HAVE A BAND YOU THINK SHOULD BE FEATURED HERE?
We’re open to suggestions. Write us at letters@redefinemag.com and tell us where we can check out the band of your choosing! Telling us to check them out doesn't necessarily mean anything more than a chance, but it's worth a shot. Please don't nominate yourselves... we know you bands love to do that, and we can spot a band-written "check us out" letter from a mile away. They stink.
P.J. OLSSON
Although you might be familiar with “The Whistle Song” in Starburst commercials, you probably have no idea where it came from. Meet its creator, P.J. Olsson -- a musician who mixes his folk rock with noticeable doses of electronica and experimentation.
No musician in his right mind wants to be known solely for the catchy hooks he made for some candy commercial. Luckily for P.J., his newest album, Beautifully Insane, offers much more than candy jingles. Direct references to marijuana use in “Visine” sets the stage for the rest of the album, which is chock full of stories about everything from extraterrestrial voyages to the beyond and experiences during marijuana-related highs.
Be prepared for the trip as you enter P.J.’s world of folk-electronica.
THE GOONS OF DOOM
So what you know as of now is that the Goons of Doom (I’ll abbreviate it as GoD to anger some people) has an awesomely bad name. The cover artwork on their latest EP release, Zomby, is reminscent of the awesomely bad Japanese zombie flick, Wild Zero, and depicts a crudely-drawn zombie riding on a motorcycle with flaming dual exhaust pipes.
For some bands those things are a no-no, but one listen to GoD’s music, and you’ll find that their attitudes shine through. A stroll to their MySpace site is almost laughable. GoD avidly promotes their shows just like every other rock band, but they post no demo tracks, and instead of seeking out thousands of friends, they have only 23 (a good percentage of which are probably themselves or their little brothers). GoD doesn’t even need to say it for you to know it: they just don’t give a fuck what you think so long as they’re happy.
Released on Volcom Records, Zomby is a blend of rock genres from all over the map, which is a difficult thing for some bands to accomplish over the span of a full-length. GoD manages to do this on a glorious 5-track EP that I must have put on loop about 15 times straight.
What this EP is is raw, straight-forward, and full of attitude. It showcases the best sensibilities of the DIY punk attitude without the musical simplicity and stagnation of many punk bands.