As expected, fans are divided on the approach that All That Remains have taken on their new album but I think the least anyone could say is that it's a giant step forward from the disaster that was A War You
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The HardDrive Live Fallout Tour, featuring co-headliners We Came As Romans and All That Remains, recently played the Skyway Theatre in Minneapolis on Friday (October 30th).
Red Sun Rising
Red Sun Rising from Akron, Ohio, was one of the band who opened up the show ... touring in support of their debut album Polyester Zeal (Razor & Tie). These guys have been around since 2007 but haven't really gotten the attention they deserve. That is all about to change. They blew me away last night. Mike Protich, singer, has a voice like I have never heard before. He is fronting a metal band but has a voice that would turn all the chairs on The Voice. That's something that you don't get all the time. There's nothing wrong with a metal singer that can't sing, that's part of the charm for me. But when you have a singer that is nailing every note and actually has feeling in his voice, that's something special and that's exactly what this band has.
Unfortunately, Red Sun Rising only had about a twenty minute set but they fit as much as they could into those twenty minutes. The crowd seemed to be conserving their energy for the rest of the night but that didn't stop the five-piece from giving the short set their all. Unfortunately, Red Sun Rising didn't seem to fit the more metalcore bill of the night. Their sound seemed to be a bit too radio rock for the crowd. Last night was Red Sun Rising's last night on this tour and they will soon embark on a tour with Godsmack. I think they will fit on that bill way better and hopefully they will finally get the recognition they deserve.
Polyester Zeal debut on Billboard’s Heatseeker’s Chart at #7. The album is available everywhere, including iTunes, Spotify, record stores, etc.
We Came As Romans
We Came As Romans stole the show last night, playing tracks from their latest self-titled album (Equal Vision Records). They had an intense light show that pretty much blinded you at times along with great music. I have seen these guys a couple of times and they keep getting more and more polished with each performance I see. "Tear It Down" is a song that the unclean singer, Dave Stephens, said was written just so they could see the whole crowd jump up and down in unison. That's exactly what the crowd did.
The crowd never slowed down for WCAR's set and neither did the band members. The amount of energy these guys have is immeasurable. Throughout the hour long set, WCAR had the crowd enthralled in their live show. You didn't have to know their lyrics to feel like you were a part of this band. That is why I feel like these guys stole the show. It didn't matter who you were there to see last night, you stopped what you were doing, stopped the conversation you were in the middle of, put your phones away the second these guys started.
All That Remains were the headliners of the night, currently touring in support of their latest studio album, The Order Of Things (also available on Razor & Tie). This is their seventh studio album, and highly anticipated, as the record landed #25 on Billboard Top 200 with over 19,000 units sold in its first week at retail.
The Massachusetts band, featuring singer Phil Labonte, guitarist Oli Herbert, rhythm guitarist Mike Martin, bassist Jeanne Sagan, and drummer Jason Costa, played some hits, including their first hit single "This Calling".
All That Remains' The Order Of Things is available now.
Remaining tour dates:
11/02/15 Knoxville, TN International
11/03/15 Raleigh, NC The Ritz
11/04/15 Philadelphia, PA Theatre Of Living
11/06/15 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
11/07/15 Worcester, MA The Palladium
11/17/15 Lincoln, NE Bourbon Theatre
11/19/15 Colorado Springs, CO Black Sheep
11/20/15 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theatre
11/21/15 Farmington, NM Top Deck
11/22/15 Tucson, AZ Club XS
11/24/15 Tempe, AZ The Marquee
11/25/15 Las Vegas, NV Vinyl @ Hard Rock Hotel
11/27/15 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory
11/28/15 Boise, ID Knitting Factory
11/30/15 Fort Collins, CO Aggie Theatre
12/01/15 Wichita, KS The Cotillion
12/04/15 St. Louis, MO Pop's Blue Moon
12/05/15 Milwaukee, WI The Rave
12/06/15 Chicago, IL Concord Music Hall
12/08/15 Atlanta, GA Heaven
12/09/15 Charlotte, NC Fillmore Charlotte
12/11/15 Portland, ME Asylum
12/12/15 Hartford, CT Webster Theater
12/13/15 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live!
12/14/15 New York, NY Gramercy Theatre
12/16/15 Lancaster, PA Chameleon
12/17/15 Flint, MI The Machine Shop
12/18/15 Millvale, PA Mr. Small's Theatre
All That Remains at Skyway Theatre, Minneapolis (30 October 2015)
23-year old Minneapolis native Austin Plaine will be releasing his self-title debut album on Washington Square/Razor & Tie this September 11th.
