BACK IN BIZ-NESS
I’m a lazy asshole and I haven’t touched this blog in several months. I was thinking today, “I like writing things. I should do that again”.
So here I am.
-Matt
SWEARIN’ - What A Dump
I’m a big fan of lo-fi pop-punk. It was no surprise that I loved Swearin’.
Formerly of Bad Banana and recently disbanded PS Eliot, front-lady Allison Crutchfield is not new to this business. This is pure, joyous, simplistic pop-punk at its finest. Low-mixed telephone-sounding vocals, super loud drums and fuzzy guitars play around throughout the whole EP. I’m really excited to see more of Swearin’!
Find Swearin:
littl
LITTLE RACER - Split For The Coast//The Town
I first discovered Little Racer from the YVYNL blog. 4 minutes later, I fell in love. “Split for the Coast” is 3 minutes and forty seconds long. In those 3 minutes and forty seconds, Little Racer managed to win over my heart with their surfy-twangy guitars and simple drum beats. The whole thing isn’t musically simple though. It gets pretty interesting and a little heavier half-way into the song, with lovely harmonic and melodic guitar lines, Beach Boys-esque vocals, and a tropical feel. I’d call it majestic. Before going into the magical hook of the song, “I wanna go back to the coast”, Little Racer heads back into their dancy-tropical daze and concludes their three minutes and forty seconds of wonder. This is definitely one of the best things I have heard in a while. You can PRE-ORDER it right HERE. Or just stream it on Bandcamp!
Find Little Racer:
MESSY HOPPING - Split EP by Tree Hopping and Messy Sparkles
These guys know how to bring the groove. The latest brilliant release from Los Angeles based cassette label MJMJ Records is a pretty refreshing breath of air from all of the other electronic garbage you hear all over the radio these days.
Gabriel Berrios, aka TREE HOPPING from Gainesville, Florida, begins the album with the infectious “Everglades Glitter Dark”. Soaked in reverb, Berrios’ tropical groove gets the party started quite easily. It’s really hard not to enjoy this.
Fayetteville, Arkansas based MESSY SPARKLES begins their half of the album with “New Blessings” (which is also the opener to the MJMJ records’ comp, Back in Bizniss) and it’s one damn great song. Self described as “sloppy”, it’s nowhere near that. Their side of the album presents a joyous arousal of fun, and your ears will be thankful later.
You can buy this great release from MJMJ records, riiiiiiiiiiiight HERE. They’re only limited to 100 copies though, so get em’ quick! You can even download it for free on the MJMJ Records bandcamp!
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TREE HOPPING -
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MESSY SPARKLES -
DIRTY GOLD
Photos taken by Tommy McAdams from Sezio’s “Four Day Weekend” Nov. 11, 2011.
I’m sure many of you already know who Dirty Gold is. These guys are really young. I mean, really young. But that doesn’t mean these kids can’t make amazing music. There’s tons of California vibes throughout their music, and I wouldn’t expect anything less from San Diego. At times, they kinda sound like a more tropical Vampire Weekend. Regardless, they bring their own personal flair to their style. It’s hard to believe that songs such as “California Sunrise” aren’t garnering as much attention as they should. These guys should be big! I wish them much success.
I recently attended Sezio’s “Four Day Weekend” and these guys put on a remarkable show. Headlining the 2nd night of the fest, I already felt like Dirty Gold could be headlining tours across the country. They made their presence known by performing wonderful songs such as “California Sunshine”, “Sea Hare”, and “North”, among many others. They looked really happy as well. I was glad to part of such a great experience. Apparently they will not be performing again for some time *just announced a show in LA on Nov. 25th* but I’m sure they will be back at it in no time. In the mean time though, check their EP “Roar” on their website and keep updated!
-mb
CHAIRS MISSING - To the Hills
San Diego natives, Chairs Missing, follow up their debut EP, When, Now, with a brand new 7” record on Loud and Clear Records. It’s nothing short of excellent. Chairs Missing first caught my eye when I saw them perform at the Treehouse last New Years Eve. Reverb-soaked guitars and vocals are accompanied by thunderous drums and simple bass lines. Seeing as the drummer doesn’t use a chair when they play live, the name Chairs Missing seems more than appropriate. Be expecting great things coming from these guys in the coming months. Check em’ out at the Soda Bar next Wednesday if you’re over 21.
FACEBOOK / LOUD AND CLEAR RECORDS / BANDCAMP
-mb
UPCOMING SAN DIEGO SHOWS
I feel like I should keep you up to date on what’s going on around here. LOTS OF GOOD STUFF! I’ll be focusing on the all ages stuff though since I’m not of age quite yet. Here is what’s going on this week:
- NOVEMBER 16TH -
Che Cafe Benefit show! Tantive IV, Fed to the Wolves, Deadlined, Legs. 7PM. $5.
Hardcore/Punk/Shoegaze. All these bands are great.
- NOVEMBER 21ST -
The Park Gallery! Gashcat, KIDS, Inspired and the Sleep. 7PM. Free.
Garage/Indie/Folk/Punk
- NOVEMBER 23RD -
Che Cafe! Spirit Animal Thanksgiving Show! Joyce Manor, Lemuria, Calculator, Meseta. 7:30PM. $5.
Punk/Pop Punk/ Indie. Scott always throws the best shows. Come out and support!
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More stuff to come!
Want me to add anything for this week? Let me know!
SUMMER CAMP - Better Off Without You
I don’t know too much about Summer Camp. But what I do know, is that this is a pretty awesome song. Opener from their debut released album, Welcome to Condale, “Better Off Without You” sets the tone of the rest of the album. Vocalist Elizabeth Sankey sings of a much welcomed separation of a relationship - “I used to miss you all the time / but now I think you’re not so fine”. Super cheesy lyrics, right? But it’s really fun nonetheless. Very synth-heavy. I’m sure this song would have been a hit if it was released in the 1980s. Anyways, enjoy!
Send me an email if you would like a sampler!
-mb
TRIPTIDES - PSYCHIC SUMMER
Photo cred: http://triptides.bandcamp.com/album/psychic-summer
Meet Triptides, from Bloomington, Indiana. Bloomington is one of my favorite towns and home to some of my favorite musicians, so it’s no surprise that something as great as this is coming from there. San Diego natives (OH YEAH), Triptides play fun, catchy surf-rock jams. Their debut album “PSYCHIC SUMMER” (sound familiar?) is one of my favorite things to come out this year thus far. Their delicate harmonies and reverb-drenched guitars instantly got me hooked. If you’re a fan of any surfy-rock material, I’d recommend listening to this.
Check em’ out! You can even buy cassettes from them. NEAT!
-mb
WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?
Hey ALL,
Matt here. This is something new that I’m doing. I’m bored most of the time I’m at home. I listen to music a lot. I look at a lot of music blogs. So why not do something I already enjoy doing? I’m starting up this blog to write about music that I enjoy. And I hope you enjoy it too.
A little about me:
Raised in San Diego, California. It gets boring sometimes, but I love it. I’m in a band called KIDS and I also write some tunes under the name of MATT BEAR. I’ve been playing music for a while now, and I’m always excited to share my music with others! My personal blog can be found HERE.
Have fun, and all that shit.
Love,
Matt B.
Wanna send me new music to listen to?
email: mattbearrones@gmail.com
