Although the Interbay music project tends to release tracks that blend the barriers of electronic dance music and post-punk, resulting in what I call "mutant pop," there are definitely some Interbay tracks that just simply rock.  

Sadly, many of these don't get the attention that they deserve--people who have gotten used to the type of dance music they usually get from Interbay might not feel like hearing someone turn their amps up all the way to eleven.

...but dance music and rock music have always been intertwined in my life.  I think that's been lost as scenes just leave each other alone now, content to stay in their lane and fill their niche.  A lot of rock music CAN be danced to, some will even have build ups and drops.  ;)    

Now, rock music has various genres and sub genres--not nearly as many as dance music, I'm pretty sure--and just as I like to blend unlikely genres together when I make dance music, I like doing that when I make more rock-sounding or guitar based tracks as well.  

If in doubt, I'll probably add them to the playlist--so don't get too pedantic about what does or doesn't, should or shouldn't, be considered "rock"--if it rocks, it goes on this playlist.  

As always, as the new Interbay tracks continue to drop (every single day, so far) I will update this playlist when there's a track that I think belongs on here.  

So, take a listen...share with a friend...and kick out the jams, motherf$#@%&rs!!!

The Rock Side of Interbay (this weekend, we rock portland!)

"What's up with all these putty-looking-ass whips, y'all?"--H. Green

A fun uptempo punky thing with obnoxious synths and a relentless race forward this track is a favorite of mine--both for how it turned out and how it came together.

I watched one of my favorite vlogs and felt inspired to create this.  While this is not sponsored by anyone, I hope this video makes you want to shop from the Good Store (where one can join the Awesome Socks Club) or watch some episodes of Crash Course, or, perhaps, sign-up for the Dropout streaming service by June 12th so you can see a particularly anticipated stand-up comedy special.  

I would like to think that if the subject of this track ever heard this track, he would be amused at what an old man (who owns both of his books and is anticipating socks...and who can totally relate to having had cancer and then doing stand-up comedy about it) can create in homage to someone doing wonderful work as well as being entertaining as all get out.  

(And, most importantly, I hope that he will not sue me.  I don't monetize anything I do, yet...so, please treat this for what it is...an homage from a fan.  And, absolutely, if it amuses you...feel free to share it with anyone you might like.)

 

"PLAW" by Interbay *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Did someone say "been awhile since" Interbay has posted a "proper rock song???"  

Yes.  Someone did.  

I did.  Yesterday.  

So, let's do this!  

Including the songs that were posted on Interbay's Facebook page, I think THIS is the most credible rock song I've managed to commit to...ummm....whatever the digital equipment to "tape" would best fit in such a cliched statement.  

And yet, it still has electronic elements to it--bolstering the blistering tempo of this rather dark alternative post-punk rock track.  Very much inline with the Interbay vibe.  

Obviously, this track will appeal more to anyone who has watched the HBO "Chernobyl" mini-series...but even for those of you who haven't (but should, it's quite good...even if it might stray occasionally from perfect accuracy), I think you'll get into it, too.  

I see some similarities with this track that some of you might recognize--there's definitely a dollop of "Public Image" by Public Image Ltd.  The ending seems like a proper homage to the Adam and the Ants b-side/rarity/fan-favorite "Beat My Guest."  And, surprisingly, when the keyboards join the guitars for an instrumental bridge--my head goes to the Sex Pistols classic material (surprising, because they're not a band one would associate with keyboards.)  

At the risk of sounding even more self-indulgent than I normally am in these descriptions, I could see "A Zed 5" as a song that would have fit on the never produced second album for my band DangerScience--and it could have been a monster of a track for either the live version of DangerScience or my previous band, Cremation Dance.  (Of course, you'd need a time machine for either of those to have occurred.)  

For those of you here for the purely electronic stuff, there'll be plenty more of that to come, I'm sure...but THIS is definitely a song that fits what Interbay is now (though, if Crash wanted me to...I'd attribute this to DangerScience instead.  Legally, this is as DangerScience as "Frightening Things" and could sit along side "Aircrash" and "Goodbye?")  

Once again, it would help me immeasurably if you did all the things--Listen, Like, Repost, Share, Comment and, most of all, Follow!  

Thank you!  

PS--Suddenly, "Beneath These Trees" has become Interbay's most played track...someone out there must have done many of the things for this sudden burst of unexpected popularity.  It is definitely appreciated!

"A Zed 5" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Thank you for still clicking on this track, even if the thumbnail might have given you some caution.  The music normally associated imagery of the historic American West doesn't usually sound very much like Interbay.  

But, trust me--"He Comes Riding" is SO Interbay.  So, hit play and read along!  

Like yesterday's posted track, "Over the Course of One Night," today's track was a leftover from when I was posting music videos on Facebook.  The only vocal I had at the time was two instances of the gospel blues shout of the title, "He Comes Riding."  

