I was 15 years old in 1991. My friends and I were into straight edge hardcore music. Bands like Minor Threat, Youth of Today, Gorilla Biscuits, etc. We decided to start a band of our own, called U.R.N. I’m not even sure the name had a meaning. Something about “urine” or maybe something like “you are in” or even just the word “urn”. Honestly I’m not sure.

We did pretty well for a bunch of troublemaking underachievers. We wrote a few songs, recorded a demo, and played a handful of gigs. The place we played most often was the legendary Star Club (now gone forever) in Ybor City/Tampa. Green Day played on the same stage that summer. (Anal Cunt also played there around that time, and the Genitorturers, etc etc).

Anyway - my old pal Code Brown found a cassette of the URN demo and mailed it to me. I ripped the songs to mp3 and threw them on a MySpace page. You’ll notice I’m credited on the demo as “Ulysses”. That was sort of a nickname at the time. A rare few still call me that. Oh! - And you’ll see “Chris W” credited as part of the URN choir. That’s Chris Wollard from Hot Water Music. Yes I’m a name dropper - suck it!

The mp3’s sound like balls. I need to try to get a better rip. But that’s the best I could do for now.

Check it out on MySpace: URN

Here are some recent favorites:

Tokyo Police Club - Your English Is Good

The New Pornographers - Myriad Harbour

Two Hours Traffic - Nighthawks

Also check out Joel Plaskett Emergency, Small Sins, Metric, etc.

Hello party people,

I know it’s been a while. I was in a fiery plane crash over the antarctic. But thanks to the wonders of cannibalism, I survived.

I really don’t know where I’m going with this…. Oh yeah - Hang out with us this Sunday! We’re playing Obamafest at 4th and Girard in Philly. It’s from noon to 7 and we’ll probably play around 2pm. See below for the press release and whatnot.

Later,
JJ

_________________________

On Sunday April 20th a free OBAMAFEST CONCERT AND RALLY will be held
at 4th and Girard Avenue in Northern Liberties. Event co-sponsors
Curbside Chef are donating their spacious lot to host the concert,
which will feature some of Philly’s brightest artists with music as
diverse as the city itself. Grammy award winning Cee Knowledge of the
Digable Planets will share the stage with legendary drummer Calvin
Weston, mellow hipsters The Buried Beds, alt rockers Surgeon, among
many others.

The concert will bring Philly bands together in support of Senator
Obama’s candidacy for the Presidency as the battleground hits home
this coming Tuesday April 22nd. Event co-sponsor Fire Productions,
who has taken an active part in democratic voter registration,
continues to support the natural relationships between the arts and
political activism. The goal is to bring as many democratic voters
together and to raise enthusiasm to participate in Tuesday’s election.

In addition to the music, the event will host Obama volunteer
registration tables, speakers on behalf of the Obama campaign,
catering by Curbside Chef and Las Cazuelas, and vendors of arts and
crafts.

The line up for the concert is:
The Codes
Calvin Weston Trio
Surgeon
John Francis
Cee Knowledge
Drink Up Buttercup
Anam Owili-Eger
Murderhouse
Victor Victor Band
The Co Champs
Unlikely Cowboy
Buried Beds
Andrew Lipke
Papertrees

Thanks to all of you who made it out to The Fire to see The Codes‘ first Philly gig in like 6 months. We took a little break to write new material and spend more time jerking off (solo - not as a group). And we rearranged our lineup: we have a new bass player, I’m playing drums now, and Rennie’s on guitar. Ian’s still Ian. Well sort of. Ian’s hormone therapy is finally starting to kick in and his sexual reassignment surgery is scheduled for this summer. So he’s still Ian at least for the next few months.

The new lineup really worked for us. The venue was packed and the booker seemed psyched. The audience was into it too - they even chanted for an encore (which we gladly delivered). I’m hoping this leads to gigs at bigger venues. We’re trying to play maybe every six weeks instead of a couple times every month. That should give us time to cut an album. Fuck, maybe we’ll even plan a tour.

Email us (thecodesmusic AT gmail DOT com) if you want to be included on our retarded spam email that we send every once in a while when we’re not feeling lazy. And tell all your friends to add us on MySpace. I mean it. This is mandatory. Or don’t. Whatever.

I think that means you drink for free if a riot breaks out… which I guess is sorta obvious.

Anyway - The Codes aren’t dead. We simply took a break. Now we’re back. Come see us Saturday Feb 2 at The Fire in Philly. I’ll be wearing the gayest t-shirt of all time. Oh - and check out our new songs.

You can all thank Jimpony for this one. He’s the guy who sent us the link to Buck Truck The Rappin’ Trucker. But while I referred to Buck Truck as pure torture, I flat out love this shit.

It’s a video by Simon Rex, the former MTV VJ and porn star. He’s calling himself Dirt Nasty. If you dig this one, check out his video for “Dropping Names“.

Dearest readers,

Happy New Year to you and your perversions.

I’ve started a list of songs related to New Years Day. Add to the list in the comments section if you can think of some more. Maybe this time next year I’ll post mp3s so you can download them and make a New Year compilation CD.

• Death Cab For Cutie - The New Year
• The Breeders - New Year
• U2 - New Years Day
• Codeine - New Year’s (Seam played a version of this song too - I’m not sure which came first)

Didn’t the Scud Mountain Boys have a song called New Years Day? Or maybe it’s a lyric in one of their songs?

