David's Fucked Up

When I came across Fucked Up's latest work, David Comes To Life, I was drawn by it's story of love and betrayal. This marked the first time I came across any records from the Canadian hardcore band. Intrigued, I picked up the record and gave it a listen.

The beauty of a conceptual record is that it can be interpreted in many a hundred different ways. In the case of David however, it's feels more like a thousand. As I mentioned earlier, David Comes To Life is story of love and betrayal, but it was not clear what it's really about. In fact, and I'm not afraid to admit this, I was able to get the idea behind the story from the Youtube video below. The members of Fucked Up mention that it was a man and a beautiful woman that he falls in love with. Tragically, disaster struck and the woman dies. At this point on, it gets even more confusing. I'm not sure if he dies and comes back to life again. Although, that would make more sense due to the title of the album. But then again, if all conceptual albums were that easy to interpret than it would not be something worth listening. To add to that, the best kind of albums are that ones that expect the listener to look beyond the music and see the story behind it. Overall, David Comes To Life is an extraordinary story...if though until this day, I still don't know how it ends.


As far as music goes, absolutely gorgeous. Fucked Up has outshined many hardcore bands with their dynamic musicianship and brilliant songwriting. What makes David Comes To Life standout from the rest of their catalog is their daring attempt in experimenting with pop music. I'm not saying the band went Britney Spears or Justin Bieber on us (Thank God...). I'm saying that they made some tweaks and adjustments to their sound to create a more pop-like vibe. As a result they have created one of the most unconventional sounding albums this year. What's even amazing is that music sounds very cohesive and that the two genres don't collide with one another.

I give mad props to Damian Abraham (aka Pink Eyes) for having one of the most gnarly hardcore voices the game. Strong and aggressive, but highly melodic. Plus, the fact that he's not afraid to perform half naked in front of thousands of people only proves what an amazing frontman he truly his. If any one goes to a Fucked Up show, be in for a wild ride.

New Found Glory Returns

My first concert experience was when my friends and I attended Surfest in 2004. It was a concert festival that featured popular bands such as Rise Against, Yellowcard and New Found Glory. New Found Glory was the last band to play their set. It would have been my first time seeing the band live. Just when the band was about to make their dramatic entrance on stage, one of my friends was not feeling well due to the weather (only in Hawaii that there is some degree of humity in December). Because of that, we had to exit Kualoa Ranch. Good news was that we beat the traffic heading out and my friend was feeling better once we left. The bad news, however, was that I, as well as my other friends missed out on seeing New Found Glory for the first time.

But on March 9, 2011, New Found Glory made their return back to the island of Oahu. It was another chance for me to experience something that I missed out on 7 years ago.

The lights dimmed and the first thing you hear coming out from the speakers is the epic theme from the movie, Chariots of Fire. Suddenly, the New Found Glory, donning their very own personalized basketball uniforms, stormed the stage and got the crowd jumping with their song “Understatement”. The energy did not stopped there as the band continued to play many favorites such as “All Downhill From Here”, “Head On Collision”, “My Friends Over You”, “Hit or Miss” and over course, their rendition of Sixpence None The Richer’s “Kiss Me”. One of the highlights of the night was hearing my favorite song “Dressed To Kill” live. It was a bittersweet moment for me because it was that particular song (and Rachael Leigh Cook) that made me a fan for the rest of my life.

The most well kept secret of the night (except for those who are active on Twitter) was located backstage. Hayley Williams, frontwoman of the band Paramore and girlfriend of NFG guitartist Chad Gilbert was present that night. She was there in honor of her boyfriend’s birthday. Jordan Pundnik and the rest of the crew took a moment to do a birthday sing-a-long with the crowd for their long time friend and bandmate. It was a very touching moment and it really shows that these guys are more than just a bunch of guys with a common interest in music, but best friends. It’s a testament of these guys’ longevity as a band. Don’t be surprised if you see these guys in their 60’s still rocking out and playing shows.

The feeling of finally seeing one of my favorite bands play live and being able to sing every single song is something that I will never forget. It was bittersweet and I hope that it doesn’t take me another 7 years to see these guys again.

All photos were taken by Melissa Kumano of Bamp Project. You can follow her Twitter and look up more of her work here.

