The last year has been a huge year for Marysville, Michigan natives Every Avenue and with their upcoming release "Shh. Just Go With It" hitting store shelves this winter, they show no signs of slowing down."Hopes and dreams and memories, you can't take away from me!" sings David Ryan, lead vocalist for the pop-infused rock sensation Every Avenue. The band has just finished another inspired, energetic performance and tonight, like every other night they have graced the stage, the crowd simply wants more. This reaction is becoming increasingly more common everywhere that Every Avenue goes, and that is not limited to shows. The band is being recognized in malls, restaurants, even on the highway; a...
Emery has been a band since forming in South Carolina in 2001. Their local scene was pretty quiet at that time, so the band decided to move to Seattle, WA. That move soon paid off as record labels came calling within a year. Emery decided to sign with Tooth & Nail Records and released their label debut, The Weak's End, in 2004. They released their second full-length, The Question, in 2006, and followed with I'm Only A Man, in 2007.Emery's latest recorded effort, While Broken Hearts Prevail, will be released October 28. The EP includes new material as well as material that has been in the band's repertoire but never recorded. Singer/Bassist Toby Morrell talks of the impetus for the EP: "We had two years be...
Matt Keating has chosen an endangered format (the long-playing record-album) to perform some much-needed resuscitation on the great lost art of the album. It's exactly the kind of implausible, foolishly romantic, unabashedly retrograde quest that deserves a title like QUIXOTIC. And so it seems perfectly natural that this album should also be a double CD collection of 23 new songs. However, QUIXOTIC is no rock opera. Instead, like two sides of a vinyl LP, each of the 40-or-so minute discs are, essentially, two perfectly paced legs of the same destination-anywhere road trip.QUIXOTIC finds Keating reunited with longtime studio partner Adam Lasus (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah...
An unknown name to many outside of Clash of the Titans fans, MEDUSA stand poised to deliver a sonic deathblow to all that is false with En Raga Sul, the deadliest 15 tracks to grace a vinyl platter in a long fucking time. Consisting of 3/4ths of the creative nucleus of the juggernaut Racebannon, MEDUSA bludgeon the listener with a riff-centric cyclone that sounds like Slayer playing Melvins covers through the MC5's equipment. You've never heard anything quite like it, and when En Raga Sul is over, you will be left beaten, torn, and begging for more oxygen, and one more listen.Toiling amongst the shades for their formative years, MEDUSA spent almost 5 years constructin...
The world of underground hip-hop can be a saturated one. It takes an immediate yet proven voice to stand out and rise above mediocracy. And who better to make that move than Chokeules, emcee from the legendary Canadian hip-hop team of Toolshed. Masters of the underground scene in their own right, Toolshed provided the foundation for Chokeules to make the leap into mainstream hip-hop domination with the release of Hypergraphia, his newest record.Loaded with intricate rhyme schemes, dense wordplay and touching on everything from self-introspection and the state of modern hip-hop, Hypergraphia is a bold, confident step for Chokeules. Having shared the stage in both Canada and the United States with established ac...
The story of Kalmah begun in 1991 when Pekka Kokko(v, g) and Petri Sankala founded Ancestor. After 2 demos Antti Kokko joined the band to handle the position of lead guitarist. In 1998 after all in all 5 melodic trash/speed/death metal demos and 5 different bass players it was time to clear the table. Acenstor was buried and refounded as Kalmah. The Line-up was completed by keyboard player Pasi Hiltula. With new enthusiasm Kalmah started to write new songs for the praised promo CD. With raging melodic death/trash/speed/black metal promo 'Svieri Obraza' the band had finally done the breakthrough and reached a contract with Spikefarm Records. The band wasted no time and headed to Tico-Tico studios with line-up Pekka...
Solo projects are inherently a risk. Traditionally, few members of any prominent band have seen success in this sort of undertaking, and even fewer have enjoyed both critical and commercial success. Add to this the bizarre notion of creating stripped-down music that doesn't even reference the original band's genre, and you certainly have less examples of success to point to.Until a couple of years ago, Dallas Green was better known as the dulcet voice of Alexisonfire. The band's feverish live shows and rabid fanbase quickly earned them the distinction of being one of the most exciting and talked about bands in Canada.During some time off between tours, Green assembled a collection of songs he had been writing over...
