Huckjive

Hey fans of Manchester Orchestra, listen up. Here’s a little story: It was way back in the summer of 2008, and Manchester Orchestra had just completed a lengthy tour. The guitarist, Robert McDowell, was camped out at his parents’ house in Atlanta without anything to do except occupy the basement. He was looking forward to a summer full of what all successful musicians do when not on the road nor in the studio: not much. But what started as a lazy summer quickly got boring. So McDowell headed into the local guitar shop and purchased some cheap equipment to keep himself busy. He set up shop in the basement and went to work.

Before he knew it, he had an album put together and a solo project was born: GOBOTRON!

McDowell, pulled a Dave Grohl, and recorded, produced, and played everything on the album. Manchester Orchestra’s label “Favorite Gentlemen” was happy to sponsor the project. Favorite Gentlemen describe Gobotron’s sound as “brilliant and addictive pop songs masked is layers of harmonies, guitars, and loads of distortion”. Too true, Favorite Gentlemen. Too true.

Both McDowell and Favorite Gentlemen were kind enough to offer up the free download “Never Turn Around” from Gobotron’s debut album which is now out in stores. Download, enjoy, and go buy the album.

OFFICIAL SITE:
http://www.myspace.com/gobotron

DOWNLOADS:
Track: Never Turn Around – Gobotron

The Sun Goes Down on Girlsville is a song that I have no idea what it’s about. I could guess that maybe its about innocence lost, youth coming of age, or maybe it’s about the lead singer declaring he’s done dating women. I dunno. But I do know the song is amazing. It’s one of those songs to play when driving at night and you just want to think. Kinda like New Order’s Celebration imho.

Anyway here’s the official wiki post about The Awkward Stage:

The Awkward Stage is a Canadian indie pop band, based in Vancouver, British Columbia and fronted by singer-songwriter Shane Nelken. The band’s supporting lineup currently consists of Tygh Runyan on lead guitar, Tony Koelwyn on drums and Chris Mitchell on trumpet and keyboards.
Nelken, who works as a cremationist, had a longtime side career in music as a supporting musician for artists such as A. C. Newman and Sparrow before forming his own band, which consists of Nelken with a rotating cast of other musicians. The Awkward Stage’s debut album, Heaven Is for Easy Girls, was released on Mint Records in 2006 and quickly charted on Canadian campus radio and CBC Radio 3, which named the band’s song “We’re Going for a Ride” one of its Top 94 songs of 2006.[1]
Nelken is also a contributor to Radio 3, hosting a humorous audio advice column feature titled Dear Shane, and serving as an occasional guest host.

Meanest Man Contest is a hip hop and electronic music duo based in San Francisco, CA, USA. The members are Quarterbar (Noah Blumberg) and Eriksolo (Eric Steuer).

As college roommates, Noah Blumberg and Eric Steuer started making lo-fi rap songs on a barely-working 4-track, then recruited friends to create the Santa Barbara hip-hop crew mic.edu. The duo formed Meanest Man Contest after a move upstate to Oakland, where they spent their free time digging through filthy stacks of flea market records looking for samples and inspiration. From this effort came a series of short tracks that would form MMC’s collage-like first single, Contaminated Dance Step. Meanest Man Contest’s music has evolved around a constantly expanding set of influences. MMC’s first LP, Merit, pushed their sound into thoughtful, atmospheric places with jazz samples and live guitar. More recently, the duo has stretched the boundaries of its roots with releases like the off-kilter pop EP Some People, the electro-tinged single Throwing Away Broken Electronics, and the hip-hop LP Split.

Track: Night at the Knight School

Track: I was only kidding

Track: We wouldn’t want it any other way

Track: Some People (just get off on breaking hearts)

Track: Throwing Away Broken Electronics

www.myspace.com/meanestmancontest

Honey Claws born 6/21/2007

The concept hatched from a sharpie drawn t-shirt vocalist Jon von Letscher designed in his Austin, TX apartment. Throughout the summer of 2007 he joined a crew of three producers. Two of them internationally acclaimed House DJ’s: Thomas Sahs, also from Austin, and Ben Wah from Auckland, New Zealand. The other was Traey Hatch, a graduate of Berkley School of Music. All four shared the same vision: to create not only a sound but also a movement based on positive vibes and cosmic carpet rides. Lost in translation but stamped nonetheless; what emerged was electric punk lyrical katana blade ninjary with a smile. Honey Claws.

Honey Claws is:
Jon Von Letscher::
Traey Hatch::
Ben Senior::
Thomas Sahs::
Honey Jaws::

Track: Villains
Track: July
Track: Ghostfaceland
Track: Words
Track: Thomas Sahs Junkbox Mastermix 1
Track: Shout Out

Lineup:
James Lombardo [voice, guitar]
Trevor Pawlewicz [bass]
Jon Miller [guitar, keyboard]
Adam Caldwell [drums]

The town of San Jose is 350 miles up the California coast from Los Angeles. For the past year and a half, James Lombardo (vocals, guitar), Trevor Pawlewicz (bass), and Jonathan Miller (guitar, keyboards) routinely made this round trip journey to write and record with long-time friend and drummer Adam Caldwell. Taking on the name “The Little Heroes” after the sculpture figures Caldwell created for his art school thesis, the band used the distance they traveled as a central theme for their debut record. The concept, however, was nothing new to the four east coast natives.

Pawlewicz and Miller first met in a small rural town outside Philadelphia. During high school, the two realized a shared passion for music, trading mix tapes of R.E.M., The Smiths, and Fugazi. Shortly after school, they began playing in punk band and formed a collective, putting on shows at a local fire hall. The band lasted for several years, completing thirteen national tours and four tours of Canada. During this time, they played with such notable acts as Built to Spill, At the Drive In, Less than Jake and Avail. In 1999, the group disbanded with Miller opting for graduate school, and Pawlewicz relocating to California.

While at school, Miller met up with old friend, Ed Olsen, who persuaded him to play in a new band, Fire in the Radio. It was here that Miller met drummer Caldwell, who was a student at the art school. The band lasted for only a year, but when Miller relocated to the west coast, Caldwell did the same a year later. The two decided that even though they lived in separate parts of the State, they would attempt to resume making music together. Miller recruited Pawlewicz to join them, and the three set out to find a singer, placing several postings on a community website.

Lombardo, himself a native New Yorker, responded to the posting. Lombardo’s unassuming demeanor and soulful voice created a unique match to the band’s jangled pop songs. The result is an original sound that falls between My Morning Jacket and early Promise Ring.

The band’s debut record explores the theme of personal distance in love (Don’t Stop), friendships (September Falls), family relationships (Teeth), and death (The Harbinger). The record concludes by showing that while distances may separate us, perhaps we’re not that far apart.

The record was recorded with Angus Cooke (Mock Orange, The Ataris, and Nerf Herder) and Tom Flowers (The Coral Sea) at Orange Whip Studios in May of 2006. The band’s first single, September Falls, went for adds on college radio starting September 12th. The full record will follow this winter, and will be released by Wednesday Records. Following the release, the band will embark on a national tour.