Welcome to Under the Dog. This is a musical webzine with a focus on the more abrasive styles of music(read:metal/punk/hardcore), along with some interesting videos and links that generally fall in the WTF category. We post full bootleg concerts every Wednesday and have new mp3s on the weekdays. Click here to goto the main page.
Ahoy mateys! I’m quite sorry for abandoning you all in the frozen food section of the internets but I have been busy busy busy!
Busy doing what you may ask? Well I’ll tell you…
I just been filming some of Portland’s finest artists and watching all kinds of movies. Here are some quick reviews of the movies I have watched lately.
Lakeview Terrace: A great effort from the guy who made “The Shape of Things”. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite as good. Samuel L Jackson for once in his life does not over act. Everyone else does.
Choke: Rent it.
Burn After Reading: Watch it now. What are you waiting for??????????????
I know there is more but I just can’t remember.
Anyways, check out my friends the Don Hellions who will be on the upcoming DVD I am filming with my good buddy Carson Hughes…
I have been filming bands for awhile now for an upcoming DVD project. It’s centered around live music performances in Portland Oregon and it’s taking up most of my free time. That’s why this site hasn’t been a daily thing lately. I’m going crazy just trying to handle this site and now an even larger project that I could not pass up. So I thought I would share a few things about my weekend at Music Fest Northwest.
1. Promoters are all different.
Whoa, shock there… But seriously, at some shows, by just having a camera, people wave you through and let you in anywhere. At others you’ll be hard pressed to get past the front door if your name isn’t on the list.
2. 99% of musicians are alot nicer when you are providing a service.
I’ve met a ton of musicians under a ton of different circumstances. If you just approach people without knowing them they tend to be standoffish, but once you set something up they tend to act quite different.
3. Sponsorship isn’t all that bad.
Free Vitamin Waters and Smart Water everywhere I went was pretty cool. There was free Heinekens at one of the shows but I didn’t drink any.
3. Pot Festivals probably aren’t the best place to get your promotional video shot at.
Unless you want giant banners in the background for the whole video advertising the marijuana movement, you might want to choose a different gig than a pot festival.
4. Hip-Hop people are more standoffish than socially awkward hipsters.
The exception goes to Cool Nutz. But it seems like Hip-Hoppers are not very social with people who want to film them so they can get more exposure.
5. Tell the rest of your band that you are going to be filmed.
I filmed a band where only one member of the band even knew we were coming. The other members of the band were pissed and we wasted half of 2 tapes on the show.
6. Make note of where you park the car.
My filming partner and I looked for about an hour for a car that was parked about a block away from where we were filming.
7. The more DIY a venue, the more accommodating the staff is.
The more bourgeois a club or bar or coffee shop, the less people are willing to help you. I guess it’s just a mutual DIY respect.
8. Shows rarely start on time and time slots often get pushed back.
This doubly applies to one off shows in random places. Like pot fests.
9. A Weather is REALLY GOOD.
And they are really nice to boot.
10. Mirah was actually fun to watch.
Being a hardcore and metal guy, I have had a lot of fun filming indie bands and even a newgrass group.
Sonic Youth has been making records 2 years before I was even born. In that time they have made 15 records and countless singles.
Now they have a new collection of "hits" out cleverly titled "Hits Are For Squares" that came out on June 10th.
If you never got into Sonic Youth the first time this is a good introduction. But most people already know S.Y.’s catalog so the real point of this post is to make a snarky comment about Eddie Vedder picking the most obvious song.
Tracklisting
1. Bull In The Heather (selected by Catherine Keener) 2. 100% (selected by Mike D) 3. Sugar kane (selected by Beck) 4. Kool Thing (selected by Radiohead) 5. Disappearer (selected by Portia de Rossi) 6. Superstar (selected by Diablo Cody) 7. Stones (selected by Allison Anders) 8. Tuff Gnarl (selected by Dave Eggers & Mike Watt) 9. Teenage Riot (selected by Eddie Vedder) 10. Shadow of a Doubt (selected by Michelle Williams) 11. Rain on Tin (selected by Flea) 12. Tom Violence (selected by Gus Van Sant) 13. Mary-Christ (selected by David Cross) 14. World Looks Red (selected by Chloe Sevigny) 15. Expressway To Yr Skull (selected by The Flaming Lips) 16. Slow Revolution (Exclusive New Sonic Youth Recording)
No not the nerd styles of rappers like Ytcracker or Optimus Rhyme, but raps about science. Rappers always say they are droppin science, but here are some raps you can actually learn from…
A late pass review is a review of media that has been out for a significant amount of time. While your hipster friends may have already sampled the media, blogged about it and already started in on their backlash and even further have already made it ironic to be into it, I’m just now writing about and I don’t care what they think. What used to take decades now only takes weeks in the world of the internet.
