Fuck You We Rule Ok festival announces 2014 dates and bands

The Tulsa, Oklahoma punk festival Fuck You We Rule OK has announced dates and several headlining bands for their 2014 festival. The first event was held this past July at The Vanguard in Tulsa. FYWROK will return to the Vanguard July 4th, 5th, and 6th in 2014.

Here is a list of bands who have been confirmed to play next year:

The Virus
Blanks 77
Krum Bums
Street Brats
The Broadsiders
Wyldlife
The Chernobyl Babies
Violent Affair (OKC)
The Shame (Tulsa)

The festival is once again being put together by Tony Cozzaglio and Ryan Richard.

Punk is OK previews three new tracks from Violent Affair's "Cockroach Theory"

I was lucky enough to get a preview of three upcoming album tracks from Oklahoma City punk band Violent Affair, two of which are unreleased anywhere. “Cockroach Theory” is the upcoming album that many punks and former punk radio DJs have been waiting years for. The band’s first album “Stand Trial” showed promise, their most recent single “A Call to Arms” and EP “The Pressure is Rising” showed the talent was there; “Cockroach Theory” seems to be the sign that everything is coming together for the band. I listened to all three of the songs a few times. Here are my first thoughts.

“Destroy Society” is one song that has been available online for a while, but I have to admit that I only really listened to it a couple times. After listening to it again, it surprised me how pogo-y it is. The lead guitar winds up and down the root notes as the rhythm guitarist provides a catchy riff. Dave’s street punk style vocals seem a little out of place when you first hear the song, but the more I listen to it the more I feel like it works for this spikey sing-along. One thing this song reminds me of is how much I like the interplay of vocals on recent Violent Affair releases. The variety of voices makes it feel like the gangs all here.

The next track I opened was the unreleased title track “Cockroach Theory”. The song intros with a stutter that reminds me of “Generator” era Bad Religion, and jumps into the steady street punk beat backed by Ryan’s no-bullshit drumming. The politically charged punk winds up and down in tempo before ending abruptly. This song feels straightforward at first, but the second time through, you start to notice all of the space in this song. The guitars, vocals, beat, and bass all go in and out to give the song a really different feel than your standard street punk track. Harmonized guitar solos and riffs make it a little reminiscent of the metal influence in old VA tracks. It is pretty easy to understand why this is the title track.

As a bassist, I am a sucker for a simple bass and drums intro. “Stronger Than Before” gives me a tingling feeling within the first 2 bars. Zach’s bass riff just sounds mean, I don’t know how else to put it. The line isn’t anything technical, but the tone and notes just make me want to clinch my fists. This track is probably the most recognizably Violent Affair sounding of the three I have, but it still has its share of breaks, guitar riffs with space between notes (ie not just constant strumming), and winding solos. The aspect that stands out for this track is the gang vocals. I can see the fists being raised live every pre-chorus.

These are just three songs from “Cockroach Theory” but they really show a developing sound for Violent Affair. Violent Affair has added a bit of originality to the street punk scene. It almost feels a little risky to step away from something that has been proven to get people moving, but the added creativity and variety in their emerging sound works. With these tracks, and plenty more that I haven’t got a chance to hear yet, I think Violent Affair is starting to come into their own. With the talent there, the songwriting solid, and the studs aplenty, who knows how far these guys can go.

Interview: Fuck You We Rule OK Fest Organizer Tony Cozzaglio

Oklahoma has wanted and needed a punk festival for years. Lots of people in the scene have bounced around ideas, but nothing ever took off. Until Tony Cozzaglio and Ryan Richard announced the first lineup for Fuck You We Rule OK, most people would have said that a punk fest in Oklahoma would just be a waste of money. Bands, like The Krays from New York, are coming from across the country to play for OK punks. The lineup includes bands that are difficult to see live anymore, like Brassknuckle Boys, Adolf and the Piss Artists, and an Agrestix reunion. Local punk bands weren't left out, including Violent Affair, The Shame, and Streetlight Fight getting on the bill. I got a chance to talk to Tony Cozzaglio about the festival.

