The album “Milo Goes to College” by the Descendents came out just as I was beginning my sophomore year in high school. I had already become enthralled with punk/hardcore punk prior and at the time my friends and I would scoop up anything from certain labels. New Alliance was associated with the venerable SST records home to Black Flag who we loved and so grabbing this one was obvious choice. This record was the earliest example of pop-punk or melodic hardcore I encountered. I liked it but didn’t love it. Yes, it was fast with loud guitar/bass/drums, but in contrast to the raw brutality of the aforementioned Black Flag the catchy vocals weren’t screamed, and the music had a more crystalline precise sound. This seemed less approachable as I liked the simple and more gnarly variations of my music genre. When I picked up guitar a year later it was not this stuff that I wanted to learn to play.
Forty plus years later I still gravitate to simple, gnarly and things with a more DIY, inexpensive (cheap?) vibe. Pop punk became a dominating force and made a number of bands very wealthy (my amended title is a good example of that), but it never spoke to me. So today, I will get into some things that are simple, small things/concepts that I have appreciated over the last year and longer. Don’t think of it as a wrap up, best of, or things I’m grateful for year-end list. Or do think of that way if that turns you on, darling.
Music Selections: Laughing Corpse: Beyond Recognition “Leave them wanting more” works well in the music world in the form of the extended play release. No long player elevated concepts, just a brief sample of what a band is up to. These generally cost less for bands to make and cost the listener less as well. I came across DC’s Laughing Corpse last summer opening for Heaven’s Gate and Bat and was duly impressed. Their sound with its echoes of early Corrosion of Conformity and other noisy Carolina hardcore as well as the mighty Poison Idea is right up my alley. I was psyched to find that they had a record coming out on Sorry State who like SST was in the way back, a label where I know I’ll generally find stuff I like or at the least something unique. Get in the pit!
Revivis: Energy Ghosts EP How about one more? Here are some new House music jams that are fun and will make you want to move your tuchus (as all House music should). Short and sweet booty-shaking good times.
I am a firm believer in the saying that “the best things in life are free” or as I’d add pretty cheap too. I naturally love a bargain and free is always a great price. These may be obvious to many, but hey come for the redundancy and stay for the hacky jokes, right? So how about an oldie to begin with?
Instant bike stand. Cost: nothing. As a kid, everyone including myself forever would always flip bicycles over to work on them using the ends of the handlebars and the saddle as a tripod to hold the bike up. I guess this was okay for getting to the chain/removing a wheel, but once I began riding bikes with gears and hand brakes it kinda sucked. Those controls were now out of reach beneath the bars and doing anything with them was clumsy at best. I always was in awe of those cool heavy-duty clamp stands that bike shops had, but buying something like that was not practical nor portable. I guess sometime in the late 90s/early 00s I became aware of bike stands for home use. The early Park Tool folding one was the first I ever saw that anyone outside of a shop had. I’d eventually acquire one from Ultimate (now Feedback) and I was on my way to at least looking like I knew what I was doing regarding bike repair. The thing was I couldn’t schlepp one of these around with on a ride and so I was relegated to flipping the bike over again or leaning it against a tree while out in the wild. Credit on the “Instant bike stand” goes to my pal MasterP (not that Master P, but he’s alright too). This amounts to finding a tree with a sturdy branch at ideally head high extending laterally from the trunk. Hang the nose of your saddle over it perpendicularly so you can turn your pedals and voilà! You are all set to fix whatever has gone awry on your steed without having to bend over, contort or get dirt on your grips/saddle. I used this the other day when my derailleur was hopping about and was reminded how awesome this simple move is.
Moving on to just slightly more costly ($4-8) lets speak of lip balm. The damn stuff has been around since the ancient Egyptians and over the last few years I have become a huge fan. My appreciation thereof may have stemmed from my recent fascination with Snowboarding. Lip balm is just one of those incredibly simple things that will make your life better cold weather or not. I keep a tube in my pocket now on all rides. There are endless varieties and flavors for these. I’m partial to Burt’s Bees Vanilla, but many I know swear by Carmex. Both are a bargain and will keep your kissers feeling great.
Lastly, insulated water bottles ($14-22+). These were quite the novelty when they first debuted in the late 00s and really began to make a splash (pun-intended) for cyclists thereafter. These cost more than plain bottles but having a drink that stays cool on a hot day is priceless. It seems every company has these available now including over the top expensive ones. I’d venture to say that the basic Camelbak Podium Chill models have the best top with their rotating latch, but the more recent ones from Specialized are nice too. Perfect for a nice Mint Julep or Arnold Palmer. Ice water with your fav hydration additive also works. A refreshing inexpensive treat, just like reading this was as, I am sure. Let’s Go, 2026!
Bottle up and geaux bonus! I’ve had water bottles made for the last half dozen years with our office logo/info on them to hand out to the team we sponsor and basically anyone else. I have maybe a dozen or more of the last design on insulated Polar Bottles (see masthead pic) and you can have one sent to you for FREE! I will be doing new ones this spring so hopefully some of y’all might enjoy them. Lower 48 states only. Just send shipping info to hbelly1313@yahoo.com.