manual dexterity music zine feb/march 2011

8/7/2019 Manual Dexterity Music Zine Feb/March 2011

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MonumentHihtie Htel

Ftll, etc.Chris Strn

T SlterSy Hi Tur

LnlnSIXES


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Cover // Here:

Monument // Football, etc.Photos: Joanna Moreno // ickr.com/photos/joh_moreno

The Pentaverate: Adam SeverCorrespond: [email protected]. Box 1616 Monticello, MN 55362mandexzine.com // acebook.com/mandexzine


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Feb/March 2011SIXES: Recr Lels 06Ftll, etc. 12

Scrnd: T Slter 17

Transmissions: Sy Hi 22

Mnument 24Hihtie Htel 30

A Sound Design: Lnln 34

Chris Strn (Hs Yu Cere) 37

Reies 44


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Evil WeevilBill & Mike

What band or album really turned you on and got

you interested in music?Green Day, Dookie. My baby-sitter let it at myhouse and my mom broke it a ew months laterwhen she realized there were cuss words.

What motivated you to want to start a record label?Necessity.

What do you think is the biggest problem acingindependent record labels today?

Terrorists.

Do you think releasing CDs is still practical orhave vinyl and digital releases become moreviable?CDs are essentially disposable now.What do you consider beore signing a band andreleasing their album?Glamour muscles, picking styles, big jumps. I guesssomewhere in there is i they are our riends andstu too.

What hurdles have you had to overcome with yourlabel and what did you learn rom it?Im not very athletic. I learned Im not very athletic.

Tiny Engines

Will Miller

What band or album really turned you on and gotyou interested in music?Well, it might show o my age and sound a bitclich, but Id probably have to say Nirvana. I gotseriously into music kind o late I guess. Up to thepoint I heard Nirvana, I enjoyed music but didnt re-

ally try to dig or something more than what was onthe radio or MTV. Nirvana was kind of that gatewayband that really made me go deep into alternative/indie/punk music. I can remember coming backrom a Church ski trip and listening to a cassettesingle of Nirvanas Smells Like Teen Spirit onrepeat the whole way. It was just so

dierent than anything I had ever experienced in mysheltered music listening. And then I can rememberdelving into my brothers music collection soonater that. The Smiths, Dinosaur Jr, Bad Religion,Descendents, etc. All that stu I ound so incrediblyexciting. I think rom that point on, I was changed

and music became a huge part o my lie.

What motivated you to want to start a record label?Thats difcult to pinpoint honestly. I think as Istarted to get more and more into indie music,Ireally started to identiy with the DIY mind-set oit all. And I also realized I had no musical tenden-cies mysel, so it was really just an idea that grewover time. You know, hypothetically, doing a labelsounded un and would allow me to stay aroundmusic. But, its certainly not something that hap-pened overnight or any o us. And thats good. II would have tried to do this 10 years ago I wouldhave probably ailed miserably. Weve all had alot o dierent jobs/experiences that have eitherdirectly or indirectly prepared us or this. Wevebeen around the block, so I dont think anything hasoverwhelmed us. We recognized that it was going tobe hard work and it has been. But at the end o the

day you are putting out music you love. And whatsmore un than that?

What do you think is the biggest problem acingindependent record labels today?Hmmm, I guess most people would say illegaldownloading, but I get irritated when labelscomplain about that. Perhaps Tiny Engines hasntreached a point where illegal downloading reallyaects us. I guess the bigger you get the more it

should bother you. But, its pointless. You have toaccept it and move on. Make the best out o it. Useit to your advantage. Hell, even embrace it. Kidshave proven theyll still buy music, so I think the keyis to get their attention. I think thats the biggestissue honestly. With the rise o the internet/digitalage you kind o have this blessed/cursed problem.On one hand the internet has changed the rules solittle guys like Tiny Engines can not only exist butmake a mark. But on the other hand there are so

many bands/labels now that its tough to get yoursheard through all the other noise o the crowd. Youhave to fnd ways to get noticed sometimes. But,or me, its still pretty simple: release great musicand bands you believe in and the rest will take careo itsel.


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Tiny Engines cont.Do you think releasing CDs is still practical orhave vinyl and digital releases become moreviable?

Tiny Engines is strictly a vinyl/digital label and Ithink we will probably always be that way. We didtoy with the idea o doing small runs o CDs in thebeginning, but we just decided to stick to vinyl. CDsare so cheap to make, especially compared to vinyl,so I think theyll hang around or a while. But, unlessyou are pushing your music to be bought rom themainstream, I see very little point in selling CDs.For us especially, I just dont see a market or it.

What do you consider beore signing a band andreleasing their album?Well, obviously, frst and oremost we have to lovethe music and be comortable with the band aspeople. Wed love the band to be steady tourers butI dont think thats a necessity in this age. But, def-nitely a plus. I think one thing Ive really appreciatedrom particular bands that weve worked with is justhow involved they are. Bands that take initiative arear too rare these days. You cant always sit around

and wait or the label guy or the press guy or thetour guy to do everything or you. I think the mainthing or band and label is to just be on the samepage with how you want to do things. Aestheticsand promotion, etc. As long as everybody is pullingin the same direction, it will be a good relationship.

What hurdles have you had to overcome with yourlabel and what did you learn rom it?No specic hurdles really. That doesnt mean its

been easy though, weve defnitely had to learnsome things as we go, but I think weve done itthe right way, at least or us. I think a lot o labelstry to do too much out o the gate and that doomsthem. We always had the mind-set o taking it slowand treating Tiny Engines more like a un hobby.Its defnitely grown more than we expected at thispoint. But, were still a baby with only 8 releaseson the books, so were careul not to get too aheado ourselves. Sometimes I get caught up in therenzy o what other labels might be doing and myown confdence/belie in Tiny Engines so I think weshould be releasing more stu. But, Ive learned itsbest to focus on yourself and to be REAL particularabout what you release. So ar, so good.

Black NumbersDave Frenson


you interested in music?Above and beyond the normal stu any kid listensto with their parents, I remember getting a SamGoody gift card for Christmas when I was in 5th or6th grade. I got Bad Religions Recipe or Hateanda ew other CDs. That remains one o my avoriterecords to this day, and I think that was what reallygot me into punk rock.

What motivated you to want to start a record label?

A desire to work with awesome bands, honestly.

What do you think is the biggest problem acingindependent record labels today?The music industry changes so much rom day today, its hard to pinpoint the biggest. Id say theoverall issue is keeping resh. The Internet is adouble edged sword in that it helps push labels/bands and gives you a worldwide platorm. Thedownside is, everyone else has the same platorm,

so the key is making your releases stand out.

Do you think releasing CDs is still practical orhave vinyl and digital releases become moreviable?I think all 3 formats are denitely viable. The key isfguring out what a band or labels anbase is morekeen to. Some o our artists do really well with CDs,and others are much more successul with vinyl.

What do you consider beore signing a band andreleasing their album?First and oremost, the music has to be awesome.We only release records we would listen to. Aterthat, we make sure that the band is willing to workas hard as we are.

What hurdles have you had to overcome with yourlabel and what did you learn rom it?

Lumberjack disbanding was certainly a hurdle. Fromthat, Id say we learned how to (and how not to)get our records out there even without an exclusivedistro.


