Archive | June, 2010

Imadethismistake, “Bow And Quiver”

30 Jun

An angry shout, astute observational skills and instrumentals that range everywhere from a swan like trumpet to a grinding guitar riff, Imadethismistake is a musical get up that stands apart from the numerous carbon copies lacing the booming East Coast music scene. Kylewiliam Campol, apart from being a man that isn’t a fan of traditional letter spacing, is someone with a knack for narrating the world around him. Sometimes delivered in a growling spoken word and in other instances sung out in a scrappy whine, the words that make up Imadethismistake’s recent release, Bow And Quiver embody the inner monologue none of us will admit to having; one full of frustration, doubt, and dissatisfaction. This all encompassing relation we share is no better displayed than in “Rogue Island” where a rag-tag band of group vocals come together with a slightly off-key chorus of, “It takes more than you know/ I find it hard to/ Come to terms”

Though relatively minimalist in its delivery, Bow And Quiver does deliver some pick up in songs such as “Sub-Tropics” and “Stateside” which border on raucous with their steely riffs, crashing drums, and of course, Campol’s ever present pissed-off grunt. In fact, it’s the rawness of Kylewilliam Campol that makes Imadethismistake such a notable figure in up and coming music. The gritty, slightly out of the norm tempos of Bow And Quiver may not be what most listeners are used to, but given the proper time to gestate, the tracks of this album are sure to register somewhere within your mind, be it during the opening frustrations of “New York” as Campol scowls, “It’s like I’ve been given a three inch blade/ To cut down a full-grown oak/ Its not so much impossible/ As much as its unlikely that I’d ever have the follow through to go on” or the methodic pace of his rant in “Weak Week”. Offering up a softer approach in closing track, “The Grimmerie Pt. 2: Go Ahead, Ascend”, it is here that the album comes full circle, the song encompassing all the torn up thoughts and feelings of its proceeding tracks, and repeating the stand out lyrics of “New York”.

Much like his past work, what Campol has created with Bow And Quiver is something nearly primal, which connects and resonates with the human experience so naturally that it is almost spooky. What may be the most brilliant part of the whole thing is that Campol is simply sharing his own thoughts- there’s no preconceived notion that he’s speaking on behalf of mankind or that he has answers for anyone. But somehow, this one person’s stream of consciousness fits right in with the listener’s and for the duration of Bow And Quiver, neither is alone in their brooding.

Kylewilliam Campol took some time out of his musical musings to talk with us a little bit about Bow And Quiver, his future plans, and who might play on his dream tour.

Reviewsic: Can you give us a quick recap of what the band has been up to as of late?

Kylewilliam Campol: Well the new record came out on May 11, and I have been on tour since February, so that has kept me pretty busy. As I am writing this I am getting ready to start the first show of our UK / European tour.

Reviewsic: What’s the back-story on how the band came to be what it is today?

Kylewilliam Campol: I started imadethismistake when I was 14, 8 years ago, as an outlet for my thoughts and feelings on subjects I didn’t feel comfortable simply talking about. It morphed

Reviewsic: Is there any instrument you don’t play, but wish you did?

Kylewilliam Campol: Cello

Reviewsic: What are the last three albums or bands you listened to?

Kylewilliam Campol: mewithoutyou – its all crazy! It’s all false! It’s all a dream! Its alright!, look mexico – gasp asp, Jeffrey Lewis – me are I.

Reviewsic:  If you could work with one person in the music industry (musician, label, producer etc), who would it be and why?

Kylewilliam Campol: J. Robbins, he recorded the promise ring, enough said.

Reviewsic: What is the most memorable concert you’ve ever attended?

Kylewilliam Campol: I saw sting when I was 13 at an amphitheatre in West Palm beach, Florida… my dad scored front row seats and he threw me his bass pick, but this older lady next to me pushed me out of the way and stole it.

Reviewsic: Who are three of your favorite local bands?

Kylewilliam Campol: Well, I have lived in 3 different cities in the last 3 years, so ill do one from each city… Tallahassee, Florida – Look Mexico, Providence, RI – Weak Teeth, Richmond, VA – The Two Funerals

Reviewsic: If you could book a tour with any 3 bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Kylewilliam Campol: Honestly, the bands I am currently on tour with. Neil Sutherland and friends, and apologies, I have none! Are at the front of that list… I have been the largest fan of Neil Sutherland’s music for years, and I was able to bring him from the UK to do a 9 week US tour last august, and now I am doing the UK with him… Apologies, I Have None contains one of my closest friends as a bassist… and the third band, I’d probably say Converge.

Reviewsic: Tell us about Bow and Quiver – is there a particular concept behind it? What was the process of making the album like?

Kylewilliam Campol: Bow and Quiver is based on the concept of stress,; all the factors that lead up to it, and the effects of how we handle it. The album was written during the winter when I was living in Rhode Island, it was cold and grey and depressing, which isreflected in the music and lyrics. We recorded it in 16 hours in our friends’ basement in New York, and I flew down to Florida to mix and master it.

Reviewsic: How would you compare yourselves as musicians at this point as opposed to when you first began playing together?

Kylewilliam Campol: I think everyone who plays music gets better over time.

