Live Fast

Merch: Easy End Shirt

2011-11-26T19:49:00.005-05:00

I just picked up this up from Easy End Garage out of Richmond, VA. If you are not familiar with their work you need to go there and check out some of the really boss XL's and Shovels they have been building lately, along with some really good photography of their road trips. I love the design of this shirt, the peaceful country scene within the #1 outline reminds me of an early 70's rock album cover. It fits true to size and the smaller version of the logo on the front breast was a nice touch. I would tell you to go pick one up but this was the last of this batch so keep your eyes peeled for the next series from these guys. And like I always say, it pays to support those who support our culture.

EDGE DAY 2011

2011-09-27T16:41:00.003-04:00

Josh finally got the venue and details worked out. Cannot wait to see this show. See you there.

Demo: Poison Tongues

2011-09-26T17:13:00.004-04:00

Earthmover was huge for me. I probably listened to "Themes from Everyday Life" daily for about 6 months straight in 1997 so I was stoked to see that some of those guys were back with another band doing similar hardass Detroit hardcore. As expected, it consists of deep metallic riffs, some nice speed variation, monster breakdowns and Len's super vicious vocals. The track "Toughen Up" is straight up the hardest song I have heard in forever. There will ALWAYS be a difference between the people who actually invented this sound and those who came later and are simply imitating it. This is the rare real thing. Easily one of my favorite demos of the year.

Stream/Download

Merch: Vise Grip Shirt

2011-09-25T10:13:00.002-04:00

This shirt comes from Austin, Texas' own Vise Grip. Besides building some of the sweetest Sportsters and Dynas out there, they can also make a pretty tight soft good too. I love the image and font on this and can't wait to wear it. It is done on a slimmer fit Hanes tagless T, so it looks really nice. As always, support those who support our culture.

Buy: Vise Grip Store

Video: Foundation at South East Hardcore Fest

2011-09-24T08:37:00.005-04:00

Still can't believe we pulled this off. I have spent 23 years in Hardcore and never thought we would have a show in Chattanooga like this. Watch and see why Foundation are absolutely one of the best bands going.

Video: Out Crowd at South East Hardcore Fest

2011-09-23T20:40:00.003-04:00

Catch their full set and then pre Foundation encore. This band rips so hard.

Out Crowd/Written Off Split

2011-09-19T18:41:00.006-04:00

Fully authorized distribution. Awesome old style hardcore with a positive message. Download it NOW!

(post originally brought to you by the cool people over at Toxicbreed's Funhouse)

You can buy a copy at Like Glue Records. Support South Eastern Hardcore.

Mail Day: Show Class #1 Has Arrived

2011-06-11T13:32:00.005-04:00

My copy of Show Class #1 finally got here. There are no words to describe how hard I anticipated this thing. If you are into DIY bikes, photography, music, etc., this is THE magazine to get. Head on over to Show Class to see how to get yours, but hurry because it's almost completely sold out.

Coping Methods Demo

2011-04-05T18:40:00.004-04:00

Music returns to Live Fast Racing with a free download of Chattanooga punk/HC band Coping Methods new demo. Awesome in a raw, DC sort of way, I'm looking for big things out of them in 2011.

Download: Coping Methods Demo

Live Fast Returns--Mail Day

2011-04-02T18:40:00.015-04:00

Finally have enough time/desire to bring this thing back, so keep an eye out for posts every few days. Music, bikes and whatever weird pics I'm into, same as usual.

Pretty stoked on the new issue of LIMITER from Icon Motorsports

Summer Music

2010-08-14T10:22:00.007-04:00

Recent releases that I have really enjoyed.

Zoroaster - Matador
Listen

Howl - Full of Hell

Listen

Skull Crusher - Blinded By Illusion

Listen

Integrity - The Blackest Curse

Listen

Trap Them - Filth Rations

Listen

Hands Tied - Through the Wreckage

Listen

Kali Shirt

2010-07-09T17:44:00.002-04:00

I also just got this insane Kali shirt from my bud Zac over at Heavy Clothing. Just so sweet. If you want one you'd better go ahead and pull the trigger, they're going fast.

Icon Chieftan Sticker

2010-07-09T16:55:00.005-04:00

Just got this killer free sticker from the boys over at Icon. Head over to The Icon Blog to get one of your own.

Vocal Test

2010-03-29T22:04:00.001-04:00

Quick Update

2010-02-28T00:13:00.003-05:00

Just a quick word to say that we're working on the next podcast and a few other things. I hate that I don't have the time to post on here more often. Once it warms up and I can do some road trips and the dirt season starts back up, I'll have way more photos on here. The best place to find daily Live Fast Racing updates is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/livefastracing. So until then here's a picture of The Trooper.

Vintage Pic: Bobby Allison

2010-01-30T13:28:00.005-05:00

Anyone who follows me should know about my Bobby Allison obsession pretty well at this point so I was highly stoked when Rich also sent me this pic of Bobby Allison at Rockingham in 1976.

Vintage Pic: Porches at Pocono

2010-01-30T13:18:00.005-05:00

Long time reader and good friend of this site Rich sent me a couple of sweet vintage pics from Pocono. This one is an SCCA race where Porsche ran turbos for the first time in the States. The lines on these things are still beautiful.

Video: Trooper Vs. Winter Weather

2010-01-29T21:01:00.002-05:00

My rescued Pit loves pretty much everything except snow. He really has trouble processing it.

New Shop + First Project

2009-12-30T23:09:00.005-05:00

My bud Jason rented a new shop in Ringgold, GA so that he could finally have the space to work on all his lawn equipment and car projects. As soon as we had the tools put in how he wanted them we picked up this little beauty.

It's a '91 V6 T-Top in good shape and we shook it down pretty good on the drive up to the shop. It's a runner. We're thinking about doing a quickie V8 swap and drag racing it but we're listening to offers as well. If you think you might want it, let me know.

Video: Allman Bros and Warren Haynes "Old Before My Time"

2009-12-19T11:36:00.003-05:00

Says it all. More soon.

Video: Tommy West Leaves Memphis in Style

2009-11-09T20:58:00.005-05:00

For anyone who has ever doubted the absolute unwavering importance of football in the South, I bring you this clip. After last Saturday's vicious defeat at the hands of the UT Vols to the tune of 56-28, the U of Memphis showed Tommy the door, although as he will describe, until there are some changes in place, I'm not sure who they will find who can do any better. Some of his quotes are legendary in this thing so I'll let it speak for its self, and remind you that we're not even talking about an SEC school here. Video is courtesy My Fox 13 in Memphis.

Video: Eyehategod "Dixie Whiskey"

2009-10-27T20:40:00.004-04:00

Courtesy of the cool folks over at Metal Injection comes this high quality video of EHG blasting one of their all time greats. Its still amazing to me that streaming video from a crowd camera now has better sound quality than these guys' first 3 studio efforts at the least. If you're unfamiliar with their work, this is a great place to start.

EDIT: Heavy users of this site were complaining about the autoplay on this so I took it down. Check the video out on its native site here.

Review: Benelli Vinci Shotgun

2009-10-18T16:06:00.006-04:00

I finally caught a day of good weather this week and headed out to Benton Sporting Clays to break in my new Benelli Vinci shotgun. Benton Sporting Clays is a full 15 station course that has a variety of shooting situations, many of which approximate real-life hunting shots and after shooting the whole course I can't think of a better place to have gotten started with the Vinci. Before you ask, I have not had the chance to shoot the factory chokes at a pattern board yet. I realize that's something I've got to do and will do so as soon as I get the chance, but I reckon most new owners will just assemble the gun and at least experiment a little like I did anyway.

Before I even bought it, the first thing I noticed about the Vinci is how light it is and how quick it points. Although I've always liked how the other Benellis handled, they always seemed to have a heavy duty type of feel that seemed more suited for waterfowl and turkey and not much else. The Vinci definitely feels like more of an all around shotgun than the other semi-autos I have dealt with, which is why I picked it. I mostly quail hunt, with a few chances at turkey and waterfowl every so often, so what was most important to me was a lightweight gun I could carry for hours through thick upland cover, and one that pointed and swung quickly. After trying out everything that's on the market right now, the Vinci won out based on that criteria.

But, all those points wouldn't be worth anything if the Vinci didn't actually shoot well. I took three boxes of Winchester Super X High Brass 2 3/4" Game Loads in 7 1/2 shot size to the clays course to test it out. To me, the value of this kind of a test was to see how the gun would perform in field conditions similar to quail or other types of bird hunting. So, instead of shooting tiny shot through a cylinder bore choke, I shot the game loads through a modified choke, which is generally all I use in the field unless its extremely heavy cover and I go down to an improved cylinder choke. The clays course has some great hunting shots including some over tall grass, others between tight trees and finally some over water that come very close to being like the real thing. The gun pointed and followed the clays in any of these situations just as it had done in the store before I bought it, so handling-wise, it is the real deal. During the course of those 75 rounds, it had 0 failures to feed or malfunctions of any kind. Every time I pulled the trigger the gun fired and cycled exactly as designed. That alone says a lot about how far autoloading shotguns have come in the past few years.

Now, the big question, which many of you have already emailed me about before I could even get this written...the recoil. Just like everything else on the market, Benelli has made some pretty big claims about just how little this gun kicks as opposed to their older Inertia Driven models and even some of their gas-operated competition. In my experience with those lead game loads, the recoil was moderate. And I'm not sure that I would characterize it so much as recoil as I would jump. The rearward recoil force coming through the butt stock was not that bad. I was only wearing my hunting vest and a T shirt and at the end of the day my shoulder was barely red , as opposed to the purple and yellow mix my old 870 usually leaves. In the Vinci, at least in my hands, it felt more like the trigger group and forearm wanted to vertically climb more than anything else. The barrel always stayed well under control and tracking follow up shots was effortless. However, after about 50 shots the trigger guard did start leaving a blister on my shooting finger. It wasn't bad and had I been wearing gloves like I should have been, it probably wouldn't have been an issue. That said, the trade offs between some recoil and the benefits of less complexity, easier cleaning and foremost, lighter weight, seemed well worth it to me. In my mind, if a shotgun doesn't carry and point well, you're not going to get as many chances to get good shots and deal with recoil in the first place.

Finally, after shooting the gun it is as easy to breakdown and clean the gun as the literature suggests...eventually. Essentially there are only 3 parts to the Vinci, the Barrel/receiver/inertia action, the butt, and the trigger group/forearm. Once you figure out the secret to twisting the forearm cap to assemble or break down the shotgun, you've got it made. But getting there can be a challenge. One of my only complaints about the Vinci is that for what it costs (around $1300 in camo), the owner's manual feels extremely cheap and at times, isn't as clear as it could be. At this price point, an instructional DVD would be the appropriate way to do the owner's guide and maintenance instructions. Until there's one out there, I'd suggest any Vinci buyers have the salesperson show you how to precisely line up the forearm to stock assembly step a couple of times to save you some frustration at home. That said, everything else is flawless components wise. The shims used to adjust length of pull couldn't be easier to use and the shotgun is included with 5 crio choke tubes (C, IC, M, IM, F) and a really nice T handled choke wrench that lets you change them out in about 10 seconds. Even the case it comes in is made of good quality plastic and is durable enough to carry the gun to and from the field.

