Category Archives: Indie

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

The Menzingers – Chamberlain Waits – CD Review

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Working class punk rock has never sounded so good thanks to Scranton, PA’s The Menzingers who recently dropped their sophomore release Chamberlain Waits on Red Scare Records.  The foursome are making a name for themselves by escaping from the clutches of The Electric City and sharing their dirty punk rock style with the world.  Named one of of AP Magazine’s 2010 bands to watch, all it takes is one listen to understand how exceptional this young act is.

At first listen it was apparent Chamberlain Waits was a winner to my ears.  The different genres, ranging from a DIY punk feel to hearty rock and roll, made for a unique style so commonly attempted but rarely fine tuned.  Think the likes of The Clash, Against Me!, and even a little Bruce Springsteen added to blatant determination from group of four who were once told they were going no where with their lives.  The result is a start to finish straightforward album that absolutely rocks.

All is took was the opening track, “Who’s Your Partner”, for myself to become an instant fan of this band.  I enjoyed the more rock feel throughout the song as well as lead vocalist’s Tom May’s singing styles.  “I Was Born” continued with the band bordering tastefully on the lines of a punk song and rock song with equal screams and harmony.  “Deep Sleep” easily could have been created by a certain Gainsville, FL act with amazing sing along qualities and likable guitar playing but it was not and regardless of the similarities to other bands the song was one of my favorites to listen to on the album.

The fist pumping “Tasker-Morris Station” showed a heavier more intense side of the band.  The track was really put together well without being overproduced.  “So It Goes” was another great track on the album with insane amounts of sing along opportunities.  As great as all previous songs, “Rivalries” hands down was the winning cut on the album for me.  I loved the opening of the track that soon morphed into a toe tapping rock track with ever so real lyrics regarding failure and accord.  “Come Here Often?” followed and all I could think to myself was how each song seemingly got better and better.  Closing album title track “Chamberlain Waits” started off mildly folky but erupted into an energetic group singing jam that closed out the album perfectly.

I can honestly say that this band has the potential to be the next big thing – Chamberlain Waits is an album I can easily listen to over and over without growing tiresome of.  Fans of Against Me! and The Gaslight Anthem, I would like to introduce you to your newest obsession…The Menzingers.

The Menzingers are actually the the middle of a giant tour right now with heavy hitters NOFX, Tony Sly, and Teenage Bottlerocket as well as will be playing a couple shows with Against Me! and Cheap Girls.  Do yourself a favor and get out to one of their shows if you can and if not I highly suggest you at least check them out and see what they are all about.  I don’t usually get this excited for bands these days but The Menzingers pretty much have taken two genres of music I adore and slammed them into something amazing.

