Fine Lines is a punk band from Vienna, Virginia, located in the suburbs of Washington D.C. I don't really know how to describe these guys except for they are really good. I guess there may be some Fugazi influence with a real punk feel and screamed vocals, kind of in the same vein as their good friends The Black Powder. They self-released a demo . Usually I start the posts with a picture of the group. Unfortunately, Fine Lines have only played a few shows and there are no pictures of them that I am aware of. Download this shit!
Also, Alex Attas (Guitar/Vocals) runs a house venue in Vienna, The Second Death Star. We recently played there with Algernon Cadwallader and had a really great time! Check it out if you're ever in the D.C. area.
Botch is one of those band's whose impact goes unnoticed by so many kids. Bands like Norma Jean, not to mention hundreds of other such modern "hardcore" bands are totally in debt to Botch's sonic impression on the genre. All you need to hear is one song off of "O God the Aftermath" (Norma Jean's second full length) to realize just how...closely that groundwork is followed. But this isn't the place to talk about Norma Jean's shortcomings as a band.
Botch formed in 1993, according to AP's (yes, AP) oral history of Botch, as a bunch of bumbling kids sharing a love for hardcore music. In fact, Dave V. claims he started screaming because he was so horrible at singing. The band's first full length, The Unifying Themes of Sex, Death, and Religion was released in 1997, quickly followed by a signing to Hydra Head Records and the ensuing release of American Nervoso in 1998. 1999 marks the year that Botch would leave perhaps their greatest impression on the American hardcore scene. We Are the Romans was Botch fully realized: epic as fuck. Dave Knudson's mathy, intricate guitar work came to the forefront on this album, held together by a rhythm section apparently hell-bent on punishing their instruments. And lyrically, Dave V. had hit his full stride, writing lyrics that make up the stuff of legendary basement sing-alongs. From a dissection of organized religion in "Saint Matthew Returns to the Womb" to the ultimate juxtaposition of American society to Greco-Roman tradition encased in the album's title, Verellen's themes had taken on as grandiose a scale as Knudson, Cook, and Latona's musical compositions.
Interestingly enough, the fifth track on the album, "C. Thomas Howell as the Soul Man" is about a band featuring future members of the now enormously commercially successful Fall Out Boy (no link needed, I think we've all heard them...) Racetraitor. Racetraitor was a vegan straightedge band featuring Andy Hurley on drums as well as a certain Pete Wentz as a frequent live fill-in on bass (both now members of Fall Out Boy). They were known for their radical far-left politics, and for lack of a better word, preachiness. Apparently, this didn't sit well with Dave V., who's contributions to the track include lines like, "The worst music I've ever heard, honesty that touches a nerve/The words fall onto the floor, drove home with no lessons learned," and "Stop the show listen up cause we've got something to say and it's important/Can't hear the notes you play or the words you say and you're not changing the world." Just thought that was an interesting little anecdote...
In any case, Botch left us with three full lengths, a few splits, an EP (my personal favorite!), and a posthumous live CD/DVD. Almost all of Botch's recorded material is included below. (I'm missing the Black Sabbath cover I believe).
This video is of the last song they ever played live. Yes, that is Brian Cook fighting with security. Yes, they are destroying the stage lights. Yes, it is total fucking destruction.
Not to be confused with the seminal Ebullition based Bay Area band from the early 90's, Sawhorse is a post-rock outfit from Baltimore featuring members of Age Sixteen, Surf Nazis on Ecstasy, A Perfect Kiss, Lilu Dallas, and more. I think the comparison they probably hear the most is Godspeed!, but I also hear elements of Sparrows Swarm and Sing, Mono, maybe even a little Mogwai. This is really amazing stuff! Their debut album is being released in mid December at a show hosted by the Metro Gallery. The recording below was captured by Zoe, lead singer of The Lost Tourists at Sawhorse's most recent show (last Sunday). There is also video to accompany the audio, and I will hopefully be posting this pretty soon after i talk to Zoe about it. This set was absolutely incredible. They had an entire room of people completely silent and captivated for 28 minutes (except for the couple sucking face somewhere towards the back of the room).
Adebisi Shank is this wild three piece from Ireland. They are incredibly spazzy, and to be honest I don't really understand how you could begin to play shit like on their track "Horse". I'm pretty sure the bassist always wears some weird mask over his head, so that's pretty brutal...if you're into that kinda shit. These dudes are really experimental, as douchey as that sounds, but i swear they are really worth listening. They only have one CD that i know of, I stumbled upon it by chance. Here's there myspace and heres the link to their record label in Ireland, where you can buy their shit!
