Nathan Asher and the Infantry

Update: Ok, so I listened to the other songs on their Myspace, and they do indeed kick ass. I highly recommend you go listen to them, especially "Sex Without Love." They're very different from "Turn Off the Faders," so if that song didn't quite click, try the others out. Those of you who check Absolutepunk.net often have no doubt clicked on today's feature, Nathan Asher and the Infantry. I myself usually don't click on every link I see there, seeing how often certain bands are heavily promoted, only to find that they are nothing but ordinary emo (or whatever you'd like to call it) bands. However, the fact that the group nagged the grand prize in both the John Lennon International Songwriting Contest and the Great American Songwriting Competition left me very intrigued and dying to listen. I was quite surprised to find such great material from a band very different to the likes of what the website usually focuses on. Their artist profile features the song "Turn Off the Faders." Now you'd have to be pretty much braindead to dismiss any similarities between the vocals of the band and Conor Oberst. Yet NAATI doesn't have the whine of Oberst, the trait that usually gains him the title of "pussy emo bitch." Unlike Oberst, the vocals in this song sound more direct and strait to the point, more poetic than emotional. And just when Asher's vocals may (although they shouldn't) begin to bore you, they either fall into a more singy style reminiscent of mewithoutYou vocalist Aaron Weiss' wails, or go so fast that you would almost think Asher's about to spit some rhymes. Although the instrumentals of the song may seem layered, I didn't find it much of a bother at all. "Turn Off the Faders" begins with ambient keyboard sounds, after which piano is added, and then a dancey high-hat/bass-drum beat. There isn't anything too surprising about it (except maybe for the piano in the end), but it still works and goes along perfectly with Asher's vocals. I find it very hard not to like this song, simply because of its lyrical beauty. The words are well crafted, and Asher's straightforward voice emphasizes the meaning of each one of them. If spoken word isn't your thing, then maybe this song isn't quite your thing. But nevertheless, give it a chance. It's clear why the band won the aforementioned awards. This song is definetly worthy of, at the very least, one listen. Nathan Asher and the Infantry - Turn Off the Faders I can't really say anything for their other songs, seeing as they didn't work when I tried to play them on their Myspace. But check it out anyways, maybe they'll play for you. -Adrian

New The Long Winters/The Roots Albums + Tracks

Well one of my favorite hip-hop groups of all time, The Roots, are finally releasing their newest album, Game Theory, on August 29th (which isn't that soon, but the release date was pushed back from February). I came across two tracks off the new album, one being a rough demo. The first, "Don't Feel Right" is a very prototypical Roots song, with Black Thought's poetic flow and ?uestlove's simple yet powerful drum beat. The other song, "Please Don't Go" isn't quite up to their standards, but it's just a demo, so hopefully they'll work out the kinks. I must say though, after listening to these two songs and seeing them in concert a year ago, I could not be more excited for this album to come out. Maybe the indie blogosphere will finally give the Roots the credit they deserve. New songs: The Roots - Don't Feel Right The Roots - Please Don't Go (Demo) Previously posted: The Roots - Boom! The Roots - You Got Me (ft. Jill Scott) On another, completely different note, The Long Winters will be releasing their latest full-length album, Putting the Days to Bed, on July 25th. Their most recent release, Ultimatum EP, featured one of my favorite songs ("The Commander Thinks Aloud") and the first single off Putting the Days to Bed has got me all excited in my special place. "Pushover" is very upbeat, and features John Roderick's interesting and slightly off-beat voice, and is much in the vein of previous Long Winters releases. I have already pre-ordered the album (which you can do here), and am awaiting the release (or another leaked track) with utter excitement. New song: The Long Winters - Pushover Previously posted: The Long Winters - Cinnamon (from the Valentines Day Mixtape) The Long Winters - The Commander Thinks Aloud (from the Night Drive Mixtape) -Zack

Ramblings of an Old Man - Lee "Scratch" Perry Live 5/22

Last night kicked off ATG's 2 week concert extravaganza with a performance by Lee "Scratch" Perry at Sonar in Baltimore. For those of you who don't know, Perry is a god in the reggae world. He was a pioneer of dub and produced works by acts like Bob Marley & The Wailers, and also a few tracks with The Clash. Needless to say, we were very curious as to what he would be like live. The opening band, Dub is a Weapon, was ok, but extremely formulaic. Every song had only one bass lick, which never changed, a rhythm guitar part, which never changed, and a lead guitar matched with a trombone. Keep in mind that every song had a very similar beat, and with no vocals, it quickly got old. Not only that, but the members of the band were somewhat painful to watch dancing up on stage. As Austin put it, this band was like "they came from the suburbs, and are only a band because they found some rasta who also lives in their neighborhood." Then Scratch came out. All 4' 11'' of him, dressed in a white baseball jersey and wearing a hat topped with incense. Perry was being backed up by Dub is a Weapon, which was disappointing because we were already exhausted by their music. It featured the same repetition and formulas, and awkward dance moves as before, only this time with lyrics, weirds ones, but the music definetly took a backseat to what Perry was saying in between songs. Most of the songs were based around one phrase: "I love you." And his ramblings, too, proclaimed his love for all. He blessed the crowd at one point, using his "foot, the boot and the root," which was strangely reassuring. As the set wound down, and the incense above his head had all but burned up and added to the smoke already in the room, we were happy to leave, but all in all, it was a good time. Here are a few tunes from Lee, though he sounds infinitely more crazy in concert (Tracks via Joe de Vivre) Lee "Scratch" Perry - Yakety Yak (The Coasters cover) Lee "Scratch" Perry - Uncle Desmond Check out some pictures from the concert:

All in all, a sweet concert and great start to senior project.

