Limbeck is no doubt the hardest working band in rock and roll these days. After spending most of 2007 (and just about every other year before that) on the road, the band has returned to their home in Southern California to play a handful of acoustic gigs at Hollywood's "Hotel Cafe." The band was gracious enough to give us an exclusive performance of their song "Big Drag" off their new self-titled album that is in stores now. Limbeck is one of my favorite bands and it was a real thrill to get to have them perform for this website.
This is the 2nd Episode of our weekly series "Into The Sea of Something Big," as we follow the lives of indie-rock band "The Record Life." This week is all about the band getting jobs and trying to survive here in Hollywood. Check back next week and every week for more episodes!
This is the first of many times we are going to check in with the indie-rock band "The Record Life" as they navigate their way through the music industry and life here in Hollywood. This will be a weekly series here on Essential Noise, so check back often...
For the past month I have been following an indie-rock band called "The Record Life" as they have picked up and moved from their homes in Arizona to their new home in Hollywood. The band migrated to the "City of Angels" to fully pursue their dream of making it big in the music industry. Each week we will be catching up with the band and getting an all-access pass to see just wwhat it takes to make it big and survive as an up and coming band here in Hollywood.
The first episode will premiere Thursday, October 25th, 2007 right here on essentialnoise.com. Here is a short teaser for the show - so be sure to check back for much more!
In February of 1999, I was a sophomore in high school listening to bands like Rancid, Kid Dynamite and Avail - basically swearing off any band that used more than three chords and dared to pick up an acoustic guitar. Being from Phoenix, the name Jimmy Eat World came up a lot, but I really wasn't familiar with their work until I recieved a tape (that's right, a tape) that had Weezer's masterpiece "Pinkerton" on one side and "Clarity" on the other. I remember listening to both sides of that tape every single day for at least six months. It was a whole new sound for me and it provided the soundtrack to high school for me. Jimmy Eat World was also the first "huge" band that was really accesible to me as a fan. I remember talking to Jim outside Nita's Hideaway and a strange thing happened - he actually talked to me like a person - not just a fan.
I've spent the last 8 years following the band through their massive mainstream success of "Bleed American", to the underappreciated masterpiece "Futures," as well as huge tours with Green Day and Weezer. At no point did I lose that personal connection that I felt with band back in high school. They have consistantly been my favorite band throughout the last 8 years and I am sure that as long as they are playing music I will be there.
This is an interview with singer Jim Adkins, and we talked a little about the life of a musician and what it means to play music. Be sure to check out Jimmy Eat World's new record "Chase This Light," on October 28th, 2007.
"I wanna always feel like part of this was mine..."
The first time I saw Scary Kids Scaring Kids live was an experience I will never forget. It was in front of about 40 people in the basement of a small venue in Mesa, AZ called The Nile and the band destroyed the stage - literally. Towards the end of their set someone in the band set fire to a television set and entire venue nearly went up in flames. It was the kind of show you don't forget and I have been pleased to see SKSK rise quickly out of the local scene and now to the top of mainstream rock radar. After a stint on the Vans Warped Tour this summer, Scary Kids Scaring Kids brand new self-titled record came out yesterday and is getting rave reviews as a real breakthrough for the band and their sound. They are going to wrap up 2007 with a monster tour with Chiodos where I am sure you will see more than one venue nearly go up in flames. In this interview with keyboardist Pouyan Afkary and guitarist Steve Kirby, we talked a lot about the hardships the band has had to overcome to get their success and why they are enjoying every moment of their success.
It's funny how you can hear a song and have it take you back to a time in your life that was simple and fun. Everytime I put on Ben Kweller's 2002 disc "Sha-Sha" it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. When that record came out I was a wide-eyed college freshman at Arizona State University not thinking about anything but beer, sorority girls, and fun pop-rock records like Ben Kweller makes. I remember a very young Ben Kweller playing a radio gig at a bar next to campus and going with a whole group of my friends to get smashed at two in the afternoon and listen to Ben Kweller play in a bar. Those were fun times that I look back on quite a bit.
Here is our interview with Ben Kweller where we talk about the music industry, and the importance of the term "Rock and Roll."
I remember reading a while back that when Bob Dylan first picked up a guitar he was a fan of noted singer/songwriter/transient Woody Guthrie. It seemed that Dylan was so enthralled with Woody Guthrie that he fashioned his entire career after that of the "Great Historical Bum." Gutherie was quite the character, traveling around the United States with nothing more than guitar in his hand. A very romantic idea for the beatnick generation, but in actuality that kind of lifestyle isn't as romantic as it seems. It hard to be a free spirit, existing only to play music and tell the world what he sees. Matthew Gilbert is a throwback to that kind of free spirit.
