TomTok

Canadian Made Amplifier - Dave Snider Sings - Dave Snider Sings

This is my 50th post!!!!!! 

Now that that is out of the way, I’ll tell y’all a little about this track.

This is a song my brother wrote and recorded a week or so ago. He didn’t put a whole lot of time into the recording and production and whatnot but I still think it’s pretty kick-ass. Those of you who have heard or seen him play when Clock Strikes Music was still around will recognize his guitar playing. David (my siblings and I always use our full names, it’s kinda weird) has always been a very effective guitar player, I think. By that I mean, he won’t always play a face-melting riff or solo but it will be the most suitable guitar part you will hear. One of the songs on Clock Strikes Music’s LP has a bit of a build up to the guitar solo at the end and instead of some wild sweep pick arpeggio bullshit you’d hear on an Yngwie Malmsteen track, he plays one note and fuckin’ rips it to shreds haha. (this song I’m referring to is called ‘Weaknesses’) I’m not knocking Malmsteen, he is very talented but his style isn’t mine. 

So anyways! Enjoy this track. Hopefully I have gotten a little better at this as I enter into the second half of my first century of posts.

Tommy

graemewa:

This is the single from my new album.

I used to be ok telling people that I used to play a lot of music with Graeme… now I don’t know if I will anymore

Kidding!!!!!

Graeme WA and I have had many good songs and many bad songs. more bad than good, as usual

furlongbeaker:

Lupe Fiasco - The Show Goes On

Lupe’s single is finally out for his long awaited album, Lasers. It’s pretty aiight. It is a Modest Mouse sample, and it is Lupe Fiasco, so it really can’t lose.

Graeme

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO March 8, 2011 this album drops on the world. be ready!!!!!!

Yellow - Coldplay - Parachutes

This post is about ‘Liking’ things on Facebook. I am not against Facebook. I love the things it does. However, I do not like when people post a music video or something and then ‘like’ their own post. I think everyone already understands that you like the video or you probably wouldn’t have posted it. 

Now, I feel kinda hypocritical because I am a firm believer of minding my own business. These posts have nothing to do with me but they show up on the news feed thing. I scan down the news feed to see if there is anything I should pay more attention to. People liking their own posts or status updates is weird. It makes me wonder how much time they have on their hands. 

Hypocritical again!!! I just make fun of people for having too much time on their hands and then I write a blog about them!!! Holy cow, do I even have a legitimate point here!!!?

So here is a song I like. It’s a barn burning punk rock song. It’s Coldplay’s first big hit, ‘Yellow.’ Coldplay is a very cool band. I really like some of the stuff they do (maybe that means I should like my own post?). I like this song because of the guitar riff and how heavy it is. The distortion on the lead guitar is pretty gnarly and not a standard Coldplay sound. I am a sucker for a screaming guitar solo and this is probably as close as Coldplay is gonna get to that so they get my praise.

Enjoy,

Tommy

Theme From “Cheers” - Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

This post is about New Jersey.

To start off, Springsteen is, and always will be the King of New Jersey. The Bouncing Souls are the punk Kings of Jersey. I think that those two facts are set in stone. 

Now, on to more recent, up and coming bands. I think this might just turn into a comparison of Gaslight Anthem and Titus Andronicus…

The first gaslight album I heard was ‘The ‘59 Sound.’ It’s aight. If there is one thing I will always enjoy it’s Brian Fallon’s lyrics. He is very Springsteen in the way he tells stories. I really do enjoy it. I then heard their first album, ‘Sink or Swim.’ I like sink or swim a lot more. The sound is much less polished and as raw as you will get from the Gaslight boys. The speed of the songs is great. 

Things kinda started to unravel when my brothers said that they weren’t very big on them. I started to really listen closely to the two albums to try and see what they were talking about. After a while the songwriting kinda got old and I started looking for something more. This ‘something’ should be found in the music. Something that Springsteen and the E Street band have, and always have had. There is no complexity, difficulty or bit of unpredictability on the Gaslight Anthem’s music. And since they ave polished their sound up it sounds even more bland. I feel that ‘The ‘59 Sound’ just sounds hollow now. The same goes for their newest album, ‘American Slang.’ They worked with the same producer so one could assume that this would happen. 

