NGHTCRWLRS Debut Album!!!

New Jersey's NGHTCRWLRS are giving us all a sneak peak at their upcoming debut album on Sniffling Indie Kids. The band comprising of present and former members of
Holy City Zoo, Man on Fire, All Sensory Void, the Nico Blues and Washington Square Park. The band will have their record release party this Saturday February 28th at Jersey City's The Dopeness. Dentist (The Band), Cicada Radio and France ( The Band) will be joining the celebration.  For more information, as well as the address. Check the link Here. In the meantime. Listen, learn, love. James Damion

NGHTCRWLRS Bandcamp

The Sound is Fine - S/T EP

When a friend (Or someone who seems to be under the guise that your opinion amounts to little more than two cents.) decides to drop his latest project on your lap. The first thing that often comes to mind is "Oh God, I hope this doesn't suck." Lucky for everyone involved, The Sound is Fine more than lived up to their namesake.

Fuzzed out guitars battle bratty vocals while spacious melodies wash over the listener like cocaine on the set of
Two and a Half Men.
The opening track
'Big Dream Kid' immediately brings to mind 90's indie Rockers Archers of Loaf.
While 'Another Pup Kicked' and 'Blackout' swim in the deep end of the pool with a mix of 70's Hard Rock and 90's Alternative excellence. The EP's closer 'Running in Squares' has spacey and atmospheric characteristics that remind of the members former band
The Nico Blues. Although I miss the Indie sweethearts. It's nice to see its former members break new ground and explore new things.With a debut this good,
The Sound is Fine are sure to make a mark on the ever changing indie music landscape.
James Damion

The Sound is Fine  Get it Here

A Night of Releases, Debuts and Celebratory Hugs at the Court Tavern

Due to my hunger and the fact I spent most of the early part of my evening waiting for my food to come out of the kitchen. I managed to miss most of Darryl Norrell's acoustic set. The two or so songs had a laid back and cozy appeal that would have felt a lot more intimate if the crowd assembled had come anywhere close to the stage. Blame it on my empty stomach, but I was starting to picture myself sitting up on stage with the band roasting marsh mellows. Take it any way you want. It seemed a nice way to open the night. Say what you want, butI think that long bench at the back of the room serves as a Lazy-Boy for a lot of people who just aren't quite ready to fully commit to a good time.

Sink Tapes followed and though I had no prior knowledge of the local New Brunswick quartet. I found myself immediately drawn to their melodic and seemingly effortless approach to Indie Rock. Their set quite impressive musically. I felt drawn to
drummer / vocalist Gabe's delicate vocal delivery and easy approach to the drums.
I created an imaginary line a few feet from the stage. Not wanting to disturb the intimate setting their set created. My one regret of the night was not bringing enough cash to properly ransack Sink Tapes merch table. I hope to get the chance again soon. Only time will tell.

Sink Tapes

Considering how much time I've spent lending my ears to Modern Chemistry's
'We'll grow out of this' Review Here
and 'An Introduction' Review Here.
It's hard to imagine this was my first opportunity catch the band live. Lucky I caught them on this particular night, considering this was to be the bands last local show for some time.
Their uplifting energy and spirit moved the laid back and somewhat stand offish crowd away from the bar and the comfort of the bleachers within striking distance of the stage.
Lead singer / guitarist Brendan Hourican grades high in the frontman department. A mix of energy, charisma and the ability to perfectly engage in onstage banter without it sounding forced or phony. The band's set included  songs from both EP's along with a couple of new ones.
Considering Modern Chemistry list 80's
Power Pop band The Outfield as one of their key influences. I shouldn't have been the least bit surprised when they rolled out a cover of the bands sole hit 'Your Love'. Regardless, my jaw dropped so low. I can accurately relay the the floor of the Court Tavern tastes like a combination of rubber and Pabst Blue Ribbon.
It really raised the eyes and ears of the already involved crowd and put a nice ribbon on an excellent set.

