Samantha Gilder

Samantha Gilder is a native of Saint Simons Island. She attended Georgia Southern University for a brief stint where she studied Journalism, and although she became your statistical “college dropout”, she strives to pursue her goals with the best of them. Growing up, music and writing were the top two most influential things in her life; fast forward to the present and their roles in her life are just as prominent, with the only (major) differences being that now she is not only a writer but a mother. She has eternal love in her heart for her daughter. She bartends at a local coffee shop/café/pub where (lucky for her) the appreciation for music is equally shared between her employers and co-workers.

SXSW with New Madrid

Posted on by Samantha Gilder

Upon first listen, I quickly realized that New Madrid would turn into one of my favorite SXSW finds. The music they make is powerful; it forces you into a trance-like state and transcends the boundaries of your mind far from worldly concerns. Each time I play Yardboat, I feel a little more free and lot closer to myself and the music. It’s definitely one of those experiential listens that you kind of want to share, but kind of want to keep to yourself all at the same time. Fear not, though, because we at Vinyl decided to share it with you. This four-piece Athens-based group has created something special, and we got the chance to meet with them during SXSW. Feast your eyes on what they had to say, and then I highly recommend you go listen to Yardboat, streaming now for free on their website.

Vinyl Mag: Is this your first year playing SXSW?  If so, are you expecting it to affect your musical career?

New Madrid [Ben]: Yeah, it’s our first year. And I hope so. That’s the plan.

VM: What sets would you like to catch while you’re here?

NM [Ben]: I want to try to check out Dive today; they’re playing right off of Sixth at 5:00. Unknown Mortal Orchestra- I really want to see them. Hopefully we will catch Futurebirds play.

VM: You have actually played shows with Futurebirds, right?

NM [Ben]: Yeah, totally, we’ve played with them a couple of times.

VM: Did David Barbe and Joe Lambert approach the band to work on Yardboat or vice versa? How was that experience as a whole? 

NM [Ben]: We hooked up with David in Athens just playing shows. We won a contest to get a session in the studio, and he saw us play a show and wanted to do some recording with us. So we set up three days and worked with him.

VM: Did you knock it out in three days?!

NM [Ben]: All of the instrumental tracking, yeah. We did the vocals later. Phil lived in Athens at the time, so he could just come in whenever David had a free hour or something. We mixed it over two weekends just trying to get it done.

VM: Phil- do you currently live in Athens?

NM [Phil]: I do, I live in Athens. The rest of them didn’t at the time.

VM: Was the move from Tennessee a professional or circumstantial move? 

NM [Phil]: We had all wanted to move the year before. We had done these demo sessions, and we were all like, ‘let’s just do it. Let’s just move to Athens.’  But we decided we needed to get something together first. So we finished the record and had something to be proud of.  We all moved together and we all live together. We live in a barn; it’s pretty awesome.

VM: What’s in store this year for New Madrid?

NM [Ben]: Keep on playing shows. Get back into the recording studio. After SXSW, we’re just going back home. We had about five or six shows down here, and we did a tour to get down here. When we get back to Athens, we’ve got a schedule for the last half of March and first half of April at this place called The Green Room.

VM: Who did the artwork for Summer Dream Sigh and Ghost and Fire?

NM [Phil]:Two different people; Summer Dream Sigh I did, and our friend Anna Dewitt, who lives in Nashville, did Ghost and Fire.

VM: How did the album writing process go for Yardboat? Was it instrumentals first or were the songs created around the lyrics?

NM [Phil]: It’s really all over the board, but some of the songs on Yardboat were songs that I had written in high school, and I matched the words and the guitar parts together. With other stuff the instrumentals come and in a stream of consciousness, the words just come.

SXSW with Wax Idols

Posted on by Samantha Gilder

One thing I came to realize after being at SXSW was that my life-long battle with having no sense of direction (in navigational terms, of course) was going to be an issue. Growing up on a 10-mile long island has definitely spoiled me, as I have become accustomed to knowing every in, out, and shortcut to anywhere I needed to go; Austin definitely threw me for a loop in that sense. I quickly realized that knowing where you need to be is one thing, but getting there is the real battle.

Finally I stumbled upon Red 7, where Heather Fedewa (aka Hether Fortune) from Wax Idols, in all of her hot –leopard-pants glory, greeted me.  I grabbed a beer, and we headed outside to conduct what I considered one of my most personable interviews of the entire experience. This girl keeps it really real. How real, you might wonder?  THIS REAL:

Vinyl Mag: How do you feel the show went?

