Thursday, April 24, 2014

        Basement is a "melodic hardcore" band out of Ipswich, England. They formed in 2009, and quickly made a name for themselves, with their mix of hardcore, and emotive styles. The group signed to Run For Cover Records (a great label for pop punk, alternative, indie, hardcore, and emo music) after their debut EP, Songs About the Weather, received positive feedback.  Through their label, the band released their first full length LP, I Wish I Could Stay Here, in 2011.  They released their second album, Colourmeinkindness, on October 23, 2012.  After releasing the record, they announced that they would be entering an indefinite hiatus after the completion of their UK/US tour.  After the announcement, guitarist Alex Henery emigrated from the UK to the US to work for Run For Cover Records in Boston, MA.  This looked to be the end of a great group that was solidifying it's name in its scene.

        On January 29th, 2014, the bands twitter account posted "Hi," as well as removing "2008-2012" from their twitter and Facebook.  Later that day the band confirmed on their Facebook account that they hiatus had ended, along with hints towards a summer tour.  The band put out this statement in regards to the end of their hiatus.
     "In the autumn of 2012 we made a decision as a band to put things on hold, as many of us had other commitments in our lives that needed to take priority. Almost two years on, for the most part now settled in where we want to be, it feels like there is space for change. When we put out the hiatus statement, we genuinely thought we were going to be away for quite a while, and we didn't see any chance of having free time to do anything other than focus on our professional lives. We're glad that this is not the case. We are really excited to say that Basement will be playing shows this summer, and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Thank you so much for your continued support. 

Alex, Andrew, Duncan, James and Ronan.
- Basement"

Basement comes to NY on Tuesday, August 19th, at The Studio at Webster Hall in Manhattan.  Tickets can be purchased here.  
http://www.songkick.com/concerts/19622649-basement-at-studio-at-webster-hall
       
        To listen to and download Basment songs, visit their bandcamp website, http://basement.bandcamp.com/

Friday, April 11, 2014

Long Long Music

As a long-islander, I am privileged to be a train ride away from Manhattan. All the culture that exists in Manhattan, we are truly lucky to live so close to one of the most liveliest cities on Earth. In the shadow of NYC, Long Island has its own surplus of culture as well. As a life-long, Long Island native, I am honored to live within miles of beautiful venues that host incredible concerts.Venues such as Nassau Coliseum, Mulchahy's, NYCB Theater at Westbury, Jones beachtheater, the paramount, The vibe lounge, Revolution, The Boulton Center for the performing arts,Brookhaven Amphitheatre, Eisenhower park, and many more just on LI. The amount of choice we have as long islanders to see many incredible artists on Long Island is really special. To be able to take an hour train ride and have your pick at hundreds of other clubs and venues across the five boroughs is not something every American can do. To grow up where many gifted actors, entertainers, athletes and musicians grew up, and first started adds to the feeling…Mariah Carey, Pat Benetar, Ashanti, Flavor Flav, Billy Joel, Art Garfunkel, Paul Simon, Bayside, As Tall As Lions, Blue Oyster Cult, Brand New, Dream Theater, Glassjaw, MF Doom, Lou Reed, Steve Vai, Suffocation, Public Enemy, Head Automatica, From Autumn to Ashes, Catch 22, The Long Island Philharmonic, Sam Ash, Twisted Sister, Barbra Streisand, Joe Satriani, are some of the more well known, and personal favorite LI musicians of mine.
My whole point is, LI has this 'music' thing under control. Under the umbrella of famous past and current LI musicians who have risen to legendary statuses, local musicians are pouring their hearts out, into music that they know most likely will not pay their bills. Long island has a popular yet underground music scene, that spans many genres. Long island is home to some of the best bands in their respective genres. These genres range in popularity from pop-punk to alternative, from hip hop to Electronic Dance Music, and from scene-core to death metal.
"Pop Hardcore", "Scene Music", "Screamo",whatever you want to title it, has never been a genre that I liked. It still isn't a genre I listen to. Now however, there is one exception. As a previouslystated, proud Long Islander, I am proud of Long Island music, and its distinct takes on genres. About a year ago, this guy named Andrew started working at the pet food and supplies shop inWantagh that i work at, called Animal Appetites (2014 Newsdays best pet shop on Long Island). Him and I became good friends pretty quickly, and talked about music we liked. I found out the guy was in this “scene” band called "Call it Home". “Scene” is a music genre, usually characterized by its combination of “screamo,” which is emotional music presented in a screaming fashion, and pop-like singing. He showed me his YouTube channel that holds his bands music. I saw that his band was pretty well known, with each song getting about 6,000 views each. I started listening to his band, and got more into it as the catchy choruses becamestuck in my head. A few months later, I went and saw his band perform at a venue named The vibe lounge, right off the train tracks in Rockville Centre. They did not sound like all the other opening local bands I've seen in the past. They sounded like the headlining bands that went on after the local openers that I've been watching for years. Since then, I have seen Call It Home Play about six more times. This last time was at Revolution in Amitiville, for their “Break Contest.” The Break Contest is one that takes place between Long Island Bands sign up. If your band gets enough votes after your set, you move on to the next stage, and are kicked out if you don't advance with enough votes. Call it Home has passed the first round, and is moving on to the 2nd of 3 rounds. The prizes are as followed.
1
St place- $2,500 and a spot on the “Skate and Surf Festival” which is a festival of alternative bands, and takes place along the east coast.
2
nd place- $1,000
3
rd place- $500

