R.I.P: The Measure (sa) 2004-2011

The Measure (sa) have made a public announcement about 2011 being the end of the band. Guitarist/ Vocalist, Lauren Denitzio, had the following to say about why the band will soon be calling it a day, their final shows, and future releases from the band.

“After a number of lineup changes, the Measure increasingly became Fid and I finding ways to continue making music together. For a while, that was working, but this Fall I made the decision that I can’t continue with the band. There were a lot of personal reasons behind that and I realized that my heart just wasn’t in the project anymore. It’s not fair to anyone to try to keep going after that, especially when you’re expected to tour and write music and play shows and look like you’re having a good time. As far as parting ways goes, it’s a fairly amicable event and I’m glad that we’re ending the band on good terms and as friends.

We started the band when I was 20, and if you had told me then that I would get to travel around the country, put out over 18 records and play with some of my favorite bands because of it, I’d think you were out of your mind. It’s been a great privilege and I hope those experiences don’t end here. Fid and I will certainly be putting out music in other bands soon, so stay tuned.

We’re planning on releasing the next collection record of the more recent 7”s later in 2011 and intend on playingFest 10 (Oct 28,29,30-2011) for one final show. There’s a possibility of another couple 7”s as well. Locally, we’ll be playing our last shows during the second weekend in April in Brooklyn and New Brunswick. Details to be announced soon.

We want to thank everyone who has been so helpful and supportive over the years. Especially those who have set up shows, given us places to stay and put out records for us (Don Giovanni, Kiss of Death, Salinas, Chunksaah, Ernest Jenning, Art of the Underground, Los Diaper, Team Science, Snuffy Smiles and No Idea) . We’re incredibly grateful to the awesome folks at No Idea who have both distro’d our records and put out a split 7” and LP for us, getting our music out there to a larger audience than we were able to do on our own. They’ve been one of our favorite labels for a long time and it was an honor to get to work with them so closely both as a label and as friends.

To Mike Regrets, Big A, J Nixon, Mikey Yannich, Joel Control, Tim Burke!, Chris Pierce, Gore, Joey Birds, DanO, CJ, and Marco Reosti: thanks for getting through this band with us”.

punkrockneverstop,

Lauren + Fid

Live: RVIVR with LIttle Lungs, The Measure (SA) and The Fish @ 538 Johnson Ave

Night two of the NYC RVIVR dates was out at 538 Johnson. A bit of a hike, but with The Measure and Little Lungs on the bill, it was more than worth it for $5. In hindsight, I would have avoided shredding my back wheel on a fucking plastic bag during the whole endeavor, but not so bad all around.

So I limped into port, got inside and immediately realized that I was indeed in a different space than the Iron Chic show last week, and though built out more than the last time I was there, very probably where I saw Fucked Up a couple years ago. I caught the last three or four songs from The Fish, but could have done without. Co-ed line up, guy singer who has a sort of third-rate Dylan thing going on, not especially remarkable.

The Measure (sa) were up next. They have a new record coming out on No Idea that is purported to be pretty awesome and have been ramping up the live shows accordingly. I like them very much, but I've said it before and I'll say it again: what is up with Fid and his relentless youth crew jumping? Really. It is so incongruous with the rest of the band, and really most of the songs that I really do hope that he is the best guy on Earth so I can relegate the whole thing to endearing rather than maddeningly slappable. Exclusive of that, The Measure (sa) really are a good time. They aren't the best band, but there is a definite sense of both craft and individuality to the proceedings. There is a record release party for Notes 10/15 at Coco66, but there is very little chance that you will catch JS-NYC falling for the okey-doke at that time warp anytime soon. You should see them anywhere else early and often (unless you think they are best appreciated at 1am midweek).

