Woodfangs: ‘Future Vistas’

Posted on by Kate Foster

In case you were wondering – no, punk is not dead in Athens, Ga. In an almost satanic fury of screeching vocals and dark psych-rock comes Woodfangs, a local Athens band with a worldly sense of attitude. On their newest album, Future Vistas (out May 26 — keep your ears open), we take a journey through what feels like every genre. Even better? Woodfangs flawlessly molds their sound to each and every one to create an album that is entirely their own.

Seriously, let me prove to you that this foursome knows how to work through the history of music. On the album’s first track, “Demolish,” they start with a very ska selection of horns before vocalist John Woodfin Harry begins his ceremonial screaming and chanting. Then, all at once, the album’s title track shoots us into modern punk, reminding one of the Black Lips if they decided to whip out a Ouija board. By “Get Away,” we’re feeling old school Brit rock – it’s hard NOT to hear the Rolling Stones in this track. Through it all, Harry’s vocals give us a nostalgic blast to high school, when the only cool band we were into was Louis XIV. Though the group’s influences are undeniable, their individuality comes in the artful way they mix said inspirations.

However, Future Vistas takes an unexpected turn in the second half of the album. “I’m Just Dumb” incorporates a twang-y guitar and lyrics with a little more truth (“I think that I’ve got friends, but I’m all alone/I think that I feel good, but I’m just stoned”). “Karma Compass” is one of the album’s best tracks – I can’t resist its subdued sense of melancholy. Finally, the last track on Future Vistas, “Flying on the Wings of Angels,” makes you wonder if you entirely imagined the record’s chaotic first half. Maybe they were just good southern boys all along.

5/5

Scooterbabe: ‘Scooterbabe’

Posted on by Colby Pines and Nikki Smith

Scooterbabe, an Athens, Ga.-based noise pop trio, recently released an EP. The 5-track Scooterbabe EP is available digitally on a “name your own price” basis, and the band also released the project on a limited number of cassette tapes… Yes, I just said (well, wrote) cassette tapes… As in those plastic music squares that had a unique relationship with pencils and share a nostalgic sorrow with floppy disks. Scooterbabe’s choice of genre and audio release format clearly display their respect for noise pop and their nostalgic tendencies. So be sure to grab your Walkman, throw on a pair of jncos, and give them a listen.

If you played Tony Hawk Pro Skater and enjoy bands like The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, then this EP might be for you. The band finds their niche with songs like “Clean” where the soft “oh’s” that comprise the melody smooth some of the rough production edges.

The album has an untainted garage-rock sound that feels dreamy and seems to embody Athens. The town is constantly producing new artists, and new artists are constantly altering the Athens music scene. Scooterbabe’s most recent self-titled album is one of them. I’m sure I’ve seen one of its members downtown or on campus. Little did I know this person was working out a lyric about Annelise, “Why’d you let yourself down, waiting for some boy to set you straight?”

Scooterbabe presents an indie pop sound, with surf-like guitar riffs and base and catchy lyrics. The attitude is fast and fun as Scooterbabe chants, “Are you bored? If so, scooterbabe, go.”

Scooterbabe is Athens. It is feel-good; it is easy to sing, and it is easy to relate to.

SXSW 2014: Samsaya x Vinyl Video

Posted on by Emily McBride

We found our way to the Hilton rooftop pool (life is sooo hard) in downtown Austin during South by Southwest for this picturesque interview with “magma pop” sensation, Samsaya.  This girl is seriously the bomb.

Before SXSW, I was totally obsessed with her music (everyone should get after her track “Stereotype”), and now I’m totally obsessed with her as a person.  It’s really refreshing to meet such an enthusiastic and – for lack of a better word – “chill” artist.  No ego.  Just a love for what she does and an excitement to talk about it (Samsaya, if you’re reading this…you’re so awesome let’s have tea or something soon?).

This interview was seriously just a damn delight. Check it out for yourself, and watch us talk about her album Bombay Calling, her views on stereotyping, and the lethality of pop music.

