Category: Music News

Best of 2015

In terms of volume of writings, 2015 was a lackluster year here at good ol’ !upstarter. I’d like to say that I tried my best and things came out as good as they possibly could have. That simply isn’t the case. Motivation has been low. It’s not for lack of great submissions and tons of quality content out there in the music world. Simply put it was a trying and tiring year. That said, of the paltry amount of reviews, there is one standout.

Leftover Crack – Constructs of the State

If you haven’t yet checked it out, please do. It’s an incredible album.

Here’s to hoping that 2016 is a more productive and positive year.

Cheers,
Jerry Actually

Greg Graffin Releases New Book, Population Wars

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September 15, 2015 – Los Angeles, CA – Revered frontman for iconic punk band Bad Religion and esteemed Cornell University lecturer Greg Graffin has released his highly anticipated new book “POPULATION WARS: A New Perspective on Competition and Coexistence” today via Thomas Dunne Books. Purchase the book now at Amazon, Kings Road and all other digital and physical retailers.
According to popular opinion, the history of humanity has largely been defined by war from the beginning, with war between populations seen as an inevitable part of the evolutionary process. Darwin’s widely accepted notion of “the survival of the fittest” explains and often excuses these actions. But what if Darwin was wrong?
In POPULATION WARS: A New Perspective on Competition and Coexistence (Thomas Dunne Books; September 15, 2015; $27.99), Greg Graffin, lead singer of Bad Religion and author of Anarchy Evolution, offers a fresh argument on the biological roots of competition. A paradigm- shifting book about why humans behave the way they do and the ancient history that explains that behavior, Graffin argues that we need to rethink the reasons for war, not only the human military kind, but also Darwin’s ‘war of nature,’ and find hope for a less violent future for mankind.
Fascinating and original, POPULATION WARS contradicts Darwin’s reigning ‘war of nature’ theory, offering a completely fresh perspective on war, competition, and survival that will redefine the ways in which we understand conflicts of the past, present, and future. Graffin contends that humans have oversimplified the notion of war and in doing so we have become too quick to justify it, thereby preventing us from responding to the real problems we face. He rejects the idea that competition is a driving force of evolution, seeing evolution rather as the product of symbiotic relationships. Ultimately, he argues that we need to rethink the reasons for war, not only the human military kind but also Darwin’s “war of nature,” and find hope for a less violent future for mankind.
GREG GRAFFIN is the lead singer and a songwriter in Bad Religion. He obtained his PhD in zoology at Cornell University, and has lectured at UCLA and Cornell. He is the coauthor of Anarchy Evolution, with Steve Olson. He travels regularly between the cities he considers home, Ithaca, New York, and Los Angeles, California.
To mark the release of “POPULATION WARS,” Graffin will embark on a series of special live appearances. These unique events will offer an unprecedented perspective into the longstanding relationship between Graffin’s academic and musical spheres, examining the correlation between song lyrics and topics expressed in his new book. The events will feature some live acoustic performances of songs related to the book interspersed with spoken word and followed with a question and answer segment.
“POPULATION WARS” is available through Bad Religion’s online store (http://bit.ly/1V4Nwmh) and includes a limited edition 7” EP of specially re-recorded Graffin songs that helped inspire the book.
Greg Graffin “POPULATION WARS”: an event to celebrate the release of his new book:
Fri 9/18/15  – Washington, DC – Rock N Roll Hotel
Sat 9/19/15 – Philadelphia, PA – Coda
Sun 9/20/15 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theater
Wed 9/23/15 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater
Fri 9/25/15 – Los Angeles, CA – Bootleg
Sun 9/27/15 – Santa Ana, CA – Constellation

Americana-Na

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Americana-Na
© 2015

[rating:8/10]

americana-naWelcome to the debut release by Wichita, KS based folk/rock/garage/americana/tejano/cowpunk act, Americana-Na. The self-titled debut brings about an intriguing blend of musical genres. The songs are uptempo and of short duration in the vein of punk rock, but with less vitriol and intensity that is often associated with the aforementioned genre. The prior has been replaced with tongue-in-cheek (I assume) storytelling about American flag t-shirts ala the opener, “American” and what seems to be the Spanglish, or maybe it’s Gringlish stylings of “Eclipse”. Musically, the songs are simple chord driven 4/4 numbers with a “kick/snare, kick/snare, kick/snare, fill” cowboy/country rhythm.

