SONG OF THE WEEK: 9-1-2024

SONG:  "Lips Like Knives"

ARTIST:  Escape The Fate

ALBUM:  "Out Of The Shadows"

YEAR:  2023

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Las Vegas, Nevada

YEARS ACTIVE:  2004 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Lips Like Knives" appears to be a song about being broken by a relationship. The vocalist has just been beaten down by this girl. She has mistreated him and basically stripped him of his soul. He can't get the time spent back, and he may not be able to recover his soul either.

ESCAPE THE FATE DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2006 - Dying Is Your Latest Fashion (Epitaph Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2008 - This War Is Ours (Epitaph Records)

* peaked at #35 on the Billboard 200

2010 - Escape The Fate (DGC/Interscope Records)

* peaked at #25 on the Billboard 200

2013 - Ungrateful (Eleven Seven Music)

* peaked at #27 on the Billboard 200

2015 - Hate Me (Eleven Seven Music)

* peaked at #58 on the Billboard 200

2018 - I Am Human (Better Noise Music)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2021 - Chemical Warfare (Better Noise Music)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2023 - Out Of The Shadows (Big Noise Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON ESCAPE THE FATE:

Escape The Fate formed as a band back in 2004, hailing from Las Vegas, Nevada. The band's debut full length album would be 2006's "Dying Is Your Latest Fashion", distributed through legendary punk label Epitaph Records. Shortly after this album, the band's lead singer, Ronnie Radke, wound up going to prison for his involvement in an altercation that ultimately led to the murder of an individual. Radke did not pull the trigger, but he was involved to a lesser extent. The band officially parted ways with Radke in 2008 and brought on Blessthefall lead singer Craig Mabbitt to take Radke's place. Mabbitt's first album on vocals for the band would be 2008's "This War Is Ours". 2010's self-titled "Escape The Fate" would be the band's highest charting album, peaking at #25 on the Billboard 200. The band's next two releases, 2013's "Ungrateful" and 2015's "Hate Me", also charted on the Billboard 200. In 2018, the band dropped "I Am Human", which was followed up by 2021's "Chemical Warfare" and the band's most recent release, 2023's "Out Of The Shadows". Escape The Fate is like a post-hardcore, emo/screamo type of band. I first started listening to these guys in the Ronnie Radke era. That is still my favorite version of the band. Luckily, when Radke got out of prison, he formed Falling In Reverse, which is kinda like an extension of what he may have done had he stayed in Escape The Fate. I do like Craig Mabbitt too. I'm kinda done with the gritty vocals though. I call them "cookie monster" vocals! I prefer the songs that have clean vocals on them. I think Mabbitt's best song with Escape The Fate is "Walk On". That's a really cool song! But let's cut through the chase, Radke's "Situations" is their best song. My opinion! 

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Falling In Reverse

The Dead Rabbitts

A Day To Remember

Silverstein

From First To Last

TEN ESCAPE THE FATE SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Situations

2. Walk On

3. The Flood

4. There's No Sympathy For The Dead

5. Issues

6. One For The Money

7. Ungrateful

8. H8 My Self

9. Liars And Monsters

10. Broken Heart

SONG OF THE WEEK: 8-25-2024

SONG:  "Footsteps"

ARTIST:  Steady Hands

ALBUM:  "Live At Ortlieb's"

YEAR:  2016

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

YEARS ACTIVE:  2012 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Footsteps" appears to be a song about a relationship between a father and son, if there was a relationship at all. The vocalist tells of his father always running from everything, his problems, his wife, his family. You almost get the sense that the boy is blaming himself for his father's actions and that in some way, he still longs for a relationship with him. I chose the live version of "Footsteps" for my song of the week. You can find the original studio version on Steady Hands' 2016 compilation album "Rude Boys Of Bar Rock".

STEADY HANDS DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2016 - Rude Boys Of Bar Rock (Lame-O Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2016 - Live At Ortlieb's (self-released)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2018 - Truth In Comedy (Lame-O Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2023 - Cheap Fiction (Lame-O Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON STEADY HANDS:

Steady Hands formed as a band back in 2012, hailing from Philadelphia, PA. Sean Huber, the drummer of the band Modern Baseball, formed the band. The band released four EP's, starting with 2012's "Not Many Of Us Left". This EP, and the three other EP's the band put out were all packaged together in a full compilation album in 2016 called "Rude Boys Of Bar Rock". The band's true debut studio full length would come in 2018, called "Truth In Comedy". The band's most recent release would be 2023's "Cheap Fiction". Steady Hands is a folk/punk type of band. They focus on melody and crafting good songs. Sean Huber made this band to kinda have a Springsteen type vibe but grounded in punk. Think Brian Fallon maybe. These guys have a pretty good band. I dig the vibe! 

