Will Against Me! survive Tom Gabel's transgender journey?

I was first introduced to the punk rock band Against Me! with the song featured above, "Don't Lose Touch". Gabel's vocals have a gutturat quality to them and the driving beat of the drums drew me to their music. I was totally blown away when they officially made it big with their breakthrough album featuring this song, "Thrash Unreal".
Again, more guttural vocals with a totally catchy hook and a kick-ass video with some equally meaningful lyrics about a young woman who has pissed her life away as a party girl. Imagine my surprise, though, when I cracked open my browser early this morning and see both Against Me! and lead singer Tom Gabel as hot search trends. Imagine my further shock to see that Tom Gabel publicly announced that he is dealing with gender dysphoria and considers himself to be transgendered and will be transitioning to life as a woman.

 I have to think that this is a first in the rock world -- think about it, have you ever before heard of a straight-up punk rock band whose frontman has come forward as transgendered. While I'm all for people doing whatever it takes for them to be happy with the person they are, I have to wonder what this means for the band he has worked tirelessly to lead to success. What will become of Against Me!? Will Against Me! go forward as a band without Gabel/Laura Jane Grace? Will Laura Jane Grace (formerly Tom Gabel) continue to front the punk rock outfit and bring about attention to the struggles transgendered people face while still writing and performing truly amazing music? Only time will tell but Rolling Stone has an in-depth interview with Gabel so we'll all know shortly.

Anarchy and beat downs

Last week I mentioned my seemingly semi-annual processes of reinvention. Music has always played a big part in that reinvention and this go-round with it is no different. The last mention of music was my almost accidental discovery of "The Pretty Reckless" who are currently on this summer's Warped Tour.

Today's musical inspiration comes to me courtesy of "Against Me!". I first heard a track by them about five years ago on their MySpace page then about two years ago they struck gold with the single "Thrash Unreal" off the disc entitled "New Wave". That CD brought them some mainstream success -- even if it was fleeting. Then this year they released a new disc, "White Crosses".

That's where this single comes from. "I Was a Teenage Anarchist" is a fairly decent song but the video -- shot entirely in slow motion -- tells a fantastic story. What its meaning is is open to interpretation but I take it to mean that the lead singer has no desire to conform (anarchy) and suffers the consequences to his non-conformist attitude. A beating at the hand of a single police officer ensues while throngs of people simply watch.



The video's conclusion shows the beatee smiling as he sits in the back of a police car. Inside he knows that whatever he was punished for was worth it. Bruises heal while injustice takes action to correct.

But that's just my interpretation. What's yours? Drop a note in the comments or just move along to the pretty pictures of Minnesota at MinnPics.

Reinvention through discovery

A couple weekends ago I sat idly discussing the Warped Tour with my wife's cousin's daughter. She was pretty excited and told her dad that she'd work extra hard during the upcoming week so she'd be able to go to the 2010 edition held in Shakopee, MN. In her mildly depressed, goth way, she rattled off a dozen or so bands that she was excited to see. I sat there and listened as not a single fucking band registered with me. I bluntly told her that all of the good bands (Bad Religion, Less Than Jake, etc.) were skipping Minnesota this year (because that's the exact comment I saw a day before on the Warped Tour website).

I went on, like any old-timer would, to regale her with the tale of the last Warped Tour I attended. I told her as she feigned interest that it was in Somerset, Wisconsin and it was supposedly the only time that Blink 182 and the Warped Tour would cross paths so this one was big. Ten years ago that place was my own personal mecca. How could you go wrong spending less than forty bucks to see ten bands you at least had interest in and discover a handful of others?

Sure, the Warped Tour is much closer to the Twin Cities now by actually being IN the Twin Cities but the bands she named all were foreign to me. I sat and drank my beer like a good old-timer and slowly realized that I'm not really that old but I was becoming out of touch. I had settled in to a safe rut and again, like I seem to every six months or so, felt the need to reinvent myself in some way to stave off certain insanity.