The overall vibe comes across as slightly less than serious. This isn’t a bad thing mind you, so much as something to note. Vocally, the tunes sound a bit tortured, as though someone was trying to wring a note out of a old worn boot. I think that, in significant part, helps with the less-than-serious overtone. The songs are raw and rough around the edges. I think the mutli-colored duct tape cover provides a nice visual compliment to the tracks being haphazardly held together, perhaps by the very mystical properties of duct tape itself.

I’d be hard pressed to list all of the influences that are melded into the sound, but there’s a little band that I’m reminded of continually as I listen to this: Awesome and the Ass-kickers. … If you haven’t heard them, look them up.

At the end of it, the debut release by Americana-Na is 8 short, fun tracks and one track that is about double the length of the others. … that’s like getting ten tracks I’d say. Good deal!

If you’re in the Midwest and/or upper-ish Midwest, word on the street is the the boys are doing a mini-tour coming up soon. Have some fun. Check them out.

Cheers,
Jerry Actually

Revolt Revolt Video Premier for Hold On Let’s Go

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Here at !upstarter we’re happy to premier the brand new video for Hold On Let’s Go.

Revolt Revolt comes to us from the population metropolis of the Inter-mountain West, aka Boise ID. The put together a blend of rock and psychedelic and the occasional foray into more aggressive territory. The video track is spacial and trippy, with stabs of noise and reverberated lush backing. If it’s your thing, I’d bet this would be a freaking awesome jam to get really really wasted whilst listening too. It’s really kinda freaking me out and I’m totally sober right now.

At any rate, watch and enjoy!

-Jerry Actually

[youtube cfCvTEhDfmI]

Revolt Revolt
“Hold On Let’s Let Go”
Wild Unraveling
2015
20 Sided Records

The footage for the video to “Hold On Let’s Let Go” was captured by Joseph David Lockhart while on tour with Revolt Revolt & Mindrips in May of 2015. The band(s) toured from Idaho through Las Vegas, and made their way up the California coastline on into Oregon and Washington. Some of the footage includes scenes from Venice Beach, Portland, Olympia, and Seattle. Cameos include Members of Mindrips, Joseph Lockhart, & Ben Brunn (Stereo Embers/Past RevoltRevolt)

Hold On Let’s Let Go was recorded at Audio Lab Studios Boise, Idaho by Todd Dunnigan. This is an original song by RevoltRevolt which additionally features the talents of Dug Marstch (Built to Spill) on guitars, Todd Dunnigan on The Hammond Organ, and Legendary Earl Huges on Steel Guitar. Dunnigan’s gospel tinged organ gives the poignant melody of “Hold On Let’s Let Go” a dark, unnerving tone. Bock’s bluesy, distorted solo duels with Martsch’s mixed down, metallic shredding to disturb the song’s calm, quiet feel, then quickly vanishes to let the woeful vocals and mournful sustained notes of special guest Earl Hughes’s steel guitar take the tune home. Lyrically this song speaks of the importance of remembering to let go.. fear less live more.

