Terraform: Video Blog
5/11/12







Album Review: "As Long As We Think We're Funny" - Noise Brigade

4/18/12

A full-length album from any local band is something to be celebrated. But a home recorded full-length album from a raucous bunch of teenagers? Noise Brigade is exceeding everyone’s expectations, to be sure.

Many people will cringe at the phrase “home-recorded,” but don’t mute your speakers just yet. This album is good.

“As Long As We Think We’re Funny” by local pop-punksters Noise Brigade still has a tentative release date, but using my womanly wiles, I snuck into an advance listening party last night. (Ok, the dudes and I have been friends for years, but I can pretend to be an investigative journalist, right?) I can’t say I was anything but astonished.

Two years ago I was watching this group of hooligans play covers of Reel Big Fish in a youth group basement for maybe 30 kids. Now, they’ve graduated from pop punk and are pushing the limits on melodic hardcore, are truly exploring other genres, and setting a new standard for underage non-metal bands. The eleven tracks on “As Long As We Think We’re Funny” are probably the most diverse tracks to come out of one band in this scene. They travel from traditional pop-punk to hardcore and back to chill “jam-session” music over the course of 43 minutes, and yet all of the songs hold their own and leave the taste of sunshine, waffle cones and 52 ounces of soda lingering in your ears.

Despite the fact that Noise Brigade headed into 2012 with a hiatus forcing them to drop out of the 2nd Annual A&R showcase, the loss of long-time friend and bassist, Justin Schwartz, and enough drama to fill a Big Gulp from Chevron, the summer-esque band has reached over a thousand hits on their Facebook page, and are quite proud of each and every of those personally-attained likes. Tomorrow (April 19th) marks their first show off hiatus, and the band could not be more positive. The future holds much for these valley kids, as they continue to expand their reach outside of our great Northern box of a state.  The band has already developed a sort of cult following – possibly because they taste like summer and go over well with those angsty teenagers out in Eagle River. But no fear, Noise Brigade fangirls! The boys are working on releasing a special edition of “As Long As We Think We’re Funny” on vinyl with new recordings of their original 5 song EP, a new song that was cut from the album, and several acoustic recordings. (You can check out one of them HERE.)

As for the casual listener, you can score a regular old compact disc for the low, low price of $5 – when it’s released, that is. I suggest checking out the tracks “I, Time Bomb,” and  “This is Consensual, Right?” particularly if you don’t consider yourself the typical pop-punk fan. You can also check out Noise Brigade on the upcoming compilation “Cold And Loud.” But most importantly, familiarize yourself with these kids’ music and their faces, because they showcase as much potential as they do enthusiasm, and have a good chance to join the ranks of Portugal. The Man, 36 Crazyfists, The Scurvies, and The Lost Marauders and become another Alaskan band that “made it” – out of isolation, at the very least. 

Homegrown Artist of the Month: Kallahan
 3/21/12 

    Each month KZND focuses on a local band or solo artist that has been doing good things for themselves and the scene and are ready to advance to the next level. Kallahan, our homegrown artist of the month for March, has been doing that for years.  Formed from band veterans born and raised in Alaska, Kallahan has given audiences stellar performances since their formation in 2007. Recently, they’ve worked with Page Hamilton of Helmet and produced an EP due for release on April 6^th.
   On their website, Kallahan lists their genre as “METAL” (note the capslock). In an interview, drummer Michael Stewart said, “Kallahan is a progressive metal sound focusing on temp and time signature patterning.” Not to put labels on anything, but that sounds to me like math-metal or djent – which is totally awesome.
   Kallahan pulls from many original metal influences, including Lamb of God, Slayer, Sepultura, Black Sabbath, and more.
   Many will remember the K-Helmet show last spring, where Kallahan integrated Hamilton into their lineup and played Helmet music onstage. The band clearly made a connection – as Hamilton co-produced their EP Fault Lines. Of the experience, Stewart says, “[It was] a blast. He added some things to the songs we recorded, shaved some things off. Gave us a good trajectory in a small amount of time.” As someone who has played onstage with their idol, I can appreciate Kallahan’s experience with Hamilton.
    The quartet continues to expand their reach and influence in the Alaskan music scene and will be releasing their EP, Fault Lines, April 6^th at Chilkoot Charlie’s. You can get more information on Kallahan at facebook.com/kallahanalaska.


