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| Hometown | BIRMINGHAM , AL |
| Genres | Modern Rock, Indie Pop |
| Band Members | Johnny Nine Vocals/Lyrics/Keys ; Ben Trexel Guitars/... » more |
| Achievements |
» more |
| Upcoming Shows | None |
| Contact Information: |
Manager
Brothers McCreay Management applespacebar@gmail.com 404-271-1009 |
| # Years Experience Performing Live: | 3 |
| # Live Perfomances Past Six-months: | 4 |
| Market Draw: | Birmingham alabama: 251-300 |
| Venue History: | Bottle Tree - Birmingham , Al Workplay Theatre - Birmingham , Al Rogue Tavern - Birmingham , Al |
| Opener Experience: | Legend; Lynam |
| Similar Artists: | Foo Fighters / Collective Soul/ Cold Play |
| Performing Rights Society: | ASCAP |
| Discography: | Songs You Might Like LP—2010; Welcome to the Dream LP—2009 |
AppleSpaceBar's mission when writing a song is to act as if it's the only song they will ever write and that it will be the only song of theirs the listener will ever hear. So it has to be right. Formed in July, 2008, Applespacebar's sound is the...
AppleSpaceBar's mission when writing a song is to act as if it's the only song they will ever write and that it will be the only song of theirs the listener will ever hear. So it has to be right. Formed in July, 2008, Applespacebar's sound is the culmination of many years of exposure to the grand soundscape of music that has crossed their paths. They describe their music as guitar oriented modern rock with alternative leanings.
Trexel states, "I think every artist strives to evoke a mood, a feeling among listeners similar to ones they had when they were younger listening to their heroes. For me it was Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, CSN, and early Aerosmith. But I also love many modern groups who have built on that legacy of the past but still manage to form a new and unique sound, most notably Stone Temple Pilots, Tool, Foo Fighters, and Coldplay. If we can add some enjoyment and emotional impact for our listeners while adding new elements to the vocabulary of popular rock, then we have done our job."
Building on the success of their debut release, WELCOME TO THE DREAM (2009), Applespacebar released their second full length CD, SONGS YOU MIGHT LIKE, in May, 2010. AppleSpaceBar's newest release "Big In Japan" was released in January 2012. 11 new well crafted tracks with a punch for the world to hear. . But wait there is more. .. AppleSpaceBar can't wait to release there stellar upcoming album "HiFi Sound" which has been in the making for well over a year. Look for details in March.
Photos
Videos
Photos
Videos
Reached 16th in Best of Rock chart in 2011. In the top 20 for 2 weeks.
Top 10 in Rock, March 2011
Top 10 in Pop Videos, June 2010
Reached 16th in Best of Rock chart in 2011. In the top 20 for 2 weeks.
Top 10 in Rock, March 2011
Top 10 in Pop Videos, June 2010
May 2009 Alt. Rock
Top 40 in Rock Videos, June 2011
Top 40 in Alternative, June 2011
Top 40 in Alternative, May 2011
Top 40 in Rock, January 2011
BNBTV Spotlight: Applespacebar, "Simplify" by Written by Claire Gallagher
With so much synth and experimental action gracing the alternative music scene recently, I relax a little to listen to a classic guitar-driven alternative rock band such as the...
With so much synth and experimental action gracing the alternative music scene recently, I relax a little to listen to a classic guitar-driven alternative rock band such as the...
Music Review – applespacebar by By Brian Sidler – Former Music Writer Chicago Musi
(TCP)CHICAGO – Dateline Chicago – (Birmingham, AL) It’s been a long time now, lots of folks out there went to their local musical instrument store (like for the last 40 years) bought some gear and...
(TCP)CHICAGO – Dateline Chicago – (Birmingham, AL) It’s been a long time now, lots of folks out there went to their local musical instrument store (like for the last 40 years) bought some gear and...