-Ryan (YES, actually Ryan)

All Things Go on MySpace

A while back we made a simple MySpace page for All Things Go. Recently, with the help of my good friend Joey of the Formal Media Group (well it was really all him), we gave the page a new look. I encourage you all to check it out. Friend us! Send a message! Leave a comment! We love it when you guys talk to us. Thanks everybody. All Things Go @ MySpace -Adrian

AVA Show @ 9:30 Club

Yeah, so is anybody going to the Angels and Airwaves show tomorrow night at the 9:30 Club? I've got my own ticket but nobody to go with. Sad, I know. -Adrian

Slow Runner

Slow Runner is an awesome band. I recently received the advance of their debut LP, No Disassemble, in the mail from my good friend Sonya over at Cornerstone Promotion, and I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. These guys seem to be a fairly unconventional band. I can't exactly describe their sound, so I'll let their bio do it for them: "This is what we hope our music sounds like: interesting, lyrical pop music shot out into space, bouncing around the satellites and getting mixed in with all their beeping and blipping. like if r2-d2 had an aching heart and a love for the noisiest beatles songs. ideally, if you took out the depressing lyrics and substituted in educational stuff about sharing with others and the states and capitals, you could sit down at a piano and have a classroom of kids singing along within minutes." That pretty much sums up these guys. I really recommend Slow Runner to those not easily annoyed with synths, and also those interested in bands that create a diverse range of music all on one cd. Slow Runner draws comparisons to a less whiny Get Up Kids, though only on a few songs. My favorite track, "Break Your Mama's Back" features these poppy synths in action, and is definitely worth a listen. "The Sea Is Never Full" and "Streamlined" are more lullaby type tracks, but both are quite mature and beautiful for a band that has never released a full-length album until now. I also highly recommend "12.19.03", an eeriely pretty song featuring an interesting drum rhythm and falsetto vocals. I know I say that every band is going to get huge, so I wont say it again. But I will say that you wont regret grabbing these few songs, and No Disassemble, out in stores now. Also, make sure to check out their US tour along with The Sam Roberts Band and others, including a stop in Arlington, VA on June 13th which I will be attending. Slow Runner - No Disassemble: 1. no disassemble 2. break your mama's back [download or die] 3. the sea is never full 4. everything is exactly what it seems 5. you're in luck 6. happy 7. streamlined 8. 12.19.03 9. redneck bar 10. class of '86 11. don't let them see me like this 12. moody suburban teenage love song Visit their official site and buy a copy of No Disassemble here -Zack

I Can't Fall Asleep

I wrote this at four in the morning when I couldn't fall asleep... I'm not usually a fan of piano-oriented pop-rock. Bands like Keane and the Fray haven't really helped my opinion of the style either. But there have been a few bands that have stood out to me, including well-known bands like Straylight Run and Mae. Another one of these bands is the Hush Sound. I've been putting off listening to this band ever since I heard they joined the usually pop-punk roster of Fueled by Ramen/Decaydence records. But this band is nothing like labelmates Panic! at the Disco or The Academy Is... I would compare them more to pre-Prepare to Be Wrong Straylight or softer bands such as Eisley. As I write this I'm listening to "Unsafe Safe," a song of their 2005 release So Sudden, which is helping me get a bit more sleepy. But there's also a peppy, up-beat side to the band. Pretty much everybody should take a liking to "Crawling Towards the Sun." The catchy-as-hell keyboards teamed with equally-timed guitar and drums during the verse of the song should appeal to pretty much anyone. After listening to only a few Hush Sound songs, I've become a happier person. Don't let the FBR stereotype steer you away from them. The Hush Sound - Crawling Towards the Sun The Hush Sound - Momentum Remember the Drugstore Cowboys? I made a post on them a couple months ago. Well since then, they've signed to Lujo Records (once home to the Fall of Troy). And guess what else? They're opening for Depeche Mode, along with She Wants Revenge, on May 21st at Nissan Pavillion! If any of you live in the DC/MD/VA area, I highly suggest checking this show out. If you've already seen the band, then you should know the high-energy show you're in for. For Depeche Mode fans who haven't heard of them, well you're in for quite a treat. For those of you living elsewhere, the Drugstore Cowboys will be embarking on a tour with the Devil Wears Prada that'll probably hit a town near you. The Drugstore Cowboys - Penguin Tuxes at the Disco Bar The Drugstore Cowboys - These Clouds Will Never Catch Us Alright, maybe now I'll fall asleep. Good night everybody. -Adrian

