Dasha

Do You Feel At Home? #12

Dasha

This is not the fabled "big" post, as that one is taking an exorbitant amount of time. Rest assured, though, we're still gathering material, albeit slowly, for a full discography archive, and I cannot wait for people to hear it. For now, though, I present to thee one of my all time favorites, Dasha, and trust me, I can really keep these posts long-winded.

    Dasha was a midwest emo/indie/math-rock quintet based out of Rochester, New York, and were active from 2007 to around 2010. Members included: Colleen Vasey on vocals, Chris Bonawitz and Nick Fiske on guitar, Nick Maynard on bass, and Tommy Vollmer on drums. Now, though they're not from the midwest, I've seen them labeled as midwest emo a decent amount, and I think I'm inclined to agree, as I believe that umbrella is the most appropriate and apt one for them to be under. So I will henceforth refer to them as a midwest emo band. Although, knowing the emo/music landscape during the time which they were active, I suppose you could also throw them under the "revival" umbrella without too much of a hitch either. So, I guess you could call them a "midwest emo revival" band? I don't know, seems unnecessary to me. Anyway, my personal opinions aside, this blog is dedicated to every branch of emo, and just music that I love in general (which just so happens to be mostly emo/hardcore/indie-rock), so Dasha would not be, and is not out of place, not even in the slightest.

    Referring to their old mySpace page, the band described their sound as, and no this isn't a joke, "john madden playing guitar hero". I mean, fuck it, if they think it checks out then I think so too. With that said, the band is, as I mentioned earlier, often placed under the "midwest emo" umbrella, and I think for good and immediately understandable reasons. The bands influences ring very true upon listening, (though they never explicitly wear them on their sleeves) with those influences being; The Appleseed Cast (god forbid), Ghosts And Vodka, No Knife, Lil' Mama, Hey Mercedes, Karate, Murder City Devils, Owls, The Promise Ring, Band of Horses, and of course Lil' Wayne... wait, what? Nevermind. Anyway, skimming through all the bands listed, I'd put big emphasis on the Kinsella acts, Karate, The Appleseed Cast, and Hey Mercedes, which should give you an accurate idea of what you're signing yourself up for... That being a hell of a good time!

Quick interlude:

  
  Here's a small collection of band photos, (as well as live performances) all of which were uploaded to last.fm in or around 2009. (Excluding the image featured all the way up top, which was taken from their old mySpace page.)

And one more on Vimeo for good measure!

   
Now, onto the actual music already.

    Good news everyone! You can thank Thomas (Dasha's drummer) for this wonderful slice of incredible music, that being Dasha's elusive demo! (You'll notice I've struck through a whole mini paragraph of text below) I had been dying to hear it for a very, very long time, and I'm happy to report that it's everything I'd hoped it would be. Previous rough versions of songs is a treat I always love to feast upon, and this demo is certainly no different. For your listening pleasure, I've gone ahead and included a download link below, as per usual, and have uploaded it onto YouTube! Enjoy, and kind regards from Dasha!

Demo

1. The Future Mrs. Olivia Benson
2. The Bonj
3. This Robot Leaks, Fix Her! Fix Her!
4. The Progression Of Decomposition

 

    After the release of their demo, Dasha would release their sole "full-length" effort, that being their 2009 mini-album "Damned If We Do". (Well, sorta. They did have a very short run of custom printed tapes for their four song demo, which contained previous versions of songs that would later be featured on this disc, however, those are nowhere to be found, according to the band. Though, Chris suggested there may have been an old PureVolume upload, but we all know how that goes...) Anyhow, this record was released both digitally and on CDr, courtesy of Whaleplane Records (here's a sampler CD they uploaded to Bandcamp, with one of the tags underneath it being "retired", which I find pretty amusing.), and this release confidently stands as one of my personal favorites--though, nowadays, the disc itself doesn't turn up... Anywhere. It was $5 at shows, and $6 + shipping online via Whaleplane back in the day, but as the unstoppable march of time encroaches and consumes all, I assume that most of them have now drifted into obscurity... So, if any do start to turn up, I sincerely recommend and urge ya to get one. (I myself own three copies at the time of writing this.) As for the material present, it's some absolutely wonderful female-fronted midwest emo, as I've already described throughout this post. Their influences from the Kinsella family tree and the handful of other acts I distinctly emphasized reflect in the bands fantastic instrumental work, and with Colleen's vocals on top, makes for one beautiful and remarkably powerful helping of twangy indie/emo goodness, all with a very welcome "mathy" kick. It's quite the polished record, and as far as I'm concerned, it has stood the test of time, though it hasn't been too long since it was released (y'know, it's only been, what... 14 years?). Simply put, it's loaded front to back with one amazing song after the next, and with that said, I don't think there's ever a single dull moment to be heard on here, to my ears anyway. The bands performances really are nothing short of stellar, and Colleen's songwriting is absolutely fantastic, hell, it's quite uplifting, and almost anthemic at times! I'm more than positive that anyone who's even remotely a fan of the genre will enjoy this--it's a tad bit short, with a rather diminutive run time that clocks in just above 21 minutes, but it's certainly sweet, and I think it's more than deserving of peoples attention. Please, if you haven't, go give it a listen--definitely a great record for the fall/winter season! (I myself have listened to it hundreds upon hundreds of times!) You can find it on Bandcamp for free (though I wish it was at least "name your price"), and it is also available on streaming. I've included scans of the CDr package below. Thanks for reading.