BNBTV Spotlight: Applespacebar, "Simplify" by Written by Claire Gallagher
With so much synth and experimental action gracing the alternative music scene recently, I relax a little to listen to a classic guitar-driven alternative rock band such as the oh-so-ironically-titled Applespacebar. With sounds reminiscent of Jimmy Eat World and vocals echoing Brandon Boyd (of Incubus), this band enters the race as a good-old-fashioned-down-to-earth-rock-your-face-off-alt-rock-band--and, frankly, I think people (including myself) have missed that. This song, titled Simplify, opens with plucking strings bound to get stuck in your head for days and features guitar playing likely to induce a righteous air guitar performance (Yes, I see you staring at me in my car. No, I do not care, nor will I stop). And while the song is socially critical with a bit of a political charge, it's got a friendly universal message. So, if I may simplify this summary (yup, I went there): thank you, Applespacebar. We may not know you (yet), but we've missed you. Claire Gallagher: Alrighty, who’s who? What are your names, what instruments do you play, etc? Ben Trexel: Guitar/ production Johnny Nine: Vocals/ lyrics/ keys Patrick Prantl: Guitar Chipper Barnes: Bass Lake Trechsel: Drums JN: Applespacebar was created in a smoke filled room back in July 2008. Actually no smoke was involved. I happened to be over Trexels’ recording studio checking out one of his stellar instrumental tracks and on a whim I took it back to my studio to write lyrics and add vocals. Fast forward four hours and we had our first song. We knew right away this might just work. We haven’t slowed down or looked back. We have been a creative binge ever since. CG: You guys have some pretty crazy names. Any stage names? Or what are your backgrounds/what’s the story behind your name? JN: I will own up for the only stage name in the band. It’s more of a nickname than anything. The short version of the story behind the name goes like this: back in 2002 on a bright sunny day my car is clipped by another vehicle. My car gently flies into the air in slow motion and is slammed back onto the pavement with my precious ring finger underneath said vehicle. Sadly half my digit was gone. So ten fingers minus 1 = “NINE” thus Johnny Nine. People have been calling me that ever since. If you wanted to be accurate I really should be Johnny 9.5. The upside is I still can play keyboards and it makes for great parlor tricks. CG: Where are you from? Did you grow up there? Did you all meet there? How long have you known each other? If you didn’t meet there, where did you all meet? How did the band come together? JN: We are all from Birmingham, Alabama. Yes we all grew up here and many of us have lived across the globe at one time or another. Japan, Sweden, L.A., Boston to mention a few. We have all known each other for a long, long time. In regards to forming the band, Trexel and I, after a solid year and a half of writing and recording, were getting the itch to play our songs live. We had been on a sometimes exhaustive search to find the right fit for the other players in the band. As it stands today with the all the pieces coming together we couldn’t be happier with Lake, Patrick and Chipper contributions to this unit. The cohesiveness of everybody involved makes it so rewarding. There is a lot of joy that goes along with this process. Personally I am enthralled by it all. CG: Who are some of your biggest musical influences? Any influences besides music--people, art, literature, film, etc? Are there any particular eras or places or both that have influenced your work? BT: My influences come from the hundreds of concerts I have seen. I love the energy of live music and I have made a conscious effort to create Applespacebar songs for the stage in mind. First, I want to write songs that I know I will enjoy playing live and second, that I know the audience will enjoy watching us play live. This is after all intended to be "entertainment." Specific artists that I admire are very varied and may or may not be reflected in our music. They include Stone Temple Pilots, Pink Floyd, Tool, old Aerosmith, Collective Soul, Led Zeppelin, and Coldplay. I enjoy traveling and soaking up the vibe of different places which I know brings a lot to the creation of any art, including music. CG: Did growing up where you did influence your music at all? Do you feel a kinship with your hometown? BT: In our town growing up there would be concerts very often, almost every other week, and they were very affordable unlike now. I certainly feel a kinship towards Birmingham for the fact that it sometimes feels like a big city and sometimes like a small town. It's easy to get around, there are great people and tons of great food. Food is very important to me. CG: What bands do you think you sound like, if any? What bands have others told you you sound like? Any strange or incongruent comparisons? What bands would you like to sound like? BT: Instead of wanting to sound like a particular band, I would rather evoke similar emotions that they evoke but do it in our own way. I try to bring something fresh to the table with each song or riff. If you are simply rehashing, there really is no point. We have certain songs that sound similar to the Foo Fighters or Stone Temple Pilots, maybe a little Collective Soul. Some people say we sound like bands that I personally have never heard of. CG: What do you think you would be doing right now if you weren’t a musician? What did you want to be when you were a kid? BT: Unfortunately for many of my family who have depended on my earning capabilities, I have always wanted to be a musician. I have pictures of me holding a guitar when I was three years old. I used to draw strings on my play blocks with a magic marker. If I weren't a musician, I would be a groundskeeper at a resort in the Caribbean. CG: What has been a personal high and a personal low about your musical career so far? Any particular moments of awesomeness or embarrassing blunders? BT: A low would be when our roadies started a riot at our concert at the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women...just kidding..get back with us in a year for an update. CG: So what’s the story behind your