Saturday April 18th from 9am to 9pm come on down and support your local record store!!
We'll have prizes, giveaways, sales, exclusive new releases and live music for most the the day
Sweet P's BBQ & the Copa Cabana will be on hand selling food and a quick thanks to Rik's Music and Backline Pro for providing the backline for the day!
here's what we have planned so far
12pm Van Eaton
1 pm Greg Koonz
2 pm Wilco - Ashes of American Flags DVD Screening with prize pack give
aways
3:30 pm Rockwells
4:30 pm Wild Sweet Orange
5:30 pm Tenderhooks
6:30 pm John Paul Keith
7:30 pm Cuttthroat Shamrock
Check out the store site for some more information
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Heavy Hands Review
Heavy Hands
Smoke Signals
Album Review
Heavy Hands snuck up and bit me on the ass. They came out of nowhere; I had no idea of who in the hell they were and had heard none of their music. I was intrigued merely by their name and unique album artwork, so I dug a little deeper and found one of 2008's strongest psychedelic releases flying under the radar. Signed to Drag City's Language of Stone Records, Heavy Hands are New York City, neo-psychedelic three piece that look backwards toward early 70's progressive rock and 1960's garage and psychedelia for their sound and inspiration.
In some circles and on several reviews they are cited as being partially a stoner rock/stoner metal band, however I have to go ahead and disagree. Don't get me wrong, a great deal of this record is made of of distorted riffs and heavy drones, yet doesn't line up in my mind at all with what is considered stoner metal. After listening to the record several times in its entirety, I can see where the attribute of "stoner" anything would come to mind. This album makes you feel a little fuzzy in the head and hazy in the vision department just by listening. Who am I kidding, you can almost hear the bongs ripping in the background. The best way I can describe the sound of this record is The Stooges meets Black Sabbath. There is definitely something about Heavy Hands that reminds me a bit of Dead Meadow, however things are amped up a great deal, more emphasis is placed on the groove element of the rhythm section, and the vocals pushed higher in the mix. The music itself turns out to be very conducive to the personal exploration of one's headspace. In a nutshell, this means that Smoke Signals is an extremely hypnotic album that you can easily get lost in. Highlights include "From Stonehenge", a heavily percussive trance-like track and "Can't See Through", that could just have easily been taken from the outtakes of Funhouse.
Good album. Not life-altering, but a great debut and way to get things going for Heavy Hands nonetheless.-Andrew Bryant
Scott Miller release party!
He will be performing in conjunction with the release of his latest album
Henry's Funeral Shoe
Henry's Funeral Shoe
Everything's For Sale
By now, the whole two-piece rock phenomenon doesn't pack the punch that it once did. It has been proven time and time again that two musicians can bring enough to the table to suffice for a full band sound and folks aren't as easily blown away as they once were. Therefore, bands that choose to go this route are forced to put a hell of a lot more blood, sweat, and tears into songwriting and musicianship just to stand out in the crowd. Like most other two-piece rock outfits in the Alive Records arsenal, Henry's Funeral Shoe remain deeply rooted in the blues rock traditions, at the same time bringing something refreshing and new to the genre with a great ear for hook-laden songwriting and tremendous musical talent.
In a nutshell, these Welsh rockers are not as gritty and don't kick you in the teeth as do several of their Alive brethren including the Black Diamond Heavies and Left Lane Cruiser. They fall more along the lines of early Black Keys, if the Black Keys grew up listening to a lot more of the Who and other British powerhouses. With Everything's For Sale, Henry's Funeral Shoe keeps things simple, with a large emphasis placed on the melody of the guitar riffs themselves and the tones used by guitarist/vocalist Aled Clifford. The guitar work is warm, fuzzy at times, and heavily steeped in the blues, reminiscent of early Peter Green and Marc Ford. Vocally, Aled Clifford sounds a great deal similar to the late, great Shannon Hoon and even a smidgen like Jon Spencer from time to time. Aled's younger brother, Brennig fills the percussive duties that are very heavy on the tom-toms and kick drum, which thickens the low end of things for the overall mix of the album itself. Highlights for me include, "Down the Line" and "Stranger Dig" that bring a Southern, delta blues feel in the mix, complete with mean slide guitar work that would bring a smile to John Lee Hooker's face. Another standout track is "It's a Long Way" which is much darker than their other material on the album, reminding me somewhat of a Morphine tune. Everything's For Sale winds down in the end with "Mary's Song", a beautiful, acoustic number complemented with light harmonica and brush work on the snare drum.