PiOK: Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you decided to start the festival?
TONY: I've Played in several different hard working punk rock bands over the past years (Al and the Black Cats, The Chernobyl Babies, etc.) and have always been involved in my local and regional punk scene's putting on shows. Over many years a hand full of my close friends have taken turns setting up festivals each summer always in different cities with a wide range of names but always in the mid west. And this year when I heard most were planning on taking this year off I decided it was my turn to do so.

PiOK: Have you worked with any festivals in the past, or is this your first time putting one together?
TONY: I’ve been close to the organization of other festivals in the past helping friends and such, but this is my first time being point man for one. That being said I’ve organized many concerts and shows in the past. As well as organized many tours so being involved in show organizing behind the scenes is nothing new to me.

PiOK: What made you want to hold the fest in Tulsa, Oklahoma?
TONY: I moved here a year ago and since then have organized several shows. I guess the main reason I did it here is because this is now my home! Why would I organize it anywhere else!

PiOK: What Oklahoma bands do you have on the bill?
TONY: Violent Affair, The Shame, Streetlight Fight & it will be the first show for a new band I’m starting here The Wheelz

PiOK: You have bands coming from New York, Atlanta, Colorado, Philadelphia, and all over the States. Why did you decide to make FYWROK a national thing and not an Oklahoma festival? TONY: Why not, when people across the nation hear "Oklahoma" punk rock is probably not the first thing they think of. And it seems many bands avoid playing here even though there is an audience. Maybe it’s time people’s minds are changed.

PiOK: You recently added a third day to the festival, and announced the Krum Bums, Adolf and the Piss Artists, and Brassknuckle Boys will be playing. Each time you say that there are no more surprises. Are you really done with the surprises? Is there anything else you’d care to leak about the festival? TONY: hahaha no I promise we're done this time! haha

PiOK: Are there any bands you are personally looking forward to?
TONY: All of them! Sure there are some more than others, I've never seen Brass Knuckle Boys so I’m excited to FINALLY see them, as well as The Krays. Haven’t seen Victory yet or Sniper 66. So I’m pumped for them, then there’s a LONG LIST of friends bands I can’t wait to see again! I haven't seen PONX ATTAX in years! And I’ll be playing guitar in the Bad Engrish at this show so that will be fun! I’m excited for everyone. If I didn't like a band, then why would I book them!? haha

PiOK: How did The Agrestix reunion come about?
TONY: Jermz been a friend a mine for a long time, and it was about time they did one anyway!

PiOK: Where did the name for the fest come from? Is it a reference to the Last Resort or Oxymoron songs?
TONY: I love oxymoron and yes! It is! To be honest we didn't come up with it, we just posted online that we needed a name and people more clever than us came up with it! (we being me and Ryan Richard whom I’m organizing this with)

PiOK: For those who have never been to a punk show, the list of bands could be intimidating. Would FYWROK be a good first punk show for someone? TONY: Absolutely!! I truly hope this will be many young Tulsa kids first punk show!

PiOK: Do you plan on making this a yearly festival, or is this a one-time event?
TONY: As long as it goes well and doesn't turn into a riot I see no reason not to do it each year!

PiOK: What has been the most difficult part of putting FYWROK together?
TONY: hum, I really don't know, I guess just that we put Fuck in the name probably made it difficult to promote publicly, but that’s our own damn fault haha

PiOK: How big of a turnout are you expecting?
TONY: I really can’t say, all I can say is the more people who come out the more likely we'll be to do it again next year and the bigger it will be in the future!

PiOK: For those who are interested in going, how can people get tickets?
TONY: Tickets are available pre-sale at http://fywrok.limitedrun.com/ and we urge people to buy them pre-sale, we expect the venue will be sold out! But we'll also be taking up the hunt club and their outdoor patio. It’ll be half a block of punk rock!

PiOK: Thank you for your time. Would you like to add anything else?
TONY: yeah for up to date info find us on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/events/119389468241541/?fref=ts and please help spread the word, invite your Facebook friends to this, share the flyer! Tell people about it! And I’ll see you there for a drink! Cheers!

Oklahoma Musicians React to Moore Tornado

The music scene is just as tight knit in Oklahoma as any other part of the community. When a two-mile-wide tornado descended on Moore, OK on May, some of the first people to respond and help out were the musicians. Here are some reactions to the disaster from Oklahoma punk and ska bands.

