Nevermind The Posers

See ya in the pit.

Free Download of “Perfect Match” along with graphic novel Perfect Teeth April 17, 2012

Filed under: New Music,Too Cool for a Category — NVMP @ 9:27 PM
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Our favorite fictitious musical band of crooning vampires Perfect Teeth, from the graphic novel written by Vinnie Fiorello of Less Than Jake, have finally released their first musical endeavor to the public.  To coincide with the novel’s plot, life imitates art in their latest single entitled, “Perfect Match.”  A true monster ballad, Jon Snodgrass of Drag the River lends his distinct vocals as he croons: “It’s a perfect match/Let’s burn the maps/File down our fingertips.”  Rounding out the mix, we hear the Descendants Stephen Egerton on guitar, bass and drums.  So how does such a thing come to life?  Through e-mail correspondence, Fiorello and Snodgrass pieced together the skeleton of what was to become the first vampire love song to top the (pretend) charts.  Taking this rough copy via cell phone, Egerton was then able to musically adapt the original demo to a more suitable mood, tailoring each instrument to the heart of the piece.

I really enjoy the content as it doesn’t try to sound campy or silly, it’s as though I’m really listening to the plight of a living (or something like it) Edward Cullen, only way cooler and not so moody.  The type of heartfelt Vampiric hit single you’d expect in the wildly popular times of undead creatures.  Ultimately, this joint effort is a good listen, offering the reader a chance to fully absorb what is not only an excellent musical composure from great artists, but also an opportunity to fully immerse in the alternate reality of the graphic novel.

Click here for a free download of the graphic novel Perfect Teeth along with the song “Perfect Match.”  Click on ‘Free Downloads’ and check out everything Paper + Plastick is offering.

 

Break Anchor’s Debut EP “Black Hearts & Blackouts” March 26, 2012

Filed under: CD Reviews,Music Videos,New Music — NVMP @ 11:40 PM
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Review by Angela Blasi

Released March 20, 2012 on Paper + Plastick Records behold the debut EP from Break Anchor.  This pop-punk outfit channels the spirit of East Bay sounds from a scene gone by and is fronted by the well-known Jay Navarro (Suicide Machines and Hellmouth).  Comprised of his own angst and battles with the trials and tribulations of his life, this EP beautifully expresses his gritty, downtrodden yet resilient spirit.  The opening track “All I Have” had me hooked from the first line; its subtle-driving guitar riff building with choral vocals only to break into a hard, driving piece that never loses momentum.  Even lyrically, I enjoy the content as it reflects some of my own sentiments living in this Great Recession economy.  The vocals scream, “Everything is money!” while I envision myself signing this at high volumes in the summer sun; my own fuck you to the establishment.

Without hesitation, the second track “Can We Pretend” is focused and hard-hitting from the start.  Carried by the punchy bass progression, it’s a personal track that is easy to relate with.  It’s raw without being unclean, passionate without being overbearing.  There is a sense of belonging in these first two tracks, fantastically conveyed to the listener in a time when the definitions of success and identity are blurred.  This brings me to the last track, “Failure of Epic Proportions.”  “You try and convince me this is what I’ve been working for/ Time flies/ I don’t know, I work so much I don’t know you anymore/ Growing up makes us forget who we were.”  Simply stated yet poignant, Navarro’s lyrics easily bring life to the heart attack feeling of measuring one’s own failures and successes.  A slower track, this last song doesn’t lose focus of the other two, despite being a more emotionally charged piece.  This is definitely one of those songs to listen to when feeling particularly disenfranchised and disconnected from the well-to-do establishment, seemingly oppressing us all.  The song then ends with the calming serene sounds of ocean waves, as if to signify the finding of inner peace through the hell and turmoil that is self-discovery.

I’m excited to hear more from this band; their music is refreshing to hear.  They have met their goal in achieving a fresh sound that is in your face while bringing to life the influences of punk rock from past days.  From the first listen I was hooked and left wanting more.  The EP never compromises the heart of its members, giving the listener three tracks of unadulterated feelings, eloquently stated while being melodically raw with rich hooks and riffs.

