Art Factory

Doing A LOT of artwork lately.  I just finished the European tour poster for Madball, Terror, Death Before Dishonor, Cruel Hand, & the Setup.  Right now I’m working on shirt for Down To Nothing and another shirt for Terror.  Up next are designs for Trapped Under Ice, Reaper Records, and more.  I’ve also been developing characters for a cartoon that was written by a friend of mine.  Hopefully I can share some details about that soon. 

If you need artwork for your band, label, show, festival, or business get in touch with me juicyjoel(at)gmail(dot)com

Oh and download my band Clenched Fist’s new record at www.JustLikeRoaches.com.  Name your own price, something or nothing.  Just check it out.

Forever hustle.

Set It Off

Back home from the 10 For 10 Tour. Was a good good time. Not a lot of sleep, long drives. Shows were great 95% of the time.

Also spent a week in Philly hanging out and working at This Is Hardcore Fest. The whole weekend sold out which was huge for everyone involved.

At the 2nd L.A. show of the 10 For 10 Tour my brother played a song with Madball which was a major thing for him and an extremely proud moment for me. I’ve always been super proud of everything my brother has done, especially what Death Before Dishonor is doing. But this jamming with Madball thing was unbelievable for both of us. Back when we were kids, if someone could have shown us that he’d not only be touring with Madball but also playing “Face To Face” with them, our heads would have shot off our bodies and landed across the street. Madball was a major influence on us and the music we have both created. Those guys were our heroes when we were young. So for my brother to be jamming with Madball (with original Madball guitar player Matt Henderson watching) was fuckin crazy to us. I video taped it from next to the drums and had a hard time not throwing my camera down and attempting a front flip into the crowd. Check out the video below. It sounds like shit but look at my brother rockin that shit like a fuckin champion! GDMB PIRE.

Madball / DBD victory

FLY LIKE THE SUMBITCHIN’ WIND!

Walp…it’s about that time for my annual trek across America with Death Before Dishonor. This time they’re on the 10 For 10 Tour with Madball, Terror, Trapped Under Ice, and a bunch of other bands. As soon as that’s done, I’ll be heading out to the East Coast for some good shows…namely This Is Hardcore Fest 2009. I can’t fuckin wait to get out of here and have some goddamn fun.

I’ll be posting updates of my travels and pictures as much as I can while I’m out. Follow me on Twitter for more immediate updates. Stay tuned!
Come hang with GDMB on the 10 For 10 Tour!

DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR Better Ways to Die

New song from Death Before Dishonor! Whip yourself into a mosh fury.


DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR “Better Ways to Die”
the NEW album. Out July 28th!

Juicetradamous Speaks…THE 5 BEST HARDCORE RECORDS OF 2009!

If you know me at all in real life you are probably aware of my psychic powers. And no I’m not kidding. I decided to demonstrate my psychic abilities here on my blog today by sharing with you my predictions of the best hardcore records of 2009. All of these records (except one) are ones I currently have, have heard in whole, or in part; mixed, unmixed, unmastered, demo form, and everywhere in between. So relax and take notes…

1- Death Before Dishonor – “Better Ways to Die”, Bridge 9 Records, release date July 27, 2009.

You’re probably going to say that I’m biased because my brother is in DBD, and maybe I am, maybe I’m not. Either way, this record is a straight up classic chock full of bangers. This is not the same old Death Before Dishonor you’re used to. They have taken it to another level. These songs are super catchy, sometimes melodic, but still harder than a prison riot.

There is punk style stuff featuring Mark from The Unseen on guest vocals. But there is also super hard style stuff through out that people expect from DBD. Overall it’s a really well balanced album. No other band pulls off this mix this well. I think this record will solidify Death Before Dishonor as one of the legendary bands of the current generation of hardcore.
Death Before Dishonor - "Better Ways to Die"

2- Maximum Penalty – “TBA”, Reaper Records, release some time in 2009

One of the most under rated hardcore bands ever in the history of the universe here. If you’re not familiar with MP, then hit up their myspace and learn something. Maximum Penalty’s sound isn’t an easy one to explain because they don’t sound like anyone. If you’re into classic NYHC and can get down with melodic singing then you will dig MP. Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not referring to the pathetic bitch style of melodic singing that’s so ubiquitous in all modern rock music. The singer from Maximum Penalty can sing like a sumbitch and sound like a full grown man while doing it.

