Everyone Loves OTMOP right? Want another demo track?

Seriously, everyone loves On the Might of Princes right? I don't listen to the albums nearly as much as I used to be even just a thought or mention of the band's name fills my head with so many thoughts and emotions. Who I was and where I was in my life when I discovered this band and how fortunate I felt to see a band this incredible from the beginning to the very end and even into reunions. But most importantly I am transported to a time and place in Long Island DIY that is long gone. And while there are great bands, great venues, and great people today doing stuff on Long Island for me on a personal level nothing feels like it used to back then. And I guess this flier that I am posting here today is a perfect example of what I am talking about. My buddy Steve booked a show at the Local 7 space to raise money so our mutual friend and someone who had given so much of himself to the Long Island DIY community, Jon Contra could be able to have his soon relocated from Florida back to Long Island. Specifics don't matter but what matters is that the Long Island DIY community came out in droves to have music lead to having a very positive effect in the outcome in someone's life away from the bands, basements, zines and potlucks. Sometimes we wrap ourselves up so much in the music, the ideas, the friendships, etc that we forget about the real world and it was awesome to see everyone come together to help a friend. It was such an honor to be playing this show which for me a I really felt was one of the high marks of the Long Island DIY community. In addition to On the Might of Princes, Contra reuniting, Regarding I, Latterman, The Backup Plan, and my band Yes Sensei, Scent of Human History played. This was a night that I will always remember not only for the great music but for the great reason that the show happened and how it was able to help.

For some audio content I have decided to upload a demo version of the On the Might of Princes song "Water vs The Anchor" that appeared on the Creep Records CD compilation The Last Stake Has Been Driven. It was recorded at The Creep House but it is a completely different recording than the version that appears on Where You Are and Where You Want to Be. I imagine when asking fans what is the song that best defines On the Might of Princes, and some will say "For Meg" and others, like myself will say "Water vs The Anchor". I say that because it is the song that hooked you in right away long before the album closer even came through your speakers. Everything about "Water vs The Anchor" is perfect as it showcases all the different musical genres that the band was primarily influenced by and it had great lyrics that were absolutely anthemic in nature. So check out this earlier version as I am not sure how circulated this comp that it appeared on was.

Download ON THE MIGHT OF PRINCES "Water vs The Anchor (Demo)"

Smash the State...Not my House

It has been awhile since I have done one of these... Here is a flier for a show that Yes Sensei's original drummer set up in his back yard.  It was a lot of fun. A beautiful Long Island summer outdoors show with solid tunes. If I remember Davecat's mom fired up the barbecue too which was always stellar. Man, did Yes Sensei miss moving its practices to Dare where there was not any barbecue to be had. Davecat threw a drum stick at Paul at this show for forgetting how to play the then just new tune "Progress is Dead" which is one of the few times I have seen Paul genuinely pissed off.

This was the first time that we played with Chromelodeon whom were buddies of Dave from his days at Temple. We played them a bunch back then and it was always fun. They came to Long Island and we went to Philly both a bunch.

Radio Raheem played  and if memory serves me correct they barely got half way through their set before the fucking cops shut it down. Playing with Radio Raheem back then was for us a real treat as finally we didn't feel like the black sheep of Long Island music. In them we found sonic and spiritual brothers. Also they gave a whole new meaning to being eastern Long Island band. I mean fucking Quogue? Soundly I didn't sound as out east anymore being from Rocky Point. They had me beat by another 45 minutes east bound for sure. They eventually changed their name to Rahim and released a couple of records on French Kiss, however still managed to rule. Even though they stopped playing "Aloha" (and the rest of the Radio Raheem era tunes). Though, props for them actually playing "Aloha" when the opened for Les Savy Fav at the Bowery Ballroom.

I will be uploading some Radio Raheem VERY soon but in the mean time here is a Rahim track called "One At a Time" from their Jungles EP:
Download RAHIM "One At a Time"

Also in the spirit of things here is a Yes Sensei track called "What's the Matter Matterman?" from our first album What I Do Best is What I Do Worst which is still available for sale ($6 PPD in the US) at Rok Lok Records
Download YES SENSEI "What's the Matter Matterman?"

