Dead Ringer demo/interview

Artist: DEAD RINGER
Album: 3 song demo
Release date: November 2010
Rating: 8/10
Website: http://deadringer.bandcamp.com/

Last time I checked, my desk was NOT a time machine. However, when I put the first song off this demo from 90s die-hards and Jersey natives, Dead ringer I found myself forgetting that it was not 1995.

I'm kind of a snob when it comes to music fronted by females. I just think a lot of it is more focused on being girl fronted rather than focused on actually sounding good. Thankfully, guitar player and lyricist of Dead Ringer, Kristia Moya feels the same way and spent time writing songs with great guitar overdrive, and a genuine feel to the songs that is often left out of bands calling themselves "pop punk"

Im excited to see what the band does with these songs. They show great potential to put out a record that should have been playing all day on a Walkman, but will still sound just as good coming from an Ipod.

Guitar player, and lyricist Kristia was gracious enough to do an interview about the 3 song demo.



LITSL: Hello Kristia! Thanks for giving me some of your time. How long did this demo take to record?

Kristia : We recorded the demo back in November and managed to record it all in one session by the help of Kevin Carafa, who filled in on drums and also recorded us, because Dead Ringer started off as only Carlos and myself

LITSL: When you two started writing songs together, how did that process go? Was there a set process or more of a "anything goes" system? Like did it usually start with one of you two writing something, whether its a part to a song, or a whole song? Or was it more of a jam and see what you come up with?

Kristia: Basically, I would write a full song and show him. We would both work on the song and add harmonies together.

LITSL: Did song writing start off acoustically?

Kristia: Yes, I always write my songs on acoustic first. I've always enjoyed being able to play my songs acoustically no matter what genre it'd be. It's also easier for me so I can work out the melody, song structure, and have an organized chord sequence.

LITSL: Did you already know the other members of the band, or was it a little work finding other 90s nerds living around you?

Kristia: It was a little work trying to find a permanent drummer, but we were lucky enough to have, Luis(our current drummer), found us after a Punknews.org posting about us and our demo. He's a great drummer and a genuine guy which is hard to find in a drummer nowadays so we're beyond excited to have him in Dead Ringer.

LITSL: So did you already know Carlos?(bass, vocals)

Kristia: Yes! We've known each other for quite a while now and we were in a band previously called "Exit She Calls". He's also one of my best friends so playing in a band and experiencing this all together with him makes it even better.

LITSL: That's awesome to hear! Its a good thing hes such a fan of the 90s as well. Otherwise you would have to go door to door to see who is watching marathons of The X files or Seinfeld. Do you have an idea of when a completed EP or LP can be expected?

Kristia: We'll be heading into the studio the end of this month to record 4 new songs for our upcoming EP entitled Enjoy The Ride. Gruff Beard Records will be releasing it on vinyl, cassette tape, cd, and digital download sometime during Spring.

LITSL: Do you think its a little frustrating for legitimate "pop punk" bands to get notice in a world ruled by All time low and any band that claims to be influenced by New Found Glory?

Kristia: It can be frustrating, but at the same time majority of the pop punk bands that I'm friends with aren't into All Time Low and what they're all about when it comes to the music industry. You see, when I think of pop punk, I automatically think of bands off of Fat Wreck Chords, Epitaph Records, No Idea Records, Asian Man Records, and etc. It's obvious that these bands don't get as much credit as a band like All Time Low does. But the bands that I've listened to while growing up, in my opinion, have written some of the most honest and passionate songs I've ever came across and others can agree with me. I'm sure that majority of these bands would not want to be in the same place as All Time Low, though. For example, after attending so many shows since I was 12, whether it be in a arena, small venue, or a house show, I can say that attending a house show is my favorite. The intimacy that is exchanged between a band and a crowd is so much more rewarding on both ends. You actually feel like you're a part of it and it is because of that, that makes this DIY scene unique and strong. To me that is being successful in what you do, as a musician, not the money that you make. I can go on and on about this particular topic, but it'd take me days to write down exactly how I feel. Not everyone will agree with me, but this is where I stand.


To be honest with you, I've always been a fan of New Found Glory. It's great to be influenced by a band, especially New Found Glory, but to constantly think of "Oh! I wonder what they'd write." is pointless. How can one claim to be passionate about their music that way? I got into music because it was an outlet for me and I was able to express myself without having to worry what others thought. I understand that every band has different point of views and goals that they set for themselves, but when it comes to Dead Ringer we will always write what feels right to us and as long as it's coming from the heart. I know...corny.


LITSL: I appreciate you taking the time to answer that question so honestly. My impressions of your band are that you put 100% into everything you do, and that is refreshing in a world where a lot of things have become stale and predictable. Any plans for touring?

Kristia: Of course! We plan on doing some weekend tours here and there to support the release of our upcoming EP. Then, we'll be touring in August for a month pretty much hitting up the East Coast and kind of Midwest. We're really excited to be getting out on the road! I absolutely love touring because I get to do three of the things I love: playing music, traveling, and of course...eating.

LITSL: I heard you just finished up a west coast tour. How did that go? Did you get good reactions?

Kristia: I did and it went great! Unfortunately, Carlos couldn't be a part of the tour due to work and also it was scheduled before Luis had joined the band. I was lucky enough to tag along with Greedy Eyes, from San Francisco, throughout the West Coast on tour. I can't forget that their drummer, Evan Deges, and bassist, Cody Bustos, had helped by filling in for Dead Ringer. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have been able to do this and am grateful for that. The reactions we got at the shows we played at were great. I wasn't too sure what to expect before playing the shows and what feedback I'd get because Dead Ringer is still a new band, but at every show we played, everyone was so supportive and open. And because of that, I've met so many amazing bands and people on the tour.

