O Team Press

Fall of Troy @ The Masquerade - 05-09-08

2008-05-10T00:54:00.000-07:00

The last two times I've gone to see Fall of Troy, I've caught the last song and a half of their set and it really made me sad. This time that was not the case.

We arrived at the Masquerade while The Dear Hunter was playing. These guys, to me, sounded like a watered down version of Fall of Troy. I say this because occasionally, when they would go into a jam, there was a very FoT feel to what they were playing, but without the same level of intensity. We saw about 20 minutes of their set and it sounded like they were playing the same song the entire time, not very much movement in tempo, some rising and falling of volume, nothing to really grab my attention and not let go. These guys were very tight though and the whole band had their act together. The vocalist had a great voice and hit his notes with ease. They ended and we scooted up towards the front.

Fall of Troy came on, did a sound check, then destroyed us. I couldn't believe it, I was actually there for the start and was going to see the whole show! I threw my camera up in the air to catch the beginning of the set. Apparently I was standing right in the middle of what became the pit and the camera shut itself off, but I have about 50 seconds of complete awesomeness happening.

Like Radiohead the evening before, Fall of Troy hit us up with music from all their albums. I was really happy to hear some old jams from their self titled release, and definitely from Doppelgänger. This crowd was really intense, constantly moving, people jumping off anything they could climb, climbing on stage and diving, Eric diving, security guards getting the big finger for trying to stop it. They even stated this show was on par with Baltimore for the most awesomeness on their tour to date. I took a step back from the front for a while to catch at least one full song on video, then pushed back up for the last two songs. My whole crew was soaked from head to toe and looked like we had just came from running a marathon ready for rest.

Both bands executed and the whole night was a blast. I was pretty sore the next day so I know I had a good time fighting to stay standing and getting kicked in the head from balcony jumpers, and I can't wait to see them again!

- Bret Phillips

Radiohead @ Lakewood ATL - 05-08-08

2008-05-09T10:45:00.000-07:00

For starters, my band 13 Day Mission was supposed to perform at the Masquerade on this evening, but the show was canceled due to some issue at the Masq. Fortunately my buddy hit 'refresh' a few hundred times the day before this show and managed to snag two really good tickets and we were off.

It was a rough time getting there, we ended up taking Marta which was not really smarta, but it did get us to the show. As we were walking through the parking lot to the ticket gates, we could hear the soft soothing sounds of Radiohead. Chugged the Sweetwater 420s and bolted inside. The place was PACKED. With people standing everywhere, we pushed our way through the lawn crowd and found a nice spot to chill for a while.

Radiohead went through a good mix of songs from all of their albums. My personal favorites were all from Kid A, and Paranoid Android which is really the song that got me listening to the band back in the day. The visuals are excellent. There are live cams set up all over stage and they are projected onto a screen behind the band. The colors change, the filters change, and at some points the video being projected of the band playing live, actually looked like it could be a cartoon in sync with the band.

Shortly before the end of their set, and prior to encores, we went down to our seats. We showed the isle worker the tickets and he started walking us to the seats...we passed up ever row until we got to the front! The section in front of us is lower down so we could see over all of them as well(it would have been much cooler to be down in the very very front, but these seats were most excellent). We jammed out to the two encores and had our minds blown appropriately.

I really enjoyed that they covered material from every album instead of only performing cuts off their latest release. The visuals were stunning and the vibe was chilled out but definitely partying.

- Bret Phillips

Explosions In The Sky @ Variety Playhouse

2008-04-14T06:40:00.000-07:00

I saw a flyer for this show a couple of months before they came and procrastinated in getting a ticket even though I really wanted to go. Turns out they sold out a few weeks before hand and I was sad :(. Fortunately, they decided to do a matine show as well and I quickly grabbed a pair of tickets.

Opening for them was a guy that went by the name Lichens. He and a few loop pedals and instruments sat in the middle of the stage. He started off with some almost synth sounding guitar loops and continued to build around that for the next 20 minutes or so. He brought in some vocals, did some beating on the guitar for drums, and took the audience really far out there. His set reminded me of the recording of Wireman O and Wireman Spacewars, and I throughly enjoyed it.

I was well prepared for this show, and grabbed another Sweetwater during the set break. Explosions came on stage and without ever saying a word(I like this) and began their journey. They took us through quiet times, slow building jams that seemed to never end but also never seemed to be the same. They took us through very exciting overdriven times, occasionally reminding me of 13 Day Mission(or maybe we reminded ourselves of Explosions?), and as with Lichens, I throughly enjoyed it. Occasionally the bass player would pick up a guitar and there would be 3 guitars blasting us all with a massive wall of sound which was very cool, the only other time I have seen that in a performance was with Battles. It is really great to see an instrumental rock group getting so much support. The variety holds about 400 people and the place was PACKED...this being their first show of 2 for the day. That being said, I look forward to seeing what kind of effect Explosions has on the industry as a whole and hope they are able to continue to grow their fan base by leaps and bounds.

- B

13 Day Mission, Beatrix Kiddo, Miles from Pangaea, and Ship to Shore @ 11:11 Teahouse - 04-04-08

2008-04-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

HIJACKING MUSIC PRESENTS:
13 Day Mission
Beatrix Kiddo
Miles from Pangaea
Ship to Shore

The second HIJACKING MUSIC event to be held in Atlanta was a huge success! Despite some difficulties from a lady down the street that likes to leave her window open and call the police about any small disturbance in the force...everything went very smooth. All of the artists showed up early to hang their pieces, all of the bands were able to make it and played without technical difficulties, and there was a nice turn out from the ATL night people.

