Should have thrown this one in at the end of the last post, but I'd honestly forgotten about it until shuffle on the old iPhone reminded me (btw it sounds glorious through my beats, just in case you were wondering).
Chasing Layne--Filthy Mind
"Drowning in a river of sin but don't save me"
This is only a tiny clip I shot in lex when the guys were playing there at the A1A/Dame/Roxy/whatever it was called at this point. Do yourself a favor and hop on iTunes and buy the song. You have no idea how bad I miss the days of the Layne. Well, the good ones at least.
Sometimes music dictates the mood that I'm in. The first song I hear on the radio as I jump into my morning shower or the last song that plays before I turn the car off and walk into work can set my temperament for the rest of my day and guide all the music that I'll choose to listen to thereafter. It's almost guaranteed- If I hear Def Leppard's "Photograph" or Buckcherry's "Lit Up" playing on the radio as I get ready in the morning, it's gonna be a fun day. If I hear "Live & Let Die" then watch out- I'm probably going to be too much happy to handle.
But, if you know me at all, you'll know that sunshine and rainbows Kelli is not always sitting at the front desk waiting to shower you with happy. And on those more common days, like today happens to be, I have to search out the music that fits my mood instead of just letting it find me.
The songs I've garnered today find their place on my "hear her playin' that same old song" playlist. Because, sometimes, no matter how hard you try to make it any different, everything just sucks and you have a "bad day again" (ha- get it? clever, i know). You could try and fight that dejected, broody mood that you're in (and maybe that's what "normal" people are actually supposed to do) or you could do as I do and just embrace it. Listen to sad songs. Feel sorry for yourself. Find lyrics that you identify with and let them trigger that cathartic cry. Then, pick yourself up and get over it. Move on. Wake up the next morning knowing that the radio has the potential to play that one song that can set it all on a different path. That's the beautiful thing about music; it's so powerful, so transcending, so capable of molding and shaping the way you feel into something you can comprehend and handle even when you can't begin to understand it at all.
"Hear Her Playin' That Same Old Song"
A Selection From My Sad Day Playlist
Fuel-- Bad Day
"And she swears there's nothing wrong,
I hear her playing that same old song"
Old and completely overplayed, I got really burnt out on this song when it first came out because it was everywhere for so long, and it got to the point to where it had no effect on me. I've fallen in love with Fuel again recently, though, and bought all their older albums and I've found myself being drawn to "Bad Day" again when my day is just that.
Staind--Take This
"I've always had to see, The brighter side of this so I don't lose my faith"
I think this is the ultimate break-up song. F*Face used to know that when I busted out Staind's Chapter V and skipped to number 10, things were bout to get real bad (or that they actually already were and it was time to start begging for mercy). Even now that I'm living in the land of single ladies, I still crave it when I'm in one of my feel sorry for myself moods.
Eli Young Band-- Guinevere
"She's got a handful of records that she turns to when she needs to land"
Every girl wants a song written just for them. I mean, really, what female doesn't want to be the muse that inspires something like "Wonderful Tonight" or "Layla?" I don't know that it's really a dream to be a guarded/jaded girl like the one in "Guinevere," but the fact that whoever she is had that much of an impact the writer that they had to write a song about her to work it out makes me pretty jealous.
One of the things that draws me to songs is their semblance to my own life, and I can definitely see a reflection of me in this one. I don't have any band stickers on car (anymore), and I'm not sure how desirable of a parade I am to watch (unless you count the shit-show that I can occasionally be-- white girl wasted is pretty amusing to witness, i've heard) but basically everything else in the song reminds me so much of me and my faults. And so I listen, and I feel.
Chasing Layne-- Silence
"and though your words are cold as stone, i'd rather fight with you than go it alone"
Everything superfluous aside, I love the music of the Layne. I don't know if it's because it is actually good or if it is due to the fact that I was so close to it for so long that it's almost a part of me. (I wonder if Pattie still listened to the Beatles after she left George? I need to re-read Wonderful Today and see if she says.) All I'm certain of is that it still hits me hard every time I give in to the urge to listen to it--especially "Silence." It captures the pissed-off stupid girl side of my sadness, and sometimes I just need that.
