SONG OF THE WEEK: 12/25/22

SONG:  "Are You The One"

ARTIST:  Basement

ALBUM:  "Be Here Now" cd single

YEAR:  2019

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Ipswich, Suffolk, England

YEARS ACTIVE:  2009 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Are You The One" appears to be a song about a cry for help. The vocalist appears to be seeking someone who can guide him in the right direction. Is it that he's suicidal? Maybe. Whatever it is, he seems to need some guidance and direction in his life.

BASEMENT DISCOGRAPHY:  (Full length albums only):

2011 - I Wish I Could Stay Here (Run For Cover Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2012 - Colourmeinkindness (Run For Cover Records)

* peaked at #188 on the Billboard 200 on 11-10-12

2016 - Promise Everything (Run For Cover Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2018 - Beside Myself (Fueled By Ramen Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON BASEMENT:

Basement formed out of the ashes of the band In This For Fun. Their first release would be an EP in 2010 called "Songs About The Weather". After this release, the band signed with Run For Cover Records. Their debut full length album came out in 2011, titled "I Wish I Could Stay Here". Their next release, 2012's "Colourmeinkindness" would prove to be their most successful album, peaking at #188 on the Billboard 200 charts. The band went on a semi-hiatus for 2 years at this point for personal reasons but came back in 2014 with the release of the "Further Sky" EP. The band rounded out their contract with Run For Cover with the 2016 release "Promise Everything". The band's most recent release was the album "Beside Myself" which was put out by Fueled By Ramen Records. The band has played live shows as recently as 2021. Basement's playing style has been referred to as melodic hardcore punk, sometimes considered "noise rock" as well. They're somewhere in that mix. I'd even say alternative rock with elements of punk. Whatever you want to call them, they are a really good band. I'm almost positive I found out about these guys through the dyingscene.com website probably in 2011 or 2012. My favorite album by the band is 2016's "Promise Everything". "Aquasun" is a great song that finds it's way on the majority of my playlists!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Boston Manor

Trash Boat

Polar Bear Club

Transit

Four Year Strong

TEN BASEMENT SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Aquasun

2. Earl Grey

3. Be Here Now

4. Covet

5. Oversized

6. Grayscale

7. Are You The One

8. Whole

9. Disconnect

10. Cloud

SONG OF THE WEEK: 12/18/22

SONG:  "Comfort"

ARTIST:  Royal Psalms

ALBUM:  "Last Psalms"

YEAR:  2016

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Albany, New York

YEARS ACTIVE:  2013 - 2016

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Comfort" appears to be a song about not being comfortable in known environments. You often hear people talk about the comforts of home or the comforts of being in a place you are familiar with. The vocalist is the exact opposite of this. He feels stuck by the boring and mundane life he's leading in familiar settings. He wants to change his life and his environment.

ROYAL PSALMS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

Royal Psalms never released a full length album. They only have an EP and a 2 song single in their catalog.

MY THOUGHTS ON ROYAL PSALMS:

Royal Psalms was a New York band that formed out of the ashes of the bands Daytrader, Crime In Stereo and Aficianado back in 2013. In 2015, the band dropped an EP titled "I Could Have Been Anything". While the band toured in 2015 to support this EP, the project seemed to be short lived. In 2016, they released 2 new songs that they had been working on and pretty much said that those songs were probably the last and that Royal Psalms was pretty much done at that point. Royal Psalms plays a style that's somewhat indie rock and alternative rock with a touch of grunge. I first heard of this band through DyingScene.com. "Dig" is the track that caught my ear the most from this band. That song almost sounds like it comes right out of 1994, in fact, I initially thought it was a cover song! Anyways, it's too bad these guys seemed to stop being a band as soon as they started. There was definitely some promise with this band but sometimes these things just don't work out.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Banquets

Run Forever

Silver Snakes

Vinny Caruana

Hindsights

TEN ROYAL PSALMS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Dig

2. Careful

3. Anything

4. Stagnant Water

5. Constants

6. Comfort

7. Slow Horse

8. Until It's Me

* Royal Psalms has only released 8 songs so I can't give ya 10!!