Tour Dates:
Apr 29 2010 – The Riverside Theater W/ NOFX, Teenage Bottlerocket, and Tony Sly -Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Apr 30 2010 – The Madison Theater W/ NOFX, Teenage Bottlerocket, Tony Sly – Covington, Kentucky
May 1 2010 – Pops Nightclub W/ NOFX, Teenage Bottlerocket, Tony Sly – Sauget, Illinois
May 2 2010 – The Beaumont Club W/ NOFX, Teenage Bottlerocket, Tony Sly – Kansas City, Missouri
May 3 2010 – Firehouse Pizza & Pub – Normal, Illinois
May 4 2010 – Rock Island Brewing Company W/ Against Me! and Dead To Me – Rock Island, Illinois
May 5 2010 – Slowdown W/ Against Me! and Dead To Me – Omaha, Nebraska
May 6 2010 – The Black Sheep W/ Against Me! and Dead To Me – Colorado Springs, Colorado
May 7 2010 – Launchpad W/ Against Me! and Dead To Me – Albuquerque, New Mexico
May 10 2010 – Jakes W/ Against Me! and Dead To Me – Lubbock, Texas
May 11 2010 – Scoutbar W/ Against Me! and Dead To Me – San Antonio, Texas
May 12 2010 – One Eyed Jack’s W/ Against Me! and Dead To Me – New Orleans, Louisiana
May 13 2010 – Alabama Music Box W/ Against Me! and Dead To Me – Mobile, Alabama
May 14 2010 – Sector 7G W/ Against Me! and Dead To Me – Augusta, Georgia
May 15 2010 – Visulite Theatre W/ Against Me! – Charlotte, North Carolina
May 17 2010 – The Hangar W/ Nothington, Spanish Gamble – Greenville, South Carolina
May 18 2010 – The Tipsy W/ The Holy Mess – Greenville, North Carolina
May 20 2010 – 538 Johnson W/ The Holy Mess, Timeshares, 10-4 Eleanor – Brooklyn, New York
May 21 2010 – The Democracy Center W/ The Holy Mess, Choke Up – Cambridge, Massachusetts
May 22 2010 – Cafe Metropolis CD RELEASE SHOW! W/ The Holy Mess – Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
May 23 2010 – The Fire CD RELEASE SHOW! W/ The Holy Mess – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
May 27 2010 – Most Wanted Fine Art – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
May 28 2010 – Mickey Finns Pub (All Ages) – Toledo, Ohio
May 29 2010 – Windy City Sound Clash II @ The Subterranean – Chicago, Illinois
May 30 2010 – The Speakeasy (314 S Hamilton St) W/ Cheap Girls – Madison, Wisconsin
May 31 2010 – Triple Rock W/ Cheap Girls – Minneapolis, Minnesota
Jun 2 2010 – Marquis Theatre W/ Cheap Girls – Denver, Colorado
Jun 3 2010 – TBA W/ Cheap Girls – Salt Lake City, Utah
Jun 4 2010 – Red Room W/ Cheap Girls – Boise, Idaho
Jun 5 2010 – The Know W/ Cheap Girls – Portland, Oregon
Jun 6 2010 – Studio Seven W/ Cheap Girls – Seattle, Washington
Jun 7 2010 – TBA W/ Cheap Girls – Redding, California
Jun 8 2010 – Thee Parkside W/ Cheap Girls – San Francisco, California
Jun 9 2010 – The CYC W/ Cheap Girls – Fresno, California
Jun 10 2010 – The Warehouse W/ Cheap Girls – Pomona, California
Jun 11 2010 – Radio Room W/ Cheap Girls – San Diego, California
Jun 12 2010 – Rogue Bar W/ Cheap Girls – Scottsdale, Arizona
Jun 13 2010 – The Underground W/ Soul Control – Mesa, Arizona
Jun 14 2010 – Echo Chamber W/ Soul Control – Portales, New Mexico
Jun 15 2010 – The Maquiladora W/ Soul Control – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Jun 16 2010 – The Ten Eleven W/ Soul Control – San Antonio, Texas
Jun 17 2010 – The Mink W/ Soul Control – Houston, Texas
Jun 18 2010 – The Rabbit Hole W/ Soul Control – Panama City, Florida
Jun 20 2010 – Backbooth W/ Soul Control – Orlando, Florida
Jun 21 2010 – The House Of Hardcore W/ Soul Control – Columbia, South Carolina
Jun 22 2010 – The Camel W/ Soul Control – Richmond, Virginia
Jun 23 2010 – Ava House W/ Soul Control – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jun 25 2010 – Insubordination Fest – Baltimore, Maryland
Jun 26 2010 – Insubordination Fest – Baltimore, Maryland

Download This!, Electronic, Indie, Mid-Week Pick Me Up, Music, Music News, Music Video, New Release, Rock

Mid-Week Pick Me Up: The Constellations

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Man, it’s only Wednesday???

This week may be dragging a bit but this morning I heard this awesome song by an Atlanta act who call themselves The Constellations.

DOWNLOAD THIS! – The Constellations – “Setback”

Imagine, if you will, what would happen if you mixed the Gorillaz with MGMT.  The combination of similarities form into this great multi genred track without going overboard.   The song seriously impressed me upon first listen.  Learning that the band contains eight members intrigued me even more.

Making things even more interesting I happened to receive a Constellations 7″ (not kidding) in the mail today that not only had “Setback” but also the killer track “Love Is A Murder” featuring Cee-Lo!  This is no Gnarls Barkey attempt but rather something much more likable (at least to me).  After hearing just two tracks off the album I have very high expectations of the full length.

I have to say I am rather pumped for The Constellations to release their debut album titled Southern Gothic on June 22nd.  It took the band two years to record the album with help from producer Ben H. Allen (Animal Collective, Gnarls Barkley).

You fancy yourself a Broken Bells fan?  Well you should check this band out pretty quickly before they blow up all over the music scene.


THE CONSTELLATIONS | MySpace Music Videos

Concert, DVDs, Indie, Live Shows, Music, Music Video, New Release, Review, Watch This

The Weakerthans – Live At The Burton Cummings Theatre – DVD/CD Review

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Many fans of indie rock know who The Weakerthans are and what exactly they do.  For years now the Canadian four (and sometimes up to six) some have been creating amazing albums that are heavy on the indie but also incorporate folk and twang into their material.  They are a band that I label as an “accident band”.  What I mean by that is I became a fan of them by accident.

Back in the days of slinging coffees at the café at the Borders Books & Music I worked at I came across a Weakerthans’ album at a listening station one day while on break.  This was at a time and age when the internet was still ruled by AOL and MySpace was just an idea waiting to be hatched out.  I remember clearly putting the headphones on at the listening station and checking out a couple tracks from Left and Leaving.  Liking what I heard, I recall reading a bio about the band while listening to more tracks and taking a double look at the card when it mentioned one time Propagandhi member John Samson.  Seriously, my mouth dropped open.

