Parkway Drive – Killing With a Smile

Almost a year after its domestic release in Australia, Parkway Drive’s Killing With a Smile hits U.S. shores via Epitaph and stakes claim in the already congested metalcore community, taking with them their brutal dose of guttural screaming, chugga chugga riffs and a relentless energy that never lets up through the album’s entirety. Already a household name on their native shores, Parkway Drive now have the unenviable task of trying to win over jaded American metal fans- laced and ready with an acerbic tongue primed towards the more contemporary artists plying their trade in this genre. It’s no easy feat either as Killing With a Smile is more on par with Converge’s blurring wall of thrash rather than the more technical side of metal; and so listeners wanting a bit of theatre with their metal better look elsewhere.

With that said, the album’s pummeling consistency is its strongest asset. Parkway Drive knows how to tear it up and songs like “Gimme A.D.” and the monstrous “Romance Is Dead” make for some truly great moments of awesomeness. Lyrically, they wax about the pitfalls of broken hearts and the sweet aftertaste of vengeance- lines like “you wouldn’t know love if it crushed your fucking chest” and “cry me a fucking river, bitch!,” become the norm for expression. It all sounds rather “emo” but in context, coupled with the searing energy of the music, the painful and sometimes tragic words seem to hammer home the emotions they try to convey with great conviction; namely the notion that love truly fucking sucks. Vocally, they tend to stick to the screaming and do without the screaming/melodic singing of some of their peers. So if you hate it when a band screams their way through the verses and chops it up with some “singing” during the choruses, you’re in luck.

Another highlight of the record is the tune “Smoke ‘em If You Got ‘em.” The lone tune that currently boasts a video (look it up on YouTube) and a fine example of the band meshing together influences old and new. It’s got the same lyrical melancholy of the rest album (replete with the obligatory “DIEEEEEEEE!!!”) but sees the band add some of the technicality not seen in other tunes (cue finger tapping solo). It’s all fleshed out with the kind of potency a listener would want in a record- the instruments blending together at levels that add to the listening experience of the album. The chaotic aura and urgency of the songs is courtesy of the solid production work of one Adam Dutkiewicz (of Killswitch Engage fame).

It is easy to find faults in artists like Parkway Drive if one compares them on a consistent basis to the more recognized faces of traditional sounding metal. One could point to their lyrics and their subject matter for being too involved with topics deemed “too emotional” for the apparent heaviness of the music. However, it would be beneficial to set aside preconceived standards and see them as one of the many contemporary artists painting a new picture for the younger generation because they’re here to stay. Their music is no less brutal than that of Slayer, and they sing something teens can relate to. So-fucking-what. This reviewer will gladly take an overdose of what Parkway Drive is offering over the sounds of 40-something year-old dudes who still wear loincloths on their album covers and prance around stage in leather pants. Get with the times! 

(Epitaph Records)

Over It – Step Outside Yourself

The boys of Over It have been garnering their “up-and-coming” status for quite sometime now, and it seems with this release that they finally have a chance to shine. They started like most bands, releasing an EP independently, and luckily gaining themselves enough steam to score a shiny little record deal it indie breeding ground Lobster Records. They put out some material there for a couple of years, including their very well regarded full-length release Silverstrand. That one did so good that it scored the boys of Over It some major attention from publications such as Alternative Press, and Revolver Magazine; and most importantly a happy new home at Virgin Records.

With their new home at Virgin came the opportunity to put some heart, time, and a little bit of someone else’s money into a major label debut; and the fruit of that labor is, and I’m glad to introduce you to it, Step Outside Yourself.

The sound that Over It have hammered down on this record is perfect, catchy pop-punk. It’s so darn good that you can’t help but love it. Imagine both Saves The Day, and Yellowcard at their best; and you have a pretty good representation of what’s to find.

The instantly catchy “Think Against The Grain” opens this one up, and the whole record just never let’s go. Catchy hooks abound, and sing-along anthems are littered throughout. Highlights include the aforementioned opener, the instantly lovable mid-tempo number “Where The Sky Begins,” and my personal pick for ‘song most likely to be used by a million and one MySpace kids’; the can’t help but love it number, “Your Song.”

