The Swaggerin' Growlers

Battening down the hatches

2011-07-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Whew, I'm still catching my breath! cnut here, we just got done with a hotbox of a practice, working on a couple of the last new songs we're preparing for the new album. I love jamming out on new stuff, and we're all really looking forward to bringing fresh songs to all of you!

If you're within reach of Boston, save the date October 1st for our homecoming/CD release show for Outlaw Waltz. Until then, keep your eyes and ears peeled, b/c we are on the warpath! Oh, and if you see us around town, we're now practicing 3+ days a week, we're all a little crazy, and giving us beers is a helpful and heroic thing. =)

Now, time to head out into the heat wave and cause a ruckus!
(cnut)

Go to our goddamn website.

2011-03-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

Seriously? We've streamlined all of this onto http://theswaggeringrowlers.com/ - Why are you still reading! Click the link already! While you're at it, http://facebook.com/swaggeringrowlers

NYC All Ages this Saturday!

2010-11-10T19:02:00.000-08:00

Hey all, just a quick note to let you know that The Swaggerin' Growlers will be playing our first NYC all ages matinée this weekend! Not only that, but we'll be joined by our great friends also driving down from Boston, The Acro-Brats!

Here are the details: Facebook Event Page

Candy Apple Red presents

Gangway
The Swaggerin' Growlers
Acro-Brats
Gone By Friday
Born in a Cent

Brooklyn Party Expo
919 Broadway (@Myrtle and Broadway)
Brooklyn, NY

All Ages - Doors at 1:30 pm - $8

There's another great show going on afterwards: Facebook Event Page

Two Man Advantage
Loafass
Bullys
World War IX
Blackout Shoppers
SpEd

Trash Bar
256 Grand St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211

8:00 pm

Save up for the next couple of days, kiddos, and come out to one or both! =)

McGann's on Wednesday.

2010-08-01T11:08:00.001-07:00

So yeah, we're playing McGann's by North Station on Wednesday, 8/4/10.

Should be fun. And drunk.

Facebook Event

Hope to see you there.

We're playing Boston City Hall Plaza this Saturday (aka Tomorrow)

2010-07-23T10:20:00.001-07:00

Yep.

The Cuervo Games start at 1pm, and runs well into the night. We play at either 5:00pm or 5:30pm, I'm too hungover to remember.

It's Free, and All Ages.

Hope to see you there.

We're going to play Boston City Hall Plaza!!

2010-07-13T22:54:00.000-07:00

So, we got a very friendly email from the folks at Cuervo last week, inviting us to provide some of the entertainment at this year's Cuervo Games (click the Games tab for specifics).

We'll post more info as it comes in, but the bottom line is that we're scheduled to hit the stage at 5:30 pm on July 24th at Boston City Hall Plaza. What could be more exciting than that?

This Saturday! Born to Lose!

2010-07-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

That's right, this Saturday, we're playing with Born To Lose.

Born to Lose w/The Swaggerin' Growlers, Glitter and Lies, & Wicked Whiskey 7.10.10

Apparently...

2010-04-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

Apparently our website doesn't display right in IE. What the hell? It sure as hell did when I launched it.

I'll fix it over the next few days.

in the meantime, find us on facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/theswaggeringrowlers

Comfort 40s

2010-03-05T00:06:00.000-08:00

Hey! Just got back from the Guignol show - saw a lot of familiar faces, and met a few new ones, and they ALL deserve mentioning. First, hats off to Guignol for an absolutely stellar performance - the intensity and the frenetic musical fury they bring to the stage is absolutely breathtaking. It was great to talk with Peter again, what a fine gentleman he is - I owe him a decent beer, and I am making public record of it so I don't forget. Goddamn cash only bars can go right to hell. A fabulous musician to boot, seeing him is always an absolute treat. Also, it was an absolute pleasure meeting Franz N. Never have I ever met someone who plays Accordion so intensely - He's truly lost in the art and the performance. His reputation proceeded him, and was completely understated.

FUCK PA's lounge for fucking the bands on the door. $55 for the entire show? What a shit bag move. Bands: don't book there. That would mean 6.8 people payed at the door, at $8 a head. Guess what? There were about 25 through the door, conservatively. We've been that band on the road, and that's just... wrong. I don't mean to tangent, but we've got to look out for our own.

