Black End Coda

(Photo: K Jones Photo Project)

    The world is a never ending cycle of darkness and death. At least, that's what Downey, CA metalcore band, Black End Coda believes. This is represented in not only the band's name, but in the band's music as well. In Downey, there isn't much of a metal scene, so the band has taken to playing surrounding areas, such as Southgate, Huntington Park, and Compton.
    In October 2010, Brian De La Torre (guitar/vocals) was attending Whittier College and wanted to participate in an open mic night held on the campus. Brian asked his friend Devin Keogh to play bass for the performance and Devin agreed, also inviting Brian to play with his band some weekend. After playing together, they decided to make it a permanent set-up.

(Photo: Dbrandphoto)

    The band showcases a rough, gritty form of metalcore, drawing influence from metal and hardcore bands alike. Among their influences are bands like Lamb of God, As I Lay Dying, Motionless in White and Miss May I. The band describes their sound as dark and heavy. Their performances are visual and like most bands, they like to give it their all.
    "We have done many types of shows, e.g. bars, lounges, night clubs, venues, multiple genre, etc. but we always try to put on the best show possible. We like to be as visual as we are musical, so we put a lot of movements and energy into our performances."

(Photo: Dbrandphoto)

    The band recently started work on their debut EP, Dead Walk. The EP will consist of 5-6 tracks and is still in it's early stages. The first track is nearly complete and the band is working on the guitar tracks for the next song. They hope to release the EP early in the New Year and say the EP will be released by the end of January at the very latest.
    Their main focus is currently on getting the EP done, but the band will continue to play shows around Hollywood and will also be working on album art as well as art for merchandise, such as t-shirts. Be sure to keep an eye out for Dead Walk and keep up-to-date with band news through their Facebook.

The Dirty Hearts Club

    In January 2011, The Dirty Hearts Club, an indie rock band from Manchester, UK formed from the remains of their previous project, The Dirty Hands. 3 of the remaining members joined up and initially planned to keep the name before they found out it was taken by an already signed band in London. "we stumbled across the idea to call ourselves 'The Dirty Hearts' and the 'Club' part felt as though it gave us our own individual identity, like we were beginning an exclusive club that people could be part of." Says the band.
    "Manchester has been an important city in England’s musical heritage spawning internationally recognized and respected bands and musical figures that has defined musical culture and genre, such as bands like Joy Division, The Fall, The Buzzcocks, The Stone Roses, Happy Monday’s, Oasis, and Elbow. The city’s musical heritage has spawned a vibrant and eclectic ongoing scene. We (the band) all live just outside of the city so as well as getting involved in the music scene there we also play and have put on gigs in smaller suburban towns."

    The Dirty Hands split in November 2010 and in December, Danny Solazzo (vocals) met with Chas Dewhurst (lead guitar/vocals) whom he met behind the bar in a local pub. Chas and Danny decided to collaborate on some music and from there, they contacted Patt Jenkinson (bass/vocals) and Ste Mills (drums), both formally from The Dirty Hands along with Danny, about forming a band. Danny turned to his old childhood friend, Matt White to play rhythym guitar for the band.
    "What brings us together is that we are all passionate about music and the world around us, our influences vary but the bottom line is that we all have a need to play music and be creative and a need to say how we feel about what we see going on around us. We live in times of unrest whether its political/financial and we feel like we must speak out about the injustices we see day to day, although some of our songs are just about being young, having a good time and enjoying the positives in life."

    The band is influenced by all sorts of things, from politics to art, and the band's musical influences range from Metallica to The Manic Street Preachers. Using these many influences, the band has shaped their sound into a "fusion of melodic indie rock" and "raw energy of punk and 60’s garage" with "dark undertones of post-punk and a huge serving of balls out rock and roll."
    "Our live performances have been described as frantic, energetic and sometimes angry or confrontational. We play with our hearts on our sleeves and lose ourselves in the live show and music. We are passionate musicians and this comes through on stage, we try to play mindful of the past DIY punk scenes were young people frustrated with their lives or what they saw going on around them got up on stage and expressed that pent up frustration through their music. Our shows are often loud, beer gets spilled and things get broken but we love what we do and we love doing it which does come across to the audience."

    So what's next for this fresh new band? "We have various up coming gigs across the North West UK, Hitting some great venues with a bunch of new songs we’ve worked on over the summer, were currently trying to play as much as we can across the uk in order to spread the word and and build our fan base and gain some management to take us to the next level. We’ll be hoping to get back in the studio in the New Year and get some new tracks worked on and perhaps go for a single release towards next summer. 2012 will be a big year for us."

The Siren's Allure

    In Greek mythology, the sirens were seductresses who lured sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. The Siren's Allure, a trancecore band from Mountain Home, Arkansas and used these mythical creatures as a metaphor. "It’s mainly about how the world tries to lure all of us in with its deception and deceit." Says the band.
    The two members of the band, Ocean Abernathy and Tyler Haile formed the band in mid-2011. The duo combines metal, electronica, dubstep, and techno to create their trancecore sound and have found it difficult to fit in with the town's post-hardcore music scene, making it hard for the band to play shows in the area.

