I suppose it's getting pretty routine for me to feature Doghouse Records bands on here, and though Minutes Too Far happens to be the one I've chosen to feature now, they won't be the last one. The other band I've chosen to feature is a band called Bristol Park.
Both bands are from where I'm from: Edmond, OK. Well, technically MTF is from Bethany, but that's close enough. I even played basketball against Bethany when I was in Middle School, and lived right by the subdivision in Edmond called "Bristol Park" haha. I've gotten to meet both bands on seperate occasions, and both are as nice as they come. Unfortunately, Bristol Park isn't around anymore. They broke up a couple of years ago. And though they had quite a following in cantral Oklahoma, their legacy unfortunately didn't leave us too many recordings of these guys. I've got a burned Acoustic EP that I downloaded off their old website a few years ago, and this spilt EP I'm about to post, and that's pretty much it. I'd love to get my hands on more of their stuff, but I'm not sure there's much left for me to get ahold of.
Bristol Park always kept a relatively low-profile, which I'm sure wasn't easy, seeing as they were very close friends with the biggest band from Oklahoma since the All-American Rejects: Minutes Too Far. But somehow, they managed to stay relatively obscure, and there's hardly any information or knowledge about them floating around. I know after their break-up, their singer Josh went to play bass for Oh No Not Stereo for a while. But he's no longer in the band, though they've since signed to a major record label. Other than that, I've got nothing.
Check out these 3 tracks from the split EP they did with Minutes Too Far. Specifically, listen to "Ally Ways". I could listen to this song over and over for days on end. You're going to listen to this song and wonder "How the heck did these guys not get HUGE? How are they not MILLIONARES?" And honestly, I don't have the answer. these guys should have been/should be huge. Josh has an amazing voice, and these guys just right fun, energetic pop rock songs. Definitely give them a chance. I can almost guarantee you will be hooked.
http://myspace.com/140135502
http://purevolume.com/bristolpark
From their split EP with Minutes Too Far:
Ally Ways - http://www.sendspace.com/file/nzvzmc
Get Out - http://www.sendspace.com/file/rn1n1t
Anah - http://www.sendspace.com/file/9ged01
Next I wanna talk about the good 'ol boys in Minutes Too Far. Their music is straight-up rock n' roll, with heavy punk edge and influence. They've been around for several years now, playing around Oklahoma and doing a few mini-tours before signing with B& Recordings, an imprint of Doghouse Records. These guys just love to have fun, and they know how to show it. They put out a few EP's and a full-length I've got laying around somewhere I believe over the years. Teir most recent outputs are: their "Let It Roll" LP, that came out last year on Doghouse/B& Recordings; before that, half of "Let It Roll" was released on an EP put out by a local Oklahoma label, Medic Records; and before that was their split EP with Bristol Park.
What I'm going to up from these guys today are their 3 songs from their split with Bristol Park, as well as my favorite Minutes Too Far song of all-time "Gimme' A Reason", which you can find on "Let It Roll." I highly recommend picking up this album. It's unbelievably catchy and fun and would be the perfect soundtrack for a road trip or just a long drive.
I've also included their Bio and some sweet links you should definitely check out haha.
Minutes Too Far bio:
Rock and Roll is Dead, if you ask Minutes Too Far. And they're not happy about it. So what's this quartet from Bethany, Oklahoma doing to revive it? They're packing out shows all along the Midwest with their intense and passionate performances, rocking people’s faces off.
The band sparked to life when then sixth graders Danny Black (front man) and Kris Monier (drummer) started playing punk covers in a garage. They played talent shows and band battles, just for a little fun.
Since then the band has gone through a few member changes, and even some name changes. The current lineup has been playing together since early 2001. They have gone on a national tour, released a self-titled EP, and opened for the likes of Yellowcard, Slick Shoes, and even Quiet Riot.
The band packs an arsenal of catchy punk-rock n’ roll songs that pound your stereo. It’s a creative blend of influences and two-member song writing style that gives them their distinct sound. If these guys rock through your town, check them out. You’ll be back.
http://myspace.com/minutestoofar
http://minutestoofar.com
http://myspace.com/minutes2far (fan page)http://purevolume.com/minutestoofar
What You Don't Know (Could Fill A Book) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/qluxog
Right From Wrong - http://www.sendspace.com/file/k75shu
There's No "I" In New Jersey (no, not a TBS cover) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/4efduo
Gimme' A Reason (i love this song) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/tqh6v0
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy one or both of the bands. I'd love to hear what you think if you'd care to leave a comment haha. :) Thanks
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Relient K Special
This is a band I most likely don't have to tell you about. You either love 'em or hate 'em. They've got a new CD out now that I'm sure a lot of you have already. What I'm not sure you have are a few of the b-sides. I've got more than this, I assureyou, but I just thought I'd upload these and see what you thought. And if you'd like more: Just comment. Say so, and I'll be happy to upload more. I'm still going to be featuring bands every day, but I'm gonna try and mix that in with some sharing of rare music. I hope that makes everyone happy. I know it makes me happy when I find new/rare music from the bands I love haha. So I'm just trying to do for everyone else what so many others have done for me before.
"Fallen Man" is one of the official b-sides of RK's new record"Five Score And Seven Years Ago". I upped the acoustic versionof it. If you don't have the regular, electric version, let me know and I'll up that one too. :)
Here ya go:
Surf Wax America (Weezer Cover) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/1fvf3k
Who I Am Hates Who I've Been (Acoutic) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/5w5vly
Fallen Man (Acoustic) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/xt1s89
Sloop John B - http://www.sendspace.com/file/dl0317
Up & Up (Acoustic) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/dl0317
"Fallen Man" is one of the official b-sides of RK's new record"Five Score And Seven Years Ago". I upped the acoustic versionof it. If you don't have the regular, electric version, let me know and I'll up that one too. :)
Here ya go:
Surf Wax America (Weezer Cover) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/1fvf3k
Who I Am Hates Who I've Been (Acoutic) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/5w5vly
Fallen Man (Acoustic) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/xt1s89
Sloop John B - http://www.sendspace.com/file/dl0317
Up & Up (Acoustic) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/dl0317
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Days Away
Seeing as I've mentioned them several times already in just the couple few days I've had this sucker up and running, I figured I might as well expose you to who the heck it is I'm talking about. I've been talking about Days Away, o' course! Fans of, well, pretty much any band I've featured thus far will thoroughly enjoy this band.
These guys started out on the highly-respected We The People records, who have put out releases from The Starting Line, The Sounds Of Animals Fighting, and Firescape, to name a few, where they released the pop-punk/emo masterpiece "The Feel Of It EP". That caught the attention of the "ever-so-popular" Fueled By Ramen records, home to some of the most highly overrated acts in music inlcuding Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, The Academy Is..., and Paramore, to name a few. After releasing the ESP and LSD EP's, Days Away conjurred up the brilliant, highly under-appreciated "Mapping An Invisible World."
To describe how awesome this album is would be impossible; you simply have to check it out for yourself. The vocals, the melodies, the lyrics (my personal favorite being "Go on, tell me what you think before you think it, and I might believe you"), and just, everything about this album screams "LISTEN TO ME! LISTEN TO ME, PLEASE! I'M BETTER THAN 95% OF THE CRAP OUT THERE, SO LISTEN TO ME ALREADY!" This album can't let you down. As emotional as it is uplifting, this album personifies everything that is great about pop rock music. A bunch of fun, down-to-earth guys making music they have fun making and playing and who love to connect with their fans through their music.
