Shockwave Outside The Rocks: Fame on Fire Covers Adele's "Hello"

Written by Robin Ervolina
I'm about to get tomatoes thrown at me, but I can't stand Adele's voice. WAIT! Let me explain. I was on board right up to her latest release. Her lyrics are painfully honest. Her melodies are mathmatecally structured to make you ugly cry. This last CD though? I actually paid for and then deleted 25. Her whining has reach level expert and I just can't. So guess what made me happy today?

Yes, Shockwave Outside The Rocks is featuring Fame on Fire AGAIN, because they're brilliant and they deserve another spotlight for this haunting cover. It's a great move, taking pop songs and twisting them up in the pop punk style, and while they're not the only ones doing it, they're my current favorite. Simply put, they have the midas touch when it comes to repurposing pop. And while pop punk has its own element of whine to their cheesy lyrics, it's one that's completely tolerable, and in the case of Fame on Fire, addicting as hell.

Doyle: II As We Die

by Robin Ervolina
When Jerry Only and Glenn Danzig taught a 16-year old Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein how to play guitar, they changed music forever. The sound of Doyle slamming his right hand onto the strings of the Annihilator, his custom axe, is unmistakable, identifiable, and celebrated. Considered the creator of an entire genre, Doyle and company paved the way for hundreds of bands inspired by Horror Punk. So why wouldn't I jump at the chance to review this legend's newest CD II As We Die?
Premiere track "Kiss Me as We Die" ushers in this collection of thirteen songs. It opens with an eerie, and instantly recognizable guitar riff leading into a distinct Doyle hammering. The emotive tone is matched, nay elevated, by vocalist Alex Story of Cancerslug. As a (trick or) treat, Doyle's girlfriend and Arch Enemy vocalist Alissa White-Gluz brings some heavenly backing vocals to this track, once again proving this queen of scream is the owner of the most masterful instrument in the metal world. 
Wicked energy prevails throughout II As We Die, but there are a few slight reprieves from the beating. The intro to "Darkside" is bone chillingly beautiful. It's a haunting strum followed by an infectious drum and bass line, establishing a rhythm so solid it possesses you. I'd call it the "feel good track" of the CD but the lyrics are pure evil, as the genre is known to do. Follow-up tune "Witchcraft" is slightly less disturbing and has a hip-swagger come hither command. "We Belong to The Dead" is a rockabilly feature tune invoking visions of no-good punks holed up in a cemetery making blood pledges and rolling cigarettes, while ducking from the cops and stirring up a shit storm. (Oh, to be young again.)
Story's vocals keep the blood-curdling mood intact, singing low, screaming loud, and delivering images my nightmares hadn't considered before listening to II As We Die. Each track is a chapter in the latest installment by the progenitor of Horror Punk. Other noteworthy tracks include "Virgin Sacrifice," featuring Lamb of God's Randy Blythe, and "Blood on the Axe," which is the most apropos title a Doyle song could ever announce.  II As We Die released 6/2 and Doyle is out there touring with it, in case you're brave enough to take this on live ... and you particularly enjoy sleeping with the lights on.

 

Shockwave Outside The Rocks: Kesha Covers Bob Dylan's "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"

By Robin Ervolina
About a million years ago, or maybe it was five or six, I came home from work and walked into my husband's office. "Are you listening to Nina Simone?" He replied, "Guess again." His eyes looked like he'd hacked down a pollen field. I listened for a moment and was convinced no one in the history of ever had delivered such an honest prose. Then it hit me that the timeline didn't work. I knew those words like the emo scarred back of my hand. This was The Poet Dylan. Nina couldn't cover Dylan. "Who?" He turned from his chair and said, "You should sit down, Babe. You're not going to like this."

That's how it happened for me, and this is how I think it should happen for you. Kesha, who has worked her ass off to make a name for herself speaking vapid lyrics about party girl ethos, can sing. She can, and she doesn't, and to this day it angers me. This version also makes me cry ugly because if everyone supported talent the way metal heads do, she'd never have to wake up feeling like P-Diddy again.

Exclusive Premier: Stories Through Storms - Rage (Ft. Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills) Official Music Video

Catch the exclusive premiere for Stories Through Storms second single, ‘Rage’ featuring Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills!

