Whisker-A-NoGo

Provo, Utah Mayor John Curtis unveiled the mystery behind his ‘EPIC ANNOUNCEMENT’ that has been building up and causing a stir in the social media sphere- Provo had reached an agreement to bring Google Fiber to the city.

Personally, I like to think that the city was chosen (out of over 1,100 other communities that were in the running!) because of the fast-growing culture that seemingly has it’s conservative-stereotype dwindling more and more each day.

Bands like Neon Trees, Imagine Dragons and even members of The Killers are proud to claim their roots in Provo, which confused the hell out of me the past few months that I’ve been living there and working on my new solo album, struggling to find any common thread between my lifestyle and the culture.

Has the solution to the ‘bubble syndrome’ that exists in Utah County been found?  Does this mean that ‘happy valley’ residents will be tainted with worldly evil henceforth and forever?

Hey, at least now they have super fast f*cking internet.

#escapetheworld #ProvoEpicAnnouncement 

@whiskeranogo

I had the opportunity to feature this band a few months back, and I remember saying something along the lines of ”..I think this band is super f*cking cool…”, largely because of their unique and innovative music video concept(s).  

Well, hold on tight because here I am again, saying the saaaaame damn thaaaang:

I think this video is super f*cking cool.

This video is made up of over 300 edits, spanning over a 30-day period.

Get this video free with download of debut EP @ www.indicatorindicator.bandcamp.com

Check out the bands’ Official Website HERE.

@whiskeranogo

Whisker-A-NoGo ’ALBUM OF THE WEEK’ contributor: Mike McGill from INDIANS.

Ready, aaaaaaaaaand, go!

* * *

MM: I’m reviewing ___el ten eleven_(album name)_ by  __el ten eleven_(band name)__.  

[How did you hear about the band/what was your first impression?]

MM: They sound like a mix between tortoise & the whitest boy alive__had a beautiful trippy baby.

Check out their official website here. 

MM: My favorite thing about the band is their writing. Super creative and full enough to be a 4 piece with the plethora of sound they create with a few looper pedals, some delay and octave decided. The kicker is, it’s only two dudes! A double necked bass/guitar and a drummer with a live kit and a keyboard on the side. The first self titled record is great from start to finish. One of my favorites in recent history, hands down. 

MM: On a scale from 1-10:

Vocals: n/a (instrumental band:)

Musicianship: 10

Lyrics: n/a

Production: 9

Creativity: 10

Lasting Value: 10

Final Verdict: 10/10

* * *

I’d like to thank INDIANS for being rad.. and particularly Mike McGill for his contribution.  Like the band on Facebook and enjoy more music and videos!!

Buy the Self-Titled INDIANS album on iTunes here.  Subscribe to their YouTube channel!

@whiskeranogo

West Palm Beach, Florida-based indie rockers LAVOLA have had my mind spinning around all morning with their tasteful blend of energetic pop-rock with spacey, experimental and ambient alternatives.  

Their sound reminds me of a [solid] combination of Minus the Bear, Sufjan Stevens, and at certain times in their 6-track EP Leaving Paris, they even reminded me of At The Drive-In.

The band is offering their new EP for download on their Bandcamp page!  I think that calls for a reason to like the band on Facebook and follow the band on Twitter.

My rating:  8.9/10

*(Hopefully I’ll be able to arrange an interview with the band.. stay tuned for that!)

@whiskeranogo

Check out this great band that I came across today, fronted by yours truly- Andrew Conroy. (mad respect!)

This video for their song “Young and Dumb” is obviously homemade, but very fitting for their pop-punk D.I.Y. style.  So props to these guys for kicking ass and actually knowing how to rock their instruments :)

Buy their single on iTunes. Here’s their YouTube channel and the Official Andrew Conroy Website.

I really enjoyed this band, and hope you do as well.  Here’s my Q/A with Andrew: (thanks to him for being patient while I was traveling this week!)

Briefly introduce yourself, and your band:

I’m Andrew Conroy, a rock singer from Vancouver, Canada.  My backing band consists of my three best friends, and we’ve been playing together for over 2 years now.

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I pressed PLAY on the bands’ bandcamp site, and started to research a bit more as I listened.  From the get-go, I liked what I heard..  The 200-bpm-ish drum beats aren’t quite punk-rock, but edgy enough to remind me of Taking Back Sunday or even Fugazi at first.  Then, the second track came on and it made me double-check that this wasn’t a compilation-  Now, I’m really intrigued with this bands’ dynamic.

As the next few tracks continued to play, I found out the singers’ name is ‘Danger’.  (Umm, yeah.. Awesome.) As I listened, I pictured him looking like a younger-version of Rivers Cuomo, wearing a cape, a headband and tube socks.

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It’s [almost] always a pleasure to interview bands from different countries..  Tonight, I had the pleasure of speaking with Chris and Andy, the two talented gentlemen who make up the anticipated-electronic-duo Crisand, which has roots in both London and Rome. 

What are your thoughts on the current status of the music industry (particularly record labels)?

Everybody’s crying about the music industry..we think that

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Nate Reuss, lead vocalist of NYC-based trio, Fun., is now one of my all-time artistic heroes.  His previous band The Format, announced their hiatus on February 4th 2008, and the reasoning made perfect sense, after reading this very lengthy blog.

The ‘big brother’ record label, once again, stepped on the wrong creative toes.  The band knew all along that they were going to create this ambitious and electrifying ‘blessing in disguise’, all on their own terms, with no hands in their pockets. 

Cheers to holding-strong to their 6-year quest, and bring these ideas to fruition.  I give them props for staying true to their integrity, and I truly praise this second effort from the band.  I bet it feels good for them to see the album behind them.  

Serving as a declaration that independence shines bright, Some Nights is destined to inspire other artists to realize their ability to write/record whatever they want, following Fun.’s example; the only exception being a ‘succumbing to pressures’ and signing onto controlling record labels that tweak the music to sell more singles. (cue middle finger)

The 10-track album is cohesive, I still need to figure it out a little more though.  The single “We Are Young” has such a timeless, catchy melody, I can’t get it out of my head. The music video is great too (@ 23million views!).  

The first couple times I spun the album, I noticed that towards the end, my A.D.D. takes over, once again, and I [cough cough] zone out on something else.. is the first-half of the album stronger than the second-half?  Mayyyybe.

I gotta say though, this is a solid f*cking record.  Here’s a link to download it for free, if you are into that kind of thing.  

My rating: 8.6/10

@whiskeranogo

My first thought when I heard this band was “Ahhh hell yeah, a better-sounding version of Gravity Kills!” As I kept researching and listening, I came to realize that this band consists of a group of super-talented ‘veteran’ musicians that I have known and respected for many years.

From here, my second and third thoughts were: Do I wish that I could have caught their set at the Roxy this past week?  Yesssssss.   Am I a little upset that I can’t buy their new record on iTunes? Yesssssss.