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From First To Last: "The Latest Plague"
?It?s one thing to play a certain type of music,? says singer Sonny Moore dismissively, ?but it?s another thing to have no originality.? This is not just another brash quote from a member of one of the only truly punk bands left, From First To Last. It?s actually more of a mantra. Because when the members of From First To Last?Moore, drummer Derek Bloom and guitarists Travis Richter and Matt Good?began recording their highly anticipated second album Heroine, the pursuit, above all things, was originality. Which, as one spin of Heroine attests, is what they?ve achieved. ?We are so pleased,? Moore says. ?Before we started, we all said, ?We?re not going to make this record unless it?s a record we truly love.? And we did. This is the first time I?ve ever been so proud of a piece of art in my life.? This didn?t happen overnight. Formed in 2002 by Richter and Good in their hometown of Orlando, Florida, it wasn?t until FFTL began recording their Epitaph debut Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has A Body Count that the band?s line-up began to congeal. Living in Los Angeles and half-heartedly playing in another band, the then 15-year-old Moore decided to spend a few weeks with the band in Georgia, where they were recording their debut. His timing couldn?t have been better. Moore arrived just as Good and Richter parted with their original singer and they were in the process of filling in the vocal gap on their own. After hearing Moore singing backups in the studio one day, a decision was made: Moore was in. Perhaps unsurprisingly the remainder of Dear Diary came together almost as quickly. Good and Richter had written the album in two weeks; Moore completed his vocals in the same space. They were barely a band in some senses, but FFTL?s music caught on nonetheless. Due in large part to their constant touring schedule, including three consecutive Warped Tour runs, Dear Diary went onto sell over 100,000 copies. But beyond the album?s success was an often-unnoticed subtext. As Moore puts it on the album?s opening track, with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, ?I?m glad you?ve graced me with your presence/You?re just in time to see me wrestle with my conscience.? Nevermind your broken heart. This was ?screamo? with wit.
From First To Last: "Note To Self"
?It?s one thing to play a certain type of music,? says singer Sonny Moore dismissively, ?but it?s another thing to have no originality.? This is not just another brash quote from a member of one of the only truly punk bands left, From First To Last. It?s actually more of a mantra. Because when the members of From First To Last?Moore, drummer Derek Bloom and guitarists Travis Richter and Matt Good?began recording their highly anticipated second album Heroine, the pursuit, above all things, was originality. Which, as one spin of Heroine attests, is what they?ve achieved. ?We are so pleased,? Moore says. ?Before we started, we all said, ?We?re not going to make this record unless it?s a record we truly love.? And we did. This is the first time I?ve ever been so proud of a piece of art in my life.? This didn?t happen overnight. Formed in 2002 by Richter and Good in their hometown of Orlando, Florida, it wasn?t until FFTL began recording their Epitaph debut Dear Diary, My Teen Angst Has A Body Count that the band?s line-up began to congeal. Living in Los Angeles and half-heartedly playing in another band, the then 15-year-old Moore decided to spend a few weeks with the band in Georgia, where they were recording their debut. His timing couldn?t have been better. Moore arrived just as Good and Richter parted with their original singer and they were in the process of filling in the vocal gap on their own. After hearing Moore singing backups in the studio one day, a decision was made: Moore was in. Perhaps unsurprisingly the remainder of Dear Diary came together almost as quickly. Good and Richter had written the album in two weeks; Moore completed his vocals in the same space. They were barely a band in some senses, but FFTL?s music caught on nonetheless. Due in large part to their constant touring schedule, including three consecutive Warped Tour runs, Dear Diary went onto sell over 100,000 copies. But beyond the album?s success was an often-unnoticed subtext. As Moore puts it on the album?s opening track, with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek, ?I?m glad you?ve graced me with your presence/You?re just in time to see me wrestle with my conscience.? Nevermind your broken heart. This was ?screamo? with wit.
