Friday, January 28, 2011

Interview with Ninth Moon Black

(L to R) Atom Bouris (guitar), Eric Eiden (synths, guitar), Kasey Marcusky (drums), Erin Gruwell (guitar), Caleb Jarzemkoski (bass) 

This is a band who's CD I reviewed for WSIA. Upon listening to the music I knew it was a band that I needed to talk to. I looked them up, found an email, and it was simple as that. The drummer Kasey responded to me, and we were on our way. I hope you enjoy the music as much as I did on that first time listening. Look for this article in an upcoming issue of Broken Records Magazine.






(Listen to the album while you read)

Who is Ninth Moon Black, and how did you all get together?
We are a five piece progressive metal band from the Pacific north west: Erin Gruwell on guitar, Caleb Jarzemkoski on bass, Kasey Marcusky on drums, Eric Eiden on synths and guitar, and Atom Bouris on guitar. 

Erin and Caleb met while playing in Ahisma and fuckgodintheface, and had always talked about starting a band together. Erin began composing music for NMB on an 8-track recorder, eventually leading to a three piece band. From there keys and a second guitar were added and we now have a band of solid, committed musicians.

Where did you get the name of the band from?
 Erin was on a country drive and the words just came to him.

Why not have a vocalist? Did you ever, will you ever?
We enjoy letting the music speak for itself. Without a vocalist the listener is able to take away an individual experience. It also gives us a wider platform for creating melodies and soundscapes, which we are all drawn to. Though we sometimes suggest themes for the music with vocal samples, we will never have a traditional front person or singer.

I read that you guys are big on visuals during the live performance. How do you come up with these visuals and concepts?
Erin and Caleb were into the idea of having a visual backdrop for live performances and created black and white video to accompany NMB’s set. The intention of the images were not so much to make a statement, but rather to evoke emotions as well as accent the music. As well as our DIY video, we also show experimental films such as BegottenDecasia and Man with a Movie Camera.

For people who don't get it, how does Kalyug flow and feel like a concept album? What's the story?
The music coincides with the themes brought up in the vocal samples and track titles; the heavier, more disjointed song first and the more emotional song last. There’s no cut and dry story, that is up to the listener.

Who's voice is sampled over the music, and what do the song titles mean?
The samples on the album were provided by an author/philosopher named Michael Cremo. Our artist, Helder Pedro, created the album art with Michael’s samples and the track titles in mind. Two of the song titles are taken from the Hindu scriptures Michael references in the opening track, Harbinger. Kalyug refers to the age of destruction; and Causatum, the aftermath. Satya Yuga is the age of truth and purity and represents a new beginning.

How does the crowd react to a vocal-less band?
Some people have a difficult time wrapping their head around it but mostly they are open, especially when they have visuals to take in.

How does the writing process work, and does it go hand in hand with the concepts?                                                                           
We all understand what the band is about. This makes the writing process really open, and allows us to keep our sound as a band coherent while incorporating a lot of different styles. In the past we wrote the music first then found a concept that fit the mood of the piece. However, we are currently working on a record for which the theme came first, thus creating a more focused musical composition.

What's NMB's biggest rock star moment? Biggest failure moment?
Signing autographs for some seven year olds outside of an In’N’Out Burger was super rad. We were also fortunate enough to open a slew of west coast dates for Wolves In The Throne Room and Minsk, both really great bands as well as people. That tour gave us the opportunity to  play for some large crowds in classic venues.  As for biggest failure…? Booking a tour while mercury was in retrograde. Our friends in a band called Blckws were flying over from Germany to join us for the tour and were deported the moment they set foot in the US because they did not have work visas to play a couple of five dollar shows. They were treated like terrorists. Much to our dismay we pressed on without them only to have endless troubles with our van. Midway through the tour mercury went out of retrograde and all the van issues magically stopped. It was very bizarre.

What are the long term aspirations for the band and where do you plan to be in 5 years?                                                            
We’d like to make a film and score the soundtrack for it. Touring for a project like that would be amazing. Ideally we’d book in old, independent movie theaters and perform the soundtrack live. In five years we’ll still be doing the same thing we are now, recording and touring. We’re always progressing, and have talked about incorporating other instruments, but who knows what we’ll sound like in five years?

