The Semis - Decapitator Blues FREE DOWNLOAD

Another brilliant find on Bandcamp.  The Semis have a little bit of something for everyone and a lot of everything for everyone, you will find bit of Glam, Britpop, Power Pop within the 12 tracks of Decapitator Blues and much more.  This album will make grey skies look blue, cold days warm and sad faces smile!  Download, kickback and enjoy!!!!

The Semis are a rock band with a beachy garage-pop vibe full of beat and melody. They were formed by songwriter, singer, guitarist Billy Summer. The blindingly handsome and shamefully talented Summer has produced some of the finest classics you’ve never heard deftly intertwining solid gold song craft with unbridled and pure rock N’ roll id. The Semis 2010 album, Back to the Beach, was warmly received by fans and critics alike and was awarded Album of the Year by Creative Loafing magazine. Songs from The Semis have been featured in the movie Dropped Frames, various regional television commercials and the Bravo series Flipping Out. The Semis are always writing, recording, and slaying, that is, if they’re not at the beach. Their new album Decapitator Blues will knock your meat in a knot and can be found on itunes, cdbaby, bandcamp, soundcloud and other fine digital distributors.

Billy Summer - guitars, bass, keys, vocals, drums
Kyle Lovell - drums
Rop Pastore - pedal steel on The Ballad Of Andy Howard
Scott Meyers - keys on Echo 

Photo by Nicole Kilbert.

DOWNLOAD FREE: THE SEMIS

Navigate to the discography on the right hand side of the bands bandcamp page for more music and more free downloads.

The Semis have four essential albums;
Route 666 ( 2004 )
White Powder Black Power (2007)
Back To The Beach (2010)
Decapitator Blues (2011)

all of which can be found here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/the-semis/id45392330
and here:
http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/TheSemis

other earlier demos can be found here:
http://thesemisrock.bandcamp.com/album/upper-middle-trash

Follow, befriend and like the band: FACEBOOK

Buy the albums if you like them and support the band, they also have a great T Shirt Design too, so why not buy a package and be a ready for the summer in style!

Booking, Press and other enquires to: thesemis@gmail.com

Martha and the Vandellas - Heatwave and Dance Party

 

Martha & the Vandellas began making their first noise on the pop and soul charts with their 1963 album Heat Wave. Martha Reeves had a phenomenally powerful voice, and the Holland-Dozier-Holland title track of the album was a well-deserved Top 10 hit: the instrumental backing is so funky that you hardly mind the long delay before the vocals start. Unfortunately, Motown's music factory wasn't in full gear at this point - H-D-H produced but couldn't be bothered to write any further original material. So the LP does not include any of the Motown standards that the company later recycled as a matter of habit. Instead there are some decent, solidly performed, remakes of vintage tunes ranging from Phil Spector ('Then He Kissed Me') to Wayne Newton ('Danke Schoen'). Two years after their second atempt, the girls issued what is considered to be one of the great party albums of the '60s. Dance Party was, oddly enough, the work of a Motown act that wasn't known for delivering great albums. Martha & the Vandellas had enjoyed some serious hits from 1964 onward, but hadn't quite measured up in the LP department until the release of Dance Party in the spring of 1965. Made up of material from singles that went back to the previous summer, the album benefited from the presence of the group's biggest single, 'Dancing in the Street,' its follow-up, the hypnotically pounding, driving, soaring 'Wild One,' and the classic 'Nowhere to Run,' surrounded by a trio of well-above-average B-sides and covers of such Motown dance standards as 'Mickey's Monkey' and 'Hitch Hike.' Even the rest was hardly filler, however, with Martha Reeves turning in a gloriously impassioned performance on the ballad 'There He Is (At My Door)' and the group acquitting itself beautifully on 'Motoring.' Each side was always good for at least two plays at any self-respecting teen party of the '60s, and it all still holds up today. This comp gathers both albums on one disc for your listening pleasure. Enjoy! http://www.warr.org/, http://www.allmusicguide.com/

 

Listen: HERE

PHENOMENAL CAT - LOVE ON THE DOLE New Single out now for FREE Download!!!!

 

Phenomenal Cat continue with their single a month releases with their latest track "Love on the dole" and they continue to display that they are a musical force to be reckoned with!  

The new single has slightly more edge to it than the previous releases and still hits the bits that other songs can't reach.

Once again, there are only 200 free downloads of the single available, so go over to bandcamp and take advantage of their generosity.

To avoid any future disappointment in missing future releases from Phenomenal Cat, go over to their facebook page, click like and show them some love!

Free download available here:  BANDCAMP

Like and follow: Facebook

IF YOU, LIKE ME, THINK THAT THIS BAND ARE GREAT, THEN PLEASE SHARE THE LINK WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND REMEMBER, IT IS A FREE DOWNLOAD!!!