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Deforesters

Placeholder

Great Collapse

Living With Lions

Hit The Switch

TEN STEADY HANDS SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. I Swear Like A Sailor

2. Magazines

3. Smithereens

4. A Darkness In Us

5. Skin And Bones

6. Indifferent Belushi

7. Cheap Fiction

8. Fragile Heart

9. Saint Lucas

10. Love A Fool

SONG OF THE WEEK: 8-18-2024

SONG:  "Chasing The Light"

ARTIST:  Saint Asonia

ALBUM:  "Introvert/Extrovert"

YEAR:  2022

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Toronto, Ontario, Canada

YEARS ACTIVE:  2015 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Chasing The Light" appears to be a song about holding on to some sort of hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It seems the vocalist hasn't given up on hope, but it seems like it's getting harder and harder to grasp it when darkness and depression gets in the way.

SAINT ASONIA DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2015 - Saint Asonia (RCA Records)

* peaked at #29 on the Billboard 200

2019 - Flawed Design (Spinefarm Records)

* peaked at #171 on the Billboard 200

2022 - Introvert/Extrovert (Spinefarm Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON SAINT ASONIA:

Saint Asonia is a Canadian band that got it's start back in 2015. It is a supergroup in a way that features Adam Gontier, former frontman of Three Days Grace, and Mike Mushok, lead guitarist for the band Staind. After being in Three Days Grace from 1992 till 2013, Gontier wound up resigning from that band. He and Mushok got together and wrote some songs that they didn't think were going to amount to anything. Then, all of a sudden, they had like 11 or 12 songs that turned out to be pretty good. So in 2015, Saint Asonia was formed. Quickly signed to RCA Records, Saint Asonia released their self-titled debut which would peak at #29 on the Billboard 200. The band then signed a deal with Spinefarm Records and released "Flawed Design" in 2019. The band's most recent release was 2022's "Introvert/Extrovert". Of course, with Adam Gontier's unmistakable vocals, there's no doubt that Saint Asonia's sound is very similar to his former band Three Days Grace. Just as in his former band, Gontier's lyrics can be quite dark and very personal. Call them what you want, post-grunge, alternative metal, hard rock, whatever. Saint Asonia is a solid band and really a continuation of what Gontier would have most likely done had he stayed in Three Days Grace. A very good hard rock band for sure!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Three Days Grace

Like A Storm

Breaking Benjamin

Seether

12 Stones

TEN SAINT ASONIA SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. The Hunted

2. Better Place

3. Above It All

4. Blind

5. Devastate

6. Ghost

7. Let Me Live My Life

8. Blow Me Wide Open

9. Wolf

10. Better Late Than Never

SONG OF THE WEEK: 8-11-2024

SONG:  "I Don't Trust My Memories Anymore"

ARTIST:  Chris Shiflett

ALBUM:  "Lost At Sea"

YEAR:  2023

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Santa Barbara, California

YEARS ACTIVE:  1985 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"I Don't Trust My Memories Anymore" appears to be about how happy and fond memories of an old relationship have now turned painful because she is no longer a part of his life. It's hard for the vocalist to savor the good memories when the hurt and pain of her being gone far outweigh them.

CHRIS SHIFLETT DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2010 - Chris Shiflett & The Dead Peasants (w/ The Dead Peasants) (RCA Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2013 - All Hat And No Cattle (w/ The Dead Peasants) (SideOneDummy Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2017 - West Coast Town (SideOneDummy Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2019 - Hard Lessons (East Beach Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2023 - Lost At Sea (Bluelan Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON CHRIS SHIFLETT:

