BMer on Music

Show Recap: Stick to Your Guns / Close Your Eyes

2011-05-14T15:50:00.002-06:00

The Stick Tight Tour came through Denver to the Marquis Theater featuring Terror, an iconic hardcore group thats been around for quite a long time. Supporting Terror were Stick To Your Guns, Trapped Under Ice, Close Your Eyes, and Your Demise.

Stick To Your Guns - This Is More breakdown

Your Demise opened the show with a solid set. The dudes are from England and have a good blend of melodic hardcore, mostly aggressive sounds with a few clean choruses thrown in. After that was Close Your Eyes, the Christian melodic hardcore punk group on the tour. The were definitely the odd band of the tour, not only because they have more of a punk sound and more melody, but also because they're outspoken Christians. They talked about their faith before playing their last song which was Song For The Broken. The crowd wasn't really into CYE but that didn't stop the band from being very energetic and confident. The crowd did get to the stage to help sing Song For the Broken "This is my worship, this is my life - to bring hope into this broken world!"

Close Your Eyes - Digging Graves

Close Your Eyes - new song

After that was Trapped Under Ice, a hardcore band from Baltimore that i have never really been into. i've seen them a few times and they definitely bring the energy and the crowd loves them, but they're just not my style. Stick To Your Guns was up next and they're always good. They sang most of their popular songs "Enough is Enough" and the singer talked about how seeing a girl he was friends with growing up, die from being hit by a drunk-driver. this incident pushed him to become straight-edge. During the song a serious fight broke out, and while the security was clearing everyone out, the band had to stop. The singer then talked about how hypocritical it is that straight-edge kids always seem to fight during that song. It was a good lesson, i wish kids would listen.

Stick to Your Guns - What Goes Around

Stick To Your Guns - Some Kind of Hope

We didn't stay long for Terror, but the place was packed and pumped up.

Album Review: Sevin - Finally Home

2011-04-08T12:07:00.003-06:00

Artist: Sevin
Release: Finally Home
Label: HOG Mob Muzik
Release Date: November 2010
Reviewed By: BMer

Tracklisting:
01. Intro [2:17]
02. Dem Don Kno Me [4:00]ft. Dre & B-Rone
03. And Wut!! [3:47]
04. Involved [4:28]ft. Brotha Ruff
05. Starz [4:14]ft. Floe Montana
06. Show Me [4:07]ft. R.E.I.G.N.
07. Reel Game [2:57]
08. Let’s Take A Ride [3:55]ft. K-T & Ambassador
09. Live Wire [4:54]ft. Bliz & Bizzle
10. Tuch Tha Sky [3:57]
11. Past Lyfe [4:32]ft. K-T
12. I Need Tha Gospel [5:09]ft. Paul Washer
13. I Gotta Hav U [4:20]ft. B-Rone
14. Finally Home [5:06]
15. Kry Sometimez [4:36]
16. Safest Place (interlude) [1:51]
17. Hevin [3:17]
18. Itz In U [3:51]
19. I Feel Him Komin [4:34]ft. John McArthur

Sevin is a Christian MC from Sacramento, California. Finally Home, the latest in Sevin’s impressive catalogue, is released through HOG Mob Muzik. Sevin’s west coast rap style features bangin’ beats and a smooth flow that keeps you bobbing your head, and his edgy storytelling might be too colorful for a youth group, but strikes right to the heart of the listener.

Right from the get-go you get a sense of Sevin’s lyrical power, he’s a veteran of the rap game now and his non-stop flow on the intro track shows that he’s not following the typical playbook that most gospel rapper play by. On track 2, “Dem Don Kno Me” Sevin’s use of the n-word shows that he’s not getting caught up in semantics, his mission of bringing the Church to the streets will not be compromised because he chooses to use edgy words. These tracks are not designed for the Christian music festival crowd, they’re aimed at the lost on the streets, and one way to break through is to speak a language they speak. Sevin does not waste time proclaiming his faith though, track 3 “And Wut!!!” features the hook “but yea I’m a Christian and what?!”, repeated over and over then …”I bang, you won’t, Christ reigns, you don’t”.

Finally Home is long, 19 tracks featuring only one interlude and a handful of talented guests like K-T, Ambassador, Bliz, Bizzle, Dre, and Brotha Ruff. “Involved” featuring Brotha Ruff is a typical west coast track reminiscent of Xzibit or West Side Connection with it’s keys and driving bass. The title track “Finally Home” is a solid storytelling track where Sevin goes through his story of writing this album, battling through depression and demons “I ain’t sweatin’ all this threatenin’ economy, I don’t care if the terrorists are bombing me, cause all i see, what? is thisThrone of Grace, and the King that sits in it with a glowing face.” The best track on Finally Here is “Kry Somtymez”, Sevin’s singing on the hook is raw and passionate. The message of the song is something most hardened thugs would never admit; crying when times get tough. The lyrics are tough and honest, really showing the vulnerability that makes Finally Home such a solid album. Sevin doesn’t only admit to crying, he repeats it over and over as the hook of the song “Lord knows I cry sometimes, but although I’m hurtin’, I give You my burdens. I wanna die sometimes, but You say just trust Me, no one can love me the way You do.” He also made a video for the track.

OVERALL Finally Home is a powerful work, raw and emotional lyrics, solid beats, and a diverse delivery giving Sevin one of the better rap albums of 2010. Although the album is not without some weaker tracks, overall with 19 total songs there are definitely some standout great numbers like “Kry Somtymez” and “Involved”. The lyrics feature some words that might be considered offensive, just FYI.

Reviewed for IndieVisionMusic.com

Album Review: Ironwill - Unturned

2011-04-08T12:04:00.002-06:00

Band: Ironwill
Release: Unturned
Label: Blood and Ink Records
Release Date: March 2011
Reviewed By: BMer

Track List:
01 VISIONARIES
02 I AM THE CLAY
03 THE PRODIGAL
04 UNTURNED
05 SRI LANKA
06 FIRM FOUNDATIONS
07 BREAKING TIES
08 DIMANTHA

Ironwill is a melodic hardcore outfit releasing their debut full-length on Blood & Ink Records. Unturned features 8 tracks of fast-paced hardcore, which include high points like “Visionaries” “The Prodigal” and “Unturned”. This is what fast hardcore should sound like!
Although Ironwill’s sound has been described as metalcore, the foundation of their sound rests more in hardcore punk than anything else. The drumming is excellent, featuring very fast-paced chugging beats reminiscent of Comeback Kid and other punk-based bands while the fills are definitely less angry beating found in metalcore/hardcore and more smooth and flowing. The guitar-work is definitely less intense than the hardcore records coming out these days, with creative riffs that don’t take place on the lowest sounding part of the guitar, no open, drop-D strumming, no repetitive palm-mutes to match the double-kick, just simplistic riffing to keep the mood a little less dark. There are breakdowns throughout Unturned, but none that involve bass-drops or over-the-top tribal beating, just clean simple change-of-pace sections. After the instrumental track (#5 Sri Lanka) things slow down a bit, unfortunately, and begin to sound generic.

In fact, the only aspect of the band that really separates Ironwill from bands like Comeback Kid, With Honor, Close Your Eyes is the strained vocals and lack of clean vocals and gang vocals. The vocals are very strained, and blend of yelling and screaming, that comes off a little too intense and out-of-place for the rest of the sound. Probably the best comparison would be the vocal styles of Shai Hulud, in fact, there are quite a few of comparisons between Ironwill and Shai Hulud. Theme-wise the songs range from pleas for guidance from God “pour Your spirit into me; beathe the breath of life into my lungs.” (“I Am the Clay”) to critical introspective songs like “The Prodigal”: “I am the worst child that a father could ask for. Oh God, please forgive me for what everything that I have done.”

OVERALL: Ironwill’s Unturned will appeal to older fans who enjoyed fast melodic hardcore during the turn of the century, but the younger-generation of fans who enjoy dance-beats, screams, breakdowns, and an over-abundance of double-bass this won’t do the trick. Blood & Ink Records are having a great run of releases, bands that are focused on making passionate faith-based hardcore and leaving the gimmicks at the door. Ironwill is welcome addition to an already impressive roster at B&I.

Reviewed for IndieVisionMusic.com

Life In Your Way reunited!!

2011-02-11T14:26:00.005-07:00

So one of my favorite bands have decided to get back together, Life In Your Way is currently working on an album that they're going to release through Come & Live!

This is such good news that i decided to write a quick recap of the interesting way i became a Life In Your Way fan.

Back in 2007 i was slowly becoming a fan of heavier music than the punk/hardcore i was used to listening to. I discovered this band, Chasing Victory, that had a sound similar to Underoath and i was really into them. I went downtown to catch a Chasing Victory show at the Marquis Theater, i was flying solo. When i got in the venue it was nearly empty, maybe 50-100 kids at most. I didn't know any band on the lineup except Chasing Victory and they were playing 2nd to last. The band that was currently playing however, was solid, not amazing but clearly were good musicians.

The lead singer impressed me most, he was a big dude and full of confidence and conviction. I couldn't understand most of the lyrics but i liked the style, had some hardcore elements that i like (fast beats, simple effective breakdowns). But the moment i was hooked was when during a breakdown the guitarists starting singing "let it be a sweet, sweet sound, in Your ear." This song resonates to my early childhood as one of the first songs i ever learned, i remember singing it in little kids church. Anyway, i thought it was awesome how they band had incorporated that awesome song into a hardcore song, they did it very well. They said their name was Life In Your Way, and i was going to look them up when i got home.

I stayed for Chasing Victory, unfortunately because they were awful. I left after 3 songs. I got in my car and fired up the ipod and wouldn't you know, i had Life In Your Way on my ipod?! how did that happen!? A few days earlier a co-worker had given me a few albums that he thought i should check out, it was a lot of music and i hadn't got through most of it, but here was Life In Your Way. Of course i checked it out and was super impressed, love their melodic hardcore sound. Later i found out that a key member of Life In Your Way also played in With Honor which was another of my favorite bands at the time. crazy!

It was short-lived though, Life In Your Way broke up a few months later. The closest they had played to Denver again was Cheyenne, Wyoming, a show which i had planned on going to but a huge snow storm hit Colorado that day. They were playing with Means, another awesome band, and i called the venue like 10 times that day to make sure the bands made it safely, i wasn't driving through a snow storm to Wyoming to find out the bands couldn't make it. I never got confirmation so i wussed out. Had i known that Life In Your Way and Means would breakup in the next six months i obviously wouldn't have bailed on that show!

Life In Your Way is back, they're releasing an album through Come & Live! Records which means it will be free. Whether they will tour is still unknown, but i sure hope they do. Everyone should check these guys out!

Is being in a band really "Work"?

2011-02-04T14:27:00.003-07:00

In the February issue of Hopecore Magazine there is an interview with the president and founder of AP Magazine; Mike Shea. The interview talks a lot about music labels and how the music industry looks today, and how it will look in the future. Below are two questions that caught my attention, I high-lited the parts that stood out to me:

What is your take on an organization like Come&Live! Which gives their artists’ music away for free and runs off of donations?

MS: The whole culture of free is exciting but it’s a scary world. It can blow up to everything before you know it. I was just thinking cynically the other night, if the culture of free really takes over and gets out of control, there will be no press outlets anymore or media outlets. Nobody will be able to make any money, there won’t be any Rolling Stone or New York Times or AP or Relevant, there won’t be anybody. All you’re going to have is a million music bloggers who have other day jobs. The culture of sampling, which was really what the music kiosks in chain stores were, were wildly successful then downloading hit and it became “Well, I want to hear the whole record first before I decide to buy it”. What happened was most people decided not to buy it and then the excuses started of “I don’t get paid enough, they’re on Interscope, the artists make so much money anyway etc”. The artists really got hurt and they’re really suffering now. We’re finding, as you guys probably hear of on your end, more and more musicians, not Britney Spears, not Lady Gaga, we’re talking bands who never made it on the cover of AP but sold 50-60 thousand units over a few records who are now needing to go get day jobs because the only way you make money is touring. When you have everyone touring because it’s the only way you can make money, it floods the market. There’s only so many nightclubs, only so much money everyone has every month to go see a band so if you really go talk to all the promoters they’ll tell you there are too many bands, to many shows. Everybody suffers.

