James Moore's Blog, page 105

Ten years later Death From Above 1979 follow up debut

Ten years ago Death From Above 1979 released their debut, You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine–a perfect album of deadlocked distorted rock sleaze. Then, the group went dormant and broke up. Surging quietly back into the scene, they return with the follow up, The Physical World.

The opener “Cheap Talk” brings us right back to 2004. “I go crazy the way she makes me be on my knees,” drummer and singer Sebastien Grainger sings against the chugging bass of Jesse Keeler. The two-man group wrestle a heavy tar-thick rock and roll sound from so little. They prove that all a rock band essentially needs is rhythm and attitude to succeed. Death From Above 1979 are stocked with both.

They’ve not lost a step since their debut. Plenty of the songs fall into the same pace set on You’re A Woman. “Government Trash” pogos along with abrasive snare blasts. Grainger’s vocals get hoarse, teetering on the edge of a scream. The bass gets meatier with every hard-driving chug.

Their unmistakable sound and style remain intact, and that alone, is hard to dislike. “Crystal Ball,” “Gemini” and “Nothing Left” all exhibit heavy bass-shredding and tight jack-rabbit drum-pounds. They discover a new groove on “White Is Red,” the album’s best song. Grainger’s vocals are seared and ambivalent as he details the story of a vanished lover. Keeler walks his bass through the shadowy groove.

Grainger’s wiley vocals continue to be the anchor to every song. “Where have all the virgins gone? / Sleeping on their parents’ lawn,” he sings through the fuzz on “Virgins.” The whiplash chorus of “Right On, Frankenstein!” is instantly etched into the memory.

On “Always On” Grainger damns the dangers of the all-consuming Internet Age. “If we brought Kurt back to life / There’s no way he would survive,” he postulates about Kurt Cobain.

At times on The Physical World Death From Above attempt to fill the gaps of their sound with rubbish filler keyboards that mostly bring the songs to places they don’t need to go. “Trainwreck 1979″ starts with a heavy bass rumble but quickly turns left into a swooning chorus with layers of rising keyboards.

Had The Physical World been released sooner on the heels of Death From Above’s addictive debut, it easily could have been remembered as the latter album’s equivalent. Unfortunately, with ten years in between, it doesn’t have that same kick. The Physical World still rocks and sounds like no other band, but, with all its minor attempts at evolution, it doesn’t strengthen or push their sound forward. In the end it merely serves as a reminder of what the two men with elephant trunks did so well a decade ago and invites more repeat listens of album number one.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post Ten years later Death From Above 1979 follow up debut appeared first on Independent Music Promotions.

Five things I learned about the American Music Scene as a Frenchman

Now, regular readers of this site might know that I’m a French music writer who recently moved to America for college. While I did spend a good chunk of my youth in America, I had spent the previous 4 years (Representing all of high school) in France. So, when I got involved in underground music, I was doing it in France, until this summer, I had never even attended a show in the good old US of A. As my time here has progressed I’ve started to realize how little I know about your scene. Here are five quirks that show my difficulty. Now, I know these generalizations don’t hold true across the country, but they are simply an attempt to document my experiences.

5. You guys are beer Nazis

As you might have surmised, I’m only 18, which means beer, and 21+ shows are not an option for me here. But here’s the thing, you might think its cut and dry, but for a guy like me it isn’t. See, I had been drinking in public and going to 18+ shows in France since I was about 15 (The drinking age in France is technically 18) So imagine my orror upon finding out you guys are nowhere near as lax with those rules. In fact, my lack of comprehension has got me in a fair bit of trouble in the past couple months. Simply put, I’m not trying to be a badass, or an asshole, I simply don’t understand.

I think part of what I don’t get is that Americans are essentially more strict about beer than they are on weed. See, when I was living in France, bands would give me free beer all the time, but in return they would ask that I help hook them up with weed. Here, bands don’t (and can’t) offer free beer usually because they would get in trouble, however I have had a few offers to be smoked up. (I don’t indulge in the magical leaf, but I appreciate the thought) This perfectly represents the sort of thing I don’t at all understand. There is a whole new set of paradigms I have to learn in regards to my favorite beverages, paradigms that put me in a position I haven’t been in for years.

Simply put, I’m essentially an alcoholic, I have something of a drinking problem that was in large part brought on by constant concert-going in high school. I know it’s probably wrong to ask bands for beer at shows, hell, it’s very wrong, but it’s how I was brought up in the scene. I personally don’t think having a drinking age works, but in the end, you have to respect the law. Most people have been cool about the drinking thing, but it’s definitely not something a European will ‘get’ for the first few months.

4. 21+ Shows Suck

Directly related to the previous point is the idea of 21+ shows. I understand that the venue needs to make their money back at the bar, but seriously? Maybe it’s just because I’m younger, and a lot of my friends are younger, but is it that hard to simply X up the hands of underage concertgoers? I feel like so many musicians and labels are always talking about how ‘kids don’t come to shows anymore.’ But don’t you think they would if you would book a show they could actually attend?

I feel like there has to be a solution here that will make everyone happy, be it wristbands, Xing up hands or something else, the American scene needs to find a way to serve alcohol at all ages shows to remain vital. Sure there are a lot of really young kids on this scene (More on that later) but most of these folks care more about the music than they care about drinking. From what I’ve observed so far, it simply alienates a lot of young fans who don’t get to see their favorite bands when they come on tour because they’re not old enough. From what I understand, most of the musicians view this is as bullshit too, suggesting that it’s the venue fault.