Big hats off to Matt Carroll for both his hospitality afterwords, and his finesse as a brewer. Seriously though, I want the recipe for the brown ale we were drinking tonight. Not to mention, it's been a while since I've seen a Cigar Box banjo, as well as a homemade bari guitar, complete in Squall tuning(tm). Forgive me for sounding anachronistic, but what a fine old tinkerer that gentleman is.

Also, I followed a woman named Trouble on bicycle to Matt's place. Normally, I don't have to chase after Trouble, it(she) finds me.

Kevin Corzett is still one of my favorite sound men EVER. Bummed I missed Ketman, but always good to see a familiar face. And of course, Jojo is an absolute doll. Both him and Ian now work at Church, which means I may have to book a show there at some point, especially since they're doing 18+.

Last but not least, Eric for saying hello! I love it when cool people who I see at shows but don't really know say hi. Hopefully I'll remember your name, but lord knows, I'm pretty goddamn bad at it.

I realize that I totally just hijacked the band blog for more of a personal post but fuck it: Our lives greatly entwine with the music we play. It's still related to music and the community that I do adore, so yeah. I hope to see a lot of you out on St Patricks, or any of the surrounding shows. It's all about the family we've created in the end, through shows, stories, and good times, and really, it's nights like these that inspire a lot of my writing.

And now I round out the night with a 40. Good night, everyone. See you soon.

Hugs and Kisses,
Swagger.

St. Patrick's Season has officially kicked off...

2010-02-28T10:52:00.000-08:00

...Because it's the day after Squall's birthday, and I'm waking up at the at the crack of 1pm, a little (okay, very) fuzzy from the night before. Hope he had a good time on his birthday, cause I sure as fuck did.

So we have a whole bunch of shows coming up, and I need to do an official press release to papers and radio. Something witty, high energy, and self fellating. Unfortunately, I think it's going to come across more like an AA advertisement for desperate and dirty crackheads. More on that later today, whereas you guys get the informal version right here.

This month celebrates 5 goddamn years of The Swaggerin' Growlers. Come out and have a pint with us - We'd like to see some old faces. And new faces. And perhaps the floor.

Mar 5 2010 8:00P
Casey O’Conners (Mansfield, MA)
First time at a new pub! We're playing all night long. Can you keep up with us?

Mar 6 2010 8:00P
The Stone Church (Newmarket, NH) w/ The Pubcrawlers
Our only New Hampshire show this St Patrick's Season! Gotta return to the old stomping grounds for at least a little bit.

Mar 13 2010 9:00P
An Cu Liath - The Greyhound Pub (Worcester, MA)
St Practice Day, Round 1

Mar 14 2010 9:00P
Six House - Private Party (South Boston, MA)
Parade Day - We'll be on the parade route beforehand. Say Hey

Mar 17 2010 7:00P
The Middle East Upstairs (Cambridge, MA) w/ The F-Bombers, The Old Edison, Time & Place
This is the big one! There's talk of recording this entire show for a DVD, so you
really should show up for this one.

Mar 19 2010 8:00P
Snapper McGee’s (Torrington, CT)
For all you fine folks in CT who might have to miss the bonanza in Boston, here's your chance to partake in the revelry.

Mar 20 2010 8:00P
Snapper McGee’s (Kingston, NY)
Yep, expect to see us drinking Mother's Milk by the Bucket. If you haven't had the shit, you should come out to the Elder Snapper McGee's and try it with us.

February

2010-02-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

Hey All-

So, if you've noticed, February is a little light on the schedule. There's a good reason for this: We're gearing up to record an acoustic release. Yep. We've got a whole bunch of Irish / Scot / American trad songs we've done over the years (and some new ones!) that we've decided to put down. As much as we've turned into a crazy folk-core band, we still have our roots in the pub and in the kitchen, drinking and playing all night long.

There are a couple of reasons why we're doing this: We figured it would be nice to have some of this stuff available that we've been playing since the start of the band. We figure, what the hell, it would be fun. Maybe I'll actually remember all the goddamn words to Finnegan's Wake without slurring them too badly. Also, we're looking to use this to book more pubs, and actually make some goddamn money - Our van is dying (I spent 4 out of the last 7 days under it), and we're all shit broke. THE GLAMOR OF PUNK ROCK.... It would be nice to get back out on the road, you know? That way people can quit bitching to us about it. Our last tour showed us that the US is full of a whole bunch of awesome fucking people - We'd like to see you all again, and have the chance to make some more friends along the way.

The only downside of touring? We can't afford to make a living off of it, yet. Hopefully in the next year or so! Wouldn't that be neat?

