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!