This week's unedited music review by moi... Did I just use French? Christ, I better go shower...

In our tech-savvy 21st Century, the ease with which to pick up new, quality tunes from unheard of bands is never more than a click away. However, the battle for your ears is also being waged on the airwaves with the stalwart last bastion of good radio coming from college campuses. Hastings’ own KFKX is certainly no exception with several shows giving bands a three minute shot at winning your heart both local and nationwide. The X’s wise investment in the nationally syndicated “mp3.com Download Show” is perhaps the most accessible to the Bronco poor in pockets and picky in CD purchasing. Creating a playlist off the popular artist-direct website mp3.com, The Download Show picks up unsigned and unheard of bands and deliver their tunes to hundreds of college campuses all in the pursuit of breaking the next big thing.
Perhaps the finest success story of The Download Show and mp3.com is Lucky 7, a San Diego pop-punk quartet that has seized rockstardom by the mouse with a business model giving the band 1.5 million downloads long before they even considered a professional studio recording.
Released on California’s latest punk indie label Omega Records, Lucky 7’s debut self-titled album is representative of the Southern California punk scene, not too hard and not too soft. Bringing balls to the Blink 182 earache, Lucky 7 demonstrate with their hit single “California Girl” that it is in fact possible to produce mainstream emo that gets heard without losing soul and without a major label deal. “Be The One” and “Come Monday” further forward the band’s mainstream thesis, combining a sound that might be likened to Lit with the percussive punk punch of Green Day.
Though the praises of these SoCal independent rockers are easy to sing, “Lucky 7” is not a straight forward listen. You’ll find yourself guiltlessly foregoing poor attempts at sensitivity like “2000 Miles” and “Gray Summer Day.” Though the record does have a few decidedly pretentious excuses for ballads that kill repeated listening, the weighty 15 track album gives plenty quality for the mere $12 pricetag.
Who Should Listen: If you’ve always wanted to give punk a try but never had an ear for Newfound Glory, Lucky 7 is a quick and inexpensive introduction.
Who Should Buy: Good Charlotte fans, there’s more where that came from.
Where to Go: www.mp3.com/lucky7, select Hot Topic stores, Monday 5-7pm KFKX 90.1.
Grade: B-

I hope you find some time to drop a note.
But if you won't, then you won't.

And I will consider you gone.

Those on the port side... are going down...
Tonight was the (r)ocktober finale. Looking back at the month, it seems really goddamned long. But, perhaps that is because I've been measuring time in terms of shows. In the past, shows would have weeks, even months apart. Tonight was the 10th show we've had this month, so in rockstar time almost a full year has passed in a single lunar cycle. It just feels like its been forever since we started this thing. In terms of experience and musical expression, perhaps it has been as it has been an amazingly educational adventure that taught me a lot about the business of rocking as well as rock technique. This is the sort of boot camp that I think we should put ourselves through to become serious musicians.

Those starboard side... are going down...
Fiber Optic Pumpkin reared its technologically gourdial head again tonight, with much success. The take of "Thunderheads and Regrets" that has been eluding recording since its authorship was finally achieved tonight; a meaning the song has never possessed. Perhaps that is the true lesson to be learned from (r)ocktober... That finding something new in music is vital to keeping us vital, keeping us sharp and new and fresh and fun and everything that people want in a good song. If you witnessed tonight's show, it was a conceit yet again. But, fortunately, I think it was a conceit that was also very entertaining as all the songs sounded great and it was very clear both Howie and I were having a fun time.

I don't know what we were thinking but we're going down...
Many thanks to howie&scott and, more importantly, Howie and Scott for doing this. This has been the best electric mayhem to be had anytime. May the road rise to meet us in the future... and hopefully the road be shared by both us.