Click here to listen to Black Hearts & Blackouts 

Break Anchor also recently debuted a music video for “A Failure of Epic Proportions,” watch below

 

The Darkness Returns? February 28, 2012

Filed under: Music Videos,New Music — NVMP @ 12:56 AM
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The last time the public heard anything about UK’s The Darkness was six years ago.  Just when we thought we wouldn’t be graced with the sight of singer Justin Hawkins’ custom spandex suits, the band releases a brand new single called  “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us.”  The video features a 2-D animation of the band, giving us insight into their sense of humor and solidarity as a unit.  Sort of corny yet carelessly fun, the first track off a full length release (date and name is yet to be determined) “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us” doesn’t seem to offer anything musically new from the group.  Still laden with Hawkins’ signature falsetto screams and guitar god-like solo’s, it’s everything I would expect from a band that produced past hits with the same formula.  Maybe the rest of the album will have more twists and turns for our listening pleasures, but as it stands this looks to be a pretty predictable album, albeit fun as hell to rock to.      –  Angela Blasi
 

Thoughts On Skrillex December 15, 2011

Filed under: New Music — NVMP @ 1:04 AM
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by Angela Blasi

This is my official introduction to Skrillex, powered by one Sonny Moore.  The video coupled with the song really grabbed my interest, as I felt like the two were a perfect hybrid of visual and cerebral mediums, not to mention I really appreciated the plot twist to the entire story.  As I delve deeper into their sound, I may or may not find that I like every single track with the same affinity I have for “First Of The Year (Equinox),” however, I am coming to appreciate Moore’s talent for his craft.  Electronic sounds have never been out of my musical tastes, nor have they been the main focus.  Regardless, I definitely dig what I hear so far.

 

Review of The Season by All Get Out October 28, 2011

Filed under: CD Reviews,New Music — NVMP @ 8:05 AM

Review by Jake Davis

Simply put, All Get Out’s The Season is a jaw-dropping explosion of surprisingly good music.  On the surface, the band comes across as a mediocre pop-punk band that relies too heavily on guitar hooks.  Perhaps this is because of my murderous hatred of bad pop punk.  In my opinion pop punk has two sides, the horrible, horrible, whiny stuff and the brilliant song writing of early Fall Out Boy.  The difference is that when you sit down to listen to All Get Out, the band’s true brilliance shows itself.  Most songs are your fast-paced, punk-driven affairs but the tempo hides some truly heart-wrenching lyrics and melodies you will hum long after the music has stopped.  They fail to fall into one genre, one sound.  When you think you have pinpointed the sound, a song like “Girl, Gun” appears with its heavy riffs and vocal distortion.  Even strings make an appearance!  And even better, they’re spectacular and not gratuitous!  The final two songs of the album are so beautifully written and performed; you’ll think it was coming out of the amps of a band on its 8th album as opposed to its first.

Lyrically, The Season bounces around from happy to heavily introspective.  This range of emotions showcases lead singer Nathan Hussey’s ability to both write and perform not only a one-noted affair, but a deep and multifaceted collection of songs.  The electric instruments backed by complex drum beats, acoustic guitars and piano (which is my Achilles’ heel musically, if you’ve got the black and whites you go up 10 points in my book) are pure bliss, and you just want to sit on the repeat button until your ears can’t take it anymore.  Laugh at my over-the-top descriptions if you want, but you’ll surely be missing one of the best albums this year.  What is so special is that the band may use the stereotypical methods of “let’s make this song more dramatic” with strings or harmonies, but they do in such an original and beautiful way; you can’t fault them for it.  As I write this, faint horns augment a song called “The Season” (which is also the title song of the album) and I am dumbstruck by the near perfection of this debut album.  In fact, I hate putting this band in the genre pop punk because of its transcendence of the current typical sound.  Sadly, as with all albums, especially new ones, there are a few flaws.  The first number of songs on the album has a slight identity problem, namely being that they don’t differentiate themselves from one another.  While this is alleviated later, you don’t exactly fall in love with the album straightaway.  This absence of a signature sound somewhat persists throughout the album, but it’s near impossible to bash this collection of songs.

For a debut effort, it’s superb.  This has restored my faith in the direction that rock is going.  If this is where it’s headed, buy me a ticket on the train to happiness.  Readers, go out and buy this album.  It’s that good and this band will only get better as time goes by.  So, be that one guy or girl who is cool enough to turn people on to the next great band.  I wish I could do it all myself, then I would be that guy.  However, I leave it up to you, fair music-lovers, to spread the word on a spectacular start from a spectacular band.

