Weekly Album Review - Dead in the Dirt "The Blind Hole"

Release Date: August 6th, 2013

Southern Lord Recordings

Dead in the Dirt are a hardcore/ crust/ grind band from Atlanta, Georgia, and are signed to Southern Lord Recordings. With a blasting style similar to the likes of powerviolence innovators Dropdead, and Magrudergrind, they also touch on traditional standards of grind bands such as Deathspell Omega, Haymaker, and Left for Dead. While grind is traditionally viewed as a “one trick” genre, Dead in the Dirt are on the forefront of bands attempting to break this mold, and are doing so successfully. They formed in December of 2008, and have been making a name for themselves ever since. Touring extensively with big name grind acts like Mammoth Grinder, they have traveled worldwide. While their discography is only two EPs and a full length, they make up in quality what they lack in quantity. On August 6th, 2013, D.I.T.D. released their first full length album, The Blind Hole. The album is 22 songs of pure heaviness, and punishment. With riffs so heavy and jammy, you can’t help but nod your head, this album is a fun listen from start to finish. While most of the album includes fast tempos and grinding vocals, tracks like “The Pit of Me”, slow it down a bit and use aspects of early 90’s hardcore bands like The Cro-Mags, to create a slow and groovy, yet equally as heavy sound. The first track on The Blind Hole is titled “Suffer” and instantly sets the tone for the album. They wasted zero time getting down to what the album was going to be like, with a heavy jumpy groove riff opening the song, and absolutely unsettling vocals following this up. The song ends promptly at just 52 seconds, but leaves the listener wanting more. This is where D.I.T.D. is different than bands of the past. The songs remain short, but once they are finished, you can’t wait for the next one to start, and that’s what makes this album so successful. Another favorite of mine on the album is “Swelling”, the third track in. It’s only 21 seconds long, but it starts of extremely fast, and just drops off. The guitars go from a high pitched fast riff, and drop down to a slow sludgy riff, with low growling vocals that just make me want to get up and move. “Swelling” fades into the next song, “Strength Through Restraint”, which has a slow tempo, dominated by drum and bass. his album grinds on for only 23 minutes, but after one listen, I wanted to start the album over immediately. It has major replay value, and really breaks the traditional dry mold of all the bands in this genre sounding exactly same. I highly recommend it to anyone who has listened to grind in the past and just couldn’t get into it for the reason of it being boring or sounding the same as everything else. This album will really change your mind. 

News - Code Orange Kids Announce West Coast Tour w/ Terror, Fucked Up and Power Trip

Deathwish announced today that Code Orange Kid will be touring this fall with Terror, Fucked Up, and Power Trip. The tour is part of Terror's All-Star Tour package with Every Time I Die, and the last leg of shows on the west coast will be with Code Orange Kids, Fucked Up, and Power Trip.

Tour dates:

08/06 Albuquerque, NM - Gasworks *

08/08 Dallas, TX - The Door *

08/09 San Antonio, TX - Backstage Live *

08/10 Houston, TX - House Of Blues *

08/12 Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade *

08/13 Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre *

08/14 Silver Spring, MD - The Filmore *

08/15 New York, NY - Gramercy Theater *

08/16 Reading, PA - Reverb *

08/17 Hartford, CT - Webster Theatre *

10/04 Mesa, AZ - The Underground #

10/05 La Jolla, CA - Che Café #
10/06 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex %

10/07 Anaheim, CA - The Chain Reaction %

10/08 Oakland, CA - Oakland Metro Operahouse %

10/09 Portland, OR - Star Theater %

10/10 Seattle, WA - El Corazon %

10/11 Vancouver, BC, CA - Rickshaw Theatre %

* All Stars Tour
# with Code Orange Kids, Power Trip
% with Fucked Up, Code Orange Kids, Power Trip

News - Death Grips Cancels Chicago Shows (UPDATE)