Add caption
Is Ninth Moon Black part of a collective group of other bands and artists, and do you work to promote something bigger than music? 
It’s not that we’re part of a collective so much as the scene in Eugene is very tight, with all of us doing what we can to make good promotion and shows happen for everyone. Eugene is a small city, therefore we strongly rely on and support the heavy music bands in town.
As for something bigger, we all have our worldviews but would prefer not to use the music as a platform for our beliefs. 

Anything else you want to add?
For anyone who would like to check out Kalyug, you can download it for free at our Bandcamp site:
Helder Pedro, who has made some brilliant album covers, can be found here: 
Currently, we are seeking label support for upcoming releases as well as vinyl distribution for Kalyug. Feel free to contact us at: ninthmoonblack@gmail.com


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Thursday, January 27, 2011

Broken Records Magazine Offers

The Staten Island Band Guy Blog is now officially part of Broken Records Magazine. 
Consider the blog an extension and an additive to everything you will find in the actual print copies. 
To better serve artists, or help give exposure to any bands, artist, group, label, or business- we provide some charge services if interested.

Prices
(All prices listed are for the print and digital editions of Broken Records Magazine. The blog prices for these services is 60%.)
  • Professional photo shoot- $75
  • Professional photo shoot complete with written and published article- $100
  • Half page advertisement with article- $150
  • Full page advertisement with article- $250

Links
Broken Records FAQ's
Broken Records Photography Samples
Magazine Purchase


Contacts
Scott Vollweiler
Title- Owner/Editor-in-Chief of Broken Records
Email- darkdaze88@yahoo.com


Justin Sarachik
Title- Blog Owner/Co-Editor-in-Chief of Broken Records
Email- jsarachik@gmail.com
(or contact me on this page)

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Week 4 of A'tris song of the week project, Team Alliance news, and POF Banners!



For more info check www.atrishq.com or join the update group at the Facebook page.


Here's a message from Staten Island based Hip-Hop group Team Alliance:



"Album did well, better than expected. Keep your eyes here for a new solo ep from Agent Lead titled Flawed Logic coming soon. FOR FREE!"    

Team Alliance Facebook
To read the original article I wrote about them click here


Finally, if you love Process of Fusion, throw our banners up on your page. Special thanks to our friend Jodi Palermo for making these! If you are interested in having your own banners made, let me know, and I'll pass you along.




Monday, January 24, 2011

Q&A with Drew Torres

Drew Torres by Amanda Hernandez for Kaoz Photography
If you like Ska, reggae, acoustic rock, and elements of sing-song rap, then maybe... just maybe you can hang out with Drew Torres.

Drawing influences from Bob Marley to NOFX, Torres also throws a bit of his life into his music. All mixed together, this creates a wonderful blend of truly dynamic and original music. This is Drew Torres...


(A condensed version of this interview will be featured in a new section of Broken Records Magazine entitled, "In the Mix with 1176.")


When did you know that music was your thing?
Well, I always had a love for music, being my father was a musician, so he introduced me to a plethora of genres at a very young age. Thanks Dad!

Growing up, who did you aspire to be like until you came into your own?
I fell in love with Green Day's Dookie album in '94. I always wanted to look cool like Billie Joe. He did it like no other, and WITHOUT the long hair and grunge look which was so mysteriously popular at that time...



Speaking of coming into your own, what is your style? I hear reggae, rap, ska, rock. What do you consider yourself?
Reggapkarock... (he laughs) I don't know, I grew up listening to all styles of music so I incorporate as much of anything as I possibly can. I guess if I had to call myself anything, I'd be a fusionist?

What are some artists that people have compared you too? Who do you compare yourself too?
I get Brandon Boyd from Incubus quite frequently actually. A few people have told me I remind them of Jason Mraz as well. I'm cool with both. Its a little difficult to compare myself to anyone musically since I'm on such a mission to create as much of my own unique style as I possibly can. So rather than utilizing other artists' style, I try to incorporate the genre as a whole and the underlying factors that make the genre what it is.

How did you get involved with Jon Santos of 1176 Studios?
An old friend of mine, Mo, actually introduced us. I came to the studio, we laid down "This Bottle" and never looked back, thus bringing Welcome To The Present to the vast world of music. That Jon Santos is a good man.

Drew Torres by Amanda Hernandez 
What's the biggest show you've played venue wise? Capacity wise? 
Knitting Factory, when I opened up for Gym Class Heroes. The sound was great, the crowd was great and the memories have been everlasting.

