Breathe Electric on the Vans Warped Tour on July 20th, 2010.

www.myspace.com/breatheeceltric

 

1-06 Redneck Friend

 

A Post by Dad

In 1973 I was lucky enough to spend 3 weeks away from my Pennsylvania home with my Aunt Linda in Los Angeles. I was 14 and this was the first trip to the West Coast and I was in awe of everything. Including Aunt Linda, especially Aunt Linda.  At the time she was working at Asylum Records, which had been started by David Geffen just a couple of years earlier.

She rented a bicycle for me and I spent the days while she worked pedaling around the San Fernando Valley  and hanging at the Arcade playing Pinball and drinking Coca-Cola.  Just like I would have been doing in York, PA, except this was was much cooler.

One day Aunt Linda came home from work and said " You've got to hear this. It's a brand new song by Jackson Browne called "Redneck Friend".  She had brought home the 7 inch hand labeled test pressing of  the song. We listened to it twice, at least, and she said "That's Elton John on Piano!"  I was suitably impressed.

A few months later the album came out and was delivered via UPS to my front door – I was on the Press Relations mailing list!  I got new music in the mail along with 8×10 glossies and an artist bio. It was the coolest thing ever.  Eagles, Warren Zevon, Queen, Linda Ronstadt, Carly Simon, Bob Dylan, all sorts of stuff that shaped my taste and world view would magically appear.

So anyway, on the album cover the piano on "Redneck Friend" is credited  to Rockaday Johnny.  Not sure if it was a record company or US work visa issue, I've heard both stories, But I knew better.It was Elton John, man – just listen to it!

I went on to become a huge fan of Jackson Browne and still count "For Everyman" among my favorite albums of all time.  Tonight at Pier Six in Baltimore, Jackson and David Lindley, along with a full backing band will bring the classic songs to life and I'm genuinely excited to hear them and feel it all over again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Runner Runner at the Recher Theatre on August 4th.

www.myspace.com/runnerrunnermusic

There is no denying that Never Shout Never is a popular topic, especially on Dad's Car Radio. A big reason for this is because lead singer Christofer Drew never takes a break. He has been constantly touring for the past two years with maybe three months of off time when you add it all up. The boy is always on the move and on Tuesday is releasing his second album of the year, third if you include his side project EatMeWhileImHot. So without further ado, here is the track by track review of the album everyone will soon be buzzing about.

1. Harmony-Something unique about Christofer Drew is he doesn't hesitate to leak his songs early to the public or post a demo whenever he feels like it, and that's exactly what he did with this album, especially the title track.

2. This shit getz old- One of the many tracks that was uploaded three months ago as a YouTube demo This Shit Getz Old is one of the few negative tracks NSN has released to the public. The song contains the usual catchy lyrics but it has something different that also continues to go through the rest of the album, it has a much deeper meaning than the usual boppy songs. It's been interesting to see the band grow musically and as people over the past few years and to see the finished product all reflected in the music.

3. Cheatercheaterbestfriendeater- CCBFE has been already listened to by most of the NSN fan base because it was one of the few tracks on the Melody EP, the same day the music video was also released. Being cheated on is never a good thing, and this track really can speak to the listener and make them sympathize with these horrible feels so many people have gone through.

4. Lovesick-Another feeling so many people feel is that total feeling of being lovesick, where that special someone is always on your mind. The album slows down for a bit with Lovesick and it might be the NyQuil I took to get rid of my cough but when I close my eyes and listen I see a record player with young girls fantasizing over their musical crushes, wether it be Elvis, The Beatles, or Christofer Drew himself.

5. Piggybank-It's one of the shorter songs on the album and not even two minutes long but Piggybank is probably one of the fastest songs on the album. Plus, is has some pretty kick-ass harmonica.

6. I love you more than you will ever know-It's not a Never Shout Never album without a song proclaiming the ultimate love for someone. Perhaps when NSN gets more popular this song will be played at school dances as a slow song, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a signature for the bands style and absolutely adorable.

7. First dance- First Dance is a song that I have personally been waiting an entire year to hear the studio version of. A year ago when back home in Joplin Christofer uploaded this song in a video just hours after he finished writing it. The song was boppy and cute but obviously needed some work, which is where the studio instruments and backing vocals come in. Although Chris did all the work the things he added to the song create a world of difference between a finished studio track and a viral video on YouTube.

8. Lousy truth- Bringing back the negative, or should I say lousy, this track does exactly what it implies, speak the lousy truth, those things that are sad but true. Mostly acoustic guitar it's a slower track but it's obvious that it speaks from the heart.

9. Trampoline-Another song that made it's YouTube debut three months ago Trampoline is a cute little tune that brings on the urge to snap your fingers and sing along. The song really reflects the sincerity of Christofer Drew that so many people have grown to love but it also reflects the maturity that can be seen over the past three EP's and an album and how it's progressed into Harmony.

