Archie Alone - Through The Door 4 Song Cassette

Every now and then I catch myself thinking "If I only had a record label." "This would be the first band I'd sign." Over the last couple of years that thought seems to limit itself to the many times I've listened to or seen a live performance of New Jersey's Archie Alone.
And while the band has been a personal favorite for some time now. Archie Alone's studio and recorded output has been criminally sparse.

Limiting our exposure to their live performances at local clubs such as The Meatlocker,
ABC No Rio and everywhere in between.

On their latest EP
Through the Door, a four song cassette release recorded within the cavernous walls of the bands home away from homes. Archie Alone, with the help of their close friend, producer and wonder kin
Ana Dobrian, carve out on of the most powerfully emotive releases I've heard in ages. Warm, yet crushing guitars meet powerfully emotive vocals that reach heights of strength and vulnerability seldom heard in music today. Vocalist (and as in recent months, second guitar) Nicole Mesce has a unique ability that keeps the listener hanging on every word as if it was the last gasp of a beloved spokesman of our generation. While the bands personnel may have not even been born when bands such as Embrace, 3 and Rites of Spring were leaving their footprints on what was to become known as Emo. Archie Alone immediately remind me of the impact those bands and that sound had on me. I can easily look to the third track Furlough as evidence to the spell this release has put on me. The best way to describe my reaction would be to note the chills that travelled up and down my spine as it's four plus minutes unfolded.

Overall, a vital and absolutely necessary release that has a very intimate and live vibe about it. One that makes you feel as if you're being treated to a living room performance. Through the Door is available on cassette (While they last) which includes a digital download for those of us without access to such ancient technology.
Check their bandcamp page for more info. James Damion

Archie Alone  Bandcamp
Archie Alone  Facebook

Positive No - Automatic Cars / Slumber

This exclusive 7' with it's customized cover  and extremely limited press of 50 copies was waiting for me when
I got home last night.

Automatic Cars has all the parts required for building a great song. From the opening bass line to the spiraling guitar sound to Tracy's hypnotic voice.
The A side instantly reminded me of some of  the great Indie Rock of the 90's. Even drawing comparisons to early
Sonic Youth.

Side B's 'Slumber' inspires just what the title suggests.
Slowing things down with its soothing Indie Dream Pop

leanings that are both sweet and addictive. If you get the chance to get this exclusive cover version. I highly recommend it. If not, make sure to get the alternate cover from Negative Fun or download it from Positive No's bandcamp.
I really love what Richmond's Positive No is creating.
Each song leaves me craving for more. Luckily, Positive No seem prepared to deliver.

One can't help but get excited about what Negative Fun is doing with it's Singles Club.
It brings to mind what S.O.L. (Singles Only Label) was doing in the 90's with many diverse acts such as Bob Mould, Earth Pig and Moby. One can only wish them luck as they continue to release this level of quality and diversity. James Damion

Negative Fun Label

Positive No Band Site

An Interview with Richmond Virginia's Positive No

Formed in the winter of 2011. Richmond Virginia's Positive No blend elements of 
90's indie rock, dream pop and shoegaze to create a warm and summery sound that's granted the bands debut EP "Via Florum" a permanent place on my turntable. As the momentum builds and the talk of a follow up to their promising debut begin to surface, 
I reached out to Tracy and Kenny to writing, recording and all the things that make 
being in a band so rewarding. Here's what they had to say. James Damion

Kenny Close - Guitar / Andre Phillips - Bass / Willis Thompson - Drums 

Tracy Keets Wilson - Vocals

James: How did Positive No come to be? Were you all friends before deciding to work on music together?

Kenny: There were a few events in 2011 that stand out:  finally figuring out digital recording, a craigslist bass, and watching a peer band our age play one of their early shows. All of these moments happened within a month or two of each other and led to feeling like writing songs again might be a fun project.

In the very beginning, it was me and an old band member working on coast to coast demos and politely asking Tracy to agree to sing on the songs once they were done. After the first two songs were finished, Tracy and I gave writing music together a whirl which has turned into a pretty great creative team. When we posted the demos online the response was encouraging enough to try to form a live band and give playing out a go. We knew Willis from our circle of friends and while we have had a few different bass players, Andre (our most recent bass player) had been a fan of the band and we met him from coming out to shows throughout 2013.

James: Tracy, can you tell me about the process of writing songs with the band.
If I'm correct, this is the first time you've worked in a group setting since Dahlia Seed.

