Category Archives: New Release

Country, Folk, Music, Music News, New Release, Rockabilly

Nick 13’s Solo Debut Is Streaming on Spinner Right Now!!!

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I’m not sure what you are doing at the moment, but if you can, head over to Spinner and check out the new Nick 13 solo album that drops today.  Spinner is streaming the album in its entirety and I am loving it.

Nick 13, most commonly known as the singer and songwriter of Tiger Army, has gone a new route and created some acoustic storytelling-Americana songs that are driven by his unmistakable voice.  His solo attempt is without a doubt something different from what many people might expect from a rockabilly/punk artist, but I can tell you this…it is amazing and he did a damn good job.

From a press release I received:

Nick’s debut album for Sugar Hill Records features acoustic and electric guitar, standup bass, pedal steel, fiddle and much more from a wide pedigree of players who connected with 13’s genuine passion, understanding and knowledge of the history of the music and forward-thinking vision for the future. Some of the folks on the album include Lloyd Green, Sara Watkins, Josh Grange, Eddie Perez and Mitch Marine, in addition to the album’s producers Leisz and Intveld.

 Nick offered fans a brief preview of his solo work during encores at Tiger Army’s 2009 “Octoberflame II” event, followed by a full unveiling on the Palomino Stage at Stagecoach last year. “Nick 13 paid earnest homage to Merle Haggard and Ray Price, both of whom [followed] him shortly on the same stage,” wrote the Los Angeles Times.
West Coast shows (including a stop at the roots-music mecca Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown, California) preceded a second major festival appearance at the 15th-annual “Hootenanny.” Playing second to last, just before Chuck Berry, Nick delivered an hour long performance the Orange County Register called nothing less than “an artistic triumph.” Earlier this year he made his first ever appearance at South By Southwest.
 
Nick spent much of the past two years writing and recording his debut solo album in Los Angeles and Nashville (even living above Printer’s Alley for a time) – laying down tracks like “Nashville Winter” featuring pedal steel legend Lloyd Green, the Bakersfield sound “101” and the atmospheric “Carry My Body Down”.

I hope to have a review of the release shortly, until then, enjoy…

90's, Music, New Release, Punk, Review, Rock

Album Review: Fact To Face – Laugh Now, Laugh Later

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I am seriously in an old school punk rock overload as of late these days and could not be happier. It seems as if all these bands I used to adore as a kid are coming out of the woodwork and are releasing albums as well as touring in support of them.  In the last week alone I have seen live performances by some amazing bands from the 80s and 90s including Bad Religion and Strung Out. There is one band though that I was most excited for, a band that I was more or less obsessed with in my high school years.

Seeing Face To Face live completely blew me away.  I saw them last summer at the Warped Tour and they sounded great, but their set was so short it was almost depressing.  For more on the show check out the review I posted last week.

Let’s talk about Face To Face…

Trever Keith and company may have stated that Face To Face was done back in 2004 due to indifferences, but just four years later the band decided to regroup but had no plans on releasing new material.  Featuring Keith (the only original member), Chad Yaro, Scott Schiflett, and Danny Thompson, the California punk rock act is back in the scene.  Not only have they been hitting the roads, but they have also decided to drop an all new album titled Laugh Now, Laugh Later on Antagonist Records. This is the band’s first album release in almost eight years.

“Should Anything Go Wrong” opened the album off strong and almost sounded as if the band never took a break.  With a catchy chorus and fierce guitar playing, the song reminded me why I have loved this band for so long.  “It’s All About You” follow and was a little less intense, but Keith’s lyrics just made the song as well as the fun guitars throughout, especially midway through.  Just two songs in on the album and I was already impressed.

“The Invisible Hand” was an instant classic to my ears.  With lyrics of trying to grasp on to what you can not have, the track immediately was lodged in my mind.  Although I liked the bass lines in “Bombs Away”, I felt the song was a little too Ignorance Is Bliss for me and I just could not get into it.  “Blood In The Water” was a good track though and begged for another listen as was “What You Came For”.  “I Don’t Mind And You Don’t Matter” really could have been left off the album as it just did not fit in with the rest.