Damned If We Do

1. Little Ghosts
2. The Progression Of Decomposition
3. Admiral
4. Leather Sweater
5. The Future Mr. Olivia Benson
6. The Bonj
7. Oneders
8. This Robot Leaks, Fix Her! Fix Her!
9. We Are In The Dark


I have also transcribed the record in full over on Genius.

^ Instagram Post ^

A massive and very special thank you to Chris Bonawitz & Nick Friske (and all of Dasha) for being such awesome and wonderful people, y'alls music really means a lot to me!

The Remington

Do You Feel At Home? #11

The Remington

Consider this "Part II" of the LDOA post.
This will also be relatively short- more info on that at the end of this post.

    The Remington, also known simply as Remington, was an emo/indie-rock band from southern Michigan (I believe Detroit) that existed briefly during the tail end of the last century. The bands lineup consisted of Ryan Allen on guitar and vocals, Robert Byrd on drums, Adam Kempa on bass (as well as finger cymbals), and Martin D "MD" Smith also on guitar (and tambourine). Members of Remington, namely Ryan Allen and MD Smith, would go on to join/form Thunderbirds Are Now! and Red Shirt Brigade. Kempa would move on to The Pop Project, and he also hosts his own website that details many things he's been a part of, as well as general history regarding him and a plethora of other things.

    While info and history regarding the projects proceeding Remington are pretty abundant, comparatively at least, info regarding Remington themselves is sparse, as there's pretty much none. What I do know, however, is that the band played shows with the likes of Stillwell, Notaword, The Ivy Crown, and Last Days Of August.

    The Remington play a tried and true style of emo/indie-rock, with vocals that remind me of Recess Theory (who are also another amazing band). Since The Remington were only around for so long, it's understandable that their output is very limited, consisting of a self-titled CD EP, a split with Long Island's very own Last Days Of August, and a singular compilation contribution.

    For starters, we have their self-titled CD EP, released in 1998 on Deco Recordings International, which I speculate was a one-off label made solely for the release of this EP. My description of their sound just earlier basically describes the meat & potatoes of their recorded works. For this being the bands first release, it's quite a decent offering, and though Ryan Allen's vocals on here aren't fully ironed out yet, they're more than serviceable, and lend to this record a certain "teenage punk-rock charm" that is always more than welcome. I'd say give it a listen!

Remington.

1. Cancer By X-mas
2. Toledo Opera
3. B.C. Two-Hander
4. Set The Curve
5. Matrix

    Next, we have their split 7" with Last Days Of August, released in 1999 on Eudora Records. I recently made a post regarding LDOA, (see post Do You Feel At Home? #09) so as to avoid repeating myself, I will keep this note short, though I do suggest you give that post a read if you'd like. The bands sound has noticeably developed on this song, and is pretty darn great all around- and seeing as their sound had quickly matured between releases, it certainly gives them a spot on my long, long list of "Bands I wish put out a full-length". Though, maybe there is a full-length floating around somewhere, and I just haven't found it... I doubt, but I definitely hope that I'm wrong!

Split 7" w/ Last Days Of August

Side A:

Last Days Of August - Six Ways From Sunday

Side B:

The Remington - Our Founder Saves The Day


(Thank you to Beginners for helping with this one on the LDOA post while my turntable is broken.)

    As for other material by this band, there's just two more things- one being the track "I'm A Violent Person (In Theory)" which was a part of the compilation CD "Reveal The Character", released by Elkion Records at the start of another lousy millennium. (Also known as the year 2000) I believe this was either just before the band broke up/moved onto new projects, but there's a good chance it was put out well after that. Either way, it rips, so I recommend checking it out via the embedded link below. Oh, and one last thank you to Beginners, you rock, dude!