band name, Applespacebar? How did it come about? JN: Ok ...ok, we get this question a lot. Here is how the name came to be. Ben and I are both studio rats. We use Pro Tools and a Mac computer as our DAW (digital audio workstation) to record. To initiate the recording process you have to hit the apple key on the Mac keyboard then spacebar. We were always yelling out ‘apple- spacebar” while we were recording. It just dawned on Trexel one day that we should make it the name of the band. Is it quirky?...sure. But we like it. The name incorporates what we love to do: create music. The upside is we get some hilarious notions as to what the hell people thinks it means. CG: What is next for the band? Are you working on your third albums already? Planning tours? Any collaborations or side projects? As for the next sound, are you going to stick to your sound now or maybe experiment/take a new route at all? If you did, do you think your fans would dig it? BT: We always seem to be writing, even if it is not "in the plans" at the time. I guess that is a good thing. We seem to be on pace for an album per year which these days is considered alot but was quite common in the 70's and 80's. Some of my favorite bands, including Led Zeppelin and Steely Dan, released an album per year for six or seven years straight. I think our sound will evolve naturally without planning a change. Like I said before, there is no point in rehashing even if it is your own music. That worked maybe for AC/DC or ZZ Top but that would totally bore me. Playing all over the world is the goal for this band. We have created songs that travel well and come across great in a live environment. If touring slows our recorded output a bit, I think that will be okay. So there you have it. These guys are quirky but commercial, home-grown but universal. Keep an ear out for them, and check out their two albums, Welcome to the Dream (2008) and Songs You Might Like (2010), also available on iTunes. And here's ooonneee more link, ooonnee more time, in case you forgot: Applespacebar Also, if you have a super sweet video you'd like us to consider for this feature, please upload it to BNBTV and send an email to claire@bestnewbands.com or editor@bestnewbands.com with a link! Published in What We Talk About: Videos Tagged under Pink Floyd Coldplay incubus BNBTV Spotlight Stone Temple Pilots claire gallagher applespacebar space bar apple simplify led zeppelin collective soul tool aerosmith jimmy eat world brandon boyd Social sharing Claire Gallagher Claire Gallagher is from Las Vegas, Nevada. She grew up under blinking signs for Girls, Girls, Girls! and she hummed to the clanky sounds of slot machines in casinos and grocery stores and airports. She now attends school at UCLA and is becoming very intimately acquainted with the kick-ass music scene Los Angeles so sweetly provides. When Claire is not on the back of a horse or playing with her pet snake, Skittles, she is listening to music, eating orange chicken, or spinning around in her rolly chair. She is fond of tyrannosaurus rexes, John Steinbeck, and the fleeting feeling of post-concert deafness. You can check her out on tumblr as well.
With so much synth and experimental action gracing the alternative music scene recently, I relax a little to listen to a classic guitar-driven alternative rock band such as the oh-so-ironically-titled Applespacebar. With sounds reminiscent of Jimmy Eat World and vocals echoing Brandon Boyd (of Incubus), this band enters the race as a good-old-fashioned-down-to-earth-rock-your-face-off-alt-rock-band--and, frankly, I think people (including myself) have missed that. This song, titled Simplify, opens with plucking strings bound to get stuck in your head for days and features guitar playing likely to induce a righteous air guitar performance (Yes, I see you staring at me in my car. No, I do not care, nor will I stop). And while the song is socially critical with a bit of a political charge, it's got a friendly universal message. So, if I may simplify this summary (yup, I went there): thank you, Applespacebar. We may not know you (yet), but we've missed you. Claire Gallagher: Alrighty, who’s who? What are your names, what instruments do you play, etc? Ben Trexel: Guitar/ production Johnny Nine: Vocals/ lyrics/ keys Patrick Prantl: Guitar Chipper Barnes: Bass Lake Trechsel: Drums JN: Applespacebar was created in a smoke filled room back in July 2008. Actually no smoke was involved. I happened to be over Trexels’ recording studio checking out one of his stellar instrumental tracks and on a whim I took it back to my studio to write lyrics and add vocals. Fast forward four hours and we had our first song. We knew right away this might just work. We haven’t slowed down or looked back. We have been a creative binge ever since. CG: You guys have some pretty crazy names. Any stage names? Or what are your backgrounds/what’s the story behind your name? JN: I will own up for the only stage name in the band. It’s more of a nickname than anything. The short version of the story behind the name goes like this: back in 2002 on a bright sunny day my car is clipped by another vehicle. My car gently flies into the air in slow motion and is slammed back onto the pavement with my precious ring finger underneath said vehicle. Sadly half my digit was gone. So ten fingers minus 1 = “NINE” thus Johnny Nine. People have been calling me that ever since. If you wanted to be accurate I really should be Johnny 9.5. The upside is I still can play keyboards and it makes for great parlor tricks. CG: Where are you from? Did you grow up there? Did you all meet there? How long have you known each other? If you didn’t meet there, where did you all meet? How did the band come together? JN: We are all from Birmingham, Alabama. Yes we all grew up here and many of us have lived across the globe at one time or another. Japan, Sweden, L.A., Boston to mention a few. We have all known each other for a long, long time. In regards to forming the band, Trexel and I, after a solid year and a half of writing and recording, were getting the itch to play our songs live. We had been on a sometimes exhaustive search to find the right fit for the other players in the band. As it stands today with the all the