By Mitch Clem

To add/update your booking agency, venue, or other shows listing please email us @ info@empireunderground.com

518

Capital District & Northern NY

Asylum Shows

Northern Lights

Red Square

Saratoga Performing Arts Center

Slum City Sounds

Step Up Presents

Upstate Black N Blue

Upstate NY Punk Shows

Valentine’s

Vinyola Booking

Washington Avenue Armory

315

Syracuse & Central NY

Syracuse Shows

Syracuse Ska Scene

845

Poughkeepsie & Southern NY

Killer Cool Entertainment

The Chance/The Loft

607

Binghamton & Southern NY

Binghamton Shows

B.Oakes Booking

Downtown Quarterback

The Haunt

Ithaca Underground

Save Our Scene

SRL Boooking

585

Rochester & Western NY

Montage Music Hall

Warped Tour

Water Street Music Hall

716

Buffalo & Western NY

Mohawk Place

Tralf Music Hall

Xtreme Wheels Skate Park

Western Connecticut, producer of dairy farms, cemeteries and now what is arguably its greatest product,
Emmure.  Frank Palmeri (vocals), Joe Lionetti (drums), Ben Lionetti (guitar), Jesse Ketive (guitar) and Mark Davis (bass) comprise the band.
Things fell into place in the Spring of 2003 when the members met online. Their initial purpose was to reach the level of success that they’ve recently found. They didn’t have to look far, in fact a simple Myspace bulletin is what got them their first record deal. Within three days of the bulletin they were signed to This City Is Burning, a young indie label based out of California. Two days later Emmure was welcomed by the arms of one of the underground’s strongest titans, Victory Records.
Since then the band has been touring non-stop. We had the chance to sit with the band at a festival in upstate NY for some interrogating.

What does your name mean:

“It was originally going to be Immure, that’s when someone is entombed alive inside a wall. Emmure rolled
off the tongue better.”

What’s your favorite venue to play:

“The Penny Arcade or Showcase Theater and everywhere in Canada.”

What inspires your music:

“Pain, frustration, laughter. We’re proud of the music we make and we’ve been able to reach a lot of
kids.”Frank: “It keeps me from dying, if I wasn’t busy like this I’d go crazy. I’m lucky I’m not dead.”

What do you think is the most common misconception people have about you:

“That we’re assholes, maybe because of how far we’ve taken it. Come say hey, we’re all really cool dudes.”

How do you feel about the Acacia Strain:

“No comment.”

Is it still exciting for you to perform:

“It’s all we know, it’s awesome, riveting, rich. Performance is a big deal to us. A lot of bands don’t take that
into consideration.”

What’s the deal with Capcom:
“We used to say that we sounded like a bulldozer versus Capcom.”

Anything you want to add:

“My Bitter End go fuck yourself, Tyler you’re miserable. Check out our albums, buy them don’t download
them and come to shows!”

For more on Emmure check out emmure.com & our live show footage of the band!

Gwen Stacy

An Interview with Gwen Stacy’s T.J. Sego

By Brandon Ridberg

When growing up what did you listen to:

TJ: When I was in middle school I was obsessed with MxPx. In high school I was really into Beloved. I’ve also always been a big fan of hip hop. Not radio rap, but good hip hop. Sage Francis for life.

What musical experience did you have before you formed Gwen Stacy:

Brent and I played in a band together before Gwen Stacy. GS is my fifth band.

When & how was Gwen Stacy formed:

We started in December ‘04. We got together to jam on the weekends and things took off from there.

How did you come about choosing the name Gwen Stacy:

Lots of coffee and boredom.

Describe your first show:

We played in my hometown of Franklin for about twenty kids. I have video from it. It’s bad.

What styles of music have influenced you:

A lot of experimental and melodic hardcore. None of us listen to very much metal at all. We have really broad tastes. For instance, my latest obsessions are new Atmosphere, Rufio, and Matisyahu.

