Happy Holidays from Uncharted!

As some of you may have noticed, the blog has been at a stand still for quite some time. The reason behind this is simple, I have a lot of different changes going on in my life and am currently unavailable to commit to the blog. This will all change January 2nd.

I, joeEFFINGmayo, will be relocating to Biloxi, Mississippi next month. I will also begin working on the blog twice as hard as before.

So, Happy Holidays everyone! I'll see you all next year!

-joeEFFINGmayo

follow me on twitter! @joeeffingmayo

P.S. Also, I need bands, music bloggers, and show promoters to let me know if they want to be featured on the blog!

Still The Sky; The Ground Between Your Feet

Still The Sky, the Hardcore band out of Rockford, IL was first introduced on the blog in May. Since then, the band has been busier than ever, working on new material and playing several shows. We recently caught up with band vocalist, Tarek.

What has the band been up to since I last spoke to you guys back in May?
: Shows, shows, and more shows. Ya know, just trying to get a more public fanbase rather than relying on online followers. We love playing, and we love our music. So we try to do it as much as we can to let people know what we're about! Besides that we've been spending a lot of time writing new material and going over pre-production for our new EP "The Ground Between Your Feet".

The band recently parted ways with their drummer. What was his reason for departing? Has the band found a replacement?
: Tyler, decided to leave the band because as we all knew he was a heavier type of drummer. So, he continued on to make a new band called "Exorcist" with a few of our buds from Ex-In The Year Of The Plague! We wish those awesome dads a great amount of luck! We've been talking to a couple people, but we're always down to try someone out if you think what you've got what it takes! But for now, we'll be playin' with the good ol' laptop.

How was the online reception of your last album, Something Devious Is Upon Us? How will the new EP differ from this album?
:Well we're actually glad you asked this! We decided not to release "Something Devious Is Upon Us EP" because our style changed for the better. But what we will be doing is re-recording all of our older material for a bonus "Old School EP".

Talk a bit about this new EP. It comes out December 15th, what can be expected from the release?
: Energy & Emotion. We really liked our older stuff, but just listening to it we've came to the conclusion that it just wasn't jumpy enough! We like to bang our heads and jam out and we're sure you do to. So it just had to change ya know?

Tell me about E-void and Remember What Fell. These are singles from the EP? What was the influence behind these songs? Any big influences behind the EP?
: Indeed they are! And they are only a SMALL taste of what's to come from the EP. E-Void was generally about feeling emotionally void, and figuring out that the reason you were like that is because you're still in love with that one person. Remember What Fell is for anyone that has been screwed over, and yet somehow was still to blame. Basically this EP has a lot of influences from common situations and is meant for anyone to connect to it on a personal level.

As always, the band is playing a ton of shows. What are a few upcoming shows for the band?
: We've actually decided to go on a show Hiatus for a small amount time until the EP drops. Because, we are putting a lot of time into the album. Also when we find a new drummer we'll be making sure that we come back solid, so you can hear our songs played like they sound on the EP.

Whats the next few months looking like for the band?
: Just hard work. Promoting, and getting ourselves out there more than we already are. But that's where the fans come in too! We need YOUR help! So anything the fans can do, sharing us on people's walls, etc. IT HELPS. So thank you! We love all of you very much!

Be sure to check out the band's Facebook, where you can get the latest news from the band and check out their songs.

Quicksand Swimclub; New Single

We caught up with Dan of Quicksand Swimclub, who was featured on the blog earlier this summer. The band is releasing their new single,"Better Days" this Monday, November 14th.

How's the band been since we last had you on the blog?
: The band has gone through tremendous changes since we last spoke early summer with member changes and direction of sound.  After touring the Midwest we decided to part ways with our former bassist to downsize to a three piece.  That worked for a few months until Nik (original bassist/guitarist) left the band for personal reasons.  Performing and meeting new people is the best part about being in a band so we are continuing as a two piece.  No, we don't sound like the white stripes but we are aiming our new sound towards the post-hardcore/pop punk genre while putting our "touch" to it.

Any cool shows or accomplishments since the last we spoke? Tell me a bit about this upcoming Fusion show.: Fusion Shows is a showcase company that is somewhat "prestigious" for local bands to play shows for.  They buy the best tour packages and give have locals opening slots.  This Saturdays show is a local show they are putting together to see what new upcoming acts are like that they haven't worked with yet.  Hopefully its a huge success, I'm excited to play with American Opera.

What's this 89x voting thing?: When I received the master file for "Better Days" I immediately sent it to 89x radio.com (new alternative rock station) thinking it was a shot in the dark and they would never give it the time of day.  It's a huge deal to be on the radio to any musician let alone the biggest one of your genre. Turns out I was wrong and we made it to the finals of their Sunday night show which is an awesome opportunity for us.  Even if we don't come out on top in the voting poll it's alright, at least they listened to us.

I see talk about a music video. Is that just talk? Or is that something the band is already working on getting done?: We are using shots from current performances (including this weekend) and shooting close ups November 25th.  We are about 80% done with plotting ideas and what not.

So tell me about this new song!: We worked with Bryan Beeler (Chiodos, Cinematic Sunrise, The Swellers, We Are The Union, Squid The Whale) in our home town Northville, MI. I've known Bryan since my very first show in 7th grade seven years ago. This song is inspired from a friend who died in a car crash leaving a girlfriend of three years.  The lyrics based from her point her point of view.  There is a facebook page where his friends post thoughts about him and it's very touching: http://www.facebook.com/groups/100122036740121/

What's it about and what kind of things does the song explore?: The lyrics explore what it is like to deal with death of a close one.  "Better Days" is a sampler genre wise of QSSC.  Melodic post-hardcore that halfway makes you wish there was screaming to a pop-punk verse and chorus drifting back into the melodic post-hardcore with a touch of rock and roll.  The guitar, bass, and drum work are dramatically better in this recording.  It's a step in the right direction.

What else can we expect from the band in the coming months?: We have exciting shows in Michigan scheduled throughout Fall and Winter.  In March we plan to take time off of shows to spend pre production for the new EP.  We are recording a three song EP at 37 Studios (I See Stars, Chiodos, These Hearts) due to release late spring/early summer.  Hopefully we will have exciting shows following the release.