Track-By-Track w/ The Silent Comedy: Friends Divide EP

A band’s success or career trajectory is one of those disturbingly unpredictable aspects in music…and then sometimes it just feels like a fucking no-brainer.

Where San Diego’s the Silent Comedy are concerned, it’s been of the ‘no-brainer’ variety in my very partial brain since I met these guys in 2009. From my initial and accidental introduction to brothers Joshua and Jeremiah Zimmerman, Justin Buchanan and Chad Lee one random night at the Los Angeles venue, Spaceland (yes, back when it was still called Spaceland), as I went there to see two other bands on the bill and wound up floored by this bunch of dapperly vested dudes in fedoras channeling a bygone era of fashion, finery and a love of whiskey. Their live shows do nothing short of pull you in, pull no punches and their fusion of folk, rock & roll and Americana encourages the abandon of dancing, stomping, hand clapping, hoe downing and even the occasional head bang (see Justin and his banjo for a course in Head Banging 101).

But dig a little deeper beneath the rowdy good times, the hair and the handsome faces and in this band you’ll find particularly astute storytellers of varied shades of light and dark borne of their collective and individual pasts as men, brothers, lovers and musicians: if you're familiar with songs such as "Exploitation," "Blood on the Rails" or "Gasoline" then you're well aware. June 10th saw the release of their latest EP, Friends Divide. Often a body of music bears more weight than the mere fact that they’re clumped together, so in the words of the songwriters themselves, Joshua and Jeremiah Zimmerman dig into the Silent Comedy’s Friends Divide EP, track by track:

“The concept of division among friends is a theme in everyone's life.” says Joshua. “At some point, everyone that is close to you will hurt you. For a band, that concept seems to be even more blatant. This happens to everyone who pursues the arts as doggedly as we have, and it gets more intense the further you go. Because this has been such a present force in our lives, it seemed like a timely title for a project. It also kind of foreshadows what we are hoping to call our next release...”

As for what the songs themselves represent, Joshua explains:

"This EP represents a real milestone for the band. It has been three years since we put out a real collection of songs. We have grown a lot personally and musically in that time, so we are looking forward to presenting this "new improved" version of the band. For a while, we weren't the biggest fans of what we were writing. This collection of songs are ones that we really enjoy and carry deep meaning for us. My brother and I put more of ourselves into the writing of these songs, and that really connects when we listen back to them."

1. God Neon
“When you spend as much time in major cities as we do on tour, they start to take on a personality of their own. Collections of houses, business, and people start to meld into what can seem like a single living entity. Often, that entity can take a negative toll on the people living within it. When we get off tour, it's easy to feel like you need to escape the city and regain your sanity. That's the frame of mind that "God Neon" was born in: The desire to escape, but knowing that the city will always have its claws in you to some degree."

Oh hey, for a visual aid here's their brand new, slick and sexy video for "God Neon."

Jeremiah, the elder Zimmerman, chimed in with some first-person perspective:

2. Always Two
"Always Two" is about a situation I was in when I was younger and talking to a friend about an almost identical situation and this song came out of it. Wanting what you can’t have is a theme that always works its way into my songs, whether or not I want it to, and in this song it’s a girl that has someone obsessed with her but she’s caught up with someone who couldn’t care less. I tried to stay ambivalent about it so the song isn’t really saying go one way or the other; it’s an attempt to get into the situation and describe it neutrally.

3. Light of Day
"Light of Day" came out some very dark depression and hopelessness that gave way to a better time. I think we forget good when the bad is at its worst. I have to remind myself to endure and the song is an attempt at that.

4. Simple Thing
"Simple Thing" started as song about lying to yourself when your motives are terrible but you won’t admit it. Then it turned more into a song about being honest about who you are. My goal was to make it a happy sounding song about being unhappy with yourself and it ended up a sort of hybrid.

5. You Don't Know Me
"You Don’t Know Me" is a simple sketch about parting ways. Sometimes it’s best to cut losses and move on and it doesn’t need to be a big deal. That’s why I wrote this.

6. Ghosts
"Ghosts" was one of those songs that just happened in five minutes. Josh and I lived in so many places growing up and not all were where we wanted to be. We meet people on the road that feel trapped in their lives or their cities and they see no way out. Having felt that in the past and (occasionally) the present, I wanted to dive into that feeling and see what I thought and this song came out.

               

It's in the lyrical heft where you tend to find a great deal of a band's soul and it is definitely one of the Silent Comedy's  strongest assets. What are the others? Get to one of their shows and you'll find out as tour life is in effect for the Silent Comedy. Summer 2013 has them on the road (once again) with their homies from the UK, the Heavy, so dig out your dancing shoes because you'll need them. Tour dates are right HERE. You're welcome.

