SAN FRAN VOICE WEAPONS CD REVIEW SEPTEMBER 2007

Europa is a band that I would have loved in high school. Now hold on, I’m not dissing the band at all (eek, dissing, I think I just went back to high school!) It’s just that, although I listen to a whole range of different music, my personal preferences have begun to lean towards softer, more lyrical songs in the last few years (I know, I know, I’m getting old). And Europa is anything but soft. They play an aggressive form of alternative rock music that never ever takes a breath. And they play it well.

The 6 tracks on their new CD, Weapons, all consist of the trio’s insistent instrumentals. The initial track is an instrumental-only but it’s a short song so you get the full effect of the band’s playing style without getting bored. And then they move into track two which incorporates the vocalist’s skills to round out the full effect. Their instruments are basic – drums, bass, guitars and their singer – but they play them in that old school way that makes you feel like there are far more instruments that there are and like they’re pressed against you on all sides. It’s the kind of music that makes you want to go crowd surfing. Or become a groupie.

Weapons isn’t a song that you can sit down to. It’s not something I’d play in the background on my laptop while I was doing work. It’s music that grabs you by your heart and reminds you of that old bumper sticker you had on your car; "if you’re not pissed off, you’re not paying attention". It’s a wake-up call that lets you know that there’s nothing dead about the alternative rock scene in the Bay Area. And it’s a wake-up call to me that maybe I should resume listening to music that can’t just be played in the background.

SAN FRAN VOICE

http://www.sanfranvoice.com/2007/09/page/2/

Published on September 5th



CD REVIEWS.COM The Filthy Kut CD 2006


Europa – The Filthy Kut / 2006 Self / 8 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/europa / europamusic@yahoo.com / Reviewed 26 January 2007
It takes Europa a few minutes, but the band shows that they can play their update version of The Outlaws during "Gods of War and Peace". I say updated, because there are hints of Ramones-like punk and other musical styles present during "The Filthy Cut". In fact, "Passive Aggressive" starts off with a Ramones-like drum line before going into an ersatz blend of rockabilly, country, punk, and the Foo Fighters. Europa is a mixed bag, that is for sure, but one has to wonder what would happen if they had the ability to clean up their sound. Chances are that they would be able to catapult themselves into the upper echelon of rock bands with this EP, but one is unsure considering the production is a slight bit under what would be necessary for the band to achieve success.

The guitar focus on "Passive Aggressive" is solid and provides a lot of the energy which Europa feed off of for the rest of the EP, and one should see exactly how tied Europa is to their immediate predecessors, bands like Husker Du and The Replacements. The only thing that holds "Passive Aggressive" back from being a bigger success has to be the electronic fuzz that marks the end point of the track. Where the song had been shredding for almost the entirety of the song, the last little bit is marked by this. "Revolver" showcases the same skillful guitar work and brings Europa into a blend of mid nineties alternative rock (Our Lady Piece, Soundgarden, I Mother Earth) with hints of the pop punk of acts like Face to Face present at the margins. Europa is a talented act and write tracks that could definitely make it onto radio, but two problems loom large in their immediate futures. First, the aforementioned problems with the recording will have to be dealt with, and they have to find a way to ensure that more individuals tune into their music.

Europa is an act that needs to both be checked out on the studio album and live, as I am sure (without seeing them live) that they bring even more in the way of energy to whatever venue that they are playing at. Go to their Myspace and pay them for a copy of "The Filthy Kut"; one will not be disappointed in the quality of music that soon comes blasting through the purchaser’s speakers.

Top Track: Revolver

Rating: 7.4/10

[JMcQ]

FILTHY KUT REVIEW 2006

..>..>..> ..TR> Europa - The Filthy Kut
..>





..>..>..> ..TR> Written by Kristen Brown

It may be proclaimed filthy, but it’s fairly impressive just the same.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[10.13.06]
Fresh out of San Jose, Calif., Europa has a variety of influences. From everything to The Beatles and The Police, to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, and to Nirvana and Soundgarden, they’ve got a very eclectic taste and quite the range of genres backing them as far as inspiration is concerned. But as the light bulb man himself once said, genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration. Europa has the inspiration part down, and they seem to have a pretty good grasp on the perspiration end of the deal as well—but…strangely, given their influences.