All Things Go Night Drive Mixtape

I'd been wanting to put together this mixtape since our blog was formed back in January. To me, there is nothing better than the perfect music on a long drive home after a late night. I've compiled a 15 song mixtape to help you find your way back home. With that, here is the All Things Go Night Drive Mixtape. All Things Go Night Drive Mixtape (.rar) 1) Jens Lekman - Black Cab Ok so normally you wouldn't consider a song like this to be night drive-esque, and neither would I, but try it. I was driving home from a party in the suburbs and put this song on, and lets just say it was an experience. Jens is hard not to like. I also used this song as my choice for the Themed Thursday: Colors. 2) Kyle Andrews - Amos in Ohio I posted about Kyle a few months back, but I decided to put "Amos in Ohio" on because I'm afraid some of you overlooked him. Not only is this song laid back and smooth (a perfect combo for a night drive song), but it also features little whistles and beeps, and as I said before, any song with whistles and beeps is alright by me. 3) Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - The Gold Finch and the Red Oak I wanted to put Ted Leo on this mixtape because he is, after all, my favorite musician and somehow he's yet to be featured on a mixtape (though I have no idea how). "The Gold Finch and the Red Oak" exposes Ted's more soft side in an acoustic masterpiece, complete with violins and Ted's signature meaningful lyrics. Possibly the best song on this mixtape. 4) Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister While "Sleep the Clock Around" by these guys might've fit better on the Night Drive mixtape than on the Sleep Mixtape, I made my choice and I'm sticking to it. "If You're Feeling Sinister" is soft, quiet, soothing and beautiful. Those four adjectives could be used to describe most all old B&S work, but I believe this song stands out, for whatever reason. 5) Iron & Wine / Calexico - 16, Maybe Less Much like the previous choice, I could've easily gone with "The Trapeze Swinger" here, but really that could work for anything involving sleep, nighttime, love, or anything even remotely beautiful. "16, Maybe Less", off of Sam Beam's collabo with Calexico In the Reins, has all the typical Sam Beam style with a little twist. The soft drums really make this song night-drivable. 6) Jose Gonzalez - Crosses I know Jose has been blogged to death, and I know this is my third Jose song to be mixtape-ified, but "Crosses" is too perfect to pass up. Stunning vocals and passionate guitar make for, if not the best overall, at least the best night driving song on this mix. 7) The Shins - Pink Bullets I mean, c'mon. It's the Shins. In my mind, these guys can do no wrong. "Pink Bullets" is my absolute favorite Shins song, and couldn't fit the theme more. This song was such an easy decision. 8) Sufjan Stevens - Casimir Pulasky Day I know I should've probably chosen more obscure artists for this mix, but I went with quality over coolness, and took this beautiful gem off of Illinois. This song is just too emotional and powerful to be passed over, and there's always room for Sufjan on a mix. 9) Jimmy Eat World - Cautioners Now I know many of you in the indie community have to hate Jimmy Eat World just because they were on MTV, but you can make an exception here. I happen to love Jimmy, and am completely unashamed to say so. This song, off their 2002 release Bleed American, features an incredibly interesting drum beat with a bassline that sort-of echoes the drums. "Cautioners" is another song I've tested on a long night drive, and it without a doubt passed. 10) Death Cab for Cutie - Brothers on a Hotel Bed Death Cab is night drive music all alone, and "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" definitely fits the bill. Slow, soft, and beautiful. Also features piano's, which is just icing on the cake for me. 11) Electric President - Insomnia I will admit that Derek introduced me to these guys and this song, and I am forever in his debt for that. "Insomnia" sounds like it could've come straight off of Postal Service's Give Up, with the same bleeps and bloops. Something about this song conjures up a long winding road at night and deep thoughts. 12) The New Amsterdams - Idaho I love The New Amsterdams, and while I love their 2004 release, Worse for the Wear, the most, I have a soft spot for the more acoustic Never You Mind. Matt Pryor's almost whiny voice seems to work perfectly here, and the harmony, along with the simple pianos, make for an emotional long drive home. 13) Modest Mouse - Talking Shit About a Pretty Sunset This mixtape was started because of this song. You may not believe it to be a great night drive song, but you have to try it out. The voice, the guitars, the melody, everything. The point where the melody completely changes (at the 3:28 point) may be one of my favorite parts in a song ever. Also, one of my favorite lyrics comes from this song; "change my mind so much I can't even trust it, my mind changed me so much I can't even trust myself." 14) Stars - Celebration Guns Stars are the kings (and queens) of night drive music, with the soft male and female vocals. "Celebration Guns" just flows so elegantly, and the goofy banging noises in the background, teamed with the dramatic violins, make this song one of my absolute favorites. 15) The Long Winters - The Commander Thinks Aloud Did I say that "The Gold Finch and the Red Oak" was the best song on this mixtape, because I lied. "The Commander Thinks Aloud", off the Ultimatum EP, is one hell of a masterpiece. The song is about the Space Shuttle Columbia, and is an incredible mix of depressing and uplifting. The chorus of "the crew compartment's breaking up" take this song out in epic fashion. I hope you all enjoyed our fourth mixtape. I had so many songs to put on this one, so if you all really enjoyed it I would love to put together another Night Drive Mixtape. Also look out for a mixtape coming soon from my girlfriend, the lovely and talented Sabrina. Let me know what you guys think of the mix in the comments, and drive safely. -Zack

