Flare Jeans

First Recommendation! 

FFO: EMO

Flare Jeans (2012 - 2013?)

I don't know much of anything about this band as all I can find is their fall tour EP and that they're from Louisville, Kentucky; in my opinion, the EP sounds alright; a solid 3/5 not something I'd play on repeat but something that is fine to visit once in a while. This release is about 10 minutes long (even Joyce Manor would call this short). If there is anything else that these guys have made, please send it my way

Fall Tour EP (2012)

1. Clouded Head

2. French Movies

3. Medicated Youth

4. Oso

Gaze

Gaze, consisting of singers/guitarists Miko Hoffman and Megan Mallet with drummer Rose Melberg (Go Sailor, The Softies, Tiger Trap), released two singles in 1997.

Gaze is a great band to put on if you want some easy listening while you're doing work or just looking to relax. The total number of released they put out was 5 two full lengths and three 7 inches across two years (1999-1997) if I had to place them in a genre i would put them in a strange spot of twee, indie pop, shoegaze not too sure but definitely worth the listen

Three of their four releases were released on K records, one of the outlying two being released on the now defunct Septophilia who's label owner was in the band BunnyGrunt, BunnyGrunt made up 3 of the 4 albums released on Septophilia with Gaze's album being the fourth.

Gaze releases are still being sold through K records' website making this release perfect for posting

Favorite Track: So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) , if you think that song title sounds familiar it's because it's a cover of the song made famous by the country singers Don Everly (1/2 of the Everly Brothers). The cover is soft and complimented nicely by Miko's vocals.

Bob (1995)

1. Bob
2. Eric Idol
3. Glad We're Pals
4. 400 A.D.

So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) 1997

1. Dragon's Lair

2. Pedal

3. So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)

Veronica Lake

FFO: Shoegaze, Lo-fi

Veronica Lake was a pop band formed in 1990 in Ann Arbor Michigan. The band consisted of Tim Sendra as well as Christopher Chip Porter and R. Scott Kelley previously of down MF. Veronica Lake released "The Man Who Was Not With It E.P" in 1990 on Bus Stop and two 7"s- "When You Smile/Insecure Baby" in 1992 on spinART and "Threnody/In the Clouds" in 1993 on Audrey's Diary. They appeared on several twee and indie comps including Simple Machine's "Working Holiday!: May" 7". An insert for their first 7" describes them as, "dedicated to flexidiscs, exclamation marks, and hopelessly derivative, instantly forgettable songs".

-Taken from Last.Fm

As said above most of these songs were taken from 7" records on labels that are now very much defunct (RIP) but their music will live on; That being said these recordings are low quality with pops crackles and all included. I wouldn't want it any other way.

An interesting thing I found when going through these files was their split with Crayon that was released on Cher Doll Records which has a slight connection to another band featured on this site which was Gaze. Gaze's "So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad) EP covers Crayon's song "Pedal", don't you love making connections?

I'm including the songs from all splits/ singles and EP released from 1992-1993, each of these releases had their release name and album art but for neatness I found a generic album art and id3 tagged that so they all share they same art as well as album name.

as of the time post (8/21/19) Veronica Lake had reunited once in 2015 playing PopFest in NYC, with their reunion came a compilation CDr that was titled "Ballad Of The Band" and features three songs not heard on any previous releases, this was being sold directly through the band in person so I feel it isn't right to share something currently being sold, especially by a band without a label. Veronica Lake makes infrequent posts on Facebook so they might be active once again but I wouldn't put money on it.

Favorite Track : This Is My World (You Can Have It), From the get go this song is interesting as it starts with an excerpt from a Steve Martin SNL skit so bonus points there, when the song starts it's what you'd expect from a 90's shoegaze band, soft voices and guitar with fuzzy guitar effects and somber whistling to follow, good song to sit in your dark room under the covers and think of better times to.

