Category: All Ages

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Silverstein with Senses Fail

Silverstein

The fifteen year career of Silverstein has firmly established the group as an institution within an industry characterized by flux and mercurial vogue. Once again we are reminded that since their inception in 2000, the band’s commitment to innovation remains unfaltering.

Leading the rise of aggressive, melodic punk to the forefront of our attention, the band cultivated a sound and work ethic that has brought them from basements and community centers in Burlington, ON, to main stages, and global festivals. The success of the group’s debut full-length, When Broken Is Easily Fixed (Victory 2003), marks a paradigm of the musical American (Canadian) Dream, as the band found themselves sharing both a label and countless stages with their musical idols. The marriage of melody and aggression on this effort and others since, cemented the band within an influential position of their own.

The subsequent success of Discovering the Waterfront, and Arrivals and Departures can be credited to the aforementioned zeal for innovation, and work ethic, culminating in a 25th spot on Billboard’s top 100, a Juno nomination, and alternative music fame. A Shipwreck in the Sand, Rescue, and This is How the Wind Shifts anticipate and facilitate the latest from a group disinterested with creative complacency as Silverstein now enters yet another chapter of their decorated career. “We have gotten better as musicians and songwriters. We want to deliver better songs each time,” Paul Koehler promises. “We have so much more to offer. Our last record was our best record to date and we can do ever better this time. We’re proud of that and we’re going to work really hard to achieve it.”

The journey from Burlington to over 40 countries manifests itself in the sounds of six full-length albums, countless EPs, and singles- though perhaps never more saliently than it is heard now. Some 1,760 shows, and over one million albums sold have yet to satiate the dynamic five piece, nor their eager listeners worldwide.

Senses Fail

Comprising vocalist James “Buddy” Nielsen, guitarists Dave Miller and Garrett Zablocki, bassist Michael Glita (former percussionist for Tokyo Rose), and drummer Dan Trapp, New Jersey outfit Senses Fail developed a slick amalgam of post-hardcore chuggery and emo heartbreak that recalled fellow New Jersey-based group Saves the Day. Formed in 2002 in Bergen County, Senses Fail quickly issued a debut EP and began gigging regularly while maintaining a thriving Internet presence. Drive-Thru Records took notice and signed the group in late 2002. A revamped version of the From the Depths of Dreams EP appeared in April 2003; it featured improved sound, one new song, and an acoustic version of the track “Ground Folds.” A tour with the Used wrapped up the year in successful fashion, while From the Depths of Dreams cracked the Billboard 200 and helped poise Senses Fail for a commercial breakthrough.

After more heavy touring and a bit of label drama, 2004’s Let It Enfold You — named after a Charles Bukowski poem — was released that September through Vagrant/Drive-Thru; a deluxe edition with bonus tracks arrived one year later. The band also contributed a cover of Suicidal Tendencies‘ “Institutionalized” for 2005’s Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland video game soundtrack. Relentless touring persisted before the bandmates began work on their sophomore effort, which saw Senses Fail hitting the studio in May 2006 with producer Brian McTernan (Thrice, Cave In) and a new guitarist, Heath Saraceno (the former Midtownmember wound up permanently replacing Miller, who’d previously left the group). A main-stage spot on the American Warped Tour helped the revised band hone its chops, as did a stint with the Taste of Chaos tour in the U.K. Both appearances led up to the release of the explosive Still Searching, which deemphasized the band’s screaming vocals in favor of an energetic, emo-tinged sound.

Bassist Mike Glita left the lineup one year later, and Hot Water Music‘s Jason Black climbed aboard as a temporary replacement during the recording of Life Is Not a Waiting Room, which arrived in October 2008. The following year, guitarist Heath Saraceno announced he was leaving the band. He was replaced by Zack Roach, and shortly afterwards the band returned to the studio. In 2010, their fourth album, The Fire, was released on Vagrant. The group’s fifth studio long-player, the well-received Renacer, was the first Senses Fail album to not feature founding memberGarrett Zablocki, and would be the last outing with longtime drummer Dan Trapp. In 2015 the band inked a deal with Pure Noise Records and released Pull the Thorns from Your Heart.