Tracy: You are correct, this is the first time I have been in a serious band since Dahlia Deed in the mid '90s. The songwriting process has really metamorphosed since 2011.
Kenny was the primary songwriter to begin with but over the last two years, the two of us write the outline of the song (on bass/ guitar) and then we bring it to practice where we teach it to our drummer and bass player. From that point the whole band adds their creative magic touches. We alter the parts as we play it live together, and the final version takes shape after a few weeks of practicing it together.  After 25 years of songwriting I genuinely still cannot comfortably play an instrument and sing the way I do at the same time. I wish I owned that skill but I still don't. I am in an unusual position where I can write a song but ultimately it has to go through several filters of other band members making it their own before it becomes a Positive No song. Once the music is relatively settled, I begin deciding on what words, themes, emotions, the song gives me and from there, I build lyrics and vocal melodies. I am jealous of singers who can hum melodies before they have words but for me, I typically need words before I decide on timing and vocal melodies.

James: The music you've created over the last (almost) twenty years has had a profound effect on me as both (for lack of better words) a music nerd and to get super personal, a human being. The thing is, a lot of that came from pain and loss. With Positive No I feel as if you've come to a crossroads of sorts. There's a sense of joy and celebration in these songs. Does that reflect on your personal life or is it more akin to the creative process within a group dynamic.

Tracy:  It is difficult to write this reply on the heels of being told less than twelve hours ago that an old friend passed away (Jeff from the Jeff Humphrey Trio). My heart aches today for the loss of a talented, sweet man that so many of my friends will deeply miss.

I have spent the bulk of my adult life coping with panic / anxiety stemming from my childhood as well as an unusually heavy amount of loss in my family over the span of twenty years. It was only recently that I truly felt most of the trauma and grief from loss was behind me. I still have my good days and bad days but within the bigger picture, I am a much more grounded, happy, person now. Life is unpredictable but at least now I am not trying to cope with those curveballs on top of feeling emotionally broken. It took decades of hard work to reach this place (and then three more years for my body to recover from being hit by a car) but with the help of an amazing partner like Kenny, tremendous friends who have become my family, and a very supportive creative community here in Richmond,
I am surrounded by encouragement and love.

Without giving too much away, the songs for our upcoming record have their uplifting moments but the darkness is still very much there. The difference is that now, I have a healthier balance of the light and dark in my life. It doesn't get more Positive No than that.

James: Though I'm sure it was not intentional, the name Positive No makes me think of some random HXC band from the 80's that might be on the bill with Negative Approach and SSD. What does the name represent for you?

Tracy: Funny James, I had never thought about the classic hardcore stereotypical name but maybe subconsciously that is why these words appealed to me. While Kenny and I were in the early stages of writing songs and not even a band yet, we were watching a documentary on the American designers Charles & Ray Eames. There is a moment in the film that shows Ray's office filled with things of inspiration to her. One item particular really resonated with me. She had written a note to herself and pinned it up on the wall. It said
"The positive no". I can't say definitively what it meant to her but I love this idea of staying firm in your decisions but doing so in a manner that you are communicating it in a polite way. The words positive no flashed up on the TV screen and we all agreed at that moment how it read like a great name for a band. (On a side note, we watched this documentary with ex Dahlia Seed / Dunebuggy member Jon who happened to be visiting us during the holidays in 2011. )

James: You recorded
"Via Florum" with the legendary J. Robbins at Magpie Cage studios. I can think of a couple of dozen reasons to want to record with him.
What specifically influenced you to seek him out?

Kenny: Tracy had recorded some Ringfinger vocals with J. and spoke very highly of the experience. Everyone seemed receptive to working with him and it was a pretty natural decision which tends to be a good sign when it comes to music. We all were fans of J.’s music and when we started talking about records he worked on it just felt silly not to go with him.

James: How involved was he in the recording? Is there an element to his approach that stands out?

Kenny: J. lent a lot of support in providing expertise of his studio and what he felt were the best ways to get certain sounds out of it that I imagine he felt were a good fit for our band. He certainly expressed his opinions when asked or when he felt the need to do so.
Overall, he was pretty hands off and let us come in, work as quickly and efficiently as we could so we could get a quality recording in an affordable fashion.

The things that stick out most with the experience is that J. came across as authentic and clearly a lover of music. We've all worked with engineers who don't seem to care about the music they are recording and his attitude was the exact opposite.  The environment was very relaxed which was really important for us during the time we were in the studio as we were still such a new band.

James: Have you been writing new material since the EP's release? Is there potential for another record in the near future?