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Best regards,
JJ

Wow, this is pure torture. Buck Truck is like a hillbilly version of Wesley Willis. I hate it so much that I love it. That does make sense, doesn’t it?

You can thank Jimpony for sending us the link.

You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline.

I think that’s oldgreensock’s joke.

Anyway… I was drunkenly celebrating oldgreensock’s birthday this past weekend when I met a grammy winning banjo player. In my drunken stupor, I told him that the banjo is a weak excuse for an instrument. It’s a half-assed drum with strings that sounds like a cat in heat. He seemed to be taking it pretty well, when someone leaned over to me and was like “Dude, that guy plays banjo.”

“Yes. I realize that. And that’s why I think it’s important for him to know that playing the banjo is silly.”

There are certain staples of American pop culture that I’ve somehow missed out on. Throughout the years, I’ve seen hundreds of movies, listened to thousands of songs, and read… well I’ve read a few books.

There are some that are considered essential in American culture - entertainment that it seems like everyone has experienced. And yet I’m not always in that group of “everyone”. Here are a few titles I’ve missed. I have had little to no exposure to the following:

Music

• The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
• The Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
• Led Zeppelin - IV

Movies

• Citizen Cane
• Midnight Cowboy
• Dr. Strangelove

Books

• The Da Vinci Code
• Harry Potter (any of them)
• The Bible

Yes, I’m referring to the Bible as pop culture. It’s a story, people.

Okay - so what pop culture you missed out on?

Philadelphia, PA - Friday June 22, 2007 - The Fire
Let’s play a little game. We have a handful of extra tickets for our show at the Fire on Friday the 22nd. Email me right this second and tell me you want a free ticket (thecodesmusic AT gmail DOT com). If you’re fast enough, I’ll hook you up.

We’re playing with some badass bands including Jonny Rumble, Red Ox, LO Power Plane, and Seizure 17.

The Fire - 412 West Girard Ave - 9pm - $7 - 21+

Philadelphia, PA - Saturday June 30, 2007 - The Parkway Room
We’re calling this one Codesfest 2007. It’s an all night celebration for three of our closest friends. Join us as we wish Harsha and Chloe a happy birthday. And help us say farewell to Joe the Mason as he prepares to move up north to his hometown. Plus, there’s no cover charge! RSVP using this link if you want to be in the cool kids club (or just show up). Everyone’s invited.

The Parkway Room - 2201 Pennsylvania Ave - 10pm - Free! - 21+

This is huge. The Codes recorded the soundtrack to a short film produced by Omar Vaid and Joe Cecchini. And it’s the real deal. They entered the clip in an online contest and it was selected as a finalist. You can watch the clip online and enter a rating.

• Go to this website
• Click Vote Now
• Click Vote Now again (bottom left)
• Click and drag the scroll bar in the middle of the page to find the clip (it looks like this)
• Once you find the clip, click on it and rate it

It’ll ask you to register. Do it. Seriously. It’ll be your good deed for the day.

It’s been a while since I last mentioned my band here at The Churning. I’m trying not to be such an attention whore. Ahhh, who am I kidding? I’m the biggest attention whore of all time. So, fuck it. Here’s an update:

I sent this information in an email newsletter. If you want to be added to the email list, send an email to thecodesmusic[at]gmail{dot}com with “Subscribe” in the subject line. Don’t worry, we’ll only send them every month or so. And remember - If you’re on the distribution list, it’s because we think you’re sexy and we want to see you at more of our shows (and by “shows” I mean “make-out parties”). Okay, let’s get on with it.

Studio Time - Drexel University
Students from Drexel’s Music Production class have invited The Codes to record at MAD Dragon Studios as part of their Music Industry Program. The sessions are scheduled throughout May, and we’re hoping to walk away with at least three finished tracks. After a short break for recording, we’ll be back on the stage May 22 for one of our biggest shows ever:

Philadelphia, PA - Tuesday, May 22 - The Manhattan Room
This one is going to be insane. We’re headlining an incredible lineup that includes three bands from Florida’s Post Records. Mumpsy, Dodger, and Sean Moore are stopping in Philly on their East Coast tour. We want to fill the M Room with Codiacs to show these Florida boys what Philly’s all about. Check out their magic on MySpace (linked above). These guys really are amazing.

New York, NY - Thursday, May 24 - The Knitting Factory (Old Office)
Next up, we’re hitting the road with the Post Records gang. We’re joining them at the legendary Knitting Factory with Brooklyn’s Unicornicopia. This will be our third time taking the stage at the Knit and for some reason I get the feeling this will be another night of drunken debauchery. Plus, there’s a rumor that Natalie Unicornicopia is planning a few surprises.

Philadelphia, PA - Wednesday, May 30 - Grape Street
We’re closing out May at Grape Street in Manayunk with Spoons for Adam, Crashbox, and The Arrangements. We’re expecting a good turnout for this one - seems like Grape Street always draws a crowd. And the sound system rocks here, so we’re planning to cut a live recording at this show. Come out and cheer us on. You might hear your voice on one of the final tracks.

And we already have two weekend shows booked in June, so keep an eye out for the next update.

Later, skaters!
JJ
The Codes

Ian and I are going to start a Bon Jovi cover band and we’re going to get totally weeded before every gig. We’re going to call ourselves Bong Jovi.

1. The Alarm - 68 guns

2. Black Flag - Slip it in

3. Hum - Stars

4. The Only Ones - Another Girl, Another Planet

5. The Exploding Hearts - Modern Kicks