Today, I’m pleased to share the new music video premiere of “Sleeves” by NOLA pop-punk band Neutral Snap. The song comes from the band’s new album, out this Friday, called Tell Me How I Feel. The band shared this quote about the great-sounding single, “The “Sleeves” music video follows a guy who is totally fed up with the world and everyone around him. We based this idea off of our own feelings of how we went stir crazy during lock down. “Sleeves” is about becoming self-aware with the fact that you are not going to please everyone. People suck, the world is on fire (literally), but this song is super fun and it highlights the fact that we are human and we make mistakes, but that doesn’t make us any better or worse than anyone else.” With so much going on in the world, Neutral Snap may have just delivered the song to help us cope with everything.
Read More “Neutral Snap – “Sleeves” (Video Premiere)”Liner Notes (October 16th, 2021)
This week’s newsletter looks at the new music I checked out this week (Kacy Hill, Coldplay, Knocked Loose, This Wild Life, Blackstarkids), as well as some old favorites I returned to or decided to give another shot (ManDancing, Turnover, Bad Luck., Citizen). And then there are some quick hits on a few first impressions (Snail Mail, Jim Lindberg, American Teeth) and a reevaluation of Taking Back Sunday after all these years. We’re jam-packed this week, and I still find some time to touch on some other media as well. As always, there’s a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed this week, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.
Read More “Liner Notes (October 16th, 2021)”Interview: Michael Kamerman of Smallpools
Recently I was able to connect with Michael Kamerman of the pop rock band Smallpools before he and his bandmates embarked on a comprehensive U.S. headlining tour. In this interview, I asked Michael about the songwriting process evolution with his band, the material found in Smallpools sophomore record Life in a Simulation, as well as what’s he’s most looking forward to with getting back on the road. Life in a Simulation will be released this Friday on all of your favorite streaming services.
Read More “Michael Kamerman of Smallpools”Hey, Hi, How’s Your Weekend Going?
I try not to be too heavy-handed when it comes to pitching our upgrade membership program. I try and keep the big sell to once a year, and as we walk into October, it’s that time again.
As I wrote about last year, things are bizarre in the online space. Ad revenue has still not recovered to pre-pandemic levels. The place for a small independent, primarily text-based music website and community is extremely not in the mainstream of where the internet is these days. But, tens of thousands of people still come and read our homepage daily, and thousands of people hang out and talk in our forums as well. And, like so many of you, I still have a passion for music that bursts from my seams.
So, if you’d like to see us continue to do what we do, please consider becoming a supporting member of the website. Doing so gives you awesome perks like a dark theme for the website and removes all of the advertisements. I built the website to be extremely fast to load, and without ads, it’s almost unbelievable how speedy it feels. I know many of you use an ad-blocker, and I could be far more hostile to those that have them installed to incentivize either uninstalling them or becoming a member, but I don’t. But if you do use an ad-blocker, please consider just signing up for our smallest package. For pennies a day, you can get a better experience on the website and can be absolved of any ad-blocking guilt because without the ads and the supporting members, we simply could not exist.
There are three packages, all of them have the same perks, and you can choose what tier fits with you. The truth is, I’m bad at selling myself but built the kind of system I wish more online businesses had. I think we have a great core product, and we have an easy way to remove all ads and help keep us online. That’s really the entire pitch.
As always, thank you for reading. In a world dominated by YouTube or hot-take chasing SubStack personalities, it’s often hard to know where we fit into the landscape. But every week, I see how many people still check out our little corner of the internet. And every week, someone tells me they’ve discovered a new band they love because we wrote about them. And every week, I laugh at a joke posted somewhere in our community. So, I remain happy we’re still online, and if you feel the same, please consider becoming a member.
Thank you.
Liner Notes (October 9th, 2021)
This week’s newsletter looks at some new music out this week (Noah, Poorstacy, Oh Wonder) and dives into some other music I checked out this week (Five Iron Frenzy, Allday, Wiki) while also looking at everything else I listened to, watched, read, and played throughout the week. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I loved, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.
Read More “Liner Notes (October 9th, 2021)”Interview: Isa Holliday of Slow Crush
Today I’m happy to share the interview I conducted with the lead vocalist of a band called Slow Crush, and Isa Holliday and I’s conversation on the band’s new album Hush, that will officially hit the streets on October 22nd. In this interview, I asked her about the contrast between the two singles the band has released including “Swoon,” the differences in their approach to performing as an opener versus a headlining stint, Slow Crush’s songwriting process, and what her and bandmates look to for inspiration in their music. The band plans to headline the United States next spring in April and May.
