Thursday, November 17, 2011

Squatter's Life

This article, written by Embers guitarist Steven DeCaprio, originally appeared on Invisible Oranges a heavy metal blog.

I met Mila in 1999 at La Scintilla, a squat in Modena, Italy. I was on tour with my previous band Lesser of Two. Mila runs a number of labels including Agipunk, Break the Chains, and Iconoclast. Recently Iconoclast agreed to release Embers’ upcoming album, Shadows.

La Scintilla was a huge fortress with a bar, library/store, a computer workstation, two rooms with free foosball, a large concert space, a guest room designed for over a dozen people, multiple kitchens, storage, an entire floor of apartments, dining room, common space, laundry room, meeting room, and space left to expand.

During Lesser of Two’s tour in ’99 as well as subsequent tours by Embers, we played at many squats such as La Scintilla.

Before touring Europe for the first time, I always thought of squats as merely abandoned properties which people just occupied for shelter. As a teenager, some friends of mine and I had occupied a vacant warehouse. We brought furniture into an empty office in the warehouse and hung out there. I remember when Ash, the other guitarist on Lesser of Two’s first E.P., was kicked out of his parents’ house and began living in the warehouse.

Once his parents kicked him out he was living in the warehouse without electricity, and one of the only places we could plug in was a local park that was known as a pick-up spot for guys cruising for sex. Eventually Ash left town and Lesser of Two became a three piece with my wife, Kelly, who currently plays bass with me in Embers.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Embers Kicks Off Tour with Exhausted Prayer. Plus Long Sleeve Shadow Shirt!

Embers is leaving tomorrow on tour with Exhausted Prayer. Also, the new Shadows long sleeve shirt are available with snakes on the sleeves as are our T-shirts and patches. All of that merchandise are available embers.bandcamp.com


The Worst of All Possible Tours

Embers' tour with Exhausted Prayer is a tour in support of Exhausted Prayer's new album "The Worst of All Possible Worlds" hence the name of the tour. Exhausted Prayer is a cornerstone of the Los Angeles underground metal scene. Their music is relentless, epic, blackened death metal, and Embers was honored to have shared the stage with Exhausted Prayer on our last tour. Sharing the stage with them on this tour up the Pacific Northwest expands on that.

However, Embers does not join Exhausted Prayer until our show in Eugene, Oregon on September 4th. Because of this Embers is playing some shows before we meet them. On Friday September 2nd Embers will be teaming up with long time friends Speed of Darkness who play dark epic metal with haunting melodies. The show will be in Arcata, California at the Alibi. Here are some links to the show info:

Reverbnation
Facebook
Last.Fm

The next day, Saturday September 3rd we will play in Medford, Oregon at Johnny B's. The show info is here:

Reverbnation
Facebook
Last.Fm

After that we join up with Exhausted Prayer. Here are all the tour dates and info:

9/4 Lazarus Pit Eugene

Reverbnation
Facebook
Last.Fm


Thursday, August 11, 2011

High on Fire, Black Cobra, Exhausted Prayer, Iconoclast Records, and more Embers news.

A lot has happened in the world of Embers this summer. Here are the headlines:

Embers to Play with High on Fire and Black Cobra in Oakland

Embers has known High on Fire for many years and we are happy to finally share the stage with them. Kelly and Steve's previous band Lesser of Two played many show with High on Fire, but it's been nearly a decade since their last show with them when Lesser of Two shared the stage with High on Fire and Mastodon on June 22, 2002 at the Velvet Lounge in Savannah, Georgia.

Embers will be opening followed by Black Cobra an up and coming two piece group from San Francisco. This will be the second time Embers has played a concert with Black Cobra. Ironically Embers' first show with Black Cobra was not in the Bay Area but rather in San Antonio, Texas. Black Cobra also features the guitarist from Cavity which Lesser of Two played with at a house show in San Jose on June 20, 1998.