 

Interrogation:
Surreal Studios / Kurt Reimann
3/14/12

Kurt Riemann from Surreal Studios in Anchorage talks about Surreal, himself and the Cold and Loud Alaskan Anthology of Rock that he's producing.  Interrogation by Baby KZND, Responses penned by Kurt Reimann

When did you decide to make the recording process your career?
I've been making some kind of recording-based music since fifth grade when I first got my hands on a tape recorder. I would flip the tape backwards, run stuff at half speed and munge up the sound every way I could. Eventually I got into synthesizers and needed to be able to record them, which led to machines, which led to recording other people. It's been pretty much my only job for the past few decades. I love making music. Being present when other people make it is wicked fun, especially if I can have a positive influence on their experience and performance.

What inspired you to produce the compilation CD? 
I've done compilations in the past so this isn't really a new thing for me to do. However the music scene in Anchorage is going through a cycle of creativity and a blossoming of bands that may never have a very good milestone of where they are in the scene up here. It's been years since a radio station sponsored a song contest and I thought, "If they want to be heard, why bother having a contest, and why wait?" I own the studio and I'm in a position at this moment to sponsor the entire recording. There are a number of bands up here who have done pretty notable home recordings and some bands who have spent achingly long hours in their bedrooms trying to make something sound professional. A lot of people who are lo-fi DIY types are that way simply because they can't produce anything without that off-kilter sound. They are defining themselves by their sound - which is accidental. That's not a judgment about their music, that's a statement about how hard it is to produce yourself. 
I understand. There is no reason to expect someone who is good at playing, writing and singing to be excellent at recording and producing, too. They are different skills and producing a great album is not always a sure thing because it's HARD. There is a trajectory to a recording session in a studio with an engineer / producer that simply doesn't exist when you're producing yourself. Producing yourself is too safe. You can get away with being half the musician you would be if you were only being the musician at the session. If you just want to skydive, you shouldn't have to buy and fly the plane, too. If we're expecting musicians to be great at everything, we'll never hear some great songs that come from those only dedicated to that craft alone.
So as a result, there are a lot of almost-good recordings, which is sad in a way because it gets in the way of the music. It's like all the songs are going through a Hipstamatic process and you never get to see the real colors of the ocean or sky. 
My production style these years is geared more toward getting the groove down, getting the song into the box without anyone worrying about bullshit minutae like which mike to pick or how to hook up the delay. Getting great sounds is one of my jobs and I've gotten really good at it. I've spent a huge amount on outfitting this place with real gear and knowing where to point the firepower. But beyond that, once things are sounding good, what's next? Once you're ready to do "it" how good can you play "it"? Because it's really all about the music and how the musician plays, which is almost a new concept to bands that have spent forever trying to record themselves. 
So what you get in this situation is that every band that comes in for Cold and Loud isn't worried about the clock, the sound, or anything that doesn't have to do with their song. It puts them all on equal footing. Which is exciting to young bands and a little nervous-making to bands that are used to fixing less-than-stellar performances on ProTools. EVERYONE is on equal footing. 
So this is a very performance-oriented project. And that's not to say that I won't be using every piece of artillery to make everyone shine. I'll do whatever is necessary to make every band sound as good as their heroes. I think that the bands will be very excited to see how this all comes together. Most of them have never been a place like Surreal Studios. The fact that it is an environment that has been dedicated completely to making great music for decades can be liberating when you are ready to go for it. If you're not willing to cut loose completely in here, what exactly are you waiting for?