“Stopgap” was a nice harsh track with Keith repeating  “you got something you want to say to me / so what’s your story better get it straight / don’t waste my time with your apologies” throughout carried by some great guitar work and drumming.  In a more positive feel, “All For Nothing” was a decent love song that had a couple Social D-sounding notes thrown about.

“Pushover” tried hard to hang on to the old school Face To Face sound.  While the track sounded great, I felt the bass riffs could have been faster and heavier.  They seemed to hide behind a lot of the track on the album, especially this one.  The track was also incredibly short and just dropped off leaving “Under The Wreckage” to close things up on the album.

I interviewed Keith a few years back and remember him saying that they missed playing shows and he had no intentions on recording new material.  It did not sound like he was that excited to create a new album as much as he was with playing older material, but I am pretty sure the tables have turned.  Laugh Now, Laugh Later may not be the best thing I have heard come from Face To Face, but there are a couple gems in there.  I am just more thrilled the band is back and doing their thing.

As previously mentioned, I saw them live about a week ago and they killed it on stage.  Throughout their set their played three of the new tracks and, to me, they fit in just fine with all of the classics they created years ago.  The one thing though that impressed me the most though was how happy Keith and crew were on stage.  They were having a good time doing what they love best and as a fan, I could not ask for anything more.

Folk, Music, New Release, Punk, Review, Rock

Album Review: Swingin’ Utters – Here, Under Protest

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I am sitting here trying to figure out how to start this review about an Oi!/Street Punk/Folk band that has been around for over two decades.  They are one of the O.F.W.C. (Original Fat Wreck Chords – I made that up) members and have been a huge influence to my punk rock ears ever since I was a teen.

The band I speak of is none other than the Swingin’ Utters and after eight years, the band has dropped Here, Under Protest, perhaps the best thing I have heard ever from the San Francisco band.  Seriously, I can not stop listening to this album, it is amazing.

Where do I start?  Could it be that the band sounds more polished than ever?  Could it be that Johnny Bonnel, Spike Slawson (Me First & The Gimme Gimmes), Daris Koski AND Jack Dalrymple (Dead To Me) share singing duties throughout the release without any sort of conflict?  With all the elements making up the Utters these days, one would think they are a modern day punk rock superband, one I should add that is not a complete joke.

Orson Welles is heard at the beginning of the CD saying “here under protest is beef burgers.”  This line comes from the historic film icon when he was narrating a advertisement for a British company called Findus.  Yes, I searched the internet to find that out.  I knew it was his voice the moment I heard it, but wanted to know more.

“Brand New Lungs” started off the album and I knew right then that the album was going to be an instant gem.  Granted I already had heard the song last summer when the band dropped a 3-song 7″ to tide fans over till the full-length released, the fact of the matter is that the song is solid and perhaps the catchiest track on the entire album.  Bonnel’s raspy voice has never been more welcomed to my ears during this song.

“Taking The Long Way” followed and just kept that great sound continuing to impress me.  The lyrics were interesting as they spoke of basically planting your feet.  “Kick It Over”, featuring Koski on vocals, was a great track that shied away from the usual Utters sound and hinted back to the earlier days of punk rock.  “Good Things” was a little heavier with Bonnel just giving reasons throughout to get hammered.  They don’t call him Johnny “Piss Pants” for nothing you know…  “Heavy Head” was just a smooth track – Nothing more, nothing less.

“(You’ve Got To) Give It All To The Man” was the heaviest, old-school Utters sounding track on the entire album.  Fast paced and to the point, this song screamed 90’s punk rock all the way through.  “Time On My Own” had Koski back on lead vocals and continued with that fun punk rock vibe that took me back to a teen.

The folky “Scary Brittle Frame” may have sounded like nothing else on the album, but it was my favorite track.  I really wish the Utters would just drop an all folk album one of these days.  They do such a great job creating songs here and there that can be found throughout their catalog it would just make sense a full length.

The final track on the album, “Effortless Amnesiac”, was another catchy as hell punk track with Dalrymple taking over vocal duties.  After hear this track I really hope, should he stick around with the band, that he be featured on more future tracks seeing how his singing fit in so well with the music.

It amazes me that a band that has been in the game for so long still has no problem creating such a great release.  Here, Under Protest is good, wholesome punk rock from a group of guys who know exactly what they are capable of.