The culture of free is actually destroying everything. The entertainment industry has been absolutely pathetic at how they addressed downloading. They should have pulled out Anthony Green, Aaron Gillespie, Stephen Christian and had them do PSAs online and in movie theater ads and commercials where they say “Look, we’re going to have to not tour. You’re not going to see us much anymore because every time your roommate goes and downloads are record and shares it everywhere, we don’t see any money and we can’t afford to tour anymore”. The label isn’t getting the money so there is no tour support. We’re seeing it with digital books now. The publishing companies are freaking out because there is now a black market for illegal downloaded books for Kindle. We already have problems where people scan cover stories or major features that show up in publications and put them up online so kids don’t have to buy anything anymore. Its one thing after another and soon there is going to be a massive collapse. What’s happening is all these websites are running around trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator and trying to gobble up everything and put these ad networks together and charge whatever amount of money so they can be one of the few websites left. Its very scary world and I don’t think that 95% of people who download music get it. I don’t think they understand that you have to support the artists.

Have you thought about that kind of thing for the future? It blows my mind that people waste their time scanning a magazine to put it online and share it with other people. How are you preparing for the future as things like this grow worse?

MS: I don’t think there is a way to fix it. When these things start up, you can try and stop it and go around to particular sites and tell them to take a record down but then another one pops right up. What you do is try and insulate yourself to it. The people that are pro-file sharing and downloading will sit there and say “Well, this is marketing and think about all the people who would’ve never known about your product or band”. Well, the bands could make money before and they can’t now. Your whole argument about branding doesn’t matter. You sit in your apartment b******* about how file sharing is okay when you have a day job somewhere else and you don’t have to worry about it. You go join a band, quit your job and join a band and talk to me in five months because you’ll be b******* too. That’s the problem is that a lot of the people running these file sharing websites don’t have to live off of the industry. Sooner or later we may end up like Europe where they’re coordinating with web providers and they’re shutting down ISPs. How else are musicians going to make their money? What are they going to do? I think it was one of the AFI guys who tweeted something about wanting to know the mindset of someone who watched us spend 11 months in the studio, working, writing music, putting it all together and they have no problem taking it within seconds and putting it up online for free. Who is that person? I don’t think the problem has been communicated correctly. It’s really sad to see the bands out there going under.

Now i'm not trying to take a side here, yet, but i'm wondering what people think about the music industry, or even the movie industry. Are they necessary? Do we need a million bands out there? When AFI talks about spending 11 months in the studio "working" do we really view that as "work"? Nobody is forcing these people to be in bands, there is no demand for bands and music, sure we all love music, but on a production level are they contributing to society? Sometimes it feels like a new bands starts up and demands to be paid, but just because you're in a band doesn't mean anyone owes you money right?

I'm not justifying downloading pirated music, or movies, i'm simply asking why people in the music industry have an expectation of being paid. I know plenty of musicians, and most of them work a "real" job because they know there's no money in music. Think about it, you don't make up a job and work it with an expectation to be paid - you go where there is work to be done, where there is a demand. Where there is a demand people pay for what they're demanding. It's hard for me to think that every single band in the industry today has exceptional talent, that they have enough talent to be paid for it. I know a lot of talented people (musicians, aspiring movie producers, book writers, athletes...) and they use their talents as a hobby, a passion, something to do for the love of the passion. they play on their own time, and don't expect to make a living from it.

If you can't afford to tour, then don't tour. If you're expecting to live easy off making an album, you're wrong. My opinion is that kids should stop throwing everything away to start a rock band only to find themselves in-debt at 30 yrs old and mad that they didn't make any money being in a band. Unless your goal is something besides making money (like spreading a message, ministry, off-season fun...) then no one is forcing you to be in a band, don't do it. if you do, don't complain about the lack of money you're not making.

is art important? yes! Is everyone and their mother an artist worthy of making $30,000+ a year? no!

When bands start quitting because they don't make money, maybe "fans" will be more impacted. For now though, when one band quits, five more pop up. Think about it, would you still work your job if there was no guarantee for income? There comes a time when you have to make a choice between pursuing something you love to do, and making a living. Most of us are working regular jobs for a living, stuff we don't love or have a passion for, but we understand responsibility, we understand that working a job is going to part of most of our life and most of us are thankful for our jobs (and if we're not we have the option of looking for a different job).

the dollar speaks. Basketball players make ridiculous money because fans are paying for tickets, cable-tv, merchandise, there's money there. MLS (US Soccer) players don't make much unless they are known talents, some kids who are graduating college get drafted by MLS teams but turn down the offer for a "regular" job that pays more. Rookie MLS players minimum salary is around $20,000/year. No one is forcing them to be soccer players, so they realize that they could make more doing something else. Maybe high school kids need to make the same decision before they start a hardcore band.

Best of 2010

2011-02-04T10:21:00.001-07:00

I put together my Best of 2010 lists for IndieVisionMusic.com and here they are:

Top Albums

1. Hundredth – When Will We Surrender
2. Haste The Day – Attack of the Wolf King
3. Robbie Seay Band – Miracle
4. The Ghost Inside – Returners
5. Norma Jean – Meridional
6. Close Your Eyes – We Will Overcome
7. Dave Barnes – What We Want What We Get
8. I Am Alpha And Omega – The Roar and the Whisper
9. The Chariot – Long Live
10. Counterparts – Prophet
11. Sovereign Strength – Reflections
12. Blank Page Empire – Sinners, Thieves, and Beggars
13. Nas & Damian Marley – Distant Relatives
14. Called To Arms – Peril and the Patient
15. Taylor Swift – Speak Now
16. Ascend The Hill – Hymns: Take the World But Give Me Jesus
17. Trip Lee – Between Two Worlds
18. A Plea For Purging – The Marriage Between Heaven and Hell
19. I, The Breather - These Are My Sins
20. Pigeon John – Dragon Slayer

Top 5 EPs

1. Killing The Dream – Lucky Me
2. Venia – I’ve Lost All Faith In Myself
3. Dependency – Convicted
4. Messengers – Anthems
5. The Devil Wears Prada - Zombie

Biggest Disappointments

1. Anberlin – Dark is the Way, Light is a Place
2. Corpus Christi – A Feast for Crows
3. Comeback Kid – Symptoms & Cures
4. War Of Ages – Eternal
5. The Audition – Great Danger

Top 5 Songs

1. Haste The Day “Dog-like Vultures”
2. Venia “The Call”
3. Robbie Seay Band “Crazy Love”
4. Hundredth “Willows”
5. Pigeon John “Buttersoft Seats”

6 “White Flag” – For Today
7 “The City” – The Chariot
8 “The Way That We Fall” – The Suit
9 “Blame the Architects” – Killing the Dream
10 “Dear John” – Taylor Swif

Top 5 Unsigned Bands

1. Blank Page Empire
2. All At RISK
3. The Suit
4. Hanover Saints
5. The Music Room

Album Review: Future - Endure

2011-02-04T10:19:00.001-07:00

Artist: Future
Release: Endure
Label: independent
Release Date: October 2010
Reviewer: BMer

Track List:
01. Endure Intro
02. Go In ft. R-Swift, Thisl & K-Drama
03. Endure ft. Pastor AD3
04. Fight Klub Interlude
05. Fight Klub
06. Winners ft. Fitgerald
07. At His Throne ft. PRo
08. God Ain’t With You
09. Frontline ft. PRo & Json
10. Struggle No More ft. Fitzgerald
11. Never Back Down ft. Mike Real & Rio (KuntryBoyy)
12. Future vs. Pride ft. Bumps
13. Conviction
14. Hold On

If you are looking for some high-energy southern Christian rap then Future might just be that, the future! Although not on the level in popularity with other artists like Lecrae and Trip Lee, Future still features an all-star cast on his latest release titled Endure. Fellow “x-hustler” Thi’sl features a few times, as well as Flame, JSon, Pro, KDrama and quite a few more. This is the kind of in-your-face hip-hop takes on some serious issues, as well as some serious big-name rappers!

The theme throughout Endure is just that, endure. Just looking at the track list you get the idea that Future knows life is tough, but we need to persevere, with song titles like “Battle”, “Frontline”, Struggle No More” and “Fight Club”. One of the best tracks on the album starts the album off, “Go In” starts off with some horns and when the beat drops, it’s on! Thi’sl and K-Drama help set things straight throughout the track. Future delivers clear confidence and his flow never seems forced.

Other standout tracks include “Fight Club”, “Endure”, “Winners” and “Struggle No More”. There is quality effort to make the hooks and chorus stand up next to the smooth delivery of Future, something that often lacks on Christian rap albums. AD3 on “Endure” is solid when he sings “keep it moving, keep it Holy, keep it pure, Endure”. On “Fight Club” you hear plenty of sporting references, usually to leaders in their respective sports like Lebron James and the Florida Gators. One of my favorite sport references happens in “God Ain’t With You” where Future raps “you can be a star and still be Christ’s example – Tebow”. There are plenty of other clever references, like on “Never Back Down” – “I got a new heart from my daddy too, like John Q.”

The song “Winner” features a super-catchy chorus delivered by Fitzgeral “in this life I choose Christ so I’m already a winner, all because of Jesus I’m already victorious.” Future is relentless throughout the track with his lyrics, constantly promoting faith in Christ “I don’t believe in fate I believe in faith along.”. He also recommends that listeners don’t wait too long to turn to Christ because “you’re all sinners / never escape the heat like in Miami, all winter (so hot).”

The track “God Ain’t With You” could be considered controversial, you know instantly who the track is directed at with the opening line “you say your last names Ever, your first name is Greatest…” Yes, Jay-Z is the directed target, but this song could apply to just about everyone in the entertainment business. “You’re like a kid with tokens, and the arcade is open. You just bought a boat, but God controls the ocean.” The song touches on the exercise of most entertainers to thank God at their shows, yet you could question their validity by the way they live.

Endure is not without its weak moments, for example there is a staged rap-battle for track 10, “Battle”. The battle is between Future and pride, yes the characteristic of pride. The idea is creative, pride telling Future “I’ll have you thinking you’re effort’s great, trusting merits instead of grace” but the delivery is corny, with an MC and crowd cheering and other effects to give the impression that this battle happened in 8 Mile. This is a modern-day Screwtape Letters in some sense, so it worth it to read through the lyrics, considering the motives of pride. The best line though, from pride “I’m a big deal like Lebron to the Knicks, while you remain the Kwame Brown of all lottery picks.”

OVERALL Endure is a solid release from Future, full of credible performances from other rappers in the Christian rap genre. Each song has that anthem feel to it, each one would justify that towel you carry around at shows to dry off the sweat, you’ll be bouncing non-stop throughout Endure. Future puts his name on the map, for fans of straight-forward Christian rap with issues most of us can relate to, check out Endure.

Reviewed for Indie Vision Music

Album Review: The Music Room - Live While You're Alive

2011-02-04T10:18:00.002-07:00

Band: The Music Room
Release: Live While You’re Alive EP
Release Date: Jan 2011
Label: none
Reviewer: BMer

Tracklist

I Wanna Know You
Dark Outside
Be Here
Rubbish
Life is Beautiful

The Music Room is a sibling outfit out of small-town Northern California. Live While You’re Aliveis a collection of five well-written folksy acoustic songs. The EP is full of creativity and each track has a unique quality of warmth and love; Live While You’re Alive is a moment of relief in a hectic life.

