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Holy Crap! An Update!
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May 8
The year 2007, if you didn't already know, is the year of the reunion tour. You've got The Police, The Stooges, superfrauds Rage Against The Machine, and a slew of smaller, but equally exciting, names. Hell, even Ben Weasel is leaving Chicago to play a gig. But one reunion is totally flying under the radar and if they don't come to Boston, some one is gonna have to hose me down before I tear shit up like that werewolf from the video game Rampage. In case you haven't heard, The Stray Cats are hitting the road with ZZ Top and the Pretenders. It's the original trio -- Brian Setzer, Slim Jim Phantom and Lee Rocker -- and it's guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. When was the last time that happened? Keep checking their website for newly added tourdates. I can't wait. We're still doing the Fat City Cleaning Sale but the price will increase to $6 when postal rates increase next week. I'll keep you posted.
P.S., the website is coming along. Trust me.
~ Jay
April 14
Who knew recreating a website would be such a complete pain in the ass? I’ve been making little buttons that say next, back, This Week In Netflix, and Fast Food With The Dude video archive for what seems like four months. It’s almost done. I swear. I just need to finish a couple more graphics, take pictures of our douchebag staff, and trick State Street Steve into plopping it all together. It’s a work in progress that’s going at a glacial pace … the pace of glaciers as established by actual scientists, not fucking clowns like Al Gore.
The lovely “Shhh, Men Are Watching Baseball” T-shirts will be available for Red Sox opening day and are guaranteed to NOT get you laid by pink-hat wearing Red Sox “fans” who don’t know the difference between a sacrifice bunt and an ice dildo. They’re $10 ($2 postage in the US) and if you order by mail, you’ll get 10 free CDs with your order. They’re navy blue with red ink and run sizes XL-Small. Shit, I probably should have made a couple XXLs for the fatties.
I’ve also been to a few shows. I’ve had a couple hundred beers since then and me and Lydon decapitated a bottle of whiskey … long story short I stole two pint glasses from a bar and a Christmas wreathe from some jerk, and the biggest drunk I know was the designated driver home. I’ve included a few pictures here and sporadic reviews of the gigs.
First off were the immortal Far From Finished who just seem to get tighter despite only having one guitarist and a revolving bassist of Spinal Tap proportions. They ripped it up at The Abbey Lounge back in January playing a couple new cuts from their not-quite-released-because-their-old-label-filed-for-Chapter-7-bankruptcy album Living in the Fallout. When this CD eventually hits shelves, you’re going to be psyched. FFF will be touring all summer and deserve your hard-earned money so hit up one of their shows and soak in some no frills, fruit-free punk rock. Yes, it still exists.
Next up was Darkbuster, also at The Abbey. Since O’Brien’s in Allston is going through a de-stankification, they’ve moved their second annual Hometown Throwup across the river to Somerville. Although the beer throwing was down from last year, it was Darkbuster amateur hour redux—certain people kept hopping up on stage, grabbing the microphone, and completely ass raping the band’s best songs. If you waited all day to hear “Skinhead,” you got fucked when some drunk in a Liverpool jersey planted himself in front of Mike Gurley’s mic stand and squeezed an oral dump into the microphone. Thanks pal, you really added to my enjoyment. There are rumors that Darkbuster will be releasing a B-sides record in the near future. Until then, you can get two of them (“NRA” and “Fitzy Needs A Haircut” ) on our Bands We Like CDs. How these guys remain unsigned boggles my mind. Watching Lenny Lashley and Tommy Somerville receive birthday cakes was great, but the funniest thing I saw during the set change was some drunk blonde girl take a face plant into the stage. It wasn’t that funny, but her boyfriend’s reaction was. While his girl was bleeding, crying, and checking her teeth which I’m sure were wrecked, he just held his spot in front of the stage and looked like he wasn’t going to leave. They stood there for at least three minutes.
In February, The Lemonheads came to the Paradise for a nice little set. I planned on checking them out at Avalon back in December on the heels of the release of their new self-titled album, but we missed most of the gig due to family Christmas arrangements. This time, the show was a bit quainter. It was funny to see Evan Dando playing air guitar while standing next to his parents in front of the stage during one of the opening acts. He was a bit under the weather in December but was plenty strong at the Paradise this night. Still unable to shed his “hapless stoner” image after decades of performing, Dando and his current touring band (bassist Vess Ruhtenberg and drum kingpin Devon Ashley) churned out all the hits with minimal bullshit in between. I swear, however, that the bass player was none other than former Weezer and Kickovers bassist Mikey Welsh. That pairing might not be good for buisiness. The set was a splendid mix of old cuts
from It’s a Shame About Ray to the latest disc. They did throw in one of my favorites, “Ride With Me,” as a treat. Unfortunately, they didn’t bust out “Hate Your Friends” like they did back in December. Hopefully, I can one day fulfill my quixotic quest of interviewing Dando as I’m sure he has a lot to say. Until then, I’ll keep bugging his publicist.