Ship to Shore has greatly improved since the last time I saw them, which was the last time we played with them over at the Eyedrum also in Atlanta. Before they did half of their set with a drum machine and the other half with a newcomer Jack on drums. This time it was all Jack and Jack ripped it up. He was much more confident with the music and the group as a whole flowed through their material for almost an hour. Their sound is almost timeless but fresh and new at the same time. The keys and melodica were very smooth and clean while keeping the bassy parts in the mix. The guitar colored over both of them and took the melodies elsewhere but kept it tight with the music. Great set from these guys and definitely the longest set of the night.

Ship to Shore

We have been trying to get Beatrix Kiddo in front of some people here in Atlanta and this night we were able to do it. They were all a little shaken about a show they had earlier in the week that was not very cohesive and planned out, although they said their set was good the rest of the night was funky. Fortunately the vibe on this night was perfect. It was a bit muddy at times due to the room acoustics at the Teahouse, but definitely tolerable. The bass lines were coming through strong while Wes belted out his vocals into the mic. The guitar riffs are jamming as always and Chris dominated the drums. The new music they played sounded really good and I look forward to hearing those songs work themselves out.

Beatrix Kiddo

13 Day Mission snuck in a vocalist to perform with us. We had rehearsed a few times before and one night the week of, the goal being for him to know when to come on stage and when to go back off stage. He did it flawlessly and the report from the people was good news. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and the energy was really great from all of us on stage. We cut out one of our songs so that we could get Miles From Pangaea on stage before the cops shut us down for good.

Unfortunately the police had been called about 7 times by the time MFP went on stage. They asked that we cut the music at 12:30...they were setting up at 12:00. Anyway, MFP were able to run through a few of their songs before they had to stop for good. They have been working on new material as well and played some of it for us again, and its great! They have also been bringing extra percussion and the drummer from Ship to Shore has been joining them for a few songs. I am a huge fan of percussion so more is always better. Their set, although short, was sweet and true to their other performances this year.

The artists that showed their pieces are all very talented, and it was great to be able to bring them all together in once place. Because of the quality of their work, the owner of the Teahouse asked them all to leave their pieces on her walls for a few weeks so she could continue to show them. In her words "it's just nice to have such a breath of fresh air come through". I could not say it any better myself. Below are some pics and a vid of the art and some of the live painting.

Shows

2008-04-01T01:01:00.000-07:00

Friday, April 18th @ Fontana Dam, North Carolina

Miles from Pangaea is performing with special guests from 13 Day Mission and Beatrix Kiddo to mix things up. For more information on this event check out http://www.myspace.com/hiyakfestival

"Hi-Yak: Another Dam Festival. Hikers grab your packs and kayakers bring your boats as we celebrate the Appalachian Trail and Cheoah River. If you're an overall outdoor enthusiast come along as well! For this event we will be having trail maintenance with the Smoky Mountain Hiking Club and Benton MacKaye Trail Association, river clean up of invasive species, music from great local bands, vendors, lectures, movies, and more."

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, April 18, 19, and 20 @ ParkGrounds Atlanta

For more information, schedule, and tickets, please visit http://nophest.com/

13 Day Mission, Sorry No Ferrari, Ahleuchatistas @ Drunken Unicorn - 03-27-08

2008-03-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

13 Day Mission
Ahleuchatistas
Sorry no Ferrari

To start, this is by far the best show I have attended as well as my band has performed so far this year. It will definitely be high on the list of 'most excellent shows 2008' throughout the year as well.

As I said, 13 Day Mission dominated. So far this year we have had technical difficulties almost every show, and while the audience probably had no idea, our set suffered because of it. This time, no technical difficulties, no bad stage sound, just straight up awesomeness. The sound guy Chad at Drunken Unicorn always does a great job and we were definitely happy about the outcome. The crowd response was excellent and I think people were actually 'getting it'.

13DM

The last time we saw Sorry No Ferrari was actually the last time we performed with them, we were a two piece at the time and did another Stickfigure show at the Eyedrum in Atlanta. That show they set up on stage with another band and they would rotate playing after every song. This time SNF were able to play their set in its entirety. These guys dropped a few songs on us and then announced they would play their last song after having been on stage only about 15 minutes...I knew what was going to happen based on their promo's earlier...THE PROG ROCK EPIC! SNF bobbed and weaved their way through 17 minutes of post rock mathy tapping looping craziness with great precision. It was great to see them perform again and they did so with confidence and excellence.

SNF

Now for my personal favorite part, Ahleuchatistas. I have been listening to them for a little over two years now and have been waiting on them to hit up Atlanta so I could catch the performance. Little did I know that when that time came we would also be performing with them, something I could only dream of. These guys bent and warped my brain for almost an hour. The guitar riffs are all over the place, the bass lines are huge, and the drums are so fast and clean. Watching them start every song was like watching them all fall into line every time, no counting, just magic synchronization. What I really enjoy about this band is the sounds they are able to create individually and as a whole without using any effects outside of a volume pedal and reverb built into their amplifiers. The songs swell from quiet to overwhelming with the quickness, then right back to some off time signature flawlessly. The bands performance was very solid and I am happy that I was finally able to witness it in live action.

Ahleuchatistas

Overall an incredible evening of instrumental rock, anyone who was there will agree with me and anyone who missed it, missed something special happen in the universe for the few hours that we spent together inside the venue.

-bp

Fag Static, We Verses The Shark @ I Can Fly House - 03-18-08

2008-03-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

http://www.myspace.com/weversustheshark
http://www.myspace.com/quakerguns

Last night I went out to the I Can Fly House for the first time. This is just a house in Atlanta where the tenants throw house shows occasionally. I was going to see this band from Brazil that I have been talking to called Debate, unfortunately they had some family things to tend to back in Brazil and have gone back ending their tour.

