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Saturday September 26
2026
8:00PM doors -- music at 9:00PM ••• 21 AND OVER $39 $46.21 in advance [39 face value +7.21 service fee] Fat Wreck Chords 35th Anniversary, featuring... Lagwagon lagwagon.com skate punk, melodic hardcore Dead to Me instagram.com/dead_to_me Punk Toy Guitar instagram.com/t0yguitar garage punk Lagwagon -from Goleta, CA -It was on “Falling Apart,” off Lagwagon’s 2005 full-length Blaze, that frontman Joey Cape first committed the word ‘railer’ to tape, but in fact it’s a term that the California band has been using for a long time amongst themselves. Now it’s become the title of the influential punk five-piece’s ninth album, due out October 4, 2019 on Fat Wreck Chords. As Cape explains, ‘railer’ is “a funny word from childhood that means ‘silly bad’, like lame” and it captures the sense of throwback that flows throughout its 12 songs. That idea of looking to the past was inspired after Cape came up with “Bubble,” the first song he wrote for the album, and he then just took that idea and ran with it. “The idea of that song was to embrace and appreciate what you have,” explains Cape, “and I really specifically tried to make it feel and sound like an old Lagwagon song, so I borrowed a lot from early records for it. And then from there, I just kept thinking that the rules have to be that Railer feels like something Lagwagon might have done in the old days. I wanted to see what would happen if I didn’t overthink things and I just tried to write a record as quickly as possible without losing the quality I expect from myself as a songwriter.” Unlike the last few Lagwagon albums, Railer was written in an incredibly condensed period of time, in an attempt to capture the spirit of the band’s early days. And it worked. While songs like “Stealing Light,” “Dangerous Animal” and “Dark Matter” bristle with a raw, ragged and pure energy that’s unusual for any band to have after almost 30 years of existence, these tracks also directly harken back to the band’s early days. “There’s only so much one person or a group of people can do before they start to develop characteristics that become common to them,” says Cape in typically philosophical fashion, “and I think you have to be comfortable with that. And I am. I like my band and what we’ve done and I’m okay with the fact that we have our strengths and we have our limitations. I know what it is that we do well and if we stay true to that, there’s something that comes out of that that is truly original, because you’re being true to who you really are.” At the same time, Railer (produced by Cameron Webb at Maple Sound Studios in Santa Ana, CA) accurately and honestly reflects who Lagwagon are in 2019, both lyrically and musically. Perhaps the best example is “The Suffering.” Inspired by the writings of Bertrand Russell, who has become a big influence for Cape in recent years, the song starts with a graceful yet ominous piano passage over which Cape’s friend Jason Simpson reads a passage by the philosopher, before transforming into a dark and surging song about the nature of human existence. While it sounds like it could have been written by a band 20 years younger, “The Suffering” also offers a glimpse into Cape’s mindset as a 52-year-old. That dichotomy exists on all of Railer’s songs – youthful but jaded, frantic but exhausted, visceral yet cerebral. “Surviving California,” for example, was inspired by the city where Cape now lives, and serves as both a personal and political treatise on the socio-economic state of America today. “I live in San Francisco,” Cape says, “which is arguably one of the most expensive places in the world to live, and it’s very difficult to make ends meet for a guy on a band salary – on the inconsistent wage I make from what I do – and like everybody else, I struggle. I’m not feeling sorry for myself, but these are the things you deal with in your day-to-day life when you’re my age and you have a family to support…you write about whatever it is that’s on your plate.” Indeed, that idea of struggle – alongside an overwhelming sense of existential chaos and angst – is a common thread throughout RAILER, in the bouncy desperation of “Jini”, the aforementioned “The Suffering”, the breakneck despair of “Parable” and even in the carefree nostalgia of “Bubble” and its unflinching celebration of the band’s early days of “beer for pay” and the “roach-ridden pads” they used to crash at. Life has moved on in the three decades since Lagwagon started, but it’s not something the band – guitarists Chris Rest and Chris Flippin, drummer Dave Raun and bassist Joe Raposo (who wrote “Surviving