Reviewsic: What are some of your favorite cities and/o venues to play?

Kylewilliam Campol: The Fishtank in Durham, UK, The Camel in Richmond, VA, AS220 in Providence, RI, Biko Garage in Santa Barbara, CA

Reviewsic: What are the best and worst band moments so far in your career?

Kylewilliam Campol: My favourite moments all revolve around the fact that I have met all of my closest friends through music.

Reviewsic: What are your plans for your music in the next year?

Kylewilliam Campol: We’re doing Europe / the auk now [June 8] through July 15, then the west coast in September and October. At some point we’re going to record some songs for a split with our buddies The Anchor from San Antonio, Texas.

5 Songs For A Hump Day Slump

30 Jun

Sometimes as midweek rolls around we all start to see that cup as more half empty than full. While Wednesday really is all that much closer to Friday, it can be hard when you realize there are STILL two more working days before the weekend. So in honor of that feeling of “Ugh, Do I really have to drag myself out of bed?” we bring you 5 songs to get you moving in the morning, bring the pep back into your step,  or at the very least, let you know you’re not the only one dragging your heels.

My Own Adventure- Oh My God

Skinny Dippin’- Essex Chanel,

Big Sur- The Thrills

Sushi- Kyle Andrews

Gravediggers On Their Deathbeds Pt. 2- Imadethismistake

Museum Mouth, “Tears In My Beer”

29 Jun

Spunky and kind of sloppy make up the essence of North Carolina band Museum Mouth, who toes the line between pop punk and that blanket statement description of lo-fi indie rock. Duel vocals deliver a male-female trade off, though singer/bassist Savannah Levin seems to bear the brunt of the vocal work. Unpretentious and anything but manicured, Museum Mouth delivers somewhat droning and grungy guitars with reedy vocals to channel an energy of “Who gives a fuck?”, not in the antiestablishment, angst ridden, teenage way, but more along the lines of, “We’re doing this because we want to. I guess you can listen.” Definitely in the same vein of early Superchunk and Lemuria, as fine publications like Sound As Language (who featured the band’s EP I AM THE IDIOT OF THE JUNGLE as a free download not too long ago) once said, Museum Mouth is a simple formula of buzzing microphones, thumping bass and rusty guitars from people who just want to make music.

Though most of the band’s full-length, the hilarious-yet sadly titled Tears In My Beer is fuzzily chaotic, some tracks like, “Planet Courtney” and “Virginia” mellow out to be a little more ambient and spacey in comparison to their punk inspired fellows. Tears In My Beer clocks in at less than 20 minutes, making it short and sweet, just the right amount of time for a gritty musical assault on the senses of your average listener. But for people with a penchant for Cap’n Jazz and Be Your Own Pet, Tears In My Beer will probably end up invoking its namesake over a cold one for being such a tease.

Tears In My Beer is available to stream in its entirety over at Punknews.org or to buy from the band’s merch store

Karl Kuehn, Graham High, and Savannah Levin shot the breeze with Reviewsic recently to talk about Tears In My Beer, their upcoming summer tour, and what their comic book personas would be.

Reviewsic: Can you give us a quick recap of what the band has been up to as of late?

Karl: Well, we put out a full-length record (Tears) and then we all got really busy with school and boring such stuff but now were working on new songs, and booking a summer tour!

Graham: And drinking heavily.

Reviewsic: If you could book a tour with any 3 bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Graham: Talking Heads…. BECAUSE THEYRE THE TALKING HEADS!

Savannah: My parents old band Category 5, so I could see my parents get real crazy.

Karl: Ke$ha. Because she makes my heart beat like an 808 drum.

Reviewsic: What are your top three musical influences?

Savannah: Any badass female that has a strong presence in recordings and on stage has a big influence on me. (Graham: Oh, like Iggy Pop.)

Karl: I’m influenced more by people, such as Kristen Stewart, and Micheal Phelps.

Graham: Sunn O)))

Reviewsic: Is there any instrument you don’t play, but wish you did?

Karl: I really wanna learn how to play the sitar.

Graham: Piano or some crazy drum machine…or something….

Savannah: I just wanna learn how to play bass.

Reviewsic: What are the last three albums or bands you listened to?

Karl: The last record I listened to was House Parts by Two Hand Fools. It’s not out yet but it’s seriously SO GOOD and I cannot stop listening to it!

Savannah: Phil Collins. Greatest Hits.

Graham: Xiu Xiu’s La Foret.

Reviewsic: If you could work with one person in the music industry (musician, label, producer etc), who would it be and why?

Savannah: Pass

Karl: You know Shakira plays drums?

Graham: Jonathan Richman- because he’s the fucking man. Everything he makes is so simple but brilliant.

Reviewsic: What was the most memorable concert you’ve ever attended?

Graham: Rad Fest.

Karl: Rad Fest.

Savannah: Rad Fest.

Reviewsic: Who are three of your favorite local bands?

Together: Well…there’s only one other band from Southport, but they hate us.

Graham: They play some wannabe sublime reggae music.

Karl and Savannah: But we have some friends in Wilmington that are attempting to create a music scene like Mourning is for Suckers, Photoclub, and Fractal Farm.

