Ten After Two Album Review of "Truth Is..."

Sean Wall - Vocals   

Patrick Hennion - Guitar
Josh Doty - Guitar

Danny Clark - Bass 

Vincent Adorno - Drums

Ten After Two is an upcoming band that just released their debut album, Truth Is..., March 29th on Rise Records. Forming in May 2009, TAT balances the familiar line of screamo/hardcore, with melodic break downs and poppy harmonized choruses. Notably different about this post hardcore band is all sense of the generic as they masterfully create music that has to this point been worn out. Hearing new bands reinventing the envelope is not only refreshing, but hopeful as well.

Truth Is... encompasses the more mainstream elements of Underoath's They're Only Chasing Safety, while distinctly setting a tempo and style that is their own in a growing scene. With alternating high and low screams, it makes the heavier parts standout more than just blatant mono sounding aggression. 

Listening through the album, definite single worthy songs are "It Threatens", "Yes", and "Believe Me". "Yes" features lots of moving intricate parts with aggressive driving vocals. "Dead After Dallas" and "Satan's Slumber Party" are darker songs that really showcase deep screaming vocals and a darker musical style with almost blast beat like death metal riffs. 

The title track "Truth Is..." is a great melodic song with a spectacular climax that leads right into "Interlude in D Minor". From here the end of the album features alternations between fast, slow clean, and punkier parts along with some digital sounding parts in "Sight At Sea".

Overall this is a fantastic album, and a great debut for Ten After Two. They are sure to turn heads with this album and are definitely taking music in the right direction. Be sure to catch Ten After Two as they go on tour for The Artery Young Guns Tour with The Air I Breathe, Scarlett O’Hara, The Plot In You and Lions! Tigers! Bears!

www.facebook.com/TenAfterTwo

www.myspace.com/tenaftertwo

Blog Post Number 100!!!

Hey everyone, I wanted to thank all of my blog viewers and followers for coming along on this blogging journey with me. I can't in little over a year I have reached post number 100. Special shout out to all the bands, musicians, artists, and people I have written about over this last year. I obviously could not have done it without you all!

Expect more things to come over the next year as this blog transitions more into the Broken Records Blog. Also, I am added contributors and more special features to very slowly. Stick with me and I promise it will be awesome!!!

Photo by Matt Donders

-Justin The S.I. Band Guy

POF interview for Broken Records Magazine by Vlad Grach

By Alex DiMaio

If you’re into Linkin Park, Hollywood Undead, and the Bloodhound Gang then make room on your iPad for Process of Fusion. The five piece band from Staten Island, New York fuses rock and rap into one, and does it magnificently. This dynamic group of musicians recently tore down the stage at The Crazy Donkey, but not literally of course, more like figuratively. 

I reminisced with Justin Sarachik, the groups beloved rapping front man, about: the bands solid past, promising future, and the bands experience filling the air of The Crazy Donkey with rhymes and melodies as they tried to make it into The Bamboozle Festival, one of the biggest music festivals to hit the east coast. 

Here’s what Justin had to say: 
     
When was Process of Fusion formed? What inspired all of you to make music together? 
Patrick and I started the band in 2007. We got all the pieces together in early 2009, and made this thing happen. I’ve known Patrick since I was Five. We’ve been in bands together since I was 13 or 14. I started getting into hip-hop during the end of high school and into college. I realized I wasn’t the best drummer in the world. So, we started looking into actually making it work after five years of making music together and not having anything to show for it. I said, “You know what, let’s do it this time,” and that’s how we did it.

What genre of music do you consider your music to be? Who are your influences? 
Originally, the band was pop punk, with some rap influence here and there. Our main influence was Chronic Future. Then, all of a sudden Patrick started listening to a bunch of Coheed & Cambria and Between the Buried and Me. He started writing all this stuff. And, we had to change the formula. That’s how we got the sound we have now.

What can you tell me about not playing an instrument? 
I used to try and play the keyboard a lot. We have a lot of musical breaks and solo’s where there are no vocals. I needed something to do besides stand there. So, I started playing around with the keyboard. When I first started out, I wasn’t very good of a front man. I was nervous, and had super stage fright. I would literally just stand there with the microphone and look straight into the crowd. So, I said, “I obviously can’t do that.” So, I started messing around with the keyboard. Now Rose plays some keyboard when we do covers. I’m much more animated now, and throw myself around.

Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues to play? 
The biggest places we’ve played were Roseland Ballroom, The Crazy Donkey when we were in the Break Contest, Kenny’s Castaway, The Mercury Lounge, and Crash Mansion. On Staten Island, we’ve played outside at Wolf’s Pond Park. We’ve played at CSI, and we’ve played at The Full Cup way too many times. We’ve played The Warriors Warehouse and Dock Street, upstairs and downstairs. And we’ve played Club Karma in Long Island.

What were some of your best and worst shows? What makes them the best? What makes them the worst? 
The best and coolest place we’ve ever played is The Crazy Donkey. We’ve had some of our best and worst shows at The Cup. We played a show where there was like seven people. We played a hardcore show, where some of the people didn’t like us and just walked out. The last show at The Cup was phenomenal and emotional. We had a great spot between Julius C and Everynight Drive. We had our fans plus their fans. It was a great spot. I crowd surfed from the stage to the back of the door. To be honest, I was crying at the end of the show, it was amazing. 

A turning point for me was our show at Hot Topic. I would really use the keyboard just to hide behind it. We forgot it. So, I had to stand in front of the crowd. That was the first time I’ve ever stood in front of any crowd with just the microphone. I was like a legitimate front man. It really broke me out of the mold. 

You recently played the Break Contest to get into Bamboozle, how was the overall experience of that for you guys? 
I think it was a good experience. It proved to us that we could get 90 people to a place an hour and 20 minutes away. I think we expected that we were going to do well from the beginning. We went to the finals. Once we got to finals we said, “We can win this, we can win this,” and then we didn’t.

Was getting to the final round, and not winning, a letdown?
It was a letdown. But, it was also kind of humbling. It was a learning experience. We learned how to take a big loss, and hopefully that fuels us to push forward.

Did the fans bring the entire show together for you? How much do you appreciate your fans?
If the crowd is dead, then we’re kind of dead. Especially me, since I don’t have an instrument to focus on. I need people to go nuts so I can go nuts. If people are clapping, I’m clapping with them. I especially love when I get to jump into the crowd. I couldn’t do that at The Crazy Donkey. I was a little scared because the stage was so high up. 

But, the crowd is definitely a key component. We have some of the best fans. We have the loudest fans I’ve ever heard. We’ve won things and we’ve been commended because of how loud the fans were, even if there were only ten. They always help us out with the merchandise, they come out to support us, and they’re awesome.

Listen; if you can’t win with a Vuvuzela going off in the crowd, then I don’t know what Bamboozle was expecting from us. Those things are loud, and they were a good touch.
   
What do you think separated you from the other bands that played the Break Contest? 
We were different. We’re a rock band that has hip-hop in it. People can only compare us to Linkin Park. I think we’re very different though. We’re definitely a lot heavier, and we have more intricate music. I think that’s very different. 

As far as why we didn’t win, we don’t know. We think it’s because of the style of music. Screamo, Pop Core, those are the kind of bands that are booming at the moment. Maybe the judges didn’t see us fitting in. But, your guess is as good as mine.

Will you guys play the Break Contest again? 
That’s debatable. Our goal is to get Bamboozle to ask us to play. We’d love for Bamboozle to come to us (laughs).  

What else can we expect from Process of Fusion in the future? 
Our new EP is being mixed by Jon Santos from 1176 Studios. He’s the best producer in the world.
We’re planning to have the CD release show at the beginning of June, or the end of May. We’re going to do it up nice and big at The Warehouse. On May 22nd, we’re playing the War for Warped Tour at Starland Ballroom. We have superb artwork being done by Helder Pedro from Portugal. We’re writing music for our full length album. And, hopefully we’ll be touring during the summer.
    
Do you have any closing statements?
2011 is still going to be the year that something great happens. 

By Nick Benvenuto

Hip-Hop and Techno, Check these people out!!!

Respect The Producer Vol. I
A tribute to J. Dilla

April 13th, 2011- Respect the Producer is a mixtape series paying homage to the most innovative producers in the Hip Hop community. Doc Zootz, a Staten Island emcee, goes over the best of Dilla's instrumentals in Volume One of this mixtape series. This highly anticipated project pays tribute to producers who have paved the way for Hip Hop. Doc Zootz brings vivid and powerful lyrics to a collection of the finest Dilla instrumentals.
Respect the Producer Vol. I will be released for free on May 18th digitally. Limited cd copies will be available.

