Strike A Match — Demo 2011

An interesting band from Norway, Strike A Match play a refreshingly a-stylistic type of punk. It's kind of disjointed, but in a good way. Not much distortion, no hard breakdowns or real solos, just cool jams. Sort of reminds me of Regulations, what with the whole Scandi thing, but also sort of a rock'n'roll sensibility that hearkens all the way back towards to some early eighties tunes, before punk was a style and not just an attitude. Yeah, refreshing is a good word.

Strike A Match — Demo 2011

Track Listing:

1. Strike A Match
2. 1000 Eyes
3. Dead Time in the Living Room
4. You Don't Have to Fuck People Over to Survive
5. Sleepers Awake
6. Let's Be Human Beings

Strike A Match are a reasonably new band from Oslo, Norway, with members from a bunch of other bands over there that unfortunately I'm not too familiar with. Cool band in what's always been a cool scene, from everything I've heard. Check it out.

http://strikeamatch.bandcamp.com/

Billy Bragg — Joe Strummer Tribute

If you don't know who the Clash were, what are you doing on a punk rock blog? And if you don't know who Billy Bragg is, I'm disappointed with you. This is Billy playing a tribute set to Joe's life two months after he died in December 2002. He opens with some of his own songs and closes with a few of his favorite Clash tunes, interspersing the whole set with pithy anecdotes about Joe. This was also shortly before Tony Blair decided to roll into Iraq with America, so there's lots of talk of that as well (the altered lyrics to 'Great Leap Forward' are brilliant), and a general focus on politics in general. This was recorded with a hand-held mic, not a soundboard, but while it's relatively lo-fi the atmosphere of the crowd comes across great – there are plenty of singalongs and commentary on what Billy's saying. It's nice to hear a brilliant musician celebrating the life and works of another brilliant musician.

Billy Bragg — Joe Strummer Tribute (Feb. 22, 2003)

Track Listing:

1. A New England
2. World Turned Upside Down
3. Between The Wars
4. Like Soldiers Do
5. The Price Of Oil
6. Joe & Woody (That's My Fuckin' Telecaster)
7. All You Fascists
8. Power In A Union
9. Waiting For The Great Leap Forward/Lover's Town (Not Revisited!)/Safe European Home
10. Groovy Times
11. Pressure Drop
12. White Man In Hammersmith Palais
13. Police & Thieves
14. Garrageland

Billy Bragg is a musician and political activist who blends folk songs, punk rock, and concepts of political protest in a fantastic manner. Listening to him is like hearing Woody Guthrie and Joe Strummer singing a duet. He's coming to DC on sunday, maybe I'll see you there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Bragg

http://www.billybragg.co.uk/

Chaos Days — Demo

This is a demo I got for free at some show at Alley Katz in Richmond a few years ago. I don't really remember if I heard anything about them there, but whatever. It's five songs of poppy hardcore, kind of like Title Fight only maybe a little lighter. Also, they're from England, and are apparently pretty popular there. Anyway, I there's at least a couple of interesting jams on here, so check it.

Chaos Days — Demo

Track Listing:

1. Another Noose
2. Diamonds...
3. Thanks Again
4. Until The Sun Sets Tonight
5. Glory Bound

Chaos Days are from somewhere in England, probably London. They've been around a couple of years, and have done at least one US tour. It looks like they now have a full-length, and are in the process of putting out a split with All Or Nothing. Yeap.

www.myspace.com/chaosdays