May 5, 2014

Survival Knife’s “Loose Power” Is Tense, Fresh, and Anything But Predicatable

Courtesy of Riot Act Media

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Survival Knife
Loose Power
Glacial Pace

Folks who have belatedly discovered the great ’90s northwest band Unwound via its current reissue series will want to know about Survival Knife. Reuniting Unwound alumni Justin Trosper and Brandt Sandeno, this high-powered quartet updates their tense, knotty music without a hint of tedious nostalgia. Ranging from social commentary to confessional angst, the taut songs on Loose Power offer a surprisingly fresh hybrid of punk, metal and even progressive rock, incorporating influences from Metallica to Chuck Berry into their flexible sound. In the starring role, Trosper remains a compelling frontman, whose stoic vocals and twisty guitar riffs never settle into a predictable groove, revealing new facets with each hearing.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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