HORRIBLEFEST ATE

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Horriblefest is upon us once again, and as I pack the company car, empty the Termbo petty cash box and put the “Gone Fishin’” sign up in the office for the rest of the week, I’m reminded of all the past fun I’ve had down there in good ol’ Clev-O. Paul, Russ and the rest of the staff/help run as tight a ship as possible during a weekend-long bender and I’ve never been less than entertained by the entertainment, musical and otherwise. Eels, clowns, cars being dismantled by barbarians, nudity of all sorts, hot tubbin’, you name it. Yet every year my favorite part of the fest is having one more chance to see America’s Greatest Rock’n’Roll Band, HOMOSTUPIDS, play one of their always inspired sets. I originally wrote this up for inclusion in an issue on Negative Guest List and I’ll especially miss Brendon this weekend.

(RK)’s TOP HOMOSTUPIDS HORRIBLEFEST PERFORMANCES

#7) Horriblefest 2 – this one gets ranked last because I missed their set. I’m told they played up in the front corner of the bar where the video game console is now. One of my biggest regrets…

#6) Horriblefest 7 – this one ranks low on the list, but it’s my own fault. I was not on top of my game and forgot to get posted up in the basement early to get a good spot. I ended up heading downstairs right when they started and got stuck in the back of the room and couldn’t see shit. I suck.

#5)Horriblefest 6 – now this was a great Club Atlantis set, I got down there early and got a cozy spot right next to the band. They played the songs great and I think the lights were turned off part of the time. The crowd was really fun and no one was injured. Well done.

#4) Horriblefest 5 – this year they played the actual bar stage (which wasn’t a real stage yet), which is a setting that has produced some of the most visceral sets I’ve had the pleasure of seeing at Now That’s Class. It’s a real intimate setting, but also a real problem space-wise. Somehow I was fortunate and ended up getting pushed into sitting on the bar with a row of barstools protecting me, allowing me to watch kids destroy themselves in the “pit” without actually getting any drool on me. The fellas really hit a home run this year and the crowd was an entertaining mess.

#3) Horriblefest 4 – I think that the guys in Homostupids are truly humble fellows who are probably uncomfortable with some of the accolades people (like myself) lump on them. They usually try and play the tiniest spaces of the bar, but at HF4 they played the big stage (or at least the floor in front of it) and they were fucking spectacular. The crowd was totally into it and very responsive and I think the boys in the band seemed every bit as capable of filling that large room with their beautiful music as they are cramming it into the dampest corner of the bar. They owned it this year, perhaps the most triumphant Homostupids set I have ever seen.

#2) Horriblefest 1 – I will always remember this one fondly, as it was my first Homostupids experience. They played at the Blacklist Gallery (which was a great venue) and I knew nothing about them except that someone from 9 Shocks Terror was in the band. They played early if I remember right and they completely killed me. I thought they sounded like some kind of AmRep band at the time, but it might just have been the magic in the air that night. I think the power trio set up, Steven’s confident bass lines and Josh’s aggressive guitar assault had me thinking that. After the set I approached one of them and asked if they had any music available and was told to maybe check their Myspace page, they weren’t really sure about it though. A few weeks later ‘The Glow’ demo showed up in my mailbox.

#1) Horriblefest 3 – Living through this set was like coming back from WWII with all your limbs still intact. They played the bar area, but sort of where that big table is now, basically blocking the front door. I think this might be the angriest set I’ve ever seen the band play, and the crowd responded to it. Total brutality, people were getting destroyed left and right, it was like participating in a Battle Royal while trying to watch your favorite band play. The boys seemed pissed about something, they abused the crowd as much as I’ve ever seen them, and we were probably asking for it. I think Steven launched his bass into the audience at one point. It was total fucking destruction, but also immensely fun as I thankfully lived through it. I can’t say I wasn’t concerned for my well being at points, but sometimes that’s part of the thrill, right?

So that’s my rundown. Thanks to the ‘stupids for such great songs and sets and I look forward to seeing where they play this year. Outside? In the upstairs apartment? On the bar? In the ladies room? Wherever they decide, I’ll be there, and I’m positive it will be great.

