It’s time again; boy how time flew. I didn’t realize how time had slipped through my fingers. It is now July and very hot in LA! I had to sit and decide who and what I was going to write about; so hopefully you will all enjoy the mishmash of artist I have selected for July, I have decided to go Punk and Metal not my usual suspects . It’s back to basics on this one, I guess I just let time slip, one too many Rum and Cokes? Maybe! So let’s crank up the air and BLOW the STEREO out! Oh yes, I did go a bit crazy this month, choosing bands that thrilled, chilled and in a few cases actually think I may be killed!
The band 3
Indie/Rock/Progressive
www.myspace.com/3
I was listening to their music; and I felt as if I was in the summer of 67’; for those of you who may not know that was the year of summer of love, psychedelic drugs and music; Jimi and Janis! Three is thoroughly modern yet full of the feel of being on LSD hanging out at Height and Ashbury with all the flocks of young adults that flooded San Francisco for many years and lived, loved and flowed free. 3’s music is a blend; fully and completely. Visit their page and you will hear some great band work, and lead singers Joey Eppard’s voice, bringing you from 67 to 08. Their range is amazing, from the first songs that appear “The World is Ending” and “See Emily Play” where the music and sound is otherworldly, to their more modern progressive rock songs; “All That Remains” where the sound of today floods your ears and begs you to crank the music up. With several songs having over 100,000 plays each, it is obvious that this band can pull you into their web and make the listener feel everything from adoration to horror at the sounds of a baby crying in the aforementioned song “See Emily Play”, a perfect song for a thriller movie that would entice and scare the pants off of you! They have something special, go listen you put your finger on this band that is either a figment of my imagination or very scary and hot at the same time.
SESSION9
Session 9/ Rock/Metal
www.myspace.com/session9band
The band named after the cult movie Session 9 about a crew of asbestos removal guys; who end up someplace between the Shining and anything staring David Caruso as this movie does must be a little off center to name their band after this off center movie. Though they may be the mellowest of the group in this issue; they know how to rock. Coming out of Cincinnati, they put a new spin on all things rock and metal. As with many of the bands here, they sing of topics that make them feel, something: anything they may think of. They are all about the perception of life; as they clearly and whole hearted showcase in “Stand”. The one thread that all these bands and Session 9 do have is the craving to manipulate the listener into hearing exactly what they damn well want you to hear. Though the mellow but perhaps the best musically Session 9 does this job well. As I listen to the other songs available to me which include “Tear You Away”, “Fears” and “Lost In You”; they are singing about loss fear and yearning, which is what most of the human race tends to think of 24/7 today. After all most of us are living in a horror movie of some type; be it about the loss of love, money or even the thought that freedom is going to be in short supply soon. The guys in the band Larry Harris/Vocals, Jason Webb/Guitar/Backing Vocals, Matt Beach/Drums, Scott Evans/Bass and Ryan Rosenberger/Vocals all seem to understand what the heck it feels like to live in the world right now. We all wish to stand out, be remembered and heard, at home and outside.
STOLEN BABIES
Stolen Babies/Punk/Rock/Progressive/Indescribable
www.myspace.com/stolenbabies
This is a band that has actually been on my radar a longtime. They are from the US but spend much of their time overseas, with their trippy and ever welcomingly distracting music. They are hot, they may make the weak of heart cringe, but they are entertaining. While the female is the lead singer and they do have guitars and drums; they go the route of putting their names all together as band members on their MySpace page. It is listed as bendominiqueranigilmick which actually translates into Dominique their lead vocalist, Rani on Bass, Ben on keyboards, and as their record label says Gil on Aggressive drumming. One thing you can say about them is that they are aggressive, twisted and entirely engaging. When I listen to their music, I feel like I am walking through the Blair Witch Project; Original. I love all the songs on their My Space page; all with at least 80,000 plays each but I am hooked on the first track “Awful Fall” and “Spill”. In the song spill you feel you are walking into a crazed haunted house filled with frenzy and danger at every corner. If you wish to experiment with the music you listen to on a normal basis go to the Stolen Babies My Space page. You will be in for one trippy trip.
