Update from FM Static: “H-hemm. Yes, it is true. Contrary to popular belief, the dynamic duo FM Static is back at it, and ready to take over the airwaves. After taking a brief hiatus, the band is back with full force, and the new songs are sounding INSANE. Trevor’s been busy working on it (while on tour with TFK), and they’re SUPER excited about it. “It’s a concept record(title TBA), the entire album will be one story from beginning to end. It’s based on a boy (and occasionally a girl) and their diary entries about what’s going on in theirs lives. It deals with faith, doubt, love, death, and the honest questions that surround living and growing up in modern day culture. We’re very pumped about this record and are excited to share it with you ,” says McNevan.
The release date is still undetermined, but the guys will be recording the album in June/July between touring schedules both in Seattle(re-teaming up and co-producing with Aaron Sprinkle-who produced the bands first record), and at their homes. We’ll keep you posted!
The best thing about reviewing CDs is that you can lie to people. Many reviewers seem to hit the ground running with this. I don’t mean so much that reviewers don’t accurately state their feelings about a CD. All of them, so far as I know, do that quite well. It is, after all, their job, so to speak. No, I refer to some of the little details reviewers add for flourish. Right now I’m specifically talking about the ways reviewers explain writer’s block. Have you ever seen a review like this? Almost always this review will have a line that somewhat resembles the following: “I find it very hard to write about *insert band name.* There’s really not much to say. It was very boring, and I can’t recall any details of the CD. Skip it.” I want to tell you, loyal IVM readers, something of great importance: those reviews are lies. Reviews about boring CDs on which every track seems pretty much the same are the easiest reviews to write, because it’s rather easy to provide scathing criticism of such music. As Levi G. would say, just look at Buzzgrinder. So what does writer’s block actually mean? Let’s find out. Because I have had no idea what to write about Burning Tree Project for the past two weeks, and it’s not because they’re boring. Far from it.
A good review should, in almost all cases, just stick to reviewing the music. Readers of less charitable sites than IVM (*wink*) have probably read reviews that have panned wrote off CDs simply for the band’s prior work or for mediocre cover art. Those reviews suck. So it’s generally best to focus solely on the music. But I can’t do that with Burning Tree Project, because it excites me to see an ethnically diverse group of young men brought together by new life in Christ playing some amazingly fun powerpop. If that isn’t at least a little cool to you, it definitely should be. However, if the music isn’t any good, then the story isn’t as cool as it ought to be. Fortunately, Time and Color is worth your money, your time, and all of your mosh pit skills, even if it does have some of the weak spots typical of any young band’s debut mark on the music industry.
If you, dear listener, start the EP at its beginning, you are likely to be a bit let down. “Dear Valentine” is a fun track, and musically, it’s pretty solid, but lyrically, the tune comes off as trite. The hooks in the verses are a bit lacking, and when lines like “Now I’m the one you left behind…and that’s fine, ’cause you have nowhere left to hide this time, dear valentine” are being sung over said hooks, you’ll probably imagine you heard this all before, and heard it better done on the mall-style pop-punk of yesteryear. And you’d be right, even if those other songs probably didn’t have the excellent production and musical depth coursing through the music of Burning Tree Project. But don’t give up just yet. Just one track later, I guarantee you’ll be dancing. The upbeat, synth-driven “Hero” awaits you. Singers Enik Lin and David Kim are going to make you want to jump around and (politely) run into people. Seemingly about the band escaping their past experiences and ways of life — though I might be wrong about this — the track is definitely a CD standout, rivaling the best work of bands like Spitalfield and Jet Lag Gemini.
So at this point, readers have the right to be optimistic. The band seems to have righted themselves from a lackluster opening, and are showing the world that they are a potential powerpop tour de force. Well…I don’t know how to say this exactly, but “Hello” is really not a very good song. It’s the ballad of the CD, and it just falls flat. The song opens lyrically with “Hello, hello, hello…So he said goodbye…Kind of like that night you said the same thing on my phone,” and it never really recovers. True, during the bridge, drummer Dave Briggs has a chance to get in some truly awesome fills, but it’s a song lyrically straight out of high school and musically a bit dull, and it kills the momentum Burning Tree Project were building.
