Sunday, August 28, 2016

Song Of The Week: 8/28/16







Song: "Old Dirt Road" (acoustic version)

Artist: Lexington Field

Album: "Redwood" EP

Year: 2016

Place Of Origin: San Diego, California

Years Active: 2009-present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Old Dirt Road" appears to be about not forgetting about where you come from. There are certain roots, ideals and values that the vocalist holds near and dear to his heart and he will always make time to go back to where he came from even though there are people around him who may feel he should let go. His past and his roots are what made him to be the man he is today and he will never forget that or let go of that. This is an acoustic rendition of the song that was released on the band's 2016 EP "Redwood". The original version appears on the band's 2011 album "Old Dirt Road".

LEXINGTON FIELD DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2011 - Old Dirt Road (New Folk Records)
2013 - No Man's War (New Folk Records)
2015 - Greenwood (East Grand Record Company)

CURRENT STATUS OF LEXINGTON FIELD:

Lexington Field formed as a band back in 2009, hailing from San Diego, California. The band soon hooked on with New Folk Records for the release of their first two full length studio albums, 2011's "Old Dirt Road" and 2013's "No Man's War". The band also dropped a couple of EP's and straight singles between the years 2012 and 2016 on top of playing hundreds of shows including three national tours. The band's most recent full length album was 2015's "Greenwood". In 2016, the band released an all acoustic EP called "Redwood", which featured stripped down versions of their songs. Lexington Field bases their sound around the fiddle, in fact, they call their sound "fiddle rock". Basically, their style is reminiscent of Celtic punk/Irish folk punk bands. If you enjoy bands such as Flogging Molly, Hoist The Colors, Flatfoot 56, Dropkick Murphys or Bastards On Parade, then you would probably enjoy Lexington Field as well. Some of those other bands just replace the fiddle with bagpipes but the style is very similar all around. Lexington Field is a pretty solid band, the type of band that you could envision playing in local Irish pubs, which they do in fact! I'd definitely put them at a lower level the the Dropkick's, Flogging Molly and Flatfoot 56, but not a bad band at all.

TEN LEXINGTON FIELD SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Tracy Boys Fight The World
2. Selfish Bastard
3. Variation Of Promontory
4. Poor Troubled Life
5. I Can't Die Today
6. Here's To You
7. Weathered Heart
8. Rest Of Our Days
9. American Crow
10. Drunken Sailor

Sunday, August 21, 2016

Song Of The Week: 8/21/16







Song: "Spiderbite"

Artist: Local H

Album: "Local H's Awesome Mix Tape #1"

Year: 2010

Place Of Origin: Zion, Illinois

Years Active: 1987-present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Spiderbite" appears to be a song about poison getting in your blood and in your veins. It slowly starts to creep in your brain and ultimately, it is going to kill you! "Spiderbite" is a cover song of a United Kingdom band called Winnebago Deal. The original version of the song can be found on their 2006 album, "Flight Of The Raven".

LOCAL H DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1995 - Ham Fisted (Island Records)
1996 - As Good As Dead (Island Records)
1998 - Pack Up The Cats (Island Records)
2001 - Here Comes The Zoo (Palm Pictures Records)
2004 - Whatever Happened To P.J. Soles (Studio E Records)
2005 - Alive '05 (Cleopatra Records)
2006 - '99-'00 Demos (G & P Records)
2008 - Twelve Angry Months (Shout! Factory Records)
2010 - Local H's Awesome Mix Tape #1 - (G & P Records)
2012 - Hallelujah! I'm A Bum (Slimstyle Records)
2014 - Local H's Awesome Mix Tape #2 - (G & P Records)
2015 - Hey, Killer - (G & P Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF LOCAL H:

Local H formed in 1987 when all the members were in high school. Originally called Rude Awakening, the band changed their name to Local H in 1990. Originally the band featured 4 members but as of 1993, only vocalist/guitarist Scott Lucas and drummer Joe Daniels remained. They decided to continue on as a two piece and, thanks to the grunge explosion of the early 90's, hooked on with major label Island Records in 1994. The band's second album with Island, 1996's "As Good As Dead", helped Local H attain a high level of success. The single "Bound For The Floor" reached #5 on the Billboard U.S. Alternative charts and two other singles, "Eddie Vedder" and "Fritz's Corner" both were in the top 40 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock charts. The band would never attain the same level of success as they did from their sophmore album though they did have moderate success with the singles "All The Kids Are Right", "Half Life" and "California Songs". A 2005 cover of Britney Spears' song "Toxic" also generated the band some airplay. Scott Lucas remains the heart and soul of Local H. He's the chief songwriter and lyricist and the one constant. Original drummer Joe Daniels left the band in 1999 and was replaced by Brian St. Claire who was replaced by Ryan Harding in 2013. The band's latest full length release was in 2015 called "Hey, Killer". Most recently, Local H has embarked on a 20th anniversary tour to celebrate their "As Good As Dead" album. Original drummer, Joe Daniels, performed with Lucas for the whole album in it's entirety, then Harding comes back out to play drums for other Local H hits and covers. Local H has quite the reputation for their live shows. At times they've had fans vote on setlists and on Halloweens, they have played entire shows covering certain artists from Nirvana, Kiss, Pink Floyd and more. Local H is a product of the grunge/post grunge/alternative sound so if you are a fan of bands like The Toadies, Nirvana, Mudhoney, Bush and early Silverchair, then you would probably enjoy the sounds of Local H as well. Hell, they made the 2 man band popular way before the White Stripes!!

