Ed Cole - Interim CD

My old homie and former bandmate Ed sent me his newest solo CD and I couldn't have been more pleased.  Here was my email to him. "Hot damn!!!  Off the charts Ed, the CD is really something else.  You know Beck just won a Grammy for this kind of multi instrumental affair (but I listened to Becks album, not so good...Ed Cole on the other hand is out of this world...maybe you should change your name to just, Ed  :-)   Dude, literally blown away by your song writing (you do know something besides power chords huh?) the album kept me captivated from beginning to end, not a dud on the whole thing.  The hit is obviously "This Way" or so you would think seeing as how you did a vid for it, but I'll say it again, hot damn.  The opening tune "Dog Died..." is the perfect starter, how can you go wrong with a jews harp, but it doesn't end there.  And throughout, I am a big time sucker for the cello, you stick that shit in there and my mind sees colors.  I think my fave is Ancient History, the lyrics, the cello, the family chorus....HOT DAMN!!!  Have you sent this think out to labels, I know you're not the rockstar type but this record is the kind of thing you could make a living on.  You are some kind of acoustic post-punk Woody Guthrie."  Something I left out, in my note to him was mentioning the mind altering cover art.  Let that be a lesson for you folx out there, if you want to represent your aural art well, wrap it in meaningful visual art.  I have listened to this thing like five more times since I wrote that note and I'm still amazed that I actually know someone this talented.  On top of being an incredible folk-punk-singer-song-writer-multi-instrumentalist, he is a masterful composer, surrounding himself with wonderful artists who in their own right are amazing, only serving to make this disc shine brighter.  I asked my old friend to give his take on the project/album and being the Mustard Relic that he is, he wrote what you might call liner notes, exclusive to the Relics... "I started working on Interim in 2010. It was really spurred on by the death of a couple different friends in a short time span in fall of 2010. It's always a time for reflection when someone close kicks the bucket, it shocks you back to your senses. Teenage Hero, Stone Cold Morning, Storyline, Night Stuff, Groovy Gloom - all those songs flowed out in late 2010 - early 2011. All the songs were written by the end of 2011. I started bringing in Amy Danziger, a cello player and friend from Eugene, and she really helped add some melodic elements, was very good at working fast with minimal dialogue, she really works well with others. We recorded a bunch of her parts in my garage at the time.  After  I  moved to Portland in 2012 my computer took a crap and didn't work despite getting kicked multiple times. I was despondent, took the whole fucking thing apart, down to the power supply and plugged every piece back together. After doing this 2 or 3 times, suddenly the stupid thing started working again, I started calling up friends left and right to come over and play on the recordings before the machine melted down again. Brian Gardiner I've known for many years, we were neighbors in Eugene in 2000 and I knew him from Pellet Gun and Dan Jones & the Squids. He's the best drummer in Portland right now, just awesome, Keith-Moon  -meets - classical - percussion kind of drummer, really kicks the whole project into gear. Hans Eichinger is a good friend, also from Eugene, who plays more in the folk idiom. He plays banjo, guitar, fiddle and other instruments. He's got something real about his playing, very in - the - moment, he really knows music from the bowels through the brain. Many others contribute instruments and vocals. Jason and Pia Robbins, AKA the Comforters, are friends from Eugene who are both awesome musicians. Jason engineered the first the Underlings CD, that's how we met. I love singing with Pia on Teenage Hero, and Jason's slide guitar really elevates Stone Cold Morning. I shouldn't sleight the other players - Eric Jensen drums on one song, totally kills it. Tina Cole, my wife plays flute on Stone Cold Morning and everyone sings on Ancient History. Sean Shanahan should have been on the whole damn thing but he just contributes mandolin to This Way. Brian Donnelly plays harmonica on a song.  It was very fun to freak out and schedule everyone to get together to play on it. I would grab my desktop computer, go down to Eugene, set up in Dan Jones' practice shed, have 2 or 3 people come over for tracking and then break down and come back to Portland and resume my work week at the organic vegetable factory. It took over 2 years of this but then suddenly everything was done as of August of 2014. I scheduled some studio time to mix the CD at the infamous Haywire studios in SE Portland. Rob Bartleson works with a lot of people in the area and is a respected pro at his craft. He helped me mix the tracks and mastered the CD as well. That was a medium-long but not at all painful process. After it was ready for duplication, I got Eric Jensen to paint a picture on the cover kind of detailing my waxy mental state and then got it laid out by my graphic guru David Snider. All the same people have been helping me for years, it ended up being a nice-looking package. I get by with a little help from my friends. Now, I'm gonna play some shows and send it out to college stations and I guess some kind of review sights? I have a cool band of dudes backing me right now, I'm calling it Ed Cole and the Chem Trail Riders. Brian Gardiner on drums, Hans Eichinger on fiddle and guitar, Will Rousch on upright bass. We have a CD release gig at Sam Bond's Garage in Eugene on Friday, March 27 and then in Portland we play May 2nd at Kelly's Olympian."

