New music (to me) and show info

So yesterday, I posted on Facebook that I was listening to Goonies Never Say Die. (Sidenote: Whenever I see a “Goonies Never Say Die” shirt, I generally ask, “The movie or the band?” And the response is generally, “I didn’t know it was a band.” So if you’re reading this post, now you know it’s a band, too.)

They are an instrumental band from England that would fit into the post-rock category. You can hear some of their stuff on Deep Elm Records.

Anyway back to the story… so I posted that I was listening to that band, and Jason Snellgrove (Flip the Switch, Breaking Aim and the Rhythm, etc.) mentions this Japanese instrumental band called “Toe.” And… well… they’re really good. It’s a mixture of post-rock and math rock.

And that sidenote above is probably why he calls me “the man of much wordage.”

So yeah… Toe. Really good stuff. In fact, here you go:

Also…

Tonight, Hail the Titans is playing at the Blind Mule in Mobile with The Handsome Scoundrels.

And my friends in NO are playing pretty close by at the Alabama Music Box.

Saturday, Hail the Titans are back at The Squeaky Lizard in Ocean Springs, MS. That place is always fun times.

Oh, and in case you missed it, my friends in El Chupa Cobras have a beer coming out today in their honor. Read the Montgomery Advertiser article about it.

Some new music you should check out

Here is some new music I think you should give a listen to – some local, some not so local, but good nonetheless. These can all be streamed (and purchased) online.

I’ll start with local and then spread out.

The Black Racers recently released a self-titled eight-song album. You can hear it on their Bandcamp page.

From Atlanta hails Brother Hawk, who just released the five-track “Love Songs.” Maybe “EP” is the correct terminology, but each song on this album is longer than five minutes (the song “Berean” is three seconds shy of the 10-minute mark.) You can hear it here.

(Brother Hawk features at least one member of Mice in Cars, who Hail the Titans played with in Atlanta in June and will play with again this year at Nophest.)

One album I can’t seem to recommend enough is a new Deep Elm Records release by a band called Coma Recovery. They have released five tracks of beautiful post rock goodness known as “Goddverb” that can be heard here.

And according to an email I received this morning from Deep Elm, they are giving away an album every Wednesday for anyone who clicks “Like” on their Facebook page. Today’s giveaway is “Share This” by the band Les Sages – good indie rock with piano and vocal harmonies.

I can’t sport a mustache because I sometimes drive a van

Just a few hours before Hail the Titans got in our van (Ragnarok) to head to a show in Atlanta on Friday, the Atlanta-based blog Latest Disgrace published a story on us. Read: NOW HEAR THIS: Hail the Titans.

We played the Rock Science Revival at Picaflor Studio Friday night with Jon Von Panther and PlanetRAWK. It was a very fun show, and we are grateful for the hospitality shown to us by Tracey w/ Rock Science, Kathryn w/ Picaflor, Billy from Ricer, and the other bands.

(Also, the nearby Arizona Pub has a very good Philly cheesesteak and Fat Tire on tap. They also have fried artichoke hearts. Good stuff.)

After the show, Tracey took us to Star Bar (it was my first time there). They have an Elvis vault, complete with toilet and guitar. They also have a window with a stuffed fox… you know, random stuff that you expect to see at a  good rock club. Then we visited he Majestic Diner, a 24-hour diner that has been around since 1929 and has a “Happy Days” kind of feel to it.

Saturday, we returned to the Alley Cat in Carrollton, Ga. with our friends in MeeN. First of all, if you haven’t been to the Alley Cat, you’re missing out. It’s one of those places that just has a cool vibe from the moment you walk in the door… and the food is great. (Their Philly cheesesteak is really good, too, and they have sweet potato fries.)

So we played our set, then MeeN rocked out. Then, once everyone had time to breathe for a minute, all of Hail the Titans and MeeN got back up there at the same time for a huge improv jam session. People from the crowd were playing floor toms, joining in on theremin, and our friend TC from Johnny’s in the Basement got on drums for a bit as well.

