POZ Gallery: The Menzingers Summer Tour
Features: The Menzingers, Fake Problems, Captain We’re Sinking, Restorations
Location: Saint Vitus - Brooklyn, NY
Photos By: Hilary J. Corts
*This review was composed by Zac Lomas and edited by Erik van Rheenen
The Menzingers are better than Fall Out Boy. Not only is this statement controversial, but it also comes straight out of left field, since comparing one of this generation’s most celebrated pop-punk band with an up-and-coming punk-revival band is absurd. However, on May 28, both of those bands made the trek into the greater-Buffalo area and that was the choice local punk fans were faced with. Obviously I chose The Menzingers, which proved to be the right choice.
Hot off the release of their LP The Future Is Cancelled, Captain, We’re Sinking donned matching blue tie-dye shirts and kicked off the show with a selection of new tracks and a few old ones. Vocalist and guitarist Bobby Barnett warmed up the crowd with some humorously forced small talk between songs that had the growing audience bobbing their heads. Highlights of their short set included “Here’s To Forever” off of the new album, featuring such wonderful lyrics as, “I can’t remember what I was looking for, but I did find something in myself that I despised.” Combining gritty punk rock with vocals reminiscent of The Hold Steady, Captain, We’re Sinking provided a nice warm-up for the raucous festivities that lay ahead.
Following Captain, We’re Sinking was Restorations, whose brand of indie influenced punk rock added to the overall diversity of this stacked tour. Featuring three guitarists, the band layered intricate guitar melodies over driving riffs to create a sound akin to early Radiohead. If the multitude of guitars wasn’t enough, guitarist Ben Pierce added his own piano flavor on a few tracks in their set, creating a unique live sound, dripping with variety. To top this musical miscellany off was Carlin Brown’s boisterous drumming that provided a fat backbeat to the powerful and poignant songs that Restorations sampled.
Up next were Florida upstarts Fake Problems, who wowed the crowd with their blend of folk-punk, indie, bebop, and everything in between. While vocalist and guitarist Chris Farren was busy blasting away power chords and belting lyrics, bassist Derek Perry was stealing the show with his impeccable bass-playing skills that added the undeniable funk that makes Fake Problems so unique. The band had the near capacity crowd singing along, clapping their hands and even casually dancing in the pit.
Fake Problems and Restorations are out on tour with The Menzingers and Captain, We’re Sinking, and it’s one of the best tours of the summer. We had both bands do a new PropertyOfZack Playlist feature, and we’re stoked to post it. Check out their Playlists below while listening to the songs on Spotify and reading everyone’s thoughts!
Restorations - D
This record packs so much power and energy it’s ridiculous. Every time I listen to this song I want to (and feel like I actually could) run through a brick wall. Beyond excited to hear them play every night.
The National - Anyone’s Ghost
Incredible song that kind of just stays at the same level the whole time - doesn’t try to overreach at any point. The National has been slowly growing on me for the past three years - I wasn’t totally sold the first time I heard them but now I’ve sunk deep in and I will die down here because I love it so much.
Vampire Weekend - Diane Young
Favorite band, I don’t care. I am so consistently impressed with the recording techniques and sounds this band is able to come up with each record. Solid pop songwriters as well. This song rules.
The Thermals - Born To Kill
One of my favorite punk bands. They never really disappoint, and I’m rarely on board for a three-piece, but the songwriting is wonderful and the melody fills out this song perfectly.
Modern Baseball - The Weekend
Really wonderful new (to me?) band out of Philadelphia. Their record “Sports” is one of my favorite records of the year so far (even though it came out at the end of 2012). This is like, THE HIT, on that record. Check it out.
Captain We’re Sinking - Montreal
I started listening to this band when I found out we’d be touring with them and I’m loving it. Their new record “The Future Is Cancelled” is going to make some waves for sure. Reminds me of Jimmy Eat World at times with a heightened sense of recklessness and urgency.
Laura Stevenson - The Move
Laura is a great friend of mine and the best songwriter I know. Her sense of melody and lyrical skill is brilliant at all times. This song is one of my favorites off of her new record “Wheel”.
Fences - Girls With Accents
Another dear friend of mine, Fences has such an original and unique sound. I’ve been able to hear some of his newest record and I can’t even express how jealous I am. This is my favorite from his last record, self titled. The whole thing is full of sweet, pessimistic pop songs.
The Menzingers - Gates
Best band ever! C’mon!
Against Me! - Bamboo Bones
It’s no secret to most that Against Me! kind of brought us up out of obscurity and helped us out a great deal at the beginning of our career and beyond. Not only am I eternally grateful to Laura, James and co., but I become more of a fan with every record. This track, from 2010’s “White Crosses”, is my favorite Against Me song of all time and kills me every time I listen. - Chris Farren
Meshuggah – Do Not Look Down
Certified neck breaker. If you don’t know, now you do.
