What it is.

Hey folks. Needless to say, we haven't completely kept up with some of the happenings of the indie rock community on this blog. Our shareholders won't be happy. Hah.

Some new bands have signed to some labels. Some bands have broken up.

Basically, I've taken a step back from all this scene stuff and when I look at it from the outside, it appears to be changing a bit. I'm in my second year of college. When I first got into the scene, I was halfway through high school. We've kind of passed the baton, in the sense that the majority of show-goers these days are new high schoolers.

Hardcore shows are less of a sure-thing. They're more hit or miss. 50 kids one night. 200 another. And I've been monitoring other sites news posts, and I can't help but notice that they've been doing the SAME thing for several years. "So and so has posted a new song. They'll be on tour this coming blahblahblah. Their CD will be out blahblah."

I feel like an old man. Talking about how I miss the old days. I'll be honest - 2004 was the best year for music I've ever seen. It brought us Composure, I Am Hollywood, They're Only Chasing Safety, The Need To Feel Alive, No Sir Nihilism Is Not Practical, Catch For Us The Foxes, and so many more quality albums. 2005 was great too with How The Lonely Keep, Son I Loved You At Your Darkest, In Motion...

The point is, at least for me, that can't be topped. The best has come and gone. Who is Search The City? Who is The Becoming? Children 18:3? Corey Crowder? Look, maybe they're good, maybe they've got potential, but here is a FACT:

What makes companies like Starbucks and Apple so appealing? They're more than just companies that create products, they've got magic to their brand name. They've got that special, undefinable substance to their product that makes people pay 4 dollars for a cup of milk. The new Nail bands dont have that. Compared to their previous generation, there's no magic, there's nothing about them that pumps me up for the next album.

This site has spent alot of time, and I like to think has made a small impact, in defending the scene. And I don't think it's completely dead. There have been some standout releases this year. But it's on it's back. I'm sorry that I haven't posted regularly on here, but now you know why. There's no reason to end this blog. Hopefully some peers (AP.net, IVM, The effin NAIL) will see this and it'll make sense. Those of you who want to stick around are more than welcome to. Let's see where this is going. Those of you who are looking for daily posts of who posted what song where: Thank you for your support, but this might not be the place you're looking for.

Thanks for reading this. Hope to talk to you soon.
-Kevin

Except some new stuff from the Ob-SCENE camp soon.

I can't tell you what, but I can tell you it involves a video blog.

And I'm in it.

Ok I just told you what it is.

Terminal is playing another show

Ya I'm serious. It's ridiculously beautiful. The only problem is that it's in Texas. Eff.

Bunch of news. What what?

Corey Crowder has signed with The Nail.

Sullivan has broken up.

We're giving away copies of the new Thrice CD. (Look below for details)

Download the Jonathan Jones EP on the myspace.

If you guys are curious...

About any new faces on The Nail, you might want to search the city for such bands.

I said free Thrice? What what?

To celebrate the release of Volumes 1 and 2 of The Alchemy Index by Thrice, we're giving away some free copies. You better believe it. You want a free copy of this incredible cd? Of course you do. First, I need you to go to Queens to get me a sugar cookie.

Ok seriously, this contest is gonna go down like this -
I'm looking for a great acromyn using the word THRICE. You can submit as many as you like in the comments. We're looking for creativity, and well, it should but doesn't have to make sense. Just do your thing.

A handful of the best acronyms will be chosen by the admins and a vote will determine the final winner. All contest updates will be made in this post. WIN!

An update

Hey guys. I know I haven't written on here in a while, and you definitely deserve to know what's going on, so here it is -

I'm kinda thinking about the indie/hardcore/whatever scene we typically write about. Maybe it's just me, but it seems like it's lost it's fire. Maybe it's labels signing less than mediocre bands. Maybe it's me just shifting musical preference. But the scene seems watered down and we've gotta figure something out.

Showbread double disc hype

I have high expectations from Showbread for their next release, a double disc set called "Anorexia Nervosa". They exploded with "No Sir..." but have been quietly touring and defending themselves after "Age of Reptiles". This is a release that cuold put them back on top. They're smart, they're creative, and I see no reason why they can't blow people away.

It has little to do with the amount of screaming, so before you start telling me I'm too scene for AOR, don't. Look at the personality, the wild glam attitude of No Sir, then look at the streamlined AOR.

I dont know maybe Im just a hater.

Rap

Anyone have any favorite hip-hop artists? Talking about indie/hardcore all day can be a total burn-out.

The Maine is my new best friend

Awesome = The Maine covering Akon. Here.

Best three minutes of my day.

The Nail Podcast

In case anyone is interested, a new Tooth and Nail podcast emerged last week featuring a new song from Ivoryline, and some chit chat from Josh of Emery. Also on the podcast is A Dream Too Late, Far Less, and some other stuff.

New records abound!

So today, Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007, marks one of the single greatest days in music history, for me at least.

Six, count 'em, SIX new records are out today, all of which I am interested in.

They go as follows:

Say Anything-In Defense Of The Genre

Coheed and Cambria-Good Apollo I'm Burning Star Volume II: No World For Tomorrow

Far-Less-A Toast to Bad Taste

The Glorious Unseen-

Cobra Starship-Viva La Cobra!

Oh, Sleeper-When I Am God

Out of that six, like four of them I am downloading currently. Rhapsody didn't have the new Far-Less or Glorious Unseen's debut, so I'll have to purchase hardcopies of those.