Starting things off was Fag Static. I was pretty excited to get some video footage, but the venue is just so loud(being that the band is just set up in the dining room), my camera kept shutting off because it was shaking from so much bass. Fag Static is four guys dominating some heavy indie rock. The bass and guitar played off each other with harmonics and such keeping my ears peaked. The sound of the bass was incredible, I was really impressed with the tones he was getting from his setup. The drummer beat the hell out of his kit for the entire set, definitely surprised me as I am used to having to tolerate less than par drummers just holding a beat down. A really good performance from these guys and I would definitely like to see them again if not play a show with them.

I have been listening to We Verses the Shark for a few months now via myspace, I heard about them through Cinemechanica. Their recordings are definitely good jams but the live show is a whole other level of awesomeness. Again the bass players tone for this group was really good. He also had a keyboard that he rock a few times and it sounded pretty awesome in the mix. There were three guitarist switching in and out the whole set, one of which apparently was just on tour with them recently subbing for one of the regulars. On drums was a crazy dude that just pounded away the whole set. He actually took a break for one song and was on vocals. He ended up outside on the front porch screaming his brains out while the band rocked out inside, very cool.

After they finished I left, not that I did not want to see the next two bands, but it was already pretty late and I was spent. I met a couple of cool people and other members of bands that I had seen perform before which was a nice networking level up, and overall the event was a success.

- Bret Phillips

13 Day Mission, Beatrix Kiddo, Goodbye Donovan, Miles from Pangaea @ The Warehouse - 03-15-08

2008-03-17T05:24:00.000-07:00

HIJACKING MUSIC PRESENTS:
13 Day Mission
Beatrix Kiddo
Goodbye Donovan
Miles from Pangaea

In route to The Warehouse, Chris, the drummer for Beatrix Kiddo, was in a car accident. He is OK, his car is trashed, and he was unable to make it to the show. Leaving three bands on the bill.

Up first was Goodbye Donovan. This four piece, with Wes from Beatrix on bass, played some indie, poppy, rock for us. They brought it to another level though. All of the musicians are very talented and the song writing, though familiar, was very strong and the players of it very tight. Wes beats up the bass all the time, it was cool to see him rocking a different flavor of bass lines. The guitarist held it down with the basics until the band would let him have at it. At that point he ripped it up with some blues solo licks only to fade back into the music shortly after. The front man, or woman I should say, did a great job leading. Her voice sounds smooth and fresh over the music, and she sings on key while also playing some guitar. The drummer beat it down the whole set, between songs letting himself go, then holding down the ones and twos with the whole band. Excellent showing from Goodbye Donovan this night.

Goodbye Donovan

We(13 Day Mission) took the stage next. Since Wes borrowed my gear I had nothing to set up and was ready to rock. As well, because Beatrix was unable to perform, we had Taylor(guitarist from Beatrix) jam on stage with us for two songs before we started our set, and it was good. Our set was smooth, NO technical difficulties for the first time this year. The sound was ok on stage, I could barely hear the drums if I was not facing them, but overall not too bad. No idea how it sounded in the crowd, but if it was anything like the other bands, it was not too bad. I can not understand these places with huge 18's all over the floors that have NO kick drum pumping through...come on dudes, fire those bad boys up! Lennys is the same way.

13 Day Mission - Fear Dims the Sunlight(minus about 20 seconds of the begining)

Headlining was an old favorite Miles from Pangaea. These guys are getting better and better with each performance. Dave picked up a new amp(fender hotrod deluxe...in all white...VERY sexy) and a new pedal. His tone definitely was different than when he played through the marshal head, but it was still very under control and spaced out like he does. Frank on bass seems to be better now that his finger has healed from slamming it in a door post Athens show, and his sound was coming through strong. Jared played very well and having Jack(drummer from Ship to Shore) on stage for the final song as some extra percussion was awesome.

Miles from Pangaea - Cosmic Shores

- Bret Phillips

The Human Abstract, August Burns Red @ Masquerade 03-13-08

2008-03-14T08:57:00.000-07:00

http://www.myspace.com/thehumanabstract
http://www.myspace.com/augustburnsred

There were more bands on the bill for this evening, but I went to see The Human Abstract, and stayed for the next band August Burns Red.

The Human Abstract ripped it up as the opening band. This is the second stellar metal group that has come to the MASQ this year and played first. Protest the Hero being the other, unfortunately I missed that show :(. I was sad to see them perform post A.J. Minette, but this new Tapley guy is a pretty big guitar badass as well. He and Dean did a very solid job of harmonies and solos, Brett on drums destroyed the whole time, I was very happy to see him perform. He thinks outside the box and manages to keep the metal drumming on point. Nordeen on bass was a pretty big presence, most of the time I could not hear anything he was doing though, same for the keyboardist that was with them. The vocalist did a great job the whole time, it has to be a bitch to actually try and sing in tune after screaming your head off, but he went back and forth through both really well. It was great to finally see The Human Abstract live and I look forward to their return, hopefully as a headliner for their own tour.

This was the first time I had heard of and seen August Burns Red. The first thing that comes to mind is BREAKDOWNS. This music was almost entirely breakdowns. Fortunately the musicians were all very talented so they made breakdowns OK. Instead of your typical terrible metal band breakdown, they just let some of the guys hold the breakdown and some of the guys rip up their instruments. I enjoyed their set and they definitely got the crowd moving which was great. Some kids actually were making contact in the pit too, definitely something you do not see at the regular local shows.

- Bret Phillips

Pelican, Black Cobra, Unearthly Trance @ Drunken Unicorn - 03-12-08

2008-03-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

Pelican
Black Cobra
Unearthly Trance

I showed up for this show with lots of promotional material for my own 13 Day Mission show happening at Drunken Unicorn later in the month. Doing so got me into the venue for free, and two big X's on the back of my hands. I missed the first two bands because I was over at Lenny's Bar checking out the HIJACKING MUSIC crew.

