Non-Zine Things, Wow!
A Hundred Dollars and a T-Shirt ($10.00)
This is the full color DVD, released by Microcosm Publishing. This 71 minute documentary is all about zines in the Northwest US. Although most of the footage and interviews center around people in Portland and other Pacific areas, the content covers a lot of basic zine concepts, including a bit of history over the origin of zines. A good introduction to the world of zines, but also a lot of fun for long time zinesters to watch. This is also the newly edited version, a bit tighter than the original, and with some bonus footage.
Books
Allhandson ($12.00)
Allhandson is a compilation of the best writing to come out of a long time free zine called The Second Hand. The Second Hand is a broadsheet and online magazine edited by Todd Dills, but features writing from a long list of great Chicago authors, people like Joe Meno, Adam Voith, Elizabeth Crane, and many others. With this variety of authors comes a variety of writing styles, but there are a few things in common. While most seem to sort of push the limits stylistically, they all have that good old fashioned story-telling feel. Reminiscencing about childhood, and telling about both the good and bad times that have been lived through. This is a good sampling of the type of writing that has come out of Chicago in the past 4 years. Paperback, novel type book, 246 pages long.
Dirty Found #1 ($10.00)
Finally, the folks at Found Magazine have brought us all the dirty stuff! This full color, perfect bound book has all the amazing finds that were too explicit for their R-rated magazine. This one is triple X baby, crammed full of naked photos, dirty drawings, confusing emails, and raunchy stories. Page after page of adult content that is erotic, disturbing, and hilarious. This book is 80 pages long, full size, paperback, perfect bound, and once again, full color. The only catch is you must be at least 18 years of age.... It's the law, you know...
Dirty Found #2 ($10.00)
Dirty! You dirty kids and your dirty pictures! Once again, for the adults only, we got more of the same. Here is Dirty Found #2, chock full of snapshots, nasty notes, and other such hot and bothered nonsense! My favorites might be the scratchy pen drawings of naked folk getting it on. Some of it’s funny, some of it’s sexy, some of it is just plain weird and confusing. Of course this baby is full color, of course it is FULL SIZE, and aren’t you lucky, you get 80 wonderful pages. Rock out with your cock out, or at least rock on with a strap-on…
Dream Whip No. 14 ($10.00)
Dream Whip is a handy dandy little pocket sized book (earlier issues were thick-ass zines) that sort of weaves in and out of a string of stories, as the author weaves in and out of a series of different cities. He travels around much of the US, going from one coast to another, before jumping the Atlantic to discuss various European cities. The writing style is one of well-crafted story-telling, mixing nostalgia and personal reflections with current happenings and experiences. It’s fun and simple, just good stories that you can take in at your own pace. On top of that, a collection of black and white line drawings are scattered throughout, giving you a visual description to go along with the words. Quarter-size, 344 pages, perfect bound book.
The Flow Chronicles ($10.00)
The Flow Chronicles the first book written by the Urban Hermitt, a zinester/rapper/adventurer who has been rocking the Pacific-Northwest for years. This book has a lot of the same “flow” as his zine, Urban Hermitt, but with a more refined consciousness, and a bit more direction. He drifts through and connects things like the punk and hip-hop culture, while trying to understand what it means to be queer. Oh, and drugs, lots of drugs. Hermitt’s writing is filled with just as much passion as the original exploits which he has so generously decided to share with us, and it only takes a few pages for the reader to get hooked on the style. This is a book for our generation, all about Sex, Drugs, and Hip Hop! It’s about the size of a half-size zine, and 200 wonderful pages long.