Fortunately, the CD gets back on track again with “Free” (lyrics include “Glorious, Glorious…Your words beneath my lungs consume the wounds that carry my own cross to find your Son“), and the band never looks back. “Put Your Helmet On” is a no-frills rock-out, with the best and most driving chorus on the CD, guitar riffs courtesy of Scott Corgan and Johnny Mora. The track is another musically deep one, as keyboard lines (played by Andre Harris) gracefully intersect with delayed guitars throughout the second verse. I wanna hit people again. And Burning Tree Project go out with a bang with the worshipful “Less of Me, More of You.” Possibly the best overall track on the EP, it’s four straight minutes of edgy pop-punk goodness, and as the song fades out and Enik sings “I’m dying over you. I’m dying to love again. I’m dying over you. I’m dying to live again. I’m dying over you. Less of me, more of you“, all I can say is that you will be left wanting much, much more.
Why was it hard to write about Burning Tree Project? Well, sometimes I just get writer’s block. Maybe it has nothing to do with them whatsoever. But maybe, despite the few rough spots on Time and Color, Burning Tree Project is on the cusp of their potential: they are truly within reach of being one of the most exciting bands in that realm of independent music where passion, faith, and insanely catchy hooks collide. I sure as anything wouldn’t bet against them.
Rating: 7.5/10
Standout Tracks: “Hero,” “Put Your Helmet On,” “Less of Me, More of You”
RIYL: Jet Lag Gemini, Spitalfield, Search the City, Anberlin
Search the City have posted an acoustic version of “The Rescue” to their myspace page. Check it out! How many of you own their Tooth and Nail debut? Please comment if you own it and what you think. One of our reviewers, Headless Horseman, is working on a review of this album so look for that soon.
It appears as though David Tamaoka also known as “Canefield Hero” has posted a new song to Myspace titled “Save Me”. David was also one of the voices behind Pennylane.
xDeathstarx will be making the trip to Cornerstone this year and will play two dates. To see those dates and what stage they are playing on, click here.
This is about a month old but I dont see it on here….You can check out Leeland’s video for the song Count Me In by going here. What do you think of this video and their new album Opposite Way?
Joey from The Echoing Green has written a big update on myspace detailing his different producing projects and of course the new Echoing Green record!! I am super excited. He says that the new song “Sanctuary”, which you can listen to on their myspace, will be on Itunes in a month for purchase. He also just remixed a song from Ever Stays Red which will supposedly be a bonus track on an upcoming acoustic ep from the band. Yes! Read the whole blog here.
I have another Canadian group for you all to check out. The group is called Stereotrap you can check out music from their Are We The Wind Or The Waves EP right here. If you like the music, they have 2 tracks for free download on their player.
I had the extreme pleasure of meeting up with Louis from Gasoline Heart a few weeks ago for an interview, and I finally had the chance to type it up and post it tonight. So if you’re interested in hearing about their new label, Louis’ favorite bands, or what role Jesus plays in his band, click here and read up.
As a side note, if anyone dares to criticize him for swearing or attacks his thoughts about his faith for any reason, I promise you I will have no problem deleting the interview altogether. We don’t need to get into this conversation every single time someone uses profanity or says anything remotely questionable, and I refuse to deal with it again. Louis is a wonderful man and I highly respect him, and I recommend you all do the same.
As a 19-year-old, it was a little awkward walking into the Green Rock Tavern in Philly for a 21+ show asking for Gasoline Heart, but their manager Jimi met me pretty quickly since I was early enough to be the only one there not with the band. After Louis finished his sound checking, we walked outside to look for a place to do the interview while he had a “smokerette.” We chatted about the problems with liberal Bible colleges and my possibility of sneaking back inside to watch the show after our interview, which I was lucky enough to be able to do. Realizing there was nowhere to go, we first tried just standing outside and doing the interview in front of the venue, but that was soon to change.
Eric, IVM: You can start with your name and what you do in the band.
Louis, GH: Louis DeFabrizio, I sing and play guitar. What’s your name? E: Eric Pettersson. L: What do you do? E: I write for Indie Vision Music dot Com [laughs]. L: There we go! We have artist on artist profile.
E: Alright, so what’s new with Gasoline Heart? What are you guys doing lately?
