Mix Tape Vol. 3: Keep It In The Family

I really wanted to post something but I couldn't think of anything to write and this particular volume of the Mix Tape Series was burning in the back of my head for over a week. This is another 'locals only' ordeal, except maybe you haven't heard of these bands. Most of this is shameless promotion of friends' bands. I'm spoiled enough to live in a musical climate that breeds rad bands, some of whom I know or see live regularly. This is a small celebration of the working man's band. This is hopefully one of many 'local ordeals'. (Sorry for the lack of song titles to those involved in this mix tape. Please feel free to make those song titles available.)

I strongly encourage everyone to check out any and all of these bands. These are all amazing local talent. Go to their shows, buy them albums or demos. Bands involved: thank you for making this music. Much obliged.

Vol. 3: Keep it in the Family
1. Slugtura (Book One)
2. (Untitled)- Angkor Vat
3. (Untitled)- Mutual Abuse
4. Population Control- Pigs
5. Prayer of the Hunted- Hazard's Cure

Take Me Home Tonight!

Mix Tape Vol. 2: MIA/Gone, but not forgotten

There's too many awesome bands from the Bay Area that were, to me, a big deal, but to the rest of the world, maybe not so much. Some of them broke up, some of them have gone on an indefinite hiatus, or play once in a blue moon. These are tunes from bands that really opened my eyes to underground talent and helped change my view of the music scene. This by no means a definite list, but it features bands that are to this day in heavy rotation.

Vol. 2:
1. Backseat Astronaut- Night After Night
2. 6th Street Paradise- Old Grandad
3. Chosen Child- Parchman Farm
4. Assed Out, Passed Out- Drunk Horse
5. Bitter Pill- Lost Goat

Here Ya Go!

Sunday Night Special: Drunk Horse (LIVE!)

It's Sunday night, and you still want to party. Right? Good. Here's a special treat courtesy of my main man, Eli. This is a recording of the might Drunk Horse playing the Auto Art Gallery on 5/12/2005. As far as I'm concerned, this was during their peak. Right before "In Tongues" was released.

Here's the set list, if memory serves me right:
1. Plastic Doll
2. Howard Phillips
3. Nice Hooves
4. Secret Ingredient
5. On the Beach (Neil Young Cover)
6. Priestmaker
7. National Lust

http://www.mediafire.com/?dd9ccecn1p5ple5

Neurosis, Yob, U.S. Christmas @ the Great American Music Hall (January 15, 2011)

You know your day is going to be good when you wake up and realize that you're going to end your day by going to see Neurosis. If you listen to heavy music, and don't live under a rock, you very well have crossed paths with this musical juggernaut at least once. At this point in their career Neurosis doesn't have to do much to please fans. So when they decided that it was a good idea to maybe play only 10 shows a year, at most, you best be at one of them. Usually seeing Yob or Neurosis by themselves would be a treat on its own, but back to back, on the same night? You're spoiling me.

U.S. Christmas is one of those bands that until this show I've heard of, on paper, but never actually heard. The band took the stage, all of it. I believe there were at least seven members. What shocked me the most is that you could tell how much effort they put into their live set. Two drummers, a hand percussionist and a violinist were the standout members. To be truthful, they didn't need all of them. The more members took up the stage, everything began to blur together. The rhythms weren't all too complicated and you couldn't hear the bongos at all. I'm guessing they added so much stuff in their recordings that they thought they could bring it to their live show. The outcome was something heavy enough for the heavy fans, but artsy enough to open for Sonic Youth. To top it off, their sing sounds like Wayne Campbell when he does an extreme closeup, "WOOOOOOOAAAAAAAH!"

Yob is another band that doesn't play a whole lot, but always worth the wait. I've said it many times: next to maybe Joe Preston, Mike Sheidt might be one of the heaviest dudes alive. His rig, his tone, HEAVY! Yob=HEAVY. What made their set even more amazing is that I had a giant plate of nachos sitting in front of me. Talk about awesome. Mr. Sheidt apologized to the crowd, saying that he was sick and that his vocals might not be up to snuff. They were perfect. They go through enough effect pedals that you couldn't even hear a sniffle. His voice is the doom version of Geddy Lee. Every time I seem them, he's 'sick'. Perhaps he's just insecure? Throughout most of their set, you could only heavy the thick dialogue between the bass and guitars, the drums seemed almost non-existent, but somehow it worked. Aside from on-and-off technical difficulties, their set was crushing.

In what seemed like no time at all, Neurosis bombarded the stage and brought their visions of the apocalypse to life. This is a band that is always in control of their vision. With the lights dimmed over the band, A visual overload was shown above. Josh Graham's visual translation of the band will never be matched. As they played 'Through Silver And Blood' it was the first time I actually panicked from listening to this band. I'm sure we've all heard 'evil' music before, but this music is truly the sound of the end of the world. They are the sounds of a world coming down. Live, with the music and visuals, it's so easy to get lost in the whole experience. It's fucking intense. It doesn't help that the two people screaming at you look like bears ready to maul your face. I find it amazing that a band, whose members' live in different states, can come together and create such a masterpiece. I was expecting a mosh pit, but everyone was too spellbound by the band. You couldn't do anything else. It's almost like Neurosis plays in front of people to prove that the sounds they've created are real and crafted from the hands of men, perhaps even gods.