This new Utters mateiral may not be as Oi!/Street Punk/Folky as they used to be and rub off more as Filthy Theiving Bastards at times, but that is ok by me.  Here, Under Protest, hands down, is one of my favorite punk rock albums so far in 2011.  20 years in the business is never an easy feat, but the Utters have no problem continuing onward.

Swingin' Utters - Taking The Long Way

Emo, Music, Music Video, New Release, Review, Rock, Screamo

Album Review: Thursday – No Devolución

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I remember the first time I heard the one time post-hardcore/screamo outfit Thursday.  They were of a genre of music I swore I would never get into, but there was something about them I really was attracted to.  Over the years I have watched them mature into phenomenal musicians and it’s no surprise that they decided to try something differently on their sixth studio release.

No Devolución is perhaps the band’s most involved album to date.  It is not like any of their previous material and at times and really feels like a well put together work of genius.  Geoff Rickly still does wonders with his signing ability while the rest of the band seems to have really mellowed out this round.  This is the bands second release under Epitaph Records.

“Fast To The End”, a catchy rock jam, opened up the album.  Rickly and crew seemed to keep to that known Thursday sound intact with some screaming thrown in around.   

“No Answers” without a doubt was my choice track thanks to the catchy synths that easily could be compared to MGMT.  The song flowed so well throughout with very poignant lyrics talking of relations with Rickly singing “No answers, no answers when you’re around” at the end of the track.  Sad track, but beyond amazing to listen to.

The piano playing throughout “Sparks Against The Sun” made for a nice, gentle feel throughout.  The song itself was easy on the ears with the synths and distorted bass lines backing calm singing. 

“Open Quotes” on the other hand had a more aggressive approach.  Hinting back at some of older Thursday material, the track had a couple shouts and screams and a little added distorted guitar playing, but overall really could have been a tougher track.  It just seemed to dissolve by the end.

Starting slow was “Past And Future Ruins”, a killer track with heavy Muse matching guitar riffs as well as xylophone both over a steady floor tom beat.  Rickly had no problem showcasing his vocal ability throughout and even tosses it in a distorted mess a couple of times giving for a very loathing tone.

“Empty Glass” was a sad, sad song.  Although beautifully put together, the track was gloomy as hell and easily could bring the happiest person down to a whimpering lull.  The electronic driven music along the pitch-shifting singing was haunting yet almost comforting to listen to.

“A Gun In The First Act” was a darker sounding track with very NIN simular synthesizers in the background.  The more I listened to it, the more I heard NIN’s version of “Dead Souls” originally performed by Joy Division in it.  Overall the track was amazing and was one of my favorite cuts off the album.

“Turnpike Divides” brought the energy back with a old school Thursday feel to it.  The track is a no-place-like-home tribute to good ol’ New Jersey.  I loved the Bruce Springsteen reference, “it’s hard to sleep when you’re born to run.”  This was another song I enjoyed a lot and just stood out over all the other tracks.

Putting an end to the masterpiece called No Devolución was “Stay True”, a motivational track aimed at just about anyone who wants to give it a listen.  The Rollins-esque lyrics were quite stern yet compelling to follow along to.  Aimed at a novice in life, this song has the ability to shed guidance on those who are looking for answers.  Sometimes all it takes is a song for someone to guide them in the right direction.

No Devolución has made me a bigger Thursday fan.  Over the years, my music taste tends to change and I find myself getting discouraged sometimes are bands who never challenge themselves.  Sometimes the outcome is a disaster, but I have to hand it to Thursday, they put together an outstanding release without forgetting who they once were, and still are.

Thursday will be coming back to Cleveland on 7/23 during their tour with Taking Back Sunday at the House Of Blues.  Tickets are $27.50 and are on sale now.

Hip Hop, Music, Music News, Music Video, New Release, Rap, The Awesome

Beastie Boys – “Make Some Noise”

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The Beastie Boys still have it. Have what you ask?

Talent. 

“Make Some Noise”  stars a whole slew of Hollywood making for a entertaining as hell video.  I am sure you have already seen it, but it is too hilarious not to share. 

Wondering what is going to happen next? Me too. There is a 30-minute full version of this video that is probably going to be released right around the time that Hot Sauce Committee Part II drops on May 3rd.

I can’t wait.