Category: Sweet Talk

Coming October 5 : Missing Pages – “Long Way Down” 7″

(“Long Way Down” – video by Raul Vela IV)

Missing Pages is the new project from Stephen Svacina (Sweet Talk, Jonly Bonly, ex- Mind Spiders) featuring Ali Ditto (Talkies, Mean Jolene), Gabriel Pastura (Sean Morales, Church Shoes), and Garrick Thurston (Slow). Taking cues from genre benders before them and shaped by the musical overload of the Austin TX live scene, Missing Pages meld together a sound both brooding and hopeful, sincere while rejecting the sentimental; power-pop hooks ensnared in a wiry tangle of dark, splintering edges.

(photo credit : Missing Pages)

On their blistering 7″ debut, Missing Pages channel the anxiety, exasperation, and jubilation born of those delicate moments in life when the casual comforts and routine are stripped away, forcing us to confront the ugly truth of who we really are. These songs represent both the high and — more importantly — the comedown, and coming to terms with what it all means.

A-side “Long Way Down” fumes with irrepressible anger, the pound of drummer Pastura’s kick like the iron taste of blood in your mouth. The simple production and tight arrangements allow a paranoid sharpness to dominate the track, broken only by the towering guitar lead attempting to pull the listener up and dust them off. Feeding off the band’s ragged energy, Svacina’s liberation feels palpable as he screams out at the song’s roaring crescendo.

After the fall, there’s only one way to go: up. B-side “Highlighter Piss” revels in lessons learned from the injury; massive guitars ignite, only to fade to somber memories and daydreams of fleeting emotions. Accompanied on vocals by Ditto, the song portrays the frayed nature of a shared experience, and how we can begrudgingly dispense some wisdom as we part ways. Guitarist Thurston obliterates the fretboard as his solo explodes like a firecracker over the nimble rhythm section.

Recorded at Estuary Studios by John Michael Landon and mixed by Marked Men/Radioactivity mastermind Jeff Burke, Missing Pages’ 7-inch continues to sharpen a jagged reflection of the world. In 2018 the four-piece began tracking their debut album.

preorder “Long Way Down” b/w “Highlighter Piss” – 12XU / Bandcamp

Coming October 18 : Sweet Talk – ‘Flash Of Light’ 12″ EP

In the wake of their universally hailed 2013 full-length debut, ‘Pickup Lines’, Austin’s SWEET TALK return with 6 new songs, produced this past May in Denton, TX with the Marked Men’s Mark Ryan and Jeff Burke at the recording desk. The twin-guitar attack of Stephen Svacina and Mitch Fraizer has been captured in all it’s multi-dimensional glory ; for those stunned by ‘Pickup Lines” all-killer/no-filler collection of new pop classics, ‘Flash Of Light’ is ample evidence these guys were merely getting started.  You can preorder the EP here.

Sweet Talk, The Gospel Truth on Tour

Sweet Talk on tour

Wednesday 6/5 Beerland, Austin TX ( w/ Gospel Truth,Pharaohs, Loteria)
Thursday 6/6 Rubber Gloves, Denton TX ( w/ World of Pleasure (formerly The Novice) and Pink Smoke)
Friday 6/7 Yeti, Tulsa OK ( w/ Creature Features and RAADTUNG)
Saturday 6/8 Lost Cross House, Carbondale IL ( w/ Blast Radius, Shit for Brains, and more TBA)
Sunday 6/9 The Hexagon, Minneapolis MN ( w/ Cozy, Mystery Date)
Monday 6/10 Quarters, Milwaukee WI ( w/ New Swears, Boys, Ramma Lamma)
Tuesday 6/11 Permanent Records, Chicago IL ( In-store performance, free starts at 6:00 PM sharp)
Tuesday 6/11 1376 W Grand Ave. 3rd Floor, Chicago IL ( Early rooftop show/BBQ w/ The Wet and Hollow Mountain, starts at 8:00 PM sharp)
Wednesday 6/12 Brass Rail, Fort Wayne IN ( w/ Thunderhawk, Heaven’s Gateway Drugs)
Thursday 6/13 PJ’s Lagerhouse, Detroit MI ( w/ TBA)
Friday 6/14 Grog Shop, Cleveland OH ( w/ Little Bighorn The Lawton Bros)
Saturday 6/15 Death By Audio, Brooklyn NY ( w/ King Prom and Violent Past)
Sunday 6/16 Cake Shop, NY NY ( w /Pop Zeus,
A Rex & J Rex, Future Punx, and DJ Jeremy Thompson of Sing Sing Records Doors at 8pm)
Tuesday 6/18 Kung Fu Necktie, Philadelphia PA ( w/ TBA)
Thursday 6/20 Star Bar, Atlanta GA ( w/ Resons, Onchi )
Friday 6/21 Stone Fox, Nashville TN ( w/Western Medication)
Saturday 6/22 Lamar Lounge, Oxford MS ( w/ Unwed Teenage Mothers)
Thursday 6/27 Mohawk, Austin TX (w/Mikal Cronin, Shannon and the Clams, A Giant Dog)