Boy Crazy: The Interview

After the Brand New show at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore a few weekends ago, I was fortunate to be able to sit down with Jordan from Boy Crazy and ask him a few questions in the comfort of his mini-van. I've got the whole interview here for everybody to read. Enjoy! Make sure you've read my short write-up and listened to the band before reading the interview! Boy Crazy - Egyptian Plover and the Crocodile Boy Crazy - I'm Not a Tigress, I'm a Tiger What's your name and what do you do in the band? My name's Jordan and I play drums in Boy Crazy. So the first time I heard about you guys was at the Alexisonfire show at the Ottobar. To be honest, I thought you were just some shitty pop-punk band at first. Obviously I was wrong, but do people get the wrong impression about your band a lot based on your name? A lot of people think it's the New Found Glory thing. And also, a lot of the bands we play with are pop-punk, just because it's the kind of "in thing" now and they draw really well. But it's cool because we get to stand out as an instrumental band playing with all these different bands that aren't like us. But yeah, Boy Crazy, everyone thinks we're gay. It's cool, people remember the name. How's the search for a vocalist going? Very poorly. We have kids come over and it's very American Idol. They'll just stand there and instantly from the first time they touch the mic, the four of us will look at each other and just know it's miserable. And it's so hard not to laugh when kids come over. It's so bad. I think we're kind of at the point where we're happy doing the instrumental thing, especially with putting a CD out and being to start some touring. I think we're not putting so much of an urgency on finding a singer right now because the instrumental thing is working. How many kids do you have wanting to audition for the band? Everyday I get kids online. I put my phone number on MySpace which is the dumbest thing ever, so random people call me saying "Yo, I wanna sing! Fuck yeah!" But yeah, everyday there's people asking. Do you think the way your music is written it's hard to find a vocalist to go along with it? Yeah, everything that's written for the CD we play live. It isn't written with a singer in mind. You know, especially our guitar player, he basically is the voice of the band. When we're writing we want to make sure there are melodies there that are memorable that complete the music without a vocalist. So it's tough. When we talk to singers they're like "Man, I have no idea what to do," just because we didn't really leave space for them to fill in the blanks. How would you describe your music? It's tough. It's rock and roll, I mean, that's the easiest way to say it. It's energetic and it's fun. We do the electronic stuff and a lot of technical guitar. Justin (bass): It's not techie though. It's very ambient. It's a lot of, you know, dancy riffs mixed into a big rock and roll kind of feel that makes it very memorable and a very entertaining live show. That one song on your MySpace reminded me of the Sound of Animals Fighting... We get that a lot. Yeah, so when you make your music do you have any influences? Do you keep any bands in mind? It's really hard to say because we're all into totally into separate things. Brian, our guitarist, he's all into Bjork and Aphex Twin, a lot stuff like that. He also does all the electronic programming. That's where he finds his influences. But at the same time he's into Rod Stewart and that kind of stuff. I'm the biggest Hilary Duff fan and I love Fiona Apple. Them [Justin and Stanley] back there, they're into Every Time I Die and stuff like that, so that's where a lot of the rock and roll stuff comes in. I guess the bands we're into, it's not directly influencing what we write. I don't know, it's really hard to say. We're all everywhere, and that's why I think the music is "out there." So how did you get Emerald Moon's attention? Did you find them? Did they find you? Actually, from what we heard, they were scouting the band Make Your Stand at a show in Bel Air and ended up seeing us. They've heard of us through some other bands. We posted a secret PureVolume page with the unmixed and unmastered songs that we had recorded for the CD just so the singers could listen when they came over and tried out. Somehow people on Emerald Moon got a hold of that and contacted us. We went out to dinner and it was pretty much it from there. It was kind of cool because we had no intentions of releasing the record with the help of a record label. How's it been with them so far? It's been good. Obviously, all the AbsolutePunk stuff and press we've been getting has been all through Emerald Moon. We're self-booking a tour right now. Just by having "We're Boy Crazy on Emerald Moon records" helps a lot. So since you've signed your touring plans having probably changed. Yeah, this summer. We're actually booking it right now. Starting mid-June we're going to go out for five weeks and circle the U.S. completely. I'm not too familiar with it, so what's the Baltimore music scene like? The scene is good. A couple of years ago we were with another band and our friends Adelphi, who signed to Drive-Thru records, they put us on our first show as a band. Through them we met All Time Low who was on Emerald Moon and now moved up to Hopeless. Both of those bands introduced us to the scene and became our friends. It's cool because we stick out a lot from all the pop-punk bands, screamo bands, and that kind of stuff. So when we play with them, we're that band without a singer. We're that band that people might remember the most. But the scene's very strong and there's a lot of good venues that we play constantly and the kids come out every time. How was your record release show at Recher Theatre? It was awesome. It actually sold out before the doors even opened. There were about 800 kids. Everyone responded to it well. We sold a shitload of CD's. Everything worked out perfectly. So I guess you have a pretty big fan base around here? Yeah. We've been Boy Crazy, doing the thing without a singer for a little over a year now, and just playing every single weekend. It's more than music for us. It's making friends with the kids that come out and all the bands. If you're cool to them they'll be cool to you back and support you. It's really good for us. Have you been writing anything new? Any plans for a full-length? The thing is, we really didn't know what we were doing as far as continuing a band without a singer, so we had this music and we decided that we wanted to release something because we've been playing for so long. We put out the EP, we're still working on a DVD, just something to tie us over. If we find a singer then who knows what'll happen. If not, we don't really know. But at practice we're just kind of jamming and not really putting full songs together or having a set goal in mind. I guess, as far as the band right now, it's the DVD we're working on. What's the DVD going to be like? It's just a lot of dumb footage of us doing stupid shit, plus live footage, interviews, and stuff like that. We were going to release it with the EP originally, but we felt like it took away from what we were trying to do as a piece of art with the EP: taking a lot of time with artwork, having a story in mind of what we were trying to express. So we figured, best bet is wait till later in the summer, go on tour for a little bit, get some better footage of the band, and then release the DVD by itself. Who did the artwork for the EP? The artwork was done by a guy called Raymond Clecker. He's a friend of Paul Levitt, who recorded the CD. He did two separate paintings on canvas and then we sent it out to this guy, Mario [Garza] in California. He put it into photoshop, did some magic, and made it look awesome. Did you tell him what you wanted or did you let him do his own thing? We wanted Ray to have his artistic freedom because we felt that was really important, for him to get his idea across. We told him what the CD meant to us and what we had in our minds. He through out ideas and it kind of snowballed from there. But a lot of it was his input, which we liked. That's all I've got to ask, but does anybody else want to say anything? If you're reading this, and we're coming to your town this summer, please check us out. We just ask that everybody gives us one chance (and ten dollars). We pride ourselves on being a really good live band. We feel that we've put out an incredible record. If you can't hold your own live, it's not worth it. We try to make it as much fun as possible for everybody there and try to include everybody whether they're into us or not. So if we're somewhere near you, check us out at least once and hopefully you'll enjoy it. Even if you're not into the music, we'll at least try to give you a fun time. -Adrian