Making waves throughout the latter half of 2007, Secretly Canadian is super pleased to deliver Seattle's Throw Me The Statue's debut album, "Moonbeams." Conceived and fronted by Scott Reitherman, "Moonbeams", was constructed with the help of Casey Foubert (Sufjan Stevens, Pedro The Lion) to create a wondrous concoction of fuzzed out synths, brass ensembles and epic vocal melodies that have been noticeably absent since "In the Aeroplane, Over The Sea" first saw the light of day.At the album's core is a sharp sense of melody, a cutting lyrical honesty, and a bludgeoning beat that brings to mind the whimsy of Magnetic Fields, the lyrical expanse of The Microphones, and the l...
This collection of music was written and sung by Joel Thibodeau. It is unlike anything you've ever heard. People will call it many things. Few will get it right. This is Death Vessel.Nothing is Precious Enough for Us exudes a unique ambition wider in scope than most of its peers. The musical reach is fully extended--deep into the past, grounded in the present and nodding to the future. Owing to the gritty avarice of Joel's singular spirit, voice and musicality, the songs--though rooted in a more traditional feel of folk and early Americana--sound as progressive, experimental and modern as they do antique and old-world. In fact, his hyper-tuneful and wholly spellbinding melodies seem to ow...
That's the Spirit is the latest incarnation of Ottawa's Ben Wilson - a multi-instrumentalist and well-known staple of the local scene, with an emerging presence thanks to his upcoming debut L.P., Staying Places (Antique Room).Canadian underground music-lovers might remember Wilson fronting Kelp Records' indie-rock stalwarts Paperjack, whose gritty The Effort I'll Never Get Back (2001) left duelling-guitar-hungry jaws dropping across the country before the band's demise in 2004. Folks also might know him as guitarist for Ottawa's premier pop band the Polytones, or multi-instrumentalist for Orienteers and regional faves Department of Foreign Affairs. Having decided, though, that That's the Spir...
Boston's Fugitive Kind is releasing their debut full-length album, "You're Being Watched," on January 13th, 2009. Following three EPs over the past three years, "You're Being Watched" was recorded in the fall of 2007 with producer Ed Stasium (Ramones, Talking Heads, Mick Jagger, Soul Asylum). The album features nine tracks immediately distinctive for the massive, bluesy vocals of Lydia Marsala, delivered with a strength and presence rarely found in today's indie rock.With Fugitive Kind drawing comparisons to everyone from Queens of the Stone Age to The Pretenders, Muse to The Gossip, it comes as little surprise that Marsala draws inspiration from the likes of Jack White. "I have a possibly unreas...
Dylan Champagne sings about what everybody sings about: love, death, crimes against humanity, the apocalypse, beauty, regret, dreams, space, time, trains, surrealist painters, abandoned theaters, alcoholism, veterans, isolation, salmon fishing, exploding ships, sea-birds, scars, wine, medical conditions, star-crossed lovers, suicide, homicide, cemeteries, the brutality of social Darwinism in elementary school...Dylan performed and recorded his debut solo album New Equation himself, in his basement. The mixes walk a tenuous line between lush and minimal, and the tone of the recording has been described as "haunting" and "intimate." Dylan's smooth and melodic vocal stylings could be compared to...
Born and raised in Lewiston, ID, Justin Ringle has a natural affinity with the West. Its space, beauty, and nonconformity seem to be reflected in the music of his band Horse Feathers, named after an expression he heard his grandfather use. In Ringle's hands, the common meaning of this expression comes to life: two things that can't possibly exist together are spun into a gossamer delicacy of music shot through with lyrical weight.Justin grew up on Northwest labels like Sub Pop, Kill Rock Stars, and K Records, but soon broadened his horizons. 'Nebraska' by Bruce Springsteen, Dylan's 'Blood on the Tracks', Fleetwood Mac, Wil...
Point Juncture, WA, actually hail from Portland, OR. Of course. And for five years Point Juncture has been a collaboration between four songwriters, instrumentalists, recording engineers, and friends: Amanda Spring (vocals, drums) Victor Nash (keyboards, vocals) Skyler Norwood (guitar, vibraphone) and Wilson Vediner (guitar). Five years is middle age for a...
Lioness came together in Toronto in the winter of early 2007, almost in secret, when Jeff Scheven and Ronnie Morris, the rhythm section behind the stomping disco pulses of controller.controller, hooked up with Vanessa Fischer of soul-punk quartet No Dynamics. Haunting off-the-radar locales, playing low-key after-hours sets in dark, sweaty clubs, Lioness generated a noteworthy undercurrent of buzz on the scene. On stage, Lioness exudes a pure, electric energy that has caught the attention bands like !!!, You Say Party! We Say Die! and K-OS - having supported each over the past year. Their sans-guitar sound is like a head-on collision of old and new, as Fischer draws upon jazz, old soul and blues, roaring and moaning over layers of electr...