SHAI HULUD TEAMS UP WITH NO SLEEP RECORDS ON UPCOMING RECORD

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July 23, 2015 – Los Angeles, CA – Huntington Beach independent label No Sleep Records announces today they’ve partnered with revered and influential Florida bred hardcore band, Shai Hulud.  Recently, the label leaked a new song from the band called “Colder Than The Cold World,” which will be featured on the band’s upcoming record and can be streamed now at http://bit.ly/1D4akIv. Fans can sign up at https://nosleeprecords.com/product/7789 for notifications about the upcoming release.
Statement From Shai Hulud:
“Warmth and gratefulness runs as deeply within Shai Hulud as cynicism and misanthropy. Since the band’s inception we have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to affiliate ourselves with record labels we not only respect, but whose output helped shape both our band and our individual lives. This is something we could never take for granted. Having been respectively welcomed into the Revelation Records and Metal Blade Records families has been a boon, professionally, and personally, nothing short of a fanciful dream made real.
Come 2015, this continual windfall of opportunity led us to work with No Sleep Records, arguably a leading underground label with drive, heart and ethics. We have respected Chris Hansen and company years before No Sleep became a staple label who broke some important and game-changing bands. At risk of repeating a same sentiment, it’s an honor to have been brought into such a discerning and respectable fold – fully contradicting Groucho Marx’s classic take on membership.
As a band who came from less than nothing, recognizing we are not owed anything by anyone, our long and often arduous journey has been given seemingly inexhaustible secular blessings. It’s with inexpressible gratitude we announce our collaboration with No Sleep Records on the upcoming release. It’s the latest in a series of very fortunate events. Now, if we only had a fraction of such a blessing with tour vehicles, we’d truly be unstoppable.
Excelsiors, one and all.”
-Matt Fox / Shai Hulud
Shai Hulud formed in Pompano Beach, FL in 1995 and were originally signed to Revelation Records and featured a young, unknown singer Chad Gilbert, who would eventually go on to found New Found Glory. Over the years the band consisted of an array of musicians with Matt Fox (guitar) and Matt Fletcher (bass) being the longest standing members.
Shai Hulud’s legacy was cemented with the release of their 1997 debut full-length record, Hearts Once Nourished with Hope and Compassion, which received critical acclaim and influenced hardcore bands over the next decade. The band would follow their intrepid release with three more records, including their most recent, 2013’s Reach Beyond the Sun.
Now Shai Hulud begins the next chapter of their storied career in partnership with No Sleep Records. Follow the band at https://www.facebook.com/ShaiHuludUninc for more information and catch them on their current summer tour. Dates are listed below.
Shai Hulud Tour Dates:
July 22 – Milwaukee, WI – Borg Ward (w/Ghost Key, Cryptodira)
July 23 – Green Bay, WI – Lyric Room (w/Ghost Key, Cryptodira)
July 24 – Peoria, IL – The Brass Rail (w/Ghost Key, Cryptodira)
July 25 – Lakewood, OH – The Foundry (w/Ghost Key, Cryptodira)
July 26 – Amityville, NY – Revolution
July 28 – Lynchburg, VA – Parkview Church
July 29 – Greensboro, NC – Greene Street Club
July 31 – Tallahassee, FL – Pug’s Live (w/No Forty Winters)
Aug 1 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade (w/Bishop, No Forty Winters)
Aug 2 – Huntsville, AL – Lowe Mill (w/Bishop, No Forty Winters)
Aug 3 – New Albany, IN – New Albany Production House (w/Bishop, No Forty Winters)
Aug 4 – Chicago, IL – Reggies (w/Bishop, No Forty Winters)
Aug 5 – Detroit, MI – Sanctuary Detroit (w/Bishop, No Forty Winters)
Aug 6 – Indianapolis, IN – Emerson Theater (w/Bishop, No Forty Winters)
Aug 7 – Altoona, PA – The Anvil (w/Bishop, No Forty Winters)
Aug 8 – Erie, PA – Basement Transmissions (w/Bishop, No Forty Winters)
Aug 9 – Hartford, CT – Webster Underground (w/Bishop, No Forty Winters)
Aug 10 – Albany, NY – The Fuzebox (w/Bishop, No Forty Winters)
Aug 11 – New York, NY – Webster Hall (w/Bishop, No Forty Winters)
Aug 12 – Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Lanes (w/Bishop, No Forty Winters)
Aug 13 – Fredericksburg, VA – KC’s Music Alley (w/Bishop)
Aug 14 – Columbia, SC – New Brookland Tavern (w/Bishop)
Aug 15 – Myrtle Beach, SC – Rockin’ Hard Saloon (w/Bishop)
Aug 16 – Jacksonville, FL – Burro Bar (w/Bishop)
Aug 17 – Pensacola, FL – Vinyl Music Hall (w/Lions Lions)
Aug 18 – Houston, TX – Walters (w/Lions Lions)
Aug 19 – El Paso, TX – Mesa Music Hall (w/Lions Lions)
Aug 20 – Scottsdale, AZ – Pub Rock (w/Lions Lions)
Aug 21 – San Diego, CA – Soma (w/Lions Lions)
Aug 22 – Bakersfield, CA – The Gate (w/Lions Lions)
Aug 23 – Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction (w/Lions Lions)
Aug 24 – Salinas, CA – La Movida (w/Lions Lions)
Aug 25 – Portland, OR – Analog Cafe (w/Lions Lions)
Aug 26 – Seattle, WA – Studio Seven (w/Lions Lions)
Aug 28 – Edmonton, AB – Rendezvous (w/Lions Lions)
Aug 29 – Calgary, AB – Distortion (w/Lions Lions)
Aug 30 – Salt Lake City, UT – Metro Bar (w/Lions Lions)
Aug 31 – Denver, CO – Roxy Theater (w/Lions Lions)
Sep 1 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Conservatory (w/Lions Lions)
Sep 2 – St. Louis, MO – Fubar (w/Lions Lions)
Sep 3 – Lansing, MI – The Loft (w/Lions Lions)
Sep 4 – Guelph, ON – DSTRCT (w/Lions Lions)
Sep 5 – Gatineau, QC – Heart Fest (w/Lions Lions)
Sep 6 – Salem, NH – Salem VFW (w/Lions Lions)
For More Information:
http://www.hulud.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ShaiHuludUninc
https://twitter.com/shaihulud
http://www.nosleeprecords.com/