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The Soul Rebels

2014 was an explosive year for THE SOUL REBELS riding high from touring four continents including Europe, Australia for the second year, debuting in China, selling out shows in New York City, collaborating with artists spanning from Joey Bada$$, Big Freedia, Lotus and The String Cheese Incident to sharing stages with Kanye West, The Allman Brothers Band, Gary Clarke Jr., John Mayer, Jack White, Dave Mathews and Disclosure. Closing out the year, The Soul Rebels toured with Trombone Shorty and returned home to record the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival’s official soundtrack, quoted by the iconic festival as “Soul Rebels, the soundtrack of Jazz Fest 2015”.

How do you follow up a year like that? As only The Soul Rebels can, with a jam packed plan for 2015 featuring touring with Umphrey’s McGee and Michael Franti, shows with Lettuce, Soulive and Joey Bada$$, collaborations, major festival appearances world-wide, recording a new album produced by Eric Krasno and an annual residency with special guests Rakim, Pharoahe Monch and Black Thought of The Roots at New York City’s Brooklyn Bowl.

The Soul Rebels started with an idea – to expand upon the pop music they loved on the radio and the New Orleans brass band tradition they grew up on. They took that tradition and blended funk and soul with elements of hip hop, jazz and rock. The band has settled on an eight-piece lineup that can be heard on their international debut release Unlock Your Mind. The Soul Rebels built a career around an eclectic live show that harnesses the power of horns and drums in the party like atmosphere of a dance club. When not touring, The Soul Rebels’ weekly show at New Orleans’ Le Bon Temps Roulé is known to erupt with the kind of contagious, shout-along musical mayhem that The Rebels bring with them wherever they perform.

On their travels, The Soul Rebels have collaborated live and played with notable artists and bands including Metallica, Green Day, Maceo Parker, Galactic, Slick Rick, Trombone Shorty, Joey Bada$$, Rakim, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Big Freedia, The String Cheese Incident, Rahzel, Pharoahe Monch, Styles P of The Lox, Eric Krasno, Suzanne Vega and John Medeski as well as being billed on shows with Snoop Dogg, Alabama Shakes, Estelle, Cee Lo Green, Arcade Fire, Ice Cube, George Clinton, Shaggy and many others.

The Soul Rebels have been a mainstay at festivals all over the world, from the stages at Bonnaroo, SXSW, Outside Lands, to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Electric Forest and Austin City Limits, to recent festival appearances at the Bryon Bay Bluesfest in Australia, Shanghai Jazz Festival in China and the Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Soul Rebels continue to chart new territory as they combine topnotch musicianship and songs with grooves that celebrate life in the time-honored New Orleans style.

“The Soul Rebels, New Orleans’ finest brass ensemble…” –VICE

“The Soul Rebels are the missing link between Public Enemy and Louis Armstrong.” –VILLAGE VOICE

“New Orleans’ top-shelf brass ensemble The Soul Rebels…wind-wielding wizardry of New Orleans’ finest.” –OKAYPLAYER

“Brace yourselves folks, these men are quickly solidifying themselves amongst NOLA’s proud big brass elite… and seem intent to sublimate the homogenoustones of the contemporary urban music landscape with the lush instrumentation of our culture’s root.” –OKAYPLAYER

“The Soul Rebels are rebelling against one, albeit detestable thing: starchy paint-by-numbers music.” –VIBE

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GWAR with Battlecross, Silenmara, Daybreak Embrace

GWAR is a satirical thrash metal/punk band formed in 1985-1986 by a group of artists and musicians at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. The band is perhaps best known for their elaborate sci-fi/horror film inspired costumes, raunchy lyrics, and graphic stage performances, which can consist of scatology, sadomasochism, necrophilia, paedo-necrophilia, beastio-necrophilia, fire dancing, fake pagan rituals, mock executions/mutilations, and other controversial violent and political themes. GWAR was, for a long time, on the leading edge of shock rock, going as far as appearing on Jerry Springer in character and in full costume during the mid-1990s.