Graham: He is Legend

Reviewsic: What’s the back-story on how the band came to be what it is today?

Graham: I went to college with Karl and one day he said to me “Graham I’m gonna teach you how to play guitar and were gonna be in a band together”….ta-da!

Savannah: I hung out a lot with Karl and one day he was like “Savannah I’m gonna teach you how to play bass and were gonna be in a band with Graham”…ta-da!

Karl: I’m really pushy.

Reviewsic: Tell us about Tears in My Beer – is there a particular concept behind it? What was the process of making the album like?

Karl: There’s not as much of a concept behind the record as there is just a unifying theme in the songs, and I think the title sorta echoes the theme- it’s implying that we’re making light of a situation that in all reality is a huge bummer. But, we all wrote the songs on the record separately over the course of three or four months in a relatively scattered process.  Like, Graham was living in Raleigh and hewould demo guitar parts and send them to me to get ideas flowing.  Savannah and I would work on drum and bass parts and then Graham would come down and play the songs with us.  And then we all collaborated on lyrics.  In fact, we hadn’t even played a lot of the songs together as a band until after they were recorded.  And we recorded them ourselves in less than a week.  I think we were really lucky that the record ended up cohesive at all!

Savannah: The actual recording process for vocals was kind of insane. Karl and I had all these plans to start on a certain date but then really crazy things like car wrecks kept getting in the way. So recording vocals and most of the bass parts in Karl’s closet in a week was extremely stressful but exhilarating all at the same time.

Graham: One day I got this text from Karl that was like “Hey we should name the record Tears In My Beer.” I was really averse to it until Karl pointed out how sad and pathetic the title was/is and then I really liked it.

Reviewsic: How would you compare yourselves as musicians at this point as opposed to when you first began playing together?

Savannah: I think we can all agree we are waaay better at our instruments now then when we first started. I think about me playing a show live a year ago and I’m embarrassed for the rest of the band.

Karl: Basically that sums it up. I had some experience playing drums before Museum Mouth but I’ve definitely gotten much better and grown a lot as a musician in the year we’ve been a band.

Graham: I think Karl has gotten much better at drums. I still cant’ keep a tempo. Damn it.

Reviewsic: What are some of your favorite cities and/o venues to play? What are a few items essential to your “tour survival kit”?

Karl: We’ve never been on tour, so we’ll get back to you on this after this summer.

Savannah: If we had a tour survival kit it would include condoms, Plan B, and whiskey. I’m just kidding.

Reviewsic: What are the best and worst band moments so far in your career?

Karl: Our record release show with The Measure (SA) at the Soapbox was incredibly awesome. The worst was this one show we played at the upstairs of the Soapbox that our friend Chason didn’t book.

Graham: The best and worst band moment for me was when the other Southport band refused to play with us. No. Actually the worst band moment was when Karl and I were sitting on this hammock with our friends Pineapple Explode and the hammock broke. My ass never recovered.

Savannah: The worst band moment was definitely that one show in the upstairs of the soapbox. I yelled at my band mates pretty hardcore after that show, which was horrible. The best was the first time we were all in the same room and wrote a song at the same time. It was really unifying.

Reviewsic: If Museum Mouth were a comic book, what would your superpowers be and who would be your arch nemesis?

Graham: Gardening! My arch nemesis would be the groundskeepers at my apartment because they try to weed eat my plants.

Karl: I think my superpower would be pizza. My arch nemesis would be a pepperoni shortage.

Savannah: My superpower would be being decisive. My arch nemesis would be me right now.

Reviewsic: What are your plans for your music in the next year?

Graham: Become an ambient possibly drone metal band, and play the Gathering of the Juggalos.

Savannah: Stop Graham from turning this into something horrible.

Karl: To write and demo enough songs for a new full length, record some other songs for a split, and play as many shows as possible.

5 Albums Out This Week

29 Jun

Having our own history working in big box record stores, we know that Tuesday’s tend to be big release days in the entertainment world. In light of it being a Tuesday,(and honestly, what else do Tuesday’s really offer?) we bring you this installment of our ‘List of 5′ series:

5 New Albums Out This Week

(Click any of the album covers to check out more information.)

Locksley, “Be In Love”- Reviewsic Talks Shop With Frontman Jesse Laz

28 Jun

Channeling the energy of what the baby of doo-wop and the British invasion would have sounded like had it been raised in the garage, Madsion, Wisconsin band Locksley have been making noise worth hearing. Releasing their second full-length, Be In Love in March of 2010, the band has also been pulled into the world of television and film, performing on Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O’Brien, being used as the theme song to FOX’s “The Good Guys” and made part of the soundtrack of such full-length features as “Over Her Dead Body” and “Cloverfield”. Soundtracks and appearances aside, Locksley has also been part of a media blitz including breakout artists lists from SPIN Magazine and Rolling Stone- so the question new comers to the band’s music should be asking themselves isn’t “Who is Locksley?”, but rather, “Why hadn’t I heard Locksley yet?”