In the summer of 1998 ? brought together by a slew of disparate-yet-alluring musical reference points ? high school friends Eddie Baranek (vocals/guitar), Mike Trombley (drums), and Mark Leahey (bass/vocals) formed The Sights. The trio began playing around their hometown of Detroit shortly thereafter, around which time Trombley, founding drummer, headed to California for what would come to be a three-year respite from the band and also the impetus for a revolving door of drummers, bassist and keyboard players. Undaunted , The Sights took to the studio and began recording their debut album, Are You Green?, at Jim Diamond?s Ghetto Recorders in Detroit . Originally released in June of 1999, Are You Green? was picked up by L.A.-based Fall of Rome Records and re-released the following year. Never big on rest, The Sights went to work on their sophomore album, Got What We Want (released in 2002). With this, the band?s freakishly precocious ability to blend frenetic garage rock, Motown and 60?s pop into something equal parts classic and catchy got them noticed. Got What We Want was released in the U.K. a year later, garnering them some very nice words from both the British press ("Got What We Want is a revelation - a treasure trove of sparky and wildly immediate songwriting." --NME) and the not-so British press ("At last - a new Detroit-garage band that comes in colors." --Rolling Stone). The Sights hit the road for a year of touring both countries, including a 10-week stint sleeping inside the group?s 1991 Ford Econoline van and stealing bagels for sustenance. In the spring of 2004, The Sights - now including relative newbie Bobby Emmett as organist/bassist and Keith Fox as drummer- caught the ear of ex-Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, who signed them to his own Scratchie Records ( an imprint of New Line Records). And with that, the band headed back to Ghetto Recorders to record their self-titled third LP, The Sights, due out in April 2005. No small feat, the album combines the unobtrusive honesty of The Band with slivers of influence from The Sights? own personal record collections: Ike & Tina, Solomon Burke, Everly Brothers , Bob Seger, Tim Hardin and all manner of raucous songwriting. The end result is an album that?s classic, not derivative?filled with swagger and deference?and ridiculously catchy. Really.
Of Montreal: "Disconnect the Dots"
The brainchild of singer/guitarist Kevin Barnes, Of Montreal was among the second wave of bands to emerge from the sprawling Elephant 6 collective. A native of Athens, Georgia, Barnes formed the group following a failed romance with a woman from Montreal. After several moves to various cities and states, Barnes again found himself living in Athens. Once back home, he began collaborating with bassist/vocalist Bryan Poole (Elf Power) and drummer/vocalist Derek Almstead (Circulatory System). Together they recorded the band's debut album, Cherry Peel, released by Bar/None in 1997 (and later re-issued in late 1999, remixed and with additions by the later five-piece version of the band). Whereas the majority of the Elephant 6 collective drew their influences from 60's pop icons, Barnes was taking Of Montreal in an altogether different direction. While paying homage to these groups, he also began incorporating vaudevillian elements not only into the band's music but also into their live performances. With Poole having to leave the band because of his involvement with Elf Power, Almstead switched to bass and new members Jamey Huggins and Dottie Alexander were brought on board for drum and keyboard duties, respectively. Andy Gonzales(Marshmallow Coast) guitar/piano/vocals joined shortly thereafter. The band's second album, The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy found Barnes experimenting with his lyrical content. Chord changes impressed upon nearly every word as a host of characters were orchestrated throughout album's sixteen songs. Although Kevin is credited as playing most of the instruments himself, Bryan Poole and Julian Koster (Neutral Milk Hotel, The Music Tapes) made unaccredited appearances. All members were represented on the band's third full-length, The Gay Parade. Hailed by critics and fans alike (including All Music Guide, who went so far as to refer to the album as indie-pop's equivalent to Sgt. Pepper), The Gay Parade was a musical extravaganza bringing over 40 musicians (many of them vocalists in the album's choir) to the table. A concept album in every sense of the word, The Gay Parade created a carnival of absurdist characters living in a Kafkaesque world. Coquelicot Asleep In The Poppies: A Variety Of Whimsical Verse, the band's fourth album was released April 2001. The 22-track CD included a 16-page full-color booklet of artwork by David Barnes as well as a fold-out poster with lyrics. The album signified an even more ambitious undertaking than The Gay Parade right on down to the concept, arrangements, lyrics, and artwork that went into making the album. The band's fifth album Aldhils Arboretum was released the following year. 2003 proved to be an eventful year for the band. Andy left to spend more time on Marshmallow Coast and to go