Tracy: We are in the process of writing new songs right now. We have 5 completed songs with three more in various stages of completion. We would like to finish writing a new full length by the end of this Summer and record them in either the Fall or Winter.
It is expensive to record and self release an album so who knows when we will actually be able to afford all of this. The silver lining is we don’t feel pressured to rush out a new record so we are taking our time to write songs we are really excited about.

James: I was really hoping to make it down to Richmond for the bands first show. Unfortunately, I didn't have it in me to drive down on my own. Can you tell me how those first shows went and what it felt like performing as a band?

Kenny: The first hand full of shows were probably like most...a few moments of grace, a few disasters, and trying to keep the nerves in tact. They were all near sold out crowds ( this had nothing to do with us and everything to do with playing with bands like
The Babies and Beach Fossils) which didn't necessarily ease us into it, but forced the band to get used to playing in front of people again and the magic that is connected with the experience. We are a live band, I think you get a better sense of us and our music when you see it in person and can watch the intensity of the group, especially Tracy and Willis.

James: You also played a show with Static is a City? What was it it like sharing the stage with an old band mate? How long had it been since you'd seen Chris?

Tracy: It was a great to play Static is a City's first show. Chris was the first to respect me musically enough to ask me to play in a band with him back in the early '90s. Honestly, I am not sure I would be playing music today without my introduction to him. Needless to say, sharing a stage with a mentor and old friend is a huge deal for me. Chris lives one state South of Virginia but we only see each other about every other year. I have fewer friends than ever still making music in their adult lives so it is extra special when our lives intersect and we have the opportunity to share a stage together. I can't think Chris Defusco of Negative Fun records for putting that show in Raleigh together for us.

Positive No  Official
Bandcamp  Downloads
Facebook More Fun
Little Black Cloud Records

An Interview with Raleigh NC's Static is a City

With a 7' EP on it's way from the pressing plant and a number of shows neatly tucked under their belts I reached out to Raleigh, NC's Static is a City to learn more about the past, present and future of a band whose momentum seems to grow by the day. Thanks to Chris for taking the time to answer my questions.

Static City is:

Chris Skelly - Vocals  Sean Husick - Drums

Robert Trout - Guitar  Todd Robert - Guitar Channing Azure - Bass

James: Most people reading this may or may not know the band consists of former members of Dahlia Seed and Milemarker. Can you tell me how you guys met and what made you decide to start a band?

Chris: Sean ( Milemarker ) and I met several years ago through a Craigslist ad. Both of us have similar tastes in music, and we're both looking for a similar situation in which to make music. After a few false starts due to not finding the right people to play in the band, we solidified the line up  in June of 2013, and have been moving forward ever since.
As far as why we wanted to start a band?.....it's a passion that never goes away. I am not speaking for Sean here, but I believe we feel the same way in that making music is intrinsically in our DNA, and no matter the circumstance, or time, or location.....we will both always move towards creating music because it's the singular passion in our lives.

James: How quickly did things gel for you?

Chris: This current line up gelled immediately...that's how we knew we had the right people in the band to move forward. We started writing in the first "jam" we had, and by the third practice it was decided that this was the band. Rob ( Guitar ), Todd ( Guitar ) and
Channing ( Bass ) were the exact musicians both Sean and I had been looking for, and each of them bring a unique talent and creativity to our sound.

James: The bands name reminds me of how toxic city life feels for me these days.
What does the name mean to you? What does it suggest?

Chris: That's an interesting take on the name of our band James, and one I don't disagree with at all. The story of the band's name is rather average....we were throwing possible band names around and we couldn't all decide on which one we liked best, but we sort of settled on the name Red Static, but then we found out that there was a band from England that had that name already. At the same time....I had just watched a crime noir movie from the 60's called "Hell Is A City"...and I really liked that title, but hated the word "Hell" as it tends to conjure images of a metal band. I mentioned this same idea in practice one night, and we decided to merge the names and came up with Static Is A City. Unconsciously...the name does tap into a rather anti-modern theme of technology becoming a monolithic entity, but we certainly didn't plan it that way.

James: You released a self titled EP  before you even began playing out.
What was it about these particular songs that ....

Chris: Well.....those are the first three songs we wrote together, and we just wanted to have some recorded material to share with friends and such. The recordings came out way better than we had all expected, so we decided to put them out.

James: How did the label "Ideas" come into the picture?

Chris: Sean had a small label back in the 90's that had put out some local NC punk and hardcore bands, and he had been thinking about starting a label again. We had these 3 songs that we had just recorded, and Sean saw this as an opportunity to launch his label. He got things up and running rather quickly, and we had our EP released in early March.