Tell me, which one's would you like me to review? Or would you rather I just review all of them?

UPDATE: My headphones blew out. Reviews will be delayed a few days until I can get a new pair.

Radiohead.

Unless you live in an information-age cave, you've probably heard that Radiohead has released their latest record, In Rainbows, completely free from a label, only on their website, and with giving you the ability to choose how much YOU want to pay for the right to download it.

I've never been a big Radiohead fan, but this idea is something I wish EVERY BAND adopted, mainly because they rarely see alot of money from cd sales and downloads, they get more cash from merch sales at shows, which more kids would be able to go to if they had easier access to the bands music.

Think about it.

anyway, I haven't been able to download the cd yet, but I'll tell you what I think of it when I do, and maybe try for yourself.

Go here.

Love and kisses.

UPDATE: I downloaded it and am currently listening to it. Without having a background to compare it with any review would be unsatisfactory, but I have to say it's pretty rocking for a band I often get mixed up with Pink floyd.

Does this resolve it for you?

You're welcome.

I love you.

Twelve Gauge can't be breaking up because

THEY ARE MOVING TO TAMPA FLORIDA OH YEAH!!

Seriously, they are.

So...yeah.

Oh, I guess you could say I'm back.

Circa Survive

I am listening to the new Circa Survive CD, and I didn't think it would be that great, considering I thoroughly resented a live show I saw a few years back. But I'm enjoying it.

I dont know why im posting this nonsense

And the traffic goes down.

jk - playradioplay

Good news / bad news

I don't know how famliiar you are with the various clothing companies out there specializing in scene-related hotness. Well one of my faves, The Black Sea, recently got their myspace hacked. Kinda sad.

The good thing is, they have a new line of some legit stuff. No they didn't pay me for this post. But Demon Hunter pays me to make polls about them. Too bad the poll's not in their favor so far. GOTCHA DXH!

Sufjan Stevens expected to live to 300

I'm just gonna put this out there -
Unless Sufjan Stevens is expecting to live well into triple-digits, I don't think he's gonna make it to his 50 state, 50 CD goal.

In 4 years he's released 2 states. Meaning all 50 states will take 100 years at this rate.

Dont Poll Me, Bro

Our last poll recently closed by indicating that the majority of you are in As Cities Burn.

Our new poll tests your opinion of the coming Demon Hunter album.

That time of year...

With it being mid October and no amazing records within sight of the rest of the year, I thought it might be a good time to bring up some Album of The Year contenders.

Some records that come to mind right away include (top 5, in order)-
Lovedrug - Everything Starts Where It Ends
Brighten - King VS Queen
As Cities Burn - Come Now Sleep
Haste The Day - Pressure The Hinges
Neon Horse - Ne... wait did he just say Neon Horse???1wtf?!?

I know - what about Anberlin. Im also considering Drop Dead Gorgeous and Falling Up.

Anyway, enough about me. How about you? I want some input for when we compile or Top Records of '07 (according to this ridiculous blog) list.

100th ob-scene post and other lowlights

In a series of flat out low points for music as we know it, some hormonal teenagers have come up with some concept based on having sex in honor of acoustic Sullivan songs.

Ever thought of self control? Personal integrity? Self respect?

Or is that too much work for you?

How about Tell Me I'm WrooOOOOOOOOoooong acoustic.
That'd be perdy damn hawt.
And if it sounds as beautiful as I think it will,
I'll bang the next decent looking girl I come across, and make her write
"You're Wrong Brooks" across her chest, after I've done the deed.

Sullivan makes tons of songs about romance and following your heart, heart-break, and dedication. But for Brooks to partake in this is nothing less than hypocritical. Calling out ladies to forsake their purity for a few extra myspace hits is ridiculous.

Ever thought of promoting purity? Chivalry? Romance? Well they did in theory, through their songs. But I guess the truth comes out eventually.

Yes I did see the disclaimer "this shouldn't be taken seriously". Ok so let me get this straight. You want pictures of people as described in the above statment, with lyrics on their bodies, but at the same time, we shouldn't do it cause you're not serious? Which one is it?

I'm not overreacting. Yes I expect a backlash of comments from B4B followers. Yes, I expect B4B to tell ME that I'M wrong. God forbid someone make a statement in this world promoting something positive.

I dont even know what to say

Eavesdropping: Colour Revolt

Colour Revolt recently gave Pause magazine an interview discussing their wacky music and wacky personalities and celebrity status -

We had our first rock star thing yesterday, at Lollapalooza. We all got free shoes.

Demon Hunter freaking video

Here ya go. "Fading Away" is the song. Thoughts? The new CD hits stores next month.

WFT EPs?

So after a few decades of waiting for the sophomore full-length from The Myriad, we finally have the next best thing - an ep called "Prelude to Arrows". It'll have 4 songs off that full-length and two other exclusive tracks.

Koch Records will be releasing this alleged full-length. Check the myspace for info on this ep, unless you're like me and youre tired of the ridiculousness and just want the freaking CD.

The Showdown also has an EP available called "Feel Like Hell EP". It features 3 b-sides from Temptation Come My Way. What were your thoughts on the latest Showdown CD?

If you're thinking about robbing a band - dont.

Does anyone know why it is that bands are getting their belongings robbed/vandalized/broken into so much?

