Saturday Night Music Byte

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are an American third wave ska band from Boston, Massachusetts. Formed in 1983, the Bosstones are often credited with the creation of the ska-core genre, a form of music that mixes elements of third wave ska and hardcore punk. The band released seven full-length albums, three EPs and a live album while touring continuously before their announcement of a hiatus in December 2003. They reunited in the fall of 2007 and performed together for the first time in four years at Boston’s Middle East club. The band has continued to tour and record since. In December 2007, the band released a compilation album, Medium Rare, their first release since the band reunited earlier that year. The band released their first studio album in seven years, Pin Points and Gin Joints, on December 8, 2009.

The band’s roots lay in the hardcore scene of the early 1980s along with a strong influence from the British 2 Toneska scene of the 1970s. They decided on the name, “the Bosstones” as a reference to their hometown. While some of the band members were influenced by bands such as AC/DC,Social Distortion, Motörhead, The Clash and Stiff Little Fingers, Barrett had become enthralled with 2 Tone ska, which was in the tail end of its existence.

Despite not having a large draw at their live shows (outside of Boston, where they were routinely selling out such venues as The Channel and The Rathskeller in Kenmore Square), the Taang! record label gave the band a record deal which would result in the Devil’s Night Out album, produced by Paul Q. Kolderie. The album was released to positive local and lukewarm national reaction during a time when ska was struggling to move out of the American underground. The band found resistance from ska purists who did not like that the band were not playing traditional ska while hardcore fans were against the ska and heavy metal elements in the music. Despite the initial reaction, Devil’s Night Out has gone on to become one of the band’s most popular albums.

It was during this time that the band’s trademark plaid clothing came to be. After a show where Barrett wore plaid, fans started to show up wearing it as well. It was noticeable enough that the band was approached by the Converse sneaker company to promote their new line of Chuck Taylor sneakers. The band accepted the proposal and were seen in several television commercials promoting the sneakers.

Enjoy this video clip of The Mighty Mighty Bosstones performing their song “Where’d you Go”.

You Gotta Be Pullin’ My Cheney !

Dick Cheney the draft dodging chickenhawk

Mount Cheney is erupting again. When will this tough talking, draft dodging chickenhawk ever realize that the American public just wants him to sit down and shut up? Perhaps never, because his most recent diatribe is so misguided and hypocritical that even an addle-minded former face-shooter in chief should have known enough to keep silent.

Politico.com reports that with regard to the recent attempted terrorist attack on Northwest Airlines, Dick Cheney believes that President Obama is not tough enough because he might allow the federal criminal system to try the defendant. Cheney said,

As I’ve watched the events of the last few days it is clear once again that President Obama is trying to pretend we are not at war. He seems to think if he has a low-key response to an attempt to blow up an airliner and kill hundreds of people, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if he gives terrorists the rights of Americans, lets them lawyer up and reads them their Miranda rights, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if we bring the mastermind of Sept. 11 to New York, give him a lawyer and trial in civilian court, we won’t be at war. “He seems to think if he closes Guantanamo and releases the hard-core Al Qaeda-trained terrorists still there, we won’t be at war. He seems to think if he gets rid of the words, ‘war on terror,’ we won’t be at war.

But we are at war and when President Obama pretends we aren’t, it makes us less safe. Why doesn’t he want to admit we’re at war? It doesn’t fit with the view of the world he brought with him to the Oval Office. It doesn’t fit with what seems to be the goal of his presidency — social transformation — the restructuring of American society. President Obama’s first object and his highest responsibility must be to defend us against an enemy that knows we are at war.

Cheney is holding the Obama administration to a standard that the Bush administration failed to adhere to in a nearly identical situation. Remember the thwarted airline shoe-bomber, Richard Reid back in 2001? Well, let’s look and see what Politico.com had to say about that,

Eight years ago, a terrorist bomber’s attempt to blow up a transatlantic airliner was thwarted by a group of passengers, an incident that revealed some gaping holes in airline security just a few months after the attacks of Sept. 11. But it was six days before President George W. Bush, then on vacation, made any public remarks about the so-called shoe bomber, Richard Reid, and there were virtually no complaints from the press or any opposition Democrats that his response was sluggish or inadequate.

Hmm, it took Bush/Cheney six days to return from a vacation before commenting on the terrorist attack. Would that be what Dick Cheney would consider “dithering”? Thereafter, the Bush administration gave him a lawyer and a trial in the civilian court known as The First District Federal Court in Boston, MA where he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment on each of  three charges, 20 years imprisonment on four other charges, and 30 years on four other counts, to be served consecutively. There is no parole in the federal prison system. He is serving his sentences in the ADX Florence, a Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.

It would appear that Dick Cheney is a hypocrite of the first order.

Please remember to click on the song link below to familiarize yourselves with the tune and to have more fun singing along with today’s song parody.

Jamie’s Cryin’ song link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cZERdSslYc

CHENEY’S LYIN’

(sung to the Van Halen song “Jamie’s Cryin’”)

We saw that look in his eyes
He knew no better
He wanted to spread lies
Dick thinks that he’s so clever
He’s always so damned mad
Oh, whoa, whoa, Cheney’s lyin’
Oh, whoa, whoa, Cheney’s lyin’.

Now Cheney’s lookin’ for a fight
But he’s a bed-wetter
A chicken-hawk on the right
He’s a light-weight like a feather
You know he loves to wear leather, uh yeah, yeah
Cheney can barely keep himself together
He’s a baby (when it is brawlin’ time)
Cheney blows just like the weather
Oh, whoa, whoa, Cheney’s lyin’
Oh, whoa, whoa, Cheney’s lyin’.

Now Cheney really loves his wars
Though he never had a tour
He was just a little, a little sore
A girlie-man. Woo!

(guitar solo)

Dick likes to dress up in leather, uh, yeah, yeah
Just to try to make himself feel better
He said, Bushie (Gimme a call sometime)
G.I. Joes make us feel better
Oh, whoa, whoa, Cheney’s lyin’

Oh, whoa, whoa, Cheney’s lyin’
Oh, whoa, whoa, Cheney’s lyin’.
Oh, whoa, whoa, Cheney’s lyin’
Oh, whoa, whoa, Cheney’s lyin’.