Free Music Friday 38: The good Brisbane band edition

If you go to any sort of alternative, punk or hardcore show in Brisbane, you've probably heard of and seen Quiet Steps. Heck I've already seen them 3 times this year and for a good reason. They make good music.

It's hard to pigeonhole them. They combine elements of screamo, noodly math-rock and indie; which is why you see them open for so many diverse bands.

This week they finally released their long awaited new album, Secular. And yes, because it's on this blog entry, you can get it for free! Or, as is in my case, a donation. Head on over to their Bandcamp page to grab it, and if you like what you hear, chuck them a few dollars. If only for the reason the singer owes me a beer after he drunkenly grabbed mine at Archive one night and chugged the whole thing.

The new album Secular sways more to the indie side, there's nary any of the screamo or noodly influence there, but under the surface you can still grab glimpses of it. I've been jamming it constantly at work the last 2 days. I'll give it a few more listens before I write my customary Twitter review. But in case you were wondering, my favourite song is Pointless, as it builds up to a nice, almost punk, fast paced finish.

If you like what you hear and you're not doing anything this weekend, go see them at Woodland on Saturday. I'll more than likely be there with camera in hand.

Free Music Friday 37! The gig tonight edition

Based on the the majority of my posts, you can probably tell that I'm not the biggest listener to electronic music. It's not that I don't listen to some, I just don't get into it as much as a lot of other people I know. And when I try to, it just becomes so overwhelming with the different styles and genres and noises they make.

That being said, I know what I like when I hear it. And when something is free, I'll be more willing to give it a chance for the first time (and probably like it even more).

So today's Free Music Friday is a man from Sydney who's debut EP is slowly taking the world over (at least the UK and USA). His name is Oliver Tank.

He's bucking the wub-wub trend of popular dubstep music these days (at least I perceive it's the popular/dominant electronic style of music right now) and exploring more quiet, ambient areas. His EP is aptly named Dreams. The music on it is the kind of trip-hop sounding, relaxed, dreamy music which you can just shut your eyes to and let yourself float away.

Oh, and it's also free (well name-your-own-price anyway). On his Bandcamp page. 

Have a quick listen to it, and if you like it and have nothing planned tonight, do yourself a favour. Head on to the Bridge Club on Elizabeth St in the CBD and for $10 you can let yourself be washed over with gorgeous tunes.

San Cisco

San Cisco is an indie band from Perth that obviously has their pulse on what the audience is digging right now. And that is that dreamy-surf-pop, with the male/female vocals and a very retro-beach feel. Because that's exactly what they are.

But unlike 75% of the music that paragraph just described, I really like San Cisco. There's something less pretentious about their music (at least to me). And you know, any band that makes it out of Perth has got to be good. It's hard competition over there, in the most isolated city in the world. 

They'll be coming through Brisbane on February 17th to Alhambra. 18+. If you want to check out some of their music, for free, before hand, head to their Triple J Unearthed site.

Free Music Friday 36! The father-bonding edition

My dad is the man to thank for all of my music tastes. He has influenced me over the years. And the thing he's big on is blues inspired rock. And zydeco, which may be where I got my ska love from.

I got a CD the other day that I just had to make him listen to. They're called Guthrie. And don't even think I'm going to post a picture of them, because it's a Google nightmare. So many musicians in the world with the name Guthrie.

What Guthrie, an Australian two-piece, do is make real raw and gritty blues-rock. It's almost downright dirty. These boys from Tasmania play the blues-rock you'd expect to come out of the dirty south of America, not Australia. There's a bit of lewd subject matter, but that suits them perfectly. You can draw many parallels to the White Stripes, Mess Hall and the Black Keys (all two-piece blues-ish inspired bands), but Guthrie just makes it heaver and dirtier. Which, if you look at a lot of what I blog, appeals to me.

So head on over to their Triple J Unearthed site and get all the free music of theirs that you can handle. I'd recommend a nice jug of whiskey to go with it.

Free Music Friday 35!

Today's free music friday is inspired by Adam Collins, the rad dude who drums, amongst other things, for a band named Japan For. He asked me the other day for some new ska recommendations. I must admit, I was stuck for a while.

