A Chat With, Indie, indie rock, Interviews, New Music

A Chat With : 5 Dollar Shakes

5 Dollar Shakes are an alternative rock band from Gorey, Co. Wexford. The band consists of Jack McEvoy (Vocals), Colin Doran (Lead guitar), Caleb Dowdall (Rhythm guitar), Richard Deering (Bass guitar) and Ciaran O’Doherty (Drums). They have released their new single ‘Auxiliary Love’ ‘from their recently released second EP ‘Come and See Enough To Stay’ . We did a feature on ‘Auxillary love’ earlier this month and caught up with the band to get to know them a little better.

When did you form your band?
We formed the band in 2012, after auditioning for a school talent show. A few members came and left during that first year but by 2013 we had the line up that we were happy with! We’ve remained the same since!

How did you decide what Style/ Genre of music you wanted to do?
We have a quite a diverse approach to our music. We all have different musical interests and try to incorporate as many different influences into our songs as possible. As such, we’re a bit of a Jack of all trades type of band! If you had to label us under a genre though, it would probably be indie rock.

What inspired you to make music?
We’re inspired to make our music as it is a unique outlet for expressing ourselves. We’re musicians and we love what we do, and playing in a group as opposed to on your own is an incredible way to tell our stories.

What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs?
We’re all still very young, so our songs tend to convey a coming of age of sorts. We make mistakes, and have regrets, and these usually translate into great themes for our songs.

Could you briefly describe your music-making process?
It’s loose. Our creative process is a bit of a chaotic mish mash. We like to just get together and start jamming until the bones of a song starts to develop. Then Jack will take the music and throw a draft of lyrics on top. We spend a while refining the song after that until it becomes something we’re happy with. We never try force it though, if a song isn’t working we scrap it.

What has been your biggest challenge as a band? Have you been able to overcome that challenge? If so, how?
Financial issues have been our biggest challenge. Unfortunately there’s not a lot of money in the industry for young, independent bands. As a result, there have been gigs that we’d love to do that we simply couldn’t, due to not being able to take time of work and such. A lot of money also goes into making a record, between paying for the studio time, artwork ect. It can be tough but we’re getting to a stage now where we’re starting to see a return on our investment. The goal is to make a full time living from doing what we love, so fingers crossed we’ll make it there.

What is your Favourite song to perform live and why?
Our favourite song to preform live is definitely ‘Arthouse’. It’s a bit of a crowd favourite, and there’s no better feeling than seeing a crowd chant back lyrics that you’ve written. It’s very humbling and it justifies all the sacrifices and dedication we’ve put into our music.

So far what are your favourite and least favourite venues that you have played ?
Our favourite venue is the RDS. We played the BT Young Scientist Exhibition there and playing in such a large room to so many people was simply incredible. Our least favourite is a tough one, we enjoy all our gigs! But we did play at the Golden Shears Sheep Shearing competition and got shut down for being too loud! So I suppose that would probably be our least favourite.

What’s the most bizarre thing to happen while you were on stage?
We were playing a festival last year but had to stop after only 5 minutes as a storm started to literally take the stage apart! It was a shame as it was a gig we were really looking forward to, but these things happen!

Who has been your favourite support act so far?
We got the fantastic Sam Ali to support us for our EP launch in the Opium Rooms. He’s been our favourite. He’s incredible and you should definitely check him out.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Drinking, FIFA, chicken wings.

What advice do you have for people who want to form their own bands?
Our advice would be don’t do it. There’s enough bands out there for us to be competing against…. Only kidding, yeah if you want to start a band make sure it’s with people you really enjoy playing with. If it’s not fun there’s not much point and you’ll more than likely break up very quickly.

Whats Next for 5 Dollar Shakes?
We’d love to start playing outside of Ireland, so we’re hoping to play some gigs in and around Europe during the coming year! Other than that, we’re gonna keep writing and playing, getting our name out there as much as possible!
No doubt 5 Dollar Shakes will be playing festivals and shows all round Europe soon if their EP ‘Come and See Enough to stay’ is anything to go by. If you haven’t heard the EP stream it below, trust me you are going to want to hear it!