THE GOSPEL TRUTH in traveling mode

June 5 – Austin TX – Beerland (w/ Sweet Talk, Loteria, Pharaohs)
June 13 – Austin TX – Hotel Vegas (w/ Quin Galavis, John Wesley Coleman, Loteria, Hidden Ritual)
June 19th – Oxford – The Lamar Lounge
June 20th – Louisville – Zanzibar (with Madame Machine, Temple Of The Golden Dawn
June 21st – Columbus – Café Bourbon
June 22nd – Cleveland – NTC
June 23rd – Detroit – Garden Bowl
June 24th – Chicago – Permanent Records instore, The Burlington June 25th – Milwaukee – Quarters w Ultrathin
June 26th – Madison – Mickey’s Tavern with The Burnt Ones
June 27th – Minneapolis – Hexagon Bar

Upcoming Shows – February Edition

Chris Brokaw

Feb 18 – Luecma Music Bar, Prague CZ (supporting Dinosaur Jr.)
Feb. 19 – Vatos Taco Truck, Loebckstr. 30-35, Berlin (solo)
Feb. 20 -Aufladetechnische Konferenz, Berlin (with the ATK 5 Orchestra)
Feb 22 – Guestcollege PHL Music (lecture)
Feb. 26 – La Paloma, Nimes, France (w/ Mono)
Feb. 27 – La Fourmi, Limoges, France (w/ Mono)
Feb. 28 – La Lune des Pirates, Amiens, France (w/ Mono)
March 1 – Noumatrouff, Mulhouse, France (w/ Mono)
March 2 – Bad Bonn, Dudingen, Switzerland (w/ Mono)
March 3 – Schuur, Luzern, Switzerland (w/ Mono)
March 4 – PML, Innsbruck, Austria (w/ Mono)
March 5 – K4, Nurnberg Germany (w/ Mono)
March 6 – Kinky Star, Gent, Belgium
March 18 – TT The Bear, Cambridge MA (w/ Thalia Zedek Band)

Burnt Skull

March 3 – Hotel Vegas, Austin TX (afternoon show w/ Pharoahs, Foreign Mothers, Gory Details and more)
March 16 – 12XU night at Trailer Space, Austin T (w/ Obnox, Unholy Two, G.Green, Dino’s Boys, Sweet Talk)
March 17 – 29th St. Ballroom, Austin TX (with Breakout, Recide, Crystal Shit, Pelts and more)

Continue reading Upcoming Shows – February Edition

Upcoming Shows – January 2013 edition

 

Chris Brokaw 
1/16 – Naked Lounge, Sacramento CA (with Jennifer O’Connor)
1/17 – Woodside Grill, Anderson CA (with Jennifer O’Connor)
1/18 – Red Bluff Art Gallery, Red Bluff CA (with Jennifer O’Connor)
1/19 – Sam Bond’s Garage, Eugene OR (with Jennifer O’Connor)
1/20 – Mississippi Studios, Portland OR (with Jennifer O’Connor)
  
Burnt Skull
1/27 – Museum Of Human Achievement, Austin TX (Farewell Books/Las Cruxes Benefit, with Elvis, Kurraka, Hidden Ritual and more)
1/31 – Beerland, Austin TX (w/ Sweet Talk, Flesh Lights, Nazi Gold)
2/7 – Bernadette’s Bar, Austin TX (w/ Breakout, The Vipers)
2/9 – Swan Dive, Austin TX (w/ Eets Feats, Gory Details)
3/16 – Trailer Space, Austin TX (night show w/ Sweet Talk, G.Green, Obnox, Unholy Two)

G.Green
3/8 – Bar 11, San Diego CA
3/13 – Beerland, Austin TX (day show)
3/16 – Trailer Space, Austin TX (w/ Unholy Two, G.Green, Burnt Skull)
3/19 – The Smell, Los Angeles CA (w/ Wet Illustrated)