Spent a good portion of the last couple hours doing some production work for the double live record due to the website before 25 December. Our Christmas gift to our fans, it will be an official mp3-only release for all our allies in rock who have helped us along the way. What's that? You want more? Well, the other half of the double live will be firmly occupied by our colleagues, friends, and brothers in rock howie&scott. Some really cool cross-blending is going on, and particularly from the Shaft side, it is sounding damn choice.
So, my MP3 player caught on fire like 2 months of ago, so I've been without tunes in my car for the entire tour. That's right, some 1000 miles driving around the Midwest with nothing but my thoughts to keep me company. Not precisely a fun time. The hope is that I am getting it back this week, though the UPS man seems to have difficulty delivering it to the College. I can certainly understand that, since its only the biggest fucking recipient of packages in the entire town! Jesus. You would think I was living in fucking Afghanistan with a horde of Taliban militants in a goddamned cave fortress built expressly to keep packages from arriving to their intended destination. All I want is music in my car.

Show #8 was a bit of a selfish jaunt, allowed only because we have rocked so much for the masses this month. Being that I was without JC and Howie was without Scott, we formed for the night a dynamic duo of blend rock dubbed "Fiber Optic Pumpkin." Being the inaugural incarnation of this ill-fated group, it was marked by playing exclusively covers... both from howie&scott and Arturo Got The Shaft. However, some history is in order.
Last night, after the killer Blue Moon show and saying good night to Scott, we came back to Casa del Rob and proceeded to do some production work on the double live record. After a bit, it became clear that we needed some fuel to power our decisions in rock, so we took a long jaunt around town in search of some chow. Somewhere between the discovery that Sun-Mart is no longer 24 hour (damn!) and the use of a lego cockpit for a spoon (rock!), I asked Howie if he'd play drums with me for my set at the show, to which he replied we should just play together and switch back and forth. The decision certainly was for the better.
Certainly one of the highlights of my evening was our collective creeping of the stoners who showed up for the show. Seven people were gathered around with totally dazed looks on their faces, clearly indicating they were all high as kites. Never one to pass an opportunity, I told Howie to play as creepy as humanly possible and we went into a scary rendition of "Happy Happy, Joy Joy" from Ren and Stimpy. Three people ran away scared, two people cowered in paralyzing fear, and one person laughed so hard I thought he was going to pee. It was one of many fantastic moments.
However, the real treat for me was hearing Howie's contributions to some clear Shaft songs... It was a gift of music that really touched me, and I sincerely hope that I get to share some of it with you soon. Three down, one to go. (r)ocktober finale the 26th in Omaha... Forewarned is forearmed.

Weekend #3 and Show #7 on the (r)ocktober Death March of Punk Rock was completed with all due hardness tonight, and in the new Blue Moon location in Hastings, no less. It's always great to be back home and rocking for our hometown crowd. And what a hometown crowd it was, at that. Though I committed some errors the likes of which I have never committed before (which subsequently caused me much laughter), the H-town homeboys and girls stepped up to the plate and shot one out of the park right along the foul line for both us and howie&scott.
After the show, Howie and I egressed and holed ourselves up with my computer to begin the long, arduous production work that goes into making this live release a success. We are all really excited about the venture, as I believe it is going to be some really, really high quality considering our upstart status in the rock business.
Which brings me to contemplation of the amazing amount of luxury the Shaft in particular has at such an early juncture in our rock careers... This is a luxury that is supplied largely through our very supportive fanbase and, even more so, through the wonderful people we call friends in rock. It's good to be in this game with such good people; it makes all the difference in the world.

Just finishing up my fall break at Hastings College, which was spent largely catching up on sleep. The past two weeks I've found have just flown by... And I've been barely aware of it. With these huge rock-filled weekends I've only really been doing homework and rocking in various methods and means.
And I've been having a blast. I absolutely love it. These past two weeks have been fantastic; recording with Mistaken, playing with howie&scott, and doing a metric shit-ton of reasonably challenging studying. Can life be much better? I don't think so.

