Miss May I Interview with Levi Benton
The new wave of American Hardcore and Metal… Sometimes I just don’t get it. Maybe I’m just aged out, but the whole tight pants, dyed black hair, whiny-singing-to-growled-vocal- changeup just isn’t really my bag. I always liked my Metal and Hardcore angry, and my Emo sad enough to slit a wrist. A lot of the bands out now should do some pushups or something. Eat a burger. Join a kickball league. Anything besides what they’re doing.
Abject “Try Again!” – self release
Abject is NYHC through and through. After my fourth listen in an hour, I’m diggin’ this album a whole lot! Clocking in at just over 16 minutes, “Try Again!” is 9-tracks born of beer, barroom brawls, and George Carlin’s unique take on society. Politics be damned… This is music to get in a fight to after a night of hard drinking. “What are you lookin’ at?”
I met guitarist Mattakins once in NYC. We got to a bar in Astoria to talk music at around 4pm, left at 10pm, and had drinks in our hands the whole time. It was a fun night, followed by one hell of a hangover. Grad school be damned, I wasn’t able to commit to any projects at that time, but I’m glad to know Craigslist isn’t just for hookers and shitty job opportunities.
Full of the crunchy guitars you’d expect, the album offers some excellent builds into ripping old school hardcore beats. The gruff, raspy vocals compliment the sound well, and the frenetic energy they bring to the recording makes up for any technical issues. I mean… It was probably recorded next to a keg, anyway.
Hilarious titles like “SUV Tard” and “Popped Collar Broken Nose” should give you an idea that Abject’s contempt for mainstream society’s trendy consumerism and fashion sense is not to be taken lightly, in a lighthearted way.
Best taken straight up with no chaser, Abject is great!
The Aggrolites Interview with Roger Rivas
L.A. based The Aggrolites are hitting the Saranac Brewery opening for Slightly Stoopid in the coming months, and Ska/Reggae fans be damned if they miss it! A rare treat for Upstate NY, The Aggrolites plays a style of music they have dubbed “Dirty Reggae,” and the name fits like a glove.
Lettuce Interview with Adam Deitch
Music is a powerful force, especially for musicians. You don’t touch it… It touches you. In 1992, the young group of like-minded teenagers studying at a Berklee music program met up and started jamming. Though probably unaware of the opportunity and effect they would have in the future, they, like so many other aspiring players, undoubtedly dreamt of their chance to come.
Interview with Vincent DiFiore from CAKE
What can you say about Cake? “Clever”, “ironic”, and “monotone” are just a few words that come to mind, but I’ll be darned if they aren’t one of the most interesting bands still rocking the live circuit. Their rise to prominence was inevitable… I mean, can you honestly say that when the opening for “The Distance” projects over your speakers, you DON’T turn it up? That’d be a load of rich, creamery butter.