Springing guitar riffs, boppy bass lines and a perfectly honed belt all work together to give Locksley the energy that can only be found in the reckless spirit of rock n’ roll. Though some songs like “On Fire” dabble more in the style of 1970’s primed classic rock, by and large the sound heard on Be In Love is an import from across the pond, with sway worthy melodies and group harmonies that pack a bit of a punch. “Darling, It’s True” offers an infectious blend of handclaps and shouts, while “21st Century” gives a chorus that begs to be sungalong to. This constantly chaotic sound does prove to be problematic midway through the record, when all the riffs, claps, and yelps start to sound a little too alike, but as a whole Be In Love is a solidly energizing record that anyone with a penchant for grungy guitar and throaty vocals will love.

Locksley front man Jesse Laz answered some questions for us from the road, while the band is touring with Butch Walker. See what he had to say as we talked shop about the band’s influences, the new record, and the instruments they wish they could play.

Reviewsic: Can you give us a quick recap of what the band has been up to as of late?

Jesse Laz: Well, let’s see. We released our second album “Be In Love” just recently and now we’re on tour with Butch Walker, playing a few festivals and things. We just wrote the theme song for a new Fox show called The Good Guys as well.

Reviewsic: What’s the backstory on how the band came to be what it is today?

Jesse Laz: In brief: we all grew up together in Wisconsin and played together in high school and finally decided to form a ‘real’ band and move out to NY where we met Guy Benny who became our producer/manager/booking agent/5th member and since then we’ve been like a tiny guerilla army, just steadily gaining traction, small victory by small victory. To complete the metaphor, we’re hoping this album takes us to open revolution.

Reviewsic: What are your top three musical influences?

Jesse Laz: Doo-wop, early American punk and early sixties pop and garage.

Reviewsic: Is there any instrument you don’t play, but wish you did?

Jesse Laz: I say piano, Kai says trumpet, Sam says guitar and Jordan’s not here right now but we imagine he’d say skin-flute.

Reviewsic: What are the last three albums or bands you listened to?

Jesse Laz: Ha! In truth it was: Kelly Clarkson, Fountains of Wayne and Bon Jovi (we were just having a conversation about Max Martin the pop-songwriter who wrote what seems like every massive pop song of the last decade. And that led to stacy’s mom because Adam Schlesinger is another one of the guys who writes for everybody and then that led to Bon Jovi because I said I thought that they were all just ripping them off. But then it turns out Max Martin co-wrote It’s My Life.)

Reviewsic: If you could work with one person in the music industry (musician, label, producer etc), who would it be and why?

Jesse Laz: Depends on the day. Right now it’s raining outside so we’re feeling like Feist.  And for some reason right now John Williams seems like it would be really cool too. And Yann Tiersen, he did the Amelie soundtrack which is awesome.

Reviewsic: What is the most memorable concert you’ve ever attended?

Jesse Laz: The first night of this tour we’re on now there was a huge fight right in front of our merch table. It was insane. This one guy started choking this girl and then another guy started hitting that guy and it just got really crazy, really fast and security came in and kai got knocked over. It was during an acoustic song too, go figure.

Reviewsic: Who are three of your favorite local bands?

Jesse Laz: Fever Marlene out of Milwaukee tops the list. Graham Smith (aka Kleenex Girl Wonder) formerly of Madison, now of NY, is also a huge influence on us. And Hymns out of NY, who we actually had open for us on the only headlining tour we’ve ever done.

Reviewsic: If you could book a tour with any 3 bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Jesse Laz: The Beatles

The Rolling Stones

Jimi Hendrix

I imagine I don’t have to explain why that tour would kill. Think about how ridiculous that line-up would be! No one would get in! The concert would have to be on the moon so all of earth could watch!

Reviewsic: Tell us about the Be In Love – is there a particular concept/creative direction behind it? What goes into your writing process as a band?

Jesse Laz: Be In Love is kind of the second chapter to Don’t Make Me Wait. We were very conscious that, even though a fair amount of time had passed in between the two albums we wanted an album that felt like a continuation and a natural progression. We also took offense to some reviews of the first album that lambasted us for writing love songs and though you should never do anything because of critics, we decided that it was important to us to make it clear that we thought love songs were important. Especially now.

Our writing process has been that anybody brings a song in (usually the chords, melody and lyrics) and we arrange as a group. People underestimate the importance of arrangement. You can entirely change a song with a different arrangement. It’s very important. For example, the reason the first two Kings of Leon records are so important to us is because of the arrangement. Simple parts that just fit together perfectly and create a whole that is more a multiple of the parts than a sum.

Reviewsic: How would you compare yourselves as musicians at the point of this release as opposed to when you first began playing together?

Jesse Laz: There’s no comparison. We were all terrible or near terrible when we started playing. Maybe Sam was alright. We’ve spent a lot of time on improving our execution and I would go as far as to say we’re pretty good now.

Reviewsic: What are some of your favorite cities and/or venues to play?

Jesse Laz: Tokyo (anywhere), Chicago House of Blues. Austin at Emo’s. Madison at the Majestic or Barrymore. We always enjoy Dallas. Tucson at Club Congress. And, though it’s in the past, NY at CBGBs was always amazing.

Reviewsic: What are the best and worst band moments so far in your career?