I can’t stress the greatness of these songs enough. Incredible songs and really great recording. Maximum Penalty dates back 20 years and has a back catalog that’s not too hard to find online. Everything they’ve ever done is awesome (except “Unlce Sham” which was never released in the US). But if you want to start somewhere the new record is a perfect place. There are 3 of the 4 new songs from the pre-album demo on their myspace page here.
mp

3- Clenched Fist – “Just Like Roaches”, Double Or Nothing Records, release approx July 2009.

**guest writer, my brother Memphis Wayne Mayne is going to handle this one..

Simply the hardest album on the planet. Now maybe I am partial to this because MY brother is in the band. The truth is, I am. But who cares? 7 years after they released “Welcome To Memphis”, they drop “Just Like Roaches”. I cannot express how relieving it is to hear a band playing hard hardcore the right way and making it their own. The traditional Clenched Fist style; OLC meets Merauder and Madball, also with some newer touches added in to make a fuckin awesome hc record. CF formed when I was 11 years old and are the most influential hardcore band to me. Aside from being the hardest songs in history, the lyrics touch on topics that are rarely seen in hardcore. No round about poetic bullshit, no cheesy excessive cursing, just well written to-the-point lyrics. In my opinion, CF is one of the most underrated bands in hardcore and always has been. But they wouldn’t have it any other way. This will be coming out in July as a digital only release on Double Or Nothing Records. If you’re interested in the most honestly hard band in hardcore, buy this record.

Just like Roaches, never dying, always living. CF forever and a day.
cf_m-shirt

4- Steel Nation – “TBA”, Double Or Nothing Records, release appox Summer 2009

Imagine if Bobby Hambel from Biohazard wrote a record with Ringworm. That’s what this record sounds like. It’s really a well written throwback to the 1994 style of hardcore. Think OLC, Biohazard, Spudmonsters, Strife, etc. There is a heavy Cleveland influence all over the whole thing. If you’re a fan of that 90’s Clevo sound then this is the record you’ve been waiting to hear for a long time. I have jammed the unmixed version of this tons of times now and will testify in a court of law that this album is a ripper 100%.

One thing that makes me happy about the current Steel Nation sound is that the spooky Integrity kind of vibe is gone. What you’re left with is a real man’s band that all the union workers and general grown ups of the hardcore scene can enjoy.

5- Trapped Under Ice – “Secrets of the World”, Reaper Records, release appox Summer 2009.

This is the record I’ve heard the least of but I have confidence in these young guys to impress the scene. I heard a couple demo tracks on tour and the style is right up my alley. Everyone says TUI sounds like Crown Of Thornz but they really don’t. Sure that vibe is there but Trapped Under Ice is musically harder than anything Crown Of Thornz ever did.

Don’t let the internet hype dorks fool you into thinking Trapped Under Ice is some kiddie posi bitchcore. TUI delivered with “Stay Cold” and they will deliver again on their new record. Expect guest vocals from Tad from Stout. If you don’t know the legend of Baltimore’s Stout then you are too soft for my world.
tui1


Honorable mentions…

Shattered Realm / Toe Tag split, Eulogy Records, out now
I can’t speak for Toe Tag because I haven’t heard their half of this split but Shattered Realm delivers their best songs ever here. SR isn’t a super active band anymore (though they still do shows) but they demonstrate that they’re still easily the hardest band going since the days of Cold As Life & Fury of Five. Speaking of Fury, Shattered Realm does a great cover of Fury’s “Every Man for Himself” which rivals the original I think.

Dead City – “Goddamn the 21st Century”, Thrashed Records, release approx Summer 2009.
Memphis’s modern answer to Bloodlet and Entombed. Constant heaviness all the way through. There isn’t any other current band that can be this heavy without fucking it up with some shitty riff or melodic singing or some other shit I hate. Check out their myspace here.

Folsom – “Hammer Lane”
, FWH Records, release approx Summer 2009.
I have a friend who will probably give me a bunch of shit for this one but whatever. I have this record and it’s good stuff. Good hard songs about pills and beer and depression. Some people might not dig the constant mosh riffs but for this style Folsom is on the top shelf without a doubt.

