This new emergence of post-rock has brought forth a great wave of bands that have that honest and pure sound from the 80s and 90s that modern music has been lacking. They Had Faces Then, from New Brunswick NJ, incorporates elements of the quiet/loud dynamic that was mastered by bands like The Pixies, while holding down a rhythmic groove that has me searching for Murmur by R.E.M. Brian Goglia and Matt Harvey hold down the rhythm section on Bass and Drums respectively. Chris Seitz and Ken De Poto are the guitarists, both playing rhythm and leads, while Ken sings. His voice adds great depth to all there songs, and also punches through with emotional grit like a cross between Bob Nanna and Michael Stipe. The band has one release, an E.P. entitled “Birds,” which you can listen to here, and you can check them out at The School of Rock East in South Hackensack, NJ on October 22!!
-AJ from Holy City Zoo
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
SUBMIT YOUR TUNES, DUDES.
We are constantly in search of talented independent musicians. Genre is of no consequence. As long as your music speaks to us, we will have the natural desire to help you out. There will be future compilations, future reviews, future shows, and future things-we-don't-even-know-yet. Consider this an F.A.Q. on our submission policies for new music.
Q: Will we listen to every single thing we are sent?
A: Yes. Though it may take us some time to get through everything, we honestly want to hear your music. We will also make an honest effort to get back to you, regardless of our opinions.
Q: What can YOU do for US?
A: That's not the right attitude, dummy! We want to become involved with musicians that want to join the COLLECTIVE of Tiny Giants, not those who are just looking for free promotion. If we like your music, we will be promoting it with all we've got. We may even land you some shows and put you on a compilation..all out of the kindness of our hearts. However, we ask that everyone who becomes involved with our collective also promotes the collective as a whole, to introduce the world to all of these new and sweet bands.
Q: Where do we send press kits?
A: You can mail press kits to: Tiny Giant Records, 623 Leonard Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222.
Q: How do we submit digitally?
A: Feel free to email us anything you deem fit, to TINYGIANTRECORDS AT GMAIL DOT COM. Appropriate submission: Link to music and website, band bio, upcoming shows.
Q: Are you going to take advantage of our band with your fancy "label" and "contract"?!
A: Right now, we are solely looking to expose the music we love. It's almost so innocent that it seems guilty. We want bands to join us in a rampage of promotion and DIY attack on anyone who wants to hear new music. Forget about contracts for now, let's just team up and make something cool. Don't fuck us, and we won't fuck you. Deal? Deal.
Q: Do you accept submissions from everyone?
A: We are based in NYC and NJ, so that is where the majority of our promotion will take place. Everyone is free to submit their music, but just know that we are best suited to help bands from the tri-state area.
Q: Are you guys single?
A: Depends who's asking.
-Reed
updated 9/29/10
Q: Will we listen to every single thing we are sent?
A: Yes. Though it may take us some time to get through everything, we honestly want to hear your music. We will also make an honest effort to get back to you, regardless of our opinions.
Q: What can YOU do for US?
A: That's not the right attitude, dummy! We want to become involved with musicians that want to join the COLLECTIVE of Tiny Giants, not those who are just looking for free promotion. If we like your music, we will be promoting it with all we've got. We may even land you some shows and put you on a compilation..all out of the kindness of our hearts. However, we ask that everyone who becomes involved with our collective also promotes the collective as a whole, to introduce the world to all of these new and sweet bands.
Q: Where do we send press kits?
A: You can mail press kits to: Tiny Giant Records, 623 Leonard Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222.
Q: How do we submit digitally?
A: Feel free to email us anything you deem fit, to TINYGIANTRECORDS AT GMAIL DOT COM. Appropriate submission: Link to music and website, band bio, upcoming shows.
Q: Are you going to take advantage of our band with your fancy "label" and "contract"?!
A: Right now, we are solely looking to expose the music we love. It's almost so innocent that it seems guilty. We want bands to join us in a rampage of promotion and DIY attack on anyone who wants to hear new music. Forget about contracts for now, let's just team up and make something cool. Don't fuck us, and we won't fuck you. Deal? Deal.
Q: Do you accept submissions from everyone?
A: We are based in NYC and NJ, so that is where the majority of our promotion will take place. Everyone is free to submit their music, but just know that we are best suited to help bands from the tri-state area.
Q: Are you guys single?
A: Depends who's asking.