If Over It has ever had a chance to break out of their ‘I heard them first’ status, that hope would undoubtedly lie on the hefty shoulders of Step Outside Yourself. It’s exactly what is tearing up the charts right now, and it does everything as good as, if not better, than most of the bands gobbling up all the numbers currently. It’s punk-pop in it’s most unabashed, and fun; what more could you want.

This is a stellar record, and I recommend you check it out.

(Virgin Records)

Ray LaMontagne – Till The Sun Turns Black

Ray LaMontagne showcases just exactly what he’s about on Till The Sun Turns Black; his second full-length release. His whispery vocals shine quite well through the creaky woodwork of this albums recording; you can feel the air in the room, the space between, and the passion living strongly in his voice. It’s easy to see that LaMontagne doesn’t just sing these songs; he lives them. The gorgeous, six minute opener “Be Here Now” sets the tone quickly, letting the world know that, no; he isn’t another polished pop-songster, or a man who doesn’t exactly know how to get the sound he’s going for; but instead this is the sound of a talent who knows precisely what type of music he wants to make.

The tracks on Till The Sun Turns Black defy genre, and in doing that they also defy a specific time period. When listening to LaMontagne, it’s easy to forget that these tunes weren’t penned a few decades ago, back when Bob Dylan was in his heyday, taking the world by storm. Just the same, every tune houses the relevance of contemporaries such as Damien Rice, and Ryan Adams—two talented, fellow songwriters currently well in their prime.

To draw a line between two dots, LaMontagne sounds quite a bit like Ryan Adams on some of his more recent material; most specifically his latest: Twenty Nine. Like Adams, LaMontagne displays a more stable incarnation of that sporadic brilliance that accents almost all of Adams work. LaMontagne is, to put it bluntly, the type of artist that Ryan Adams would be if he could just slow down. Till The Sun Turns Black is, most assuredly, a fine collection of tracks. A focus is shown in the craft of songwriting that stands few and far between in the current landscape of music, and there is nary a misstep all the way through.

The album closer “Within You” brings this affair to an all too fitting close. LaMontagne is backed beautifully, and to finally stop with the Ryan Adams comparisons, it reminds me quite a bit of the stumbling ballroom balladry of “Goodnight, Hollywood Boulevard.”

Goodnight, indeed; and I’ll surely be listening to Till The Sun Turns Black, until the sun comes up.

(RCA Records)

Unearth – III: In The Eyes of Fire

I have recently become a fan of Wikipedia, which has information regarding any damn subject you want to know about. And remember kiddies, knowledge is power. They define metalcore music as “A musical genre consisting of a mix between heavy metal and hardcore punk.” This hybrid of metal and punk was born in the 1980’s and proliferated by musical luminaries such as Nuclear Assault, Maximum Penalty, Biohazard and Raw Deal. According to Wikipedia, metalcore musicians trade traditional verse-chorus songwriting in favor of breakdowns “slowing a song down, giving the guitars room to play a set of rhythmically oriented riffs, usually on open strings to achieve the lowest sound for which the guitars are tuned.”

III: In the Eyes of Fire begins with “This Glorious Nightmare” that assaults the musical senses like a shock and awe air strike. The well-crafted lyrics are cryptically poetic in the vein of Edgar Allen Poe. Yet there is no discernable melody to accompany them and they are spewed out like diatribes from a schizophrenic who forgot to take his Thorazine. The musical parts of the song are played at high speed with machine gun drumming, thundering bass and super crunchy guitar all more than adeptly executed. “Giles” continues on in the same style with more Gothic lyrics and frenetic musical changes highlighted by superlative percussion parts contributed by Mike Justian.

Upon hearing the likes of “March of the Mutes” a thinly disguised political commentary and “Sanctity of Brothers,” a song possibly about youth gangs, I found myself being helplessly swept up into Unearth’s wall of sound as easily as dairy cow in a Kansas tornado. Though not my cup of Joe, there is no denying the band is tighter than a Swiss timepiece and they offer complex musical arrangements as epic as a David Lean film. From a musical perspective, “Unstoppable” is probably the most melodic track on the release. By point of comparison it sounds like Queensryche on amphetamines and with better chops. Unfortunately, lead singer Trevor Phipps never deviates from growling out his vocals in a traditional, jacked up punk style that wears thin after a few songs. 

