Hometown: Chicago, IL USA
Website: www.alleyeswest.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/alleyeswest
Twitter: @AllEyesWest
BACKGROUND
The Chicago scene has always been known for its gritty and honest punk rock defined by bands like Naked Raygun, Screeching Weasel, and 88 Fingers Louie. Newcomers All Eyes West, no strangers themselves to the Chicago scene, are continuing in its great tradition with the upcoming release of their self-titled debut LP on Jump Start.
All Eyes West came together in the summer of 2010 and is lead by vocalist/bassist Justin Miller’s emotionally charged lyrics which have been a signature to bands like Arizona’s Signsedso as well as well as Chicago indie rockers Hinter. Guitarist Jeff Dean is known for the sound that has defined bands like The Bomb (with Jeff Pezzati of Naked Raygun), Noise By Numbers, and Explode and Make Up. Rick Fast, who has been a staple of the Chicago indie rock scene in bands like Dialogue rounds out the trio on drums. In the year since their inception the band has managed to build an impressive resume, touring both coasts and playing with bands like Rival Schools, Seaweed, Soul Control, and Let Me Run. As if that weren’t enough, the band completed their first UK tour in June of 2011 and don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
The band’s self-titled effort was recorded at Million Yen Studios by guitarist Jeff Dean and mastered by Jon Drew (Tokyo Police Club, Fucked Up). On it, the band plays homage to 90’s rock giants like Swervedriver, Drive Like Jehu, Jawbreaker, and Husker Du, providing a some fresh air in today’s punk rock world.
RELEASES
All Eyes West - CD/LP/Digital Download - 2011
Hometown: Wiener Neustadt, Austria
Website: www.astpai.org
BACKGROUND
There is no doubting the reach and effect of punk rock, and this four-piece melodic hardcore punk band from the tiny town of Wiener Neustadt, Austria is more than just another case in point.
Started in 2002 by long time high school friends, Astpai has grown into one of the most respected DIY bands throughout Europe. Since the 2005 release of the bands first full-length, Feeling Safe in Programmed Channels, the band has worked tirelessly touring throughout Western and Eastern Europe as well as being a part of the growing Austrian punk and hardcore scene through their work with the well known youth center in their hometown, Triebwerk. Being a part of something is simply not enough for this group of outgoing punks. Giving back is just as important.
Astpai’s Jump Start debut was 2008’s Corruption Concealed and since that time they’ve become some of our most sincere friends. They’ve moved on from not only touring the whole of Europe, but have seen their fair share of the US through two tours, with their third on the way in the Fall of 2011. In between all those long nights and days spend far away from home they’ve managed to release The Scavenger, a two song seven-inch/five song digital download, and Heart to Grow, the band’s latest full length and what some people say is a record screaming about the coming of age, finding your place in the world, and the thought that we may not be in this all alone.
The band has compared to the sound of scene veterans like None More Black, Trial, The Nerve Agents, and Samiam, and arguably so, but this band and the scene they’ve come from mean so much more.
RELEASES
Corruption Concealed - CD/Digital Download - 2008
The Scavenger - Seven Inch EP/Digital Download - 2010
Heart to Grow- CD/LP/Digital Download - 2011
Hometown: New Bedford, MA USA
Website: www.awilhelmscream.com
Myspace: www.myspace.com/awilhelmscream
BACKGROUND
What can really be said about these guys that would do them any justice? The longest running band that we've ever worked with and honestly, some of the most sincere and talented people around. If you're not familar with what this band has been doing for the better part of the last decade, you've either been living under a rock or in a coma. A Wilhelm Scream has been pushing the definition and description of what punk rock is and can be, and have been doing so with a workhorse ethic for well over 10 years. We're stoked to be able to call these guys good friends.
RELEASES
Benefits of Thinking Out Lound - CD/Digital Download - 2002
Diver - Seven Inch - 2006
Career Suicide - Vinyl LP - 2008
Hometown: Southlands, NJ USA
Website: N/A
Facebook: www.facebook.com/crucialdudes
Twitter: @CrucialDudes
BACKGROUND
With a name as tongue in cheek as the Crucial Dudes, you’d expect a whole lot of immature songs about girls or the ins and outs of being a teenager, right? While that’s not completely off base, the tracks on 61 Penn, the debut release from this South Jersey outfit are anything but childish and show a wisdom well beyond their years.
