t̶o̶n̶g̶u̶e̶

Tongue (pronounced No Tongue) are the poster children of the Kali spirit. Stacked lineup of friends: Ryan from Megan & Amelia/DEERS!/Matsuri, Andrew from Matsuri/Ten Thousand Leagues, Conrad from John Cota and Nik from Calculator. If you are in California you should check out this show and this show on the Ten Thousand Leagues tour so you can see No Tongue. They are a pretty new band, which makes me excited to see what they can put together before the Mayan History Channel Apocalypse. Below is their demo, all hail bands that you need to copy/paste the name. Word.

***

/ / / 

Megan & Amelia - Haiymakks

Dude, Byron Fischer just got done with his first LP, "Haiymakks". All the other Megan and Amelia recordings are on the blog, so for some fucked up reason you looked over those gems buck the shit up and download them.
)()()()EDIT()()() This was the original photo up there, but my dog wanted it changed so of course I obliged.

Megan & Amelia is the haunting, somber solo project of Ryan from DEERS!/Matsuri (both R.I.P). Everything up to this record was self recorded, but for "Haiymakks" he got Max from John Cota to record him. On a kind of side note, Max has been recording a shit ton of California bands recently and all his work is so fucking good. I don't know where he works or anything but if you want to get recorded real nicely you should holler.

Anyways, back to Megan. The new album is fucking amazing. Six of the most depressing songs I have ever heard. The first song is a ukulele/xylophone lullaby. Number two is crooning, verbed out vocals over layers of electric guitars. "Mountain Mountain" has what sounds like a toy piano drenched in reverb. "Demoing" is my favorite song on the album, but I can't really tell whats going on. A whole lot of something. Cray shit, best shit. Track five is a re-recording of a demo song, but is so much cleaner and prettier, dig the backing vocals and the sleigh-bell. "Haiymakks" ends on a high note with "Fuck Mountain", which has basically a full band. Also, "I'm not a shit friend, I'm not a bad son" is one of the best lines. Period. Who did the gang vocals?

I don't know if there are plans for releasing this album, but, I hope it gets the attention it deserves. I know Ryry wants it to be put out, and I wish him all the luck in the world. Megan & Amelia plays a good bit in the bay, so go check that shit out when you get a chance. I would imagine that the live sets are super dope. Download this shit, buy it when you can. MOOCHXCREW. Word.

This was filmed by Ramez from Calculator.

Double Word.

***


Haiymakks

Megan & Amelia - New Demos

Since the last time I posted about this project Megan and Amelia (Ryan of Matsuri/DEERS!) has put our two more demos. "Our First" is made up of two of the original songs and three new ones. Still lo-fi and awesome. Reverb drenched vocals and shit. "Secret Buffalo" has what sounds like a ukelele, in "Mountain Mountain" he uses a piano and "It Never Dies" kind of has a more conventional feel to it. "Our Second" just has one long song on it, and that shit is the mother fucking jam. Seriously. Put that shit on repeat. Great structure and instrumentation, and even though its obviously recorded on jank mics through a jank whatever it sounds real warm and nice. No shit, I have repeated this song at least 5 times in a row. While I would argue that it is almost always better to listen to music with headphones than computer speakers (unless you have a boss ass system in your closet like this guy) you really wont catch a lot of the subtleties of Megan and Amelia unless you are wearing headphones. I would also imagine that these were mixed with headphones so this is how they were intended to be heard.

When I saw Ryan on Matsuri's last lil tour they did we talked about Megan and Amelia and good bit. He was telling me that he wanted to have other people play with him, live at least. I don't know if that has materialized or anything but I hope it does. Facebook tells me that he has been playing a good amount of shows in the bay, which is fucking awesome. I love Ryan and I love Megan and Amelia, and you mother fuckers really need to download this stuff. At least blow up his bandcamp. I couldn't find any videos, sorry.

