Trap Them - "Darker Handcraft" - Prosthetic Records, 2011

This came in the mail yesterday and it's a perfect example of how to package a vinyl release.  This is the newest release by one of my favorite bands, Trap Them.  It's called "Darker Handcraft" and the vinyl edition was released on Prosthetic Records yesterday, March 1st, 2011 (the CD/digital formats will be released on March 15th).  This is the 1st pressing in gray, limited to 100 copies.  

 Amazing artwork by Justin Bartlett.  Produced by Kurt Ballou.

Sturdy cardboard, gatefold cover.

This album is a total rager and I think that it's their best work.  They finally sound like a cohesive unit; this lp has a groove hinted at on their last release, the "Filth Rations" ep on Southern Lord.  Much of this has to do with the addition of Chris Maggio (ex-Coliseum) as their permanent drummer.  Bang your head!

This Is My Blog.

I have always enjoyed creative writing and have had interest in starting a blog since I purchased my first MacBook Pro.  For the longest time, I've always felt that I had nothing to say.  One of the many charms of the internet is that it doesn't matter; either some will read this or no one will and it will get lost among the countless blogs already in existence.

Now is as good a time as any, so here it is.  This is my blog.

Music is the foremost art form in my life.  I work a full time job, have a fiance and a mortgage.  Music is my chosen route of escapism; has been for as long as I can remember.  My parents were enthusiastic and supportive of my love of music, providing me with the first record I ever owned, which was "Thriller" by Michael Jackson in 1982 when I was four years old.  My father enjoyed the vocal stylings of the Beach Boys and Elvis; my mother preferred the sounds of 1960's rock - the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Big Brother & The Holding Company.  The following year, in 1983, I was given my first Walkman and my first cassette tape - Huey Lewis & The News' "Sports".  The first CD that I owned was "Dirt" from Alice In Chains, given to me as a Christmas gift in 1992 along with my first CD player.  My fiance Stacey supplied me with my first iPod in 2004, also a Christmas gift, and the first MP3 that I uploaded and listened to was 'concubine' by my favorite band, Converge.  Any activity, from coloring-books to homework to driving my first car, music has been playing.

This blog will feature mostly music-related material.  The next-best thing to listening to music is sharing it with others.  Sharing music with others and turning people on to bands that they wouldn't have heard otherwise is as satisfying as giving gifts on Christmas but done all year long.  I will write about albums that I have recently purchased, bands that I think readers should know about, shows that are happening and dates my colleagues and I are booked to DJ.  It'll be fun, I promise!

I will also write about other things in my life - getting married, being a homeowner, literature, television and cinema that I like, etc.  With all this being said, I invite anyone who reads this blog to provide constructive criticism, suggestions and stories and opinions of their own in the comments section; an open dialogue is always healthy and interesting.

Enjoy!