Ska is my favourite genre. Well it was, but it's taken a back seat lately for no apparent reason. Sure I still listen to it, but I don't go and actively search for it like I used to. Luckily he rekindled my yearning for it, in conjunction with the radio station 4ZZZ.

You see, just the other day I was blaring 4ZZZ while driving around doing chores and they had a visting Sydney band do an acoustic set. And that set was awesome acoustic ska.

Further investigation, and hastily written notes on my hand while driving, lead me to find out this band was called Steppin' Razor, a punk-ska-reggae band from down south. And although they aren't as active these days, they have released every song they've ever done for free on their website. You can get it all by clicking right here.

If you're a fan of Rancid, Operation Ivy, Star Fucking Hipsters or anything of that vein, I don't see any reason why you wouldn't love this as well.

Free Music Friday 34! The "my new years eve plans" edition

What are you doing for New Years Eve? Going to a club with 100's of other people, drinking overpriced champagne and generally just hating on humanity as you wait for the bus/train/taxi with 100's of other people after midnight?

I'm not. I'm getting my rock on at the very last Sun Distortion Studio show. It features some great bands from all over the world. The headliners are Italian screamo band Raein and American scream band Loma Prieta. It's going to be a great (and loud) night.

If you're deciding at the last minute to come along, check out Raein's new album "Sulla linea dell'orizzonte fra questa mia vita e quella di tutti gli altri" which you can get for free on their website!

Seriously, if you've got no other plans tomorrow night, get to Sun Distortion Studios. It's 20 bucks. It's BYO and their will be a tonne of great bands.

Free Music Friday 33!

I've been waiting for this album for what seems like forever now. And finally, it's here. And even better, it's free! The band is Nuclear Summer and they are from Brisbane. And I took this picture of the guitarist doing some finger tapping at Fat Louies.

I've been raving about this band for the better part of the year now, with their mix of noodly riffs, clean harmonies and thrash-like vocals (not surprising, given their lead singer is one of the two from Ironhide). They dub this sound Sunshine Metal... I like that tag.

Their first album is pretty damn good. Get it for free (or give them some a donation) over at Bandcamp.

You can also catch them touring around supporting this album on the following dates:
December 26, Billionaire (18+ and with Mourning Tide!)
December 30, House Show, Sunshine Coast
December 31, Sun Distortion Studios, supporting Raein and Loma Prieta (all ages)

That las tshow is one you do not want to miss out on. Seriously. I just bought my tickets today. It's an all ages show, so it should be done well before midnight so you can still go off and party for NYE and kiss your girl. It also features to great skramz bands, Raein from Italy and Loma Prieta from the USA. It's also the very last show Sun Distortion Studios will host. Which is sad, as it has been an amazing all ages venue in Brisbane.

Death Grips

It's not often an album from an obscure American act, hip-hop at that, gets posted on my website (for free even!) It's even less often when a lot of people like it. It's even less often when the artist then gets booked on a tour of Australia.

But that's what we're getting with Death Grips. You can get the free album, that I posted way back in June, here. And to see them, get to the Zoo on January 25th. 18+.

Review: After the Fall (USA)/Anchors/Army of Champions/Friends with the Enemy/Milestones, Jubilee Hotel, November 17 2011

Last night was a great night of Australian (and mainly Queensland) punk rock, topped off by the first Australian show by After the Fall (the New York band, not the Triple M rock Australian band). It was my first time at the upstairs bar at the Jubilee and although the crowds were small, they still had a great night.

First up was Milestones. I cam in late and didn't catch much of their set or get a chance to photograph it. One of these days I'll catch a full set of theirs I hope, as their sound was tight.

Next up were the female-fronted Friends With the Enemy. Imagine if you crossed A Wilhelm Scream with a cute punk-girl for a lead singer. That's what you get with this band.

They were great fun and it was good to finally catch a full set of theirs, even if I did accidentally knock the power cord out while trying to take a photo, causing the bass and guitar to go off for a minute. Sorry guys.