SXSW 2014: Moon Taxi x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Mary Frances Dale

I was super pumped when I learned that I was going to get to interview Moon Taxi at South by Southwest this year.  Having been a fan for years, I’ve seen them live quite a few times (it doesn’t hurt that I’m from Nashville, Moon Taxi’s city of origin).  I loved them first as a local band, and later, once they blew the hell up, as a big, badass, international touring band.  Check out our interview below to read about their newest album, Mountains, Beaches, Cities, as well as what is next for them (tour, tour, tour!!).

Vinyl Mag: You have a really busy year coming up. I know you’re playing Red Rocks with Umphrey’s, and you just played Conan. Tell me more about what projects and events are you excited about.

Spencer Thomson [guitar]:  In April, we’re doing a pretty big tour with a band called The Revivalists. A lot of that is on the East Coast; we’re excited about that. We’re doing a couple nights in Brooklyn, Washington, D.C., Charlottesville – we’re stoked for that. After that, it’s pretty much straight to festival season, which we’re excited about. We’re doing Hangout, Wakarusa, Mountain Jam, and Counterpoint…I think some others.

VM: You’re playing a ton of gigs! Are you guys working on any new material?

Spencer: Yeah, we’re trying to balance it. We’re doing a month of touring and then spending time at home writing. We just started writing pre-production for the next record. Very early stages right now, but that’s the goal – to spend the rest of the year half touring, half working on the next record. Hopefully, we can put it out early in 2015. That’s the plan now, but we’ll see. Things always change.

VM: Can you tell me a little bit about the name “Moon Taxi?” I’ve always wondered where that came from.

Spencer: Honestly, the story changes every time someone asks. We booked a gig before we even had a name. Some friends of ours had a band, and they asked us to open, but we barely knew any songs; this was like a really early incarnation of the band, but they had to put something on the flyer to include us. Somehow, “Moon Taxi” came up. Then, it just stuck forever.

VM: Can you tell me a little bit about the evolution of the band? I know you started out in Nashville and played a ton of gigs and got this great following, especially with frat parties.

Spencer: We started playing together in college. Once we were all done is when we really started hitting the road a lot. We spent a lot of time touring. We were touring on a live album, and the sound back then was a little different. It was a little more “jam-band-y” than it is now.

VM: I remember those days.

Spencer: The good ‘ole days. We spent a lot of years touring when we weren’t really satisfied with anything we had done in the studio. We kind of had a revelation that we really wanted to hone in and focus and start making great studio music and put as much time and effort into that as we were into playing live. That was around 2011. We changed the way we wrote and thought about records a lot. Then we made the record that came out in 2012, Cabaret. Finally having a studio record that sounded good – that we were proud of – really opened a lot more doors for us. We got more attention than just playing live. Obviously, we still play tons of shows, and that’s how we’ve gotten our name, and we’ve made a lot of progress that way. I think we’ll always be a band people want to see live, but now we’re trying to balance that with also having really good studio records. I think that combination has really helped us get to the next level.

VM: What is your favorite memory from recording your latest album, Mountains, Beaches, Cities? Where did you record? I love the album art, by the way.

Spencer: Oh thanks. This guy from Australia did it. He just sent us an email and was like, “If you guys need artwork, let me know.” We looked at his stuff and were like, “Alright.” Everything he’d send would be spot on from the first time. His name is Samuel Johnson. We do a lot of the groundwork [for the record] at my house. We spend a couple days in a big, proper studio. This one we did in a studio in Nashville called Sony Tree. Then we mixed it with the same guy who mixed our last two records, a guy named Anse Powell. The majority of the time spent making the record, as far as recording goes, actually just happens in my house, which was a big change we made. Previously, we’d sit together, write songs in a practice room and jam it out. That really wasn’t getting us the result we wanted, so we stepped back, and now it’s more of a nuanced approach.

Trevor Terndrup [guitar]: We do a lot on the pre-production side. We get these songs pretty much done, and then we just got to go into the studio and fill in the blank pieces, which is bass and drums. One of my favorite moments was in the song “Beaches” – at the end, it has this altro sequence that really peaks at a nice point and has a more live feel. It goes from a very studio-oriented song to a live version, but the transition is kind of seamless. That was one fun part for me, getting in the studio and trying to peak out live.

