If You Cared...

What the... ?

2011-09-11T16:20:00.001-04:00

Looking back, looking forward...

2011-09-05T20:02:00.008-04:00

Fen life.

So, for those of you who didn't hear, I just spent my summer in the Alaskan Tundra, kicking it in fens and bogs, in search of hydric soil and hydrophytic plants. Helicopter fly time was manadatory, and so was a tight edge. Check and check. Now I'm at my new home in Utah, getting ready to become a true eco-crunk.

While I was up there, I didn't see too many hardcore kids and it kind of had me going through withdrawals. Where were the tattoos, workout stories, parking lot mosh, crucial haircuts and pizza heads? Not in moeffin' Fairbanks, not this year. I was straight rolling on my trusty Swobo - 30 or 40 miles a day, and had a lot of time to think about hardcore things in my past and plan one in the future.

Del Norte at the Game Refuge

On one particularly long ride from Ft. Wainwright to Ester, I was thinking hard about my good friend Steve Fallis and At Both Ends fanzine. When I first planned my move from Cleveland to Seattle in 2005, I remember meeting several people remotely who would become and remain good friends. Steve was one of those friends holding up in the upper Northwest. A BC native, Steve had toured the world with Moneen and was a Bane and Avail super fan. He had just finished up a few issues of his zine, A Bond Still Strong, which would become At Both Ends. I remember calling Steve and chatting about where he was coming from and where he was going.

Steve (left) and OFAF in Olympia. Note the diversity of postures

He told me that was doing a tour that summer down to Sink With Cali with Las Vegas' Of Faith and Fire and planned to do some photography and writing for At Both Ends. This corresponded amazingly well with Names for Graves planned west coast tour. I emailed with Bobby from OFAF and it was on - we were playing in Vegas and Steve and I would meet and talk zines, HC and my usual digs, politics and the environment.

SWC III - Marco moves merch and debates the moon landing.

That weekend, Names for Graves ran around with Bobby and the OFAF crew, slip-n-sliding in some park at midnight, staying with the family of Kristen from the OG Tower 2012, playing a beach-themed record release show with the Answer and OFAF, and eventually headed all the way to Redondo Beach for Sink with Cali 2005. We had some fun and did it riding in a PT Cruiser - serious ill vibes all around. Steve headed north with OFAF after Sink with Cali, and upward to my then future home in Seattle.

Either way, during the first leg of that tour I had plenty of time to hang and catch-up with Steve and get some insight into how tightly he captained the ship that was At Both Ends. He ran that zine more tightly than the average investment bank, and built a huge following. Hows Your Edge always gave Steve rave reviews, and issues generally sold out as soon as they came to market. Hell, even Lambgoat liked ABE!

At Both Ends was a zine that interviewed tons of bands that you would expect, but Steve always went out of his way to find local bands, up and coming bands and bands that were great but not of the 2005-era NWHC sound and vibes. He also reviewed every damn record that came out for about three years - often saying what we all thought (this suuuucks) instead of the "good dudes, check it out" that finds its way into many rags or the anonymous shit-talk of the interwebz. It was a tasteful declining of bands and records. It wasn't the slap beer out of their hands answer to "Do you drink?" More like the, "Naw man, that's whack - not my style." I know that to this day several people still hold Steve's honesty against him (thinking of a certain Allegiance review...), but I always appreciated his tell-it-like-it-is mentality.

Die Hard Movers?

At Both Ends closed up shop last year after 10 issues, but the archive and website live on. Because hardcore seems to dwell on the past, I spent a bike ride a couple years later thinking about how well Steve's zine captured the better part of a decade with slick layouts, relevant content and some unique columns and insights. The collective scene of 2003-10 was better for Steve's efforts and dedication. I just found out that the final issue, a double volume with a matching double 7" that features Bane, Between Earth and Sky and Grade is still kicking around. I highly recommend pulling up an issue before it's too late.

Because living in the past is a bit of a bummer, I hope to see many fresh and seasoned faces at the React! showcase this month. Get the Most is playing their last show at 924 Gilman with the rest of the React! bands and our homies in On, Keep it Clear, Not Sorry and Police and Thieves. Please make sure that Bubs, Ole, Beej, AO, and Eric/Today's Man get the send-off they have earned over the last five years.

*Download the free React Showcase sampler for a taste of all the React! bands making appearances.

SHOW SHOW SHOW SHOW

2011-07-01T14:58:00.004-04:00

RIGHT IDEA WILL BE PERFORMING LIVE AT LAKEWOOD'S BEST DRINK-A-TORIUM, "NOW THAT'S CLASS" THIS SATURDAY EVENING (TOMORROW JULY 2ND). PLEASE JOIN IN AS RIGHT IDEA WILL BE SHOWCASING BRAND NEW SONGS OFF THEIR NEW UP COMING SPILT 7" WITH _______________. SHOULD BE A GRAND OLD TIME FOR ALL.

POSSIBLE NEW SHIRT DESIGNS FOR SALE AS WELL. (LARRY?)

THIS IS THE SECOND INSTALLMENT TO THE RIGHT IDEA'ERS SERIES... PROBABLY NOT AVAILABLE ANYWHERE ELSE, ONLY AT SHOW ON SATURDAY!! ONLY 30 WERE CREATED FOR THIS EVENT!

SEE YOU X'ED OR SLOPPY! IT'S ALL LOVE.

Shaved for Battle

2011-05-10T09:48:00.001-04:00

Rearranged has a new record!

2011-04-28T13:29:00.005-04:00

I remember talking to Senor Bubbles of Get the Most when we got back from our Euro tour last summer and just ranting about how good Rearranged (Moscow, Russia) is. As Bubs cut my hair (the tightest fades at Acme Barber Shop in Seattle), I basically lamented how good, tight and sincere these dudes are. We played with them almost half of our tour and it was a total blast every night, no matter where we were. Well, good things happen to good dudes and they're now dropping their new record on our former label, and I think it's a great match. Be sure to check out the songs and add them on the FB. Good luck to the Rearranged crew and Moscow HC!

Recording

2011-04-25T13:25:00.008-04:00

Went into Negative Space studio Saturday night with our good friend John D (above). A weird experience for me (in that Hess, Nate and Chuck weren't there) -- but still awesome to be recording Right Idea songs again.

I feel like we've grown, taken a step back, and got super-awesome all at the same time. . . in this "next chapter" that is this group of 4 new tracks.

The songs ripped in practice, I can't wait to hear 'em all finished!

Geoff and Eddy

The Cat and My Chuck

Camp

2011-04-18T17:14:00.003-04:00

I never went to camp. I hate camping.

I guess this is different though.

We are on bandcamp now. Go to http://rightidea.bandcamp.com to stream the "Our Way EP" and even buy it if you want.

More recording, and some shows this summer.

SWEHC.COM

2011-04-07T15:34:00.004-04:00

Im pretty sure everyone who reads this blog has already seen the footage from the YOT show in Oslo but i keep going back to swehc.com to watch the vids. so im just going to post this one in particular. we met the front man of giant in oslo along with the kids from evolve and troiger (sp) and they are all in this vid. so in respect to them and being young and wanting to be edge ill post this. giant sounds good. id like to here more!

Giant - Don't Stop / Straight Edge Revenge (Feat. Porcell) from Ola Waagen on Vimeo.

also our boy kalle from malmo is in a new band. i might have mentioned it in the past but i cant remember. i think he told me it translates from harda tider to hard times. here is a vid from swehc.com as well.

dont be a bum, put it on 1080 hd and wait for it to load...

i will post photos from the first ever VICE show soon. check back for those... as well as a show review. haha

mosh

I have an academic blog...

2011-03-19T18:13:00.004-04:00

Everybody get their mothafuggin' log on.

I have a blog on non-music things. Check it out if you like ecology, environmental policy or water-dependent ecosystems. I will also retain my University of Washington website for a few more months.

RIGHT IDEA - 18/07/2010 - Hamburg/Germany

2011-03-07T18:23:00.000-05:00

Here's a late-surfacing video from Face the Show in Hamburg, Germany. Thanks for throwing this up on the 'tube!

So last time I was in NYC...

2011-03-06T21:25:00.002-05:00

Take A Walk : NYFW SS 2011 from TrendLand on Vimeo.

...I was filmed on the street. straight out of FSC Barber on Rivington. check it out here.

look for some other familiar face too. whats up uncle mike!

LLEP part 4

2011-03-02T18:01:00.015-05:00

recap:

man i wish i could remember the names of the places we went! whats up holland people say you have a lot of windmills and shit... i was awake the whole drive thru your country and only saw the one. whats up chocolate milk man? whats up limited edition right idea ramming speed prints? you got one? no. i do. whats up playground... we aint playin'. oh yea we stopped at the medieval warehouse for a bit. they have the best lances, battle axes and armor. had to stock up! Yo Vienna, whats up with the big ass lamps and big ass shirts? whats up hungarian crew? thanks for the tour around such a great city. again i have to say, whats up rearranged. whats up with the pre-show tuning mosh? has it caught on yet?

GO!

So last time I was in Vegas...

2011-03-02T17:36:00.008-05:00

...took some time to stop by the homie chris julian's spot, Fruition. learn about it here

whats up lemos, whats up frankie, whats up uncle mike

LLEP part 3

2011-02-26T21:02:00.006-05:00

recap:

whats up praha? whats up blessedlabelclothing.com whats up rearranged crew? much love, hope all is well in russia. whats up arnold? whats up jocha jola? and most importantly whats up VINCENT VINCENSO!