Murder By Death: The Interview

Some of you may not be familiar with a little band named Murder By Death. The quartet from Indiana, according to their bio, "layers the vocal sounds of an old saloon with the haunting strings of an Hungarian folk dance and the hard driving rhythms of pure rock n' roll, producing what Stuff magazine has called "lush, orchestrated songs," somehow simultaneously reminiscent of Johnny Cash and Radiohead", whatever that means. We were lucky enough to sit down (actually an e-mail interview, but sit down sounded better) with lead singer/guitarist Adam Turla and ask him a few questions that were on our minds. The following took place between the hours of 11-12am on May 11th, 2006.

Let's start off with a cupcake question for our readers who might not be familiar with Murder By Death. Who are you? Where are you from? What's your sign?

My name is Adam Turla. I sing and play the guitar for Murder by Death. We are from Bloomington, Indiana. I am a cancer.

Murder by Death is a fairly memorable name. Who came up with it, and is there any hidden meaning?

It is from the Neil Simon play of the same name. It's a murder mystery spoof, making fun of all the classic mystery novels while being a classic murder mystery story. The idea was to a have a name that sounded dark but was funny when you thought about it, (since it doesn't make sense).

Your newest album, In Bocca al Lupo, is coming out May 23rd. Do you have any big pre-promotion plans?

We are doing a long long tour to support the record, as well as a lot of acoustic in-stores and radio performances of alternate versions of the songs. Right now on our website you can preorder the record and get a free t-shirt if thats what you mean by pre-promotion by the way.

Your previous albums have seemed to have their own unique style and theme. Where were you trying to go with this album? Does it still follow a story or theme like your previous releases?

This album is thematically about sin, redemption, and guilt. The songs are each about a different character who fits the bill. In that sense it is like an anthology of short stories all tied together by the same themes.

Any songs you are particularly proud of?

I like "Sometimes the Line Walks You" and "Shiola" the most.

I personally am a huge fan of everything Murder By Death, and I know you are about to embark on a massive tour showcasing and promoting the new album. Are you as hyped for In Bocca Al Lupo and the tour as your fans, including myself, inevitably are?

We are very very excited. We've never done an entire US headlining tour before so we are very curious to see how it goes. Hopefully people will enjoy it! On the tour we will be projecting a film I pieced together from old 16mm film clips that loosely go with the music we are playing. It has everything from matadors to old fisherman to haitian dance in it and should look pretty awesome projected behind us as we play.

Are there any venues or cities in particular you love playing in? Do you think you will be able to keep up a high energy performance while playing literally every night for 2 months?

We have toured a lot in the past so this is nothing any longer than we've done before. Headlining this much is a different question though, but we hope that people come out! It's an entire US tour so we are hitting alot of great towns. We always love Chicago and the Metro so that will be fun. We like Vino's in Little Rock, the Church in Philly, the Middle-East in Boston, to name a few.

I first fell in love with Murder By Death live. Everytime I've seen you in concert it has been epic. Do you think there is a big difference between your live music and your recorded work?

I think this record does the best job of capturing the live quality, so I am very happy with it. Someday I'd like to do a live dvd if we can get a good enough recording and some cool production.

Who had the idea of starting Tent Show Records, and is there any interesting story behind it?

Tent Show was an opportunity to make all the decisions about how we market Murder by Death and it allowed us to keep doing our own art and have the final say with all decisions concering MBD. So far so good!

What does the future have in store for both MBD and Tent Show? Any big plans?

Touring touring touring. We're just gonna give this record the best push we can.

Anything else you'd like to add? Shoutouts to peeps and whatnot?

Thanks for interviewing us!

Once again we would like to thank Adam and MBD for taking the time to conduct this interview with us. Also, we would like to thank Samantha and Penny of Filter Magazine for hooking us up with the opportunity to do this. In Bocca Al Lupo will be released on May 23rd. For more MBD info check out their website.

PS: Stay tuned for a Murder-By-Death-related contest coming soon to All Things Go.

-Zack & Austin

Daryl Palumbo

So Dance in my Blood has found its place in my daily bookmark checking routine. Basically, any going-on in the music world related to Daryl Palumbo, you'll find it here. I was brought to DimB after following a link from AbsolutePunk to some new Palumbo material on which he raps under the alias "Brite One."