Moving forward. Annie and Chestnut are doing a side project, the Lady and Her Felon. It's pretty rad. You should be able to find them at any of your favorite online time drains (Facebook, Myspace, Reverb Nation, yadda). I'm too lazy to toss up any links, but that's okay because you'd have to be deaf and blind to miss Chestnut's promotional blitz. They should be recording in the next few months. Eventually, I'll add it to the links section of the website.

Also, doing my (Jonny Swagger) own solo stuff, too. My adventures with harmonica have been fairly successful, and there's a burning in my blood to get back out on the road. Cause you know, being a punk playing solo acoustic is TOTALLY COOL RIGHT NOW SO I GOTTA GET IN ON THE ACTION. Bwahahhaaa.... Anyways. I should also be recording in the next few months, probably in my goddamn bedroom, as to not annoy Hutch with my perfectionism and the fact that yes, I want my boot stomps on the recording. I love the fact that we have pretty much a full studio set up in the band house. I can honestly say the first studio that I recorded in was far less equipped than what we've got. Been toying with the idea of setting up a blog, too, to go around it.

Alright, that's all for now. Back to getting orders ready, then off to work. But first, more coffee. Don't forget our awesome upcoming shows in March, especially our St. Patrick's day bonanza.

Hugs and Kisses,
Swagger

The Presale Link for St Patrick's Day

2010-02-02T17:16:00.000-08:00

The presale link for St. Patrick's day finally arrived:

http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=1187895&pl=rockon

There should be more shit coming up, in good time. Possibly some exclusive content if you join our mailing list. Nudge nudge wink wink.

Circles... why wont they fucking end already?

2010-01-28T16:48:00.000-08:00

The WUML appearance was AWESOME. We got the live tracks, and a Video is in the works. Thanks again to Greg (Bedlam: The American Dream) and Craig (Video man with the Showcase Showdown Shirt and the Beer ... it's all about the large German heinies, right?) Most fun I've had in a while. Tom, we promise, we will play your basement soon. For serious.

Also, this finally hit press: http://www.telegram.com/article/20100128/COLUMN09/1280770/1011/FEATURES. Tastefully truncated from the original, which if you go to our blog, I'm sure you can find. http://theswaggeringrowlers.blogspot.com/

This weekend we're heading out with the Furiousity to CT and NY - check that shit out in our shows section.

St Patrick's day is coming up! Presales should be available soon, damn it. At least they better be. I'm pretty sure my bar tabs there put together over the years could easily rent out the middle east's downstairs room. And a couple of Kegs. And people to work the Kegs.

Don't forget:
http://www.facebook.com/theswaggeringrowlers

Talk to you soon, it's time to get some liquor and work on my harmonica playing.

-Swagger

Interview that may or may not be published cause I'm a slacker.

2010-01-22T10:44:00.000-08:00

Here is an interview for Victor D. Infante - The Worcester Telegram & Gazette for a Thursday column that I just sent out this morning. Haha... Maybe they'll use it for next week.

----

Well it's Friday. I got to this a wee bit late. But I'd be into doing this for next week? Regardless, you'll have plenty to play with, I don't ever shut up. You're lucky this is before my morning coffee.

1.) Real name and band of person responding.
Jonny Swagger. If my mom uses it, it's good enough for press. And before you ask, yes, she goes by Mama Swagger.

2.) Tell us ten songs on your iPod (or similar device. If something else, please feel free to note!)

Sansa Fuse - It's like an IPod without the Apple tax. I'm a broke musician, after all. (Apple, if you're reading, feel free to send me an IPod)

1) Ceasefire - Towers Fall
2) Jessie Williams - Giddy Girls in Summer Dresses
3) World / Inferno Friendship Society - M is for Morphine
4) Faulty Conscience - Gonzo
5) Woody Guthrie - The Great Historical Bum
6) The Tossers - Out on the Road
7) Social Distortion - She's a Knockout
8) Bouncing Souls - Johnny X
9) Against Me - Jordan's First Choice
10) Mischief Brew - Fight Dirty

3.) Tell us a little bit about what you like about those songs.

1) Ceasefire - Towers Fall
We stayed with Pete, their singer, down in Philly, while on tour. First hardcore punk band I've heard in a while that I'm REALLY into - he sings with a lot of hope in his heart.

