Lunch of Champions

How would Jesus like it?

Epic Hero | Stars

I recently read Jacob Slichter’s book about life on the road with rock band, Semisonic, poignantly titled, “So you want to be a rock star?” In the book, Slichter talks about the how grueling the day-to-day life of being in the world’s most popular band of the moment can be. Semisonic’s hit, of course, was the timeless classic, “Closing Time”. That song was written by Dan Wilson, who produced Epic Hero’s new EP, Blacking Out the Stars.

Blacking Out the Stars is a nice little EP, that has Wilson’s trademark niceties all over it.

First of all, the songs all rock. Semisonic made it’s name playing music that you can bob your head to, and Epic Hero follows suit with a string of songs that possess a powerful inertia of musical energy that is difficult to stop once the album gets rolling.

Above: Epic Hero goofs off

As it happens, the EP really gets off the ground on the second track, “Stars”, where frontman, Justin Milbradt, states:

If I had the words to describe you
I’d say you’re nature’s second sun
I know that I’m nobody’s hero
You’re a hero to everyone
I would scream it to the galaxy

The songs on the EP, all invariably about love, shared or not, between boy and girl, have a polished quality that has them ready to take on the biggies on Top 40 radio. The album flows like the Tigris River during a rainy season – smooth and powerful.

Though most of the lyrics discuss how a boy is longing for a girl to love him, there are moments of intrigue. For example, on “Jesus Wouldn’t Like It”, Milbradt scorns:

She throws rocks at the stars
Dreams of living in cars
But she won’t love me
Jesus wouldn’t like it that way
She forgets how to breathe
Never knows when to leave
But she won’t call me
Jesus wouldn’t like it that way

Summary: If you like polished rock music, then this is a must-listen. If you are more into the unpolished sound of indie rock bands, as I am, you might want to save your money and wait until the Chins put out their next record. Overall, this is a solid effort from Epic Hero.

Enchanting Lyrics, Enchanting Songs, Enchanted Ape

Enchanted Ape – Mexico Song (live)

Enchanted Ape’s Three Ring Symphony is a foot-stomping good time. The album opens up with “Memphis, Trouble Free”, a song that pits Memphis, Tennessee as a perpetual fountain of youth. Lead singer Chris O’Brien sings:

Well I drove my troubles down to Memphis, Tennessee
They say that muddy river will keep you young indefinitely
Three days later, I was three years younger
than the man I used to be
Come Sunday I left Memphis, trouble free

From the fountain of youth, we are led to roam with the perpetual question of Why worry if fate is out of our control? on “Better Times”, where O’Brien sings:

Take this out of my hands
Let these strings keep playing, playing through my mind
Fate will help me stand
No longer must wait, wait for better times

The Ape’s sound is defined by O’Brien’s powerful vocals, which, on the album, are often doubled up by Debra G, a singer of formidable and uncompromising talent. Lead guitarist, Alec James Knutson, really doesn’t break out his chops until the album’s fifth track, “Carousel”. Though, from that point on, he raises the bar considerably.

(above: lead singer/rhythm guitarist Chris O’Brien)

One such song where Knutson excels is on the album’s catchiest track, “Soulfood”, in which the lead guitarist’s fretwork compliments the vocals in a pleasurable way. It’s almost as if the guitar is singing at times, which is actually quite beautiful to hear.

On “Soulfood”, O’Brien offers advice to those worry-warts among us:

So don’t you tell me about livin’ the high life
when your heart is sinking low
Don’t you know you could never go hungry
just as long as you feed your soul

Two things stand out on this album – the band’s cohesiveness and the lyrics.

Enchanted Ape has crafted an impressive album composed of both live takes and studio overdubs. This is an astonishing feat considering how well the album flows from song to song from extreme happiness to erie sadness without losing it’s “good-times” vibe. This consistency is due largely to O’Brien’s lyrics.

He does a fantastic job tackling complex subject matter such as religion, fate, selfishness, and greed. O’Brien is an experienced songwriter, having played coffee shops and open mic’s in Minneapolis for years, and his depth of lifely understanding stands out on this album.

Summary: Three Ring Symphony is an album that, because of it’s depth, you can listen to over and over and over again.