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Count YourLucky StarsKeith LatinenWhat band or album really turned you on and gotyou interested in music?The frst album I can really remember obsessingover was Clumsyby Our Lady Peace. My brotherand I would listen to it on the way to high school inthe morning. Eventually, I ound my way into artistslike Knapsack and Mineral, back when you couldntjust type Mineral mediare into Google. Finding

small bands and rare albums was an art, and thechase made the reward that much better.

What motivated you to want to start a record label?I think the thought that: a) no other label wouldwant to put out my bands stu, and b) there wereso many good bands I knew that were going un-heard, that I wanted to try and change that.What do you think is the biggest problem acingindependent record labels today?Small budgets, limited time and resources, lazyans, and lazy bands. The Internet is not an end-allpeople!

Do you think releasing CDs is still practical orhave vinyl and digital releases become moreviable?Without a doubt, the vinyl and the digital releasesare ar more viable. Especially in the community oartists and ans our genre attracts. I the release isonly available on CD, they are just going to down-load it. I think I will orever be lugging boxes o CDs

rom apartment to apartment every time I move.

What do you consider beore signing a band andreleasing their album?Nowadays, we have to be more selective, but a bigpart o it remains the same as when we stared. Themusic has to catch us, and they have to be activeand tour. I cant stress that second part enough.Labels want bands who are already working hard;it makes our job 100% easier. Bands, help us helpyou!What hurdles have you had to overcome with yourlabel and what did you learn rom it?I think the biggest thing or me is not over-com-mitting. For anyone who knows me, I like to alwayshelp and do all I can. But at some point, i you aredoing too much, everything gets at least a littleneglected. We are unded out o pocket, and with

only so much (or, rather, so little) to spread around,being choosey is a must.


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Top ShelfKevin Duquette


you interested in music?Id say Saves The Days Stay What You Are, BraidsFrame & Canvasand Toes The BookAbout My IdlePlot On A Vague Anxietyall really got me interestedin wanting to get involved with music somehow.

What motivated you to want to start a record label?Topshel was frst born out o necessity as a meansto help promote and release music rom bands thatwe were playing in at the time. The scope grew as we

started releasing our riends music as well. So, basi-cally, we started this to get our music and that o ourfriends heard outside of the New England basementsit was currently confned to. At the time, other al-ready existing (and now deunct) labels that inspiredand motivated us were Connecticuts Kill NormalRecords and Brooklyns Said Sew Recordings.

What do you think is the biggest problem acingindependent record labels today?I really have no idea, haha! Youd think Id readilybe able to answer this with something poignantand insightul, but Ive got next to nothing. I reallythink that independent music and the recordlabels involved with it are experiencing a waveof growth right now on the heels of the digital era(or whatever) right now. Albums leaking ahead otheir release dates is always a bad thing or a recordlabel, but albums being reely shared via Mediafre /What.CD / etc. ater an album has been made avail-able helps spread the word about the band, gainthem ans, get more people out at shows and some-times even translates into album sales. Its a doubleedged sword or sure, but I think it helps more thanit hurts. I think the key to solving this problemgoing orward will be learning how to better lever-age reely available digital copies o albums andsongs to gain value in return.

Do you think releasing CDs is still practical orhave vinyl and digital releases become moreviable?CDs are defnitely still practical. Well, they arentto me, haha, but to the vast majority o peoplepurchasing music, CD is still king. Now, while thatmight not be true or the niche we cater to (andwere aware o that), its still defnitely a viable

ormat especially at retail. That said, we preer to

go the vinyl / digital route or most o our smalleror one-o releases and I think people who ollowthe label and the bands we work with preer thoseormats as well.

What do you consider beore signing a band andreleasing their album?A lot o things. Work ethic, talent, ethos and themas people. Almost every band weve worked with tothis point is either a riend or riend o a riend(s),

and while that isnt necessarily a prerequisite, itmakes every aspect o doing this so much moreenjoyable. We appreciate, respect and enjoylistening to all o our bands and the day that stopshappening, I dont want to do this anymore.

What hurdles have you had to overcome with yourlabel and what did you learn rom it?Weve had a surprisingly easy go o it consideringwe are still just in our inancy as a label. I think thebiggest long term hurdle weve had was developingour own unique roles and balancing our strengthsand weaknesses to better run the label (Seth andmysel, I mean). There arent any egos and we bothmesh really well at this point, so I eel like thatssomething weve defnitely overcome. In terms omore real-lie, tangible examples o hurdles go...This past summer we invested a lot o time andmoney into a compilation CD project or Warped

Tour 2010. The pressing plant we chose to gothrough botched the project entirely and then closeddown without any warning. This let us out on theroad and committed to a tour with barely anythingto sell. We were losing money most o the summerand had to pay through the roo or rush productionand delivery costs through another pressing plant toget our CDs to us to sell. It was a nightmare. Heh,I think we learned a lot rom that though, basicallyjust in terms o time management or projects.


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Side With UsLeslie Hampton


you interested in music?This is a really tough question. Besides running a la-bel Im also a musician, designer and photographer.Im inspired by music, so it has come rom many di-erent sources. Blonde Redhead, Hot Snakes, SonicYouth, Blur, Yo La Tengo, The New Trust and Fugaziare some o my avorite bands not on my label. Theband and album that inspired me to start my label,was my frst release Worker Bee - Tangler. Greatsongwriting and love Robert Cheeks production.

What motivated you to want to start a record label?This again could be a very long list, but Ill try to sim-plify it. I saw a lot of labels that were taking 50% ormore o the sales ater production cost and werentdoing a lot or their artists. I take considerably lessthan that and Im very upront with everyone I workwith. There is a lot o people that complain the SouthBay in Caliornia doesnt have a good music scene.Theres a great music scene in San Jose, but unor-tunately not enough people know about it. I wanted

to help boost the San Jose Indie scene and have oneplace where people can fnd a lot o the great bandsrom this area. The location o the bands on my labelhave extended up to North more, with releases withSeattles By Sunlight and The Velvet Teen and Not ToReason Why rom the Santa Rosa area. Mainly whatIm trying to achieve with my label is release goodmusic, get bands on bigger Indie label and createa band network. Similar sounding and like-mindedbands that can help each other book shows and tour.

What do you think is the biggest problem acingindependent record labels today?I think the biggest problem is how to promote a bandand do that without spending a lot o money. Youcan easily spend several thousand dollars and a loto time on promoting a band. I you take very little asI do, then there isnt a lot o unds to spend on pro-motion. I cant aord to put a banner ad on Pitchorkand hire an agency to promote band. I contact a loto zines, college radio stations, newspapers, blogs

and magazines independently. They need contentand you need to help promote bands, so a lot otimes theres ways o helping each other out.

Do you think releasing CDs is still practical or havevinyl and digital releases become more viable?It depends on the size o the label, how youre havingthe CDs made and the what you think the ans o the

artist might want. Some bands have a really tough

time selling vinyl. Other bands have really toughtime selling CDs because their ans just want a vinylwith a download code. I have my own downloadcode system and CD duplicator/printer. I an artistneeds CDs or download codes I can make them ondemand. Saves a lot o money and space not havingto order 1000 CDs to make it cost eective. A lot omy releases are physical/digital; either vinyl with adownload code or a poster with a download code onthe back (PostCode). There are bands doing CDs DIYand labels like Parks and Records (parksandrecords.com) doing bulk CD replication and then stamping/screening their own covers.