Also looking forward to new 2009 releases from…

Wisdom In Chains, Madball

Simultaneous Release

For a few years now the recording industry and movie industry have been collectively trying to fight piracy of their copyrighted material. They’ll never completely irradicate illegal downloading and peer-to-peer file trading butI have a suggestion for the movie studios of America that may help…

RELEASE NEW MOVIES ON PAY-PER-VIEW OR ON DEMAND THE SAME FUCKING DAY AS THE THEATER!!

Why? Here’s why…

Last week I went to see the new Star Trek movie. The movie ended up being great but the experience sucked. We got to the theater and bought tickets for the 2:00pm showing. We walked into the theater to find out that there was literally nowhere to sit except the front row. So I said “fuck it, let’s wait 45 minutes until the next showing.” This is where the “fun” really started. We go into the next theater and sit down in the perfect set of seats. About 20 minutes later the theater really started to fill out. I’m hoping and praying that no one will sit to the right of me because the shitty chairs in this place are not built for a person of my height. I have to lean pretty far to the right to get barely comfortable. Well despite my wishes, here comes a couple, probably in their late 50’s, to come sit right fuckin next to me.

As these two senior citizens situate themselves, the wife bends over to whisper something to her husband and thus sticks her fat black-denim-wrapped ass right in my motherfucking face. At this point I’ve paid $9 to wait 45 minutes to smell an old cunt’s ass. Fast forward to the previews…this old woman sitting next to me has to “ooohhhhhh” and “oh noooooo!!!!” at every scene of every preview and then discuss whether or not she wanted to see every single one. And I’m not talking about whispers. This woman could be the siren for a goddamn fire truck. Continue to the feature attraction, this wretched animal of a woman laughs so loudly and hysterically at every little quip of comic relief in the movie that I’m on the edge of striking her in the face. Each spaceship explosion, another “ooooooohhhhhh!!!!”

Here’s my point in telling this story. The next time I even think about going to the movies I’m going to reconsider leaving the house. I could check any number of torrent sites for a bootleg copy of the movie, download it and watch in my living room. However, if new blockbuster movies were available as a pay-per-view the same day as I could go be annoyed in the theater, I would GLADLY pay $9 for the luxury of watching Terminator Salvation in my house, in peace.

Save your “oh but nothing can compare to watching a movie on the big screen” speech. Bullshit. Watching a movie on a 53″ HDTV flanked by my 3 foot Sony speakers that rattle the floor is pretty goddamn awesome. Pop corn and overpriced candy? Fuck that noise. I can eat whatever the fuck I want at Juiceco Movie Theater.

So get on the ball, American movie industry. Your uncomfortable seating, awful patrons, and lame snack selections are hardly keeping me away from the ocean of stolen movies on the internet. Get it together.

American hero James Joseph Cialella who shot another man for talking during a movie.

American hero James Joseph Cialella who shot another man for talking during a movie.

If All Y’all Like To Rock…

Picked up this record by an unsigned LA band called The Binges. Fuckin awesome stuff. Bon Scott era AC/DC, Guns N Roses, & a little White Stripes all rolled into one band.

Unlike most bands that try this style, this band can actually write some really great songs that I could easily see being played on the radio alonside any of the great rock bands from the past 40 years.

Check out The Binges myspace here.

And since the record isn’t yet available on iTunes, order the CD here.

*UPDATE: Now available on iTunes!

The Binges self-titled CD

The Binges self-titled CD

They Call Him The Breeze

My brother has a new blog up called TheyCallMeTheBreeze.com.

Good thoughts, photos, and writings of tour shenanigans from a young man who was literally raised in the hardcore scene.

Check it out and follow him while he and his band, Death Before Dishonor, conquer the earth.

Death Before Dishonor in Europe

Death Before Dishonor in Europe

NEW BLOG STUFF COMING

Moving my blog over to Wordpress from the stupid GoDaddy bullshit I was paying for before. Lost a bunch of my posts.

In case you’re wondering, the cheap glasses website I wrote about is www.zennioptical.com

New stuff to expect…my predictions on the 5 best hardcore records of 2009, new artwork, new interviews, more giveaways, more frequent posts and entertainment from yours truly. Stay tuned.