So, am I happy with the Vinci? In a word, yes. For me, it is exactly what I wanted in an autoloading shotgun. Is it the gun for everyone? Maybe not. If you are looking for an ultra-low recoil gun, you will want a heavier, gas-operated semi-auto. If you are a waterfowl or turkey fanatic who HAS to have the ability to use 3.5" shells, you might look elsewhere in the Benelli line. However, for someone like me who is primarily a bird hunter who wants the ability to do it all when they get the chance, this is the gun for it. It's light, it's got a fast and natural feeling point and it will reliably cycle a multitude of lead and steel game loads for a variety of game. Until I get good enough to demand a gun for every single discipline of hunting, the versatile Vinci will be what I have.

Email Questions or Comments to: Johnny

Video: Athens Buck Commander Bow

2009-10-16T22:11:00.002-04:00

Holy smokes. There's a video ad out now for the new http://www.athensarchery.com/buckcommander.html"> Buck Commander Bow By Athens Archery. This video is like one sludge riff away from complete and total perfection. It has everything. Lately I've been wanting another bow and was leaning towards a solo cam, but after this I definitely won't buy until I've tested one of these.

Podcast: Live Fast Racing #26 is Up

2009-10-15T19:20:00.003-04:00

Well, I never though it would happen, but we shook off the cobwebs and did another one. NASCAR, WSBK, bikes and a Flav-less F1 are the topics. Enjoy.

Listen: Live Fast Podcast #26

Johnny

Music: Steel Nation "Forever Wounded"

2009-10-13T16:46:00.005-04:00

While I'm out of the business of doing long form album reviews on here for good, every now and again something comes down the road that's worth mentioning. The new full length "Forever Wounded" from PA's Steel Nation is definitely worth a look. This is the first thing I've heard from them and after repeated listens, it reminds me of a cross between the older BFL bands' material (especially MUSHMOUTH) and some 90's Clevo stuff like RINGWORM, minus a little bit of the metal. The title track just absolutely owns it from the intro on. Everything is tight on here, the vocals kill and honestly it was cool just to get to hear some no pretension/no hype hardcore for a change. Do not sleep on Steel Nation.

And for a limited time, you can stream the ENTIRE album for free at the band's label Double or Nothing Records. Listen HERE.

Video: 2010 MV Agusta Brutale Walk Around and Street Ride

2009-10-13T15:23:00.005-04:00

Tor over at Raptors and Rockets has already gotten his videos up from the 2010 Brutale press launch. Check out this walk around and highlights from his street test. This has got to be the best sounding 4 I've heard in a long, long time.

Video: 2010 MV Agusta Brutale

2009-10-11T17:28:00.003-04:00

And following up one Italian masterpiece with another, we have the promo video for the new 2010 MV Agusta Brutale. As usual, it's completely mind-blowing. The last generation Brutale was the nicest bike I've ever ridden and I'm sure this is just an improvement on that. Amazing.

Finally...The Benelli Vinci

2009-09-19T14:55:00.009-04:00

After nearly a year of anticipation, all the waiting, overtime and weeks of tracking down somebody that had them in stock finally paid off. I got exactly the one I wanted. 26" barrel, Advantage Max 4 with a 3" chamber. I plan on doing everything from skeet, dove, quail, duck and even turkey with it. I still love my old 870, but a long stroke pump like that just isn't near as quick on double birds as a semi auto will be. Boom. Boom. Boom.

You can learn more about the Vinci here: Benelli Vinci Site

New Southern Steel Trailer

2009-08-29T10:06:00.001-04:00

This doc looks like it's totally going to own. More later.

Still Alive

2009-07-31T05:50:00.003-04:00

Been forever since I've updated. I still haven't had the time to do much, but until then, here's a pic from when the Lucas Oil Dirt Late Model Series came to Cleveland Speedway last month. It was a blast and I can't wait for them to come back. We're still working on another podcast that I hope will be done sooner rather than later.

Back Soon

2009-06-13T14:56:00.004-04:00

We're working on the next podcast and a few other things that will appear shortly as well as pulling some insane hours at the day job. I had to break away and hit the water this weekend. Me and my bud both limited out. See you soon.

Johnny

Live Fast Racing Podcast #25

2009-05-18T17:04:00.003-04:00

Alright, we're back in business just in time for the Memorial Day weekend. You know the drill...this time we've got NASCAR, IRL, F1, WSBK, MotoGP and even a little bit of street bike chatter on the end. Hope you like it and let us know what you think.

LISTEN: Live Fast Racing Podcast #25

Johnny

Spring Joy, Osa Kaksi

2009-04-22T21:10:00.003-04:00

And for our second installment of Salmiakki tasting, we have this interesting offering from Fazer. It is quite a different flavor than the Halva. It is a moodier and much more complex flavor. Instead of the initial, over the top ammonium chloride blast of Halva, Fazer takes on a more holistic, mellow, almost savory flavor that lasts throughout the taste experience. In this case, the saltiness more or less compliments the licorice/anise flavor and while there are still some sweet notes, and certainly more than there were in Halva, it still is far and away much less candy-like than American licorice, even if the texture is close to it. I'd think between the two, Fazer is a much better choice for the Salmiakki virgin and honestly was good enough I'd like to put it in my regular rotation. Excellent.

Spring Joy

2009-04-19T16:54:00.002-04:00

It has been a while since I've done a foreign candy tasting on here so I was thrilled when my man xMarkusx threw in a couple of boxes of Salmiakki with the Ill Omen shirt he sent me last week. As far as Salmiakki goes, this kind, Halva, is like a text book example. The texture is semi soft and there are three distinct phases to the flavor. When you first bite in, it is overwhelmingly salty, then switches to an intensely smokey flavor I'd put somewhere near the old Copenhagen Hickory Long Cut and then it finishes semi-sweet with plenty of authentic anise/licorice flavor. While my wife and my dad recoiled in horror from this stuff, I think it's been some of the best licorice I've ever tasted, and so far the best Salmiakki I've ever had, although I'll be doing another test later in the week. Try some of this, it's way better than the overly sweet, corn syrup laden stuff that passes for licorice these days.

Video: Wolverine Blues, Pettibone Edition

2009-04-11T09:49:00.002-04:00

Killer video here of John Pettibone (HIMSA, UNDERTOW, THE VOWS) doing Entombed's epic "Wolverine Blues" with CONVERGE as the back up band. Truly a show I wish I'd been at.

Live Fast Racing Podcast #24: The Return

2009-04-09T20:13:00.003-04:00

Ok, without a lot of boring details and self pity, we just couldn't stand not doing the show so we're trying to bring it back. Here's our first stab at it. Hope you like it and be sure and leave comments.

LISTEN: Live Fast Racing Podcast #24

Johnny

Video: Almost Free

2009-04-03T22:14:00.002-04:00

Here's an amazing new vid from pro skater and owner of 4Q Conditioning Max Schaaf taking one of his latest bikes to Southern California and bike. Besides it being a completely sick ride, the filming and music are top notch on this.

Vintage Indy Car Pics

2009-03-30T20:40:00.004-04:00

In preparation for the kick off of the Indy Car Season this Sunday in St. Pete, here's a couple of killer pics from one of my readers of one of A.J. Foyt's old cars. It was truly from the era where men were men and exhausts were exhausts.

If they replaced the current stinkbugs with something half this sexy, something says they'd have a whole lot more eyes back on them.

Crucial Read

2009-03-26T20:51:00.002-04:00

Simply put, you CANNOT miss this piece Jeff wrote over at My Name is IRL. In the midst of the IRL's swoon over the Barber PR machine's latest predictable attempt at "if you come here we'll fix the track" empty promise, Jeff has laid out the best timeline of the shenanigans that have gone on down there for the last decade and specifically addresses why there are no MotoGP and WSBK events there. Somehow all the serious motojournalists like Robin Miller, Oreo, Despain, Noyes or whoever never thought about (or were convinced otherwise?) questioning the monolithic wall of fiction that comes out of that place but a simple word butcher sacked up and sought the truth in less than a week. In fact, this may be one of the most well researched pieces I've ever seen on any type of enthusiast blog. Read it NOW.

Back With Some Music

2009-03-23T19:36:00.007-04:00

It's been a killer month as far as overtime and illness goes this March but I'm definitely going to be better about posting in the future. Other than WSBK, racing has sucked so bad this year that there has not been much to talk about anyway. But, instead of just a boring update about how I'm doing, here's 3 quick music picks from albums that came back a few months ago that I never got the time to do full reviews on. All three are seriously worth your time.

First up is Soilent Green's latest that came out a while back, Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction. While, I've been on board with these guys since the first EP on Relapse and basically love everything they've done, this completely tops any previous outings. The schizo breaks between groove, sludge and grind are still there and still at like 1000mph but there's an overall cohesion to this that everything else they've done has lacked. Just completely solid swamp metal. I thought the cover was a little different for them, but anything that serves as a reminder of The City Of Lost Children is good in my book. Totally underrated masterpiece here.

LISTEN: Soilent Green on Myspace

Next up is NEUROSIS co-frontman Steve Von Till's 3rd Solo work (4th counting Harvestman, for the nitpickers) entitled A Grave is a Grim Horse. Although this album continues in his usual arc of very sparsely arranged acoustic ballads centering on isolation and rebirth of the monolithic spirit, it also incorporates some more modern, almost alt country elements. The steel guitar on "Willow Tree" and "Western Son" were downright Austin City Limits, were the subject matter not so unflinchingly dark. This was a well-fitting and needed update to where he has been going the last few years.

Finally we have the much anticipated DISFEAR/DOOMRIDERS split out on Deathwish Inc. For as good as "Live the Storm" was, the DISFEAR track "Fear and Trembling" on this is just so much better. While it retains the complex song structure and melody that their last album had, it also returns to their grittier, more bass heavy MOTORHEAD type sound that just totally crushes. It's like the riff on this track explodes and rebuilds itself like three times. Completely unreal. The DOOMRIDERS track stays with their usual BLACK FLAG+DANZIG+THIN LIZZY thing that you either are either down with or not by now, although I have to admit this track went a little long even for me. Regardless, you should get this just for the DISFEAR track alone so just count the 'Riders as bonus material.

LISTEN: Deathwish Inc. Audio Player

Video: Floorpunch

2009-03-05T19:52:00.002-05:00

Another classic from Hate 5 Six.

Floorpunch - Stick Together + Not For Me + Shottsie from hate5six productions on Vimeo.