With Christian bands emerging more & more, do you find that it influences your music to change in any way:

Not so much the music, but more so the message. I don’t care what people label us as, we’re not a metalcore band. That requires us to play metal, which we don’t. But kids are always getting pummeled with the Christian message, so we try to take our message to a more personal level. I believe you shouldn’t have to state your beliefs on your shirt for people to see it.

How did you get signed with Ferret Records & how is it working with them:

Ferret rules. They poked some interest when we did a shopping demo that had four tracks from the record, and them and management took over from there. Ferret was number one on our list, and all of the official people made it happen.

Which do you prefer to record with Macs or PCs:

I prefer PC software ran on a Mac via Crossover. I’ve been using Cool Edit Pro 2.0, which is Adobe Audition before Adobe bought out Syntrillium, since I was 16. I do all of my writing with automation programs like Reason. Reason 4.0 is my best friend.

Looking back on the creation of The Life I Know, is there anything you would have done differently:

I wish we would have had more time to write it. The album we’re writing now is the one we wanted to do then, but it just wasn’t possible. For what it is though, I love that record.

Regarding the lyric “You dont have a clue what family is all about, You liar you snake you liar you lie”, is this about someone or purely a broad message:

To be perfectly honest, that is a direct statement to someone. We had a close friend start publicly bashing us and mocking lyrics off of our EP. So we quoted the lyrics he used in reference to him.

What is the underlying message in your music video, The Fear In Your Eyes:

That video is based off of Green Street Hooligans. Watch that and you’ll get it.

How has the writing been going:

It’s been awesome. We started writing January first, and you can tell it has nine months of writing put into it. We’re exploring some ideas we hit on with the last record. We’re going a little more experimental, but nothing too crazy. We don’t want to ditch our existing fans. We want to just do a lot more of what we did on the last one. I think it’s great.

How do you feel about cover songs & would you ever cover a song:

We’ve been toying with the thought of doing a cover on the next record. In The Face Of War covered “Everlong” by the Foo Fighters. Coolest cover ever.

Of all the places you’ve toured, which stop has been your favorite:

Boston is my favorite so far. Go Red Sox. I love Portland. As much as I hate heat, the fans in Texas make it worth it. Manhattan was rad. Phoenix is beautiful. Los Angeles hates us. We’ve been robbed, stranded, and ran out of money all in that town.

Have you ever played at a church or religious event, if so what was it like & how did it feel:

We play them all the time. We’ve actually found that working with people who work for a church proves to be rather difficult. Don’t really know why.

When you’re on the road what do you like to do for fun, aside from performing:

I write a lot (I’m up to 30 instrumentals for the album), I study music theory and french, and I read a lot.

If you could choose any three bands in the world to tour with what bands would they be:

Beloved, Muse, and any band Travis Barker is playing with.

While performing or on the road, whats the strangest thing that’s happened:

Technicolor Aquahearts. Long story.

People that listen to you & similar bands have a tendency to take it very seriously. Do you believe in the terms selling out or turning crowd friendly:

I think a lot of bands make adjustments in their creative efforts with the motives of selling more records. A lot of bands just mature into new things. I think it’s really hard for a lot of people to not expect the same record over and over from bands. People latch onto one album and expect that band to do that over and over. I myself have that problem. Norma Jean are a perfect example. They’re singing a fair amount now, and I’m in the Bless the Martyr generation, so it was a little hard for me to hear it at first. I had to set that aside and listen to the album for what it is, and now I love the crap out of it. Bands grow and mature, for whatever reason, and it’s usually pretty obvious what their motives are. A lot of bands just play what they like, and when doing what I do, you have to adopt the mind set that you write what you want as best as you can, and play for who will listen.

What messages are you ultimately trying to send through your band & your music:

That the world is seriously lacking love. We’re a Christian band, and we share our beliefs with people, but it’s really important to us that people get the message of love that supersedes differences in beliefs and convictions. There’s more to life than circular arguments.

Get more Gwen Stacy @ myspace.com/gwenstacy & of course out on tour!

Fear Before plays Northern Lights in Clifton Park, NY

Spreading like wild fire Fear Before makes it from Colorado to New York where we got together to extinguish myths and illuminate truths.

