No Sleep Records

Arizona’s Small Leaks Sink Ships reformed in early 2006 after some tiresome, uneventful years performing under the moniker Beyond Analog. Knowing their time together as musicians was not meant to end, Jim Mandel Jr., Judd Hancock and London VanRooy wanted to leave their former sound behind and start anew. Their new beginnings resulted in a genuine, progressive, indie rock sound that would put them on the map.

With studio time that was initially intended for Beyond Analog’s third release in September, the threesome challenged themselves to create a brand new record in a matter of months to personify their new sound. Writing, practicing and working harder than ever, the boys demoed a few tracks right away and shortly thereafter entered the studio with producer Jeremy Griffith (Amity, Forever Changed) to create a progressive indie rock gem.

A month later Small Leaks Sink Ships signed to No Sleep Records. The two couldn’t have been a better match based on prior personal and business relationships from past companies. Both entities were more than excited to grow together.

The band itself continued to grow and by the end of the year and stepped out of the “three’s a crowd” line-up, welcoming long-time friend Mike Mukai on second guitar. Feeling complete as a four-piece, Small Leaks Sink Ships started playing shows as often as possible, with some of today’s favorites such as: Piebald, Moneen, The New Amsterdams, Damiera, The Stiletto Formal, MC Chris, House of Fools and more.

“Think intelligent, forward-thinking, prog-influenced indie rock that thankfully keeps the pretentious wankery to a minimum” (Scott Heisel, Alternative Press). 10 tracks that sound like nothing you have really heard before while still singing with sounds familiar and welcoming to your soul, “Until The World..” is something that you will never want to be without.

In no time at all Small Leaks Sink Ships have been able to gain great praise from Absolute Punk, Spin.com, Wonka Vision Magazine and most recently Alternative Press claiming Small Leaks Sink Ships to be one of the “Best Underground Bands That Likely Won’t Stay Underground For Long!”

With the release of the band’s debut record on February 13th, 2007, the future will bring nothing but greatness for these Mesa, Arizona natives, and they are ready for what is to come.

Formed in the summer of 2004, La Dispute was inspired by the collective notion that each member enjoys the following things immensely: listening to music, playing music, and writing music. Additionally, these members (old friends, new friends, cousins, schoolmates) feel utterly incapable of achieving any level of contentment doing anything other than what they are currently doing, at least for the present time, and thus the arrangement was and is, in a sense, default.

La Dispute creates music thatpossesses both atechnical and a thematic depth while trying desperatelyto avoidsounding obnoxious or juvenile, in return creating a sound similar to that of At The Drive-In, mewithoutYou or even Saetia. Most importantly, La Dispute enjoys their surroundings and, as is generally the case, draws the majority of their influences from things that are around them throughout the course of a day – people, friends, family,bands, books, religion, each other and the like. On April 14 of 2006, after two recording sessions (one in August of 2005, one in December of 2005) La Dispute released “Vancouver” on West Michigan-based label, Friction Records. Since that point, La Dispute has continued to play shows as frequently as possibletraveling both around Michigan and into the Midwest to states like Indiana, Illinois, Iowa,Ohio, Wisconsin and Missouri and playing shows with a variety of bands including Showbread, Russian Circles, Year Future, Sullivan, The Holy Mountain, Gwen Stacy, Phoenix Bodies, and Ari.Ari. The band was more then thrilled to finish in the top 5 of over 200 bands entered in Cornerstone Music Festival’s “New Band Showcase” (2007), earning them a spot at that years festival.

All of the aforementioned things occur in direct response to La Dispute’s overarching goal. Which is to say, La Dispute does these things as hard and as frequently as they possibly can in hopes that they will be able to continue to do so for the rest of their lives, or at least for a good while.

Nice musicianship, even the singer has it together. So many dudes who attempt to yowl this style sound awful,” said Casey Boland of Hot Cross. “This guy seems like he can mix itup and not just shriek the whole time.

Recently, La Dispute joined the No Sleep Records family and is planning on releasing a brand new full-length this coming fall. Additionally, La Dispute plans to spend the coming year on the road. All things considered, La Dispute is beyond excited for what the future holds.