Spencer: That song, also, we recorded this nice ambient noise at the beach from the balcony.

Trevor: I didn’t actually get credit for my best boy grip – best man grip, actually. I was holding the mic out there. To capture the sound, you really need the proper mic technique.

Spencer: And placement.

Trevor: Placement is key.

VM: Could you each tell me about your role and what each of you brings to Moon Taxi?

Tommy Putnam [bass]: In the early days of the band, I booked all the shows and took a booking agent, managerial role. I still do a lot of that; I work closely with our booking agent to make sure the shows that we’re doing are fitting and we get paid enough money. I do a little bit of writing, too and just keep the bass down.

Tyler Ritter [drums]: Other than being Tommy’s bodyguard, my job is mostly just to complement what these guys write as close to their original vision of the song as I can and still put my voice on it, because I’m not one of the people who’s bringing an original song from the beginning to the table. I’m usually there at the end trying to put my flavor on it, but I’ve still got to keep it within the original mindset of the writer. I like doing that; it’s fun. It’s cool to adapt to other people’s tendencies.

Wes Bailey [keyboard]: I play the keys. That’s all I got.

Spencer: I’m an alcoholic. I’ve got some vices I’m dealing with, and I’m shaking. I arrange all of our travel, and I launder all of our money.

VM: So how is your “South By” going so far?

Tyler: There’ s a lot of walking and trying to get into things that you’re not allowed into. I do find it upsetting that people with badges that work for the bands can get into whatever they want very easily, and the bands that actually provide them with a source of income and a job aren’t allowed into places. You really could get into anything, you just have to bullsh*t your way into stuff.

VM: I’ve learned that a clipboard and a walkie-talkie are a great way to get into something. Just act like you’re really stressed out. So how many shows are you playing for “South By” this year?

Trevor: 7 or 8. Just shy of 10.

VM: Which ones are you most excited about?

Trevor: That’s a tough question. I mean, what’s your favorite child?

VM: Touché. So, are you more of a barbecue or taco person?

Trevor: I actually like rainbow trout.

VM: Where did you find rainbow trout?

Trevor: Lambert’s.

VM: Oh! Lambert’s is great. Good, solid place.

Trevor: Yeah, with this lime quinoa salad with big hunks of avocado.

Spencer: We’re trying to keep our barbecue and tacos to a decent amount.

Trevor: Yeah, we’ve got to keep this figure going on.

VM: Tell me something really crazy about Moon Taxi.

Trevor: Well the name of the band came from…

VM: Let’s see if it’s different.

Trevor: It was a late, late night in Nashville, and I was trying to hail a cab, and I was having zero luck. It was one of those nights where nothing was going my way.

Tyler: So, Spencer got really mad on Trevor’s behalf and pulled out a gun and started shooting everybody.

Trevor: That later became the Moon Taxi trials, and there is still an ongoing investigation.

*Be sure to catch Moon Taxi on their current tour!!

Tour Dates:

Apr 16    World Cafe Live Philadelphia w/ The Revivalists    Philadelphia, PA

Apr 17    Brooklyn Bowl w/ The Revivalists    Brooklyn, NY

Apr 18    Brooklyn Bowl    Brooklyn, NY

Apr 19    930 Club w/ The Revivalists    Washington, DC

Apr 25    Counterpoint Music Festival    Kingston Downs, GA

Apr 26    Civic Theatre w/ moe.    New Orleans, LA

May 17    Hangout Music Festival    Gulf Shores, AL

May 30    BottleRock    Napa Valley Napa, CA

Jun 05    Wakarusa Music Festival    Ozark, AR

Jun 06    Mountain Jam Festival    Hunter, NY

Jun 29    Electric Forest    Rothbury, MI

Jul 03    Sumtur Ampitheater w/ Umphrey’s McGee    Papillion, NE

Jul 05    Red Rocks Amphitheatre w/ Umphrey’s McGee    Morrison, CO

Jul 11    Carolina West RibFest    Asheville, NC

Jul 26    Equus Run Vineyards Amphitheatre    Lexington, KY

Aug 22    Raleigh RibFest    Raleigh, NC

Aug 23    High Point Hopfest    High Point, NC

 

