*Indie Rock Band Edelweiss is the Next Generation

(left to right: Niko Porlier, Tommy Vitale, Tony Young. Back: Coby Porlier)

Foals, Bloc Party, Arcade Fire, Phoenix, Death Cab For Cutie, Modest Mouse. If you don’t know any of these bands, you haven’t been paying attention to the rise of indie rock in the music industry. As of late, more and more indie bands are making their way into mainstream music. After many years of being on an independent record label, Death Cab for Cutie signed to major label, Atlantic records, in 2004. The band’s 2005 album Plans was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album of that year and attained Platinum sales. Just a week ago, Arcade Fire won a Grammy for Album of the Year and two other prestigious awards. Other bands such as The Walkmen, LCD Soundsystem, Interpol, Spoon, MGMT, and The National have also created a buzz recently. What used to be a sub-genre of alternative rock in the 1980s has turned into a worldwide phenomenon.

(left to right: Niko Porlier, Tony Young, Tommy Vitale, Coby Porlier)

One of the bands trying to break this same mold is Edelweiss, an indie rock band from Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Don’t be discouraged by the name, there aren’t any Sound of Music references in their songs.

The band has only been together for a year and they’re already taking Northeastern Pennsylvania by storm. Ranging in age from 14 to 17 years old, just take a listen to two of the tracks on their Bandcamp or Facebook page, and what you’ll hear is tight, mature music. “We play music that you don't hear every day,” the band said collectively. “It’s unlike anything you hear on mainstream radio, and it's a lot of fun.” 

  "(No) Maxi Single"

The four-piece recently recorded two songs, “(No)” and “Fiasco,” with Jeremy Sklarsky at Threshold Records in New York City--their client list includes Collective Soul, Jónsi (Sigur Rós), and The Morning Benders. If you know what’s good for you, go see these guys headline the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on February 26th before they start selling out stadiums.

According to Edelweiss ,“[they] are the next generation.”

Check these guys out on Facebook or buy their EP for two dollars here.

The Interview
1) Your music has a great indie vibe—reminds me a lot of Foals and Miike Snow. How do people respond to your style of music, especially since it isn’t incredibly popular in the US? 
Our style of music really sticks out from the other bands we typically play with in Northeast PA. People are usually surprised when we first start playing because the music is so different but end up coming up after the shows to tell us how much they liked it.

2) Because you are so young, is there a certain expectation for you guys when you jump on stage? 
People probably expect something much different from what we end up playing when we get going. Perhaps they don't expect much because of our ages so most of the time we end up surprising people. 

3) How did you come up with the name Edelweiss? 
Niko, Coby and their dad actually came up with the name randomly on a cross-country vacation a few years back in the very early days of Edelweiss; it was just a name that came into our heads randomly.

4) If you can, describe your band in five words. 
We are the next generation.

5) If there were a crowd of 20,000 people screaming your name, waiting for you to appear on stage, what would your initial reaction be? We would probably all smile and look at each other saying, "can you believe this?!"

6) If you could play any venue in the world, what would it be? Glastonbury Festival. Does that count?

7) What do you bring to the table that no other band does? We play music that you don't hear every day. It’s unlike anything you hear on mainstream radio, and it's a lot of fun.

8) Anything you’d like to plug/promote? We're headlining the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn on February 26th with some really great support acts. Tell everyone you know to come out!

Lead Singer of Emarosa and Dance Gavin Dance Scams Fans

Ever since Myspace was founded in 2003, social networking has been one of the most popular means of communication not just in the United States, but all over the globe. Individuals as well as bands could create and customize their own pages; a lot of bands even gained fans and recognition because of this. Now, in 2011, Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr are a few of the numerous social networking sites. Some band members such as Hayley Williams of Paramore and Sierra Kusterbeck of VersaEmerge, use Twitter as an outlet to converse with fans on a personal level--something they could never do before. Others abuse the privilege.

Jonathan Monroe Craig, singer of Dance Gavin Dance and Emarosa, has been using his Twitter account to sell MacBooks--the only problem is that he never delivered. A handful of people who visited his account frequently--mostly fans of Jonny's--had emailed him about the laptops, and he promised that he was for real. He even went as far as saying, "you can trust me; plus using Money Gram [is better than using PayPal, because it] has receipts so we both have proof," to one gullible fan. The two exchanged phone numbers as well, and the voice was unmistakable. It was indeed Jonny on the other line.