This whole thing just keeps getting weirder and weirder. After Death Grips unexpectedly bailed on a Lollapalooza After-Party Show this Friday, they angered a lot of people. And I mean pissed them off. Well, now they've dropped from the Lollapalooza line-up, and forced Shaun White's band, Bad Things to headline in their place. This all happens after Death Grips received a suicide note from an anonymous fan. The note reads:

SUBJECT: ready DATE: July 9

I am ready to take my own life. Many bad experiences led me to this dark void that I am locked in. Maybe by my own hands? I don't really care anymore. I just wanted to say thank you for showing me the other side. the side that is locked away deep inside a person. I am mad. Mad all the time and depressed all the time. I can't take it. I'm not afraid of dying but i am afraid that I can't hear DG in the after life if there is such a thing. I don't know, but I hope your music transcends to the unknown. A place where DG's essence exists. A place where art exists. I love art. That's the one thing that kept me alive? this long. So just to ease minds, DG didn't "influence" me to do this. this is my own fucking choice. but thanks for making my life a little better. you're my absolute fave and I will fight the gods if they don't allow me to follow DG's efforts can't see Earth. Anyways, continue doing great things. I love you Stefan, Zach, and Andy.

I will be watching.

-AJJ

The suicide note was also printed on a giant banner and hung from the stage at the Bottom Lounge show on Friday. Personally, I am confused and lost by this whole thing. But, I also feel this is what Death Grips wants, and there's something behind it. After announcing their drop from these shows, it was also announced they dropped their date at Osheaga Fest in Quebec. Is this the new way of telling the world you aren't a band anymore? Art, man. 

Culture - Elkhart, IN Art League Allowing Artists to Legally Graffiti Its Building

This is one of the coolest things to happen in my area in a long time. An art association in Elkhart, IN (Northern Indiana) is now allowing artists to freely tag their building without fear of getting arrested or fined. The Vice President of the Art League, Ellen Ridenour, said that she, "just felt like if they had a free place that they could actually do graffiti here and they can actually show their artwork we thought maybe it would stop the graffiti in other parts of Elkhart." I personally know several writers with amazing talent and I think this is a super cool thing. There are ground rules, swear words and gang related symbols will be painted over, so even something seen in a negative light, like graffiti, is now being brought into a more positive light. Personally, I can't wait to get out there and add my own touch to it. 

Culture - "Summer Daze 2013" Skate Video

At the beginning of this summer, I decided I wanted to piece together a short video of the skateboarding that me and my friends did this summer. It ended up being more of me doing a lot of filming, which is what I love to do. We hit everywhere in this video, from O'Brien Skatepark on the Southside of South Bend, Indiana, to a Tony Hawk built skatepark in Indianapolis, and back to a backyard pool in South Bend. It's things like these that make me happy to be alive, and remind me there's still cool stuff going on in my area (or your area).

Spotlight - Angel Du$t

Angel Du$t is a newer hardcore band, which almost sounds like a cross between Turnstile and Limp Bizkit. With singing about slam dancing and jumping into the crowd, it evokes feelings of being 13 and going to see Sum 41 for the first time. Personally, I think it's a fun hardcore band, breaking the mold of the typical "tough guy hardcore" bands that crowd the scene right now. It's hard to put Angel Du$t in any one genre, as they have several different aspects to them. I hear a whole lot of punk riffs, and that's rad to me. Pick up their 3 song EP from REACT! Records and check it out for yourself. http://reactrecords.bandcamp.com/album/xtra-raw

News - Death Grips Skips Lollapalooza After Party Show

Apparently Death Grips decided not to play a scheduled show last night in Chicago. The show was a sold out Lollapalooza After Party show at the Bottom Lounge in Chicago, Illinois, and when the show was supposed to begin, Death Grips stayed back stage and instead played their music over the PA system. The venue issued refunds, but people were still very unhappy about this and began destroying the bands equipment. Below is a video of someone announcing that Death Grips would not be playing, and that the show was cancelled.

Most people took to twitter to express their anger over this. Personally, I think it's something Death Grips would do and it makes me like them more. To each his own, right?