Music Review: Ill Omen "It's Getting Colder Demo"

2009-02-25T20:22:00.004-05:00

OK, I've been meaning to get back to music reviews for a while now and I can't think of a better one to start back with than my bro Markus's new band, ILL OMEN. You heard a couple of their songs on the last ever Live Fast Racing Podcast #23 and judging from the response I got there, a ton of you were into them, and deservedly so. These guys have that thick and heavy Finnish hardcore thing down cold. The most obvious comparison you could make would be to Finnish stalwarts DOWN MY THROAT, and while ILL OMEN probably aren't quite that directly metal, the riffs definitely tend towards that just super heavy style with shouted vocals over the top of it. At other places in the demo, these guys also seem to have sort of a REIGN SUPREME thing going. I don't know if it's the fast pacing and stuff or how Markus lays the shouted, but not growled vocals over the top of the beat or what, but I can definitely hear it in a couple of places. I pretty much dug all the tracks but the break at the end of Night Falls and the middle of The Legacy were probably my favorite parts of the whole demo. Somehow they came off with sort of a mid 90's distortion effect on the guitar tone that was so tough but at the same time these guys showed enough restraint not to overuse it and dull it out. There wasn't anything bad or throw away on here and aside from the usual issues you have with demos like varying recording levels and a scant few other inconsistencies, it was damn near perfect and all with no overdone hype or fake tough guy posturing either. I don't listen to a whole lot of new HC these days, so believe me when I tell you it is worth your time to check these guys out. I can't wait to hear more.

LISTEN: Ill Omen on Myspace

AUTHORIZED DOWNLOAD: Ill Omen "It's Getting Colder" Demo

Podcast: Rumblestrip Radio #92

2009-02-23T20:45:00.003-05:00

OK, not that there's ever a time when you shouldn't be checking out Rumblestrip Radio, I do have to say that this last episode is simply a mandatory listen. Out of the gate the Duke scores a great interview with British rider Chaz Davies that actually gets into some racing background and some of the business stuff that went on behind the scenes this year in the AMA and BSB series. Honestly this is the first serious interview I've ever seen or heard done with Chaz and it also mercifully avoided an attempt to play on the corny "fish out of water Englishman in America" type theme everybody else did that really wore then. As if that weren't enough, the Duke then drops back and delivers a complete knockout with an interview with Motorcycle Broadcasting and Speed TV personality Dave Despain. Now, to be fair, I've been pretty hard on Despain lately, although I think many of his problems have been brought on by the lame one hour format he had to go to, but he let's fly with some vintage opinion in this interview and then some. It's like an hour of unfiltered, old time Despain with enough dirt track stories to make it well worth your time. So, while all the other podcasts are either MIA or regurgitating pre-season testing, do yourself a huge favor and get some much-needed substance with the RSR #92.

LISTEN: Rumblestrip Radio #92

Picture: Behold the Ravages of Time

2009-02-21T15:46:00.003-05:00

I've been kinda down lately and not posting so much but I had to share this. I noticed the 2009 Press Pass was out the other day and picked up a pack on a whim and lo and behold pulled this gem of a Tony Stewart subset insert. This pic was from his first win in NASCAR at Richmond in 1999. It hardly looks like the same guy. In his defense though, Tony has gone on to do a lot since then and I really do want to see him do well with his Chevy team.

Video: Mind Field

2009-02-16T20:10:00.001-05:00

Yet another piece of artwork from AW. Cannot wait to see all of this.

The Three Best Hardcore Revival Albums from the Early 2000's

2009-02-12T20:40:00.004-05:00

Just no way to argue with these. Even though the members from all these bands have gone on to do some awesome stuff since or even currently, these albums were like the nexus of their greatness. The Promise were just tragically short-lived. The world needed 3 more albums from those guys at least.

Podcast: Johnny Appears on Fast Machines Once Again

2009-02-09T20:01:00.004-05:00

Hey, somehow I made it onto the Fast Machines show again. It's always great being on there and this time we got into plenty of F1, NASCAR and MotoGP talk for the preseason. Check it out.

Listen: Fastmachines Podcast #22

Video: Anointed

2009-02-04T22:26:00.002-05:00

Top Three Viking Metal Albums

2009-02-03T20:22:00.004-05:00

Ok, maybe I should rephrase as "Top 3 Viking Metal Albums for Dilettantes Into the Genre Enough to Enjoy It, but Not Have a Chubby Girlfriend Who Weaves Chainmail." In chronological order, here are your three must haves.

Podcast: Johnny Appears on Fast Machines

2009-01-29T20:57:00.002-05:00

I guess we can count "retirement" as one of my weaker areas. After only about a week after I announced my self-imposed exile from the internet airwaves I appeared on the first show for the new season of the Fast Machines podcast. It looks like I may be on there some more this season, so for those of you who dig what I do, I'll be sure and let you know when that's gonna be. Doing Fast Machines is always a blast, Chris and Josh are always great to deal with and it still amazes me the amount of content they can cram into such a short show, which we definitely got in here. I also got some time to explain why the Live Fast Podcast had to end so abruptly and bike fans, my 2009 racing material has started, so be sure to check it out.

Listen: Fast Machines Episode #21

Johnny

Video: Sourvein

2009-01-28T20:51:00.002-05:00

Got too posi in here for a minute. Dedicated to the abject pleasure that was today.

The Three Best Hardcore Revival Albums from the 1990's

2009-01-26T20:44:00.005-05:00

I'll openly admit to being way too involved in the sloppy open chord crap that dominated hardcore in the mid to late 90's and it's a shame that the whole traditional hardcore revival thing that was going strong on the East Coast was sadly ignored in the Midwest and South for the most part. Somehow or another a though a few of those records broke through and found their way in my collection and musical conscientiousness forever. I still rock all of these all the time, which I can't say for Excessive Force or Green Rage. And if you don't think this kind of music belongs with bikes and hot rods, you're out of your fucking mind.

Live Fast Racing Podcast #23 -- Final Episode

2009-01-20T21:18:00.003-05:00

Well, the much vaunted 2009 Street Bike Special is done and has been posted. I'm really proud of this show. I think it sets an all time length record, even for us, but when you're talking motorcycles we could have probably gone on even longer. There's a ton of great stuff out there this year so listen in and get our hits and misses for the year. Also we have music this time around from my man xMarkusx new band Ill Omen. Although they haven't been around long, these Turku natives have the whole BURLY Finnish HC thing down cold and are a welcome change to the usual classical or techno music we usually have. Check those guys out and download their demo, it's worth it.

All this good stuff is actually a little bittersweet in that this will be the last Live Fast Racing podcast. When we started this thing we had no idea how far it would go or how big it would get and now a year and a half and 23 episodes later, I'm still amazed. We had a total blast doing it and NONE of that would have been successful without you guys. Unfortunately, due to some other commitments and time constraints, it's just not going to be possible to do the show anymore. I hate that it worked out like this but that's just the flow of things sometimes. I'm still going to be doing this site full time and will probably end up appearing on some other casts from time to time as well. So, thank you to all the guests and friends of this show, it's been unreal and I'll see you on the highway.

LISTEN: Live Fast Podcast #23

Johnny

Video: Cro Mags 12/26/08

2009-01-20T20:18:00.003-05:00

Speaking of the Bad Brains, here's the Cro Mags doing "Banned in DC" last December in Philly. Video is courtesy of the very cool Hate 5 Six Productions. I hope when I hit 46 I have half the fire that JJ does.

Cro-Mags - Banned in DC (Bad Brains) from hate5six productions on Vimeo.

Video: Bad Brains Movie

2009-01-20T19:39:00.002-05:00

Even though this looks like mostly newer concert footage, just because of who it is and who they talk to this looks like an automatic must see.

Bad Brains_teaser

Three Mandatory Albums

2009-01-13T20:42:00.004-05:00

Everybody is doing this lately so I thought I'd start a weekly feature that looked at three albums in a particular category and then we could have a little debate/discussion type thing in the comments. However, the greatness of these three is completely beyond debate or discussion.

Boyds Speedway Relaunches Website

2009-01-13T20:14:00.005-05:00

The crew over at Boyds Speedway have finally gotten their website fixed to reflect all the changes that took place at the track during 2008. While they're still getting everything nailed down, the site does have the finalized 2009 rules package as well as the next couple of races listed including the Boyd's Blast $5,000 to win Super Late Model race sponsored by Mid-Nite Oil Racing Fuel on January 24th, 2009. This was scheduled and canceled about 3 times last year and they're finally going to get it in and on a Saturday afternoon no less. The racing at Boyds has gotten way better since the rebuild and new surface and if this cool, wet weather continues we'll probably see some record speeds getting dropped. For some of the best (and only) dirt racing going on this January don't miss the Boyd's Blast in a couple of weeks.

Video: Harley Davidson XR1200

2009-01-12T19:55:00.012-05:00

Wrapping up the new bike vids for 2009 will be this European ad for the new to the United States Harley-Davidson XR1200. This is the bike many of us have been begging HD to make for years to replace the old XL1200S that never made it back after the whole XL line was redone in 2004. Besides its impeccable dirt track looks, it does seem to have decent suspension and the kind of dual front brakes many of us wanted to see for a while. The reviews have been mixed on this, some saying it's the rebirth of HD for a whole new generation, others saying it's just another tarted up XL. While I haven't ridden it yet, I can at least say from a looks and functionality department, they've scored. Whether it's worth around $11k on the sticker, I'll need to ride it to see.

And speaking of the old Sportster XL1200, here's someone putting one to good use in a Motocross (!) event. Talk about nailing the true essence of the Sporty.

2009 Indy Car Season Predictions

2009-01-10T19:58:00.003-05:00

You didn't see any updates here the second half of this week because I was working on a BIG project that finally got posted today over at Pressdog. Bill got together the best and brightest of the Open Wheel Blogosphere™ (and then me) for this epic article where we all give our Top 5 predictions for the 2009 Indy Car season. It was a blast to write this stuff and I am still completely humbled/in awe of sharing a "byline" of sorts with names like Curt Cavin and Robin Miller. Huge thanks are in order to the Pressdog for inviting me over to this little clambake. So head on over there immediately and take in what we all feel to be the inevitable results of the 2009 Indy Car Series season.

