Crunching On Max Vernon

Katy Perry's getting a run for her money. Seriously, you can't talk about Max Vernon without mentioning his "I Kissed A Girl" cover. You'd think that if a guy sang this song it would sound pretty, well, straight. But Vernon's slick. He changed all self-referrals in the song to male, but still kept the line "hope my boyfriend don't mind it," which adds a whole other level of ambiguity and scandal! Ya!

To top it all off he's one steamy piano man. He's incredibly witty lyrically, but not in that "I'm trying to be funny while talking about the stupid crap we fill our lives with" kind of way, it's more like "I'm just doing this because I want to. Yeah, while playing the piano incredibly well.. with my toes." Minus playing with the toes part though...

...But if he did play the piano with his toes we'd crunch on him twice.

Max Vernon, you are one sly son-of-a-gun.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/maxvernon

DOWNLOAD: Max Vernon "I Kissed A Girl"

DOWNLOAD: Max Vernon "Politburo Technocrats and Prophesizing Maniacs"

PS: Check out his Ace of Base Cover here.

-SD

Wait For Green - Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

These Floridians are well ingrained in that cluster-fuck of a genre, you know, the one that blends funk, reggae, hip-hop and rock. Think of the white guys with dreads from Clueless that "belong on that grassy knoll ova there" as Brittany Murphy and Alicia Silverstone put it so cunningly.

Well, now that you've got that picture in your head you can imagine what the music sounds like. It's pretty much 311 that borders on Sublime... in the best way possible of course. In other words, addictively chill.

Yeah, we have a feeling "Wait For Green" doesn't really mean waiting for the traffic light...

Check out the grassy knoll in LA on October 2nd at Whiskey A Go Go.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/waitforgreen
Twitter: http://twitter.com/WAITFORGREEN

DOWNLOAD: Wait For Green "Build It Up, Burn It Down"

-SD

Tha Shake - I Bet That You Look Good On The Dance Floor

There's been a long legacy of great American rock n' roll, and The Shake are making this legacy proud.

The guitar riffs tricky but catchy, perfectly suited for air guitar. The vocals present a kind of beautiful contradiction. On the one hand, the vocals are very in your face, but on the other they are quite aloof and nonchalant. Let's not forget to mention that girls are bound to swoon over this band like Penny Lane and the band aids from Almost Famous.

Here's to you guys being featured in the next Guitar Hero.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/theshakeband
Twitter: http://twitter.com/theshakeband

DOWNLOAD: The Shake "Dyin' Ain't The End Of The World"
DOWNLOAD: The Shake "Princes & Kings"

-SD

Egon's Unicat - It's Alive!

Instead of trying to write something clever an witty about these guys from Illinois, we figured it would be better to post this storyline we stumbled upon. After all, that's what really sold us on the band.

"Egon's Unicat is a myth. It doesn't exist. For those of you who have stumbled upon this myth be wary that your life may be in danger. Egon was just a humble professor of Biochemistry and Law at the University of Vermont when he stumbled upon a most peculiar strand of DNA while doing his laundry in one of the campus dormitories. He took a sample of this DNA from an anonymous students "I'm With Stupid" shirt and went home that night to run some routine tests. The tests were anything but routine however when Egon's cat (named Johncat) became sick due to some spoiled tuna the professor had given him and spastically tore up the entire lab. During the chaos Johncat had been harmed due to broken class and the unidentified DNA crept into his blood stream causing both of his front legs to immediately rot and fall off of his body. Egon, immediately frantic ran to help the crazy critter, but at that very moment Johncat's body began shaking and bubbling violently and a brand new leg sprouted from the middle of Johncat's chest. The cat now had only three legs, but one of these legs was protruding from the middle of the cats chest as if he were a snowmobile or tricycle. Egon then decided that Johncat was no longer the same cat he had grown to love and cherish all those years of teaching, he had become a UNICAT....
or Egon's Unicat could just be a rock n' roll band having a schizo nature in appearance and sound that hails from the Illinois Valley... you decide."

They're playing all over Illinois these upcoming months, with a stint in Wisconsin:
Aug 14 2009 - Fox Valley Hot Topic (acoustic) in Aurora, Illinois (Woohoo Wayne's World) at 5:00PM
Aug 15 2009 - The Afterdark in Steven’s Point, Wisconsin at 6:00PM
Aug 22 2009 - The Mutiny in Chicago, Illinois at 9:00PM
Sep 5 2009 - Mary’s Place in Rockford, Illinois at 9:00PM
Sep 6 2009 - 9th St. Pub in LaSalle, Illinois at 10:00PM
Sep 26 2009 - CJ’s Lounge in Rockford, Illinois at 10:00PM
Oct 10 2009 - SOP’s in Peoria, Illinois at 10:00PM
Oct 20 2009 - Otto’s in DeKalb, Illinois at 8:30PM
Nov 25 2009 - 9th street Pub in LaSalle, Illinois at 10:00PM

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/egonsunicat

DOWNLOAD: Egon's Unicat "Silver Dragon Ninja" (Live)

-SD

The Hollow Sound - Shhh It's a Secret

The Hollow Sound totally caught us off guard. Usually bands with female vox fall into at least one of three categories: whiny punk-pop (ie Meg and Dia), operatic depression (Evanescence) or angelically light (Tegan and Sara). So, as we were all placing bets on what this band sounded like based on opening guitar riffs we figured we had run into The Veronicas... again.

But boy oh boy were we wrong. The riffs, although punk-pop in influence, are brilliantly placed among Maddie Herec's smooth alto-ranged vocals. The hooks are addictive, but not in an adolescent kind of way.
It okay, get obsessed... we won't tell anyone.

