Bands You Need to Know - Tightrope
Written by Mackenzie Singleton Wednesday, 04 August 2010 03:35
Meet Tightrope. Straight out of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, these neighbors to the north play an energetic, punk/hardcore hybrid. Somewhat reminiscent of another local band, The Sainte Catherines, these youngsters are off to an amazing start after forming less than a year ago in October 2009. The band has released one three-song demo, available for free via a link on their MySpace and are "currently writing new songs for a 7 inch". Keep your eyes and ears on these kids as they very well be the next big French Canadian punk band.
Read more to download the demo and more!
Bands You Need To Know- Sass Dragons
Written by Joe Evans III Tuesday, 03 August 2010 16:45
I met Jimmy from the Sass Dragons a few years ago while on a Midwest tour. I’d heard a few songs I liked, but hadn’t seen them live yet. Ironically, a month or two later I saw him fill in with another band in Brooklyn. He killed it, and proceeded to tell me afterwards “I’ve never actually played with them before.”
Fast forward a few more months. They’re playing The Fest, and I’m anticipating seeing them live for the first time, but I realize we’re halfway through the weekend already, and I haven’t seen them yet. Twenty minutes later, I run into them at the hotel pool party (the infamous one). Jimmy tells me he’s got a Ninja Turtles costume for their set, and introduces me to the others. Jason starts going “Punks think they like the Black album? It’s about the motherfucking WHITE album.” A bunch of other people start throwing chairs into the pool and setting off fireworks, and the three of them start chanting “U-S-GAY! U-S-GAY!”
The next day I convince my friend Bill to leave Common Grounds with me and watch them play at a small bar across the street. Before their set, I’m talking to Jimmy who says “Excuse me a second, I gotta change” and takes two steps away before stripping completely naked, and forces himself into his Ninja Turtles costume. When they start playing, they open up with “Too High To Drive”, and it all comes together – it’s like if somehow The Beatles and The Dwarves were the same band. Meanwhile, Jimmy’s costume is slowly coming off more (and ripping apart) and more after each song until he takes it off completely and throws it into the crowd who can’t decide between running away, or continuing to lose their minds. It also prompted someone to yell out “Put more clothes on, so you can take them off again,” which stands as one of the best heckles I’ve ever heard. When it was all done, I thought they were one of the best sets I saw that weekend. Their reaction: “We just drove eleven hours to play for fifteen minutes. Awesome.”
They’ve come a long way since then, having toured through most of the country, and recording a slew of more 7”s and two full lengths, including this years New Kids On The Bong. Sadly, they suddenly and unexpectedly broke up a short while ago – which admittedly, a good part of my writing this is hoping to persuade them otherwise. But even if the efforts are in vein, I still recommend checking them out.
Bands You Need to Know - Junker
Written by Zachary T Thursday, 22 July 2010 21:03
After checking out The Riot Before and Nothington last week, I was pleasantly surprised to hear Indianapolis' premier orgcore band: Junker. The band tore through their set with one rapid-fire song after another, featuring speedy drums, dual guitar play, and dual (sometimes triple!) vocals. My favorite thing about this band? After listening to their latest release a few times this past week, I can distinctly remember certain parts of songs performed live on the album. I feel that is pretty cool since a week ago I had never even heard of the band.
The band's latest release, "Better in the End", is great initially in the sense that every song is distinct. Many bands featuring uptempo songs can sometimes start to sound similar after a while, but Junker safely avoids this. There is plenty of variation here, especially with the very tight drumming and fills by Alex Bond and the weaving interplay of guitar riffs by Ross Neu, Jay Naidoo, and James Wuerch. We're talking the kind of drums and guitar that are technical and precise, yet not to the point of showing off.
Bands You Need To Know- Boilerman
Written by Paul Daniels Tuesday, 13 July 2010 16:55
Hearing about a new band can bring about the best or worst feeling in the world. The worst feeling being that shooting pain next to your spleen that can only be explained by wasting 11 to 17 minutes of your life listening to something you immediately wish to have erased from your memory, and the best being hearing a rad band for the first time, and devoting the next few months to telling the world about them. Luckily for all of us, Boilerman gives you a chance to experience the latter.