Man, how great are Little Lungs? I always forget how great they are until I see them live and now they very well be my favorite local band. They have swapped bass players since I've seen them last, tipping the gender majority back to the male advantage, but are no less awesome. The crowd thought so, too. They played pretty much all the stuff from their stellar Hoist Me Up and were damn awesome doing it, I must say. Angie does one hell of a job singing and playing guitar and the rhythm section more than holds its own, live or recorded. Little Lungs were so good, in fact, that I didn't even stick around for RVIVR, just in case I had to call an audible and find a train home. All props due to RVIVR, see them if you can, but as they will be overseas, and live in Oly, look out for Little Lungs and see them ASAP.

R

The Measure (sa) and New Bruises split cd

Kiss Of Death has a good thing going on with their free downloads. It confounds me that vinyl is such a big deal in 2010, but if it's a lucrative enough endeavor to get me quality music on the regular for free and everybody still gets to eat, I say bring it on.

My most recent acquisition from KBD is this new split from Brooklyn/NJ rock machine The Measure (sa) and Tampa foursome known as New Bruises. I enjoy The Measure (sa) very much. They've got great tunes and I like the co-ed vocals a bunch. I tend to find one member of the band a tad silly, but by and large I'm pleased to be able to see them on the regular around town. There is a new Measure (sa) record coming down the pike, but this split serves up four pretty much unreleased new tracks to tide you over in the interim. All pretty uptempo, replete with some dual vocals and Black Flag interpolation on Ruby Is A Punk. None goes past 1:30, but you'll want to play Response over and over anyway, so call it a win and get over it.

New Bruises hail from Tampa and are also the proprietors of Kiss Of Death, which must make it easier to give your product away for free. I knew I was familiar with them, but confused them with another band with brothers. What I did not realize was that they were half of PA emo franchise Mid Carson July. NB cover MCFNJ for their last track and do it well, with obligatory studio joshery at the end. Save for that, our heroes ply their trade in a pleasant mid 90s Crank! Records rock that isn't terribly far removed from its predecessor. I bet they would sound good in a backyard with a keg. I'm not sure how much of a touring entity they are, but here's hoping we get to see this pairing live in NYC soon.

Get the vinyl or the download here from Kiss Of Death.

R

Live: Noise By Numbers, Let Me Run, I Hate Our Freedom, Black Wine, Worrier @ The Studio at Webster Hall 8.9.10

I had tickets for this for a bit, figuring the Vapid factor would really fill the room up, but day of I wasn't really of a mind to go. I was totally wiped from the Ceremony show and a trip North the day before, but Eric convinced me to make it out. I got off the train and made it there early, having never been to the new-ish basement annex of Webster Hall called The Studio and was pretty pleased with the layout, as well as the bevy of places with light where I could sit and read between sets. It's an old guy thing.

In a move that ingratiated me to her more than she could ever hope to know, Lauren had posted that Worrier were both opening and playing at 7:30. When the enchanting Ms. Measure took the stage with a rhythm section of two indie looking gents at 7:30, I almost wept, but maintained my composure enough to enjoy their short set. Worrier features Mike Hunchback on bass and maybe a new drummer? Either way, the songs were good and I like Lauren's music a bunch, but the backing crew needed to hit a little harder and give the songs some edge. They sounded good though, and Ms. Measure gets huge gear nerd props for the blonde AC30 she's playing through. Very, very nice.

Black Wine feature Jeff from the dear departed Ergs with the rhythm section of the dear departed Hunchback. Man, are they good, and throwing down in a Jersey Husker Du sort of frenzy mixed with some early Sub Pop and Taang. I've been remiss in doing their record, and aim to rectify that situation with the quickness. Jeff has a great voice, and may very well get the medal for best post-Erg franchise. Miranda is a great vocal foil. She's a triple threat in that she can play, sing and scream and Black Wine is way lucky to have her in the fold. The full-length is on Don Giovanni and sounds great. Just a great set from a great band. Look for the review of the self-titled debut soon.

I Hate Our Freedom were up next. They have dudes from Garrison, Texas Is The Reason, Thursday and Milhouse in the band and sound like it. As you might surmise they sound very much like a late 90s Rev band. It was ok, but didn't really rock my world. Nice dudes though.

