Ripple Scribes Sing: featuring Deadweight and Cover of Afternoon

Now, before you get all snarky on me and start screaming nepotism or hanging chads or illegal voting machines in urban Pennsylvania, let me explain.  Yes, this is a column devoted to two of the bands of our wondrous Ripple scribes.  But this isn't about pumping them up or hyping them cause they happen to work at my beck and call.   In fact, their music is being reviewed completely independently of any Ripple association.  Let me explain.

I first discovered Deadweight earlier this year, before the boys had put an album together.  Ripple ran a joint promotion with ReverbNation to give exposure to some artists with Reverb profiles, and Deadweight was one of the bands that submitted.  Their killer cut, "Cosmic Lunch" was so much in my wheelhouse that I wrote the boys, skipped right over reviewing the music, and put their song on our The Ripple Effect Presents:Volume One - Head Music Sampler.  That sampler (which is still free, go get your copy right now!) was a huge hit with thousands upon thousands of plays, and Deadweight was one of the surprise hits off the album, turning the ears of such luminaries as Bill from Soda Shop.  It was only through interacting with the band that Headshot, the drummer, asked if he could come on board to write for us.  So music came first.  That's about as unbiased an intro as I can get.

Cover of Afternoon is the lofty lovechild of our learned educator on all things musically groovy, The Professor.  In this case, he did come to Ripple first as a writer, but included a link to his ReverbNation page.  One day in the middle of a Ripple meeting with Pope (who was rambling on and on about something Pope-ish) I hit the Reverb link.  As the music started, Pope shut his mouth immediately, his eyes widening.  "Who's this?   That's damn good."   I unveiled who COA were and Pope smiled, vowing to review the EP someday.  But I beat him to it.

So, unbiased reviews.  Just music that we dig.

Deadweight - The Red Sun God EP

I still can't hear "Cosmic Lunch" without getting excited.   After a brief cymbal intro, that guitar simply sears across the mix like a hot poker driving through a block of ice, steam belching in it's wake.  Hot and fiery, it introduced me to the fact that this band is the real deal.  But more than that, they back it up with a rocking and decidedly funky party of classic rock.  Coming from Oklahoma, these cats infuse their retro-seventies-fried sound with the earthiness of some of the best of the Midwestern classic bands, and come on like a souped up Allman Brothers, Head East, Black Oak Arkansas backyard stew.  You wanna throw some Blackfoot into the mix, go ahead.  Spice it with some Black Crowes, a touch of Clutch or Orange Goblin and let you palette run wild . 

"Lady" is an epic rocking ballad for the ages, one that a band like Black Oak would've taken to the bank. Gentle guitar picking over a nice organ sound lead us in gently, until that big guitar chord kicks in and launches us off into a soaring world of psychedelic blues rock.  The melody here is big, I mean arena-sized big, and this song would've brought the lighters out in full force during a big 70's rock festival -- alternating with huge dudes rocking out to air guitar.  Lead singer Seth Copeland reveals a classic, soulful voice, aged and perfectly weathered in the time tunnel of the Midwestern classic bands that preceded.  Dustin Ray (Headshot) on drums and Brandon Gibson keep the song tight through the rocking passages and the slower, blusier moments.   Meanwhile, Ryan McGowan and Bentley Smith tear it up on guitar, laying the foundation for what will be recognized as the classic Deadweight sound; combating layers of that searing guitar.  Perhaps the Black Crowes could've come up with a song like this in their prime, but I think not.  This is something better. 

I've already gushed about "Cosmic Lunch" so won't go on again.  But damn can that song light a fire!  Keep a copy handy for the the coming apocalypse and you can use it to rekindle the power plants.  Those guitars simple explode in swords of electric infernos.  "Stone Frog" is a heavy, stomping number, while "Silver" brings in an unexpected Doors-y vibe.  "Astro Cannibalism" attacks full front and in your face, tossing a more modern stoner a la Clutch guitar/vocal assault ito the mix while "Grannymead" wraps things up with another grooveriffic stoner fest with a beat that just won't stop.

