Lake Effect

photo by Blair Spear

So it's been a couple weeks, but things have been crazy since the last time I had a piece together for you guys. I hope y'all got to check out Berserker Fest, I heard it was a killer time. Meanwhile, when I was at Pizza Show at the stick- I saw some ridiculous live music that could have easily rivaled the lineups in ferndale, and I got to see punk bands at the Magic Stick(RIP) one last time before the "EDM scene"(blech) got it's chance to puke all over it. One band in particular caught my eye: Lake Effect.

These dudes hail from Port Huron, MI, and they fucking killed it live. Super raw, emotionally charged melodic hardcore homegrown in our own little angsty mitten. I love it. I bought a shirt and got to meet the dudes, as they were stationed right next to the vile merch at the show. Honestly the nicest, down to earth guys ever. Their most recent EP is titled "History" and you can snag it from bandcamp. They are presently writing a new batch of tracks to be released as well(as per their facebook page), so keep your eyes peeled- I'll probably be pulling a write-up on that bitch ASAP once it's done!  MI kids- these dudes play out a bit, so make sure you catch them. They fucking bring it live! Make sure you say hi to them, and tell them Toph sent ya ;)

Here's a little snippet of their EP in youtube format-

Fucking dope, right?!? I think that jam might be my favorite on the whole set, so it's no surprise they've used it as the teaser. I just love how heavy and pretty the music gets behind the super raw split vocals. And it's sooooo tight, man- tight like your mom. I think you're adopted. There's no way a baby came outta there!

Once again- Get that shit from bandcamp(name your own price, beyotchhhhh!).  

I'm out.  Take it sleazy.

 Love you guys!

XOXO - TOPH

GO BERSERK! AGAIN!

So, obviously you're gonna see me Tophin' around at Cthulhu's Pizza Party this friday with Aren and the crew. However, if you're in the service industry or you've got tickets to the wings game or something- your weekend in the way of live music is not yet lost! If you have the wrong circle of friends or live under a rock(or outside of SE MI)you've probably heard of BERSERKER FEST II. It's a series a of 3 multi-venue shows that apparently will occur annually(at least I hope so, amirite?) in the woodward/9 mile vincinity. So you see- you have 3 nights to choose from, and every night is gonna rule SO HARD. Apparatus booking does a killer job.

The event is this Thursday, Friday and Saturday(March 13th-15th), and is taking place at both The Loving Touch and The Woodward Avenue Brewery(or WAB, for shorties!). You can pick up tickets at Found Sound, UHF, Stormy Records OR on the interwebz. 20 bux gets you in one day, 40 covers the whole 3 day she-bang. You get to see local heavy hitters like Child Bite and Tharsis They alongside incredible national acts like Poison Idea and FUCKING COLISEUM!!! Holy fucking shit, right!?! Everyone cool will be there(I can't be for sad reasons, but go and pour one out for your friendly neighborhood Toph!).

Also, tonight(wed, March 12th)there is a FREE kick-off party at the Loving Touch! Friggin Bars of Gold and Hollow Earth?!? For Free?!?! What the ever-loving fuck?!?! Don't forget your I.D., it's a grown-up's party!

Everything you need to know is at www.berserkerdetroit.com, Including a full lineup. 

You're welcome.

Look for me if you make it to the Pizza Party! I love you all!

XOXO TOPH

FIREPROOF!

Toph is here with another friggin homegrown BANGERRRRRR <3

This past weekend, Under the Gun Review debuted the new single "Fireproof" for our good homies in Wolfshark. I was really excited to hear this jam, and it didn't disappoint. I'm very proud to have known Colin Guffey as a musician for pretty much forever now, and he's come a long way. He's developed a really cool sound as a vocalist, and works really well with the dynamics the band creates. You end up with this really dope fuck-you-you-don't-even-know-me party jammer. The main riff is a really cool norma-jean esque bit they pull through most of the song without losing the energy of it. The chorus hits you with hint of the Used and maybe a little bit of ETID with the way Colin croons over it. I really love the guitar tone in this band. For being what I and a lot of folks are calling a "Party Metal Band"- I feel the tone is pretty sophisticated. You get this really cool high-end English tube sound with a more natural break up. It's GAWJUSS. :) The bridge starts with the whole band stepping aside and letting our bassist shine. He comes in with this really cool slap-happy riff, where you finally realize how good his tone is as well. Gritty, a bit of a fuzz on it, and only slappy enough to be interesting. Reminds me of He Is Legend's bass sound. And then the whole group gets back into it with this escalating set of bars- starting with some delay on the fiddle and Colin cooing like sexy dove over the top. And then we explode. But Colin doesn't, because he is "FIREPROOF, YOU FUCK!"

I fucking love this jam. Check out the vid below, by our good dude Brandan Lee Keller. <3

See?!? I told you!!!!

Aren is shooting an interview with the dudes soon, he'll be talking to them about how sexy they are AND about their forthcoming Spring 2015 EP  titled "Finding Yourself". Look for all of that and more right here at vilecompany.com. ALSO- be sure to follow Wolfshark on Facebook, and come check them at Cthulhu's 2 Year Anniversary Pizza Slam coming up at the stick March 14th!!!!

XOXO- Toph <3

Adventurer S/T EP

So I'm looking into my calendar for the upcoming months. I'm doing a lot of shit, trying to catch my life up after a very tumultuous 2014, and I remember I need to mark down March 14th, as that is the date of  Cthulhu Entertainment's  2nd year anniversary party! I love John after meeting him last year. He's one of the kindest bearded fuckers you'll ever meet, and he truly loves what he does. Check the link and go if you can. Buy tickets from him or from one of the bazillion sick bands playing, including my homie Collin's sick ass band Wolfshark (they just released a single and it's dooooooope!).  Anyhow- My point: I'm checking out all of the bands on the event page, as you might choose to do after reading this bullshit, and I run into a fucking gem.

Photo Cred: Brandan Lee Keller

These guys are called Adventurer, and so is this 7 track banger. And they are everything I love about post 2000 post-hardcore. Heavy and bright. Dynamics off the chart. Killer dual vocals. You would not believe this is just a fucking 3 piece out of Chesterfield, MI. the cleans are beautiful. Great range and they come out with some really exciting harmonies as well. The screaming is super tasteful, fitting well with the dynamics. The drummer kills it, man. I wanna shake this guy's hand on March 14th, because this shit goes everywhere, and he does some sick stuff while not only keeping the time, but he completely moves the dynamics himself. I love this friggin EP, and it'll be on a consistent rotation till I can catch a set :) Listen to my favorite jam, "pursuit of happiness" be;

I fucking know, right?!?! I also really dig "Mariana's Trenchcoat".  But the whole thing is pretty incredible. They definitely give me Fall of Troy vibes, mixed with that of some early Coheed and even a bit of Hopefall's Sattelite Years. All favorites. So I absolutely love and approve. Go snag it from their bandcamp, or look them up on itunes or spotify. And don't forget to catch them at one of the last Magic Stick shows with guitars in it on March 14th!!!! Seriously! Go! 

-xoxo Toph