pieces coming together we couldn’t be happier with Lake, Patrick and Chipper contributions to this unit. The cohesiveness of everybody involved makes it so rewarding. There is a lot of joy that goes along with this process. Personally I am enthralled by it all. CG: Who are some of your biggest musical influences? Any influences besides music--people, art, literature, film, etc? Are there any particular eras or places or both that have influenced your work? BT: My influences come from the hundreds of concerts I have seen. I love the energy of live music and I have made a conscious effort to create Applespacebar songs for the stage in mind. First, I want to write songs that I know I will enjoy playing live and second, that I know the audience will enjoy watching us play live. This is after all intended to be "entertainment." Specific artists that I admire are very varied and may or may not be reflected in our music. They include Stone Temple Pilots, Pink Floyd, Tool, old Aerosmith, Collective Soul, Led Zeppelin, and Coldplay. I enjoy traveling and soaking up the vibe of different places which I know brings a lot to the creation of any art, including music. CG: Did growing up where you did influence your music at all? Do you feel a kinship with your hometown? BT: In our town growing up there would be concerts very often, almost every other week, and they were very affordable unlike now. I certainly feel a kinship towards Birmingham for the fact that it sometimes feels like a big city and sometimes like a small town. It's easy to get around, there are great people and tons of great food. Food is very important to me. CG: What bands do you think you sound like, if any? What bands have others told you you sound like? Any strange or incongruent comparisons? What bands would you like to sound like? BT: Instead of wanting to sound like a particular band, I would rather evoke similar emotions that they evoke but do it in our own way. I try to bring something fresh to the table with each song or riff. If you are simply rehashing, there really is no point. We have certain songs that sound similar to the Foo Fighters or Stone Temple Pilots, maybe a little Collective Soul. Some people say we sound like bands that I personally have never heard of. CG: What do you think you would be doing right now if you weren’t a musician? What did you want to be when you were a kid? BT: Unfortunately for many of my family who have depended on my earning capabilities, I have always wanted to be a musician. I have pictures of me holding a guitar when I was three years old. I used to draw strings on my play blocks with a magic marker. If I weren't a musician, I would be a groundskeeper at a resort in the Caribbean. CG: What has been a personal high and a personal low about your musical career so far? Any particular moments of awesomeness or embarrassing blunders? BT: A low would be when our roadies started a riot at our concert at the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women...just kidding..get back with us in a year for an update. CG: So what’s the story behind your band name, Applespacebar? How did it come about? JN: Ok ...ok, we get this question a lot. Here is how the name came to be. Ben and I are both studio rats. We use Pro Tools and a Mac computer as our DAW (digital audio workstation) to record. To initiate the recording process you have to hit the apple key on the Mac keyboard then spacebar. We were always yelling out ‘apple- spacebar” while we were recording. It just dawned on Trexel one day that we should make it the name of the band. Is it quirky?...sure. But we like it. The name incorporates what we love to do: create music. The upside is we get some hilarious notions as to what the hell people thinks it means. CG: What is next for the band? Are you working on your third albums already? Planning tours? Any collaborations or side projects? As for the next sound, are you going to stick to your sound now or maybe experiment/take a new route at all? If you did, do you think your fans would dig it? BT: We always seem to be writing, even if it is not "in the plans" at the time. I guess that is a good thing. We seem to be on pace for an album per year which these days is considered alot but was quite common in the 70's and 80's. Some of my favorite bands, including Led Zeppelin and Steely Dan, released an album per year for six or seven years straight. I think our sound will evolve naturally without planning a change. Like I said before, there is no point in rehashing even if it is your own music. That worked maybe for AC/DC or ZZ Top but that would totally bore me. Playing all over the world is the goal for this band. We have created songs that travel well and come across great in a live environment. If touring slows our recorded output a bit, I think that will be okay. So there you have it. These guys are quirky but commercial, home-grown but universal. Keep an ear out for them, and check out their two albums, Welcome to the Dream (2008) and Songs You Might Like (2010), also available on iTunes. And here's ooonneee more link, ooonnee more time, in case you forgot: Applespacebar Also, if you have a super sweet video you'd like us to consider for this feature, please upload it to BNBTV and send an email to claire@bestnewbands.com or editor@bestnewbands.com with a link! Published in What We Talk About: Videos Tagged under Pink Floyd Coldplay incubus BNBTV Spotlight Stone Temple Pilots claire gallagher applespacebar space bar apple simplify led zeppelin collective soul tool aerosmith jimmy eat world brandon boyd Social sharing Claire Gallagher Claire Gallagher is from Las Vegas, Nevada. She grew up under blinking signs for Girls, Girls, Girls! and she hummed to the clanky sounds of slot machines in casinos and grocery stores and airports. She now attends school at UCLA and is becoming very intimately acquainted with the kick-ass music scene Los Angeles so sweetly provides. When Claire is not on the back of a horse or playing with her pet snake, Skittles, she is listening to music, eating orange chicken, or spinning around in her rolly chair. She is fond of tyrannosaurus rexes, John Steinbeck, and the fleeting feeling of post-concert deafness. You can check her out on tumblr as well.
