We have a soft spot for killer instrumental bands. Yeah, we know you’ve heard Explosions in the Sky — but we thought we’d brew you a cup of tea with a little extra spice for your daily routine. Our contributor Dylan Garcia made a list of a few instrumental bands that have been our Haus favorites for some time. So here, try this Venti. We can’t promise we spelled your name right though.
Just weeks before The Safety Fire’s sophomore album, Mouth Of Swords, came out in September, guitarist Derya “Dez” Nagle was involved in a cycling accident and had to undergo surgery. “Few weeks of rest and all will be well,” he said back in late July about the incident.
We know a lot of our readers are in bands. Whether you’re a seasoned road dog who’s toured from Osaka to Oshkosh or a newbie yet to leave your step-mom’s garage, you can never know too much about traveling with a bunch of dudes. That’s why we asked Counterparts frontman Brendan Murphy to tell us five things he learned from his first tour ever.
Right now he and his band are touring with August Burns Red and Blessthefall, supporting their new album The Difference Between Hell And Home. Then in October they’ll join the second week of Terror’s trek with Power Trip and Code Orange Kids.
“Five Lessons I Learned on My First Tour” by Brendan Murphy
1. Bring different shoes to play in.
2. Shower as often as possible. Even if you did yesterday. Even if you don’t smell. Just do it.
3. Fucking clean up after yourself. Especially in the van. Don’t leave your garbage around for other people to smell/dig through when you have to live in a van for weeks at a time. It’s disgusting.
4. Mitch can’t get a girl, he’s just Mitch.
5. If you have a place to stay, ALWAYS make sure they have a place to park a van and trailer. Nothing is worse than showing up to a kids house in the middle of downtown in a major city, and they get out and go “ohhh yeahhhhh I don’t know where you can park.” Drives me insane haha.
When Caleb Shomo quit Attack Attack! last December he was in the darkest year of his life. “Having thousands of people tell you you’re a ‘fat piece of shit’ isn’t exactly the easiest thing to deal with at 17,” he said in his farewell post. Haunted by inner demons, panic attacks and mental breakdowns put Shomo in a downward spiral for much of 2012. “I had a lot of stress in my life,” he added in his departure note, “and in no way wanted to face it head on and deal with it.”