And finally, we have The Pogues. Last time I saw Shane MacGowan, the “venerable” Pogues frontman, was at the Guiness Fleadh Festival in 1998. He looked like a scarecrow stuffed with sawdust covered with a thin layer of skin. He could barely stand, drink and cigarette in hand, next to the microphone and I swear I saw him escorted to the stage on one of those Hannibal Lecter wheeled carts – without the designer mouthpiece. Nearly a decade later, what a drastic change. Shane looked healthy and nearly vibrant for a man who has inflicted so much damage upon himself through assorted vices over the years. The band was even better, performing tighter and more raucus than players half their age. All of the classics were addressed, a veritable greatest hits evening which included the crowd handling the vocals on “Dirty Old Town,” and singing along to their all time favorites. While it was funny to see Shane’s setlist typset in a 36-point font while his
bandmates’ lists were in a much smaller size, trapping over 2,000 drunken dudes in a room with no air conditioning was a cruel act. Avalon reeked like a hot fart from the moment The Pogues took the stage. Disgusting. And then later on that night I discovered that PJ Kilroy’s, my beloved Fenway-area bar, had closed. Bad times.
February 4
It’s very rare that I get out of the house and go to shows these days but when I do, there’s an endless barrage of questions asked in between and during the consumption of beers: “Hey dude, how’s the magazine going? When’s the next one coming out? What have you been up to? Do you have any Advil?” Well, let me just say that the next printed issue of Fat City is probably never coming out. Ever. Well, maybe if they finally release Spenser: For Hire on DVD I’ll find some inspiration. I have a great idea for the finale but I think I might save it for a book instead. It’s not that I dislike doing the magazine it’s just that the magazine and music industry suck giant, sweaty, unwashed trucker gonads in a rest stop bathroom with one bare, 60-watt bulb swinging from a chord above the depravity.
I took it on the chin like a silicone-injected porn star the day Tower Records went under and when Thorp/Sailor’s Grave snuck off like a thief in the night with my ad money – not to mention album advances and royalties for a bunch of good bands – I started to think, wow, these guys are fucking crooks. The hundred beans Takeover Records owes me that I’ll never see? Yeah, that was probably my fault for not investigating that the label was run from some douche in a shitty fruitcake band. Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, the magazine … it’s kaput … as a printed entity. Distributors don’t like to pay, paper costs a ton of money and I can’t whore myself out and start three different magazines catering to emosexuals, street punks and metalcore hermaphrodites. Sorry but my fashion sense hasn’t changed since 10th grade. I’ve got standards. And I like to be able to look at myself in the mirror and not see some sort of punk rock advertising money bucklebunny.
I know I’ve been talking a big game for the last three years but I’m hitting the home stretch with moving everything to the web. They have this new thing called video that I think is going to be huge. I might as well hop on board before it becomes the next big thing. Those of you who like what Fat City has to offer should still enjoy it although the coverage will be expanded. I’m not going to scrape a homeless guy’s turd nugget off the sidewalk and claim it holds true to “the punk rock ethos,” I’ll leave that to Brett Gurewitz. He’s doing a bang-up job (snicker, snicker…nice signings, buddy.) There will still be interviews with bands that are making good music and wanton cheap shots taken at ones that are in it for the money and think they’re bigger than Jesus---Jones or Christ. There will also be interviews with people involved in the media and entertainment biz as well as sports coverage. Why? Because it’s a hell of a lot more interesting than any of the bullshit that’s been going on in “the scene” in years. I mean, those hacks in the recently reunited Rage Against the machine think they can “tear down the Bush Administration” by playing some nerd festival in California. Are they fucking serious? Were they ever relevant to anyone besides confused suburban white teens and befuddled “music critics?” You fucking phonies, go back to writing movie soundtrack songs with Chris Cornell for Vin Diesel flicks. I lost my train of thought again, stupid bullshit makes me go off on tangents. Bah!
If anyone wants to swap banner ads for T-shirt printing or buttons, drop me an email cause I need them both. Also, if you’re a band, a label, or a cool business and want to take out ads with us on the new site they start at $50 a month. Up front. I don’t want to have to beat up anymore poor mothers and steal their WIC checks to publish my shit. I retired my ski mask and snatch and grab moves after printing Issue 10.
One final thing, if you live in the US and want to help me clear space in my office, we’re still running our fall cleaning special. You can buy ANY Fat City of your choice plus one of MY choice along with a minimum of 5 CDs, a bunch of coupons for Listerine and Boston Market, and a ton of other surprises by sending $5 (cash only) to our PO Box. And remember, it’s for AMERICANS only, no Canadians, no Mexicans and definitely no Swedes. (These restrictions are due to postal rates only, not my xenophobia or jingoism.)