L: We just got a tour with Murder by Death in May. That should be awesome. So that’s all of May, and it’s all like West Coast, and Gasoline Heart’s never been to the West Coast, so my old band The Kick, and our bass player was in Squad Five-O and they played there, and we always played West Coast then, so I’m excited about Gasoline Heart doing a West Coast thing because it will be good shows. I think there’ll be a lot of people there, so…
E: Would you mind holding the tape recorder a little closer? L: Sorry about that. E: The mic’s right there. [Points] L: There we go, could you hear that? E: I’ve had problems with that before, so… L: Alright, we’re gonna go sit in my car. Let’s make that happen. [Louis narrates into the mic] Alright, now we’re walking to my car. It’s over here. E: OK. Is it the van? L: No, it’s not the van, man. It’s just me. I’m driving by myself. I’ve so far logged about 1800 miles. E: Is this just a solo tour? L: Mmhmm, yup. You can sit in the front. [Continues to narrate into the mic, as my girlfriend and I continue to laugh in the background] We’re opening the car. [Unlocks the doors] There you go. Into the mobile. That’s better. I’ll unroll this window. Yeah, so I’ve logged… let’s see how many miles I’ve logged… 1827.2 miles to get to you. Isn’t that cool?
E: Alright, your first album, You Know Who You Are, was on Mono Vs Stereo. Now you’re doing it independently. Why make that switch?
L: Well, it wasn’t on purpose. Mono Vs Stereo went out of business. E: Really?
L: Yeah, they folded about eight days before we were supposed to make our new record, so we had all the studio time booked and everything. But since we were still in contract with Mono Vs Stereo, like the way record labels work is as soon they agree to do your next album, they have to make your next album. But the record label wasn’t going to be around anymore, so what they did is gave us a couple of thousand dollars. And we just, instead of dumping more money… I was like $25,000 in debt with my old band The Kick from doing everything so DIY and punk rock. And I was like, “Why don’t we just take the money, and let’s just record an EP.” And we just recorded six songs, so… yeah, so then we were like, “Instead of dumping any money into it, let’s just put it on iTunes and press 1000 of them, and see what we can do.” Like completely word of mouth. And it was probably inspired by Radiohead who just put out their record out of nowhere. And we’re like, “We can do that too! Wait, we don’t have millions of fans.” But we still sold a decent amount. I just want to see how many we can sell with nothing. Like no ads, no anything, just word of mouth. So we’ve sold about probably 500, so that’s not that bad, like just completely on iTunes and stuff. So… and then, it looks like we’re probably going to be signing with a label this summer, but I can’t tell who. But it’ll come out pretty soon. And it’s somebody that you’ll probably know of or whatever. So I’m excited about that. But that’s why we did that. We just put it out ourselves, and blah blah blah.
E: You can’t say any more about the other label?
L: No, not yet. Soon though! Really soon. But you’ll know a guy who’s doing it. He’s been a part of some other labels, so… yeah, I was told not to tell.
E: For everyone who didn’t get a chance to hear the new EP, what should they expect from it, compared to the old stuff?
L: The EP that we did, I think it’s a little bit more… like the first album, I wrote that record, and I didn’t think… like when The Kick and Squad Five-O and stuff, when we broke up, I don’t think we ever thought we’d be in a band again that would jump in a van and go on tour and stuff, so I just started writing songs that I never really thought about performing live or anything, like just writing kinda some slower, prettier songs—not necessarily prettier. But I was just doing something different because I never thought about playing it live. And our buddy that we go to church with, he played like piano and organ, we just started messing with some demos and stuff, and then all of a sudden Mono Vs Stereo was like “We want to put out your record,” and we’re like, “Oh, okay, great.” So it was just all a lot of like singer/songwriter kind of songs, and then we went on tour for like a year, and then when it was time to make a new record, we were like “We want to make it a little bit more kick ass, like just a little bit more rock and roll.” So, I mean, it’s the same thing, it’s just probably a little bit more angry. I joke around, I say the first album was miserably married, and the second album is miserably divorced. [All laugh]
E: You just put some cover songs on myspace. Two part question: why those songs, and what was it like recording that and putting it out for everyone?
L: I recorded them right on my Mac with Garage Band. Actually, my buddy Adam who played on the new Gasoline Heart record, he also plays in a band called Adam and Dave’s Bloodline, and he played with a band called Marah, he played with Squad Five-O as well… But um, he was in Orlando, and we were just sitting there, and he started playing “Glad Girls” by Guided by Voices, and then we just pressed record on it. And one night I was just like, “I should put this on myspace.” And then I put the Tom Petty song on there too, “Apartment Song,” just because I’m doing this solo tour… or not tour, but like I’m playing shows just me by myself. So that way people can, you know, if they see me just with a guitar, they can hear what I do without a big rock band behind me. And then I decided to make all the downloads free one night too. I think a lot of things happen, bad decisions, after a couple of drinks. So I’m like “Ah, I’m putting all of the songs on for free! Yeah, this song’s going up!” It’s kinda funny, our manager always gets pissed. “You put all your songs for free last night!” I’m like, “Yeah.” “Well no one’s gonna buy them!” And then he goes on there and takes them down. I’m like, “Who cares?” [All laughing throughout this story] It’s kinda funny.