Spotlight - Death Grips

Death Grips are an experimental hip hop group hailing from Sacramento, California and play a dark, unsettling style of music. Consisting of MC Ride doing vocals, Zach Hill (formally of Hella and Boredoms) and Andy "Flatliner" Morin. The trio collaborates to create a shocking blend of punk rock, electronic noise and hip hop. Forming in 2010, Death Grips released their first EP, "Exmilitary" after recording a 7-song self-titled EP the day they formed. 2012 spawned two full lengths from the trio, "The Money Store", and "No Love Deep Web". If you're into any of the styles blended into this hellish monster of a band, definitely give them a listen.
Photo Credit: Kenny Sun

Artist Spotlight - Alissa Reynolds

Alissa Reynolds and I met last October at a Trapped Under Ice show in Chicago, and we've been friends ever since. Alissa works out of Minneapolis, and does some amazing work. I did a quick interview with her and talked about the bands she has worked with and wants to work with.

RD: Alright, Alissa, what exactly is it you do?
AR: I'm a music photographer and videographer.

RD: At this point, what has been your favorite experience involving your work?
AR: Probably all of the people I've met. I can't imagine where my life would be had I not pursued this as a career.

RD: Who would you say has been your favorite band(s) to work with?
AR: Probably Molly's Worst Enemy! They're some of my greatest friends and both of us have evolved at the same rate over time. I do however have a great deal of fun shooting Code Orange Kids! I've had the chance to shoot them several times and 
each is more exciting than the last.

RD: Who is someone that you would say is your goal to work with in the future?
AR: It's been my goal to work for a label since I realized how important my photos were to me, and that's what I'm looking towards currently!

RD: What has been the album you can't stop listening to as of late?
AR: I've been listening to Sport's album Colors practically on repeat the past week or two. I've also been playing through Spraynard's discography about every other day. RIP.

RD: Is there anything else you want to say or add?
AR: I heart Trey York?????





You can check out more of Alissa's amazing work at: http://www.alissareynolds.com/

Spotlight - Hesitation Wounds

Hesitation Wounds is the birthchild of some of the most influential hardcore bands of the times. Featuring Jeremy Bolm (Touche Amore), Neeraj Kane (The Hope-Consipiracy, Suicide FIle, Holy Fever), Jay Weinberg (Ex-Against Me!), and Stephen LaCour (Ex-Trap Them, True Cross), it isn't hard to see this side-project would kill beyond expectations. Apparently they wrote and recorded their self-titled EP in two days, and given how good it is, that fact is mind blowing. The EP was released by Bolm's record label, Secret Voice and is available on vinyl/digital from Deathwish Records. 

http://deathwishinc.com/estore/product/SV002v.html

Interview - Grey Gordon

Today I got to have an awesome interview with Grey Gordon of No Sleep Records. Grey and I met through playing shows in Indiana and he has always been a big inspiration to me in music. We talk tour plans, veganism, and Gucci Mane. 

RD: To start off, what has been new in the world of Grey Gordon?

GG: Not too terribly much. Still just playing shows, writing songs and hanging out. I am actually working on finally getting together a full band set, so I'm pretty psyched on that.

RD: How have things changed for you and your music since you were signed to the No Sleep Team?

GG: No Sleep has been a really positive thing. The primary difference is just the level of exposure. Being signed has helped me network in totally new ways, and my music is reaching people it never would have reached before. That's the dopest part of the whole experience. It's amazing and surreal to me that some kid in Russia is psyched on what I'm doing. I have Chris and No Sleep to thank for that. They've been nothing but supportive and awesome to work with.

RD: Do you have any full tour plans in the near future?

GG: Yep. I'm actually hitting Germany, Austria and Switzerland for 17 days this November with a band called Marathonmann. Couldn't be more stoked about that. After that, I'll be trying to plan some things on the US front for 2014. Definitely expect some extensive touring next year.

