Drive: Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

Drive is the new film of danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. Starring are Ryan Gosling as a movie stunt driver, Carey Mulligan as his love interest, Bryan Cranston as Gosling's boss and Albert Brooks and Ron Perlman as the L.A. crime bosses.

Driver lives a quiet life between his two jobs as a movie stunt driver and a mechanic in a car repair shop. Because of his badass driving skills, sometimes at night, he works as a getaway driver in heists.

In his apartment building lives Irene with his son Benicio, both with whom Driver has began a heartfelt friendship that adds spice to his apparently boring life existence.
When Benicio's dad comes back from jail and needs to do a last roobery in order to pay for a crime debt, Driver helps him but things get out of hand and everything goes downward spiral after this. A bloodshed tour de force that can only be stop by Driver's love for Irene.

The film builds up with an intensity that at the end seems like a whole different movie. The main character who at the beginning speaks in monosyllables and smiles at the end becomes a bad-ass vigilante type, so cold-blooded that scares his love interest away. Gosling's performance is marvelous. He perfectly incarnates an oxymoron (an almost innocent cold blooded slasher).

A movie that combines gore and romance in a non-formulaic way can't go wrong. It is a very entertaining flick which will probably earn Gosling an Oscar nomination. Movie and TV stars like Cranston (Breaking Bad) , Brooks (Weeds) and Perlman (Sons of Anarchy) make a great supporting cast with badass performances as well. Go see it if you are into ironic-type characters, gore or action-packed films. Avoid it, if you are looking for a romantic happy ending type. 4 out of 5 stars.

2011 FYF Fest=DESCENDENTS

DESCENDENTS headlined the 2011 FYF Fest at the L.A. Historic Park in downtown Los Angeles. The SoCal kings of hardcore-punk-pop played for the second time in their hometown after more than a decade. In addition, other great acts such as OFF, Dead Milkmen, Kid Dynamite, Weakerthans, Guided by Voices and Cults played across the four stages named after our four favorite famous painters.

After watching a couple of decent bands such as Tijuana Panthers and Ty Segall in "Michaelangelo" and "Donatello", came one of the most anticipated bands by ourselves, OFF. This kick-ass band features legendary Black Flag and Circle Jerks lead singer, Mr. Keith Morris, and Steven McDonald from Red Kross. Hardcore Punk with an early 80s sound that provoked a couple of fights and broken noses at the ferocious circle pit. Songs like "Fuck People", "Peace in Hermosa" and "Jeffrey Lee Pierce", the latter dedicated to Gun Club's lead singer with whom Keith used to hang out at Chinatown's Hong Kong Cafe in the early 80s.

Then we went to the main stage aka "Leonardo" to see Cults, an indie band, who for my surprise sounded very neat. Catchy vocal harmonies and mellow songs that invited to chill out after OFF's energetic set. During their repertoire, a huge California Republic flag waved as the sunset started to go down.

We continued across the other side of the park to the isolated "Raphael" stage to see the Weakerthans and Kid Dynamite. After passing the merch booths of Amoeba Music, RevHQ and LA Weekly, we sat down to see Canadian folksy punks The Weakerthans. Good overall set with no major anecdotes.

The highlight of this stage came next with Philly Hardcore Punk legends Kid Dynamite. Old school hardcore anthems interpolated with melodic punk songs that invited to circle pit and stage dive. Almost during their entire set, lead vocalist Jason was singing at the space between the stage and the pit. Their sound sent me back through time to the late 90s hardcore punk scene. At this point: sun, fun and Raybans were gone and a kinda cold night was awaiting us.

After that, headed back to the main stage to prepare for the almighty fucking Descendents which was the main reason we were in this fest (our last one being 2008's Cultura Urbana). We sat down to see Broken Social Scene through the giant screens. Their set was ok and then it was the turn of 80s Ohio indie rockers Guided by Voices.

We took advantage and saw their entire set in the first row. They played some good punk-sounding stuff. Neither great nor bad, but served to see first hand, Bill Stevenson setting up his drum set. The excitement was reaching its highest point.

The clock ticked at 9:40 pm when Milo Aukerman, Bill Stevenson, Stephen Egerton and Karl Alvarez a.k.a. DESCENDENTS came on stage. They began with the song "Descendents" who excited thousands of screaming fans who were there to see history in the making. Milo put on a Dodgers cap that the crowd threw at him and sang the hymns of every album (the song selection was perfect).