The show will be at the Uptown in Oakland on August 27 so get your tickets while supplies last. You can purchase tickets physically at the Uptown located at 1928 Telegraph Ave. If you don't mind paying the small fee you can also purchase tickets online at:


http://www.ticketweb.com/t​3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dis​patch=loadSelectionData&ev​entId=3756465

"The Worst of All Possible Tours" with Exhausted Prayer

Embers is joining Los Angeles based Exhausted Prayer on their upcoming tour in support of their new album "The Worst of All Possible Worlds". The album title suggests a rejection of Leibnizian optimism also most notably rejected by Voltaire in many of his writings including his novel Candide which I recommend as a light yet thought provoking read.

Exhausted Prayer has been playing black/death metal in Los Angeles for over a decade and are one of the most respected bands down there. Embers had the privilege to share the stage with them on our recent tour through the Southwest. That bill also featured another amazing black metal group; Winterthrall.

Before Exhausted Prayer meets up with Embers they will be playing some shows up the coast as follows:

8/31 Rocks Bar          Laguna Niguel
9/1 Eli's Mile High Club         Oakland
9/2 Deadfest @  First Church of the Buzzard      Oakland
9/3 Monstro's Pizza         Chico

Embers then meets up with Exhausted Prayer for the following dates:

9/4 Lazarus Pit          Eugene
9/5  Track House        Olympia
9/7 The Saratoga          Portland
9/8 Galway Arms          Seattle
9/9 Blackwater Records          Portland



Iconoclast Records to Release Embers' Double Album "Shadows"

Monday, June 27, 2011

Top Ten Metal and Crust Blogs

Embers has received a great deal of support from independent and underground blogs since we started our page at embers.bandcamp.com where you can listen to and download most of our music. This has been especially helpful since we launched our pre-release of our upcoming album Shadows.

We've been able to track the blogs that have generated the greatest amount of traffic to our music and these are the top blogs. We are flattered to have such eclectic support.

Metalsucks

Number of hits on Embers bandcamp page: 468
http://www.metalsucks.net/2011/05/24/freeloader-embers%E2%80%99-shadows/

As the name implies this blog covers metal with an infusion of humor and tounge-in-cheek style. The substance does not suffer from this. Although there is a good amount of humor, much self deprecating, this blog covers a wide array of underground metal. The reviews are in depth. The interviews are good, especially if you want insights into the music writing, recording, and performing processes of your favorite underground artists. The interviews do not get political or philosophical, but they do try to unearth behind the scenes information.

Embers was originally featured on a recurring episode entitled "freeloader" where metalsucks features something they recommend that you can enjoy for free. Later Shadows was given an in depth review.

Invisible Oranges

Number of hits: 381
http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2010/03/sign-them-already-embers/

Invisible Oranges covers new and old music. There is a lot of coverage of extreme and underground metal projects. Many of the articles also cover issues regarding the metal culture, metal identity, and social trends. There are record and show reviews as well as interviews, but there are also articles on gender, age, race, as well as other topics of a more philosophical bend. This eclectic blog has something for everyone. You can read some thought provoking articles or find the latest on festivals, new releases, and news.

It was due to a suggestion from Cosmo of Invisible Oranges that Embers started our bandcamp page in the first place. We were mentioned in articles entitled, "Sign Them Already" (we're still holding out) and "Every Band Should Have a Bandcamp". We are grateful for this advice.

Crust or Die

Number of hits: 318
http://crust-or-die.blogspot.com/2011/04/embers-shadows-2x12.html#links

Crust or Die is a Spanish language blog which focuses on crust-punk but includes a lot of metal with crust and punk influences such as Embers. The blog has tons of music featuring free music. Since Shadows is available for a donation our pre-release fits within this free music focus.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

His Hero Is Gone interview by Dominik Gerszberg (RIP)



There was rumor going around that His Hero is Gone was playing a reunion show soon. Apparently this rumor was just a prank.