Jesse Laz: There have been so many good moments, it’s hard to say. We’ve been on some incredible tours – The Hives and Ray Davies stand out especially. The low-point was probably the MTV Choose or Lose tour. It was just an all-around ill-conceived and poorly executed tour. It was supposed to be this jumping off point for us and instead it felt like a huge step backwards. But we learned from it and bounced back stronger, so it was good for something in the end.

Reviewsic: If you were to put out an album of strictly covers, what are a few songs we’d find on the track listing?

Jesse Laz: Well, we’ve always wanted to do a covers album of all the best songs from unsigned or very little known bands. A couple for-sure songs would be: Khemitones by Fever Marlene, Tendency Right Foot Forward by Kleenex Girl Wonder, Can’t Say It by the Vitamen, Power in the Streets by Hymns, Next to Argyle by Scissors For Lefty, Beautiful As Life by Andrew Collberg, If We Can’t by the New York Howl, Berlin Airlift by Bovine Homecoming… the list goes on. I hope we get around to it someday. We always said we would wait until we were big enough that it would maybe make a difference to those bands, so we’ll see.

Reviewsic: What are your plans for your music in the next year?

Jesse Laz: Well, we’re going to try and make Be In Love as big as it can possibly be and find a time to record another album in there somewhere. We’ve got the songs, just have to get around to arranging and recording it. Everything depends on what happens with Be In Love but we’d all love another album to be out around this time next summer.

Upcoming Shows: The Weekday Edition

28 Jun


Monday, June 28th

Juston Stens & The Get Real Gang
Brass Bed
Blue Ribbon Glee Club
Scubas
Show at 8pm 21+ $7

Jon Conover
Cheryl B. Englehardt
Shaun Ruymen
Double Door
Show at 9pm 21+ $7

Civil Twilight
Slowhawks
Subterranean
Show at 8pm 21+ $10

Thao & Mirah With The Most Of All
These United States
Lincoln Hall
Show at 8pm 21+ $14

Tuesday, June 29th

Whole Wheat Bread
Chase Long Beach
Weekend FM
Warhell Ride
Reggie’s
Show at 5pm All Ages $10

Leslie Beukalman
Natalie Oliveri
Ami Saraiya, Miranda Rae
Double Door
Show at 8pm 21+ $7

Dark Fog
The Clams
Hands of Hydra
The Hudson Landing
Subterranean
Show at 8:30 17+ $10

Wednesday, June 30th

The Cortlandt HomesS
Crankupmadonna
Blane Fonda
Miles of Kyles
Ronny’s
Show at 8pm 21+

WhoMadeWho
Gemini Club
Schubas
Show at 9pm 21+ $8

The Devil Wears Prada
Miss May I
Your Demise
Subterranean
Show at 7pm All Ages $16 Adv/$18 at the door

Eisley
The Lion & The Sail
Christie DuPree
Lincoln Hall
Show at 7pm All Ages $15

Thursday, July 1st

Katzenjammer
The Blakes
Schubas

Bird Talk
Caddywhompus
The Tender
Ronny’s
Show at 8pm 21+

Comasoft
Love In October
The Moves
Dirty Diamonds
Double Door
Show at 9pm 21+ $8

The Devil Wears Prada
Miss May I
Your Demise
Subterranean
Show at 7pm All Ages $16 Adv/$18 at the door
Show at 9pm 21+ $10

Black Mountain
David Vandervelde
Lincoln Hall
Show at 9pm 21+ $15

Red Channel
Benedict Arnold
Nothing to Gain
Number 9 Hard
Beat Kitchen
Show at 8:30 21+ $8

Hot Off The Presses: Fresh FREE New Singles

27 Jun

Because we love you all so very much, we’re going to share a few of the singles we’ve had shared with us this week (with the blessing of the musicians in question, of course). Right click and save us for some hot new tracks from Twin Shadow, Funeral Party, Back Ted N Ted, and Everything Everything.

Nick Jaina, “A Bird In The Opera House”- Talking Shop With The Portland Singer

26 Jun

Fresh from a 43 show touring stint up both U.S. coasts, singer/songwriter Nick Jaina and his band are taking a breather before playing a couple of shows in his current hometown of Portland, Oregon. In a world brimming with solo acts, getting noticed is no easy feat, but somehow Jainia has managed to catch the ears of many and the praise of even more. Putting records since roughly 1999, success has been long coming, but persistence isn’t the only secret to Jaina’s accomplishments. Though it is true that Nick has plugged along, taking to the road and busking the streets, he is much more than a hopeful armed with an acoustic guitar. The music of Nick Jaina implements both his wide instrumental and vocal talent, as well as a natural inclination toward writing prose. It is more than fair to say that Jaina isn’t merely a musician, but truly a talented songwriter as well.

This folksy bandleader is accompanied by nearly a dozen different musicians on any given day, rotating positions in his musical line up and offering their talents on upright bass, horn, lap steel, banjo, clarinet, and much more. Though Jaina has created a number of releases in some capacity over the years, the title that is currently buzzing in everyone’s ears is his 2010 release, A Bird In The Opera House. This springtime release is a bouquet bursting with vibrant colors and aromas, no two tracks sounding quite the same.

