Category Archives: Indie

Acoustic, Country, Emo, Folk, Indie, Music, Pop, Punk, Review, Rock

Rapid Reviews: Brett Detar, JuiceheaD, Transit, Coffee Project, The Flatliners and I Am The Avalanche

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Let’s face it, this site is a one man show for the most part and as of late I have been living quite the busy life.  I am continually presented with amazing music for review consideration and sadly there is not enough time in the day for me to not only get through work and school, but to also write nice things about all these awesome bands.

So today I decided to throw out a few quick reviews on a couple of bands that have been sitting in my “cool” stack.  I wish I had more time to go into complete detail as I hate writing little reviews on bands, but I am thinking this might be a good idea to just spread the word out.  If you like what I said about the band, check them out, support them, share their music and help them continue to do what they love to do.

This week proves to be a busy one for me with tomorrow’s Strike Anywhere / Dead To Me / Menzingers / Holy Mess / Signals Midwest show as well as Wednesday’s NOFX / Anti-Flag / Old Man Markley show.  I thought perhaps I should be proactive and hammer out a few reviews while I had a moment.

Enjoy and as always, thanks for wasting some of your day on my site.

Brett Detar – Bird In The Tangle

With having the history of being a former guitarist/bassist of metalcore act Zao and also the lead singer of The Juliana Theory, it came as a great surprise to me when I was told that Brett Detar recorded a country / folk album.  The solo attempt by Detar, titled Bird In The Tangle,is actually a damn good listen too (it was released almost a year ago).  Hearing this album, you would never think that Detar, who grew up in PA, could have so much outlaw in his blood.  The moment the album started with “Empty House On A Famous Hill”, I was completely overtaken by his singing and music writing abilities.  “The Devil’s Gotta Earn” was my favorite cut off this album and “Cocaine Whiskey and Heroine” was a close second.  Following the likes of Nick 13 and Tumbledown, this genre jump from a guy who used to provide fast paced ear-pounding music has captured a style of outlaw country that is welcomed in my world.  Detar reminds me a lot of Justin Townes Earle but with more of a folk feel as well as had some Murder By Death tendencies.  Want to check it out?  Head over to Brett Detar’s website and download it for free!

JuiceheaD – How To Sail A Sinking Ship

Chicago punk rockers JuiceheaD has been off the charts for a bit but have recently dropped How To Sail A Sinking Ship. This is their second full-length release since their 2007 debut The Devil Made Me Do It. Sure, 7 years is a long time in between albums, but in their defense, there are 20 songs on this new release, a rarity in today’s punk rock recordings.  Not familiar with their sound, I gave it a listen hoping for the best.  The album started out a little slower than anticipated, but things picked up during “Lorraine” and brought back an old school punk rock vibe that I enjoyed.  “Deadly Nightshade” was an entertaining track that had some nice 80’s punk rock vibes contained within.  Hoping that the rest of the album would spark my interest, sadly it did not.  It’s not a terrible listen by any means, it just lacked that extra “oomph” my ears were hoping for and was more rock n roll throughout with a good drum beat that sounded a tad under-produced.  I won’t lie, I was not stoked to see that their album was released on Misfits Records (it should be called MISFIT Records as it’s solely owned by Jerry Only) as most of their releases do not entertain me at all.  Melodic punk rock would be how I would describe How To Sail A Sinking Ship.  It is nothing beyond that to me and I really was hoping for something a little more from these guys.

Transit – Listen & Forgive

Boston’s Transit could be classified as just another pop-punk act, but there is just something about them that makes them stand out over other similar acts.  They have a tougher sound on a few of their songs that proves to me that they have the ability to attack if threatened, but overall have a soft side to them that stands out.  Regardless of how they are viewed by others, I dig this band and I really enjoyed their recent Rise Records release Listen & Forgive. Think Taking Back Sunday meets Saves The Day meets a calmed down New Found Glory.  “You Can’t Miss It” opened the track with a memorable track.  I could have done without Patrick Stump offering vocals on “All Your Heart”.  Seriously, that song did nothing for me.  “Cutting Corners” was, on the other hand, a track I dug a lot with “make every song your anthem and every night your last”, a lyric that pretty mush defined me growing up.  “Long Lost Friends” was a more aggressive track that stood out over the rest.  This band may be unknown to most music fanatics out there, but I have the feeling that will not be for long.  I hope just it has nothing to do with that song Stump was on…