An Interview with Cryns #3

The article below was written by Greg from PerfectPorridge.com and posted on that website on May 9, 2006.
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Cryns #3 : …if Howard Roark could dance

Cryns #3 (pronounced Krines Number Three), the Minneapolis-based indie band, is NOT another dumb indie pop band. In fact, Toby Cryns hates verse/chorus/verse/chorus pop music, and for good reason (it sucks). So when he started fiddling around with riffs in his home studio and e-mailing them off to his brother 2,000 miles away in L.A., it was clear from the beginning they weren’t creating a radio-friendly accessible pop album for mass audiences.

And after almost a year of e-mailing sound files back and forth, Cryn’s fifth full-length album, …if Howard Roark could dance, was born.

Named after the central character in Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead — whose uncompromising creative vision was rarely appreciated by the mass public because of weight placed on group think — there couldn’t be a more appropriate title.

We sat down with guitarist/vocalist and group founder Toby Cryns to talk about Catholicism, Objectivism and who exactly is that John Galt fellow. Read on…

(more…)

Tight Pants – Live at the Turf Club – May 10, 2006

The year was 2004. I had just wrapped up a powerful set at Dub’s Pub with my former band, Arthur Dent. With the help of a few friends, we were moving my keyboard out to Jake’s van when I was accosted by the rowdiest bunch of females I have ever met.

The accosters were actually all of the members of the Bleeding Hickeys, a now-defunct, but popular local punk band. These ladies were smoking, swearing, laughing, and probably grabbing their collective crotch. At the time, I was new to the Twin Cities, and I remember thinking, “These are my people!”

Fast forward to last Wednesday. I was at the Turf Club with my buddy, Jim. We were knee deep in an intense discussion on the merits of swiss cheese when a blistering sound came from the main stage. The individuals creating the sound make up local punk rock band, Tight Pants.

Tight Pants

As the band blasted through their one-song soundcheck, it became apparent that Jim and I would be staying around longer than we anticipated (We are old and were planning on calling it a night at 9 p.m.- lame, I know.). Fore, as I scanned the stage, I realized that the guitar player for Tight Pants was none other than one of the aforementioned Bleeding Hickeys accosters!! Her name is Christina Schmitt, and she is definitely one of my people.

At 9:30, the band would again lay seige to the main stage at the Turf Club to play their entire set. As Schmitt blasted chunky guitar riffs and shining solos through her 4-foot-tall Fender amp, streaking bass lines by Ben Crew and hard hitting drum beats by Colin Swanson layed the foundation for lead singer, Alison Stolpa, to scream out choruses at the top of her lungs. The effect of all this was mezmerizing.

I was perplexed at how much energy was pumping from the small stage at the Turf!

Tight Pants blasted through a blistering 25-minute set that emitted a mix of Betty Crocker and intense anger as Stolta’s Crocker-esque homemaker dress set the tone for the tongue-in-cheek rowdiness that would prevail on the evening.

After they left the stage, I had the pleasure of meeting and conversing briefly with the band. And as I expected, they were nice, upstanding young citizens of these United States, intent on bringing rock to the proletariat. And they proved once again a fact that I had suspected – These are my people.

Mason Jennings’ Boneclouds – The Best Album of 2006

Boneclouds is the best album of 2006. Hands down.

It will be released to the general public tomorrow, and I recommend getting yourself a copy.
I have listened to this record 8 times so far, and it just keeps getting better. Mason Jennings is, quite simply, the best songwriter in America. This new album is giving me goosebumps.

Mason Jennings – Be Here Now

Boneclouds is Jenning’s sixth full-length album and his first recording under the umbrella of record-label goliath, Epic Records. To Epic’s credit, the label has been successful recently in procuring some solid albums (see Matisyahu, Fiona Apple, Modest Mouse, Ben Folds). By signing Jennings, Epic further entrenches itself as the big-label leader in producing original music.

This, Jenning’s sixth full-length album, is simply a much more mature version of his previous work. I don’t think that Mason is pushing any boundaries or even doing anything out of the ordinary. He is simply doing what he does best – recording and writing songs about life. Jennings provides a breath of fresh air, a respite from all the “Bob and Tom”-friendly crap we are bombarded with on a daily basis. His narratives share tales of his intellectual curiosity with religion, love, and hobo wanderings that touch the heart and mind in places that Bob Dylan could only dream of.