    The two have been friends for several years and have been a part of several bands together. With several different influences from bands like The Browning, Sybreed, Sky Eats Airplane, and even dubstep artist, Skrillex. The band incorporates many elements from metal and electronica in their music and often times incorporates the siren folklore in their music and lyrics.
    The band is currently working on their upcoming EP, and is hoping for a December release date. "It’s going to blow minds." Says the band. "It is very different from other bands, and each song tells its own story. We’re currently done recording and mixing it and are just working on getting it promoted and getting the art work finished." Although the band is still in it's early stages, the band hopes to complete their line-up and move into a bigger music scene in hopes of finding an audience open to new sounds.

The Handshake Affair

    German rock band, The Handshake Affair couldn't be happier with their local music scene. The band came together in early 2007 in Dessau located in eastern Germany. "Dessau is a small city in eastern Germany and we think we're really lucky to have such an amazing local music scene. There are lots of cool shows taking place all the time." Says the band.
    Originally, the band started as basement recordings started by the band vocalist, Eric. With many friends in the music scene playing in bands, he spent a great deal of time watching his friends rehearse and it wasn't long before he brought together some of his best friends to form the band. The band has been playing shows and shuffling around their line-up for the last few years and are ready to tour the UK in December.

(Photo: DoomDesign.com)

    Collectively, the band is a fan of all kinds of music in several genres from classical to electronica, but it's bands like Incubus, Deftones, and Blink-182 that inspired the band to create. "We try to play modern rock music that combines different elements of the genre, such as  metal riffs, melodic vocals, ambient vocals oand even choir vocals. I think one of the best things of writing your own music is the freedom to choose which elements to incorporate into your sound."
    One of the band's big breaks came in 2007, when the band played The Taste of Chaos in Munich and was invited back to play the tour the following year in Hamburg. "It was one of the best experiences we've ever had. It was crazy to be a part of such a huge tour, even though it was only for a short time. These shows blew our minds. The size of venues and the crowds were unreal, you couldn't identify a single face in the crowd. When we were done playing our sets we literally felt as if we were up on cloud nine."

(Photo: DoomDesign.com)

    Boldly, the band decided to fly across the ocean to record their debut album in the land of the free. "We decided to leave our country and fly over to the US to record it there. Personally, it was the best decision we could have made musically. We worked together with Drew Fulk, whose work everyone should check out. He made us sound the way we wanted to sound on the record. We can relate to the bands in the US music scene, and we wanted to find someone that could help us sound similar, and we're super happy how this record turned out. And it just was a great trip to a country we've never been to before."
    After playing huge shows in Europe alongside many famous bands and flying to the US to cut their record, what's next on the list for this German rockstars? "We're going to the UK in december for a tour with 2 other great bands and early next year we'll announce more tours in order to support our debut album. We just wanna play as much as we can to get our name out there."

Life After Liftoff

    Pop-punk band, Life After Liftoff's name came to vocalist/guitarist, Lee Weiss in the form of a dream. "I usually keep a notepad by my bed for lyrics and one night the name came to me. I spent the next day figuring out what "Life After Liftoff" was going to be." Says Weiss. Band bassist and back-up vocalist, Jason Sigritz adds,"Even though Lee originally came up with the band name, I think it has taken on a meaning of its own for the rest of us. I personally think of it, as simply being a statement from someone that has made it through something traumatic in their lives only to discover that there is infinitely more out there."
    The music scene in Dayton, Ohio is home to the band and is filled with indie, metal, and hardcore bands. "We are definitely the odd ones in the area. Though I think that is refreshing to people in the area and that is part of why we have started to gain a foothold here. I would say we are very active in the local music scene, participating in festivals, contests and playing a local show at least once or twice a month." Says Sigritz. "We like to bring everyone together and really feed off the energy of great bands. We also like to incorporate belly dancing and cirque du soleil into our shows Jason and I are really flexible." Says Weiss.

    After Weiss thought up the band, he still had to form it into a real-life functioning band capable of realizing his vision. In late 2008, he posted up a flyer in the creative arts center of his college, Wright State University. Ryan Chatterton (guitar/back-up vocals/keyboard) answered to the flyer and brought along his friend, Dan Malloy on bass. Dan soon switched to drums after their original drummer quit and so the band brought in Jason on bass.
    The band has strong influences in pop-punk bands like Blink 182 and new Found Glory. "I would say the biggest influences to the bands are the members. You can hear what we are all inspired by come through in the music; the overall band sound can be derived from all the different bands we enjoy." Says Sigritz. The band mixes pop-punk, pop-rock, and arena rock to create their poppy, energetic sound. "Our message is positive and encouraging, and like most other pop/rock bands, we sing songs about love and relationships." Says Malloy.