South By Southwest-Watch: Track-By-Track With Irontom

The number of times that I’ve mentioned Irontom via Tweet, Facebook, email or face-to-face conversation probably cannot be counted but you should know that it is for cause: I happen to believe in this band. A five-piece out of Los Angeles, Harry Hayes (vox), Zach Irons (guitar), Dane Sandborg (bass), Daniel Saslow (keys) and Dyl Williams (drums) are, by my ear, a little too dynamic, too talented and too non-ordinary of a band to be ignored. It’s classic rock high on youth, fresh blood and swagger: unabashedly loud, dense and eclectic.

Two seminal events have and are about to happen: Irontom has released a 4-song EP (Loose) and they’re making their first trip to South By Southwest (SXSW) this week. This simply means that they now have recorded music to be judged by and that they’ll be before more eyes and ears than ever before. As Harry put it: “This is our first EP. We put it out basically to announce the existence of the band.”

Announcement, made. Each of those four songs has an individual killer rhythm, upheaval and instinct about it and apparently- with a full-length album on the way- it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Here’s introducing you to those four songs by way of Harry, himself.

1. “Mind My Halo”
This was one of the first songs we wrote as a band. Over the course of a week At Zach's grandma's house we wrote and recorded four songs. One of them was “Halo.” Dan came in with most of the chords on the Rhodes and then one night we sat in a circle and figured out all the rest. We all knew that we had something pretty decent with this one. The lyrics are about a guy turning towards religion as an answer to his lonely and empty feelings. The dude basically finds out that even though his new creed might've distracted him from his deep fears, it's all still there as plain as ever.

2. “My Brothers”
The song is about my two drug addict brothers. They've caused a ton of grief for my family over the past couple years. It's a pretty personal song and that's why it's sick.

 

3. “Goin’ Slow”
This is a song Zach and I wrote some time before the band. It was really easy to bring into the group and it's great live because Dan and Z get to solo and fly with the seagulls. It's a song about being too content with whatever's going on. And then getting into the habit of being stuck there. The day we recorded this one, Z had been drinking quite a bit more 4loko then he normally does. When we told him to slow down, he just said 'never tell me what to do'.

 

4. “Lady Got Me”
Another song Zach and I had written that we brought into the band. Z is playing drums on this recording as well. Zach and I wrote this with him jamming on drums and me on guitar. We wrote this song the year the band basically came together and I remember it exciting Dane and Dan to start working seriously with Zach and I. It seemed like a good one to include on the EP. Lyrically it's a song about trying to forget about a crazy old girlfriend.

Their current SXSW schedule looks like this but don't be surprised if more shows get added:

SXSW
Mar 12th @ The Jr (603 Red River St)
Mar 14th @ The Old School (401 E. 6th St)

Track-By-Track w/ Arc & Stones And Their Debut EP

“Hey Trina,

So I'm gonna do my best to try and paint a nice picture about each of these songs. Each one is a pretty cool journey and I'd like to take you on them.”

Dan Pellarin, Arc & Stones

This is one aspect of music that excites me because every song is a telling of a story, of a  moment, of an emotion. And one of my most favored interactions with musicians is pulling back the curtain on a song to flesh out the lines and what lies between them. 

From Brooklyn, NY comes Arc & Stones, a rock outfit with a full-bodied sound made by Dan Pellarin, Ben Cramer, Joe Doino and Eddy Bayes. What they deliver is aggressive yet accessible, even radio-ready songs waiting to be jammed out for your approval in a club or arena near you. The music is progressive in that it’s a complete package: the instrumentation boasts nimble melodies constructing anthemic and soulful rock offerings served up handsomely by the emotional vehicle of Pellarin’s powerful and flexible voice. Girls will dig it, guys will reap the benefits: a win-win for all.

On February 12th Arc & Stones will release their debut, self-titled five-song EP which is a fairly diverse yet solid representation of what they’re capable of: a sneak peak at the potential. So in advance of the event, here’s learning the heart of those songs from the voice that sings them, track by track.

1. Silence
This song is about the period of blind faith in a certain someone after they have left without letting you know if they cared for you or not, while you have quickly and undoubtedly fallen for them. "Silence" expresses that feeling that you would go to any length to see that someone, talk to that someone, love that someone again...if only for a while.

The period of time when you have given all you can and in return have only received silence, is quite possibly the most painful part of any confusion and eventual realization that this certain someone just doesn't feel the same way...

