In honour of day after tomorrow being Tooth & Nail Day at Cornerstone Festival, here's some news from T&N and Solid State Records.
Terminal's debut, How The Lonely Keep is in stores today.
Thousand Foot Krutch's The Art of Breaking comes out next month.
Number One Gun's label debut Promises For The Imperfect hits July 19th. Aaron Sprinkle produced, so it'll be sonically amazing. Word is still out on musicality.
We don't rave nearly enough - nearly - about Mae's breakout album The Everglow, which the Nail released in February or thereabouts. Simply put, it's the best record of the year by far: musicality + passion + hope = amazing. And a video for 'Suspension' is now complete; you can watch it right here. Stellar.
As Cities Burn's debut Son, I Loved You At Your Darkest came out a week ago. I like what I hear over here, personally.
We probably won't update this space again til next week while sweetdisaster Big Cheese attends Cornerstone. If you're of that persuasion, keep him in mind for prayers and traveling mercies. Thanks! Peace.
Essential Listening today, June 27th, is Baltimore's SilentFilm, who are reminiscent mostly of Thrice but aren't afraid to get a lot more melodic while still busting out the heavy foundation. Check them out here; they've had their entire full-length album Our New Heaven up since the 20th.
Let's hear it for original SoCal punk rock: Lagwagon will follow up 2003's Blaze, hailed as a return to form for the veteran band, with a new album this November on Fat Wreck. I still haven't heard Blaze, for heaven's sake. [absolutepunk]
...Pennywise are putting out a new one called The Fuse August 9th. In keeping with the Classic SoCal Punk theme.
It's been a long time since we heard new music from Propagandhi(straight outta Winnipeg!!!), but that'll change when Potemkin City Limits comes out later this year. I'm excited.
Anberlin announced from the stage the other night that this September they're gonna be touring with Funeral For A Friend, Story of the Year and He Is Legend. That's really, really big for both Anberlin and the guys in HIL - and both bands have worked their tails off to get where they are, so congratulations all around.
Some love now for Denison Witmer, acoustic troubadour, Christian-rock vet and recently here in Ottawa opening for Copeland: his new album comes out soon on The Militia Group, called Are You A Dreamer?, and it's reviewed over here.
I mention this not because I've ever heard Kaddisfly or Ever We Fall, but because Sleeper Set Sail's also on the bill. Check out this Canadian tour, plus a stop in Portland, Oregon:
July 17th Winnipeg, MB - The Collective Cabaret
July 19th Regina, SK - TBA
July 20th Saskatoon, SK - TBA
July 21st Calgary, AB - The Stetson
July 22nd Edmonton, AB - Shark Tank
July 23rd Kelowna, BC - The Wharehouse
July 24th Vancouver, BC - Mesa Luna
July 25th Whistler, BC - TBA
July 26th Portland, OR - Loveland
[theprp]
Some baseball slash music news for y'all: years ago The Reason were known as Sewing With Nancie, a kiddie punk band from Windsor, Ontario, and one of their best-loved and remembered songs was called 'Dave Stieb', named after a Toronto Blue Jays pitcher. Today, Dave Stieb was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame after a fifteen-year career with the Jays, totaling 176 wins and a no-hitter in 1990. I remember watching that game when I was ten. Yay for Dave! "Daaave Stieb, he's a pitcher for the Blue Jays/Daaaave Stieb, he's the man - whoaaa-aaa-aaa...."
I knew the guy's name was familiar: new Nora bassist Mike Olender was seen, by me, last year, doing vocals for Burnt By The Sun, who were here in Ottawa in support of Unearth. I knew it!
Posi-core legends Good Clean Fun are reportedly putting together a new record; the working title is We Are A Positive Hardcore Band, which is funny, but not nearly as funny as what they want to call it: Between Christian Rock And A Hard Place. Now THAT'S humour. By the way, I've never heard Good Clean Fun in my entire life. [pastepunk]
Punknews Records has latched onto Epitaph for a distribution deal. That's nothing but good news for all involved.
Death By Stereo(briefly) held my personal record for Best Live Show I've Ever Seen, until they were eclipsed by, I think, Underoath's first time through Ottawa. Anyway, DBS have a new record out called Death For Life(bit of a preoccupation with death, no?), and it's reviewed with zero bias over here.
Speaking of new albums and the reviews thereof(and tours hitting Ottawa), Evergreen Terrace(yay for ex-Lugnut dudes making good music now) have a new one coming out called Sincerity Is An Easy Disguise In This Business, it's review right over here for your viewing pleasure, and oh, the band will be in Ottawa July 13th with Most Precious Blood and On Broken Wings. That'll be a huge show.
Essential Listening today is Eyescatchfire, hailing from Nebraska, available for listening over here. I like this squadron of screamo/power rockers. I really like them. Check the breakdown in 'At The Seams'. Plus they're the only other band I've ever heard of from Nebraska aside from 311. Remember 311?? I do! 'Down'? 1995? MTV Buzz Bin song? Remember?? Geez, people.