Songs like "Pervert", "I like food", "Silly Girl", I'm not a looser", "Sour Grapes", "Bikeage", "Hope", "Rotting Out", "I'm the One", "Coffee Mug", "I don't wanna grow up", "Suburban Home", "Van", "Clean Sheets", among others completed their 1 hour set.

At the stage you could see Matt Skiba, Fat Mike or Fletcher from Pennywise singing as every other fan who was there. One of the highlights was during "All-O-Gistics" that a couple of young kids (I supposed some of their sons) recited some funny-as-hell postulates made for the occasion. In "Hope", Dr. Milo Aukerman went down to the pit to sang with his fans.

The constant stage diving and singalongs helped the South Bay legends make the best set of live-music I have ever seen. I waited 15 years for this and it was all worth it. It was perfection defined.

As good as it gets, we went back to the tiny isolated stage for the Dead Milkmen performance. They opened with their classic "Tiny Town" and continue with a couple more, such as "Punk Rock Girl". Good set but we were tired as fuck and needed to walk almost 2 miles through downtown to get back to our vehicle. After 12 hours of sun, fun, good music, organic food, attention-whore hipsters, punk rock and DESCENDENTS, I slept with a big smile on my face.

Hardcore Punk Pioneers: Rhino 39

Long Beach's Rhino 39 are definitely one of the first hardcore punk bands ever. They formed in 1976 and released their classic EP "Prolixin Stomp/No Compromise" in 1979. Shortly after, lead singer Dave Dacron died in a car crash.

Some might say is The Middle Class, the Bad Brains or even The Neos from Canada but Rhino 39 were one of the first punks to began playing faster drum beats and guitar rhythms. Enjoy the vid!

A bill from the early 80s

JFA and Angry Samoans presented their punk rock classics at the House of Blues in the Sunset Strip. A bill reminiscent of the early 80s California hardcore punk scene with the addition of newer bands such as Death Punch and The Casualties.

At 7:00 p.m., the doors opened to hundreds of youngsters attire in classic punk bands shirts and spiky hairs. While waiting in line, Metal Mike, lead singer of The Angry Samoans, approached some of the attendees with a punk rock game to give out some free Samoans shirts.

In the background, some well-known punk bands sounded as fans continue to filled up the venue. Around 8:00 pm, local band Death Punch appeared. They looked sort of like The Casualties but sounded like generic punk with emo vocals and breakdowns. Their highlight was the Operation Ivy standard "Knowledge".

The main dish were definitely Arizona's skate-punk pioneers JFA. Dozens of kids circle pitted to classics such as "Out of School", "Jodie Foster's Army", "Beach Blanket Bongout" and "Preppy". Brian Brannon, the lead singer, played some keyboards during their surf tunes that slowed down the atmosphere quite a bit after several skate punk songs. Their mythical guitar player, Don Redondo, sponsored by "Independent trucks" clothing blasted that guitar like it was an early 80s show. Pure surf, skate and hardcore punk.

After the highlight of the show, came one of the true power houses of the L.A. punk scene, The Angry "Motherfuckin" Samoans. Metal Mike, Bill Vockeroth and cia rocked all their hits "Gas Chambers", "Todd Killings", "Light's Out", "Homosexual", "Hot Cars" and "Right Side of my mind" to hundreds of cheering punkers. Mike and Bill switch between drums and vocals as usual. And to add more greatness, they played two covers: "Slave to my dick" (Canadian Subhumans) and "Wasted" (Black Flag). Punk Rock as its finest.

We left after that and did not saw the "headliners", The Casualties. I have seen them in other occasions and didn't want to hear the same song for an entire hour. Anyhow, great punk show with JFA and Angry Samoans sets.

Lewd Conduct in L.A.

The Lewd, a legendary 77' punk outfit from San Francisco (via Seattle), has played at The Redwood Bar & Grill in Downtown Los Angeles. The bill was completed by Old School L.A. punkers RF7 and two relatively new bands called Rough Kids and Neon Maniacs.