It sat in the Vaults for a long time, until I produced the song "Felony," which I posted about a week ago.  "Felony" is a dance song with redlined throaty shouts of basic wants and needs.  I thought it worked quite well...and I remembered that THIS track (which I had given a temporary project name of "Round the Mountain"--so the fact that our heroic cowboy in the thumbnail is coming from around the mountain is another Interbay easter egg.  (Bonus Interbay points if you didn't need me to tell you that to make a connection between the image and the nursery rhyme.)  

I liked the idea of working with shouty blues vocals.  

Meanwhile, the inspiration I had for the music wasn't actually Western music (in the "Country & Western" use of that term.)  It was actually The Beatles, specifically "Taxman."  So, that means that "He Comes Riding" is also inspired by "Start!" by The Jam.  ;)  

It was only later that I recognized that rather than being sharp and angular, like a Gang of Four song, the single note plucked guitars gave the track a Western feel.  So, call it Americana or Alt-Country if you wish, Vicar.    

There are some rather thick synths in this track and some stutter edits and other modern fx, so I feel less sheepish than perhaps I should in using "Electronic" as the main tag.  (Tracks where I DON'T give "Electronic" as the main tag typically do not get as many listens as the one that I do...so, I'll grab any excuse to do so.)  

It's odd, the thing that took the most time once I decided to grab this project out of the Vaults and get it ready to post today was settling on a title.  There are three distinct vocal sections.  You've got the "When It All Falls Down" part, the "He Comes Riding" part, and the "Baby Please Don't Go" part...and all of them could have given this track its name.  I also spent a fruitless search for a word or phrase that connected all of the various lyrics and the general vibe.  (Does this feel like it was based on an imaginary TV Western show's theme song?  I did...so, I considered calling this "Hi Ho Silver" or "Blazing Side Saddles" or "There's a New Sheriff in Town"--but none of those felt right.  

So, if what you wanted on your Saturday afternoon was a track that blends Teddy Pendergrass style insistent male vocals, Beatles and post-punk angular funk music, with touches of gospel, the blues and even some Western tropes...and a synthesizer and a more complicated than it has to be name--well, how serendipitous, because that's exactly what "He Comes Riding" is!  You're welcome (?!?)  

Hear for yourself and give it a listen.  While you're at it, give a listen to "Felony" and see if you feel there's a connection between the two Interbay songs.  Give a like to the one you like best--or both!

...it would also be cool if you reposted this track, if you shared it with a friend, if you added it to a playlist, if you left a comment, and if you follow this page for MORE Interbay--as never heard before tracks are dropping every single day (and have for well over a year now!)    

"(When It All Falls Down) He Comes Riding" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

"Promises, thoughts, and poetry.  My only prayer for immortality."  

(Once again, this still isn't the song about sex that I promised a couple of days ago.)

I was going to save this song for a big round number that's coming up, but something about this...something about this time of year...made me want to drop this track earlier than I'd planned.  

If all you've heard from Interbay has been edm, indie, or synth pop--this track will be something different.  You could call it shoegaze.  You could think of it as thick guitar and synth driven alternative rock.  You could hear it as a wall of noise.  

Ironically, this track has a lyric I've written that I'm especially proud of--and then I buried it under phased guitars that drowned almost all of those words under black sheets of rain.  Those words are there, floating somewhere between the left speaker and the right...and painfully difficult to pick out...like the last verse of "Pretty in Pink" (the original version, not the movie's remake) by the Psychedlic Furs.  

That might actually be a good comparison to  make when trying to share what "Garland of Me" sounds like--thick, dense, epic, impenetrable, moody.  

The narrative of this song is based on the second definition of "garland"--not the ring of flowers or plants, the way I'm using this word is as an anthology or collection.  Imagine a broken hearted man who has been unwillingly cast aside by his love.  He wonders about his place in her world as her life continues without him in it.  What will she remember?  What stories will she tell?  

So, seeking to leave a more positive documentation of himself than their recent split might suggest, the man compiles photographs, ticket stubs, sections from letters, poetry, drawings...all of these things to specific moments, tethered to a shared past...all of that, into a book--like a photo album.  And, upon seeing her sitting at an outside table of a coffee shop, he appears only to hand the book he'd made for her over to her...and walks away.  

He knows that he can't make her keep the book.  He knows, really, he can't control how he is remembered by her...  But, if she is ever feeling nostalgic, if she happens to have not trashed the book immediately, she could lean upon the book being able to reminder about the times that they were happy together.  

She does respond, suggesting her own doubts in the wake of the sadness she feels, but she ends up only talking to herself...because he's already walked away.  

