Song Review- Dan Murphy & High On Stress  –  “Tethered” 

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When I saw this post from Nick Leet on Instagram:

“This is a public service announcement with guitar…and piano.  Today we are releasing our first new song in 2 years. Dan Murphy (Soul Asylum / Scarlet Goodbye) & I wrote this song to share our frustrations.”

… I knew I had to check it out right away…which ended up meaning five days later…but life, ya know.    

This track starts with a simple elegance; a fairly straight-forward rhythm and melody offset by a few discordant moments…that I suspect are on purpose.  It is like anger layered over thoughtfulness.  That background makes the message in the lyrics stand out well and you can definitely hear the mentioned frustrations coming through clearly.   There is also a poignant piece about midway through, full of climbing guitars and bass, that gets you like a scream from a rooftop.  In my opinion this song, in tone, lyrics and arrangement does a great job of delivering the message I believe Leet, Murphy and High On Stress meant for it to convey.  

Musicians on this are: Dan Murphy (vocals, electric guitar, piano, keys and bass), Nick Leet (vocals, acoustic & electric guitar), Chad Wheeling (electric guitar, backing vocals, engineering & mixing), Mark Devaraj (drums) and Kayla Wheeling (backing vocals).

You can check out more of the music and information on the Bandcamp page https://highonstressmpls.bandcamp.com/album/dan-murphy-high-on-stress-tethered.

Your community – us and you and everyone else – is powerful…remember to support and engage.

And please think about purchasing this song after you listen – streaming music does not pay much even times a thousand…( side note – per the release posting all proceeds here will be donated to the ACLU).

Let me know you think! 

Album Review- From The Dirt – Colored Edge of Memory

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The press release from Broken Jukebox Media about this new album hit my inbox near the end of June and I was unfortunately a little too busy to jump on it right away.  What a revelation the songs on this album turned out to be as I listened to them over the past week.  This is definitely not a one-trick pony bluegrass band as they cover a range from folk & county to Americana & yes, bluegrass…and there is even a song that is distinctly Celtic in style and tone.  Let’s start with that gem.

“Silver Maple Spinners” begins on rippling tribal strings and a dark rhythm that weaves along throughout the song, set off by a slightly breathless vocal.  It left me with a sense of tension, or maybe anticipation of something…unknown.  Another stand-out for me is “Angeline” which has all the great interplay of stringed instruments you expect from country-tinged bluegrass.  The mandolin and fiddle on this track are really exceptional.  You can get a nice change of pace on “Afterwards, on the Greyhound” which has a smooth melody and atmospheric vibe as the lyrics bring you along with a motley cast of lonely characters.  The chorus line, “Did you even know that I was leaving you,” is more thought provoking than you think at first listen…quite haunting actually.   

Overall this is a great set of ten songs that keep you interested and engaged, set a range of moods and vibes, have great musicianship and definitely deserves your time.   You can check it out on your usual streaming places of course (one link below) and I believe that hard copies may soon be available.  

You can stay up-to-date with the band (and maybe those hard copies) at 

http://www.fromthedirtband.com

If you go out and give this album or any of the tracks a listen…think about purchasing some or all if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

And support your locals – community is powerful! 

Song Review- Plague Vendor “Run”

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Right off the top…you need to check this band out in concert the next time they cross your path.  I just saw them as the front end for Social Distortion and they are electrifying.  There is enough boisterous energy wrapped up in Luke Perine, Brandon Blaine, Jay Rodgers and Michael Perez to last you the entire night.  It is a band you will not forget.  

Although the releases for Plague Vendor stretch back to 2014’s “Black Sap Scriptures” (still one of their best songs in my opinion) and Free to Eat I first heard “I Only Speak in Friction” sometime in 2019.  This track (which also features producer Brett Gurewitz of Bad Religion) has this great opening guitar riff and a driving power that runs the entire 3 minutes of the song.  From there I was hooked and have found their music to be a great way to hype up my energy.

“Run” has some buzzy bass guitar to start and a shuffling drum beat that kind of floats you into the low-key vocals.  This song seems a little sleepy at first listen but there is a cathartic energy that lies underneath, kind of a subdued pulse that collects force as it rolls along.   A good listen that can fit into a quiet day of reflection or the start of a night out on the town.  

You can check out more of the music and information on the Bandcamp page https://plaguelyfe.bandcamp.com/music

When you have a minute…go out and explore that local community wherever you are 🙂 

And please think about purchasing this song after you listen – streaming music does not pay much even times a thousand…

Song Review- Showoff  – “Get Home” from the album Haverstraw 

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In case anyone wants a random mission…I give you this.  Showoff has a very good early album (it might have been their first?) called “Around the Corner Fudge is Made” (and no, I have no idea what that is all about) that was on cassette.  I at least never saw it in any other format.  If you are picking your way through any random sale bins out there and see it…pick it up and shoot me a message – I’ll be happy to pay up to get it.  They came across my radar back in the last 90’s when they were on tour with Goldfinger…which seems like a really long time ago.  

Their last release that I knew of was “Midwest Side Story” but I learned in checking things out while I was writing this that they also released a single (“Bitter Pill”) in 2023.  The lineup has evolved along the way and now consists of Chris Envy, Evan Thorne, Mickey Molinari, Steve Envy and Brian Steinseifer.  This new album on Manic Kat Records just dropped recently and after giving it a listen I can say…they can still bring it!  Their energy is still very present and the sounds are good!  