On their new disc, Unearth displays incredible musicianship and I am quite sure that fans of metalcore will not be disappointed by their intensity and earnest lyrical themes. Though I am no expert on the genre, I cannot help but think how much more compelling their songs might be if they concentrated on developing more melody and less snarling in the lead vocal department. However, when it comes to playing intense metal at breakneck speed and precision, I doubt there are many rock musicians that could do it better. 

(Metal Blade)

The Academy Is…: An Afternoon Delight

Thanks to the wide popularity of Anchorman, The Academy Is… opened their set at the Camden, New Jersey 2006 Warped Tour with “Afternoon Delight” and was welcomed with not only the typical, sporadic girly shrills, but a powerful, sing-along crowd. Hours after the Academy boys performed their thirty-minute set, Andy Mrotek — better known as Butcher — told me what it’s like to play the drums for a living and how his life of music came to be.

Why are you called Butcher?

Mrotek: I used to be a butcher.

Really? For how long?

Mrotek: Almost two years.

And then did you quit [your job] to be in a band?

Mrotek: Yeah. I mean I was in a band previous to that (being a butcher) and during that period. The band broke up and I was just a butcher. And then The Academy Is…. came around and asked me [to be in the band] and I was like ‘fuck yeah!’

When you were a butcher, did you want to be in the music scene?

Mrotek: Yeah, I spent four years in a band. When I was a butcher I would try to take some time off [from the music scene]. I mean I still loved [music] — I’d rather watch it and listen to it and re-gather it, rather than [just] find a new band, find a new band, find a new band. Take the time off, deal with a shitty job, realize what I want and sure enough The Academy Is… came around.

Can you remember the first time you realized that music is what you wanted your life to be?

Mrotek: Yeah. Back in second grade I played clarinet for a year and then I didn’t want to do that. I was hyperactive and my mom was like “just play drums” and she got me a drum set. I was like “holy shit, I love this.” And as I grew up I was like, “yeah I want to do this for a living.”

Were you in the marching band in high school?

Mrotek: For a little bit. It was weird — I went to an art school so I had a major. My major was always spatial art and not drumming. I had drumming as a minor. I always did painting or sculpting or sketching.

So art would have been your fall back if it wasn’t music?

Mrotek: Well, originally it was the other way around. I wanted to go to college for art and enrolled. The first day I didn’t even go to class, I just [thought] ‘I don’t even want to do this.’ And I was in a band and not doing the art thing… so I [thought I] guess I’ll do the music thing. I never had a set plan of what I wanted to do, except that I wanted to do art or music. Then I just kind of waited around on the fence, waiting for the right [time]… I never wanted to go to college and get a real job. I was just waiting for the right time and keeping myself out there. And then it pretty much came around.

So who do you think was the most surprised when you made it big?

Mrotek: I guess me ‘cause I don’t even know if we are making it.

Was there anybody who was always like “ehhh, I don’t know about being in a band?”

Mrotek: Oh yeah. I mean my dad was always skeptical. He was the one who got me into music, but he’s also the one who has to help me keep my feet on the ground. So he’s always like yeah its cool — it (being in a band) is not that good. Yeah, he always just busts my chops to keep me in line. Everyone supports now. I guess I’m the one who’s most surprised that I’m actually involved with something that’s doing something and not just being a dreamer.

Is there anybody or anything that you always think of when you get on stage? Like someone you wish could be there or a band you could play with?

Mrotek: Good question. Well, I think about a lot of stuff before I go on stage. As far as the present moment: How many people are watching? Who’s watching on the side of the stage? Who’s never seen us before? Are my drums tuned? I hope my drums are tuned. I mean I think about Dave Grohl and all these amazing musicians that I can’t hold a candle to, but still I draw from those guys, their style. Yeah, a lot of stuff runs through my head. And at the same time nothing. While I’m playing I’m thinking about something else. I’m like never really paying attention to what I’m doing, but its more like an overall awareness of what is going on.