Edison Glass recently has gone through some troubles with having their belongings stolen and van broken into. They lost a ton of stuff totalling $8,000 and you can get more info including a donations link here. The tour with Blindside is still going on ;)

Impending Doom in Decibel

Check out a recent write-up on Impending Doom and their Christian foundation here.

They’ve played with popular offshoots like Job for a Cowboy and experience the same things that every other death metal band goes through: sore throats before and after shows (“On tour, Brook usually won’t speak until he is onstage”)

The Eavesdropping Murders

From Brian of The Handshake Murders:

[Please comment on the following words]
God - cool in my book, but believe what you want.
Emo - Guilty as charged. Doesn't mean I have female parts. Our drummer has an acoustic side project called Land of Tears. We all dig 'emo'. It did turn into something kind of lame nowadays.
Drugs - We're totally un-party... so no? Well, Jeff rides the ganja-train quite a bit.. and likes it. a lot. but is very responsible about it.
Heidi Klum - Didn't she just have Seal's baby? I rarely go a week without listening to a Seal record. Hah, she had a baby Seal.
HSM fans - Better and generally smarter on the IQ scale than Dave Mathews fans. Those who like both are still cool, but one day, they'll have to choose. There can be only one.

New musics.

Solid State signs Once Nothing. We look even stupider than we did two posts ago.

The Classic Crime and Oh, Sleeper have new songs online.

I've been praying about this and..

I'm leaving being a full-time member of the blog.

It's gonna be tough to say good-bye, since I've been a part of the movement since Taking Refuge was still around.

I just don't like the way the music industry is looking, and I don't want to be a part of it this way anymore.

I love Kevin and all you guys still, this has nothing to do with you.

And for once I won't blame Toby Mac...I promise.

Please still support Ob-SCENE. Kevin is trying to do some good.

I just don't feel like my opinion is wanted anymore. I always assumed this was an OPINION blog, and that I could speak my mind.

But, lately especially, it hasn't been so.

So...

I don't want to be a part of it anymore.

Sorry.

Hopefully Kevin will allow me to stay on in some capacity, even if I only get to post once-a-month.

And in case you were wondering, Anberlin sold out.

xVarious news batchx

My Children My Bride signed to Solid State. OB-SCENE looks stupid for the Solid State post below.

*UPDATED* Anberlin "Lost Songs" tentative album tracklisting:
1. The Haunting
2. Uncanny
3. Like A Rolling Stone
4. Day Late Friend (acoustic)
5. Enjoy The Silence
6. Cadence (acoustic)
7. Downtown Song
8. There Is A Light
9. Dismantle Repair (acoustic)
10. The Promise
11. Nieve Orleans (acoustic)
12. Inevitable (AOL sessions)
13. Unwinding (AOL sessions)
14. Creep (AOL sessions)
15. Baby Please Come Back
16. Ready Fuels (demo)
17. Driving (demo)
18. Everywhere In Between (demo)

Number One Gun has new songs up.

I apologize for constantly posting T&N related bands, but to be honest, they make news *shrug*.

PlayRadioPlay posted a bunch of tour dates all over until mid-November.

From Gwen Stacy:

We'll be heading into the studio to record a brand new 12 song full-length with Paul Leavitt (The Bled, From Autumn To Ashes, Strike Anywhere, Circa Survive) and Brian Mcternan (Thrice, Converge, Hot Water music, The Movielife).

Underoath Movie EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!!!!

We could be boring and tell you what everyone else has already told you - that Underoath is making a movie. Instead we're gonna try and be cool by doing this:

We're gonna write the plot. Now, I know it's more of a documentary than a scripted film, but I guess while we're breaking news of UNDEROATH: THE MOVIE, we might as well have fun with it.

Here it goes. I'll start, you guys just add on...

It's early on Saturday morning. Aaron Gillespie is singing The Almost songs in the shower while the rest of the guys prepare for a long day on the road to the next venue...

Solid State new band recruiting going well

Today's biggest non-story -
Solid State is now working with Soul Embraced again after they've been on and off the roster over the past few years. Supposedly we'll hear new stuff in '08. recording has not begun. [IVM]

A brief little note...

I was just wondering, how many of you guys get an opportunity to go to local shows?

I'd like to consider myself a big supporter of unsigned/local groups, but I haven't been to any shows featuring local Florida bands.

However, I hope to soon.

I think you should to...

So, if you like local groups, tell us what that band is, maybe post their myspace.

Yeah.

10.02 reviews

Dashboard Confessional - The Shade of Poison Trees
Chris Carrabba takes a step in a more light=hearted direction with this release. This isn't exactly a soundtrack to a Disney movie, but it's nonetheless nothing like the early simplistic melancholy tunes that we came to love, or hate, in the early years.

Emery - Im Only A Man
I miss The Weak's End, just like you probably do. But Emery isn't completely insane in putting out this CD. At first listen it's strange and a little dissappointing, but if you step back and give it a clean listen, I've found that it's surely got it's own magic to it. Only time will tell if this will become a classic like it's two predecessors, but for now, it's got enough to keep me singing it throughout the day.

Falling Up - Captiva
Out of all of Falling Up's CDs, this is probably the one I'd recommend to others the most. Like many bands with two albums beneath their belts, Falling Up begins putting out weirder and more experimental tracks. Nothing extreme, just more mature, more distinct songs. But Falling Up makes likable and thought-provoking rock songs in between Linkin Park and Thrice.