LLEP part 2

2011-02-25T19:56:00.012-05:00

recap:

whats up czech? whats up fluff fest? whats up shawn for unrestrained? whats up cool kid crowd surfing? dude traveled with his dad just to see us for like 5 out of 9 dates. dope. whats up in love couple? whats up night sky? crew pixx. GO!

2nd Verse, Same As the First

2011-02-23T18:00:00.002-05:00

Received in the mail (A FEW MONTHS BACK) a package that looked like a bomb. Turned out it was just a "bomb-diggity" record. Our record to be more exact.

The second pressing of the 7" EP Right Way is now available on our BigCartel store. Follow the link on the right side of the page to order it now.

It's pretty awesome.

Or at least, we like it.

Long lost euro pixxx part one

2011-02-22T19:41:00.012-05:00

recap:

we arrived to SWE. hardcore scene there is dope. Check it here shout to beyond pink and self abuse. Kalle whats up! we hit the beach then the show. crepes for dinner. next, NOR. shout out to EVOLVE. great dudes. young dudes. straight edge. whats up Trogeir! did some push ups, played a show, took a crew shot. shout out to Stephan for the sleeping arrangements. GO!

Nottingham Show August 2010

2011-02-21T19:57:00.007-05:00

Just found these photos c/o our boy Chris from Ireland! What's up man? Hope you're well. Photo cred goes to Gabor from one hour oustide of London... very Hungarian! Times Together was on this show with us. Great band, great friends. Check out their new merch and updates here!

Shorts

2011-02-17T13:38:00.002-05:00

From Adam Hashemi comes yet another get short film. Enjoy.

The Party from Adam Hashemi on Vimeo.

Make sure you check out his others...

We Are Playing This Saturday!

2011-02-04T19:55:00.002-05:00

Maneko Straight Edge

2011-02-02T18:55:00.002-05:00

Check out this video I found while on my usual surf after work. I can't wait to travel to Brazil and get tattooed by this dude.

Maneko - Mini doc from 13thUnit on Vimeo.

p.s.

Don't forget about Jeff Hess and the Right Idea's LIVE this Saturday Grog Shop Cleveland, USA.

FEB FIVE 2011

2011-01-23T20:54:00.002-05:00

Right Idea has a show.

FEBRUARY FIVE 2011

also worth noting, LIGHT YEARS is PLAYING and above this fire.

YES

most likely our only US show in 2011.

whats up EURO SUMMER 2011 x FACE REALITY x SUPREME x BLESSED LABEL???????

Records being held hostage in Hess' house; begging to be sent to rightful owners...

2010-10-20T20:51:00.005-04:00

To the records still held hostage in Hess' living room:

Hang tight, away from heat and sunlight and Jeff will ship you soon enough. Really, he's a reasonable guy and will totally get you all out ASAP. Don't do anything rash and I'm sure that everything will work out.

If you just play it cool, you'll all be heading out through the Brunswick USPS any day now...

For now, get ready for tomorrow's Oregon, UCLA game:

Right Idea Update

2010-10-20T20:46:00.007-04:00

Yeah, I guess I'll finish doing the tour blog. That is, when I get down from being this high in the air.

JOHN has baby(again)!!! Nate gets married!!!

2010-10-11T21:57:00.008-04:00

Please help me welcome the newest edition to the team, Elliott Thomas Millin. Weighing in at a close 10 lbs! Born on 10-10-10! How fitting for the straight edge! Congrats John and Bridget! To be honest im sad it wasnt a girl, i was hoping id get to date the two Millin sisters in about 17.5 years!!!

In other news Nate was married this past weekend! Nate was wed to his long time middle school sweet heart of 18 years, Lexi. Congrats to both of you! Maybe now that Nate tied the knot he can finish posting from our Euro tour!!!!!!

Hess whats up? lets go see jackass 3d this freakin weekin!

Geoff, when will we see you next? i heard you gradumated from scientist school with flyin colors!!!

check out this cool vid i shot at the last hangout. yea its loaded.

2010-10-11T21:34:00.001-04:00

Charity Auction...

2010-08-30T11:58:00.004-04:00

Ben from On/GTM is having a charity auction in memory of a friend and former co-worker. All proceeds will benefit the Cocoon House in Everett, WA. By bidding, you have the chance to win some rare On, Get the Most and Right Idea records, while making sure that there are discretionary funds available to support the mission of the Cocoon House, supporting homeless youth. These are great records (can you say test presses?) for a great cause, so even if you can't bid, check it out and tell a React! collecting friend.

You can find the auction here

You can find information on the cocoon house here

Full disclosure on the React! board here

Fluff Fest 2010

2010-08-07T07:06:00.002-04:00

Chuck's so handsome he makes cameras dizzy.

Sunday July 25^th Fluff Fest Rokycany, Czech Republic

Sunday morning we woke up and walked back to Fluff Fest from the central city. We hadn’t realized the distance nor the historic landscape through which we had walked the previous night. Since it was Sunday in the Czech Republic, nothing was open for business, so we wandered through town, checking out the 800-year old churches and buildings. Although the Czech Republic is a Protestant nation, we walked by a large old Catholic Church and took some pictures of the tapestries. It’s hard to imagine the ethnic and cultural conflicts that have happened across the continent over the last few millennia. Being largely areligious, I surmise that the folks who worship here are steeped in traditions that I can only begin to comprehend. To choose a faith and practice it in the face of feudalism, war, genocide and political imprisonment is something that I have no experience with, and can hardly imagine. It’s not my cup of tea, but man, I can respect commitment if nothing else.

We got done playing tourist, slogged up the hill with our personal wares, and began to setup merch for the day. We shared table space with the guys from Vitamin X and were totally stoked to meet Wolfi and Marco. Vitamin X has a long history in Europe, and plays a mix of hardcore and rock with comedic political lyrics. We got to hang out and peddle some wares for most of the day, taking in the fest and the vegan food as best we could.

Chuck merchandising while Anchor dude makes love faces: http://www.blessedlabelclothing.com

We played last in the party tent, following Your Fucking Nightmare and the River Card, and right before No Turning Back on the main stage. We came out to the Wide Awake intro, and as soon as we clicked into “Right Idea,” all hell broke loose. From behind the drums, all I could see were piles of kids and an army of kids moshing and singing along. Vic from rearranged came onstage and sang SSD’s “Glue” totally bridging the European and American straight edge for one song. At one point, it felt like the stage might give way—an exciting and terrifying proposition for any hardcore band. I have no idea what the capacity of the tent is, but I was certainly flattered by the amount of kids who not only know who Right Idea are, but came out to sing along and say hello at the table after the set.

We owe a special thanks to Thomas, the promoter for Fluff Fest, who brought us on and let us play. He puts together a ridiculous festival, full of vegan food, political and social exchange and great bands. Each year at Fluff Fest is better than the last, and I would put my Euros down that next year will be ridiculous too. We grabbed Vincent, our driver for the second portion of tour and drove back to Prague, where we stayed with Michael, one of Pavel’s friends. It was a really nice flat with a view of the entire city from the balcony, plus our second encounter with a washing machine all tour.

Drive days, salad days...

2010-08-07T06:11:00.004-04:00

Friday July 23 Drive Day from Gothenburg to Berlin

We awoke to Staffan making us porridge with bread and juice. He even packed us a large bag of snacks and toilet paper for the rest of our travels! This was the final straw for all of us and we declared Scandinavia the best place in the world to be a touring hardcore band (later to be tied by Hungarians and Poles). We checked emails, showered and were out the door by 830 am on our way to Berlin where we’ll switch vans. Grzeg is a tour driver, so he has a job that starts tomorrow for tourists (not the hardcore band kind). We’ll head back through Malmo, swap some Kr for some Euros, pick up Ida from Beyond Pink and then onward to Berlin where we’ll switch vans and drivers and then head to Fluff Fest for the weekend. As of right now we’re in the van where stomachs are full, eyes are closed and spirits are high for the upcoming weekend. Grzeg has taken to callin Chuck Falk, “Chuck Fuck,” something we can’t stop laughing about everytime his Polish accent loudly announces the new title.

Hess and I kind of look at stuff...

Saturday July 24^thBerlin Germany to Fluff Fest Rokycany, Czech Republic

We parted ways with Grzeg and swapped vans late last night. We were all sad to see him go. His humor, even without English was great. We began the drive to Fluff Fest with our new substitute driver, a Polish guy whose sense of direction may be slightly less keen than Grzeg’s. After a few wrong turns, we were about four hours late to the fest, arriving just in time to see Anchor. There must be 4,000 people at this fest, with three stages. We’re playing the middle-sized tent, so there should be just enough room for dives without having to play through a huge sound system. To be quite fair, the open-air hardcore fest is a foreign entity to all of us. There are dozens of vegan food tents and hundreds, if not thousands of people camping. It seems like half of Germany brought a distro tent or is selling records either inside or outside the fest. Rearranged killed it on the party stage, so we saw what kind of response fast, straightforward bands tend to get. They played super well and it appears that this isn’t just a metallic HC fest or amazingcore show. We headed to Torgeir’s hotel downtown and passed out, getting ready to play tomorrow.