Modern Chemistry

Being that it was their very first show. The Sound is Fine landed a pretty sweet spot on the bill. The Wayne, New Jersey natives whose members comprise of two sets of brothers (Reed and Skyler Adler and Evan and Colin Campbell) are no strangers to the New Jersey independent music scene. Reed, Skyler and Evan comprised 3/5 of the now defunct
Nico Blues. Truth be told. I may have never made it out if it were not for Reed personally asking. It's hard to believe it's been over a year since I've seen these guys. The band played a tight set of celebratory Rock n' Roll  that included songs from their debut EP. One so good, I knew the words and hooks to each song before they even plugged in. Life their predecessors The Nico Blues. I can see The Sound is Fine making a big impression on the current New Jersey music scene and beyond. Be sure to check back in Friday for my review of the EP.

The Sound is Fine

With their new single 'Grandview Terrace' in tow. Local heroes Holy City Zoo closed the night on a high note. The band and personnel have been favorites of mine since the inception of the blog in 2001. Earning a special place in my heart and partial credit for my continual hearing loss. While The New Brunswick noise makers provide the energy and intensity of the areas best Hardcore our. They've grown to become on of the most musically proficient and technically smart band I can think of. Think Rye Coalition meets the Foo Fighters in a dirty New Brunswick basement. I can't think of four more laid back and chill people to hang out with. Interesting, considering the brutal savages they become when plugged in.
It wouldn't be a Holy City Zoo gig if Frank didn't remove his shirt to revel his werewolf lineage. Like Modern Chemistry, they mentioned this would be their last local show in quite a while. They plan on following the new single with an extended lockdown in the studio.
One can only hope the time spent will help produce the bands first full length and big big spot for me on the "Thank List." Only time will tell. James Damion

This was only my second time back since the Church St. landmark reopened and it can't go without saying the new owners have really done a great job with the place. I look forward to more shows, warmer weather and a few games of pool in the near future.

New Video 'Euphony' from All Sensory Void

Check out the video for the song 'My Euphony' from All Sensory Void's  

'Relax Man…You're Actually Just Energy Condensed to a Slow Vibration.'. 

 A.S.V. will be releasing a new full length album in late Spring/early Summer entitled 'Everywhere You Go…There You Are'. Self described as Van Morrison meets Husker Du. Let's hope Mr. Morrison bought the band a round or three soon after. 

James Damion

All Sensory Void - Psychedelic Syd and the Recklessly Abandoned

When Eric Goldberg sent me his latest musical output I couldn't help think back at the void that was left on Jersey's musical landscape when his band The Nico Blues, without much of a warning, fell silent, being that the band played such a large part in this blogs history through reviews, numerous images and an interview. Strangely enough, when hearing about the first release from one of the bands original members and key contributors, I wasn't exactly setting up a tent in order to be the first in line to review it.
In hindsight, maybe there was a need to be in a specific mindset that would allow these ears to listen without the many daily distractions that have the mind and ears running in varied directions.

When listening to All Sensory Void one can't help but be swept away by the laid back tones and sweeping harmonies. Overall 'Psychadelic Sid and the Recklessly Abandoned' has a warm and comforting feel  that never comes off as dull or flighty. Eric brings a lot of the songwriting quality that made The Nico Blues so enjoyable. James Damion

All Sensory Void  Bandcamp

An Interview with New Brunswick's Holy City Zoo

Holy City Zoo is a four piece juggernaut hailing from  New Brunswick, New Jersey.
The band mixes elements of Punk, Alternative and Hard Rock to form a sound that is both addictive and contagious. (Think, The Foo Fighters meet At the Drive In at a sweaty
New Jersey basement show.) Since first witnessing the Zoo's apocalyptic live set during 2011's Brick City Riot Music Festival. I've followed the bands progress closely.
With their new record, "Nobody Sells For Less" still fresh in my ears, I decided to reach out and ask some over due questions about the past, present and future. Here's what they had to say. James Damion

Holy City Zoo; 

AJ Russo- Bass/Vocals Joe Lanza- Guitar/Vocals Frank DeFranco- Guitar/Vocals 

Brian DePhillis- Drums

James: I first saw you guys live last year at the Brick City Riot Fest in Newark. However, I had heard the name and legend of Holy City Zoo long before.
Can you tell me a little background on the band and how you got your wings?