Horriblefest starts this Thursday, if there’s any event in the world I could endorse, this would be it. Check out the full line-up here, buy advance tickets here , and check out Now That’s Class here . And be sure to visit My Mind’s Eye and Hausfrau Records while you have some downtime. I’ll see you guys there.

horriblecar

DEMO(LITION) ZONE

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With the help of Mr. Fuji we finally waded through a half ton of tapes and even reviewed a bunch of them. Thanks to all who submitted, drop us a line if we forgot anything – there are few we kept aside for an upcoming blog update – and we’ll get it sorted out. Upcoming: long-promised interviews, record reviews, a Horriblefest preview and Issue #30.

DEMOLITION

REVIEWS MARCH

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It took a bit longer than I’d hoped, but here are this month’s reviews. Some older records, some newer, and we’ve still got more. Up next is a very needed Demo Zone//Tape Delay update and then more record reviews after that. Maybe some actual “blogging” as well. We’ll see how it goes. Three weeks behind instead of three months behind is a victory at this point. We’ll have some interviews and other surprises soon as well. Thats all for now, we’ll be back real soon.

INTERNATIONAL VOMIT

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Firstly, I’d like to sincerely thank everyone who was kind enough to donate to 2013′s Termbo Telethon, which was a great success and allowed us to pay the bills for yet another year. Your generosity is greatly appreciated and allows us to keep Termbo ad-free. Secondly, RK made a huge oversight when compiling his Best of 2012 list by forgetting the intrepid “fan club” president who released the Solid Space “Space Museum” cassette on vinyl early in the year, which was undoubtedly the best fan club release of the year. Sorry about that, whoever you are. Finally, we have the first installment of a great new column called INTERNATIONAL VOMIT by our pal Mattt, which will delve into the underbelly of cinema alongside Rob Vertigo’s TV AS EYES. Matt starts us off with The Recurring Dreams of Jean Rollin, which is just Part One of a series covering Rollin’s considerable body of work. Look for Part Two soon. We’re hoping to feature more film and book coverage this year alongside our usual music spiels, so if any of you out there have some ideas please contact the editor. On deck: reviews, FNU Ronnies, White Load and perhaps a “full issue” update if all goes well…

TWINS TWINS TWINS

BAZOOKA VS. BAZOOKA

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Forgot I had this one sitting in the “to finish” stack. I have a few more blog posts to get off the desk this week and then we’ll post some stuff about our favorite records of 2012. This one was (or is) going to be the first in a series where bands with the same or similar names square off…and don’t forget to check the new reviews section out while it’s still warm…

bazookafuckBazooka “I Want To Fuck All the Girls In My School” 7”
Slovenly Records continues their European campaign of releasing garage records from countries that are notorious for not having the best in…taste, for lack of a better word. Italy, The Netherlands and now Greece. I wasn’t entirely impressed by the Acid Baby Jesus record, who are apparently the best Greek band since uh…fuck, can anyone out there even name a fucking Greek band? Socrates Drank the Conium is all I can come up with off the top of my head. For some reason I think there was a Greek metal scene of some size…whatever, not important. Bazooka have some ties to ABJ obviously, as how many garage-punks can there actually be there? The title cut takes a Fang riff and plays it through an A-Frames effects-pedal to give it that robot sound and cut it with a poppier chorus part that breaks in with an Intelligence-like vibe. The guitar part gets a bit hypnotizing/nauseating after repeated listens, which is good. The singer really hams it up to fit in with the wacky title concept. Not bad, and easier to remember than any ABJ song. “Monkey Town” is a more straightforward rocker, although they didn’t forget to add copious amounts of reverb. Let’s call it a European approach to Thee Ohsees style. B-Side (“Tingle”) goes for more of the same, with a…get this…TINGLY guitar part, but it has a more rocked out and hookier chorus which makes it the best song on the record. When put up against some of the other bands on the Slovenly roster (The Anomalys, Sultan Bathery, JC Satan) or their pals Acid Baby Jesus (and their side project Gay Anniversary, who are as bad as their name suggests going by their bandcamp songs), this is actually pretty rockin’. If you’re a fan of bands that have two drummers that makes them sound just like a band with one drummer, then this is right up your alley. Or if you’re huge fan of Italian garage-rock and want to step up your game to B level rock, this is all you. Ah, I’m being too harsh, I know…I’m just fucking around, this is a pretty good Eurorokker worth a few of your drachmas. (RK)
(Slovenly Records // www.slovenly.com)

