Garnering some mainstream airplay for their single "Typical," the band were road-hogs, taking their explosive live show to their own audiences while also opening for Matchbox 20 and Alanis Morissette.

Mutemath's newest record Armistice finds the band exploring a more experimental side of making music. Or it could be their most commercially accessible record to date. It all depends on the listener's perception, according to Mutemath vocalist Paul Meany.

"For every person who says our new record is more experimental than our debut was, someone else will say they find it to be more commercial," Meany says from his home in New Orleans. "The only consistent feedback we are hearing is that people are hearing the record from a bunch of different perspectives and we think that's great.

"It took us a little while but I think we were able to finally get something recorded that we were all vibe-ing off of. Whether it is a more commercial or more experimental side of us, we try not thinking about it ... This record has uncovered the true soul of this band."

Helping to shape the future of the band and the 12 songs on Armistice was the endless road work the band did to promote their debut record.

"We assumed that we would be making another record so we had been writing during sound checks and on the tour bus and ended up having a collection of 15 to 16 songs. But we came off the road and wound up not liking any of those songs.

"We had to get off the road, get in a whole new headspace and hope the songs would just come to us. That's what this record became," Meany says.

Prior to heading into the recording studio, Meany admits that ambition amongst the band members was at an all-time high but when they actually reached the studio, things got a little more complex.

"It was noble to think that we could sit down and make a great record but when we got in the studio, things changed. Every one of us in the band was hearing song ideas from different places which lead to differing opinions on where the songs were going to end up," Meany notes. "We realized that we needed a producer to help mediate a lot of these ideas."

Dennis Herring, producer of bands such as Counting Crows, The Hives, Modest Mouse and Elvis Costello, would step in and fill the role of producer for Armistice.

"Dennis wound up being the right guy for the record," Meany admits. "He was of the mindset to forget about those 15 to 16 songs we had written on the road. And though it was hard to let go of those songs in a way, it really was the right decision to shelve those songs and start writing new ... When it came to making the record, he encouraged us not to worry about the recording and production aspects of the record. He insisted we write and perform and nothing more and it ended up working really well."

Having recently celebrated Armistice's release in their hometown of New Orleans, the next step for the band is getting prepped to ensure their new material translates into the live setting as they will spend time in rehearsal.

"We want to ensure that our new songs are road-prepared before we start full-on touring in the fall. When we were recording, we weren't thinking about how these songs would be taken live; we had immersed ourselves into making a record."

"And in the thick of recording," Meany continues, "I would often think 'how can we pull this off live?' But at the end of the day, we took the chances we needed to take for this record. What the band is dealing with now is uncharted waters in the sense that we are playing songs that are not road-tested ... We will be trusting the chemistry that we had in the studio to translate these songs live."

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Truth is though, Moncton band Something Delicious aren't comprised of weirdos; they are very nice guys. But they do rock in an abstract sort of way.

Rather than being your typical four-on-the-floor band, these guys pepper their progressive songs with time signature changes and shift from aggressive heavy-metal styled vocals to pop and even funk music, all within the same damn song.

If you need to hear these guys for yourself, they've got an excellent new CD (No Fun Intended) available now and are playing an all-ages show at the Firehall on Assomption Boulevard, Moncton on Friday September 11.

Formed as a trio in 2006, the band has since expanded to quartet status although they have held firm to their musical style ­"" or lack thereof.

"We just wanted to try something different from the punk rock and rock and roll bands we were playing in because it wasn't so much what we were listening to anymore," affirms Something Delicious vocalist/guitarist Jonah Hache.

The band set about making No Fun Intended in 2008 at the home of one of their former guitarists. One listen to the complexity of some of the material on the record makes one wonder about how difficult the process of recording really was to the group.

"We made a map of the timing and time signature changes with a click track so it would change as the arrangement would," confirms Hache.

"I find that the record is fairly raw," he continues. "We didn't layer guitars and kept the vocal layer technique more sparse than most other heavy music styled bands would do. Knowing our sound was so bizarre, we didn't want to add things we couldn't pull off live."

