Besides Asides

Ohio has had cranking some really sweet bands lately, though they probably always have been and I just didn't notice. Northwestern is one of those bands. They meld traditional 90s midwest noodly emo sounds with the kind of early 2000s pop punk that got mistaken for emo like the Get Up Kids. Go check out their EP they put out late last year at their bancamp and you can pick it up at a PWYC price (including free). Really neat stuff. Enjoy!

Kitty Little are (were?) a band from Albany that play a distorted power pop/indie/punk with guy/girl vocals that definitely has influence from the 90s but nothing I can pick out off the top of my head as a main influence, perhaps some early Superchunk? Either way, they have most of their releases up on their bandcamp for PWYC/free download but I think the best place to start would be their full-length record, Know No Shame. Check it out and throw 'em a few dollars if you like what you hear.

Take Manhattan were a kind of indie/punk band from Bloomington that merged raucous punk rock execution with a down home rootsy songwriting. They were probably influenced by the popular folk-punk movement of the 2000s that Bloomington was swept up in but they didn't have that amateur feeling you get when you listen a lot of the Plant-It-X crowd. There is still that enthusiasm but also really solid songwriting to back it up. If I had to make some comparisons they remind me a little of Two Hand Fools and the New Pornographers having a dance if that makes sense. In their short existence they released a sole EP and went their separate ways, but I know that the drummer Greg now plays in the two piece Outdoor Velour. They have since put their EP An Audio Coloring Book up  for free on their bandcamp. So head on over and czech it out.

Peace Be Still are a midwestern style emo band from Mississauga, Ontario. Early next year they will be releasing their debut LP , 64, on Sometimes I Get Drunk Records. For now they've put it up on their bandcamp for A Pay What You Can price. Rather than some of the more noodly or twinkly bands that are associated with the the "twinkle daddy" movement they sound kind of like a more aggressive early Promise Ring, with shouted vocals and some great songwriting chops. So head on over to their bandcamp and give the album a listen (particularly "Give Me All Your Karma") and if you like it download it and pre-order the record!

http://peacebestill.bandcamp.com/

Okay so I don't really have any free legal downloads for anything Samiam related. Instead I thought I'd point you towards another early 90s punk/posy-hardcore band that often got lumped in with "emo" but like Samiam, Garden Variety, Texas Is The Reason and many others had not much to do with it: Dahlia Seed. They had a distinctly East Coast flavour about them, chunky guitars and these powerful vocals from lead singer Tracy that could really flip your wig but at the same time are really beautiful. You can download their entire discography at their website. You still might want to track down hard copies as the bitrate isn't the greatest but still this is some really great stuff. I suggest starting with their second 12" Survived By:

In 2001, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment label signed New York transplant producer/MC Focus.... Never heard of him? Well Focus... put in work on projects like The Wash soundtrack and albums by Truth Hurts and The Game but he never released so much as a single with the label and after hearing his 2011 mixtape/album Music of the Misinterpreted it is easy to see why.

Columbus, Ohio's Highschool sounds like the last vestige of youth, to me anyways. Remember around the turn of the last decade when there was a group of bands playing pop punk influenced by 90's hardcore that didn't sound like the latest popcore trend? early Saves The Day, Fairweather, The Movielife etc.? That is exactly what Highschool's You Already Know sounds like. The EP came out last year and they've also released another album early this year for a minimum of 2 dollars but you can check out You Already Know for as little as zero dollars at their bandcamp page so if you like it support the band!

Richmond Virginia's Hold Tight! have recently put up their new EP Call The Zoo for PWYC download on their bandcamp page. If you are a fan of pop punk/melodic hardcore I seriously suggest you check these guys out. They describe themselves as a mixture between Lifetime and Latterman, and you certainly get the upbeat feeling from Latterman mixed with some Lifetime/Kid Dynamite style riffs and vocal delivery. There is more melody than hardcore but not quite as much as the recent popcore trend. Go download Call The Zoo and if you like it their other stuff too! (and toss 'em a couple of bucks if you can).

A few years ago I picked up a great EP by the local Toronto indie band Chang-A-Lang but hadn't heard anything from them since. So I googled them last week and found out they were releasing their debut full-length and first piece of new music since the 2009 EP. In honour of their new album they put up Fauxbot for pay what you can download on their bandcamp page.

Born in a Cent are an indie rock band in the best way possible - a band that actually rocks (instead of a meandering sense of self-importance set to notes and chords) with a strong D.I.Y. ethic. A good point of reference would be Ted Leo's output, they combine elements of punk rock, folk, soul and even a little ska. They wrap all that up with some nifty dudette/duder vocals and a sweet overtly lefty political stance. I had the chance to catch them at Fest this year as well and they are some really nice folks and put on a quite charming live show. If this sounds like your bag (and why wouldn't it be?) you can download their lovely 2010 album Who Called This Beautiful? from their bandcamp page on a PWYC basis including free. Check it out:

http://borninacent.bandcamp.com/

Keeping with the Fest formula and the Florida theme of the Freedom or Sort Of feature thus far, I bring you some donation/free music from Gainesville's own Kadets. Their sound is kind of like a mix between modern melodic punk forms of post-hardcore/pop punk with a distinct 90's indie/alterna rock/power pop flavour, I mean they unashamedly cover a Gin Blossoms tune. The vocal melodies and delivery are what really set the band apart from me on their recent EP/demo dealy, Get Up Get Down. It is available for donations as low as free on the great digital label Death To False Hope Records. Enjoy:

http://www.deathtofalsehoperecords.com/downloads/dtfh051.html

In our ongoing effort to bring you fine folks on the internet fresh content we've decided to add a new feature to the blog in the form of Freedom or Sort Of. The object of Freedom or Sort Of will be to highlight new (or not so new) quality music that is provided either free from the artist or provided at a non-fixed donation price (including free).