No one expected 2020 to quite be like this, right? We’ve all managed to get though this one way or another so far, but here we are, still in the middle of it and it’s unclear how long this will last.
Where a lot of us understand the premise of this, not everyone does, including kids.
Teenage Bottlerocket bassist / Yogi / Father Miguel Chen and artist David Buist have written a book called The Virusto help kids and also parents understand and work though this uncertain time.
Published by Zarfling Platoon, this paperback book is slated to drop on May 1st. Bonus: If you preorder this bad boy, you will get a digital copy for free!
I wish I had more insight on the contents of the book, but I guess I will just need to preorder it myself to see what it is all about. Given Chen’s past two books, I am certain it will be informative, but this time it is aimed at the little ones who do not necessary understand why they can not engage in public activities.
I completely forgot that Toronto’s Elliott Brood was coming to town last week and if it wasn’t for a a good friend of mine, I would have surely missed out on an awesome show. Luckily for me, my pal Kyle was quick to remind me last Friday, hours before the show, that Elliott Brood was playing the Beachland Tavern. (Thanks Kyle, you are always looking out for me…)
It was a last minute decision to hit up the show, and I can not tell how how glad that I was able to. The Ontario country / rock act was just about to finish up a stretch of their tour last week in support of their new release Days Into Years, and made sure that Cleveland was one of their destinations. Touring with their pals The Pack AD, the band turned what could have been a boring Friday evening into something much more entertaining.
Locals Leah Lou & The 2 Left Shoes opened the night with their cute yet harsh indie pop sounds. At times, I thought that Ms. Leah Lou was going to smash her acoustic guitar into the ground as it would not tune right for her causing the duo to skip over more than one song from their set. Instead, she hid away her frustrations and used the free time to get to know the crowd as well as introduce her family to them. When she was able to play some of her songs, the crowd was just eating it up. I did notice while Leah Lou played her set that Casey Laforet from Elliott Brood was checking her out and was loving what he heard. How couldn’t he though? I love this local act. Lea Lou reminds me of Regina Spektor mixed with Joanna Newsome, but far sassier. If you have not seen this local act live yet, you really should.
Up next was Vancouver’s The Pack AD and I will admit, I did not know what to expect from this female duo at all. The young looking lead signer had a punk rock look to her while the drummer appeared to have been well versed in the days of rock n roll. I was expecting more of a Runaways / Joan Jett sound but was blown away by what I heard. Their sound was more or less the White Stripes mixed up with some Black Keys with a span of singing stiles that sometimes reminded me of Justin Hawkins (not the high pitched crap) making for some great tunes. Guitar, drums, and singing was all these ladies delivered and it was awesome. I loved “Haunt You” as well as when Becky Black just tore up her guitar during “Lights” and also during “Deer” (at least that is what I think the song title was). A couple gents from Fort Worth, Indiana, actually traveled 3 hours to see these ladies rock out. At first I questioned why they would do such a thing, but by the set’s end, I fully understood. I’m shocked that The Pack AD has not already grabbed some major attention already. I will be checking these girls out more in the near future.
I’ve missed Elliot Brood in the past when they played Cleveland, so I made sure I found a close standing spot to watch the band. I actually wound up leaning against the small wall by the stage. As the band played, I could not help but stare at Laforet’s feet as he played what looked like a drum machine hooked up to some organ pedals while playing guitar. It was a very makeshift instrument, but it was perfect. He barely even glanced at his feet while playing songs. It was kind of impressive.
Throughout their set, Marc Sasso joked with the crowd. At one time he even paid tribute to the SS&W Boardwalk Bar just down on Waterloo and mentioned how he liked to grab drinks there before shows in the past. He then went on to inform everyone that is where his parents met and eventually conceived him. Laforet added that he was conceived on the pool table in the corner pocket. All jokes aside, the band did let the crowd know that they appreciated everyone for coming out.