My favourite band from South Dakota(okay, the only band I know from SD), Nodes of Ranvier, have a new song called 'Glass Half Nothing' up over here; it'll be on their upcoming Facedown Records album The Years To Come. I've always liked this band, and this new song reveals way harsher vocals, real rough, and, maybe unfortunately, a succumbing to the current sing-your choruses-real-pretty trend that's so prevalent in hardcore and metal lately. It sounds good though. [hxc]
Yo, more love for my upstate New York boys Marathon! Woohoo! What a rad band. And the interview was conducted during the ExoFest in Quebec City recently, sponsored by an equally-rad skate shop called Exo(duh). Go there if you're in the area. Wild selection of shoes/shirts/hats.
It's a sad commentary on today's youth, but at least this article on the cellphone addiction craze name drops Ace Troubleshooter. Registration required to read it, but it's free. [buzzgrinder]
I'm pretty excited about this: Stavesacre, one of my absolute favourite bands, are close to signing with a new record label; they've been homeless(as it were) since their last album was a relative flop on Nitro Records. Yay for new music.
Essential Listening for today is, ironically, the second band I've ever heard of from South Dakota: The Spill Canvas know how to write some good rock songs. Go listen!
This band Dredg that I've never heard before but keep hearing good things about are touring:
July 23rd Spokane, WA - Big Easy
July 24th Boise, ID - Big Easy
July 26th Salt Lake City, UT - Club Sound
July 27th Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater
July 29th Lubbock, TX - Jake's Sports Cafe
July 30th Odessa, TX - Dos Amigos
July 31st Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
August 01st Oklahoma City, OK - Bricktown Live
August 02nd Memphis, TN - Newbys
August 06th Covington, KY - The Madhatter
August 07th Cleveland, OH - The Odeon Concert Club
August 09th Milwaukee, WI - The Eagles Club
August 22nd Montreal, QC - Cabaret Music Hall
August 26th Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection
August 28th Lincoln, NE - Knickerbockers
mewithoutYou are expected to play most of the August shows. [theprp]
We led off yesterday's news with a piece of Ottawa radio hilarity, and now there's more - serious - radio news in our fair city; the CRTC(Canadian media governing body) has approved four new radio stations for Ottawa as early as this fall - one of them Live 885(it'll be found at 88.5 FM), owned by the same company that runs the hugely popular Hot FM 89.9, and a head honcho at Hot is quoted in this morning's Citizen as saying Live 885 will be picking up where the defunct 101.1 Xfm left off. One of the unique things is that this station will be hiring "music fans" to be behind the microphones - no formally-trained DJs will be considered. Hmm. I may wanna think about this.
...and listen to my show on CHRI tomorrow night! 99.1 FM! Seven to eleven!! Woohoo!
Years ago for another 'zine I interviewed a band from the Toronto area called One Cross; they've stuck with it, signed to a national label down in Nashville and changed their name to Manic Drive(I still have the One Cross t-shirt). Now their MD debut is in stores everywhere, and reviewed over here. I heard some of it. Meh.
Wow, are Hawk Nelson ever ripping it up. From playing a high-school cafeteria around the corner from my house two years ago to Tooth & Nail Records and all kinds of TV and film credits, including the latest coup: they're featured in a house-party scene in an upcoming Dennis Quaid-Rene Russo flick called Yours, Mine & Ours, a remake of a 1968 picture starring Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball. Impressive pedigree. And apparently Russo cooked the band dinner in her trailer. [renown]
Innnnteresting: Nora's former bassist has apparently returned to the fold - to replace Chris Byrnes, who's apparently quit to join Every Time I Die...wait, didn't ETID apparently get an apparently new bassist from Between The Buried And Me a few months ago? Apparently? [hxc]
...Chris Byrnes also played in the wildly underrated Ensign. Amazing band from New Jersey. Go listen to them.
Contrary to something we'd reported only yesterday, Training For Utopia, sadly, are not reforming for a third record. An email to sweetdisaster supporter Don Clark(ex-TFU/currently in Demon Hunter) settled that matter. Bummer!
If only I lived a little closer - like, say, downstate New York: Facedown Records has had their annual Facedown Fest out in California for a few years now, but this year(November 5th) will see the first east-coast edition, taking place in Brooklyn Park, MD at The Gym. That's all we got for info right now.
Interesting little interview over here that hxc did with Glassjaw/Head Automatica frontman Daryl Palumbo. Man, that guy has connections everywhere. True to form, he curses like a sailor, so if you're offended by such things steer clear. I'm well and truly addicted to the Head A record. Brilliant work. Random fact: former American Nightmare bassist Jarvis is playing in Head A. Weeeeeeird.
Shadows Are Security, the new one from As I Lay Dying, hit #35 on the Billboard charts. Very impressive.