Music Review – applespacebar by By Brian Sidler – Former Music Writer Chicago Musi
(TCP)CHICAGO – Dateline Chicago – (Birmingham, AL) It’s been a long time now, lots of folks out there went to their local musical instrument store (like for the last 40 years) bought some gear and voila they’re self proclaimed rock idols. It’s been like a terminal illness seeking celebrity. Our followers are all too familiar with our searing rants decrying mediocrity. There’s lots of units out there who know how to record something technically, and do it very well. Thing is, was it worth recording? Not really. Thousands of music magazine writers out there now, and they gush over just about anything that crawls across their desks. In short, there are no real competitors out there for bands to ascend to. When everyone gushes about everything, there is no bar to hurdle. Everything’s great! So although a good review is great for aspiring units; hey, everyone’s entitled to try and make a niche in this biz, the reviews are mostly worthless. And let me tell ya, we read ‘em all the time. We can only imagine back here at this channel, if we really told most of the bands what they don’t mean to us, all our readers would probably just hate us for being so sour. I mean absolutely hate us. Who likes a constant and predictable buzz kill anyway? Well, welcome to a hit squad. The first tune we heard from this band was something from the MyStage website titled “I Want It All”. It’s a mid tempo rock ballad with a strong line. The singing jumps right out in front. Rhythm section knows how to hang and the lead guitar cuts with an accessible edge. We immediately asked the MyStage guys on their Twitter feed to have the band send the tune to us. Here’s a band that has defined itself. “applespacebar” knows how to command a field and then just does it without paying it “no nevermind”. Nice atmospherics are part of the landscape. Vocals are corky a bit like Roland Orzabal, but leaves the canyon mostly in the mid-ground. The lowered third and fifth harmonies work well everywhere they place them. The band is clearly a bunch of died in the wool romantics with ears for, and influenced by, well tested, classic Rock arrangement and writing. And…the best part of it is, here’s a band with something to say. And..SAYING is everything, not just lyrics. If you”re not talking…stay out of the recording booth until you learn HOW to talk and then find out what you should SAY. Got it kiddies? What our readers know for sure is; if we advocate something, it’s kicking some major butt to get there. And so it is with applespacebar. The band is a cruising rock unit with punch. There’s nice leads on every cut and incidental keyboard hooks that fill space, and which gives these tunes a lot of body to cling to. However, without Johnny Nine’s vocals, the band would be just a great rhythm unit backing a great lead guitarist who’s got an incredible sense of dynamics and melody, married to a honed sense of the dramatic, and that… we can assure you, John Trexel IS. As well, it would almost be enough. The players backing this vocalist are as good as it gets…BUT, it’s Nine’s voice that sets this band apart from others. And that’s also where a good deal of the wow factor is with these guys. If Trexel and Nine collaborated the melodies for these musical beds – then Nine delivers Trexel’s brilliant writing and production exactly the way it needs to be delivered. The tune “I Want It All” is a soaring take no prisoners cut. It does what a great recording intends after a mastering session. You can escape. The listener is given that rare experience of leaving behind the day for 4 minutes and then there’s the after-glow of the tune ringing in your head. It’s the same thing with another tune called “Now or Never”. SO…we cruised on over to their REVERBNATION spot and found all this. Then we went over to their MySpace and found this. Cruised on over to iTunes and found this. MyStage we found all this and at CDBaby all this. They have other links..you can find them if you look. All in all, it’s an anthology of around two or three years in the woodshed. So over the last three years, two albums and a few more extra thrown in. Welcome To The Dream & Songs You Might Like, respectively. On the way, listening to all of this stuff, (we’d say collectively about 5 hours of replaying things), we found this tune called “Sunday Morning” and then discovered another cut called “Minutes and Days” from their 2008 album effort Welcome To The Dream. Just to hear the entire “Minutes and Days” we bought it. Folks know how we feel about iTunes, right? But anyway…screw it…went over to CD Baby to get “Sunday Morning”…and CD Baby’s interface failed us, didn’t see it first time around at iTunes…but then went on to buy “Picture This” back at Jobs’ place and another one called “Too High”. Went on to get…”Hope”, “Winners and Losers”. Skipped back to listen to “Now or Never” at Reverb, skipped back to our player to listen to “I Want It All”, over to “Imagine” from the first album, then “Simplify” from the second album and finished off with “Little Box of Secrets” from the second album. We always have a budget guys…wink. We had a good time looking for the package we wanted and our programming order wound up to be…Minutes