SONG OF THE WEEK: 12/11/22

SONG:  "Catholic Girls" 

ARTIST:  The Dangerous Summer

ALBUM:  "Golden Record" 

YEAR:  2013

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Ellicott City, Maryland

YEARS ACTIVE:  2006 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

The Dangerous Summer lead vocalist AJ Perdomo gave a detailed quote about "Catholic Girls". Here it is:  "I wrote the song about mine and Cody’s home town of Ellicott City. It’s about growing up, growing apart, loss of innocence, and just that whirlwind that pulls you in and out of where you came from. I get really specific and personal in this song, because it came out of me that way. The funny thing about the reference to Catholic girls is; Cody and I used to only go for private school girls at a certain point in life. I don’t know what it was, or who we thought we were, being from a public school ourselves; but it was classic us. The name Virden is the last name of my high school girlfriend, and her family who took good care of me. Loriann was a very close friend to the band’s mother. We spent years in that basement literally growing up together, until she was in a horrible car accident one night, and passed away. It was a pivotal moment for how we felt about the place we came from. I know everyone can relate to the ‘should I stay or should I go now’ mentality that starts its plague around the age of 18. This is my ode to those years. I will never forget where I came from.” 

THE DANGEROUS SUMMER DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2009 - Reach For The Sun (Hopeless Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - An Acoustic Performance Of Reach For The Sun (Hopeless Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - War Paint (Hopeless Records)

* peaked at #149 on the Billboard 200 on 8-6-11

2013 - Golden Record (Hopeless Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2018 - The Dangerous Summer (Hopeless Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2019 - Mother Nature (Hopeless Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2020 - Live In Baltimore 2019 (Hopeless Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2022 - Coming Home (Rude Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON THE DANGEROUS SUMMER:

The Dangerous Summer is a Maryland based band that formed back in 2006. In 2007, the band released an EP that caught the ear of Hopeless Records who in turn re-released the EP, beginning what would be a 12 year relationship with the band. Their debut full length studio album was released in 2009, titled "Reach For The Sun". This album hit #42 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. In 2011, the band released an acoustic version of "Reach For The Sun" as well as releasing their follow up full length, "War Paint". This album peaked at #149 on the Billboard 200 charts, making it the only The Dangerous Summer album to enter that chart. In 2013, "Golden Record" was released. In 2014, lead vocalist AJ Perdomo decided to leave that band as he and bandmate, Cody Payne,  just couldn't work together anymore. A few years later, Payne had to serve a year in prison for burglary and in 2017, The Dangerous Summer reunited with AJ Perdomo and Cody Payne posted online that he had left the band. The Dangerous Summer wrapped up their deal with Hopeless Records by releasing 2018's "The Dangerous Summer", 2019's "Mother Nature" and 2020's "Live In Baltimore 2019. The band's most recent album was 2022's "Coming Home", released through Rude Records. The Dangerous Summer is a pop punk/melodic rock/alternative rock type of band. They were highly influenced by bands like Third Eye Blind and Jimmy Eat World. I started listening to these guys in what I call my "Taking Back Sunday years"! This was a period of time from the mid 2000's where I really got on a pop punk/melodic rock trip. The Dangerous Summer falls right in line with that style. I always felt that these guys were closer to the top of that food chain. Very good songs, good vocals. Great to see that their little hiatus in 2014 was short lived and The Dangerous Summer is still going strong.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

The Starting Line

Transit

The Early November

Acceptance

Armor For Sleep

TEN THE DANGEROUS SUMMER SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Ghosts

2. LA In A Cop Car

3. The Permanent Rain

4. Catholic Girls

5. Where I Want To Be

6. War Paint

7. Bring Me Back To Life

8. Northern Lights (acoustic version)

9. Coming Home

10. Way Down

SONG OF THE WEEK: 12/4/22

SONG:  "3 Cigarettes"

ARTIST:  The Sleeping

ALBUM:  "Questions & Answers"

YEAR:  2006

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Long Island, New York

YEARS ACTIVE:  2003 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

Surprise, Surprise..."3 Cigarettes" is yet another break-up song! Here the vocalist constantly blames himself for the soured relationship even though she was the one who lied and wronged him. He's using addictions, cigarettes and alcohol, to numb the pain or just as a replacement to feel some sort of pleasure. It seems he would forgive her transgressions to have her back.