His Hero is Gone recorded their last record after Lesser of Two (Kelly and Steve from Embers' former band) recorded at Polymorph Studios. Kelly, Steve, and our good friend Dominik Gerszberg (RIP) met up with them and had this conversation. Dominik never put out the interview in his lifetime, and we just uncovered this tape recently.

If you haven't heard HHIG then you should check them out. Here's a video of them live:



Kelly and Steve

Friday, May 27, 2011

Lidtoker, Insidious, I Will Kill you Fucker, Stormcrow, and a Gatefold Sextuple Album

Lidtoker has members from Stormcrow, I Will Kill You Fucker, Exit Wound, and Insidious. I once saw Lidtoker at Hazmatt, and recall that during a pause in one of their songs the members left the room. They then came back and played the next note.

I tell you this because Lidtoker is one of the most epic stoner sludge doom bands around. The thing that makes Lidtoker interesting is that they don't just stay in one mood. There are numerous changes in tempo and rhythm, albeit all with a drug(ged) out stoner feel. Even the galloping drums seem to lurch more than drive. Of course against the backdrop of a fifteen minute rest between chord changes such lurching gallops seem like blast beats in comparison.

This video is a good example of Lidtoker playing fast:




Tuesday, May 24, 2011

FREELOADER: EMBERS’ SHADOWS

Embers has just been given 3 out of 5 horns at metalsucks. Check out the in depth analysis, and let them know what you think in the comments section as well.

FREELOADER: EMBERS’ SHADOWS

If you haven't heard it yet you can stream it here:




Steve

Friday, May 20, 2011

Laudanum, Brainoil, and Asunder. Greg Wilkinson and Salvador Raya's Unique Contributions.

Laudanum has recently switched bass players. Now this may seem inconsequential to many who worship at the altar of metal guitar and have not developed an appreciation for the artistry of bass guitar. For those who feel this way I encourage you to reconsider this perspective and listen more intently to the intricate nuances and unique contributions of Laudanum's previous and current bass players; Greg Wilkinson and Salvador Raya.

First before I start contrasting Greg and Sal's approach to the instrument it should be known that they both have long musical resumes and are both partners in the recording studio, Earhammer Studios, where Embers has recorded all of our music. In fact Laudanum has also recorded at Earhammer with Greg as the bass player and Sal as the engineer. Because of this both Greg and Sal have been intricately involved in Laudanum for quite some time.

Greg Wilkinson

Greg Wilkinson has been in to many bands for me to name. Actually I admit that he has probably been in more bands than I am aware. Recently he has played in at least four projects simultaneously which include Laudanum, Brainoil, and Lidtoker. Perhaps because of his hectic schedule he left Laudanum last year.

Greg has a very particular style. His bass tone is huge and abrasive. His technique is aggressive bordering on violent. The sound he produces resembles the growl of big truck with someone revving the engine. 


He plays melodically. Rather than playing the root notes of chords Greg will play tones in between the chord changes often producing musical lines that could stand alone and imprint itself on ones mind. Often after seeing Greg perform in his band Brainoil I will leave the concert with his bass melodies rattling around in my brain for an hour or so.

Rhythmically Greg plays on the beat. This approach makes the music surge and roll aggressively. This produces a frenetic energy beyond the tempo that encourages one to head bang and fist pump with a great deal of force and vigor.

Laudanum are currently the best doom outfit in Oakland hands down. Greg's contribution to the music gave Laudanum a hard, sludgey feel which showcased the drummer, Becky Hawk's cyclical pattern and the bands experimentation with alternate time and time manipulation.

Here's Laudanum with Greg:
Currently Greg is focusing on his band Brainoil. Listening to Brainoil really helps to get an idea of Greg's background, and how it affects the mood and feel of

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Acts of Sedition and Boneblack vs. Catheter and Agents of Satan on 5/20/11

Two amazing shows in one night here in Oakland, California. What to do. What to do. I'll tell you about both of them and let you decide.