(above: Jennings sings the National Anthem at a Minnesota Vikings game)

After spending five months recording 30 songs (by all accounts) for Boneclouds, Jennings winnowed it down to the ten best that are used on this album. According to Mason’s recent interviews, the money that Epic advanced him was used to book an inordinate amount of studio time and buy him patience and peace of mind so that he could record the album he wanted. I’d say that Epic got their money’s worth. …I wish I could say the same for Shakira, another Epic artist, who produced an album called, Oral Fixation, which is pretty nasty coming from a skanky girl like that.

(above: Shakira’s skanky album cover for her skanky album, Oral Fixation)

I just puked.

Anyway, every song on Mason Jennings’ Boneclouds is blessed with it’s own unique sound that, when juxtoposed with those songs around it, plays a special role in crafting an amazing album.

The album begins with the first single, “Be Here Now”, a song about hoping for love. From there, the album steadily grows bigger and bigger, as if a dragon is awakening after a hundred years of napping in a cave. Moving powerfully through “Gentlest Hammer”, the album smoothly transitions into the most moving song, “If You Ain’t Got Love”. On it, Jennings bellows:

In a little wooden cabin up in northern Minnesota,
we ran together down to the dock, and you jumped right off it.
And from out in the water you called me to join you.
And I said, “Baby I cannot swim. If I jump, I’d surely drown you.”
You said, “Life has no limit if you’re not afraid to get in it.”
Oh baby I jumped to you. Since then there’s nothing I can’t do.
I’m never gonna give you up.
What do you got if you ain’t got love?

On the album’s sixth track, Jennings sings a song about Jackson Square in New Orleans that was written long before Hurricane Katrina hit the coast. The song takes on a disturbingly erie quality when juxtaposed with the events surrounding that Hurricane. Jennings sings:

(above: Jackson Square prior to Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans post-Katrina)

Rarely has a songwriter been able to capture the raw emotions on cd the way Jennings has on Boneclouds.

Summary: This is one of the best albums you’ll hear from one of America’s top songwriters.

Avenged Sevenfold is the cheesiest pile of crap since Poison

Good Lord, where do I start? I had the misfortune to witness these hacks open for Coheed and Cambria last night in Milwaukee. Thank God I had a seat in which to sit because I would have hated to give them the pleasure of seeing me standing.

These guys are the second coming of hair metal except without the spandex and aquanet hairspray, but give them some time. I’m just going to list off why they sucked. One: They weren’t even the headliner and they had ramps all over the stage. I was surprised that they didn’t spend half the show jumping off of them. Two: For over 15 years thrash metal legends Overkill have had a mascot called Chaly that is a skull with bat wings.

(above: Overkill’s skull with bat wings.)

Avenged Sevenfold had a big skull behind their drum kit with bat wings that moved and rose up like it was flying. I hope Overkill can sue these douche bags for copyright infringement. Three: The lead singer not only was wearing a Guns ‘n Roses shirt, but every aspect of his stage presence was stolen from Axel Rose right down to the black shades he wore during the entire show. He also called Milwaukee Minnesota at one point. Four: The lead guitarist was the worst. In the middle of the set he came out for a solo. Ugh. When he wasn’t practicing scales he was doing this random-assed, out-of-key doodling. Then he stops and says to the crowd, “I’d like to dedicate the next part of my solo to my hero, Dimebag.” He starts playing something awful again, and then I realize it is the lead from “Walk” just being butchered. You would think if this idiot’s hero really was Dimebag he would have taken the time to learn the part correctly.

(above: Avenged Sevenfold)

So, not only was the shit these guys pulled stupid, their songs sucked too. Nothing but lame breakdown riffs and shitty twin guitar leads. There was not one discernable riff that stood out, or even a catchy vocal chorus. The worst part is that there are teenaged kids out there that call themselves metalheads because they listen to Avenged Sevenfold. Disgusting.

Thoughts from a new lunchmate

I’m new to the lunch room, so I thought I would ease into things by writing about a couple of recent releases that have been monopolizing my stereo.