Pressdog Article: Big Hairy Audacious Predictions

Music Review: Hank 3 "Damn Right Rebel Proud"

2009-01-06T19:35:00.003-05:00

Much like the man who made it, this album is completely all over the place. Right in line with the flea market T shirt artwork you see above, it's pretty clear that is is the kind of thing that most of you are either gonna love or hate right off the bat. Although parts of this are probably more approachable than anything on "Straight to Hell" was, it's still a pretty scattered. The actual audio production was probably the most mainstream sounding of anything he's done. It wasn't overly 50's like his earlier stuff and didn't sound like it was recorded in a truck camper like the last one did either. This time out it's just sort of a clean, 70's outlaw honky tonk sort of sound that's on the clear side. His voice does sound a bit fuller and more complete this time around as well, which was of benefit because when he really tries, it's a hell of an instrument. The Grand Ole Opry (Ain't So Grand) opens the album in a blaze of glory. It's a typically fast-paced name check Hank 3 song that (rightly) addresses the hypocrisy of the Grand Ole Opry making big bucks off of the legacy of people they have used and abused, most principally Hank's grandfather, who has shockingly never formally been reinstated after all these years. As per usual, the album generally alternates between hell raisin' anthems like Wild and Free and Me and My Friends mixed with down and out type stuff like Stoned and Alone and the ultra depressing Candidate for Suicide. While this rapid sort of up and down may seem jarring to some, it probably only comes natural for someone living this sort of lifestyle. Honesty this probably the best way to do this kind of thing, because it shows both sides of what this kind life is like, which is rare and when done right is basically the apex of good country music. My favorite track was easily H8 Line, which was genius on so many levels. It must have 80 audio tracks going on at once. There's everything from a dixie horn to trains to organs, washboards and harmonicas, to about 20 vocal tracks that range from man, woman and what sounds like a hound dog. It is just an amazingly abstract audio collage of the entire Hank III experience over the last decade that just has to be heard to be understood. "Damn Right and Rebel Proud" only produced a couple of misses for me. The first was P.F.F., a tribute to the late G.G. Allin. Without getting into a whole thing about it, that kind of subject matter is never gonna win big points with me. On top of that the song is insanely formatted so that there are two versions of it within the same track. The first is a breakneck 100mph affair that's pretty forgettable but the second, more slowed down version has a great deal more merit, if you feel like holding out for it. The second big miss immediately followed in the very odd Three Shades of Black. On its face, this isn't a bad song and it has earned a deserved place in many of 3's live sets, but something about the arrangement and the recording didn't make it through. It ends up sounding like some kind of fourth rate psychobilly TIGER ARMY clone or some such. It really misses the warmer "honky tonk" feel of the rest of the album. Fortunately, it was followed by the surprisingly strong album closer Workin' Man, a duet with guitar tech Bob Wayne that channels the grit and if you can believe it, social consciousness of somebody like STEVE EARLE. It was well played and extremely well thought out lyrically and I'd love to see more of this side of 3 in the future. So, in the end it's a mixed effort, as is everything else he's ever done. He is a person who is deliberately capable of doing very great and very low things and seemingly even does both at once at times. I think at this point in his career you're either going to love or hate what he does. In the end, as much as I wanted to pick a couple of these songs apart, I'd still have to say I think this is yet another legendary 3 album. It serves as a reminder of his power to do exactly what he wants in (at times) as selfish and bizarre a way as possible and still hook even jaded critics like me. The best country album I've heard since his last one.

Listen: Hank 3 on Myspace

Video: 2009 GSXR 1000 K9

2009-01-05T21:17:00.003-05:00

I'm kind of winding down the new model year videos on here but my efforts wouldn't be complete without providing you a glimpse into the intensity that is the German launch of the 2009 Suzuki GSXR 1000. Sure, this has the requisite color washes and operatic music that all sportbike ads have of late, but there's a certain order to the way the rider mounts the bike and then has every single aspect of the design explained in a meticulous way that is rather...Teutonic. Enjoy.

Live Fast Racing Podcast #22

2008-12-30T13:28:00.005-05:00

We'd been planning to get out this special "Holiday Edition" show for a couple of weeks but schedules and illness prevented that from happening until now. We have some big specials coming up next month, starting with our annual street bike show, so we dedicated this one to some off season stuff around the racing world and then focused on a couple of big issues that you the listeners have been asking us about. For everybody who wanted to know what we thought about some of the recent programming changes at SPEED or what the 2009 AMA Superbike paddock might look like...this is your show. As always, we had a blast doing this one and enjoyed the more informal tone the off-season provides us...right down to ending the show with what was inarguably 2008's greatest highlight, at least as far as Live Fast was concerned. Hope everyone enjoys this 'cast and we'll be back real soon with the streetbike show. Have a great (and safe) New Years and see you in 2009!

LISTEN: Live Fast Racing Podcast #22

Johnny

P.S. It looks like the story we discussed about Carlos Slim and Telmex getting involved with the Honda F1 Team may not have been a done deal, as per this story. Even with that denial, this is still F1, so we're taking a "wait and see" approach until further comment, although this deal still seems to make some sense.

Christmas Joy

2008-12-29T15:25:00.004-05:00

Among my presents this year was this king-sized "Plopp" bar. Apparently, my sis and brother in law got it in Denmark last month. Aside from the bizarre/hilarious name, it was actually pretty good and the filling (although not the toffee the wrapper promised) was sort of like the syrup that is in chocolate covered cherries but maybe a little cleaner tasting. Next to the delicacy that is salmiakki, this is probably my favorite Scandinavian candy now.

Belated Holiday Greetings

2008-12-28T19:34:00.004-05:00

Hey everybody. Sorry for the lack of updates last week, the 3 B's, back, bursitis and burnout have kinda had me down over the last couple of days. Things should get back to normal this week. Until then, feast your eyes on the nastiest bike ever to be ridden in the dirt in anger and have a great holiday.

Video: 2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R

2008-12-21T14:46:00.002-05:00

Of all of the classy, high end videos that have come out for the 2009 sport bikes, Kawasaki flat has the best one. Between the operatic intro and black and white to green color saturation, this one is just a notch above the others and possesses an ephemeral feel that is almost truly like riding a sport bike in a sense. Based on reports elsewhere, the bike is a classic Kawi combo of raw power and streetability, so hopefully it does well for them in what will be a tough sales year. I know I can't wait to check one out.

Video: Miller Motosports Park WSBK 2009 Promo

2008-12-20T09:04:00.004-05:00

Miller Motorsports Park has released this video of clips from their wildly successful 2008 World Superbike weekend to promote the upcoming 2009 event there. From everything I've heard, and now seen, they did a great job with it last year and are looking to go even bigger this time around. Now that the AMA series is completely in the tank, this will be our only chance to see real Superbikes in action here in the States this year. Start booking those flights now.

Music Review: Victims "Killer"

2008-12-18T19:49:00.006-05:00

This Swedish trio have been kicking around a while and finally seem to be getting the attention they've deserved for a long time. Their last album, "Divide and Conquer" on Havoc Records was an outstanding album that had a more purely old American hardcore sound, which was a little different for a Swedish band but it really worked well. For whatever reason it was really overlooked which is a shame because it is well worth your time. I don't know if it has been the resurgence of the popularity of D beat in general or just how epic DISFEAR's "Live the Storm" was, but more people seem to be paying attention to and appreciating this kind of stuff and the latest release from VICTIMS is very worthy of some space in that spotlight. "Killer" takes their HC roots and D beat prowess up a notch, but in much less of the rocked out way that DISFEAR did earlier this year. Since comparisons to that genre-defining work are inevitable, "Killer" matches "Live the Storm" punch for punch in outright originality and unbelievable recording quality. 10 years ago I would have never believed that "Dis" bands would sound as good or better than any major label rock band these days. The lo fi thing was cool for a long time but it got worn out and actually being able to hear and understand what's going on goes a long way in furthering where this type of music can go. Unlike "Live the Storm", which had almost a bright aspect to it in places, "Killer" kept everything very clear but still had a dark, gritty undertone to it that kept it a little more within the well-established bounds of the genre. From the songwriting standpoint, there was a lot of variation, and good use of melodic guitar work where it was warranted, but it wasn't jammed into every single song. As the old paean says, "discretion is the better part of valor" and that's definitely true with cramming too much melody into something that's supposed to sound like the aftermath of World War 3. For the most part, the song formats were typical for this type of thing, the longest track clocked in at just over two and a half minutes and there were prominent DISCHARGE and MOTORHEAD influences all over the place. There were some variations in speed as well as some straight up American 2 step breaks in tracks like Victims in Blood #5 that fit what they were shooting for nicely. With songs that are this quick and executed this well, it was hard to pick up everything good on the first couple of listens but one thing that stood out every single time I listed to this was the absolute THIN LIZZY worshiping guitar solo that ended the Killing. It was simply beyond amazing and lent a huge sound to the song in just the right place and somehow managed to sound like it belonged there. Honestly I felt the purchase price was completely justified for that simple thirty seconds of sheer guitar genius. The rest of the album follows suit and there just are no weak points or throwaways. If "Live the Storm" pushed this genre to new heights, "Killer" is the textbook example of how to do it the traditional way perfectly. And as you can plainly see above, the Ryan Patterson cover art looked great and fit the feel of this perfectly. Right now the album is available on vinyl from friend of Live Fast Havoc and on CD (if you can find it) on Combat Rock Industry. "Killer" will also be re-released here in the States in February on their new label, Deathwish Inc, so check one of those places out. I'm still in awe that music like this is finally getting the recognition and respect it has long deserved and when it's done this will, it justifies every bit of the hype it's getting right now. Easily an Album of the Year Contender.

Listen: Victims on Myspace

Music Review: Bloodclot "Burn Babylon Burn"

2008-12-17T21:25:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite things about this year has been the public re-emergence of one time CRO MAGS frontman John Joseph and his dropping of a few new projects on us. Unlike so many other people from that golden era of NYHC, JJ isn't attempting to relive something from 20 years ago but is actually making an honest effort to do some new and relevant things. Coinciding with the release of this year's "Evolution of a Cro Magnon" autobiography (which is one of the best books I've EVER read and hope to review here soon) John Joseph has embarked on a new musical project in BLOODCLOT! as well. First up, the music itself has some great thick, BIOHAZARD-esque music going on (not surprising since it has ex members of BIOHAZARD, as well as PRO PAIN and MERAUDER) that is very reminiscent of that early 1990's metallic HC cross over type thing where metallic HC still had some groove feel here and there rather than an over-reliance on "brutal" open chords. The guitars have a nice crunchy tone and the drum work was completely outstanding throughout...I mean it never missed. While almost everything was above average, "Burn Babylon Burn" was probably at its best in tracks where there were some tempo change ups like Straight Jacket and Asleep at the Wheel. For some reason, when they'd change up the chord patterns there, it just really worked. Vocally it stays pretty consistent with JJ's trademark screaming style but there is some sung stuff on here that kind of reminds me of John's other projects like BOTH WORLDS as well. That singing seems to be kind of a love it or hate it type arrangement with a lot of folks but I have to say that it works pretty well here. When you're dealing with these kind of groovy riffs they would likely get a little repetitive without the higher sung vocals adding some top end range in places. The distance between the modes of his screams, shouts and sings are also good points for transition within the songs. This is used to effect throughout the album, be it with the more rocked out fills in tracks like Parallel Lives or the much heavier Seeds of Destruction. The only slight nit I have to pick on the whole album was that the mix was a tad low. While that did impart a thicker, more mashed up sound for the guitars, sometimes it was a tad muddy and at others, hard to pick out what they were doing with leads and such. It wasn't a real deal breaker though. Lyrically it went about where you thought it would with the title and cover art being what they were. Although not overtly political, it definitely covers an anti New World Order/pro freedom type platform, with JJ's own Krsna/Rasta overtones sprinkled throughout. While maybe not being completely life changing, they were pretty worthwhile thoughts and so much better than the wallowing in self-pity/promotion you see many "older" bands slip into. So again, while it maybe won't be the next hype thing, this was an absolutely solid record and honestly was a great way to relive some of that harder 90's stuff and remember how good JJ's pipes are when he's really into it.