One area that required a little finesse was pulling off the band's complex timing changes in concert. According to Something Delicious drummer Geoff Moss, getting the timing changes down took a little practice but once the band got them down, they became second nature to the group.

"The first dozen shows or so shows we played, there would always be a slight slip up. Like counting 13 bars instead of 11, playing two bars instead of three, etc. We would notice right away but anyone listening wouldn't have been able to tell," Moss says. "Having the album recorded to a click track really solidified all the parts where there was the least bit of confusion. But it also locked down on anyone making any mistakes because with the CD now released, people would pick up on the mistakes."

Hache and Moss admit reception to the CD within the region so far has been positive overall. But on the flip side, they have received what they consider to be "hilariously unimpressed" reviews as well.

"My favourite quote was something like 'If they were Japanese, they'd be massive. Unfortunately, they're Canadian,'" Hache says.

"We've received some absolutely amazing reviews chalk full of praise and spirit-warming mojo comparing us to Primus, Rancid, Horse the Band and a few other bands that we are akin to," Moss continues.

"Others though have expressed how they can only make it half-way through the album, reassuring us that 'this is a brilliant example that original does not always equal good.' All the same, it is great feedback for our debut record. The next album will be a blast."

Come on out and see the unbroken-spirited Something Delicious playing alongside Iron Giant, Prophets Of War and more on September 11. Admission to the show is $10 and is open to all-ages.

On the web:

www.myspace/com/somethingdeli

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A multiple past East Coast Music Award nominee, Curran returned to her home province of Newfoundland to make Hunter Hunter, her fifth record. It was something she had been yearning to do for quite some time.

"In 10 years, I had never recorded in St. John's," Curran affirms down the line from her adopted home of Halifax. "I had made four records in Nova Scotia and really wanted to return home to Newfoundland and work with people I had known my whole life; work with my mentors."

Curran goes on to note that making her home in Halifax specifically was never truly in the cards, but that she was simply looking to leave Newfoundland and ended up in Nova Scotia.

"I flew the nest, so to speak. Getting out of Newfoundland was important to me," Curran says. "Funny enough when I was living in St. John's, I was telling people I was meeting someone in Halifax and we were going to make a record but it hadn't been the plan at all. Incidentally though, I did end up meeting up with that person I had told people I was going to meet up with and we did end up making a record together."

Curran admits that when it came to writing her newest record, the shadow of her previous album War Brides was hanging heavily over her.

"War Brides was definitely an intimidating record to follow up," Curran admits. "It is almost as though it was my first record where I had settled into my own skin as a song writer.

"It's like War Brides was the little album that could; it's my best selling record and when it came time to follow it up, I ended up doing a lot of rewrites and do-over's and ended up being really concerned about ensuring that every aspect of my new record was correct."

Curran is one of many artists featured on Warner Music Canada's compilation Atlantic Voices, which shines a light on the immense female talent hailing from the Atlantic Provinces. She sees her involvement in the project as a win for her as well as for her friends.

"Personally, I've discovered artists via compilations. Atlantic Voices is a great, regional 'Women and Songs' type of idea. I think compilations like this appeal to the public as people will always be looking for something they haven't heard of before," Curran says.

As we prepare for the fall season, Curran's tour schedule is quickly filling up with tour dates. She will be playing here at home in Canada as well as having shows in England, Ireland and Belgium on her slate.

Some of Curran's tour dates, including those shows in Saint John and Fredericton will feature Curran and her full band, while other markets like Western Canada will be Curran performing alongside bandmate Andrew Dale.

But before the first show even takes place, she admits that she has to find her second wind somewhere along the way.

"Summer has really worn me out," she confesses with a laugh. "I'm positively thrilled about my record but am also looking forward to painting my kitchen."

Catch Amelia Curran at the Blue Olive in Saint John on Thursday September 10 while fans in Fredericton can see her at Evergreen Theatre on Friday September 11.

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Think of Band Of Skulls as guitar-heavy indie rock with two vocalists (Russell Marsden and Emma Richardson) sharing singing duties. The trio of tracks that open the record ("Light Of The Morning", "Death By Diamonds and Pearls" and "I Know What I Am") are catchy in the deadliest sense of the word and sets the mood for what can be expected over the remainder of the album. Marsden's vocals can be as reminiscent of Robert Plant as they can of Jack White; Richardson's vocals waver between the delicate on tracks like "Honest" while also sounding very much like Chrissie Hynde at other times.

