THE AUTHOR AND THE ILLUSTRATOR - LEE'S SUMMIT, MO

If you're a fan of math-rock, post-rock, punk, rock, indie-rock, emotive hardcore, or shoegazer, this band is for you. Simply put, this group hailing from Lee's Summit, MO fulfills all of the above genres and goes above the call of duty. Just when you thought labels make matters simpler, these guys show up.

Let's get into it. I was lucky enough to catch The Author and the Illustrator at Jerry's Bait Shop, in Lee's Summit, MO for a measly $3. My friend, the local, had mentioned the band occasionally but I had never gotten around to giving them a solid listen. The band gave off some good vibes as they ascended to the stage. Everything you hope for in a local show, unassuming, confident with the home turf, and shorts. All there. A reverb-y guitar tone filled the now hushed bar, groovy bass and drums join in, soon (in a post-rock like fashion) heavy distortion, speed, and blasting drums fill your ears.

On the album, Session I, "Bottles" is a great way to begin. The tune begins with an reverberating, falling guitar line. The tempo picks up and the singer's voice is heard for the first time. Desperate lyrics begin to build and the song shifts to a more hardcore, grungy chorus and he erupts: "I am not the one who can save you from this hell / Bottles, pills and guns won't be he hero..." followed by the still flowing and quiet verse. "Left" is a behemoth of a song. The first chorus is in the same styling as the verses, which makes the impending explosion in the next chorus that much more intense. Next up is "Five," which really showcases the guitarists' skill in playing, and musicianship. In fact, "Five" showcases everyone in the band as it manages to be catchy and poppy on nearly every level without losing the core sound. Skipping to the last track (not because the songs in between are not worth hearing, because they are) the CD ends on the glorious ballad of "Pale and Bright," which is a groovy, atmospheric track. A solid farewell.

I got the opportunity to speak with the drummer for a short bit after the show. He was really cool guy, and let me leave no doubts, this is a passionate group. The sole goal, as far as I can tell, is to have people listen to their music. The Author and the Illustrator was more than willing to give everyone in the bar a free CD with an optional donation. You simply can not beat that.

I'm not going to upload this album, but I will provide you with the links necessary to get your hands on it! I would definitely give The Author and the Illustrator a donation if it is at all possible in your financial situation! Spread the word.

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The Author and the Illustrator - Pale and Bright from Bret Hamilton on Vimeo.

SAUCER - TORONTO, ONTARIO

I'll just throw this out there: I know none of the inner story of this band. That being said, I was perusing eBay a while back and came across this album. The description claimed they had a Squirrel Bait sound I just can't pass that up. A Google search yields nothing for this band. Nada. I assume this is because they're from Canada. (kidding)

 Let's dig in here. Saucer DOES have that classic punk-grunge sound going on. The vocalist does a great job emulating the raspy vocals you would look for in this genre. But that's just it, the whole band seems to be trying to hard (or not hard enough). Most of the tracks on this album come off as sub-par songs from a decent 90's punk pop band. That's not to say Sin 01 is a bad album, but definitely not great. The opening track "Gun Metal Grey" is a solid song. The opening riff is searing, and the vocals are raspy and desperate. The end of the track is intense and filled with the raunchy feedback of your standard punk fare. Skipping to "Among the Colours" we see the band make an attempt at a more romantic sound. Not bad. The rest of the album sort of carries on in this way with bits of hardcore stuck in different places. I can't figure out which direction they were trying to go with this release but I digress. "Green" is a fairly solid track. The alternating tempos give a great the song a dangerous feel which is fantastic. This song seems to contain the most musicality of any track on the album and it works out well. It almost hurts them in the end though, because if they had put that much work into their other songs this would have been a better album. I'll leave you with that.

I do hope you'll enjoy this release! It isn't bad by any means, but it's not great. Leave some opinions in the comments!



Pick it up here:
Saucer - Sin01

I WILL REMOVE ANY POST AT THE REQUEST OF THE ARTIST.

IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, BOOTLEGS, STORIES, OR RELEASES OF THIS BAND PLEASE SHARE. FEEL FREE TO POST A LINK TO YOUR OWN BLOG IF IT RELATES TO THE ARTISTS IN THIS POST. 

Getting back on track

Let's get this thing going again. Updated some download link and getting ready to post some new material. Stay tuned.

SKA THE THIRD WAVE - THE INSTRUMENTALS

Some albums are just meant to be played while driving, and should you be able to listen without crashing, this is the best one.

In the interest of keeping this short; the amount of words used in this post will be a little more than the amount of words featured on these pieces. Ska - The Instrumentals is accurately described by the title. Words are not needed within the tracks because of their already masterful use of strange rhythms, master drumming, and general ska-ness. There's intensity, silly, weird, funky, jazzy, and all other adjectives here, so why not download and give it a listen?

Tracks:
1. La Unda - Otis Reem
2. Mariachi Go Ska - The Allstonians
3. Garlic Icecube - Insatiable
4. Riders In The Sky (Ghost Skankers) - THE RHYTH-O-MATICS
5. Swatara - Ruder Than You
6. Cat Juice - Skavoovie And The Epitones
7. Skalp It - Undercover S.K.A.
8. 4th Wave - SKAROTUM
9. Peg Leg Bates - Spring Heeled Jack
10. Jerry Lewis - The Allstonians
11. Watermelon Man - The Scofflaws
12. P.A.F. - Insatiable
13. Passage To Nigeria - The Jumpstarts
14. Jammin' (Master Blaster) - Loin Groin
15. Parakeet - Skavoovie And The Epitones

Download it here:
Ska: The Instrumentals

I WILL REMOVE ANY POST AT THE REQUEST OF THE ARTIST/S

BIG WHEEL - LOUISVILLE, KY

Bang bang bang...