Often compared to fellow Jersey forefathers Lifetime and Saves the Day, the Crudes bring a more modern and refreshing take on pop-punk than what is currently being offered up by the bro-core and mosh obsessed hardcore kids out there that find it cool to listen to pop-punk again. Throw in a healthy dose of Latterman and you’ve got a good idea how the Crudes tackle this seemingly never ending sea of watered down music that’s passed off as pop-punk; more often than not just trite and contrived to the point that its becoming the butt of its own joke.
61 Penn is a record fueled by the desire to live life to the fullest, whether that’s with four of your best friends sweating it out in a van or eating pizza on a Friday night somewhere in South Jersey. Filled with tons of catchy choruses and a million sing-alongs, the Crudes know how to write a perfectly good hook without wasting on overindulgence and a bro-core attitude you’d almost think come hand in hand with the band’s name.
RELEASES
61 Penn - CD/LP/Digital Download - 2011
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA USA
Website: N/A
Myspace: www.myspace.com/givingchase
BACKGROUND
Keith Morris, legendary front man for Black Flag and The Circle Jerks, once said, “If you’re starting a band and think that you’re going to make a lot of money, you’re fooling yourself. Maybe the machinery kicks in behind you and it turns into the golden brick road, but for most of us, we just had to go out and bust our asses.”
Few bands that have been around as long as Giving Chase would still be together if they’d gone through much of what this band has endured. Most fall by the wayside or move on to other projects. Not Giving Chase. Giving up has never been a part of this band’s work ethic. Perseverance is something this band has learned, sometimes the hard way.
Over the past eight years, singer and founding member Mike Woliansky, has been writing music that has attempted to make a connection with anyone who wanted to listen. Since the band’s inception, Woliansky has teamed up with guitarist Ryan Wilcox; and the two have seen their share of fairweather musicians come and go.
In the winter of 2003 the band set out to record Nothing Ever Changes. The seven song EP was a huge stepping stone that marked a progression in sound that had been developing since the addition of Brian Dougherty on bass and Matt Floravit on drums in 2002. Recorded at Clay Creek Studios with Nick Rotundo (None More Black, Boy Sets Fire, Paint It Black), Nothing Ever Changes finally captured the raw energy and intensity of the band’s live sets. Lyrically, the album touches on issues across the spectrum, but there is an underlying theme that ties all seven tracks—the realization that nothing will ever change, in your own life or in the world around you, unless you do something to change it.
July of 2003 saw the release of Nothing Ever Changes on Jump Start Records (A Wilhelm Scream, Belvedere). The initial reaction to the release was overly positive, garnering great reviews from Punknews.org, Punkrocks.net, and Pastepunk.com. With this the band set out on tour and was soon met again by the challenges that face a small, struggling band that’s living on the road.
Like many times before, Giving Chase again found themselves in search of a new drummer and guitar player (a second guitarist was added after the release of Nothing Ever Changes), as well as in a new city; the band relocated to the city of brotherly love, Philadelphia, in July of 2004.
Long time friends of the band, Carlin Brown and Jeremy Myers both found themselves without a band shortly after the demise of their previous project. Brown was enlisted shortly after the band’s relocation to Philadelphia. It was another eight months before Myers’ addition to the band would again solidify their lineup and rejuvenate the band.
In December of 2005 the band again found their way to Newark, Delaware to work with producer Nick Rotundo at Clay Creek. After 20 long days the band emerged with the follow up to 2003’s Nothing Ever Changes. The new songs are faster, more progressive, and show more dynamic songwriting ability then their previous efforts. Again, the band intends to forge ahead doing what they love and what they do best.