Some funny news in this morning's Ottawa Citizen: local DJ Jeff Brown was apparently kicked off the air by CHEZ FM 106.1 after playing - get this now - three hours of Stompin' Tom Connors on his drive-home show yesterday. Why, you're asking, did this individual take this course of action? Apparently because he's outraged that Connors - admittedly a Canadian music legend - is not playing the Barrie, Ontario edition of the massive Live 8 concerts happening next month. Word is still out on whether this guy will have a job next week. Don't professional radio stations have, like, producers around to control things like this? I'm still laughing.
There was a minor heart attack had here at sweetdisaster HQ this morning upon receving an email that "Blindside is apparently playing at El Salon in Montreal tomorrow night!" Something immediately didn't ring true; Blindside sold a large bunch of records on a major label once upon a time, and bands that big don't play the four-hundred-capacity El Salon. So I did some checking and sure enough they're in Louisville, Kentucky tomorrow night. Woulda been awesome though!
If you're going to Cornerstone Festival(I still can't believe a week from now I'll be there) and you remember Value Pac, two dudes from them will be playing in the Andrew Wesley band at Cstone, Wesley being formerly of The Aunt Bettys way back in the day. [IVM]
Canal Fulton is expecting like twenty thousand people this weekend for the annual Alive Festival - and one of them will be my cousin Renae! Hi Renae, when you read this!!!!
Some rap outfit called The Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E. apparently guests on the new P.O.D. album. We're not kidding.
Word has it that Darkest Hour guitarist Kris Norris absolutely shreds. That's what qchc.com thinks, anyway, in review of the latest from DK, called Undoing Ruin.
They should've taken precautions, but c'mon, you gotta feel bad for the guys: Rufio had everything they had with them on tour stolen the other night in Montreal. Trailer = gone. Everything in it for their tour with Alkaline Trio = gone. It sucks entirely, and a big Screw You to whoever did it, but I did find this funny, taken from the Comments section over at aversion: "DON'T BE SO STUPID YOU DIMWITS".
The Militia Group has signed a band from Jerusalem - as in the one in Israel. Man Alive(also appearing at Cornerstone in a week's time) will have their debut Open Surgery in stores everywhere in September. A cursory listen to their purevolume stuff sounds like pretty much a slew of other bands in their genre, with a good melodic sense. I like this crew. Maybe I'll catch 'em at Cstone.
In another signing, some friends of Throwdown's from Australia, Day of Contempt, have been picked up by Epitaph Records. I saw DOC opening a mother of a Throwdown show two years ago and I was pretty impressed. Nothing original whatsoever, but they're fun.
I can't remember the last time we mentioned Our Lady Peace around here, but they do remain a longtime favourite(1994's Naveed still kills) and they're doing some newsworthy things. Firstly, they'll be opening for the massive Rolling Stones show here in Ottawa August 28th that I'll go to if someone bestows upon me a free ticket. Beyond that, Healthy and Paranoid Times, OLP's new album after three years between, hits this fall, produced by that Bob Rock guy from Metallica infamy, not that that really has an impact on whether or not the album is good. I bet I'll at least enjoy it. [chartattack]
Rjd2 is amazing. Go read about him.. Then find Deadringer and get lost in the beats. As if I'll miss his Ottawa performance(July 13th with Buck 65, Bluesfest) due to WORK. DOH!
A Chicago festival this November will bring out performances from Jimmy Eat World, Isis, Local H, Ted Leo/Pharmacists - and a reunion show: The Promise Ring. Wow. All the info is over here. What a bill. [altpress]
Lastly, in memoriam: Karl Meuller died last Friday after a year-long battle with cancer; every single one of you probably remembers Soul Asylum from the mid- to late-'90s with hits like 'Black Gold' and that monster song 'Misery' - Meuller was their bassist, and died at the age of 41. Rest in peace.
I just thought I'd chuck this up for old times' sake: Dear Ephesus were waaaaaay ahead of their time, what with this snot-nosed emo taking over the world these days that real emo pioneers had nothing to do with, but spawned nonetheless. There've been rumours of a DE reunion, but nothing concrete thus far. Meantime, here's 'Portrait', from their '97 album The Consolation of Pianissimo. I owned that when it came out; wonder what happened to it. This song and a slew of other classics can be found over here. Enjoy!
Dead Poetic, whose album of last year(New Medicines) remains one of my favourites released in '04, are going out to play their first shows in six months, alongside Brandtson, Classic Case, As Cities Burn(whose debut Son, I Loved You At Your Darkest is in stores now, incidentally) and The Beautiful Mistake. The tour kicks off this Friday at The Furnace in Syracuse, New York. Check out the website for the entire itinerary and try to catch a show, because this is a great bill. I'll be seeing DP - maybe twice - at Cornerstone.
On that note, round-trip airfare for this Canadian to Chicago's O'Hare airport cost me over five hundred bucks after insurance/medical/taxes. Outrageous.