With that being said, here's my favorite tune...

"Ancient History"

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUyjz5xPrVw&w=560&h=315]

Ed's got a webpage at Ed Cole Rock and Roll, a Blogspot, a Twitter at EdtheHead123, and if you dug that tune you can go buy the CD at his Bandcamp. At the very least, give the rest of the tunes a listen below... [bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=872856580 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Ever So Android - "Leash"

Still playing catch up on these reviews, but there is just so much good listening to be found out there and I'll be damned if it isn't seeking me out these days. Some of the "bands" are more underground than others, there was a time when if it wasn't strictly DIY, I would scoff at it. While I still admire anything on the grass roots level, I'm realistic enough to know that a guy has to make a buck and it's tough to do that being a musician.  I still stand my ground though on the importance of music having some kind of edge, I don't have time for butter knives. It's easy to tell the difference between real honest to goodness inspiration and shit that's been watered down for the masses. It's like diet soda, the chemicals that are in that crap will kill you, give me a couple ounces of pure sugar in my soda. This latest band, Ever So Android ain't no diet pop. This duo is alive and on fire, a fricken bonfire of sound. Here's part of their bio/press thing, "Ever So Android has released their new stand alone single "Leash" at the height of their 9 city tour. True to form, the song features their signature electro-rock sound that combines deep bass synths with a driving rock beat and soaring vocals. Consisting of guitarist Drew Murray and power vocalist Hope Simpson, this two piece rock outfit has a sound that is both powerful and creative. "Leash" will be featured on their yet to be announced EP, coming later this year and will be featured on this current tour." Well my review missed the tour, but I hope it was a happy and successful adventure for them. If the vid at the bottom of this post is any kind of indication of how hard they rock live, I'm sure it went spectacularly well. It takes two pretty dynamic individuals to create this volume of sound.  I was trying to find another female front woman to compare Hope to, but my ability to make those kinds of comparisons is limited.  She's got one hell of a voice, that's the bottom line.  A modern example of one of those Joan Jett or Suzi Quatro kind of rockers, with a little bit of Blondie thrown in to make it interesting, but she doesn't sound anything like them at.   Is there that cabaret-esque kind of Amy Winehouse thing going on...I don't know. There is this sultry kind of moaning throughout that just fuels that bonfire.  Speaking of  bonfire, Drew really lights up the sky with his riffing.  He's a one man band of sorts.  In the live vid you catch a glimpse of the effects panel he has at his disposal, and judging from the variety of sounds he gets out of his guitar, he makes full use of it.  It's almost like he has several instruments at his disposal.  His melodies have this aggressive structure, without being in your face and annoying.  Very digable stuff out of Seattle.  I bet if they wanted to they could put on an outstanding acoustic set, wonder if they do that.  I asked the band what makes Ever So Android tick, what message are they trying to convey and where are they headed? 1) experimentation. Pushing ourselves musically and personally. Always striving to be uncomfortable so that we can evolve. 2) on some level female empowerment. .. But generally human empowerment. Get people to get out of their boxes and live their life before it's too late. 3) High dive in Seattle may 9 th. We're touring the southwest again in August. Sounds like they're going to continue to be busy (bet they don' play NoWhere Kansas) maybe a guy could get a chance to spend an evening with them.  Be sure to check out their website and give a tune or two a listen... "Leash" http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/track=2192733652/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/ S/T http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=1829458973/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/transparent=true/