Listen: Bloodclot on Myspace

Shirt Review: Lamb of God "Congregation" Year 3

2008-12-15T20:09:00.003-05:00

It's been forever since I've done one of these and just like with the music reviews, I've got a bit of a backlog built up that I need to clear out. Maybe if there's anybody out there doing any last minute holiday shopping for the hardcore/metal/race fan in their lives, I can be a source of what to look out for. Today's selection comes from American metal stalwarts Lamb of God. While my tastes generally run a bit more towards the esoteric and I'm probably not the biggest or most pure metal guy out there, I do know what I like and LoG are one of the few bands who do straight up American metal 100% the right way. They also do band merch really well and offer a ton of choices up in the shirt department. But the best deal going has to be if you join The Congregation, which is their fan club of sorts and online community. Besides getting advance access to studio footage, concert dates and exclusive contests (one of which I won and will feature in a later post), you get a limited members only shirt and patch each year that you join or renew. And the best part of this is that all that stuff costs less than just a shirt would be after shipping. So even if you're not as much into the "insider" info aspect of the purchase, that's still a pretty killer deal.

This year's shirt is tied with the first year's for my favorite. I love this design. The theme is always a demon/goat/priest thing but this year the playing card design took it up a level. Although this is one of the better shirt photos I've done lately, it still doesn't do full justice to how good that scratchy, chaotic detail looks or how intensely the red pops off the background. The shirt was printed on a Delta Pro Weight, which isn't my favorite brand, but it turned out to be pretty solid. It's a thinner material than some screen print brands, but it came broken in and sized perfectly so I was more than happy with the quality and wear. So, if you're even a casual LoG fan looking for a killer looking and collectible shirt, do yourself a favor and join The Congregation. Sure, it may seem a little fanboy at first, but you never have to check out that other stuff if you don't want (although you'd be an idiot not to) and there's even some racing talk on the messageboard. Completely worth it.

Video: Aprilia RSV4

2008-12-14T15:27:00.003-05:00

I can't think of a bike that's caused a bigger buzz this model year than Aprilia's new RSV4. And the hype seems entirely justified as a manic 200+ horsepower, 1000cc V4 should turn some heads. This bike was purpose-built for Aprilia's return to WSBK in 2009 but will also be available in street trim sometime next year. As with all the new bikes I've featured this year, it's got its own sound and presence that you just have to see. And you just have to love that signature booming Aprilia exhaust cannon hanging off the right hand side.

This next video focuses more on how the street version will look. The Black/Blue/Red combo at the beginning is just a mind blower and probably the best stock Aprilia paint scheme I've ever seen (which I realize isn't saying all that much of late). I also think the music in this will fall WELL within most Live Fast Racing readers' tastes as well, haha.

And this last one is Mad Max Biaggi putting the RSV4 through its paces at the new Portimao track following the season-ending WSBK round there. This is a great clip because it's got the exhaust going from idle to full tilt take off and then a look at what kind of lean angles they are able to get out of the bike. I can't wait to see what Max and Shinya are able to do with this thing when it is being run in anger.

Video: Big Timber

2008-12-10T20:57:00.003-05:00

Say whatever you want about these guys, there's no getting around the fact that 1. Pettibone still has an amazing set of pipes and 2. this is the best video since Kylesa's "Hollow Severer." You know the puppet people were like "You want a what now?" Amazing.

Music Review: Arson Anthem "Self Titled"

2008-12-09T21:44:00.004-05:00

As a rule I'm not into the whole "supergroup" thing all that much but I do have to admit that in the past the pairing of Anselmo and Hank 3 did give us two near perfect SUPERJOINT RITUAL albums. And then when you add the godfather of sludge in EYEHATEGOD's legendary frontman Mike Williams into the mix ARSON ANTHEM became something I knew I'd have to check out. What I found going on here was actually kind of surprising. Instead of monstrous metal riffs or droned out sludge rides, this is pretty much a straight up hardcore record. And while it would be easy to just write this off as "sludge guys playing D beat" the reality is so much more complex than that. There are so many little things that go on here that just take this record completely over the top. Some of the tracks do sound like nearly pure D beat, for example the aptly titled Bunker Life cuts loose with a distorted bass intro and shrieking guitar lead that sounds like it is straight off of a MOB 47 album and then to make it even better it switches up a bit with a killer early NYHC type breakdown ending. Other tracks of note were Wrecked Like Clockwork, which had more of a NEGATIVE APPROACH early American HC thing going for it, especially in the guitars while The Avoider would instantly drop shift from the speed into BLACK SABBATH level slow parts that just sort of meandered and almost made you forget what you had just heard. Mike Williams' vocals are completely perfect for this style of music. He has just the right kind of scream for hardcore that avoids any kind of silly, overly metal gurgles that could have killed the feel of this whole thing. What is here is really fierce, but much more related to a punk vocal style. However good the first seven tracks were, and they were great, nothing could adequately prepare me for Sri Lankan Medication, which was just a 10/10 for all time. Even the song's title totally fits these guys to a T. With a blistering tempo and start and stop song structure that breaks only for bluesy little holds in the margin, it takes direction slightly towards something that something fellow NOLA stalwarts SOILENT GREEN might try but the guitars just have so much more rough bite to them that it's 10x more urgent than the usual SOILENT cut. Sure, the cover art was a little sparse, but the black and white collage did give it a nice "Dis" feel and for something that has eight songs in under eleven minutes, what else do you want? This was just an excellent release in every respect and a reminder of the serious talent these individuals all have. This is one of those situations where the type of music is easy to do but extremely difficult to do well. The stated reason for ARSON ANTHEM's existence was the band mates' desire to get back to the music they remembered skateboarding to in their youth. They definitely hit that rebellious old hardcore sound and then left their own distinct mark on it with a thoroughly good album.

Listen: Arson Anthem on Myspace

Live Fast Racing Appears on "I Am Mindy"

2008-12-09T20:22:00.004-05:00

It was my great pleasure to appear on Jeff Ianucci's new "I Am Mindy" podcast over the past weekend. Besides being the brains behind one of the best IRL pages out there in My Name in IRL, Jeff has started the "I Am Mindy" podcast to give the somewhat vanilla world of American Open Wheel Racing a much needed dose of insight, passion and humor. With everything going on with the global economic downturn, Jeff picked my brain about the general outlook for the IRL, why Honda left F1 and Audi's shock departure from the ALMS. Jeff did a great job of keeping some dense and frankly depressing material moving quickly and as light as possible. I had a blast doing the show and hope I'll be back on it sometime again. Don't miss out on it.

Listen: I Am Mindy Episode #2

Music Review: Blacklisted "Heavier than Heaven, Lonelier than God"

2008-12-08T20:03:00.004-05:00

This Philadelphia band have been around for a while now and although it took them a couple of releases to catch on with me, these days they seem to consistently improve with each album they release. While it would be nearly impossible to match the same level of primal fury displayed the brutally direct "Peace on Earth, War on Stage" EP, "Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God" was definitely not a letdown. Via über-producer Kurt Ballou, they took that tight direct East Coast hardcore sound to even bigger places, especially in the absolute guitar tone destruction department. I cannot emphasize enough how "big" the guitars are on this. They absolutely crush anything these guys have done before and the low end is just in The Zone for how a hardcore guitar work should sound. A couple of songs from the "P.O.E.W.A.S." EP, Canonized and Memory Layne, ended up being redone on here. Due to stark differences in recording and production, they almost sound like entirely different songs. Although the tempo is down just a touch on the LP versions, the better timing on the breaks and much louder/richer mix more than make up for it. As much as I love the EP versions, these may have a little more power since they have more going on for them than just the raw speed. George's vocal performance and lyrics have always been a key part in the foundation for BLACKLISTED and he has stepped both of those up once again. Of particular interest to me lyrically was Matrimony, which looks at how people fall into marriage (or are even pressured or entrapped into it) for the wrong reasons. There are very few bands that have the perspective to cover stuff like that in such a personal, yet simultaneously social/class conscious sort of way and it be so meaningful. While the album boils at a pretty steady pace of >2 minute tracks, there are some places like Wish and the second half of Circuit Breaker that veer into a dirty sounding '90s alt rock type of thing that I'm sort of torn on. On the one hand it does keep the record from being just one simple blast after another and offers some structure and pacing. On the other hand it can seem a little out of place given how raging the other stuff is. In the case of Circuit Breaker it felt like maybe a minute could have been shaved off to the same or better effect whereas Wish was probably a little more benign since it had some heavier parts and was at the tail end of the album. Either way, these are minor points and most everyone else seems to have dug on them. One thing on this album that was an unquestioned first for them was the amazing cover art. That single, stark image completely sums up the loneliness and alienation that this album is about. A ton of people are making comparisons to AN/GUTG and there are some similarities in how personal it all feels, but there's something about this that just feels grittier and more "real" for lack of a better term. "Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God" finally focused all the elements that have made these guys so good over the past few years and amplified it into a powerful and memorable effort.

Listen: Blacklisted on Myspace

Video: Yamaha YZF-R1

2008-12-07T17:03:00.004-05:00

Yamaha's venerable YZF-R1 is all new for this year and it already looks (and sounds) like a total world beater. The R1 had really gotten long in the tooth but this redesign looks to be about the wildest thing Yamaha has ever done with a street bike. When you can get an inline 4 to sound like a cross between an uncorked MotoGP bike and blown small block V8, you know they've done something right. While it's probably completely unstreetable at every level and the inclusion of a crossplane crankshaft in a bike sold to the public is completely nuts, it is still sweet music for the ears and easier on the eyes than just about any other inline 4 I've ever seen. And the video itself displays a level or art and class you usually don't see with the Big 4. Rossi is always great, but that powerslide at about 1:30 in is a little looser around the collar than what you'll see Big Blue usually doing. Well played Yamaha.

Fastmachines Podcast #19

2008-12-05T17:18:00.005-05:00

Just in time for the weekend, Episode #19 of the Fastmachines.com Podcast, aka "The Lost Episode" finally made it to the online airwaves today. Be sure to listen in as George, Josh, Chris and I talk a little shop and I wrap up the 2008 motorcycle roadracing season for them. The format was fast and dense, so there's tons of good info and humor crammed in there. I had a blast doing it and may be working with them again soon. Be sure and let them know what you thought of the show.

