The Shy Violet

I don't know what the insider or proper term for this kind of music is, but its basically 80's influenced trippy lo-fi pop. Theres a bunch of people making music like this, so i hear, but the only group like this I have ever really listened to was Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffitti. You know, that kind of stuff.

The Shy Violet is the current moniker of Jordan Romero. He is from Frederick, Md, but now is in Savanaha, Georgia. I think. He used to be in Drug Money and made acoustic music as The Laurel Tree. Basically Jordan writes and records all this stuff himself and then sometimes plays them live with a band and other times he does it by himself.

I heard that The Shy Violet made a music video, like a real music video. I think he is getting more popular in this scene. He did some tours with Spermwhales which seemed to go well. Peaks, the most recent release, is going to be put on vinyl, I'm pretty sure, which is going to rule. I'm really stoked to hear that shit on wax. Download the three shits below. Keep an eye out for shows and his vinyl.





Word.

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Teenager Speed


Peaks


The Clay Models

мища

мища is 2 parts Vikings! and 1 part Drug Money. I play drums in this band, and we have been around for about a year. At first it was just James and I, but then Alex joined the band after like 3 shows or something. We did a New England tour this summer and got to play with some really great bands like Pathos, C'est La Guerre, The Sharpest, and We Were Skeletons. Our name was supposed to mean "bear", but when it was written to was written incorrectly. So when you write our name it dosn't mean anything, but if you say it (its pronounced Mischa) it does mean "bear". Before we went on hiatus we played our last show at David Krasner's house with Pianos Become the Teeth, Age Sixteen, Wren Lloyd, and Pansori. We also got the chance to play with Matsuri and Moldar(RIP) on their summer tour. That shit was bomb. We are trying to play a show or two when I go home in December, and we are getting ready to book another tour for this summer. We were going to go to Europe but its starting to look like we won't have enough money. If you have a house or can get shows, wherever, and you wouldn't mind us stopping by you should talk to us on our myspace. Before I left we recorded two songs for a 7" split with Bears!, which is going to be put out on Bear Records next year. You can buy all of our stuff from Unity Through Harmony, and you can get our mini disc from Noise Park Activities, who we still owe like twenty five dollars.
Heres a video from a while back in Hampton's Garage.



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A Collection of Internet Songs



Basement Demos


Lady Sang the Blues



Not For Ears ( our songs from our splits with Broken Chords Can Sing A Little and Ze Ultra Boys)


Live From Krasner's Basement

DRUG MONEY

For some reason, throughout my whole life, I have had a great love for traditional American music. Maybe it was being raised on artists like John Prine and Bob Dylan, or maybe it's just the honky in me, but every damn time I hear a banjo twang of a harmonica hum I start tapping my foot. Throughout generations, folk troubadours and singer-songwriters have often been the voice of the workingman, the social outcast, and the progressive thinker. From Guthrie and his gang to Dylan and his inner circle, these individuals and their peers often become cultural icons. But for every great singer-songwriter or group who ends up getting written about in your high school history book, there are those great artists who's success never quite live up to their talent.

For Frederick, Maryland's own Drug Money, this has never been a problem. The quartet-turned trio consisting of Jordan Romero, Alex Zachreal (sorry if I butchered that Alex), and Alex Kaufman, (and formerly Justin Whittaker) write roots music that is as grounded in the folk tradition as it is grounded in the DIY punk tradition. Humble beginnings and a demo recorded on a laptop led to...the departure of a snare player and an almost equally humbly recorded full length on a laptop. The songs themselves seem frantic; even the down-tempo jams seemingly hang by a thread as if this were the last time that it may ever be performed. While the lo-fi aspect of these recordings may make some guffaw or turn their heads, one listen to an early Bill Callahan record should humble naysayers quickly - recording quality can hardly hamper an amazing song - most times it adds an aura of mystery, an embodiment of the rebellious spirit of the artists approach to recording.

The true accomplishment here is "Baby, Let Me Home" a sprawling LP recorded in Jordan's bedroom. But the demo cannot be dismissed. Missing from the LP is "Next Wednesday," a great singalong that has been retired at live shows, and the demo version of "8 AM" is far superior to the version found on the album.

These guys are some of my good friends, and I love them. Check out their music!

Interested in a CD? Check out their myspace, they probably have some.

MYSPAAAACE

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Drug Money Demo (2008)

Baby, Let Me Home (2009)