The headliner was Pelican, and they were pretty good. Their version of post rock meets metal with some good math in there really got me jamming. The sound was very tight, you can definitely tell they have been playing together for a long time. I was very impressed with their ability to keep the flow of a song extremely slow and somewhat quite, then blast into a massive drone of heavy riffs before I even knew what was going on. They reminded me of Explosions in the Sky but with a more metal and math edge. The show was excellent and I look forward to seeing them again.

- Bret Phillips

Beatrix Kiddo, Miles from Pangaea, Chopper @ Lennys - 03-12-08

2008-03-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

Beatrix Kiddo
Chopper
Miles from Pangaea

Back to typical O Team fashion, we arrived late to Lennys and missed Beatrix Kiddo. When I walked up I saw Wes from Beatrix standing outside, I say "whats up!", he says "tired...sigh"...and I knew we missed it :(. So unfortunately nothing to report about these guys. The word on the street is the performance was excellent, the word from the band is they could not hear themselves.

Also upon arrival I realized I had left my wallet at home. No money, NO ID. Fortunately the door guy at Lennys recognizes me now so I do not get ID'd when I go in there(I left my card there at the bar after our last show. When I came to get it the next day he was there and apparently also uses Regions for his banking and we chatted about the cards. The lady at the bar also gave me 2 condoms along with my card). But he only accepts CASH so we had to leave and get some cash from an ATM. When we arrived back Miles was starting to play. The last time I saw them play they were all kind of drunk and the set was good, very live, but sloppy. This time everything was very tight. The sound was great, all the levels were good, and the guys just jammed out their set without any flaws that I could hear. They dropped some new tunes on us as well and I captured a few on video.

Promising Sunshine

We had to leave after their set and were unable to catch Chopper. We left to go to the Black Cobras/Pelican show at the Drunken Unicorn and pass out some flyers for the 13 Day Mission show coming up at the Drunken Unicorn. Sorry chopper, but we will catch you soon!

Bret

Sia @ Variety Playhouse - 03-10-08

2008-03-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

http://www.myspace.com/siamusic

I have been listening to a group by the name of Zero 7 for many years now, and one of the vocalists they feature on their albums is Sia. I have always been a huge fan of her sound and was very excited to get to see her perform as her with her solo project.

We arrived to the show after the opening, Har Mar Superstar, so not much to say about them unfortunately. We picked up some drinks and made our way down. For starters, a family with a new baby was at the show...with the baby...strapped to the mothers back. I did mention that I would bring my baby, if I had one, and I would stick that sucker on the front so they could see the performance with lights all all. The baby did okay but eventually started crying and had to leave, I hope that means it did not like the show. Now onto the performance.

Sia and her band came on to the stage dressed in costume as cartoonish characters with smiley faces. They immediately went into the song "Buttons" and all acted extra animated which was great with the costumes.

Not from the Atlanta show..."Buttons"

After that song they removed the costumes and proceeded to play their jams. Sia's voice is incredible to say the least, she has so much control over it and her quirkiness blends into her performance creating a very strong since of her own style. The band was also very talented, they executed very well staying on point the entire night.

They flowed through mostly her own catalog but they did drop three Zero 7, Pageant of the Bizzare, which they learned at sound check that day and is one of my favorite songs of off The Garden, Destiny, one of my favorite songs off of Simple Things, and finished the night with Summersault...another favorite from When it Falls.

The lights and props, the costumes, the music, all of it was great. Sia has a really good tour going on right now and the place was packed out. I am glad to see that she is finally getting recognition and am stoked for the next time she returns, hopefully sometime with Zero 7!

- Bret

Happy 311 Day!!! 3-11-08

2008-03-11T08:20:00.000-07:00

In celebration of 311 day, here are some of my favorite 311 songs via youtube. I would really like to have a good version of 8:16 AM but was unable to find one :(

Beautiful Disaster

first song I ever learned on bass ever - Applied Science

Use of Time

All 311 is pretty much my favorite up through the Transistor album, after that their shit gets a little less awesome, but still solid music.

- Bret

13 Day Mission, Fight Amp, The Blood Vessels, Light Pupil Dilate @ Lennys Bar, Atlanta GA - 03-06-08

2008-03-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

13 Day Mission
Fight Amp
The Blood Vessels
Light Pupil Dilate

Last night was a great evening full of live music at Lenny’s Bar in Atlanta. Four bands were on the schedule and every one of them had lots of talent in their own rights. We arrived at the venue right around 7:00pm and said hello to the members of Light Pupil Dilate who also showed up on time for load in. Soon after Fight Amputation pulled into the parking lot and we all chatted for a bit about Fight Amp’s tour beginning while trying to figure out the load in procedure. Last to arrive at the venue was Blood Vessels and it was time for the evening to begin. After everyone loaded in and sound check was complete it was almost time for the music to begin. First on the stage was 13DM.

It never fails that I get nervous prior to every show, although I chalk that up to excitement more so than stage fright. The set started off very smooth with everyone exerting large amounts of energy while letting the music permeate from our souls. There were a few technical difficulties; the guitar amps fading in and out due to a failed wire, and the kick drum moving away from my double kick pedal due to the fact I forgot to tighten the clamp (whoops), and the low end bass coming unplugged for a short time...as Chris stated "if we didn't have technical difficulties we wouldn't be a band". Overall we felt awesome about our performance, everything sounded great on stage and the reviews from the crowd say the same. Hopefully the crowd enjoyed our energy and fed off of it for the rest of the evening.

13 Day Mission - 001(most of it :) )

Next to take the stage was Fight Amputation. These guys, and girl, are a four piece from New Jersey that is making their rounds touring the southern US. Their music was very powerful and in your face for the entire set. Both guitarists and the bass player all took turns on the mic screaming intensely to match the level of the music. I could not hear the lyrics or the separation of the different instruments very well due to the acoustics of Lenny’s. The band still sounded great on stage, but with some tweaking and better acoustics the sound would have been that much more powerful. The band was really into their music and the crowd was jamming. I personally liked the sound theY was create and wish them luck on their future tour dates.

