One of the good things about my new job is that I'm paid to sit at a desk and type while listening to music - which is a rather significant portion of what I do in my free time anyway. See how rad this is? So earlier this morning(yaaaay 11-7 graveyard shift) I had on Brave Saint Saturn's 2003 album The Light of Things Hoped For..., and as has happened before, once I hit track thirteen, "Recall"(written by co-songwriter Dennis Culp), I listened to it - no joke - at least half a dozen times over. Great song. They brought in longtime producer Saki(Canadian!) to play drums, a female background vocalist along with Justin McRoberts, a guy on Wurlitzer keyboard, and of course, Culp's voice and deft touch with lyrics. Find the song wherever it is you find your music online, or buy the album on Amazon or something. BSS's website is toast apparently, otherwise I'd link y'all. That's today's Essential Listening - any song that can singlehandedly bring me out of the mood I was in before hearing it earns that honour.
Starting June 22nd Blindside will be back in the United States for their first tour in a year or so. Opening will be Showbread(they have a rep for their crazy live show) and the very quickly-rising Showdown from Tennessee. This'll be metal followed by spazz-out followed by Blindside, and I would love to see it. The tour dates can be found over here. [jesusfreakhideout]
Hey, kids, want a free custom-made drumkit? Even if you don't play drums, I bet you'd like it for a piece of extra furniture or something. So to that end, Roper drummer Nick White is auctioning off his $4500 kit with proceeds going to an orphanage in Kenya that the band supports financially. You can either pay two bucks for a ticket to win at any show, or hit up their website. I'd appreciate a drumkit even though I could never play it. Uncoordinated, you see.
Olllllldschool Christian-rock fans will remember White Heart - well, vocalist Billy Smiley has a new band called Symphony In Red...along with Megadeth's Dave Mustaine. That's pretty rad...I guess.
The Dove Awards(yes, yes, "the Christian Grammys", we get it already) were held a couple weeks ago, and amid a pile of artists/winners I've pretty much long since lost touch with, a truly innovative band pulled down a trophy: Mute Math won Modern Rock Recorded Song of the Year for 'Control'. Kudos.
Ex-dc Talk honcho Kevin Max has a new album on a new label(Northern Records) coming later this summer. I cannot wait.
We posted this the other day, but I like what I hear so much that we're gonna drop it again: a new Stretch Arm Strong song called 'Landslide' is up in demo form over here, and it sounds like everything they've done in the last five years, which is to say 'awesome'. I don't know about 'major-label-hardcore selling points' awesome, but to the longtime fans, this is as good as it gets. I'm wearing a SAS shirt as I write these words. How's that for irony?
Wheeee! Most Precious Blood have a new record called Merciless due out later this year, again on Trustkill Records. I wonder if any of the riffs contained therein will rock me as hard as 'Funeral Photography' did. [saveyourscene]
Good interview with The Dillinger Escape Plan right over here. Samantha knows what she's talking about.
A little cancellation to let you know about if you were planning on going: Montreal's Onlyforward has had to reschedule their planned April 30th show; they'll be back sometime in June, playing Maverick's instead(right below the original venue). As our source Dave Leibold says, at least they won't have to drag all their stuff upstairs next time around.
Musical discovery of the day: Himsa. Great metal band.
Posted by mike at April 21, 2005 11:06 AM