Local Bands To Love: Wood Burning Stoves

I don't know how I haven't written about this band yet. Granted I have been slacking on these little features.

Anyway, Wood Burning Stoves are a great band from New Paltz. I have had the pleasure of playing with them on quite a few occasions. They are loud, dynamic and aggressive in the vein of Rites of Spring, Fugazi, Sonic Youth and Jawbreaker.

See for yourself.



They just released or are going to release their first album. 6 songs of distorted guitar, bass and drum goodness. Get at them at their myspace to get a hold of more of their music.

mpFREEs
There will be some when WBS send me some!

Local Bands To Love: Pizzza Time

Steven Barry, the drummer of my old band Hidden Power, is an extremely talented individual. This is his secretive little new project, Pizzza Time. It has the same name as a Ducktails song and I guess that's fitting because it does sound a bit like Ducktails. But on "Hope You'll Be Home" he isn't afraid to be on the much noisier end of the spectrum of this kind of tropical psychedelia. It's melded with a Black Moth Super Rainbow kind of sound too. It leaves me a little speechless. I like it because it is good. And I think I might be in the background of "Let's Just Be Friends."

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Pizzza Time - "Hope You'll Be Home"
Pizzza Time - "Let's Just Be Friends"

Local Bands To Love: The Touch Yourselves

I saw the Touch Yourselves last week in a kitchen in New Paltz. Their set was illuminated by an open microwave and camera flashes. Maniac drumming, catchy guitar hooks and Johnny Cash covers make them a lot like a Lightning Bolt with discernible lyrics. It is easy to see the Zach Hill/Brian Chippendale influence on drummer Devin Brown but it's nice to see that put together with something less abrasive than huge walls of noise. Devin's brother Chris can shred. 'Nuff said.

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The Touch Yourselves - "We Are The Bees"
The Touch Yourselves - "(Burning) Ring of Fire"

Local Bands To Love: Sunshower Orphans

In the interest of full disclosure, Sunshower Orphans are my friends. Mike and I were in an awful band in high school that he was smart enough to get out of. Then at some point after the demise of the first incarnation of the Sunshower Orphans, he decided to quit music forever and sold all of his equipment which was a damn shame because they were responsible for one of my favorite songs of all time, "Polly Ana."

Anyway, Sunshower Orphans is back in all their 90s slacker, shoegaze-y glory (although still rounding out the live lineup) and Holiday Records is releasing a FREE digital single featuring two fantastic tracks, "Lies in Sepia" and "Manic Flaneur." Two masterpiece pop songs. Seriously. Just as good if not better than the EP they released last year.

Sunshower Orphans and Holiday Records. Doing good things.

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Sunshower Orphans - Lies in Sepia Digital Single
Sunshower Orphans - "Polly Ana"

Local Bands To Love: Sharks Roar

Keys to making me like a band:
1. Write good songs.
2. Don't sing. Yell.
3. Lots of electric guitar.



Sharks Roar fulfills all three. They are a punk power trio in the vein of Jawbreaker with a little Modest Mouse thrown in for good measure. They only have a bunch of demos on their MySpace right now but honestly the quality of the songs FAR exceeds the quality of the recordings. The lyrics of "Yellow Piracy" ooze with the bark of a bittersweet lover: "I'd be happiest taking everything down with the ship. I'd be happiest taking everything down." and the music is loud and fast. My favorite is "Books" but that's just because I think that "Write a book about it!" is a great refrain. They should have their album finished and out sometime this summer. Stop listening to me. Start listening to them.

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Sharks Roar - "Books (Demo)"
Sharks Roar - "Yellow Piracy (Demo)"