HCZ: We started out in some form back in 2007 and went through a few incarnations that ultimately led us to the line-up we have now. This line-up is about two years old. Our main goals were to be raw and straight-forward, as well as being as "DIY" as possible. We've been around NJ playing music for a while, so at this point in our lives it was easier to make connections and have the knowledge to set things in motion. This lead to forming the Tiny Giant Artist Collective with
The Nico Blues, which definitely had an impact on our band and is probably how you heard of us. It was a good mechanism to break out of where we came from, and ultimately helped others as well (which is/was the real main goal).

James: Your one of a handful of current bands that are somewhat defying the whole genre classification. You're not Hardcore. You're not really Punk and you certainly aren't a lot of things. On top of that you can't dance for shit. Where do you see yourselves as a band?

HCZ: Our band is basically a massaged collage of everything we ever wanted to hear and haven't heard. We are huge fans of 80's and 90's underground alternative acts, as well as today's underground movement of forward thinking music. Holy City Zoo, at this point, tries to meld together the musical sensibilities of both. A crude way of putting it is we want to mash together the Foo Fighters with At The Drive-In, or The Smashing Pumpkins with
The Fall of Troy, or Jawbox and RX-Bandits etc. We do our research in modern times as well as the past times. "Rock" or "Punk" has been so many things to us and others, so we try to reflect that. Short answer, we don't believe in guilty pleasures: we play what sounds cool to us. So we really see ourselves as a giant music masher/rearranger of things we love, then fuck it up even more.

James: Your live shows are quite animalistic. I think it's pretty safe to say you're one of the most animated bands I've seen over the last year.
However, you seem quite subdued and laid back otherwise. What is it about the music, performing live and interacting with the crowd that helps flip that switch?

HCZ: Our live shows are all about our own cathartic release of energy. We feel personal and global injustices all over the place and our music is simply a way to let it all out. We aren't exactly political or "emo", it's kind of a weird mix of both. So on the stage we are maniacally trying to make sense of our lives and what is around us by bashing out these tunes. It's our expression during our quarter life. When we aren't playing music, we are just regular people that are pretty subdued and laid back. The shows and music in general are the means of
(rather overt) expression. Otherwise we'd probably be running around the streets screaming our heads off. It's great performing in front of a crowd because we are being completely honest and emoting our true feelings, and if someone can relate to that, then that is beautiful.

James: You've got a new record with "Nobody Sells for Less". It feels like it was a long time coming. Maybe even long overdue. Tell me a little about the process and finally getting to see the fruits of your labor. The record also shows off a lot of the raw energy that fuels your live sets. Was that intentional? Was there a game plan going into the studio?

HCZ: The main goal of NSFL was to experiment with more major keys. The first EP was really dark, this one is bright. It diversified our assets and could mix things up a bit more. That's the goal of every subsequent release, to paint a better image of how we feel.
With this EP we went in trying to make a high fidelity version of what we sound like.
The studio that we went in to has top notch gear with someone who knows how to work magic with it. It's the same person who recorded our first EP, Jeremy Cimino. The goal for both EPs was to show off our raw band in the best sounding way, sonically at least.
We took our time and tried to make the songs sound well and honest, but not polished.
Plus, we were a better band than the first time around, so this EP was also a way to show our progress.

James: You released the record on vinyl at a time when a lot of your contemporaries are going the digital route. Why did you choose this ancient method?

HCZ: We won a competition held by the Institute of Audio Research, where Joe attended school. We played Kid PK at Arlene's Grocery and the crowd thought we were the best artist and choose us to win. Weird. So the school offered to pay for something. We picked vinyl. Why? We wanted to hear ourselves on vinyl because we are dorks. Nobody Sells For Less is also available digitally also. Gotta do both these days.

James: I immediately got a Crazy Eddie (Not sure you guys know the legend of Crazy Eddie and the department store commercials in the 80's.) vibe from the record title. Why the name "Nobody Sells For Less"?