Army of Champions were a band I knew nothing about, except their drummer is the guy from Headaches. But after half a song I was head over heels for them. They're basically Queensland's version of Against Me. Their three singer combination though makes it even better. I found myself grinning like an idiot within about 3 songs, just enjoying it immensely.

You can get one of their tracks for free at their Triple J Unearthed website. Do it, if you like any of that folk-styled-punk in the vein of Against Me.

I'd seen Melbourne's Anchors once before, over a year ago, and were not that impressed with them. But at this gig they were a well-polished band and had a great mini-mosh going with the small crowd, much to the hatred of the bouncer.

They've also got a new track out that you can check for free. They played it last night and there were lots of fists pumping the air in time to it.

Finally, closing in on 1130 pm, After the Fall played for the first time in Australia. Looking a little bit jet-lagged, having only arrived at 6am that morning, they rushed through their set to try and fit as much in as possible before midnight. Live they sounded like a mix of NOFX and A Wilhelm Scream which got the crowd up and moving even more, despite the slippery floor.

If you get a chance, see them while they are on their short tour of Australia. These guys are rad and you will have a great punk night.

Free Music Friday 32!

Almost exactly a year ago to the day, I was in a very hot and humid Fat Louies on a Saturday night, camera in hand.

 

And I took some really awesome photos of the Adelaide band In Trenches.

These guys have a pretty good heavy music pedigree, featuring members of I Killed the Prom Queen and Day of Contempt. With the history of those two bands, it's not surprising that they have a very metal sound influenced by a fair bit of hardcore too. It's the kind of heavy music I like, mixing together the best of both worlds.

Their debut album came out a few years ago and is not the easiest thing to buy. But luckily they've put it up for free on their bandcamp. So get over there and get it.

Free Music Friday 31!

Last night the ever wonderful Kelly won tickets to see Japanese post-rock band Mono and was wonderful enough to bring me along. As good as Mono were, I was blown away by one of the local opening bands. They consisted of 2 bass guitars and a drummer.

I fucking love bass guitar. So much. Two bass guitars in a band? They have to be amazing. And they are. They are No Anchor.

I've heard a lot of buzz about these guys lately. But I've never had the chance to see them. Until I got lucky last night of course. Their two bass sound borders between crazy detuned sludge hardcore/metal, post-rock (their 5 minute feedback bridge last night an excellent example of this) and even a bit of drum and bass, with some parts giving me a DFA 1979 vibe. But all around, it's the kind of music I just like.

They have a few albums, but their latest one is free over at their Bandcamp. Get on it, and support a great local band.

And if you really dig it, get on over to Waiting Room in West End this week, where they are playing 7 days of shows. All at 8pm, all with different bands, all $5 and all BYO. Every night from October 15 to October 21st. My picks will be October 15 with local hardcore punks Dick Nasty, or October 21 with the USA Shoegaze band Happy New Year.

Free Music Friday 30!

Ahhhhhhhhh... Chino Moreno. I musically man crush on this man:

Lead singer of the Deftones. Although I like their first album the best (Adrenaline... so good), their musical output has always kept me entertained, even in recent years when it's become almost ambient electronica with overtones of heavy rock.

For anyone that has listened to the Deftones over the last few years, or Chino's side project Team Sleep, this Free Music Friday will be something you embrace. It's ††† (Crosses) his collaboration with a few other artists. Like other Chino work, it's very beautifully constructed almost ambient electronica, but with overtones of hard rock (less so on this EP). He's obviously onto a winning formula here...

You can grab their EP for free at their Facebook page. It sounds very similar, but goshdarn if I don't enjoy it...

Massive update

It's been such a long time since I've done this, but because I've fallen behind, I think it's time I updated my blog in one huge hit. So here's all the tours and news I've been saving over the last 2 weeks to blog about.

Coal Chamber are playing Soundwave 2012
Yes, one of those first nu-metal bands that got me into heavy music are reforming and coming out our way for Soundwave next year! I'm actually quite excited to see them...