Mix Tape Vol. 1: Grinding into the New Year

This is what will hopefully be the first installment of many. I like the idea of mixtapes. I don't want to post entire albums and give it to you, sometimes that almost too easy. This is meant to encourage you to seek bands out and support music, not feel entitled to freebies. Enjoy! (Download under the track list)

My hopeful goal with this 'segment' is to get demos, albums, etc. of local bands. Whoever reads this, please help spread the word. my email is melvinsfink@gmail.com. If you can send me a digital copy that would be rad, or just email me and we'll work it out.

Vol. 1: "Grinding Into the New Year"
1. Agorapocalypse Now- Agoraphobic Nosebleed
2. Conform- Nails
3. Gestation of Smegma- Cattle Decapitation
4. Decontamination- Insect Warfare
5. Living Next Door to Malice- Nasum
6. Targets- Rotten Sound

http://www.mediafire.com/?1sx4802o4yone

(Sorry if the whole download thing isn't what you're used to. I'm still figuring all this stuff out. thanks for the cooperation.)

Nailing It (Puns intended)

Nails' 2010 album 'Unsilent Death' is probably the best grind album I've heard in a while. You can tell from the card stock slip and captivating album art, that looks like it was xeroxed or silk screened first, that this album will fuck you up. It has all the signs of a band that's going to crush you with their music (not to discredit the time spent on the album artist). This album, which is only just over 13 minutes, is why I love grindcore. The opener, 'Conform' wastes NO time smashing your face into the sidewalk. I've heard this expression, and have used it before, but I really mean it this time. There's no build up, no soundclips, just grind. Nails conjure the spirits of their brothers in grind from Sweden without sounding like them. Okay, they like Nasum, but they hide that notion more than, say, Rotten Sound. The album, recorded by Converge's Kurt Ballou, captures the rawness of the grind. Having someone like Ballou behind the mixing board was the right choice, he knows how to capture raw energy without too much cacophony. The genius behind the song writing on this album is that it doesn't rely on technical musicianship, just sheer brutality. The music is not very complicated, which allows the songs to get right to the point. It possess a lot of the good parts of early crust grind and some hints of 90s hardcore. The lame part of this record is that it's so damn short! I want more! Simply put, go buy this record.

Hater's Edition: Why Iron & Wine really, REALLY sucks, a lot.

Simply put, Iron & Wine sucks. No, really. I hate that band, a lot. Here's why:

In the Fall of 2004 I had just started my schooling at the University of Oregon in Eugene, OR. I shared a dorm room (for all of you who have attended this school know calling those cubicles 'rooms' is a generous offer) with a kid named Paul. Paul and I bonded over 90s hardcore and the occasional fart joke, but that was it. When we were both in our shared space we'd have to compete for who got to listen to music without headphones. On one of those days he happen to put on Iron & Wine.

"Is this the Foo Fighters?" I asked. At the time I thought it sounded very similar to Dave Grohl's acoustic recording of the song 'Everlong'
(Scroll down to hear the song).

"No," Paul replied. "It's Iron & Wine."

For the next few months I would live in a recurring state of annoyance. I'm not saying that Iron & Wine sounds exactly like 'Everlong', but c'mon, it threw me off every time I'd hear it. The album I was hearing had that similar, perhaps exaggerated, whisper Grohl uses on 'Everlong'. And every time he'd play that album, I kept on waiting for Dave Grohl to chime in. This fucked with me for quite some time. Then everyone was listening to Iron & Wine, which made things worse.

Okay, let's all say what Iron & Wine really is: The 'mastermind' behind Iron & Wine, Samuel Beam, happened to get lucky. The basis of his music is essentially playing an acoustic guitar and whispering into your ear. Really? It's that simple? Maybe not, but it sure sounds like it.

Mr. Beam has done what thousands of people with an acoustic guitar, and perhaps a four-track recording device, can do. He's doing the same with guys with musical ability have been doing with their girlfriends for ages, but in the privacy of their bedroom, where it should stay. This music, to me, comes off like you're being sung at directly in the ear. As far as execution of a mood goes, he's hit the nail on the head. But why are people paying money for this? There's nothing original about it. You know there's some dude who heard this guy and said, "Shit! He beat me to it." I have friends that have been making recordings like this for years, how come they aren't making the big bucks? Mr. Beam's music doesn't even deserve the title of 'Indie'. I see people in cafes doing the same thing for chump change. I'm not saying that this kind of music shouldn't exist, it's just not worthy of a record contract and possibly large sums of money and notoriety.

There, I said it.