Heather Fedewa:  It was good; I’m really sick, so I was pretty like…’bleh,’ but it was good!

VM: How did you collaborate with Shaun Durkan (The Weekend) to do the album artwork for your past three releases?

HF: Well, that’s a great question; I’m glad you asked about that. Shaun and I have been friends for a long time, and when I was about to put out my first 7” I just wanted to work with him, because I knew that he was a really talented artist and graphic designer. We figured out quickly that we worked together really well, so we decided to create a ‘thing’ as partners, art-wise. So then he did the full-length record with me, No Future. He also used some of my collage work for their last EP, Red, and we just kind of went from there. Every time we do something, it gets a little crazier and crazier- it’s cool. He’s one of my best friends. I’m really excited to see him at SXSW, actually. He moved last year, and I never get to see him anymore, so I’m really excited to see them later.

VM: Are your musical influences actually drawn from the musicians that you seem to be constantly compared to?

HF: Yeah, I mean, sometimes they get it right. The thing is, I think it’s really easy for listeners and writers to kind of pigeonhole bands, because it triggers stuff that they’ve heard before, which is okay. Do I love The Cure and Joy Division, and have I listened to them since I was 14? Yes, absolutely.  But, I don’t know.  I don’t listen to The Cure and Joy Division all the time. I think I listen to Nick Cave probably more than anything else. He influences me in different ways, though, because I don’t write the same way that he does. He influences me to think differently lyrically.

VM: Is this your first SXSW?

HF: With this band, yeah.

VM: Who are you interested in seeing while you’re here?

HF: We’re trying to find Nick Cave. We won’t be able to get into his show, because we opted for the money over the wristbands, because we’re broke.  But it’s cool, because he’s playing in San Francisco soon, and I’ve already got tickets. We’re going to try to find him, though. I also wish I could see Prince, but we won’t be able to get into that one, either. I’m excited to see The Weekend at the Slumblerland Showcase, and Girls Names, as well.

VM: Do you personally keep up with your own social media? Who runs it?

HF: I do. I run all of it. I’m an internet whore. When it comes to how the band is represented visually and online, it’s definitely my thing. I totally push it- my Twitter is outrageous. I’m pretty outspoken, and people get mad at me a lot, but I feel like so many bands and artists are so pre-packaged with their responses; they’re trying to put on a façade of being a certain way. So with us and with me, what you see is what you get. That’s it. I don’t apologize for any of it.

VM: Do you find it helpful, hurtful, or irrelevant to be an up-and-coming band from California, being that California seems to just breed musicians?

HF: I don’t know. I don’t pay attention. I don’t care or think about it. I would be doing what I’m doing no matter where I was; California is just where I kind of ended up. I grew up in the Midwest, so I grew up always being like ‘f*ck Californians, spoiled brats!’  Blah, blah, blah. But it’s home, now. Well, Oakland is. Not L.A, not San Francisco – definitely Oakland. It reminds me of Detroit. I’m not sure whether it hurts or helps, but I think probably my attitude and my big mouth hurt us more than anything at times.  But can’t do anything about that!

VM: What do you see in store for Wax Idols in 2013?

HF: We’re going to be touring a lot. My plan is to make two back-to-back EP’s that like, everyone will hate. And I really enjoy doing that. I don’t like to repeat myself. I’m really looking forward to making some records that a lot of people will really not like at all- I’m excited about that. I’m excited to tour and play. We have this new drummer, Rachel, who is phenomenal so I’m excited to grow with her in a live setting because it gets cooler and cooler every time we play together.

REVIEW: The Bronx IV by The Bronx

Posted on by Samantha Gilder

After much anticipation, Los Angeles punk rock band The Bronx has broken a five-year musical hiatus and released its fourth studio album, The Bronx IV, which dropped today. The Bronx has been an underground staple in the hardcore scene for over a decade, and this record seems to pick right back up where the band left off, with four of the five founding members still on board and the addition of (bass guitarist) Brad Magers, who joined back in 2007.

The Bronx has shared the stage with artists like Fucked Up, Mastodon, and The Refused, and the band toured the 2008 Vans Warped tour in its entirety. To add to the rad, their side project, Mariachi El Bronx, has been recognized by The LA Times, NPR, and Pitchfork (and, of course, Vinyl Mag).  Clearly these guys have been doing something right – and this album is no exception.

Opening up the album with “The Unholy Hand”, The Bronx IV retains every bit of high energy that these guys have exuded for years now, religiously “metaphorizing” the price you pay for success with their lyrics “Are you the Anti-Christ or the Holy Ghost? Do you want to die or just come real close?”. The album then smoothly transitions into the second track, “Along For The Ride”, which sings of settling into the familiar, reflection of the past, and complacency as a whole.

