Godcaster Releases Quite an Album, "Long Haired Locusts"

Godcaster released their debut LP yesterday, Long Haired Locusts, which they describe as “full of crazy rock gymnastics, filled with the lead singer/guitarist Judson Kolk's psycho-sexual fantasy worlds, which is also reflected in the incredible album art that accompanies each release.” They tell us that their only influence is Led Zeppelin, but we’re hearing a wholeeee bunch of other artists, the most obvious being Of Montreal and Tame Impala. (Which, if we’re being real, were probably also influenced by Led Zeppelin in one way or another).

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With song titles like Apparition of Mother Mary in my Neighborhood and Christ in Capsule Form reminiscent of early 2000’s pop-punk darlings like Fall Out Boy and Panic! At the Disc, it’s clear that these guys are genuinely having a good time writing these songs. That energy and light-hearted attitude really shines through on the album as well as through our interview with Judson. They seem to know exactly what they want, they have a single-minded focus, and they’re doing whatever it takes to achieve the “biggest sound.”

When did you start playing music? What inspired you to start playing and writing your own music?

The mustard seed of this band was set into motion a long time ago when Bruce (bass guitar) and I (Judson Kolk) were children in approximately 2007. We've had all kinds of bands and there's been a revolving door of characters involved, but that's all done now. Now we stomp. Now we are Godcaster. Bruce and I were very fortunate to grow up in homes and with parents that celebrated and encouraged art and music. Slowly our childlike eyes opened wider and wider to the sound and power and like so many others we were enlightened to build our own music.

Who was involved in the making of the album?

The band Godcaster is: Judson Kolk (vox, guitar), David Mcfaul (keys, vox), Von Lee (vox, flute, tambourine), Bruce Ebersole (bass guitar, vox), and Sam Pickard (drums, percussion).

Live and recording collaborators have included: Lindsay Dobbs (trombone, vox), Bailey Wollowitz (trumpet, vox, slide guitar, tambourine, percussion), Jan Fontana (bass guitar), Dom D'Altilio (bass guitar) and Will Lauzon (guitar)

Recording Engineers have included: Ryan Power, Jack Hubbel and Will Lauzon

We recorded our forthcoming record "Long Haired Locusts" in a Philadelphia basement with the tall and fantastic Ryan Power

How do you describe your sound? Who or what influences your sound?

Strong and loud. Led Zeppelin.

What themes did you explore in these songs?

Carnal sciences, big schemes.

What are your proudest accomplishments with music?

Playing with Of Montreal and Guerilla Toss and driving through the desert and around the country.

What’s your songwriting process? Words before lyrics, or vice versa? Do you have to be at home, or do things come to you in pieces when you’re out?

I (Judson) write song skeletons on acoustic guitar with all the chords, some melodies, and no words and then we proceed to build them into hulking structures as a rock band. Words come very last after long periods of songful utterances. I don't have to be at home. Things come to me in pieces when I'm out.

What are your goals with music? What kind of future do you imagine for yourself?

Our Quest and thirst is for the biggest sound. It's hard to get loud. I mean, truly loud. The kind of loud that lifts and fills you. Few have done it, and Godcaster intends to! We imagine a future of living on the coin of our export: rock music.

Is there anything that I didn't ask that you'd like our readers to know?

Soon Godcaster will be one of the loudest rock groups. Thank you!

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If you’re one of the first 50 people to buy the album, you also get a book of some wild, original artwork by Judson himself. You can listen the the album HERE and follow Godcaster on Ingstagram HERE!

By: Kristen Levine

Original Photo by: Michael Todaro (@michaeltodaro)

"Where You Fit In" New Tune by A Day Without Love and Philly Friends

We all just want to fit in, don’t we? Find our tribe, our people, the community where we feel at home, where we feel like we belong. This is something that I’ve always loved about the Philly music community. It’s so diverse, and there are so many different “scenes” you can get into, but you don’t have to choose just one. You can fit in with so many different crowds, and for the most part, the community welcomes everyone. It’s all a part of finding yourself, and it doesn’t mean you have to remain stagnant or choose between genres. Be whoever the fuck you want to be and we will love you for it.

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Brian Walker explores this idea with new latest single Where You Fit In under his project, A Day Without Love. Fittingly, it’s a collaboration between himself and an array of talented musicians including Erin Fox (Resilient) on guitar and vocals, Kelsey Cork (Kelsey Cork and the Swigs) on saxophone, Jace Miller (Alright Junior) on bass, Aaron Weis on keys, and Branden King on drums. The whole group recorded the song with Jesse Gimbel before the pandemic hit, and then continued to work on it via dropbox files after the world shut down.

We were able to talk to Brian about his history with Philly music, how the song came together, and what the lyrics meant to him both literally and metaphorically.

