6Gig

The early part of this decade saw too many lunkhead nu metal bands making it somewhat big, most of whom followed in the footsteps of Korn and Limp Bizkit but, if possible, brought it down to an even lower, knuckle-dragging level. Maine's 6Gig emerged around this time and while the riffs were heavy, just like the riffs of their rap-rock peers, there wasn't a hint of rap influence in the vocals which was a blessing. In fact, in many ways this band reminded me of my post-hardcore heroes, Quicksand as well as For Love Not Lisa (and Mike Lewis's subsequent project, Puller). Of course, since these guys seemed somewhat intelligent, they never got the attention they deserved and after 2 records they were finished.

Here's a video of "Hit the Ground" from Tincan Experiment (2000)

While this is old news to fans of the band, I just discovered today that a few of the members have moved onto some pretty cool projects.

• Singer Walter Craven now fronts Lost on Liftoff. The music is similar to 6Gig though maybe not quite as heavy and has more rock-radio potential than 6Gig had. eMusic subscribers can pick up the band's excellent 4-song EP while the rest of you will have to surf over to CDBaby to get a copy. I whole-heartedly agree with the description of the band's music given on CDBaby: "The band's sound combines the power of any Ken Andrews band of your choice with the fire and fury of a Jimmy Eat World, Yellowcard or Lost Prophets."
• Bassist Craig "Weave" Weaver is now singing and playing guitar in a stoner-rock band called Ruler of the Raging Main. Highly recommended for fans of Queens of the Stone Age, Fu Manchu, and Danko Jones. The band's debut should be available soon on iTunes and in select CD stores on the East Coast.
• Drummer Jason Stewart plays with Matahari, a female-fronted band in the vein of Garbage.
  

Melty Melty

Bear with me on this one ...

Brian is a friend of a friend (Pdro). I met Brian while in college when he lived in the same dorm as Pdro. Brian and I had similar taste in music back then - a steady diet of bands like Queensryche, Extreme, and Dweezil Zappa.


Kevin is a friend of a friend (Schaff). I don't remember exactly when we met but I think it might have been in Schaff's basement, drinking cheap beer, and creating a mosh pit while listening to some undoubtedly heavy music. I may have been wearing a Fishbone t-shirt which caused Kevin to start up a conversation with me. Maybe I'm making this all up in my head. I'm not sure.

Sean is a friend of a friend (Jason). Sean took over Jason's job as a college rep for a major label back in the late '90s and he always hooked me up with free shit when I'd stop by his place. Though I know he was into some pretty hardcore indie-rock stuff, I also know that he's got a soft spot for atmospheric rock made by bands like Mogwai, Failure, Duster and Pinback.

Okay, so shortly after they graduated college in the early '90s, Brian and Kevin started playing in bands together - some memorable, some not so memorable - and they usually were some sort of odd funk-metal concoction (think: Primus, Skeleton Key, etc.). Kevin did the singing and played bass while Brian played lead guitar.

One day I'm over at Sean's apartment, probably filling up a bag full of promo CDs, when he tells me that he's meeting up with some guys to maybe play in their band. Now, Columbus is a big city with a ton of bands so I don't suspect I'll know the people he's going to be playing with but when he throws a demo cassette into his stereo, I recognize the people playing the music. Before I can say anything he says, "These guys call themselves Verbal Kint or something like that but I think they might change the name." Turns out it's Brian and Kevin's band only in this lineup, Brian has moved to lead vocals. Never in a million years would I have guessed indie rock kid Sean would join a band that at various points sounded like Primus.

Somehow it worked, and worked VERY well. The trio were joined by Nate (who wasn't a friend of a friend), called themselves Kopaz, put out two fantastic emo-tinged releases and nearly scored a major label deal. I'm not really sure what their status is right now. But, for turning a long story into a novel, I'll reward you with a few Kopaz songs even though this post isn't really about them.

