The Red Sun Is Rising

Sit back, strap in, and hold on to your blood and guts as this four-piece out of Akron, Ohio shoot you up with a good dose of good old-fashioned alternative hard-rock. I came across Red Sun Rising about a year ago, before I started blogging, and discovered them on their Purevolume page. The moment I heard them I was amazed. Their first track, "Too Late" just floored me, and I've listened to it an impossible-to-count number of times since then (they have it free for download on their page). People call it a perfect storm when everything on a song or an album, or anything, just works; perfectly. That's what "Too Late" is. A perfect storm of pounding bass, searing guitar, heart-stopping drums, and anthemic vocals.

RSR's made up of Mike Protich (guitar and vocals), Ryan Wiliams (guitar), Hayes Hornish (bass), and Mark Jendrisak (drums), and these four guys know how to rock. I thought for sure last year someone would pick them up and sign them. I have no idea why they're not already. Right now, listening to the screaming Scorpions-like guitar solo on "Proofless," I'm amazed and frankly a little pissed that someone like Brittany Spears still has a record deal after all the crap that went on in the past few years with her but these guys don't. What a travesty. 

And now "Cole" is playing, and the mood is completely different than that of "Too Late," but it still has a majestic, hard-rock feeling to it. It seems like every song on RSR's debut EP, Red Sun Rising just hits its mark. It's so rare to find that, even on an EP. You get maybe one or two songs that rock, but almost never do you get the excitement of finding that every track is great, and you don't want to skip any of them. I'm telling you, everything on this EP is right: the vocals, the melodies, the instrumentation, the lyrics, the moods, EVERYTHING works. You have to check these guys out, they're just incredible.

Sounds Like: Airbourne, Scorpions, Skid Row, Sixx:A.M.

Key Tracks from Red Sun Rising EP: "Too Late," "Cole," "Proofless," "Elevate"

Check out Red Sun Rising more: http://www.purevolume.com/redsunrisingrocks and http://www.myspace.com/redsunrisingrocks 

StartUp 45

It's been a slow day. I got up late, had work to do, and didn't think I was going to do anything exciting today. WRONG! When I came across these guys, I was floored by their raw, pop-punk approach to modern music and I had to literally stop trying to do the work I was trying to do because I couldn't concentrate for my life. This new four-piece out of Eagle River, Wisconsin totally made my day. Maybe it was the sharp opening riff of "Way Too Long," or maybe it was the head-bopping bass line of "Virus." Whatever it was, I don't know and I don't care. These guys have what it takes to be the same kind of punk sensation as was Blink-182 or Sum 41. Indeed it then seems necessary that their name as well contains a number.

Made up of Dexter Kube (guitar and vocals), Dustin Kube (bass and vocals), Rene Guillen (drums), and newly added member Jacob Klessig (lead guitar), Start Up 45 mixes new melodies and lyrics with old-school early Blink-182-style grit and attitude. "I Heard a Rumor" reminded me fondly of the first time I heard a Blink song, and "Mr. Forgetful" reminded me what it was to be angry and pissed off and listen to something and just get it. And if you ask me, those are definitely the two things a song should do: replay fond memories of the first times you heard similar groups and get the message of teenage angst and life across. And in these two respects StartUp 45 certainly succeeds. Even the title of their EP, Public Indecency has a Blink-182 quality to it. The verdict's in: if you like anything Blink-182, Sum 41, early Green Day, or Zebrahead, you'll love these guys. They're going to be huge. Just wait. And watch.

Sounds Like: Blink-182, Sum 41, Zebrahead, Lit

Key Tracks from Public Indecency: "Way Too Long," "Virus," "Mr. Forgetful," "I Heard a Rumor"

Check out StartUp 45 more at: http://www.unsigned.com/startup45 and http://www.myspace.com/startup45

Our Funeral Forgotten

A shot of clarity. That's what the first of their songs I listened to was called. And it was. It's all there: a driving crash and high-hat cymbal beat, a thumping bass, sheer and sharp guitar riffs, and clear, lucid, hard vocals. This Colorado-based quintet take their cues from groups like HIM, My Chemical Romance, and (+44), and they do it with a clean, sharp shock to the senses. Commissioned by Mike Andrews (vocals), Ryan Apadaca (guitar), Steve Zamora (guitar), Jeff Orcutt (bass), and Kevin Greene (drums), Our Funeral Forgotten blends the dark, yet romantic melodies of groups like HIM and My Chem with the lucid and descriptive lyrics of groups like (+44) and 3 Doors Down.

