It's about time.

CLOUDS are FINALLY going on a U.S. tour, with labelmates and Chicago locals Pelican, no less. I'd like to think this decision has something to do with Kenny and I telling Adam that he needed to do this for us when we talked to him in the Spring.

The final stop is in Chicago at the Beat Kitchen on August 24th.

Speaking of Clouds, expect the Clouds/Zozobra interview to finally be up sometime this week.

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Whoa I'm back.

Whoaaaaa.....

I haven't written a substantial update in this thing for months! I've been super busy, and the 18+ staff underwent some changes. I guess what's happening is Kenny left so now this thing is solely mine. Hope you don't miss him too much


I'm going to keep 18+ updated regularly. Expect record reviews, show reviews, music news and commentary, and general shit-talking.

So, now for my first post back, five records that have come out in the past few months that need some reviewing. Enjoy!

Shellac, Excellent Italian Greyhound
Shellac’s first record in like a decade. Obviously it’s awesome. Actually, probably their best work since At Action Park if you can believe that. Worth buying, even though half of the record is just a drumbeat.

Pelican, City of Echos
This sounds more like old Pelican than new Pelican, but is way better than new Pelican but still not nearly as good as old Pelican. Make sense? The songs have cool parts but they're short and kind of disjointed. What this band really needs to do is fire their drummer and start taking downers again.

White Stripes, Icky Thump
There’s not much to say about this record that hasn’t been said already: “return to form,” “more accessible,” “Jack White’s shinning moment?” blah blah blah. If you really care about this band you’ve probably had this thing for six months so why are you even bothering to read this?

Interpol, Our Love to Admire
I hate admitting it, but I really like Interpol. The problem is that their first two albums were really half-and-half. Half of the songs were great, the other were totally snoozefests. This might be Interpol’s best record so far: all of the songs are great and they seem to ripping off Joy Division and Bauhaus and lot less. But saying “a lot less” isn’t really saying much at all. This shit sounds just like Joy Division and Bauhaus.

Bad Religion, New Maps of Hell
I don’t give a fuck about how many dweeby 15-year-old skateboard pizzafaces love Bad Religion. This band has been kicking out solid punk rock for longer than I’ve been alive. The lineup right now is unreal too: Brian Baker of Minor Threat and Dag Nasty? Awesome! Greg Hetson of the Circle Jerks? That’s what I’m talking about! Brooks Wackerman of the Suicidal Tendencies? Fuck yeah, bro!! Basically this sounds like everything else Bad Religion has ever done, so it’s awesome.

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18+ IS NOT DEAD!

.....We're just a couple of busy dudes.

So hold yer horses...within the next couple of weeks we'll be back with a full-blown update and then a ton more after that. We know you've missed us, so we're about to satisfy all your wants and needs very soon.

See ya in a couple of weeks, losers.

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"The Lost Tracks of Danzig"

Holy shit! A new Danzig release!

On May 29th, "The Lost Tracks of Danzig" will drop like it's hot. This is a double-disc set of b-sides and rarities, spanning the band's entire career so far. Yeah, yeah, I know shit got a little weak after "Lucifuge" but this it still bound to have some kick-ass songs on it. Included are "Pain is Like an Animal" and "When Death Had No Name" which are actually two late Samhain songs which got turned into the first two Danzig songs. Glenn's taking us way back on this one!


If you're interested, here's the track list:

1. Pain Is Like An Animal
2. When Death Had No Name
3. Angel of the Seventh Dawn
4. You Should be Dying
5. Cold, Cold Rain
6. Buick McKane
7. When Death Had No Name
8. Satans Crucifiction
9. The Mandrake's Cry
10. White Devil Rise
11. Come to Silver (Acoustic)
12. Deep
13. Warlok

1. Lick the Blood Off My Hands
2. Crawl Across Your Killing Floor
3. I Know Your Lie
4. Caught In My Eye
5. Cat People
6. Bound by Blood
7. Who Claims the Soulless
8. Malefical
9. Soul Eater
10. Dying Seraph
11. Lady Lucifera
12. Under Belly of the Beast
13. Unspeakable Shango Mix

Yeah, that doesn't mean a goddamn thing to me either. Here is what I can tell you though: "Cat People" is a fucking David Bowie cover. Even more exciting is the fact that "Caught in My Eye" is goddamn GERMS cover! That is bound to be worth the price of admission alone. In case you didn't already know, Danzig fucking rules, so you should probably stop being such a pussy and buy this shit once it hits stores.