From the ashes of the critically acclaimed Squirrel Bait, frontman Peter Searcy leads the powerful sound of Big Wheel.

Big Wheel takes speedy thrash punk, slows it down, and cleans it up a bit. You won't hear any uncontrolled wailing of any kind from this band, none of the grit you normally find within the punk genre, but Big Wheel doesn't fall within that genre. For some, this is a positive point, for others, eh. I tend to like the grit, but that doesn't change the fact that Big Wheel's East End is a pretty decent album.

East End starts of with a promising, intense intro with fast, rolling drums. Peter Searcy's signature vocal styling is heard with the initial yell of, "Bang, bang, bang!", setting the stage for this behemoth of a song. Pulsing rhythms from the drummer drive the song, with the guitar sharpening and already dangerous knife. "Burning Down The Model Home" follows, dulling the edge a bit, but creating a much more accessible sound. That being said, this song does not exactly stand out. Next up in the arsenal of long song names, "Time You Need To Think", is a very driving, up-tempo piece. The opening guitar motif is very memorable, the chorus features some heavy vocals, which is always great. "Erect", despite being much more poppy and having a name that would make the immature side of you laugh, is a great song with fast and catchy hooks. Coming in near the back of the album, "Billboard Song" shows Big Wheel's artistic talent in creating a slow, powerful ballad. Features of the song include beautiful verses, and biting instrumentals. "Spanish Salsa" and "Metallica" end the album with pure thrash metal instrumentals, and weaving vocals sprinkled over the top of noise. While it is easy to lump these two songs together, they are a fantastic end to this album.

Song 10 of the release is where Big Wheel shines. "Half of Everything" opens with a quiet, single-note guitar riff. Drums and bass are added, vocals, and soon everything explodes in prechorus with Searcy wailing, "Which end will I be stuck with?/Short end of the stick!". Further explosives follow in the chorus, with fills flying the guitar and drum section. "Half Of Everything" is a fantastic song, it drives you, cuts you up, slaps you, and sticks in your head.

Big Wheel went on to produce a couple more albums, neither of which are as great as the first. Their sophomore release is something to avoid entirely, while the final will be posted here at a later date. Searcy went on to play in Starbilly for a couple years, and later went solo. I'm unsure as to what the rest of the band went on to do, but I know they played a reunion show about a year ago. Sadly, I couldn't get myself across the country to see it. If you saw the show, or any show by Big Wheel, please share your experience! If you have anything to share, please feel free.



Get it here:
Big Wheel - East End

I WILL REMOVE ANY POST AT THE REQUEST OF THE ARTIST.

GALACTIC SHERPAS - MI

Hailing from somewhere in Michigan, Galactic Sherpas are a funk group that will make you glad people still make music (let's be honest, your local scene has more than likely caused you to lose faith). I'm going to be straight up honest, I found this band on YouTube in the "related videos" on the Tweed Sneakers videos. Galactic Sherpas are overall catchy, and fun to listen to. Their songs are available for listen on their Myspace and website, and you won't regret checking those out. Unfortunately, I could not locate a way for me to exchange cash for a CD. This is sad, as I would definitely pay for their stuff.
In the mean-time, you can download the music off their site without any hassle. Without further ado:

Galactic Sherpas Website
Galactic Sherpas Myspace

CRUEL STORY OF YOUTH - 1989

Cruel Story of Youth is one of those bands that got signed and faded off into some obscure land where everything is covered in echo.
That's what you will hear when you listen to this band. This album was definitely recorded using plethora of effect. And not just distortion and some reverb, this is over-production. Plain and simple. A different producer could have taken the creativity displayed in this band and taken them much further. That's the truth, because even with the bad production this is a great album. And that's saying something.

The first two songs from the self-titled (I don't know of any other releases, but they could be out there) are both poppy, and catchy. What you really need to look out for in these songs is the guitar work, particularly the solo in "Love is a Vapor", which lays the groundwork for the phenomenal solo-work on this album. The third song (which could have possibly been a better open song than "You're what you want to be"), called "Out of Love", shows some of the best you will find on this album. The lyrics are emotional and poetic, and guitar and drum solo ties the song to an intense mid-point. "I Don't Know Anymore" is a song about a changed relationship. Here, the lyrics continue to shine and stick with you after the song is over, and the guitar work sprinkles the song with beautiful fills and riffs. The next song of interest would be "I'd Pay The Price". Slow ballad-rock comes in waves throughout the slow, melancholy verses and somewhat upbeat chorus. "The Strangest Word" is a fantastic song that marks the end of the "middle of the album". Cruel Story of Youth really pick up the tempo and bring the best elements of every song before it in this song. This is a must listen, even if you don't care about the rest of the album or this genre of music (so please, shift your attention to the bottom this post). "Violet" continues in this vein, distorted guitar gives the song punch while John Are wails the chorus.

I couldn't find much about this band. A Google search yielded the information that their bassist worked for Rolling Stone, so if you wanted to get in contact maybe start there. Another odd thing came from AllMusic; apparently "You're What You Want To Be" peaked at 29 on the Mainstream Rock charts in 1989. Sadly, not even this was enough to keep Cruel Story Of Youth in the public's mind.



Download the album:
Cruel Story of Youth - 1989

I WILL REMOVE ANY POST AT THE REQUEST OF THE ARTIST.

IF YOU HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, BOOTLEGS, STORIES, OR RELEASES OF THIS BAND PLEASE SHARE. FEEL FREE TO POST A LINK TO YOUR OWN BLOG IF IT RELATES TO THE ARTISTS IN THIS POST.