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martin brummeler-guitars/vocals/keys
james frye-bass---
russ sherman-drums--
derek burdette-guitars/keys __________________________
Influences
historical figures, seas & deserts. also:abba,archers of loaf,brainiac,bedhead,bob weston,bitch magnet,blur,bowie,buzzcocks,cardigans,chore,costello, devo,devo,devo,dead milkmen & kennedys,dischord,dinosaur (&jr.),fugazi,flaming lips,girls vs. boys,helium,jesus lizard,low,my bloody...,mission of burma,nation of ulysses,pixies,POLVO,poster children,rem,sonic youth, swirlies,swervedriver,slint,superchunk,6 finger satellite, swell maps,thinking fellers, the damned, the smiths, the cure,ultra vivid scene,unwound,violent femmes,xtc and just gads more that slipped the mind this time around.
EASY MARK REVIEWS:________________________________________________________________Under The Radar Mag: Reviving my battered faith in '90s-brand college rock as a valid and sustainable art form,Easy Mark combines all the best parts of Archers of Loaf, Built to Spill, and mid-career Superchunk to create something that is once new, smart, catchy, complicated, beautiful,
fun and generally kick ass. ________________________________________________________________________Treblezine.com: "Mass Solo Revolt's Easy Mark is more than just a really good indie rock record, it's a really good rock record. In fact, when I really think about it, they don't just recall Guided by Voices, but, in particular, the period during which Robert Pollard was backed by the muscular Cobra Verde. It's more "Bulldog Skin" than "My Valuable Hunting Knife," which is especially refreshing when you've heard countless bands rehash the latter. This Athens, Ga. band, while still young and relatively unknown, isn't letting their underground status overshadow their need to be loud, and as such, Easy Mark has an overwhelming power about it."...."Martin Brummeler & Co. know their way around a guitar riff, and better yet, they command a soaring melody with confidence and swagger. Easy Mark's amp-driven power probably would have already been enough for me to give it a pass, but this is something far more special than just another loud rock record." Jeff Terich ________________________________________________________________________NPR: Second Stage: Athens, GA band Mass Solo Revolt hasn't lost sight of its predecessors — Pavement, Built to Spill — harnessing those raw sounds from the early '90s to create a less polished, yet still infectious, throwback indie rock sound. The opening chords to the band's debut CD, Easy Mark could have been pulled straight off Pavement's Slanted and Enchanted, offering the same lazy, off-kilter sound. Lead singer Martin Brummeler's idiosyncratic lyrics about "crooked teeth" and "rubber knives" add to the song's quirky feel; the track proves uniquely poppy with catchy hooks.
________________________________________________________________________Pastaprima.net: I’ve said many times before, nothing beats a great straight up rock band. The sun is shining and the windows are down. Now is not the time for the stereo gods to let you down. Well they didn’t. They promptly sent Athens, Georgia’s Mass Solo Revolt to the left, right, and rear speakers blazing their Modest Mouse shrouded in Pinback imitating Jawbox sound. Trust me, my steering wheel took a beating. But that’s just where it starts. Mass Solo Revolt, a project of song crafter, Martin Brummeler, have been gracing my audio system all week with their self released debut, Easy Mark. This rock brings joy to a music lover that grew up on Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr., Jawbox, and Modest Mouse. Thank you, stereo gods. ________________________________________________________________________Avant/Chicago There are some cities that evoke a sound and when you're about to listen to a band you'e never heard before, that city's sound comes to mind automatically. There's places like New Orleans, Boulder and of course Athens were the local music scene is so strong (and contained) that every band that has roots in the area is effected. Listening through Mass Solo Revolt's Easy Mark, it's obvious that they've abosorbed many of the good sounds that we all know as very Athenian. And while their sound may in whole sound something like the Flaming Lips (not from Athens), the bits and pieces sound like Matthew Sweet, R.E.M. and Elf Power. Even though we don't now Sweet's catalog that well, MSR seem to mirror him on many of Easy Mark tracks. Quirky, spry guitar mixes with deep, intelligent lyrics all with a post punk and experimental angle. The album isn't too rangy, but enough to mark out a unique sound for MSR and make the album worth a good listen. And one more reason to listen - the band has a kick-ass name, right?_______________________________________________________________________
AllMusic.com: Easy Mark is a sonically muscular, rhythmically angular and effortlessly melodic sock-to-the-gut of an album that deserves to be heard loudly… through headphones … in one sitting. A musical journeyman of sorts who rose from the ashes of various Midwest noise and indie-rock ensembles like Data Cadet and All Hands, Brummeler relocated to Athens, GA in the late ’90s and eventually set up his own recording studio. As a die-hard D.I.Y.’er, Brummeler is well versed in all manner of studio kung fu and brings such skills to bear on his first solo release. Notably, the album was co-produced by D.C. scenester Chad Clark at Inner Ear Studio and, perhaps not surprisingly, retains a similarly purpose-driven, hardcore punk mentality, albeit with a far-reaching often psychedelic/post-punk aesthetic.