P.S.- Your fashion-mullet and ironic mustache look fucking ridiculous.

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I'm finna tell you why...volume 3

You should be listening to: Boris
Why: Two dudes and a little lady from Japan make up Boris and are killing it so hard right now. Whether it’s a hour-long drone/doom masterpiece of a three-minute long Motorhead-esque rocker, Boris can do no wrong. I swear to god, the Japs are the master race. Just listen to “Feedbacker.” 45 minutes of fuzzy Pink Foyd-inspired psych mixed with bombastic explosions of drums and squeeling guitar solos. Boris rules.

But instead you’re listening to: The Go! Team
Why: Because you think if you say you listen to this band, the pixie-haired cutie in your “Intro to Poetry” class will think you’re cool. In reality, she’ll find out you like The Go! Team and think you’re a total panty-waist.

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Happy Monday, turds.

Well shit. It's Monday, and there's actually some pretty exciting shit doing down.

First off, Tony Lovato of third-rate Chicago based pop-punk crap machines Mest has, believe it or not, stabbed someone to death! Holy shit! Apparently he got in a fight with his ex-girlfriend's new dude-friend last night in the armpit of the country, L.A., and stabbed the dude in a fit of rage. Dude stepped back and saw exactly how much damage he caused and decided it would be the best if he turned himself in. Tony is being held on suspicion of murder. Bail if a fucking million dollars. Not only is he in a shit band, now he's in jail. Life sucks if your name is Tony Lovato. Life sucks a whole lot.

In other news, Fucked Up, who are quite possibly the best punk band kicking around right now, had none other than KEITH FUCKING MORRIS join them onstage this past weekend at South By Southwest for a cover of Black Flag's "Nervous Breakdown." Fuck man! I've never ever once in my life wanted to step foot in Texas, but goddamn, that would have been amazing to witness. Jade Tree YouTubed the song. The sound is pretty fuzzy, but it's still cool too see Keith being a wild old dork and seeing the crowd get down on this. In honor of how shitty Mondays can be, enjoy:

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Zozobra / Jesu / ISIS

Whooaaaaa, spring break was nuts! Kenny and I did our breakin' at the MTV Beach House in Acapulco. I saw that kid do so many body shots off of so many hot babes it wasn't even funny. Every spring break from here on out I'm going to Mexico again. Fuck, man!

Either way, the two of us are happy to be back in Chicago. We were lucky enough to go to the Zozobra/Jesu/ISIS show last night. It was a great time, to say the least.

Zozobra was there playing only their sixth live set. Caleb and Santos were lucky enough to have Adam McGrath (Cave-In, Clouds) and Jim Carroll (Suicide File, Clouds) to fill the line up out with their axe-wielding abilities. They were powerful and tight. This is clearly the begining of something huge. And I, for one, am extremely excited to see what comes of this. Zozobra is without a doubt filling the void that Cave-In has left behind.

ISIS, as usual, played with precision and intensity. Everything they play sounds tight and perfectly orchestrated. This is a first-class band.

Somewhere in-between, Jesu played. For putting out some AMAZING records, this set did nothing but disappoint. Justin was sick, so the few vocal parts that were audible were slightly out of tune. The band members stood completely still, and the most complex musical parts were simply coming out of an iBook.

After the show, Caleb and Adam were kind enough to talk to the two of us about everything from Zozobra's first tour, Clouds' record, the current status of Cave-In, and balancing a "normal" life with one on the road. Two stand-up dudes. I'm going to try my damnedest to get the transcription of the interview up by Monday, so stay on the look out for that. I was going to try to do it last night, but I had Dane Mennen staying with me, so you know nothing productive was going to get done.

Until then, have a good weekend!!!!!!

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