Alice in Chains-- Nutshell
"And yet I fight this battle all alone"
If I'm upset, this is the song I turn to. Sad, angry, emotionally bereft, whatever the bad feeling may be, this song is what I want & need to hear. Something about it is so painfully soothing, and there is no song in the world that makes me feel the way it does. This version from MTV Unplugged is my favorite version. Listen to it and try not to feel anything.
if the change of the seasons has you craving new music just as much as you're itching to get your hands on the fall starbucks flavors (can you say pumpkin spice latte?), then you are totally in luck. a lot of big names have new albums coming out in the next few weeks, and it is shaping up to be one sweet fall for both your ears and your mouth. below are five new albums that are worth adding to your collection this autumn. enjoy!
Staind- Staind September 13th
Self-titling an album (unless it's your first and you just aren't very creative) is setting the bar pretty high. When you're a band as epically huge as Staind and you self-title your seventh full-length release, you might as will be setting that bar on the moon.
The moon might be tough for other bands to reach, but for the rock-giants of Staind, it might as well be the back yard. Remember the old Staind that put out super-heavy songs like "Mudshovel" or, really, any of the songs from Dysfunction?Well, they're back. Now that Aaron Lewis has gotten his country-boy side outta the way and found an outlet for his softer songs, it leaves the band with nothing but music that is out to kick you right in the throat with a kick-ass new album.
"Not again" was the first single released off of Staind and it is getting major radio play right now, and as good as it is, it's only a taste of what the rest of the album has to offer. "Eyes Wide Open" is so, so heavy, and almost makes you think of "Mudshovel" especially at the beginning. "Wannabe" features Lewis busting out some Korn-like rock-rapping, which is so hard to adjust to at first that it's almost funny. But combine it with the multitude of different vocal sounds on this one song, that range from rapping to screaming to melodic singing, and you're not left with a terrible song by any means."The Bottom" has single written all over it, as does "Now" with its fresh yet familiar sound.
"Something to Remind You" easily takes the award for my favorite song on the album, though. It is so very Staind: depressing yet beautiful, with a sadness that sucks you in and wraps you around every single word coming out of Lewis's mouth. It is acoustic, with just a guitar softly picking and strumming in the background, but somehow out of the simplicity comes a masterpiece. It is one of those catharsis-initiating songs you just set on repeat and listen to over and over and feel way down deep inside. It is a perfect ending to a nearly perfect album.
In "Wannabe" Lewis says, "I'm selling records," and my response to that is yes, Mr. Lewis, that is exactly what you are doing with Staind. If you like Staind at all, especially their older stuff, then I can't emphasize how much of a must-buy this album is. And to hold you over until then, you can find it streaming on ESPN.com at:
Bush's new album, their first in ten years, brings back that familiar Bush-sound that no one has really replicated in their absence. That's probably due to the fact that the "Bush-sound" is, as described by singer Gavin Rossdale, really just his voice and a guitar. The Sea of Memories has both of those things, which basically guarantees any fans of the band will be satisfied, as will young'uns who may have only heard "Glycerine" or "Come Down" on the radio.
The first single, "The Sound of Winter," is getting heavy radio play (i swear, i hear it more than i hear def leppard play on my fav rock station in lexington, so that tells ya it's playing a lot). I haven't tired of hearing it on constant repeat, though, because it is actually a really good song. It's rocking and catchy, and well, it's the sweet-angel voice of Gavin Rossdale, so you know that it's going to be pretty great. The video (below) doesn't do much other than prove that a) Gavin Rossdale is beautiful, b) Gwen Stefani is even more beautiful, and c) their blond angel sons are beautiful squared.
The entire album is available for preview on iTunes right now, and the minute and a half snippets lead me to believe that the rest of The Sea of Memories is just as good or better than the first single.
"Baby Come Home" features the lines that lend themselves to the album title. There is something so identifiable in the words "I lost myself to the sea of memories, I lost myself to irreverent dreams." The chorus gets a bit repetitive, but the verses are that typical Bush that led you to become a fan in the first place. "The Mirror of the Signs" kicks off the cd, and is obviously an effort to write songs with a more modern sound, but one that is still heavy and melodic. Maybe my favorite song on the album, I can only hope that this one will be released as a single. The Sea of Memories also features a gem-of-a-cover as the final song on the album. Rossdale's voice, an acoustic guitar, and the classic Fleetwood Mac song "Landslide" are a perfect blend.
