Jerry Actually – Page 41

DBTB – Super!!

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I’m listening to a new EP by DBTB, aka Dani Band Traveling Band, aaka Dani Barstad. Maybe you’ve heard of Dani? Maybe you have heard some of his other projects. He’s the drummer for acts like Mall’d To Death and The Terrordactyls. Well, this go around is a bit different in that Dani busts out the “one man band” action for his 2nd relase, “Super!!” (There are some additional vocals not performed by Dani, but instead performed by Caiti Allison. So, you know, it’s still technically a one man band.)

What you get on Super!! is 5 fresh tracks of punkish indie alternarock. For the ancient (or the retro) among us, It’s got a huge 120 Minutes vibe, lo-fi like old school Sonic Youth, but without as much of the whole noise thing. The tracks, in general, are mid-tempo rockers running the clock anywhere between a minute and six. There is an overall garage-ish feel that is not without it’s charm. Lyrically, I would suggest the songs are done as a bit of a catharsis. The content is somber and seems sincere by virtue of the insecurity that is interlaced into the context of the songs. I like that. The world could use a bit more humility.

I guess that the bottom line is that whether you are fans of Dani’s other bands, or totally wax nostalgic for the alternative days of yore, then check out Super!!. You can listen to the tracks here: http://dbtb.bandcamp.com/

Tracks:
1. BackPack 01:43
2. Sweating, Crying 03:13
3. Let the Butthurt Flow 01:00
4. Super!! 03:21
5. Shut Up & Go Pie! 05:52

–Jerry Actually

Getting to Know KevoCantDance

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KevoCantDance is an Indie/Pop-Punk/Folk acoustic music project started by Kevo in 2011.

Let’s take some time and learn a bit more about Kevo, shall we?

Where are you from and when did you get started?

I am from a small town called Huntingdon in central Pennsylvania. I think my interest in playing music really started when I was 11. I was on the school bus listening to some rap metal band on my walkman and this older kid named Brandon handed me a mix-tape and told me to stop listening to shitty music. The mix-tape he gave me had Screeching weasel, Bad Religion, Blink 182 (Chesire Cat days before they sucked!), and just a mix of awesome 90’s punk bands. As soon as I popped the tape in and heard Screeching Weasels “Dummy Up” I knew that’s what I wanted to do the rest of my life. So 15 years and 9 bands later…….here I am ha.

Who are you and who does what in the band?

Hi my name is Kevo and I am the band! I play acoustic guitar and I sing my lungs out :P.

How would you best describe the sound?

My sound is a mix of Acoustic Folk, Pop-Punk, and Indie rock thrown into a blender and pureed into a raspy sound that I like to call “Acoustacore”. My influences are Chuck Ragan, Tom Waits, The Frontbottoms, The Mountain Goats, Justin Sane(Anti-Flag), & Mike Ness.

Dream rock moment (real or not)?

I really wanna headline a show @ The Electric Factory in Philadelphia, I’ve been to dozens of shows there and it would be great to see the view from the musicians perspective. Plus I like to fill beat up acoustic guitars with confetti and smash them on stage from time to time and I think that place would look quite lovely with colorful confetti flying through the air :). So yea that’s definitely my goal within the next year or so, besides that I would just like to go on tour forever (or until the van broke down).

Still got day jobs?

Yes :(…..I work in IT (Ima nerd n stuff)

Any regrets?

No regrets…….well maybe that gas station hoagie that I ate a couple hours ago; (my stomach regrets that mostly).

You can find out more about KevoCantDance below

[youtube uUyJWby_AB4]

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kevo-Cant-Dance/230111337071105?fref=ts

https://twitter.com/KevoCantDance

Blk Galaga – Something For Everyone, Nothing For You

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blk_galaga_350 I am not displeased to be introduced to Blk Galaga. I will keep them, as an arrow in my quiver, for a while. They are tight, with nice harmonies. The band has a future touring in cramped quarters, and rocking the venue. What they need is a deal with fat records. I like the band and their sounds, but I expect more out of a band from east of the Rockies. You be the judge.

Jimmy Bile

Hounds and Harlots – The Good Fight

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houndsandharlots Hot on the tail of their most recent demo release, Bay area street punk trio, Hounds & Harlots are back at it with a brand new full length. The record dropped around the tail end of 2012 and is set to be in heavy rotation for me in 2013.

The Good Fight comes fully equipped with 12 tracks of sing-a-long, rowdy, rollicking punk rock and roll. The songs are just like I like ‘em, upper tempo punk rock numbers all hitting around the two minute mark. Lyrically the music is firmly planted in punk culture; life on the road, coming back home, loss, loneliness, the daily grind of a working class life. It is relatable and heartfelt.