A Plea For Purging - A Critique of Mind and Thought
I'm not a fan of the production on this effort. There's nothing wrong really with the talent they've put into this disc, but it's nothing I'm going to put on replay. I feel that their EP had more personality. It's metal, ya know. Buy it if you're in need of doing some metal fingers to your stereo.

Inked In Blood - Sometimes We Are Beautiful
I think as far as generic hardcore goes, this is one of the better releases I'll come across. It's actually fulfills the promise of being diverse, emotional, melodic, etc. For fans of Life In Your Way and other melodic rock/hardcore. If you get a chance to see or hear this band, pay a little attention and you might find something you like.

These are condensed versions of the long ramblings I wish I could write about each album. If you have specific questions about songs or whatever, comment the post! :)

Terminal rumors terminated

From Travis Bryant in the AP news forums:

the terminal guys and i do talk from time to time and its no secret that we think it would be fun to do something again. quite fortunately, we are all too busy with projects we agree are much better than terminal, and things look to stay that way in the near future.

AIM FOR THE THROAT!!

Many of you have had and expressed concerns about why many of your favorite screamo bands have, um, stopped screaming.

The answers simple, I remembered it today.

As an aspiring vocalist, I can attest to the fact that certain screamed vocals can DESTROY your voice.

Take Emery's screaming vocals, for example. They were so raw in The Weak's Ends, but declined slightly in The Question and are almost non-exsistant in I'm Only A Man.

This is probably because their distinct scream is so high pitched it can wreck the screamers vocalist.

So don't fret too much when your favorite band shifts sound and vocals, they are merely trying to preserve the future.

Alive In Wild Paint

Goodbye Tomorrow has changed their name to Alive In Wild Paint. They also have posted a new song online. I won't be able to post much this weekend, but this is good enough to get through the weekend! Fans of Terminal and Goodbye Tomorrow will wet themselves.

Like pebbles in a STREAM!

Wanna hear all of Emery's new record before it comes out, just to see if it's any good?

Check their myspace tomorrow.

Yeah.

Need a reason to like He Is Legend again?

In my first non-Toby-Mac-is-an-evil-shapeshifter related post in a while, I'd like to post this interesting article from Schuylar about how to deal with fans.

And it doesn't involve weedin' 'em out.

Weed 'em out!

Bunch of crazy news

The Myriad is releasing a EP as a prelude to the full-length.

The Almost has released the video for "Southern Weather".

The Showdown is finna do an acoustic show. WFT? [IVM]

Dashboard Confessional = new song = on myspace.

A short thought on Underoath

I'm listening to "Reinventing Your Exit" here before I leave for a great day of class. I know that in their live sets these days they're leaving out alot of TOCS songs, specifically this one. While I think it's good that they're playing alot of new material, which is very good material, I just wanted to say I miss the days of finishing sets with "Reinventing Your Exit" and other songs from Chasing Safety (and even Changing of Times)

OMG WTF CV!!! NOES!!!

YOU KIDS!!! YOU DID THIS! YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID!!!

Well it's official, Tobymac screwed over one of the greatest bands ever.

Chasing Victory has officially broken up.

Read their blog.

This is all your fault for not buying Fiends.

Thank you so much, Toby Mac and you stupid scene kids that wouldn't know excellence if it bit you in the butt.

Emery gets to the chorus

Emery continues to surprise the world with their newest track, "Don't Bore Us, Get To The Chorus". Listen to it.

Darn... maybe...

So I'm thinking Bernard was finna get back together. This bulletin makes me think they're just doing a reunion show instead. Kinda sad because I miss this band and wish they would do more than they did... eh, we'll see.

migrate your way to jacksonville, fl.

BERNARD!
ONE NIGHT ONLY!

101207

Ghouls and Mutants

Buy two new Chasing Victory songs on their myspace. They are part of a single-kind-of release called Ghouls/Mutants.

Musically, "Ghouls" follows along the same lines as Fiends. Lyrics about how everyone else is so trendy and music that evades classification for the sake of it. "Mutants" is not bad.

:)

THE Paula

So you know the Paula from Copeland's "Paula Sparks"? Well being from Florida, it's easy to be surrounded by people well-known in the scene (Anberlin, Copeland, Underoath, FSF, etc). So a friend of mine was talking about how he encountered the Paula from Copeland's song.
According to his story, she and Aaron dated for around a month, and she is totally freaked out about the song.
(disclaimer: this is just me blogging about interesting thing's i've encountered. i dont claim that this is 100% accurate)

New musics

Number One Gun and Emery have new music online.

Thrice has two new songs up.

TheFlameInAllOfUs.com is live. Thousand Foot Krutch's CD comes out today.

Ivoryline's CD comes out Feb 5th 2008.

Tokyo Rose has announced that they've cancelled all their planned tour dates.

We had to drop off the remaining dates of tour this month. ... we will be going back out in oct/nov on another full u.s. run...

But is septemberz?

Does anybody know if June is any good?

Dear Ivoryline,

I went to four Hot Topic stores yesterday. I could not find your ep. It was frustrating. Im beginning to doubt your claims.
-Me

The Almost: by the numbers

According to wikipedia:

"As of July 11, 2007, the album has sold 123,972 copies in the US.[2]"

(referring to The Almost's Say This Sooner.)

This kind of impressed me, considering this is ahead of CDs like Never Take Friendship Personal after that amount of time. Also, I may be mistaken, but I believe it took from June '04 to February '05 for They're Only Chasing Safety to sell 100,000.

