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Elliot/FSF Tour Dates
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Elliott to tour with Further Seems Forever. Here are the current dates...
Feb 07 Ft Lauderdale FL The Factory
Feb 08 St Petersburgh FL The State Theater
Feb 09 Tallahassee FL Beta Bar
Feb 10 Baton Rouge LA Spanish Moon
Feb 11 Houston TX Engine Room
Feb 12 San Antonio TX Sin 13
Feb 13 Austin TX Emo's
Feb 14 Dallas TX The Door
Feb 15 Oklahoma City OK Green Door
Feb 17 Tempe AZ Bash On Ash
Feb 18 San Diego CA The Scene
Feb 19 Los Angeles CA Troubadour
Feb 20 Anaheim CA Chain Reaction
Feb 21 Westlake CA Kung Fu Corner
Feb 22 Las Vegas NV Huntridge Theater
Feb 23 San Francisco CA The Pound
Feb 25 Portland OR Meow Meow
Feb 26 Seattle WA I Spy
Feb 27 Boise ID JD and Friends
Feb 28 Salt Lake City UT X-Scape
Mar 01 Boulder CO Tulagi
Mar 02 Kansas City MO El Torreon
Mar 03 St Louis MO Creepy Crawl
Mar 04 Memphis TN Precious Cargo
Mar 05 Nashville TN Blue Sky Court
Mar 06 Atlanta GA TBA
Mar 07 Jacksonville FL Imperial Bar & Lounge
Mar 08 Orlando FL TBA |
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A Glam Rocker Wedding
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On Saturday, Dec. 28th, long time scenester and Decapolis Music staff member Luke Harlow married Amber Miller (now Harlow of course) in Glasgow, Kentucky. Harlow, founder of famed zine A Glam Rocker's Diary, provided early grass root support for bands such as Element101, One:21, N.I.V., and Speedy Delivery. A fixture at Sofa Records, Javacasa, and Breakthru Cafe shows, Harlow went on to write interviews and reviews for Decapolis.com. He married long time girlfriend and love, Amber Miller whom he met while attending Western Kentucky U. The two will be living outside of Chicago in Wheaton, IL where Luke is pursuing a masters degree. Notable wedding party members included Adam Garbinski (Squad Five-0) and Jesse Keenan (Red Gold, X-member Veronica and Pink Daffodils) who served as Groomsman.
Congrats Luke and Amber! |
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Cave In Prepares For RCA Debut
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CAVEIN.NET reports the following update...
"OK, let's make no farts about it here. The album is titled "Antenna" and it is tentatively being released sometime in early March (I know, we said otherwise, but the powers that be have thus waved their mighty hands and... well, the record comes out a bit later, duh). The first single from the album will be the song "Anchor" - a perky little three-minute head-bopper about librarians with ear infections. Is it just a New England thing, or could this actually spread? OK seriously, the video for the song "Anchor" will be directed by Dean Karr, who's best known for his amazing photography that has often appeared in the inner album sleeves of bands like Tool and also his videos with Marilyn Manson, Queens Of The Stone Age, Dave Matthews Band, Amen, lah lah lah etc. etc. He's good, we'll just leave it at that. Also, there will be a couple different versions of the single that you can buy... if that's, like, your thing man. One will have the actual music video with the song "Devil's Head Piņata". The other will have live versions of the songs "Stained Silver" and "Lift-Off". So yeah, just take your pick. Or both, if you're feeling extra consumer-like at the moment. The vinyl for the album WILL be released by Hydra Head, oh goodness! Thanks guys, we're just glad you don't hate our guts by now hah hah. And we'll hopefully have the LP version available a week or two BEFORE the CD version is officially released in stores."
Cave In has plans to tour Europe in January & February to promote the album. |
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Shiner Calls It Quits
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SHINER.NET reports the following:
"After much difficult deliberation, we, the gentlemen of Shiner have decided to end our working relationship together and pursue new projects. This was not an easy or quick decision. 10 years is a very long time to work together and we're very proud of what we've done, and all want to build off of the momentum that Shiner has created.
We are all still close friends. We will still work together in different variations and incarnations, and you should expect to hear new kinds of Shiner induced tunes in the upcoming months. We are excited to continue to create music for you folks.
