The latest on the indie, alternative, and rock music scene including news, music, contest, interviews, and more. Best described as your favorite place to find new bands.
Bryce Jacobson
There aren’t to many albums coming out this time of year but there is one that fits in perfect. Check out A Santa Cause 2 for a whole bunch of holiday tunes from some of your favorite artists.
Michael Schneider
After attending his live show on Friday with Hellogoodbye, I must recommend Dave Melillo. Since hearing his first demo before he signed to Drive-Thru, I’ve always been impressed, but never expected him the talent I saw in his live performance.
Matt Wertz Interview #2
November 6, 2006 in Malibu, CA
First off, this interview follows up on some of the questions I got to ask Matt earlier this year and you can read those here. Second, I have to appologize it took me this long to post this interview, but here it is! Questions are in bold, Matt’s responses are in normal type.
First things first, who are you?
My name is Matt Wertz, I’m a pop star…an aspiring pop star from Nashville, TN.
Since I talked to you last June a lot has happened with you and your music. “Everything In Between” was released online- how has that been going?
It’s been I great! It’s kind of hard to know what to compare it to, and I think with anticipating the retail release that’s going to happen in early February I just don’t know what to expect. I’m definitely excited to see how the retail release looks cause I’ve never had that before.
How is your relationship with Nettwerk going? The idea you voiced for your own label being distributed through them, how has that been coming along?
That’s exactly what’s happening. They are totally creative and competent when it comes to marketing and getting the word out. I think I will be the first artist that they will be releasing from scratch without having a major label that once backed them. I think everyone is anxious to see how it works. My expectations are based on what I’ve been able to do independently and I know we will at least be able to meet or exceed those. I think having an online outlet for this record has been really helpful. It’s interesting to see how much of a presence the online distribution has taken over since I released 23 Places in 2003. This is a whole new deal.
Everything In Between. I have to first say it is one of my favorite records this year, but I’m curious, some of the songs are quite different from your past releases. Can you tell me what brought this new flare into your music?
I think I wanted to do a record that was very groove heavy that was centered on melody and groove kind of playing with each other. The first song that was written for the record was Like The Last Time and that song was like the bridge to some of the newer songs like The Way I Feel. There are songs that are more straight forward like Carolina that could’ve been on my last record. The beauty about this record is that it was recorded over a year and a half and the songs were written over a period of three years. You get a pretty wide variety of styles in the songs that I don’t know that you got as much on 23 Places. 23 Places varied more in the subject matter, this record follows a relational pattern.
The approach you took to recording the record- the fusion of two separate sessions, can you explain that?
We set out and started approaching the record like we did 23 Places. Ed, my producer, Dave Barnes and I would get together and demo songs. We would put down synthetic instruments and use computer sounds and I’d put down the acoustic parts. If any of us felt an electric part, we’d put that down. It was like we were making rough drafts of the songs. It allowed us to go crazy and put down whatever we heard. We went to the extreme of ideas. As we shared them, we realized we had to limit ourselves to a smaller pallet of sounds and instruments to define the sound of the record.
A lot of this demo-ing took place in the spring and in late July we booked a band for a week and we tracked with them. At that time I was shopping around to a few different labels and we got into this place that I was trying to please them before we were even working together. I felt like I was trying to please everybody. We ended up taking another stab at some of the other songs and by that time I had written some more. We went in as a live band and I brought in Justin Rosolino to play guitar and everything was happening at once. That jacked up the energy level, but from a hook standpoint we lost it, there wasn’t as much thought or planning going into the tracking sessions. We basically melted the two together. That’s kind of the best of both worlds, I really like the hooks and that’s what keeps people listening.
I saw you perform 5:19 on a news show in Boston, do you have any plans to release anything acoustically?
Well, this show tonight is just Justin and I. I always try to do a band tour and then an acoustic duo tour just to keep things fresh. A lot of times as an opener it isn’t feasible to bring a band out financially and logistically. It works great that I can do the songs acoustically and a lot of times people want to hear them like that. It’s a fun break from the norm and I enjoy both.
You’ve put out 3 full-lengths and an EP already, a feat most musicians never see, how do you feel about the music industry now that you’ve been fully exposed?