back to school. Kevin got married. In the fall of 2003, they recorded their next album. Kevin's wife, Nina, joined the group. Derek left the band to spend more time with Circulatory System, and, following the demise of their previous label, Of Montreal signed with Polyvinyl January 2004 Four months later, the band's sixth full-length, Satanic Panic In The Attic, was released. With Satanic, the band again reinvented their sound, this time with the inclusion of electronic and Afro beat influences. The album was an instant critical success, tearing through the radio charts, landing a video on MTV, and gathering favorable reviews left and right. Of Montreal returns this Spring with their new album The Sunlandic Twins April 12, 2005. Peppered with beats from the eighties on top of the traditional Of Montreal sound, The Sunlandic Twins will assuredly become an instant Of Montreal classic. In addition to the new album, Of Montreal is preparing to embark on one of their most ambitious national tours ever. As of February 2005, the proposed routing will keep the band on the road for seven months, spanning over a hundred shows and covering countless cities.
Of Montreal: "Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games"
The brainchild of singer/guitarist Kevin Barnes, Of Montreal was among the second wave of bands to emerge from the sprawling Elephant 6 collective. A native of Athens, Georgia, Barnes formed the group following a failed romance with a woman from Montreal. After several moves to various cities and states, Barnes again found himself living in Athens. Once back home, he began collaborating with bassist/vocalist Bryan Poole (Elf Power) and drummer/vocalist Derek Almstead (Circulatory System). Together they recorded the band's debut album, Cherry Peel, released by Bar/None in 1997 (and later re-issued in late 1999, remixed and with additions by the later five-piece version of the band). Whereas the majority of the Elephant 6 collective drew their influences from 60's pop icons, Barnes was taking Of Montreal in an altogether different direction. While paying homage to these groups, he also began incorporating vaudevillian elements not only into the band's music but also into their live performances. With Poole having to leave the band because of his involvement with Elf Power, Almstead switched to bass and new members Jamey Huggins and Dottie Alexander were brought on board for drum and keyboard duties, respectively. Andy Gonzales(Marshmallow Coast) guitar/piano/vocals joined shortly thereafter. The band's second album, The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy found Barnes experimenting with his lyrical content. Chord changes impressed upon nearly every word as a host of characters were orchestrated throughout album's sixteen songs. Although Kevin is credited as playing most of the instruments himself, Bryan Poole and Julian Koster (Neutral Milk Hotel, The Music Tapes) made unaccredited appearances. All members were represented on the band's third full-length, The Gay Parade. Hailed by critics and fans alike (including All Music Guide, who went so far as to refer to the album as indie-pop's equivalent to Sgt. Pepper), The Gay Parade was a musical extravaganza bringing over 40 musicians (many of them vocalists in the album's choir) to the table. A concept album in every sense of the word, The Gay Parade created a carnival of absurdist characters living in a Kafkaesque world. Coquelicot Asleep In The Poppies: A Variety Of Whimsical Verse, the band's fourth album was released April 2001. The 22-track CD included a 16-page full-color booklet of artwork by David Barnes as well as a fold-out poster with lyrics. The album signified an even more ambitious undertaking than The Gay Parade right on down to the concept, arrangements, lyrics, and artwork that went into making the album. The band's fifth album Aldhils Arboretum was released the following year. 2003 proved to be an eventful year for the band. Andy left to spend more time on Marshmallow Coast and to go back to school. Kevin got married. In the fall of 2003, they recorded their next album. Kevin's wife, Nina, joined the group. Derek left the band to spend more time with Circulatory System, and, following the demise of their previous label, Of Montreal signed with Polyvinyl January 2004 Four months later, the band's sixth full-length, Satanic Panic In The Attic, was released. With Satanic, the band again reinvented their sound, this time with the inclusion of electronic and Afro beat influences. The album was an instant critical success, tearing through the radio charts, landing a video on MTV, and gathering favorable reviews left and right. Of Montreal returns this Spring with their new album The Sunlandic Twins April 12, 2005. Peppered with beats from the eighties on top of the traditional Of Montreal sound, The Sunlandic Twins will assuredly become an instant Of Montreal classic. In addition to the new album, Of Montreal is preparing to embark on one of their most ambitious national tours ever. As of February 2005, the proposed routing will keep the band on the road for seven months, spanning over a hundred shows and covering countless cities.
