Category Archives: Features

Tour Diary: Black Taxi (Update Three)

May 17, 2012   Angela   No comments

Photo By: Michael Fiske

Black Taxi are currently on the road in support of their latest album, “We Don’t Know Any Better” and will be doing a tour diary for Infectious Magazine to keep fans up to date on the latest on-the-road happenings. You can check out the third update below.

5/12 Tropical Heatwave, Tampa

Tampa Bay is one of those cities that bands dream of; a city jammed with people that are voracious about their live music.  We played Tampa for the first time on our CD release tour in January, and were invited back to play WMNF’s Tropical Heatwave Festival, which went down this past Saturday.  It reminded me of a smaller, but equally rowdy, SXSW.  Parking was a bitch, but free gumbo and tequila have a way of making everything just fine.  After we got sauced up, we proceeded to load into the Ritz which was one of the most spectacular venues I have seen…a huge Ballroom, with multiple levels, bars, and green rooms with showers.  The show is best summed up by the pictures taken…..

After catching a number of other shows we headed to the outskirts of town in search of the promised after party.  30 minutes, and a few wrong turns later, we found it; a playground with tree houses, bonfires, rope-swings, pianos, and trampolines.  Morning came too soon. – Ezra

 

5/13 - Peacock Room, Orlando

From the Ritz (1600 cap) we downsized to the Peacock Room (cap 150) for a late Sunday night hootenanny with the amazing Kaleigh Baker (seriously, check her out), and fellow New Yorkers, the London Souls.  A bunch of food trucks took over the parking lot, along with Cornhole games, and a cast of characters that seemed to fit well into the “Tim Burton Lounge” inside: all black light, neon, and twisted paper-mache tree’s.  According to the bartender Phil, our rabbit-stallion posters are a hit with the locals…so much so that people keep stealing them and he has had to put up new ones every day for the last week: “Never seen anything like it, you got something good going with those.”  We ripped through a punk set…all blood, sweat, broken instruments, and smoke.  In Orlando you can still smoke inside so smoke machines become moot.  The music was followed by everyone heading over to a friends lake house…a night of hammocks, rowboats, late night conversations over tallboys.  If you find yourself in Orlando do yourself a favor; skip Disney and give the Peacock a go.  You won’t be disappointed.  Also get a sandwich at Pom Pom’s.  They have one called Grandma’s Thanksgiving Special and they are right.  They somehow manage to balance all of thanksgiving, family feuds aside, in-between 2 pieces of bread.  Seriously, you owe it to yourself. – Ezra

 

 

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Tour Diary: Black Taxi (Update Two)

May 16, 2012   Angela   No comments

Photo By: Michael Fiske

Black Taxi are currently on the road in support of their latest album, “We Don’t Know Any Better” and will be doing a tour diary for Infectious Magazine to keep fans up to date on the latest on-the-road happenings. You can check out the second update below.

5/10-The Stage, Miami, FL

We love Miami, with all it’s chic design, amazing weather and beautiful people.  It was our second time there as a band, we’d been really looking forward to coming back after last time we were here back in January.  We performed at The Stage which is one of only a few clubs that features live music, which is in contrast to the DJ culture that dominates Miami’s nightlife.  On the bill with us was a local band who’s entire set was in Spanish, and some new friends of ours from Brooklyn, a duo called BoomChick.

Some good friends of ours in the arts were in attendance – well-know Miami artist Lebo (http://www.lebostudios.com/ ) was in attendance, as were some of his paintings installed for our show.  A while back in NYC, Lebo painted live during one of our performances and even painted up one of Ezra’s megaphones in his signature style.  We were psyched to have him and a few other notables from the Miami arts and music scene at our show.

We were lucky enough to stay close by with another artist and good friend Hugo Montoya (http://hugomontoya.blogspot.com/ , ), who despite having his hands full with a huge installation project showed us his usual hospitality by opening up his home in the heart of Miami’s arts district.  This city is so full of good people and creative minds and artists making names for themselves on their own terms – it’s so inspiring for us to come be a part of that if only for a few moments.