Who they are:

Adam Fisher (guitar & vocals)
David Marion (vocals)
Mike Madruga (bass)
Clayton ‘Goose’ Holyoak (drums)
Zach ‘Binks’ Hutchings (guitar)

Where they’re from:

Aurora, Colorado

What it’s like there:

“Normal, suburban.”

When they began:

2002

Reason formed:

“Liked music, seemed like the dream, thought we’d just play with our friends bands, never thought would actually tour, just wanted to write music.”

Band name origin:

News headline about wild fires, the headline was “The Fear Before The March Of Flames”

Ex-members:

Brandon Proff (drums) left to teach.
Billy Johnson (keys/guitar) did two tours with the band.
Matt Clouse (guitar) first incarnationmember, they were a five-piece.
For the record, there was never an Eric.
“Still talk to everyone, no regrets. Touring gets tiring, it’s not foreveryone. We have a crazy schedule.”

How often they practice:

“Not enough.”

Favorite venues:

The Nova in Richmond, VA & The Church in Philly, PA

Albums out:

Fear Before: 10/08 Equal Vision
A Little Less Teeth: 08/07 Equal Vision tour EP(live tracks, some demos, one song was recorded in a basement years ago, you can hear birds in the background)
The Always Open Mouth: 09/06 Equal Vision
Art Damage: 09/04 Equal Vision
Odd How People Shake: 04/03 Rise – re-release 01/04 Equal Vision

How it’s going with Equal Vision Records:

“Awesome, they’ve always been right there with us.”

When their Absolute Future, Absolute Past DVD is going to be released:

“No idea, the guy with the tapes disappeared. Would be interesting to see.”

Ultimate message:

“Open-mindedness.”

What inspires them:

“We gain inspiration from everything. Watching a band, a line out of a book, a phone call, Upstate New York is really inspiring.”

Favorite song’s meaning:

Adam: “My Fucking Deer Hunter is about Christianity and the way I was raised, learning from the Bible. It’s impossible to apply to modern day, it can’t translate literally because it was so long ago, you’re forced down a one way road with no options, it’s closed minded, you shouldn’t just believe in one thing.”

How the latest album differs from the last:

Adam: “A lot of the last album I wrote alone sitting in my room”

What separates them from other bands:

Dave: “A lot of things, principles. We don’t just wanna be big or write songs that are hits. Integrity is a hard thing to find. People want to make it as cheap as they can, it keeps us going. For every shitty band I hear I wanna fight back.”

Truth behind the rumor ‘all songs on OHPS album were named after films’:

“Some, but only a few. Throughout the whole discography there are elements here and there. We love cinema.”

Where are you from:

Manning: Georgia
Travis: Georgia
Derek: L.A.
Matt G: Florida

I think Matt Good is from space. Travis and I just moved back to Georgia from L.A. We wanted to get back to the country, live the quiet life, ride four-wheelers and grill and do whatever we want basically.

Previous bands you’ve been in:

I was in a band called Dead Reckless.

What kind of music you did you play:

It was straight Rock N Roll, like the sound a Harley makes when you crank it up.

Was this band always called From First To Last:

It was First To Last when Matt [Good] started it in Florida. Travis joined and then the name changed. I just wanted to name the band Pantera, but that was already taken.

What drew you toward playing this style of music:

When I was younger I listened to a lot of hardcore music. I went to a lot of shows. I think my first show was Lagwagon in 1997.

What are your favorite bands to play with:

Vanna’s a fun band to play with. Every Time I Die, I just like watching them. Every Time I Die is one of those bands that just gets you stoked to play no matter what ’cause they’re just fuckin awesome.

What’s your favorite venue:

Soma in San Diego. The Taberncale. We like playing venues that aren’t too huge or too small. This is our first time playing here [Revolution Hall Troy, NY]. This place seems nice.

They have their own microbrewery. Have you tried the beer:

No, should I? I’ll buy you a beer if you buy me one. Do they have a Nascar?
(laughter)
I only use products that sponsor Nascar, you’re Coca Cola, you’re Tide.. I’m an avid user of UPS.