Let Me Run were up after. Hailing from New Brunswick, they signed to Paper & Plastick recently and have a new singer in Rocky Catanese. I've not heard it, but they had a Hot Water/Jawbreaker vibe, which will rarely ruffle my feathers. I wouldn't go out of my way to see them again, but definitely want to check out the EP.

This was the last night of tour for Noise By Numbers, who had been out for a little over a week, Danny and Jeff looked tired, but the band was tight as hell and sounded great. The new Noise By Numbers record is pretty great, and bodes well for the SW reunion being a fruitful one. Odd that no one has brought the SW/Riverdales two-fer into NYC as yet, but NBN are close to being as good in a lot of ways. Same sound, same aesthethic, half the crowd and companion douchebaggery. This this old man likes.

This was the best five band bill we have had in a while, here's hoping that we get a lot more shows like this in NYC. Props to all the bands involved and to Late Night Wallflower for booking this at The Studio.

R

Live: Off With Their Heads, Shellshag, Detournement, The Measure (SA), Go Sell Drugs at Death By Audio 12.3.8

I was hedging on going to this show. It's cold and Off With Their Heads have really been phoning it in as of late, plus the order of the lineup had changed like three times since the show had been posted, but I figured I'd see The Measure and check out why the kids were making so big of a deal about Detournement, then make an early evening of it.

So I arrived at Death By Audio to what I thought was Detournement, but was yet another x-factor: the unnannounced band that was Go Sell Drugs. Evidently one of the dudes from I-Farm is in the fold. Either way, they were pretty decent. Sort of a Dischord vibe (with at least two haircuts to match). Thrashy guitar, pummelling drums, picked Rickenbacker bass. I'd like to see them with Psyched To Die. They didn't play that long, but did give away free copies of their record American Handjob. Maybe next time they will actually get listed on the bill.

The Measure (SA) were up next. They are definitely a decent band. I still contend that the silly overly tattooed guy who can't stop jumping should be excised from the franchise with the quickness.I'd also like to know why he didn't make eye contact with anybody else in the band for the entire set, but save for that quibbling it was a pretty good set. They've got a new singles comp you probably have heard about. Pick it up here. Now, let's get cracking on that line-up change, willya.

Detournement batted third, playing their first show in Brooklyn and maybe their sixth or seventh overall. As the name may belie, there's a heavy ex-member contingent in the band, with dudes from Lifetime, Bigwig, The Ratchets and a million other bands. I guess the most shocking eventuality is that Mikey Erg isn't in the fold. Zak Kaplan fronts the band, sadly in a frontman only capacity. Not that they two guitarists they already have are bad, I am aggressively against the 'singer who just sings' phenomenon. Unless he is edge and drives the van, or David Lee Roth, there is no reason for that to happen. I didn't find anything especially remarkable about their set, but I'd like to hear the recorded stuff. And see Zak with a guitar on.

I didn't see any sign of the Shellshag kids and hoped that maybe OWTH would be going on next, but I was sadly denied. Shellshag are decent and definitely OG, but I wasn't in the mood. Off With Their Heads definitely seem to be in it for the cash recently. They've been on tour for the last five or six months pretty relentlessly and the enthusiasm level seems to drop with every show, at least on Ryan's part. I hear they played a short set, to boot, so I'm glad I bailed. Here's hoping that the shows with Dear Landlord (that start tonight in Philly) give them a kick in the ass. I'm not looking to travel down Charm City way to be bored.

R

Live: Off With Their Heads, For Science, Measure (SA), Virgins, Monikers @ Tommy's Tavern 9.28.8

It's always a pleasure to be so cynical, yet so optimistic. I looked at the flyer for this show, and figured: ok, 8pm doors on a Sunday, there's no possible way I could show up at ten and still see the first band, right? Well, I was correct, but I didn't really expect to see The Monikers on when I rolled into Tommy's Tavern. I did see them, and they were absolutely great. It didn't hurt that the lovely (and fabulous smelling, incidentally) Hallie Unlovable danced in front of me the whole set. It did, however, beg the question as to what the fucking order of the bands would be, as it sure didn't seem to be as advertised.

