Rock band The Neo-Kalashnikovs Achieve 40,000 Downloads in Auckland

 
If you haven't heard of The Neo-Kalashnikovs by now you really are missing out. Their free debut album"She's On Heat" has had over 4000 downloads amassing over 40,000 individually downloaded songs.The albums cover adorned by a flame engulfing the bands logo was released in November 2012 in New Zealand. The rock album has gained an outstanding review from critics and NZ rock fans. It's not hard to see why either as their songs have huge hooks that are lyrically outstanding and do justice to rock 'n' roll in general. If you like Nirvana, The Black Keys or bands like Queens of the Stone Age you will love this band, a lot.

Whats even more electrifying about the Auckland based rock band is that they are all directly related. Lead singer Volita Bioletti is the oldest who also plays electric guitar. The youngest sibling Gabriel Bioletti plays bass and Keyboards while middle child Moss Bioletti smacks the stuffing out of the drums. Im of the opinion that the trio really do know their way around the rock genre. This should come as no surprise either as they have been gigging regularly since they were in their teens. I guess this is one of the main reasons why album "She's On Heat" breathes the flames of veteran tenacity. Perhaps all those dingy bar gigs in L.A and New York that the band has rumored to play in early 2011 have some truth to them. Hands down my favorite songs off the debut are "Diamonds" that sees a guitar screaming out of a Marshall stack. "I Don't Wanna be Your Friend" which is an uber hipster classic rock song and the truly heartfelt beauty of "Shining Star" that is lyrically elegant. 

After listening to the album over and over again there is no doubt in my mind that Olly Harmer played a vital role in making "She's On Heat" as good as it is. His recording prowess that has seen him produce more hit records than you've had hot dinners in Mt Eden is evident. His most recent contribution that proved pivotal was the recording of "The Naked and Famous" album that achieved Gold status in the U.S. Despite all the technicalities of hit records I am going to stop writing this article and go back to listening to "She's On Heat" because this is Kiwi rock at its best. And there is no need to worry If you haven't been lucky enough to download a copy because its available for free at theneokalashnikovs.com. You can also tweet the band at @neokalashnikovs and like them at facebook.com/theneokalashnikovs if you become super-fans to keep up with all their raucous antics, lets hope they stay out of jail. 

A snap shot of The Neo-Kalashnikovs Favourite Rock Albums

I just wanted to share some of The Neo-Kalashnikovs favorite Rock records of recent times. Many of you know that we are into a whole range of artists from Iggy Pop to The Black Keys and our all time favorite Nirvana. The reason I want to share our influences with you for is because I recently read that

"The album is Dead"

The music critics said this was due to the fact that the internet era had destroyed the album economically. Apparently "the album was the only form that the music industry found to monetize music", really?? t-shirts, live shows, endorsements seem to spring to mind. But whatever the case I don't think albums will be going anywhere anytime soon and if anything they well just get better and better. Lets face it a classic album is much better than a hit record because it lasts longer, a hit single is here one day gone tomorrow a classic album lasts forever in every new generation.

Here they are:
The Black Keys: "Brothers" (Soul drenched Swamp Rock)http://youtu.be/8oIleJxHTN0

This album is so sick and it's not just because it was recorded at Muscle Shoals studio were The Rolling Stones recorded "Goat's Head Soup" & Lynyrd Syynrd recorded "Freebird". It's wicked because of the super groovy drum feels, rocktastic guitar tones and powerful lyrics, the vocals are also distorted to perfection vocals. The ethos of Patrick Carney the bands drummer is right on as well he says if in doubt play the drums as hard as you can!!!.

The Silversun Pickups - Swoon (L.A Rock at its Best)http://youtu.be/C9lEkiKP8LM

I remember when I heard this record I was impressed I listened to it constantly on repeat for quite a while. Seeing the lead singer at a tiny gig in at Echo Park in Cali also springs not mind such good vibes surround this record. They are such a veteran band the lead singer said that if he played to 7 people and made a connection that was the best thing ever. They played around L.A for almost 10 years a lot of people thought they were rubbish.
The album is just pure symbol of perseverance in the face of adversity. The Silversun Pickups name also comes from the local liquor store they youse to frequent a lot!!. Apparently they lived on Miller's Beer for a couple of months lol. My favorite tracks on this record are "The Royal We", "Growing Old is Getting Old" and "Panic Switch".

