Side A Track 1 – Canyons “I’m Worthy All the Time”

One winter we were going on tour and had a show fall through in Kansas City. A band hit us up eagerly from Marshall Missouri and said they had us covered. They threw us a show last minute and got all their friends to come out. They paid us well, showed us a good time and even got us a pizza deal the next morning. But this was no irregular behavior for this band. Their house soon became a stop on many cross country jaunts for many bands. Besides that they continued to promote the Midwest community and help preserve the true punk value in it. They set a true example of how things should be done; utmost respect for those who deserve it and help for anyone who needs it. That band is none other than Canyons.

I always tell everyone I meet about the “hidden gem of the Midwest,” and I mean no one other than the modest hardcore band from Marshall. Ask anyone that’s played with them or toured with them. Ask Xerxes, Former Thieves, Touche Amore, Bone Dance and the Reptilian. The boys in Canyons are wild but they understand what it means to be in a punk band. They work hard, tour hard and do whatever they can to promote the cause.

Last year they put out a three-way split with Tigon and Foreign Theaters. For people who follow the band, it was their best material yet. Vocalist Bobby Johnson screams with all of the angst of the Midwest, telling the tales of everyday life in Missouri. The band has a lot of technicality but still manages to make everything heavier than hell. Guitarist Punch Mabrey carries the song riff after riff, building up and breaking down. The leads are seriously unbelievable, bringing a “Botch” vibe to an almost traditional “Louisville-hardcore” song. The ending breakdown is the perfect way to go out, especially once Mabrey begins strumming dead notes and muted harmonics. It’s loud, raw and honest. Here is “I’m Worthy All the Time.”

“Can’t Have Nothin’ Nice” is available via Canyons online merch store.

Learn more about Canyons here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CANYONS/299760583383
http://www.Canyonsrock.blogspot.com/
http://canyons.bandcamp.com/ 

Side A Track 1: Former Thieves “Dead Horses are Turned Into Glue”

December of 2010 was the first time I saw Former Thieves in action, and even then they were a spectacle. Since then they’ve signed to No Sleep Records, toured relentlessly and put out one of my favorite albums of 2011. I’ve heard the songs live before they were recorded and knew to expect greatness. I was really hoping to put off listening to the album until I got a physical copy of it, but I cheated and listened to the mp3s. While great, they are no where near the sonic excellence of the vinyl format version. Ben Lynn’s bass playing matched with Josh Sparks’ drumming is pummeling, like the strongest thunder storm of the summer. Josh Parks’ guitar leads zoom in and out of each track like an angry swarm of bee’s, jumping between discordance and smooth harmony. To help clench all five fingers into the perfect fist, vocalist Matt Schmitz belts with intensity, providing the perfect voice for the already anger driven instrumentation. But don’t assume that this band is your every day hardcore band. They not only also dabble in technicality, they master it and set an example for hardcore of today. Let’s just hope hardcore of today listens..

The opening track of the album, “Dead Horses are Turned Into Glue,” really sets the pace for what’s to come. I don’t mean this in the sense where the rest of the material sounds just like this song, but rather in the sense that the intensity and mastery that is present for all ten songs is alive in well in the opener. Former Thieves are not a one trick pony, they have plenty of magic up their sleeves for the duration of their debut LP. Drawing influence from Breather Resist and Botch all the way to Don Caballero and Battles, there is something for a wide audience of listeners. But now, without further ado, here is “Dead Horses are Turned Into Glue.”

“The Language That We Speak”is available on No Sleep Records and in stores everywhere.

You can learn more about Former Thieves here:
http://www.facebook.com/FormerThieves
http://twitter.com/#!/formerthieves
http://www.formerthieves.com/ 

Side A Track 1 – Balance and Composure “Void”

My relationship with Balance and Composure started through a series of myspace love letters. A few of us met each other, but the first time I actually got to see them perform was last fall. Although they’re still a young band, they perform on stage with mastery and fluency. They sound amazing and put on a very emotional show. Back then they were still touring on their split with Tigers Jaw, but performed a couple songs off of their at the time upcoming full-length album, which was released this year under the name “Separation.”

This album as a whole is an masterpiece. The band’s chord progressions and lyrical content exert such raw emotion that it leaves all listeners feeling like they experienced a part of the band member’s past. The opener may be my favorite, titled “Void.”

“Separation” is available on No Sleep Records and stores everywhere.

You can learn more about Balance and Composure here:
http://www.facebook.com/balanceandcomposure 
http://www.balanceandcomposure.com/
http://balanceandcomposure.tumblr.com/
http://twitter.com/#!/balanceandcomp 

Side A Track 1 – Creeper “Get A Grip”

I first met Braeden and Leo on a Canadian tour back in 2008 (we were touring with an amazing band called Tonnn). We hung out at the Temple of Crucial Bros after our Toronto show which is where the two happened to be residents. A few months and another Canadian tour later some of my friends asked me if I had heard Braeden and Leo’s band Creeper yet. When I responded no and asked what it sounded like, the response came: “heavy.”

And sure enough, when Braeden gave me a copy of Creeper’s demo I fell in love with the first listen. Now years later the band has written a slew of new songs, three of which going on a 7″ titled “Exhaustion,” which is the subject of today’s feature.

The quartet (Braeden Corkery and Leo Dubovitsky being joined by Zach Van Horne and Colin Farquharson) really delivered with Track 1 of Side A. We bring to you now, “Get A Grip.”

“Exhaustion” is available from the band in their online merch store.

You can learn more about Creeper here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Creeper/126493567372505
http://fuckcreeper.blogspot.com/ 
http://fuckcreeper.bandcamp.com/