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Music Mondays
Toph-life has gotten an upgrade recently in the day-job department, which is not only exciting because I'll get more money(hold the problems, please), but because my schedule won't be all freaking up in my shit when I wanna go to shows. So look out for me in the near future, don't be shy because I'm shy and I'll never walk up to you(especially if you're cute). Also, look out for some live reviews and interviews since i'll actually have time on my hands to do such things.
photo cred: Tyler Humphrey
Anyway- earlier this week, MY DUDES in Lemix J. Buckley dropped a fucking killer single that kills you softly in a sexual way. It's this gorgeous, mathy emo ballad that channels feels through their twinkly, noodly guitar work and quick-witted rythm section. I friggin love these dudes, I've known Josh Gill and Alex Bazzi since before they were allowed to drink(are they even that old yet? shit.), and they have come such a long way. So fun to see locals gro into pros, especially when they're your homies and they write dope shit like this. This shit is called "Hauntings" and it is available to rock on bandcamp as you see below:
I know, I'm wet too.
Make sure you follow these fuckers on facebook and keep an eye out for shows. I also know from a specific source that there is much more where this song came from. You know my ass is posting a review on that shit as soon as it's out as well :)
Thanks again guys, I love you all! See ya soon.
-XOXO Toph
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
Recently we had the pleasure of having I Prevail Vocalist Eric Vanlerberghe over to HQ and talk to him about their upcoming tour and recent successes.
And if you dont know...these guys are blowing up in a big big way.
ps heres the video their video for their cover of Blank Space (which currently has over 7 million plays.
And here is their music video for their song THE ENEMY.
and yes we love that Eric Reps our Vile America roll top in all the videos!
PIZZA FEST IS FINALLY HERE! JUST A FEW DAYS AWAY AND WE GET TO CELEBRATE THE TWO YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF OUR BOYS AT CTHULHU ENTERTAINMENT! IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE DESTRESS THE US TOUR, THIS SHOW WILL SHOWCASE SOME OF OUR FAVORITE BANDS FROM THE DETROIT AREA! On a sad note for all you locals, this will be the last show upstairs at the magic stick! so this will literally be your last chance to get down at one of detroit's greatest venues!
SO MAKE SURE YOU GUYS CREEP ALL THE GOOD MUSIC BEFORE THE SHOW! WE WANNA SEE YOU IN THE FRONT ROW FIGHTING YOUR WAY TO THE MIC, SCREAMING OUT YOUR FAVORITE LYRICS!
PS. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A SPECIAL GIVE AWAY SET UP FOR THE SHOW! SO YOU HAVE TO BE THERE TO PARTAKE IN A ONE OF A KIND DESIGN! JUST SAYN! -AREN
SO THE TEMPUS DUDES HAVE DONE IT. THEY HAVE FINALY RELEASED THEIR FIRST SINGLE: CONSUME/DESTROY! LET US KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS THINK. WE ARE DIGGING ON IT PRETTY HARD!
-AREN
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
Image courtesy of Paul Cherry's facebook page
So I woke up the other morning, Tophin' around on the internet like I always do. I check my facebook feed and find out my homie Paul Cherry has finally released his new video for his single "Cherry Time". If you don't recall, or if you're just now scoping my blogs- I put Paul Cherry's album "On Top" in my top 5 unsung records of 2014. I knew Paul was onto something radical with the direction of his music on this record, and I love his video for "Everybody's Burning Out"(you can see it in the aforementioned blog post). "Cherry Time" completely fucking blows it out of the water. It's incredibly NSFW. Just watch it, I can't waste time explaining it to you- there are no words.
...Yeah.
I can honestly totally relate to this. I feel this same way about TacoBell and those succulent Olive Garden breadsticks. I just don't think I could fuck taco bell in it's nasty turd-laden toilet stall. I'd seduce it at home!
-XOXO TOPH
HEY GUYS. TOPH'S GOT ANOTHER SE MI GEM FOR YOU. :)
Narco Debut is a killer quartet from metro detroit and they "bring it on" the melodic spacey rock front. Gorgeous layers of guitars saturated in delays and reverb, soaring vocal melodies with hella range over a rhythm section that just grooves it all along. It's not all sparkles and bells- there's an edge with heavy breaks that don't get lost on the rocker crowd. I particularly like how they remind me a lot of Coheed and Cambria's "Second Stage Turbine Blade" record- one of my absolute favorite things ever recorded. Just lots of builds and lots of high range vocals that wash over you once they hit the break. I love it. Check out their video for "Apologia" below:
Recently we had the honor of having the dudes form Cthulhu Entertainment over to HQ. CTHULU is a booking company that has brought us a ton of great shows in the last year two years. SO check out the interview and make sure you guys head out to PIZZA FEST on March 14th!
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
Gluttony is first single from Like Statues upcoming album Hell. Each of the seven tracks on Hell are going to represent one of the seven deadly sins. New vocalist Eric Booth is definitely showing he is up for the task! great job guys! Cant wait to hear more!
Make sure you guys give the dudes mad love and then go to their next shows!
Had the pleasure of checking out Taking Dreams rehearsal space and sitting down with front man Chris and Ben. The dudes caught us up on some local history, talked about the future of Taking Dreams and filled us in on what its like playing metal out in the middle of no where Michigan!
Make sure you guys head out to their show THIS WED at the Ritz!
JOHN COLLIER OF Cthulhu Entertainment IS ONE OF THE RADDEST PROMOTERS IN DETROIT! HE IS ALWAYS DOING WHAT HE CAN TO BUILD UP THE SCENE! THIS LIST IS HIS TOP TEN SHOWS OF 2014!
Top 10 bands I've seen or booked this year (no order)
1. Shy, Low (Richmond, VA) (Spartan Records) genre: post-rock
THE EMOTION THESE GUYS DISPLAY ARE SURREAL. THEY PLAY IN COMPLETE DARKNESS. A MIX OF AMBIENT AND HEAVY, LOTS OF HIGH'S AND LOWS. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR FANS OF EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKY.
2. Arsonists Get All the Girls (Santa Cruz, CA) (Independent) genre: grindcore/experimental
THIS BAND BRINGS THE PARTY. NEVER SEEN A BAND MAKE A CROWD REACT THE WAY THEY HAVE. TONS OF STAGE DIVES, ALL ABOUT CROWD INTERACTION. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR FANS OF BANDS THAT BREAKDOWN, DO A WIDE RANGE OF HEAVY AND LIGHT VOCALS AND USE SYNTHS.
3. 1876 (Flint, MI) (independent) genre: thrash/rock
One of the most entertaining bands I've ever had. Never know what to expect from the vocalist (Fernando Solis). They know how to jam. Highly recommended for fans of southern metal/rock and people who like to jump around.
4. The Venetia Fair (Boston, MA) (independent) genre: theatrical rock
Vocalist has an amazing voice, these guys know how to party and get weird. Vocalist has amazing range with clean vocals. Recommended for fans of Panic! At the Disco.
5. MONUMENTS (London, England) (Century Media Records) genre: prog metal/groove
Talent, talent, talent. You want to see a band that can shred and mix in great vocals. They even mix in some jazzy influence, the vocalist also plays saxophone. Recommended for people into technical metal and an appreciation for the ability to play period.
6. Lakota De Kai (Kent, Ohio) (Independent) genre: punk/hardcore
Energy, lots of energy. Lots of movement. Basically a mixture of heavy and spoken word. If you're into La Dispute but want to see heavier mixed together this is your band.
7. Hotel Books (Porterville, CA) (InVogue Records) genre: indie/spoken word
You want to see a band throw everything out on the stage, you'll find it with these guys. They are extremely intimate and inspiring to anyone who gets a chance to see them. Pure emotion. Fans of La Dispute, Twenty One Pilots but a little bit lighter.
8. Post Season (Altoona, PA) (Broken Rim Records) genre: pop punk
Tons of fun, very crowd interacting. Tons of chants. They make you feel like you're a part of the show. They make you feel like they're a local band everyone knows. Fans of The Story So Far or anything with lots of bouncing and jumping around.
9. Save Us From the Archon (Pittsburgh, PA) (Independent) genre: experimental/post hardcore/prog
Such a hard band to explain, one of those "you gotta see this live" type of bands. They basically all get on stage and play as hard as they can and somehow it blends weirdly together. I can't even compare them to anyone, they're that wild and "out there".
10. The Hand in the Ocean (Detroit, MI) (independent) genre: folk/indie
A band that silences the crowd with emotion/awe. Just a vocalist, banjo and acoustic guitar. No drummer necessary. These fellas leave it all out there for everyone to see. They're worth every second of your time. Fans of Mumford and Sons and anything with a folk twist.
'Sup turds!
Welcome to my corner of the Vile world! It's only a couple days until this year is officially friggin dead, and instead of wasting your life with a buttload of shit you already read about on some other spoon-feeding music blog, I'm gonna do you something better. I'm gonna give you 5 releases that I really think went unsung this year, in spite of how fucking incredible they are. A couple LPs, a couple EPs- nothing too overwhelming, I swear. :)
+PEACE'D OUT- S/T EP+
For fans of: Spitfire, Every Time I Die, Fear Before the March of Flames
You'll ask me why, and I'll say two words: Steve Choi. If ya didn't know already, this dude plays guitar in The Sound of Animals Fighting and RX(FREAKING)Bandits! His guitar sound is totally surprising, yet right at home, on this 5 track masterpiece. Technical and heavy as fuck, topped with incredible vocals that get melodic at the perfect time.
Hear it on spotify
buy it from siren records
Favorite tracks: Castlemania(see video above), Cha-Chang-Chang-Chainmail
+LIFE IN VACUUM- 5+
For Fans of: Fugazi, At the Drive In, BearVsShark
This band is so good and they work way too fucking hard to not be blowing the fuck up right now. They comprise of two ukranian brothers + a bassist, and they're based out of friggin Canada. Crack open a barley pop and try not to crack your head open jammin' on these ten fucking bangers!
Hear it on spotify,
buy it on bandcamp.
Favorite tracks: I Don't Fit(see video above), You Did It To Yourself
+WAYNE SZALINSKI- BLACK MIRROR+
For fans of: TTNG, Tiger's Jaw, As Tall As Lions
These guys are very close friends of mine, and every time they put something out I lose my shit. This album is designed with the sole purpose of making people touch eachother(or at least REALLY wish they were!). Everything is gorgeous. The guitars are melodic and just technical enough. Andy Milad's voice sounds like the angel of fucking sex, and the rhythm section is the perfect surface for all of it ("it"=sex) to happen on. Nick Galli Has seriously become one of my favorite drummers and I'm so proud of these boys.
Hear it on spotify.
Buy it at bandcamp.
Favorite Tracks: Sweetness(see above video), Bandages
+PAUL CHERRY- ON TOP+
For fans of: Jay Reatard, Ty Segall, The Beach Boys
FUN FACT: Paul used to be in a band with half of the dudes in Wayne Szalinski once, and that's how I know him/them(cool story, bruh!). Anyway, this is my favorite thing Paul has done. It's so carefree and fun, making it absolutely perfect for gettin BLAZEDDDD. It also gets to levels of sexiness(ie: "Hey Girl") that rival his homies in WS, and I may or may not have touched myself to it a couple of times(tee hee!).
Hear it on Spotify
Buy it on bandcamp
Favorite tracks: Everybody's Burnin' Out(see above video), Hey There, Brother
+2194- DEAD PEASANT+
For Fans of: Norma Jean, Thursday, At the Drive In
This two piece workhorse used to be based out of MI, but they moved out to Minot, ND. I miss them a lot. Tim is a fucking post-hardcore guitar wizard and Matt is a goddamn machine. I cannot wait to see what's next from these fellas. Be sure to look for these guys, they live to tour and they fucking kill it live!
Hear and buy it on bandcamp
Favorite tracks: The Light Controller, Dead Drums Beat
Thanks for the read, guys. I'll be back with more music next year!
Follow "vilecompany" on spotify to catch my 2014 playlist, and other playlists in the future.
Love you all, and don't forget to keep it VILE!
-Toph
XOXO
We are excited for our End of the year party! THIS YEAR IS DEAD is our last get down show before everyone is distracted with their dress up parties and champagne! So for one last time lets rock out with whatever you want out and finish this year off right! The Show will feature :
OLD GODS
SPECIAL THANKS TO LIVE NATION DETROIT AND THE SHELTER FOR ROCKING THIS SHOW FOR US!
We are stoked for this upcoming friday! The Sycamour dudes are at it again ! " A Rally In Underground is going to be one of the best Christmas shows, you go to this season! ASSASSINS, BOYS OF FALL, NARCO DEBUT AND RUMOURS! Good friends and Good Times! What else could you ask for!
Also! we rocked out a photo shoot with the Syca dudes to hype the show! Photo cred Brandan Keller! Model Cred Vile blogger Sar Elle and super rad Detroit model Robyn Barnsdale!