Street Style Profile: Maddie Zerkel

Posted on by Aubrey Mascali

Maddie Zerkel is one member of the duo behind the fashion blog, Athens Street Style,  and is also a budding artist studying textile design at The University of Georgia. She’s one of those girls who can channel her inner spirit outfit effortlessly – mixing and matching playfully and adding details that give her outfit special personality. We’ve found she also happens to be a great resource for inspiration, and we’re happy to share some of her favorite things with you! Also, don’t forget to scroll down to hear some of Maddie’s favorite tunes from her playlist, made especially for Vinyl Mag.

How do you approach dress (Is there a method to your madness)?

I look at getting dressed every morning as a way to make myself feel happy. I don’t really care for the current trends or how certain groups of people dress. I choose the clothes that make me feel the most excited and go from there. Generally, I try to throw together as many patterns as I can. I love me a good pattern.

Do you have an article of clothing or jewelry with a special story attached?

I treat all of my articles of clothing like they are my best friends, so naturally, each comes with special stories, memories, and food stains. The necklaces that I am wearing are some of my current favorites. My tiny heart pendant says “balls to the wall,” and I wear it every day as a self-help reminder to work as hard as I can and that I only live once. The other long, landscape-esque necklace is designed by one of my favorite jewelry grads at Lamar Dodd (His name is Cameron Lyden– dude makes some seriously beautiful enamel jewelry).

Who are some of your fashion icons?

Fashion is such a strange beast. I approach fashion as a very personal thing, and I rarely look at others and base my wardrobe off of them. Anybody that I do view as “iconic” is someone who has a very profound sense of self and that looks very comfortable and at one with what he or she wears. It sounds so corny, but I really just love weirdos and eccentrics.

How about other people who inspire you?

The amount of people that inspire me are innumerable. I look up to my friends and peers tremendously, and I learn and gain insight from every person that I interact with on a day to day basis. I have a wall in my apartment where I keep pictures of the people that inspire me the most (I call it my Inspirational People Wall– I highly recommend. Every day, my wall inspires me to be a better person). Kiki Smith, Ai Wei Wei, Sufjan Stevens, Tavi Gevinson, Tina Fey, Scott and Seth Avett, my Dad, Allison Shulnik, Cindy Sherman, Iris Apfel, my professor Junichi, Herb and Dorothy, Bri Emery, Steve Martin, Steve Harvey, Colbert, Peggy from Mad Men, Sonia “The Black Widow” Thomas (the competitive eater), Annie Clark, Jenna Lyons, my cat, etc. etc. I could list off hundreds of people, but these are all I can think of off the top of my head.

Street Style Profile Playlist: Maddie Zerkel

1. Do My Thang – Miley Cyrus

I cannot help it, you guys. I’m hopelessly attracted to the music of Miley Cyrus.

2. Rhythm of Devotion – Sisyphus

I fan girl hard over Sufjan Stevens. Sisyphus is his new very anxious and delightfully strange rap album.

3. Trust In Me – Etta James

Etta James is my go-to sad girl music. It will instantly make me feel better.

4. On and Ever Onward – Dirty Projectors and Bjork

My go-to “i’m feeling weird” music.

5. Anonanimal – Andrew Bird

Andrew Bird is my home music. Whenever I hear his voice, I immediately travel to a place of calm and comfort.

6. So Far Away – Carole King

Carole King’s tapestry is my favorite album of all time. My aunt gave it to me for my birthday when I was twelve, and I cannot find any flaws in Carole’s music

7. Sleeping Dogs – Madeline

I attended a Madeline Concert at the Caledonia Lounge in Athens last year. Her voice is magically pure, and her lyrics are beautifully sad. I am very excited because she is coming to the 40 Watt this spring!

 

SXSW 2014: Casual Sex x Vinyl Mag

Posted on by Mary Frances Dale

Who wouldn’t be intrigued by a band called Casual Sex?