California” and “Dangerous Animal” with Cape) have entirely left behind either. What is definitely different from the earlier days that this album emulates so perfectly, however, is the depth of meaning packed into these short, blistering songs. The best example of this is “Pray For Them,” a rallying cry that takes aim at the increasing number of people in this day and age who turn to ‘thoughts and prayers’ to address the world’s problems rather than taking action to try to actually solve them and help others. “I think a lot of people feel powerless,” says Cape, “and in some ways, rightfully so when it comes the suffering in the world. But there are a lot of people on this planet who think prayer absolves them of any responsibility to further help other people who are suffering. Like with war-torn nations that are having bombs dropped on civilians, or with refugees drowning in bodies of water in-between countries they’re fleeing from, a lot of time the common response seems to be ‘We’ll pray for those people’ and I just think that’s awful. Praying doesn’t absolve you of your responsibility to at least try to look at the issue more deeply and consider the things you can actually do in your life to alleviate those conditions. Praying isn’t enough for a family in a boat that’s going to sink.” Cape doesn’t necessarily expect people to extract his specific philosophies from each of these songs, but they’re certainly present for the listener to seek out if they want to. At the same time, just as with Lagwagon’s earliest songs, Railer’s songs are there to be listened to and enjoyed, to take you back to simpler times. It’s no coincidence, then, that Railer ends with a frantic punk rock cover of Journey’s “Faithfully". Back in their earlier days, Lagwagon’s albums often used to include cover songs, but the band hasn’t recorded one for a long time, until now. And, with this record, Lagwagon have come full-circle and rediscovered the purest version of who they’ve always been as a band. Not that that feeling was ever really lost in the first place, of course. “I wouldn’t say ‘lost’,” confirms Cape, “but you evolve. Evolution is a journey within yourself. You go on this journey and it takes you wherever it takes you, there are multiple people along the way that you meet who have different ideas than you and as you grow, you get into different things along the way. I don’t know if you ever completely lose the sense of where you came from, but you definitely evolve away from it over time. But the thing is, it’s always there.” Dead to Me -from San Francisco, CA -Fans of Bay Area punk quartet Dead To Me got some exciting news in October 2014: After having been away from the band for six years and two full-lengths, beloved vocalist/guitarist and founding member Jack Dalrymple was rejoining the band; together, the rejuvenated lineup had begun work on a new full-length. Dead To Me had been laying low since completing the touring cycle in support of 2011’s Moscow Penny Ante, so on its face, this was exciting news—the band was, indeed, back together. Less than two weeks later, it almost came to an ignominious end, thanks to Dead To Me vocalist/bassist Tyson “Chicken” Annicharico’s nonstop drug and alcohol abuse leading him to, in his words, “a psychotic break” which resulted in his admission into a psych ward in San Diego in early November. “I had a three-day fugue state where I don’t really know what happened,” Annicharico says. “I came to in the psych ward and was just like, ‘Well fuck, man, I guess the jig is up.’ It was a cry for help on a subconscious level. The decision was made for me. I wasn’t like, ‘I gotta get help.’ In the past, I’ve had bottoming-out periods before and I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll get better eventually,’ but this time, when I bottomed out, I’m like, ‘I’m just like this now. I’ll never get better.’ I didn’t care. I didn’t care. I went to treatment,” he continues, “and after months and months and months, the fog started to lift. I said, ‘Fuck that. I do want to live. I do want a life worth living.’” Thus began Annicharico’s new life as a sober artist, something which he never thought he would experience. “People in punk rock romanticize artists who were junkies and drunks, like Bukowski and Lou Reed,” he admits. “There’s something to be said for the insane bravery it takes to face the world sober. I wish 14-year-old me would’ve gotten more into Minor Threat! He laughs, but it’s clear he is relishing his time free of substances. For one, it allowed him to write Dead To Me’s new EP, I Wanna Die In Los Angeles, out October 21. Written in the months following his hospitalization and