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (Road Worn Battle Rock)http://youtu.be/uElD3acEdsQ

Well this album is an older album but you can't really top it. The album can be best described as a "F&%kin Fighter". Tom Petty's emotion in this album is spellbinding. I'm surprised this album doesn't punch you in the face when you put it on it has so much attitude. I love the drumming on this album because even though the drummer was a maniac and everyone wanted to get rid of him he just had that swag. I reckon if hadn't been on the album this record would have been rubbish. As it were though he made the cut and drummed this record into rock history. You can also really hear that this album was recorded on tape by pros. The musicianship on every song is spectacular. I really can't say enough good stuff about this record.

Nirvana - Nevermind (GRUNGE)http://youtu.be/olLrLsPsSZk

This album is amazing and It really annoys me to hear how Butch Vig was the guy who made this record a rock milestone. Without Kurt Cobian, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic this album wouldn't even exist. One of the most important people outside the band that made this record the utter business was Andy Wallace who fixed up the whole record after Butch Vig did a lame ass job mixing the album. Kurt Cobain apparently went into the studio and told Mr Vig to give up because all he heard was treble. Anyway Wallace delivered the bass and compression in the mixes that made "Nevermind" well "Nevermind". "In The Bloom", "Come As You Are" and "Smell's Like Teen Spirit" are my favourites. This is a sick album if not the sickest album ever!!!.

The Neo-Kalashnikovs New Music video for "Take It Or Leave It" (In a Mustang)

Here is the official music video for "Take It Or Leave It" by The Neo-Kalashnikovs.
Moss Bioletti and Katie Oh directed the video for the band. Owen Harris supplied the American Muscle of the red 66' Mustang and they all took it for a spin down Queen St. It was a wild video this one and it was a very spur of the moment endeavour. Volita the singer of The Neo-Kalashnikovs managed to hire an awesome red light for the video that really brought it everything together. The video was shot on an Iphone 5 and Samsung Galaxy camera. Charlie Bioletti and Alister Spelter manned the lights with Jack over from the United States. The song "Take it Or Leave It" was recorded with award winning recording engineer Olly "Magic" Harmer at the iconic Lab Studios in a day which produced the singles "Turn The Tables" and "Gorgeous Baby"too. The album "Gorgeous Baby" is available as a free instant download here. And you can stream "Take it Or Leave It" below. The Bioletti siblings will be getting to work on their next release "Urban Warfare" very soon all the songs are written and just need to be rehearsed and recorded.

The Neo-Kalashnikovs New Rock Video "Bohemia"

The Neo-Kalashnikovs have just released their latest music video for rock song 'Bohemia'
off 'She's On Heat'. The Music video for 'Bohemia' is all about playing rock for everyone who has died and can't do so anymore. The main message of the song and video is to keep playing rock for everyone that you want to remember who is gone. The passion for living life and withstanding the trials and tribulations is what 'Bohemia" stands for. The band Metallica and they're song "Nothing Else Matters" was an influence on this track. Stream the Video Below:

The Neo-Kalashnikovs New Music Video "Rock 'N' Roll Friend" Out Now

The Neo-Kalashnikovs new music video "Rock N Roll Friend" is out now. The all family rock
band from Auckland, New Zealand recorded and mixed the song in their hometown. This song is a direct flip of the hat to The Go-Betweens an amazing rock band. They were introduced to their music by Greg Franco in Los Angeles a veteran of the Echo Park Music scene. Both Volita and Greg preformed this song at the Tribal Cafe in L.A a year and a half ago. The tribal cafe was the frequent local haunt of some of the most critically acclaimed artists in modern times. You can also stream and download the song below of Soundcloud. Keep rocking in the freeworld.

The Neo-Kalashnikovs: "She's On Heat" - Wave Download (Super Good Cd Quaility)

   Download "She's On Heat" as a HQ Wave Download:

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?09y94otnd31pr2u

This is for everyone who wants to hear everything on the recording in High Fidelity. Or stream the album below on soundcloud.

David Dallas' New Music Video: "Don't Want The World" Off His Mixtape Buffalo Man

I'm so glad to see David Dallas dropping his chronic new video

for the killer track "Don't Want The World" off his free mixture

Buffalo Man available here for free:

http://www.daviddallas.co.nz/buffaloman.html

It's also totally awesome to see Dallas blazing in his fur coat 

and Adidas track-suit. I'm really amping for his new album 

that should coming out really soon called "Falling into Place"

last time I heard the noise about his release in the rap game.

