It's a little late in coming, but extreme congratulations are in order for Dave and Kelly Flikkema; for those just joining us, this magazine and whatever modest influence it has doesn't exist without co-founder/former web chief Dave, who moved with his wife Kelly to Australia over the summer. Their first child, a daughter named Judith Rowena Skyy Flikkema, was born last week Friday at 9:37pm Australian time, making that 6:37am last Friday morning in Ottawa.
A picture of the newest Flikkema is over here. I just about cried, myself. Congratulations, D&K. God is good. Much love.
...and one funny thing is when you post on their website, the comment goes up in Australian time, ie fifteen hours ahead! Nifty.
Aight, news time.
Florida's Seventh Star have a brand-new DVD coming called 100%; it's available for online orders tomorrow(December 5th), but won't be in stores for a while yet. Check out the trailer. Pretty slick work by the Facedown Records crew. [saveyourscene]
Coincidentally, our next bit is also from saveyourscene over in Italy: head honcho Leonardo interviewed Facedown kingpins No Innocent Victim, whose new album To Burn Again smokes. Check the interview over here.
Following what appears to be an absolute failure of a new album commercially speaking, Helmet have parted ways with Interscope Records. Seriously, aside from a brief pre-release burst of publicity when's the last time you heard anything about Helmet's new record? It could be the greatest thing they've ever done, but when no one knows about it, it's moot.
A Static Lullaby, hailing from California and having released a couple albums on Ferret Records before signing a deal with Columbia, are now done. The band played their last show right here in Ottawa(weeeeeeeird) last Thursday; they were to be the main support for Funeral For a Friend, who canceled on the entire tour in question. ASL soldiered on and Ottawa saw them headlining with support from The Reason and Ottawa's Viscera's Recital; according to my boy Ryan B, after saying that it was just time to go, ASL basically said that their sound had been co-opted by any number of bands, specifically throwing in a shot at Hawthorne Heights. Ooooh, burn. Controversy! Let it begin!
Speaking of breakups: London, Ontario's Closet Monster(one of whose members owns and runs rising label Underground Operations, which handles, among others, Protest the Hero), are calling it a day. The last show will be December 8th at the Phoenix in Toronto. [bedlamsociety]
Texas-based The Kirby(Doll House Recordings) have changed their name to Widows. Their music, thankfully, will remain the same potent mix of surging emo/indie madness; listen for yourself over here. [IVM]
Apparently a recent Victoria's Secret commercial featured a Switchfoot song in the background. Predictably, the close-minded Christians are furious. I personally hope it was 'Amy's Song' or some other ode to female empowerment that Switchfoot lyricist Jon Foreman excels at writing. That's subversion for ya.
Today's Essential Listening(with props to IVM for the tip) is Tara Leigh Cobble, a singer-songwriter who's caught me off-guard with a style that's by no means original, but certainly heartwarming, ranging from brisk acoustic-based pop to subdued quiet numbers. It sounds enough like Caedmon's Call(with a little more pop conventionality in places) that I'm instantly hooked. Check her out over here.
Eclectic(that's an understatement) Tooth & Nail favourites Showbread are going back into the studio, again with Canadian producer Sylvia Massy Shivy, and this time with a new drummer in the fold.
I booked my bus ticket to Toronto yesterday to go see this band with sweetdisaster enforcer Omnifik: check out some footage of P.O.D. live at Cornerstone Fest, 2004. Nice pyro! My good friend Ally called me from that moshpit on her cellphone just so I could hear some of it. Good times.
Some further info on Anberlin singer Stephen Christian's upcoming solo project: as well as being produced by Copeland frontman Aaron Marsh, the other players include Copeland drummer Jon Bucklew, former Dear Ephesus/current The Kicker Louis DiFabrizio on bass, while Christian himself will handle vocals, guitar and piano. If you wanna read about what the man himself thinks, visit his blog. Tooth & Nail will release the album in 2006.
Posted by mike at December 4, 2005 04:28 PM