The Mess, Seasons Album Released

    In 2008, Mike Gross was in between bands and things weren't looking so great. He was writing music and completed about nine songs before guitarist Brandon Lowe suggested playing the songs together. They quickly put a band together and Mike named the band, The Mess. "I felt like everything was a mess. No, I was 'The Mess'. Kind of stuck from there. Just thought it fit my life. I think most people can relate at one time or another." Recalls Mike.
    With their electronic focus, meaningful lyrics and poppy melodies, the band hailing from San Jose, CA has released a few albums and has even shared the stage with bands like Scary Kids Scaring Kids and The Sleeping. The band's diverse music taste has their sound influenced by bands like Jimmy Eat World, Saves The Day, and even Skrillex. Another huge influence on the band is dubstep and dance music. "We are heading into the electronic/digital age. We embrace it." Says Mike.

    On December 9th, 2011, the band released their album, Seasons. Seasons was their best received album online and received several positive responses. The album's content revolves around the many events the band has gone through over the last two years. "Extreme loss, extreme heartbreak, extreme joy and all shades in between. It starts with April Showers and ends with May Flowers." Says Mike. "[The Album] is a bit darker than our last two releases. Life happens. You wake up changed. You see through new eyes. I just try to keep the songs about meaningful things."
    The album's sound is made up of heavy drums and melodic, catchy vocals. The band had hoped it would create a great electronic blend that was both big in sound and fully developed. "The songs on Seasons sound more grown and have a depth and maturity our previous albums did not." Says Mike. "I feel like we have created our own sound. Something completely our own. We really could not be happier and we have a lot of amazing fans that support us."

    So what's next for the band? The band hopes to release a music video for the first track on the album, "April Showers." They are going to continue pushing the album, which you can buy at a show or online. The band will focus on pushing the album and expanding their fan base(and of course, taking over the world). Be sure to check the band out on Facebook for sweet updates!
    And now a word from the band! "Stay hopeful. Think for yourself. We hope to meet all of you some day in the future. Thanks to everyone that gives us a listen. I know its cliche but we would be nowhere without our fans. Thank you all."

Nifty Breed

    After forming an alternative rock band in 2008, Matty was desperately trying to rid the band of the name they all seemed to hate. "I was trying to think of something that seemed both interesting and kind of silly." Nifty Breed, looking good on paper, was the band's new name.
    Long Island has many small scenes all around, mostly dominated by pop-punk and hardcore bands. "Beyond that, there are some less popular but functioning alternative/indie scenes that would be more our style, but lately it seems everyones making the big move to the city, a move we aren't able to make yet. We kind of drift between every scene and don't really have roots in any particular one and I'm okay with that." Says Matty, the band vocalist and guitar player.

    This Long Island alternative rock band is made up of two pairs of lifelong friends. Matty and the band's drummer, Jordan, have been friends since they were toddlers. Alex, the band guitarist, and Brian, the bassist, have been friends since birth. "Originally Jordan and Brian were not in the band. Alex and I were playing a show together with a brand new drummer and no bassist (due to unfortunate circumstances) and Brian had come to see us play. Since we had just lost our bass player and I recently learned he played bass, I announced at that show that he was to be our new bass player. After another drummer or two, Jordan found his way into the band and it's been this line up since 2009." recalls Matty.
    The band's influence is drawn from bands like Nirvana, At the Drive-In, 311, Incubus, The Beatles, Silverchair and a lot of other bands from several genres. "We are a very diverse bunch. Our sound is really all over the place. We try not to stick to a distinct style when we write. Musically, some songs are heavy and some songs are more lighthearted, but overall it's all about melody. A lot of the songs lyrically are kind of dark and some may tie into others by chance but each song is able to stand on it's own. All the lyrics are personal and relate to me in one way or another. Sometimes I don't realize this until long after a song is written. Hopefully people can take what they want from our songs because they aren't written with any specific people or messages or themes in mind." Says Matty.

    Talk Before You Speak, the band's debut album, will hopefully be made available in early 2012. "We spent a solid month just tracking everything, and now it is just a matter of making everything sound good and balanced. We are having fun experimenting with different ideas that we couldn't really do on the demos due to time constraints. Crazy ideas like strings, bongos, cowbell and insane noises, stuff we normally wouldn't have taken the time to try out. The public can expect an album that is basically us. Our heart and soul was put into this record and it will be very pure and very raw but still sound good, which is what I think every band strives for in an album."
    The band expects to continue playing shows and reach a wider audience. All the band truly wants out of their experiences is to be heard. Be sure to check out the band's Facebook for updates on the band and upcoming debut album, Talk Before You Speak.

