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ASMW – Cubicle

“We’re gonna make millions, millions I say!”

This week’s band is a high-powered post-punk group from California called Cubicle. The first thing that got my attention while browsing new albums at Amie Street was the album cover, an obvious throwback to the old DRI (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles) logo from back in the late, late 80’s skate punk days, but with an update: a briefcase and cellphone. I immediately popped open the player for a few samples and found a band with a lot of energy who find humor in our everyday grind, poke fun at the corporate way of life, the slag, and the slack. Their Myspace page points more toward a “must-see” live show.
“It’s imperative to know how to get scheduled in.”
Be sure to check out “Cooking the Books” and “Corporate Card”.

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(post-)Punk rawk show

On an entirely different weekend evening from the Red Letter Agent show, spent appearing at work-related functions, I wrapped up and blazed into the chilled wind, I got to the parking deck and found with great relief that I’d had the foresight to put comfortable clothes in the car.
The clock had already been ticking for a while, and I had seen the Ga Music Concert Series listing, and wanted to be able to see as many bands as possible.
Yes, this one was at Vinyl. It’s a neat venue. The only downside to going to the “cw complex” is that the parking for the building is pretty high. Parking within a block or so is really cheap, but they usually lock up and go home by midnight. So if you park cheap, you have to leave to show really early.
I went through the wardrobe quick-change of magical proportions and drove down into midtown.
After getting parking, I went inside to find that Tendaberry was on stage and in the middle of “Cold Boy”. Hmm. Only two bands for me tonight. Tendaberry is a Post-Punk and Soul inspired band who forged their bonds on the campus of Morehouse College here in Atlanta. I can definitely hear the influences of the Kinks, Sly and the Family Stone, and Arcade Fire. Here are some pictures I snapped:
    
The keyboardist, Shane, was missing that night, but the remaining three showed bare temerity in their play. The Cold Boy and Righteous Waiting tracks got the crowd moving and Jonathan playfully injected some ’60s Soul lyrics into the mix (1967 to be exact), which the crowd really loved.

Now if I appear to be carefree
It’s only to camouflage my sadness
And honey to shield my pride I try
To cover this hurt with a show of gladness
But don’t let my show convince you
That I’ve been happy since you
Decided to go, oh I need you so
I’m hurt and I want you to know
But for others I put on a show
Just like Pagliacci did
I try to keep my surface hid
Smiling in the public eye
But in my lonely room I cry
The tears of a clown

That’s him in the white coat there in the second pic.
After Tendaberry, the last act of the night was The Ski Club. After setting up, they started to play, and the energy level in the place ramped right back up again. John And Kyle more or less tag team the lead song by song, and there are plenty of stage antics going on for the whole show, including smashing of guitars, spilling of drinks, and good-natured tomfoolery. At one point, Cliff tossed an empty PBR can off the stage and actually hit his mock target. Whoops!
Barcelona and Happysad are really good tracks to check out if you haven’t heard them before.
   

      
Overall, it was a great show, and I’m glad I got to see both bands. There were a couple of other bands I wanted to see, but since they are all local, I’ll be sure to catch them another time.

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ASMW – Diesel Boy

 

This week, we have Valentine’s Day, so when I came across this track, I knew that it just had to be the one for my post. Diesel Boy Has recently had a re-release of the 1999 album to Amie Street, so you can get the tracks for your digital music device (DRM-free, no less!) for a great deal less than other places. The track is about pining for the long-lost best friend in a romantic way.

Diesel Boy was always known years back for songs that would now be pigeonholed in the “nerdcore” category: Shocking, self-effacing humor, heavy instrumentation, and hyperactive vocals. Call it what you will, it’s fun to listen to.

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ASMW – Nerf Herder

The band I re-discovered this week is Nerf Herder. They are out of California and have been around since ’94. I picked this song to go along with my previous post. I just had to get a sci-fi hook in there this time. It’s a great song about chatting up someone online who isn’t interested because you simply don’t fit the pre-made mold she had in mind, and then finally giving her a piece of yours. Sounds like ‘punk rawk angst’ to me. On any other day, if I were posting Nerf Herder, I’d have definitely used the song “pervert”. On the player, hit more from this artist, and double click the song title to hear it.

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ASMW – Dropjoy

 

The band I discovered this week is Dropjoy. Everyone needs a little bit of punk-inspired bootprint-on-the-forehead fun music here and there, and this one is a good one for working out the cobwebs in your cranium after lazing around on New Years Day in your “recovery” from the previous evening’s shenanigans.

Dropjoy is a three-piece from San Diego with a range of tastes and a strong gut feeling for songwriting. The tracks I found so far range from punk and high-volume rock to sweet, lonely ballads. It’s all there, do don’t be afraid of the “more from this artist” button.

I really dig the throwback to early punk, and the almost predicted yet unexpected hook in this track. This is another one that’s good for getting stuck in your head. Works for me!