I was also well impressed with the grueling U.S tour the 

homie took last year. Good stuff Bro can't wait for the next

video can I shoot it :). Also really glad to say that 

David Dallas tweets back when he gets the chance so

if your a fan get at him.

The Neo-Kalashnikovs - On Las Vegas Strip

Man walking around Las Vegas is such a trip. We had our personal buddy Marko Gregetti rolling around with us when we were their. The really great thing about Vegas in The Neo's opinion is the ability to drink on any street. They actually sell drinks directly on the street, we all each got a huge long island that was insane to celebrate such lenience. Although I was slightly nervous as there were cops around and I wasn't 21 but all was sweet.

After checking out all of the lights we went back to our hotel the "El Cortez" and gambled away some dollars .Marko almost lost all his money but I stepped into the breach and put some cash on the line and we clambered our way back to break even, winning.
It was a pity the 3 million dollar machine only spat out $15 for us like 5 times instead of a mill haha. If you ever get to Las Vegas you won't regret it but man it's hot in the desert.

Moss

The Neo-Kalashnikovs debut rock album "She's On Heat" is available Below as a free download:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ex11q6etwa1so54

The Neo-Kalashnikovs Play Juice Bar March 22nd 2013

The Neo-Kalashnikovs will playing one hell of a Rock N Roll Show in Parnell at the Iconic Juice Bar.
The gang actually played a gig of sorts their for an Orcon advertising campaign which was a hoot.
The band is really looking forward to meeting all the other bands and as usually kicking out the jams.

This show is the week after our show at Leigh Sawmill on the 16th of March so be sure to catch us live if you are curious or a fan that has downloaded our rock album "She's On Heat" available here for free instantly:             http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ex11q6etwa1so54       (click the link :)

The Neo-Kalashnikovs play UFO Rock Club (Live Video Footage)

This was a gig The Neo-Kalashnikovs played early 2012 in an industrial warehouse turned Rock N Roll Club called UFO. 
It was a very relaxed short set. We were extremely behind on time due to some other bands playing their whole back catalogue. So we got everything back on track with our very short set lol. I don't think there is anything more rock than a two song set laughs.
We've changed our ways though and now average a whole album
of songs per show.

Download both "Diamonds and Paranoia" off our free instant download album "She's On Heat" (click on the link below):  

http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?ex11q6etwa1so54 

The Neo-Kalashnikovs play Rock inside a UFO in Avondale

The Neo-Kalashnikovs played an awesome first gig of The Backyard Tour at rock club UFO in Avondale. A special thanks to Andrew Maitai who let everyone play at his place that is so sweet at the moment. Loud rock n roll rang out through the industrial area/neighbourhood. James the drummer of Freaky Meat ended up doing two drum sets back to back playing in his main band Freaky Meat and also his bit on the side the awesome Echo O's with Guy Fawkes on guitar and effects and Vicky on Vocals guitar and bass. If you can think of The White Stripes playing old school rock with an otherworldly space demon and thumping drums that's very close to what they sound like. 

The Neo-Kalashnikovs were the last to take to the stage with Gabriel writing up one of his best set lists to date. The band played a full 40 minute set with all the hits from "To Russia" to "Shining Star" and new single "Gorgeous Baby" included. It was one hell of a start to the tour and The Neos signed a hell of a lot of cd's after their set, it was an awesome Beiber like moment. After the show Volita and I hit the new rock club Ding Dong downtown and had flashbacks of our time on Sunset Boulevard as "Guns and Roses" was playing obnoxiously loud. I really hope they get their sound up and running so we can play their asap and show them how great but outdated the Guns are. 

The Neo-Kalashnikovs Interview on U.K Music Blog: RealSoundsOK

RealSoundsOK

Your name: 

Moss Bioletti, I’m the drummer of The Neo-Kalashnikovs.

Where are you from?

Auckland city, New Zealand.

Name of band:

The Neo-Kalashnikovs.  Who else is in your band?
There's three of us, we are all siblings. My sis Volita Pearl is the singer and guitarist and my brother Gabe is on bass.

How would you describe yourselves?

Sexy.

Who are your main influences musically?