It’s weird, I feel like I’m always riding under the radar. Sometimes I’m bitter about that cause I’m working really hard but sometimes I’m really thankful. When a lot of my friends who sign to labels are getting dropped, I’m really thankful that I’m able to have a career without the help of a label. When I have friends who sign to a label and seven months later are playing for a thousand people, I realize it’s not possible to do that by yourself. You have to have a machine behind you. I really have been able to stay out of it and I’m not bitter or disillusioned by the industry because I haven’t gotten worked over yet.
I feel like I’ve seen exponential growth in your fan base since I was introduced to your music, what’s your secret?
I don’t know, I have no control over it. As much as it’s growing it could be falling apart and every day I wonder if today is my last day as a musician. Earlier in my career I could see the growth cause it started from nothing. Now I don’t get emails that I can trace how they heard about it and now I can’t. I don’t have any secret, I’m trying to write honest music that excites me. I have to play it every night and I’m just trusting that people will find truth in it and enjoy coming and hearing it.
Tell me about the mocha club.
The mocha club has been a really cool thing to be a part of. It’s really a selfish thing for me. I’m doing this because it makes me feel good that we’re able to do some good here. It is no self-sacrafice, it is totally a selfish move that I’m able to help. It’s better than be selling a hundred records a night. I would rather do something like this because it’s for helping someone other than me and it’s a bigger cause than myself. I have not gone to Uganda to see where the impact is being made but I keep getting reports from my friend Barret who has been working over and it’s been awesome. They wired over $10,000 to start building huts and it’s really going. I’m just trying to figure out when I can make it over.
I’ve been really blessed to be a part of it! I plan on going over there again, the people there are so real. I just feel like they have so much to teach us. We have so much to learn from them. What sucks is so many westerners have gone over there thinking that they’re going to do some good. I think we would be really wise to slow down and just learn from the way they live their lives. Granted, they need a lot of help, a lot of physical needs to be met. Their lives are so simple and their priorities are so right that it’s kind of hard to look at us and think we have much to offer.
Any last words
THANKS!
Artist: Brand New
Album: The Devil & God are Raging Inside Me
Label: Interscope
Purchase: Smart Punk
Release Date: November 21, 2006
Overall: 9.0
Music: 9.0
Lyrics: 9.0
Production: 8.5
Originally leaked as a demo in January, the first track on Brand Newâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s much-anticipated â┚¬Ã‹Å“The Devil & God are Raging Inside Meâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ is called Sowing Season. Much like its demo counterpart, the song starts without a musical introduction, instead breaking into a barely-changed lyric. Missing, however, is the original second verse. Instead, it is replaced with a catchy â┚¬Ã‹Å“I am on the mend/At least now I can say that I am trying/Hope you will forget/The things that I still lackâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s at this point in the album that we can truly see the glory of re-writes. While the original lyric was not a weak one (it was, in fact, a favourite of mine), the re-write fits the song more in terms of theme, tone and overall colour.
After the opening track (also the lead-off single), we delve into â┚¬Ã‹Å“brand newâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ (lame) territory. Millstone is a raw track with a reverberant chorus that laments about the past, and the present (â┚¬Ã‹Å“this ship of fools Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m on will sinkâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢), and appropriately uses the analogy of a millstone around oneâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s neck (in case youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re unaware, a millstone is defined as an exhaustive emotional or mental burden). Overall, it is a catchy track with understated instrumentation and emotive lyrics, which is typical of the band.
Track three is where it gets serious. â┚¬Ã‹Å“Jesusâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ takes the band in a new direction. Religion is obviously a recurring theme on the album, and this song brings that to the forefront. Neither political, preachy, nor critical, the song can only be described by saying â┚¬Ã‹Å“it is what it isâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢. A humourously analytical verse about what happens after death is one of the best parts of this song (Jesus Christ, Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m not scared to die/Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m a little bit scared of what comes after/Do I get the gold chariot?/Do I float through the ceiling?). The obvious lack of a chorus in the song brings to light a solid fact about the band: they donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t need to conform to songwriting rules in order to write songs that are catchy, relatable and commercial enough to sell. Lyricist Jesse Lacey bares it all on this track, with nothing but a great result.
