The Red Sox are now almost as evil as the Yankees

So it feels like the ebola virus has decided to become a guest in our apartment, as Chris and Andrea are severely under the weather, and I'm starting to feel like death creeping. Woot.

Work's been crazy, and then there was Valentine's. (Which rocked, thank you very much.) Blah blah blah, you've heard it all before on a million better blogs than mine.

Andrea and I saw the Hall Monitors last weekend, and while they were were a bit sloppy (been on a break), they still fucking slayed. Mike's back, and Sean looks like Snidely Whiplash. He's also singing better than ever. "Lord I'm a Sinner" sounds like it's going to be the jam of the spring. Check it out here - http://www.myspace.com/hallmonitors They're going to be kicking out the grooves March 7th at the Velvet Lounge with the Shalitas, so come on down and check out one of the five best American rock bands right now.

So anyway, speaking of garage bands who know how to go off, check out the Standells. I found a bunch of their vintage 45's in some throwback record store in Atlanta for $2 a pop, and you better believe I picked them all up. They even had a copy of "Dirty Water," their biggest hit. Despite not being from Massachusettes, the line "Boston, you're my home!" has resulted in it being cranked every time the Red Sox and the Bruins win a game. Way to go everyone.

I'm honestly kind of surprised how much I like them. Like most people, I was intorduced to the group via Minor Threat's excellent cover of "Good Guys Don't Wear White," but was initially turned off by the vague hippie-folk vibe. Man, was I wrong. The dudes took a superficially commercial twang and slowed the tempos in order to articulate the middle finger of the yahoo set. "If you think those guys in white collars are better than I am baby, then flake off!" was about as much of a fuck you as they could get away with in 1966. "Mainline" is probably the jauntiest song ever about heroin, and if you don't pay attention to the words, it might as well be about meeting a cool girl in school.

So I ask you guys this questions. Which is more subversive - raging and cussing, or taking something commerically appealing and making it raunchy and a barely-coated flip off?

Little Sally Tease - http://www.mediafire.com/?at0epxrgygv

Mainline - http://www.mediafire.com/?5dg94wrazwm

Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White - http://www.mediafire.com/?dgmwy2211st

Medication - http://www.mediafire.com/?7xnmldc9om1