Alt Rock, Desert Rock, EP Review, Garage Rock, Grunge, indie rock, New Music, Rock

Kinky Rhino

 

Kinky Rhino are a Garage Rock/Grunge Rock/Desert Rock band that was founded by members of The Blue Man Group band while touring Central and South America. Multi instrumentalist Jeff Wright contacted Orlando-based producer Justin Beckler to help demo a few of his original songs on which Wright wrote, sang and played every instrument. These songs were Kinky Rhino’s self-titled 5 track début EP.  For the live shows Wright brings in fellow Blue Man Group touring musicians Jordan Wesolek (guitar), Chris Reiss (guitar), Terry Tungjungyatham (bass) and Anthony Riscica (drums) while Wright himself sings lead vocals and plays guitar.
The EP begins with the powerful riff based ‘Garage Roque’. This track is full of strident guitars with heavy rowdy bass lines and pounding drums. The strong bass line pulses throughout the track combining with the steady drums giving a rock solid foundation for a grunge rock sound. Wrights vocals are strong and honest with the added scream vocal for the chorus that adds a rawness to the track. The repetitive bridge with suspended screeching guitars adds tension before the huge vigorous mosh to end the track. This is a great song to begin the EP as it shows us the monstrous sound these guys can produce. I can imagine its epic live!
‘Nom Nom Nom’ follows with a cooler slower tone to give us a break from the high energy. The track begins with soft sleek guitar and groovy beat and smooth vocal for the verse. Its has a sensual tone and sway-like feel with seductive guitar licks and steady beats. The chorus kicks into a heavier grunge sound that you can’t help but head bang to as it fades to another alluring verse, followed by an almost psychedelic bridge that breaks into an anthem like vocal. A lot happens in this song as it takes you on a journey of slipping in and out of styles with such ease showing the fantastic musicianship here.
‘Eclipse’ lightens the mood with a bouncy beat and almost pop feel with “do do do” backing vocals. This song gives a bright vibrant atmosphere. With running bass line and light guitars to start. The lush harmonies in the backing vocals adds an angelic feel to this track which is a huge contrast to the other tracks we have heard so far. The song builds as the guitars become more prominent and a heavier sound begins to seep in. The vocals intensify a little as we hear a heavier sound instrumentality and wicked sharp guitar solo. The vocals become more gritty here also and give a frustrated tone, before it breaks again to the lighter pop sound we heard earlier however the instruments stay with their rock sound ending on a high both instrumentally and vocally.
‘Desiree’ gives a melancholy tone full of frustration and despair. It begins soft with a strong bass line and thumping drums. The soft vocals give us a sense of hopelessness but the pounding pulse of the bass conveys a feeling of emotions turning and bubbling ready to burst. We see this explosion of emotions as they break into an anthem chorus. The Pounding drums and slick guitars add a mosh effect to the song as it ends on a heavy rock vibe.
The EP finishes with ‘All-American Slam’ an energetic robust rock track with thunderous drums, strident guitars and a weighty bass line. This track is full of energy and headbangingly good.This is an excellent track to finish the album as its got all the best parts of all the other songs put into one gigantic heavy rock track.
A really strong first EP look forward to hearing more from these guys
Stream ‘Kinky Rhino’ EP below

Alt Rock, Indie, Indie Pop, indie rock, New Music

Step Rockets ‘West Coast’

Step Rockets are an Indie/Alternative band from Minneapolis, United States. The band consist of Anthony Schulz ,Brady Lillie , Johnny Syn and Joshua Schmidt (aka Josh Von Mink). They have released their new song ‘West Coast’ from their new EP ‘Future Nature’. ‘West Coast’ is a melodic indie pop track with an almost tribal twist. This song is bursting with energy and full of amazing experimental synth sounds which add different dimensions to the track. With a catchy melody and infectious bouncy beat this song definitely deserves radio play. The heavier rock chorus adds depth to the track and is a great contrast to the more pop sounding verses. This song has a dance quality and anthem effect with a big sing along chorus and bright vibe.
A fantastic track that shows off the band’s signature blend of pop rock. Looking forward to more from these guys.
Stream ‘West Coast’ below

https://soundcloud.com/steprockets/west-coast

electro- pop, Electronic, Feel Good Music, Indie Pop, Synth-pop

Fictionist ‘Free Spirit’

