COTTON JONES BASKET RIDE
THE COTTON JONES BASKET RIDE (cumberland, md)
www.myspace.com/thecottonjonesbasketride
THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS (frostburg, md)
www.myspace.com/thechristmaslights
MOSCOW TELEPHONE (baltimore, md)
www.myspace.com/rhythmandfall
CPC GANGBANGS!!!
CPC GANGBANGS (Swami Records, Montreal):
Who is CPC Gangbangs
Like the raw edge of a rash decision, the sound of the CPC Gangbangs leaves a scar so thick, purple and proud it would be a shame to cover. A band with such a musical lineage that includes some of the most productive Canadians around with members of the most prominent rock'n'roll bands of the 90s like The Daylight Lovers, Spaceshits and Les Sexareenos, including Lyle Sheraton, "the Mayor of Canada," and Roy "Choyce" Vucino, along with Danny "Colonel Lingus" Marks is going to be a sure-fire hit. These Montreal madmen are a bunch of flintstonian savages who tear the meat right from the bone, chew on bark, and bang things against their heads to see if they exist or not. These guys are one of the most undomesticated bands around...
www.myspace.com/cpcgangbangs
VINCENT BLACK SHADOW (Heart Break Beat Records):
www.myspace.com/vbskicksoutthejams
THE GOLDEN BOYS (Goner Records, Austin):
www.myspace.com/thegoldenboys
HOLLYWOOD (Big Neck Records):
www.myspace.com/theehollywoods
BLOOD ON THE WALL
BLOOD ON THE WALL (The Social Registry):
“Undoubtedly awesomer than most.” – Rolling Stone
“A hyper-condensed trip back in time which is still completely now; three people locked in combat with their instruments and clawing their way from the rubble of the studio clutching songs which rattle and clatter with glee, distortion and fearsome tunes.” – Plan B
When Awesomer, Blood On The Wall’s sophomore record, was released Time Out New York ran a feature on the band, adding the tag line “Local Band’s Favorite Local Band” to the cover. In September of 2005, that claim was anything but an exaggeration. With an acute pop sensibility, an arsenal of hooks, and an energy that left ear-to-ear smiles on the faces of audience members, the band’s endearingly spastic live set had more than earned them that title. Blood On The Wall were, however, quick to grow beyond their reputation as a local band. In the months that followed, they would be hand picked to play with the likes of Black Dice, Psychic Ills, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ariel Pink, Dead Moon, The Kills, Fiery Furnaces, Sonic Youth, and Dinosaur Jr. as they criss-crossed the country and toured Europe under the wing of like-minded label Fat Cat Records. While you can take the band out of the locale, it’s impossible to pry that spirit from the band; Blood On The Wall charmed audiences far and wide with the same sincerity that had won them a die-hard fanbase in New York.
Liferz finds the band expanding their sound and honing their aesthetic while staying true to their roots. Approaching the new material in the studio with the same earnest energy that characterizes their live shows, Blood On The Wall have crafted their best record to date. The raw energy is still there – tracks like album opener Hibernation and the relentlessly catchy “Rize” nearly bubble over with the band’s patent explosiveness. But Blood On The Wall are no one-trick pony, and Liferz is most definitely a diverse outing. The band balances their frenetic bursts with tempered songs like the slow-churning Lightning Song.
Having gone from hometown heroes to national fan favorites and critical darlings, the band has earned its reputation as top of the rock heap. Along the way they’ve been able to translate their notoriously wild live show effectively to the studio, putting out raucously fun records. Liferz is a portrait of a band at the top of their game – somehow they have managed to get even more “awesomer”.
www.myspace.com/bloodonthewall
LO MODA (Creative Capitalism):
Yes! Lo Moda is back!!!
Everyone these days is so hot for postpunk--the years between 1978 and 1983 when all of the morlocks who crawled, irradiated, out of punk's ground zero began to mutate those three famous chords that were punk's conceptual Christmas present--that it sounds like everyone's forgotten all the great music prepunk. Well, Lo Moda's Gospel Store Front--the second CD release through the record album wing of Lo Moda frontman Peter Quinn's Creative Capitalism art-text-music conglomerate--proves that some people haven't forgotten. In the songs' keening strings and 3:15-on-a-Sunday-morning, A-train bounce you can hear the dizzy viola of John Cale and the elemental rum-pa-pum of Mo Tucker's drums. Opener "Seduction" finds a bouncing groove that's somewhere between Motown's foursquare razzle-dazzle and the highway star momentum of a Jonathan Richman raised in Germany at the height of Krautrock. And maybe it's just the associative subtitle, but the guitar part on "Get It Ready (Gospel Song)" sure sounds like it could have come off an early Impressions or Isley Brothers single--at least before Jimi Hendrix joined--and likewise the riff on "Late Night (Part Two)" would do Del "Runaway" Shannon proud.
But what Lo Moda really shares with all this music is simplicity and repetition, two things many people these days only think started when the Ramones ambled into CBGBs. Lo Moda's songs are neatly arranged out of often just three or four musical elements--a revolving five-note bass line, a squeaking two-note viola "hook" that answers at the end of each bar, a handclap, and a lone crack on a high-hat, for instance--an aesthetic strategy that Quinn crystallizes on "Les Jardins (de l'oubli)" when he sings,"your beat is too complicated." "Maybe You"--a 1:41 sketch for shaker, circular string scrape, and Quinn's haikulike is-it-a-verse-or-is-it-a-chorus?--outright teases you with the surprise of a flicker of piano and a parping horn in its last six seconds. But even these additions are of minimal means. The lyrics are as pared back as the music. Quinn is big on four- or five-line repeating runs of phrase that subtly change on their last two or three words: "And your heart is like a garden/ And your heart is in the cities/ And your heart is confiscated/ And your heart is on the table." His somewhat flat, nagging delivery is as important to the mantralike nature of the music as the drums or guitar. Though the band is hardly funky and no one would mistake the atmosphere of Gospel Store Front--imagine standing on the corner waiting for the bus after midnight on one of the coldest days of the year after just having your heart handed to you--for a singin', dancin' good time, when its musical and lyrical cells are circling each other, Lo Moda is one of Baltimore's most rhythmically compelling bands.
www.myspace.com/lowmoda
JASON DOVE TRIO (New heavier riff-tastic line up):
The Magic Whip is no more but now it's the debut of the heavier J Dove power trio.
www.myspace.com/jasondove
THE GRIEFS!!