Hailing from Santa Barbara, California, Chris Shiflett has been in and around music dating back to 1985. While I'm gonna focus on his solo career for my song of the week. His first big breaks came in 1995, when he joined legendary punk rock outfit No Use For A Name and the punk rock super cover band Me First & The Gimme Gimmes. He stayed with No Use till 1999 when he became lead guitarist for the Foo Fighters which is his current main focus to this date. He left, or was kicked out, of Me First in 2019, depending on who you listen to! From 2004 till 2008, he fronted a band called Jackson United. Now let's focus on his solo material. In 2010, Shiflett released his debut solo album "Chris Shiflett & The Dead Peasants". A far cry from his skate punk sound with No Use or his arena rock sound with the Foo Fighters, this album focused on Americana and honky tonk vibes. He released his second album along with The Dead Peasants in 2013 called "All Hat And No Cattle". In 2017, he dropped "The Dead Peasants" and just released albums under his own name. I think this allowed him to not only explore country music but expand a little more into other genre's that were highly influential for him. His first album just under his own name would be "West Coast Town". In 2019 he dropped "Hard Lessons" and in 2023, Shiflett released his most recent album, "Lost At Sea". Chris Shiflett is a super talented musician as shown by how seamlessly he can shift from punk rock to shredding arena hard rock to country/Americana finger picking. There's a ton of reasons to like Chris Shiflett. He was hugely influenced by Ace Frehley of Kiss! Kiss was my favorite band as a kid and Ace rules! He was also in No Use For A Name, arguably my favorite punk rock band! Who doesn't like Me First And The Gimme Gimmes? You gotta really stink to not like that band! Foo Fighters are arguably the biggest rock band on the planet right now. Also one of my favorite bands! The thing I also love about Shiflett is his country songs harken back to old country, not the stuff you hear on the radio now that just sounds like pop music. I appreciate what guys like Chris Shiflett, Mike Ness and Tim Barry do with their versions of Americana/country. They really respect the craft and the origins which, in my mind, makes them better than any so called "country" artist on the charts today!

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

Brian Fallon

Dave Hause

Mike Ness

Aaron Lewis

Tim Barry

TEN CHRIS SHIFLETT SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Liar's Word

2. Guitar Pickin' Man

3. West Coast Town

4. Sticks & Stones

5. Dead And Gone

6. Get Along

7. A Woman Like You

8. Overboard

9. Look The Other Way

10. Welcome To Your First Heartache

SONG OF THE WEEK: 8-4-2024

SONG:  "Open Eyes"

ARTIST:  The Early November

ALBUM:  "Twenty"

YEAR:  2022

PLACE OF ORIGIN:  Hammonton, New Jersey

YEARS ACTIVE:  2001 - present

WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:

"Open Eyes" appears to be a song about being madly in love with someone. There's really no other way to explain it. The vocalist is just head over heels for this girl. Like he's on cloud 9.

THE EARLY NOVEMBER DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):

2003 - The Room's Too Cold (Drive-Thru Records)

* peaked at #107 on the Billboard 200

2006 - The Mother, The Mechanic, And The Path (Drive-Thru Records)

* peaked at #31 on the Billboard 200

2012 - In Currents (Rise Records)

* peaked at #43 on the Billboard 200

2015 - Imbue (Rise Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2017 - Fifteen (Bad Timing Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2019 - Lilac (Rise Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2022 - Twenty (Pure Noise Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

2024 - The Early November (Pure Noise Records)

* did not chart on the Billboard 200

MY THOUGHTS ON THE EARLY NOVEMBER:

The Early November is a Jersey band that got it's start back in 2001. Early on, the band dropped two EP's that quickly generated lots of buzz around them. 2002's "For All Of This" and "The Acoustic EP". Armed with a fresh deal with Drive-Thru Records, The Early November dropped their debut album "The Room's Too Cold" in 2003. In 2006, the band dropped a three disc concept album called "The Mother, The Mechanic, And The Path". Peaking at #31 on the Billboard 200, this would be their highest charting album. In 2007, the band decided to go on an indefinite hiatus. Luckily, in 2011, the hiatus was over and in 2012, the band released "In Currents". In 2015, the band dropped "Imbue". 2017 saw the band release "Fifteen", which was a compilation album of reworked older songs celebrating the band's 15 year anniversary. 2019's "Lilac" finished the band's deal with Rise Records. In 2022, The Early November signed on with Pure Noise records to release "Twenty" and in 2024, the band dropped their most recent album, "The Early November". The Early November is like a pop punk/emo type band. They kinda have a soft or mellow vibe to their music. Vocalist/guitarist Ace Enders has a keen ear for great melodies and weaves his vocals through the music perfectly. While The Early November isn't one of my all time favorite bands, I do enjoy a lot of their music. I was really impressed with their 2012 album "In Currents". That may be my favorite album by the band. 

SIMILAR ARTISTS:

The Starting Line

Armor For Sleep

Hidden In Plain View

The Dangerous Summer

Hot Rod Circuit

TEN THE EARLY NOVEMBER SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:

1. Ever So Sweet

2. Narrow Mouth

3. I Want To Hear You Sad

4. In Currents

5. Make It Happen

6. What We Earn

7. Tell Me Why

8. I Dissolve

9. Ave Maria

10. A Little More Time