So this is all free?
Let's put it this way. The music business as it has existed for the past fifty years is falling apart but independent music is thriving in a new world of online availability. What separates the professionals from hobbyists is how they respect what they are trying to accomplish. Are they giving it away? Great recordings exist and fans are eager to hear them. There may be a window of only a few days to sell a new song, but it's worth it even if it only shows that you respect your own work and believe that you deserve to sell you own music. The recordings we're doing on Cold and Loud won't be available as free songs anywhere. I'm sure that they will end up getting ripped, probably within minutes of its release, but we're counting on fans to realize that this Anthology is important to everyone who made it. There's no tour, merch or shows. It exists as what it is. It's a milepost in the road of Alaskan Independent Music. If people want to steal it, then they're going to steal it. We'd rather they didn't, simply because we need to pay for the next one. We're all sharing the meager profit it makes and it's going to be totally worth buying the download. We'll be doing something special with the CD release, so it will be worth it to pick one up when it comes out.
We're also doing a Kickstarter page for a funding push to physically get the CDs out the door.
So yeah. There you have it. That's what's going to be happening in my life for the next few months. It should be interesting.
Thanks for letting me be In The Corner.
You can find updates about what's happening at Surreal Studios on Facebook at Surreal Studios Recording.

 

The Young Guns’ manager, Michael Howard, said it best. “The Young Guns are like really great sex.” Despite the fact that it may sound a little crass coming from my barely legal mouth, I’d  have to agree. The quintet is extremely cohesive, catchy, and just the perfect amount of weird – you can translate those qualities into ‘great sex’ yourself; that metaphor ends here. Sexual innuendo aside, The Young Guns are an extremely talented five-piece indie-pop-rock band that formed late in 2011, and have since been pushing the limit on the barriers of local talent.
            Despite their genre tags, vocalist Jenni May Toro says, “We all have a deep love of pop.“ Guitarist John Cripps continues, “But this is as about as pop as we’ll ever allow ourselves to get away with.” That remark came after a particularly catchy jam the band performed for me in their manager’s basement on Tuesday night.
            “We practice every Tuesday and Saturday, rain or shine, unless one of us has a special event,” said Jenni. “We practice about eight hours a week.”  The band’s dedication shines through in both the way they market themselves and their sound. As I mentioned before, their cohesiveness is very tangible, and drew my attention immediately upon crashing their band practice. All of the members have been playing music individually and with various projects for years, but The Young Guns have only been performing since October.  “John and I played in The Audio before this…They [Dustin and Ivan] played with Wolf Electric, and we just stole Matt from a dumpster somewhere. No, he’s been in bands, just not Alaskan bands. He’s like a little treasure,” quipped Toro.
            In addition to their own personal experiences, the band explained why The Young Guns click so well. “I feel like we’re everything that I’ve lacked in past projects. I feel like every band I’ve ever been in, there’s been a lot of things I don’t really like about the music itself, like maybe the singer’s a little flat consistently or something. This is the closest to what I want to do that I’ve ever done,” said guitarist Matt Eley. “I think that says something to all of us, without being arrogant, to how far we’ve come to be in a band that’s everything we want to hear, every time we play.”
              Each member is extremely talented, and no instrumental voice is lost amongst the band’s tight sound. The lineup consists of Jenni May Toro on vocals, Matt Eley and John Cripps both on guitar and keyboard, Dustin Murr on drums, and Ivan Molesky on bass. Every instrument holds it own and adds its own intricate dimension to their music.
            Attending The Young Guns’ practice earlier this week reminded me of the reason why I love writing these columns. I feel an intense and burning passion towards performing music, and these articles give me an outlet and an excuse to connect and interact with musicians that share my passion. However, it’s rare that a band can relate to how badly I want my life to revolve around music, and simultaneously blow me away with their original compositions.
A popular quote from Ira Glass comes to mind. “For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you.”
 I have no doubt that I’m in this stage. There’s always something missing from my music, and it kills me. I always would think that there was some magical potion that national bands took to make them phenomenal performers – but this paradigm was shattered this week when I witnessed The Young Guns perform with the same passion and musical integrity as a band headlining nationally. Suddenly, I realized, that there isn’t a secret. Embrace your passion, work through your less-than-stellar endeavors, and bust your ass to sell your talent.
In short, if you’re a musician, go see The Young Guns. If you’re not a musician, go see The Young Guns. If you’re under 21, wait until their first all-ages show, and go see The Young Guns. I can’t guarantee you’ll have a musical epiphany like I did, but you won’t be disappointed.

