by Sam Sinister
As you may or may not know, I recently left the band (you can read a little ore about that here).
Since I'm no longer in the band, whether the rest of the guys decide to go on with out me (which is my hope) or not, it wouldn't be right for me to keep posting here at the Dead City Dealers website. So, as a result, I'm moving all of my blogging over to samsinister.blogspot.com, which will includes news on The Shit Parade radio program, rants (and any other kind of typical "blog" posts), news on any of my future musical endeavors, free music downloads, and event listings for any live gigs I set up in future. So feel free to subscribe, follow, or whatever you want to do to keep up with me.
It's been fun!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Sunday, January 9, 2011
A message from vocalist Sam Sinister.
I'm done with being in a band. For now.
This is not a rash decision. I've been talking about leaving the band for well over a year now and going back and forth on what I actually want to do (or not do). I'm just bored and tired of the whole thing.
Everything involved with being in DCD has become all about obligations and expectations, both from within the band and people who like what we're doing and I've become alternately overwhelmed and annoyed more and more frequently as time goes on. It's just not fun anymore.
If Dead City Dealers goes on, it's gonna have to be without me. I'd still like to work with everyone in the band musically, but it's gonna have to be on a much more relaxed and non-serious manner. I know a lot of people have dreams and goals as far as what they're doing muscially, but that's just not me and it probably never will be.
I only want to play shows and write and record songs when it's convenient for me. Maybe that's selfish, but I can't force it. If I'm not happy with what I'm doing and just putting on a happy face, then that's bullshit. It's fake. I can't be fake. I have to be me. No matter what. I can't schedule my free time or take on responsibilities for other people anymore.
All I wanted from the beginning was to effortlessly write songs that were fun and simple. Songs that I would enjoy listening to if I weren't in the band. Not that that's not what we ended up with in DCD, but it always seems like there's this push to go outside of the realm of what I'm comfortable doing musically, effort-wise and time-wise, and how far I would want the band to go (which isn't very far at all, actually).
This is probably gonna read as being a little melodramatic, but that's really not what I'm trying to do. I'm just stating facts. And like I said before, this decision wasn't made lightly. Point blank: I just need a break.
--Sam
This is not a rash decision. I've been talking about leaving the band for well over a year now and going back and forth on what I actually want to do (or not do). I'm just bored and tired of the whole thing.
Everything involved with being in DCD has become all about obligations and expectations, both from within the band and people who like what we're doing and I've become alternately overwhelmed and annoyed more and more frequently as time goes on. It's just not fun anymore.
If Dead City Dealers goes on, it's gonna have to be without me. I'd still like to work with everyone in the band musically, but it's gonna have to be on a much more relaxed and non-serious manner. I know a lot of people have dreams and goals as far as what they're doing muscially, but that's just not me and it probably never will be.
I only want to play shows and write and record songs when it's convenient for me. Maybe that's selfish, but I can't force it. If I'm not happy with what I'm doing and just putting on a happy face, then that's bullshit. It's fake. I can't be fake. I have to be me. No matter what. I can't schedule my free time or take on responsibilities for other people anymore.
All I wanted from the beginning was to effortlessly write songs that were fun and simple. Songs that I would enjoy listening to if I weren't in the band. Not that that's not what we ended up with in DCD, but it always seems like there's this push to go outside of the realm of what I'm comfortable doing musically, effort-wise and time-wise, and how far I would want the band to go (which isn't very far at all, actually).
This is probably gonna read as being a little melodramatic, but that's really not what I'm trying to do. I'm just stating facts. And like I said before, this decision wasn't made lightly. Point blank: I just need a break.
--Sam
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Idiot Management Company
10/1/2010 7:39 PM
From: [XX Management]
To: Dead City Dealers (deadcitydealers@myspace.com)
Subject: Hey guys.
Hey,
We work with the band [Xxxx Xx Xxxx!] signed to Facedown Records.
Saw you were friends with them.
We are accepting new band submission, so if you want to take your band to the next level, hit us up!
:)
-[Xxxx Xxxxxxx]
10/2/2010 11:48 AM
From: Dead City Dealers (deadcitydealers@myspace.com)
To: [XX Management]
Subject: RE: Hey guys.
Are you gonna make us rich and famous?
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
VIDEO: "This City's Dead" (Slideshow)
This is a music video slideshow I made, using pictures that my girlfriend, Rachel, took around New Castle, set to our song "This City's Dead." If you want to check out more of her stuff, visit her Facebook page or buy a few prints at her Etsy store.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, December 20, 2010
Songfacts: "Horrible"
True story. This song was written by me one day after seeing a really awful band at The Sky Club in Masury, Ohio. A couple of friends and I went out of boredom to see a couple of bands that the flyer billed as "old school rock and roll" or something to that effect, which to me could mean anything from rockabilly to garage, bar rock or anything blues-based. These bands were none of the above.