The band played a lot of tracks off their recent release Days Into Years including “Lindsey” and “If I Get Old”, but was also quick to jam out to some older tunes like “Oh, Alberta” and my favorite,”Write It All Down For You” (can I tell you all how much better that song sounds when they play it to you in a tavern?). It was the highlight of my evening. I would have liked to have seen Stephen Pitkin beat on a suitcase over a drum set like I heard he used to years ago, but I guess you can’t have everything. Speaking of percussion, Pitkin actually passed out pie tins and wooden spoons towards the end of the set so that the crowd could help Elliott Brood play songs.
Elliot Brood finished up their set and exited the stage. They had more important things to do, like hang out with the crowd. It was a great show to start off my weekend and I am sure that all who were there would agree on that.
Thanks to Sean Moeller of Daytrotter, the Barnstormer Tour 5 took over the farmstead for the night and turned it into one of the more unique venues that I have attended in quite some time.
What normally is a place for people to gather for parties and weddings showcased five unique bands including Wildlife, Princeton, Doug Paisley, White Rabbits and Hacienda within the walls of a giant barn. Each band set up on one side of the barn throughout the evening hours turning it into their very own stage. The atmosphere was perfect for such an event.
Having been to the 100-plus year old barn at the Conrad Botzum Farmstead before, I knew it was going to act as a beautiful landscaping for a great idea. Daytrotter for the last five years has done something different in means of live music performances by creating the Barnstormer Tour with one idea in mind – live music in barns. Sure, it may sound a little hick-ish, but it is more personable and traditional than any other type of live performance out there.
Daytrotter did the Barnstormer Tour mostly on their own and kept costs down. Tickets were sold on their website for a reasonable $20 exclusively to fans or they could be purchased at the day of the show for a few bucks more. There were no food vendors littering the grounds with $10 beers and $14 pretzels, no security telling you to bend over and spread ’em before you entered the area, and there was really only one rule: smokers please smoke by the firepit. In fact, this was a BYOB event (or BYOP for those who brought pretzels), and all who did maintained their trash and showed the utmost respect to the grounds.
Arriving much earlier than anticipated, bands were busy unloading their gear from white vans and transporting it up six steps to the large wooden porch that led into the giant barn. All who arrived for the show immediately marveled at the barn and explored the scenery. Some hung close to the stage area in the bard while others frolicked in the grass. One black and white striped pants wearing female was even seen skipping about in the fields of grain that reached beyond the fence.
The music started just before the sun began its departure into the western sky at around 6:30 pm. While in the barn, the sun actually made its way into the windows of the barn as Wildlife played their set opening up the evening. The pop-rock band from Ontario, who were all dressed in black, were actually quite impressive to watch even though the barn was just a tad too warm thanks to the sun pounding on the barn walls. “What a great idea” said one of the band members as they told the crowd they dressed alike on purpose forgetting about the sun. Whoops!
Princeton followed shortly after to a slowly increasing crowd. Perhaps it was the temperatures cooling down, or the fact that many of the fans, including myself, had a few beers in them, but everyone seemed very relaxed. Reminding me a lot of Phoenix, the band was heavy on the keyboards and encouraged the crowd to move a little. After seeing them live, I am intrigued by their sound and will be checking them out a little more in-depth shortly.
Doug Paisley, also from Ontario, took a more intimate approach and played to the decent sized crowd unplugged. This could be a misconception on my end, but I was not even aware he was playing in the barn while I was sitting by the campfire. It was only until I heard a loud uproar of clapping did I realize I was missing a performance. I quickly made way back into the barn and moved up front to take in Paisley’s set. Soft-spoken yet powerful songs came from that man and I have to say, I really enjoyed what i heard and if any artist should have played in that barn, it should have been Paisley. Oh, I should also mention the near assault of Paisley by a resident barn bat. No one was injured in the event.
White Rabbits stole the night as far as I am conderned. The UK band played song newer songs at the beginning of their set and by the end returned to a more falmilular rhelm. People were loving what they had heard and were jumping and dancing about. Luckily for everyone crammed in the barn, the floors never gave out. Having just gotten into White Rabbit a couple of week prior to the show, I was excited to hear a couple of the songs I remembered digging.