A couple of months ago, Days Away left Fueled By Ramen. Why? Well, have you heard of them? Probably not. But, have you heard of Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco? Well, sure you have. And is Days Away at their worst 100-times better than either of those bands at their best? Most definitely. FBR did not promote this band nearly as much as they deserved, so they left. They're currently recording on their own dime, label-less, and I've got to say: They are hands down the best unsigned band on the market right now. Don't miss out on these guys; give 'em a good listen. Check out "Gods & Mars" if you want a song that'll really catch your ear.
Below I've posted their bio from their myspace, along with some links, as usual, nothing out of the ordinary hah. The 3 songs I posted are all ACE. You can download "God & Mars" and the album-version of "Keep Your Voices Down" on their myspace page, so I posted the DEMO version of Keep Your Voices Down, which basically means it's an older recording made before their actual record came out, and I kind of like it better than the version that actually made it onto the CD. I also posted a song from their first release, "The Feel Of It EP", and a rip of a new song demo they have on their myspace that you can't download on there. A "rip" means I pretty much just stcuk a mic to the speaker while the song was playing a recorded it; that's basically the only way you can actually get your hands on the song. Anyways, I hope you enjoy all this and the band and all the other bands on this blog. I really hope people are reading this. If not, I'm going to feel pretty dumb down the road for doing all this for nothing hah.
Their Myspace bio:
Hermann Hesse once wrote, "Seriousness is an accident of time." While this was written a good forty years before any of the members of Days Away were born, you'd think it would be tattooed backwards on their foreheads after sharing a drink with them at of one of their shows. "We are five serious musicians harnassing years of disciplined musical training in order to throw a huge party every time we play live," says frontman/guitarist Keith Goodwin. "You can be serious about writing and performing music while maintaining the fun in it. It's real important to us to remember why we started doing all this in the first place," Goodwin says.
Days Away's sound changed drastically once keyboardist Tim Arnold switched to drums, solidifying a tight, drum and bass oriented rhythm section along with original bassist Chris Frangicetto. The addition of keyboardist Bryan Gulla upon writing their full length debut Mapping An Invisible World added more depth and layers to the already warm sound of Days Away. The new musicianship along with the introspective and filler-free lyrics of Keith Goodwin struck a chord with curious listeners with ears eager for something new and refreshing.
It did not take long for the constant touring band from the Philadelphia area to win fans over with their energetic, tight live show. With the departure of original guitarist Matt Austin in August of 2005, Days Away stumbled upon an old friend in the deserts of northern Arizona, space cadet/guitarist, Jake Weiss. In a matter of days, the sound was rejuvenated with new energy and the band continues to tour, gain fans, and explore the progression of the Days Away sound.
Check out "Mapping An Invisible World" ASAP
http://myspace.com/daysaway
http://purevolume.com/daysaway (scroll down to the bottom of their list of songs and you'll find a couple songs from one of their FBR EP's available for download)
http://daysawaymusic.com
http://purevolume.com/thegoldenbeargroup/home (you can download a very, very rare demo called "Made It" here--it's an old song that was never on any release and most people don't even know it exists haha)
That's What She Tells Me (from the Feel Of It EP) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/k139he
Keep Your Voices Down (Demo) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/ljxe4s
I'm Sorry I Told You How I Feel (New demo rip) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/92npsd
I've got a TON more rare, non-album tracks from Days Away. If you'd like me to post some more, simply leave me a comment so I can know you care. :)
These guys started out on the highly-respected We The People records, who have put out releases from The Starting Line, The Sounds Of Animals Fighting, and Firescape, to name a few, where they released the pop-punk/emo masterpiece "The Feel Of It EP". That caught the attention of the "ever-so-popular" Fueled By Ramen records, home to some of the most highly overrated acts in music inlcuding Fall Out Boy, Panic! At The Disco, The Academy Is..., and Paramore, to name a few. After releasing the ESP and LSD EP's, Days Away conjurred up the brilliant, highly under-appreciated "Mapping An Invisible World."
To describe how awesome this album is would be impossible; you simply have to check it out for yourself. The vocals, the melodies, the lyrics (my personal favorite being "Go on, tell me what you think before you think it, and I might believe you"), and just, everything about this album screams "LISTEN TO ME! LISTEN TO ME, PLEASE! I'M BETTER THAN 95% OF THE CRAP OUT THERE, SO LISTEN TO ME ALREADY!" This album can't let you down. As emotional as it is uplifting, this album personifies everything that is great about pop rock music. A bunch of fun, down-to-earth guys making music they have fun making and playing and who love to connect with their fans through their music.
A couple of months ago, Days Away left Fueled By Ramen. Why? Well, have you heard of them? Probably not. But, have you heard of Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco? Well, sure you have. And is Days Away at their worst 100-times better than either of those bands at their best? Most definitely. FBR did not promote this band nearly as much as they deserved, so they left. They're currently recording on their own dime, label-less, and I've got to say: They are hands down the best unsigned band on the market right now. Don't miss out on these guys; give 'em a good listen. Check out "Gods & Mars" if you want a song that'll really catch your ear.
Below I've posted their bio from their myspace, along with some links, as usual, nothing out of the ordinary hah. The 3 songs I posted are all ACE. You can download "God & Mars" and the album-version of "Keep Your Voices Down" on their myspace page, so I posted the DEMO version of Keep Your Voices Down, which basically means it's an older recording made before their actual record came out, and I kind of like it better than the version that actually made it onto the CD. I also posted a song from their first release, "The Feel Of It EP", and a rip of a new song demo they have on their myspace that you can't download on there. A "rip" means I pretty much just stcuk a mic to the speaker while the song was playing a recorded it; that's basically the only way you can actually get your hands on the song. Anyways, I hope you enjoy all this and the band and all the other bands on this blog. I really hope people are reading this. If not, I'm going to feel pretty dumb down the road for doing all this for nothing hah.
Their Myspace bio:
Hermann Hesse once wrote, "Seriousness is an accident of time." While this was written a good forty years before any of the members of Days Away were born, you'd think it would be tattooed backwards on their foreheads after sharing a drink with them at of one of their shows. "We are five serious musicians harnassing years of disciplined musical training in order to throw a huge party every time we play live," says frontman/guitarist Keith Goodwin. "You can be serious about writing and performing music while maintaining the fun in it. It's real important to us to remember why we started doing all this in the first place," Goodwin says.
Days Away's sound changed drastically once keyboardist Tim Arnold switched to drums, solidifying a tight, drum and bass oriented rhythm section along with original bassist Chris Frangicetto. The addition of keyboardist Bryan Gulla upon writing their full length debut Mapping An Invisible World added more depth and layers to the already warm sound of Days Away. The new musicianship along with the introspective and filler-free lyrics of Keith Goodwin struck a chord with curious listeners with ears eager for something new and refreshing.
It did not take long for the constant touring band from the Philadelphia area to win fans over with their energetic, tight live show. With the departure of original guitarist Matt Austin in August of 2005, Days Away stumbled upon an old friend in the deserts of northern Arizona, space cadet/guitarist, Jake Weiss. In a matter of days, the sound was rejuvenated with new energy and the band continues to tour, gain fans, and explore the progression of the Days Away sound.