10. Sweet perfection-This song is probably one of the only songs on this album that I hadn't heard before and it's probably one of my favorites on the album. The piano work is spectacular when paired with the banjo and it also brings in the great harmonica again. Definitely a solid track, I see why they kept it secret for so long.

11. Sellout-Besides Sweet Perfection, Sellout is my favorite song on this entire album. First thing that comes to mind is the phrase that they really saved the best for last when it comes to this track. Most artists wait until they've already finished their reunion tour and been retired for so many years before making public comments against the industry, but Christofer has a habit of breaking rules so this is really no surprise. The fact that this song really brings the issues that matter to Never Shout Never to the table, and still was able to make it into the album is a surprising yet great thing. I stand by this track, and this album 100%. Set the music free.

Boys Like Girls in Columbia, MD on the Bamboozle Roadshow

www.myspace.com/boyslikegirls

Fight The Lion is a band from the Virginia area who are currently gearing up to play Jiffy Lube Live for the Rockstar Energy Uproar Festival. Other bands on the bill are Avenged Sevenfold, Disturbed, Seven Sour and many more. In promotion for them playing the festival on August 31st I was able to ask lead vocalist Jake Mimikos a few questions. The bands most recent album When The Mighty Fall is available on iTunes and other digital retailers.

http://www.myspace.com/fightthelionmusic

While we were recording our album we were going crazy trying to figure out a name that no one had, that sounded good and represented an overall feel of the band.  We wanted something that connected with the lyrics, our sound and our energy.  So honestly we were just throwing names out randomly and our drummer (Shawn) threw out "Fight the Lion".  At first we kind of laughed it off and went on to the next ridiculous name.  When we were leaving the studio the next day, Ron (Lead Guitar) said, FIGHT THE LION and we all looked at each other and agreed, that was it.  It represents conquering whatever it is in life that is bigger than you, your struggle and overcoming the odds.

It really depends, sometimes a riff spurs a thought and sometimes a concept inspires the music.  So really there is no set way that we write the songs; we just go with a feeling.  Often the final lyrics come last.  We will have a basic concept but it usually takes a while to make everything fit, so changes are often made.

Everyone contributes to the writing.  I usually write all of the lyrics but the others contribute some parts of the songs on occasion.  The lyrical content usually comes from true life experiences.  Musically, we all contribute.  For example, Time Taker started with a beat and we really designed the song over the drums.  Other times, Ron, Jason and I will come with a guitar riff and we build from there.

We all have a wide variety of musical influences that contribute to our sound.  Def Leppard is one of them for probably all of us.  Ron really digs Van Halen and more of the 70s rock era, Jason is all about Led Zepplin, Shawn's Idol growing up was Tommy Lee from Motley Crue and I grew up inspired by the 90s grunge like Pearl Jam and more modern progressive rock like Coheed and Cambria.  I think you can also hear influences like Stone Temple Pilots, Tool and Sound Garden.

We want our listeners to be able to hear this music doing anything. Before new technologies were introduced, music was mostly played in your car stereo. These days, the great thing is you can listen to music anywhere with your iPod. So now we hope people are able to hear our music doing just about anything. We still hope people are cruising down the highway with the windows down cranking our album and singing out loud to the music!

Well since we just released our album 'When The Mighty Fall' we will only be performing those select songs. Since this is a hard rock show we're choosing our heaviest and most rocking material we have. Two of them being 'Long Shot Kid' and 'Bleed Me Dry'. We are definitely planning on keeping the energy up! Also, we are already talking about working on new material and are excited to have some new stuff ready soon.

Shawn would be a big game fisherman in the keys.
Ron would be a flight mechanic. (his old job)
Jason would be institutionalized.
And I would be fighting lions for Sparta.

We have some big things in the works and we are definitely working on keeping this momentum going. A tour is in the works and we're planning to play as much as possible to support our album. We wanna thank all our fans for the constant support!!!

White Tie Affair at The Recher Theatre on August 4th

www.myspace.com/whitetieaffair

The band Intercept is a California based band made up of four guys who share a common love for music. The boys are releasing their third album, Symphony for Somebody Else on September 14th. An album review will be posted closer to the release date of the album but for now please enjoy this interview with the band members and be sure to check out their website. Symphony for Somebody Else will be available at digital retailers everywhere.

www.intercepttheband.com

This is your third album – how does it differ from your other albums?

Jeff:  Our last two albums were a little eclectic.  We’d have a rock song, then a ballad, then a rock song – a lot of ups and downs, and I don’t know if it helped us or hurt us.  On this album, our producer wanted us to get to the point quicker – we went from 5 and 6 minute songs down to 3 and 4 minute songs.  We’re really excited about the final product and it has a lot more direction and consistency as a rock album.