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H15tNe5Zdyk]

Animal Hands - S/T digital EP

Yet another review, I'm terribly behind on, shit this one hit my hard drive on February 25th. Debating the idea of giving up on reviews or just denying all but a few of the very best ones (this is one of those best ones). It's just downright unprofessional, but then again, as I tell the bands, this is just a Mom and Pop (there is no Mom) operation, this ain't no Decibel or the like, those guys do it for a living, I do it for the love of music. Anyway... First off, if you want a lesson in how to pick out a cover for your album, this is a prime example.  Absolutely stunning artwork, that sets the stage for your own creativity. Your album will always be remembered for the graphics...good or bad. Animal Hands does more than live up to that artwork. My initial response was "You all have a hell of a good thing going on, pretty amazing, the music, the vids, the website, wow!" Here's the deal they sent me as a way of introduction... "Animal hands are a four piece independent rock band that was formed by singer song writer Danielle Whalebone in 2011. The band celebrated the release of their debut EP at the Cherry situated on AC/DC lane in Melbourne in April this year. Animal Hands have received a resplendent response to their EP produced by Lindsay Gravina (Magic Dirt, Rowland S.Howard, Living End). Their EP has gained airplay internationally. Allie Speers writer for Tone Deaf has described "The self-titled EP of Melbourne based Animal Hands as pleasing to the ear. The garagey, grunge sounds in juxtaposition to front woman Danielle Whalebone’s crooning vocals is a great combination. ‘Defiance’, the inaugural track has a great introduction, just a simple guitar riff that leads into a really neat track. It’s a clever start to the EP, you can really feel what the band are trying to achieve." Since the formation of the band Animal Hands have maintained the D.I.Y ethic all the bands multimedia and producing three film clips . The band have worked to maintain a strong web presence and have been tearing up stages with guitar splintering performances since the release of their debut EP. Machine Steve writer for UK magazine The Black Flag has described Animal Hands as “pure grunge, with it’s slow cumbersome riffs and weary vocals beautifully stitched together to create an ambience that, in my humble opinion, has been missing from the music scene for well over a decade.”It seems Animal Hands is apart of the reemergence of a sound that defined a generation in the 90‘s Erin Lawler writer for ‘The Dwarf’ reminisces "Australian grunge in the ‘90s was a precious thing. But its absence has been felt by many in the Australian music scene while indie-pop becomes less catchy and more repetitive. Animal Hands is a band that has enough balls to bring back the grunge, fronted by Danielle Whalebone, a woman with all the strength and grace of Adalita Srsen of Magic Dirt. All of the songs on their self-titled EP sound like they belong on the soundtrack to Secret Life of Us, which I hope you know is a good thing. Those were the days." The band looking forward to a busy schedule before returning to Birdland Studios to record soon." I'm sure by now the band has already made it back into the studio, hahaha. "Grunge" seems to be the word of day for reviewers of Animal Hands, but I have to admit that was not the first word I would have used to describe the band. Then again I was not a fan of Grunge when it first broke onto the scene circa 1990, my head was in a totally different space. Part of it was how it became so immediately popular on the college scene and that, to me, it seemed so tame. Here 25 years later, I've grown up quite a bit, and I realize that just because a band doesn't immediately bash you in the face, doesn't make them tame. Animal Hands, is not tame. It's more subtle, if Animal Hands was a murderer, they wouldn't kill you with an axe, it would be more like a slow acting, deadly poison. As I said, I didn't think Grunge, my first thought was Siouxsie meets the Pixies (and heavy on the Pixies). I use Siouxsie a lot to describe female fronted bands, but if a fella knew how much I am totally in love with her, they would know that was the hugest of compliments. Their music is easy to listen to, but it's far from easy listening. In fact lyrically, this is some pretty heavy stuff, poetry really.  Absolutely stunning vocals backed up by a very polished band (they have the perfect sounding guitar).  You get these lengthy bio thing from some bands, but I wanted something a little more specific, so I asked them what made them tick, "I was thinking about your question and it would definitely be “The boundary between Human and Animal is narrow” I guess art is a complex way in which to communicate our feelings... send our story into space with the hope that it just doesn’t  just disappear like our mortal bodies are bound to do...that some how there will be a reply ..some reflected light... something... I suppose In hope  that we are not alone ..Its the burden of our conciseness  the fear of being trapped inside our own minds.. on a planet in space.. humans have created all these incredible ways to communicate and rebel against our mortality and isolation... we know  the natural world strives to survive so really there is nothing that we do as humans that isn’t just following the law of nature to survive and create… Animal Hands simply wants to survive and create..Cheers Danielle." Even in just a response to a simple question there is poetry. At this point in time you can find Animal Hands on the continent of Australia, but if there is any justice in the musical world this band will "survive and create" globally. They are well represented with their Animal Hands page, a Facebook, Twitter, Youtube vids and a Spotify, so it shouldn't be difficult to drink deep from their stream. This here is one of my favorite tunes of theirs...follow along with the lyrics, one of the things that sets this band apart... "Bed of Dolls"