Acts of Sedition and Boneblack
at the Swamp


So Acts of Sedition are the current maestros of hardcore punk chaos. They are a cacophonous whirlwind of drums laden with chainsaw guitars ripping your head open so they can scream in chorus directly into your brain. Acts of Sedition is one of my favorites of this genre. If you liked our previous band Lesser of Two then you will love them.


I first heard about Boneblack when Lesser of Two's old drummer Dave Earle's was visititng from out of town. He told me that he was good friends with Boneblack and asked for my help and advice to get them a show in Oakland. After a while I started corresponding with them via email swapping tour stories and booking contacts. It was through this conversation that they got in touch with Clint who booked the showand also drums for Acts of Sedition.


Otherwise I knew nothing of their music except what Dave told me which is that they are Anarcho-crust which is an accurate description. This video shows that they have not only mastered the genre, but play with heart. It's also awesome to see women taking the stage, because no matter how feminist bands in the punk scene may say they are it's still often a sausage party on stage.


This video is encouraging that this will be an awesome show!





Here's the flier that Kelly made for the show:




Catheter and Agents of Satan
Hazmat


I've known Catheter for years. If Acts of Sedition is a whirlwind of chainsaws then Catheter is an avalanche of jack hammers. Cathter plays grind ridden crust core with a whiff of doom.

I first saw Catheter play at Libertatia back in the late 90's. Lesser of Two played many shows with them. Whenever we drove through Colorado Heraldo always made sure we had an awesome show at an auto shop in the outskirts of town. Those are some great memories, and I am truly torn. 


Luckily I spoke with Clint and the Boneblack show is starting promptly at 7:30 so

Saturday, May 14, 2011

"The" Saviours at Elis Tomorrow!

Every time I search for new Embers videos I search for "Embers Oakland", and every time this video by the Saviours pops up. This is because the Saviours are from Oakland and San Francisco and have a song called Embers.

What's more the song rocks. Well actually Saviours rock generally. They are playing tomorrow at Eli's Mile High club.


Now we hate it whenever someone calls us "The" Embers and I bet Saviours get that a lot too. Don't do it.

Also the drummer from Embers lent the drummer from the Saviours a kick pedal years ago and never got it back. We're wondering if the song "Raging Embers"is about the Embers drummer still being pissed off about not getting his pedal back and wanting to get revenge when he goes to Eli's to see them play!

Maybe Scott from Saviours has a crush on Jerry and is keeping the pedal as a memento. Or maybe Scott is taxing Jerry for being such a horrible drum student when Scott gave him lessons.

Regardless, Saviours rock and you should check them out!

Oh, and here's that video that keeps coming up in our web searches:

Friday, May 13, 2011

Ludicra in Oakland?

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but the last time Ludicra played in Oakland was June 5, 2007. That means we are approaching the four year anniversary since one of the best bay area metal acts has played Oakland. It's not that I'm counting the days it's just that after a while I thought to myself, "Why haven't I seen a Ludicra show in a while."

For photos of Ludicra in Oakland click here.

So here's where I have to admit to being an asshole. Ludicra is one of my favorite bands in the Bay Area these days, yet when they played in San Francisco on May 8, 2010 at Cafe Du Nord I didn't go. Was I just to distracted to have found out about the show until after it was over. Do I have a phobia of crossing the bay that causes me to block out information about shows there. Was there a lack of promotion... Why didn't I go... Whyyyyy!

Also, my frustration is a little misguided for the fact that Embers was fortunate enough to share the stage with Ludicra at 924 Gilman on August 31, 2007 which I believe was their last show on this side of the bay. Berkeley, Oakland, close enough. Right? Well sure, but it's still been a long time.

Is this Ludicra's last show in the East Bay?

Since this last show in the East Bay Ludicra has released a new album entitled, The Tenant. Introductions to the East Bay are in order I believe.