Here's a video! This song is called "Voodoo Economics".
I really should have posted this a long time ago, but once again my internet is down. Pigelt is so fucking good, I hope you guys all already have this album and thus don't need to bother downloading this. If you've never heard of them, stop what you are doing and download this album! Piglet is a three piece instrumental band from Chicago, and the only thing I can really say to describe their sound is that they are in the same boat as Tera Melos. As far as I know they only have one album. Here's their Last.fm and their myspace.
Here's a video of them doing the song "Caramel" live at the Bottom Lounge, (whereever the fuck that is.)
I just literally discovered these guys a few days ago. Magdalene is a band from Pisa, Italy that crafts powerful screamo songs by making use of post-rock aspects and build-ups. I believe they played the recent Anti-MTV Fest in Italy that big names like Raein also played. The band is comprised of four dudes - two guitarists, a bassist, and and a drummer. Other than that, I don't really know anything about these guys except that they make wonderful music! It's really heartfelt stuff and you should definitely check them out.
Oh before, I forget - one of the things that grabbed me about this band is some of the great artwork their myspace page features - it's always nice to see bands using visual art to compliment the music, and either these guys have real talented friends, or are real talented artists themselves. Below is a sample of some of the shit they have posted up, the rest can be found at their myspace page.
Tim Kinsella has been one of the biggest names in underground music since the days of Cap'n Jazz in the early 90's, as close to a celebrity as one can be in a scene that shuns the very concept. Over the years he has been associated with some of the biggest names in the midwest indie/emo scene - brother Mike Kinsella (of American Football and Owen), and cousin Nate Kinsella both play with Tim in Joan of Arc. Davey Von Bohlen, originally in Cap'n Jazz, went on to front The Promise Ring and currently fronts Maritime. While Cap'n Jazz found Tim exploring a new, lighter side of the emo genre, Joan of Arc often delves into the bizarre, experimenting with atonal melodies and unexpected song structures. Over the years, Kinsella has issued a number of solo releases, under either the monikers Tim Kinsella or Tim Kinella(s). Below is his solo discography.
Logs is a three piece screamo band from Olympia, Washington. These guys apparently dig on Shotmaker, and it really shows up sometimes in their songs. Definitely not a bad thing. The bassist, Alex, is also the guitarist/lead vocalist of the (should be) legendary skramz band Kidcrash. Logs has only one 7" right now, but they are working on a 10" called "Hogs" (get it, huh, huh). they are really one of the best bands I have ever listened to, and to make things even better, Alex plays out of a guitar amp, so the bass is really heavy in the mix and really really grumbly. The guitar is also really tight, not too technical, but very solid and crazy. the drums are fantastic; one of the best rhythm sections around! You should go to denovali and buy their cd, or go up to Washington and watch them play because I don't know how much longer they will actually be a band (they all go to school around that area and are moving away from each other). On a side note, they now have a new drummer, I have no idea how good he is but I'm sure he isn't bad at all. Here's a new song!
HAVE FUN PLAYING THIS LOUD AS SHIT ON YOUR IPOD IN MATH CLASS.
Age Sixteen is a band from Baltimore that has been around for only a few months. Featuring members of bands like Lilu Dallas, A Perfect Kiss, Sawhorse, and probably a few others, these guys are obviously not new to the scene at all except Kris, who has never been in a band before). When I first heard these guys I could not believe there was a band this fucking rad so close to me. In fact I think I probably said something like, "Holy shit! I can't believe these rad fucking dudes live so close to me!"
Their sound heralds back to sort of the classic 90's emo sound, with bands like Raein, Love Like...Electrocution, Funeral Diner, and Suis La Lune cited as influences. Seeing these guys live is a lot like seeing a girl naked for the first time. First your knees start shaking, then your whole body, and before you know it you're all sweaty and not too sure what the fuck just happened. In short, they put on one of the most intense live shows I have ever witnessed. Below I have uploaded their only output to date, a three song demo recorded in a garage by now ex-member Mike York of Pianos Become the Teeth (who also recorded my band!) Three songs that you will not be able to get out of your head, I promise.
In the upcoming months they are putting out a full length and are being featured on a compilation being put out by Zomerkamp Records out of Mexico. You can hear the song that will be on that comp by vising the Age Sixteen myspace.
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AUTHORITY FIGURES: Most if not all of the music posted on this blog is either out of print, DIY, or released by an independent label with no ties to major distributors or the RIAA. Just sayin'.
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