THE SLEEPING DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2004 - Believe What They Tell You (One Day Savior Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2006 - Questions And Answers (Victory Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2009 - What It Takes (Victory Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2010 - The Big Deep (Victory Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON THE SLEEPING:

The Sleeping rose from the ashes of the band Skycamefalling in 2003. These Long Island, New Yorkers booked their very first tour to support a self made, three song demo when they started out. They dropped their debut full length album in 2004, titled "Believe What They Tell You". This album and relentless touring earned them a spot on the Victory Records roster for their next three releases beginning with 2006's "Questions And Answers". Their 2009 album, "What It Takes", reached #20 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart and was their most successful album. The Sleeping's most recent release was the 2010 album "The Big Deep". In 2012, the band announced they were going on an indefinite hiatus. In 2016, the original line-up decided to play one farewell show. As it usually does, this one off show turned into several more live performances. Though the band members haven't said that they will focus 100% on The Sleeping and create new music, they still get together to perform live from time to time and are still pretty active on their Facebook page so perhaps they will decide to write some new material in the near future. I first heard of this band in 2009, I'm pretty sure I heard them on a compilation album but I don't quite remember the name of it. To me, their "What It Takes" album is their finest moment. These guys came out in the early 2000's, right when their was a big push on bands that were basically pop punk but with flashes of screamo and hardcore. Think Taking Back Sunday, Silverstein or The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, all of which The Sleeping toured with at one point in their musical career. The Sleeping never quite rose to the level of those three bands but they definitely have some killer songs in their catalogue.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Silverstein

Senses Fail

Dead Poetic

Bayside

Thursday

TEN THE SLEEPING SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. You'll Be A Corpse Before Your Time

2. Bomb The World

3. Don't Hold Back

4. Dark Days

5. Stayin' Alive (Bee Gee's cover)

6. Loud And Clear

7. The Big Breakdown

8. Young Vibes...Don't Run Away From Me

9. If Your Heart Was Broken...You Would Be Dead

10. Anyone Night Stand

SONG OF THE WEEK: 11/27/22

SONG:  "Find A Reason"

ARTIST:  The Grizzly Band

ALBUM:  "Lost And Found"

YEAR:  2014

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Houston, Texas

YEARS ACTIVE:  2008 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Find A Reason" appears to be about yet another break-up song. The twist, at least from what I find, is that most of these break-up songs talk about the girl walking out on the guy. But on this song, it's the vocalist that's ending the relationship and it appears for sure that he has no regrets in doing so.

THE GRIZZLY BAND DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2009 - How Fast They Fade (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - Drunk And Loud (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2014 - Lost And Found (Altercation Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2019 - Anywhere But Home (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON THE GRIZZLY BAND:

The Grizzly Band formed as a band back in 2008, hailing from Houston, Texas. The band dropped their debut full length studio album in 2009, called "How Fast They Fade". Soon after they self-released a live album titled "Drunk And Loud (Live At Rudyard's)" in 2011, followed by their "Victory" EP in 2012. 2014 saw the band drop "Lost And Found". Most recently, The Grizzly Band released "Anywhere But Home" in 2019. The Grizzly Band self-proclaim themselves to be "southern whiskey punk". And that sound is some sort of the influence of Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Social Distortion and Jawbreaker. I think that combo sums them up pretty good! I first learned of these guys from dyingscene.com for sure. I want to say "Lost And Found" was the first album I owned by them but I'm not totally sure. I may have had their debut, "How Fast They Fade" back in 2009. These guys are pretty cool. Think of a southern rock type of band with punk rock elements, even some Americana/Folk sprinkled in as well. These guys aren't super out there on social media so there's not a lot of info out there on them. In fact, as of writing this blog, I didn't even know they released "Anywhere But Home" in 2019 so that's something i'll have to pick up soon.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Tumbledown

