Canadian outfit has a foot in the past and a fist in your future. Ultra Sorta is a pretty impressive batch of tunes from this heavier-than-a-really-heavy-th ing outfit straight out of Toronto. The group isn't afraid of throwing in powerful hooks (such as in "Simple Living"), never shies away from an almighty stoner riff (the ultra, mega heavy hold of "Rennie") and will not be convinced that compromise is anywhere in the cards. With five tracks that take up a scant 15 minutes of your precious time, this hits hard,...
Don Will aka Don Cusack (of Tanya Morgan fame) made himself a birthday present by recording a free mixtape solely based on Suff Daddy beats taken from "Hi-Hat Club 2: Suff Draft" and "The Gin Diaries": "Long story short it was recorded mid to late last year after i found out about this guy named Suff Daddy and was put in touch with his label (MPM) thanks to the homie Jon Kim. I waffled about releasing it and finally decided that it was too good not to share. The title comes from just becoming [...]
I kinda want to regale yis with more river tales. Like the one about the solitary staring horse we all laughed at because it appeared sorta depressed and its mane looked like a ridiculous comedy wig. Or the observation that a group of swans rarely take off the water without at least one of them dropping a grenade's worth of reeking shite that seems to fall in sickening slow motion. Or the swarm of sand martins we met, flying in their thousands from tiny holes in a Tipperary ditch like something along the Nile. But I'll rein it in for [...]
![Greys – Ultra Sorta [EP Review]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3384042_lg.jpg)
Finally got around in checking out this EP. Since the EP won't drop until April 26th Got to see Toronto's Greys play at a "day" show on April 2nd at the Rainbow Bistro. They are a four-piece with two ex-members of Arietta. Listening to the whole five tracks, the music is very indie loud rock. From their Facebook site, it says "Indie Screamo Hip-Hop Electro". For those that like the loud rocking music, you should check out Greys. Best tracks: Situationism City Of [...]
"Can't believe Cedric did the whole Omar set." - Brendan Hubbard "Holy shit cedric is at the show... playing new mars volta music.... best day ever." - Jim Kettler "Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group turned out to basically be Mars Volta. Cedric cut all his hair off. Still has the slick foot moves though." - Joey [...]
We're with Tyler on the latest B.O.B. track making the rounds titled "No Future". On "No Future" B.O.B. asks who he's battling, but dodges the details, making it seem as though he's not certain who he's battling either. One thing is certain, B.O.B. is battling rookie pussies. For a pop wonder boy who's enjoyed the comfortable success of "Airplanes" and "Nothin' On You", "No Future" addresses any hater who's fronting on his varsity status and mic skills. Oddly enough, hating on B.O.B. for his tw...
I guess today's post isn't really too much of a throwback but it kinda fits in that category. I think Israel Kamakawiwoʻole, or IZ for short, recorded the most popular and best version of the 1939 "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" originally by Judy Garland (hence the throwback-ness of the post). IZ passed away in 1997, only 4 years after he recorded this song, but his music still lives on. So much so, that a newly re-edited version was released just last month. The new version even has a brand new video to go with it. There's nothing tremendously different [...]
In an interesting twist on supporting local music and the Carter Albrect Music Foundation, Eye On The Sparrow Design's has come up with an interesting way to help you look good and help out a good cause. Eye On The Sparrow Designs takes used bass and guitar strings from local musicians and turns them into bracelets and earrings. 25% of all sales go to the Carter Albrect Music Foundation. So, if you're a musician, please donate to the cause (you don't need old strings anyway, right?). [...]
Tuesday we previewed Danny Balis' solo release, and today our good buddy over at Bona Fide Darling has a nice little write-up of "Mount Pelee," the recent solo release of Balis' former Sorta bandmate Trey Johnson . It's drastically different than Too Much Living, due laregly to Johnson having the boys from Shibboleth serving as his backing band. While both records were written after the death of a mutual bandmate, it's interesting to see the different directions each artist went. =w=
As I popped in Mount Pelee I had already decided I was not going to like this album. I once met Trey Johnson at The Barley House and made the mistake of going up to talk to him. Needless to say, it was one of those moments fans of a band fear most... members of the band are dicks. And that night, is exactly what Johnson was, it soured me on Sorta for a long time. However, in my steadfast belief that I would not like this [...]