Check out "Mapping An Invisible World" ASAP
http://myspace.com/daysaway
http://purevolume.com/daysaway (scroll down to the bottom of their list of songs and you'll find a couple songs from one of their FBR EP's available for download)
http://daysawaymusic.com
http://purevolume.com/thegoldenbeargroup/home (you can download a very, very rare demo called "Made It" here--it's an old song that was never on any release and most people don't even know it exists haha)
That's What She Tells Me (from the Feel Of It EP) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/k139he
Keep Your Voices Down (Demo) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/ljxe4s
I'm Sorry I Told You How I Feel (New demo rip) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/92npsd
I've got a TON more rare, non-album tracks from Days Away. If you'd like me to post some more, simply leave me a comment so I can know you care. :)
Strikeout Pro
There's nothing I enjoy more than pimping/promoting a local band, and that's exactly what these guys are. But they're not just another "local band"; they are an AMAZING band. Now, I use that word pretty loosely, but I'm dead serious: There is not a better word to describe this band. They're from Toledo, their lead singer's name is Nathan (always a plus :) ), and he has one of the most amazing voices I've ever heard.
If you liked Number One Fan and Copeland from my previous posts, and/or Days Away, Mae, or the All-American Rejects, I'd almost be willing to bet my life that you will adore this band. Every person I've shown them to before now has been blown away, no joke. I fell in love the first time I heard them. Beautiful, passionate music with a slight but not too strong spiritual overtone. I would highly recommend this band to ANY music fan of music in general, not just fans of similar bands. If you just love music itself, you've got to appreciate this band. They are nothing short of stunning.
Unfortunately, these guys have only 1 official EP out, and I don't want to rob them by posting the whole thing on here so, I posted 2 songs, and on their myspace you can hear more of them. Seeing as these guys are local, you'll have plenty of oppurtunities to see them live and pick up an actual copy of the EP. And I highly suggest you do so. These guys are going to be huge.
This is the very informative bio from their Myspace page:
Strike Out Pro is on a mission to give the world a message of love and truth through the sounds of melodic rock. In September '06 SOP released the Here and Now EP recorded and produced by Brennan Willis (The Undeserving, More Than Electric) and mixed by Allen Salmon (This Beautiful Republic, Sanctus Real, Mute Math).
The Title track “Here and Now” comes from Ephesians 5:14 which says …Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. When we are physically asleep we are insensible to any danger that may be near, we are unconscious of what may be going on around us, we can’t hear the voice of our friends, we can’t see beauty in the life around us, and we are left incapable of realizing our own condition. The same goes for a person who is spiritually asleep. When you stop and look around, you’ll find so many friends or people you pass by on the street who are spiritually asleep. You might even find yourself in this state. Often situations arise in our lives that make it easy to just forget what we know is real. But even if we close our eyes and pretend God’s not real, doesn’t mean that He doesn’t exist.
It’s so easy to seek after our own desires and ambitions, or in other words it’s easy to be selfish. If you live just for your own dreams, you’ll soon find yourself spiritually asleep and unaware of the reality that’s all around us. The song “Here and Now” is simply a calling out for people to wake up from the mundane and lifeless state we can all find ourselves in. Even when our dreams fall apart, know that there is a love so incredible, and so overwhelming, that is waiting for us. Can you let go for a love you can’t explain? There’s no reason to wait, you can make a change right here and now.
Please give these guys a listen and support them, they are so good, no joke.
http://myspace.com/strikeoutpro
2 Tracks from their "Here and Now EP"
Don't Turn Your Back - http://www.sendspace.com/file/pg07ft
A Little Ways Away - http://www.sendspace.com/file/uyhkeq
If you liked Number One Fan and Copeland from my previous posts, and/or Days Away, Mae, or the All-American Rejects, I'd almost be willing to bet my life that you will adore this band. Every person I've shown them to before now has been blown away, no joke. I fell in love the first time I heard them. Beautiful, passionate music with a slight but not too strong spiritual overtone. I would highly recommend this band to ANY music fan of music in general, not just fans of similar bands. If you just love music itself, you've got to appreciate this band. They are nothing short of stunning.
Unfortunately, these guys have only 1 official EP out, and I don't want to rob them by posting the whole thing on here so, I posted 2 songs, and on their myspace you can hear more of them. Seeing as these guys are local, you'll have plenty of oppurtunities to see them live and pick up an actual copy of the EP. And I highly suggest you do so. These guys are going to be huge.
This is the very informative bio from their Myspace page:
Strike Out Pro is on a mission to give the world a message of love and truth through the sounds of melodic rock. In September '06 SOP released the Here and Now EP recorded and produced by Brennan Willis (The Undeserving, More Than Electric) and mixed by Allen Salmon (This Beautiful Republic, Sanctus Real, Mute Math).
The Title track “Here and Now” comes from Ephesians 5:14 which says …Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. When we are physically asleep we are insensible to any danger that may be near, we are unconscious of what may be going on around us, we can’t hear the voice of our friends, we can’t see beauty in the life around us, and we are left incapable of realizing our own condition. The same goes for a person who is spiritually asleep. When you stop and look around, you’ll find so many friends or people you pass by on the street who are spiritually asleep. You might even find yourself in this state. Often situations arise in our lives that make it easy to just forget what we know is real. But even if we close our eyes and pretend God’s not real, doesn’t mean that He doesn’t exist.
It’s so easy to seek after our own desires and ambitions, or in other words it’s easy to be selfish. If you live just for your own dreams, you’ll soon find yourself spiritually asleep and unaware of the reality that’s all around us. The song “Here and Now” is simply a calling out for people to wake up from the mundane and lifeless state we can all find ourselves in. Even when our dreams fall apart, know that there is a love so incredible, and so overwhelming, that is waiting for us. Can you let go for a love you can’t explain? There’s no reason to wait, you can make a change right here and now.
Please give these guys a listen and support them, they are so good, no joke.
http://myspace.com/strikeoutpro
2 Tracks from their "Here and Now EP"
Don't Turn Your Back - http://www.sendspace.com/file/pg07ft
A Little Ways Away - http://www.sendspace.com/file/uyhkeq
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Down To Earth Approach
This is one of those bands I could honestly go on and on about. Some of you have probably heard me talk about them before. If not, well, here's a sumary of what my usual rant would be.
These guys make amazing music that relentlessly makes me want to smile when I listen to it. (Just try and sing along to "And we will run around town and it'll feel right" without smiling. If you don't smile, you have no soul. :) ) They also noticably have the potential to one day be making some of the best music available for your listening pleasure. They already write catchy, fun, energetic songs on topics that actually stray beyond girls and relationships; I can't imagine how amazing their new stuff will be.
I'm going to go ahead and make a guarantee right here, right now: "Come Back To You", the album they're currently in the process of recording for Vagrant Records, is going to blow people away. Seriously. Now I love "Another Intervention", their debut album, more than I can possibly explain to you here, but if this new album doesn't turn heads, I'll shave mine. Seriously. I am THAT confident in this band to tell you I will shave my head, and heck, my beard, too, if this new record doesn't make people sit there and just go "Wow." But instead of saying "I wasn't expecting something THIS good", now you can say "I knew this was coming."