What do you consider beore signing a band andreleasing their album?Live show, recording quality, songwriting, longevity,ethics, type o media (vinyl, digitial and/or cd) thebands ans will buy, the personality o the band andi I think they are in the musical direction Im goingor. You have a general idea what a band might

sound like rom labels like Dischord and Kill RockStars beore you even hear them. I like that. Most othe bands Ive worked with are bands Ive ollowedor a while and weve become riends. It is harder orme to work with a band that I have never met and/orseen play. I dont work with bands that pay-to-playor work with dodgy promoters. I help my riend EricFanali run shows or Grand Fanali Presents (granda-nali.com) and also ew houses that do shows in thearea like Texas Toast DIY (texastoastdiy.com). Imrmly against promoters that ask at the door Whichband are you here to see? It makes me nauseous.

What hurdles have you had to overcome with yourlabel and what did you learn rom it?I have been pretty lucky so ar. I have had a lotlocal press support and Mike Park rom AsianMan Records has been my mentor. Ive learnedunortunately you cant help everyone. Its hard totell how serious some bands are or they are goingto continue on as a band. Thankully theres some

releases I didnt rush into, otherwise I would havelost a lot o money because a band broke up. Digitalreleases and being able to make small runs o CDs ina cost eective way has helped a lot. Sometimes DIYis the way. Im a lot more picky with what I releaseon vinyl because o it.


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Interview with Lindsay Minton, Mercy Harper, James Vehslage Photos: Joanna Moreno


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Previous to Football, etc., Lindsay and Mercy played in the well-liked, but short lived Tin Kitchen. Whathappened with Tin Kitchen that you didnt keep going with that band?Lindsay: Mercy and I moved to Texas. Tin Kitchen did have a reunion last February in New Brunswickand New York. We keep in touch with Jacki and are open to getting together again to write and recordsomething. So i we all happened to live in the same city again, Id bet wed be playing music together again.

What made Lindsay and Mercy want to move to Texas rom New Jersey? How long ater the move didFootball, etc. start?Mercy: If we had stayed in New Brunswick, Tin Kitchen wouldnt have broken up, and I think Football, etc. isin many ways a continuation of what we did in that band. But after we graduated from Rutgers, Lindsay andI both had work-related things we wanted to do that meant wed have to leave NJ. Lindsay was applying toTeach or America, and I was applying to graduate school. Houston ended up being the best place or us. Westarted looking or a drummer pretty soon ater we moved down.

Lindsay: We moved to Texas a ew days ater we graduated. I think I had to be down here by the frst weekof June to begin training to be a teacher. We found our rst drummer, Brandon, around January of 2009. Wewere at a loss or how to fnd a drummer. Craigslist saved the day. Twice, actually, because thats how weound James too.

How do the music scenes between Houston and New Brunswick compare?Mercy: I dont think I fully appreciated the exceptionally good New Brunswick music scene until we left.

Homes in Houston usually dont have basements, and I eel like the lack o that space impacts the DIY scenehere. I also didnt appreciate how much easier it is to book tours when youre starting in the Northeast. Itsharder in Texas, but there are exciting things happening here too.

Had you moved to a state where ootball wasnt so huge, would you have considered naming your bandHockey, etc., Surng, etc. or Shufeboard, etc.?Mercy: The name doesnt mean much; we did the stereotypical thing and ipped through a book to decideon a name. We just wanted a name that didnt mean anything.


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SXSW is coming up in a couple weeks and your band is playing a ew shows. What is your opinion oSXSW as a whole? Are there any bands you are particularly looking orward to seeing?James: Since I lived in Austin and started going to SXSW, it has grown rom concentrating its eorts onshowcasing unsigned bands to what it is today, an international showcase or new music in general. Itsgreat to see big named bands sharing the bill with bands that, without the estival, may have never cometo play in the U.S. O course with any big event or estival comes annoyances. Crowded streets, long lines,

overpriced beer...

Honestly, I havent had time this year to even consider who I am going to see, but its always good to seeold riends and local Austin bands like The Black Angels, Ume, Experimental Aircrat, and Trail o Dead.We rarely get a chance to run into so many other sports themed bands. Amongst the listings I ound theBaseball Project, Basketball, and a band called Football. Maybe well check some o those out.

Mercy: Ive never been to SXSW. I hope to see Wild Flag while were there.

Lindsay: Ive also never been to SXSW. Im excited to see all o the other bands on our label. I also hope tosee some old riends.

Your debut ull-length, The Draft, comes out in March, how long has the process o writing and recordingtaken with this album? How are you eeling about having the ull-length done?James: It eels great! From the point that I joined the band and we fnished recording was less than 7months. Some o the songs were pretty much fnished when I joined, but a lot o the writing came ater ourtour last summer. The hardest part is waiting or it to come out.

What kind o issues or topics are dealt with on The Draft?

Lindsay: I tend to return to issues o amily, my job, missing people or home. There are a couple o songsthat are about football. And by about football, I mean, for example, the song Mouthguard. I neverthought people would pay attention to my lyrics because or so long I was singing through P.A.s that youcould hardly hear me through. Now that we have a recording where the vocals are up front, I guess peoplemight think about it.

Where did you record The Draftand how was the experience recording in the studio?James: It was recorded in Norman, OK with Trent Bell who made the process really easy and fun for us. Hehad a lot studio experience as a musician rom his Chainsaw Kitten days, as well as being an accomplishedengineer and producer himsel. Wed go back to record with Trent again in a second. He also co-produced

the album with us, which wasnt necessarily planned. We just had a lot in common with him and liked everybit of advice he had to offer. It was a bit of a whirlwind recording process having only spent basically 2 daysrecording and 2 days mixing.

Lauren Denitzio, rom The Measure (SA), recently spoke out on sexism in the punk scene. From yourpoint o view, do you eel women get unequally treated to men in the indie scene?Mercy: I havent, mysel, experienced unequal treatment in the punk/indie scene since I was in highschool. Middle school and high school can be such an unsupportive environment or girls, and I think thatenvironment discourages a lot o girls rom picking up an instrument or starting a band. I think encouragingyoung people to get involved and eel they are a part o DIY punk through community-oriented projects like

Girls Rock Camp will help diversiy the scene. I think the best and most positive way to fght sexism, andracism and homophobia, in the scene is to challenge those who hold such belies with a diverse communityo punk rockers who can keep proving those expectations wrong. I dont want to kick sexist, racist, andhomophobic people out o the scene. Id rather change their minds, and I think encouraging diversity is thebest way to do that.


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Have you experienced or witnessed any sexist,racist or homophobic behavior rom others inthe indie/punk community? What can the indiecommunity do to better themselves?Lindsay: Look, Im a rm believer that there area lot o assholes. I guess I just try to surround

mysel with positive, like-minded people. I thinklike Mercy said, people just need to stand up tothose who behave that way. And they do, Imsure. Thankully, nothing comes to mind as ar omy having experienced or witnessed any o this.Not to say it doesnt happen, because I know itdoes. Im just worried that a lot o this behavioris now online and thereore just supposed to beunny. People shouldnt be able to get away withthat either because it makes others think its okayto talk like that.