Track 4 on the album, “Youth Wasted”, jumps right back into reflection mode, opening the track off with “The truth is, the truth still hurts”. There’s no arguing that, is there? “Sometimes the best laid plans will still end with blood on your hands” makes up almost the entirety of the song, but somehow the repetition is appropriate.

The energy of the record maintains its old-school, fast-paced feel with the following tracks, “Too Many Devils” and “Pilot Light”, but then it delightfully flips the script with the seventh track, “Torches”.  As a whole, “Torches” is notably slower than the entire album, setting a somber tone and bringing you back down a few notches on the intensity scale that the first half of the album inevitably carried you to.  It signs off with one quote-worthy phrase: “You cannot change the life you want to live”.

Aside from “Torches”, the album continues to pay tribute to its punk rock origins, keeping the pace amplified and the lyrical content brutally honest.

If I were to guess, the 12-song eponymously titled album will please and appease the former fans and (undoubtedly) attract some newbies. In the day and age of musical rebirth from album to album, there is something refreshing about a band that continues to stick to their roots and what they know. Punk rock personified is probably smiling down (or up) from somewhere right now knowing that hardcore is in fact not dead, but rather very much alive.

REVIEW: Evan Andree’s Invisible Sap EP

Posted on by Samantha Gilder

Evan Andree is an up-and-coming singer/songwriter/producer/music journalist, born and raised in the home of the brave. The Atlanta native’s song Panic (off of his Flags Pt. II EP) has recently been featured in Nike UK’s ad campaign “Find Your Greatness”. Now, Andree has released a new EP titled Invisible Sap, which has been online, accessible, and furthermore, FREE, for over a month now. I took it upon myself to stay in on this fine Friday evening and download this free little musical gem I had been introduced to earlier in the week.

The EP starts off with American Dream, a bubbly number with a modern-day John Mellencamp meets Jacks Mannequin-esque sound (is that too weird?), appropriately singing of those first butterfly feelings that come with young romance.  I will admit that at this point in the game, I’m kind of just….eh.

But oh! Wait! There’s more.  Track numero dos begins playing, and here is where I realize that perhaps this kid may be on to something. Your Song (thankfully) takes on an entirely different sound than American Dream; slowing it down altogether, giving it a little more lyrical depth, and allowing Andree to become more vulnerably exposed.  The song that I claim as my favorite off of Invisible Sap would most definitely be this track – the ending was executed perfectly.

The third and final track titled Mr. Teleportation heavily emotes the aforementioned Jack’s Mannequin sound, but in much more bearable doses. I can say that after listening to this particular track a few times, I really began to enjoy it. It encompasses that same light and bubbly tone that resonates throughout the entire EP, but this track really owns that sound like no other.  “Light and bubbly” easily and often translates as generic, but Andree really did something right with this one, setting it apart from all the others who tried and failed.

Invisible Sap will remain free-for-download for a few more weeks and can be accessed here.

My opinions are my own, so don’t just take my word for it – go and create your own!


REVIEW: Foeme’s El Fin Del Mundo

Posted on by Samantha Gilder

Isn’t it something when a song can speak volumes to you (regardless of the familiarity of the language it’s being played in)? This was my revelation from earlier in the week when I was introduced to Foeme, an independent rock band from Mexico City. I find it kind of ironic that even though my Mexican roots run deep in my mother’s side of the family, I’d never really been exposed to traditional Mexican music, let alone anything modern and authentic as that of Foeme. But at last, aforementioned exposition and I have met and formed a musical friendship.

Foeme released their official video for “El Fin Del Mundo” in early November, which has since quickly made waves in the realms of the interweb. The song starts off with that favorite-old-record-buzz to it, slow and melodic, quickly transcending into an instrumental fiesta of horns, spastic drum hits, and resonating bass riffs. “El fin del mundo” translates to “the end of world”, which can be heard throughout the chorus physically, but somewhat metaphorically, as well. Following in suit, the video itself sets a somber tone, shot entirely in a single room and in all black and white.

My biggest regret after listening over and over again to “El fin Del Mundo” was that I didn’t pay as much attention in my language aspects of high school curriculum as I should have. There’s a message to be heard in this song, no doubt, but all I can take away personally is what the music is saying. And those horns…..they said it all for me.

Go give Foeme’s “El Fin Del Mundo” as listen for yourselfbelow and let your own interpretational imagination run wild!

In the words of Foeme, “cheers and tacos”, Vinyl readers!