    The band was able to play the Cincinnati date of the 2011 Van's Warped Tour alongside several national acts, including A Day to Remember, Relient K, Jack's Mannequin and many more. "It was a childhood dream come true! I have seen so many of my favorite bands play Warped that it was so surreal knowing our band was fortunate enough to be able to play alongside those bands and people really got into us!" Says Weiss. "It was incredible to be alongside a lot of the bands we grew up idolizing and imitating. I know it was a huge thrill to get to be backstage or on stage with bands like Relient K, Jack's Mannequin and so many others. It was also ridiculously hot that day, and I'm pretty sure most of us almost passed out from heat exhaustion." Added Malloy.
    On May 6th, 2011, the band released their EP, Memory of You, which was produced by Tyler Smith. "The EP is actually a small part of our final record; the idea was just to create great songs. I feel the EP is really upbeat and talks about the one thing that every human needs as a basic necessity which is Love, the link to human interaction and growth. Tyler Smith has become a really close friend of mine he is such an amazing songwriter/producer and just over all AMAZING person! Growing up in the Dayton music scene together and then coming together like we did was beyond anything I could have dreamt years ago." Says Weiss.

(Photo: Buckeye Music Magazine)

    For the band's next release, they hope to directly continue the story and themes from the first EP. "We're working with Tyler again, and branching out into new areas of our bands sound. I think with the success we've seen from the “Memory of You” EP, we know we have to really step up to take our second release to the next level." Says Malloy. The band will be releasing the new EP in the winter of 2012.
    So what's next for the band? The band will be doing lots of touring and hope to film a music videos. "We've got a lot of bigger shows and great opportunities coming up between now and 2012. We've got shows in New York, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Kentucky planned for October through December, including shows with, Yellowcard and Every Avenue! From the new year on you should expect to see us on the road more, and working our way up to being the first band on the moon." Says Malloy. Be sure to like the band on Facebook for tour updates and more!

A Tragedy At Hand

    Hardcore band, A Tragedy At Hand, comes from the small town of Irving, Texas, just outside of Dallas. The band's name embodies an interesting, yet dark view of life and how many people are forced to live a life of mediocrecy. According to the band, the tragedy at hand is the average person being convinced that a normal 9-to-5 job is the best they can do. "People get lost and caught up in things that blind them to what life can really hold. The world is at each and every one of our finger tips, but little think or go beyond their little glass box and are left staring at what they want and can’t have." Explains the band.
    Irving lacks a music scene, but luckily for the band, they are very near Dallas, which has a fairly healthy scene with many shows and music festivals all yearround. "Irving is the pimple to the face of Dallas, if you will. There is a GREAT music scene in Dallas and we do many big festivals throughout the year!"

    Many of the band members have known each other since high school, sharing the stage and even playing together in different bands since they were about 15 years old. In March of 2008, they formed the band together and the band would become A Tragedy At Hand.
    The band has many musical influences like bands such as Underoath, The Devil Wears Prada, In Flames, Dark Tranquility, and As I Lay Dying. Like many other metal/hardcore bands, the band incorporates many of the trademark elements of the genre, such as screaming and hardcore breakdowns. But unlike other bands, the band feels that although they have similar elements to these bands, they assure everyone that they write actual music.

    In the last few years, the band has played lucky enough to play several big music festivals in the Dallas area such as SouthBySoWhat 2010 with over 3,000 in attendance as well as Firefest 2011 with over 1,500 people.
    Playing these big festivals have given the band an opportunity to play along big bands and even major influences like with big signed bands like A Day To Remember, Underoath, The Devil Wears Prada, and Senses Fail. "It's cool being able to see what these bands are really like as people. It's also very cool to be able to say you've played with your favorite bands!"
    The band will be releasing a new single in early November and hopes to release a full-length album early on in 2012. They hope to get the attention of booking agents and record labels. Be sure to check them out on Facebook!

Streets Ahead

    In Bedford, NH, you'll find optimistic alternative indie rock band, Streets Ahead, which came together in October 2010. The band decided on their name because it implies looking forward towards the future and the band likes to keep an optimistic view.
    Bedford recently built a high school in town and the band played the high school's Battle of the Bands. "It's all really new and traditions are kind of in the works. We did play a show at our school's student run lock-in and also the poetry night, so I guess we are pretty involved when people need a band for a school function. Aside from that though, most of our shows have been at least 20 minutes away from home."
    Cara Bernard (vocals) and Miranda Sealander (drums) were in a rock cover band together, which was made up of trumpet players from the school's marching band. It wasn't until they found guitarist, Matt Cambria and bassist, Dylan Kiely that the band branched away from the cover band and started writing original music as Streets Ahead.

