they were touring in support of Alaska and opening for Converge. This time around, the five-piece came onstage dressed in matching overalls and straw hats with no shoes ("I think it was a bad idea to play barefoot," frontman Tommy Rogers later said). From there, they played their new album Colors in its entirety. From the opening piano ballad of "Foam Born (a) The Backtrack" to the 14-minute opus "White Walls," it was immersive, beautiful, heavy, melodic, progressive. When the set ended they left the stage for a mere two minutes only to returns and play "Selkies: The Endless Obsession," everyone's favorite jazzy, synthesizer-laden track from Alaska. Costumes aside, this was one of the best all-around shows I'd been to in a long time, and you should kick yourself for missing it.

[All photos by Jesse Angelo.]

Dude, Let's Make a Video, This Song Rips: Children of Bodom - "Oops! I Did It Again"

I have to say that this is one of my favorite sections on the Belly. Not only does it help out people that obviously want others to see how idiotic they can be, but it's fucking hilarious to boot. And this is an extra special edition, because it's a cover of a cover! Mind blowing!

So Children of Bodom apparently did a remake of Britney Spears' "Oops! I Did It Again." Why? I don't know. It's not even a good remake. But that is beside the point. What we want you to see is that somebody decided this song was so amazing, they wanted to add a little bit of themselves into the mix. Big mistake, especially since the Belly is on the lookout for shit like this.

I can't tell if this is two teenage girls or one teen girl and a Hanson brother. Either way, the lameness scale is through the roof for this duo. Not only does the Hanson brother try to act all hard for the Bodom parts, but the girl tries to act sexy for the Britney parts. Those facts added to the age of these jokers is an obvious equation for disaster. My favorite part is when the music dies and talking starts in another language. The two kind of just look at each other and try to mouth something along with it. Hopefully Thelma and Louise here won't be hired to do any voice-over work, cuz that shit is way off. There is also a short time of confusion when the two are presented with a guitar solo and no words at all. Shit! Just look at the camera! Don't do anything stupid!

Sorry, Mario and Luigi, you already could not look any stupider.

Children of Bodom - "Oops! I Did It Again" (Hanson Version)

Found You, Asshole: O' Captain! My Captain!

Ok, so maybe some of you are a tad disheartened after my last "Found You," where I ended up writing an article right afterwards saying that I was actually getting pissed off at the band I had just pseudo-recommended. Sorry about that. But while wecamewithbrokenteeth put out some dece music, the band itself was comprised of completely unpowerviolence members. Fuck that shit. Those peckerwoods were going to get a piece of my mind!

But I am back with a seriously killer band this time around. Enter O' Captain! My Captain!. These fuckers destroy. I stumbled across them on Last.fm. Have you jerks checked that out yet? Fuck! But seriously, these fellas barely have anything out, so it was a fantastic find. I think they have 2 EPs and that's it. But the few jams that are available are primo. Deliciously brutal deathcore is on the menu from these guys, and we love a bit of the d-core here at the Belly.

Hailing from Pennsylvania, aka the home of sin (I made that up), the boys just want to pummel the rest of the country. Maybe even the world! And they are doing a good job so far. In fact, the songs are chock-full of ripping guitar work, hella vocals, and snake-fighting drum work. With a combo like that, you just cannot go wrong.

So give these bastards a listen. I promise that you will not be let down. Let's just hope they get an album out soon, because I want more, more, more!

Listen to some choons here: Myspace

I can't find any videos from them. Sorry. Let us know if you come across one so we can put it up.

Important Moments in Powerviolence: TDTE on The Tony Danza Show

I think I just peed a little while watching this video... "just a widdle piddle", as they say... or some shit... right guys?... guys?

But really, I have to put this up here, cuz something inside me willed it so... This video alone has to be one of the most crowning achievements for gridcore ever, hands down... or at least in the top ten... And the moment in question is The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza making a cameo on the real Tony Danza's crapfest talk show! I really never thought this would happen in our lifetimes, and honestly, I thought the universe would collapse in on itself if the the two titans of Danza were ever to collide... but instead, middle-American housewives and their weak-willed, effeminate husbands rejoiced in cheers, hoots, and hollers from their live studio audience seats. And somewhere deep down in the cockles of my blackened soul, a smile was cracked slightly... It just warms me to hear blue-haired Blanche and Flo from Fargo, North Dakota, holding hands and getting all giddy with themselves over righteous blast beats from hell.... Hail the Danza. Hail the slap.

Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza on The Tony Danza Show:

Get the Fuck Back Together, Idiots: Give Up the Ghost

A few nights ago, the Spleen and I were having a few words with each other via cellular communication, and something was brought up about the band Give Up the Ghost. At this point, it was noticed that neither of us could figure out what exactly happened to them. Did they break up for good? Was it a hiatus? Were they fighting the hockey mask killer on that space station from Jason X? Well, it turns out they broke up for good. This may be old news to some, but the breakup isn’t the point of this article, so everyone can relax for a second. The point is, we want the jokers to get back together!

I guess health and personal issues were sited for the Ghost’s death. I don’t really know the details, but it’s probably about time they got some shit going. We miss the sing along choruses. We miss the raw energy put into every song (even as American Nightmare, A.N., American Nothing, and whatever other names they came up with before GUtG). We want to hear the jams that made us pump our fists in the air and scream along. Don’t deny us any longer! It just isn’t fair.

Hell, after that lawsuit against Fall Out Boy was filed for stealing your lyrics, you guys can probably even buy some new equipment. Oh, and good job for sticking it to those guyliner pussies. You should have sued them out of house and home. I would love to see Pete begging me for change on the sidewalk. I wouldn’t piss on that douche if he was on fire, let alone give him money so he could continue to create the shit they call music. Dude, you fucking play bass for a pussycore band. You aren’t a bad-ass. Go try and kill yourself again, and this time, do it right.

Anyway, we just want the kind sirs from Give Up the Ghost to start writing some new choons. Make sure to play Chicago and New York when you do. I’ll give you money from my wallet.

Here's a live look at the band playing "Love American" in Iceland aka Land of Ice.

Dispatches from Powerviolence: Hot Water Music Reunion Tour

That’s right, loyal readers, HWM is getting back together for a reunion tour! There is really nothing in this world that could be more fucking gnar, unless we could manage to get Jello Biafra on the presidential ballot. Shit, I still say this Hot Water tour is more hella. So why did the boys decide to reunite? They say that it is to help bring attention to their new release of B-sides and singles on No Idea Records called “Till the Wheels Fall Off,” but I think they just realized that the world needs a little bit more rock in it. We here at the Belly certainly agree, so mad props to Hot Water for bringing what we want. In true HWM fashion, everything is pretty much up in the air at this point. Those boys sure don’t like to get shit figured out. So, as it stands, there are only three stops right now. They say they don’t have a limit on how many shows will be played, but they haven’t really bothered to think about it either.

So go see them if they stop in your town or anywhere within 200 miles of your town. Check out the album, too. It drops January 22nd. They obviously read our site, since we did a “Get the Fuck Back Together, Idiots” on them a little while back. Right now it’s just a tour, but let’s hope for some new jams. On their site, they answered a few questions about all this mayhem, and one was whether or not they are going to begin working on some new stuff. The answer simply said, “We haven’t even rehearsed the old shit yet.” That’s still not a “no.” Keep your fingers crossed.

Tickets go on sale November 10th.

Here are the current dates:
January 19 - House of Blues (Orlando, FL)
January 25 – Starland Ballroom (Sayerville, NJ)
February 2 – Metro (Chicago, IL) Booyah!

Check the HWM site for updates.
Hot Water Music Site

Here's the video for "Paper Thin."

Everyone Say Hello to Our Newest Guilty Party... Bonesaw.

Hey there, Belly Full of Hellions. About me: all you need to know is that I was cool enough to be invited to contribute to this blog by Spleen Latifa and The Hellion, I can write words to form sentences (kinda), and I like heavy music. [Editor Spleen's note: "And her knowledge of all things powerviolence can shred your face off, doucher... eat that, fatboy."]

To get a sense of my tastes, here's my "Heavy Rotation" playlist for the week:

1. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works
2. Between The Buried and Me - Colors
3. Animosity - Animal
4. Horse The Band - A Natural Death
5. Cannibal Corpse - Kill
6. The Black Dahlia Murder - Nocturnal
7. The Melvins - (A) Senile Animal
8. Pentagram - First Daze Here
9. Casket Architects - Skull Persuasion
10. Panthers - The Trick

And to match The Hellion's and Spleen Latifa's "even gnar as children" photo, I've posted a pic of me in the 6th grade. I'm wearing the Guns N' Roses shirt, my BFF at the time is in the Metallica tee... proof that I had an appetite for destruction at age 10. [Editor Spleen's note: "Take that, ya gnarfucks."]