Later this summer(post-Sounds of Underground tour), Every Time I Die will be hitting the road with The Chariot and The Red Chord. I bet it'll hit Ottawa too! [absolutepunk]
Well then. It's rare that I pay much attention to current or former big-time rock bands around here, but the Smashing Pumpkins are apparently back from the dead. Ringleader Billy Corgan hasn't said whether any of the old faces(including Montreal's Melissa Auf der Maur on bass) will be back though.
More bands have been confirmed for this year's Hellfest.
Two dudes have left Dead To Fall, adding more and more credence to the local myth that once bands come to Ottawa, it's all over. Except, of course, for Shai Hulud. [saveyourscene]
I have no idea how this managed to escape my notice - I'm so shocked that I'm still thinking it's a hoax played somewhere, but Training For Utopia are working on a third album, with a release set for this fall. What? How did I miss this? They're ONLY one of my favourite bands. If this is true, I'm gonna be REAL excited. Oh, and since we're talking about TFU and its various alumni, why don't you go see how the lads at Asterik Studio are doing?
This right here, found on a 'zine I won't mention, is exactly what sweetdisaster lives to combat: ignorance. This is in reference to Calgary punk band Kiros playing the Warped tour this year(they'll tear it up too). Observe: "vans warped tour isn't Christian...I don't think so anyways...aren't they Christian..or are they "Christians in a band??" I despise such closed-minded thinking.
...and from that to "good Christian music" if that anonymous poster is "correct": Indie Vision has word that a new band from one of the dudes who used to be in Unashamed(man, that takes me back) is called Tetzel Would Be Proud is online; check it out over here.
I was just thinking last week what had happened to Fighting Jacks, from Oregon, and now I read here that they're writing new material. So they're still a band! Good. They always reminded me of Eve 6 but with far larger...um....yeah...anyway. They're better.
The Redemption Song are doing the weekend-warrior thing concerning touring while they work on their upcoming Facedown Records debut - and I for one am excited. Go find their last proper release - Plays In Stereo - and hear what you're in for.
Long-running ska band The O.C. Supertones are playing their last show this October, but they're not necessarily toast just yet. There'll allegedly be one last studio EP that will only be available at shows on their farewell tour this fall. Does this sound to anyone else like a cash grab? Or a contract fulfiller? I'm really cynical sometimes. [jesusfreakhideout]
Another longtime "Christian rock" band, Starflyer 59, are apparently going for the title of Most Prolific Act; a live album called Never Play Covers(recorded in Atlanta last year) is available through their website and at shows. As well, reissues of their seminal '90s albums Silver and Gold will be in stores June 28th, with each record having an old out-of-print EP on it to boot. Good times.
It's been two years since Phenomenon broke Thousand Foot Krutch out of Toronto and onto the international stage; now it's time for The Art of Breaking, Album Numeros Quatros from TFK; a new song called 'Absolute' is yours for the hearing over here. I'm not that impressed, personally, but I bet the album will do huge.
The Boy vs. The Cynic is John Reuben's upcoming fourth album; the white-boy Ohio rapperman apparently wrote two albums, with the intent to have one serve as a side project. According to this interview, though, his label(Gotee Records) liked the intended "side project" so much they combined both projects to make the new John Reu record. Weird.
Evergreen Terrace are revving up to release their new album Sincerity Is An Easy Disguise In This Business soon, and another song from said album has made its way online; check out 'New Friend Request' over here...wait a second here, isn't that title a reference to myspace.com? And didn't Evergreen Terrace write a song called 'Dear Livejournal' on their first album? I sense a trend here. [pastepunk]
In what'll be a mother of a show each and every night, Stretch Arm Strong and Haste the Day are going out on a big ol' co-headlining tour this summer; sponsored by purevolume.com and called the Summer Free Fall Tour, the trek will feature openers Kane Hodder(been hearing that name everywhere lately; someone remind me to check them out) and direct support Still Remains(ditto that sentiment). SAS and HTD are both releasing new albums in the near future, so keep your eyes peeled. Dates will be posted when we get 'em.
I didn't really like their last album that much either: this here is the first positive(ish) review I've seen of the new MxPx album, Panic. It is better than Before Everything and After, and you know why? That twerp from Good Charlotte isn't on it, thank you very much.
Another great 'zine bites the dust; The Scene has grown too big for founder Dan Stephens(what up boy) and his crew to manage with enough time put into it, so they're packing it in - following their covering of As I Lay Dying's CD release party in their mutual hometown of San Diego. Best wishes, guys.
Incidentally, no thanks to the schmuck who stole my copy of the new AILD while I was watching Copeland play last night at Babylon. It's coming around, punk.
Anyway.
Today's Musical Discovery of the Day: Atlanta's City Sleeps. Let's hear it for power-pop; I'm such a sucker for it, now and forever. Have a listen to CS over here. 'Prototype', in particular, melted my brain; I haven't been this blown away by a song in a while. How this band isn't absolutely enormous is beyond me. Don't sleep - jump on this trolley now so when they blow huge you can say "I was listening to them way back when".