and Days (album #1), Pot of Gold (album #1)(go back and get that first – stop cue, right), Picture This (album #2), Too High (album #1), Hope (album #2)(we wanted a crushing lead guitar solo after the second verse), Sunday Morning (album #1), Winners and Losers (album #2), Now or Never (album #?), I Want It All (album #?), Imagine (album #1), Simplify (album #1), Little Box of Secrets (album #2). After all that study…this lineup is what killed us. 12 of the strongest rock tunes we’ve heard assembled by one band after listening to literally thousands of bands for years. And this my friends, is a Grammy winning album if you buy it just like we’re telling you we did. Don’t play with the order…THAT’S THE ORDER. In fact, we’d say there’s so much mileage in it, program directors across the country could keep this puppy in rotation for a whole year. And were the public to be awakened to it just like that…no confusions…we think it’s good for a run of about 5 million album sales as a debut. And that’s what we’d do…we’d take everything down and leave that order as the debut. THAT WOULD BE THE TOURING PIECE. That there was a hit album in all of it is enough for you to buy both of the albums. Hey, there’s such a thing as gas money, ya know? And these guys deserve the gas – because in concert it’d be worth it to watch. To make sure we were on our mark we played this lineup more than a few times…and we’re still not tired of it. And that’s inpite of the fact, Trexel’s not pushing himself as far as we think he can go with his guitar effects. He’s got a lot more in him. And that would probably make for another 7 or 8 albums, no doubt. But hit albums is what it’s all about babes…one song doesn’t cut it for us. If a collection of songs fatigues your ears half way through because there’s no real journey to follow, it’s not a collection. And one or two cuts laced in with average “nothing” cuts, because the artist doesn’t have anymore in ‘em…and…like most of what we hear the coasts putting together in their packages, is quite predictably boring and insulting. Now, let’s get to the genre issue with these cats. They’re listed as alternative on one, and rock on another – ummmm…wrong. Properly framed, applespacebar is progressive rock. We don’t recognize alternative as a legit genre, (we don’t know who originally coined this alleged genre, but it’s utter bullshit) so that goes out the window. And progressive stuff is still, plainly said…rock. Tangent Music Group/Bojangles Productions, Inc. should learn how to package the steeds they have in their stable, because they’ve run the risk of sputtering an incredible band by not being “quite good enough” or “apt” editors, as well as, too impatient to get something out there…though we can’t say we blame them…with a unit this good we can easily understand their excitement. Another thing we’ll qualify; the other songs that didn’t make the first cut with us is a solid basis to weave another journey to get lost in. But that’s not a programming order we’ve explored and they need more tunes to make one. But…they definitely have it in ‘em. If our namesake had a horse in this race…again…well then this is the horse we’d ride: Minutes and Days (album #1), Pot of Gold (album #1), Picture This (album #2), Too High (album #1), Hope (album #2) , Sunday Morning (album #1), Winners and Losers (album #2), Now or Never (album #?), I Want It All (album #?), Imagine (album #1), Simplify (album #1), Little Box of Secrets (album #2). Price for this package – $16.95 firm. Another thing, we’ve decide back here…that when we’ve absolutely done all our home work – we’ll give everyone a quick cut-track listen to our applespacebar album. We think you’ll agree with us. There you have it…one head-busting, rubber-neck bobbing, hair swooshing, hip grinding album for music freaks everywhere on the planet that love rock the way it’s suppose to jump. An album with 12 top ten hits in one place…a rarity these days. When was the last time you heard one? This album would immortalize this band. Stand aside New York and LA, you’ve just been handed your hat. And get your wallet out guys, you can lease this one – and keep your 360 deal off my porch deck! And what should we call this “new” album? – May we suggest – “After The Woodshed”? Better yet – “Little Box of Secrets”. How’s that? Bold of us, right? Well what are you gonna do with us critics, eh? Perhaps we’ll just never learn. Trexel – Nine – Trechsel – Prantl – and Chipper Bonds >>>>OK…I’m dead now – because you killed me…it’s your fault!. But then…we all had a hand in getting me dead, back here. O’Toole – next time you keep me up all night, I’m gonna murder ya! But…it was worth it. And that’s good news for you…the listener – now go out and buy this stuff – just like we said! Don’t futz around with the order…trust US! You’ll have to ask the guys to make “Now or Never” and “I Want It All” available for download – THEN- print it! Just like that. One more thing you cats in the band…next picture you take…smile…you certainly have a reason to. AND…you’re welcome guys…or should I be the one who says: Thanks for the ride! Think I’ll listen for a while longer before I hit the rack. Later’s, gators. That is all. I’m Brian Sidler and I write about Music, et al. @05:15 HRS CST 25 April 2011