So, check out Call it Home, check out the Surf and Skate Festival, set for May 2014, and support local music. Local music is music you can see for a lot less money than a major concert, with less hassle, and more convenience. You rely on local music for its convenient weekend entertainment, but local music relies on you to keep it alive. Links for everything mentioned above, can be found below.

http://thebreakcontest.herokuapp.com/

http://www.skateandsurffest.com/

https://www.youtube.com/user/BeastAndTheHarlot32 (Call it Home's unnoffical, official channel. Their offical channel, “Call it Home Official” is not their most viewed channel, “Andrew Rotherberg” is the channel to find all their music on. They just released a track off their soon to be released EP, “Unfamiliar.”

Support your local scene.
  

Sunday, March 2, 2014

February LI Show Reviews- Touche Amore, mewithoutYou, Seahaven, Infected Mushroom, Screaming Females.

The month of February was a great month for me and my love for music.  During this February, I was able to see five bands perform live.  Two of those bands are my favorite in their respective genres.  Those two being Infected Mushroom in the house/psy trance genre, and mewithoutYou in a genre of their own which includes influences from post hardcore, emo, and folk rock.  Concerts for me, are the equivalent of going to a house of worship.  For me, they are sacraments where I cherish how I am able to move my body to the music, interpret its meaning, and share in the camaraderie that inevitably takes place at these smaller concerts held in smaller, intimate venues. 
    Earlier this month, on February 9th, New Jersey's Indie/Punk label, "Don Giovanni" held their annual Brooklyn Showcase at The Music Hall of Williamsburg.  The show had openers 'California X', 'Nude Beach', and 'Priests' perform before headliners 'Screaming Females.'  The crowd was very unresponsive to California X, a NJ skate punk band, which is usually the case for the opening band of a headlining band most people have no clue exists.  That did not stop the band from performing a solid half hour set, which included some pretty funny jokes made by the bands front man, about the bands interesting journey from Trenton New Jersey, through the snow, to Williamsburg Brooklyn.  Nude Beach took the stage next, playing their style of what I can best describe as, with no exaggerations, "stoner-doom-jam-metal".  Their set was very heavy, devilishly psychedelic.  It embodied evil and bliss, with one depressingly heavy guitar underneath trippy ten minute long guitar solos.  Picture Black Sabbath and Iron Butterfly mixed with Kansas and Phish.  After Nude Beach basically brought the crowd close to their death on a musical heroin overdose, Screaming Females took the stage.  Screaming Females is a three piece indie band from New Jersey.  Led by front woman and guitarist Marrissa Paternoster, the band put on one of the craziest shows I've ever seen.  From what I can gather from Paternoster, she does not like to be in your face as a front woman, unless during a song.  When she addressed the crowed each time, it was done in such a humble way, that it was hard making out what she had to say during her short speeches thanking the venue, Don Giovanni records, and the sound team.  This was incredibly surprising to see, since the moment she finished her sentence, her and her band would break into a loud, fast song with Paternoster practically eating the microphone as she sang, bending words pronunciation as she sang.  Paternoster ended the bands set by continuing strumming on her guitar as she jumped into the crowed, carried away by a sea of arms.  As the music became more noise due to the crowds hands taking over her guitar, which she did not seem to mind one bit, rather enjoying it, she was carried back onto stage, where she concluded the set by smashing her guitar, an iconic act first started by Pete Townshend of The Who.
     I had seen Screaming Females once before during the summer at the same venue.  This time, I ended up seeing a guy who remembered me from the last show.  We are now Facebook friends, and are planning on going to shows in the future together. 