You can currently preview his song "Houston" on Soundcloud:
If you listen to it, a simple message about going back to Houston, Texas, is told in a way that paints this great picture about packing his bags, riding on the railway lines, crossing that county line, and thinking of a girl. Without declaring it, there's a hint of sadness, regret, and the feeling of loneliness on that long road.
Obviously being from Minnesota, Plaine is heavily influenced by Bob Dylan (who isn't?), but his songwriting suggests other heartfelt storytellers, like Conor Oberst and even Bruce Springsteen.
Listen for the first official single "Never Come Back Again" will hit Triple A and Americana radio on August 24th.
I am told that Austin Plaine will announce touring plans soon, in the meantime, he is playing a free show at Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2 in New York on August 12th.
Carroll was the first local band on. The band is a Varsity favorite and they had a brief 30 minute set, kicking off with "Sticks" and followed by "Alligator".
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Minneapolis-based Carroll's self-titled LP is coming out September 18th via Entertainment One Music. You can preview "Alligator" from the forthcoming album now.
Hear the song now:
The secret origin of the band came about in 2011 when college classmate Brian Hurlow and Charlie Rudoy teamed up for writing music and the pair moved to St. Paul's Carroll Avenue, tucked neatly in between Summit Hill and the Mississippi River.
After recruiting Max Kulicke and Charles McClung, they decided to named themselves after the street name.... solidifying themselves with other street-named bands like Cedar Avenue, Lake Avenue, The 8th Street Band, Sleater-Kinney, The E Street Band, and Backstreet Boys.
We previously caught Carroll at Communion at the Varsity Theater and mentioned that they won Vita.mn's fourth annual "Are You Local" contest in 2013.
We've been very excited about news of the new Belle & Sebastian 2015 album for a while now, but the band recently made things official: It is called Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance
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We've seen these type of crowd-source music videos before, the latest is from Scottish band Belle & Sebastian for the "Nobody's Empire" video. I've criticized a few bands for doing this, mainly because I feel it's a cheap of them (I know the band can afford to produce a music video). But hey, who am I to say, as long as fans love doing this for their favorite bands... Full details of this at
belleandsebastian.com.
They need the video clips by no later than Thursday 27th November so that we have time to edit them into the video.
Tour dates:
01/26/15 Auckland Laneway Festival, New Zealand
01/29/15 Sydney, Enmore Theatre
01/31/15 Australia, Taronga Zoo, Sydney
02/01/15 Melbourne, Palais Theatre
02/03/15 Australia, Perth, Astor Theatre,
02/10/15 Hong Kong, Asia World Arena
02/12/15 S.Korea, Seoul, AX Club
02/16/15 Hostess Club Taipei, Legacy, Taipei
02/21/15 Japan, Tokyo, Hostess Club
03/30/15 USA, Cambridge, House of Blues
04/01/15 Canada, Toronto, Massey Hall
04/02/15 USA, Royal Oak Music Theatre, Royal Oak
04/03/15 USA, Riviera, Chicago
05/03/15 UK, Cardiff, St David’s Hall
05/04/15 UK, Bristol, Colston Hall
05/07/15 UK, Cambridge, Corn Exchange
05/08/15 UK, Norwich, Open
05/10/15 UK, Birmingham, Symphony Hall
05/11/15 UK, Westminster, Central Hall
05/12/15 UK, Westminster, Central Hall
05/14/15 UK, Manchester, Albert Hall
05/15/15 UK, Manchester, Albert Hall
05/16/15 UK, Newcastle City Hall
05/18/15 UK, Buxton, Opera House
05/19/15 UK, Leeds, Town Hall
05/22/15 Glasgow Hydro Arena
05/24/15 UK, Sound City, Liverpool
06/10/15 New York, Radio City Music Hall
07/02/15 KEFLAVIK, ATP Iceland
She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) just released a new EP called The Capitol Studios Session. The digital-only release features new version of four songs taken from their latest Volume 3 album.
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She & Him (Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward) have a new cover lover album Classics this December 3rd, on Columbia Records.
The entire album was recorded live and and accompanied by a 20-piece orchestra.