Undoubtedly poppy in nature, A Bird In The Opera House takes the premise of indie pop and fuses it with an extremely organic, oaky quality, that gives the entire album the feeling of being overheard from a second story bedroom in an old farmhouse. From the melodic picking of “Matrimonial Bed”, which almost sounds like Vampire Weekend unplugged, to the chambering tambourine of “Cincinnati”, A Bird In The Opera House is an album that playfully jumps from stone to stone, while the smooth current of Jaina’s voice washes over each track as the flowing constant.

Rolling piano builds dominate the tender pace of “Theresa”, pulling at its listener’s heartstrings with lines like, “Oh, Theresa/ I keepsaying your name/ To anyone who will listen/ I am a starving dog/ I will eat any scraps you will drop”. While the track immediately following it is buoyant in its beat and seemingly nonsensical in its lyrics, singing about strawberry man who’d drive through town. “I never met/ Mr. Jesus Christ/ But if I did/ I hope he’d treat me as nice as that strawberry man”

To take the time to properly dissect every interesting or enthralling aspect of this album proves to be both impossible and immoral. A Bird In The Opera House cannot be picked apart because it is to finely woven together. Nor should it be, because that weaving has been done so finely. An enchantingly delicate work, this newest offering is sure to make even the most caged and cold-hearted swoon with its starry earnestness.

Check out tracks from A Bird In The Opera House from Nick Jaina’s Daytrotter Sessions

Reviewsic caught up with Nick Jaina this past week to talk about the new record, his biggest influences, and his favorite cities to play in.

Reviewsic: How did you get your start in music?

Nick Jaina: I took a guitar lesson when I was sixteen because I wanted to know how to play Smells Like Teen Spirit.  I learned the chords and was practicing them all week and then the day before my second lesson Kurt Cobain killed himself.  I used to think that sadness is beautiful and that indulging it it is a noble cause and that everyone’s misunderstanding was more fuel for the furnace.  But now I think that it is just a juvenile and selfish way of living.  I don’t ever listen to Nirvana anymore.

Reviewsic: What are your top three musical influences?

Nick Jaina: At first I thought you said “musical influenzas”  which I guess would be outbreaks of musical fever in my life.  In that case, I would say that I currently have Menomena Fever.  I have also had long bouts of Tom Waits Cough and of course everyone I know has at one time or another battled the Beatles Bug.

Reviewisc: Is there any instrument you don’t play, but wish you did?

Nick Jaina: Cello.  It’s got a great sadness to it.  Not that I think that sadness is noble.

Reviewsic: What are the last three albums or bands you listened to?

Nick Jaina:

Menomena “Mines”

The Head & The Heart (burned copy, don’t know what it’s called)

Dovekins (don’t know what it’s called either)

Reviewsic: If you could work with one person in the music industry (musician, label, producer etc), who would it be and why?

Nick Jaina: Roy Halee.  I hear he knows the perfect way to mic an acoustic guitar.

Reviewsic: What is the most memorable concert you’ve ever attended?

Nick Jaina: First Menomena concert.  I can’t remember another time when my jaw literally dropped involuntarily.

Reviewsic: Who are three of your favorite local bands?

Nick Jaina: Well, Menomena of course.  Also Shoeshine Blue and Tu Fawning.

Reviewsic: If you could book a tour with any 3 bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Nick Jaina: There’s this band Menomena that I really like. Maybe you’ve heard of them.  Good chaps.  Also this band from New York called The Walkmen would be fun to tour with.  They probably don’t have a big rider.  And I suppose it’d be cool to tour with Paul Simon, just to eat some of the leftover spread in the green room.

Reviewsic: Tell us about A Bird In The Opera House- is there a particular concept behind it? What was the process of making the album like?

Nick Jaina: After making an album that was recorded live in the studio, I wanted to make something that was very polished and all about the textures and the atmosphere.  It was just me and my producer Lee in the studio working out guitar tones and using different vocal mics to explore what kind of sound suited each song.

Reviewsic: How would you compare yourself as a musician at this point, as opposed to when you first began playing together?

Nick Jaina: I hope I’m better.  I’ve been taking guitar, piano and vocal lessons.  I’m trying to be more honest as a writer.  I’m trying to say things that I’m afraid to say, or say things that are not easy to say.  That’s the only route I see to getting better: being honest, working harder, looking at my weaknesses and trying to improve them.

Reviewsic: What are some of your favorite cities to play?

Nick Jaina: Wichita is a gem in the slightly rolling green hills of Kansas.  There are people there that are inventing a new life forthemselves that doesn’t cower to any definition of how people are supposed to live.  Cities are all about the people.  There are great buildings everywhere, but a great building with no people is just sad.  Madison, Wisconsin is a beautiful place.  It’s on an isthmus in between two lakes, and that narrowness really defines the city.  At some points it’s only about six blocks wide.  That makes it easier to run into people.

Reviewsic: What are the best and worst music moments so far in your career?

Nick Jaina: All the best moments in my musical life have been either playing music for people who are listening intently, or playing music for people who are dancing wildly.  I would either hope someone would be inspired to think or inspired to move.  Anything else in between is usually disappointing.

Reviewsic: What are three words you’d use to describe your music to someone who’s never heard it?

