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Drive-Thru Records is arguably the most important label in the Pop Punk landscape, and there really isn’t much to argue. Started in 1996 Drive-Thru Records has given us bands such as Midtown, The Starting Line, RX Bandits and Chicago’s own Allister to name a few. With the recent surge in amazing Pop Punk records and bands Drive-Thru Records is looking at getting back in the mix. The last bit of news I heard about Drive-Thru is that owners Richard and Stefanie Reines applied for a $250,000 grant to start the label up again. Assuming everything is moving along positively with the grant we now switch focus to The Stellar Life. The band Drive-Thru Records is relaunching around.
See now the title of this article makes sense. The Stellar Life recently released their debut EP “Motherf*uckers”. The EP clocks in at Eighteen minutes and overall is a nice listen. The problem is that this is Drive-Thru Records first release since 2007. So we have to look at this EP as a Drive-Thru Records release. So many great albums/EPs were released on Drive-Thru Allister’s –Last Stop Suburbia, New Found Glorys-Nothing Gold Can Stay, The Starting Lines-With Hopes Of Starting Over and many more. Is “Motherf*uckers” in that category…no. The first track “Nineteen” clocks in at 4:48 so it is not your typical short, fast punch in the mouth opening tack. “Rock and Roll” sounds like a Drive-Thru Records track. It’s catchy as hell and will stay in your head for days. The EP ends with “Got F*ucked Up” a nice, infectious pop punk tune.
I can’t wait until Drive-Thru Records is back and signing up bands to expose to the world. This is a great thing for the Pop Punk Scene and a great thing if you happen to be in a band.
Listen to The Stellar Life’s “Rock & Roll” Below
Real Friends are a pop punk band from the suburbs of our beautiful city. This year they released their EP “Everyone That Dragged You Here”. Shortly after the release Real Friends exploded and solidified themselves as the top pop punk band in Illinois. Everyone That Dragged You Here is filled with honesty, frustration, and passion. Oh and boney Knees can’t forget that. One thing that Real Friends does perfect on this EP is have music that is intelligent and thought provoking and that can also be screamed at a show. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the lyrics in Floorboards: “I don’t want to be jealous of the trees next to my neighbor’s garage anymore”
I love that the lyrics make me stop and think. Floorboards is track one on the EP and it’s a great first track. Every song is distinct and memorable. That’s what makes this EP so good. The last song on the EP is Home For Fall a song about a friend going away and it has some of the best lyrics I’ve heard
“Maybe you’ll be here next year to waste the fall away, watching the leaves blow across my driveway We could listen to American Football and talk about high school Just like we did the years before”
Any band with an American Football reference is okay in my book. Since Real Friends will most likely go the way of Fall Out Boy and be assumed to be a Chicago band I don’t think we should argue about it. On behalf of Chicago Real Friends you have made us all proud. Every scene has their band in New Jersey you have the Crucial Dudes,Philadelphia has The Wonder Years, and Now Illinois has Real Friends.
Real Friends discuss what the songs on Everyone That Dragged You Here are about. It’s definitely an interesting read-Song Meanings Stream Everyone That Dragged You Here-http://realfriends.bandcamp.com/album/everyone-that-dragged-you-here Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/realfriendsband You can also vote for Real Friends to be a constant on the Q101 Stream-VOTE HERE!
DO you have what it takes to save the planet? Ready to be a hero? You may not be, but Commander Shepard is, in the swan song in Bioware’s amazing sci-fi role-playing trilogy, Mass Effect 3. We took a brief look at it last month in a preview, but now there’s no more guessing, anticipation, or camping out in front of your local store. It’s here. Is it as bad ass as you think? Luke Brown of Games Radar gives a constantly updating walk through of the game:
The Reapers have invaded and it is up to Commander Sheppard to gather the galaxy’s forces to stop them. With the massive branching storyline that encompasses the events and choices of the first two games and characters who may or may not have been vaporized by a nuclear bomb it may be intimidating going into the next game knowing the fate of the galaxy lies in your choices. Luckily, we’ve put together a handy walk through to guide you through the entire game.
Shepard is requested to meet with the Defense Committee about the Reaper threat. As the committee debates what to do about the incoming attack, the European front comes under siege. It is too late to prepare, as the Reapers have started their invasion. The communications with Europe are cut short, and the Reapers appear just outside the chamber window.
Objective 1: Rendezvous with the Normandy to escape.
Admiral Anderson and Shepard appear to be the only survivors of the blast that took out the chamber. Follow Admiral Anderson out the window, and across the outside of the structure.
As you make your way across the rooftops, you will encounter a small group of Husks. Take them out, and then proceed down the ladder with Anderson.