That being said, can you really blame them? There is nowhere near enough money being pumped into the music industry these days and everyone has to scrounge up every cent they can afford. If the United States fascistic beer laws means that shows need to be 21+ in order to make money, I guess it has to happen. Would you rather have some shows that are 21+ or no shows at all? I guess it simply reflects one of the weaker sides of the American scene. With extremely limited support for the arts in the US people have to grub for every penny they can, they simply have no choice, and that makes me extremely sad. Don’t get me wrong, there isn’t a whole lot of money in the European scene, but at least in Europe they can afford to be a bit more lax and let anyone willing to pay into their show.

3. Outside of drinking you have fewer legal limitations (And that’s both a good and a bad thing)

One of the first things that stuck out to me about music here is that you have no decibel limit. In France, where we’re limited to 105 I was often a little let down by doom metal shows which never got as loud as I wanted. Sure, occasionally mixers would try to eke out a little more, but usually they stuck pretty closely to the limit. Now that I’m in a place with no limit, I find that I enjoy shows a whole lot more. You get more of a primal sense of the music, and it’s kind of beautiful.

However, there are a couple of significant downsides to the lack of legal limitations. One that struck me is the fact that you technically don’t have a time you have to end your shows by. See, in Europe, noise regulations meant you had to stop a concert by 11, in the US, I haven’t seen any of that yet. Now, at first I thought this would be good, no more rushing to shows after school, and now I can get properly drunk at shows right?

Not so much. The thing is, in Europe, shows ending at 11 meant that after a concert I would have time to go to the bar with my friends, or, if I had school the next day, I could be curled up in bed by midnight. In America where the public transport system tends to be worse, I consider myself lucky if I didn’t have to take a taxi and am in bed by two. This is something I really don’t understand at all because in America most people working in service jobs seem to start earlier in the day than their French counterparts. So, in order for a fan to go to a show on a night before they have work, they would have to be willing to face the next day on as little as two or three hours of sleep.

Another interesting side effect of the lack of legal limitations is that in America you’re not required to have a driver, and not required to have a license for a trailer. This means that bands can tour at a much lower cost than in Europe. The driving culture in America makes it easy to hit up a dozen cities in two weeks with no more than a couple of hours of road travel each day. That being said, it also makes life a bit harder for touring bands, they get less of a chance to rest, because, first off, they only were able to leave their show at two in the morning, and now they don’t have someone to drive while they sleep in the back. While some might just call this ‘tour life’ I think that it speaks to the difficulty that America sets in the path of any band seeking to tour the country.

2. There’s a lot of very young, dedicated fans and musicians here (And it’s awesome)

As I’m writing this I’m going back to college from a show where a sixteen year old friend of mine played an acoustic set. This is the kind of thing that would be essentially unheard of in France where there is not a lot of support for musicians under the age of 18 to play shows. Yet, in America, DIY venues are a lot easier to book (And a lot more common) and you have to deal with a lot less paperwork. For me, that’s extremely cool, sure, the 21+ thing keeps a lot of younger fans from going to see more developed bands, but at least this way young kids can play shows. It’s this culture that has allowed young bands like Unlocking the Truth to do some very exciting stuff.

See, in France, I was one of the youngest people going to shows. At most shows I would be the youngest by at least two years. At this show I was just at, I was actually one of the oldest people there. Young kids can even tour in America, Noisem, one of my favorite bands, have a sixteen year old drummer! That’s the kind of thing you would never get in Europe, because, sure they might be more lax about drinking age, but there is so much more insurance stuff they have to deal with on the bands end. It’s perhaps one of the most promising things about the American scene, that you have all these kids who have never been able to see their favorite bands, and are kind of creating something on their own.

I think a large part of this wealth of young musicians comes from the fact that in America you tend to have much bigger high schools than in Europe. In America, you can go to a high school with two to three thousand kids, so it’s suddenly a lot easier to find musician kids who you can start a band with. I came from a graduating class of 63, forming a metal band could not have been more difficult, we only had two drummers in the entire grade. In other words, getting any sort of band together in that environment was extremely difficult, and older guys tend to not want to play with high schoolers. I think this, tied in with the next reason, makes it a lot easier for high schoolers to get a wealth of live experience before college.

1. Shows are so much easier to book here, and by Thor does that make me happy.

I booked a show tonight, all I did was sign my name on a calendar and now the date is mine. I have to get some bands to come, but there is no contract to sign or money to be put down up front. Sure it’s a small venue, but I can still probably make a hundred bucks off of it. There are no questions asked, and I don’t have to worry about legal trouble or insurance money. There is no cash down to make sure that the venue doesn’t get destroyed, why, you don’t even have to be 18 to book a show at a lot of these places.

As I touched on before, the much more socialized system of Europe means that there’s a lot more insurance madness that you have to deal with if you want to book a show. For my 18th birthday I decided to try booking something to celebrate, right away the venue (A 150 person venue) demanded a thousand euros down as money in case of disaster. How is a young DIY booker supposed to handle that? On the other end of the scale, the squat scene in Europe, which is actually really strong, comes with its own set of legal difficulties. A lot of these places you can be arrested just for hanging out there, which isn’t always comforting.

 

So, simply put, sure things may be a bit more dangerous, but that’s actually really liberating. You have so much more freedom to negotiate shows in America, you don’t have to deal with any of the madness or bullshit that dominates the European scene, but you don’t have a lot of the protection that European shows might offer. It’s an interesting set of trade offs, but as for now, I think I’m starting to appreciate the American scene a whole lot more.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post Five things I learned about the American Music Scene as a Frenchman appeared first on Independent Music Promotions.

