Propagandhi, The Firebird, Saint Louis, Missouri (11-4-12)

The radical Canadian gentlemen known as Propagandhi

One of my favorite bands for their sustained radical left politics, street activism, early melodic punk, and more recently, their interesting hybrid metal/prog/punk work.  Propagandhi ran through close to 20 songs with precision, political proclamations (especially about Missouri Senate hopeful Todd Akin’s idiocy), exceptionally tight synchronicity between the drums and guitars, and a fine live mix.  The majority of the 90 or so minute set was comprised of songs off their latest two albums, Supporting Caste and Failed States.  Compared to earlier albums, these later tunes tend to be more progressive and complex both in terms of timing and breakdowns.  It isn’t exactly metal or punk.  Think a super heavy Rush combined with some of the faster and less melodic early Rise Against.  Particularly powerful renditions of Coaches Corner and Night Letters were the highlights for me as far as newer material goes.  Propagandhi did some good service to their earlier recordings by playing excellent versions of Fuck the Border and Less Talk, More Rock, the latter of which is a song that demands some serious reflection to really get the message.

The band lacks ego, comes across as very genuine, and clearly exhibits gratitude to folks in the crowd.  I was thrilled to chat with the main songwriter and guitarist Chris Hannah after the show about my research on punk and politics.  He seemed very interested and we talked about conducting an interview down the road.  We’ll see. More generally, he and the other band members must have spent fifteen minutes or so after the show just greeting people and talking some music.   It was so nice to see that, but then again I sort of expected it given their politics.

Opening bands were Off with Their Heads and the Menzingers, the latter of which was great despite being down a band member for the night.  I found the former too simplistic and boring, sort of like listening to the same song for 40 minutes.

Seth Meyers Standup, 3/21/12, Edwardsville Illinois

Next to Bill Hader, Seth Meyers is my favorite actor on Saturday Night Live.  The Illinois-born Meyers seems witty, liberal enough not to make me angry, and just seems like a guy who has more than a few interesting views on politics and culture.  That he is currently the head writer for SNL is intriguing to me, as about half the current skits are boring and cliché while others are surprisingly poignant.  I could never watch the current offerings of the show without a DVR.  The corporate capitalist commercials in between the show are just as nauseating as with every other television program, and the payoff of the skits has too low of a laugh factor to justify watching the show in real time.

Meyers performed an exact hour of comedy at a sold out Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Morris University Center, and I must have laughed 30 or 40 times.  While 37, Meyers did his best to relate to college students, who comprised the majority of the audience, by offering up joke after joke about college life, from sex on futons, smoking dope, sexting, surfing for porn, and dating.  While most of the punch lines were funny, I couldn’t help but think I was already too old for his humor a couple of decades ago.  I still laughed though.

Disappointingly, he devoted only about a third of his performance to political matters.  But that small percentage of time was quite humorous and witty.  My favorite joke was that Romney must have been thinking to himself during the Republican primary debates “If I just keep my mouth shut people will see that I am the least crazy of all these mothef***ers.”  Awesome stuff.  Meyers also made a number of  clever jokes about his performance at the White House Correspondents Dinner last year, including a hilarious retelling of how he had previously acted like a fool twice with Obama, once in worrying about whether the President could take off a mask of himself for a SNL skit they were rehearsing and the other about inadvertently pushing his girlfriend’s outstretched hand away when Obama tried to shake her hand.  The delivery was great, and the timing very well executed.

Of course, my preference would have been for him to tackle politics the entire hour and to, as he does so well on SNL, make fun of Republican beliefs and conservativism.  These are things I would like everyone to do all day long, but obviously I am not in charge of much of anything.

Circle of Rage

Ah, yes!  Do you like post-Maiden-like guitar riffs, clearly articulated bass lines, occasional groovy breakdowns, active drums, and unusually melodic screaming vocals?  How about songs that speak to political alienation, government corruption, and the need for radical political and social change?  If any of the above, you are going to love what London’s loud and passionate hardcore band Circle of Rage (COR) has to offer.  I’ve been following these guys for awhile, admiring their commitment to making music that is accessible, heavy, and politically significant.  I am currently listening to their tune Unnatural Selection, which gets my already raging brain into a deeper tizzy.   Tommo is a tireless voice, literally and figuratively, that blows away most vocalists’ delivery of energy and profundity.  You can’t help but want to talk with him (which I have done, by the way) about social issues once you hear his vocal rage.  Mark, one of the the guitarists, shows tasty form and substance in this and most other COR tunes.  At times as I listen to his riffs I smile and think of a modern iteration of Glenn Tipton, Adrian Smith, and Dave Murray.  Not bad company!  This is not your typical double picking drop D mindless chord-playing hardcore punk guitarist – his sweet flashes and knack for nailing quick hammer-ons and pull offs are just enough to balance otherwise speedy and funky chords.  The rhythm guitar, bass, and drum work by Scott, Jackson and Xander move the feel of the songs along fantastically (although I’d like to hear wildly beaten open high hats a bit more).

Circle of Rage holds a special place in time and space.  Not many artists I know of can combine melody, heaviness, rhythmic diversity, and political consciousness as compellingly as COR.

Download Unnatural Selection here for free.

Visit their webpage for more music, exceptional videos, and other information on the band.