ANA

It’s been a kick ass year of local rock on the Flint Town Throwdown. It was very tough to narrow the field of 91 songs from 73 bands on all 35 rounds of the show that happened this year, but we did and now we begin counting down the top 13 tunes of the year.

Songs and their place on the list were determined by a number of factors — amount of votes for the song, biggest response from being played on air, most requested by listeners and, because it’s our show, the ones we liked the best.

#2 Ana "I'm So F*cking Romantic" - Tree Riddle

Over the last decade, grunge has become an almost endangered species. In fact, to many it simply represents a noise that died out during the final flickers of the 1990s. Sure, on occasion you can manage to hear ghosts of its past as it bleeds through, mixed into alternative radio stations in the form of some overplayed Nirvana mega-hit or some remixed and resurrected Smashing Pumpkins B-side.

That is why Salute to Solitude, the latest full length by Ana, is as rare as a gallon of ice water in the middle of an endless desert.

The band’s latest effort is the answer that the kid, with a closet full of flannel, has been asking for. A careful listener can gather the shades of the more aggressive sounds of Chicago and Seattle from the budding grudge circuit, even yielding a cover of “ZERO” by Smashing Pumpkins at the end of the cut. Though replicating the beloved Billy Corgan is a nearly impossible task, Ana pulls it off amazingly and with a knack for grunge so tightly honed, one might assume the band actually was born into that generation instead of the one directly preceding.

When listening to Salute to Solitude for the first time, one of things I immediately realized was how excellent the guitar work and drum work was. The band flows from one hook to the next without snags or glitches. Never lingering too long on one rift, the band thrives on diversity. With each song, the band brings something new and unique to their resume. Take for example the album’s opening track “Arsenic Arsenal”. With the power and energy of a band like AFI , “Arsenic Arsenal” is not tight or predictable, instead opting to remain raw with angst and anger.

Couple this with Ana’s ability to create pure, clean, and clear vocals, which remain both balanced and emotionally vicious and aggressive and you’ve got the recipe for a masterpiece. “Army Green,” the final cut on Salute, is the best example of how the band uses their energetic vocals to convey the repressed angst and the pent up anger of the singer. With its punk meets grunge setting, the imperfection in the band’s voice are actually more of an asset, intentionally placed, than a misfortune. Like the godfathers before them The Pixies, Black Lips, and even Sonic Youth, Ana focuses on slamming a hefty combo of emotions and instruments into the mix and doing whatever the hell you want.

Lets be real, you could be in worse company.

Hell, if the above isn’t proof enough that Ana should be on your radar, consider the two live performances at the end of the album. Alternate, live version of “Arsenic Arsenal” and an off album song “Collar” both raise the overall worth of Salute to Solitude. Nothing proves to me quicker that Ana is not pushing a collection of over polished, auto tuned tracks to their fans than bravely releasing a handful of live cuts.

Ana has done just that, making a believer out of me.

Release Date: October 8th, 2013
Rating: 4.5/5
Runtime: 28:57

Track Listing:
Bandcamp Download
1.Arsenal
2.Wonderful
3.Johnny Cash Was a Farmer
4.Army Green
5.I’m so Fucking Romantic
6.Maker Her Sing
7.All For No One
8.Zero (Smashing Pumpkins Cover)

Itunes Download:
1.Arsenal
2.Wonderful
3.Johnny Cash Was a Farmer
4.All for No One
5.Army Green
6.Zero (Smashing Pumpkins Cover)
7.Arsenal (live at the Machine Shop)
8.Collar (Live at the Machine Shop) - Chase Causey

Ana Kills is a Dirt Fest featured artist, and calling Michigan home, they’re excited to make new fans and hit the stage.

Take an unrepentant dose of the 90′s grunge era, splash it with a fiery ball of punk overtones and you have the core of the band that is Ana Kills. Formed just over two years ago within the Flint, Michigan region, band members Josh Augustine, Eric Gerholz, Anthony Palsgrove, and Kyle Phelps have carved out spot for themselves in the music circuit to great acclaim.

With an EP and a full length album release under their belts, they have blown the minds of fans around the region for some time now. Recent appearances at Bledfest and Buckham Alley Fest have only solidified the reason for them being hand-picked to play on the esteemed Dirt Fest this year.

Citing influences such as Pennywise, Thrice, and Nirvana their sound is a blend of old and new, a powerful blast of ass kicking sonic tunes that will leave you wanting more. Check out NRR’s interview with them and get your ass to Dirt Fest this year to see them play.

*Interview in audio format on website* - Mick Mcdonald

10 Michigan Bands You Need to See at Dirt Fest 2014
By Tree Riddle August 6, 2014 2:00 PM
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10 Must See Bands at Dirt Fest 2014Shawn Drake, Belle Noir Photography and Styling

There is a lot of bands at Dirt Fest (66 to be exact) and trying to decide which ones to check out can be quite the daunting task. We’ve decided to help you out by highlighting a few of our favorite bands from Michigan that will be performing this Saturday.

