Monday, January 25, 2010

Amora Savant - Complete Recordings

Amora Savant was a melodic metalcore band from Milwaukee that were very close to me. My old band Harlots toured with them, and then I filled in for them for a tour on drums, and then I ended up joining and writing nearly a full length of material with them. We had a contract from Lifeforce Records in our hands, and then broke up (ever wonder why Harlots signed to Lifeforce?), and then I played half of their last show with them. I feel like a lot of people wrote this band off because of the EP, but no one ever heard the newer material we were working on. Definately some music I'm very proud of, but it was never released! So here you go...

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Here is the last show in it's entirety, with talking and everything in between. This is still one of the most fun shows I've ever played. Lineup: Andy Parmann - vocals, John Grant - guitar, Jamie Kerwin - guitar, Tim Marshall - bass (tracks 1-5), Ryan Blundon - bass (tracks 6-11), Jeff Lohrber - drums (tracks 1-5), Ross Bomber - drums (tracks 6-11).
http://www.mediafire.com/?m2cjeyej5jm

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These are all of the unreleased demos that we recorded. Some were recorded properly and sound really good, some were recorded in our practice space with a 4 track, and sound kinda shitty, but the material I think is really good. There is also a bonus live track from 9/06 that sounds pretty good. Lineup: Andy Parmann - vocals, John Grant - guitar, Jamie Kerwin - guitar, Tim Marshall - bass (demo 2006), Chris Hatem - drums (demo 2006), Devin ???? - drums (4 track demos, tracks 1-2), Jeff Lohrber - drums (all the other 4 track demos and the bonus live song), Ryan Blundon - bass on bonus live song.
http://www.mediafire.com/?zgmz1wmy2gm

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This is the EP that was released on Andy's label Volatile Recordings and is no longer in print. I have so many good memories playing some of these songs live. Lineup: Andy Parmann - vocals, John Grant - guitar, Jamie Kerwin - guitar, Matt Sedlacek - bass, Ross Bomber - drums.

Also, a clip from our last show:

Dead Blue Sky - Unreleased Live 10", Symptoms of an Unwanted Emotion, and the 7"

Dead Blue Sky is one of the bands that I have my first memories of seeing live. They were never really that popular in the states, seeing as how they only went on one European tour and a handful of shows in the states, and Goodlife Recordings (from Belgium) distro in the states has always kind of sucked. These guys like all bands that came from Dayton Ohio were plagued with lineup problems from day one. Dead Blue Sky (at one point or another) shared members with Twelve Tribes, Rune, and Morning Again, and members of this band went on to play in Mouth of the Architect, Struck By Lightning, and Joshua Conway does singer/songwriter acoustic stuff now. I'm not sure quite how to describe them if you've never heard them, maybe picture Cradle of Filth's "Cruelty and the Beast" record meets Shai Hulud's "That Within Blood Ill Tempered", with a touch of Zao "Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest".

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This is a live 10" that was supposed to come out on a label from Italy but was never released, plus one new song they recorded that never got vocals on it. I think this live recording is way better than the full length, and the instrumental song is probably one of the best pieces of music that I've ever heard, such a shame it was never finished and released. Lineup: Andy Dwyer - Vocals, Joshua Conway - guitar, Aaron Hiser - guitar, Kevin Schindel - bass, Dave Mann - drums, Gregory Lahm - keyboards.
http://www.mediafire.com/?jmhzmwnylde

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This is the full length that came out in 2001 on Goodlife Recordings. I have so many good memories listening to this record, but I've always felt that the production was a little weird. I always loved how unpredictably awesome Alex's drumming was, and unfortunately this is the only documentation I have of that. Lineup: Andy Dwyer - Vocals, Joshua Conway - guitar, Aaron Hiser - guitar, Kevin Schindel - bass, Alex Vernon - drums, Matt Mellinger - keyboards.
http://www.mediafire.com/?dcgmz5mujdt

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This is their first 7" that Goodlife put out in 1998. It hasn't really stood the test of time, but again I remember seeing them back in the day and it was fucking awesome. This had 2 members of Morning Again on it, who I also loved back in the day. You might have been able to find this on Soulseek and other places, but this is taken from the master, and not a vinyl rip, so it sounds better. I've heard that the band never wanted this released, and that Goodlife just put it out because of how well Morning Again was doing in Europe. Lineup: Chris Scherrer - vocals, Joshua Conway - guitar, Aaron Hiser - guitar, Kevin Byers - bass, Matt Thomas - drums.
http://www.mediafire.com/?dg4iw3mzii2

Veil of Maya - Mark the Lines (unreleased demo)

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This is only one song, recorded summer of 2007 in between the Corrosive full length and them signing to Sumerian. This song ended up on the full length "The Common Man's Collapse", but I have always enjoyed this version much more. The album version is slowed down a ton, which shows a lot of control, but this version is instrumental and is fast as fuck. It really shows how talented of a guitarist Marc Okubo is and how good of a drummer Sam Applebaum is. These guys are really popular now, but they were my good friends back in the day. Had many a good times chillin with these guys.

