livefreediyhard.com

Tag: Music

  • Live Free DIY Hard: Year 1

    Live Free DIY Hard: Year 1

    While I started this here blog earlier this year, I have been doing Live Free DIY Hard in a live media format for over a year. In fact, March 29th marked the 1-year anniversary of the project. Since I started, I have done over 45+ live streamed shows. I honestly didn’t count so the exact number is anyone’s guess. I did roughly one a week only taking off a week here and there for important life events like my wedding anniversary and a few weeks for the birth of my last child. I have also done 7 video interviews, and 1 really wild marathon stream for the Anniversary of Radio 717 that ended up being around 12 hours long. All in all, it has been a year that didn’t play out the way I assumed it would. Deep down I figured that I would do my little hobby show and maybe someone would tune in once and a while and find a song or two that they like. Too a certain extent, that might still be true. What I didn’t account for is all the amazing people I have gotten to work with and know over the course of the year. Turns out the people that make DIY music are pretty cool.

    I would like to thank some of those people that really made this little project of mine worth doing. First, is Brian Walker of “A Day Without Love”. He reached out of me when I had maybe 2 or 3 shows under my belt and offered to be on my show. I hadn’t really even figured out what kind of show I was doing yet but was super stoked that a person whose music I enjoyed and respected was interested in being on it. I had thought that I might eventually reach out to interview musicians and what not. Getting to interview Brian kind of made it a “there is no better time than now” situation. In a way, that moment kind of steered the show in a really cool direction that might have otherwise taken me a substantially longer time to get to.

    Second, is Scott Brown of “The Ska Bees” who reached out to me after I mentioned I was looking for new music to feature on my show. Turns out he was releasing an EP for “The Ska Bees” and I was given the opportunity to do an album release interview. It is super cool and fun to play a small part in the launch of an album especially one as good as The Ska Bees EP. This was a steppingstone so to speak, that led to me doing more album release interviews for even more really cool bands including “Better, Or the Next Best Thing” by How I Became Invisible and “Just Devils” By PWRUP. The PWRUP interview is by far the most chaotically fun interview I have done thus far.   

                    Then there is Michi DiGiulio of “Mega Infinity” who reached out to me after I was trying to drum up some guests for the Radio 717 Anniversary Stream. They are a top-notch PR person. Who along with their husband Mike are infinitely patient. We did an interview for Mega Infinity’s Chaos Magic EP that I had to reschedule at least once and then on top of that we ended up having to film it twice because my goofy self messed up all their audio. The interview was me asking questions and then they would mime their answer. While hilarious in retrospect, it was a moment where I may have spiraled a little bit. In the end, we redid the interview and while I feel the one I ruined was probably better, I think it turned out pretty good.   

                    There are so many other people that I would love to thank but for brevity I will just say that every Band/Musician on this playlist has been a huge part of LFDH in a way that would make the project near impossible without them.

                    So, what’s next you may ask? To be honest I am not entirely sure. This has been somewhat of a fly by the seat of your pants type operation. I think that in a way that is what has made the project what it is; a nimble thing that is all about appreciating DIY music and the people who make it. Interviews have been on hiatus since the end of last year due to the birth of my son. I would love to get back to doing them sometime this year if possible. I really enjoy writing this blog so expect more album reviews shortly. As always, tune into my live show every Tuesday at 8pm east coast US time on Twitch. Hopefully the curated version of the show will eventually return, but until then we’re taking song requests and shuffling some great DIY music.

    This year in review was originally posted on April 15, 2024 on the former LFDH substack.

  • Songs Offline by Eichlers

    Songs Offline by Eichlers

    Ablum: Songs offline

    Artist: Eichlers

    Released: February 01, 2024; Self Released

    Spotify

    If you are anything like me, you have probably said to yourself something along the lines of “man, Ike seems like a cool dude. I bet we would have a great time sitting around a campfire making s’mores and singing songs”. Songs Offline gives listeners a taste of that experience albeit parasocially. It is Hyper Ska superstar Eichlers, acoustic guitar in hand, laptop powered off, and raw in a way that is unique; yet still filled with all the wit and charm for which he is known.  

    First off, this album features a brand-new song called “3rd Ring”. It is a great song about loneliness and the anxiety of reaching out for connections. It is a real sleeper hit that leaves me torn between wanting a hyper ska version but also not wanting one because it is hard to imagine that this song isn’t perfect as is. The rest of the album at its root is a selection of previously released songs given the acoustic treatment but leaving it at that is doing it a grave injustice. For example, “Nickel City” as originally released is an earnest and sincere celebration of youth spent with friends. However, the tone to the acoustic version is much more somber. It leaves you with a longing for the good times long past, not in a regretful way but rather in a joyful sadness kind of way. It really pulls at the strings of my old, jaded heart. The next song the really suck out to me on the album was “My Checkered Future”. The Songs Offline version obviously still has the same self-deprecating humor and upbeat attitude that led me to declare it my theme song. I have spent countless moments belting out the words. What you get from this version is a reduction in tempo that makes the song infinitely singable and with a chilliness that makes it so cool. It has near perfect vibes if I am being honest. My only real criticism of the album is the lack of Reade Wolcott in “2 of Us”. Given the scope of the album, it makes sense that Ike would go in solo on the song, but without Reade the song lacks the duet aspect that really made the original something special. Perhaps there is potential for redemption in this department at the next Badtime Records Show. A team-up between Ike and Reade live on stage for the acoustic rendition of this song would be truly epic. Oh, one last thing, in “Oh My God” when the piano hits it is amazing. I kid you not when I first heard it, I bit my lip and inhaled. It took me aback that much.

    Song Offline is a definite hit that really showcases the range and talent of Eichlers. I honestly hope that this album is not one off and that we can expect more original and revised acoustic songs from Ike in the future.

    P.S. If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Evil Eichlers please contact me. Only you can keep the scene safe from mythical tricksters.

    This review was originally posted on February 17, 2024 on the former LFDH substack.

    If you like the album I reviewed here and want to support the artist as well as this blog please consider picking up the album via this affiliate link—> Purchase Songs Offline by Eichlers digitally via Amazon Music