Until then, hey neighbor, have a ‘Gansett and for the love of all things holy stop sending me motherfucking metal CDs. I just bring them down to the men’s shelter to toss in the barrel fire while we pass around a bottle of Scope and get plastered!
November 1
I know, I know, you haven’t heard from me in months. I’m sorry but there’s been a ton of shit going on so relax. Here’s one of what should be a few news updates regarding the Fat City Universe.
First, we’re still reeling from the untimely passing of Fat City rabid reviewer, James “Jimmy Reject” Harrington. Although we didn’t know Jimmy that well he was always around to review crappy-ass records that I didn’t want stinking up the office and he always did it with a smile. There were a ton of reviews Jimmy slapped together that didn’t make Fat City #10 and we posted all of them in a little tribute section right here. The Boston Globe also ran a great piece on the life and times of Jimmy Reject that you can read here. Thanks for the memories, Jimmy!
I’ve also been to a bunch of great gigs since the last time we spoke including The Queers, Joan Jett and Social Distortion. Crazy computer viruses ate my Joan Jett review (although I’ve posted a pic above) but you can peruse our Social D piece right here.. There are plenty of pictures, too.
And what would Fat City be without a heaping helping of good ol’ fashion gossip? I overheard someone talking about a new project Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong was cobbling together. Yeah, yeah, we know all about the solo album, this is something different. Tim is putting together a book of 150 different artist interpretations of the end of the world – nuclear holocausts, piles of corpses, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria, you get the drift. If I Spytech more information you’ll be among the first to know. Also, we hear that Darkbuster will be hosting their second annual Hometown Throwup at the Abbey Lounge coming in February. The 2006 shindig went down at O’Briens and the joint seemed overmatched at times. It should be a much better fit in a larger venue.
Brandon Cruz (Dr. Know/ex-Dead Kennedys) shot out an email nominating his TV dad Bill Bixby a posthumous Emmy. You can sign an online petition right here if “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father” is your bag. And finally, The Queers will be releasing a new album on Asian Man this spring and touring the nation again in May. Mark your calendar now jerkoffs. Hey, this just crossed my desk. Peep a YouTube video of Tommy Ramone playing alongside our buddies The Gobshites by clicking this guy.
A couple last minute items before I go back to gearing up for the big Boston College vs. Wake Forest college football game this weekend: Do you have an opinion? Yeah, but it’s probably wrong. Regardless, every week I’ll be updating what six CDs I’m rocking in my new car stereo and I want to hear your suggestions. Until State Street Steve and I make a new website over a bottle of Grey Goose Vodka you’ll be able to find this little interactive gem on our myspace blog. Yeah, we’re nerds. And finally, in the coming weeks I’ll be posting my diary from the annual Fat City Father/Son Fishing outing. It’ll be a good read unless you have no sense of humor or are some sort of animal rights nutcase who thinks fishing is cruel. If that’s the case go fuck yourself. I’ll post the long, long story when it’s completed. Any questions? Ask them with currency and buy a magazine or five.
Later gators,
Jay & the Fat City Jamboree
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August 5
So I was gonna post this big news update/review of three punk shows I attended last week but in typical Jay Hale fashion, the whole deal became a hornet’s nest of run on sentences, overuse of the word great and a couple of boner jokes. Therefore, you can find it right here. It’s kinda long but you’ll find some info on Far From Finished and the Street Dogs you may or may not have known. I also posted about a dozen photos from the gigs. Also, I made a CKY news update on July 28th so when you’re finished reading this, pop down a couple of lines and peep that. Enjoy!
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July 28
I just quickly chatted with Jess Margera from CKY to see what’s been crackin’ with our favorite Fat City coverboys. Since Issue 10 hits shelves, the band has parted ways with their label, Island Def Jam, and lead vocalist Deron Miller had a nasty breakdown during the final stop in Burlington, Vermont, on their last tour. Immediately afterward, he checked himself into a rehab to get his head on straight and help exorcise some demons. Although CKY is only a few days from leaving for a European tour, nobody has heard from Deron BUT he has assured management that everything is still a go. Phew! Glad to hear he’s doing well! Aside from Europe, Jess says he and the band have been “as busy as a dyke in a hardware store” – his words, not mine! He’s currently working on an EP with Neil Fallon and Jim Rota from Fireball Ministry and after that he’s gonna be working on a record with Dickie from The MoistBoyz CD. To top that off, he and the band will begin mixing the CKY live album soon. Live album? When the hell was that recorded? It’s news to me and hopefully to you as well. Don’t forget to buy our current magazine with CKY on the cover, suckers …
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July 21
Hey, this web updatin' thing is hard work! I finally got a handful of Hot Stove Cool Music pictures posted for ya to check out right here. I'm still waiting to make a new website with State Street Steve who's been off in Chicago fighting white collar crime, watching baseball games and NOT drinking Old Style. This website is gonna be super awesome with lots of pictures and ballyhoo so keep being patient. While you're waiting, go out and buy the new Bronx CD and the new Methadones CD. Both rock and will eventually be reviewed on this site now that the Red Sox are on a west coast road trip and the games start at 10:00 pm EST.