bazookadustyBazooka “Jupiter” 7”
Thomas Function had a moment or two, I’ll admit, but then I think they kind of got beat at their own game by Harlem. Bazooka have the singer (Josh Macero) from T-Func (whose voice was an acquired taste when faced with extended listening time)playing alongside one of those kids from Amber Alerts (whose 7” was a nice slice of gutter-slop on Jeth-Row), and “Jupiter” sounds a lot like Thomas Function’s pop-rock and regrettably not like Amber Alerts snot-rocking, but what can ya do. It’s a well-written and played garage-popper, without the weird little touches TF peppered their songs with early on. The B-Side, “Back To You” (jeez, no one’s ever used that song title before…), is so fucking jangly you might mistake it as being from Wisconsin before the “na-na-na” chorus kicks in and drives a nail into your forehead. Fuck this shit. I feel bad for the chicken on the sleeve of this. That guy had no say in whether or not he wanted to be associated with pseudo-country hogwash like this. It’s not right. (RK)
(Dusty Medical // www.dustymedical.com)

WINNER: Greek Bazooka win this one by a wide margin, because they rocked OK and the B-Side of Alabama Bazooka’s single made me want to take a lighter to it. The Greeks also got points for better artwork and being on a label with a guy named BAZOOKA JOE as its manager/distro dude. I liked that ‘bama ‘zooka had an Amber Alerts connection (because any band on Jeth-Row Records is pure gold), but they squandered that opportunity. The Greeks bring one home, I wish them the best with that economy thing as well. Tune in next time for Fag Cop vs. White Cop…

WINTER IS HERE

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I’ll try and keep this brief. Here’s a new heap of reviews just under the 2012 wire. We have a LOT more ready to go as well, but I had to cut the cord on this installment, which I should have done a month ago. It’s just hard to let go when there’s so much you want to include…I listened to the Toy Love live 2XLP twice tonight while working on the site, then realized I forgot to put it in this update – repeat that frustration x20, and that’s pretty much why this shit takes so long… We’ll have more posted very soon, as well some Best of 2012 reporting as well. If your release did not appear in this update, firstly I apologize profusely, and secondly drop the editor a line and he’ll give an excuse/explanation. I assure you many more records were (and are currently being) reviewed but we just didn’t have any more time this go-round. As I always say, we’ll be more frequently updating the blog in coming weeks (our New Year’s resolution for five years running…) with some interviews and articles and hopefully cleaning off the desk of 2012′s stragglers quickly enough. Thanks for being patient, as always. We appreciate everyone who reads Termbo, sends materials in for review and the staff who put up with the editor’s general dumb-assery. A lack of enthusiam by anyone involved is certainly not what holds up our updates, it’s finding time, which will hopefully in more plentiful supply in 2013. Happy New Year.

TAPE DELAYED

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Just when I think I’m starting to catch up on things I realize I haven’t actually updated the blog/site in nearly two months. Shit. Things are certainly busy around HQ, we have piles of reviews here ready to post, the first of which is a long overdue run at the TAPE DELAY/DEMO ZONE section. There’s still a few more in the can, but I had to cut the cord just to get something finished, so if you sent in some tapes recently, fret not, we have more coming soon. I also had to leave out the “Printed Matter” section this time, to be used as a solo update in the coming weeks as well. I had originally planned for Phase I of the End-of-Times update barrage (which begins now) to be the actual record review section, but we had a mishap here at the office which resulted in a rather large file full of reviews to be lost, which was completely morale-crushing, so we switched gears to the Demo Zone at the last minute just so the editor would stop sobbing every time he looked at the page-in-progress. We’re attempting to re-create those lost reviews as we speak, and hoping to have a full-on reviews section shortly. As always, thanks for your patience, if you have questions/comments please contact the editor. And it wouldn’t be a blog post without me promising that the updates will be more frequent from now on. A man’s gotta dream. We’ll talk again soon…