HCZ: It was on the window of an Unclaimed Freight store in New Brunswick. We were going up to practice one day and decided that would be a funny cover for the EP. It was a joke that stuck. The images on the front and back are the actual front and back of the store, just caricatured by the wonderful Rob Gnarly. It's a little homage to the Hub City and thought it would be a cool conceptual art piece for the vinyl.

James: The vinyl also comes with a download card that features an
impressive assortment of older tracks. It really puts things over the top
and delivers on the records title "Nobody Sells for Less".
What led to the decision to include so many extras?

HCZ: Well, we love the ideas of "B-sides". A small part of it was to pay homage to the weird stuff bands we love released on the flip side of their singles. Mainly, it was a way for people to really hear us develop. It has the demos, live and studio recordings. It shows the progression of how we evolved. Not many local bands do that, so we decided to take the plunge.

James: We've talked about the New Brunswick roots in the past. The town has produced many bands that changed people's lives musically. It's also regenerated itself over the years as college towns often do. With Holy City Zoo being a part of that present energy.
I can't help but ask, What makes the area so special? Is it something in the water?
the basements? the bricks? or the classrooms? that makes New Brunswick produce on a higher level?

HCZ: The real answer is that it's a relevant college town in the middle of miles of suburban towns. It's the only cool meeting place in central NJ. Students live off campus and throw shows in houses. New Brunswick does have a history, which does make it a marking point for touring bands. They usually love it here cause we really do treat bands with respect
and I guess that gets carried on to wherever they come from. Holy City Zoo and all the other hometown bands are to thank for that. We really try and keep it real here. We think it seems special because this doesn't occur anywhere else in NJ really. It is a perfect storm of all the things explained that happened to turn out well.

James: In the time since the Court Tavern closed it's doors. There was a hot spring of
Basement Shows popping up in the immediate area. Are you playing a part and do you think they can maintain the energy and dedication they've given the scene and touring bands?

HCZ: Funny thing about the Court Tavern is that it never effected nor crossed paths with basement shows. That crowd kind of stay there and vice versa. That place was 21+,
which is a big turn off. Younger people want to see bands too. Basements thrived for that very reason. Plus the intimacy of a basement is also a bit more primal, which attracted people who liked that. The Court Tavern was a cool place, but the basement scene is where the breeding grounds of bands are (nowadays at least). They were two different places with different functions.

James: You've begun sharing rehearsal space with Man on Fire recently.
Frank also recently played a double shift with Holy City Zoo and Man On Fire at
The Clash Bar. Can we expect further collaborations and Kahootsing in the near future?

HCZ: We share a practice space with Man On Fire and France. So that collaboration came pretty naturally. Since we now have a 24/7 space, more collaborations are likely to occur. Keep the ears peeled for that.

James: How has Frank's playing topless effected the band?
Has his chest hair received any endorsement deals?
Have you noticed a spike in attendance since he's begun this ritual?

HCZ: We may start a raffle for the shavings of one peck of franks immaculate chest mane.

James: I saw you mention that the upcoming Maxwell's show will be one of your last for a while. Did I read that wrong? What are the bands plans for the near future?

HCZ: We want to get our lives in order, as well as a full length album. Our goal is to really come up with something special and cohesive, as well as thinking of a cool way of releasing it. We are getting pretty philosophical here at the HCZ camp.

James: If you could define Holy City Zoo's sound, approach or goals in one word.
What would it be?

HCZ: Truth.

James: Excellent. Mission complete.

Interview and Photos; James Damion

Holy City Zoo  Facebook
Holy City Zoo  Bandcamp

Holy City Zoo - Nobody Sells For Less EP

As I headed downstairs I peaked downward into the hallway thinking to myself "this is the day that fucking record is going to show up in my postal box." "This is the day my train of thought will get the tracks it needs to plot its course."
As of late the mail man has been putting most of my records inside the door due to a rash of thefts in the neighborhood." Truth be told, I've been listening to the record for some time now. I just needed to have my hands on the actual product in order to give it the treatment I felt it deserved. That alone would unleash the Hunter Thompson within. Holding the record would rejuvenate the thoughts and feelings that crystalized the numerous conversations and transactions with band members about the songs, the recording, the packaging; All building up to the sonic orgasm that would be "Nobody Sells For Less".