THE GRIEFS (ex The Greenhornes, Cincinnati):
The Griefs are lead by Eric Stein, former lead guitarist of The Greenhornes and guest guitarist on Holly Golightly's "Truly She is None Other."
Keith Fox, drummer for The Griefs, also drums for The Sights and has toured with Robert Plant.
If the Kinks were born in Kentucky, raised by the Everly Brothers & grew up on a steady diet of Cinci's King records, you'd have the Griefs!"
www.myspace.com/thegriefs
THE JONS:
www.myspace.com/losjons
THE GOLDEN JUBILEE (mem. Swingin' Swamis, Landspeed Record, The Jennifers):
www.myspace.com/thegoldenjubilee
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE
THE ENDLESS BLOCKADE (Canada, 20 Buck Spin):
Details about band formations and ex-members of so-and-so are unimportant. What matters is that The Endless Blockade is a band from Toronto that plays Powerviolence. Taking the foundations of the genre’s forebears (Crossed Out, No Comment, MITB, etc) and streamlining it for today’s harsh realities, The Endless Blockade is furious hardcore meets crawling sludge.
www.myspace.com/theeendlessblockade
TRIAC (7" release show!):
Baltimore's sickest grind!! Yo play that cover of "Police Story" again and I'll shit my pants!
www.myspace.com/triac
FIGHT AMP (Translation Loss Records):
It’s hard to tell just what the hell’s going on during Fight Amp’s full-length debut, a half hour of hazy AmRep worship that’ll prick the ears of anyone who digs Kylesa and the crustier, chunkier side of Melvins’ back catalogue. (As it turns out, Kylesa/Baroness producer Phillip Cope tracked the entire thing.) One thing’s for certain, though: The second “Bound and Hagged” kicks into high gear (right around the 0:42 mark) is the second this album goes from being a reverent, competent noise rock effort to kicking out the goddamn jams.
Seriously—this is the kind of cut that brings out the fist-pumping, floor-punching contingent in a crowd, thanks to a raucous ride-the-snake riff and basslines that bounce off your temples like beach balls made of lead. Not to mention the commanding howl of guitarist/vocalist Rebecca Burchette (she also sings lead on “What a Drag”), a fire-breather who sounds like she just challenged Fight Amp’s other shouters, bassist Jon Dehart and guitarist Mike McGinnis, to a duel. Sure enough, McGinnis steps up to the plate on the very next track, trudging through a tar pit of electrocuted chords for six and a half minutes as he screams, “I don’t want to / Don’t fucking want to” like a petulant child. The fact that the song’s called “Get High and Fuck” couldn’t be more appropriate considering this whole album feels as dirty as a romp through a bed of needles, rather than, you know, roses.
—Andrew Parks, Decibel Magazine
www.myspace.com/fightamp
DRUGS OF FAITH (ex Enemy Soil):
www.myspace.com/drugsoffaith
CENTURY (Prosthetic Records)
CENTURY (Prosthetic Records):
"Starting out as a one-man machine before fleshing out into a bruising quartet, Century is the brainchild of ArmsBendBack guitarist Carson Slovak, who had a hand in all aspects of this 10-track onslaught. Brace yourself for a rigorous metallic hardcore experience, as tracks like Bilateral Consequence juxtapose Cave in, Unsane, and Bloodlet for quite the unsettling listen. The Fate of Arbogast and Maneater liberally take from the Mastodon/ Converge playbook, while the foreboding intro on Kingsnake does nothing to prepare you for the massive beast the song becomes at the five-minute mark. Add in some caustic vocal chaos on tracks like Watch Them Become Animals and a Snapcase-esque hardcore stab on Back into the Woodwork and youve got quite the monstrous hardcore potpourri on your hands. if you enjoy progressively tinged hardcore, Century is the band to check out, as they artfully tread the line between in the pit and left of center." - Metal Maniacs
CENTURY was originally conceived in late 2005 as a fleeting creative outlet for front man Carson Slovak to hone his development of both audio engineering and graphic design. Now, three years later, CENTURY has emerged as a full band with three releases under its belt and has proven to be a crushing new force in the world of heavy music. After the massive critical acclaim of 2006's Faith and Failure, many expectations were focused on CENTURY to outdo its prior effort. But with Black Ocean, the band's most stylistically cohesive and poignant release to date, the band has taken the next step in its evolution and created a piece of art that will not be soon forgotten.
CENTURY's work ethic has always epitomized DIY and that mentality is in full effect on Black Ocean. The album was produced, recorded and mixed by Slovak at his own studio. Immediately catching the attention of several labels with nothing more than one demo track and subsequent buzz, Prosthetic Records quickly became the natural fit for the band and an ideal venue though which to present their latest opus. The album was also visually interpreted by Slovak, who incorporated a classic Vigenère Cipher into the artwork. Fans can further involve themselves in the world of Black Ocean upon solving the cipher, gaining access to hidden content on the interactive album website blackoceanalbum.com.
www.myspace.com/century
PACK OF WOLVES (ex At All Cost):
Pack of Wolves are veterans of the Austin D.I.Y. music scene. The band was formed in 2006 when Trey Ramirez (formerly of At All Cost) and Adrian Carillio (ex. Games and Theory) teamed up to write and record a demo with Josh Wardrip at Orphic Studios in Austin, Tx.
Soon after, the duo teamed up with Tyson Swindell (ex. Games and Theory) and Brian "Beardsley" Mcswain and "The Wall Crusher" LP followed in early 2007.
Pack of Wolves sound is a mix of brutal metal meets epic rock & roll pushed forward through a DIY mindset. "This band hits hard and is a reflection of our struggles and experiences throughout our years around a tumultuous music scene," said Trey Ramirez.