Track Listing
1. Stars Fell on Alabama
2. Oh No, Not My Baby
3. It’s Not for Me to Say
4. Stay Awhile
5. This Girl’s In Love With You
6. Time After Time
7. She
8. Teach Me Tonight
9. It’s Always You
10. Unchained Melody
11. I’ll Never Be Free
12. Would You Like to Take a Walk
13. We’ll Meet Again
Gardens & Villa recently shared a remix from multi-platinum, Grammy nominated producer N.O. Joe of "Domino" off of Gardens & Villa's Dunes, released earlier this year on Secretly Canadian.
N.O. Joe (I believe the "N.O." stands for New Orleans, because he is based out of Louisiana) has worked with everyone from Ice Cube to Lil Wayne,
and is a multi-platinum Grammy Nominated producer.
The secret origin of this collaboration about when G&V randomly met with N.O. Joe at SXSW 2014 at a late-night tacos eatery. The two became friends and out of this, the remix of "Domino".
Hear it now:
Gardens & Villa will cap off their year with a headlining show at The Echoplex in Los Angeles on Saturday, December 13.
Smith speaks on the phone with John & Yoko, who are in their suite at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal for the second of their two Bed-Ins. Among other things, they discuss selling Peace as a commodity, the Activist
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I think this was my first time seeing The Flaming Lips, but I could be wrong. Seems odd that this was "a very special Early Evening performance", since the band's psychedelic/space rock seems to work better at night
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Jessica Hernandez is a first-generation American, living in Detroit, Michigan. She lists her influences are Gogol Bordello and Tom Waits, both bands that we like on W♥M.
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I know it's only November, but Christmas time is almost here.
Yoko Ono & The Flaming Lips have teamed up to record "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" for
All Is Bright - The Exclusive Amazon Holiday Playlist.
The playlist features over 40 songs by artists such as the other ampersand artist Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas, Ashley Monroe, Brandi Carlile, Liz Phair, Jessie Baylin, Lucinda Williams, PHOX and many more
All Is Bright is an exclusive newly-recorded holiday songs available for listening on Amazon's Prime Music service. This is the first-ever exclusive holiday playlist from Amazon is available for unlimited ad-free listening on Prime Music for Amazon Prime members at no additional cost to their membership. If you want to own the album, they are not sold as an album, instead they are variously priced (mostly $0.99 each). It can end up costing you over $30, so the value isn't quite there if you want to own it.
Newly-written holiday songs for All Is Bright:
Anna Nalick — “Till the End of the Year (Bye Buy By)”
Blondfire — “Christmas Lights”
Emi Meyer — “Everything this Christmas”
Jenn Bostic — “Light a Candle For You”
Julian Moon — “Best Christmas Ever”
Liz Phair — “Ho Ho Ho”
Ruby the RabbitFoot — “Under Any Limb”
Selena Garcia — “Hold-up Holidays”
Never heard before renditions of holiday classics for All Is Bright:
Amanda Palmer — “The Angel Gabriel”
Ashley Monroe — “Tennessee Christmas”
Beth Orton — “River”
Brandi Carlile — “O Holy Night”
Elastic Bond — “Winder Wonderland”
Escort — “Last Christmas”
Heartless Bastards — “White Christmas”
Hero Fisher — “Pretty Paper”
Houndmouth — “Blue Christmas”
Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas — “I Want a Hippopotamus...”
Jessie Baylin — “Purple Snowflakes”
Jillian Edwards — “O Come, All Ye Faithful”
Kat Parsons — “I’ll Be Home for Christmas”
Kate Davis feat. Gabe Schnider — “Greensleeves”
Kelly Hogan — “Blue Snowfall”
Ladyhawke — “Merry Xmas Everyone”
Laura Gibson — “A Wonderful Christmastime”
Lauren Shera — “(It’s Gonna Be a) Lonely Christmas”
Little & Ashley — “Someday at Christmas”
Lucinda Williams — “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”
Mia Doi Todd — “The Cherry Tree Carol”
Natalia Clavier — “My Favorite Things”
Natalia Zukerman — “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve”
No Sinner — “Baby Please Come Home”
PHOX — “The Christmas Song”
Ruby Jane Smith — “Make a Wish”
Ruthie Foster — “Amazing Grace”
Shaprece — “Carol of the Bells”
Shelby Earl — “We Three Kings”
Sinclair — “The Christmas”
Tal Wilkenfeld — “All I Want for Christmas Is You”
The Rosebuds — “Let it Snow”
This Is The Kit — “It’s Christmas Time”
Yoko Ono & Flaming Lips — “Happy Xmas (War is Over)”
I Need You Bad is a compilation curated by Sonny Smith (of Sonny & the Sunsets) documenting the current garage rock scene in the Bay area and beyond (not every band included here is from the Bay area & it's not 100% garage rock!).