Fictionist are an Electro-pop / rock band from Provo, Utah. Band members Aaron Anderson, Robbie Connolly, Brandon Kitterman, Stuart Maxfield have shared the stage with Imagine Dragons and Vampire Weekend, and are now back with their latest record ‘Free Spirit’.
‘Free Spirit’ is an uplifting and vibrant track with an electro-pop sound and bursting with sunny vibes. This dance worthy pop track was made for blasting through your speakers on a hot sunny day. Full of cool tones conveyed in the fresh airy echo vocal accompanied by shimmering synths, energetic beats and radiant guitars. Its infectious chorus will have you singing along and dancing in no time.
Stream ‘Free Spirit’ below

Alt Rock, Indie, indie rock, Live Music, Rock, Uncategorized

Live Music Review of Catfish and The Bottlemen and The Crookes

 

We headed out to the Olympia early to get a feel of the atmosphere and see what the fans of Catfish and The Bottlemen  were thinking and expecting after the year long wait for the Indie bands return. One obvious change was of course that the show last year was 18s and over and this year I found myself walking along a queue of fresh young faces (most of those I asked told me they were 16 and 17 years old) all eager and excited, some of them had been sitting there since 6 am! just to see a glimpse of the band. When finally they do see them the screams and frenzy caused by their arrival was immense. The band entered the venue in twos separated by about an hour or so. Van, being the last to enter the venue stopped to take pictures with his adoring fans. When finally that was over everyone resumed their positions in the queue to reflect and to my surprise cry with joy.

The support act came from The Crookes who gave an amazing energetic performance that loosened up the stiff hips from the long wait in the queue and impressed the crowd for their first gig in Ireland. With bouncing tunes and the bright lustrous guitars in ‘After20160517_134140 Glow’ and the infectious upbeat ‘The World Is Waiting’ that had everyone bopping along as frontman George Waite performed with an Elvis Costello swagger and energy. Every song followed smoothly and went down a treat with the audience.  They swayed and danced perfectly contented with the beaming radiant tunes as they joined  in with the “crowd friendly” clapping bridge of ‘Backstreet Lovers’. Their new track ‘Real Life’ went down particularly well with the crowd. The girl beside me turned to her friend and yelled “Oh my god I love these guys!” I wouldn’t be surprised if they have a strong Irish following after Monday nights performance.
After a brief intermission Catfish and The Bottlemen explode onto the stage with flashing lights and full of energy as adoring fans scream. While they blast into ‘Rango’ frontman  Van McCann shows of his confidence and swagger with every guitar pose and strut. Everyone is in awe of this larger than life character. Not even a trip over a guitar lead can take him off his stride. The performance is well rehearsed with dramatic strobe lighting that excites the crowd and draws them into every beat and strum. They hold everyone’s attention from the energetic’Homesick’ and frantic ’26’ to the acoustic ‘Hourglass’ and with one command get everyone in the balcony up jumping and dancing. The fans bellow out the lyrics as McCann stands back to hear his fans serenade him. To which he humbly thanks them, reminding us of the down to earth sweet guys we met last year. They blast back into some huge tunes and give us a sneak peak at tracks on their  forthcoming album, before finishing as they did last year with the fiery ‘Tyrants’ that ends the show on an explosive note leaving everyone wanting more.
Catfish and The Bottlemen have evolved immensely since we saw them last year at the Academy. The gig at the Academy was savage, it had a raw, fresh atmosphere. You could tell Catfish and the Bottlemen were  “diamonds in the rough” as they brought something different and exciting to the indie scene. One year on we see them more polished and rehearsed but still energetic and arena worthy. McCann has developed a frontman swagger that captivates the crowd. This it definitely a band that will stand the test of time.

