Friday, June 9, 2017

Kathy Kave Benefit Show: Give/ Protester / Line of Sight / Corrective Measure / Combatant

On a Sunday night in a construction filled Downtown Bangor, we raised $517 for Kathy Kave. For those of you who don't know, Kathy Kave was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) and has been fighting the fight for several months now. Mike King has set up a GOFUNDME for her which I will link below, to help contribute towards medical costs. Braden Sinclair booked this show a few months back for Corrective Measure's last show since him moving to D.C. This couldn't be a more perfect gig to go towards such a great cause. I never really vent out on the blog here, but I just wanted to share my personal thoughts on how much Kathy and The Kave have meant to me over the years. The first Kave show I ever went to was on June 22nd, 2011.
I was a Freshman in High School and I was Fifteen years old. I remember begging my parents to let me go to the show, and it was kind of hard to convince them to let me go to a place called, "The KAVE" in the back woods of Bucksport, Maine. But, they let me go, and it was one of the most important days of my life. It was the day I realized what hardcore was all about, and the only person I can thank for that is Kathy. With going to Kave shows throughout High School I learned to be myself, I learned respect is the most important value a person can have, and that it is not given, but it is earned, and I learned a lot about hardcore history. I can't tell you how many times I sat with Kathy and talked to her about old shows that happened at The KAVE, there were flyers plastered across the back wall by the kitchen (Which is where you can purchase the best pizza in the world). You can ask all these older big name bands about The KAVE, and they will tell you about how welcoming Kathy was, she treated the venue like her home, because it was. It is literally in her back yard. I'll never forget the first time Kathy let one of my bands open a show and how crazy I thought she was. She let me and my sixteen year old friends open up a gig for Biohazard! We were awful, but she told us after our set that the reason why she let us play was, because we were the next generation, the young bloods who have always respected the KAVE and go to every show that was put on out there and that we have the true spirit of what hardcore is about. I'll never forget that experience and how much it meant to play on that same stage that all my favorite bands had played on. This is just one small story of my 5 years spent at the KAVE. I played there with numerous of bands I was in throughout the years, but something has been stuck in my head since last Sunday. John of Give asked a simple question during their set, "What's the best band in Maine?" That really stuck with me, because the only answer given out was "Combatant". Not to bag on Combatant, because I think they are a really sick band, but it was kind of eye opening to think that with Corrective Measure calling it quits, that there is only one hardcore band left in our state. It made me think back to when I first started getting into shows, and how many bands there were and how many gigs there were, and I really miss that. I really do. I think what we all need to do as a scene is to group together, start bands, and build the scene back up. We need to do what Kathy did, and put Maine on the map again. We are definitely all capable to get the ball rolling again, so let's do it! Well anyways, here's the pictures from the gig. I will have Links below to check the bands out!

  COMBATANT
https://combatant.bandcamp.com/
Corrective Measure
https://correctivemeasure.bandcamp.com/
Line Of Sight
https://lineofsightxxx.bandcamp.com/releases
Protester
https://protester.bandcamp.com/
GIVE
https://givemusical.bandcamp.com/
Kathy's GOFUNDME
https://www.gofundme.com/2r6qqyug
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Wednesday, May 3, 2017

They Called Me Legion


They Called Me Legion @ Central Gallery
Bangor, ME (04.20.2017)

I had the chance to sit down and talk to, They Called Me Legion about their newest record "No Such Thing", Richie teaching the Third Grade, Zach and James working at Target and being interviewed by a Demonic Ghost Hunter and much more. Richie also wanted me to add in that he is working on building a studio and wants to record more bands, so hit him up! They Called Me Legion is also playing All Road's Music Festival on May 20th in Belfast, Maine. 


Songs Used:
Must Be Nice by They Called Me Legion
The Spins by They Called Me Legion

They Called Me Legion:

RatLeg:

Buried Talents:


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Sunday, January 22, 2017

Weakened Friends



Weakened Friends @ Central Gallery
Bangor, ME (11.04.2016)

P.S.- So, to get things started here, give us one fun fact about each of you.

Sonia- I broke Annie’ nose yesterday it was an accident.

Cam- I buy a lottery ticket every Wednesday. 

Annie- My first instrument was the trombone…. Aka the sexiest instrument ever.

P.S.- How did Weakened Friends get started?

Sonia: It was kinda supposed to be a side project, and then it turned into a not side project. I had written a ton of songs and was really unhappy where I was at with music in other projects. So I hit up Cam to play with me since he was playing bass in my old band. Shortly thereafter we played a show with Annie’s old band, I always thought she was an amazing bass player. I honestly thought she was too good for my stupid little side project, but I was pretty depressed at the time so I was like “fuck it” and I asked her to join. She was excited to be part and honestly the thing really just took off from there. 

P.S.- Where does the name, “Weakened Friends” come from?

Dunno it’s a play on words of sorts, I thought it sounded cool. 

P.S.- What are some of your favorite bands?

Annie- Third Eye Blind (not kidding), Brand New, and The Weakerthans. Also Manchester Orchestra.

Cam- Lately: Bash & Pop, Andy Shauf, Nada Surf. Always: The Hold Steady, Wilco, The Weakerthans

Sonia- Celine Dion, Ace of Base, Transiberian Orchestra

P.S.- It seems like you play a wide variety of shows. What’s it like playing small places like Central Gallery in Bangor and then a week later playing larger sold out venues like the Paradise Rock Club in Boston or the State Theatre in Portland? Which do you prefer?

Cam- For me it all depends on if the audience is there to connect and experience a live performance. Whether it’s 10 people in a basement or 1200 in a theater or big club, as long as everyone is there and present for the ride, those are my favorite shows to play.

Annie- Yeah, I’m going to have to agree with Cam on this one. We’ve played some really big rooms, which is always a good time, but there are some small shows that’ve really stuck with me as something special.

Sonia- As long as the energy is right, that’s cool by me. All about a good vibe.

P.S.- The guitar tone in Weakened Friends is one of my favorite things about your band. For all the gear heads out there, (myself included), what are some of your favorite pedals to use?

Sonia- I have a Univox super fuzz because Annie got it for me for Christmas and it rocks!

Annie- We tracked both of the EPs to 2” analog tape, so that definitely put a sonic stamp on the sound, and its especially noticeable in the guitars and cymbals.

P.S.- Do you have any shows coming up?

Not really, just a few odd shows here and there.  We are currently recording what will become an LP, so we won’t be back on the show grind until our tour in March/April.

P.S.- Favorite flavor of Seltzer water?

Orange Vanilla all the way 

P.S.- Lastly, anything else you’d like to say/promote?

We’re in the studio working on a new record! We’ll be touring in April. We have a record store day surprise release coming up.

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