-Reed
updated 9/29/10
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Invisible Lines
Hailing from Kearny, NJ, Invisible Lines is a post hardcore/punk force to be reckoned with. On their Wise Up EP, the attack is constant and the melodies are unmistakable. The EP has driving rhythms similar to Queens of the Stone Age and guitar interplay similar to bands like Television and Treepeople. The band also utilizes two vocalists. Bassist Mike Clifford handles lead vocals on track one while guitarist William Acevedo performs the vocals for all the other songs. There aren’t many relaxed points on this EP and for five songs that is just fine. "Medulla" hits you like a rock in the face and the album doesn’t let up until the last song "Release" closes with a very haunting musical outro that fades out ending the EP on a very cool note. This band is currently signed to Killing Horse Records and you can check them out here.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Deer Friends Review
The genre term "emo" gets thrown around way too loosely to describe bands such as My Chemical Romance, New Found Glory and *insert mainstream band with nasal vocals*. The genre name became a marketing tool, such as grunge or hair metal, that really means nothing and is just used as a means to create a buzz word for the sake of commerce and be slung around by MTV (or it's cooler and more relevant cousin Fuse). It's a kind of a redundant genre name as well, since all music is meant to be emotive, right?
True "emo" is actually a post-hardcore punk product that is very rich in great bands, such as Minor Threat and Rites of Spring. The torch was then passed to Sunny Day Real Estate and Jawbreaker. This occurred roughly from the early eighties to mid-nineties, with a slew more of great bands produced, inciting what was to become modern day math rock (Braid, Cap n' Jazz) or pop-punk (Brand New, Taking Back Sunday). The later of the sub-genre prevailed to be what would become the face of "emo" mainstream, whiny voice, upbeat punky progressions and most importantly, teenage heartbreak.
If there ever was a band that you could count on to revive emo's true roots, it would be New Brunswick, NJ's Deer Friends. Lo-fi recordings with character, tasteful use of clean and distorted tones combined with dynamically aware, off-kilter arrangements and a fuck-you-im-going-to-sing-something-that-matters-to-me attitude gives Deer Friends a true sense of what emo was originally meant to be, innovate through honesty. That sense of honesty gives the music it's character, as you are truly voicing yourself, not to follow what what was going on around your scene or the mainstream. We're all snowflakes, remember? If you're truly honest, the music you produce will reflect you the way you truly are. Deer Friends sounds pretty honest to me, and it's fucking brilliant. If you appreciate fundamental emo, Deer Friends will deliver those exact sentiments to you. And since true emo really means music that is emotionally true, you can never go wrong. Highly recommended band.
Check it out for yo self.
- Joe Lanza
Holy City Zoo
True "emo" is actually a post-hardcore punk product that is very rich in great bands, such as Minor Threat and Rites of Spring. The torch was then passed to Sunny Day Real Estate and Jawbreaker. This occurred roughly from the early eighties to mid-nineties, with a slew more of great bands produced, inciting what was to become modern day math rock (Braid, Cap n' Jazz) or pop-punk (Brand New, Taking Back Sunday). The later of the sub-genre prevailed to be what would become the face of "emo" mainstream, whiny voice, upbeat punky progressions and most importantly, teenage heartbreak.
If there ever was a band that you could count on to revive emo's true roots, it would be New Brunswick, NJ's Deer Friends. Lo-fi recordings with character, tasteful use of clean and distorted tones combined with dynamically aware, off-kilter arrangements and a fuck-you-im-going-to-sing-something-that-matters-to-me attitude gives Deer Friends a true sense of what emo was originally meant to be, innovate through honesty. That sense of honesty gives the music it's character, as you are truly voicing yourself, not to follow what what was going on around your scene or the mainstream. We're all snowflakes, remember? If you're truly honest, the music you produce will reflect you the way you truly are. Deer Friends sounds pretty honest to me, and it's fucking brilliant. If you appreciate fundamental emo, Deer Friends will deliver those exact sentiments to you. And since true emo really means music that is emotionally true, you can never go wrong. Highly recommended band.
Check it out for yo self.
- Joe Lanza
Holy City Zoo
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Indie With An Edge
Watch out! Here comes Tiny Giant Records with our first compilation album titled “Indie With An Edge.” This compilation has been put together for several reasons. Us Tiny Giant people have reached out and made contacts with thirteen different bands stretching from Boston to Washington D.C. to give people a taste of some great music in this region that most people do not even know exists. In choosing the bands, we sought out to collect a diverse group, combining to make a folkafied, punk rock, emocore, blues rippin’ album. All of the bands involved in this project have submitted a song of their choice, for we believe that the only acceptable way for something like this to come out is to give the artists’ complete creative control. Everyday we will be posting on our blog (http://www.tinygiantrecords.blogspot.com/) a little blip about each different band on the compilation up to the release date. We here at Tiny Giant Records are very excited for the release, which will be available for “download at your own price, including free” on our bandcamp page (http://tinygiantrecords.bandcamp.com/). Below is a list of the bands that will be featured on “Indie With An Edge.”
Monument
Glad Hearts
The Nico Blues
Bern and the Brights
Holy City Zoo
They Had Faces Then
Invisible Lines
Mike DiStasi
Freedomhead
Footnotes
Ex-Wife
Deer Friends
Front Bottoms
-TGR
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