 

Vans Warped Tour 2011 Review September 8, 2011

Filed under: Music Festivals,New Music,Vans Warped Tour — NVMP @ 7:32 AM
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Sick of Sarah

On July 23, 2011 I said screw the heat wave and headed to Nassau Collisuem in NY for my 9th Vans Warped Tour.  Complaining about the tortuous temperature was not bring relief, however, huddling in the shadows of merch tents and chilling on the air-conditioned Monster Energy truck did.  The first band I checked out was Sick of Sarah.  I am not usually a fan of female rock bands, but these chicks can play.  I enjoyed the live set more than their recorded tracks for the fact that there was more energy and less harmony.  The songs I recommend are “Bittersweet” and “Not Listening.”

Next I headed over to the Nintendo 3DS stage to check out Moving Mountains.  Before their set started, I caught the last couple of songs from Simple Plan.  I was slightly shocked to see them on the tour, but their new album is not too shabby.  Lyrically, the band grew up.  I really enjoy their single “When I’m Gone.”  They ended with crowd pleaser “I’d Do Anything”.  Oh high school, oh reminiscing.

Moving Mountains

I’m happy to now cross Moving Mountains off my list of bands to see.  When previewing the band, I was reminded of The Get Up Kids (think On A Wire) with a touch of Brand New, which is extremely rare.  The band owned the stage and their performance was nothing less than phenomenal.  “The Cascade,” “With One’s Heart In One’s Mouth” and “Where Two Bodies Lie” are my favorite tracks.  I can’t wait to check out their albums.  Emo music used to be good back in the day when it first became a popular, yet it is still a misunderstood and undefined genre.  This band reminds me of that; like when ’emo’ wasn’t such a shameful word.  I deem this band mandatory to check out.

The Narrative


The Narrative was up next at Kia/Kevin Says stage.  Local natives to Long Island, NY, the crowd filled rather fast, and more were gathering as each note played.  I loved “Fade” and “The Moment That It Stops”.  Their voices (Suzie Zeldin and Jesse Gabriel) are just so pleasant to hear with melodic hooks and lyrics.  When I take my next train ride, I know “Trains” will be on my iPod.  The music paints a great picture of the best train ride you’ll ever take; like you’re 5 years old and it’s your first time on one.  I get Tim Burton vibes from this song, but that’s probably just me.  The band may not have been something I would expect on the tour, but hey, the times they are a changin’.  We’re All Warped.

Finally.

A break between bands to check out the sites and find some shade.

I love the cloths from Sooshi Clothing Company.  They have these adorable plush wasabi/ginger duo and sashimi.  Sadly, they’re only up for raffle, so I opted for a shirt, this one.  Skull Candy was selling head phones for $10 on top of throwing some free pairs into the crowd.  There were giant drinking water trucks with “durkin water” to fill up your water bottles and misting tents to cool down.  The Monster Energy truck was on site providing air-conditioned seating and free Monster drinks.  I love the Absolutely Zero; it’s energy without the guilt.  Oh, and of course I couldn’t forget to catch some skaters!

Middle Class Rut

I have to admit, I had no idea Middle Class Rut consisted of only two members Zack Lopez (vocals/guitar) & Sean Stockham (vocals/drums).  Before there set, I had only heard their single “New Low,” which I love.  I wish I could say the same about their other tracks, but didn’t care for them.  Was it lacking something?  It still felt like a full sound on stage, but it got repetitive after a while, and this coming from a gal who loves her jam bands.  I didn’t stick around for the full set and of course, “New Low” was played last.  I heard it half way across the venue and thought to myself “Fuck,” but sang along to the chorus anyway.

Lucero

When I was checking the lineup of the tour this year, I knew I had to make a stop and hear Lucero.  Again, a sound I thought I’d never experience on Warped Tour.  This alternative/country/punk band from Memphis had just enough punk rock in their veins to spark my interest.  I’m picking up Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bruce Springsteen and at times and Gaslight Anthem.  It’s something that everyone can enjoy and I appreciate them being on the tour.  “The Devil and Maggie Chascarillo” is a must hear.  Listen here.

Roger Manganelli, Less Than Jake

The highlight of the day was watching Less Than Jake perform while standing on stage left.  Taking pictures in a photo pit is awesome, but stage shots just rock harder.  Less Than Jake takes to the stage like a fish to water (or the smell of weed at The Expendables’ set); they are natural performs and there was never a dull moment on stage.  They were fast to point out some visions of Long Island; Chris Demakes told a young girl who flashed her tits to “Put them away!”  Rightfully so, good move Demakes.