Jason: Erik wanted everybody to play even less notes and do less fancy stuff than we are used to.  At first you feel like all the emotion is gone, but a few weeks later you listen and it’s all opened up and way better.  A good producer is like a translator – you speak your language as a band, but a lot of people can’t hear the song if there’s too much going on.

How did the band get it’s start?

Jeff: Everyone sort of fell into place – everyone in Intercept was a member in some other band I was in at some point.  Christian had a solo album and I called a couple other guys to play on it and that was it – we were a band in a matter of a few phone calls!  The easiest, most effortless band-forming I’ve ever been a part of.

 

Who are your musical influences?

Phil: Between the 4 of us?  Pretty much everything you can think of.  Everyone in the band has different tastes, and actually we have very few similar influences.  Those few are like, Radiohead, Muse, Foo Fighters and that kind of stuff.

 

Who is the most mature in the band?

Jason: Phil is the oldest and Jeff is the youngest – better leave it at that!

What are your musical guilty pleasures?

Jeff:  I always rock out to Linkin Park!  They’re a huge band, but I can’t always play their stuff around my friends.

Christian:  Huey Lewis and the News – the Sports album.  I don’t think it’s a guilty pleasure, personally – I think it’s just good – but other people hear me listening to it and sort of laugh.  They are dumb.

 

Any plans to make a music video for any of the songs on the new album?

Christian: We should.  We probably will for all of them, eventually.  For “So Say Whatever,” I have a whole video planned out involving a herd of T-Rex attacking some cheerleaders, and then wizards coming to the rescue.

 

The band is from California – are there any stereotypical or non-stereotypical Californian hobbies you have?

Jeff:  I don’t get to the beach as much as I want, I know that.  I know all the band members go to In ‘n’ Out sometimes – that’s pretty stereotypical.  Jason owns a surfboard.  Is it “stereotypical Californian” to go out drinking at Irish bars?  Also, I own carpet skates – if we’re at a party in an apartment building someone can put on the carpet skates and  I can run full speed down the hallway and pull them along like they are skiing.

Any plans for touring and supporting the album in the future?

Phil: Oh, definitely – we’re setting up shows and special events like crazy.  We can’t wait to get this album out there!   We’re going to keep on announcing new shows on our website and this year will probably get busier and busier before it’s over.  This is just the beginning!

 

Last week rumors were flying about where Hey Monday, Cartel, We Are The In Crowd, The Ready Set, and This Century were touring this fall. Well today the rumors were finally cleared up and the full tour schedule has been released.

10/20/10      TAMPA, FL -STATE THEATRE
10/21/10      JACKSONVILLE, FL-FREEBIRD LIVE
10/22/10      ATLANTA, GA -THE MASQUERADE
10/23/10      NASHVILLE, TN -ROCKETOWN
10/24/10      CINCINNATI, OH -MAD HATTER
10/26/10      BALTIMORE, MD -THE RECHER THEATER
10/27/10      NEW YORK CITY, NY -HIGHLINE
10/28/10      HACKENSACK, NJ -SCHOOL OF ROCK
10/29/10      PHILADELPHIA, PA -FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH
10/30/10      NEW HAVEN, CT -TOADS PLACE
10/31/10      FARMINGDALE, NY-CRAZY DONKEY
11/02/10      FOXBORO, MA -SHOWCASE LIVE
11/03/10      POUGHKEEPSIE, AR -THE CHANCE
11/04/10      FOURTH AVE, PA-THE ALTAR BAR
11/05/10      CLEVELAND, OH -GROG SHOP
11/06/10      DETROIT, MI -ST. ANDREWS HALL
11/08/10      CHICAGO, IL -THE BOTTOM LOUNGE
11/09/10      MILWAUKEE, WI -THE RAVE
11/10/10      MINNEAPOLIS, MN -STATION 4
11/12/10      DENVER, CO -MARQUIS THEATER
11/13/10      SALT LAKE CITY, UT -AVALON
11/15/10      SEATTLE, WA -EL CORAZON
11/16/10      E. PORTLAND, OR -HAWTHORNE THEATRE
11/17/10      SAN FRANCISCO, CA -GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL
11/18/10      POMONA, CA -GLASSHOUSE
11/19/10      LOS ANGELES, CA-EL REY THEATER
11/20/10      SAN DIEGO, CA -EPICENTRE
11/21/10      PHOENIX, AZ -THE NILE
11/23/10      DALLAS, TX -THE DOOR
11/24/10      AUSTIN, TX -EMOS
11/26/10      ORLANDO, FL -HOUSE OF BLUES
11/27/10      FT. LAUDERDALE, FL -CULTURE ROOM

Nick of Runner Runner at The Recher Theatre on August 4th

www.myspace.com/runnerrunnermusic