Rocking from start to finish.  A touch modern stoner/groove rock with a solid background in the the heart of the country classic rock.  Psychedelic.  Stoner.  Whatever.  It simply rocks, baby.   Deadweight are still a new band, and it'll be fun to see which way their sound develops.  Personally, I hope they gravitate towards the more retro-psych end of their spectrum like "Lady" and "Cosmic Lunch" because that guitar sound is destined to become their signature calling card.

Get your copy at bandcamp. 


http://thebanddeadweight.bandcamp.com/album/the-red-sun-god-ep

Cover of Afternoon - S/T EP

As hard as it is to place a definitive label on Deadweight's brand of retro-fried seventies stoner rock, Cover of Afternoon is nigh impossible.  Combining elements of prog, post-hardcore, rock, metal, acoustic, and even some emo, there's just damn not enough adjectives to describe their unique brand of rock.  Other than to say . . . it rocks.

Searching, I think a band like Sound&Shape, who I've reviewed many times on Ripple would be about the best fit I can think of.  Punk enough at moments to be at home on a label like Engineer, this simply isn't punk music.  It's prog, in all the best senses of the word, and wouldn't sound uncomfortable jamming on stage with Ripple's own Fen.  But they ain't prog, not in the traditional sense anyways.  The band lists Thrice and Anberlin as influences.  Sure.

Acoustic-y, metal-y rock-y.  Yeah, that's what it is.  And it's all good.

Cover of Afternoon is a three piece that sounds a helluva lot bigger than that.  Ripple's own, Alex Roberts (the Professor) leads the crew on bass, guitar, piano and vocals. Allen Bishop also sings, plays bass and guitar and Reid Mewborne plays anything that you smash with fist or stick.

And let me tell you, when the boys get their groove on, it's something special.  I'm gonna preface this by saying I don't have a copy of the finished EP yet.  What I have are some early mixes of songs that I got off that original ReverbNation page, so things may sound different in final mixes.  But if these are just roughs . . . then Oh My God!

"Not Afraid" is about as near perfect a prog/emo/post-hardcore song can be.  Starting off with a few tentative yet melodic piano notes, at about the 30 second mark, the real beauty of the melody kicks in with a gorgeous piano passage growing to a full-on guitar-led prog rocker.  As the guitar chimes and rings, that stunning piano can still be heard in the background, layering on a veil of atmosphere that is undeniable.  After a moments break, the guitar kicks into a stuttering riff with the vocals lending a touch of neurosis.  It all builds to a cresendo of flying guitar and melodic chorus that stands right up there with something Steven Wilson may have come up with for Porcupine Tree.  At only 3:47, it's hard to call this song an epic, but it is.  It simply is.

"Drop Your Weapons" is a more recognizable post-hardcore/emo/prog stunt in the Sound&Shape vein, with killer melodies and ringing guitars, time changes, musical drop outs, and cool vocal hooks.  "Harlot" may be my favorite cut, a tragic, spiteful tale of brothers stabbing brothers and infidelity.  The pain of the betrayal hangs like a funeral pall over the delicate melody that explodes into moments of pure rage and release.  Stunningly gorgeous, evocative and melodic, until it's a disintegration of violence and hardcore cries for vengence.  Truly, a stunningly realized composition, that sums up every man's feelings after his bitch cheated on him "You both belong together/ the liar and the whore/I can't wait to see the thing that karma's got in store/for Judas and the Harlot /there's a special place in hell/for people just like you."  What a catharsis!

There's six songs here in total and not even the slightest let up in quality.  Big guitar riffs come out of left field, emotive vocals rip through moments of silence, sing-along harmonies lift melodic chorus to cherished heights.

Yeah, I don't know what to call it.