Miami photographer Stian Petter Roenning ( http://www.stianroenning.com/ ) was at our show and had invited us to come by his studio the following day for a shoot.  We spent a few hours in his amazing space, playing with props and having fun in from of the camera.  It seems that whatever Stian touches turns to photographic gold and we couldn’t be happier with the results of this shoot.  You’ll be seeing the shots soon…

Thanks for following along tour with us, and we invite you to come check out our shows!  If you see that we’re playing in a city where you have friends send ‘em on out to catch a show and hang out. We love making new friends and playing to a crowd!  ( http://www.blacktaxi.com/tour/ ) – Jason

5/11-Funky Buddha, Boca Raton, FL

The rat’s mouth?  Surely a geographical reference for this otherwise friendly and beautiful town.  We rolled into town after driving some pretty long stretches and the beach was a welcome sight.  Somehow Paul Simon’s Graceland album made it’s way into Tony Vanza’s playlist and we were like, super feeling it, ya know?  We jammed on the mini acoustic guitar and threw a baseball around while the venue prepped for our arrival.  Boca had it’s share of Black Taxi supporters which was a welcoming surprise for our first show there.  Also in attendance was our old friend, Debbie, who was a fan of ours probably before anyone else.  I get the feeling Florida leans toward the jam bands because the guitar and trumpet solos were a fan favorite.  We’ll be back, Boca.  Put that keg of Hop Gun IPA on ice for us. – Bill

 

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Tour Diary: Black Taxi (Update One)

May 15, 2012   Angela   No comments

Photo By: Michael Fiske

Black Taxi are currently on the road in support of their latest album, “We Don’t Know Any Better” and will be doing a tour diary for Infectious Magazine to keep fans up to date on the latest on-the-road happenings. You can check out the first update below.

5/8-DC9, Washington DC 

Our first stop of our tour. It’s definitely nice to have a short drive to our first gig; I knew the next  two days (Atlanta, Miami) were all super long, so it’s important to get some time to stretch out a little and move around, especially on stage. Like many of the stops of our previous tours, I haven’t been to most of the east coast cities since I was kid. Driving past national monuments, it’s sort of surreal to pass by these places from my memory as a kid and the reason why I’m back is not because of family excursion, it’s because the decisions I’ve made. It’s our first gig in DC, and I was curious to see how the turnout was going to be given that it’s during the week. But I was pleasantly surprised, and I kept thinking this Tuesday night became a Friday night. Pretty impressed, DC. You guys know how to party. If I can help it, we’ll be back there soon. – Krisana

5/9-The Masquerade, Atlanta, GA

Brooklyn is not the only town with factories-turned-music venues.  The Masquerade in Atlanta was originally a steam powered mill, then abandoned, then a pizza shop, and then morphed into a 3 room rock club.  We played a really fun show to an intimate crowd on that Wednesday night, and met some nice kids who were there to see the other band in the bigger room.  Good times for sure.  We then proceeded to go to Atlanta’s most famous strip club, the Clermont Lounge.  Now, Black Taxi usually goes to the cabaret for a sensible lunch buffet, not so much after dark.  But we made an exception for Clermont Lounge which is home to the famous “Blondie” who crushes beer cans with her hoo-ha.  Unfortunately she was on sabbatical and we saw the JV squad instead, which was perfectly entertaining.  And after a restful night’s sleep in a room at the Highland (which housed Dick Dale at one point, as well as some sweet metal bands from the 80s I’ve never heard of), we said “À bientôt” to Atlanta and moved on down the road. – Bill

 

 

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New Music Monday: Counting The Trees “Ge ing Comfor able (Some hing’s Missing)”

May 14, 2012   Angela   No comments

Strangely captivating, surprisingly relevant and chock-full of musical melodies and loaded layers, Counting The Trees latest piece, Ge ing Comfor able (Some hing’s Missing) is an EP unlike your run-of-the-mill, get-up-off-your-chair-and-bop-your-head tempos. And not because you won’t want to bop your head, because you will, but in a very different way….because what Counting The Trees brings to the table is something so much more thought out. It is compressed confusion, shock induced awe, and overall musical harmony in the most fascinating way.

You can download the album for free here, and let us know your thoughts!

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New Music Monday: Bright Light Bright Light “Make Me Believe In Hope.”

May 07, 2012   Angela   No comments

For this week’s New Music Monday, we’re bringing you UK sensation Bright Light Bright Light, featuring the inner-workings of Rod Thomas’ mind. With a long list of talents including writer, producer, DJ and singer, it’s no surprise that Thomas’ current project is off to a rocket start.

Make Me Believe In Hope is an electrical paradise, filled with pulsating synth and infectious dance beats, walking the fine line between dance club mandates and at home couch dancing. Tracks like  “Waiting For The Feeling” leave the listener instantly transported to the nearest twenty-something filled club while “Love Part II” and  “Disco Moment” although upbeat and rhythmic, are far more soothing. However there is one common theme all the tracks encompass,total and complete marketability. There isn’t a single track that the every day, music loving, radio scanning, modern melody loving individual wouldn’t be tapping their foot to.