The Pack have been making a name for themselves across the country with an impressive number of shows, touring acclaim up and down the Northeast United States, album sales and a video under their belt. Delivering a formidable lesson in Rock & Roll, the 'Hellbent' video can be viewed on ME Television and online. Pack of Wolves have been devouring the Southeast and recently co-headlined the Knuckfest music festival in Little, Rock Arkansas.
TIME OF CHOLERA:
www.myspace.com/timeofcholera
THE GIVEN (ex INVU):
Making the best out of every new generation couldn’t be more fitting for The Given (ex-I.N.V.U.) that have worked diligently to regroup, rebuild and return with a stronger sense of self juxtaposed with an honest purpose to make some of the most heavy, beautiful and passionate music they can possibly make without bias or barrier. In an era where rogues are rewarded and hard work is ignored for the flavor of the day, the given made the promise to be more to their music and even more to a scene that’s slowly becoming a museum of charlatans. A lot can be gained mentally/emotionally in a year away from the stage. The given have gained the three H’s. Heart, honesty and humbless. Anew. The blueprint begins.
www.myspace.com/thegivenofficial
SPEAR IN HAND:
PYGMYLUSH
PYGMYLUSH (ex Pg. 99, Lovitt Records):
The mighty Pygmylush returns to Talking Head! This time expect a set of their heavy electric rockers!
www.myspace.com/pygmylush
THE CONVOCATION (ex Born Against, ex Universal Order Of Armageddon):
Formed by driving force/ co-founder George France, Tonie Joy (formerly of Moss Icon, Universal Order of Armageddon, Born Against...) and original bassist Guy Blakeslee (now Entrance/ The Entrance Band) 2007/2008- Playing again after another hiatus, now with Jason Stevens on bass. ".......epitomizes the union of ancient and futuristic urges"
www.myspace.com/theconvocation
GUNNA VAHM (Reptilian Records)
www.myspace.com/vahm
TURBOSLUT (DC):
All girl grunge band from DC!
THE HEROINE SHEIKS!! **This show is now moved to THE NERVE CENTER
*** This show is now moved to The Nerve Center (myspace.com/thenervecenter) ***
THE HEROINE SHEIKS (ex Cows, Reptilian Records):
Its origins are obscure, its symptoms are controversial and in mainstream circles it’s very existence has been largely ignored. The organism is now thought to have originally mutated from Cows and Swans in New York City in 1999, where it made the “jump” to humans, causing them to gather into groups and engage in large scale alchohol consumption, casual sex and other illicit activities—seemingly against their wills.
The press turned a blind eye, hoping the problem would go away. But THE HEROINE SHEIKS hung on, surviving by constantly mutating into different and ever more virulent strains that defy treatment or even classification. Most disturbing about it’s present form is that after it infects its victims, it leaves them immune to the effects of other music. There is no cure. Though it is presently found mostly in small, scattered, urban
communities around the globe, many scientists fear that it is only a matter of time before there is a massive world-wide outbreak.
www.myspace.com/heroinesheiks
DACTYL (Reptilian Records):
www.myspace.com/dactyl
PERESTROIKA:
www.myspace.com/blackeggs
PRIDESWALLOWER:
www.myspace.com/prideswallower
** This show is moved to FLORISTREE SPACE ** KEMIALLISET YSTAVAT (Finland)
KEMIALLISET YSTAVAT (Finland):
The merging of folk-- ostensibly "acoustic"-- and electronics has been a slow, awkward grope session that has nonetheless produced some of the decade's freshest experimental music. The merging, though, implies a fundamental split in the sonics of the two realms, a gap that the Finnish experimental group Kemialliset Ystävät seems to ignore completely. To say that Kemialliset finds a synthesis between the acoustic and electronic would miss the point, as they never bother differentiating the two. In their simplified worldview sounds are homogeneous-- linear, even-- and are deployed as they become useful, without regard for their source.
A loose collective captained by Jan Anderzén since 1995, Kemialliset are a longstanding example of the Finnish label Fonal's homespun brilliance. Their simplicity extends no further than their streamlined approach: Kemialliset Ystävät breathe in untold acoustic instruments, looped digital gristle, and wayward conversations and cough them out in alien ratios. Kemialliset do not experiment with genres so much as hazard upon them, like children gone exploring, sure that they're the first to discover and name a pond. Eastern psych, fife and drum bands, punk rock, and minimal house are but a few such ponds. The majority of Kemialliset Ystävät, though, functions on a significantly more abstract plane, one in which tinny strings shiver amid oily electronics and anything is a percussion instrument.
Kemialliset nimbly juke in tight spaces, cherry-picking tiny, erudite rhythms out of their drag and drone. They often do this outside the realm of traditional rhythm instruments: "Tulinen Kiihdytys" whirs and chatters against the forest floor for two minutes before a single plucked string reveals itself as the tether. Looped vocal nonsense helps to anchor "Valojuopot". What is probably a violin knifes through "Kokki, Leipuri, Kylvettäjä Ja Taikuri (Enna 132 Eaa.)" as oscillating tones flirt in the background. When the band does employ actual drums, as on the shambling "Näkymättömän Hipaisuja", they sound like they've bitten off too much, like five people playing seven instruments, but doing so brilliantly. "Superhimmeli" fakes actual rock dynamics, farting about with a kick drum and chanting voices before a widescreen, hurried keyboard riff rends the track in two.
Kemialliset are ruthless editors though, rounding off most of Kemialliset Ystävät's 12 tracks in under four minutes, fragmenting their explorations into consumable portions. These short tracks, combined with the band's lilting, natural sense of rhythm, help obscure what the music, and those inscrutable song titles, screams: that Kemialliset Ystävät is devilishly raucous and shrilly obstructed tone noise. From Finland. A near-hilarious sense of clutter and secrecy pervades every sound they produce. It is approachable depending on your tolerance for abstraction, but it will almost certainly test that tolerance. Synapses fire and cool and fire again. Sparkplugs are blown and replaced. Revel in these miniature regenerations as long as you can, and be thankful that Kemialliset Ystävät has at least a tenuous hold of the reins.
