Alarm Magazine describes their song “Shoulder Gorilla” as, “Heavy-ass hip hop with a side of Patton?” and then goes on to say, “As music lovers, we await those rare projects that combine familiar and new elements in unique, indescribable ways. Comprised of singer/guitarist Ryan Hunter (Envy on the Coast), bassist Michael Sadis (The Rivalry), and drummer Billy Rymer (The Dillinger Escape Plan), NK is one of those projects…. a mash of Deftones-style groove riffs, heavy hip hop, shoegaze, post-punk, and soulful down-tempo jams, topped by Hunter’s alternate croons and half-raps. On “Shoulder Gorilla,” he channels his inner Mike Patton — specifically, Patton’s collaboration with The X-Ecutioners — as dirty synths and dirtier guitars bang heads across the land. And this all comes courtesy of one of the least-boring “lyric videos” that we’ve ever seen.”

NK recently hit Pittsburgh’s Stage AE opening for Fall Out Boy and put on a spectacular performance… (All photos ©2013 JasonHann Photo and Pittsburgh Music Magazine)

Nothing To Be Gained Here takes the listener through the multiple personalities of the band, creating a powerful trip for the listener. The album’s peaks and valleys are strung together by the monstrous and soulful rhythm section, comprised of Michael Sadis on bass and Billy Rymer on drums (Dillinger Escape Plan), as well as Ryan Hunter’s (Envy on the Coast) visceral and uninhibited lyrics and vocal style. On “Confessional”, “Shoulder Gorilla”, “Kings” and “Set a Fire”, the band shows their affinity for heavy music, with Rymer giving the listener a bit of his signature drumming style he’s become known for, but also embracing a more open, deeper style of playing we haven’t heard on his prior work. Abrasive guitars and fuzzed out bass tones match Rymer’s style of playing, while Hunter’s vocal style is a fusion of rhythmic aggression and a unique approach to melody. On “Vacation Days” and “Memo”, the band turns down the gain and embraces a warmer, down-tempo, soulful side. With Mike Sapone (Brand New, Taking Back Sunday, O’ Brother) and Hunter taking on production duties, Nothing To Be Gained Here, is an extremely rhythmic, lyrically dense, and dynamic debut full length.

Pre-orders for the album have launched on the Triple Crown website. The LP will also be available in 3 limited edition vinyl color ways (orange, blue and clear) starting in mid-June.

To pre-order: http://www.merchdirect.com/TripleCrownRecords/NK/?artistid=2596.

NK will play a hometown record release show on 6/15 at Revolution Bar & Music Hall in Amityville, NY with Shone, A Great Big Pile Of Leaves & Happy Body Slow Brain. Tickets for the show can be purchased through the band (http://www.merchdirect.com/NK/Tickets/OlliesPointTicketPosterBundle/?productid=16920) or the venue (http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail;jsessionid=qAnD66x2VdUzSpdbUDJqew**.node10?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=3527934).

NK will be announcing additional tour dates shortly.

View the Nothing To Be Gained Here album teaser here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5D2qCbS1VVo.

Eat Like Lisa Act Like Bart out Now 
via Recess Records, Album Streaming w/ SPIN

US Tour Kicks Off in June

“…grimy, hook-crammed art-punk…” – SPIN

“…all the right elements of fuzzy punk pop hit…” – Stereogum

Click Image Above To View Video

Japanther is the music and art project of Matt Reilly and Ian Vanek, who are known for their unconventional live performances. The band has appeared alongside synchronized swimmers, atop the Williamsburg Bridge, with giant puppets and marionettes, in the back of a moving truck in Soho, and at shows with giant dinosaurs & BMX bikers flying off the walls. Having released more than a dozen albums over the past decade, Japanther released their new LP, Eat Like Lisa Act Like Bart, yesterday via Recess Records! You can head over to SPIN or MSN Music to stream the album in full, and it’s available on cassette HERE.

Album single “Stolen Flowers” features the band’s signature punk rock-infused sound, with fuzzed-out guitars and a driving beat. Having recently shared the “Stolen Flowers”MP3, the band is happy to unveil a video for the track, directed by Mason Orfalea of Cerebral Ballzy. You can watch the “Stolen Flowers” video where it premiered with VICE today or HERE, and we encourage you to post & share.