Amazing

Bernard has a video blog up and it's nothing short of F'IN EXCITING! Actually it's not that special but the idea of them being back is the great part.

What?

Hide the blow guys. Seriously. I'm doing a video blog.

Comment of the week

"v-necks are always amazing.
and i have the urge to spray paint everything i own these days."
-sara

This almost makes me want to create a satirical news post about how "mad spray painting urge sweeps the nation"

... wow this blog is starting to deviate from it's strict indie rock coverage. could be good. could be bad... theres nothing wrong with a bowl of lucky charms.

Demon Hunter tracklisting

Like this is of any use to you... But I post it nonetheless because I copy my peers like AP and IVM and that's what they do.

DEMON HUNTER - Storm The Gates Of Hell
01. Storm The Gates Of Hell
02. Lead Us Home
03. Sixteen
04. Fading Away
05. Carry Me Down
06. A Thread Of Light
07. I Am You
08. Incision
09. Thorns
10. Follow The Wolves
11. Fiction Kingdom
12. The Wrath Of God

How much you wanna bet the cover has a demon skull on it, with a bullet hole in the middle, and maybe some dark setting with some worn out look?

It's my blog, I can be ask cheesy questions if I want to

So I'm curious. What's "in" this fall? V-necks? Cardigans? Scene-mullets? Polka dots? What are you noticing / investing in this fall as far as fashion goes?

Kicked Out Heel Drag

Them boys in Kicked Out Heel Drag (FL, Emo/Rock) have posted a new song called "Coming Home". In case you were unaware, the band has former members of Further Seems Forever, Underoath, and Sleeping By The Riverside.

New poll

How will Anberlin do on Universal? Check the side-bar to vote!

Impending Doom review

Impending Doom's Facedown Records debut Nailed Dead Risen is a hard-hitting showcase of just plain ridiculous death metal. I compare it to a train-wreck - it's so brutal but you've just gotta keep looking at it. Or listening to it in this case.

I'm glad to report the squeels, growls, pinch harmonics, and breakdowns aren't constant. They do manage to shake it up a bit. Unless you've really got a taste for it, you can only take a little bit of this at a time, but congrats to Impending Doom on a noteworthy release.

7 out of 10.

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Anberlin's b-sides junk

Anberlin's b-sides album is becoming a reality. This November we hope to see light of some acoustic tracks, covers, and songs that just didn't fit on their 3 full-length records.

I'd rather see a Greatest Hits attatchment to this release. Since Anberlin is now gone, Tooth and Nail ought to make a big deal about a band that helped shape the scene today. Make some fancy retrospective or something.

Dead Poetic to release a "Best Of" compilation

That's right... Currently scheduled for a November 20th release, Dead Poetic's Best Of compilation will highlight the band's 3-album career totaling 120,000 discs sold.
Wait a second... does this mean they're done for good?

LastFM

Our group LastFM charts are now posted! Join here if you haven't already to contribute to the group's listening habits. I did in fact add a radio that plays songs from the group playlist, so check it out if the site's awkward silence freaks you out. But maybe some of these songs will freak you out just as much... I might drop it. We'll see.

Random news batch

Demon Hunter has posted a new song here. Though it's only part 1 of 4, you can hear the whole song if you do a bit of investigating...

Kingston Falls is now on Facedown Records.

Oh Sleeper, The Classic Crime, and A Plea For Purging have new music online.

This also has to do with Demon Hunter - the album title has been kind of a secret, but I think this has something to do with it.

PlayRadioPlay.

Wow! They had us...

The Glorious Unseen's record Tonight The Stars Speak will be released on BEC Recordings rather than Tooth and Nail. Check the artist pages to both labels' sites...

Aaron Marsh interview highlights

AP: When I talked to Dan from As Tall As Lions after their set on the AltPress Tour, he mentioned how they were undergoing a focused effort to move away from the “scene.” Signing to Columbia and a tour with a group like The Rentals – that would seem to indicate a similar line of thinking. Is this something you have thought about and/or are acting on?

Aaron: Every artist wants to think of themselves as something that's individual. The whole idea of a scene involves generalizing a bunch of bands. I think this is something that we used to care about a lot more than we do now. Right now, we're just thankful to get to make music. If people want to wear white belts and flat iron their hair before they come to the show, I don't care. As long as they have fun, it doesn't matter. The idea of going on tour with the Rentals is to play for new people.

Amen.

---

Aaron: ...To be perfectly honest, sales numbers [for ESR] were a pretty huge let down. But it wasn't completely the fault of the record or even Columbia. To make this brief, there were a complex series of roadblocks that we hit when this record was coming out. Those roadblocks were timing, label politics, and the obvious artistic issues of the sound of the band changing. Despite the sluggish sales, we're all super proud of the record. I probably shouldn't say this, but this is the first time I've ever had the slightest inkling that I wouldn't be able to top myself on the next record. As I'm writing more songs, the feeling is going away, But it's a pretty scary place to be for a songwriter.

Yikes!

[absolutepunk]

Copeland is homeless... maybe?

We're not gonna make a big deal or poke to much fun at this - but Copeland has left Columbia records. A textbook example of what happens when indies go major 95% of the time.

More like 96%.

Pop-punk covers, Underrated rockers, and Other Things Of That Nature.

So, I have few things for you guys and gals to check out this fine Friday.

Normally I'd save this kind of info for a bulletin on Myspace, but I doubt any of you read those.

So anyway...

