Quick post here as I watch my sad and sorry Vikings get stomped.
I just wanted to thank everyone for all the support with my new band Little Bombs. I started LB to try and do something that represents me as an artist and as a person 100%. Our record came out a few weeks ago and the reaction from everyone has been amazing. It’s been interesting and very challenging starting over from Sing It Loud, but it has also been very refreshing. There is a LOT of new music out there, and for a band that just started, and hasn’t put itself out there very much, the fact that we have been getting listens is amazing. I just wanted to personally thank everyone who has streamed a track, liked a page, or bought a song/record. Everyone works hard for their money, and in this economy, people have been working even harder. So the fact that anyone has given me 4:00 minutes of their time, or $.99 cents of their hard earned money, is really awesome. I come from a band of early success and high speed development, so it is nice to be on the slow long haul. I want to meet every single person who is a Little Bombs fan and thank them. We are playing music we believe in, and it is really rewarding to see that get recognized. So once again, thank you to anyone and everyone who has been supportive of me/LB. I cannot wait to get back on the road and rock with all of you! Beers on me!
Little Bombs (ft. Kieren Smith from Sing It Loud) released their debut self-titled album just a few days ago. Kieren was kind enough to write up a Track-By-Track guide behind each of the songs on the album for fans. You can buy the album here and check out the band’s Facebook page here. Read up on it below and enjoy!
1. Back Home This is one of the first songs I ever wrote for Little Bombs. Right after Sing It Loud broke up I went through this sort of “anti-scene” phase. I guess you could say I’m definitely not listening to that music at all anymore, but I’m not as bitter towards it as I was. After working for years on SIL and watching it all crumble the last 6 months I was a part of it was really discouraging. So when I started coming up with this song, I was trying to be as fresh as possible. It was nothing like I had written before musically and it really got to me. The lyrics basically have the “fuck it, nothing matters” attitude since as we all know, everything ends anyway. Its pretty negative and bitter, but honestly, who doesn’t feel that way every once and a while? And plus, it’s just an awesome song to drink a beer to.
2. Feel This “Feel This” is definitely the punk-rock song on the album. Both Derek and I are huge Nirvana/Foo Fighters fans, so our influences show in this track. I wrote the riff one day when I was pissed off (as you will see is a major theme throughout the record), and rather than try and write some deep lyrical meaning, I just decided to state the obvious. Too many people try to be poetic when a simple, basic phrase gets the point across just fine.
3. Cold Winter What can I say… Minneapolis is one cold city, and when it gets cold, it gets dark. Living in that environment has an effect on everyone. Some more than others, but most people in Minnesota have some sort of seasonal disorder. “Cold Winter” is basically about that time of year when everything outside is dead and you get that long hopeless feeling inside. It almost puts you in a zombie/trance-like state which in turn, can be really great for artistic expression. It is actually quite beautiful.
4. Watch You Go This is the most personal song to me on the record. Right when SIL ended, my longtime girlfriend and I split up. And to be honest, it was because I was being a dumbass. I was insecure and selfish and stopped putting her first in my life. Well, she basically called me out on it and gave me what I deserved. It takes a lot of guts to come out and admit that, and it takes a true man to do so. The basic message here is to remember what/who is important in your life, and never take them for granted. Everyone can relate to this, and if you can’t, you’re in denial.
So this weekend I launched the Little Bombs preorder. I wanted to try something new by offering those who preordered the record an immediate download of the album a week early. I thought it would be a hit… but turns out, people like the convenience of iTunes a lot more than I anticipated.
Either way, for those of you who want to wait until October 4th, that’s still cool! Please check out the record on Tuesday. We will be teaming up with an awesome website to offer a featured stream as well.
For those of you who don’t mind using Paypal, you can get the record NOW! Quit giving Apple money that should go to the artists ;)
Most of you don’t know this, but for the past year I have had the pleasure of managing an amazingly talented singer/songwriter from Minneapolis named Steve Salazar. I met Steve in January of 2010 when Sing It Loud played the Garage in Burnsville, MN for a new years acoustic show. We met thanks to the lovely Pat Brown, who after a little mix up, had me convinced that the guitar we had borrowed had been stolen. Of course, I flipped out and stormed all around the Garage trying to find the guitar, when in the midst of my fury, I found it sitting next to Steve Salazar. After about 20 minutes of thorough questioning, and almost bringing the poor kid to tears, we established that it was NOT the guitar Pat had borrowed and that it belonged to Steve. Turns out, Pat had been playing the “lost” guitar for the better part of an hour backstage and didn’t bother to check and see if the guitar he was holding in his hands was the missing instrument I had been searching for.
Needless to say, I felt terrible for the guy, so I apologized over and over. I felt so bad that I even invited him to come play some online shows with us. After checking out his stuff, I, just like many others, immediately saw something special in him. He doesn’t think he’s super cool. He doesn’t shit talk ANYONE. He doesn’t act like a rockstar. And most of all, he doesn’t straighten his hair. He is just a great guy, playing catchy-as-hell music that means something to him. This is a quality that is few and far between when it comes to young musicians.
Bottom line is- this kid’s got it. We have been working our asses off for about a year now alongside my best friend Jordan Schmidt to get his music out there, and today it finally happened. His debut album, produced by Jordan and myself dropped today, and it would mean the world to him and to me, if you could just go take a listen. I’m not using this post to solicite another record (like I so often do). I just want to share with you a great kid playing catchy, feel-good music that will definitely put the finishing touch to your favorite summer playlist. Support good music. Support good people.
