Zlam Dunk

Here’s the latest news from my inbox.

Tonight is the first of four nights of the Echotone premiere. I saw this film during the Austin Film Festival back in September, and instantly fell in love with it. No surprise as it’s about our local music scene. Seriously, if you can see one of the screenings, go see it. It's beautifully shot and showcases from our favorites bands in Austin.

If you haven’t seen the trailer by now, here you go.



Click here to purchase tickets.

Zlam Dunk has a chance to win an Unsigned Artist Competition. But in order to win, they have to get the most votes. Usually I don’t promote these competitions, because we all know it’s a popularity contest, but what the hell, right?

This competition could earn them a chance to perform in front of some very important people in the music biz. Now you wouldn’t want to deny them that, right?

Zlam is up against other Austin bands such as Dertybird, Fulton Read and Schmillion. Click this link to vote.

Then a reminder that the roommate Tje Austin will make his debut on NBC’s The Voice at 8 p.m. on Tuesday (April 26). Sadly, I have class that night, and if this class wasn’t needed for graduation, I would just skip. Damn responsibilities. Hopefully, my professor will be understand and let me miss.

In the meantime, check out this preview about one of the judges, Cee-Lo, that also features our afro-sporting R&B singer.

Then... Motel Aviv (one of my favorite bands) is finally releasing their album, Post Modern Nation. I’m so excited about this. I first saw them during Free Week for a Red River Noise showcase and they just won all of us over. It’s incredibly hard to resist dancing to that bass line.

The album will be released through online stores (iTunes and Amazon) on April 26, but the album release show is May 6 at Beauty Bar with synth-pop Sphynx.

RSVP on this Do512 page for a $5 cover and a chance to win a free copy of the album. Again, I can’t wait to listen to it. I’m pretty sure it’s going to get a great review from me. :)

And last but not least, here’s a free album download:
Free mixtape from the Manateam Group
Enjoy.

With SXSW coming up, I bought a new toy to record better audio for my multimedia videos, the Zoom H1 voice recorder. Everyone, say hello to Finn (yes, it's in reference to the tall and lanky Glee character. See the resemblance?)

Isn't it adorable? I freaking love this thing. It's so tiny, but those two mics on top are freaking powerful little guys.

So naturally, I brought it with me to test it out at a free show at Red 7 with two of my favorite bands, Zlam Dunk and Markov.

I also filmed some video with my Lumix camera because my set up for multimedia is going to be the zoom recorder mounted on top of my camera. But I couldn't get close enough to get any good footage. Zlam fans love to dance so they were so close to the stage that it was hard to get good close ups. Oh well. Instead, I'm going to share the audio.

Now keep in mind that I was standing next to a speaker (thank goodness for earplugs. Thanks Tina!). There is some distorting every now and then (because the recorder was on my camera so I couldn't monitor both at once. Hey, this is a learning process.), but overall, it sounds pretty freaking awesome. So can't wait for SXSW.
By the way, my newspaper adviser also taught me how to properly use shutter speeds. After years of my so-called photography, I finally understand it. So I tested that out too with Zlam Dunk, who by the way, is the perfect band to test shutter speeds on. They move all over the freaking stage.

See that photo of Charlie right there (click on it to see it bigger and more photos from that night)? Epic win.

This is just one post in my wrap up of the year 2010. If you would like to read the rest, click here to the main post.

January: Free Week
I went to Free Week just to watch some great bands for free and hang out with friends. If a band caught my attention, I would keep them in mind for future coverage. So I had no intentions of actually working with shooting photos, writing reviews, etc.

But after the week was over, I realized I saw a lot of bands that should be shared so I wrote up this quick post with my debut of Twitter-style reviews. Writing a review in 140 characters or less is a great writing exercise I recommend for any writer. You have to be to the point and consise.

February: 200 music interviews
I have an excel sheet that I use to keep track of all the coverage I've done. Yep, I can be that anal retentive. Unfortunately, it hasn't been updated since I've posted this blog about reaching 200 interviews. I'm sure if I update it now, I'll be pretty freaking close to 300 if I haven't already hit that mark yet. What can I say? I get around.

March: The Dig performing "I Just Wanna Talk to You"
I fell in love with The Dig the moment I interviewed them. The first thing I heard out of one of their mouths that wasn't "Are you Sarah?" was "There are cute girls over there." See, our interview was at the Parish hours before their show and there were already teenagers lined up at the door.

During their set, I happened to pull out my Flip cam right before they played this song which is one of my favorites. I knew I was in for a treat when band members of the other two bands hopped on stage with them. Such a good song.

April: SPEAK covers "Toxic"
I was trying to refrain from including any SPEAK posts in this but this band affected a big chunk of my year that it was hard to resist. It was this post when I decided that I was actually going to go through with SPEAK for a Year. As I was writing for it, I kept debating in my head if I should just go ahead and announce it or wait until I've covered more shows. I must have click the preview button like 5 times before I decided that yes, I was going to go through with the crazy project.