Eat Like Lisa Act Like Bart opens with the upbeat “Do Not Resuscitate,” with layers of buzzing guitar, shimmering synth and regimental percussion. “The Drums Deliver” is braced by a steady drum beat and driven by a wandering vocal line that leads to a sing-along chorus. “Green Spray Paint” features a toe-tapping rhythm beneath distorted vocals, while “125th and Riverside” is a slower jam that trades in fuzzy guitars for bouncy piano accompaniment.

Having played alongside The Misfits, Screaming Females, Dan Deacon, The Death Set and more, Japanther will tour the US in support of their new release this June. Stay tuned for more news coming soon, and be sure to catch the band live in your city!

Japanther on Tour
6/28: San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
6/29: Oakland, CA @ Metro Theater
6/30: Los Angeles, CA @ The American Legion Hall (Growing Up Dumb Festival)
7/1: Chicago, IL @ Schuba’s
7/2: Bloomington, IN @ Rachel’s
7/3: Detroit, MI @ Old Miami
7/4: Detroit, MI @ Gratiot Gallery
7/5: Northport, MI @ 109 E Nagonaba
7/6: Northport, MI @ 109 E Nagonaba
7/7: Cleveland, OH @ Now That’s Class
7/9: Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery
7/10: Philadelphia, PA @ Ortliebs Lounge
7/11: Brooklyn, NY @ Rare Form
7/12: Washington, NJ @ Washington Theater
7/13: Providence, RI @ AS220
7/14: Cambridge, MA @ Cambridge Elks Lodge

After completing an extremely successful tour of Europe supporting Propagandhi, followed by a headlining tour, hardcore legends SHAI HULUD have returned to the states and are preparing for their next set of confirmed shows. In July, fans on the East Coast will be treated to a handful of shows featuring Earth Crisis as part of their Firestorm 20th Anniversary Tour. Additional support for the East Coast portion of the tour will be from Thy Will Be Done and White Widows. Additional SHAI HULUD shows have been confirmed for June, and July, including an appearance at Amnesia Rockfest in Montebello, Quebec. For the complete listing, see below, or visit facebook.com/shaihulud.

SHAI HULUD’s Matt Fox reflects on 2013: “2013 has been a banner year for SHAI HULUD, and it’s not even Summer yet. Seeing the release of Reach Beyond The Sun, touring Australia as a part of the Soundwave Festival (headlined by Metallica – pretty much the reason we play heavy music) and having just returned from Europe after a tour with one of our favorite bands, Propagandhi, has made this year thus far both a blur and a dream, or one and the same depending on how well you remember your dreams, if you can remember them at all. 2013 is one dream we won’t soon forget, etched further into our memory receptors – if there are such things – with the dates we confirmed with Earth Crisis, a huge and direct influence on the formation and existence of SHAI HULUD. This is a special year for us, and we’re grateful not only to share it with those who find something in our music that speaks to them, but also with so many of the bands whose music has spoken, and still speaks to us.”

In other news, French metal vocalist Rachel Aspe, known across the internet for her appearance on France’s Got Talent, has posted a vocal cover of SHAI HULUD’s ”Reach Beyond the Sun.” The track can be heard on Aspe’s youtube channel:youtube.com/rachelaspemetal.

Stay up to date with SHAI HULUD’s updates from the road via their newest official social network, instagram! Fans can find them simply at instagram.com/shaihuludofficial.

SHAI HULUD:
6/14/2013 The Loft – Poughkeepsie, NY
6/15/2013 Amnesia Rockfest – Montebello, QC
7/11/2013 Bogie’s – Albany, NY
w/ Earth Crisis, Thy Will Be Done, White Widows:
7/12/2013 Ukie Club – Philadelphia, PA
7/13/2013 Lost Horizon – Syracuse, NY
7/14/2013 Santo’s Party House – New York, NY
7/20/2013 Fubar – St. Louis, MO
w/ The Overseer:
7/21/2013 Marquis Theater - Denver, CO

7/22/2013 Chapter House – Fort Defiance, AZ
7/23/2013 Underground – Mesa, AZ
w/ Early Graves:
7/24/2013 Chain Reaction – Anaheim, CA
7/25/2013 Revolucion – Tijuana, MX

7/26/2013 Rock City – Camarillo, CA

7/27/2013 Old Ironsides – Sacramento, CA
7/28/2013 Metro Side Room – Oakland, CA
7/31/2013 Black Sheep – Colorado Springs, CO *Shai Hulud ONLY
8/01/2013 Vaudeveille Mews – Des Moines, IA *Shai Hulud ONLY