(Photo: Rene Morrison)

    Each of the members have different influences from Paramore to Radiohead and Muse to Johnny Foreinger. With such broad influences, the band naturally hass a broad sound. The band writes with emotions and write music based on how they feel, not how they want to sound.
    When it comes to playing shows, the band puts on an energetic set. They enjoy jumping around on stage and just having a fun performance. " We try to keep an open invitation for the audience to join in since that is generally why people go to concerts, to have fun."
    The band released the Open Doors On Sinking Ships EP in early March 2011, and it was the band's first recording. "it was all kind of a bit of a learning experience. At the time we recorded it, we were still growing as a band and still trying to find our sound. The songs all kind of have a theme of reflecting on past mistakes and learning from them and using them to build a brighter future. The overall sound is a bit more mellow than our current set list."

(Photo: Rene Morrison)

    Currently, the band is working on their next ep. "We have grown a lot as a band since our last EP and improved our musical abilities. Me and My Affections has a darker, yet more energetic sound. We are all really happy with the outcome and feel that it represents what you'll hear from our band much better than our last EP."
    With all the band members away at college, the band is writing music seperately. Once the band is on break, they will try to squeeze in as many shows as they can. Be sure to check out the band on Facebook for EP updates and more!

Perils Rise

    Perils Rise is a metalcore band out of the small town of Dover Plains, NY. The band formed in August 2010 and took their name from a Devils Wear Prada song lyric. "We chose the name because it reflected what we were going through with the band at the time. By standard definition, peril is a danger spawned by a specific action. We've all taken risks an encountered problems by choosing to put all of ourselves into our music. It seemed fitting." Says the band.
    Unfortunately, Dover Plains is not large enough to have it's own music scene, but the community does give the band lots of support. The band drives nearby to Poughkeepsie and plays shows through Killer Cool Entertainment. "The scene in Poughkeepsie is awesome, people actually care about their local bands. We're a new band around there, but we're quickly becoming part of the family." Says the band.

    The band started in early August without a guitarist, but soon recruited Travis Tompkins after his band broke up. Travis wasn't very interested in the music the rest of the band wanted to make, but brought along his friend Kyle. For a while, it wasn't clear if Travis and Kyle were in the band or not, but soon it became apparent that they were there to stay.
    The members of the band have a diverse music taste and the band itself tries to make music that sounds good. Some influential bands include The Devil Wears Prada, August Burns Red, and Every Time I Die. The group describes their music as metalcore with surprises. "We mix it up a lot from song to song. From a lyrical standpoint, our current release has a very specific theme. It follows the struggle of life and how it is never acceptable to give up. Never give in, keep following your dreams."

    On August 22, 2011, the band released their EP Persevere, Persevere. The EP contained 5 tracks that the band had written over the course of a year. "the sound of the EP changes from song to song. It's pretty crazy. I touched base on the lyrical meaning of the album, but to really understand you would have to read the lyrics of each song. It's a journey in every sense of the word. All in all, we couldn't be more proud with how everything came out."
    Currently, the band is working on writing their debut full-length album. "Things have been a bit busy for us with a few important shows coming up, but it's going pretty well so far. We have some rough ideas that you are certainly going to like, and you'll be hearing some things you wouldn't expect from us. At the moment, we're looking to release a single in the next few months."

    Recently, the band's single,"Let's Have A Serious Conversation" reached #1 on the Purevolume metalcore chart. "[It was] mind blowing and such an honor. We did not expect such a huge reaction from the single. And to continually get back to the top with each release was equally as mind blowing every time. Our fans are the absolute best."
    The band will continue playing several local shows while they focus on writing the album. "Expect some lineup changes around December due to Travis' unfortunate departure for the Navy. And if all goes according to plan, expect to see us touring to a city near you starting Summer 2012!"

Curses

    After several false starts and blunders, post-hardcore band, Curses were fed up and decided their musical ventures were cursed, hence the name. The band feels the name is also fitting because they believe that everyone has a curse. "Everyone has their cross to carry, their struggles, and things holding them back but, like us, you've gotta overcome it." Says the band. "We want to help people believe in themselves. These kinds of attitudes are what turn heads around, attract attention and get everyone speaking."
    This Coachella Valley band has been dormant for about two years. The band has not played a show since 2009 due to their lack of a vocalist. Their vocalist, Rocky Thunders, lives in San Diego and both David Ceballos(bass) and Emmanuel Beltran(guitar) live in Coachella Valley. The band is slowly, but surely working on their new EP. Once it's complete they will focus on playing shows to try and get their name out there.