By Robin Ervolina

Vocalist, Storm shares, “Rage is about dealing with those inner demons that make you feel trapped and you can't get out. We all have some rage inside of us, but finding a way to get it out without negative consequences is the tricky part. Spencer was really awesome to work with both on the video and the song. He is a very kind dude and it was really cool to have someone so nice from the industry to work with us. Everyone in this band will always have nothing but great things to say about him and his band. We can't thank him enough for the time he spent on this single.”

 

 

Stories Through Storms (For Fans of: Attila, Beartooth) is a dual front men metalcore band from Kansas City, KS that recently released their EP, What Keeps Me Up At Night. With a melting pot of music tastes, Stories Through Storms has the ability to bring something to the table for everyone. From heavy Djenty breakdowns to catchy choruses and blazing fast vocals. The Duo of vocals almost seem to go to war in each song with the trading of lines back and forth, each vocalist with their own unique sound. Combining this front line vocal onslaught with a mixture of catchy guitar lines and a complimentary percussive attack, Stories Through Storms will resonate in your head until they hook.

Stories Through Storms has played with multiple acts along their journey such as Ice Nine Kills, The Devil Wears Prada, Northlane, Volumes, Like Moths To Flames, and multiple others. 

 

Florida Artist Spotlight: Happy Hour

I'm sitting at a picnic table behind a bar in Deerfield Beach, Florida with Happy Hour, a post-hardcore band hailing from Miami, FL. I stumbled upon them just four days prior when Tilian Pearson's mom shared their song "White Girls" on Facebook. I reached out to the guys and begged an interview, and they graciously obliged. So here we are, making the most of American Rock Bar and Grill's 2-for-1 drink special (though the guys barely look old enough). Nate Promkul (clean vocals), Eric Hidalgo, "the scary screamer guy" and guitarist, and Jacob Muniz (bass) allow me to kick off the interview with a few Dance Gavin Dance references before diving into their writing process. Nate grins and tells me there is a great collaborative effort between him and Eric when it comes to writing their individual lyrical contributions.

It's always fun because I feel like we come up with the really fun, stupid, or interesting ideas, and especially with this guy Eric because he's just really out there.

Happy Hour came together when Eric and Teddy, who will sit down with us later, decided they wanted to start a new project. Eric wrote a couple of songs and threw them up with a post on Facebook: Seeking Vocalist. Nate was one of the first people who messaged. Says Eric,

I'd seen him perform live. This guy is literally like R&B, Gospel, church vocalist live. He blew me away. It's one thing to hear a good singer recorded, but to see it live ... amazing. It blew me away. So he shot me a message, and he came over to my house. We had a couple of beers, started throwing around some silly ideas, and we just kind of ran with it from there.

"White Girls" was conceived at that first meeting of the minds, on the very same day America was electing its 45th president. Eric and Nate are open with their thoughts on the 11/8/16 inception of a satirical discourse on American culture.

Lyrically we do want to have fun, but we do try and bring light of certain issues that we are passionate about, like our political stances, which I think it's important, especially for our generation, to speak out and be vocal about what's going on in our country. 

We discuss everything from politics to feminism to white privilege. The second opening band takes the stage and we continue over their set because there's no way I'm calling it. I'm impressed with their composure and their ability to talk intelligently about serious topics. Teddy Senft (guitar) arrives to the picnic table and the mood instantly flips to comic relief.

I walked in and Gabe's mom said "Yo, get back there. They're interviewing!" I was like "Oh shit! I didn't even know I was supposed to be in on this." I legitimately jumped off that dude's drum. 

After a few laughs and some audio adjustments, Eric hands Jacob the mic so he can participate in the discussion of lyrics and Happy Hour. Jacob is mostly excited to talk about how he got into the band after hearing the demo for "White Girls."

I shot them a message and he was like, "Yeah, we're looking for a bass player where it's going to be kind of in the style of Dance Gavin Dance. I was like, "Shit, this is just exactly what I want. This is exactly what I want. I don't know how, but I'm going to find a way into this band."