Hairstyles of the Damned ($14)
The latest effort by Chicago’s own Joe Meno, this nice smelling paperback follows the life of Brian, an adolescent outcast who meanders about on the fringe of society. Whether he’s spending time with the stoned out metalheads or the trouble-making punks, none of his friends seem to be up to any good, yet every one of them offers a nice escape from the awkward home life created by his parents’ separation. He and his ragamuffin friends do all the things you would expect them to: shoplift, run scams, go to shows, get stoned, get drunk, throw parties, and bullshit about any potential meaning life might have. We are also privy to Brian’s deepest thoughts as he struggles through relationships with several girls, none of whom are the one he really wishes he could be with. If you’ve never read Joe’s stuff before, Hairstyles of the Damned is a great chance to start. The writing is easy, smooth, and fun, plus the chapters are nice and short, so there’s no pressure to read 50 pages at a time, though I did anyway. Half-sized paperback novel, 270 pages.
Indestructable ($7.00)
Cristy Road is the increasingly known artist who is responsible for a good percentage of amazing artwork you might find in underground publishing. For quite some time she has been doing Greenzine, and has now expanded upon that in this illustrated novel. The title couldn’t be more fitting, as the stories take us through Cristy’s younger years, where she had to deal with daily demonstrations of racism, sexism, homophobia, and other equally typical injustices. This is a book about being strong, and pushing forward to get past all the nonsense. Well-written stories, and of course a number of fantastic drawings. If you are a fan of her previous work, you’ll love this all the more. About the size of a half-size zine, 96 pages long.
On Subbing ($5.00)
My mother was a middle school teacher when I was growing up, and I always remember her coming home with all kinds of stories to tell. Some of the kids were great, some of them were terrible, and it was her job to sort of try and channel them all into being better people. I think I’m going to have to give her this book for her birthday, because Dave Roche is doing the same thing. This book tells his tales of being a substitute Education Assistant, a tough job that is as encouraging as it is heart-breaking. Some of the kids he interacts with are the cutest, funniest, and most sincere kids you could ever ask for, having fun, drawing pictures, (and occasionally getting crushes on him!) And then there are those kids who kick you in the groin. But for the most part this is a great journaling of a punk rock kid who grew up to be a teacher, only to find he often feels more comfortable hanging out with the students than he does with the adults. This book is a bit smaller than half-size, and 132 pages long.
Things are Meaning Less ($8.00)
This is a comic collection of the daily thoughts and experiences of Al Burian, written and illustrated during the late 90’s. Known for his prose writing (Burn Collector) and his music (Milemarker), this is a new angle on the creative mind of one of Chicago’s best writers, though the stories come from cities such as Portland. Work, bars, girls, parties…. The subject matter is a bit predictable, but interesting to read nonetheless. Al’s search for meaning is never quite satisfied, but the struggle is just humorous enough to keep himself and his readers amused. The inked out comic style is clean and simple, and the short stories told allow you to read as much or little at a time as you’d like. Half size, 156 pages.
Music!
Algorhythm - Deterministically Yours ($7.00)
I've listened to this CD over and over, but still have no clue how to describe it. All the music was written and recorded by my rad friend Kyle. There are lots of keyboards, sprinkles of live trumpet, and great overlapping vocal tracks (including creepy vocal loops). Good beats, with the occasional video game feel. Good to listen to late at night when you're clacking away at your computer. It's got 16 tracks, and about 44 minutes of music.
Close But Not Quite - The Concremo EP ($2.00)
Hardcore to pop i n 1.5 songs. That's sort of their saying, and it's an accurate one. CBNQ has some very fast and metally parts, but also lots of power ballad parts. Back and forth male-female vocals, with grindy guitars pushing it all. Plus crazy bass lines, good energy, and lots of political lyrics, dealing with police violence, animal rights, and other such stuff. This EP has 4 tracks, and is about 12 minutes long.
Curbstomp – Spiderhole ($4.00)
Curbstomp is a viciously fun 3 piece band from Chicago, who tear through song after song with gravel-throated vocals, crazy axe-solos, and of course double-peddled madness. Slap any label on that you want, from death-grind hardcore to stoner-rock thrash-metal, these guys are fucking awesome. If you like songs with titles like “I Hate Your Face”, or “Really Pist Off”, where you can barely understand any of the words, then you’ll like this stuff. This CD is about 15 minutes long. Four songs for four dollars, what more do you need? Go to www.curbstomp.org for more info.