Degausser is one of the songs that everyone was curious about, having played it frequently on tour this summer under the title of â┚¬Ã‹Å“Take Apart Your Headâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢. Before the release of the album there were rumours circulating regarding this track. The final product is a mellow and subdued track in the verses, which explodes in the chorus with a choral round of â┚¬Ã‹Å“take apart your headâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢. Layering of vocals and muddy instrumentation give this track a unique feeling from the rest of the album.
Track 5 is â┚¬Ã‹Å“Limousineâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢, an almost 8-minute song that starts off with a simple acoustic guitar and haunting vocals. After about two minutes, the song slowly graduates into a more defined piece, with repetitive lyrics (â┚¬Ã‹Å“I love you so much, but do me a favour baby, donâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t replyâ┚¬Ã‚¦ cause I can dish it out, but I canâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t take itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢), and building instrumentation. The anticipation builds for about three minutes before the track breaks into a softer denouement and some noise in the last 30 seconds. This song is demonstrative of the experimental edge that the band bares on this record.
Following â┚¬Ã‹Å“Limousineâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ is â┚¬Ã‹Å“You Wonâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t Knowâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢. Aptly titled for its chorus, unlike most of Brand Newâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s obscure song titles, the song has got a catchy melody and an overall busy tone. The lyrics take a back seat to the instrumentation in this song, which is not typical of the bandâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s writing style. The conclusion of the song is my favourite part: â┚¬Ã‹Å“I canâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t use the telephone/To tell you that Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m dead & gone/So you wonâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t know/You wonâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t knowâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢.
A sort of intermission, â┚¬Ã‹Å“Welcome to Bangkokâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ is an instrumental track featuring only sparse spoken vocals saying â┚¬Ã‹Å“Space cadet, pull outâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢. In true Brand New fashion, it starts acoustically and builds into a noisy reverberant chant of distorted guitars, screams, and lots of hi-hat.
â┚¬Ã‹Å“Not the Sunâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ is a more upbeat song that again focuses on vocals and lyrics. One of the more catchy songs on the album (I havenâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t been able to get â┚¬Ã‹Å“Wonâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t you be my baitâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ out of my head since acquiring the album), it brings us back to Deja Entendu in terms of lyrical style. A favourite lyric of mine is â┚¬Ã‹Å“Say youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢re my friend, but why wonâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢t you be my family?â┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ Repetitive and fun, the bridge is probably my favorite part of the track. Slowing down the tempo, Lacey repeats â┚¬Ã‹Å“Settle baby, you are not the sunâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢. Overall, it is one of the best tracks on the album.The next track was also leaked as a demo in January. â┚¬Ã‹Å“Lucaâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢, when released as a demo, featured a strong opening lyric (Well I lost my taste for the company of airports and cars/We flew through the year and/Avoided the dust and the rock). The opening lyric on this track, however, I feel pales in comparison (When I disappear, do you fear for the sister I took/ When I disappear, it is clear I am up to no good). Luckily, the majority of the rest of the song stays true to its demo counterpart. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s also one of the more structured songs on the album, which just proves their capabilities as writers. It also presents a recurring theme in their music. Like in â┚¬Ã‹Å“Play Crack the Skyâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢, there are many references to water, which I believe is an ode to their Long Island home.
Untitled (considering the bandâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s history with titles, Iâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢m sure there was some thought that went into titling it â┚¬Ã‹Å“Untitledâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢) is basically another two minute instrumental with muffled vocals repeating â┚¬Ã‹Å“I can never love you, I can never reach youâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢.
The second to last track is â┚¬Ã‹Å“The Archers Bows Have Brokenâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢, which brings back Brand Newâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s affinity for longer titles. Seemingly to have taken influence from The Smiths, the song is driving and one of the poppy-est on the album. To me, the overall tone of the song, specifically the chorus, seems to have been derived from the 9th demo that was leaked in January. I could be wrong, but when I listen to this song I hear a lot of similarities. Overall, it is probably one of my favorite tracks, and is in some ways reminiscent of Brand Newâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s first album.
