The ALSO blog at ALSOmusic.com

Farmer Foot Drums for Scotland's Birthday

POSTED: 2012-01-31 20:36:15
So a week or two ago, the guys and I went to the NAMM show and we ran across the booth for Farmer foot drums. Their stuff was fantastic and a combo of two of my favorite things... great woodworking and drums. I had a quick look at the site but without knowing it the boys from ALSO got me one of their downbeat foot pedals for my birthday! This thing is fantastic! I have been looking for something like this for a while. Beautiful and the design using magnetic repulsion as the spring mechanism is genius. Now I can play tambourines and shaker's with my hi hat foot anytime! Go and check out the farmer foot drums website if you have the chance.
Rad
Scotland
Farmer Foot Drums

ALSO at Silverlake Lounge Tuesday and new EP update

POSTED: 2011-12-03 07:37:32
The Fold put a nice post about us on their ticket site for the show Tuesday. Please come and join us at the Silver Lake Lounge at 11pm. We are just receiving the first mixes from the new EP we tracked at Sonora last month. Looking forward to getting the record made!
Happy Holidays
ALSO
ALSO feature on the FoldSilverlake site

ALSO Silverlake Lounge show mentioned on Buzz Bands LA Blog

POSTED: 2011-09-10 22:36:06
Just wanted to say a quick thank you the the Buzz Bands LA blog for the mention of our September first show at Silver Lake Lounge. Thanks to everyone who came to the show as well. It was a blast!
Cheers
Scotland
Buzz Bands LA
Sept. 1st - Tonight in LA - Listing

Nice review of "Music Belongs in the Background" out of Denmark

POSTED: 2011-08-29 02:16:21
Rockfreaks.net, the largest online magazine in Denmark, posted a nice review of "Music Belongs in the Background." Have a look! An excerpt: "Music Belongs In The Background"; is a very uniform piece of music. The pace is kept at an unhurried state throughout the album, allowing for the introspective melodies to flourish and grow into slow crescendos and soaring walls of sound. The obvious advantage is that the record is surrounded with an artistic atmosphere, as if it is a piece of art meant to be pondered upon for days, maybe even weeks, rather than a consumable product, which is something you'd associate with Band Of Horses or Coldplay, for instance.
Cheers
ALSO
ALSO review on Rockfreaks.net

Great Review of Music Belongs in the Background from Resonance Blog!

POSTED: 2011-08-29 02:14:45
We received a very nice 4.5 out of 5 review for our latest album on the Resonance, "Indie Music Vibes" blog this week. You can check it out on our press page or at the link to Resonance below. Excerpt: Also creates a variety of atmospheres - dreamy, jazzy, edgy, groovy - in which to present their compelling lyrics. The songs thematically blend well, and just when you think you know what the album will lead into, Music Belongs in the Background surprises you by altering the path."
Thanks
ALSO
ALSO on Resonance, Indie Music Vibes

ALSO is now on Pandora

POSTED: 2011-05-03 22:42:32
For those of you who are Pandora fans, we are very pleased to announce that ALSO has been added to Pandora! If you are not familiar with the site, Pandora is one of our favorite, and one of the easiest ways to listen to music online. Even if you are not a member, you can listen easily with a free account. Make an ALSO station and "like" away.
MBITB
ALSO
ALSO on Pandora

Love in Spurts (Italy) gives a nice review of Music Belongs in the Background

POSTED: 2011-05-03 22:36:40
Just wanted to say a quick thanks the the blog "Love in Spurts" based in Italy. They wrote a really nice review of our latest record! Have a look if you like. It is posted at link below or in our media-press section.
Ciao
ALSO
Love in Spurts Review

Another Nice review of the new record on MusicSpectrum.org

POSTED: 2011-03-08 23:51:00
We wanted to say thank you to Ben Squires and MusicSpectrum.org for the nice review of our new record. You can check the review out on our press page or check out Music Spectrum at the links below.
Cheers
ALSO
Music Spectrum review of Music Belongs in the Background
MusicSpectrum.org