As many of you have waited, here is an MP3 of Glassjaw / Head Automatica frontman Daryl Palumbo rapping. This is an older track from the 2000. He is rapping over some DJ Planet beats (not DJ Shadow as previously thought since it was labeled that way). His rapping moniker is “Brite One” for those who don’t know. This track is untitled (as most of his demos are). [Source: Dance in my Blood]

It's an interesting listen. Palumbo's voice can adapt to any type of music, whether it's pop, hardcore, or hip-hop. Download the track here. As for other going-on's in the world of Palumbo, a teaser was recently released for one of Palumbo's latest side projects, House of Blow. This time Daryl teams up with Hatebreed's Sean Martin to create what's described as "electronica/experimental" music on their MySpace page. Watch the teaser here. You'll get a clip of Palumbo laying down some of the vocal tracks as well as a rough listen to some of the upcoming material. That's basically all the news I wanted to let you all know about. Here are some more random mp3's featuring Daryl (I had to do some reminiscing)... Glassjaw - Siberian Kiss: off of Glassjaw's older album, Everything You Wanted to Know About Silence. Glassjaw - Tip Your Bartender: first track off of Glassjaw's last release, Worship and Tribute. Every Time I Die - Champing at the Bit: Palumbo joined the band to lay down some vocals on the chorus for this track off of Gutter Phenomenon. Cage - Shoot Frank: Once again Daryl lays down some vocals for somebody else's song, but this time it's with hip-hop artist Cage. And once again, I got all this info from Dance in my Blood. I highly encourage all of you to check it out. -Adrian

Themed Thursday: Cars

This week's Themed Thursday is a little bit more open then the previous few. Normally, we only choose songs that have the theme in the title of the song, but this week, we are expanding our horizons. These songs are about driving, but don't necessarily reflect that in the title. So fasten your seatbelts, start your engines, and prepare yourself for this weeks Themed Thursday: Cars. Adrian's Pick: (will be up shortly) Alex's Pick: None More Black - With the Transit Coat on Ok so I've already posted this song, but it was the first thing that came to mind when I was told our theme was cars. With the exception of a drive with Ryan yesterday, this has been the only song I've played in my car for the past 4 days. My brother and sister are starting to get a little pissed about it. Everett's Pick: Ima Robot - Black Jettas I chose this song because my car is a Jetta, and even though the lyrics see Alex Ebert bitching about how all his ex-girlfriends drove black Jettas and how they're so common and blah blah blah, my Jetta is silver so I don't care. And, I mean, it's a pretty sweet song. Austin's Pick: Bitchin' Camaro - The Dead Milkmen The Dead Milkmen are brilliant. I picked Bitchin' Camaro because not only do they make fun of Def Leppard, but they do some great improv rambling for two minutes before the song actually starts. I love it Ryan's Pick: Wilco - I'm a Wheel Enough has been said about Wilco by just about everybody. This song was an obvious pick for me because it actually sounds like you're driving when you listen to it. It's also a great song for the spring (and summer's only a couple weeks away). Zack's Pick: The New Amsterdams - Asleep at the Wheel If you haven't noticed, I really love any indie band that uses banjoes. My good friend Nicole introduced me to this cd, Worse for the Wear, about two years ago, and I've been in love since. This song is short and to the point, and is one of my favorites from Matt Pryor's other band not named Get Up Kids. Until next week. -The All Things Go Team (Austin, Adrian, Ryan, Alex, Everett, Zack)

New Jurassic 5 Album Release Date Announced

So I have been waiting for the new Jurassic 5 album ever since Power in Numbers, arguably the best hip-hop album this side of 2000, was released in 2003. Marc 7 had been promising a new album release in early first quarter 2006, but the album has finally been given a solid date, July 13th. The new album, appropriately titled Feedback (because of the group's open, friendly relationship with the fans) may not, however, feature DJ Cut Chemist, one half of the DJ duo that makes the beats for Chali 2na, Soup (Zaakir), Akil, and Mark 7. If Feedback is anything even close to Power in Numbers, it could end up being one of my all-time favorites. I recently came across a track that I was made to believe is going to be featured on the new album. With the familiar J5 beat, and Chali 2na's deep voice, this song gets me all excited in the pants for July 13th. Enjoy. Jurassic 5 - Long Road to Glory [download or die] -Zack

The Stiletto Formal

Rarely today do we get to hear bands with a sound completely of their own. I can only think of a handful of bands that accomplish this: The Sound of Animals Fighting, Sigur Ros, Blood Brothers, etc. The list continues but is unfortunately clouded by larger, cluttered music scenes. Generic emo bands plague online communities like PureVolume and MySpace, making it difficult to sift through and find the gems that are truly worth recognition. Luckily, talented bands such as the Stiletto Formal are becoming front-page features of online music communities and getting the attention they deserve. I remember when driving from Zack's house with my best bud Andy a few months ago, he told me to check out this new band he heard online. I had heard the name Stiletto Formal before but chose to ignore it, unaware of the face-melting experience I was passing up. He played for me what is now my favorite track off the Masochism in the Place of Romance EP. I'd describe it as a soundtrack to the dance-hall apocalypse. Imagine a helicopter crash, and then throw in a cello and a sexy bass line. And some cowbell too. The Stiletto Formal sounds cacophonous enough to find place alongside bands such as the Fall of Troy or These Arms Are Snakes, while at the same time keeping a composure that should make them appealing to anybody with a good ear. The same goes for the vocals. Vocalist Kyle Howard is the closest I've ever heard to At the Drive-In/Mars Volta's Cedric Bixler. His voice can range from being sweet to going completely nuts. It's somewhat ironic that the Stiletto Formal has found place on the PureVolume "Far From the Lies" tour, opening for the very generic screamo acts (Greeley Estates, So They Say, et al.) that have stolen the attention of "emo kids." Perhaps it is because of the popularity of these other bands that the Stiletto Formal is still unsigned. Nevertheless, it will only be a matter of time before the band finds its proper home in the hands of a label that is caring and involved with their music. Make sure to get your hands on both the This Is My Boomstick and Masochism in the Place of Romance EP's if you haven't done so already. The Stiletto Formal - Murder at the Stiletto Formal The Stiletto Formal - Black Tar Concubine The Stiletto Formal - The Mistress and the Matador -Adrian