Congratulations, folks: You're going to be ahead of the game. You're going to know one of the next big bands in this scene MONTHS before anyone else. That's some serious scene cred there, haha. But seriously, people are going to be talking about this band like crazy here in a few months, and you're going to get to be cooler than everyone else and say "Pssh, I knew about these guys MONTHS ago." So seriously, give these guys a listen. If you like what you hear, pick up "Another Intervention" ASAP, learn every word of it, and go to one of their shows and sing along to every word of it.It's an amazing experience. How do I know? Because I've done it. I mean heck, look at the picture of me in the upper right-hand corner of this website. See that shirt I'm wearing? That's a Down To Earth Approach shirt. No joke. One of the two I own. It even has three elephants on a teeter-totter; how cool is that?
Now go, before I use up any more of your life going on about how great this band is and give 'em a fair chance. They might not blow you away right away, but they should atleast catch your ear, and should certainly be a name you remember in the coming months.
Below I've included the brief bio from their myspace, some links where you can hear some of their tunes, and links to 3 non-album tracks of their's. The first comes from "A Santa Cause: A Punk Rock Christmas 2", which is an original Christmas song they recorded. The next is a remix of their amazing song "Honey & Vinegar" that's on their album "Another Intervention". The last is a Bob Dylan cover they recorded for a Bob Dylan tribute album that came out on Doghouse Records last year.
Brief Myspace bio:
We've been around since the year 2000. We moved to LA in 2001, and started touring in 2004. We've been doing it since! We're on the verge of releasing a new album, our second for Vagrant. It's going to be called "Come Back to you". We started recording in May and June and then went on the ENTIRE Warped Tour. It was quite an experience. We're home in NY now for the rest of the year finishing the album, practicing and playing the occasional show. Our friend Dan joined the band in August after dropping out of college (like the rest of us!). He's playing guitar, keyboard, and singing background vocals. We're really excited about the new record and hope you, the reader, will be as well! It'll be a new world, which we will conquer!
http://myspace.com/downtoearthapproach
http://purevolume.com/downtoearthapproach
http://downtoearthapproach.com
http://absolutepunk.net/downtoearthapproach
(^there you can download an exclusive 3-song Acoustic EP,featuring an acoustic version of "Honey & Vinegar", a cover, and a new song. You can't buy it anywhere, you can only download it there)
Stay (Original Christmas tune) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/d2k3d6
My Back Pages (Bob Dylan cover) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/hggihy
Honey & Vinegar (Remix) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/q6eu3w
These guys make amazing music that relentlessly makes me want to smile when I listen to it. (Just try and sing along to "And we will run around town and it'll feel right" without smiling. If you don't smile, you have no soul. :) ) They also noticably have the potential to one day be making some of the best music available for your listening pleasure. They already write catchy, fun, energetic songs on topics that actually stray beyond girls and relationships; I can't imagine how amazing their new stuff will be.
I'm going to go ahead and make a guarantee right here, right now: "Come Back To You", the album they're currently in the process of recording for Vagrant Records, is going to blow people away. Seriously. Now I love "Another Intervention", their debut album, more than I can possibly explain to you here, but if this new album doesn't turn heads, I'll shave mine. Seriously. I am THAT confident in this band to tell you I will shave my head, and heck, my beard, too, if this new record doesn't make people sit there and just go "Wow." But instead of saying "I wasn't expecting something THIS good", now you can say "I knew this was coming."
Congratulations, folks: You're going to be ahead of the game. You're going to know one of the next big bands in this scene MONTHS before anyone else. That's some serious scene cred there, haha. But seriously, people are going to be talking about this band like crazy here in a few months, and you're going to get to be cooler than everyone else and say "Pssh, I knew about these guys MONTHS ago." So seriously, give these guys a listen. If you like what you hear, pick up "Another Intervention" ASAP, learn every word of it, and go to one of their shows and sing along to every word of it.It's an amazing experience. How do I know? Because I've done it. I mean heck, look at the picture of me in the upper right-hand corner of this website. See that shirt I'm wearing? That's a Down To Earth Approach shirt. No joke. One of the two I own. It even has three elephants on a teeter-totter; how cool is that?
Now go, before I use up any more of your life going on about how great this band is and give 'em a fair chance. They might not blow you away right away, but they should atleast catch your ear, and should certainly be a name you remember in the coming months.
Below I've included the brief bio from their myspace, some links where you can hear some of their tunes, and links to 3 non-album tracks of their's. The first comes from "A Santa Cause: A Punk Rock Christmas 2", which is an original Christmas song they recorded. The next is a remix of their amazing song "Honey & Vinegar" that's on their album "Another Intervention". The last is a Bob Dylan cover they recorded for a Bob Dylan tribute album that came out on Doghouse Records last year.
Brief Myspace bio:
We've been around since the year 2000. We moved to LA in 2001, and started touring in 2004. We've been doing it since! We're on the verge of releasing a new album, our second for Vagrant. It's going to be called "Come Back to you". We started recording in May and June and then went on the ENTIRE Warped Tour. It was quite an experience. We're home in NY now for the rest of the year finishing the album, practicing and playing the occasional show. Our friend Dan joined the band in August after dropping out of college (like the rest of us!). He's playing guitar, keyboard, and singing background vocals. We're really excited about the new record and hope you, the reader, will be as well! It'll be a new world, which we will conquer!
http://myspace.com/downtoearthapproach
http://purevolume.com/downtoearthapproach
http://downtoearthapproach.com
http://absolutepunk.net/downtoearthapproach
(^there you can download an exclusive 3-song Acoustic EP,featuring an acoustic version of "Honey & Vinegar", a cover, and a new song. You can't buy it anywhere, you can only download it there)
Stay (Original Christmas tune) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/d2k3d6
My Back Pages (Bob Dylan cover) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/hggihy
Honey & Vinegar (Remix) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/q6eu3w
Copeland
The next band I'd like to feature is one I think a lot of you haveprobably heard, or atleast heard of, before. Since originating out ofFlorida as Ev Angel, signing to the Militia Group, and changingtheir name, Copeland have been making some of the mostbreathtakingly beautiful music around. Every song on their 3 full-lengths and 5 EPs (including their EP as Ev Angel, their SplitEP with Pacifico, 2 Acoustic EPs, and a EP of covers), has beena gem. I have yet to hear this band go wrong.
And while I haven'texactly devoted the time nor effort into giving their most recent effort "Eat, Sleep, Repeat" the attention I know it deserves, I'm confident enough in Copeland's ability to create stunning, beautiful, creative music to highly recommend this album, as well as theirprevious ones (specifically "Beneath The Medicine Tree") withouthaving listened through it entirely more than twice. That shouldbe proof enough for you of how good they are. Not to mention thatif I were asked to honestly answer the question "Who is the best vocalist you have ever heard?", I would, without hesitation,immediately respond "Aaron Marsh." In case you're wondering who that is, he is Copeland's unbelivably gifted singer and keysongwriter.
All that being said, I hope you give this band a chance. If you likeMae or Death Cab For Cutie or just "pretty music" in general,I can all but guarantee you will fall deeply in love with thisband and their music. Some call it "boring"; I call it "beautiful".It just depends on who you are whether or not you're going to beinto it. Atleast give 'em a shot. And instead of uploading songs from "Eat, Sleep, Repeat", I've instead uploaded the b-side(aka the song they didn't put on "Eat, Sleep, Repeat" for whateverreason) as well as the 3 alternate versions of songs from their2004 effort "In Motion", which were bonus tracks if youdecided to buy the album at Best Buy. So these are all somewhatrare, non-album tracks from the band. To hear album versions ofthe songs, visit the links I provided at the bottom.