On February 22, I was able to see my favorite house/psy trance electronic group, Infected Mushroom, live at The Paramount in Huntington Station.  "Duvdev" and "Erez," the duo behind the Israeli psychedelic house group, usually play with a full band live, with a studio drummer and guitarist.  However, it is not unheard of for the group to do smaller shows with just the two of them, and since The Paramount is a smaller venue, that is just what they did.   With both remixing their music live, and Duvdev doubling on vocals, the two put on a killer rave, complete with a mind blowing light show, with each sitting inside giant orbs on stage.  While the crowd was not as large as it could be, it condensed itself, forming a shoulder to shoulder psychedelic dance party.  The show was a beautiful congregation of lazer lights, odd imagery displayed on the stage behind the band, trippy techno music, and everyone dancing together. 

February 26th,  I went into the lower west side of Manhattan to Le Poisson Rouge to see three bands that dominate the indie/posthardcore/emo genre from the past two decades to the present.  The evening opened with 'Caravels,' an alternative/indie/emo band from Pennsylvania.  I could not understand the words that the bands vocalist was saying, aside from him being very monotonous with the tone of his vocals.   Just like with how California X opened for Screaming Females, Caravels received a very minimal reaction from the crowd, which must be a tough thing for touring openers like California X and Caravels to face.  Seahaven took the stage next, and really wowed myself and the rest of the crowd from what I could see.  I've been listening to Seahaven since they started getting around on the internet more, but seeing them live really solidified how talented they are, especially their lead and backing vocals.  Their lead singer had a beautiful voice, which makes me think they could get more mainstream success.  The other groups vocalists were primarily screamers, where as he sang, and extremely well too, something I wasn't sure was going to carry over from the songs I've listened to online to the live stage.  mewithoutYou, co-headliners with Touche Amore, performed after.  The longest band in existence on the nights bill, mewithoutYou started off as a heavier post hardcore band with their first album "(A) to (B) to Life" and went more folk with their albums "Catch For Us The Foxes" and "Brother Sister."  They are my favorite band of this emo/indie/post hardcore genre, and they put on a crazy live show.  I wasn't sure if the front man was possessed, on drugs, or just being goofy as he hid under his sweater to sing whole songs, jumping into the crowed with his sweater over his eyes, and throwing himself into the drummers drum set, all while singing.  Needless to say, they put on a nuts performance, that left me wanting a lot more.  After mewithoutYou, came the headlining band Touche Amore.  Touche is a posthardcore/hardcore/emo band that has been redefining the term 'emo' for the past five years.  On a side note, I'm sure most readers of this are familiar with these bands, but for those who aren't, these groups are 'emo' but not in the sense that you may be thinking of.  They do not dress in all black, write about suicide, and cut themselves as mascara runs down their faces.  That was a short fad faze of emo that took place after the genres founding by bands like "Sunny Day Real Estate," more influenced by new wave and 'emotional lyrics' then goth and its depressing lyrics, and before where the genre is now, which is closer to its origins with bands like "Brandnew." That is not to say that the short fad faze of all black, suicidal lyrics etc, in emo is bad, it is just not the same type of emo as bands like Touche Amore and mewithoutYou display.  Back to Touche's set, the band had the support of the entire crowd.  It was as if the entire crowd could take over for the singer.  The bands music resulted in a very violent moshing session which included slam dancing and hardcore dancing, fancy terms that mean ramming into one another, which I enjoy, and kicking and punching the air around you, without regard for who may be within striking distance, which I don't enjoy.  A little more than halfway through the set, the singers mic went dead, which made him mad enough to throw it on the ground, but pumped up enough to keep going without it, thanks to the support of the crowd. 

The month of February, 2014, was month full of camaraderie, emotions, and beautiful music for this member of Revolution In The Records, Tim Reilly.

-rEvolution In The Records

http://www.examiner.com/review/review-infected-mushroom-electrifies-the-paramount

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2014/02/touche_amore_me.html

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2014/02/don_giovanni_sh_2.html

Introduction to Revolution In The Records Blog

Music. Do not underestimate the power of music. It will help in every situation, from cleaning to homework, and stress relief to entertaining friends.   We know everyone has particular taste, so our blog will update music-lovers on new music, albums, underground artists, and concert reactions. As music connoisseurs, we want to bring to light how and why music is appreciated and loved by so many. Stay jammin' while keeping up with our words on this music revolution.

-Revolution In The Records