"Silence" also expresses...that even though you begin to realize the only stronger force than fear is hope...and with that hope you simply don't care and want to keep trying, fighting for as long as your heart can take. It's a fire that burns for however long we let it, for whomever we ignite it for.

As we experience the passion, the confusion, the insanity, we also feel the anger in it all, and "if you can see love, then why can't you see mine?" is a line that expresses that anger we all know too well. This song was chosen because for us, it is a perfect representation of the paradox that is love, and the painful bliss we keep chasing after.

I showed Ben a very altered version of this minus the chorus which we didn't change one bit, and decided we loved where it was going and re-worked the verses and bridge. It turned into something magnificent, a real journey, and we couldn't be more proud of this song.

2. Say Goodbye
"Say Goodbye" expands on the feeling of "Silence." No matter what happens, the love that you shared with that someone will never fade, and in an essence there is no way you could ever say goodbye to it, and them. As we search "far from the light," and save "a cut from the stone shaped like a heart," we can look far beyond the familiar and take what has become seemingly nothing and turn it into something, someday, somewhere. The line "Someday when I can stop chasing someday, can I call you home..." builds upon a thought that maybe when everything is through, and we have done all we can, we can maybe one day call that special someone our own.

Taking the fire symbolized in "Silence," and building upon the rock that is "Say Goodbye," a clear picture of emotion is formed. Through it all, we'll still chase and hope, even if it takes forever.

3. Let Me Down
This one is mainly stating that, "Hey, you can save me all of this trouble, pain, confusion and anger if you just let me know how it is right here, right now. Either you feel something for me or you don't." I can't take being led on and I can't take questioning everything I do before I do it. "Don't let me down so easy," because I'll still find reason to hope and hurt, and "don't let me down so slow," because I can't bear with all of this just to eventually be kicked to the curb. Why? Because if you lead me on, it'll turn me into a different person and, possibly, one that neither myself nor anyone else enjoys.

"By breaking me down, you're building a broken home."

I hated this one, but still showed it to Ben, and he gave me this look like...are you kidding me? So we re-worked the first verse a bit, recorded it live, and placed it right smack in the middle of the EP. I now love this song because of Ben and [producer] Jeremy Griffith's help turning this into a beauty. Thank you, dudes.

4. She's Mine
A boisterous, loud and flat out fun rock song that combines the ideas of a woman, a self-realization that this person doesn't like what they have become of late, a kick ass party gone wrong, and well some different...things that maybe cause the party to go wrong. The lyrics talk of the extreme highs, "running through my blood, come and take me for a ride," extreme lows, "but why does every story come crashing down like this," and the eventual rally cry, "no you won't take me alive..." of this hard-hitting tornado of a rock and roll party song. Screaming, shouting, and dancing your ass off are encouraged on this one.

Ben and I wanted to a write a seriously hard and fun rock and roll song. I think we broke the most furniture in our small box of an apartment during the time we were writing this one, but it was fitting and necessary.

5. Rise
"Rise" for us is an anthem that really hits home. It's simply about the idea that nothing is impossible, no one can tell you anything is impossible and there is not a single person, idea or obstacle that can restrict you from that thought. It hits home because a lot of people said we couldn't do what we are doing now and it feels damn good to sing about it. 

The chorus states that "We are faces in the water here to wash the pain. Sons and daughters of tomorrow, begging for a name." This is us and everyone else with this belief saying that the battle is not fought alone. The battle to strive for what you love and believe in is one being fought today in strong company, and there is nothing and no one that can bring this determined belief down. We will claw and fight to be heard, and to be known. Cue the national anthem.

The band couldn't be more proud of everything that's been accomplished, and we are so pumped for the future. It's gonna be a fun road and we hope to make it count where it matters most- with you guys, the listeners.
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I imagine many ears appreciating what Arc & Stones have to give, not the least of which is that delicious guitar in "Say Goodbye." So now you that you know, seek out these gentlemen of heartfelt yet dynamic-in-the-making rock and roll (and disarming good looks) in the usual socially interactive places. And also in 2013 look for them to make themselves heard well outside of their NYC comfort zone.
Official Web
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Track-By-Track: Youngblood Hawke

FACT: There’s usually something a bit more cohesive, innately more honest about music that’s made among friends. Feelings run deeper yet come to the surface with greater ease through a lyric here, a guitar chord there. See Sam Martin and Simon Katz (formerly of Iglu & Hartley) along with Tasso Smith, Alice Katz and Nik Hughes: a quintet of modern, bombastic indie pop/rock music-makers who have orbited around one another’s lives in one way or another before finally rising as Youngblood Hawke. Musically, it sounds like kicking down the door of a brave new world with youthful optimism, unity, sunshine, choral uplift to die for and the urge to dance as accomplices.

