Gallows

I downloaded Gallows latest album Orchestra of Wolves and I finally now understand the incredible buzz about this band. They are capable of combining the pissed hardcore aggressiveness of Botch and Refused, the technical screamo aspects of bands like This Ship Will Sink and Orchid, the 80's punk attack of bands like Minor Threat, and able to squeeze into one neat, little package. Finally a band who can play music in a genre that has seen much, much better days.

Led Zeppelin's playing Bonnaroo??

The latest word on the street (and coming from a pretty reliable source) is that Led Zeppelin will be playing their first US show in some 25, 30 odd years at this year's Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee. They just can't announce it till after their London show which I believe is sometime in couple monthes. If this is true, WOW. They would have definitely up'ed their game over Cochella who blew them out of the water last year with their lineup.

Rumor also has it that Metallica will be playing the festival too.

The pop's gotta pop

I've been writing about WAY too much pop bands on this site. Even music in general. I'm going to try mixing it up in the days to come...

Pictured above: Ampere at a show in Brooklyn. If you like incredible, original Saetia like screamo with a Minor Threat mix, you have to check these guys out.

Riot goes gold

Paramore's (pictured above in disguise) latest effort Riot! has gone gold. Absolutely zero surprise here. When the hell will this band peak? It seems like they keep getting bigger and bigger and it shows no sign in ending anytime soon.

Stolen Transmission seperates from Island Def Jam

This explains the pure chaos I walked into when I went for an interview at Island Def Jam today. Though reported on Absolutepunk.net, Stolen Transmission Records has not folded by Island Def Jam's demands. Instead the label has decided to part from the Universal sub-label and become an independent label.

Very smart move on Stolen Transmission's part especially after UMG CEO Doug Morris' questionable comments he made a few days ago. Stolen Transmission is home to PlayRadioPlay! (pictured above), Monty Are I, The Horrors, The Photo Atlas and more.

Band of the Week - Into It. Over It

This week's Band of the Week is an artist I've actually already mentioned on this blog Into It. Over It. After a week, I am still glued to my iTunes listening to the songs Evan has recorded over the last 10 weeks. In case you haven't gotten a chance to look at the previous post about Evan's newest project, the main premise of Into It. Over It is to create a song every week of Evan's 23rd year. That's an asounding 52 songs!

It's a creative and innovative idea that gives you something to look forward to each week. I know that I personally have been caught up listening to each new song that premieres every Thursday and reflecting on the past week. It's seriously a powerful thing that Evan is doing. It also helps that the songs are absolutely awesome and totally free to download on his website!

www.myspace.com/intoitoverit
www.intoitoverit.com

Similar artists: Texas is the Reason, Death Cab for Cutie, Braid, The Progress, Up Up Down Down
Highlight track: All of them!

How desperate can you get?

Sales of Britney Spear's new album Blackout have gotten so bad in the Canada that they have started campaign where they are offering a free movie ticket if you buy the album. HAHAHA! How pathetic can Britney Spears' life get?

LOL Cat Bible

http://www.lolcatbible.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

My church never got me to read the Bible when I was younger. Maybe they should have tried this...

Brand New playing Gramercy Theater

Brand New are playing Triple Crown Record's 10 anniversary show at the Blender Theater at Gramercy on in New York City on Monday, December 17th. All proceeds go to the Feelgood Foundation which benefit 9/11 first responders. Also playing are The Receiving End of Sirens and As Tall As Lions.

Tickets go on sale on Ticketmaster tomorrow @ 1pm and cost $27.50 (that doesn't even include all the surcharges). It's expensive however Gramercy is very, very intimate (holds only 550 people) and all the proceeds go to a great cause.

Also, if you want to even think about going to this show, I highly suggest you get the tickets on time tomorrow cause they will certainly be $100 each on Craigslist by tomorrow.

The Prospero Collapse

Probably one of the promising bands I've heard out of Long Island in a long time, The Prospero Collapse creates some of the best post hardcore music I have heard since Thursday's Full Collapse album. That's saying A LOT. Their EP is extremely solid and has been stuck in my CD player for quite some time now. Keep an eye out for these guys in the near future...

www.myspace.com/theprosperocollapse
Highlight Track: Cross Your Oceans

Tragic

During the Malibu fires this week, songwriter and producer Butch Walker's house burnt down to the ground. Walker was renting the house from Flea, the bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers during the tragedy. He's lost everything. From his clothes, personal possessions, studio equipment, insturments, lyrics, even all the masters to all the songs he's ever recorded. Truly a sad story.