2) Jessie Williams - Giddy Girls in Summer Dresses
I met Jessie in a Squat in Las Cruses, New Mexico. We shared a beer and chatted for a while, I had no idea she was playing - then she knocked out this fabulous acoustic set to a house full of punks. We were lucky enough to play with her again in Lancaster, CA. She's got the voice of an old soul.

3) World / Inferno Friendship Society - M is for Morphine
Love this band. We played with them up in Portland, ME and Jack (front man) and Peter (horn player) do this awesome double percussion thing beating on dual drums at the big hits in the beginning - seeing them do that is pretty much burned into my brain ever since

4) Faulty Conscience - Gonzo
Have you ever seen the movie Half Baked? Squall, the man who wrote this song, is Steven Wright, AKA The Guy On The Couch. It's an ode to the late, great Hunter S. Thompson - they don't make heros quite like him any more, and this song reflects the fact.

5) Woody Guthrie - The Great Historical Bum
Guthrie is a long favorite. This is one of the few bouncy 6/8 songs he does. It's a fun romp through history, and it talks about kicking Adoph Hitler in the Panzers. What more could you want?

6) The Tossers - Out on the Road
There's something about this song that just lights my blood on fire. And makes me miss touring. Shameless plug to send us money for a new van goes here. nudge nudge wink wink

7) Social Distortion - She's a Knockout
I love Social Distortion, but this song has an added bonus - I know a gorgeous woman who was an exotic dancer for a while, who added this song to her set - All I can say is HELL YEAH.

8) Bouncing Souls - Johnny X
I met The Pete when we played Asbury Lanes last. SQUEE. okay, fanboy moment over - but this is one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands

9) Against Me - Jordan's First Choice
The woahs in this song make me want to break things. In a good way.

10) Mischief Brew - Fight Dirty
I got this on cassette! with download card. At least I have something for the van now if I forget my sansa.

4.) How many songs total are on your iPod? (Or other fun fact, like how many CDs you own, or somesuch.)
It's a 10 gig, and it's full. I had hundreds of CDs over the years, a large chunk were stolen, so I said to hell with CDs. Now I have an 120 Gig hard drive. Works quite well.

5.) Tell us one song your embarrassed that you have on your iPod/collection, and why it's there.

Why would I be embarrassed about music? Dead serious. I was blaring "She's a Maniac" off the Flash Dance soundtrack the other day. Music is there to make people happy, to hell what anyone else thinks.

Abusive behavior

2010-01-20T04:48:00.000-08:00

Hey Everybody-

Swagger here. It's 7:42am, and I've only been asleep for about 4 hours, max. It's going to be an entertaining day today, isn't it? Anyways, over the last 24 hours I got a facebook account (unlike those boring, uninspired pages that they've got going) for the band up.

Swaggerin' Growlers | Create Your Badge

Damn, that's one hell of a large tag. I went though our "fans" on our "page" and added so many that Facebook says I'm showing signs of Abusive behavior.. bwahahahahahaha. Shit, I thought that's why you liked us.

Anyways, We've got a mess of shows coming up. We're playing on WUML next week, as well as doing a nice little weekend with the Furiousity in CT and NY. That should be a great time. Much like a possible trip over to My Diner on A Street in Southie would be right about now. I'm broke but they do this amazing 3 egg/3 sausage/homefries coffee deal for like $3.99 during the week before 10am. Might totally be worth it.

Also, speaking of diners, does anyone know of any All Ages venues over in New Jersey? We're looking to set up a weekend in Jersey and Philly, and I'm pretty much over most 21+ Rock clubs. Give me a goddamn punk show, or an honest fucking pub where we can play all night. Anyways. Any help would be appreciated

1/8 (Allston, MA) and 1/19 (portland, ME, NOT PLAYING)

2010-01-07T10:36:00.001-08:00

Alright, we're playing acoustic over at the Islington house showspace here in Allston. All Ages. Hope to see you there.

However, we are NOT playing 1/19 at the Port City Music Hall - although we confirmed, we never heard back from the promoter, and now they have a different band listed on the site. Sucks, but what can you do. Go check out the Pubcrawlers, and make sure to buy Seth a lot of liquor.

That being said, get us a place that does All Ages (or even 18+) Punk Venue or a solid pub for us to play all night, Portland, and we're so yours.

-Swagger

This Friday

2010-01-05T09:19:00.001-08:00

This Friday, All Ages Allston Acoustic!

Hangover Brunch.