[audio mp3="http://mustard-relics.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/4-Bed-of-Dolls.mp3"][/audio] Secret address walk through the door here's Jonny screaming from the wall float on by fall through the floor Baby sweet your so cold I touch your eyes and they wont close lovely in lace the eternal rose Baby sleep in a bed of dolls Girl with the mantis arms fits the bill I'm becoming numb The jewels are set in the foxes head heart beats so low I can speak to the dead The death collectors and their killing jar my knees are week and my mind is scarred Scorpion and human skull rest upon their mantel Mamma she don't want me I'll sleep like a baby Papa he don't want me I'll sleep like a baby In a room filled with dolls they lay me down as I grow cold pretty forever never to be old I will become one of their dolls.

Here's their latest vid to yet another stunning song... [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOTGDTNvp8I?list=PL1owVLE-nzNsjmgLNQbJaoRRXb_S18JBL]

Stroamata - "Dollar"

You know it's nice when a really good tune just drops right into your lap and you've just gotta pass that on to someone else. I don't know much about the scene in New York (or more specifically Brooklyn) but I have a feeling Stroamata is not as under the radar as most of the music I seek out and am exposed to, but rightly so, this band has something special going on and a wide variety of folks could relate to their groove. Their newest single, "Dollar" is certainly worthy of 3 and a half minutes of your ear time. Here's the press release type deal about the band... "With backgrounds in music and performance ranging from self-taught to classical and theater to conservatory training, Stroamata translate their skills into an edgy sound. Stroamata has been coming into their own and absorbing new vibes and inspirations since their start in 2008. Originally backing MCs and performing as a triphop/psychedelic soul band in Boston, MA, Stroamata delved into writing original material with an indie rock edge when Dorothy (Dara) Eagle (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) joined Robert (Rob) Morrison (lead guitar, vocals), Akil Marshall (bass), and Alexander Markowitz (drums/backing vocals). After releasing their EP The Phoenix in 2010, the quartet made the move to New York in 2011, continuing to gig heavily at notable venues, such as The Bowery Electric (NY), TT the Bear’s (Boston), and Church (Boston). Stroamata began releasing monthly singles starting in 2012, catching the attention of fans and press alike, receiving an Honorable Mention on Adam’s World Blog for “Best Live Band 2013” and taking the title as Harpoon Brewery’s “Best Unfiltered Band.” The future holds an upward trajectory as Stroamata continues to innovate their sound and audiences revel in the band’s newest single and accompanying video, “Dollar“. What I got outta that is that these gal/guys are multiply inspired, not novices at what they do and they're willing to go where the action is. I asked the band what made them tick and got a commendable response, "Stroamata keeps ticking and creating because we want to be on the road, touring cities all over the world for the rest of our lives! We stick to our signature style because we want to create the kind of music that we want to hear. We hope to one day be considered one of the best band's in world, but we really keep going because we all have that unnameable drive in our hearts to make music!" They have crafted a hell of a lot of tunes as you can see/listen/buy at their website (Bandcamp), but this latest tune is a masterpiece. I listened to several of the songs from the past 6 years, all pretty rockin' tunes, but "Dollar" doesn't just rock, it grooves. It has this mature sound, showing off everybody's individual talents, but as one marvelous composition. The vocals stand out to me, reminding me a bit of Siouxsie, a sultry warm voice, but in a more general sense a hopping cabaret or a lively lounge. But this ain't lounge or cabaret, the song is very much in your face and seems to have a life of it's own. I really hope this band sees the success and happiness they desire and can make a living from their art. You know they at least got their shit together enough to have a video that captures that rockin' vibe...