While there’s no given rule that a band has to sound even remotely like their influences, it’s rare to find a band new to recording that shows hardly any signs or hints of their musical inspirations in their own music. Their sound is easily comparable to that of Live, but strangely enough, Live isn’t listed as one of their influences. Or, at least, it’s not mentioned. Most especially, "Passive Aggressive" sounds as though it could easily have been resurrected from the tombs of forgotten Live songs unheard by human ears. Vocalist/guitarist Ryan Valiente, at times, even has an uncanny vocal resemblance to Ed Kowalczyk, or even Eddie Vedder. Especially in "Cracked Pavement," the resemblance sounds like a clear cross between the two vocalists, making for almost a dream track for fans of both Live and Pearl Jam.

For a band so new to recording to mesh sounds together and create a sound that doesn’t directly mimic that of their heroes, is a rare treat and shows great musical maturity and talent. Some tracks even feature an explosive, almost 80s hair band guitar style that adds something a little different to the mix.

With a powerful rhythm section and vocals with intensity to match, The Filthy Kut is surprisingly strong (even standing on its own) for a do-it-yourself debut. Of the eight short tracks on the album, no one song is particularly weaker than another. "Resolution 1441," while being the shortest song on the album, has a melodic sense of contentment and acceptance, but is accompanied by a heavy guitar that breaks out during the first chorus and matches the melody quite nicely. Their opening track, "Gods of War and Peace" packs a punch that, also unlike many other new bands, is maintained throughout the entirety of the twenty-six minute album.

With such a clean and solid debut, it should be interesting to hear what they come up with for a sophomore release. With time and practice, their sound should be even further developed and could easily draw in a pretty healthy fan base.

www.purevolume.com/europa
www.myspace.com/europa

Hey, Europa fans!!!

Are you interested in the music, and feel you need more???..............

WEAPONS is available for purchase at CDBaby.com

as well as Apple itunes and Napster amongst other digital distributers.

The direct link:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/europa07

To get direct updates on new releases, performances, and basic Europa information, please do subscribe to Europa blogs.

Many thanks, to those who support the Art.

Paradox Please
Copyright Shimi Mermelstein 2006 All Rights Reserved

We live in a world where

illness is the only cure, and

pain is suffered with a smile.

Daring to live

is a sin

Damnable!

The bitterness brews

In Winter’s belly.

Fermented to perfection.

Descending to the peak

of this chaotic serenity that

kills without casualties and

lives without tears.

To base one’s life on

the animosity of birth

condemn this life to death

in favor of tranquility.

Maybe?

______________________________________________________

The Cutter
Copyright Maria Besedin 2005 All Rights Reserved

I slice with a straight
razor a straight line
testing the depth of my skin.
Trying on the outside to define
All the sadness writhing within.

The ripping sensation is more
satisfying than tearing a t-shirt
to make cleaning rags.
A modern Cinderella, I’m sure
patiently washing my insides of dirt
bleaching a heart that sags.

I walk a tightrope
of delicate emotions, but now
I won’t mope,
This is how I cope.
Pull the curtain, I’m taking a bow.
Nothing can faze me at all-
my apathy will break my fall.

I watch my left arm slowly flood
I rejoice to be reunited with my blood.
Released from its prison deep below my skin
I’m wounded inside out,
Then from the outside in.

For me, depression’s December bride,
Love is my Hydrogen Peroxide.