Listen: Fast Machines Podcast #19

Johnny

Music Review: Verse "Aggression"

2008-12-05T05:55:00.004-05:00

As the more astute readers among you have probably already realized, I am just about done with this kind of music as review material. It's not that I hate it or that I'm "past it" or anything like that, it's just that there seems to be less and less to say about bands that are starting to sound more and more the same. Rather than simply being critical of the kids having their say, as a great band once said, I'd rather throw what little time and effort I have into a positive review of something that really interests/challenges me and frankly not a whole lot of straight forward hardcore records have been meeting that criteria of late. However this summer's latest from VERSE is an exception to that malaise and was definitely good enough to warrant some space on here. This Rhode Island band seem to be the likely inheritors of BANE's legacy of impassioned positivity and social consciousness within a traditional hardcore musical framework. I thought their last album, "From Anger and Rage" was an exceptional album from that traditional standpoint but VERSE were wise enough to build and develop on that sound instead of attempting to wholly recreate it for 2008's "Aggression." Musically it is a much more dynamic piece of work than was the last album. While it does maintain that trademark VERSE speed and ferocity, there are times when slows down into a bit more of an angsty rock vibe as a sort of a counterbalance to the 'core. Again, for purists this is undoubtedly much less direct than their previous albums, but it is in fact much more interesting in some ways. On the more straight up side, tracks like Old Guards, New Methods and Blind Salvation are hard to beat. They are technically played, near perfect examples of modern "old school" hardcore. As the album progresses, so does VERSE's sound and you get tracks like Chapter 2, 3, which does an interesting mix of heavy and melodic whereas Earth and Stone strayed a little closer to the angsty rock than I would have preferred but advanced the overall direction of the album well. The album closes on a high note with Sons and Daughters, which is potentially the best display of the perfect tension between rage and melody throughout the album. Unlike so many bands that try to do something like this, VERSE are one of the rare few who do have the musical talent to pull it off. Vocalist Sean Murphy has a great set of pipes for doing the pure HC style stuff but at the same time is one of the few singers around these days who can venture into the more rock or more pleading vocal areas without stretching his talents too far. And unlike almost every other band out there doing this kind of thing, VERSE strives for socially relevant messages expressed in as personal a way as possible instead of just being retro-for-the-sake-of-it and churning out song after song about "staying true" or being "stabbed in the back." Themes of war, family and social injustice are brought out in an intelligent way, which again, is really rare these days. There were only a couple of things I didn't like on this, and they were small. One was the dual outros, which seemed a touch pretentious and the other was the artwork, which just felt a little last minute. Neither were deal breakers. While "Aggression" maybe wasn't the best thing that I've heard this year, it was still an extremely well done album. There are times when nothing will do but pure, melodic positive hardcore and this is one of the best examples of it that I've come across in a while. I realize that some of the stuff I review on here may be a touch esoteric for many of you, especially some of the race fans, but everybody really should check these guys out because there's a ton of good sound and substance going on that should appeal to a broad audience here. Well done.

Listen: Verse on Myspace

Video: Kinder Surprise

2008-12-04T21:21:00.005-05:00

More reviews are on their way (including updates all weekend, how rare is that?) as well as a return to a weekly racing column in the near future. Until then, feast your eyes on this completely surreal chocolate ad from Europe. If you slow down the film speed to 16 frames per second, his eyes blink out "please kill me" in morse code.

Music Review: Sourvein "Imperial Bastard"

2008-12-02T20:27:00.003-05:00

From the first thud of "Imperial Bastards" opening salvo of doomed buzz laden riffs, it is obvious that North Carolina's SOURVEIN have drunk deep from the well their spiritual ancestors EYEHATEGOD and BUZZOV*EN dug before them. During a time in music when the opposite is almost invariably true, SOURVEIN are admirably a band that doesn't attempt to be all things to all people. They are a simply a SLUDGE band and nothing further. Do not expect them to rock out and throw some jazzy hooks in or anything uptempo to break up the monotony. They ARE monotony and they own it. The tracks on this record inhabit a space that is best described as glacial, as it is a relevant descriptor in relaying both the size and speed of SOURVEIN's output. With the EP delivering just four songs in seventeen total minutes of play, it is obvious that they are in no great hurry. At this point in this site's history, most of my readers are likely familiar with this musical genre, but if not, it is a relatively simple concept to grasp. It is metal played very, very VERY slowly. We're talking a 45rpm BLACK SABBATH single spinning at 16rpm kind of sound here. Inevitably that is the kind of thing that people either tend to love or hate and admittedly I'm a finicky type that loves it when it is done right and who abhors it when it misses the mark. Fortunately "Imperial Bastard" nails everything it needs to. For one, the songwriting, while obviously being deeply Southern to a great extent, keeps that aspect of their ethos in the background and uses that texture more subtly to enhance the actual music instead of providing a cheap marketing image gimmick. SOURVEIN also incorporate some elements from other genres to provide some variations in depth and character into what is a generally very (deliberately) monolithic tone. The echoes on the vocals in Shipwrecked (both lead and backing) had an atmospheric, almost black metal effect that suited the song's emotional distance well. The sparse, bluesy lead guitar work within the title track was also an outstanding addition and served as the perfect example of subtly incorporating geographical influences into the music instead of wearing them on a sleeve. The production values were about as high as I've ever heard on this type of album. The guitars were decadently thick, as per the usual for this genre, but were well placed in the mix and had a clear texture. It was obvious they cared enough about their craft that they actually put a great deal of time and effort into the production instead of cranking out some kind of tired, deliberately underdone piece of pseudo-crust, as many of their peers have an unfortunate tendency toward. Although it's really simple, I totally dug the classy cover art for this. This is an image that is relevant to the band's musical niche as well as their hometown and like any good cover should, it would actually pique my interest in a retail setting enough to pick it up and see what it was. "Imperial Bastard" ends up serving a dual purpose in that it should make established sludge fans extremely happy as well as provide an excellent starting point for those wanting a starting point from which to delve into the downtuned swamp of sound that this kind of music is. Excellent job.

Listen: Sourvein on Myspace

Video: BMW S1000RR

2008-12-01T20:12:00.002-05:00

Not to be completely outdone by their Italian counterparts, BMW have entered the Superbike foray with what looks to be the most serious bike they've ever made, the S1000RR. No clunky shaft drive, metallic checkerboard paint and off center headlights on this one...just pure inline 4 fury. You have to love the look, sound and pure intensity of purpose on this bike. Can't wait to see it on the street.

Live Fast Racing Podcast #21

2008-11-26T09:40:00.003-05:00

Since we knew most of you guys would be taking some time off of work to travel for the holiday and spend time with friends, family and loved ones we couldn't think of anything better to give you than a special Thanksgiving edition podcast to assist you in dealing with all that aforementioned holiday fun. This is the first of what will be many off season shows and on this particular episode we focus almost exclusively on what is happening with the Big 3 and how that will impact all racing, but with special focus on NASCAR. For all you bike freaks, we also have a very HEALTHY segment on the DMG Superbike rules that have been published along with a teaser of what our annual Live Fast Racing Bike Show will look like. As always leave us some feedback and we will see you soon.

Listen: Live Fast Racing Podcast #21

We don't have much this time around as far as show notes go, but don't miss either of these.

First is the Ken Block video of him doing Gymkhana practice in a Subaru WRX. It is amazing visually but I'm blown away by how good they got that 4 banger to sound. Great stuff.

And as always, check Autoextremist.com at least weekly to get the REAL view of what's going on in the auto industry in these very dark days. PMD is the only source out there who really knows what he's talking about and provides a great counterbalance to the clueless talking heads and greed mongers in the financial press.

Johnny

I Am Mindy Podcast Debuts

2008-11-26T08:59:00.004-05:00

Live Fast Racing's good friend and frequent podcast guest Jeff Iannucci of My Name is IRL fame has started his own podcast under the title of "I Am Mindy." On his maiden episode, Jeff lays out all the juicy off season Indy news and projections and plays host to yet another good friend of ours, Bill Zahren the Pressdog. While we're always glad to see our friends putting their talent out there and doing productive stuff, we have desperately needed a relevant, timely American Open Wheel cast for a while now, and I have no doubt these guys are the answer to that. Great job guys on your first effort and everyone needs to check this out.

Listen: I Am Mindy Podcast

Music Review: Integrity "Walpürgisnacht" EP

2008-11-24T16:17:00.004-05:00

Decent "comeback" records are so rare in hardcore music that I can think of fewer than a dozen off hand that I ever even listened to on a regular basis, let alone really got into much. Although I myself was really into the somewhat scattered effort in Integrity's 2004 release "To Die For", it definitely seemed as if the band had reached a final chapter in their nearly 20 year run as one of the darkest, heaviest and perhaps most controversial and thought-provoking bands in hardcore history. Musically speaking, this EP returns to Integ's roots of very heavy speed metal influenced Clevo HC with copious amounts of soloing, oversampling, acoustic interludes, vocal tricks etc. to pull of that signature sound that if you're not at least a little familiar with at this point then you must be new at this. They have been such a staple for so long that they have a sound that is so familiar it is almost hard to describe now other than to provide comparisons to their own work. Fortunately, even though this material does include some of the above embellished add-ins, it stays very focused throughout both songs and the tempo stays very steadily quick. If I were to pick a previous Integrity album this could have come from, particularly the title track, I'd maybe have to go with "Humanity is the Devil", although the production and overarching songwriting complexity sounds as if it has advanced about a century from that point. The other song Mirror in Reverse keeps up the intensity of the first track but uses more distortion and effects along the lines of "Seasons in the Size of Days" except this time around with ultra precise drumming and a tinge more eerie melody towards the chorus parts. No review of this would be complete without mentioning the above artwork. I don't know what I can verbally add to what you're seeing there, other than that image pretty much sums up two decades of Integrity better than a million written words could. "Walpürgisnacht" is a 100% solid release that's going to be a limited production run so definitely don't forget to pick this up and end up missing out on this. If the forthcoming new full-length from these guys on DEATHWISH is anywhere near this level of great then we are going to be likely talking about what will be the greatest musical returns of all time and one of the few hardcore bands of any genre who can still do it right at all.

Listen: Integrity on Myspace

Buy: A389 Records (on gray vinyl)

Video: Ducati 1198

2008-11-23T19:37:00.003-05:00

Admittedly that last video and phrase were probably a little cryptic/downbeat to most of you out there so let's up shift into something we can all understand...Italian V Twin Supremacy. While no set of bike videos will ever, EVER beat what Aprilia rolled out for the Shiver (which you can still view here, reminder: it's mildly NSFW) the mere notion of what the 1198 represents is still a powerful visage of the current state of absolute domination by Italian motorbikes right now. First up we have the official Ducati promo video.

And then to expand on that here's Tor from Raptors and Rockets giving us an extended test on the 1198 "S" variant of the bike. I love the music with this, as it matches well with the high brow nature of the whole operation, but NOTHING can compare to the exhaust audio at about 2:30 in.

If you listen close enough, you can almost hear the faint chorus of The Song.

2008-11-20T21:43:00.001-05:00

As for the charges, I'm unconcerned. I'm beyond their timid, lying morality. And so I'm beyond caring.

