Harri Gibson
Listen: Pussy Wizard – “Brave Horatius (2001-2011)”
“I started playing music under the moniker Brave Horatius in 2001 when my parents got me a digital 8-track recorder. My mom had given me a book called Opal. It was the diary of a 6 year old orphaned girl. Brave Horatius was her dog and constant companion. I made a couple of really embarrassing tapes and gave them to a few friends. My punk band had broken up and I was sad because I got dumped for the first time. Typical early 2000’s late-teenage post fuck the system angst all encompassed by the depression of beginning to enter adulthood to a soundtrack of Fevers and Mirrors on repeat. College came with confusion and drinking and smoking and other not-so-hard drugs and more heartbreak and reading Bukowski and thinking “oh I get it now.” Whatever. I made a little zine/CDR EP thing, had a song on a compilation, put out a split, and did a few tours. Moved to San Francisco in 2008. Recorded songs with a 4-track in a vacant apartment above mine. Moved back to South Carolina in 2011 and decided the moniker was exhausted and boring. I worked a decade on trying to capture songs how they were imagined and never got it the way I wanted and I wanted to move on. So I made Pussy Wizard to avoid the seriousness that often leads to huge expectations that often lead to huge disappointments. But here is a time capsule of attempts at making a record I unrealistically imagined for far too long.”
Listen: Julia Brown – “to be close to you”
To support the band, you can buy the album on their Bandcamp page on a “Name Your Price” basis or you can buy the tape version from Birdtapes. The download of the album comes with a fifteen page lyric zine, which is common with Ricky Eat Acid releases and the tape version comes with a sticker by a friend of the band Brad “brohloff”. From the band about the album, “any money paid for this music/donated to us goes towards funding the studio time we have booked between february and april, as well as helping us get the touring setup we need for the summer. please don’t feel obligated to pay, and feel free to grab it for free, but know that if you do donate, the money is helping us make more music.” You can stream the album below and more information about the band can be found on their Tumblr, and Facebook pages.
Listen: Brave Bird – “Maybe You, No One Else Worth It”
Compared to their EP this release has a much fuller sound with studio quality production, however it maintains its’ raw sentiment and emotion-driven vocals. Furthermore, much to my delight, three of the tracks from the EP have been revamped and are included on the release. You can buy the album as a 12″ LP or CD from here, and stream it below or on Bandcamp. They also have a spring break tour planned which you can see the dates of below.
2/28- Ann Arbor, MI (Hometown Record Release Party)
3/1 – Columbus, Ohio
3/2- Pittsburgh, PA
3/3- Salisbury, MD
3/4- Richmond, VA
3/5- St. Augustine, FL
3/6- Orlando, FL
3/7- Birmingham, AL
3/8- Atlanta, GA
3/9- Bloomington, IN
Listen: R.L. Kelly – “Life’s A Bummer”
Watch: The Front Bottoms – “Mountain”
Here is what Matt Uychich, drummer of the band had to say about the video. “We had picked up a bunch of fireworks on tour and when we got home we had a few days off. So, we called up our good friend Mark Jaworski and asked him if he wanted to bring his camera along, drink Four Loko and light them off. This is what happened.”
You can purchase their self titled album digitally from iTunes, or purchase a 12″ vinyl version of it from Bar/None Records. For more information about the band check out their Facebook page.
Feb 19 @ The Sinclair Cambridge, MA
Feb 20 @ Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
Feb 21 @ World Cafe Live Philadelphia, PA
Feb 22 @ The Recher Theatre Towson, MD
Feb 23 @ Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC
Feb 24 @ New Brookland Tavern West Columbia, SC
Listen: Mark Martyre – “Down, Record”
Topshelf Records’ V-Day Charity Four-Way Split
Cam Boucher, of Old Gray’s words about this release. “With all of our respective bands currently working to promote records of our own, we thought it would be nice to come together and try to use any attention that we’ve recieved as bands to help give back to the community.”
The split is available to purchase now on Topshelf Record’s Bandcamp page with downloads being sent out at 4pm EST on Valentine’s Day. I recommend buying this release as the proceeds go to a good cause, and of course you get new tracks from amazing bands.
Listen: Old English – “Prose & Khans”
Here is what Matt Henderson of Old English had to say about the album “The songs are meticulously detailed, layered, and belong side by side, the way they were written. In total there were 27 songs written for the album. Each song’s survival hinged on how well they related to the previously completed tracks. New aesthetic elements and musical personalities were constantly being added, but this process created a narrative, both lyrically and sonically.”
Listen: Ricky Eat Acid – “I can hear the heart breaking as one”
In Ray’s own words about the track, “i’ve been having this dream that spans a few weeks and each night in my dream it grows less and less dark until the last few nights it stays completely light out even though there’s no sun and at that point i just stop sleeping and on the last night i go outside at 4 am and the sky is blue and i go inside to grab my camera because of the way the trees look against the blue sky and my dad is in my room reading the bible on my bed with my cat sitting on his lap and he tells me that the end is coming soon.”
Listen: Wildlife – “Born To Ruin”
In Dean Povinsky’s own words about the album, “We recorded a bunch of the songs with brilliant producer and audiophile Peter Katis (Interpol, The National), someone we’ve had our ears on for a very long time. We lived in his home, ate his soup, petted his cats and made music with our minds wide open. We recorded the other bunch with producers Gus Van Go and Werner F (The Stills, Hollerado), two extremely talented guys that opened up a completely different set of doors. Then we took it back to Peter and hunkered down to mix.”
You can listen to Born To Ruin below, and check out their Facebook and Bandcamp pages for more information and to listen to their first album.
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