Fight Amp - The camera kept failing so not too much footage from these guys :(

Third in the line up to display their talent as musicians was Blood Vessels. From what I understand these guys have not been playing together very long and only had a limited amount of material to present to the crowd, but what was present was very well done for such a short time together as a band. I could tell there was some uncomfortable moments during their set due to the limited practice time they have had together, but they did a great job on stage. The sound for this band was a bit clearer, and you could hear the different instruments a lot more distinctly. This could be due to the nature of the music being a bit more laid back and less distorted than the other bands playing, or it could be that they are very good at leveling out their gear. The lead singer/guitarist did a decent job as lead man, interacting with the other band members during the jamming parts of the music. The only thing I could have used more of is drumming diversity. The drummer kept the beat well and was never off with his kick and snare hits, but as a drummer, I am always looking for something more than someone just doing their job of keeping time behind the rest of the band. Good set from these guys regardless.

The Blood Vessels - IQ of 71

Finally we have Light Pupil Dilate to take the stage and rip it apart. I had previously met these guys a few weeks ago when they came to see us play at the Star Bar, but this was my first time seeing them perform and I was far from disappointed. The bass guitarist informed us earlier in the evening that he had been sick for the past week or so, but in spite of illness he pushed forward and they all put on a great show. When I talk about more than just doing your job keeping time as a drummer, Light Pupil Dilate’s drummer is the essence of non-boredom. I was very entertained watching him roll all over the kit with well timed and clean fills throughout the set. The guitarist and bass player also sounded great individually as well as how it sounded all together. The band played a total of 7 songs and every single one of them was written to tear your face off. The execution of the ownage was very well done and the stage presence of each member was stellar.

Light Pupil Dilate - Twinkly

Overall the evening was filled with great music and good times with the crowd and other bands attending the show. I look forward to seeing where all of these bands go in the future and possibly playing another show with any of the bands that performed last evening.

- Steven "oriax" Mosley

RHYMESKI!

2008-03-01T10:28:00.000-08:00

The video below is "Mutescreamer" by Beans, an emcee formerly of the underground rap group Antipop Consortium. The track is featured in DJ Shadow's BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, released via his website in limited edition as Diminishing Returns.

I saw Beans perform live a few years back when he opened for post-rock gods Tortoise. His performance was raw-- he rapped over DAT beats or a cappella-- but it was memorable. The video only hints at Beans' prowess as an emcee; he is one who is blessed with both wit and flow, a welcome change to the formulaic rhyme-sayers flooding popular radio, which needs more artists like him and less like Soulja Boy.

13 Day Mission, Beatrix Kiddo, In the Lurch, Miles from Pangaea @ Tasty World, Athens GA - 02-20-08

2008-02-21T06:51:00.000-08:00

13 Day Mission
Beatrix Kiddo
In the Lurch
Miles from Pangaea

Last nights show was a pretty good time over all. In the Lurch gracefully took the stage first to appease some crybaby 'rock stars'(that were also on the bill and will have no other mention in this post) who made an agreement and did not feel the need to stand by their word, and did they did it good. This three piece is tight rhythmically and sonically. The vocals were on key and even better had some soul coming through, and the music was heavy and rocking for the whole set. You can not really ask for much more from a band.

During all of the music, I continued going outside to check out the lunar eclipse that was happening. The moon was in perfect view all night and the eclipse was amazing to watch...we even have some video footage. Definitely worth a mention and I can't wait for the next one to come!

Miles from Pangaea brought the funk as they always do. The wash of delayed guitar over the huge bass lines and tight beats filled the entire venue. The sound was solid but it seemed MFP had a few too many drinks before their set and had a hard time keeping things tight. Overall the set was lose and it felt like one person was trying to catch up at any given time, this did not take away much from the energy these guys bring and you could definitely feel that they were feeling and it was rocking.

13 Day Mission took the stage a little after midnight. We had a hard time hearing on stage but that is usually the case, although the soundtech was extremely helpful and courteous the entire evening, he definitely made sure everyone was taken care of. I personally had a few technical difficulties(also seems to usually be the case), the wire for my dirty/distorted bass output was not plugged in entirely until the middle of the 4th song...no wonder I couldn't hear myself! All in all we worked through it pretty well and honestly had a great time performing. We are getting a lot tighter as a 3 piece and I am really getting to dig into the rhythmic essence of playing bass now that there is guitar to 'color' the music.

Last up was Athens locals Beatrix Kiddo. Beatrix writes and plays high energy music, all three of these guys are very talented and the more I see them play the tighter they seem to be getting. The sound was a bit muddy but I did not have much of a problem distinguishing instruments. I do think a vocalist over their music is something that will put it over the top, but I do not necessarily think that the current vocals are on the same level of skill as their playing ability. They played a solid set and also despite some minor technical difficulties, continued on like strong warriors...a sign of a mature group.

- Bret Phillips

Death on Two Wheels, Tendaberry, Deep Cotton, Janelle Monae @ Lennys Bar - 02-16-08

2008-02-18T16:07:00.000-08:00

Death on Two Wheels
Tendaberry
Deep Cotton
Janelle Monae

This show started off with indie rockers Death on Two Wheels. These guys brought some rock and roll with them complete with boots, blues hats, sleeveless shirts, screams, and funky beats. At first they seemed like every average indie rock band out there, but after continuing through their set it was apparent that they are a hard working rock band. They were tight, the energy was big, and the music just flowed from them almost as if they didn't even have to try to make it click.

