The Spo-It's: That Is All

OK not really, I should say more but first a short update. It's the last day of my Social Media Communication class so I figured that I would use this time to give my readers something special. Low and behold I chose the Spo-it's. The Spo-it's are a Shock Rock group from Savanna, Georgia and when I say Shock Rock, I mean Shock Rock. This group makes bands like W.A.S.P., Alice Cooper, and even all the Norwegian Black Metal groups look like The Carpenters. Lead by Scott "King Spo-it" Corkern, and formed on John Wayne Gacy's birthday in the early 90s, this group pushes music and stage theatrics to the edge. A typical Spo-it's concert usually includes, loud Punk, Metal, and Jazz influenced Rock, with the most absurd and interesting stage antics ever. They have been known for having live S&M shows on stage, smashing TV's, setting off fireworks at the audience themselves, and even supposedly setting an audience member on fire. With addition to their crazy stage performance they have some really great music that has a large amount of dark humor, that will always put a smile on a person's face with that type of sense of humor. Not to mention the sound variety of their songs. Most of them (as stated before) are basically Punk Rock or Metal songs with some free form Jazz elements, but also interesting enough there's a hint of a southern rock influence as well. Which should be expected since they are from the South, but I try to not to assume a bands sound unless I first hear them.
Now I know some may complain that this band is past the local level, since they've not only have played with bigger named bands such as The Murder Junkies, Goatwhore, and Buzzov*en, they've also have been on the Jerry Springer show on more than a couple occasions. However, despite this to my knowledge it seems they really tend to stick to touring in small venues in the South (very rarely traveling across the Mason Dixon Line). Also to further defend my choice of writing about this band I know people who have been on Springer, and I knew a band that opened for Drowning Pool however, neither would be considered what you would call a big name or famous.



Regardless of their popularity they are still very much under appreciated with their very unique approach to Rock Music and their off the wall grindhouse film influenced stage performances. Sadly  I haven't personally seen, and I am really bummed out because of it, since it would be a very unique experience.

Links
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spo-its/136293699769671

Scott's Vimeo (not for the faint of heart)
http://vimeo.com/user4495746

Yet again another one for the Folkies: HEXE

OK this isn't necessarily a main group as opposed to a side project; However, since I gave Overdose On Vitamins a mention I might as well speak of other groups linked to them. HEXE is a folk group that consists of Justin Bowen (of Overdose on Vitamins) on guitar, mandolin, and vocals, and his girlfriend Jille on violin and vocals. Like Overdose On Vitamins they invite friends to play with them live or in the studio, but still maintain a core group (this time being Justin and Jille) being the main song writers.  However, unlike Overdose On Vitamins, which has more personal lyrics with some political overtones, HEXE's lyrics are mainly political, with focusing more specifically on environmentalism, animal rights, and I think feminism (I know they are feminists just not sure if it's in their lyrics).
If that's you're thing then their probably a perfect group for you, but personally I'm not big into a lot of political music, since I find it a bit overdone. However, that doesn't mean I'll just write them off and dismiss their music, because it's really good. The music is very emotional and also extremely soothing. Justin's voice very soft and a raspy, the guitar work is very smooth and the violin just adds more to the smoothness to the song. With the music sounding as smooth as it is it really disguises the seriousness of the lyrical content which seems pretty dismal, and a bit pessimistic, but a lot of good bands and songs have those elements so the formula works and if they keep at it they could go far, at least underground wise since they retain a large DIY ethic.

Links
Facebook:
 https://www.facebook.com/hexefolk

Bandcamp
http://hexepa.bandcamp.com/

Oh Shit! They're Going to Kill Us: Sorry Soar Throat but the Crossover isn't over.

