Indie Update

Covering the indie music scene with several other bands, Holiday Parade from Atlanta, Georgia, offers some of the clear, melodic vocals so prominent in the late 1990s and first few years of the new century. The group’s sample tunes include a new "bonus" song "Make It Count," which shows this style as the strength of the band. "Walking By" from 2007 would be a great place for new listeners to start to get a taste of the emotion and cleanliness of sound offered by Holiday Parade.

Band members Andy Albert (vocals/acoustic guitar), Rohan Kohli (electric guitar), Michael Whitworth (guitar/piano), Flowe (bass, vocals) and Mickey (drums) have scheduled an extensive tour that covers New York, Connecticut, Philadelphia and other east coast cities, before swinging south to Georgia, Arkansas and Missouri, coming back around to Ohio in April. This tour will include such tunes as the very listenable "Never Enough" as well as "My Philosophy" (may be the best song/love the rhythm choice) and "Hope Dies Last."

Several early reviews of this Georgia band include the word "catchy" and some suggest that the lightness of the group’s style is one of its great strengths. In fact, Cassie at for the Sound.com, uses the term to describe Holiday Parade as does Ben S. at PunkPressOnline.com and Live-Pulse.com

Seems Holiday Parade is catching on, so to speak.

Holiday Parade at MySpace

Tags: music, indie music, holiday parade, independent music, indie

Here’s a bit of Georgia alternative rock music for you. They are "Fiends" after all. "Wolves" from Fiends (Mono vs. Stereo 2007), sounds pretty straightforward and "Chemicals" is foot-to-the-floorboard rock. As with all bands that play in this genre, the drummer has to be the key. But Chasing Victory adds a bit more, such as vocals with some melody to offer.

For those unfamiliar with this southern band, the album’s title tune is interesting, especially the vocal treatment at the beginning. Where have we heard that single string guitar piece in the middle of the tune? We’ll have to get back to you on that one.

Then there’s that snaky, growling "Unrequited Love" from I Call This Abandonment (2005). The vocals shift from growl/screamo to clear rock vocals – a twist that works for several groups. As a listener, I still sometimes wish the bands would just decide, but then the message wouldn’t be the same, would it? This quote from the band’s Web info gives some indication of how they approach style selection – " Relentless, yet tasteful, Fiends is a much-needed diversion from the glut of heavy music today. It is song-oriented without losing the band’s signature riffs."

Current information lists Adam as the vocalist, with Mikey on guitar, Jeremy on drums, Chris on guitar and Crutch on bass.

Chasing Victory at MySpace

Tags: independent music, indie, chasing victory, music, indie music

This Chicago group may be able to tell you that this is "The Only Thing That Matters" (Better Than Knowing Where You Are . For my part, this was good, solid rock-and-roll, unpretentious and energetic. This listener particularly liked "Texas With A Dollar" ( Stop Doing Bad Things , 2005, Victory). Nice drumming for sure.

But all that doesn’t seem to matter, after all, since the words "farewell" and "missed" are showing up on the band blogs. Some fans were, in their words, "heartbroken." This listener, for one, will miss a band that can name one of its songs "Stolen From Some Great Writer"  (Remember Right Now, 2003 Victory). Fine song, in addition to the great name.

What’s going on with this quality band that would cause them to close the guitar cases and put the drums in the corner? Web surfers won’t find out much from the band’s Web site, as this seems to be the place to get Farewell merchandise (when it’s gone, it’s gone). Members Mark Rose, Jose Romero and TJ Milici are still listed on the group’s MySpace site. Band members have included, variously, T.J. Minich and Dan Lowder.

Hopefully, fans will get to a point where they will understand that a run of nearly 10 years is not all bad in the rock world.

Spitalfield at MySpace

Tags: spitalfield, indie, independent music, music, indie music

With their own version of rock and roll from Orange County, California, Open Air Stereo has caught the attention of enough fans (and industry individuals) to give this west coast group incentive to continue the creative process. According to information from the band’s Web site, they have made several new songs available for sampling in 2007. These efforts form the foundation for Open Air Stereo’s debut album, which follows an initial EP effort.

"Heaven" is a song that begins with breathless "talking" vocals at first and then, as a pleasant surprise, incorporates vocals later that are actually breathing gone melodic. This tune shows a strong effort/focus on lyrical content. Nick Gross provides some solid drumming here. Tunes available for listeners to sample include "Your Way Is My Way" (interesting tune – is there some British guitar feel in there, in addition to something very fresh?)

The other members of the group are: Chase Johnson - vocals/percussion; Kelan Hurley – lead guitar; Braeden Hurley – bass. However, the roots of the group reach back to about 2001 and a cover band called Stulpigeon. The band has been announcing that their bassist was recently included in a Bass Player magazine article. This is good stuff for a new band, since that publication is well respected in the music field. I’d guess we’ll be hearing more of Open Air Stereo.

Open Air Stereo at MySpace

Tags: indie, indie music, independent music, open air stereo, music

This guy seems to be an average to good player and soul/jazz singer. I didn’t expect "The Christmas Song," which Halter sings (supported by close friend and fellow musician Tony Lucca). This is coffee-shop style, and that may be a good thing in this age of bang the drum loudly, growl at your audience and flip them the bird when they applaud. It may too soon to say "Look out, Frank!" but Halter’s treatment of this holiday classic is a bit more than OK.

"Try" is a plaintive piece, with two voices whining and pleading and generally asking the girl to stick around (questions and statements are phrased in as many ways as possible).

Halter makes the rounds from Anaheim’s House of Blues to a late-January gig in Phoenix and a stop in Las Vegas. From there, he moves across the country to Miami, far from his Los Angeles home. The trip winds up at the Plush Café in Fullerton, California, a show that includes Tyrone Wells.

It isn’t clear just what Halter is up to and what he intends to do with his musical offerings, but this should become more obvious as he puts himself in front of audiences.

Ernie Halter at MySpace

Tags: indie music, ernie halter, music, independent music, indie