Davy Rothbart – This American Life ($10.00)
If you ever listen to NPR, then you’ve undoubtedly heard the amazing show, “This American Life” at one point or another. It’s a great program that searches out strange, wonderful, heart-warming stories from all over the country. This two disc set features 5 stories told by Davy Rothbart, each of which is about 20 or 30 minutes long. Story subjects include an interview with Mr. Rogers, scalping Bulls tickets, Found Magazine, channeling Buddhist spirits, and going to Brazil to meet a miracle healer. Each story takes you through a range of emotions, allowing you to think about things you’ve never thought about before, and feel connections to people you might not have otherwise gotten to know about.
Doug Travis - “Gettin’ Crafty” ($4.00)
The amazing 8 song EP by Chicago’s newest punk/waltz/scream/dance band! This rock-a-licious disc, featuring Loop Distro’s own Billy Bunny on vocals, has such classics as “World’s Most Hated Country” as well as “Push Button: Get Bacon”. Lyrics are political, stupid, funny, and mostly un-understandable. Drum beats are solid, slippery, and rockin. Guitar lines are wild, controlled, and spandexy. Bass lines are flowing, climbing, and mounting. Whole CD is about 19 minutes long. You’ll love it. For more info, go to www.myspace.com/dougtravis
The Forgotten Four - The Forgotten Four ($5.00)
Twelve tracks of good old fashioned rock n' roll. Songs about cars, songs about girls, songs about love! Songs that make you want to go right out and get your own flaming tattoo, I swear to god! Dance your ass off, and have a good time!
Found Magazine - The Booty Don't Stop ($7.00)
A long time ago some kid made a whole series of one minute booty songs. Somehow a copy of the tape was found, and of course the folks at Found Magazine got their hands on it. After playing this AMAZINGLY AWESOME tape for everyone across the country, they eventually met the original artist, Tim Schreiber. So here are those songs, as well as a few remakes of the originals, along with an interview with the Found staff and Tim. I love this CD. It's about 45 minutes long, and you can get more info at www.foundmagazine.com
Luster - Smile and Nod ($4.00)
The complete discography of my (billy's) old high school rock band. Twenty-some songs, not too badly done, and man oh man, so much fun. Plus the insert will let you see what I looked like when I was in high school!
Pal - Direct From Quimby's ($5.00)
The zinester superband releases it's first album! Fifteen songs of political post-wave rock-hop! Ok, so I don't know how to explain these songs, but most deal with politics, or how we should all be more friendly with each other. Click here for more Pal info, or here to download a couple songs FOR FREE!!
The Rories #1 ($0.50, or free with order)
In Chicago there is this 3-piece band called “The Rories”. Members include Alex, Eric, and Keith Helt (of Flotation Device), and they play sort of weird, mellow, kind of poppy, off-beat sort of music, with lyrics that often hint at some sort of revolution, and promote things like community-building and freedom of speech. Well, this cute little pamphlet contains things like their manifesto, their plans, and of course their lyrics. On top of all that, it also comes with little mini-CD with 6 of their most favoritest songs! Can you believe it? Quarter-size, 20 pages.
Working Class Jack - The EP ($7.00)
Eight songs of punk, jazz, and good ol' rock and roll. The first release from this Michigan based three-piece won't disappoint. For more band info visit: www.workingclassjack.com
Working Class Jack - Freedom By The Barrel ($10.00)
New songs from Working Class Jack, in a real slick and professional looking CD here. Lyrically, they seem more serious, and more political, with songs like "Napalm Children" and a cover that sports a soldier blindfolded by the American Flag and aiming a riffle right at ya. Musically, they've stepped it up a notch as well. Fun fast music, just like they're old stuff, but with more breaks and layered melodies. For more info, go to www.workingclassjack.com