Siblings Aimee and Dane Johnson decided to record their songs after playing them live for over a year. The lead-off track “I Wanna Know You” sets the tone for the EP with an upbeat piano and accordion throughout. Aimee’s vocals are not commanding, but more subtle and quirky, reminiscent of Katie Herzig or Zooey Deschanel of She & Him. Aimee’s creative melody lines nestle neatly with her guitar-work, while brother Dane accompanies each song with light percussion and an occasional harmonica. Producer Brian Steckler also features on the album with solid piano work.

You can’t help but smile throughout Live While You’re Alive, The Music Room have written songs about love and life that instantly make you wish you were drinking warm coffee in your kitchen while looking out the window at your white picket-fence. Despite the lighter exterior most of the songs hold a deeper message about life. “Dark Outside” talks about the struggles in relationship when two people aren’t on the same page. “I Wanna Know You” speaks of God’s compassion towards each of us individually, while still being the creator of the universe. “Be Here” is a wonderful track with rich ambience and perfectly placed vocals by Dane, his carefree delivery is a great compliment to Aimee’s voice.

The best track on Live While You’re Alive is that last track, “Life is Beautful.” The lyrics are a reminder that we can get caught up with craziness of this world “Preoccupied and too numb to realize that life is beautiful” and with the repetition of the line “Life is beautiful” you can’t help but get caught up in the brief moment of peace Live While You’re Alive offers.

OVERALL I’m really enjoying Live While You’re Alive by The Music Room. There are no agendas here, nothing but well-written songs about life with a reminder to love those around you. Fans of Sixpence None the Richer, Waterdeep, Glen Hansard, and wholesome folksy music will really enjoy The Music Room.

Reviewed for Indie Vision Music

Album Review: Venia - I've Lost All Faith in Myself

2011-02-04T10:16:00.001-07:00

Band: Venia
Release: I’ve Lost All Faith in Myself
Label: Blood & Ink
Release Date: November 2010
Review By: BMer

Track Listing:

Crux
Mouth of a Liar
Numbers Game
The Call
Calloused

Minnesota is having a great year in music, already boasting quality releases from Your Memorial and Blank Page Empire, now we get a 5-song EP from Venia titled “I’ve Lost All Faith in Myself.” Released through Blood & Ink Records who are also having quite a year having released another great hardcore EP with Dependency’s “Convicted”, Venia are on-point with their spirit-filled hardcore. If you haven’t checked out Venia already then this would be a great place to start.

Venia represent hardcore music to the fullest, they tour constantly throughout the year and they still find time to record a solid record, they’re one of the hardest working bands out there. The band is still playing the smaller venues, and sometimes when those shows get cancelled Venia will find a house to play at. With so many bands these days decided to add a little metal to their sound, or maybe dance beats, Venia keeps it real and authentic with punk drumming, breakdowns and gang vocals, there are no gimmicks here.

The opening track “Crux” expands on the title of the EP (I’ve Lost All Faith in Myself), talking about not putting faith in the things of this world “faithless in what I thought had worth / Faithless in the things of this earth!” The gang vocals on this opening track just enhance the importance of the message, something that the hardcore scene desperately needs. Venia play such quality hardcore, and play with some other hard-working hardcore bands, that it’s easy for them to get in the door and share their message with the kids. This message isn’t just “positive hardcore”, but faith-based hardcore, they don’t water down the message in order to be accepted, you clearly hear the name “Christ” on the track “Calloused”, something you don’t find with many “Christian” bands.

The next two songs, “Mouth of a Liar” and “Numbers Game” continue the urgent pace laid out by “Crux”. “Mouth of a Liar” features the best drumming on I’ve Lost All Faith in Myself while “Numbers Game” takes a serious look about those who mislead, the scenario that is written about here could be applied to quite a few different “leaders” today. Each song on I’ve Lost All Faith in Myself features a solid breakdown and a chance to sing along, but all of the songs seem to be in support of “The Call”, the best track on the EP.

“The Call” features duel vocals between Venia frontman Chad Urich and the original vocalist for Strongarm Jason Berggren. Jason actually co-wrote the song and leads off the song with “This is the call / a time for reckoning!” This song could not get any better, the breakdown which starts with spoken words “Sear this on your conscience and brand it on your heart / for the faithful there is a promise / a sacred trust of salvation / never forget and never give!” leads into the high-point of the song, gang vocals repeatedly shouting “I will not deny!” “The Call” could easily be the closer to Venia’s live set, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them playing “Crux” live as well.

OVERALL I’ve Lost All Faith in Myself is quality hardcore. Venia are leading the charge, bringing hardcore back to the forefront. I’m not sure there has been a faith-based hardcore band playing this well since Stretch Arm Strong, Strongarm and Comeback Kid (back when everyone thought they were a Christian band). For those fans of “tough-guy” hardcore like Sick of it All, Shai Hulud, Madball (and on and on…) you need to be listening to Venia and like I stated earlier, I’ve Lost All Faith in Myself is a great place to start!

Reviewed for Indie Vision Music

Show Recap: Haste the Day @ Marquis Theater

2011-02-04T10:08:00.001-07:00

Tour: Haste the Day Farewell Tour
Date: 1/31/2011
Venue: The Marquis Theater (Denver, CO)
Reviewer: BMer

After 10 years in the business Haste the Day have decided to call it quits. But before they leave us fans they put together one last tour trying to hit all of the cities they hadn’t hit in the past six months. Thankfully Denver was on that list, unfortunately though we would not be getting the full lineup for the tour which featured Mychildren Mybride, A Plea for Purging, and The Chariot in support. The Chariot were finishing off another tour and are joining this tour on the Seattle stop.

This was sort of a home-show for Haste the Day. The original band members all hailed from Indianapolis, therefore that’s technically considered home for HTD and where they will be ending this tour. But the lineup as of now features Stephen Keech on vocals and Dave Krysl on guitar, both played together previously in Denver-based New Day Awakening. The show eventually sold out and throughout the set, fans of New Day Awakening were in full-voice requesting songs from the old band. Stephen talked about that band a little but joked that this current lineup doesn’t know any New Day Awakening songs.

Haste the Day opening the set with “68” off of Dreamer. Stephen was sporting a very short haircut and beard looking somewhat like a mountain man rather than the frontman for a metal band. The band was full of energy and so was the crowd, “68” was nuts and they followed that up with “The Place Where Most Deny” which went over pretty well. Obviously most fans of Haste the Day know there is quite a difference in sound and feel from old Haste the Day (Burning Bridges and When Everything Falls) to the recent releases like Dreamer and Attack of the Wolf King. Most of the older songs really hit hard, the crowd was much more energetic for the older songs which feature straight-forward breakdowns. The first chance they got was the third song in “Blue 42” and sure enough the crowd went crazy.

Throughout the evening Stephen led the band through a few slower tracks, something they’ve been doing over the past few tours playing songs like “An Adult Tree” and “Autumn”, this time they played “White As Snow” and “My Name is Darkness”. While these songs are pretty cool and a nice contrast to the heavier stuff, everyone just kind of stands there and doesn’t know what to do. After they played “My Name is Darkness” they left the stage before coming back out for the encore. They opened the encore with “Chorus of Angels” which went over really well. After that Stephen could sense the restless in the crowd (2 slower songs and a break) and said “don’t worry, we’ll get back to breakdowns soon.” They closed the evening with “When Everything Falls” and it got rowdy.

There were at least 6-7 kids ejected from the venue during Haste the Day’s set, they were thrown out for fighting. I’m not sure if Stephen is giving this speech every night or if he noticed the excessive violence this evening, either way he gave a 5-minute talk about the hardcore scene and how people claim “it’s all about love, but then they go attack someone. There’s no love in that.” From there he talked about the band’s faith in Christ and how kids need to put their faith in the Truth, and not in the hardcore scene. It was great to hear him speak about love and Christ and it was well received by the crowd.

They played through most of the regular songs including “Blue 42”, “Stitches”, and “Mad Men”. They also played some songs that they don’t always play like “American Love” and “Needles”. Three times during the set the crowd voted between songs, the first time we chose “Walk On” over “Fallen” (I voted for Fallen), the second time we chose “Travesty” over my favorite new track “Dogs Like Vultures”, and the last time we chose “Pressure the Hinges” over “Needles”, however Stephen really wanted to play “Needles” so he went with that. “Pressure the Hinges” was probably the only song that everyone expected to hear but didn’t. From their latest album they played “The Place That Most Deny” and “Travesty”, I wish they would have dropped “The Place…” and played “Dogs Like Vultures” instead, but I can’t complain, it was a solid set.

The supporting acts this evening were Mychildren Mybride and A Plea For Purging, A Plea played first with a solid set featuring “Silent Sick America”, “Shiver”, and closed with “Malevolence”. Throughout the set front-man Andy Atkins encouraged the crowd to complete 300 stage-dives. He said that Denver was the rowdiest crowd so far on the tour, but he “measures his fun level in stage-dives.” Later he dogged on Mychildren Mybride, who were playing next, and asked that someone in the crowd skip their set and take him to get a burrito from Illegal Pete’s (in Boulder), if they did “he’d be forever their dude!” Well it happened and they got their burritos. He did let the crowd know that he was joking about Mychildren Mybride and that they are “the best dressed band on the tour.”

Mychildren Mybride played next and had the crowd ramped up. The band is an interesting mix of dudes that look like metal-heads, sounds like metalcore, and talk like a hardcore band, always encouraging the band to two-step, and featuring more gang-vocals than the other bands on tour. The kids were climbing over each other for a shot to sing on the mic. They played most of the songs they’ve been playing for the past year including “Terra Firma”, “Wings of Integrity” and closed with the fan-favorite “Headshot!”. They also added “King of the Hopeless” to the set and it went over great.

It was a solid show, the crowd was very energetic and the venue was packed despite the fact that it was -10 degrees outside. Most of the band-members hung around after the show and talked with the kids, John from A Plea For Purging was rocking some huge sword for some reason, and Haste the Day were selling shirts to commemorate their final tour. The only thing that could have made this evening better would have been Haste the Day playing their cover of “Meet Me Halfway” with a cameo from Fergie.

Images by Scott Lenger

Reviewed for Indie Vision Music

Album Review: Thi'sl - Unreleased Chronicles

2011-02-04T10:04:00.002-07:00

Artist: Thi’sl
Release: Unreleased Chronicles
Label: X-Hustler Music
Release Date: November 2010
Reviewer: BMer

Track List:
1. Yung Hayte – Intro
2. I’m a Rider (Feat. Soul)
3. Father Help Us
4. Rocked by Grace (Feat. Matt Vollmar of The Great Romance)
5. Get Low (Limbo)
6. Dopeman
7. Wake Up Soldiers (2002) (Feat. Flame)
8. He Gone (Tank)
9. Yung Hayte – Life’s Hard
10. Parade
11. Lift Him High (Feat. Pastor AD3)

Unreleased Chronicles is Thi’sl’s third release, his first since his very successful album Chronicles of an X-Hustler. Unreleased Chronicles is not new material, all of the tracks are previously unreleased songs except “Parade” and “Lift Him High”(which are new), and there are also three bonus tracks you can download from Thi’sl website to add to Unreleased Chronicles.