 

 

Alt Rock, Indie, Indie Pop, indie rock, New Music

The Cradles ‘You Can’t Stop Thinking About Me’

The Cradles are a five piece rock band from Cardiff. Band members Joe Norman (Vocals), Kieran O’Brien (Lead Guitar), Declan Andrews (Drums), Luke Haines (Bass Guitar) and Toby Andrews (Guitar) have created a catchy 60s style sound that is unique. They have been championed by Tom Robinson, received BBC Radio 6 airplay and have a number of sell out shows and support slots with The Bohicas, Pretty Vicious and The Ordinary Boys under their belt.
Their New single ‘You Can’t Stop Thinking About Me’ which will be released 29 th July is a catchy melodic track that is smooth and instrumentally innovative. Its sleek gentle guitar riff draws you in and makes this song extremely attractive. The guitar runs along in the background of the verses giving a free airy vibe. While Normans vocals are simple, gentle and effortless making this song so easy to listen to. The delicate elastic beat gives a bendy quality to the track that persuades your body to sway and bop along with it. The guitar solo has a melancholy tone which gives a sweet nostalgic dreamy feel to the track with a soft beat behind it.
‘You Can’t Stop Thinking About Me’ is an infectious innovative track that shows The Cradles have great potential.
Stream ‘You Can’t Stop Thinking About Me’ below

https://soundcloud.com/the-cradles/you-cant-stop-thinking-about-me

Alt Rock, Feel Good Music, Indie, Indie Pop, indie rock, New Music, Worth A Listen

Worth A Listen

Our Worth A Listen track this week is Johnny Llyod’s ‘Pilgrims’

‘Pilgrims’ is the new track from  London musician and former Tribes frontman Johnny Lloyd’s début EP. This follows the amazing ‘Hello Death’ which we did a feature on last month. ‘Pilgrims’ is a swoony, hazy laid-back indie rock track. With Lloyd showing us his warm deep vocals accompanied with soft beats for the verse. With sweet luscious guitar features that add a dreamy utopian vibe. This track comes together perfectly with a romantic hopeful melody teamed with bright polished sounds and smooth creamy vocals, that still manage to hold a rawness and give this song some bite.
We are big fans of Johnny Lloyd and are looking forward to his EP ‘Dreamland’ which will be released on June 10 th via Xtra Mile Recordings.
Stream ‘Pilgrims’ below

Alt Rock, Funk, Glam Rock, Hypnotic, Indie, indie rock, New Music, psychedelic, Rock

Hidden Charms ‘Cannonball’

                    Photo Credit : Phoebe Fox

London band Hidden Charms consist of Vincent Davies (singer, guitarist & bassist), Ranald Macdonald (co-singer, keyboardist, guitarist & bassist), Josh Lewis (guitarist & bassist) and Oscar Robertson (drummer). They have revealed their new single ‘Cannonball’ which follows their successful single ‘Love You Cause You’re There’ which was released in 2015 on Deltasonic records (The Coral, The Vryll Society). Hidden Charms had made a name for themselves as a psychedelic rock band but refuse to be tied down to one genre as we see from their new single.’ Cannonball’ which is now available to stream on Spotify and SoundCloud and will be available to purchase on iTunes on 17th June.
‘Cannonball’, produced by Mr Chop (production credits include MF Dooms/Stones Throw Records), is a confidant , funky tune full of swagger. They still however hold onto the psychedelic vibe with the distorted guitar solos but have added a bit more pop into the mix with this track. The funky beat gives a 70s glam rock strut to the track which adds a cool, daring, boldness to the song. This song has an infectious sing along quality to it. With a simple melody and “La La La La La” backing vocals that act as a call and response to the main vocals in the verse that makes this track so easy to love. Full of cool tones conveyed in the vocals and slick seductive guitars that add a provocative teasing effect while the drums give us a strong groovy bounce full of spirited energy. The track ends with the main vocals singing “Na Na Na Na” answered by the ‘La La La La La” backing vocals. This is perfect for engaging with a live crowd as its simple and so catchy.
Hidden Charms have played with  Benjamin Booker, Hanni El Khatib, X Ambassadors and YAK over the last 18 months alongside a four-week Club NME Koko residency, so they know how to put on a good show!
We highly recommend seeing these guys live!
You can catch them live at:
19 May – The Great Escape, Brighton
20 May – Republic of Music Courtyard, The Great Escape, Brighton
21 May – Stadtpak, Eupen Music Marathon, Belgium
29 May – Purple Turtle, Reading
04 June – Belgrave Music Hall, Leeds
10 June – Isle Of Wight Festival
18 June – Bushstock Festival, London
02 July – De Beschaving, Utrecht, Netherlands
03 July – Barn On The Farm Festival
09 July – Cornbury Festival
23 July – Smoked and Uncut Festival
24 July – Blackthorn Festival
31 July – Kendal Calling Festival
05 Aug – Euro Ye-Ye, Gijon, Spain
06 Aug – Field View Festival
12 Aug – Boardmasters Festival
14 Aug – Down To The Woods Festival
02 Sept – Lodestar Festival
04 Sept – BML Festival
Stream ‘Cannonball’ below