Brooklyn noisepunk outfit Parts & Labor has dramatically altered their wall-of-sound: Their fourth album, Receivers, finds P&L focusing on open spaces, longer movements, expansive arrangements and loftier goals. On eight epic tracks, Receivers showcases the band's catchiest and darkest moods to date, reveling in a growing dynamic sensibility only hinted at in their previous work. Though they've maintained their love affair with glitchy oscillations and anthemic vocals, they are now utilizing the full possibilities of a band that was once a scrappy punk trio, and now a mature art-rock quartet. It's a heady mix of psych, noise, and pop influenced by the arty minimalism...
After Azure Ray disbanded in 2004, Orenda Fink, one half of the beloved Omaha-via-Athens duo, put her energies into a solo record. In 2005, she released Invisible Ones, an under-the-radar but critically-acclaimed debut album. Through the Invisible Ones touring cycle, Orenda assembled several different touring bands with revolving members, along the way making profound musical and personal friendships with her bandmates. With a little astrological nudge and some serendipitous circumstances, Orenda decided to form a new band using the cream of the crop of her touring crew. The band they formed was called Art Belle. Fearing the wrath of paranoid radio listeners "West of the Rockies" (in addition to fearing litigation), the band sh...
Before The Faint could build anything, the band had to demolish a few things. The Omaha quintet has always been perceived as a series of paradoxes: Nebraskans trafficking in electro-pop anthems; a five-person outfit who insist on songwriting democracy; punk rockers laying down their guitars for a decidedly untypical kind of punk rock. They've contended with external expectations and lazy classifications, a four-year-break since their last album, Wet From Birth, and the task of converting their fascinations into songs, all while sloughing off past layers that didn't quite fit. With Fasciinatiion, The Faint's fifth album, the band gives the world the realest representation of themselves to date, but in doing so, walls were literally and figu...
2008 marks Revmatic’s third release “Cold Blooded Demon”. Described by singer Nathan Yetter as the sound of Guns N Roses and Metallica in a car accident, the album marks a new beginning. The band decided to go in a heavier direction on the new album. The last two albums we're hard rock, this one is a little more Metal influenced. In the eight years since the band formed, they have molded themselves into an extremely fierce band, honing their sound into a state of lust‚ with melodic vocals, thunderous double bass drums and guitars that are defined with dual leads. Fans and press received Revmatic's first release (Self Titled - 2002) and second release (Ghetto Blaster - 2004), with great response and the band sold over...
In September of 2007 Virginia natives, James Mason and Robbie Rusbuldt were introduced to each other in Los Angeles, CA. After discovering they each had moved to the west coast to pursue music careers, they began playing music together. It didn't take long to add another native Virginian, Andrew Dunton on drums soon followed by California guitarist Jade Estrella. With that, Safety Word Orange was born. The band spent over three months writing and rehearsing in Hollywood perfecting their ideal set list. Having four writers among the band allowed Safety Word Orange to consistently add new songs with various styles. The different musical backgrounds and influences gave them a chance to really explore before deciding what fit the b...
Raw, rocking, and in your face. All could be fitting descriptions for Wallingford, Connecticut’s favorite son, Joetown (aka Joe Delaney). Joetown’s 2008 release, ‘Pills and Ammo’ totally goes against the grain – especially when compared to what passes off as rock n’ roll nowadays. “Crash,” “Finger,” and “All My Angels” are all tracks that would provide the perfect soundtrack for some rowdy roadside bar, as the singer/guitarist has obviously learned a thing or two from classic rock’s finest, namely, AC/DC, Van Halen, and Guns N’ Roses. “No silly pop lyrics,&rdq...
Kevin Devine is an American songwriter and musician from Brooklyn, New York, who is known for alternately introspective and political lyrics and melodic acoustic guitar tunes. He cites his influences as Bob Dylan, Elliott Smith, Guns N' Roses, Brother Paramo and Nirvana, among others. He grew up in Brooklyn and Staten Island, and has spent significant time in Manhattan and Queens as well. Devine graduated Fordham University at Lincoln Center in 2001, majoring in journalism. He also played in an indie/punk/emo band called Miracle of 86 after the (Miracle) New York Mets. Even before that, he played with a popular band in the local Staten Island scene called Delusion. At Fordham he was able to hone his acoustic solo skills by playing at variou...