CD Release show photo from Chuck Novak

POSTED: 2011-02-25 18:15:38
Our good friend and stellar photographer Chuck Novak was kind enough to attend our cd release show and take some shots! He sent this one along today. You can check out more of his work at his site at the link below.
Happy Weekend
Scotland
Chuck Novak - Photographer

Myspace Music mention of "Music Belongs in the Background"

POSTED: 2011-02-23 13:30:53
Myspace music mentioned the release of our record yesterday along with G. Love and Aretha Franklin to name a few. Some great company!
Cheers
ALSO
Myspace Music Blog Mentions ALSO

Magnet Magazine Premiere's the release of "Call It Funny"

POSTED: 2011-02-20 18:30:26
Magnet Magazine premiered the new single, "Call It Funny," on their homepage today! As a bonus they added a link to our other single, "True," and a mention about Tuesday's release show at the Hotel cafe.
Check it out!
Scotland
Magnet Magazine

Throw us a vote!

POSTED: 2011-02-18 09:49:39
Magnet magazine wants to know if you are excited about the new record next week. Go and vote for ALSO if you can!
Thanks
ALSO
Magnet Magazine Survey

Props to Ol' Bessy

POSTED: 2011-02-11 02:08:02
It is rare that I get to see a band's first show. It is also rare that I get to see a great show. Tonight I saw both! Check out Ol' Bessy at the link below. They played their first gig together tonight and I watched an entire room of people get really into their set. Their songs are catchy rock music to the core with solid rhythm and great hooks. They only have one single out now but I think they could turn some heads soon enough.
Sweet!
Scotland
Ol' Bessy

Very first review of the new record was published today!

POSTED: 2011-02-03 13:31:08
Got a nice review of the new record from Aiding and Abetting today. Thanks to them for the kind words. Check out the review and the site at the links below.
Cheers
ALSO
Aiding and Abetting ALSO review
Aiding and Abetting

ALSO Featured as a daily download on Largehearted Boy

POSTED: 2011-01-25 18:43:29
Just a heads up. The single "True" from our upcoming release was featured on Jan. 19th as one of the daily downloads on the Largehearted Boy Music and Literature blog. Check it out!
------
ALSO
ALSO on Largehearted Boy

The New AlsoMusic.com for 2011!

POSTED: 2011-01-22 03:52:07
The new album is due to be released on February 22nd and in preparation we are pleased to introduce you to the new AlsoMusic.com! The site features some of the album artwork for "Music Belongs in the Background" by Kim Rosen. Scotland has been working hard getting the new site together and you can help us out in promoting the record by liking us with the facebook like links located around the site. Please drop us an email or a wall post if you have the time to let us know what you think of our new internet home.
Cheers
ALSO
KimRosen.com

Death of a Practice Space

POSTED: 2011-01-05 08:59:31
This week marked the end of an era for ALSO. Our beloved practice space, with all of its industrial LA quirks, flooded. We arrived Monday night ready to practice and ended up moving out immediately, salvaging what we could. Luckily, most of our gear survived but there were a few unfortunate casualties. Nonetheless, we left a place we have called home for 8 years and it was a tough day. That's life though. Sometimes it rains. We are playing our first show of the year next Tuesday at Skinny's Lounge in North Hollywood. It is the 2 year anniversary party for our friend Sheena Metal's LA radio show. We go on at 8:45pm.
Stay Dry
ALSO
Skinny's NoHo
Sheena Metal Radio Shows

ALSO live at the Coronado Speed Festival

POSTED: 2010-09-30 00:13:08
ALSO had a great weekend at the Coronado Speed Festival! Some of the highlights were Mark getting to hold a bazooka, getting to hang out on a gigantic hovercraft, and seeing a huge tarmac full of beautiful classic cars. We posted a live video of "So Long," a track that will be on our new album coming in February 2010. Check it out in the video section or on YouTube.
Cheers
ALSO