(Well, alright - in all fairness, the second band might have been, but we didn't stick around to find out. The opener was THAT bad.)
I think the flyer even had a hot rod or something on it. So imagine my surprise when we sat down and waited for almost an hour, to eventually hear something I can only describe as slow-as-Moses, self-indulged "rock" music. Granted, I'd never heard of either band, and couldn't even tell you now what they were called, but I figured, "Hey! I like checking out bands I've never heard before, and this looks like something I might enjoy. We should go!". Little did I know, it was false advertising.
The only thing in the lyrics that's untrue is that the singer did not, in fact, look like Beaver Cleaver.
(Well, alright - in all fairness, the second band might have been, but we didn't stick around to find out. The opener was THAT bad.)
I think the flyer even had a hot rod or something on it. So imagine my surprise when we sat down and waited for almost an hour, to eventually hear something I can only describe as slow-as-Moses, self-indulged "rock" music. Granted, I'd never heard of either band, and couldn't even tell you now what they were called, but I figured, "Hey! I like checking out bands I've never heard before, and this looks like something I might enjoy. We should go!". Little did I know, it was false advertising.
The only thing in the lyrics that's untrue is that the singer did not, in fact, look like Beaver Cleaver.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Songfacts: "Lonely at the Top"
I wrote this song prior to co-forming the Disliked with former bandmates Ray Wojtowicz, Chris Vermin, Brianne Donnegan (all of whom were in the Яeversatiles with me), and Ryan Bower (formerly of The RUNS). I think at this point I was listening to a lot of The Misfits and watching too many zombie/cannibal movies. In fact, the way the music originally sounded was like Earth AD/Walk Among Us-era Misfits: Fast, vaguely thrashy 3-chord verses, a longer bridge (sans vocals), and a 2-chord chorus riff with a punchy musical "count off" at the end.
That's not too far off from how the song ended up sounding
That's not too far off from how the song ended up sounding
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Songfacts: "Liberal Stomp"
This song was written entirely by Chris Vermin, and I'm pretty sure it was mainly in response to anti-smoking laws, among other things. The music is a 4-chord progression that never changes and it's very similar to "Social Security" by the Unseen. This was another carry-over from The Яeversatiles days. It's basically about PC, and the restrictions that come along with it. The lyrics are actually pretty funny, if you share our sense of humor. Not many people do, so we don't play this song much any more...
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Songfacts: "Sex and Violence" (Exploited cover)
This was one of the few cover songs that actually made it to DCD's early sets, from older bands some of us were in previously (first The Яeversatiles, then later The Disliked). Back in 2001, when I first started trying to form bands with people, I'd insist that the only way it would work was if we based everything we did on 2 songs: "Sex and Violence" by the Exploited, and "Louie Louie".
(Footnote - The Яeversatiles actually did a medley of these two songs, called "Sex with Louie". We'd play the Exploited song forever, then fade out into the opening chords of Louie Louie, while still singing "sex and violence" for the chorus. But that's another story altogether...)
(Footnote - The Яeversatiles actually did a medley of these two songs, called "Sex with Louie". We'd play the Exploited song forever, then fade out into the opening chords of Louie Louie, while still singing "sex and violence" for the chorus. But that's another story altogether...)
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Songfacts: "Plastic"
Although technically a new song, the music was originally a Disliked tune called "Cheap Sex and Canadian Booze", the lyrics for which were written by our (The Disliked's) then-singer, Brianne Donnegan. Basically, we liked the song so much that we decided we had to re-hash it, only with new lyrics.
We also added a third part (the "5-2-10"/"Five-to-ten" riff), after the second chorus (which is where we always seem to shove the third riff to any song). If you can figure out what "5-2-10" means, you're a bigger dork than we are for thinking it was funny enough to include in the final version of the song. Hint: It's not a date.
It would've made more sense for this to have been one of our earlier DCD songs, with Andy replacing me on guitar and me moving over to vocals; but history isn't perfect, and so it took another 3 years for this to actually come together as a song. All things considered, I think it's a damn good one.
The Music
Although I can't remember if it was me or Mario who came up with the music for the verses, I'm almost positive the chorus was all me. The bridge was Ryan's doing, as were most of the lyrics.
The Lyrics
The lyrics can be credited as follows:
Entire first verse, and first half of the chorus - Ryan.
"She's god's gift to all the emo boys" - Can't remember if this was me or Ryan, but it's a good one.