Holy City Zoo are a hard band to generalize. The New Brunswick, NJ powerhouse take all the best elements of Hard Rock, Post Hardcore and Punk to form this unstoppable juggernaut. As I put the needle to the record I was immediately hooked by the full blown chaos that ensues with the the opening of "WW5". The track is a mind fuck with it's sonic prowess. Match that chaotic discord with an anthemic, singalong chorus and you've got a track that will have you climbing up the walls.
"Afterburner" opens with post core guitar riffs that immediately had me thinking of the band Quicksand. Joe Lanza's voice cries out like a madman, perfectly highlighting the controlled chaos that surrounds him.
The B side opens with "Paper Beats Rock" a track highlighted by a dynamic, layered guitar sound that has its share of beauty and eccentricities. "Meadowlark Lemon" opens with a nice sense of melody that gives way to a crash and burn style that really ties the record together nicely.
Add to that the bonus download tracks and you've got a record that's worthy of worship and celebratory human sacrifice. I had very high expectations for this record coming in.
Thanks to Holy City Zoo for far exceeding them. James Damion


Get it Here

The Nico Blues "Die Happy" with Frank DeFranco

"Hi, my name is Frank DeFranco and despite being the guitarist for Holy City Zoo and an active member of  The Tiny Giants Artist Collective; this is the first time I’ve ever interviewed anyone. Through playing in bands, and having a shared obsession over Nirvana and other 90’s alternative music, I became good friends with the guys in the Nico Blues before the band  even existed.  So when James Damion asked if I’d like to interview the band about their recent release of  "Die Happy".  I couldn't possibly turn down the opportunity. Frank DeFranco

Frank - First things first, you guys have this new record out called Die Happy. Plain and simple, what would you like to say about it?

Reed - Only thing we want people to do is to listen to it. We’re not going to beg them to like it, we’re not going to try to shove it down their throats too hard. We just want them to take the twenty seven minutes and hear the new stuff we made. We worked pretty hard on it, and we recorded it ourselves in our basement studio.
We just want you to hear it.

Frank - Now,
"Blame the Boredom, Blame the Basements". It had this feel where you travel through different genres.Where as this EP I’ve noticed that you’ve taken a lot of your influences and kind of converged them more into a unified sound. Like instead of playing songs of different genres, you’ve found ways to combine the genres into one. Is this the case, or am I just talking out of my ass?

Eric – That’s pretty accurate. I think we just kind of figured out what we wanted and we’re writing better songs and arranging the songs better too, so that’s making a big difference. Like literally, "Blame the Boredom" is just everything through a bass big muff. We didn’t know what we were doing as far as what we wanted to sound like, and it’s always a learning process, but this time we had much a better idea of what we wanted going into it.
At least we thought we did.

Reed – I think the sound of the new record just comes from playing as this band for longer because when you play with the guys for a while, you all just kind of click. Instead of jumping around from genre to genre, we don’t have to make a song a folk song or make a song a punk song, we can just kind of find that middle ground where we use our folk influences, use our punk influences, use our alternative influences, and just kind of make them the Nico Blues.

Frank - I know you guys have a very wide range of influences over many years of music.
Who were you guys listening to most during the song writing process, and who really stands out as the major influences behind this record?

Eric – Jim Testa pretty much guessed all of them with an interview we did with him.
The Replacements, Pavement, Dinosaur Jr.
He compared us also to Soul Asylum which none of us listen to, but I can definitely see what he means. Mainly he compared us to these bands who really don’t sound alike, so I feel like…


Reed – …that was a victory.

Eric – Yeah like, Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. are obviously very different bands, but both Indie rock.

Reed – I think any sort of band that has the songwriting at the center of everything was what we were listening to. Anybody who was catering a production to a song was important for us to hear.