Originally from Franklin Pa this Pittsburgh based crossover thrash band is what made me live to go see local bands. I remember seeing them at my first show which was at the Reno Social/Fire hall way back in like 2006/2007, and they wow'ed me from the start, and I was wondering why a band that good was doing playing in a fire hall in a town of less then 50 people (exaggeration probably but still ya catch my drift). Now they are based in Pittsburgh and they are definitely rising up the ranks of Pittsburgh's Thrash scene, and rightfully so. Their debut album (which was released on a small indie label called Deer Skull Records) was probably the best local releases that I bought in a good long while (have it in vinyl and CD) and their subsequent releases are just as good (so far my favorite release is the They Love the Bomb/Do the Blitzkrieg single).
Now after stating that I might as well describe their sound, since that's what everyone wants to know and what makes them stand out over other Thrash bands? Well for one as opposed to most thrash bands they are definitely more rooted in Punk as opposed to Metal than most Thrash bands(with members such as guitarist Andy Ramage, and former guitarist Jason Mucio being in a 90s style punk band Dooplo prior to being in Oh Shit!), and also their lyrics tend to be more on the horror than the political or partying side of most Thrash bands (with exceptions of certain songs). Also as opposed to a lot of Thrash bands they don't seem to take themselves too seriously and aren't dead set on a hardcore agenda (which tends to get old and cliche for me since it seems now every band out there has a political reason why they start a band and to me it just seems overdone and should have been left to bands like Crass or any 70s or 80s punk band). To me (I could be wrong but it's my interpretation and I'm not the band so take my words on this with a grain of salt) the only agenda is to simply to make music how they want to, and have fun doing it. Not to mention vocalist Dusty Hannah also has a very unique raspy voice which definitely seems very hardcore punk influenced, since it's definitely shouted, but yet has a sense of melody, which again seems to draw more influence with punk bands such as GBH, The Misfits (the more aggressive stuff) and The Cromags, and I also hear a large D.R.I. influence with the punk-ish vocals as well. But that's not to say that the metal influence isn't prevalent because it obviously is, the structured solos and harmonizing guitars definitely remind me of early Iron Maiden, and the grinding of the guitars on the rhythmic parts remind me of early Megadeth and Anthrax. Also I should also add their latest EP also uses a more melodic vocal style as opposed to other releases (which even add to the early Maiden feel since Maiden's former vocalist was noted for alternating is vocals from raspy and rhythmic to clean and melodic)
So in short despite being from a small town filled with hipsters, rednecks, emo kids, and even worse juggalos    (yeah Franklin is diverse in the trend department or at least now it is) an amazing Thrash band was able to break out of that area to a place where they can grow and be appreciated and share their music with the rest of the world so, as usual, check them out!

Links

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Oh-Sht-Theyre-Going-To-Kill-Us/124587109886?fref=ts

Bandcamp
http://ostgtku.bandcamp.com/music



Myspace
http://us.myspace.com/ohshittheyregoingtokillus

For the Folkies: Overdose On Vitamins

Ok this next post brins us back to Northwestern Pennsylvania in order to explain the genious of a folk punk collective known as Overdose On Vitamins (and to those who don't know what folk punk is it's practicely what the genre's name states it's a fusion of folk music and punk rock). Overdose On Vitamins was formed by guitarist and singer JP Hood in 2011, and is pretty much the main songwriter. Other core members of the collective (meaning that people come and go play under the monker without having to be permanent members of the group, which makes touring easier and recording easier since you don't have to have all the people in the collective to perform unless the leader is unable to do so) are Justin Bowen (bass and vocals), Shawn "Bazooka" Harkless (banjo) and Abe Zito (washboard) play the majority of Overdose On Vitamins' shows and would be considered the main line-up of the group. Other members that have came and gone or worked with the collective are Mitch Litler (banjo, harmonica, and backing vocals) and Emily Wilson (bongo drums).

With the constant line-up change the collective's sound changes a little bit as each member has brought their own flavor to the group but the one thing that has never changed is the rawness and power that the music quickly takes ahol of you're soul and puts you into the shoes of the collective. JP's lyrics range from stories based off of his life or how he veiws the world in his eyes,which tends to be a very cynical and dystopian view but somewhat optimistic in the end depending on the song, but no matter the subject you get enthralled with what he's singing about and empathise with him in each song. Also probably the best thing about the band is that they are very approachable and will just be chill and chat with the audience at their shows before and after their performance as opposed to a lot of bands that just show up, set up, get paid and leave. So as usual give these people a listen and book them in you're area.

Links:

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/overdoseonvitamins?ref=stream#!/overdoseonvitamins

