Frank is the producer, dj, and whatnot at Campfire Island (this here music project). He lives in Olympia, WA with his two kids, two dogs and 21 fish.
… I would just like to say how super appreciative of everyone who contributes to Campfire Island – as a guest, getting interviewed, updating the calendar, hooking us up with press passes, taking videos or writing a top 5 list. Y’all are so great!
Top 5 bands delivering LIVE AWESOMENESS in 2012:
1. NO STATIK
Still the champs…. You can look for them in the list for 2013 next year, ’cause they just showed up in Olympia a few weeks ago and wrecked the place. The videos in this post are from Chaos in Tejas 2012. They own it, man.
No Statik – “Trainwreck” from Campfire Island on Vimeo.
2. TOYS THAT KILL
No band brings the party like Toys That Kill. They have so much fun playing their music without antics…. they just bring it. I’ve been lucky enough to catch them at twice this year. At FEST 11, they wound down the Saturday night at Boca Fiesta like they owned that town. Toys That Kill just knocks it out of the park. Todd’s like running the bases afterward smiling and waving to the stands …
3. SOUL CONTROL
I finally saw Soul Control for the first time at FEST 11. I was caught off guard by how awesome they were. I’m not saying the records are bad, but they’re really just full-on live. I was lucky to catch a video, but don’t have it posted yet.
4. SLINGSHOT DAKOTA
While there were a lot of great bands that played the warehouse after party at FEST 11, Slingshot Dakota approached it like a guerrilla style performance. I don’t know what happened to them after the cops showed up? While everyone else took off, they were there with all their gear to face the inevitable noise complaints or other issues.
5. THE LORD DOG BIRD
Colin McCann has continued to bring fire to man with his musical intensity for a couple decades now. Still the best kept secret… I suppose it’s his own fault for living in the middle of nowhere in California.
The Lord Dog Bird (Colin McCann) from Campfire Island on Vimeo.
My favorite 5 pop-punk albums that were released in 2012:
1. HOP ALONG – Get Disowned (Hot Green)
I find what Frances and crew are doing to be totally captivating. They played a great set at FEST, but it was a weird half-built venue. Anyway, I have since listened to this record over and over and over and over. I think it’s the best damn thing that came out last year. You should go over to their bandcamp and listen to it RIGHT NOW.
Hop Along – “Sally” (FEST 11) from Campfire Island on Vimeo.
2. TOYS THAT KILL – Fambly 42 (Recess)
I almost didn’t give this record the credit it was due. There are lots of bands that put out good records again and again. Toys That Kill is so fun live, you might miss the depth in this album. If I was 19 and hearing this jam on my turntable my mind would be blown. Instead, I’m running out of time on my 30’s and I find this album to be downright soulful. Lay it on me, brothers. Just keep makin’ music.
3. SWEARIN’ – s/t (Salinas)
So great. This album has two sides of it, kinda, but these two songwriters come together like your favorite peanut butter cup, you know? I can say silly stuff like that about it because it’s pop punk. Oh, and it’s Allison Crutchfield from P.S. Eliot. She rules.
Swearin’ – “Snag” from Campfire Island on Vimeo.
4. JOYCE MANOR – Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired (label)
I would really like to not like this record, considering all the hype around this band. But you know what? It’s really good. And they’re trying out some interesting ideas, a bit 80s maybe. I like The Smiths, I’m cool with it. That said, the album has some total misses some times, particularly the low-fi tunes and the Buggles cover – which is horrible.
5. MIND SPIDERS – Meltdown (Dirtnap)
Consistently awesome. Not THE MARKED MEN… but solid and a bit keyboard-freaky. I dig it. This record sounds like it’s from the future of punk that you would have imagined in 1977.
My favorite release by an Olympia band or artist this year was:
ERICA FREAS – Belly (Rumbletowne)
Now RVIVR is a great band, but Erica really stands on her own as a songwriter here. Some really amazing songs. One of the best moments of my year was watching her carry a solo show at the Civic Media Center during FEST 11. It was some kinda bridge between my current and former communities which really meant a lot to me. I’m looking forward to more of a separation between Erica’s music with RVIVR and her solo work, as she gets more confidence with it. For now, each of her songs is kind of doing double duty as both an acoustic song and a RVIVR song – so you can decide which version you like better.
Erica Freas – “Paper Thin” from Campfire Island on Vimeo.
5 awesome songs from 2012 that I’m still digging
“Kicking” by Torche from Harmonicraft (Volcom)
“A Little Bit Closer” by Tranzmitors from the Concrete Depression 7″ (La Ti Da)
“Deconstruction” by Know Your Saints from their Split 7″ with Great Apes (Say-10)
“Fly By Night” by Loma Prieta from I.V. (Deathwish, Inc)
“Glass Chimes” by Divers from the Divers EP (Rumbletowne)
My 2012 discovery from 2011 is:
KITE PARTY – Baseball Season (Animal Style)
I wandered into their show at FEST and was impressed enough to pick up their album on the spot. I haven’t really stopped playing it since. Too good.
Kite Party – “Spirit Gum” (FEST 11) from Campfire Island on Vimeo.