If the secret to success as a hard rock band is a matter of sticking to the time-honored adage of "go big or go home," this year promises to be one of the biggest in Toronto-bred band C'mon's eight-year history. Between releasing a ten-inch EP, a flexi-disc and the band's third LP, Beyond The Pale Horse, 2011 marks C'mon's most prolific year to date but, even better, the sound of those records is just awesome in its size. Beyond the...
Occasionally, there are bands or records that cross my path which I admire or enjoy simply because they are overwhelming. These records are usually outside of my comfort zone, are generally aggressive and sometimes odd – but always leave me exhausted and unable to articulate my attraction to them. Because I can't exactly qualify why I like it, Fucked Up's new release, David Comes To Life, will have to be added to my list of attractively overwhelming albums. A truly...
Hey junky,Awright, so, ol' fi'dollar Billy says ta me, "Hey Donnie, I gotta be outta town bein' a big shot for a couple o' days, so I'm not gonna be able ta put yer SWAG Report up on time. Figure I could getcha ta do it a little early?" Triflin' so-sn-so 'at he is, handin' you junkies ill gotten gains ain't easy ya know – didju see? He even stole my column halfway through the week an' figured I wouldn't...
What a volatile time it is in Against Me!’s career to see them live. They’ve just been released from their major label, formed their own label for God knows what reason, and acquired their third drummer in two years. Some would call it 'busy,' others would call it 'chaotic,' but everyone can agree that it's certainly exciting. That said, given that I’ve only been in Boston for a week now, what better way to start my tenure as a Bostonite...
When Frank Turner released Poetry Of The Deed in 2009, he set the bar pretty high for expectations of him when he'd return with his next album. The singer had yelled and crooned his brand of parking lot sage wisdom and dropped bars of gold into songs like “Try This At Home,” “Live Fast, Die Old,” “Poetry Of The Deed” and “Fastest Way Back Home” almost carelessly and watched happily as listeners scrambled to pick up every last one, take...
The excitement has really started heating up in Manchester, TN today as this year's Bonnaroo Festival kicks off with another great lineup. Over the last ten years, the festival has gone from a private pleasure annual music destination to a very taste-making affair as, this year, a host of hot names including Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, Robert Plant & Band Of Joy, Pretty Lights, Girl Talk, Beirut, Gogol Bordello and more lace up their shoes to...
Easthampton, MA – The first single from Wilco’s forthcoming album, and the first release on their own dBpm Records, will be a limited-edition clear vinyl 7” of the new Wilco tune “I Might” b/w a cover of Nick Lowe’s “I Love My Label.” The limited-edition single will be available at the band’s Solid Sound Festival, which takes place in North Adams, MA June 24 – 26, 2011. Two additional versions of the single will be available on July 19. A...
Hey there ya gray lookin' little junkie,How's life – ya mook. I know yer itchin' so le's get ta the deed shall we? I gotta fresh bag o' SWAG witcher name all over it – all ya gotta do is reach out an' take it. So what's stoppin' ya? Awright, I ain't never heard of a junkie needin' ta be sweet talked before, but I got some tasty stuff in 'ere. Good as a lot of it is, if ya...
Since Alexisonfire first broke out in 2002, it has been really interesting to watch singer/guitarist Dallas Green develop as a musician. Of course, Alexis blew up on the strength of raw adrenaline and aggressive tendencies so, when Dallas' side project at its debut album, Sometimes, came along in 2005, City and Colour got a lot of attention because the album was the perfect antithesis of Alexis' convention. When the project really started to get a head of steam behind it...
Kevin Graham Ogilvie AKA Nivek Ogre has been putting music out since the early 1980s, best-known as one of the two founding members of industrial band Skinny Puppy. Decades after the launch of that band, Ogre is still neck-deep in the industrial scene touring with Skinny Puppy and, since Y2K, Ogre has been making music on the side on his own with ohGr; a decidedly lighter endeavor, yet still rooted in the Industrial scene which first got him noticed. unDeveloped...