The Lies Between Your Thighs
Copyright Maria Besedin 2007 All Rights Reserved

Fair weather friend

Dark clouds rush in to crowd the sky

With every breath you exhale

Poison gas tear gas but I won’t cry

The forecast is no fairy tale

but I can feel a tempest coming in my bones

It only stings when I’m alone

and I have to bite my tongue until it’s numb

So I won’t spit out your secrets like old gum

What sunshine was there ever in your deception?

A smile and a wink but no recollection

Of the lies that drifted unnoticed into the atmosphere

Dutifully, I sheltered them like raindrops in a desert

Hoping that at some point the clouds would clear

and it would rain truths upon your piles of dirt

He would sift through your lies

Although they are written in between your thighs

Disguised by deceiving eyes

For what was this fair weather friendship kept

and why for so long?

Just to be an excuse for where you had slept?

Perhaps I was wrong.

Maybe the world does revolve around you

and it’s not really straying if you don’t suck his dick

Fair weather shadiness rendered on cue

As your body loses the memory of every lick

You feign suspicion and it does the trick.

In your world the norm is a perpetual storm-

The thunder of your dramas continue to resonate

After you’ve gone and all that’s left is the destruction

That your hurricane temper helped to create.

______________________________________________________

THE MARTINI OF LOVE
copyright Maria Besedin 2005 All Rights Reserved

Uncertainty is shaken and not stirred

Splattered and spilled onto the tablecloths of self-deception

Love is always wiped with fear and blurred

Hurt is always hope at the start of its conception.

I pricked my tongue on the toothpick of doubt

While nibbling on the olives of trust

A martini of love can’t be drunk without

Garnishes that make us confuse it with lust.

The first taste of love tastes something divine

Swirling warm in a freewheeling mind

But down at the bottom, the last sip is bitter, too strong

Boggles my mind that I wanted to savour it for so long.

Yet why with such disappointment, do I order another?

Try to find the same taste within a new lover?

I guess after a couple, or many or more than a few

I just don’t care for a taste that is new.

TRUTH
Copyright Samantha Mehlman 2008 All Rights Reserved

I am what you call a sex addict.

Not a whore or a slut, simply addicted to sex,

to the feel of someone’s body covering mine,

hands caressing my stomach, my arms, my breasts,

someone touching me, tasting me,

someone to touch and to taste.

I am addicted to skin, to contact.

I crave it all the time, crave someone to call mine.



Since the age of 12 I knew the nag of a hand undoing my blouse,

since 13 the taste of cum fresh on my breath,

at 14 my legs buckling, waddling duck-legged down the middle school halls

to the calls of my classmates name-teasing.



I have been called a slut and a whore before,

but these are erroneous accusations.

May you try me and find that I am,

in fact,

guilty of a rather different dirty pleasure.



Please, your Honor, it is the fault of none other than my left hand,

who taught me at an early age the war it could wage just below the belt.

Sex runs through me the way the river runs through Mississippi

because I, dear jury, I met the dick devil

at a level too early to conceive of its power,

allowing myself and my world to be devoured by the body’s

instinctive insistence to procreate.



Don’t get me wrong, I hate the way I look, always have,

need a touch or a grab to bring me that beat I believe I lack.

Fucking is my way of saying fuck off to the vicious voices in my head.

If I fail then I simply get nailed to annihilate my guilt.



It’s the greatest ego boost a girl could use.

Sex equates love in my life.


Sex is love, and life is sex.

But I’m getting ahead of myself here.

The rest, my friend, is history.

That is, the history of
me.



RIP
Copyright Samantha Mehlman 2008 All Rights Reserved

Snap

Crackle

Pop

Puff

Pass

Puff, pass

Make the feeling

Last

Master,

Mister,

Minister in disguise of

Demise, oh

Demon,

Oh ruiner

Saint

Paint a picture

Putrid green

Snot

Snout

Shout

Shit!

I’ve got the itch,

The burning,

The yearning

For more

More

More

Music

Loud and

Proud

With pride

Hide

In a white smile

For a while

Whiskey sour

Twenty-three 5th’s in an hour

Use power for

Pain

Brain shredding

Family meddling

Man that you are

A scar

A rip

In black fabric

Fables for children

Chastise my

Eyes

Fill my nose

Rose red

Words said –

Play dead.