I've always been curious to hear what a Danny Balis song would sound like, now I know. He wasn't shittin' us when he said it would have a Don Williams sound to it. You can check it out at DC9 @ Night here .
Last night's Sorta show was kinda something special. First off, the band sounded great --like really, really good. Seems the few rehearsals the band in recent weeks had paid off . Best Sorta show I've ever seen, in fact. Which, I guess, isn't really saying that much, as this was the first time I'd seen them, but either way, I think you get the point. What was kinda weird, though, was that Sorta didn't play last at the Pontiac Garage that night. Apparently, the band wanted to be [...]
Well, tonight was the CD release show for the new Sorta CD. I unfortunately had to miss it, I'm hoping to start catching more shows soon as soon as the work junk gets sorted out. DC9 has a post containing a free download of the new track "Fool's Gold." It's not a bad track per se, but, it's not great. Trey has his usually crisp vocals, but, I'm not really diggin' the piano on it. It doesn't really sound like a Sorta track to me. It sounds more [...]
Sorta's Ward Williams, Trey Johnson and Danny Balis, a few years back. To be perfectly honest with you, I didn't want to write the piece in this week's paper about Sorta and the band's self-titled, upcoming and final release--and for all the same reasons I didn't want to recap the Carter Albrecht Memorial Show at Club Dada a few weeks back . Why? Well, for one, I never knew Carter. And I wasn't around when Sorta was winning all sorts of DOMA awards, either. [...]
Smile, guys! You should be sorta pleased about this. (Mike Fuentes) PopMatters.com , the same people responsible for the exhaustive Salim Nourallah we linked to, um, back in April (for those of you scoring at home), bring us a much more concise take on Sorta's upcoming self-titled fifth disc today, focusing largely (and completely unsurprisingly) on the loss of Carter Albrecht and the remaining band members' ability to cope with their loss as they moved forward with the completion of the album. Obviously, this is going [...]
Soon to be seen above Dada's entrance. Have to say I felt a little out of place at the Carter Albrecht memorial show at Club Dada last night. Don't get me wrong; it was an affecting, cathartic evening--even for me, someone who just said he felt out of place at the event--but I couldn't help but feel a little like a voyeur. No way around it, really. While I knew pretty much every musician in the room last night, I never knew Carter. I came to Dallas about five [...]
It's been a tough last couple of years for the members of Sorta . First, was the painful loss of member Carter Albrecht . Then the departure of Ward Williams to the bright lights of Nashville and Music Row. But, alas good news is finally coming out of the Sorta camp: They will have a CD release party at The Pontiac Garage (formerly Cambridge Room) at the House of Blues in Dallas on October 21 for the new self titled release, Sorta . If the new [...]
So I meant to post this earlier in the day but, alas, we were facing server problems all morning long. Hence the fact that all of our posts today came after three o'clock this afternoon. Sorry about that. Anyway... Looks like the new Sorta disc--the posthumous Carter Albrecht release and the band's last--is getting primed for its fast-approaching September release. If you can't wait till then, though, the band's got a little treat for its fans on its Myspace page : Three tracks off [...]
Not to turn this site into a collage of world causes, or anything, but the Guardian informs me that today is World Water Day . I remember in Cubs we were told to think about it, and how we take it for granted, followed by the mandatory slide-show presentation. I think we were told that baths are better than showers, if you like to have a long wash. But worse, if you prefer a short wash? I think that's how it went. Well, today's the day we think about these things, with the topic being "Coping with water [...]
Today's band, Sorta, is best recommended for fans of Wilco and rootsy country rock and pop. After listening to the CD, I am sure it will come as no surprise to anyone to find they call Dallas their home. Man, Texas might have thrown us a curve so far as presidents go, but the bands coming out of this state are A-fucking-MAZING. I think at least twice a week I am floored by a band that calls the Lone Star state home. Must be something really good in the water down there (or maybe the proximity [...]
PopMatters
The Word Is Bond
Asleep on the compost heap
PhotogMusic.com
BrooklynVegan
Impose Magazine: Bytes
Bridging The Verse
Bona Fide Darling
Subservient Experiment
DC9 At Night
Say Anything Syndrome
Snow-Globe Universe
Clive Davis Cancels Pre-Grammy Party After Whitney Houston’s Death
Diplo & Don Diablo “Make You Pop”