2010-01-01T23:25:00.000-08:00

Shit, I am still hungover from New Years. Somehow I ended up at places I wasn't even trying to go and drinking way more than I intended to drink. My boots are split open, and my brain feels like it was scooped out with a melon baller. But I didn't breakout in handcuffs. So all in all, a good night.

2009-12-15T09:30:00.000-08:00

So, I've got a few moments before diving headfirst into work for the next 10-12 days, so I thought I'd write at least one more blog for the new year.

Thank you for Saturday. What a fucking show. Much love to the Have Nots, as well as the Star Fucking Hipster crew - really nice guys. The show was absolutely off the hook, It seems like every day show we get to play at the Middle East is an utterly packed madhouse. Much credit to Robbie (Brick by Brick Productions) for making this happen and his tireless promotion. What a raging success.

That being said, we're booking for the new year. If you want us, now is the time to make that happen. We're gigging our way to a new van, so, ah, toss us a goddamn bone. We miss the road and the road misses us. We're currently trying to get back to NYC and Philly, bare minimum. I know we're going to be in Upstate NY sometime in January with the Furiousity, more on that soon.

Alright, another full coffee cup, and off to work. Happy trails.

-Swagger

KYHHH (reprise) sale.

2009-12-10T11:08:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone-

So it's official, we've re-released our most recent album, Keep Your Head Held High. To celebrate, we're going to sell it for $5 at this Saturday's show. I couldn't be more thrilled with how it came out. The whole point of this sale is pretty simple. Our van, our beloved Deon Primetime Vanders, is dying. We're slowly trying to make the money to replace it, cause we're all bitchass broke. So yeah, If you like what you hear on Saturday, pick up the new record - we'd greatly appreciate it. By you buying our shit, we can make more music and go back on tour.

Also, this is definitely our last show of the year. So come on out.

Not sure what's in the works for 2010. We're looking to put out an acoustic album, I know that much. A good bunch of traditional tunes, as well as some old favorites. No idea what the timeframe will be for that, but it's long overdue. Time will tell. Also, St. Patrick's day is coming! Obviously a high point in our year. It's the most wonderful time that absolutely no one remembers.

Anywho, enough rambling, there is work to be done. See you all Saturday.

-Swagger

Empty Bottles and Frayed Bows

2009-12-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

So THAT was fucking awesome. Amherst was utterly ridiculous, thanks to the Time & Place crew, and everyone else out there - grand music, great band. Mallory was sick, and Niko is a fiend - hope his foot is okay. The Greyhound still is king of Public Houses in the state of Massachusetts, the Old Edison are still a bunch of charming drunks.

I need more coffee. Or a nap. Or a weekend to recover from this weekend.

You're coming to the Star Fucking Hipsters show on 12.12 at the Middle East Upstairs, all ages day show, right? Oh, good. Have Nots are also on the bill. Should be a good time.

Amherst and Wocester this weekend! w/Old Edison

2009-11-29T16:24:00.000-08:00

okay. Facebook event for the House show in Amherst. Totally an amazing show put on by those swanky Time & Place kids. Our triumphant return to the 5 college area. You let us in, now we won't stay away!

Facebook event for the Greyhound Pub show in Worcester. Dude, it's the motherfucking Greyhound. We play for hours and hours. You definitely want to show up to this.

Okay, back to work. Also, don't forget our upcoming Star Fucking Hipsters show at the Middle East. 12.12 all ages matinee. Probably our last Boston show of the year. Brick by Brick productions rocks the goddamn house.

-Swagger

Snapper McGees on Wednesday, 11/25 - TONIGHT

2009-11-24T09:19:00.000-08:00

We're playing the ever magical and wonderful Snapper McGee's. With the Jukebox Romantics. We're playing a long set, too.

So you should show up and drink with us. It's gonna be WONDERFUL. WONDERFUL I SAY!

Also, thanks to Gabe, the Elevens, Molly, Evan, Holly, and everyone else who made this weekend out in Northampton a wonderful time. We'll be back Dec 4th, it's looking. Providing the van actually decides to start, of course. (insert cursing here)

xo,
Swags.

PS: still no morning coffee. How I haven't murdered is amazing.
PSx2: I blame the swine flu we all got exposed to for messing up the date.

Northampton, MA - 2.21

2009-11-19T04:36:00.000-08:00

We're playing out in Northampton, MA on Saturday over at The Elevens. This is our first gig out in Western MA in the 4 3/4 years we've been together as a band, so we're going to take the liberty of crashing out there, hanging out, and having a couple of drinks. I mean, damn. We've gone cross country and back, but still haven't played the five college area. What the hell?