"That ain't me... Oi! Oi! Oi!" - That's all me (obviously).
"She likes indie bands and bad poetry" - Ryan.
"She'll like anything that gives her credibility" - Me.
I think the rest of this verse was just both of us throwing ideas at each other until something finally stuck.
The third verse didn't actually come together until a month or two later, and when we finally came up with something we could agree on, it was like a light bulb went off over both our heads. I think most of it was Ryan saying stuff while I sat there going, "No... no... YEAH!" over and over again until we finally had something that, in retrospect, reads like an assload of product placement:
"She's at the Beehive, smoking Pall Mall cigarettes. Ramen Noodles is the new, hip meal. Went to a record store for Captain Beefheart, but then she settled for Captain and Tenille."
I know that last line was something he'd been kicking around from the beginning, but it didn't really seem to fit or make sense until after the advent of the first two. If that makes any sense.
(By the way, the "Captain Beefheart/Captain and Tenille" joke was based on a line from The Offspring's "Pretty Fly [For a White Guy]". I'll let you guess as to which one.)
References
The terms used in the lyrics are mainly in reference to your stereotypical inner-city dwelling, art school types in their early- to mid-twenties, also known as hipsters; more specifically, hipsters from Pittsburgh (or those from New Castle who've moved to Pittsburgh). Though we have no real ill-will toward hipsters, other than their arrogance and overall fickle taste in anything currently "cutting edge", they are a hell of a lot of fun to poke fun at. Which, in all honesty, is probably something they enjoy anyway.
The funny thing is, half the shit mentioned in this song is stuff at least one or two of us in DCD ourselves enjoy: Chris and I both smoke Pall Malls, Ryan listens to a good amount of indie rock, I'm an agnostic, I'm pretty sure we all like Ramen, and believe it or not, I'm actually writing at this very moment (though I really don't consider myself much of a "writer"). How's that for irony? I was half-tempted several times to throw in a line about PBR, too, but I'm still having trouble admitting that we share that one in common.
Also, we really don't have much of a problem with feminists (reasonable ones, not "man-haters").
Anyway, to avoid further boredom on your part, I'll just sum it up by saying we ended up writing a fairly witty, catchy, and overall awesome little ditty about falling for a girl who's too much of a pseudo-intellectual, arty-farty bitch to be bothered with the likes of actual punk/skinhead types. You'd have to ask Ryan for clues as to who this one's about (assuming it's anything more than good fiction). Cheers.
We also added a third part (the "5-2-10"/"Five-to-ten" riff), after the second chorus (which is where we always seem to shove the third riff to any song). If you can figure out what "5-2-10" means, you're a bigger dork than we are for thinking it was funny enough to include in the final version of the song. Hint: It's not a date.
It would've made more sense for this to have been one of our earlier DCD songs, with Andy replacing me on guitar and me moving over to vocals; but history isn't perfect, and so it took another 3 years for this to actually come together as a song. All things considered, I think it's a damn good one.
The Music
Although I can't remember if it was me or Mario who came up with the music for the verses, I'm almost positive the chorus was all me. The bridge was Ryan's doing, as were most of the lyrics.
The Lyrics
The lyrics can be credited as follows:
Entire first verse, and first half of the chorus - Ryan.
"She's god's gift to all the emo boys" - Can't remember if this was me or Ryan, but it's a good one.
"That ain't me... Oi! Oi! Oi!" - That's all me (obviously).
"She likes indie bands and bad poetry" - Ryan.
"She'll like anything that gives her credibility" - Me.
I think the rest of this verse was just both of us throwing ideas at each other until something finally stuck.
The third verse didn't actually come together until a month or two later, and when we finally came up with something we could agree on, it was like a light bulb went off over both our heads. I think most of it was Ryan saying stuff while I sat there going, "No... no... YEAH!" over and over again until we finally had something that, in retrospect, reads like an assload of product placement:
"She's at the Beehive, smoking Pall Mall cigarettes. Ramen Noodles is the new, hip meal. Went to a record store for Captain Beefheart, but then she settled for Captain and Tenille."
I know that last line was something he'd been kicking around from the beginning, but it didn't really seem to fit or make sense until after the advent of the first two. If that makes any sense.
(By the way, the "Captain Beefheart/Captain and Tenille" joke was based on a line from The Offspring's "Pretty Fly [For a White Guy]". I'll let you guess as to which one.)
References
The terms used in the lyrics are mainly in reference to your stereotypical inner-city dwelling, art school types in their early- to mid-twenties, also known as hipsters; more specifically, hipsters from Pittsburgh (or those from New Castle who've moved to Pittsburgh). Though we have no real ill-will toward hipsters, other than their arrogance and overall fickle taste in anything currently "cutting edge", they are a hell of a lot of fun to poke fun at. Which, in all honesty, is probably something they enjoy anyway.
