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bad suns
An email today from Vagrant Records asked me to check out their new band, Bad Suns.  Vagrant says it will appeal to fans of Imagine Dragons, The 1975, Grouplove… that sorta modern rock.  Sure.  I also hear that classic Vagrant sound I remember from the 2000s.

Good thing they post the lyrics on their soundcloud, I was like, “huh, why is this dude singing about wearing a vest?”

Its catchy for sure… and he is saying “how much do I invest.”  I get it.

Here is the press release from Vagrant.

And here is a blog giving the LA band BIG UPs back in October…and when they blow up and become the “next Imagine Dragons” we can all be like… pshhhhh, I was into them back in October.

AND here is a blog that says the Phoenix SUNS are not that BAD.

Go with yourself.

lannyI got a nice email today from a dude that used run a record label called “Morning After Records.”  neat.  He is currently working with Denver, Colorado band, In The Whale.

The band is getting ready to release their 7-inch record Eric later this month.

They also recently recorded a cover of the Violent Femmes “Add It Up” to celebrate the 30th anniversary of that original Violent Femmes record.  Since it’s still a Wednesday Cover Song Freakout! Let’s jam one more!

Gosh dang, I loves me some Violent Femmes.

Go with yourself.

trans
Against Me! will release their new record, Transgender Dysphoria Blues in January.  The first single is the bluntly titled “FuckMyLife666.”  What do you think?

Rolling Stone offers some insight.

Go with yourself.

fossil collective
It’s a Wednesday Cover Song Freakout!

And it begins… in Leeds, UK and the folk duo Fossil Collective.

Their bio is awesome, they basically say that they sound like Bon Iver who in turn actually sounds like them. I think…. the point is… their short bio quickly tells you what to expect. Soft, lush, harmonic, beautiful, melodic.

About a week ago they posted their spin on the Flaming Lips “Do You Realize?” Gorgeous.

And now we take a jet plane to Denver, Colorado.  The band is called The Lumineers.  We know and love them from such Much Mega Hits as “Ho Hey!” and “Stubborn Love.”  When they reissued their album in August, they included 5 bonus songs.  Their cover of the Talking Heads “This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody)” is one of them.

Both of these songs are beautiful covers of great originals.

Go with yourself.

dirty paws
I am super (casual) fan of Of Monsters and Men. I love the few songs i have by them, but have never picked up the record.  And so… when I heard the new single “Dirty Paws…” I actaully thought it was new.  My man Shayne Kaye is a DJ on The Q! and actually follows the group.  He told me that this is side one, track one off their record and generally how the band would start a concert.

The song tells the tale of a war between the bees and the animals.  Shayne says the bees are bad news, but then I was like, GMOs maaaaaaan…its the animals who need to WAKE UP!

I encountered the song when I watched the trailer for the new Ben Stiller film, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.  The film is a remake of a short story first published in 1939 by James Thurber.  The story is a collection of fantasies that the main character Mitty has while running mundane errands with is wife.

The modern film is the second time Hollywood has brought the story to screen. Carpe Diem…totally.

That beautiful epic folk song about a war between the bees and the animals is the front and center during that trailer.

Neat-O gang. Go with yourself.

pup
Saturday, November 16th, Hollerado rolls back into Victoria for a Zone Show at Sugar Nightclub. The times will be good.  You can hear Hollerado LIVE on The Zone on Saturday at 3PM with Jon Williams. Neat.

In support of the show will be a group with a similar energy called PUP.

Originally they were called Topanga…. wait what?  Topanga was that character from Boy Meets World who is now all grow’d up!  Disney is firing the franchise back up with a new series called Girl Meets World…and PUP will have non-of-it!  Shitty sitcoms from the 90s = cool.  Modern shitty sitcoms = not cool.  Now we’re clear.  In a statement they said:

“Two years ago, when we originally decided to name ourselves Topanga, we thought it was great – she was our first middle-school crush, and it felt cool and nostalgic. But as many of you probably know, Disney has decided to re-launch this Boy Meets World / Girl Meets World, whatever-the-fuck-the-show-is-called-now series. We really don’t want to associate ourselves with Disney – I’m sure you can all understand that,” they continued, later adding “Fuck Disney, and fuck Topanga. WE ARE PUP. Let’s do this.”

This dude does not abide.

Fuck Disney?   How punk rock…. hey its 2013, Rage Against the Machine where you can.  Let’s forget the politics and focus on the tunes.  I am liking this song called “Lionheart.”  This song is bratty pop-punk jammer that will make fans of Hollerado feel good for sure.  I wish I had the night free to get my boogy on at their show.  I’d wear my Micky Mouse shirt.  whoa… culture jammer!

Go with yourself!

hunger_games_catching_fire_poster_embed
The Hunger Games is one of these mainstream, mass-appeal things that weirds me out. Children fighting to the death for our entertainment?  Put that film in EVERY theatre because boys and girls, young and old are lining up to witness that!

I dunno, I watched the film.   Seeing Jennifer Lawrence murder children is pretty entertaining, so I get it.  But how about that soundtrack!?!  The National?  Yes please.

Go with yourself.

The-Griswolds-Mississippi1
More happy jangly modern rock…. this time the band is called The Griswolds.  Not Clark… they’re from the land of Shark Attacks and Bush Fires…. Australia.

The Griswolds are a bit of a concern in Australia where their previous single “Heart of a Lion” was played on Triple J Radio.

They are now on Wind-Up records in the US and criss-crossing the U-S-of-A learning about the their customs and rivers.  Have a listen to this!

Go with yourself.

lemon cake
This Friday is our first of two Band of the Month showcases at Upstairs Cabaret.  We’ll be getting our boogy on to The Roper Show, Northcote, Everybody Left and Man Made Lake.  The boys have been working on some new music and sent a cut over to listen to.  The song is called “Lemon Cake” and they describe it as “Dirty Dance Rock for The Masses.”

Can’t wait to hit play on this!

Go with yourself.

basic vacation
Spent a chunk of my morning researching playlists for other modern rock radio stations in Canada and the US.  It is always a challenge reconciling what people say you should do (or what I want to do) and what is actually being done.  I was sifting through the top spinners in Los Angeles and San Francisco.  Pretty much what you hear on The Zone, just a greater emphasis on EDM and they play the hits way hotter.  The Zone also spins more songs less… if that makes sense? (which might not be wise as I am learning in the book Blockbuster).  But down the list a on Live 105 they had this group called Basic Vacation.  I have never heard of these guys before…so I thought I’d give it a spin to see what the cool kids in The City are jiving on.

I get the vibe they’re a record label construct.  Not too much information or depth in the bio.  Their facebook is an endless stream of, “hey check us out at (insert radio station event).”  Their song “I Believe” is one of those happy modern gobblygook positivity jams.  If you like The Mowgli’s, you’ll be able to strap onto this song.  I know I should know better…but the song is catchy.

And this kinda wigs me out, but The Zone has almost as many Facebook friends as Live.  The Zone is a groovy little radio station…but the populations between the two cities isnt’ even close.  Weird.

Go with yourself.