Anyways, it should be a damn good time. Check it out.

-Swagger

Shows, Shows, Shows.

2009-11-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

So, we have several shows coming up this weekend:

Thursday, 11/12 - Dover, NH @ Fury's publick house. Hi Dover, we miss you.
Friday, 11/13 - Allston, MA @ Unit 11. Hell yeah!
Saturday, 11/14 - Somerville, MA @ Somerville Writer's festival at the Armory

Revelry and celebration shall be had! Also, don't forget 12/12 with Star Fucking Hipsers. If all goes well, this should be the offical release show of KYHHH - Reprise.

-Swags

Thank yous are in order

2009-11-02T10:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Erik Petersen and the Rest of the Mischief Brew crew, Meisce for being both awesome and as big of drunks as we are - Friday was spectacular. Thank you for Max, Sophia Conner and anyone else who lives at 3 Islington Terrace, you made the night possible. What a night!

Also, I'd love to send out a big thank you to the kids over at ABC No Rio for being fucking amazing hospitable people. Some of the best voicemails ever!

Next, I'd like to thank Greg, Jack, and Lucky and everyone else in the World / Inferno Friendship Society for being awesome and fantastic drunks. Real sweet people who deserve what attention they're getting right now. Again, thank you for the hospitality

Finally, Thanks to Robbie from Brick by Brick Productions for adding us to the All Ages Star Fucking Hipster / Have Nots matinee show on 12/12. You're the man!

Okay, I'm going to go back to celebrating my 30th birthday by mailing CDs and more stuido work. Later, fellas! See everyone Friday.

-Swags

KYHHH - Reprise (December 2009)

2009-10-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

We are re-releasing our most recent album, KYHHH. Why? long story. The short version goes like this. It needed more awesome. Now it has it.

It's getting remixed and remasterd by me. I hope to have it done by December. Once it's done, it will be included with any copies of KYHHH people buy, and once we've got enough money, we plan on pressing them ourselves.

On our myspace player, I've posted Moments Like These, and by the time you read this, the title track. Enjoy.

Alright, back to work. PS, don't forget about our Mischief Brew show on Friday at 3 Islington Terrace here in Allston, MA. We hope to see you there. Show starts early, 6:30pm. Bring money for the touring bands. Bring whiskey for us.

-Swagger

Van Party, Mischief Brew, Hallomas

2009-10-25T08:48:00.000-07:00

Last night, we went to a van party up in Haverhill MA, and sporadic moments of music happened. Extra credit goes to Kevin, Will & Richie for hitchhiking up and buying a case of 40s. And Lizzi* for driving people. Much love to the Pity Whores, FC, oh hell, everyone who showed up for that hilarious drunken shit show. We love you guys so very, very much.

That being said, an Acoustic show with Mischief Brew has just been announced for this Friday, October 30th. 3 Islington Terrace, here in Allston, MA. Around 8pm I think? All Ages, Free, save a collection for the touring bands. Here's a link to the facebook event. Add us on there, you miserable fucks.

Also, I know that at least Annie, Chestnut and myself are going up to ABC No Rio for the Mischief Brew show there, and then Hallomas that night. It should be a GRAND time. You should try to find us, and more importantly, buy us drinks.

-Swags

*Lizzi informed me that it's Lizzi and not Lizzy.

Pity Whores and Faulty Conscience!

2009-10-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

Hey! Come see us at Anchors up in Haverhill, MA w/ The Pity Whores and Faulty Conscience! ALL AGES! October 24th, 6pm. Also playing are Flatout Jones and the Down and Outs.

-Swags

Pictures! Pity Whores! MASKS!

2009-10-08T05:20:00.000-07:00

So for some strange reason, after a night of heavy drinking (Hey, it was Growler practice, complete with alumni), I woke up at 6AM. And I feel pretty damn good, too. I almost feel obligated to go for a run at this point. But whatever, there are more important things on hand:

http://www.nicoletammaro.com/

Pictures are up from the Superpower CD release show. Thanks Nicole! We fucking heart you. Duh.

This weekend, our darling Annie is having an art showing:
Saturday, October 10, 2009 - 7:00pm at the Dark World Gallery 179 Grafton St. Worcester, MA. Most of us will be here, so you should be too.

We're playing with the Pity Whore, Faulty Conscience, Flatout Jones and the Down and Outs at Welfare Records/Anchors Up on Saturday October 24th. ALL AGES! And yes, I just had to check our myspace to know when that show was.