It all sort of fell in to place one night last week as I stumbled across a supposedly controversial YouTube video featuring the band of a teen star of the TV series "Gossip Girl" (it's on the CW). The seventeen year-old was dressed up in her trashy best as she belted out the lyrics. I had my doubts about her band -- The Pretty Reckless -- but the video for "Miss Nothing" was not only not bad it was actually damn good. Sure, most every concept for music videos has been done a million times but the music that this band had put together was fresh. At least fresh enough to jump-start me.



The Pretty Reckless was actually a good band and whether or not others will judge lead singer Taylor Momsen's vocal skills to be worthy of their oh-so sensitive ears, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's upbeat and loud while still having subtle tonal qualities such as appropriately placed bells and it's just what I needed to begin my current reinvention. Then it clicked, this band was one of those unknown-to-me bands that had been mentioned to me less than a week earlier. Shit, I just learned about an actually listenable band from a 15 year-old. Maybe, subconsciously, that's why I featured Taylor Momsen as one of Monday's photos on MinnPics but the decision to put a couple tracks from The Pretty Reckless on my iPod was definitely a conscious decision.

Lady Gaga - Alejandro video

Outside of some simulated sexual intercourse and some S&M going on, Lady Gaga's video for her latest single, "Alejandro", is far from shocking. She's made the epic music video her trademark in the last year so an eight-plus minute clip for a four-minute song isn't much of a surprise. Lady Gaga is going to have to step it up a few notches. Oh, sure, she struts around fora bit with machine guns attached to her bra and spends the majority of the video just one step above naked but that's who she is. In being shocking, Lady Gaga has taken the shock out of her shocking and isually stunning imagery. To me, the video for "Alejandro" tries too damn hard to be edgy, shocking and cool and instead falls sort of flat.

Sinking even deeper in to my bad music collection

There was obviously a time in the mid-1990s when I had a fondness for novelty CDs. That can be the only explanation for me owning a copy of "Turdy Point Buck" by Bananas at Large.

If you're unfamiliar with the song "Turdy Point Buck" then you're obviously not from the upper midwest - or more specifically Minnesota or Wisconsin. The title track, which I had the misfortune of listening to on my commute to my office today, is a tale about a deer hunter sitting in the woods during deer season when he sees and attempts to bag that ellusive thirty (pronounced "turdy") point buck.

For whatever reason, the song gained at least some regional popularity where I grew up (in the greater Rochester radio market - thanks alot KROC-FM). That, in turn, lead me to trudge through what was likely a snow-filled parking lot at Austin's Oak Park Mall and plop down $10.98 at On Cue for a CD that sported one novelty track that I was sadly familiar with and six more that I could give a shit less about.

The CD gave my friends and myself many laughs. I'm sure we sat in my car at lunch outside of the high school and listened to it. I'm sure a certain friend of mine - now a Sherriff's Deputy - prodded me in to playing it again and again because his twisted sense of humor secretly loved the song. I'm also sure that the novelty, just like many others, wore off after about a month.

I have only my old lady to thank for unearthing this blaze orange bastard this morning. She told me she didn't look at CD titles when this one was pulled from the rack but knew that it had to suck based on the color of the spine alone. Hey, at least after listening to it for one final time and reminding myself that I need to punch sixteen year-old me for pissing away money on shit, I can throw this on the spring garage sale. If you find yourself interested in a never-ending buffet of bad CDs, I'll post a link to the Craigslist ad for the sale in late April. Until then, always doubt your musical purchases or you too cold end up with something similar to this blaze orange mistake and find yourself, fourteen years later, listening to this decade's version of "Turdy Point Buck".

Until next time, busy yourself with the archives of MinnPics. I'm sure anything there is better than this week's bad CD.

Anya Marina - All the same to me

Think of it as "A Day at a Bordello". That's how I'm going to describe San Diego native Anya Marina's first video for the tune All the Same to Me. It's breathy, it has dancing girls and it looks to be straight out of a classy burlesque show. And that's just the beginning of why I am a fan of this video.



It's refreshing to see someone officially make it who originally began choosing music for others to listen to. For a while, Marina was a DJ at San Diego alt-rocker FM 94/9 so she should know what people like. Sure, her music isn't everyone's cup of tea but I've like the tune since I first heard it a few months ago and the visual aspect of it just adds another layer to the entire Anya marina experience.

