Got to catch this movie on the big screen at my local art guilds movie night. Felt weird to see a movie that plays out like a big budget indie quirky comedy in the middle of blockbuster season!

The Monuments Men tells the story of artists, art dealers and art historians who are drafted to recover important works of art stolen by the Nazi's in WW2. It has a great cast and beautiful locations but ultimately for me was a missed opportunity to tell an important story.

A problem for me was that most of the scenes in this film have a cutesie comedic tone. The movie is based off of real life war heros and I find it disrespectful to make light of such a serious situation. It didn't have to be a horrors of war melodrama but I would have liked to see more of the trials of middle aged non-soldiers dealing with combat.

Second, the pacing was very bad. Half the time I didn't even know what the team was trying to do and it seemed as if they were just farting around.

On the up side this movie did inspire me to get more involved with the art scene as most art guild movie nights do. Often through out the run time I was mentally planning on searching "How to be an art dealer" on youtube when I got home.

2 out of 5.

A meme is a picture with words. You probably seen hundreds of them on Facebook. This video will shoe you how to make your own!

This video will show you how to help a youtube video get more views!

A question I see a lot is "What band is the most punk?". Is it old classic bands from the late 70's and 80's? Is it the famous Hot Topic bands who have made a lot of money and are very popular? There is also a lot of discussion about whether or not a certain band is punk or not. 

These kinds of arguments only split up the community and I believe the punk rock scene should be all inclusive and that there is room for everybody of all different musical tastes.

In my humble opinion the most punk band there is is the band playing a show nearest you and next! The true magic of the punk rock experience is the live show. The interaction between the musicians on stage and the fans watching and dancing to the music. The relationships built at the live venue is the real value. There is a crazy energy shared between everyone in attendance that can not be felt on a recorded album.

By all means go and see the bigger than life touring mega bands but also enjoy your local bands and give them them the same level of support that you give the super stars! 

Because while we all love the classic established bands and the big hit radio play legends, can you build a real relationship with these people? Can you drink beers or smoke weed with them, drop in on their practices or even work for them?

It is vital to support touring bands! Your financial support will help them get the gas to their next gig as well as food and expenses. Supporting local bands could lead to some amazing friendships that could improve the life of everyone involved!

So if you want to find some REAL punk rock, go out and find a show and get involved! Buy a t-shirt or an album and network and build lasting relationships. I guarantee you will have the time of your life!!

ezezine.com is great for starting out but it does have drawbacks. For one it requires a double opt in which means if someone enters their email they are then sent an email asking them to click a link before they are subscribed. Plus you can only send 200 emails a month for free unless you upgrade. If you get a paid email autoresponder you can automatically have it send out a series of email for you which is really helpful! If you wanna start out with a pro email autoresponder I use Aweber and am pretty happy with them.

The Damn Bats is an awesome punk band I just heard about and I am so lucky to get to check out there new single "Pretty Twisted". This song has  exciting fast paced guitars and drums that would totally get me moving at a show. The vocals are great and the lyrics are really smart. The song tells a edgy love story which is always fun! I asked Major Mistake if the song was written about a single person and he said "No. Just an illustration". The song was written and produced by Major Mistake and Dr. Pizza and recorded by Dr. Pizza. You can download the song here.

THE DAMN BATS IS A PUNK ROCK SUPERGROUP CONSISTING OF MEMBERS OF THE CHICAGO PUNK BANDS THE RABID BATS, BILL URA DIK, THE REAGANOMICS AND UK PUNK DRUMMER RAT SCABIES OF THE DAMNED.

Major Mistake: It was never meant to go beyond one song

Mormo Zine: I am huge fan of The Damned so I am going to have to check out that song!

Major Mistake: Was meant to be a one off project with Rat, but it snowballed, got bigger and bigger. Turned into more singles, then an album, then shows, then a live album. Its a weird beast, it’s undead.

Mormo Zine: I see you are not on a label. Can you explain why?

Major Mistake: For one thing I don’t trust ‘em!

Mormo Zine: Cool. Do you get goth kids at your shows?

Major Mistake: A couple. Mostly older punks. The British love us, we are more well known over there.

Mormo Zine: And you play shows over seas.

Major Mistake: No, shows have been limited. The others are in other bands, TDB is a side thing for them. I may do a one off show in the future but I am semi retired from it.

Mormo Zine: K this is the big question I am trying to figure out. Live punk shows have been the most satisifying thing I have ever done. What do you think makes live punk shows so much fun and so exciting?

Major Mistake: The chance that anything can happen. And the personal connections. The instant feedback between what’s going on between the bands and the fans. The closeness, the shared experience. I always loved when the crowd made themselves part of the show, that’s the whole reason for playing live. It’s about the connection more then anything else.

Click here to connect with The Damn Bats on Facebook. Listen to The Damn Bats by CLICKING HERE!