TYYYYYYYYVEK

LOCALS ONLY

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V/A White Whale/Mallwalkers split 7”
White Whale side has two short ones with a rougher recording quality than the ‘No Solace’ 7” that fits the rapid-fire tunes and shows off the punker side of the Whale. The idea behind Mallwalkers sounds terrible on paper – a six-piece collision of funk/soul, New Wave and Post-Punk with a horn section and a guy singing into a telephone handset. Recipe for disaster, but I shit you not when I say it works out great. “Won’t You Dance With Me?” combines surfy guitar, bubbling bass and full-on brass attack (with a saxbleat solo that evens gives it a little No Wave flavor) into a herky New Wave whiteboy-groove that will definitely get things moving on the floor. I think the singer sounds just like the guy from The Hates, and the lyrics are certainly not going to blow minds, but danceable hits like this need that simple phrasing. “Lo-Fi Losers” exceeds expectations again with an organ grind that suddenly morphs into a guitarline that leads this punkified horn stomper. This one’s a real fist pumper, with more A-plus bass playing towing the party boat. This isn’t the cheese-funk or lame ska-style shinola your mind might be conjuring up images of. It’s not even Big Boys covering Kool & the Gang. It’s post-punk dance music, I guess…my difficulty coming up with a handy description should be seen as a good thing. That they execute these songs with good taste is quite a feat. I’m glad they’re up to the challenge, and I eagerly await more. Scum stats: 330 copies. (RK)
(Feral Kid // www.feralkidrecords.com)
(Subject // www.subjectrecords.bigcartel.com)

Human Touch s/t 7”
Newer Buffalonian quartet, playing fastpunk jammers with off-the-rails girl vox. A-Side packs in four tracks on the more hardcore side, velocity-wise. “Youth Prison” has some agile tempo-changes, “Skeletons” sounds like the young lady laid down her vocal track in the midst of a nervous breakdown (which is a good thing, at least music-wise, but I hope she’s okay though), “Cold Hands, Cold Hearts” has a touch of keyboard and a lil’ breakdown for semi-hard pitting and “Blank Page” finishes with a brief mosher. The B-Side has only the (theme?) song “Human Touch”, a more mid-tempo indie-rocker that seems a bit restrained. Recording is clean, almost too clean – the guitar sound is pretty bland and something tougher or even louder would have given this some needed bite. As it stands, it’s the vocals that save this from being pretty generic. The band can certainly play, but I wish they sounded as wild as the vox so she doesn’t have to shoulder so much of the load. Scum stats: 320 copies, silkscreened sleeves. (RK)
(Feral Kid Records // www.feralkidrecords.com)
(One Percent Press // www. onepercentpress.com)

White Whale “No Solace” 7”
Third single from White Whale, the current full-time project of the driving forces behind the now defunct Everything Falls Apart. One song per side, with “No Solace” being another of their Hot Snakes-esque guitar rockers, full of angsty riffing and having a decent hook. B-Side (“Waxing”) slows things way down for an emotive and mature indie tune. I’m never a fan of bands slowing down or maturing, but I also think White Load released two of the best records of the year, so you know my head is in the shitter. It’s recorded wonderfully, but I’d still recommend either of their earlier singles if you want to give them a shot. This one does have their best artwork though, with a clever obi-strip-like presentation that actually serves a purpose instead of just being a strip of paper that gets in the way when you want to listen to the record. Scum stats: 320 copies, silkscreened art and insert with a picture from a show I actually think I was at, which is always cool. (RK)
(Feral Kid Records // www.feralkidrecords.com)
(One Percent Press // www. onepercentpress.com)