Shai Hulud invokes visions of the glory days of Portlands hardcore scene, all but gone now. While Shai Hulud wasn’t a Portland band, 5 years ago the hardcore scene was thriving with several venues dedicated to the extreme music scene. Now there is Satyricon. What happened is beyond me but I have a feeling that most of the people in the scene grew out heavy music and became something else entirely. Now they a blessed with those awkward moments where they have to explain their strait edge tattoos while sipping whiskey sours @ the tube.
But I digress, everywhere but Portland has thriving scenes. Of course the east coast is the haven for all things heavy. Enter Shai Hulud, named after giant sandworms in sci-fi series Dune, I always imagine giant sandworms as slow moving and uninteresting which is quite the contrast from this band.
Shai Hulud is owed a lot more respect then they are given. Coalesce and Botch as very similar bands though Shai Hulud tend to play a little bit faster. I can’t really describe this cept for the usual points, the lyrics are understandable and they play a notey noodly version of hardcore unlike any other bands out there presently…
Compared to other albums, this album seems to be a mix of previous records and should work well for fans of both records.
Who is this band? If you aren’t from the Pacific Northwest chances are pretty slim that you haven’t caught word of these talented ladies quite yet unless you read WFMU’s Beware of the Blog. WFMU called it “hypnotic freak funk” and “gritty dance-punk tracks that sound like the late-night love child of Fela Kuti and ESG” but I personally think it’s very unclassifiable. To call it dance punk would lump them in with some bands that wear their sisters jeans and these ladies don’t have to borrow anyones pants…
I first heard them in someone’s basement in north Portland on a Sunday afternoon. I didn’t really feel like going to a house show but they came with the highest recommendation possible in my book, a recommendation from a fellow musician and my old roommate Chris from Don Hellions. When I got to the house I was slightly worries as everyone was sitting on the floor upstairs and silent as early films while someone was playing an acoustic guitar and singing feverishly. While I don’t want to be a hater, it’s not what I went there for and I have little patience for singer songwriter music. I’m glad I stayed as I was able to see EIC for the first time.
I was floored by the pure uniqueness to say the least. While I often look at odd instrumentation in a “rock” setup as a gimmick, a breath of fresh air comes forth from these 3 ladies that goes beyond the typical adding horns or strings as there is no guitar or bass, instead Claudia plays a baritone guitar. A melodica and percussionist as well as a full trap kit completes the setup to make a full but minimal sound that will make even the most uptight nerd who wears their cellphone on their belt shake their ass.
I recently had the chance to ask to chat up Claudia and pick her brain as she “channeled” the other members properly…
Do you have a demo yet?
We don’t have a demo yet. But we will be recording one with our good friend Robert in September. We recently tried recording with the phenomenal Christina Files in her basement but it didn’t turn out well, too humid, it made my baritone very temperamental. We hope to record with her again under better circumstances.
Where can you get one?
When we have it ready, you will be able to get one from our myspace site and from us at our shows.
I’m pretty sure someone in the band does art in some way shape or form, where can I see examples of said art on the internet?
We all do art in some way shape or form. We most currently all worked on curating a multi-media art show called Tag Team! with Senegalese artist Modou Dieng. It’s happening 9/3/08 at Holocene in Portland: http://www. holocene. org/calendar/
For our part of the show we are collaborating with an amazing dancer, Janet Pants (http://www. janetpants. com), and Los Moustachios, a rad video art collective. It should be an interesting set.
I make graphics and videos for pay, freelance style, my online portfolio is in the works. I also compose more academic musical pieces. Currently I’m working on a piece for cellist, Derek M. Johnson for Aphonia Recordings.
Heather has some serious drawing skills and is an awesome dancer. She is dancing with Janet Pant Dans Theatre on the sly.
We are also all brainstorming another art show where we show more of our visual art. When we started EIC, we wanted it to be an art project that could be a creative vehicle for all our interests rather than just a band. We definitely love playing music though.
Or is it clothing design?
Heather Treadway is the fashion designer. She is actually out of town doing work for her line. Check it! heathertreadway. com
Is playing a baritone guitar more like playing a guitar or a bass?
Playing a baritone is totally like playing both guitar and bass simultaneously. The strings are thinner than a bass but thicker than a guitar. You still have plenty of low end and a fuller sound but also enough room to play clear melodies in a higher register. It also has six strings just like a regular guitar. I bought my Danelectro baritone when I was 17 and knew i was going to put it to good use one day. I love it when people ask me questions about my baritone, her name is Nico.
What bands do you like playing with?
We love playing with friends’ bands a bunch because then it’s like having a birthday party for yourself. Everyone is super happy and stoked to be there and then after hanging you get to play for each other. And then everyone tells everyone else how awesome their band is…too much fun.
The New Kids on the Block have recently reformed and just released a new single, do you feel threatened musically by them in anyway shape or form?
Only if Joey grew out his hair again and started wearing that crazy hat with no top that makes his luscious curls spill over to the brim. No amount of musical talent can ever really compete with luscious man curls.
In one song you have the chant “bombs over baghdad”, is that an anti-war statement, an homage to outkast or something else entirely?
Both. We love Outkast and hate war.
Do you have any feelings on music sharing/piracy?
We love music, sharing, and only like piracy if it doesn’t involve scurvy or walking the plank, especially when there are sharks involved.
RECORDING!, more art shows, mores songs, tours, awesome shirts, possibly a play, most probably a sandwich.
Anything else you would like to add?
Oh, and we are also collaborating this winter with the amazing Portland Sprockettes (http://sprockettes. org/) We will be providing some music for their routines. It’s like we won the lottery of rad. I’m really super excited about this one.
Take Care,
Claudia and the rest of EIC
Winning the lottery of rad you say? Lotteries are won by chance and this band does not need chance when they have tunes likes the ones posted below…
Many people would argue that Don Caballero does not deserve to have their name beings as there is only one original member and they had broken up. To add insult to injury the original member is the drummer.
But I personally beg to differ. There a couple of thing to consider before making that argument. Damon Che, the only original member asked the other two members if they want to have a go at it again and they declined. So Damon took it upon himself to get new musicians and put out records on Relapse.
A lot of reviews are drinking up large amounts of haterade and saying that The Don are not breaking any new ground and at times that may be, but Don Cab has always been what they are and that is instantly recognizable. To start “breaking new ground” would be something that wasn’t Don Cab.
I think what has happened is that the music blogs and indie press are too into Battles to really get into the new Don Cab record. Regardless it seems that some reviews didn’t listen to the album in it’s entirety because none of the reviews seem to mention that there is vocals on some of the songs which is a MAJOR DEPARTURE from standard Don Caballero faire.
This record does break new ground though with it’s addition of vocals and even a track with blast beats called “Slaughbaughs’ Ought Not Own Dog Data”. The album has heavy moments as well as noodly moments and everything in between.
If you are into drummers you will be in for a treat as Damon Che is one ofthe best underground drummers alive today. He can play any time signature without batting an eye while not sounding like he’s showing off at all.
Fans of the older albums will feel right at home on this release and this would be a decent starting point for new fans curious about mathrock. I give this album an 8 out of 10.
Metallica’s new track is streaming, I thought they hated the internet… initial thoughts are a mix of the black album and newer records and then into a And Justice for All.. outtake.(via)
Longtime readers will have noticed that my delicious links quit posting right about the time that they introduced their new “upgrades” which amounted to nothing more than a few cosmetic changes. So I’m going to do a manual post today.
Spylacopa is supergroup of metal and art rock musicians, but it is admittedly “not metal” but rather an ambient but listenable thing going on… This droup has members of Dillinger Escape Plan, Made out of Babies, Isis and Candaria(who I never really cared for). Their EP drops 11/4. Election Day.