How does being the band affect your personal lives:

Some of us have girlfriends, but they’re understanding for the most part.. I guess. For the most part this is our lives. This is the best job. I worked in fast food, that sucked. I worked at Best Buy, that sucked. This one doesn’t suck.

How well do you guys work together:

We get along fairly well. We get in little spats here and there, but for the most part we’ve never had any you know.. where somebody threw a bottle at the other person. It’s fairly calm, nothing crazy.

Have you given any thought to adding another permanent member to the band:

Yeah, we have a dude named Chris [Lent] whose on tour. He plays drums, keyboards, a lot of other parts. As far as getting him in the band I don’t know how that works, but he definitely plays with us. He plays on stage, he plays bass a lot. None of us are like ‘we’re four people and you can play behind the curtain’. So most likely we’ll have Chris jamming some keyboards and everything until he gets tired of doing it I guess, if he ever does. I think he gets tired of us every day. He’s always griping and moaning about something.

What was it like working with Josh Abrahms and Ryan Williams:

Awesome, awesome. Josh, super awesome dude, has a great like amazing studio he owns over in Silver Lake called Pulse. The rooms sound great. The equipment they have is amazing. All we do is show up and play and they make it sound amazing. Ryan Williams is like a god of engineering, like as far as getting tones and everything he’s one of the best as far as I know. We’re extremely happy with the record.

What’s your favorite album of all time:

There is a cd that I’ve probably listened to more than anything, and it’s a record called El Camino by this band called Small Victory. They’re just this lttle band from Georgia, and I’ve had it forever and I still love every track on it. So I don’t know if it’s my favorite record of all time, but I’ve probably listened to that record more than any record I own.

Who inspired you to become a musician:

My mom. My mom was always extremely supportive even through school. When I was in high school I didn’t know what I wanted to do. I always wanted to be in a band since I started playing guitar when I was llike 13 or 14. She’s always been supportive, always. Even times when I was just out trying to tour and times of just being broke. ‘Hey mom can I get some money I’m hungry’, you know, even then she never said anything like ‘hey you should probably go to college and get a real job’. She’s always been 100% supportive, and that’s good to have you know, somebody that’s as close as my mom is. It’s nice not having anybody trying to pull on you when you’re chasing what you want to do.

Where do you go to feel inspired:

Georgia. Whitewater rafting in Idaho. It’s just gorgeous and quiet.

Do you ever feel like people expect too much from you:

I don’t take anything personal from anybody. Especially like with Sonny gone there’s a lot of fans who are like ‘bring Sonny back, where’s Sonny, I don’t like you anymore’. Sonny’s not coming back. So you can’t let people who are hurt that he’s gone affect how you function you know. We just wanna do what we do. I just think it’s best to not take anything personal.. ever, as far as what people think or anything. We’re happy we’re doing what we do, some people like it, some people don’t you know. It’s a free country. God bless America, right?

What message do you strive to send your audience:

The message that I’ve been living by is that there’s almost like a path for your life and it takes you to where you’re supposed to be. I think a lot of people stray off that and try to do different things and I’ve always just been like get what you want. Your dream or whatever it is, go for it. Don’t let anybody tell you not to. Don’t let anybody tell you you can’t because, literally, you can. Go take what you want.

When do you think the height of music was:

The 90s. That was the last time there were tons of great bands and people loved music. You had a lot to pick and choose from. Now you have a lot to pick and choose from, but it’s not that great. There was Rage Against The Machine, STP, Nirvana. It’s easy now with the internet. It’s easy to start a band, record your music and put it online for everbody to have. That’s great because you can go find music all over the place, but there’s so much of it that’s it’s almost harder to get your music out there. There’s a thousand bands trying to pull the same music in the same direction you know. That’s the way it is and you gotta live it out.. see what happens.

Do you have other artistic abilities aside from music:

I draw some pictures sometimes. I used to draw a lot, like all I did in high school was draw. I didn’t pay attention to anything. I didn’t do homework, I just sat in class and drew for however long class was. I just got a sketch pad and some pencils. I was like ‘I’m gonna sit down and I’m gonna draw a picture every day’. So I’ve been kind of doing that. I drew a squid.. I drew Richy in the future as the president.. a voodoo skull with crazy snake hair. The first day I drew a zombie with his hand cut off.