Yeah, the stage is kind of big...
We kind of hung out into the night...
Shaun Clark is kind of a good friend who kind of reps Clevo...hard.

Mix-ups and mash-ups

2010-08-07T06:04:00.002-04:00

Malmo-style above. Geoff's face froze like that.

So, we're not necessarily flowing in chronological order right now. Forgive me as I fill in the time between Gothenburg and Poland...

Viva Polska!

2010-07-30T13:16:00.006-04:00

Tuesday July 27^th, Czestechowa, Poland

We woke up, cleaned up and rolled out of Prague and towards Poland.

We’ve heard mixed reviews of the country regarding everything from roads and shows to police and locals. Robert tells us that the country has a faction of rednecks, but also that the hardcore scene is very tight and has historically been pretty consistent. Our third driver, a small German named Vincent has never been to the country without being attacked by someone. He assumes that it’s largely because of his German citizenship, but it may be debateable.

We arrived to the venue in what may be considered downtown, but Czestechowa is largely a pilgrimage city and things are pretty decentralized unless you’re around the churches. Pavel from Regres provided us with a thick pile of vegan food and we loaded in as the rain poured down.

The show filled up slowly but steadily, and we were amazed at how many kids came up to us with a few words of English: “Thanks for coming up here” and “We’re excited to see your band” were common, if not perfectly stated sentiments. We played a longer set, since Poland is Robert Matusiak’s (AKA Robert Refuse) home country, and the demo 7” record was released there and well distributed. We came out to some tracks off the demo and immediately the place went bonkers. We were amazed at the reaction, and passed the Mic to Robert to sing Glue so hess’ knees could get a break.

It seems like the Polish faction must be bigger and stronger than any other group of HC kids we’ve seen on tour, and maybe in the whole world, because they threw Hess and Robert around like rag dolls as they fought for the mic and their turn to dive. We closed with Our World and a couple covers, wiping down guitars and cymbals with ear-to-ear grins and a crew of new friends testing our Polish language skills and asking for sticks, picks, and setlists. I have to say that it might have been the best set of my life, both in terms of our energy and the energy of the crowd. Their sincerity and enthusiasm made me wish that we had a whole ‘nother record to play for them in addition to the 35 minutes we played (maybe our longest set ever!).

We did a quick interview where the lines of questioning were around Hess’ last name and One Life Crew. A gun may have been on the table during the interview. Apparently Hess has the same last name as an infamous Nazi leader, even though there is absolutely no relation. Similarly, after many questions on tour, we’d like to clarify that “Right Idea” does not allude to any right-wing politics or nationalist leaning. We’re a straight edge hardcore band comprised of five friends who lead our lives as we each believe to be the right idea. This doesn’t entail any tolerance for discrimination or intolerance within the scene or the world around us. As Hess says on stage, “We’re a unity band.” Following the delightful interview, we crammed into the soggy van and drove off into the night.

We went back to Pavel’s where we spread out to sleep and caught up on emails with loved ones. We awoke to a split pea-corn spread on toast with tea and coffee, ate ourselves full and quickly began our drive to Vienna. Big ups to Pavel and his partner Agata for helping us out with the show and home cooking. Regardless of previous heresy, we were impressed with the strength of the scene and were delighted to get to play in Poland.

Better photos than we can provide are available at http://keepthismoment.com/photos/right-idea/. Please check them out.

There is also a full video of the set here

Ask and ye shall receive...

2010-07-28T20:50:00.004-04:00

So after yesterday's photo request, we got some shots from Poland and Prague CZ. Special thanks to both Pavels for the shows. To keep things brief, we had the best show of our lives in Czestochowa, Poland yesterday, played another great one in Vienna tonight, and can barely forget the great post-Fluff matinee from Monday. It may sound cliche, but fuck it, these are the best shows and people we've ever encountered. Please check out the wonderful pictures at http://keepthismoment.com to see what we mean.

Shots out to Luis and the Hungarian crew for taking us out to see the Vienna sights at midnight on a Wednesday!

Robert Refuse sings a Right Idea song in the Motherland!
Crew pic following the After Fluff Matinee
A mob in Czestechowa
Hess stretches his back after a long day's drive.

More voluminous updates will follow tomorrow. It's 3am and time to sleep off tomorrow's 8-hour drive...

Tour videos and pictures!

2010-07-27T19:29:00.005-04:00

Hey, if you're tired of crew pics, push-ups and staged van photos, then send us links to your camerawork! We know the flash bulbs have been popping lately, but we haven't proof that the film turned out. Get at us!

2010-07-27T19:22:00.001-04:00

Thursday July 22

We headed to central Oslo to check out the local flavor and exchange some currency before hitting the road for Gothenburg. The city was really nice, so we did some push-ups and snagged a few postcards before heading back to Sweden. Grzeg drove hard and made good time so we could arrive in the city on time for food and to help get things get set up. The evolve guys took a bus four hours from Oslo to Gothenburg just to play this show, leaving at 9am and arriving in the afternoon. In the states, that would never happen, likely due to infrastructure problems, but also the car culture we’ve created. Over here, it seems that the backline is static and the kids go back and forth however they can with their drum breakables and guitars. It’s totally awesome that kids are willing and able to attend shows without the need for huge vans. It’s all based on community and sharing of cabs, drums and sometimes amps.

Speaking of sharing, Staffan who did our show, set us up with an entire backline and drums, sparing us the time and effort of setting up. When we arrived at the venue, a community center in Gothenburg, there was a three-course meal of salad, pasta and vegan goulash, bread and brownies. It was entirely vegan and we, once again, got too full for our own good before playing. We got a chance to hang out with Evolve, and had a great time chilling around town before the show. The show started with a couple good local bands, both of whom covered SSD. Evolve played next and were once again, super tight. The energy when they play is through the roof, and they were for the second night in a row, a tough act to follow. We played a quick set, both in speed and duration, and then proceeded to watch the world’s most efficient load-out occur. Stefan and his crew, including John from Malmo, seriously had the backline out and loaded in 15 minutes. While Grzeg took the backline to the storage spot, we chilled with Evolve and the gentlemen who helped with food and most of the night’s duties (sorry we forgot your name!). He loaded us up with leftover food and upon the van’s arrival and packing, we bid our farewells.

We stayed with Staffan, and he took great care of us. A purebred hardcore kid, we were once again treated like kings. The man even shared his own bed with us—that’s generosity.

Oslostyle

2010-07-27T19:13:00.003-04:00

Wednesday July 21: Malmo Sweden to Oslo Norway

We headed further into Viking country today for a show in Oslo Norway. We had to do another currency conversion since the Swedes and the Norwegians use different Krona(Krones?). This was our fourth currency conversion this week, leading us to believe that European drug dealers must have to carry conversion charts since a dime bag may be an 8.75 Kr. Bag in some other country or a 9.5 Euro bag when in the rest of the EU. The reason for the switch is that Norway is pretty rich in oil, so it’s the economic powerhouse of the region and doesn’t want its regional affluence devalued. Unlike the US where we privatize the profits and make the risks of extraction public, their oil wealth is entirely state-controlled and the money flows in the form of public infrastructure and social programs. Sweden has a similar idea about currency, but largely exports music (Millencollin, Beyond Pink, Victims, Wolfbrigade, HIM, etc) and cars (Volvo, Saab) instead of oil.

Andreas, the promoter set us up with a show at a large squat in central Oslo. It was really nice and resembled an above average apartment building/community center from the States. We were blessed with great bands to play with, Common Cause, Evolve, and Bitter Taste. Common Cause needs no introduction; they are ex-members of Damage Control (Livewire Records) and have been a part of the Oslo scene for a very long time. They have a new record coming out on React! In September, so be sure to check it out. Evolve are four guys from Oslo who are between 16 and 21 years old, playing fast straight edge hardcore. They sound like a mix of Four Walls Falling and American west coast hardcore. They’re easily one of the best bands we’ve seen on tour, regardless of age and country of origin. Bitter Taste was playing their first show and played with a high-energy style.

It seemed like the whole vegan and straight edge scene came out and showed love to all of the bands. We even met Trish, a Portlander (Oregon, USA) studying at the U. of Oslo who was repping hard for the local vegan groups. Delicious baked goods were had by all courtesy of the Ink not Mink faction. We had some technical difficulties, including a big-ass cut on my hand that sprayed blood all over the place, but managed to get through the set with help from athletic tape and our Norwegian friends who helped sing SSD’s Glue and Agnostic Front’s Last Warning and some of our older songs. Torgeir (spelling?!) and the guys from Evolve gave us some love in the pit, even after playing their own sets, and Andreas got the local kids moving as well. It was a fun night and really solidified the Oslo scene in our minds. Scandinavia should be proud of what they’ve cultivated in straight edge and hardcore culture.

After the show, we stayed with Marius, a handsome lad (sorry Chuck) whose father was on the Norwegian Olympic team for cross-country skiing. He’s a solid drummer and really great guy. Our conversation turned from cross-country skiing to snowboarding, and I was reminded that Norway produces not only crude oil and great hardcore, but also some of the world’s best professional snowboarders, like Terje Haakonsen, Daniel Franck, and many, many others. After a walk to the local store for late-night snacks, a pair of inebriated women accosted us. They demanded we tell them our astrological signs and the only thing that could break them away from us was the trolley that almost ran us all over. She had a thing for Ingo, our roadie, saying that it was her birthday. Ingo chilled out and we made a clean break back to Marius’ place.