With only 11 tracks Thi’sl does not waste much time bringing the goods. Track 4 “Rocked By Grace” features a real rock feel thanks to a guest spot by Matt Vollmar of the worship band The Great Romance. The whole track feels somewhat like a Linkin’ Park joint with verses that are rapped over a big rock band feel and a very catchy chorus. Track 7 is called “Wake Up Soldiers” and was the first track Thi’sl and Flame ever recorded together, which was back in 2001. The track features very cool music that sounds somewhat like some old-school nintendo soundtracks. “Get Low (Limbo)” is an energetic head-boppin’ track where Thi’sl talks about staying grounded:

“can’t get puffed up, like vice grips gotta stay tightened up, prisoner of the Christ so I stay cuff’d up…I gotta murder my pride, can’t let the thing bubble-up inside, low like four flat tires, low like the tail-pipe on my ride… we lift Him high but you know we gotta stay Low. “

The best track on Unreleased Chronicles is the anthem “Parade”, one of two new songs on the album. The horns bring the energy while the beat has that krunk-music feel that makes you wanna to the “big money dance”. The song talks about how Thi’sl lived a rough life in the hood hustling everyday and how he celebrates every day he’s alive:

“any day I live is enough to celebrate, could be sleeping in the pen could be layin’ in the grave. Coulda hit me with a case, coulda hit me “k”, that’s why any day I live man it feel like a parade.”

An album featuring works that did not make it the first time around is not without it’s weak moments. Maybe the most notable is the second track “I’m A Rider” featuring Soul. It is surprising to see this track so early on the album, the chorus is rather annoying. Soul’s vocals just sound off, like either the notes are out of his range or the production failed to give him any help. Another weaker track is “Dopeman”, a song with good intentions but failed to leave an impression.

Yung Hate fills in the gaps on the album, first on the intro leaving a voicemail in Thi’sl’s machine and then later on “Life Is Hard” where gives us a glimpse of one his own songs. “He Gone” is a heartfelt tribute to a friend (Tank) who was apparently killed. The song paints some chilling images of life in the game;

“I wish my boy coulda seen me rep Christ / he went crazy when he seen me rock mics / I flipped out when I seen him that night / on the table laid up with no life / this the reason I’m giving my life / to see cats come in to the Light/”

OVERALL Unreleased Chronicles is a solid collection of tracks that didn’t make the original cut. Some of the tracks are excellent like the news ones “Parade” and “Life Him” as well as “Get Low (Limbo)” and some of the tracks were probably cut for good reason, they just don’t make an impact. If you like energetic rap with a gangster feel and honest, Glory to God lyrics you should check out Unreleased Chronicles.

buy here

reviewed for Indie Vision Music

A Musical Adventure - Dan Smith

2011-01-21T06:31:00.005-07:00

I recently reviewed the latest The Chariot album titled Long Live for Indie Vision Music. The album is amazing, The Chariot are one of the most creative bands in the scene today and their album was full of surprises and creativity. One of the best tracks on Long Live is titled "David De La Hoz", in middle of the track there is a verse performed by Listener. This is where our adventure begins, watch the music video for "David de la Hoz":

The video was filmed live and in one take, pretty impressive! Anyway, now you've seen the crazy spoken-word portion of the song, performed by Dan Smith of Listener. We thought it was interesting so we looked into Listener a little more and found some of his spoken-word stuff which is incredible. Here's a video of Listener:

Dan Smith seems to be a pretty good wordsmith, where did he get that talent? Well, more research takes us to his hip-hop group; a very popular Christian group called Deep Space 5. Yes, Dan Smith is in Deep Space 5 long before he was doing cameo's in The Chariot's videos, here's one of their tracks from their 2010 release The Future Ain't What It Used To Be titled "From the Outside":

Deepspace 5 "From the Outside" from Nathan Corrona on Vimeo.

Yes, that was Dan Smith in there throwing down some verses. Here's an interview with Dan Smith about the video, Listener, and Deep Space 5 which was done by fellow IVM writer JoshH.

DAN: I got started just writing a lot of rap music. I was really into writing rap music and rap songs and raps. In junior high and high school I thought that genre was really interesting to me, so I made it a lot, and was in several groups and put out a lot of albums, and did that a lot. And then out of college I was in a project called Deepspace 5. Tooth & Nail put an album out that we made and that led to some touring and we did that, and after awhile I just really got unimpressed by that genre and I just wanted to do something else, and there’s a lot of musics that are more interesting to me to make that express the feelings that I want to make and feel and give out and feel and make, so over the course of several years just sort of moved into a different direction.

I thought that was pretty cool, i also thought the other white dude in aviators in the video was pretty good, who is that? That dude goes by the name Playdough and he just released an album in 2010 called Writer Dye, which is a collection of hip-hop songs where each song borrows from a classic song in the past, from bands like Nirvana, Modest Mouse, Kings of Leon...

You can get the album here for free (or if you want to donate you can do that as well).

Now you've listened to a wide range of music and you get to go home with a free album! Scott Lenger did most of this research for us, good work Scott!

An Introduction to Christian Metalcore

2011-01-18T10:32:00.004-07:00

I met a new friend the other day and i was telling him about how i write for IndieVisionMusic.com . He seemed genuinely interested and when i saw him later was asking me about what bands he should check out. I recommended As I Lay Dying, August Burns Red, and Haste the Day, but i couldn't just leave it at that, i had to make him a mixtape. Here's the mix i made him that (hopefully) represents Christian metalcore/hardcore and get him interested in heavy music:

As I Lay Dying - "Separation"
As I Lay Dying - "Nothing Left"
August Burns Red - "White Washed"
Oh Sleeper - "Son of the Morning"
Haste the Day - "Pressure the Hinges"
Means - "The Promise"
Gwen Stacy - "The First Words"
For Today - "Devastator"
A Plea for Purging - "Malevolence"
War of Ages - "All Consuming Fire"
I Am the Alpha and Omega - "The Bride"
Hundredth - "Desolate"

I figure from this playlist he can tell me what he likes or dislikes and go from there. What do you think of this list? Do you have some better recommendations? let me know...

Album Review: The Chariot - Long Live

2010-12-08T06:08:00.001-07:00

Band: The Chariot
Album: Long Live
Label: Good Fight Music
Release Date: 11/22/2010
Reviewer: BMer

Tracklist:

“Evan Perks”
“The Audience”
“Calvin Makenzie”
“The City”
“Andy Sundwall”
“The Earth”
“David De La Hoz”
“The Heavens”
“Robert Rios”
“The King”

Well, i think we all know what to expect here. The Chariot have released their fourth full-length album, their first with their new label Good Fight Music, and it’s titled Long Live. The Chariot and their brand of rock/metal is somewhat difficult to review considering there aren’t many bands producing similar art. The band boasts a loyal following who will no doubt love this album, and for those listeners who are new to The Chariot, well, as the bumper sticker says “get in, sit down, shut up and hold on!”

The rumors leading up to this release were that The Chariot would be recording the album live to analog, as opposed to digitally via Pro Tools. You can hear this on most of the record, however i cannot confirm whether the whole album is indeed recorded live at this time. Regardless of how the album was recorded, Long Livesounds like a live performance caught on tape, there is space and air in the music, you can hear a lot of the nuances of the instruments. And while The Chariot rarely do the same thing twice, this is the first album where it really feels like they are achieving what they set out to do. As usual, nothing is predictable, you listen to songs over and over again and each time you discover something new. Songs like “The City” with it’s clean melodic choir vocals or Listener’s poetic verse in the middle of “David De La Hoz” are just a few examples of the surprises you find on Long Live.

Lyrically Josh is really on his game here. Most of his songs are probably open to interpretation but a few tracks have some outright messages, like on “Andy Sundwall” where Josh lays it out “I am NOT saying we’ve got it all figured out but why accept silver when you’ve given gold?” “The City” is a call to arms where Josh’s delivery is so passionate and gripping “If I leave this earth tonight may it be said that I spoke my peace, I spoke with the wrath of His grace. Calm rose. Come violent wind. Oh we stand hand in hand and we walk without fear. THIS IS A REVOLUTION!“ There are many instances of Josh changing his delivery and adding either some southern twang (“The Audience”) or his almost winded delivery provides so much emotion that it’s palpable like on “David de la Hoz” where he runs-on “Its the impossible act of building up bridges much faster then they burn. Stay, because I can’t afford the differences shadowing my heart and what good is a sinner if we haven’t got grace?”

What can you say about The Chariot that hasn’t already been said? Enjoying the chaotic heavy music The Chariot produce is like learning to love coffee, at first it is bitter and abrasive, but after awhile you learn to love without needing sweetener.Long Live is everything that fans want, it’s heavy and powerful, you could describe the same way you describe everything about the band; controlled chaos, slow-burn, an orchestrated car-wreck, relentless, jarring, brutal… Frontman Josh Scogin usually describes their work as “art”, and with art he says we should never compromise. It’s important to understand that The Chariot is just that, art, it’s not built on preaching a message, or displaying musical talents, or some other reason for producing music that you might find with other bands in heavy music. Sure the message on Long Liveis important, yes all of the members of The Chariot are impressive with their musical talents, but everything about The Chariot seems to be about breaking through limits, looking at how things are supposed to be done and then doing them a different way.

OVERALL Long Live is the best album The Chariot have put together so far. Some songs stand out as favorites, like “The City” and “David de la Hoz” and other songs provide support in their own chaotic ways. Lets be honest here, most fans would say that if you don’t like it, it’s because you don’t understand it. This is experimental hardcore that is currently standing alone on top of the mountain made with predictable, water-downed hardcore bands. Long Live is the closest thing to The Chariot’s live show you can get without actually leaving your house, and their live show is best thing going today.

written for IndieVisionMusic.com

Show Recap: August Burns Red @ Summit Music Hall

2010-10-25T10:02:00.005-06:00

Well we finally got to check out the newest live music venue in Denver, the Summit Music Hall, where we caught the AP Tour featuring Bring Me The Horizon and August Burns Red. Tahoe came a little late in the evening so i got to check out the venue on my own for awhile and it's pretty nice. first though, the negatives; located on Blake Street makes is super tough for parking, and expensive. i found a lot that was $5 for the evening which isn't bad, but other venues in Denver you can find spots on the street for free. I had to park about 7 blocks away and that made for a long walk in the rain too, which was alright but would have sucked if it was in the snow.

The venue is bigger than the Marquis and Cervantes, but not as big as the Fillmore, probably right in-line with The Gothic Theater. You can see the stage from the bar which is nice, and the bar is an island so even though there were tons of punk-rock jocks and meatheads clogging up the bar stools, it wasn't tough to get service. Drinks were a little pricey for a rock show, $6 for a PBR tall-boy hurts the poor punk rockers. There is an upstairs but there's nothing up there but a railing and some seats, so it's basically a ledge to house more kids, and that works well, everyone has a good view. The sound was pretty good, very loud but the vocals weren't mixed well so i'm not sure if thats a venue issue, or the mixer dude, or something else. Security was tight, and there was a barrier between the kids and the stage which gets a "boo" in my book, totally lame. Otherwise, it'll be a good venue for bands that are too big to play a bar, but can't fill up a large venue like the Fillmore (think Anberlin, As I Lay Dying, underOATH, The Devil Wears Prada...)

As for the bands, the AP Tour lineup might be the worse lineup ever conceived. Opening the show was This Is Hell, one of my favorite bands with their throwback style of east-coast punk hardcore. The crowd hated them (more later...). Next was Polar Bear Club, a kind of melodic punk softcore group that was like night-and-day received better from the crowd. then Emarosa who, in my opinion, was awful. Sure they're talented and the lead singer can really sing, but thats the problem, this wasn't a group of singing bands, this was heavy music. Emarosa is straight-up radio rock, or mall-rock, wannabe arena-rock. That was tough to suffer through, but i give them a little credit; the lead singer had the flu and he still toughed-out a full set.