Drive-By Truckers – “A Blessing and A Curse” (New West)

This has been living in my CD player ever since I picked up a copy of the new album from the Southern quintet. I’ve read several reviews, including those from Paste and Pitchfork, that haven’t been as high on the new album from the DBT when compared to their last three releases. I will admit that this album doesn’t have the raw feeling and narrative story lines that “Southern Rock Opera” or “Decoration Day” displayed, but at the same time I think this album is more accessible. I’ve found that the DBT are one of those bands that you have to see live to truly get. When I first heard the DBT, I enjoyed some of the tunes but it wasn’t until I saw them play a lengthy PBR/Jack Daniels inspired show at the 400 Bar did I become hooked. “A Blessing and A Curse’ is tighter and more focused than the previous three efforts, making it easier for the newbies to the band. Hopefully that won’t deter anyone from checking them out when they come to town to play at First Ave. on May 17. Recommended tracks: “Gravity’s Gone,” “Aftermath USA,” and “A World of Hurt.” You can enjoy these songs and the rest of the album at the band’s streaming media player.

A Band of Horses – “Everything all the Time” (Sub Pop)

A co-worker suggested this album after he had seen them at SXSW. I found that the duo, which hail from Seattle, evoke a dreamy comparison to Built to Spill. I guess this isn’t altogether surprising since the album was produced by Phil Ek, who has also worked with Built to Spill on several occasions. Lead singer Ben Bridwell’s vocals aren’t too far off the mark from Wayne Coyne’s style. Other songs have a Pacific Northwest feel at times, which make for great accompaniment during the grey and rainy days of the spring. The band will be in town playing at the 7th Street Entry on June 4th. Recommended tracks: “The First Song, “The Funeral,” and “The Great Salt Lake.” You can download some song’s from the band’s website.

Run for the Hills!!! It’s the Goddamn Gleam!!!!

The cover of “Lookout For Evils” features a boy in a cowboy hat covering his eyes, trying to avoid what must be a rowdy band of cowboys driving up the road in a beat up pickup truck. Those country boys are the goddamn Gleam, and don’t you forget it! The boy is scared, but still curious. His blue eyes can be seen peaking through the holes in his fingers.

He is right to cover his eyes, fore when the Gleam comes round, you best be runnin’ for the hills. This is a rowdy ass band. The type of band that could headline a show at a scary, wooden biker bar in the middle of Mississippi. These guys have tattoos on their forearms and holes in their mouth where teeth used to be. They wear shirts that say, “Tell yr ma I had better.” Rowdy.

The Gleam – High ‘N’ Mighty

They drink too much, and they probably don’t get enough sleep. Their eyes are always red, and their legs are always tired. If they had barbers, you wouldn’t know it from the knotted up locks they sport. Their girlfriends have to force them to put on a tie for their cousin’s wedding. They eat too much venison and don’t shower enough. These guys are dirty cowboys. Or at least that’s how I picture them.

This, most recent release by the Gleam, is an album that makes me want to get a girl, head out to the nearest dive bar, get drunk, and dance until I puke at 3 a.m. The girl and I will yell and throw beer at the band, which will make the band swear at us, which, in turn, will make us want to dance more and swear more. We will get rowdy because the band is rowdy. This is, after all, the goddamn Gleam!

“Lookout For Evils” is rock and roll taken straight from the Iron Range in Minnesota, an area of the country famous for producing mineworkers similar to those found in Zoolander’s family tree. It is among the better albums I have heard this year. But what can I say? The Gleam knows how to bring it.

The album starts with “Morning Horses”, a nice little waltz that moves into a rock song. After about 3 minutes of niceness, the rowdiness kicks off with “Witches -N- Winos (Never Been Better)”, a song that will make you want to start drinking. But don’t drink too fast – There’s still 26 minutes or so of music to go!

We get a nice little interlude in “I Knew A Girl Who Would Crown Yr Head In Gold” before breaking out the beating stick on “Liars And Thieves”, which is followed by the album’s best track. “High -N- Mighty” is a foot-stomping good time about being on the losing end of love. The song asks the good lord:

Hey high and mighty, what do you have in store for me?
I just hope it’s a little sweeter than what you showed me already.