I was maybe 23 at the time and was slowly opening my musical tastes more.  Being a punk rocker at heart I was in awe that the bassist of one of my favorite punk rock bands was fronting such a melodic and low-key band.  I heard enough, grabbed the CD, and took it to the register for purchase.  Needless to say my musical appreciation was given a boost thanks to the Weakerthans and to this day I am still an avid fan though I have yet to see them live.

Having missed them the couple times they did roll though Cleveland one could say I was excited to see that they had released  a live DVD/CD titled Live At The Burton Cummings Theatre on Epitaph Records/ANTI- Records.  Performed in their hometown of Winnipeg, Canada in April of 2009, the band recorded the performance at the Burton Cumming’s Theatre (yes, the sweet mustached Burton Cummings of The Guess Who).   Just to clarify I believe the theatre was named after the classic rock musician and that he has nothing to do with it.

The DVD/CD captures the perfect evening of a show with the talented indie rockers as well as their dedicated fans who filled the venue up the night it was recorded.  With no fancy light shows or theatrics the band hit the stage and played a very fun and great sounding show.   Their sound, I should add, almost sounds studio and one could be fooled until the fans started hooting and hollering after every song.

Playing songs old and new the band just sounded amazing and looked ever so comfortable on the stage.  Hearing them open with “Everything Must Go” really reminded me why I have been a fan for so long but seeing how happy they were performing the song brought a whole new appreciation from me for them.  With the crowd cheering and the band just having fun it was apparent that this show was going to be a good one.  Speeding things up they broke into “Tournament Of Hearts” immediately after.  With five members on stage it appeared as if Samson’s wife Christine Fellows was hiding in the shadows offering vocals as well.

The band’s (and the crowd’s) friend Julie played on some songs as well including “Night Windows” where she offered some violin. Keeping the show rolling the band broke into “Reconstruction Site” a twangy delight of a song to listen to as well.  The band completely rocked out during “Aside” all while Samson smiled big while singing.  “Bigfoot” was another track I really got a kick out of with all the instrument playing.

Hearing perhaps my favorite Weakerthans song of all time, “Plea From A Cat Named Virtue”, put the biggest smile on my face even if I was watching a recording of the show.  The song revolving around a wise feline carried on perfectly, even the trumpet playing at the close of the song.  Samson also offered a simple impromptu guitar solo that was cut short on the CD but the DVD shows the humorous moment.

During “Wellington’s Wednesdays” Samson pulled up a fan on stage named Ernesto who had the pleasure of filling in a guitar solo in the key of E.  I must say after a nervous start Ernesto started jamming hard with the rest of the band as Samson took the honorary member’s place in the crowd for a short moment.  The band then followed up “The Reasons” as well as “Sun In An Empty Room”.  I swear if it were not for the fans cheering at times my mind tried to argue with me that I was not listening to a live album.

Overall the show was a fun time full of a great set by an outstanding band.  The DVD featured shots of the band throughout the 75 plus minute performance with good angles as well as occasionally would focus in on a true fan singing along.  Capturing The Weakerthans in their hometown was one hell of an idea and even if I have not seen them live in the flesh, I am glad I had the opportunity to have this performance in my possession.

The DVD/CD ranks high with my all time favorite live albums and I have listened to it multiple times now and I am not just saying that.  Great music by a bunch guys made even more entertaining by the simple fact that they were having a blast while doing their job.  If you are a fan of indie rock or just want to spend the evening with some great music do yourself a favor and grab a copy of Live At The Burton Cummings Theatre.

Track Listing (DVD/CD):
01. Everything Must Go
02. Tournament of Hearts
03. Our Retired Explorer (Dines with Michel Foucault in Paris in 1969)
04. Night Windows
05. Reconstruction Site
06. Aside
07. Civil Twilight
08. Bigfoot
09. Plea From A Cat Named Virtute
10. The Reasons
11. Sun In An Empty Room
12. Left and Leaving
13. Wellington’s Wednesdays
14. Benediction
15. Manifest
16. One Great City!
17. This Is A Fire Door Never Leave Open
18. Virtute the Cat Explains Her Departure

Cleveland, Folk, Indie, Music, Music Video, Rock, Watch This

Oh My My – Music Videos

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I’ve been kind of busy as of last thanks to a couple of shows I recently reviewed but I finally have found a moment to start playing catch-up.  While doing so I came across some music videos that made me a happy camper.