Superheavy- Superheavy September 20th
What do you get when you mix a Rolling Stone, Bob Marley's son, an British soul and r& b pop princess, an Indian composer, and an English pop-rocker? Other than introduction that is entirely too verbose, you get a song that can best be described as what would happen if you put all those sounds into a blender and pushed pulse until you get a sticky-sweet mess the color of Mick Jagger's suit in the band's video for their first song, "Miracle Worker."
Along with Jagger, Damien Marley, Joss Stone, A.R. Rahman, and Dave Stewart form the supergroup of the hour, SuperHeavy. This amalgamation of stars and superstars really sounds just like you'd think it would: a mix of Stone's smooth soul & Jagger's rocking vocals, with Marley's regae-spitting hooks, over a slow, poppy, exotic beat. It doesn't make any sense in theory, but somehow the result is really, really good. Honestly, I love it!
The sound that somehow emerges when all these styles blend in "Miracle Worker" is like that first drink of a cold diet coke, fresh from the golden arches- refreshing, cool, fizzy in your mouth, and pretty darn tasty. I don't know what the rest of the album would even come close to sounding like, and I'm doubtful that SuperHeavy will reach anywhere near the popularity of the Stones, but I can say this: "Miracle Worker" is a fun little diddy, worth downloading, just in case the rest of the album turns out to be crap :)
ZZ Top- A Tribute from Friends
October 11th
When I saw Filter in Lexington a few weeks back, they played a cover of ZZ Top's classic, "Gimme All Your Lovin" and, though it's hard to really examine a new song when you're hearing it for the first time in a little club where the band is turned up way loud, I liked it. When I got home, I saw a link the band had posted to their version of the song, and I liked it even more. Filter's cover takes the song to a completely new place, one that's really electronic and a little reminiscent of "Hey Man, Nice Shot." They really rock the song up, and it turns out to be a fitting tribute to a deserving band.
Filter's cover is just one of the tracks on the upcoming album, ZZ Top- A Tribute from Friends. It features an awesome lineup of bands playing the most classic Top songs, from "Legs" (done by Nickelback) to "Tush" (covered by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals). And even though i don't care for Jamey Johnson at all, his cover of "La Grange" is actually really good, as he blends his deep, southern country sound with the classic rock sounds that ZZ Top is so known for. Only Filter and Johnson's covers are available for preview now, but if the other songs are done nearly as well as the first two, then I'm very excited to take a listen to the new takes on Top's classic hits. A preview of the track listings:
1. Sharp Dressed Man - Steven Tyler, Mick Fleetwood, Jonny Lang, and John McVie (The M.O.B)
2. Gimme All Your Lovin' - Filter
3. Tush - Grace Potter & The Nocturnals
4. Legs - Nickelback
5. Cheap Sunglasses - Wolfmother
6. Got Me Under Pressure - Duff McKagan's Loaded
7. Beer Drinkers and Hell Raisers - Coheed & Cambria
8. Just Got Paid - Mastodon
9. Rough Boy - Wyclef Jean
10. Waitin' for the Bus / Jesus Just Left Chicago - Daughtry
11. La Grange - Jamey Johnson
Chasing Layne- Sin & Regret Available Now!
watch out for "the business"
The final must-have album of the fall is one that is pretty near and dear to my heart. Maybe it is because I have such a deep connection to the songs on Chasing Layne's newest album, Sin & Regret. I've been there for practices and shows, hearing these same songs (over and over and over) as they grew and developed, and I was lucky enough to be in the studio for some of the recording. I've had copies of countless versions of the songs as they went through this process, but finally getting the finished version of them in my hands, wrapped up all tidy in their little plastic casing, it's just one of those feelings of relief you can't describe. (To keep this short, I'll have to elaborate a bit more in a blog dedicated just to this topic, I do believe...)
I say this as unbiasedly as possible: This is seriously a good album (as it should be, after taking damn-near as long as Chinese Democracy took to finally be released). If you like girly songs, then "Riverside," "Silence" and "I Want it All" are sure to please. If you like your songs more manly and rocking, then you gotta hear "Dirt" and "The King." And you can't forget "On the Way" or "Hoodoo" (and now that I've named almost every song on the album, I think you get the point- there is something for everybody).