Everything was unpredictable for many reasons. Starting with the venue, a tiny restaurant/bar near the LA Times building, who improvised a stage putting out some dinning tables. Continued by the arrival of dozens of punks from the oldest, not-so-new or new scene, as the entire Rhino Records "No Thanks" served as prelude.

Around 10:00 pm, The Rough Kids started blasting their upbeat 77' punk. They probably rip off stage every other band that follow them. Catchy songs, tight drumming and in-your-face guitar rhythm that even included the Simpletones tune "I Like Drugs". Their sound remind me of a cross between The Stitches and The Crowd, so definitely worth checking out.

Neon Manics came up next. Their sound was very lo-fi garage punk with raunchy backing vocals and loud guitars. It was a very energetic set with tons of attitude. They somehow reminded me of The Webelos from Spain with their out of tune vocals. So far, so good.

Then, RF7 entered the stage with original vocalist Felix and guitarrist Nick. SoCal early hardcore punk with heartfelt songs. They played hits such as "Raised on Heroin" and "Fuck Money", in during which the vocalist burned a one dollar bill. Their set was one of the highlights of the show.

Past midnight, The Lewd appeared featuring vocalist J. Satz Baret and guitarrist Blobbo. Satz, who looked very old and fucked-up, babbled the songs while the band played sloppier versions of their classics "Climate of Fear", "Trash Can Baby", "Mobile Home", "(Go To Hell In) Hollywood" and "Fight".

For $8 dollars, it was a good show but definitely expected to hear The Lewd classics' better performed. Anyway is punk rock, so fuck it.

NOFX pays tribute to 80s hardcore punk

In the vein of great covers' albums such as Slayer's Undisputed attitude, Ratos de Porão's Feijoada acidente? (International), Guns N' Roses' Spaghetti Incident and The Hives' Tarred and Feathered Ep, NOFX has released an 80s hardcore punk cover's album with classic songs from Battalion of Saints, Stretch Marks (Canada), Necros, D.O.A, Agnostic Front, Urban Waste, Rebel Truth, Sin 34 and Social Unrest. This 9-song ep is only on vynil.

Also, NYHC outfit H2O will release a punk covers album called "Don't Forget Your Roots" with songs from Ramones, Dag Nasty, Madball, Rancid, Circle Jerks, Descendents, Cro-Mags, Bad Brains, The Clash, Government Issue, Verbal Assault, Gorilla Biscuits, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, 7 Seconds, Embrace, Social Distortion, Sick of it All and Warzone.

Get NOFX's Hardcore covers Ep and be on the look for H2O's release this fall.

FC Barcelona is Mes que un Club

FC Barcelona won their 4th UEFA Champions League tittle against Manchester United by 3-1 at Wembley stadium in London, England. Canarian striker Pedro opened the score at 27' with a wonderful pass from catalan legendary midfielder Xavi. The "Red Devils" tied at 34' with a powerful goal by brit bad boy Rooney. Several other shots at goal were made by the catalan side but the halftime stop with both sides tied at one.

The culés controlled the ball almost 70% of the time during the game. Then at 54', argentine foward Messi put the 2-1 with a long distance goal which took Man U's dutch goalkeeper Van Der Saar by surprise. It was Messi's first goal in english soil. To wrap the wonderful performance by the blaugranas, Spain striker David Villa scored at 69' with a play started by Man of the Match, Messi, and a pass from catalan defensive midfielder Sergio Busquets.

At the end, french defender Eric Abidal (who had battled cancer in the previous months) raised "La Orejona" to celebrate the azulgrana's 3rd UEFA Champions tittle in 6 years. The catalan side also won in 2006 against Arsenal (2-1) and in 2009 also against Man U (2-0).

Messi was the competition's leading scorer with 12 goals equaling Van Nistelrooy's previous 2002-03 record. "La Pulga" ended with 53 goals and 25 assists in the entire season and is in the run for his 3rd straight FIFA Ballon D'Or award.

Barcelona's head coach Josep Guardiola got the 10th tittle of his three year span. 3 straight La Liga tittles (2009, 2010 and 2011), 2 UEFA Champions Leagues (2009 and 2011), 2 Spanish Supercups (2009 and 2010), 1 European Supercup (2009) and 1 FIFA Club World Cup (2009) and 1 Copa del Rey (2009). Also, he is the only coach in history to have won a Sextuple by winning all the tittles possible in a single season of European football.