I'm out! I should make something of this day before I decide to go back to bed.

-Swags

PS:

The Last Few Weeks

2009-10-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone-

So we've been busy as shit the last few weeks. In a nutshell: Punk rock, alcohol abuse, and bad tattoos. I can't speak for anyone else in the band, but I can say I've been living like a disaster and couldn't be happier for the fact.

I should have picked up liquor before beer o'clock. Goddamn it. Anyways...

So about a week ago, we were fortunate enough to have our friends from Gainesville, FL up here for a show at our favorite dive bar, the Midway Cafe. It was a 4pm Matinee show, which means everyone was shattered by about 6. Big thanks for everyone who came out to this, and made No More feel quite at home in Boston - they said it was the best show of tour so far. Boston Jolly Pirates tore shit up, and Squally kicked things off right. And the best part of doing an early show was the epic afterparty back at the Growler house in Allston. Did I say epic? Maybe I meant felonious. Well, the cops only came once, and no one was -too- savagely beaten, so whatever. Much love to the Old Edison for their inevitable kitchen set, and we hope that Lorena had a fantastic birthday.

Then last night, we got to play the Superpower CD release show - Dave Tree is at it again, and as great as ever, if not better. Both the Ashers and Dead Friends sounded great, too. And we got free beer from PBR. WE GOT FREE BEER! Of course, we kept emptying the cooler faster than they could stock it, but fuck, are you really that surprised? Thanks to Bekah and LauraMom for having us on the bill. Big fuck you to the asshat who wouldn't let us park behind the club unless we paid him $25. Fuckwad. The ever lovely Nicole Tammaro should have pictures up on her site, www. nicoletammaro.com, sometime soon.

Alright, that's all I've got for tonight. Been working on some new demos, I'm hoping to have the first 5 songs demoed out for the band in the next couple of weeks.

peace,
Swags.

itunes, amazon and more!

2009-09-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Our music is now available on i-tunes, amazon, rhapsody, and anywhere else you buy your mp3s online. Go fetch! We need the money for a new van, and a new record.

xo,
Swags

PS:

How Philly went and living the poor life

2009-09-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

Hey all!

cnut here again. So, going down to Philly was definitely a fun time. I rode down with the guys from Refuse Resist, 5 1/2 hours in the car, past NYC, over all the cool bridges, past that giant cemetery, then onto the Jersey Turnpike, where the counties are clearly delineated by the particular smell they emit.

But then we were there! First stop: South St. From what I understand, South St. was kind of Philly's Haight/Ashbury without so many hippies. A kind of cultural gathering point for the freaks. Always my kind of place to start with in a town. I had been to South St. once before, when the Growlers went through Philly in June on tour. We stopped into a tattoo shop where the RR boys were visiting a friend from the Thorp board, then we dropped by Repo Records - the Growlers CD's are still on sale there! - for them to leave some copies of their disc. If you're in Philly, go grab copies of both!

Then, we popped around the corner to Gianna's for cheesesteak (with the whiz, not any of that other shit, do it right) and giant fries. Love this place, it's good food for not too much money, the guy behind the counter is obviously old school punk, and they have veggie and vegan options. Also, any band that comes through, if you have a flyer, they want you to sign it and put it up on their wall.

From there, it was time to actually go to the house show we were playing. It was in south Philly, not sure what street or if there's a certain name for that neighborhood, but the house venue is called The Black Sheep. We had a GPS with us, so finding our way to the place wasn't difficult, but when we came to the street were needed to turn down to drive the last half mile to the show, like 14 cop cars materialized out of nowhere - not on us, but next to us. There was a very overgrown vacant lot at the corner we were supposed to turn on. We saw this blur of a guy dart into the lot and then there were cops leaping out of their cars, drawing their weapons and rushing headlong into the overgrowth. We could hear, "Shots fired!"

So, we went around, realized they wouldn't fuck with us for an illegal right turn right this second, found an alternate route to the house show. The street of houses looked like small post-war row housing - really small-looking houses all attached on the sides. You could see the living room half-full of punks from the other side of the street. It was pretty cool - some of the kids in the punk house were the only white faces to be seen on the street. Everyone on the stoops around the house were drinking and having fun and started asking us if there was a party when we walked into the house with our instruments. The answer of course was yes. =)

I went downstairs to check out the basement where we'd be playing, and it smelled like someone had been painting. We talked to the guy who lived there and he said it was a big accident where his landlord told him the unused heating oil container was empty. He sawed through it and it wasn't empty at old. Stinky but at least it makes you have a headache. They opened a window and used a fan and it got slightly better, but really it just added to the surreality of the whole night anyway.