E: So does that mean you’re playing cover songs on this tour right now?
L: Yeah, some. I don’t know many. A couple, I’ll play a couple. I’ll play that Tom Petty song, and then maybe a Neil Young song. But mostly mine and some new ones. I’ve actually been covering a song that I want to put on the next record. I think it’ll be awesome. “The Mighty Jungle.” You know that song? [Sings “In the jungle, the mighty jungle”] Yeah, so I’ve been playing that a lot. It goes over kind of well. Oh, there’s Adam right there. [Points at Adam walking from his car to the venue] Ooo, that’s a cool hat he’s wearing. E: Alright, you talked a lot about The Kick, Squad Five-O. How did being in those old bands and having that experience sort of.. Adam: [Steps up to Louis’s window, along with a friend] What’s up asshole? L: Heeey! A: What’s up? L: I’m an asshole? A: Yeah. L: Why? What did I do? The way that I parked? A: Just messing with you. What’s up? L: What’s going on? Just hanging out. You’re looking good with that straw hat! A: Thanks dude. How’s the tour? L: It’s awesome. The vehicle’s doing well. I was telling them, 1827.2 miles. A: Nice. L: You wanna say hello? A: Who’s that? L: Indie Music Vision something. A: Is this like a tour diary? L: It’s like an online magazine or something? E: Yeah L: Here you go, say hello. A: What’s up? This is Adam Garbinski. I’m a loose friend. [All laugh] L: He was just asking me about “Glad Girls” on the myspace [Laughs]. A: Oh yeah, [Laughs] that’s me too! L: Yeah yeah, that’s Adam singing on that too. A: We’re gonna get some food cause we’re starving, dude. L: Yeah, I’ll be in in a couple of minutes. Are you gonna eat there? [Points to the venue] A: Yeah L: Alright, cool. [Turns back to me] Sorry about that. E: It’s cool.
E: So yeah, The Kick, Squad Five-O, being in old bands, learning experiences, transitioning to now, how did that help you with Gasoline Heart?
L: I think we stopped, like, with those bands we always tried so hard to like, I don’t know, we were always on Ten or something like we… like now we just don’t really care as much, like we’re just all friends playing music, where before it was a little bit of an attitude or something. I… not that, not like a bad attitude or something. But nowadays it’s just like, “Eh, let’s play some songs.” And it’s a lot less stressful. It’s more like buddies just hanging out.
E: What role does faith play in Gasoline Heart?
L: Well, I think it plays a lot in just that I am a Christian. Even though sometimes I’m not… Not sometimes I’m not a Christian, but like sometimes I have major doubts or whatever, but it just affects my outlook on life or whatever. You know, like I never try and think I’m gonna write a song that expresses my faith. I always just think, “I’m gonna write some sort of song about the type of stuff that’s going on in my life.” And my faith is a part of my life, so that’s always going to be expressed somewhat. Which I always think is funny, because we don’t have a lot of fans from the Christian scene or whatever, if there even is a Christian scene anymore because it’s so crossed-over now. But so many people… I’ll get emails like, “I saw you guys, and you guys have bad attitudes,” and how like “You lost a fan.” And I’m like, “Huh?” I’m just so confused. Like, if you like the music, like the music. I mean, if you wanna hear a song that is like a faith-based song or something, then go to church or buy like a Delirious? CD or something. You know what I mean? It’s just kind of weird, that whole scene. I don’t even know if it even exists anymore. I mean, faith definitely plays a part of Gasoline Heart. That is where I lean. I lean towards the Christian faith, you know.
E: What else influences you as a musician and a lyricist?
