Victory Records

Yeah, no update in like a week, I haven't checked out any indie bands lately because I've been asleep or...asleep. Any way, I'm back, baby, with a band that is super awesome but aren't signed, and that's atrocious.

They're called Victory Records, and yes they formed with the intent of constantly taking the piss out of the worst record label around.
Their guitarist played bass for Bayside on their first album, but the music here doesn't remind me much of them, it's alot happier, poppy and fun.

It's in the vein of newer pop-punk in the post-90s style, think Saves the Day, happier.

www.myspace.com/victoryrecordsny

There's a link, enjoy.

Phog Phest '09

I was a phree attendee to the local Phog Phest, a music festival filled with indie bands that play the Phog Lounge and others.

Holy Fuck were headlining, which is pretty darn awesome. I got there late in, it went from 1pm-1am, and i woke up at 1pm, so I went there around 7, right before Holy Fuck went on.

http://www.windsorvisuals.com/visuals/PhogPhestPano2.swf

There's a panorama shot of the fest while Holy Fuck were playing, you can see me if you scroll right just a bit, red and black cabbie hat, more or less foreground.

The music was...alright, nothing too spectacular other than Holy Fuck, but I'm not complaining. Here are the links to most of the bands that played, because I'm a nice guy like that. I'll point out the ones I'm a fan of, so that you can ignore those ones because my music taste is apparently horrid.

Holy Fuck (Awesome electronica-rock)

Arkells
Green Go
The Pack A.D.
The Kramdens
The Locusts Have No King
Yellow Wood (Shoegazey indie-pop with some synthy stuff, I have a button and t-shirt)
Michou (Folky indie-rock that is cute and catchy)
Orphan Choir (Punky indie rock, with emphasis on the punk and rock)
Field Assembly (Yummy folky indie rock, very Kevin Devine-esque)
Ron Leary & Kelly Hoppe (Awesome folk & awesome bluegrass)
The Eric Welton Band
Peace Leeches
Pat Robitaille (Acoustic experimental indie rock/pop solo project)
What Seas, What Shores
(WH)Y.M.E.(??)
Fjord Rowboat
Citywide Vacuum
James O-L and The Villains
Square Root of Margaret
Tara Watts
Another Saturday Knight
Megan Hamilton and The Volunteer Canola

I hope this quenches your musical thirst for a bit.

Assassinate the Following

Yes, it's that time. I am plugging a local band.

...Wait, where are you going? No, these guys are good! They're signed and everything!

Alrighty, now that I have you back. This is Assassinate the Following, a thrash influenced metalcore band. They're signed to CDN Records, and are releasing their album Massacre of the North on July 25th.

I know the vocalist/lead guitarist from my high school, and he's a very sweet, talented individual, even if metalcore isn't your thing (like me) give these guys a chance. The older stuff has a very large Protest the Hero influence, with a bit of BTBAM mixed in there. The guitars are very thrashy, and keep getting more and more technical, maintaining an air of melody one sometimes misses in thrash.

Carpenter

They were my favourite band last week, and the week before that, these guys are amazing. I bought their album Law of the Land at a record store, and it's one of my favourite things ever.

It's bluegrass/folk influenced indie punk stuff. They appear to have a healthy obession with John Cougar, as evidenced by their myspace url:

http://www.myspace.com/johncougarisgod

There's not a whole lot more I can say about this band other than pure, unbridled passion. That is what makes their music resonate with me so much, identifying with a band, not by song lyrics, but by just feeling the pure passion they put into their music. To use an oft-said phrase, their record doesn't serve their live show justice. There were high kicks, inviting us to sing onstage, inviting us to dance on the bar, they really thrived in the live environment, even with the lack of their lead guitarist.

I knew this blog would get off-topic and personal sooner or later.

I'm 17 and have my whole life ahead of me, but that doesn't matter when life now makes no sense. I look too deep into things and end up seeing things I don't want to see.

Life seems like an easy thing in my head, eat, sleep, be nice to others, rinse and repeat. Why is it so hard when put into practice?

I'm afraid of making decisions, so I rely on what friends I have at the moment to help me out. That doesn't work out too well, because they don't give a shit about what I do or don't do, and really, why should they? It's just me, nothing special, I just have more neuroses and crazies than them, which makes me think doing things is harder than it is.

This blog has no point, geat, I've gone off topic and rambled about nothing all in one fell swoop, you're welcome internet. Back with some music stuff later today or tomorrow (hopefully).

-Jawn

Amanda Palmer / The Dresden Dolls

I'm currently obsessed with Amanda Palmer and the Dresden Dolls. This isn't the best way to start off my blog with you music folks, as I know her and her band get a lot of unnecessary flak for their songs. I absolutely am in love with her songwriting, both in Dresden Dolls and on her solo album.

For those who are unaware of this person and band, I shall provide linkz.

http://www.myspace.com/whokilledamandapalmer

http://www.myspace.com/dresdendolls

The music is always intense piano-driven rock, with a really cool cabaret-punk sound. The ballads are intense in their haunting spaces in the music, and Amanda's very unique, very anti-pop voice.

I highly recommend this artist to anyone looking for something outside the norm of what they're listening to at the time, but if you're a very easily offended person...maybe you should give this stuff a pass.

First!

Well then, first post of my blog. I'm afraid this will not turn out so well, but here's hoping. This will be a blog mostly about music, but as I like to off on tangents, it may sometimes go off topic.

First things first, to get this out of the way, I love Blake Schwarzenbach with my life. Jawbreaker, Jets to Brazil, and even Thorns of Life. I'm obsessed, No way around it. I will talk about those bands as much as I want.

Secondly, I will try to update this blog at least once a week, hopefully more, I need to learn responsibility, and something like this will help me with that. Send me angry emails if I'm getting lazy.

-Jawn