Sunny Side Up (Ska/rock/punk from OKC)

“We're releasing our first album this Saturday at The Conservatory,

But TOMORROW we've decided to release a rare recordings collection!! ALL proceeds will go to tornado relief!!

Join us here tomorrow for an opportunity to do a great thing for your community AND collect rare SSU recordings!!”

The album can be purchased here: http://sunnysideupska.bandcamp.com/album/ssu-rarities

3 Dates Later (Punk/Rock from OKC)

“All proceeds that go to the band from our record release show will be donated to moore victims. Spread the word.”

“We're going to be gathering up a bunch of our old recordings from way back in the day to sell on our band camp page. All proceeds will go to Moore victims.”

“The sense of community and civic responsibility in Oklahoma is unmatched. Absolutely proud to be an Oklahomie today. What happened was terrible, but something amazing came from it. The people here really do take care of their own. It humbles me, and much of my faith in humanity has been restored. Oklahoma has a lot of love.:

They Stay Dead (Punk from Edmond/OKC)

“Give some of them $$$$$$$'s to help out the tornado victims here!!

You can help those victims right now by texting "REDCROSS" to 90999. By doing this you'll be donating $10.

If enough of you donate we will post nudes”

Violent Affair (Street Punk from OKC) who were on tour when it happened

“Sending lots of love to everyone back home affected by the storm. Nothing can keep us Okies down for long.”

The Dirty Mugs (Hardcordian Wonder Punk from The Dirty Woods)

“Donate directly to the OKC Tornado victims through

www.dirtymugs.com/donate !!!! Help our good friends in OKC out!”

Rude King (Ska/punk from Dallas)

“We are heading to OKC on Thursday to play a show with Classy San Diego and The Suspects at Leon's Lounge. In light of the catastrophic tornado yesterday, we have decided to take as many supplies as we can with us to be dropped off at a locally suggested donation spot. If you would like to help donate something for us to take up, please contact us at jon@rudeking.com and see where you can meet us in Plano or Dallas area to help donate water, supplies, etc... If we get enough response, we will be taking a small trailer to take it all. Thank you all in advance for your generosity and support.”

The Shame (Tulsa Oi!/Punk)

“Cheers to all our OKC friends! Stay Safe and all the best to you!”

Kinda Creepy (OKC rock/punk)

“We are playing a benefit show for victims of the Oklahoma tornados this Saturday May 25th at the Red Brick in Norman with Abby and the Norms plus several other bands more details to come”

New Violent Affair Song off Upcoming "The Cockroach Theory"

Jailhouse Records have posted a song off of the upcoming Violent Affair full length titled "The Cockroach Theory".

You can stream the song by clicking here.

This song gives a good impression of the band's latest sound. I have been lucky enough to hear previews of four songs on the upcoming album, and each of them carry the same energy from this track. "The Cockroach Theory" comes out September 10th.

Oklahoma Punk Calendar

April 20^th

Blacklist Royals, Black Canyon, They Stay Dead @ VZDs. Oklahoma City

April 23^rd

Voodoo Glow Skulls, Left Alone, Classy San Diego, Truckside Down @ Blue Note. Oklahoma City

April 26^th

Reno Divorce (greaser punk from Denver), Havana Affair @ VZDs. Oklahoma City

May 7^th

Total Chaos, The Dirty Mugs, The Scandals, Kinda Creepy @ The Conservatory. Oklahoma City

May 10^th

The Dirty Mugs, New Imperialism @ The Yeti. Tulsa

May 17^th

Brutally Frank, The Dirty Mugs @ The Yeti. Tulsa

May 18^th

Dirty Mugs @ The Blue Note. Oklahoma City

May 22^nd

ANTiSEEN, Hellstomper, The Costanzas @ The Conservatory. Oklahoma City

May 25^{th
Terveet Kadet (Finland), Lotus Fucker (DC), Sete Star Sept (Japan), Common Fears (Tulsa) @ Soundpony. Tulsa}

May 25th
Sunny Side Up CD release show, The Last Slice, Classy San Diego @ The Conservatory. Oklahoma City

May 31^st

The Casualties, The Dirty Mugs, Violent Affair, Chokehole Stab, Community Pools @ The Conservatory. Oklahoma City