Rahim

No band will ever be able to fill the hole in my heart that was once Q and Not U. As unfortunate as that is, there are certain bands that carry on the sound of the Dischord pioneers. Rahim has been likened by many to the D.C. band as well as other similar acts such as Gang of Four, Rites of Spring, and Fugazi. I understand where the comparisons come from. The moment I began playing "Forever Love," I thought I was hearing Chris Richards' voice again. The song is very reminiscent of slow-paced Q and Not U songs such as "Air Conditions" and "Snow Patterns." The clapping in "One at a Time," a song off their Jungles EP, instantly brought me back to "No Damage Nocturne" and the Different Damage era. Understandably, Rahim struck a chord with me. But as much as they sound like, dare I say, one of the greatest bands of all time, I could understand how anybody would get fed up with constant comparisons to other musicians. Rahim have their own sound which has brought them quite an amount of indie acclaim. Their latest release, Ideal Lives, will find place with both Dischord punks and Pitchfork elitists. Take the song "10,000 Horses." The track begins with an ambient guitar and keyboard sound leading into a verse that's more comparable to any indie-garage band rather than to the D.C. scene. Regardless of what these guys sound like, listen to them for who they are. Rahim is a refreshing return to years past as well as a promising glint of hope for music to come. Rahim - 10,000 Horses Rahim - Forever Love -Adrian

Adrian's Spring Mix

Hooray! It's springtime! It's time for sunshine, squirrels, slip'n'slides, swimming pools, alliteration, and so on! I hope this short mix reminds you of all those things. It really pains me to keep this at a five song limit, but rules are rules. Until then, sit back, relax, and welcome springtime with this ever-so-wonderful mix! Also, big thanks to my buddy Joey for making the album cover for me. Check out his work at The Formal Group. Everything there is all his creation. Awesome stuff! The Format - The First Single So it seems like the entire world started listening to this band before I did. I felt like a complete moron when everybody knew the words to their songs at the Motion City Soundtrack show a few weeks back except for me. Naturally I had to catch up and do my research on these guys. Now I can't get enough of them! I love pretty much every song off their album Lullabies and Interventions, but this one is by far the happiest. If you enjoy smiling, I also suggest listening to "Tune Out" off the same album. Devin Davis - Giant Spiders I remember my brother had bought this CD. I had no idea who this guy was and had no intention of listening to him either. But then I heard "Iron Woman" being played in the room across the hall and I fell in love with it. I chose "Giant Spiders" off of Devin Davis' Lonely People of the World Unite! because it seemed much more appropriate for the theme. But if you haven't listened to the album, go do that now please. Zolof the Rock and Roll Destroyer - Plays Pretty for Baby Anthony Green has never sounded so adorable! At some point in time, Sir Green contributed his vocal abilities to some of the tracks on Zolof's self-titled release. As fun as the music is without him, Green makes their music sound a lot better. It was really hard to choose between this song and "Ode to Madonna," but the cute chorus of "Plays Pretty..." won me over. Brand New - Seventy Times Seven What's a springtime mix without a little pop-punk? And what better way to do that but with some old Brand New? This song could really apply to the summer too, but whatever, I wanted to put this song on the mix. Too bad. Paramore - Here We Go Again Alright, so I guess I'll lose plenty of indie cred for posting this song. But one, 15-year old Hayley is the cutest vocalist I've ever seen. And two, the intro riff to this song is super catchy. Don't deny it, you love it. So there you go! I hope this mix puts smiles on all your faces. Enjoy the remainder of the school year or whatever it is you're doing. Love, Adrian

Themed Thursday: Animals

This week's theme is quite a doozy. We each had about 30 songs that couldve worked for this theme, but we each had to narrow it down to one, so we bring you only the finest in this week's Themed Thursday: Animals. Thumbs up, let's do this. Austin's Pick: Austins pick will be up in a few hours. Alex's Pick: The Twilight Singers - That's just how the Bird Sings I've started listening to The Twilight Singers for the same reason I've started listening to countless bands: Someone I really admire loves them and so I decided to give them a listen to feel cool. I've got to say, mimicking people really has no down sides when you find out about bands like this... Except for that time I bought a Combat Wounded Veteran album. Holy crap that was a bad call. Ryan's Pick: Q and not U - Ten Thousand Animal Calls Ryan was not available to write this so I (Zack) will write it for him. Ryan loves Q and not U. This song has an animal in it. Tada. Adrian's Pick: Test Icicles - Boa Vs. Python It's a shame these guys broke up, because they had such a promising future. "Boa vs. Python" is one of my favorite songs on their first and only album. Everett's Pick: The Unicorns - I Was Born (A Unicorn) Unicorns may not be my favorite mythological beast (which is the same as an animal), but they are definitely one of my favorite bands. My love for the new defunct Unicorns and their offshoot, Islands, is pretty well documented over at Good Weather for Airstrikes, and this is the song that originally sold me on the group. Zack's Pick: Minus the Bear - Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!! Minus the Bear is one of my girlfriend's absolute favorites and for good reason. These guys mix plenty of genres and are, in my opinion, a really unique and creative band. Not only does "Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!" fit the theme, it's also my favorite MtB track. I don't have the faintest idea as to why these guys aren't huge. We hope you loved the theme this week. Remember, we need more suggestions, so keep 'em coming, and keep reading. Until next week. -The All Things Go Team (Adrian, Alex, Austin, Everett, Ryan, Zack)