Fastbacks - The Question Is No

Featuring 14 songs spanning 12 years (and five drummers), The Question Is No is not only a terrific introduction to Fastbacks, but an excellent summary of the early years when they were one of the dozens of Seattle punk bands who couldn't get a hearing outside of Washington. While from the start Fastbacks were a band that loved first-wave pop-punk (think Ramones, Buzzcocks, and Rezillos), theirs was pop-punk with a difference; Kurt Block was willing to betray his fondness for '70s rock in his guitar solos, and his lyrics suggested the confused and angst-ridden internal monologue of an adolescent while dealing with the hopes, fears, and everyday realities of an adult. Bloch managed all this in a manner that was at once personal and unpretentious, thanks in part to the vocals of Kim Warnick and Lulu Gargiulo, who blend the offhand blather of punk with a sweetness that gives this band a very human warmth. Compiling singles, compilation tracks, and a few unreleased tunes (including one with a teenage Duff McKagan behind the traps), The Question Is No is as good as collection as you could ask for of the band's formative period and features some of their most energetic, rollicking performances. -AMG

 Listen: Fastbacks

Marty Graveyard (Ex The Madd) album in the making!!!!!

For those of you who are still smarting over the demise of The Madd, here is some excellent news!!!!!!

Marty's Graveyard 'Summer Holiday'! 'Summer Holiday' is the first solo album by Marty Graveyard, known as the drummer / singer of The Madd! Marty also wrote some songs for this acclaimed power-pop combo, including the singles' I Know’ and 'Step into the sun’ .. After rave reviews from the press about his songs, Marty decided to write more and in no time there was an entire album of catchy guitar pop/rock material on the shelves.
 When The Madd disbanded it was the logical step to go solo and make album himself! How to make a record like you're on your own? Simple, you play all the instruments yourself.  Drums, Bass, Guitar, Keys, Vocals and harmonies are all performed by Marty. However, sometimes you just need something extra. Therefore, Marty also asked a number of artists to contribute to 'Summer Holiday'. Guest contributions are there from a.o. Joe Sixpack (Ragtime Wranglers) and Dave von Raven (The Madd) The production of 'Summer Holiday' was done by Marty Graveyard and his former bandmate Marcel Fakkers .. 'Summer Holiday' can be described as a feelgood guitar pop album. Catchy choruses and ditto Guitar Lines make you feel like it's summer forever. Marty has developed a unique style and sound with influences from a.o. the Californian popsound. If you think of The Beach Boys you're a step in the right direction .. Sprinkle a glimmer of punk rock on top of that and you get 'Summer Holiday'! If you really want to enjoy the summer?! .. Then you go on 'Summer Holiday' Marty Graveyard!

The album "Summer Holiday" will be released in June, meanwhile, here is a little teaser......

 Official Website: http://www.martygraveyard.com/

Contact, like and follow Marty: FACEBOOK

(Don't forget to click "LIKE" on Martys facebook page to keep up with the release details)

"Summer Holiday" will be reviewed here on the blog as soon as it is released! :)

Rooney - Rooney

Robert Carmine paid attention to what his older siblings were listening to while he was growing up, later taking note from big brother Jason Schwartzman and his band, Phantom Planet. Carmine and pals compose Rooney, and their self-titled debut is roughcast with chunky riffs and magnetic harmonies, slyly challenging Phantom Planet's glossy pop sound at the same time. Producers Keith Forsey and Brian Reeves craft a solid mix of power-chord punk and chamber pop bits for a dynamite collection. It's sunny rock & roll, really and incredibly fresh in avoiding any kind of comparison to Weezer. The first three tracks introduce Rooney's infectious indie pop style, showcasing how sharp the band is in and outside the studio. "Blueside" flirts with '60s surf rock while "Stay Away" churns such energy for a jagged, punk cut. The listener should be sucked in by now thanks to Rooney's boyish charm. If not, the playful, jilted love song "If It Were Up to Me" will leave you swooning. Rooney relishes in the band's youth, concentrating on getting the perfect hook without sounding too silly. The five-piece are barely old enough to drink, yet they deliver a real rock sound that's rich in emotion and cleverness. From the swanky guitar work of "I'm Shakin'" to the Cars-inspired "Simply Because," Rooney's sweet demeanor is undeniable. The album's quirky appeal is reflective of Rooney's self-assuredness as musicians, and likely characteristic of where the band stands personally. -AMG

 

 

Listen: HERE

The Jessica Fletchers - What Happened to the?

Jessica Fletchers show a lot more imagination and style than many of the bands mining the rich load of neo-psychedelia, certainly more than the bands on their label, Rainbow Quartz. The group hails from Norway and is firmly stuck back in the mid-'60s about where the Kinks meet the Small Faces, just down the lane from where the Marmalade and the Move hang out. They aren't strict recreationists on What Happened to the ?; however, there is a thoroughly modern dose of Elephant 6-style cuteness on songs like "Early Monday" and "Do You Know What She Hides." They also take some elements from garage rock (pounding tempos, simple chords changes) on songs like "Let's Go" and "Beatbox." Throw in some Beach Boys (the cuddly "You Can Have Japan"), Beatles (the dreamy "Shoot"), and the Spencer Davis Group ("I Got News") and you have quite the comprehensive, not to mention entertaining, tour of the mid-'60s. They also pay a lot of attention to arrangements, making sure to stuff each song full of interesting sonic details. This keeps the similarly written songs from all sounding the same. And it helps the band claw its way through the crowd of bands trying to do similar things and make What Happened to the ? one of the more interesting debuts of 2003. It's just a shame that the cover design is so uninteresting. Rainbow Quartz should have used the original cover that the record had when it was released in Norway. It would be too bad if the amateurish look turned away prospective fans. If you are one of those fans, please don't judge this book by its cover. -AMG

Listen:HERE