The first couple of band, I can't remember their name, was good fast punk. I was still mostly cheesing bowl hits and beers upstairs during most of their set, I'm sad to say. But it was cool, the kids in Philly were mad nice and I even saw someone that I haven't seen since I was 16 or so in Harvard Sq. Very neat. Then Blood Bound (I think I have that name right) played and they were sick. Really awesome folks in the band, really awesome band. Again, fast punk, great songwriting.

Then The Boils played. It was my first time to get to see them play live, and worth the wait. The Boils don't play very many shows, so it was especially a treat to play their hometown with them. They are a tight, solid band, even if they do like sports. =) It was great to see a scene that likes where they're from. It reminds me of Boston, where we love our city. These Philly kids had a pride in being part of a scene that produces great bands and insane house shows. It's a long tradition and from what I saw that night, it's not going anywhere anytime soon.

Finally, Refuse Resist got to take stage. They started with 3 songs I hadn't been told to practice, so I got to kind of stand on the side of the stage and just jam out. But then we hit the stuff that I knew and we cranked it up. Playing bass is a lot of fun. I'm not going to switch to it or anything, but it was cool and I'd like to do it again. I remembered most of most of the songs. The kids danced. We got headaches from the fumes, but it was worth it.

We rode out of Philly, on our way back to Boston at about 12:30 or so. I slept most of the way back, except for waking up long enough to make witty relevant comments (FUPA) and then back to sleep. Made it home about 7 am, slept till 2:30 pm, then stayed awake for about 36 hours with no drugs except Mountain Dew.

Since then, I've spent my week looking for a job (yuck!), practicing songs that the bands I'm in play, and trying to live without spending money.

Signing off for now. The Growlers are in CT on Saturday night at Cherry St. Station - if you're within striking distance, we'd love to see you out.

cnut

cnut - off to Philly

2009-09-12T05:19:00.000-07:00

So, no Growlers shows this weekend, as I have two fill-in gigs with other bands. The first was last night at The Middle East Upstairs. I played guitar for Suzuki Smith, opening a show with The Acro-brats, 0700 Club, Dirty Tactics and Angry Samoans! It was a lot of fun.

Now, I'm up at 7:30 am in the morning after a show night so that I can get another couple of hours of practice in on bass before driving to Philly with Refuse Resist to play a house show with The Boils.

Wish me luck and be sure to get out to our upcoming shows. We have even better things planned for next year!

cnut

Upcoming Shows! Most of which are all ages...

2009-09-11T15:59:00.000-07:00

9.26.09 Midway Cafe (Jamaica Plain, MA) ALL AGES MATINEE w/Boston Jolly Pirates, No More, Kill Conrad

Do I really have to tell you how awesome the above show is? Seriously. You ain't gonna see a mess like this anytime soon. No More is Jen and Sterlo from club 1982 in Gainesville's band, they're fucking awesome. But so are Allston basement kings BJP and Kill Conrad. The awesomeness of this show might have already exceeded fire capacity of the Midway.

10.24.09 Welfare Records (Haverhill, MA) All Ages

Dude, we're playing with the Pity Whores, Faulty Conscience, Flat Out Jones, and the Down and Outs. At Anchors Up/Welfare. This will be fucking crazy. Come experience the sleeze in ways only Haverhill and the Pity Whores can bring.

11.14.09 Somerville Writers Festival (Somerville, MA) acoustic, all ages

We play in between the writers and the intermission, and probably will do a set after everyone is done speaking so we can get shitfaced with a bunch of fucking brilliant people. I'm probably going to get one of my books signed - Rick Moody wrote the forward to my Amy Hempel anthology.
http://www.heatcityreview.com/somervillenews.htm for more information.

11.25.09 Snapper McGee's (Torrington, CT)

THIS PLACE IS AWESOME AND OH MY GOD WE LOVE TRAVIS AND DAN AND EVERYONE DOWN THERE. ahem.

Okay, I'm going to go back to being neurotic and annoying Squall.
Xo,
Swags.

New Blog

2009-09-11T14:44:00.001-07:00

Alright, I've decided to move our newsfeed over here to blogger.com. Hope you enjoy!