This record is a delightful slice of retro-inspired rock. Check this out!

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Highlights include "Lovesick Blues," "Farmer," "Exposed" and "Natural Light."

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It's hard not to tap your foot along to jangly guitar-pop tracks like "Close Around," "Money and the Master Plan" and "Watch Out For The Fox." The band counters these upbeat numbers with fuzzed-out guitar rock on songs like "Eat Some Worms" and moodier moments like "Tell You What I Want."

Thee Requiems are the perfect example of the thriving talent we have within our own music scene. Help support your local talent and pick this up today.

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The Moncton music scene, like that of almost any city in this great nation of ours, has seen its share of ups and downs throughout history. No matter where they lie geographically, there is an inevitable ebb and flow to music scenes that cannot always be anticipated nor prevented, for better or worse.

Photo by Ray 13

The Strawmen

Since 2003, many bands within the Moncton music scene and beyond have used the Monctonlocals website (www.monctonlocals.com) as a promotional tool for their music. The site provides bands the opportunity for exposure to potential new fans while still keeping them connected with their established fan base.

Contrary to any pre-conceived notions that you might be expecting, the site is not a clique nor does the site or visitors to the site support only one specific genre of music.

Indie rock bands stand solidly beside their colleagues in jazz and heavy metal bands without reservation. Musical boundaries on the site are fuzzy at best and many wouldn't want it any other way.

Over the past few years, an initiative known as Support Local Music Week has been growing in popularity with both fans and the bands who utilize the Monctonlocals website.

As a musician himself and member of Moncton group The Motorleague, Monctonlocals site administrator Don Levandier says that Support Local Music Week was designed to give people the opportunity to check out groups and musicians that they might not normally take the time to investigate on their own, exposing both fans and bands to local acts which they might not have been familiar with.

"We always wanted Monctonlocals to be a home for local music when shows weren't going on," site administrator Don Levandier begins. "The site was designed to appeal to the non-musicians as much as it was for the people in the bands themselves."

"You would truly be surprised at how many local band members aren't in the loop on what's going on with the bands in their own backyard. So as a result of this, we wanted to have a week where everyone went local, supported one another and checked in on great Moncton-based bands."

Levandier is the first to admit that Monctonlocals.com went from being one of the most reliable sources for show information in the city to becoming "almost unnecessary" extremely quickly.

"With the advent of Facebook, Twitter, and online social networking in general, the site has become almost obsolete," he notes. "That means that we had to start looking at including more exclusive content like video footage and original video content in order to stay relevant."

When a recent discussion about expansion surrounding the Monctonlocals site arose a few months ago, Levandier says that one of the first items of discussion agreed upon was to incorporate video content from local bands.

And with one visit to www.youtube.com/monctonlocals, visitors can check out video footage of Moncton bands past and present including groups like current local fan favorites such as Iron Giant and Hope while also featuring 'newer' bands like Louder Gabriel and Heavy Doobie.

The Monctonlocals You Tube channel is an ongoing work-in-progress. Levandier says that he is continuing to upload footage onto the website to give visitors more local content which they might not have found otherwise. He has essentially helped create a one-stop video shop for those interested in delving more into what the Moncton music scene has to offer.

To date, the feedback concerning the newly launched Monctonlocals YouTube website has been overwhelmingly positive.

"Since posting the Monctonlocals YouTube channel, we have had a lot of feedback from people that didn't necessarily know that some of these shows and events were even captured on video," Levandier says. "People have been very receptive to seeing footage of bands, some of which they were a part of, performing at shows through the years."

The advent of the Monctonlocals YouTube channel has encouraged many fans and bands to ask Levandier about contributing their video footage of shows shot throughout the years to the growing collection found online.

"I've had a lot of inquiries from people contacting me about old footage that they have and wondering if it could be added onto the site. So with these people and potential 'new' footage coming forward, we are really looking forward to digging through some video archives over the next month or so. I think a lot of valuable footage is going to surface from Moncton's musical history."