On Being a Number One Fan

I’ve always been something of a fanatic. Friends have seen my work and called me a “machine”. So perhaps it’s natural I’ve always been attracted to the idea of being a number one fan. The moniker was first attached to me in middle school when I was obsessed with Led Zeppelin. At one point I would wear a different Led Zeppelin shirt to school every day of the week. People would look at me like I was crazy, but I would just say “Jimmy Page man…” Of course, at this point, I know I wasn’t the number one Led Zeppelin fan in the world, but it still felt kind of cool to be considered as such.

After I started my blog Two Guys Metal Reviews I think I started to really obsess over bands and come into my own as a fan. Yet, I still wasn’t into any band enough such that I could really claim to be a ‘number one fan’. I would dig bands, buy the merch, but I didn’t know any band members and no one would really call me a number one fan of anything. I was just the freaked out metal kid in the class who everyone kind of avoided.

Then I discovered Steeltrooper. This power metal act from Birmingham got my 14 year old sense of humor with their cover of the Power Ranger theme song. (I know, I was a stupid kid) They were a lot of fun to listen too and soon I started to comment on every photo they posted and status update the band made. At this point they were a small act with no tours under their belt and not even a record out. I started to have a special connection with the band, before the bands members even added me as a friend on facebook.

I should note, at this point, in my youthful naiveté I just sort of assumed that any band out there wa making their living off music. (Again, I was a stupid kid) When they added me I asked them all sorts of questions I’m sure they found hilarious and over the top “How much money do you make from Steeltrooper?” “Do you ever get groupies” “How often do you practice” The answers were, none, we all have girlfriends, and every Tuesday. At this point my fandom was still pretty limited. They didn’t have a lot of merch, so I just contributed to their kickstarters and did what I could to help them out.

I think it was near the release of the bands first (And only) record that I started to really see the benefits of being a ‘number one fan’ The band would send me demos of unreleased songs, and even guitar tabs. Suffice to say, for a fifteen year old (And I was fifteen at this point) it was a little bit overwhelming. A band could just send me unreleased stuff like that? That’s really cool! It was at this point that I really started to become obsessed with music, as more than just an art form but also a culture. Though I hadn’t been to too many shows yet I was starting to discover aspects that would make me love metal all the more.

All of this culminated when the band sent me a bunch of free merch with their record release to thank me for my support. Until my final days in Paris the signed poster they sent me hung proudly in my room. That band is broken up now and largely forgotten. Occasionally they hint to me about a comeback, but to a great extent they are mostly just dudes who occasionally show up in my Facebook feed. One of them is a profesional musician now, the others have simply progressed in their jobs, it seems to be a rather mundane start to a group that a younger me had been so obsessed with.

Since then I’ve evolved in my music taste, and the number one fan moniker has been given to me several more times for several other bands. Notable acts who I like to think consider me their ‘number one fan’ (Whatever that means) include Bloodmoon, Unscarred and the band I’m currently on my way to go see SubRosa a band I have never traveled less than 100 miles to see live. Now as I sit here speeding down the highway, wondering what is going to come of this evening I’m trying to take a moment to reflect on what being a number one fan means.

There is a quote in the cult classic Almost Famous that I think really gets to what the beauty of being a number one fan is. The groupie Polexia says to protagonist William Miller “These new groupies don’t understand what it truly means to be a fan. To get so obsessed with some silly little piece of music and you don’t even know why.” There is a certain magic with the reward you get for truly being a number one fan. If your love is sincere I feel like bands can really see that, and they latch on to it. When you express a pure and beautiful love for “Some silly piece of music” most of the time bands can’t help but like you.

Yet, you shouldn’t just be a number one for the free merch and entrance to shows. No, there is something much more valuable to be gained from this. It’s the lasting bonds you can form with some of your favorite bands, and you get to know them as people. Here’s the thing, if you have a special connection to a bands music, there is a good chance you’ll have a connection upon meeting someone from the band. Few bands have ever touched me as much as SubRosa, and now I talk to the bands singer more than I talk to my mother.

I’m not an isolated case either. Many of my friends, especially in the hardcore scene have been able to generate this kind of dedicated and loving relationship with a member of one of their favorite bands. There’s something special to be able to say “Oh Code Orange Kids? Me and their guitarist party together all the time” or “The other day me and the singer of Coffin Dust totally got high as balls.” Having a friend play in one of your favorite bands is one of those things that no one can really compare too, if you reach out and connect, strange things can happen to you.

I think that the whole notion of being a number one fan is inherently tied to the magic of independent music. No matter how much you love Rihanna there will always be someone who has one more poster, one more t shirt, someone who has totally dedicated their lives to her. In the independent field it’s a lot easier to reach out to a band you love and say “Hey, wanna hang out when you’re next in town?” Here’s a little secret, touring bands always could do with more friends, they need places to stay and people to talk too, because after six weeks on the road with the same three our four people, things get dull.

So am I saying you need to be a number one fan? Not necessarily, only do it if you feel moved by the music When you really dig into a bands discography and start to discover a connection you’ve never felt before with the music, that is when it’s probably good write and salutary to dive in and talk to the band, and buy all their merch. Their is no better way to experience a band, but unless you have a ton of money and time it’s hard to really dedicate yourself to more than one or two bands. Being a number one fan, or at least trying to be, is fun, wild and inane. Sure it may be shitty at times, like right now in this never ending ride to New York City, but in the end, when I leap into their arms and feel the love of a band I love perhaps more than life itself, I know it is worth it.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post On Being a Number One Fan appeared first on Independent Music Promotions.

Ryan Adams Welcomes Back Ryan Adams

The Man with the Golden Temper Tantrum returns . The fourteenth album by Ryan Adams is the most appropriate one to be self-titled. On Ryan Adams we hear the convergence of Country Ryan and Metal Ryan for his best album since 2005’s 29.