Youve released some solo material, Past isPrelude, do you have any plans to release anymore solo material in the uture?Lindsay: I recorded that album as soon as Mercyand I decided on moving to Texas. We knew TinKitchen was winding down and I had all o thisstu that was intended or the band. I wanted

to fnish it beore I let, because I was worriedI wouldnt have a chance to do something likethat when I left New Brunswick. It was denitelya sort o transition or me. Id love to release more solo material, but Ive been so busy with work and withFootball, etc. So, there are no solid plans at the moment, but Im sure I will when I fnd the time.

The Draftis being jointly released in the U.S. and in the UK by Count Your Lucky Stars and strictly nocapital letters, do you have any plans or touring in the UK?James: For what its worth, we plan to try to tour the UK. The idea o it is extremely appealing to us, so i theopportunity came up, I think we would have to do it.

Lindsay: Ive never let the country. It would be a dream come true. I think we all want to, we just havent putit as a high priority at this point. But i by some miracle we had the opportunity, Id be on a plane tomorrow.

Do you have any US tours planned in support o The Draft?James: Well defnitely be touring the US this summer. For how long and to where is to be determined. Thiswill be our frst time going out by ourselves.

Lindsay: Were going to go out again this summer rom the end o June to early July. That will be a Midwest/ East Coast tour. We want to go to the West Coast as well, but weve never been there beore.

Releasing a ull-length is a milestone or many bands, are there any goals that youve set with Football,etc. that you have yet to accomplish?James: Touring the UK and Europe would have to go close to the top o that list.


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Scrnd:Todd Slater

The illustration mixes both real and ctional buildings from NYC, Ive also included buildings thathave been proposed for 2011 and beyond. I really wanted to condense some of the energy ofthe city into one image. Ive only visited the city three times, but things like the noise, lights andcrowds have stayed with me. I elt like maybe I could recapture some o that energy drawing thisone window at a time.

Interpol

A Texas native, Todd Slater has designed limited edition tourposters for artists such as; Morrissey, The Strokes, Muse, MarsVolta, The Beastie Boys, Modest Mouse, Radiohead and has alsodesigned numerous posters or Dead Weather. More o his artcan be ound at toddslater.net


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The idea comes from the lyric: Its a terrible love and Im walking with spiders. For me, theimagery is about seduction, and being lured in by something beautiul only to fnd out its beautyis not what it seems. The illustration behind the gemstone spider is three things: a spiderweb,barbed wire and a bed. About a month beore I did this print I saw this incredible Faberg spiderbrooch on an episode o Pawn Stars. I looked or an image o it online but couldnt fnd anything.Ultimately, the spider here is part o my memory rom watching that episode. Inspiration can beound anywhere.

The National


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This is my bizarro rodeo poster that Ive wanted to make or a Texas show o theirs since seeingthem in 2006. Its my twist on the stereotypical bucking bronco, with Prince riding into the sun-set on a praying mantis. It was kind o a op commercially but sometimes you just have imagesthat you have to get out o your system ya know? Prince has been a long running theme in mywork. Hes like this omnipresent thing in my lie.

Of Montreal


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This imagery came together while listening to the lyrics from Mr. Moon, and the comparisonto the sisters being brilliant like re ies. The print is about a new beginnings. The image dealswith some o the themes on the new album, both in the bands personal and proessional lives.The central image is a wedding dress created by a swarm o freies symbolizing the ragilityo marriage and relationships, and that at anytime they could dissipate/change. Their light, and

the tree growing behind the dress are symbols o rebirth and growth. Special thanks to my wie,Kristie, or collaborating with me on the imagery.

I used a blend (split ountain) on the blues in the background. A blend happens when multipleinks are applied to the top, bottom or middle o the screen and blended together with a squeegeeto create a (hopeully) seamless gradient blend. A lot o rock posters rom the 70s used rainbowblends but I like really subtle blends with not a lot o variation in color. The blend is also ull bleedwhich has become a little bit o a trademark o mine in recent years.

Eisley

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I havent done many prints for shows in NYC and wanted to consider the location more thanI usually do for this piece. I was looking at Blue Note record covers and the line quality thoseillustrations have. The vibe on those covers eels close to the Black Keys aesthetic to me. Ithought about places Ive visited in the city, and how drawing the tenements could representthe bands beginnings more than the bright lights. The patterning in the fre escapes also gaveme something to work with graphically. Line work and line weight are important elements of mywork, theyre things I continually uss over and obsess about.

Black Keys

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Interview with Eric Elbogen (3/10)Feb 17 - March 31, 2011 Tour

Photo: Jenny Jimenez

Where are you right now?We are somewhere, I think were at the bottom oVirginia, pretty close to the top of North Carolinaand we are headed to Ashville, North Carolina.

What do you think has been the high point so ar?

The New York City show was really amazing, asis normally the case. You know unortunately itsa... I dont know i youve ever been on a rock tourbeore, but its a pretty monotonous thing. Espe-cially in a band like ours who doesnt really indulgein the rock n roll liestyle very much. Its literallyspending the whole day in the van and showing upand sound-checking, checking our emails, playingthe show, going to the hotel to go to sleep, wakingup and doing it all over again. It doesnt actuallyleave much variation or high points and low points,which may be not helpul to you at all in terms owhat youre gonna be posting.

I noticed that you have a show pretty much every-day o the tour, doesnt seem like it leaves a lot otime or other stu.I absolutely love what I do or a living, but whenIm on tour, its work. I know some bands love to

leave extra days o to do a lot o hanging out and/orsight-seeing, but I sort o preer working everydayand playing a show everyday. Going on tour can bepretty emotionally taxing or me, so I try and bangout all the shows as close together as possible.

Youve lived on both the East Coast and the WestCoast. Which coast is easier to start a tour rom?Both o them have their advantages. East Coast ismuch easier to start a tour because all the cities

are very close together so you dont have to dealwith the 4 nine hour drives like we do when werestarting a tour rom the West Coast. But logisticallythe East Coast is so much more difcult to navigate.The streets are narrower, the cities are more popu-lated. My stress levels when playing on the EastCoast are defnitely a lot higher than when playingon the West Coast.

You played a solo show in New York just recently,like a small set?Yeah, It wasnt so much a show it was a little videothing that they were doing or a website called TheWild Honey Pie. It was just our cameras flming mein a little dirty ally in between two apartment build-

ings. We made it open to the public with very veryshort notice. It was also hidden rom the street, soI think that i people had actually come out to see it,most o them couldnt fnd where it was happening.It was only three songs anyway so we were in andout o there.

What would you like the rest o the shows tobe like, or any hopes or goals or the rest othe tour?Going on tour in a rock band, as musiciansyou spend the whole tour just trying tomake your set and songs better and betterwith each show and weve defnitely havebeen experiencing that, so I hope and wehope that by the time we play the last show inSeattle, its just like the perect sounding, lookingand eeling set.

Are you guys excited about playingSXSW next week?Yeah we are. Were in Austin verybriey. We get in just in time toplay the Barsuk showcase andthen we have to play Dallas onSaturday night. Im excited, I likethat city a lot and it should be alot warmer than its been throughthe entire tour. Weve been reez-

ing our butts o everywhere. Imlooking orward to it.