The Goddamn Murphy Mother

My mother is the person I respect the most in the world.  Not because of the usual just-because-she’s-my-mom reasons.  After my dad died in 1988 my mother was left with two boys to raise.  Where some people might wallow in despair and let their lives fall apart, my mom stood up and started college in 1989.  The Social Security checks were enough that she didn’t have to work and could focus solely on school and my brother and me.  My great uncle Tuck took care of the tuition.  In 1994 my mom graduated Summe Cum Laude from the University of Memphis (Summa Cum Laude means she had a perfect 4.0 grade point average her entire college career).  Soon after my mom was pulling in a handsome income and we were out of the neighborhood.

Today my mom lives in South Carolina and is a corporate auditor for a regional bank.  She has a really nice house with the biggest fuckin yard ever…and a humongous TV in the living room.  And I couldn’t be more proud.

I did this interview the week of Christmas while my mom was at our house for the holidays.


JJ – Why do you lie and tell me I’m a handsome man when that is clearly not true?

Mom – (laughs) That’s not a real question!

JJ – Answer it.

Mom – (laughs) You know, whether or not you’re handsome is a matter of opinion.  And I’m not lying when I say that.

JJ -  But I think you are lying…

Mom – Well, so.  I’m not.

JJ – What if a scientific gallup poll was taken and the results said I wasn’t?

Mom – That doesn’t impact my opinion.

JJ – What if I said your opinion was horseshit because you’re my mom?

Mom – Well you say that all the time.  You don’t see yourself how other people see you.

JJ – What if YOU don’t see me how other people see me and you’re wrong?

Mom – I’m not wrong.  If my opinion is my opinion then I’m not wrong.

JJ – Ok whatever.  Question number 2…

Mom – Is it as stupid as question number one?

JJ – Question number 2.  How do you feel about the name The Goddamn Murphy Brothers?

Mom – I’m not crazy about it because I don’t think the Murphy brothers are goddamned.  

JJ – Do you not think it’s a catchy name that rolls off the tongue?

Mom – Well yeah it’s a catchy name but I still don’t like it.

JJ – I may have to spruce this lame ass interview up a bit later

Mom – (laughs) Don’t you misquote me!

JJ – What do you think dad would think of what me and my brother are doing with ourselves today?

Mom – Well I think he’d be fine with it.  I think as somebody who liked music a lot he’d be happy that y’all are doing the music you’re doing becuase he enjoyed it so much.

JJ – When I was a kid you were not into the idea of me being tattooed.  What do you think he would have said?

Mom – I think he would’ve been ok with it.  

JJ – Would you have fought him on it?  Would you have argued about it?

Mom – Well of course we would.  If there was anything that we would disagree on that had to do with you guys, we would argue about it.

JJ – And who would win?

Mom – Me.

JJ – Do you think if dad hadn’t died that you would have gone to college and eventually made the kind of money you make now?

Mom – Yes.

JJ – Do you think it would have happened when it did?

Mom – No.  No because we were busy.  Me having an income that I didn’t have to go to work for is what allowed me to go to school.

JJ – Which was what?

Mom – Social security income.  So would it have happened then?  No because we were too busy raising our kids and had a mortgage.  I think it would’ve happened.  I didn’t know that Uncle Tuck was willing to pay for my education but he did.  It could be he would have done it anyway.  

JJ – Do you believe in the lord?  And how do you feel when we say we don’t?

Mom – Yes I do.

JJ – You believe in the fuckin lord Jesus Christ?

Mom – I didn’t say that.  Do you mean god or Jesus Christ?

JJ – I mean a phantom in the sky who controls things.

Mom – (laughs) A supreme being.  Yes I do.  I believe that there’s a higher power but I believe being created by that higher power that he instilled in us our own power, our own intelligence, and our own free will and we’re supposed to use those things in a positive way.  I don’t believe that you pray to make things better and then everything gets better.  I don’t believe that.  I believe you can pray to make yourself strong enough to endure what you have to endure.  

JJ – Ok so what happens to us when we die?  And don’t say “I don’t know.”