The follow-up to 2011’s mostly yawn-inducing Ashes & Fire is an album of stark, minimalist, pure-hearted rock’n’roll. The guitars are lean, stripped bare and fall in line with the rhythm section. The melodies are catchy and each song follows a basic verse-chorus-verse structure.

Adams wades into territory just slightly left of his usual countrified sound. Gone is the country twang from his work with the Cardinals. His voice is more subdued, mushier. There is a spookiness to the sound, a slight reverb on every guitar lick and howling background vocals (by Johnny Depp!) and creeping organ. It comes right in time for the onset of fall.

Throughout the album Adams sounds vulnerable and paranoid, like he’s singing to you from a dark room. Who knew sharing a life with Mandy Moore could get you so down in the dumps?

On “Kim” Adams deals with the sight of an old flame moving on with somebody else. “As the autumn leaves begin to fall,” he sings, “walking down the streets where we used to walk / I see him.” The guitars latch onto the constant pounding of a snare and each line is bittersweet. Other times he sounds dejected and spiteful. “I don’t love you anymore,” he sings on “Am I Safe, “I just want to sit here and watch you burn.”

“My Wrecking Ball” is the quiet folk tune Adams perfected on Heartbreaker and Gold over a decade ago. Adams’ narrative asks to be knocked down by the big wrecking ball, the person to fix his life. He’s beaten down and in need of a total rebuild. “You’re my wrecking ball, won’t you come and maybe knock me down,” he sings over the calm acoustic strum.

The album is filled with straight-forward, plainspoken lyrics (to greater and lesser degree). Most of the time Adams’ sings about having nothing to say, which after the second song makes you wonder, why even sing? Other times the simplicity of the lyrics leave open much to meaning. “Your name is like a false alarm ringing in my head, ” he emotes on “Kim.”

Ryan Adams was recorded at Adams’ home studio, PAX AM. It’s his first album to fully self-produce. On “Gimme Something Good” there is a disquieting desperation in Adams’ voice, not unlike Morrissey on “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want.” The repetitive pleaded refrain, with all its deadpan, somehow catches in the mind and gets stuck on a loop. It’s been a few years, but Ryan Adams has finally given us something good.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post Ryan Adams Welcomes Back Ryan Adams appeared first on Independent Music Promotions.

The Times They Are a-Changin’ with Witch Mountain

I’d barely heard of Witch Mountain three months ago. Now I’ve seen them live three times and gotten into all sorts of hijinks with them. Yet, my sudden obsession with the band came at a strange time in their career, a time of great change, when the world that Witch Mountain had built up for themselves might suddenly be lost. In the period leading up to their upcoming record Mobile of Angels Witch Mountain seemed to leap from peak to peak. First they played some massive festivals in Europe, then they were featured on NPR, then they got a slot opening for Nick Turner’s Hawkwind. Of course, when you realize the band is on the verge of losing the singer who has helped define them things become a bit more bittersweet.

Perhaps we need to first look at the origins of the band to understand where they’re coming from. They formed with the dynamic duo of Rob Wrong and Nathan Carson in 1997. For the first five years of the band Rob performed vocal duties as well as playing guitar, while Nate plugged along on drums. Yet, after the release of the bands first record in 2001 they went on a sort of hiatus, not putting out any new material for 10 years. When they found Uta Plotkin the bands new vocalist it seems like things took off again. In the last four years the band has put out three records and an EP. This period may have been the bands golden years.

There is a poignant glory to the trudge of this bands music. The way songs like Shelter seem to drive forward with sudden halts thrown seemingly willy nilly throughout gives the band a strange sense of purpose. They have a powerful blues-oriented attack that sets them a cut above their peers. Uta once told me she liked being Witch Mountain because she loved heavy music as well as the blues, and this seemed like a good marriage of the two. A large part of the appeal of this band for me is that they create a certain depth to a sound that is very trendy right now. There is a strong sense of tradition in Witch Mountain insofar as suggestion that we as fans should respect our musical elders and try to use some of their best ideas for our own music. One memorable interview quote seems to reflect this, when Nate Carson told me “We’re adding to the tradition, but not breaking the mold.”

This speaks to the ideal of doom that seems to be espoused by the band. They want to craft something that really touches the listener in a personal way, yet also broadens the genre they love. As Carson said “I had this really incredible epiphany about doom metal in 1996. All of these planets kind of aligned and I all of the sudden realized it was a traditional form of music and I had never played a traditional form of music before. I thought I would just come off as derivative, or riding the coattails of some bigger band. But once I started to really see the clear picture of what bands like Trouble and Candlemass where doing and that it wasn’t just Sabbath worship but that they really had their own mark to make on the form it gave me hope that we could do the same.”

This also evidences a sort of destiny that I feel around Nate, he is a full time metal booker and seems to have his fingers in a lot of pies. Yet that too has helped further the band and get them the recognition that they deserve. Perhaps his path to growing the popularity of Witch Mountain should be used as an example for others. Here is a man who can so perfectly honor the power of his scene with his work that I have never heard anyone speak poorly of him. In my eyes at least he has become something of a mythical figure, one of those ‘metal lifers’ who seem to have it all figured out.

The extremely natural power of this band actually makes sense when you think about it. The band is very proud of their Portland heritage, and it’s certainly seemed to impact their music. When I spoke with Carson at Hellfest he said “We’d be driving to practice and we’d say look at the black roiling clouds. Of course we make music like this because it’s really beautiful and the sky looks angry. I think that creates a certain kind of depth and emotional heaviness naturally. We’re surrounded by mountains and epic forests and dark clouds.” This too touches on how this band wants to give doom the glory it deserves, not for their own financial benefit, but only because it feels natural. Witch Mountain have an extremely primal approach to music and I think that is a large part of what drives them to success.

