To say you’ve never heard of American Apparel is to say you’ve never heard of Michelangelo or Sir Ben Kingsley or light switches.  American Apparel is the company responsible for 99% of the comfortable and effortlessly chic clothing that you see in movies and on television.  You may or may not know this, but looking like you couldn’t care less takes katana-like precision.

American Apparel is making your quest for the ideal, go-to pieces into a virtual one stop shop.  Not only have they re-defined marketing and apparel for that matter, you can now put together entire outfits with American Apparel pieces, from stretch twill pants to collared shirts, they have it all.  And you thought they only sold tube socks and t-shirts.  A fine product combined with wickedly sexy marketing plan that has re-defined pushing the envelope.

American Apparel CEO Dov Charney, the mutton-chopped prophet of conscience-friendly clothing, has built a foundation of reliable products and then marketed them with wickedly sexy pictures and sneaky taglines.   This libido-charged approach to the bottom line has paid off in spades.

The staple of a solid wardrobe has to be underpants.  I think people don’t pay enough attention to this aspect.  It is such a small part of your look but with super low rise pants, underwear is another chance to express yourself.  Plus, the summer is becoming a reality; you can’t be skinny-dipping all the time.  Drop trou with pride; these briefs will show you have an eye for design.

Purple Rib Unisex: arm bands not included, face paint and feathered hair optional.

I first fell in love with American Apparel underwear after I saw John C. Reilly wearing them in Step-Brothers.  There he was, standing at the sink, talking to his dad about his ball ‘fro.  That was it.  I HAD TO HAVE THEM.  The coolest part about these American Apparel briefs is that they are unisex, meaning they seem a little on the narrow side.  They aren’t your dad’s white Hanes.  These underpants will hold up; even in with hot water the shrinkage was little to none.  Coventry Village in Cleveland Heights has a killer American Apparel store, go in, check out the briefs and I promise you will be happy.  While you’re there, feel free to ogle the hand-picked sexy hipsters behind the racks.  American Apparel- come for the sexy, stay for the underpants.

Popularity: 43% [?]

Picture it…the early 1990’s…brands like FUCT, FreshJive and World Industries have the t-shirt game by the balls. But one guy had a relatively simple, yet genius idea—a t-shirt line that showcased hot broads in various states of undress.  Two in the Shirt, (T.I.T.S. Brand) may not have invented hot half naked broads on t-shirts, but he arguably perfected it.

T.I.T.S. owner and founder, Marek Grubel sees no honor in competing with his contemporaries. Gruebel says he’d rather have girls admire his swag than peacock with other dudes on whose shoes and hat is hotter. What is his inspiration for using porn stars like Sunny Leone and Tera Patrick on his tees? Because they’re hot. And naked.

The summer is upon us and it seems that T.I.T.S. and its underlying message is perfect for the long hot nights. T.I.T.S. has built an entire line on beautiful women with varying messages. The “Wifey” tee was what initially hooked me on the line. I currently own two—one of a girl (Wifey) vacuuming a bear skin rug in her panties and another one of Wifey drinking while ironing.

Lose your girl to a foreign guy with a headband who loves to dance? Karma is a Bitch.

To properly kick off another rust belt summer, T.I.T.S. has donated a set of tees for a t-shirt giveaway. BuzzBin and T.I.T.S. want to know–have you been wronged? Did your girl just dump you? Did she just move out to “dance” with a headband-wearing douche named Marco? We wanna know. Email us—tell us why Karma is a Bitch, if your story is the best, you can win this set of T.I.T.S. tees, one for you and one for your next “prospect”. If you story is kick ass, T.I.T.S. may make use of it.

And if you have been wronged, keep this in mind: bitches turn 19 every day. Summer is the perfect time to be single, girls are wearing less and you’re about to spend some quality time with some red cups and beer mustaches.

Check it out and shop with confidence: http://www.shoptits.com/

Popularity: 18% [?]

Dirty Pretty Things Jewelry is arguably Ohio’s finest export. Headquartered in Cleveland, the fashion forward, edgy yet polished line of bracelets, earrings and necklaces are quickly becoming the It pieces. Dirty Pretty Things Jewelry is the line that you look to when you want to be a little more polished, yet need to maintain your edgy street cred.

Conceived by creator and former nightclub owner Chrissy LoConti, Dirty Pretty Things was her thesis on the human condition—the power struggle that can ensue between woman and man. Night after night, Chrissy observed the encounters between the sexes, the good the bad and the dirty. The duality of spirit and a marriage of confidence and compassion are clear in every handcrafted piece. Further, LoConti and Dirty Pretty Things strives to connect women through fierce and uncompromising fashion.

