Upstarter – Page 53 – PUNK | SKA

Getting to know 20 Bulls Each

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Getting to know 20 Bulls Each

Where are you from and when did you get started?

We’re from Dublin – Ireland, not Dublin Ohio! We started in 2002, and have been at it ever since, line up has changed a little over the years and we’ve recently moved to being a 5 piece band. Hopefully we’ve improved slightly since then too as we were truly terrible at the start.

Who are you and who does what in the band?

We are.
Gar – Vocals
Gav – Guitar
Adrian – Bass
Olly – Guitar
Paul – Drums

Olly and Adrian are the new guys, who joined us recently after Gar decided that he didn’t want to play guitar anymore and our last bassist left due to other commitments. Standard issue 5 piece hardcore line up.

How would you best describe the sound?

On a good day we sound somewhere in the middle of a rumble between Sick Of It All, Misfits & Cromags.

Paul said this when I asked, he’s got a better explaination:

“Hard to describe our sound. We all bring somethign different to the band and it all gets melded together so it’s hard for us to pinpoint any one style as sticking out. I guess we sound like hardcore, heavy riffs, shouty vocals, the occaisional melodic sing along bit and some slow stompy parts too.”

Adrian had this to say:

“Journalists are the best in pigeonholing bands so it’s up to them to describe our sound.”

Thanks Adrian, very helpful!

Dream rock moment (real or not)?

Dream rock moment for me would be to play at Reading festival, it’s always something I went to as a kid. Bands would always say that their first time playing Reading was amazing. Maybe someday…

Asked Paul again:

“Real dream rock moment was for me was probably meeting Mackie and John Jospeh when we palyed with them as the Fearless Vampire Killers in the Voodoo Lounge. that was amazing and they were both really really nice blokes. Another Dream Rock moment would be being able to give up my crappy job and being able to do this full time.”

And Adrian:

“My dream rock moment, realistic one would be:to make living out of what we’re doing (is that a rock moment?it would rock for me) and unrealistic one would be playing Wembley”

Still got day jobs?

Unfortunately yes.

I work in an office, Paul works in a place printing funeral cards, Olly is a part time piercer and film / video maker, Adrian runs ReINKarnated tattoo studio in Dublin and Gar runs a pub called The Thomas House. I fully endorse these two establishments! Come and visit us in either of these places if you’re in Dublin, drink and get tattooed.

Any regrets?

No big regrets. You’ve got to make the most of what you have. Adrian wanted to add: “Only regret I have is: I wish I started earlier.”

Oh and I regret that some dick head stole my Fernandes guitar before I had even played a show with it. Bastard.

Tomas Kalnoky Debut Solo

TOH KAY (TOMAS KALNOKY OF STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO) ANNOUNCES DEBUT SOLO FULL LENGTH STREETLIGHT LULLABIES
TO BE RELEASED NOVEMBER 22, 2011 ON
PENTIMENTO MUSIC COMPANY

Toh Kay, perhaps better known to the masses as Tomas Kalnoky, frontman for Warped Tour favorites Streetlight Manifesto, will be releasing his debut solo album, titled Streetlight Lullabies on November 22, 2011 via Pentimento Music Company. The album features 10 Streetlight Manifesto songs stripped down to their acoustic bones, offering a rare glimpse into Toh Kay’s creative process. While Toh Kay began as a series of acoustic shows, it has since evolved into a fully developed musical project which strives to intimately connect listeners with the songs they treasure.

Toh Kay’s first release, You By Me: Volume 1, which came out almost exactly a year ago this November, was a split with friend and labelmate Dan Potthast and featured each covering, rearranging, and changing five of each other’s songs for the album. After select dates around the United States and the world in support of the release, Toh Kay sat down to record Streetlight Lullabies in May of 2011 at The Pentimento Recording Company, the label’s in-house studio in Southern California. The album features sparse, personal arrangements of Streetlight Manifesto favorites such as Watch it Crash, The Big Sleep and A Better Place, A Better Time.

Pre-order for Streetlight Lullabies is available through Pentimento Music at www.theriscstore.com.

