Thursday, June 8, 2023

90s DIY punk band NUZZLE streaming previously unreleased 1997 album in full early, album out Friday on Solid Brass Records


“A prime example of the emo scene of that decade, early emo that was an offshoot of post-punk/hardcore– think Sunny Day Real Estate or Texas Is The Reason. Well before the 2000s when mainstream emo broke big on Robert Smith cosplay, voices cracking, and trips to Hot Topic.” -- That's Good Enough For Me


"Solid Brass Records' focus rests on unearthing and re-polishing the gems of the bygone era, reminiscent of the days when screams were the voice of passion, and post-hardcore was a burgeoning genre challenging the norm… For Nuzzle it’s a resurrection of the spirit they embodied, a chance to resonate once again in the hearts of those who remember, and to stir the souls of those yet to discover them." -- Idioteq



Los Angeles label Solid Brass Records is streaming the forthcoming previously unreleased album by SF band Nuzzle a day early today via Idioteq. The album, No Love Like That -- The Stanford Sessions 1997 was originally recorded for short-lived Sub Pop subsidiary Die Young, Stay Pretty. These recordings became the stuff of lore for fans of 90s west coast indie music. Hear/share No Love Like That - The Stanford Sessions 1997 in full HERE. (Direct Bandcamp.)


About Nuzzle's No Love Like That - The Stanford Sessions 1997:


Originally recorded for Die Young Stay Pretty (a short-lived Sub Pop subsidiary), these previously unreleased recordings became the stuff of lore for fans of 90s west coast indie music. Essentially a demo and precursor to Nuzzle’s 1999 LP San Lorenzo’s Blues, these tracks are raw, energetic, and representative of Nuzzle’s live shows. Newly remixed and mastered, No Love Like That: Stanford Sessions 1997, is quintessential Nuzzle at their pinnacle. 


Nuzzle began as a trio; Nate Dalton (guitar), Simon Fabela (bass) and Ricardo Reano (drums) in Rosemead, CA in 1991 before ultimately settling in Santa Cruz. In 1993 Nate’s older brother Andrew joined on guitar and switched to vocals early in 1994, solidifying their lineup.


By the mid 90s Nuzzle had already released several 45s, their Follow, For Now LP on Youth Strike Chord, and several compilation tracks. They had also completed a successful US tour with Fisticuffs Bluff, and had become staples in a loosely knit but deeply felt west coast scene anchored by Kill Rock Stars Records in Olympia and Gravity Records in San Diego. The buzz they generated helped them find their way onto bills with bands like Evergreen, Unwound, Lync, Bikini Kill, Modest Mouse, The VSS, Clikatat Ikatowi, and more. 


In 1996 Nuzzle teamed up with friend and engineer Andy Radin to record 8 new songs at Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, where Radin was recording bands during graveyard shifts from 10pm to dawn. “The legend goes that these recordings were originally meant for release on a ‘big label’ and were short-sightedly passed on,” recalls George Chen from Zum Audio. 


Nuzzle never returned to the Stanford studio for a final mixing so Radin labeled his cassette copy 'Nuzzle Rough Mixes' and shelved the project while the band continued to play shows up and down the CA coast in 1997 and 1998.


Bassist Simon Fabela recounts, “We re-recorded the Stanford songs with Jeff Pinn from Zilla/Hyde Street Studios in an abandoned, supposedly haunted, half-way house in San Jose. That became San Lorenzo's Blues and was released in 1999 on Troubleman Unlimited.”


Radin and the band all agree the LP on Troubleman is strong, but these Stanford sessions capture Nuzzle as they were live; raw with more plaintive urgency in the vocals. “None of us had heard it in nearly 10 years. We actually really like the recordings since they captured what Nuzzle was like live back then,” says Simon Fabela, bassist for Nuzzle (and now Duster). “I was talking with a friend recently and she was saying that none of our recordings really captured the sound, the energy, the rawness of Nuzzle as she remembers us live. Listening to the Stanford sessions, I think these recordings came the closest,” says guitarist Nate Dalton.