    Coachella Valley's music scene is fairly active, with many bands of many genres including indie, psychobilly/rockabilly, punk, and alternative, but according to the band, metal is lacking. "With Curses we are thinking big. We really believe in our songs and in the impact that we could have. As far as being involved in the scene of the valley, we are. Since is not a big scene, we know most people involved in music. We help planning shows and sometimes we even let borrow our gear. I am really interested in recording and producing, so after our EP is done I would like to help other upcoming bands from the valley record their music." Says Ceballos.
    Emmanuel and David met through David's cousin and quickly hit it off because they shared music taste. "We liked Glam/Hair/Sleazy metal like Motley Crue, Faster Pussycat, La Guns, etc. but Mani and I were also into the new wave
metalcore/post-hardcore music so we started jamming." Says Ceballos. The band searched for a vocalist for a long time and finally met Rocky at a party. "I noticed he had a motley crue shirt and cowboy boots on so I asked what he played; after he said he was a vocalist we agreed to practice. The funny thing is that in that party everybody hated Mani because he was wearing sunglasses at night. Rocky was one of those people, and he showed up to practice not knowing he was the guitarist." Recalls Ceballos.

    The band describes their sound as dark and raw, with glam and 80's influences. "Powerful lyrics that are about real and relate-able themes. We don’t have a specific recurring theme as a band, but we have a personal experience or a personal feeling embedded in each song. We like to keep lyrics as close to us
as possible because as an audience, you could feel when the lyrics were
written with some passion or feeling behind them"
    With the band's upcoming EP, The Beginning of Something, the band hopes to better polish up their sound, aiming for a better dynamic with a wide variety of sound. "In this EP we have everything from
straight forward songs and structures, to complex songs with tempo and
key changes; from super heavy songs to a new age power ballad; from feel-good kind of songs, to fast tempo head-banging songs, and even with all this variety you can still tell is Curses material." Says the band. After the release of the EP, the band hopes to play more shows to promote the release.

Undercurrent

    Although the band came together in November of 2009, it wasn't until early 2010 when the band started recording their songs that they finally decided on a band name. The band jotted down a few name ideas, but after the process of elimination, they were left with the name, Undercurrent. "We stuck with this name based on two of its meanings being 'an underlying feeling' and that of a 'under water current' i.e. In the sense of being dragged through life." Says the band.
    Undercurrent hails from Sheffeild, UK, home of producing artists such as Jarvis Cocker (Pulp), Def Leppard, Arctic Monkey's, Bring Me The Horizon and more recently, While She Sleeps. "The current scene tends to mainly contain 2 types of styles at the moment being 'Indie' and 'Metal' - We think we have the potential to fall into the latter of the two as although we are not metal in terms of the hardcore/ screamo bands such as Bring Me the Horizon we can be slightly heavier/ louder than your typical standard 'Rock' band."

    Over the last couple of years Sheffield has hosted the 'Tramlines' free music festival.  "This festival takes over the city centre for a whole weekend with just about every pub/bar/club hosting free live music events for the entire weekend and in the case of some venues the week prior the festival is also quite busy.  This Festival hosts many signed/internationally recognised artists as well as local unsigned artists such as ourselves and we were happy to take part in playing the festival in 2010."
    After playing the festival, the band played several local spots and was lucky enough to be chosen to support international metal/punk-rock band, Soul Warrior. They were also asked to support American band, Vega, before one of the members of Vega was injured and the band had to cancel. The band recently decided to take a short break from performing while they "reshuffle" the band, but hope to return to the stage before too long.

    The band comes from a variety of musical backgrounds and are influenced by a wide assortment of bands, incuding Audioslave, Deftones, Incubus, Brand New, Bring Me The Horizon, Gallows, Architects, and While She Sleeps. The songwriting is typically done by the band bassist, Lee Carnall, but the rest of the band sometimes tries their hands at writing. "Lee addresses general themes of life, but also writes from fiction.  A lot of the songs have a double meaning with a song like Rehab appearing to be about addiction to drugs on a first listen but in reality is about a breakup/having feeling so strong that it feels like a drug/addiction." Says the band.
    In April 2011, The band made it to the regional finals of the National Live and Unsigned competition. "We were thrilled when we made it through to the Regional finals of the competition as it gave us recognition that others with knowledge of the music industry liked what we were doing.  This also assisted in getting our name mentioned in a few local newspapers as well as a clip of our initial audition being placed on the competitions Youtube page. However, this also took a lot of time out of our schedule due to the competition having set tasks which meant you either had to write new material for each stage or amend existing material to fit the criteria of the tasks set for that stage."

    The band is looking into getting their music up on iTunes. Once the band gets it all sorted out, they will be releasing a new single titled,"The Count" which will be tied in with the release of the music video set to be filmed in the last weekend of October.
    With the recent addition of a new member, the band is working on new material as well as reworking their older material to work as a 6-piece. "We have started promoting our new sound to the local venues with hopes of getting back into the gigging scene and showing off our new sound. We already have received great feedback from Katie Parsons, Editor of New Music at Kerrang via twitter. Our next major step, following the completion of the music video for The Count, is to lay down an EP which we can get up for release as well as use to promote ourselves to a wider audience. We also have several gigs booked for early next year outside of Sheffield and we're looking to take our music to a lot of new people!"
    Be sure to check out this UK rock band on Facebook!

