Rumors Heard in Myspace, Episode 4 (A New Hope)

Yes, you can feel it . . . can’t you? There’s that something in the air. Yeah, it’s spring, but that’s not all. No . . . it’s not air pollution, though that too is in the air. It’s something . . . new. Like something that you’ve been waiting for all winter. Like some sort of new hope. C’mon, you’re Waveriders . . . what else could be new in the air? There’s a ton of new music soaring across the airwaves, and I don’t know about you, but I’m damn hopeful!

In past episodes, I’ve mentioned upcoming releases from some of the Ripple favorites in King’s X, Kataklysm, and Opeth. So, I’ll bypass those bands for the time being and focus on some fresh stuff that’s just bubbling under the surface of the mainstream or stuff so deep in the underground you’d need a miners lamp to find it. Ha . . . just call me the Spelunking Pope!

Hailing from Texas, Heir to Madness is creating some wild soundscapes on their new album entitled, The Citadel. Beautiful cover art on the album as well! If you’re a prog fan, specifically in the vein of Porcupine Tree, these guys might be up your alley. www.myspace.com/heirtomadness

Speaking of prog, Dimaension X has an album that they’ve made available for free download. In fact, all eight of the Dimaension X albums are downloadable, so check ‘em out. If you’re a fan of metal with a symphonic slant, well . . . why haven’t you clicked over and started perusing the music? Keep an eye out for a feature review of their latest release, I Am Become Daevel, in the very near future. www.myspace.com/dimaensionx




Out of Canada, Oh Canada, there’s a very beautiful and immensely talented young lady simply going by the name of Rayna, who has captured this writers heart. Her music is that passionate, acoustic tinged stuff that is brimming with emotion. You know, the kind of stuff that has the toughest guys eyes welling up with tears. She recently posted a cover version of ‘Til Tuesday’s “Voices Carry.” Rayna recorded a fabulous interpretation of the tune. I’m sold. She has at least one album that you can track down, so make it happen. www.myspace.com/raynamusic

Now, there’s a talent lingering around jolly ole England who I’ve known for a couple of years now, who simply doesn’t get the recognition that he deserves. I’m just waiting for some record exec to come along and snatch this dude up, because much like the previously mentioned Rayna, he has the ability to make the strongest man a bubbling mess. That, my friends, is true power. His name is Neil Davison, and as I mentioned, you won’t find an album out there with his music because the music industry is ludicrous. So, stop by his page, drop him a line, and ask really nice. He may burn his stuff onto a disc and get it into your hands. He has the most tortured voice in music and his songwriting is as real as it gets. From listening to his music, one gets the sense that the sun never shines over his neighborhood. Fabulously painful! www.myspace.com/neildavison

Rumor has it that the brothers Mardo are hard at work writing for the follow up to The New Gun. If you live in the greater Los Angeles area and you still haven’t caught their live show, man . . . you’re fuckin’ missing out! www.myspace.com/mardo

Out of L.A., we also have the metal / hardcore monster of Flatline preparing for their new album, Pave the Way. It’s being released by Stand and Deliver Records on July 28th. From what I’m hearing, the tunes will appeal to any metal head who is a fan of anything ranging from the groove of Pantera to the vicious beat down of Hatebreed. Yeah, wide range, but these guys have the fire. www.myspace.com/flatlinemetal

Also, word has it that Mos Generator are back from a successful jaunt to Europe and are in the studio working on some vinyl releases. Apparently, vinyl is still a hot commodity in the music world outside of the U.S. Who knew? www.myspace.com/mosgenerator

Our favorite spaced out rockers, Farflung, are hitting the Euro highway and playing some gigs in Holland and Germany. Though they don’t have any info posted on their page, I’m sure they’ll be more than accommodating with the info if you ask nicely. That’s what I did. www.myspace.com/farflung

Ex-Bongo’s frontman, Richard Barone will be doing a promotional jaunt for his book, Frontman. He’ll be appearing at the Los Angeles Book Festival on July 12th. Racer and I have confirmed that we’ll be in attendance. www.myspace.com/richardbarone




Stateside, there are two package tours that might interest the Waveriders. One being 3 . . . huh? One can’t be 3. No . . . the band, 3. They’re on The Progressive Nation Tour with Dream Theater and Opeth. You haven’t heard 3? Oh man . . . you are missing out. They are so freaking out there that you can’t help but love them. Go to their page and check out some of their stuff. www.myspace.com/3 The other tour that might be of interest is The Mayhem Tour. I mention this one mainly because of Black Tide. These kids have embraced the metal of my youth and given it a swift kick in the ass with their youthful exuberance. Yeah, some of it’s been done before, so what? They’re young, they’re having fun, and they’re creating music that has more balls than the majority of the stuff bogging down the airwaves. www.myspace.com/blacktide

For you fans of extreme metal, there’s a record label out of Norway that’s released some pretty cool stuff of late called Dark Essence Records. They’re primarily focused on black metal acts, but extend those boundaries a bit with bands like Vulture Industries and Obscure. I’m actually pretty interested in a couple of their other acts, namely Hades Almighty and Malsain. www.myspace.com/darkessencerecords

Pop-punksters, I Am The Heat, have released their debut 5-song EP, The Future Doesn't Need Us. Another candidate for the feel-good song of the summer, "What Would Lou Reed Do," should be the soundtrack at endless pool parties all season long. Check it out at their myspace page, www.myspace.com/iamtheheat

Finally, we received word from The Delta Mud Skipper, field correspondent of The Dirty South, that the talented and soulful Sean Costello was found dead on April 15th, the day before his 29th birthday. At the time of this writing, the cause of death is unknown. We here at The Ripple Effect send our heartfelt condolences to Sean’s family and friends. The music world, not just the blues community, lost yet another unheralded talent who, as good as he was, had barely begun to show what he was all about. Damn tragedy. Hop over to his page, www.myspace.com/seancostello, and listen to the track “Going Home” and send a bit of your positive spirit out to the universe. Our little spinning sphere could use a bit more love in it.

Until next month, Ripple on, Waveriders!