Avalon and Only Way To Be Alone

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to acquire both Anthony Green's new cd Avalon as well as Good Old War's upcoming release Only Way To Be Alone. I, as many others have, have been anxiously waiting for Avalon to be released and with the release date being this week I was finally able to give this cd a listen. Only Way To Be Alone will be released later this month and was definitely a pleasant surprise to listen to. I won't get into too much detail on either album as I think you should really listen to both for yourself but I will say that both whole heartedly earn my recommendation. For those of you who haven't heard of Good Old War, they were formed by two members of another great band Days Away as well as Dan Schwartz, the guitarist from Unlikely Cowboy. The band name came about by taking part of each band members name, Keith GOODwin, Tim ArnOLD, and Daniel SchWARtz. The interesting thing about hearing both albums on the same day is that on Anthony Green's Avalon, Good Old War is featured as the backing band and plays an excellent new version of the popular song Dear Child. Anthony was able to return the favor by adding his stand out vocals on the track Weak Man for Good Old War's album. On August 6th, Anthony Green will kick off his solo headlining tour where Good Old War will not only be playing in support with Person L but will also be his backing band. For CT residents this tour stops at Toads Place, New Haven on September 13th.

Here is the video for Good Old War's "Coney Island" off of Only Way To Be Alone

W.

Oliver Stone, who has directed movies such as The Doors, Any Given Sunday, and Alexander is now in production for the movie W. This movie chronicles the life and presidency of George W. Bush's, played by Josh Brolin, and although I don't have much more information about the movie the trailer was convincing enough for me. Looks like it could be pretty funny. Check out the trailer below.

Coheed Drumline

This was pretty cool.

The Daytrotter Sessions

The Daytrotter Sessions are a musical endeavor done by Futureappletree Studio 1 which can be found in downtown Rock Island, IL. The goal of these recording sessions isn't to provide you with something you've never heard before, but rather present you a new sound from bands you may already know and of course some you don't. While touring the country, the bands involved in the Daytrotter Sessions, take 2 hours out of their day to play some borrowed instruments and record a few unreleased or reworked songs. Their efforts produce a result that on occasion may turn out better than what the bands have put out on record. All recordings are live, no overdubs, what gets played in the studio is what gets put on tape.

A recent addition to the Daytrotter Sessions comes from the Seattle-based group Minus The Bear. After just re-releasing their EP, The Make Beer Commercials Like This, on vinyl, the guys from Minus The Bear took time out of their busy schedule to record four songs off of Planet of Ice for the Daytrotter sessions. The four songs can be heard below.

Knights (Minus The Bear)



– original version appears on Planet of Ice

Ice Monster (Minus The Bear)



– original version appears on Planet of Ice

Part 2 (Minus The Bear)



– original version appears on Planet of Ice


Throwin' Shapes (Minus The Bear)



– original version appears on Planet of Ice

To download the songs visit the Daytrotter Minus The Bear page

One Day As A Lion

Zac De La Rocha, lead singer of Rage against the Machine, will be teaming up with former Mars Volta drummer Jon Theodore for a new project called One Day As A Lion. Their debut EP will be released on July 22.

According to their myspace, "One Day As A Lion is both a warning delivered and a promise kept. A defiant affirmation of the possibilities that exist in the space between kick and snare. It’s a sonic reflection of the visceral tension between a picturesque fabricated cultural landscape, and the brutal socioeconomic realities it attempts to mask. One Day As A Lion is a recorded interaction between Zack de la Rocha and Jon Theodore from Los Angeles, California."

"The name taken from the infamous 1970 black and white, captured by legendary Chicano photographer George Rodriguez featuring a center framed tag on a white wall in an unspecified section of Boyle Heights. It reads: ‘It’s better to live one day as a lion, than a thousand years as a lamb.’ This record is a stripped down attempt to realize this sentiment in sound.”

The Greenhouse Effect

Asher Roth is a young, white, middle-class rapper from Pennsylvania. I know, it might sound like a throwback to VH1's White Rapper Show but this kid is no John Brown. His first mixtape, The Greenhouse Effect Vol. 1, was put out by Don Cannon and DJ Drama and puts out an exposition of his undeniable talent. Don't sleep on Asher Roth, while his lasting presence has yet to be determined he proves himself as one of raps budding talents.