Massive gayness, i know, but i was one proud publicist lady/gf/sister (lol)
You can stream the songs at http://www.facebook.com/chasinglayneofficial?sk=app_2405167945 to see what you think. If you like them, you can buy the album on iTunes, CdBaby, at Apollo PC in Glasgow, the Great Escape in Bowling Green, or from any of the band members, and of course from little old me. It's $12, but worth every penny :)
(My first publication of a story about a band/music!)
The following story appeared on the cover of the Monroe County Citizen on September 1, 2011.
Chasing Layne, Chasing Fame
Becoming a rock star is a popular dream, but one that, in time, most abandon. When the dreamer realizes that there is more to it than just standing in front of a crowd and smiling (like that whole actually being able to play a musical instrument and sing, sometimes even at the same time, factor) they usually decide to move on and pursue more practical ambitions. There is one band of south-central Kentucky boys, though, that aren’t ready to give up on that dream quite yet.
Chasing Layne, who call Mt. Hermon their official hometown, have been playing, writing and recording together in their current incarnation for almost five years now, but music has played a central role throughout the majority of their lives. Guitarist Justin Myatt, bassist Evan Harper and drummer Chase Blakely grew up playing music together in Monroe County. Chris Clines, the band’s singer, and Kevin Groce, who plays lead guitar, have also played music together for multiple years in their native Glasgow.
Now, as the band releases their second album, Sin and Regret, they feel that all their years of work are finally getting close to paying off.
“We really took our time making this album,” Harper said. “It did take a while, but we’re really happy with how it turned out because we put a lot of work into it.”
The album’s title, Sin and Regret, reflects things that have happened in the lives of each band member in the past, and many of the songs fit into that general theme.
“The idea of sin and regret is something that everyone can identify with,” Myatt said. “Whether they admit it or not, everyone has done things that they shouldn’t and feel bad about, and the songs on the album reflect that. But there are also songs about being proud of who you are, despite your past.”
The release of Chasing Layne’s sophomore album marks the conclusion of one chapter of the band’s rock and roll fantasy in a book filled with times when it looked like completion of the second cd, or any future for the band at all, was not going to happen.
“The thought of just quitting has crossed all of our minds. I’ve honestly thought about it on several occasions,” Myatt said. “There are so many frustrating things that bands have to deal with, from club owners to venders, even the other band members, but I have this illusion that we have a good chance to make it. We just need luck and the right person to hear our music.”
Spite also plays a big role in the band’s motivation to keep working toward a future in music.
“A lot of people don’t think that we can do this and that we’re just wasting our time,” Blakely said. “But that just makes us work harder to try and prove them wrong.”
The pursuit of a career in music is a difficult dream for most outsiders to respect and believe in. It would be easy to assume that it would be so much simpler for all five guys to just push aside the band and instead focus on their “real” jobs. But that assumption couldn’t be further from the truth. Making and playing music is what the five guys of Chasing Layne believe they are meant to do.
“It’s hard to understand, I know,” Blakely said. “But I guess the best way to sum it up comes from a line in our song “I Want It All.” It’s pretty simple, but it’s what we’re living by: ‘I want it all, I don’t care what it takes’.”
Copies of Sin and Regret are available through most online music retailers, including iTunes. It will also be for sale at Chasing Layne shows, the Great Escape in Bowling Green, Apollo PC in Glasgow, or by contacting any band member.
by Kelli Long, Chasing Layne Street Team
Friday, August 26, 2011 3:33 PM CDT
The southern Kentucky band Chasing Layne released their long-awaited second album, Sin & Regret on August 6.
It has been four years since the release of Chasing Layne’s debut self-titled album, but the band is certain that fans will find their sophomore effort more than worth the wait.The first single, “On the Way,” is already receiving radio play on 103.7 The Point and has been met with warm reception from listeners. Now with the release of the album, the buzz is only going to grow louder.
Sin & Regret, recorded and co-produced by David Barrick in his Glasgow studio, showcases the development of the band and their growth into their signature sound that is a fusion of southern and classic rock, with their own modern twist. “We have really been able to take our time with this record and come together as a band,” says guitarist Justin Myatt. “We meticulously crafted the songs and tried a lot of different things. Our writing has dramatically improved and so has our level of musicality, and the production is top notch.”
Chasing Layne is in the process of booking additional shows for the summer and fall to support the new album.
