Some random notes.
Stretch Arm Strong and Haste the Day's co-headlining tour hits Ottawa August 24th with openers Kane Hodder and Still Remains(the latter appeared at Cornerstone Fest and impressed me highly). Show's at Babylon, usual price, usual ticket places.
Thanks to the massive thunderstorm that hit Ottawa last night, Rjd2(ie the freshest DJ from Ohio, baby!) had his scheduled Bluesfest headlining performance cancelled - if in fact he ever made it to Ottawa; there are rumours that there was terrible weather in Ohio too, possibly preventing the plane from even taking off. Either way, it was a no-go. The storm was awesome though.
Dogwood released a best-of last year on Tooth & Nail, and it really struck me last night how 'Undertaking', an unreleased song they threw on at the end of the album, stands up to the best they've done over their ten years. What a great band.
Essential Listening for today, July 14th, is Brutal Fight's Strikefirst Records debut Our Merciful Father. I'm not sure quite what they were going for with the weird-ish production, but it works, and the record is an absolute beast. Eleven tracks of Really. Heavy. Hardcore. With metallic tinges, yes, but definitely hardcore.
I took a listen to Pigeon John's newest, Pigeon John Sings the Blues, earlier this week at my Friendly Local Christian Retailer, and it's kinda hit-and-miss. Gone are the days of pure rap, and new is the mix of jazz, soulful singing and other assorted mechanisms of bringing the heat. 'Upside Down Rotten' features some super-fly bass from 4th Avenue Jones' Phat Al that just shakes the headphones - I bet it sounds great in my car - oh wait I don't have one.
The Juliana Theory will be releasing their new album Deadbeat Sweetheart September 13th through their own Paper Fist label - as well as(this just in) California's Abacus Recordings(All Else Failed, Glass Casket, The Goodwill). They'll be heading out on tour starting August 30th with Lovedrug, Days Away and the aforementioned Goodwill. I'd go see that if it came here. [truthexplosion]
Two weeks today Montreal's Warped Tour stop!! I'm especially excited to see Calgary's Kiros, who will be playing every single one of the tour's 48 stops. That is a long friggin' tour.
He Is Legend was in town last week "opening" for Eighteen Visions; what actually wound up happening was HIL rolled in late(the norm here in Ottawa, thanks to border/traffic concerns coming into our fair city) and ended up playing last - a four-song set. Now, I don't have pictures of the show at Babylon, but I CAN give you pictures of both bands playing at El Salon in Montreal the next night. 18V right over here; He Is Legend(wow they look scary for a "Christian metal band") over here. The rock was had.
One of the turn-of-the-millennium bands that weren't nu-metal enough to suck, Nonpoint, have put up a demo version of a new song called 'Buscando Me' over here. [theprp]
The Black Dahlia Murder put out an album this week - did anyone else know that?
Mentioning the Juliana Theory signing with Abacus earlier: Quebec's Ion Dissonance will be putting out a record called Solace on Abacus. September 6th. It will peel the skin off your face with its tech-metal slaughter.
You like metal? You like videos of metal bands playing metal songs? Check out As I Lay Dying rocking out 'Confined' over here!
I can't wait for Blindside's new album The Great Depression. It hits August 2nd. I'm buying it like I've bought all their other albums. Maybe you should consider that.
Aight kids, get your hiphop on: Toronto MC Manafest has a brand-new album called Epiphany coming out next week on BEC Recordings; this follows two indie projects the last couple years. Try out some tracks over here and be rocked.
Posted by mike at July 14, 2005 09:26 PM