Shiner would like to thank everyone who has ever come to see us, bought a Shiner record, emailed us, visited the site, thought about us, hummed or tapped their toes to a Shiner tune, let us sleep on your floors, gave us your drugs and/or booze, woke us up at 7AM because you had to work and we had to get out, or maybe your band played with us. Thank you so much!
Shiner.net will remain up and operational, as there's still business to be done."
The band will be playing a final show on January 25th, 2003 in their hometown of Kansas City, Missourri with the rock band Houston. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com
Shiner will release a retrospective disc in the spring of 2003 that will include songs from all of their 7 inches, comps, and unreleased demos. The band hopes to include with this release a live DVD of a show at the Metro in Chicago on 8/31/02 with other bonus material. |
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Joe Strummer Dies at Age 50
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Here are bits and peices from the AP release. I heard on the radio this afternoon (Y100 out of Philadelphia) the cause of death was a heart attack, but that information is not confirmed in the stuff I read in the AP reports.
Joe Strummer, frontman with the Clash has died at the age of 50.
The singer, guitarist and songwriter died on Sunday at his home in Somerset, western England of unknown causes. "We do not yet know the cause of death, but we believe it was not suspicious and that he passed away peacefully. An autopsy will be forthcoming," the spokesman said.
Born John Graham Mellor in Ankara, Turkey, Strummer's talents propelled him from playing for change on the London Underground to fame with the Clash, who with the Sex Pistols defined the in-your-face sound and style of 1970s British punk.
Until they split in the 1980s, the Clash produced a catalog of punk classics, including "Career Opportunities" and "Should I Stay or Should I Go?," distilling the depression, anger and energy of 1970s Britain.
But they transcended the three-chord aggression to deliver messages of anti-racism and social consciousness. Strummer, the son of a British diplomat, wrote many of their biggest hits.
"He was one of the most important figures in modern British music, a powerful performer and wordsmith on a level with Bob Dylan (news)," said Pat Gilbert, editor of British music magazine Mojo
"His music had compassion and vision, backed with an agenda to change the world for the better," he told Reuters.
Sometimes described as rebels with a cause, the Clash fused a variety of musical styles -- reggae, funk and even rap -- with a political message that brought punk to the mainstream and also found big success in the U.S. market.
Bono, lead singer from the Irish band U2, said: "The Clash was the greatest rock band. They wrote the rule book for U2."
In 1976, Strummer met a then 23-year-old guitarist Mick Jones and linked up with bassist Paul Simonon and drummer Terry Chimes. As the Clash, the quartet made an immediate and explosive impact in Britain.
Rolling Stone magazine called their 1977 eponymous debut "The definitive punk album."
Follow-ups "Give 'Em Enough Rope" (1978), and "London Calling" (1979) also became instant punk
classics. After The Clash split, a tireless Strummer stayed center stage with a variety of projects, dabbling in acting and writing music for films.
More recently, Strummer toured with a new band, the Mescaleros, and played a benefit concert with Mick
Jones in November, reuniting with his partner in punk for the first time in nearly 20 years.
At the time of his death, Strummer was collaborating with U2's Bono and Dave Stewart (news), formerly of the Eurythmics, on an AIDS (news - web sites) awareness track.
"The Clash are to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year and there was hope that there would be a reunion and a tour...this must be especially sad for their fans," Gilbert said.
Strummer's death was a double blow for punk fans still mourning the fatal drug overdose in June of singer Dee Dee Ramone from legendary American band the Ramones.
Strummer is survived by his wife, two daughters and one stepdaughter. |
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Jade Tree Signs Ester Drang
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This just in from Jade Tree Records…Oklahoma's ESTER DRANG has joined the Jade Tree roster. The band will be releasing their second album and Jade Tree debut, Infinite Keys CD (JT1082) on April 1, 2003 (Available for pre-order February 4, 2002). Vinyl for Infinite Keys will be available through Burnt Toast Vinyl.
Infinite Keys is cinematically inspired and atmospheric, a spectral wall of sound that reaches out in several directions at once without losing its central focus, emanating a feeling of timelessness that melds well with its psychedelic elements reminiscent of SPIRTUALIZED, GRANDADDY and fellow Oklahoman's THE FLAMING LIPS.