The headliners were Bring Me the Horizon, supported by August Burns Red. I have to admit that i haven't listened much to Bring Me the Horizon so Tahoe and i left before their set. August Burns Red was solid, as they usually are. They're so tight with their live performance which is pretty incredible considering how technical their music is. lead singer Jake is versatile and energetic, switching his vocals between higher-pitched yelling to low low-pitched growls. He passed the mic quite a big to keep the crowd involved, and at one point, i think during "Thirty and Seven" or "Back Burner" he instructed the crowd to crowd-surf to the stage and sing along. Not many people tried, but it was worth a shot.

August Burns Red played a typical set including songs like "Composure", "Meddler", "Truth of a Liar" and "Mariana's Trench". They also added "Escape Artist" and "Indonesia" two songs i don't think i've seen them perform live. They opened the show with some techno dance stuff that got the crowd pretty amped up, and then played right into "Composure". Near the end of their 45-minute set, i believe right after "Thirty and Seven", Matt Grenier (drummer) played a drum-solo for about 5 minutes. it's also entertaining to hear solos at shows, the only other one i've seen was from As I Lay Dying. The solo was impressive, not amazing though, and that lead right into "White Washed" for the closer. I've never seen them play "White Washed" and it was awesome, one of my favorite songs.

August Burns Red are finishing up a great 2010. Coming off lasts years release of Constellations, this year the band released a live dvd of a hometown show, which they called Home. It's gotten a lot of praise and that released coincided with the AP Tour (AP Magazine) where they graced the cover of AP Magazine and supported Bring Me the Horizon for the tour. Great year, this band is only going to get bigger and more popular. I wish that Jake would have talked a little about their faith during the Denver show since the crowd was very diverse and there were plenty of people who would benefit from hearing about Christ, but i understand that giving a little speech or testimony every night of a tour can be tough.

Back to This is Hell, the opener. For their set i sat at the bar enjoying a nice PBR. Two meat-heads came and sat next to me and proceeded to tear-down TIH for the entire set. i found them so typical, so easy to type-cast, and they were hilarious. The main guy was about 6'5'', probably my age, pretty ripped wearing his too-tight Underoath t-shirt. they both ordered mixed drinks and proceeded to rip This is Hell. ultra-original comments like "this IS hell" and "go back to New York!" showed how cool they were as they oogled every female that walked by. Foul language never bothers me, but it was funny to me that this dude was swearing non-stop will sporting a Christian-band's t-shirt saying things like "this band is so bad it's making me drink, so now i'll be wasted so i can $@%& people up in the pit during August Burns Red." Really? sad.

For more on punk-rock jocks and why most punk rockers hate jocks you could check out Good Riddance's "Salt" or Assorted Jelly Beans' "Punk Rock Jock". There's a reason why people go to shows, and to each his own, but i find that going to shows to get drunk and fight people in the pit is the lowest reason, and that earns you the least respect. This dude was one of the main reasons i wished Jake from ABR would have taken a second to talk about his faith, just to put things in perspective.

The show was fun though in the end. I got a kick out of the meat-head at the bar as i stood singing along with This Is Hell. I don't expect many people to enjoy TiH's style of punk rock, its an acquired taste and it helps to enjoy east-coast hardcore bands like Warzone and Madball to really understand what This is Hell is all about. August Burns Red was awesome, so talented.

Good Riddance - "Salt"

Don't be alarmed please don't take it personally

But you're acting out on everybody here

You're ability your virility's in doubt

So one more time you clench your fists

Scream and shout

You high-five your friends

Like you're jocks at a football

It seems you don't know when to quit

The crowd stares in silence

As you practice violence
To show you're the king of the pit
What now we're sick of it

So now no one goes

To the front at shows anymore

Because we don't want to be

Kicked in the head

Or punched in the nose

We don't care where you're from

We don't care what set you claim

Why don't you get involved

You don't even know our names

Any scene worth it's salt

Would vilify aggression

It seems that aggression's all you know

So stop throwing your fists

Put out your hand

Participate in the show

Here we go!

Show Recap: Oh Sleeper @ Marquis Theater

2010-10-15T11:44:00.001-06:00

Band: Oh Sleeper

Venue: Marquis Theater in Denver, CO

Date: October 1st, 2010

By BMer for IndieVisionMusic.com

My buddy Tahoe and I ventured down to Marquis Theater in Denver to catch Oh Sleeper and A Plea for Purging. With only four bands on the ticket we were excited to see some extended sets, plus Oh Sleeper hadn�t been to Denver since they released Son of the Morning, and last time they came through they had to modify their set due to some of their equipment getting stolen the night before in Salt Lake City, so they didn�t play any new songs.

We were both under the impression that The Bled were headlining but that was not the case, Oh Sleeper headlined and I�m not sure they�re ready to be headlining. I�m a huge fan of Oh Sleeper but I was not overly impressed with Son of the Morning, I feel like When I Am God was a much better record, at least lyrically. Either way their set is comprised of mostly tracks from Son of the Morning and they just don�t incite energy live like the older tracks did.

Oh Sleeper opened with Son of the Morning, a great opener with tons of energy. The venue wasn�t packed but there were a good amount of kids still left after The Bled finished. Everyone pushed to the stage to sing along and even though we were down on the floor, we never really were in danger of any physical harm. I�m an old man these days so I like to stand right on the edge of the pit, but rarely ever go in. There wasn�t really a pit this night, either because the kids were worn out or because Oh Sleeper doesn�t really play breakdown-style music.

After Son of the Morning they went into New Breed. You could tell that Shane Blay has been improving on his singing, while its still not that great live, he�s much better than when I saw them last year on Scream the Prayer Tour. It�s got to be tough to sing on key with everything so loud, but he was close most of the time. The other change I was trying to pay attention to was the new drummer, Zac Mayfield. He was solid most of the night but he has some big shoes to fill, previous drummer Matt Davis was a beast and the drumming on the last album was crazy. With a new drummer on-board I was surprised to hear the band go into World Without a Sun, the track on SOTM that basically showed off Matt�s drumming ability. The song sounded good, but not nearly as tight as the recording (which can be expected).

Between each song Micah took a chance to talk, something that usually bores me, I prefer less talk � more rock. I would soon realize the reason for so much talk; the band only played 7 or 8 songs, not many for the headliner. Now they decided to go into some older material starting with Charlatan�s Host, one of my favorites. The song was building up to the best part, where the band cuts out while Micah screams �Let not my words be ripped from the mouth of a horror!� but just as we were all about to throw it down Micah stops the band to orcganize the Wall of Death. Total momentum killer and really just a poor decision; the Wall of Death is pretty lame and works best at the beginning of songs when everyone is already standing around, not during the middle of one of your best songs.

Anyway, after Charlantan�s Host they played the crowd favorite, Vices Like Vipers which went crazy. After that the band took a second to leave the stage and apparently get different guitars. Looking back I guess this was their �encore�, Reveries of Flight was playing as a track and Shane was still on stage and began singing the song. I really like this track and was pumped to hear it live. Lucas, the bass player, returned to the stage to encourage everyone to sing louder and the song began to build. Finally the entire band was back and ripping through the second half of the song. This led directly into The Finisher, a fitting closer to a set and had the kids realized that this was the last song maybe it would have been more chaotic.

After that the house lights came on and I looked at Tahoe, we both weren�t sure if that was it and I told him that they didn�t really have any more songs they could play, so I doubted they would play anymore. I was right; their set included 7 or 8 songs, almost 30 minutes of music. It seemed really short and even though they played well, it just didn�t seem like enough.

Earlier in the evening A Plea for Purging rocked the crowd with what turned out to be either the longest set, or just short of The Bled�s set. Plea, a four-piece now that guitarist Tyler Wilson has left the band to continue school and get married, filled out the sound really well considering there was only one guitarist. Later Blake confirmed that Tyler�s parts are synced with the click track but it was tough to notice since Blake handled most of the lead parts. Visually there aren�t many bands that can keep your attention quite like Plea, with lead singer Andy moving gracefully back and forth at the front of the stage, looking sort of like Kirby from Nintendo. Behind Andy you have bassist John Wand swinging his hair like a propeller for large sections of songs. It�s just crazy to watch. At one point Andy challenged the crowed to complete 300 stage-dives during one song, I think we failed miserably but it was fun to watch.

Andy also mentioned that it was some kid�s birthday and all he wanted for his birthday was a Wall of Death, so yes, for the first time of the night there was a Wall of Death. I don�t totally know all of the songs they played, but I�m certain they played Shiver, Golden Barriers, The Fall (Andy busted out a tambourine during this song), Malevolence, and The Eternal Female.

At least two of the bands mentioned that Denver was the biggest crowd yet on the tour which at first made us proud, but then looking around I was a little disappointed that other stops had less kids than this, since I don�t think there was all that many kids at the show in Denver. I wasn�t really into the other two bands on the tour; the opening band Let Live and also The Bled. A Plea for Purging is so good live and Oh Sleeper is definitely solid that if this tour stops in your neck of the woods you should check it out. It was less than $15 in Denver, and a chance to see Oh Sleeper live doesn�t come around that often.

SETLIST: Oh Sleeper
Son of the Morning
New Breed
World Without the Sun
Charlatan’s Host
Vices Life Vipers
Reveries of Flight
The Finisher

Interview with Messengers

2010-10-15T11:34:00.002-06:00

Band: Messengers
Label: Strike First Records
Interviewed for IndieVisionMusic.com by BMer

1. Tell us a little about the band; the origins, the sound, previous bands…

We’re a spirit-filled hardcore band from dallas, we play hardcore with a little thrash, a heavy dark sound with a hopeful message.

2. what do you guys represent?

Spirt-filled hardcore. We have a lot to say, whether it’s how Christians are treated or what political issues bother us.

3. is there a responsibility that comes with being a “Christian band”?

Definitely. You never know who is watching (everyone). We try as hard as possible to be Christ-like.

4. the kids these days seem to be down with dance-beats and auto-tune, is there a scene/market for thrash hardcore?

Oh yeah, for sure. It’s one of the few styles of music that is real, so much music is just superficial. People like real music.

5. seems like there are more and more bands out there trying to make it these days with the digital age and DIY recording/touring, how do you guys plan to stand out from the crowd?

Well, as hard as it is to do right now all we can do is try to be real and hope that someone notices. It helps to be a part of Strike First, though.

6. how is the scene in Texas? seems like a ton of bands coming out of there, does that help or hinder you guys?

Help! The scene in Texas is thriving again and we are glad to be able to see it grow and possibly be a part of that. We have a tough scene a lot of good heavy music.

7. do you guys try to stay with the same characters on Mario Party, or do you like to switch it up?

SAME, I (chad) am always Wario. haha

8. there are a lot of preconceived notions about hardcore music and the scene, notions about drinking and partying, anger, violence. how do you guys deal with the dark side of hardcore?

Well, we are super accepting and loving, but we stay away from [the dark side]. We are very passionate about the issues we speak of and it might come off as angry but I have had it with a lot of issues and the Bible says the violent will take it by force, so we don’t sit and watch injustice we are going to stand up for issues and maybe even change hearts, God willing.

9. what song are you guys playing for your closer?

“Anthems”. But there might be a couple of surprising songs as a finisher, too. Come to a show and find out!

10. tell me a little about the lyrical themes and ideas behind the Anthems EP?

Anthems is really a bunch of themes tied into one album. “Creation” is about the birth of my son. ”Palerose” is a bash on politics song. ”Anthems” is about having something to say but also being willing to listen to others. ”Weight” is about not going through life all alone and relying on Christ.

11. tell us about the artwork for your EP, who created it? what’s the meaning?

The artwork was done by the Quiggle mastermind (Dave Quiggle). Actually we just gave him our lyrics and the name of the album and just let him have at it.

12. Do you guys have some tours planned for 2011?

Yes, we plan on a couple of small seasonal tours and a long summer tour.

13. what is the best way for fans to get a hold of you guys and chat you up? twitter? email? facebook?