Big thanks to Josh and Casey from MeeN for their hospitality.

Coming up this weekend, we’re heading back to Mobile to play The Blind Mule with The Handsome Scoundrels. That show is Friday. On Saturday, we’re returning to The Squeaky Lizard in Ocean Springs, Miss. for Lance’s birthday weekend o’ rock. See you then!

Photography special

If you’ve read this blog before, you’ve probably seen photos I have posted from shows that were taken by Pint Bottle Photography.

Right now, the business is offering a back to school special which includes a one-hour photo session at the location of your choosing for only $75. That also includes a DVD with high-res images on it.

Of course, if you’re reading this blog from New Zealand and wanting to take part of the deal, they’ll probably have to add travel expenses, but hey, you’ll get quality results.

Check out their Facebook page for more details, photos and contact info: Facebook.com/PintBottlePhotography.

Reviews, photos and things to do

Yesterday, The Local Scene blog posted a review of Hail the Titans‘ performance at last Wednesday’s Bullrun 2011 party at the AlleyBAR. There are also photos from the show as well. Read the post here.

“The sound of Hail the Titans pretty much defies definition.”

“…natural, pure and raw.”

“Their music shows that lyrics are unnecessary to make music good.”

Also, Pint Bottle Photography posted a gallery titled “Bullrun Rally” with photos from that show. See them here.

Here is a photo of the stage before we began playing:

This weekend, Hail the Titans has a couple of show:

Friday, we will be at Picaflor Studio in Atlanta, Ga. with Jon Von Panther and PlanetRAWK. This is part of the Rock Science Revival series. Details here.

Saturday, we’ll return to the Alley Cat in Carrollton, Ga. with MeeN. MeeN features Josh, the former drummer from Can Can. We’re excited to return to the Alley Cat – good food and good people.

If you’re in Montgomery this weekend, you should go to Head on the Door on Friday and check out MeeN. They are playing with …and the Lawyers. Details here.

Saturday, the show to see in Montgomery is No, The Black Racers, and The Most Amazing Century of Science. They are all at Head on the Door as well. As of me typing this, 42 people have already clicked “attending,” so you might want to get there early for this one.

Hymns of Mare Nostrum info

So yesterday, the album cover for Hail the Titans‘ upcoming “Hymns of Mare Nostrum” was unveiled on our Facebook page. It was designed by Winfred Hawkins. Here it is again, if you missed it yesterday:

And here is the track listing:

1. The Physical Limitations of Nonlinear Waves in Motion
2. The Surface
3. Blood Sisters of the Fog
4. Wave Goodbye to the Shoreline; Hello Giant Squid
5. Cesium
6. I Am Become Death
7. The Owner’s Manual to the Universe, Chapter III: Celestial Mapping
8. Practical Applications in the Metaphysical

But I figured I would post some information here that is not in the liner notes, mainly the instrument list. If you’re interested to know what you’re hearing, it may take a little research, some imagination, a set of headphones, and maybe a link to this blog because it’s not in the album.

If you didn’t know already, we like noise. We may fit into categories such as rock, post rock, ambient, experimental, instrumental, progressive, etc., but we also like noise, so here is a list of everything that we could remember recording for use on the album:

Of course, we’ll start with the normal instruments you’re used to seeing us with live – guitars, bass, drums, multiple effects pedals, a micro Korg, a Korg MS2000, extra floor toms, a whamola, a theremin, a light theremin and a tambourine.

Along with all of that from our live set-up, here are some other things on the album:

A dumbbull, a didgeridoo, a chalice with a stainless steel spoon, the same chalice used as a bell and dipped in a pan of water, a drum stick on a glass ceiling fan light fixture cover, birds, a metal shopping cart and a night stick, a Mac computer (synth), vomit, acoustic guitar, cell phones, Ensoniq ESQ1 keyboard, 3 qt. cooking pot, slide whistle, shower, glass jar with metal screws, wine glasses with water, alto saxophone, hand drums, Akai XR20 drum machine, 2-slice toaster, plastic police dashboard toy, the ignition of a forest green ’95 Jeep Cherokee 4WD, a tape measure, a ring of keys, a guitar pick on Velcro and a hand saw used on a bathroom sink and a 3 qt. cooking pot.