A place you’d like to play where you never have:

Japan.

Do you have fans in Japan:

I don’t know. I don’t speak Japanese.. so they might like it.. you’d never know.

What’s your favorite swear word:

Son of a bitch, that’s a good one. Just the whole phrase.
Travis: You don’t ever say that!
I say son of a bitch all the time! Son of a bitch..

If a movie was made about your life who would you want to direct it and who would you want to play you:

Mel Gibson! To direct and play me.
(laughter)
Mel Gibson and Mel Gibson.
Matt Good: Your love interest could be Brooke Hogan.
(laughter)
You son of a bitch..

Anything else you wish to add:

Matt Good: I haven’t added since third grade dude.
That’s true.

Friends, check out From First To Last on youtube.com/empireunderground, fromfirsttolast.com, & out on tour.

BY Mitch Clem

Recon looks like they're about to kill some pirates in this oldie but goodie..

A decade ago few could have predicted that social media would emerge from the depths of the web with such prowess as to change entire industries. Many have used its power to gain recognition, boost sales, and interact with audiences, but is social media the true sling-shot of triumph in an industry facing the Goliaths of piracy and economic uncertainty?

When the digital media wave crashed upon the music industry in the late 90s hope for recovery was dwindling as record sales drown in the murky shadows of giants like Napster and Limewire.  Internet piracy has washed many artists and music execs ashore, exiled to the island of a seemingly soon to be obsolete industry.

As members of the music industry scrambled to deploy innovative methods to gain record sales and audiences, often with varied success, social media was born.  By the early 2000s millions of people from around the globe were joining social networking sites every month.   Sites like Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube have allowed users to interact, showcase media and access and share information on a global scale within seconds.

Social media has become a weapon of choice in the epic battle to vanquish the might of the many Goliaths now
threatening the music industry.

Heal These Wounds is a local Albany act that has economically benefited from its social media involvement, singer
Andrew McCauley explains,

“We’ve gotten clothing sponsors and equipment endorsements just [from companies] seeing our MySpace page.”

The band has also used their online presence to achieve increased record sales and to reach new audiences, “with basically three clicks of a mouse you can advertise to millions of people, that’s better than paying ten-grand for an ad in AP.”

Plattsburgh’s Hello Control is also finding triumph with social media.   The band currently uses sites such as MySpace, Twitter, and Tumblr. Through online networking companies such as Hot Topic and D-Tox have picked up the band’s merchandise and are now selling it in stores internationally.

“There is no doubt that these sites increase interest and sales in bands,” states Hello Control drummer, Mikey Lemieux.

Though social media has proven to further improvements in the music industry and defend against shaky sales is it enough to help withstand the Goliath of piracy?  With the end of illegal downloading still not in sight Union Label exec, Mike Magee, says that social media must be used wisely if it is to to be a successful tool against piracy,

“If you’re doing [it] right, you’re exposing and connecting music fans to bands that they’ll hopefully like and support.  It’s a tricky balance between giving away the right amount of “free” content and encouraging fans to support the bands they love through legitimate means.”

Social media has been a driving force in the revitalization of the music industry yet it can in no way guarantee success.  A soldier’s weapon is only as good as his abilities, just as innovation, quality and talent are still more powerful than social media.

WEQX, an independent radio station based in Manchester, Vermont, has been using social media for the past eight years. When asked if the company had any tricks of the social media trade Willobee, Operations Manager and Program Director, simply replied, “No trick.  Just delivering a great product.”

DJ Rossstar’s Punk Rock Show, a video-based music-media operation based in Los Angeles, garners tens of thousands of viewers every broadcast.  DJ Rossstar has a strong social media identity and has thousands of followers on sites like MySpace and Stickam. Still, aside from social networking he claims his success is owed to “hard work”, “dedication”, and being an “all-around nice guy.”