Black Orchid Ritual

    Raven Elias has been playing music for a long time. In late 1999, he formed a cover band in Houston with his longtime friend, Robert Stilwell. The band had hoped to become an original band before long, but according to the band, it's a lot easier to make ends meet when you play songs everyone knows and loves. In 2004, the "band" recorded their debut album, but in 2008, they rerecorded the songs. It wasn't until a year later that the band was able to release it.
    Now, the band had been a band for about a decade, but it wasn't until the addition of Ukrainian bassist, Serge Romashyn, that Black Orchid Ritual was born. the debut, all-original show was booked before Serge had even joined the band. He had assured Raven that he had learned 4 of the band's songs and after only one night of practice, the band played in front of 200 people.

    Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin are among the band's influences, along with a lot of modern rock, macabre works, metal, and even classic horror movies and ghost stories. "(Our sound) is a bit retro, mixed beautifully and wisely with modern music. A bit of hard rock and heavy metal." The band also feels like modern rock music owes a lot to Black Sabbath. "Everyone sounds like Sabbath today, we owe everything to them. Nickelback, Green Day, all those bands, not just bands like Metallica or Marilyn Manson."
    At their shows, you might find props and art, fans dressed in costume, sometimes giant crosses with black drapes. "We love subtleness," jokes the band. "The sound and energy is furious and thrilling as well as chilling. a show filled with fog floating upon the stage floor, massive strobe lights flashing, beautiful cobalt blue lights sparkling, just look at one of those Led Zeppelin concert photos of the 70's,But with a lot of fans dressed like witches."

    The band wanted to talk a little bit about their debut album, and so we let them.

    "As Sabbath's debut album was, ours was recorded on a small budget and was done very fast. It was a recording of 9 songs, with 2 of the songs being instrumentals.
    The album starts off with a woman screaming and then the first song hits hard into a number entitled MUSICAL BEDS; a song about the consequences of unprotected sex. A hard rock song guaranteed to make you think before you leave your condom at home.
    The second track is called NEVER SATISFIED; the song starts off again with an audio fx; a detuned unearthly voice speaks "DAMNED TO ETERNAL HUNGER", then a sludge-like guitar riff opens this metal rant about never being satisfied with anything in this life, even "when you have gotten everything" as the lyrics states. There are too many cool and interesting stuff to mention so I guess you'll have to play the CD."

    Currently, the band's second album is in the works and the band had this to say about it, "Its gonna be the one that makes us. it will definitley have more than 10 tracks. The title itself sounds controversial, which we can not disclose at this time. Lets just say it in this way; Its gonna turn the Vatican pink and reveal alot of religious truth. It will be very Metal but not one sided. We like to feel that we can incorporate orchestrations and different instruments other than just shredding electric guitar. We're versatile, influenced by the greatest bands that ever was."
    They hope to release the album in late January. The band is also hoping to release an unplugged acoustic album this December which will include songs from the first album, as well as songs from the second. The band will continue playing shows in the coming months as well as building their fanbase online. Be sure to like the band on Facebook for updates on their upcoming shows and album updates!

Dreams From Gin

    With a unique and fitting name, Rochester alternative rock band, Dreams From Gin, has racked up quite the interesting resume. The band opened for Local H, which happened to be guitarist/vocalist Tyson Prince's childhood rock n'roll band, in Syracuse and opened for Grammy-nominated artist, Chris Trapper in fall 2010. The band was also featured in the PS3 and PC video game, Beat Hazard Ultra.
    The band's home base is Rochester, New York where they are very proud with their local music scene. "Rochester has a popular local music scene lurking beneath the surface. We have two popular radio stations, 90.5 WBER and 89.7 WITR that constantly plays local indie music. We have several clubs, including the BugJar, that constantly books national and local bands of all flavors." Although the band has a hard time fitting into the prominent genres in the area.