"Reveal The Character" Compilation Track

    Lastly we have this 5-song cassette, or "Woodshed '98". I missed this tape the first time around writing this as I didn't think to check Bandcamp for any remnants of them, so for that I apologize! When I said I hoped for a full-length from these boys, this definitely gets close, as it rocks! It features the "I'm A Violent Person" track, as well as "Our Founder Saves The Day", but the other three tracks on here are the real stars of the show. Probably some of their best material, and it's a shame they seemingly ended after this, though that's just about how it typically goes, eh? You can give it a listen/download for free via the Bandcamp link below.

Woodshed '98

1. Set My Hand On Fire
2. I'm A Violent Person (In Theory)
3. Our Founder Saves The Day
4. Arthur Miller
5. Head On Into The Door Of A Moving Car

My next post will likely be the biggest one so far, so I'm pretty excited to share it. It will include direct notes from band members, as I went ahead and did a little mini-interview, so to speak. No ETA on when that post will be finished, but I hope to have it out within the next few weeks to a month. See you soon!

The Hillary Step

Do You Feel At Home? #10

The Hillary Step

    Formed by ex-members of the band Grovel, The Hillary Step was an emo/post-hardcore band from Kansas City, Missouri that was formed in 1998. The band consisted of three sole members, those being; Brad Hodgson on guitar and vocals, Brian Frisbie on bass, and Danny McConnaughhay on drums. (Both Brian and Brad were former members of the aforementioned band Grovel.) The band would quickly, and unfortunately dissolve in 2002 when Brad moved away to Texas. Though the band was around for about 4 years, there isn't a lot in the way of information regarding them, as the band never had their own website, and Urinine (the label they were on) never gave too much info on theirs. So be it, this band is pretty great regardless.

    From their short run comes a wholly short output, with just one singular full-length CD; titled "The Second Time Means Nothing", released on Urinine Records in 1999. Urinine themselves is a pretty seldomly talked about label, but they had some great stuff back in the day, namely The Sunflower Conspiracy and The Capsules (both of whom were great shoegaze adjacent outfits). Now, though it's only one release, that's still pretty darn good, as a lot of bands seem to never be able to get to that point. (They did contribute two compilation tracks, however, but both are basically lost to the wind (at least as far as I could find)) That's okay though, as what is given here is mighty fantastic, and is a super underrated disc in the genre during this time period. At 9 tracks long, this disc is loaded with gorgeous and ripping post-hardcore (+ a dash of post-rock)- with incredible guitar work, vocal work that reminds me of Christopher Crisci of The Appleseed Cast (except this time I can actually tolerate it), and not to mention the drumming. It's a fantastic record, front to back, and one that many would fall for, no doubt. It's a shame there wasn't any more releases proceeding this, because this stuff is pretty remarkable. Definitely recommend checking it out.

The Second Time Means Nothing

1. You And Me And This
2. No Good Reason
3. Damn The Luck
4. One Year And A Day
5. All Signs Gone
6. Our "We" Day
7. Refined, Regrouped & Reassured
8. Kimmie Joe
9. She Dreams Of Oceans

    Following The Hillary Step, Brad Hodgson would form In The Pines, a fairly remarkable folk project that has seen modest popularity and some appraise. (Reminds me of Chris Simpson's Zookeeper in that sense) He would also form Biarchy with Mike Myers (No, obviously NOT Austin Powers), which was an abstract electronic/synth-pop project, though it has laid dormant for over a decade. Mike himself was a part/is a member of a plethora of different bands, like the slowcore outfit The String And Return, the emo/indie band Everest, and formerly of the awesome Season To Risk. Quite an accomplished musician, as is Brad!

See? Told you this one would be short too.

Last Days Of August

Do You Feel At Home? #09

Last Days Of August

It's been a minute, but I'm happy to be back!

Please note: I've included a download link for their split with The Remington, but everything else is readily accessible via the discography compilation that I'll talk about below.

    Last Days Of August was a five-piece emo/indie-rock band from Long Island, New York that existed for a brief period in the late 1990s, and disbanded sometime after the turn of the century. The band members were as such; Salvatore Montemaggiore on vocals, Phil Capone and Joshua Chaplinsky on guitar, Mario Leston on bass, and Corey Martin on drums. Their sound is characteristically poppy, not unlike some of their contemporaries, and certainly was a starting point for what would later evolve into emo's third-wave, so to speak.