It's Cover of Afternoon and it's unlike any thing else I know.



http://www.reverbnation.com/coverofafternoon

Punk Me, Punk You! Featuring Wolves at Bay, The Scutches, and Kite Party

Wolves at Bay - Only a Mirror

Combining full-on spittle-faced hardcore fury with a post-hardcore/angular rock sensitivity, Wolves at Bay get this punk rock column off to a maniacal start.  Opening cut, "Bedside Maner" starts off with an indie-kinda guitar intro that made me hesitate that I'd be subjected to some whinny, masscara-faced preening, but immediately the lads dispense all those thoughts.  This is pure hardcore with double vocals that blend together seamlessly, both shredding their voice boxes with equal abandon.  Guitars morph into churing buzzsaws, tearing through the melody.  Yes, there is melody.  Enough to keep the song hanging together and adding that post-hardcore vibe.  The second half of the song ups the hardcore quotient with chugging frontal-bone smashing guitars, plowing through the violence.

From start to finish, the whole album sounds like someone took a red-hot burning poker and pressed it right up against a raw nerve.  Emotive, violent, self-vilifying, and blistering.  And at the same time, cuts like "I Have Nothing to Offer"" snap the hardcore smashing with moments of pure post-rock, indie beauty.  Yes, it's still rough, but makes for a great blend from the pure punk.   "Breaking in Two" even includes a mid-way breakdown, with silence slowly morphing into an almost jazz like interlude.  It's moments like that that rise this album above the norm of post-emo punk that comes our way.  Worth checking out.

http://animalstylerecords.bandcamp.com/album/only-a-mirror

The Scutches - Ten Songs, Ten Years

Moving over to a much more radio-friendly, pop-punk vein, we got The Scutches with their post-Ramones, post-Green Day platter, Ten Songs, Ten Years.  What we got here are . . . yes,  ten songs of melodic yet still aggressive pop-punk juiciness.  I got no problem with  with pop punk as long as the choruses are catchy, the chops still mighty, and the singing not too whiny.  Check, check, check.  This is pop punk done with flash and flair.  Fun songs, loud guitars, substantial pounding drums. 

Taking their cues from masters of the past, The Dead Milkmen, Queers, with a dash of The Ramones, plus tossing in a chunk of Weezer and even some of the innocence of Buddy Holly, Ten Songs, Ten Years is a whirlwind of hooks and melodies all crammed into 26 minutes of pop punk goodness.  "Weekend Boyfriend" would've even sounded great if it'd been released by the Ramones and wouldn't have sounded out of place on their greatest hits album.   "Don't Go" has got a simple vocal hook that will effortlessly embed itself in the toughest cortex and reel itself right into the brain.

Nothing here to change the world, but good clean punky fun. 

http://brightandbarrow.bandcamp.com/album/ten-songs-ten-years

Kite Party - Baseball Season

Definitely blurring the boundaries of what we call punk, Philadelphia's Kite Party tread a path through the jungles of emo punk, skirting around the rain forest of indie rock, all the time avoiding the quicksand that can sink both genres into parody.  Emo originally sprang from the world of hardcore punk, incorporating real singing, unusual time structures and more introspective emotions.  But what became known as emo to the general public, and to me, was whiny, nail-polish wearing wimps, crying about lost dates and facial breakouts.  Kite Party are here to change that.

This is emo as originally intended.  It still has an inherent ferocity (not a manufactured, MTV-ready amped up pace) but it is definitely pop-friendly and melodic.  Songs go in and out of time changes, mood changes, pace and tone changes.  Indie rock seems to reign supreme, but not in a fey sort, more in an experimental sort.  Guitar textures are played with.  In the end it all makes the album feel . . . big.  And it is.  It's a real big album and in that sense, a kind of masterpiece of its sort.

A song like "Spirit Gum" represents all this in one brief capsule.  Beautiful at times, intensely melodic at times, experimental in tone and structure, yet still, at times aggressive and near-violent.