Nick Jaina: Varied, thoughtful, jumpy

Reviewsic: What are your plans for your music in the next year?

Nick Jaina: I’m currently writing a ballet that will be performed with members of the New York City Ballet.  Working on it has encouraged me to take more chances harmonically, rhythmically.  Because a dancer needs to be inspired to move in different ways, and you need to find ways of being dangerous as a composer.  You can’t just step on a distortion pedal or turn up the volume to get people’s attention.  Chances have to been taken in the structure of the song, which is inherent in ballet and largely lacking in pop music.  Maybe some of that daring-ness will transfer to the pop music I write in the future.

Talking Shop With Junior Battles Guitarists Sam Sutherland and Aaron Zorgel

25 Jun

Originally born out of frustration with formal musical alliance and a couple friends looking for a way to blow off some steam, Toronto based musicians Junior Battles has shaped up to be a band you need to know. Releasing Hotel Bibles on Black Pint Records in April, the quartet has put in countless hours between Canada and the U.S., mainly touring up the east coast. Besides spending many a night on the floor and perfecting their game of human Tetris, the band has been honing their performance skills while sharing the stage with such notable acts as North Lincoln and O Pioneers!!!, the latter of which the bad recently shared a 7” split with.

The premise behind Junior Battles’ sound is simple: to make the music you fell in love with at sixteen. Because as Andrew Sean Greer mused in “The Show I’ll Never Forget”, you really never quite love music the same way you do when you’re sixteen- Junior Battles is all about bringing forth that insurmountable enthusiasm and making you drink it until you puke. Its not often that you come across a band that feels so right that the only praise you can think of is, “Its really good” but Junior Battles is definitely it. Bubbling over with all the pent up energy and aggression adulthood forces us to quell, Junior Battles is like screaming from the roof of your parent’s garage before jumping in the pool, even though your mom said she’d ground you if you did.
The band recently released a Self-Titled 7” that you can download for free thanks to If You Make It, or purchase as a physical copy from Square Up.

Junior Battles guitarists Sam Sutherland and Aaron Zorgel recently answered some questions for us via email to talk about what the band has been busy with, their biggest influences, and who some of their favorite locals are.

Reviewsic: Can you give us a quick recap of what the band has been up to as of late?

Sam Sutherland: We just got back from a two and a half week American tour with O Pioneers!!!, Which took us to Rad Fest in North Carolina and back. It was easily the best time we’ve ever had as a band. We got to play with a mess of amazing bands, including three shows with Bomb the Music Industry!, a Philly house show with the Holy Mess, and our first-ever show in Chicago with Tin Armor. We also just released a split 7” with O Pioneers!!! on Kiss of Death, which rules, and finally got our self-titled 7” EP out into the world and available for free through If You Make It.

Reviewsic: What’s the back-story on how the band came to be what it is today?

Aaron Zorgel: Well, a couple of years ago, we were all in a super frustrating folky indie rock band. The band ended in shambles, with way too many members either quitting or getting kicked out. It was a total mess. Not too long after that, Sam sent me an email saying (and I’m paraphrasing here) “Hey dude, wanna start a stress free sloppy punk band as an excuse to get wasted?” So we wrote five songs in one day. Obviously the band has evolved into a relentless pop punk monster, but it all started as a return to the kind of music we were super passionate about in high school. Only difference is that now we can drink legally, and we drink cheap whiskey and strong beer instead of whatever was in our parents’ cupboards.

Reviewsic: What are your top three musical influences?

Sam Sutherland: There is pretty much zero agreement in the band on this. Aaron and I both grew up on pop-punk, I think Justin mostly just listens to Toto, and Joel is deep into indie rock. So I’ll go ahead and say Green Day, 10cc’s “I Don’t Like Cricket”, and wimps who play mandolin or something.

Reviewsic: Is there any instrument you don’t play, but wish you did?

Aaron Zorgel: I have a small budget bedroom studio setup in my apartment, so I have this habit of buying weird instruments so I can incorporate them into my demos. The only problem is, I don’t have the patience to learn them properly, so it becomes just a lot of weird noise. I own an autoharp and a theremin, and I wish I could play them both beyond the proficiency of a six year old.

Reviewsic: What are the last three albums or bands you listened to?

Sam Sutherland: I just spent all morning listening to the new Coliseum record, House With A Curse, which is a brilliant, heavy, crazy piece of work. I’m currently listening to Elliott’s False Cathedrals, and last night, I played the shit out of the new D-Sisive album, Vaudeville. Not that I’m the guy to tell you this, but that man writes the best Warren Zevon-influenced hip-hop I’ve ever heard.

Reviewsic: If you could work with one person in the music industry (musician, label, producer etc), who would it be and why?

Aaron Zorgel: I’m in this phase where I’m obsessed with and curious about superstar top 40 pop producers, and how they got to where they are now. Guys like Timbaland, and Pharrell. One guy that is particularly interesting to me is Dr. Luke. He is a guitar player, and he auditioned for the Saturday Night Live band. After 10 years at that post, I assume he had tons of ridiculous connections, and started producing.  Flash forward to 2009, and he had, like, five number one hits that year alone. He works with Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, and everyone’s favourite party girl, Ke$ha. I find that whole world so fascinating and foreign and almost perverse. If he got his hands on a Junior Battles song I’d probably be horrified, but I’d also probably be rich. Don’t judge me, I’ve got student debt to pay off.