Below is a press release that I wrote for the debut Chasing Layne's new album, Sin & Regret. My first attempt at a real press release, it's nowhere near perfect, but not too bad for being pulled together in about an hour.
Management and booking: nmanning@chasinglayne.com
Phone: 1.866.233.0480
August 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Chasing Layne Releases Sophomore Album
The southern Kentucky band is set to release their long-awaited second album, Sin & Regret on August 6.
It has been four years since the release of Chasing Layne’s debut self-titled album, but the band is certain that fans will find their sophomore effort more than worth the wait. Sin & Regret will be available for purchase for the first time on Saturday, August 6 at their album release show at Tidball’s in Bowling Green. The first single, “On the Way,” is already receiving radio play on 103.7 The Point and has been met with warm reception from listeners. Now with the release of the album, the buzz is only going to grow louder.
Sin & Regret, recorded and co-produced by David Barrick in his Glasgow studio, showcases the development of the band and their growth into their signature sound that is a fusion of southern and classic rock, with their own modern twist. “We have really been able to take our time with this record and come together as a band,” says guitarist Justin Myatt. “We meticulously crafted the songs and tried a lot of different things. Our writing has dramatically improved and so has our level of musicality, and the production is top notch.”
The cd release is scheduled to begin at 9pm on Saturday, August 6 with Bowling Green- based New Youth opening the show at Tidball’s. Chasing Layne is in the process of booking additional shows for the summer and fall to support the new album, and will be featured on D93’s Homecookin’ radio show on Sunday, August 21.
NOTES FOR EDITORS:
Pictures, interviews and samples are available to support this story.
The new album’s official release date is August 6.
Below is the biography that I wrote for Chasing Layne. It's my first attempt at writing a bio, but I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. They were pleased with it; I hope you are, too!
Chasing Layne isn’t a band of boys you’d bring home to your mama, and they definitely aren’t boys you’d want to leave her alone with.
These rock n’ roll renegades have no regard for political correctness or even common courtesy, just like the true rock idols of times past. And like those real rockers, Chasing Layne plays music that’s raw, undeniable and just what you’ve been looking for to fill in what’s missing from today’s radio.
Hailing from Mt. Hermon, Kentucky, Chasing Layne’s roots show through in their music as a blend of southern undertones mixed with a strong reverence for the classics, plus their own modern rock interpretations. It can almost be guaranteed that Chasing Layne doesn’t
sound like any band you’ve heard lately, and that’s just the way they like it.
“In rock today a lot of people have a problem with just letting the music be music,” says guitarist Justin Myatt. “We don’t worry about a song being radio-friendly or becoming the next single. This is rock n’ roll, and it doesn’t have to be a perfect 3-minute sound bite; it just has to be natural and powerful.”
If the music itself wasn’t enough, seeing Chasing Layne command a venue during their live show is a spectacle not soon forgotten. It is a firestorm of diatribes and offenses hurled from lead singer, the marvelous one himself, Chris Clines, into every direction. He may be
out of control, but couldn’t care less, and neither does the audience.
This reckless disregard is echoed in the music. Songs about strippers, the devil, a Hoodoo priestess, and filthy minds in general are a staple of their set list, but to show their softer sides and appease the ladies they also throw in a few “panty droppers,” as they have coined them, to which the whole crowd sings and sways along. At any given point in the show, the music will either have the crowd head banging, dancing, or just standing at attention to the honest lyrics of Clines meshed with the rhythmic thumping of the bass by Evan Harper, old school guitar styling’s of Kevin Groce, mesmerizing hair-slinging and guitar picking of Myatt, and thundering groove on drums by Chase Blakely.
With the release of the aptly titled Sin and Regret, the boys of Chasing Layne feel like they are onto something with this, their second album.
“We have really been able to take our time with this record and come together as a band,” Myatt says. “We meticulously crafted the songs and tried a lot of different things. Our writing has dramatically improved and so has our level of musicality, and the production is top notch.”
This group of loud, aggressive and in your face rock n’ rollers have already had spots on the bill with national acts such as Cold, Nonpoint, Drowning Pool, and Black Stone Cherry. With the completion of Sin and Regret, Chasing Layne plans to hit the road and make a name for
themselves that puts them at the level of those bands, and beyond.
“We’re coming for you,” said Clines, “In your mouth or for your children. But mostly for your ears. Don’t even try to escape from the Layne.”