The band was the result of the collaboration between Hunter Jackson and Dave Brockie, then the singer for a punk band called Death Piggy. Jackson was working on a movie at the time the two met. The movie, entitled Scumdogs of the Universe, featured a plot involving terrifying intergalactic barbarians. Jackson and Brockie combined their ideas, re-named the band Gwar, and have been performing as ghoulish intergalactic warriors ever since. Their costumes are generally made of foam latex, styrofoam, and hardened rubber. It should be noted that the costumes they are wearing actually cover very little with the rest of their bodies being accentuated with makeup. They further their production in concert by dousing, spraying, and at times nearly drowning their audiences with imitation blood, semen, gore, and other bodily fluids. All the fluids are made of water and dye that washes out easily. It is rumored that corn syrup or a similar product has been used as a thickener.

Another trademark of GWAR’s live show is their mutilations of celebrities and figures in current events. Victims of GWAR’s antics have included O.J. Simpson, George W. Bush, Paris Hilton, and many others. The band also makes frequent references to political and historical figures, fantasy literature, and mythology. For instance, the song “Whargoul” makes reference to Minas Morgul, a setting in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings books; and the title of their sixth album, Ragnarok, comes from Norse mythology.

GWAR, though by no means a small-time band, have not enjoyed as much mainstream recognition as many other bands. Around the time of their second album (Scumdogs of the Universe), they enjoyed a fair deal of success, due in part to Beavis and Butt-head. After that, however, GWAR’s popularity waned and they were even featured on the VH1 program “Where Are They Now.” Though not at the peak of their popularity, GWAR was recently invited to play on the Sounds of the Underground tour, which was very well received.

Gwar were, at one time, banned from performing in their home city of Richmond, Virginia due to their raucous stage performances. During that time they would appear in their home town under the pseudonym Rawg and play sans costumes. The ban was later lifted and the band can now play in Richmond again in full gory attire. GWAR was banned earlier in North Carolina for obscenity reasons (Brockie was arrested for wearing his “Cuttlefish of Cthulu” prosthetic penis; this incident was the inspiration for GWAR’s America Must Be Destroyed album). Band members and associates often have cookouts at their house, dubbed “Gwar-BQ’s.” The video for “Saddam a Go-Go” from This Toilet Earthappeared in the hit movie Empire Records. Gwar was/is primarily a band of former art students, and this is reflected in the obscure references made in some of their songs. Gwar fans are known as Bohabs or Scumdogs.

The origin and meaning of the band’s name has been left intentionally vague by its members, although the most widely accepted explanation (though false and denied by the band members) is that GWAR is an acronym for “God What an Awful Racket!” One rumor states that the name may have come from Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ graphic novel Watchmen, in which a poster reads, “Pink Triangle LIVE at the Gay Women Against Rape Benefit Concert.” Other unsubstantiated rumors state that GWAR! is the sound monsters make in old horror movies, or that a fan at a club yelled “You should call your band…” and vomited before he could finish, making a sound close to the word GWAR. A final possibility, and the most viable as of yet, coming from sources close to the band suggests strongly that the name comes from the answer David Brockie gave to Hunter Jackson when asked what the band should be called. David Brockie simply responded with a mostly unintelligble word and isolated a single sound out of the rubble therefore creating GWAR.