It was published right before the April show so after the set, some of the guys asked me what was this project I was going to announced. Once they all showed they were ok with it, it motivated me to go home and write up the first post for SPEAK for a Year. I ended up staying up until 2 in the morning getting it all ready.

May: In-depth We Are the Lottery League
This was a fun assignment. It was my first time doing a story like this when I was just a fly on the wall, covering this type of event from beginning to end. I didn't know what to expect, but it came out pretty well.

June: Good in the Sack interview
One of my favorite bands during the APR days was Good in the Sack. Since I worked at a childcare center, I could never wear their shirts at work but man, I loved this band. It's pop punk with tongue-in-cheek lyrics about breakups, drinking, etc. Wow, I just made them sound like Blink 182, but rest assure, they weren't.

The moment drummer Jorge announced the band's return during this year's SXSW, I informed him we were doing a reunion interview. Of course, the band was all in (who could say no to this face?) and after their set, we walked towards the back of the bar and chatted just like old times. Only this time, some of us had less hair and more weight as before.

July: Giant Steps interview
I interviewed James through email to promote his SXSW showcase but once I took on the Spinner job, my time was very limited. Hey, I got paid for Spinner though. I felt bad I didn't get the interview out but once he announced his anniversary show, it saw the light of day.

August: Art vs. Industry interview and Love at 20 interview
I had two interviews published in August and I liked both of them so I'm choosing both.

Art Vs. Industry were some of the nicest guys I've ever met and very knowledgeable on not only music in general but also where they stand with their genre of music. I felt so out of place at Elysium where I interviewed them but they treated me like anyone else even though I was wearing pastels.

With Love at 20, Mike and I met for coffee and just ended up having a very long conversation about music. The man knows what he wants and has planned his way to get it. Why can't more bands be like that?

September: SPEAK
October: SPEAK at ACL
I only posted one thing during September and October and they both have to do with SPEAK. September was a fun one because I got to make fun of dude bros and my October post was about my experience with SPEAK at ACL.

November: NaNoWriMo
I wrote a novel this year.
I. Wrote. A. Novel. This. Year.

It blows my mind that I went through with NaNoWriMo this year and actually made the word count. I've been editing the novel when I'm not watching Veronica Mars or posting things for Red River Noise. I have a long way to go before anyone reads the finish product.

December: Zlam Dunk
Besides the obvious posts with SPEAK singing at my birthday party or the 2010 review for December, this was a fun post to write. I interviewed the band during Wild Frontier Fest in September but only used two lines from it in my article for Accent.

Since we spent most of the brief interview talking about recording, I figured it was time to bring it out for Zlam Dunk's CD release show.

This is just one post in my wrap up of the year 2010. If you would like to read the rest, click here to the main post.

I didn't have much time to write reviews this year. It's not a bad thing but there were a lot of great albums that came out. So now that I have some time, I finally sat down and got to writing. I'm completely rusty so a lot of these reviews make me sound like a fangirl but you know what? This is my blog and these albums are good.

I just wished I had more time to go more in-depth or review more albums more often. Maybe that should be my resolution for 2011.

By the way, these are in no particular order.

SPEAK "Here Here"

This EP came out in February 2010 and I still can't stop listening it. It gives me the same cravings as those red sour belt candies where no matter how much I eat them, I just can't seem to get enough. I always want more and when I'm not eating one, I'm thinking about how I'm gonna get more. SPEAK's EP gives me that same kind of addiction.

It seems that once the last song "I'd Rather Lie" is over, I'm ready to hit the play button (if I haven't already done it) so I can listen to the five songs all over again. And yet almost a year later, the songs haven't lost its charm on me.

Quiet Company "Songs for Staying In"

I've been waiting for this EP ever since Taylor Muse mentioned during our April 2009 interview that this was in the works. I discovered this band last year and left such an impression to be included in my best of 2009 post last year.

I was hooked the moment I heard the first single "How Do You Do It?" and apparently so was the rest of Austin. I guess someone took note when I posted in my Best of 2009 post, "Pay attention to this band ya, I expect 2010 to be the year for them," because they gathered a pretty big following with radio airplay and playing some gigs with big headliners.

I've probably said it before and I'll say it again, but vocalist and main songwriter Muse has perfected the skill of writing enchanting lyrics about falling and being in love. What girl wouldn't want a guy to sing out to them "I just want to see your smile in the morning. I just want to wake up next to you, love?"

Swoon.

Ghostland Observatory "Codename: Hondo"

Ah Ghostland Observatory, one of our hometown heroes. I hopped on this train later than most people but man, these guys are great. This is one of those bands that presents the complete package. Sure, the music could be called the run-of-the-mill electro rock that everyone seems to be playing nowaday, but these guys have been around since 2004 so they know how to do it well. Add a cape and pigtails and you got yourself a show.

Zlam Dunk "Noble Ancestry"

Every hear an album that affects you so much that once you hear one note from that album, it's stuck in your head? So now you have to hear it. That's what Zlam Dunk's Noble Ancestry does to me and it drives me insane, but in a good way.