The Vanity Project

    In the great underground music scene of Rossendale Valley, you'll find folk-pop band, The Vanity Project playing shows dressed in dresses and cravats. "The Vanity Project is a bit tongue in cheek really, but it was decided from the start that we wouldn’t hold back with any of our music." Says the band. Apart from dressing up, the band also makes sure that the drummer, Ste, is visible, unlike the usual 'drummer in the back' set-up.
    According to the band, this British 3-piece came together after a late night jamming session in a kitchen. The members have been involved in other works in different genres including drum & bass, hip-hop, soul, rock, and indie before forming the band.

    One of the band's biggest influences is the world around them. "A huge influence is the current times we are living in. Although born out of dark times and unashamedly writing many songs that reflect this The Vanity Project are hopeful of change which can be heard in many tracks such as 'I Fear Nothing' and 'What Really Matters'"
    The band's grab bag of sound ranges from powerful to haunting and then to good hearted pop. The band's success on Soundcloud is definitely motivating the band to do better and to keep on trucking. The band hands out free cd's at their shows as their way of saying thank you to the people who came out and gave them a listen.

    Over the summer, the band played at The Night & Day Café in Manchester to a fairly healthy crowd and even played a few music festivals. "Each show got us a repeat booking so hopefully we are doing something right." Says the band.    
    The band also hopes to start playing the local scene night run by local musicians Tim Page & Maria Ward. "Their aim is to promote the vast amount of talent in the Rossendale Valley and surrounding areas.  With the First ‘Scene’ night held recently with a great turn out and some amazing music.  The Vanity Project will be getting involved with a Scene night in the near future." The band hopes to continue recording, performing and having a good time.
    Be sure to check out The Vanity Project on their Facebook for band updates!

Uncharted Around The World 2011

    So, I recently decided to open the doors to unsigned bands all around the world, but for a limited time. The response over twitter was fantastic and several great bands emailed me. This week, the blog will feature several UK bands, because UK bands flooded my inbox. And next week, I hope to maybe get a bit more diverse in the country category! I hope you guys enjoy!

The Worshyp

    The idea for Toronto metal band, The Worshyp came when Marz Nova was jogging one morning. "I always listen to music when I work out. One day I just could not find any new music that I really wanted to hear, so I thought to myself 'I guess what I want to hear isn’t being made these days, so I’m going to have to write it myself.'" Recalls Nova.
    A few days later, he whipped up a song demo and showed it to friends. One song led to many and after getting a very positive online reception, Nova decided to put a band together. He found both Mig Diablo(bass) and Thor Rune(lead guitar) online via ads. Mig suggested KK Devina as they had played together with Paul Di’Anno.
    Nova decided on the name, The Worshyp because he felt it was a worthy representation of metal fans. "In other genres you are only as big as your latest hit. You’re here today and gone tomorrow. Metal fans follow their favourite bands for life like a priest follows the church."

    The band is influenced by a large range of music, from Rush to Pantera and Black Sabbath to Motorhead. Their sound is a perfect blend of the last 4 decades of hard rock and metal. "Each song offers the listener a totally different experience." Says the Nova. "I think there is certainly both a Canadian and American element to our music."
    Their debut album, Kingdom Earth, was released early January of this year. "Kingdom Earth is a broad scoped album. It has songs that are in-your-face thrash as well as elements of Grunge metal (The Sewers), progressive metal (Crop Circles) and even mainstream commercial heavy rock (The Manic’s Mantra). We did not want to corner ourselves musically and I think we avoided that with Kingdom Earth." Says Nova.

    Evil Abounds, the band's next album, will broaden the band's already broad scope. "There are heavier songs on there as well as our first ballad. I do not believe in “filler” songs and if I write a good song I delete it. I am very fastidious about my song writing. Good is not good enough for The Worshyp. Overall I think the writing, sound quality, vocals and musical performance has been improved greatly from that of Kingdom Earth." The band hopes to release the album some time in 2012.
    With an online following of over 50,000 people, the band couldn't be happier. "The fans have totally blown me away. Getting our logo tattooed on their arms, putting up badges on their profile, buying second and third copies of the CD for their friends. It really has been a surreal 9 months." After the band releases Evil Abounds, they hope to begin touring to support the release.
    Be sure to like the band on Facebook to get all the album and show updates!

Through The Static

    Through The Static is an all-female (almost) pop-punk band out of Long Island, NY. The band came together in October 2007 and got their name at random, through a band vote.
    After deciding on the name, the band tok time to figure out why it was a good fit for the band. "Static is pertaining to a fixed or stationary condition or showing little or no change. If you are through the static, you are vulnerable to change. The daily grind or a routine everyone goes through on a day to day basis can be described as static, if you break this cycle, you become through the static. It also is a statement against the media and technology's firm grip on society today. Don't listen to or watch the static on the TV and turn into a drone, break through the static and explore the world around you. Ask questions and discover the truth and yourself in the process.
Through the Static means you are breaking the status quo and doing the unexpected. By being an all girl band, we are breaking the status quo and doing the unexpected."