SAY HI


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The recording o Goes Canoeingtook a while to complete, what was thecause o it taking so long to nish?Anton: We self-recorded the 7 and weve basically self-recorded/mixed mostall o our projects in the past. We decided this time around to try recordingat a studio, but we also wanted to have a good atmosphere or recording andwork with someone we knew and trusted, so we decided to go with Joe at TheHeadroom in Philadelphia. The downside to that was given Joes and our busyschedules, it was hard to fnd weekends or us to go up to Philadelphia torecord. Ater we had done the major tracking there, we had decided to fnishthe auxiliary recording at our home studio in DC, but there was some down-

time between transerring the recordings in Philadelphia rom tape to digital.Long story short, there was lots of back and forth and scheduling difcultiesbetween 6 (Joe, Monument, and Kyle who shares the studio with Joe) peopleto get things fnished. Worth it though.

Did you have all the writing or the album done previous to recording ordid you do some writing in the middle o recording?Anton: We had most o the stu written ahead o time, but we did do someminor bits and pieces, like the Rhodes piano at the end of This is 113, atthe studio. We really didnt want to spend time in the studio writing since

we all had major time constraints, but you can never help wanting to jam onstu when youre there.

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How was the experience o recording Goes Canoeingat The Headroom with JoeReinhart?Anton: Joe is ucking Boner Stabone! Hes awesome to work with and takes his workseriously without passing those stresses onto you. Not to mention we always jump atthe chance to hang out at Big Mamas Warehouse with all our Philadelphia riends.Personally my avorite couple moments were watching DVDs o The Adventures o Peteand Peteand shotgunning beers with Brandon while Dan and Gabe were recording.

Youve mostly sel-released albums rom bands previous to Monument, how does iteel to be working with Tiny Engines on the Goes Canoeingrelease?

Anton: Its attering beyond belief. Never did I ever expect to be on such an awesomelabel. Not only are Chuck, Will and Jeff great people to work with, but the bandstheyve released and represent are all bands we listen to and totally rule.

Is there any meaning behind the title o the album Goes Canoeing?Anton: Canoe = poop. At least I think thats what the meaning is.

Youre releasing a CD and a vinyl version o Goes Canoeing. What ormat do youpreer more and what do you think is the importance o releasing albums on vinyl?Dan: Vinyl is defnitely the ultimate ormat, theres no argument there. I started col-

lecting records a ew years ago when I realized the only time I listened to music wasin my car or while I was occupied with something else. Listening to vinyl actually putsthe music as the main ocus.

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Interview with Anton Kropp and Dan Doggett // Photos: Joanna Moreno


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A ew o you worked at University o Marylands (College Park) college radio station WMUC, what didyou gain in experience or learn rom working there?Anton: I think the biggest thing I learned at WMUC in my 5 years of working there was to have a betterappreciation or music. It sounds cheesy, but I learned to appreciate music as a whole, to understand thatits a sequence of sounds and its how you interpret the music that really matters. Like its possible toappreciate just listening to the street, or your rerigerator hum. Theres music everywhere and I think I real-ized this listening to all sorts o dierent records and talking to dierent people who were really passionateabout all sorts o dierent genres. On top o that, I learned a lot about recording since there is a pretty goodstudio setup at WMUC that is ree to use i you work there. I spent lots o late nights playing in that studio.

Youve all been involved in or are involved in other bands outside o Monument. How do you divide yourtime between Monument and other musical projects and Monument and non-band stu?Anton: Its hard thats or sure, but somehow we all fnd time to devote at least a couple hours a week to

Monument. We tend to pack our weekends ull o recording and mixing and practicing. Well do weekdaypractices too, but those are difcult given everyone works dierent hours and its not as productive as whenwe can relax and have un with it. As ar as other bands, right now there is Shat Shorts, which is Gabe,Brandon, Mysel, and two other guys. We ollow the same kind o routine as Monument does. We dontreally give much thought to which band gets more time, theyre both independent projects that get the sameamount o eort. Its sort o always been like that. We try not to bite o more than we can chew, but thatnever works and we always end up with a mouthul o projects. Brandon has done some oshoot drummingwork, Dan sometimes records a solo project, Gabe is working on a solo project, and Im about to release myfth album as For The Agenda, my own solo project.

Ive heard that Brandon works as a paralegal, what kind o environments do the other members oMonument work in?Anton: Gabe just fnished recording engineering school and is looking to get started in that feld. Dan isan elementary school band teacher. Brandon is a paralegal, and Im an engineer at a medical simulationssotware company.


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Do day jobs ever get in the way o things like touring and recording?Anton: They kind o do, but you cant get away rom a day job. Thats what aords us the means to playmusic and pay rent and all that stu. We dont get to tour much, but we make serious eorts to play out otown shows when we can and were always trying to write and record as much as possible. Were planningon releasing a tape EP this summer that were just going to home record at my studio just outside o DC. Itsno Headroom Studios, but itll do or now.

O the many bands you guys have played in, where does Monument rank?Anton: Last. Dead last.

Dan has mentioned that hes a big an o The Dismemberment Plan, how are you eeling about theirreunion?Dan: How does anyone eel about their avorite band reuniting? The last time the Plan reunited, they saidthat they would probably do this every once in a while and Im totally fne with that. They totally killed it.

A lot o great and infuential bands have come out o the DC area in the past. What is the scene in DClike now and what are some bands worth checking out?Dan: The Fordists are a great band that started around the same time as us. They are currently writing a ull-length and its going to be pretty bananas.

The vinyl version o Goes Canoeingcomes out in a couple weeks, do you have any tours planned insupport o it?Dan: We do have plans to tour the East Coast and a bit o the Midwest in July, but nothing is booked as o yet.


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HIgHTIdE HoTELINTERvIEw wITH b EN SC HMIdT // PHoToS: davId MaLLozzI

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Ive done a ew searches on Hightide Hotel but there isnt a lot out there about you guys. Take us back tothe beginning and tell us how Hightide Hotel started?We all are from the Lehigh Valley originally, so we knew each other before coming to Philly. Nate was inStreet Smart Cyclist and started playing drums, Dave had been writing in a band called Western Survival(where Weekends and Shuttle both come rom). In the Valley, Street Smart was going pretty strong andAlgernon had come through many times, so there was a sound I think that appealed to a lot o people, and

Hightide sort o came out o that environment.

Did the early line-up changes on drums have any aect on how the band sounded?As the drummer Im a little biased. Things got a little aster, I would say. Our new stu is, I think, veryreactive to that, because its much slower and more mid-tempo. I dont think the writing process changeddrastically, though. I came into the band very aware o why it worked, so I didnt try and distinguish myselso much as just keep doing what worked or the band.

What bands had you played in previous to Hightide Hotel?Chris and I were in a terrible powerviolence band called Crawl. It was sort o known or the way our live setsell apart, but our frst show was actually pretty great. Dave was in Foul Mouth and Western Survival, Chriswas also in Vegan Potluck, Everymonstertruckever, and Hollows. A lot of Lehigh Valley-centered bands, withthe exception o Hollows and Chris oray in Philly hardcore (dude loves Cold World, what can I say?).