Iggy Pop and The Stooges, Arctic Monkeys, Queens of the Stone Age, The Kills, Band of Skulls, Blondie, Joan Jet and The Killers to name some out of a billion.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

That Beatle status, raging success and mounds of money. I aim to sell 50 records then 100 records then 1,000, all the way up to a million.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

Finishing our first album and getting a great reaction. Putting yourself and music out there is a thrill and humbling if people actually like it. Getting 2000 downloads so far has been a real buzz.

What’s the moment you want to forget?

Being lost in downtown in LA walking ominously close to skid row and thinking about grabbing a box and sleeping in it. No jokes.

If you could choose just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

Diamonds because it’s rough and tumble indie rock n roll.

Where can we listen to it?

Here is the free instant download link of our album She’s On Heat http://www.mediafire.com/?ex11q6etwa1so54  and you can listen to it, get it for free or buy it you wanna show some love on bandcamp: http://theneokalashnikovs.bandcamp.com/

Where can we find out more about your music?

We are on twitter: https://twitter.com/neokalashnikovs

Facebook: www.facebook.com/theneokalashnikovs

Instagram: volita is on instagram @neo_kalashnikovs

Our official website: www.theneokalashnikovs.com

Anything else you’d like to say about your band that I forgot to ask?

People ask us a lot why we gave our album away for free and I want to give an official answer. Before I released the album as a free instant download it was just sitting on my hard-drive. I thought to myself I really wanted people to hear my music and become fans, so I let everyone enjoy it for free. I'm going to finish up five albums this year and give them all away for free to our fans. Once we hit the 20,000 download mark it might be wise to start charging lol but that's not far away. The Neo-Kalashnikovs will be playing heaps of gigs to show everyone we mean business and make sure we get our sponsorship deals.   

<a href="http://theneokalashnikovs.bandcamp.com/track/gorgeous-baby">Gorgeous Baby by The Neo-Kalashnikovs</a>

Posted by RealSoundsOK at 10:00

The Neo-Kalashnikovs: New Single "Diamonds"

Here it is "Diamonds" by The Neo-Kalashnikovs latest single off "She's On Heat".

The all sibling band would like to thank all the great press from NZ musician magazine and everyone who has helped us recently in recording, producing and rocking the stage. Big shout out to Mikey of Inside Out for a mean gig at Juice bar and the awesome Favoured Few who shredded the stage.

The Neo-Kalashnikovs recording and finishing up their Sophomore Album

We just finished our singles for our second album that is still untitled at the moment. A huge thanks to Olly Harmer (above) for recording and mixing three world class songs in a day and a half your work ethic is unreal!!. We are really excited for everyone to hear the new tracks and the band will be working the songs to radio internationally as well as the upcoming video for "Gorgeous baby".

When we were recording we ended up using tons and tons of compression so once the songs are mastered by Brian Lucey (El Camino: The Black Keys) they will be released to generate buzz for the upcoming album.
I also set up the drum mics like The Rollingstones to produce a classic drum sound which was great running through the Neve Desk. Volita also had here "Hot Cake" pedal running on maximum for most choruses and not one synth was touched in the whole session. The only overdubs that occured were Volita's vocal tracks and Gabriel playing the grand piano which sounds nice.

The Neo-Kalashnikovs

The Neo-Kalashnikovs play Laingholm Saturday 16th Feb

We are playing Laingholm at the Primary School this Saturdy Feb 16th and will be rocking out our whole album "She's On Heat" live. All the details are here: http://www.facebook.com/TheBackYardTourists

Also the New lead single "Gorgeous Baby" is dropping Valentines Day for all the couples, ladies and guys trying to impress the ladies haha

The Neo-Kalashnikovs

The Neo-Kalashnikovs Live and Unplugged plus Auckland Regional Tour

We had the great pleasure of playing at The Clare Inn Last night with Earwig Studio owner Darren Mcshane.
Of course the live sound was taken care of by the man himself and everything ran smoothly. It was funny to see my name on the board but I guess I'm a singer songwriter too lol. Our first poster for the "She's On Heat" instant download album that will be up shortly round town also got kidnapped and it was great to see people logging onto our website and downloading our album (get your copy here) .I'll post some video footage of our unplugged performance up here very soon.

