H E L L O T H E R E

The End

Norman — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 13:37:10 +0000

Too much spam, too much problems, too much noise. No time, no enthusiasm, no ears.

Samle

Norman — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:35:52 +0000

Samle is an indie rock band that was formed at the end of the ’90s. The band found its roots in English pop/rock music and follows current trends in the American and British scene. Samle is an Italian band but they identify themselves with British groups. Their sound and melodies are not anywhere near what could be considered classic Italian music. The four members of Samle met and have grown up at the right time but maybe in the wrong place. However, the inspiration that leads to songs with a strong musical impact that make up Samles repertoire, as well as the history of the band, comes from their situation in life.

In November 2008 the band was at the prestigious Forum Music Village Studios in Rome to record two new songs from which the new single will be chosen. The artistic production was entrusted to the English producer Jim Lowe (Stereophonics, Foo Fighters, Charlatans, The Manic Street Preachers).
Samle were in London at the end of September with Macro Patrigiani and Roberto Volpe to meet the well known producer who had shown great interest in their demos. After a live performance for various local producers including Gavino Prunas who produces Robert Miles and the Servant, “Slave” and “Human like you” were the songs chosen for the first EP.

http://www.myspace.com/samle

Bud Spencer Blues Explosion

Norman — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:53:39 +0000

www.myspace.com/budspencerbluesexplosion

Japandroids

Norman — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 09:12:09 +0000

Japandroids (aka JPNDRDS) is a two piece band from Vancouver, BC. This ‘band’ started in 2006 as a creative outlet for the post-teenage angst of Brian King and David Prowse. Originally intended to be a trio, the boys decided to forgo the logistical nightmare of having a ‘lead singer’ and do it themselves. As a consequence, Japandroids are 1 guitar, 1 set of drums, and 2 vocalizers. They call it garage rock. They don’t care what you call it, as long as it’s not minimal. Japandroids are maximal - a two piece band trying to sound like a five piece band. Supporting Japandroids gets you into Heaven - no questions asked. KISS OFF.
(From Jambase)

Pixies

Norman — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:22:49 +0000

Combining jagged, roaring guitars and stop-start dynamics with melodic pop hooks, intertwining male-female harmonies and evocative, cryptic lyrics, the Pixies were one of the most influential American alternative rock bands of the late ’80s. The Pixies weren’t accomplished musicians — Black Francis wailed and bashed out chords while Joey Santiago’s lead guitar squealed out spirals of noise. But the bandmembers were inventive, rabid rock fans who turned conventions inside out, melding punk and indie guitar rock, classic pop, surf rock, and stadium-sized riffs with singer/guitarist Black Francis’ bizarre, fragmented lyrics about space, religion, sex, mutilation, and pop culture; while the meaning of his lyrics may have been impenetrable, the music was direct and forceful.

The Pixies’ busy, brief songs, extreme dynamics, and subversion of pop song structures proved one of the touchstones of ’90s alternative rock. From grunge to Brit-pop, the Pixies’ shadow loomed large — it’s hard to imagine Nirvana without the Pixies’ signature stop-start dynamics and lurching, noisy guitar solos. While the Pixies were touted as the band to bring indie rock into the mainstream, they simply laid the groundwork for the alternative explosion of the early ’90s. MTV was reluctant to play their videos, while even modern rock radio didn’t put their singles into regular rotation. Furthermore, tensions between leader Black Francis and bassist/vocalist Kim Deal, who wanted to incorporate her songs into the band’s repertoire, crippled the band’s progress. By the time Nirvana broke the doors down for alternative rock in 1992, the Pixies were effectively broken up.
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Idle Times

Norman — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:03:42 +0000

http://www.myspace.com/idletimesband

Vivian Girls

Norman — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:02:58 +0000

Deriving their name from the ill-fated characters featured in the work of writer/illustrator Henry Darger, the Vivian Girls (not to be confused with the “craft pop” duo of the same name) are a Brooklyn-based trio whose gritty lo-fi tunes nod to seminal indie pop acts like Black Tambourine, Talulah Gosh, and Tiger Trap. Comprised of Cassie Ramone, Kickball Katy, and Ali, the Vivian Girls sprang into the indie circuit in 2008 with a handful of 7″ singles released on a passel of small labels, including Wild Eyes (Plays with Dolls Records), Orphanage (Woodsist Records), and I Can’t Stay (In the Red Records). Their self-titled debut full-length was released on Mauled by Tigers Records and In the Red in September that same year.