Bands have been listed according to the order in which they are playing

It Lies Within - Flint
12:40p - Ourtunez.com Main Stage



What can we say about It Lies Within that we haven't already said or that you don't already know? They've been kicking asses all over Flint for a long time and have spread their aural assault to the rest of the country in recent years. You won't find a band on this bill that works harder on (or off) stage than ILW. If you're coming to Dirt Fest to headbang and/or get physical in the pit then we'll see you at the main stage at 12:40p.

Sydetrakt - Flint
1:15p - Lascoford.com Main Stage



Hard rock/metal from the 810 served straight up with no bulls---. Fans of Sevendust, Nonpoint and Drowning Pool will definitely want to check these guys out.

Hell Rides North - Detroit
1:50p - Arnar Clothing "Rise Above the Hate" Stage



Drawing inspiration from some of the more influential bands in hard rock, Hell Rides North is a band that fans of Metallica, Disturbed and Gn'R will love!



My Perfect Nightmare - Ypsilanti
3:40p - Banana 101.5 "Flint Happens" Stage



My Perfect Nightmare is a band that we first encountered through our old local show -- the Flint Town Throwdown -- and have kept an eye on ever since. The Ypsilanti septet deals in hard rock and metalcore, so if that sounds like your kind of party, then come join in the chaos when they hit the Flint Happens stage. A definite must-see for fans of We Came As Romans, Bullet for My Valentine and KsE. Plus, they're going to be shooting portions of the music video for the song below there.

Battlecross - Flint/Detroit
4:30p - Ourtunez.com Main Stage



A band that was handpicked by Metallica to play Orion Fest and has had a ton of other high profile gigs like Mayhem and the Download Festival doesn't need much selling. If you're at Dirt Fest to see some hard-hitting metal -- these are your guys.



This is Life This is Living - ?
4:30p - Arnar Clothing "Rise Above the Hate" Stage



Three words best describe this band: "Brutal as f---." These dudes hit hard and, to be honest, scare the s--- out of me personally. There is something indescribable about their song "Street Walker" that still creeps me out when I hear it... I dig it though. As far as metal goes, it don't get much heavier than this.

Autumn Coma - Flint
6:00p -- 37 Studios / List St. Studios Stage



The Flint Town Throwdown band of 2013 won that title for a reason -- because they're badass! Their progressive metal meets alt rock sound make them a rare animal amongst local acts and the versatility the members have make for an incredible show every time they hit the stage. It also doesn't hurt that drummer Jason Arnold is one of the best I've ever seen perform live... and that's counting major rock drummers like Dave Grohl, Danny Carey and Matt Cameron. If you're into Tool, Incubus, Deftones or just awesome hard rock -- you'll want to see Autumn Coma this Saturday.

Know Lyfe - Lansing
6:30p - Arnar Clothing "Rise Above the Hate" Stage



These dudes made it into my All Time Book of Cool the moment I realized that one of their song titles was a reference to 'The Stoned Age,' which is a movie that you should punch yourself square in the junk for being unfamiliar with. If Everytime I Die, 36 Crazyfists and The Damned Things are in your playlist, you'd be doing yourself a great injustice by missing their set.

Ana Kills - Flint
6:40p - 37 Studios / List St. Studios Stage



Ana is another of my Flint-Town faves. They play loud and they kick ass. Anyone who is a fan of 90s grunge bands like Nirvana and Silverchair or Post Hardcore a la Taking Back Sunday and Glassjaw will not want to miss Ana killing it on stage.


Read More: 10 Michigan Bands You Need to See at Dirt Fest 2014 | http://banana1015.com/10-michigan-bands-you-need-to-see-at-dirt-fest-2014/?trackback=tsmclip - Tree Riddle

Dirt Fest has become an institution: the Michigan metal and hard rock festival has been running for longer than I can remember (since back when I lived in Ann Arbor, and that was a long fucking time ago!). If you live anywhere in the vicinity of the Mitten State and you’re a metalhead, Dirt Fest is where you’ll be tomorrow, end of story. Killswitch Engage headline this year’s fest, and other MS-approved acts include Battlecross and Chimaira. Dirt Fest has always been great about featuring the area’s best unsigned talent, so we’ve teamed up with the organizers to present a very special edition of Unsigned and Unholy.

We need old-school grungey bands like Ana around to keep us grounded and to remind us that music wasn’t always so brutal. They do a good job of harking back to the era when Nirvana were the coolest band on the planet, but filtered through a modern prism that, thankfully, doesn’t call to mind buttrock radio bands like Seether and Theory of a Deadman. - Vince Neilstein