Eric – One of our biggest influences ever is probably the Chili Peppers, and that’s what they did. Everything they did served the song.

Reed – Yeah, Chili Peppers, you can call them funk, you can call them punk, you can combine them, but at the center of all the genres is just the song, and a really good song. So that’s what we wanted to do. Raconteurs was also something new and cool that influenced us, and of course the white stripes too. Every cool rock band with a good song has had some influence on us.

Frank - What are some of the techniques you’ve used behind the promotion of this release.
It’s a self released record, that you’ve made yourselves from scratch. How has that affected
how you’ve promoted it?

Reed – We emailed, we flyer, we host it on bandcamp for pay-what-you-want, including free.

Evan – When we released Blame the Boredom, everyone who downloaded it had to enter in an email address. So we just saved all the email addresses, and when we released "Die Happy" we sent a short message to those people saying something like, “we just released this, come check it out if you liked our first record.”

Reed – Social media too, we’re all over facebook, twitter…but the reason for doing it, as you mentioned, we made it ourselves which is all the more reason to want to push it yourself, and do the leg work, and hear person by person who likes it. When we hear back from other Tiny Giants like “oh, you guys made a great record,” that’s the most important thing to us. Hearing from other musicians, and getting it them, and having them get it to their fans. That’s pretty important right now, because we’re all on the ground floor right now and it’s fuckin’ crowded.

Eric – Plus it’s cool to up the ante, like you hear someone else you really like, and you want to one up them, and then they want to one up you. That way,

Frank – it’s healthy, friendly competition.

Eric – Yeah, you’re pushing yourself to be better, because your peers are getting better. That is a very important thing as well. There’s a bunch of cool bands, and everyone is going to keep growing as long as they don’t break up.

Frank – Speaking of "Tiny Giant", when you guys put out
"Blame the Boredom, Blame the Basements" it was before the Tiny Giant Artist Collective existed. How has Tiny Giant existing had an effect on your new release?

Eric – It was just a group of people willing and ready to take it in immediately, and that was the coolest part. When we released "Blame the Boredom", there was nothing like that.
There was no fuckin’ community we were releasing it to, there was nobody. Now there’s this group of people that are interested enough to listen to it and give it a chance, so that’s really the most important thing.

Reed - There was just a community that was ready to fuckin’ hear it, and promote it. All the things you would want a person to do, we had a hundred something people that were just ready to do it, and that’s amazing.

Frank - "Die Happy", interesting name for the EP, though after listening to it, I find it pretty fitting. I’m just curious with how you came up with that and decided on it, and if there was anything else you were tossing around before picking that.

Reed – Eric text me just one random, frustrated day “I just want to die happy.” He said it, and it sounded like an album name. Die Happy sounded like it encompassed the vibe of all the songs. On the surface it sounds negative, but when you dig a little bit deeper, there’s an actual positive meaning to it. That’s kind of the genesis of it, and we kicked around tons of names.

Eric – It faces a positive in a negative way, it’s only two words and I feel like it hits home. I’ve noticed that people say die happy more often than they probably noticed. It’s just two words that go against each other that say two seemingly opposite things but if you think about it, they actually do go together in a positive way.

Reed – There were some other front runners, I can’t honestly even remember them.
Do you remember any?

Eric – "Mommies and Daddies"

Reed – What was it?  "Relax Man"?

Eric – Yeah, "Relax Man".

Reed – We had a few we were just kicking around that weren’t album worthy, and then we came up with this one and it stuck, and we liked it, and it felt like the songs, which is the most important thing in an album name.

Frank - What’s next for Nico? I mean I personally know what’s next, but I’m asking for the sake of this interview.

Reed – We have a new EP coming out that’s not "Die Happy" that will be released sometime within the next year. That’s a pretty broad timeline, but we’re just trying to play it by ear because we don’t have to set a deadline. We recorded thirteen songs, not just six when we went into the studio, so we have seven on the back burner that are just dying for your ears.