The last track of the album is â┚¬Ã‹Å“Handcuffsâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢. Written by Vinnie Accardi, as opposed to usual lyricist Jesse Lacey, the song starts out a lot like â┚¬Ã‹Å“Play Crack the Skyâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢ with the count in and acoustic guitar. Due to its stripped down nature, and simple lyrics, itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s a great way to close the album, as well, and the string arrangement is very complimentary to the tone.
Overall, the album speaks volumes for the direction in which the band is headed. Itâ┚¬Ã¢”ž¢s a great compilation of some of their best work to date, and while it may dissuade some of the fans that prefer their poppier work, it seems truly artistic and original to me.
Tracklisting
1. Sowing Season (Yeah)
2. Millstone
3. Jesus Christ
4. Degausser
5. Limousine
6. You Won’t Know
7. Welcome to Bangkok
8. Not the Sun
9. Luca
10. Untitled
11. Archers
12. Handcuffs
I don’t want to promote myself or anything, but I just want to let everyone know that I have my own blog site. I post a lot of my writings which include my theories, opinions, and thoughts on issues many of us are overlooking. If you happen to read any of the entries, leave comments to let me know what you think. Thank you for your time. My blog can be found here.
Here is a roundup of last weeks polls.
What would you like to see more of on Driven Far Off?
More videos was the top pick for this poll. I’m happy to say we will have some more coming your way shortly. We will also always bring you as many interviews and reviews as we can. We are always open to suggestions so be sure to hit up the contact page if you have any!
What do you think of the new Fall Out Boy track that was leaked online?
Thanks for all the votes on this poll, I knew it would be a big one. 29 of you voted Fall Out Boy’s new song as being “Utter crap,” 20 votes for “It’s good, but it’s still no TTTYG,” 19 for “It’s awesome,” and 10 for “Fall Out Who?” Its only a few more months before we will hear the bands new album and we’ll see if this album takes them anywhere or if they just go with the flow.
The review of The Devil & God are Raging Inside Me will be up on the site later on tonight, or tomorrow sometime. 🙂
Brightwood has posted the first of hopefully many new songs they have been working on. Check it out now on myspace!
Death & Taxes Tour featuring:
Copeland, The Appleseed Cast, Acute, Owen
November 22, 2006
The El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, CA
A special thanks to Libby and MSOPR for letting me attend this show!
While entering the famous El Rey Theatre on a seemingly quiet, pre-Thanksgiving wednesday night, slowly but surely my bias towards the current music scene was lifted. Not since seeing Bad Religion at age 13 have I ever felt like one of the younger in attendance at a concert. However, the crowd that was present for this tour was not ridden with parents escorting their scandalously dressed daughters to the merch area and purchasing all of the brightly colored t-shirts and posters; sensing some bitterness?
For this type of show, the crowd began as quite an intimate group, taking in the soft but intense acoustic stylings of opening act Mike Kinsella, known as Owen. Kinsella formerly played a few different roles in the band American Football but has ventured under the title Owen since 2002. His songs are very well structured but his voice doesn’t keep up with the beauty of his guitar work. He definitely did a great job as an opening act.
Up next was Los Angeles’ own Acute. Formed with former members of Poulain, Ozma, and Whispertown 2000, this 4-piece brings a solid blend of indie, pop, and rock. With singer Isaac Lekach also controlling all of the guitar work, it’s quite impressive how the band fills up open space. Drummer Patrick Edwards maintains the rhythm almost perfectly enough to believe he’s playing to a metronome and bassist Colt Maloney is always right beside him. What impressed me the most was the latest addition to the band in Jason Borger. He did an incredible job using two keyboards and different voices and tones to add the feeling that the live show was just as impressive as a recording of the band. I would love to see what they could do with a second guitarist in a live performance.
Third, was the always incredible Militia Group band, The Appleseed Cast. Since 1998 this band has been touring in support of multiple full-lengths, most recently Peregrine. Their sound is far superior every other artist in this vein of music, and what bothers me is how much longer they’ve been doing it than everyone else who tries to copy their sound. I wish I had something to balance out all of the positive things to say, but in this case, I can only give praise. Don’t take my word for it, check out any of their several releases and be prepared for something different and better than what you currently listen to.