The Gospel Truth
2/16 – Beerland, Austin TX

OBN III’s
1/25 – Mohawk, Austin TX (w/ Ty Segall, Ex-Cult)
2/21 – Beerland, Austin TX
2/22 – Depot District Bar
2/23 – Train Yard, Las Cruces NM
2/24 – The District, Tucson AZ (with Destruction Unit, Lenguas Largas)
2/25 – Yucca Tap Room, Tempe AZ (with Destruction Unit)
2/26 – Soda Bar, San Diego CA
2/27 – The Smell, Los Angeles CA (with Audacity, Pangea)
2/28 – The Knockout, San Francisco CA (with Fuzz)
3/1 – 1234 Go! Records, Oakland CA (with Fuzz)
3/2 – The Know, Portland OR
3/3 – Comet Tavern, Seattle WA
3/5 – Holland Project, Reno NV
3/6 – Canvas SLC/Richards, Salt Lake City UT
3/7 – Lion’s Lair, Denver CO
3/8 – Replay Lounge, Lawrence KS
3/9 – 35 Denton Festival, Denton TX
    
Obnox
1/14 – Now That’s Class, Cleveland OH
2/1 – The Flat, Brooklyn, NY (w/ Unholy Two)
2/2 – Death By Audio, Brooklyn NY (w/ Family Curst, Live Fast Die)
3/14 – Beerland, Austin TX (day show w/ Protomartyr, Unholy Two, Spray Paint)
3/16 – Trailer Space, Austin TX (night show w/ Sweet Talk, Unholy Two, G.Green, Burnt Skull)


Sweet Talk 
1/30 – End Of An Ear instore, 6pm
1/31 – Beerland, Austin TX (w/ Flesh Lights, Burnt Skull, Nazi Gold)
2/7 – The Blind Pig, Oxford MI (w/ Unwed Teenage Mothers, YouthFlag)
2/9 – 529, Atlanta GA (w/ Resons, Acids Freaks, Rodney Kings)
2/10 – Soundpony, Tulsa OK  (w/ Glow God, Lizard Police, Creepazoids)
3/16 – Trailer Space, Austin TX (w/ Burnt Skull, G.Green, Unholy Two, Obnox)

Unholy Two 
2/1 – The Flat, Brooklyn, NY (w/ Obnox)
3/14 – Beerland, Austin TX (w/ Obnox, Protomartyr, Spray Paint)
3/16 – Trailer Space, Austin TX (w/ Sweet Talk, Burnt Skull, G.Green, Obnox)

Young Governor
1/17 – The Piston, Toronto

STREAM : Sweet Talk – “Pickup Lines”, from the upcoming LP/CD of the same name

Sweet Talk are an Austin based quartet fronted/founded by former Uptown Bums guitarist/vocalist Stephen Svacina, who a few of you might know from his additional guitar work alongside Mark Ryan in Denton, TX’s Mind Spiders.  Flanked by Wiccans/Video/Brain Attack bassist Harpal Assi and southpaw guitar wiz/Ft. Wayne transplant Mitch Frazier  (Church Shoes), Svacina’s Sweet Talk  were likened by a peer to something that “combined the best parts of Cheap Trick, early UK power pop and the dual guitar work of Thin Lizzy.”

(photo by Jon Chamberlain)

Lofty praise, sure, but in the last year, Sweet Talk have become one of the best live bands in a region that isn’t exactly hurting for good ones. I’d say they’ve made the leap from crazily-catchy to downright transcendent in record time, but it’s not like I’ve been standing around with a stopwatch. You’ll find out for yourself when Sweet Talk hit the road in 2013. Their debut LP/CD, ‘Pickup Lines’ (12XU 043-1,2) is in stores January 22, and is available for preorder now.

Obnox reissue, New Unholy Two 7″ and some big plans for 2013

2) our reissue of the 2011 Obnox LP, ‘I’m Still Bleeding’ (12XU 039-1), originally released in 2011 by Smog Veil, comes out at the end of August.

3) Rebecca Gates and the Consortium just completed their 2nd batch of US touring in support of ‘The Float’. There’s a great live session taped by OPM Music available for streaming.

4) Cruddy are currently touring the western US and they’ve got an 8 song casstte of new material that you’d better snap up before some label forces an overproduced, overpriced version out of them.

4) The Golden Boys are playing Goner Fest, preceded by Eastern U.S. dates with The Spider Bags and the Limes.

5) Unholy Two’s first recordings as a quartet will be available on a new 12XU 7″ in mid-September.

6) on the horizon : a debut 7″ from Melbourne’s Ratsak, the first first studio offerings from Dustin Pilkington & Anthony Davis’ slaytastic Burnt Skull, the debut album from Austin’s Sweet Talk, the first new recordings from Austin’s The Gospel Truth in way too long, and that oft-promised, but not yet delivered full length from James Arthur’s Manhunt. And some surprises. Please act surprised.