Beastfest 2015

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Lineup everyone and get your tickets to an all-day hardcore event in Secaucus, NJ.

Beast Entertainment, the fine folks who have been bringing badass shows to your doorsteps all this year, present Beastfest 2015. This is the first of a hopefully annual hardcore music showcase at the Blue Room in Secaucus, NJ. Here’s a lowdown on the showdown:

Bands:
Endwell
Knuckle Up!
Doomsday Mourning
Binary Code
Me With Creeps
Silence Equals Death
Low Road
Strength Through Suffering
No Fucking Chance
Full Scale Riot
Under the Red Hood
Hope It Dies
The Dead Drop

Location:
The Blue Room
201 Secaucus Rd.
Secaucus, NJ

Date:
Saturday, August 8th, 2015

Time:
3:30 PM

Cash:
$10 in advance
$12 at the door

Age:
18+

Booze:
21+

Tickets:
Beast Entertainment NJ

Castoff release new EP

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castoff_band
California skatepunk band Castoff release new EP “Lines And Passages”!

San Diego, California based melodic punk rock four-piece Castoff have released their new EP “Lines And Passages” on Morning Wood Records and Bird Attack Records today!

Influenced by melodic punk stalwarts Bad Religion, Pennywise, Strung Out and Propagandhi, “Lines and Passages” blends vocal harmonies, fast guitar riffing with technical flourishes and a furious rhythm section. Castoff incorporate thought provoking lyrics around societal issues and the ups and downs of human existence.

After releasing DIY efforts “The Dividing Line” (EP, 2013) and “Acquisition” (EP, 2014) and sharing the stage with Guttermouth, Implants, Counterpunch, After the Fall and others, they spent months of writing new material. As a result Castoff went into Doubletime studios to work with Jeff Forrest (Blink 182, Rocket From the Crypt, As I Lay Dying) to track and mix their first effort with the new lineup. The result is “Lines and Passages”, which was mastered by Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Castoff: “We’re four nerds who like to play punk rock with some metal. We also like to sing about important stuff.”

Reality: Fast, ripping 90’s skatepunk with shredding guitar work, interesting melodies and catchy vocal harmonies!

DEFEATER TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM

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DEFEATER TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM
‘ABANDONED’
OUT AUGUST 28 ON EPITAPH

Watch the video for a new song “Spared in Hell“

Boston hardcore act Defeater will release their fourth studio album, Abandoned, on August 28 on Epitaph. The band has released a video for a new song, “Spared in Hell“.

Unlike most bands—and especially most hardcore bands— Defeater don’t write songs so much as they write histories, and specifically the history of a never-named New Jersey family whose already troubled lives disintegrate into torment, rendered all the more tragic for the depth and detail of singer Derek Archambault’s lyrics. Abandoned is the most relentlessly raw and uncompromising chapter so far, powered by a renewed sense of artistic ambition and a plot twist no one expected.
Continue reading DEFEATER TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM