Spoiler alert: As they've alluded to through a countdown on their recently relaunched website, '90s post-hardcore band Far are reuniting for two Southern California shows this October under the name Hot Little Pony. That's kind of neat. And while I certainly won't take full credit for it, I do think my e-mail to Jonah Matranga a few months back asking if he would be willing to participate in our "Class Of '98" piece for Far's seminal Water & Solutions album helped kick-start the idea. In fact, Matranga later wrote back to me saying he and the rest of the band were planning to get together "and jam just for fun" after he was interviewed for the retrospective. (If only our special would have a similar effect on Blake Schwarzenbach...)
I won't pretend to know everything about Far, as the only album of theirs I own is Water & Solutions (I seem to recall swiping a copy of their 1996 album Tin Cans And Strings To You from my college radio station but a quick search of my music room earlier tonight didn't turn it up). However, I can say that Water & Solutions is a pretty killer rock record, following in the footsteps of Quicksand and Sacramento, California, scenemates Deftones but adding their own spin on distortion-slathered almost-metal -- mainly, a strong sense of melody from Matranga not seen in most rock singers at the time (remember, this was just about when nu-metal was starting to ruin music forever). Check out these live clips of Water & Solutions songs from a 1998 show at Chicago's famed Metro for proof of the band's musical chops and Matranga's innate vocal talent:
Bury White
Mother Mary
Really Here
Did Far change the world? No. Were they ever really even going to? Not really; their sound, while enjoyable, certainly wasn't the most groundbreaking in their genre. Did they have their fair share of powerful songs, however? Most definitely. Bands like Far, Helmet, Deftones, Quicksand, Seaweed, Handsome, Fireside, etc. (essentially any band who brought the pain in drop-D tuning without pandering to mooks), to me, represent the best kind of music to come out of the '90s -- heavy, aggressive, intelligent rock that's not afraid to show its sensitive side.
With the recent revival of post-Quicksand group Rival Schools as well as Far deciding to strap on their axes once again, it gives me hope that maybe the musical tides can shift ever-so-slightly out of pure, utter, tunelessgarbage with no redeeming value whatsoever and begin to re-embrace talented bands who play with passion, energy and skill (while carefully avoiding absolutely horrendous fashion trends). So here's to you, Jonah. Call up Walter and get a Far/Rival Schools co-headlining tour set up for next year, won't ya?
PS: Here's a sweet bonus video of Jonah Matranga performing a cover of Deftones' "be Quiet And Drive (Far Away)" with the help of Ian Love of Rival Schools on guitar. You can tune out around the six-minute mark (the cover takes a pretty big turn for the worse at that point), but everything up to that point is pretty breathtaking. And I don't use that word lightly.
Is something truly viral marketing when it is marketed to and promoted by one single website?
This question's been on my mind for the past few days after the whole supposed "viral marketing campaign" debuted by Fall Out Boy to (I guess) announce their new record, Folie A Deux through a website called CitizensForOurBetterment.com. The curtain's been revealed now and at that website you'll find a free, downloadable "mixtape" with a number of FOB demos as well as some other goodies (I'm partial to the incredibly terrible/awesome cover of Katy Perry's "I Kissed A Girl" by Cobra Starship), but I really have to wonder what the whole point was. The only place I ever saw any clues or hints as to what this whole thing was about was absolutepunk.net (and trust me, I read that site so you don't have to). They were obviously somewhat in on the whole thing, at least to the point where someone on the inside was leaking them clues to post, but then things got even crazier when Copeland weaseled their way into the whole thing by making mirrors of the viral sites but for their own album, the absolutely terribly titled You Are My Sunshine. (Seriously, I like Copeland, but they tend to have horrendous album titles.) Tons of "news" blurbs were posted with cryptic messages linking to even more cryptic websites that may or may not have had an overall purpose, and it kept a small amount of people probably busy for a few hours.
But here's the thing: I didn't see a single thing for this "viral marketing campaign" anywhere besides absolutepunk.net. According to the ever-reliable Wikipedia, viral marketing is generally agreed upon as being "a marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message voluntarily," that "may take the form of video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images, or even text messages."
Can someone explain to me how anything that either one of these bands did related in any way to what viral marketing actually is? I mean, someone like Nine Inch Nails totally got it right with last year's Year Zero -- hiding flash drives in bathrooms in Europe, creating dozens of fake websites with tons of hidden goodies, having a Cleveland-area phone number with an automated message regarding "the resistance" if you called it, hidden messages on tour T-shirts; this is how you properly create interest in something. But with this pseudo-viral marketing for the FOB record, it's almost like the thing was over before it even got off the ground, and was essentially centered around the Mos Eisley Cantina of music websites. (Y'know, "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." What, are there no Star Wars fans reading this?) As smart a businessman as Pete Wentz is, you'd think something like this would've had a bit more oomph to it to be properly pulled off. As it is, it's just a small blip on a few thousand peoples' radars, most of whom will never bother to see if anything new ever develops with it (instead just waiting for the aforementioned cantina to spoon-feed it to them).
Are we really this ADD-addled? Is a Fall Out Boy fan's attention span really that much shorter than that of a Nine Inch Nails fan? Has our culture really forced itself into an "instant gratification or I'm moving on" mindset?
As someone who's interviewed both Cove and Anthony, I can tell you there is legitimately zero bad blood between the two of them -- hell, there never really was any to begin with. Hopefully this duet will silence the message board trolls.
I'll be writing much more later -- I just got back from my vacation in beautiful Sonoma, California, where I had zero internet access but plenty of this:
That was the view off the balcony of my room. Taking that view in with a glass of lemonade and the faint sounds of Frank Sinatra in the distance is really the absolute best way to decompress yourself ever. I recommend it.
First, I must apologize to the fantastic new band Johnny Foreigner, as I mistyped their debut album's title in my last blog -- it's actually called Waited Up 'Til It Was Light, and I wholeheartedly support purchasing it when it's released October 14 on Nettwek. In the meantime, I highly recommend checking this band out on their MySpace, or listen to some of these jams below:
Secondly: Who in the holy fuck are the Jonas Brothers and how have I not heard a single song by this band in my life? They're on the cover of Rolling Stone and have two albums in the Billboard Top 10 this week (their new one debuted at No. 1 with their prior album re-entering the charts at No. 10). My only recollection of this band is a mediocre review we gave one of their older albums a few years back. What the fuck happened? I fully blame the Disney Channel, which might as well just be a death cult by this point. Not to sound like a cranky old man (I'm only 26!), but fuck, man, music used to be so good.
Oh, Johnny Foreigner, rid us of the Jonas Brothers, won't you?
You want haikus? You're gonna get haikus, son (or daughter; this is an equal-opportunity blog):
Trivium - Shogun (out Sept. 30 on Roadrunner) Plenty of shredding Deedle-de-deedle-de-de Where is the chorus? Requested by Kgod
Thursday/Envy split LP (out this September on Temporary Residence Ltd.) I haven't heard this But Thursday and Envy rule This will too, I'm sure Requested by Irish Diplomat
I Set My Friends On Fire - You Can't Spell Slaughter Without Laughter (out Oct. 7 on Epitaph) You are kidding, right? This is really a real band? Society's doomed Requested by LunarFlame17
Johnny Foreigner - Waited Up Till It Was Morning (out Oct. 14 on Nettwerk) These Brits' debut disc Is thrilling and exciting My fave disc this month Requested by LunarFlame17
Jack's Mannequin - The Glass Passenger (out Sept. 30 on Sire) After months and months It's finally coming out And it's worth the wait Requested by jps
Dear And The Headlights - Drunk Like Bible Times (out Sept. 30 on Equal Vision) Totally brilliant Arizona's favorite sons? Better believe it Requested by jps
Anberlin - New Surrender (out Sept. 30 on Universal Republic) They always rock hard But something is missing here It is no Cities Requested by jps
If there's an upcoming release you want me to pen a haiku for, leave a comment and request it. I'm having a blast doing these! Who needs to sleep, anyway?
1. I realized this morning that Rumbleseat (an old acoustic side project of Chris and Chuck from Hot Water Music) were totally awesome. Don't believe me? Listen:
So, so, so good, especially on a Sunday morning. Go buy their discography, Is Dead, from No Idea Records immediately, won't you?
2. There's been a massive influx of new music coming to me at work over the past week or so, including many hotly anticipated discs coming out in September and October. While I don't have time to properly review each and every release here, I thought maybe we could do something fun -- you leave me a comment telling me what upcoming release you want to know about, and I will write a haiku about it. You know, those three-line, 5/7/5-syllable poems you learned in grade school? For example:
Bayside - Shudder (out Sept. 30 on Victory) A pleasant surprise (5) One song sounds like Set Your Goals (7) No, seriously! (5)
Rise Against - Appeal To Reason (out Oct. 7 on DGC/Interscope) Midtempo clunkers (5) Are all over this record (7) I'm disappointed (5)
Get the idea? Okay, leave me a comment telling what upcoming release you want me to haiku it up for, and my next blog will deliver the goods.
Okay, first off: Why does the coolest collaboration EVER happen after I'm off Warped Tour? Motion City Soundtrack and Oreskaband fans, check this out:
Apparently this has happened more than once, so if you're heading out to one of the final Warped dates this weekend, make sure to have your digital cameras at the ready during Motion City's set.
(Thanks to Sue over at the Epitaph Blog for the tip.)
Secondly: I feel like I'm the only person at AP who is currently stoked on the summer Olympics. I mean, Michael fucking Phelps, people! Did you see his race tonight? Dude won by 1/100 of a second! This guy is the champion of champions. Also, he might be Dan Yemin in disguise:
You be the judge. Anyway, I find myself staying up late every night watching Olympics coverage on NBC until the wee hours of the morning. I'm so fascinated by it; maybe because it's live and who knows what could happen? I dunno. I do know that I've developed a pretty mean crush on U.S. gymnast Alicia Sacramone, even though she totally blew our chance at the gold in the team competition.
(Look at me, I said "our" chance. I'm so lame.)
Finally: Anyone get the blog title reference today? It's one of the best live bands currently in rock 'n' roll, hands down...
Sometimes, I just have to marvel at the awesomeness that can be viral marketing. Take a look, for instance, at this promotion for The Rocker, starring The Office's Rainn Wilson, out next week:
But that's not all--check out these seriously hilarious videos Rainn just posted where he interviews Slash (yes, the Slash):
As someone who has been lucky enough to see an advance screening of The Rocker, I can safely say that the movie is pretty good, but these videos crush it in terms of sheer laugh value. I still think you should go see the film when it opens next week because there are definitely some hilarious jokes in it (pretty much everything Jason Sudekis says will have you rolling in the aisles), but frankly, I'd like to see Rainn get his own talk show. Hey, Conan O'Brien's replacing Jay Leno next year; sounds like there's an opening...
I consider myself reasonably savvy when it comes to the ol' internets. Really, I do. If anyone in the office asks me some sort of bizarre question about an obscure topic, I can usually have an answer for them in minutes via web searching and the like; I've been also using HTML since 1997 (holy geez that feels like forever) when I built my first website (which, yes, included a section dedicated to Star Wars, and no, I'm not going to link to it so you can't make fun of me). I'm generally the first person in the office and in my circle of friends to see the latest viral video sensation or hilarious Photoshopped image (ah, how I long for the halcyon days of introducing Moshzilla to the entire editorial staff...), and I can't tell you how many times I've had to help out Tim with the simplest web functions (love ya, buddy, but you're pretty inept when it comes to finding anything besides pornography on the web).
My one fault? Up until recently, I had no idea what RSS feeds were, and then once I learned (RSS=Really Simple Syndication; it's basically a way to subscribe to your favorite websites and read all their updates in one place), I still didn't take advantage of them. Luckily, my girlfriend turned me onto Google Reader which is the best thing ever. I now see the amazingness of RSS feeds: I've subscribed to hundreds of websites already, ranging from MTV News to a blog strictly about pizza, and the program gathers every post from these websites into one, easily readable/searchable page for my benefit. (I sound like I work for Google, don't I?)
What I really enjoy, though, is now I'm able to keep tabs on blogs written by musicians. I had a folder of band blogs bookmarked but would always forget to check them, but with Google Reader, I can stay up to date on all sorts of stuff (and be entertained at the same time). Here's some of my favorite musician blogs currently:
Bad Sandwich Chronicles (by the Lawrence Arms' Brendan Kelly) When it comes to clever, comedic writing, Brendan Kelly is on par with Every Time I Die's Keith Buckley (shit, does anyone if that dude has a blog?). Kelly rarely writes about the Arms, but instead writes about being a parent to a newborn and how it affects his sex life. Must-read.
D.E.A.D.R.A.M.O.N.E. (by Silverstein's Billy Hamilton) Billy doesn't post incredibly frequently on this thing but when he does, they tend to be either huge photo recaps of Silverstein tours (which are always entertaining and beautiful to look at) or musings on how great mid-'90s emo was. What's not to love?
I Feel Sick To My Stomach (by Against Me!'s Tom Gabel) This blog is a fairly new one, and Tom posts in it semi-frequently. Its content varies from band-related writings (like playing a fest in England and comparing Paramore to Babyshambles) to more personal entries (like how his wife's grandmother just passed away). It's a confusing, uncomfortable look into one of punk's best songwriters.
In The Trees (by Rx Bandits' Steve Choi) Steve and Matt from Rx Bandits came into the AP office earlier this week to record an acoustic session for our website (which will launch tomorrow, so be on the lookout!), and while we were getting everything set up, Steve and I chatted about a whole bunch of things, including our favorite music, and it seems like we were kindred spirits. I feel that way when reading his blog, too, which started off as an Rx Bandits recording blog and has quickly morphed into neat little anecdotes about being on the road (and also his hatred for "spirit fingers" when busting out a guitar solo, something I completely disagree with).
Travie's Blog (by Gym Class Heroes' Travis McCoy) Unfortunately, Trav's not done much in the way of actual blogging in the past month, instead just posting random photos/videos (many of which involve his cousin Tyga). Every once in a while, though, he'll pull the curtain back on his life and give you a few more clues to what really makes the dude tick. You just have to wade through all the photos of him with Freddie Madball to find those posts.
That's what I'm currently into; what musician blogs do you read? Leave a comment and share!
Last night, the Anthony Green/Good Old War/Person L tour rolled into Cleveland, and a whole bunch of AP peeps including myself went out for it. First off, the positives: All three bands were fantastic. I mean, really, honestly, truly fantastic. It's great to see Ken from the Starting Line back onstage (with a guitar this time, not a bass), and his songs in Person L are just gorgeous and incredibly well-arranged. They even had two percussionists who switched mid-set, with one on the drumkit and one playing tambourine/shaker/bells/etc. Seriously, they were wonderful and everyone should go buy their debut album, Initial -- it's only $8 for a physical copy at shows and as cheap as $7 for MP3s. I bought a copy last night and it's worth every penny.
I do have to apologize as I did miss part of Good Old War's set as I was consuming a delicious carnitas burrito at Chipotle (conveniently located next door to the Grog Shop). I did see the second half of their set, though, and enjoyed their mellow, CSNY/Simon and Garfunkel-esque folk jams. I bet my mom would really be into their CD (and that's a compliment, not a slight).
Now before I get into Anthony Green's set, can someone explain to me why people pay hard-earned money to go to a concert, then instead of watching the bands they paid to see, instead talk loudly the entire time? There was a lot of chatter during both bands' opening sets, but I assumed it would subside when Anthony and his band (which was all of Good Old War, plus Brendan and Nick from Circa Survive) took the stage. I was totally wrong; if anything, the extraneous conversations only got louder during their 65-minute set. I really don't get it: Tickets to the show were $12 ($18 after the requisite nonsense "convenience fees" from Ticketmaster); wouldn't you want to actually, y'know, enjoy the show you're paying for instead of yapping to your friends all night long about whatever pointless bullshit is on the tip of your tongue?
Sorry. It just frustrates me to see musicians, especially ones as talented as the ones who played last night, not get the full respect and attention of the crowd.
Anyway, as for Anthony's set, it's pretty much all of Avalon (which just came out this past Tuesday -- buy it, yo!), plus two new songs I'd never heard before with just him an an acoustic guitar, plus a very interesting take on Circa Survive's "Semi-Constructive Criticism." Here's a video of the revamp from the tour's kickoff in Philly the other night (don't watch it if you're going to the tour and don't want it spoiled for you):
The version they played last night seemed a bit dirtier and heavier, though.
Anyway, go see this tour (dates here). It's definitely worth your money (plus AG's selling Avalon for a mere $6 at the merch table -- talk about a steal!). Just promise me that if you go, you'll spend more time watching the bands then chatting with your friends, okay?
I spent nearly 24 hours in Chicago between yesterday and today as I tried to get home from Warped Tour -- most of those hours spent running from gate to gate at O'Hare International Airport, desperately hoping to get a standby spot on a flight to Cleveland. Then, once my actual flight was finally, mercifully canceled (after being delayed a good six hours or so), my wonderful girlfriend (who currently inhabits the Windy City) picked me up and drove me back to her house. Of course, this was in the middle of one of the worst storms Chicago's ever seen; we actually more or less drove through a tornado to get to her place. Trees on top of cars, sideways rain, huge gusts of wind; it was insane. I was half expecting a cow to fly by her car.
But I finally got myself out of Chicago and back to Cleveland this morning, where I walked into my office after being gone for a week and a half to find this:
That, my friends, is one big pile of mail. Anyone wanna open some for me? I don't think my fingers can take it, after having to rip open about 18,000 boxes of Warped Tour programs over the past week or so...
PS - Were you following my Warped adventures? I sure hope so. You can read all my blog entries from the tour here.