On Sunday March 23, 2014, Brockie was found dead in his apartment by a band member. According to police, Brockie was found deceased and sitting upright in a chair. Foul play, drugs, and suicide have been ruled out as causes of death and they will await word from a medical examiner on the cause.
Gwar’s management confirmed the reports of Brockie’s death on the official Gwar website at 4am on March 24, 2014. In an official statement released later that day, Gwar’s manager Jack Flanagan said “It is with a saddened heart, that I confirm my dear friend Dave Brockie, artist, musician, and lead singer of GWAR passed away at approximately 6:50 PM EST Sunday March 23, 2014. His body was found Sunday by his band mate at his home in Richmond, VA. Richmond authorities have confirmed his death and next of kin has been notified. A full autopsy will be performed. He was 50 years old, born August 30, 1963. My main focus right now is to look after my band mates and his family. More information regarding his death shall be released as the details are confirmed.” News of Brockie’s death spread quickly with many of his fellow musical peers and bandmates responding through social media.
Mike Bishop, former member of Gwar, was one of the first to confirm Brockie’s death. Bishop said “Dave was one of the funniest, smartest, most creative and energetic persons I’ve known. He was brash sometimes, always crass, irreverent, he was hilarious in every way. But he was also deeply intelligent and interested in life, history, politics and art. His penchant for scatological humors belied a lucid wit. He was a criminally underrated lyricist and hard rock vocalist, one of the best, ever! A great front man, a great painter, writer, he was also a hell of a bass guitarist. I loved him. He was capable of great empathy and had a real sense of justice.”

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Falling In Reverse and Attila

Falling In Reverse

Fronted by former Escape the Fate frontman Ronnie Radke, Falling in Reverse is a post-hardcore band based out of Nevada. The band was formed by Radke while he was serving time in Nevada’s High Desert State Prison for a 2008 parole violation. While imprisoned, Radke recruited guitarists Derek Jones and Jacky Vincent, drummer Ryan Seaman, and bassist Mika Horiuchi to help him realize the musical vision he was creating in his head while behind bars, meeting with his bandmates during visiting hours and spending the rest of his time writing. After serving two-and-a-half years of a four-year sentence, Radke was released in late 2010, and the band set to work on their debut, bringing the driving, melodic sound to life in 2011 with the release of The Drug in Me Is You. Radke and co. returned to the studio in 2012 to record their sophomore release, Fashionably Late. Released in mid-2013, the album saw the band adding hip-hop and electronic elements to their original post-hardcore sound. Heavier and more screamo-oriented, the band’s third studio long player, Just Like You, followed in early 2015.

 

Attila

Party-hearty death metal rockers Attila formed while in high school in their hometown of Atlanta in 2005, around the core of founders Chris “Fronz” Fronzak (vocals) and Sean Heenan (drums). The band played parties and festivals in and around Atlanta. Their first long-player, 2007’s Fallacy on Statik Factory Records, has been an underground favorite since its release. Their second album, 2008’s aptly named Soundtrack to a Party, was also issued on Statik Factory; it garnered the same praise as its predecessor. Attila’s popularity on the death metal scene is due in part to creating their own ironically named subgenre called “Party Death Metal.” Rather than take themselves seriously — as nearly every other practitioner of the hardcore punk-meets-extreme metal prowess called death metal is wont to do — Attila take a lighthearted, laid-back party animal approach, writing utterly ridiculous lyrics to accompany their fast and furious thrashing. The band has toured with Arsonists Get All the Girls, See You Next Tuesday, Chelsea Grin, American Me, and We Are the End. The band’s personnel changed considerably during its formative years and finally stabilized in 2008 with Heenan and Fronz, bassist Paul Ollinger, and guitarists Nate Salameh and Chris Linck. Artery Recordings was formed by the partnership between Artery Management and Razor & Tie, who’d heard about Attila via Chelsea Grin. Label boss Mike Milford saw them perform on the Grand Slam tour in 2009 and signed them. Rage, their debut recording for Artery, appeared in 2010. Produced by Joey Sturgis (We Came as Romans, the Devil Wears Prada), Outlawed arrived in 2011, followed in 2013 by About That Life. The band’s sixth studio long-player, the Sturgis-produced Guilty Pleasure, arrived the following year.

 

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Motion City Soundtrack and The Wonder Years

When Motion City Soundtrack formed in Minneapolis in 1997 there was a sense of fun that threaded through everything that involved the band. That youthful glee, the feeling that everything was exciting and anything was possible, has been inevitably dampened over the years. On their sixth album,Panic Stations, MCS found that feeling again. The process of creating the new songs, which open a new chapter in the band’s storied career, was based on instinct and openness, a methodology that resulted in a buoyant, impassioned record.