Dirty Pretty Things Jewelry is illustrating this feminine confidence and fashion forward sensibility with a menagerie of gun charms, crystal studded skulls and skeleton keys. These symbols are threaded on gorgeous chains—the attention to detail and quality is clear. Also, all jewelry is 100% guaranteed, in the event of your jewelry breaking, it is replaced immediately and for free.

Guarded Heart necklace, your jewelry box is locked and loaded.

Dirty Pretty Things is still small enough to offer you the quality and creative cache that you are pining for. But, don’t sleep on Dirty Pretty Things, as Grammy winner Beyonce was just spotted wearing the Beauty is Pain necklace. It won’t be long before you are the last one without the Guarded Heart pendant.

Team Dirty Pretty Things Jewelry is Chrissy LoConti, President and CEO, Annemarie LoConti, CFO, Andrea Ippolito, COO and Nat’l Sales Manager, and Sarah Piscazzi, VP of Design.

These hometown girls have done something that seems impossible in the rust belt, a creative vision realized in the way of real and true profits. The media has us convinced that nothing great comes from Ohio; Dirty Pretty Things begs to differ.

In the past two years, the Dirty Pretty Things name has found it’s way into international and national boutiques. Rarely do you come across a jewelry line that is both polished and still badass. Even less likely is it that it is coming from a girl that could have sat in front of you in Study Hall.

Do you have a story that you think embodies the Dirty Pretty Things spirit? Are you someone that defines the good, they bad and the dirty? Dirty Pretty Things wants your summer to kick off right! They have offered two of their custom pieces for a giveaway. Email me; tell me why you are a riddle wrapped in a rhyme—how do you manage to stay a sexy little contradiction?

If your story is the best, you could win! Jara@BuzzbinMagazine.com

More on Dirty Pretty Jewelry: www.dptjewelry.com/About-DPT

Shop Dirty Pretty Jewelry: http://dptjewelry.com/Stores

More from the Dirty Pretty arsenal.

Popularity: 15% [?]

White Rhino

They describe themselves as “your favorite band’s favorite band”.  Their music is like boiling water thrown on the back of God while he’s attempting to climax.

Claiming influences from Motorhead to the MC5, White Rhino is tearing down the Beachland Ballroom on May 26^th with Cleveland axe hounds All Dinosaurs and certifiable madmen Spacer Ace.

Hailing from Austin, Texas, power trio White Rhino is on tour to promote their new album “Heroin Thunder”. Buzzbin got a peek at this album and it’s viciously awesome. Through their savage riffs and hot lick-oriented hooks, these men expose much of modern music as drooling kittens and classically, heavily, shatter eardrums. The grinding and sometimes bluesy vocals lend themselves well to the 70s metal vibe they’ve got going on. With bands like this cropping up often (especially in Ohio), it helps to say that these guys aren’t just your typical throwback to Sabbath, they’ve got some early 90s alt rock flavor (think Sub Pop), psychedelic interludes, and a definite garage feel. You will probably hear more about this band in the near future, so show up so you can say you saw them back when (insert nostalgia here).

All Dinosaurs and Spacer Ace are on a similar bent. All three bands express a desire to turn the fake haircombing machismo of some current music scenes into ash and to give people something to really bang their heads to. All Dinosaurs live tracks sound pretty damn heavy; be on the lookout for the brutal and blistering “Heap Wolves” at the show. Spacer Ace is fucking over-the-top and rawer than a garage sound (probably more of a basement-below-the-garage sound). We need more bands like this.

Check out “Rhodesia” on White Rhino’s page for your daily dose of cool shit and be sure to head to the Beachland Ballroom on May 26^th.

Tour dates, music, news, and everything else can be found at

MYSPACE.COM/WHITERHINOROCKS

facebook.com/pages/White-Rhino/205596765337

http://www.myspace.com/alldinosaurs

http://www.myspace.com/ilovespacerace

Popularity: 11% [?]

Metric

By Dustin Dykes

In my twenty-three years of life I have attended many concerts, but last night Metric became the first band I’ve seen lead by a lady. With a plethora of mainstream bands fronted by females these days I don’t think that carries much significance, but I was still curious. I grabbed a beer (not the special $4 PBR), found a nice spot in the House of Blues balcony, and waited for Metric to light up the stage. The crowd was an interesting hodgepodge of everything from the predictable twenty-something hipsters to the surprising forty-year-old date-nighters.

Finally the house lights go out and the stage glows blue. Metric’s four members walk to their instruments (three synthesizers and a drum set for anyone keeping score at home) and engage in a two-minute look-what-I-can-do synthesizer show-off. Out of nowhere the band flies into a blinding barrage of distortion and floodlights. Metric front woman, Emily Haines, takes control of the audience’s attention as she runs and jumps around the stage hysterically like rabbit in a disco ball miniskirt. I am pretty sure she ran about six miles on stage last night. The energy of the band was incredible and seemed to be contagious. Everyone in the floor section was dancing, or jumping, or both. Everyone except the first row, who were temporarily paralyzed by Emily’s panoramic panty shots throughout the show. Maybe she forgot she was in a miniskirt, I didn’t hear any of them complaining.