The dirty streets of North Carolina are known for bringing great heavy hard-hitting acts to the hardcore, metal and rock scene. The Fxire The Flood are the latest to come out of Charlotte, doing their “ancestors” no harm by bringing sounds of heavy and chaotic hardcore in the vein of Botch, Coalesce, and Norma Jean. “The Fire The Flood are proof that, even within a genre that is filled to capacity, there’s always room for high quality, passionate hardcore.” said Dane Erbach (Wonka Vision).

The Fire The Flood’s first performance was on Halloween of 2005. Since then, they’ve gone through many hardships: 10 member changes, three vans, countless equipment issues, and just a lot of bad luck over all. But through it all, they have been able to keep a positive attitude and are very optimistic for what is to come.

Since their inception, The Fire The Flood have already shared the stage with many bands across the nation including: Norma Jean, A Life Once Lost, The Red Chord, Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster, Across Five Aprils, Animosity, Terror, Blacklisted, This Is Hell and many more!

In 2006, The Fire The Flood self-released their first demo, enabling them to build the band’s initial fan base regionally and get the exposure they deserved. The band began practicing and touring non-stop and built a national fan base. Later that year, the band signed a deal with New Jersey-based No Sleep Records.

The Fire The Flood hit the studio with Jamie King of Basement Studios (Between The Buried And Me, Killwhitneydead, He Is Legend) in March of 2007 recording their first full-length and No Sleep debut, ‘Truth Seekers’ — thirteen tracks full of chaotic, heavy madness with a sense of urgency to go and bust a move in the pit’only to leave you wanting more.

Bringing intelligent lyrics and music to the table, ‘Truth Seekers’ stands out amongst the exploding “generic” hardcore scene. Between dealing with personal issues revolving around the band and larger issues the world is troubled with, the band has written a masterpiece. On August 7th, 2007, The Fire The Flood will unleash to the world a heavy, hard-hitting, chaotic masterpiece that will leave everyone needing to find out the ‘Truth.’

Things are looking bright for the North Carolina newcomers. With their full line-up, Rick Contes (Guitar), Luke Williams (Vocals), Taylor Knox (Drums) and Matt Russell (Bass), The Fire The Flood are ready for non-stop touring and breaking all the barriers that stand in their way.

nfo: View E-card On sale for $6.00!!! Thirteen tracks that scream of heavy and chaotic hardcore madness. Truth Seekers brings back the sounds of such greats as Botch, Coalesce, Refused, Converge while still maintaining what lacks in today’s scene – originality. NC’s The Fire The Flood are ready to dominate all that get in their way, and this release is sure to start the onslaught. The band recorded with Jamie King (Between The Buried And Me, Killwhitneydead, He Is Legend) in Rural Hall, NC at The Basement Studios.

“Undoubtedly, songs such pleasing-to-the-ear tunes as “…And It Grows Like Weeds,” “The Wolf Inside Me,” and “Join The Rat Race” are sure to become instant staples at promos and weddings worldwide. Well, not really, but if you’re looking to beat the hell out of your buddy in a moshpit, The Fire The Flood are your kind of guys.” – METAL EDGE

“Fans of Mr.Bungle as well as fans of Black Flag will absolutely love this album; metal fans cannot help but appreciate good musicianship presented in a totally aggressive and psychotic way. ” –

“North Carolina’s gnarliest newcomers who could be the South’s next hardcore torchbearers. Truth Seekers is the musical equivalent of a NASCAR pile-up: totally awesome.” – ALTERNATIVE PRESS

“A chaotic, shapeshifting clusterfuck of pound, pound, relent, pound.” –

“The Fire The Flood are proof that, even within a genre that is filled to capacity, there’s always room for high quality, passionate hardcore.” – WONKA VISION

Philadelphia, where the weak are killed and eaten, but also home to I Am Alaska, the newest band signed to Attic Records and step son of No Sleep Records.