-pitchforkmedia.org
AXOLOTL:
www.myspace.com/axolotl
THE SKATERS
TAXLO!!
TAXLO 6 YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY!
SAY WUT (Unruly Records)
XXXCHANGE (Spank Rock)
DJ CULLEN STALIN
DJ SIMON PHEONIX
PONYTAIL + THE CARROTS
PONYTAIL (Now We Are Free):
Baltimore's Ponytail look like they'd tip the scales, collectively, at around 385 pounds. So the racket they make is loud and dense but not beefy. There's no bass, fer instance, but the two guitars do play low notes sometimes. And they also look like their collective age is somewhere around 60, which sounds old until you realize there's four of 'em. So their music definitely sounds like kids at summer camp, kids on the wrong side of four pitchers of bug juice. The best way I can think of to describe it is "a ruckus."
www.myspace.com/jreamteam
THE CARROTS (Elefant Records, Austin):
The Carrots started as a 60's girl group concept band in the Summer of 2005 in Austin, TX. The Carrots have spun their love for groups such as The Shangri-las, The Chrystals and The Ronettes into a warming mix of nostalgia and modern form. Featuring members of FINALLY PUNK, GENE DEFCON, VOXTROT and YELLOW FEVER the band has created a time warped vision of pop music for those inclined towards sweet harmonies and matching outfits all the while rising above the banalities of pure gimmick. Elefant Records in Madrid Spain, which is home to Camera Obscura and has released singles by Stereo Total, Television Personalities, and The Clientele, is in the process of releasing a series of Carrots vinyl singles throughout the year.
www.myspace.com/thecarrots
LIZZ KING:
www.myspace.com/lizzking
THE METHAMPHETAMINES:
www.myspace.com/themethamphetamines
JOE LALLY (Fugazi)
JOE LALLY (from Fugazi, Dischord Records):
Joe Lally has played bass in Fugazi since their inception in 1987. In 2003 the members of Fugazi decided to take an indefinite hiatus from recording and performing. Since that time Joe has continued to write and perform solo material, accompanied by various musicians and friends.
Joe's first album, "There to Here" was released in October 2006. His second album, "Nothing Is Underrated" is being released on November 19, 2007.
Joe's albums are never really solo efforts, rather they feature collaborations with fellow musicians who use his bass-lines as an anchor. "There To Here", recorded at Dischord House and at Inner Ear Studio by Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara, features contributions from Jason Kourkounis (Hot Snakes), Jerry Busher (French Toast), Danny Frankel (KD Lang), Eddie Janney (Rites of Spring), Guy Picciotto (Fugazi), Ian Mackaye (The Evens, Fugazi), Amy Farina (The Evens), Scott "Wino" Weinrich (Spirit Caravan, Hidden Hand).
Joe's latest album, "Nothing Is Underrated" was recorded in the summer of 2007, also at Dischord House and at Inner Ear Studio, and also with Ian MacKaye and Don Zientara. The album was mixed by Ian and Guy Picciotto and features contributions from Ben Azzara (Capitol City Dusters), Andy Gale (Haram), Eddie Janny (Rites of Spring), Sam Krulewitch and Ricardo Lagomasino (Capillary Action), Ian MacKaye (Fugazi), Devin Ocampo (Medications) and Guy Picciotto (Fugazi).
www.myspace.com/josephlally
GLORYTELLERS (feat. Geoff Farina from Karate, Southern Records):
The creative force behind Glorytellers is guitarist/singer/songwriter Geoff Farina, who spent the better part of 14 years fronting Boston’s genre-bending Karate, and as one-half of the formative lo-fi duo Secret Stars. Gavin McCarthy (Karate, Cul de Sac), Joshua Larue (Him/Mice Parade), Luther Gray III (Ida, Joe Morris Trio), and engineer Andy Hong are also part of Glorytellers.
Although the band sounds most like Karate, Secret Stars, and other Farina-related projects, Glorytellers are undoubtedly a product of the 80’s underground music of their adolescence, and their first loves were bands like the Minutemen, Gray Matter, Beefeater, Dream Syndicate, Spacemen 3, the Raincoats, the Fall, Wire, the Smiths, the Effigies, Squirrel Bait, Crass, Pere Ubu, The Gun Club, and Killing Joke. Glorytellers songs also manifest Farina’s love for earlier American music, including the dense ragtime guitar of Blind Blake and Gary Davis, the earnest blues of Robert Pete Williams, Geeshie Wiley, Willie Johnson, and Skip James, the raw acoustic music of Roscoe Holcom, Robbie Basho, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee, the narrative songwriting of the Band, Leonard Cohen, Mose Allison, Merle Haggard, Gram Parsons, and Bob Dylan, the impressionistic harmonies of pianists Herbie Nichols, Andrew Hill, Jelly Roll Morton, Bill Evans, and Abdullah Ibrahim, and the electric guitar styles of Jim Hall, Lonnie Johnson, Johnny Smith, Otis Rush, Grant Green, Link Wray, and Jimmy Bryant.
www.myspace.com/glorytellers
BABY ASPIRIN:
www.myspace.com/babyaspirin
TRAVIS MORRISON HELLFIGHTERS
TRAVIS MORRISON HELLFIGHTERS (ex Dismemberment Plan):
For ten years, Travis Morrison was the lead singer and lyricist of The Dismemberment Plan, the D.C. art-rock quartet that made hip-hop, R&B, samplers, and having fun safe for the basement-show punk set. The Plan’s last two records in particular (emergency & i, and change, both released on DeSoto Records) are widely considered to be underground classics.
