Rating: 8 out of 10 stars
© 2011 Asian Man Records

Kepi Ghoulie is a Rock N Roll Shark who also happens to bleed Rock N Roll. Don’t believe me? Perhaps then you should check out Kepi’s new solo release, “I Bleed Rock N Roll”, out now on Asian Man Records. You might be familiar with Kepi as the frontman of the Groovie Ghoulies. Perhaps you’re not familiar with Kepi at all? Too bad I say. Either way Kepi is doing the solo thing now, and he’s doing it well.

I Bleed Rock N Roll is a 13 track testament to Kepi’s ability to create compelling, catchy, and very danceable pop-punk. The songs on the new album, in general, pay homage to 50s style rock albeit with more modern tones and pace laced in. There is, despite the pop-punk trappings, also an unusual dark side preset.

When Kepi’s singing, “What the world needs now is love sweet love”, it’s as if he’s possessed by the worlds friendliest devil; very much the lightest side of darkness ever. I’m even going to suggest that Kepi Ghoulie is the Bizarro counterpart to Rob Zombie, if you get where I’m going with that. If you want evidence to my assertion, track eight, “I Just Wanted You To Know” clocks in at precisely 3:33 and reminds me of the Cowboy Junkies, so, um take that.

All in all, I Bleed Rock N Roll does what it says; 13 tracks of pure rock and roll, each one nearly even in rocking as they are rolling. Balance is crucial. And as if the rock alone (and also the roll of course) wasn’t enough there are some awfully clever lyrics in play too. “Don’t try to figure me out because I’m rather unfigueroutable” and “I’m a rock n roll shark. I gotta keep moving’ I gotta keep swimmin’”’ are just some small examples. Damn fine wordsmithing inside indeed.

So if you were a fan of Groovie Ghoulies, or just want a tasty new Rock N Roll treat, stop over to Asian Man Records and pick up a copy or two. I swear you won’t regret it.

–Jerry Actually

Tracks:
1. Rock N Roll Shark
2. Nikki Lee
3. I Bleed Rock N Roll
4. The Fever
5. Part Time Romeo
6. When I’m Gone
7. Unfigureoutable
8. I Just Wanted You To Know
9. Love To Give
10. Break My Heart
11. Cupid Is Real
12. Blame It On Mom
13.Hard To Forget

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© 2011
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Here’s a five track demo from Swing for the Fences, a pop punk band outta the Detroit suburb of Sterling Heights. Pretty straight forward power pop riffs, snappy drum beats and rocking riffs, some solid sing-a-long chorus parts and emo enough lyrics that your girlfriend will totally make you take her to the show. (you know, if you have a girlfriend that is)

The band isn’t breaking much in the way of new ground. It is very Blink 182 influenced from my limited experience with the genre. The vocals strangely make me think that they’d be what Weird Al would sound like if he were singing in a pop punk band. I suspect that Swing for the Fences take themselves a bit more seriously, but then again, maybe not.

The production quality is excellent for a demo, so kudos to everyone that played and produced this. I’m not sure what bandwidth is left in the market for more material of this variety, but since Blink tours again there is always hope. While the demo has plenty of polish and skills, it is all a little too saccharin for me, but if pop punk is your thing, check the band out at their myspace page: http://www.myspace.com/sftfmusic

–Jerry Actually

Tracks:
1. Running Away
2. Spill Your Heart
3. You Shoot For The Stars Because You’re Afraid To Land
4. Just Being Honest
5. If Only You Knew

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For those of you unfamiliar with Echo Screen, They are, as far as I know, a poppy-rock quartet from straight outta Jersey. Goodbye Old Life may or may not be a departure from the bands previous two efforts, but then again it might. It is way in the pop vein, but in a weird good way. It is, oddly, like a mix between James Taylor, Neil Young and Ben Folds. Normally not my cup o’ tea, but I’m kind of in a groove with this five track EP. I say what the hell, Echo Screen is alright, even if they sound almost nice enough to be grandmother safe. The tracks tend to alternate between quick slow quick (to an extent, ’cause track five wrecks that scheme) They all have a flowing dreamy feel to them, but consequently I prefer tracks 1. “I Amsterdam” and 3. “When I Escape (L.A.)”, the later very obviously about Snake Plissken. Never the less, some not-so-bad stuff, from the East. Then again, what did I expect? New Jersey has all the best bands.

–Jerry Actually

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Avoiding the sophomore slump like it was the plague, Set Your Goals come out guns-a-blazing on This Will Be The Death Of Us, the follow-up to their fan-coveted debut Mutiny. From the galloping drum beat and the ripping riffs of the title track, which features guest vocals from Vinnie Caruana from I Am the Avalanche, to the soaring choruses of the catchy sing-along “look closer” and the blazing punk rock track “the fallen,” which showcases duel vocalists Matt Wilson and Jordan Brown’s flawless delivery as they trade off singing duties, This Will Be The Death Of Us is the album fans were waiting on.

While This Will Be The Death Of Us has the definitive Set Your Goals sound, they aren’t afraid to keep it fresh and try new things. For example, “gaia bleeds (make way for man)” takes things to a whole new level with Audelio Flores and Dan Coddaire’s Motorhead-ish riffs and Mike Ambrose’s tightly knit blast beats over gang vocals, and the soon to be fan favorite “the few that remain,” an insanely addictive song that features longtime Set Your Goals fan Haley Williams of Paramore adding some gutsy vocals. The band finishes off the album with the 90′s skate punk influenced “our ethos: a legacy to pass on,” featuring spitfire, fist-pumping guest vocals from New Found Glory’s Chad Gilbert.