Once you drop down, a second small group of Husks will appear. You will have to take them out with melee attacks. After defeating them, a Reaper ship blasts the building Shepard is standing on, opening a way inside.
After entering, make your way to the door on the left. A Husk will pop out. Eliminate him, and then proceed through the door, and into the building.
A short cut scene will play, and Shepard and Anderson will find themselves in another part of the building. Pick up the ammo, and then follow Anderson out the window.
As you make your way across the destroyed building, a Reaper ship will destroy a Drednaught. The resulting explosion causes a shockwave that sends Shepard and Anderson careening down to the rubble below. There you will encounter two soldiers hiding from a group of Cannibals. Take them out.
To see more of Luke Brown’s walk through, see the whole thing at Games Radar here, and help Commander Shepard save the world.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Q101 is happy to welcome Chicago-based pop culture aficionado Kyle Brauch to our growing stable of talented contributors. Kyle will be regularly offering reviews on music, films, Chicagoland concerts and more. Kyle: “I thought I’d start off with a bit of a window into my tastes. You know, flirt a little before we ‘go to bed’. Here’s my mini-list of 30 film recommendations (and in some cases, anti-recommendations) I firmly stand by.” Welcome and thanks Kyle!
My favorite film pick:
A blend of drama, comedy, action, great music, colorful cinematography & Bill Murray as both whimsical & darkly sentimental. Plus, Henry Selick (nightmare before xmas, james and the giant peach) did the stop-motion sequences(!). Love or hate Wes’ films, this is my number one.
My least favorite film pick:
I make it no secret that I’m a HUGE Batman nerd. But this. The Arnold? Bat nips? Constant crotch zooms? More shades of pink than Cindy Lauper’s bathroom? Even Clooney admits to this killing the franchise. Of all the colorful crap Schumacher makes, this rots at the bottom.
My feels-good-man film pick:
I love mockumentaries – this one especially. As with all Guest films, it’s mostly improv’d by his rock-solid ensemble cast. Countless quotable lines, lighthearted social commentary & tons of dog humor make this one an easy pleaser / easy choice.
My feels-bad-man film pick:
You don’t have to be a Joy Division fan to get sucked in. Corbijn, a Dutch music video director (& J.D.’s actual photographer), made this on the short life/suicide of lead singer, Ian Curtis. Sam Riley’s performance alone tricks you into a really dark/tragic biopic.
My cross-genre film pick:
My dad raved about this to me at a (probably too) young age – and I fell in love. Written & directed by Landis, it inspired MJ to hire him for “Thriller”. Bits of comedy, bat-shit crazy makeup & real scares make this one of my favorites.
Another cross-genre film pick:
This is definitely one of my top-fivers – but it also reminds me of seeing it in theaters with my 1st apartment neighbors. It’s horror, it’s comedy – it’s got more references in the script than a trivia-whore can handle – it’s essential. Go watch it!
My retro film pick:
3 words: high school theatre. This Broadway adaptation filled 4 years of my drama classes. For a 50′s film, it has really dark subject matter: infidelity, rape, mental illness, violence – & it’s got Brando at the height of his badassery. STELLA!
My favorite quotable film pick:
How many times have I watched this? Enough to even quote the sound effects & music cues. Enough to know there’s several parts in the trailer different than the film. Enough to re-tell all 96 minutes word-for-word, song-for-song – with the TV off.
My favorite actor film pick:
On the 1st watch, it’s just a comedy – but on round 2, you notice it’s smart. It’s almost an Aesop fable – moral, effective life lessons are in there, even ones that aren’t immediately obvious. Oh, and did I mention Bill Murray is royalty in my books?
My favorite actress film pick:
I don’t really have a favorite actress – but counting films I like the best, Winona Ryder appears a lot. Black comedy, teenage ‘suicide’, clique humor & Christian Slater doing his hardest Jack Nicholson impression.. for the entire movie.
My favorite director film pick:
A favorite director is HARD to pick – but I’ve loved every film Anderson has made. He’s like the Tarantino of dramedy dialogue. This movie, like all of his, explores family dynamics in a quirky, colorful, catchy way that makes you both smile & sink.
My least favorite director film pick:
It’s not that Van Sant doesn’t make poignant films/deserve recognition. I just hate his style. All his films rely heavily on long, mundane shots following behind a character. If I wanted to stare at the backs of people for 2 hours, I’d go renew my license.
My guilty-pleasure film pick:
It’s actually really funny, even for a guy. Tina Fey wrote the screenplay to this novel adaptation (which is actually fairly similar to ‘Heathers’, minus all the death & f-bombs). The dialogue is more SNL than chick-flick, & Lindsay Lohan was still cute & promising back then.