Bucket Truck, to this day the only hardcore band I've ever heard of from Newfoundland, have finally got a Canadian release date for the record they made two years ago: Favour The Bull will be in stores nationwide August 30th. Produced by the dudes that made Refused's The Shape of Punk to Come album in 1998 and featuring guest vocals from Gorilla Biscuits/Rival Schools founder Walter Schreifel, this'll be a beast of a record.
The first slew of bands confirmed to play this year's Hellfest is up over here; for those of you too lazy to click, some of the highlights include The Chariot, Converge, Hatebreed, Madball, Nile, The Red Chord, Rise Against, Sick Of It All and Stretch Arm Strong. Yes, I read the listing in alphabetical order, if you hadn't noticed. [theprp]
I bet it's not the first time it's happened where this song is concerned, but Winnipeg, Manitoba radio station Power 97 has gotten in trouble with the Canadian Radio and Telecommunications Council(CRTC) for broadcasting NOFX's 'Kill All The White Man', which if you haven't heard the song repeats the title no less than twenty-three times, which really irked the CRTC. Guess sarcasm and satire is lost on the powers that be. [punknews]
Two Ottawa bands have put new music on the Big Wide Web; metalheads A Legend Falls and a talented posse of heavy-screamo specialists called Blaisedale. Good stuff coming out of our fair city. [OGS]
Go read our review of Southern California's latest exports The Chemistry, over on the top right-hand side there. Good times.
*Walter Cronkite voice* And now, the news.
Ourselves were a short-lived experiment; the band containg former members of hardcore legends Snapcase have changed their name to Attractive; for more on what's become of Snapcase, check out Attractive's myspace page. Ah, myspace. [theprp]
Continuing the trend of mega-popular underground metal bands signing huge label contracts, Massachusett's Shadows Fall are rumoured to be signing to Atlantic(where they'll be labelmates with P.O.D.! I just thought that was funny).
Wow, have they come a long way: Toronto's own Death From Above 1979 have been picked to open a month of this fall's Nine Inch Nails/Queens of the Stone Age tour; DFA1979 will open from October 16th-November 3rd. I remember seeing those guys open for Alexisonfire two years ago in a tiny little club here in Ottawa.
New To You Alert: In Remembrance Of Me hail from Johnson City, Tennessee, plying a brand of melodic hardcore that's very reminiscent of the dearly-departed Beloved; if you're intrigued by that, check out their music, which is pretty dang good.
A possible Alice In Chains reunion? Minus singer Layne Staley of course. I'd be into that.
Speaking of Alexisonfire earlier, they've had a switch of drummers; founding member Jesse Ingevelis has been replaced by ex-Jerseyite Jordan Hastings. Yay for switching from Rancid-style street punk to AoF's screamo leanings.
Good Riddance are coming to Ottawa, playing Babylon on June 29th(my departure date for Cornerstone Festival, coincidentally) with openers Hartsfield, No Other Way and Forty Cent Fix. Just thought we'd pass that along.
Shattered Realm have a new bass player - and it's interesting that it's Figure Four's Jason Bailey; this only makes me wonder more if F4 is in fact dead in the water. That'd be a crying shame, to lose one of the best hardcore bands in Canada. Bailey will join up with Shattered Realm following their summer tour with Ramallah and Death Before Dishonor.
Our boys at Pluto Records have signed a band from Houston called The JonBenet - yes, named after the murdered six-year-old beauty queen. Weird choice of band name. Anyway, they pretty much rip, so go listen to their music and enjoy the madness.
What's going on, fuzzy ones? The site's been getting gradual overhauls; all the album reviews now have thumbnail CD covers so you know what we're talking about. Yes, some of the covers are significantly larger than others, but hey, we're rookies here. Give us a break. Now you know what to look for if you actually, you know, go to stores and buy music.
We have some new reviews up, including Jimmy Eat World and Wheels On The Bus, one of Canada's best rock bands, so check that out.
I was cruising by Comeback Kid's site, just seeing what's up, you know, and an update from June 2nd mentioned one mother of a tour: CBK, Rise Against, From Autumn to Ashes and The Loved Ones. Wow. Cross-pollination of genres at its best, no? I'd go to that if it came to Ottawa. Here's the initial dates:
8/9 St. Louis MO @ Pop's
8/11 Detroit MI @ St. Andrews Hall
8/13 Buffalo NY @ Showplace Theatre
8/14 Cleveland OH @ Agora Ballroom
8/15 Cincinnati OH @ Bogarts
8/17 Washington DC @ 9:30 Club
8/19 Allentown PA @ Crocodile Rock
8/20 Worcester MA @ The Palladium (downstairs)
8/23 Atlantic City NJ @ House Of Blues
8/24 New York NY @ Irving Plaza
Some of the sickest beats on the new Deepspace5 album(Unique, Just Like Everyone Else - review coming soon) are done by newcomer Sivion, outta Dallas, Texas. He raps! He produces! He rocks sweet threads! And now his solo debut Mood Enhancement is out, and reviewed over here!