Sufjan Stevens A to Z

So I was doing another loop around the blogs looking for music when I came across a blog called Berkeley Place, which was featuring a genius idea. The blogger chose an album or a theme and made a post featuring news, music, and other things starting with the letters A through Z. I realized that this would be the perfect excuse to make the mega-Sufjan Stevens post I'd always wanted to make. Naturally I stole the idea and am doing it here, so enjoy. Thanks again to Berkeley Place for the inspiration. A is for The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras from the Illinois Album, Sufjan's follow up album to Illinois. B is for "Borderline", off of The Dress Looks Nice on You, a promo single released in the UK. C is for "Chicago! To String Remix" by Jongalloway (Thanks to Derek for this one) D is for "Decatur, Or Round of Applause for Your Stepmother" (off Illinois), rapidly becoming one of my all-time favorite Sufjan tracks. E is for one of Sufjan's first albums, Enjoy Your Rabbit, in which every song is titled "Year of the..." F is for "For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti", featured on Greetings From Michigan and the All Things Go Sleep Mixtape. (Here is a video of Sufjan playing "For The Widows..." solo) G is for "All Good Naysayers, Speak Up! Or Forever Hold Your Peace!", off of Greetings from Michigan (It's a stretch but I had to find a way to include this song, as it's my most played Sufjan track on iTunes). H is for the "The Henney Buggy Band", off of Sufjan's newest album, The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras from the Illinois Album (Thanks to Stereogum for the track). I is for "I Can't Even Lift My Head", off of To Spirit Back to the Mews. J is for "Jacksontown", mc DJ's remix of the Illinois track, "Jacksonville". mc DJ remixed almost every track on Illinois for his remixtape, appropriately titled Illin-noise. (Download album here) K is for Asthmatic Kitty, The record label that Sufjan is signed to. L is for "Lo How A Rose E'er Blooming", a holiday classic featured on Sufjan's first Christmas album, Hark! Songs for Christmas Volume 1 (Thanks again to Derek). M is for another one of my favorites from Illinois, "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts". N is for No more music from Sufjan for a while, according to this story. O is for "The One I Love", Sufjan's live cover of the R.E.M. classic performed at SXSW. P is for "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!", off of Illinois. Q is for the ridiculous Quantity of Sufjan songs and albums (over 110 songs in under 5 years) R is for Rosie Thomas, who reportedly was carrying Sufjan's baby, according to Pitchfork. Sufjan later dismissed the rumor with a letter. S is for "Dear Mr. Supercomputer", yet another track featured on Sufjan's newest album, The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras from the Illinois Album (Thanks to I Guess I'm Floating for this one). T is for "To Be Alone With You", featured on Seven Swans as well as the All Things Go Valentines Day Mixtape. U is for "The Upper Peninsula", off of Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lake State. V is for "Vito's Ordination Song", an overlooked but incredibly underrated track off of Greetings From Michigan. W is for "Wolverine", a B-Side from the Michigan album. X is for absolutely nothing! Y is for "Say Yes! To Michigan!" off of (duh) Greetings From Michigan. Z is for Zombies!!!, or, more accurately, "They Are Night Zombies!!! They Are Neighbors!!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!!! Ahhhhh!!!" (off of Illinois) I hope you enjoyed this A to Z post. Let me know if you want me to do more of these featuring other artists or themes. Remember to please buy all of these albums because, honestly, Sufjan deserves your money. I have added links below where you can purchase most all of these albums, so please do so if you haven't already. Buy Greetings From Michigan: The Great Lake State Buy Illinois Buy A Sun Came Buy Enjoy Your Rabbit Buy Seven Swans -Zack

Milestones and Other Assorted Goodness

So wow, we just hit 70,000 hits today. That's like, alot. I know it's not really a milestone, but it feels good to know that other people actually read this, because I know I cant refresh my computer quick enough to get that many views. I just really wanted to say thanks to everyone who reads this here blog, and everyone who has helped us so far. I really would like to give a special thank you to Derek of GWFAS (and he's going to be surprised that I thanked him because I give him endless shit). He really got me into all sorts of new music, and I owe alot of this to him, even though I never credit him. This post really has no meaning other than to really thank all of you for consistently reading All Things Go and leaving the comments. The comments really help us make decisions about bands to post and what you're interested in, so please leave more of them. It's also nice to see where you all are coming from, so I might add a frappr. If you have any suggestions as to possible changes or additions to this here blog, let me know in the comments or by sending an email to allthingsgoblog@gmail.com. We also need more suggestions for Themed Thursday, so get to brainstorming. Also, since five of the six of us (all but Adrian) are seniors at the same high school, we will all be going on a "senior project" for the last two weeks of school (May 22nd-June 3rd), and our project is All Things Go. We will be going to see as many shows in the DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York area as we can in those two weeks, and will be aggressively writing here at All Things Go. If any of you know of any good shows we can't miss in those areas, please let us know through the comments. Also, we will be having a contest coming up soon, so get excited for that. AND, just in case any of you were interested, we have all made our college decisions! Everett will be attending the fine institution of Williams College. Ryan will join forces with Derek at the University of Virginia. Austin will explore the west coast at USF (San Francisco, not South Florida). Alex will be kickin' it with the indie kids over at Bard, and yours truly will be freezing his ass off at the University of Wisconsin. We will keep the dream alive. Thanks again from all of us at All Things Go, and keep reading. It boosts my ego like none other. -Zack