Were there any specic goals you wanted to accomplish with this band?I think, lyrically as well as musically, Hightide has always been a little more sel-reective. Or at least itseems to have taken that on. Daves lyrics are very mindul o the thought process. Goals and intentions are

always strange with music. I think the goal is writing songs that people relate to and see themselves in.

There are blog posts dating back to August 2009 about starting to record the ull-length. How long wasthe entire recording process o Nothing Was Missing, Except Me?We started in August of 09 and put it up for download in December of 10. So, that long, about. Those blogposts are unny because you get a sense o optimism in that frst one, then ater a while the tone becomesreally dejected. Making a ull-length record will do that to you.


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Why did it take so long to nish and what kind o problems did you encounter while recording it?The amous story is that our songs caught on fre. There was a small fre that caused a lot o smoke damageand I think a ew things were lost in that. There were a lot o small little things that got the process delayed.We ran out o money at one point, and didnt have any label support at the time to help us out. We straightup did a song over again, then decided to add another one halway through. Joe would tour or a little. It wasjust a lot o little things that ended up taking a while.

Overall, how was the recording process with Joe Reinhart at The Headroom?Joe is a sweetheart. Recording there is sort o like just hanging out, but theres a lot o nice equipmentaround. But he made the process very comortable and even a little gooy at some points. He didnt seem toever wear shoes when we recorded, so theres that too.

Ater such a long process o writing and recording Nothing Was Missing, Except Me, how did it eel tonally have it nished?It eels really great, especially when you work on something or this long. You get to a point where youveheard the songs so many times, and at so many stages o production, that you begin to eel like no one willever hear them. Some people were waiting a while or it so it eels good to have something to show them.

In addition to releasing the vinyl version o Nothing Was Missing, Except Me, you released it on Band-camp using the Name Your Price option. It terms o sales and downloads, did the Bandcamp routework better or worse than you expected?I think the internet is something you just have to work with these days. Were only doing vinyl or thisrelease, and I honestly believe that i people want to buy a record, they will buy it. It will be up or ree some-where, so you might as well make it ree on your own terms so people can still have the option o buyingsomething. I dont know i that will hurt us in the end, but I think getting the word out is the most fnancially

advantageous thing you can do. The way we did it, people could download it and i they gave above a certainamount, it was considered a pre-order. A lot o people donated below that mark too, so I think it worked.

When will the vinyl version o the album be out?Hopeully whenever youre reading this it will be out.

Philadelphias (and surrounding area) music scene has been exploding with great music the pastcouple years. How does it eel to be apart o this scene and what bands do you enjoy playing withand seeing most?Yeah its very cool. Theres defnitely a community aspect to it that eels more productive and welcoming.

Just playing shows on random bills eels weird now. I think we just preer playing with people we know atplaces we know. It seems to be gaining traction so that is nice. As ar as bands we play with...Well, EveryoneEverywhere or the A+ stage banter, Spraynard or lending us equipment all o the time, and Snowingbecause John has quality stage antics.

Youve hinted at a Secret Somethings Volume 2, can you give some details about it?Yeah it should be out soon. Its sort o a continuation o the frst one, but its also totally dierent. Were nottrying to spill the beans on it entirely, but we hope people will be pleasantly surprised. It, hopeully, marks adrastic change or Hightide overall.

You went on a small tour this past January, will you be heading back out on the road any time soon?Yeah that tour was a lot o un. Were trying to do a longer tour this summer, preerably with another band.Well have the LP with us on this one, so it feels inevitable to do a longer tour to support it.


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dn blck // LnlnSinl T Trust Golden Armour

Did you have any ideas or this packaging beore choosing thecurrent one?I know there were a ew other options that wed talked about,but I really dont remember at this point. I think the other ideashad a little bit more to do with the graphic novel themes that runthroughout the album, or making the CD sleeve look like a dierentkind o package other than a CD. The very frst thing wed talkedabout was an idea Brian had o making the sleeve out o elt, butthat ended up not happening or a number o reasons.

How did the idea o making it into a diorama come about?I think it had something to do with wanting people to eel liketheyd need to destroy the thing to get the most use out o it. Wehad a list o nouns that we wanted to put somewhere in the art-work, and rom there, it just sort o made sense that wed suggestthat people cut them out and arrange them.

Did the band members have any input into the design andpackaging?

Yeah, Brian Severns and I talked a lot about it, and he ran a lot owhat we were talking about by the other guys...He had some ideasrom the beginning about what he wanted it to be like. I think I justtook those and pushed it into something else.

Does the artwork refect the bands music on that album?Their music is like a giant bear...so yes, it does. Seriously though,I dont really know anymore. I think that what they had going onwas a lot more complicated than what I was probably capable o at

the time. I remember at the time

being sort o reaked out that Iwas going to ruin this epic albumby making it look dumb.

How long did it take to draw allthe elements and hand write allo the lyrics?Oh god. I dont even knowanymore...I drew everything attwice the size it is on the CD,which was really helpul when weblew it up for the double LP, so ittook even longer than it probablyseems. I also edited out a ton odrawings that I just couldnt ft onthere...the list we made (Brian andthe band and I) was pretty long


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and ridiculous...I tried to hit prettymuch everything. Handwriting thelyrics took orever, I remember that.I wanted the whole thing to lookreally analog. We were printing andassembling them by hand, and the

idea o the diorama elt less schtick-y to me i the whole thing was hand-drawn and kind o rougher, so I wasreally set on writing out all the lyrics.Using one o those ugly typeacesthat look like handwriting was nevereven remotely up or discussion.

Did you encounter any problemswith screen printing the CD and LPpackaging?1000 is a LOT. Thats the thing I

learned. And we were printing everything by hand, with small screens, so we couldnt gang them up. Usuallywith this sort o thing, people ft a ew o them on one sheet to save time. I was all about taking as long asI could with them. In act, Im pretty sure I still owe Modern Radio a handul o the CD sleeves. I guess thatwould probably all in the problem category...

How long did it take to assemble all the CD packages?We had a pretty streamlined process. Because

we were putting them together by hand,and without any ancy die-cutting oranything like that, I built it so that itwas essentially just a bunch o rect-angles that old over each other, notabs or anything like that. So we cutthe whole thing on a big hydraulicguillotine, and scored them over atmy old college. Pete Mielech and Idid a lot o the hand-assembly in the

days leading up the release show,while listening to music and talkingabout girls.

Looking back on it, is there any-thing you would change about thedesign or screen printing process o it?Yeah, mostly in how the thing is built. Assembling all that stu by hand seemed like a good idea at thetime, or manageable, and it really wasnt. I think I have a much better handle on that now, though I guessmy studiomate would probably disagree. As ar as what it looks like, I dont know...I always want to change

everything the second that I cant anymore, so yeah, probably.

Do you think the design o the packaging has help up since its release?Maybe? I still like seeing it on the Modern Radio website, so I guess theres that. I certainly dont eelashamed o it...Im pretty excited when someone brings it up. It was a pretty big deal to me to work on thatthing, so Id like to think that its still doing what it needs to.


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Check out Landland.net or more images o thispackaging and to see other album packaging andposters Dan Black and Landland have created.


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Odds are, i you went and looked at your record collection right now, youd fnd at least one album with a covershot by Chris Strong. A resident o Chicago, Strong has shot photos or some o the cities most inuentialalbums and every photo matches up perectly with the music on those albums. Can you imagine AmericanFootballs LP with a different cover photo?