What's your biggest rock star moment? Biggest failure moment?
Hmmm... Well my fans in the Bronx always make me feel like a rock star... singing along to my songs, dancing, and just enjoying themselves. It's the little things like that that make me feel invincible. My biggest failure has to be playing a VERY inappropriate song at a memorial show, so embarrassing. I had to apologize to the person's grandmother. I wanted to bury my head in the sand.

Have you been on any tours? If so where and for how long?
Yes! I went on tour two summers ago, hitting the West Coast states-Utah, Nevada, Phoenix, etc. It lasted a few months. The kicker was getting back home and getting to play the Myspace tent at Warped Tour in NY and NJ. That was a great homecoming.

Why should people listen to Drew Torres?
I work hard on trying to create something beautiful for the masses. So BUY MY CRAP!

Anything else you'd like to add?
Keep posted at DrewTorres.com and Myspace.com/drewtorres for any upcoming shows, albums, collabos, etc. Much peace and love!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

CSI Class Gets a Taste of Art, Literature, and Reality

This post is a little different from most of the others, because it has nothing to do with music, nevertheless I continue. A few semesters ago I had a Journalism professor named Peter Conti. I'm extremely grateful I wound up in his class because he got my writing back on track, and really helped me polish what creativity was there. I really wasn't writing anything at the time except for assignments and songs. Also, because of his class I joined the college newspaper, and fell back in love with the feeling of sitting down and putting words on paper.

I've stayed in touch with PC "Peter Conti" since our class, and I was happy to help when he asked me to come to his class for a story idea he had.

His idea is pretty unprecedented for a College of Staten Island teacher. Conti is in the midst of teaching a three week course-SLS 303 (Modern/Post Modern Culture). Within those three weeks three guest speakers of prominence are addressing the class.

SLS 303 by Justin Sarachik


Last Friday, January 14th, internationally known artist Jun Cha, gave his presentation via the web over Skype. One look through this website http://www.juncha.net and you'll see that this 21 one year old self made success story means business. He does tattoo work for celebrities as well as paintings, design, and free hand drawing. Cha's art is other worldly, and it's no wonder why he's gaining so much attention.

Jun Cha video conference by Peter Conti


Unfortunately I wasn't there to see him, but I did go on Tuesday the 18th to see author Christopher Grant's reading of his critically acclaimed book TEENIE.

Conti met Grant through a pick up basketball game in the city. From there the relationship grew and they want on to begin a project co-writing a book about rapper T.I.

Grant was nice enough to stop by room 2N-116 at 9:30am all the way from Harlem. The class was excited to listen to him read excerpts from his book, and was even more eager to ask him questions afterwards.

Christopher Grant reading from his book TEENIE by Justin Sarachik


On Monday PC's class will be visited by NYC gang police officer, Damon Valentino. He is sure to paint a grim and very real picture of an underground culture that most Staten Islanders don't know about. I'm choosing to not write about this until the full article comes out because it is not art or entertainment related like the other two.

Anyway, that was a quick update, stories on Courtney Zito of Hollywood Girl, Drew Torres, and Zo2 coming!!!

Friday, January 14, 2011

A Message from my band- If you come to the Break Contest, we’ll reward you!



Yes you heard right, if you attend the Break Contest on January 29th, our Starland Show on March 17th, or our Battle of the Bands on January 21st- we will give you stuff!
The fact of the matter is, Process of Fusion NEEDS YOUR HELP! YOU the fans are the reason we have made it this far. The continued support and encourage we have received has been astounding. With that being said, so far the response for tickets has been sub par and we’d like to give a little incentive to buy one, and/or reward the faithful who have been so good to us. So here it is:
POF Rewards Club
1. For every round of the Break Contest attended that person will receive a personalized voucher from the band for10% off per round (good for up to ten items). Example: 1st round 10%, 2nd round 20%, etc.
If you come to Starland you’ll receive 40% off POF item’s of your choosing (up to two items).
Come to both Starland and all the Break Contest Rounds and receive any two items for 50% off, and a free item under $5.
If you come to Battle of the Bands on January 21st, take $2 dollars off any shirt or get a free bracelet.
Lastly, anybody who comes to every one of these shows will receive the 50% off for life, a free item of their choosing, and paid access to two POF shows.
2. Anybody who comes to the Break Contest or Starland will be enrolled in the POF Fan Club “Fusionites” and our mailing list for updates.
- Once on the exclusive list of people who made these shows, you were receive free downloads of upcoming projects and mixes of our songs.
- Hear POF songs before they are released and finished.
- Voting rights on video ideas, album covers, show ideas, and song selections.
3. Anyone who made all three shows may guest with us in a music video and will receive a special shout out on all of our sites.