    "Instead of being left out, we use it as a strength. Dreams from Gin is flexible and it has allowed us to covertly play what would be considered "scene shows." We are angry enough to play with "hardcore" bands, fun enough to play with the punk bands and our pedal boards are large enough to play with the indie bands. It has allowed us to form a lot of relationships with a lot of different types of bands." Tyson Prince, guitarist/vocalist, and Travis Hafner, drummer, formed the band in October 2008 during college, but before they could start a band, they needed to find a practice space. The band found a legendary practice space, one that could go down in history as the coolest makeshift space.
    "We ended up renting a large abandoned gas station as a practice space. It was a pretty interesting time, we would have these incredible parties with dozens of musicians and spectators, passing around gear. It was a really creative place, we had art drawings on the wall and used the special of the wipe board to write lyrics. Soon enough, our bassist extrodonaire Christian came by and Dreams from Gin was born." Unfortunately, the band's space wouldn't last forever and after both landlords died, the gas station was taken by the bank and the band had to move on. Since forming, the band has replaced Travis with Nick Manka on the drums.

    The band has many influences and they feel that it reflects in their music. The band's tastes are extensive and range from grunge, Mclusky, Nirvana, Modest Mouse, to Folk, Fleet Foxes and Two Gallants, to Instrumental, Explosions in the Sky and Russian Circles, to Pop, Hooverphonic and Red Hot Chili Peppers." The band describes their music as "cynical, sometimes angry depressed, sometimes maybe even happy but mostly tongue in cheek."
    "I think we represent the duality and hypocritical nature of the human experience.  For better or worse we don't stick to a specific formula or genre.  As far as a message, some songs have a specific meaning and others just convey an emotion or feeling, most of the time it's both.  Occasionally, a chorus to a song is completely unrelated to the verse. I think it's like a little snippet of life, it doesn't always come at you in a neat little package with a easy translated message.  Sometimes your witnessing or contemplating something and then another issue or event comes up in the blink of an eye. Sometimes you get a Non-sequitur." Says Tyson.

    Recently, the band released a "hits" compilation album titled Rabbits Run in Prides. "It is free on our website and is a great starter to anyone interested in Dreams from Gin. I think it represents our best material and the diversity of our material. Songs range from the energetic and clever "Typewriter", the thoughtful and lyrical "Stoic" to the slightly strange anthem that is "Stereo Fire!"  It also includes our take on a pop hit "Mad about you."  The album's a strange beast, a duck billed platypus, weird to experience at first. Soon though, your addicted to the strange delicacy, and you just can't get it out of your head."
    The band is currently on a short hiatus, taking time off to work on an album's worth of new material. "We have about half a dozen songs written now.  The song writing process has been a lot of fun and the chemistry is right.  We all tend to be jokesters, laid back and little cynical, so the songs come together very easily.  I intend this album to have a slightly bigger budget than in the past, which means we can finally fit in everything we want.  We will most likely start performing again in December. Also, we really want to push Dreams from Gin to be involved in more media projects, video games, online movies, etc.  I think our music is perfect for it; we have a diverse catalog of songs and generally let anyone use our music for free.  The internet has given us a chance to reach fans all over the country (and world).  I really enjoy all of the fan mail or tributes we receive.  If we managed to scrounge enough funds we'd love to do a cross-country tour.  You never know what's in the card, we've come a long way from our humble beginnings in an abandoned gas station."

The Eversea

    If you sift through the hardcore and pop-punk bands that make up the music in Boston, MA, you'll find indie rock band, The Eversea. The band came together in October 2010, just over a year ago, and have since released several singles, have been on the radio and are currently working on a 5-song EP which they hope to release in spring.
    The scene in Boston, again, is filled with all kinds of hardcore and pop-punk bands, making it difficult for bands of a different genre to get a foothold in the scene. "We try to play any show we can get and keep ourselves out in the scene with new material every time." Says the band.

    The 3-piece came together fairly easily, but after some trouble they decided to part ways with their original vocalist. Clay Taranto (lead guitar) and Aron Blye (drums) brought Joe Cook on board after seeing him perform at an open mic night at Bridgewater College, completing the band line-up.
    Each member of the band has different music taste, but collectively, the band is influenced by bands like Pearl Jam, The Goo Goo Dolls, and Foo Fighters. Using these influences, the band creates their indie alternative rock. "We try to take a little bit from every band we listen to and mix them into the songs we make. We try to have a distinct sound. Something you don’t hear too much from bands now a days."

    When the band plays a show, they try to keep it high energy. "We try to get the crowd involved, we really feed off the crowd and if they're having a good time, it really effects us positively on stage." The band has released several singles that they perform at their shows, but the band is currently working on their 5-song EP.
    You can keep your eyes peeled for the band's EP this spring. "We’ve been playing on a few radio stations and have been writing a lot, just trying to get the name out there and working on our EP!"