Waiting is the hardest part

Waiting four years is too damn long. That's just how long it's been for fans, like me, waiting for San Francisco punk rocker outfit Green Day's newest album. With a handful of shows playing the new disc's tracks under their belt from earlier this week, they should be in tip-top shape by the time the new disc is officially released May 15.

Having heard just one track courtesy of their MySpace page I have to say that 21st Century Breakdown has as much potential as American Idiot did the last time around.

Then there's the matter of the cover artwork. Wow. It seems to convey that typical combo-platter of youthful feelings such as angst, hopelessness, rage and even romance.


If the rest of the 15 or so tracks are as stunning to the ears as the cover artwork is to the eyes, this will be another jewel in the crown of Green Day's two decade-long career.

Anything for drama

I was never a fan of the '80s. Technically speaking, I grew up in the '90s, I was born in the '70s but spent the entire decade of the 1980s in elementary school and napping. I used to love naps.

Whatever the case, I wasn't really "in to" music in the '80s and I missed out on some truly awesome stuff. The Replacements had their hey-day during the 1980s and that was the best decade for music right here in the Twin Cities. Sure the '90s brought about the killer radio stations like KJ104 and Rev 105 that exposed the lucky ones to much of the '80s and early-'90s music but the great bands I missed out on still live today thanks to the internet.

Watch more Yahoo! Music videos on AOL Video

You'd have to hate all things music to not like this '80s gem, "Anything, Anything", from Dramarama. Truly one-hit wonders by every definition but this is one of those tunes that laid the foundation for alot of bands. Check it out and share your thoughts.

Floods are ravaging the Red River Valley on the border of Minnesota and North Dakota. Check out MinnPics to see what people are doing to save their cities.

Losing a loved (Indie 103 point) one

Anyone that truly knows me knows that I'm an alternative music geek. I love it and can't get enough of it. Maybe that makes me a bit of a junkie instead. Whatever the case is, as physical radio stations go, alternative radio's track record in the area of longevity sucks. A five-year lifespan is considered a millenium because music trends are always evolving and the stations often times are stuck in whatever sub-niche of alternative music they began their life as and can no longer grow which leads to their demise. Oh, yeah, and the fact that alternative music tends to attract a younger and less affluent demographic makes it tougher to sell advertising makes it hard for even the most devoted corporation to stick to the format.

Enough boring tech insider speak. Whatever the case is, I've been a fan of more than a few alternative radio stations that met a rather untimely end.

The first I truly grew attached to was The Spy (KSYY) from, of all places, Oklahoma City. I think this one lasted about two years, maybe fewer. From there I grew to love bands like The Postal Service, Frou Frou and The New Pornographers. I still have songs from these relatively unknown greats on my iPod in somewhat heavy rotation.

Before that was 97X (WOXY) from Oxford, Ohio (near Cincinatti). I had listened to that gem of a station since the late 90s. It played all kinds of obscure shit and it had loyal owners, loyal talent and tons of loyal fans. However, when money too big to ignore came calling, the owners took it. They realized that a mom & pop operation had no place and would be unable to compete in today's world. I stayed up late on their last night on the air listening to their online stream as the DJ played their last song (which was its first too) by U2 - Sunday, Bloody Sunday.

More recently and definitely more local was the loss of the longest running alternative station Minneapolis, The Twin Cities and Minnesota had seen. Drive 105 was what it was. It was weak both in power and music but if you could plow through the dreck it wasn't half bad. It served its purpose for the corporate overlords at ABC and they did play some local music. The last song played - Say it Ain't So by Weezer, is a definite must hear on my iPod.

Then there's the latest victim to fall due to the alternative radio curse.

Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles was amazing. It never should have lasted for the just over five years it did. It had everything against it that one could imagine. Ownership, signal and a huge and well-known competitor. Even with the deck stacked against them they survived. Indie quickly became the hip station for celebrities. Zach Braff, in advance of his Garden State movie, took over for an entire day and played his favorites as he interviewed artists and actors from his movie. Henry Rollins, Dave Navarro, Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols, Dicky Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Rob Zombie all had specialty shows on the station. The hot as hell Suicide Girls had a late-night advice show and the music was very indie. Early on, the mohawk-clad TK would play a Frank Sinatra track each afternoon. Yeah, they were that cool. The new music, though, set trends. Songs they played first would often times break across the country months later and be huge. They seemed to have a knack to find music that would be the next cool thing. Oh, not to mention that they were playing some cool new Prince tracks. Why'd you leave us Indie? Oh well, I'll have to add My Way to my iPod because that seems to be the eventual only place for decent and adventurous music.

Then today, at Noon central time, it ended. I caught the last hour or so with the airstaff saying their goodbyes and staying in good humor while doing so. Then came My Way by Frank Sinatra. The personalities are gone. Replaced by a Mexican music jukebox format. Thank God for streaming because for the time being Indie 103.1 lives on in its online format so catch this gem while you can. (more info here and here)

And if music is your thing, check out MinnPics because from time to time I'll feature something relevant to the Minnesota music scene.

I was hooked

Waaay back in early 2003 I moved here to the suburbs of Minnesota's very own Twin Cities. It was a time of rediscovery, I guess. I had begun a new job and was busy discovering this new are in which I lived. I was also free to spread my wings so to speak in discovering new things. My friends had always viewed me as being outside "the norm" and I truly decided to become my own person to the fullest meaning of that very cliched phrase.

Growing up in outstate Minnesota and "coming of age" in the '90s was a good experience due to the influences I had around me. It also allowed me to fully discover the two things I would become most passionate about. The first was the design world and to a lesser extent art and the second was music. Looking back, I definitely had always had varied musical tastes but being in a more cultural area allowed me to discover far more. From the availability of live music within a few minutes' drive to being surrounded by the best recorded music a guy could hope for, I was in heaven.

Although heaven had its limitations. One of which was money. But with my whiz-bang high speed internet connection at the ready, I was able to fully test the waters of the world's music. I discovered a streaming station in The Netherlands, KINK-FM, which played more tasty deliciousness in American music that many American radio stations could ever hope for. I also discovered a regular old radio station streaming from, of all places, Oklahoma City. Never having been to OKC, I can only assume that a city that close to Texas and that isolated isn't exactly a cultural hub.

Whatever the situation in OKC, I was shocked to hear such a wide variety of music on a station at 105.3 nicknamed "The Spy". I probably streamed that sucka' 3 nights each week in the background as I feverishly worked to further my design skills or read my pile of magazines I subscribed to. Well, there was one band whose music seemed so futuristic that I was instantly hooked. A one-off band called "The Postal Service" (try to name the band's lead singer) and a tune entitled "Such Great Heights" was my favorite from that first summer in the cities. Hell, it still is.

For an experiment, click play on this video and minimize the window. Listen to the music in all of its electronic beatific glory. When it's finished, maximize the window and click play again and watch the video.




My reaction, and this is the first time I've seen the video, is that the footage could have been filmed for use on "How it's Made" from the Discovery Channel but that there is also a hint of a love story developing in the video's futuristic footage. It's something that could grow on me I suppose but I'm more interested in your reactions.

My secret is out

When something has that perfect combination of odd, macabre, endearing, catchy and even -- dare I say it -- cute, there's no hope in escaping it. Of course "it" is the video for "Why do You Let Me Stay Here" by "She & Him" (folkster M. Ward and actress Zooey Deschanel)

My secret is that I think I'm developing a crush on Ms. Deschanel. How couldn't I have a crush on her? Watch the video and figure out why I have a special place in my dark, cold heart for brunettes.



But fear not, soul lives on at MinnPics where I showcase the best photographers in Minnesota who obviously are full of soul!

Seeing music, how is this possible?