No Love Like That: Stanford Sessions 1997 has been remixed by Liam Andrew Nelson, mastered by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering in Los Angeles, and will be available on LP and download on June 9th, 2023 on Solid Brass Records. Pre-orders are available HERE.


About Solid Brass Records:


Solid Brass Records started in 2022 after a few friends from the 90’s DIY music scene reconnected over their shared appreciation for the community, people, and bands that influenced them 30 years prior. They decided to pool their collective knowledge and resources to start a label focused on reissuing music from that period as well as showcasing new bands similarly inspired by this scene. 



Artist: Nuzzle

Album: No Love Like That -- The Stanford Sessions 1997

Label: Solid Brass Records 

Release Date: June 9th, 2023


01. Daedalus and Us

02. No Más

03. Unbreakable You

04. Allen Says

05. We Almost Lost Del Mar

06. The Word #2

07. If Left To Our Devices

08. No Love Like That



















On The Web:

solidbrassrecords.com

instagram.com/solidbrassrecs

instagram.com/nuzzleband

nuzzleband.bandcamp.com








Thursday, June 1, 2023

The Pines of Rome (High Aura'd, Songs: Ohia members) share video for "White Ships" from new album The Unstruck Bell


“9 New Albums You Should Listen To Now: The first new Pines of Rome album in 2 decades.” – Pitchfork


“Pines of Rome quietly took the underground by storm in the '90s and early '00s with their signature brand of downtrodden, folk rock-inflected slow rock. Now back after two decades with what could very well be their best album… They've obviously matured over this lengthy period of time, become fiercer musicians, and even stronger songwriters in the band's absence.” — Brooklyn Vegan



Providence, RI band The Pines of Rome share the official video today for "White Ships" from their first new album in over 20 years, released last week on Solid Brass Records. Watch/share the carefully hand-animated video on YouTube HERE


The album, The Unstruck Bell is available to hear/share and purchase HERE. Brooklyn Vegan previously premiered the official video for "REDACTED" HERE. (YouTube)


The Pines of Rome (John Kolodij, Matthew Derby, and Rick Prior) have been exploring the frontiers of Cosmic American Music on and off for the past 25 years, dialing down the tempo and turning up the volume to create tidal walls of sound that surge and break like the turbulent Atlantic waves that batter the shores of the smallest state in the Union.


The band originally formed in 1997, when the small-but-mighty Providence music scene was reaching an eclectic creative peak, where fuzz pop, psych rock, and noise bands would share the same stage at hallowed venues such as Fort Thunder, AS220, and The Living Room, sanding off the hard genre distinctions that kept music scenes in other cities silo'd.


Over 20 years had passed since their final show, and then, while shuttered inside during the pandemic, Derby was inspired to contact his former Pines bandmate, Kolodij and start writing new music. In addition to new music, the band welcomed new member Steven Kimura on bass and the trio became a 4-piece. 


Over the years The Pines Of Rome have shared the stage with great bands like Songs:Ohia/Magnolia Electric Co., Richard Buckner, Bonnie Prince Billy, June of '44, Shipping News, Lullaby for the Working Class, the Promise Ring, Jets To Brazil, Rainer Maria, Joan of Arc, Silkworm, Bright Eyes, and more.


The Unstruck Bell is available on LP and download on May 26th, 2023 via Solid Brass Records. Orders are available HERE.


THE PINES OF ROME LIVE 2023:

07/22 Providence, RI - Columbus Theatre






Artist: The Pines of Rome

Album: The Unstruck Bell

Label: Solid Brass Records 

Release Date: May 26, 2023


01. I Am a Road

02. Slick Enhancer

03. White Ships

04. REDACTED

05. Beavertail Spoils

06. Siren

07. The By & By



On The Web:

solidbrassrecords.com

instagram.com/solidbrassrecs

thepinesofrome.bandcamp.com











Tuesday, May 30, 2023

The Poison Arrows (ex-Don Caballero, Thumbnail) share title track from forthcoming album on Solid Brass Records



Chicago trio The Poison Arrows share the title track from their forthcoming fifth album today via all platforms. The album Crime and Soda will be available June 16th via Solid Brass Records. The new single, "Crime and Soda" is available to hear and share via Linktree HERE.


