Song of the Day

**2/17/10

Feild Music - Them That Do Nothing

----------------Feild Music are fans of confusing propaganda. On their Myspace page, their blurb-quotey-thing next to the band name reads "Pretending to be a Band Since 2005." True, the band went on hiatus in 2005 but are back with their third LP, Measure, which was released today. The album, which got solid reviews on Pitchfork, features "Them That Do Nothing," the grammatically incorrect ode to those who go through the mundane motions of the day. Sounds like a boring topic, but lyrically, it seems like a response to Lennon's musings in "A Day in the Life." Take a listen and see what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JV3dPrR0PY

Song of the Day

**2/16/10

The Derek Trucks Band - Down in the Flood

------------Apart from witnessing firsthand that the Perfect Brownie pan really does, in fact, make a perfect brownie every time, nothing too exciting or brand new happened to me today. While avoiding the bag full of work that lay beside me in my favorite java stop, I picked up a 1991 "Rolling Stone" mag from a Rubbermaid bin underneath a table. It was The Hot Issue, an annual edition of RS that steamily features the best of the smoldering best for that year. And who was in it but a tiny Derek Trucks, snickering about how playing guitar gigs on schoolnights really made him feel like a badass.

Little Trucks may have felt proud of his prepubescent rebel self then, but it can't be anywhere near his renegade, modern guitar-god status that he's acquired over the years. Today's song, "Down in the Flood," evokes memories of an early rock n' roll blues man who made the house rock back in the day. The song's current flows swift and true, and Truck's six-string talents are, for his standards, demure, but powerful. It's from the album Already Free.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrA6NB2TxHM

Song of the Day

**1/3/09

Editors - Escape the Nest

-------------------Once again, I'd like to thank the public library for letting me borrow a stack of CDs to feed the belly of my already morbidly obese laptop. Seriously, that place isn't just for encyclopedias, study sessions or wrapping up a 12-page term paper at three a.m. Plus, I get a nerdy kick out of the labels that indicate the band on the CD is a "Musical Group."

Among the dozen or so "Musical Groups" I selected was Editors An End Has A Start. Editors "Escape the Nest" is riddled with wailing guitar and rides a sweeping, dramatic creshendo. The lyrics sung by a slightly operatic Tom Smith fatnasize the triumph of an ant-sized love in the overwhelming and intimidating size of reality.

Kick-ass clip from Glastonbury 2008:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hSpSYkxSrY

Thursday Night with moe.

AT&T will be contacting me soon about this "Raising the Bar" shot.

An abandoned mic on the soundboard bigger than Buffalo, NY (where moe. was formed in 1990).

Here are some shots from moe., a band I had quite honestly never listened to before tonight when I worked their show. I handled the merch table with a nice chap named John, who's been on tour with the band for the past two years. His brother, Rob Derhak, is John's younger brother and bassist/vocals in the band. Family support never ceases to make me smile.

Given the fact that moe. has produced more than 17 albums in their 20 years, you can bet their shows operate like a well-oiled machine. The show was a fun and smooth bit to work, and I'm glad I found out what moe. actually sounds like.

Song of the Day

**9/16/09

Of Machines - It Must Belong Somewhere

---------------Up until last month, there hasn't been a steady flow of drop-kick fantastic hardcore that I've been dying to gush over. But thanks to the guidance and wisdom of some amazing friends who know the genre like the days of the week, I've been blessed with armloads of artists such as Lydia, Miss May I, Emarosa, and Of Machines. I've selected "It Must Belong Somewhere" because it was the first Of Machines song I was introduced to, and the vocals absolutely blew my mind. "It Must Belong Somewhere" begs for a flame to never extinguish and grasping on to what we (whoever that "we" may be) has for the time, Get the song from Of Machines album, As If Everything Was Held in Place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKKiz_4uWrI

http://www.myspace.com/ofmachinestheband

Song of the Day

**8/31/09

Lydia - A Fine Evening For a Rogue

---------Quite the rainy, chilly day. When you're living amongst the clouds that drag themselves lazily across mountaintops, a snuggly hoodie and some great music (and coffee from BeansTalk) is sublime. Today, we'll take a listen to Lydia, the indie rock darlings of Phoenix, Arizona who have touched the hearts of those who seek the instrumentally precise, the clean and beautifully somber vocals of Leighton Antelman, and the introspective. "A Fine Evening For a Rogue" exemplifies all of these fragile yet certain characteristics of the sextet. Get "A Fine Evening For a Rogue" from Lydia's album, Illuminate, illustrated by Becky Filip with some of the most captivating artwork I've seen in quite some time.