Yuri Retires From MxPx

On July 8th 2010, after 18 years behind the kit of the legendary punk band MxPx, Yuri Ruley announced that he will be retiring from the band. The decision of his retirement is due to the heavy demand of touring and the need to spend more time with his family. The band will be playing their last show as a unit on July 18th at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas. Besides the fact that this will be their last show before Yuri's retirement, this show will feature the band playing their highly acclaimed album and one of my personal favorites, Life In General in it's entirety. Everything from "Move To Bremerton" to "Chick Magnet" will be played that night. For those in the Las Vegas area or die-hard fans of the band, this show is not be missed out for this night is to honor Yuri for all of his hard work, dedication and committment to everything that is MxPx. Heck, if it wasn't for Yuri and his handwriting, they would still probably be referred to as Magnified Plaid.

I was fortunate enough to have met the guys when they came down here to Hawaii two years ago. Not only was the show awesome and I got to hear some of my favorite songs live ("Responsibility", "Punk Rawk Show" and "Chick Magnet" to name a few), but they happen to be a great group of guys. On that night, I was one of the lucky few to have caught one of Yuri's drumsticks. When I caught it the first thing I noticed was the MxPx logo on it. It felt like I was holding the holy grail in the palm of my hands. After the show, I caught up with Yuri and asked him if he could do the honor of signing it. The classy guy that he is, gladly took the drumstick and signed it with his marker. After taking a picture with the legendary drummer, I shook his hand and thanked him for playing an awesome show.

When I found out about the news, it saddened me that he will no longer be in the band. However, I do understand and respect his decision of wanting to spend more time with his family. Therefore, I want to wish Yuri and his family all the best in the near future. I won't be able to fly out to Las Vegas this weekend for the show, but on that day you can bet that I will be playing Life In General with the volume on high.

Awesome Beards

Before the release of their new album, Enemy of the World, Four Year Strong did an exclusive acoustic session for Absolutepunk.net. It featured Dan O'Connor and Alan Day playing one song from their previous album, Rise or Die Trying and one song from the new album. My personal favorite is their acoustic rendition of Wasting Time (Eternal Summer), which sounds very good. Both Dan and Alan played their guitars flawlessly. The funny thing is that throughout the whole performance, I couldn't help but notice how awesome their beards are. Besides their awesome pop punk blended hardcore sound, they are highly known for their beards and many people have copied their scruffy look. I wanted to try it, but unfortunately I can't go a full fledged beard. This picture of Johnny Depp is the farthest my facial hair can grow. Anyways, if you are interested in what hardcore music with a pop punk attitude made for moshing sounds like, I highly recommend picking up Enemy of the World.

Paul DiGiovanni Incident

Ever since I got back from Long Beach, I've been wanting to write about this particular incident. For those that kept up with my tweets on Twitter, you may have an idea what I'm talking about.

It was my last day in Long Beach and my family had just dropped me off at LAX airport. I barely got any sleep the night before and I was still feeling a little tired. After I checked in my bag, I went toward the security checkpoint and waited in line with the other travelers. While I was waiting, I noticed someone in the line. From the first glance, I can tell that he was musician. He had a black leather jacket, black skinny jeans and a guitar case in his hand. The funny thing was that when I looked at him, he looked familiar to me. As though I may have seen him before from a magazine, a CD or even a live show. As the line slowly moved toward the security checkout, I've been trying to think about where I knew him from. Then I remembered an acoustic set that I watched on AOL Music a year or two ago. Then it hit me and I recognized him instantly. The guy in the black leather jacket, black skinny jeans and guitar in his hand was none other than Paul DiGiovanni, the lead guitarist of the pop rock band, Boys Like Girls. As soon as I got through the security checkout point, I went up to him and immediately shook his hand. We talked a little bit and I told him how much I admire his music with Boys Like Girls. He was a pretty cool guy. He even let me take a picture with him (his friend was kind of enough to take the photo on my phone). Afterwards, we went off to our respected gates to board our flights. Before I got on the plane, I checked my phone to see the picture that was taken. It turns out that the photo was not saved and I lost the photo I took with Paul DiGiovanni. I was left with no prove that I met the lead guitarist for Boys Like Girls. Talk about epic fail...

Boys Like Girls are currently on tour promoting their current album, Love Drunk, a power-packed rock album with rich pop melodies and catchy hooks. Pick it at your nearest record store. Also featured below, check out the acoustic set that got me to recognize Paul DiGiovanni at LAX. It features him and lead singer Chris Martin performing "Thunder". Enjoy.