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San Francisco's Sonny & the Sunsets is back with Talent Night at the Ashram, set for February 17, 2015, on Polyvinyl Records.
You may remember that we reviewed Sonny & the Sunset's compilation/curated album I Need You Bad, which wrote was, mostly from California's "60's surf".
Talent Night at the Ashram will be available in all the usual formats (CD, digital, cassette, and vinyl).
The 180g Vinyl will be limited edition of 500 exclusive to the Polyvinyl webstore on light blue (preorder now to guarantee a copy polyvinylrecords.com). There will also be an unlimited version on red vinyl.
Track List:
1. The Application
2. Cheap Extensions
3. The Secluded Estate
4. Talent Night at the Ashram
5. Alice Leaves for the Mountains
6. Happy Carrot Health Food Store
7. Blot Out the Sun
8. Baby Jokin
9. Icelene's Loss
10. Secret Plot
I believe Wisconsin's Hugh Bob & The Hustle (headed by 'North Country' singer/songwriter Hugh Robert Masterson) will be appearing with Cracker this December 4th at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis. If you listened to our new podcast, you can clearly hear us singing to various Cracker/Camper Van Beethoven songs off the top of our heads.
Opening up the Minnesota show will be Hugh Bob & The Hustle, a band that's been compared to all the greats, including Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, etc.
Check out his song "Butternut":
When Masterson play live, he's joined by The Hustle, a band comprising of bassist Nicholas Stuart, keyboardist Bradley Kruse, guitarist Quinn Scharber, and drummer Justin Krol.
Hugh Bob & The Hustle's other show will be at The Frequency in Madison on December 5, 2014.
Arrica Rose & The ... is essentially Arrica Rose, she's backed up by her band The ...'s (The Dots Dots Dots), and I'll bet that her latest album, La La Lost, is in reference to being lost in her residence of Los Angeles.
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Remember Arrica Rose & the ...'s (The Dot Dot Dots)? They just released their latest album Wavefunction, out November 4th via pOprOck records.
The album was designed for vinyl, each side featuring a distinct mood. Rose explains, "We think of it as music for different occasions, a choose your own adventure kind of album." (Which incidentally, " Choose Your Own Adventure" one of the key creator R. A. Montgomery passed away November 9th).
Record label Razor & Tie had a breakout year at rock radio in 2014 with hits from The Pretty Reckless ("Heaven Knows" finishes the year as the #1 song at Active and Mainstream Rock), All That Remains and Starset making the label the most successful indie in the format and the second strongest rock label, second only to Warner Brothers.
One of the most ridiculous band names, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard are wrapping up their UK tour in support of their latest LP I'm In Your Mind Fuzz (released November 11th on Castle Face in the US and Heavenly in the UK).
Remaining tour dates: Bodega Social Club, Nottingham (11/26) and Rough Trade East, London (12/01).
01/25 Gunners Run Philadelphia, PA
02/07 Asbury Lanes^ Asbury Park, NJ
02/13 Mercury Lounge* New York, NY
02/14 MilkBoy Philly* Philadelphia, PA
02/17 Great Scott* Boston, MA
Born Cages is an alternative rock band, lead by singer/guitarist Vlad Holiday. The band is currently signed to Razor & Tie.
We are covering Born Cages in a private showcase on Wednesday (Jan 22nd) …
New York band Born Cages played a short but sweet private showcase Wednesday evening at Gibson Guitar Studios, hosted by Razor & Tie and Washington Square.
Amanda Carl
Formed in 2011, the band is led by Vlad Holiday singing main vocals and guitar. Along with Holiday are Amanda Carl on keyboard, Dave Tantao on drums, and Pete Malleo on bass, all of which also sing back-up vocals. The group has the grungy-rock look down without seeming to try too hard to be deemed douchey-looking. Fortunately, their musical talent matches their cool façade.
Born Cages describe themselves as indie/rock, but I find them to be more pop rock-like. Their single, “Don’t Look Back,†from their new EP “The Sidelines†is a bit anthem-like and can easily fit in to mainstream music. The band’s general sound is a mixture of 30 Seconds to Mars and The Click Five: the strong, bold sound of the former, the fast-tempo and high energy of the latter, which makes a great combination for reaching most audiences. What I really appreciate is that their music will bring in more instrumental-based music to mainstream music, which tends to be more and more electronic-based now.
