Tuesday, January 31, 2012

What A Night! DON'T MISS IT!

Febuary 17th will be a night to remember. As well as being my birthday night its Versus The Nothing tour kick off! And then after, heading on over to Dark Edge Media launch party! It will be a crazy night.

Versus The Nothing has been featured a couple times by Hammer Records and each time they never fail to re-spark our deep love for local music. So we order you all to come on down and have a great time at this show and support some really talented bands.

Link to Event: http://www.facebook.com/events/155667467875161/

Versus the Nothing
http://www.myspace.com/versusthenothing


My Coma
http://www.myspace.com/mycomamusic

and

Its Criminal!
http://www.facebook.com/itscriminalmusic?sk=info

Presale is $10
At Door is $12

Doors at 7pm! Be there!!!

Then after let the night continue and go to Roman Seregin's new company kick off at Joseph Richards! Dark Edge Media will be your one stop shop for branding and marketing in Vancouver. As big supporters and fans of Roman's work we know this company will be a huge success!

Link to Events: http://www.facebook.com/events/375422179139561/
Only $10!

Come check out a night packed full of fantastic people and fantastic music!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Come Down Into Our Cellar...


Whats not to like about this contest... amazing bands, amazing newly renovated venue, delicious drinks, chilled beers and good friends! This is a contest being put on by multiple industry professionals including The Beat Lab (Hedley, Static In The Stars), Artropolis (Internet branding company), XXX (Music Videos, Promotional Videos) and Hammer Records will be there. We will be documenting the whole thing. Interviews, photos, videos. and reviews!

So Come Support all the bands! Support local music!

Bridges OUT
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/bridgesout
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bridgesout

The Day He Quit
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thedayhequit
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thedayhequit

Exer
Can't find any links...

Japanese Girls
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thebeautiesrock
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Japanese-Girls/

Oh Village
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ohvillage?ref=ts&sk=wall

Gypsy Ray
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/gypsyraymusic
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gypsy-Ray/

The Whethermen
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Whethermen/

Silent Spring
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/silentspringband
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SilentSpringMusic

Leave The Lion
Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/leave-the-lion
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Leavethelion

Pat Gavigan
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/theturnmusic
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/patrick.gavigan

Wintercoast
Bandcamp: http://wintercoast.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Wintercoast

Hollow Strangers
Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/hollowstrangers
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/hollowstrangers

Great bands! Check them all out!

 BRING IT! Hammer Records will among the judges! Bring your A-game, your best hits, and your stage show!

Friday, January 27, 2012

Karma Live At The Troubadour

Check out an Artist Hammer Records has worked with in the past as she rocks the stage at The Troubadour in Langely! The Intro video was done by Hammer Records.


Friday, January 20, 2012

Follow Your Dreams!



Proud to announce that Tyrell Witherspoon has his new single "Glow" on regular rotation on 10 different radio stations around Canada! Hammer Records has worked with Tyrell and recorded 3 of his 6 tracks on his EP.

Tyrell is a super talented artist and wants to follow his dream on being Canada's first openly gay artist. Working on new songs all the time and playing bigger and bigger stages there is no reason why Tyrell will not achieve his goal. Can't wait to see him play GM Stadium one day!

Check out the following links to see his work!

http://www.tyrellwitherspoon.com/


http://www.facebook.com/tlwither?sk=wall


FREE MERCH FROM A SICK BAND!



Who doesn't like free stuff? And who doesn't like Bridges OUT? They have been featured on our page and are rocking the scene around Vancouver. If you have not gone to see these guys live then you are missing out!

But they have a contest going on. First 10 people to post their favourite lyrics (a verse, chorus or even just a line) on their Facebook page could get pelted by free merch! SO CHECK IT OUT!

Here is their bandcamp page with songs and lyrics!

http://bridgesout.bandcamp.com/

Are Your Eggs Shaky?



Three words, Shaky Egg Productions. Check out their website, they have done work with huge brands, Pringles, Pepsi, Boston Pizza, etc. Well they have taken a break from the big names to work on content and produce what they want!

Check out their site:

http://www.shakyegg.com/

They have an amazing and ever growing studio on Granville St. Shooting shows like "Cooking To Get Laid" http://www.cooking2getlaid.com/ and my favourite 5 Things We Want, about the Occupy movement around the world. Check it out here: http://www.5thingswewant.com/

Hammer Records will working together with Shaky Egg on their upcoming ventures and will share everything with you the reader!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Are YOU ready for some Sonic Rock?!

Last night Hammer and I took a drive down one of Vancouver's most active live-music venues, The Railway Club. On the bill for the night was The Stolen Organ Family Band, Earthbound George, Amusia, and The Niche. Due to other work earlier in the night, we could only catch the last two acts, we apologize!






















Upon entering the club, Amusia had just finished setting up, and launched into their first song of the set. (Great timing I'd say!) The first thing I noticed was their overall sound. It was very chill, though at the same time very dance-able. The whole band seemed to be having a blast on stage in their own ways. I found the vocals to be very marketable sounding - meaning he had great pitch and tone, and knew how to deliver his lines clearly and passionately. You could tell there was a lot of heart behind the lyrics. The bass riffs were fat and you could really hear the runs pounding through the speakers. It's all too ofter we'll go to shows, or listen to an album, and you can't distinctly hear the bass. Amusia really knew how to deliver though. The guitar riffs simply kicked ass. They were tight, and were leveled perfectly with the rest of the band. Though we would have liked to hear the distortion channel a little louder than the clean one. It lacked a little bit of a punch due to just volume. The small use of spacey synths added a really cool electronic vibe to some of their tunes. There was one instrument that really stood out to me though, and that would be the drums! Whether it was the tone of the kit, the way it was mic'd, or just the sheer talent of the drummer - they sounded amazing. The kick and snare really stood out, which was absolutely perfect for their Rock sound.

