Driven Far Off

The latest on the indie, alternative, and rock music scene including news, music, contest, interviews, and more. Best described as your favorite place to find new bands.

The Years Gone By Sign With Rise Records

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The Years Gone By have signed with Rise Records. Check out a message and video from the band below.

Hey everyone! Nick here. Before I tell you all the great news, on behalf of THE YEARS GONE BY, I want to thank you all for supporting our band these past few years. Whether it was buying our CD, coming out to a show or just taking time to say hello to us, we really appreciate everything and everyone we have met.

We are currently living in an apartment, in Goshen New York, recording our new 12 song full length CD. The tentative name of the LP is titled “FOREVER COMES TOO SOON” and we will have more info and a release date in the coming weeks. Sorry about not having any studio updates…internet here is non-existant. We, however, have been taking lots of video and have plenty of footage so when we’re home you can expect some updates on what we have accomplished in the past month.

Now the good stuff…

We are pleased to announce that we have chosen a label who believes in our band as much as we do. We have signed to Rise Records and couldn’t be more excited for what the future has in store for us.

Make sure to check out all there artists @ Myspace.com/RiseRecords

See ya all on the road!
THE YEARS GONE BY

Kenotia Singer Re-Joins Band

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Kenotia has posted an update stating that their singer has re-joined the band. Check out the message from her below.

Hey guys!

We know the past few weeks have been extremely confusing for everybody….they’ve been confusing for us too. But we didn’t want to talk about anything until we had things figured out. Today is that day! πŸ™‚

Basically, I am back in the band. And for now so are Andy and Mike. The only explanation I can give you is that being in a band is a lot harder than most people realize, especially when you are constantly getting new members. We had just gotten to a point where everything was a struggle, we were unhappy and we were stuck in a van together. We lost why we got into this in the first place and that’s the most important thing to remember.

We all needed to clear our heads, and that’s exactly what we did while I was gone. We realized exactly what we wanted to do and what we needed to do it. Music isn’t about the way you look, or trying to sound a certain way or being “professional” onstage…but in the music business it’s easy to get it in your head that that is all it’s about. And when you work so hard to be something that’s based on silly stuff like that, it’s not worth it.

The Ryans and I did a lot of thinking, and we have been in this band for almost 3 years and we just aren’t ready to pack it in yet. Andy and Mike have been our friends for so long and we are pretty excited to have them back with us. We can’t say that they will be permanent because of other things they have going for them ( we hope they will be) but we CAN promise you that Ryan Cain, Ryan Stockmal and I aren’t going anywhere. There are more songs in us and we still haven’t met all of you. πŸ™‚

You guys have been so great and supportive, especially to me through all of this and I only hope that you will forgive what we just put you through and continue to stick by us! We will make it up to you!

As far as touring goes, we are going to be home for the next month or two writing songs and playing locally, and we should be back out on tour by July. We really love you guys and we will see you soon!

Thank you for being so good to us!

<3

Carly, Ryan 1, Ryan 2

Socratic – Spread the Rumors

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Artist: Socratic
Album: Spread the Rumors
Label: Drive-Thru
Purchase: Drive-Thru
Release Date: May 6, 2008

Overall: 8.0
Music: 8.0
Lyrics: 7.0
Production: 9.0

Remember when the radio actually mattered? Listeners were proud to sit through some Mariah Carey or a few car commercials if it meant just one more spin of Third Eye Blind’s “Semi-Charmed Life.” Well, Socratic’s Spread the Rumors is a lot like that. Unfortunately, even Socratic have their car commercial moments, but it’s usually worth the wait for the next little gem around the corner.

Spread the Rumors, produced by Mark Hoppus (of +44 and the now disbanded Blink 182), opens with the hooky first single “Boy In A Magazine,” grabbing ears immediately. Production wise, Rumors is only further proof of Hoppus’s growing talent as a producer, giving each song just the right amount of tweak and headphone flourish, again reminiscent of 90s headphone records like Third Eye Blind’s Blue . Some of the hooks inspire a hint of annoyance after a few listens (“Constant Apology”), while others grow from simply tolerable to gently pleasing (“Long Distance Calls”), though mostly falling somewhere loosely in the middle. Many of the choruses suffer from a serious melodic condition known as “sameys,” in which many individual choruses from many individual songs sound, well, the same. This is especially unfortunate in Socratic’s case, given the potential of the verses, which one can’t help but hope will naturally build into something much, much bigger (think Paul McCartney sized hooks), but, alas, few follow through with this commitment.

With several lyrical misses (nearly all of “Diamond In A World of Coal”), some underdeveloped arrangements, and, of course, the sameys, Socratic still put forth a good effort with an impressive collection of would-be 90s radio hits (something they should embrace even further next time around), perfect for giving your own unique version of “the finger” to today’s radio landscapes. Get those sameys cleared up, and Socratic could very well surprise everyone “β€œeven radio.

Track listing:

1. Boy In A Magazine
2. Haven’t Seen You In Years
3. May I Bum A Smoke
4. Janis Joplin Hands
5. Long Distance Calls
6. Constant Apology
7. Relevant Elephant
8. Spread The Rumors
9. Don’t Say
10. This Opinion of Mine
11. Diamond In a World of Coal
12. Another Headache