RD: Tell me a little about all the projects you're involved with

Well, besides my solo endeavors, I play in a hardcore band called Parasitic Twins. Hardcore will always be where my heart's at, and I'll never not be involved in it. That band is basically just old school stuff with a slightly different twist on it. The new stuff is sounding halfway between Poison Idea and Fucked Up, which I'm very excited about. We're currently writing for a full length. I'm also working on a mixtape with my man Matt Riefler. Hip-hop is another one of my great loves, but we're taking our time with that. It'll be out for free sometime this winter most likely. Besides that, I'm working on a still slightly secret collabo. I won't say much about it, but I will say it's with the guitarist of one of my all time favorite emo bands. That's what I'm most excited for currently. Can't wait to be able to drop more details on that.

RD: Tell me a little about The Wickerwolves, who have been making considerable ripples in the pond that is the Midwest.

GG: I just joined an incredibly ill band called The Wickerwolves. They've only been playing for about 6 months, but they're absolutely mind blowing. I can say with confidence that they're writing some of the best contemporary emo in the Midwest right now, and I don't think it's going unnoticed. I actually overheard Taylor from Daylight talking them up at Bled Fest, so that's pretty sick. So yeah, I just joined as their rhythm guitarist. I'll basically play shows with them whenever I'm not playing shows with my other projects. They're grinding really hard, playing tons of shows and writing for a full length, which is going to be next level. Hardest working kids I know, and they're all only 19 and 20. Seriously inspiring. Plus, the vocalist/bassist is my little brother Tate, so I'm really fucking proud. Watch out for these guys.

RD: How has being a member of the hardcore community helped or hindered your progress as a solo artist?

GG: I don't think there's been any degree of hinderance whatsoever. I've been attending/playing/booking shows for a decade now, and I've met a lot of incredible people along the way. When I decided to do this solo project, there was already a built in network of support thanks to my involvement in hardcore. Of course, any scene or community can be fickle, and I've seen hardcore ebb and flow over the course of the last 10+ years, but ultimately it's still my home. I still go to shows every single week. I still mosh really hard. I'm still inspired to tears by the power it has to move and unite people. I can say nothing but good things about what it's done for me and my music.

RD: How, if in any way, has veganism and the straight edge impacted your music?

GG: I'm sure it's fairly obvious to anyone that being vegan and straight edge are huge components of who I am. I don't think there's any way they couldn't impact my music. I've written songs addressing those topics, and I'm sure I'll write more in the future. Personally, the vegan straight edge is a fiercely political facet of my identity. At the end of the day, I think that people are people, and goodness takes many different forms. Some of the best, hardest working people I know smoke weed every day. However, ultimately, I would say my take on XVX is fairly militant, albeit is a somewhat unique fashion. Those concepts are intrinsically bound to my leftist political/economic beliefs. Besides which, they've allowed me the clarity of mind and focus to stay my course in the face of adversity, which may sound cliche, but is very true. Sometimes I hate addressing these things in interviews, because it's hard to properly get across how multifaceted my views on this subject are. For example, I fully support the legalization of narcotics, and I think it's horrifying how the drug war has been used to oppress and imprison America's working class and minority communities. Furthermore, I think the rhetoric of morality spewed by a lot of straight edge kids is disgusting and supports the legacy of Western sexual oppression, heteronormativity and patriarchy. Don't get me started on this "slut free" shit. Have sex with whoever you want to. I'll stop before I ramble, but I'll just say this: if you really want to know my views on this and how XVX has impacted my life and music, find me after a show and let's talk.

RD: What band or artist would you say has impacted you the most, or what artist has inspired you to do what you are doing musically?

GG: Well, the band that initially inspired me to make music was Nirvana. I grew up in a house where music was the norm, and my dad actually raised me on hardcore. He booked shows and was a hardcore kid in the 80s, which rules, but discovering Nirvana when I was 12 is what made me realize that creating music was what I wanted to do more than anything. Honestly, it's hard to hone in on a single source of inspiration, simply because my musical tastes are so varied and extensive. I mean, my favorite album ever is "Illmatic" by Nas. I do have to shout out Ben Barnett, who does a project called Kind of Like Spitting. I don't think I'd make the music I do if it weren't for his records. He's also become an amazing friend. Other than that, I'm just really inspired by the bands and people I share stages with. That's what keeps me constantly striving.