They recently released a video for “Crimson”, the first track on this album and you can check that out below.  Personally though my favorite song is “Get Home” which opens on vocals and thumping rhythm.  The chorus develops into a great sound mix with guitars punching through nicely.  This track stays driving and energetic all the way through to the end.  

Check out that “Crimson video here:  

Easy streaming link for the album here:

If you go out and give “Get Home” or any (or all!) parts of this album a listen…think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

Your local community and you are powerful! 

Song Review- Half Dizzy – “Turn This Up”

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Remembering back to when I heard the song “Broken Down” playing in the pre-set music for a bar band in 2023 I recall being pretty impressed by the blistering pace of the music and the “you can’t beat me down” message.  That track was from the first release Half Dizzy had on Punkerton Records and since then they have also released The Faceless (with quite interesting cover art) and now this single that dropped on June 20th.  

A decent amount of people and reviews have mentioned in the past that Half Dizzy evokes some Rancid vibes.  Although I tend to stay away from those direct comparisons in general, on this new track it is hard to avoid.  The  composition, tone, vocal style and great energy all combine to definitely have you reaching back to your best Let’s Go moments.  That being said (and in a positive way for sure) these musicians have talents and grooves that set their own high standard.  Solid guitars playing off each other, a rumbling bass line, busy & sharp drums and shared vocals that are boisterous and clear.  Overall, an uplifting, power-for-you anthem for the upcoming summer.  

Quick streaming link here: 

https://found.ee/halfdizzy_turnthisup

If you go out and give “Turn This Up” a listen…think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

Check out your local community – it can be a pretty cool place:) 

Release Alert! Mercy Music and Danger Days Split 7″ 

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Just thought I would put out a quick notice for this dynamic upcoming release from Double Helix Records.  

I do not quite remember when I first heard Mercy Music but I do remember the name of the album – When I die, I’m taking you with me.  That title just struck me and has stuck around in my head.  There is a song on there (“Painless”) that warrants a listen also if you ever get a chance.

Danger Days is new to me although the members are a collection of musicians from other bands; The Rabble, Movin in Stereo, Millencolin and Flirting with Disaster. 

This release is a nice combination of talented musicians with the two songs fitting well together.  Mercy Music has “Big Fucking Mess” which I really like for the pacing changes throughout the song.  It starts with a call out on the song title and then cuts back and forth with some choppy, slow moments augmented by thrashing high points.  Danger Days fires off right away on “Wasted Time” and keeps a hammering clip going all the way to the end.  It is a tight, fast track that will have you singing right along.  

This drops tomorrow but you can do a pre-save here: 

https://ffm.to/presaveddmm

Take a listen on your usual streaming places and then maybe hit the Double Helix Records store for some hard copy 🙂 

https://www.doublehelixrecords.com/

Release Alert! Overstand- “Short Fuse State” from the upcoming album Take Control 

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I know it will be awhile until you can take a listen to this (the single on 7” is set to drop September 5th, with the album to follow October 3rd), but you should definitely put this on your radar.  

Overstand formed back in 2020 and have an early eponymously titled EP that came out in 2022.  It is a really good hardcore set of 7 songs that blast away with intensity and purpose.  A great track to check out from this release is “Cracks in the Mirror.”  It has a simple message about how to live life, ripping guitar riffs and a pretty cool change of pace right after the midway point. 

Having been able to check out Take Control I can say that Overstand have only gotten better.   The guitars are still fierce, the bass is thundering, the drums have enough energy to light up the night and the vocals are edgy and powerful.  All of that is not surprising given the pedigree of the musicians involved but it is awesome to hear it all come together so well.  Check out “Short Fuse” (which also includes a guest vocal from Puerto Rican Myke of Skarhead & District 9) coming up in September and you will have a good idea of what is in store for the album.   There is an absolute ferocity in this song.  Also, according to the press release from Earshot Media, the backside of that 7” will be a cover of Bomber Zee (Agnostic Front).  You can ponder that until September 🙂

Song Review- Tess & The Details – “Take Me Alive”

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You may or may not recall the stellar debut from this band.  It is called Runaway and made quite an impression on me when it was released back in 2023.   Throughout the album there was just a little bit of grittiness and unpolished edge showing through that made it even better…in my opinion anyway.  That touch of roughness happens on a lot of opening releases of course but it is not always a good thing and it does not always add positive energy to the songs…but it worked really well on Runaway.  A good example to check out there is “Take a Number.”

On this new single release that original edge is gone but hey, that happens also and is not a drawback here.  The band is in fine form on this song and have evolved their sound away from mainline pop punk toward a more rock vibe.  Opening on a blistering and heavy rhythm section that quickly drops off for some vocals from Tess Stevens, the track climbs to some anthemic heights.  The lyrics are pointed and relevant to our modern day online craziness.  As Stevens remarked in the Earshot Media press release for this single: “The song is about rejecting the stupidity we see online, unplugging ourselves from the things that cause us self doubt. It’s about telling the world to ‘take you alive’ as you truly are.” On the way out at the end you can hear some nice guitar work before Tess bids us all ‘bye.

Video to check out here: 

If you go out and give “Take Me Alive” a listen…think about purchasing it if you can as steaming music does not pay well even times a thousand. 

That local community that surrounds you is awesome – remember to support them!