Vandaveer – September/October Tour

Thursday, October 20th
Melissa Ferrick w/ Vandaveer
Brick by Brick
1130 Buenos Ave.
San Diego, CA
8:00 PM / All Ages / Tickets: $15

September / October Tour Dates:

9/15 – Arlington, VA – IOTA Club & Cafe *
9/16 – Baltimore, MD – The Metro Gallery *
9/17 – Staunton, VA – The Mockingbird Cafe *
9/18 – Takoma Park, MD – Tree House Concerts *
9/21 – Annapolis, MD – Ram’s Head #
9/23 – Roanoke, VA – Kirk Ave. Music Hall
9/24 – Cincinnati, OH – MidPointMusicFest (MOTR Pub)
9/25 – Chicago, IL – TBA
9/27 – Toledo, OH – Ottawa Tavern *
9/28 – Columbus, OH – TBA
9/29 – Dayton, OH – Southpark Tavern *
9/30 – Canton, OH – The Auricle *
10/1 – Pittsburgh, PA – The Brillobox *
10/2 – Morgantown, WV – Mountain Stage @ WVU Creative Arts Center %
10/14 – Louisville, KY – Headliners Music Hall %
10/15 – Lexington, KY – Natasha’s
10/17 – Berkeley, CA – Freight and Salvage+
10/19 – Los Angeles, CA – Hotel Cafe+
10/20 – San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick+
10/21 – Fresno, CA – Fulton 55
10/22 – Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom+
10/23 – Flagstaff, AZ – Coconino Center for the Arts+
10/25 – Albuquerque, NM – Low Spirits+
10/27 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s Bar-BQ+
10/28 – Houston, TX – Fitzgerald’s+
10/29 – Dallas, TX – Poor David’s Pub+

* w/ Sean Rowe
# w/ Tristan Prettyman
% w/ Ben Sollee
+ w/ Melissa Ferrick

Up For Nothing – Twelve Stories Down

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I’m listening to Twelve Stories Down, the brand sparkin’ new release from Up For Nothing. Straight away, I’m going to lead in a specific direction; I don’t know if these guys ever listened to Pistol Grip at all, but there is a serious similarity there, not in a rip-off way, but in the way that Up For Nothing is awesome like Pistol Grip is awesome. I’m not trying to type-cast, mind you; I’m just saying that there is an influence here that I dig.

The title “Twelve Stories Down” coincides nicely with the twelve tracks, stories, if you will, on the new disc. There are few epic ballads, clocking in over 3 minutes, but the rest are of the short attention span friendly < 3:00 mark. All of them, even the “ballads”, have an underlying aggression musically, yet retain coherence. A.k.a. no horrid scream-o vocals over the top of wanking solos. I know I tend to pigeonhole and compartmentalize bands when I review them. It is solely for conveyance of what I’m hearing. To that end, and inclusive of prior references, the songs are a lot like mixing Pistol Grip with American Steel: Hardcore edge mixed with loads of punk, yet a very tangible emotional level to the songs. In other words, there are “hey heys” and “whoa whoa whoas”, but they are simultaneously rowdy and encouraging while being heartfelt and sincere. At the end of it all, what you get is twelve tracks of punk rock, some more hardcore, some more emo, but all of it damn good. I defy you to listen to this disc and not like it. If you don’t, I think maybe you’re not paying attention at all. --Jerry Actually

KOFFIN KATS SIGN TO SAILOR’S GRAVE RECORDS

KOFFIN KATS SIGN TO SAILOR’S GRAVE RECORDS; NEW ALBUM OUT IN JANUARY

October 4, 2011 – Los Angeles, CA – Detroit based punk band Koffin
Kats ( http://www.koffinkatsrock.com/ ) have signed a deal with punk
label Sailor’s Grave Records ( http://www.sailorsgraverecords.com/
). The trio, which consists of Vic Victor (Vocals/Upright Bass), EZ
Ian (Vocals/Guitar) and Eric “E Ball” Walls (Drums), will release
their new album, Our Way and The Highway, on January 24. The band is
currently on a three month long US tour giving fans a taste of the new
record along the way.

Watch Koffin Kats’ special announcement here:
[youtube wJc5SD3RhFI ]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJc5SD3RhFI

Formed in 2003, the Motor City trio has worked their way up from
Detroit gutter punks to champions of the psychobilly scene with their
toxic blend of booze, tattoos and rip-roaring punk rock ‘n’ roll.
Continue reading KOFFIN KATS SIGN TO SAILOR’S GRAVE RECORDS

Dead End Story

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[rating:3/5]
© 2011 Dead End Story

I feel so privileged to get to listen to all the music (from all over the world) that I do. Right now I’m listening to a new single from Finland’s Dead End Story. They are a reasonably aggressive punk band with quite a bit of hardcore influence.

With this being a single, there are only two tracks, so I won’t draw this out so much, but what I’m hearing I mostly like. The guitar work is a little more melodic that I normally go for, but not so over the top that it detracts from the rest of the music. The tracks are still solid and I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to go see this band live.