Veronica Lake (1992 - 1993)

1. Daisy Kiss

2. Emma Maybe

3. In The Clouds

4. Insecure Baby

5. Saints Above

6. See Me When You Are 16

7. Sleepyhouse

10. This Is My World (You Can Have It)

11. Threnody

12. When You Smile

Topanga

Do these guys look familiar? well they should! this band is non other than Topanga or better known now as PUP is Stefan Babcock, Steven Sladkowski, Zack Mykula, and Nestor Chumak. These. Guys. Shred. I can't say enough good things about them or anything else that others haven't already said so I'll just talk about the release, Oceans was released for free digitally in 2010 but was released with an extra song or two for a Japanese release which is what I have for you now. This EP is basically demos of songs we will see in their 2013 self titled album, that being said the sounds and lyrics are changed slightly and it's interesting which parts of the songs they decided to scrap and what they decided was good enough to stay in. I highly recommend this to anyone who's a fan of PUP or punk/  rock in general.

This release is so good that I'm naming three! favorite songs from this 8 song EP

Favorite Tracks : Oceans (fast, rhythmic, raw I really want this to be played live) , 

Sick & Cold (fun sounds and upbeat message for someone who's feeling down, also features female locals which is one of the only PUP songs that feature a female guest vocalist as far as I know)

The Shield  ( Upbeat track that sings about coming home to the homeland you love, great song to sing with friends on a night out)

Oceans (2012)

1. Oceans

2. Mabu

3. Lionheart

4. Fogo Island

5. Back Against the Wall

6. Whiskey And Water

7. Sick & Cold

8. The Shield (Acoustic)

Rilo Kiley

I. Love. Rilo Kiley.

I love this band with all my heart 

Rilo Kiley were an American indie rock band which formed in 1998 in Los Angeles, California. The band consisted of Jenny Lewis (vocals, guitar), Blake Sennett (vocals, guitar), Pierre de Reeder (bass, keyboards) and Jason Boesel (drums). 

FFO: Jenny Lewis, Death Cab for Cutie, The Postal Service, Elliot Smith, The Elected, Conor Oberst

Rilo Kiley are big name players in the indie rock scene being signed to Barsuk, Saddle Creek and later Warner. That being said a lot of their music is being sold online and is readily available through these labels which is why I will share the stuff that is no longer for sale but so fundamental to this band

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'm including a photo of the original cassette and what is widely accepted as the unofficial album art

Consider this the earliest Rilo Kiley release that has tracks that you will later find on the "Initial Friend EP" (featured) but with a different sound, what comes to mind is Glendora a fan favorite by RK fans and is usually thought to be a slower song (as heard on Initial Friend EP) but this version is faster or more angry picture of RK was a Riot Grrrl band and that's what you'd expect. 3 of the tracks on this cassette are only found on this cassette and NEED to be listened to by fans of Rilo Kiley or indie / alt rock.

Favorite Track: 13 this song is for anyone who grew up questioning their sexuality and finding self acceptance through learning through growing up

The Sandbox Sessions (1998)

1. Papillon
2. Cousin To Cousin
3. Glendora
4. The Frug
5. Dead Cat
6. 13

The second release I'm sharing is The Initial Friend EP this EP was self released by the band three different times, the only difference in each of these pressings were a song or two but most of the songs are the same with some slight variations so for the sake of saving time and space I've compiled all three pressings into on album, enjoy

P.S the final 2 songs are about 8 minutes of a car's door open alarm sounding on repeat but the song Troubadours follows the first song and in the 2nd annoying noise of death track, a voicemail between Jenny, Blake and others is heard.

Favorite Track : Troubadours , This song has so much stuff going on it's hard to pinpoint all instruments and devices being used; the song shows how great Jenny is at telling a story and shows of what's to come in later releases, If i had to compare this song to another band I would probably put it close to Hop Along, Queen Ansleis' Freshman Year

The Initial Friend EP Complete (1998-2001)

1. The Frug
2. 85
3. Glendora
4. Papillon
5. Teenage Love Song
6. Asshole
7. Sword
8. Steve
9. Keep It Together
10. Troubadours
11. Annoying Noise of Death pt. 1
12. Annoying Noise of Death pt. 2
13. Gravity



The third and final release I'm sharing is Rkives Cassette
this release was bundled with Rilo Kiley's final release Rkives these songs were demos that never became B-sides which makes the quality not the best but are essential if you want a complete RK discog.