Apparently Newfound Glory covered Sixpence None The Richer's song "Kiss Me."

It's an alright cover, and it's a pretty good video, but something is unsettling about NFG's frontman.

Maybe because HE LOOKS LIKE A POP-PUNK TARRANTINO!

Seriously. You know he does.

Anyway, check out the video because Hayley Williams is in it, and Sixpence was THE GREATEST BAND EVER so even a cover of a song is really good.

Speaking of really good and pop-punk (two phrases rarely seen together) you should check out House of Heroes.

Seriously, they get no representation from Gotee and they are AWESOME.

So check them out.

Anyway, that's all I've got for you. Peace.

Reese?

Did anyone ever figure out what happened with Reese Roper playing at SoulFest?

The Valley

The Valley has a new song online. The band is promoting a Winter 2007 release. The band recently moved to the US from Australia to do showcasing and recording. No label has been announced yet, but I remember they were one of the more popular bands showcasing for Tooth and Nail at this years Cornerstone Fest.

New Emery Song.

How do you guys feel about Rock-N-Rule?

Is Emery selling out?

You tell me.

Listen here.

Favorite Dashboard Confessional song?

With Dashboard Confessional releasing a new CD this October (new songs), I thought we could do some looking back on what our favorite songs have been through the band's discography.

Can it be true?

I have heard the theory that Tooth and Nail only promotes it's Gold artists. Obviously this is a bit exaggerated, but I understand the point of it - 3 or 4 of the biggest names get 90 percent of the attention. At first I was skeptical of this theory. However, things are changing for me...

Surrogate released their debut full-length on August 28th. This is a very good record. It has great style, a great vibe, and originality. With such a great record, you'd think heavy promotion would be in store for this T&N newb. WRONG.

None of the splash pages on toothandnail.com inform visitors about the Surrogate release. No news post on the site mentions the band since days before the release.

Oh, and what about Children 18:3. And The Famine. Both bands are officially on the label, but no serious announcements have been made.

There are many aspects to take into consideration... obviously, the bigger names sell more, thus leaving a reason to heavily promote. But why sign a band if you're going to act like they don't exist? I'm not telling T&N how to run the business, I'm just wondering if they really care about whether I buy their releases or not, and why it seems like they sign bands and then keeping them hidden in obscurity.

I don't know if it's just me, but it feels like Tooth and Nail used to be a leader in quality - both in music and the music industry. Nowadays, bands go months without websites, fans are disconnected with news and happenings, and new acts seem to be meer imitations of mainstream acts.

They were Terminal

I've noticed a bunch of comments popping up on the Terminal myspace in the last month along these lines...

"If you guys were in fact getting back together, I could probably die happy. "

"Ok. I know this is kinda repetative but, ... Are you guys really getting back together??
I got into your music, which is awesome by the way, right after you guys broke up.
So if you guys are getting back together, message me PLEASE!!!!"

"WOOAH! when did you guys get back together?!?!? =DDD "

"GET BACK TOGETHER"

"t-togather again maybe there is a god oh...never!"

... and my favorite

"dfgkj" from drummer Ryan Conley just two weeks ago.

News bunch

Number One Gun's record has been pushed back to January 2008. Same with Goodbye Tomorrow.

A new Far Less song is online.

Anberlin claims to be working on a b-sides album.

Floodgate Records is unofficially dead.

Dashboard rules the world with one instrument

There are two new Dashboard Confessional songs online. My question is... how long is the world going to be interested in acoustic artists? With music and genres and information moving so fast, how much more breath does this style have?

Or is this more of a timeless art?

thoughts

So I'm on myspace and there are a few bands I've noticed that are bombarding the bulletin board with posts about their new records coming out. I'm talking like, maybe a dozen or so per day.

To be honest, stuff like that makes me look at the band differently. I understand they're just trying to get the word out, but here's a truth that exists in my life- If you post that you have a new song / new record coming out, chances are I'll check it out. Even if I don't usually go nuts over your band. Everybody loves new music.

The bottom line is, if you have made a song worth getting excited over, you won't need to post 50 bulletins about it. The song will carry it's own weight. I don't mean to be misunderstood - promotion is usually a vital part of the process. But I GET IT. Pre-orders are up. A new song is up. Whatever else... But I'd rather you make a song that has the excitement value of those 50 bulletins, than have to scroll through your ALL CAPS OMG PREORDER bulletins. Trust me, it'll speak for itself.

Maybe this is harsh, maybe it's uncalled-for. As you can see by the post info, it's around 3am so maybe it's just my mind being dysfunctional, but i have to say it -
People are looking for songs worth getting excited over. If you're not seeing the success you'd like to see, maybe it's not your label. Maybe it's not the local kids being hard. Maybe it's not a dead tour schedule. Maybe you just have to write better songs.

Fans interview Brighten. Bands hate Florida.

I thought I'd kill two birds with one stone here.
First, Brighten has posted answers to many fan questions in their latest blog. It's a decent q and a. Their latest CD was awesome and I hope everyone gets a chance to hear it.

Here's a good one I found

What is you opinion on Florida??Since most bands hate it here.
We really do like Florida, we are always kidding!

... It's true. Bands hate Florida! I live here and I must say when it's in the high 90's at 10 in the morning with 100% humidity and excessive traffic, I hate it too. The crowds here are tough to please... Bands, I understand.

But come visit us nonetheless.