Art With Ferocity

I enjoy looking at the cover art of many of my favorite albums. I know that you should never judge a book by its cover, but if you look at the artwork, you can't help but imagine what the tone of the music might sound like. For musicians, who take complete control of the art direction for their albums, it is another medium for them to express themselves. One of the best examples is Jacob Bannon. Jacob Bannon is the vocalist of the punk infused metalcore act Converge. Prior to music, he attended the Art Institute of Boston and earned his Bachelor's in Fine Arts in 1998. Today, while making music with Converge, he still continues to work on his craft as an artist by doing various works for other bands. Some of his works include As I Lay Dying, Bane, Norma Jean, Shadows Fall and even Fall Out Boy. Also, he does all the cover art for all of Converge's records.

I really admire his work (and his music). Jacob Bannon has a unique way of capturing the aggression and intensity of his band's music and mold that into his artwork. His artwork is original and mind-blowing. Jacob Bannon is truly an amazing artist and one hell of vocalist/musician. For more information on Jacob Bannon and the artwork that he does, click HERE or click on the picture below. His band's current record, Axe to Fall is out now and it is one of my favorite records of 2009.

Pop Punk's Not Dead

That phrase (see title) is written across Jordan Pundik's, lead singer of New Found Glory, shirt proving that the genre is still alive and strong. The song "Don't Let Her Pull You Down" their new single from their current album, Not Without A Fightis my favorite track on album. You can watch the video below which is homage to classic zombie horror movies. It is pretty awesome.

I highly recommend their latest effort. It is one of the best albums of this year and it really shows why these guys are highly regarded as one of the most influential bands of the genre.

She's All That

One celebrity that I had a huge crush on when I was growing up was an actress by the name of Rachael Leigh Cook. For those who remember who she is, Rachael Leigh Cook is an actress who is well known from the movie She's All That where she plays a nerdy art student who turned popular. She was also known for playing Josie in the movie Josie and the Pussycats which was based on the 1970's cartoon of the same name. I remember she had those gorgeous eyes that can easily melt your heart in one glance. Since then I watched every movie and bought every magazine that she was in including the infamous first issue of FHM magazine where she was featured on the cover. Other than the fact that she is one of the most beautiful women on Earth and a terrific actress, there is one thing very special about her and it has to to do with music. If it wasn't for her, I would not have known who New Found Glory was. If I could I would thank her for this.

I discovered New Found Glory when Rachael Leigh Cook did a music video for their song, "Dressed To Kill". The music video featured the band playing in a garage while Rachael Leigh Cook is being spied by one of the neighbors. It was a pretty awesome video. Then I found out later that the song for the video is on their self-titled released from Drive-Thru Records, which was their record label at the time. I looked up the album and started listening to some of the songs. Not only did I enjoyed listening to every single song on the record, but this marked a monumental moment in my life. This was the first time I was ever listen to pop punk.

I never imagined that the both pop and punk can combine to form one distinct sound.Both were two very different genres. But that is what the band from Coral Springs, Florida did and that is what makes their sound so unique. Although their sound is mainly pop punk, it has hints hardcore mixed into it. This gives the band a different kind of energy that is unmatchable to the other bands playing at the time. Their self-titled album is simply a stunning effort full of catchy lyrics, perfectly crafted pop punk melodies and hardcore breakdowns. The music is so catchy that it is addicting and immediately upon first listen, you will be hooked. Which is why the replay value for this album is very high and it is something worth listening to with the volume at full blast. Key songs that I recommend on this album are "Dressed To Kill", "Hit Or Miss" (a re-recorded version from their debut album Nothing Gold Can Stay ) and "Black And Blue". But again a picking favorite song on this album is an understatement since ever song on this album is a gem.

After many years of touring, playing thousands of shows and six albums later, they are still one of the most popular and most influential bands of the alternative scene. Like wine, these guys get better with age and these guys still rock. I know because I've been to one of their shows. I highly recommend this album and if you are still unsure about these guys, look up the pop punk bands that you listen to today and check their influences. Don't be surprise if you see these guys or this album listed on some of them.

As for Rachael Leigh Cook, she still continues with her acting doing indie films and various TV shows. She is also happily married to fellow actor Daniel Gillis whom she had been married to since 2004. And although, I grew out of my boyhood crush and moved on with my life, I can still look back and remember Rachael Leigh Cook. For it was her that opened my ears to pop punk and helped me discover a new genre of music.

And yes, she really is all that.