Also the band will be preforming an Auckland Regional Tour with poet Murray Haddow, Freaky Meat and th Echo O's that is going to be awesome. The first gig is at UFO in New Lynn on Saturday the 9th of Feb and then the next will be in Laingholm on the 16th Feb Saturday at the school hall. All details can be found here

New Video "I Don't Wanna Be Your Friend" by The Neo-Kalashnikovs

Download "I Don't Wanna Be Your Friend" and the entire album "She's On Heat" by The Neo-Kalashnikovs here Instantly for Free:

http://www.mediafire.com/?ex11q6etwa1so54

Picket NZ on Air With The Neo-Kalashnikovs

Picketing at the NZ on Air Office on B1 / One Beresford Square, Newton. This is for anyone who is sick of the present NZ on Air music funding scheme in NZ.The Neo-Kalashnikovs will be there and haters gonna hate when their Funding titty gets taken away. Feel free to bring along copies of your CDs that never got funding. This will be a traditional placarding event so please bring signs and cameras. 

Free Instant Download of 100% self-funded 
"She's On Heat" Rock Album by the Neo-Kalashnikovs (Click on the Blue Link)
http://www.mediafire.com/?ex11q6etwa1so54

Clap Clap Riots' "Counting Spins" = Rock with Attitude

An album review of Clap Clap Riot's: Counting Spins 

Clap Clap Riots debut album Counting Spins has been finished to an extremely high standard that demands respect. Any rock musician or rock fan knows that budgets are tight and sales are down so when a flawlessly produced album drops its serious stuff. I also vividly remember catching the members talking about how they financed the album by the dearest mother getting a bank loan which I had real respect for. To me this album reeks of well spent money that is undeniably world-class. The actions of the young men to carve out such a strong album with a lot on the line is impressive. Pressure who needs it. 

From the "Kasabian-esque" guitar tone and thundering bass drum of opening track "Holiday" a dynamic rock sound erupts from my speakers. For a second it causes me to abruptly think about Clap Clap Riot as a band objectively. I personally believe it's important to note their original approach is direction that is not strictly commercial or alternative but somewhere in-between which is better. I'm not saying that all NZ bands aren't original but unique pieces of art in NZ music in most cases aren't always truly realized. I personal believe that being located so far away from any real music hot-spots globally NZ bands do have a tendency to follow instead of lead .However, the wickedly phased guitars and gated claps of "Moss-haired girl" are a testament to a band that flourishes under the imaginative pressures in the studio. Once in full swing "Moss haired girl" really comes alive chugging along like a testosterone fueled Ozzfest at it's peak. The solid groove and playful lyrics I strongly believe would do well on radio (perhaps not an obvious pick but a strong one nevertheless).

The evocative lyrics of Counting Spins also adds a great deal of weight to the L.P making for a great aesthetic experience. My favorite track based on lyrics is 'Forget You'. Clearly a therapeutic break up song the simple chorus "I won't forget you baby" really hits home. This song really has a strong feeling of emotion within it. By listening to the song I actually feel a feeling of genuine love in the singers voice and that maybe overly romantic but I definitely think that he's working out some heavy emotional issues because "he's so cold- so cold". 

As a rock music fan I know that there is always a struggle to keep up with pop musics boundary pushing production level standards. Maria and the diamonds latest album and Katy Perry's music are a testament to the level of U.S/U.K's music production prowess. Fortunately Counting Spins is easily equal. It's first single 'So You Say' has achieved fantastic results of heavy rotation on all the major radio stations in NZ and has stormed the itunes rock charts for multiple weeks. I highly recommend this album!.

Moss

Lana Del Ray: Born To Die (album Review)

Lana Del Ray: Born to Die

I think to objectively review "Born To Die" on it's merits one needs to firstly address the swirling allegations that Lana Del Ray is a fraud and a rich girl who doesn't deserve anything. Just google the studio and you can see that she recorded her break out song "Video Games" in squalor. The studio is arguably run by Sony BMG however the hard times of the record industry are drastically apparent as the studio consists of virtually only a computer and a pair of speakers. Lana Del Ray's dad may be a millionaire but if she has been being spoon feed millions it doesn't make sense that she would sign a record deal for $10,000 and move into a trailer park in upstate N.Y to write her songs. 

In terms of the music on the album its great. I'm not saying their aren't only positives but in terms of a hit album that has immediate appeal this is a great album. My personal favorites are "Video games" which uniquely ties sparse electro-symphony production to an 1950's swag. While "Summer Time Sadness" has a melancholy hipster edge. Standouts are also "National Anthem" that chucks a nod to J.F.K (R.I.P) and "Blue Jeans" for it's contemporary take on modern life/love that conjures striking imagery through it's lyrical beauty.

  Moss Bioletti (The Neo-Kalashnikovs)