Col. Walter E. Kurtz

A Quick Word on Jessica Zalusky

2008-11-18T21:02:00.003-05:00

Roadracing World and others are reporting that long time CRA and AMA racer Jessica Zalusky suffered a stroke last week following knee surgery. The outlook for her is really good but this is still a serious thing and I know I'll be keeping her in my thoughts over the next few days. Jessica is a great ambassador for the sport of motorcycle road racing and has kept one of the most positive attitudes in the paddock even when there were reasons for her not to. Here's to hoping Jessica beats this thing quick and is back to doing what she loves soon.

Link: Jessica's Website

Book Review: Fishing on the Edge

2008-11-14T09:49:00.003-05:00

This is probably way off the beaten path of what I normally cover on here but judging from some of the feedback and email you guys have sent me over the past year I think that many of you may find this book to be fairly interesting. For those of you who don't regularly follow the BASS Tour, Mike "Ike" Iaconelli has been one of the "breakthrough" personalities for the pro bass fishing circuit since ESPN bought BASS out in 2001 and have started marketing it as the next big thing. Being a brash, tattooed, Philly/South Jersey born, ex pro DJ and break dancer and all around hip hop type guy has made Mike Iaconelli a stark contrast to the stereotypically laid back Southerners that shaped the sport over the last 40 years. One of the book's key themes is how Iaconelli has both benefited and struggled due to his admitted "outsider" status in the fishing world.

Fishing on the Edge follows a loose narrative of the chronological order of Iaconelli's life and his early introduction to fishing through his uncle and grandfather at their vacation cottage in the Poconos. As he grew up and went through the phases and interest cycles that we all did, fishing remained the one constant that he was passionate enough about to pursue without interruption. The book chronicles Ike's gradual rise through the regional tournament and Pro Am ranks into finally making it "big" and securing a berth in his first Bassmaster Classic. The second half of the text includes a day by day and spot by spot breakdown of Iaconelli's 2003 Bassmaster Classic Tournament win, including his seldom discussed near nervous breakdown caused by exhaustion and family issues in the practice rounds that preceded the tournament. As he consistently states throughout the book, it was his desire to keep going that one extra cast and push that one extra bit of effort beyond what he thought he was capable of that ended up carrying the day for him. The one message he seems to want readers to take from Fishing on the Edge is that with enough effort and preparation, you are capable of anything, particularly success on the water.

Within the paradigm of the "outsider" he also exposes some of the not so often spoken about insider world of the professional fishing circuit. I have to be honest in that this was one of the main selling points of the book for me. I have had a few friends do the Pro Am and Federation thing for years and based on what they told me, the reality of professional fishing can be vastly different than the Bransonized "awe shucks" TV personae the sport has cultivated over the years. To Iaconelli's credit, he exposes some of the seamier aspects of the culture without turning the whole thing into an untoward batch of unfounded accusations made to either sell his book or discredit his rivals. Of specific interest to me was when he gave a good amount of detail into the so called "gentleman's agreement" that exists between professional anglers when there is limited fishing space and territory and when and where that can break down at times. With a surprising amount of honesty he also completely owned up to the reason his Day 2 catch was disqualified in the 2004 Bassmaster Classic due to his fishing in a prohibited area at the end of the day. This is a consistent feature throughout the book where Ike displays enough reflection and honesty to own up to his failures, be they in fishing or his often chaotic personal life. Unlike most autobiographies which end up coming across as nauseatingly self-serving, Fishing on the Edge is self-critical in the places it needs to be.

Besides being a compelling record of Ike's life and experiences on the tour, the book is also completely loaded with practical fishing advice, with content specific angling tips placed in every chapter. I completely dug how they did this by easily differentiating it from the normal text with a different font and layout so that it was easy to reference whenever you needed it. Although this book has been out for a while (published in 2005) and some of his advice has been published in other avenues, everything in here is solid fishing practice. While I can't attest to the accuracy of it all, I can personally vouch for his patented tactic of following a heavier bait like a jig or spinner with a finesse bait, like a weightless worm or paddle tail grub. Both my fishing partner Nathan (of Downstream fame no less) and I caught some respectable Lake Nickajack bass during the hot summer months with that method this year when nothing else would get them to bite. Iaconelli also has a chapter in there about sponsorship that goes from the bottom rung, club level type stuff all the way to what he looks for now as one of the biggest names on the tour. I'll be honest here, some of his advice on negotiation and self-marketing is appropriate for *any* discipline where sponsors are involved, so aspiring racers may want to check the book out based on some of that information alone.

At less than $15, this book is a cheap pick up that ended up being a blast to read and something that will likely improve the angling results for anyone willing to try some of Ike's patented "power fishing" tactics that are described within. Ultimately, Fishing on the Edge is a fast-paced, fun and easy read that seamlessly blends a good life story with solid fishing strategies and Mike Iaconelli's own unique perspective on things. Unlike most fishing books that come across as clinical instruction manuals, Ike's self-deprecating humor (the story about mistaking wasps for mayflies was truly legendary) and positive outlook on life lift this book into being something more than just another how-to on catching fish.

The Duke On RRX!

2008-11-13T13:22:00.003-05:00

Everybody needs to head over to this week's "Between the Races" feature on Road Racer X and check out who the featured guest is! That's right, it's none other than Rumblestrip Radio and Live Fast Racing's own Eric "The Duke" Trytko. The story covers his racing career, how he got into motorsports media, what he's up to now and what his future may hold. It also features a hilarious photo from the Duke's racing days that I know I've been enjoying/emailing to people we know. Jeff Feathers and RRX did a great job on the story and I couldn't be prouder to finally see Eric get a little of the credit he's due.

Read: The Duke on RRX

Live Fast Racing Podcast #20

2008-11-06T22:49:00.004-05:00

The Live Fast Racing Podcast Episode #20 is done! Subjects thoroughly discussed in this outing are the end of the WorldSBK and MotoGP seasons, a continuance of the discussion over how the economic downturn will effect NASCAR and even a F1 recap thrown in for good measure. All in all it's a solid episode that clocks in a little bit shorter than our usual stuff but we did manage to cram a ton of info in.

Listen: Live Fast Racing Podcast Episode 20

I'm also going to start doing show notes of particular points of interest that we mention in the show. This should cut down on me having to email these links to you guys as you all listen to the show throughout the week. For this episode, they will be:

Soup's coverage of the WSBK finale in Portugal and post-race test session (do NOT miss the audio file of the new R1)

Autoextremist has editor Peter M. DeLorenzo's reaction to the election and the role the auto industry will play in the next few very crucial months of our country's economic situation. If you don't think this downturn will change the face of racing, keep dreaming.

And finally, here's the link to our nomination for best podcast of 2008 courtesy of Matthew Little over at The Open Wheel. We'll let you know when voting opens up but for right now we're completely pumped that Matthew and Company deem us worthy of even being nominated. Thanks guys and we promise to keep elevating the game here at Live Fast Racing.

Johnny

Video: Ganesh Shiva & Pavarti

2008-10-30T20:55:00.001-04:00

Fear and Loathing in Brazil: The Strange and (not so) Terrible Saga of Eric Bostrom

2008-10-29T20:14:00.003-04:00

Ok, last week I circulated a story amongst the flock of Live Fast Racing diehards that RRW had run after a Shoei dealer's party where one Mr. Eric Bostrom was present and accounted for.

For those of you that missed it, you can find it here:

Original EBoz Story on RRW

On first, and even twentieth read, the whole statement just seemed so hilarious that I had to send it around. It seemed so random and out of the blue, even for him, that it was just hilarious...right down to the Tilapia. Let's be real here, motorcycle racers have always imbibed in fun and public ways. It's one thing that separates the sport from the prbots that have ruined NASCAR for example. But at the same time, deep down this story had a strange specificity to it.

So then about 48 hours later when we found out it was all true, it seemed to make even less sense. Although the story was confirmed everywhere, Cycle News seemed to have the best version.

Cycle News Reveals EBoz Will Not Race in 2009

I have to be honest at first I was damn near shocked and definitely disappointed that Eric wasn't going to be around to race next year, even if it was just in the lame as all get out DMG series. For those of you who don't know or have never met him, Eric is one of the nicest dudes in the paddock. While it is true that he has certainly had his up and down years, he has ALWAYS done right for all his fans and his absence will doubtlessly be a huge blow to the sport. When he was on, there was no stopping him.

But then I got to thinking beyond that and I realized motorcycle racers aren't really all that different from the rest of us. As I have alluded to in the podcast and on here, it's not been my best year (or anybody else's) at the day job and I think that's just what happened with Eric. While motorcycle racing seems like all speed and glamor to the casual observer, it's a grind for those who live it. Travel, injury, sponsor commitments, crummy rides; (here's looking at you Yamaha USA Superbike program) it's enough to make you want to do something else. If mangoes and Tilapia are what can help him escape (and let's face it, there are a million worse things, just ask Anthony Gobert), then more power to him. Maybe the world would be a little easier of more of us looked for these kinds of opportunities. So I'd like to say from all of us at Live Fast Racing, good luck Eric and hope to see you back here soon...but not until you're ready.

Johnny

Live Fast Racing Podcast #19

2008-10-23T20:58:00.004-04:00

The next episode has just hit the streets and is another milepost in the evolution of world's biggest and greatest motorsports podcast. This time out we've got Chris Bailey from Fast Machines on as a special guest. Chris does some writing and co-hosts his own podcast over there at Fast Machines but we had to get him on our show to talk about his experiences at Petit Le Mans and lend us a little of his expertise on the ALMS in general. Lots of you guys have been asking for some ALMS coverage so here it is from one of the best sources out there. We also talk some NASCAR, bikes and then close on a little local dirt late model racing chat. Also, as I mentioned at the tail end of the show, if you're interested in a really cool new multiple series fantasy racing league, go check out our bud Andy's blog Speed Geek and let him know you want in. From what I've heard about it so far, it sounds like it's going to be killer. So, hope everyone likes the show and as always, let us know what you think. We shot for a little more high brow on the music this time, which will either make us seem refined, or mimic the entrance music of a stock English wrestling heel. Honestly, either result works for us.

Johnny

Listen: Live Fast Racing Podcast #19

Race Report: Grand Adcox Memorial at Cleveland Speedway

2008-10-19T16:07:00.007-04:00

Last night was the 19th running of the annual Grand Adcox Memorial super latel model race at Cleveland Speedway. Although it was a tad chilly up on the mountain it was still a beautiful night for racing in East Tennessee.

Here's a shot of the infield pits as soon as we got there. I love this one because it shows how nice the sky and mountain looked behind the track. Cleveland is just one of those places that just feels like dirt track racing. Again, we just couldn't have asked for a better night. Although the track was a tad rough from the recent temperature drop, the surface was fast and qualifying times were within less than a second of the track record.

Next up is a shot of one of, if not the best part about Cleveland Speedway...and that's their world-renowned bologna sandwiches. They do these on the grill with the burgers and stuff, and then right when the meat's finishing they toss the buns on so the insides are toasted and then wrap them in foil. Few things feel as good on a cold night as breathing in the escaping steam from a freshly opened Speedway Sandwich. Sure, you Midwesterners have your tenderloins and everything else, but I've yet to find any track food to come close to this.