“When we were all younger it was like we just wrote and made music,” frontman Justin Pierre says. “We would get together in the practice space and just start playing. Somebody would start and everyone else would join in. And we started overthinking everything slowly over time. This was about trying to forget everything we’d learned and going back to the fresh, new feeling. Once the music is written and recorded, you can get back to the other, more complicated aspects of being in a band.”

Panic Stations was recorded in June of 2014 after MCS finished touring on their last album, Go. The band had begun writing the music while on Warped Tour, initially just for fun, and eventually found themselves with a collection of songs. There was no preconceived vision or theme, just the underlying goal to create music the band enjoyed playing together in one room. To help capture the energy of MCS’ live show, the band enlisted producer John Agnello, who’s helmed albums by Dinosaur Jr., Jawbox, Walt Mink and Sonic Youth.

“John made records that caught our attention decades ago and have continued to inspire us to this day,” Matt Taylor says. “From the first conversation that we had with him we were excited and intrigued by his energy and ideas. He was able to remove us from our comfort zone and encourage us to track our album live in two short weeks.”

Agnello suggested the band record the tracks for the album live – something the band had never done before. “Even fans have said we sound better live than we do on record,” Pierre says. “So we decided to try it and capture that kind of feeling. We rehearsed the shit out of these songs. We knew them and we played them over and over again. We recorded them in 14 days, which is the shortest amount of time we’ve spent on a record.”

That experience, which took place at Minnesota’s Underbelly North recording studio (formerly known as Pachyderm Studio where Nirvana recordedIn Utero), was like a catharsis for the band, liberating them from any stagnancy that has built up in the past few years. “Going forward I hope to record everything live,” Pierre notes. “It was so much fun. And there are lovely mistakes that happen – they sound so good you just want to keep them.”

The final album, named after nautical structures that act as warning posts in the oceans, centers on not overthinking, something Pierre and his bandmates have a tendency to do. The singer wasn’t necessarily trying to convey anything specific in his lyrics, which are typically insightful and narratively wry. Instead, he wrote whatever came to him and then looked backward to see what topics arose. Many of the songs reference water and the ocean, and there is an overarching idea of letting go and not being immobilized by your own thoughts. Pierre also drew on an array of literary influences in his lyrics. Rollicking number “Heavy Boots” pulls from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and A Million Little Pieces, and if you listen closely to the album familiar aspects from pop culture are apparent.

The music itself is invigorated and propulsive. “Lose Control” builds into an intense, emotionally raw chorus that mirrors Pierre’s plea to relinquish control while “TKO” pares the music down to its lively rock ‘n’ roll core, focusing on the deft combination of guitars and rhythms and revealing the fervor of MCS’ live performance. “Over It Now,” a raucous standout, amps up that performative energy, reminding fans of the band’s infectious enthusiasm for the stage, which the band bought on tour recently for their successful 10 year anniversary tour of Commit This To Memory.

Panic Stations is as exciting to listen to as it was for the musicians to make. The feeling of their renewed pleasure for the craft resonates through each note and lyric, leaving you just as inspired as they sound. “We realized this is so much fun,” Pierre says. “We’re just having fun again. It’s not that we weren’t before, but everything seems so fresh and new on this album. I feel like Go is the end of one thing and Panic Stations is the beginning of another, and it’s exciting to get to open the next chapter of Motion City Soundtrack’s career.”

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Vital Remains

Created in 1988 by guitarist Paul Flynn, Vital Remains’ first line-up of guitarist Butch Machado, vocalist Mike Flynn, bassist Tom Supkow, and drummer Chris Dupont. Searching for better musicians, they added guitarist Tony Lazaro and vocalist Jeff Gruslin to the band. From there the band became a driving force in the local death metal scene. Lazaro and Flynn shared the writing duties in these early days.

