Reviewsic [ri-vyoo-zik] -noun: Music worth talking about

Topshelf Records (Defeater, My Heart To Joy) has officially released Pianos Become The Teeth‘s sophomore album, Old Pride, into the world today. Met with much acclaim, the full-length is now available to the public in all its glory from Top Shelf or digitally from Amazon and iTunes.

Additionally, you can now stream the entire record at Punknews.org.

Old Pride‘s first track, “Filial” is still available for free download as well.

“Screamo is dead. Or at least that is what some people say. However, Pianos Become The Teeth begs to differ. The band turns the oversaturated and overproduced genre upside down with an album so powerful and so brave it can only be compared to the legends that preceded it. Mixing elements of hardcore, post rock and screamo, Old Pride breathes new life into a once decaying scene. Pianos Become The Teeth has a melodic yet uncompromising sound that showcases a diverse set of influences. Brimming with sincerity and brandishing an experimental ambiance, the band is pushing beyond the boundaries of a stale genre with poetic lyrics and an impassioned delivery. Screamo is dead? The skeptics might want to listen to Old Pride before making such bold proclamations.” (Beartrap PR)

“Euphoric, exhilarating and utterly discordant … the kind of band that allows you to feel young, nervous and excited about music again. Powerful, majestic, important and truly fantastic from start to finish.” - Rock Sound

“Pianos Become The Teeth skillfully works elegant, lush instrumentation while pushing and pulling between ebullient, manic intensity that shrieks and screams with conviction and emotive uproaring.” - Go211.com

“An eight song powerhouse of unabashed hardcore and screamo intertwined with building crescendos and post-rock interludes … unique as it is impressively devastating.” - Bedwetting Cosmonaut

“Pianos Become the Teeth excel at constructing artfully elegant and resplendent instrumental passages, before decimating them with torturously emotional screamed catharsis.” - Strange Glue

Beginning to formulate back in August of 2007, Castevet started as a few songs written by members Nick Wakim and Will McEvilly, the months following added drummer Josh Snader and bassist Ron Petzke to complete the quartet. Previously each of the musicians had been part of other bands, such as Guaime, Oceans, and Tower of Rome, and currently Petzke, and McEvilly are doing double duty, simultaneously playing in Castevet, as well as Bongripper and Leroy Tidd respectively.
Castevet in this incarnation began playing the music scene around 2008, and since then has released their well received record Summer Fences in 2009. The band is on the cusp of releasing their second album, The Echo & the Light and for the moment will be releasing a self-pressed cd version of the EP this coming Saturday, with an official label release TBA.“With this record, we wanted to take everything that we were happy with in regards to summer fences and concentrate it. Echo & the Light is more upbeat than summer fences, and also treads a bit into some heavier territory while still retaining a lot of the elements that comprise our sound.” (Nick Wakim)

Citing influences such as Appleseed Cast, American Football, and Braid, it’s not wonder that Castevet so perfectly embodies the slightly gritty sound of 90’s Emo/Indie. Their loose and grated vocals are balanced by more effervescent instrumentals, putting their rasping shouts shoulder to shoulder with a genre they wouldn’t fall into on their own. Listeners can look forward to more of this contrast in The Echo & the Light, as the band states that, “This record has more vocals than Summer Fences, and the passages are mostly shorter. We even got to experiment with some ambient interludes and are very pleased with how those turned out.” (Nick Wakim)
The album is due out at the end of the month, with a corresponding record release show at Subterranean alongside Native, Bob Nanna/Lauren Lo, and Into it. Over it.- of which the latter two will be celebrating the release of their Split 7”.

Castevet online:
Count Your Lucky Stars
Myspace

Tune into Jstreet Radio 98.3fm FM this Thursday, January 28th to hear a song from Castevet alongside the station’s interview with Telegram Sam. Listen online at www.wrlr.fm

Check out Castevet at Subterranean this Saturday, January 30th
NATIVE
BOB NANNA & LAUREN LO
INTO IT. OVER IT.
Doors at 9:30/Show at 10pm 17+
$8 Advanced/$10 at the door

Castevet’s Nick Wakim took some time out to talk to us about the band’s music, plans post-release, and what is sure to be a blockbuster hit- Castevet: The Movie.

Telegram Sam: Who are your top three musical influences?