Good times had by one and all! Minus The Bear, arguably Seattle's best active band(some stiff competition to be had) have a new album coming out in August, called Menos El Oso(think about it....you'll get it....), and they've put up two songs from said album over here; they're called 'Hooray' and 'Pachuca Sunrise'. I do enjoy Minus The Bear. [truthexplosion]
Brand-spanking news as of today: after Warped Tour, Thrice will be taking Underoath and The Bled on tour. No dates yet, but that's exciting enough.
As I'm wont to do, I have the Toronto Blue Jays-St. Louis Cardinals game on behind me as I scribe here, and I just thought I'd share that they showed Bruce Willis sitting in the Rogers Centre in Toronto; apparently he was to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, but was late. Aaaaand then St. Louis hit back-to-back solo home runs and now I'm ticked. Hmph.
Forgot to mention this last week, and it's fitting, since Most Precious Blood were supposed to be playing at Club SAW downtown as I write this: MPB, Evergreen Terrace and On Broken Wings will be at Babylon July 13th as part of a mini-tour; this will be one of the largest hardcore shows of the summer. I don't care what anyone says - Most Precious Blood are awesome. [lambgoat]
Never heard them in my life, but I know they opened for Thursday last year: Engine Down are breaking up.
If you wanna go see Motion City Soundtrack in Toronto this Saturday, sweetdisaster supporter Kelly has two tickets she can't use; email her at kellyhagan@hotmail.com. You'll have to pick 'em up at 102.1 The Edge in downtown TO.
Since The Flood and Most Precious Blood were scheduled to play at Club SAW tomorrow night - but not no more. For reasons that remain unclear, the show(the entire tour, in fact) has been nixed. I'd forgotten about it anyway, so no biggie here.
I also completely forgot that Marathon was in town at SAW tonight, and I'm super ticked that I missed it.
Oh well - Copeland is this Friday!!
Some sad news to report - yet in a way, it's not: Scott Gray, a good friend of part-time sweetdisaster web guy Al Lustie(see his ad on the right side there), passed after a long battle with cancer Sunday morning. Our condolences and prayers to the Lusties, and to Scott's wife Michelle and their children.
Yo peoples. Still hot in enough in Ottawa and the valley to kill huge animals. I have a fan aimed at my face from about two feet away as I write these words.
The news starts now.
Spoken, who I imagine are through with their Tooth & Nail Records phase(yielding one record, 2003's A Moment of Clarity), are rumoured to have another album coming in late August. We have no information on its name or the sounds, but they are touring, so you can always go ask them yourselves. [indievisionmusic]
I laughed pretty hard reading this; it's a rather harsh critique of the trend concerning Christian musicians covering well-known songs - and beyond that, an even harsher denigration of those well-known artists themselves. Unnecessary? Perhaps. Amusing? Yes. [rockrebel]
I always liked and admired this guy, from his beginnings and then with his solo debut Stereotype Be(2001); Kevin Max has soldiered on from his days with dc Talk and emerged as a truly innovative artist in my ever-so-humble opinion; christianitytoday.com interviewed the man himself over here, in advance of his new album, The Impostor, due out at the end of August. A telling excerpt from the interview: "Let's be honest, the basic rule of thumb in the Christian industry is if you're divorced, you're not going to sell records." Sad.
Taking Back Sunday don't have to worry so much about how Victory Records is allegedly screwing them: they've signed with Warner Brothers Records(ah, those greener major-label pastures) for a new album this fall. Their last one, Where You Want To Be, was a real fun record, and they say their first one was even better. [aversion]
Yay for old ladies beating up muggers!
I'd heard about this a while back, but here it is again in solid form: ex-Bush ringleader Gavin Rossdale(the one with the hot wife from No Doubt) has a new band together, called Institute - and check out the other dudes: Helmet/Orange 9mm's Chris Traynor on guitar, Chamberlain drummer Charlie Walker, and bassist Cache Tolman(Rival Schools/CIV). Wow. This is like totally a hardcore band!!...except the guy from Bush is in it.
This Just In: the Blue Jays have jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead over St. Louis, the best team in the National League. Bwaaahahaha!
Anyway.
People are talking about this Eighteen Visions/As I Lay Dying/No Innocent Victim "tour", so I'm getting real excited over here, and I go to 18V's website and look, and there's ONE SHOW. ONE. If you're in San Diego, it's June 24th.
I don't ordinarily link to myspace, since it's just such an overblown deal, but Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shifflet has a side project called Jackson United that also includes guys from Face to Face and Saves the Day; their new album is called Western Ballads, and they happen to have four songs up on their myspace page. I bet it's awesome. [altpress]
Before we get any business started around here, some real business gotta be taken care of: our own webmaster extraordinaire, Galen Broaddus(better known universally as Brody) and his lovely wife Courtney recently passed along word that they're expecting their first child in 2006. A heartfelt congratulations to both of you guys from sweetdisaster HQ!!