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July 13
Yeah, last night's Hot Stove Cool Music got slapped around by the rain but that doesn't mean we weren't on hand to capture all the hot, sweaty action from beneath the bleachers. Check back Sunday or Monday for our photo galeries from the event and quicky one-question interview with Boston Red Sox GM Theo Epstein. Thanks again to Bob Katz of My Grandma's Coffee Cakes for the free cake. More info on that too so stay tuned!
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July 7
For 86 years, fans of the Boston Red Sox allegedly endured a mystical curse which resulted from Babe Ruth’s trade to the New York Yankees. While that “curse” was invented by Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaunessy to sell books, the poltergeist surrounding Fat City Magazine makes the Amityville Horror look like a dance around the friggin’ May Pole.
In Issue 10 we ran a photo spread on last summer’s Hot Stove, Cool Music charity gig at Fenway Park. Harmless, right? A handful of photos of local bands doing good for the community. Unfortunately, our cursed publication now appears to be responsible for ESPN analyst and Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee Peter Gammons’ brain aneurysm. We send our condolences to the Gammons family and deeply regret the harm we have caused. However, we WILL be covering the Hot Stove event next week for the website and the online version seems to have fewer bugaboos and dalliances with the black arts. Get well Peter! The world needs you back on Sunday Night Baseball so you can take airtime away from Joe Morgan. Man he sucks!
Oh yeah, that Bosstones B-sides record is totally happening although its slightly backburnered for now. I have my thumb in the pot on it so you'll hear about it from Fat City first! Word.
And don't forget as I stated last news update, because of all this friggin’ rain in Boston, the Fat City Warehouse is starting to take on water. A magazine sold ridiculously cheap is better than a magazine thrown out because of water damage, that’s what I always say. Therefore, we’re offering all our American friends a great deal here. Mix and match any two issues of Fat City along with Issue 4 (Ramones) and Issue 7 (Dr. Dot) and we’ll throw in a bunch of posters, stickers, CDs and assorted warehouse goodies for only $8. That’s basically buy two issues and get two free. You can’t beat that! If you’re from outside the US and wanna take part, drop us an email.
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June 10
Ok, I went to see The Epoxies on the day the Antichrist was supposed to emerge and kill everyone’s groove and they completely tore it up alongside The Phenomenauts and Teenage Bottlerocket. While The Epoxies played a great mix of older cuts and stuff from their latest album Stop The Future, their closing track was by far the biggest surprise. Lead vocalist Roxy Epoxy, who’s apparently from the Boston area, introduced their final song of the night as written by a “Dead New Englander” and then ripped into G.G. Allin & The Jabbers’ classic “Don’t Talk To Me” and knocked it out of the park. While you can pick up the original recording on our first compilation CD, according to Epoxies axeman Viz Spectrum the band has recorded their version but have yet to release it. C’mon, get this shit out there!
Our friends in the Dollyrots are still busy recording their new album, tentatively titled “Because I’m Awesome,” and are gearing up for the Warped Tour as we speak. They also still don’t have a record label on which to release said new album but they’re not sweating it. Look for a U.S. tour this fall and many more after it.
Almost 10 years ago I remember cobbling together some sort of blurb for www.bosstones.com about a forthcoming Mighty Mighty Bosstones B-sides album. It never came to fruition. They may no longer have a website, they may now all live scattered across the country and some of them may be in other bands but the rumors are circulating about this release all over again. And these are quality rumormongers my friends, not some crazy guy on the corner wearing a plaid sports coat yelling into the wind. Keep an eye out for more information coming from us as soon as we get it.
And finally, because of all this friggin’ rain in Boston, the Fat City Warehouse is starting to take on water. A magazine sold ridiculously cheap is better than a magazine thrown out because of water damage, that’s what I always say. Therefore, we’re offering all our American friends a great deal here. Mix and match any two issues of Fat City along with Issue 4 (Ramones) and Issue 7 (Dr. Dot) and we’ll throw in a bunch of posters, stickers, CDs and assorted warehouse goodies for only $8. That’s basically buy two issues and get two free. You can’t beat that! If you’re from outside the US and wanna take part, drop us an email.
May 15
Two webupdates in one month! Holy Moley! I'm sure you're thinking this is a sign of the apocomalypse or something but it's not. I just want to clear up a tiny rumor. Somewhere in the dusty catacombs of the bronx website it says that if you order our new issue with the free Bronx/CKY 7-inch and ask nicely we'll throw in a free copy of the Bronx interview we did in Issue 8. That's not the case. We're jerks and we love money so the only thing you get free is a bunch of stickers and some posters and maybe a CD but NO FREE BRONX MAG. But, we're scoundrels with hearts of gold so if you'd rather subsistute Fat City #8 for the other magazines in the CKY SIX PACK described below, we can make that happen. We'll give you a 8 page knob-polishing piece on how great the Bronx are, the new issue with the Bronx/CKY split 7-inch as well as the Dropkick Murphys/Vandals 7-inch. And, what the hell, we'll throw in a copy of Fat City #4 starring the Ramones too, all for the same price as a CKY Six Pack. Beat that, suckers!
