Locater 'Clandestine" album release show review w/ Guilty Sleep, Agapito.

 

Nicholas Gammon and Brendan McLean of Locater playing at the Goodwill Social Club, February 25th 2023. Photo by Justin Fisher

Locater (FKA Louser) played a release show in celebration of their new album 'Clandestine', which was released February 17th, 2023 on No Sleep Records. This is a bit of a recap and review on the shoegaze/punk show, plus some pictures that I took that I liked.

The show opened with the band Guilty Sleep, a newcomer to the indie/shoegaze scene. They just finished recording some music with Griffin of Winnipeg easycore act, A Grizzly Fate on the board. Guilty Sleep consists of guitarist/vocalist Eric Ducharme, guitarist/vocalist Haise, drummer Liam Sewell (of Co Komono/Seweller/Jupiter Meltdown) and bassist Nick Paluck (of Jupiter Meltdown). 

Guilty Sleep perform at The Goodwill Social Club. Photo by Justin Fisher

Guilty Sleep play a blend of grunge and emo influenced shoegaze, with lush guitar soundscapes, big drums and even a telephone mic akin to Deftones. They can make you feel floaty, but also have some fast-paced songs that make you want to jump or mosh. They'll be a band to look out for in the future when they start releasing music. I absolutely loved their set and I can't wait to see more of their stuff. Despite the band name, the bombastic, spontaneously loud sound of this band will not make you want to sleep.

Agapito was the next band of the night, and I went in blindly, having never heard anything. They absolutely blew my mind with their mixture of post/progressive hardcore with a rock and roll energy. Agapito is more-or-less a supergroup, with a former member of Comeback Kid and Mike Peters from Cancer Bats on drums. I didn't get any pictures unfortunately, because I was so entranced by the bands performance. From the lead vocalists' rock and roll attitude to the colourful melodies used on both the guitars and the basslines. There was even a point where the rack tom fell over because of how hard this bands' music hits! This is a band you NEED to see, where the live experience is going to be so much different from a studio release. Keep an eye out for more music and shows from them, and also check out Cancer Bats if you're not familiar with them.

The last band was Locater, of course. Bit of backstory, they used to go under the name 'Louser' until early February 2023, but due to legal issues, were forced to undergo a name change. The band released one 'self-titled' EP under that name, but Clandestine was released right after their name change, after signing to No Sleep Records. The band consists of core members Nicholas Gammon on vocals, Sean Kaye on bass, Nick 'The Fonz' Fondse on guitar and Jesse Hardie on drums. For the release show, Brendan McLean (who has played with Elder Abuse/Higherlows/etc) hopped on 2nd guitar. Some of the bands these core members have played in include: Witchtrip, Ceilings, Elder Abuse and Badfriend. Locater's style is a mixture of grunge and shoegaze, reminiscent of bands like Narrow Head, Teenage Wrist and Nothing. The show itself was intimate, with an awesome vibe when it came to the lighting. I was talking to my photographer friend Brittany Lambert after the show, she was saying when it came to editing, the lighting was a challenge but one that she enjoyed. The projector visuals on the ceiling added a nice effect to the show. The setlist included a good handful of the great tracks from Clandestine, as well as some classics from their 2019 'self-titled' EP including Vitamin L.

Saturday was an amazing night, full of seeing some great friends and even better music. Thanks to Locater, Guilty Sleep and Agapito for the great hangs and the awesome photographers (Brittany, Matt) working the show, as well as the Goodwill for hosting a great weekend of music. Cheers everyone.

Locater Spotify 

Agapito Spotify

My personal instagram

Holdfast/Brittany Lambert Photography

Matt Friesen Photography

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone Asked About You

Photo Credit: Unknown

Everyone Asked About You is a midwest emo/twee-pop band formed in Little Rock, Arkansas. They were only active for 2-3 years (1996 to 2000), only went on 1 tour and released 1 self-titled EP and a split with The Shyness Clinic. They were somewhat unknown until long after their breakup, when they built up a small, loyal audience, mostly because of their EP. The band consisted of vocalist Hannah Vogen, Chris Sheppard on vocals and guitar, Collins Kilgor on guitar (who'd usually track bass in studio too) and Lee Buford on drums. Lee Buford currently plays in various experimental music bands including The Body.