So, honestly, we were originally drawn to them because of the shock value of their name (weren’t you?), but then we gave them a listen, and that’s where the real love affair began.  This band is cool.  That’s really all that I can say.

Their music is a bundle of seduction, fitting somewhere between Scissor Sisters and of Montreal on my party-time playlist (and with Sam’s Bowie-esque vocals thrown into the mix, seriously where has this band been all my life?).  We caught up with them at South by Southwest this year to talk about their music, Southern hospitality, country walks, and their plans after the festival.

Vinyl Mag: So, tell me how your South By is going so far!

Sam [guitar/vocals]: It’s been very good, very great, very exciting. Very busy.

Ed [guitar]: It’s been amazing; people have been amazing, Austin locals have been so nice. We got picked up the other day by a complete random and taken to a show, ’cause we were carrying all our equipment along a long street.  So yeah – it’s been amazing. The shows have been fantastic; we’ve had a great reception everywhere we’ve played, so it’s good.

VM: How many shows are you playing through South By this year?

Ed: Six. Is it six shows this year?

Peter [bass]: Yeah, I think we play about six shows. Our last one’s tonight at 10 o’clock.

Ed: We played at the British Embassy yesterday, and it was great. So that’s going to be a hoot.

VM: Can you tell me a little bit about how the band got together and your process?

Sam: Yeah, well it kind of started…I run a studio, and we were running courses. I knew Ed anyways, a friend. And I had a lot of work together already and kind of came on board to play an old catalog of songs, and then eventually, Peter kind of muscled in. And we asked Chris to play drums. And then we all found out we worked fairly well together. So we became more of a solid, democratic unit.

VM: Your music is very…I mean, you’re Casual Sex, how did you get into the –

Ed: Well, the platform of the music was already there, and the name kind of went along with the platform. Sam had already written a body of work, and then we started writing together after our first show. We got what we had down and played a show. We got a great reception from our friends, and then we started getting serious about it and writing together.

VM: How close are the lyrics to your real life [experiences]?

Sam: It’s all 100 percent right; it’s pretty honest stuff. [Laughing] yes, I think you try and write about what you know, so there are a few illustrious experiences documented in the lyrics about sex.

VM: [Laughing] like cheating on your girlfriend?

Sam: Yeah, on the floor of a local occultist, so the press quote goes [laughing], but no it’s true, it’s true. I don’t get up to that sort of thing anymore.

VM: Now you just dress like you’re in the Matrix.

Ed: I dunno. It’s not leather. I was just trying to pull off a more of a – I dunno – a semi-British-goth vibe or something.

VM: I like it. How would you all describe your music?

Chris [drums]: Music with guitars you can dance to would be the easiest way to say it. There are too many genres in music. It’s ridiculous. It’s pointless to try and quantify it, you know.

Ed: And Peter and Chris are an unbelievably tight – almost like soul rhythm section, and we just embellish that sound with guitars. Sam’s actually an accomplished musician, and I can just play what I can play so…

Sam: The sound of tomorrow, now.

Ed: [Laughing] the sound of tomorrow, now.

Chris: I like to think that me and Pete don’t necessarily sound like two skinny white guys from Glasglow – maybe something the opposite of that, but I’m not sure.

Peter: But I think a lot of times, when Chris and I are coming up with things when we’re playing, there’s a thing of getting your guilty pleasures out and playing things you maybe couldn’t find a place to play anywhere else – sort of reggae influence or funk influence kind of things, but we have fun playing as a unit. It’s good but also fun playing as a four-piece.

Ed: We’ve been writing the songs almost live…we’ll come up with an idea and really quickly structure it, and then we’ll record it. Sam has a lot of poetry that he can just put down, and we tend to actually write a track and record it in that one session. So we really really work quite well together. Not many bands can do that. We usually do it live as well. Almost everything we’ve done has live tapes.

Sam: We track as much as we can.

VM: You guys have a really busy year. What projects are you most excited about? And what events?

Chris: I can’t wait to go back to France; we’ve been to France, and it treated us really well. I think it went down well there, and we’re going back in May for two weeks. France, and then the Netherlands, so another European tour. Touring there has been really fun.