RELEASES
Nothing Ever Changes - CD/Digital Download- 2003
While Nero Played - Seven Inch - 2006
A Cheap Print of a Masterpiece - CD/Digital Download - 2007
Iron Men in Iron Lungs - Digital Download - 2010
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA USA
Webiste: N/A
Myspace: www.myspace.com/jenaberlin
BACKGROUND
Although Jena Berlin named their sophomore full-length Quo Vadimus – Latin for “Where are we going?” – the Philadelphia quintet seems less concerned with the final destination than with the unpredictable, uncharted process of actually getting there. After all, it’s always been the lessons learned and the connections made during the journey that has validated this fiery post-hardcore band’s unshakeable core of DIY values. Regardless of all the trials and tribulations of being independent and punk in a landscape increasingly preoccupied with scene politics, commercialism and the glossy shell that surrounds it, Jena Berlin has persevered and Quo Vadimus is another impressive chapter in their compelling history.
When Jena Berlin formed nearly four years ago, their mission was simple: music should be openly shared with the masses – an exchange of ideas, if you will - and together we can build something based on friendship and camaraderie…not cut-throat competition or the superficial musical hierarchy that follows. If it sounds like something vaguely socialist, that’s because it is: Jena and Berlin are the two cities in Germany where Karl Marx attended college. The name is a reminder that art – and even living and surviving on your art – should be about substance and meaning; not about surface appearance or hype. Doing so makes for a stagnant, gridlocked scene, severing the lines of communication and thus making it impossible to foster a proactive community of likeminded music supporters.
Thankfully, Quo Vadimus is anything but stagnant. Beside subject matter which traverses everything from social change to personal evolution, there’s a volatile storm brewing beneath the album’s eleven angular songs. It’s a relentless whirlwind of dynamic, dueling guitars. It’s an unstoppable hurricane-force rhythm section…the backbone which bends and twists, but never breaks. It’s Jon Loudon’s erupting, exploding and always heart-stopping vocals, singing an earnest narrative by which it’s impossible not to be captivated. It’s all of this, plus an intangible feeling of cohesion between members, as if each part of the song could not exist or thrive without the others. Symbiotic relationships like this not only allow Jena Berlin to feed off one another but to grow and develop within themselves as well.
Jena Berlin have always cited bands like Boy Sets Fire, At The Drive-in and Texas Is The Reason as a touchstone for their sound: impetuous, youthful and with a fire in the gut, but open to revolutionary ideas and the notion that change can be positive. Their 2005 debut Passion Waits as the Program Keeps Going captured a hungry, enthusiastic band igniting a spark that would find them lighting stages ablaze across the U.S. While they were borrowing equally from Dischord and Midwestern scenes of the early 90’s, the band was also injecting a new-school punk sound and hardcore aesthetic into their music and live performances.
Let’s not forget though, it’s all about the journey: the victories and defeats of being on the road for six months a year, not to mention cultivating new friendships which propel Jena Berlin forward while simultaneously providing the insight to reflect on that time. Although the band remains as incendiary and urgent as ever, Quo Vadimus benefits from maturation and a sense of purpose that only experience can bring. Jena Berlin still might not know where exactly they’ll end up, they’re happy to hang on tight for one hell of a ride.
RELEASES
Quo Vadimus - CD/Digital Download - 2007
This Is Yours As Much As It Is Mine - Seven Inch/Digital Download - 2008
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA USA
Website: N/A
Myspace: www.myspace.com/lightenuphardcore
BACKGROUND
Not simply a throwback to early '80s hardcore, Lighten Up! play fast and pissed of hardcore in a time when hardcore bands call Slayer more of an influence than Minor Threat or Bad Brains. Calling Philadelphia home, this young four-piece has released a demo, two 7"s, and unleashed Absolutely Not on the world in 2009.
Absolutely Not - LP/Digital Download - 2009
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA USA
Website: N/A
Myspace: www.myspace.com/metroplex
BACKGROUND
The dramatic vocals, ‘wall of noise’ guitars, and energetic percussion of Metroplex lend a truly original and emotive sound to this sought after Philly based band. Guitarist Matt Hanemann and Vocalist/Bassist Jack Kerrigan have been working together in several different bands for for the better part of the last decade, including time in the Philly based pop-punk band Khrissy. In early 2001, this talented duo teamed up with long-time friend and explosive drummer, Fred Bohlander, himself a vetern as well on the Philadelphia music scene.