1. What is your musical origin story?

I was first exposed to the idea of playing music when watching my Uncle DJ at North Philadelphia block parties as a kid. I wasn't sure if I wanted to be a DJ, but I knew I wanted to play music. Flash forward to the age of 18, I picked up a guitar on my birthday. I had been writing poetry since the age of 11 on a wide variety of topics from using Pokemon as a metaphor, relationships, race, etc. I performed at various open mic circuits and opened up in house venues from the age of 19-24. At 24 I was homeless for 19 days, broke up with a band I was playing in in New York and decided to start A Day Without Love as a recording project. The rest is a history of multiple EPs, singles and full lengths on various topics such as mental illness, wellness, self love, politics and more.

2. What is your history playing music in Philly?

I am a Philadelphia native, my first time trying to play a gig in Philly dates back to 2012 and I did not have such a good experience , the venue was a place called The Tritone. Moving forward I played a variety of open mics, bars, art spaces, houses and galleries to help promote my music and collaborate with community members to organize a wide variety of social initiatives.

3. How did this collaboration come about?

Erin Fox and I met on public broadcast TV (PhillyCam), Fox and I went on a weekender tour in Vermont and decided to write together. After spending a few days of sharing lyrics and chords we wrote a stripped down version of the song. We decided to share the song with our mutual friends Jace Miller, Kelsey Cork, Branden King and Aaron Weiss to put the remaining pieces of the song together. After working it out we worked with Jesse Gimbel a few weeks before the pandemic to record the song. We still had a few parts to record so we communicated via Facebook Group chat and sent parts over dropbox for Jesse to mix the song.

4. Did you draw on any specific moments in your life when writing these lyrics? The metaphorical side of it reminds me of all of the times I’ve met new friends only to realize that we’d been at the same shows or in the same rooms for years leading up to that.

There are a wide variety of moments that come to mind when I wrote this song with Erin. Namely I think about the various transitions I have had in my life, such as going to college and graduate school, having my first 9 to 5 , going on my first date, the experience of making new friends. Where You Fit in is about letting go of the negative biases that prevent you from enjoying the excitement of feeling that you are a part of something.

You can listen to the new song HERE! And be sure to follow A Day Without Love HERE!

by: Kristen Levine

album artwork by: Dretime

Buddie Gets Real with Us on Debut LP, Diving

The four piece, fuzz/grunge/basement/beach-pop band, Buddie, released their debut LP, Diving, through the Pittsburgh label, Crafted Sounds, today and my goodness do I have some words to write about this. Buddie started out as the solo project of Dan Forrest in 2015, and has since evolved into the four-piece band it is today (including Danielle Farley on guitar and vocals, Brian Thomas on bass, and David Dean of drums and synth), with Diving being written as a collaborative effort between the four members. If you like bands like Pine Barons and Ali Awan, you will LOVE this band. Not only is this album just fun and pleasant to listen to musically, it also has some pretty serious topics to discuss, and it does so in a really poignant and straightforward way. The themes that are explored in these songs are pretty perfect for the current social, political and literal climate, and includes social anxiety, trying to be a good person and environmentalism.

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What I really love about this album is that there is so much to explore with it. “Diving” is really the perfect album title, because there is truly soooo much to dive into. Let’s take the first song off the album, Boiler, for example. If you want to dive into the sound, the feeling, the vibe you get from it, there’s plenty to feel out. As soon as the song starts, I’m suddenly aware of just how much tension I’ve been holding in my body and it all just releases in this wave of relief, kind of rushing out of me in the first measure. On the flip-side, if you want to really dive into the lyrics, there’s quite a bit to unpack there, too. Boiler looks like a pretty straightforward commentary on the incredible problems we as humans have made for ourselves in terms of just completely fucking up our environment and the way we continue to treat it. These sentiments continue into the second song, Heartbeat, (which was released as a single earlier this year) with such lyrics as:

“We had the luck and the good fortune to detect

We see the warning

But we spit straight in its face

Won’t ever trust the unseen evidence

Especially with the hope of being rich”

These lyrics can really start a conversation we all need to be having. Many of these songs ultimately feel like an environmentalist’s anthem, and we are here to support it. While other themes are also explored, it’s lyrics like those on Heartbeat that really stuck with me, and these lyrics on the last son Garden’s Glow, that stuck with me:

“ ‘If we just commit to what’s already done,

Then maybe all our problems just go away’

That type of thought comes from self-serving fear

Convinced that everyone can just go away

More like if they don’t look like you get away

Such hate

Won’t stay”

But, like I said, it’s how the music and the lyrics tie together that really impress me on this album. It inspires serious conversation, but it’s also the perfect album to throw on if you’re on a road trip to the beach. Actually, you shouldn’t stop there. Bring these tune ONTO the beach (obviously be mindful to remain as socially distant as possible), put them on your bluetooth speaker, and drown out the shitty top 40 music that seems to be required listening by everyone else who is already on the beach.

Check out the tunes here! And be sure to follow Buddie on instagram for more updates here.

by Kristen Levine