EAAY is for fans of twee-adjacent music with the guy/girl harmonies and synth melodies, with vocals somewhat reminiscent of both 90s emo/indie acts such as Rainer Maria, Pixies and The Anniversary, as well as later acts including Tigers Jaw and Empire! Empire!

 EAAY lasted a very short time (as did quite a few bands from this era) but the influence clearly had an impact on much of the newer breed of emo bands e.g. football etc, Tigers Jaw, etc.

I wish there was more that I could say about them that hasn't already been said, but they are such a massively underrated band which makes information about them somewhat sparse. However, there is good news. In 2022, they reunited and played a show just before the calendar turned to 2023. Original lineup and a synth player. Just this past weekend (February 18-19, 2023), they played Numero Twenty in Los Angeles at the Palace Theater with other post-hardcore/emo greats from around their era, including The Hated, Karate, Chisel and Unwound! Chris Sheppard was also a guest on the WashedUpEmo podcast very recently, if you're a podcast person. On the day that I happen to be writing this (February 20th, 2023), they are scheduled to be playing Noise Pop 30 Fest at the Great American Music Hall, opening for Chisel. The festival also includes math rock favorites Covet. It's great to see EAAY starting to do things again, i'd be excited to see if they potentially release anything (unreleased music?), but overall, I'm just happy they're back.

Everyone Asked About You first show back, December 28th, 2022. From their social media. Matthew Bradley playing bass on far right side. White Water Tavern in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Below are some links where you can find their social media and streaming links.

Everyone Asked About You Spotify

EAAY Instagram

EAAY Discogs

EAAY Bandcamp

 

 

 

Brandon Maxwell - Walk Away TRACK REVIEW

 

Picture credit: Unknown

Brandon Maxwell is a punk rock musician and Twitch content creator out of Orange County, California who incorporates many influences and genres into his sound, including ska, emo, pop punk and post-punk. Brandon was formerly a member of the skacore band Maxwell Smart, in which he played guitar and vocals. In his own words, the point of his own music is to bring light to the darkness [of life], until we can understand it and fear it less.

 His track "When I'm Old", released in October of 2022 gives us a taste of his songwriter-punk side, with some undertones of Rancid and the like. I'm happy that I got to meet Brandon in a The Hard Times comment section of all things, and he wanted to share a taste of what you'll be hearing out of the Californian pop rock/punk singer-songwriter. His new single, entitled 'Walk Away', was written by Brandon (who also performed guitar and lead vocals on the track). Rounding out the session is Tristan Garcia from Maxwell Smart on bass, Dan Evans of Bite Me Back on drums, Tara Hahn of Half Past Two on background vocals and Esteban Flores on keys. David Irish at Pot of Gold Studios in Orange County engineered, mixed and mastered the release. David Irish has worked on some notable releases including a handful of We Are The Union releases. 

Source: Brandon Maxwell's Social Media

Brandon noted that 'Walk Away' is a slight departure from the style he usually plays, which I love regardless. This most likely means that when a full release comes, it won't be super focused on one sound, rather an experimentation of different genres and subgenres. Walk Away goes for a bit of a mid-2000s post-punk revival and indie rock/power pop sound and excels at it. The organ in the majority of this track paired with the pushing drums and anthemic guitars give it a Death Cab For Cutie or The Weakerthans quality, and Brandon's vocals matched with his harmonies work very well for this type of music.

