The Bravery, (not sure about support acts)
at the House Of Blues, Boston, MA
Friday, October 9
(doors at 7pm; all ages show)
The Bravery is a NYC-based band who have been around since 2003, though with their new wave/punk aesthetic, they sound like they’ve been around much longer than that. Definitely an 80’s thing going on, and I don’t mean that in a bad way! There’s Sam Endicott (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Michael Zakarin (lead guitar, backing vocals), John Conway (keyboards, backing vocals), Mike Hindert (bass, backing vocals), and Anthony Burulcich (drums, backing vocals).
After playing for a few months in New York City clubs, they had a residency at Arlene’s Grocery on the Lower East Side in May 2004, and it was around this time they received their first radio airplay, on ‘Alter Ego’, hosted by Paul Driscoll on Boston’s WFNX (they properly thanked him at the recent ‘Best Music Poll’ show by letting him sit in on drums during a cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”).
They have two albums out: The Bravery (2005), and The Sun and the Moon (2007), and are probably best known for their song “Believe”, which reached number 4 on the US Alternative Charts in April 2008. Their new album, Stir The Blood, will be released on November 10.
Ok, Universal isn’t letting me embed the official video, so you’ll have to go over to YouTube to see “Believe”
The Bravery – East Coast Shows
Oct 8 2009 ~ 8:00P ~ Terminal 5 ~ New York, NY
Oct 9 2009 ~ 8:00P ~ House of Blues ~ Boston, MA
Oct 10 2009 ~ 8:00P ~ Theater of Living Arts ~ Philadelphia
Oct 11 2009 ~ 8:00P ~ 9:30 Club ~ Washington, D.C.
East L.A. bands visiting Boston (or thereabouts) in October. (top): The Airborne Toxic Event, The Henry Clay People, Silversun Pickups; (bottom): The Happy Hollows, Sea Wolf, Red Cortez.
This is an addendum to my recent Silverlake Band Update. Yes, I do realize that most of these upcoming events are in California and this is a Boston blog. I figured I would get everyone really, really familiar with all these names so you’ll know who I’m talking about when they do come here. Meanwhile, perhaps it’ll serve as some kind of invocation.
Autolux are currently recording their new album, Transit Transit, which is scheduled for release January 2010. A 7″ with “Transit Transit” and “23 Watt Apple Juice” will available online in a few weeks.
The Happy Hollows are also playing in Washington D.C. at The Red and the Black on Oct. 16, and at T.T. The Bears in Cambridge, MA on Oct. 18 (I’ll be doing a preview for this show very soon). From there, they now have three performances listed for CMJ in New York City, Oct. 20, 22, and 24th. The CMJ site will be releasing schedules soon. Then it’s back to Los Angeles for a Spaceland residency in November.
The Airborne Toxic Event juggernaut is rolling across the U.S. right now, with special guests Red Cortez (who have a demo of their newest song, “Seasick Brigade”, on Web In Front) and The Henry Clay People. They make a stop in Boston on Tuesday, October 13 at the House of Blues. This morning, Airborne played at a bar at 9am in Kansas City, for a thing called “Kegs & Eggs”. Leave it to Kansas City.
The Monolators said in a recent MySpace bulletin that they’re ‘concentrating their energies on out-of-town shows’, so we’ll keep an eye out for future developments.
The Parson Red Heads started recording their new album this past weekend at the Red Rockets Glare studio in Rancho Park, CA. Cannot wait to see them at Airborne Tox’s show in Clifton Park, NY!
Sea Wolf have just been announced as part of the New Moon soundtrack, alongside artists Thom Yorke, Death Cab For Cutie, Muse and others. Currently on tour, they’re coming to Boston on Oct. 13 at the Paradise (along with Sara Lov and Port O’Brien). I’ll do a preview for the show, though it’s the same night as The Airborne Toxic Event et. al. at the House of Blues. Someone should really do something about that!
Silversun Pickups are unfortunately not doing a Boston show, but they’re doing shows elsewhere on the East Coast. I’ll try to catch them in Hartford. The shows are: Oct. 17 at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel, Providence RI; Oct. 18 at Northern Lights, Clifton Park NY (near Albany); Oct. 20 at The Webster, Hartford CT; Oct. 21 at Higher Ground, Burlington VT; and Oct. 23 at Main Street Armory, Rochester NY.
The Union Line will be playing a show at CMJ in NYC – Oct 19 2009, 8:00P at “The Syndacate Party”. Not sure what exactly that is. You might want to keep an eye on CMJ’s site for more info., if you’re planning on attending the festival.