Sam: I think we’re going Holland, Belgium, France, and I think our people been talking to Spanish promoters, so we’ll get us some nice food.

VM: What do you think about being in America?

Sam: I love it. I love being in the States. I mean, we were over here in October. And I lived here as a kid up in New Hampshire for a year, and I find something quietly reassuring about being back here with the signage. It kind of almost feels homey at times. But Austin – when you go further south – it’s got a stronger flavor; it’s very much its own identity. I think New York is kind of a bit like its own sort of thing really. I don’t really feel like going to New York is like being abroad; it’s just like being in New York.

Ed: Yeah, I’ve spent a bit of time in New York and the East Coast and California and Los Angeles, and this is the first time I’ve been in this part of the world, and there’s a complete contrast. Everyone is so nice here. And we’re not getting any fake vibes at all. Like everybody is being so nice.

Peter: It’s really quite sincere. The southern hospitality – the rumor of that, the stuff I’ve heard – is true.

Sam: It’s nice, and I love the accents. You always get, you know, the English people ‘ahh I love your accent.’ We do like southern accents. Texas accents. Amazing.

Peter: It’s really strange actually hearing people use the phrase ‘ya’ll’ in a sentence. I didn’t think that happened. ‘Ya’ll’ and people with Stetsons on.

VM: I’m a Tennessee girl, though.

Ed: Ah. Southern Belle.

VM: During your time in Austin, have you sampled any of the barbeque or tacos? It’s what they’re known for.

Sam: I’ve had the tacos. I’ve had burritos; it’s been great.

Ed: I’ve only had enchiladas, because I’ve recently turned vegetarian, so I’ve found it quite difficult. We need to have a nice vegetarian restaurant, because [laughing] I’m dying to have a steak. I’m craving a steak.

VM: So what’s next for you after South By? You’re touring Europe?

Sam: Well, we’ve got a month to finish an album, and kind of already in the process; a lot of it has been written. So just hit the studio, and then pretty much as soon as May comes around – by the third of May, we’re back out, over to Utrecht, and then all the way down to France.

Ed: Amsterdam. We’re playing the Paradiso in Amsterdam. Really looking forward to that one, and then yeah, back to Paris. We’ve got a couple of shows in Paris, and then we’re playing in and around Paris for ten days, so that’ll be great.

Chris: Hopefully we’ll have the album out…well, finished by April 16, 2014.

Sam: And then it’s the UK festival dates, they kind of start around then – in May – so when we get back, then there are various festivals. So the summer’s beginning to shape up, but it’s important for us now to get this record done, I think.

VM: Who’s the craziest member of Casual Sex?

Sam: In terms of crazy fun or crazy neurotic?

Peter: [Laughing] Crazy as in mentally ill?

VM: A little bit of each! We can have one for each. So crazy as in wild.

Sam: I go from two extremes, from being quite quiet most of the time. Occasionally, when I do go for it, I’m pretty nutty.

Ed: We’re all a bit crazy, and we all like to drink, and we all go out quite a lot. And we’re all… I’m past my crazy days now I think.

Sam: I’ve been there and done it. I quite like walking now.

VM: You’re the sheriff now.

Ed: Yes, I am the sheriff.

VM: You hold down the fort. You keep order.

Sam: I like fresh air and country walks now.

VM: Wow. Casual Sex likes fresh air and country walks.

Ed: We all like different things. I mean, we all do different things, socially. I go clubbing a lot. We drink in our local pub quite a lot. Chris, he goes to live shows all the time. I like to dance.

Sam: I like to spend most of my time in the studio. I’m usually in a cave, working. I’ve got a studio both at home, and I’ve got another studio, so I’m generally in front of machines.

Ed: I live with Sam, and he lives in a studio. He actually lives and sleeps in a mastering studio, and then he works in the studio by day. He’s living and sleeping the dream.

Sam: I love being surrounded by machines.

VM: In your cave.

Sam: Yeah, in my cave.

Diarrhea Planet: The Best Live Band You’ll Ever See

Posted on by Chris Hunkele
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*All photos taken by Emily McBride at the Historic Scoot Inn in Austin, TX at SXSW 2014.