MP3: "Pressure Suit" (Kopaz from Starboard Rail)
MP3: "Pick Your Battles" (Kopaz from Future Radiant Shine) (buy here)
MP3: "Bionic Arm" (Kopaz from Future Radiant Shine)

Though I've heard the name Melty Melty being tossed around for a few months, I just only recently discovered that the band consists of Kevin and Sean from Kopaz along with Sharon Kim (Frostiva). The band is currently working on music for an EP which they hope to release before the end of 2006 on the label that Sean helped start, We Want Action.

To whet your appetite, check out a sneak preview of the Melty Melty EP. I swear, since putting this on my MP3 player last week, I've listened to it an average of 5 times a day. Yes, it's THAT good.

MP3: "The Walls" (Melty Melty)

See? Now wasn't all the back story worth reading to get to the song?

Free Diamonds

I'm reviewing the Free Diamonds CD, There Should Be More Dancing, for the next issue of Skratch. Usually when I get a stack of CDs in the mail to review I'm lucky to find something that I'll listen to more than however many times it takes me to come up with 200 words about the CD. It takes a lot for me to be impressed these days but on first listen of this CD by the UK band Free Diamonds I was thinking, "Damn, if these guys weren't already signed to Deep Elm, I'd consider taking out a second mortgage on my house and starting a label just to get this CD into the hands of the kids." And, if you know anything about the type of music I like, this doesn't fit comfortably alongside most of the CDs in my collection. But ... damn ... there is something about the vocals which remind me a lot of whoever sang lead for Sweet ("Ballroom Blitz").

Recommended for indie rock fans who like to dance.

MP3: "Blind Boys" (Free Diamonds)

Buy the album here.

Satisfaction

So if I've got this straight, Satisfaction is Smile minus a member and with a new name. And that, my friends, is a beautiful thing. I just read an article written back when Smile was still a functioning band where singer Michael Rosas said that he wasn't happy with the band's last album, Girl Crushes Boy. Regardless of Rosas' opinion of the CD, there are really some fantastic tracks on the CD including "The Best Years" and "This Freaky Slow Dance" (somebody remind me to post these). Rosas was raised in the OC punk rock scene, even playing in the band Inside Out with future Rage Against the Machine singer Zach de la Rocha. Rosas slowly worked his way towards a more melodic pop-punk sound and started the band Smile which was, ever so briefly, signed to Atlantic Records. I caught the band live once, in Cincinnati, opening for Everclear and had the opportunity to interview Rosas in the '50s-themed restaurant next door to the club (The Garage) where the bands would play later that night.

Satisfaction, like Smile, seems to play in the same league as bands like Weezer, Ozma, and Rooney and they played a show a few months ago with my favorite band of 2006, The Shys, so they instantly win points in my book. Currently only an EP is available but I'm holding out hope for a full length by the end of the year.

Dig it.

MP3: "Nothing Oh Nothing" (Satisfaction)

The Light Wires

Doesn't 2004 seem like forever ago? That's when The Light Wires last released a CD. The Cincinnati-based alt.country band is led by Jeremy Pinnel who, for all intents and purposes IS The Light Wires.

The band has a new album wrapped up and is shopping it to labels that showed interest in their first record (self-titled). In the meantime, check out a few new Springsteen-meets-My-Morning-Jacket songs.

MP3: Go On By
MP3: The Hum of Black
MP3: Harper's Bizarre

Magnolia Summer

Undertow Records never seems to let me down. An unexpected package showed up in the mail on Friday and by Friday night I had determined that the new Magnolia Summer CD, From Driveways' Lost View, (one of the 2 CDs in the package) would pretty much be guaranteed a spot in my year end "Best of" list.

My wife is tired of hearing me say this, but I could listen to alt.country (as long as it's GOOD alt.country) 24/7 and when I hear a band like Magnolia Summer, I imagine myself sitting in the grass on the riverfront, a six-pack of beer by my side, watching this band play on a small gazebo stage. It's perfect lounging around music and also perfect driving music.