Other bands confirmed for Soundwave next year include: Trivium, CKY, Shadows Fall, Devin Townsend, Gojira, The Used, Hellyeah, Dillinger Escape Plan, Dashboard Confessional, Hole, Machine Head, Hatebreed, Kvelertak, Mastodon, Zebrahead and Saves the Day (including a second set of them playing Weezer songs). Wow. Already looking to be a big festival.

Foxy Shazam 
One of my favourite bands from Soundwave this year have pulled out of the Harvest Festival to focus on the UK.

Vasco Era
Noisy indie rockers the Vasco Era are heading out for an Australian tour, playing the Coolangatta Hotel on October 29 and the Zoo October 30.

Vanilla Ice
He's too legit to quit and as such he will be playing Jupiter's Casino, on the Gold Coast. November 13.

Opeth
The Swedish progressive-death-metal-rock band will be playing the Tivoli on December 15. Expect lots of long hair, black shirts, and extended solos to fast drumming.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
These indie-rockers are coming out for the Harvest festival, but have also decided to play an intimate sideshow at the Zoo on November 20.

Free Triple J concert
Triple J, to celebrate the launch of their new digital radio station playing "unearthed" Australian music, are having free shows Australia wide on October 5. Ours will be at the Arena, featuring Bleeding Knees Club, Emma Louise and The Medics. Doors are at 7pm, it's free, but it's first in best dressed.

Valley Fiesta
Free music will be invading the streets of Fortitude Valley on October 7 and 8 with two stages playing great music. For FREE! You can catch Hungry Kids of Hungary, Kidney Thieves, Laneous and the Family Yah and much more. Head here to find out.

Free Music Friday 29!

I love pop-punk. But not in the style that most people think pop-punk is these days. None of that scene crap with breakdowns and whiny singing. I just like punk that's a bit upbeat and fun. Because that's the way pop-punk should be.

Tim Blood and the Gutpanthers are the kind of pop-punk I like.

I can't find many pictures of them, but their promo picture is fun. Like they are.

Their style of pop-punk is just playing fast and hard, with a bit of distortion and yelling to give it a lo-fi edge. I don't know why, but to me it makes me thing of punk bands in the style of Defiance Ohio, but with 80% more punk.

Of course, their album is free. So check it out.

Free Music Friday 28!

What happens when the guitarist of the Gaslight Anthem (the greatest modern working-class punk band with huge shades of Bruce Springsteen et al) gets together with his friends?

Something you were never expecting happens. You get a sludgy hardcore album. Ever since I first heard the band Dangers (at which point I decided to make a blog, name it after them and spread the love of their awesomeness) I've been in love with this style of hardcore. Taking a lot of credit from metal and grindcore, they keep it really low and deep, fast, slightly depressing and full of anger.

This is the kind of band that Something About Death or Dying are. It's glorious to me. Maybe not to all of you.

They have an EP out which you can get for a small donation at their Bandcamp page. Or if you look hard, you can see there is a link for the free copy nestled in their too.

I'm not going to lie, I think I like this more than the Gaslight Anthem.

Free Music Friday 27!

Big thanks to Chris for this one.

Today's Free Music Friday is what I imagine all pop-punk to be. In my head, when I hear the words pop-punk I imagine this kind of music: a bunch of guy's making happy punk music about all things good in life and just having a ball. I don't imagine what gets passed off for pop-punk 98% of the time these days: either whiny teenage heartbreak crap (generally from 30-40 year old songwriters) or weird-ass breakdown not quite crap post-hardcore stuff.

Oh no, the Hotel Year is the damn good kind of pop-punk.

I went to google some pictures, but only got pictures of hotels. And some weird band that dresses like girls and plays weird ass pop-punk that I mentioned I hated above (tokio hotel I think).

Anyway, I'll shut up. You go to Bandcamp and download their album and enjoy the shit out of it. You can donate or there's a mediafire link there for you if you're real cheap.

Free Music Friday 26! (The not for everyone edition)

I stumbled across this band through another blog, which started a review with the words:

This EP, like every good hardcore recording since the beginning of time, starts out with feedback

So yes, I had to get it. But really, it's not for everyone. The band is called Chewed Out, and I couldn't find a picture of them. Here's one of the top Google image search results for them though:
I think that is Steve Jobs punching someone. Yep, no idea.