Favorite Track: Are You Sad? (Blake's House)
this is one of the few songs released under the Rilo Kiley name that someone besides Jenny sings on, Blake's voice is soft low and haunting with melodic guitar work to accompany.

Rkives Cassette (199x-2013)

1. All the Drugs ( Garage Band Demo)
2. Are You Sad? (Blake's House)
3. Close Call (Garage Band Demo)
4. Commoner (Wilton House Demo)
5. Pull Me In Tighter (Sunset Sound Demo)
6. That's How I Choose To Remember It (4 Track Demo)
7. The Good That Won't Come Out (4 Track Demo)

Bookends

I know little to nothing about this band beside the fact that they were from Santa Cruz, CA (you can hear them sing about highway 17 and local Bay Area locations) they were on the same label as the other band I've posted on here; The English Work Standard and were signed to Fall Of The West Records which was a DIY folk/ punk label from Amherst, MA

The bands members were Nick, Tori, Dylan and friends and ran from 2004 - ?

Bookends plays a interesting sound of Folk / Acoustic / Alternative music with guitars drums and violins so exactly what you'd imagine from a early Santa Cruz bike church band, very fun sound overall (think soft Koalacaust)

Favorite Track: Straight In, the song's title is pretty self explanatory as it is the first track on the album but also perfectly gives you the vibe of the entire album to come, I'd recommend this album to fans of any folk fans who want to relax and put off anarchy until after lunch.

A Hook For Every Fish in The Sea

1. Straight in

2. A Song For Matty

3. Songs About Hunger

4. Whiskey & Wine

5. Portland

6. Looking for Adventure and Settling for a Drink

7. 1865

8. We Will Not Grow Old

9. Two Nights in Jail

10. 123, 123

11. Your Life

Fever Kids

Elliot Babin (drums), Barry Johnson (lead vocals, guitar), Matt Ebert (bass), Austin Montanari (guitar)

I don't know much about this band besides the fact that it features amazingly talented musicians, this album AFAIK was a one and done release not on a label, not sure of the release date but I'd place it after Koalacaust and somewhere around the "Pancake" Joyce Manor demo as there are huge similarities in the sounds and lyrics of both releases, what comes to mind is the track Homesick  which starts as a slower and changes tempo multiple times throughout the song, it's basically a demo of their Derailed demo from "Ew Gross" (2009). 

long story short this is early fast angry Barry Johnson so you can't go wrong.

Favorite Track : Cassius Clay , This song just sounds great and simple; would love to see this covered in person

Homesick

1. Word Problems

2. Ode to Lace

3. stairs L

4. Cassius Clay

5. Homesick

Impulse Items

ok, I know absolutely nothing about this band.

All I know about this band is that they sing in english and were active from 1996 - 2002 (?) according to the information on the CD which had a disco ball design so it was impossible to scan, speaking of scans I scanned both the albums cover and the back cover which must was printed on a weird card stock and was probably done on an inkjet printer which explains the weird lines and low quality of the photos on both sides; the way you see it on screen is the way it looks in person. I really like the album art though from the .2 pixels i can see it looks like a beagle with a cig and whiskey; the back cover I assume are the band's members but could also be friends of the band so again I don't know anything about this band

A quick google search showed that there's a still active Stoudt recording in Minnesota, so that might be a possible lead.

Impulse Items (1996-2002?)

1. Whiny Young Man

2. Helpless

3. Last Laff

4. Nothin' To Prove

5. 200 Situps

Fevered Pitch (2020 Updated)

"Fevered Pitch

Jacob Hanes - Electric Bass
Kenneth Kirk Daniels - Electric Guitar / Backing Voice
Anthony Salvini - Electric Guitar / Lead Voice
Nathan Rippey - Drums

Fevered Pitch came into being in the fall of 1996, and was the result of two sets of long time friends joining their musical forces together.