Dum Dum Girls

Norman — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 07:23:26 +0000

I’ve been meaning to write about the Dum Dum Girls for a while now. They’ve / she’s been around since, I dunno, late summer and already is making internet headway on the myspace top-friends bread crumb trail. As Nate William’s solo bedroom project Wavves has gained indie label and internet success, Dum Dum Girls is, in similar start-up fashion, the solo project of one girl with remarkable talent. Dee Dee, a librarian from LA, has the vocal quality and song writing sense to make music magic. I see big big tings for her, especially with Hozac, Black Dogs, Victim of Time (…etc) in support. Not to mention the direction of her sound is packed with extremely catchy charming vocal melodies supported by this slight power twee noise-pop rhythm. Think the haunting aura of black tambourine combined with the angelic allure of Tracy Tracy from the Primitives (but better).

I really hope the dum dum girls continues to produce. With this much of a running star, she’s one artist to keep in your peripheral listening vision. I don’t want to jump the gun, but this band is on the trail of history making genre influencing shit people. Get on it.

From HERE

P.S.: I love the girl in the picture

Mika Miko

Norman — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 08:50:46 +0000

With a name that means “storytelling” in Japanese and influences that include Black Flag, the Necros, Reagan Youth, and Bad Brains, Los Angeles’ thrashy-but-danceable Mika Miko feature Jessica and Jennifer Clavin, Jenna Thornhill, Michelle Suarez, and Kate Hall. Except for Hall, all of the ladies of Mika Miko played in Dead Banana Ladies, and various members played with other L.A. acts such as the Ride, Silver Daggers, and Slitwrists. Jessica Clavin and Hall both played in Wake Up SF, and when Mika Miko’s previous drummer, Jon Erik, left the band, Hall was drafted to replace him. The band began playing shows with bands like Wives, whose singer/bassist, Dean Spunt, volunteered at the all-ages club the Smell and ran the PPM label. PPM released the band’s self-titled debut 7″, which showcased Mika Miko’s raw, aggressive, but not unfriendly sound. Kill Rock Stars signed Mika Miko and released their 2006 debut album, C.Y.S.L.A.B.F., in conjunction with PPM and the Australian label Deleted Art. The band spent that summer and fall touring, while PPM released a Mika Miko/Shoplifting split single later that year. In 2007, the band released the 666 EP, which featured six songs recorded on 6/06/2006, and also performed at the CMJ Music Marathon. The following year, 666 was reissued by PPM with tracks from their other singles and EPs for the label.

Dinosaur Jr

Norman — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 09:21:38 +0000

Dinosaur Jr. were largely responsible for returning lead guitar to indie rock and, along with their peers the Pixies, they injected late-’80s alternative rock with monumental levels of pure guitar noise. As the group’s career progressed, it turned into a vehicle for J Mascis’ songwriting and playing, which had the ultimate result of turning Dinosaur’s albums into largely similar affairs. Over time, Mascis shed his hardcore punk roots and revealed himself to be a disciple of Neil Young, crafting simple songs that were delivered at a crushing volume and spiked with shards of feedback. Consequently, Dinosaur Jr.’s ’90s albums — when the group was essentially a front for Mascis — don’t sound particularly revolutionary, even with their subtle sonic innovations, yet their original ’80s records for SST were a different matter. On their early records, Dinosaur lurched forward, taking weird detours into free-form noise and melodic soloing before the songs are brought back into relief by Mascis’ laconic whine. Dinosaur’s SST records laid the foundation for alternative rock’s commercial breakthrough in the early ’90s, and while the band’s profile was raised substantially in the wake of Nirvana’s success, they never really became much bigger than highly respected cult figures.

Mascis (born Joseph D. Mascis; guitar, vocal) formed Dinosaur Jr. in Amherst, MA, after his hardcore punk band Deep Wound broke up in 1983. Hooking up with fellow high-school student Lou Barlow (bass), Mascis initially played drums in Dinosaur, but shortly afterward, former All White Jury drummer Murph (born Emmett “Patrick” Murphy), joined the group and J moved to guitar. Over the next year the group developed a local following, and in 1985 the trio released its debut album, Dinosaur, on the Homestead label. The record and the group’s crushingly loud concerts developed a cult following over the next year. By the end of 1986, a hippie rock group called Dinosaur — featuring former members of Jefferson Airplane and Country Joe & the Fish — sued the band, which changed its name to Dinosaur Jr.
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