From what I can tell, Magnolia Summer started off as a project for Chris Grabau (who plays in a few other bands, including Waterloo). It's progressed into more than that with this second album. I haven't yet listened to Magnolia Summer's debut, Levers and Pulleys, but plan to snag it soon from eMusic.

Check out these Son Volt-meets-Ryan Adams songs from Magnolia Summer.

MP3: Once in a While (from From Driveways' Lost View, due in stores May 16)
MP3: Levers and Pulleys (from Levers and Pulleys)

Mute Math

Mute Math's publicist was bombarding my inbox prior to the band's appearance in Columbus a few months ago. I didn't know anything about the band, hadn't heard any music, so basically blew off those emails. The week of the show I find out that Bel Auburn is opening the show but even that isn't enough to get me out of the house or even to check out Mute Math's music. Eventually I gave in and decided to check out the band and ... of course ... turns out that I love them. The

comparisons to The Police are totally accurate in my opinion and as someone who truly loves Sting's stuff - even his most recent solo material - I can't tell you how happy I was to "discover" Mute Math even though somebody had been trying to shove them down my throat just a few weeks earlier.

This summer the band will be playing on, get this, the Warped Tour, the Bonaroo Festival AND Lollapalooza (too bad WOMAD isn't still around; Mute Math would have been a shoe-in). Watch the band's performance of "Chaos" on the Craig Ferguson show (above) and then listen to the studio version of the song (below).

If you dig it, make sure to pick up a copy of the band's self-titled and (currently) self-distributed debut (the CD was supposed to be released by Warner Bros. but that's a whole can of worms that I don't want to open).

MP3: "Chaos" - Mute Math

In My Ear Podcast #6

00:00 Miranda Sound – Jackson Milton from Western Reserve
03:13 Silversun Pickups – Kissing Familes from Pikul (EP)
08:00 The Flairz – Black Fox from Rock N' Roll Ain't Evil
11:13 New London Fire – Different from A Wave Form (EP)
15:34 Gil Mantera's Party Dream – Shadow Grip from Bloodsongs
21:05 Branks – Gingham Hammer from Self-Titled
24:21 Barzin – Just More Drugs from My Life in Rooms


MP3: Download "In My Ear Podcast - Episode 6"

Bel Auburn

A few years ago I get an unsolicited email, as I often do, from a band that wanted me to check them out because, heck, they are sure I've never heard anything like them before. Most of the times I get these emails I'll hit up the band's website, read some press reviews and if the band is compared to other bands I like, I'll check out an MP3 or two. Bel Auburn's website allowed visitors to listen to their album, Catherdals, in it's entirety so I thought I'd check out a song or two. About 30 minutes later I realized that I'd made it through most of the album and so I responded to the email and begged Jared (composer of the email) to send me a CD.

Turns out Bel Auburn was from Ashland, Ohio, only about a 75 minute drive from my house and I'd later find out that they were well acquainted with my wife's cousin Joel. So, if you've never been to Ashland, it's a small college town in mid-Ohio that is surrounded by farm country. Granted, it's not in the middle of nowhere and I'm not saying it's in the sticks, but I was shocked to hear a band from Ashland sound like a mix of Jimmy Eat World and Coldplay. Catherdals was as good as any national release I heard in 2004 and it earned a spot in my Best of 2004 list.

In 2005, we had our third child, a daughter that we named Piper. Two days after we returned from the hospital, we found a "congratulations" card from Bel Auburn and inside the envelope, a CD with a song that the band wrote especially for us to celebrate the birth of our daughter. I don't think I've ever received a most thoughtful gift. That's the way Bel Auburn operates. Thoughtful guys who make great music.

Right now they are sitting on their second album, trying to find someone to finance the release. If you happen to have some spare cash laying around or run a small label that is looking to put out an INCREDIBLE record (I say that only out of speculation ... I've only heard a few demos), let me know and we'll make this work.