Crime City Redux...

2010-07-23T16:55:00.004-04:00

Tuesday 20 July 2010

We awoke to a great spread of eggs, tofu, fruit, oatmeal, crackers, jam, fruit and coffee that Clara and Tijana had prepared. Robert got his Soppo, a local Odwalla-like fruit drink that is rare elsewhere in Europe, and I got my caffeine. All was right with the world at that point, and it was about to get more right.

We had decided to go swimming on Monday, so we packed our trunks and walked across town to the beach.

After a few dives off the breakwall, we settled into the grass at the dog beach with Clara and Doris, Clara’s cocker spaniel.

We did push-ups, got sunburned, and found out that tops are optional on the beaches of Scandinavia. This has both good and bad points; you can use your imagination to figure out what we mean. Several hours, layers of skin and dives later, we grabbed the bus back to the practice spot and reloaded the van for the trip to the venue.

We loaded into the venue, a sick downstairs by a parking garage that comfortably fit 50 (it fit 100tonight though) and then headed around the block to Clara’s where we ate another amazing meal full of vegan crepes, strawberries and vegan crème. Too full to play, we went back to the venue and set-up merch just in time to catch Self Abuse’s first show. Self-Abuse is a band comprised of Alex (Clara’s boyfriend) and Kalle (Balance) and two guys from a Swedish band on Feral Ward. Since my Swedish is terrible, I can’t remember their names, but they left a lasting impression on me as a band. They were totally tight, discordant punk rock in the vein of 1982. I think they pull some pages from Dead Stop’s playbook, and their hometown crowd was certainly pulling for them.

Self Abuse was a tough act to follow, but we did our best to end the night playing our fastest and hitting our hardest to match Self Abuse and please the totally rad crowd. We had some technical difficulties including a bass drum spike breaking, so people took turns sitting in front of the bass drum. Andy, Robert Refuse, Andreas from San Diego (USA!), Patricia (Beyond Pink/retired ballerina/push-up champion), and a guy who sent five text messages during one song all kept the kick in place tonight. We ended with an encore of Our World, and I proceeded to load the van in my underwear since we’d soaked through our clothes and all of mine were back at Clara’s place. The locals were both surprised and delighted by this turn of events, and in the end, we have some pictures fit for the cover of our next record.

We grabbed another cheap and delicious falafel and parted ways with Gzeg guarding the van and the rest of us sleeping at Clara and Tijana’s spots. Thanks for the great show, great company on the stage and great hospitality Molmo! The scene here is great so be sure to stop by if you’re ever in this region of the world. And like I said, check out Beyond Pink, Self Abuse and Balance.

Robert Refuse: The man, the myth, the Polska

2010-07-23T16:45:00.004-04:00

This tour wouldn’t have happened without the help of numerous people. We’re profiling these many individuals during the course of the tour.

Tour Profile: Robert Refuse and Refuse Records

Name: Robert Matousiak aka Robert Refuse

Hometown: Warszawa, Poland

Age: 35 years

Height: “Fuck, I don’t know”

Weight “Since I moved to Berlin, more…”

How long have you been doing Refuse Records?

As a distro since 1993 and as a record label since 1996. I’ve been booking shows around Europe since 1994.

Years straight edge: 19 years

Favorite European HC Records: Nations on Fire or Manliftingbanner

Boxers or Briefs: “Yes” (after clarification “the second.”)

Top Five US Punk and HC Records:

Minor Threat

Dead Kennedys: In God We Trust

Youth of Today: We’re Not in This Alone

Trial: Our These our Lives

Insted

Favorite Cleveland Band: “Committed” if you know what we mean, Gordon Solie Motherfuckers.

How did you get into Punk Rock?

“My sister brought some punk rockers with some tapes over, and I was into it immediately. I checked into everything related to punk and hardcore…”

First show: 1989 ten or twelve local Polish bands including Post Regiment who was big in Poland. Tragedia, whom Portland’s Tragedy derived their name.

Last show: Right Idea in Gothenburg Sweden July 22, 2010

Favorite food: Vegan Ice Cream (Homeboy has dropped like ~50 Euros on ice cream in Sweden alone)

Family Vacation vs. Tour

2010-07-23T09:33:00.004-04:00

While the rest of Right Idea is chilling on the beaches of Scandinavia with bikini models and rocking out on stage playing your favorite hits, yours truly -- left home to the responsibilities known heretofore as "job," "family," "pregnant wife," and "other shit" -- will be hitting the road myself. but mine is slightly less glamourous.

24 hours of driving + an 18-month old + a very pregnant wife x a shared house with my family for 2.5 days = ?????

I'm not that good at math.

Going, going, back, back to Sweden, Sweden.

2010-07-21T01:48:00.004-04:00

Monday 19 July 2010

Today we had an off-day to grab some gear from Kiel before catching the ferry to Denmark and then driving onward to Malmo, Sweden in the south of the country. We departed Hamburg after a stay at the local hostel. Alex from Hoods up and the venue really put together a nice show and great accommodations for us. Two shows in and we’ve been treated better than we could ever deserve. I guess Let Down fibbed about how Europe really is. We finally stopped for lunch when we arrived in Kiel and proceeded to piss off the non-English speaking Turkish entrepreneurs with our indecisive ordering and Deutsch that is nicht sehr gut. Either way, it was a good lunch that followed our playground pushup and pull-up workout. We grabbed funny tasting sodas and bubbly water before hitting the road to Denmark.

The push-up count between Hamburg and Denmark ~700 for the band, mostly Chuck, Hess and I, butt Geoff did at least 10.

We drove through some scenic German countryside, and the neo-historian in me could nary help but wonder what it must have been like to fight an infantry war through the landscape as our grandfathers did. The fields and farmhouses take on an ominous property as I think about the potential for snipers and landmines across hedge rows and forest edges. Geoff snapped about 1000 pictures, and Hess drank at least five German mystery drinks before we hit the ferry terminal full of holiday-goers from across the continent.

We noticed that everybody was bringing cases of German soda and beer in across the border. I’m not a customs guard, but I might check on the spendthrift Costco lifestyles that the Danes and Swedes live while down in Germany. I’d leave sketchy Americans with instruments alone though.

The ferry was reminiscent of those in Washington State and British Columbia, but minus the internet access. We kept our wallets in our pockets for the impending currency switch, and proceeded to take in views of the ship-goers and funny signs. Gzeg caught a nap while Robert kept the edge strong on the portside deck.

Upon arriving, we pulled off to a gas station for the first push-ups of Denmark, where we weirded out the locals. For my workout, I was rewarded with free ice cream that was oddly sitting in the parking lot. We drove onward, from push-ups and ice creams to the border, where we doled out our toll money and entered Sweden. The landscape was flat, and had obvious glacial outwash soils with very thin and young layer supporting agriculture and lots of managed forests. This did not interest the rest of my band, but then again, I’ve nary seens soils like that unless getting close to the arctic.

We drove a few hours, arriving in Malmo just in time to change Euros for Krona and get supper. We smashed some Thai food with Kalle, meeting Andy, a one-time member of the Satanic Surfers, along the way. It was no Seattle or Vancouver BC Thai food, but then again Thailand is pretty far from Molmo, so we can forgive the folks who made it. We ate in the central square and hung out with numerous locals. Gzeg and Robert ate mad vegan ice creams, like kids in a candy store. The explanation we received for them eating five and seven vegan ice creams each was “When in Sweden, you must live this way, because we have no such things in Poland.” It makes sense to me, but it also seems to provide a stomachache.

After dinner we had to unload the van into a practice space because Molmo is “Crime City” and we didn’t want to chance any funny business. Post-load in, we rolled back to our host Clara’s, and split up between her and Tijana’s houses for the night. Both Clara and Tijana are in a rad all-female band called Beyond Pink. The first pressing of the LP sold out for good reason, but if you can, get a copy. I’m sure you’ll hear more about their band in the future. Think the Donnas meet Infest and Swedish punk rock. They all love coffee more than their respective boyfriends and have the tattoos to prove it.

Hamburg 18 July

2010-07-20T19:32:00.009-04:00

Sunday 18 July 2010

We went to brunch with Robert, Gzeg, Jenny (Robert's partner), Seb and some of the other members from High Score, Mean Mike and a few others. The place was run by former hardcore kids and had a sliding scale payrate between 6 and 9 Euros. We got coffee and lots of great vegan food, and only slightly annoyed our less American fellow diners. Stomachs full, we had a nice drive from Berlin to Hamburg, passing many other tourists en route to a Jeff Hess van pull-up opportunity, Capri-sonne, and finally the venue, another large squat with 20 years of history.

Note the use of Al from Dangers on our flier. I suppose it could be related to our post earlier on the blog...

This particular squat, Rote Flora, was an old theatre/opera hall that was bombed out in WWII, leaving only the entry. It supports two show spaces and a large kitchen. Alex of Hoods Up did the show and saw to it that we were taken care of really, really well. The food was great vegan pasta with veges, and the dinner conversation was outstanding. I can honestly say that Alex is a student of the European scene and knows everyone. He gave us the history of the venue, his philosophy on US bands touring Europe, talked about his American show-going experiences, and gossiped with us on all things HC. The overall band ranking of the venue and promoter were the highest of honors: Top Dude.