After releasing the brilliant but critically-underappreciated solo record travistan, Travis has moved on and found himself a new band to work with, the Hellfighters, and in 2005 they started working on a new record. After some unsatisfactory attempts to get some songs recorded, the Hellfighters took a break and Travis started singing in local D.C. church choirs, and working for volunteer organizations. In 2006, the band came together again and with the help of ex-Dismemberment Plan member Jason Caddell at the helm, the Hellfighters finished recording the songs that would become all y'all.
www.myspace.com/travismorrison
THE COURTESY LINE:
"Singer Mark Baldwin’s voice was surprisingly clear and crisp, especially considering the setting. Keep an eye on the Courtesy Line. Their music is marked with memorable melodies and tight, thick instrumentation."
- Sam Sessa, Baltimore Sun
www.myspace.com/thecourtesyline
GARY B & THE NOTIONS:
www.myspace.com/garybandthenotions
STINKING LIZAVETA!!
STINKING LIZAVETA (At A Loss Records):
After four album releases and 10 years of touring around the country blitzing audiences with their famously dynamic live shows, Philadelphia’s instrumental power trio Stinking Lizaveta (named for a Dostoevsky character) has become an institution of sorts in the US underground music scene. Their eclectic style of music incorporates post-rock, metal, sludge, prog, stoner and doom with jazz stylings and eastern influences. RockDetector's book, 'History of Stoner, Goth, and Doom', categorizes their music as 'doom-jazz', a label that the band have taken to citing when asked to describe their music.
Stinking Lizaveta's numerous fans include Steve Albini, who recorded and mixed their debut album, ‘…hopelessness and Shame’, in his basement back in 1996. Their first three albums were released on the now-defunct Tolotta label (Spirit Caravan, The Obsessed, Dead Meadow, Othrelm) run by Fugazi bass player Joe Lally. An invitation from Steve Albini brought the band their European debut performance at the UK All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in March 2004, where they played a storming set that created a sizeable stampede to their merch table.
The trio comprises brothers Yanni and Alexi Papadopoulos on guitar and electric upright bass and Cheshire Agusta on drums. Yanni elicits an impressive range of sounds from his electric guitar, from heavy Sabbath-y riffs to graceful winding melodies, with periodic departures into stoner groove territory. He also provides the only ‘vocals’ on the album by singing/screaming into the pickups of his guitar to create an eerie howling noise. Alexi also gives his electric bass a versatile workout, using fingers, bow and effects pedals to create an array of different sounds and moods – from the heavy doom of ‘Side Naked’ to the light jazziness of ‘Someone’s Downstairs’. All of this is underpinned by the inventive drumming of Cheshire Agusta, who combines ‘pile-driven polyrhythms’, dextrous cymbal work and complex fills to keep things varied and exciting.
The band’s fourth album was released in 2004 by At a Loss Recordings in the US, and Monotreme Records in the UK/Europe. In September of 2005 Stinking Lizaveta spent two and a half weeks on tour with Clutch being the only opening band, each night getting an overwhelming response from audiences of hundreds of people. With material for the next album and more touring plans already in the works, 2006 promises to be a healthy year for the band.
www.myspace.com/stinkinglizaveta
DEATHAMMER (ex Medic):
www.myspace.com/deathammerstrike
THE WAYWARD:
www.myspace.com/theewayward
ARBOURETUM!!
ARBOURETUM (Thrill Jockey Records):
www.myspace.com/arbouretum
PONTIAK (Thrill Jockey Records):
www.myspace.com/pontiak
BLAKE/E/E/E (Free Folk Records, Chicago):
www.myspace.com/blake/e/e/e
TBA
The Baltimore Taper presents:
The Baltimore Taper presents:
BAD LIQUOR POND
THE PRISONER'S DILEMMA
IMPERIAL CHINA
BRIAN ADAM ANT
EVANGELISTA
EVANGELISTA (Constellation Records):
We can call this a debut record of sorts, as it is the first album to be released under Carla Bozulich’s new band moniker, Evangelista. Bozulich’s first record for Constellation, issued in 2006, was released under her own name, and bore the album title Evangelista. That album title has now migrated to become the band name. So...this is the new album, titled Hello, Voyager, by the newly named band Evangelista, featuring Carla Bozulich. You follow? No worries, there will not be a quiz.
Carla’s 2006 Constellation release was widely celebrated as her strongest, most fearless and compelling record in years, and ended up on many year end lists, including The Wire (UK), Blow Up (Italy) and WMFU (Brian Turner’s blog) to name a few. Carla toured Evangelista all over Europe and North America, with core bandmate Tara Barnes at her side, and a rotating cast of other musicians, including Shahzad Ismaily and members of Thee Silver Mt. Zion (all of whom contributed to the original recording as well).
The Evangelista band continues to comprise Carla and Tara as its nucleus, and continues to build on its relationship with Montreal (where the last album was also made). Hello, Voyager was recorded in Montreal at the Hotel2Tango by Efrim Menuck in late summer 2007, with an even larger cast of Montreal musicians joining Carla, Tara and Shahzad this time around, to work up a more stylistically diverse batch of songs. Raw, beautifully ravaged, semi-improvised soundscapes still underpin Carla’s incantatory sung and spoken lyrics on the album’s opening and closing tracks, but much of the rest of the record is more overtly composed. Blistering nuggets like the snarling "Smooth Jazz" and the desperate "Truth Is Dark Like Outer Space" are the most rocking tunes Carla has put to tape since the demise of The Geraldine Fibbers, while "The Blue Room" (one of Carla’s finest songs, and one she has been carrying around for many years) is finally captured in a stunning studio arrangement that includes organ, violin, cello and contrebasse. "Lucky Lucky Luck" is a playful, sassy, fractured take on the misfit narrative and "Paper Kitten Claw" is its methodical, reflective, poetic foil. Carla’s voice perfectly sets and channels the prevailing mood on each song, and is strong as ever.
The new album includes contributions from over a dozen Montreal players, including most of Thee Silver Mt. Zion (chiefly on string arrangements), as well as Nadia Moss (organ) and a corps of local drummers who bang out the thunderous rhythm track on "Smooth Jazz" and drive the epic sprawl of the album’s closing title track.
www.myspace.com/evangelistasounds
WZT HEARTS (Carpark Records):
www.myspace.com/wztheartssss
+ TBA
MAJOR STARS!!
