If I had to choose one album to call a major influence of mine, I suppose it would make sense to talk about my favorite record of all time, and one that has completely changed my life: The Anniversary‘s Designing a Nervous Breakdown. I was introduced to the album right around the time I was first introduced to the indie/emo genre, in 1999 or so when it was written and released. I immediately focused in on all the aspects of ‘rock’ that I was missing out on, like discussing personal experience and geography in a new light. I felt as if I was reading a journal that someone I knew had written, regardless of the fact that I had never been to places like Lawrence, Kansas or Des Moines, Iowa.

The raw sound of the instruments and the somehow nostalgic lyrics and vocals convinced me to go see them for my first ‘concert’ ever. When I left the show in Providence, RI that night my life was changed forever. I remember my ears ringing as I walked through the city, and feeling so astonished that things like this happened in unassuming buildings and houses all over the country.

I knew what I wanted to do and that I would settle for nothing less than finding other people who were just as fascinated with this lifestyle as I was, and who wanted to write and perform music for those who actually care about it enough to keep it alive. Gig life.

Be sure to check out The World Is…’split with Deer Leap. Here is their song “I Will Be Okay. Everything” below.

I’ve described Tenement‘s album Napalm Dream as the perfect combination of Superchunk, The Marked Men and Recess Records style pop punk. But unlike some pop punk bands, they refuse to get complacent with one style and that’s what I love about this band. It’s all over the place but it doesn’t get messy. The diversity of each and every song is what makes this album so great to me. Napalm Dream feels like an album made by record nerds for record nerds.

This album has so many gems on it, so it’s kinda hard for me to spotlight just one song. So, screw it, here are three songs from the record. Check out “Running Into Mirrors,” “Simple Things Can Seem So Involved,” “Spit In The Wind”  below.

“Running Into Mirrors”

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“Simple Things Can Seem So Involved”

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“Spit In The Wind”

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The band is streaming the rest Napalm Dream on Bandcamp too.  Support the band and buy the LP.

Record Store Day 2011 was a huge success! The line at Generation Records snaked around the store up until about 4 pm. Obits, I Hate Our Freedom, The Jay Vons and Spa Castles all played great sets and Tom Scharpling, Yo La Tengo, Eric Davidson, Bill Dolan and Mike Longo kept the good tunes coming in between bands.

While that was going on, Eric Van’t Zelfden and Bill Shouldis were walking around the store taking pictures of the bands, DJs and crowd.

Thanks to everyone that came out! Check out Bill and Eric’s pictures below.

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This week marked the 17th anniversary of Kurt Cobain’s passing, or as I would like to call it, the 17th anniversary of the day one Seattle musician went from man to mythical grunge-god. How it all happened will not be discussed, but the legend behind Kurt Cobain’s influence is indisputable.

Whether or not his musical prevalence over the last decade and a half was escalated due to his life becoming legendary I cannot completely attest to. What can be noted is the undeniable hand Nirvana’s final studio recordings have had in the effect and outcome of music over the span of years since Cobain’s death.

In the fall of 1993 Cobain released In Utero with Nirvana bandmates, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoslic, and had he stuck around Kurt would be watching the record count down its last few months as a minor — playing on into its 18th year.

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Photos by Bill Shouldis

JEFF The Brotherhood played to a packed house at Brooklyn’s Death By Audio on Saturday. The set was a good mix of the band’s first album Heavy Days and their brand new longplayer We Are The Champions. I picked up the tour version LP of the new record at the show (limited to 500 on clear vinyl!) and the album definitely has a Blue Album Weezer feel to it. No complaints there.

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