L: Lyricist, I always say I’m really not that good of one, even though a lot of people like my lyrics. It’s just I don’t write like 500 songs a year or anything. It’s just whatever’s going on in my life. That’s the thing with that first record, I never thought anyone would hear those songs, and then all of a sudden they’re on a record. I’m like, “Oh…” You know, people asking “What’s that about? Is that about me?” And I’m like, “Yeah, kind of.” [All laugh] It’s like a little bit more like a journal, you know? So, it’s probably that I don’t write in a journal, I write songs. But just life, everyday life. I love music. I love rock and roll. And I always try and… most songs that I write I’m always hoping, if any of my fellow musicians and songwriters that I’m friends with or who I may not even know but who I really respect, if they heard this, would they like it? Would they get off on it or whatever, so… I just played a couple of shows with the guy from Hot Water Music, and that was awesome, because he loved it. I’m like, “Man, I remember buying Hot Water Music seven inches!” You know? And then I played a show with David Bazaan. He’s from Pedro the Lion. He’s one of my favorites. I’ve been going to his shows for like forever, and my old band Dear Ephesus played a couple shows with his band too. So just you know whenever they say anything nice is kinda cool. They’re probably just being polite, but who knows? But that’s the thinking. Actually, there’s not much thinking. It’s like, “Just don’t let this suck or be corny.”
E: Any record releases you’re looking forward to this year?
L: New albums? Umm… what albums? I got a record by this guy named Damien Sumie. It’s awesome. You can get him on iTunes. And then I got the Adam and Dave’s Bloodline record is really good. What else did I get? Let’s see… ooo, my iPod [Begins digging around the car looking for it]… the new Patty Griffin album is awesome. [Still digging, now under my seat] We’re looking for my iPod, I’m not looking to do something weird to you. [Laughs] Um, no, I can’t if I… it’s under your seat somewhere… I can’t think of any new records that are coming out that I’m looking forward to. I like that Spoon record was really cool. But there’s just so much music that’s been made, I feel like I’m always finding new artists that I’m getting into. I like that new Bruce Springsteen record, that’s pretty sweet. And then I’ve been listening to Simon & Garfunkel a lot, and then I got this Bob Dylan live album that I’m really liking. And I’m always listening to a lot of Pearl Jam. Neil Young… I like Neil Young’s new record is awesome. Living with War, that’s a great record. But yeah, nothing really… what about you? Any new records you like?
E: Ummm… L: Oh, you know what I like? Oh, I love The Strokes’ record, but that’s not all that new. First Impressions of Earth, that record rules. But, yup, that’s it for records I’ve been liking. My top five… yeah, I don’t even know.
E: Do you have a favorite band?
L: Mmhmm, Pearl Jam is probably my favorite band. Everyone kinda makes fun of me for that. My top five is probably Pearl Jam, The Who… I love The Clash, I love Patty Griffin, love Pedro the Lion, I love the Boss (Bruce Springsteen), Tom Petty. That’s my top five, even though I gave you seven. [All laugh]
E: Okay, that looks like everything. Anything else you want to say? L: Cool man. No, just we’re probably going to make another new record this summer. It’ll probably come out in the fall. I think it’s gonna be called Scram. We’ll see. I think it’s gonna be good. [Laughs] Murder by Death tour, it’s all West Coast. Come out to that. And then other than that, thanks a lot. I hope you like us. We love you. [All laugh] Alright, goodbye.
We went back inside and I sat with my glass of water watching Louis perform one of the most fun shows I’ve ever been to. He was super friendly and added hilarious stage banter to keep the mood going. He even did a cover of “Stairway to Eternity,” the song that Led Zeppelin ripped off when they wrote their hit. This one was earlier and really obscure, only appearing on a British three-inch. Or so the story goes, according to Louis.
I recently had the privilege of doing an interview with Chris, vocalist from The Famine. Enjoy the interview, and I hope you learn something new!
ChrisTheFamine: Long overdue. Here you go.
MattIVM: Let’s start off by stating your name(s) and role(s) in The Famine.
ChrisTheFamine: This is Chris McCaddon and I am the vocalist. Mark Garza is the drummer, Andrew Godwin is the guitarist, and Nick Nowell is the bassist.
MattIVM: So, what’s been happening with you guys between the collapse of Embodyment and the formation of The Famine? Were you guys involved in music at all, or did you have other jobs?
ChrisTheFamine: We all went our separate ways and decided to do other things. I moved around a bit with my wife, living on the Los Angeles and Seattle for a while, now we live in New York. While in Seattle I was in Demon Hunter for a few years. We all still have careers and jobs. Unless the band can support us and our families, I don’t see that changing.