MAJOR STARS (Drag City Records):
Major Stars formed in 1997 out of the ashes of the legendary Magic Hour, continuing that band's droning twin-guitar assault and melodic flash. The original lineup recorded four albums and toured extensively, including several festival dates and a long sweep thru Japan in the summer of 2001. After recording a live split album with Comets On Fire (the Live In Europa LP for Plastic Records), the original quartet splintered. Lost was longtime drummer Dave Lynch, and the bassman spot was left empty when Tom Leonard decides to join Kate Village and Wayne Rogers in the guitar frontline. But then Major Stars mark two starts to come together. Casey Keenan (drummer-turned-guitarist of local pop heroes Carlisle Sound) is roped into resuming his place behind the drumkit. Dave Dougan, already a veteran of the band as bass understudy (he was the unfamiliar figure on stage at their Terrastock '02 performance), returns to claim the position permanently. The new sextet is completed by the arrival of lead singer Sandra Barrett, formerly of local art-punk legends LA Drugs. By the time Major Stars 4 appears to universal acclaim in April 2005, the new band is awake and pummeling the locals with renewed fervor.
2006 saw the release of Syntoptikon, the band's debut as a sextet, on Important Records. The degree of heavy brought forth by three blaring guitars, a ferocious new rhythm section, and voraciously sultry female vocals proves too much for audiences to resist. Major Stars score a coveted mainstage slot on Thurston Moore's All Tomorrow's Parties festival in England, and go on to headline the K-RAA-K Festival in Belgium. The band won the hearts of freaks the world over.
Now Major Stars are launching their next attack with Mirror/Messenger, their new full length on Drag City. This album represents the band growing into its own skin, finally harnessing the potential for true rock n' roll annihilation that has laid in waiting all these years. Tour dates are forthcoming. Get under or stay clear.
www.myspace.com/themajorstars
THALIA ZEDEK (Thrill Jockey, ex Come, ex Live Skull):
“One of the strongest vocalists and most pronounced creative presences in music.” - Harp Magazine
“Since 1981, Boston-based singer-songwriter-guitarist Thalia Zedek has been making excrutiatingly emotional rock music... Nothing draws as much blood as the work of this songwriter, one of the most painfully honest and brilliant anywhere.” -- Time Out New York
Thalia Zedek started her career as a musician in the group Dangerous Birds, whose 1982 single “Alpha Romeo” is a rare find these days. She really made her mark shortly thereafter with Uzi, whose 1986 Homestead release Sleep Asylum was a landmark not only for the Boston region but for the underground in general. It rightfully put Thalia in the company of other challenging female pioneers such as Kim Gordon, and was reissued by Matador in the mid-1990’s to much acclaim. In 1998, a mere two years after Uzi, Thalia broke new ground again with the NYC band Live Skull. The three records that she released with them more than stand the test of time and laid the groundwork for artists who followed such as PJ Harvey. They laid the ground work for artists to follow such as PJ Harvey. It was with Come that Thalia rose with the swell of popularity of so called Indie Rock. Fueled by the guitar interplay between herself and bandmate Chris Brokaw, Come released four full length records as well as various EP's and singles and toured extensively throughout the 90s.
After Come ended in 1999, Thalia began writing and recording under her own name, but throughout her career Thalia’s voice has remained a singular calling card. Her songwriting has great depth and a pervading melancholic tone much like the work of Nick Cave. She has chosen unusual instrumentation to compliment her guitar, such as the viola and trumpet contributions of David Curry. Her songs are rich in texture and reveal with each listen their delicately crafted layers. Her debut album for Thrill Jockey, 2004’s Trust Not Those in Whom Without Some Touch of Madness, garnered great critical acclaim, and the Adelaide performance on her Australian tour for that album even earned a spot on The Wire magazine’s top 60 Greatest Shows Ever.
For the new album, Liars and Prayers, Thalia has expanded upon her touring band of the last few years of Daniel Coughlin (drums) and David Curry (viola, trumpet) to fill out the sound with the bass and piano of Winston Braman (Consonant, Sherperdess, Fuzzy) and Mel Lederman (Victory at Sea). Liars and Prayers is the masterwork of her thus far impressive career. Her voice and songs have never been stronger and the full band and the recording by Andrew Schneider (Unsane, Cave In) allow her to combine the delicacy of the arrangements of her trio with the force that was her band Come. The very moving “Body Memory” is a poignant example of this perfect synthesis.
NOBLE LAKE (Creative Capitalism):
Formed originally as the primary songwriting vehicle for Baltimore native James Sarsgaard, Noble Lake began playing shows in 2006, first as a quartet, then settling into a trio that came to include local multi-instrumentalists Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner. The group's sound recalls the dusty, string band dirge of Depression era American folk and country acts like the Carter Family and Doc Boggs as well as the bleak lyricism and bright harmonies of Richard and Linda Thompson. Firm devotees to the narrative song, Noble Lake builds a frame upon tales of itinerant travelers, drunks and self destructive lovers, environmental disaster and a shrinking world and uses it as a launching point for tightly wound acoustic tapestries that range from high lonesome, straightforward folk to ragged, pulsating drones that bring to mind the sonic terrain mined by the Dirty Three, Jack Rose and the like.
www.myspace.com/noblelake
DJ IAN NAGOSKI (True Vine):
Ian, sonic chief of True Vine will spin some crazy shit, before after and in between sets.
RUINER
RUINER (Bridge 9 Records):
www.myspace.com/ruiner
KILLING THE DREAM (Deathwish Inc.):
www.myspace.com/killingthedream
TRAP THEM (Deathwish Inc.):
www.myspace.com/trapthem
THE CARRIER (Deathwish Inc.):
www.myspace.com/thecarrierhc
BLIND THE THIEF:
www.myspace.com/blindthethiefmd
MODEY LEMON
MODEY LEMON (Mute Records, Birdman Records):
These are dark times for rock'n'roll, brothers and sisters. The chill wind of the zeitgeist has swept in and awarded savage riffs and sussed singers some temporary modicum of cool. In the interim, any number of shallow-hearted Xerox pretenders to some blues/garage/punk-rock throne have snuck through this back door to assail, insult and degrade our beloved noise, until it's little more than a catalogue of pouts and poses that amount to nothing much of anything.