'Walk Away' is a just a great piece of emotional pop rock music, through and through. Some great harmonies and a hook that will make me want to keep it on repeat for at least the next little bit. Brandon is starting out extremely strong as this is his first non-acoustic song under his solo name, and he will be releasing more songs very soon with both a similiar sound to this, and heavier stuff for the traditional punk fans. To put it bluntly, there will be something for everybody.

Brandon Maxwell's new single 'Walk Away' releases officially March 3rd, 2023, and will be available wherever you listen to music. Remember to support small and/or local artists! Here's a few links to his social media and his streaming pages that you can find his music on.

Brandon Maxwell Spotify

Brandon Maxwell Soundcloud (if you're interested in hearing his old stuff!)

Brandon Maxwell Twitter

Brandon Maxwell Twitch

Maxwell Smart Spotify

 

 

 

Hassan I Sabbah

Photo credit: Unknown

Hassan I Sabbah was a screamo band from Boston, Massachusetts, active from 2000 to 2001. Members have been in other well-known or influential underground east coast bands including Prevail and Force Fed Glass, and Mike Justian went on to play in Unearth, Trap Them and The Red Chord. Other members would go onto play in Madball, Earth Crisis, Shai Halud and with Thurston Moore to name a few. The lineup included Chad Pfeiffer , Mike Justian, Ryan Daniels, Tommy Davis and Zac Davis.

Hassan I Sabbah remained heavily underground for the most part, mainly due to the fact that they lasted about a year, but within that year, issued many releases including 2 demos and a 7", as well as the famed Usurp Synapse/HIS 7", which is a split featuring two extremely good screamo bands, however was clearly overshadowed by the Usurp Synapse feature due to the packaging of the split (a razor blade in the packaging, by choice of Usurp,  something that Hassan I Sabbah was against). Hassan I Sabbah also had some compilation appearances including on a release put out by Iodine Recordings.

Having a more hardcore approach to most of their stuff compared to a mathcore adjacent band such as Jeromes Dream led them to being loved heavily within the underground emocore and screamo scenes of the very early 2000s. Live performances were unforgettable on virtue of sheer power. An example of one of the most "iconic" screamo show performances was when drummer Mike Justian threw a pair of hi-hat cymbals at guitarist Tommy Davis, slicing his hand which halted his ability to play guitar for several months. There's also the case of them showing up at a show wearing gas masks as well as multiple cases where the band did not showing up at all (common with some of these bands, sometimes. Earth Crisis did this a few times to my knowledge.)

Picture credit: Unknown

Check out the bit of music they have on YouTube or try to find the JUST DO IT! split on vinyl (good luck). Linked below are some ways you can purchase their music or follow their social media. 

HIS Spotify 

HIS Bandcamp 

HIS Instagram 

An original copy of the Usurp Synapse/HIS Just Do It split 7" on vinyl that I found from a auctioneer on the internet. This picture does not belong to me. Complete with the original razor!

 

 

 

 

 

Morning Dew

 

Picture credit: Unknown

Morning Dew is a 2-piece DIY screamo/indie punk band out of Fallston, Maryland. The band was formed in 2014 and  consists of guitarist/vocalist Devon and drummer/vocalist Steve. They should not be confused with the 1960s garage rock band of the same name. Morning Dew dropped their debut release, Gulp, in 2017. Coming ripe with fast indie-punk drums, harsh screams from both vocalists and typical indie guitars you would hear on something like an Origami Angel or an Oolong record, Morning Dew made one for the ages with Gulp. Since it's release, they have played many shows and been on a handful of tours, mostly sticking to the east coast. Their last show of 2022 included some other larger bands from the east coast, My Fictions and Dreamwell, as well as Kithbah as an opening act.

Morning Dew is for absolutely anybody who likes the more lo-fi, DIY side of screamo/skramz, including bands such as foxtails, State Faults, Algae Blooms, Beau Navire, iwrotehaikusaboutcannibalisminyouryearbook, geronimostilton and the bands that were mentioned previously. Even fans of bands like State Faults and early Touché Amoré would find something to like about this band.