OK, and now onto the racing. As I said before the track was quick and a surprising number of big names were there considering the race was unsanctioned and that the DTWC was going on in Chillicothe, Ohio. For some reason the crowd was kind of light which is a shame because this was one of the better dirt shows I've seen this year.

First up out of my qualifying pics is "The Dream Weaver" Randy Weaver out of Crossville TN. Randy qualified close to the front but had to leave the race due to a broken suspension link, which was a common affliction that caused an abnormally high attrition rate for a SLM feature.

Next up was hometown racer Riley Hickman out of Ooltewah, TN. As I said in last week's write up of the Boyds race, I went to school with Riley and I always enjoy seeing him do well. Continuing the theme of suspension problems, Riley broke something in turn 4 and ended up in the wall, wrecking his car and chances for the night. On a more positive note Riley finished a very close second in the crate engine class race and I think would have taken the win if he'd just had one more lap.

And then finally here are a couple of shots of "the Mack Daddy" Dale McDowell qualifying the Warrior house car. His time was good enough to lock him into 4th place and let him skip the heat races. Dale wasn't scheduled to make this race but had broken during Friday Night's Quals for the DTWC and missed the show, so he and his crew drove all night to be back in time for the Grant Adcox Memorial. It was great to see Dale race two weeks in a row and to see that Warrior house car so competitive again.

And here is the first lap of the race. You can easily see/hear that Cleveland is a faster track than Boyds with the higher banking and slightly slicker surface. Also its placement in a sort of small valley means your ears will ring for about a day after the race...but it's well worth it to hear those engines at full blast. As mentioned above, the race had a high attrition rate, with just about 50% of the field finishing and most of the DNF's were due to suspension components breaking in the turns. Dale McDowell had worked his way up to second and was gaining a little ground on "The Dirty White Boy" Anthony White when White's car broke with about 20 laps to go.

After White left the race McDowell drove some easy laps and saved his tires to come in an easy first place in front of Ringgold, GA's own Jamie Perry in second. Above you can see McDowell take the white and then checkers as he cruises in for the win. Dale is the first repeat winner in the 19 year history of the Grant Adcox Memorial and on top of that he did it back to back with a win last year. Congrats to Dale and the Warrior crew for turning a defeat at the DTWC into such a sweet win at the Memorial in less than 24 hours. As usual, Dale was extremely gracious to the track, his competitors and most of all his fans in accepting the win. He even gave his trophy to a little kid in the stands who had been rooting him on, and trust me, it made that kid's YEAR. So it was yet another great night of dirt late model racing in Tennessee and I can't wait for the Joe Lee Johnson Memorial/Gobbler weekend to kick off next month on Nov. 14th-15th. The season is winding down and the time is right to get out to the track while you still have a chance.

Johnny

Video: 1965 Riverside 500

2008-10-16T21:55:00.004-04:00

It's hard to believe now, but there was a time when NASCAR races on road courses were completely unhinged. Great footage of Parnelli Jones and Dan Gurney in stock cars, and be sure to check out Foyt's action towards the end of the clip.

And even if it was all Ford and Mercs, they still look better than the "new car." Not to mention race better.

Live Fast Racing Now on Twitter

2008-10-15T20:18:00.004-04:00

As you can see in the sidebar, I've finally (and reluctantly) embraced some new technology and joined Twitter. I'd like to say that I'll only use the service to post high minded stuff like commentary during races and real time race results, but I think we all know in less than a week I'll be posting random workplace rants about chewing tobacco, yoga and DI6. Hope you guys enjoy it.

Follow: Live Fast Racing on Twitter

Music Review: Trash Talk "S/T"

2008-10-14T19:41:00.004-04:00

Somewhere in the bleak wasteland between the last couple of BLACK FLAG albums, INFEST and the old Blackout! Records NYHC stuff lay Sacramento's TRASH TALK. This is their latest, self-released offering and with twelve songs in just fourteen minutes it is evident from the get go this thing just doesn't mess around. Most of the time it rips through at the kind breakneck pace you'd expect from a band that has adopted an inverted peace sign as their logo but every now and again it will slow all the way down into abstract, almost hypnotic breaks that border on sludge but never quite go all the way there. It's the same way on the fast stuff, while they display some amazing speed, they never overdo it to the point of it sounding like grind and keep that really early NYHC kind of attitude going with it, especially in the vocals.. The Steve Albini production was without doubt the way to go as it is the first HC type record to receive any kind of proper recording in about the last 3 years. The low end is completely monstrous and anchored by a bass that would potentially sound more at home on a metal record, but it works here because it serves the lower tone range so much better than a bunch of double bass drumming and tired open chorded breakdowns. The intro to I Block is just so vicious in that regard...in that the bass starts delivering the body blows and then the speed of the guitars and vocals unleash a flurry of uppercuts. The album's closing track, Relevation is such a crusher, but in a different way. It starts out in a distorted, angsty "Rollins with long hair" sort of noise drone thing and then fades into a tribal drumming sequence that becomes downright NEUROSIS like in its furious yet distant mood. Seriously, the guitar squeals and rhythm section fade outs sound straight off "Through Silver in Blood", which maybe isn't that big a surprise in seeing who the producer was, but it is still pretty boss to do something like that and still have it fit with what these guys are about at the same time. Many bands try the "final track noisy experiment" thing and most utterly fail...these guys don't. Incredible, incredible stuff and easily the best straight up hardcore record I've heard in ages.

LISTEN: Trash Talk on Myspace

Music Review: Trap Them and Extreme Noise Terror split

2008-10-13T17:03:00.006-04:00

I'd just quickly like to mention this limited edition EP that Deathwish put out a few months ago that features TRAP THEM, one of the better bands on the DW label who appear alongside a one time showing from English grind legends EXTREME NOISE TERROR. First off, the Trap Them song Day Eighteen: Enders is evidently a track culled from their excellent "Seance Prime" EP (reviewed here) that bolsters their position as one of the finest purveyors of the more modern/abstract style of D Beat out there going. As good as that was though the real lure for me was the return of relevant material from Extreme Noise Terror. I cannot begin to explain how important ENT have been to both me and to the general metal and hardcore music world at large. It was pretty much these guys and NAPALM DEATH who invented and then perfected the whole grind thing and its incredible that after all those years they are still the best at it. The ENT track on this split, Religion is Fear is just a pure classic right down to the DISCHARGE level simplicity in its title and lyrics. It's like as soon as you read that you know what you're going to be in for. The song structure itself is vintage for them and while it has a bit of the winding groove that "Damage 381" (controversially probably my favorite album of theirs), it keeps things much simpler and more focused on speed and just buzzsawing the guitars through at about 200 miles per hour. Fortunately the rhythm section keeps up with the dual vocalists and while there's not a huge low end presence in the mix, its still better than you get with most bands attempting this kind of thing. Although this entire disc clocks in at a tad less than three minutes of total music, its limited nature and mind blowing layout more than make up for it. The cover and interior sleeves have some amazing black and white artwork while the vinyl itself is this weird inside out type black/white splatter that looks like a star collapsing. At just 1000 copies made, and available only from DW or the bands, this will surely be a collector's item soon as well as hopefully serve as a mile marker for the return of one of the greatest heavy bands of all time.

Listen: Extreme Noise Terror on Myspace (includes "Religion is Fear")
Trap Them on Myspace

Video: The Education of Scott Speed is Complete

2008-10-13T16:26:00.005-04:00

EVERYONE is fired up about the end of the ARCA season yesterday in Toledo, primarily because what happened between Scott Speed and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Below is the result of what happened when Stenhouse deliberately moved Speed up the track and into the wall for position early in the race. All Stenhouse got for his wrecking Speed was a warning.

As you can see, Speed (#2 Red Bull car) limped his car back out just long enough to end Stenhouse's day and championship hopes as well. This ended up gifting the championship to Justin Allgaier since Stenhouse could no longer race and Speed was parked by ARCA officials. Regardless of what you think of the move specifically, I think High Fashion Scotty™ is now officially ready for stock car racing, as he seems to take no sh*t from anybody.

Race Report: SRRS at Boyds Speedway

2008-10-11T12:18:00.011-04:00

Last night the wife and I headed out to historic Boyds Speedway to check out the SRRS Super Late Model "Small Town 40" feature. This was only my second time at the "new Boyds" this year and from what we experienced, it seems like the Harvey brothers are smoothing over most of the rough edges that made our last trip out there so rough. I especially want to mention that the parking situation has been improved immensely. Finally having enough trained staff out there on hand made a big difference. This race was as packed as I've ever seen Boyds, even more so than when they ran the Thunder Series race this August. It was great to see such a huge crowd, even if the Rhodes Scholars behind us kept letting their kids use me and my old lady's kidneys for punching bags. Memo to inattentive parents, take the seed outside. That aside, it was far and away the best event I've ever seen them put on.

Here's a shot of the track when we first got there when they were still ironing it in. For those of you who haven't seen the new configuration. It's super wide in the turns and they've used really high quality clay. For some reason last night it got a bit rough, but was still fairly racy. If you look closely, you can see the new fencing and pit bleachers at the back of the track.

Next up is a shot of Dale McDowell qualifying the Warrior house car. I hadn't seen the house car race this year and it was kind of wild to think that we'd gotten to tinker with it back at the Warrior clinic in March and then see it driven in anger a few months later. It was also great to see Dale back in action here locally. These days you can catch him on the World of Outlaws Late Model broadcasts doing the color commentary. Unfortunately he had to leave the race early with a mechanical failure.

Next up is a video of the parade lap that preceded the start of the race. The camera did a pretty good job of capturing the sight and sound of what 24 dirt late models feel like when you're that close.

And immediately following that was the drop of the green flag for the opening lap, which we also got a short video of. It never fails to amaze me just how fast these things are or how incredibly badass it is when they're "up on it."

Here's the best in-race shot I could get. Between how tightly we were all packed in and my camera's general freakout at the light conditions, grabbing quality action shots was a tad difficult. This is a great one though and its Riley Hickman passing Brandon Kinzer for position. I've seen them both race quite a bit over the last few years, and I actually went to middle and high school with Riley, so this was awesome to some great racing for 4th or 5th spot at the time.

In the end, Shane Clanton held off a late run by the "The Dirty White Boy" Anthony White to take the win. Here he is with his family in victory lane as my camera raged, raged against the dying of the light. Congrats to everybody who finished this thing, the attrition rate was nearly 50% and goes to show just how hard fought this race was.

In the end it was a good night of racing for the SRRS and Boyds Speedway. Although I will never like Boyds as well as the high banked death machines at Cleveland and North Georgia, it's good to see them putting on well run shows that fill the stands. I definitely appreciate the fact that Friday Nights now have a little competition and that there is another track close that's willing to put on sanctioned races. According to announcer, PR guy and all around Boyds info source Steve Milling, Boyds plans to run every Friday this year until the weather forbids it, so if you're in the area and want to check out some racing in a family friendly type atmosphere, check them out.