The Moaners: "Heart Attack" Video

Video description: Yep Roc is proud to introduce The Moaners, a female rock duo that manages to capture the unapologetic sexuality of Polly Jean Harvey with the raw amplified blues of the Fat Possum crowd. Featuring former Trailer Bride front woman Melissa Swingle and transplanted Baltimore punk drummer Laura King, The Moaners unleash a batch of hard love songs on their debut, Dark Snack. From the opening yowl of feedback that precedes the albums pounding opener,"Heart Attack,"to the sense of longing on "Talk About It" ("I know you dont want to talk about it theres too much to say"), this album is an exuberant expression of freedom and sexual emancipation from a distinctly female perspective. Whereas Swingles previous band, Trailer Bride, conjured visions of dark, Flannery OConnor-esque tales, moss-covered trees and mournful secrets, The Moaners are a rock band that are as comfortable invoking the spirit of Chapel Hill-born folk blues legend Elizabeth Cotton as doing their own reworking of "House of the Rising Sun" with lyrics inspired by a local rural joint, the Paradise Club. Swingles Mississippi-bred drawl wraps around the lyrics like a warm wind an instantly recognizable voice that can go from honeydrip sweet to searing in seconds flat. Check out the track "Terrier," where an exasperated Swingle snarls, "But you know, you aint no Great Dane?" It's the best dismissal of a pushy sort of, uh, overcompensating man you?ll ever hear. The two women cut a striking image on stage. Both brunettes, Swingle is tall and willow thin, usually sporting a huge pair of 70s-era Jackie O. shades, maintaining a sultry onstage aura of cool but all the while seeming like a kettle about to boil. Playing a tuned down hollow-body guitar and using loops and delays, her guitar sound is full and visceral the kind volume you can feel pulsing under your ribcage. Drummer King, whos been playing since age 11 (shes a vet of Baltimore bands Pedge, Headless and others), is a muscular, hard-hitting drummer who beats the hell out of her clear Vistalite bicentennial kit. They met when their former bands played a gig together King was playing in Grand National, a rock trio featuring fIREHOSEs Ed Crawford on guitar. Swingle was going through the dissolution of her marriage. "I was blown away by her drumming, Swingle recalls. I started writing songs to fit her drumming, which is very rock and roll. Basically, once we started playing, our styles collided and it became what it is. Were both self-taught, so its like a real natural feel. It was like, Forget the sad songs, its time to rock and roar." A collaborative effort fueled by estrogen and Sparks (a caffeinated malt liquor beverage the two started drinking during the recording of the album), King adds backing vocals and contributes lyrics; Swingle, also an accomplished artist, contributes to the visuals. The two make their own buttons and T-shirts and have already hit the road with everyone from pals the Drive-By Truckers to Wanda Jackson, as well as making a splash at Chicagos Estrojam festival. The sky is the limit, the road is truly their lady, and the chemistry is audible. There is nothing mournful about this music, Swingle says. This is music to crank up and drive around to!! These are the most rockin love songs Ive ever written not sweet ones. A lot of Trailer Bride was minor key, depressing music. Im happy with what weve got!