More (r)eflections on the weekend that was...
So, last night continued the trend of poor attendance Fridays being followed by amazing Saturday shows. And continue it how.
The day's musical offerings in terms of (r)ocktober began in the afternoon with a howie&scott benefit show for the (hopefully soon-to-be) Crete Skate Park. In attendance were about 100-150 skaters of varying ages and degrees of performance, but all with the same attentive reception to rock. With Scott, unfortunately, being occupied with Doane College responsibilities, Howie asked me to step in on drums and play the hour and a half set with him. I, of course, could not refuse. Playing a bunch of punk and h&s tracks, I really had a blast. Secretly, I've always held a desire to play a howie&scott cover set a la Cheap Trick and Meatloaf, so the offer was a real treat. I am quite obviously no Scott in terms of percussive ability to rock, but we and the skate kids knocked around the Pamida parking lot a bit, raising some support for a great cause in the process. But that was merely a precursor to what was to come...
After cramming all three of us and our gear into Howie's Nissan's Stanza, a grey hatchback of no considerable size, we made the egress to Omaha to rock the 13th Street Coffee Company. After getting more intimate with Scott's bongos than I ever would have preferred, we arrived to our destination relaxed and mentally focused. Though many psychological factors (such as real life cops on horses and a large number of prom dressed teenagers) were attempting to dissuade our Jedi Master-like determination, the Force of our rock prevailed as we set up the rock strike with a precision almost surgical in nature.
Though the crowd was very welcoming and kind, it is important to note that they were likely not expecting and have not heard anything like the Shaft before. I was initially quite anxious and admittedly a little nervous that my solo opening show was going to completely destroy attendence for howie&scott's headline. This, however, turned out to be a trivial concern. Those in attendance proved completely and finally that coffeeshops can, in fact, rock with a severity comparable to any other venue we've visited on this long joint venture. I believe that show was the best solo musical performance I've ever given. Everything seemed to fall together into this almost cosmic coincidence that turned our collective focus and energy into a heated room smoking with ever permeating sound of rock.
This phenomenon continued with howie&scott's *phenomenal* set. With several songs performed the best that I have ever seen them, Omaha was the center of a musical connection that has been higher than ever before on the (r)ocktober tour. "Broken Anger" was the best I have ever heard and "Where Will I Alight" established the band's sound permanently in the minds of those who attended.
Huge thanks go to the venues, howie&scott, and, above all, the fans who came out to listen to us. Two weekends down, two weekends to go. And it is only getting better and better with time.

Well, it's the one week anniversary of playing a show at a venue with little or no promotion... So we celebrate it the only way that we know how: play another show at a venue with little or no promotion.
Many thanks for the few fine folk who did come out and ravenously take in the meager amounts of rock that were to be had. All in all, aside from attendance, it was one of my better solo performances. I don't think I'll ever get really good at playing by myself; but I do think I am getting better and I was pleased with how it stood up tonight.
One thing that I would like to share about being on tour is that sleep is the most valuable commodity. Gold, platinum, cash, food, shelter... These can all be forgone for the promise of healthy, natural, and uninterrupted sleep. After last week's long drive, the promise for some quality, if brief, sleep is imminent... a promise that I intend to fully take advantage of now.
Again, thanks for coming out folks. The foundation is laid. The Revolution will take over Lincoln.

I'm going to start posting my weekly music reviews in their pre-edited entirety. You can find them as the "Virgin Ears" feature in the Hastings College Collegian.

This week’s music you’ve never heard calls to band with whom anyone who turned on a radio in the late 90’s is somewhat familiar. “That knock on wood” song was a highly requested, if incomprehensibly titled track that burst ska music from the underground to the mainstream for a very brief 15 minutes of fame. But, what has happened to these famous skankers everyone loves but nobody knows?
The answer is: nothing good. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones did not suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fame well. After repeated unsuccessful attempts to pull more hit singles off the band’s breakout record “Let’s Face It,” the plaid-clad Bosstones kicked out a quick live record to help push their two year tour in support of their newfound radio fame. Still riding high on a large mainstream following, the Bosstones cranked out “Pay Attention” in 2000. The year long vacation and the nine months of record production that was invested in “Pay Attention” however seemed to be a poor decision for the band, as the record was met with little acclaim and disappointing sales. Mainstream America forgot about ska as faster that it forgot the hook from “The Impression That I Get.” After the radio stations refused the single and the first three months The Mighty Mighty Bosstones tour was hemorrhaging money from lack of sales, the ska band that started the late 90’s craze was dumped by Mercury Records.
After another year of reorganization and little touring, The Bosstones came back on the scene this past July with “A Jackknife to a Swan” released by the indie label Side One Dummy. The trip to the top seems to have reminded the band of what gave them the fervent cult following that pushed them to the Billboard charts in the first place. Perhaps their most hardcore release since “Don’t Know How To Party,” the new Bosstones record accentuates the band’s ska-core ethic; a brand of ska lacking the feel-good reggae rhythms for favor of Boston street-punk. The result? A ska record that you don’t feel like a sissy for listening to.
The record’s title track clearly exemplifies this and is backed up by the equally beefy “Mr. Moran” (yes, a 3 minute potshot at Jerry) and the party tune “You Gotta Go.” The Mighty Mighty Bosstones also take some time from their political message in this record to bring back the decidedly non-serious tracks that marked their records before “Let’s Face It.” “Go Big” is the inevitable song about their rise to the success, taking the opportunity to make the most enjoyable song on the album a send off to their Top 40 days.
All in all the record is a great Bosstones record. Short, fun, and very punk, “A Jackknife to a Swan” does lack that one fantastic song however. However, sometimes 13 decent songs is preferable to the kind of mid-album garbage that often lays waste to the value of previous Mighty Mighty Bosstones releases.
Who Should Listen: Hey! Remember that “Knock on wood” song? They got a new record out!
Who Should Buy: Hey! Remember the Mighty Mighty Bosstones? They got a new record out!
Where to Go: “A Jackknife to a Swan” in major music stores now. Denver, CO 26 September. Kansas City, MO, 27 September. http://www.bosstones.com
Grade: B+