Anyway, Chewed Out are dirty, grimey hardcore which starts leaning a bit more of the way towards grindcore. If you like bands like Dangers and Departures (which I really freaking do), or even chaotic noisy hardcore bands like The Chariot or Norma Jean, you'll enjoy the shit out of this.

They have a free EP on their Bandcamp. Get it and get moshing in your bedroom/office/wherever you keep your computer.

Free Music Friday 25!

I really wanted to post this last week, but hey, I was in Melbourne for Modest Mouse. So I think I had my priorities straight. But it gave me a lot more time to listen to this band on the plane, and I can't stop listening to it.

The band is Monument and this year they realeased an album called Sweat Pants Fever. You can stream it here:

It's 90's style emo, with a way more heavy rocking edge. The album is half covers. But that doesn't bother me. The last two covers just make the album even stronger (Descendents and Braid).

Now, streaming isn't free. I know. But if you follow the stream link to their Bandcamp (or you can click here) you can get some of their EPs for free. Just click the album covers on the right hand side of the page.

With the Get Up Kids coming out in 2 weeks and Braid about to release a new album, this has really got me back into my 90s midwest style emo.

Free Music Friday 24!

Bandcamp.
Is there a better website for discovering new music? I think not.
You can get free albums, unlike MySpace where you have to stream one song at a time.
You can download the whole album and keep it. Once again, MySpace streams.
You can buy it directly from the band if you like their shit.

If it wasn't for Bandcamp, I wouldn't have done Free Music Friday. About 70% of this stuff comes direct from Bandcamp. And it's generally some random band that has absolutely no info and I have no idea how I stumbled onto it.

Which brings us around full circle to this Free Music Friday. It's a band called Step Dads. And the only picture I could find is from their Facebook.

There is apparently a very attractive female in this band, according to the picture. Which of course means I like them a lot already.

But in a non-sexist way, I decided I liked this band way before I knew that. You see, they are that noisy type of post-hardcore that I love. Post-hardcore to most of the young generation is just synth/breakdowns/bad-core music (think Bring Me The Horizon etc), so it always irks me that the old/good style of post-hardcore is lost. That's another rant for another day though.

The last few weeks I've been blasting a lot of the Black Powder and Black Eyes and really any of that good old-style of Dischord records style of music. Also the amazing Arms Exploding album that someone over at Phatry Records was nice enough to package for free in a vinyl order for me. Basically old-school amazing post-hardcore. And it's made me so nostalgic that I've also been blaring a lot of At the Drive-In. The point is, I've fallen back in love with the more "classic" style of post-hardcore, especially the times when it just disintegrates into a very noisy-style.

Step Dads are that style. I wish I knew more about them, but so far apart from their Facebook and Bandcamp, I've seen nothing. Except they're from Indiana. Go the midwest! (my old stomping grounds).

Over on their Bandcamp, you can get their EP for absolutely free. Chuck it a listen if you like the sound of anything I've mentioned so far this blog post, or you just want some excellent, noisy and slightly chaotic music.

They also have a song called Legos. I basically want to be in this band.

Guerilla Gigs: the Wimbledon Edition

Yes, I ranted on-and-on the other day about how much I hate post-rock, except for a small handfull of bands. And one of those bands, that I forgot to mention at the time, is from our own sweet home town of Brisbane. They are Mr Maps.

I didn't include them because they really aren't that post-rock. I prefer to think of them as just bloody awesome instrumental music. Yes, there's no singing, but my god, what they do is just make some absolutely beautifully layered music.

Their launching their new single soon and it's named Tennis Party. And to celebrate all things tennis, they're going to do a guerilla gig... on a tennis court. On the 17th of July, between 1pm and 3pm, head over to the New Farm Park Tennis Courts (Hopetoun Way in New Farm, next to the park) for an absolutely free all ages gig. I think it's a good excuse for a picnic as well.

They've got a few free MP3s, including the new single, on their Triple J Unearthed page.

EDIT:
This is how excited I am for it