The Takers - Taker Easy

The Takers hail from Gainesville but don't make the kind of No Idea friendly punk rock you have come to expect from bands from that town. Sharing some members with local twangsters Whiskey & Co, they have embraced a little more of the outlaw country vibe. The common denominator seems to be alcohol and The Takers do not seem like to strangers to it's consumption or the repercussions that often follow in its wake. The Takers are another band that's been snapped up by America's Finest Roots Label, Suburban Home, joining a roster of great bands like Drag The River and Ninja Gun in making some pretty great twang to lift a beer to. While The Takers are undoubtably good, I'd say they have a little growing to do before they finally turn into a great band. They sound a little young, like they got their perspective drinking their way though a Haggard box set rather than actually living their tales, but still manage to muster up a good head of steam on tracks like Social Smoker and North Side Of Me. The split they recently recorded with the great Austin Lucas is also well worth checking out. It's a good collaboration and hopefully his influence will rub off on the gents. The Takers sound like a decent band in the making that needs to get out of town and actually live the tales they tell.

You can keep tabs on The Takers here. Were you of a mind, you can purchase Taker Easy from the good folk of Suburban Home here.

Ninja Gun Tour Dates!

Hey Kids:

New info from Ninja Gun HQ. Peep the skinny below:

R

Ninja Gun recently got a taste of life off the Valdosta farm and have already been asked to take it on the road again. This time theyll be heading out to support their critically acclaimed album Restless Rubes alongside their long time buddies from Florida, Fake Problems. Ninja Gun recently recorded a new track entitled Time and a Half with Lee Dyess at Earthsound Studio in their hometown of Valdosta, GA. Dyess was also the mastermind behind the wonderful production of Restless Rubes. The new song will appear on a split tour 7 with Fake Problems courtesy of Sabot Productions.

The band has also released a split 7 with Whiskey & Co. for Vinyl Collectives Under the Influence series. The label just launched an Under the Influence podcast featuring interviews with both bands about why they chose the songs they covered and what their respective futures hold. You can listen to the bands versions of classics by The Pogues and The Kinks, as well as the interviews, on the main page of the Suburban Home site.

Ninja Gun Tour w/ Fake Problems
7/16 - St Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
7/17 - Lawrence, KS @ Jackpot Music Hall
7/18 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
7/20 - Salt Lake City, CO @ Burt's Tiki Lounge
7/21 - Reno, NV @ Tonic Lounge
7/23 - Ventura, CA @ Bombay Bar & Grill
7/24 - Hollywood, CA @ Knitting Factory
7/25 - Riverside, CA @ Back to the Grind
7/26 - Phoenix, AZ @ Modified Arts
7/29 - Austin, TX @ Emo's
7/30 - Denton, TX @ Rubber Gloves
7/31 - Little Rock, AR @ Vino's
8/2 - Birmingham, AL @ Bottletree
8/4 - Tallahassee, FL @ Big Daddy's
8/5 - Gainesville, FL @ 1982 Bar
8/6 - Orlando, FL @ The Backbooth

Skyscraper #29 Out Now

Hey Kids: New Skyscraper is now available. Pick it up at the places you normally get such things, or buy/peruse online here. Check it out for my interview with Evan Patterson from Young Widows, plus reviews of the new Airborne Toxic Event,Malcolm Bauld,The Lord Dog Bird, Ninja Gun, The Riot Before, Rise Against, and Adrenalin OD releases.

If you are so progressive as to read and/or watch things, check for my reviews of the Engine Down and Get Thrashed docs and the Clapton, Gibson Les Paul and Dr. Dre's Mom books.

Thanks to Andrew, Peter and Diana at Skyscraper.

Free Suburban Home Fest Comp!

So, here marks another year that I sit in NYC when I could be shouting my lungs out in Gainesville to all of the good bands that currently exist. The Fest is a magical thing, and goddammit, come hell or high water, I'm going there and seeing fucking Tiltwheel next year.

That bile somewhat purged, Virgil Dickerson and the good folk of Suburban Home will be in attendance this year, as will a good part of their spectacular roster. Virgil has been really putting in work. In addition to tirelessly blogging, hawking vinyl and going out on the road with his bands, he's managed to build a roster with some of the best up-and-coming bands out there.  Come on, he's dropped amazing records like the amazing Ninja Gun (oo-wee-ooo) and Two Cow Garage records, as well as the new Useless ID and Lagrecia discs. And for once, I'm not being stubborn about calling them records. If you look at the graphic, it says Vinyl Collective. VC has released a gang of new and old stuff on the old licorice pizza. If you still follow the format, you owe yourself to check it out.

So if I can make a vague attempt at making any of this cohesive; about the free shit and The Fest, Virgil's got a free sampler to commemorate the Suburban Home bands' presence in Gainesville. You can buy it on vinyl (ooh, a third strand woven!) here or download it for free here. It's got stuff from Joey Cape, Two Cow, Austin Lucas and a gang of others. And it's fucking free. Not a bad deal from a great label and great people. Snag the sampler and buy some full-lengths afterward. I'm not sure how long the download is going to be up, so you should probably step lively. Virgil may be at The Fest taking all comers in the competitive PBR shotgunning, but he's going to come to his senses sometime.

R