For Dead To Me, musical maturation started when the members’ former band, One Man Army, began expanding its sound away from simple street punk. This isn’t the case of going from bondage pants and Crass t-shirts to Brixton hats; this is a prime example of fine expansion in style. At first look you wouldn’t expect these guys worthy of putting out such quality music. Well, never judge a book by the cover. The contrasting vocals range from Jack’s smooth crooning to Chicken’s rougher sound. It is odd to find bands today with singers who can actually sing, and Jack has the necessary vocal chops to set Dead To Me apart from all the other bands in the genre. Rock ‘n’ roll is alive and kicking.
During last year’s South by Southwest in Austin, Dead To Me was the band all other like-sounding bands flocked to during its set. The side stage looked like a who’s who of the weekend, including members from NOFX, The Gaslight Anthem and The Flatliners.
Cuban Ballerina was released in 2006 and spawned three non-commercial hits in "By The Throat," "Special Professional" and "Don’t Lie." A new five-song EP Little Brother, will be released Oct.28 on Fat Wreck Chords.
Darrin Love
With a name like Darrin Love, what’s not to love? You can catch this singer/songwriter on the local coffee shop circuit. There are obvious comparisons to modern acts like Ryan Adams and John Mayer, but Love also draws influence from predecessors like Tom Petty and Marvin Gaye. The music is easy on the ears and resembles that laid-back vibe that one may need after a long day.
Love spent some time at Berklee College of Music adding more to his already impressive repertoire of music knowledge. Love is working on his debut EP with a backing band featuring musicians who have played with such acts like Rufus Wainwright, Spoon and John Mayer.
Mike Damante
Cleveland, Ohio has given us the Nine Inch Nails and Bone Thugs N Harmony. Depending on your tastes, there is a high probability that you have enjoyed something from one of these bands. Now you’ll have Kid Cudi, a fresh emcee to come out during an era when hip-hop has found itself collaborating with pop, rock and electro.
Cudi is signed to Fools Gold records, which belongs to world-renowned DJ A-Trak, who some of you may have heard of before. He spent three years as Kanye West’s touring DJ, and his roster has been steadily growing in the past year. Kid Cudi is reminiscent of College Dropout-era Kanye West, lyrically above his game, and has the backing of some very classy beats. His single "Day-N-Nite" has been gaining airplay slowly and surely.
For a nice little intro to Kid Cudi, head over to www.10deep.com/kidcudimixtape for a free download of "A Kid Named Cudi," his first mixtape. The Kid’s bound to turn heads sooner or later, so you won’t be disappointed.
The Carps
If people really took the time to sit down and pick apart the influences and sounds of The Carps, they could very well find their next favorite band. The duo, consisting of Jahmal Tonge and Neil A. White, possesses a raw energy not found in many bands outside of punk rock, yet singer Tonge has enough melody and croon to woo the most uninterested ladies.
The Carps hail from Toronto and play a furious blend of indie-rock and hip-hop, with influences from metal and r’b. This band has a little of everything and judging from live videos on YouTube, these guys have a definite live show to boot. If you were ever a fan of Death From Above 1979, then The Carps are for you. It’s your turn to head over to www.myspace.com/thecarps and see what all the fuss is about.
Roshan Bhatt