Soon after their formation, the band released a pair of demos (1989’s Reduced to Ashes and 1990’s Excruciating Pain) which led to a contract with French label Thrash Records, who in turn released the single The Black Mass in 1991. Shortly after the release of the single, which proved to be the band’s first and only release with the label, the band signed to Peaceville’s subsidiary, Deaf Records. A pair of releases followed for thePeaceville label, 1992’s Let Us Pray and 1995’s Into Cold Darkness. However, after poor distribution and a lack of promotion from the label, the band requested that their contract be dissolved. At this stage, in 1997, the band’s founder, Paul Flynn left Vital Remains.

Two years later the band signed a two-album deal with French label Osmose Records. In order to complete the line-up . Dave Suzuki was brought in. This led to the release of 1997’s ‘Forever Underground’. VITAL REMAINS toured throughout the states in 1997 and overseas this year being held reign as ‘The Fassest Metal band on Stage with Unbelievable Wind-mills of satanic fury” by Metal Maniacs Magazine. and 2000’s Dawn of the Apocalypse, the latter of which marked a significant step towards a new, heavier sound which would become more prominent on their following albums.

Vocalist Thorns (Timothy Donovan), who had handled vocal duties on Dawn of the Apocalypse, was soon fired from the band. Joe Lewis explained in an interview, “We liked what he had to offer as a vocalist but we were not happy at all with his activities outside the band that included drugs and alcohol. We did not want to let these problems interfere with our band so we fired him. But we were happy with his performance on the album. He did do a great job with the vocals.” Thorns’ dismissal from the band led to the addition in 2003 of Deicide frontman Glen Benton on vocals along with original member Tony Lazaro on guitars and Dave Suzuki on drums, and lead guitars. The band’s first album with Benton, 2003’s Dechristianize, was released to much critical acclaim. The band’s next album, released in 2007, was Icons of Evil. Vital Remains also put out its first live DVD, Evil-Death-Live, the same year, in Europe on 9 July, and in the US on 31 July through Polish label Metal Mind Productions.

Since Dave Suzuki’s dismissal from the band, Vital Remains have been touring endlessly with frequent lineup changes for five years, with original member Tony Lazaro and bassist Gaeton “Gator” Collier being the only two members remaining in the band and keeping it as active as possible. Tony has stated in several interviews in 2012-2013 that he’s been writing lots of new songs and has “two albums worth of material”. In October 2014, Vital Remains announced they were seeking a lead guitarist, again delaying new album’s release to 2015, and were also joined by new drummer James Payne (ex Hours of Penance).

Toronto based Dean Arnold age 18, of Primal Frost ( Vocalist and Guitarist) has become the lead guitarist of the band. Vital Remains will be on tour from May 7th through April 19 with lead guitarist Dean Arnold. The band’s tour will be at places such as Chile, Brazil and U.S.A.

The band has started the writing process and will record the new album after their European summer tour. The new work should be published in October/November 2015.

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Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime with Sun-Dried Vibes

The phenomenon known as Sublime, arguably the most energetic, original and uniquely eclectic band to emerge from any scene, anywhere, ended with the untimely death of lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Brad Nowell in May of 1996. But encompassing the sense of place and purpose long associated with Sublime’s music, Badfish, a Tribute to Sublime continues to channel the spirit of Sublime with a fury not felt for some time. What separates Badfish from other tribute bands is that they have replicated Sublime’s essence, developing a scene and dedicated following most commonly reserved for label-driven, mainstream acts. Badfish make their mark on the audience by playing with the spirit of Sublime. They perform not as Sublime would have, or did, but as Badfish does!

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Kamelot with Dragonforce

Thomas Youngblood founded KAMELOT and quickly released their debut album Eternity. The press praised the album as one of most promising debuts of all time. The successor Dominion hit the stores, with an opus that was even more diverse and varied than the debut. Later on KAMELOT’s video ‘The Haunting’ and ‘March of Mephisto’ became huge hits on YouTube and prompted the band to launch their own YouTube channel, aptly titled KamTV.  KamTV’s initial launch hurled the band into YouTube’s top 10 music channels and #1 Metal Channel, transcending all genres. With the release of The Black Halo, KAMELOT started on a headliner tour in Europe, North American, Japan and Brazil, with countless festivals around the globe.  Following the hugely successful album, KAMELOT released their first live DVD, called One Cold Winter’s Night. The DVD was heralded by the press and fans alike and set a new standard for DVDs in the genre. Subsequently, KAMELOT presented themselves more sinister and soulful but have now returned to the melodic aspects of their multi-layered sound with the album, Silverthorn.  Silverthorn went directly to the top, debuting at the #1 position on Amazon’s Heavy Metal Chart! Along with this amazing accomplishment, KAMELOT also impacted major charts in other categories including the #9 position on Billboard’s Hard Rock Chart, #24 on the Rock Charts, #79 on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart, as well as appearing on multiple international charts.

