HUM Tribute Album - Casting Call

Friday, May 28, 2010 9:36 PM         No Comments

[Miami, Fl] - The time has come to pay tribute to one of the 90’s most influential yet criminally overlooked bands, HUM. Pop Up Records, an independent label operating from deep within the space rock scene is searching for bands that are heavily influenced by the iconic HUM to round out the line-up for an official tribute album set for release in 2011. Hailing from Champaign-Urbana, IL, HUM released several albums throughout the 90’s, both independently and with the major label RCA. Their break out hit “Stars” catapulted the band into the limelight for a brief period, but the band has always remained an underground phenomenon. Their music combines the shimmering layered guitars of space rock with elements of grunge and post-punk for a timeless sound that was unique and refreshing.
 
Several bands have already been confirmed for the HUM tribute album including: Funeral For A Friend, The Esoteric, (Damn) This Desert Air, and Anakin. If you are interested in being part of the tribute, please have your representation/label send an e-mail to: HumTribute@PopUpRecords.com with your band’s information and a few words on HUM’s influence on your music.
 
The album will be presented by a team of like minded individuals including: Pop Up Records, ExplodingInSound.com, escapingtheordinary.net, DecoyMusic.com, Chancellor Design, and HOUSEWITHOUTWALLS Design. Having all been influenced by HUM themselves, the team is dedicated to the project, paying tribute, and all of the bands involved. Pop Up Records are no strangers to paying homage to the icons of the 90’s, as the label released the exceptional The Nurse Who Loved Me: A Tribute to Failure in late 2008. The album featured a wide range of acts from Paramore to Exeter, showcasing the great range of Failure’s influence on the different artists involved. The album primarily featured fairly unknown up-and-coming bands, introducing the world to the likes of ORION, (Damn) This Desert Air, Solare, Satellite Tragedy, and many more bands. The tribute paid its respects to Failure with the utmost brilliance, inadvertently forming a tight knit community amongst all those involved.
 
Stay in touch with all things Hum Tribute related at:
 

Check out ILiveInDallas.com

Monday, May 03, 2010 4:36 PM         No Comments

I recently contributed a post, 10 Dallas Bands You Need to Check Out, for the Music section of the all-Dallas resource website: ILiveInDallas.com.  They have a bunch of great contributors, and it's a fantastic site for everything you need to know about what's going on in DFW.  Be sure to check out and leave a comment if you can.

Big changes in the works...

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 5:31 PM         No Comments

I apologize for the lack of posts lately, but there are some big changes with the site that are in the works that will be going into effect in the very near future!  More info coming soon!  

-Ty

Happy Easter

Sunday, April 04, 2010 9:37 AM         2 Comments

 so here's a hilariously creepy picture courtesy of AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com

http://www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com 

The demented Easter bunny definitely reminds me of Frank the bunny from Donnie Darko...

SXSW 2010

Saturday, March 13, 2010 11:44 PM         3 Comments

I'll be heading to Austin on Wednesday for SXSW, and I couldn't be more stoked.  After I pick up my buddy, Dan Goldin from Exploding In Sound, we'll try to see as many bands as we can for the next five days.  Judging by the tentative schedule that Dan put together, we definitely have our work cut out for us.  

Also, tygriffin.net and Exploding In Sound are among the sponsors for the 14th Annual Captiva Showcase on March 17th and 18th.  The line-up features Nothing More, Exeter, and many other great bands.  I was an intern for this showcase back in 2008 and can't wait to see Chris Perez and the rest of the Captiva Records crew!  

 More info at http://www.myspace.com/captivashowcase 

Another great showcase that we'll be attending is the KillRedRocket Records Spring Break Pool Party featuring Exeter, Bloody Knives, Apteka, Monument to No One, and more.  You can download a free compilation of all the bands on this showcase HERE.  

It's definitely going to be a great week...

What Would You Say?

Wednesday, March 03, 2010 1:00 PM         12 Comments
A couple of months ago, my uncle gave me a suggestion for a blog topic to use.  He asked,"If you had a chance today to place a phone call to yourself when you were 15 years old....and you were given 15 seconds....what would you say?"  So I decided to address this intriguing question with this post.  
 