The venue from outside.

Alex in the background at the radio station...

We played third with a punk band and great pop-punk band. We found ourselves getting tighter and had a blast ripping through the set. We saw some cameras rolling, so hopefully the filmers in attendance can send us documentation for those playing along at home.

We wrapped up the night with a radio interview that consisted of us playing our favorite Clevo hardcore classics as well as the Big Tymers. We had more than a little explaining to do and hopefully didn’t give away the extent to which we’re really just goofballs. They had goofy signs in their bathrooms to outdo us anyway. What's stranger? You decide:

We parked the van at a secured lot and proceeded to go to the hostel and get pizza. A few push-ups, Grzeg checking email and some showers later and we were all down for the count.

Berlin: Koma F and beyond

2010-07-20T19:17:00.002-04:00

Berlin Saturday July 17^th Koma F.

After sleeping until 1pm, we grabbed our backline and driver Gzeg (pronounced "gajedge". More on him later!) today before heading to the show.

We were playing the storied squat/DIY space Koma F just across the river from the Berlin Wall. Apparently this venue has somewhere between 25 and 40 years of history depending on who you ask. It, like many of the pre-WWII buildings was partially bombed out, and never quite found its way back to “normal.” Imagine a well-lit courtyard with big dogs, lots of empty bottles and a series of apartments with two venues and a bar all tucked in. One side had a Planet of the Apesesque statue portion that looked like a replica of the statue of liberty. Either way, it was tight, and after a quick walk around the neighborhood, we set in to use our hosts’ hospitality.

We grabbed a quick practice before the show and were fed some amazing seitan strips with Tzatziki and white cabbage. The food was as they say in our country, fucking delicious. We didn’t clean our plates well enough and received a bit of a reprimand. Now we know...

As for the show, we played with Your Fucking Nightmare from the Czech Republic, and they were really good. We’ll play again with them at Fluff Fest in one week, so if you’re reading this from Europe, please check them out.

For our set, we were tighter than we thought we’d be at the first show and were able to pull out a few more songs than we had intended. I think the total set was still 25 minutes with three extra songs…tops. Kids seemed into it and showed some love, especially for our cover of Crucified (Iron Cross). There was a nine-year-old from CZ there, and we traded him a shirt for a punk rock bracelet. Hess swears he’ll wear it at Fluff Fest. He won’t even take it off to shower as it is.

We debuted the tour 7” and shirts with mixed reviews, and met some cool people including Sebastian from High Score, Pavel from YFN, Mario from Dresden (an 18 year veteran of the European scene!), MeanXMike (who was sporting a crucial Vision 1989 tour shirt!), Hannah, from Berkeley USA and Sammy. All-in-all it was a great first show and introduction to the European scene. We decided that we love bubbly water to boot.

Straight Euro Bloggin'

2010-07-19T12:46:00.005-04:00

16 July 2010

I’ll precede the next few entries by saying that tour journals are often a lot bit boring: “We played with so and so, they were awesome. The scene here is really cool in town X. Thanks to everyone who came out and all the kids who bought records.” Throughout the next few weeks, I’m going to try not to merely give canned details on the who, what, where and when of things, but give slightly more insight into the backstory and individuals at play. I’ll introduce the town and the things that stand out to me (Nate) and the rest of the band will fill in other pertinent details in posts of their own. Hopefully we’ll be able to tell a story and show what’s it’s like to be friendly, monolingual Midwesterners in a foreign land of vegan food and diy hardcore.

Berlin Saturday July 17^th

We had arrived on Thursday and Friday to a cancelled show in Dresden, so we had the day (16 July) off in Berlin. It was a blessing and a curse as we used the time to pack records and sort merch, although we had to weather the day off without playing. The shimmering silver lining was hanging out in the city of Berlin. We’re all thinking of it as the New York City of Europe (or maybe NYC is the Berlin of America?)—big, multicultural and full of things to do at all hours of the night. We had great coffee, vegan pizza, burgers and ice cream as we took the train around and took in the sites, from the Berlin Wall to the numerous riverscapes, to the historic architecture and lack of open container laws. It seemed that everyone had a beer in hand wherever they went, from the subway to the beach, to the parks and bikeways. I guess straight edge isn’t quite mainstream here either.

In our travels, we encountered a subway bass playing cruster and walked through a park of death with Robert. Apparently in Germany, it’s cool to walk through really dark parks without a knife or gun because nobody else has a knife or gun. We had soda that was orange and cola mixed, and lots of mango-peach juice to keep us company as we wandered through the aforementioned woods adjacent to the Tempelhoff Airport and greenspace. Sketchy doesn’t translate well, but that’s exactly what it was.

The weather was hot, about 40C, so we sweated some pounds off as we toured around Berlin and came up with a killer game called “dew it.” Dew it is a game in which he who says “…do it” must then do 50 pushups. We’re quickly stripping the phrase “Lets do it” from our vocabulary and getting great pecs in the process. I think I’ve done 400 pushups in the last three days in addition to drumming duties.

Ghosts of Berlin...

2010-07-16T19:59:00.007-04:00

So, we've been in town for a day or two each now, and are getting ready for some great shows in Germany and then up in Northern Europe. We've been to the Berlin Wall, eaten some great food, and got all the last minute details sorted out for the rest of tour. Hess enjoyed the in-flight entertainment, and we actually met some colorful people in our German travels that resembled people from the flight. Who's the German below? You decide.

Tomorrow is show time in Berlin. We're playing with Your Fucking Nightmare (CZ) and hoping not to embarrass our homeland too much with our poor German language skills and bad jokes. The good news for RxI collectors is we'll have lots of vinyl and several new shirt designs and colorways. We'll also be playing numerous songs from the "Right Way/Our Way" records. All-in-all the next two weeks should be great.

7" Tour Cover Revealed

2010-07-14T13:11:00.004-04:00

A couple things to note:

1. No, that's not a typo -- this 7" is titled Our Way and the Refuse records 7" is titled Right Way

2. Yes, Our Way is also the title of the Discography CD that Refuse released to go along with the 7" Right Way

Oh yeah, it's limited to 50, so chances are good it'll be gone before you get to it. And if not -- get an extra one for me, because I'd like one.

Right Way 7" Pre-order up now!

2010-07-09T20:07:00.004-04:00

Finally, this is it. The U.S. pressing of the Right Way 7" that was just released by Refuse Records in Poland for the European Tour 2010.

We did a special run of 100 records on black vinyl with a special cover just for the States. 8 songs of fast hardcore from your favorite Clevelanders who aren't Drew Carey or Charlie Sheen in MLB.

Track list:

Side A:
1. Right Way
2. My Say
3. Peace
4. United Front

Side B:
5. Think Free
6. Dew It
7. Find Yourself
8. If You Cared,II

Pressing info:

100 copies black vinyl, special labels and cover.

This is a ***pre-order*** and will begin shipping August 9th 2010. Please don't email us asking where your record is until the end of August--especially because we're going to be in Europe until then. . .

Euro 2010 Tour Flyer

2010-07-09T17:34:00.002-04:00

Shipping the Right Way

2010-07-09T11:50:00.006-04:00

Just got word from Robert over at Refuse Records that he's received in the complete shipment of the new RIGHT IDEA 7" Right Way and everything is good to go!

Here's the particulars (from the Refuse Records myspace):

Brand new EP contains 8 brand new songs of the Cleveland band. Expect a high-energy straight edge hardcore in the vein of Straight Ahead, No For An Answer, DYS or Youth Of Today. The positive energy, intensity and sing-a-long parts are all there, with the message of enthusiasm, hope and optimism.STRAIGHT EDGE 2010!

Pressing info:

3 test pressings
50 copies of special tour edition, different cover, hand numbered, yellow vinyl (available only on Right Idea European tour)
100 copies of limited edition pre-order version, yellow vinyl w/ Right Idea tour poster
350 copies of regular edition, blue vinyl.

The first press (breakout above) is already almost sold out but hit up Robert and order yourself a copy or 2 of what remains or come out and check the band out on tour to try and score a "Tour Edition" in beautiful Europa!

Added Bonus! We've posted an MP3 of the title track in the sidebar to the right!

Word!

European Summer 2010

2010-05-27T12:17:00.005-04:00

Here's the Confirmed Dates:

17.07. Germany, Berlin
18.07. Germany, Hamburg
19.07. Denmark, Copenhagen
20.07. Sweden, Nykoping
21.07. Norway, Oslo
22.07. Sweden, Gothenburg
23.07. Sweden, Lund
25.07. Czech Republic, Rokicany
26.07. Czech Republic, Praha
27.07. Poland, Częstochowa
28.07. Austria, Wien
29.07. Germany, Nunchritz
30.07. Holland, Tillburg
31.07. Belgium, Mol
01.08. UK, London
02.08. UK, Nottingham

Spring to Summer

2010-05-23T16:58:00.010-04:00

So, just like intro/changes, we're experiencing our seasonal transition into summer. This means three things:

1. John is playing baseball. You can follow the action here. If you're not a baseball fan, then you can follow the World Cup (Football), or the US World Team Trials in wrestling.

2. We're transitioning our spring line of gear into the summer line and knocking money off of t-shirts, closing out the sweatshirt and taking a buck off each of our 7"s at the webstore. Once this stuff is gone, we'll replace it with new stuff before our tour.