“In The City” on YouTube HERE and VEVO HERE

CAVEMAN Out Now via Fat Possum Records

Today, Caveman reveals their first music video off their sophomore album for the track“In The City”. Director Philip Di Fiore made a thrilling portrait of a tourist couple visiting New York City for the first time. Head over to VEVO to see what happens when the couple, played by Julia Stiles and Fran Kranz, discover what lies underneath the surface of the playground of the city…

Recent praise about Caveman’s Caveman:
“…dreamily rendered, deftly executed pop-rock is the stuff of painstaking craftsmanship and creative relentlessness.” - NPR
“…their command of pace results in a climax that feels natural and earned. But the real star of “In the City” is lead singer Matthew Iwanusa, whose voice has an unexpected, striking richness. He demands attention, even in the midst of a weighty arrangement; if Caveman continues to embrace a more expansive sound, he’ll continue to shine.” –Pitchfork
“New Wave daydreamers…Caveman’s earth-toned synth tunnel for ”Where’s the Time.” Dusty chamber-folk rarely sways so effortlessly.” - SPIN
“a rich, art-rock lullaby.” - Fader

Caveman—a five-man vibe collective from NYC—released their first album in 2011. As first albums go, CoCo Beware was something akin to a moody statement of intent, a blueprint for a band quickly learning how to create horizon-wide rock songs that were equal parts intimate and expansive. Initially self-released and later snatched up by Fat Possum for re-release in early 2012, the record brims over with four-part harmonies, crystalline guitar lines, and tracks that see-sawed between echoey lullaby (“A Country’s King of Dreams”) to shoegaze-by-way-of classic-FM-radio sprawl (“Old Friend”). The album quickly elevated Caveman from local band to watch to a sizable touring draw and formidable live act, as evidenced by stints on the road with the likes of The War on Drugs, White Rabbits and Built to Spill. Despite being the work of a brand new band,CoCo Beware displayed a kind of Zen-like ease. It was the sound a five friends settling into a nice groove; the music that happens when, for whatever reason, a lot of seemingly disparate elements finally fall into place.

The guys holed up in Brooklyn’s Rumpus Room to start recording in earnest with Nick Stumpf (who produced the band’s debut album) and Albert Di Fiore behind the controls. The album is a kind of sonic microcosm—a series of emotional yet tough mini-narratives operating within the same quixotic musical universe.

The guitars on Caveman are bigger and more expansive, the rhythm section is tighter and more adventurous, the keyboards more opaque and pronounced. Like a marriage between Tangerine Dream, late period Slowdive, and Lindsey Buckingham, tracks like their new single “In the City” and “Ankles” boast synth lines that sound simultaneously retro and futuristic, while “Pricey” and “Never Want to Know” overflow with guitar sounds that could have miraculously floated off an old Cure album. It should be noted that James Carbonetti, the band’s primary guitar player, also happens to be one of the most highly regarded guitar makers in New York City.

And while Caveman’s music could certainly operate on the level of dreamy soundscape and still be excellent, the depth of feeling in front man Matthew Iwanusa’s lyrics helps weave the songs deeply into your memory. When Iwanusa sings Where’s the time to waste on someone else’s life? on “Where’s the Time,” it’s hard not to read between the lines. Wonder and regret seem to fuel the record in almost equal measure.

Caveman tour dates (more to be announced):
* w/ Rogue Wave
# co-headline w/ Night Beds

5/25 – George, WA @ Sasquatch Festival (on stage 5:15pm-6pm)
6/13 – Akron, OH @ Musica
6/14 – Champaign, IL @ Highdive
6/15 – St. Louis, MO @ Old Rock House *
6/16 – Indianapolis, IN @ Radio Radio *
6/18 – Charlotte, VA @ The Southern #
6/19 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat *
6/20 – Cambridge, MA @ the Sinclair *
6/21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg *
6/22 – New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom *
6/23 – Millvale, PA @ Mr. Small’s Theatre *
6/25 – Toronto, ON @ the Mod Club *
6/26 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre *
6/27 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall *
6/28 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall *
6/29 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe *
7/01 – Madison, WI @ High Noon Saloon
7/02 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme
9/27 – Cincinnati, OH @ Midpoint Music Festival
9/28 – Champaign, IL @ Pygmalion Music Festival