Eric – More songs, more shows, and probably will start working on new material soon too. We recorded all the tracks for the next EP, but we might redo some of it, and yeah play more shows and,

Reed – do all the things that bands do, is what we will be doing over the next year, just twice as hard.

The Nico Blues
Killing Horse Records

Images From Killing Horse Records Second Anniversary Show at Maxell's 01/06/12

Though I had originally planned on writing a show review for the Killing Horse Records anniversary show, I just lost track of time. Instead I thought I'd go ahead and post some images and thoughts about the show. This was a not only a night of celebration for a label and the bands that call it home. It was a testament to the fact that we are in the midst of a thriving scene. When Dave and I started this blog I was looking for an energy and inspiration that Unite Fanzine was no longer giving me. At the time I had no idea just how much of that inspiration was about to hit me. Killing Horse Records and The Tiny Giants Artist Collective have given this blog and me personally, the fuel to not only do this, but fully enjoy and look forward to it.

Killing Horse has become a platform for some of the best bands and musicians in the area. 

They've helped foster a scene that continues to welcome new bands and inspire people to get involved and go to shows. They've recently signed the Nico Blues and plan on new releases in 2012 and beyond. The label is also a part of a growing community known as the "Tiny Giants Artist Collective". We look forward to the labels future success and growth. See you all at the next anniversary show.

James Damion

Michael Keefe Cicada Radio

Reed Adler The Nico Blues

Alan Gomez Invisible Lines

Producer Tom Unish with ¡No Pasaran!

Mike (KHR's) matches wits w/ Jay Monaco of Secret Country

The gang's all here

Killing Horse Records

"Taking a Closer Look at KillingHorse Records" Part II

As we get set to celebrate the second anniversary of Killing Horse Records tomorrow night at Hoboken's legendary watering hole Maxwells; I spoke with Mike and Ryan about the event, the bands and the future of the label itself. In part two of my interview I decided to touch on the show, the bands and the promising future of the label. Here's what the guys had to say. James Damion

James: You recently lost one of the areas best outfits due to a breakup. 
Did Ben Franklins break up come as a surprise or was it something you saw coming? 

Ben Franklin

Mike: It was a bummer for sure, we had no idea they were breaking up. I dont think anyone did. It's OK - we wish them nothing but the best, but in the end they need to do what is right for them, and we respect that. Things like that happen, but we still love everyone from Ben Franklin, and we love their music. They were one of our absoulte favorite bands from the area. It's like anytime one of your favorite bands break up.
Ultimately it makes the Urgency 7" we did with them that much more special. I'm so glad we took a chance on them and got that record made.

James: Did it have an initial effect on the label? What were your first thoughts? 

Mike: We were invested in them financially with the 7" we put out that year, so it hurt the promotion of the record, but thats no where near where our first thoughts were, we were just like "damn, we aren't going to get to hear anymore new music by them, or get to see any of more shows". The world needs more bands like Ben Franklin -they got it. Again, I'm just glad we got to document that. That's what having a record label is all about, and their records will always mean a lot to us personally. 

James: The bands breakup was followed by the signing of rising stars 
The Nico Blues. What was it about them in particular that blew you away? 

The Nico Blues

Ryan: We've been big fans of the Nico Blues for some time now. That record, "Blame the Boredom, Blame the Basements" is absolutely phenomenal. When I first got my hands on it,
I think I listened to it for three straight days. In fact, our biggest regret at the time was that it had already come out, and we had seemingly missed the boat on it. Yet here we are about a year later and it's coming out again on our label, and we couldn't be happier. Even beyond the music though, we're big fans of the guys in the band. We had our first real exposure to them when Mike booked them at The Irish in Kearny back in September of 2010. We hit it off real well, and they were clearly a group of people with whom we would love to work, so I'm real glad we now have that opportunity. 

James: Your planning on re-issuing their album 
"Blame the Boredom. Blame the Basements." Will it be getting any special treatments such as remastering or bonus tracks? 

Mike: We expanded the packaging to include lyrics, which is really cool. As for the record we wanted to leave the record as is, its as much a re-issue, a it is just out of stock, and we are picking up where they left off. We love that record as well, so we are really excited to be putting it out on Killing Horse. 

