Wanna Be

If you remember, a few weeks back I talked about artist Roderick.  Last Tuesday he released a new track "Wanna Be," and it is exactly how I thought it would be.

All About Roderick

[Photo:  Roderick, YouTube]

I personally consider this song to be my favorite of his.  It has a groove and vibe that is hard to find in current music--almost the same as The 1975, but unlike The 1975, Roderick's songs all sound different and creative (sorry fans of The 1975).  The engineering and mixing are both very professional, and that may be because he is the one doing all of the heavy lifting.  Jeff Lynne (you all know how much I love him) did the work for ELO and look how far it got them.  Having complete control is perfect in the music business, because you can put out music that you and only you believe in, which is a big reason why Roderick has been so successful thus far.

One of the most difficult things to achieve in music is releasing music that people can purely relate to.  I see a lot in popular music that music is perceived to be relatable, when in reality, the listeners just think it is because it is being performed by one of their favorites.  To dumb it down, music is easy to bullshit.  Roderick describes his music as "Songs about life from an honest perspective" (Source).  That description in itself is a very honest one.  Unlike artists on the charts who are almost 100% influenced by the people surrounding them, it is clearly evident in Roderick's music (in particular "Wanna Be" for the sake of this post) that he is using only his personal experiences to convey messages through music.

This NEW song (and his others) are absolutely worth listening to.  You can stream this track on Spotify.

Play Pretend

I am trying to broaden my fanbase by talking about different bands, because I feel like I pretty much only talk about alternative bands.  The only hardcore band I have talked about is Mom Fight, so today will be dedicated to introducing all of you to a hardcore band called MVA.

[Photo:  Silvio Capoferri & MVA]

Hailing from Bloomfield, NJ, their unique sound sets them apart from other bands in the same genre. Their style somewhat combines elements of skate punk, as well as metal and traditional hardcore.  "Circular / In Between," from their 2017 EP Eternal, encompasses skate punk chord progressions and hard-hitting drum sounds from hardcore.

The fifth song on the EP, "Play Pretend," is the perfect closing to an EP of this nature.  The track starts off as a break-neck speed hardcore song, but over the course of the song slowly disintegrates into a breakdown that consists mostly of drums.  One of the hardest-hitting songs on the EP, "Play Pretend" overall summarizes their main purpose and sound.

I know this post is short and sweet, but at only 9 minutes, it fits the EP very well.

Zodiac

My boyfriend's band Mom Fight released their first EP a little while back, and everyone around us has been pretty stoked about it.  Hailing from Central Jersey (I'm not arguing--Central Jersey EXISTS), this band has provided everything needed to set the record straight in the hardcore scene.

[Photo: Mom Fight]

Hardcore is known to most as "screamo" music, a phrase that grinds the whole genre's gears.  The technique of hardcore is quite more complex than that.  Screaming is usually referred to as the vocal technique used in metalcore.  The yelling that is used in hardcore typically has more of a growl in it.  However, these are just basic generalizations.  One of the best things about hardcore is there is no "right" way of performing.  If you listen to "Under Duress" by Converge, and then to Mom Fight's "Destroy," you'll notice major differences in the sound and vocal style of each band, even though they classify themselves under the same genre.  It's very important to a lot of these bands to sound different from other groups in order to retain individuality.

Mom Fight underwent major changes this past summer.  Not long before they started recording their debut EP, lead vocalist Joe announced his departure from the band.  "It saddens me to say this but I will no longer be the vocalist of Mom Fight," Joe wrote in the official statement.  But as they say, the show must go on, so my boyfriend, Nick, assumed the role of vocalist, while continuing to play the guitar in the EP recordings.  His unique vocal and guitar styles, Evan's heavy bass levels, and Steve's relentless drumming, each characterize the songs in different, yet complementing, ways.

Last year, I sat down with former bassist of Flammable Animals, Pat, and discussed their EP.  After getting such a great response, I have decided to do the same here to provide a true feel for what Mom Fight was going for with this record.  Here's a piece of Vacant with Nick.