Infinite Keys is being recorded at Echo Labs and mixed at Soma (WILCO, STEREOLAB) by Chris Colbert (NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL, ELF POWER).
ESTER DRANG has toured with PEDRO THE LION, STARFLYER 59 and DENALI and has shared the stage with THE WHITE STRIPES, WHEAT and THE STARLIGHT MINTS to name a few. Infinite Keys is definitely recommended for fans of all of the aforementioned bands, as well as a wide variety of artists including MY BLOODY VALENTINE, THE BEATLES, RACHELS, MARVIN GAYE, BRIAN ENO, SLOWDIVE, PHILLIP GLASS AND FUGAZI.
TRACK LISTING
1. "Temple Mount"
2. "Dead Man's Point Of View"
3. "Oceans Of View"
4. "If They Only New"
5. "All The Birds Live In My Attic"
6. "No One Could Ever Take Your Face"
7. "The Greatest Thing"
8. "All The Feeling"
9. "One Hundred Times"
10. "I Don't Want To Live (In A World Of Infinite Keys)"
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Stairwell Signs with Hopeless
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This just in from Hopeless Records…the label has signed Orange County, California's Stairwell and will be releasing their record "The Sounds of Change" on March 25th, 2003. An MP3 off the record is available here: http://www.hopelessrecords.com/sounds.php Hopeless has a great history with Orange County bands having released two records from Thrice and, more recently, Avenged Sevenfold. Stairwell are the next installment in the Orange County saga with poppy hooks, great lyrics and great guitar riffs. Look for the OC domination to continue...Jack Black would be proud. To top it all off, they have a new website! Check it out: http://www.stairwell.net
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Me Without You Rocks Europe
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This just in from Tooth and Nail Records…It was 9:00pm. On Dec. 3rd. The band gets an email from a promoter in the Netherlands offering them a spot on their festival (due to a last minute cancellation). In typical MWY fashion, they pull together and turn the opportunity into a 7 day Euro tour. If you're anywhere near the Netherlands - check the band out from Dec. 12th-17th (Playing the Peacedog Winterfest - www.peacedog.com on Dec. 14th).
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Moneybags Gram Changes Name
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New York state rockers Moneybags Gram has changed their name. Their new name is Fire When Ready. The band will be heading out on tour. Here are the dates.
All dates are subject to change so check these sites to keep yourself updated. http://www.solidstaterecords.com http://www.firewhenready.com
http://www.equalvision.com
Dec 29th- Syracuse, NY @Bridge St. Music Hall @Ironix 6pm w/Beloved, Prevent Falls, fire when ready (formerly Moneybags gram), From Autumn to Ashes http://www.thenewamericandream.net
Dec 30th- Cleveland, OH @The Revolution 7pm w/ Beloved, Prevent Falls, fire when ready (formerly Moneybags gram), Brandtson
Dec 31st-Dayton, OH @Youth Center 6pm w/Beloved, fire when ready, Underoath MORE! http://www.gatheringgrounds.com
Jan 1st- Murrysville, PA @American Music Cafe w/Beloved, fire when ready http://www.americanmusiccafe.com
Jan 2nd-Edinboro, PA @The Hangout on Mill st. 6pm w/Beloved, Prevent Falls, fire when ready http://www.erieshows.com
Jan 3rd-Wilkes Barre, PA @Metropolis 94 South Main Street w/Beloved, Prevent Falls, fire when ready
Jan 4th- Williamsport, PA @Backalley Basement 36 E.4th St. w/Beloved, Prevent Falls, fire when ready
Jan 5th- Annapolis, MD @Knights of Columbus Hall (Rt.2 South/Solomon's Island Rd) w/Beloved, Prevent Falls, fire when ready
Jan 6th- Charlotte, NC @Tremont Music Hall w/Beloved, Prevent Falls, fire when ready http://www.tremontmusichall.com
Jan 7th- W. Columbia, SC @Uncle Doctors w/Beloved, Prevent Falls, fire when ready
Jan 8th- Marrietta, GA @Swayzes Venue w/Beloved, Prevent Falls, fire when ready http://www.swayzesvenue.com
Jan 9th- Orlando, FL (venue TBA check firewhenready.com for updates)
w/prevent falls, fire when ready
Jan 10th- Melbourne, FL @The Tab w/Prevent Falls, Moneybags gram
Jan 11th- St. Pete, FL @The State Theatre w/ Prevent Falls, fire when ready, Underoath, Norma Jean + more
Jan 12th- Gainesville, FL @Eddie C's 1315 South Main Street
w/Prevent Falls, Moneybags gram
Jan 13th- Jacksonville, FL @The Murray Hill Theatre w/underoath, fire when ready (may change venues to check solidstaterecords.com)
Jan 14th- Savannah, GA @The Velvet Lounge 127 W.Congress st 9pm w/Underoath, fire when ready, Prevent Falls
Jan 15th- Boone, NC Genos Sports Bar 1785 Highway 105 South w/Underoath, fire when ready, Prevent Falls
Jan 16th- Durham, NC Duke Univ. Coffee House 6pm w/Underoath, prevent Falls, fire when ready
Jan 17th- VA w/Underoath, Prevent Falls, fire when ready (venue TBA soon! Check solidstaterecords.com for updates)
See you at the shows! FWR http://www.firewhenready.com
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Further Seems Forever Tour
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This just in from Tooth and Nail Records…Further Seems Forever is heading out after the first of the new year with The Beautiful Mistake and Elliott.