All in all, the band seemed tight and on point. There was never a dull moment of the show. Just as you caught your breath during one of their entrancing pseudo-jam sessions, they would punch you right in the face with another amped up ambush of rock. If you went to see an all-out energy packed rock show, you got exactly what you wanted. Emily closed the night by telling us. “it’s not a rock show if you don’t sweat.” I couldn’t agree more.

Popularity: 13% [?]

MC Frontalot

By Rick Benedum

To many, the name Damian Hess may not mean that much.  But, if you were to ask one of the untold scores of geeks, dweebs, dorks and techies out there: “Who is Damian Hess?” they would likely respond with: “Umm…MC Frontalot: the father of nerdcore hip-hop!”

While he may not have been the first to rap about themes outside of the usual spectrum of hip-hop (Kool Keith, Del the Funkee Homosapien and KMD had been doing it since the late 80’s/early 90’s), Hess did coin the term “nerdcore” ten years ago and has unquestionably flown the genre’s flag higher than anyone else.

Now, although I have been called a “nerd” many times in my life (and I openly identify as one), I don’t quite fit the typical nerdcore fan mold.  I am a casual sci-fi fan at best (hell, I don’t much care for Star Wars), I haven’t owned a gaming system since my NES (and don’t care to), I make fun of my friends that waste hours playing D&D and WoW and my mom knows more about computers than I do. But, when I was introduced to the genre a few years ago, I couldn’t stop listening to it.  I’ve been a hip-hop fan for most of my life and, although I wouldn’t suggest most nerdcore artists try to take on Hove or Nas for the title of “King of Hip-Hop,” I realized there was much talent to be found in nerdcore – both lyrically and production-wise.  And the staunch DIY-indie aesthetic of the nerdcore community was equally appealing.

So, when I heard Frontalot would be making his first ever Cleveland appearance at Wilbert’s Food and Music, I jumped at the chance to catch him live…even if it meant forgoing my new Tuesday night tradition: Semi-Open Improv Jam Night at Annabell’s.

After entering Wilbert’s, I began to feel something I have rarely felt: cool.  For once in my life, I was probably the least nerdy person in the room!* Perhaps due to this rampant nerdiness, I was also able to experience something else I’m not used to at shows: no overwhelming air of hipster douchebaggery (a much welcome feeling).  No tight man-jeans tonight!  No stares implying “what the hell are you doing here?!”  And, most importantly, no overheard, inane conversations about vegan food co-ops or how Animal Collective “sold out (get over it, Merriweather Post Pavilion is still a good record even if it is too “poppy” for the band).”  I got the impression that everyone was actually there for the music (wow…a novel concept!) and not to look “cool” and put down those “less cool” than them.

Admittedly, I paid little attention to the openers.  We arrived about halfway through MC Cool Whip’s set, so I missed out on most of that.  But, I will say I was liking his Legends of the Hidden Temple Green Monkeys shirt and appreciated the fact that the Strongsville native repped our state in Welcome to Ohio (which featured Int80 of fellow openers, Cincinnati’s Dual Core).  Illinois’ Whoremoans made, perhaps, the best use of the Super Mario Bros. theme ever, but I was feeling a bit more ADD than usual and spent most of his and Dual Core’s set wandering around the venue (I had never been there…exploration was a must!), hanging out on the patio because it was still beautiful outside or talking to some really awesome people (oh…and drinking, too).  So, it is because of this – not my opinion of their music – that I neglected them.  What I caught of it was good…so check ‘em out, goobers.

But, once MC Frontalot took the stage I made sure to head back in and secure a spot on the tiny dance floor in front of the equally tiny stage.  Resembling Richard Moll’s younger, nerdier cousin and clad in a red, short-sleeve button-up with a striped tie and one of those headband-flashlight thingys, Frontalot was able to command the stage and the audience as well as any of his mainstream hip-hop peers.  The small, but dedicated audience crowded the stage, mouthed every lyric, nodded their head at every beat and hilariously attempted to dance.**  Backed by bassist BL4k Lotus, drummer SturGENiUS and keyboard player/band leader Gminor7, Frontalot covered songs from his entire career including Goth Girls, Tongue Clicking Grammarian (my personal favorite!), Yellow Lasers and Spoiler Alert(from his latest, Zero Day) in the sixty-plus minute set.