If you're planning on going to six flags in Agawam, MA August 27th, you should go say hi to 'em. They'll be playing with All Time Low if that does (but totally shouldn't) make a difference.

If you can't wait that long, they'll be on Music Matters TV this Sunday (August 16th) at 1:00PM.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thehollowsound
Twitter: http://twitter.com/thehollowsound

DOWNLOAD: The Hollow Sound "Of Arms and Ocean"

-SD

22 Days of Summer -- August Concert List

Having trouble marking your calendars for the last summer concerts? Here's an updated list of what's left for August:

EAST COAST:

SEX! - Those crazy Berklee dudes who can sing a blues song about just about anything are heading up the coast for an afternoon festival of good music. 

August 15 - KahBand Music and Arts Festival - 3 pm - Bangor, Maine.

PARAGRAPH - They're retro! They're futuristic! And they're playing four nights in a row across Florida.

August 19 - Exodus Coffee - 8 pm - Port St. Lucie, Florida

August 20 - 1982 Bar - 9 pm - Gainesville, Florida

August 21 - Cock N' Bull - 8 pm - Sarasota, Florida

August 22 - Spank - 8 pm - Gainesville, Florida

THE GENTLEMEN'S BET - The overachievers in their class, these men spice up their songs with the jazzy sounds of trumpet and alto sax. 

August 22 - Spike Hill - 7.30 pm - Brooklyn, New York ($5)

YOU CAN BE A WESLEY - Indie lovers unite - these guys have an infectious sound, filling their songs with heavy guitars and hard to miss hooks. 

August 29 - Trash Bar - 8 pm - Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York

WEST COAST: 

THE J. WALKERS - What other band do you know that plays the fiddle? They've got more shows coming up in the Fall, but why wait? 

August 16 - Lakewood Bar & Grill - 6 pm - Dallas, Texas

-SK

The J. Walkers - Abbey Road Is Screaming Their Name

Fiddle anyone? Hell yes.

When we first checked out The J. Walkers single "Let's Feel It," we automatically knew that this was a band to watch out for. Starting out with some pop beats, then sailing like a classic DMB track only to turn into a full Yellowcard blast, and then an integrated mixture? All mayhem is breaking loose, and we're just going to sit back and watch.

Oh, the rest of their stuff is just as superb, and we hear they play a killer live show too.


Aug 16 2009 - Lakewood Bar & Grill in Dallas, Texas at 6:00PM
Sep 2 2009 - Dreamworld Complex w/ 5 Years and Counting in Arlington, Texas at 8:00PM
Dec 18 2009 - Winter Slam Jam in Tyler, Texas at 8:00PM

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thejwalkersband
Twitter: http://twitter.com/thejwalkers


DOWNLOAD: The J. Walkers "Losing Me"

-SD

Anybody Want SEX!

Prudes, don't shy away from these guys just because of their blatant band name - they're from Berklee! It's okay! 

Add them to that trifecta of a genre we love to listen to known as rock, blues and soul. Vocalist Andrew Burri's raspy and raw vocals plea with sweet determination. Throw in full-band singing bridges and harmonies, mix in some lengthy guitar solos and you got yourself some damn good blues songs. And we all know, you can sing about just about anything irrelevant with passion in good blues songs (por ejemplo, their highlights include "Chevy Nova" and "Golden Shoes). 

It's obvious that we love SEX! But what we'd really love is if they'd put out their CD already.

Catch them while you can:

August 15 - 3pm - KahBand Music & Arts Festival - Bangor, Maine. 

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thisissexmusic

The video's a little shady -- it kinda looks a little like a hippie commune was set free -- but the music, oh it's good:

sex recording session

-SK

A City Heart - The Love Of Flashing Lights

Versatility is something rarely achieved by artists, but this online collaboration almost defines the term. The synths and electro-beats combined with organic vocals adds raw emotion to something so inanimate. A City Heart is a band that can give you an urge to dance and feel contemplative and existential all at the same time... so beat that Postal Service!
We can picture these songs all over TV/movie scenes, remixed into fist-pumping club hits and played on every major radio and satellite radio station as well.

Get stoked for their upcoming album. From what we heard on their album teaser, it's gonna rock your socks off.

Check out ACH's track "Maybe, It's Vanity" here.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/acityheart

-SD

Crunching On Allison Weiss

She's the threat that's taking over the 21st century--singer, songwriter, graphic designer, and quirky. She's nerdy in that oh-so-cool kind of way that makes you laugh and leap with her in her music.

If you're following us on twitter you'd know that we just saw 500 Days of Summer and that thought it was superb in all aspects. Allison's single "I'm Ready," which is featured as our download below, would have been a perfect, seamless inclusion which embodies the quaint, yet loud, oxymoronic confusion of love.

We're head over heels. Who can resist a girl in chunky plastic specs anyhoo?
Oh, and did we mention she's touring? Check her dates out on her myspace.

Official Site: http://allisonw.com/
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/allisonweiss
Twitter: http://twitter.com/allisonweiss

DOWNLOAD: Allison Weiss "I'm Ready"

-SD

Merced - We're Not Worthy!

Wayne's World references aside, we can't help but really dig this band Merced. Some of the guitar-work reminds us of Circa Survive and mellow Incubus, while the melodies seem to be influenced by Augustana and Ryan Adams; but overall a Nashvile knockout.

They've already gotten some major cred by having their first EP recorded with Sean Neff (Chicago, Rascal Flatts) and later on working with Fred Williams and Ainslie Grosser (Mutemath). They're definitely headed in the right direction, but what Merced needs is a killer live show and a feature on the Twilight soundtrack to catapult them into stardom and eternal fame.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/mercedmusic

-SD