Now then, fuzzlings, let's make with today's news.
Pluto Records, responsible back in the day for breaking a little band from San Diego called As I Lay Dying(could I possibly talk about AILD more around here?), have a whole slew of rad bands going on tours and releasing albums and generally crushing everything in their paths; one such outfit is SoCal's Divide The Day, who've put up some new songs online, taken from their soon-to-be-released debut Pretty Girls With Ugly Boys(story of my life!), which'll be in a store near you July 12th. Check out the new stuff - which friggin' rips - either here or here. Other Pluto-affiliated bands currently plotting overthrows include Horse the Band, Life In Pictures and Please Mr. Gravedigger, so keep an eye peeled for those names.
The first glimpse of the new Switchfoot slab, Nothing Is Sound: right. over. here. Just a clip though. Boo. [IVM]
Finch(not so great), Rx Bandits(never heard them) and Head Automatica(amazing!) will be touring this fall. Obviously, the chances of the tour landing in the Ottawa area are slim to none, but maybe Toronto and/or Montreal.
Speaking of great tours, my Warped Tour ticket is bought! Good to go! Woohoo!!
As I Lay Dying vocalist Tim Lambesis shot his mouth off(just kidding, love you Tim) to MTV recently about the new album/video: "Last time we were a little bit rushed and, being a new band, budget was always an issue," he said. "This time around, we were able to do what we wanted. There are natural progressions in the way we play our instruments: Jordan [Mancino], believe it or not, has somehow gotten better at drums, and I think the guitars are quite a bit more technical. The biggest focus, on my end, was the arrangement of the songs. Because the material was a little more technical; there was a lot more melody to it. I wanted to make sure it was still very memorable, and arrangements are a big part of that." The new video, for 'Confined', was shot at an old Air Force base in California. All this to say: I'm still a little disappointed with my first listen to Shadows Are Security. Maybe it'll grow on me. [saveyourscene]
Hey, this just in: when one has never really traveled internationally before, making plans to get to Cornerstone Festival is pretty much a logistical nightmare. If anyone in the Ottawa area is going down and coming back and has extra space in the car/van/pickup/pontoon boat, email me. Oi!
Some new music in the form of The Myriad, Kate Miner and rapper/youth pastor Bobby Bishop arrived at sweetdisaster HQ today; expect feedback from that as days progress. The Bishop record features appearances from Pigeon John and Mars Ill voice Manchild; how could it not destroy?
At least now I know who I'll be watching at Cornerstone: Symphony In Peril, having lost founding vocalist Shawn Jonas a couple months back, have snagged former Narcissus main man John Pope. I think I heard Narcissus one time. Didn't someone from Relient K leave to join that band? I think so. [pastepunk]
I found this rather interesting...
Tooth & Nail Records has another DVD coming, this being the second in The Nail series; it's got all the usual suspects: Dead Poetic, Underoath, Hawk Nelson, etc etc. You can find it just about anywhere stuff of this nature is sold. For the complete tracklisting, check target="new">this out. [jesusfreakhideout]
I was listening to Pax217 a couple weeks ago at work(their 2002 masterwork Engage, if you really wanna know) and wondering what was going on with them - now I know. Two Saturdays ago the band performed at a festival out in their native California and announced their demise; they'll fulfill their booked dates this summer and pack it in this fall. Here's to one of the truly blessed 'Christian bands' out there. I hate when bands I like split up!!
The traffic around here has shot up hugely in the last week, for reasons unknown to me; either way, we hope to justify the increased interest. There are reviews coming later this week for the new Deepspace5, The Chemistry's big self-titled debut, and others, along with interviews with producer Steve Hindalong, Atlanta hiphop masters Mars Ill, Underoath and As I Lay Dying - whose new album Shadows Are Security arrives a week from today, in fact. So look out.
The real reason we're doing all this indoor typing and such, of course, is that it's so hot in Ottawa that we could simply die leaving our front door. Summer is finally here!
Small Brown Bike were well-loved in their time; having split up a couple years ago, members Mike Reed and Dan Jaquint(guitar and drums, respectively) have gone on to form LaSalle, signing with Thick Records and probably sitting in a studio somewhere as you read this. You can hear a demo called 'Flip Flops and White Suits' over here. [punknews]
Insane tech-metalheads The Number Twelve Looks Like You have a new song out; called 'The Proud Parents Convention Held In The ER', it's up for listening and dissection here, taken from their upcoming album Nuclear. Sad. Nuclear., which will be out in a couple of weeks.
I'm not a huge fan of Best Buy, but their website has yielded this here; it's the entire new record from As I Lay Dying, called Shadows Are Security. To be honest, I'm a bit disappointed on first listen. The album is in stores on the 14th of this month.
Hey, kids, I don't know about you, but I've beeen waiting since 2003 for the new MxPx album Panic, and now the folks at purevolume have done us all a favour and posted what looks like the entire album in a preview. I like what I hear. Probably because the band formerly known as Magnified Plaid was one of the very first bands I ever really loved as a young teenager, and now at 25 I'm a fan for life. Let's do this - go have a listen.