All the social networks. We check them all. We’re on twitter but the members don’t run that, Rob does. haha

myspace.com/messengershc

facebook.com/messengerstxhc

show recap: Underoath @ Boulder Theater

2010-10-01T13:01:00.001-06:00

Band: Underoath

Venue: Boulder Theatre, Boulder, Colorado

Date: August 4th, 2010

By BMer

Once it was time for Underoath to take the stage, Tahoe and I found good seats in the upper balcony. Yes haters, I’m old and I am fragile, so I prefer to sit during shows if possible, and watch the young kids beat each other up. The Boulder Theater has a great balcony that isn’t too far from the stage and you’re able to capture the essence of the entire performance with good sound. Anyway, Underoath has quite the live show, with multiple light setups on the stage facing the crowd, and a huge projection screen the projects movie clips and slides throughout the show.

Underoath opened with “Returning Empty Handed” and I was instantly reminded of a Norma Jean show with the onslaught on my senses. My only complaint was that the stage was very dark for most of the show; it was very hard to see the guys in the bands throughout the evening. Earlier in the evening Blessthefall pointed out that there was no barrier and that kids should be stage-diving and sure enough, kids started running all over the stage with no problems from security. However when the kids started getting on the stage for Underoath, stage-hands were quick to discourage it, and for good reason since it was so dark on the stage that on misstep could be disaster.

It didn’t take long to see that Spencer would be handling most of the clean vocals. I was surprised at how well he did them too, they sounded great and a new fan of Underoath probably wouldn’t have noticed the difference between Aaron and Spencer. A few times throughout the set guitarist Tim Tague also added some clean vocals, but not nearly as often as Spencer. As for the drums, Daniel was excellent on his smallish 4-piece kit. The kit was noticeably smaller than the previous band’s, Between the Buried and Me, drumkit which featured two kick-drums and a gong. Daniel was thrashing away with a ton of energy and he was sporting what looked like an epic mustache.

The set was very organized with a break between each song. Some songs like “Casting Such a Thin Shadow” has specific video clips whereas other songs featured the same loop of clips shown throughout most of the show. Underoath play two new songs from their upcoming album coming out in October, and I was less than impressed with both of the songs. The music was alright, but the clean vocals by Spencer were terrible. There could be a lot that played into that so I’ll wait until the record comes out to really have an opinion. The band played a set heavy on Define the Great Line with 5 songs, with only one songs from Chasing Safety; “Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door” which was the encore song. “Writings on the Walls” had probably the loudest crowd response of the night besides the encore.

Near the end of the set Spencer took a minute to talk about his faith, saying that they did this music for Jesus Christ. He went on to say they didn’t want to put their beliefs on anyone, that everyone “should find what makes them happy and stick with it.” I’m not sure i’m totally on board with that statement but it seems to be a common statement from Christian bands that don’t consider themselves so much a ministry as a band of Christians, singing about their lives (which very much revolves around their faith when talking about Underoath). It was an impressive show, much better than the last time i saw them in Denver.

Setlist (as best as i could remember it):
Returning Empty Handed
Breathing In a New Mentality
Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
new song
Anyone Can Dig a Hole But it Takes a Real Man to Call It a Home
Casting Such Thin Shadows
Writing on the Walls
new song
In Regards to Myself
Everyone Looks So Good From Here
Moving For the Sake of Motion
slower song w/Spencer on guitar ??

encore: It’s Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door

Review written for IndieVisionMusic.com

album review: The Showdown - Blood in the Gears

2010-10-01T12:58:00.002-06:00

Band: The Showdown
Title: Blood in the Gears
Label: Solid State Records
Release Date: August 24, 2010
Review By: BMer

Track Listing:

The Man Named Hell (4:17)
Heavy Lies The Crown (3:23)
Bring It Down (2:16)
Take Me Home (5:24)
Blood In The Gears (4:08)
Dogma Enthroned (3:11)
No Escape (3:59)
The Crooked Path (3:36)
Graveyard Of Empires (4:10)
Diggin’ My Own Grave (5:42)

Blood in the Gears is the fourth album from Tennessee’s The Showdown, and their best work yet. So far the band has released four albums, the first two on Mono vs Stereo, then the last two on Solid State Records and all four have a distinct sound. The bands first record on Solid State , Backbreaker, was pretty good, almost a complete turnaround from their previous albumTemptation Come My Way, which featured more singing and almost no harsh vocals at all. Backbreaker was a much bigger and heavier sound, fitting in nicely with the rest of the roster on Solid State, but not making a huge impact.

Blood in the Gears is easily the bands most creative and dynamic work. AlthoughBackbreaker was heavy, not many of the songs were memorable and tended to drone on longer than they needed to be. Besides a few of the popular tracks, Backbreakerfailed to make a lasting impression. Blood in the Gears changes all of that. Each of the 10 tracks on this album have memorable parts, and the speed varies throughout the record from fast, thrash-style metal/punk to some slower rock/metal tracks to the closer which is an acoustic ballad that will make Bon Jovi fans proud.

There were a few member changes for this record, but original members David (vocals) and Josh (lead guitar) were still intact, and they added longtime friend/produce Jeremiah Scotts to play bass. The other half of the band came from Demon Hunter; Patrick Judge on guitar and Yogi Watts on drums. These changes played into the fresh creativity of this record, but i would credit the drummer, Yogi, with having the biggest impact. The drums throughout are solid, and Yogi’s already southern rock feel blends great with the direction that The Showdown have always been going. While there is plenty of fast-paced double-kick drums to make heavy metal fans happy, i think contrasting those fast songs against slower, rock songs like “Take Me Home” which has a late Metallica feel to it, helps the faster songs standout on their own. ”No Escape” is my personal favorite with it’s driving beat and 80’s guitar leads. The choruses throughout the album just seem so much better than previous albums, featuring crowd-friendly back-and-forth’s (“Blood in the Gears”) or slower breakdown choruses like “Bring it Down”.

Lyrically the album is themed around the consequences of empires in the history of man. Josh Childers states “…every empire falls, centralized power eats more resources than it provides so on a long enough timeline it always happens.” Songs like “The Crooked Path” and “Blood in the Gears” really touch on the problems with society’s need to consume and our failure to live outside of our culture’s expectations. While the lyrics are a little bit cliché and generic The Showdown are about having a good time. Some bands are so serious and almost militant that it’s great to see a band playing heavy metal and having a great time doing it.

OVERALL this is a really good album by The Showdown. Blood in the Gears showcases the creativity and energy the band is able to channel. Songs like “Heavy Lies the Crown” and “Bring it Down” will certainly be favorites of the fans, while “Diggin’ My Own Grave” and “Take Me Home” show us that The Showdown aren’t worried about being just another metalcore band, they’re southern roots really come out on this record. Blood in the Gears is a blast, The Showdown continue to give their fans a great time!

Review written for IndieVisionMusic.com

album review: Trip Lee - Between Two Worlds

2010-10-01T12:56:00.002-06:00

Band: Trip Lee
Title: Between Two Worlds
Label: Reach Records
Release Date: June 22, 2010
Reviewer: BMer

Tracklisting:

Real Life Music (2:54)
Snitch (4:06)
Invade ft. J. Paul (4:00)
Prognosis (4:21)
No Worries (4:05)
Covenant Eyes ft. PRo (3:56)
Life 101 ft. Chris Lee (4:05)
I Love Music ft. Sho Baraka (4:11)
Limitations ft. Leah Smith (4:22)
Yours To Own ft. Jimmy Needham (4:04)
Apathy (Interlude) (0:51)
Twisted ft. Lecrae, PRo, Thi’sl (4:52)
Bear With You ft. Tedashii (4:37)
Show’s Over ft. Mitch Parks (4:25)
The Invasion (Hero) ft. Jai (5:37)
My Lord (Bonus Track) (4:01)

Well I had to dust off the 12’s for this one. Trip Lee, of the 116 Clique, releases his third full-length album titled Between Two Worlds on Reach Records. This record is the kind of record that goes against the common belief that Christians make bad art;Between Two Worlds is solid throughout! Trip Lee’s vocal style is reminiscent of fellow southern rapper T.I., but that’s where the comparison ends; T.I. spent last year in prison while Trip Lee spent last year touring and spreading the Good News.

There are 16 tracks on the album, only one of which is an interlude. The rest are full-length hip-hop songs featuring guest work from Pro, Sho Baraka, Lecrae, Tedashii, Thi’sl, and even Jimmy Needham. The opening track, “Real Life Music”, is awesome! No need for an intro track the listener is greeted with some violins before the beat kicks in and Trip Lee’s smooth southern delivery lets us know that he’s “…back for the third time, you know where to find me; Hanging on the coattails of Christ who designed me.” Throughout the album Trip’s faith is bold and prominent, but it does not make the songs clumsy or gimmicky like some Christian music can be. These songs can slide effortlessly alongside most mainstream rap artists.

It doesn’t take long for Trip Lee to bring a little controversy; his second track is titled “Snitch”. The track features the term snitch throughout, a term that could possibly be the worst label someone can inherit, the label “snitch” is usually related to violience in darker walks of life. However, Trip’s goal in this track is to let people know that he confesses his sins to the Lord, then to his family, he’s snitching on himself. It’s a good track with a clever idea; however I’m not sure if people are comfortable calling themselves a snitch in public.

There are a few standout tracks on Between Two Worlds. “The Invasion” is probably the best track and it’s unfortunate that it’s all the way at the end of the album. The guest vocals by Jai are excellent. “Covenant Eyes” and “I Love Music” are fun songs, the former featuring a really cool sample of someone whistling (like at a girl) throughout that is pretty creative. “Twisted” features a few of my favorite rappers, Lecrae and Thi’sl, but the track lacks a powerful hook needed to make it a standout. “Invade” is another great track featuring strings and chill beat giving it an almost epic feel. The tracks produced by Joseph Prielozny (“Real Life Music”, “Invade”, “I Love Music”, and “The Invasion”) definitely standout as the better tracks on the album.

OVERALL this is another solid album from Trip Lee, Between Two Worlds is one of the best rap albums of the year. Not every track is a winner but as a complete collection there are definitely more highs than lows. Trip Lee continues to mature as a rapper and his career is only starting to take shape (he’s only 22 years old). The production quality on this album is on par with most mainstream productions and Christian rap as a whole continues to improve its street cred with albums like this. Buhlee Dat!

Review written for IndieVisionMusic.com

album review: The Suit - The Way That We Fall

2010-10-01T12:54:00.002-06:00

Band:The Suit
Title: The Way That We Fall
Label: n/a
Release Date: 09/2010
Reviewer: BMer

Tracklisting:

1. We’re Not Coming Home
2. Feel My Heart
3. Nobody Makes Me Bleed My Own Blood
4. Look At Me Darlin
5. The Way That We Fall

The Suit release their 3rd studio album titled The Way that We Fall, a five-track EP full of catchy choruses and heavy breakdowns. The Suit, previously known as the Midnight Suit, label themselves as pop-punk/hardcore and this EP covers that well, plus more. Complete with punk-ish lead vocals reminiscent of NOFX, heavy scremo breakdowns, super catchy melody lines, gang vocals, dance beats, synth, and even hand-claps, this EP is sure to make almost anyone bop their head and tap their feet.

The Suit are all about having a good time, playing high-energy shows and writing music that makes the listener want to dance. The overall feel of this EP reminds me of the latest trendy genre being made popular by bands like Attack! Attack! With some electronic beats and synth added to a hardcore style band. It’s almost like party-core or something, but I have to admit that I have a soft-spot for music like this; it makes you want to dance and sing along and then pound the floor with a hardcore breakdown. Some might say it’s gimmicky, or cheap, or trendy, but if it’s done well it doesn’t matter and The Suit do it well.