Musically, the songs are tight and focused. This is consistently the reason that I tend to like trios. With fewer working parts, each member is forced to be both solid and inventive to create a larger/bigger sound that belies the minimal nature; Crisp guitar, solid bass, snappy drums and articulate vocals complement the arrangements well.

At the end of the day, this is what punk rock is all about. Anger and energy lashed together with a fierce loyalty and albeit battered and bruised, a glimmer of hope at the end of a dark night. So cheers to the fellas from Divisadero on a spot on new release, one that I helps take them up a rung or two higher in rock and roll echelons.

–Jerry Actually

Jimmy Bile

Let the reviews begin!

BAD RELIGION STREAMS TRUE NORTH TODAY

BAD RELIGION STREAMS TRUE NORTH TODAY

Band Announces North American Spring Tour

LA’s legendary punk heroes Bad Religion are streaming their new album True North in its entirety starting today, in front of their January 22nd album release date. In anticipation of their new release, Bad Religion have announced a North American tour starting in March of 2013 with support from Against Me! and Polar Bear Club. Tickets for the tour go on-sale starting this Thursday, January 17th.

To stream the new record, please go to: http://bit.ly/VGb3O1

True North celebrates the power of cogent punk in the face of personal pain and adversity. It is one of the band’s most emotionally accessible albums to date. Beneath the bristling guitars and surging drums exists one of the most cathartic works of the band’s career. With True North, Bad Religion deliberately revisits and refines the fast melodic Southern California sound they helped to define on albums such as Suffer, No Control and Recipe For Hate.

With a new album around the corner, Bad Religion cements their place in punk rock history with 16 studio albums, worldwide critical acclaim and countless world tours and will continue the celebration of their distinguished career with extensive touring in 2013, a rare intimate show in Los Angeles on January 23^rd at The Echo in Los Angeles and their first ever appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon this January 30th.

Fans can pre-order True North by going here: http://www.kingsroadmerch.com/bad-religion/region/ and can check out the single “True North” via YouTube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKflTc_RT6U

Bad Religion Tour Dates:

1/23/2013	The Echo	Los Angeles	CA
3/8/2013	OC Fair & Event Center	Costa Mesa	CA
3/9/2013	Soma	San Diego	CA
3/12/2013	Backstage Live	San Antonio	TX
3/13/2013	House of Blues	Houston	TX
3/14/2013	House of Blues	Dallas	TX
3/16/2013	The Ritz Ybor	Tampa	FL
3/17/2013	House of Blues- Orlando	Orlando	FL
3/19/2013	The Masquerade	Atlanta	GA
3/20/2013	War Memorial Auditorium	Nashville	TN
3/22/2013	9:30 Club	Washington	DC
3/23/2013	The Wellmont Theatre	Montclair	NJ
3/24/2013	Electric Factory	Philadelphia	PA
3/26/2013	Terminal 5	New York	NY
3/28/2013	House of Blues	Boston	MA
3/29/2013	State Theatre	Portland	ME
3/30/2013	Metropolis	Montreal	QC
3/31/2013	Kool Haus	Toronto	ON
4/2/2013	St. Andrews Hall	Detroit	MI
4/4/2013	Newport Music Hall	Columbus	OH
4/5/2013	Congress Theatre	Chicago	IL
4/6/2013	Pops Nightclub	Sauget	IL
4/8/2013	Granada Theater	Lawrence	KS
4/10/2013	The Fillmore	Denver	CO
4/11/2013	In The Venue	Salt Lake City	UT
4/13/2013	Vogue Theater	Vancouver	BC
4/14/2013	Roseland Theater	Portland	OR
4/15/2013	Showbox SoDo	Seattle	WA
4/18/2013	Hollywood Palladium	Hollywood	CA
4/20/2013	TBD	Pheonix	AZ
5/26/2013	Punk Rock Bowling	Las Vegas	NV

For more information:
www.epitaph.com
www.badreligion.com
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/true-north-single/id583717513
https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/f**k-you-single/id572758248

Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso – Curse of the Unsinkable Ship

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Ah ah Johnny Cakes and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypso. (known further as JCFHA) what wacky blend of ska/funk/punk/calypso have you crafted for us? Well, I suppose that actually rather describes it. The new release by Tampa’s JCFHA, “Curse of the Unsinkable Ship” is, in fact, a blend of Ska, Funk, Punk, and Calypso.