This may only be the band’s second album, but you wouldn’t know it. Set Your Goals has already proven their longevity and dedication to the music through relentless touring and their classic debut Mutiny, and with the release of This Will Be The Death Of Us it further cements them as one of the pop-punk greats.
Catch the band this summer on their co-headlining tour with Four Years Strong!

This Will Be The Death Of Us Tracklisting:
1. this will be the death of us- 3:10
2. with hoffman lenses we will see the truth- 0:43
3. look closer- 3:51
4. summer jam- 3:06
5. like you to me- 4:26
6. the fallen… – 3:24
7. the few that remain- 3:21
8. equals- 3:23
9. gaia bleeds (make way for man)- 2:52
10. flawed methods of persecution & punishment- 4:10
11. arrival notes- 1:09
12. our ethos: a legacy to pass on- 4:34

Set Your Goals Tour Dates:
13 July – Pop’s – Sauget, IL (w/Fireworks)
15 July – The Picador – Iowa City, IA (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
16 July – Metro – Chicago, IL (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
17 July – Magic Stick – Detroit, MI (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
18 July – Reverb – Toronto, ON (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
19 July – Underworld – Montreal, QC (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
20 July – The Station – Portland, ME (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
22 July – Northern Lights – Albany, NY (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
23 July – The Stone Pony – Asbury Park, NJ (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
24 July – Toad’s Place – New Haven, CT (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
25 July – The Palladium – Worcester, MA (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
26 July – the Crazy Donkey – Farmingdale, NY (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
27 July – The Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
28 July – Peabody’s Downunder – Cleveland, OH (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
29 July – Mr. Smalls Theater – Pittsburgh, PA (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
30 July – Otto Bar – Baltimore, MD (w/Four Year Strong, Fireworks)
31 July – Canal Club (Downstairs) – Richmond, VA (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
1 Aug – New Brookland Tavern – Columbia, SC (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
2 Aug – Visulite Theatre – Charlotte, NC (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
4 Aug – Off the Wagon – Montgomery, AL (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
5 Aug – Rocketown – Nashville, TN (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
6 Aug – Vinyl (GA) – Atlanta, GA (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
7 Aug – State Theatre – St. Petersburg, FL (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
8 Aug – Culture Room – Ft. Lauderdale, FL (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
9 Aug – The Social – Orlando, FL (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
11 Aug – The High Ground – New Orleans, LA (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
12 Aug – Java Jazz – Houston, TX (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
13 Aug – Emo’s – Austin, TX (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
14 Aug – The Max – Dallas, TX (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
15 Aug – The Marquee – Tulsa, OK (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
16 Aug – Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
17 Aug – The Clubhouse Music Venue – Phoenix, AZ (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
19 Aug – Soma – San Diego, CA (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
20 Aug – Glasshouse – Pomona, CA (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
21 Aug – Slim’s – San Francisco, CA (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
22 Aug – Satyricon – Portland, OR (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
23 Aug – El Corazon – Seattle, WA (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
24 Aug – The Venue – Boise, ID (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
25 Aug – Murray Theater – Salt Lake City, UT (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
26 Aug – Cervantes – Denver, CO (w/Four Year Strong, Polar Bear Club, Fireworks)
For More Information:
www.Epitaph.com
www.myspace.com/setyourgoals

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Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I saw these guys at Warped Tour last year and thought they were a perfect fit.  They’ve got a high energy live act and were adored by the throngs of screaming girls in the audience. While giving Blood in the Water a first listen, I browsed other review sites to see what was being said…sigh.

I fully believe MC Lars when he tells us that “Hot Topic is not punk rock,” but there’s no need to slam the kids who like the music they promote, or the bands who capitalize on the sound.  Animo perfectly capture the summer fest’s style, and  Blood in the Water is a very decent, albeit short, album.  While I agree with the general web consensus that these guys don’t fit the classic definition of punk, they’re poster children for pop-punk. Their songs are amazingly catchy, their lyrics don’t drag into the total emo-therapy downturn that lesser Warped acts have.  They’ve got a brilliant drummer, great guitar hooks, slappy bass support, and amazing vocals.  Radio pop-punk isn’t disrespectful to the pioneers of the 70′s, it’s a natural progression supported by America’s youth who are bound to adore Animo.

-HK-47

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Oooh! Shiny! Honor Bright is everything that I love in radio music today, with none of the crap. That r-word might be enough to deter many, but I’m a big fan of Warped Tour sounding artists, and these guys are some of the best.

Forearm tattoos, slightly-greasy protractor haircuts, and Goodwill shirts? Check!
Beautiful vocal harmonies, punchy high-hat heavy drums, chunky guitar parts? Check!
80′s pop-culture referencing song title with no relation to the lyrical content? Check!

The music is crisp and urging, the lyrics are emotive without being too emo. Sure, these guys sound like other radio artists, but if their live performances are half as good as this 6 track ep, they’ve already got one-up on most of them. This CD is brilliant and left me wanting more — I’ll be heading out to get their Aux Records re-released full-length to fill my fix.

-HK-47

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Ok, Here’s the brand new release from the Colorado trio know as Pinhead Circus. I like these guys, but not always on the first listen. This disc took till the fourth run through before I finally started really grooving along. I’m not in any way implying that the suck and they’ll grow on you. I just didn’t immediately fall into place with their groove. None the less you get 11 tracks of melodic Pop Punk and if that’s what yer into than by all means go get it. On a side note what is it with bands recently putting fewer and fewer tracks on their cd’s? “It’s quality not quantity”, You say. “Bullshit”, I say you pay the same omount for the disc wether or not there is 8 tracks or 28 tracks. I say, “The More the merrier” Sure it’s nice to see new material out but I like a lot of new material. Anyhow go get this CD. and Play track 9 for your older siblings (provided that your older siblings are about 25-30) they’ll get a kick out of it.

–Jerry Actually

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