The creation of the Locals YouTube channel means that bands and fans can expect to see more video cameras popping up at upcoming events and shows with the intent of posting the footage on the website.

With 20 videos currently posted, the number of videos featured on the YouTube channel is set to grow exponentially over the coming weeks and months. And though the current number of videos being offered may seem small to some, you should keep in mind that it is a love of music and specifically of Moncton's relatively intimate music scene that is Levandier's motivation.

"It took a solid week to get the footage ready to go online and much more is still being uploaded now. So 'Support Local Music Week' really isn't completely accurate "" it's more like Support Local Music Month. I'm hopeful that this will ultimately help drive a renaissance of local music support," he says.

Don says that one of the biggest benefits of the week dedicated to the celebration of local music is seeing the content and music spread virally throughout other social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace, ultimately reaching people who either don't use or might not be familiar with Monctonlocals.com.

In many ways, this is the best case scenario of what can and should happen when it comes to local bands receiving promotion"" it shouldn't matter where people find the content, as long as they are finding or discovering it to begin with that is more than half the battle.

All of the above should go without saying- local bands should receive support year-round and not necessarily just for one or two weeks during the course of the year. The Support Local Music Week initiative is one of many smaller steps which are bound to encourage people to do year-round what Levandier hopes to accomplish during that one week: help people to realize that Moncton has a vibrant and vital music scene that should not be ignored at any time and can always use your support.

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Chances are you've heard Ryan Dahle's songs even though you might not recognize his name right off the bat. That is all about to change with his new record, Irrational Anthems.

Dahle was one of the guitarists/vocalists in the Canadian rock band Age Of Electric and also fronted the group Limblifter. During the mid to late 90's, Dahle was on a roll, earning seven radio hits and four Juno nominations between the two bands for songs like Limblifter's 'Tinfoil' and 'Remote Control' by Age of Electric.

Age of Electric went their separate ways in 1998 after more than a decade of slugging it out and striving to achieve a level of notoriety that only really came their way during their final few years together. When asked for the reasons behind their split, Dahle hesitates for a moment and then explains.

"That's a tough question," he admits down the line from British Columbia. "We had worked so hard for a long time and I guess it just started to wear on all of us within the band."

The end of Age Of Electric wasn't an explosive or controversial thing by any means, according to Dahle.

"We ended up playing two really big shows with Our Lady Peace and broke up amicably between those two dates. We have a lot of great memories and truly had a great time while we were together."

Limblifter would become Dahle's primary musical outlet and would go on to make two other great records (2000's Bellaclava and 2004's I/O) before Dahle would somewhat voluntarily fade into the background of the Canadian music scene.

Dahle remained entrenched in helping music be created, just not in the performing sense. He became a self-professed "studio rat," amassing recording equipment and building his own studio, the RecRoom, in Vancouver's Song City Complex which is also home to Greenhouse Studios.

Dahle has had the opportunity to work on many projects and in many different facets including recording, mixing and mastering. Not only did Dahle know his way around a mixing board, he would also help artists find the exact sound that best suited the songs being recorded. Even though the process of finding the perfect match of guitars and amplifiers could be an arduous process, Dahle recognizes the importance of the music sounding just right for the final product.

One of the most impressive credits on his resume is having mixed the upcoming Hot Hot Heat record.

"I've concentrated on making great sounding records with good equipment. Having the opportunity to have mixed the Hot Hot Heat record was a huge privilege and one I am very proud of, considering a band of their stature chose to work with me.

"I initially fell into the studio work by accident but welcomed it as it was a break from performing," Dahle says. "After awhile though, everything goes full circle and I came back around to song-writing. I realized that writing songs is kind of a luxury."

The renewed interest in song-writing would ultimately produce the 12 tracks on Dahle's new record Irrational Anthems. Recorded over the course of a year, Dahle admits the record has been completed for a year and a half. Dahle has been taking great care in the advance setup of his new record. He wanted to ensure all the right people were in all the right places and lending their support to his record prior to the album's release.