    According to the girls, Long Island has a generally good scene for lots of genres, frm hardcore to pop-punk. "long island has a generally good music scene for every genre, you just gotta know where to look. There many great bands that have came and continue to come out of long island: Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, Patent Pending, The Movielife, Soldiers, This is Hell, Bomb the Music Industry etc. etc. The one scene that I think is struggling here is Ska."
    The band plays local shows at The Wave in Patchogue where the band actually started. They even play a few hardcore shows at Sinclair's Pub. "We play all over the island, as much as possible."

(Photo: Brianna Perciallia)

    Originally, the band was more of a cover band and consisted of comopletely different members with the only common demoninator being Jess Fresh, the band's songwriter, guitarist and vocalist.
    After several member changes and a debut EP, the band is still incomplete. Although the band has a fantastic fill-in drummer, Anthony Corso, whose only fault is being male. The band hopes to find another female guitarist as well as a female drummer. The current line-up consists of Jess Fresh, Amie Bernstein (vocals/songwriter), Kashmir Manas (Bass), and fill-in Anthony Corso.
    The band very much enjoys playing all kinds of shows. "We book wherever and whenever we possibly can. We love playing shows and try to play as much as possible to get people to listen to our songs. We try to give a lot of energy at our shows. A good time should always be expected at one of our gigs. We dance, jump and f*ck around a lot. Guarantee we will make you laugh with us or at me." Says Jess.

(Photo: Brianna Perciallia)

    The conception of the band's debut EP, We Can Do It!, was far from smooth. The girls were ripped off by someone who was supposed to be their friend. The band recorded three songs and the band was charged $10/hour and was charged a ridiculous amount for mixing, which they were not present for. "We ended up paying for two songs and self-produced one of the tracks ourselves. We ended up sending him a professional letter basically explaining that he did a sh*t job and that if this is what he wants to do with his life, he shouldn't produce sub-par work and then put his name on it. Needless to say, my friend doesn't talk to me anymore, and he's still recording bands."
    The band picked the three songs, "Chestnut Ave.", "S.G.R." & "Mars", specifically because they were the first three songs they had written together as a band. "All of the tracks on the E.P. all stand out from each other. One is very upbeat, catchy & straightforward, the other is more hardcore influenced with a breakdown, and the last track is a very downbeat, slow, & alternative-stadium rock like. The overall sound probably shows our major influences all sliced up into three different songs. You throw that all together in a blender, you get Through the Static."

    According to the band, WCDI! was a sort of sampler of what the band could do as well as a call to arms to female musicians. "'We Can Do It!' was a quote used on a Rosie the Riveter poster, and that's where the idea was inspired from." After the EP's release in early April 2011, it received decent feedback in it's first weeks. It would again resurface after being featured on the blog, Idle & The Bear during the summer.
    The girls hope to record a full-length in the near future and also hope to solidify their line-up. "There are 16 songs written. I know our fans have been dying for some new music from us and I apologize - you can expect some self-produced tracks up soon. We have been spending time redoing our studio room and have been slacking on the music. You can be sure that our full length will be out before the end of the year. I'm going to shoot for spring, if not earlier. We are also being featured on a local TV station. We hope to record a music video once the album comes out, and tour during the summer!"

The Jealous Sea

    Since their formation in April 2011, Boston rock band The Jealous Sea has racked up quite the stats card. With only 11 shows, the band has been featured in the June issue of Alternative Press, been featured on several radi shows including the iDobi Radio's The Gunz Show, DJ RossStar's Punk Rock Show, and AOL Music's Featured Artist.
    "AltPress was awesome! Everyone over there was super cool, incredibly supportive of the band. They were our first press, and they actually printed us before we had even released a song. Pretty surreal to open up a magazine I read ever since I was a kid and see my own face staring back at me." Says band guitarist and vocalist, Mathew David.

(Photo: Charles Saulters II)

    The band's name is a play on a line in the Fall Out Boy song,"Tell That Mick He Just Made My List Of Things To Do Today". The line is "On the drive home, we'll joke about the kid you used to see, and his jealousy". The band name is a nod to Fall Out Boy, since the band's a fan.
    The band very much enjoys their local Boston scene. "The music scene in Boston is awesome, we love it here. We're very locally active. On top of playing shows in Boston, I also book shows all around New England for other bands, as well as book tours for other bands, so it's definitely a great way to feel like I am contributing and giving back to the scene that gave me a start." Says Mathew.
    The formation of the band began when Mathew was helping his former band mate, John Maxwell, record some solo recordings. John and some of his band mates liked the sound and all agreed to join the band. "I was working on The Jealous Sea right at the very beginning. They all liked them so I stole his entire band. Fact." Jokes Mathew.
    Mathew describes the band's sound elegantly when asked to. "The Jealous Sea sounds like eating a crate of pop rocks mixed with a gallon of soda, spinning around on a tire swing for 10 minutes, and then chasing the ice cream man. The only ongoing theme in the band is that if Tom's Mom was an animal, she would be a total fox."