June 4^th

Gogol Bordello @ The Cain’s Ballroom. Tulsa

June 22^nd

The Dirty Mugs @ The Blue Note. Oklahoma City

June 25^th

MDC, Verbal Abuse, In Defence @ The Conservatory. Oklahoma City

July 5^th-7^th

Fuck You, We Rule OK! punk & oi! festival: The Krays, Krum Bums, Brassknuckle Boys, Who Killed Spikey Jacket, Adolf & the Piss Artists, The Agrestix, Combat Crisis, The Bad Engrish, Ponx Attax, Victory, The Shame, Sniper 66, Violent Affair, Dog Company, and a lot more. @ Vanguard. Tulsa

If you have events coming up, contact Punk is OK on Facebook.

Interview: Violent Affair's "The Pressure is Rising"

When you hear anyone talking about street punk in Oklahoma, the name Violent Affair usually comes up (or at least some variation including a “The” or an “A” at the beginning). The band has gained quite a bit of national notoriety, and even has some international fans. They have toured all over the country, and played with some mainstays of the punk scene.

Unfortunately, Violent Affair runs into the same problem that seems to plague other Oklahoma bands like The Dirty Mugs and The Last Slice; they have not released a full length in about three years. In 2012 they signed to Jailhouse Records, a punk label out of Virginia that has also released bands like Pinkerton Thugs, The Scarred, and Tenebrae. Soon after signing, they released “A Call to Arms” a 7” single that signals good things for the bands future releases.

This June, the OKC punks will release “The Pressure is Rising”, an EP which will lead up to the release of their next full length. I got a chance to chat with Zach, bassist for the band, about the release and their upcoming tour with The Casualties.

PiOK: Your sound has changed a lot from Stand Trial. How has it evolved on "The Pressure is Rising"?

Zach: I think the most interesting thing about following punk rock bands is seeing how they change and evolve over the years. I think we've grown as musicians from playing together all the time. The music definitely pushes different aspects of punk rock that we liked a lot but couldn't express as well before. The good answer is we're angrier than we used to be.

PiOK: What are you angrier about?

Zach: (Laughs) Lots of things. More specifically, other than the blitz cover none of these songs are necessarily upbeat. Each song is kind of about a different issue that really was fucking with us be it a personal song like “No Way Out”, or a kind of rally song like “A Call to Arms”. “Social Disease” is the track we did for “Punk Aid: Indonesia”, “Dead End Nights” is a preview of what kind of stuff is to come for our follow up full length "The Cockroach Theory"

(Check out Dead End Nights, which will appear on "The Pressure is Rising")

PiOK: What made you guys want to cover "Someone's Gonna Die?" What was it like recording it?

Zach: We all love blitz. We got drunk and recorded it. Jesse almost knocked over a really nice microphone.

PiOK: This EP is leading up to your next album. Was it recorded at the same time?

Zach: It was. These are all tracks we did in the mean time for various EPs and compilations

PiOK: So can we expect the sound, not just recording quality but also songwriting, to be a good indicator to what the new album sounds like?

Zach: Definitely. This is a good definite mix of what Violent Affair is doing now. It's more than it used to be.

PiOK: I’d like to switch gears a bit. You're getting ready to head out on tour with The Casualties. How did that come to be?

Zach: We've played with The Casualties a few times now and throughout our growing-up as a band they've been super helpful. They supported us and helped to get our name out and were just all around awesome dudes. They hit us up last month asking if we wanted to do a stint with them around the U.S. and we were like...how are we gonna turn that down? (laughs)

PiOK: No doubt. Now that you have this big tour and upcoming releases, where are you hoping to take the band? How far do you have to go before you consider yourselves successful?

Zach: As far as success goes, I think we're happy with where we're at right now. We all started out as young kids who wanted to be in a punk rock band. Now we get to do that and people are showing up and having a good time. We just want to spread the message to as many people as possible. We'll keep doing this until someone shuts us up, I guess.

PiOK: Thanks for taking time to chat. I just have one more very serious question. What is your current stud count?

Zach: Current stud count is approximately 250 including 2 belts and a vest. It's a casual afternoon.

PiOK: “The Pressure is Rising” is scheduled to release in June on Jailhouse Records. “The Cockroach Theory” is scheduled to come out later this year. Check out a video of them playing Blitz at The Conservatory in Oklahoma City.