When I first met The Riot Before, they were a whirlwind of politicized angst and the youthful energy that comes with being a new band on their first tour. It was incredible to watch how quickly they moved and how hard they worked, as my own life seemed so static compared to their constant tours, hurried respites at home, and sporadic jaunts into the studio. That’s how they have existed for the past two years, a perpetual state of hurling themselves full-force into whatever they’re doing at that moment. When they began working on this album, they told me they were taking a break from touring and slowing things down, and I must admit that I was more than a little apprehensive. From the minute Cory sent me the rough mixes, I was floored by the intensity of the songs and the incredible thought and care that was put into carefully crafting these songs with recurring musical and lyrical themes, not to mention the anticipation that builds as one song flows into the next. “Fists Buried in Pockets” is so much more than a collection of songs slapped together on one disc, it’s a complex piece of art that begs the listener to (as they did in the ye-olde days of vinyl) sit down, pull out the lyrics, and listen to the record with the undivided attention that it deserves.

There's no need to check your ears or your calendars folks. It's not 1993. However, the honest and straightforward rock that Cheap Girls brings might successfully transport some to the days when slick overproduction was unheard of and autotuned vocals were just a myth. Adam Aymor and Ian Graham started kicking around the idea of doing a new band in the fall of 2006. At first it was more talk than actual work. It wasn't until the beginning of 2007 and the addition of Ben Graham on drums that Cheap Girls began firing on all cylinders. Influenced by the Lemonheads, Superchunk, The Old 97's, Green Day, Superdrag and Samiam, they produce a sound filled with pounding drums, jangly guitars and super sweet vocal melodies that harkens back to a simpler time and place. What started as an idea of a laid-back band as an extra thing to do after work suddenly transformed itself into a national and soon to be internationally touring band. They've already managed to traverse the east coast several times, tour into the southern US for The Fest and have plans set up for a European tour in May and full US tour in the Fall. With several releases under their belt, Cheap Girls keep getting better and better. Starting out with the "Throw Fits" EP (limited to 100 and all hand numbered) that they self-released and the "Find Me a Drink Home" LP (Bermuda Mohawk, Los Diaper, Quote Unquote) released in April of 2008, Cheap Girls have already begun work on their second LP. Paper + Plastick decided that Cheap Girls were too good to pass up and will be repressing the remastered version of the "Find Me a Drink Home" LP and releasing the bands newest album which is being recorded with Rick Johnson of Bomb the Music Industry and Mustard Plug. The new album is expected to see the light of day sometime around mid 2009.

Although fiery punk quartet The Reveling now calls the Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods of Brooklyn home, its debut EP, 3D Radio, transmits a much grittier, working class quality than fellow New Yorkers - or the rest of us, for that matter - might expect. It is music for the masses: a rousing anthem for the hoi polloi that is not without nuance and subtlety, but still sounds best pulsing through our speakers at top volume or in a live setting, cranked out by the band to a crowd of sweaty, eager show goers.

At its core, 3D Radio is a driving, brash take on mid-90's melodic hardcore and punk, melded with the urgency of today's post-hardcore sound. But the songs also touch on elements of roots, soul and good old blue-collar rock 'n' roll ... something with which drummer Jay Weinberg is notably familiar. For over three decades, the 19-year old's father, Max Weinberg, has been playing with arguably the most beloved working class rock hero of all time, Bruce Springsteen. In fact, Jay recently had the opportunity to tour with the E Street Band for an extended period, admirably filling his father's shoes behind the drum kit while the elder was occupied with the premiere of The Tonight Show With Conan O’Brien, where Max is bandleader.