May 4
Hello there webslingers. Yes, I know it’s been almost a year since the last update and I’m completely out of excuses so I’m gonna hit you up with the truth. I have about a used condom’s worth of knowledge when it comes to making a website. When the opportunity to master Quark or HTML arose, I went with the desktop publishing program. Can you blame me? More info on that later so until then, check out a picture of the Fat City office where the web server lives. And this is one of its cleaner moments.
So, the magazine is ready to ship and I think it’s the best one yet. At least it better be, this 100-page bitch has taken forever to wrap up. We’ve got
CKY on the cover, interviews with Alkaline Trio, Turbonegro, Craig Fairbaugh from the Mercy Killers, The Jabbers and a shitload more. But that’s not even the best part. Shortly after yakking with Jess Margera from CKY, he had a meeting with his A&R guy over at Island Records and told him the band was being slapped on the cover. The A&R guy recognized us (smart guy!) from our cover story on The Bronx. One thing led to another and we decided to put out a split 7-inch featuring both bands WITH an unreleased Bronx tune called “Shitty Future.” How bad ass is that? I know that track has been released online for a few weeks but trust me, Fat City had it first. It was just sitting in a box at our printer. Holly Doucette did the sick cover art in case you were wondering. God knows I have no artistic talent. If you didn’t see the ordering info for this issue on our front page, hit this link and open yer wallets.
A lot of people have been wondering how to get their sweaty palms on the new issue with the CKY/Bronx split 7-inch so I posted it on the ol’ nerdbox over on our MySpace page. If the fear of running into child molesters and other creeps over on myspace makes you nervous, I’ll slap over here as well. There are only 4 places to grab this masterpiece and they are:
Tower Records. You can find the list of Tower Records stores that carry Fat City right here.
Interpunk.com Interpunk is one of the best places to buy Fat City. They'll ship all over the globe and have always been great to us. They'll get a decent amount of 7-inches so hit them up right here. We will also be holding a SICK contest over there in a few weeks where you can win all sorts of cool CKY shit.
Newbury Comics. Newbury Comics is a New England based record store chain that rules the school around Boston. I don't think they have a mail order system but you can find Fat City and the split at all their stores. NOTE: Newbury Comics just overhauled their magazine sales system so it may be harder to find Fat City in their stores. If you don’t see it on their shelves politely DEMAND that they replenish their supply.
Directly From Us. Do you think we'd let all of these records out of our sight? What are you, crazy? Yeah, you're crazy. We'll be selling a very limited amount of the magazine and 7-inch as part of our "CKY Six-Pack" where you get every Fat City interview with the band for a measly $6 ( 2 shipping US/$3 Canada/$5 Un-American Countries). We're talking our first phone call jamboree with Chad I. Ginsburg in Issue 3, the transcript of the legendary "G.G. Allin Grave Tape" in Issue 7 as well as the big-timing Issue 10 spectacular. You can only get this deal from us.
As stated before, I am looking for someone to redesign the fatcityrockers.com web empire because in the coming months I’ll need it to be completely pimp, fly and iced-out. I know exactly how I want it took look so if you’ve got the php skills, I have some dough to throw your way. Drop me an email at website @ fatcityrockers.com.
July 17
The new Fat City CD -- Bands We Like Vol. II -- is finally back and ready to ship after multiple pressing delays and hostage crises. If you
like a FREE CD boasting unreleased tunes by Joe Strummer, The Methadones, Darkbuster, The Zambonis and more, you're
gonna wanna grab our new issue, Fat City #9. There are a bunch o' ways to get your grubby mitts on our new mag and the FREE CD that comes with.
One, you can hit up a cool local store. Just buy your copy and mail in the coupon for your CD. If your local magazine store doesn't carry us, tell them to get with the program
and contact us. We'll stock their shelves up good. Another way to grab Issue 9 is to hit up our buddies at
interpunk.com.
If you're ordering from outside the US, interpunk is your best bet especially since we had to jack the Candian shipping up a buck.
With interpunk you cut out the middle man to get your CD. No coupon needed! Finally, y'all can order directly from us right here.
We're adequate at mailing your stuff out on time but that PO Box is waaaay across town ... but you'll get it.
OK, that's it for now. Don't forget to peep our
MySpace page. We like to hear from you and desparately need friends. In the mean time, you can find me in the same row as the
infamous Ted Williams Red Seat at Fenway Park a couple times a month, usually
on Tuesdays and Fridays. If you have lots of disposable income, please buy me a beer. I'm the jerk in the green hat and Carlton Fisk jersey.