This is why I’m so concerned now about the future of this band. They are one of the few acts who reflect what doom metal is about but also seem to have a more profound understanding of humanity than many of their peers. Even as they prepare for a hiatus the band members have other things going on. Most notably, Charles Thomas, the bands bassist is preparing to drive forward with his other band Blackwitch Pudding, a rather humorous sludge act who have a very distinct attack that is enhanced with copious amounts of weed. Their new record, Covered in Pudding Vol. 1 took the scene by storm and promises great things to come. Meanwhile, the ever-girlish Uta Plotkin seeks to engage in some solo material, but as regards to sound “I’m not sure yet.” As for Rob and Nate? Who knows, but we certainly haven’t seen the last of them…

Things may seem a bit bleak now, but do not despair my friends, These guys still have plenty of gas in the tank, and I think that Witch Mountain could certainly have an exciting second life with a new singer. And asides from that, there have been hints at something more. One member told me “She’s having some second thoughts” in reference to Uta’s departure. Another said “I’m sure there’s going to be some sort of big Witch Mountain reunion somewhere down the line.” The mountain may have gone to sleep but the legacy remains. Four albums and two EP’s into their career, it’s too late for Witch Mountain to completely stop now, we simply have to hold on and see what happens!

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post The Times They Are a-Changin’ with Witch Mountain appeared first on Independent Music Promotions.

6 Hottest Acts of Reading & Leeds Festival 2014

Renowned for its alternative picks and styles, Reading & Leeds festivals have allowed thousands of young people to celebrate the end of their summers for decades now. But as the festival becomes increasingly diverse with its rap and dance stages, such does its variety of acts on offer; but just who were 2014′s stars? Here are some of the picks of R&L 2014, watch out for these guys, they’re going to be big…

With a few bleary eyes and banging heads (although I like to blame that on camping just a tad too close to the campsite DJ!), Friday kicked off for me with a slice of the ultra-cool Jungle. A mysterious act made up of an array of vocalists, guitarists, keyboardists and drummers, many of whom do some serious multi-tasking, the West London band were pretty excellent. Sure extensive falsetto vocals can wane on even the most hardened of fans after a while, but when the beats were as fresh and bouncy as they were in the NME/Radio tent, you don’t mind. After an excellent LP and summer festival shows, they have proven there worth, even getting a pre-Clean Bandit crowd to loosen up and lose themselves in the sultry grooves. I can see this collective being back next year, in a similar manner to acts like Imagine Dragons, Disclosure and the like, with a further 12 months of developing their act and producing a special, special performance somewhere on the festival site, I truly believe Jungle are to be one of those acts the world will be begging to see.

Die Antwoord, purely as a concept are intriguing. But when you get down to the dance-led hip-hop that the South African duo offer, it is truly a ‘Marmite’ act. Pumping beats are the backing for each and every one of their tunes, but it is the antics of the bizarrely named Watkin Tudor Jones and Yo-Landi ViSSer that make every song interesting and unique, at least in my opinion, although I do feel they work better in moderation, as the expletive-ridden raps can drag after a bit. A 10-song set, including an encore, just because, worked well and again, the NME/Radio 1 tent was the setting for another of the weekend’s wildcards, well R&L deserve congratulating for taking a chance where others might have ducked out. Whilst ‘I Fink U Freeky’ might be their biggest, it was the daring closer, ‘Enter the Ninja’ the first tune from them that told me these guys are worth keeping an eye on…

It can be tough trying to kick-off a festival, but that is the task that The Wytches had, and that is the task that The Wytches passed with flying colours. Their seven-song set built on the hype that had been following the Brighton-based as their dark, grungy sound filled the NME/Radio 1 tent and won over a bleary-eyed Leeds crowd by the bucketload. Upcoming tours in small venues might be the best possible stage for their terrifying guitar-driven roars, but hurry, they certainly won’t be their for long, the Autumn 2014 UK tour, culminating in a homecoming show on the southern coast, will be your best bet.

The last day of Leeds Fest 2014 saw the much-anticipated Royal Blood finally play, ahead of their just released debut LP, the self-titled album which has gone straight to the top of the UK charts, selling by the bucketload, a total revelation given the state of riff-heavy guitar music on these shores. It was a fast, frenetic set which saw the bass guitar and drum duo tear apart the Radio 1/NME tent, packing it out and then some at two in the afternoon, a pretty decent achievement at the end of a weekend chocced full of live music. Songs like ‘Little Monster’ and ‘Out of the Black’ are already being received like heroic tunes, and it’s always a good sign when a bands riffs are sung back at them, alongside their lyrics. The band who were only set up at the dawn of 2013, look like being the start of a new dawn for rock music in the 2010′s.

Superfood are a band I’ve kept my beady eye on for a while. The Birmingham band are part of the rising B-Town scene at the minute, with fellow indie-pop botherers Peace and Swim Deep a part of the city’s musical revival. Sure they only played on essentially the Thursday evening ‘preview’ night, but the band’s performance at the Leeds site, built upon the Y-Not Festival set I saw at the beginning of August. They rattled through tunes like ‘Right On Satellite’, ‘Melting’ and ‘Bubbles’ with great ease and confidence, with a LP release upcoming a strong spot at not just R&L but a number of festivals looks on for 2015, if they’re to follow their Brummie brethren.