Looking to such bands as The Police, Jawbreaker, The Pixies, Fugazi and Leatherface, this trio has created an intoxicating sound of their own; powerful melodies, unique hooks, and lush interludes that come together and create a truly unique sound.
Decade Diary - CD/2XLP/Digital Download - 2010
Hometown: Chicago, IL USA
Website: www.noisebynumbers.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/noisebynumbers
BACKGROUND
Noise By Numbers features veterans of the Chicago music scene including Dan “Vapid” Schafer (Formerly of Screeching Weasel/Riverdales/Methadones), Jeff Dean (The Bomb/All Eyes West), Rick Uncapher (Textbook), and Jimmy Lucido (Light FM). The band finds its influence from classic punk and alternative rock bands like Husker Du, Naked Raygun, Sugar, and The Replacements, yet maintain a unique sound that never stays in one place for too long.
The band formed in December of 2008 and released its debut full-length, Yeah, Whatever in November of 2009 on Asian Man Records. The band quickly set out on the road playing festivals like Fest 9 and 10, Insubordination Fest, and Windy City Sound Clash 2, as well as tours up and down the East Coast with bands like Rise Against, Alkaline Trio, Hey Mercedes, Small Brown Bike, Cheap Girls, and Banner Pilot.
Over Leavitt, the band’s latest full-length and first with Jump Start was produced by Jon Drew (Tokyo Police Club, Fucked Up) and is their follow up to Yeah, Whatever. It showcases a more focused and deliberate sound influenced heavily from Schafer and Dean’s collective histories and songwriting backgrounds that is markedly different than their other projects, yet not totally unexpected.
Over Leavitt - CD/LP/Digital Download - 2011
Hometown: Toms River, NJ USA
Website: www.onewinchoice.org
Myspace: www.myspace.com/onewinchoice
Twitter: @OneWinChoice
BACKGROUND
The idealism of punk rock is rarely wasted on the youth who are increasingly drawn to it. Somewhere along the line that idealism is usually replaced with the forced march toward adulthood. But for others, their passionate convictions lead them to the squatting life of long late night drives and sleeping on hardwood floors. Somewhere along the line the idealism that’s often lost by many was never a second thought to this Philadelphia by way of South Jersey five-piece. For the five gentlemen of One Win Choice, writing “meaningful songs and playing them as often and for as many people as possible,” says singer Dan Kloza, is what drove them to start playing melodic and urgent punk rock in the first place. Whoever said being young and idealist was dangerous obviously had this band in mind.
In 2002 One Win Choice set out to play a genuine combination of punk and hardcore infused with a powerful message. Staying true to the DIY ethos, the band has worked tirelessly over the past nine years playing shows, printing their own t-shirts, promoting their own shows, and supporting the scene that has inspired them since day one. In a time where bands are virtually created over night by over hyped labels and website driven promotions, understanding the need and respect for the DIY ethos is certainly something that sets this band apart from most of their peers.
Musically and lyrically drawing influences from The Boss as much as Bad Religion, the band is quick to cite “ideas from authors and filmmakers such as Zinn, Orwell, Loewen, Yeates, Achebe, Black, Moore, and Gerima” as huge contributors to their sound and progression. Dan adds, “We strive to write songs that will help to spark personal interest and action in the social and political climate of our communities and the world we live in…a soundtrack to dance to as well as inspire.”
Whether it’s the idealism of punk rock that brought the members of One Win Choice together or the fun the band has in the company of friends sweating and singing along in a small cramp basement, it’s certain that this band won’t be walking the forced march to adulthood anytime soon. More than likely they’ll continue to blaze their own path bringing their positive message and creating urgent music for years to come.
RELEASES
Never Suspend Disbelief - CD/Digital Download - 2007
Define/Redefine - Seven Inch/Digitial Download - 2009
Conveyor - CD/LP/Digitial Download - 2011