Read More “Isa Holliday of Slow Crush”Liner Notes (October 2nd, 2021)
This week’s newsletter looks at my iPad home screen, widgets, and my new favorite Safari extension. Then I looked at new music out this week (Hovvdy, Shad, Public Service Broadcasting) and some of the music I was listening to throughout the week (Cub Sport, Benne, Angel Du$t, and much more). And then some thoughts on entertainment I consumed and a tease about my first ever Raspberry Pi project. As always, there’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.
Read More “Liner Notes (October 2nd, 2021)”4 Minutes Later – “Holding on to Nothing” (Video Premiere)
Releasing today is a great new music video from a band called 4 Minutes Later, who are from Ontario, Canada, for a song called “Holding On To Nothing.” This song gives off major Simple Creatures vibes, with a bit of pop-punk twist that the band calls “Alien Pop.” About the new single, the band shared:
To us, this is an end of summer type song. The seasons are changing and so are you. Instrumentally we were heavily inspired by the 80’s pop sounds that have been making a comeback and overall, the song gives off this ‘Late Summer, Sunset Cruise’ vibe. So roll down the windows and sing it!
If you enjoy this song as much as I do, I hope you will consider purchasing it at your favorite streaming service.
Read More “4 Minutes Later – “Holding on to Nothing” (Video Premiere)”Interview: Oxymorrons at Riot Fest
I talked with Oxymorrons at Riot Fest. The boys play Punk Rock Charades (acting out the titles of songs by bands playing Riot Fest). They also talk about their up-coming EP Mohawks & Durags out September 24th. The band is unabashedly as proud of the genre-bending as they are about advocating for mental health issues.
Read More “Oxymorrons at Riot Fest”Liner Notes (September 25th, 2021)
This week’s newsletter has some thoughts on the new version of iOS and what I like (and don’t like) about it so far. There are also thoughts on music out this week (Poppy, One Step Closer, Third Eye Blind) and commentary on other bands I enjoyed this week (Joystick, Catbite, Heathcliff), as well as my usual running views on media. Plus, a playlist of ten songs worth your time and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.
Read More “Liner Notes (September 25th, 2021)”Broadcaster – “Vacation Days” (Song Premiere)
Today, I’d like to re-introduce you to Broadcaster. On their latest single for “Vacation Days,” they bring out all the great end of summer vibes into a crisp package of 90’s Alt Rock in the style of Third Eye Blind, Gin Blossoms, all with a bit of a modern spin similar to Seaway’s Big Vibe record. Broadcaster are from New York, and plan to release a record called Joyride +3, available for pre-order via Jump Start Records. Your next radio-ready gem is ready for your playlists.
Read More “Broadcaster – “Vacation Days” (Song Premiere)”Liner Notes (September 18th, 2021)
This week’s newsletter has first impressions of the new Noah Gundersen album, a review of the iOS music app Marvis, and thoughts on other albums out this week (NVM, Spiritbox, YMAEWK). There’s also the usual commentary on other media I consumed over the past week, a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.
Read More “Liner Notes (September 18th, 2021)”Interview: Ben Liebsch of You, Me, and Everyone We Know
Recently I was able to connect with Ben Liebsch of You, Me and Everyone We Know for an interview discussing his band’s great new album called Something Heavy. The album hits the streets this Friday, and Ben and I discussed his unique writing process for this record, the choice to bring in outside collaborators, as well as his advice for others struggling with their mental health during this ultra-tough period of time.
Read More “Ben Liebsch of You, Me, and Everyone We Know”Liner Notes (September 11th, 2021)
This week’s newsletter has broad impressions of the new album from Thrice, first impressions of the new Angels and Airwaves record, random other thoughts about the music I listened to this week, and musings about organizing my music collection (both physical and digital). There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed this week, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.
If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.
Read More “Liner Notes (September 11th, 2021)”Interview: Hannah Joy of Middle Kids
This past week, I was able to connect on Zoom with lead vocalist and guitarist of Middle Kids, Hannah Joy, before her band got set to leave for a comprehensive headlining tour of the United States. In this interview, we talked a lot about each of the songs from Today We’re The Greatest, the songs that she felt will most connect with fans on this tour, and the cool story behind playing with right-handed guitars even though she is left-handed. Middle Kids will be starting their headlining tour this month.
Read More “Hannah Joy of Middle Kids”