I saw an interview with Brian Fallon and he is talking about how they have kinda been like the Clash on the making of their first three albums. The first is raw and very messy almost. The second is better, and the band has almost found their own ‘sound.’ And the third is “the one.” Everything, musically, has come together for the band and it all just feels right. I hope he is not talking down to ‘the Clash’ and ‘London Calling’!!! If you ask me, those are by FAR the Clash’s best albums. I don’t even listen to any other. 

Now, Titus Andronicus. I am new to these guys, but I know, and you’ll know when you listen to this album, that they are from Jersey. They are very raw. They are very original. They are one of those bands who’s sound is dirty, their lyrics are dirty, and they look dirty hahaha. It’s great though!!! So Jersey!! In comparison to Gaslight, I would say that they are everything that gaslight is lacks to be able to maintain a fan base that isn’t young teenagers. The songs on the album are all tied together by various amounts of feedback, abstract noise and dialogue. The best part is that you can never guess what that next song i gonna sound like.

They aren’t trying to be something they are not. They are greasy, Jersey punks. I’m not saying Gaslight is trying to be something they aren’t! Gaslight is exactly what they want to be, and set out to be. It’s just not my thing I guess. Although, I would recommend you go look up a video for the song ‘The ‘59 Sound’ live at Hyde Park. It features Springsteen on guitar and vocals and is awesome!! Also, look up ‘No Surrender’ from Bruce’s set at that same festival. Brian Fallon comes out to sing and really does well. I like it a lot and am jealous of him.

So ya, there’s two very different Jersey bands, and a song from the one I thought the least amount of people had heard.

Enjoy,

Tommy ‘Richard II’ Snider 

I Wipe My Ass With Showbiz - A Wilhelm Scream - Career Suicide

HELLLOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! so I’m not sure if anyone still reads this or remembers that TomTok exists. Personally, I forgot it did for a while. 

I pretty much have taken a long time off of music in general. Well, playing and making it at least. I have just been listening to music and working. Work sucks.

If my job does one thing for me it’s that it gives me plenty of time to listen to all the music on my iPod. I’m gonna get right to it because I’m a little rusty on this music ranting thing. If you haven’t heard A Wilhelm Scream, you haven’t lived!!! They are just the best. Listen to this song and then look up the video on pootube (youtube). You won’t regret it. This whole album is probably in my top three punk rock albums of all time. It’s just sooooo fast and hard and technical. But all with great taste. Everything is PERFECT!! So, I’m gonna stop now and let the song tell the rest. Enjoy.

Tommy “The Horse” Snider

Whiskey River - Grady - Good As Dead

TURN IT UP!!!!!!!

So, as some of you may know Grady is Gordie Johnson’s (formerly Big Sugar) band. They are a three piece. When they first started playing he was playing with the drummer and bassist from Double Trouble (Stevie Ray Vaughn’s band). He still has the bassist but now has a drummer named Nina ‘The Queena’ Singh. I saw them last November at a little bar in London and holy smokes. I realize that I use exclamations like that a lot but I guess I just see a lot of good shows. Gordie is still rocking really fuckin heavy, and loud.

When I first listened to this album I was listening to the drums. I was yet to hear a female drummer who’s style I liked. I don’t know if that sexist, it’s not meant to be. It’s just that a lot of drummers don’t satisfy me, and some of them are women. When I first listened to this I thought the same thing. But then I listened a couple more times. A Grady song (especially on this album) isn’t meant to have any sort of focus on the drums. This whole album is soooooo freakin’ heavy. She plays the bare minimum that she needs to and she plays it heavy. I love it. The toms are such a dark, deep sound. It’s great.

I’ll tell you a little story about when I saw them play. I decided it would be a good idea to drink some Alberta Premium (whiskey) before the show and my brother, Michael, was drinking Scotch. We thought they were drinks that Gordie would drink. So I had polished off about two thirds of my forty by show time. Michael was plenty deep also. We got to the show and the first thing Michael did was buy us some 50 (beer). We were drunk. On my way to the bathroom I spotted Gordie back by the kitchen just hanging out. I went back to talk to him and I guess I was star-struck because what happened next was pretty embarrassing. I said “Aaaaawe, Moosehead. We were wondering what you would drink!! Moosehead is great, it’s actually my favourite (it is, that’s not me talking drunk).” So he was kinda scared I think.