Don Broco, a Bedford-based alternative rock band took to the NME/Radio 1 stage, were an unexpected surprise. ‘The band’s in-time dance moves, steps to the side, hand-claps, a cheeky boyband touch for the popular quartet, who’s lead singer had an Elvisy-look going on. They built on their performance on the 2013 Main Stage, as this extended set in the tent got everybody going on Sunday afternoon.The band’s rapport is cool and refreshing, they love their fanbase, and vice versa. It’ll be interesting to see where they go next, as the next big release from them could make or break their act; but on this showing, they have a fighting chance of making something amongst the sheer amount of rock bands trying to make a living.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments below what you think…

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

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Reflecting the Negative with Windhand

“Yeah we can do the interview whenever you want brother,” such where the first words I ever heard from a member of Windhand, and I haven’t looked back since. I was first introduced to this group right before their split with Cough, Reflections of the Negative came out in 2013, and was excited a few months later to get to hear their second full length, Soma, which built on the ideas found in the split, rather than their previous self titled record. From the first there was a sort of haunting beauty to this bands music that made me immediately latch on. Their split with Cough and full length take the 2 and 3 spots in my top records of 2013, in other words, for me at least, Windhand is kind of a big deal.

Since October 2013 I’ve seen Windhand live and hung out with them three times. I feel like I’ve started to become friendly with the band members, but it’s rare that they really open up. As a band who tour for most of the year, they’ve started to be able to make a name for themselves in this rapidly burgeoning scene. Windhand don’t really seem to be held back by a lot of the constraints other bands have imposed upon themselves. One of the few things I’ve been able to ascertain in my talks with them is that they are willing to ride this wave of popularity as long as they can. Given that they’re playing some of the most exciting and interesting doom metal out there right now, can you really blame them? These guys are doing something good for all of us, and I for one am very thankful for it.

I think a large part of the appeal for me is the incredible sonic power of the band, both on the record and in a live context. The records, in particular Soma have a very artsy twist to them. This has tied them in with other female fronted doom groups like SubRosa and Jex Thoth, even if they are extremely different. Songs like Evergreen have an almost Hawkwind like spin, to say nothing of a track like Boleskine, the albums half hour long closing masterpiece. The droney repetitions that define a lot of these riffs have a mesmerizing effect. Meanwhile, Garret Morris’s bluesy solos raise him to the level of some sort of golden god. He roars above the music with pentatonic lines that scream of 70s heavy psych rock, the sort of thing that a lot of these Electric Wizard fanboys simply can’t get enough of.

Meanwhile, the live shows have a certain promising might behind them that can knock you on your ass if you’re not prepared. The first time I saw them, in a tiny venue in Paris I was blown away by how loud these guys could be. The music hits your bones and forces your body into a weird sort of motion, hailing the almighty glory of this band. These guys make sure the live show is a full sensory experience too, they burn incense (A trick since picked up by Inter Arma) and Dorthia Cottrell sways above the crowd like an unholy priestess. All of the doom metal frontwomen have their own unique vibe, she strikes me as some sort of ancient shaman, carrying out sacred rites onto a writhing mass of willing young men and women (And there is a surprisingly high number of women at Windhand shows) Another aspect that has always interested me with the bands live aesthetic is the headbanging of the three guys carrying guitars. Every member of Windhand has long hair, and though you may say having hair isn’t a necessary prerequisite  to being metal, by god it helps. The extremely natural and empathetic headbanging of the band allows the audience to really get into it, with rabid fans singing along to every word.

In other words, Windhand tap into something a lot greater than just doom. Their sound has touches of grunge and psych rock that help make them special. Their is a glorious humanity to what these guys are doing, sure it’s eerie and strange, but the otherworldly might of tracks like Evergreen is not something you want to ignore. In fact, for me at least, it’s a large part of what makes the Windhand listening experience so enjoyable. These guys have brought forth a plethora of influences to create a monolithic sound that seems like it’s coming from a world apart. Perhaps what makes Windhand so special is that they provide an escape from the common tropes of metal, or even music as a whole, and thus drive us into a brave new world that we can explore and feel at ease in.

Yet all of this doesn’t come free. Heavy touring has certainly taken its toll on the band, and though they still reign as masters of their genre, there is a very clear sense of bitterness found in some of my talks with the group. Though they might not open up to it all of the time in interviews (Although I have managed to record a few complaints from Garret, especially in regards to staying at fans homes) the brutal truth is that touring is hard, especially for a band at this level, and finding their way through this strange and harsh world is not going to be an easy thing. In fact, some who have seen the band claim they aren’t as good live. They have developed a bit of a reputation for having ‘off nights’ and being hit or miss, certainly not something a band of their level can afford. As far as I can tell, this is a significant part of what fuels the bitterness behind some of the members.

In addition, though they may have a sound that countless punters think can provide an escape, but most people still don’t ‘get’ what Windhand is about. Perhaps its better that way, the strange, oftentimes cultish legion of fans who follow this band have a wonderful sense of unity behind them. Bearded metal bros sit side by side with slim doom chicks. We all have one thing in common though, we are slaves to the undulating waves of sound that pour out of the bands speakers. Though the outside world may look on and wonder what kind of madness has possessed us to want to listen to this ghostly act, for those in the room when the band turn it up, it only feels natural, pure doom metal redemption.

So why not leave it at that? Windhand are one of those doom acts who are simply transcendent. They come out and play the kind of music that feels good, not only to them, but also the legions of fans, all spread across the board, young and old, tattooed and squares. As my prog-obsessed roommate said upon hearing them “This isn’t metal, this is chill!”  They are creating something fresh and exciting that is never going to be forgotten. As they dig in to write their third album I think that metal lovers across the globe are preparing themselves for the kind of almighty doom record that might define the scene. These guys are rising fast, and soon nothing will be able to stop them.