(TCP)CHICAGO – Dateline Chicago – (Birmingham, AL) It’s been a long time now, lots of folks out there went to their local musical instrument store (like for the last 40 years) bought some gear and voila they’re self proclaimed rock idols. It’s been like a terminal illness seeking celebrity. Our followers are all too familiar with our searing rants decrying mediocrity. There’s lots of units out there who know how to record something technically, and do it very well. Thing is, was it worth recording? Not really. Thousands of music magazine writers out there now, and they gush over just about anything that crawls across their desks. In short, there are no real competitors out there for bands to ascend to. When everyone gushes about everything, there is no bar to hurdle. Everything’s great! So although a good review is great for aspiring units; hey, everyone’s entitled to try and make a niche in this biz, the reviews are mostly worthless. And let me tell ya, we read ‘em all the time. We can only imagine back here at this channel, if we really told most of the bands what they don’t mean to us, all our readers would probably just hate us for being so sour. I mean absolutely hate us. Who likes a constant and predictable buzz kill anyway? Well, welcome to a hit squad. The first tune we heard from this band was something from the MyStage website titled “I Want It All”. It’s a mid tempo rock ballad with a strong line. The singing jumps right out in front. Rhythm section knows how to hang and the lead guitar cuts with an accessible edge. We immediately asked the MyStage guys on their Twitter feed to have the band send the tune to us. Here’s a band that has defined itself. “applespacebar” knows how to command a field and then just does it without paying it “no nevermind”. Nice atmospherics are part of the landscape. Vocals are corky a bit like Roland Orzabal, but leaves the canyon mostly in the mid-ground. The lowered third and fifth harmonies work well everywhere they place them. The band is clearly a bunch of died in the wool romantics with ears for, and influenced by, well tested, classic Rock arrangement and writing. And…the best part of it is, here’s a band with something to say. And..SAYING is everything, not just lyrics. If you”re not talking…stay out of the recording booth until you learn HOW to talk and then find out what you should SAY. Got it kiddies? What our readers know for sure is; if we advocate something, it’s kicking some major butt to get there. And so it is with applespacebar. The band is a cruising rock unit with punch. There’s nice leads on every cut and incidental keyboard hooks that fill space, and which gives these tunes a lot of body to cling to. However, without Johnny Nine’s vocals, the band would be just a great rhythm unit backing a great lead guitarist who’s got an incredible sense of dynamics and melody, married to a honed sense of the dramatic, and that… we can assure you, John Trexel IS. As well, it would almost be enough. The players backing this vocalist are as good as it gets…BUT, it’s Nine’s voice that sets this band apart from others. And that’s also where a good deal of the wow factor is with these guys. If Trexel and Nine collaborated the melodies for these musical beds – then Nine delivers Trexel’s brilliant writing and production exactly the way it needs to be delivered. The tune “I Want It All” is a soaring take no prisoners cut. It does what a great recording intends after a mastering session. You can escape. The listener is given that rare experience of leaving behind the day for 4 minutes and then there’s the after-glow of the tune ringing in your head. It’s the same thing with another tune called “Now or Never”. SO…we cruised on over to their REVERBNATION spot and found all this. Then we went over to their MySpace and found this. Cruised on over to iTunes and found this. MyStage we found all this and at CDBaby all this. They have other links..you can find them if you look. All in all, it’s an anthology of around two or three years in the woodshed. So over the last three years, two albums and a few more extra thrown in. Welcome To The Dream & Songs You Might Like, respectively. On the way, listening to all of this stuff, (we’d say collectively about 5 hours of replaying things), we found this tune called “Sunday Morning” and then discovered another cut called “Minutes and Days” from their 2008 album effort Welcome To The Dream. Just to hear the entire “Minutes and Days” we bought it. Folks know how we feel about iTunes, right? But anyway…screw it…went over to CD Baby to get “Sunday Morning”…and CD Baby’s interface failed us, didn’t see it first time around at iTunes…but then went on to buy “Picture This” back at Jobs’ place and another one called “Too High”. Went on to get…”Hope”, “Winners and Losers”. Skipped back to listen to “Now or Never” at Reverb, skipped back to our player to listen to “I Want It All”, over to “Imagine” from the first album, then “Simplify” from the second album and finished off with “Little Box of Secrets” from the second album. We always have a budget guys…wink. We had a good time looking for the package we wanted and our programming order wound up to be…Minutes and Days (album #1), Pot of Gold (album #1)(go back and get that