I need to start a punk band with a van. If you are a punk band with a van, call me. Bands with no vans need not apply.

(r)ocktober log: Stardate 6.10.02

Thought I'd share some of the finer moments of this weekend's killer tour kickoff:

Friday's show at the Alibi began early, with few people in the crowd, so we took the opportunity to play together on stage. Cranking out a few non-rehearsed tracks by Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, and a few others. However, the combined power of our rock clearly couldn't overwhelm the cabaret next door; I guess four rockstars can't trump a plethora of half-naked girls. Yet another rock lesson learned: you can't top barenaked ladies.

Friday night was a bit of a fiasco with 3/4ths of the crew taking shelter at my sister's place in Manhattan. Not actually meeting my sister as she was asleep, we were visited by new friend of the Revolution Matt, who happened to be really, really intoxicated. After coming in and talking with us for a while, he offered the bed of one of his roommates to me as Howie and Scott took the only available couches. This seemed like an excellent plan to me, after all, what kind of touring rockstar would I be if I refused an actual bed to sleep in? Well, it came with its difficulties, I'm afraid. For despite my near-constant effort, a rather determined golden retriever was set on sharing said bed with me. Though the dog was very nice, it also had a tendancy to kick its sleep. The repeated lovetaps on my hip left a bruise that is still a little blue.

Saturday morning we rallied the troops and headed over to the Big Kat 97.5FM to catch up with JC and ended up taking over the radio station over the course of the 1pm hour. With H-dog stepping in for the Howie J. Experience and busting the phat rhyme for a caller, the Geek Rock Revolution was broadcast live for at least a few tender ears.

After the takeover and very nearly getting JC fired (whoops!), we quit the station to Grizzly's to introduce H-dog and Skizott to the finest chicken fried steak I have ever found. Here's a little word of advice to all you fitness fans out there: don't fill up and drive. Once we returned to the Xcalibur we began band versus band Ultimate Frisbee. After getting totally romped 13-6 by howie&scott, The Shaft made the determination that we had better just still to rocking instead of pursuing a career in professional frisbee.

And then finally, the Xcalibur crowd illustrated completely and finally precisely what it means to rock hard. Those in attendance got on their feet and screamed to "It's the End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" so loudly that I actually couldn't hear my guitar over them. An absolutely amazing musical moment in the history of Arturo Got The Shaft.

Oh, all the money that ere I spent.
I spent it in good company.
And all the harm that ere I done...
Alas it was to none... but me.
And all I've done for wont of wit,
To memory now I can't recall.
So fill to me the parting glass,
Good night and joy be with you.

Oh, all the comrades that ere I had,
Are sorry for my going 'way.
And all the sweethearts that ere I had,
Would wish me one more day to stay.
But since it falls unto my lot,
That I should rise...

...and you should not.

I'll gently rise.
And I'll softly call.
Good night, and joy be with you.