Also, if you'd like some more rare, non-album tracks from Copeland, I've got 'em. Simply leave a comment saying you'd liketo get your greedy little hands on 'em and I'll be sure to uploadthem for you. This is kind of a test to see if very many people actuallyread this or not haha.
This is Copeland's bio from their website. A good read if you'reinterested:
It's a problem that has plagued songwriters since the advent of multi-track recording: how do you make something lush and expansive in sound and arrangement yet intimate and relatable in spirit and performance? The answer is found on Copeland's third full-length release, Eat, Sleep, Repeat, a beautifully dense sonic workshop of layered strings, aching melodies, and towering vocals that sounds as if it were made in your living room.
"We wanted everything to be really organic and not really rely on a lot of different programs and MIDI's," explains lead vocalist and songwriter Aaron Marsh. "We wanted to play everything, because we wanted to accent the things about the instrument that you don't think about being musical like fingernails on the keys and bow noise on a violin. We didn't edit out the fret noise on the guitars. We wanted to keep in the stuff that you don't normally think of as musical, because they are part of the instrument and what happens when you play." Guitarist and fellow-songwriter Bryan Laurenson adds, "We focused a lot more on individual parts and moods this time around. We used a lot of instrumentation that we had never tried before." It's a bold and unexpected choice for a band that could choose to simply dazzle with their polished pop acumen, made even more daring by the fact that the Florida quartet was working with the prospect of needing their third release to strike while the commercial iron was hot.
Having spent the last five years building word-of-mouth buzz (at one point playing over 400 shows in the span of a year and a half) the band would have been foolish to endanger the momentum they've accumulated. With their lineup having solidified with Marsh (vocals/guitars/keyboards), Bryan Laurenson (guitars), James Likeness (bass), and Jonathan Bucklew (drums), their sophomore release, 2004's In Motion landed in the CD players of over 100,000 listeners and at the #1 slot on the Billboard Alternative New Artist Chart. They even went on to win Yahoo! Music's 2005 "Who's Next" competition, scrambling to the top of a dogfight between America's very best indie rock bands on the strength of their devoted fan base. For most bands in such a position, the usual script calls for them to take their hard-earned accolades and make only incremental changes to placate their fans. Copeland ultimately refused to participate in that plot. "I pretty much knew going into it that some people are going to like it and some people aren't," Marsh admits, explaining a record that's more sonically challenging, more thematically varied, and more compositionally obtuse. "We didn't set out and say, 'Ok, we want to change this about our sound.' We just wanted not to be lazy and take every idea that we had and build it to its full potential. That meant doing lush orchestration with real players and not programmed strings or anything like that. We've never had real strings on a Copeland record," he beams. "I bought a vibraphone a month and a half before we went to record, and it shows up on three songs. The biggest difference is the lack of rhythm guitar. When we did away with that, it freed us up to record a lot more interesting things, like vibraphone and music box." Put simply by Bucklew, "This is the biggest step that Copeland has ever taken in any one direction." Laurenson relates, "I've never been more proud of a record than I am of Eat, Sleep, Repeat. It is more honest and vulnerable like our first record, and yet it's, musically, a natural progression from our second record. It's the first Copeland release that, when I listen to it, I sometimes find myself singing along as if I were not a member of the band, but rather a listener."
The result is a different kind of indie pop album, one that's over-the-top in its melodic directness, yet retains its DIY craftsmanship. It's the sound of a band stretching itself, from the first moments of tinkling vibraphone, manipulated drums, and sighing strings that open the album ("Where's My Head") through soaring cautionary pop balladry ("Careful Now") and gnarled guitar lines that threaten to strangle airy choruses ("I'm a Sucker for a Kind Word"). No less clear is Marsh's maturation as a songwriter, whether contemplating the state of geopolitical unrest on "I'm Safer on an Airplane" or taking inspiration from an unlikely source for the lost love narrative of "The Last Time He Saw Dorie."
"That one was inspired by the movie Stardust Memories, a Woody Allen film," Marsh says of the song's tragicomic strains. "That film, in particular, I felt, had the same kind of spirit that I was writing from, so I thought it would be cool to put a little Woody Allen homage in there. I've studied his work a lot, and it's really hard to get a grasp on exactly where he stands on stuff, because his movies explore love and faithfulness, and being satisfied with life is something that plagues him and runs through all of his movies."
In the end, it's an album that is as massive as it is immediate, as uncompromising as it is accessible, a sound big enough to fill a stadium but nuanced enough to require headphones. The final challenge for Copeland is likely to be how to retain their intimate relationship with their fans as their profile grows. If the careful dynamics of Eat, Sleep, Repeat are any indication, it's a challenge they're more than capable of meeting.
http://myspace.com/copeland
http://purevolume.com/copeland
http://thecopelandsite.com (check out the FAQ section if you're boredand a hardcore fan of the band. They answer some interesting questions.)
Don't Slow Down (Alt. Version) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/5ocbzx
No One Really Wins (Alt. Version) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/bryahl
You Love To Sing (Alt. Version) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/65a05y
Chin Up (ESR B-Side) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/snan5j
If you by chance choose to download a couple more songs before buying any of their albums, I specifically recommend the tracks "California" (just a simply beautiful, meaningful song I think most everyone can relate to) and "Take Care" (a song that has a deep personal meaning for me in my closest friendship).
And while I haven'texactly devoted the time nor effort into giving their most recent effort "Eat, Sleep, Repeat" the attention I know it deserves, I'm confident enough in Copeland's ability to create stunning, beautiful, creative music to highly recommend this album, as well as theirprevious ones (specifically "Beneath The Medicine Tree") withouthaving listened through it entirely more than twice. That shouldbe proof enough for you of how good they are. Not to mention thatif I were asked to honestly answer the question "Who is the best vocalist you have ever heard?", I would, without hesitation,immediately respond "Aaron Marsh." In case you're wondering who that is, he is Copeland's unbelivably gifted singer and keysongwriter.
All that being said, I hope you give this band a chance. If you likeMae or Death Cab For Cutie or just "pretty music" in general,I can all but guarantee you will fall deeply in love with thisband and their music. Some call it "boring"; I call it "beautiful".It just depends on who you are whether or not you're going to beinto it. Atleast give 'em a shot. And instead of uploading songs from "Eat, Sleep, Repeat", I've instead uploaded the b-side(aka the song they didn't put on "Eat, Sleep, Repeat" for whateverreason) as well as the 3 alternate versions of songs from their2004 effort "In Motion", which were bonus tracks if youdecided to buy the album at Best Buy. So these are all somewhatrare, non-album tracks from the band. To hear album versions ofthe songs, visit the links I provided at the bottom.
Also, if you'd like some more rare, non-album tracks from Copeland, I've got 'em. Simply leave a comment saying you'd liketo get your greedy little hands on 'em and I'll be sure to uploadthem for you. This is kind of a test to see if very many people actuallyread this or not haha.