You can check out more of Bright Light Bright Light here, and keep an eye out for Make Me Believe In Hope which drops June 26th via Aztec Records.

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Local Cause: Rock For A Difference

May 07, 2012   Angela   No comments

Alright LA folk, now is your chance to really make a difference in the community! Rock For A Difference, hosted by the band Decoded is looking to improve the community by each week featuring one Los Angeles organization which works to make the city a better place, including organizations which work directly with children.

Each date will feature raffles with proceeds from the raffle being donated directly to the organization of the week. You can find out dates and causes below and be sure to get involved in an amazing cause!

May 3rd – Ace of Hearts – http://acesangels.org/
May 10th – Create Now! – http://www.createnow.org/
May 17th – Coalition for Clean Air – http://www.ccair.org

May 24th – HeARTS Giving Hope – http://www.heartsgivinghope.org/
May 31st – Rent.Food.Broke. – http://rentfoodbroke.com/
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Live Review: The All-American Rejects & A Rocket To The Moon, Boston, MA

May 03, 2012   Eric Monfette   No comments

Now, most reviews, I enjoy a leisurely stroll through a sentence or two, stopping to smell peculiar roses grown from the usually, amiable surroundings of the noted venue. Not this time. Let’s just say my superfluously sarcastic tone will serve as a catalyst whose intentions are merely to rebut the overly confident and professionally exhausting misconceptions seemingly harbored by…basically everyone I met on the MIT campus; that’s unfair, there was one kid sitting, cross-legged on a table, checking tickets. I wish I got his name; he actually seemed pleased to help out. However, in summation, MIT (believe it or not) averages out to a sub-par, irrational, mess of “numbers” all but ostracizing their own benefactors with a righteous lack of information, anchored by the fact that you, said benefactor, has paid to see this show. Ok, that was fun.

On to something more meaningful, something less aesthetic. As my photographer and I take our seats, (refer to the first paragraph for a hint as to why there are no pictures)  members from A Rocket to the Moon take the stage. The popularly styled barrage of upbeat hooks and pre-Bieber teeny bopping lyrics quickly possess the stage, as audience members in the bleachers find their ears perking up, and the addictive melodies pulling them to their feet. Any stragglers willing to give in to the infectious vibes were probably stunned at how quickly they we’re ushered to the floor. As the energy surrounding the stage plateaus and the pleasantries of opening a show wear off, a band like A Rocket to the Moon certainly knows how to keep it interesting, going into a timely rendition of “Free Falling,” backed by a chorus of audience members, and believably, security guards! It’s bands like these that remind us of how music unifies us through our most basic of emotions without any reference to looks or situational infidelities.  With the proclamation “the Rejects are up next!” A Rocket to the Moon exits the stage as roadies swarm in, tearing down and tuning up.

With the members of the band nowhere in sight, lights dim and a solid…mmm, let’s say, dance beat, permeates the air. Space filling, tension building, bump and grind beats. Honestly flabbergasted by the whole to-do of it all, I sit back, put up my feet and get prepared for an act I’ve personally been in the market to see for a while now. Out of the gates and onto the stage, lead singer/bassist, Tyson Ritter, comes barreling into view on a herald of “Swing, Swing,” warranting my excitement for these self-proclaimed dissenters. Ritter seems, oddly on top of his game, as if the cause for the formulation of the name The All-American Rejects is still, burning a hole in his head. He clutches the microphone like a wound and holds nothing back as he relieves himself of the bass guitar. This is wild. Ritter, who seems so unassuming and charming, hits a rather dissonant chord with his bantering interludes about songs like “Dirty Little Secret”, obviously striking a nerve with certain members of the staff. This puts a smile on my face and gives my cohort and I a good laugh of relief. This is what music is about. Feeling the moments and living within them. Something, I feel as though Ritter and all of the guys from the Rejects whole-heartedly understand after seeing such a performance. I almost feel bad for an audience catching them on a happy day ; the Rejects sure know how to share their convictions.

 

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Awaken The Empire Contest (Part 2)!

May 02, 2012   Angela   1 Comment

Infectious Magazine has teamed up with Big Picture Media and Awaken The Empire to give two lucky winners an official Awaken The Empire T-shirt, which can be seen below.