electro- pop, Electronic, Feel Good Music, Indie, Indie Pop, New Music, Synth-pop

Lecaudé ‘Powder Blue’

Lecaudé (pron. ‘Le-co-day’) is the self-titled solo project of London based producer, songwriter and singer Jack Durtnall. Lecaudé has just released his second single of 2016 ‘Powder Blue’ from his Circles EP which is due for release 3rd June 2016 and sees Lecaudé continue to work with long time co-producer and mixer Fred Prest.
‘Powder Blue’ is an infectious synth pop and soul infused track with a cool light bouncy vibe. With its catchy melody and smooth vocals its a silky luxurious track with soft lush backing vocals. The contrast between the female backing vocals and Durtnall’s main vocals adds a refreshing and attractive element to the track. The shimmering synths and playful pop melody give this song a picturesque glow leaving you with a refreshing bright care-free vibe.
‘Powder Blue’ is a infectious track that you cant help but bop along to and is a strong single to follow ‘Circles’ which was released earlier this year. Can’t wait until the release of the EP next month! If ‘Powder Blue’ and ‘Circles’ are anything to go by its going to be an excellent EP for the summer.
Stream ‘Powder Blue’ below

 

Album Review, Alt Rock, Blues, indie rock, New Music, Rock

Jack Berry ‘Mean Machine’

Nashville-based alt/blues rocker, Jack Berry has released his album ‘Mean Machine’ via Consequence of Sound and it is a horde of gritty rock, lustful blues and swagger all mixed together, bubbling and festering creating a beast of a 9 track album.
The album begins with ‘King of Diamonds’ a slick groovy blues track with sizzling guitar riffs and punchy drums. Berry’s gritty vocals brings a bite to the track while the instrumental bridge gives us that groovy dance vibe. ‘Human Woman’ again is a bouncy blues rock track with a great hook and riff. The call and response feature in the bridge between the backing vocals and main vocals is a refreshing break before a final blast on instruments. ‘ Bad Dog’ is a “whisky warming” riff based catchy track. This song is full of swagger and confidence and is insanely infectious. Barry howls over a heavy guitar and drum sound as you feel every drum beat pulse through you and make you move while the guitars demand attention with their enticing luring solos.
‘Other Shoe’ slows things down with an emotion filled vocal full of regret and sorrow. Berry’s vocals become more husky in this track with harmony on backing vocals in parts. This track is full of anguish and pain which is conveyed exceptionally through Berry’s amazing vocals. ‘The Bull’ and ‘Told Me Not To’ follow in a similar blues emotion filled melody with attitude, laying the path for ‘Coal’.
‘Coal’ has a  “Black Keys ” feel yet with Berry still maintaining his individuality. With a dirty bass line, slick guitars and a pulse beat that hits you like a hammer in the chest this song packs a punch. ‘Kiss Like’ is a mosh worthy heavy driving track full of energy. This track is full of smouldering emotions with lustful fiery guitars and ravaging drums. ‘Heavy Hopes’ finishes off the album on a high with a “Led Zeppelin” style sultry vocals, kicking beats and of course no song on this album would be complete without the dynamite guitar riffs.
‘Mean Machine’ is a brilliant gritty album from the ever talented Jack Berry
Stream ‘Mean Machine’ below

Indie: (n) an obscure form of rock which you only learn about from someone slightly more hip than yourself.

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