FOR THE BREAK CONTEST AND STARLAND
We need drivers to give people rides there and back. Anybody who offers will be compensated in cash for helping us out. If interested please contact anyone in the band.
The Break Contest on January 29th will take place at Club Loaded at Karma- 620 Waverly Avenue, Patchogue, NY.
Also, Wednesday January 19th we will be playing a fundraiser show for the Break Contest at the Full Cup hosted by EMC Records. Doors open at 6:30 and the price is $8. Here’s the lineup:
7:00 Ignatius J. Reilly
7:30 A Wake in Providence
8:00 It’s Not Over
8:45 Process of Fusion

Thanks to everyone for your help and support, we love you guys and appreciate the effort! Hope to hear from you soon!
- Process of Fusion

Thursday, January 13, 2011

News for the Day- Updates on Incognito Theory, BR and Timebomb, Figurehead, Process of Fusion, and new project- Review House

Hello all and welcome to thesibandguy blog. Being that you are reading this, you probably already knew that, but I digress. Today I wanted to change it up and just kind of have a conversation with you all.

On the blog front, things have been going great. I have more readers and followers than ever- over 1500 views last month. Keep them coming guys! On the Broken Records front, I have interviews galore and would love some help. So if there are any writers out there looking for some cool music related journalism, CONTACT ME!!!

Anyway, here are your updates for the day.



INCOGNITO THEORY
Incognito Theory once again returned to WSOU 88.5 FM to premiere new single "Vengeance" last night at 8:15 on Street Patrol. The band would like to give a shout out and special thanks to "the Brooklyn Dodger." They previously appeared on this show back in May 2010 to release single "This Present."

Listen at http://www.reverbnation.com/incognitotheory

On January 24th at 1 PM, I.T. will be appearing on Metal Messiah Radio on the DJ Softee Show. Tune in at www.metalmessiahradio.com

Check out these cool Incognito Theory Medallions for sale!!!

BR and TIMEBOMB
"We are doing a huge show on Feb. 4, 2011 at Kenny's Castaways to celebrate 8 years as a band and including some of our favorite acts/friends (Swift Technique, Stephanie White and the Philth Harmonic, etc.). The next day, Feb. 5, we are performing at the NYC Parks Dept.'s annual Winter Games in Prospect Park in Brooklyn." - Direct from the band.

For more info check out their Facebook


FIGUREHEAD
Local Staten Island band and friends of mine, Figurehead, will be playing Starland Ballroom on Saturday at 1:30 pm for the final round of JerseyShows Battle of the Bands. Be sure to go down and support them!

Myspace


PROCESS OF FUSION
Something I haven't done too much of, is promote my band, but in this instance we have a lot going on that needs to be talked about. For starters, we made the Bamboozle Break Contest Competition. For those of you who don't know what that is, there are four rounds of tri-state area bands competing for a spot on the famed Bamboozle Tour. The winner gets a huge amount of prizes and press, so obviously it is important. Our show is January 29th at Club Karma in Long Island. Tickets are $12 and we have to sell forty, unfortunately we have a lot of verbal confirmations, but not a lot of tickets sold. We NEED your help. 

On January 19th we will be performing at the Full Cup with our friends in It's Not Over and A Wake in Providence to raise money for our Bamboozle trip. We want to make sure we have money to get our friends there and back. The cover charge is $6 and it's being hosted by EMC Records and Process of Fusion. Doors open at 6:30.

January 21st POF will also be competing in a Battle of the Bands at Warehouse in Staten Island. The event is hosted by Cage Match Wrestling. Doors open at 6:30 and the cover is $10.

Making any of these events would help out so much.

Lastly, I want to give a shout to Jon Santos of 1176 Studios in Whitestone, Queens. We spent over 24 hours with this man in his studio and are pumping out some of the best Process of Fusion you will ever hear. The music sounds great, the production is top notch, and Jon is a fantastic person to work with. CHECK HIM OUT!