Stars Are Insane "Live Reading" (unreleased live recording/2000)

For those unaware Stars Are Insane is a home recording "solo" project that  I have been doing since 1998. The bulk of the material has been recorded by myself via four track but I have had accompaniment and collaboration at times on the recordings and for live performances. Through the six albums (as well as whole slew of unreleased stuff) I have done under the name I have channeled the influences of shoegaze, lo fi, Shrimper Records, tape labels, Sebadoh/Sentridoh, My Bloody Valentine and Dump amongst others. From 1999 to 2001 is when I was most active with the project mainly because of the laid back and secluded living situation I had at the time. In those years I released four full length cassette tapes as well recorded a unreleased album. At this point Stars Are Insane only existed in a live forum on a limited basis doing a few acoustic shows. But for the most part the Stars Are Insane project was mainly just a home recording project  to do the things that I felt I couldn't do with a band.

For the third Stars Are Insane album Justin Age 8 I collaborated with my friend Jason Cassara. After we finished recording the album we decided to test the material out live and the album I present to you here today is a recording of the first show that he and I did. Live Reading, is a name I devised to formally document our inaugural non solo performance at North Shore Public Library on July 7th 2000. Personally, I couldn't think of another venue back then that would have be as inviting for a project like this to exist in a live forum. A few of the songs "Big Circles, Moons and Stars" as well as "Gravity" were included on the So. I Dreamed of Noise four cd-r set that collected the first four albums as well as unreleased and live material. Additionally, the version of "Fuck Lando and His Gambling Problem" that appears here is the same that appears on Justin Age 8. Cassara and I  did a few more shows together and later on even did a couple with Dave Armone involved in the fray when the fourth cassette, Gay came out.

I don't want to rant on to much about my project but just the same I would like people to check out the music. Most of the releases are out of print, though I have a brand new cd-r called A Plan...A Perfect Disaster out now, though half the pressing is already gone. A "selected works" cd-r called Partial History  will be coming out soon. I shall post the complete discography below with links to the Bandcamp so you can at least stream everything. All the albums are on Last FM as well. I'll be working on music for new releases for later this year. If anyone out there is doing a compilation please let me know as I'd love to contribute something.

One last thing before I go...I didn't have any photos of Stars Are Insane shows so I posted a photo that I believe Jon Kaplan took at a show at The North Shore Library that Book Store and Bo Coach played. I was playing Velvet Underground's "Heroin" with Bo Coach and at the end I believe I ran into the audience and tackled Joey from Book Store to close it out in chaotic fashion.

Stars Are Insane Discography:

• Gracias cassette (Rok Lok Records)(September 1999) (out of print) Listen on Bandcamp
• Anonymously Yours cassette (Rok Lok Records) (February 2000) (out of print) Listen on Bandcamp
• Justin Age 8 cassette (Rok Lok Records) (July 2000) (out of print) Listen on Bandcamp
• Gay cassette (Rok Lok Records) (October 2000) (out of print) Listen on Last FM
• 9 Untitled Songs cd-r (Rok Lok Records) (August 2005) (out of print) Listen on Bandcamp
• So. I Dreamed of Noise four cd-r set (Rok Lok Records)(January 2006) (out of print) Listen on Bandcamp
• "I Said It" on I Know Why They Call It Pop cassette compilation (Rok Lok Records) (December 2010)
• A Plan...A Perfect Disaster cd-r (Rok Lok Records) (February 2011) Listen on Bandcamp

Stars Are Insane Live Reading 7/7/2000  track listing

1.The Admiral

2. Big Circles, Moons and Stars

3. Gravity

4. Those Are the Most Deadliest Scorpions I Have Ever Seen

5. I Stayed Up All Night Thinking of You (New Wave Reprise)

6. I Hereby Make An Anatomical Gift

7. Fuck Lando and His Gambling Problem

Download Here

Space Robot Scientists "At Home With Machines CD-R (Eiffel Trouser Records/1999) + Bonus Tracks

