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From The Ground Up post free EP for download
Alternative Press - Brian Shultz on 11/15/08 @ 10:30 PM - altpress.com
The short-lived act's only other release was 2006's Words Can't Explain on Round Two, which included some new material along with their demo.
Last we heard, several members were working on a new project with ever-busy Soul Control / Achilles frontman Rory Vangrol.
AP EXCLUSIVE: A review of the Thorns Of Life (Blake Schwarzenbach, Aaron Cometbus) show
Alternative Press - Scott Heisel on 11/15/08 @ 2:03 AM - altpress.com
The Thorns Of Life played their second show ever earlier tonight at a party in Brooklyn at a house that looked straight out of 1982: worn, dog-eared books lined the high shelf bordered along the walls of the room while the wallpaper cracked, and various flyers hung from corners with images of Ronald Reagan on them. The living room couldn't have been more than 18' x 15' x 12'.
I couldn't think of a better place to see the newest band from Blake Schwarzenbach and Aaron Cometbus.
Schwarzenbach is essentially a punk legend for his stints in Jawbreaker and Jets To Brazil while Cometbus has practically attained the same level for helping establish the East Bay scene in a variety of bands like Crimpshrine and Pinhead Gunpowder, as well as his long-running Cometbus zine.
Here, they teamed up with Daniela Sea, from Showtime's "The L Word," on bass, as previously reported.
When my friend and I paid our $5 cover and walked in a little after 8:00, there couldn't have been more than 40 people spread around the house and backyard. This struck us in a weird way considering the news had been all over the Internet since early that day.
By 9:10, when the band began setting up to open the show, the room became more and more crowded until it became a dense mess of people all hoping to cop a glimpse of what'll probably be "the" punk rock buzz band in the months to come.
Without a word to the crowd, the band ripped into song number one, treating us to the patented uptempo, three-chord East Bay punk sound. It's clear Schwarzenbach hasn't forgotten about his past: There are definitely elements of the Bay sound as well as Jawbreaker and JTB mixed in--and one of the songs was described by him as "losing your virginity in 11th grade in Santa Monica, California...to the right one."
Another song was purported as a fairytale with a healthy amount of mythology--no shocker considering Blake's love of literature.
Musically, there was a certain temper about the band even as they chugged through songs that tended to be basic punk rock romps with subtle dynamic changes. There were plenty of little 'breaker-esque jam-outs too, though most of them were teasingly truncated. The sixth or seventh song even bore a structure resembling "Fine Day."
Though Schwarzenbach could just barely be heard over the instruments, his voice definitely sounds different. It vaguely seems a little smoother and less rugged somehow, but retaining that certain bite and snarl that the Dear You / Orange Rhyming Dictionary era had.
Cometbus was quite reliable on the kit, but that was to be expected. Him and Sea held the rhythm down perfectly, which was needed considering the consistent pace things seemed to go at.
Obviously, the crowd was receptive. All along the first few rows closest to the band, some bounced around in typical house show bliss while others calmly looked on with a more focused awe.
With little banter to the crowd, the nine-song set suddenly finished and the room flushed out, though a few other bands (Vivian Girls, Stupid Party and one other I believe) were still raring to play for a crowd.
Asked if a demo or 7" was planned, Schwarzenbach merely replied he didn't know.
I guess we'll have to settle on the copious amounts of video and photo one can only hope will begin flooding in this weekend. --Brian Shultz
The Thermals sign to Kill Rock Stars
Alternative Press - Brian Shultz on 11/15/08 @ 1:22 AM - altpress.com
The label will issue the band's next full-length, Now We Can SEe, on April 9th, 2009. The release will be preceded by the When I Died 7" single.
The band spent several years with Sub Pop Records, who last released The Body, The Blood, The Machine in 2006.
Fear Before / Heavy Heavy Low / Dr. Manhattan touring later this month
Alternative Press - Brian Shultz on 11/15/08 @ 1:18 AM - altpress.com
The headliners will be supporting their new self-titled full-length on Equal Vision. Heavy Heavy Low Low released Turtle Nipple And The Toxic Shock earlier this year on Ferret imprint New Weathermen, while Dr. Manhattan had a self-titled effort themselves, on Vagrant.
11/23 St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway
11/24 Chicago, IL - Subterranean
11/25 Mt. Vernon, IL - TBA
11/26 Memphis, TN - TBA
11/28 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
11/29 Jacksonville, FL - Jack Rabbits
12/01 Orlando, FL - The Social
12/02 Tampa, FL - The Springs Theatre
12/04 New Orleans, LA - High Ground
12/05 Houston, TX - The Burbs
12/06 Waco, TX - Art Ambush
12/07 San Antonio, TX - Rock Bottom
12/08 Dallas, TX - The Door
12/09 Lubbock, TX - The Lonestar
12/10 Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
12/11 Phoenix, AZ - The Clubhouse
12/13 Canoga Park, CA - TBA
12/14 San Diego, CA - TBA
12/16 Los Angeles, CA - Knitting Factory
12/17 Las Vegas, NV - Jillian's
12/18 Bakersfield, CA - Jerry's Pizza
12/19 San Jose, CA - The Outhouse
Forgive Durden post "Life Is Looking Up" video
Alternative Press - Brian Shultz on 11/15/08 @ 1:10 AM - altpress.com
Razia's Shadow recently came out on Fueled By Ramen and features a plethora of guests from bands like Panic At The Disco, Say Anything, Saves The Day, mewithoutYou, This Providence and more.
We recently talked with composer Thomas Dutton about the ambitious project.
Life Is Looking Up
Finale (Keith Buckley) post new music
Alternative Press - Brian Shultz on 11/15/08 @ 12:39 AM - altpress.comYou can find the songs streaming on their MySpace page.