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Side Walk Slam to Record
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This just in from Tooth and Nail Records…Side Walk Slam will be recording a new album after more touring in 2003. They will be recording in The Blasting Room with Bill Stevenson and Stephen Egerton -April 18th - 28th. Prior to recording the band will be touring to the west coast in January and February. And in March they will join Calibretto on the road.
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Neva Dinova - S/T
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BW Diederich [Decapolis Music Staff]; Age: 20; Top 5 bands: godspeed you! black emperor, Panoply Academy Corps of Legionnaires, Mt. Gigantic, Anaphylaxis, Starflyer 59 : I love chaos and a willingness to push boundaries in music, but I that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a classic pop song.
 Neva Dinova are a new band on Crank! Records. This is their first album and it is self-titled.
So Crank records has a pretty cool history, right? I mean, they released some of the first Cursive stuff, and any friend of Tim Kasher is a friend of mine. Mineral called Crank home for its full lengths, and they’re even responsible for the vulgar aural assault of genius the Icarus Line bring.
So what is this?
Neva Dinova have 3 guitarists. THREE! So you’d expect either raging chaos or textured atmospherics, and if you guessed the latter you’re right. The first three songs sound like lost Coldplay songs, and that’s not a compliment coming from me. It’s faux brit pop. In fact, we can dispense right away with the majority of the album by pointing to the bands they imitate. 1-3, 5 and 7 sound like Coldplay. 6 is an ill fated attempt to “rock-out” that in the end totally disrupts the flow of the album. 9 sounds sort of like U2 and Coldplay collaborating. U2’s anthemic rock combined with Coldplay’s boring Britpop. Not exactly a match made in heaven.
So what songs are left? Well, 4 is one of the best songs on the album. It sounds a bit like Wilco in all the right ways, slightly catchy alt-country with intelligent and wry lyrics. Like Wilco before they tried to muddy up the works with random computer noise. In 8 the vocals are heavily reverbed and float over brushed cymbals and snare. It’s almost a slow rag time feel, definitely a step and a half above the Coldplay songs. The last song is a slight number, with wavering guitar throughout and meandering plucked strings. Smokey bars and the old west are all over this thing.
So there we are, song by song. I’m tempted to end the review here, but people like summaries of the good and the bad. The bad : Almost half of the album consists of what sound like lost Coldplay songs. It’s not that they’re particularly bad, it’s just that they’re boring. If you like Coldplay you’ll probably like this album. The good : The songs are well played. I mean, the guitars are clean, the band is together, etc.
The record just feels lifeless to me. And yes, if I was a fan of Coldplay I’m sure I’d like this better, but even if Coldplay didn’t exist, the fact remains Neva Dinova play bland, atmosphere laden Britpop that apes Radiohead, similar to Coldplay.
Grade : C -
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Steven Von Till - If I Should Fall...