As a doornail

What befell must

Fall for

We are all

Human

Even you, oh

Satan of

Snap,

Crackle,

Pop,

Puff,

Pass –



CRACK.

I can honestly say that I have never wanted to be famous; never dreamed of having a star with my name on it or my handprint acting as a floor matt for overpriced shoes stuffed with overblown ego’s walking along Hollywood Blvd. Never envisioned my name lit up in the bright neon lights of a famous marquee.
BUT I have always striven for success. I have always done what it takes to win – and win with style and reverence without compromising my values. Whether that means relenting control or taking charge of the situation, my priority is to play whatever role is necessary to catapult the team to success.
Have you ever dreamed of being famous? Well I always wanted to be a part of that team, laying low, behind the scenes, never seen or heard but all the while propelling others towards their goals – YOUR GOALS! This is the dream of Shiminy Cricket Entertainment.
The buzz we get from introducing the world to your art. The high we get when the world responds in awe to the talent that has been ever-present yet undiscovered until now – that is what SCE is about; your dream, your vision, and your artistic expression.
Have you ever seen street performers panhandling for change and thought “Wow! These people have real talent.” Why are they here extending their hats, hoping/begging for a handout in the form of the detested shiny silver that clangs around in your pocket as you walk?
Have you ever seen your friend’s band play in an empty dive bar? Their notes poetically blaring from the speakers making your heart shutter and skipping a beat as if you’ve just witnessed a miracle – the miracle of creation.
The answer to these anomalies is that it takes a lot more than talent to make it in the entertainment industry. It takes hard work and of course thick skin, but most importantly it takes someone who knows the industry and believes in your art and in your potential as an artist, as much, if not more, than you yourself do.
The truth of the matter is that the most talented artists; musicians, painters, writers, poets, actors and film makers, are not necessarily those whose works have received critical acclaim or climbed to No. 1 on the charts. Many of the world’s greatest talents, those whose novel creations redefine their respective arts while expressing the emotions that collectively make up the human condition in a manner that anyone with a pulse can relate to, have never been seen or heard by the general population. They are the goddesses walking down the street, the performers panhandling on the subway, the garage band playing to an imaginary crowd, and your close friend reciting poetry to a select group of people in the safety of their own home.
This realization of truth is the foundation of the vision that has been nurtured with the blood, sweat, and tears; allowing it to blossom into what is now known as SCE.
I’ve been on the news, won championships and an Olympic medal (Maccabi) in sports. I fucked the prom queen, and beat the shit out of the prom king (he had it coming;), but none of these conquests even compare to the feeling I get from seeing the awe-inspiring reaction of the masses when introduced to the art that motivates every member of SCE.
I invite you all to share in this journey. Come with me! Be inspired and celebrate the beauty of NOW!

my mind has ran far this time, may i chase it, over there, look. i can;t see a dam thing. but yet i feel the presence of a mighty force, thoughout the unraviling of mistic mind set's and drama filled studio pranksters, i 2 hold a wicket blade 2 unleashed, forward i say, move upon my remebrance. that manner is way 2 complicated 4 all 2 heed & embrace,follow the trail of a howling distant wolf.know one see's the beauty befor there eye's. only i do, and dont ask me how.

Hey!

we got a gig at the One Red Chair on Jan 26 at 7 so bring ur coffee mugs and get ready to rock

Hello friends,

After months of hard work and decision making, "Emotions" is now
strong and in full-force

http://music.yahoo.com/release/35651298

These songs have already been promoted in Portugal, London, Holland
and in the states and have received phenomenal feedback. DJ's
say the dance floor comes alive!

Thank you all for your support today and in the past. God bless
you, I'll see you all at the top. :)

Jason J.
www.jasonj.biz