Look, I'm Burning

Look, I'm Burning
Photo: Courtesy of Look, I'm Burning

      Look, I'm Burning. The melodic metalcore band from Madison, Wisconsin will be playing at The Lodge next month, but why should you care? You don't know these guys? Unfortunately for you, that excuse is not valid.

      "(Our music is about) living life to its fullest, regardless of orientation or affiliations. It's about taking chances, finding yourself, breaking traditions, and living meaningfully." Says Paul Wendell Swift. "We put a lot of effort into making very melodic (music) and (keep) heavy chord progressions. We try to keep things interesting by creating several different parts while maintaining a memorable and catchy chorus within most of our songs. We want people to feel our music; we want our live show to be a moving experience and when people listen to our cd, we hope our creations send chills up their spines." The band has a 4 song demo from '09 and A full-length album and has about 50 shows under their belt, so what's next? "We're currently working on writing another full-length that will be out in early 2012, hopefully."

Look, I'm Burning
Photo: Courtesy of Look, I'm Burning

      What brought this group of musicians together? "Well, Matt and Holevio formed the band in Febuary of '08. Jaime joined on bass shortly thereafter. Paul and Brandon replaced original members later that year and In spring of 2010, Jaime left the band due to severe tendinitis. (He) was replaced by Drew a few months later." Recently, Drew, the bassist has needed to put more focus into school and decided to quit the band. The band is looking for a bassist.

      When asked about long-term goals, Paul said, "We are currently managed by Nate Steinheimer of the band Rosaline, who also manages Serianna (Bullet Tooth Records). He's working his magic on helping us get signed, and meanwhile we're writing and shooting for the stars, hoping to be on the road full time within the next year or so."

      Catch the band playing The Lodge next month on May 14 and again at Feckbawlz Fest 2011!

In The Year of The Plague

In The Year of The Plague
Photo:  Anna Maria Photography

      What happens when you take the deathcore genre, give it heavy hardcore tendencies and top it off with just a hint of black metal? Something that 4 out of 5 dentist would describe as brutal, unhealthy and possibly contagious. You also get In The Year of The Plague, a band that formed in February over a year ago. 

      "Zac Glawe (Guitar) met Cory Gantenbein (Drums) through a friend. Zac brought both Cory and Greg Larson (Bass) back to his place and we all basically agreed that he was what we were looking for." Says Andrew Owens (Guitar),"In October, we replaced our original vocalist with Jake Yattone (Vocals)." Both Andrew and Preston Blythe (vocals) were in previous projects with Zac and Greg.

      When it comes to lyrics, In The Year of The Plague knows no limits. According to Andrew, the two vocalists write a great deal of the lyrics, sometimes asking the rest of the band for help. Some previous topics include standing up for oneself, never giving up and even a song that really has no meaning beyond what you hear. "Pretty much whatever they want the song to be about."

In The Year of The Plague @ The House Cafe
Photo: Anna Maria Photography

      Apart from their unique take on deathcore, what seperates the band from other bands in the genre? "Watching videos of deathcore shows, you see bands being rather stagnant. The kids in the crowd stand and text. We're not like that. We all love what we're doing and put everything we have into our shows. We're all moving, every second of the set. Most, if not all, of the crowd is moving and everyone has a good time." says Andrew confidently. "Everyone of us is sore for a few days after and we can't stop talking about how much fun it was. That's what sets us apart, definitely."

      When the band started playing shows for the first time, Andrew Owens was 'out' of the band. "Well, I live in Skokie, a suburb of Chicago, so I'm 2 hours away from the rest of the band." Says Andrew."They played some shows without me while they were looking for a new guitarist. (The Band) eventually decided that they didn't want anybody else for the spot." He rejoined the line-up last June. When asked about his first show after rejoining the group, Andrew jokes,."It wasn't our best show."

      Since his return, Andrew says the band has played between 20-25 shows. The have 2 independently recorded demos. Both of which were recorded several months apart and sound very different. "They're both very different in so many ways because our sound is always growing and developing."

      Download In The Year of The Plague's most recent demo for free here. They have merch up on Facebook or you can buy one at a show. In The Year of The Plague will be playing at The Lodge on the 23rd with Rooks, MICAWBER, and other great bands. Also, you can find the band at Feckbawlz Fest next month!

Feckbawlz Fest 2011

Who is this drummer? Let me know!
Photo: Mason Lovell

      Later next month, the 2nd annual Feckbawlz Fest will take place at The Lodge. What does this mean exactly? It means you get to see eleven local hardcore bands for $12 at the door. It also means opportunities to support the local music scene. The bands will have merchandise and food will be available for purchase. Bringing money for food and refreshments is highly recommended, considering the show lasts over 9 hours.

      Feckbawlz Fest was created last October by Mason Lovell and Justina Jackson, local supporters of the equally local hardcore music scene. Mason describes Feckbawlz as "A show where the biggest names in the local underground music scene come together for a day, to do what they love, and to spread their music to everyone willing to listen."

      The first Feckbawlz Fest took place at Mason's home at the time. The majority of the bands played on the back patio, with the final two bands playing in the garage. Between 50 to 60 people showed up to show their support. "Most of the people, I didn't know," says Mason,"I met a lot of new people." The small house show was considered a success.

Nate of A Journey to Fall at last year's show.
Photo: Mason Lovell

      According to Lovell, so many of the attendees asked him to do it again, that he decided to make it an annual occurrence. So this year, Mason has returned as promised. With some help from friend, Anna Jafari, he was able to book the show at The Lodge, a venue located near the Rockford Airport. "They (The Lodge) host a lot of shows that always have an insane turn out." Says Mason, "I trust Anna with this, I know it'll be an amazing turn out."

      When asked if he had thrown any other shows, aside from FeckBawlz, and if he had any future plans to do so, Mason replied, "As of now, I haven't thrown any shows. Besides helping a few friends throw birthday shows when they ask for help. I hope to make a career out of this, it's so much fun to see what a few months of hard work can do."

      Mason is very confident that Feckbawlz Fest 2011 will have a larger turnout than last year and that the people that attend will not be disappointed. 

      Some of the bands scheduled to play this year's Feckbawlz include Another Hero Dies, A Journey to Fall, MICAWBER, and In The Year of The Plague (full list on the Facebook event page)

-joeEFFINGmayo

Joemayo91@gmail.com

(Originally posted on Examiner)