Mom -  (laughs)  I think we go to another place.  I think it’s another place.  I don’t know about a perfect heaven because after all you’re dead.  I don’t know.  I don’t know how to answer that.

JJ – Very entertaining.

Mom – (laughs) I can’t help it.

JJ – Besides the usual new mother joy bullshit, what did you think of me when I was a baby?

Mom – I ALWAYS knew you were going to be interesting.  You tried to speak when you were 2 months old.  You’ve always been very inquisitive, very intelligent, very precautious.  You know just wanting to know everything, wanting to explore everything, wanting to discover everything, wanting to understand how all these things work.  It wasn’t just “oh I love you because you’re my kid.”  You were a pretty amazing kid.  

JJ – Talk about the time I got caught playing doctor with a girl and you took away my Crayons as punishment.

Mom – (laughs) You talking about Amber?  I don’t remember the details of that.  I remember that happening but I don’t remember the Crayons.  But here’s the deal.  The Crayons being taken away, whether it be that time or not…that was like your worst punishment.  Because you loved your Crayons more than anything.  That was a big deal for you.  

JJ – Do you think if we hadn’t have left our old neighborhood that me and Andrew would be the leaders of a massive gang and possibly have done time in prison?  Because we do.

Mom – (laughs) No I don’t.  When we were still in that neighborhood I moved you to a school where the kids weren’t from our neighborhood.  And it wasn’t like you were latchkey kids and I wasn’t there.  I was there and spent time with you and kept you involved in stuff.  I don’t think that would have changed.  

JJ – You took us to a lot of concerts when we were really young…especially me.  Why did you feel compelled to do that?  And did it ever occur to you in those early years that it might steer us towards music?

Mom – Well I don’t know that I felt compelled as much as it was what I enjoyed so I took you guys.  I went to a million concerts.  I liked it so why wouldn’t you?  We always played music in the house and in the car because I liked it.  

JJ – When I was pretty young and getting into metal you used to take away some of my CD’s because of the lyrical content.  Why?

Mom – Because I felt like it was negative stuff and I felt like you had already had enough negativity in your life.  And I was concerned with you getting immersed in that negative death shit.  That’s why I took it away.

JJ – So let’s say I was a goth fag and liked to read vampire books, would it have been the same way?

Mom – Probably.  But if you remember I didn’t just take them away.  I sat down and listened to them and looked at the lyrics and I said to myself “is this a message that I want my son, who has had enough trauma in his life, to hear over and over again?”  And the answer was no.  

JJ – Ok so what if I told you most of the lyrics I write in my band are about negative things?

Mom – Well that doesn’t surprise me.  But that doesn’t change that I had to do what I thought was right as a parent.  

JJ – If I told you I wrote lyrics, for instance, about being depressed or lonely and you read them…would you not take them the same way?  Like your young son getting into my band and you read those lyrics.  I mean the song isn’t glorifying being lonely or depressed.  It’s meant to be a release.  And if you didn’t realize that would you take it the same way?  

Mom – Well I feel like I would have done the same thing.  And I would do that because I wouldn’t know all those things you just explained.  How are mothers of young people supposed to know?  

JJ – Well I feel like I tried to explain that back then but you thought I didn’t know what I was talking about because I was a dumb kid.

Mom – No it’s not that.  I was just an over-concerned mother.  That’s it.  I felt a certain way about it and I did what I thought was right as a mother.  

JJ – When I was in school you used to say to me every morning, “make A’s”, before I left.  Will you now admit that it didn’t make any difference at all what grades I made in high school?

Mom – No.  Because you may some day want to go to college.  It’s not just about the grades.  It’s about applying yourself and doing and accomplishing something.  Learning discipline, learning period.  

JJ – What if I said that, other than art class, high school was a complete waste of my time and I didn’t learn ANYTHING of importance and that I learned to apply myself completely outside of school?

Mom – You’re not understanding that I value education.  I think you can learn things from school.  

JJ – What would say if I told you I learned more painting houses with Derryl than I did in high school?

Mom – I’d say that’s crazy.  

JJ – Ok well I think I learned how to work hard for things by working with Derryl.  And all high school taught me was how to scam my way through things I think are unnecessary and bullshit.