MP3: Piper
MP3: Burn Unit
MP3: Sing What You Mean
MP3: The Speed of Thought

You can download demos from the new CD on the band's MySpace page and while you're at it check out Jared and Scott's electro-synth-pop side project, The Scareds.

The Flairz

Sorry for the little vacation, was busy doing stuff like jetting off to Chicago to see the Fig Dish reunion show and Austin for SXSW 2006.

One of my favorite events at SXSW every year is the Australian BBQ which features tasty Australian food and the wonderful beverage Cooper's Ale. In 2004, I discoverd this awesome band called Ground Components that sounded like a mix of everything that has come out of Detroit over the past 30 or so years.

This year, the "stars" of the Australian BBQ were The Flairz, a trio whose average age is 12! I wouldn't have even thought to check them out had they not left a stack of fliers in the lobby of our hotel in Austin (we later discovered that they were staying at the same hotel we were). The kids are wise beyond their years, channeling the likes of the early Rolling Stones, The Who, and The White Stripes. If that's not a good combination (and done remarkably well), then I don't know what is.

Check out the song that Little Steven has been spinning like mad on his Undergroud Garage radio show.

MP3: Rock and Roll Ain't Evil

Dear Leader

Aaron Perrino is my go-to guy. I interviewed him when he was in The Sheila Divine. And when I re-launched Swizzle-Stick a few years back (new look, new feel), the first person I thought to contact to do an interview with was Perrino who had moved on to fronting a new band, Dear Leader (who have put out, by my count, 2 full lengths and an EP as well as an "instant live" CD).

I was digging through some CDs the other night and I came across my Tugboat Annie collection (don't worry, there will be a whole other post about them with MP3s coming up in the very near future) and remembered that Jon Sulkow (TA's bassist) is now in Dear Leader.

Check out a few brand new Dear Leader songs as well as a track from 2005's All I Ever Wanted Was Tonight. Rumor has it that another CD is already in the works.

MP3: A Nation Once Again (unreleased)
MP3: Nightmare Alleys (2006 demo)
MP3: Radar (2006 demo)
MP3: Raging Red (from All I Ever Wanted Was Tonight)

In My Ear Podcast #5

Running Time: 34:47

00:00 Nine Black Alps – "Not Everyone" from Everything Is (1)
04:11 P.O.S. – "The Kill in Me" from Audition (2)
07:32 Revolting Cocks – "Ten Million Ways to Die" from Cocked and Loaded
12:38 Laura Veirs – "Galaxies" from Year of Meteors
16:07 Low – "When I Go Deaf" from The Great Destroyer
20:45 The Frames – "Dream Awake" from Burn the Maps
24:57 Nearly – "Step into the Light" from Reminder (3)
28:56 Fig Dish – "Sinking Feeling" from When Shove Goes Back to Push (4)


(1) Target Ad for Black Alps
(2) Envelope, Blueprint, Atmosphere, Wonka Vision Magazine, The Hold Steady
(3) 12 Rounds, The Twilight Singers,
(4) Schuba's

MP3: Download "In My Ear Podcast - Episode 5

Popvert

Jolie Lindholm met Dashboard Confessional’s Chris Carrabba in a college math class. When the former Further Seems Forever singer decided to record a solo album, he asked Jolie to provide some background vocals. You’d think this would have boosted Jolie’s career but, unfortunately, her band The Rocking Horse Winner never took off the way that I expected they would.

The Rocking Horse Winner put out two records, played some dates on the Warped Tour, and then quietly broke up.

Surfing around MySpace, I looked up Jolie Lindholm, to see what she has been up to since RHW’s breakup and to my surprise actually discovered that she is singing with a new project (um, NOT project, new BAND) called Popvert.

The voice (beautiful) is still the same but the music style is a tad bit different – Popvert has more of a new wave pop feel than RHW, very fitting considering the musical world we live in in 2006.

A Popvert EP, Drive Thru Happiness, is available through CDBaby.