Dälek – Ever Somber
Some people search forever to find their perfect aesthetic. Dälek blend hard noise soundscapes and vitriolic hip-hop in ways that no one has or ever will again. This is the tamest of their offerings. - Dave
Mark Kozelek – Cruiser
This is my favorite guitar player. Heavy, John Fahey-esque, drone-y acoustic guitar with loose song structure. A huge influence for me.
Azusa Plane – Two Views of the New Zealand Landscape
RIP Jason DiEmilio. - Jon
Ryan Adams – Stop Playing With My Heart
Enough rocky guitars with enough Americana vibe underneath. I love the two lead vocals harmonizing throughout the entire track. While the melody and tempo are pretty poppy and catchy the lyrics maintain a sort of angry-sad feeling. Good song.
POZ Gallery: The Menzingers Summer Tour
Features: The Menzingers, Fake Problems, Captain We’re Sinking, Restorations
Location: The Church - Philadelphia, PA
Photos By: Allison Newbold
More than two months ago PropertyOfZack, Lame-O Records, and Big Footprints began piecing together The BIG Comp. When we were finally finished we looked at our 75-band charity compilation and thought “how the hell did we do that?” Every band and label we contacted, not only supplied us with songs, but let us know how excited they were to be a part of something so unique. We knew that every band who submitted a song had their own story.
For our FINAL segment of Behind The BIG Comp, we spoke with Florida natives-Fake Problems. Though the band might have been under the radar since their last release in 2008, Real Ghosts Caught On Tape, it seems that all has changed. With a new split out on Topshelf Records, featuring fellow Florida punks You Blew It!, and a upcoming tour with The Menzingers, Restorations and Captain, We’re Sinking- Fake Problems have a booked calender for the coming months. And with that booked calender-they have made it very clear that 2013 is going to be a memorable year for them.
For Fans Of: Laura Stevenson & The Cans, The Menzingers, Say Anything
Social Sites: Facebook, iTunes, Tumblr, Merch
Hey guys, thanks for talking to us! Before we go on can we get your name/s and role/s in the band?
My name is Chris and I sing and play guitar.
A theme in this segment is asking the bands how they chose their name- how did you guys decide on Fake Problems?
It’s a quote from the movie “TITANIC”.
Congratulations on your tour with The Menzingers, Restorations and Captain, We’re Sinking! What a tour- Are there any specific dates or places you guys are excited for?
I’m excited for the whole dang thing. That tour is pretty much awesome place after awesome place, and we’re real good friends with The Menzingers so just about everything is going to be great.
On the subject of tour, you guys have had the honor of touring with bands like The Gaslight Anthem, Against Me!, Say Anything, Never Shout Never & so many more. Is there any specific tour that really stands out to you guys?
Well, the first Against Me! tour was pretty important for us because it was the first big tour we ever went on - Gaslight was great because we toured basements together in 2007, then played Radio City Music Hall with them in 2010. We’re really lucky to be able to tour with so many different types of bands over the years.
You guys just released a new split with You Blew It! titled Florida Doesn’t Suck. Before that your last release was Real Ghosts Caught On Tape in 2010. I know a lot of your fans were excited to see you guys releasing new material- was it nice to get back into the studio and record that new material?
We’ve been recording demos in our home studio since the beginning of 2012, so we haven’t taken much of a break from recording, but it was nice to finally release something, and even better to do it with You Blew It.
It’s time for The Weekly Tour Round-Up! There are a ton of great tours going on this winter and more are getting announced each week! Below you’ll find all the tours going on over the next few months, with newly announced tours listed above previously announced tours. So check out all the tours if you’ve missed any of them and make sure to mark them down on your calendars!
New Tours:
POZ Sponsored Shows
Forever Came Calling, Heart To Heart, Last Call [Now-04/21]
BoySetsFire, No Trigger, Pentimento, Light Years, Maker [05/24-05/26]North America
The Wonder Years 24 Hour Record Release [05/10-05/11]
Pity Sex, Run Forever [05/14-05/21]
For The Fallen Dreams, Sworn In [05/16-06/14]
Make Do And Mend, Cheap Girls, Diamond [05/17-06/16]
Tigers Jaw, PBTT, Sainthood Reps [05/23-06/23]
The Menzingers, Fake Problems, CWS [05/24-6/12]
Say Anything, Eisley [06/06-07/12]
Transplants, Rancid [06/11-06/23]
Previously Announced Tours:
The Menzingers, Fake Problems, Captain We’re Sinking, and Restorations are heading out on a monster tour this summer. Check out the dates below by clicking “Read More.”