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?The intensity. The drama. The emotion. The colors. The darkness. The melodies. The anger. The honesty. The drive. The new. All of the above and more.? According to Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor, those are the things that define Stone Sour?s passionately pulsing second album, Come What(ever) May (Roadrunner). Stone Sour?s first album in four years finds the band firing on all cylinders, and primed to capture the attention and the hearts of the rock ?n roll masses.Stone Sour?s self-titled debut was twice Grammy-nominated and RIAA Certified Gold. It was an eclectic album, propelled by the band?s busy tour schedule, the contemplative smash single ?Bother,? and a series of groovy, melodic metal numbers. In 2002 and 2003, Stone Sour established itself as a multi-faceted hard rock force of nature.While Taylor is one of the most recognized figures in rock music, thanks to his role as the frontman for Slipknot, a Grammy winning, multi-platinum act, Stone Sour is anything but a side project. It?s a full-time band that all members are fiercely dedicated to. Taylor spent much of 2004 and 2005 supporting his other band, but will spend 2006 and 2007 focusing on Stone Sour and Come What(ever) May. Also comprised by guitarist James Root, who does double duty in Slipknot, bassist Shawn Economaki, guitarist Josh Rand and new drummer Roy Mayorga, Stone Sour is armed with an album that expands beyond the palette of its predecessor. The band was afforded more time to craft songs, and it shows. The album, produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver), is tight, crisp, and full of rowdy rockers and melodic numbers.?With Stone Sour, I loosen up and show more of myself,? Taylor reveals. ?As soon as the fans hear this new record, they?ll see it?s different than anything that we have ever done. It gives me a chance to do the singing that I love to do, the type of singing that I do when I?m walking around my house.? Taylor, a self-described extrovert, may be the mouthpiece for Stone Sour, but he insists the band is a truly collaborative effort, and that?s something he thoroughly enjoys. ?I?ve been able to blend into the background if needed, you know? You grow up thinking being recognized all the time will be sweet, but sometimes you just want to be one of the guys. I think I balance it fairly well, without killing people.?Guitarist Josh Rand, who ran 3-5 miles a day during the recording process to clear his mind for each day?s highly creative atmosphere, believes that the diversity of Come What(ever) May, which features guest appearances from The Wallflowers? Rami Jaffee and Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin, will be what hooks fans, and what keeps them. ?This album?s content will fit any mood you may be in,? the guitarist says. ?If you?ve had a shitty day at work, you could crank ?Hell And Consequences.? If you need a little optimism, you could listen to ?Through Glass.? If you are feeling depressed, you could listen to ?Zzyzx Road.??Obviously, Come What(ever) May is a sensory experience, encompassing a wide spectrum of emotions. ?30/30-150? and ?Reborn? are bruisers that?ll get the blood coursing through listeners? veins, while the first single, ?Through Glass,? takes up real estate in your brain for days at a time, thanks its unforgettable melodic twists and chorus. Try and purge your brain of Come What(ever) May?s melodies, and you?ll fail miserably. Taylor concurs, ?So many bands are so genre-specific these days. No bands cover the middle ground. If they try, it?s lifeless and limp. Our album has such a pulse. The cool thing is that when we write stuff, it turns out catchy whether we want it to or not. It?s just something that we do.? He?s right. Crafting melody and mixing it with metallic maelstrom is definitely something that Stone Sour does better than most.Jim Root, who contends that ?life? itself influenced this album and who claims he consumed nerve-shattering, tooth-staining amounts of coffee during the recording process, sees Come What(ever) May as a necessary evolution in the band?s sound. ?We?re taking every aspect to the next level. As an artist, no matter what you do, you must evolve. That?s very important to me. Some people fear change. I embrace it. This record is a testament to where I am at, musically and spiritually. Life is a learning experience and so is song writing. As with everything I try to improve. I can sit back and listen to these songs and know that I have.?Taylor understands that as his career goes on, he will be less and less understood and he likes it that way. ?I?ve lost a little sleep over the fact that people don?t get what I do and how I do it. I do everything I can to entertain, educate and infuriate the status quo. If I give the mainstream a headache once in a while, that works for me.? It?s that attitude that attracts the disaffected youth, the kids, the anti-conservative thinker, as well as the casual rock fan to Stone Sour. ?I have a conscience,? Taylor says about his songwriting style. ?I have a respect for the music and I have an agenda. I have an individualistic mind to botch the ?product? mentality, and I am not out to further myself in a spotlight that knows no favorites. This could all be gone tomorrow. If all you?re doing is trying to build your Q points, what are you going to do when no one wants to see you anymore? At least I?ll be happy about the music I left behind.?The songs and music on Come What(ever) May ensure that Stone Sour?s legacy will endure for a long time to come.

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