Mormo Zine: What is your favorite Troma Movie?

Fee Galindo: Favorite Troma? Sounds corny, but I like Toxic Avenger and/or Class of Nuke Em High-the classics. Chance rentals(VHS, nonetheless)back in the day. But, Psychos in Love is great, too!

Mormo Zine: Could you tell me about your experience in the punk rock scene?

Fee Galindo: So many stories! It’s hard to pick just one. Jump ahead to 1989. I was singing in a band called Twisted Thought in El Paso, Texas (affectionately known by myself and others as Smell Asso, Texsux). We were asked to play a show at a place called Sound Seas, owned by an older hippie-type named Myke Jennings. There was a band called the Dwarves scheduled to play. At this time, not many people had heard of this particular band, so when they sound checked with a softer, reggae-styled song, everyone there was, like,”Oh cool! A ska band!” Little did we know of the horror yet to come, that evening! They told the drummer of our band that he looked like he sucked a good dick, to which I responded, “He does!” When they finally came out to play, it was total, unbridled hardcore. Blag Jesus hit and tripped everyone trying to have fun, in the pit, whilst slinging the mic, aiming at the posers in the crowd! Hewhocannotbenamed slipped on his own guitar chord and fell flat on his face! I remember Blag telling the cops some shit, when they were called upon the scene. As I recall, the Dwarves were all against the wall, being frisked by the police, as we drove away, in our tour van, laughing! Good times, good times…

Mormo Zine: Wow that sounds incredible! I’ve seen The Dwarves and I’m a big fan! Most of my hero’s are willing to go to jail to do what they do. I firmly believe in honoring punk traditions, what traditions do you think must be kept alive to have a strong punk scene?

Fee Galindo: Originality, of course. Punk is not a fashion. The upstarts think that you have to have short hair or a mohawk, to be a punk. Others, think that you have to listen to a certain type of music to be punk. I remember being in Denton, Texas, in the mid-90s and some dude was trying to mack on my chick. I had long hair at the time, and this dude, was spouting out rhetoric about how ‘punk’ works, typically dismissing myself, without even really getting to know me. “You should listen to Billy Idol and Sex Pistols- REAL punk rock!”, he told my girlfriend. I referred him to Black Flag and the Ramones- epitomes of ‘punk’, with long hair. He shrugged it off, and continued on his way. This behavior is still rampant in today’s scene. I’ve asked people about ‘punk rock’ and the first thing the think of is Green Day. That’s fine and dandy (haha-I said ‘dandy’), but that is Top 40 radio play.

Mormo Zine: I couldn’t agree more! I have long hair right now but it’s not a fashion statement I just can’t afford a haircut LOL!!! Do you have any band you want to plug or anything you think is hot right now?

Fee Galindo: Facebook has given me the privilege of meeting right and proper people from all over the world. Something lacking from my local ‘scene’ at the moment. Stay high, Lay low!

Mormo Zine: Just listened to “Night Of The Sharks” and “Last One Out Close The Coffin Lid”. Great stuff dude, you guys are awesome!! I see you have a album about to come out called “Night of The Sharksquatch”. Is the album going to be released independently or on a label?

Doug Brem: Independently as of now. I sent it out to a couple labels, but nothing yet. I have to get a promo pack together and push it a little harder. Right now we’re just doing it for fun. Glad you like the stuff too.

Mormo Zine: Have you ever played with Republicans On Welfare or 2leftsshoes? Those guys are pretty awesome!

Doug Brem: Not yet. I’ve heard of republicans on welfare. They play in Kenosha a lot. We actually just booked a show there with a Ramones tribute band called Sedated.

Mormo Zine: Is there a possibility of a Ratbatspider horror movie? Would you be interested in something like that?

Doug Brem: Hell yea. The name comes from a monster in the Angry Red Planet movie. Its also on the cover of misfits walk among us. Our set is more than half misfits covers, with our stuff mixed in.

Mormo Zine: That’s awesome, I’m a big Misfits fan!! I met Danzig at Comic Con one year. He was selling original comic book art and I was too intimidated to ask for a pic LOL!!! What’s your favorite Misfits song?

Doug Brem: That’s a tough one. ..probably I turned into a Martian…or death comes ripping. That’s what we started this band doing. Just misfits songs…then we started writing originals. We’ve all been in tons of metal bands over the years. We all are huge horror punk fans, so we decided to give that a whirl. Its seriously the most fun I’ve ever had in a band. I’ve been doing the band thing for …shit…25+ years now lol. Ever heard of Die Kreuzen? Their singer played bass in my last band. That was a blast

Mormo Zine: I will have to check out Die Kreuzen! My fave Misfits song has got be Skulls.

Doug Brem: We do skulls. I’ve done that one in a few bands. Great song!

Click Here to listen to Ratbatspider! Click here to visit the Ratbatspider Facebook page.