Less Than Jake

Another issue/concern they pointed out was the haircut choices of the crowd; lots were sporting the Justin Beiber do and that was not going to fly.  The band pulled up on stage one of the look-a-likes and made it a point that this had to change.  JR revealed the mohawk strip and buzzer.  The original kid chickened out, thus proving the wimpy look and demeanor the Beiber cut holds, and a true punk rocker was selected.  He let JR and Buddy shave his head into a mohawk.  Not over yet, the band pulls a girl from the audience for the freshly mohawk rebel to make out with on stage.  Only downfall to the onstage mohawk was my location and the direction the wind.   Thank God for giant speakers to duck behind to dodge the hair.  “Mr. Personality” from their new EP Greetings From… was a big hit, as were all the classics.  They deliver so many songs in one set it feels like they covered everything I wanted to hear.  I was happy to hear three tracks from TV/EP released back in October 2010, the theme songs to Animaniacs, Spongebob Squarepants and i-Carly.  Before I knew it, we were asked to leave the stage and the band was performing their last song.  What a great experience!  Coming soon, NVMP’s interview w/ JR!

Big D

Big D & The Kids Table was up next, another Warped veteran on bill.  I wasn’t able to catch their entire set, but still had a great time.  They played some tracks off of their new album that dropped on 7/5/11, The Damned, The Dumb and The Delirious.  Ska music is getting scarce these days, so you have to appreciate the classics.  Sure, there are new bands coming out w/ brass sections trying to keep Ska alive, but remember your roots;  both LTJ and Big D have been around since the 90s.  Ska is a genre of music.  If you don’t like it, then you don’t have to listen.  Fact is, the sound has never changed; ska music is known for having a horn section to tie together the elements of a rock/punk band.  Ska music will always have a place on my iPod.

Go Radio

Another new band I’m happy to have discovered this year is Go Radio on Fearless Records.  Hailing from Tallahassee, Florida, these rockers have some dangerously addicting songs that had me practically paralyzed at the stage.  The lyrics are catchy and the hooks are strong enough for me to have just used the word “paralyzed”.  This is Jason Lancaster’s band since leaving Mayday Parade.  I got a good taste of this band to make me definitely dig deeper into their music.  “Goodnight Moon” was #8 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and sold more than 15,000 copies in 2010 off of Do Overs And Second Chances.  “Any Other Heart” was great live; lots of passion and energy, and definitely a song that drags you in and leaves you wanting more.

The Expendables

Blacklist Royals

No strangers to the tour, up next were The Expendables.  Ryan DeMars made a quick statement before their set, something to the tune of ‘light ’em if you got ’em.’  A minute later, the audience smelled fantastic and the mood mellowed out.  I love reggae.  I love punk.  I love The Expendables.  “Down Down Down” and “Sinsemilla” are my favorite tracks.

Another new band to check out was Blacklist Royals.  I hear Rancid and the Ramones with a taste of Gaslight Anthem, which means it grabbed my attention immediately and deserves a fair listen.   Their stage presence was pure energy and they knew how to keep the attention of the crowd.  Great set and will definitely be checking out more of their music. 
“American Hearts” and “Sick of Sin” are great tracks to start with.

illscarlett


The last band I was able to catch was illscarlett.  These boys are certainly no stranger to VWT, and this year, Lyman selected them to play the entire tour.  You’ve come a long way illscarlett, from playing your music at the gates of Warped Tour to rocking out on the whole festival!  Dub rock is a type of music that is extremely hard to hate, or at least that’s how I feel.  Yet again, their live set was able to get the crowd to unite and puff, puff pass.

All in all, it was another successful year at the Vans Warped Tour.  I can’t help but to feel that the theme this year was fusion bands.  With acts like Larry and his Flask, Lucero, Lionize, Peelander-Z, MC Lars and Weerd Science, River City Extension, all combining different elements of various genres, it lets us hear music we might have never listened to.  IE- I’m not a fan of country, but Lucero is pretty damn sweet.  In River City Extention there are eight members and that alone is enough of a fusion to create a unique sound.  We’re all warped, see you there next year!   Thanks for everything.