Henry's Funeral Shoe is a band that I have been hearing about for a while and this debut was damn sure worth the wait in the end. A band couldn't ask for a better sound than what was achieved on Everything's For Sale and I feel that they are only hitting the tip of the iceberg with this one. I am sure that Henry's Funeral Shoe and Alive Records have great things planned for us in the future and all we can do now is sit on our asses and wait patiently. -Andrew Bryant
Everything's For Sale
By now, the whole two-piece rock phenomenon doesn't pack the punch that it once did. It has been proven time and time again that two musicians can bring enough to the table to suffice for a full band sound and folks aren't as easily blown away as they once were. Therefore, bands that choose to go this route are forced to put a hell of a lot more blood, sweat, and tears into songwriting and musicianship just to stand out in the crowd. Like most other two-piece rock outfits in the Alive Records arsenal, Henry's Funeral Shoe remain deeply rooted in the blues rock traditions, at the same time bringing something refreshing and new to the genre with a great ear for hook-laden songwriting and tremendous musical talent.
In a nutshell, these Welsh rockers are not as gritty and don't kick you in the teeth as do several of their Alive brethren including the Black Diamond Heavies and Left Lane Cruiser. They fall more along the lines of early Black Keys, if the Black Keys grew up listening to a lot more of the Who and other British powerhouses. With Everything's For Sale, Henry's Funeral Shoe keeps things simple, with a large emphasis placed on the melody of the guitar riffs themselves and the tones used by guitarist/vocalist Aled Clifford. The guitar work is warm, fuzzy at times, and heavily steeped in the blues, reminiscent of early Peter Green and Marc Ford. Vocally, Aled Clifford sounds a great deal similar to the late, great Shannon Hoon and even a smidgen like Jon Spencer from time to time. Aled's younger brother, Brennig fills the percussive duties that are very heavy on the tom-toms and kick drum, which thickens the low end of things for the overall mix of the album itself. Highlights for me include, "Down the Line" and "Stranger Dig" that bring a Southern, delta blues feel in the mix, complete with mean slide guitar work that would bring a smile to John Lee Hooker's face. Another standout track is "It's a Long Way" which is much darker than their other material on the album, reminding me somewhat of a Morphine tune. Everything's For Sale winds down in the end with "Mary's Song", a beautiful, acoustic number complemented with light harmonica and brush work on the snare drum.
Henry's Funeral Shoe is a band that I have been hearing about for a while and this debut was damn sure worth the wait in the end. A band couldn't ask for a better sound than what was achieved on Everything's For Sale and I feel that they are only hitting the tip of the iceberg with this one. I am sure that Henry's Funeral Shoe and Alive Records have great things planned for us in the future and all we can do now is sit on our asses and wait patiently. -Andrew Bryant
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Kylesa
Kylesa
Static Tensions
I can't lie to you, it took me seeing them in a live setting to fully appreciate and enjoy the music of Kylesa. I took a chance and decided to see a live show and was hooked instantaneously with their massive sound and high energy, both of which I felt were missing from their records. Not that their first three releases were bad, I just never could quite grasp what they were trying to do. I liked what I was hearing, but it never floored me and I always thought that it could easily be so much better with just a little tweaking. With their fourth and newest album, Static Tensions, this Savannah, Georgia five piece have remedied this, evoking the gods of thunder with one of the best releases for 2009 thus far and is right on par with what they deliver live.