    While their isn't too much history for me to dig up, what we do have is an amazing show to watch. This performance was put up and archived on Youtube, thanks to Beginners, and is just what I'd expect from this band. I mean that in a good way! Sal especially looked like he was having the time of his life, and I'm certain that love and passion extended to those experiencing the band first-hand. Besides this though, the only other thing I've found is that Sal became a teacher sometime after LDOA was done with their run, so that class must've ruled.

   Last Days Of August's sound is, as mentioned earlier, quite poppy. Sal's vocals are an excellent representation of this, and that in no way means the music is bad, it's phenomenal! Though the band only existed for a few years at the tail end of the century, they still managed to put out a decent amount of material, of which they released; their self-titled 7" EP in 1998, their split 7" with The Remington the following year, and lastly their self-titled full-length CD that very same year. Both their self-titled releases were put out on Fadeaway Records, which also put out some other notable releases, namely; The Miracle Of '86s first full-length, as well as The Movielife's first full-length titled "It's Go Time". Moving on. LDOA also had a demo cassette, but it's not on Discogs, and of course it's probably bonkers rare. That's not bad for a band that only really existed for say 2 - 3 years, hey?

    Now, onto the music. Their first release, as just mentioned, was their self-tiled 7", released in 1998. A humble starting point, and one that already puts on display the pop-leanings the band plays with, while still keeping some tasteful aggression in their back pocket. A fantastic and booming first offering, it's pretty powerful stuff. Sal's vocal work is quite standout, and that will only become more apparent on subsequent releases. The instrumentation on both tracks is some classic emo/indie-rock goodness, and mixed with Sal's lyrics and delivery comes together into quite a lovely little 7".

S/T 7"

Side A. Written In White Ink

Side B. Baltimore Again

   
    Next up is a split 7" with The Remington, released on Eudora Records the following year. LDOA's side is absolutely fantastic, and is quite possibly my favorite track (if I had to pick one) from their discography, believe it or not. There's something about the bands early work that really gets me, and I'm not quite sure what that something is. It just has a noticeably more raw and, say, "aggressive" feel to it that I think really lends well to their sound. The Remington's side is also just as amazing, and it makes total sense why these two would be on a split together! Their side of this split is some ripping emo/indie-rock with a nice helping of pop-punk mixed in at points. The performances all around, from the vocals, to the aforementioned ripping instrumentals are phenomenal. Their side of the split is one I'm sure many would love, and it's a shame that most haven't heard it. Super recommend checking it out!

Split w/ The Remington

Side A. Last Days Of August - Six Ways From Sunday

Side B. The Remington - Our Founder Saves The Day


Thank you to Beginners for providing a transfer of this while my turntable is out of commission!

    Now for the main course. Their only full-length, that being their self-titled CD, released in 1999 also on Fadeaway Records. This disc is an awesome and pretty rare/hard to find gem, and most have likely heard of it via Travis' upload of it from years ago. That's how I first heard about it at least! Definitely a beloved disc among nerds, not unlike Pictures Can Tell, and it makes sense. The sound the band was aiming towards is fully realized here, and absolutely rips from front to back. Sal's vocals sound better than ever, seriously, he's just soaring across this CD, and the bands playing/instrumental work is top-notch as well! Their beautiful blend of indie-rock, emo/emo-pop, as well as a bit of pop-punk is basically on full blast here, to put it simply, with it now being fully refined and well polished. Even though it can be a little cheesy at times, I think it lends well to the record for the most part. They really gave it their all on this disc, and it shows, with tracks like "Paper Hearts & Broken Glass" being a prime example of how much the band has both grown, and nailed their sound. If you're at all a fan of Pictures Can Tell, or even Eleventeen, and haven't heard this one, do yourself a grand favor and change that!

Last Days Of August...

1. Wishful Thinking
2. Braille
3. In Heaven Everything's Fine
4. A Sailor's Dream
5. Marathon
6. First Light, False Dawn
7. The Art Of Breathing
8. Carousel
9. Cheating Distance
10. Paper Hearts & Broken Glass

    As I mentioned earlier, I haven't provided downloads for their material besides the split EP, and that's because a discography is readily available, courtesy of Beginners Tapes! It compiles every single piece of music the band put out, from each 7" song, to every compilation contribution, as well as their demo tape. What I discussed on this blogpost is the music that I own personally, so if you'd like to hear their comp tracks, as well as the aforementioned demos, check out Beginners on Bandcamp! I super recommend buying the 2x discography tape since Beginners puts a lot of passion into what they do, and if you'd like to own this bands music physically, this is where to go! The comps Bandcamp page also has a great bit of info, with the songs accompanied by their live counterparts. Please do check it out!