I forgot! Okay, so I'm gonna go ahead and post this stuff up, but, I'm going to go rip/upload another group that is affiliated with Megan and Amelia and post that up today too, because I have some time on my hands. Mega post Tuesday. Support my friends! Word.


***


Our First

Our Second

Ordstro

Ordstro is the face of modern music to come.

I first met these dudes last year when we went to California for a four day stint of shows them in the bay and Los Angeles. you know that weird feeling you get when you meet someone for the first time but you know you guys are going to be really tight, tight like old friends tight? Yeah. That's Ordstro.

Three dudes playing power-violence way too goo. Real powerviolence. Real actual power-violence. The lyrics are all about politics and shit I guess. Henry and Chris, who play guitar and drums, are brothers, like the dudes in Good Charlotte. I like to imagine that's why they work so fucking well together. Some of the recordings have a bass on em, there was some other kid in the band for a time or something but for as long as I've known em they have been rolling around three deep.

I was originally going to do some kind of interview with Carlos, talking about things like the hardcore d.i.y scene and politics and stuff. I was looking forward to talking shit and stuff, but it never really ended up happening that way. After like two missed contacts because I sleep in, we finally talked yesterday. We ended up talking briefly about the band and their upcoming tour with Stares:

JULY 1ST- Fusion Cafe (Seattle, WA)
w/ Negative Standards, Stares, Mercy Ties, Numb
JULY 2ND - FASTCORE FEST (BC, Canada)
w/Obacha, Stares, SxBxB, Negative Standards, Stress Relief,
JULY 3RD- Chateu Noir (Vancouver, BC)
w/ Stares, Negative Standards, AHNA, Unlearn
JULY 4TH- Tyler's Mom's House (Seattle, WA)
w/ Stares, Stress Relief, more
JULY 5TH- The North Hole (Pdx, OR)
w/VxHxAxB, Stares, Wasichu, Honduran
JULY 6TH- Sue's Java (Redding, CA)
w/ Stares, Stress Relief
JULY 7TH- Holland Project (Reno, NV)
w/ Registered Sex Offender, Stress Relief, Stares
JULY 8TH- The Goondocks (Davis, CA)
w/ Caulfield, Di Bravura, Stares

We really just talked about anal sex, Carlos not wanting to get married and how we would eat a dog if it was served at a restaurant. Not that exciting. I was coming down and had just got done backtracking through the woods looking for lost snacks with Senior Caso, and Carlos just woke up from a nap after his grueling day bossing people around at American Apparel.

Ordstro has five releases available downstairs, the most recent being the 2011 summer tape. They just put that shit out not too long ago. It was recorded at Texas Toast and I think Henry mixed it. I forget. All of their shit sounds so good, but their new shit is the dopest IMO. In My Opinion. Download all of it if you like "fast hardcore with breakdowns", they do it better than most of the other bands I've heard who try to do this.

Seriously though, super community minded individuals who actually give a fuck about their peers and their scene. Don't be a douche, download this. Go buy all of their merch too, buy it when you see them on tour. They are some of my closest friends, and we are working together quite alot in the future, which I couldn't be more excited for.



Word.


***


Summer 2011 Tape


Ordstro II


Ordstro / Sheeep Split


Ordstro / Ah-!!! Split



Ordstro / DEERS! Live Split

Megan & Amelia

Megan & Amelia is the solo project of Ryan Fleischer, bassist of Matsuri and DEERS!(rip). The Demo below, which I believe is all the recorded material that exists, is only two songs. The first song, "Son", is a short somber melody which incorporates a whistle in the vein of Andrew Bird. The second song, "Vai Vai", is a longer electric song that uses ambient background sounds and a tambourine. The whole demo clocks in at just under ten minutes, but over 80% of that is "Vai Vai".

If I had to compare Megan & Amelia to any other artists I would have that it sounds like a suicide letter written by Owen and Iron and Wine. Although the songs are not sad songs (i.e, he isn't crying or anything) you still get the overwhelming feeling of sorrow when you listen to Ryan sing. I don't know if this is what he was going for, but its what came out. I don't talk to him alot, but I hope that Ryan continues forward with this project and can put out a more proper release in the future. Below is the two song demo, and although I have no proper contact info for him I'm sure that if you wish to get ahold of him you can figure it out.
Word.


