Bleeding Through
The Truth
Label: Trustkill Records
Released: 2006

Brandan Schieppati – lead vocals, guitars
Brian Leppke – guitars
Dave Nassie – guitars
Ryan Wombacher – bass, backing vocals
Marta Peterson – keyboards
Derek Youngsma – drums, percussion

1. For Love and Failing -3:33
2. Confession -2:39
3. Love in Slow Motion -4:35
4. The Painkiller -2:36
5. Kill to believe -3:57
6. Dearly Demented (feat. Nick 13 from Tiger Army) -5:22
7. Line in the Sand -4:09
8. She’s gone -1:31
9. Tragedy of Empty Streets -2:57
10. Return to Sender -4:20
11. Hollywood Prison -2:52
12. The Truth -4:17

Back in High School, in 1983 when I was in eleventh grade I decided to bleach my hair out. Let me rephrase this, when my friends were high, and I had a few Heinekens in me, my friend decided I should bleach my hair.

Well, either there wasn’t enough bleach or my hair was too dark, but I walked around with hair that was the color of burnt rust. Well, this was corrected a month or so later. Two girls from school told me to pack a bag and they’d pick me up on a Friday night, and they’d fix my hair and have me back by Sunday night. Unfortunately, this isn’t the story I’m pursuing here. I’ll save that for later.

So, I’m back at school sporting yellow/white hair. Thinking I’m the coolest thing around. What I didn’t anticipate was I was now a target for every chicken hawk in the San Fernando Valley.

I told you that, in order to tell you this: One day in the summer of 1983, I’m leaving my job at McDonald’s in Reseda. I didn’t have a car, and I didn’t like waiting on buses. So, 90% of the time I walked the 1.8 miles to and from the job to and from home everyday.

One Saturday I was scheduled to work the 8:00 am to 12:00 pm shift. Perfect shift. I’m getting off of work just as all my friends were sleeping off the effects of the night before.

So, I take off my work shirt, and shuffle down Sherman Way from about Wilbur, heading towards Reseda Blvd, (a half a block from Bebop Records, and The Country Club, Reseda’s punk landmarks). I cross Reseda Blvd, and halfway through the intersection a guy in a convertible sports car honks at me. I turn and give him the pissed off look and, more than likely, throw an obscene gesture. But the whole way across the intersection he’s smiling, all the while I’m giving him the “F-You” look.

I get across Reseda, wait at the light to cross Sherman Way, and I see the sports car flip a u-turn. So, I rush across the street, ready for whatever this guy brings. Just as I get across the street, he pulls up along side me, and offers me a ride. This throws me off completely, if he was just another guy yelling “Devo Sucks!” I could handle it, but he’s picking up on me. I tell him to get lost, and book it into a rug shop. I’m hustling down one of the aisles looking for a back exit, I come around a corner, and the dude is standing there smiling. I freak and run out the front door.

As I’m running down Sherman Way, here comes the sports car AGAIN! I tell him to fuck off, and run for it. This time I run into the Reseda Newsstand. I know this place, I look for the back exit, it’s all blocked up, and they’re receiving a delivery. I’m going back down one of the aisles and here’s the smiling guy again. I charge him, knocking him into a rack of books.

Now I’m heading down Sherman Way going towards Lindley. I spot a pay-phone, I stop and call my Mom, not home, call my friend Eric, no answer, my last bit of change I call a girl from school, Sharla – answering machine.

Next to the phone was this guy from school, who was a rocker guy, hung out with the stoners. No one thought much about this guy. Then one day at school this preppie guy named David started mouthing off to him, then he broke out all this martial arts stuff, and left David with a severed Achilles tendon.

So, I hang-up from my last phone call, I look over and see this rocker guy. I think his name was Richard. He looks over at me then at the sports car approaching. The guy in the car now has a slight bloody nose from the newsstand fall. Richard nods over to the Licorice Pizza, half a block away.

I take off towards the record shop, and look back to see where the car is. It’s about a block back, and then to give Richard a quick nod.

I run to Licorice Pizza’s counter, and act like I’m dying, and ask for the bathroom, they say it’s for employees only, then I tell them I’m not responsible for what I leave on their carpet. The guy takes me back to the restroom. He leaves, I bone out the back door. The alley behind Licorice Pizza, is huge, bigger than a neighborhood block. So, I run through it, get to Lindley, and head towards Vanowen, looking back, there is nobody following me.

I see Reseda High School, and I know I’m almost home. Once I get there, my Mom’s home. I’m amped “where were you?” She just walked in, and insists on taking me to the police station to file a report. I know nothing will come of it. We file anyway, weird guy, gold convertible. Yeah, yeah, we’ll keep an eye out. I call my other friends, everyone is home now. I’m pissed. But safe.

I had never been pursued by anyone male or female like that before, nor have I pursued anyone like that. I was 17 and it tweaked me at the time,

I worked at that McDonald’s until I was 18 ½ and never saw that guy or car again. Weirdo.

On to the review . . .

Everybody I know has been checking out Tiger Army lately. I’ve had five or six people ask me if I have a copy of their song Forever Fades Away. So when I’m out and about I keep an eye out for their different releases, and I saw that Nick 13 sings on this song Dearly Demented. Unfortunately, Nick’s vocal on this song is kind of like a steaming pile of crap on a rose bush. If you can dig through the shit you can find a thing of beauty. The few seconds of good vocals can’t make up for the hour or so of horrendous “cookie monster” vocals on the rest of the album. In conclusion:

The album blows Donkey Dong!

If you get the chance to set a copy of this on fire, go do it.

Rating: * **** minus one out of five stars.

Currently:
Reading: High Fidelity by Nick Hornby
Listening: Henry Rollins – Provoked
Watching: About A Boy directed by Chris Weitz and Paul Weitz