The lyrical content focuses on struggle and tough times, and the songs are setup in a progression from good times to hitting rock bottom to healing and learning. The opening track “We’re Not Coming Home” is basically a celebration as the gang vocals chant “let this last forever as we stand together, hand in hand we sing”. Later, in the track “Look At Me Darlin’” the lyrics are honest and internal, “Look at me darling, I’m a train wreck and I’ll say that. I know we’re going down to the bottom.” At times the lyrics are pretty aggressive and angry and somewhat tough to swallow, but they’re honest and I’m sure a few listeners will be able to relate to similar feelings while going through tough times.

The last track, and probably the best track; “The Way That We Fall” is everything that the listener is looking for. This is the type of song that you end shows with, great singalong parts, great melody, totally upbeat and fun breakdowns. Even the synth behind the verse is great, reminds me of Reggie & the Full Effect. The lyrics speak of learning from your mistakes and moving on, something that we can all sing along to.

OVERALL this is a great EP, The Suit have successfully combined a few different genres of music to produce an irresistible sound. Each song has that pop-punk goodness with lyrics you can sing along with and relate to, and on top of that each song gives you a chance to throw down with well done heavy breakdowns. The Way That We Fall is not groundbreaking by any means, but it’s a blast, it’s infectious and will be enjoyed by listeners looking for a good time.

written for IndieVisionMusic.com

Songs to Slay the Dragons vol. 2

2010-09-25T12:37:00.003-06:00

Indie Vision Music has put together a compilation of metal/hardcore bands for volume 2 of Songs to Slay the Dragons. Most of these bands are either unsigned, or signed to small labels. My buddy Steve at IVM handled most of this compilation with a little help from me, but i'm currently working on a lighter compilation of indie-rock / pop-punk / alternative bands that should be out mid-October.

Songs to Slay the Dragons is free to download here

Track List:
1. Phinehas – I Am the Lion
2. Messengers – Judge (Courtesy of Facedown/Strike First Records)
3. With Life In Mind – King of Frauds (Courtesy of CI Records)
4. Close Your Eyes – The Body (Courtesy of Victory Records)
5. Gnashing of Teeth – Separate (Courtesy of Sancrosanct Records)
6. Hundredth – Desolate (Courtesy of MediaSkare Records)
7. Called to Arms – Vintage Pharisee (Courtesy of Tragic Hero Records)
8. The Gun Show – The Adegan System
9. Strengthen What Remains – Pathetic (Courtesy of On The Attack Records)
10. Where the Ocean Meets the Sky – We Are But Instruments (Courtesy of CI Records)
11. Fallstar – Hunters (Courtesy of Come & Live!)
12. Silence O Israel – Beware: Alexander the Coppersmith
13. Righteous Vendetta – The Dawning (Courtesy of Red Cord Records)
14. Centuries Apart – Malachi (My Messenger)
15. Cast Them To Ruin – Ocean Straight
16. I Am Alpha and Omega – The Bride (Courtesy of Come & Live!)
17. ForChristSake – Sleep
18. As Bold As Lions – Face of Reality
19. The Brigade – Teeth and Crowns
20. As Bold As Lions – Moving Forward
21. Mercy Screams – Thief In the Night
22. As Bold As Lions – The Anthem
23. Dependency – Fragile (Courtesy of Blood & Ink Records)
24. Sovereign Strength – Deliverance (Courtesy of MediaSkare Records)
25. Thin Ice – You Were There (Courtesy of Blood & Ink Records)
26. Sovereign Strength – Heartless (Courtesy of MediaSkare Records)
27. Debtor – Escape (Courtesy of Blood & Ink Records)
28. Sovereign Strength – The Suffering (Courtesy of MediaSkare Records)
29. Not One Is Upright – And They Were Likened Unto Dogs
30. Inlow – Ecclactide
31. Senseless Beauty – Fear and Loathing in Iowa City
32. Moshe Dayan – Arms of Desolation
33. Every Man For Himself – Te Mana Whakahaere (Autonomy) (Courtesy of Deadboy Records)
34. Divide the Sea – In Knowing, Triumph (Courtesy of Blood & Ink Records)
35. Milosny – Battle Line (Courtesy of Red Cord Records)
36. Awake the Suffering – Purities Walk Through The Vines (Courtesy of Raging Storm Records)
37. Before There Was Rosalyn – The Warrior (Courtesy of Victory Records)
38. Corpus Christi – Monuments (Courtesy of Victory Records)
39. Creations – Boom (P.O.D. Cover)
40. Clear Convictions – Justice From Heaven (On The Attack Records)
41. Saving Grace – Oaxaca (Courtesy of Deadboy & Strike First Records)
42. Second Thief – Perfection (Courtesy of Darkslate Records)
43. Auburn – Weary Bones and Watering Eyes (Demo) (Courtesy of Blue Duck Records)
44. Parallels – Patterns

Show Recap: Heavenfest 2010

2010-08-05T20:15:00.004-06:00

Heavenfest had a new home this year, probably due in small part to my blog post last year that got me an email from some of the organizers and a little heated discussion. But in the end I was right, the traffic situation last year was terrible, and herding everyone through the same entrance was also a terrible idea. The organizers took note and moved Heavenfest to Longmont on a bigger piece of land, closer to the freeway, and used multiple entrances. This is only the third year Heavenfest has been around so there’s definitely a learning curve, but I can’t help and think that they should be looking at the other successful music festivals that have been around for years like Cornerstone, Sonshine (29 years), Warped Tour, and many more.

This year went really well, I only had a few issues that I’ll get out of the way first. The doors opened at 10a and Tahoe and I left my place about 11a and made it to the parking lot right about 1130a. We bypassed the huge line of cars waiting to get into the 1^st parking lot and drove effortlessly into the second lot, no line at all. Heavenfest probably should have posted signs to let people know about the second lot and avoided a ton of that traffic. After parking we got in line, a long line. This wouldn’t be the last line we got in. I figured that it was 30 minutes before the bands started playing and I was very intent on seeing the opening band for the Heavy Music Stage, Hundredth, one of my favorites. Apparently a 30-minute cushion wasn’t nearly enough time to get through the ridiculous entrance line. Everyone in the line was eventually split into two lines, one for people who needed to buy tickets, and one for people who already had tickets via Will Call or Email confirmation. We needed Will Call so we got in that line, along with hundreds of other people. There were only about 5 computers being used to check-in people, and I know these are run by volunteers, but you’re gonna need more than 5 computers when you expect 30,000+ people to be arriving at roughly the same time.

At the beginning of the line you have a bag search. You were allowed to bring a lot of different items, which was cool, especially water. But on the walk up to the line it was hot and I opened my water, Tahoe did not open his. I was forced to dump out my 95% full large water at the beginning of the line, why? This isn’t the TSA, I’m not flying around, one sniff and you know it’s not Vodka. Very lame, especially at an event so intent on raising awareness for things like clean water in third-world countries, and here I am along with a bunch of other people, pouring out perfectly clean water onto the ground. So then we stand in line in direct sunlight, 90 degrees, no water, for about an hour. Obviously we missed Hundredth and the beginning of the next band In The Midst of Lions.

Not wanting to miss any more bands we took the half-mile walk to the HM Stage right during In The Midst of Lions set. The first couple of bands had a tight schedule, 30 minutes each including setup/sound check. So the fact that ITMOL was halfway through their set meant that we were in line until about 1245p, nonsense. Also, because of the tight schedule bands weren’t doing full sound checks, only making sure their instruments were on and then the sound guy would adjust everything during the first song. Most bands only played 5 songs in 20 minutes so it was a little rough. The other interesting and slightly lame thing at the HM Stage was that there was a barrier right down the middle of the crowd. Basically the sound guy, back about 20 yards, had his own fenced off path going directly to the stage. This was probably so he could get there quickly and fix things. However it made for an awkward crowd dynamic where a majority of the crowd was on one side (the side closest to the rest of the festival). That side had a ton of kids, but the other side was really empty, you could walk right up to the stage for almost any band. Never seen that before, it was weird and there didn’t really seem to be a need for it, maybe to protect the cables running from the soundboard to the stage.

My last complaint was the lack of shade. It was freaking hot and there was no shade anywhere. Not really sure what could have been done about that but it was tough, for everyone.

After ITMOL it was The Great Commission, a “heavy worship” band. They were pretty good, really inciting the crowd with stuff like “when people tell you that this music isn’t worship music, or that it sounds evil, you tell them that God doesn’t hear our guitars or what’s coming out of our amps, He hears what is coming out of our hearts.” Kids were eating that stuff up, and for the most part he made some good points. They ended their set with a cover of Hillsong United which was pretty cool.

After The Great Commission it was one of my other favorite bands I The Breather. They had a lot of problems with their equipment and the guitar player had to switch guitars mid-song. Only maybe the last two songs were full-strength, High Rise and a new song. They had a lot of energy but the crowd just wasn’t into it due to the sound problems.

After I The Breather we decided to get lunch and miss The Crimson Armada. This is where we encountered more lines and made a painfully dumb decision. Tahoe and I stood in the water line (there was free water if you had a water bottle, one of the best things about Heavenfest, a great idea and it worked pretty well). The line took about 20 minutes until we got to fill up our bottles, then we decided to get lunch. We opted for the pizza, which was awesome, huge pieces, I’m talking over and inch thick and probably 6” X 6” and for only $6. Great deal, except the 30-minute line. So if Tahoe and I would have split up, one went for water and the other for food, we would have saved ourselves 30 minutes. But our consolation was getting to catch the entire Petra set from the main stage! Haha, it was pretty entertaining, I thought it was pretty cool.

We ate our food and watched The Color Morale and Sheridan (from Denver). Both bands were pretty good but there was just so much new material for us, neither of us are really listeners of most of the bands on the lineup. After these guys we traveled around to the different merch tables and tents. We didn’t find anything of interest so we finally decided to just stay at the HM Stage. We caught the whole set for A Plea for Purging which I have to admit I really enjoyed. I’ve seen them live probably 5-6 times now and was never interested before but they were good this time, maybe I’m a fan now?

Next up was Blessed by a Broken Heart, and this is where the madness started. The band had some issues getting started; they have some tracks and electric drums so there was a little more stuff to prepare. Once they finally got going you could tell something wasn’t right. BBABH have had some serious troubles on this current tour they’re on (Scream the Prayer Tour) from car troubles, to equipment trouble, to personal issues that one band member had to fly home for. All that and the fact that they don’t have a huge following to begin with. The crowd just wasn’t into it and it was a small crowd to start with since the Supertones were playing on the Rock Stage at the same time. This will probably be the end BBABH, and you could tell they’ve seen the writing on the wall.

Near the end of the set the singer instructed all of the “big people” to gather at the side of the stage. Halfway through “Carry On” the singer climbed up the stack of speakers, grabbed a hold of the tie-downs that were supporting the roof of the stage and climbed all the way up to the top of the roof, with his microphone. From there he said he was going to jump, it was probably 25’ feet high. He sang the rest of the verse and then flipped onto the crowd. It was impressive I must admit, but pretty dangerous. After that song they went into their closer which is a mashup of hip-hop and pop songs, with hardcore drums/guitars. The Great Commission guitarists joined the band on stage, which made the song chaotic and silly. Near the end of the song the singer invited the crowd onto the stage, which meant fans had to climb over the barrier, bypass security and climb up the stage. It was a terrible idea and very disrespectful to the festival as chaos ensued. Quickly the power was cut and things were breaking. Police and backup security showed up and the crowd was dispersed. Things were broken and we were informed that the stage would be down for probably an hour.

Usually that means that the bands just get delayed, but Heavenfest has specific plans at 9p, The Sacred Assembly on the main stage while the other stages are shutdown. This meant that between 6p and 9p the sets from For Today, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Sleeping Giant, and the headliners The Devil Wears Prada would all have to be shortened as to finish by 9p. This was pretty lame since these were obviously the biggest bands of the day and the ones that most fans came to see.

