Happy March everyone! After a long absence I’m back and ready to throw down, well from my own office that is. I’ll rumble with this keyboard and toss a mouse through your screen. I’m the A.I. of your nightmares. Yes, creepy I know. Let’s get rolling with some great February music news for this new year of 2023. Oh and yes, my “Best of 2022 List” is indeed coming soon or something like that. *This has been assembled sporadically over the past month or two so some items might seem “dated” but that’s ok because more is on the way.
First up… Two BIG festivals this year that include a variety of music fans within our music scene and others who can instantly connect with, are making a big post-pandemic push and it’s looking like people will turn out in a huge way for – AudioFeed Festival 2023, and Furnace Fest 2023. Make sure you visit both of their sites for continuing updates and news.
Too Bad Eugene just dropped their brand new music video (first ever!) for the song “Non Grata” off their recent full length album. Check it out right here:
Orion Walsh has long been making some of the absolute best folk inspired indie music with that singer-songwriter vibe but completely set apart from the mundane. Check out his new song “Home To You” below and make sure to get ready for “Rambling Heart II” due out April 29th on Fair Vaux Records. Speaking of Orion and projects, Slow Coming Day who recently reunited back in December are going to make a special “reunion” appearance at the wonderful AudioFeed Festival this summer. Get ready!
A local band here in Southern California that existed through the 00’s decade called “Dismissed” just recently re-released all their music including some special old school demo tape recordings and that 2001 ep pre-Indie Vision Music. The Self Titled 4 song EP should be up soon and maybe the band even has a couple other rare demos? For anyone keeping track, the band put the Dismissed name to rest and became “Kings to You” in 2005. The band has posted on digital networks their 2007 full length (The Antidote), their 2005 3 song Ep “Catapult” featuring the Journey cover of “Separate Ways”, and a series of demos and home recordings released during the Kings to You run. You can find it all on Spotify and Apple Music by searching “Dismissed” and look for “Taking the Good With the Bad” and earlier recordings. Then search up “Kings To You” and it’ll be easy to find the rest. March 25th is the 20th Anniversary of their “Taking The Good With The Bad” album and I’ve heard the band might have plans…..
World Gone Cold is a “supergroup” as people like to say but in regards to this new song, it is worthy of tagging themselves. This is super and this is a song I can get behind. Featuring members of Disciple, The Letter Black, Attack & Attack/InhaleExhale, Demon Hunter, and P.O.D. Check out the song “Opposites Attract”, below.
I’m not sure how I missed this but the Unteachers project which is an offshoot of Stephen’s band of the past – Tantrum of the Muse, is making some incredible modern sounding prog-driven rock music. I love that rich and deep bass driving sound so of course it sounds really killer here. Check out the song “A Spectre in the Nous (feat. Jimmy P. Brown II from Deliverance)”. I find this sound like a chemistry experiment drawing slight influences from bands like Alice in Chains, Stavesacre, Deliverance (River of Disturbance era), Rush, alongside modern sounds like Everything In Slow Motion, Thrice, My Epic, etc. but completely original and keeping any references merely coincidental. I want more of this music and I was disappointed that the 2 newer songs were it. Need album now.
Demon Hunter just released an unreleased track from the “Exile” recording sessions called “The Brink” and I must say that it is an incredible piece of work. It’s good to see them branch out and try different things. This would have been a great edition to Exile but is just fine on it’s own.
The Echoing Green return after a really long absence to drop their new song for 2023 called “Kisses to Chaos” It’s a fascinating trip down memory lane with plenty of modern production and sounds that definitely don’t sound “dated”. It’s poppy with a definite dark side. Listen now on all digital networks and check out their official music video for it below.
It appears that the much-loved melodic punk act with that perfect Goonies tribute of a name that we call “Slick Shoes“, are indeed working on NEW music in the studio right now. You can find studio pics on social media. If their 2020 comeback record “Rotation & Frequency” is any indication of what’s to come, count me in on that most anticipated 2023 list.
The short lived (no pun intended) pop-punk act – Shorthanded, with a member from Crux and a couple releases on both Booth to Head and Tooth & Nail, are back here in 2023. They will drop their new song “Arabica” any day now and it may even be up by the time this article posts. Oh and I hope that is a reference to coffee because I simply cannot live my life without my cup o’ joe.
Craig’s Brother and Too Bad Eugene drop that song “Distance” which is a hyped up, alternate version of the song on Too Bad Eugene’s recent new album. You can’t ever go wrong with music from these 2 bands. In fact these 2 mixed with 1 Nate Parrish make the perfect punk trifecta, a trilogy of punk proportions only the devoted few will truly understand. Get with it and give this song a fair listen. Available now digitally.
Brian Fannin who led the group Stay The Shores through the indie circuit and had a prominent place here on IVM for many years before the site breakup is back with a solo offering and new song on digital networks. Check out Brian Fannin “Finding Home” Live Feat. Grace Houston. It’s simple but moving and shows a powerful song led by Brian’s vocals alongside warm sounding strings and Grace’s voice which sounds beautiful here. Check it out now and listen below.
Project 86 have just released single #2. It came out at the very end of 2022 and I think we might have missed it coverage on it. If you’re a fan of that heavy P86 sound, you’ll love it.
Fallstar return in a big way yet again. This song is heavy and smashes my face in such a way that any resemblance to my previous self is immediately erased. Ok, that’s a little dramatic and maybe the dream overtook my consciousness…anyway, “Doomsayer” is the new song from Fallstar and you can listen to the song in lyric video format, below. New album “Sacred Mirrors” out July 13th on Facedown Records. This band really loves to keep all of us listening and does so by burying the generic, by amplifying our struggles, by finding meaning in a world gone mad. This is it.
Finally, the band MUST BUILD JACUZZI are returning any day now with a brand new 5 song EP. The band’s last album released in 2018 and we all loved it. The band released the song “Egress” late last year and you can here it below. SKA-CORE-PUNK