Long story short, we didn’t make it till the end of the set before we got kicked out for pretty much falling on the stage. Michael almost fought a female bouncer and we both almost jumped some kids in a Mcdonalds on the way home. Oh ya, and we peed on the bar for kicking us out. I thought they deserved it.

So I guess thats all. Turn it up and listen to the power behind this track.

Enjoy

Tommy ‘Alberta Bones’ Snider 

furlongbeaker:

The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio (Download)

That’s right a new The National track! Is anyone else excited for High Violet? Not much longer, May 11 is just over a month away. Thanks to Jon Lawless for a heads up on this one.

Graeme

Tournament of Hearts - The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour

This blog goes out to the amazing sport of curling.

Kevin Martin and his team Canada just won gold at the Olympics the other day. I don’t really want to explain the rules of curling but if you don’t know I encourage you to learn them. Kevin and the boys plowed through the rest of the world’s best teams with ease. They won the gold medal 6-3 against Norway and their sweet pants. Some say that woman’s curling is better than men’s because they can’t make the same take-out shots. They have to make shots using more finesse.

I have kinda gotten side tracked with some other important issues while I was trying to write this so i’ll just wrap this up. My advice to everyone is to watch the Tim Horton’s Brier. It’s Canada’s biggest national mens tournament and promises to be sweeeet. If we could have more than one team in the olympics we probably would have swept the podium.

Oh ya, this song is about curling. Notice how the hi-hat pattern in the chorus is much like  the sound of a broom sweeping. Clever

Enjoy,

Tommy ‘Everything Must Go’ Snider

New Dark Ages - Bad Religion - New Maps of Hell

Greg Graffin wrote this in reference to the state of the USA and the world as a whole I think. I’m posting this in reference to the state of music these days.

This blog entry is probably going to be a little angry. It has been sparked by a band called After The Anthems (ATA). These guys are from my hometown and are 4 years older than me. Three main ones, Phil, Phil and Lee have been in the same band as early as grade 10 (their grade 10). This means that I have been putting up with their horrible pop-punk for around 8 years now. I will admit that I did like them a little when i first heard them. However, I just hadn’t heard anything better. I’ll let them off for trying to “make it” out of high school because you gotta try it once right? But 3 times after that? With only a new bass player each time? Playing songs that seem the same? Come on guys pleeeease, stop playing music. Sure they try hard but you have to think that with the effort they put into it now after all these tries they’ve gotta just be in it for money.

I know what it is!! every 2 years there is a fresh set of 13-14 year old girls to brainwash into thinking you’re cool. These kids, like I was once, don’t know any better. The girls have crushes on the boys in the band and the boys wanna be in a band. Upon discovering that I guess they are good for starting interest in music but uuuuugh. Do you have to be so unoriginal?

Guess what there EP is called!!! ‘It’s Deja Vu All Over Again’. GIVE ME A FUCKIN’ BREAK!!!!!!!!!!! (pardon my french) while your at it why don’t you get a singer that looks like a girl, a shy guitarist, a badass bass player and a drummer that flails like Travis Barker. Oh wait, they already did!!!! They have been trying this combination for years and now I just wanna know if they could write anything original… ever… or even think of an original idea for anything!!! play a different chord progression, drum beat or something.

The other night it was announced that my band Phone Went West will be playing at the Rock The Beach Festival at Kelso Beach in Owen Sound this summer. We found out today that we’re playing at the same time as ATA. It’s gonna be really hard for me not to make sarcastic remarks about them while on stage.

I’d better say a little more about the song I posted. Since about 2002 the world has become more familiar with Brooks Wackerman. He has changed Bad Religion forever. They have always had a decent drummer, but just someone who would keep the beat. Brooks steps in and is arguably the best musician in the band and my favourite punk drummer. With him in the band their songs just seem so much more complex. He has taken Bad Religion’s music to a new level and I love it!!!!

*he has played on ‘The Process of Belief’ ‘The Empire Strikes First’ and ‘New Maps of Hell’*

So I encourage you to listen to older Bad Religion and compare it to the stuff with Brooks on the throne

enjoy,

Tommy ‘Generator’ Snider