First off is She & Him‘s newest video for “In The Sun”, the first single off their upcoming Volume Two that should be out on March 23rd.  If anyone knows me well they know my love obsession (hell who am I kidding) with Zooey Deschanel.  I think she is dreamy…yes…dreamy.  So yeah before I start to sound like too much of a creep here is the video that recently debuted on Pitchfork TV:

(does anyone else out there think M. Ward looks a little Robert Downey Jr. in this video???)

Next up is a video from one of my favorite artists out there, Frank Turner.  The video is for the song “Isabel” that appears on Poetry Of The Deed, his most recent album.  For such a sorrowful song about the loss of youth while looking for answers it is visually appealing with Frank Turner walking the Leo Carillo beach in Malibu, CA.

As previously mentioned I got to see Frank Turner live at the House Of Blues in Cleveland. I was in the photo pit for most of his set trying to capture as many memories as possible. When looking at some of the photos the next day I noticed that the one guitar player was crouched down. Apparently I missed seeing him eat the stage after slipping on something but someone in the crowd didn’t and had their phone on video mode at the right moment:

If you looking closely you can see me stealing the band’s soul with my camera…

Finally I end this post that is going nowhere with a live performance of a band I know I am looking forward to hearing, Foxy Shazam. I can’t say everyone will dig them but I know I do.  Check out “Rocketeer” from the upcoming album Unstoppable:

00's, 90's, Cleveland, Indie, Live Shows, Music, Photography, Punk, Review, Rock, The Awesome

Concert Review: Alkaline Trio / Cursive – House of Blues – Cleveland, OH – 03/04/2010

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Pop punk rockers Alkaline Trio paid the House of Blues in Cleveland a visit on Thursday with special guests indie rockers Cursive as well as rock act The Dear & Departed.  This was the second stop for Alkaline Trio who just started touring in support of their new release This Addiction.  The line-up of the evening was an interesting mix but still it looked to be a great evening of music for all who filled up the venue.

Most commonly known as the guy who tattoos along side Kat Von D on the reality show LA Ink, Dan Under and his band did their best to warm up the crowd with their straight forward rock music.  The crowd gave them the respect they deserved but it really did not look as if too many were really getting into them.  A couple fans sang along and gave support but the energy level was still rather low.

Nebraska’s Cursive on the other hand played a solid, yet interesting, set  that eventually caused a lot of cheer by the set’s end.  Hammering through “Some Red Handed Sleight Of Hand” as later playing “Art Is Hard” the band threw on an absolutely amazing show.  I especially enjoyed hearing “From The Hips” off their latest release Mama, I’m Swollen.  Digging deep into their catalog the band even played “Mothership Mothership, Do You Read Me?” which absolutely floored me.  It was clear though that not everyone around me was enjoying the indie, almost experimental, performance with a very vocal Tim Kasher but I will admit that there are some folk out there today looking into who exactly this Cursive band is.

Alkaline Trio took the stage in full force and started the night off with “This Addiction” off their latest release.  The band looked so comfortable on stage and Matt Skiba and Dan Andriano shuffled about on stage as Derek Grant beat the hell out of the drums.  Skiba announced in the middle of songs that he was at a photo shoot earlier in the day for some magazine called High Times admitting that “if it seems like I’m really stoned, it’s because I am.”   Needless to say the crowd went berserk.

Adding to the energy of the night the band carried onward with an amazing set playing old and new songs.  Seeing Andriano pick up the horn on “Lead Poisoning” was one of the highlights of my night for some reason.  I really enjoyed that track off their new album but seeing it live just made me appreciate it even more.  If that was not good enough, once the band finished that more poppy track they jumped back a few years and played “Mr. Chainsaw” only to return to new material again with “Dead On The Floor”.

Throughout the night I was continually impressed to see what song the band would play next.  Hearing “Fuck You Aurora” and later the Manson inspired “Sadie” the set list just kept getting better and better and the band just hit every song head-on with almost everyone in the house singing along.  Just when I thought think things could not get better the band played “’97”.  At that very moment I was completely contempt with Alkaline Trio’s set.

The band exited the stage with fans pleading for one more song.  I decided this might be a good time to make way to the back of the venue and to call it a night.  As I was walking back the crowd exploded in cheer as the band did a little switch up with Skiba on drums, Andriano on guitar, and Grant on bass and vocals.  The band appeased me by playing one of my favorite Misfits songs ever, “Attitude”.  All I could say was “are you kidding me” and stopped dead in my tracks and started singing along with everyone else.  It was the perfect way to end an amazing performance.  I was a happy concert goer.

Alkaline Trio’s Set List
This Addiction
Armageddon
Emma
Dine, Dine My Darling
We’ve Had Enough
Lead Poisoning
Mr. Chainsaw
Dead On The Floor
Fatally Yours
Crawl
Fuck You Aurora
Goodbye Forever
In Vein
Continental
100 Stories
Sadie
Nose Over Tail
’97
Encore:
Attitude