The Classic Crime EP

On November 6th The Classic Crime will release the Seattle Sessions EP. Done, I believe, all acoustically. I also am unsure as to whether that's the official title or not. Gee, I'm so vague...
01. Seattle
02. Blindfolded
03. The Test
04. Wake Up (Shipwreck)
05. Drink In My Hand
06. When The Time Comes
07. Far From Home

Things are moving at Facedown

In our ongoing effort to keep you updated with what's going down at Facedown Records, we'd like to let you know a few things...

Immortal Souls has a new CD out called Wintereich. This will be of interest to those looking for dark, European metal with a slight "core" appeal.

A Plea For Purging has a new song online. Them, and Remove The Veil have new records coming out soon.

BYAH!

Norma writing again

Norma Jean is writing again? From a bulletin:

AFTER [touring] we will start writing full time for our next record which we hope to be out in the summer of 2008. We are already so anxious to get started on this.

Thrice breaks the rules

Is this the "extra artwork"?

The cover for the Special Edition of I'm Only A Man. Listen to a new song by Emery called "Rock and Rule" here.

In case you were wondering

If any of you were interested in booking the Paramore / Starting Line tour, make sure you've got $30-35,000 on hand. Or maybe you want Emery for half that much? Browse here.

Anberlin signs to Universal

Anberlin is one step closer to taking over America. For a good laugh and a retrospective on this band, check out Sagoh 24-7, which is where it all began.

Three major releases today.

Ok, really only one MAJOR release, and two other releases I am interested in.

As you know, As Cites Burn's new cd is out today. It's PHENOMENAL. Go get it.

Also, Cry of the Afflicted's new disc is out. It's surprisingly good. I'll review it in the upcoming days if I go out and get it.

Also, MAE's new disc, Singularity, is out. I don't really like them too much, but whatever.

There are also other releases, but I have really only caught wind of these three as of late.

-Dan.

I wish there were more CDs like this

Drop Dead Gorgeous has launched worsethanafairytale.com to support their album release. The website reveals the eerie concept behind their record, and the whole release, which has been relatively quiet so far, seems to getting very interactive and intriguing.
"There's way more to the story than you guys know, and within the next few weeks a lot of things are going to develop that are a big part of our record.

Keep an eye out."

As I Lay Dying "Nothing Left"

As I Lay Dying likes naked people.

Bunch of new music

Oh Sleeper has posted two new songs on the myspace.

Mae's record is streaming online.

Surrogate has a few new ones up too.

Combinations

As if you neded to be bombarded with yet another album stream...

Yet I can't hold back this noteworthy piece of info - Eisly's Combinations is streaming on their myspace page. I'm not sure I'm feeling this as much as the old stuff. This is a bit darker. Oh well, I'm only a few songs in.

Just a random though but...

You know what the new ACB record reminds me of?

Brand New, minus the scream-y vocals.

Seriously, go stream it (TODAY'S THE LAST DAY) and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Thrice album preview video thing

Poor Ivory

Check out Ivory on myspace.

"On July 12th, 2007 we played a show set up by Start to Finish Productions in Appleton, Wisconsin with Jeff Bricco as the promoter. We completed the show and all stipulations as agreed to between our booking agent and the promoter Jeff Bricco. Upon doing this we were supposed to receive a discussed and agreed upon guarantee of money which was given to us in the form of a check. Unfortunately, when we tried to cash the check given to us by Jeff Bricco the bank told us that it was not valid and in fact looked to be fraudulent and that it would need to be kept in order to investigate further. Following many calls from our manager, booking agent, and ourselves to Jeff Bricco we have still not received any of the large sum of money that we were guaranteed. We were told on two separate occasions by Jeff that the check was being sent to us and nothing has been received thus far. There have been large income shows which Jeff Bricco has promoted since July 12th in which he could have used the profits to pay his debt owed to us. Instead, he has consistently lied to our manager, booking agent, and us personally instead of fulfilling his monetary obligations to us."

Local bands

Any local bands out there anyone wants to shout out?

This song is called grrrsqueeerrrwww

I was watching the news a few minutes ago and I saw that 12 people in Connecticut just entered comatose randomly while listening to music this beautiful afternoon. Turns out Impending Doom posted a new song...

As He Lays DIES-Ing

We normally try to avoid "This band posted song here." news, but this is major, MAJOR news.

Most of you probably listening to Showbread. If you don't, go do it...I'll be waiting.

Ok, you done? Good.

Most are familiar with Showbread's frontman, Josh Dies. You may even know that he has a side project, entitled DIES.

You also probably know we hadn't heard anything from this side project.

Until now.

Go check out the DIES myspace page.

Now.

Go.

Ok bye. Have fun.

David Crowder on The Glorious Unseen tracklisting

It's true, and it's weird. The David Crowder song "Oh Praise Him" will appear on The Glorious Unseen's Tonight The Stars Speak.

Scene secrets...

I continued browsing the ASCAP website where I found some interesting facts. Some of which are the supposed real names of Spencer Chamberlain (William Spencer Chamberlain) and Stephen Christian (Stephen Arnold - do you think thats just his middle name and they forgot to enter his last name?). Also, Trevor McNevan is listed as a writer to a Demon Hunter song and several other bands' songs.

Gallery extravaganza

If you have some time to kill check out over 250 pictures from Cornerstone Florida 2007, including pics of Tae's (Showbread) last show and other exciting moments.