Pat's 2016 Interview for 'All These Wolves'

You guys, back in February of 2016, released two sets of two-song demos.  On Vacant, you only recorded two songs from the demos, "Pain Within" and "Destroy," and then wrote three new ones.  What made you not include the other two songs in the process?
When the time came to pick songs to record, we wanted to pick the songs that best represent Mom Fight at the moment.  The three newer songs that made it on the record were the obvious choices.  The two demo songs that were picked were picked because they meshed best with those three songs, resulting in a cohesive EP.

Were the three new songs written before Joe left, or did you group together and come up with those once the thought of an EP crossed your minds?
Joe had written only a handful of lyrics total for the three songs, "Ren," "Zodiac," and "Songbird."  Most of the lyrics were improvised during the gigs we had, and gave me his blessing to write over anything he had previously come up with.  The day before tracking vocals, I rewrote the songs entirely, creating themes out of the working titles we had chosen already.

Which was your favorite song to record both vocally and/or instrumentally (remember, Nick does vocals and guitar)?
For both instances, "Ren" was my favorite to record.  For the vocals, even though it wasn't the first song I tracked on vocals, it was the first song I got to see take shape with my lyrics on it.  I felt as though the lyrics sat on top of the instruments so naturally.  As for guitar, "Ren" was the first song that we tracked as a trio, and it was also the first song that we really experimented with to get the tone that we desired.

What about live?  What song do you love performing the most?
I think "Songbird" is the most fun for me in a live setting because my vocals mimic a really cool rhythmic groove in the instruments.

Is the answer the same for what you'd love the audience to hear?
I think the answer's the same, but the reasoning is different.  There's a certain way I want the audience to perceive us, and I think "Songbird" does that best.  It's dark and heavy, but also somewhat chaotic. It doesn't sound like a stereotypical hardcore song--it's heavy in its own way.

This was a short interview, but I only wanted to give a brief view from their end, rather than just always throwing my opinion out there.  The EP is available on Bandcamp and Spotify.

Purple

Joe Parella, Chris Donofrio, Jon Rodney, and Jozii Cowell may not be familiar names now, but if you wait around a little bit longer, you will know them as the successful and up-and-coming group, Deal Casino.  This alternative rock band has formulated a sound that is unique to them, rather than conforming to the norms of the genre.

[L-R:  Joe P., Jozii, Chris, Jon / Photo: Cody Cutter]

Between 2014 and now, Deal Casino has held residencies at the most popular venues at the Jersey Shore--specifically Asbury Park--quickly earning them recognition as one of the hardest working bands in the scene.  All of their hard work has paid off, giving them a whopping 612,000 streams of their song "Anything That's Bad" on Spotify.  And if that wasn't good enough, their songs have been streamed on Spotify over 1.5 million times.  With a following as large as theirs, what is it about Deal Casino that has drawn so many people in?

Over the past five years, the band has recorded five EPs:  Cocaine Love, The Runaways, Heck, Nika, and their most recent, Human Cannonball.  All recorded at Asbury's Lakehouse Recording Studios, their team includes audio engineer Erik Kase Romero and producer Jon Leidersdorff (aka the owner of Lakehouse).  It is not uncommon for bands to venture into different studios with different producers and engineers to help release their work.  With Deal Casino, however, keeping things consistent has definitely helped their sound naturally progress and mature.  Since the beginning, their recordings have achieved a polished sound, despite their desire to have them sound as if they are live recordings.  For a four-man band, they put out a sound that is well-developed, rich, and are as high in quality as any monumental rock band.

One of my favorite songs by them is "Purple" off of Human Cannonball (the new video was just released so I'll post it below for your convenience).  The song is lined with country-like guitar licks between the stanzas, and pulled together with "Ol' '55" Eagles harmonies in the chorus.  While their musical style is no where close to that of a southwestern / country rock band (like the Eagles), they have strategically placed elements of those genres in their songs.  "Panama Papers" (my personal favorite) has obvious '70s and '80s rock influences, with blaring guitar bends throughout the chorus as well as in individual parts of the song.  The guitar existence in all of their songs is very prominent, which was a common characteristic in 1970s music, regardless of genre.  "Bare Hands," from 2015 EP Nika, the guitar in the chorus and second verse has a groovy vibe, which when followed by "Purple" on a playlist, it is apparent that their signature style has merely just matured, rather than changed

You can purchase their EPs Heck, Nika, and Human Cannonball on iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp, as well as stream them on streaming services.