By no means a chamber-pop album, Easy Mark does however evince an eclectic style in much the same way that many ’80s underground bands mixed punk, noise and psych-pop into a kind of rock-and-roll fever dream. In that sense, Brummeler will certainly draw easy — and well-deserved — comparisons to such indie-rock guitar band touchstones as The Flaming Lips, Dinosaur, Jr. and Sonic Youth. But rather than coming off like a grab-bag of influences, Brummeler has pulled off a modern-rock coup of sorts, creating an album that at once displays his influences proudly while still coming off as totally original and utterly contemporary. To these ends, atmospheric tracks like “All Bark” and the darkly frenetic “Hostage Taker” sweep along on waves of old-school synth and big rock guitars with a little Johnny Marr jangle bubbling up through breaking surf. Similarly, cuts like “Au Gres” and “The Site” reveal Brummeler’s knack for combining surrealist imagery ( “Now I’m spinning, passing windows, each compartment full of minnows golden brown” ) with concrete emotions (”Mom, I’m tired and want to come home … And to my old friends I stick my hand out. I don’t know why. To talk me down or pass a pill?”). Ultimately though, it’s tracks like the darkly insistent “Bedmaker” featuring the dire proclamation, “It’s like cancer or amputation…it’s never the same” and the anthemic title cut, with its huge chorus and deft metaphorical imagery of “rubber knives”, “trap doors and dummy feet” that mark Brummeler as not just great songwriter, but the furthest thing from a fool. MATT COLLAR-________________________________________________________________________babysue- LMNOP.com: Easy Mark (Independently released CD, Pop)
This is one of those albums that is difficult to review because there are no easy reference points. The first song on this album ("Easy Mark") instantly reminded us of The Wedding Present in many ways. But all of the songs that followed...didn't. Mass Solo Revolt is the mostly solo project created by Martin Brummeier. Martin writes super smart songs that that involve a wild variety of influences from several different decades. But his overall sound is very much twenty-first century pop. The unique sound of this album is probably due in large part to the mindset of the artist and his associates. Rather than trying to sound like any one particular artist, we get the impression that Brummeier is simply channeling his ideas into music without any attempt to have a particular style or sound. It's interesting...even though the overall sound of Mass Solo Revolt is similar to thousands of other bands...for some reason, they just sound better. Cool guitar driven pop tracks include "The Site...", "Au Gres," "Bedmaker," and "Hostage Taker." Recommended. (Rating: 5++ out of 6)" ________________________________________________________________
aidabet.com: "Easy Mark (self-released)
This has the feel of a one-man project, and it is true that Martin Brummeler wrote all the songs and produced the album as well. But the band is four people--and it's pretty amazing that a quartet could make such idiosyncratic fare. There's an obsessive edge that most bands tend wear down. Ride it as long as you can, boys.
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www.americana-uk.com, Ian Fildes:Athens Georgia’s Mass Solo Revolt push an engaging line in angular, yet melodic post-punk discord, but these days it takes something moderately remarkable to stand out from the world’s cool Indie punk hoards. MSR sometimes prove themselves able to achieve that on this rapid-fire release where barely a second of its 31 minutes is wasted.
Throughout much of ‘Easy Mark’ (particularly the excellent title track) there’s a spiky, cool, DIY melodicism that reigns, and a take on choruses that sometimes suggests The Cribs (minus the Wakefield accents, obviously), and it confirms a similar apprenticeship spent devouring years of Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr.
‘Hoka Blast’ and ‘Au Gres‘ hint at a more ambitious and expansive ‘..and you will know us by the trail of dead’-style approach to modern left-field rock with its slightly surreal imagery and wilfully difficult guitars. Elsewhere ‘Bed Maker’ and ‘Waiting’ are great, wiry & uncomfortable pop songs, if a little too knowingly reticent to relinquish their self-imposed indie-punk shackles. That’s obviously not necessarily a bad thing.
There’s not a great deal on here that this band can truly call unique or perhaps even their very own, but perhaps future work will afford them the opportunity to grow. For now though, when it’s at it’s best, ‘Easy Mark’ is energetic, muscular, sharp and succinct rock music, and sometimes that’s just what is required. 7 out of 10"
________________________________________________________________________3hive.com:Time to hit Athens again with the indie rock of Mass Solo Revolt. Other reviewers, publicists, and music sources bring up the apparent 90's indie rock influences of MSR, listing off the obvious suspects, but what else would one expect of a band that grew up on said influences? MSR, though, aren't content with just mimicing; they have an earnestness that shows they're doing what they want to do. The Flaming Lips, Dinosaur, Jr., Superchunk, The Wedding Present, and (personal fave) the Grifters have been known to have that effect on impressionable young ears.
sorry i missed the alvin's show. huge storm as i was getting ready to leave and so i waited for it to pass... and fell asleep on the couch. it was little anth's birthday and we played all day. so i was tired.
that being said, it was great to see jim on thursday night. and i hope to catch you guys play next time.
that being said, should we come down later this summer to play a show? JWPP, MSR and a Propeller reunion show?
Totally agree! I think it was fixed so it can be on nbc for the ratings. Wings always draw. That's cool. Good luck! Come to the Joe and see if you can win!
do you guys know Twin Tigers (Athens, GA)? we're opening for them at the Painted Ladyin Hamtramck on May 1... just wondering if you have ever seen them live?
