U Weekly Digs Deep

This U Weekly article about house shows briefly mentions the Monster House.

Razorcake Reviews the Lose the Tude 7-inch

Razorcake magazine reviewed the Lose the Tude 7-inch.

Weakness: Record, Columbus Show

Weakness is Kevin Bruce's new band. Kevin Bruce is Jane Bruce's brother. I once booked his old band, K BRUTAL, at the Monster House because he edited a skateboarding zine entitled DeadRamones and was Jane Bruce's brother.

Weakness is reminiscent of Hickey, yet cuts the figure of a band that doesn't know who or what Hickey is. That is the ideal route to 'sounding like Hickey.' I also hear hints of early Meneguar. 

Some of Weakness lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, and some of Weakness lives where the economy runs on ten-hour work weeks, sno cones and zine consignments; namely, Bloomington, Indiana.

Now, anyone who talks to me knows I don't listen to music anymore, besides, perhaps, the Das Racist song with the Katy Perry song inside of it. Or Boy Crisis. (I would listen to Deathly Fighter but Christian won't give me a record (and I would listen to Unholy Two, too, but I don't want to be investigated by the Southern Poverty Law Center (and, anyway, I think the Columbus Alive likes those bands and I don't listen to Christian music.))) But I heard the Weakness record and some charred remnant of appreciation for things that 'sound like Hickey' was rekindled, albeit briefly. Make no mistake, this is high praise.

Download the Weakness record here. 

Weakness plays at Bat Chapters, the boho base on Gay St. that isn't Skylab, in downtown Columbus, Ohio, on February 18th, 2011. Also playing: Shut Up, RCI and Slugging Percentage. I believe it is all ages and donation-based.

(Weakness will also accompany The Pains of Being Pure at Heart on a mini-tour in April, news of which I only include so I can mention that TPOBPAH once stayed at the Monster House and everyone told me funny stories about it. I thought that ending with a mention of the Monster House, which is how I began, would give my blog entry a firm, symmetrical structure.)

MRR Reviews The Lose The Tude 7-Inch

From Maximum Rock And Roll 331:

'Feeling cynical and wary about modern music? Think everything is just rehashing old sounds? Well, LOSE THE TUDE is on the scene to help remedy the situation. These dudes throw down swift and snotty hardcore, but at the same time there are such variances in style thrown in that you really couldn't pinpoint them in any category. The songs lie somewhere between humor and conviction and give just as many nods to FUGAZI as they do the CIRCLE JERKS. The lyrics are sometimes significant and occasionally bizarre, but always shouted with a peculiar cynical earnestness. There might be a bit too much of the shouted dual vocals for my taste but everything else going on here--the guitar work especially--makes up for that. I can't make up my mind if I really like this or will never listen to it again; I've already played the record like eight times this weekend, though--does that mean something? (BG) (Bob Goldie?)'

You can order the 7-inch from Sacred Plague Records. There are also two copies left at Magnolia Thunderpussy Records in Columbus, Ohio.

In other news, Art21, the great PBS series on contemporary art, posted an interview with Anne Elizabeth Moore on its blog. Moore recently received a Fulbright grant for her work encouraging Cambodian women to self-publish zines about their lives.

Moore's installation entitled Garment Work, which  interpolates her personal relationship history with the socio-economic history of garment manufacturing in Germany and Cambodia, is currently on-going at Meta House in Phnom Penh. It has yet to be shown in the U.S. Garment Work also opens this week in Chicago, Illinois, at DOVA Temporary as part of the Our Demons exhibition.

Also, Ok Ikumi, with special guest star vocals from Kari Jorgensen, covered Billy Bragg's 'A New England,' which you can download here. It has my favorite lyrics of Bragg's this side of 'Between Marx and Marzipan in the dictionary, there was Mary.' 

The First Three Years Of The Monster House

Ryan J. Shirtless summer.

For the past three years I have lived in the Monster House, a DIY punk house in Columbus, Ohio. I co-founded the Monster House with Pat Crann, Austin Eilbeck, Ryan Eilbeck, Jeff Love, Kristina Markey, Matt O'Conke, Joe Scarbro, Dylan Taylor-Lehman, and Nick Wong. A few weeks ago the last three original roommates - besides me - left. And, as of this week, I'm moving out as well. A group of our friends still living at the Monster plan to continue hosting shows and events. On October 8th, Apache Dropout, Landlord, Reverse The Curse, and Cody Troyan are performing there.

After "the jump" is a list of every performer who occasioned the "stage" at the Monster House in the last three years. 400 different performers have played over 150 shows booked by over 20 promoters. The list is representative of the Columbus punk scene as well as the national DIY touring circuit from 2007-10.

More than 30 people paid rent at the house during this time span.

Paul Baribeau At The Monster House 9/17/10

It's missing a few songs. Download here.

Slugging Percentage Post-DIT Fest Press Conference

Slugging Percentage addresses the public following their triumphant win in Kent.

In another one for the victory column, their self-titled tape was favorably reviewed by Razorcake.

Jordan Castro, Tao Lin Reading At The D.I.T. Festival In Kent, Ohio 9/11/10

Tao Lin reading an excerpt of Richard Yates. Video courtesy of Glenn Cox.

And here are audio tracks:



Flip through the tracks to hear each. The first is Jordan Castro. The second is Jordan Castro. The Third is Tao Lin.

Or download: JC 1, JC 2, TL

Manners Flyer Monster House 9/22

I made this flyer yesterday for the show at The Monster House on September 22nd. 