Coffee Project – Concrete Boots EP

Love them or hate them, Coffee Project is a catchy and unique act that many have been talking about recently.  What you need to know about this is this: They are a duo consisting of trombonist Buddy Schaub and Rehasher’s Jake Crown, they are fun, they are catchy and they specialize in brassed out punk pop acoustic rock.  Recently the band dropped an EP titled Concrete Boots that includes their version of “Little Boxes” , the Malvina Reynolds written song turned Weeds intro that has been recorded over and over by all sorts of bands, as well as 4 brand new songs.  The opening track “”Shenandoah” was more of a bluegrass boot-stomping jam that seeming proved the duo has been taking this project seriously.  The accompanying female vocals on the title track was enjoyable although I have no idea who it was.  “Exit Stage Left” was more of an indie rock track that was not half bad while “Laid Up” led back to their standard sound – singing with acoustic guitar and a trombone.  Regardless on how far this band plans on moving in the music scene, they are fun and enjoyable to listen to.  This EP hopefully is just a sample of what they have up their sleeves for their next full length release.

The Flatliners – Count Your Bruises EP

The Flatliners are a Fat Wreck Chords band that I have adored since their early days.  Hailing from Ontario, Canada, they have this great punk rock sound that I appreciate and always seem to release the catchiest punk rock albums.  Seeing how much I dig this band so much, I am shocked to have missed the memo that they released an EP back in August.  Titled Count Your Bruises, the three song EP (also available as a 7″) straight up rules from start to finish.  The title track glided past me quickly as I immediatly found myself trying to memorize the lyrics so I could sing along.  “Sticky Bastards” really sounded like a gritty Gaslight Anthem  song but was in no was a ripoff.  The final track, “This Guy Reads From A Card”, was just as amazing as the first track and by the song’s end I just wanted more.  I suppose I will have to wait though and I will be sure to follow this band and their future releases.  The EP may have been just three songs, but they were all kick ass tracks.  Now all I can hope for is a new full-length from this great band and pray that the next time they roll through my neck of the woods I can see them live.  I caught them briefly at SXSW earlier this year, but it just was not enough.  Wishful thinking right?

I Am The Avalanche – Avalanche United

After 6 long years, Brooklyn’s I Am The Avalanche has dropped their all new album titled Avalanche United. There is no point asking what took so long for Vinnie Caruana and crew to release new material.  All you need to do is listen to Avalanche United once and it is perfectly clear that no explanation is needed as the band has dropped a superb follow-up.  With a mostly positive attitude throughout, the band references NYC and has lyrics that almost coach their friends to embrace the life they life especially heard in opening track “Holy Fuck”.  With that said, there are a couple dark spells throughout like “Amsterdam” that seemingly carries a couple of references to personal separation.  “Brooklyn Dodgers” was an anthem of awesomeness.  I loved this track start to finish.  It was a fist pumping sing along that was just refreshing to listen to.  The beer chugging invite “This One’s On Me” probably sounds a little better mixed with friends – and beers.  Bayside’s Anthony Raneri may have jumped in with some vocals on “The Grave Digger’s Argument”, the the song still just was missing something.  Perhaps I am just more into the tougher singing throughout the album.  Closing track”Gratitude” threw me for a curve at the beginning as it sounded like a 90s alt-rock song but soon picked up and continued on with a good jam that ended this album in a good way.  If you are looking for a catchy album to listen to that leans a bit on the heavy side, check these guys out.

Cleveland, Indie, Live Shows, Music, Punk, Review, Rock

Concert Review: Cobra Skulls / Nothington / Signals Midwest – Beachland Tavern – Cleveland, OH – 10/05/2011

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I need to be honest with you on a couple of things.  First, I have not been that kind to my teeth for years and neglected to take them to the dentist for a long while.  Second, I have never been to a punk show at the Beachland Tavern.  Both are true statements, and both were taken care of yesterday.