Minus the Bear interview: Tales from the Tour Bus

Posted on by Samantha Gilder

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past 10 years (and even then I’m not sure it’s a valid excuse), your personal playlists should, by now, delightfully be acquainted with Minus the Bear.  If for whatever (unfathomable) reasons you’re not familiar with the five- piece, Seattle based indie-rock band that is Minus the Bear, fret not and consider this your formal introduction. Minus The Bear formed in 2001 and have since released five albums and four EPs. What that says is that their longevity is immeasurable, and their creative juices are constantly flowing. Earlier this month they kicked off the “second leg” of their headlining tour (showcasing their new album, Infinity Overhead). I had the pleasure of sitting down with front-man Jake Snider and pick his brain for a few; feast your eyes on my revelations (and then continue reading for an over-cap of the show):

 ____________

VM: Can you explain to me the meaning behind the lyrics for “Steel and Blood” vs. the story line of the music video?

JS:  The video is kind of the director’s interpretation of the vibe of the song. I always thought that the lyrics were about relationships that have been going on for a while- you end up fighting a lot. So I felt like the lyrics were basically about the contentious part of the relationship and how that can lead to sexual tension and all of these other overall problems in a relationship. The video I think just works well with the song, but that was mostly Dan’s concept [the director] who came  up with the whole punk kids, the father, the murder, etc.

VM: In a lot of cases, song titles are taken directly from lyrics or concepts in the individual song, but not so much with MTB’s previous albums- who comes up with names of individual songs?

JS: Anybody, really. It’s always been fairly random. These days we try to get them a little more exact. But yeah, people would say something crazy and it’d be like, “huh, that’s a funny song title…”

VM: For MTB, what does the songwriting process entail?

JS:  Usually Dave and Aaron [guitar player and drummer] come up with the basis of a song, and we all work around it, rearrange it, and add/subtract stuff. Then, usually the lyrical content comes once the song is completely flushed out.

VM: Was there any major reason behind leaving Suicide Squeeze Records and ultimately joining Dangerbird Records?

JS: No. I mean, the contract with Suicide Squeeze was up. So we did Omni on our own- recorded it and finished it without a label and kind of shopped it around, and Dangerbird seemed like the right place for it at the time.

VM: Speaking of Omni– that album has a predominantly softer sound of its own [in comparison].  Was that just where the band was at musically and personally at that time?

JS:  Yeah, basically. We had a different producer at the time and that kind of fed into the tone of the record, as well. He was focusing more on synthesizers and getting more sounds via artificial means rather than making a guitar-rock record. But most of the recording was live- the basic tracking and whatnot, which did carry over to the new record. We wanted to make sure it sounded live. So it was some of the same techniques, but we just didn’t want to have the synths be such a predominant role because it does soften things up a bit.

VM: Were there any previous affiliations with Cursive before this tour? How did this collaboration come about?

JS: I think it was 2003 that Cursive took us out one of our first opening tours, so the connection has been there since then. We’ve played with The Good Life (Tim Kasher’s other band), so we know those guys pretty well.

VM: How was working with Matt Bayles (former band mate) as the producer for Infinity Overhead?  Was it a feeling of “home”?

JS: Yeah, that was the whole idea. We wanted to just lower the inherent waste of time that can happen when you have a new producer and you have to get to know each other. There’s a lot of accessing of the sounds, but Matt just knows us so well from the past. We felt like that was the direction to take and he’s just been so easy work with and very in tune with what we’ve got going on.

VM: Are there any plans of another remixed album?

JS: We’re not quite sure what we’re going to do with that; we have some remixes in the works on some of the songs, but we’re not sure what we’re going to do with that.  We’ll probably end up doing another acoustic record beforehand.

VM: After this tour wraps, what are the immediate plans for the band?

JS: I think we’re going to put out a new video for the song “Listing” off of the new record. But the next thing we do, I think, will probably be that acoustic thing we talked about.

 _________________

Following up the set of Cursive, Minus the Bear struck pertinent chords with the audience by kicking off their set with “Steel and Blood” from their new album. The flashing of the strobe lighting, crowd members each dancing to their own beat, and the heaviest of energies became the building that was simply the Florida Theatre of Gainesville just hours before. “Lies and Eyes” and “The Game Needed Me” were next on the set list, each musically heightening the already palpable vivacity in the room. The set went on to incorporate four more songs off of Infinity Overhead, leaving the rest of the set room to bust out plenty of the favorites of MTB appreciators all around, such as “Throwin’ Shapes”, “Knights”, and “Pachuca Sunrise”. From my experience, it’s safe to say that Minus the Bear does something extraordinarily beautiful to a crowd in a way that I have never seen before.