One of the most exciting things about them is that I know nothing about them, save for their music. Their demo can be purchased or downloaded on their Bandcamp page, and the only news I can find on them is a posts one message boards by one of the band members, explaining that they are new, have a demo and are touring in late July. Other than that they are a complete mystery. However, their modern take on the proverbial pop punk sound we all love gives you something familiar to enjoy.
Band You Need To Know- The Men
Written by Matthew Schimkowitz Monday, 21 June 2010 17:10
The Men are from New York City, but not your New York City. They’re not from the minimalist designed coffee shops with their sterile white walls and even more sterile toilet seats. They’re not from Urban Outfitters and they’re not from the Apple Store. No, The Men are from Serpico’s New York City. The New York City covered in filth and that smells like old diapers and stale food. It’s the New York City that’s dangerous, unpredictable, and above all else encompassing; the New York City that hates you. The Men make music from and for that city.
With the release of their debut EP, We are the Men, the Brooklyn trio crafts a sound that is equal parts beauty and disgust. Essentially, the band takes catchy surf-pop songs and plays them through high gain amps, which then gives the songs an entirely differently feel. Rather than making the listener feel at home with the tracks, the Men alienate the listener with songs about hatred, technology, and disgust. However, because the songs are so catchy, the listener continues to accept these shouts of repulsion. It’s as if the Men understand what the music is capable of, and use it to their full advantage. So, if pop-music is a type of escape then the Men craft it in a way that is ensnaring, hypnotic, and overall brilliant.
Bands You Need To Know - Teenage Cool Kids
Written by Matthew Schimkowitz Sunday, 14 March 2010 20:58
I sit here struggling to put what I like so much about Teenage Cool Kids into words. Honestly, I’ve tried everything from coffee to Bob Hope movies, but still can not express what it is I love so much about Denton, TX’s most exciting band. Maybe it’s the soaring melodies that carry their observant and insightful lyrics or perhaps the breathlessness of singer as he belts out a thousand rhymes a minute. No, it has to be something more, because along with the stick to your brain lyrical patterns, their instrumentation pops with creativity and enthusiasm. Maybe I’m just overly caffeinated and thinking about this too hard.
Allow me to slow down: Teenage Cool Kids play the type of music everybody wishes they were creative enough to construct. Mixing their own brand of catchy indie-pop with a wealth of influences to create a signature sound that remains both unique and familiar. From their humble beginnings on the intricate debut Queer Salutations to the wall of sound on Foreign Lands, TCK proves time and time again that whatever music they plan on tackling, they’ll accomplish with ease; stacking each element on top of each other and relying on each component’s quirks to drive their sound home.
Bands You Need To Know - The Gateway District
Written by Joe Evans III Wednesday, 10 March 2010 13:45
I first heard about The Gateway District from seeing Dear Landlord on tour a while back. I was handed a 7”, with the explanation “This is one of Brad’s other bands, they’re really good.” After bringing it home and listening to it, I couldn’t help but think “This sounds like a couple of really great Soviettes songs that were never released.” (The Soviettes were already a favorite of mine). Sure enough, it was Maren, as well as Nate and Brad from Rivethead who I was already fans of. I also noticed Nate was credited with playing both guitar and bass, and assumed “Oh, so it’s just a random side project. Fair enough.”
Fast forward a little bit. I’m filling in with a band from Minneapolis on tour for a week, and we’re playing a weekend fest in Chicago. After bringing it up, I found out that Carrie from The Salteens had joined as well (Maren was also a member as well, and I’m told how they were THE shit in Minneapolis for a while), and that we’d be playing with them a few times. I’m excited – here’s an awesome band I assume will never play outside of their home city, and I’ve found myself on tour with them for a couple of days. Naturally, they turn out to be fantastic live, from a larger fest in Chicago to a crowded basement in Columbus. They give it their all (even those playing in more than one band), and are all swell people to boot. Can’t ask for much more than that.
