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Shuffle Magazine, issue #2
http://www.morisen.com/ShuffleVol2.pdf

Exit Box (Huntersville)
myspace.com/exitboxnc
Exit Box front man Holocaust Mike delivers his lyrics with a raw-throated exasperation that makes comparisons to Rites of Spring and Fugazi wailer Guy Picciotto come easy. The band battles Mike’s lunging howls with churning, tumultuous instrumentals, evoking a classic emocore style, both fresh and confrontational. Despite having only a 3-song demo and a handful of local shows under their belts, the young punks from Huntersville have the rage and passion of legends in the making. (BR)

Seth Kauffman (Black Mountain)
sethkauffman.com
With a weary moan, Seth Kauffman laments “Sometimes you just don’t feel like digging” on his sophomore LP, Research. But the sentiment doesn’t apply to Kauffman’s music, which, as the
album title suggests, is built on archival understanding of various vintage styles ranging from bossa nova to Southern soul, rockabilly and blues. It lends Kauffman’s rough-hewn arrangements the wonder of a collection of beautiful elements, collaged to create something new from pieces of the past. (BR)

Between The Buried And Me (Winston-Salem)
betweentheburiedandme.com
At large, metalcore is a tangled, ridiculous mess of expressionless algebra – but Between The Buried And Me is a glorious exception to the rule. With 2007’s Colors, BTBAM delivers a dramatic exploration of varied hues from brutal blast beats and pummeling riffs to soaring melodic phrases. But more unexpected sonic detours give the band a depth unheard of in the
genre. It’s a start-to-finish masterpiece of American metal accomplished with virtuosic grace and fluidity. (BR)

The Artichokes (Pawleys Island)
myspace.com/theartichokes
The Artichokes, like countless other young garage bands have a modest foundation: a few shows, some demo recordings and oodles of enthusiasm. But they’ve also got one up on their peers – boundless potential. This is a band that can turn songs about homesick Martians or seafaring adventures into pure charm with earnest delivery and endearingly goofy songwriting. “Sweater
Weather” exemplifies the band’s precociousness and wide-eyed optimism, and shows future promise for the band. (BR)

Jozeemo (Durham)
myspace.com/jozeemo
Never content to merely allude to violence in his crime narratives, Durham’s Jozeemo spills blood-soaked images with disturbing detail, putting listeners into the trembling line-of-sight
of one of Joe Murda’s victims. On his latest mixtape, The Untold Story, Jozeemo virulently threatens to “leave your brains on your homeboy’s Air Force Ones.” Consistently, the newest addition to Hall of Justus’ esteemed roster puts enough horror in his rhymes to scare the glamour out of the street. (BR)

Cool John Ferguson (Beaufort, SC)
cooljohnferguson.com
On his latest, With These Hands, S.C. guitarist Cool John Ferguson distills the core elements of Southern Gospel, blues, R&B and funk into a savory home-brew of decidedly Dixie delicacy. His chops are particularly on display with “I Think About You Daily,” which has Ferguson letting his smooth-toned six-string do the bulk of the talking as it offers blazing counterpoints to the understated vocal phrases. The guitar wails, it grunts, and it lifts his music to inspirational heights. (BR)