http://www.mediafire.com/?wogddwrzwiz

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Today is the Day - Unreleased Demos and Live Set



I'm asked quite a bit about my involvement in Today is the Day, so here it is. I first joined Today is the Day in March of 2005, and within a week of my first phone conversation with Steve Austin I was on a bus to Massachusetts to drum in one of my all time favorite bands. I played a handful of U.S. dates with them, including one of the last shows at CBGB's, we were slated to play Hellfest 2005 (which was cancelled I think the day before), and I did about a 2 week European tour hitting 7 different countries. I recorded a 4 song demo (and helped write 2 other songs) for what ended up being their 8th full length "Axis of Eden". I quit the band in November of that year (this is all documented on Lambgoat by the way) because of some personal differences between Steve and I, and more so that TITD was getting in the way of me doing Harlots, which was my baby. They ended up hiring Derek Roddy to play on "Axis of Eden" and I lost touch with Steve until April of 2008 when they came through Milwaukee on their Total Resistance tour. Steve got in touch with me and asked me if I would want to tour with the band again and possibly do a new record, and I immediately said yes seeing as how Harlots was breaking up and the Shai Hulud tour I was just on went to complete shit. I was set to do a tour with Today is the Day in November 2008 playing "Axis of Eden" in it's entirety to a movie, but things didn't work out and they ended up hiring the drummer from Four Question Marks to do the tour. It was a really weird experience relearning songs that I had written with the band, but playing Derek's parts over them. Derek Roddy is a much better drummer than I, but I always felt that I fit the Today is the Day sound more than he did. Regardless of some of the drama that took place, Steve Austin is and has been a great friend over the years. For those who have never heard Today is the Day, well go download the records "In the Eyes of God" (featuring 2/3 of Mastodon), "Temple of the Morning Star", and "Willpower". This band has influenced my drumming and guitar playing more than probably any other band.

Today is the Day - Demo 2005

Instrumental 4 song demo recorded during May of 2005 in Lunenburg, MA.
Steve Austin - Guitar, Chris Debari - Bass, Jeff Lohrber - Drums.

1. Axis of Eden
2. IED
3. No Lung Baby
4. Free at Last

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=OPDTLJXA


Today is the Day - Demo 2008

A live demo that we recorded in September 2008 in Nashville, TN in preparations for the "Axis of Eden" movie tour. Features 3 new songs as well as the entire "Axis of Eden" record.
Steve Austin - Vocals/Guitar, John Judkins - Bass, Jeff Lohrber - Drums.

1. Untitled 1
2. Untitled 2
3. Untitled 3
4. IED
5. Free at Last
6. Broken Promises and Dead Dreams
7. If You Want Peace, Prepare for War
8. No Lung Baby / Black Steyr Aug / My Wish Is Your Command
9. Circus Maximus
10. Total Resistance
11. The Worst Thing That Ever Happened to Me
12. Axis of Eden
13. Pinnacle
14. Mother's Ruin
15. The Color of Psychic Power

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=VXMVRZDX


Today is the Day - Live in Allston MA 5/29/05

This is a pretty rough recording from a show on a Monday night @ O'Briens in Allston MA. I found this on Soulseek randomly and said to myself "Fuck! I played that show!". I remember going down to Allston to Great Scott the night before with Chris Debari to see Jarboe, then we drove back to Westborough and went to work at 7AM, got off work around 4, drove to Steve's to load the van and went right back to O'Briens to play. I think I slept about 6-8 hours in a 48 hour period of time, totally fucking worth it, but this recording definately shows. About a week later we played Emissions from the Monolith fest in Youngstown Ohio with Eyehategod and Pig Destroyer.
Steve Austin - Guitar/Vocals, Chris Debari - Bass, Jeff Lohrber - Drums, Aaron Kotilinen - Keyboards.

1. Why They Hate Us / Maggots and Riots
2. In the Eyes of God
3. The Man Who Loves to Hurt Himself
4. The Color of Psychic Power
5. Mother's Ruin
6. Axis of Eden
7. Spotting a Unicorn
8. Possession
9. IED
10. Criminal
11. Crutch / Pinnacle
12. Sadness Will Prevail
13. No Lung Baby
14. The Descent
15. The Descent (cont.)
16. Temple of the Morning Star
17. Kiss the Pig

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0FPIUQV9

Savior for a Fallen Hero - Demo EP

SFAFH was a band that I started from the ashes of Harlots with John Grant (Northless, This Specific Dream, ex Amora Savant), Case Calhoun (Shit Outta Luck), Christian Fillippo (Harlots), and Jim Kreager (Empires). We recorded this demo in November of 2008 and played 2 shows. I then went on tour with Trap Them for 4-5 months and when I returned this band had pretty much folded. I have continued to work on this material and have switched from drums to guitar/vocals and we are now called Enabler.