3. Our European tour dates have been finalized:

Right Idea Right Way Tour 2010:

17.07. Germany, Berlin w/ Your Fucking Nightmare
18.07. Germany, Hamburg
19.07. Denmark/Sweden, tba

20.07. Sweden, tba
21.07. Norway, Oslo

22.07. Sweden, Gothenburg w/ Lewd Acts

23.07. Sweden, Lund, tba
24.07. day off

25.07. Czech Republic, Rokicany, Fluff Fest

26.07. Czech Republic, Prague w/ Unrestrained, Regres
27.07. Poland, Częstochowa
28.07. Austria, Wien,
29.07. Germany Nunchritz w/ Ramming Speed
30.07. Holland, Tillburg w/ State Of Affairs, Incarnation

31.07. Belgium, Mol, HC Fest

1.08. UK, London w/ Times Together
2.08. UK, Nottingham w/ Times Together

We're very excited to be playing with Times Together, Incarnation, State of Affairs and all the other bands that we don't get to experience on our side of the pond. Nevermind that we're also on two awesome fests, HC fest in Mol and Fluff Fest in Rokicany. Tons of your favorite European and American bands will be around, so come check us out while you're at it. The dates in red are being finalized and may not be confirmed, so if you can help out, please get after Robert Refuse: refuserecords@gmail.com.

We have a show in June that's TBA in Cleveland, so keep your eyes right here for more info.

Also, the Right Way 7" is making its way to and fro the plant as I type while the Our Way discography of all our recorded material thus far is getting proofed and pressed up as as well. You can expect a big update on that very, very soon. For now, keep it tuned in to Refuse Records, this blog and your HC messageboard of choice:

Refuse Website

Refuse Myspace

Until next time, keep your bike helmets on and your wheels on the pavement.

-Nate

Nude Tayne

2010-05-05T12:22:00.001-04:00

Cooler Hand Luke

2010-05-03T17:20:00.002-04:00

Holy Shit did these turn out awesome! Go to the Mad At The World site to scoop up one or twelve of these limited t-shirts from the best band you never listened to (featuring all the best parts of Face Value, Committed, Right Idea, Little Sister, Up To Us, 9 Shocks Terror, Gordon Solie Motherfuckers, Hockey Fight and none of the bullshit). The LP Souvenirs & Evidence, Vol 1 is almost sold out -- but I guess there's a few clear wax copies left, plus a CD version is slated for the summer still (believe it or not with extra tracks).

Don't be an idiot. This shit rips.

Right Way 2010: European Tour

2010-04-17T12:11:00.006-04:00

As you may know, we've been planning a European Tour for the last couple months, and it looks like all of my childhood hardcore music dreams are moving towards reality.

Right Idea: Right Way 2010

17.07. Germany, Berlin w / Your Fucking Nightmare

18.07. Germany, Hamburg

19.07. Denmark, tba

20.07. Sweden, Lund tba

21.07. Norway, Oslo tba

22.07. Norway, Stavanger tba

23.07. Sweden, Gothenburg 24.07. Sweden, Linkoping, Deadfest w/ Earth Crisis, First Blood

25.07. Czech Republic, Rokicany, Fluff Fest

26.07. Czech Republic, Prague w/ Unrestrained, Regres

27.07. Poland, Częstochowa

28.07. Austria, Wien, tba

29.07. Germany, Nunchritz w/ Ramming Speed

30.07. Holland, Tillburg, tba

31.07. Belgium, Mol, HC Fest

1.08. UK tba

2.08. UK tba

So in preparation for this, Hess is pumping iron, I'm going raw foods, Chuck is getting tattooed, John is getting a haircut and Geoff is skating every day. I think we'll be ready by July, especially since Robert at Refuse Records has been laboring tirelessly to help us put out two new releases!

Coming soon to Refuse Records:

Right Way 7": This is the 8 new songs we recorded with John D at Negative Space in January. It's a straight forward hardcore record, you know, a couple colors of vinyl and the clean layout of one John Millin's design hand/mind. It's also the first record we wrote/recorded with Geoff in the band, so you know it's good. You can still hear a new track here.

Our Way Discography CD, one easy-to-find volume of all of our recorded works including rare and b-side tracks and covers. This includes the Demo, Our World EP, the cd sampler, the Right Way record and some b-side tracks from the archives. The idea was to put all of our tracks together for kids in places where vinyl is expensive to ship, the internet doesn't make it easily downloaded, and turntables might not be super common. We hope to have this distributed worldwide, so please get in touch with Robert Refuse if you'd like to carry it in the Philippines, Malaysia, Korea, the Ukraine, South Africa, Fiji, wherever.

To get ready for all of this, we're going to be playing on Friday April 23rd at the Tower with the Basement Boys. We'll see you there. Until then, here's a video:

Right Idea - Right Idea + Clear Your Head from hate5six productions on Vimeo.

Dangers--Messy isn't it?

2010-04-08T14:46:00.004-04:00

My near and dear friends, Al and Tim, Justin and Teenager do a band called Dangers and they have a new record, Messy, isn't it?

It is pissed. It is fast. They put a lot of time and soul into it, and now they're going all around the world in support of it.

Here is my one sentence review of the record:

Sometimes, you feel like you're on top of the world, other times you feel like a piece of insignificant shit, and then you're pissed at everyone around you, and finally you come to terms with the fact that you may be content, but you can never be complacent with yourself or the world around you.

If you have some scrilla to spare, head over to the vitriol records webstore and pick it up

If you want to stream a track, you can do that too.

Cake Face

2010-03-31T10:51:00.007-04:00

Right Idea played a show last night. With some other bands. They were cool and stuff, and I was in one of them, Ge-off was in one of them and you really couldn't hear the vocals on any of them. But the coolest thing was when RXI took the stage -- Jeff Hess in all his glory brought cake. Not just like some bullshit homemade "here I got you this" cake, but like a full on set of 3 "X" cakes, complete with Cleveland Hard Core (or straightedge or something).

This was my reaction to the cake being cut:

I was like "C'mon, hurry this shit up -- Daddy's gotta get some sugar." (Notice Alex was his leeringly loving self in the background) Let's just say the cake did not disappoint in all its Giant Eagle confectioner's sugar and Crisco goodness. Nom Nom Nom.

Then we played some songs.

This was pretty much my view:

That's Mr. Hess' back, adorned with IMPACT fanzine represent. True very true.

We played A LOT OF SONGS. Like more than we've ever played -- big ups to GEOFF for leading things and EDDY and CHUCK for providing the thump to my noodle-isms. We opened with a cover of Basement Boys' "Tower Skins" (As I was setting up, Geoff says to me, he says: "John -- we're playing "Tower Skins," it's 'A-B-F' and some octaves, cool?" And I of course said -- "Got it.") and we tore that shit down while Alex looked on like a proud papa.

We then slammed into our set -- "Alert / That's Not You" medley started it off, some demo songs and AF's "Last Warning" held it down, 3 new songs (including the Cleveland Crew Oi Song) made their stage debut and rounded things off with a couple more. Awesome possum.

Then Jeff was like "I'm done -- I don't know this one," and Alex is holding a bass now and Chuck grabs the mic -- and I sure as shit don't know what's going on, so I take off my guitar and proceed to watch what unfolded:

What it was was none other than the prettiest Emile Hirsch look-alike with sleeves you'll find rocking Bless'd gear tearing up "New York Crew" by Judge. Hot shit.

Then the cake-fight happened.

And that ruled.

Pat took these pictures, and he is awesome too.

The Taqwacores

2010-03-29T12:08:00.007-04:00

A couple years back some kids made a movie at the Tower 2012 and now it's big shit on MtV and showed this week at the Cleveland International Film Festival. Now I'm not saying it's because of us or anything, but let's all agree they had the RIGHT IDEA in how to dress "The Straight Edger."

View the Trailer here:

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Up to Us to Play, Up to You to Listen

2010-03-26T13:13:00.004-04:00

Up To Us, hands-down the best female fronted posi-core band in Cleveland,* featuring ex members of Cheap Tragedies, Hockey Fight and current rippers from Right Idea, Little Sister, are playing tonight (Friday March 26th) on the radio.

You can stream the show on WJCW's website here. The show is titled "Music to Break Things By" and is hosted by friends Adam and Andy.

If you actually have a transistor radio-thing, you can also turn that dial to 88.7 fm (if you're on Cleveland's East Side) and listen in. Pop the T tops off your Bitchin' Camero and pump up the volume on that Blaupunkt unit!

Oh yeah, bro!

*Just because we're the ONLY one doesn't make this statement any less true

We don't mess around...

2010-03-21T22:31:00.003-04:00

I just got back from a weekend with Dangers, while Chuck just got back from hanging out with some friends. Yeah boyyeee--good times from Vancouver to Akron in the last week. We'll have details on Europe and the record soon, I promise.

Calling all photographers...

2010-03-16T18:17:00.005-04:00

If you happen to have any photos of Right Idea--any, at all--no matter the resolution, format, etc, then please send them our way: xjohnmillinx@yahoo.com

We lost a machine, and with it you know, pictures, layouts, etc. RIP John's computer. The only pictures we have left are these of Chuck:

Coincidentally, you can get this same picture emblazoned on your favorit white t-shirt at our webstore. Thanks in advance for any photos y'all might have layin' 'round.