["Purple" Official Video / Courtesy of Deal Casino on YouTube]

All These Wolves

Flammable Animals, the band that debuted with What Lies Beneath the Parkway North last year, just released All These Wolves, a new EP that exemplifies the main components of alternative rock.  Fast rock tempos, clever hooks, jarring guitar work, and lyrics that make you think instead of just tapping your foot, are just a few of the several things Flammable Animals have seemed to perfect.

Flammable Animals' Debut EP 'What Lies Beneath the Parkway North'

A few months back, bassist Pat Napurano approached me about conducting an interview for this EP, and of course I said yes.  I compiled a list of questions and sat down with Pat in their living room to get a behind-the-scenes look at All These Wolves.

[Artwork:  Michael Burke, Samantha Bastone, and Erin Holmes]

How is this album different from What Lies Beneath the Parkway North?

First off, the production on this is way better - the quality is certainly there.  I think that everyone really pulled together on this one and we all just did our jobs really well.  I think it differs in the fact that it's mature and the songs are just better.

Is there any song in particular that you're really excited for everyone to hear?  And is there any one that you're really excited to play live?

If it's a song I want people to hear, probably "Due North" (Kevin's song).  That's the one I want everybody to hear.  But playing live, probably right now is "Ordinary Threat," 'cause I've been having the most fun with that one live.

Why do you want everyone to hear Kevin's song?

It's totally different in the fact that if you listen to our first EP, and then listen to this one and get to that track, it's just way different than anything we've ever done before.  That's the only song of ours that sounds like that.

I'm going to branch off a little bit from the album.  As a band in general, what would you say your ending goal is as a band?

End goal right now obviously for us is to get signed at some point and really try to do some heavy touring - really get our names out there.  That's pretty much it for right now.  You can't become complacent in what you're doing.  We want to go as far as we can with it.

Bands sometimes change their identities to try to reach that kind of goal and I know you said there's nothing in mind right now, but would you guys ever consider changing who you are in order to get to that point?

No, not at all.  We really love each other, and if you really want to get down to it, sometimes we'll fight like idiots but we do love each other, and that's why I like being in the band, because of who we are when we're around each other.  It works really well for us, so I don't think that will ever change and we will never change who we are, what we do. . .

So even musically you wouldn't change anything?

That's a different story.  Identity is one thing, but changing our sound. . . who knows?  I think this one sounds way different than the last one, and I like that.  I don't want to do two things in a row that are the same.  That was our goal, to really go in the opposite direction.  We targeted a bunch of areas last time to hit, like things we wanted it to sound like, but we also had the mind set of, "Let's stay from things we don't want to sound like," which is just as important, I think.  That's what really came into play here.

When you were writing the album, was there anything you were hoping to achieve with it?

At least on the business end of things, we would like this one to make a bigger impact than the last one did.  Everyone who has heard it liked it so far, so all positive reactions.  I'm interested to see how everyone else feels now.  We wanna see if it makes a bigger splash - there are more people paying attention now.  Artistically, I think this is exactly what we needed production and writing-wise.  I can't wait for everyone to hear this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Boyfriend's Car," the second track on the extended play, was recently released as a music video that you can watch by clicking this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UTvnKEEsD4.

Be sure to get your hands on a copy of All These Wolves, available for purchase NOW on iTunes, Bandcamp HERE, CD Baby HERE, and is also available to stream on Spotify.

Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.

[Source:  Google]

I spent my day in Asbury Park, NJ, the topic of Bruce Springsteen's debut studio album.