MTB will be touring through early November- experience the energy for yourself in the nearest available city, and purchase your copy of Infinity Overhead online today.


REVIEW: Adventures self-titled EP

Posted on by Samantha Gilder

Upon my first listen of Adventures self-titled EP, I realized that No Sleep Records had done it again.  The album, which will drop September 11, instantly blew me away and surpassed any expectation I may have had.

The line-up of Adventures seems to go something like this:

-Three parts former Code Orange Kids members

-Two parts friends of previously mentioned members

What became of this five-piece collaboration was simplicity at its finest, ultimately birthing an indie masterpiece.

Adventures oozes heartfelt emotion throughout its entirety, starting with the first track titled “I Feel So Sure”. Reba Meyers takes control of the track from start to finish, effortlessly striking chords that ring all the way down to your insides.

The second track, “Walking”, starts off slow yet again and is a pleasant follow-up to “I Feel So Sure”.  In “Walking”, Reba subtly introduces a vocal twist of melodic screams (and owns it, at that) that would be echoed in full force on the last track of the EP.

Once “Like Seed” came on, though I was saddened by the knowledge that I was three fourths of the way through the EP, I was delightfully met with a male vocal/female vocal match up that made it impossible to sulk.  “I’m watching time age before me as my biggest fears face reality, I’ve never had as much confidence in anyone, and I have never been so scared” is a powerful line that Meyers sings in harmony before being met again with the male vocals and, simultaneously, ending the song out together with a perfect display of lyrical repetition.  Out of the four tracks, this one hit the hardest with me. The band released the song to viewers online and can be heard here.

The last track off Adventures, “Reach Out To You”, would be considered the heaviest of the four tracks. The subtle melodic screams mentioned in “Walking” are predominant in this track, giving it a sound of its own and validating its need to be premiered as the first released track of the EP.

The anticipation of their self-titled EP has been mounting all over (and for good reason.  Adventures was featured in in Absolutepunk.net’s top 100 of 2012, who spoke of the EP as a “fabricated blanket of harmonies and heartbreak, worthy of anyone’s sweater and Hemingway collection”.

Adventures’ sound could easily be related to fellow indie rockers, Tigers Jaw, or Lemuria.  But, with a sound like theirs, you really don’t need to compare.  When something works so well on its own it is best to take it for what it is and enjoy.

Don’t just take my word for it!  Head on over to the band’s Facebook page and see for yourself.

REVIEW: Lowtalker Marathon EP

Posted on by Samantha Gilder

Lowtalker is the combined effort of former Living With Lions, Misery Signals, and Comeback Kid members who will be releasing their debut EP, The Marathon, under No Sleep Records on September 18th.

Stu Ross, Matt Keil, and Casey Hjelmberg formed the band in 2008, naming themselves after a reference to the “Puffy Shirt” episode of Seinfield.

Ross, who was born in Canada, essentially fronts the band as the singer, while also playing the guitar and contributing as one of the songwriters. What he brings musically is matched by what he brings visually, having done the artwork for the first EP, People Worry About Everything.  Keil plays bass, sings, and assumes the role of the mathematical brain in relation to the business.  Hjelmberg plays the guitar (and takes credit for coming up with the band’s name).

Upon first listen to The Marathon, I realized that pinpointing a particular band to compare their sound to wouldn’t be an easy task. Their post-hardcore/punk roots definitely flare through, but each member brings something unique to create a fresh sound.

The EP kicks off with the song “Like Minnows”, a fast-paced, personal recount of seemingly personal experiences with life’s relationships, making it easy to relate to.

“Tensions” is the second track and has a sound of its own. If I were to choose, I would claim it as my favorite of them all.  Repetitive hooks and catchy melodies get me every time.

Self-medicating seems to be an underlying theme throughout the EP, sounding loud and clear in the third track, “Prescriptions”. In our interview conducted earlier this month, Ross revealed that the song is based on a family member of his that has dealt with prescription drug abuse for the last 20+ years.

The EP ends with the appropriately-titled track “Chances” that sings of hopefully looking forward, letting go of your past, and the ghosts that can haunt you if you let them.

Lowtalker will be the hitting the road in October for a short stint of touring which includes a show in their hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Personally, this was a great listen from start to finish and will be on repeat for awhile in my musical library. What I find nice about this EP is that it can be enjoyed as a morning starter, a musical night-cap, and anything in between.

Be sure to check out Lowtalker. Catch a show and snag a copy of the EP once released later this month.