I being an accomplished photographer wasnt enough, Chris is also a skilled graphic designer, oten designingthe albums he shoots covers or, and he is a requent collaborator with Tim Kinsella, whom he worked with onthe flm Orchard Vale and numerous Joan o Arc albums.

The ollowing pages only show a portion o the albums Chris has shot photos or. To view more album coversthat Chris has done, go to mandexzine.com/chrisstrong


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ArchivesOn Histories o ChildhoodHailing from the University of Northampton, inEngland, Archives three song EP is a surprising mixo Capn Jazz, Algernon Cadwallader, At The Drive-inand Tokyo Police Club. Kind o like all those bandsrom Philadelphia, but with English accents. Theseare some o the best three songs Ive heard rom

this genre in quite a while and Im hoping this bandsticks around long enough to release a ull-length.(Sel-Released)

BandnameBreakast

Bandname is a trio rom Philly that play punk tingedgarage rock or garage rock tinged punk. Eitherway you look at it Breakastis a catchy album ullo memorable hooks that, like the TremendousTwelve at Perkins, will leave you ull and satisfed.(Sel Aware Records)

BettermentDefnedI recently came across Betterment on Bandcampand was drawn in by their sound. For only being aband or a couple months beore their frst release,they are quite tight and mature sounding. They walk

the line between hardcore punk, with the screamed/shouted dual vocals, and emo, with the quiet partso their songs. They kind o remind me a bit olighter/emo-y version Balance and Composure.(Sel-Released)

Brave BirdReady or Not

Roughly in the same vein o Algernon Cadwallader

and Snowing, Brave Bird doesnt copy its peers,but uses their own unique vocals and guitar play tosound more original. Ready or Notis a good EP andhints at more to come rom this band.(Sel-Released)

CampaignBeetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice!Sounding like an east coast version o The Broke-downs, Campaign is steadily killing it with these

EPs theyve been releasing. Their latest EP has themsounding better than ever and I really enjoy thedirection theyre headed with their music.(Sel-Released)

Cattle DrumsThe Boy Kisser Sessions + 3This version o The Boy Kisser Sessions, rom TinyEngines, eatures three extra songs not ound onthe original. I dont see how I missed this the frsttime it was released. Its spastic and unhinged, yettight and mellow at the same time and the vocalsand music work well against each other. Real goodmusic throughout. (Tiny Engines)

CommunipawBig Blue

Communipaw is the best background music. Theirmusic is not too heavy and or the most part is

pretty mellow. Their latest album, Big Blue, is thesame Communipaw that youve come to love andnever tire o. Big Blueis one o those albums youllput on when you cant decide what else to listen to,because you know its good every time.(Sel-Released)

This icon denotes an album that has beenmade available by the band ree o charge or

or a donation. Links are on page 48.


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Des ArkDont Rock The Boat, Sink The Fucker

On 2005s Loose Lips Sink Ships, Des Ark, then

a duo, lit a fre under everyones eet with someblazing rock n roll. With Dont Rock The Boat, SinkThe Fucker, we now see Amiee Argote striking outon her own with a backing band, but the inten-sity hasnt been lost in the time between the twoalbums. Dont Rock The Boat, Sink The Fuckeris anhonest and stellar album that never gets old.(Lovitt Records)

Easter Island

Better ThingsEaster Island, rom Athens, GA, play dreamy indierock that plods along for nearly 28 minutes. At thatlength, this EP tip-toes the line into LP territory.Better Thingsgives a pretty good taste o the bandsstyle, with the shoegaze-y indie to a piano balladthat sounds like a Ben Folds slow jam.(Sel-Released)

Football, etc.The DratYou better pad up or the latest release rom Foot-ball, etc. because The Dratwill tackle you with itsemale ronted emo goodness. Everything that youliked about their past 7s has been hail-mary(ed)onto this release and each song is a spectaculartouchdown. I can hear a lot o 30 Everywhereonthis and I like that, a lot. One o many standouts orme is Sideline. Its got a great build up through-

out the song and the tickity-tack o the drums andbass lines make it special. There are no yellow agsthrown on The Drat. Now drop down and give me20! (Count Your Lucky Stars / strictly no capital letters)

Ghost HeartThe Tunnel

Ghost Heart put a lot o eort orth into the vocals

and harmonies on The Tunnel. A lot o the vocalsare one main vocalist, singing repetitive somewhatchant-like verses, while the two background vocal-ists provide harmonies over what the frst vocalist issinging. At times this is kind o cool, but it getstiring about halway through the album. Im sureans o Panda Bear and the like would enjoy thisalbum immensely. (Friction Records)

Ghost Robot Ninja Bear

Ghost Robot Ninja BearGhost Robot Ninja Bear is the newest musical outletfrom former Nakatomi Plaza frontman Oscar AlbisRodriguez. GRNB sounds similar to his past bandand during the heavier songs, a bit like Foo Fighters.Ive always partially enjoyed his singing, but alwaysget turned o when he breaks out the screams likeon Pilots. Thankfully much of this self-titled albumis what he does best, slow to mid heavy rock songs.(Sel-Released)

GoldenboySleepwalker

Goldenboy rontman Shon Sullivan has a rich his-tory with Elliot Smith, oten playing and collaborat-ing with the late artist. Sleepwalkeris an album ullo retro sounding indie pop. The piano plays a bigpart in the songs and works well by adding a littleextra to the songs. Sleepwalkerwont knock your

socks o, but it will keep you humming the tuneslong ater youve listened to it. (Eenie Meenie)

Hands and KneesWholesomeSounding like a under-produced Shins band, Handsand Knees are much more than that. There is acertain charm to the songs that is inuenced by the


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male/emale vocals and the swagger put orth onsome o the songs. There is plenty or everyone onWholesomeand it would not be hard or two people

to fnd a shared experience on this album. (Midri)

Joan o ArcOh Brother

Oh Brotheris a collection o unfnished albums thatTim Kinsella fnally puts the fnishing touches on. Itis a collaboration with 14 musicians, broken into 4bands. Friend/Enemy, Tim Kinsella with Jazz drum-mer Frank Rosaly, Tim Kinsella with Rob Lowe, andMineral Totem. Each part is 20 minutes long and of

varying degrees o enjoyment. For the most part, themusic is ambient and drawn out, and some partshave an industrial eel. I youre into Joan o Arcsmore improvised music, Oh Brotheris or you. Fanso JOAs more straight-orward music may have ahard time with this. (Joyful Noise Recordings)

King CreosoteThrawnKenny Anderson aka King Creosote is an indepen-dent artist rom Scotland and has released over40 albums. Thrawnis a collection o his past sixalbums from 2003 to the present. Its hard to under-stand how King Creosote is not a household name.The songs are really great and appealing. The soundquality is top notch and is on par with the Top 40songs o today. Hopeully this collection will reachmore listeners on the U.S. side. (Domino)

Lights at SeaPalace WallsMichigans Lights at Sea are an instrumental bandand sound like a aster version o Explosions in theSky and a less heavy version o Russian Circles.Palace Wallsisnt breaking down any walls o theinstrumental genre, but its still a good listen.(Barrett Records)