So, let's say that you live in the southern Twin Cities and are looking for something to augment your July 4th fireworks experience. My advice is to drag your ass out to Captain Jack's in Prior Lake and see Twin Cities favorite Tim Mahoney. He's great at what he does, his music is upbeat and fun and his live shows are fabulous. The show is listed at 8 PM but show up early, enjoy some food at Captain Jack's, take in the lakeshore scenery and hang out late for the fireworks at Mystic Lake Casino which are easily seen from the restaurant. MAP HERE

Grow up, listen to punk rock

The best band ever* released their new album, "GNV FLA", today. Sure, I can assume that not a single person reading this has ever heard of the Gainesville (Florida) band by the name of "Less Than Jake" but having been together for nearly two decades is quite the achievement in and of itself. Never mind the fact that during that span the pop-punk outfit has churned out 7 full length studio albums, 7 EPs, 10 live albums (including a live show from Minneapolis which I may have attended) and more vinyl-only releases than I can comprehend. source

The reason I am such a fan of Less Than Jake is that they have evolved as a band. Having listened to their tunes far too many times, I can hear the rawness that existed on their earlier recordings. They still have what could be categorized as a do-it-yourself flavor to their music but the newfound maturity is clearly displayed by watching some of their videos.





But don't just take my word for it. Check out the Less Than Jake website, hit up their show July 3rd at Minneapolis' own First Avenue (and their in-store appearance that same day at 5 PM at The Electric Fetus) and buy their new CD. I know I will!

*"Best Band Ever" claim may be used repeatedly and is not based on anything remotely scientific. If you don't buy Less Than Jake's new CD, GNV FLA, a fluff kitten will be eaten by an already overfed coyote.

Pork & Beans -- not just for cookouts

Hot damn! It's the official video from Weezer for their first new single, "Pork & Beans", from their upcoming 6th studio (and third self-titled) album. Lookie here, a link to the lyrics as well. (Thanks to MNSpeak and its commenters for the links)

It's a mash-up of the band recreating a ton of YouTube clips which are linked to below. Watch it, rate it, check out the "inspirational" clips.

Tay Zonday

Miss Teen South Carolina

Kelly from the Shoes video

The Will It Blend? blender

Chris Crocker (Leave Britney Alone)

Evolution of Dance

Daft Hands

Daft Bodies

Charlie the Unicorn

the ninja guy

the Dramatic Look Gopher!!

peanut butter jelly time!

K-Fed

white kids doing the Soulja Boy dance

Diet Coke and Mentos

lightsaber guys

155 t-shirts

numa numa

all your base are belong to us

GI Joe PSA

Sex advice girl (girl with rainbow socks on couch)

Try something new, you might actually like it

Why do the greats never get the attention they are worthy of?

I ask this because in many ways, America seems to refuse to experiment. Are we truly a nation that has become afraid of trying something new? Are we a collective of people so ingrained in our ways that we are unable to move forward?

Today I encourage you to push yourself and try something new over the weekend. Report what you did to break out of your current mold. It doesn't have to be something earth-shattering. It can be something as small as watching the following video from Girl in a Coma entitled "Clumsy Sky".

The bull semen adds something to the flavor

Every three-hundred years or so, a television show comes along that redeems the entire genre of television itself. That happened last night on NBC as 30 Rock bowed for the season with a finale that included bull semen, the George W. Bush administration, pregnancy and the olympics as laugh-inducing plotlines. I also have to say that if the bumbling and sad Liz Lemon (played fabulously by Tina Fey) is desperate for a baby that I am available.

With that being said, watch the season finale below and start counting down the days until the third season debuts this autumn. I am curious, too, if this show does truly have the possibility for wider appeal or is the humor too odd to appeal to the masses?

Proof that women rock

Much is said (that I've heard) about the lack of women in rock music. To those people I have one thing to say: you aren't paying attention. Sure, much of normal terrestrial rock radio ignores the very fact that half of the worldwide population is female and even though that percentage does not translate into half of all musicians being females doesn't mean that they don't exist.

Forming my musical tastes of today, I came to discover female-fronted bands such as No Doubt and Hole, both of whom came to wide attention after the male-dominated grunge era and some would even sale that Hole frontwoman Courtney love roade the coattails of her husband Kurt Cobain. Whether she did or not doesn't detract from the very fact that she made her all-female band a successful rock act for the better part of a decade.