After I had the pleasure of getting the shit drilled out of my teeth for a couple of hours after the paying gig, I headed out to the glorious Beachland Tavern to take in my first ever punk rock show in the Waterloo District featuring Cobra Skulls, Nothington, and Signals Midwest.  For the record, there have been plenty of punk rock shows at the Beachland ever since the venue opened its doors in 2000, I just never made it to one.

Why?

I have no freaking idea and I kind of hate myself for it.  Enough of me beating myself up over missing countless good and wholesome punk rock performances by one of my favorite Cleveland venues.  Let’s talk about last night.

Local punk/indie/rockers Signals Midwest opened the night with their fine and technical style.  1/2 of this band are homies of mine, and I am pretty sure I will charm the other 1/2 soon.  Rocking out to songs like “In Tensions” off their latest release Latitudes & Longitudes, the band had no problem warming up the crowd and other bands, for that matter, all who of which gathered around the stage to hear these guys out.  This has to be said: This band has the ability to be the next best thing to come out of Cleveland, OH.  If you have not heard these guys yet, do yourself a favor and check out their Bandcamp page.

San Francisco’s Nothington followed shortly after and hand down blew me away with their performance.  Having just gotten into these guys a couple of weeks ago, I was beyond impressed with their sound.  It reminded me of all of the good things about 90s punk rock that surrounded me growing up.  Already familiar with their recent release, Borrowed Time, I was treated to some of their older material and really liked what I heard.

Primary vocalist Jay Northington actually took a moment from their set to give praise to the local openers Signals Midwest saying that they were “the raddest local band” he’d heard in a long time.  He was dead serious too.  Later Northington commented on his last trip to Cleveland with his former band, Tsunami Bomb, when they played the old Grog shop years ago…or so he thought.  Apparently he had been to Cleveland since but was too messed up to remember.

The band cranked out a ton of foreign tracks through their set but I did manage to pick out a few I knew like “Stop Screaming” and “Far To Go” with Chris Matulich taking over vocal duties.  At the end of their awesome set, Northington and their drummer hung out on stage where he played a very old song of his that he said “validated” what he’s been doing on the road all these years.  The entire crowd basically stopped what they were doing to listen to the song.  I was unable to catch the name of it, but it was pretty damn awesome.  Their set seemed short-lived, but luck for me they are playing a Fun Fun Fun Fest after show and I will be there.

The headliners of the night, Cobra Skulls, took to the stage and were more of a comedy act than a punk rock band.  The band, that’s been around since 2005, cranked out old and new tracks and made every effort to throw in a joke or comment that resulted in tons of laughs though out.  I know I kept cracking up when Adam Beck congratulated the entire crowd multiple times and then congratulated his band for being so professional and playing two songs in a row.

“Hot Sand”, “Faith Is A Cobra” and “Solastalgia” were a few of the many tracks they played that kept the crowd going.  I want to say they covered Bad Religion’s “Give You Nothing”, but I honestly am not 100% sure – I know, I am a bad reviewer.  I do know that Devin Peralta killed it singing “¡Hasta Los Cobra Skulls Siempre!” to the crowd as well as one of my all time favorite Cobra songs, “Muniphobia”.  The band seemed to play an endless amount of songs and when they tried to finish up their set with Phil the merch guy on banjo (which was amazing), the fans still begged for Cobra Skulls to play more.

Lucky for the fans, most of the band was done, but Beck wasn’t and started playing 80s cover songs to which the entire crowd san along to.  Admitting he was a huge fan of Eddie Money, Beck broke into “867-5309 (Jenny)” followed by aHa’s “Take On Me” and Cutting Crew’s “Just Died In Your Arms”.  In all the year of going to live shows, I have never seen people most of 80s pop rock, but last night that happened.  Beck promised his performance was not affiliated with Cobra Skulls and he just kept playing covers.  In fact, I am not sure how much longer he went because I left during Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'”.  I wanted to stay, but had to venture on home.

For my first punk rock show at the Beachland Tavern, I must say it was the best one I have ever been to there.  Signals Midwest impressed, Nothington stole the show, and Cobra Skulls brought on the fun.  It was definitely a good night to be out and about with good friends and great music.