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBGtsX6FOlg]

...and just because one song is never enough here at the Relics, one of my favorites, a garage-y intro followed up by some funk, some folky metal, progressive jazzy-ness, maybe a little psychedelia, with those sensuous vocals throughout. I see a fog machine and a strobe light for the video of this one... "Edge of the Sky" [audio mp3="http://mustard-relics.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Edge-Of-The-Sky.mp3"][/audio]

Blackfire - Silence Is A Weapon

Taken from a comic I've been reading for a little bit now, Extinction Parade #5 written by Max Brooks who also wrote World War Z, which was a pretty killer flick. "A verbal placebo for the voluntarily obtuse", that is fucking perfect. A zombie/vampire story with a unique plot and some interesting twists and turns...the artwork by Raulo Caceres captures the brutality of the story perfectly.

My old Bro Alex (shit, we've known each other for 29 years now...damn I'm getting old) turned me onto this band...the epitome of stage presence...raging! [video width="640" height="360" mp4="http://mustard-relics.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Act-12-Black-Fire-Silence-is-a-Weapon.mp4"][/video]

Tyranny Is Tyranny - Let It Come From Whom It May CD

Heard from Russell of United Sons Of Toil a while back (yeah still playing catch up on these reviews) turning me onto another project of his in the form of the post-rock monster, Tyranny Is Tyranny. Here's what he hd to say about the band, "Tyranny Is Tyranny is a Madison WI post-noiserock band focusing on dynamics, repetition, and the dismantling of capitalism -- former members of The United Sons Of Toil laying down long-form slabs of bleak dynamics and left-wing outrage. Slather yourself in despair. RIYL: Light Bearer, Isis, and Amphetamine Reptile Records. Tyranny Is Tyranny is the title of the fourth chapter of Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States." "Let It Come From Whom It May" will be released on Cincinnati's Phratry Records on 10/31/2013." Seems like I'm getting a lot of bands out of the Northern Midwest these days that know how to turn up the noise. One of my favorite things about this band is the vocals, that's just me (and really all this is about is me).   There's two vocals going on why higher pitched and the other lower.  They're not crooning, and not that cookie monsters gargling glass mess, but like this smooth blend of the two, gruff intelligible things that lend themselves to the intense lyrical content. Check out the lyrics in the Liner Notes. As for the music, they start this thing off, banging hard, like two cons beating the shit out of each other in a prison yard, towards the middle they get thoughtful, philosophical and then end it with two long angry anthems. My favorite tune falls in that last category... The American Dream Is A Lie Opiate the brutish life To numb the pain, you take a wife They Sell you hope---You break your back You make excuses---They don't look back The dream is dead, it never lived Stillborn from the womb of revolt Stillborn. It's stillborn Don't know how long these guys have been playing together, but it seems like for a long time, very tight and in sync. The whole thing rocks pretty hard, never a dull moment, from beginning to end it reminds me of an important speech. Forgot to mention that cover art, incredible emotion there, describes the band perfectly. If you want a copy and to help give this bad boy a proper vinyl release you can PRE-ORDER. You can also give it a listen and/or pick up a digital copy over at Bandcamp. They also have their own WEBSITE and of course you can get this and all kinds of other killer shit at Phratry Records. http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=554829024/size=medium/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/