Taking You Down With Me! #11

Since it's almost Christmas time, I need to focuse my hate towards the masses and their annual shopping spree, nicely wrapped & served from mega corporations and sold to you as "the christmas spirit" in order to get rid of past years' stock and cover whatever losses the market suffered due to the inflation.
On second thought, I don't know what is more fucked up...buying stuff for others to show them your love or celebrating the birth of god's child, brought to this world some 2,000 years ago by a virgin....an alien spacecraft in your backyard makes more sense than the above! Fuck this, let's move on....

My good friend Lydia put together a playlist especially for this blog and introduced me to some new killer bands like Avon Ladies and Dead Language. Lydia is also responsible for the Nemesis Knox blog,  Nowhere 'zine and the My First Punk Rock Show blog/archive among other collective punk activities, check her stuff, you'll find something interesting for sure. Enjoy.

Doom and Gloom Mix by nemesisknox

Accept The Darkness / Ratcharge-split 'zine

(U.S.A / France)

I have a love/hate relationship with split 'zines, sure I dig the idea of two 'zines in one but sometimes it comes out as if something's missing, not in this one though! I was eager to get a hold of an issue of Accept The Darkness since it managed to get tons of good reviews from other 'zines and I must say that it deserves the hype. There's some good writing and a genuine feeling from the editor that makes it easy and fun to read, includes interviews with Vile Gash & Crazy Spirit, some thoughts about Disclose songs and of course record reviews. Ratcharge does it again! The guy behind it is a total music freak with no boundaries or limitations and isn't afraid to show it! Interviews with La Vida Es Un Mus records, Tyvek and a reprint of a Sun Ra interview (weird free jazz/space rock stuff!). Definitely worth tracking a copy of it. Contact: Accept The Darkness-eggmangel[at]gmail[dot]com, Ratcharge-ratcharge[at]gmail[dot]com

  Upheaval #14

(U.S.A)

Upheaval 'zine is from Boston and within a double-sided A4 sheet manages to do a good job documenting the local and worldwide punk scene! It's mostly compiled with record reviews (except an introductional note that reads more like a column) from new bands, I like how the editor goes on about being objective is a vital part of writting a 'zine, in his own words: "We have a responsibility in the punk world to be fair and objective with each other..." I would like to see more issues of Upheaval, a much bigger issue is in the works as Graig informed me. For a copy of #14 get in touch here: upheaval.fanzine[at]gmail[dot]com , the cost is a first class stamp within the u.s and $1 for the rest of the world.

Down & Out #18

(Australia)

Reading Down & Out made me wanna punch the shit out of its editor because of his sarcastic and ironic style but on the other hand, I'm a sarcastic and ironic bastard too so maybe I should punch myself first! Hardcore is what this 'zine's all about, interviews with The Ropes (great music,awful vocals),Hoax (the definition of pissed hc!), Mugger and Polyurethane, record/'zine/show reviews and lots of venomous words from the pretentious Aussie bastard posing as an editor of this rag. Loved it!

Contact: xsamvincex[at]yahoo[dot]com.au

Got Myself #5

(U.S.A)

A beautiful cut & paste hc/punk fanzine filled with sincere love for punk music, even though we tend to describe all d.i.y music press as "fanzines", Got Myself is one of the few that serves the term in all its meaning. Everything included in this 'zine is here because the editor wants to, nothing to please the audience. That said, he interviews some of my current favorite bands like Night Birds and Double Negative, there's a nice, rowdy story from the punk scene in Cleveland (H100's are involved of course!), record/zine reviews and some words that feel like my thoughts. Can't recommended it enough! For a copy go to Feel It records (also home for many other great 'zines).