The funny thing is, half the shit mentioned in this song is stuff at least one or two of us in DCD ourselves enjoy: Chris and I both smoke Pall Malls, Ryan listens to a good amount of indie rock, I'm an agnostic, I'm pretty sure we all like Ramen, and believe it or not, I'm actually writing at this very moment (though I really don't consider myself much of a "writer"). How's that for irony? I was half-tempted several times to throw in a line about PBR, too, but I'm still having trouble admitting that we share that one in common.
Also, we really don't have much of a problem with feminists (reasonable ones, not "man-haters").
Anyway, to avoid further boredom on your part, I'll just sum it up by saying we ended up writing a fairly witty, catchy, and overall awesome little ditty about falling for a girl who's too much of a pseudo-intellectual, arty-farty bitch to be bothered with the likes of actual punk/skinhead types. You'd have to ask Ryan for clues as to who this one's about (assuming it's anything more than good fiction). Cheers.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
NEWS... Shows n'at.
Alright, so we're playing in Youngstown, OH this coming Friday, October 22nd, at University Pizza (affectionately known to the locals as "The U-Pie") with our good friends The Undercover Saints (Pittsburgh) and this band The Bloody Muffs from NYC. Be there... seriously. It's serious.
November 6th is our CD release show at The Royal Oaks in Youngstown (I guess New Castle's got no love for us). That'll start at 10 PM and run until we say so. Pittsburgh Oi! powerhouse The Traditionals and sleaze-punk legends The Cheats will be joining us, as well. We will have 30 hand-numbered and labelled CDs with all the artwork and plastic and everything, and you'll be able to give us money for them if you choose to do so. I know I would.
Also, on November 20th, we will be playing in New Castle (WHOOO!) for the first ever Wherewolf Radio benefit show at Fat-n-Skinny's, with a bunch of metal bands, some of whom we're friends with. Also playing will be local legends Coinmonster, for a one-off reunion, and the entire night will be recorded and broadcast LIVE on wherewolfradio.com's internet radio stream. There's gonna be prizes and giveaways and beer. You're a shithead if you're not there, and a shithead if you are. So be there no matter what. You owe it to us.
November 6th is our CD release show at The Royal Oaks in Youngstown (I guess New Castle's got no love for us). That'll start at 10 PM and run until we say so. Pittsburgh Oi! powerhouse The Traditionals and sleaze-punk legends The Cheats will be joining us, as well. We will have 30 hand-numbered and labelled CDs with all the artwork and plastic and everything, and you'll be able to give us money for them if you choose to do so. I know I would.
Also, on November 20th, we will be playing in New Castle (WHOOO!) for the first ever Wherewolf Radio benefit show at Fat-n-Skinny's, with a bunch of metal bands, some of whom we're friends with. Also playing will be local legends Coinmonster, for a one-off reunion, and the entire night will be recorded and broadcast LIVE on wherewolfradio.com's internet radio stream. There's gonna be prizes and giveaways and beer. You're a shithead if you're not there, and a shithead if you are. So be there no matter what. You owe it to us.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Album Update!
1. Call to Arms
2. Justified Violence
3. (She's a) Zombie
4. 'Til the Walls Come Down*
5. The Bar Song*
6. Paycheck to Paycheck*
7. No Sympathy
8. Plastic*
9. Horrible
10. This City's Dead
*First time recorded. Track order subject to change.
Liner Notes:
Recorded in August of 2010. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Josh Roman at MindRocket Recording in West Middlesex, PA. Produced by Josh Roman and Sam Sinister.
Dead City Dealers:
Sam Sinister (vocals)
Chris Vermin (bass and backing vocals)
Mario Sapanero (rhythm guitar, harmonics)
Andy Fabich (lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals)
Ryan Bower (drums and backing vocals)
Additional gang vocally goodness by the STS Crew (Dead City Dealers, Lyndsay Anderson, Duke Manly, Peter Jaye, and Badger).
Cover design: Sam Sinister (with help from Jake Huff).
Photography: Rachel Solomon (PAΧΗΛ Photography).
Packaging layout and direction: Sam Sinister.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
New album dropping soon!
We just recorded our long-anticipated studio album. Get ready.
You can hear all of the new tracks here. (Click the title of the song you want to hear, then click "Play direct from Dead City Dealers".)
You can hear all of the new tracks here. (Click the title of the song you want to hear, then click "Play direct from Dead City Dealers".)
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