if you make it

After a long night of 22's, Jeff decided that tonight would be the night we record his Pink Couch. There are a lot of funny clips from this recording, but in the essence of time I cut them out. Wait for the DVD for more, and a Regina Spektor song.

I don't think anyone was happy about the venue being at the Sullivan Hall, but I think everyone ended up having a bunch of fun. The sound check took forever for BTMI, but it didn't even matter because nothing was mixed at all. At least you can hear Jeff.

From the Asian Man tour. Jeff from Bomb invited Sean from Andrew Jackson Jihad to come back on stage and sing this cover of this Neutral Milk Hotel song. Expect more from this show, including footage of the queers, kepi ghoulie, lemuria and ajj.

Jeff likes to refer to this as "The Show of Mistakes", but I thought it was a lot fun, despite the weird atmosphere and ridiculous cover. This is the first song off of their new album "Scrambles" which you can download for free from quoteunquote records or buy from Asian Man on vinyl.

Joanne has supported this site since the beginning, and I appreciate it. She also finds the time to discover some great new bands and people who are as devoted to music as she is.

Run by Will, this site has tons of great reviews of some of the best bands around, plus he is an all around nice guy. Check out his site for continuous updates on your favorite music.

One of the most righteous party bands playing badass gruff punk you'll see. Perpetually on hiatus, but perpetually writing, recording, and playing shows. Doing rad stuff for the Long Island music community. Dead Broke Rekerds/Kiss of Death!

The drummer of Michigan's Abe Froman going solo. This man can play the guitar unlike most any other humans. He can also write a beautiful song that can make you smile or another one that will make you cry. An under appreciated musician, for sure.

Brooklyn - France globetrotter. Hauntingly beautiful music.

A shout out from Tom & Carly to their friends doing really incredible stuff for the DIY music scene in Ohio.

Somehow this band is able to combine the most poppy music with the most depressing, self-loathing, suicide-reference-laced lyrics ever and make it work, ridiculously well. It's difficult to avoid a comparison to fellow Minneapolis pop punk stalwarts, Dillinger Four.

Mike and Jim on the pink couch. For fans of Hot Water Music and Rumbleseat. We had Jeff on ichat watching on too. The 2nd song of the series.

Mike and Jim on the pink couch. For fans of Hot Water Music and Rumbleseat. We had Jeff on ichat watching on too. The 1st song of the series.

Superband featuring members of Bomb the Music Industry!, The Fad and Latterman. Sounds exactly like a drunk irish pub band, including the Irish Car Bombs between songs.

From Hannah's amazing basement in Bloomington, IL. Austin has a split coming out soon with Hot Water Music's Chuck Ragan. He mesmerized Dominic during this show, who proclaimed Austin his favorite.

Jono was in the area recently, with buddies from his other band Straight, No Chaser. I've been a big fan of his music ever since I saw Dominic's footage from his buffalo show. For fans of Owen and his kinsella brethren.

Every June, New York has Make Music Day, where they open up the city parks and streets to musicians. Algernon and a bunch of other great bands played. Pink Couch coming in the future.

Make Music is this amazing day in June, where the boroughs open up there parks and streets to music. Slingshot decided to debut their new cover of Fugazi's "Waiting Room", so check it out.

From Make Music Day in Brooklyn, featuring original singer John Galm. My brother has been singing recently, but due to some recent unfortunate incidents, could'nt make it. John got pretty dirty, but luckily left his sandals on the sidelines.

Finishing off the Make Music Three is Young Hearts, who I've seen a bunch of times but always failed to record something. Well not this time! They have a new EP called "The Fight EP" which you can download or buy online at their site.

On tour from Richmond, TRB was in town to play a show with 'labelmates' Bomb the Music Industry. I think they set the land-speed record for filming a pink couch, only taking 1 take on each song. They are on tour now and have a new record, "Fists Buried In Pockets"

From the last day of the Asian Man tour. Sean and Ben plus members of Bomb the Music Industry and Sheena from Lemuria. This tour featured some of the nicest people playing music right now. I'm sure they all had a great time hanging out too, just listen to those solos!

This is the last recording I did on tour, and one of my favorites. It was done in the amazing Chop Chop gallery in Columbus, Ohio, after a fun night of music and the gadabout film fest. Check out AW's split with Andy Cook, another IYMI alumni.