But rather than returning to the relative safety blanket of the Limblifter name, Dahle opted to release the record under his own name instead.

"I was actually torn between using the Limblifter name and releasing the record under my own name," Dahle explains. "I wanted to make and sell my new record without any kind of history being attached to it and received a lot of encouragement to go this route from my band mate Megan."

In this writer's opinion, selling his new record will not be a problem for Dahle. Irrational Anthems will be the catalyst to return him to the forefront of the Canadian music conscious. The 12 tracks on the record show a definite maturity in Dahle's song-writing, incorporating strings on songs like "Target Practice" while keeping the pop and power-pop edge that he is known for on tracks like "Chop Chop" and "Sixes and Sevens."

Shows in the Maritimes aren't currently on Dahle's tour schedule, but admits he would love to make it out to this part of the country before long.

"I think it's realistic that it will take some time for people to find out about this new record so we are thinking this might be more of a possibility in the spring."

Irrational Anthems is in stores and available online now.

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Mutemath's debut record in 2006 revealed a band that could be just as comfortable flirting with accessible, radio-friendly tracks as they could be with indulging the experimental side of their music. It is the latter that is the order of the day on Armistice, their sophomore record.

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Recorded in Buckingham, England in November 2008 is this beautiful opus from the criminally underrated Tift Merritt. Solo in the true sense of the word, this record features Merritt's voice accompanied only by her guitar or piano, the disc is the perfect outlet to showcase her tender, elegant vocals and engaging personality in the between song banter.

Buckingham Solo just might leave you speechless at the beauty emanating from your speakers.

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For his latest record, country legend Willie Nelson goes into jazz mode for what is his second complete set of cover songs. With guests such as Diana Krall and Norah Jones backing him up, Nelson's trademark lazy vocal delivery works well throughout these twelve tracks including standards like 'Fly Me To The Moon,' 'Ain't Misbehavin'' and 'The Nearness Of You' while Nelson's 'Always On My Mind' appropriately closes the set, an American Classic in its own right. 

This might not be a revolution on record but American Classics is deserving of a listen none the less - American icons like him are still making music for a reason.

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Over the course of his career, Danny Goldberg has worn many hats. He has worked with some of the world's biggest bands and at some of the biggest record labels in the US while also having logged miles as a journalist.

The title "author" is one of the most recent titles for Goldberg; his newest book Bumping Into Geniuses chronicles many capacities of the music business in which he has worked as well as some of the relationships and friendships he has cultivated over the past 40 years.

Goldberg is currently artist manager for musicians including The Hives, Steve Earle and Canadian indie darlings Stars. Gold Village Entertainment, formed in July 2006, is a return to the management field for him; from 1983 through 1992, his company Gold Mountain Entertainment oversaw the careers of Nirvana, Hole, The Beastie Boys and Sonic Youth.

In the time from 1992 through 2006, Goldberg held various positions within the music industry including CEO of both Mercury Records and Warner Brothers Records in addition to having founded independent label Artemis Records, the number one US indie label in terms of market share from 2001 through 2003.

He began his career in the 1960's as a music journalist, writing for prestigious publications including Rolling Stone and Billboard Magazine, for whom he covered the Woodstock Festival. He would move on to do PR for Led Zeppelin and ultimately ascend to the post of Vice President for Zeppelin's Swan Song label.

But the music business is a far different beast in 2009 than it was as recently as 10 years ago. Physical music sales are in a constant state of freefall as consumers turned to file-trading on the internet, a practice from which the industry has yet to recover from or find a solution to that will restore them to their former glories.

"I think that labels really don't know what to do," Goldberg says from his New York office. "But it is the same for the movie industry; it is not just record companies that haven't come up with a replacement for lost revenue due to people getting their property for free. It is not an easy solution."

Goldberg goes on to say that digital music sales vary from artist to artist among his roster, but estimates that digital music sales make up between 50 and 65 per cent of some of his artists' total sales.

He says that this figure is lower in Europe by comparison and even lower still in Canada. None the less, Goldberg sees the silver lining.

"A digital sale is still a sale. Where artists and companies are suffering is from the non-sales of product such as downloading. That is a huge percentage lost but is a product of the technology of our world today."