Pre-order/pre-save via the DSP of your choice HERE


The Poison Arrows formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 2006 with Adam Reach on drums, Patrick Morris on bass (ex-Don Caballero), and Justin Sinkovich (ex-Thumbnail, Atombombpocketknife) on guitar, keyboards, and vocals.


On the heels of 2022’s War Regards and after fifteen years of musical telepathy, Crime and Soda, is arguably the most balanced offering from The Poison Arrows. Their 5th LP showcases the band’s keen ability to balance softer, more contemplative periods held together by a dark and driving rhythm section with their signature moody-math intensity and complexity.


“Mercurial Moments Erased”, the first single, is about absorbing unpredictable changes in a loved one’s temperament and finding solace in deleting it from one’s memory bank. It features one of the Chicago trio’s quintessential obtuse lock groove constructions.


The signature Patrick Morris bass intro of “Joy Amber Scam” escalates into a math rock frenzy as the use some of their most intricate musical trickery to fuse together a frenetic sound reminiscent of June of 44, King Crimson, and Protomartyr, while Sinkovich tells a true story of how he got scammed in Mexico, an episode which started by shooting tequila in a jewelry story, and ended with Justin turning tables on his antagonists by having their entire business’s bank account shut down.


The third single and title track, “Crime and Soda”, deviates from the band’s mathier, post-rock tendencies and starts with a dark, slow piano piece recalling bands like Arab Strap or The Black Heart Procession. “Crime and Soda” is about giving up on someone who has become consumed by their consumption of “crime and sodas,”; a fictitious drink fabricated for this track.


The Poison Arrows have deep roots in the Chicago independent music scene and have played with countless bands that orbit their unique sound, including: Battles, Boris, Drahla, Drive Like Jehu, Film School, Girls Against Boys, June of 44, Man or Astroman?, Mudhoney, Polvo, and many more. Previous albums have included guest appearances from Brian Case of 90 Day Men and FACS, Scott McCloud from Girls Against Boys, Mia Clarke from Electrelane, Pall Jenkins from The Black Heart Procession, and numerous others.


Crime and Soda was recorded in Electrical Audio’s Studio A with Greg Norman, mixed by Brian Deck at Narwhal Studios, and mastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service. The album will be available on LP and download on June 16th, 2023 via Solid Brass Records. Pre-orders are available HERE


POISON ARROWS LIVE 2023:

June 09 Dubuque IA @ The Lift w/ Products Band (Solid Brass Records labelmates!)

June 10 Chicago IL @ The Empty Bottle w/ Products Band (Solid Brass Records labelmates!)







Artist: The Poison Arrows

Album: Crime And Soda

Label: Solid Brass Records

Release Date: June 16, 2023


01. Mercurial Moments Erased

02. The Joy Amber Scam

03. Consequences of Memory

04. Glassed By The Gilded Age

05. Crime and Soda

06. All These Kids

07. Imminently Accompanied By Dragonflies

08. Asynchronous Empire Of Isotopes

09. Sharp Young Teeth











On The Web:

solidbrassrecords.com

instagram.com/solidbrassrecs

thepoisonarrows.com

thepoisonarrows.bandcamp.com













Friday, May 26, 2023

Pines of Rome (High Aura'd, Songs: Ohia members) release first new album in 20 years via Solid Brass Records today


“Pines of Rome quietly took the underground by storm in the '90s and early '00s with their signature brand of downtrodden, folk rock-inflected slow rock. Now back after two decades with what could very well be their best album… They've obviously matured over this lengthy period of time, become fiercer musicians, and even stronger songwriters in the band's absence.” — Brooklyn Vegan