Journal of Radical Shimming Issue #9

Introduction to JRS 9 from Sam Gould on Vimeo.

The ninth issue of The Journal of Radical Shimming, the publication put out by the artist collective Red76, has an article by Cassandra Troyan that is based on an interview with me about punk houses and their tremulous relationship with radical politics. I will post the article once I receive a copy. For now, here is the Vimeo preview. You may also order a free copy of issue #9 by emailing ask@red76.com - that is, if they are as radically radical as I believe them to be. And if you live near Columbus, Ohio there will soon be copies in the Canzani Center at the Columbus College of Art and Design. 

The Lose The Tude 7-Inch Has "Hit" The "Streets."

You can purchase this pile of polemics through Sacred Plague Records, through us (online or in person), and at Dreadful Sounds Records, Lost Weekend Records, Spoonful Records, Magnolia Thunderpussy, and Used Kids Records.

It's ten songs of what a Canadian chap believed to be "Skate-Punk." It looks and sounds and smells like some kids found a Minor Threat record and went from there. But, you know, 20/30 years removed from the time of that sound so it's complete with layers of meaning - right? On this record we touch on Nike shoes, feeling jaded, feeling jealous, feeling like not getting out of the bed, feeling like writing graffiti, feeling the radical potentialities of garlic, feeling like you are living with fleas, and feeling like properly "giving a shit."

Also: 

Some of my zines are in a show, or in a zine library attached to the show or something, this month at the DePaul University Art Museum in Chicago, Illinois entitled "The Nomadic Studio."

J. Caleb Mozzocco of Everyday is Like Wednesday reviewed "Arty Party." I like his blog a lot. I think, in general, he says the content is obscure and the form is good. 

Apparently the new issue of Bitch also has a review of Arty Party but I can't seem to find a copy in Columbus. 

Someone from Vice doesn't like Arty Party. 

Lightningyingyang at the Monster House 8/27/10

Lightningyingyang is Maryn Jones on vox & hops, Ryan Eilbeck on guitar & hair ties, and Austin Eilbeck on drums & ying-yang tees. One might inarticulately describe it as "Delay-in-sophomore-year-of-art-school-in-black-lipstick-and-angst-and-totes-pist-re-life."

There is a banner involved. Costuming is in the mix. John Steinbeck audio samples are listed as probable. The chorus in one song seems to repeat, "Dry-humping in high school."After that description it's obviously redundant to say it's good, but to be clear, it is good.

Do It Together Fest 2010

Each year since 2007 my Monster House roommates Richard Wehrenberg and Matt Scheuermann have organized a DIY punk festival called "Do It Together Fest" in Kent, Ohio. This year's iteration takes place over September 10th & 11th at The Vineyard and at Professor's Pub.

Wehrenberg, a renowned poet as well as an accomplished DIY promoter, said, "It's going to be pretty cool, I guess."

Scheuermann, of Punknews.org's band/record of the year, The Sidekicks, said, "It's your typical fest."

But would your typical fest have Tao Lin, author of Shoplifting From American Apparel and the forthcoming Richard Yates, fly in to read, slapping himself or his publisher with "mad" fees, and staying with Jordan Castro + Jordan Castro's parent(s) for four days in Solon, Ohio? Would your typical fest do that?

No. It's the most internet-literature-DIY-punk fest in the world. Or, at least, more so than Berea Fest.

Also out of the norm: rumored "awesome" after show will feature the debut of underground hip-hop sensation, Monstrosity. The first in the wave of 3rd floor hip-hop acts that call The Pocket home. Soon we will have something to rival St. Catherine's incipient "Spy Girl" scene.

Full DIT Fest schedule after "The Jump."

Lose The Tude at Beit Zatoun in Toronto, Now With Video

Lose The Tude at Kent House in Ottawa

Lose The Tude at Beit Zatoun in Toronto

LOSE THE TUDE TOURS CANADA

                                          Real life things which exist.

The hardcore band I sing for, Lose The Tude, is currently touring in Canada and New England. Come look at us in person. We also have a new 7 inch record out on Sacred Plague Records.

Aug. 12th Buffalo, NY @ The Honey Comb 296 Dewitt St. 6pm w/ Utah Jazz, Landlords, Love Pork
Aug. 13th St. Catherine’s, ON @ 23 Kent Street  7pm Buddy Black / Max Axiom / After Party / Croctopus 
Aug. 14th Toronto, ON @ Beit Zatoun 612 Markham Street at Bloor 5pm w/ Alludere / Loathsome
Aug. 15th Ottawa, ON @ 433 Kent St. w/ sabertooth / surrogate activity /  hari legs
RETURN
Aug. 18th Montreal
Aug. 19th Portland, ME
Aug. 20th New Haven, CT @ The Fucking Discovery Zone 7pm w/ Dark Circles, Dylan Bredeau, & Color Guard

Yikes! Reunion Set At The Monster House

Download an MP3 of the set here.

Monster House 5/9/10

Stream of Pink Houses' and Slugging Percentage's sets. First is Pink Houses then click through for Slugging Percentage.

Or Download:
Pink Houses: mp3
Slugging Percentage: mp3

CSBYS MONTHLY MAY 2010

The May issue of CSBYS Alternative Monthly features writing by Nick See, Down With The Clown, Jane Rager, Matt Tard and Pat Hauser. I have two poems in the issue: "Besides the Biz Markie Interpolation Part One" and "Besides the Biz Markie Interpolation Part Two." Also features a photo spread of founding CSBYS editor Brian Deller and his going away party. Sad!