This page is for tracks made in response to Naviar Records weekly haiku challenges. I have been involved for years now.  Check out UNNECESSARY ENTERPRISES pages here on Soundcloud and also the collections at Bandcamp. This page "activated" in September, 2018.

Determination. Dedication. Drive. Strong words, but none fit better to describe the level of commitment Modesto, CA's Better Left Unsaid apply to their music. Active since 2003, BLU combine influences ranging from the thrash of Testament, the grooves of Pantera and the sheer attack of Machine Head into a modern metal whole that stands tall beside the likes of Threat Signal, Soilwork and Meshuggah.

In 2008, Better Left Unsaid released their national debut, The Fight Within, on Stillborn Records. The album benefited from critical acclaim as well as coverage on MTV's Headbangers Ball for the video single “Testify”. Sophomore album Only the Dead to Witness followed in 2010, and established the rhythmic pummeling sprinkled with melody that now defines the band's sound.

BLU entered ProView Studios with engineer/producer Adam Ruppel at the dials. The band's highly-anticipated third album is set for release on May 28, 2013 and will be followed by extensive touring.

Better Left Unsaid have proven themselves to be a workhorse band with a steadfast DIY attitude. Be it through their seven US tours, averaging 150 dates per year since 2008, or onstage alongside the likes of Killswitch Engage, Devildriver, 3 Inches Of Blood, Daath, Mushroomhead, Hed P.E. and Hatebreed, these guys undeniably get things done, and have their sights set even higher for 2013.

In a dark kitchen in the middle of a sweaty night in Las Vegas, all 6’4” of Dan Reynolds is hunched over a laptop, slapping beats on the table and crooning lyrics into a tiny microphone. Before long, he and the other three members of indie rock band Imagine Dragons would be playing “It’s Time,” that same laptop-demo-turned-supersized-anthem, from the roof of a parking garage to a wave of thousands of screaming fans. This song title to the single from their 2012 debut KidInaKorner/Interscope release “Continued Silence EP” is an all too apt descriptor of the band’s hard-earned success—but it’s also emblematic of the deep-seated anxiety Reynolds and the rest of the band experienced leaving behind any realistic expectation of a normal job to do the thing they love most.

A third-generation Las Vegas native, Reynolds is no stranger to the adage “the house always wins,” choosing to pave his musical career with a near obsessive work ethic and hundreds of unused demos rather than roll the dice with the first songs that sprung from his mouth. It’s no surprise, then, that he was drawn to guitarist Wayne Sermon, another founding member of Imagine Dragons. Having practically grown up in a recording studio and graduated Berklee College of Music, Wayne had been practicing his guitar through meals and other socially inappropriate situations as long as he could remember; he challenged Dan in a way that was both uncomfortable and exactly what they both needed. When they began writing songs together and recognized something special was happening, Wayne called up his Berklee friend Ben McKee, who promptly dropped out of school with only a few credits left, moving across the country to play bass for the band. This sort of reckless/genius behavior is typical for Ben, who has an uncanny penchant for spicy food and a suitcase full of unbelievable road stories. More recently, the band was joined by drummer Daniel Platzman, another Bostonian schoolmate who seems way too nice to be playing rock and roll until you actually see him in action.

Several tours and three self-released EPs later, Imagine Dragons had made a serious name for itself, particularly in the west coast circuit. Although their songs vary from nearly whimsical and light to brooding and powerful, listeners are drawn to the inherent honesty in the music. The only rule of thumb for the band, it seems, is to write from a true place; the result is songs that literally run the spectrum of human emotion. Attend a concert, and it becomes clear that the live performance of deeply personal songs has a real effect on people. And the band itself is not immune, as demonstrated when Dan literally passed out into the drum set during a finale song, sending cymbals and drum stands crashing while the rest of the band played on until the close.

Great songwriting is bound to be noticed eventually. As proof that the harder you work, the luckier you get, one of those people who noticed was Grammy winning producer Alex da Kid (Eminem, Rihanna). Alex and Dan began collaborating on projects, and soon the band had developed a relationship with Alex and his team. The alchemy resulting from Alex’s hip hop sensibilities and Imagine Dragons’ anthemic rock is nothing short of explosive. The byproduct of this creative collision is “Continued Silence,” a six song in-your-face sonic grenade that breaks musical boundaries and yet is strangely relatable by its improbably diverse audience.

Despite it all, on any given day when they aren’t on the road playing shows, you can still find Imagine Dragons huddled away in a rehearsal room somewhere, banging out song after song in search of the next perfect track. Like most things in Vegas, the band is angled at going big or going bust. For the sake of those who love great music, we hope it’s the former.

You are a witness to the next wave of heavy music as Hammershot storms the Bay Area, continuing the proud tradition of in-your-face, no-nonsense metal.  Combining hypnotic, frantic guitar grooves, pounding bass lines, screaming dual vocals, and steady assault of percussion, Hammershot leaves anyone within earshot little choice but to jump around breaking stuff and inflicting pain.

Hammershot's roots date back to Fremont, California in 2009 as the brain-child of guitarist/vocalist Adam Mason.  Heavily influenced by such giants as Pantera and Black Label Society, the seed was planted and soon grew into a sound of its own.

The band took the Bay Area by storm in late 2011 as they competed in - and eventually placed second overall in the final round - the Gorilla Music Battle of the Bands for San Francisco.  The first EP "This Is It" was released in 2012 as they continued to savage the ears of head-bangers throughout Northern California.

Today's configuration became complete in mid 2013 when vocalist Stu Modifies joined the fold.  The future holds much more in store for Hammershot.  A new full-length album is in the early stages of production.  Killer merchandise is on the horizon and will soon be seen on the bodies of metalheads throughout the region.  More Bay Area shows and other events are on the calendar. 

In The Lonely Hour (10th Anniversary Edition) out now 🤍
https://samsmith.world/itlh10

warpathjames is following