MattIVM: Along with the release of your new album, inevitably, will come comparisons to Embodyment. While The Famine plays enterely different music, there naturally isn’t a way to avoid it. Is this something you’re dreading and will try to avoid, or do you welcome those comparisons?
ChrisTheFamine: I can’t really say I care either way. It’s going to happen regardless of us what we say.
MattIVM: Having previously been on Solidstate Records, what are the major differences between then and now? Are there many familiar faces and old friends around? Does the label still operate the way you remember it?
ChrisTheFamine: The major difference is now they have more money! They can give bands the budgets they wanted in beginning but couldn’t. The label is still run by people that love music, buy albums, and care about their artists. It’s a tight family.
MattIVM:What was it like working with Andreas Magnusson on “The Raven and The Reaping?” Was he easy to work with, and what would you say he added to the over all record? Did any members of the band have any experience with him prior to this record?
ChrisTheFamine: None of us had worked with Andreas before. When it came time to start looking for a studio and producer his name came up. He was one of the first ones we contacted and he immediately was excited about the record. What we loved about working with him is his attention to detail. He loses sleep at night, like the rest of the band, if the guitar tone isn’t blowing his hair back, or if he should see if this or that mic would be better. He was awesome.
MattIVM:As it says in your bio on the Solidstate website, your songs are have a more structured feel to them than anything you’ve done before. Is that something that came naturally, or did you have to work at it?
ChrisTheFamine: It definitely came naturally. I mean, we didn’t want an album full of riffs but wanted to write songs. In our early days of playing together we often got accused of having an album’s worth of riffs in one song, I think we just got bored easily.
MattIVM: The Raven and the Reaping. I’m sorry for the cliche interview question, but how did that title come about? Personally, even if it doesn’t have meaning, I like it alot. Also, even more specific, what is the meaning of the song “Stitched In Plastic?” I have a personal interest in that, but I couldn’t find lyrics or meanings when I searched for them.
ChrisTheFamine: The album title came after the album was recorded and mixed. We had no idea what to call it and a metal album certainly can’t be self-titled! After just going over the lyrics we came up with the title. It does represent the duality represented on the album, the raven being inherited sin, bad judgement, substance abuse, corruption and the reaping being the act of turning a new leaf and overcoming those things. Stitched In Plastic is basically about those who are elected and given power and forget those that put them in that position.
MattIVM:Would you say the record has an overall lyrical theme? If so, do you work to make it that way on purpose, or does it just happen. Is it easy for you to find inspiration for the lyrics to a song?
ChrisTheFamine: Not really. We all contributed to the lyrics so there wasn’t a single source but they all do somewhat tie in together. Personally I think finding inspiration to a song is extremely hard, its about the inspiration finding you. I can’t just sit down and say “this is what this song is going to be about.”
MattIVM:Well. We’re at the point where I ask you the question that every Solid State/Tooth & Nail band gets asked sooner or later. Is The Famine a “Christian band,” or Christians in a band? Do you purposely incorporate your faith into your songs, or is it something that comes naturally from a Christian mindset?
ChrisTheFamine: You can call us whatever you want. We are a metal band and wouldn’t label ourselves anything but and honestly don’t care what people label us. Our faith isn’t forced into our music, nor is it an obligation. It is embedded in the fabric and is who we are.
MattIVM:Why do you play music? Is there a specific feeling that you get when a certain thing happens that brings you to realize that music is what you’re supposed to be doing? Something involved in the music-making process that brings satisfaction which nothing else can bring?
ChrisTheFamine: I play music simply because I enjoy doing it. I can say that’s true for all of us, especially metal. It’s such a raw, emotionally charged form of music. Fans go to shows to air their frustration, to leave their job behind for that moment — there is nothing else like it.
MattIVM:Are there any venues that you remember specifically from the Embodyment days that you are excited to be able to play at during the Storm The Gates of Hell Tour? If so, which ones? Are there any you haven’t played that you’re particularly excited for?
ChrisTheFamine: I’ll be honest, I don’t think we played any of these venues!
MattIVM:What do you guys do when you’re not playing music? Video games? Football? Any hobbies or pastimes that you spend a lot of time on?
ChrisTheFamine: Mostly working and spending time with our families. I do enjoy videos games and maybe spend a bit too much time playing them.
MattIVM:What, within the musical realm, are you most stoked for for 2008, be it a certain tour, or album or what not?
