The ANFC: They're Back Baby!

WHOOO!!! THEY'RE BACK AND BETTER THAN EVER!

If you can't tell, I'm pretty damn excited. After a 6 month hiatus of God-knows-what, The ANFC (American National Flag Commitment or Australian National Football Club) is back on the music scene. Hayley Stewart, Zack (Zeke) Klein, Pierce Maby, and Andrea Stevenson are teenage high school and college age kids that like to make loud noises. And they're pretty damn good at it. 

 "A Brief History of The ANFC" as dictated by Hayley "Irrelevant" Stewart.

The ANFC started as something to do. It was a way for us to have fun in our own way since none of us really belonged anywhere else. It began with me, Zack [Zeke] Klein, and Peter Bolton when we were sophomores. The bass and guitar responsibilities switched between Peter and I and Zeke reluctantly played drums. We did a bunch of crappy covers and wound up writing a few songs, some of which we still play today; Bring It Down, Overture of a Lost Cause, and All Hope is Lost (The Loud Song). Later on, with Zeke expressing great displeasure in playing the drums, we elected to get a full time drummer so Zeke could play guitar. Cue Andrea Stevenson. She joined the band in the summer of 2010. She began as an adequate drummer, only knowing how to do the things she taught herself or learned in school band, but we soon evolved her into the punk drummer she is today. Because of musical differences Peter left the band. This is the beginning of what I like to think of as "The ANFC." I played bass, Zeke on guitar, and Andi was the drummer. We cracked out a few goodish songs, but we knew there was something missing. We elected to find a bassist in order to free me up to play rhythm guitar. Cue Pierce Maby. This was the beginning of the modern ANFC. Pierce joined about three or four months after Andrea. His first rehearsal was awkward until I saw how well he handled playing our most complicated bass lines like they were child's play. So he was in. Soon after that we got our first show, then the second, and so on. The momentum we got from those first shows managed to get us a show at the famed Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ. Bruce Springsteen and many other Jersey icons had gotten their starts there. The show went so well that we were invited to play in a competition to get into Bamboozle. We played there but refused to follow the strict guidelines of the competition because we felt it interfered with our values and so we lost. But with pride! Soon after, we had a falling out. One thing lead to another and we asked Pierce to leave. It was a dark time in all of our lives, but especially Pierce's. We played one show as a three pierce after that but it wasn't that good. We then just kinda drifted off into the aether. Zeke went to college, Andi started Junior year, and I was going to get a sex change operation. Just before the surgery, Pierce and I extended an olive branch to one another and apologized for the way we acted. Now that I've finally recovered and the band is back together we have gotten back in the game.

Now that we are on the same page, you realize why I'm excited. The ANFC isn't just another garage band; they have a relatively unique sound. With influences ranging from Green Day, Bad Brains, AFI, and Paramore, to Bob Dylan, The Tallest Man, Wilco, and Janelle Monae, its a misnomer to call The ANFC punk. "Just say Alt-Punk, It'll make people happy" said Hayley. 

The majority of the song writing happens between Zeke and Hayley. "My writing process is chaotic" said Hayley, "He gives me the song and I write the lyrics and melody after. And sometime, it happens together. It's really all over the place, I can't make heads or tails of it." Zeke, a man of many words, simply said "Yeah."

Now that they are back, The ANFC is here to stay. One sex change, one lost bassist that was later found, and much coffee later, The ANFC has a brand new song called "Decay," that will be debuted at their show this Saturday. Excited yet? I am. 

Facebook 'em, Danno!

Dear Music Listener, iTunes Sucks.

I'm sorry, did I say that out loud? Allow me to reiterate: iTunes is slowly destroying music as we know it.

Say you want to buy that new David Bowie single, and you decide make your purchase on iTunes. When you click that button that says $1.29, you're buying more than an audio file, you're buying a DRM. 