Copeland, is a band that at one point changed my perspective of the potential of music. Unfortunately, while some of the songs from that era still remain as staples, some have been re-worked to fit the current direction the band is headed. Recently releasing their third full-length record “Eat, Sleep, Repeat” and meeting much critique and acclaim, I felt as though I owed the band enough to judge on more than a recording. Unfortunately, the live performances of boring songs are just that, nothing more. While bringing down the pace of the past’s more upbeat and passionate songs, I still love them, but I grow fonder of my pillow for purposes of sleep rather than the tears they once used to manifest within me.
On the verge of reaching success the band greatly deserves, this slew of new songs just doesn’t make the cut that my expectations have been set at. For me, the band has taken a step to the side, not a step forward and has much more ground to make up with new material past what was so recently introduced. While I still recommend Copeland’s live show, don’t expect the gut-wrenching emotion that was once displayed. Take it as you will, and enjoy it.
Happy Thanksgiving from the staff here at Driven Far Off
Here are the Soundscan results from last week. If you use any information from here, we appreaciate a link back to our website.
Soundscan results for the week ending on November 19, 2006
The Game – Doctor’s Advocate 358,278 (358,988)
Various – Now 23 – 193,622 (530, 485)
Tenacious D – The Pick of Destiny 80,596 (80,867)
+44 – When your heart stops beating 66,143 (67,903)
Evanescence – Open Door 54,895 (989,634)
The Fray – How to Save a Life 41,357 (1,238,280)
My Chemical Romance – The Black Parade 41,156 (421,932)
John Mayer – Continuum 37,325 (840,364)
The Killers – Sam’s Town 35,289 (639,024)
Staind – Singles 1996-2006 – 26,783 (26,845)
30 Seconds to Mars – Beautiful Lie 21,083 (505, 299)
All American Rejects – Move Along 18,343 (1,485,116)
Panic at the Disco – A fever you cant sweat out 17,615 (1,350,835)
Foo Fighters – Skin and Bones 16,916 (65,965)
Deftones – Saturday Night Wrist 14,924 (116,313)
Weird Al – Straight Outta Lynwood 14, 239 (234,222)
Red Jumpsuit Appratus – Dont you Fake It 13,059 (234,521)
Red Hot Chili Peppers 12,414 (1.516,901)
Gnarls Barkley – St. Elsewhere 11,430 (1,065,822)
AFI – Decemberunderground 8,294 (718,920)
OK GO – Oh No 7,647 (142,710)
Flyleaf – Flyleaf 6,643 (427,947)
Bowling for Soup – Great Burrito Extortion Case 6,073 (19,307)
Trail of Dead – So Divided 5,979 (6,101)
Decemberists – Crane Wife 5,599 (81,039
Plain White T’s – Every Second Counts 5.535 (54,648)
Jack Johnson – In Between Dreams 5,500 (2,341,061)
Bullet for my Valentine – Poison 4,006 (135,802)
Cartel – Chroma 3,721 (139,378)
Shiny Toy Guns – We are Pilots 3,512 (20,236)
Augustana – All the Stars and Boulavards 3,140 (94,581)
Say Anything – Is a Real Boy 3,123 (63,747)
Imogen Heap – Speak for Yourself 2,766 (219,633)
Chiodos – Alls Well that ends Well 2,150 (94,001)
Dead Poetic – Vices 2,056 (7,369)
Boys Like Girls – s/t 1,443 (17,852)
The Rocket Summer – Early Years EP 1,442 (1,444)
It Dies Today – Sirens 1,441 (14,365)
The Prize Fighter Inferno – My Brothers Blood Machine 1,411 (12,144)
Cobra Starship – While the City Sleeps 1,379 (16,615)
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes – Love Their Country 1,348 (14,478)
Hit the Lights – This is a Stick Up, Dont Make It a Murder 1,131 (24,838)
Dave Melillo – Talk is Cheap 1,047 (6,584)
Joshua Radin – We Were Here 1,046 (30,158)
The Academy Is (Almost Here) 1,039 (198,109)
Mew – And the Glass handed Kites 1,032 (15,070)
Bad Astronaut – Twelve Small Step, One Giant Dissapointment 1,025 (1,075)
Rapture – Pieces of the People 1,017 (26,464)
