Pash Remix feat. Snoop Dogg: "Kill The Rich Boys II"

A few weeks back, I reviewed Pash's newest album, The Best Gun (Exotic Fever, 2007), and raved about the track "Kill The Rich Boys II". Well, DJ Frequency, an old college buddy of Pash, did too and he remixed the track. Quite a double whammy: you get to hear a Pash remix, and you get to learn about Frequency, who has a track on the latest from Snoop Dogg, and is working with Ghostface and Raekwon from the Wu-Tang Clan.



Maybe I've missed it in the three times I listened, but where was Snoop?

Catch Pash at these upcoming dates:

10/18 Brooklyn, NY Matchless Bar CMJ
10/26 Baltimore, MD The Lo-Fi Social Club
10/27 Fredericksburg, VA Wet Paint Fundraiser, 3rd floor studio
10/28 Washington DC The Red and Black
10/31 Fredericksburg, VA The Loft
11/04 Trois Rivieres, Quebec The Pub Cafe
11/05 Montreal, Quebec Bar St. Laurent
11/17 Washington DC The Lab

New Idea Society - The World Is Bright And Lonely; Watch The Video For "Don't Sleep"

Formed by Mike Law (of Eulcid), New Idea Society is a project also comprised of Chris DeAngelis, Stephen Brodsky, Mike Ushinsky, and Andrew Schneider. That lineup may or may not be exact, depending on which day you see the lineup. The band's new album, The World Is Bright And Lonely, was just released on Exotic Fever Records (and this post rounds out my recent lovefest for EF's new releases. See also the new Pash: The Best Gun review.)

New Idea Society, as a rule, takes viral hooks and infectious rhythms, sugarcoating dreary prose that is firmly planted in the sullen and borders on the nihilistic. Law's voice wears well the despair that the music deceptively masks on "Dress Shirt". The band eschews the minor chords and emo yelps of certain peers, favoring a dissonance of brighter tones to counter the despondent themes of the lyrics. Also challenged is the 3-minute formula of the popular standard, as the title track "Part II: The World Is Bright And Lonely", an homily directed apparently to someone opening their eyes and finding themselves a day late and a dollar short, breaks the 8-minute mark, and the twelve-track album clocks in at over 50 minutes.

Often spare in its sound ("Press Reverse"), Bright And Lonely is chock-full of subtle instrumental experimentation, and was recorded primarily live, giving the album a natural and warm sound. The vocals are somewhat forward, grabbing the listener's attention without becoming scurrilous or too disparaging. The first single from the album, "Don't Sleep", is the Bright part of New Idea Society's world, while "Dress Shirt" is a more representative sample of the Lonely side. "Don't Sleep"'s jaunt and pop make it an obvious single, while "Dress Shirt" is a close runner-up. The former has an ambience of joy, speaking to the urgency of infatuation, while the latter's guitar melody and wardrobe-inspired lyrics form an anthem for the broken and jaded.


Click the album art above or go to Exotic Fever to purchase the album.

Here's a video for "Don't Sleep" from the album:

Pash - The Best Gun; Free MP3 - "Down"

Say hello to Fredericksburg, Virginia's Pash. Two years after their debut, Pash have delivered The Best Gun, a pop (without the cheese) rock record fueled by galloping drums ("Kill The Rich Boys I & II"), danceable riffs ("Down"), and often heart-shattering lyrics.

Unleashed on Exotic Fever Records on August 28, The Best Gun is crafted with full-rock bangers like "The Battle Ended There" and subtly instrumented, melodic and accessible hits such as "The Best Gun". Urgent vocals powerfully propel The Best Gun, riding the power chords of "What Do We Always Say" and resting on the jangle of "The Promised Land" before sounding off a cataclysm in "Down". Even though Pash can sometimes sound lean for a quartet, the band is always listenable, never pretentious, and crafts clear, bright songs with pop culture potential.

The Best Gun is a rapid-fire 11 song repertoire, and the album's loud report will leave your ears ringing long after all of Pash's bullets have left the chamber on this release.

Click the album art or visit Exotic Fever at exoticfever.com to buy the CD.