Fake Problems have posted an acoustic video of “Small Devil Song.” Check it out below by clicking “Read More.”
Fake Problems and You Blew It!’s new Florida Doesn’t Suck split can be streamed below by clicking “Read More.”
Fake Problems have released a new song called “Small Devil Song.” Stream it below by clicking “Read More.”
Related Stories:
Fake Problems, You Blew It! Releasing Split
Fake Problems have released a cover of Allison Weiss’ for “Making It Up.” You can listen to it below by clicking “Read More.”
It’s the weekend again, so PropertyOfZack is back with a brand new Team Recommendation Playlist! Each weekend, different members of our team will be recommending both old and new songs for our viewers to listen to and enjoy. Check out the Team Playlist and listen to the songs on Spotify while reading everyone’s thoughts!
Bruce Springsteen - Wrecking Ball
I could recommend a Bruce Springsteen song every week, but such an overzealous exhibition of fanboyism is unacceptable around these parts, so I must regulate my Springsteen fanaticism to once a month. One of the best, if not the best, song of the Springsteen post-Y2K is “Wrecking Ball.” Originally written as an ode to the now-deceased Meadowlands, “Wrecking Ball” took on a new meaning (or perhaps this was Springsteen’s intention all along?) when the Boss put the song on his latest masterpiece (and even named the album after the song). Sure it pains me that the New York Football Giants and that other New York team formally played at a stadium the Boss idolizes (as my Eagles tumble further and further into the black hole of football abyss), but I’ll get over that small caveat in order to push this brilliant song into your lives. - Michael Meeze (@mikemeeze)
The Story So Far - Roam
This is one of the very first songs I heard from TSSF. For whatever reason at the time, it was the one that stuck out to me the most. And listening to Under Soil and Dirt, it still sticks out to me. “You have no idea how unproductive it is to fall in and out of you as often as I do” are some great pop punk lyrics I’ve heard recently. Looking forward to seeing these guys out on Warped Tour this year. They know how to put on a great show. - Deanna Chapman (@deechapman21)
The Wonder Years - Came Out Swinging
This band. I can’t believe how far they’ve come. I remember seeing them at Arts By Alexander (essentially a garage show) with Fireworks. I can’t get enough. And I really attach so many great memories to their songs. I don’t want to sound like that pop-punk “all i need is my friends” stereotype, but I couldn’t get by without them. I was talking to one of them and said that “i’m not sure people here get my sense of humor like ya’ll do…” and he replied “that’s because we’re not funny. We’re actually assholes, but we think we’re funny.” haha. That’s about right. Friends are all that matter. This song actually got me through some crazy stuff (well other songs as well.) But this message is great, and I am always a TWY fan. Gonna try to see them in Wilmington with Fireworks, Hostage Calm and Misser in May. This was kind of a rant of a suggestion. But I knew at some point I’d have to whip out the TWY, so here it is! Especially since these great friends I speak of…. Yeah i get to see them next week!! Greensboro I’ll see you Tuesday! - Mike Sheffey (@SheffeyzTweetz)
Old Crow Medicine Show - Wagon Wheel
As finals seasons bears down upon me, I’ve leaned heavily on this song to put me in a better mood. It never fails put a stupid grin on my face. Southbound train, yo. - Grace Lutz (@gracenoel_)
Fake Problems- Grand Finale
I got into Fake Problems at a pretty cool time in my life. It was the time where I was finding so many new bands that it was impossible to stick with some of them and check out most material. Fake Problems was one of the bands that stuck with my and soon became one of my favorite bands. Their last album Real Ghosts Caught On Tape is a fantastic record and while I think this song was the obvious choice for a closer it’s still a great track. The ballad at the end gets me every time. Hopefully they get their new album out sooner than later. – Justin Graci (@JustinHMGraci)
Yellowcard - Awakening
It’s taken me about four months to think this over, but as of now I would probably say that Southern Air is Yellowcard’s best album over WYTTSY. “Awakening” is one of the best album openers I’ve heard in a long time. It’s not catchy in the same way “Ocean Avenue” is catchy, but there’s something about it that’s refreshing and airy, but still passionate and aggressive. The band continues to outdue themselves.. - Zack Zarrillo (@zzarrillo)
Fake Problems recently performed “How Far Our Bodies Go” with help from Against Me! and Water Tower members. Check out the performance below by clicking “Read More.”
Check out Fake Problems performing a new song called “16” in a Nervous Energies Session below by clicking “Read More.”
Fake Problems, You Blew It!, and Dikembe recently did acoustic sessions at Fest 11 with Light & Noise. Check out the video below by clicking “Read More.”