Right from the beginning, there existed a strong urge to do something different not only in the realm of hard music, but also in the bay area, where the band was/is based.

The town of Napa is known for wineries and scenic vistas, not for relentlessly unpredictable and challenging metalcore.

In fact, this was a major inspiration for the bands sound, although it made it hard for the band to fit on a bill with predictable nu-metal bands, which so proliferated the bay area (and still do!).

So it came to be that Fevered Pitch is a name uttered from the mouths of those in search of a refreshing change amongst the blandness that has settled over the land.

Gathering a good following in their hometown and spreading their gospel up through Seattle on multiple tours, the band then realized that the most important element release, their drummer, Rennie, had the good fortune of being accepted to a photography school in Santa Barbara, which he is pursuing at present.

Wanting to keep the focus on the core members, Fevered Pitch in current form is; Anthony on guitar and vocal cords, Ken on guitar, Jake on bass, and Nate on drums (ex-guitar).

As a band that has always strived to stay one step ahead of the pack, you can rely on their new material to uphold their ability to make you question not only what their doing, but subsequently what everyone else isn't doing."

- taken directly from FeveredPitch.com 2004 ~

Random tidbit, I tried digging into the history of this band and found some interesting info not very noteworthy as these people now have careers and don't do anything with this band anymore; the only noticeable thing is their drummer "Rennie" at the time this band was active was on his way to go to college to get a degree in photography, which he got! he works as a photographer now which is interesting because he shot photos for a band that i have yet to feature but is also no longer together. I love coincidences like that.

UPDATED BIO: 2020

Fevered Pitch was a band formed in Napa California in the late 1990s by Anthony Salvini (vox and later also guitar), Nate Rippey (guitar and then later drums), Rennie Solis (drums), Jake Hanes (bass) and eventually Ken Daniels (keyboards and then later guitar).

Their first and only LP was Emergency Test Patterns, which was recorded at Conscious Sound Recordings in San Rafael with Benjamin Grant Dupaw and released in 1999.  Other self released singles and eps would follow which were self produced and recorded, including the final release of the Hidden Words ep recorded by Nate at Laughing Tiger Productions in San Rafael CA in 2003.

The band would play many shows around the Bay Area and embarked on multiple tours of the Pacific Northwest as they developed their sound, which mutated from an early strain of groove metal (Deftones, Sepultura, Machine Head) to more of a metallic hardcore sound in the vein of the releases coming out on Hydrahead records at the time (botch, Cave In, Converge etc).

The members would reconfigure once with a change in instrumentation, before ultimately calling it a day in 2005.  All members have gone on to be involved in other projects (Tony and Nate with Mare Island, and currently with Ken as well in The Old Destroyer [singles out on itunes and other streaming services!], Rennie with Bough Breaks and Jake with Sinister Goldblum.  Other current projects include Ken Daniel’s solo release coming soon on streaming services and Nate’s current involvement in Night Boss.

note: this is the albums cover that I scanned but I also included scans of the back and inner inserts in case you're into that kinda stuff 

Fevered Pitch - Emergency Test Patterns (1999)

1. aux. in

2. rorschach

3. headunder

4. tunnel vision

5. deathstar

6. aux. out

7. sickwater

8. smokescreen

9. descendre

Interesting news! after a short wait I received an email from Nathan with a link to some B - Sides and also another link to a collection of live recorded songs at the legendary Burnt Ramen (R.I.P), I've been given permission to share these for the world to enjoy, so please enjoy!

I'm also including a collection of photos that I previously couldn't find before if you're into that 

A very special thank you once again to Nathan for taking the time to get back to me after several months and making sure I got these to share with you all, You're the man!

B-Sides

1. Dreadnought

2. Landescapes

Live at Burnt Ramen

1. Zoetrope

2. Dissillusionment

3. Metropolis Flickering

4. Dreadnaught

5. Deathstar

6. Pole Position

Hidden Words EP (2003)

1. Within Weeks

2. Get Beautiful

3. Save Your Breath

Fevered Photos (Collection of photos and promo material 1990's - 2003)