MP3: Subculture (New Order cover)
MP3: Grey (new demo)
MP3: The Big Show (from Drive Thru Happiness)
MP3: Tahiti Girl (from Drive Thru Happiness)

Men Women & Children

I'm either WAY early to the Men, Women & Children party or one of the last (MP3 bloggers) to arrive. Somebody (publicist? label?) sent me an advance copy of their new CD which comes out on March 21 via the Warner Bros. label. I finally got around to listening to it today. The current buzz bands are busy aping Morrissey or Joy Division or Duran Duran while MW&C have decided to follow a different retro path - disco. I mean, make no mistake about it, these kids are total hipsters as their tour schedule implies (dates coming up with Action Action, Metric, Motion City Soundtrack, Panic at the Disco!) but they've tapped into a previously untapped market - at least I've never heard anything quite like it.

Influences would include Donna Summers and the Bee Gees.

Here are two demo tracks to tide you over until the full length hits shelves.

MP3: Dance in My Blood
MP3: Lightning Strikes Twice in NY

In My Ear #4

Show notes: I've noticed on the past few podcasts that the volume on my commentary and song introductions was a little low so I held the microphone a little closer and talked louder. I think I may have held the mic a little too close as it sounds a bit muffled. I'll keep working on that to come up with a better solution.

MP3: In My Ear Podcast #4

Running time: 40:28

Playlist:
00:01 White Rose Movement - "Girls in the Back" from Kick (1)
03:32 Gyroscope - "Beware Wolf" from Are You Involved? (2)
07:45 We are Scientists - "Great Escape" from With Love and Squalor (3)
11:02 Taylor Hawkins and The Coattail Riders - "It's Ok Now" from Self-Titled
16:31 Jimbo Mathus Knockdown - "Let Me Be Your Rocker" from South (4)
20:01 Epicycle - "Crash" from Swirl (5)
26:46 Guajiro - "Simpatico" from Self-Titled (6)
31:28 Danko Jones - "Don't Fall in Love" from Sleep is the Enemy
35:46 Knut - "Wyriwis" from Terraformer

References
(1) SXSW is an annual music festival held in Austin, Texas every March
(2) Damone is a Boston band featured on In My Ear Podcast #3
(3) Subterranean is an hourlong MTV2 show that shows "alternative" rock videos
(4) Used Kids is a used CD store that I've been going to near the OSU campus since 1989
(5) Kevin Tihista, formerly of Triple Fast Action, is a favorite singer/songwriter of mine from Chicago
(6) Wonka Vision is a magazine based out of Philly that I write for

In My Ear Podcast #3

Running Time: approx. 30 minutes

00:04 Archer Avenue – "Radio" from We Watched the Headlights We Watched the Stars
02:34 Shawn Mullins – "Beautiful Wreck" from 9th Ward Pickin' Parlor
07:52 Howie Beck – "Sometimes" from Self-Titled
11:48 People in Planes – "Rush" From As Far As the Eye Can See
16:25 Miranda Sound – "Close Calls" from Western Reserve
19:48 MC Lars – "Hot Topic is Not Punk Rock" from The Graduate
23:02 Damone – "What We Came Here For" from Out Here All Night
26:53 Warrant – "The Hole in My Wall" from Dog Eat Dog

MP3: In My Ear Podcast Episode 3

Full White Drag

I can't say the band name Girls Against Boys without following it up with "they are THE post-apocalypse house band." They sound retro-futuristic with sing-speak vocals by Scott McCloud (who, sayeth some, sounds like The Fall's Mark E. Smith). GvsB put out some really fucking great CDs, my favorite being House of GvsB, but have been inactive - at least as GvsB - since 2002. McCloud and Johnny Temple have done some side project work with New Wet Kojak which sounds like GvsB but not as futuristic.

So what the hell does this have to do with Full White Drag? Well, Scott McCloud of GvsB and NWK has produced material by the Canadian band and Full White Drag's singer Dave Mueller could front a GvsB cover band and nobody would have any idea that it wasn't McCloud singing.

Full White Drag is offering up a 5 songs from their 8-song Internet only EP (City of Roses, City of Smoke) for free on their website. Dig it.