Mixing the New Album at Sonora Recorders in LA

POSTED: 2010-05-06 20:33:16
Just an update for all o' ya'll. We are in the studio this week with the esteemed Mr. Warren Riker (of Grammy Award and Fresh Face Fever Fame) at the helm of some fantastic gear mixing our new upcoming full-length record. We are hanging in Los Feliz at Sonora Recorders and filling our days with tunes and some mean games of Putz. (Putz is a not-so skilled basketball rendition of the classic game, Horse) A few wiffle ball hits have gone clear out of the park as well. Couldn't be more thrilled with the sounds we are getting out of here. More to come soon enough!!!
Guten Tag
ALSO
Sonora Recorders
Fresh Face Fever Productions

Scotland guests on Daniel Overberger's Dharma Gypsys Album

POSTED: 2010-04-14 07:41:21
Our good friend Daniel Overberger has just released his new record, Daniel Overberger's Dharma Gypsys Volume One. The album's tag line is "Music for Yoga, Meditation, and General House Cleaning." In addition to Daniel the record features some great artists: Katrina Chester, Tommy Stewart, Robert Gamboa, Danielle Mays, DJ Soul Junkie, and ALSO's very own Scotland Stephenson. Scotland is featured on percussion on tracks 8 - "Om Shanti Om" and 11 - "Sita Ram". Check it out on CdBaby or iTunes.
Cheers
ALSO
Dharma Gypsys on CdBaby
Dharma Gypsys on iTunes

Back in the Studio!

POSTED: 2009-10-03 12:05:46
We are thrilled to be back in the studio this weekend at Broken Wave Music recording with Warren Riker. We are going to be finishing up our second full-length album in the next couple of months. We'll keep you updated on the site. Here is a quick peek at the crazy mad-scientist drum setup we have going on!
Cheers
ALSO
http://www.brokenwavemusic.com

ALSO interview feature on India's top Indie Music webzine

POSTED: 2009-07-14 20:43:55
An interview we had recently with India's top indie webzine, Indiecision, has just been published! Read the full article at the link below:
-Cheers
ALSO
ALSO Indiecision Interview

Things like this make it all worthwhile

POSTED: 2009-07-13 09:46:05
Thank You
-ALSO
(Review Posted on Amazon.com - July 2009)

5.0 out of 5 stars
A rollercoaster ride anyone? Who needs a record deal to make some distinctive, great music..
July 12, 2009

I discovered this band in the internet a while ago, in November 2005, still before this album was released, and instantly fell in love with the voice of the singer. A closer and precise look at the lyrics (that you can read on alsomusic.com) then just enabled me to get even more behind the full brilliance in their song-writing. Drew Conrad sings from a depth, up powerfully to vulnerable heights - the sustaining vibrato of his vocals creeps into your ears and won't let go of you, like something that has become a part of you.

The songs' subjects are very personal, whether they are about loss of love, disappointing friendships, of growing up and its residual consequences ("it was fine to be kind when you were young, fine to be in love with being in love") or of underlying critique on the anonymous superficiality in their hometown Los Angeles ("The Lunch Crowd"). No matter if sarcastic, ironic or heart-rendingly straightforward, the writing always bears witness of well-conceived and pondered maturity.

Musically, the whole album "It Was Fine To Be Kind" is outstanding and distinguished by interesting dynamics full of power and energy which accentuate the highs and lows of these stories.

You put in the CD and find yourself indulged in thoughtfulness that will eventually clear in blissful redemption, again and again by every time you have finished it. Soft melodies that once hover in dreaminess ("The Present", "South Seas Princess") and even in elegiac woes ("Can't Shake This"), then again strike in undeniably danceable, uplifting guitar pop ("Kingdom Gone", Know Your Walls") without sloping to ridicule. Vivid but subtle drums and groovy bass lines never slap in the face, however they are consciously and intendedly present at where they are.

"Also" seem a little arbitrary and stashed at times (such as the minimalist trickling, nearly slurping pedalled guitar-lines that add tinges of lo-fi obscurity to the otherwise full sound) and then all of a sudden they can hail down to throbbing, virtually anarchic pounds ("The Disappearing Heart").

One can hear so many hints of rock greats here, and still one doesn't know how to classify their music appropriately, which is probably the reason why this band is still fairly unknown. But most likely that's exactly what Also's listeners enjoy the most: They have something very idiosyncratic, indescribable to them.