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 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."

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!

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 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."

Farewell. My Love

    Farewell, My Love is a rock band from Pheonix, AZ and they are ready to spread their brand of rock that can only be described as theatrical rock. The music scene in Pheonix is very brad with genres ranging from pop to metalcore. "(The scene) is very different. We like to play live as much as possible but sometimes it's difficult because sometimes the lineups aren't the best fit for our style of music." Says the band.
    The band came together when Caleb and Robby's previous band split up. After the split, Robbie searched for a drummer and was referred to Chad. He soon contacted Caleb for vocals and through other friends, they recruited Gary. Farewell, My Love was born. "We shared the same vision for what we wanted the band to be so we stuck together & that's how it started."

    The band is influenced by many different bands, but all seem to really enjoy music that is passionate and real rock music. The band enjoys making the music they love, but thay also have another motivator. "We started this band to give our fans hope & inspire them to always chase their dreams, no matter how impossible they make seem to achieve. You can't grow old & live with regrets, you have to work hard to make your dreams a reality."
    The band's debut EP, A Dance You Won't Forget was released on August 16th, 2011. They recorded it in Scottsdale, AZ with Connor Hurley at L2 Studios. "We wanted to basically give fans a taste of what is to come off future releases while keeping it as creative & diverse as possible. We want to make sure we're never predictable. Each song on the EP has an attitude of it's own, I think it's up to the listener to decide what exactly that is."

    The EP has gotten positive feedback across the internet. "We've been blown away by how much positive feedback we've gotten from 'A Dance You Won't Forget'. Our fans are the best."
    So what's next for the band? "We're planning on playing some out of stare shows before the year is through. Just expanding our fan base & letting the world know that we are here to stay. We aren't going anywhere."
    Be sure to like the band on Facebook!

Sleeze

    In December of 2009, through herbal influences, the band Sleeze joined forces to create a hard and mostly dangerous sound. This Rockford band has been around for over two years and have still managed to keep their music honest and BS free.
    The band describes their sound as disgusting, careless and violent. The band prides itself in it's performance. "There is no typical band performance with sleeze, expect the unexpected." Says the band.

    The band's upcoming Ep is different from their previous releases due to member changes as well as improved drumming and more soul. The band insists that "it's still Sleeze." "(We've) just taken the next step up, we're growing."
    Through their music, the band gives off the message to "Live your life with no limitations and to live like you're dieing, slip her the tongue." Check out the band's Facebook!

Streetcar Samba

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      In a day and age where chart-topping hits consist of cookie-cutter label manufactures pop hits and where Nickelback plays the same song over and over on the radio, sometimes you can still find a bit of honesty in music. Streetcar Samba is one of the few that represent music's glimmer of hope. The blues/rock band from Harahan, Louisiana came together as a cover band under a different name.
      The demise of the cover band, Rule 34, led to the Streetcar Samba's formation. After several member changes and a few rough spots, the band was left with Michael Roy (guitar), Jennie Lacor (vocals), and Kyle Bourque (drums). They found a working bassist and were then ready to start writing music.
      "It was probably the most awkward experience of my life." Says Roy. "I had never written a song in my life, let alone played one with other people. The first attempts were shaky and strange, but soon something clicked and we were rocking out to our own song. The first song I ever wrote for the band was “I Shoulda Run”. It was about the recent Katrina catastrophe in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. Neighbors started asking me what song it was, and I was flattered when I told them it was my own and they had been tapping their feet to it next door. Soon I had written 3 or 4 songs for the band and we were practicing them regularly."

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      Streetcar Samba's first performance was at a small house show at a friend's house. They played a Battle of the Bands in April 2011 after recruiting their keyboard player, Ian Cortez. Ian is a part of a fairly successful cover band, and brought extra experience to the band. They began working on their 11 song album in Michael's home studio. It was well-received online and it brought them lots of positive attention which benifited their fan base.
      Unfortunately for the band, the day after the release of the album, their bassist quit. Kyle's twin brother had started playing bass as a hobby and gladly accepted their invitation to join the band. "We completely underestimated him. He's an exceptional bass player. With him, our music took new directions. Before, we lacked a 'real' bass player. But now, we can play anything. I mean anything."

