Hahaha, you said 69

Tonight was a hoot. Not only did I get to see Ted Leo and Against Me! in a relatively tiny club (compared to their usual draw), I got to hang out with the best people in the world. Andrea (best date in the world, no wonder I'm going to marry this girl), Neil, Ryan the Red Lion, Jordan, Ryan B, Andrew, Ward, and Matt are the cat's pajama's. Andrew and Neil, I owe you two more drinks than exist! You fuckers are the shit. We're going to drink the club dry of PBR again.

What else is going on? We're moving soon. I finished Vol. 8 of The Walking Dead, and all I can say (in addition to "holy shit!") is that I can't wait until the next trade comes out. It might be the best comic going. You would do well to check it out.

So after going to drink cheap beer and rock out to groups who kick out the intelligent punk jams, it's always nice to come home and have a little whiskey and listen to the rah-rah dumbass of some old school British street shit. Sham 69 has always been a favorite of mine. They usually get pooh-poohed outside of the Oi! scene because their music is basically working class anthems set to soccer chants, whereas I find that to be part of their charm.

I hate it when super British performers alter their singing voices in order to appeal to the American buying public. Listing to Sting warble and you'd never know his land of origin, despite the fact that his accent is as thick as Yorkshire pudding. What I like about bands like Sham 69 is that it's very clear where they're from, and the fact that they take great pride in that is pretty heartwarming, especially since they're from the generation before where it became contrived. Nearly 30 years later, it sounds like de riguer street punk fodder, but back in the day of high-minded punk lyrics, a verse like

Does she tell you not to swear?
How to comb your hair?
I can get by I can get by
Is your sister on the pill?
How does your mum feel?
I can get by I can get by
Cos it's better than getting chucked out
Cos it's better than being alone
Cos it's better than growing up fed up

was probably simplistic, but representative of a genuine experience, which is the ultimate goal of all art. It may sound like an overly simplified platitude, but having something to say and saying what you mean are the twin brothers of what makes great art. So while it might not be the words of Yeats, genuine yobs being the first to write chants about the working class experience in a punk rock setting may be just as valid. It might not fly in academia, but singing about having to take the bus is as vivid and real as it gets.

All you genuinely need is the half studio/half live LP Tell Us the Truth and one of the various singles collections, but if you're into punk at all, this is a band well worth checking out. Know your roots, kids.

Borstal Breakout - http://www.mediafire.com/?gmhnoyonlna

Cockney Kids Are Innocent - http://www.mediafire.com/?2ym5mzwl4qm

Family Life - http://www.mediafire.com/?zvnlmnmqwnz

Hersham Boys - http://www.mediafire.com/?1yy3zzwtmfm

Hey Little Rich Boys - http://www.mediafire.com/?r0t2t2g0omd