Saturday

2010-03-11T13:24:00.004-05:00

The People in Your Neighborhood

2010-02-22T10:31:00.009-05:00

Ok, so we've covered the fact(s) that we've got new songs, new shows, and a new record on the way. Once we can let you know more about that we will, but in the meantime -- here's a little snippit of the recording featuring some of our best friends in sing-along fashion.

You can stream/download it here.

(You thought I was kidding, huh?)

Just consider it a little Easter Egg from us to you all -- only a month or so early. See if you can name all the people in our neighborhood (there's a hint or 3 in the tags below).

And here's another pic of that fateful day (courtesy of Jeff Grey):

Word! See you in March!

True Colors / Right Idea Show Flyer

2010-02-08T17:01:00.004-05:00

Also: Face Reality, Mindset and Up To Us.

Flyer art by XSLABAX

80's Hardcore Just Officially "Jumped the Shark"

2010-02-08T16:44:00.001-05:00

It's the Right Way

2010-02-06T17:18:00.002-05:00

News soon. Tours. Records. Fun. For now, check out the Basement Boys and some Eastern Wrestling League Highlights:

Wrestling Videos on Flowrestling

It's tax season...

2010-02-02T22:24:00.006-05:00

If you're getting loot back from the fed this year, please consider those who are missing the most basic of necessities, wherever you might live. I highly recommend a donation in lieu of a merch purchase.

http://www.ampleharvest.org/

http://www.clevelandfoodbank.org

MRR Review of the Demo 7"

2010-01-28T17:10:00.003-05:00

It’s time like this that make me wish Carl Cordova was still here at MRR - he would know exactly with youth crew bands to compare this to, getting all the spirit of ’88 references in the right places, dotting every “i” and (wait for it) crossing every “x”. But Carl’s not here anymore, so I’ll have to push on and do my best. Youth crew isn’t really my thing - I’ve never cared for YOUTH OF TODAY, BOLD leaves me wanting, and GORILLA BISCUITS puts me to sleep. That said, I like RIGHT IDEA. I booked a show for them in Gilman and they were energetic, enthusiastic, and fucking tight, not to mention being stand-up fellows. Maybe it’s a Clevo thing (who doesn’t love CONFRONT and MEANSTREAK?), but I like their demo a lot. This 7” is a repress of said demo, so if you’re a youth crew fanatic who missed out on the tape, o if you worship at the altar of vinyl, then pick it up like it was loose change.

(XYosefX, “Maximum RocknRoll” #319, USA)

This Valentine's Day...

2010-01-28T12:46:00.002-05:00

Get ya special someone somethin' nice...

The Gang's All Here

2010-01-25T14:22:00.004-05:00

Thanks again to EVERYONE who came out yesterday for back-ups for the new record. Here's a little pic from the day courtesy of Jeff Grey. Partly visible are 3 members of Right Idea and about a dozen of our closest friends. Not pictured are the other 10 or so crammed into Negative Space studio in Cleveland, Ohio!

Thanks so much for lending us your throats for shout-outs, sing alongs, and good times.

Once we have some samples to pass along we will!

Here's to everyone who has the Right Idea in 2010!

Just an update...

2010-01-24T20:29:00.004-05:00

Just sayin...

Get your foam fingers, popcorn and drinks...

2010-01-20T18:06:00.005-05:00

...and this here slab of wax from our top dude, Robert Refuse of, not Reduce, reuse or recyle but Refuse Records.

We're closing out the items you see here and then loading up with new shirts and a new 7". Get. Pumped.

Peep the official Right Idea webstore here.

Slapshot and how life works...

2010-01-18T22:00:00.005-05:00

Reggie Dunlop: It's their rink, it's their ice, and it's their fuckin' town. But tonight we got our fans with us!

[other players cheer]
Reggie Dunlop: They spent their own dough to get here, and they came here to see us! All right, let's show 'em what we got, guys! Get out there on the ice and let 'em know you're there. Get that fuckin' stick in their side. Let 'em know you're there! Get that lumber in his teeth. Let 'em know you're there!

It's good to have people in your corner. It's good to have a laundry list that you drag through your mind every time you try to think about who has helped you do a damn thing. Thanks guys, thanks gals. I can't wait for the new record to drop.

Basement Boys: Tower Skins

2010-01-13T11:38:00.004-05:00

These Joes from down on Madison just cut a demo and will be tearing the Tower down regularly. You may recall Alex from being a professional van owner, and owner of Die Hard Movers: 'Movers with Integrity,' as well as loaner of gear, practice space and ears. These Clevo boys are on the prowl, so check it out here.

The Right Idea

2010-01-12T10:25:00.001-05:00

Geoff Deiderich, Jeff Hess, Chuck Right, John Millin, and Nate Hough-Snee have

the RIGHT IDEA

The choice will always be yours. How far are you willing to go? If what you feel is real then I know you’ll be there when I turn. Now that the spotlight landed on you and you don’t know what to say. Since you don’t know what you’re talking about. You never felt it inside. What we say, what we play, is what we feel. Don’t wear special clothes or make up for appeal. When I get the chance to speak, whether or not they hear. We got the attitude and the right idea. Always looking for a new trend. You think you really believed that you were sincere. You cut down people you call friends. Anything just to get ahead. You know everything about nothing. You have no idea. None.

(”Right Idea” lyrics by Tommy Carrol)

John Delzoppo

2010-01-11T16:44:00.003-05:00

The man pictured here is John Delzoppo. But this man is not John Delzoppo. This man named John Delzoppo has been wiki-ed. Here is what the public has to say about John Delzoppo. But we do not recognize what the public says about John Delzoppo. That man is not the John Delzoppo we know and love. He is not the man Right Idea are in the process of recording a follow-up 7" to the Our World LP with right now at Negative Space Studios. John Delzoppo is an entirely different man. He has a beard (sometimes). And a piccolo drum snare he let us borrow once.

This is what the real John Delzoppo looks like, and this is what he does:
Poseurs be damned.

Thanks to Rye for the photo.

Chuck's Birthday Party

2010-01-05T16:30:00.007-05:00

Happy B-day Chuck Right from all your friends! The rest of the Photo Stream is here. I guess it was someone else's birthday too, but whatever. Enjoy, don't hate.

(Don't) Steal This Book

2009-12-16T10:25:00.003-05:00

This is our good friend Chris from Mindset's life work. Well, actually his "2-year" work, but that doesn't sound nearly as good. He's a photographer, he's in a band, they're on the road a lot. Put 1 and 1 and 1 together and you get awesome. Here's the link to pre-order the book. And here's the little write-up from the site:

So over the past 2 years I have been documenting Mindset while we have been on tour. I have compiled a bunch of photos together into book format. They will be 32 pages at 7×7 inches (18×18 centimeters). Orders will ship two weeks after pre-order is over December 31st 2009. Some photos can be seen on www.chrisbavaria.com

April 9th and 10th: React! Records Fest in Berkeley, CA

2009-12-16T00:45:00.006-05:00

Straight from Aram himself:

"REACT! RECORDS SHOWCASE

April 9th and 10th

7 Seconds

Betrayed

Mindset

Get the Most

Right Idea

Common Cause

Keep It Clear

True Colors

Circles

Gone But Not Forgotten

Not Sorry

Peace

Praise

Damages

924 Gilman St. Berkeley, CA 94701

More info coming soonish, but you can chew on that for awhile."

The humble, part-time machine that is Right Idea is incredibly stoked to grace Gilman with our presence again, not to mention play with our friends and label mates in Not Sorry, Mindset, Circles, GBNF, ON, Get 'Mo, Common Cause and Betrayed.

If all goes as planned, we'll be playing our way down and back with those studly vegans (and Adam) from Not Sorry. Their 7" is now out on Lifeline Records (Props to Joe Rieman for another killer release), with a European pressing rolling with the Portugese Salad Days Recordings. Good on them, eh? They've been working hard, from Syracuse to DC and throughout the Northwest's stretch of the I-5 corridor.

More updates will follow quite soon with all the details, but if you're in Olympia, Portland or Seattle, much less Berkeley, then get ready.

I'm gettin' all worked up just thinking about this weekend, and it's four months out. In the meantime, I guess I'll have to cool down with the new Not Sorry jams:

Collector Profile: Jay Jacoby

2009-12-09T13:28:00.006-05:00

You may already know the name from his art (examples here and here and here), but you may not know that Jay Jacoby is, among other things, a HUGE collector of all things hardcore and straight edge, and RIGHT IDEA has it's own private little section in his annuls.

According to Jay: "I think that these are the things I'm missing: Red WCWeekend shirt / Yellow Tape Demo / Demo 7" Transition / Demo 7" Transition 2 . . . Kinda sick, I know."

Not just "kinda" -- it's super-sick. We're impressed, Jay!

Check out this pic of his color combinations:

And go here to keep up on his art.

Word!

React! Records Merch Sale

2009-12-06T14:35:00.005-05:00

Aram is cleaning out the closet, so be sure to pre-spend that holiday loot. You know what I'm saying here, the $50 grandma was going to send but forgot to because the cat was sick and uncle Virgil needed his socks mended. The sale may be over, but that doesn't the releases from GBNF, ON and Carry On aren't still hanging around the React! HQ.