The band is all in their early 20s which is a little obvious when reading their song titles and lyrics. "Castle Beyond the Goblin City?" A song about Shark Week and the '80s movie Top Gun? Really guys? But it's also that youthful spirit that reminds me of that age before I had to start worrying about mortages, paying bills, getting a "real job" that isn't in retail. It's the time when it's about having a good time and sometimes I just need a reminder.

And that's what Zlam Dunk accomplishes. They have fun, they cut loose and every show brings a good time. Not many bands can do that.

AutoVaughn "Science of Our Time"

I met these guys during SXSW in 2006 or 2007 (it's been so long that I can't remember) and my my, how much they have changed. For the better, of course. The album they released this year Science of Our Time went beyond my expectations.

I have to be honest. During the first listen, I was put off by it. It didn't sound like them. It sounded like an overproduced version of AutoVaughn. That Nashville edge they had was blurred. There was hints of it throughout the album, but I guess when you win Fender Road Worn competition and tag along with Cage the Elephant, it was bound to happen.

Granted, I haven't seen this album performed live, which is where it's at, so I don't know if this is just studio magic or the commercialized route they're heading. Either way, this album is still great and full of catchy hooks.

Through the Trees "Dig It Up"

Through the Trees' Dig It Up blew me away this year. After hearing so much indie blogger bullshit for the past three years, I loved that this band brought it back with their straight-to-the-point rock and roll. Just good old school rock music. There is no pretentiousness here. And that is no surprise that the band is extremely talented given that they've been playing music way before most of these blogger bands were born.

L.A.X. "The A EP"

Can you believe I didn't want to like this album? For reasons unknown to me, I honestly thought I wouldn't like it. After a couple of listens though, this album grew on me.

It reminds me of the days when my dad was a DJ and listened to a lot of electronica dance music in my house. Sadly L.A.X. is a niche band. A lot of people aren't going to give them a chance because of their genre alone. But for what they are, they're pretty good.

My only pet peeve is with the song "Don't Push Me." I rolled my eyes when I heard the lyrics "Don't push me. I'm close to the edge. I'm trying not to lose my head." I can name three songs off the top of my head with those direct words. How many times do those lyrics need to make an appearance in a song? Seriously. Bands, don't do that.

I don't think L.A.X. is there yet but I like what I've heard so far and the vocal stylings of Erin Jantzen and Yadira Brown are the right fit for this.

The Dig "Electric Toys"

I've said what I already wanted to say about this band in my interview with The Dig. So I'll just rehash it...

"I've been thinking for days on how to describe New York quartet The Dig without sounding like a complete fangirl, but the bottom line is this: This band is freaking awesome. Whether it's a straightforward indie-pop song such as "You're Already Gone" or a moody alt-rock tune like "She's Gonna Kill That Boy," or even a mixture of the two as in "He's a Woman," these guys just nail it every time. And when they perform these songs live, it's even better."

So what are you doing tonight? Nothing!?! Here's my suggestion.

Full disclosure: Zlam Dunk's guitarist Brett Thorne is a fellow contributor to Red River Noise. While he may have eaten five pancakes for me and fell asleep on me (until I pushed him off) on the ride home from this summer's Warped Tour, I am not writing this post because we're friends. I really do like his band. I've known of his band before I actually met him.

I shouldn't like Zlam Dunk as much as I do. Wait, I mean the band is good but when you sit back and pull out each genre that forms Zlam Dunk's infectious sound, it shouldn't make sense. It's punk but it's not too hard to warrant a punch in the face. It's dance rock but it's not hipster pretentious. It's truly original. I'm sure if I dig a little deeper, I or someone will find another band similar to them but that requires research that I don't have time for at this time. ;)

But how exactly do we describe Zlam Dunk's sound? I asked three of the members when I had a chance to interview them at Wild Frontier Fest back in September. Their response?

"It's Larry Bird mating with a lighting bolt while the lighting bolt is striking Josh Brolin and there's a boogie board made of pure gold that they're riding on," said Thorne.

"Jeff Goldblum is watching. That has to be very important," said Daniel Vega, Zlam Dunk's drummer. "While in the background Jurassic Park is on but it's paused on the scene where you see Jeff Goldblum's face. So Jeff Goldblum is watching while they are watching Jeff Goldblum."

Uh what? Yeah, that's what I said. No matter how anyone describes this band, the simple point is that it's catchy and it's good. Try to resist dancing to this band.

Actually, funny story about that. I got a sneak peek of the album (yes, because of my friendship with Brett) and I have to say, it's pretty good. So good in fact that I found myself dancing along when I was listening to it in one of ACC's libraries yesterday during a last minute editing session. I only noticed because I caught a guy staring at me. Whoops.

So the point of my post is this, go see Zlam Dunk tonight. It's finals. Christmas and my birthday are coming. And I hear there is free beer. What better way to celebrate?

Link to the Facebook event page about the show tonight.