For more information regarding Doc Zootz or the Respect the Producer mixtape please contact Stephanie Hologounis  at Vitalsubstance@gmail.com


Freestyle Fam
If you haven't checked out Freestyle Fam yet, you are missing the best Hip-Hop STaten Island has to offer outside of the Wu.
DOWNLOAD HERE

DJ BURNOUT
Born and raised on the mean streets of Brooklyn, DJ Burnout started his musical journey when he was just 6. He was abducted by alien lifeforms and they introduced him to the rave scene. It was at this moment that Burnout knew he wanted to be a DJ.

He first became interested in the electronic music scene in 1994. In 2002, aged 14, he won his first set of turntables in a game of Russian Roulette. At the age of 17, he was already being viewed as Brooklyn's answer to DJ Qbert. He did various warm up sets before the doors opened in clubs hosting major names. In 2006, he achieved his big break when he realized he was big in the game. It was after this point when he started getting gigs at big events such as Highline NYC and Ultrabar DC.

After receiving several offers, Burnout joined Phinger Ink Records Recordings, who helped distribute his first internet release, 'Burnout Spark That' in 2008. Though the album didn't sell as many as he probably would have liked, Burnout is a fighter and since 2010 has been locked in the studio perfecting his craft.

Suffice to say, the electro house, dirty dutch, and dubstep scene should be expecting big things from Burnout in 2011.

 Till The World Ends (Burnout Remix) by DJ Burnout 


 Barbra Streisand (BURNOUT ULTIMATE MASHUP) by DJ Burnout 

http://www.djburnout.webs.com
http://www.twitter.com/dj_BURNOUT
http://www.myspace.com/djburnoutnyc
http://www.reverbnation.com/djburnout
http://www.soundcloud.com/dj-burnout
http://www.facebook.com/djburnoutmusic

DJ Menic

While I'm on the rare kick of DJ's, check out my cousin Dom's mixes.

 Buckwild (Original Mix) by Menic 

 Crave You (Menic Bootleg) by Menic 

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What A Mess I've Made Review & Interview

I'm pretty sure his name has come up my blog before, but Javan Aybar is truly an amazing musician. Stepping on stage with his acoustic guitar, Javan opens his mouth and belts out some of the most unlikely vocals you'd expect from this tattoo clad artist. I say this completely out of love, because Javan has an outstanding voice and a knack for excellent catchy song writing. Yet again Javan has proved as What A Mess I've Made, continues to provide the listener with easy enjoyable heartfelt music. The passion is there, and the love of music in it's pure raw form is there. My band is a huge fan of him, especially the cover he did of our song, and he's a big fan of ours. So as Javan would say, "Don't cheer me, boo me, it's louder."

From Javan
It’s a 13 track ‘not the best quality’ self-titled album I recorded in my room consisting of just vocals and a guitar. I dropped the Mickey House Hands name and it’s the first stuff I’ve wrote/recorded and put up/out under the new name: What A Mess I’ve Made. There are a few songs on the Facebook player, but the whole album is up on my bandcamp site. It’s up for a ‘Pay What You Want If You Want’ download. I have a few ‘homemade’ physical copies of the album if anyone is interested as well as which I would sell/bring to shows when I start playing more, for the same ‘Pay What You Want If You Want.’ I also have the first CD IAMSUS I recorded under the Mickey Mouse Hands name which has 19 songs on it for free download.

Where did you get the name What I mess I've Made, and why did you drop Mickey Mouse Hands?
What A Mess I've Made is a line from a song called "Empty Out Your Stomach" by Lydia. I’m in love with that band. I was thinking of a new name for a long time and WAMIM was the winner. As for MMH, I was really never a fan of that. It was a random name that I overheard while figuring out what to name my Myspace page when I made one to upload a few songs to it back in 2006 I think. It’s not that I don’t like Mickey Mouse, but it was just a silly name in my opinion. Hopefully this dropping of the name also kills the amount of Mickey Mouse related gifts I receive for bdays, xmas and what not (haha), even though I did enjoy them.

What's your personal style and what are your biggest influences?
Even though it’s an acoustic project, my influences vary in genre, but to name a few: Daphne Loves Derby/Wolftron, City & Colour, Lydia, Copeland, Coheed & Cambria, Dear & The Headlights, The Number 12 Looks Like You, The Fall of Troy, and The Rocket Summer.

How come you are an acoustic artist and don't play with a band?
When I first started to try the whole writing originals thing, it was just easier for me to pick up an acoustic guitar, write songs and do my own thing. I would definitely one day love to see how this acoustic project would sound with the addition of some other instruments (drum, bass, guitar, etc) though.

When did you start music- singing, guitar?
I started playing guitar around 15-16. I use to be in chorus back in elementary school. I think that’s what set it off, because I really went in, come chorus time and after that.