“In The City” Music video credits:
Directed by Philip Di Fiore
DP Christopher J. Lytwyn

Featuring:
Julia Stiles (girlfriend)
Fran Kranz (boyfriend)
Michael Cavadias (bellhop)

Produced by Ben Altarescu
Associate Producer Ari Ingber
Colorist Ron Sudul
Wardrobe Sheyna Imm
Hair Stylist Avian King
Makeup Artist Michelle Coursey
Special Effects Makeup Laura Stiassni
Gaffer James Herron
Props Stewart Gerard
Assistant Camera  Alfredo Alcantara
PA  Marcus Castillo
PA  Isa Alcantara

Special Thanks:  Austin Peters, Michael Kliegman, Rain Phoenix, The Jane Hotel
Production Company:  The Rumpus Room (Brooklyn, New York)

CAVEMAN is:
Jeff Berrall - bass, backing vocals
James Carbonetti - guitar
Sam Hopkins - keys, backing vocals
Matthew Iwanusa - vocals, guitar, percussion
Stefan Marolachakis - drums, backing vocals

James “Cobra” Carbonetti handcrafts and designs award winning electric guitars from scratch HERE
Stefan Marolachakis’ ESPN column about music and sports called “Caveman with a van” HERE

Caveman Website
Caveman on Facebook
Caveman on Twitter
Caveman on Instagram
Caveman on MySpace
Fat Possum
Caveman Girlie Action Press Page

After years in waiting, and a short prelude in the form of their 2012 PROGPOWER USA appearance, Swedish/Danish modern metal sextetAMARANTHE are now very excited to announce their very first U.S. headline tour, starting on July 17^th in New York City at the Gramercy Theatre! The tour hits several major U.S. cities and more dates are scheduled to be added soon. Support will come from Kobra And The Lotus.Stay tuned to the official AMARANTHE site www.amaranthe.se and the official band Facebook page for updates.

In a statement, the band says, “AMARANTHE are now extremely proud and very excited to announce our very first USA headline tour! After a fantastically successful The Nexus World Tour in Europe and one in Asia, consisting of almost 50 shows, it is now time to bring this monster to the U.S.! The fans across the Atlantic have been very supportive since AMARANTHE’s early demo days, and it has long been a dream for us to properly perform there. The trek will go from east to west, and more than the initially released dates will announced shortly! Support will come from KOBRA AND THE LOTUS, a great up and coming Canadian heavy metal act, and more bands will open for this core package. See all of you American fans in July!”

Confirmed AMARANTHE U.S. Headline dates:

July 17    The Gramercy Theatre – New York (NY)

July 18    The Note – West Chester (PA)

July 19    The Middle East – Cambridge (MA)

July 22    Bottom Lounge – Chicago (IL)

July 23    Station 4 – St Paul (MN)

July 25    Marquis Theater – Denver (CO)

AMARANTHE released their new album, The Nexus, on March 26^th. The album landed on the iTunes Metal chart at #1 on the first day of release. Additionally, first week numbers showed the album poised at an outstanding #12 on the Soundscan Heatseeker chart, #36 on the Current Hard Music Albums Core Stores chart, and #61 on the Hard Music Albums chart.

AMARANTHE’s new music video for ‘The Nexus’ has racked up OVER 1.9 MILLION views since its release earlier this year! The video is available for viewing now on VEVO at this link. The video was directed by Patric Ullaeus, who has worked with names such as In Flames,Arch Enemy and Dimmu Borgir; he was also responsible for AMARANTHE video for ‘The Hunger’, the lead single from the band’s highly successful debut, now at a whopping 4 million YouTube views (and counting).

AMARANTHE is: Andy – vocals, Jake E – vocals, Elize – vocals, Olof Mörck – guitars & keys, Morten Løwe Sørensen – drums, Johan Andreassen – bass.

For more information on AMARANTHE and details on all confirmed shows, please visit these websites:

www.amaranthe.se

www.facebook.com/AmarantheBand

The line-up for the evening consists of:

Tween (http://tween.bandcamp.com/)

Unconscious Disturbance (www.unconsciousdisturbance.com)

Brand of Julez (https://www.facebook.com/brandofjulez)

Sunken Meadow (https://www.facebook.com/sunkenmeadowmusic)

Louis Lamour (www.facebook.com/LouisLAmourBK)

For more information on the Trash Bar, visit http://www.thetrashbar.com/.