Over all, great show, and would love to check them out again sometime. They'll be playing The Cellar in downtown Vancouver (on the Granville strip) on February 10th, where they're releasing their brand new full album. Go like their Facebook page for more info, tunes, and upcoming gigs!  http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Amusia/56610853079
























Gabriel Savage (lead singer) from The Niche, was the one to invite us out the to the show Friday night, and man did they ever know how to put on one! These guys (and gal!) knew how to rock the stage. The performance alone was very dynamic and entertaining, and the music was catchy and fun. There were definitely a lot of people up on the dance floor grooving to their Rock, meets Bluesy-Jazz-almost Latin Funk style that they like to call "Sonic Rock." In the beginning of the set there were some guitar troubles, though once switched out for a second guitar - Ryley Kirkpatrick (Lead/Rhythm Guitar) jumped into some intricate riffing, followed by some smooth rhythm playing. He certainly made it look like he was having the time of his life on stage! The bass was nice and thick, though we would have liked to see Chris Seversen move around a little more to add to the overall stage presence of the band. The drums were hard hitting, and very pleasing on the ears at the same time. You could tell drummer Mario Beer (wicked last name!) has some talent! During a song he jumped into the crowd, cowbell in hand, and commenced playing it before passing it off to an audience member for the remainder of the song. We love to see bands break the fourth wall and react with, and jump into the crowd. It's a fun a way to really connect to your fans. Kaylar Chan filled out the rest of the sound with some interestingly placed keys and sax. She really added a neat effect to the overall sound. A well placed sax can make almost anything sound good, or better if already good! And last, but certainly not least, was Gabriel Savage's vocals. This guy really knows how to move on stage, while still carrying out sick melodies and keeping on pitch for most of the show. The thing I love most about this genre of music is that it's meant not to sound perfect.



If I had to sum this performance up in one simple sentence, it would be that The Niche sounded perfectly imperfect. I'd go see them again in a heartbeat! To check out more on these guys, and keep up to date with new tunes and shows, check out their Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/#!/TheNicheBand


Until next time!
Cheers!
Roxy

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Have You Been Dodging Daylight?



From the moment you put the album into your speaker you get the sense of doom. Darkness surrounds your vision as you enter the world of Dodging Daylight.

The intro track "The Condemned"  brings your right into the mental asylum that is "For Your Health". Dark brooding tones with some slow sludgy riff in the background set the groundwork as disturbed vocals fill your ears. Drums pound in the background sparingly. Hinting at the madness to come.

"Hate For The Weak" is the first vocals to fill your ears as the opening riffs rips into your skull. Super tight drums matching the guitar perfectly, then switching to half the speed for the verse riff. Gut wrenching screams and vocals fall over the track. Catchy guitar lead on the chorus allows great definition between structures points of the song. Pretty straightforward structure for the first track. A good introduction into the band and their sound. When suddenly halfway through the track it takes a turn in a different direction. Taking on new flavour this tasty riff switches the downbeat and adds a swing for a few bars before it launches back into the opening riff. Then a simple verse, pre-chorus chorus takes it till the end. Once again, a great introduction to the band and their sound for this album.

"Confined" carries on where the last track left off. More super tight chugging riffs with equally tight drums. The bass just fills out the sound, nothing really distinct from it but the low pounding riffs that fill out the edgy guitar sounds. Some impressive drum rolls but other than that it more or less follows the guitar's riffs. As being the shortest track on their album nothing in this song stood out for me. Great song to head bang too with its low droning riffs. Near the end of the track there seems to be a lead going on in background but its buried beneath everything you can barely hear it. Would have liked to have it stand out a bit more.

"Do Or Die" is one of my favourite tracks on their album. Definitely the single of the album if I had a say in it. From the super catchy opening riff to the great structure of the song. Using all the techniques the band showed in the previous songs they formed them into the perfect beast. Different type of vocals, a more produced melodic tone than the last but really made the track what it is. The driving snare really keeps up the tempo and drives the song along. Easily could hear this on the radio. Great track!

Getting back to the face melting "Seeking Clarity" reminds me of an early Trivium track. pounding palm muting, ever growing expanding riffs with nice use of expanded chords in areas giving more depth to just the standard metal riffs. This track does not stop for anyone and just keeps you head banging till the end.

The Final track "No Home" has the most melodic riffs so far in this album. Perfectly complimenting the growling screams and break neck speed picking riffs dotted through out the song. My 2nd favourite track on the album because I could easily see this being played in GM place opening up for Lamb Of God, Megadeth, Trivium and really getting the crowd moshing. Perfect bridge riffs which bring in a slightly different feel and different higher screaming. The ending riff is exactly what this album needed to close on, just a continued heavy dissonant riff which fades away as if your losing consciousness, and to add to that effect a pounding heart beat enters your ear. Just leaving you wanting to play the whole album again.

The album as a hole has a great feel to it, great mixing, super tight instrumentals, screaming vocals all blended together to become a sick metal album. Well produced sound that hints at the greatness to come, these guys put on a great show, lots of energy and spunk. Go head bang to them live to really get a sense at what they are all about. Below is an interview conducted by Hammer Records with them.