Here is a slide show of the best pictures I took at Warped this year, enjoy!

Review and Pictures by Tina Nicole Teresi

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Interview with MC Lars and Weerd Science September 7, 2011

Filed under: Interviews,New Music,Vans Warped Tour — NVMP @ 12:17 AM
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Interview by Angela Blasi

Ang:  So for the record you are…
WS:  I’m Weerd Science.
MCL:  I’m MC Lars, how are you?

Ang:  Tell me a bit about what you guys what you do.
MCL:  We do independent hip-hop music.  We’re two different acts and on Warped, we teamed up to do a set together.  We have a label called Horris Records– punk based independent hip-hop music; really passionate, really independent and really dope.

Ang:  How did you get into doing something that isn’t mainstream and makes you unique?
MCL:  I played in punk bands and then started MCing electronic beats and hip-hop beats.  In 2003 I started touring and have been ever since.  It was kind of an accident.
WS:  I was always a musician.  I was a drummer; that’s what I did as a kid.  I’ve been in a band my whole life.  I played in a band called 3 that was signed to Universal and like most young drummers, all I cared about was drum fills.  With hip-hop I always wrote rhymes as a joke; real gangsta shit.  I was a 13 year old fat punk kid and it started to become a real creative outlet.  Mobb Deep and Wu Tang’s records taught me a lot about the drums.  Then I went on to play in a band called Coheed and Cambria for nine years.  Hip-hop always played a big role in my creativity.  Coming from New York I guess that’s what kids did on the bus.  Once it became a real creative outlet, I took it seriously and it was a natural progression to make a record.  Eventually Equal Vision, Coheeds’ first record label, wanted to put out the first Weerd Science album and we did that still playing in bands.  I’m actually in another band on Warped Tour called Terrible Things.  I play drums and I try to work as hard as I can.  You know Lars heard Sick Kids my new record and put it out on his label Horris records.  Were one of the only groups that’s true DIY.  Lars has taught me a lot about that and I really believe in it.  What artist wouldn’t want to own their own record?  I might own pieces of 3 and Coheed and Cambria, but never do you own your own.  Horris Records are all about DIY.

Ang:  What’s one thing you’ve learned from each other in this hybrid of a team?
WS:  Here we are on the same stage as bands with major labels, only we get to do what we want with the money and we funnel the money right back into the art.  I think Lars taught me that it’s very possible to take care of your art, do what you want to do and believe in yourself on the same level as the big boys but do it on your own.

Ang:  Is it more liberating because you’re able to take your music places you might not have been able to without that kind of creative freedom?
MCL:  When you have someone investing in your music, that’s external; they always want to have the creative input, then they wanna make you feel small if you’re not delivering in a way that is profitable to them.  There’s a lot of manipulation.
WS:  With a major record label, you can never win.  I remember with Coheed we sold 100,000 records the first week and that it just wasn’t good enough.  The disappointment I felt from that felt like we let everybody down.

Ang:  What do you find more satisfaction-wise in your own art, more personal gain or more personal satisfaction?
WS:  I definitely do every record solid.  It’s another person whose going to put it on and hopefully it touches their hearts.  That is deeply personal to me and I think it’s the way it should be.  I think the whole DIY thing can really be a convenient stance for a band.  It’s a lifestyle and it has more to do with art and creativity then being about a product.  It all comes down to creativity and I think that’s really important.  I could not believe in that more whole heartedly.

Ang:  What can I expect to see on stage?  What kind of message and vibe do you try to send through your music?
WS:  For the Warped Tour set it’s short, so we try to keep it really high energy, do a nice mix of both our stuff and try to have fun.

Ang:  Is it just you two on stage?
WS:  No it’s a full set; we’re trying to keep the rock alive.  We believe in this stuff and hopefully that translates to the crowd.

Ang:  Do you guys have any influences that you draw from?
WS:  I mean, I still draw some of those records that became the foundation for me as a musician.  Wu Tang is a major influence and Snoop Dogs’ Doggiestyle got me into pfunk.
MCL:  I really like the independent people, like Atom and His Package.  He’s a huge influence and his stage show is so engaging.  He’s funny, tells stories and his songs were great.  Wesley Willis was this big keyboardist and his art was his sanity and his peace.  He was happiest on stage and everything is normal on stage.