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BW Diederich [Decapolis Music Staff]; Age: 20; Top 5 bands: godspeed you! black emperor, Panoply Academy Corps of Legionnaires, Mt. Gigantic, Anaphylaxis, Starflyer 59 : I love chaos and a willingness to push boundaries in music, but I that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a classic pop song.
 Steven Von Till is an odd guy. Seriously. He’s the lead singer/screamer for Neurosis and does his time in Tribes of Neurot. This, “If I Should Fall to the Field” is his second solo album, and its out on Neurot Recordings.
To help you understand my wonder and fascination with this record, let me describe these other bands of his for you. I guess I should preface by saying I’m more familiar with Tribes of Neurot than I am Neurosis. Neurosis plays a sort of sludgy metal. They’re a huge influence on ISIS if that means anything to anybody. They do what they do really well apparently; I just haven’t really gotten over what it is they do. Tribes of Neurot are a nifty little collective who release weird records of mostly noise. One of their latest albums is a sort of mind altering trip into an insect hive. All the sounds were created by pitch shifting insect noises.
So what does Steven Von Till do for his second solo record? He plays folk music. Albeit folk music inspired by farm hands more than, say, James Taylor. This is folk music, in the creaky door, wind blowing, Appalachian sense and it’s completely gorgeous.
The album opens with a simple organ part repeated a couple times and then von Till intones, “you don’t believe what you can’t see.” Von Till’s voice is surprisingly rich considering the yarbled screaming he does in Neurosis, and delivers all the lyrics with quiet passion. The lyrics are an interesting part of this disc. He writes the majority of the album himself, but two songs are traditional songs of field workers, one is a Neil Young cover, and the last track is a spoken word piece which I’ll get to later. The songs he penned are distinctly personal, yet all are infused with the theme of field workers and manual labor and a time in the past where farms and crops and hard work were more common. The two traditional songs, “My Work is Done”, and “Am I Born to Die” fit with the rest of the disc nicely neither standing out excessively, nor fading completely into the background. They provide a compliment and a sense of authenticity to the album. In fact, “My Work is Done” may well be the highlight of the album. Von Till’s voice is joined only by fiddle for all four minutes. The writer was weary and worried about what was in store after this earth and Von Till’s vocals perfectly capture the exhaustion and melancholy one can only imagine the original singer felt around a campfire after a hard day’s work. The Neil Young cover “Running Dry” is nice, but one of my least favorite moments on the album. One of the strengths of the album is its minimalism and the cover seems too busy.
The original songs are built around guitar mostly, with fiddle, banjo and organ showing up every once in a while. The pace of the record is glacial, but it’s the only pace fitting for the absolute weariness Von Till showcases throughout. It’s a melancholy album, capped off by a scratchy recording of Von Till’s grandfather reading a poem titled “The Harpy.” Louis A. Von Till’s archival reading is accompanied by Steven Von Till on bass as well as guitar drones and a Hammond B-3. It’s a perfect ending for the record. A worn recording of a voice from the past complete with haunting background music, it sums it all up nicely.
This is one of the saddest records to come out this year. That may be its weak point. On some listens it ran together a bit. But it’s not a hopeless record, just a weary record. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel for Von Till, but I think we can all understand that sentiment. Sometimes a little pathos is good for us. Sometimes it feels like there’s no light, and it’s just one huge tunnel of weariness. This record is both for the times of weariness, and for the times when you’re out in the light, as a reminder of how thankful you should be for escaping that tunnel.
Grade : B
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Bon Voyage- The Right Amount
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Tyler Baber [Freelance Writer]; Age: 19; Top 5 bands: Starflyer 59, Pedro the Lion, Havalina, Godspeed You Black Emporer, Joan of Arc Musical preferences: I like music that makes me feel, anything that evokes a strong emotion is good to me. Likewise anything that sounds fresh or original will get an enthusiastic listen. Lyrics are as important as talented musicianship.
 Bon Voyage is a soft, fragile dream pop band from the bright land of Orange County California. Most listeners may hear musical similarities in the styles of Bon Voyage and Starflyer 59, which makes sense seeing as Bon Voyage is the collaboration of Starflyer’s Jason Martin, his wife Julie (formerly a vocalist in Havalina Rail Co.) and bassist Travis Zimmerman. The Right Amount is Bon Voyage’s second full length release, following their 1998 BEC records self titled full length debut.