This is Copeland's bio from their website. A good read if you'reinterested:
It's a problem that has plagued songwriters since the advent of multi-track recording: how do you make something lush and expansive in sound and arrangement yet intimate and relatable in spirit and performance? The answer is found on Copeland's third full-length release, Eat, Sleep, Repeat, a beautifully dense sonic workshop of layered strings, aching melodies, and towering vocals that sounds as if it were made in your living room.
"We wanted everything to be really organic and not really rely on a lot of different programs and MIDI's," explains lead vocalist and songwriter Aaron Marsh. "We wanted to play everything, because we wanted to accent the things about the instrument that you don't think about being musical like fingernails on the keys and bow noise on a violin. We didn't edit out the fret noise on the guitars. We wanted to keep in the stuff that you don't normally think of as musical, because they are part of the instrument and what happens when you play." Guitarist and fellow-songwriter Bryan Laurenson adds, "We focused a lot more on individual parts and moods this time around. We used a lot of instrumentation that we had never tried before." It's a bold and unexpected choice for a band that could choose to simply dazzle with their polished pop acumen, made even more daring by the fact that the Florida quartet was working with the prospect of needing their third release to strike while the commercial iron was hot.
Having spent the last five years building word-of-mouth buzz (at one point playing over 400 shows in the span of a year and a half) the band would have been foolish to endanger the momentum they've accumulated. With their lineup having solidified with Marsh (vocals/guitars/keyboards), Bryan Laurenson (guitars), James Likeness (bass), and Jonathan Bucklew (drums), their sophomore release, 2004's In Motion landed in the CD players of over 100,000 listeners and at the #1 slot on the Billboard Alternative New Artist Chart. They even went on to win Yahoo! Music's 2005 "Who's Next" competition, scrambling to the top of a dogfight between America's very best indie rock bands on the strength of their devoted fan base. For most bands in such a position, the usual script calls for them to take their hard-earned accolades and make only incremental changes to placate their fans. Copeland ultimately refused to participate in that plot. "I pretty much knew going into it that some people are going to like it and some people aren't," Marsh admits, explaining a record that's more sonically challenging, more thematically varied, and more compositionally obtuse. "We didn't set out and say, 'Ok, we want to change this about our sound.' We just wanted not to be lazy and take every idea that we had and build it to its full potential. That meant doing lush orchestration with real players and not programmed strings or anything like that. We've never had real strings on a Copeland record," he beams. "I bought a vibraphone a month and a half before we went to record, and it shows up on three songs. The biggest difference is the lack of rhythm guitar. When we did away with that, it freed us up to record a lot more interesting things, like vibraphone and music box." Put simply by Bucklew, "This is the biggest step that Copeland has ever taken in any one direction." Laurenson relates, "I've never been more proud of a record than I am of Eat, Sleep, Repeat. It is more honest and vulnerable like our first record, and yet it's, musically, a natural progression from our second record. It's the first Copeland release that, when I listen to it, I sometimes find myself singing along as if I were not a member of the band, but rather a listener."
The result is a different kind of indie pop album, one that's over-the-top in its melodic directness, yet retains its DIY craftsmanship. It's the sound of a band stretching itself, from the first moments of tinkling vibraphone, manipulated drums, and sighing strings that open the album ("Where's My Head") through soaring cautionary pop balladry ("Careful Now") and gnarled guitar lines that threaten to strangle airy choruses ("I'm a Sucker for a Kind Word"). No less clear is Marsh's maturation as a songwriter, whether contemplating the state of geopolitical unrest on "I'm Safer on an Airplane" or taking inspiration from an unlikely source for the lost love narrative of "The Last Time He Saw Dorie."
"That one was inspired by the movie Stardust Memories, a Woody Allen film," Marsh says of the song's tragicomic strains. "That film, in particular, I felt, had the same kind of spirit that I was writing from, so I thought it would be cool to put a little Woody Allen homage in there. I've studied his work a lot, and it's really hard to get a grasp on exactly where he stands on stuff, because his movies explore love and faithfulness, and being satisfied with life is something that plagues him and runs through all of his movies."
In the end, it's an album that is as massive as it is immediate, as uncompromising as it is accessible, a sound big enough to fill a stadium but nuanced enough to require headphones. The final challenge for Copeland is likely to be how to retain their intimate relationship with their fans as their profile grows. If the careful dynamics of Eat, Sleep, Repeat are any indication, it's a challenge they're more than capable of meeting.
http://myspace.com/copeland
http://purevolume.com/copeland
http://thecopelandsite.com (check out the FAQ section if you're boredand a hardcore fan of the band. They answer some interesting questions.)
Don't Slow Down (Alt. Version) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/5ocbzx
No One Really Wins (Alt. Version) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/bryahl
You Love To Sing (Alt. Version) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/65a05y
Chin Up (ESR B-Side) - http://www.sendspace.com/file/snan5j
If you by chance choose to download a couple more songs before buying any of their albums, I specifically recommend the tracks "California" (just a simply beautiful, meaningful song I think most everyone can relate to) and "Take Care" (a song that has a deep personal meaning for me in my closest friendship).
Monday, March 5, 2007
Number One Fan
Wow, it took me forever to dig up actual factual (haha that rhymed) information on this band. They aren't around any longer, unfortunately, and when I originally heard of them 2-3 years ago or so, I wasn't all that interested in them. I was just starting to get into the slower, "pretty" music in the vain of Mae and Copeland and such, and nothing stood out to me about this band. Man was I wrong. Listening to "Compromises", their debut and only album under the name Number One Fan and the only album of their's that sounds anything like them (you'll understand what I mean later), has many breathtaking moments and is simply a fun, catchy, beautiful album. For fans of Mae, Days Away, and Jimmy Eat World, for sure.
A couple of years ago, the members of Number One Fan decided to change their name to The Robins. They changed their sound and their look along with it, and I've basically lost all interest in them since. they've since changed their name and sound yet again, as they are now known as the Wildbirds haha. Neither of these projects are nothing to get too excited about in my opinion. They're good and all, just not my cup of tea hah. I'll link you to their respective pages below anyway, just in case you're curious. I've uploaded 3 songs off of their album "Compromises". If you like what you hear, feel free to go out and pick it up. Enjoy!
I was able to find this Bio on them on their label's website:
When you're starting a brand new record label, there's really only one music scene in which to find your first band. And its not the obvious New York, LA, Seattle, London - or even Omaha. Its Appleton, Wisconsin...Rock City. A beautiful, sleepy college town along the Fox River with liquor laws looser than Meg Whites sense of tempo. Population 76,000. Thats where veteran rock manager and Mosaic Media Group partner Pat Magnarella (Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls, The All-American Rejects) found NUMBER ONE FAN...the flagship signing to his new Universal-distributed Pats Record Company label.
Not that he had to look very hard.
Over the last year, NUMBER ONE FAN had created a huge buzz in the indie rock scene the new old-fashioned way: by playing every show in any city they could, lending songs to bedroom label cd compilations, selling thousands of their self-released cds at gigs, and by fervent fans spreading the word (and mp3 files) via instant messages, emails and messageboard posts. Says vocalist/guitarist Nicholas Ziemann, "The internet has been huge for us. So many kids come up to us at shows and tell us they heard about us from a friend online or on a website. It's really cool that we can go play in cities for the first time and already have kids showing up to the show and singing along."