In building off my previous post here is a Eiffel Trousers release for you to sink your teeth into. Here is the debut release from Space Robot Scientists, At Home With Machines which was a cd-r release on Eiffel Trousers but I could have sworn that at a few shows where Matt had a merch table set up that I saw a cassette version. Perhaps I am imagining things? Anyhow my first exposure to Space Robot Scientists was a party at Josh's house one night where Microwave Orphans, Clump and Space Robot Scientists all played in late 1998. At the time Space Robot Scientists were a duo that consisted of Andre Bermudez (Freaks From the Apocalypse) on baritone guitar, vocals, and programming as Matt Dallow (Microwave Orphans) on keyboards and vocals. It was one of the first times I had seen a band use a drum machine in a live performance and have it work so well. Their set was awesome- it was weird and spacey, dance inducing, noisy. Everything that I felt was missing from local music at the time. Seriously, if  I heard another pop punk band I was going to go insane. I just watched wide eyed and all through their set but by the time they played the droning "King of Untied Welcomings" as was absolutely hooked. Conventional thinking tells you that anytime drum machines or pre-recorded material is implemented into a band's live act then the band can not be exciting live, and usually I'd probably agree with that statement but Space Robot Scientists are without a doubt the exception to the rule. Bermudez would perform with so much hyper energy and attitude and snarl while Dallow almost motionless 'ala Martin Rev would hammer away on his keyboard creating bizarre, wavy sound after another. Space Robot Scientists wre an absolute treat to see every time not only for the brilliantly unique music but their wonderful live show that went along with it.

At Home With Machines sums up what I love about Space Robot Scientists and what drew me to them that first time I saw them. The songs are smart but have a grooving simplicity that their later work lacked, and that is not to say their later work isn't as brilliant or even more so I think personally I just love the simplistic grooves and how all the sounds wrapped around these throbbing almost video game esque midi beats. At Home With Machines still contains three of my favorite Space Robot Scientists songs which were for whatever reason never re-recorded for any of their other releases and those songs would be the aforementioned "King of Untied Welcomings", "SysX" and "Dabba". Not to mention the song that I would wager to say is the band's signature song, "Sanitize". Sanitize the universe-cha-cha-cha. However, the album does feature three songs that would later be re-recorded- "My Control", "Colin Ferguson" and "Fuck You Doctor", the later of which was lent out to the Eiffel Trousers/DAB Records CD comp Victims of the Modern Age.

At some point the added some point they added Sean Corkery on bass and the band continue to create outstanding synth driven post punk that meshed together influences of Wire, Public Image Limited, Suicide, Gang of Four, Joy Division and Atom & His Package. The material that Space Robot Scientists would create for their 2001 sophomore album We've Got a Time Machine on my own Rok Lok Records would be a bit more distorted and dare I say darker sounding than At Home With Machines. During this period they would do hands down the best cover of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" that I have ever heard. To bad they never recorded it. The band would go on to release a third and final cd- 2004's Aggro Disco on Example Such Cloth Hammer Engine (better known as ESCHE). A couple of summers back Space Robot Scientists did a reunion as part of Rok Lok Fest at the Knitting Factory. I was fortunate as from 2004 til last month Bermudez joined me as collaborator in Yes Sensei. He has always been a good friend but I don't think I have ever played with another musician who has influenced me so positively and generally me made a better musician the way Andre has. I'll missing writing music and performing with him. Anyhow before I get too sappy...

As a bonus I have included two bonus tracks a alternate unreleased version of "Sanitize" and the version of "Itinerary" from The Hope Machine CD compilation on Rok Lok Records. Enjoy!

At Home With Machines track listing:
1) My Control
2) Colin Ferguson
3) Dabba
4) SysX
5) White Trash Town
6) I'm Straight
7) Fuck You Doctor
8) Sanitize
9) King of Untied Welcomings
10) The Day the World Turned Day Glo

Bonus Tracks
1) Sanitize (alternate version)
2) Itinerary (Hope Machine version)

Download Here

Advertisement-Last Yes Sensei Show

I just wanted to interrupt our normal broadcasting to pimp something as equally as important to me as all of the bands and releases that I have shared with all of you these last few months. A little over ten years ago myself and a couple of friends started the band Yes Sensei to create a type of music that we weren't hearing locally. The band went through several line up changes over the years and had the great fortune of releasing a few albums, a 7 inch and make some compilation appearances. And now the time has come to wrap it all up and put a little bow on it. It would mean a lot if people came out to say goodbye. It will also be the release show for our our fourth and final album In Excelsis.  You can stream the album here at Bandcamp:

We shall be playing our last show next Saturday at Mr Beery's with friends Everything Sucks, Thought & Memory and Risk (ex-Scent of Human History/United States). If all goes well we shall have copies of our brand new album In Excelsis with us.

While personally I have been comfortable with putting the beast to rest so to speak for awhile now, yesterday was the last practice I think now finally it is starting to sink in that a large chapter of my life is about to come to a close.