 

 

 

 

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

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Fennario’s Coffee, local music, and the American summer

I still don’t understand America. I’m not sure I get the core tenets of what Americans are all about. In this strange hyper speed chrome world, they all lock themselves off in cars and behind smartphones. There is a strange cult of self that seems to define a lot of the people I’ve met. Within 48 hours of moving to this strange land I found the one place that would stand as a constant in a very strange, turbulent summer. This place proved to be the only place I could really find where people took a moment to slow down, turn away, and find a path that allowed them to communicate with others. I am talking of course about the anarchistic and strangely refreshing world of Fennario’s Coffee.

I was first introduced to this shop back in April, when I came to America for a week and got to hang out with Cris Kailer of Rollin’ Loaded. I walked into the cafe and a metal dude was behind the counter blaring Cynic on the speakers. I immediately knew this was a place I would want to be. When I moved here I immediately went over and found them to be hosting a show. The first thing I heard came from the lips of a drunken 16 year old who turned to me and said “Are you the photogenic metal dude from the internet?” I knew I had found a place that reflected the magic of this strange nation. See, Fennario’s is among the most active, and perhaps the best venue in West Chester, Pennsylvania, the town I call home. It’s this sort of coffee shop, filled with pretentious hipsters and run by a 40 something surfer dude that allows local music and arts to thrive.

Ultimately, this is what has made this simple coffee shop so important to me, it defines the spirit of  the local scene, it is a bastion of good music and tasty drinks, but moreover, a place that allows young kids to go out and put on a show. Sure, they get a lot of shit from the police, but they try to keep the debauchery in check, prevent people from moshing at shows, and stop kids from drinking in the street. But it’s hard. There is a strange balance about this place, on the one hand it’s probably the best place to put on a show, and perhaps one of the companies that gives the most to the local arts community, but on the other, it is perhaps one of the most hassled by police. Despite the fact that many of their shows see five or six guys handling security for sixty people, they still can’t find freedom from the overbearing cops. It speaks to the strange and rather demented nature of the American system, that the people encouraging free thought and community involvement should get the most shit from the fuzz. It demonstrates how America seems to have a fear of creativity, development, and finding a way forward.

What I’m trying to say, I think, is that in some way, places like this are a lodestone for deviants and creatives. I’ve had conversations with bondage enthusiasts and bird watchers on the same night, and that is part of what makes this place such a perfect example of what the local scene should be about. Fennario’s captures the true spirit of America because it allows anyone with drive to flourish, I may come for the creatives, but there are certainly more than a few squares who hang out around here. After a few months of coming I’m still not sure if they are trying to be hip, or if they simply like the coffee, but in the words of the owner “Three quarters of the people who come by don’t really smoke weed or listen to underground music.”

Part of the beauty of this cafe has to be the regulars. They define the experience, people who you see every time you come here and always talk to. These figures have almost become legendary after a fashion. There is a certain beauty to it actually, a sort of stability in an ever changing world. While I might not yet have reached this status, I’ve certainly met many of them. They range in age from 16 to 50, oftentimes they’re hipsters, but frequently they can just be normal dudes, squares even, working shitty data entry jobs from the coffee shop because their homes are just too goddamn oppressive. Fennario’s has given folks like me, and folks very unlike me, a place where they can feel accepted and whole, where they can regularly go to find some sort of peace, an inner triumph that allows them to stand up and say “This is where I belong.”

The range of ages, social classes, and races here is impressive, while you might think a place like this appeals to young middle class white kids who strive to be ‘artsy’, there are actually all manner of folk who wander in. In the first show I booked here there were college professors (West Chester University is roughly eight blocks down the road) standing along sides pot smoking punk elitists. In this very cafe I’ve met anarchists, republicans, and fellow Europeans. The raw diversity here is a part of what has defined my American experience thus far. The fact that everybody talks and looks beyond their smartphones, those demented portals into other worlds, simply makes it more special. The fact that I can meet an ex-con who was once on trial for suspicion of murder at the same place my dad has started going for morning coffee is mind boggling, but perhaps it speaks to the greater magic of Fennario’s as a sort of symbol for what the American scene should be about.  Sure the hipsters may dominate, but anyone with the right sort of passion can come out and book a show.

It’s actually a little bit freakish to consider the ease at which I got to put on my first show here. You walk in, name a date, and suddenly you’re penciled in, suddenly there is an obligation. Out of seemingly nowhere you have to get up, find bands to play, and then promote a show at a venue that is rapidly becoming quasi-legendary. In this place where a friendly old black dude named Danny will hold the door for you, some legendary local acts have played, and so meeting that bar sets up a strange kind of pressure. Sure, they’ll be fine if you only bring 20 kids through the door, but matching up to famous lineups of yore is always a challenge. If people don’t like the band playing they just leave, there is a certain honesty to it though, a sort of democratic approach to popularity. Sure there are kids who attend every set, but most just spend their time outside smoking, frightening off the old white Republicans who run this town.

So here I am, inside Fennario’s Coffee on the last day of summer, trying to understand where I fit into this whole thing. While I didn’t spend my entire summer in the land of jazz and hot dogs, I certainly spent a good chunk of it here, and I feel like this simple coffee shop has allowed me to better understand this world. Tomorrow I leave for college, ready for the next great adventure, yet despite all the emotion, I know that I will always have this mythical constant. The world of Fennario’s Coffee is a strange one. Despite their unrelenting willingnesss to help the community, people look down on them, but perhaps that’s how it always is. Its this kind of desperate beauty that shows the underground will never die. No matter what, people like the guys behind Fennarios are going to stick around and stand tall, unwilling to let the squares win. We need places like this to allow the music we love to thrive. Without places like this local bands could never take off, its the ultimate in supporting your scene, you stand up and honor the glory of those who came before, and those yet to come. Fennario’s boldly defines the spirit of the underground and will refuse to be vanquished.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

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Hamilton Leithauser lurks in the night on “Black Hours”

“Do you wonder why I sing these love songs,” Hamilton Leithauser sings against the wind, “when I have no love at all?” The track, “5 AM,” opens his debut solo album, Black Hours. He coils his doubts around the cool air wave-lengths of haunting strings and sounds like he’s trying to outlast his fatigue.