LiteratureCincinnati 7

Literature is a power-pop band from Austin with

garage rock chops and a jangly sound. This threesong 7 is damn catchy and a fun listen.(Square o Opposition)

Manitoba LightsFlavor CountryYou wouldnt think o Eugene, OR or their skascene, but Manitoba Lights is out to change that.Their debut release, Flavor County, mixes the inten-sity o the Suicide Machines with the horn section

of any number of 3rd wave ska bands. Consideringits their frst, Flavor Countryis a pretty impressiverelease and I can only expect even better material onuture releases. (Sel-Released)

One Hundred FlowersMechanical BrideThis Austin, TX band known as One Hundred Flow-ers have released Mechanical Bride, their debutalbum. They are an up-and-coming band that havethe musical ortitude, as witnessed on MechanicalBride, to make it to the big time. Mechanical BrideisShins-esque, but with more harmonies. The musicis catchy, memorable and has a sing-a-long qualityto it. (Stem & Leaf Records)

One Win ChoiceConveyorWhen it comes to One Win Choice, you dont even

have to doubt that itll be good, because it alwaysis. Their latest ull-length, Conveyor, is much othe same that youve heard rom them in the past.Theyve got a standard ormula that works awesomeor them and never lets you down.(Jump Start Records)


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Phineas and The Lonely LeavesThe Kids We Used To BeStarting the album o with a little piano tapping thatleads into a ull-edged indie pop song, the musichas a very amiliar eeling that is warming andriendly. This reminds me greatly o another bandthat I cant or the lie o me remember, but Imenjoying it greatly. (Sel-Released)

The Prizeghters

Follow My SoundMinneapoliss The Prizefghters have been steadyrock-steadying or a ew years and have fnallyreleased their debut album. Follow My Soundis agreat representation o their live shows. The wholealbum is flled with classic head bobbin ska, thekind the British and Jamaicans play. MN has a great,but not oten heard, ska scene and The Prizefghtersare leading the charge. (Sel-Released)

RestorationsRestorationsThose dudes in Restorations really uckedthemselves with their debut ull-length. Seriously.They went out and made this amazing album thator sure will never be topped. Billion dollar recordcontracts are gonna start pouring in, then sold outarena tours with groupies throwing their panties onstage, then comes the sex, the booze and the coke,then the explosive break-up and fnally a cross-over

episode o Interventionand The Biggest Loserwillfnally bring them back together. Come on guys,youre supposed to save your best work until your5th or 6th release, milk that success for a few morereleases, then hang it up and start a label.(Tiny Engines)

Run, ForeverThe Devil, and Death, and MeAt frst listen, I thought the vocals seemed kind o

wonky and miss-matched with the music. As thealbum went on, those eelings subsided and I grewto really like this album. The songs are honest andrighteous sounding that have a Bright Eyes qualityto them. (Solidarity Recordings)

The Sound o Growing UpDritingDritingis a pretty happy record. Lots of up-beat tempos and blaring horns. Dritingis a ewbreakdowns short o a pop-punk album in a veryAll-American Rejects kind o way. That said, thesefve songs are really quite good and will see plentyo listens until a ollow-up is released.(Sel-Released)

These BranchesThis Ones For You

New Jersey punk purveyors These Branchesrecently released their latest album, This Ones ForYouand i you have a brain, you will pick this up.The music is top notch and the songs evoke themusic of Lifetime and Avail. The vocals are the onlyrough spot on the album. Its not that they are bad,but i they could just use a bit more experience andtraining, then this album would be incredible.

(Sel-Released)

Third Place VictoryBedroom StoriesThird Place Victory is a melodic hardcore band romthe East Coast o England. Bedroom Storiesdoesntreinvent the hardcore wheel, but what they are do-ing is really good. The emale vocals and orchestrastrings on El Capitan are a nice change of paceand the closing song has an epic ending with large

group vocals. (Sel-Released)

Tin Horn PlayerGet Busy Dying

Featuring ex-members o The Blackout Pact, OnlyThunder, Ghost Buffalo, Love Me Destroyer, andPinhead Circus, Tin Horn Player is most similarto The Blackout Pact, but inuenced by olk,Americana and whiskey. Get Busy Dyingis a boozesoaked jamboree o backwoods country, stained

with punks roots. (Bermuda Mohawk)


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dowNLoadS:ArchivesOn Histories o Childhood //archives.bandcamp.com

Betterment

Defned //betterment.bandcamp.comBrave BirdReady or Not //bravebird.bandcamp.com

CampaignBeetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! //iyoumakeit.com/album/campaign/beetlejuice-beetlejuice-beetlejuice

Ghost Robot Ninja BearGhost Robot Ninja Bear //ghostrobotninjabear.bandcamp.com

LiteratureCincinnati 7 //literature.bandcamp.com

Manitoba LightsFlavor Country //manitobalights.bandcamp.com

These BranchesThis Ones For You //thesebranches.bandcamp.com

The Sound o Growing UpDriting //thesoundogrowingup.bandcamp.com

Third Place VictoryBedroom Stories //thirdplacevictory.bandcamp.com


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SUPPoRT:Bands:Football, etc. // ootballetc.wordpress.com

Monument // monumentdc.bandcamp.comHightide Hotel // hightidehotel.bandcamp.com

Record Labels:Evil Weevil // evilweevil.bigcartel.comTiny Engines // tinyengines.netBlack Numbers // theblacknumbers.comCount Your Lucky Stars // cylsrecords.comTop Shel Records // topshelrecords.org

Side With Us // sidewithus.com/records

People:Eric Elbogen (Say Hi) // sayhitoyourmom.comChris Strong // chrisstrong.com

Posters:Todd Slater // toddslater.net

Ads:Count Your Lucky Stars // cylsrecords.comModern-Radio // modern-radio.comLovitt Records // lovitt.comSaddle Creek // saddlecreek.comBlack Numbers // theblacknumbers.comSide With Us // sidewithus.comTiny Engines // tinyengines.net

Asian Man Records // asianmanrecords.com10xyourcity // 10xyourcity.com

Labels:Barrett Records // barrettrecords.net

Bermuda Mowhawk //bermudamohawkproductions.comCount Your Lucky Stars // cylsrecords.comDeath to False Hope //

deathtoalsehoperecords.comDomino // dominorecordco.comEenie Meenie Records // eeniemeenie.comFriction Records // rictionrecords.netJoyful Noise Recordings //

joyulnoiserecordings.comJump Start Records // jumpstartrecords.comLovitt Records // lovitt.comMidri Records // midrirecords.comSel Aware Records // selawarerecords.comStem & Leaf Records //

myspace.com/stemandlearecordsstrictly no capital letters //

sncl.collective-zine.co.ukSolidarity Recordings //solidarityrecordings.com

Square o Opposition //squareoopposition.com

Tiny Engines // tinyengines.net

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PHoTo CREdITSCOVER, Pg 4-5, 12-16, 25-29: Joanna Moreno // ickr.com/photos/joh_moreno

Pg 22-23: Jenny Jimenez

Pg 24: Washington Monument c.1860 // Mathew Brady, Levin Corbin Handy

Pg 30-32: David Mallozzi // ickr.com/photos/dwoPg 36: Diorama // Greg Schall // ickr.com/photos/gregschaal


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manual dexterity music zine feb/march 2011

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