The Sidekicks have justifiably been praised by fans and critics alike for writing some of the best pop punk songs to come out of the Midwest in the past decade. But while the band was winning over city after city of supporters, guitarist Matt Scheuermann was quietly working on his much more reserved side project American War. The result is a collection of strikingly beautiful records, the latest being the…
Kinivo has created a simple and easy to use Bluetooth speaker that will hold up to whatever sort of dings and scratches that an owner can throw at it, while possessing compatibility with a wide array of distinct devices (Android , Apple and Blackberry products all have full replay functionality with the BTX350). The speaker is controlled easy by utilizing its control buttons. An easy push will immediately go…
Pinnacle Peppermint Bark is one of the latest efforts by Pinnacle, and represents a bold new flavor profile for vodka. While many companies have attempted to bring in fruit flavors to vodkas in the past, Pinnacle has married the alcohol burn of vodka with a similarly sharp peppermint flavor. What results is a product that is quite like a peppermint candy, albeit in a liquid form. The spirit works…
Unity Vibration is a different type of brewery, gathering most of its notoriety from producing premium Living Kombucha Tea. Unity Vibration’s owners Rachel and Terek Kanaan stepped out of the box and created Unity Vibration Kombucha beer. We had the pleasure of tasting their Peach Bourbon Wild American Ale. This beer was a unique experience, first you can’t just “crack” open the bottle, this stuff is very carbonated. You have…
The scratching and sampling of the beginning moments of “You Oughta Know” should remind individuals of artists like The Avalanches and Kid Koala; the sultry vocals that come soon after are a direct blend of Portishead and The Propellerheads. Of course, this is a cover of Alanis Morrisette’s original track, and the vocals pretty much stick to the blueprint that Morrisette created in the original; where the two tracks do…
We are currently offering a contest in which the grand prize winner takes home a $500 gift card for Guitar Center, a $250 gift card for createLIVE, a copy of Ableton Live 9, and free downloads for each of the three subsequent creativeLIVE workshops. The creativeLIVE Music Industry Secrets Giveaway Official Contest Rules 1) CONTEST DESCRIPTION AND PERIOD: The creativeLIVE Music Industry Secrets Giveaway (the “Contest”) begins on begins…
With four releases in four consecutive years, Oregon Punk Bluegrass collective Larry & His Flask are not fucking around. They’re on a mission to spread their banjo/mandolin-fused punk rock from city to city and while no album to date has been able to quite capture their amazing live show, By the Lamplight is the closest so far. Since the band’s grand re-opening in 2008, when they went from being a more traditional…
The opening sequence to Cloudberry Kingdom gave me more anxiety than most full games ever have or will. In it, a computer-controlled character navigates through an endless loop of randomly-generated platforming levels from hell, narrowly dodging spikes and sawblades on his way to safety. These levels looked impossible, with no discernable pattern or pause in the action to speak of. “How the heck am I supposed to do that?” I…
Adam Zwig is a musician that has been putting in work for a number of years; Visions Of The Shimmering Night is his fifth album, and was produced by Stuart Sikes (Modest Mouse) and David Bianco (Tom Petty). Everybody Love is a tremendous opening effort for Zwig. During this introductory track, Adam is able to provide listeners with directions for where he’ll ultimately go on the album. These thematic touches…
Living Proof is the first introduction that listeners will likely have for Perala’s music, and it allows listeners to be entranced by her inimitable style. The track soars on plinking pianos and a vocal style that takes on hints of Sheryl Crow and Stevie Nicks. While Perala’s vocals are front and center, the instrumental arrangements present here provide a very thoughtful backdrop. Fine uses an interesting differentiation between the vocal…
The Wear introduces listeners to the Straw Dogs’ latest effort, No Dividing Line. This soft, alternative take on rock is led by an emotive and alluring set of vocals. The lush arrangements laid down by the drums and guitars make for a track that will stick with listeners long after it ends. High Horses speeds things up, inserting a Tom Petty meets Soul Asylum feel into the mix. No Dividing…
Walk begins Chances, and it immediately provides listeners with a heavy dose of emotional intensity and bombastic instrumentation. The band touches upon Brand New and Taking Back Sunday, but improves on the formula with the inclusion of a beefiness that will resound with listeners long after the disc ends. Downin’ straddles the line between pop-punk and emo-rock, while remaining eminently approachable for fans of rock and metal alike. While there…
Strong Language is a nearly forgotten mockumentary, directed by Simon Rumley, that provides US viewers in 2013 a look into what was popular and hip in 1990s London. The video quality of this release is sharp and vibrant, allowing those watching to easily compare the differences, both minor and major between what is portrayed in Strong Language and their own unique context. While relying on over the top characterizations and…
Schiek is the gold standard for lifting gloves. Whether it is the durable Amara synthetic leather used, or the fins that are present to ensure that someone can easily take the gloves off, Schiek gloves decrease the amount of wear to one’s hands and fingers during iron sports. The leather is thick enough to protect while being thin enough to gain a solid grip on…
Interested individuals that wish to have the ultimate fidelity in their recordings would do well to purchase a Philips Pocket Memo; the $500 price point ensures that important meetings, calls, and thoughts can be archived and kept for eternity. The sheer amount of functionality that the Pocket Memo possesses makes it a must-buy for students, doctors, lawyers, and administrators alike. Philips has ensured that despite all of these inclusions,…
Christina Ricci, Tom Beringer, and Jason Gedrick (from TV’s Dexter, Luck) star in War Flowers, a film set during the American Civil War. Despite being separated by 150 years, the emotions that are held by the movie’s characters will resound loudly to anyone that has loved their family or struggled for something better. Ricci’s love conundrum – seemingly losing her husband during the hostilities, a new figure of masculinity…
A Return to The Cool (Album review of Tim Easton’s, Not Cool) by Owen M.S. Coughlin, Jr. In the world of music and art as a whole, there is, for whatever reason, a tendency to try to put artists into a certain kind of box, based on the perceived genre under which their work falls. It’s sort of like, “well these guys rock hard but they are very emo,…
On Friday, August 2nd, doom metal pioneers Pentragram ripped through a set of the classics at Emo’s East in Austin,Texas. I expected the crowd to be bigger but the show seemed poorly promoted in the city. On the upside, attendance wasn’t too bad and those who came out had a blast. The moment wild man singer, Bobby Liebling, took stage, the crowd roared. He grinned and posed, loving every minute.…
It’s been about six years since The Blow Monkeys – once one of the brightest spots on the 80’s New Wave movement – reunited and the band has certainly been making up for lost time. Feels Like a New Morning marks the band’s fourth release since getting back on the bike and while they have certainly settled into a much more mellow vibe, they have likely aged right alongside their…
There are some critically-lauded TV shows that just leave you scratching your head at their appeal (Hemlock Grove? The Killing?). The Good Wife is not one of them. With refreshingly creative characters and impressive writing, it’s pretty easy to see why The Good Wife continues to be a favorite outlet for many. Part legal drama and part political series, the show is a mirror of our current and past…