James: What's holding up the records pressing?

Chris: Goddamn Record Store Day held up the pressing.....haha. Ugh, the pressing plant was swamped with orders for RSD and unfortunately we fell to the bottom of the list. We just received the test pressings last week, so you'll see the record in the next few weeks.

James: Is having a hard copy document of your music, such as vinyl, important to you as a band? As opposed to offering the EP on Bandcamp or the many digital options made for bands these days?

Chris: I think having your music available in all formats is important. People lately seem to get hung up on the medium, and not the message. At the end of the day....it's the music that you want to hear, and frankly I couldn't care less what format it comes on? To someone sitting in let's say....Borneo, who only has an internet connection, and knows nothing of the hipster vinyl fetishism that is currently occurring in the Western World...finding the
"Static Is A City EP" on Bandcamp is awesome, it's the only avenue for them to hear our music. To limit people's exposure to your music, just to satisfy a current trend such as vinyl fetishism is ignorant and selfish....but that is just my opinion.

James: I know you've been involved with many bands and projects since the 80's, but this is the first time I recall you signing? What made you want to take on that role?

Chris: Actually, the first sort of functional band I was in was a hardcore / thrash band in the 80's called Selective Outrage, and I sang in that band, so singing in Static sort of feels like coming full circle after 20 plus years of playing guitar in bands. The reason I chose to sing in Static was pretty simple....Sean and I had an idea of what we wanted the band aesthetic to be, and in the simplest terms....it's hard to convey your own personal aesthetic to a random vocalist, and it is not really fair to that vocalists own creative expression to have them do what you think they should do.....so, to avoid all that mess, I just decided to sing.
Guitarists are frankly a dime a dozen.....you could open your window, throw a rock and hit a guitarist, but finding someone who can lyrically and expressively deliver a shared aesthetic is a bit tougher, so I opted out of guitar and picked up the mic.

James: You've already began to rack up shows in and around the Raleigh area. Are there any plans to make it back up to the New York, New Jersey area?

Chris: We would love to come up to NYC / NJ to play some shows. Admittedly....after being in Raleigh for close to 8 years now, I am out of the loop as to where to play, and who to contact for shows in NY / NJ anymore...so hopefully we can hook up with some friends bands for our first shows in the area.

James: What does Raleigh offer for upcoming bands. Though I hate to use the term,
What's the music scene like at the moment?

Chris: Raleigh is an amazing city, with a fantastic local music scene. The thing that is most apparent in Raleigh is the sense of true community within the local music scene. Bills are diverse, and clubs are super supportive of local bands....almost every out of town, headliner show in Raleigh / Durham / Chapel Hill always features one or two local support bands. There is a very thriving hardcore / punk scene with several shows a week at a variety of venues, but the indie scene is pretty big as well, and I am beginning to notice a lot more weird / experimental bands popping up which is in keeping with Raleigh's past of being a hot bed of off kilter sounding bands.

James: You recently played a show with Richmond's Positive No. A band that features your former Dahlia Seed bandmate TKW. What was that experience like?

Chris: The show was great, and Tracy's band was terrific. I referenced the idea of "coming full circle" earlier, and in the truest sense...the show had that feel and appeal. The guy who booked the show Chris DeFusco, who runs the local Negative Fun record label was a huge Dahlia Seed fan back in the day, and he was super excited to have both of our new bands on the same bill.

James: How long had it been since you crossed paths?

Chris: I don't see Tracy as much as I would like to, but we do cross paths at least once every year and half or so. The last time we did ( before the show ) was when she came to Raleigh for the Archers Of Loaf reunion show in 2012.

For further review:
Bandcamp
Facebook
ReverbNation
iTunes

Static is a City - S/T EP

After hearing rough mixes of the songs "The Hive" and "Recidivist Mantras" I was rather excited to hear the finished product on
Static is a City's debut EP. Hailing from Raleigh, a city
I came close to relocating to, the newly formed
Static is a City enter the fray with the most impressive debut these ears have heard since Red Hare's
"Nights of Midnight". The band, which features former members of Dahlia Seed (Chris Skelly) and Milemarker (Sean Husick) display a unique ability to allude specific genre trappings. Pairing post hardcore guitar intricacies with math rock precision and vocals that brought me back to so many of my favorite indie/emo bands from the 90's. As this small sampling of songs wash over me, the words "thoroughly impressed" fail to convey what I'm experiencing. Static is a City's debut inspires deeply emotive feelings. The actual record is currently held up in pressing, but will be available in a few weeks. In the meantime, it can be downloaded on iTunes.
For more information about the band, check out their page here. Reverbnation
James Damion