In the end, it's a terrific album that challenges me on every listen in the best sense of the word.  I never thought that I liked emo before.  Now Kite Party have proven me wrong.

http://kiteparty.bandcamp.com/


--Racer

My First Album - Blink 182 - Enema of the State

I remember my first time like it was yesterday. It was the summer of 1999 when it all went down. South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut had just been released and I already celebrated my birthday a few weeks prior. This was about the same time I moved into a new city and started getting an allowance. After saving up three weeks allowance at $5 a week I had enough money to buy my very first CD, Enema of the State by Blink 182.

I was definitely the last of all my friends to buy the album, but I appreciated the album just as much. The infamous cover with the attractive blonde nurse pulling down her blue glove was an image every teenage male knew in 1999. Almost every guy I knew, including yours truly, had a crush on the model known simply as Janine. Years later I would learn her real name was Janine Marie Lindemulder,  an ex-wife of Jesse James and an adult film actress, but I digress.

It was a warm, sunny June day when I walked to Target. Yes, I actually walked like a normal kid unlike some spoiled children today. The Target by my best friend’s house was known to have a relaxed purchase policy for CDs that contained a Parental Advisory sticker. Our walk took my friend Danny and I about 30 minutes.

Once we arrived I immediately went for the entertainment section and found the CD. It was $13.99 and I couldn’t have been happier. That day I learned a very important lesson, it’s all about confidence. As I brought my CD up to the twentysomething cashier in the garden section, she looked at me and said, “Late night, come home.” It took me a second before I replied, “Work sucks, I know” and she gave me a big smile. What were the chances the cashier would also be a Blink 182 fan and that she would quote “All the Small Things” to me?

Needless to say both Danny and I enjoyed rocking out to Blink 182 that afternoon. Green Day may have been the first band I fell in love with, but Enema of the State was the first album I personally bought with my own money. I managed to smuggle the album back home and played it several times before I lost it. Years later, I found my copy, now extremely scratched up, but I still cherished it just as much when I first bought the album. Enema of the State will always bring me great memories. When Blink 182 released their eponymous album in 2003, my interest in the band had passed long before their hiatus in 2005. However, at the time I always regretted not being able to see them live.

During my senior year of high school I was listening to a rock radio station when the DJ said, “Here’s an oldie, but a goodie…Blink 182’s ‘All The Small Things.’” I couldn’t believe it. Did a modern day rock DJ really say that about a song that’s only eight years old? Still, I sang along for 2:48 minutes and couldn’t have been happier. My joy for Blink 182 resurfaced and I became an even bigger fan in college thanks to my friend Billy, who is arguably the biggest Blink 182 fan I know (Sorry, Malcolm).

When Blink 182 reunited and I saw them on tour for the first time in 2009, I told people it was for pure nostalgia. I lied. By that time I was beyond stoked and my passion for the band had been reignited. I have now seen the band several times and can’t wait to see them again. There are certain bands, no matter how old I get, I will always have a place for them in my life and Blink 182 is one of them. Their music still holds up.

Now every time I listen to Enema of the State, the album still sounds fresh to me. It’s one of those albums that defined my youth and taste in music. Right now the song “What’s My Age Again?” really resonates with me, maybe it’s because I’m 23, but I believe it’s just an awesome song about growing up. Even songs like “Adam’s Song,” “The Party Song,” “Anthem,” and of course, “All The Small Things” all hold up. Sure maybe not all of you are “feeling this” pick, but to me it’s “obvious” and will always be a band that keeps me “up all night.”


--Brownstone

Ripple Needs Your Help - Writer's Wanted

Well, here it is.

The Ripple Effect is growing so big, so fast, there simply is no way for us to keep up with all the quality music that comes in.  Our poor little staff of Racer, Pope, Woody, and Old School -- aided and abetted on occasion by Iggy and Birdman-- have got stacks upon stacks upon stacks of great music to write about.  And now they could use just a little help.

