Irish Car Bomb

The band Hot Rod Circuit offered fans a lot of great songs in the ten years they were together. Not only did they offer good songs but they opened a gateway for the band members to start their own bands. The singer of Hot Rod Circuit, Andy Jackson has played guitar for Reggie and The Full Effect and Say Anything, sang with his wife in Safety in Numbers and is currently the singer for Death in the Park with HRC bassist Joe Ballaro. Andy is also rumored to be taking Fred Mascherino, of The Color Fred's spot in Taking Back Sunday. Andy went through a lot, especially when his house in New Haven burned to the ground. Andy received a lot of help from bands such as Brand New, who played charity shows to get money for Andy and his family. Casey Prestwood played lead guitar for HRC. He is currently adding his talent to many different projects. Casey is playing as Casey James Prestwood, which is very southern Rock style music. Casey also plays in The Only Children and Diamond J and the Rough. Dan Duggins and Joe Ballaro were not original members of HRC but they made very skilled replacements. For any Hot Rod Circuit fan I think one of the hardest ideas to cope with was seeing Jay Russell leave the band. Jay Russell went on to start Diamond J and The Rough. Diamond J is a mix of southern rock/emo and acoustic. They are definitely worth seeing live. Diamond J and the Rough played at Hot Rod Circuit's last show ever, in New Haven CT. Jay even played bass for his old band on a couple songs. Dan Duggins is an amazing drummer and was always a good friend when the band came around. Dan is now running a drumming website and enjoying his free time. Hot Rod Circuit offered amazing songs and something more of a party than a concert every time they played live. They will be missed... but their sounds live on through the other bands that were created. (Breathe in... exhale...)

Alkaline Trio

I had a chance to listen to Alkaline trio's new songs and I am thoroughly impressed. Alkaline Trio has always been one of my favorite bands. I enjoy their dark, melodic songs about drinking, women and death. Their last album, on Vagrant Records was beginning to sound too machine oriented. Alkaline trio has broken away from Vagrant and is now signed with Asian Man records. I believe this was a good move for them. They sound like they have stripped away that mechanical sound and come back to their roots. Check out Alkaline Trio's music on their page...if you have never heard them before you are in for a treat. Also, they are heading out on tour. I will be seeing them Sat. June 21st at Toads Place in New Haven!!!

Playlist

Hey Hey Hey!! I just wanted to give you a sample of some stuff I'm listening to. Thought you might find as much enjoyment in music as I. Music is very influential and I wouldn't be me without it. ENJOY!!!

Artist - Song
1) Manchester Orchestra - Where Have You Been
2) O'Death - Ground Stump
3) Brand New - Handcuffs
4) Kiss Kiss - Machines
5) Murder by Death - Ash
6) Thrice - Silver Wings
7) The Andrew Jackson Jihad - Bad Bad Things
8) Damien Rice - Coconut Skins
9) The Beautiful Mistake - Of Human Bondage
10) Volta Do Mar - We Watch a lot of Movies
11) James Figurine - 55566688833
12) The Gutter Twins - Each to Each

Please look these bands up and enjoy.
Peace, love, midgets and unicorns to all!!

Murder By Death

Murder By Death is a band which anyone may enjoy. The band name is reminiscent of a hard-core band but the name comes from a classic film starring Peter Faulk and Peter Sellers. The band is in a class of their own. The style of this band is very hard to describe. If you want to understand the sound of MBD you should put yourself in an old western saloon, order as much whiskey as you can drink and imagine the ghost of Johnny Cash on stage with the band Cracker accompanied by the undertones of the band Thursday. They have a very dark yet sophisticated sound. Murder by Death has matured over the years. The first album "Like the exorcist but more break dancing" is a very instrumental album. The album gives you an example of how good the entire band can play their instruments. The cellist, Sarah Balliet is showcased nicely on this album. The best song on this album is I'm Afraid of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. The lyrics are clever and fun. Virginia Woolf was a novelist from England who became very famous for her writing in the twentieth century. Toward the end of her life she developed a lot of mental issues and committed suicide by filling her pockets with rocks and drowning herself. A good line from the song is- “All of this pretending makes me feel a bit confused. You spent your life losing yourself and now you’re marked as used.” This song is amazing and the lyrics get stuck in your head. Murder by Death's next album "Who Will Survive and What will be Left of Them? " is by far the band’s most complete piece of art. Every song on this album is incredible and never gets old. The album consists of subjects like: The Devil, Whiskey, Zombies, Death, More Whiskey, and The Devil. This recording will keep you coming back for more. "In Bocca al Lupo" is the next release by Murder by Death. This album was more upbeat and showed a different side of the band. Adam Turla mirrors the sound of Johnny Cash both in his voice and his guitar playing. The album offers all different styles. This album even has a Pirate Song, What is better than that? The song Brother became an online hit. The lyrics speak about a man who is in trouble with the law and no matter how bad it gets his brother will not betray him. Adam Turla wrote this song but the funny part is that Adam does not have a brother. Murder by Death has always been amazing with their instruments, but you could hear how much they have improved. Murder by Death has many great songs and continues to release more and I hope this trend continues for a long time. Murder by Death is my favorite band. They have a lot of creativity and fun. The band’s newest release “Red of Tooth and Claw” will be just as amazing. I can’t wait to see them live again in April.

Take a Listen !!!!