Back when we got our twitter account,  I was just learning how to tweet personally and saw these guys say something along the lines of ‘download our demo’. Being really bored I decided, fuck it. Little did I know that these 5 guys from Orange County and Los Angeles would actually impress me? 

TakeIvy is made up of 5 friends, William Chang on vocals, Kellen Murakami  on guitar, Fred Carlton on guitar, Adam Ehrig on bass, and Joey Muraoka on drums. You might notice that most of the pictures on their MySpace have only four members, this is because Kellen is a new addition to the up and coming group.

There could be much confusion about the origins of the moniker TakeIvy. Some people would argue that it revolves around the controversy of poaching elephants for their tusks. Others debate that it is inspired by a book cataloguing the fashion trends around Ivy League schools during the late sixties. But no matter what the story is about the name, the music pushes the roots of the utmost ambiguous title.

When these guys play, things really come together. I can’t really describe it except to say it works and it works well. You would think that they have been around for years; they have been around for under 2 years.  You don’t have to take my word for it; the band is offering their demo free of charge on their website, and also had music on their MySpace page that you can stream.(note: you can download their demo directly by clicking here)

A few funny facts about TakeIvy’s members, Fred loves South Park so much he named his dog butters, Kellen played viola at Carnegie Hall while still in high school, joey owns any important teen comedy from the 80's (seriously, I couldn’t make that up), Adam is devoting his full leg to only robot related tattoos to complement his two full sleeves, and will joined the band through a random message on MySpace.

I can’t wait till theliveoc.com gets a chance to see them live, but also hope that I can personally go.

Till next time.

Musink had good, dull, and a few great bands – two of which come from OC independent record label Old Shoe Records.

Longway:

While a relatively new band, having formed in 2001, Longway deserves a lot of respect. I went in hearing things about the group but thinking it wouldn't really live up to the hype. The band consists of Brian Longway on vocals and lead guitar with 2nd guitar coming from Trevor, Travis on bass and Mikey on drums. Longway fuses guitar-driven rock and old school punk to create a sound that is sure to rock anyone who hears it. The band has two studio albums released on Old Shoe Records: Longway and Come N' Get It, both of which are available for purchase from the Old Shoe Website.

The Sparing:

What can I say about The Sparing that will do it justice. I actually wish I wasn’t a photographer and was a videographer because I wasn’t sure if my pictures would do justice (and they don’t even come close!). This band had no problems taking my huge ADHD head and keeping me focused – on having fun – for the entire set! I really didn’t want it to end.

The band members include Joel Bourne from The Dear and Departed & Tiger Army as their front man, Death By Stereo percussionist Chris Dalley keeping the rhythm on drums, and Janoah Stolo keeping up with both of them on guitar.

From beginning to end this show really kicked some serious ass. I couldn’t get rid of my child-like grin the entire time watching these guys rock. Joel also has a way of going with the flow and tries to get people to have a good time – even if it means he has to start the “pit” himself, like at Musink!

You can get the bands 3-track self-titled EP for free from their page on Old Shoe.

For more information please visit Old Shoe Records

Who needs coffee when you can listen to “The Day I Died” by Orange County’s SIX. This hard rocking “Fuck your trends” band will be playing Day 1 of the 3 day Musink Festival this Friday at the Orange County fairgrounds.

SiX was formed in 2001, in Orange County, CA. Their first release was an EP called "When The Beauty's Gone" (1605 Records). SiX has played all over America and Canada throughout 2001-2004; with the likes of Clutch, Gwar, Dope, Hed Pe, Saliva, Coal Chamber, and countless other local and regional bands.

The band’s 4 members consists of Lauren on vocals, Alfunction (from cypress hill) as lead guitar, Nate Bowers on drums and Corey Bush on Bass.

Be sure to check out the bands myspace page for more information, music, and videos.

“The world we're in, it's just a big island of misfit toys." – Lauren Boquette