The second act was a punk rock outfit out of Atlanta going by the name of Tendaberry. The guitarist/vocalist was by far the most present of the group. He went from singing smooth vocals as an opener, to screaming in real punk rock fashion, to jumping off stage, to playing guitar behind his head. He was the life of the show while his rhythm section held down the beats. I was hoping the bass player would get a little more into it, but regardless he didn't miss a beat. The drums were great, this guy is very talented and kept my interest throughout the set.

The guitarist for Tendaberry also doubles as a rhythm guitar for Deep Cotton, a crazy rock and (insert anything else you can think of here) band from Atlanta. Their set was short and started off some low sultry vocals from the bass player before he started using the bass. There was guitar throwing, mic throwing, clothing throwing, etc. This band was more hype than anything else, they brought a whole new energy to the stage to prepare the crowd for what was to come...

...and by that I mean Janelle Monae, a very talented artist now hailing from Atlanta as well. I had only heard a few of her songs via myspace and 88.5 prior to the show, and that in no way prepared me for what was to come. First starters I would like to note the lack of bass player during her set, this made me sad. There was a guitarist and drummer, also performed with Deep Cotton, and what looked like a manager holding a strobe light in the back. The drummer also worked a sampler that had the tracks loaded into it, the band would then play over it. There were some backup vocals being played as well, but Janelle over came those with her extremely present and powerful vocals. She busted out old school dance moves and even threw down some stuff the world has never seen before, weaving us in and out of song after song. She did a few covers, including Fugees "Killing me Softly", which she nailed and I am sure Mrs. Hill would approve, and finished out her encore by climbing through the tiniest window in the DJ booth. Her performance was very exciting and a treat for all of those that packed out Lennys Bar Saturday night.

Bret Phillips

Run Dan Run - Basic Mechanics

2008-02-11T07:08:00.000-08:00

http://www.myspace.com/rundanrun

Run Dan Run's Basic Mechanics is a great soft indie rock release. The tempo throughout most of the album is slow and controlled, the mood is smooth and sultry, and the sounds are organic but still remain rocking.

For starters, 'Withheld Information' comes in with a poppy indie rock jam then suddenly drops into some very smooth keys and kick drum thump. I would say this song easily sums up the sound that Run Dan Run calls their own. I really enjoy the guitar melody of 'Enough for Crimes' coupled with the off kilter vocal melody. 'Multi-colored Lights' is the first step away from live drums and into using a drum machine, but it does not seem to effect the overall sound of this band. They just use it as yet another instrument and continue on their path. One of my favorite songs is 'Science', probably because it is one of the thicker songs on the album which a great build up towards the end. Things like that keep my brain on point and into the music. The 'Instrumental' track is a nice break played with some acoustic guitar, piano, and what sounds like a melodica. 'Stop Sign' has a smooth, brazilian-esque, flow to it while not stealing that style completely. The college radio single could most definitely be 'Your Name Escapes Me'. The lyrics and vocal melody for this song are really great and somewhat familiar but not stolen. Towards the end of the album we are blessed with a second instrumental track and to finish it all 'The Turnover' which is nothing new from the previous songs but holds true to the sound.

Run Dan Run is not going to blast you in the face with rock and roll, instead they bring their sound to the table by not being too loud but still rocking out. This album almost sounds like a journey, the same way a good movie takes you from start to finish without reminding you of the reality you are currently in, Basic Mechanics lets you take a step out of your own life and into the life that is Run Dan Run.

Crimson Mustache, 13 Day Mission, Bury Me Breathing, Escape from Rushmore, Forever May Die @ Swayzes - 02-09-08

2008-02-10T15:03:00.000-08:00

Crimson Mustache
13 Day Mission
Bury Me Breathing
Escape from Rushmore
Forever May Die

Yet another heavy night at Swayzes with a crew of local bands doing it as hard as they can do it, at least when they are on stage.

Crimson Mustache was up first, this is the first time I've gotten to see them play. This guitar/drum duo has a cool style, but is lacking some depth...and not mentally or musically, but in sound. This is not to say it can not be done with guitar and drums only, but a half stack just isn't enough to make up for the lack of bass. In that light, Jucifer plays metal as a two piece but the lead guitar rocks 3 full stacks at any given time, more than enough to blast some faces minus the bass's. Regardless of how it sounded, these guys are on to something and I hope they stick it out and grow their sound.

In the number two slot was 13 Day Mission. We set helped CM tear down fast and we got our gear on stage fast, everything was looking good until I tried to get some bass out of my amps, no luck. I am not sure what happened but even after I got things working, the power to my amps was cutting on and off the entire set so I was pretty distracted. Regardless I think we had a good set, there was a ton of energy on stage and I had a blast performing.

This was also my first time seeing Bury Me Breathing, they play core metal honoring extreme double bass, screams, and blasting guitar and bass. These guys are solid musicians and have a ton of stage presence. It was really nice to hear them tone it down occasionally with some smooth riffs before blasting us again with the metal. You can definitely tell they have played those songs together many times. They brought their own lighting which was a nice addition to the show as well.

We have played along side Escape from Rushmore before at one of their first shows together. Since then they are down one guitarist but definitely a lot tighter as a whole, their presence and energy is excellent. Every one of these guys has talent but again this is typical metal without much variation. Once in a while they will lay down some shit that is definitely of their own style and I am really excited to hear their new material which will hopefully showcase that. These dudes have a lot of potential if they can take a step back away from what they already know and create something brand new.

Headlining was Forever May Die. These guys take the typical metal and bend it, stretch it, then spit it right back out. They are all over the stage and throwing instrument trickery at you throughout the show. It is not too far off to say that these guys are a minimalist metal group, I only say this because quite a few times there would only be one or maybe two instruments being played at any given time with just vocals over the top.

The whole night was a good time, there was a decent turnout and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. I look forward to seeing what these bands have in store for the future.