Their performance at the studio Wednesday was a clear demonstration of their dedication to their songs. Their sound was tight, showing their belief in their music and their musical talent was evident, particularly with Holiday’s occasional small guitar solos, or as I will call them, “shredlets.†“Metaphor†particularly is a rock song that can get people dancing. Their opening two songs, which are not on the EP, seem to make them stand out a little more, showcasing their reach into indie/rock. Though the space and audience had a chill vibe, Born Cages managed to get the crowd moving as much as is possible when an adult audience cannot hide under darkness or alcohol to rock out.
Born Cages has all the elements: good hooks, good looks, and good stage presence (couldn’t think of another fitting word ending in “–ooksâ€). Check them out at one of their upcoming tour dates.
Born Cages at Gibson Guitar Studios, New York (01/22/2014)
NYC duo MS MR came to Minneapolis “for the first time as a band and as people†...and ‘rocked it like a ‘Hurricane’. ‘Hurricane’, of course, refers to their infectious single of the same name…
Born Cages is an alternative rock band, lead by singer/guitarist Vlad Holiday. The band is currently signed to Razor & Tie.
We are covering Born Cages in a private showcase on Wednesday (Jan 22nd) in New York, so expect some photos and a report after the date.
If you live in Philadelphia, check out their show this Saturday (Jan 25) at Gunners Run. They are part of Radio 104.5's Winter Jam, featuring twenty one pilots, MS MR, New Politics, and Switchfoot.
Born Cages wrote:
Next Saturday is Radio 104.5's Winter Jam with twenty one pilots, MS MR, New Politics and Switchfoot - and we're playing the after-party! It's happening right after the show (7pm) at Gunners Run, which is located directly to the right of the main stage. Philly, let's party!
The Sidelines
Razor & Tie
Expect Born Cages to play some tracks from their recent The Sidelines EP, which came out Jun 18, 2013, on Razor & Tie. You can stream the entire EP over at Soundcloud, plus various other oddities, including their remix of Arcade Fire's "Afterlife".
Hear "Cover My Band's Song":
Born Cages live schedule:
01/25 Afterparty for Radio 104.5's Winter Jam
02/07 Asbury Lanes - Asbury Park, NJ
02/13 Mercury Lounge - New York, NY
02/14 MilkBoy Philly - Philadelphia, PA
02/17 Great Scott - Boston, MA
Gretta Rochelle and Jack Armondo are My Gold Mask, and their new album, Leave Me Midnight is coming out February 19th, 2013. Check out "Further It Gets" from the upcoming album…
My Gold Mask just kicked off their co-headline National tour with California Wives last week (June 20th).
The duo (Jack and Gretta) talked about their tour: "We are excited to have California Wives as tour partners and look forward to spending time on the road with them and getting to know them better. Sometimes you feel like little warriors on the road and it's always nice to have a pack to roam with. Not sure what CW will take away from playing with us but we always learn new things from the bands we play with. Hopefully we all come away with experiences that expand and enhance our way of looking at and making music."
Tour dates below:
06/29/13 Pittsburgh, PA Garfield Artworks
06/30/13 Toronto, ON Drake Hotel
07/01/13 Buffalo, NY Ninth Ward
07/02/13 Columbus, OH Double Happiness
07/04/13 Cincinnati, OH Motr Pub
07/05/13 Milwaukee, WI Cactus Club
07/08/13 Des Moines, IA Vaudeville Mews
07/09/13 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
07/10/13 Kansas City, MO The Record Bar
07/11/13 Lawrence, KS Replay Lounge
07/12/13 Denver, CO Lion's Lair
07/13/13 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
07/16/13 Seattle, WA Barboza
07/17/13 Portland, OR McMenamins White
07/20/13 Los Angeles, CA Bootleg Theater
07/21/13 San Diego, CA Soda Bar
07/23/13 Phoenix, AZ The Rhythm Room
07/24/13 Tucson, AZ Plush
07/30/13 New Orleans, LA Siberia
M for Montreal Gold Delegate Badges are on sale for $250 - but hurry, the sale ends June 30th (in three days). If you can afford it, the Gold badge lets you in all the showcases, networking events, panels, cocktails, parties and other perks.
M for Montreal celebrates is in its 8th year this November 20-23, 2013.
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