REVIEWHOUSE.COM
Recently I was asked to be part of a collective team of writers, reviewers, movie buffs, and overall entertainment thrill seekers. Founded by Cinema Major Anthony Trombetta of the College of Staten Island, he hopes to create a network of followers and become an authority on entertainment much like I'm trying to do on my blog. I'm pretty excited about this because now I get to put my Minor in Cinema Studies to good use! Here's an excerpt from the "about me" section of the site:

"Hello all, welcome to The Review House, a website that will provide you with excellent movie, music, and television news and reviews. Also we will generate fun and educated list's, an interactive Discussion page, and so much more. Below is a list of the different pages the site offers. Click around, and remember "Our house is your house."

Reviews and Lists: A page setup to present all the reviews and lists that the team write. There is a search bar to type in something your looking for, and categories on the side to help you better narrow your search.

Movies: On our blog page (Movie Reviews) the team will work hard to provide you with the best reviews to help you decide what movie to see. In the Home page, we will update you on what movies are coming out, and what movies, and actors are getting buzz around town. And don't forget the list page, a page dedicated to, simply put, making lists, there you can find team submitted list on not just film, but music, TV, and life in general. All our movies are stamped with a "House Review" from 0-10, and are submitted by educated people in the field."



For more info check out http://reviewhouse.webs.com/

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

A'tris Weekly Download- Week 2

A message from A'tris front man Mason Taylor on the second week of downloads.

"Keeping our #songaweek project going strong, the guys and I released our second song, “It’s Too Late” last night. While most songs are co-written by Michael, Nate, and me, this is one I brought to the table on my own. It is a vulnerable song; one of the most deeply personal pieces I’ve ever shared. Normally I prefer to distance myself from this type of material; but I wanted to challenge myself as a part of this project to release demos of songs that I may otherwise be tempted to self-sensor.

What do you think about “It’s too late?” How does it make you feel? I hope you’ll share your thoughts with me." - Released Tuesday at 8:26 am


I owe Nate a big thanks for this recording. While he is often behind the scenes, this project would be impossible without his truly unique ear and talents.






For more info on the project, and information on how to be a part of this deal, click here

Sunday, January 9, 2011

This Album Blew Me Away- Ninth Moon Black "Kalyug"


I think I found out who I want my next interview to be with. I don't know if anyone has heard of the band Ninth Moon Black, but they just released a new album called Kalyug. Featuring only four instrumental tracks, the CD is a concept album running about thirty minutes. Throughout the disc is a series of vocoder induced speeches and vocal arrangements by a man talking much like you'll hear on the new Linkin Park CD, A Thousand Suns. I encourage everyone out there to give it a listen, and hopefully they'll respond to my email.



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Saturday, January 8, 2011

The Higher Concept Releases Another Hit


Just in time for the new year, THC delivers their next single entitled, Toast to Life (produced by J Glaze).

Check out my original blog for The Higher Concept here

And be sure to catch them at the Full Cup February 16th.

Toast to Life (prod. by J. Glaze) by thehigherconcept

Friday, January 7, 2011

Four Nights Gone- Puts Together an All Star Show at the Full Cup

Congrats to Damian of Four Nights Gone for getting the first show Press Release and be! Here's the info-

Feb 19th at the Full Cup (formerly The Cup) six bands, some old some new, will be joining together to rock out for the night.

The show begins at 6p.m. and you are strongly encouraged to stay until 11 when the last band finishes.

The show is $7 at the door.
The Lineup (linked are the Facebook pages of all the groups)


A Vegas Marriage 6:15


Friday's Nightmare 7:05


Four Nights Gone 7:55


Figurehead 8:45


West of Dennis 9:35


Oppurtunity Down 10:25


Incognito Theory Releases New Single, "Vengeance"

Check out the new Incognito Theory single "Vengeance" released January 7th 2011, and will be off of new album Silent Pain in early 2011.

Listen here
http://www.reverbnation.com/incognitotheory

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

A'tris Giving Away Free Music

My new friend, Mason Taylor of A'tris, would like to inform the world that A'tris is starting a new music give away campaign. All “you” have to do is sign up to the mailing list. Follow the link below.
http://www.reverbnation.com/c/fr5/artist_347?eid=A347_6901495_

or head over to

atrishq.com for more updates

Read my interview on A'tris here

The First song for the downloads below