Unfitting as it may be, the band Bon Voyage may never fully break free of the “side project” label. Jason Martin of Starflyer 59 and his wife Julie make a formidable musical team, and the comparisons to Starflyer are both complimentary and unfortunate. While Jason’s distinct guitar and lyric-writing style are apparent on this recording, Julie’s vocals and the occasional addition of Joy Electric’s Ronnie Martin on synthesizers make Bon Voyage have a dreamier feel not found on most of Jason’s other works, and it seems that the juicy sweetness of Martin’s reverb and echo have the perfect niche when mixed with Julie’s light and sugary singing style.
The songs on The Right Amount are not the same as that complex and indefinable sound produced by Starflyer 59. With songs like “Never Coming Back” and “The Telephone,” Bon Voyage has put together radio friendly sing along songs for everyone to either enjoy outright or at least list as a guilty pleasure. The music in “Dressed in White” and “The Third Marie” make The Right Amount one of the best girl-pop albums to play in the car since Morella’s Forest’s From Dayton With Love.
Those unfamiliar with Bon Voyage’s 1998 self-titled debut may find this album a fine introduction to a darkly quirky and fun pop band, while huge fans of the band will find the album a reward for the patience of waiting four years to hear Julie’s melancholic soft vocals in front of the Martin bros. beautifully crafted music. However, there are points in The Right Amount where one wonders if the songs end, a sort of seamless ness that starts out interesting and enjoyable but soon turns into the same melancholy found in the music itself. This album is in no way a pick-me-up, which is at once unfortunate and expected from Jason Martin and crew. Like the album cover suggests, the music of Bon Voyage is at once darkly formless and incandescently soft. To some, the music may be as empty and disparaging as the liner notes. To others it may seem as beautiful and intriguing as the pure black found in the art work.
Grade: B- |
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Plain White T's - Stop
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 Nate [Music Senior Staff]; Age: 22; Top 5 bands: Ramones, The Choir, Mineral, No Innocent Victim, One:21. I love music. There are very few limitations on my taste and I'm always listening to something new in hopes of broadening my horizons.
 The Plain White T's have been around for five years. They have played with the likes of Jimmy Eat World and Sum 41. "Stop" is their first release with Fearless records.
The Plain White T's are rocking the laid back poppy punk genre. The beginning of the album is very promising culminating in a really good track, "Shine," which is a slower ballad at the number 6 position in the batting order. Following this however, the rest of the album is a let down. The vocals are cheesy and the music uninspiring. On the plus side there is heavy use of the acoustic guitar throughout which adds another element to the music. I'm not sure what happened after track 6, but what I thought was going to be a really interesting album fizzled out in the end.
Grade: C+
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Project 86- Truthless Heroes
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Nate [Music Senior Staff]; Age: 22; Top 5 bands: Ramones, The Choir, Mineral, No Innocent Victim, One:21. I love music. There are very few limitations on my taste and I'm always listening to something new in hopes of broadening my horizons.
 Project 86 is from California and has released several albums with Tooth and Nail. They feature ex-members from Innermeans and have recently released "Truthless Heroes."
Having moved away from their early rap-core roots, Project 86 is back with a lengthy 17-track album of hard-edged melodic rock. While being fairly standard for this type of music it's not without it's catchy moments. "Salem's Suburbs" was one of the songs I thought was more interesting. The album is described as being infused with emotion, but I can't seem to pick it up. While it's not without it's moments, the album in and of itself is pretty generic.
Grade: C
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Mortal- Nu-En-Jin
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Nate [Music Senior Staff]; Age: 22; Top 5 bands: Ramones, The Choir, Mineral, No Innocent Victim, One:21. I love music. There are very few limitations on my taste and I'm always listening to something new in hopes of broadening my horizons.
 Mortal was a functional entity in the early 90's. They broke up and went on to create music under the name Fold Zandura. Mortal is back and they have signed with Tooth and Nail to release "Nu-En-Jin."
Mortal is back after an extended hiatus. If you were expecting something similar to Fold Zandura (Mortal's side project) then you've got the wrong idea. Nu-En-Jin is much more industrial and techno based. There's no guitar but instead, complex sounds and melodies. As you would expect there's a lot of electronica but this is teamed up with piano, drums and vocals that come in and out of the music at will. Not as rock based as some previous Mortal material, Nu-En-Jin is all about the dance. My favorite songs were "Floranclaude" which is kind of a slower number and "Mujo." The whole album is a good listen. Uplifting, energizing, and reflective all at once.