FC Barcelona has three more competitions to complete their almost perfect year. In August 14th, they face arch rivals Real Madrid in the first leg of the 2011 Spanish Supercup at Bernabeu stadium. The second leg is at the Camp Nou in August 17th. This competition faces up Liga Champions and Copa del Rey Champions.

In August 26th, they play the 2011 European Supercup against UEFA Europa League winners, portuguese side Porto, at the Stade Louis II in Mónaco. In December 8-18, they will compete for the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup against the winners of the Champions League of the other FIFA world regions. They qualify for the latter three competitions by winning the 2011 UEFA Champions League.

Beastie Boys Short Film

Beastie Boys-Fight For Your Rights (Revisited) Short Film.

Featuring Will Farrell, John C Reilly, Elijah Wood, Jack Black, Stanley Tucci, Susan Surandon, Rainn Wilson, Danny Mcbride, Seth Rogen, Ted Danson, Jason Schwartzman, Chloe Sevigny, Steve Buscemi, Rashida Jones, Mike Mills, Roman Coppola, Amy Poehler, Alicia Silverstone, Laura Dern, Kristen Dunst, Maya Rudolph, Orlando Bloom, etc.

Spanish Hip Hop against Racism

Spain's biggest Hip Hop stars united against Racism. El Chojin, Locus and Nerviozzo of Dúo Kie, Gitano Antón and El Langui of La Excepción, Nach, Lírico, Kase O and Sho-Hai of Violadores del Verso, Xhelazz, Titó and El Santo of Falsalarma, Zatu of SFDK and Ose appear in this.

Record-breaking Barça

It's only half season of Spanish La Liga (19 games played) and F.C. Barcelona have won 17 games with 1 draw against Mallorca and 1 loss against Hércules. Making them the best Winter Champions ever (adding 52 points, out of a possible 57). This including the "manita" (5-0) win over arch rivals, Real Madrid, at the Camp Nou.

They have similar success in the other competitions. Currently in quarterfinals at Copa del Rey against Liga Adelante's (Spain 2nd Division) current leaders, Real Betis. Barca won the first leg, 5-0. In the UEFA Champions League, they are scheduled to play against London legends, Arsenal FC, on the Round of 16 (first leg on Feb 16, 2011).


Individually in Liga, Lionel Messi has 18 goals (second to CR9's 22). David Villa has 14 goals (3rd after its argentine teammate) and canarian clutch striker Pedro has 10 goals. Manchego wonder, Andrés Iniesta, has 6 goals (tied his career high already).

Playmaking-wise, Messi is leading the league with 13 assists. Pedrito has 8, brazilian Dani Alves has 7 and Villa has 5. Star-duo of midfielders, Xavi and Iniesta, have 4 each.

Combining all competitions (League, Champions and Cup), Messi has 31 goals and 16 assists. In Champions, the argentine has 6 goals, tied second with Bayern Munich striker Mario Gómez. The current leader is Inter Milán striker, Samuel Eto'o, with 7 goals.


Culés, David Villa and Pedrito, overall have 16 goals and 7 assists each. Iniesta has 6 goals and 6 assists. Messi has scored 3 hat-tricks (three goals in a single game) this season. Against Sevilla in Supercopa de España, against Almería (final result 8-0) in Liga and against Real Betis in Copa del Rey, this last one was his first of 2011.

Pep Guardiola's team hold a club-record of 28 games unbeaten after their most recent 4-1 win over Málaga. Second-place Real Madrid trails Barcelona by 4 points at the top of La Liga standings (52 against 48). Also, they have won nine times for 4 or more goals( six in Liga, one in Champions and two in Cup).

Blaugrana's have scored in Liga 61 goals and only received 11 goals, a 50 goal differential. 48 of those goals scored by Messi, Villa, Pedro and Iniesta.

Added to their greatness in the field, La Masia alumni Messi, Xavi and Iniesta were the top three nominees for the first ever 2010 FIFA Ballon D'or award. Which merged FIFA World Player and France Football's Ballon D'or in one. An award won by Messi and crowned FC Barcelona's game as a whole. Messi won both awards previously in 2009.

We are definitely looking at one of the best sports team in history. How many more records would be broken when the season ends? Who knows. But definitely, Mes que un Club!