It’s astonishing to realize that DragonForce now have a history going back 15 years. But such is the pace at which music and life move these days that what was seemingly a highly promising young British metal band just yesterday are now an established full force on the scene. In fact, their reputation is such that anything new from this lot is regarded as a landmark moment in the ongoing story of metal. But DragonForce is a revelation, one that will surely prove them to reach another level of achievement. The band is full of command, energy and vitality.  They have strength in depth and breadth. Sophistication allied to an attention to detail that goes beyond what’s been done before.

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Matt and Kim with Deaf Poets

Brooklyn indie dance duo Matt and Kim just released New Glow, the band’s latest full length album.  Matt and Kim, aka Matt Johnson (vocals/keyboards) and Kim Schifino (drums), get things rolling in their exuberant style with a performance lyric video for the song “Get It”: Three minutes and seven seconds of heaven for anyone who has, or hasn’t yet, seen Matt and Kim’s legendary live shows.  With New Glow, the duo who love hip-hop and pop have made an album of undeniably catchy beat-driven anthems with hooks that just don’t stop and just won’t leave your head. “The best era of music is right now and I believe we’re doing our best work yet.” says Matt.  “Anyone who has seen one of our shows knows we love any style of music you can have fun and get wild to. I’m not sure we were able to put that diversity on any of our albums the way we did on New Glow. While there are definitely songs that will feel familiar to people who know our stuff, there are also songs like “Get It” which have always been part of who we are but went unrecorded to this point. We helped edit a lyric video for “Get It”, using live footage from a handful of festivals and shows we played in the last couple years. Going through that footage really made it hard to believe how lucky we are to have the best f**king job in the world.”  The two met while attending Pratt Institute and quickly became known for their thunder-punching, melodic mix of indie and dance music. Right off, Spin said “there truly is no sound these two won’t use to support their almost religious commitment to spreading huge grins,” while Pitchfork described their quality as “melody so happily jerky and rhythms so dangerously spastic that you can practically hear paroxysmal crowds pogo-ing madly…Johnson sings, and thousands of other kids in his zip code (and others like it around the country) feel like he’s describing their Saturday nights.”  Previously, Matt and Kim’s video for “Lessons Learned,” in which they strip naked in Times Square on a very cold February day, won an MTV Music Award for “Breakthrough Video.” All the while they toured the globe, becoming the go-to band for raw exuberance, bombastic beats, sing-along refrains and dance-ready anthems on larger and larger scales. They’ve performed at many, many major music festivals including Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Coachella, Firefly, Summerfest, Big Day Out, Fuji, V, Pukkelpop and Ultra.

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Periphery with Nothing More, Wovenwar, Thank You Scientist

Periphery is an American progressive metal band from Bethesda, Maryland formed in 2005. The band is known for their heavy, modern, almost futuristic, and progressive sound that includes polyrhythmic patterns and soaring melodies. They are regarded as one of the pioneers of the djent movement in progressive metal.

The band consists of vocalist Spencer Sotelo, guitarists Misha Mansoor, Mark Holcomb, and Jake Bowen, drummer Matt Halpern, and bassist Adam “Nolly” Getgood. Periphery released their self-titled debut in 2010 and their follow-up, Periphery II: This Time It’s Personal, on July 3, 2012. On December 3, 2013 Periphery released a teaser for their EP/mini-album “Clear”, which was released on January 28, 2014. All Periphery material is self produced by the members.