Savior for a Fallen Hero

1. What a Meaningless Life to Live
2. Locust in Red Light
3. Moment of Realization

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=ZM8YB5NY

Dead Issue - Demo

Dead Issue is a DIY Hardcore band from Milwaukee that shares members with Protestant, Half Gorilla, and Enabler. I started playing drums for these guys this past November. Influences range from Cro Mags, Integrity, Lifesblood, Negative Approach, Ringworm, SSD, etc. This is the demo they recorded in summer of 2009 and was released as a cassette for a tour they did this past August with Bored Straight. Download also comes with High-Res art and lyrics.

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1. Intro
2. Violence
3. Fooling Ourselves
4. Can't Get It Back
5. This Is Shit
6. Give Up
7. Not One Of Us Is Safe

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IOJMNGU6

Harlots Non-Lifeforce Records Discography

Here are all of the Harlots releases besides our last full length on Lifeforce Records "Betrayer". These releases for the most part are out of print (there are probably still some copies floating around, but the record labels aren't really that active anymore), "Betrayer" was the record that we were most proud of, but all of these releases represent some kind of significant change in my life. As flawed as they are at times, I look back and think about all the awesome times I had on tour playing shows in support of these records. All of these downloads come with high resolution artwork.

Harlots - Corellia Single (2009, Self Released)

Corellia Single

This was the last song that Harlots wrote as a band, recorded on an off day of tour by William Hesser (As Eden Burns) in Houston, TX. The song was never played live and self released as a CD Single for the last 3 shows.

1. Corellia
2. Corellia (Instrumental)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=0VLGYUDL


Harlots - The Human War Machine EP (2007, Corrosive Recordings / 2006, Self Released)

The Human War Machine EP

"The Human War Machine" was a demo that we cut in 2005/06 that features 3 songs that ended up on "Betrayer". Originally this was self released as a CDR because there was such a holdup on getting "This is the Second Death" out and we wanted something new to sell at shows. Eventually Debello Recordings got in touch with us saying they wanted to release this as a 7", but that never happened. Corrosive Recordings ended up putting this out as a digital release in 2007 with live bonus tracks from Amora Savant's last show in order for us to fulfill our contract. This is one of my favorite Harlots recordings.

1. This Is A Test... No Flesh Shall Be Spared (demo)
2. Building An Empire Towards Destruction (demo)
3. Consensus for the Locus of Thought (demo)
Digital Only tracks:
4. The Weight Unweighable (live)
5. Avada Kedavra (live)
6. Full Body Contortion (live)
7. This Is A Test... No Flesh Shall Be Spared (live)
8. The Concept of Existence (live)
Bonus - Savannah (live Zao cover)

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=HHYWT5EU


Harlots - This is the Second Death CD (2006, Corrosive Recordings)

This is the Second Death

"This is the Second Death" was recorded in summer of 2004 and was the first recording to feature vocalist Christian Fillippo. Originally this record was mastered by Steve Austin of Today is the Day and set for a release on Lovelost Records in 2005, which never happened. We did 2 or 3 tours in support of this record and Lovelost just never put it out. Corrosive jumped on the table in early 2006 and released it in July of 2006, almost 2 years after it was recorded. The songs "Those Days Seem Several Hundred Years Ago" and "Remote Coagulation" were crowd favorites. Essentially this record is 3 pieces of music (+ a noise piece), and we split the tracks up due to length issues.

1. These are the Paths that We Choose
2. These are the Paths that We Create
3. Moment of Desperation
4. Those Days Seem Like Several Hundred Years Ago
5. Remote Coagulation
6. Moment of Sickness
7. Asceticism
8. War of the Great City
9. Fall of the Matriarch

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=S2VXGZ2K


Harlots - The Woman You Saw is the Great City that Rules Over the Kings of the Earth CD (2004, Feeling Faint Productions)


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This is the first Harlots record, recorded in 2003 and released in 2004 on Feeling Faint Productions. I don't know what to think about this record. Originally this was a demo that Eric and I recorded when we were both 17, and we turned into a record because we had no money, and didn't really know what we were doing. We were so excited to have a record out. This was Feeling Faint's first release, and they ended up releasing records by Enola Grey, Across Tundras, Sleep Terror, Nodes of Ranvier, and Red Orchestra Radio, and the label eventually folded. We went through 4 vocalists in trying to make this record, eventually just leaving my vocals on there and Christian joined about a month after this record came out. Oddly enough this is our worst sounding release, and probably our best selling considering we did most of our touring in support of this record due to Lovelost Records not putting out our follow up. A friend of mine described this record sounding like the soundtrack to a nightmare. I think it just sounds like some kids that were really fucking high on drugs. Also, the track listing has been a reoccurring question over the past 6 years, below is the correct track listing. This record and it's follow up are very similar in that it's essentially 3 pieces of music split up due to length issues to make a full length.

I. Evidence of Exits
1. Mystery
2. Babylon the Great
3. The Mother of Harlots
4. ...And of the Abominations of the Earth
II. 5. Balancing the Limbs of Question
a. The Seven Heads Are the Seven Hills On Which the Woman Sits
b. They Have One Purpose and Will Give Their Power and Authority to the Beast
III. The Seasons Will Balance Themselves Out
6. In One Day Her Plagues Will Overtake Her
7. Famine
8. She Will Be Consumed By Fire
9. Widower

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=83227FXI