Reviewsic: What is the most memorable concert you’ve ever attended?
Sam Sutherland: The 2006 Grade reunion at the Opera House in Toronto was probably the greatest concert experience of my life. Grade are easily the most criminally underrated and undercompensated band to ever come out of this town; they basically invented that whole screaming/singing/poppy chorus formula, but they did it with style and came out of a legendary hardcore scene so it didn’t suck. But then all those horrible, horrible bands ripped them off and bought houses with the money, and everyone in Grade rents their apartments and works at bars in Hamilton now. Anyway, they finally got to play a proper final show after just kind of falling apart in 2002, and it was the most powerful, celebratory musical experience I’ve ever had.

Reviewsic: Who are three of your favorite local bands?

Aaron Zorgel: Ontario is a pretty exciting place to be playing punk rock these days. In the mid-late 90′s this area was exploding with talent, when all of these bands from the suburbs of Toronto were getting outside attention. Grade, Boys Night Out, The Fullblast, and Alexisonfire, to name a few. After that, things seemed to die down a bit. I feel like we’re seeing a bit of a resurgence. Shared Arms from Windsor  are hands down one of my favourite bands to watch and listen to. The Roman Line write incredible songs and are the hardest working band dudes I know. Finally, our best buds in !Attention! really blow me away with what they’re doing. Great dudes, great music.

Reviewsic: If you could book a tour with any 3 bands, past or present, who would they be and why?

Sam Sutherland: Us, the Stones, the Beatles, and U2. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH MONEY I WOULD MAKE?!

Reviewsic: Tell us about 7″ and your music overall – what drew you to the genre/style of music you play? What motivates you as musicians?

Aaron Zorgel: The band is pretty diverse in musical taste, and I think that really translates in the style we arrived at with our 7″. Sam and I tend to gravitate towards pop punk and 90′s alt-rock, so that’s always a common thread. Joel is more of an indie-rock fan, while Justin is a bit of a wild-card. Justin loves Toto, Tom Waits, and the Thermals. It wasn’t like we took Blink 182, Oasis, Broken Social Scene, and Toto and mashed it all up in a blender, but there’s a little bit of everyone’s personality in the songs. I think that’s why we felt pretty good about having the 7″ be self-titled. We’d arrived at something everyone is proud of.

Reviewsic: How would you compare yourselves as musicians at this point as opposed to when you first began playing together?

Sam Sutherland: The band started with everyone more or less just playing along to songs that I had already written. As soon as we had the chance, though, we started writing all together, and I think that really changes the way you play as a musician. Everyone in the band except me also has a strong background in musical theory, and I think our ability to balance our desire to write stuff that’s weird or interesting with stuff that just sounds good is getting better and better.

Reviewsic: What are some of your favorite cities and/or venues to play?
Aaron Zorgel: Having just returned from Rad Fest in Wilmington, NC, I can fairly confidently speak on behalf of everyone and say that it’s the greatest city we’ve ever played in. We’ve been there twice, and each time we get carried away with the majesty of a capeside tourist town where Dawson’s Creek was filmed. If you’re ever in the area, JB resident coffee snob Joel recommends Java Dog.

Reviewsic: What are the best and worst band moments so far in your career?

Sam Sutherland: The best moments are consistently any show where a kid knows the words to some of our songs. It’s a strange, awesome feeling to know that someone in a town that’s not yours bothered to listen to your songs once, let alone enough times to have any idea what we’re saying. It makes you feel powerful, like a rich person or a professional lobbyist. The worst moments are the things that eventually make the best moments more worthwhile, so they’re not even worth complaining about. This is our hobby, not our job. So the stuff that sucks is just part of the insane experience that we’re out in the world having.

Reviewsic: What are a few words you’d use to describe your music to someone who has never heard it?

Aaron Zorgel: Total. Fucking. Hits.

Reviewsic: What are your plans for your music in the next year?

Sam Sutherland: Man, how do I follow that up? To keep writing totally fucking hit, I guess.


Peter Gabriel Covers Tom Waits For Africa

25 Jun

“Thinking of what to say about this video and the Stephin Merritt lyric “not for all my little words” came to mind. There’s a couple reasons for that, but basically Peter pretty much says what needs to be said. You can see it’s a heartfelt performance and really is a truly “beautiful piece of writing” by Tom Waits… but also in the grand scheme of things, it’s one of those times we just had to sit back and take it in for a moment. The message being passed in song by some women in one of the longest terrorized places in the world, just some words and melodies that they hoped would reach those they loved hiding nearby, hopeless and scared in the bush, or maybe at most few dozen kilometers away in Southern Sudan or Eastern Congo, that their voices could have carried so far, that their message could have made it all this way, still being carried and amplified by each who has passed it on…”- thevoiceproject.org

This episode of The Voice Project is premiering  together with:

Invisible Children

Oxfam America

Resolve Uganda

WITNESS

HOPE Campaign

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