The saxaphone player for the Dave Matthews Band died. It was on absolute punk as well. I swear I don;t AP very much, it just happens to be in the folder marked press releases…
This sounds like total win here… Fun Fun Fest. The lineup includes Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The National, Atmosphere, Minus The Bear, Rival Schools, Tim Fite, Magnetic Morning (Swervedriver/Interpol), Kevin Seconds, Walter Schreifels (Quicksand/Gorilla Biscuits), Tom Gabel (Against Me!), Ben Nichols (Lucero), Tim Barry (Avail), Chuck Ragan (Hot Water Music), ALL, Dead Milkmen, Flipper, Integrity, Adolescents, Integrity, Bouncing Souls, Swingin Utters, DOA, Killdozer, The Cro-mags, Scared of Chaka, Young Widows, Leftover Crack, Trash Talk, World Burns to Death, Krumbums, Mammoth Grinder, Cute Lepers, Bitter End, High Tension Wires, Born to Lose and many more.
Guitar Hero and I have a love hate relationship, on one hand it’s fun to play everyn once in awhile and it keeps my girlfriend busy while I work on my websites, but on the other I know how to play a real guitar and it kind of disheartens me to think that kids are turning away music to play a game where you pretend to make music. Something about that isn’t right.
While I can’t place the blame solely upon guitar hero something needs to be done about the major disrespect to Charlie Daniels(or is it Daniel’s with the apostrophe showing ownership?) . What disresect is this you ask? Kids are posting videos of themselves playing the game on the “Devil Went Down to Georgia” level and not crediting Mr. Daniels at all. All the titles are something like GH3 Devil went do….
I’m sure you are thinking oh this really isn’t a big deal, so some little kids forgot some old fogies name. Or maybe they just don’t associate the song with anything but the game.
Just take a look at these video for examples. Don’t bother watching the full videos, they get boring real quick.
So, you know it’s not that bad, it’s just some kids that have no idea of the history of the music they are playing, it’s really not that bad. But wait, what about when legitimate musicians are the ones not knowing their roots…
or even worse…
You know what? You’re right, it’s not a big deal, but wait till those old fogies are John Lydon or Joe Strummer, Kerry King or Iam Mckaye. OK, Ian will probably never be on guitar hero, but there might already be a version of Waiting Room for “Frets of Fire“. What is Frets of Fire? Just a free as in beer or speech open source game that is pretty much identical to Guitar Hero. Yes, an identical game that also has a level builder so any song that is around in digital format is a potential level. and the x-box 360 controller works on a PC.
Popular playlist sharing site Muxtape is down and says that it’s because of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It might have been inevitable but the news will run chills down the spines of countless music sharers. It’s a tragedy, really, and one we hope to see reversed quickly.
Cynics will say they got what they deserved, others will ask why they didn’t monetize as quickly as possible and pay internet radio licensing fees. The company says only that “Muxtape will be unavailable for a brief period while we sort out a problem with the RIAA.”
What is a someone to do now that they can’t make a muxtape. I suggest creating a torrent and sharing it the pirate bay.
Yes you moment you have been waiting for your entire life has finally come full circle, Jonathon, jordan, Joe, Danny and Donnie are reuniting for an entire album and tour. Just get a load of this promo photo!*
I really wanted to hotlink this strait from their website just to waste bandwidth but they were smart enough to update their htaccess file and disable hotlinking. Pity. Doesn’t 2nd from the left look like Ben Stiller? Just a little bit. Oh and nice hat guy on the right, did you just throw a Frisbee?
MP3s can be found easily enough. I’m not sharing.
I hosted this photo at supload because I don’t want this on my server.
A late pass review is a review of media that has been out for a significant amount of time. While your hipster friends may have already sampled the media, blogged about it and already started in on their backlash and even further have already made it ironic to be into it, I’m just now writing about and I don’t care what they think. What used to take decades now only takes weeks in the world of the internet.
So as I thought about what I wanted to write for this review I started drawing blanks. A song would start and I’d think of other songs using the same elements and then the track would go and switch styles. Then I began thinking about bands that play metal and how the dominant style maybe be one thing, but there are a lot of change ups into other subgenres. Then I thought about punk bands and hardcore bands and the only difference between some of the bands is political views and style of clothing. All of a sudden I can’t just pin anything down to one single thing. I’m sure I could if I pick the right bands. But today I start to think of the Ramones as a 50’s retro band with edgy lyrics.
So about Massacra. Fans of Slayer will eat this up. This is pretty much the best underground stuff of it’s time as it was released in 1991. French band I guess. They do the scary death growl so who knows what language they sing in but all the song titles are english. If you see a good deal for this album, snatch it up cause it’s super expensive on amazon.