 

Turquoise Boy: An Equation For Success
1/23/12

Turquoise Boy is one of Anchorage’s only suppliers of upbeat dance-rock for fans of Foster the People, Portugal. The Man and AWOLNATION.  The quartet made a splash into the Anchorage music scene with their performance at the homecoming show for Portugal. The Man, Jingle Ball 2011, early last month.  While they were virtually unknown by casual concert-goers and promoters alike, the group quickly earned respect among both their fans and peers by providing the guests of Jingle Ball with a stellar opening performance.  The band’s Facebook page quickly filled up with compliments from people who had never heard of the group before their opening debut, and their page jumped in well deserved “likes” overnight.
 
Not only does Turquoise Boy give a phenomenal live performance, the quality of their recordings is incredible as well. Quite frankly, the first time their song “Burn Down” played on my nightly shift at KZND, I was shocked to hear that this band was local. They are an extremely talented group of musicians, and offer a taste of pop music that Anchorage is fairly devoid of.  They have a commercial appeal that attracts fans of all ages, while still edgy enough to satisfy even the pickiest hipster.  It’s rather impressive that the band achieved so much success in such a short period of time, and I was curious to know what the inner workings of the band were like.
 
According to bassist Marc Bourdain, the band is composed of hardworking dudes, all with a background in music. Marc himself works with the Monolith Agency, guitarist / vocalist Derek Mangrobang operates nearly an entire recording studio out of his kitchen, and guitarist Winston Montecillo and drummer Kelsey McGee have been involved with music nearly their entire lives. The band recorded their entire EP themselves, and has clearly put in the time making their sound unique and catchy.
 
It’s fairly clear that they quench a thirst for dance-rock that Anchorage has been lacking for quite some time. “We want to make people dance,” says Marc.  “We love hooks, and the bass is meant to be felt and not thought about. We just want people to have fun, and that’s 90% of the inspiration.” The other 10% of their inspiration can be summed up by the fact that, frankly, chicks dig dudes with guitars.
 
It’s extremely apparent to me that Turquoise Boy is going to go far, at least in the Alaskan music scene, if not further on in the fiery trenches of commercial music. “At this point our plan is to stay self-produced,” says Marc. Clearly they have a grasp on what it takes to be successful in this business. “Much of our success comes from just working hard and being respectful, and try[ing] to be on time. Bands are a business at the end of the day, a really complicated, ego, booze-filled business. You have to be good with your money, protect your assets, take risks, and be respectful of those in the business.” Keep your eyes and ears locked on Turquoise Boy in 2012, and to those of you performing music yourselves - pay attention to their tactics, because they’re certainly doing it right.

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12.12.11
The Pros and Cons

The Pros and Cons are quite possibly Anchorage’s best-kept musical secret. A quartet of extremely musically talented men in their 20’s, the group has been playing together in different reincarnations since 2007, but still have yet to make a splash in the Anchorage music scene with their current formation. To be frank, I was blown away when front man Joe Johnson (rhythm guitar / vocals) invited me to sit in on one of their practices. I had heard of them only in passing, brought up on the bill of small bar shows and restaurant background music, and was expecting a decent sound, but nothing groundbreaking – after all, it’s pretty common for a band’s cohesion to need work in the early stages of performing. I introduced myself, gathered a smidgeon of background information, and sat down as they jumped into a short set of their original music.

Two aspects of their music struck me immediately: 1; that they were incredibly cohesive, regardless of the fact that they’re generally unknown in this town; and 2; that each member was incredibly musically talented.  They performed their songs with ease, and were extremely comfortable with both their instruments and presence.  Their music is a flavored with intricate guitar melodies, haunting vocal harmonies, and a generally groovy undertone that (as cliché as it sounds) inspires any listener, young or old, to get up and dance. They describe their music as dance-rock, and can best be described as the lovechild of Incubus and the Ben Folds Five. Joe Johnson and Jason Searle split both the vocal and guitar parts, with Johnson taking a heavier load vocally and Searle contributing more intricate guitar melodies.

Bassist Aaron Schlosberg and drummer Adam Waldron not only provide a solid rhythm backing, but also contribute their own melodies and flavor to the Pros and Cons overall sound. With any artist, it’s pretty rare to be able to pick out any instrument, follow it throughout the course of an entire song, and still be musically satisfied, but each member of The Pros and Cons is so musically talented that they combine each of their own elements seamlessly, creating a wonderfully pleasing product.

 

When the band paused for a water break, I immediately jumped on the question that had been on my mind since I walked into their practice space – where the heck did these guys come from? They revealed that rather than jumping into playing shows immediately after forming, they took this past summer and recorded a full-length album out of a home studio. The album is still in post-production, but will be released in early 2012. It was an interesting route to take, but it definitely gave the band an upper hand during their live concerts. All members are performance veterans, so recording each song immediately after forming and solidifying each part’s musical integrity allows them to play amazing music and perform comfortably onstage simultaneously. 

 

The Pros and Cons don’t have too many big concerts on their plate for the next few months, with the exception of an opening slot for the Turquoise Boy CD Release Party in January. However, keep a close eye on this quartet. Their musical product is of a unique flavor, and will please any audience, and hopefully, you’ll see them take this town by storm in 2012.
 

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12.05.11
READY AIM TIMBER

I’m currently sitting on the floor of a hotel room off of 3rd Avenue with 11 dudes, watching “Teen Wolf” trying to find a way to write a serious article about this posse of men who call themselves “uncaged manimals” on a regular basis. Only 3 of the guys in this group of hooligans surrounding me are musicians in the metal band, “Ready Aim Timber,” but the others are regular faces in the posse of scene-sters that make up Boy’s Club, the group of friends associated with RAT. It dawns on me that the true story of Ready Aim Timber is not in the nuances of their passionate southern metal-core music, but within the lifestyle the band and their friends have manifested in Rage City – a lifestyle of hilarity and pure insanity that filters through flawlessly into their live performances.

Ready Aim Timber’s performances are some of the best in the Anchorage underage music scene. The band has an impressive repertoire, including opening slots for Between The Buried and Me, Eyes Set to Kill, 36 Crazyfists and the band’s personal triumph, opening for Every Time I Die with Wichita Shadows at Club Millennium last year.

Ready Aim Timber shows are fast paced, passionate, and tend to carry a healthy serving of shock factor.  Fans bask in the ability to stage dive continuously throughout the show, and vocalist, Matt Young, demands that the crowd not only pay attention to their set, but that they take part. The first time I saw RAT, Matt literally leapt off the stage to shove his face into the kids lined up against the back wall, screaming, “If you’re not going to get in the pit, I’m going to bring it to you!’ I’ve seen him hang from rafters by his knees. I’ve seen countless death stares from sound guys concerned about the weight of a 6-foot-4 bassist on top of their half-stacks. I’ve heard record executives talk about Mac, saying “finally, a drummer that actually hits his drums.” Brandon Parry, though considerably more socially reserved than the other members, flips a switch onstage and “throws down” as hard as the most rowdy guitarists while still showcasing his abilities. Their concerts are much like the house parties that tend to immediately follow because they give Anchorage kids a facet to forget about their lives and completely lose control for a few hours.

Ready Aim Timber formed in early 2009, originally with a different vocalist. When he moved to Juneau in 2010, the band was primed for the entry of an experienced, passionate vocalist who was just as insane as the Talkeetna/Trapper Creek boys, Mac, Brandon, and Jens. Young was introduced to the trio through their brother band, To The Depths, and clicked instantly. Unfortunately, after a year and a half of intense, passionate concerts, the band is in the early stages of a year-long hiatus while Young fulfills his duties with the U.S. Military.  Despite the fact that he is not an original member of Ready Aim Timber, he is dedicated enough to the band that the other members have put the groups advancement on hold until they can continue as the close-knit group of hooligans that they have become. 

Ready Aim Timber is by no means done melting faces in Rage City. Expect much from these boys over this next year – and even more when they reunite as a passionate quartet in 2013.