What’s up? We’re Diarrhea Planet, and we just woke up!!

It was the final day of South by Southwest, and the guys from Diarrhea Planet were taking the stage as I was waiting outside the gates of Austin’s Historic Scoot Inn. It was a rainy Saturday with an uncharacteristically long wait time for an early afternoon showcase. The line swelled with anxious concertgoers recovering from the night before as skateboard-wielding kids leaned against the chain link fence eagerly anticipating the impending shredfest. It has become a Vinyl Mag tradition to spend the last day of the festival with Diarrhea Planet. Last year, we literally bumped into them on the street before their final showcase at the Jackalope, which to this day remains one of my top five favorite shows of all time. I honestly can’t think of a better way to close out that epic week of music than to be drenched in sweat at the end of one of their sets.

The dudes were three songs in when I finally entered the yard, so I hustled to the bar, grabbed a Lone Star (you know, nothin’ snooty), and jumped over mud puddles to get closer to the action. I came in midway through “Lite Dream,” the first track off I’m Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams, as frontman Jordan knelt perched on the speaker platform at the front of the stage like a gargoyle – tongue out with each note of the solo seemingly pouring down from his open mouth past his fingertips before landing precisely on the fretboard. He was later joined on the platform by guitarists Brent, Evan, and Emmett, where back to back they formed a four-headed monster, aiming their guitars at the sky as if in tribute to the gods before turning them on the audience like AK’s of shred. Simply put, these guys play with impassioned stage presence and waste no time getting after it.

Meanwhile, Mike seems content to lurk in the shadows while chugging out underrated bass lines as drummer Casey powers the band with unrivaled heaviness in his sticks. Evan and Emmett sway back and forth periodically in choreographed fashion, with Evan sarcastically miming wiping sweat off of his forehead – a signature move that displays the band’s sense of humor. Crowd interaction is also a major component of Diarrhea Planet’s now legendary live shows. During their infectiously energizing performance, they awarded the first eight crowd surfers a free t-shirt that read “Diarrhea is the new F**k” – further displaying how seriously these guys take themselves. At one point, Evan had a girl photographer climb on top of his shoulders before parading her through the crowd while effortlessly fulfilling his guitar duties.

They roared through the remainder of their set, playing a nice mix of old and new. Two weeks later, I had the chance to see them again at New Earth Music Hall in Athens, Georgia when they were back to make up for a van-induced cancellation earlier in the year. They took the stage after midnight, sincerely apologizing for missing their previous date, and filled the room with over an hour of the catchy ear-ringing, shred-driven skate punk they do better than anyone.

As they broke down their gear after each one of these shows, it was clear that everyone was impressed with what they had just seen. Too many bands these days look like they’re just phoning it in – dialing up impossible to reproduce melodies and licks from their studio sessions in an effort to earn gas money to get from this city to the next. Diarrhea Planet is a rarity – their live show is actually better than any of their records, which is the highest compliment I can give a band. When they finish their set, you can be absolutely sure of one thing: these guys are having a blast.

After all, live shows are supposed to be a good time, and this seems to be the one thing Diarrhea Planet truly takes seriously. And for that, we should all be grateful.

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Girl Talk & Freeway: ‘Broken Ankles’

Posted on by Colby Pines

Girl Talk recently teamed up with former Roc-A-Fella MC Freeway to release the Broken Ankles EP. The project was released free on DatPiff, and I was so hype to get to write my first review on a hip-hop project. I looked up to 2Pac, Biggie, Eazy-E, and the remaining Rap Gods, but they stared down from Thugz Mansion and didn’t see fit to have me review something as dope as Freeway’s earliest releases.

If you don’t remember, Freeway first burst onto the hip-hop scene with a featured verse on “1-900-Hustler” from Jay-Z’s monumental album The Dynasty. Since parting ways with Roc-A-Fella in 2007, Freeway’s work has been largely directionless. While Broken Ankles isn’t completely uninspired, it still finds Freezer an MC with nothing new to say.