I think that’s it. I mean, there is a chance that I forgot something, but I think that is a comprehensive list. The album will be out soon. More updates in the coming weeks.

“…like Epic Meal Time for the ears.”

We (Hail the Titans) had a fun time on the Gulf Coast this weekend, even though it rained pretty much the entire time.

The Axis Venue in Panama City was fun. We played a very short set, but it was still fun. And The Squeaky Lizard in Ocean Springs is always very good to us, and we love that place. And right now, I would like to share a quote that the Squeaky Lizard owner left on our Facebook wall describing our sound:

“Watching Hail the Titans play is like Epic Meal Time for the ears. Wes keeps throwing out bass lines like it’s bacon fried bacon, wrapped in bacon and topped with a bacon marmalade with bacon bits. Adam makes you wonder if he is playing a guitar, stuffed inside another guitar, with an even smaller guitar pan seared and marinated in a Jack Daniel’s sauce inside of that one. Josh holds everything together like a meat glue, made of pork, beef, chicken, fish, and therakeytardrumbarine. And Trey on drums can only be described as “Cham Pow” tastic. There is no point in asking how many calories your ears intake during a Hail the Titans show – because numbers dont go that high.”

I’m thinking we might just have a new band bio now!

We will be back at The Squeaky Lizard on Saturday, July 30 for Lance’s birthday weekend of rock.

In the meantime, make sure you’ve clicked the “Like” button on our Facebook page because we’ll have some album updates coming soon!

Sigh… well… it was almost a smooth ride

After hearing that some people said Montgomery was the best stop so far on the Bullrun 2011, I see this news headline:

“Ice-T Says MTV Crew was Mistreated in Montgomery.”

For the record, the incident seems to have happened well after the show/party from Wednesday night (which was awesome, by the way.) (The fourth paragraph begins, “As the cars were gearing up to roll out…”)

There truly are some people/organizations/businesses in Montgomery who are trying to bring new and exciting things to town (including Helicity Montgomery, AlleyBAR, etc.), so I must say it’s a shame when some negativity attempts to overshadow what was a very positive event.

Anyway, be sure to check out my post from Monday about all the events going on this weekend. Get out and support some things in town. Don’t let the negative aspects hinder the positive.

We told you Ice-T and Coco were going to be there

Some people thought it was all hype, but last night, sure enough, Ice-T and Coco, among other Bullrun 2011 participants, were at AlleyBAR while Hail the Titans was playing.

The place was packed, and I want to give a big “Thank you!” to everyone who came out (on a Wednesday!) to support us, AlleyBAR and the Bullrun. It was an amazing night, and we are truly grateful for the love and support you all have shown us.

The Bullrun cars were parked outside of the Renaissance Hotel downtown:

Here is Trey standing next to some huge, stretched truck of some sort:

And here is the pink camo Hummer driven by “The Dudesons” from MTV:

And here is a photo of Ice-T and Coco taken in Montgomery by my friend Holly and uploaded by Jason from …and the Lawyers:

Here is a short video from our performance last night that our friend Brandon took with his phone:

Again, thank you! Last night was truly amazing!

More about tonight’s show… also some El Chupa Cobras beer

This is an update to yesterday’s post.

Hail the Titans is playing at AlleyBAR tonight, starting around 10 p.m. This is a stop on the Bullrun Rally 2011. Last night, I was told that rapper/actor Ice-T and his wife, Coco, are scheduled to be there, along with the Dudesons, Robby Gordon and some celebrities from film, TV and UFC.

So, if everything goes according to plan, you might see some familiar faces that are not from the Tri-County area.

In other cool news, Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, Fla. is brewing a special ale for the Montgomery-based band El Chupa Cobras. Here is the beer label:

How badass is that?! Congrats!