From the very first chords of "A Shot of Clarity (Take Me Away)," I couldn't have stopped listening if I wanted to. But that's how you know something's special. It's like the first time I heard Metallica's "Master of Puppets," or Kansas's "Carry on Wayward Son;" you don't want to fast-forward, and you can't bare to rewind. You just want to sit and lose yourself in the music. If the first track isn't enough to grab you (and if it isn't, then you're crazy), try the next one of for size. "Reality Hit Me with a Ton of Bricks (Children Who Let Go)" is as amazing from start to finish as is "Helena" by MCR or "Wings of a Butterfly" by HIM. In fact, for all you U2 fans out there, the beginning sounds like something Bono and The Edge would cook up for a U2 album. On top of layered guitars, a chilled-out beat, and a time-keeping bass, Andrews' vocals soar high overhead, and carry the song into domains that few reach with their first few tries at songwriting. And if those two weren't enough, then listen to "On the Twilight Road" and you'll surely then be converted. This one focuses a little more on distorted guitars than the first two, but no one ever said that that was a bad thing. You know what they say: if it ain't broke, then don't fix it. These guys have had significant success in their home state of Colorado, but I'm waiting for them to go national, because when they do, I'll be among the ten people that isn't surprised one bit. Check out their debut album I Am Gone, You Are Dreaming Me. You won't regret it.

Sounds Like: HIM, My Chemical Romance, (+44), Angels & Airwaves, U2

Key Tracks from I Am Gone, You Are Dreaming Me: "A Shot of Clarity (Take Me Away)," "Reality Hit Me with a Ton of Bricks (Children Who Let Go)," "On the Twilight Road," "Beware the Kiss"

Check out Our Forgotten Funeral more at: http://www.unsigned.com/ourfuneralforgotten, http://www.myspace.com/ourfuneralforgotten  and http://www.ourfuneralforgotten.com/Our_Funeral_Forgotten/Welcome.html 

Nothing But Nude Hemp

I was gonna call it a day after doing the piece on The Electric Noise Act, but then I came across these guys, and everything changed. Now I'm normally not soooo much into acoustic music. I like it in moderation. Some Sublime here, some Less Than Jake there. But these guys MADE me sit down and write this. From the first guitar notes of "Porch Days" I was hooked. No question, no comment, no room for argument. If these had great guitar alone I would listen to them. But then they add to that a Sublime-esque drum beat, real easy-going, and a deep, introspective voice. With that combination you can't go wrong.

A four-piece out of Kentucky, Nude Hemp is composed of Landon Carrier (guitar and vocals), Gage Jones (guitar), Matt (bass), and Chris Marsee (drums). Now personally I think this group's best attribute is their incredible guitar playing, but that is not at all to say that there isn't more there. Marsee's drumming seems a little minimalist in the beginning, but then you listen to it, and realize that it fits the music perfectly. And Carrier's vocals, just amazing. Dark and introspective, over a lighter melody, almost what it might sound like if Jim Morrison had joined Sublime for a day. Now these guys are releasing their 5-song EP Seed, and I HIGHLY suggest getting your hands on it. I'm listening to "Porch Days" again, and it's just amazing. "Blue Irish Rain" and "Aqua Dementia" aren't too bad either. Check these guys out. They have something to say.

Sounds Like: Sublime, Less Than Jake, Reel Big Fish, The Avett Brothers

Key Tracks from Seed: "Porch Days," "Nude Hemp," "Blue Irish Rain," "Aqua Dementia"

Check out Nude Hemp more at: http://www.unsigned.com/nudehemp, http://www.myspace.com/cgnh and http://www.showcaseyourmusic.com/nudehemp   

The Electric Noise Act

So today's story is on The Electric Noise Act, a quartet specializing is '60s garage rock and lo-fi. Think of a mix between two or three of the other "The" bands; like The Strokes with pinches of The White Stripes and The Vines thrown in. However you want to mix it though, The Electric Noise Act produces a sound that's very unique. So unique, in fact, I couldn't decide if I liked it or hated it. But that's how you know something's great: it's different. It's easy to find something that sounds like everything else and say you like it because of that. But it's very difficult to find something so different you think you might hate it even as you're realizing you love it.