Black Hours is Leithauser’s first material since the cordial freeze of his last band, The Walkmen. The album is the sound equivalent of it’s namesake–the space in time between one night’s end and the inevitable first crack of morning light. The album is a full inward look at one’s self and situation.

The music on Black Hours is not a far cry from The Walkmen’s blueprint. This isn’t Leithauser’s forray into trap music. He keeps it real with a personal downcast American rock album. It’s more ethereal, looser and loaded with scatter-shot instrumentation. Nine people, including Paul Maroon from The Walkmen, play an array of instruments on it.

Leithauser’s vocals have warmed and buttered since the dry-rasp he spit on the first few Walkmen albums. A rat-scratching still lurks in each bellow, but he’s more capable and willing to allow a single note to rise and fall in one breath.

“The Silent Orchestra” jumps to attention with the staccato hits of a xylophone, an instrument that adds a hint of seasoning throughout the album. The track dips and ascends until it’s overcome by a surge of strings. For “St. Mary’s County,” Leithauser sits at the piano for the casual lament as strings sneak around his pronunciations.

“Self Pity” digs a hole in the center of the record with a long intro of lo-fi smoke. Two minutes in, the track finds its legs with knock-down drums, slack hi-hats and Leithauser making amends with the voices in his head.

“I Retired” wakes the album up with a rumpled drum beat and a rousing shoobey-doo-wop. “Bless Your Heart” washes away with a pattering of bongos and more xylophone while “I Don’t Need Anyone” sounds most like The Walkmen, with heat-rising guitar and a calming tambourine.

For the most part, Black Hours hits all the right marks. Leithauser’s still looking up at The Walkmen as his greatest musical achievement, but as he gets more comfortable at the command, that could soon change.

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

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Pre Show Superstitions Of Musicians Around The World

We’ve talked a lot here about how best to market yourselves with image, quirky promotional ideas and a whole host of other cool tips and tricks. But sometimes, with the bigger bands, it’s the stuff they do once the gig offers come flooding in that really gets people talking. No, we’re not on about picking up a drug habit or inviting all the pretty girls from the show backstage – there are some FAR more interesting characters out there, we promise. Many artists have their own little pre-show rituals which they have to do every time they perform, for luck. These things are as natural to them as breathing. According to the magician Oliver B, we’re all a bit superstitious, because most of us believe in ‘magic’ or superstition to some extent, even if it’s subconscious. Bands aren’t just being ‘divas’ with their demands, often, they believe they’re jinxed if they don’t! So, what are bands doing for ‘luck’ that sets them apart? Here are just five of our favourites…

One Direction

They may not be everyone’s favourite band, and in fact, in some circles, they’re positively despised. But it doesn’t matter what you think of their music… it’s their alleged pre-show ritual that had us laughing! Now, it may only be online whispers, but there’s talk that the band actually share a bath together before they get on stage. That’s guaranteed to bring you closer together, but it’s up to you whether you lot want to get so ‘up close and personal!’

The Rolling Stones

You’d imagine these seasoned rockers to be a bit ‘rock and roll’, right? Well, not exactly. Rather than getting wasted, Keith Richards insists on having a Shepherd’s Pie before going onstage. He also has to be the only one to break the crust. And yes, as it happens, there has been an occasion where someone else accidentally did it for him. The result? He needed a new one to be cooked. Like, stat. The fans were made to wait…

Adele

Adele, the British lady with the A-MAZ-ING voice, suffers from stage fright. Proof it can indeed happen to us all! So, how does she combat this? Like a normal person, duh! She creates an alter ego for herself! Ummm… Yeah, so ‘Sasha Carter’, aka Adele (keep up!) gets that name from the one and only Beyoncé’s ’Sasha Fierce’ and country superstar June Carter combined. Whatever works, girl!

Ke$ha

So she may not be the most credible artist, and you may not be super surprised by this, but Ke$ha has all of her entourage roll around in oil and glitter backstage before every show. Oil and glitter ONLY. Oh well, if she’s having fun!

Led Zeppelin

A cup of coffee to calm the nerves and wake you the hell up sounds pretty standard as far as superstitions go – that’s what the guys usually ask for, anyway. But Robert Plant in particular has a rather unique habit of asking for ‘space to iron his shirts’. We guess when you’re living the rock star lifestyle, the mundane life must seem pretty appealing. We can’t imagine why!

 

 [INSERT YOUR BAND NAME HERE?!]

And there you have it. It pretty much seems that the ones who know the ropes are the calmest ones – who knew. We bet it’s because they know you’ve got to keep your head in the game to survive the time! But they’re not the only ones… check out these weird superstitions from around the world! You might reconsider being caught dead with chewing gum before a big show after reading these

(Image Courtesy of http://www.bingofind.com/)

What are your pre-show rituals? And could they help blow up your career?!

As featured on Indie-music.com, Examiner.com, I Am Entertainment Magazine, Antimusic.com, and recommended by countless music publications, “Your Band Is A Virus! Expanded Edition” is the ultimate music marketing guide for serious independent musicians and bands. Get your copy now.

The post Pre Show Superstitions Of Musicians Around The World appeared first on Independent Music Promotions.