Fortunately during this time we found some shade from which we could still watch the stage, and hang out with my other buddy Jordan and his family. So we chilled for For Today and Maylene, both played like 30-minute sets plus sound check/breakdown. Mattie from For Today couldn’t resist the chance to preach which ate up another 5-10 minutes even though Chad, the MC of the stage (from Come & Live) tried to get him off the stage. The Devil Wears Prada were going to get their full set no matter what, since they were the headliners, so that meant that Sleeping Giant got pinched into about 20 minutes. They were great though, Sleeping Giant, Tommy really knows how to talk to a crowd and connect with people. He apologized to the security guards for the lack of respect/honor shown by BBABH and really spoke with genuine care. They played 5 songs; “Blame it on the Holy Rollers”, “No One Leaves This Room Sick”, “Pale Horse” and “Gang Signs” were the ones I remember. Tommy couldn’t do his testimony / “Whoremonger” because of time restraints.

Last up was The Devil Wears Prada and they were great as usual. Their setup is solid, no real soundchecks so you don’t even see the band until they’re on stage playing “Danger:Wildman”. Despite the heat they were relentless with Mike roaming back and forth across the stage. They played most of the their typical live set including “Assistant to the Reginal Manager”, “Hey John…”, “Reptar…” “Sassafras” and “HTmL Roolz”. They also played at least one really old song since this is technically part of their Back to the Roots Tour. Also from their upcoming Zombies EP they played “Outnumbered”. Since their set was cut short we didn’t get the normal encore including “Louder Than Thunder”, they just played “Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over.” It was a little sketchy near the end of the set since it was so dark at the stage, there were no lights on the crowd so the pits were pretty dangerous, but we survived.

All in all this was probably my 2^nd best Heavenfest experience, the initial Heavenfest was so much fun so that will be tough to beat. A few tweaks here and there and I’m sure next year will be even better than this year, but who can top Petra?

My Interview with The Devil Wears Prada

2010-07-27T13:39:00.002-06:00

While i was at the Sonshine Festival in Minnesota with my pal Alan i got to meet up with fellow Indie Vision Music write (and my mentor!) Steve Sloan. He was able to set up an interview with one of the hottest bands right now; The Devil Wears Prada. Alan videotaped while Steve and I grilled Mike (lead singer) and Jeremy (lead guitar/backup vocals) about their current Back To The Roots tour and other topics. It was a lot of fun and i'm very thankful to Steve for setting this up, he's been an awesome friend and contact since we met only a few months ago.

Here's the interview:

The Devil Wears Prada Interview at Sonshine 2010 from Indie Vision Music on Vimeo.

Show Recap: Gwen Stacy @ Cervantes

2010-07-26T09:42:00.004-06:00

I was planning on hitting up this show on my own since none of my friends out here in Denver are big Gwen Stacy fans, and the rest of the lineup was pretty weak, but fortunately for me my buddy Jordan tagged along. For $15 you couldn't really go wrong, but this show attempted to be a waste of money, one of the few times when i feel let down but a live concert.

I've been a Gwen Stacy fan for quite a while, they have hardcore roots and don't really venture too much into metalcore which is nice. They have some awesome breakdowns with great sing alongs like "This is family, this is pure!" and i haven't had the chance to catch them outside of last year's Scream the Prayer Tour where they weren't playing anything from their latest release A Dialogue. I was pretty excited to finally catch them, and the fact that they were headlining was surprising to me since they didn't have that big of support last summer when i saw them at Sonshine and STP Tour.

Well, they still don't have great support and probably shouldn't have done a headlining tour, the venue was practically empty, easily less than 100 people. The front of the stage was maybe 2 people deep in the middle, and only about 10 kids were really dancing around. We stood near the back for previous bands but we knew that Gwen Stacy would call people out so we moved close to the stage. Sure enough Geoff, lead singer for GS, did call out two girls that were sitting up in the balcony and we spent easily 5 minutes coaxing them down to the stage. Surprisingly Geoff was using a plethora of foul language on the mic was threw me for a total loop.

Normally foul language at a show is nothing new, and i don't have a problem with it at all, but bands that represent themselves as a "Christian Band" and represent a known Christian label like Solid State Records, swearing on the mic seems a bit poor in taste. I was starting to wonder if the band no longer considered themselves to be representing Christ through their platform and after the show i was able to find out that in fact the band no longer considered themselves a "christian band" and that Brent, bass player and the founder of the band, was really the only Christian left. this was disheartening to say the least, but it is what it is.

After instructing the crowd to get "A#% to balls" and pack it in, all 40 of us enjoyed a set that opened with "The Path to Certainty" and then rolled through "The Fear in Your Eyes" and "I Was Born With Two First Names". They also played crowd favorite "Gun Held to the Head" from there initial demo. I believe they only played two tracks from their latest release A Dialogue which were "Profit Motive" and "The First Words" my favorite track. They closed with "Gone Fishing" i think.

The new band was solid, the new drummer Brett Sibley did well and adding the 2nd guitarist (Matt Strahl) really help the overall sound even if he was deathly ill. Frontman Geoff is solid, but he seemed a little off tonite, possibly due to some alcohol consumption before the show? who knows, either way he's pretty good considering there weren't many kids at the show, and he spoke about people using their heads to make decisions, and that the band is about "mutual respect" saying "when you die you're only accountable for yourself."

The other 2 bands we saw were City Serene and Lower Definition. City Serene is a female fronted mini-Attack Attack! with some electronic synth mixed in. they were pretty weak in my opinion, and once again i'm not impressed with female-fronted hardcore bands, i just don't buy it. Lower Definition has a solid sound and plenty of energy, but the lead singer totally ruined it for me. maybe it was the fact that he "drank three bottles of whiskey before the show" and was "totally faded" but he was just stumbling around and kept pulling the mic away from his face when he was singing the clean vocals like he was Justin Timberlake or something. never could hear him at all.

Just a bummer of a show. check out this picture and see how there was no crowd:

Gwen Stacy band no longer a "Christian band"

2010-07-23T10:10:00.002-06:00

Gwen Stacy has apparently dropped their label of “Christian Band” after manys years on Solid State Records and tours including the Scream The Prayer Tour with stops at Cornerstone and Sonshine. The band is currently touring on the No Bummer Summer Tour with Lower Definition and all the members are very accessible through twitter and formspring. They are also featuring a new lineup replacing their longtime drummer TJ Sego and added a second guitarist.

Geoff Jenkins: “we aren’t a christian band anymore. People can never focus on anything but the label” -twitter

Geoff Jenkins (lead vocals) Formspring Twitter

Brent Schindler: “I am still a Christian. GS not being a Christian band has nothing to so with my personal faith.” -twitter

Brent (bass, clean vox): Twitter

Best of 2010 (so far)

2010-07-07T14:42:00.014-06:00

Here we are in July and there have already been some amazing releases! I figured i would list my favorite albums so far for 2010, and some other stuff as well

10. Dependency - Convicted

The debut release from this hardcore band, it's short (EP) and sweet, raw energy and passion. Favorite tracks are Ready For Conflict and Fragile.

9. Norma Jean - Meridional

This one has yet to be released as i write this, but i got an early copy so i could write a review for IVM. I'm not the biggest Norma Jean fan but this album is really good, some songs are chaotic and heavy, while others feature some melody to sing along with. my favorite Norma Jean release. Favorite tracks are Septentrional and High Noise Low Output.

8. Close Your Eyes - We Will Overcome

This one took me a minute to get into after i checked them out based on a "Sounds like Comeback Kid". they don't sound like CBK in my opinion, but it's still impressive melodic Christian hardcore. Check out 17:20 and Song For The Broken.

7. Blank Page Empire - Sinners, Thieves, and Beggars

This progressive-rock band from Minnesota blew me away with this record, their unsigned debut. Excellent vocals and a very dynamic sound makes this a fresh release for 2010. check out tracks The Blind That Lead the Blind and The Amazing Two-Headed Man.

6. As I Lay Dying - The Powerless Rise

This will end up being Album of the Year for a lot of people, and it is an impressive album. The music (metal/metalcore) on this album is probably their best effort to date, but i felt the lyrics were a little weak in relative to previous releases. Despite that its still an awesome album, i liked tracks The Plague and The Anodyne Sea.

5. Hundredth - When Will We Surrender

I held off checking these guys out because i didn't really like the name of the band, but after Jordan told me to take a listen i was impressed. Solid hardcore and great elements to each song that make the songs more memorable and dynamic than other hardcore bands.

4. The Ghost Inside - Returners

Oh man, i love this band, never heard of them before the 10 for $10 Tour last year and after that performance i was sold. I was just getting into their previous release when they dropped Returners, and man it's all good! Love the tracks Unspoken and The Conflict (w/ Tommy Green of Sleeping Giant).

3. Dave Barnes - What We Want We Get

Probably Dave's most accessible work yet, all of the songs are radio-friendly yet still feature the great songwriter vibe that Dave is known for. Someday people will discover Dave Barnes and be ticked that they hadn't discovered him earlier! Listen to Chameleon and God Gave Me You.

2. Robbie Seay Band - Miracle

Every album from Robbie Seay is excellent, his raspy vocals and so good and the laid-back vibe of his band is great to listen to. Miracles is solid front to back with worship tracks that you probably won't find in church on Sunday mornings, but you will be singing them everywhere else. great tracks are Crazy Love and Lament.

1. Haste the Day - Attack of the Wolf King

this will probably end up as my favorite album by HTD (so far). This album is full of energetic metalcore with great choruses, something Haste the Day have been doing well for quite a while now. This is my album of the year so far, i love it! Favorite tracks so far are Dogs Like Vultures and The Quiet Deadly Ticking.

Other Notable Releases:

Call to Preserve - Life of Defiance

War of Ages - Eternal

Continuance - Carry Ourselves

Of Mice & Men - s/t

Top Artist Plays in last 6 months:

1
Dave Barnes
525
2
AFI
494
3
Phil Wickham
385
4
Anberlin
347
5
Haste the Day
303
6
Comeback Kid
297
7
Crime in Stereo
286
8
Rihanna
284
9
A Skylit Drive
262
10
Dropkick Murphys
250

Top Tracks Plays in last 6 months:

1
Phil Wickham – Messiah
35
1
Dave Barnes – Little Lies
35
3
Dave Barnes – Until You
31
4
Comeback Kid – False Idols Fall
30
4
We Came As Romans – To Plant A Seed
30
6
Anberlin – Disappear
29
6
Mayer Hawthorne – Maybe So, Maybe No
29
6
Dave Barnes – What We Want, What We Get
29
9
We Came As Romans – Intentions
28
9
Rihanna – Hard ft. Jezzy
28
9
Dave Barnes – God Gave Me You
28
9
Dave Barnes – What I Need
28

stats via Last.fm/user/bmer916

1	Dave Barnes	525
2	AFI	494
3	Phil Wickham	385
4	Anberlin	347
5	Haste the Day	303
6	Comeback Kid	297
7	Crime in Stereo	286
8	Rihanna	284
9	A Skylit Drive	262
10	Dropkick Murphys	250

1	Phil Wickham – Messiah	35
1	Dave Barnes – Little Lies	35
3	Dave Barnes – Until You	31
4	Comeback Kid – False Idols Fall	30
4	We Came As Romans – To Plant A Seed	30
6	Anberlin – Disappear	29
6	Mayer Hawthorne – Maybe So, Maybe No	29
6	Dave Barnes – What We Want, What We Get	29
9	We Came As Romans – Intentions	28
9	Rihanna – Hard ft. Jezzy	28
9	Dave Barnes – God Gave Me You	28
9	Dave Barnes – What I Need	28