The boisterous, in-your-face intro sets the hyped up tone of the album, but I kept wondering when Girl Talk was going to do Girl Talk. The answer is never. If you’re expecting souped-up pop samples for Freeway to spit on, then you’d be just as disenchanted as I was when the only recognizable sample is a single Notorious B.I.G. line used to comprise the hook on “I Can Hear Sweat.” Freeway juxtaposes the Biggie hook by trying to tap into 2Pac when he announces, “all eyes on me, all eyes on me.” Freeway concludes his attempted legendary East Coast/West Coast marriage by surmising that he thinks “they love me like Pac now.” While the historical hip-hop nod is nice, it just seems to be missing a point; much like the entire project.

This isn’t to say that the EP is a total failure. Whenever Girl Talk takes a back seat and allows Freeway to drive, hints of the old MC appear in soulful songs like “Tell Me Yeah.” The EP also has some great guest verses. Waka Flocka Flame makes the first track, “Tolerated,” tolerable, and Jadakiss was born to rhyme over “I Can Hear Sweat.” Unfortunately for Freeway, he raps in the shadow of his featured verses for the majority of the EP. He spits recycled similes and tired lines like: “Betty Crocker, got my cake up” and “I learned lessons went to summer school.” Baseless rhymes like this combined with the hit-and-miss beats make the EP perfect for a mindless jog or background music at a pregame everyone just left.

The EP is currently sporting a 4/5 rating on DatPiff (so hey, what do I know, right?), but the majority of the commenters agreed with me as we reminisced on the Freeway who proved he had honest, inspired flow and something to say in the early 2000s. If Girl Talk had simply done what Girl Talk has done in the past, then it would’ve allowed Freeway to spit over some sweet samples. I mean, that seems way more hip-hop than what Broken Ankles actually winds up being. Unfortunately, even if that were the way the record was spun, I’m still not sure Freezer has any new stories to tell.

2.5/5

 

GIRL TALK TOUR DATES:

Fri. April 11 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival

Fri. April 18 – Indio, CA @ Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival

Sun. May 4 – Tampa, FL @ Big Guava Festival

Thu. May 15 – Gulf Shores, AL @ Hangout Music Festival

Sat. May 17 – Atlanta, GA @ Centennial Olympic Park

Fri. May 23 – Sun. May 25 – Chillicothe, IL @ Summercamp

Fri. June 20 – Dover, DE @ Firefly Music Festival

Wed. June 25 – Sun. June 29 – Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest

Bobby Bare, Jr.: ‘Undefeated’

Posted on by Nikki Smith

Nashville native, Bobby Bare, Jr. exemplifies southern rock ‘n’ roll in his most recent album, Undefeated, out today! Along with the album, a documentary, Don’t Follow Me (I’m Lost) will be released May 1st. The documentary, ironically, follows Bare in his musical endeavors and family affairs. On Bloodshot Records artist page, Bare is described as “rambunctious” and “freewheeling,” generally a relatable guy. What’s more enjoyable than listening to a man who doesn’t take life too seriously?

Undefeated embodies just that; don’t allow trivial matters eclipse what is important to you.

Undefeated opens with “North of Alabama By Mornin’.” The piece presents an echo effect with a deep, harmonizing voice, giving it the primary pop, rock ‘n’ roll style. On the other hand, pieces like “If She Cared” and “Don’t Wanna Know” feature a female voice that creates a graceful, blues sound. “The Elegant Impostor” follows the heartbreak blues sound with elegant, synthesizer chimes.

BBJ is skilled and eloquent at crossing genres. “Undefeated” combines a country, blues guitar with airy vocals and rock guitar riffs. In general, the album is able to mix country rock with more experimental pop pieces, like “Don’t Stand at the Stove,” which utilizes more synthesizer and high-pitched vocals, to create a very original piece of work.

More interesting is the story-like style of the album, as if Bare is sitting around a campfire with the listener. “My Baby Took My Baby Away” begins with the principal country sound and Bare telling us a story about his “baby”: “He comes stumbling through the door with his bottle in hand…he closes his eyes while he’s mumbling.” The story-telling format allows the listener to relate, and it is, generally, entertaining. Bobby Bare Jr. is a master at narrating through his music in an original and nontraditional way.

3/5