After the alt-rock era of the mid- to late-90s came and went, female rockers did seem to vanish. Alas, after that period I'd rather not remember consisting of bands such as Korn and Limp Bizkit polluting the ears of rock fans whose palletes may have been better suited for alternative music, it seemed to be reborn not long after the turn of the century.

After indie rock took the forefront, I took notice of a wide variety of bands who gained traction outside of the United States before making a splash 'round here.

Canadian twin sisters, Tegan & Sara, have a bit of a lighter sound but can also bring the rock in their own way. The very fact that they sound as well live as they do in their studio recordings is a testament to their talent. Check 'em out performing The Con at 89.3 The Current's St. Paul studios.





Of course if your particular flavor of rock is, well, more rocking, there's always California band Rilo Kiley with Portions for Foxes




And if the Twin Cities scene is your thing, local stalwart Mary Lucia is nothing short of an icon when it comes to local radio. Here she is in The Current studios interviewing Tori Amos.

And now for something entirely new

This week has been about 17 days long and what better way to catapult into yet another soggy and cold weekend than with some rawkin' new tunage!

Weezer's sixth full length studio album (and third self-titled) is out June 24th with the first single, "Pork and Beans" available now on iTunes. I bought it literally minutes ago after hearing it on ye olde raydeeoh a few times in the past 10 days and I guve it a full four thumbs up.




And for something with a retro, soulish/pop vibe check out the blonde Brit by the name of Duffy with her first state-side single "Mercy".



If you're a total music nerd like me and can't stand to not try to be hip, remember that insanely popular California festival Coachella is going all weekend long and two of my favorite radio stations, FM94.9 in San Diego and Indie 103.1 in L.A. are broadcasting live. Stream 'em and pretend you are there.

Check 'em out and feel free to fill me in on what tunes have you moving right now!

Good vs. bad

No, this isn't about some epic fight between God and Satan. This is about music because it's Friday dammit. And being I'm thinking tody about good vs. bad, I thought I'd bring up a song I was recently turned on to. It's by a St. Louis, Missouri band named Ludo. The only song I've heard is entitled "Love Me Dead". It has catchy lyrics and a great melody. I'd almost call the whole damn thing infectious.

Then my world was turned upside down. What happened, you ask?

I saw the video.

Yes, sometimes things just don't translate well to a visual medium. I don't know what to make of it. Was it done as a joke? Was the video meant to be cheesy as all hell? Is this just another case of the art of the music video becoming a thing of the past? Draw your own conclusions and let me know what songs you loved until you saw the music video. Was the band visually unappealing? Was it just a crappy video?

Dr. Pepper has no faith in Guns N Roses, neither do I

I'm all for crazy marketing schemes to get your name in the news but Dr. Pepper could regret their ploy to offer up a free can of the soda to every U.S. citizen (Slash & Buckethead excluded) if the mythical Guns N Roses album "Chinese Democracy" sees the light of day in 2008.

Oh, hell, who am I kidding! "Chinese Democracy" has about as much of a chance of being released as our troops pulling out of Iraq during this decade. "Chinese Democracy" is about as possible as the Minnesota Vikings winning a Superbowl in my lifetime. I'll be president of the U.S.A. (even with my large closet full of skeletons) before GNR releases "Chinese Democracy".

I'll even one-up Dr. Pepper. If Guns N Roses does in fact release the entire "Chinese Democracy" album in a phyiscal CD format I'll get my nipples pierced. Hell, I'll go one step further and get a tattoo on my bicep of my readers' choosing if GNR releases "Chinese Democracy" during the 2008 calendar year. Well, with one catch, pitch in a few bucks each with your vote for the tattoo election to cover the costs but a few bucks for a tattoo which I have no say in could be fun. I'm confident that I'll ring in 2009 with my unadulterated biceps in tact and my nipples free of jewerly because Guns N Roses has become the joke of the music industry.

Hey, just for the hell of it, what tattoo would you guys stick me with? Would you recommend hoops or studs for my nipples? Not that I'm worried.