Ang:  What is your definition a poser?
MCL:  I feel like a poser is someone who buys into mass media and a corporate way of being different and maybe not authentically follows what’s in their heart.  I don’t think that kids are always trying to find themselves, so I don’t know if you can judge someone who’s trying to find themselves.  A poser is someone who is not true to themselves.
WS:  Especially out here with Warped Tour- it was supposed to be the sub culture and not pride itself on following the trends.  I really dig what Lars said, that kids are trying to find themselves.  It’s an evolution.

MC Lars

Weerd Science

 

Local Bands You Should Know About September 2, 2011

Filed under: Music You've Been Missing,New Music — NVMP @ 11:16 PM
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By Jake Woodbury Davis

Connecticut.  When you think of good music, slowly infiltrating the ears of desperate high-schoolers, you may think of bands coming out of New York City or LA.  But no, as hard as it is to believe, the nirvana of underground music comes from this small, stupidly wealthy state.  Not only here but also from Massachusetts, and even New Jersey.  This semi New England collective generally falls under the Red Rash Collective,  a group started by the local bands in and around Southington, CT (which, fortunately, is my hometown).  These groups of musicians are no ordinary collection of garage bands but an intense brotherhood of sweet, sweet musical happiness.  The extensive list is as follows:
The Guru (CT)

Dads (NJ)

FigureHead (CT)

Robin Hood (NY)

Glocca Morra (PA)

Jack Tomascak + Segunda Etapa (CT)

Pachangacha (MA)

The Front Bottoms (NY)

Chalk Talk (MA)

High Pop (CT)

Toasted Plastic (NJ)

Hot Mess (MA)

Spook Houses (NJ)

Manners (CT)

Band Name (PA)

Beach Sleepers (NH)

Holiday City (NJ)

Barefeet (CT)

The Helveticas (CT)

Deer Leap (NH)

Old Gray (NH)

NunCunt (CT)

Two Humans (CT)

Braeburn (CT)

The Ferns (CT)

Dix (CT)

The Greek Favourites (PA)

Inflatable Best Friend (MI)

Brown Cow (MI)

Old Yeller (CT)

Young Mountain (NH)

The Worthies (CT)

Empty Houses (NJ)

Babytown Frolics (CT)

Make Wave (MA)

Mer De Blanc (SC)

Centennial (MA)

Maintain Radio Silence (NH)

While I can’t promise that you’ll fall in love with every band on this list, I can almost guarantee that the following bands you read about will cause you to believe that good music isn’t dead, it’s merely hiding in the suburbs of the north-east.  The bands I enjoy the most, and have had the pleasure to attend the shows of, are Two Humans, The Helveticas, Nuncunt and The Guru.  Two Humans, while actually having three members, is a high energy, mildly depressed, indie meets punk meets folk, ear explosion of goodness.  The raspy vocalist Jason Rule can be heard singing of all the wonderful angst, drug abuse and lost love that joyfully accompanies the final years of school.  He is matched by bassist Justin Dubree (also bassist of The Helveticas) and Lucas who is the drummer of this wonderful trio.

The Helveticas, a jazz/dance/punk trio matches the badassery of Two Humans, but in a totally different way.  If you love to dance to songs that have serious rhythm, but are like me and physically incapable of forming dance moves recognizable to humans so you just bounce around awkwardly, this is the band for you.  Nick Charlton, the drummer, has created the only beats in my musical knowledge that are simultaneously jazzy, danceable and punk-ready.  Justin Dubree lays down a groove to be reckoned with.  Finally, guitarist and lead singer Oscar Godoy manages to sound reminiscent of Julian Casablancas while having a truly unique voice all his own.  He lays down a jazz guitar also punk in styling that I’ve never heard before.

Nuncunt, apart from having a truly offensive name, commands attention.  This female duo, one-part piano and one-part drums, is a sucker punch to the face, consisting of piano riot girl punk.  Don’t be fooled by the piano-filled melodies you hear; the words sung are full of venom.  The music you find online has no drums, but in live performances this essential piece gives the band more kick than they already possess in copious amounts.  Standing in front of pianist/vocalist Alex Saraceno I was embarrassed to have a Y chromosome.

