0 [GIVEAWAY] Win a Minus the Bear Autographed Poster

Weeeee…. It’s Minus the Bear giveaway time.

Next Tuesday May 4th is the big day in which Seattle’s own Minus the Bear will release their much anticipated 4th full length studio album entitled “OMNI”. In celebration of the band’s first release via Dangerbird Records, SRG is giving away a kick ass autographed Minus the Bear poster to one lucky reader. You must live in the US to qualify, and all you have to do is send an email to seattlerockguy@gmail.com with “Minus the Bear Poster” in the subject, and tell us in 50 words or so why you are stoked for the new record. It’s that easy, a few minutes of your time and the poster could be yours. Make sure to include your name and mailing address as the poster will be shipped to you by the fine folks in the MIB camp. The contest runs NOW until Monday at 6pm, at which time a winner will be chosen.

You can currently stream “OMNI” in its entirety over at KCRW.com and Minus the Bear plays Sasquatch Music Festival on Saturday May 29th. You should also download their provocative new single, "My Time" and play their 80s inspired color-coded game, OMNI Says here: http://www.omnithealbum.com/

Good luck!

0 [FROM THE CRATES #21] Kill Sadie - Experiments in Expectation (2001)

Words by Matt Abramson

Kill Sadie – Experiments in Expectation
(2001 Dim Mak Records)

"Emo" is a pretty touchy word for a lot of folks. Legend has it that it was first used at a Fugazi concert, and it went on to represent exactly what Fugazi did - the next evolution of punk rock. Punk rock with more careful musicianship, more light and shade but the same ferocity and the same DIY ethic. Somewhere during the late 1990's Dashboard Confessional, who were a shitty band with horrible music and stupid fans, got tagged as "emo" and it was all downhill from there. Now when someone utters the word "emo", one imagines some tween wearing purple skinny jeans and a Twilight t-shirt (because an obsession with vampire cheesemo isn't exclusive to fat chicks, you know, the only sizes that Twilight shirts come in are XS and 4XL) with a ridiculous haircut listening to Circa Survive. It's fucking shameful.

That aside, there are a handful of albums that I still proudly call emo. 'Experiments in Expectation' is one of them. Kill Sadie was a short-lived yet highly influential band with roots in Minneapolis who ended up in Seattle. As things things often go, they have a pretty concise discography and imploded into several other bands. Most notably, Steve Snere went on to sing in These Arms Are Snakes and Erin Tate ended up in Minus The Bear, both are fantastic bands that need no introduction. It's such widespread influence that makes the album instantly familiar.