Hacienda closed out the night with some wholesome and soulful Texas rock-n-roll. The band, who recently just finished up recording at local native Dan Auerbach’s (Black Keys) Nashville studio, played a few new selections to the hyped up crowd. I was lucky enough to catch them support Auerbach as his backing band a few years back when Auerbach went on his solo tour. I knew well in advance that I was going to get into their set, and that I did.
The Barnstormer Tour was simple and fitting. It was the bands, the fans, and a whole lot of scenery for all to enjoy. It was indeed one of the more unique concerts I have attended, and it was only 5 minutes away from my residence – bonus.
The Akron Barnstormer stop was the first time Daytrotter invaded northeast Ohio and proved to be a successful display of live music for all who attended. I know there was concern on poor ticket sales for the Akron stop, but from what I saw, there was a good number of folk who attended and appeared to be having a good time. Of course it would have been nice to see thousands of people standing in and around the barn, but I suppose there is always next year.
Sean Moeller’s vision of taking live music literally to its roots in turn was a memorable experience I was happy to say I was a part of. I was stoked years ago when Moeller found an original idea to share bands by having them record sessions at his studio also known as the Daytrotter Session. I really feel he’s outdone himself by making the Barnstormer Tour more than a one time idea.
Here’s hoping that next year’s Barnstormer Tour considers returning to northeastern Ohio again. I’ll also be excited to see what bands he picks to have play out regardless if Ohio is a stop or not. I’d even be willing to travel to attend another Barnstormer Tour, it was that enjoyable.
—Can I tell you all how much it sucks not having internet at home? I am still waiting for AT&T to fix the ‘net for me. Luckily I had this nice little piece sitting in pending that I was able to wrap up while at the paying gig. Enjoy!—
I’ve talked about this South Georgian band once or twice before and openly admit I am a huge fan of them. The band I am referring to is Ninja Gun and if you have not heard of them, you really are missing out on something good. They may be a bunch of good ‘ol boys from the dirty south, but they have impressed me and I am not afraid to say that I am a huge fan of them.
Recently the band released an EP entitled Roman Nose on Sabot Records. I had the opportunity to chat with lead-man Jonathan Coody who was more than kind to answer me some questions about the band, the new release and a whole lot more. It’s a little lengthy, but I loved all of his responses and just had to share. Enjoy!
So, how’s the day treating you?
Good so far. I’m making meatloaf for the first time ever.
Sounds delicious… So what the hell exactly is a Ninja Gun? Who in the band was the one responsible for coming up with such a great band name?
Our buddy Rian Tittle came up with it. Hold your tongue and say it.
Haha. How did the band come about?
Jeffrey and I are cousins and we played together in an adolescent Ramonesy band called “The Bleeding Gumdrops” in the late ’90s. That eventually ended and we were just kind of writing songs. We went to a show here in town one night and saw these two younger dudes in this band called Caspian playing this really dynamic music. It was kind of like Tortoise. We thought they played with a lot of restraint and tact. That surprised us being that they were 15. Jacob and Thad grew up together too and were childhood friends so they cut their teeth playing together. Really intuitive writers/players. We asked them to come out to the Trailer of Tears to hang out and jam. I had been writing the songs that would eventually become our first full length on acoustic guitar and from the very first time we played those changes together I was stoked. Still am.
Where did you guys derive your sound from? Any influences you care to mention?
Real music fans listen to a wide array of music because they recognize that raw honesty transcends genre. Personally, I find that the roots of any type of music are often the purest. I don’t care if it’s Hank Williams, The Ramones, The Kinks, Howlin’ Wolf or whoever. What you find is a sense of musical intuition in these artists that you don’t find elsewhere. It’s because their musical and emotional instincts lead them to uncharted territory. They get there by absorbing the best music available to them no matter what the source. They recognize beauty in it’s many musical forms, it moves them and then they filter all that they’ve heard through themselves. Without knowing it, the best elements of all that music is culled and synthesized naturally and the product is an original sound.