Here is a run down of our discography, most of which is still available at Rok Lok Records

- 2 song demo cd-r (self released) (out of print)
-What I Do Best is What I Do Worst cd (Rok Lok Records/The Children's Revolt)
-We Who Transplant Sustain cd (Rok Lok Records)
-s/t cd (Rok Lok Records)
-3 Songs 7 inch (Rok Lok Records/Russian Folk Stories) (out of print)
-In Excelsis cd (Rok Lok Records)

compilation appearances:
-"Russian or Retarded" on No Nucleus cd (Tone Library)
-"All of Your Bass Are Belong to Us" on Dead Broke Tape Comp Volume 3 cassette (Dead Broke)*exclusive track

Also later this year another cd filled with unreleased, demo, live material as well as the 7 inch and comps tracks will be released on Rok Lok Records

Fellow Project "If We Were Mariachis" cd-r (Burn It Down Rebuild/ 2002)

This isn't the first time that I have posted about Fellow Project and it most likely won't be the last, though I probably won't share much more because I don't want to be sharing titles that are still readily available. The Watch It and this album If We Were Mariachis represent the bulk of the rarities in the band's discography mainly due to the limited nature of the "pressings". And since it is the season of giving I implore you or any lover of good music to head to a few of the links I shall provide below and pick up some of Fellow Project's available records for a loved one or even as a gift for yourself. Like, I mentioned in my previous post about Fellow Project, they are essentially the only band that I have written about that is still active so be a sport and support their music as well as the labels who continue to support them.

On Fellow Project's sophomore effort If We Were Mariachis the trio continued to explore the anthemic folk tinged indie rock but this time around some "mathy", more dynamic tinges were thrown into the mix hinting at would the band would later (and currently) be known for. Watch It! was a solid start for the band as it showed that; yes a band with a acoustic guitar can rock but overall If We Were Mariachis is a far stronger record as it really documents a band get settled into its niche groove. The songwriting is top notch and honestly, I am amazed at how well the bulk of this album holds up. To me, one of Fellow Project's greatest strength as a band has been the lyrics and vocal arrangements but also the seamless juxtaposition of more straight forward, anthem rockers next to more in depth, introspective dare I say "musician's rock". Fellow Project has always had a knack for writing really smart music that has been able to still be fun and not take itself to seriously. They are one of those bands whom I feel really fortunate to have seen play live many times (at least 100 times at this point) and watch them develop over the years with new recording after new recording.

Quite honestly, I don't think I have ever heard them write a bad song. There maybe the odd track or two that won't hit me as hard as others but still the songs and ideas are always of high quality. Stand outs on If We Were Mariachis for me get going right away with the opening track "3 Left Turns Created a Monster" with it is insanely catchy chorus with the lines "Let Me Die Quick/Let Me Die Quick/ And Painless" always makes me want to sing along. "Dangerous" is a great folky indie rock romp. "The End" has one of the most beautifully haunting guitar melodies I have heard come from a Long Island band that out of nowhere picks up temp and goes in a unexpected direction. And the way the flute and vocal harmonies are weaved in are just wonderful. "Perfectly Subtle" is a morose acoustic ballad that reminds me so much of Simon Joyner- and when has that ever been a bad thing?? And easily, the curve ball of the album is the closer "Give Me More" that with its driving rhythm and picked note guitar playing and then the unexpected frantic scream towards the end is a tune that has always stuck with me.

If this was a just world where quality musicianship was rewarded there isn't a doubt in my mind that Fellow Project would be enormously popular-however it seems that they are just left to a select group of music fans that have excellent taste. Such is this unjust world.  With that being said please check out the following links to help make the world a bit more just; well at least for Fellow Project.

Boots 7 inch (Rok Lok Records)
Rok Lok Records


Stream or purchase digitally Boots on Bandcamp

The Buried Life cd (Dead Broke Records)
Dead Broke Records

split 7 inch w/ Go Sell Drugs (Kiss of Death)
split 7inch w/ Thousandaires (Kiss of Death)
split 7 inch w/ Jonesin' (Kiss of Death)

Kiss of Death

If We Were Mariachis track listing
1. 3 Left Turns Created a Monster
2. Dangerous
3. Shoot the Latter But Save Your Face
4. The End
5. The Myth
6. The End and The Myth
7. Evelyn What?
8. Perfectly Subtle
9. We Do the Best We Can With What We Have
10. Picapatas
11. Give Me More

Download Here

Bigg Uppz "Demo" cd-r (self released/2003)

So much for promises... There are several reasons why there has been such a long gap from the last upload. A lack of free time being one and the other as lame as it sounds my digital camera is garbage and in doing this blog I really wanted to take pictures of the actual releases so I could share the artistry and packaging with everyone but right now that is just adding to the time it takes to getting stuff up here. So it becomes a matter of weighing what is more important. And of course I spent the better part of the morning to prepare a gem of an upload that I have wanted to share for awhile now (an incredible album that went unreleased for whatever reason) only to find that the last couple of tracks were screwed up so that will be coming at a later date. Anyhow enough bullshit, on with the show...