All of you non-musicians or technologically impaired, DRM stands for "digital rights management," and it is the epitome of all evil. Basically, a DRM is a digital lock that gets put on all music you buy from iTunes, Amazon, and Sony, that limits what you can do with your music. You can only put the song that YOU bought on a certain number of devices. If you're at your device limit (which is usually 4 or 5) and you try to put the song on another device, TOUGH LUCK, KID. Mr. DRM won't let you. 

DRMs were created to help protect "the creative content of musicians," but the only thing that gets protected is a corporate wallet. DRMs also promote music piracy, which does in fact hurt the musician. If you want to read more about DRMs, the controversy, and how they effect you, click here.

The second reason why iTunes hurts musicians is payout. If I were to sell a song on iTunes right now for $0.99, I'd only ever see 26 cents. iTunes usually takes a whopping 70% or more of profits. This is almost as bad as music piracy and really hurts a lot of musicians. 

"How can I get music without screwing over the musicians?" is what you should be asking yourself. There are two solutions:


1. Buy an actual CD or LP (vinyl). You have something physical, that is DRM free. iTunes gets to keep their greedy little hands out of your music. Personally, I buy everything on vinyl (the argument for vinyl will be a separate post).

2. I like having music on my iPhone, so I download my digital music from websites like Bandcamp, Soundcloud, or Beatport. There are alot of great musicians out there who put up their stuff for free, and many musicians who are on itunes also have their music on either Bandcamp or Soundcloud. 

Van Gogh's Ear Cafe: Good Food, Great Music

Nothing in New Jersey matches Van Gogh's Ear Cafe. It is a cafe in the European sense; tapas, fresh sandwiches, micro-brew, and live music on Tuesdays and Sundays. 

I've had the privilege of both attending shows and performing at Van Gogh's Ear Cafe, and I can easily say that it is one of my favorite places to see an acoustic set. Van Goghs Ear does not offer a stage for the musicians, but instead offers a hand painted mural of Van Gogh's Starry Night as the backdrop for a cozy corner. The acoustics are amazing for such a small place. The PA speakers are built into the celling with a well monitored performance space. Tuesday night bands make $20 plus tips and a free meal to sweeten the deal. Any Tuesday that doesn't have a band booked is an open mic night that is always loads of fun. Saturdays tend to be more established jazz groups, but have a few dollar cover charge. The schedule for booked bands can be found here.

The atmosphere screams "hipster"  with local art showcased for a month at a time on the walls. Most seating is old leather arm chairs and coffee  tables. Whether you're interested in having a cup of tea with a book or a pint with friends, Van Gogh's Ear is pretty hard to beat. The dress is pretty casual and the majority of patrons fall under the category of hipsters (which is a paradox, I know).

And then there's the food. As a proud foodie and self proclaimed food critic, Van Gogh's Ear is such a find. Everything is made to order and there are new menu items and specials regularly. I can personally attest to the Greek pizza, the spinach dip quesadillas, tuna melt, and  bruschetta all as to die for. The chocolate truffle cake made me cry tears of joy. To be honest, I didn't see a single food item that left their kitchen I didn't want. Check out their menu!

Van Gough's Ear Cafe is the jewel of Union, NJ and I recommend it to anyone looking for a place to hear some great bands and enjoy amazing food. Its a great place for musicians looking for a friendly atmosphere to perform. Through and through, a good time and true indie venue. 

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Rothenbeck: Singer, Songwriter, Bearhunter.

So I've got some plans to celebrate the end of my mid-year exams with a good ol' local concert at The Warren American Legion on Saturday, January 26th, when I come across a name I didn't recognize on the show's playbill- Rothenbeck.

I wanted to check out some his music before I saw him live, so I looked him up online and was greeted with this beard-y mug on his EP cover:

I was left speechless, and I hadn't even clicked the play button yet, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't even more curious than I was before. I didn't listen to one of his songs; I listened to ALL of his songs and I couldn't stop smiling. He has this slightly atonal blues voice that blends  amazingly with the folky acoustic guitar. It's the kind of music I want to hear at every cafe and pub because it makes me happy.