Grade: B
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Knockout- Searching for Solid Ground
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Nate [Music Senior Staff]; Age: 22; Top 5 bands: Ramones, The Choir, Mineral, No Innocent Victim, One:21. I love music. There are very few limitations on my taste and I'm always listening to something new in hopes of broadening my horizons.
 Knockout was formed in 1999 on the outskirts of Chicago. They have toured the country and have released "Searching for Solid Ground" with Fearless records.
Knockout is quick paced melodic punk along the lines of Strung Out and Ten Foot Pole. This is the style that everyone was playing a few years ago, but few had real panache. Knockout isn't great, but they are solid. The first few songs on the album establish themselves with sharp hooks and catchy breakdowns. Shared vocals keep things fresh and add to the mix. Somewhere in the middle of the album things get boring and repetitive. There's even a Saves the Day clone song towards the end ("So This is Sorry"). Knockout claims their place at the table with talent, but they have some growing to do.
Grade: B-
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The Donnas-Spend the Night
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Nate [Music Senior Staff]; Age: 22; Top 5 bands: Ramones, The Choir, Mineral, No Innocent Victim, One:21. I love music. There are very few limitations on my taste and I'm always listening to something new in hopes of broadening my horizons.
 The Donnas are an all-female rock band from California. They formed in 1995 and have released this, their newest album with Atlantic. Along with their major label debut (Spend the Night), their video has been featured on MTV.
This is the big time. The Donnas have arrived. With their newest album to date, The Donnas seem to have nowhere to go but up. They still have their signature pop-punk sound but it's fused with classic and hard rock influences in a symbiotic relationship. With more bite then the Go-Go's, The Donnas use snappy guitar leads, solid drum work, and searing vocals to do their thing in your face. The recording sounds great, most likely due to a decent budget, and this just works to serve up what they're doing in style. If you think The Donnas have gotten where they are because of their looks, guess again. "Spend the Night" is all the evidence you need.
Grade: B+
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Boom Boom Huck Jam
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 Tony Hawk's Boom Boom Huck Jam
The Boom Boom Huck Jam (to be henceforth known as the BBHJ) is a tour like no other. There's a little bit of it all: music, skating, BMX and freestyle motocross. Conceived by the man himself, Tony Hawk, it was his intention to showcase the best talent outside of the competition circle.
 With a special ramp made to order, plenty of edge, big names like Tony Hawk, Mat Hoffman, Dave Mirra, Bucky Lasek, and Andy McDonald the BBHJ set out across the county. To keep the energy flowing the tour featured different bands on different dates. Face to Face, Social Distortion, Devo, The Offspring and CKY created the soundtrack for the action packed journey.
My friend Mike and I stopped in at the Fleet Center in Boston to see for ourselves what it was all about. We got there early and were escorted up to the media room and got to meet the celebrities of the tour. All of them were very nice and down to earth including Tony and Mat Hoffman. All of the participants were quick to give their take on what the tour was all about. It was clear they were in it to have fun and enjoy hanging out with each other and the crowd.
 It was cool to see all the tricks up close and personal. It's one thing to see these guys on TV but in real life it's really impressing. For me the motocross guys were the most shocking. The way they had it set up, when they jumped they couldn't see their landing positions. They jumped a gap of 63 feet (over the 14-foot half pipe) and landed on a track that looped the whole ramp. (Tony Hawk pictured with Nate).
 Social Distortion took the spot light however when they started rocking out on the elevated stage. They might be old, but they've still got some spark left. Mike and friends ripped through the classics: Ring of Fire, Sick Boy, Story of My Life, Mommies Little Monster, and a few more to round out a 30 minute set. It was kind of disappointing that they didn't play longer, but I guess they weren't really the main part of the event.
It was a really good show, well coordinated and interest holding. It was great getting to see the top extreme athletes just having fun like they all started out in the beginning doing. The only down point of the whole evening was the stupid announcer who kept yelling "Yo Yo" and "What's Up Boston." But I guess if putting up with that jerk meant I got to see Social Distortion and meet Tony Hawk it was a price well worth it. Special thanks to Michael Paul Ruch for the picture taking.