Comprised of Jared Horner (guitar and vocals), Michael Lane (guitar), Sebastian Coppotelli (bass), and Matt Potter (drums and percussion), TENA delivers driving bass lines, a sloppy-yet-catchy drum and cymbal beat, and dirty, almost Mudhoney-like guitar licks. Separately these could be things that might ruin bands if they don't know how to put them together properly, but here it works perfectly. I LOVE the beginning guitar lick and snare beat on "Street 103." It just GRABS you. If anything, listen to this song first. By far the best in my opinion. But that's not to say the others are bad. I also love the rhythmic bass line on "I'm the Only One for Me," and the quirky guitar chords on "FM Frequency." Besides that, the songs are pervaded by the lo-fi, minimalist, White Stripes-esque drumming of Potter, who compliments Coppotelli's bass, and Horner's and Lane's guitars extremely well. And on top of it, Horner's indie-style vocals just make this group a must-here. If you like anything White Stripes-like, indie, or pertaining to the garage rock genre, check out this Connecticut quartet. They won't be ignored.

Sounds Like: The White Stripes, The Strokes, The Vines, The Posies

Key Tracks: "Street 103," "FM Frequency," "I'm the Only One for Me"

Check out The Electric Noise Act more at: http://www.unsigned.com/theelectricnoiseact and http://www.myspace.com/electricnoiseact  

For Sale By Owner

Blink fans, I got shivers all up and down my freakin' spine today. I heard a group that sounds like old-school Blink-182. Now I love Enema of the State and Take Off Your Pants and Jacket just as much as the next person, but I'm also a fan of their older stuff, Dude Ranch and Cheshire Cat. For Sale By Owner seems to have taken a page right out of the Blink-182 handbook and run with it all the way. It's punked up pop-punk with a sneer; what made us all love Blink in the first place. Made up of Mike Ivens (guitar and vocals), John McAliney (bass and vocals), and Jaime Ott (drums), FSBO even has the same Blink three-piece mentality. Their songs are stripped down, straight-laced, no-bullshit pop-punk rock.

Ivens' guitar licks on all the songs, but in particular "Action Emily," "Long Story Short (She Wasn't for Me)" and "In All Due Respect" even resembles that of Tom DeLonge's in Blink's older songs like "M+M's" and "Josie." McAliney's bass sounds almost exactly like Mark Hoppus's, and although Ott is no Travis Barker, his drumming works out brilliantly for the trio. Not to mention Ivens' and McAliney's shared vocal responsibilities. The duality of such different, yet punkish voices just screams Blink-182 influenced. No, I don't know if they are or not. All I know is that if you like Blink, or anyone like them, you'll love this band. Give them a chance, they grow on you real quick. 

Sounds Like: Blink-182, (+44), Sum 41

Key Tracks from Real Fashion for Real Girls: "Action Emily," "Long Story Short (She Wasn't for Me)," "In All Due Respect," "Hopeless Disorder"

Check out For Sale By Owner at: http://www.unsigned.com/forsalebyowner and http://www.myspace.com/forsalebyownerband

Dear Bobbie, You Rock!

It's just past noon, and as soon as I started listening to these guys, I knew immediately I had to write about them. Though I personally would suspect their name comes from the song "Dear Bobbie" from Yellowcard's third major-label release, "Paper Walls" only they can say for sure where it's from. But that doesn't matter. What does is that the minute I heard these guys, I heard everything I love in a song: ripping guitar riffs, bass lines that do more than just mimc the bass drum, a drum beat the keeps the song moving, self-aware and meaningful lyrics, and even some nice keys.

Made up of Mitch (guitar and vocals), Paul (guitar, vocals and keyboards), Troy (bass), and Scotty (drums), this four-piece out of Price, Utah rock just as hard as any pop-punkers out of New York or Boston. From the start of "Can't Take This Town," from their EP Standing Room Only, I was drawn in by the great vocals of Mitch, the great lyrics, and just the fantastic musicianship of all four members. It continued with the anthemic choruses and punk-felt verses of "It's All Good" and "Endless Tragedy." For an EP or demo, these three songs are extremely well recorded, and material-wise, just top-notch. If you haven't heard them yet, get your ass over to their sites ad listen. It's not something you'll feel you wasted your time on.

Sounds Like: Blink-182, The All-American Rejects, Narration

Key Tracks from Standing Room Only: "Can't Take This Town," "It's All Good," "Endless Tragedy"

Check out Dear Bobbie more at: http://www.unsigned.com/dearbobbie and  http://www.myspace.com/dearbobbierock