The music of "Also" could very well be as much appreciated by fans of harder post-grunge, experimental or alternative bands as indie listeners in the likes of Wilco or Death Cab For A Cutie, but also be cherished by melancholy fanatics, Americana folkers or other witty rockers.

You can hear some Brit pop here too, some Smiths and Morrissey and with a little fantasy - even the tender charms of Jacques Brel chansons.

You'll be amazed by the versatility of this record in time, whether it's an emotional journey or just good times for you, as it can do both and some more. You better keep an eye on the development of this indie trio!

That there has been no record deal for such superb and distinctive musicians yet is more than surprising, but unfortunately life has taught that the latter doesn't necessarily have talent or creativity coming with it, but merely the expedient categorization or right stamp on the music. It is consistent to pursue one's music though, since it's worth to mention that this album is independently recorded, produced and self-funded on the band's own bill. Also, this is possible! Vive la revolution!

This could very well be tomorrow's overlooked debut classic.
Much Appreciated
ALSO

ALSO is back in the studio

POSTED: 2009-05-09 18:13:36
Some great news!
We are back at Broken Wave Music in Glendale this weekend recording more tracks. We have been trying to work out studio time and this weekend, at the last minute, everything clicked and we all could make it in.
We are happy to be working with Warren Riker again, as well as Happy Hour's co-host Mitch Willard. We look forward to having some tracks for you all soon!

As a bonus since we are in the studio today, we decided to publicly release the music video for our last single, "By Now You Should Know." The video was shot from footage of our last trip to the studio. It is in the video section of the site as well as on the ALSO YouTube page. Enjoy!
Cheers
Scotland
Broken Wave Music

I Love You (Live From The Practice Space)

POSTED: 2009-03-10 13:29:04
Since the launch of the new site we have been having some fun with the new Vlogs. As a thank you to everybody following the posts we recorded a brand-new track at the practice space the other day for you to check out

The track is named "I Love You." It is a very new song for us and we want you all to check it out. It is just a camcorder recording with one mic but for those of you who are into behind the scenes stuff it is a bit of a private look at an ALSO practice.
Bon Appetit!
ALSO

Scotland is co-hosting a radio show!

POSTED: 2009-02-25 14:16:58
Jason Hollis and Warren Riker have invited Scotland to co-host a weekly radio show on Broken Wave Radio. Broken Wave is the studio where ALSO recorded the last two singles (Warren helped produce them) and the studio now has an in-house radio station. Scotland, when not rocking the drums, is a bit of an expert about beer, wine, and spirits. The show is called Happy Hour and Scotland is on as the show's resident authority on the subject. The idea is that Jason, Warren, and Scotland will spin some great old vinyl and talk a bit about the theme drink of the evening. The first show's theme is whiskey! Take a listen online if you like. Every Wednesday night from 7-9pm Pacific time. The link is below.
Salud!
ALSO
Happy Hour on Broken Wave Radio

New ALSO Single, "By Now You Should Know" Released Today

POSTED: 2009-02-18 19:12:24
"By Now You Should Know," the second of two ALSO singles recorded with Grammy-winning producer Warren Riker, was released today on iTunes. We greatly appreciated hearing from everyone who downloaded "Pretty" and would love it if you could pick up a copy of "By Now as well!
Cheers
ALSO

ALSO live on OC Rock Radio - To Be Podcasted Shortly

POSTED: 2009-02-10 09:22:49
We had a fantastic time at OC Rock Radio yesterday! DJ Ron interviewed the band and we brought enough gear to play a few tracks live on air. The performance was streamed live yesterday but I am pleased to say that it will be pod-casted shortly by the station. Check back here at the ALSO site in a week or two and we'll have some of it posted on the site. We may even have some video as well. The radio station has us up on their homepage today as well.
That's All Folks!
Scotland
OC Rock Radio

Announcing the new ALSOmusic.com

POSTED: 2009-01-05 23:36:50
Hey ALSO fans! The new AlsoMusic.com is live. There are quite a few new features on the site. Now we will be sending out updates the new ALSO blog. Now you can subscribe and stay updated on what's happening with the band. We have a couple new singles due out shortly as well so keep checking back!
Cheers
Scotland