Recently, I started talking with Ludicra's booker Nathan about their future east bay shows, and he told me that Ludicra IS returning to the east bay, and he told me about the festival below:

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Makai; an amazing video of an amazing band. RIP



I first saw the Makai at Gilman around 2007, and they blew me away. From that point on they were a mystery to me. I believed they were a local band to the Bay Area, but later found out they were based out of Chico which is a college town between Sacramento and the Oregon border.

Based on my belief they were local I began thinking it was totally weird that I didn't see them at more shows or on fliers. Later when we were asked to set up a show for Nux Vomica Kelly asked me about bands that we could get on the bill, and the first band out of my mouth was the Makai.

What I didn't realize at the time was that Nux Vomica had released a split album with the Makai.


Somebody apparently uploaded this onto a file sharing website if you want to hear it here or here or you can purchase the 10" vinyl here.

When Embers made our way through Chico on tour Zeke from the Makai booked our show, and members of the Makai supported us with their side band Black Hole of Calcutta. It was then that I heard the news; the Makai were breaking up.

After I heard that I made sure that we played with them at there last show in Oakland. That show also turned out to be our last show with Lillian.

Recently I found a video that captures their music vividly; a youtube video that has very few plays but deserves many more. That is the nature of the Makai. They deserved much more recognition while they were around. Check it out. It will blow you away!



Now the bittersweet irony of a band calling it quits right before they reach a critical mass is that they release an amazing album right before they break up which thus ensures said album to be lost in the shuffle and forgotten. So that doesn't happen I encourage everyone to check out the Makai's final album, The End of All You Know.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Skarp, Nux Vomica, and Embers!!!

Skarp, Nux Vomica, and Embers would be an awesome line up! Not long ago rumors started floating around that Skarp was reforming. Recently those rumors were confirmed (well sort of) when Skarp posted on their facebook page:

"Shows?............ coming soon........"

Another rumor that had been floating around was that Nux Vomica was breaking up. That rumour was dispelled recently by the fact that Nux Vomica has been touring Europe and announced plans to record their third album.


So aside from the fact that both of these bands are awesome there are other reasons why I would love for this show to happen. I'll explain why regarding each band:

Skarp

I first met Skarp when I was on tour with Kelly and my (Steve) previous band Lesser of Two back in 2002ish. Lesser of Two had completed a tour of Mexico and a mutual friend contacted us to see if Skarp could jump on the bill of any shows we had on our current tour. We had booked a show in Tijuana the day that they needed a show, and we were able to get them on the show.

To be honest the music Skarp was playing back then was quite different than the "blackout grind" they later developed. The thing that really impressed me about Skarp was that seemed to be genuinely good people, and not a bunch of pretentious scenesters. We had a lot of fun that night and got drunk on Mezcal. All the bands and all the people at the show had an amazing time. The tiny bar was packed, and despite the lack of a common language among most of the people that night everybody got along wonderfully in our mutual appreciation of music.

Later, when I came up to Seattle I would always meet up with the people in Skarp. Robert would give me the tour of Seattle of entice me to a house show in Georgetown. Joe would play shows with Embers in his other band Book of Black Earth. I remember the guys in Skarp used to live in this huge punk house on a hill. It had a sort of crusty collectivist yet debaucharous vibe to it.

I could go on about stories over the years, but suffice to say I'd see Skarp or the various members periodically over the years and hang out when we could, but over the course of time it became more hit and miss. It would be wonderful to share the stage with them again so could all re-connect personally as well as musically.

Nux Vomica

The first time I met Nux Vomica was at a show at Burnt Ramen in Richmond. My friend Rob from Somnolence warned me that they were an awesome band. I hadn't heard of them, but Rob was right:

Thursday, May 5, 2011

The Arc of Internet Tentacles as it Applies to Embers' New Album, Shadows

The internet is a funny thing. With facebook, google, and bandcamp it's been easy to track how many people are listening to our new yet officially unreleased album, Shadows; where people are finding out about it; what people are doing in response; and how that creates a discernible ripple effect.