Jacob appears a little nervous, suddenly blushes and hands the mic back to Nate. Eric tells me this is Happy Hour's first interview. Ever. Everyone laughs and agrees that being in a band is a collaborative effort, including conducting interviews. I'm still reeling at the fact that being at ease while speaking informatively on all matters is their baseline. I bookmark the moment I met rising stars.
They speak passionately about their music and the topics that inspire them. They give us insight on "Wild Blue" and feminism. They talk about infusing jazz, R&B, and reggae into their arrangements, screaming over reggae, and just trying to shake up their sound by presenting different aspects to the post-hardcore genre. It's during this time Nate announces he just graduated with his degree in musical theater.

When it comes to vocal influence, and what I really pride myself on, is that compared to a lot of other bands in the scene, I actually care a lot about being classically aligned when I sing so I'm not fucking up my voice at any point in the set. I have a lot of different influences when it comes to vocals, most of it being pop rock and R&B. In "Wild Blue" I wanted to show the fact that I can hit a D7, which is a D an octave above high C in head voice ... and then bring it all the way down to the very bottom of my range which is like a D2 or something like that. 

Comparison's to DGD's firsts vocalist Jonny Craig ensue. I wax that in Nate we have the soulfulness of Jonny and the range of Tilian. We send love to Kurt. We give mad respect to the screamo guy and admit we all wanna be the man with the bacon. In all, we have a fabulous conversation on a myriad of topics, from a shout out to mom ...

My parents are well-educated. My mom has her masters. She has some cool executive job, and here I am doing rock and roll, fucking it up. I'm fucking it up. I love you mom. 

... to a shout out to American Rock Bar and Grill and their fantastic 2-for-1 drink specials ...

If you are ever in Deerfield Beach ... American Rock Bar and Grill. We are called Happy Hour for a reason. None of us are sober right now. 

... followed by a shout out to Haha!, Dance Gavin Dance (+ friends) baby!! Swanposting 2 !!!  and Death of a Dance Gavin Dance (+friends) Swanposting ...

A lot of really cool people have personally messaged me, shared their own art with me which has been actually really good. I'm really surprised. Some people have shared stuff with me and I'm like "Fuck us, this is amazing!" 

... and a final shout AT the asshole that broke into Nate's car and stole his guitars. (Click this link to help fund their replacement.)

If you announce who you are, we will send you a free EP. Out of the sincereness of our heart we hope that it will change your mind and open your mind to ... Yo, fuck you!

We end with a round table love fest, and it is absolutely my white girl privilege to spend time with Happy Hour. Listen and enjoy our chat.

If you're lucky enough to be in the Orlando area on June 7th, you can check out Happy Hour, playing at Uncle Lou's Entertainment Hall at 1016 N Mills Ave. I would advise you get your asses out there, and pack some extra socks cuz their live performance knocks mine off.
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Sages: Close Your Eyes

By Robin Ervolina
It's the drum intro that smacks you in the face. It's the steady rhythmic push that urges you. It's the piercing vocals that call you. It's the ethereal backing vocal that haunts you. It's "Close Your Eyes" by Sages, and it's the song you need to hear, right now.
Listen to “Close Your Eyes” via Soundcloud
With a mix of metal and space rock, combining classic techniques with new sounds, Sacramento's Sages have a standout single in "Close Your Eyes." Every moment of this track is inspired, each twist and turn a surprise and delight. If you're a fan of Periphery, "Close Your Eyes" is a must listen. Fans of The Amity Affliction should give "Face The World" a spin as well. It's melancholic mood and hopeful refrain are the things dreams are made of.
*****
May 27 @ Country Club Saloon - Loomis, CA
June 7 @ Powerhouse Pub - Folsom, CA
June 24 @ Blue Lamp - Sacramento, CA
August 4 @ Goldfield Trading Post - Sacramento, CA w/ Black Map
August 19  @ Starlite Lounge - Sacramento, CA

Shockwave Outside The Rocks: Fame on Fire Covers Ed Sheeran's "Shape Of You"

Written by Robin Ervolina
Little combo lovin for you guys listening outside the box ...
For those of you who pretend you don't like Ed Sheeran, Fame on Fire has covered "Shape Of You" in a gorgeous pop punk style, so you can dig it and maintain your cred. For those of you who are confident enough to openly admit Ed, and this song, are sexy as hell, have no fear because pretty is as pretty does, proof is in the pudding, and damn these guys are easy on the eyes and ears.

These guys hail from West Palm Beach, FL aka my motherfuking backyard. Translation: more coverage to come. Count on it.