But those sixty minutes came and went too fast (y’know…“time flies” and all that).  I’m not sure if Wilbert’s closes earlier than most watering holes or if it were the fact that I’ve been waiting years for Frontalot to come to Clevo, but it felt as if it ended too soon.  When he bid us adieu around midnight I found myself wanting MORE!  But, we don’t always get what we want and I just had to accept the fact that I’m probably going to have to wait a few more years for another Frontalot fix.  But, that’s okay…the wait was more than worth it.  He may just be the best MC I’ve had the good fortune to catch live.

And, trust me…this is no exaggeration.

*No disrespect meant by this statement.  I am totally down for everybody doing their own thing.

**Again, no disrespect. I can’t dance either.

Popularity: 5% [?]

New Body Type
Pink Boys

New Body Type - Pink Boys

While listening to Pink Boys, a new album by the New Body Type, I immediately felt like I was listening to an album from the ‘70s. The band has presented a very throwback kind of vibe. Containing eleven songs, the album runs for about 25 minutes. 25 minutes of a punk edge meeting David Bowie and They Might Be Giants.

The lyrics are very well written and the band is musically sound. The melody flows and has a great harmonic sound. The bass line drives the band in most of the songs and is accompanied by a
flowing lead guitar part. The percussion is solid and isn’t overpowering, which happens a lot in the alternative/ punk genre. As far as the lead vocalist goes, he has a great voice for the genre and is solid on his delivery.
My only gripe about the album is the mixing; It has a muddy quality. Because of this, the album tends to sound a little monotonous. Hopefully the listener can overlook the rough mix and focus on the great lyrics and very musically talented band. I would definitely suggest not only this album but also other works by New Body Type.-E.M. Serensky

Popularity: 1% [?]

Grant-Lee Phillips
Little Moon

Grant - Lee Phillips

Though his name might not ring any bells, Grant-Lee Phillips has been releasing critically acclaimed music for over two decades, both as a solo artist and with the 90’s alt-rockers Grant-Lee Buffalo. Little Moon, Phillips’ sixth solo album, finds the singer songwriter delicately crafting the kind of angelic alt-country gems that would make Jeff Tweedy salivate. Each song is intricately layered and profoundly dense, from the bar room rompers (“It’s Ain’t the Same Old Cold War, Harry”) to the larger-than-life boot stompers (“Strangest Thing”), each of these nine songs suck the listener in to Phillip’s elegant storytelling and don’t leave until long after the album’s over. But Phillips’ voice is the most impressive treasure of the album. His gentle croon lovingly traipses over these impassioned melodies and even amidst gorgeous violin swells on “Violet”, his dynamic vocals steal the show. Little Moon will undoubtedly be overlooked by most but those fortunate enough to hear it will be rewarded with the kind of music that lulls a tattered soul back to life.-Tim Webb

Popularity: 6% [?]

The Hot Rails
Single Entendre

The self defined “rock and rock” band The Hot Rails has a new album out called Single Entendre, and the title seems to speak to the same kind of straight forwardness that the band’s music portrays. With the kind of dirty hard rock that was prevalent in the 1970’s, The Hot Rails’ offering is all kinds of sexy and fun. It begins with a slow build up of the introductory song, “Genesis,” and exploding into nine sleazy tunes. Since all of the songs have a good throwback hard rock sound, they follow essentially the same idea throughout of the album to rock hard. But then there is “Dickson, TN”. This song is the only one with a note of country in its guitar licks and percussion and thus really shows the versatility of the band. Though it is by its very merits a lighter sounding song, “Dickson, TN” brings more of a Hendrix influence which does not ruin the consistency of the rest of the album while still standing out. It’s good that we still have disgusting, dirty, hot rock being created locally.
-Odessa Jackson

Popularity: 3% [?]

Devo
Duty Now For the Future

It’s fitting that Warner Bros. is rereleasing Devo’s 1979 sophomore album, Duty Now for the Future, early into the ‘10s, a decade that already seems heavily indebted to the New Wave scene. The music seems appropriate today, with quirky electronic music flourishes popping up as regularly as pretentious indie rock. While never as commercially successful as some of their contemporaries, Akron’s Devo has quietly maintained a strong cult following despite releasing only a handful of albums since the ‘80s. Duty Now, often overlooked among the band’s first three albums, finds Devo incorporating more keyboards on tracks like “Triumph of the Will” and “Red Eye” while still relying heavily on the buzzing post-punk guitar sound used by contemporaries like Joy Division. The album was a giant stepping stone for the band that went on to release the watermark album of its career, Freedom of Choice (which included the band’s only true hit single “Whip It”), just a year later. It’s invigorating to listen to Duty Now for the Future thirty years later and hear the innovations Devo was making; giant leaps forward in music that is the genesis of New Wave. -Tim Webb

Popularity: 2% [?]