The record was released on January 5, 1973 through Columbia.  It has nine tracks:

Side One:

1. Blinded by the Light*
2. Growin' Up
3. Mary Queen of Arkansas
4. Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?
5. Lost in the Flood

Side Two:

1. The Angel
2. For You
3. Spirit in the Night*
4. It's Hard to Be a Saint in the City

*Singles

You would think the album would've sold thousands because, well, it's The Boss.  Actually, it only sold about 25,000 copies in the first year.

But despite the poor first year sales, the album was ranked by Rolling Stone as #379 on their list of 500 greatest albums of all time.  They also ranked it as 37 on their list of greatest debut albums.

His E Street Band consisted of Clarence Clemons (clapping, saxophone, vocals), Vini "Mad Dog" Lopez (clapping, drums, vocals), David Sancious (keyboard, organ, piano), Bruce Springsteen (acoustic guitar, bass guitar, clapping, congas, electric guitar, harmonica, keyboard, piano, vocals), and Garry Tallent (bass guitar).

Steven Van Zandt was the sound effect expert for "Lost in the Flood," Richard Davis played the upright double bass on "The Angel," and Harold Wheeler played the piano on "Blinded By the Light" and "Spirit in the Night."

Evil Woman

1975 was a big year for music.  In January, three Led Zeppelin shows at MSG sold out in record time.  March was the month the movie version of The Who's Tommy premiered in London (although that movie was atrocious).  And in November, Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" reached number one where it will remain for nine weeks.  Also, several bands were formed that year including Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Iron Maiden, and the Sex Pistols.

But aside from all of those exciting things, my dad sat front row at an Electric Light Orchestra concert.

My dad had somewhat forgotten about that concert until his friend sent out an e-mail with pictures he had taken from the show (the pictures below).

The year, of course, was 1975 and he and his buddies went to the Convention Hall in Asbury Park, NJ to see one of their favorite bands.  ELO had just released their 1975 album Face the Music in September and their first single from the album in October, "Evil Woman."

So that is what Jeff Lynne's eyes look like!  If you look at the first picture, Lynne is not wearing sunglasses.  He doesn't seem to take them off anymore.

I think these are really cool pictures.  Not only is the view amazing, but the black background really makes Jeff Lynne, Hugh McDowell, Mik Kaminski, and Melvyn Gale "pop" with all of their brightly colored clothes.  Nice style, 1975.

 [Photo:  Louis]

[Photo:  Louis]

Money

I traveled to Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ today and got some new records!  Well, they were used. One man's trash is another man's treasure?

Back to the point, I bought three records.  The one was Money by the Flying Lizards.  The record contains only two tracks since it is in fact in single format.  I also purchased a Mamas & the Papas record that features their hits "Monday Monday," "Dedicated To The One I Love," "Words of Love,"and several others.  The last record I bought was a Queen hits album which includes "Crazy Little Thing Called Love," "We Will Rock You," and many more hits.

If you live in the area, Vintage Vinyl has a huge and great selection of vinyls, CDs, and DVDs, although the music takes up a majority of the space.  They have used and new vinyl records available for purchase and the prices are not bad either.  I love the store and try to get there as much as I can! 

Thunder Road

Happy birthday to the Boss, Bruce Springsteen!  Like me, the New Jersey native has always had a thing for music.  Practicing in a neighbor's home, playing gigs at the Stone Pony, and making a name for Asbury Park are only a few of the things this rock star has to talk about.  He has had so many hit singles and so many sold-out concerts.  So many, actually, that it is hard to keep track.

I've talked about Bruce Springsteen before so I won't repeat myself.  I'm just wishing the legend a happy birthday - Jersey Girl to Jersey Boy.

It's Only Rock 'N' Roll

(photo: vanityfair.tumblr.com)

The Rolling Stones are back!  They announced earlier today that they would be performing four concerts in the UK and US for their 50th anniversary.  The first two concerts will be November 25 and 29 at the O2 in London and December 13 and 15 at the Prudential Center in New Jersey.  They have reunited to perform live for the first time in five years.  Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, and Charlie Watts will all be there to perform.  If you really love the Rolling Stones and don't live anywhere near New Jersey or London, the Dec. 15 concert will later be available on pay per view.