Of Pop and Punk...
Back in the late '90s early '00s, Drive-Thru records owned Pop-Punk! According to wikipedia:
Drive-Thru Records, established in 1996, is a California based record label owned by siblings Richard Reines and Stefanie Reines. It is best known for producing various pop punk bands, many with a distinct SoCal sound.
Bands that have achieved notable success during their time on the label include Halifax, Allister, New Found Glory, Fenix*TX, Midtown, Finch, The Starting Line, Rx Bandits, Something Corporate, Dashboard Confessional, The Early November, Senses Fail, and Hellogoodbye.
They have not released any material or updated their website since 2008.
If you listen to local music, no matter what band it may be, chances are at least one of the members grew up on Drive-Thru bands. Friday night, I found myself drunk at the green house asking everyone the same question: "What are your top five Drive-Thru bands?" Of course, not everybody had five, but everybody remembered at least one or two. The following are the "tops" from a few of the esteemed guests (read: drunks) that were hanging out that night.
The Amorist CD Release Show
The Amorist
(feat. Frank Smith & The Shammies)
Saturday May 15th
The Scout Bar
Doors: 9pm
Cover: $3
After nearly a year in the works, the much anticipated self-titled debut from The Amorist is set to finally be released. An on-again/off-again member, a nearly amputated thumb, and ulcerative colitis couldn't keep this album from happening, no matter how bleak the possibility seemed at times. So, now that they've kept us waiting...what do we get? If you happened to be at Star Bar on Monday, then you've already had a preview of the five songs on the album. I can honestly say, the songs have been on my iPod since that preview, and I'm pretty sure I've listened to them at least 10-15 times a piece. However, I'm not going to be reviewing them now as to do so would be secondary to the goal at hand. All I will say is the wait was/is worth it.
Oil the way home
Just when you thought it was getting worse, you were right. Not only has oil begun to creep north to the sands of gulf beaches, oil companies now want to build a pipeline that will send tar sands from the north as well. Canadian tar sands contain petroleum that must be extracted using almost 4 times as many greenhouse gases as the oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico. This is all before the crude can then be refined into gasoline.
Here is the snap shot. Multi-national oil and pipeline companies (including TransCanada) want to build a pipeline for foreign oil to be transported from Canada to Houston/Port Arthur so it can be refined and shipped all over the world.
As we have seen from the Deep Water Horizon disaster and other recent pipeline spills these companies are eager to exploit natural resources and equally eager to pass the buck on clean up. As recently as a few weeks ago one of these pipes leaked tar sand into a sensitive wetland area in Minnesota. The plans for its Texas route include over 30 sensitive areas as well as the Ogallala aquifer in the high plains...
Dog Days of Beaumont
This evening was the grand opening of the leash-less Dog Park in Old Town Beaumont. The great the thing about park's location (Ida Reed Park at 8th and I-10) is that the existing park was seldom used and now passers by from coast to coast can see that our city is pet friendly, which is an important aspect of improving our image. Not everyone in town has a fenced in backyard and even pampered house dogs need to get out and stretch those legs from time to time. I sincerely hope the park is frequently used and the best way to make sure that happens is to get the word out about its existence...
Beaumont Skatepark?
Most people in Southeast Texas probably don't realize Beaumont has a full concrete city-sponsored skatepark. That's mostly likely because its located in Beaumont, California. This small town of 32,633 has been that states 2nd fastest growing city in the 2000s. The park was built in 2004 back when the city could barely boast 20,000 residents. Those in charge knew inorder for the city to continue to grow they needed to invest in youth activities and green space. Check out how this little town in Southern California is laid out. As of late I have been encouraged by the City of Beaumont, Texas and their choice to ignore the naysayers and move forward on some very progressive projects that will do wonders to bring our city up to speed with other mid-sized growing communities. With the implementation of the new event center and dog park it looks as if we are following the lead of the little boomtown that shares our namesake.
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