ChrisTheFamine: Mastodon’s new album.
MattIVM:What is your favorite album of 2008 thus far?
ChrisTheFamine: That’s tough. I’m really enjoying the new Trenches stuff which I’m not supposed to have, Hate Eternal “Fury and Flames”, Origin “Antithesis”, Radiohead “In Rainbows”, The Mars Volta “The Bedlam in Goliath”, Nine Inch Nails “Ghosts I-IV”, they’re all up there.
MattIVM:Does The Famine need prayer in any particular areas from the readers/writers of IVM and I?
ChrisTheFamine: You can pray for our safety, the safety of every band on the road, and the loved ones left behind.
MattIVM:Last words/final comments?
ChrisTheFamine: Sorry it has taken me so long to reply to your questions!
There ya go folks. I hope you liked it, and don’t forget, The Famine’s album The Raven And The Reaping releases on May 27th.
According to voices all over the internet the past few days, it appears as though The Showdown have signed with Solid State Records. Don’t get mad at me if it turns out to be just a nasty rumor. All I can hope for is more progression that started with “Temptation Come My Way”.
The Almost have announced some more dates on their upcoming tour. This will be your last chance to see The Almost for a long time because Aaron will be going out with Underoath soon. Read the blog here.
I thought this news post was relevant since alot of people who visited Musicrefuge.com probably came here especially the site’s owner Jon. Anyway, I contacted the owner of the domain and got a response that Musicrefuge.com is for sale and the price…..$14,500!! So if anyone has some spare change to put towards a very active domain, this is your chance! I doubt any of you have that kind of money, ha. Even if I did, it wouldn’t go to a domain name. It makes me wonder how much IndieVisionMusic.com is worth, hmmm….just kidding, I wouldn’t sell out. No way! Then what else would I have to do when I’m bored
I don’t know if you guys are familiar with the band Narnia, but its frontman and one of its founding members left after 12 years spent with the band. The rest of the band says that the decision behind the split was a mutual agreement between them and Christian.
The folks at Purple Door Festival in Lewisberry, PA have added Denison Witmer, Edison Glass, Sherwood, and Emery to the lineup. If you want to stay updated add their Myspace.
Sever Your Ties have posted a brand new song titled “Captive” to their myspace page. Prepare for something radical. The song is now available to purchase on Itunes if you like what you hear. “Safety in the Sea” hits stores nationwide on July 8th through Solid State Records.
The Famine added a new song called “Scar The Earth” to Myspace. The upcoming album is called The Raven and the Reaping and will be available on Solid State Records on May 27th.
ActionReaction has apparently morphed into the new group Old Wives. You can check out a new demo track called Rip Van Winkle at their myspace page. In light of this, you can also download 3 older ActionReaction tracks on their myspace site here.
Today is the day of 2 for 1 releases in case you didn’t know or at least that’s what Sparrow Records and Forefront Records have decided. There are Sparrow Records 2 for 1 releases from Avalon, David Crowder Band, Bethany Dillon, Steven Curtis Chapman, Amy Grant, Nicole Nordemon, Jump5, Shaun McDonald, Passion, Phillips Craig & Dean, Newsboys, Matt Redman, Sanctus Real and Zoegirl. Then there are the 2 for 1 deals on Forefront Records including Audio Adrenaline, Tobymac, Rebecca St. James and DC Talk. Aside from that, these are the albums that came out today:
Today my girlfriend and I celebrated our two and a half year dating anniversary. What she didn’t know was that we would also be getting engaged today. It looks like the wedding will be summer 2009.
Check out Soul Embraced’s new e-card for their upcoming album Dead Alive which is available in stores and online tomorrow! Head on over for the latest news, tour dates, music, extras and more.
Showbread have posted the brand new track “The Journey” to their myspace page. So what do you think? “Anorexia Nervosa” hits stores on May 13th through Tooth and Nail Records.
I Am Terrified (Formerly known as Fixed Til Tuesday) have signed with Mono Vs. Stereo. It hasn’t been announced yet but trust me, I know. Mono Vs. Stereo is also still a part of Gotee Records. So it looks as though we’ll see more Mono Vs. Stereo releases this year, maybe. If you want a newer I Am Terrified song, just buy Hearts Bleed Passion Vol. 2 in our store for $1.00 and you’ll get it. Remember, the band’s name is Fixed Til Tuesday on our compilation.