Arliss Nancy

Social Distortion

Nowherebound

The Tim Version

TEN THE GRIZZLY BAND SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Pass The Smoke

2. Good Times With Bad Friends

3. I Need You

4. Foreign Shores

5. How Fast They Fade

6. Stand Up

7. One More Day

8. Devils Calling

9. The Letter

10. Concrete River

SONG OF THE WEEK: 11/20/22

SONG:  "Meatballs And Corn Stew"

ARTIST:  Druglords Of The Avenues

ALBUM:  "Sing Songs"

YEAR:  2008

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Oakland, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  2004 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

Not really sure what the song "Meatballs And Corn Stew" is about. Is it about meatballs and corn stew? I don't think so! It's definitely about a woman who seems to be a "woman of the world". By that, she seems like someone who holds your attention by speaking of her life's experiences. That could be totally wrong! Can't find the lyrics on the net so that's all I got!

DRUGLORDS OF THE AVENUES DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2008 - Sing Songs (Red Scare Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2013 - New Drugs (Red Scare Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON DRUGLORDS OF THE AVENUES:

Druglords Of The Avenues formed as a band back in 2004, hailing from Oakland, California. This is a side project of Johnny Bonnel, lead singer of longtime punk stalwarts Swingin' Utters. Though the Utters have been a loyal Fat Wreck band, Druglords Of The Avenues have spent their years on Red Scare Records. The band's debut album dropped in 2008, titled "Sing Songs". Five years later, the band released what would be their most recent full length album, "New Drugs". Their most recent release was a split with the band Death March. As I said earlier, Druglords Of The Avenues is a side project band for Swingin' Utters frontman Johnny Bonnel. In fact, he has another side project band called Filthy Thievin' Bastards as well. Their style is not much different from the Swingin' Utters. It's kinda like a street punk vibe. In 2020, the band actually posted a video of some new music being worked on through their Facebook page so hopefully, there's something in the works. But, Swingin' Utters is always Bonnel's main focus. Being a huge Utters fan, I knew of Druglords Of The Avenues right away. I mean, if you're a fan of the Swingin' Utters, then you would like this band as well. Great stuff for a side project!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Swingin' Utters

The Tim Version

The Arrivals 

Enemy You

The Sainte Catherines

TEN DRUGLORDS OF THE AVENUES SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. MacGowen's Seeth

2. So Called Druglords

3. There's Something Seriously Wrong With Me

4. Drunkest Teen

5. Take Your Meds

6. Druglords Of The Avenues

7. Me Decided

8. For My Life

9. Staling Bread

10. There's Nothing Really Going On

SONG OF THE WEEK: 11/13/22

SONG:  "Pills & Smoke"

ARTIST:  Swingin' Utters

ALBUM:  "Swingin' Utters"

YEAR:  2000

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Santa Cruz, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  1987 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Pills & Smoke" appears to be a song about going out and making it on your own. The vocalist knew at 18 years old that he had to set his own path on his own. And though the years were filled with booze, drugs and lots of teenage angst, he seems to have come out of it with his ideals and his soul intact.

SWINGIN' UTTERS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

1992 - Scared (Quality Of Life Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1995 - The Streets Of San Francisco (New Red Archives Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1996 - More Scared:  The House Of Faith Years (SideOneDummy Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1996 - A Juvenile Product Of The Working Class (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

1998 - Five Lessons Learned (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2000 - Swingin' Utters (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2003 - Dead Flowers, Bottles, Bluegrass And Bones (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2004 - Live In A Dive (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2008 - Hatest Grits:  B-Sides And Bullshit (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2011 - Here, Under Protest (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2013 - Poorly Formed (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2014 - Fistful Of Hollow (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2018 - Peace And Love (Fat Wreck Chords)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON SWINGIN' UTTERS:

The Swingin' Utters formed as a band back in 1987, hailing from Santa Cruz, California. The band was originally called Johnny Peebucks and the Swingin' Utters. Johnny "Peebucks" Bonnel is the lead singer of the band. By 1994, after some releases, the band changed their name to Swingin' Utters. Many believe their 1995 release, "The Streets Of San Francisco", to be their proper debut. In 1996, the band joined Fat Mike's (NOFX) label, Fat Wreck Chords, where the band has remained to the present day. The band pumped out 4 albums in 7 years from 1996 to 2003. These were 1996's "A Juvenile Product Of The Working Class", 1998's "Five Lessons Learned", 2000's "Swingin' Utters" and 2003's "Dead Flowers, Bottles, Bluegrass And Bones". Though a live album was released in 2004, the band went on pretty much a 7 year hiatus at this point. Luckily for fans of the band, the boys got back together in 2010 and in 2011, they released "Here, Under Protest". This began another streak of 4 albums in 7 years, rounding it out with 2013's "Poorly Formed", 2014's "Fistful Of Hollow" and 2018's "Peace And Love". The Swingin' Utters are an awesome punk rock band. These guys have been going for an amazing 35 years! And the best part is that they are still going strong. The Swingin' Utters are hugely influencial in punk rock circles and they always get utmost respect from the punk rock scene. They can be considered mostly to be a street punk band but they do draw some inspiration from celtic punk and folk punk. The first song I heard from Swingin' Utters was "Pills & Smoke" so yes, I was a little late to the party. "Pills & Smoke" is one of my favorite songs so it set the tone back in 2000, then I worked my way back through the band's catalog. These guys are definitely due for a new album so hopefully that sees the light of day sooner rather than later.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Bracket

Lagwagon

Bombshell Rocks

Pulley

No Use For A Name

TEN SWINGIN' UTTERS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Pills & Smoke

2. '39 (Queen cover)

3. Brand New Lungs

4. Windspitting Punk

5. Fistful Of Hollow

6. Human Potential

7. Stuck In A Circle

8. Five Lessons Learned

9. Teenage Genocide

10. All That I Can Give

SONG OF THE WEEK: 11/6/22

SONG:  "Good Luck, Goodbye"

ARTIST:  Hear The Sirens

ALBUM:  "Some Form Of Stability/Good Luck, Goodbye" 7"

YEAR:  2011

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Livermore, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  2006 - 2013

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Good Luck, Goodbye" appears to be a song about feeling you'd be better off going your separate ways. While i don't have the lyrics to the song, after a few listens, I got the sense that the vocalist has some goals he'd like to attain and this person he is with doesn't seem to be totally in his corner. The relationship seems to be more of a strain for both involved.

HEAR THE SIRENS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2009 - Rebel Hearts Lost (Silly Girl Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2012 - Renegade (Pirate Press Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON HEAR THE SIRENS:

Hear The Sirens formed as a band back in 2006, hailing from Livermore, California. This East Bay punk outfit dropped an EP in 2009 and followed that up with their debut full length album in that same year, titled "Rebel Hearts Lost". Not long after these releases, the band decided to go their separate ways. In 2011, however, the guys got together, thinking it was just gonna be some jam sessions and maybe even a few live shows. It turned out that they began writing new material, most of which would end up on their sophomore full length album and what would turn out to be their last release, 2012's "Renegade". Hear The Sirens last played a live show in 2013 and I haven't heard any news from them since so I assume they have broken up. Early on, Hear The Sirens had a little more of a hardcore edge to them, think of bands like Strike Anywhere. But, after they reunited in 2011, their sound became more of a melodic, pop punk vibe perhaps in the same vein of early Green Day. The first time I heard of Hear The Sirens was definitely their 2012 "Renegade" album and I'm absolutely positive that I discovered this band through dyingscene.com. Pretty good band, just seemed like it wasn't destined to be for these guys.

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Still Rings True

Protagonist

Living With Lions

Landmines

Never Hit Again

TEN HEAR THE SIRENS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Bad Excuses

2. Last Call Love

3. Some Form Of Stability

4. Goodbye My Love

5. Good Luck, Goodbye

6. Dead End Response

7. Our Disaster

8. Don't Threaten Me With A Good Time

9. There's Hope For You Yet

10. Kings, Queens And Music Scenes