Two Shows on August 2- Ceremony and Havok.

I don't normally like to have two shows booked in one night, but in the case of these two acts, it was pretty much impossible for me to say no.

First up is Ceremony at Will's Pub. Doors are at 7pm. The show is all ages. Pre-sales are available at WillsPub.Org or Park Ave Cds.

Playing with them is Ed Schrader's Music Beat, Give, and Eavesdropper. Show info here.

Ceremony
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ceremony/105617646137541. 
Ceremony is a band in that can’t be lumped into any specific category of simply punk and/or hardcore. Sure, they were named as one of the ‘100 bands you need to know in 2008’ in Alternative Press. Sure, they’ve toured the US, Europe, Canada, and have Japan and Australia in their 2008 plans. And sure, they play fast, loud, aggressive music. But Ceremony is completely different. They don’t care about bios, profiles, status, or anything else. If it was up to Ceremony, all you would see before the release of their upcoming Bridge Nine full-length, Still Nothing Moves You, is artwork and maybe some lyrics. Ceremony is not your typical up-and-comer in the punk and hardcore scene. Ceremony will take over the world - and they will do it on their own terms. When Ceremony got started back in 2005, they didn’t set out to become one of the best bands in contemporary punk and hardcore. Collectively, they were a group of guys who didn’t know what else to do with themselves and practiced together as a band called Violent World. Eventually, their music was getting played faster and faster until Ceremony was formed. The Bay Area punk band began demanding attention in 2006 with the CD/LP Violence Violence, and it was an instant hardcore classic. Punknews stated “Quite frankly, [Ceremony] have created a modern hardcore masterpiecee” and AP coined them one of 22 bands who won’t stay underground for long. Shortly thereafter, the band started touring and played basements and clubs with the usual suspects. Eventually, they moved on to play shows with Bleeding Through and even getting a slot on the Live 105 radio shows with AFI. Not a bad start for a band who’s songs barely pass the one minute mark and are just as fast and crazy as bands like Black Flag and Bad Brains. The beauty of Ceremony is that it’s not easy to pinpoint what influences them. Who knew that a band that has a 26-song back catalog that lasts less than 28 minutes in total named their band in homage to Ian Curtis? Ceremony is constantly reinventing themselves musically, and their broad influences like Joy Division, Pink Floyd, Negative Approach, Black Flag, Suicidal Tendencies and Tom Waits are obvious reflections of that. Ceremony’s vocalist Ross Farrar said, “Staying inspired is most important. We don’t necessarily incorporate the sounds of the bands we like into our music, but those particular bands have a certain aesthetic degree of emotion that moves people. The minimalism and the repetitive qualities and the lyrical content is all very captivating, and listening to that sound evokes particular emotions in all of us. Whatever, though – we’re just some punk hardcore people making loud sounds.” Equally as influential to Ceremony is the Bay Area of Northern California, where all of the members reside. Ross said, “Love is the Bay Area. It will always influence me. There’s just something about it… you can feel it as soon as you cross the border. “ Ceremony made the stunning Still Nothing Moves You, which has been looming on the horizon for the last two years. The wait was undisputedly worth it. Still Nothing Moves You was recorded with Dan Rathbun at Polymorph studios in Spring of 2008 in Oakland, CA. Rathbun’s previous work with Tragedy and From Ashes Rise was the perfect blend of a professional and powerful recording with enough grit that wouldn’t compromise the vision of the band. The result is an album that takes hardcore and makes it unsafe and noisy. It’s not a casual listen. There is a structure and penchant for arrangement that makes Still Nothing Moves You a 21 minute experience that is not just a blitz of 21 minutes at one speed – it is incredibly dynamic. From the brooding, discordant, and ominous intro to “Dead Moon California” throughout the album and ending with “Learn/Without” the band gives you time to breathe throughout, but it’s not long before you’re grabbed by the ears and shaken with shouts of “I sleep with women I don’t deserve/wretched/unstable/vulnerable.” Still Nothing Moves You doesn’t have singles and it doesn’t have singing. With lyrics like “I won’t be skullfucked by faith” (from “He-god-Favors Our Undertakings”), Still Nothing Moves You is pure venom and unrestrained anger. It’s hard for a band to follow up with a new album after their previous efforts have been thought of as ‘masterpieces’, but after two solid years of plotting, planning, and writing, Ceremony made a record that will undoubtedly shake things up in an otherwise stale, predictable, and safe punk/hardcore scene. Get ready for Ceremony’s Still Nothing Moves You when it’s unleashed on August 5th, 2008.