Of Montreal: "So Begins Our Alabee"
The brainchild of singer/guitarist Kevin Barnes, Of Montreal was among the second wave of bands to emerge from the sprawling Elephant 6 collective. A native of Athens, Georgia, Barnes formed the group following a failed romance with a woman from Montreal. After several moves to various cities and states, Barnes again found himself living in Athens. Once back home, he began collaborating with bassist/vocalist Bryan Poole (Elf Power) and drummer/vocalist Derek Almstead (Circulatory System). Together they recorded the band's debut album, Cherry Peel, released by Bar/None in 1997 (and later re-issued in late 1999, remixed and with additions by the later five-piece version of the band). Whereas the majority of the Elephant 6 collective drew their influences from 60's pop icons, Barnes was taking Of Montreal in an altogether different direction. While paying homage to these groups, he also began incorporating vaudevillian elements not only into the band's music but also into their live performances. With Poole having to leave the band because of his involvement with Elf Power, Almstead switched to bass and new members Jamey Huggins and Dottie Alexander were brought on board for drum and keyboard duties, respectively. Andy Gonzales(Marshmallow Coast) guitar/piano/vocals joined shortly thereafter. The band's second album, The Bedside Drama: A Petite Tragedy found Barnes experimenting with his lyrical content. Chord changes impressed upon nearly every word as a host of characters were orchestrated throughout album's sixteen songs. Although Kevin is credited as playing most of the instruments himself, Bryan Poole and Julian Koster (Neutral Milk Hotel, The Music Tapes) made unaccredited appearances. All members were represented on the band's third full-length, The Gay Parade. Hailed by critics and fans alike (including All Music Guide, who went so far as to refer to the album as indie-pop's equivalent to Sgt. Pepper), The Gay Parade was a musical extravaganza bringing over 40 musicians (many of them vocalists in the album's choir) to the table. A concept album in every sense of the word, The Gay Parade created a carnival of absurdist characters living in a Kafkaesque world. Coquelicot Asleep In The Poppies: A Variety Of Whimsical Verse, the band's fourth album was released April 2001. The 22-track CD included a 16-page full-color booklet of artwork by David Barnes as well as a fold-out poster with lyrics. The album signified an even more ambitious undertaking than The Gay Parade right on down to the concept, arrangements, lyrics, and artwork that went into making the album. The band's fifth album Aldhils Arboretum was released the following year. 2003 proved to be an eventful year for the band. Andy left to spend more time on Marshmallow Coast and to go back to school. Kevin got married. In the fall of 2003, they recorded their next album. Kevin's wife, Nina, joined the group. Derek left the band to spend more time with Circulatory System, and, following the demise of their previous label, Of Montreal signed with Polyvinyl January 2004 Four months later, the band's sixth full-length, Satanic Panic In The Attic, was released. With Satanic, the band again reinvented their sound, this time with the inclusion of electronic and Afro beat influences. The album was an instant critical success, tearing through the radio charts, landing a video on MTV, and gathering favorable reviews left and right. Of Montreal returns this Spring with their new album The Sunlandic Twins April 12, 2005. Peppered with beats from the eighties on top of the traditional Of Montreal sound, The Sunlandic Twins will assuredly become an instant Of Montreal classic. In addition to the new album, Of Montreal is preparing to embark on one of their most ambitious national tours ever. As of February 2005, the proposed routing will keep the band on the road for seven months, spanning over a hundred shows and covering countless cities.