UNCONSCIOUS DISTURBANCE is currently writing new music for an upcoming release and shows in the U.S. and Brazil are being booked at the present moment.

See what the press is saying about UNCONSCIOUS DISTURBANCE and their recent full-length release ‘Mind’s Corner’:

“The Brazilian, Brooklyn-based, prog metal band UNCONSCIOUS DISTURBANCE’s new album Mind’s Corner is epic. It follows a protagonist through a winding, heart-wrenching journey through beauty, disappointment, and discontent. Sounds like a melancholic, medieval, Nordic pirate reflecting on life and landscapes.” – The Brooklyn Paper

“…There’s more than connections to the likes of Cynic and Intronaut in the Brooklyn quintet’s double-guitar plasticity, polyrhythm-method drumming, and stop-it-you’ll-hurt-your-throat vocals.” – The Village Voice

“UNCONSCIOUS DISTURBANCE have the makings of a new obsession for Heavy Blog. The Brooklyn-based progressive metal group pulls from their strong Brazilian heritage to create a richly psychedelic experience akin to the likes of Cynic, Intronaut, and Hypno5e.” –Heavyblogisheavy.com

“UNCONSCIOUS DISTURBANCE: Kinda techy, kinda proggy, slightly jazz-inflected death metal.” – MetalSucks.net

“With so many bands trudging through the heftier side of rock, UNCONSCIOUS DISTURBANCE opens the doors wide to experimentation. Their Mind’s Corner is a terrific record, one of the very best in heavy music from 2012, cementing these dudes as a band to watch (and hear) for years to come.” – CanadianAudiophile.com

“Musically it is great, the combination of all the instruments is amazing, they really do come together as a unified team of metal!” –BrokenNeckRadio.com

–

UNCONSCIOUS DISTURBANCE is:

Daniel Freiberg – Drums

Fadel Dabien – Bass

Frederico Carneiro – Vocals

Kiko Freiberg – Guitar

Patrick Caracas – Guitar

For more information on UNCONSCIOUS DISTURBANCE, please visit these websites:

www.UnconsciousDisturbance.com

www.facebook.com/unconsciousdisturbance

www.twitter.com/udisturb

www.myspace.com/unconsciousdisturbance

To book UD at your venue, please email contactUDband@gmail.com.

Yellowbirds’ new record, Songs From The Vanished Frontier, is being released next week, and we invite you to sample Sam Cohen and company’s sweeping new release, as it’s streaming in its entirety over at The Grey Lady, aka The New York Times. How fortuitous that the Times has decided to share this record with the city, as the band will be hosting a residency at Brooklyn’s Rockwood Music Hall in the month of June, performing every Wednesday with different guests every week!

LISTEN TO SONGS FROM THE VANISHED FRONTIER HERE - http://nyti.ms/19owrtP

Also, Yellowbirds are excited to present the second video for the record, the aquatic scenery of “The Ceiling.” The video was made by Caitlin and Josh Drake, a pair of filmmakers with whom Cohen collaborated by scoring their silent caper film, “Across The Whipplewash.” Culled from old Jacques Cousteau footage found in the refuse bins at Emerson College, the gorgeous underwater scenery is augmented by the Drakes with hand painted film effects, analog animation and photography, and digital editing, creating an amazing visual representation for the swirling and swelling song.The Atlantic premiered the video today.

WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “THE CEILING” HERE - http://youtu.be/ceMSi8EweD0

YELLOWBIRDS LIVE DATES (more west coast dates coming soon!):

Sat. May 25 - Boston, MA @ The Lilypad

Wed. June 5 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall w/ Alecia Chakour

Wed. June 12 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall w/ Jocie Adams & Arc Iris (from Low Anthem)

Wed. June 19 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall w/ The Philistines Jr.

Wed. June 26 - Brooklyn, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall w/ Superhuman Happiness

Sat. June 29 - Kingston, NY @ BSP Lounge

Fri. Aug. 2 - Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon

Sat. Aug. 3 - Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon

Sun. Aug. 4 - Happy Valley, OR @ Pickathon

Wed. Aug. 7 - Los Angeles, CA @ Bootleg Bar

Pre-order Songs From The Vanished Frontier here -  http://bit.ly/128TXbC

Yellowbirds Online:

http://www.facebook.com/YellowbirdsMusic

http://cargocollective.com/yellowbirds/

http://yellowbirds.bandcamp.com/

http://royalpotatofamily.com/