We need bands willing to claw back the magic and mythology of raw rock'n'roll, to give us something we can really sink our teeth into, art that's hot-blooded and literate and impassioned, something deep and tangible that'll stir the spook in our souls. A band like Modey Lemon.
Formed some four years ago in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, they originally numbered just two members, singer/guitarist/moogist Phil Boyd and drummer/moogist Paul Quattrone. Jason Kirker, who engineered and mixed their new album, Thunder & Lightning, joined the band this summer when Phil and Paul decided, after those sessions, that Jason was someone with whom they should be playing music.
Soon, having tired of the politics of playing in an octet, and finding no bass-player compatible with their music or personalities, the band were recording and playing shows as a duo (the name Modey Lemon, a nonsense-phrase, was originally invented as a satirical snipe on pompously-named emo bands; it stuck). They drew on the blues and the rock'n'roll which sprang from it - Phil's dad sang in a garage-rock act in the 1960s and had a huge record collection for the boys to explore - but also sought further for inspiration: the darkly humourous attack of The Cramps, the poetry of The Doors, the experimental leanings of Silver Apples and Suicide and Sun Ra, and the metaphysical imagery of early mythology. It's this welter of diverse (and not always musical) influences that makes the vicious and electrifying rock'n'roll of Modey Lemon such a rich and rewardingly complex experience.
www.myspace.com/modeylemon1
MANNEQUIN MEN (Chicago, Flameshovel Records):
Not too long after coming together in 2003, the Mannequin Men had earned the title of Chicago's drunkest, snottiest, and most amp-ruining band. These qualities contributed heavily to them also being hailed by many as the best thing in town. Live, they're a reckless,giddy maelstrom of slashing guitars, primal screams, and spilled drinks. Guitarists Kevin Richard and Ethan D'Ercole (also of the Watchers) spit out spiky riffs like they were throwing off sparks over bassist Rick Berger and drummer Seth Bohn's thunderous rhythmic stomp, while Richard howls about nasty girls and nastier boys. At an average show, the band inspires their audience to crush together in sweating, ecstatic surge. At a really good one--and most of them are really, really good--it's bruises and blackouts all around.
The Mannequin Men's recordings prove that they've got the talent to make such a spectacle of themselves without the risk of being labeled a novelty act or one trick pony. Recorded at their loft in one day, their self-released debut album, Showbiz Witch, was a blistering, dirty blast of rock that inspired far-out rock and roll fantasies to explain it: the Wipers running over the Clean with dune buggies, Black Flag doing something terribly wrong to Tommy James & the Shondells, Oasis if they weren't such pussies. Songs like "Liar" and "Spiders in the Hallway" are brutally infectious, with deep hooks that will latch on to you and drag you across the room.
www.myspace.com/mannequinmen
TBA
FISHNET STALKERS
FISHNET STALKERS (Reptilian Records):
www.myspace.com/fishnetstalkers
THE NEEDLES (NC):
www.myspace.com/theneedles
THE RATS (NYC):
www.myspace.com/theratsnyc
DIRTY STAGGER AND THE SMOKE
THE GO (Sub Pop Records, Detroit)
THE GO (Sub Pop Records, Detroit):
The Go is a garage rock band from Detroit, composed primarily of Robert “Bobby” Harlow (vocals), John Krautner (guitar, bass), Marc Fellis (drums), James McConnell (lead guitar), and a rotating cast of other band members, most notably, Jack White (later of the White Stripes), who was with the band from mid ‘98 to early ‘99.
Their trademark gritty, low-fi-by-design sound probably had a great influence on Jack White’s career with the White Stripes. Only the band’s first album features White as a band member.
Particularly noteworthy is the guitar choice by their current lead guitarist, James McConnell, specifically, a vintage 1970’s Gibson Marauder, rarely seen by in use by most rock bands nowadays. The Marauder was part of a short-lived series of solid-body electric guitars produced in the 1970s. These guitars were an attempt by Gibson to break into the single-coil, bolt-on neck guitar market dominated by Fender. McConnell’s features a potentiometer that allows for any combination of sounds between the trebly single coil pickup at the bridge and the humbucking pickup at the neck. James says that it serves as an all-purpose guitar by offering the “heavy” sound of a Gibson Les Paul through the humbucker pickup, or the cutting treble of a Fender Telecaster through the single coil bridge pickup, while still being fairly lightweight to hold.
James McConnell borrows influences from an eclectic variety of sources that are ever-changing. These have included, but are not limited to, Keith Richards, John Lee Hooker, “Fred “Sonic Smith, Hound Dog Taylor, Sonny Sharrock, Neil Young, Sonic Youth, Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap, Pharoah Sanders, Curtis Mayfield, and, in particular, ex-Rolling Stones lead guitar virtuoso, Mick Taylor.
www.myspace.com/thegodetroit
THE BLACK HOLLIES (Ernest Jennings Records):
Some acts are content to find a style and stick with it. The Black Hollies are more interested in progress. When the band convened in 2005 to record their debut - Crimson Reflections - it was something of an experiment, mixing 60's soul and pop structures with rave-up rock results. Now, after wide acclaim and a practice regiment that has left their jaw-dropping live shows tighter than a pegged pant leg, they've reached a little further into space, introduced a wonderfully psychedelic element to their sound, and come out on the other side with Casting Shadows, a powerful rock album full of unforgettable nuggets.