Free MP3: Pash - "Down"

Exotic Fever Fest 2007: June 15 and 16 in Washington, DC

Exotic Fever Records is a great indie label in Washington, DC, and they are having a fantastic festival on June 15 and 16 (incidentally, the same weekend as Bonnaroo, but when Tool is headlining what used to be a jam fest, who wants to go to that?) at the Warehouse Next Door on 7th Street NW in DC.

Here's the schedule:

Friday, June 15:

Mass Movement of the Moth
New Idea Society
Den of Thieves
Kathy Cashel
Worn In Red
A Study In Her

Saturday, June 16:

Pash
Bellafea
Liza Kate
Sean McArdle
The April Decca

The fest is 6 bucks a night. Way cheaper than Bonnaroo.

Concert Review: Strhess Tour - Heavy Heavy Low Low, Fear Before The March of Flames, Murder By Death, Thursday - 9:30 Club, January 19, 2007

Myself and a dear friend who, like most, never reads this site, went to The 9:30 Club last night to catch the Strhess Tour featuring Heavy Heavy Low Low, Fear Before The March of Flames, Murder by Death, and the headlining Thursday.

Because I was being a hugely neurotic loser, we missed Heavy Heavy Low Low because I was panicking over a missing iTunes music folder at the time we meant to leave.

Fear Before The March of Flames, however, we were not lucky enough to miss. With a singer who thinks he is in the headlining band, from the nondescript tee to the flailing about on stage just like he is Thursday's Geoff Rickly (wanna bet he likes to be called Geoff in bed?), a guitarist/singer who is a mockery of Tom DeLonge from Blink-182, March of Flames is living proof that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but that obvious emulation of your idols will doom you to suck.

Murder by Death, with a severely juxtaposed name considering their sound, is an unassuming 4-piece with a drummer, bass player, singer/guitarist, and cellist. That's right. A bona fide, electric cello player. With a country swagger, singer Adam Turla might think he's more of a heavy metal Johnny Cash, but I'd put him somewhere around a Nick Cave meets Clutch type of guy with a band that knows just how to complement his sound. All in all, MBD is a pretty unique group, with songs that tell stories reminiscent of salt-of-the-earth country stars of yore.

When Thursday took the stage, launching into "At This Velocity" from A City by the Light Divided, it became apparent that I did not realize what I was in store for. This band lit the place on fire, with Rickly carrying on a healthy conversation with the audience (and even giving big ups to Katy Otto from Exotic Fever Records, a label previously mentioned here), and covering all the bases for their fans, with the commercial favorite "Signals Over The Air", a moving rendition of "Sugar In The Sacrament", "Division St.", "For The Workforce, Drowning" and the encore which closed with "Jet Black New Year". Rickly's stamina never wavered, as he managed to maintain quality vocals through the modest set (about one hour, with encore). Guitarist Tom Keeley was quite impressive, delivering what I thought to be a very pure performance, reproducing the album sounds very well. And fans of Circa Survive will appreciate the cameo by that band's singer, and the long, heartfelt embrace given to him by Rickly.

The Strhess Tour stops at The Norva in Norfolk, VA tonight, and continues through February.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Respira Calls It Quits

Long-standing Thousand Oaks, California band Respira have finally called it quits. After a two-year hiatus, the band played one final show at The Kung Fu Corner on December 30.

I wouldn't know they were breaking up, or that they existed in the first place, if it wasn't for College Park, MD label/distro team extraordinaire Exotic Fever Records.

A while back (like a couple years) I ordered some records from Exotic Fever, including the then-new Van Johnson self-titled release. I think I got it for 8 bucks for pre-ordering, but it's still only 10, and worth a listen if you're into screamo/post-hardcore type stuff from Canadians. I remember a short chain of emails from Katy, the mail order guru for the biz (and a real-deal feminist, which, even in 2007, still matters), wherein I was turned on to a number of other bands (I remember digging Del Cielo, who Katy is a part of, as well as Respira and 1905).

So, a couple years late, and encouraged by the bad news relating to Respira that I discovered on the Exotic Fever site (albeit late), this is my plug for Exotic Fever. Super funky, fresh and fly, it's good music, good prices, and good people. Check it!

And, Respira, thanks for rockin'! Best of luck to you all in the future.