Until then, don't let your meat loaf.
~Jay
P.S. Congrats to Chicago's Scott Podsednik for keeping Derek Jeter out of the All-Star Game. More on that next issue.
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May 14
After two bands who will now NEVER be featured in Fat City again strung us along with
the promise of interviews for our Warped 10th anniversary feature only to fuck us in the
end, Fat City #9 is FINALLY available. It's worth the wait if you ask me.
This issue is loaded with great interviews including a conversation between
Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys, and I about the World Champion Boston Red Sox. Man, that still
sounds great to me. Also, we toss in a retrospective on
Flogging Molly, from their humble beginnings in the bar scene to their current prominence
as a touring powerhouse. Couple that with pieces on
the Methadones the aforementioned
Warped Tour 10th Anniversary special featuring interviews with Pennywise, Sick of it All,
Murphy's Law and Face to Face, our buddies in
Lost City Angels, Boston's latest export,
Far From Finished, and that's a party. The Far From Finished interview was so intense that I had
to bump the last, and probably the funniest, part to the web as an exclusive. Make sure you give it a read!
There are also a million new reviews in the reviews section, most of them by our
new CD critic, Jimmy Reject.
But that ain’t it. We’ve also put together another Fat City CD featuring unreleased, out of
print and live tracks from little known bands like JOE STRUMMER, Swingin’ Utters,
Street Dogs and well, read the full track listing below.
1. Swingin' Utters - "Where Are They Now?" (out of print Cocksparrer cover)
2. The Methadones - "Examine" (unreleased)
3. Sabrina Stewart (ex-Flipsides) -
"Fatal Hand" (self-released)
4. Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros - "Trash City" (live)
5. Face to Face - "Blind" (demo version)
6. Darkbuster (featuring Dicky Barrett of the Bosstones) -
"Fitzy Needs A Haircut" (unreleased)
7. Gnarkill (featuring Jess and Bam Margera) - "UBLOW" (unreleased)
8. The Kickovers - "Mascara Queen" (unreleased)
9. Far From Finished - "Lost In The Rain" (demo)
10. Gobshites - "Too Much To Drink" (self released)
11. Love Equals Death - "At War (With Myself)" (demo)
12. Favorite Atomic Hero - "Sounds So Simple" (demo)
13. Street Dogs - "Unions & The Law" (alternate version)
14. Zambonis - "Just Play" (demo version)
15. Zombina & The Skeletones -
"I Was a Human Bomb for the FBI " (self released)
16. Chip Hanna (US Bombs, ex-One Man Army - "London Calling" (self released)
17. These Lies - "Bad Blood" (demo version)
18. Gnarkill - "I Got Erection" (remastered Turbonegro "cover")
19. The Jabbers - "High On Drugs" (fan club only release)
We'll be previewing three tracks from Bands We Like Vol. 2 on our
MySpace page so go check them out!
There's also a couple of other Fat City news bits too. As stated above we've launched a little home over at MySpace.com.
Check us out at
www.myspace.com/fatcitymagazine and join our online list of nerds to keep up to date.
We're also putting together a benefit gig on June 8th for
Strummerville: The Joe Strummer Foundation For New Music at The Abbey Lounge in Somerville, Mass.
We're working on getting some A-list punk rock talent for this show so don't fucking miss it. ALL of the proceeds
will be donated to Joe's charity and you'll be able to pick up some Fat City gear on the cheap. Stay tuned to our
myspace page as well as fatcityrockers.com for confirmed bands as they roll in.
We've also posted the full transcript from our Toxic Narcotic interview that ran in issue #8. Bill Toxic
was dissappointed that we left out some of his more colorful quotes and we don't wanna let him down. Check it out right
here.
Finally, we've also made our infamous "AFRAUD" masks available once again. However, you'll have to make them
yourself. Surf on over to the magical Afraud page and follow the instructions on how
to download the PDF. He's off to yet another craptastic start so make sure you fly it with pride when those fucking dirtbag Yankees
come to your town.
That's about it for now.
~ Jay
March 5th
Hey everybody! Jay here. It has come to my attention that a lot of people think Fat City has
quit putting out issues. That is DEFINITELY NOT the case. In fact, here's a picture of our next cover.
It'll look something like that, we're still fine tuning it. Sorry for the delay on bringing you the next issue.
I made the mistake of letting the magazine be held hostage by two bands I wanted to interview for our
Warped Tour 10th Anniversary story. Big mistake. If they only said "no thanks" instead of setting up and
subsequently canceling interviews for five straight days this whole thing would be out by now. Dicks.
Anyhow, the final roster for Fat City #9 is interviews with the Dropkick Murphys' Ken Casey, Flogging Molly,
The Methadones, Lost City Angels, Far From Finished, The Dents and our Warped Tour feature with Pennywise,
Sick of it All, Face to Face and Murphy's Law. Plus, we'll be including a comp CD with more unreleased music!
