I’ve been sick all week and Sam is in Los Angeles. That’s how little he cares about me. Instead of surprising me with flowers and chicken noodle soup and snuggles, he’s hobnobbing it up with industry folks (running into people who thought he was approaching them as a fan before realizing they had collaborated with him on multiple podcasts before). Guess I’ll just DIE.
Here’s some stuff we’re thinking about this week.
Sidford “Clips”
Sam: After deciding to break up the year after high school, the vaguely nu-metal-tinged band I played drums in took our modest earnings from years of battle of the bands shows and recorded an album that was promptly deleted by the engineer before it was properly mixed and mastered. In a fit of rekindled friendship and nostalgia (I am assuming, I should ask) our singer compiled and released the “album” this week through the three bounced tracks we still had and a collection of boards tapes from all ages shows at the Kathedral. Honestly - we were fucking sick. We are also were not nu metal at all. As someone who genuinely and unashamedly enjoys listening to their own music - and why shouldn’t you you wrote it so you must think it’s good yet the only truly brave professional musician I’ve seen take this bold stance is Jacoby Shaddix from P Roach - it was a genuine trip to listen to songs I helped write that I actually totally forgot and have not heard or thought about in… 20 years? That can’t be right. Is it incredibly stupid to be sharing this here? Probably but compared to the podcast this is the most modest thing I’ve ever done under the 155 banner.
Jos: I read the description and I have spent the better part of a decade noodling around in Sam’s unconscious, so I wasn’t surprised when I saw the artwork. But this recording sounds insane. Maybe it’s a Toronto thing but you guys love to sing. It’s definitely more Moneen than nu-metal, but then there’s these hilarious techy parts. I love it. Also to be honest, the drumming sounds sick.
Sidford “Ugly Patty”
Sam: Okay I get it it’s too much but for one thing, I’ve been deep in production hell this week on two projects and I have not listened to any new music besides this very old music. And I think it’s important to demonstrate the breadth of Sidford’s output by sharing a song that opens with a bass solo. Our bassist was obsessed with Opeth and we sometimes had to let him get his devils out. That this song also contains an incredibly high school-ass guitar solo only adds to my joy upon hearing it again. Just be happy I saved you our 10 minute set-closer. It had a free jazz part in the bridge.
Jos: What is happening. This bass solo is insane. The tone is also so bad I’m dying. Is this a board recording or something from the engineer bounce? It’s so funny. This sounds like a shreds video without the video part. The guitars are also so funny. Is this lowkey a reggae song?
Sam: Guess who played the bass solo?
Ian Butler “Lipstick on My Dipstick”
Jos: I think Sam is absolutely right that everyone should be listening to their own music as much as possible. No one else is gonna, so you should! But if you’re as old as us, there are likely a lot of musical projects that you’d rather forget. The one that keeps resurfacing for me — my uncle’s Dr. Demento-esque comedy rock album that my brother and I played on when I was a teenager, and was subsequently reviewed in HeartattaCk. I think it’s because I did it at an age where everything was embarrassing, so I felt extremely embarrassed to be playing this gross comedy rock. But I found the HeartattaCk review and it’s not even bad!
Sam: Wow I know we’ve talked about this but I don’t think I’ve heard it? It started playing before I had read this and I was like “damn I like it.” Wish this had a crystal-clear bass solo but I otherwise wouldn’t make any changes. Chorus goes! Pretty nasty for some nice Christian boys, isn’t it?
Ian Butler “Thirty Days on the Road”
Jos: Okay now I’m remembering… it was songs like this that got to me. There was something about playing a friends-and-family release show to an otherwise empty bar in Norcal and, in particular, busting into a stanky blues solo after my uncle sings “I just want to shoot my load but I’ve got a dirty gun” that was just one step too far, even for me.
Sam: Yesssssss this is some nasty groovy shit. Josiah you’re wrong this is not too far for you. It’s Josiah Far. This one could probably accommodate a bass solo, too.