(Photo: Charles Saulters II)

    Early on, the band released their EP Everything and Anything. "The EP has a very upbeat feel to it, and that's really what I wanted - songs that were fun to play live. Three quick songs that leave people wanting more, as opposed to 10-12 tracks with some filler in there just to say that we put out a "full length". Classic rock and roll guitar tones, great vocal harmonies and a guitar solo make for a really fun, summer style EP"
    The EP was produced by John Naclerio who has worked with bands like My Chemical Romance, and Brand New. "John is great! I've worked with him before, and I love doing vocals with him. He's just really comfortable, and I think the true skill in a producer is to get a band to relax, and he can really do that. The working environment was total 'no stress' atmosphere, and a lot of fun. If I was having trouble singing a part in the vocal booth, he'd give me a hard time, tell me to grow a set of balls and sing it like a man, and things like that just kind of break the tension of, "Oh man, this is our first release and I want everything to be 250% perfect"

(Photo: Taylor Foiles)

    Luckily for the band, they got lots of attention, whether it be AltPress or the numerous radio features and interviews. The band has also had the privilege of playing with several of the biggest names in the music scene today.
    "I've never really played with a bigger band and thought "What a bunch of jerks!" There are always those one or two people but everyone has been great so far. Didn't really get to interact with The Maine when we supported them because it was a college show, very public environment, so we just didn't have any downtime with them, but playing a couple dates with Sparks The Rescue was great, nicest dudes ever, such a hard working band. And Hey Monday were total sweethearts! Got to chat with their drummer Pat for a bit who was real down to earth, and Cassadee Pope is every bit as sweet as you'd think she would be. It's just really an honor and a pleasure to share the stage with bands who are killing it right now and doing big things. Makes me want to step our game up and get to that level!" Says Mathew.
    The band will continue writing and are considering some northeast touring in the coming months. "we're really trying to put together songs for a new release so that's the main focus."

MyOhMy

    Taking their name from the famous Disney song,"Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah", post-hardcore band, MyOhMy has been playing shows across Dekalb, Rochelle, Dixon, and beyond. This Midwest 5-piece enjoys the camaraderie of their small local scene, but also enjoy getting out of safe waters when they can. "We come from a very small area, which has its negative effects on the scene, but a certain plus side is the sense of community. I know when I play a show near us that chances are I'll know most of the musicians in each band by name, which isn't Always what you want but it's nice to share the stage with friends and get to hear them play new music.” Says band guitarist, Matt Smith.
    After the split of his not-so-serious band in late 2007, Tim Hernandez (drums) decided he wasn't through with music. He soon called up Matt, who had been in the previous band with him, and he quickly agreed. High school friend, Nate Butler, joined up as the second guitarist and Tim's brother joined on bass in mid 2009. The band began playing shows in early 2010 without a vocalist and at one of the shows they saw Jesse Floto screaming in another band. About a month later Jesse messaged the band on Myspace about being their vocalist and the band was complete.

    Some of the several musical influences include Korn, A Day To Remember, and Of Mice and Men. When making music, the band tries to keep an equal balance of melody and aggression. "We're kinda heavy if you know what I mean. We try to write about overcoming lifetime struggles and prospering in personal gain." Says Jesse.
    Even in the midst of what the band calls a "Zombie Crowd," the band gives the show all they've got. "We just want our fans to have as much fun at our shows as we do. So always expect high energy and pits." Says Tim. The band has played all over, Bars, churches and everything in between. "We play wherever we can fit our equipment. You can expect a very lively performance from us for we don't mess around when we are performing. We get lost into our own world we illustrate for the general public." Says Jesse.

    The band has played with several national touring acts such as Ice Nine Kills, Corpus Christy, The Plot in You, Where The Ocean Meets The Sky, and Another Hero Dies. "Playing with Ice Nine Kills was one of our favorite shows. They were amazing performers as well as individuals. They showed us an attitude we never knew existed. We learn something new every time we play with signed bands." Says the band.
    Soon, the band will release their song,"We've Missed The Waves" which is part of a 5-6 song EP that the band hopes to release once they have the necessary funds. “We are just gonna continue to do what we do. We are going to try to make music that people will come to relate to and take into their hearts. That's what we always wanted to do and we're just gonna keep at it.”
    Check out the band on Facebook and check out their new song "We've Missed The Wave" on October 12th. You can check out the song early on October 6th at midnight on MFN.Heavy.