Rational Animals “Gabrielle” 7”
Rotcore’s most popular act (outside of Monroe County at least), with their first release since their breakout LP from last year. A-Side is their song-about-a-girl, and it’s mid-tempo chug with a lackluster solo, at least for the standard Will has established on previous outings. Seems like one of those formulaic songs where a band decides they need to write a catchy A-Side, but just doesn’t execute it well. One of the few times these cats have let me down. “Eating My Words” makes up for it on the flip, with a slowed down thrash riff and the type of guitar chug I expect from this guy, full-on whammy bar action, dropped/cracked note soling and a tripped out overall feel. It starts off slow and then they slow it down more for a real queasy finale. Creeping and crawling. Now that’s a song. If you’ve been dying for a new record by these kids, this is still a winning situation for you – even if the A-Side’s a bit of clunker, it ain’t terrible, and the flip is a choice cut. This record looks fucking great too, with the front being Nic’s version of the Sub Pop singles club aesthetic and the back cover designed by Rotcore overlord Brett “Bad Taste” Kucharski himself. Scum stats: part of Cowabunga’s Sick Club (full details here), which means a single press of 500 (which will surely sell out), with 100 on color for subscribers only. (RK)
(Cowabunga Records // www.cowabungarecords.com)

The Narcs “Long Hot Summer” 7”
Second EP from Rotchester sketch-lords The Narcs. I never really thought their first single did them justice (and they’ll forever be one of those bands whose live presence will never be rightfully captured on wax), but this six-song outing does them much better. Title cut is all riffs and snot, “High Robot” is hilariously dumb “concept” punk (a retarded A-Frames take from a band that I’m 99% sure have never heard the A-Frames) that could even pass for a younger and dumber Spits, and the epic “Rat Bone” is a live set favorite with a bouncy guitar/bass thump rev-up that turns to total level 11 punkitude (“I don’t grow up, I throw up!”) and then devolves into a sleaze jam breakdown. One of their best songs, lyrically and musically. Shwag Side kicks off with the retardo-blues-punker “Mobile Jail” which has terrible harmonica playing and a slip-n-slide solo. “R.O.T. Blood” is another live set shit-kicker and “Slime” is guitar punkola ala Livefastdie, but these kids aren’t joking. A far better sampling of The Narcs’ wares this time around, if you were let down by the first single this one is a far better representation of Rotcore’s most dangerous outfit. And do not ever miss them should they play within 100 miles of your town. Scum stats: first 50 on blue flavored vinyl.(RK)
(Cowabunga Records // www.cowabungarecords.com)

Flip Shit “Outgoing Rockers” EP
Debut vinyl from young shavers Flip Shit and the first record released by the Reel Time empire in a bit, and I’m glad to see the label back on track. Brett must have spent the downtime saving up money for the packaging on this thing: brown paper company sleeves that must have been a pain in the ass to get printed (including a clever “hooks” graphic and ‘The Quality Cut’ logo), inserts that were printed on loose leaf paper to look like they were scribbled with a pencil during study hall (complete with individual lipstick kisses on each copy) and the outer sleeves themselves have three-color screening on the absolute thickest pocket sleeves I’ve ever seen. Musically, Flip Shit are Rotcore incarnate. Young, loud and sloppy. Six songs spread thick over both sides, full of rat-a-tat drumming and guitar shred, some of which carry the mandatory Rotcore surf-twang inflection, jabber jawing vocals and bucketloads of piss and drool. From “Stoop Rock” into “Watch Your Mouth” they remind me of the modern WNY version of Suicidal Tendencies, barfing out anti-authoritarian hate-anthems perfect for dropping into either the pit or the pool. B-Side opener “America” has the hottest licks as they try to play fast enough to spontaneously combust. “End It All” is Living In Darkenss-era Agent Orange on poppers and “Shit Out of Luck” is DK-influenced punk without any of the smarts. Hailing from the outlying Rochester burg of Hilton, where the “real punks” apparently live, and which is home to two more of my favorite current Rotcore acts (sharing members with Flip Shit), Beastman and Crue Pie, who I hope have records out soon (or just someday at all). Scum stats: 300 copies only, with aforementioned bonkers packaging which is worth the price of admission alone. (RK)
(Reel Time Records // reeltimerecordss.bigcartel.com)

