Taking You Down With Me! #12

Summer's here, motivation's gone and my nerves are tense. Below are some 'zine reviews that I finally found the time to post, some are already out of date but really, name a 'zine that's not out of date in the internet era. Oh, and today Greece is playing against Germany in the dog-killing football fest of euro 2012, I always hated national teams and that's because of the pseudo-unity that comes along...you know, the "we may fight all year long about our local teams but when the national plays, we stand together" shit. This year though I'm taking the hate to a whole new level and openly support any other team except Greece! We're in a country where 50% of the young people are unemployed and most of them have no chances for a brighter future (not for a decade at least!), people getting fired from jobs they've been in for over 20 years due to budget cuts, the numbers of homeless people expand every single day but guess what? The national team and the corporations behind it get a shitload of money for participating in the capitalist fiesta of  modern football....it only makes me wonder, there are money to spend on football but not on welfare, health care, education and creating new job oppurtunities?!
For those reasons, I'll shout 'till my lungs explode: Go Germany, kick their ass! 

Nowhere #2 (May 2012) Greece

My good friend L. is back with another issue of Nowhere 'zine, packed with tons of interesting and amusing stuff. It's all cut & paste, black & white, 95pgs long 'zine done out of pure love for punk and radical politics. In this issue there are interviews with the greek post-psychedelic rockers, Bad Trip, the all new to me, Terra Tenebrosa and the lovely Swedes from Terrible Feelings. A short essay about Muslim punk that comes out really great, even though it's a short one, L. manages to give you an idea of what the hell "Muslim punk" is including the social backround it was born in. Many of us spoiled punx of the western front will be suspicious about it, even all-out critical, but guess what motherfuckers, our version of punk is not the only one nor the righteous, tolerance and understanding is what separates us from the religious nutbags out there and brings us closer to our punk brothers and sisters from all around. Back to the 'zine, there some fine art included, courtesy of 3 dedicated punks that give their time,energy and love to make show flyers/posters, band logos, artwork & more. I'm probably fogetting something but it's better to get a copy yourself and read it front to back. Score one here: N O W H E R E Z I NE

Rebuild #1 (January 2011) Serbia

Ok, I had this 'zine in the review/reading bin for almost a year but I just decided to read it....or to put it in my own words, cope with it. As you might have guessed by the cover alone, this is a straightedge hardcore 'zine. I've come across some similar 'zines in the past and you know what? They seem all the same to me, it's like reading a high school archive (the ones they hand out by the end of the year with every jerk's picture and short goodbye notes) only this one is about music....and stories of how people found or lost the edge. Really people, there are waaaay more intersting and infuential stuff to tell about regarding life and commitments than braggin' the whole fuckin' time about how Youth Of Today (and if I hear/read someone mention them as "Y.O.T" ever again, I'll cut his/her head off!), 7 Seconds, Casey Jones or whatever other band made you stop drinking, smoking, eating, fucking through their lyrics. Fortunately there are a couple of interesting interviews here, mostly because of the answers and not the questions. Devotion is one, described as heavy rock/doom and the dude behind the band sounds as a cool, open minded, laid back kinda guy, who's just expressing himself through music. Kingdom is a band that is trying to get people unstuck their heads from their asses and have something actually vital to say, best asnwer ever in the classic "how does it feel to be a woman in a hardcore band" question! Worth getting a copy for this one alone! Of course, the "back in the day" guy is also featured, he says that it was different back then when.....(wait for it!).....we had our crew and marked X's on our hands! Fuck this, I'll go grab a beer and smoke a joint listening to Disclose.

More Noize #7 (October 2011) U.K

I've seen tons of reviews about this one so I'll keep it short. More Noize is mainly focused on the noisier side of punk, or should I say on the ear-damaging, brain-melting, raw fuckin' hardcore/punk that's definitely up my alley. Interviews with the young punks from New York, Deformity, Injections, Fogna from Italy, Kylma Sota from Finland and a tribute punk band from Japan that only plays in wedding ceremonies (how awesome is that!?). Lots of record, tape and cd/cd-r reviews written with the perfect dose of irony and sillyness to keep you reading even if you're not interested. Where are the next issues Tony? We want more! Get in touch for copies.

...more soon.