What’s the coolest thing that you’ve ever seen when you’ve looked out into a crowd?

Mrotek: Oh, actually it’s been on this tour. We played in Seattle that has this huge venue that’s a canyon and the seats are cut out of the rock. The main stage is overlooking this huge canyon. So watching the sunset over the canyon while we’re playing was. Any element of nature, if I can see while I’m playing, is really a great thing and it makes me just go crazy.

So if you could play drums for any band ever, or play with anyone, who would you play with?

Mrotek: I do have a — I wouldn’t say guilty pleasure because I’m not guilty about this, but — Death Cab for Cutie is one of my favorite bands and I would like to. I wish I wrote their songs pretty much. I would love to play instruments in that band. I would love to play with them, also. Chili Peppers, Foo Fighters — I’d love to play guitars with them, although we (The Academy Is…) wouldn’t sit too well with them. They’d probably make fun of us the whole time.

A Night with Brand New

w/ Men Women & Children, Colorable
07.25.06 @ Avalon, Boston, MA

Following a long and secretive stay in the studio, Brand New is finally back. However, the band remained guarded and photo-phobic at the Boston stop of its fan-appeasing teaser tour with Men Women & Children- understandable given the immense pressure on the band members to recreate their past success. Absolutely no cameras were allowed into the club, and no press passes were handed out on behalf of the band. Although the show had a very clandestine feel, there were signs that the band was readying for a return to the spotlight. Frontman Jesse Lacey was without the wool hat and thick-rimmed glasses Where’s Waldo get-up that had become his uniform of late- he looked like himself again. The band had tightened up its set since its shows in late April, and they readily debuted more new songs, which now had definite titles.

After an interesting short set by alt-rockers Colorable (imagine Coldplay with Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock spazzing out on vocals), Long Island’s Men Women & Children took the stage with a unique blend of oddball chic, disco fever and a charmingly retro sense of humor. The band’s choreographed stage moves and strange, fun dance tunes like “Monkey Monkee Men” were a completely unexpected yet enthusiastically welcomed addition to a rather serious night of music. A riled up performance of “Time For the Future (Bang Bang)” solidified the band’s status as every scenester’s guilty pleasure.

Men Women & Children’s momentum continued to escalate throughout their set, peaking with their last song, “Dance In My Blood.” Charismatic vocalist T.J. Penzone worked the stage, and the crowd was worked up into a frenzy. As the lyrics to the song affirm, we may “not need a reason to get out on the dance floor,” but Men Women & Children’s infectious hipster disco tunes gave concertgoers a damn good reason to shake it. Even the drunken frat boy hecklers (perhaps they got lost on their way to Ozzfest?) were silenced by the end of the band’s lively set, a tremendous feat for a new act.

After a torturous 50-minute wait, headliner Brand New emerged to adoring yet irritable cheers. All negativity disappeared quickly as the applause faded into the gentle yet gripping “Tautou” and Lacey’s quivering voice filled the room. The band quickly picked up the pace with the blistering breakdowns of a new song and the familiar riffs of “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows.” A powerful rendition of “Guernica” teemed with strong emotion, and “Take Your Head Apart,” the reported first single from the upcoming album, was memorable and intriguing.

What’s most notable about Brand New’s live show is how well this band works together – there is no weak link in Brand New. All four band members are not simple performers, but skilled musicians with a vision, and this makes them much more interesting than the multitudes of emo hacks. The complex, layered and meaningful rock of 2003’s Deja Entendu nearly broke the band free of its emo shackles, and as it ended the night with “Sic Transit Gloria (Glory Fades),” there was no doubt that Brand New will finish the job very soon.

Teddy Geiger: All the Possibilities

Teddy Geiger has already released a major label record, appeared on a major network television drama, and toured the United States playing sold out shows- all before the age of 18. For the singer/songwriter, his life is just the way he wants it to be, and with a rock-star lifestyle that would send most 17-year-olds into an uncontrollable frenzy, Geiger seems to take everything in stride.When asked if things in his young career have been overwhelming at all, the ultra-relaxed Geiger just shrugs it off. “Not really, it’s always hard to be away from friends and family, but everyone is so supportive. Both the fans and the people I’m with, so that helps out a lot.”

