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Australia Week :: Sounds Like Brisbane

Australia, Brisbane, featured artists, folk, indie, indie pop, punk, rap, Regurgitator, rock, videos 2 Responses »

Jan 232013

Projects akin to Sounds Like Brisbane provide an invaluable service to the indie music lover. It gives an opportunity to check out a bunch of pre-vetted bands quickly and at no risk. Who wants to lay down hard cash on some obscure band you’ve never heard before? For me, a similar project in 2005 called the Labrador Summer Sampler from Labrador Records totally opened my ears to a whole new world of music. I found bands I still follow today. SLB has done the same thing.

So, what exactly does Brisbane sound like? If you judge by the electic mix of artists on the Sounds Like Brisbane sampler…well, Brisbane sounds like anything the hell you want it to. Punk, folk, pop, rock, rap, whatever. From SLB Froglix has made mention, reviewed or played DZ Deathrays, I Heart Hiroshima, The Medics, Carry Nation, Texas Tea, Undead Apes, and more.

Today I introduce Regurgitator. This is not my usual cup of tea; but, their difference to what we’ve covered on here before is precisely what showcases the musical diversity of this city. And besides, I find the video for “All Fake Everything” incredibly amusing.

- DMitch

Friday Flashback :: Smithereens

alt-rock, alternative, flashback, Flashback Artists, New Jersey, rock, The Smithereens, videos No Responses »

Sep 142012

Arguably, one of the most underrated alt-rock bands of the 80′s & 90′s, The Smithereens, to this day goes down as one of my all-time favs as I quite literally have every album and know most every song, even the deep tracks, by heart. So, naturally, when they came to the Northern Virginia’s State Theatre a while back I just had to go. Some may say that the band has long since passed their prime…and they’d be right. However, these cats still rock out loud. They are not even the least bit pretentious. In fact, they are far from it. While most of the alt-rock veterans would rather play their “brand new” stuff (that nobody cares about) the Smithereens plastered the filled to capacity crowd with their most notable tracks from every album in their arsenal. It was epic.

I was fortunate enough to actually meet and hang out with the band a little bit after the show (that’s me with drummer Dennis Diken) and they were the epitome of cool. In fact, I talked with bassist Severo “The Thrilla” Jornacion about playing the bass line to “Blood and Roses” featured above. His response? “The first time I played it I thought I my fingers would bleed…it is such an honor to play that song.” With all the nit-picking in the music industry today it’s somewhat refreshing to hear someone give deference to their predecessor, in this case, former bassist Mike Mesaros.

We could have picked any number of tunes from The Smithereens catalog…“A Girl Like You” or “Only A Memory” would have been the more than obvious choices…but “Blood and Roses” was one of the tunes that was instrumental in my alt-rock conversion. Thusly, I pay homage to the song and the band today on the Friday Flashback. Enjoy my friends

Check out all the stuff by The Smithereens on !

- Drago

Summer Ending Soul

alt-rock, alternative, Attack Ships On Fire, featured artists, hard rock, new release, Oregon, Portland, punk, rock, SquidHat Records No Responses »

Aug 292012

artist: Attack Ships on Fire | album: Vegas Soul | genre: rock, punk | label: SquidHat Records

Attack Ships On Fire :: Vegas Soul

Attack Ships On Fire - Vegas Soul Labour Day is fast approaching likewise, coincidentally, the end of Summer 2012. If they haven’t already done so, young chitlins, angst ridden teens and future college drop outs all around the world will soon be starting their Fall classes and, thus, ending life as they know it. Fortunately for these wayward yutes there is a new album dropping from Oregon’s Attack Ships on Fire that should help in tiding them over until…well…with their limited attention spans Thanksgiving might be a stretch but I think Halloween is in the bag for sure. The (12) tracks that encompass the Pride of Portland’s third album entitled Vegas Soul were actually inspired by a new book from author P Moss called Vegas Knockout that is due to drop on Sept. 6th as is album #3 from the aforementioned ASoF.

We got a sneak peek…err listen…to the album’s title track and it’s delovely. Driven doesn’t even begin to describe it. This one, my friends, comes at you fast and furious with a musical double tap that is true pandalerium. I freaking love it…sounds a bit like Coheed and Cambria meets the Sex Pistols but that’s what I dig about it.

Many thanks to our friends at SquidHat Records for sharing the love. Peace…

- Drago

Wheel Workers on Vinyl

alternative, featured artists, folk, Houston, indie, indie pop, new release, rock, Texas, The Wheel Workers, ZenHill Records No Responses »

Jun 262012

What are you doing this Friday? If you happen to find yourself in Houston, TX then I highly recommend you check out The Wheel Workers Vinyl Release Party. The release features two(2) re-imagined and re-mixed tracks off their Unite album. (By the way, you can read my original review of the album if you want.) I have to say, I originally didn’t see “Right Way To Go” and “Spidermazes” as album standouts, but these new remixes are incredible. My previous favorite track from Unite, “Stereomad”, now has a serious competitor with the now more amped up “Spidermazes”. I’m adding both tracks to The Big Mix, so you can check them out here or grab the vinyl (or CD) from the release party. Or find the original album versions on iTunes.

- DMitch

Sick Of It All? Try Going To Venus

alt-rock, alternative, Citation Records, featured artists, Hickory, indie, Leaving Venus, new release, North Carolina, reviews, rock 1 Response »

Apr 052012

“Sick Of It All”, the title track from Leaving Venus’s most recent EP made me smile right from the get go. You know the moment in the movies when a fledgling band in the late 1950′s excitedly listens to their song on the radio for the first time… and then it quickly cuts mid-stream to them playing it live? Well yeah, that’s the exact vibe you get at the 30 second mark. And the style of music in this track fits the image as well… a rockabilly styled tune, simple chord changes, but catchy and lyrically clever. Then right at the 1:20 mark you get a refreshing 10 second change in tone that brings to mind something you’d hear from The Connells, maybe like from the “All Sinks In” track off of One Simple Word. In fact it’s a glimpse of what the other tracks on the EP are like.

I had a hard time choosing which other track from the EP to add to the broadcast. Ultimately I chose
“Comfortably”, mostly because it had me tapping my foot halfway through my first listen, and had me wanting to sing along by the second. I suppose that’s as good of a test as any. “Comfortably” probably also does the best job in showcasing Michael Miller’s mellifluous voice. Sometimes I do wish he’d do just a bit more vocally, but in this track it feels just right, well “comfortable” actually.

- DMitch

Froglix adds “Something” from Low-Fi

electro, featured artists, Italy, Low-Fi, new release, new wave, Octopus Records, rock No Responses »

Mar 192012

Low-Fi Froglix adds to rotation a track from the most recent album by Low-Fi. “Something”, the first track off of What We Are Is Secret, is best defined as rock in the distinct European style…lot’s of synth and an electro beat.

Grab the album off iTunes…

- DMitch

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