ANADIES
AnaDies/Metal/Rock/Gothic
www.myspace.com/anadies
Though not as freaky or scary as the other bands I wrote about above this Gothic Metal band has something about them I just could no longer ignore. While lead vocalist Christy Lynn seems to have a highly trained voice and great range from smooth to very gothic, it is the message of the songs that I find enormously in tune to what I happen to be writing about this month. Again this is a band that’s message is about the world and the sometimes sad state it is in. However, it is with the help of song titles like “Hallow”, “Crimson Tears” and “Sleep Eternal” that grab the listener’s attention. I can hear in “Sleep Eternal” the struggle of a woman on the edge of losing everything she holds dear in her heart; while Dave Zahara the bands Guitarist, Keyboardist and very formidable thrash voice adds the strong edge to the sweet sounding vocals to Christy’s fronting. When you are listening you are not sure if you should be crying about all you have lost or cheering for the excellent lyrics and music arrangements I am listening to as I listen to song after song. I think that Wes Craven should use this music in a movie about the pain and possible end of the world as we know it; some say the ACOPOLYPS is coming. Are the members of AnaDies foretelling the future, or is the entire band rounded out by Jeff Pyle, Tom Davis and Isaac Lumberg; just trying to put an image in your head that is foreboding of a future world of mêlée and agony? Or is the hidden message really hope, go visit their page and decide for yourself.
WALLS OF JERICHO
Walls of Jericho/Hardcore/Metal/Rock
www.myspace.com/wallsofjericho
This hardcore band from Detroit is going all over this summer with the Rockstar Mayhem Festival; which is exactly how I feel when I listen to most of their songs. They sound like a band of merry ax murderers, and that is their message on most of their songs. Using a vocalist with a hard smacking trashed (yes thrash can be beautifully Trashed) style; and Candance Kucsulain melodic voice, the largest and perhaps best known group I am writing of has tunes that will slap ya smack in your ass (or wherever else you wish) as they sing and tell stories about keeping them alive; as if an avalanche will happen at any time and burry this band underneath over 1,000 tons of pounding snow as it flows down the mountain, burying the extreme winter athletes and musicians they follow for life! Their songs which include a blend of beauty and the beast like vocals are sure to grab you underneath those tons of snow I mention. In the song “Ember Drive” you can hear the wind of the snow coming so I know they will put us in the ground. In their other songs; “And Hope and Die” your heart will pound right out of your heart, and in “A Trigger Full of Promises” they don’t promise anything but to wake your asses up!
LOVE CINEMA
Love Cinema Vol. 6/Punk/Rock/Garage
www.myspace.com/lovecinemavol6
From Love Cinema Vol. 6 song’s to song titles this New Jersey band sets out to dismay their audience; with song titles and lyrics. They do a great job at both, so well that I am not even sure how much I can print here. I just know that the fast passed sound reminds me of Thrash Metal playing, the voice of lead vocalist is pure PUNK, and the band while not as refined as any major recording artist out today has something that is not to be denied them, major shock value! I must say I like. Though I may not be able to mention all the song titles that this insane band has on their page, I can print some of the titles, so I will! “Silver Bullet” makes me wanna go into a Mosh Pit and get out all my pent up aggression; “Sasha Grey” is an interesting song with some really great lyrics that really let the world know that not all is what it seems to be. Though the band has no member names; they do have some blogs and they are rather amusing, on one they claim to be listening to an old Janet Jackson album “Control”, now is this hint of what they wish for? Total world control and domination; maybe, or like me, they may listen to anything and everything. I just know I can feel like going to some seedy club in New York City or even New Jersey and partying with these guys all night long. Their music is not something you would think this rocker girl would be into; but I can see myself just thrashing my head around to the porn like titles and verses that this very intriguing band puts forth. Though their page is still growing, they are a must see or hear in this case.
UNDERCOVER SLUT
Undercover Slut/Punk/Metal
www.myspace.com/undercoverslut
Not only do they look freaking scary; this band from Paris; is just insane! They don’t care about today’s PC environment and why should they; they live on the fringe where sociopaths and lunatics reign supreme. I just know they belong in some twisted movie soundtrack where people saw their limbs off; like maybe the next sequel to SAW! You can feel them trying to break your computers damn speakers as you crank up the music to hear to lyrics that are screamed, thrashed about and wildly dirty. Oh la la, I can’t even print many of their song titles, but do you think they give a damn; I highly doubt it. But I will print the only two that are on their page that may pass as PC; something they need to fix or get over maybe, just make all their song titles unprintable by magazines like this. I just know that they are insane and may come to the USA to chop my head off or something like that. I am sure they can figure out a basic idea of where I am. With that said; go listen to the unprintable songs as well as “narcOtics cOsmetics” and “Darling Darling”. Just remember to watch your back on the way off the page. They may not like humans but they do like animals, so pretend to be a Jaguar or even a Penguin if you must!