http://www.lydiamusic.com/bio.aspx

Pictures from the 2009 Vans Warped Tour

Ah, yes - another wonderful year of Warped! Who can resist the cacophonic sounds of multiple bands playing at once, the smell of sweat, cigarette smoke, and $9 pizza wafting about the tents? Surely not a punk-lover hungry for a chance to see all of their Top 25 Most Played bands all in one spot. And so, here are some highlights from the day, from the top, moving down:

1. A perfect car for the Dude Ranch

2. Bassist Roger Manganelli from Florida ska-punk band, Less Than Jake. In the middle of the set, lead vocalist Chris Demakes called out a yawner standing in the crowd. "There are two things I can't stand at a show," Demakes yelled "Texting and fucking yawning." Once this sleepy girl got onstage, everyone booed. The moral of the story: watch your mouth, or LTJ will shut it for you.

3. Raising the bar at the half-pipe. The pipeline pipsqueak in the front was nailing the ramp better than most skaters twice his height. Clearly, size doesn't matter.

4. Your beloved blogger and The Buddy Neilson from Senses Fail. Even though the band wouldn't perform until nightfall, the group could be found dashing Sharpies over tees and CDs or flashing smiles for cameras early in the day.

5. Craig Owens of Chiodos. It looked like a thunderstorm was rolling in as their set began, but no one would have ever heard it.

6. Merch Mania

Song of the Day

**7/5/09


Harvard - Red Dress
----------------In every issue of Alternative Press magazine, two pages of rock research are given to the up-and-coming movers and shakers for today and tomorrow's scenesters. One group most recently included is Harvard, the prog-rock sludgy band from Charlotte, North Carolina. While in their hometown, the members of Harvard can be found judging local battle of the bands tournaments and "in the lab (as it says on their Myspace page)" recording a fresh demo. "Red Dress" floats unevenly and mystically through jaunted guitars and discordant vocals. True, it may seem like a mess, but any fans of Circa Survive will dig it.

http://www.myspace.com/harvard (Photo by Patrick Emmons)

Song of the Day

**6/11/09

Toad the Wet Sprocket - Fall Down

----------------Throughout the years, bands have been working to make a name for themselves by...well, making a name for themselves. Among such eclectic nom de plumes (Hoobastank, anyone?) is Toad the Wet Sprocket, an alt-rock american band formed in the mid eighties. "Fall Down" cruises like a Camero with Blue Oyster Cult guitar riffs and ooh aahh backup vocals. Frontman Glen Phillips skeptically sings of an unknown fate, not looking to fix it, but only asking when will it all come apart. Get "Fall Down" from Toad the Wet Sprocket's 1994 album, Dulcinea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_k6r4yG6NIM

The Infectious Nature of Bubonik Funk

High School bands. In stereotype, they were either sononymous with explosive, raging rebellion in their metal core bands, or their influences were abound in pshycadellic paraphenalia.

Maybe the pinnacle of a HSB career is a couple of inimate gigs, playing at parties, or just getting 100 plays on Myspace.

Bubonik Funk, a Charlotte, N.C. based group, is a funk rock band that deserves the bigger stage beyond the school gymnasium. Their chemistry goes beyond simply paying attention. It is a cohesive synergy, giving BFunk's music a clean, technical sound. Their music is a testament to their education in music history, with influences ranging from Jimi Hendrix and Parliament/Funkadelic, to Red Hot Chili Peppers and Radiohead.

Bubonik Funk will be playing a show at The Evening Muse in North Davidson on January 2nd. Get out there if you can, and take a listen on their Myspace page.

http://www.myspace.com/bubonikfunk


Take a listen to Bubonik Funk. On a personal note, this band is very close to my heart, and holds some good memories of great times.