What are your plans with this solo project?
I don’t really have any set plans with this. I want to write/record more songs, I want to play more solo shows, and maybe sometime soon play a show with a backing band. I’ve currently been jamming with a few friends in a non-acoustic genre. It’s looking promising. I think that’s my main focus musically at the moment, but regardless, I wont stop with the acoustic thing.

What is the coolest/memorable moment you've had as a musician?
One of my most memorable moments was when I finished my first piece of recording which was a six song EP (I was so proud of it back then, but boy, it was terrible) and I posted a bulletin about it. A few hours later I had about 20 replies from people I didn’t really know, who wanted to buy a copy. 20 might not be a lot to some, but it was wonderful to me.

Download the album at Bandcamp
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Indie Rock Band Edelweiss is the Next Generation by Terri Caputo

Foals, Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Phoenix, Death Cab For Cutie, Modest Mouse; if you don’t know any of these bands, you haven’t been paying attention to the rise of indie rock in the music industry. As of late, more and more indie bands are making their way into mainstream music.  Just this year, Arcade Fire won a Grammy for Album of the Year and two other prestigious awards. Other bands such as The Walkmen, LCD Soundsystem, Interpol, Spoon, MGMT, and The National have also created a buzz recently. What used to be a sub-genre of alternative rock in the 1980s has turned into a worldwide phenomenon.

One of the bands trying to break this same mold is Edelweiss, an indie rock band from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Don’t be discouraged by the name, there aren’t any Sound of Music references in their songs.

The band has only been together for a year and they’re already taking Northeastern Pennsylvania by storm. Ranging in age from 14 to 17 years old, just take a listen to two of the tracks on their Bandcamp or Facebook page, and what you’ll hear is tight, mature music. “We play music that you don't hear every day,” the band said collectively. “It’s unlike anything you hear on mainstream radio, and it's a lot of fun.” 

The four-piece recently recorded two songs, “(No)” and “Fiasco,” with Jeremy Sklarsky at Threshold Records in New York City--their client list includes Collective Soul, Jónsi (Sigur Rós), and The Morning Benders. If you know what’s good for you, go see these guys headline the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on February 26th before they start selling out stadiums.

According to Edelweiss, “[they] are the next generation.”

Check these guys out on Facebook or buy their EP for two dollars here.

The Interview

Your music has a great indie vibe—reminds me a lot of Foals and Mike Snow. How do people respond to your style of music, especially since it isn’t incredibly popular in the US? 

Our style of music really sticks out from the other bands we typically play with in Northeast PA. People are usually surprised when we first start playing because the music is so different but end up coming up after the shows to tell us how much they liked it.

Because you are so young, is there a certain expectation for you guys when you jump on stage? People probably expect something much different from what we end up playing when we get going. Perhaps they don't expect much because of our ages so most of the time we end up surprising people. 

How did you come up with the name Edelweiss? 
Niko, Coby and their dad actually came up with the name randomly on a cross-country vacation a few years back in the very early days of Edelweiss; it was just a name that came into our heads randomly.

If there were a crowd of 20,000 people screaming your name, waiting for you to appear on stage, what would your initial reaction be? 

We would probably all smile and look at each other saying, "can you believe this?!"

If you could play any venue in the world, what would it be? Glastonbury Festival. Does that count?

What do you bring to the table that no other band does?

We play music that you don't hear every day. It’s unlike anything you hear on mainstream radio, and it's a lot of fun.

Alter the Ending Interview- By Terri Caputo

If you think sixteen-year-old Justin Bieber has a lot of talent for his young age, maybe you should brush up on your music history. Björk began studying classical music at age five and released an album at eleven. Nathan Young, drummer of rock group, Anberlin, and Zac Farro, ex-drummer of Paramore, both joined their bands at age twelve. And who could forget Michael Jackson at the tender age of five? He was already in the big leagues with his older brothers and sisters in The Jackson Five. He had his first song reach number one as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 at age eleven and another song as a solo artist at age thirteen.

Just like the other young prodigies, thirteen-year-old pop punk group, Alter The Ending, are working their way into the industry, and kicking butt  while doing so. The four young gentlemen from Berkeley Heights, NJ, have only been playing together for a year and have already established more than a lot of people their age. They’ve played at well-known venues such as Starland Ballroom, The Stony Pony, and plenty of music festivals in the local New Jersey area.  “I think it's awesome how we've been able to do that after just a year of being a band,” says guitarist Billy Manning on playing at venues where his favorite bands have performed. They’ve also recorded with Jon Santos, former singer/guitarist of Seven Wiser and owner of 1176 Studios in Whitestone Queens. “Jon is an amazing guy to work with,” says Andrew Pacheco, lead vocalist and guitarist. “He really brought the best out of our music.”  The band recorded two tracks with Santos, and will be recording a few more to complete the Gone Again EP, which will be released in mid-2011. Until then, you can catch the young lads at The Break Contest, in which they will be competing with many bands for a spot on Bamboozle 2011’s main stage.