Short film about making friends. This is going to be part of new series that Eric is working on with his Bloomington crew. This video features music and acting by Good Luck's Matt Tobey, who eerily looks like Dom in the beginning of this video. Is this a trend for Eric? Watch out Mike Dumps, you're next on the list for video partner. Also look forward to more videos from this crew. I'm glad Eric is finally back in the ring.

Mike and In The Red was supposed to drop by a couple of months ago, unfortunately they came down with something on their way through New Jersey. In a karmic turnaround, Mike and tour buddies Ninja Gun were able to meet and see Willie Nelson play on their way through the Garden State. You can even see a signature on the guitar if you look close enough. Mike has recently decided to devote his life to just traveling and playing his...

This is from last year's Make Music Day in Brooklyn. I love being able to shoot outdoors, it always looks so amazing with all the colors and scenery. On a side note, make sure to buy their newish 7 inch "Hot Green", it's amazing. Everyone in Brooklyn should come see this band tonight. Check out the events link at the top of site to find out more.

On a rainy day in June, a bunch of people packed in the Naideau garage in Northport, LI for awesome music and some food. Unfortunately it rained all night, and bugs were in full force. This is from one of the 3 shows HDWJTH? has played in it's lifetime. You can get their 5 song demo free in the ALBUMS section.

This original documentary focuses on a group of kids who have built a community around a love of music and a passion for creating an alternative to dominant consumerist society. By putting on shows in basements, booking and traveling on national tours, and releasing their own records, these kids attempt to distance themselves from the corporate influence that they consider not only unnecessary, but unwelcome. This fascinating look into the workings of a DIY punk community also examines the scene's...

Tomorrow is the first day of this year's Berea Fest. I look forward to this day every year, and I'm always sad when it's inevitably over. If you aren't coming, and you are in the area, make sure to head on over. Music starts at 6:30PM on Friday July 17th. Check Bereafest.org for more information.

Clips from Fest 8. We sucked, but if you watch it as a music video it's a lot better. "Lando" should be out before the end of November, you can pre-order the record now from Vinyl Collective or Ernest Jenning. ($5) http://stores.channeladvisor.com/vinylhome/Items/VCEJRC064 http://ernestjenning.com/band_kudrow.htm

These guys are spread out as per the diaspora of punk, hailing from different areas of the midwest and New York City. They play an extremely melodic, yet aggressive brand of punk rock that harkens back to M-Blanket and asks "what if Jawbreaker's first few records had good production quality?" The instrumentation is very dramatic and mature, complete with a horn section, harmonica and keys on top of the expected four-piece punk band set up. This eight song LP on...

Iron Chic is melodic in the same way Latterman are but, add Lubrano's dynamic-as-shit vocals, and you've got an unstoppable force on your hands. Complete with "whoa-oh"s and songs about parking lots, Iron Chic is sometimes unabashedly nostalgic while other times, they're more apt to say "fuck that: let's do something cool today." Similar to "A Flight and A Crash"-era Hot Water Music, I'm hoping this EP is the first of many returns for Iron Chic. - Mike Campbell

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Alright, first...

Fun music from way back when, featuring my brother and guitarist of Yo Man Go. A sorely missed band.

Annabel is a band from Kent, Ohio and on Now That We're Alive (their debut EP) they sound what I'd imagine the Get Up Kids might have sounded like if they listened to a little more shoegaze and a little less hardcore when they were teenagers. In other words, Annabel's Now That We're Alive EP, is a gooey little slice of melodic indie-pop that sounds familiar but fresh. the five songs on the EP Annabel show that Annabel can do...

"If you like Latterman, Iron Chic, Get Bent, or any of the other awesome discernible Long Island style of punk bands, then quit reading this review right now and go to the link I attached at the bottom and download Yo Man Go!'s discography for free. As implied, they're not doing anything you haven't heard before, but if you love fun and just solid all-around pop-punk as much as me, then you're sure to love this. Consisting of members from...

Two siblings and two friends make up this indie rock band from (mostly) Brooklyn. Dual guy/girl vocals, bouncing basslines, aggresive drums, loud guitars and a synth underscore give the band a unique sound, somewhere between The Anniversary and Hot Water Music. The Get Awesome EP is their first release - a full-length will follow this year.

While the internet-revolution has definitely helped young bands to reach a wider audience, it's still rather unlikely to hit a real gem while digging through Myspace. So in all honesty, I couldn't trust my ears the first time Banner Pilot from Minneapolis blasted through my speakers. The band's raw musical roadside open-heart surgery has fascinated me from the first chord; needless to say I was totally psyched to finally hold the band's new "Pass the Poison" release in my hands. Banner...