My weird / “out-there” film pick:
Following the true story of Michael Alig & James St. James and their infamous parties of the late 80′s/early 90′s, it’s a story of glitter, glamour, murder & club-drug addictions. ….It’s a strangely compelling film.
My most-relatable film pick:
There’s obviously differences between this Chicago-set film & I, but there’s a little bit of each character/situation I see in myself – music, sentiment, snark – it’s the sort of movie audiophiles & goodhearted/slightly neurotic guys just GET.
My no-longer-worth-shit film pick:
It’s not so much I hate this movie, but I am terribly burned out on it. Yes, it’s an (exaggerated, yet still) accurate depiction of the service industry – but every actor is typecast to the EXTREME.. oh, & there’s fucking Dane Cook. Enough said.
My favorite modern drama film pick:
Kevin Spacey shines in this dark, realistically deep & inspiring film. It’s hard to pinpoint if it’s a story about suburbia, self-redemption, repression, or simply a commentary on hatred. “Look Closer” really is the best tag-line they could have used to explain it.
My favorite modern comedy pick:
In my opinion, this is arguably Sandler’s funniest. There’s something about it – it’s charm, the soundtrack, the QUOTES – that has kept it on my short-list ever since first seeing it. “We’re living in a material world, and I am a material girl. Or boy.”
My favorite action film pick:
Sure, there’s others to pick – but Cobra. Ah man – it’s got it all. Explosions, car chases, classic Stallone one-liners (he wrote the screenplay!), it’s the type of film you love to hate to love – but dammit, they just don’t make movies like this anymore.
My favorite romantic film pick:
It’s almost an anti-romance film – there’s no sappy clichés or predictable endings. Two young, travelling strangers spend a fleeting night together in Vienna, focusing completely on their realistic conversations of life & love throughout their evening.
My favorite fantasy film(s) pick:
I’ve always loved everything Bat. Still do. To me, Burton’s gothic trademark (Batman, Batman Returns) is just as appealing as Nolan’s gritty realism (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight). *Joel Schumacher’s two Bat-films need not apply.
My favorite horror film pick:
Atmospheric, psychological horror scares me way more than blood, gore & CGI nonsense. Even though Stephen King “didn’t like” what Kubrick did with his book, this has always been my #1 for horror. I’ve seen it maybe 100 times and STILL squirm at certain scenes.
My favorite thriller film pick:
Lynch has a knack for surreal, visceral & deeply disturbing cinema – this being no exception. His style is heavy on visual/implied metaphors, which rubs a lot of people wrong. I find this to be a nice balance between accessibility & bat-shit craziness.
My favorite animated film pick:
Tim Burton. Danny Elfman. Henry Selick. There’s nothing I could say about this movie that I haven’t already said in conversation a million times over. It took 100 people & 3 years to make this, but it’s cult status will last a lifetime.
My favorite documentary film pick:
This disturbing look at Philip Zimbardo’s infamous Stanford Prison Experiment shows how dark & evil perfectly stable people can become when given a shift in power. 24 students were selected to participate in a “mock” prison – half play guards, half play prisoners.
My favorite foreign film pick:
Remade in 2001 as Vanilla Sky, this is the original film (also starring Penélope Cruz, but with a slightly different ending) following a rich playboy who meets the girl of his dreams, but is severely disfigured shortly thereafter.
My favorite modern indie film pick:
It’s a nasty watch. This true story follows a group of callow teens conspiring to kill their brazen, abusive friend. There’s sex, drugs, violence, murder – none of which are depicted glamorously. Like all of Clark’s films, it’s a grimy train-wreck you can’t turn away from.
My favorite obscure film pick:
Imagine ‘Rocky Horror’ on poppers. More or less an Oingo Boingo musical, it’s one of the weirdest things you’ll ever see. Danny Elfman (Richard’s brother) scored the movie & makes a cameo as the Devil (!) – it’s *definitely* not for everyone.
My nostalgic film pick:
I STILL love it. DeVito directs & stars alongside Billy Crystal in this Hitchcock-inspired murder-comedy (loosely based on ‘Strangers on a Train’). Anne Ramsey steals the show as Momma: “OWEN DOESN’T HAVE ANY FRIENDS.”
My favorite “different-approach” film pick:
Following several story-lines that intersect with each other, it’s all shown through multiple security cameras. There’s really funny moments, parts that are serious as hell & even some poignant social commentary. I showed it to *everyone* a few years back.
So there it is. Now that we’re a bit acquainted, I’ll be running my mouth a lot more. I’d love your feedback / input. Agree or disagree – leave me your comments! I hope you stay tuned in. There’s lots to talk about.
Cheers, Kyle
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