Ed Schrader's Music Beat

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ed-Schraders-Music-Beat/209173182433473
Ed Schrader lives in Baltimore, Maryland where he spends his time fueling his David Bowie obsession and releasing songs through the Wham City arts collaborative alongside fellow Baltimore resident Dan Deacon. With only a handful of demos available online, it's anyone's guess what exactly to expect from this multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire—if his two demo songs are any indication, get ready for minimalist psychedelic punk with Schrader's high pitch vocals and fuzzed out, lo-fi distortion.


GIVE
http://givemusical.bandcamp.com/

Every once in awhile the underground music world gives birth to a new band that reminds some of us why we’re still here in the first place. I’m not just talking about a breath of fresh air. I’m talking about being handed a ticket to ride a time machine, gaining telekenetic powers, and some Spock mind-meld-type shit. Absolute emotional possesion with mental and physical reprecussions. If you’ve ever witnessed their untouchable live set, read the suggestive/provocative lyrics to “I Am Love”, or admired their flower power aesthetic you know I’m talking about the mother lovin’ GIVE!

Singles Going Confetti is the second chapter in the history of this Washington, DC quintet and not un-like Aliens, Empire Strikes Back, or Batman Returns- the sequel is better than the original. These 11 songs collect all five of their singles released on Youngblood, PainKiller, Triple B, React, and Deranged Records with one brand new track exclusive to this record. Singles Going Confetti will be sure to pleasure, confuse, and grow on all of us until our head’s explode like a rose. Flowerheads come and take me over. Deranged 2012.

Eavesdropper
http://eavesdropper.bandcamp.com/

Members of Teen Agers, Direct Effect, Rory, Nightlights, Go Rydell.
"Loud, buzzsaw guitars, harshly screamed vocals, heavy drums and throwback production, 'alternative rock' would be an easy descriptor but not necessarily one that does Eavesdropper justice. The band possess a keen sense of melody to go with all that aggression as well. They’d fit in perfectly on a bill with bands like Tigers Jaw, Daylight, etc." - Bryne Yancey




The second show of the evening will be taking place at Backbooth, and features thrash metal heroes Havok from Colorado. Havok- on their first headlining tour- have  been blowing people away on this tour, playing familiar songs from past albums as well as songs from their most recent release- Unnatural Selection. Show info here. Tickets are available at the door, or online at backbooth.com as well as at Park Ave CDs. 

Hot Graves.
https://www.facebook.com/HOTGRAVES666

Chernobyl
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chernobyl/127011730654349?ref=hl

Dissident Aggressor
http://dissidentaggressor.bandcamp.com/

Havok
Havok is an American thrash metal band from Denver, Colorado. Formed in 2004, their members currently consist of David Sanchez (Vocals/guitars), Mike Leon (Bass), Pete Webber (Drums), and Reece Scruggs (Lead guitar). Since signing with England's Candlelight Records, Havok have released two studio albums: 2009's Burn, and 2011's critically acclaimed, Time Is Up.
David Sanchez's love of thrash metal greats, like Metallica, Megadeth, and Slayer, led him to form Havok In December 2007, Havok sent a copy of their EP and a press kit to any metal label they could find. The EP had caught the ear of English extreme metal label, Candlelight Records, and soon after the band agreed to sign with them. On June 2, 2009 Havok released their full length debut, "Burn" The debut was received quite well in the metal community, but it did not yet break them into the global metal scene. After relentless touring in support of "Burn", Havok returned to the studio to record their sophomore effort.

On March 29, 2011 Havok released "Time Is Up". Their sophomore effort spread through the metal community, receiving strong reviews from critics and fans alike. It became a defining album in what has come to be known as the New Wave of Thrash Metal scene. The success of "Time Is Up" has led the band to major tours opening for bands like Sepultura , Death Angel , Anthrax , The English Dogs , The Casualties , Goatwhore , 3 Inches of Blood , Skeletonwitch and Exhumed. 2012 was wrapped up for the band by playing the first Barge to Hell cruise featuring bands At the Gates , Behemoth , Mayhem , Possessed , Exodus and Sacred Reich to name a few.