Feb 2

The Dropkick Murphys made Irish folk songs cool, so why not banjos? The Deering Banjo Company's developed a line of custom banjos, for anyone ready to emulate their hardcore folk sound. The limited editions are available at the band's website.



Also in the mailbox today, looks like Echo and the Bunnymen are in the middle of a double album tour, performing the complete tracklistings of their first two albums Crocodiles and Heaven Up Here:

Echo & the Bunnymen - Stars are Stars (Live) from Girlie Action on Vimeo.
The Bunnymen will be hitting cities throughout North America in May. Incidentally, Echo and the Bunnymen didn't dent the US charts until their self-named fifth album - so it's almost like the debut tour they never had...

A week from today, the Jaegermeister Tour hits my backyard (Louisville, KY). The big name on the marquee is the inexplicable radio kings Buckcherry (I still snicker about the kid who made "Crazy Bitch" a Mother's Day request and dedication.) Also hitting the stage are HellYeah, All That Remains, and The Damned Things - which is the only band I might get out of my chair for, if only for curiousity's sake. The Damned Things is basically the other half of Fall Out Boy, a pinch or two of Anthrax, and a double dose of All That Remains:

This video makes it a lot easier to describe the Damned Things as a metal geek convention. By this, I mean that they're geeks about all things metal, so they're goofing off and doing what they don't usually get to do, while using the peak of their talents to do it. That's the way geeks roll, like me - that's why I can say it. (When you say it, it's just wrong.) It might disappoint you, if you want it to sound like Anthrax or Fall Out Boy... It's unpretentious and true rock music, juiced on Red Bull. For those who don't enjoy it, you'll understand how important pretentiousness is in the recipe of rock music...

Finally, I've got a track by Dinosaur Bones available for download. "Royalty" was originally featured on their 4-song debut EP, "Birthright" last year. It's also going to be on their first full-length album, coming out next month on Dine Alone Records.



I'd put this song on a playlist between Firewater and Devotchka, two bands who evoke mystery and urgency in their retro-cabaret rock.
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