These guys are up and coming with some awesome material on that debut album, check out these links to support them if you'd like. 

Morning Dew Bandcamp 

Morning Dew Spotify 

Morning Dew Apple Music 

Morning Dew Facebook 

 

 

 

 

 

The Jealous Sound

 

Picture credit: Unknown

The Jealous Sound, from Los Angeles, were one of the most criminally underrated bands from the early-2000s emo scene, formed around the same time as bands such as Jimmy Eat World, Piebald and The Early November. The Jealous Sound was active from 2000 to 2017 and the lineup on their landmark album "Kill Them With Kindness" consisted of Blair Shehan (ex-Knapsack, currently Racquet Club) on guitar and vocals, Tony Palermo (ex-Pulley/Ten Foot Pole, Papa Roach currently) on drums, Pedro Benito (ex-Sunday's Best) on guitar and John McGinnis on bass. The final lineup would consist of Shehan, guitarist Michael Richardson, drummer Bob Penn and bassist Jeremy Tappero. For their final album in 2012, Nate Mendel of The Foo Fighters was recruited to play bass.

Blair had experience being in a beloved emo band before, having been in post-hardcore band Knapsack in the early-mid 90s. When the band went on a final tour with At the Drive-In in 1999 and broke up due to drummer Colby Mancasola securing a career and to spend more time with his family, Blair wanted to evolve his sound more and keep his career as a musician going, and going he did. The Jealous Sound was formed shortly after. They released a self-titled EP in 2000 which consistent of many of the songs that they would feature on their debut LP 'Kill Them With Kindness', released in 2003. The self-titled EP was what you'd expect: demos that more or less have the same structures as the album versions, however a key difference being that Tony Palermo only played on tracks 1 and 5 on the EP (Tom Ackerman of Sunday's Best would play on the other tracks). 

Tracks 1 through 7 of the Kill Them With Kindess record is one of my favorite stretches of music in emo album history, easily. The record starts off with the bands' biggest songs, 'Hope For Us', which showcases some of the best vocal and guitar harmonies the genre has to offer. 'Naive', 'Anxious Arms' (arguably my favorite song from the album) and 'The Fold Out' are 3 more tracks where the great song-crafting this band is known for comes into play, with solid hooks and production. The whole album does not overstay it's welcome at all, and these first several songs are quality examples of that. Later in the album, there is another "deeper cut" that seems to be ignored sometimes, which is "Abandon! Abandon!" This is the track where the album title is mentioned, in the very first line, "Could you kill me with kindess". Check that one out once you get the chance.

The Jealous Sound would go on tours and share stages with many bands bigger and smaller, including The Get-Up Kids, Sparta, Piebald, Switchfoot, Copeland and Balance & Composure. They played their last show ever in 2013 with Texas is the Reason and released their final album the year prior on Rise Records. It featured Nate Mendel of The Foo Fighters on bass and was mostly written in a recording studio owned by The Foo Fighters, as a fun fact!

To my knowledge, The Jealous Sound is permanently done now, with members doing things in other bands (Blair went on a reunion tour with Knapsack years ago, and he's in Racquet Club with Bob Penn.) or went on to have careers in other sectors or move away to focus on family. former guitarist Pedro Benito is a television and film music composer as of current, and former drummer Tony Palermo is in the rock band Papa Roach, who are currently going on a tour with Falling in Reverse.

Check out Kill Them With Kindess, it's an emo pop staple, and not one to be missed. I'd also heavily recommend checking out Blair's other band, Knapsack, if you like post-hardcore in the vein of bands like The Promise Ring, Texas is The Reason, Jawbreaker, etc (the edgier 90s stuff, I'd say).

Linked below are some links you can check out if you'd like to support the band by listening to their music. 

Discogs 

Knapsack Spotify 

Jealous Sound Spotify

Jealous Sound Apple Music 

The Jealous Sound Rise-Era Merch

The Jealous Sound Audiotree Session