A Time We'll Remember take three

2009-12-06T14:21:00.006-05:00

So the fact that Sunny S. at Hate5six.com continues to film hardcore and put it up in quality videos--for FREE--is pretty awesome. Think of how awesome kids will find it in 2020 when they want to see (new) old Floorpunch sets or sets by Betrayed or Verse or any number of bands that may carry well into the next decade. Kids will be moshing in their room to the Burning Fight sets, the This is Hardcore fest and many NJ/Philly shows in between!

Sunny hooked it up in full force at A Time We'll Remember fest, grabbing our ugly mugs on film again with the rest of the great bands that made the trek to play some hardcore.

Sunny, from all of us in Right Idea, thanks a lot man!

You can find our set here as well as those of Mindset, Alert, Outlast, Up Front and more here.

Documentation take two...

2009-11-24T22:41:00.004-05:00

Here's a majority of our set from last weekend. Thanks again to everyone who stuck around and sang along and all the guys with cameras in their hands.

G(e)-Off

2009-11-23T16:09:00.004-05:00

Astute observers would realize that we've added a new handsome dude to the Right Idea. No, Chuck doesn't have a brother, but Geoff will be taking over on second guitar and fifth handsome dude for RxI. He'll appear on our forthcoming release and be all around the way with us for shows. We welcome Geoff to the stage after spending the last few years on the dancefloor for us. Good to have ya, buddy!

A(nother) Time We Will Remember . . .

2009-11-23T10:57:00.008-05:00

Thanks to these pics by Future Breed, aka Dan Gonyea:

Thanks again to Dan for these awesome shots. Be sure to tickle the linkle above and check out al the other pics from that day.

Refuse Records 7" Advert

2009-11-20T12:13:00.002-05:00

Robert from Refuse Records passed this along to us today. Pretty sweet, and if you haven't picked up one of these yet, jump on it -- it's the songs off the demo but remastered (not to mention everything sounds better on white vinyl).

2nd press is already on the way, too -- so order away!

Let Me Clarify...

2009-11-17T13:35:00.003-05:00

We've got nothing but love for Aram and React!. The aforementioned pictures have come not from my creative mind or hand, but from elsewhere on the internet. The images were just too damn funny to pass up. Here is a more appropriate picture of Aram to set the record straight:

The only thing that could make this picture more legit would be Aram's hand showing his 'just the right width' X. None of that excessively wide XveganX stuff on his hand, nor any of the dudes in this band.

Keep the X's and the humor subtle, y'all...

I used to fly NWA, but now I'm logging miles for React!

2009-11-17T01:11:00.003-05:00

Forget carry on fees, non-vegan in-flight meals or movies that aren't The Breakfast Club and Breaking Away, I've got a red-eye floating on positive vibes across that jet stream...

React! Records getting big, thinkin' bigger

2009-11-15T01:14:00.002-05:00

The Quiet Before The Storm...

2009-11-14T17:59:00.004-05:00

Yeah, so it was a quiet fall for the RxI crew, but that doesn't mean that we're not rolling in like an El Nino storm over the next six or seven months.

We've got a few shows up our sleeve including next week's A Time We'll Remember Fest in the greater Lemoyne, PA metropolitan area.

We'll follow this up with studio and a hometown show time in January and another trip to California in April for the React Showcase at 924 Gilman in Berkeley. I love this venue and it will be great to share a weekend with all our friends from across the country. If all goes well, we'll even have a new record available at the showcase...

We hope to have PNW dates lined up in June with some other React! bands, so keep an eye posted to this here blog and we'll go from there.

All this flying has had me parting ways with records on the capitalist machine that is Ebay, so thanks to everyone who took a GIA/Blue Monday split or other 7" off my hands. We also have some new 7"s that came out this summer thanks to Robert and Jeff at Refuse and Bottled Up. You can help out those great folks at React!, Bottled Up and Refuse Records who have helped us out, by picking up a 7" or a shirt sometime soon. Then, learn those words and come see us in Lemoyne, Cleveland, Berkeley, and the Great Northwest.

In the meantime, be sure to watch American Teen on DVD, root against USC and of course, ride your damn bicycle.

New Songs

2009-11-12T12:00:00.008-05:00

The Hessman (not the one you see to the left, that's Howard Hesseman, aka Dr. Johnny Fever) and I got together last night to nail down the finishing touches on 5 new songs.

Yes, five. I am equally impressed.

There's 2 more that aren't fully realized plus a cover or 2.

So that's like what? 15 or 20 total? I can't keep up!

No definite word on which ones will be recorded or released and which ones can or will be played live, but I would say it's a safe bet you will hear at least one performed at the show next weekend at the Champ.

So don't miss it!

We're On Another Show Question Mark

2009-07-01T11:59:00.004-04:00

This show looks pretty amazing, and for once it's not just because we're on it (these are the jokes, kids). Seriously -- there's a shit ton of good bands, and plenty of REACT! records represent, suckas!

Show July 5th

2009-06-25T15:53:00.006-04:00

Hey we're playing this with some pretty sweet bands. I think it's Overlord's record release show, and there's a couple other kick-asinine bands too. I really like The Kids United, but I'm not sure if they're still on this. Hell, I'm not really sure if any of these bands are (other than us and the usual suspects) -- can't wait to find out!

I hear there's some sports activities planned and competitive eating to be held.

But I could be wrong about that, too.

Last Week's Show = PICS!!!!!!!

2009-06-24T11:56:00.006-04:00

There's a pretty complete photo set up of last week's show at the Tower 2012 here. Thanks Pat for taking some pretty sweet shots. There's one of Hess moonstomping, Nate looking confused, and Chuck in a winter coat on the first week of summer*. Go figure.

Oh, and that shadow figure in the pic of Chuck Right is me . . . and that's as close as there is to a pic. I'm just a shadowy man on a shadowy planet, I guess.

Oh, and turns out there was a flyer made for this show, after all . . . my apologies.

*Jeff says Chuck gets a pass though for bringing the "Jewels of the Nile." I personally never got into that movie, I mean, it was really a let down compared to "Romancing the Stone."

"I know where I stand, wear my heart on my sleeve(print)"

2009-06-22T19:18:00.003-04:00

James from Times Together just started up a blog with a pretty sweet concept behind it and I was honored to be interviewed for the first entry check it out! Shirts that have flawless designs are timeless classics, it's worth it to spend some time coming up with a solid design. Also, check out the melodic hardcore that is Times Together, nice Wishingwell praise going on here. Shout out to Slaba for some artwork too! What's your fave design ever?

Show Tonight

2009-06-18T10:22:00.004-04:00

Really? Really.

No -- not that show. Evidently tonight's show wasn't cool enough for anyone to make a flyer for. So here's an oldie but a goodie.

Here's the line-up for tonight's show at the Tower 2012:

Loki (Bike-Riding Smelly-Guy HC-punk)

Basement Boys (Clevo Basement Oi!)

Masakari (Heavy Hardcore Punk)

Right Idea (Original Line-up, Fun-ness)

8PM

RIGHT IDEA s/t 7" OUT THIS SUMMER!

2009-05-11T13:52:00.011-04:00

You may have or may not have known this was in the works, but nonetheless, the European release of the self-titled EP 7" (the songs originally appeared on the demo cassette here in the states) now finally has had some details attached to it . . .

(And, yeah, I know we don't have a myspace, but it doesn't mean we don't use it -- and here's some proof of that.)

From: REFUSE RECORDS(Birds Of…) | myspace.com/refuserecords

To: * [John] John | myspace.com/johncommitted

Date: May 7, 2009 9:35 AM

Subject: RE: RE: Re: RIGHT IDEA

Body: Hello John
I got all the stuff, thanx [sic] a lot! Right Idea 7" songs are great and I'm stoked to work on this release. Tomorrow I'll go to studio to make shorter space bewteen [sic] the songs. I have to also do small correctness of my adress [sic] on the back cover, but it's just details. Everything looks very good!

I'll keep you posted about everything. I hope to have it out before end of July, on Fluff Fest in czech [sic] Republic.
Is there any shows you're playing this summer? What about Euro tour, any plans?

thanx [sic] for everything and take care!
Robertxxx

So what's that all mean? Looks like the long-awaited European release of the Right Idea self-titled EP 7" will be available this July (before the Fluff Fest July 24-26). Email Robert through the myspaces listed above or go to his site at http://refuserecords.prv.pl/ and get at him for pre-orders, etc . . .

The cover art is above, and here's the back cover:

Don't worry -- the insert will have some new and never-before seen photos, but you'll have to wait for those!

Word!

EM VEE PEEEE.

2009-05-05T10:32:00.002-04:00

None Shall Pass

2009-04-16T15:14:00.003-04:00

Why? Because We Love America!

2009-04-15T14:39:00.001-04:00

Spaceships, Toddlers, Model T. Cars & Jars of Beer

what up columbus

2009-04-14T15:03:00.002-04:00

i had the pleasure to meet and hang wit fly u the other day down at dreamlife. if yall dont know sorry. video just leaked yesterday. i dont think anyone still looks at this but if yall do this is the new new.

Fly Union - "Gold Chain" (On Credit) from Eighty81 on Vimeo.

Kenny Fucking Powers

2009-04-01T03:25:00.001-04:00

Sportsmanship...

2009-03-23T21:24:00.001-04:00

...It's overrated. Metcalf 2010!