As Cities Burn "Come Now Sleep" review

This is not a hardcore cd. This is not a screamo cd. In fact, it evades so many genres... but that's besides the point with this release. This is without question, one of the most well-thought-out, creative, and passionate releases in recent memory.
Those who are looking for a vicious breakdown or sick screaming should set those aspirations aside for a moment and consider the notion that this CD can be worth listening to without either of those. Tracks like "Contact" and "Our World Is Grey" show off a mellow experimentation that, admittedly, you'll not expect, but are nonetheless glorious. Though the entire CD has a confident energy to it, "Empire" may be as rough as it gets. The rest of the disc is a rugged stream of intimacy and urgency along the lines of SILYAYD's "Of Want And Misery" or "The Widow".
No it's not the same without TJ. But to the nay-sayers, I hope you have a better reason to not like this CD other than "TJ's not in the band" cause if not, you're missing a terribly enlightening release.
AS CITIES BURN

New music batch

As I Lay Dying (the band with the skulls on the CDs) put up another song called "An Ocean Between Us". Which is also the record name.

Listen to the whole Tokyo Rose album here.

The Honor Roll has a new song and three demos online.

Number One Gun does an acoustic version of "Bad Habits". (omg)

Oops someone fire me

I was supposed to post this on Tuesday -
Three albums came out on 7/31 that I wanted to spotlight.
The Send - Cosmos
Brilliant song writing, but low staying power. Just downright pretty, ambient, and slightly edgy rock songs.
Tokyo Rose - The Promise In Compromise
Not as Good as New American Saint, but still rolls pretty deep. (thats my inner gangster coming out). Lots of pop-punk, less experimenting.
The Starting Line - Direction
Smooth summer pop-rock. Catchy, and so sweet it may rot your teeth.

The Matrix

File this in today's "OMG-the-dudes-gonna-get-himself-some-back-problems" section.
Haste The Day at Warped Tour 2007.

Neon Horse revelation

I ran across this piece of info on a post on thejosher.net:

"If you search Neon Horse on ASCAP's website, all songs were written by Mark Salomon and Jason Martin.
Sidenote - if you search Mute Math you'll find some new song titles."

Not that this post is gonna solve the mystery, but I thought it was interesting and seems legit.

*EDIT*
I was able to confirm this myself. So in my book, it's for sure - Salomon and Martin.

OB-SCENE! blog myspace

Hey guys please add OB-SCENE on myspace.

Uh... Bless The Fall knocks out teeth

blessthefall

As Cities Burn

Why isn't Come Now Sleep getting more promotion? The record comes out on August 14th and I'm surprised that I'm hearing so little about it.

IVM signs Quick and The Dead

Indie Vision Music (a blog much like the past takingrefuge) has signed Quick and The Dead. I don't think the band is amazing or anything but I just thought it was neat that the site has taken that step. If anyone out there wants to get together with me and sign a band, LETS DO IT! lol jk.

Demon Hunter, Vol. 4

Demon Hunter's next record will be titled Hell Hath No Fury At All. The band should be about done with recording now.

Fun at Cornerstone 2007

I mainly posted this for the entertainment value of the first half. The live song is decent too, but Dozer's just an amusing fellow.

Underoath following up Define The Great Line

Well some of us thought Underoath was done after Define The Great Line. Apparently not. Tim sent out an update yesterday saying they've started on 5-6 new songs. I'm not sure how relevant this is right now, considering it might be months before these songs start getting tracked.

As I Lay Dying artwork

I just wanted to make a comment on the artwork to the new As I Lay Dying artwork, and all As I Lay Dying artwork, in fact - What's with the skulls and splattered paint? On every release.

It's A Party Song!

Emery has a new song online called "Party Song". It's energetic, and quite a fresh sound for the band. It leans more toward The Question but still stand alone. Listen to it.

I have two opinions here. One is that the song is terrible. It's hard to believe that the band that once wrote "Ponytail Parade" is now writing "get your party on" in some bland Anberlin-wannabe rock song.

Another part of me wants to say hey, if you knew nothing about the band before this song, you'd give them more of a chance. It's a decent song that may grow on you. But who knows?

I really don't think it's that bad of a song, but I can definitely see where the nay-sayers are coming from.

Indie Rock Raps

I can't wait to hear all these indie bands covering hip-hop songs. Click here to listen to The Maine performing "I Wanna Love You" and Say Anything performing "Got Your Money".
Indie Rock Raps is out this October on Immortal Records.

They'll Never Get Me

Drop Dead Gorgeous is rocking the interworld with the track "They'll Never Get Me" on the album site. I think it's a groovy track and I'm looking forward to August 14th.

OMG im digging Everybody Else

Im having so much fun with the new Everybody Else disc. It came out this past Spring on The Militia Group and it's a terrific show of 60s/70s indie-dance tunes. I checked them out randomly and was super surprised and got the CD. I just think it's different, fun, and creative.

Everybody Else.

Introducing OB-SCENE!

From the ruins of takingrefuge.com comes this here work of genius. As takingrefuge.com waves it's farewells, please enjoy this more laidback format of music blogging. You can read a full explanation of the end of takingrefuge here, but in short, fall is starting and I'm not sure we were going to able to keep up with everything going on. If you wanna know every band that's posted a new song on purevolume in the past week, you can visit indievisionmusic or absolutepunk. We just can't follow that format anymore. I hope you enjoy this simple, personal music blog. All are welcome. And yes, you can be sure to expect high-quality music coverage and discussion from OB-SCENE!