***


Megan & Amelia Demo

Matsuri

Matsuri are one of the best skramz bands around today. They are also some of the nicest dudes you will ever meet. They run a d.i.y label called TexasToastDIY and have hella shows at their house, ironically called Texas Toast, in San Jose. Guess what their dogs names are? Texas & Toast.
I fist met these dudes in 2009 in Delaware on tour with Moldar. We played in some sketchy boatyard on the back of a trailer or something, and both CA bands ripped it so hard. Afterward we chilled even harder. Ever since then we have stayed in touch, playing together on our '10 summer tour and shit. Matsuri just toured on their amazing new album "Endship" with Ordstro and they played at my house. It was such a good time. The video below was filmed by my roommate in our dining room.
Matsuri was in between drummers when i first met them, now they have a new drummer and added a one of the Moldar guitarists after their demise. Ryan from DEERS! might be their bassist now? He was supposed to tour with them this winter but didn't, so I don't really know what the deal is. If you are going to California hit these dudes up for a really good show and hella grub. They also have a disto and are putting out some really great records, so please go support them. Keep D.I.Y alive, but feel free to snag all their shit from below.



Word.

***


'08 Demo


Whales EP


Split with DEERS!


"Sell My Pipe If You Have To" split with Moldar


Endship

DEERS! / Animal Lover / Pansori/ мища / ColorChromatic 5 Way Split

After like a year of waiting this split, Bear19, is finally finished. You can pick up a copy here or from the bands at shows after Bear Records sends em out. The entire lp is just under a half hour long, with twelve songs. You can download it below.

Side A of the record is devoted to the California bands. DEERS! starts things off with three blistering tracks. Their sound has matured with their final recordings, as you can clearly hear, with the lack of general chaos and high pitched screaming. The songs are much more technical and kind of twinkly, although they are still very driving and intense. ColorChromatic follow those tracks up with 4 of their own. Post-Hardcore or Punk at its finest, CC compliments DEERS! nicely with their melodic tunes. Their songs have a very heavy punk influence, although at some times the vocals almost sound like Daryl Palumbo. Someone told me they sound like Mourning For The Masses.

Side B starts out with my band, мища,giving three songs. We recorded two of these tracks a year ago when this release was originally going to be a split with Bears!, but that fell through. We recoded the other song in the spring when we did the Oppenheimer Limit split. I like these songs. Animal Lover is next with a really cool almost stoner metal track. Really buzzy and rough sounding, the vocals on "Rain Queen" are super low in the mix but still sounds dope. Their song is just really cool stoner punk IMO. Bob your head shit. Pansori finish up the split with an eight minute epic. Post-rock Screamo at its finest. I love their recordings because you can hear the violin really well. Their track is pretty much one long dreary crescendo, building up to a point that it almost gives you chills.

This album is really nice to smoke weed to. I haven't heard it on vinyl yet but I did hear the old test pressing and it sounded cool. If you like the split you should support Bear Records so that he can continue to put out cool records and be an actual DIY label. Don't force him to get a day job.

Word.



DEERS! / Animal Lover / Pansori/ мища / ColorChromatic 5 Way Split

DEERS!

DEERS! was a band from the Sacramento, California area that played explosive, intense emotive hardcore that often blended fast-paced "emo-violence" parts with melodic and jarring clean interludes.

Apparently they just broke up, which is quite unfortunate because these guys were still very, very young (I think the oldest member might be 20 or 21 at the most). Hopefully we'll see some side projects cropping up in the next few months from these guys. Their catalog is all great, so check it out for sure.

I'm pretty sure this is everything, but I could be wrong. Let me know if that's the case.

* * *



Demo


DEERS!/Matsuri Split (2008?)



Summer '09