One facet of the music business that is showing no repercussions of the music sales slump is the live concert portion of Gold Village's artists. Goldberg states that the live show business continues to be a very reliable outlet for his clients, admitting that the live show has become a much bigger percentage of the business for his acts. "I think that all artists have to be prepared to adjust to changing times. The course of making videos, making records and marketing bands has changed significantly in the past decade," Goldberg says.

"There is certain marketing that can be done via the internet that is far more efficient than the old days of doing mail outs via fan clubs. But honestly, I'm not sure whether the benefits of that can adequately compensate for the loss of billions of dollars of income that the labels are facing."

One of Goldberg's past artists certainly had no trouble finding an audience for their music.

Bumping Into Geniuses has a lengthy chapter dedicated to Nirvana where Goldberg states his relationship with their late front-man Kurt Cobain was "the most important of my professional career."

"I remember how sweet he was but he had a terrible drug habit," Goldberg reminisces. "Of course, he was a different person when he was stoned than when he was not. But when he was not stoned, he was one of the kindest, sweetest and most considerate people I had ever met. He was always steps ahead of everybody in his orbit."

Nirvana's success has been defined as a turning point in the history of music, closing the era of "hair metal" while giving commercial success to a genre of music that had long been relegated to underground circles.

In this writer's opinion, few bands since Nirvana can lay claim to having impacted music the way Nirvana did.

Does Goldberg foresee such a drastic musical revolution taking place again?

"I think the word revolution is too strong of a word, but absolutely, it has and will happen again," Goldberg states. "Different generations of fans yearn for something new; something that will make them stand out from their parent's generation. Youth help to reinvent culture every few years based on their need for their own identity in the world they live in.

"It was true of artists like Elvis and Michael Jackson and it will be true of future artists that can revolutionize the world with their talent and their songs."

Danny Goldberg's book Bumping Into Geniuses is in stores and online now.

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Recorded and mixed between June and August of this year, The Kamalas will be venturing to Quebec City, Ottawa and Toronto for shows prior to their Moncton date. Shapiro admits that this means that their Central Canadian fans will have first dibs on their shiny new disc.

"Hopefully that doesn't piss anyone off!" she quips.

Making enemies shouldn't be a concern to Shapiro. This is a band that can let their concise, tight songs do the talking for them and won't come out any worse for wear. And though the band's new music will soon be finding its way to CD players everywhere, Shapiro admits that releasing their music on vinyl wouldn't be out of the question if "we weren't such poor bastards!"

With a potential new seven-inch single in the works for the spring, expect to hear more from The Kamalas in the near future. Their new CD is only the beginning of a very good thing.

Fans can pick up The Kamalas' new CD at Spin It Records on Main Street and Live Wire on Mountain Road in Moncton. Those outside of the city anxious to hear these fantastic songs for themselves can order the disc via the group's Myspace site.

Also on the bill for The Kamalas CD release show are The Varsity Weirdos, The Rivermunks and The Cobra Jets. Admission to the show is a measly $8.

On the web: www.myspace.com/the3kamalas

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The first record in eight years from Seattle band The Young Fresh Fellows finds the group as an amped up version of leader Scott McCaughey's other group, The Minus 5. Producer Robyn Hitchcock elicits magnificent poppy performances from the group on 'Lamp Industries' and 'Let The Good Times Crawl' while things are a little punkier on 'New Day I Hate' and 'Shake Your Magazines.'

I Think This Is"¦ has a quirky nervous energy running through it that would quickly find a place in the hearts of fans of The Replacements.

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Harvest would bring Young to even greater heights of success with tracks 'Old Man,' 'The Needle & The Damage Done' and 'Heart of Gold' remaining radio staples to the present day. The non-hits have plenty to offer as well. 'Are You Ready For The Country' transcends the otherwise melancholic mood of the record while album closer 'Words' brings this career-defining record to a close with a thrilling instrumental jam in the later part of the song.

Both of these records should be essential albums in anyone's music collection. Practically perfect in all respects, there is a reason why these records have endured the past two decades so well.

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