Last but surely not least, The Guru.  This is a sound you never knew you wanted, but once heard takes a hold of you like no other drug.  This infectiously upbeat funk and disco-experimentalism pop supernova of music is like nothing you’ve ever heard, with a bizarre lead singer leading the way.  The band’s unusual vocal styling’s and oddball lyrics only make them exude double the charm the instruments provide.  I implore anyone who has ears to buy their album.  Also, they start each show with copious screaming and shouting and they tend to break their instruments at the end.  It doesn’t get any cooler than that.

This was your dose of local underground goodness.  Thanks for reading!

 

Venetia Fair at Warped Tour August 17, 2011

Filed under: Interviews,New Music,Vans Warped Tour — NVMP @ 7:36 AM
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I ran into Mike and Joe from Venetia Fair and talked about how things are going for them.

Mike:  My name is Mike; I play bass in the Venetia Fair.

Joe:  I’m Joe Brown; I play keys in the Venetia Fair.

Ang:  So how’s the tour treating you guys so far?

Mike:  Tough and awesome and hot and dirty.

Joe:  Definitely been dirty.  I’ve been wearing the same shirt for 32 days today.

Ang:  Is it lucky perhaps?

Joe:  No, more so that I have refused to acknowledge my body telling me that it needs to be washed and I’m ignoring any health signs more of a personal thing I have with myself.

Ang:  So tell me, what makes your music so different and great?

Mike:  A lot of people say our music has a burlesque kind of theme or a rag-timey feel.  The music is very intense, but it’s also very catchy.

Joe:  It’s definitely heavy and theatrical; cabaret-esque piano and waltzy parts that reminds you of a circus.

Ang:  Where do you draw your influences from?

Joe:  That’s an interesting question because none of us listen to the same thing.  I know when we used to do interviews we would always take people who would compose scores from movies and stuff.

Mike:  Like scores from Tim Burton films.  Any weird stuff that grabs people’s attention.

Ang:  Where are you from and how long have you been together as a band?

Joe:  Boston

Mike:  The band existed for about four years.  We started touring two years ago and this is our first year playing Warped.  It’s also the first time we’ve been on a tour that we’re playing everyday like a festival.

Ang:  What can we expect to see from your live show?

Joe:  Here’s what I tell people when they haven’t heard us: “I guarantee you our live show is the wildest set you’ve ever seen and we go crazier than any band.  If I’m wrong and you can honestly tell me that there’s a band that goes crazier, then I’ll just stand there and you can punch me in the head as many times as you want.  We pride ourselves on our live shows.

Ang:  How does that crazy energy translate into the crowd?  How do they respond?

Mike:  Our fans are awesome.  They’re the wildest people in the world, and we make sure they’re all wild too.

Ang:  Would you describe your music as high energy and up tempo?

Mike and Joe:  Yes!

Ang:  What type of message are you trying to convey to your listeners?

Joe:  Nothing matters.  Life is a toilet, deal with it.  Don’t be a baby, don’t let anything bother you.

Ang:  What is your definition of a poser?

Joe:  A lot of bands think that they want to be that band, so they’re posers.  I don’t think that’s true.  I think they just want to play music.  A poser would be someone who’s pretending to be someone that they’re not.

Mike:  I haven’t heard that term in a while.  I think it changed to hipsters.

Joe:  Poser used to have like a negative connotation to music in general.  You could just call someone a poser and they’d be like ‘fuck.’  I feel like now it’s actually turned into the word it’s supposed to be.

Ang:  What do we have to look forward to from Venetia Fair?

Joe:  We’ve got a couple of things we just put out.  A new EP, it’s called The Pits and we got it on iTunes, Amazon and on our Facebook.  We just put out a music video for “A Man Like Me.”  It’s on YouTube and all over the internet.

Mike:  We’re also putting out a whole bunch of tour dates soon.

 

Larry and his Flask Interview August 13, 2011

Filed under: Interviews,New Music,Vans Warped Tour — NVMP @ 12:36 PM
Tags: , , , ,

By Angela Blasi

I had a few minutes to catch up with Ian Cook and Jesse Marshall of Larry and his Flask Vans Warped Tour in Oceanport, NJ.  Check out their new album All That We Know that just came out on Tuesday 8/9/11.

Ang:  How was your performance today and the turnout?

Ian:  It was cool, we’re kind of one of those bands; we’ll start out with a small gathering of people and by the end, people walk by and they’re like “what?”  They see this guy jumping around with this huge standup bass, and there are banjos and mandolins, so they stop and want to watch.