Ziemann formed NUMBER ONE FAN three years ago with guitarist Matthew Reetz and drummer Jonathan Fries while all three were still in high school. After the defection of the bands original bassist a year later, Nicks brother Michael Ziemann bought a Fender P, taught himself how to play and was quickly added to the mix. With the lineup solidified, the band immediately began playing shows regionally, quickly making a name for themselves with their passionate, powerful live performances. Soon Number One Fan found itself getting offered opening slots on shows with like-minded bands including Switchfoot, Something Corporate and The All-American Rejects.
Number One Fans stunning debut album, Compromises, was co-produced by the band members with Justin Perkins and Eric Thielen at Thielens Simple Studios in Green Bay. The album showcases the bands unique brand of ultra-melodic, yet hard-driving pop/rock inspired by the Beach Boys and Beatles records they grew up on, as well as current favorites Counting Crows and Jimmy Eat World. Nicks expressive vocals lead the way, with deeply personal lyrics that will undoubtedly inspire countless LiveJournal entries. On several songs the band adds strings and piano touches to their muscular guitar/bass/drums formula to create complex arrangements.
The band is anxious to get out on the road in anticipation of the May 18, 2004 release of Compromises. They have just been tapped to open for The Juliana Theory on their upcoming spring tour and will be joining the Warped Tour this summer. "Its unbelievable to us that we're going to be on those tours", says drummer Fries. "Last summer we were buying tickets to Warped and now we're going to actually be playing. Its going to be so much fun - there are so many bands playing that we love." The band members are happy to report that despite the amount of time they\'ve logged together in the van already, there have yet to be any Noel and Liam Gallagher style punch-ups between the Ziemann brothers. Give it time, boys. Give it time.
Come On: http://www.sendspace.com/file/acv4et
It's Happening: http://www.sendspace.com/file/inqpzl
Can't Forget: http://www.sendspace.com/file/9tenpu
http://www.myspace.com/2715631
http://purevolume.com/numberonefan
http://numberonefanonline.com
(I couldn't actually find any links about the Robins. Then again, I didn't look very hard.)
check out the Wildbirds here, if you want: http://www.patsrecordcompany.com/artistsdetail.php?id=4
A couple of years ago, the members of Number One Fan decided to change their name to The Robins. They changed their sound and their look along with it, and I've basically lost all interest in them since. they've since changed their name and sound yet again, as they are now known as the Wildbirds haha. Neither of these projects are nothing to get too excited about in my opinion. They're good and all, just not my cup of tea hah. I'll link you to their respective pages below anyway, just in case you're curious. I've uploaded 3 songs off of their album "Compromises". If you like what you hear, feel free to go out and pick it up. Enjoy!
I was able to find this Bio on them on their label's website:
When you're starting a brand new record label, there's really only one music scene in which to find your first band. And its not the obvious New York, LA, Seattle, London - or even Omaha. Its Appleton, Wisconsin...Rock City. A beautiful, sleepy college town along the Fox River with liquor laws looser than Meg Whites sense of tempo. Population 76,000. Thats where veteran rock manager and Mosaic Media Group partner Pat Magnarella (Green Day, Goo Goo Dolls, The All-American Rejects) found NUMBER ONE FAN...the flagship signing to his new Universal-distributed Pats Record Company label.
Not that he had to look very hard.
Over the last year, NUMBER ONE FAN had created a huge buzz in the indie rock scene the new old-fashioned way: by playing every show in any city they could, lending songs to bedroom label cd compilations, selling thousands of their self-released cds at gigs, and by fervent fans spreading the word (and mp3 files) via instant messages, emails and messageboard posts. Says vocalist/guitarist Nicholas Ziemann, "The internet has been huge for us. So many kids come up to us at shows and tell us they heard about us from a friend online or on a website. It's really cool that we can go play in cities for the first time and already have kids showing up to the show and singing along."
Ziemann formed NUMBER ONE FAN three years ago with guitarist Matthew Reetz and drummer Jonathan Fries while all three were still in high school. After the defection of the bands original bassist a year later, Nicks brother Michael Ziemann bought a Fender P, taught himself how to play and was quickly added to the mix. With the lineup solidified, the band immediately began playing shows regionally, quickly making a name for themselves with their passionate, powerful live performances. Soon Number One Fan found itself getting offered opening slots on shows with like-minded bands including Switchfoot, Something Corporate and The All-American Rejects.
Number One Fans stunning debut album, Compromises, was co-produced by the band members with Justin Perkins and Eric Thielen at Thielens Simple Studios in Green Bay. The album showcases the bands unique brand of ultra-melodic, yet hard-driving pop/rock inspired by the Beach Boys and Beatles records they grew up on, as well as current favorites Counting Crows and Jimmy Eat World. Nicks expressive vocals lead the way, with deeply personal lyrics that will undoubtedly inspire countless LiveJournal entries. On several songs the band adds strings and piano touches to their muscular guitar/bass/drums formula to create complex arrangements.
The band is anxious to get out on the road in anticipation of the May 18, 2004 release of Compromises. They have just been tapped to open for The Juliana Theory on their upcoming spring tour and will be joining the Warped Tour this summer. "Its unbelievable to us that we're going to be on those tours", says drummer Fries. "Last summer we were buying tickets to Warped and now we're going to actually be playing. Its going to be so much fun - there are so many bands playing that we love." The band members are happy to report that despite the amount of time they\'ve logged together in the van already, there have yet to be any Noel and Liam Gallagher style punch-ups between the Ziemann brothers. Give it time, boys. Give it time.
Come On: http://www.sendspace.com/file/acv4et
It's Happening: http://www.sendspace.com/file/inqpzl
Can't Forget: http://www.sendspace.com/file/9tenpu
http://www.myspace.com/2715631
http://purevolume.com/numberonefan
http://numberonefanonline.com
(I couldn't actually find any links about the Robins. Then again, I didn't look very hard.)
check out the Wildbirds here, if you want: http://www.patsrecordcompany.com/artistsdetail.php?id=4
Blackpool Lights
Featuring former-Get Up Kid Jim Suptic, Blackpool Lights is a relatively new band that plays music not terribly different than that of the Get Up Kids. I'd say if you're looking for a "This band sounds like:", it's have to be the Get Up Kids, with a dash of Hot Rod Circuit here and there. Definitely check them out. Here's a brief bio from their myspace page, info on their record, some links, and 3 songs from their debut album "This Town's Disaster", which is out now on Curb Appeal Records.
Blackpool Lights are a band from Kansas City, MO. featuring members of The Get Up Kids, The Belles, The Start, Buffalo Saints, and The Creature Comforts. The band was formed in the Fall of 2004 and includes Jim Suptic, Brian Everard, and Billy Brimblecom.
Blackpool Lights' first full length album "This Town's Disaster" will be available everywhere June 20th 2006 from Curb Appeal Records. You can also get the 5 song "Tour Ep" featuring two album tracks, a cover of Starry Eyes (by The Records), and two acoustic versions of songs from the full length.
http://myspace.com/blackpoollights
http://purevolume.com/blackpoollights
http://blackpoollights.com/
This Town's Disaster
Out June 20th, 2006 (Curb Appeal)
1. This Town's Disaster http://www.sendspace.com/file/dcqdo5
2. Blue Skies
3. Empty Tank http://www.sendspace.com/file/qrykvc
4. Maybe Just Maybe http://www.sendspace.com/file/7ilxlb
5. It's Never About What It's About
6. The Truth About Love
7. Goodnight To Romance
8. Crash Sounds
9. Cursed By Yourself
10. Lost Without You
11. Unlucky
(Download 3 of the songs at the links next to the songs)
"Maybe Just Maybe" is my personal favorite and I highly recommend you listen to that song especially.