Geiger, who leans heavily on his parents, family and management, when making decisions based on his livelihood, made one of the most important and valuable decisions of his musical career when he signed with Columbia Records. “They [Columbia Records] are just really great people,” explains Geiger. “They really know their stuff, and their track record has greats like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel.”

Geiger’s knowledge of legendary artists like Dylan and Cash shows the young man did his homework before signing his name on Columbia’s contract. It also shows how poised and confident this kid is that maybe some day, he foresees that Dylan, Cash, Springsteen, Joel and Geiger will be lumped together in musical history. But let’s take this one album at a time. Now with his debut full-length out, Geiger has no doubts signing with Columbia was the right thing to do. “Everything has been just lovely,” he says. “The album came out exactly how I wanted it to.”

Underage Thinking combines the singer, songwriter mode of music mixed with a pop-rock flair. The talented youngster also displays his musical versatility by playing guitar, bass, piano and some of his own percussion on the album. The reviews have been solid and the critics have been kind to Geiger, who also has dabbled in another spotlight profession. Not only has Geiger been successful with his music, this past winter he wowed the young ladies with his acting on the short-lived CBS drama Love Monkey. Geiger played the character of Wayne, a young musical talent looking to make it big. Being able to genuinely identify with his character, Geiger pulled the role off tremendously well, partly because the character of Wayne closely resembled his own life. “It was great because the Wayne character was exactly like me,” explains Geiger. “He was a young artist on the rise. Being a guest star was a great way to get my name and my songs out there as well.” 

The show focused on an A&R rep in his 30s, accurately displayed a lot of the inner workings about record labels and the music industry. “It was really funny because a lot of the things I was doing as Wayne in the story, mirrored things I had to do in real life,” says Geiger. “[Things] like video shoots [and] press training.”

While the show was unable to cut it on CBS and was dropped after only three episodes were shown, Vh1 eventually picked up the three episodes that CBS aired, as well as five produced episodes that never saw the light of day on major network television. “I enjoyed every day on the show,” says Geiger. “Tom Cavanagh [who played lead character Tom Ferrell] is an amazing person. Everyone was so welcoming and funny. I really hit it off with the whole cast and crew. It’s always hard to say why shows fail. I’m not really sure [why it failed]? Maybe just timing. But it was great to see Vh1 pick it back up.”

So while Love Monkey failed as a show, the exposure that Geiger gained was invaluable. Geiger’s appearances on the show that featured his music were just before his album was ready to hit the streets, and you can’t ask for much more promotion than what he got. Geiger also acquired a bit of a teenybopper tag as well from the show, which often comes with the territory for a young musician. With being on television as well as being a musician comes some fame as well as the critics. Geiger, who seems more as the shy, keep to yourself kind of guy, had to walk the fine line of his youthfulness overshadowing his music. He was lumped into the TRL generation of music whether by choice or by marketing from his label. But to Geiger, he just lets it roll off his back and lets people know it doesn’t really matter. “I just try to play music and make it the best I can,” he explains.

So for now, Geiger isn’t focusing on the fame or celebrity status he has achieved. He is just doing his best to create music and hit the road to tour, something that he truly loves. “It’s [touring] definitely fun,” he says. “I have a great road manager and band, so they keep me entertained.” Geiger also understands that no matter what, he can’t entirely avoid the spotlight, so he does admit there are some things that come with the status that he enjoys as well as dislikes. “I love being able to do charity events and use the music in a positive way to help people,” he explains. “I sometimes dislike the critics.”

For Geiger, the bar has been set high for anything that follows. From some vantage points, it would seem that the youngster is right now caught in that juncture where his youth is his best friend as well as his worst enemy. From that same vantage point though, the young man truly shows that age doesn’t reflect maturity and at the end of the day, for him, it’s all about the music and that’s all fine and good with this 17-year-old.