TEN LOCAL H SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Bound For The Floor
2. All The Kids Are Right
3. Hands On The Bible
4. Eddie Vedder
5. Team (Lorde cover)
6. Fritz's Corner
7. California Songs
8. All-Right (Oh, Yeah)
9. Half Life
10. Everyone Alive

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Song Of The Week: 8/14/16







Song: "Marching On"

Artist: The Exposed

Album: "Marching On"

Year: 2006

Place Of Origin: Portsmouth, United Kingdom

Years Active: 2006-present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

At one point, "Marching On" is an ode to the young soldiers who fight in wars and often die in vain. On the other hand, it's a anti-war stance, especially wars which are not fought for valid reasons. In the end, it's the families of these young men and women who are left with the pain and the scars. It's also a testament to the young soldier who will continue to march on despite the carnage around him whether or not he's fighting for a just cause.

THE EXPOSED DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2006 - Marching On (Headcase Records)
2010 - In The Face Of Resistance (Up & Atom Records)
2013 - Static Armageddon (Up & Atom Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF THE EXPOSED:

The Exposed have been in the game since 2006 and have been an underground part of the burgeoning English punk rock scene. That year saw the release of their debut album, "Marching On". Some four years later, the band hooked on with Up & Atom Records to release their sophmore effort, "In The Face Of Resistance". Most recently, The Exposed released their third full length album, "Static Armageddon", in 2013. The Exposed are a band that was lauded by fellow punkers and true legends of the genre Tim Armstrong and Lars Fredericksen or Rancid. In fact, if you're a fan of bands such as Rancid, Swingin' Utters, Street Dogs, Bouncing Souls and Have Nots, then you'd find that The Exposed's style is reminiscent of all of those bands. They definitely blend that street punk edge and have no problems wearing their political and social beliefs on their sleeves when it comes to lyrical content. It's been a few years now since the band's last release so I would assume that something new may be on the horizon. The band's lead singer, Sim Williams has been working on some solo material as well as doing some shows during the band's downtime.

TEN THE EXPOSED SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. College Park Blues
2. Sleeping's A Waste Of My Youth
3. Rebel City Rockers
4. To Your Demise
5. Kristen
6. R.C.P.
7. Marching On
8. Red Alert
9. Flowers Never Bend
10. Soulless

Sunday, August 7, 2016

Song Of The Week: 8/7/16







Song: "No Says The Nose"

Artist: Timeshares

Album: "Timeshares/Dividers" Split 7"

Year: 2012

Place Of Origin: Suffern, New York

Years Active: 2009-present



WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"No Says The Nose" appears to be a song about enjoying life better on the road than at home. The vocalist seems to be more at peace driving down the open road in strange towns than he is when he is at home. He is very content with the constant moving than settling down, especially in the place where he is from.

TIMESHARES DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2011 - Bearable (Kiss Of Death Records)
2015 - Already Dead (SideOneDummy Records)

CURRENT STATUS OF TIMESHARES:

Timeshares formed as a band back in 2009, hailing from New York. The band's first musical project was a self-released EP called "Untitled" in 2009. The band hooked on with Kiss Of Death Records for their very first full length studio album, "Bearable", in 2011. Timeshares also released three split 7" singles with the bands Captain, We're Sinking, Luther and Dividers. Most recently, the band released their sophmore album, "Already Dead", in 2015. The band supported that album with a co-headlining tour with Signals Midwest in late 2015. Timeshares has also spent much of 2016 on the road trying to get their music out to the masses. As for the sound of Timeshares, I think of bands such as Red City Radio, Samiam, Banner Pilot, Hot Water Music and Banquets. Timeshares has many similar elements to their sound as those bands I mentioned. Very solid band with great use of melodic structure and passionate vocals. A definite up and comer in my mind.

TEN TIMESHARES SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. From An Admirer Not Darryl
2. State Line To State Line
3. The Bad Parts
4. Woke Up In Grappler School
5. Spend The Night
6. No Says The Nose
7. In A World Of Ghosts... (Lemuria cover)
8. Little Full, Lotta Sap
9. Who's Going To Watch You Through The Witching Hour
10. Focus, Eddie