Postive No - S/T

Dreamy uplifting pop that reminds me of a lot of the great acts that sprung up in the early 90's and at times, even
April March. Richmond's Positive No allow the tongue to release the term "Indie Pop" without ever having the urge to bit it. Tracy's voice is a pure slice of heaven.
Warm, summery and downright positive. Hinting at a sense of hope and optimism that lifts the spirits. Each of Positive No's five tracks invite themselves in. Perfectly melding dreamy pop with elements of shoe gaze. For those familiar with
Tracy Keats Wilson.
Positive No is more akin to what she produced with Dunebuggy than her work with her work with Dahlia Seed and as Ringfinger. Though recorded just as the arctic apocalypse began to roll in. Positive No is about as warm and summery as they come. Recorded by the legendary J Robbins at his Baltimore studio Magpie Cage. Isn't is cool when one of your favorite records of the year comes just as it seems to be coming to an end? James Damion

Bandcamp Positive No

Dahlia Seed - Full Sets

Whenever the conversation of "best bands of the 90's" or "What bands left the most lasting impression on you over the years." comes up. Most of the people I've spoken to will pull a large and inflated name out of their hat and drop it as if it was scalding pan of grits. 

Bands they discovered through Billboard charts, MTV or a Rolling Stone cover story. For me personally, it was always about the smaller local bands. The ones I had the opportunity to see in local clubs, bars, basements and random holes in the wall. One of my absolute favorites was a Rockland County band known as Dahlia Seed. I first met Tracy in 92/93 during a trips to Maxwell's and Flipside Records. Having seen them at Maxwells, 

ABC No Rio, Tramps and a handful of other holes. At the time, I knew for sure I was witnessing something special and very unique. Their performances ran the gamut of raw, emotions and unbridled energy. I often recall how Tracy's cathartic performances often made the hair on my arm stand on end. Needless to say, they left a lasting impression on this idealistic twenty something. 

These days I still call Tracy a friend and since moving to New Jersey at the tail end of 2000. Have developed friendships with Darin (Drummer, Chris (Guitar) and Jon (Second Guitarist) and continue to view the band as one that left an indelible foot print on my life. Enough of my rambling. I hope you enjoy these two full sets I've posted. Until the next time. 

James Damion

Last FM Dahlia Seed

Dunebuggy - 1990's Collection - Little Black Cloud Records 2012

Dunebuggy were a 90's indie rock band who hailed from Hoboken NJ and featured one future Dahlia Seed member Jon Procopio on guitar and vocals and also featured some guest vocals from Tracy Wilson who would later join Dahlia Seed as their full time vocalist.

Dunebuggy play quirky yet infection indie pop with hooks that will get stuck in your head for days, just give the albums opening track "Humdinger" a listen and I promise that you will have the chorus stuck in your head all day long. If you are a fan of the Lemonheads, Pavement or Archers of Loaf etc then I would urge you to give this record a listen and buy one before they are gone as they're limited to a meager run of 100 copies on white vinyl...Dave G.

Insound: Purchase  

Dunebuggy Bandcamp

Bio:

Born of suburban boredom, the D.I.Y. aesthetic of skateboarding, and an obsessive appreciation for well-crafted pop tunes, Dunebuggy had the great fortune of being part of the inspiring New York City music scene of the mid 90's. What started as a duo of friends (Keith Renna and Jon-Michael) butchering cover tunes by their favorite punk bands, evolved into an original power trio with the addition of bass player Michael Reilly, and was occasionally complimented by vocalist Tracy Wilson (Dahlia Seed).

Drawing a heavy influence from both the Boston music scene(Lemonheads, Pixies, and Blake Babies) as well as inspiration from legendary bands such as the Replacements, Sonic Youth, Minutemen, and the Pretenders, the band focused on becoming a tightly knit unit intent on creating clever indie rock with pop hooks.

Dunebuggy's sound is punctuated by quirky phrasing, angular guitars, and imaginative lyrics. The bands goal was always to put the songs first, doing what was best for the them as a whole, and attempting to craft short works of pop perfection with a healthy dose of experimentation. Hard hitting, inventive drumming grounds the entangled and intertwining bass and guitar work. Indie pop, heart on the sleeve songs are shrouded in lyrical intricacies and cryptic prose.