Mom – Well apparently your values are different from mine.  I value education.  I see value there.

JJ – If I have kids one day and I tell them they have to graduate high school just because.  But I don’t care about their grades.  I just want them to make a success out of themselves.  Would that bother you?  Do you think I’d be doing something wrong?  

Mom – Yeah that would bother me some.  You’re pretty much telling them “oh it doesn’t matter.  Just blow it all off.  It doesn’t matter if you learn anything.”  You’ve got to realize that your children may not be like you.  Your children may be like ME.  

JJ – Well that’s possible.  If my kid wants to be a doctor or a teacher or an engineer I’ll tell them to go to school.  But if my kid says “dad I don’t give a fuck what I do.  I just want to make a lot of money.”  I’ll say “well my son let me show you some tricks of the trade.”

Mom – Well ok but can’t they have both?

JJ – Why?  Why waste the time?  I have friends who went to school and make less money than me.

Mom -  I know.  You have to realize that most young people don’t know what they want to do.  In school you get exposed to a lot of different things so you can decide where you fit.  

JJ – You always raised us to be non-racist.  You know, to respect all other people.  Mainly black people because that’s what we were around.  Why?  Every other parent either didn’t care or taught the normal Southern hate tradition.

Mom – A couple of reasons.  One is that your grandmother taught me that.  Because she grew up with prejudice and being called a dego and derogatory Italian names that she considered to be insulting and racist.  So I didn’t think it was right to judge people.  Not anymore that it should be ok for someone to judge you and think you’re a certain way because you cut your hair short and have tattoos.  I don’t think it’s right.  

JJ – When I was 15 you let me go hundreds of miles out of town with Chuck’s band cuz they were playing with Madball.  I think most mothers would say fuck no.  Why did you let me go?

Mom – I let you go because number 1, I had met Chuck.  I wouldn’t have let you go with a total stranger.  I felt like I knew him.  I wanted you to have the experience.  So I let you go.  I didn’t want you to let opportunities pass.  

JJ – When my brother was 13 you brought him down to Barristsers to see us play with Madball, Blood For Blood, and Earth Crisis.  I believe that was your first real hardcore show.  What did you think about it?

Mom – I’ve always loved watching you and your brother perform.  I love it because I love watching you do something you really love to do.  As a parent it shouldn’t matter if I’m watching you on a football field or whatever.  It’s watching you do something you love to do.  

JJ – Well the only time I think you’ve ever seen me and my brother play on the same show was in Memphis with his old band In The Crosshairs, CF, (and Donnybrook).  And there were people throwing trash cans and couches and all this crazy shit.  What did you think about that?

Mom – (laughs)  I think it’s utterly ridiculous.  I think THAT part of it is utterly ridiculous.     You know this big dude or some little girl, who shall remain nameless [Brooke], throws a trash can across the room…it made me laugh out loud!  Like “what is this supposed to be?”  

JJ – But what if I told you that it makes people feel better to go down to a show and go completely insane and that is what keeps them sane.  Or it keeps them from killing themselves or killing someone else?

Mom – Well looking at it as an outsider, which I always am because I’m always standing up and away so I don’t get in the fray and don’t get hurt.  So from the outside looking in it looks silly to me.  I don’t sit there and think “oh they’re doing that so they don’t come out of here and punch somebody in the face” or “they’re working out their frustrations.”  I never really thought of it that way.  It just looks funny to me.  

JJ – Out of all our bands…Clenched Fist, In The Crosshairs, Fight Like Hell, and Death Before Dishonor…which one is least abrasive/most enjoyable to your mom ears?

Mom – (laughs) That’s really hard to say because you know your music is not my music.  I like watching you perform but I don’t sing along.  It doesn’t speak to me.  It’s not my kind of music.  

JJ – What do you want to see me and Andrew accomplish and/or attain in our life?

Mom – That is such a difficult question.  What I’d like to see you attain?  I’d like to see you happy.  I’d like to see you doing things you love to do.  Enjoying what you do and being with someone who appreciates you and loves you like you should be loved.  All of that.  It doesn’t matter to me how you make your living as long as it’s legal and is not dangerous.  Those things don’t matter to me.  Your personal happiness matters much more.  Yeah and I’d like grandchildren!