Screen shot of Mr. Craig's Twitter account

When the time came to do the exchange, the fan did his part by sending Jonny the $600, but to this day still hasn't received a laptop from him.  No one has.  Mr. Craig is too busy scamming away and trying to cover his ass to give a damn.  He's also claiming that his Twitter was "hacked," that the number that everyone called was fake, and that everyone will get a refund.  So far, no one has gotten their money back.  Nice move, Mr. Craig.

If you want to see the numerous comments and screen shots about what Jonny has said and done, click here.

Be careful with who you trust on the internet, kids.

Short Fuse Dynamite by Woods of Arden

Short Fuse Dynamite (2010)

1. Over The Line
2. Twice As Nice
3. Crazy
4. Give Way
5. Goodbye
6. Rabbit

Woods of Arden’s latest EP, Short Fuse Dynamite opens up strong with the driven “Over the Line,” and you will find yourself nodding your head in time with the music for the next five songs too. The haunting vocal harmonies in “Crazy” convey a large amount of emotion from vocalist Alex Kostov and the acoustic guitars complement his lower range tremendously. “Goodbye” changes the feel up a bit with an array of effects and a dance feel to the verses. The last fifteen seconds of the record allows drummer Mike Gambino to show off his chops, sending off Short Fuse Dynamite with a bang.

On a different note, the production on this album is far greater than any other effort the band has put out thus far. The guitars are less crunchy and more polished, but the overall feel for the album is mix of old and new grunge. If you like Alice In Chains, Mudvayne, or Tool, you should definitely check these guys out.

Overall, Short Fuse Dynamite is a solid effort from Woods of Arden.
Rating: 4.5/5Recommended Track: “Crazy”

*What Gets Us Stoned

Often times, when it comes to the music industry, the things that come to mind are women, sex, and drugs. Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers battled a drug addiction, (including extensive addictions to heroin and cocaine) which started at a very young age due to his drug addict father. Metallica front man James Hetfield was battling his drug addiction in 2001 and Ozzy Osbourne frequently mentions that he is baffled at how he has been able to survive forty years of substance abuse. 

Everyone has a story, something to overcome.  If anyone has come out on the other side, it is singer/songwriter Dane Estok. When someone is surrounded by drugs his or her entire life, it’s hard to escape that type of lifestyle.   “My sister died of a heroin overdose, my dad is a recovering crack addict, and my mom is nuts. I don't talk to her anymore,” the singer told me through e-mail. “But through all that, I've managed to not become a drug addict or ruin my life—something I can only attribute to faith in God.” In “What Gets Me Stoned,” a song off of his newest EP, Dane talks about this and what gets him stoned—love and relationships.        

Recently, Estok has been creating quite the buzz. The songwriter has been featured on popular blogs, Kings of A&R and Hitsdailydouble, and because of these blogs, he’s had a lot of great opportunities come his way. Glee actor Matthew Morrison’s manager has contacted him, Big Loud Shirt Publishing in Nashville (a premier Publishing company) and a few weeks ago Atlantic Records asked for some of his songs. “Things are slowly progressing,” said Estok. “It's a journey—nothing happens overnight in this business.”

The interview:

1) How did you get involved in music?

When I was a kid, I saw an acoustic guitar and knew that I was going to use that thing a lot in the future.  I started writing in junior high and have never stopped. When I was a kid, my Dad always sang while driving in the car. I would hear harmonies in my head, but I never sang out loud until I was much older.

2) Describe your music in five words.

 Semi-automatic Kind of Love.

3) Which band/singer/songwriter has influenced your music the most?

Rivers Cuomo from Weezer. The Blue and Pinkerton albums define my life. He is my musical hero. By listening to his music, I learned to write in a structured, yet clever way.

4) What does your songwriting process look like?

I resist writing a song until I absolutely have to. I wait and hold it in until a song basically unravels - both lyrically and melodically.

5) What has been the most successful moment in your career?

I'll let you know when I'm on my deathbed.

6) Your most embarrassing moment onstage?

I was in a band in college. Before one song, I tuned my guitar completely wrong using a tuning foot pedal and started playing. I stopped in the middle of the song and explained to the crowd that I tuned wrong and am an idiot.

7) Where can you see yourself in a year from now?

I want to be in Europe - touring.

8) What do you bring to the table that no other solo artist does?

A story behind the music. Musicians are a dime a dozen, but when you have a musician that overcomes a rough past and can write all their own music, then that is very unique—and I consider myself to be a part of that group.

You can find Dane’s self-titled EP on iTunes or check out the tunes here:  

http://daneestok.bandcamp.com/


*This article will be featured in next month's edition of Broken Records Magazine.