Dayton937

Things to do in Dayton | Restaurants, Theatre, Music and More

Dayton Music

DMF 2010 Q&A: Hospital Garden//Okay Lindon

By Leave a Comment

…with the 2010 edition of Dayton Music Fest less than a week away, we’re getting really excited around these parts to see how this year’s edition goes down. This year the DMF features a day-long schedule, new venues, and lots of new bands participating. We’re continuing to preview some of the bands you’ll see at this year’s edition and today we have for you Hospital Garden and Okay Lindon…

band photo

Hospital Garden

BAND NAME: Hospital Garden
HOME BASE (city): Chicago
FORMED (year): 2008
STYLE OF MUSIC: Rock
MEMBERS (names and instruments played): Ian Spencer (drums), Sarah Carey
(bass, vocals), Lucas Hollow (guitar, vocals)
SHARED INTERESTS OF BAND MEMBERS: drinking dad’s root beer, making up fake
80’s metal songs.
DISCOGRAPHY (release title and year): *Hospital Garden* EP (2008), *Hospital
Garden *LP (2010)
SONG THAT BEST REPRESENTS YOUR BAND (and why): Right now, I’d say it’s
“Look Alive!” because it shows the band is able to be loud and noisy, while
keeping its hooks and melodies intact.
NUMBER OF DMF APPEARANCES (and years): This is our 3rd DMF (08, 09, 10)
LATEST NEWS (what’s up?): Lucas just got married!
PLANS FOR 2011: Release our 2nd album
WEB SITE: myspace.com/hospital garden,
and, yes, we are on facebook.

MP3: Hospital Garden “Look Alive!”
Download audio file (Look_Alive.mp3)

okaylindon

Okay Lindon

BAND NAME: Okay Lindon

HOME BASE: Middletown, OH
FORMED: 2004
STYLE OF MUSIC: Pop
MEMBERS:Jordan Elam- drums Dustin Smith- guitar, vocals Charles Smith- guitar Eric Miller- guitar David Thomas- bass
SHARED INTERESTS OF BAND MEMBERS: pop music of all eras, 90s alt rock, punk music, good food of all sorts, funny stuff, going out, staying at home.
DISCOGRAPHY:Rotating Dates- 2010; Everything In Moderation- 2009; some old EPs and demos that you will never hear.
SONG THAT BEST REPRESENTS YOUR BAND: Table Talk- this is probably our strongest single and most successfully executed song from the new album.
NUMBER OF DMF APPEARANCES : this will be our first
LATEST NEWS : released newest full length, Rotating Dates, on August 17th 2010
PLANS FOR 2011: work jobs, hang out, make music
WEB SITE: www.arcadesoundltd.comwww.myspace.com/okaylindonhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Okay-Lindon/187506547822?ref=ts (not sure if that link works or not- but we’re on facebook- look us up)

MP3: Okay Lindon “Table Talk”
Download audio file (Table_Talk.mp3)

DMF 2010 Q&A: Jasper the Colossal//Wake Up Mordecai

By Leave a Comment

…we’re only a week away from Dayton Music Fest 2010 and we’ve got a couple more doses of Q&A for you today. Here’s what Jasper the Colossal and Wake Up Mordecai had to say…

jasperthecolossal

Jasper the Colossal

BAND NAME: Jasper the Colossal

HOME BASE (city): Dayton
FORMED (year): 2007 (2008 with current line up)

STYLE OF MUSIC: 80’s inspired Punk Rock/Indie/Post Punk/Whathaveya

MEMBERS (names and instruments played): Paige Beller- Vocals, Moriah Yux-
Guitar, Nicki Brooks- Bass, Sarah Kouse- Drums

SHARED INTERESTS OF BAND MEMBERS: Going to shows, finding new music, acting like
12 year old boys

DISCOGRAPHY (release title and year): “Jasper the Colossal-Live at Canal Street”
2007 (out of print), “Prehistoric” E.P. 2009

SONG THAT BEST REPRESENTS YOUR BAND (and why): The Back Of The Crowd
(unrecorded, but videos on youtube) This song best represents us because it
crosses genres within one song.

NUMBER OF DMF APPEARANCES (and years): 2008, 2009, and soon to be 2010

LATEST NEWS (what’s up?): Writing, writing, and more writing. We are shopping of
studio options to record at least 12 new songs. We also have purchased a screen
printer and button machine for the band so that we can be a self contained unit.

PLANS FOR 2011: With any luck we will release a new full length album, get a
van, and tour.

WEB SITE: www.jasperthecolossal.com (links to
myspace), facebook, youtube, i-Tunes.

wakeupmordicai

Wake Up Mordecai

Band Name: Wake Up Mordecai

Home Base: Dayton

Formed: 2008-ish

Style: Quirky/Moody Pop

Members:
Andy Ingram/ drums, percussion, vocals. Johnny Callon/ guitar, vocals, etc.
Cooper/ bass. Brandon Clark/ guitar, synthesizer.

Shared Interests: Perfect pop songs, friendship, children’s literature, and
The Smiths.

Discography: North to the Nth Degree (2008), Too Young for the Disco (2009)
– both available for free download at http://poptek.com/store.html

Representative Song: Probably “Disco = Crack”. Even though it may not be
representative, it’s what I wish all our songs sounded like – moody and
catchy.

Number of DMF appearances: This is our first!

Latest News: Nothing really, still getting used to going from a two-piece
to now a four-piece band. It’s exciting and scary at the same time.

Plans for 2011: Hopefully a new album (but no promises).

Website: http://wakeupmordecai.com

MP3: Wake Up Mordecai “Girls Don’t Ride in Viking Ships”
Download audio file (Girls_Dont_Ride_in_Viking_Ships.mp3)

Brooklyn Percussion Ensemble to Perform at UD

By Leave a Comment

So Percussion, a contemporary music group based out of Brooklyn, has brought their eclectic style to the University of Dayton campus this week.  This unique percussion ensemble will offer a free workshop and jam session tonight at the ArtStreet amphitheatre, from 7 – 9 pm. And for the whole nine yards, get your tickets for Thursday’s concert, to be held at UD’s Boll Theatre at 8 pm. Tickets are $15 general admission; $10 for seniors, students and University of Dayton alumni, faculty and staff; and $5 for University of Dayton students. Tickets are available in advance through the University of Dayton box office in Kennedy Union at 937-229-2545. The concert is presented as part of the University of Dayton Arts Series.

The ensemble is known for their use of a wide range of materials; in addition to traditional drums and marimbas, anything from steel pipes to hair clippers to dry ice are fair game for their sonic repertoire. In fact, there are currently 300 dowel rods in the ArtStreet office in preparation for tonight’s workshop.  I hear there will even be a cactus featured during the concert. What will they be doing with it? Playing it, of course:

Learn more about So Percussion at http://www.sopercussion.com.

DMF 2010 Q&A: The Story Changes//Good Sir Con Artist

By Leave a Comment

…it’s hard to believe that Dayton Music Fest 2010 is only a week away. We hope all of you are getting as excited as we are. We continue today with more Q&A sessions with the bands you’ll be able to see at DMF2010 with The Story Changes and Good Sir Con Artist…

TSC2DaytonPaper

BAND NAME: The Story Changes

HOME BASE (city): Dayton, OH

FORMED (year): 2004

STYLE OF MUSIC: Rock, Post-Punk

MEMBERS (names and instruments played): Mark McMillon – Vocals/Guitar, Christopher “Poppy” Popadak – Drums, Samples

SHARED INTERESTS OF BAND MEMBERS: Touring, Making Music, Coffee, Lost, Gadgets.

DISCOGRAPHY (release title and year):
Analogies – 2009 Future Destination Records
The Way of the Dinosaur – 2007 Future Destination Records
Dead to Me – 2006 Future Destination Records
Last Night a Rockband Saved My Life – 2005 Future Destination Records
The Story Changes / Sparechange? split – 2004 Confined Records

SONG THAT BEST REPRESENTS YOUR BAND (and why): I think our song Constellation has a good mix of a lot of the elements that make up our band. It has a fun hefty guitar riff that muscles it’s way through the song, a straight up pop style hook in the chorus, and a looped ending that basically turns into a drum solo, haha.

NUMBER OF DMF APPEARANCES (and years): I believe we have been lucky enough to play DMF the last four years, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006. It’s always a great time not only performing, but seeing a lot of friends out and about.

LATEST NEWS (what’s up?): We spent the largest part of the Summer on an seven week tour through the States. It’s been a very rewarding year and we’ve been having a lot of fun. We’ll take a short brake in November while both of us head to Europe with Hawthorne Heights. We will be finishing out the year with a run of dates through the Midwest in December, leading up to our annual HoliDayton show at the end of the year.

PLANS FOR 2011: We’re really looking forward to recording a new album early on in the new year.

WEB SITE: www.theStoryChanges.com

MP3: The Story Changes “Move Forward”
Download audio file (Move_Forward.mp3)

goodsirconartist

BAND NAME: Good Sir Con Artist
HOME BASE (city): Gem City
FORMED (year): 2007
STYLE OF MUSIC: 90’s pop rock, indie
MEMBERS (names and instruments played):
Jacob Vox/Guitar
Andy Guitar/Vox
Evan Bass
Alex Drums
SHARED INTERESTS OF BAND MEMBERS: Money, Giggles, Talking when we Drink, and
forgetting to take pictures, Comparing Jeans, Not being mature enough for
gloves, Alex not telling what he hears
DISCOGRAPHY (release title and year): Self Titled 2007, This Just Happened
2007, Buying the Time 2009, Self Titled 2010
SONG THAT BEST REPRESENTS YOUR BAND (and why): Ones we haven’t written quite yet
NUMBER OF DMF APPEARANCES (and years): zero
LATEST NEWS (what’s up?): I tell ya the places we seen, they ain’t nowhere
to where were gonna be
PLANS FOR 2011: We’ll see what happens
WEB SITE: Type “Good Sir Con Artist” in Google

Music Video Monday: September 27th edition

By Leave a Comment

I don’t know about you, but I’m counting down the days until Saturday October 2nd.  That’s when Dayton Music Fest highlights some of the best music in the region for the sixth year in a row.  It was hard to choose a video to feature from the 20+ bands that are playing this year’s festival.  So I made my decision based on the fact that I’ve been spending a lot of time listening to this band’s latest release.  Bonneville’s newest album is called Drawing Maps and is available now.  You can see them at the Trolley Stop on Saturday beginning at 9pm as part of the Dayton Music Fest lineup.  For a complete list of Dayton Music Fest shows, check out the Dayton MostMetro Events Calendar.

DMF 2010 Q&A: Astro Fang//Kuan

By Leave a Comment

…we’re continuing on today with our previews featuring bands you will be able to see live on Saturday, October 2 at Dayton Music Fest 2010. Today we’re featuring two of Dayton’s favorite live acts, Astro Fang and Kuan…

astrofanglive

Astro Fang

BAND NAME: ASTRO FANG
HOME BASE (city): DAYTON OHIO
FORMED (year): 2006
STYLE OF MUSIC: PROGRESSIVE PUNK
MEMBERS (names and instruments played): BRIAN BAKER GUITAR, BRYAN
SAUNDERS GUITAR, CHRISTIAN ROERIG BASS, COLIN CROOM DRUMS
SHARED INTERESTS OF BAND MEMBERS: KING CRIMSON WEEZER BLACK SABBATH LADIES
AND FAST CARS
DISCOGRAPHY (release title and year): ASTRO FANG EP
SONG THAT BEST REPRESENTS YOUR BAND (and why): GALACTIC DRACULA LANDING – IT
IS THE TALE OF OUR ORIGINS, INTERESTS, AND ANTICS
NUMBER OF DMF APPEARANCES (and years): VIRGINS
LATEST NEWS (what’s up?): RECORDING MORE TRACKS AND MUSIC VIDZ
PLANS FOR 2011: RECORDING TOURING PLAYING BARFING
WEB SITE: WWW.MYSPACE.COM/ASTROFANG
THIS IS OUR FACEBOOK LINK I GUESS
http://www.facebook.com/pages/ASTRO-FANG/101617948240?ref=search

MP3: Astro Fang “Galactic Dracula Landing”
Download audio file (Galactic_Dracula_Landing.mp3)

kuan_summer_10

Kuan

BAND NAME: Kuan
HOME BASE (city): Dayton, Fairborn, Yellow Springs
FORMED (year): 2006
STYLE OF MUSIC: The kind that makes sweet sounds
MEMBERS (names and instruments played): Brett-Drums, Bryan-Bass and keys, Chip-Guitar, Paul-Guitar and keys
SHARED INTERESTS OF BAND MEMBERS: Haven’t figured that out yet
DISCOGRAPHY (release title and year): On/Standby-2009 Colors-2010
SONG THAT BEST REPRESENTS YOUR BAND (and why): N- it’s hard to pick one, but N probably best represents our love for jazz and our roots in angular rock.
NUMBER OF DMF APPEARANCES (and years): 0
LATEST NEWS (what’s up?): Just released our new ep Colors & got back from a national tour
PLANS FOR 2011: We’re going to work hard on trying to write material for full length. While we we’re on tour we got attention from a pretty sweet label that doesn’t do eps so we’ve got our work cut out.
WEB SITE: http://www.myspace.com/kuankuankuan

MP3: Kuan “M”
Download audio file (M.mp3)

DMF 2010 Q&A: Human Reunion//Bonneville

By Leave a Comment

…we’re continuing our Dayton Music Fest 2010 Q&A sessions today with two more excellent local talents that have both recently issued excellent new albums that were featured on this very website recently, Human Reunion and Bonneville…

humanreunion-web

Human Reunion
AND NAME: *HUMAN REUNION*
HOME BASE (city): *DAYTON, OH*
FORMED (year): *2004*
STYLE OF MUSIC: *WEIRDO POST-POP / INDIE QUIRK WRANGLERS*
MEMBERS (names and instruments played): *JEREMY FREDERICK: VOCALS,
SYNTHESIZER, GUITAR / TIM KRUG: VOCALS, SYNTHESIZER, GUITAR / ALAN BAKER:
VOCALS, BASS, SYNTHESIZER / MIKE CHASE: DRUMS, DRUMS, DRUMS*
SHARED INTERESTS OF BAND MEMBERS: *music, synths, strange noises, dumb
things that we think are funny, not getting beat up, pizza, long drives,
sleeping on your floor*
DISCOGRAPHY (release title and year):
*DEMO CDr: 2005*
*CARBONICS 7″: 2010*
*PRELUDE TO A MISS CASSETTE: 2010*
*ARC DE SQUARE CD: 2010*
SONG THAT BEST REPRESENTS YOUR BAND (and why): Let’s say *the Rub,* people
like to yell that at our shows. It’s dark, weird, annoying, dancy, and
abrasive, yet palatable. Just like us!
NUMBER OF DMF APPEARANCES (and years): *DMF07, DMF08, DMF09*
LATEST NEWS (what’s up?): *Our full-length album, Arc de Square, produced by
John Schmersal is finally available. 13 songs of “**time-warped synth
sounds, twisting grooves and joyous rock absurdism” ***
*** YouIndie.com*
PLANS FOR 2011: WRITE MORE NEW SONGS, PRESENT MORE RELEASES
WEB SITE:
www.humanreunion.com
www.facebook.com/humanreunion
www.myspace.com/humanreunion
www.last.fm/music/human+reunion
www.reverbnation.com/humanreunion
www.stereokiller.com/humanreunion

MP3: Human Reunion “Carbonics”
Download audio file (Carbonics.mp3)

bonneville1

Bonneville

*BAND NAME:* BONNEVILLE

HOME BASE: Columbus, Ohio

FORMED: 1999

STYLE OF MUSIC: Alternative Pop Rock

MEMBERS:
Ryan Pitts (Vocals, Guitar, Keyboards)
David Miklos (Guitar, Vocals)
Kevin Sanders (Bass, Vocals)
Nick Frye (Drums, Vocals)

SHARED INTERESTS: Other than music, Art of all forms; be it painting,
cinema, comedy, architecture, literature. etc.. This probably goes without
saying, but we’re all pretty interested in women.. Tube amps, vintage
guitars. World News.. We all enjoy NPR (National Public Radio). South Park

DISCOGRAPHY:

*Drawing Maps LP (2010)

In Stereo EP (2006)

Bonneville Self-titled EP (2005)

*SONGS THAT BEST REPRESENT US:

We just completed a new song titled “The Uniform”. We think this song best
represents us for a number of reasons. It’s a song that began with a simple
chord progression that we’d been toying around with about a year. Then at a
band practice a few months ago, we started jamming on the idea, and ended up
creating an entire arrangement. Ryan had some vocal melodies in the works
and at the next practice we spent about two hours collaboratively finishing
the lyrics and creating the vocal melodies. Ryan leads sings the song, while
Kevin, Nick, and I sing backup harmony. The song is a great example of the
direction we’ve been moving in with our songwriting. More collective
creativity and contribution from every member. We just love to share ideas
and build off of each others strengths.

NUMBER OF DMF APPEARANCES: This will be our first appearance at DMF

LATEST NEWS:
We’ve been playing shows as often as possible to promote our latest release
*Drawing Maps*. The summer went really well, and we’re going into fall with
several shows in Columbus and Dayton. We’ll be playing at Canal St. Tavern
with Vanity Theft on November 12th. We’re really looking forward to that
show. We’re already thinking about recording a new album as well. We’ve
written two new songs since the release of *Drawing Maps* and have a lot of
ideas that we’re excited to start working on. We’re considering recording
the album at Reel Love Studios in Nashville, and having Patrick Himes be our
engineer/producer. Nothing is set in stone, but we’re scheming.

PLANS FOR 2011:
Hopefully we’ll be releasing a new album. We’ve been talking about creating
a list of labels to shop a new record to. We have lots of ideas on how to
keep moving forward and take it to the next level. We’re hoping to make our
way back down to South Carolina sometime next year to play with our friends
Sequoyah Prep School. The first time we played down there we had a great
time and made a lot of new fans. We’ll have to wait and see what’s in store.

WEBSITES:
http://www.bonnevilleband.blogspot.com
http://www.myspace.com/bonneville

Search “Bonneville” on Facebook to find our page.

MP3: Bonneville “Drawing Maps”
Download audio file (Drawing_Maps.mp3)

DMF 2010 Q&A: Jesse Remnant &; the Trainwrecks//Eat Sugar

By Leave a Comment

…as we are rapidly approaching this year’s edition of the Dayton Music Fest, we’ll be previewing participating bands with a little Q&A to help our loyal readers find out a little more about the bands. Here’s what we have for you today:

JesseRemnantAndTheTrainwrecks
Jesse Remnant & the Trainwrecks

BAND NAME: Jesse Remnant & The Trainwrecks
HOME BASE (city): Dayton, OH
FORMED (year): 2008
STYLE OF MUSIC: indie/pop/rock
MEMBERS (names and instruments played):Jesse Remnant:guitar, lead vocals,
Eric Cassidy: guitar, vocals, Ken Hall: keys, vocals, Dan Stahl: Drums,
Bryan Lakatos: Bass Guitar
DISCOGRAPHY (release title and year): The Human Cannonball (2008)
NUMBER OF DMF APPEARANCES (and years): 1-2009
LATEST NEWS (what’s up?):we are working on finishing up an album which
should be released in the next few months
PLANS FOR 2011: see above
WEB SITE: myspace.com/jrandthetrainwrecks

MP3: Jesse Remnant & the Trainwrecks “Same Sun”
Download audio file (Same_Sun.mp3)

eat_sugar_hi_res_2
Eat Sugar

HOME BASE (city): Cincinnati, OH

FORMED (year): 2006

STYLE OF MUSIC: Synth Pop

MEMBERS (names and instruments played):

Aidan Bogosian – Vocals
Mike McBride – Synths
Jim Reynolds – Bass & Synths
Greg Poneris – Drums

SHARED INTERESTS OF BAND MEMBERS: Movies, Books, Muscle Cars, Breakdancing, Shark Week

DISCOGRAPHY (release title and year):

Eat Sugar – 2007
It’s Not Our Responsibility! – 2009
Levantense! – 2010

SONG THAT BEST REPRESENTS YOUR BAND (and why):

“Shadowside”. Because you never know what’s going to happen.

NUMBER OF DMF APPEARANCES (and years): 1 in 2009.

LATEST NEWS (what’s up?): New record, Levantense!, out now.

PLANS FOR 2011: Touring & recording.

WEB SITE: http://www.eatsugarmusic.com

MP3: Eat Sugar “Shadowside”
Download audio file (Shadowside.mp3)

Music Video Monday: September 20, 2010 edition

By Leave a Comment

The optional subtitle of this week’s Music Video Monday is “Juliet Apologizing for Slacking by Posting Three Videos.” That’s right three videos! There is a common thread between these videos, actually a few if you know your Dayton music scene history. We’ll stick to the basics: each video features a band that’s on the bill this Friday night at Gilly’s.

Jesse Remnant and the Trainwrecks recently completed recording a new album that promises to be well worth hearing.

Floods is a newer band of veteran local musicians that’s been getting lots of attention since their first show earlier this summer.

A Shoreline Dream hails from Denver but has a local connection.  Bass player Adam Edwards is a Dayton native who played in Shrug and Flyaway Minion to name a few.

Full show details are at the Dayton MostMetro Events Calendar.

X-Fest 2010 Pictures

By 2 Comments

Frank Coleman was an official media photographer at last weekend’s X-Fest and took these shots… his hearing is just now returning. 🙂

[album: http://www.daytonmostmetro.com/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/X-Fest 2010/]

Dayton Music Fest 2010 Official Schedule Announced

By Leave a Comment

…although we’ve been exceptionally quiet around these parts, rest assured, we are still very much alive. This afternoon, the organizers of the Dayton Music Fest announced the official schedule for this year’s fest, to take place on Saturday, October 2. You’ll see some new names, some new clubs, but will certainly experience the best that the current Dayton crop has to offer. Take a look:

Blind Bob’s

12:30: The Story Changes
11:30: Kuan
10:30: Eat Sugar
9:30: Okay Lindon

Tumbleweed Connection

12: Human Reunion
11: Astro Fang
10: Jasper the Colossal
9: Yakuza Heart Attack

Oregon Express

12:30: Toads and Mice
11:30: Hospital Garden
10: 30: Nick Kizirnis Band
9:30: Sohio

Trolley Stop

12: The Turkish Delights
11: Good Sir Con Artist
10: Alone at 3 am
9: Bonneville

South Park Tavern

7 pm: Roley Yuma
6 pm: Sleep Fleet
5 pm: Luxury Pushers

Garden Station

3 pm: Jesse Remnant & the Trainwrecks
2 pm: Father’s Day
1 pm: Wake Up Mordecai

…if you are interested in becoming a volunteer for Dayton Music Fest 2010, please contact the staff at [email protected]…

X-Fest Countdown – Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag

By Leave a Comment

An Interview With Jacoby Shaddix From Papa Roach

In Vacaville, California, a city nestled in the Northeast corner of the San Francisco Bay area, two friends (Jacoby Shaddix and Dave Buckner) met up at a football game and the two fell into a conversation about music. Later on, they were joined by a trombonist by the name of Ben Luther and bassist Will James and they all decided to enter the school’s talent contest, where they performed a version of Jimi Hendrix’s Fire…which is hard to imagine being performed with a trombone accompaniment. It didn’t matter much as Ben Luther was replaced by a lead guitarist by the name of Jerry Horton. The band called themselves Papa Roach, which was culled from the nickname of Jacoby’s step-grandfather Howard William Roatch, who would later, in 2006, commit suicide. In the early days, Papa Roach toured around the bay area in a van nicknamed Moby Dick, honing their skills, getting exposed to various genres of music and garnering fans.

Around 1994, the band compiled and recorded an EP titled Potatoes For Christmas and remained on their grueling tour schedule. They followed up that recording with a demo call Caca Bonita, which was cut in 1995. Will James became more involved in going to a church camp, making it impossible for him to attend gigs and practices, so the group replaced him with their roadie, Tobin Esperance. In ’97, the group recorded their first LP, Old Friends From Young Years, which they supported by touring with the likes of Incubus, Powerman 5000, Hed PE, Snot, Far and Static-X. In 1998 and 1999, Papa Roach recorded Five Tracks Deep and Let ‘Em Know, respectively, and while it sold well and garnered some interest from a high profile record company, the boys at Warner Bros. Took a declined to sign the band, passing up songs like Infest, Last Resort and Broken Home.

DreamWorks Records picked up the band in 1999 and, upon some reworking of older material and laying down the tracks for some new material, Papa Roach released their major label debut album on April 25th, 2000…and it sold 30,000 copies the first week.

The passing years has seen Papa Roach emerging as a distinctive force in the rock and roll arena, morphing from their nu metal rage into something that you cannot easily put your finger on. It’s almost like you can see the band with their eyes, ears and fingers straining to take in the ambient sounds of the world, melding it into a streaming stream of satisfied angst, borrowing elements of electronica, the glitter bands, the arena rockers, the anthemic masters and twisting it into a new sound. In listening to the tight live tracks and the crunching electronic loops on their new album, Time For Annihalation, it seems that Papa’s got a brand new bag indeed.

I was lucky enough to be able to get an interview with Jacoby Shaddix, lead singer of Papa Roach, before their appearance at X-Fest in Dayton, Ohio.

J.T.: Hey, how are you doing today? (static) Are we on?
Jacoby: Yeah, can you hear me?

J.T.: Just barely. Can you hear me alright?
Jacoby: Can you hear me?

J.T.: (line clears up) Ah! There we go. That’s better. How are you doing today?
Jacoby: Fine, man. We just got done with the European tour and we flew in yesterday, so I’m just hitting the ground running, you know? We’ve only got a short time before the new album comes out.

J.T.: What date is that due to drop again?
Jacoby: August 31st.

J.T.: Okay. So that means everyone’s going to be all over it right when you get to X-Fest here.
Jacoby: Oh, hell yeah.

J.T.: Now, how many times have you guys played the Dayton area?
Jacoby: As far as X-Fest, to be honest, maybe once or twice before, but I know we’ve been in Dayton a bunch over our career.

J.T.: With the new album, one of the things I wanted to talk to you about is that, especially when you listen to other bands, Papa Roach seems to have matured rather quickly in comparison. Was that intentional? Was that like everybody in the band had the same vision and focus?
Jacoby: I mean, yeah, for us, years and years of being a band and making music together really…we weren’t going so much for more of a mature sound, but more about letting the music take us where it’s going to take us. With our first record, we came in with Nu Metal and rap metal with things like Last Resort and Between Angels And Insects and then, over the years, it kind of evolved into into a more straight ahead rock band. We really enjoy that: me in particular to prove myself as a valid rock and roll singer. I think over the past two records, we really been able to secure ourselves as a staple of rock music and earn some respect over the years and backed that up with a lot of touring and we’ve put out a few records now, so it’s not our rookie year no more and we’re here to stay. That’s what’s up.

J.T.: Yeah, You know, a lot of bands spend their whole career striving to create a “signature sound,” and you guys seem to head in the opposite direction and just follow what interests you at the time. Has that alienated any of your fan base?
Jacoby: Oh, I think, really and truly, that that has really afforded us an opportunity maintain our relevance as a rock and roll band. I think that if we had just done the same thing over and over, we would have just been a one trick pony and become a parody of ourselves. I really just don’t see that happening. I grew up listening to bands like the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Led Zeppelin…particularly Led Zeppelin was one of those bands that just always evolved. They had elements of folk in their music. They had elements of metal. They had elements of rhythm and blues and just straight ahead rock and roll. They had a lot of different influences in their style and, yeah, they were a rock band, but they experimented a lot with their sound. We look at that and go, ‘Alright, I want to do that! I want to evolve!’ Not necessarily to sound like Led Zeppelin, but just to have the freedom to explore different sounds.

J.T.: Well, with these festivals or on some of the larger tours the band has been on, does it kind of get you out of the vacuum and you hear things that other people are doing and spark your brain into going in another direction?
Jacoby: Oh yeah, definitely. I think sharing the stage with a lot of different types of bands…we just went to Europe and we did shows with metal bands, but then we did shows with super alternative bands like The Sound and even hip hop reggae groups, which were killer, so we hear that and I’m like, ‘Fuck! That would be cool to just funk it up again!’ I mean, who knows? I do really enjoy playing with a bunch of different styles of bands though.

J.T.: Well, whenever you guys have a new release and it hits the radio, I’ll listen to the song and then the DJ will be like, ‘…and that was Papa Roach!’ and I’ll be like, ‘Really?’ Usually I can pick up on who a group is by vocals and style, but even your vocals change up, which is amazing.
Jacoby: Yeah, we always try to push it, man. We always try to do something different.

J.T.: Well, like with the new one, the live tracks that are on it…I’ve never heard a live album that made you feel as if you were there. It was just so crisp and such a good balance of the band and the audience…
Jacoby: Well, pretty much the way we recorded the show, we obviously put microphones on the instruments and did that whole nine, but also, we put a lot of microphones in the crowd. That was the goal. We wanted to make the listener feel like they were a part of this experience going on and I think we captured the energy of the crowd sing-a-longs and stuff like that. That’s the one thing: we always involve our audience with our show and I believe that it’s a live record that will inspire the fans to want to come to see the show.

J.T.: So do you think, with the album dropping so soon before X-Fest, are you guys going to be riding that in?
Jacoby: Oh yeah! We’re going to be playing new stuff as well as the classics, so it’s going to be a bangin’ set.

J.T.: Well, I am guessing that you are on one of the press junket marathons, so I will try and cut this short for you…
Jacoby: Oh, I got some time…what’s up?

J.T.: Okay! Well, what do you think about Kick In The Teeth…that has kind of that throwback, old style anthem rock vibe to it…
Jacoby: It’s kind of got sort of a Gary Glitter vibe to it.

J.T.: Yeah!
Jacoby: We heard that and it’s kind of got that anthemic thing to it and it’s different and we kind of twisted it up. We listen to other bands and it inspires us to write our own shit. It’s just got that arena rock/anthemic thing to it that we like and it’s got that killer crowd sing-a-long stuff. When we were working on that song, it was apparent that it would fit really well in the ‘live’ realm, like in front of an audience. That’s what it’s about. We’re really proud of that song. I think Burn is another song that is a little more…we also wanted to go with a little more modern sounding stuff like with a distorted violin loop and stuff like that and just mix it up and have a good time, and that song Burn, I think is another big rock anthem. We’re going to go shoot a video for it here in a minute, so I’m excited about that too.

J.T.: Yeah, I love that song. When I got the album, that was the first song I homed in on because I thought it was a cover of that Nine Inch Nails song.
Jacoby: Yeah! That’s that song off the Natural Born Killers soundtrack, right?

J.T.: Yeah.
Jacoby: Yeah, that’s a bad ass track right there.

J.T.: Well, coming off of this album, are you already looking towards the direction of the next one?
Jacoby: Oh, well, when we go out on our next headlining tour, we’ll start writing new material. I think it will be interesting with songs like Burn that has those keyboard sounds and loops and stuff like that, we kind of want to keep going down that path. That is kind of the direction that we want to keep going in and I think that knowing that now will really help us focus in and make it easy for us to create the sound that we’re going for.

J.T.: You know, I just spoke with Chris Stein from Blondie and some other musicians from that CBGB era in the seventies and I just kind of submerged myself in that scene. There’s a lot of music there that seemed to miss at that time, but feels like it would hit with some of the technological advances in music and production that we have now. It’s almost like it needs to be revisited.
Jacoby: Oh yeah, that is some great classic punk rock.

J.T.: I think Papa Roach’s music seems to embrace a lot of that early, raw sound.
Jacoby: I think, for us, that is a sound that has a lot of raw power and energy and it’s something that we’re drawn to and strive for. It think that the early punk rock is the most honest sound. I mean, those guys were just wearing their hearts on their sleeves and that is a lot like Papa Roach. Do we actually sound like an early seventies punk band? No. But the spirit is definitely alive within our music.

J.T.: I remember reading a quote from you that you said you would never do the nu metal/rap type music again. If it came up and fit in the writing of a song, would it be something that you would pursue?
Jacoby: Oh I mean, at any point in time, anything goes. I think we went with achieving a goal and proving ourselves as a valid rock band and now that we have, the playing field is really open now. I will never say never.

J.T.: Cool. Is there anything out there that I haven’t asked you that you want out there?
Jacoby: Um…that’s pretty much it. That’s what’s going on in our world right now.

J.T.: Well, I guess send a message to Dayton and have them come out to X-Fest.
Jacoby: Dayton: Anybody coming to X-Fest, you better wear your diapers because we’re going to rock the shit out of you!

J.T.: (laughs) That should be a t-shirt for your merch table.
Jacoby: There you go, baby!

J.T.: Well, I thank you very much for your time and…
Jacoby: Well, hopefully I’ll see you in Dayton.

J.T.: Yeah, hopefully I’ll be able to catch up with you in the press tent at X-Fest then.
Jacoby: Alright. Take care and if you see me, tap me on the shoulder and tell me that you’re the guy who interviewed me.

J.T.: Okay, cool. I sure will. I’ll talk to you later.
Jacoby: Okay, take it easy bro’.

Papa Roach will be joined by Shinedown, Seether, the Sick Puppies, Drowning Pool, the Dirty Heads, Redline Chemistry, the Paper Tongues, American Bang and Janus on September 12th at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds during X-Fest. The festival begins at noon and you can purchase tickets at any Ticketmaster outlet for $35 or at the gate the day of the show for $40.

Music Video Monday: Labor Day Edition

By Leave a Comment

Happy Labor Day, Dayton music fans!  Since we’re supposed to celebrating working, today’s video features a band that just finished working on an album.  The Give Ups are celebrating the release of their new album, Gentlemen’s Club on Saturday at South Park Tavern.  Show details are available at the Dayton MostMetro calendar.

Here are the Give Ups playing at Elbos back in 2006.

X-Fest Countdown – Tongues Untied

By Leave a Comment

An Interview With Paper Tongues’ Guitarists Devin Forbes & Joey Signa

The Paper Tongues began organically, coalescing from within the Charlotte, NC music scene in 2007, eventually releasing their debut album on March 30th, 2010. The future members of the Paper Tongues drifted into the orbit of Uptown Charlotte, where those who had something to play and wanted to be heard go. It has been misquoted at times that the Paper Tongues created something called The Improv Music Experience. It was nothing so formal as one might infer from the misquote. It was more in line with a jam session with different musicians joining the fray at will. Yet, it did serve an important function as it introduced and nurtured those who would eventually form the Paper Tongues.

It is a rare thing for a band to meet, meld and mature in such a short span of time. Going from performing impromptu jam sessions, then laying down demo tracks and promoting them on MySpace, which gained them an immediate moderate notoriety and jump started their journey through the world of the club circuit. Fast forward a short time later and we see the group as polished performers, introducing the masses to their music through their self titled debut album, which ran up to #110 in the Billboard charts. The spotlight began to shine more intensely on this seven member group and they began touring with the likes of Flyleaf, Everclear and Switchfoot and, at various times, sharing the stage with Anberlin, 30 Seconds To Mars, Rise Against and Muse.

Describing the band’s sound is impossible. They have, in other interviews, described it as “club rock,” but that is an oversimplification. While their music does possess the incessant hooks and danceability that is a requirement of the club scene, but there is more depth to their lyrics and more of a layered texture to their rhythms and melodies. All seven members of the band bring various influences to the sound of the whole and almost every conceivable musical genre becomes can be found lurking within the band’s tracks. From the pop-hop, maniacally insistent song Ride To California to Trinity, with its roughly apocalyptic R&B vocals set against a backdrop of electronic elements and a symphonic wall of guitars.

Aswan North possesses a beatific face framed with spiraled curls and a voice that runs the gamut from harsh hip hop to intensely burning R&B. He possesses a shamnistic stage presence, like a hip hop Jim Morrison, his body becoming another facet of his voice, interpreting the lyrics with an animistic wave of emotive motion. The other members of the band are a constant surge of movement and sound with Cody Blackler working the keys of his Fender Rhodes, Devin Forbes and Joey Signa laying down the guitar tracks while Daniel Santell wields his bass guitar, creating a running rhythm on each song. Jordan Hardee keeps the beat behind his drum kit, producing a percussive drive behind the band while Clayton Simon utilizes his synthesizers for flourishes and persistent rhythms, holding together and expanding the sound of the band.

I have been able to interview two of the guitarists from the Paper Tongues (Devin Forbes and Joey Signa) prior to their appearance at X-Fest to ask them about the roots of the group, their diverse fan base and their plans for the future…

J.T.: This is kind of a multi-tiered question: With bands like Switchfoot, Flyleaf, Muse and yourselves, there is a vastly shifting terrain within the music industry. It seems like the whole industry is changing and your group is on the forefront of this change in terms of marketing, performances, venues, etc. Do you see this change as bringing the fans and the group closer together as opposed to the “supergroup” days when fans filed into an arena, the band played their set list and then everyone went home?
Devin Forbes: I really hope so. Not that we don’t want to reach as many people as possible…we would love to play arena’s if we got the opportunity…but the band/crowd interaction is so important to us. The first thing Aswan does at the beginning of every show is jump out in the audience to shake as many hands as possible. We love hanging out after the show to meet people and actually make some kind of connection beyond the performance. As far as things changing from the “supergroup” days, I really don’t know what it’s going to look like a year from now or five years from now. We’re just taking life as it comes and trying to be as prepared as possible for changes that are inevitable.

J.T.: Have these changes affected the way your music is created, possibly giving you more freedom to write and create works that reflect the really, real world?
Devin Forbes: I think that there has been so much music in the past however many years that is extremely fun to listen to, but doesn’t really have a message. People are ready to hear something positive that actually hits on deeper issues. Granted, I listen to just about anything and there is obviously a time and a place for every kind of music, be it hip-hop, rock, dance, club, funk, folk, or jazz. We write about what means the most to us and hope that it touches somebody in a real way.

J.T.: With the Papers Tongues penchant for playing with other acts (usually in tours consisting of more than three or four bands) or playing the various festivals, like X-Fest, do you feel the band picks up influences from the music being played around them?
Joey Signa: Every chance we get to watch and hang out with other bands we do, because we have so much to learn from them. Bands that have been around for a long time, and our contemporaries. Bands that are in the same place as us, figuring it out just like we are. We get inspired by all different ways, and one of them is definitely seeing how other bands move us.

J.T.: On that same note, do you feel that the band has been able to grow and mature quicker by being in such close proximity to more seasoned bands, maybe avoiding pitfalls that other groups have had to endure?
Joey Signa: There is no doubt we have gotten to see what the “other side” looks like when it comes to bands who have been through a lot more than we have. We are not ashamed to ask for advice. There is no formula to this thing, but a lot of bands share the same experiences so its nice to hear what they have to say.

J.T.: Your music is such a fusion of so many different influences, from hot hip hop beats and hooks to crushingly heavy riffs; does this endless well of energy make it difficult to create a signature sound or does the sound kind of create itself?
Devin Forbes: It has been somewhat been creating itself. When you put 7 musicians from completely different backgrounds in a room and tell them to write a song, the outcome is a complete mystery. There are so many influences floating around our group and showing up in songs where we’d least expect it. There really is a piece of everybody in our music which gives it a sound we’re not sure what to call. It’s hard to define, but it hasn’t been hard to create our sound; it’s just a combo of all of us. Of course we are still trying to figure out what exactly our sound is. I think it will always be a collage of different styles.

J.T.: From reading blog posts and various newspaper articles about the band, it seems as if you are drawing quite a fan base from some really radically different demographics that kind of mirrors the facets of the band’s various personalities and tastes. Does the band kind of feed off of that fan base, pushing themselves to take on broader musical influences?
Joey Signa: Absolutely. I love seeing parents and their children at our shows, both equally excited to be there. It is so inspiring to get to see the people who are grabbing on to our music in a deeper way than, ‘Oh, its a cool hit song.’ We always want to be there for our fans, in every way. They are the reason we tour so much and hang out after every show! Our songs aren’t personal, they’re ‘For the People.’

J.T.: You can feel a lot of the essence of each member of the band’s personality and essence and contributions in each of the songs Paper Tongues has performed. Does that ever leave any of the members of the group feeling emotionally drained or vulnerable?
Devin Forbes: Of course! Performing in front of people is the most naked and vulnerable you could ever be. When we write these songs, we’re in a room to ourselves and we have the freedom to explore anything we want with music without being judged. When you play in front of people, it’s taking something you have written, an expression of you innermost being, and putting it up for judgment. The audience has every right to simply say, ‘Eh, this really isn’t that good,’ but you just spent a month working on wording it just right. It’s hard to put that much personal emotion on the line every day.

J.T.: With seven members, does it become a logistical nightmare to tour incessantly as you do?
Devin Forbes: Yeah, it’s insane trying to get seven people on the same page every single day. Being on time for sound checks, interviews, radio performances, shows, signings, etc, is a nightmare in itself. We do our best and truly love what we do. We love being busy and touring all the time. This is our passion and we do it with zeal. It’s hard, but worth every minute.

J.T.: What is the next step for the band?
Joey Signa: Tour. Tour. Tour. Touring is so important and we will continue to tour as long as we can. We want to meet come face to face with as many fans as we can.

On September 12th, The X (WXEG) welcomes Shinedown, Seether, Papa Roach, the Sick Puppies, Drowning Pool, the Dirty Heads, Redline Chemistry, the Paper Tongues, American Bang and Janus to the Montgomery County Fairgrounds for the fifteenth annual X-Fest. Tickets are $35 through any Ticketmaster outlet or $40 at the gate the day of the show.

Rock Out to Reggae

By 1 Comment

Enjoy the 23rd Annual Michelob Dayton Reggae Festival this Sun, September 5, from 1- 8pm at Dave Hall Plaza Park at 5th & Jefferson Streets in Downtown Dayton.   Featuring live reggae music from seven of the midwest’s best reggae bands, numerous food, beverage and craft vendors in a beautiful greenspace in downtown Dayton, The Dayton Reggae Festival is the midwest’s longest-running Reggae Festival.  Bring your own blankets and lawn chairs, but you may want to get there early to get the prime spots in the shade under the tree’s on the north side of the park. This free admission festival is the third in a series of three summer music festivals presented  by the City of Dayton Department of Recreation & Youth Services and The Downtown Dayton Partnership.

The musical line up:
1pm: Nyabinghi Culture Collective

2pm: Lucky Spaulding from Cincinnati
3pm:  Mista Dread from Jamaica and Toledo

4pm: ROB DREAD & KMA from Lexington, KY

5pm: Ital Fiyya from Cincinnati/Rhode Island

6pm: SEEFARI Dayton’s own!

7pm: Yabba Griffiths & Traxx -Original Studio One Artist from Jamaica/Chicago

There will be a Pre-Festival Party with Yabba Griffiths and Traxx at Gilly’s on Saturday Sep 4th that gets started about 9:30pm- admission is  $7 at the door.

Official Reggae Festival After Party
@ Club Vex with Good Over Evil Sound Consortium
8PM – 2:30AM at Club Vex
101 S. St. Clair, Dayton
Scorpius Max with Obi Won & The Good Over Evil Sound Consortium

Annual Reggae Festival After Party
@ J. Alan’s with Demolition Crew
8PM-? at J-Alans
121 N. Ludlow St, Dayton
($5.00)
Demolition Crew

Music Video Monday: August 30th edition

By Leave a Comment

This week gives me an excuse to share one of my favorite classic Dayton videos from a band that’s still rocking and rolling around town.  You can catch Real Lulu this weekend as part of Ladyfest Dayton 2010.  We’ll tell you more about Ladyfest later on this week.  In the meantime, enjoy this video and check out the Ladyfest flier and other details on the Dayton MostMetro events calendar.