MP3: Kill the Cool Rules
MP3: Renaissance
MP3: Red
MP3: Tonite
MP3: Slo Capo

Girls Against Boys
MP3: Click (from House of GvsB)
MP3: Kicking the Lights (from You Can't Fight What You Can't See)

New Wet Kojack
MP3: Sophia Loren (from No.4 EP)
MP3: Miramax (9-minute remix)

Cleaning out the In-box

The Swizzle-Stick mailbox has been filling up with press releases from publicists. I went through the good and bad and found some music that might be worth sharing.

> nearLY – “All is Lost” (streaming; not an MP3) - nearLY is the solo project from ex-Nine Inch Nails/Howlin' Maggie drummer Jerome Dillon. He's been working on a solo album for years and it's finally about to see the light of day. 12 Rounds vocalist Claudia Sarne contributes vocals throughout the release.

> Caspian – “Further In” Massachusetts instrumental band that name drops a number of my favorite bands including Mogwai and Mono.

> Pinetop Seven – “Fringe” Pitchfork gave the new Pinetop Seven album an 8.4 and says that the band should be placed alongside Iron & Wine and Calexico.

> Wilderness – “Emergency" Some people have some pretty strong feelings about the vocals on the new Wilderness album

> Centro-Matic – “Triggers and Trash Heaps” The guys in Two Cow Garage call Centro-Matic the greatest live band in America. I didn't get a chance to see them at SXSW last year (I tried but the club was too packed) so I can't confirm this but I'll try again this year.

> Damien Jurado – “White Center” Not a brand new song (it was released last year) but Jurado is working on new material and is getting ready to go on tour so, hey, here's a song that maybe you haven't heard.

In My Ear - February 6

Gonna have to face it, I'm addicted to Podcasting!

I don't think I'm a great "radio" personality but since I love talking about music and playing new music for friends of mine, the idea of putting up a weekly Podcast is something I'm really jazzed about doing. I'm trying to do one every Sunday night and I'll post the link here on Monday.

MP3: "In My Ear" Podcast #2, February 6, 2006

Just a reminder, the songs played on these Podcasts are songs that I listened to a lot during the previous week, stuff that was "in my ear". Some weeks I go on a retro listening spree so you'll be subjected to bands like The Police, Led Zeppelin, Warrant. But, most weeks I'm listening to new stuff, stuff that I need to review for various outlets.

This episode features music by The Willowz, Pavement, The Kyle Sowashes, Jason Quicksall, Jessi Colter, and In Flames. I put In Flames last because I know many of you will hate it (it's metal .... HEAVY metal ... SPEED metal ... THRASH metal). The running time is 25 minutes.

Knut

It's 4:50pm on a Friday afternoon. You're packing up your gear, ready to head home from work for the weekend when somebody swings by your cubicle and says, "Hey, listen, I know it's last minute but I have this proposal going out to a prospective client on Tuesday and I really need some help with the writing and editing of the proposal. I have an outline and have jotted down some thoughts. Now, if you can put together a 1,000 word document by Monday morning, that would be great. It'll give me a day to go over it and study it for my Tuesday morning. Thanks. Have a great weekend." You know that heat that fills your body, the same heat that magnified 100 times causes postal workers to go apeshit and gun down their co-workers? Swiss hardcore band Knut (pronounced "kahNOOOOT") knows that feeling and has managed to turn it into music - brutal, brutal music.

Now, these songs won't be for everybody. They are intense, powerful and, well, very jarring. But if you've ever had one of those days where things just pile up and you are screaming on the inside and wish you could let it out, you'll understand these songs and maybe even toss them on the iPod so that when you feel another "heatwave" approaching, you can get yourself in the zone and ready for it.

MP3: "Torvalds" (from Terraformer)
MP3: "Bite the Bullet" (from Challenger)
MP3: "The Whip" (from Bastardiser)

BROOTAL. LETHAL. HARDCORE.