So first there is the not so exciting story of how Shadows was catapulted into the webosphere. Kelly and I left Mr. Toads with a fully mastered recording of Shadows. We had about a week before tour so we slapped together an image with the tour dates for that tour and uploaded Shadows to bandcamp.

Then I sent out an email blast to all our contacts and created a facebook event. (I question my chronology here a bit so bear with me.)

The interesting thing about bandcamp is that it tells you how many people are listening to your music, which songs, and what site referred them. The screen for that looks something like this:


For over a year prior to releasing Shadows our previous albums Memoria In Aeterna and Wrath had received slightly more than 1,100 plays total. Shadows matched that within a few days primarily from our email and facebook blast.

Then things got interesting. Rather than dying down to a trickle again Shadows maintained 50 to 100 plays on any given day which was much higher than our bandcamp site before. The other interesting thing is that people started donating money when before most people just ignored the "name your price" suggestion and paid zero.

It was then that I started wondering what was going on. Using bandcamp's statistics (similar to the image above) I studied where people were hearing about Shadows. It was then I realized that metal bloggers were posting links and reviewing the albums. These are the blogs that covered Shadows within the first week:

Monday, February 14, 2011

Upcoming Shows Booked So Far


stand alone player
Quantcast

We still need help with the other dates such as Fresno, Bakersfield, Flagstaff, Phoenix, San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, etc.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Embers is Now Booking a Southwest Tour

Embers will be touring from April 8 through April 16 for a quick South West or So Cal tour. Right now we're not sure if it's a Southwest Tour or a So Cal Tour because we haven't confirmed any out of state shows yet. That said if anyone out there wants Embers to come your way and live in the general area I'm describing please contact us as soon as possible because we still have some open dates to fill.

On other news we have heard the re-mixed rough mix of half of our upcoming album and everything is sounding good. We will have our album mixed and mastered before this upcoming tour and will be doing the pre-release free streaming and free download event prior to hitting the road.

The possibility of having a limited edition self released album on vinyl may or may not happen before then, but that depends a great deal on timing and logistics.

If you want to reach out to us on any of these plans drop us a line or leave a comment below.

Oh and this map below is a possible tour route depending on who steps up to the plate to book some shows for us. If you live in any of these towns and want to help please contact us.


View Larger Map

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Where Do We Go From Here?

Embers has been laying low since losing our keyboardist Lillian Phaeton, but there is still a lot going on. We're mixing our new album, playing some upcoming shows, planning for a tour to coincide with the release of our new album, and brainstorming to figure out what kind of configuration our line-up will become since losing both our violist and keyboardist.

The Album

We have been working on a new full length album since completing our last tour. This is the first album without Nine's viola and the last to feature Lillian Phaeton's keyboards. We have been playing many of the songs on this album live so a quick search of the web will produce some live footage of the new material. The album is being recorded and mixed at Earhammer Studios by Salvador Raya as were our first album as well as our split L.P.

Sal hard at work mixing some other bands album.
Progress on the mixing has been pretty slow due mainly to us deciding prior to finalizing the mix to start all over. At first we wanted to use only our live guitar tracks, but we decided that the tone pretty much sucked so we recorded an entire second layer of guitars. We also re-did the entire drum mix and equalization as well. Hopefully we won't kill each other when we return to re-finalize the mix. If we decided not to re-start over we should be able to pre-release the album by the end of February, but more on that later.

Upcoming Shows

So after taking some time off from live performances we have confirmed two upcoming shows. One is a benefit for Melanie Chavarria RIP at 924 Gilman with Brainoil on February 26, 2011. The other is with Alarich and Vastum on March 25 at the Church of  thee Buzzard.

The benefit at Gilman is to raise money for the child of Melanie Chavarria who passed away relatively recently.

Melanie Chavarria RIP