James: Are there any plans for a new record with them in the works? 

Mike: We are taking it one step at a time with them. They are not obligated to put anything else out on Killing Horse, but we definitely want to hear everything they record. If it works for both of us and the timing is right, then thats great. 

James: Can you tell me anything about your involvement with 
The Tiny Giants Artist Collective and if, how it would involve any future releases for KHR? 

Mike: The Tiny Giants Collective has been awesome, it has created a real sense of unity in the New Jersey scene, or whatever you want to call it. It's really a great representation of why we got into the business of putting out records. From the second we met the guys in The Nico Blues and Holy City Zoo, who started the whole thing, we just seemed to be about the same issues, bringing people together, pooling resources, moving forward. so it's great way to help connect the dots. Recently its been growing a lot. Its a great way to get introudcuded to like-minded bands, and I'm sure that we will either put out a record by another Tiny Giant band, or get intorudcuded to a band due to our involvement with them. 

James: The "Two Year Anniversary" show at Maxwells is coming fast. Any last minute jitters or thoughts? 

Ryan: Ah jitters - no, no, nothing like that. We're just so nonchalant and cool that we don't get the jitters... Actually, we're just super excited about the whole thing. It's our big birthday party that we put together, and at 2 years old, that makes us a pudgy toddler who just learning how to walk, so it's a great way to kick off a new year where we hope to find ourselves walking into new territories and bringing some great music to new listeners' ears. As for last minute thoughts, I think this is going to be a show for the books - we've got Cicada Radio, whose new material is blowing us away, the Nico Blues, who are making their Killing Horse debut, Invisible Lines will be debuting a new member - Mr. Geoff Bennington,
¡No Pasaran! will be performing their final pre-hiatus show - adding even more excitement to a guaranteed electric set, and Secret Country will be performing as an 8-piece band with the addition of myself on guitar and the alluring and talented Ms. Katelynn Siegle on vocals. It's going to be a night people are discussing so the only question is, do you want to be in the loop or not? 

James: One of the bands playing that night, Invisible Lines, we're recently injured in a plane crash or something. How are the guys healing and will they be ready to perform? 

Ryan: Yes, that is 100% correct, their private jet was shot down by Libyan rebels during a peacekeeping mission a few months ago. After fighting their way through enemy lines (taking no prisoners) they eventually made it to Tangiers, where there was the whole
"Fidelio incident" - which I can't go into for legal reasons. But they managed to get out of the country and fly back to the States just in time for the show. They've assured me that their injuries are not very serious (mostly just a few missing digits/limbs, some minor 2nd degree burns - nothing that a few aspirin can't fix) and they'll be ready to go Friday night. 

Cicada Radio

James: I got to see 
Cicada Radio perform the other night. The band is one of our favorites. I was just wondering if you're planning on getting around to releasing their EP on vinyl or CD any time soon. 

Mike: Cicada Radio has just been getting better and better, Ryan and I just can't stop talking about how much they improve everytime we see them. That's a testament to them, honestly. It's great to see a band grow like this. As for "Imposter", we'd love to release it physically. At the same time the new stuff they have been doing really showcases how much they have been growing. We are currently discussing with the guys from Cicada how we want to handle that dichotomy. I can promise you this though, we will definatly be releasing something by them physically. Hopefully sooner than later. 

James: New band releases, signings on the horizon? 

Ryan: We've definitely got some things in mind for the remainder of the year, both current bands and new, however not all the details are hammered out yet, so I'm not going to go into the details. But, to give you a little taste, chances are good that we'll be seeing a new
full-length from Secret Country, and as Mike mentioned earlier there should be some new Cicada Radio material at some point as well. 

The Nico Blues - Living Proof Video

As long as I'm listening to The Nico Blues new album 

"Blame the Boredom, Blame the Basements". I thought I'd go ahead and post the video for one of my favorite tracks from the album. Look for a review later this week. James Damion

The Nico Blues  Official
The Nico Blues  Facebook