Led by songwriter, vocalist and bassist Justin Angelo Morey, this crew of NY/NJ natives and lifelong friends also includes fellow Rye Coalition alums Herb Wiley V and Jon Gonnelli on dueling interstellar guitars, and the freak-beat drumming of Scott Bolasci, whose final electrifying perfomances with the band are captured here. Bolasci has since retired from the Hollies and his sizeable shoes have been filled by the seemingly 8-armed wonder Nick Ferrante. Together, the quartet meld classic rock touchstones with a disparate amount of influences and ideas - Wiley is featured on sitar for a number of tracks, and the record also features the mesmerizing drones of a ragini throughout. From the opening ghostly blast of "Whispers Beneath The Willows", careening through the perfectly realized gem "Paisley Pattern Ground" and the mind twisting changes of "Bruised Tangerines" and finally settling into the soothing cool-down of "Patient Sparrow", Casting Shadows is an ALBUM in a time when folks have started to forget about the beauty of a cohesive record.
Garnering massive accolades over their East Coast adventures and unforgettable performances at both SXSW and CMJ as well as hometown freakouts alongside everyone from Ted Leo and The Spinto Band to Blue Cheer and Joan Jett to The Fleshtones and The Woggles, The Black Hollies continue to win over any crowd with a mix of straight skill and total sincerity. They'll be on the road throughout 2008 and you can rest assured that if you catch them once, you won't be able to shake it
WEBSITE
www.theblackhollies.com
MYSPACE
www.myspace.com/theblackhollies
THE FLYING EYES:
The Flying Eyes are always pushing forward to the borders of their creativity. The result is a spirited musical odyssey with rich characters, moods and places all embedded in their songs. Their influences range from psychedelic legends such as Pink Floyd, The Doors and Cream but they also draw inspiration from the likes of Dead Meadow and Radiohead. The group won the prestigious Towson Free to Breathe Battle of the Bands conducted by the John Lennon Sound Bus just as they finished their debut, "The Flying Eyes", a self-recorded, self-produced album released at the end of 2006. Since then they have had featured interviews and performances on 98 Rock and 88.1 WMUC, write-ups in the Baltimore Sun, as well as opening slots for esteemed bands such as The Black Eyed Susans, Several Species, The Weekapaug Orchestra and The Black Hollies. They have just released "The Bad Blood EP" (2008) with brand new singer and guitarist Will Kelly, shortly after returning from their northeastern winter tour.
www.myspace.com/theflyingeyesmd
THUNDERLIP!!!
THUNDERLIP (North Carolina):
Thunderlip hails from Wilmington, North Carolina infecting the masses with top-shelf rock n roll! Their undeniably catching composite of classic sounds like Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Deep Purple with more contemporary masters like The Hellacopters and Turbonegro has become a favorite of many critics and show-goers over the past few years. Their followers know Thunderlip isn't rehashing anything, but trekking on with the best brand of heavy metal rock they love so much.
Guitarists James Yopp and Micheal McDowell etch each song with smartly-written and expertly-executed guitar harmonies and screaming solos. Bassist Kenny Ells keeps it together with volcanic low ends and attack. Drummer Johnny Collins always gets a round of applause with his scalpel-like precision and 70's rock style. Vocalist Chuck Krueger exudes a charisma that is unforgettable. This snake-faced marauder is a mascot for energetic rock music, complete with wrestling masks, leather clothing, and the occasional cross-dressing moments. There's nothing bashful about this band.
Ready for anything, Thunderlip has no plans to calm down their fun-themed crusade for extreme rock, so look for their name on flyers in your town and get licked by the sound!
www.myspace.com/thunderlip
THE MISHAPS:
www.myspace.com/themishaps
COLOSSUS (North Carolina):
www.myspace.com/thecolossuswillrockyou
THE EXPOTENTIALS:
www.myspace.com/theexpotentials
LONG LIVE DEATH
LONG LIVE DEATH:
Long Live Death play pagan folk music, lit by flickering candlelight, which creeps into your heart, telling secrets and spreading truth. Opening song ‘Awaken ‘ is a perfect statement of intent, calling us to acknowledge our existence and seize our lives back from the mundane. Featuring a strange compelling otherworldly atmosphere throughout, listening to this album is akin to eavesdropping on an occult ceremony, the lyrics weaving strange spells, whilst the music walks through our souls. Every track features magical arrangements, the percussion full of hypnotic power, as cello’s, guitars, and chanted lyrics blend together into a ritualistic whole, painting pictures of ancient glades and ruined towers. Indeed, the lyrics have been chosen with great care, or so it seems, each word as important as the last, no more so than on ‘Two Voices’ or ‘join us’ which draw us deeper into the ceremony. By the time we reach final track ‘Of One’ the everyday world will be far behind and you will be filled with a desire to throw of the yoke of reason, and live far inside the ancient forest, howling at the sky and running naked with old gods. Mesmerising and psychedelic throughout, this is an album for full-moon nights, which has immense power and a fragile beauty in equal measures and will transport you into the timeless realms of the imagination. (Simon Lewis)
www.myspace.com/longlivedeath
UNITED BIBLE STUDIES (Ireland):
Originally formed as a duo with an unhealthy desire to emulate the incredible string band, UBS quickly evolved into a collective and laid the groundwork for the deserted village label and events. Since their formation in winter 2001 they have played and recorded sporadically-never settling on one recording method, never settling on one line-up.
The new album on Deadslackstring "The Shore that Fears the Sea" shows a love of the unadorned beauty of Shirley Collins, Anne Briggs and Vashti Bunyan as well as the work of Current 93, Coil and Sol Invictus. Sparse folk sidles up to a more melodic take on free improv and tales of loss and pagan longing abound. If they could exist anywhere, they would be playing in the green man when Sergeant Howie arrives.
Since their sun worship ritual at The Mór Festival in 2003, the students have increased their activities. The set, which included radical reworkings of of some of their quiet new folk songs has been edging towards a more Pharoah Sanders/ Emperor/ Can hybrid thanks to the new drums and horns helping them to blaze brighter in the northern skye. Live shows throughout Ireland and Britain including the Leechrum Festival have seen them wildly improvise with up to twelve members or play straight trad as a trio. Their philosophy is that all paths are equal, all approaches relevant. Members have sometimes met on stage for the first time.
www.myspace.com/unitedbiblestudies
SHARRON KRAUS (UK):
www.myspace.com/sharronkraus
KOHOUTEK (DC)