Bringing a five-piece ensemble to the stage, I Am Alaska serves to sucker-punch listeners and audience members with a non-stop barrage of ground-breaking sounds and a fantastic live show.Formed out of the ruins of Crossing at Red Lights and Phineas, I Am Alaska formed in December 2007 with a shared mentality of trying to reform the current music industry. Vocalist Rob Hackert says: We wanted to do something totally different… away from the traditional… that attracted listeners for a variety of reasons, in a number of new ways. What you get from this goal is their EP A Day In A Life, a smoothly blended record in the vein of Circa Survive and At The Drive In that merges progressive writing styles with relentless passion, all while subtly introducing non-traditional writing styles. Straying from the typical verse-chorus-verse format of songwriting, I Am Alaska brings to the table a reformed writing style, relying on catchy, complex guitar parts and unique drum beats to hold your attention, while weaving through intricate lyrical plots and stong vocal expression.

Combining forces with Vince Ratti of Zolof and the Rock and Roll Destroyer to record the album, A Day In A Life captures the beginning of this incredibly talented band, leaving their raw sound blended perfectly with smooth melodies and intense lyrics. Based off of the idea of portraying multiple characters, each through one song a piece, I Am Alaskas debut EP is full of introspection into the interrelatedness of all human beings, no matter how different. Sharing common problems, mentalities, and experiences, the eloquent lyrics serve to drive home an intensely emotion experience to the listener, combined with

I Am Alaska is just beginning but you can be assured that this is just the beginning. Already playing heavily across the East Coast, I Am Alaska is in the midst of planning a full US Tour with Anguish For Augustine of Austin, Texas. Already sharing the stage with bands like Envy on the Coast, I Am Alaska is anxious to get out on the road and show the world what theyve got to offer. Offering not only a great show and strong philosophical sentiment with their songs, I Am Alaska throws a fresh, unique taste of progressive music styled in a completely new way to their audience and leaves them anticipating what theyll come out with next!

I Am Alaska
“A Day In A Life” (CD)
07/22/2008
NSR010
Info: I Am Alaska, hailing from the Philadelphia-area, is a collective of five creative individuals bringing a new edge and refreshing sound to the table. Their debut EP, A Day In A Life, recorded by the talented Vince Ratti (Zolof and the Rock and Roll Destroyer), brings with it an exhilarating uniqueness and sense of unrelenting urgency. Straying from traditional song construction and lyrical patterns, the subtle hooks and catchy melodies blend seamlessly with the complex guitar riffs and elaborate drum patterns.
At the emotional base of the songs, I Am Alaskas lyrics stem from imagined characters perspectives, all within the same story, and all serving to show the true interrelatedness of all human beings. Connected due to base emotions and occurrences, I Am Alaska draws these character portraits with masterful detail and raw fervor that is convincingly real. Finding inspiration from a variety of musicians and bands (Elliot Smith, This Day Forward, Sunny Day Real Estate), Mike Shaw (This Day Forward) lends his vocal talents for one song on the EP, infusing his unmistakable style to the recording. I Am Alaska stamps a raw, progressive one-of-a-kind sound into their debut EP, A Day In A Life, and is undoubtedly a wake-up call for the masses in terms of style, artistic vision, serious talent, and unstoppable passion.

“They’ve got Circa Survive’s stamp of approval, and they’re mixing some of the weirdest guitar parts this side of the Mars Volta with a peculiar knack for compelling lyrical narratives” – ALTERNATIVE PRESS

“Proletariot” is a triumphant piece of post-hardcore, which in-your-face vocals, moody keyboards, and a memoriable vocal hook.” – WONKA VISION

“A Day In A Life is one of those rare releases that doesn’t seem to exhibit a single weakness. Everything’s tight and cohesive, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it. I’m going to be looking forward to hearing another release from these extremely talented individuals and I guarantee you that if you check this out you’ll be thinking the same thing.” – HIGHBEAM REVIEW

“A Day In a Life is a great first release that is sure to generate hype, but it seems to tease some of the true potential that I Am Alaska seems to have. With that being said, it seems highly likely that a full length from these guys could blow quite a few listeners out of the water so you may want to jump onboard now and check this band out.”

“I Am Alaska’s debut EP shows off great potential while still leaving something for the listeners to be anticipating for on the full-length album. A Day In A Life shows off great vocals and guitars, with good drums and bass backing them up.” – SPUTNIK MUSIC

“I Am Alaska have promise, and with a little more focus on their own sound which there still is plenty of on this EP they could be something great” – CHART MAGAZINE (Canada)