You thought winter is over? Well 4 Member of recently deceased Street Smart Cyclist decided that it should be Snowing all year long. We can all agree that that was a really lame introduction to the band. "2009 has been a great year for stirring emo music in the vein of what was done in the heyday of the genre. Especially the bands from the Count Your Lucky Stars roster (e.g Castevet, Joie De Vivre, Annabel,...) have proven themselves as...

Busman's Holiday is two brothers. Those two brothers make songs and get their friends to help them make music. The elder brother, Addison, plays a drum kit that includes a Samsonite suitcase bass drum. The younger brother, Lewis, plays an acoustic guitar. The two create harmonies and sing songs together. The music is melodic pop with influences from numerous genres. They listen to Randy Newman, Paul Simon, James Taylor, They Might Be Giants, Madlib, Joe Pass, and Beck; and other...

At first glance it's easy to make the one-off assumption that Slingshot Dakota are some sort of Mates of State tribute act -- the male/female couple, the keyboard lead, the often cute-sounding songs all add to this. But if you dig slightly below the surface you find a band that is fully their own, even on a three-song demo CD -- with obvious influences that span the gamut of independent music. The first track, "White Couch" dispels the fear that somehow...

1. I loved this the first time I heard it. 2. This demo is one of my favorite things to drum along too. 3. They don't need no stinkin' singer. "What a fantastic find Each Other’s Mothers has been. These four young ladies from New York play intricate, mathy instrumental rock. There is no wanking here, only precise and creative instrumentals that suck the listener in. Vocals only appear for a brief period as they work to build tension in...

Rainer Maria comparisons be damned, Houston, TX indie / emo band Football, etc. stand tall on their own merit. Rising from the ashes of the short-lived Tin Kitchen, the band’s no-nonsense approach to music is as refreshing as it is honest. - Sound as Language [ http://soundaslanguage.com/ ] I've been listening to these 4 songs ever since I got them a month ago, and I've been hooked. I'm super excited that we were able to have them up on this...

We listened to this record two days ago, and it brought back a lot of memories of the last 5 years. After I bulldozed my way through the memories, I shot Ginger a message about putting this up. This is an amazing album that everyone should have or give a chance. -------------------- I picked this up only because it’s on Plan-It-X, and they’re the label that introduced me to Against Me! and This Bike Is a Pipe Bomb. One Reason is...

One of my favorite bands to come out of New Paltz, NY. They recorded way more than I thought they did, although some of it, like the Tin Armor split never saw the light of day. I've wanted to have these songs up ever since I started this section of the site. Now to talk Jared into getting some Frame up in here. 11 Songs of brilliant punk from New York. Includes tracks from their "Izzy Alcantara" 7", Art of...

Stepping out from behind the drum-set of Lemuria, Alex grabs the reins, the horse and the whole carriage this time and takes the listener hostage. It's kind of crazy how musically talented Alex is. I'm pretty sure I was going somewhere with that sentence in the beginning. I'll add to this introduction as time goes long. You can also get a hear two of these songs on his Art of the Underground Single Series, which he runs from sunny Buffalo, NY....

Dreamed up as a way for 3 friends to hang out, flesh out some ideas that might not work in their other projects, and hang out some more, Kudrow is what happens when you realize that writing your own music is sometimes easier than being in a Replacements cover band... The Brooklyn trio - Jeff Rosenstock (Bomb the Music Industry!, Pegasuses-XL) on baritone guitar and vocals, Mike Campbell (The Brass, Laura Stevenson and the Cans, Latterman) on bass, and Dave Garwacke...

If you like your punk with a twinge of folk and tons of bounce, then you should definitely check out Two Hand Fools. It reminds me of Punkin Pie, and would easily fit in with the PIX roster. You can get this free from Don't Give Up Ohio http://dontgiveupohio.com/music.html

Kevin Nunn of North Lincoln starts a band based on his love for NY's Potboiler. I can't think of anyone better to carry the torch of that awesome band. Hopefully they are able to go the distance and release a full length. I hope this band sticks around, at least until I get a chance to see them. Come to New York! For fans of Potboiler and poppy twangy midwestern-y music. Artwork by the talented Kristine Virsis. Buy it from Salinas Records.