Yep, the Ripple needs to expand and we've got openings for one or two more writers.  We'd love someone who has a mind for lots and lots of metal.  We mean heavy, dirty, deathy, blacky metal.  We could also use a great mind who loves emo, electro, and indy pop.  If it happens that both those minds are in the same person, then so much the better.

So, if you'd like to write about music, get lots of free music to review, and have your column syndicated across everything from GuitarWorld Magazine's website to USAToday, let us know.  We can't pay ya, other than in good music, lots of love, and a lifetime membership in the Ripple gang.

All it takes is a desperate passion for music and the desire to tell people about it.  As fun as the gig is, we'll only take people with a serious commitment to listening and writing.  Nothing half-assed about the Ripple.

Send in a writing sample about an album you love, 5 or 6 paragraphs.  Tell us why you love it, how it makes you feel and why the rest of the world should care.  Create some ripples.

That's what we do here at the Ripple Effect.  Create some ripples.

Everyone Everywhere MP3 Blog Tour - Free Ripple Music for you

Every once in a while something comes along that is just too cool for words.

That's the way we felt here at the Ripple Office when we were asked to be a part of this truly inventive project. Toss in the fact that it gives us another opportunity to get some free (legal) music into the hands of you waveriders, and we were chomping at the bit.

Beginning today, April 19th, and spanning through May 4th, 10 Independent Music Blogs will be giving away each and every song from the upcoming Self-Titled 12" LP from Philadelphia's Everyone Everywhere.

Aptly dubbed the "Everyone Everywhere MP3 Blog Tour," the concept is simple: Nine amazing blogs (and us, making 10 in total) will be giving away ten amazing songs over the course of the next two weeks.  Each blog gives away a different track from the album.  A different blog, a different song, each day.

We've been asked to kick this whole sheebang off, so today we're presenting to you a free download of the album opener, "Tiny Planet." On first listen, we were instantly drawn to this track, with it's spacey opening guitar and heavy rolling bassline. Bring in some chiming and some crunch and we got some sort of space/emo hybrid with some serious pop smarts, soaring melodies and intricate, layered guitarwork.

The folks at Tiny Engines have lined up some stellar blogs to participate, and each site will be giving away a different song from the record on consecutive days - save for the weekends - until its official release date, May 4th.  For the second track on the album, "Raw Bar OBX 2002" check out Can You See The Sunset? on Tuesday (04/20)

For a detailed schedule of tracks and participants, see below.  Check em all out, we found some new cool stuff there.

For those who simply can't wait to download the album (or simply would like to support the band and label) it's currently available from iTunes and other digital retailers. And  you can Pre-Order the 12" LP in all its vinyl awesomeness from Tiny Engines.

So what are you waiting for? Let's start the tour!

Here's our free song:

Tiny Planet: http://www.beartrappr.com/TE1030104192010/01%20Tiny%20Planet.mp3

And here's the layout for the rest.  Follow the tour each day.  Get the whole album.  Enjoy!

Side A
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01. Tiny Planet @ The Ripple Effect - Monday (04/19)
02. Raw Bar OBX 2002 @ Can You See The Sunset? - Tuesday (04/20)
03. From The Beginning To The Tail @ Built On A Weak Spot - Wednesday (04/21)
04. Tiny Town @ Dryvetyme Onlyne - Thursday (04/22)
05. Tiny Boat @ Battle Of The Midwestern Housewives - Friday (04/23)

Side B
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06. Music Work Paper Work @ Deckfight - Monday (04/26)
07. Blown Up Grown Up @ The Album Project - Tuesday (04/27)
08. Fld Ovr @ Familiarize Yourself - Wednesday (04/28)
09. I Feel Fine by Everyone Everywhere @ Reviewsic - Thursday (04/29)
10. Obama House, Fukui Prefecture @ Clicky Clicky Music - Friday (04/30)