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      "We wrote more music while learning many cover songs. Our approach was to hit the local music world from both sides. Hit them with a great cover band, and hit them with a great original band. And for some, blend both worlds together." The band currently has anywhere between 40 to over 120 people personally going to see them at shows, not including everyone already in the bars or venues.
      "Harahan is a subdivision in the New Orleans Metro Area. There are only 2 or three bands in Harahan. But we are the only one I know of who plays regularly. Just about all of our gigs, and the music scene is either in Metairie or New Orleans, LA. There is a pretty large hardcore, metal, and alternative scene, But the biggest scenes are with either, Jazz, Blues, Rock, or Indie." Says the band about their hometown.
      The band has played venues and country clubs, but have recently been invited to play bars due to their word of mouth success. "We put on a crazy show, with three singers, all talkative, we do a great job keeping people with us. We move fast, we blend songs together, and have joke 'Frankenstein' sessions."

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      The band is influenced by musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Jimi Page, Eric Clapton and The Meters. They aim to make music that is familiar, but strictly original. They've been told that their music stays true to 60's rock, but others say that the band sounds more indie. "I’ve tried, and with an open mind can’t really find another band or group that sounds similar or like us. Our sound, its very bluesy, very, very bluesy. We have a distinct 'Southern' sound, but definitely not a “country” sound." Says Roy.
      Derailed, the band's first album focused on Hurricane Katrina and the many struggles the disaster left people with. The best songs to display this would be “I Shoulda Run” and “I Waited”, while the other songs display the emotional struggles in an indirect way.
      Although the several members are all dedicated to other personal matters such as schooling or other commitments, they collectively hope to get Streetcar Samba on it's feet. "We’re playing with some big bands coming up, and we’ve gone from completely unheard of to a force to be reckoned with." Says the band.

The Sasparillas

The Sasparillas

      The Sasparillas, blues rockers from Pecatonica, IL are more than just avid root beer fans. As most root beer fans know, old-fashioned root beer is made from the sasparilla root found in central america. "Sasparilla is the root of root beer. That's where the deliciousness of root beer comes from. We like to think that we go back to the root of music and what started all the deliciousness." Says the band.

      The band consists of Hannah Hovland (vocals), Ryan Countryman (guitar), Jake Mullen (bass/back-up vocals) and Noah Karvelis (drums/mandolin). Everyone, with the exception of Hannah, has known each other since the 5th grade. When all of their previous bands and projects didn't work out, they looked to start a band. They knew Hannah from high school, and through Facebook, she was contacted to join the band and soon after they were practicing together.

The Sasparillas live show

      "We sound like someone took the classic blues rock sounds of Led Zeppelin, sprinkled in a decent amount of The Jimi Hendrix Experience's funkiness, and threw in a bit of the Red Hot Chili Pepper's groove." Says the band, "Along with that, Howlin' Wolf, Hubert Sumlin, Muddy Waters, and Albert King are our main blues influences. The blues is really important to us and we feel that it's something that needs to be respected and carried on."

      The band writes about people in their lives or specific events that have occurred, and often times write happier songs. On the flip-side, when Noah's girlfriend's father died, he transferred all the emotion into the song, "Gone Away". "We have been dating for over 14 months, so when that happened I went through all the steps with her. Going to the hospital just after it happened, the funeral planning, the first time the family saw him at the visitation. It was a really sad time and a lot of the confusion and stress from the time comes out in that song." Says Noah.

      "Hannah puts on one of the best stage shows that you can find in the area. She really gets moved by the music and just unleashes a flurry of emotion." Says the band. They play two to three hour shows nearly every weekend and sometimes busts out some classic rock covers. "We play a lot of Hendrix, Zeppelin, Stones, and Beatles. Also, we play our original songs. They range from classic blues-sounding songs, to funky songs, to just straight rock."

The Sasparillas @ The RAMI Youth Charity Jam
Photo: Greg Farnham

      The band has a number of accomplishments under their belt, including the 'Pastor's choice' award at The Rave Battle of the Bands last January (2010). They finished as finalists and again a month later in second place at the RAMI Youth Charity Jam in February (2010) and March (2010). They were selected to play at Music on Chicago and On The Waterfront. "We are very proud of the fact that we were leading at The Hope and Anchor's Battle of the Bands for over a month and were close to winning. We were one of the few teen bands, with most of them being 20-30 year olds. The staff enjoyed us some much, that they bought more votes and voted for us to win."

      The band is working hard on getting tshirts printed, and getting their EP made and ready. "Our main interest right now is just to get our name out there and play shows and increase our fan base." Like the band on Facebook!

~joeEFFINGmayo

Joemayo91@gmail.com