The album holds 15 tracks. This includes both a prologue and epilogue, so consider it 13 musical numbers and some guidance. Conceptually it reminds me of the ska classic, Full Trucker Effect, by Johnny Socko. The tracks are often a bit lower tempo, but that story telling vibe is there. Granted, the storyline is slightly less cohesive. JCFHA seems to be a bit more focused on the comedic elements of their “theme” album. That’s fine. Not judging. Just saying.

Comparisons aside, the album is fun. It has an exceedingly casual vibe and is very very party. However, I’m only halfway through. Things could take a darker turn. I’ll go get a refreshing beverage and let you know.

…

Ok, so the album does take a darker and a bit unusual turn around track 10, Suburban Wasteland. If you’re from the suburbs, then you know the specific kind of hell the song speaks of. I suspect that in their haste to escape the ‘burbs, JCFHA took a wrong turn and ended up in the sticks as track 11 gets decidedly country. Humor still intact, the release travels on.

At the end of the day, what you in Curse of the Unsinkable Ship is a none-too-serious, but seriously fun blend of ska heavy rock-n-roll. If you’re at all curious, check ‘em out here: http://www.reverbnation.com/johnnycakes Seriously check ‘em out. This band has a steel drum player. How cool is that?

-Jerry Actually

Up For Nothing – In Trance

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Up For Nothing - In Trance Brooklyn’s best kept secret, or so I’m lead to believe by their bio, is a little band called Up For Nothing. Perhaps you remember them from last year’s “Twelve Stories Down”. If not, never fear as there is always time to pick up on what you’ve been missing out on. 2013 brings us a new batch of tunes, five to be exact, in the form of “In Trance” The new EP brings more beloved punk rock sounds with a bit more polish that only comes with hard earned time.

The tracks have a positive vibe, even in situations where the content may be squarely in the opposite direction; up-tempo and nicely orchestrated. Part of this overall goodness must surely due to incredible production. From the band’s bio, “these songs were recorded and mixed by Pete Steinkopf (The Bouncing Souls) and mastered by Stephen Egerton (The Descendents)”. If that doesn’t pique your interest right there, you might wanna just keep on walking.

At the end of it, you get five new punk rock tracks by a solid punk rock band. If you’d like to hear more, check out some of the band’s tracks here: http://www.reverbnation.com/upfornothing

–Jerry Actually

Top 10 of 2012

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Wow, would you look at the time? Just do it, ok? By it I mean take a look at a calendar. It is almost 2013. Seriously, what happened to 2012? I’m old. I comment on the passage of time. Get over it. Truly though I wish I had been a little more productive here at !upstarter in 2012. I’m sure that a great number of awesome tunes slipped through my tenuous grasp.

Sometime between a day job and a band project of my own I managed to squeeze in time for 25 reviews this year. That’s one per fortnight, I guess I shouldn’t sell myself short on production. I’m sure that last year wasn’t much different. But down to the guts and glory, if you made the list, a big round of applause. If you sent something in for review and I missed out on something awesome, there is no penalty for re-submission. Without further adieu, I present the best of 2012:

1. Morning Glory – Poets Were My Heroes

2. The Downtown Struts – Victoria!

3. Classics of Love

4. The Atom Age – The Hottest Thing That’s Cool

5. Masked Intruder

6. Harrington Saints – Pride & Tradition

7. The Real McKenzies – Westwinds

8. The Ducky Boys – Chasing The Ghost

9. Problems – Make It Through The Night

10. Eli Whitney & The Sound Machine – Mickey

Masked Intruder

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I’m big time late to the game. That generally seems to be the case. I’m finally getting around to listening to Masked Intruder. I’m speaking, of course, about the self-title release on Red Scare. I know they have some new stuff coming out in cooperation with Fat, but I’m not talking about that right now ok?

Anywhat, this new release busts 13 tracks of pop punk that is way too Descendents for a band named Masked Intruder, especially a band bedecked in a rainbow of ski masks, with songs of felonious intent. I was seriously expecting to hear some Blood for Blood style hardcore come pummeling out of my speakers. Instead I was gently assaulted by pleasant pop punk sounds that have a feeling of Descendents, Queers, Teenage Bottle Rocket and other bands that in essence sound zero like hardcore.

This is not a bad thing by any means. I’m fully digging on this disc and like the subtle trickery that I really brought on myself by making name based assumptions. I, as usual, like the fact that the songs are geared for short attention spans. Nothing hits the three minute mark, though some do come damn close, but never at or over … that is the key, right?

Ok, so bottom line, pop punk as only pop punk can be. The legacy of Buddy Holly and the Beach Boys lives on in a new form that has more distortion and guitar riffery, yet charmingly still has coordinated outfits, which as we all know, is critical.

–Jerry Actually