first – stop cue, right), Picture This (album #2), Too High (album #1), Hope (album #2)(we wanted a crushing lead guitar solo after the second verse), Sunday Morning (album #1), Winners and Losers (album #2), Now or Never (album #?), I Want It All (album #?), Imagine (album #1), Simplify (album #1), Little Box of Secrets (album #2). After all that study…this lineup is what killed us. 12 of the strongest rock tunes we’ve heard assembled by one band after listening to literally thousands of bands for years. And this my friends, is a Grammy winning album if you buy it just like we’re telling you we did. Don’t play with the order…THAT’S THE ORDER. In fact, we’d say there’s so much mileage in it, program directors across the country could keep this puppy in rotation for a whole year. And were the public to be awakened to it just like that…no confusions…we think it’s good for a run of about 5 million album sales as a debut. And that’s what we’d do…we’d take everything down and leave that order as the debut. THAT WOULD BE THE TOURING PIECE. That there was a hit album in all of it is enough for you to buy both of the albums. Hey, there’s such a thing as gas money, ya know? And these guys deserve the gas – because in concert it’d be worth it to watch. To make sure we were on our mark we played this lineup more than a few times…and we’re still not tired of it. And that’s inpite of the fact, Trexel’s not pushing himself as far as we think he can go with his guitar effects. He’s got a lot more in him. And that would probably make for another 7 or 8 albums, no doubt. But hit albums is what it’s all about babes…one song doesn’t cut it for us. If a collection of songs fatigues your ears half way through because there’s no real journey to follow, it’s not a collection. And one or two cuts laced in with average “nothing” cuts, because the artist doesn’t have anymore in ‘em…and…like most of what we hear the coasts putting together in their packages, is quite predictably boring and insulting. Now, let’s get to the genre issue with these cats. They’re listed as alternative on one, and rock on another – ummmm…wrong. Properly framed, applespacebar is progressive rock. We don’t recognize alternative as a legit genre, (we don’t know who originally coined this alleged genre, but it’s utter bullshit) so that goes out the window. And progressive stuff is still, plainly said…rock. Tangent Music Group/Bojangles Productions, Inc. should learn how to package the steeds they have in their stable, because they’ve run the risk of sputtering an incredible band by not being “quite good enough” or “apt” editors, as well as, too impatient to get something out there…though we can’t say we blame them…with a unit this good we can easily understand their excitement. Another thing we’ll qualify; the other songs that didn’t make the first cut with us is a solid basis to weave another journey to get lost in. But that’s not a programming order we’ve explored and they need more tunes to make one. But…they definitely have it in ‘em. If our namesake had a horse in this race…again…well then this is the horse we’d ride: Minutes and Days (album #1), Pot of Gold (album #1), Picture This (album #2), Too High (album #1), Hope (album #2) , Sunday Morning (album #1), Winners and Losers (album #2), Now or Never (album #?), I Want It All (album #?), Imagine (album #1), Simplify (album #1), Little Box of Secrets (album #2). Price for this package – $16.95 firm. Another thing, we’ve decide back here…that when we’ve absolutely done all our home work – we’ll give everyone a quick cut-track listen to our applespacebar album. We think you’ll agree with us. There you have it…one head-busting, rubber-neck bobbing, hair swooshing, hip grinding album for music freaks everywhere on the planet that love rock the way it’s suppose to jump. An album with 12 top ten hits in one place…a rarity these days. When was the last time you heard one? This album would immortalize this band. Stand aside New York and LA, you’ve just been handed your hat. And get your wallet out guys, you can lease this one – and keep your 360 deal off my porch deck! And what should we call this “new” album? – May we suggest – “After The Woodshed”? Better yet – “Little Box of Secrets”. How’s that? Bold of us, right? Well what are you gonna do with us critics, eh? Perhaps we’ll just never learn. Trexel – Nine – Trechsel – Prantl – and Chipper Bonds >>>>OK…I’m dead now – because you killed me…it’s your fault!. But then…we all had a hand in getting me dead, back here. O’Toole – next time you keep me up all night, I’m gonna murder ya! But…it was worth it. And that’s good news for you…the listener – now go out and buy this stuff – just like we said! Don’t futz around with the order…trust US! You’ll have to ask the guys to make “Now or Never” and “I Want It All” available for download – THEN- print it! Just like that. One more thing you cats in the band…next picture you take…smile…you certainly have a reason to. AND…you’re welcome guys…or should I be the one who says: Thanks for the ride! Think I’ll listen for a while longer before I hit the rack. Later’s, gators. That is all. I’m Brian Sidler and I write about Music, et al. @05:15 HRS CST 25 April 2011
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