Blasphemy! Amy Winehouse on the pages of Under the Dog? Something is not right… Or so it would seem as I’m pretty sure while being to lazy to look it up that she is RIAA material(but I’m 99% sure she is) not to mention all those embarrassing videos of her doing trashy stuff. So why would I write about her?
Well, I am a pretty big fan of the ska/rocksteady/reggae/toasting styles of the yesteryear but I am consistently disappointed with most modern release starting with the mid to late 1990’s save bands like the Slackers and Heptcat. Around that time the ska market was completely flooded to the point that there were christian ska bands. I’ve got nothing against christians or them making music, but before the internet, christian music seemed to stay a decade behind the rest of the world with of course some exceptions.
I personally prefer the rocksteady sounds and the R&B influenced stuff way more than the fast and goofy third wave stuff but I also have a few bands from those days that still get played like Reel Big Fish and Less Than Jake not to mention more serious stuff like Operation Ivy and The Subhumans.
With that said when I saw the ep making the rounds in the top 10 lists I had to check it knowing that it would more than likely suck. Boy was I wrong. This gal can belt it out. It’s hard to believe that this voice can come out of her. Every track is spot on and sounds just like it could have come out 20-30 years ago. The tracks are all covers but 3 of them were played by the Specials even though they have different songwriting credits. Ska was a kind of folk music with traditional songs and all of that.
But don’t take my word for it. I have a video of a live performance of the Specials Little Rich Girl and a blog post from the Phil Spector blog containing the EP in it’s entirety. Apparently this 7in record is going for REALLY high amounts. It’s also a bootleg and none of the songwriters are getting paid. Or at least that is the word on the streets.
I have a hard time believing that this woman is serious. Or at I just want to keep believing that there couldn’t possibly be someone that uneducated.
It’s one thing to believe in something withiout hard evidence, but it’s another thing entirely to not know how a rainbow works.It’s probably a good indication that something is BS when the wikipedia article is titled Chemtrail Conspiracy Theory.
So here are three songs that are not necessarily about conspiracy theory entirely. But they are about evil governments which is pretty much the center of all conspiracy theories.
“If they shot Kenedy imagine what they’ll do to you and me”. It’s basically a song that says that since you didn’t take a stand against your corrupt government you deserve whatever the terroists have cooked up next. I would never wish that on anyone. But at the same time I can’t help but feel that some things are provoked a little bit.
One world governments are a great conspiract theory because there are alot of verifiable facts that when looked at all at the same time seem pretty plausible and can be downright scary. But still no smoking gun.
One of the singers in this band is also in Ramallah and this song is more of a societal statement. The whole message of Blood For Blood was just to not be part of the herd, and to never be ashamed of what you are and where you came from. It’s easy to get caught up in status and materialism and to be apathetic about important things. That in my opinion has more impact then most activism.
These songs are posted for evaluation purposes only. We, the contributors, love and support well-made music and make every effort to support the artists we love by purchasing their work (it is our policy only to post what we own). Through this site, we're simply trying to share good music with others who will also hopefully continue to support these artists. We encourage everyone to purchase music and concert tickets for the artists you feel merit your hard earned dollars (if you listen to something again and again... why not?). Also, if you own the copyright to one of these songs and would like a song removed, please let us know. We do not keep an archive of our songs.
Feel free to contact us if you are a band, label or distributor and think we'd be interested in your music. Same goes if you're playing a gig in Portland Or, and the Willamete Valley and want us to come.
Ahoy mateys! I’m quite sorry for abandoning you all in the frozen food section of the internets but I have been busy busy busy!
New Kids On The Block Reunion
Yes you moment you have been waiting for your entire life has finally come full circle, Jonathon, jordan, Joe, Danny and Donnie are reuniting for an entire album and tour. Just get a load of this promo photo!*
I really wanted to hotlink this strait from their website just to waste bandwidth but they were smart enough to update their htaccess file and disable hotlinking. Pity. Doesn’t 2nd from the left look like Ben Stiller? Just a little bit. Oh and nice hat guy on the right, did you just throw a Frisbee?
MP3s can be found easily enough. I’m not sharing.
I hosted this photo at supload because I don’t want this on my server.
Tags: reunion