Some of his producing credits include Midtown, The Academy Is, Avril Lavigne, Fall Out Boy and much more,

First '08 Warped Tour bands announced

The first bands have been announced for the 2008 run of Warped Tour. Against Me and The Bronx (pictured above) are the first two of four bands Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman announced last night at a college lecture he was giving. The other two are Pierce the Veil and The Devil Wears Prada. Lyman also went on to say that he would be announcing 12 to 14 more bands NEXT WEEK on the Warped Tour's official site.

Other than the last two bands mentioned, this year's lineup is already shaping up to be a promising one. Any thoughts on who might be the headliner(s)?

Bob Lefsetz

If you enjoyed my explosion at Universal's CEO in the last post definitely put aside some time to take a look over Bob Lefsetz's blog. The guy has worked for years in the music industry and always seems to have some very intelligent things to say about the music industry. Defintely worth the time if you are interested in this insane line of business.

Website: www.lefsetz.com

Wow...

This is what Universal Music Group's CEO Doug Morris had to say about combating illegal music pirating when it was in it's early stages in the late 1990's and why they didn't come up with alternative legal ideas such as hmm, I don't know, ITUNES!

"There's no one in the record industry that's a technologist," Morris explains. "That's a misconception writers make all the time, that the record industry missed this. They didn't. They just didn't know what to do. It's like if you were suddenly asked to operate on your dog to remove his kidney. What would you do?"

Personally, I would hire a vet. But to Morris, even that wasn't an option. "We didn't know who to hire," he says, becoming more agitated. "I wouldn't be able to recognize a good technology person — anyone with a good bullshit story would have gotten past me."

Source: http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2007/11/universal_music_ceo_doug_morris.html

Basically what Morris is saying here is that contrary to the belief that any smart, common minded corporation would hire someone to at least research this issue, THEY NEVER EVEN DID. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!

Folks, I believe this industry can be turned around, that's why I still work in it. However, right now it's looking pretty bleak. All those corporate fucks in their offices upstairs need a simple remedy that I like to call reality. Stick with iTunes, simply believe pirating is inevitable, think of more innovative ways to sell music, and move on with your lives! It's not that hard people.

My Bloody Valentine reunited

Finally, a great band reunites to save music. Indie noise rockers My Bloody Valentine have finally decided to get back together and record a new album, their first since 1991's masterpiece Loveless. The band plans to have the new album out sometime late next year and even plans to tour. So far they have confirmed a few official reunion shows in the UK and Ireland (sorry, I don't have the exact dates) which will happen sometime after Cochella shooting down any sort of rumor that they might reunite there. Also, once the record is done, the band has said they plan on releasing the album themselves online similar to how Radiohead did earlier last month. Whether it's going to pay-what-you-like model has to be seen.

Best 2 girls, 1 cup reaction ever

(Yes I stole this from Perez Hilton)

This American Life

I haven't until recently discovered the incredible in-depth reporting of NPR host Ira Glass and his program This American Life. It's a truly unique, rich, and heartwarming program that centralizes around one simple theme of life. Every radio episode is very honest and upfront with the stories provided by the chosen interviewees for the program. It's a breath of fresh air compared to all the lousy shock jocks on mainstream radio these days.

If you are interested in listening to almost all the episodes, you can simply go to www.thislife.org and choose any episode to stream for free. There is also a fantastic short 6 part television series which aired on the Showtime cable network earlier this year which you can purchase on iTunes for only $11 (totally worth it).

Into It. Over It.

What do you get when you combine the creative mind of The Progress' Evan Weiss, 52 weeks of his 23rd year on earth, and Gradwell Studios? The refreshing indie/rock blend of Into It. Over It, that's what!

Evan has been involved with some pretty awesome musical projects in the past whether it be his current focus The Progress, spending time on Up Up Down Down or dabbling with his other sideproject Emergency. However, by far, his newest project takes the cake. Not only is the music incredible (think Braid meets Death Cab meets everything awesome) but the concept is so incredibly innovative and daunting. The concept is to create a new song every week of the 52 weeks of his 23rd year. Pretty wild, huh? He's only into week 9 with 9 songs. That's what most artists will release in one record that they might spend anywhere from a few monthes to a couple years on.

Be sure to check his MySpace every Thursday when he posts a new song for the week and to check up on his progress. Also, if you want to download the songs from each week, you can go to the project's website which I've listed below.

Finally someone makes listening to music a fun, interactive experience again!

www.myspace.com/intoitoverit
www.intoitoverit.com