inspired directly from his bottoming out, the three songs are lightning bolts of energetic, gritty punk that sounds as urgent as the best songs on the band’s debut, Cuban Ballerina—and even more lyrically honest. “Accountability has been my motivation for a lot of Dead To Me lyrics,” the bassist confesses. “Part of me feels embarrassed because I don’t like putting my business out there, but then it’s healthy because it makes me talk about it. If I’m talking about it, it’s a real fuckin’ thing. It’s really normal for addicts to downplay their drug use because they’re trying to minimize the severity of their disease. I don’t wanna romanticize it, but it’s good that I talk about it so I realize the gravity of the situation.” The EP was recorded in July 2016 at Oakland’s Jingletown Recording Studios, with the newly focused Annicharico taking on the role of producer—the first time he’s ever assumed that responsibility with Dead To Me. Engineering came from Ian McGregor, who is best known as the engineer for Grammy-nominated producer Greg Wells. “He loves punk bands,” Annicharico says of McGregor. “He works so fast and does such cool shit that it’s a really cool relationship to have. He gets how to keep the soul of a song punk.” With a fiery new EP ready for release and a brand new full-length on the horizon, it’s safe to say that Dead To Me is officially back—and if you ask Annicharico, they’re better than ever. “I feel like it’s the first time we’ve fired on all cylinders ever,” he admits. “We were young when we started the band and had a lot of other stuff going on. We’ve come out the other end with an appreciation for all these other things in our lives so it gives us this renewed energy in Dead To Me, without the need for validation. We have so much fun hanging out together. I’ve written a couple albums’ worth of songs since I’ve been sober. Honestly, we’re just getting started—the sky’s the limit.” Toy Guitar -from San Francisco, CA -Ready for some reprieve from the blistering heat of summer? Well, Fat Wreck Chords has the solution: a cool sonic script called Move Like a Ghost from the California combo toyGuitar! On the heels of their first full-length—In This Mess—toyGuitar continue to ride a massive wave of acclaim with the brand new EP, Move Like a Ghost. The band is built on the sunny vocals of Jack Dalrymple (whom you know and love from his long tenure in Swingin’ Utters), who dragged his Utters cohort Miles Peck into the mix. The two eventually recruited their sometime Re-Volts band mate Paul Oxborrow (“In the grand and time-honored tradition of band incest,” cracks Paul). To accompany the fuzzy vox, bouncy bass, and jangly guitars, the boys looked south from their Bay Area environs and pulled in the driving drum beats of Los Angeles sticks maven Rosie Gonce. After wrapping up 2015 with their first ever visit to Japan as part of Fat Wreck Chords’ massive 25th Anniversary festival show, the band quickly decided to lay down some new tracks that they had been tinkering with. As Jack explains, “We recorded the Move Like a Ghost EP with our bud, and all-around ruler, Chris Dugan over in Oakland, Ca. at Jingletown. We wrote it because we all loved the idea of a 10-inch at 45 RPM. It sounds ruling and it kinda fits our whole, not wanting to play longer than 30 min vibe, too. I personally love short and sweet records.” The six songs on Move Like a Ghost are the perfect dose of toyGuitar’s unique blend of fuzzy garage rock, ‘70s proto-punk, and undeniably melodic pop. More than just a continuation of their first album, Move Like a Ghost sees toyGuitar succinctly dial in all the sweet spots of their brand of referential and innovative rock ‘n’ roll. Dalrymple expands “I think collectively what we bring to the table and the way we are on stage together, is reflective of people that love being around each other. We trust and support one another, through the good and the bad.” Move Like a Ghost delivers all the charms that toyGuitar have become known for, with some pensive moments thrown in along the way. Dalrymple says, “There’s a song called ‘Swan’ on the record, which encapsulates the sentiment of loving who you perform with perfectly. There’s a song about my friend Heiko Schrepel (One Man Army) called ‘Turn It Around,’ which was super hard for me to write. After they were recorded, I found the whole experience to be very cathartic.” More than an EP, Move Like a Ghost is a fully formed, perfectly executed six-song record. Together, the four members of toyGuitar collaborated to churn out the most blissed-out, beautiful rock ‘n’ roll record you’ll hear all year. |
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