A quick check of the bike and a run-in with the awesome Sarah Evers later. I posted up to see who would be up next. As luck would have it, it was The Measure (SA), whose most recent release you may have read about recently. If it was ever in dispute that I am a lecherous old man, it was definitely asserted by the presence of Lauren Measure and that cut-off Radon t-shirt she insists on torturing me with. Blame Hallie for fanning the flames. Oh, and the music was good, too. The sound could have been better, and the second guitar player could spend less time jumping around like it was a Gorilla Biscuits show in '88 (don't get me started on the neck tattoos) but they put on a good show. It was kind of hard to hear what they actually played, but they were definitely fan favorites. I'd like to actually hear them next time.

The bill now seemed to be upended definitively, as For Science were up next. While they seem like decent people, and the presence of various Ergs, Steinways, Unlovables, etc. seemed to speak to them being well-liked, but I was just as underwhelmed with them the fourth time as I was the first. It may be the fact that they have a singer who just sings. There is no reason why that should occur in this century. I will give a pass to Pink Eyes from Fucked Up!, but unless you are David Lee Roth, learn an instrument. No reason why these guys should be playing right before the headliner, unless they booked the show. Even then, it's a hard sell. The boys just aren't all that exciting, especially at midnight on a Sunday. Jim Testa seemed to agree, as he made me envious by sleeping through their entire set. I only wish I had grabbed that chair first.

Finally, after clearing the entire backline and taking forever to set up, Off With Their Heads took the floor. Immediately, the room turned into a maelstrom of the unwashed. It's fun to watch, but somewhat less appealing from an olfactory point of view. I could also quibble about the twenty-five minute set, but there was very little in the way of banter, and we did get a pretty decent cross-section of songs. Zack Rivethead is on guitar for this tour. He certainly hasn't gotten any worse on the old Les Paul. If this show was any indication. I'm pretty excited to see the Dear Landlord/OWTH dates in November.

I'm exhausted, so no Silent Barn for me tonight, but I should be out for Monikers/Virgins/Get Bent show tomorrow. Click the appropriate links for more info.

See you at the rock show!

R

The Measure (SA) - One Chapter In The Book: A Collection of Waits and Measurements

The Measure (SA) are a product of the fertile New Brunswick, NJ scene. Arable soil grows all kinds of things: the same scene that fostered Lifetime also begat the nightmarish (not a compliment, jerk-offs!) My Chemical Romance. The manure that MCR and the like have left behind has fertilized the soil for bands like The Measure (SA) to thrive. They are a co-ed band with guitarist Lauren edging out Mike and Fid for most time at the mike. The early stuff has kind of J Church vibe, with maybe a little This Is My Fist! in the slower parts. One Chapter is a collection of all of their singles they have released in their first two years as a band, and as such is an interesting document of the progression of a band. It's pretty damn good for the most part. There are some definite moments of pitchiness and the requisite auto-tune on some of the early stuff, but it's not unendearing. When they do fire on all cylinders a couple of tracks in, like on the Soltero cover or Hit The Ground Running, The Measure (SA) bring it on a level rivalling the dear departed Mercy Rule. I was really taken with how much Lauren sounds like MR singer Heidi Ore, especially on their more recent material. That bodes well for the future. As the band is from New Jersey, Mikey Erg is currently manning the drum stool. It makes them a tighter band, and keeps songs like Good Soup from being totally throwaways, at least for this asshole. As you can tell, I much prefer Lauren's voice to either of her male compatriots; it's fun to hear her voice getting stronger with every song on One Chapter. I can't wait to hear what Measure (SA) releases next.

Measure (SA) are playing tomorrow at Tommy's Tavern in Greenpoint on a stellar bill with For Science, Monikers and Off With Their Heads. It should be a blast. If you don't make it out, buy One Chapter In The Book: A Collection Of Waits and Measurements from the good folk of Kiss of Death here.