LITSL: Thats awesome to hear you got such a great reception! Thankfully Greedy Eyes was there to lend a hand. Well Kristia, Its been a real pleasure interviewing you. Before we wrap this up I wanted to thank you for taking time to do this and wish you the best of luck with Dead Ringer. But before you go, could you let me know some bands to look out for? Im always looking for bands to review. Also, while you were out west did you stop in anywhere that had food that blew you away? Im a nacho junkie and always am looking for the best. Thanks again!

Kristia: Charles! Thank you for being interested enough to review our demo and interview me. The only band I can think of at the moment that I've recently gotten into are The Transgressions from Wisconsin. They're definitely worth checking out if you're into pop punk.
Being a vegetarian, I LOVE looking up and hearing from others about vegetarian/vegan friendly restaurants and bakeries. I came across a handful on the West Coast so I was excited.

San Francisco, CA:
Shangri-La
Herbivore
Ananda Fuara Vegetarian
Any taqueria in the Mission area

Los Angeles, CA:
Vegan House

Portland, OR:
D.C Vegetarian
Voodoo Doughnut


LITSL: Thanks again and good luck!

Mogwai- Hardcore will never die, but you will.

ARTIST: MOGWAI

ALBUM: HARDCORE WILL NEVER DIE BUT YOU WILL

LENGTH: 53:08

LABEL: SUB POP

RATING: 7.2/10

TRACK LISTING:

1. White Noise– 5:04
2. Mexican Grand Prix– 5:18
3. Rano Pano 5:15
4. Death Rays – 6:01
5. San Pedro – 3:27
6. Letters to the metro – 4:41
7. George Square Thatcher Death party – 4:00
8. How to be a werewolf – 6:23
9. Too Raging to Cheers – 4:30
10. You're Lionel Richie– 8:29

I was trying to find something to review when I found this record. I had been meaning to check out Mogwai for quite some time, so now I finally have a chance to do so. The album opens up with "White Noise" and I must say, its a fitting title. The album opens up with quiet mumbles which bleeds into the rest of the song. Its a very lonely sound on this song. The background mumbles continue throughout the song and with the lonely vibe set with the music, it gave me an image of being in a loud room with many people in it, yet still feeling alone. The one thing that kind of bugged me though were the drums. To me, they never flowed. They gave the song a jagged feel, it seemed.

The first track made me kind of skeptical. Bands that tend to focus more on instrumentals fall victim to cliches often. Delay on the guitar, big sounding drums with reverb. Its sometimes hard to distinguish the difference between a decent band in the controversially named genre "Post-Rock" and a entirely mediocre record. To me, what it comes down to is passion. Anybody can make an Explosions in the sky(EITS) rip off, and after this first track I was worried that the record might sound like a mix between EITS and U2s' "How to dismantle an atomic bomb"

I cannot begin to tell you the confusion the second track, "Mexican Grand Prix" gave me. Even after hearing the whole record, I dont understand how this song fits the rest of the record. When the song started, I noticed how much the computerized hand claps bugged me. The vocals were obnoxiously auto-tuned for that all too familiar coded sounding voice. To be fair, I am not a fan of the 8 bit genre. For those who are, there are two songs on this record that you may enjoy. Along with "Mexican Grand Prix" the song "George Square Thatcher Death Party" fits the 8-bit vibe. It opens with a catchy fuzz driven bass, and to no shock of my own, a synth. The guitar bends on this song are pretty awesome, they gave me a good distraction from his singing.

Both of those songs were hard to make out, lyrically. I could not find any sites with lyrics at the time of this review. Maybe behind those auto-tuned drenched vocals, there is a message to be heard. After 4 tracks I started realizing that at least to me, the record has yet to establish itself. It doesnt seem to flow.

There are some songs on this record that come off as stale to me. The music is always well constructed. This band knows how to harmonize their guitars very well. The drummer does a good job of keeping the down-sounding songs quiet and not falling to the cliche floor tom sound that Angels and Airwaves made so overdone. It may not be groundbreaking, but the songs are good enough to at least enjoy how real the drums feel.

On the songs "San Pedro" and "Too Raging to Cheers" the band displays an aggressive side. They mix strings in with a very riff-heavy song and pull it off without sounding like a Godspeed rip off.

The song "Letters to the metro" is a stand out track to me. Ominous sounding piano leads into a very low key sounding drum beat. I guess Im really cynical about guitars in instrumental type music. It usually has the same tone and although may be very moving, it gets boring hearing the same crecendos. This song took a turn I didnt expect. Once the guitar started getting a little louder I thought it was time to hit the delay pedal. I was wrong. Great guitar tone, very lonely sounding. What seperated this song from most cliche songs is that I believed this song. The lead work reminded me of the bridge in "Cowboy Dan" by Modest Mouse. This track specifically has the most heart on the record to me.

I wish they had chosen a better closing song. It changed directions too often to keep me interested in the un-avoidable build up of fuzz that would surely close the record.

Overall, this record has some really good, heartfelt moments. It never really established a steady pace, and Im not sure that it really had an "album feel". There is no question that these gents know how to harmonize their instruments. They know how to write leads and solos that actually fit the song and not feel false or cheesy. I am glad I got a chance to hear this record, and I'll probably check out at least a couple songs from their earlier releases to try and find some more honest, moving pieces of instrumental work. This record is amazing one moment, and puzzling the next. But it has enough good moments to make up for the lesser moments.