Sunday's Best: "Don't Let It Fade"
"There?s a fine line between stick-to-it-tiveness and self-delusion," quips Sunday?s Best drummer/producer Tom Ackerman, "and right now I think we?re happily confused as to where we stand." Seated next to lead singer/guitarist Ed Reyes, who smiles, Ackerman continues in the tone usually reserved for the telling of embarrassing childhood anecdotes, "we have endured a seriously tough winter: a horrible fall tour, the departure of a founding member and primary songwriter, the changing of booking agents, the quitting of our manager/lawyer, as well as my personal troubles of divorce and rehab. Most bands probably would have quit." A great deal of "Behind the Music" style antics have transpired in the last nine months for the Los Angeles-based quartet, despite their somewhat typical beginnings. Sunday?s Best formed in 1997 when Reyes met guitarist (and then drummer) Ian Moreno while working at KXLU, Los Angeles? seminal college radio station. Sunday?s Best first signed with crank! records and released the Where You Are Now EP, and hit the road. Then they signed to Polyvinyl Records and released their first full length, Poised to Break, in October of 2000. After a great run at college radio and some key high profile shows in New York, the band limped home from their 6 week Fall tour and then seemed to implode. Shortly after arriving home from tour, the booking agent and the band parted ways, the manager stopped calling, and Ackerman checked into rehab and his wife filed for divorce. To top everything off, before Ackerman could complete his rehab stay, Pedro Benito, a primary songwriter and founding member, resigned. The days ahead seemed pretty dark. "I thought I was going to be arrested any minute for forging prescriptions," explained Ackerman, "between that and the dissolve of my five year relationship/marriage, band matters seemed relatively distant in my overall perspective." And yet, in the months that followed, when things seemed the bleakest, the true character of the band was revealed. Reyes took over the business aspects of the band and switched to guitar, James Tweedy was added to play bass, and the band got back to doing what all good bands do: writing music. And with the help of a new booking agent Mike Kelly, the band has been playing West Coast dates since late February (with Dashboard Confessional, the Weakerthans, Cursive, the Juliana Theory). The band is about halfway through writing songs for the follow-up to Poised to Break, and has plans to record in the winter and tour in the fall. Reyes caps off the interview with his own thoughts of the bands resolve, "we just kind of stripped everything down and started having fun again. It?s not really all that epic if you consider we just did what friends usually do when the shit hits the fan: we stuck together.
The Rapture: "Get Myself Into It"
The Rapture was formed in early 1998 by drummer Vito Roccoforte and guitarist/vocalist Luke Jenner. The whimsical indie group had extensive touring behind them by the time they recorded 1999's Mirror for Gravity. More touring ensued -- with the likes of Sunny Day Real Estate and Nuzzle -- and the band eventually relocated to New York City. They lost their original bassist and found a new one in Matt Safer, who had recently moved from Washington, D.C. After some more touring, the band recorded the six-song Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks EP and had it released by Sub Pop in 2001. Thanks to their sloppy brand of scratchy post-post-punk, the Rapture was hailed as a forerunner of the post-punk revival that was taking place in the early 2000s. Their profile increased significantly with 2002's "House of Jealous Lovers" 12"; that same year, they added multi-instrumentalist Gabriel Andruzzi to the fold. The full-length Echoes followed for Gary Gersh's Strummer label in late 2003. The follow-up, Pieces of the People We Love, was released three years later by Mercury.
Pop punk outfit Mae loves rocking in the barn.
Dwight Yoakam: "Intentional Heartache"
A song about hot-blooded love from "Blame the Vain", the L.A.-based country star's 2005 album and his first without longtime producer/guitarist Pete Anderson.