It’s a more modern style of punk rock; It makes me think a bit of Rise Against.

Bottom line: new model punkcore from Finland.

–Jerry Actually

Society’s Ills – Full Length

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I don’t want to be the guy that throws labels around. Honestly, there are just too many of them, but since I’m a jerk, I’ll throw one more in the mix. Montreal’s Society’s Ills is (and you can quote me on this) “post-punk-core/hardcore/semi-melodic”

No, but really, I’m listening to the new full length by Society’s Ills and it is pretty damn rockin’. My goofy labels aside, it is 14 tracks of short burst hardcore laced punk with a lot of energy and decent amount of grit. As I listen to this, the tracks get better and better. I can see this becoming a regular rotation release on my car ride to work, ‘cause nothing makes the ride into work better than some kickass fastbreak punk rock.

So, um yeah, 14 fast tracks of hardcore punk with great guitar work, intelligible vocals, and a rock solid rhythm section. It reminds me of H2O a bit with undertones of way fast Black Sabbath, but more punk less posicore (regarding H2O, not Sabbath) if you know what I’m saying.
Bottom line is, great stuff, buy it now!

–Jerry Actually

Armed For A Crisis “Progressions”

Armed For A Crisis are a melodic hardcore band from Nottingham U.K. They have quite an interesting approach to the heavier side of things. Technical, while yet letting the music breathe with layered and building juxtaposing tones.

I very much enjoy this album because I do not get the sense it is driven to achieve anything outside of the satisfaction of its members. Odd clean passages that build into heavy groove laden swells of distortion, that then are met with angst ridden vocals and very tightly accomplished time pushes and pulls.

The production is well done to boot. Original, heavy, impressive, the only downside is it is short and leaves me wanting to hear more. All in all Armed For A Crisis meld awesome musical thoughts together to form a coherent drive that is textured to make you listen and you should.

– Ry-Not

Andrew Jackson Jihad – Knife Man

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If you do not love this band, you are a fool!

Knifeman is the brand new release from Phoenix band Andrew Jackson Jihad. For those unfamiliar, check ‘em out at their internets page http://www.andrewjacksonjihad.com/

Musically the band is a bit unusual and hard to quite define. I think freneticly obtuse and awkawardly scathing might come close. The tracks are laced with biting social commentary and presented in an in-your-face interface. Folks have said that AJJ is Americana and I suppose I can see that, however it is a new manner of American both jaded and tempered by an Internet age. You know, kind of like if Neil Young (yeah yeah yeah, I know he’s Canadian … so, um North Americana, right?) and Charlie the Unicorn went on a quest to meet Ween or something. … A stretch? Perhaps.

Musings aside, what you do get is 16 tracks of keepin’ it real music; Music that is leaps and bounds outside a generally narrow scope of music, and track titles like: Gift of the Magi 2: Return of the Magi … how awesome is that? If you’re not aware of the context of Gift of the Magi, you should probably watch Emmitt Otter’s Jug Band Christmas. (or you could read the original story, but that one has no muppets. You’ve been warned.)

So yeah, the breakdown; If you like your music loaded with quirks and off-the-wall genius; If you want to impress your grandparents friends by your appreciation of president named bands that don’t involve Reagan Youth or Dead Kennedys, this is the game to get in on.

–Jerry Actually

Sugar Louise – Everything’s Better With Sugar

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So, I’m listening to Norwegian Pop-punk. Um, yeah, you read that right. Sugar Louise is a newer band from Norway. They’ve been around since 2009 and deliver a catchy, bono hating variety of happy poppy punk.

Everything’s Better With Sugar brings 12 up-tempo smile-inducing tracks. The songs clock in at mostly the twoish minute mark and are heavily influenced by 60’s pop. In fact, the influence is so pronounced that if you didn’t know it was a cover, Sugar Louise’s version of Henry the Eighth would feel like an original.

At any rate, the songs are quirky, catchy and incredibly likable. And while I like this band, there are a few drawbacks: 1. Guitar solos. 2. The music feels a little safe. (If you can write a song about telling your parents that you’ve become a porn star, I think there should be a bit more grit.) … My gripes are pretty minor though. Sugar Louise has a solid grip on peppy pop punk and are a great departure from the Black Metal that I generally expect from bands near and above the Arctic Circle.

Bottom line: Pop punk with a little more pop than punk. Likely a fun live band.

–Jerry Actually