The Ramones wanted to be The Beach Boys and they sucked at being The Beach Boys, but were wildly successful at being the Ramones. That’s how it works. Good writers have to be real music fans because posers and hacks lack the character traits necessary to properly appreciate music. That’s the problem with all these little money making haircut bands that are currently polluting ears. Their music sucks and is unoriginal because their motives aren’t pure. They make music for the wrong reasons. They listen to one shitty band that gets popular because of fashion and the next thing you know, there’s another 1,000 shitty haircuts emulating that original shitty haircut and it perpetuates ad nauseum. It really is disgusting and it’s reached the trailer parks of South Georgia. Even the Wal-Martians have caught on. Hopefully that means that it’s reached the lowest rung on the cool ladder and it will soon dissipate.
Good music isn’t made because you need to belong to something. It’s made because you have a very primitive urge to articulate and communicate.
Well said man. Wow. That was one hell of an answer…
So tell me about South Georgia, specifically, Valdosta. I’veactually been there once. Care to tell everyone else in the world what life is like in the Azalea City?
TV’s Enos from The Dukes of Hazzard is from here. Doc Holliday is from here. Bill Hicks, the greatest comedian that ever lived, is from here.
Let’s see, fried food, intense racism, protestants, high school football, yep that’s about it. Life moves slower here. It’s probably because of the heat. That’s why good art from the South is so introspective. You have time to think about things here. That occurred to me the last time we were in New York City a few months ago. Those people don’t have time to contemplate anything because of constant stimuli. They’re making survival decisions every few seconds. Their scene is in constant flux so they can’t focus. I can walk out my front door and stare at an unmoving landscape. It’s very conducive to abstract thought.
Not a lot of bands hail from that city, I thought From First To Last did, anyways, from what I’ve heard and as you’ve mentioned, high school football is huge there. Were you into sports at all when younger? What was is like growing up in the dirty south?
Nah, they’re not from here (From First To Last). They lived here for a little while and were working with Lee at Earthsound where we record. I talked to them a few times and they seemed like nice enough guys. I’ve never heard any of their music.
Umm, high school football reigns supreme here. ESPN named us Titletown USA a year or so ago because we have the winningest high school football team in the nation. Eat it Texas! We have a state university here that plays in the local high school team’s stadium if that tells you anything.
Yeah, I played football and baseball until I was about 15. I took piano for about 2 years in middle school and I remember going to my piano lessons in my pads because I had football practice right afterward. I never thought playing piano was sissy or anything because I had a genuine curiosity for it. I was a music fan from birth so when I started having knee problems in middle school and couldn’t play sports anymore I wasn’t bummed. I got a drum kit.
I grew up on a hog farm in Brooks County, GA about 12 miles west of Valdosta. Farming is a lot of work with little payoff these days. Deregulation has allowed corporate farms to wipe out all the small family operations. It’s sad that the agrarian way of life is dying. My brother and I are the first in our line to not farm. My parents worked really hard to give us options in life. My instincts led me to rock and roll.
That’s kind of sad man. So, for a city surrounded by peach and hog farms, was it tough to recruit the band?
No, Jeffrey and I are cousins as I mentioned earlier, so he grew up right down the dirt road from me. Jacob and Thad grew up together as I mentioned earlier. There are a lot of real rockers around here because they grew up in a real environment. Most of the farmers that settled this area were Irish immigrants. The Irish are prone to bouts of histrionics that produce the greatest rock and roll. Totally unpretentious and real. That’s why the best stuff has always come from the South. It’s ground zero for African rhythm and Irish melody, the two main components of rock and roll.
A lot of the songs you write seem very personable and include almost a daily life feel to them. Am I right to say that?
Yeah, that’s probably fair to say up till this point. That probably won’t be true much longer. I’m writing a lot more regional music right now about different scenarios that happen around here. Ray Davies did these character sketches of people and situations he knew growing up because he felt the need to show the outside world what made him. A lot of great artists have that inclination.
When not playing or touring, what does everyone do to make spare change?
Jeffrey and I work in the kitchen of a restaurant, Jacob works in another restaurant, and Thad is the most under-appreciated latte artist in town. I do farm work too when my dad needs help.
Gainesville, FL is what, 45-minutes away? Did that music rich city help your band grow?
It’s about an hour and a half South of us. Gainesville has been super supportive of us over the years and we have tons of friends down there. Our first label, Barracuda Sound is there. Everyone there was really encouraging when we were first starting to play out of town as Ninja Gun. There are a lot of true music fans there. People judge you based on your artistic merits and not your haircut. That’s very important.
You have toured the states a few times now with mostly punk rock bands. What is the crowd reaction like when you all take the stage in front of a crowd who might think your band too is a punk rock act?
We’ve been touring since 2004 and we’ve done about 10 national tours actually. We did a lot on our own in the early days. House shows, shitty bars, etc. There’s nothing like driving a thousand miles for $20 and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Dealing with shady promoters who book shows to make money off kids and screw bands are a lot more prevalent than you’d think at the ground floor level. We did our first European tour last year and it was eye opening. We’re planning on going back next Spring.
We’ve never cared about sounding like the bands we play with. I don’t like going to a show and hearing 3 bands that sound the same. Punk rock has more to do with the context in which you operate than what you sound like. What we do is honest and people recognize that when it’s presented to them. Here’s an example. We did 30 shows in 31 days when we were in Europe and Jacob and Jeffrey got food poisoning the night before the last show. It was in Geisen, Germany and we were supposed to play last after 5 crust bands from various parts of Europe. You had your Belgian crust band, your French crust band, your English crust band, etc. They all had strobe lights and we didn’t. Well, we were in the red as far as expenses go so we had to play that show just to pay for the van, gear rental, etc. After this crowd was aurally assaulted by these 5 bands, Thad and I plug in and play without Jacob and Jeffrey who were puking in/near the van. It was two electric guitars and a voice playing our little pop songs and guess what; those people loved it. We sold more merch that night than we had the whole tour. You know why? Because we didn’t judge them. They appreciated and respected the fact that we had the balls to play some pop songs in a German squat to an unsuspecting foreign audience.
That is so awesome. Who were some of your favorite bands you have toured with? What bands do you wish you could tour with?
Murder By Death, Against Me!, Fake Problems, Gaslight Anthem, all of those were fun. I think we’d all really like to tour with The Black Lips. They’re from Georgia and they’re doing something really cool with pop music. It’s fucked up pop music, but pop none the less.
It definitely seems like the band is getting some well deserved attention. I just saw the video for “That’s Not What I Heard” (off the new Ninja Gun EP Roman Nose) on PasteMagazine.com. How cool is that?
It’s nice that people care enough to listen. The musical landscape these days is so saturated we’re really honored that people would choose to listen to us. We make music that gets us off first and foremost, but it really is rewarding when someone finds something of value in something you’ve created.
Care to talk about Roman Nose for a moment? Why just an EP? Is Ninja Gun going to be releasing a full length anytime soon?
We liked the idea of an EP. Roman Nose is a concept EP that deals with the theme of being steadfast in what you’re doing. We believe in brevity. I like artists that can use a few words to paint a picture. We applied that thought to the number of songs on this release. Also, the time, money, and mental strain that it takes to make a good full length is something that a lot of people don’t understand. We care a lot about quality control. We have no desire to produce product every year. We want people to know that when we put something out it’s going to be worth a shit and not a waste of their money and time. We’re not the type of band that will ever adhere to some release schedule dictated to us by a record label or even the listening public. With that said, given the right resources, I’d be recording every day. We have enough hit songs right now for 2 full lengths. Restless Rubes almost killed us because of the circumstances we were in when we recorded it. That made the idea of an ep very appealing. With that said, I think we’re all ready to do something big again. The stuff we’ve been writing is the best we’ve ever done. It’s just a matter of logistics at this point.
Just curious if Daytrotter asked you to record songs with them yet? I think that would be bad ass. Even a Pink Couch Session would be rad.
Not to my knowledge, but we’d be down to do one. We did a Pink Couch session a year or so ago when we were in Brooklyn, but my voice was shot out from living a little too hard on tour. I quit smoking cigarettes a few months ago and my voice is starting to clear up again. I abused myself for a long time and it really impacted my ability to sing.
So if you’re reading this, QUIT SMOKING!!!