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Stryper to Record New Material
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This just in from Roxx Productions...Stryper are set to record two new studio tracks for inclusion on a new Best Of Stryper album, due out in Spring 2003 from Hollywood Records. All four original members - Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet, Oz Fox, & Tim Gaines - will be entering the studio in January of 2003, for the first time in over 11 years, to record the songs. The Best Of CD will consist of the band's favorite songs plus the two new tracks - described as being "heavy & modern".
Stryper T-Shirts are also to appear in the New Charlies Angel : Full Throttle Movie due out in Summer 2003.
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Lava Records Sign Unwritten Law
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This just in from Lava Records...Veteran rockers Unwritten Law have inked a multi-album recording contract with Lava Records, home of Kid Rock, Uncle Kracker, Porcupine Tree, Trans Siberian Orchestra and Simple Plan. The band will release "Music In High Places", an album recorded in Wyoming at Yellowstone National Park, in conjunction with the MTV program of the same name. The album will be released on Lava Records January 21, 2003.
"Music In High Places" features 11 stripped-down, re-worked tracks, culled from the band’s catalog. The disc is both a creative and surprising tribute to the band’s musicianship, songwriting and punk/pop success. While recording the album, the band experienced challenges far beyond the traditional recording process. Each track was given a life of its own—some songs were recorded at the edge of a geyser, others feature traditional Native American drummers and vocalists. Overall, the disc captures poetry and lyricism that’s not immediately evident on the earlier album versions of the tracks.
Unwritten Law formed in the early 1990’s and scored a chart-topping #1 single with “Seein’ Red” earlier this year.
Music In High Places track listing:
1. Before I Go
2. Rest Of My Life
3. Seein’ Red
4. Up All Night
5. Blame It On Me
6. Geronimo
7. Cailin
8. Rescue Me
9. Elva
10. How you Feel
11. Shallow |
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Embraced- An Orchestrated Failure
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Chaz Murphy [Decapolis Music Staff]; Age: 21; Top 5 bands: Hot Water Music, Gorilla Biscuits, You and I, Lifetime, and Boy Sets Fire. Musical preferences: I am known to be very picky with music but I do give everything a chance. I like original music and music that has a purpose and a message.
 Embraced is four piece "melodic hardcore" band from Panama City, Florida. An Orchestrated Failure is Embraced first release on the new and upcoming record label, Theory 8 Records (the goodbye letter, copeland, movies with heros). I was able to see Embraced at Cornerstone 2002 and they put on an amazing show. Embraced comes onto music scene that is already too full of "melodic hardcore" bands. It seems like it is the new fad or something. Don't get me wrong there are some great "melodic hardcore" bands out there like Hopesfall, Poison The Well, and Shai Hulud but the scene is becoming too overhwelmed with them all...kindof like the ska fad a few years back. So what is a band to do to be orginal but still play a style of music that seems so generic now? An Orchestrated Failure is their first step in trying to prove their creativity and orginality.
For Theory 8 and Embraced, I would have to say that this album is a great stepping stone for them both. For a beginning label and a new band, they both did a great job with the production values of this album. It sounds great. The album contains 6 songs an intro. The average length of the songs are around 5 minutes. Embraced doesn't go into any long metal solos or anything like that so I was rather impressed by that. They do a great job of combining singing and screaming...not just combining it but giving you just enough of each and it isn't generic. I don't like when bands only have the singing parts just in the chorus sections...that kindof annoys me and seems like its just forced. They also don't sing he whole album and just here and there throw in a good scream...its a very good mixture. The lyrics are solid as well, deep and personal but easy to understand.
My favorite song is the last track. I find myself singing a long to it each time I listen to it.
There is one complaint I have about the album is on the 4th song. In the middle of the song, there is a distortion put on the vocals that makes it sound very much like the vocals of Thursday. I didn't like that with Thursday and I didn't like it with Embraced. This is probably one of my favorite EP's of the year. If you like Hopesfall, Poison the Well, Thursday, Shai Hulud, Converge and others...I recommend picking this album up at www.theory8records.com
Grade:A- |
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