The interview:

AP= Andrew Pacheco (Vocals, Guitar)

BM= Billy Manning (Guitar)

DQ= Dylan Quesada (Bass)

LB= Luke Blecker (Drums)

How did the four of you meet?

AP: Billy and I were playing at a talent show in the 5th grade and Luke happened to be in the same show, [only he was] playing guitar at the time. We started taking and he mentioned that he played the drums, so we got together and started our first band, which [consisted of] me, Billy, and Luke [called Toxic Sludge].  …a few years later [when] I was ready to switch to guitar, we started looking for a bass player and pretty soon after that, I got a message from Dylan saying he'd like to join the band. …we knew it was the perfect lineup right away.

How long have you all been playing your instruments?

LB: I've been playing drums for five years, but at the time it wasn't my main instrument. Now it has become my favorite interest and such a big part of my life.

DQ: I've been playing bass for five years as well, but once I joined the band I got a lot more serious about it.

BM: I began playing guitar when I was seven, but when I was nine, I started working a lot more towards it and started to improve my performance.

AP: I had tried to teach myself guitar up until when I was about ten, [which was] when I started taking lessons. I've been singing since I was really young, but I've never actually taken singing lessons.

Because you are so young, is there a certain expectation for you guys when you jump on stage?

AP: Definitely.  People are usually surprised, but I don't think there's any extra pressure on us, we just jump on stage and do our thing, and hopefully the crowd likes it.

What is your biggest accomplishment as a musician? As a band?

BM: Playing venues that some of our favorite bands and influences have performed at, such as Starland Ballroom and The Stone Pony. I think it's awesome how we've been able to do that after just a year of being a band.

LB: I think just being able to have people listen to the music that we've written ourselves is an accomplishment to me.

DQ: Kind of like what Billy said, being able to play on the same stage as the bands that we love have played on is really cool.

AP: I agree with Billy, Luke, and Dylan. The fact that we've been able to play the songs that we've written at these cool and legendary venues is awesome. Especially when the crowd is into it, it's an amazing experience.

How did you wind up working with singer/songwriter/producer Jon Santos? Will you be releasing an album anytime soon?

AP: My cousin and her band Stelladeora had been working with Jon. We were looking for a studio to record in and she recommended his place, 1176 Studios. Jon is an amazing guy to work with and he really brought the best out of our music. As for an album, we released two songs "Tear Me Down" and "Gone Again" for free online, and we're working on getting a few more done so we can release the "Gone Again" EP.

Where can you see ATE in a year from now?

DQ: I see us improving and hopefully getting some more fans.

LB: Hopefully we can play some bigger shows, getting a larger fan base, and having a larger selection of songs to play.

AP: Right now we're trying to get ourselves out there, so I see us hopefully getting as good and tight as we can be, and bigger and better.

BM: Hopefully we'll be playing some more shows and have a full-length album out around then.

What does Alter The Ending bring to the table that no other band does?

BM: We play a wide variety of music, from our calmer songs, to our punk and heavier side, we cover basically every genre of rock and alternative. We think that’s important so we can reach out to different audiences.

Anything you’d like to plug or tell people who have never heard of you before?

Everyone: Search us on Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter so you can stay updated with the latest Alter The Ending news and download our songs. Hopefully you can follow us through an exciting journey.

Updates- New Hollywood Girl, A'tris, POF, VTT, and Freestyle Fam

Hollywood Girl Episode 4


A'tris Song of the week 13 & 14




Voodoo Terror Tribe Releases Music Video


Process of Fusion play "Lights in the Sky" and "Bring Me to Life" at the Bamboozle Break Contest at the Stone Pony.




New album coming soon, Connections EP.
Check my band out this Saturday, April 9th at Warriors of Wrestling (The Warehouse)56 Van St. Staten Island, NY 
7:30pm - 11:00pm, $6
DEAD MEN DREAMING
PROCESS OF FUSION
RELICS
INCOGNITO THEORY
FIGUREHEAD

Check out the best rappers on Staten Island, Freestyle Fam, as they just dropped their first mixtape. Download here