Jesse:  Today a lot of parents came up to us and said “Thank you so much, I hate all the music on this tour, I’m in pain being here.”

Ang:  How long have you guys been together?

Ian:  It’s kind of a weird story.  We’ve been together for seven years and started out as just a straight up electric punk rock band and it kind of evolved.  In the last three and a half years, we’ve been playing more traditional instruments, more like a full gear sound.

Ang:  How’s New Jersey been treatin’ ya?

Jesse:  The Saint in Asbury Park was awesome and we played The Wellmont Theatre in Montclair with Dropkick Murphys; it was really great.

Ang:  Are there any bands your fond of touring with?  Any bands here you’ve hit it off with?

Ian:  Foxy Shazam.  They’re off the tour now and left at the Montreal date.  They were amazing.  We made really great friends with them, nicest guys.

Jesse:  We bonded immediately.  Our van broke down in Michigan and they let us ride in their tour bus, they’re great guys. Also, the Aggrolites are awesome.  We’re definitely going to be playing with them in the future.  We’ll be touring with Lionize in the fall.

Ang:  For someone who’s not familiar with your music/stage show, what is something the new-comers can expect?

Ian:  I would just say come prepared to have a party.

Jesse:  It’s an explosion of energy.

Ian:  We just try to play at every show like it’s the last one we’re going to play; give it everything and see if we get anything back.  If we get twenty percent back from what we’re giving out, then we’re happy.

Ang:  As far as your music and song writing goes, is that something done collectively as a band?

Ian:  It’s different from time to time.  Most often one person will bring the song to the table and it’ll change drastically once we get it into the practice space and start hashing out things.

Jesse:  There are also things we’ve written completely collectively, the lyrics and the music, but a lot of times one person will write the lyrics, bare-bone skeleton of the song and then we’ll all go in and add.  Maybe a horn pop would be cool here.

Ian:  Kind of throw it around.

Ang:  Do you guys have a method in getting together and writing, or do you find that your influences have any sort of bearing when you get together and write?

Ian:  Yeah, definitely.  Me personally, I write a lot of songs by myself just with my acoustic guitar and definitely my influences have an effect.

Ang:  Same for you Jesse, is there a particular kind of music that brings out a flare to the music?

Jesse:  I don’t know, punk rock and gypsy music; a lot jazz.

Ian:  We listen to a lot of music.  We’re huge fans of music in general from metal to hip-hop to jazz.

Ang:  Are you on for the entire duration of the Warped Tour?

Jesse:  The tour ends in Portland, which is like two hours from my house.

Ang:  Aren’t you guys from Oregon?  That worked out well.

Jesse:  Yeah.  Everybody else is like ‘I have to drive back to New Jersey.’  Luckily, we go home, do a couple of shows and a couple of festivals.  We do a festival in Seattle called Soundfest, a couple of home-town shows, then we go to play Riot Fest in Philly and Chicago and FEST 10 in Florida.  Finally, we do a full US/Canada tour, go home for a little bit, then we go to Hawaii

Ang:  Sounds like you’re always touring, how are you physically enduring all the traveling?

Ian:  It’s how we all grew up.  We started touring while still in high school and we got used to it more and more.  The first time we went out, we were out for two weeks and played like four shows.  Then it got bigger and bigger and we got used to living on the road.

Jesse:  Luckily we’re all younger, our twenties and stuff.  None of us have any kids.

Ian:  None of us have any ties at home other than girlfriends.  We kind of built our lives around the band.

Ang:  What’s your favorite area to play?

Ian:  I like Florida a lot.

Jesse:  I really like Colorado and it’s always fun to go to the city- New York or San Francisco.

Ang:  It seems like you guys have been everywhere.

Jesse:  Yeah, we’ve played in 44 states.  We haven’t done North Dakota, Alabama, Hawaii or Alaska.  We are playing Hawaii and Alaska coming up soon.

Ang:  Anything else you’d like our readers to know?

Ian:  We just released a brand new album.  It’s called All That We Know.  It’s available digitally now on Amazon and iTunes and released in stores on 8/9/11.

Ang:  Finally, what is your definition of a poser?

Ian:  Somebody that’s lost in any sort of false idea of what should be true.  Somebody who should be following their heart and they’re not.

Jesse:  Kind of just pretentious, trying too hard to fit in I suppose.