For this contest, we want to see your creative side! Send us a video, photo, poem, story, etc explaining your love of the band and why you’d like to win. Contest ends 5-21. There are three ways you can get involved:

Email us: Contests@infectiousmagazine.com

Tweet us: @InfectiousMag

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/infectiousmagazine

Good luck!

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New Music Monday: PK “The Lost Boys Sessions.”

April 30, 2012   Angela   No comments

Immediately reminiscent of pop rock/indie bands across the pond, PK’s The Lost Boys Sessions is a sultry escape into the minds and talents of it’s members; Travis Hawley (Vocals), Nick Fotinakes (Guitar), Matt DePauw (Guitar), Mikel Vk (Bass), and Rico Rodriguez  (Drums).

In this short 17 minute album, tracks like “Seawolves” and “Chase The Sky” stand out with their ease of listening and smooth transitions, while the “Some Nights” of the album bring energy and optimism to even the saddest of lyrics. Example: Take lyrics like “Those days are gone and I can’t get them back and now I can’t explain how we lost it but it’s gone, it won’t come back” (“I Know”) and throw in electronic highs and rhythmic drums and suddenly the mood isn’t looking so melancholy.

Although it’s true that PK’s lyrics might be consistently solemn, their musicianship is smooth, leading their listeners into a calm comfortable state of self-reflection. Won’t you join them on this journey?

Check out more of PK on Facebook, Twitter, and of course keep an eye on their merch store for The Lost Boys Sessions which drops May 29th.

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The Rant Sessions: Anthony’s Ears are Bleeding and it Hurts

April 24, 2012   Anthony Frith   No comments

The original definition of music is as follows:

The art or science of combining vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.

Unfortunately those of you who were born in the last 20-years it’s something along the lines of:

The art or science of combining vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) to produce a basic 4/4 beat, some beeps and the following words ‘hoe, sex, booze, etc’.

Yes, I am aware there are some of you out there who are yelling at your computer screen, probably punching through it trying to grab my throat, yelling guttural noises that don’t really form what you are trying to say which is ‘But Anthony! There has always been bad music, think of Rick Astley, think of, think of Backstreet Boys!’ I understand, and I agree; I just like being angry.

But, really, you can’t compare Backstreet Boys – the gorgeous teenage heart throbs that they were – to some one like, lets say, Nicki Minaj.

Backstreet Boys’ lyrical content:

Going on dates, kissing, being back, wanting things a certain way.

Nicki Minaj’s lyrical content:

Ass, ass, ass, ass, ass.

Now, let’s compare N-Sync to Lady Gaga, I know you all love and support N-Sync. ’cause if it weren’t for them none of you would have that ‘really good’ and ‘extremely talented’ Hollywood actor Justin Timberlake, right? At least we got something which I can kind of understand out of those guys. WHAT HAS LADY GAGA EVER GIVEN TO THE WORLD?* Meat dresses? My son has nightmares about meat dresses thanks to her.** Kermit the Frog dress things? Could you imagine how she designs these clothes? She probably hires a guy at the cold storage room at the butcher, then a toystore or a zoo, then gets a bunch of guys to spray her down with a Firehose that shoots glue and then she just rolls around for 45-50 minutes then goes about her day like some sort of magnet with nails and paperclips attached to it.

I know, I know, I’m wrong. You’re still saying ‘but Anthony, you conceited cry baby; think of how much people hated rag-time back in it’s day,’ and yet again, I agree! I would counter this with something like ‘screw you,’ and then probably listen to ‘The Entertainer’ on repeat for a couple of hours while a single tear, repeatedly, rolls down my face.

Okay, okay. I know, you’re right. But, ragtime, that was one style of music! ONE! In a time of no TV, no Internet, there was no real media back then. Now it’s everywhere, you get your nu-metals, your dub-steps, your MTV-hip-hop and it’s available 24/7 for 16-year olds to download and listen to on the bus with out headphones. It’s constant, there’s no way out of it. I bet even the guy that 127 Hours really happened to still heard the latest Nickelback album about 18 times while he was down there.

Let’s not support this stuff anymore. Urinate on any available radio, punch holes in TV screens instead of your computer (see paragraph 3), take radio presenters and DJs hostage and lastly, if you see Nicki Minaj in the street, please, PLEASE, trip her over into a Puddle of Mudd.

Ps. Feel free to imagine some Kanye West jokes here and there as well, I hate that guy. Who publicly states they ‘don’t see the point in books’ writes one and leaves it riddled with spelling mistakes? Who does this guy think he is?

*I don’t really have a son but if I did I’m sure he would.

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