Complete Recordings 1997-2000

S/T
------
1. Wishful Thinking
2. Braille
3. In Heaven Everything's Fine
4. A Sailor's Dream
5. Marathon
6. First Light, False Dawn
7. The Art Of Breathing
8. Carousel
9. Cheating Distance
10. Paper Hearts and Broken Glass

S/T 7"
---------

11. Written In White Ink
12. Baltimore Again

Split EP
-----------

13. Six Ways From Sunday

Blood, Sweat & Tears Comp
-------------------------------------

14. Words I Wish Were Mine

Fadeaway Records Presents The Best Comp In The World
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

15. Dead Boys Club

Demo Tape
---------------

16. Carousels ("Carousel" Demo)
17. Holy Thursday ("The Art Of Breathing" Demo)
18. My Sky (Demo)
19. Fay (Demo)


Massive thank you to Beginners for helping out with this post!

Io

Do You Feel At Home? #08

Io

Told you there'd be a bigger post, and of course there are more to come.

    I've said it before and I'll say it again, Pittsburgh had so many good bands back in the early 00s, and Io is no exception. Another band on the Hope Records/Hard Travelin' roster, Io was a 4 piece emo-hardcore act that existed from somewhere around 2000 to about 2004. They played plenty of shows with their label-mates, as is sometimes tradition, and toured a good handful of different places across the U.S while they were at it. As far as I've been able to find the shows aren't on Youtube, which sucks. Even so, I'm sure they were amazing, as other Hope bands like Pikadori and HTML put on great performances. EDIT: I guess Youtube just decided I wasn't gonna see them that day, but JD informed me of two performances that are up on Youtube!

Here's a link to the second one!

    Io was an absolutely explosive band, and carried with them some of the many attributes of what makes this era of the genre so amazing. While their run was unfortunately fairly brief, the trail of dead willow trees left an infallible mark, and is one that more people should take a look at. They certainly weren't pioneers, but that doesn't mean they were any less incredible.

    As alluded to, their output was fairly sparse, with only three real releases. However, it's about quality, not quantity, and boy are they quality. The music really speaks for itself here, as just about every fan of the genre, new and old will adore these guys. It's a genuine shame there isn't more, as I'd totally kill for it. (Hell, maybe one day we'll get some vinyl reissues, that'd be sweet- I'd love to see their only full-length on a 12"!) In their time they put out; a CDr demo EP, a full length CD album, and a two song 7".

    The demo CDr contains 4 previous versions of songs that would later be featured on their first proper full-length. Even though the songs are still in development here, they're already quite fleshed-out, and of course they absolutely rip. For a look at a band in its infancy, it's a strong demo, and certainly was a sign of great things to come. Give it a listen!

Demo

1. Byberry
2. The Branks
3. Reigned
4. Acquainted With The Night

    Their next outing, titled "The Willow Snag", is undeniably one of the more underappreciated albums in 2000s emo/hardcore/whatever, ever. Released in the spring of 2002, "The Willow Snag" is a great representation of what makes this genre so great, and that's a trait that many incredible records share. It's a dense listen, bursting at the seams with boiling, blood red anger and intense conviction, but always staying quick-witted and never tripping over itself. 10 tracks long, but still relatively short, this disc is one in a forest of many that exemplify some of the many things I love about this genre. If you'd like to give it a listen, you can check it out on Bandcamp! (Though I'm sure it's up on Youtube somewhere).

The Willow Snag

1. Byberry
2. Ghosts
3. Acquainted With The Night
4. Techtonics
5. Dichtomoy
6. Reigned
7. The Branks
8. Catalogue
9. In Late Blue Autumn
10. Whatever You Hold Dear

If you would like to see the 16 page booklet, check this discs release page on Discogs linked here.

    Lastly there is their posthumous 7" EP "Charred Timeless". Released about a year and a half after the bands previous/"last" show, this disc is the bands epilogue, as well as a fiery send off. Seeing as it would be the last thing they ever put out, they decided to host a brief reunion/release show, and this thing sold like hot cakes. With that, the disc has become somewhat rare, so sadly I cannot provide scans. That's not the end of the world though, as it's easily accessible and able to be heard, again via Bandcamp! Either way, it's a phenomenal outro for this equally as phenomenal Pittsburgh band.

Cover image via Discogs

Charred Timeless

Side A. Charred Timeless

Side B. This City Is A Wick


Thank you to Q. from Hard Travelin' for being so kind!