The first time I saw Matthew Gilbert perform I couldn't help but be captivated by his overall presence. It wasn't just the fact that he stands 6'4 and couldn't weigh more than a hundred pounds dripping wet. Rather, he is one of the few artists that I can honestly say bears his heart and soul every single time he performs. Each live show he seems to fall apart on stage, and not in calculated way like Amy Winehouse, but in an honest and sometimes painful performance of his experiences. I've been at shows of his where audience members have started crying while he plays. No kidding.
Matthew is a rare kind of performer to see these days. He's not interested in money or fame, but merely to share his point of view with the rest of the world through music. He lives day to day, most of the time without a roof over his head. There's something about that kind of spirit that I admire, and I think that is why I like his music so much.
I don't want to sound like a jaded old man, but I'm a big believer in bands earning their success. Say what you will about a band that gets signed right to a major label with major label dollars behind them, but they will never know the kind of life that so many bands live when they pursue a career in music. They don't know what it's like to spend six weeks touring in a van only to come home with nothing more than a hand full of change and some great stories. It's no secret that life as an indie rock band is hard, but I don't think people really know how hard it really is.
Nothing brings a band together like adversity and Goodbye Tomorrow has seen their share of roadblocks in a pretty short amount of time. After signing with indie label Equal Vision Records about a year and a half ago, the band lost their original lead singer and were forced to pretty much start over from scratch with ex-Terminal singer Travis Bryant. After more line-up changes, the band has emerged as a completely different band that is blazing a unique trail for themselves. They have been on tour now for most of 2007 and will continue to be on the road after their Equal Vision debut in early 2008. They deserve all the success they are sure to get in the near future.
I've always admired Peachcake and their ability to just be themselves and do anything it takes to make sure that their audience has a great time at the show. Whether it's throwing confetti and blow up dolls into the crowd, or playing "Duck, Duck, Goose!" in the middle of their show - Peachcake is all about showmanship. They understand the first rule of rock and roll - give the audience what they want. Chances are if you are at a Peachcake show you are going to let out your inner child and just have a good time. It's nice to see a band not take themselves so seriously and create an enviornment where kids can just have fun at a rock and roll show. The hardest thing to do when you are young is to be comfortable being yourself, so I applaud Peachcake for encouraging that kind of spirit.
They are always on tour -so if you get a chance to catch a show - do it. In fact, wear a costume to the show. It's encouraged.
The first time I listened to an Elliott Smith song I had a very powerful experience that I won't ever forget. From the first notes of the song "Angeles," I knew that this was the music I had been waiting my whole life to hear. I followed his career closely, watching him rise from indie rock's best kept secret to Academy Award Nominee for his song "Miss Misery," that appeared in the film "Good Will Hunting." It was amazing to see this introverted singer/songwriter who went out of his way to shun the spotlight, have the spotlight thrust upon him so quickly. I always felt like he just didn't want any part of his own success. I remember recieving a text message early one morning in October of 2003 that read, "Dude, Elliott Smith stabbed himself in the heart...twice :( " After the initial shock of the news, I remember not being too surprised that it all ended this way. Like Kurt Cobain ten years earlier, I just always felt like there wasn't ever going to be a happy ending to his story. In the years since his passing I have come to peace with his death and I feel like he will live forever in the music he made and the people he has touched with his songs. I first read about the "Figure 8 Wall" where fans had created a memorial for Elliott Smith about a year ago when I was living and working in Hollywood. I could never find time to make it up there and I vowed to take the pilgramage to the wall where Elliott Smith had taken the famous photo for his album "Figure 8," and see it for myself. It was a pretty powerful experience to be there, at a place that his fans have made a memorial to their fallen hero. To read the things that other fans wrote to him made me feel like I was a part of something and I was lucky to have come across his music and have it be the soundtrack to the last eight years of my life.
It's amazing to me how quickly some bands can explode out of local obscurity to full-fledged national act in only a matter of months. Dear and The Headlights is one of those bands. After releasing their debut album, "Small Steps, Heavy Hooves," this February DATH has toured the United States with the likes of Plain White Tees, Mae, and most recently with labelmates at Equal Vision Records, Circa Survive. Not bad for a band that only a year ago didn't even have a record deal. It's easy to see why Dear and The Headlights have caught on so fast with a national audience. These guys are everything you could ever ask for in a band. They are talented, hard-working, humble and overall some of the nicest people you will ever meet. This is an acoustic performance of the song "Paper Bag" that is available on "Small Steps, Heavy Hooves." You can buy the album on iTunes or the old-fashioned way at retailers like Best Buy.