Blackpool Lights are a band from Kansas City, MO. featuring members of The Get Up Kids, The Belles, The Start, Buffalo Saints, and The Creature Comforts. The band was formed in the Fall of 2004 and includes Jim Suptic, Brian Everard, and Billy Brimblecom.
Blackpool Lights' first full length album "This Town's Disaster" will be available everywhere June 20th 2006 from Curb Appeal Records. You can also get the 5 song "Tour Ep" featuring two album tracks, a cover of Starry Eyes (by The Records), and two acoustic versions of songs from the full length.
http://myspace.com/blackpoollights
http://purevolume.com/blackpoollights
http://blackpoollights.com/
This Town's Disaster
Out June 20th, 2006 (Curb Appeal)
1. This Town's Disaster http://www.sendspace.com/file/dcqdo5
2. Blue Skies
3. Empty Tank http://www.sendspace.com/file/qrykvc
4. Maybe Just Maybe http://www.sendspace.com/file/7ilxlb
5. It's Never About What It's About
6. The Truth About Love
7. Goodnight To Romance
8. Crash Sounds
9. Cursed By Yourself
10. Lost Without You
11. Unlucky
(Download 3 of the songs at the links next to the songs)
"Maybe Just Maybe" is my personal favorite and I highly recommend you listen to that song especially.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Paulson
Paulson is a great melodic indie band on Doghouse Records. The re-release of their debut album "All At Once" is re-mastered and will include 3 new tracks than the original release from One Day Savior Records. I wish I could do an honest "this band sounds like:", but I can't. They're that good. This is the band's bio from their page on the Doghouse Records website.
From the band’s lips to your ears…
“PAULSON formed in New Jersey in 2001. After a few years of playing casually around the state, we signed with Kentucky-based Initial Records in 2004 and released our less-than-stellar first LP Variations. Unfortunately, the historic label went out of business shortly thereafter leaving us on the road without an album.
After some maneuvering, we signed with Long Island-based One Day Savior records, who gave Variations a re-release and also financed our follow-up All At Once in 2005. While without an agent or a manager, we still performed some 400 DIY shows during the last two years, building a dedicated fan base that belied our extremely low-key commercial presence and still confuses industry folks. Yeah, it's ridiculous, we didn't even have an endcap in Best Buy and yet some people like us. Weird. Those in the know had nice things to say about All At Once and within a few months of its release we had picked up a manager, booking agent and the attention of a number of prominent record labels who were interested in resigning us. We were feeling pretty good.
After careful consideration, we chose to sign with NYC-based Doghouse Records. After that we took it to the bank, bitches. About that time, our computer genius synth-player Mike Smeen decided to amicably exit the band to get rich on the corporate dime. It wasn't too bad, though, because our old friend John Guarente was getting tired of crying alone in his apartment every night and said he wanted to play keyboards. And voila! [The reincarnated PAULSON emerged yet again with our first appearance as Doghouse Record’s most recent signing to play this year’s CMJ showcase alongside label mates Jet Lag Gemini, Meg & Dia, Weatherbox, Army of Me and The Honorary Title. And yeah, we totally ruled the night with our rendition of Dirty Dancing’s “I’ve had the time of my life”…we know how to reel in the ladies.]
So now that's us. And Doghouse is going to reissue a remixed & remastered All At Once in March of 2007 complete with a few new tracks. So counting our original demo of Variations, we've released two albums five times on three labels. Is that ridiculous or what? Write some new songs already!"
Be sure to pick up "All At Once", in stores tomorrow, March 6, 2007.
Track Listing:
1. Voids
2. Under Crowns
3. Calling on You
4. Window Frames
5. Slow Down
6. Programs
7. Miami Current
8. Not by a Long Shot
9. Break Me In
10. Ultra-High
11. Just Shy
12. I Knew You When
13. What Are You
http://myspace.com/paulson
http://purevolume.com/paulson
http://paulsonisaband.com
Download the first 3 tracks from "All At Once" at these links:
Voids: http://www.sendspace.com/file/g4hifh
Under Crowns: http://www.sendspace.com/file/kio6an
Calling on You: http://www.sendspace.com/file/0qqttl
Paulson is performing this Friday, March 9th, in Toledo, first for free at Culture Clash, where you can receive a coupon for 50% off a shirt at their performance later that same night at Headliner's. More information on their myspace page.
Enjoy! :)
From the band’s lips to your ears…
“PAULSON formed in New Jersey in 2001. After a few years of playing casually around the state, we signed with Kentucky-based Initial Records in 2004 and released our less-than-stellar first LP Variations. Unfortunately, the historic label went out of business shortly thereafter leaving us on the road without an album.
After some maneuvering, we signed with Long Island-based One Day Savior records, who gave Variations a re-release and also financed our follow-up All At Once in 2005. While without an agent or a manager, we still performed some 400 DIY shows during the last two years, building a dedicated fan base that belied our extremely low-key commercial presence and still confuses industry folks. Yeah, it's ridiculous, we didn't even have an endcap in Best Buy and yet some people like us. Weird. Those in the know had nice things to say about All At Once and within a few months of its release we had picked up a manager, booking agent and the attention of a number of prominent record labels who were interested in resigning us. We were feeling pretty good.
After careful consideration, we chose to sign with NYC-based Doghouse Records. After that we took it to the bank, bitches. About that time, our computer genius synth-player Mike Smeen decided to amicably exit the band to get rich on the corporate dime. It wasn't too bad, though, because our old friend John Guarente was getting tired of crying alone in his apartment every night and said he wanted to play keyboards. And voila! [The reincarnated PAULSON emerged yet again with our first appearance as Doghouse Record’s most recent signing to play this year’s CMJ showcase alongside label mates Jet Lag Gemini, Meg & Dia, Weatherbox, Army of Me and The Honorary Title. And yeah, we totally ruled the night with our rendition of Dirty Dancing’s “I’ve had the time of my life”…we know how to reel in the ladies.]
So now that's us. And Doghouse is going to reissue a remixed & remastered All At Once in March of 2007 complete with a few new tracks. So counting our original demo of Variations, we've released two albums five times on three labels. Is that ridiculous or what? Write some new songs already!"
Be sure to pick up "All At Once", in stores tomorrow, March 6, 2007.
Track Listing:
1. Voids
2. Under Crowns
3. Calling on You
4. Window Frames
5. Slow Down
6. Programs
7. Miami Current
8. Not by a Long Shot
9. Break Me In
10. Ultra-High
11. Just Shy
12. I Knew You When
13. What Are You
http://myspace.com/paulson
http://purevolume.com/paulson
http://paulsonisaband.com
Download the first 3 tracks from "All At Once" at these links:
Voids: http://www.sendspace.com/file/g4hifh
Under Crowns: http://www.sendspace.com/file/kio6an
Calling on You: http://www.sendspace.com/file/0qqttl
Paulson is performing this Friday, March 9th, in Toledo, first for free at Culture Clash, where you can receive a coupon for 50% off a shirt at their performance later that same night at Headliner's. More information on their myspace page.
Enjoy! :)
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