Be patient and stick with us. It'll be out and in your bathroom magazine rack soon!
Be good. ~ Jay Hale, Fat City Magazine's one man band.
August 2nd
How ya doin out there in Internet land? We're doing pretty well around these parts.
Softball season is winding down and after a brief stint on the unemployment line, yours
truly, despite sporting a .516 batting average, is back in action. So, our regular web guru, Steve
Cromack, decided to graduate and get a real job so I took it upon myself to tackle this web
update so if it sucks, blame Steve. One day, the two of us will finally finish off that G-D
SHIT TALK board over a case of some cheap beer. Hopefully fairly soon.
Anywho, Fat City #8 is the fucking shit. And I'm not just saying that cause I created it.
Check out some of these fucking interviews:
The Bronx,
The Horrorpops,
a cool look at the upcoming presidential election featuring Thomas of Strike Anywhere,
Chris #2 of Anti-Flag, Mike Gurley of Darkbuster and former WWF Champion The
Ultimate Warrior!
and this great exclusive feature on the awe-inspiring college endeavors of Bad Religion's Greg
Graffin, Milo Aukerman of the Descendents, Dan Yemin of Paint It Black, Lane
"Monkey Hustle" Pederson of Dillinger Four and Nate Albert formerly of The Mighty
Mighty Bosstones.
And don't forget kiddies, each copy of Fat City #8 comes with a FREE Limited Edition
Dropkick Murphys/Vandals split 7-inch record.
We updated our
Store Index
so you can find out which totally rad stores near you carry Fat City. We're waiting on
the complete Canadian info as well as a bunch of other stores from shitty distros who
don't run their businesses properly. You can always get it directly from us or from
Interpunk
or
Smartpunk. Buy a bunch of these cause we need the loot.
Like last year we plan on setting up a table at Warped so if you're going to the 10th
Anniversary gig, look for us. We'll have posters, stickers and other shit to give out for
FREE. There should be plenty of signs pointing in our direction. We're also working on a
new T-shirt design or two so keep an eye on our
Merch-O-Rama,
page. As you probably have noticed we didn't get around to the highly advertised
Street Dogs
studio diary because those dudes are much faster workers than I. By the time post
production rolled around on Fat City #8 they were on the way to Europe. Oops! Sorry
guys. Finally, while cleaning the office, I unearthed a box of the last ever issue of The Mighty
Mighty Bosstones' fan newsletter 737 and a few old Hometown Throwdown posters. Did I
mention that my sister and I designed these? Anyway, follow
this link to find out how to get a FREE copy. This baby is a keeper. Christ, I've had 125
of them since 1997.
That's about it. Stay classy, San Diego.
~ Jay
June 11th
Here’s a quick update. We’ve posted the winners of our Hockey Song Contest.
Go check it out. More info to come in the coming weeks.
February 15th
Howdy, here is the latest (with the accent, of course, on LATE) Fat City update for ya.
Our latest issue, Fat City #7 featuring the lovely Dr. Dot has been on the shelves for
a while now and you better have purchased a few copies? Why a few? Well, first off,
we’re a bunch of greedy fucks and second, each issue comes with a set of limited edition
Warped Tour Trading Cards. If you haven’t seen them yet, take a gander at the complete
set here. They sure are impressive. Even Jimmy Gestapo from Murphy’s Law thought they
were cool and if that’s not a ringing endorsement I don’t know what is. We’ve updated
a couple things on the ol’ homepage including our SHIT TALK board. Now all you fools
can come to our house and bust on us for being late and lying about how the office
caught on fire. I can’t believe you fell for that one. We’ll also be posting news on
the Shit Talk board so it comes to you in a more timely fashion and directly from us.
We’ve posted three new
interviews and 20-plus
reviews in the Inside this Issue section.
There’s also a few MP3s on our
Multimedia page - one from The Rydells (who rule) and
the other from Dirty Water who broke up before their interview in Fat City #7
was published. Thanks, dudes. We also have a new
contest in our contest section.
We’re pitting 16 of the greatest punk rock hockey songs of all time against each
other and the two top vote getters may just appear on a limited edition 7-inch record
you can only get by purchasing Fat City Magazine #8. To top it all off, we’re still
working on our next issue. Man, this is a lot of work, no wonder why we never update
the website. Finally, we need more letters for the next issues so get fucking
cracking. The mailing info is here and
here.
October 1st
Sorry for the complete lack of posting 'round these parts lately. There was a HUGE fire at
the Fat City HQ and a plague of locusts too. By that I mean I couldn't get the shit to the
web guy because I was too busy fishing, playing softball and drinking beer. Well, here's
to sucking. Anywho, we've got our new issue coming up quick. There's a link over to it on
the left. See where it says "Next Issue?" Go ahead and click it, it won't bite. Definitely
our hottest cover yet so go spy it and then buy it. I'm a rhyming machine!