RD: Who is your go to band for listening right now?

GG: Lately, Superchunk and Nada Surf have been some go to bands. Drawing a lot of inspiration from that era of music during the process of writing for this full length. Honestly though, 90% of what I listen to in my spare time is hip-hop. Lately, it's been a lot of Gucci Mane, Rich Homie Quan, Young Thug, Serp, Lil Ugly Mane, Killer Mike & El-P and Pac Div.

RD: What album of 2013 (so far) are you either most excited for or think will be the best album of the year?

GG: The newest Run The Jewels hasn't stopped spinning, which is a collab between Killer Mike and El-P. I think they're the best team in hip-hop right now. I'm also really excited for the new Into It. Over It. I think Evan is one of the best songwriters out, and he's a genuinely good dude. Much love for him. I'm sure his record will be one of the best of the year. I'm also always following and loving everything Deranged Records puts out. I failed to mention it earlier, but lots of shit by Deranged never leaves my listening rotation. Creem and No Class both put out perfect records in the last year. I'm hoping to see more ill stuff from that camp this year.

Shouts out to Grey for this interview, and make sure you pick up his new EP "Still At Home Here" over at No Sleep Records 
https://store.nosleeprecords.com/artist/grey-gordon 
Also check out his music over at 
http://greygordon.bandcamp.com/ 

Daylight - "Jar" Album Review

Release Date: April 30th, 2013
Released by: Run For Cover Records
CD/LP/Digital


I was very excited to do this review, as Daylight has been one of my favorite bands since I first heard "Sinking", (although I enjoyed "Dispirit" significantly more), and they have been a huge inspiration in my own music since I first heard them.



The opening drums and whining guitar solo at the beginning of the intro track, "Sponge", really set the mood for the theme of the album. The vocal style and choppy guitar rhythms really strike nostalgic values from the 90's, and very apparently draw inspiration from that time period. A lot of bands have been releasing 90's revival albums and I'll be honest, I'm over the fad. But Daylight tops the list of bands doing the 90's thing. It would be safe to say they were one of the first to do it, and do it better than the Title Fight's and Citizen's who appear to just be fitting the mold, not breaking it. This album does a good job of straying away from the style they begun to have on 2012's "Difference in Good and Bad Dreams", which had grunge elements but was still pretty straight forward. "Jar" successfully takes the Daylight we all know and love and blends it with the music we all grew up with. A stand-out track is track 2 "Life in a Jar". To me, this song sounds like a beautiful blend of Daylight, elements of "Siamese Dream" Smashing Pumpkins, and dare I say a little bit of Pearl Jam? Track 5 "Crawl" does the best job at staying true to the old style of Daylight, so hard headed listeners will be happy with this song, which sounds like it could have been a hidden track on "Difference".  As much as I like the album as a whole, there are a few songs that are just too much of a bore for me. Track 11 "In On It", (also the only single released for this album), just sounds like a boring Nirvana cover. I think this track sounds like Title Fight's attempt at 90's revival on their 2012 release "Floral Green". It's just not interesting, and sounds like stuff we've already heard.

However, even with the very few slip ups this album had, in my eyes, it still raises the bar on what 90's revival should be in music today. What made this album stand out to me, was Daylight's ability to stay true to their roots, while still developing and growing as a band. I highly recommend picking this record up, it's definitely going to be a good fall/winter album to jam on the turntable.

Touche Amore "Just Exist" Single

Deathwish Records own Touche Amore have released a single from their upcoming LP called "Just Exist". The song will be on the new album "Is Survived By" out September 24th. Listen to the new song below:



Visit Deathwish's bio for Touche Amore here: http://www.deathwishinc.com/bands/125/