The seeds of Youngblood Hawke were planted in 2010 when Simon and Sam began writing together (post-Iglu & Hartley), needing to find and express their own musical voices. Demos sent to Tasso (Simon’s best friend) resulted in him picking up the guitar for the project. There's Alice (Simon’s wife) who was in on the early recording sessions, then Nik (a close friend) and…well, you get the picture. This is a band with- not only a professional stake in the expression- but one of their hearts, as well.

The past two years have seen Youngblood Hawke honing what they do at home in Los Angeles and on the road from rowdy showcases at South By Southwest in Austin, TX to a wildly successful monthlong residency at one of LA's most popular venues, the Satellite. Their friends, fans and followers have grown show after show (as has the respect for their newfound musical voice) and word of mouth boasted a band whose festive live show simply had to be seen to be believed. The aesthetic is a joyous one and this band is nothing if not serious about joy.

From Universal Republic comes Youngblood Hawke’s first release: a 4-song EP that seems to healthily reflect their collective spirit, as well as the path that they find themselves on- as musicians and as friends. Every band has a story to tell and the songs are often snapshots of the narrative. Because we're nosy, we enlisted (threatened, bribed, whatever) Sam to dig into the songs of their self-titled EP for us…track-by-track:

Sam: “Simon and I wrote all the songs on our self-titled EP. We do our writing in Simon's air condition-less, homemade studio at his house. It's a tiny room that only holds 4-5 people at once. Nice and snug! It has a really comfortable vibe and we always feel free to make anything we want there. We usually work through the nights and into the morning, never hearing complaints from the neighbors. It's a really powerful spot for us.

Hope is a theme that resonates throughout the EP. We didn't go out of our way to write positive, uplifting songs, but they just came out of us. The last couple years have been really difficult for us, and I think writing these songs was our way of subconsciously trying to get to a better place in our lives.” 

1. We Come Running
"We Come Running" started as an internal message to the band. It was written during the early stages when nobody was sure where it was going. We were working odd, unsatisfying jobs to pay the rent, and we were putting all we had into our music. It was somewhat of a low point for everyone, and the song served as a reminder to stay positive and keep fighting for what we love to do. We knew that if we worked hard enough and really believed in this project, that eventually people would hear the "the sound when we come running." We would at least get a chance to be heard, which is all you can really ask for. And all we ever wanted.

"When the world's gone quiet/I see you dancing slow/Feeling satisfied/Where you never knew you'd go"

2. Stars/Hold On
This song is about staying strong when the whole world seems to be dropping on your head. We wrote this song with a young kid named Aaron Michael Cox. Aaron was a super talented musician, writer, and producer: More importantly, Aaron was an incredible human being. He had this spark about him. He'd light up the room when he stepped in. His passion for music and life was extremely contagious. Sadly, shortly after we finished this song, Aaron passed away from complications with cancer. It was a terrible and shocking loss. He was truly a unique soul.

After Aaron's passing, "Stars" took on a whole new meaning for us and everyone who knew Aaron. We performed it at the memorial service in front of his parents. The whole place sang along. It was very emotional. This song is a reminder that things may be bad, but they'll always get better. Life can hand you a lot, but you just have to be strong and ride through the bad times.

"We've all got the sun to follow/Hold on, hold on/The stars are bound to change"

3. Forever
"Forever" is about many different things. It was the first song that Simon and I wrote together. It started out feeling like a love song, a song dealing with the journey of a relationship. But it's also about growing up and accepting people for who they truly are, rather than for what they have or what they do, and it's about sticking by the people whom you truly care about. It's also about divorce, drinking, singing drunk sailor songs in your room, and hiding from the troubles that sometimes hunt you down.

"And your Comanche spirit that's afraid to fail/Do everything you can now or you never will"

4. Rootless
"Rootless" embodies the feeling of change, growth, and the adventurous journey that is life. It's a song about enjoying the journey, even if you’re lost. This song probably came about from the 2 years that Simon and I were on the road with our previous band. We were always far away from our family and friends, and, at times, we felt like we were just floating around with no home or place to call our own. It was a wild ride that took us all over the world, where we met wonderful people, and experienced crazy things. After a while though, we started to feel unconnected to certain things, "rootless" and always on the move. But it was also very inspiring, very eye-opening.

"Don't get caught up in the time spent/You'll walk around in circles asking where the time went"

Yes, a full length is on its way but, in the meantime, if you've stopped dancing you can get your hands on Youngblood Hawke's EP right now and right HERE.