As with their previous material, it is extremely difficult to pinpoint what kind of music Kylesa can be categorized as. Part experimental, part sludge, part psychedelic stoner metal; they are big, loud, and full of piss and vinegar. It is heavy music at its finest, with massive amounts of percussion(having two, yes two stellar drummers), heavy guitar work, and brutal vocals from two very distinct vocalists. The album gets things started out just right with "Scapegoat", with a thunderous groove established by drummers, Carl McGinley and Eric Hernandez. Now is a great time to praise to these hitters of the skins, who provide the driving force behind the entire album, with effective poly-rhythmic play and tribal unison sessions which makes this album one of the best by far in terms of percussive work. Guitarist/vocalist and founder Phillip Cope lay down a heavy pallet of fuzzy guitar noise and chunky riffage that thickens the stew and adds more to the overall power of the album itself. Guitarist/vocalist Laura Pleasants puts most men in the metal world to shame with her guitar work, perfect tone choices, and lead lines that pour out of her Les Paul GoldTop and snake through the thick, meaty wall of heaviness that is barreling out of control, full-throttle for the majority of the album. Laura's vocals range from full-on growls to clean tonal vocals that are treated almost like another instrument in the mix. Cope's vocals are a bit more one dimensional and gruff, providing a great contrast with the others on the record. Like a lot of great heavy albums, all of the tracks bleed into one another and listens better as a whole than broken up into parts. Highlights include "Said and Done" and "Unknown Awareness" with a lead guitar line that will worm its way through your ear and ring in your head for days after.
If you like heavy music, you will like this record. Something for everyone, from speed freaks to lovers of psychedelic post rock. Kylesa has truly found itself with Static Tensions, therefore things are looking great for their future. -Andrew Bryant
you can purchase the album here
Static Tensions
I can't lie to you, it took me seeing them in a live setting to fully appreciate and enjoy the music of Kylesa. I took a chance and decided to see a live show and was hooked instantaneously with their massive sound and high energy, both of which I felt were missing from their records. Not that their first three releases were bad, I just never could quite grasp what they were trying to do. I liked what I was hearing, but it never floored me and I always thought that it could easily be so much better with just a little tweaking. With their fourth and newest album, Static Tensions, this Savannah, Georgia five piece have remedied this, evoking the gods of thunder with one of the best releases for 2009 thus far and is right on par with what they deliver live.
As with their previous material, it is extremely difficult to pinpoint what kind of music Kylesa can be categorized as. Part experimental, part sludge, part psychedelic stoner metal; they are big, loud, and full of piss and vinegar. It is heavy music at its finest, with massive amounts of percussion(having two, yes two stellar drummers), heavy guitar work, and brutal vocals from two very distinct vocalists. The album gets things started out just right with "Scapegoat", with a thunderous groove established by drummers, Carl McGinley and Eric Hernandez. Now is a great time to praise to these hitters of the skins, who provide the driving force behind the entire album, with effective poly-rhythmic play and tribal unison sessions which makes this album one of the best by far in terms of percussive work. Guitarist/vocalist and founder Phillip Cope lay down a heavy pallet of fuzzy guitar noise and chunky riffage that thickens the stew and adds more to the overall power of the album itself. Guitarist/vocalist Laura Pleasants puts most men in the metal world to shame with her guitar work, perfect tone choices, and lead lines that pour out of her Les Paul GoldTop and snake through the thick, meaty wall of heaviness that is barreling out of control, full-throttle for the majority of the album. Laura's vocals range from full-on growls to clean tonal vocals that are treated almost like another instrument in the mix. Cope's vocals are a bit more one dimensional and gruff, providing a great contrast with the others on the record. Like a lot of great heavy albums, all of the tracks bleed into one another and listens better as a whole than broken up into parts. Highlights include "Said and Done" and "Unknown Awareness" with a lead guitar line that will worm its way through your ear and ring in your head for days after.
If you like heavy music, you will like this record. Something for everyone, from speed freaks to lovers of psychedelic post rock. Kylesa has truly found itself with Static Tensions, therefore things are looking great for their future. -Andrew Bryant
you can purchase the album here
Friday, March 13, 2009
SUPERDRAG!