Song of the Week v.2.4.08

2008-02-04T07:03:00.000-08:00

Smashing Pumpkins - Porcelina of the Vast Oceans

Back when Smashing Pumpkins were dominating and Billy Corgan wasn't being annoying and was totally focused on outputting mass amounts of good music, Porcelina of the Vast Oceans was dropped upon us. This song is a 9 minute summery of everything good about Smashing Pumpkins back when Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness was recorded. With this song we get to hear smooth rhythms go to crushing, overly distorted guitars, then back to Corgan softly singing, then right back to a wall of alternative rock guitar goodness. There are too many layers to note in this song just like in this album, and with great time spent sometimes come great output, and we clearly get that via Porcelina.

Amanda Ray - Mirrored Images

2008-01-28T03:41:00.000-08:00

http://www.myspace.com/amandaraymusic

Our friends at Atlanta Music Radio sent Amanda Ray our way, and I am very glad they did. Her album Mirrored Images is an excellent mix of many styles of music meshed together topped by her unique vocal styling. When listening you can hear influence from all different genres weaving in and out which is a very welcome breath of fresh air.

From the first bar of the first song "Ripple Junction", I could tell I was going to get along great with Amanda Ray. The beat is chill and jamming at the same time while her voice comes in smooth and clear over the top. The line "Time became a string, only good for remembering things" stuck out to me immediately. The next song "Body of Gold" is a complete change in direction, a slow jam with a slow vocal melody. My favorite track, "Hang On", has a fairly standard rock set up instrumentally, and Amanda shows great vocal presence in a deep sultry voice in the beginning of the track. By the end her vocals are being panned and chopped all over the place remnant of Radioheads "Everything in its Right Place". The flow of this album is great, after a rocking jam like "Hang on" we are blessed with an almost R&B "Must Be Love" that comes in soft with less words and more melody. The title track, "Mirrored Images", is definitely one of the best tracks on the album, this is Amanda Ray at her very best in her very own style. Her voice powerfully floats over the music and seeks its way into the deepest parts of your mind. I am really fond of the song "Torn" because of the minimalist view used. There is some light synth and Amanda Ray on vocals and that is it, but it feels just as thick as any of the other songs on the album. The album finishes out with a very spacey "When You're Gone" and rootsy "Wounded".

Amanda Ray showcases her vocal presence throughout the album singing anywhere from low serious tones to belting out a beautiful high octave stream of audible deliciousness.

We Die Alone, Kill LeBaron, Vitriol, Sound the Surrender, Atilla @ The 7 Venue 01-25-08

2008-01-28T03:40:00.000-08:00

We Die Alone
Kill LeBaron
Vitriol
Sound the Surrender
Atilla

After looking forward to it all week it is finally Friday and finally time to go to the Sound the Surrender CD release. I had been trying to get one of the guitarists, Marty Eason, hyped about the show all week and now it was time to see if it paid off. There was a good line up of bands this evening, with a total of five metal bands. In an unusual course of events, Bret and I actually showed up on time for an event. As soon as we showed up we spotted the people we were familiar with and got the run down of how things were going for the evening. We talked to the sound guy, Justin, to make sure it was ok to set up our recording equipment near the sound board which he agreed to. Being that this venue is an old movie theater, we were directed upstairs to the projection room located above the sound booth that was perfect for filming. The guys running the venue were very laid back and extremely gracious even though we were not performing with the bands that evening. We even got free wristbands and the pleasure of sitting in on the venue band meeting to get the complete rundown and rules for the evening. It was very encouraging to us to be treated as such and I spoked with several people that had heard of O Team Press prior to this even.

The first band on stage this evening was “We Die Alone”. Being the first band to play at a show can sometimes be nerve racking because one of two things can happen, you can set the standard for the evening or you can totally bomb and set the sub-standard for the evening. These guys definitely set the standard. One thing I noticed while this band was warming up and getting on stage is that they were really young. This is inspiring to see many young musicians out there chasing the dream and composing art. “We Die Alone” had a good sound and pretty entertaining music, the actual sound quality was a bit muffled, these kids need bigger amps to blast a venue this size. Although they are a younger group, they showed confidence and presence on stage that usually takes a while for a band to build. The heavy kick/double bass and thump of the bass guitar in this venue was very good and could be heard clearly through the music which is important at a metal show. The guitar work was not anything that blew my mind, but was constant with the rest of the music coming from the other members and had a nice sound to it. “We Die Alone” is not a band that is going to blow you away and make you wonder how they got as good as they did, but they are a band that will hold it down and make your body move with every song. This band has a lot of time ahead of them and it will be interesting to see how the skill level progresses over the years.

Second to take the stage was a band that I knew nothing about previous to the show, however the vocalist introduced them as “cowboy metal”. The vocalist of the band definitely reflected this wearing tight blue jeans, a flannel shirt, and cowboy boots. I thought to myself, “ok they have a style now let’s see if they are any good.” When the music started it sounded to me like just another metal band. The stage presence was really not there, the music was fairly generic and easy to listen to, and I couldn’t stop looking at the singers too tight jeans. Don’t get me wrong this band was still a lot better than most stuff I hear on the radio and television, but I think these guys have a lot of work to do as a band to get their sound and show on point. The crowd was feeling the music though and reflected it through a good bit of slam dancing during the songs and cheers after the songs. If these guys keep working at it, they have the talent to completely rock a crowd that is into their music.