Nick of Castevet: Personally, I would say Small Brown Bike, American Football, and Envy.

T.S: What will 2010 bring for Castevet?

Nick of Castevet: We’re planning to play a bunch around Chicago, do weekends around the Midwest, 6 days from June 29 - July 4th, a couple of splits, and start writing for our second full length. We will also be meticulously maintaining our beards throughout the year.

T.S: Comparing yourselves as musicians at the release of your first album to yourselves at the release of this one, what do you think has changed?

Nick of Castevet: We’ve become much better at working together to achieve a complete song, rather than everyone kind of tossing their parts into the ring and seeing what comes out. As such, our more recent output is more unified and cohesive than our early tracks.

T.S: What is the most memorable show you’ve ever played?

Nick of Castevet: The most memorable show we’ve played was the release show for Lautrec’s split 7″ with Ghost Towns. It was at the Phrat Pharm in Chicago, and everything was just so rad. Everyone was having so much fun, all the bands were awesome, and it was a perfect reminder that bands are meant to play music in basements surrounded by their friends.

T.S: If Hollywood ever made a movie of your band, who would you cast and what would the plot be?

Nick of Castevet: Will would be played by Bill Murray, Ron played by Shaq, I would be played by Zach Galifianakis, and Josh would be played by Henry Rollins. The plot would be about how we must face off against a scumbag villain (played by Nicolas Cage) who is trying to sabotage our pursuit of snacks while on tour. The final showdown occurs when we cross paths at the Tastykake factory in Philadelphia. Castevet is successful in our snack quest as we defeat the villain by pushing him into an industrial sized flour mixer using the sound waves from several dozen full stacks.

Few things go together as well as bicycles and music. (As if you didn’t already know that) And here are a few of the people who can prove it to you. Our only question is: Why are none of these bands called “The Spokes”?

The Cycologists

Linsey Pollack has a one-man show on Cycology, the art of playing the bicycle. As Professor Squealy Deetbum, he demonstrates the sound of a clarinet made from a bicycle seat stem, bike frame percussion, a gear cable cello, tuned wheel spokes, a handlebar harmonic flute, and other various bicycle parts turned instrument. He is also a member of the Cycologists, a three piece band consisting of Pollak, Ric Halstead, and Brendan Hook, all playing bicycle parts.

Frank Zappa

Pollack is far from the first cycologist. A spritely 22-year-old Frank Zappa appeared on the Steve Allen Show in 63′ as a “musical bicyclist”, playin two bicycles as instruments. Zappa enlisted the help of Allen and the studio band to produce spontaneous noises and poetry for this performance.

While we’re on the subject, here’s another example of music made with bicycle parts. These acts literally making music through their bikes are rare finds, but there are other ways bands combine their love of music and their love of bicycles.

Dutch Cyclist Music Corps

The Dutch Cyclist Music Corps (translated here) formed in 1927 by Dutch army conscripts. With armrests welded to their bicycle handlebars they could play while riding in formation. Another group of Northern European descent is the Crescendo Cycling Brass Band who have been riding bikes and playing pop music since 1973. They were just a regular marching band from Opende in the Netherlands, when one fateful day they decided to spice up their act with bicycles. The bicycle routine became so popular they’ve been asked to perform all over Europe and as far away as Japan.

bicycle

The band bicycle (with a lower case b) embarked on a bicycle tour across America in 1995, stopping in small towns along the way, making new fans, and selling records. They did it again, and again, and drew more publicity and even sponsorships from bike companies. Then finally they were offered a record contract! The band still plays together occasionally. You can keep up with bicycle through their MySpace page.

The Ginger Ninjas

The Ginger Ninjas are taking the relationship between bicycling and music a step further by using their bikes as a green energy source, for both transportation and stage power.

“In 2007, the Ginger Ninjas became the first band in the history of rock and roll to tour by bicycle, unsupported by automobile. On a 5,000 mile [8,000 km] odyssey from their home in Northern California to the pyramids of southern Mexico, they promoted transportation cycling while also exploring the frontiers of pedal-generated electricity, using their own bikes to power a hyper-efficient sound system.”

Even if you aren’t part of a band, you can participate in bicycle music by attending a bicycle music festival.

Or you could get some friends together to perform a piece written just for bicycles.

Or watch for your opportunity to join a public performance of bicycle music.