10 great rocksongs by this young emo/pop/punk band from Burlington, Canada. Artists like “Hot Water Music” and “Knapsack” play a huge role in the song writing and bands like “The Get Up Kids” and “Grade” are favourites of ALWAYS OUTNUMBERED. Smartly constructed, emotionally charged post-hardcore. A new breed of music not brash enough to be Hardcore, not biting enough for Punk, not wimpy enough for Emo, rock on!!!
Exit 263 is mainly an alt-country/rock album but it still has the appeal of the awesome vocal style of David Moore which has always been a something of an institution within the hardcore/emo scene as being one of the most well-rounded and influential voices. On the one hand you could argue they have gone more mainstream but equally if you know the band they have actually followed their hearts and not tried to produce anything less than the music and message they wanted to express. Highlights like “Masterpiece” and “Lovely and Alone” are perfect examples of an album that is consistent throughout. Sophisticated and perfectly executed guitar work gives the impression you”re listening to an old hand in the country/ rock genre. This is complimented with a perfectly suited rhythm section played with a more “blues/roots” style as it keeps things exciting and moving while the vocals and guitars tell their story. Lyrically Moore shows a matured but still recognisable style using poetic lines to express personal tales of love- lost and people moving on. The few tracks that were recorded on a 4-track in a remote cabin are perhaps about as close to the band as anyone can get and the rawness of these tracks soon whittle away further need for analysis. Both determined longstanding fans or eager newcomers should agree that this final phase of one of the most integral bands of the 90’s alternative scene once again embodies pure emotion, expression, identity and originality.
Singer, guitarist and songwriter for THE METROSCHIFTER, here is Scott Ritcher’s second solo CD. This legendary Louisville svengali has been on the scene making engaging records and creating innovative artwork for over a decade. His new record is an amazing departure into the realm of alternative country with dub beats and samples and all kinds of other stuff going on. Scott has always been a true original and he keeps it real on Nashville Geographic.
Aftershock is the debut solo album by Adam Dove (Adam Rubenstein), the former guitarist/songwriter of the legendary band CHAMBERLAIN. On Aftershock, Adam has beautifully created some of the most conceptual, yet catchy, music around. The 11 songs on this album make us think, all the while helping the listener identify Adam Dove as not just an imitator, but among the greatest singer/songwriters ever. For example, think of Elliott Smith’s XO, Nebraska by Bruce Springsteen, Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk by Jeff Buckley, and Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere by Neil Young. Adam Dove, and Aftershock, are among these artists, and titles, as ones of pure genius. Aftershock also features the instrumental talents of members of Old Pike.
Rocky Votolato’s third solo full-length, Suicide Medicine is a stripped down and sparse masterpiece — Rocky’s voice soars across dark lyrical musings on family, love, music, and the conflicts that arise from his commitment to all three. Suicide Medicine shares commonalities with the new batch of twenty-something singer-songwriters of Rocky’s genre, but Rocky surpasses them by channeling early Mark Eitzel, Richard Buckner, and the stripped down, poetic storytelling of Steve Earle and Joe Henry. Recorded and produced by Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla, Suicide Medicine’s elegant pathos, compelling nature, and beauty intertwine somber ballads, acoustic laments, and driven rock, as Rocky’s rich and unmistakable voice guides and caresses twelve new tracks.
Mixing old time traditional american music along with contemporary indie influences, Austin Lucas’ new album “the common cold” combines the best from multipal generations of american roots music. Following in what is quite possibly the most important of traditions in ll forms of roots music, austin’s family is heard throughout this recording. His father Bob Lucas lends the banjo and fiddle throughout the album and his sister Chloe manor’ voice is heard on the haunting irish murder ballad “Cruel Brothers”. With driven picking and beautiful vocal harmonies, this album should be a breath of fresh air for fans of depression era country as well as those of lo-fi acoustic indie music.
Many notable punk singers seem to be striking out on their own these days and delving into acoustic solo projects, each one captivating and unique in their own way, but for the most part using a country influence as their guideline. Chuck Ragan however, lends a seminal roots rock element to his songwriting, sometimes sounding like he should be sharing a stage with the likes of Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen. He’s a man who eschews the normal ‘punk goes country’ structure of writing tales of past drinking experiences and the woes that go along with them by building a strong architecture around his songs, elaborating on a story rather than merely stating facts. ‘Don’t Cry if you’ve Never Seen the Rain’ is one of his best songs to date and you know that he will only produce even better in the future. The only thing more surprising about a country band based in the Czech Republic is the fact that Austin Lucas and his Pressmen wrote a song that easily sounds like it could have been written and performed in a small shack in the Appalachian Mountains in the 1940’s. ‘Oakland Skyline’, with its bare bones acoustic guitar and Hawaiian steel guitar is a nugget of pure bluegrass gold.
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As many will infinitely attest, it is truly Austin’s skillful and soulful homage to his country and bluegrass roots that leave all listening audiences haunted with a stirring sense of amazement. “Putting The Hammer Down” is Austin’s second Album. On it, you’ll find 8 songs harkening the rich heritage and tradition of great American country and folk music past, rounded out by the strong DIY ethic and punk progressiveness that played a large part in shaping both artist and label over the years. In the end, you’re left with an album that reaches across generational and genre lines in a way that few artists could ever dream of or hope for.
I’ve just completed a new record with some great friends. After the west coast run, Jon Gaunt and I teamed up with Austin Lucas, his father Bob Lucas, and Bass fiddle man Digger Barnes.
Together we hit it off from the start and comprised a solid record of 12 numbers. What we came up with was a great and special moment unexpected by all of us there. Austin and I have planned this project for sometime now, even though this record is considered a split collaboration between all of us involved.
The songs consist of 3 Chuck Ragan originals, 3 Austin Lucas originals, 3 Ragan/Lucas originals, 1 original by Bob Lucas, and 2 old time standards
called Darling Corey and Distant Land To Roam.
The entire record has a very strong sense of bluegrass, folk and old time gospel with a certain feel of exactly where we were and what was going on when we laid it down. Which was a group of strangers coming together to enjoy good food and music up in the hills on the highest point of Ohio for a week and leaving as friends by the end. We recorded this session at Bob Lucas and Laura Gayle’s home on top of Bristle Ridge in Zanesfield, Ohio.
It was truly a sight and time to remember and we owe these kindred spirits for this great memory! Chuck Ragan