Again, I bought their record (this time a full length) and listened to it immediately after getting home, and was blown away again. But this time was a little different. Instead of just more of the same, they’d already started to evolve. The rough-yet-catchy Midwestern punk was still there, but some country influences were slowly starting to creep through, not unlike The Weakerthans.
The band is actually fairly active now, having already recorded another record, and completed several tours, including the west coast, Europe, and an upcoming east coast tour with That’s Incredible!
Bands You Need To Know - Joie de Vivre
Written by Lisa Garelick Thursday, 04 March 2010 14:34
Joie de Vivre is one of those bands that takes you completely by surprise. After receiving their record and looking over the artwork and song titles, I was under whelmed, chocking them up to another uninspired indie/emo band. But 30 seconds into the first track off their EP Summer Months, I was mesmerized by sweet noodling and wailing vocals. Joie de Vivre picks up where Mineral left off, while still managing to add their own touches with clean swells and a first-rate recording quality. At times, the vocals resemble the off-kilter brilliance of Cap’n Jazz front man Tim Kinsella, crying out raw emotion (see “Handshakes”).
Summer Months is Joie de Vivre’s debut off of Michigan label Count Your Lucky Stars. They’re currently touring the mid-west, staying close to their home of Rockford, Illinois. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more of the band in the coming months.
Bands You Need To Know - Masshysteri
Written by Jason Mazzola Tuesday, 02 March 2010 14:16
This band submission comes from Jason Mazzola of Virginia punk outfit Cloak/Dagger. The band released a full length entitled Lost Art on Jade Tree back in November and just got off a week long tour with Off With Their Heads.
Two of my favorite bands of the past five years are The Vicious and Regulations. Both bands were from Sweden and shared members. They both wrote catchy punk songs that were simple but brilliant. Stripped down songs that got stuck in my head and that made long drives fly by. Live they were everything I expected them to be. They were also one of the first bands to break down my prejudice of European bands and I’m very thankful for that. Before these two bands, the European bands I was exposed to just seemed to mimic whatever was popular at the time in punk or hardcore. The Vicious and Regulations seemed ahead of the curve even if what they were doing was familiar, they were doing it with their own twist.
The Vicious played a house show here in Richmond and it was without a doubt the most packed, annoying, awesome, memorable house show I have ever been to. During Government Warning I was stuck in the hall way looking at the back of peoples heads looking at four rows of the back of other peoples heads. At the end of the night rumor had it there was close to 300 people that paid to get in. At a house! At that show The Vicious had their new 7" Igen with the song Masshysteri on it. They were mainly singing in Swedish on this release and I was not sure if I could fully get into it. I missed understanding what they were saying and I missed knowing the words to all the clever hooks. It was still the band I loved but they were again ahead of the curve.
Bands You Need To Know - Love Songs
Written by Joe Evans III Sunday, 28 February 2010 13:27
Love Songs aren’t just an underrated punk band, they’re THE underrated punk band. Featuring members of All You Can Eat, Conquest For Death, This Is My Fist!, and a world Air Guitar Champion (and that’s just Craig), they play their own kind of punk that’s often spastic, catchy, and always equal parts brilliant, and completely stupid. Think what you would get from combining Hickey with Weird Al worship.
I first heard of them after happening to see them play in Philadelphia with The Ergs! in the back of a small bar. They got up on stage, looking like they should be playing the awkward side stage of an arena hair metal show, dressed in tight fitting neon and hot pants, not to mention non-ironic mustaches. But, they immediately blew everyone away. They were fun, and could play the hell out of their instruments. And being up front, I had two band member crotches thrust into my face before the end of the set. My reaction? “This band is fucking GREAT.” I was won over enough to go over afterwards and buy a record.
“Hey, you guys were awesome. I want to buy one of your records, but only have enough money for one. Which should I go with?”
“Well, this one is our first record, and this one has pictures of dudes with no shirts on when you put it in your computer.”
I thought to myself “So these guys really are kind of nuts. Awesome.” I bought the record.
While they were on a bit of a hiatus, they’ve recently started playing again, and just put out a new album, Another Guaranteed 40 Minute Music Set on Little Deputy Records, which was my favorite of 2009, and I can’t recommend enough.
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