This past weekend was the first rehearsal that included past members to get ready for the last Yes Sensei show (mark your calendars January 22nd 2011 @ Mr Beery's w/ Everything Sucks, Thought & Memory and Risk) so it is only fitting that I share this release with you today as it features original Yes Sensei bassist, Paul Como causing quite the ruckus. Upon leaving Yes Sensei, Como teamed up with his buddy and then co-host of WUSB's Caffeine As Gasoline, Matt to form this noise making duo. Armed with drum machine, pitch shifting sounds and layers of distortion and feedback Bigg Uppz recalls the aural onslaught of bands like Big Black, Lightning Bolt and Wolf Eyes- so certainly not easy listening. The short lived duo unleashed this eight song demo and played I believe only two shows. One was with Yes Sensei and one with Lickgoldensky whom I shit you not played the same song like seven times out frustration-whether amongst themselves or the sparse attendance. Bigg Uppz was a short lived wrecking ball of sonic chaos that certainly didn't take itself too seriously.

Bigg Uppz "Demo" track listing
1. "One"
2. "Two"
3. "Thre"
4. "Four"
5. "Fiv"
6. "Six"
7. "Sevn"
8. "Secret"

Download Here

We Meet Under Tables "CD EP 1-Summer 2005" cd-r (self released/2005)

Today's entry is bit more current than some of the other things I have been posting but just as awesome, obscure and bit too short lived. Music lovers I present to you We Meet Under Tables! Coming out of nowhere it seemed We Meet Under Tables first came to my attention one summer when I was given the duty to find bands the fill the summer schedule at Cedar Beach's for the teen band nights that were going Thursday to Saturday nights from July to August. Trust me that was a harder task than one would ever expect, so finally all of those countless Myspace band friend requests were finally coming in handy. And one of those bands who happened to find like a diamond in the rough was We Meet Under Tables. The band immediately jumped out at me with their frantic rhythms, percussive centric, noisy guitars and a dual vocal assault.  Sonically it was a cross between Fugazi, Lungfish, Wire, and Gang of Four which was just music to my ears especially since my band Yes Sensei was looking for other like minded bands to play with because at that time a lot of the bands we had a creative kinship with had broken up or moved on. I hooked them up with a show and started talking to the band about more shows and even eventually trying to coerce them into letting me release some of their music.

The band consisted of Ryan Blecher on guitar/vocals, Mitch Hansen on bass/vocals and Caryn Koza on guitar/vocals and rotating cast of drummers which included Blecher himself also taking on drum duties on the recording of the ep which I present here. At one point they recruited one time Yes Sensei drummer Dave Elliott and later Cheeky/Eachother's Mothers drummer/Little Lungs guitartist/vocalist Angie Boylan. Ironically, Blecher went on to replace Elliott as the drummer for Yes Sensei. Got all that? Despite all the shifting around We Meet Under Tables created quit a racket for a couple of years there. Their live shows were high energy, raucous events they were greeted with members tossing and flailing around on stage. I do believe blood was involved more than once... With Elliott at the drum helm the band recorded and released a second ep cd-r. And then at some point during the lineup with Boylan on drums material was being worked on for a split 7 inch with Yes Sensei but by the time to record the band fizzled away, which was a shame. And as far as I know they never recorded anything with Boylan on drums.

After We Meet Under Tables Ryan Blecher played drums in Yes Sensei, Fellow Project, Firing Squad, Kenwu as well as recording solo material (playing all instruments) under the name BigR. Mitch Hansen joined up with Blecher to once again assume the bass and vocal role in Firing Squad. I don't believe Caryn Koza has been involved with a band since We Meet Under Tables parted ways. At some point shall upload the second ep. In the meantime enjoy this first ep.

We Meet Under Tables "CD EP 1-Summer 2005" cd-r track listing:
1. "Shipwreck, Sir!"
2. "Wires to Wires"
3. "Good Laws"
4. "On the Front"
5. "Words"
6. "Opposition"

Download Here