An ecstatic ‘Oh shit!' moment occurs midway through the catchy and caustic bounce of the Blood Brothers' "Street Wars / Exotic Foxholes." The song settles lithely into an eerie calm, warm with sinuous upright bass, plaintive clarinet, and a hazy Hammond organ drone. It's both blissful and melancholy, and a pure alchemy of the band's individual creative powers. More importantly it is a bold inversion of a peerless and progressive aesthetic the Brothers have cultivated through years of dedication."Take someone like Charles Mingus," offers bassist Morgan Henderson. "People would hear him and call it Jazz, but in his mind he was creating modern black Classical music." Similarly, any vague notions of...
Aphex Twin is perhaps the best known of the many monikers used by Richard D. James, one of the more creative minds in '90s electronica. James, who has recorded as AFX, Polygon Window, Caustic Window, and several others, is equally capable of both Eno-esque ambient pieces and headache-inducing techno. He will juxtapose melodies played by computer-generated string instruments with frantic, machinized beat patterns that make sense only to him. More an avant-garde composer than a creator of dance-floor hits, he has spent most of his extremely prolific career ignoring commercial trends.James began his unique approach to music making early on. As a child, he conducted sound experiments on the strings and hammers of his family piano; by ...
To take stock of Thrice's discography is to witness the dramatic evolution of a band perpetually committed to pushing their own creative boundaries, taking their music to new and breathtaking heights of expression and challenging fans to explore each startling soundscape the group conjures, while simultaneously promoting social awareness and change. From the raw power and technical onslaught of early records Identity Crisis and The Illusion of Safety, to the perfect marriage of fury and melody on The Artist In The Ambulance, to the bold, mesmerizing experimentation of Vheissu, Thrice has always been a band on the cutting edge, running well ahead of their peers. That divide is about to widen still further.The California-based quart...
Anyone familiar with Ogre-the formidable solo artist and frontman for electronic-rock avatars Skinny Puppy-would expect that at this juncture in his long and storied career, he'd, you know, chill out. After years of delivering intense physical performances and lyrical mise en scenes framing mankind's thoughtlessness, one would hope the singer would maybe buy a log cabin up in the mountains, take up an acoustic guitar and prepare a disc's worth of Appalachian folk songs recorded on wax-cylinder technology.Yeah, like that's ever going to happen. Fortunately, the frontman for ohGr is ready to unveil his debut solo disc for SPV, Devils In My Details. If the previous ohGr disc, 2003's SunnyPsyOp, was...
Department of Eagles features Daniel Rossen of Grizzly Bear and his friend Fred Nicolaus, plus additional help from two other members of Grizzly Bear, Chris Taylor and Chris Bear.Daniel and Fred met in 2000 at NYU when forced to be roommates, and began making music together to pass the time during an uneventful spring semester. They collected samples and turned them into songs using computers and a microphone borrowed from their neighbor Chris Taylor (who, years later would become Daniel's Grizzly Bear bandmate and DoE's producer/engineer). The material they wrote during this time became their 2003 debut ...
MISERATION is the latest effort from SCAR SYMMETRY Vocalist Christian älvestam and Jani Stefanovic (Essence of Sorrow), who together perform a fast, brutal and aggressive melodic style of metal, what their homeland Sweden is best known for. LIFEFORCE RECORDS is proud to give the band's critically acclaimed debut album“Your Demons, Their Angels” a worldwide release (September 15th - Europe, October 28th - U.S.) and help spread their metallic plague throughout the world. Christian älvestam comments: "After a few months of negotiating, we are very happy and excited to announce that we have now inked a new deal with Lifeforce Records. It's an up and coming, easy-going and down-to-earth label wi...
This year's POP Montreal Program states that, "Michael O'Connell specializes in playing any instrument that makes a noise, and playing all of them masterfully. He uses this considerable skill to shape the artful melodies that accompany his evocative lyrics. This soft, tender music will let him play your heartstrings too."After a few years away from a busy touring schedule with his former band Black Cabbage, the dynamic songwriter created Culture Reject to house his latest body of work. It comes from an interesting path of influences...
The world of rock music devotes itself to a certain quasi-preconscious and mostly unconscious fickleness that has yet to be proven actually functional to the vast continuum of music. In rock’s reiterations and reinventions searching for a new azimuth, from the uncommon new music outside the standard formulas – Obscured By Clouds (OBC) and Psycheclectic Records offer hope for the future of creative original music. People could view the world of music as a setting sun and a dwindling source of access and potential. OBC unassumingly reaches out to connect with their listeners in a highly personal way as approachable, functional and as a resource for their audience. Their music stands out as a source of abundance beyond the unto...