Providence, RI band The Pines of Rome release their first new album in over 20 years today via Solid Brass Records. The album, The Unstruck Bell is available to hear/share and purchase HERE


Brooklyn Vegan previously premiered the official video for "REDACTED" HERE. (YouTube)


The Pines of Rome (John Kolodij, Matthew Derby, and Rick Prior) have been exploring the frontiers of Cosmic American Music on and off for the past 25 years, dialing down the tempo and turning up the volume to create tidal walls of sound that surge and break like the turbulent Atlantic waves that batter the shores of the smallest state in the Union.


The band originally formed in 1997, when the small-but-mighty Providence music scene was reaching an eclectic creative peak, where fuzz pop, psych rock, and noise bands would share the same stage at hallowed venues such as Fort Thunder, AS220, and The Living Room, sanding off the hard genre distinctions that kept music scenes in other cities silo'd.


Over 20 years had passed since their final show, and then, while shuttered inside during the pandemic, Derby was inspired to contact his former Pines bandmate, Kolodij and start writing new music. In addition to new music, the band welcomed new member Steven Kimura on bass and the trio became a 4-piece. 


Over the years The Pines Of Rome have shared the stage with great bands like Songs:Ohia/Magnolia Electric Co., Richard Buckner, Bonnie Prince Billy, June of '44, Shipping News, Lullaby for the Working Class, the Promise Ring, Jets To Brazil, Rainer Maria, Joan of Arc, Silkworm, Bright Eyes, and more.


The Unstruck Bell is available on LP and download on May 26th, 2023 via Solid Brass Records. Orders are available HERE.


THE PINES OF ROME LIVE 2023:

07/22 Providence, RI - Columbus Theatre






Artist: The Pines of Rome

Album: The Unstruck Bell

Label: Solid Brass Records 

Release Date: May 26, 2023


01. I Am a Road

02. Slick Enhancer

03. White Ships

04. REDACTED

05. Beavertail Spoils

06. Siren

07. The By & By



On The Web:

solidbrassrecords.com

instagram.com/solidbrassrecs

thepinesofrome.bandcamp.com











Tuesday, May 23, 2023

CLUB COMA (ex-Boyfrndz) share lead single from forthcoming debut album

 


Austin trio CLUB COMA share the lead single from their forthcoming debut full length today via New Noise Magazine. Hear and share "New Cruelty" (Bandcamp) (Spotify) (YouTube).


Club Coma is a new Austin experimental rock group comprised of guitarist/vocalist Scott Martin, drummer Aaron Perez (both previously of Boyfrndz) and keyboardist/bassist Geoff Earle (Stiletto Feels). Pulls together an exciting, genre-bending sound that lives somewhere between Rock, mid-aughts French touch, and early 1970’s R&B. Martin and Perez’s former band’s hazy, psychedelic and powerful rock takes on new melodic shades with layers of synths and more danceable rhythms with Club Coma. 


Club Coma formed in late 2022 after the indefinite hiatus of Boyfrndz, and after Geoff's solo endeavor Stiletto Feels slowed post-pandemic. Scott, seeking a new outlet as a vocalist after Boyfrndz hiatus, asked Aaron to keep an ear to the ground for groups -- realizing Geoff's group Aaron played drums for since 2017 may be interested. Scott and Geoff happened to run into each other a couple days later, quickly falling into weekly work sessions. Club Coma came out swinging, selling out their first headline show at Mohawk in April 2023 before any music had been released.


The band's self-titled debut album recorded with Jim Eno at Public Hi-Fi will be out this summer. More details to come. 






Artist: Club Coma

Album: Club Coma

Record Label: self-released

Release Date: Summer 2023






















On The Web:

linktr.ee/clubcoma

instagram.com/clubcomaband

clubcoma.myshopify.com