I vaguely remember the name: A Faith Called Chaos....why does that name ring a bell with me?...anyway, ex-members of AFCC and Society's Finest have banded together(no pun intended, c'mon now) to put together a new act called Champions Of Hell. An EP will soon be recorded, and beyond that, I got nothing for you, baby. [lambgoat]
I was talking to my boy Dave Marcantonio(what up Relative Calm waaaaaay back in the day??) the other day and it turns out...it's strange. Still Breathing put out one rather forgettable album on Solid State a few years ago, and following the departure of "chick vocalist" Dacy, a new girl named Laney was brought on board. That also ended in short order, but here's the kicker: Laney is from the Ottawa area, Kemptville originally. How 'bout that? How'd I not hear about this? Weird. Anyway, Still Breathing's crowning achievement was a song called 'Sweet Wound Sour'. Great tune.
I'm heading out to Quebec City tonight with Is Grace Enough to rock a show with Roses Are Red(Trustkill Records) - but the FIRST time I hit the road with IGE it was to Orillia last summer, and this band The Sleeping was a last-minute, in-the-area-might-as-well-play add to the bill, and they really impressed one and all. And now they're touring again! Go see them if you're in the vicinity.
Most Precious Blood are coming our way again, playing Ottawa June 15th with Since The Flood. I should maybe go to this before work that night. MPB's next album Merciless will be out September 20th! Woohoo!
Local heroes Buried Inside are touring with a great band called Coliseum in July:
7/23 Louisville KY @ Keswick
7/24 Chicago IL @ Depaul University, McGaw Hall, Room 108
7/25 Lansing MI @ Mac's Bar
7/26 Milwaukee WI @ TBA
7/27 Minneapolis MN @ TBA
7/28 Cedar Falls IA @ Fuk House
7/29 Indianapolis IN @ TBA
7/30 Elizabethtown KY @ TBA
Word. Chronology, BI's latest, is stellar.
I'll probably buy it out of sheer longtime loyalty: P.O.D.'s new album, which has zero title as of now, will be out in November on Atlantic Records. More of the same? Probably, but I can always hope they'll go back to their roots. [theprp]
In addition to Daryl Palumbo(Glassjaw), Every Time I Die have also corralled My Chemical Romance ringleader Gerard Way to do vocals for their upcoming album Gutter Phenomenon. This record will be a monster, the way it's shaping up.
If you were wanting to know if Hellfest was gonna happen this year, rest assured; it goes down August 19th-21st down in Trenton, New Jersey. The first headliner(first band, period) to be confirmed is everyone's favourites, Taking Back Sunday(good band). Tickets are available over here for a hundred bucks(that's presumably in American funds; sorry, fellow Canadians). There are also, interestingly, reports that TBS has left Victory Records. Innnneresting.
The Dillinger Escape Plan are cancelling part of their European tour; both guitarists have sustained serious injuries in the last six months, and though that hasn't stopped them until now, well, yeah, things are a bit rough. Here's the weird part: a guy who used to play guitar for Fenix TX was briefly recruited to play with Dillinger. How does a guy who played pop-punk handle DEP's insanity? Nuts. [hxc]
Just a reminder that white boy John Reuben will be rapping his white duff off Sunday night at Redeemer Christian High(on Colonnade between Prince of Wales and Merivale); openers include Calgary punks Kiros, Orangeville's Hello Kelly and One Way Out. I get to go now! Yay for getting a drive to work!
This is real impressive. I've always liked The Ambassador(Cross Movement).
The Vandals' Kung Fu Records has signed Ontario band The Getaway, last seen in Ottawa opening for Eighteen Visions a couple years ago(I think). The band's recently toured with the likes of New Found Glory, Goldfinger and Less Than Jake. If you're really down to know all the minor details, check out their myspace page. [truthexplosion]
The cover of the current issue of Alternative Press feature's a who's-who of Now Bands, including MxPx, Transplants, a bunch of others, and...Underoath drummer Aaron Gillespie? I interviewed that guy after a show here in front of like fifty people. Years ago. Man, how time flies. If you're interested, I did another piece with keyboardist Chris that'll be published whenever I find time to get it transcribed/edited/nice. [buzzgrinder]
This year's Ottawa Bluesfest runs from July 7th through July 17th(oi, a little over a month!); here are some of the shows I'd hit if I had time(ideally, every one of them):
July 8th at 7:15pm: Talib Kweli
July 9th at 8:30pm: Daniel Lanois(former U2 producer; originally from Gatineau, QC)
July 10th at 9:30: The Neville Brothers
July 13th from 7:45 through the end of the evening: Buck 65 followed by Rjd2(oh heavens)
July 16th from 7pm through the end of the evening: Million Dollar Marxists, The Fullblast and Alexisonfire
And there's a whole heck of a lot of other stuff going on too. Check this out for more.