Cleveland, Indie, Music, New Release, Punk, Review, Rock

Album Review: Luther – Siblings & Sevens

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Philadelphia pop punkers Luther recently dropped an EP titled Siblings & Sevens on Black Numbers Records.  This is the bands first official release and I must say, it’s catchy as hell.  Having formed just about a year ago, the band has a great sound to them that compares to The Menzingers, Get Up Kids, and even a little Superchunk.  The EP may only be seven songs, but each song proved this band has the potential of being a big deal.

The acoustic “Siblings” opens up the EP with a gentle, quick start.  Reminding me a lot of something The Riot Before might throw into one of their albums, I loved the song, especially the lyrics, but it just seemed to just stop.  This melodic song alone impressed me even if I felt the guitar was set down too soon.  “This Is Light Fight Club” immediately took over and set the level for the rest of the EP.  I loved the breakdown during this track that really reminded me of the 90s rock I used to adore.  The lyrics on this track begged to be sung along with as well.

“The Suitor” was without a doubt my favorite track on this EP.  Starting off like an old Gaslight Anthem song, it jumped into a tough track.  Carrying a lot of Jawbox similarities, it even had a nice little bridge in the middle with “tell me you don’t want this, tell me you can’t remember” repeating after.  At just over 5 minutes and if I had it my way, would have gone on for 5 more.  I may have been impressed before, but after hearing this track, I was a confirmed fan.

“There’s Always Money” actually featured fellow Philadelphian Tom May of The Menzingers.  I could not help but imagine this song being played in a cramped, humid basement of some random house full of excitable kids.  The gritty, raw singing just fit in well and was far from an overproduced punk rock song.  “The Communion” on the other hand leaned towards more indie rock, almost a Jimmy Eat World feel.  Good song, but not one of my choice tracks by far.  “Aztec Tomb” finished up the EP  with a lasting punk imprint as well as some group vocals at the end leaving me wanting more.

I am really looking forward to seeing what these guys have to offer on their full length release.  I have the feeling that they will not be wasting any time making that happen.  Siblings & Sevens as far as I am concerned is just a sample of of their talent.  The band has been touring like crazy (see below for dates) and will actually playing Cleveland on November 14th with Tom May (The Menzingers) at Now That’s Class.  It’s safe to say I will be there that night.

Check out Luther’s Bandcamp page and check out Siblings & Sevens for yourself!

Acoustic, Akron, Alt Rock, Good Reads, Indie, Live Shows, Music, Photography, Pop Rock, Review, Rock, The Awesome

Concert Review: Daytrotter’s Barnstormer Tour 5 – Akron, OH – 08/31/2011

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It was a beautiful night this past Wednesday at the Conrad Botzum Farmstead located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park just outside of Akron, Ohio.

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.

Acoustic, Akron, Country, Folk, Good Times, Indie, Jam, Mid-Week Pick Me Up, Music, Music News, Pop, Rock

Daytrotter’s Barnstormer 5 Is Coming To Akron, OH!!!

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Something cool is going to happen on Aug. 31st in Akron, OH…

The ever cool Daytrotter (also known as the Horseshack recording studio) is bringing Barnstormer 5 to Akron.  Daytrotter had the clever idea years ago to bring together up and coming country, folk, rock, and indie acts together and had them play in barns, hence the tour name.

The Akron stop will take place at the Conrad Botzum Farmstead Barn in the beautiful Cuyahoga County  National Valley. This place rules and I can honestly say that as one of my best buds and his lovely wife tied the knot there almost a year ago.  The barn is amazing as is the scenery that surrounds it.  This is a show not to be missed.

The Akron stop will feature White Rabbits, Doug Paisley, Wildlife, Priceton, and Hacienda.

Tickets are $20 in advance and can be purchased through the Daytrotter website.  Tickets will be $25 the day of show. 

Doors are at 5:30p and the show starts at 6:30p.  Conrad Botzum Farmstead Barn is on 3486 Riverview Rd., Akron, OH 44333.

For more info, head over to Daytrotter.  While you are there, check out all the amazing bands they work with and download some sessions!!!

Here’s a couple of videos from past performances: