The GeekCouch: Backstage Pass – Episode 01
The GeekCouch: Backstage Pass – Episode 01
Welcome to the first complimentary music podcast: Backstage Pass. Discover music from Tin Horn Prayer, Ghost Heart, One Win Choice, Half Hearted Hero and The American Scene.
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Show Notes:
Band #1: Tin Horn Prayer
• TIN HORN PRAYER (Denver, CO)
GET BUSY DYING 12″ LP - Bermuda Mohawk Productions (02/08/11)
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RIYL: Drag The River • Lawrence Arms • Murder By Death • Tom Waits • Uncle Tupelo • Hot Water Music
• BIO
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The concept of combining the gruffness and intensity of punk with Americana and frontier-based folk has been toyed with for many years within the indie rock scene, but very few have blended the two sounds as well as Tin Horn Prayer. Featuring ex-members of the Blackout Pact, Pinhead Circus, Only Thunder, Ghost Buffalo and Love Me Destroyer, Get Busy Dying is soulful and chalk-full of whiskey-soaked narratives that nod toward Lucero, Tom Waits and Murder By Death, but also stay true to the band members’ post-punk roots. If you’ve ever wondered what it would sound like if the Lawrence Arms and Uncle Tupelo got into a rowdy bar fight, look no further than this amazing record.
Band #2: Ghost Heart
• GHOST HEART (Grand Rapids, MI)
THE TUNNEL CD / LP - Friction Records (01/29/11)
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RIYL: Animal Collective • Local Natives • Grizzly Bear • Vampire Weekend • Pink Floyd
• BIO
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Ghost Heart performs accessible yet expansive rock songs that synthesize electronica, American folk, samples, tribal percussion, shoegaze guitar sounds and layered vocals to produce an effect that is at once joyously communal and deeply personal. The band’s sound has been described by the Detroit Metro Times as “a little of Animal Collective and Vampire Weekend, only with more heart.” The Tunnel is instantly gratifying in some moments, challenging in others, but by any standard a unique listening experience.
Band #3: One Win Choice
• ONE WIN CHOICE (Philadelphia, PA)
CONVEYOR CD / LP - Jump Start Records (03/01/11)
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RIYL: Strike Anywhere • No Trigger • Comeback Kid • A Wilhelm Scream
• BIO
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Channeling the ethos and intensity of bands such as Strike Anywhere and Refused, and and combining melodic elements not unlike Rise Against or A Wilhelm Scream, Philly’s One Win Choice is a bastion of everything hardcore punk should strive to be. Conveyor burns with an underlying fire and passion, and the term “sonic annihilation” comes to mind more than once during the album’s 33 minute run time. Still, this explosive full-length also frames a group of individuals who have grown immensely as songwriters; these 13 tracks are meticulously crafted, underscored by thought-provoking lyrics and a palpable sincerity.
Band #4: Half Hearted Hero
• HALF HEARTED HERO (New Bedford, MA)
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RUNNING WATER 12″ EP - Animal Style Records (04/05/11)
RIYL: Transit • Small Brown Bike • The Starting Line • The Fullblast
STREAM: Bandcamp
• BIO
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Running Water finds Half Hearted Hero blasting through six cuts of infectious and introspective pop punk while wielding a razor-sharp edge and reveling in a much grittier tone than its peers. With ample energy and hooks galore, the band tips its proverbial cap to contemporaries such as Transit and The Starting Line, but it also explores varying tempos and unique song structures, giving nods to punk torchbearers such as Small Brown Bike and The Fullblast.
Mastered by Jason Livermore at The Blasting Room (Rise Against, A Wilhelm Scream, Propagandhi), Running Water is the follow-up to the Half Heart Hero’s 2009 full-length, Defining. Refining. The vinyl is limited to a pressing of 500 on three colorways (100 orange-red marble / 200 opaque olive green / 200 brown)
Band #5: The American Scene
• THE AMERICAN SCENE (Berkeley, CA)
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BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION CD - Pure Noise Records
RIYL: Jimmy Eat World, Mansions, The Starting Line
STREAM: Bandcamp
• BIO
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Comfortably rooted between the heart-on-sleeve songwriting of Mansions and the infectious, driving melodies of Jimmy Eat World, By Way Of Introduction finds newcomers The American Scene cranking out an incredibly confident and accomplished debut. Still these Bay Area kids manage to balance an uncommon maturity with well-timed bursts of intensity and an overall sense of fun more akin to the pop punk sect. Nine rock-solid songs that swim in warm textures and nostalgic tones while keeping things upbeat and airy, By Way Of Introduction radiates positive energy and comforts the soul. Get acquainted with The American Scene.