Gas Chamber “Modern Vision of the Erect Nightmare” EP
I’ve never been a fan of much power-violence, and even though Gas Chamber’s lineage comes from some of Buffalo’s most legendary acts in that particular frame of reference (They Live, Slavestate, Running for Cover), they’ve gone beyond whatever genre confines that nametag might apply to music. Their last EP was a stunning example of what can (and should) simply be called brute force hardcore. Truly heavy music, with an attention to aesthetic that I admire and wish more bands possessed. Deep thought taken with thetotal package is evident here. Painstakingly detailed art and design that is relevant and part and parcel to the music. The cover image, taken from a 1970s suicide at Buffalo’s city hall where a jumper impaled himself on a flag pole, is immediately striking. The insert is a panoramic photo, shot from the observation deck where the dead man probably sat before hurling himself into the wind. The music, well it’s all atmosphere and concept. Wrapped around both sides is one long “song”, beginning with some circuit-bending noise, nearly industrial, which cuts off into a metallic dirge with violently barked vocals (one thing I’ve never understood is taking the time to write some profound words, and then bark them out nearly unintelligibly, but I guess that’s what lyric sheets are for) about uh…violence and suffering and the futility of life and architecture. Common themes for a band operating in this arena, sure, but done with more gravitas than just pulling images of war atrocities from some history book and rendering them in black and white. The piece segues back into the noisy echo which bridges the sides, becomes a bit less industrial and more of a haunting electric hum, with more bloody gargling of lyrics over this moody subliminal electric pulse and an ominous sound that begins to make its presence felt, like girders bending or the creaking of a submarine’s steel hull that you’d hear when all is quiet twenty thousand leagues under. The record then bleeds out into a delicate acoustic guitar coda. It’s quite ambitious, and more of high concept art project than the hardcore of their previous efforts. I admire the tenacity with which they brought their ideas to fruition, and the last time I saw them live my jaw and mind were totally dropped by what I can only refer to as prog-power-violence. This is not a record I will be spinning when I’m in need of some tunes, but it is a work of art I’m glad to own and can see myself re-visiting. If more bands had the attention to detail and depth of vision that Gas Chamber have I’d have a lot less to bitch about in most of the reviews I write these days. Scum stats: 500 copies.(RK)
(Nerve Altar // nervealtar.blogspot.com)

Utah Jazz s/t 7”
Long-anticipated (‘round these parts at least) debut waxing from Buffalo’s wyldest three-piece unit. For non-locals, you’ve got one part Brown Sugar, one part Mayday and one part gal drummer who played in some heavier-style outfits the names of which will just go over yer head if you don’t live in the 716. If you were hip enough to grab their demo, you get some tunes from that re-done and a couple more winners, five knockouts all told. Twin-guitar twang instrumental “Lookin’ Like Howwywood” hits a lead-off single which they drive home with “Florida”, here given the deluxe treatment with some flute soloing that’ll have people thinking the Jazz have listened to an Ohsees record or two, and I can assure they have, but this is more rock than psych – guitars run lines in and around each other while, get this, the girl actually sings(!). Stellar stuff. B-Side gets all punk and shit, “Media Schlitz” has some real shitkicking drum action under the guitar dueling, “Contact Low” keeps the pace manic, “Seeing the Eye Doctor” is garage-jam-punk-tastic. These kids have a ton of tunes in the can, expect more action soon. There are times when I think the Jazz are better than any of the participant’s “main” bands. Which is a tall order, and certainly makes the record one of the best Buffalo has to offer for export these days. Scum stats: 500 copies, 25 copy special edition record release sleeve. (RK)
(Media Schlitz // mediaschlitz-at-gmail.com)