Tumblr
http://odonvitamins.tumblr.com/

Bandcamp
http://overdoseonvitamins.bandcamp.com/

Forever, Emily: The Band that Surpised the Hell Out of Me

Well since the last band I wrote about was a band I knew and was friends with, I figured this next blog would be on a band I don't know real well but still have seen them live and enjoy their music. The story behind me running into Forever, Emily starts with me going to a Skylime concert in Buffalo, NY. I ended up getting a ride up there from Skylime's guitarist Richie Colosimo, and I was looking at my ticket, which had the bands on it and I haven't heard any of the bands on the bill besides Skylime and with the show being at a skate park I was pretty pessimistic on the sound quality of the other bands (since every damn show I've been to in a skate park there's always a bunch of shitty pop punk bands that play nothing but blink 182 covers). Also while looking at the ticket one band name caught my eye, which was Forever, Emily and the only reason why it stood out because it looked like a name of a band that you'd see at warped tour and feel like you've been robbed of you're money after listening to them, because it's typical boring boy band mallcore crap. Then when I got to the show (and my predictions on shitty blink 182 cover bands playing there was proven right by the way since 3 of the 5 bands did exactly that) I ran into a bunch of non chill-aunt punk rock looking dudes outside of the venue and they just happened to be the band members of Forever, Emily. We chit chatted quite a bit shared stories about playing at different venue ( example would be Forward Hall in Erie which is now closed I think), and just by talking to these guys gave me the impression that their band name is deceiving as hell, and I now expected that they were a decent act. Decent was an understatement, they were pretty amazing. To describe their sound wouldn't give the music justice however, I will try to attempt it. Their sound is post hardcore-ish, but it has like an 80s hard rock feel to it especially the singer's vocals, which is what impressed me the most since they were done by a huge looking dude with a pony tail and a awesome beard, and the high pitch soul singer vocals shocked me that it was coming from some guy who liked like he should be singing in a death metal band. Besides having a baptist gospel sounding singer, the have a bass player that is pretty good with playing a funky percussive style and the guitarists playing style also added even more of an 80s rock vibe to their post hardcore sound, and their drummer is definitely on the top end of the spectrum when it comes to local music. So overall despite initially having low expectations, I was glad to of been proven wrong and ran into something I haven't really heard before.

Links

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/ForeverEmily716

First Band Mention : Downpour

The first band I'm going to mention is a post-punk-ish (or whatever genre ya think they are) band originally from Titusville, PA (home of the first oil well). The band is called Downpour and they consist of Scott Burdick on drums, John Harshbarger on Guitar and vocals, and Andrew Lloyd on bass. To fully tell the sotry how I came to know the music of these guys, I'll have to take you clear back to the tail end of the last decade where I first met Scott and John in a previous band known as the Meth FX and after going to a couple of there shows we became aquaintences and eventually friends, and fast forward to 2 years ago when I first got to college and went to become a DJ at the student radio station WDRQ1620AM and Scott got ahold of me and sent me a few music tracks and they were a bit different but interesting (it merely consisted of an acoustic guitar and a digeredoo) and I started playing that stuff on the radio, and then I asked John and Scott if I could interveiw them on my radio show,which they said yes to, and then they showed me their fully developed sound, which consisted of on edge punk riffs and vocals along with a jazzy and catchy basslines. Shortly afterwards the band recruited Andrew Lloyd who I originally knew as the bass player for a local band known as The Brohemians and I ended up seeing them again during Oil City's Indiefest and they just blew me away, and from what I remember really captivated the bar I was seeing them in (granted most of the audience was drunk because of $2 Yuengling Drafts but still I know good music as when I hear no matter how inebriated I am). I saw them again I think 2 other times and both times never failed to impress, which eventually lead me to their EP "The Hole You're In" and their split with Overdose on Vitamins ( a folk punk band). Eventually I started listening to each track of both releases and started writing a critical review of each.

First thing to mention though both releases overlap with the same songs, but the different releases have different vibes on how they are executed. The Hole You're In is more post punk and indie sounding, while the Split with OOV was more on edge and seemed more personal and emotional and if definately the rawer out of the two. Songs that I recomend  a definate listen to off both releases are "Isolation" (really dig the bassline to this song), "The Hole You're In", which are in both releases, and the song "Dialogue" which is off of the Split (my favorite song). So all in all they are a band that is definately worth checking out and worth seeing live, and also to all the promoters out there, book them.

Links

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Downpour/95955651034#!/music.downpour

Tumblr
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Downpour/95955651034#!/music.downpour

Intro of the blog

My name is John Stahlman, I'm a Junior at University of Pittsburgh at Bradford Pa, and I'm basicly posting this to give people a general idea on what this blog is gonna be about. Well first this is being done for a school project, however I plan on continuing it to give it a bigger purpose and that is to get local music out and subject local and really small time bands to a larger audience by me writing about them, posting a link to their Facebook, Myspace, Band Camp, ect. , and  if I'm allowed maybe post something with there music, not really sure how blogger works since this is the first time I am using it but yeah be sure to check the bands out, leave feedback on how I can improve this blog and most importantly support you're local music.