The thought of going back in time and talking to myself has crossed my mind from time to time, but what makes this particularly interesting is being limited to 15 seconds to make a real verbal impact.
So I attempted sift through memories and reflect on my experiences over the past decade, and was eventually able to choose some words of wisdom that fit the time allotted to speak.  
 
So if I had a chance to call my adolescent self,
 
Ty Griffin: Age 15
 
I would say:  
 
"Live by the Golden Rule; think about what you say before you say it; In a conflict, think about the other person's point of view; don't ever stop going to church; and dude, Limp Bizkit sucks..."  
 
What would you say?  15 seconds...  Go!  
 

Exploding In Sound Presents: Glorious Noise...

Monday, March 01, 2010 8:11 PM         1 Comment

 
The 5th offering from Exploding In Sound's compilation series entitled Glorious Noise is now up, and it's FREE to download HERE!  You won't be disappointed...
 
Here's the Tracklisting:
1. Traindodge - If I Pass You on the Street
2. Mr. Gnome - Vampires
3. LIONS - Poster Child
4. Regular John - Language [EIS edit]
5. The Blind Pets - Fever
6. Disco Doom - The Magic Arc Song
7. And So I Watch You From Afar - A Little Bit of Solidarity Goes A Long Way
8. White Belt Yellow Tag - You're Not Invincible
9. Let Our Enemies Beware - Personal Space Invaders
10. STEREO IS A LIE - What We Do
11. Battleme - No Time For Blood
12. Apteka - Traitors
13. Turbo Fruits - Mama's Mad Cos I Fried My Brain
14. Postdata - Tobias Grey
15. Talons - Keys & Codes
16. Sugar Army - Building Castles
17. Ceremony - Dreams Stripped Away
18. Prayer for Animals - Neutral Bees
19. Black Nite Crash - Jonah Dive
20. Veil Veil Vanish - Anthem for a Doomed Youth
 
There's bound to be a band you like on this compilation so go download it!  Enjoy...

 

Some Amazing Drum Solos...

Wednesday, February 24, 2010 3:30 PM         3 Comments

Here are a few drum solo videos that are bound to make your jaw drop...

Jonny Hawkins from Nothing More (who I interviewed back in December):  In this studio video, he shows just how superhuman he can be behind his kit.  Ridiculous...

 

Tony Royster Jr: He was 12 years old in this video (now he's 26).  The skills of this prepubescent prodigy make me feel like I'm not even worthy of picking up a drumstick.  He probably got to go to Chuck E. Cheese afterwards for doing so well in this performance.

 

Tim Jackson, 4-time DCI Tenor Solo Champion:  If you don't think this is unbelievable then you don't deserve to have an opinion on anything...

 

Obviously, these are only a few of the amazing solo videos out there.  What would you add to this post?  

 

Back in Action...

Tuesday, February 23, 2010 8:24 PM         16 Comments
Yep... that's right.  I've wiped off the dust that has been building up on this site due to the lack of posting lately.
 
Over the past couple of months, I was feeling like life was repeatedly kicking me in the balls.  
 
Then, I took the biggest crotch shot of them all and had an epiphany: I don't like getting kicked in the balls.  
 

I know that this is a lame attempt at a metaphor, but the point is... I'm back baby!  

-Ty  

First Post of 2010...

Friday, January 15, 2010 12:43 PM         5 Comments

Hey everybody!

I hope that everyone's 2010 is going swell.  It's been a while since my last post, but it's good to take a break every once in a while.  

On another note, I have a great blog that everyone should check out.  It's from one of my best friends that I grew up with, Jenni Riley, and it's called 365 to Skinny.  She made a pledge for 2010 to lose weight, and she's blogging daily in order to share her journey with others.  I'm definitely inspired by what she's doing, and I bet that you will too.

 

There are many things to look forward with this site.   There are more interviews to be posted soon like Descender, Kirtland Records, HM Magazine, Fancorps, etc...  Also, now is is a great time to announce that this site along with Exploding In Sound will be some of the sponsors for the Captiva Records Music Showcase at South By Southwest 2010!  More updates to come!

-Ty