Agreed. Seems like each time you have played in the Cleveland/Akron area, weird shit went down. I think the one time the show was cancelled at one of the venues and last year one of the bands, Leatherface, cancelled. What happened and most importantly, when are you coming back?
Oh man do we love Ohio. Such a beautiful, fun state. We played the Zephyr in Kent on our very first tour. The bar is right beside the Cuyahoga River and it’s really cool. I love the people in Ohio. They seem just as cynical and skeptical as I am. Yeah, that Leatherface tour getting canceled was a real bummer. We still don’t know the details of why. I think someone got kicked out of their house or something. Maybe there were some border issues?
The next time you come to Cleveland let me know and I’ll make sure you all see the Rock Hall and chow down on some Melt.
We love the Rock Hall! We’ve been like 5 times. Every time we pass through Cleveland we stop. I thought it might be all Disney and stupid, but if you dig memorabilia and rock history it’s heaven. You get in for free if you’re a touring band too. Just show them a tour laminate or just give them a cd. It’s worth your time. I’ve never had Melt I don’t think. Sounds like my jam though. Melt normally implies that cheese is involved and I do like cheese.
You would love Melt then; it clogs the ateries upon your first couple bites… Finally, why should someone check out Ninja Gun?
Oh damn, I have to sell us? Ok, well…here goes. If you have ever been force-fed bullshit you will understand where we’re coming from. If you are hungry for life’s beautiful moments you’ll appreciate our desire to tell you about the ones we’ve witnessed. Maybe beauty and the truth are what we’re about. I don’t know. Give us a listen and see what you think.
Thanks Coody! Looking forward to the next time you roll though Ohio!!!
If you want to check out Ninja Gun, head on over to to their webpage: http://www.ninjagun.com
I just had to share this with everyone. I received an email from Virgil Dickerson, the man behind Suburban Home Records. The email was sent out to everyone who has ever ordered from Suburban Home Records or Vinyl Collective. Usually the email lets the music fans know what is new and good on their label but this time around I saw a more personal message from the label regarding downloading.
Sometimes I think people forget that downloading music from the internet for free hurts the artist that created that music. It also hurts the record company trying to help them out. Free is good, but is it really worth it to hurt the bands you are actually downloading?
Not all record labels out there are money sucking corporate bastards and not all bands make millions of dollars. A lot of the labels out there struggle to do what they love and rely on the music lover to support the bands they love by actually buying their albums. The same goes with the bands. Virgil is one of those folk in the world who is a label owner and music lover. What he wrote below says it best about the situation. He also came up with a novel idea of making a mixtape to offer to the music lovers out there free of charge (you just pay for shipping).
Hi friends,
As 2009 comes closer and closer to its end and I think about the new year ahead, I find myself thinking about Suburban Home’s future and how I can adapt to the constant changes in the music industry. I recently read an artist’s commentary on their lack of CD sales and how their album has been illegally downloaded at least 60 times more than it has been purchased. I can think of very few industries that have to struggle to sell something that is actively and easily acquired for free. Had I, for example, started a restaurant, it would be hard to be successful if people could download my best dishes from the comfort of their home. As a record label owner for over 14 years, I have accepted that this is just how people acquire and distribute music.
Technology has made being a music fan so much easier and well, exciting. You couple that though with the number of releases that come out every week and the normal attention spans of music fans and it can be a pretty daunting task to get the attention of music fans that would be receptive to the music we release. If I had endless amounts of money, I could mount a marketing plan that could reach every music fan in the world 10 times over. I definitely don’t have that kind of money and if I did, I wouldn’t feel right beating people over the head with our music. I like the idea that people who discover our artists and become fans of our releases do so on a purely organic level and because they truly love the music we release. When I hear someone say that they value Suburban Home’s releases and look forward to what we put out next, it means the world to me. I am surprised that after 14 years of running a label, I still love the music I put out. I see many more successful labels releasing records that sell an insane amount of records and I often wonder if they actually love the albums they release. I can say with ease that if the release features a Suburban Home logo on the back, I love the album. I can only hope that the handfuls of people who discover our little, independent label, likes what we do enough to tell others about our artists and our releases. I can only hope that when our acts tour through your town, each time they come through a few more people come out and the acts can make enough money to do another tour. I can only hope that we can sell enough records to cover our expenses and to hopefully put out more records.