“Lock Up Yr Children” gets back into the rowdy feel, as the beat up old Fender Telecaster guitars rip through the speakers, setting the listener up for a crooner about wearing out your welcome, “Trouble I’m In”. From there, it is a quick ten minutes and four songs until the last track, “Ever We Climb (No.2)”, which is a good, old fashioned sing-a-long:

Summary: If you like old school Rolling Stones tracks with a little bit of rawness peppered in, then you will love this album.

I ate a lot, then I fell in love with Middlepicker.

I’ve been doing a lot of eating lately. Today, I ate half a burrito, a piece of chocolate cake with hard white chocolate swirls on top, a bowl of chips and salsa, and I drank a can of Barq’s root beer. And that was only lunch. Am I getting fat? Indeed I am. Do I need to cut down on the crap I am eating? Affirmative, Captain Colburn!

But my addiction to food is only part of the problem. I have also been listening to way too much music since I started this blog. For example, Royalty, Etc. Records sent me four albums to listen to last week. And I hate it when good labels like Royalty, Etc. do this to me, because, invariably, the music is good, and I want to listen for hours and hours on end.

Middlepicker – Subtle Sway – The Friction Slows

Well, those bastards at Royalty, Etc. Records can kiss my ass. Their band, Middlepicker, has been playing melodies in my head for the past week now. Middlepicker’s “Middlepicker Brings the Nasty” is an album that makes me smile. Not since the Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ “The Impression that I Get” have I felt the urge to yell along with choruses on any record. These bastards in Middlepicker can all go to hell for providing me with such an enjoyable record!

I was planning on spending this week working on designing some web applications, but instead I have found myself bobbing my head while looking blankly at my computer screen as songs such as “The Friction Slows” (the album’s finest track) and “The Nasty” blast in my living room.

There is a lot of original work on this album. The album’s sixth track, “Overdrive”, features an almost annoying growl of a rhyming pattern that is followed by one of the catchier lyrical riffs I have ever heard, unfortunately, I can’t discern what is being said… Send me some lyrics, fellas!

One thing I really enjoy about “Middlepicker Brings the Nasty” is the band’s ability to utilize chromatic shifts to build the songs up. The seventh track on the album, “Hark!”, does this beautifully, while at the same time showcasing some formidable guitar syncopations. This chromatic shift is built over a beautiful crescendo of drums, and the effect is enthralling.

It is always nice when an album sticks to a theme and takes it all the way through to fruition, and Middlepicker leaves no question that they rock through and through. The album features no slow songs, as the band sticks to what they do best – Rock.

Summary: The only thing that would have made this album better is if I was able to find the lyrics online. I want to sing along with this record!

Classic rock for those that love classic rock

North Styrenn plays music the way John Bonham played the drums – hard and loud. I assume that Bonham would also love to sit in with the band as they play through the old-school rock tracks found on “The North Styrenn EP”.

North Styrenn – Be Not Afraid

The band is influenced greatly by the music of the Who, but I also hear a good deal of Led Zepplin influence, which is to say that North Styrenn captures the power of the Who’s “Who Are You” and mixes it with the melodies of Zepplin’s “Houses of the Holy”.

The opening track on North Styrenn’s first release, “The North Styrenn EP”, speaks to the soul. It speaks to those of us who are confused and lost, but haven’t found a religion that makes us feel good about ourselves. It is a song about humility, and it is a song about lifting yourself up by your bootstraps. It also features some great harmonies a la the Screaming Trees and brings home a guitar solo reminiscent of one that Cracker’s Johnny Hickman might have played while thrusting his pelvis in our faces back in 1993.

Lead singer, Ryan Pula, belts out:

If you hold onto your pride,just let it go and be not afraid.
If you find humility, you will find peace, so be not afraid.
There’s something said for being strong enough to let yourself go down.

I love humility in all parts of life, but especially in rock music.

There are many other bright spots on the album, particularly at moments when a chorus of harmonies can be heard. One thing about this band that really stands out is Ryan Pula’s vocals. He has the rare ability to communicate emotion through his gritty vocal lines. When you listen to this album, you really feel like Pula means what he is saying.

My guess is that this is a band that probably sounds better live than on the album. There are a couple of video clips on the band’s mySpace page, which showcase it’s ability to really rock.

Summary: The North Styrenn EP is gem that would make John Bonham proud.