While filming above the sound board I had talked to and spent some time with a few of the guys in the third band, Vitriol. Mainly the drummer and guitarist had taken time to talk to me before their set. The change out of band equipment went very quickly this night and I was impressed with the bands ability to not get distracted by the crowd after a show. I really enjoy Vitriol’s music, lyrics, and show on stage. These guys were really into their music and you could tell by their energy on stage. The drummer had some very cool dreads and they were flying everywhere during the show. The vocalist had a very strong voice that could be heard over the rest of the music and had a very intense scream to go along with the jams. About halfway through the set I noticed that the guitarist looked a lot like Mitch Kramer from the movie “Dazed and Confused”. This made me laugh but definitely did not take anything away from the skill level of the guitarist as he ripped up and down the guitar in wide metal stance. I enjoyed every song this band played and I will be on the lookout for other shows this band plays around the Atlanta area.

Next on stage was “Sound the Surrender”, it was their CD release. We received a copy of the CD earlier in the week and which gave me some time to get familiar with the music. The CD is very good and very well put together, but that review will be coming at a later time. Being somewhat familiar with the music I was excited to see how the band would perform the songs. I had seen Sound the Surrender before at another venue and enjoyed the show they put on there and expected to enjoy this show, I was not disappointed. The music that Sound the Surrender plays is far more advanced than all of the other bands that played that night so I did not expect a perfect set even if the members of the band did. Right at the beginning there was not enough lead guitar for the drummer to hear so the song had to be stopped and the lead turned up. After that the songs were all started and completed without stopping. That is a big accomplishment for a band playing that level of music. There were a few noticeable mix ups by the band which I’m sure were only noticed by a few in the crowd that had heard the music before. Someone in the crowd that had never heard Sound the Surrender play before would not have noticed the small mistakes made by this band. The lead and rhythm guitar were tearing up the guitar necks of their instruments the entire show, as the bass player and drummer held down the rhythm for the other two to play off of. I was very impressed how much the skill level of the band members had increased since the last time I saw them. The only thing Sound the Surrender has left to do is perfect their music for live shows so the crowds mind can then be blown away properly.

Last on stage was Atilla. I have seen this band perform two or three times before and have always enjoyed seeing them play. Unfortunately something happened one day and one of the members of the band sent out a very unfriendly message to their fans. I do not know who or why it was done but telling your fans to fuck off isn’t exactly the best way to do business. There have been apologies handed out due to this incident but that does not change the way I think about the maturity of this band. Therefore all I will say about the Atilla performance is that it lived up to the rest of the performances I have seen by them which was good. Audibly Atilla sounded better than the rest of the groups, this is just something that comes by spending time with your gear and with your band, tweaking over and over until everyone can hear everyone else.

- Oriax aka Steven Mosley

Song of the Week v.1.28.08

2008-01-28T02:34:00.000-08:00

The Mars Volta - Goliath

From their album being released tomorrow, The Bedlam in Goliath, is this weeks song of the week. The semi title track Goliath is about as good as it gets from The Mars Volta as far as I am concerned. Its a traditional TMV track heavy with spaced out guitar solos, Cedric preaching, latin ryhthms, lots of percussion and horns and keys. The 3:50 mark is when shit really starts to pick up and get my internal clock pumping. I really have enjoyed the last two TMV albums but I do not feel they had stepped it back up to the level of awesomeness that was De-loused in the Comatorium until now. I am STOKED for the album release and I am sure it will be on repeat for many a day.

Song of the Week v.1.21.08

2008-01-21T04:38:00.000-08:00

Sound the Surrender - Returning

This past weekend some friends of mine decided to write and record some new music, which I can understand, sometimes you just get that itch. They posted up a rough mix of the song on the O Team Press forums and it blew people away. This song is filled with guitar shredding goodness and machine gun double bass but not from your average kiddie metal band. Though these guys are all 18 years old as of this blog, the caliber of music they are playing is many many years ahead of them.

Definitely looking forward to an album from Sound the Surrender here in '08.

Elliott Rubin - Love & Daggers

2008-01-14T05:00:00.000-08:00

Elliott Rubin's debut solo album Love & Daggers is an hour long journey of truth speaking poetry over rock music. After several listens this album started to grow on me more and more, after many more listens I feel like I've known Elliott for years. Elliott plays most of the guitar and bass on this album and had some help from friends to complete the line up.

The first track "Willy Mays" is again what I look for in an opening song, it introduces the rest of the album overall with some hype. The next song is my personal favorite, "My Ticket Out". I first heard this song on the RedRoom 104's myspace before the album was released. I had no idea who Elliott Rubin was at that time or what he was up to, but I definitely was digging this track. The music is smooth, the vocals float over the top nicely making the song very moody. Following that the album gets into the more singer/songwriter side of E.R. "Dawsonville" starts off with some off kilter keys work, done by Greg Case, bringing an almost saloon feel to the track, which is a really nice touch. "MLK" comes across as a smooth acoustic jam then suddenly you are jerked into the chorus professing that "we'll change, we'll get the ball rolling", some good words to remember. The entire song is uplifting and preaches motivation. Another personal favorite is the track "Thursday", the music is smooth the whole way through while E.R. sings about the woes of making it to every next day. The final three songs are some of the most rocking on the album. "God Honest Truth" comes in blasting with the god honest truth and E.R. lets the vocals rip along with crunchy guitars and big drums. The same comes with "Gift" and "Spent" could be the most rhythmic song on the album, the drums and guitar are rocking hard while E.R., as in the opening track, goes from soft vocals to emotional screaming.

The production on this album is thick, it sounds like singer songwriter music was hooked up with a full band to fill it out and they did a good job. The mixing and mastering is solid, only a few times did some things remind me that this album did not come from a major label system, which is impressive in itself. The length of the album is a bit much for my attention span, I would cut a few of the filler songs and keep 10 or so of the most solid, saving the rest for a b-sides release. It takes an enormous amount of effort to piece together an album and for this to be Elliott Rubins debut, I am impressed. Being a musician I understand all that goes into creating a work of art like this and I give my kudos to all those that were involved.

- Bret Phillips