Also, we've got a couple new T-shirt designs. This one says "Look Mom, No Emo!" They come
in all the traditional sizes with yellow ink on a navy T-shirt and look great on everyone.
They're going quick cause, Jesus, no one likes that emo stuff. $12 (US loot) postage paid
within the US and Canada, $17 (US loot) postage paid outside of North America. Sorry, but
your postage is expensivo. That's Spanish for expensive ... I think. More designs coming soon
including baby-doll shirts with the infamous Fat City skull logo. Woo!
June 2nd
Fat City Magazine #6 In Stores Soon!
It's been a little too long in between
issues but it'll be worth the wait. Here's what we've got
cookin' and look who's on the cover …
Alkaline Trio - Can anyone return
the term "pop punk" from the brink of profanity?
Alkaline Trio can, especially with the release of their eerie
yet excellent CD, Good Mourning. We catch up with Trio frontman
Matt Skiba and get the scoop on the throat ailment that put
the album on hold temporarily, his stance on major labels
and much more
Other interviews:
Hagfish - After taking the punk
world by storm in the late 1990s, Hagfish went into hibernation.
Fat City Magazine tracks down the band before they hit the
road and the studio for their second act.
Avoid One Thing - This may be Bosstones'
bassist Joe Gittleman's second band but don't call it a side
project. It was a tumultuous year for Avoid One Thing filled
with highs and extreme lows. We chart them all in this tell-all
account of their first year on the streets.
The Riverdales - When Ben "Weasel"
Foster reunited Screeching Weasel after calling it quits,
he made no bones about it being for the money. This time,
he rallies up the troops of his other band, The Riverdales,
but it's not for the cash. It's for the love of making music
and having a fun again.
Little Steven Van Zandt - Everyone
knows Little Steven as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street
Band or as Silvio Dante from "The Sopranos." But
where he's really making a name for himself is on the airwaves
hosting his hit radio show, "The Underground Garage,"
and helping save rock and roll from the corporate world. Van
Zandt discusses the show, his love for punk music and what
Joe Strummer meant to him in this eye-opening interview.
The Vandals - After nearly 20 years
making punk music, The Vandals have still managed to keep
their sound fresh. How do they do it? Fountain of youth? Punk
rock botox? Nope, they reinvented themselves and their music.
Original Vandal Joe Escalante reveals his secret formula and
offers us an exclusive list of Easter Eggs to all of his Kung
Fu Films DVDs.
Stewart Copeland - Copeland, the
outspoken and very intelligent drummer for The Police, says
his piece on the war in the Middle East, the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame, a Police reunion, Green Day and much, much more
in this lengthy conversation with Fat City's Robyn Hale. If
you love The Police, you NEED to read this interview.
Compilation CD Ready To Ship Free With Issue #6
Our first foray into compilation
CDs, Bands We LikeVolume 1, is complete and man does it smoke.We
don't want to toot our own horns but if you can find a better
free CD with more unreleased tunes go buy it. Here's the full
lineup:
1. One Man Army - "Leave Me Alone" (demo version)
2. The Eyeliners - "Bad Attitude" (out of print)
3. CKY - "Shippensburg" (self-released)
4. Mighty Mighty Bosstones - "How We Got Away" (unreleased
demo version)
5. Youth Gone Mad feat. Joey Ramone - "Meatball Sandwich"
(out of print)
6. Street Dogs - "Cut Down on the 12th" (demo version)
7. Averi - "Waiting For A Ghost" (live)
8. Lost City Angels - "Dream Girl 89102" (demo version)
9. The Magnetic IV - "Make You Mine" (unreleased)
10. The USM - "True To Your School" (demo version)
11. Tonio K - "H-A-T-R-E-D"
12. Darkbuster - "NRA" (out of print)
13. Gein & The Grave Robbers - "A Night On Route
666" (self released)
14. Sin Sin 77 - "Jailbait" (demo version)
15. The Panic Attacks - "A'Million Times" (unreleased)
16. Avoid One Thing - "Lean on Sheena" (live)
17. G.G. Allin & The Jabbers - "Don't Talk to Me"
(out of print)
18. AJ Cretin - "Seventy" (unreleased)
19. The Damaged - "What Could You Want?" (self released)
20. The Willowz - "Equation #6" (unreleased)
21. knuP - "Scene Report" (unreleased)
22. Lenny & The Piss Poor Boys - "Cambridgeport Saloon"
(demo)
23. Dee Dee Ramone & Paul Kostabi - "Jam at Paul's
House" (unreleased)
Welcome to the fully updated and
functional home of Fat City Magazine in cyberspace.
Our new issue is out now featuring Mike McColgan on
the cover so go out and buy it. It's available from interpunk.com,
tons of stores throughout North America and via us directly.
Take a look around there's finally tons to see.
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