Album of the Week

Failures’ Union – Tethering

March 31, 2014

When I mentioned to people that I’d be writing up the new Failures’ Union release, Tethering, I generally got one of two responses.  The first was that these guys were staples over at Mohawk Place. The association makes sense: that’s where the band got its start back in 2004. “We started out in a practice space above the bar, and that tiny room, along with the bar itself, were our homes for many years,” said Failures’ Union bassist Jason Draper.  With Mohawk gone, the band and the city are still feeling the hurt. Failures’ Union has only played four local dates since the venue closed its doors. Draper pointed out that some venues, like Spiral Scratch Records and the newly-resurrected Sugar City, have stepped up to the plate since, but that “it’s a band-aid to a problem that needs some stitches.” If the music scene is going to flourish once again, it needs a[...]

Damian – You Don’t Need It

March 24, 2014

“Play ‘Soul Night‘!” There are maybe twenty or thirty people crammed into Damian Weber’s living room. The request came from a guy standing in the doorway, but all over the room, people begin to signal their approval. Up front, Damian Weber, bashfully charismatic, looks down at this guitar and sighs that he isn’t sure if he quite recalls how to play it. But the shouts continue, and Damian acquiesces, playing the song perfectly from start to finish. He remembers every word, and so do many of the people in his house. Camera phones come out to catch the key bits. “I can only dance if my rock ‘n roll is made by a weirdo,” he sings. Through the doorway behind him, I can see two people swing dancing through his dining room. “Soul Night” is the title track from Damian’s debut album. This article is about his new album, You Don’t[...]

Unwelcome Guests – Wavering

March 20, 2014

Scrolling back through our past posts on local favorites Unwelcome Guests, it’s hard not to notice a recurring theme: nobody is quite sure how to place them. On the surface, it seems like it shouldn’t be so hard. Guitars, bass, drums, vocals: this is the stuff of bands since Buddy Holly. But where one person hears the Buzzcocks, another hears the Gin Blossoms. Personally, the first thing I thought when I started listening to their new album, Wavering, was Jawbreaker, and even then, I’m not sure exactly why. Whatever the reason, Unwelcome Guests are the musical equivalent of that thing from Harry Potter that shows you whatever you want to see. This is a good thing. It makes Wavering one of those rare albums that could, potentially, please everybody, at least everybody into rock music (Luke Bryan fans, go home). It mostly sheds the occasional country vibe found on Unwelcome[...]