Much of his success has also been the product of innovation, “I have no competition. Nobody is doing what I am doing.”  DJ Rossstar interviews well known artists right in his LA apartment and allows fans to extend questions to them live on air.

Label execs, artists and media pioneers, through a combination of innovation, dedication and smart social networking, are proving that the fate of the music industry lies in the able hands of its warriors.

Support these warriors

DJ Rossstar’s Punk Rock Show: Wednesdays and Thursdays  7pm PT on stickam.com
Follow @ twitter.com/djrossstar

Willobee on WEQX: Monday-Friday 2-6pm EST on weqx.com/listenlive.asp

Heal These Wounds: myspace.com/healthesewounds518

Hello Control: hellocontrol.com & myspace.com/hellocontrol

Union Label: unionlabelgroup.com

Circa Survive’s Blue Sky Noise is out 4/20.

TourZag

If this list had been compiled in any purposeful order TourZag would be #1. This is a powerful online band manager that was made by musicians for musicians. It offers a gig tracker, tour route generator, customizable contact list, a financial tracker, merch manager, to-do lists and reminders. You can even sync this with your Twitter account so fans know immediately when a new show is added. TourZag is simply amazing.

tourzag.com

ePressKitz

E-press kits otherwise known as EPKs are a more professional way to link industry contacts to your bio, songs and contact info. than by simply sending a link to your social networking page. Another feature of the EPK is that you can target your message specifically to the press or other industry contacts. The free plan allows a flash intro with music, a bio page, three videos, three high res photos (or three mp3’s), a contact page and unlimited e-mails with tracking.

epresskitz.com

Noteflight

If you’ve ever tried to find a decent music writing program then you know just how ridiculously expensive they can be. Noteflight is an amazing browser-based tool that lets you create and hear your music notation in professional quality. You can even print your sheet music or embed it in your web site so fans can learn your songs.

noteflight.com

Broadtexter

With Broadtexter bands can allow fans to subscribe to text message updates. Bands can schedule text alerts to be sent at specific times, limit a message to users from certain regions and design a subscription widget to post on their site. According to the research of CTIA there were 1.36 trillion text messages sent from June 2008 to June 2009. That accounts for more than half of cell phone users’ time spent using their wireless devices. As fans go mobile so should your band.

broadtexter.com

Geotweet

Geotweet allows bands to show fans exactly where they’re tweeting from. This a great tool when posting show information. Mini-map and photo integration will help your fans find the venue fast.

geotweet

Drumbot

The Drumbot site includes an online guitar tuner, metronome, drum machine, pattern sequencer and bpm finder. These tools were designed with rich graphical interfaces, lots of features and are quick running alternatives to similar downloadable programs.

drumbot.com

Indie on the Move

Indie on the Move is the most comprehensive venue database we’ve seen on the web. No need to sign up, just type a city name in the search bar and you’ll be presented with a list of local venues. Click a venue link and you’ll find a photo, reviews, the address, set up description, age limitations, booking contact info and more. There’s no doubt that this site will provide your band with everything needed to book your next show or tour.

indieonthemove.com

Song.ly

Share your music with fans on Twitter. Just paste a link to your mp3 and your tweets appear along with a play button so your followers can listen to the track without having to download it. You can also add “tweet this song” buttons to your website.

song.ly

Zazzle

While most internet users have come across the name it is important to know that Zazzle is not like most web-stores. If you need to make band merch immediately available to fans, but don’t want to front any money in doing so then Zazzle is the perfect solution. Simply upload your designs, choose which products you’d like be available and customize your virtual storefront. There is zero cost involved because Zazzle simply collects a percentage of the profit, which you get to set. Zazzle even offers design templates so you know the exact resolution and size your design needs to be depending on the products you want to offer. The time and effort you’ll save in printing, stocking and shipping the merchandise will be worth the meager profit slice that goes to Zazzle.

zazzle.com

My Band

Add a “My Band” tab to your personal Facebook profile. When your friends click the tab your band bio, pictures, music and gigs will appear. It’s a great way to promote and easier than telling every new friend about your band individually.

My Band app