Inspired by a documentary on mixtapes and the cheap punk samplers that turned me onto new music, I made a mixtape. The mixtape is free, all you have to do is pay for shipping. We will send you 5 copies with the hope that you keep 1 and give 4 to friends. You can help us spread the word about our little label while also finding out about the music we love. I started this little record label because I love music and I love the idea of sharing music with my friends. I hope to make a new mixtape every 1 or 2 months which will feature Suburban Home artists along side some of my favorite non-Suburban Home artists. Give copies to friends, yousendit to others, post it on your blog, share it whatever manner you can. We may not have the biggest marketing budgets around, but I think we have enough friends through music who can help us spread the word about what we do.
Please also consider taking advantage of one of our 12 days of xmas sales. I think we have posted a lot of killer sales and if you ask me, the gift of music is a great gift for the holidays (even if it is for yourself). Some of our sales might find you with doubles of our releases, just give those doubles as gifts and keep everything else.
Be aware that the US Postal Service gets pretty slammed this time of year and I recommend ordering sooner than later and also encourage you to select Priority Mail or UPS for quicker shipping.
Thanks for reading my little blurb and thanks for supporting what we do.
Your friend through music,
Virgil Dickerson
Please visit Vinyl Collective to grab a copy (actually when you order you get 5 copies – 1 for you and 4 for your friends). This is the perfect way to check out some new up and coming bands out there.
Just looking at the bands on the mix I think more than just punk rockers are going to like it… Jut check it out below. There is punk, indie, folk, and much more. Just pay for shipping and it is yours. Do it.
1 Tim Barry – Thing of the Past
2 Tim Barry – Shoulda Oughta
3 Tim Barry – Tacoma
4 Chuck Ragan – Don’t Say a Word
5 William Elliott Whitmore – Old Devils
6 Micah Schnabel – American Static
7 The Takers – Taker Easy
8 The Enablers – Whatever You Like (T.I. Cover)
9 Drive-By Truckers – Gravity’s Gone
10 Deer Tick – Straight into a Storm
11 Drag The River – Lost Angel Saloon
12 Josh Small – Fifteen Twenty Eye (demo)
13 Horse Feathers – Curs In the Weeds
14 Have Gun Will Travel – Salad Days
15 Joey Kneiser – Bruised Ribs
16 Portugal. The Man – People Say (Acoustic Version)
17 The Builders and The Butchers – Red Hands
18 Yesterday’s Ring – Quebec City Blues
19 Chad Price – Cursed
20 Lenny and the Piss Poor Boys – Lonely Days & Whiskey Nights
21 American War – Rhetoric
22 Jon Snodgrass – Wild One (Thin Lizzy Cover)
23 Lizzie Huffman – Tumblers and Tea
24 Langhorne Slim – I Love You, But Good Bye
(FYI Ohio people…American War is from Kent, OH and that kid is talented as hell!!!)
Teenage Bottlerocket bassist / Yogi / Father Miguel Chen and artist David Buist have written a book called The Virus to help kids and also parents understand and work though this uncertain time.
Up next was Vancouver’s The Pack AD and I will admit, I did not know what to expect from this female duo at all. The young looking lead signer had a punk rock look to her while the drummer appeared to have been well versed in the days of rock n roll. I was expecting more of a Runaways / Joan Jett sound but was blown away by what I heard. Their sound was more or less the White Stripes mixed up with some Black Keys with a span of singing stiles that sometimes reminded me of Justin Hawkins (not the high pitched crap) making for some great tunes. Guitar, drums, and singing was all these ladies delivered and it was awesome. I loved “Haunt You” as well as when Becky Black just tore up her guitar during “Lights” and also during “Deer” (at least that is what I think the song title was). A couple gents from Fort Worth, Indiana, actually traveled 3 hours to see these ladies rock out. At first I questioned why they would do such a thing, but by the set’s end, I fully understood. I’m shocked that The Pack AD has not already grabbed some major attention already. I will be checking these girls out more in the near future.