It is quite the narrative, especially for a loud and noisy shoegaze track.  (Maybe I redo this someday to make the spoken lyrics a bit more prominent--or, at least, understandable?  Maybe.)  

My favorite part of this track is when the full drums come in...it feels epic to me.  I hope it does to you, too!  

I hope you give this a listen and a like.  Often, when I really like a track I've made, it can struggle to get listens or likes...but you can help prove me wrong.  Consider reposting it, sharing it or adding it to a playlist.  

And, as always, I recommend you follow this page.  Each day brings a brand new, never heard before, Interbay track.  And each day, they'll be different.  Who knows what tomorrow might bring?  (Maybe that song about sex?  Why am I trying to make a song topic "a thing."?  But, it could be that song...or another.  I won't know until I hit "upload"...and then, if you're following this page, you'll know!

"Garland of Me" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

It is Monday, and for the fourth straight Monday, we're digging into the past to unearth a track originally shared on Facebook (before switching to SoundCloud), but having gone through a Rethink, Remake, Remix process to bring it up to the standards of what I post here on SoundCloud.  

This time, a fourth "R" should be added:  "Remaster."  Because the track known as "Experiment 15" was already meeting most of the directives that I've added to my productions that weren't in place when I was posting on Facebook.  It didn't need as much of a Rethink or a Remake as the previous three RRR exclusive remixes needed to post here.

I'll even go a step further.  I think this was the first Interbay track that felt like it could have been a DangerScience track (DangerScience being the post-punk band I was in back in the late 80s early 90s, and the only previous music project of mine that had ever recorded and distributed our original music before.)  I'm not sure if Crash, my former songwriting partner in a couple of different bands, would agree--but the combination of synths, guitars, drum machines and Sci-Fi dialogue snippets sure fits into what we were cooking up back then, in the original Phantom Laboratories.  

(One of the movies with a snippet in this track is the classic "War of the Worlds" from the 50s.  The long planned but never finished second DangerScience album had a track that I had written that was based on samples from that movie--so, there's a direct link from the DangerScience past to the Interbay present.)  

Certainly not nearly as "personal" as yesterday's track (and thanks to those of you who gave "Birthday Wishes" a listen), this is definitely very me...and I'm happy that it took a little dusting off, freshening up, and some power boosting to be able to share it with you here on SoundCloud.  

As always, I'm just asking you to give this track a listen.  Let me know what you think of it by giving it a like and/or leaving a comment.  If you feel like reposting it, sharing it, or adding to a playlist of yours--that would be awesome as well.  

And, the best way to stay current with the daily (so far!) Interbay track drops, is to follow this page (and a follow earns a follow back!)  

"Our Power (exp15 RRR)" *exclusive remix*

You've got your dance pop in my metal/punk!  

Well, you've got your metal/punk in my dance pop!  

Yes, once again...Interbay has become the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of music, shared exclusively here on SoundCloud.  So, let's kick up the tempo, turn those amps up to eleven, overclock the synthesizers and make Icarus VERY nervous...for today's latest drop, "Xelebration."  

(And yes, we are at the point where most of the tracks that have titles that start with the letter "X" are more and more likely going to be made-up words...but, in this case, I do think it actually sounds like the title in the processed vocal sample used.)  

So, Interbay has dropped synthpunk tracks in the past--this time, I think there's more of a metal vibe in the guitars, rather than strictly punk.  I grew up in the Midwest, the metal thing is part of who I am, even if I leaned more towards the punk/post-punk and pop/dance scenes.  

And, as you already know if you've been following Interbay for any length of time, I do love tossing lots of ingredients into the pot as it cooks on the stove...even those that you wouldn't think should go together.  

Even if those ingredients really don't go together--how else can I learn?  

If you're feeling slightly sluggish this weekend, this might be the injection of energy you need to kick start your day and get to the projects you've been putting off too long.  Hook up your bluetooth speakers (which, being bluetooth, really don't need to be "hooked up"--I am so old) and crank up a little "Xelebration" and see if that doesn't put a little pep in your step.  (I just used the word pep--again, I am so old.)  

Give it a listen, at least.  See if you like it (and give it a like if you do!)  You could repost it, share it,  add it to a playlist, leave a comment on it.  

And follow this page--even if "Xelebration" isn't your particular cup of tea.  Every day, there's some new tea, perhaps a flavor you'll like.  We're only a handful of tracks away from 500 consecutive days of dropping an original Interbay track here on SoundCloud.  

That's probably worthy of a Xelebration, right?

"Xelebration" *SoundCloud Exclusive*

Post-punk, dance, indie, electronic, and mutant pop in various styles (seriously!)--new tracks being posted daily (every day for over a year, so far!)

Interbay is the new project of Peter Greyy (previously of Cremation Dance and DangerScience), based out of Seattle and Phantom Laboratories West.