Brian Rothenbeck has been in the music scene for quite a while; "For the last decade or so, I was a drummer playing in punk and indie bands, and before that I was a bass player" said Rothenbeck. For less than a year has Rothenbeck been the singer/songwriter performing under his last name. "The crazy thing is, the only reason I started doing this was because my friend from work challenged me to write a song about her over a weekend" said Rothenbeck, "So, I did, and it turned out kind of awesome. It sparked something, I guess, because after that, I just kept writing and all of a sudden I had a set's worth of material." Rothenbeck started his solo career performing at the Stanhope house, and things have begun to take off from there.

I acted like a total fangirl and started to post all over Rothenbeck's Facebook wall, and he actually responded. After a few minutes of conversation, he agreed to an interview. 

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Q:Your songs have interesting names, like I Was In Love with Eight Chinese Concubines. What was the inspiration for that? A: Half of the reason I write songs at all is so that I can name them. That song in particular takes its name from a line in Christopher Moore's "Lamb". I was reading it, and I thought, "That would make an awesome song title!" so I ended up writing the song based off of the title. Otherwise, I'm just using lines from "Ghostbusters" or an Indiana Jones movie. There's a band called Look Mexico, and all of their song titles are Vin Diesel lines. I think that's brilliant. Not only are they an amazing band, they have the best song naming scheme ever.

Q: If you had to put yourself in a genre, what would it be? What are your influences, musical and non musical?

A: I suck at defining what genre things are. It's all just rock and roll, as far as I'm concerned. But as for influences, I could go on for days! Top of the list: John K. Samson and whatever he does, solo and with the Weakerthans. My buddy PJ Bond is a huge influence as well as an inspiration. In fact, all of my musician friends I would consider influences; they're all just amazing. I really could go on forever listing all the music that inspires me, so I'll just pull a "High Fidelity" and say that I'll just make you a mixtape. Well, okay a CD. And that goes for anyone reading. Talk to me on Facebook or Twitter or whatever, and I'll send you a mixtape.

On his fan page, he lists himself as a singer/songwriter/bear hunter, which I couldn't resist to ask him about. "I'm from Northwest NJ, my friend. Bears are nothing to be trifled with up here. They don't give a f***" said Rothenbeck, "If I was a karate master with machine gun arms, I STILL wouldn't f*** with a bear."

Long story short, Rothenbeck is a pretty cool dude who puts out some awesome music. In addition to the show next Saturday in Warren, Rothenbeck will be playing at this year's Death to False Hope Fest in Durham, NC, in May, with the band Banquets. We can also expect a full length album from Rothenbeck later in the year.

"I'll just be putting around NJ or wherever in my little Volkswagen playing. Thanks to everyone that listens and comes out to the shows! Come and say hello and have a drink with me!"

Check him out on Facebook!

What the hell is "Indie?"

is a question I am asked way too often and there isn't not a simple answer either.

With references from the Hipster Bible: Urban Dictionary
HIPSTER ENGLISH DICTIONARY:
Indie: adj. Short for independent. Also Indie rock or Music without corporate production or major labels, and is often counterculture. 

Though popular now, indie  rock is a byproduct of the music of the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The first modern indie genre would be the punk rock of the 1970-1980s. Punk that began in UK teenagers basement was exclusively counter culture. The intentional low fidelity sound and lack of any major punk label is what made punk rock independent, and allowed for mom and pop record labels and venues to flourish. Like all great births of small time industries, there is always the after birth that is Corporate America, which tends to ruin things. Green Day personifies how a major record label took an art form and ruined the sound and made it mainstream.

To find indie music, one must first find the "Indie Scene." Live music is slowly fading away as more and more of the young generation are becoming interested in a overly produced sound. Small cafes, restaurants, and music venues like Arlene's Grocery have become the home of live indie rock. As a proud New Jersey-ite, I can safely say that there is no indie scene in the Garden State. I go to Brooklyn, Soho, or Greenwich Village. 

The purpose of this blog is to showcase the best of what local indie has to offer. That means indie bands, indie venues, indie record labels, and just about everything indie. Here's to good musicians, good cafes, good labels, and a good scene!