March of 2003 is proving to be fascinating month for those who have salivated in watching the first week sales of previous Indie giants make their major-label debut splashes. Among THE ATARIS, CAVE IN, and BOY SETS FIRE (which streets April 1st), AFI is clearly the band emerging with a big stick, breaking down the [...]

Well, this is “the big one,” the major label debut of a very successful pop-punk band – one with a devoted international following – one with probably a lot of skeptical young fans, leery of the Columbia name on the back of the jewel case – one with a label A&R person who’s probably been [...]

Well this is a change of piece – Victory puts out some good ol’ straight-forward hardcore, done by California scene veterans who’ve been around the block with many a band. “Forever After Nothing” is a 12 song assault made up of mostly mid-to-fast pace slams, that feel strongly dated, but not in a bad way. [...]

I reviewed this band’s debut full-length just barely a year ago, and at the time, THE ARRIVALS were very much caught up in the similar sounds of midwestern friends, DILLINGER FOUR. Now, with another record under their belts, these guys are falling more into their own combo of rock and punk, and although it’s a [...]

I gotta say, any record label that embraces the history of President James K. Polk in the year 2003 is worthy in my book. Anyway, this ABILENE record sounds like something I’d hear coming out of the speakers in my Dentist’s office, if only he was into indie rock. “Two Guns, Twin Arrows” is like [...]

I haven’t been able to stop listening to this band since “…And Don’t Forget To Breathe” arrived last week. With every successive listen, I’m conintually floored with how tight a release this is. And what’s even more poignant is that this is not a release without flaws – such as the band trying to do [...]

Maturity was a topic discussed often in the bio that accompanied this release, with the band claiming to be eons past their efforts on their debut “Dead Ends and Girlfriends,” but in context, that wouldn’t take much of a leap. Yes, it’s true that ALLISTER have gotten past songs like “Jacob Thinks I’m Gay,” on [...]

From the cover art of this disc, I really wasn’t expecting anything too great, as the impression I got was just another annoying pop-punk band, but once the music hit the stereo, ATTRACTED TO MISS became anything but annoying. This is how pop-punk is supposed to played: fast, loud, snotty, and with excitement! Yes, much [...]