We have the new album for sale today plus swing by this afternoon from 6-7 for a meet & great with the band.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Zombi-Spirit Animal
Zombi
Spirit Animal
Album Review
purchase it here
I am not going to beat around the bush, Zombi is weird and I would not prefer them any other way. Fueled to by two creative minds from Pittsburgh, influenced by the music of Goblin and the horror movie soundtracks from John Carpenter films, Zombi brings forth some of the greatest neo-progressive, cinematic space rock that continues to mesmerize metal heads, movie geeks, and music lovers from all across the spectrum and bring them back thirsty for more. Zombi was always a guilty pleasure for me, but lately I have met so many individuals who are literally mad about this music, loving every minute of its synth soundscapes and poly-rhythmic percussive work. What I love most about Zombi, is they love what they do and are consistent in the music they make. With their third full length, Spirit Animal, they bring music that is intense, beautiful, and could easy be used for a suspense/horror film circa 1981.
With Spirit Animal, Zombi is both bombastic and intricate, exhibiting obvious influences far beyond the Goblin/John Carpenter dichotomy, ranging from Tangerine Dream, Yes, and even a hint or two of early Gabriel-era Genesis. Compared to the rest of their catalogue, Spirit Animal sprinkles a bit more space/prog rock into the mix, still remaining true to the overall cinematic effect of the music itself. This album mixes together the perfect goulash of atmospheric swell and dramatic contrasts, progressive rhythms and dark cheesiness that would tickle the fancy of any prog/metal head, horror movie buff, and stereotypical music weirdo like myself. The opening track, which also serves as the title track is very large and almost regal sounding, as if it were announcing the arrival of something gargantuan, for instance the large, stampeding bull elephant as depicted on the front panel of the album. The record moves on to tracks that are much more progressive, some sounding close to the accompaniment to a long-lost video game of the 1980's. Most of all, what Zombi and Spirit Animal are is a breath of fresh air; something new and different in a day where most music sounds the same and a reminder of how things once were in the worlds of music and horror cinema.
Spirit Animal
Album Review
purchase it here
I am not going to beat around the bush, Zombi is weird and I would not prefer them any other way. Fueled to by two creative minds from Pittsburgh, influenced by the music of Goblin and the horror movie soundtracks from John Carpenter films, Zombi brings forth some of the greatest neo-progressive, cinematic space rock that continues to mesmerize metal heads, movie geeks, and music lovers from all across the spectrum and bring them back thirsty for more. Zombi was always a guilty pleasure for me, but lately I have met so many individuals who are literally mad about this music, loving every minute of its synth soundscapes and poly-rhythmic percussive work. What I love most about Zombi, is they love what they do and are consistent in the music they make. With their third full length, Spirit Animal, they bring music that is intense, beautiful, and could easy be used for a suspense/horror film circa 1981.
With Spirit Animal, Zombi is both bombastic and intricate, exhibiting obvious influences far beyond the Goblin/John Carpenter dichotomy, ranging from Tangerine Dream, Yes, and even a hint or two of early Gabriel-era Genesis. Compared to the rest of their catalogue, Spirit Animal sprinkles a bit more space/prog rock into the mix, still remaining true to the overall cinematic effect of the music itself. This album mixes together the perfect goulash of atmospheric swell and dramatic contrasts, progressive rhythms and dark cheesiness that would tickle the fancy of any prog/metal head, horror movie buff, and stereotypical music weirdo like myself. The opening track, which also serves as the title track is very large and almost regal sounding, as if it were announcing the arrival of something gargantuan, for instance the large, stampeding bull elephant as depicted on the front panel of the album. The record moves on to tracks that are much more progressive, some sounding close to the accompaniment to a long-lost video game of the 1980's. Most of all, what Zombi and Spirit Animal are is a breath of fresh air; something new and different in a day where most music sounds the same and a reminder of how things once were in the worlds of music and horror cinema.
-Andrew Bryant
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