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Official Jam Cruise 13 Post Cruise Show featuring Lettuce with Break Science

After celebrating their 20th anniversary as modern day rulers of old school funk, the Brooklyn-based juggernaut Lettuce is not showing any signs of slowing. Having blown up stages from coast to coast last year, ranging from The Fillmore in San Francisco to Terminal 5 in NYC, Bonnaroo to Pemberton and all points in-between, Lettuce is poised to continue their rapid growth throughout 2014/2015.

“We’re more together and set to crush than ever before,” says drummer and chief songwriter Adam Deitch of the all-star group that he and his accomplished band-mates cut their teeth with back in their Berklee School of Music days. That much history, along with the A-list crop of projects that each member has taken on away from Lettuce, gives the group a bottomless well of musical ideas and unrivaled chemistry—in fact, referring to themselves as a band of brothers. “I was in a practice room at 16 with these guys, and it all clicked,” says lead bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes. “We all felt rhythms in similar ways. We were all about the pocket from day one.”

“People tend to look at funk as a one-trick pony,” says Deitch, “but we aim to smash those limits by drawing on a range of styles that can be traced from the early ’60s through the early ’80s, incorporating plenty of modern hip-hop sensibilities—heavy bass, kick and snare—along the way. Having evolved and refocused, without ever dropping the beat, Lettuce is getting ready to take audiences to the cosmos with a high-octane Fall tour. “Lettuce is like a Learjet that wasn’t getting clearance from the tower,” says Jesus. “But we’re done just rolling around on the runway.” They’re not asking for permission, so put your tray tables in their full, upright and locked position. This plane’s itching for lift off.

Lettuce released a limited edition ‘45 featuring “Don’t Be Afraid To Try” with singerAlecia Chakour (who is also touring with the band) this March, and are recording a new full-length record this fall.  So be on the lookout for new music and a guaranteed PARTY!

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Raury with Tay Jasper

17-year-old Raury is ahead of his time. Reading his interviews and deciphering his lyrics really shed a light on how mature his viewpoints on life, music and success truly are. As a self-proclaimed “Indigo Child” Raury considers himself a member of a generation of adolescents, all products of the internet age, who quickly gain an understanding of life’s challenges and opportunities due to their endless access to information. That being said, it’s safe to say that Raury is poised to be one of the leaders of this generation.

Raury was born and raised in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where he developed a passion for music and leadership at a very young age. As a kid Raury spent a lot of his summers at what is called the C5 Music Foundation, a Coca-Cola-sponsored camp that offers kids the chance to grow as leaders through workshops and activities that stress the importance of understanding others and working towards a common goal. From his adventurist lyrics to his overall message of empowerment and even his trademark sunhat, the influence of these summers couldn’t be more evident in Raury.Raury began writing songs when he was three, before he even knew what it was he was doing. At the age of 11 Raury picked up a guitar and proceeded to teach himself how to play chord by chord, unaware that he was playing untuned for the entire first year. By the time he was 15, Raury was locked in; writing and producing his debut project, “Indigo Child,” and balancing time between never-ending studio sessions and high school days. Raury’s music embodies innovation and experimentation with new heights and sounds. He cites Phil Collins, Kid Cudi, Bon Iver, Andre 3000 and Coldplay as some of his musical influences. All of these influences combined with Raury’s distinctive approach all come together to produce a sound that is unlike anything currently on the airwaves.In his young career Raury has already been championed by the likes of cultural staples such as Vashtie, Karen Civil, A-Track, Mac Miller and Diplo. He’s also taken the internet by storm, garnering excitement from Billboard, Complex Magazine, The Source, Vibe, GoodMusicAllDay, HYPETRACK, Noisey, MTV and Huffington Post, to name a few. He aims to radically change the soundscape of music, all the while bringing more and more “indigo children” along with his movement. Raury said it best himself in a recent interview with the Huffington Post: “I just want to make as many people aware that the world is yours,” he says. “The world is really yours. People come down on my generation so often, and I know that’s probably how it works with each generation before it, but I just want to prove them wrong.”