Those who arrived early for this Assembly of Dust performance at the Paradise Rock Club had a marvelous treat in store. I wasn’t familiar with Nathan Moore or the Emmitt-Nershi band, but I was very impressed by the excellence of these guys. You don’t always get really great support acts (I’m hesitant to even call them that, as either could be headliners), so this was a nice surprise which made for a wonderful evening of music.
Nathan Moore
At first, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Nathan Moore. He ambled out with acoustic guitar and harmonica to a simple stage set that included a beat-up suitcase, adding to the Vaudeville-like vibe of his performance. He started by apologizing for not having things better organized beforehand, and was speaking with a garbled voice. He then says “excuse me”, and takes a large ball (?) out of his mouth. And then does it again. And again. And yet again. WTF?? I’m sure that some in the audience were familiar with Nathan Moore’s schtick, but I wasn’t whatsoever, so when several minutes went by and he hadn’t actually played anything, I was knocked off balance (which I realize now is probably the intention), maybe a little annoyed (possibly also the intention), but by the end of his engaging set, delighted and intrigued with his unique take on the folk-singing tradition – a mix of honest, heartfelt ballads, amusing Arlo Guthrie-style raps to introduce each song, and… wait for it… magic tricks. Yes, magic tricks.
His set included “Rubber Ball” (from his folk/psychedelic band, ThaMuseMeant), “Tombstone” (from his new EP just out, Folk Singer), a song with the line “filling out an application, praying for redemption”, and another “waging a war against the war on drugs”, which followed a funny/serious rap about the government’s drug policy and Massachusetts’ recent decriminalization of marijuana, for which we were duly congratulated and praised.
Wedged in-between some lovely guitar picking and harmonica accompanying smart and introspective songs, a very impressive trick which consisted of tearing a newspaper into many small pieces and then, in a blink of an eye, producing the completely untorn and unmangled paper from which it came. Man, this guy is good. And he can sing (and play) some lovely songs as well. I should also mention that he’s in another band called Surprise Me Mr. Davis.
His solo tour continues in Fall River and Northampton, MA; Montpelier and Burlington, VT; Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virgina; and then on to San Francisco and Groveland CA; finishing in Live Oak, Florida. I highly recommend seeing him, if you can.
Emmitt-Nershi Band
While I was here primarily to see Assembly of Dust, I was blown away by the others on this bill. The Emmitt-Nershi Band are simply astonishing. From listening to their music online, one can immediately tell these guys are wildly accomplished musicians. That doesn’t always translate into a good live show, but these guys were wonderfully entertaining, and man, did they jam. I mean seriously, they are the Grateful Dead of the bluegrass world! Incredible banjo solos from Andy Thorn, while Drew Emmitt (Leftover Salmon, Drew Emmitt Band) ripped it up on mandolin like he was in a heavy metal band – something you wouldn’t normally expect with this instrumentation. Or at least, something I didn’t expect. Clearly the knowing fans in the audience (quite a few of them – the place was packed) knew what to expect, and they loved it. Marvelous vocal harmonies as well.
Enjoying themselves and feeding off the audience’s enthusiasm, they had people bouncing around and dancing throughout their lively set, blending superb musicianship with a loose, fun atmosphere. I’ll definitely make a point of seeing them again.
They have quite a few shows lined up (continuing their tour with Assembly of Dust, plus other dates), including visits to Western Mass., NYC (the Bowery Ballroom on Sept. 30th), Pennsylvania, Colorado, California… See their MySpace for a full tour schedule, and do see them if you can.
Assembly of Dust
It’s rare that I’ve seen an audience so totally immersed in a performance, from start to finish, as this one was during Assembly of Dust’s full-on rocking nearly 2-hour show. They cite influences such as The Band and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and in Reid Genauer’s recorded vocals, I hear hints of Neil Young and Jeff Tweedy, but what comes across most strongly in their live jam-heavy sound is a Southern rock vibe ala Allman Brothers or the Charlie Daniels band, both in the vocals and in Adam Terrell’s highly virtuosic guitar riffs. This full-out partying style produced a wild and rollicking good time in the packed-to-capacity crowd at the Paradise.
Highlights for me were actually the slower tracks which brought attention to some lovely harmonies, and I also really enjoyed the song “Shame”, which was performed solo by Reid Genauer on acoustic guitar as a first encore. They continued with a stripped-down version of “Bootlegger’s Advice”; these two songs I felt were a special highlight of the evening.
They came out for a second encore, though it was more like a second set, as it included at least 4 or 5 songs and I kind of lost track. The crowd had been whipped up into a frenzy by this point, and there were singalongs and selections from their new album Some Assembly Required, including “Man With A Plan” and “All That I Am Now”, the latter of which had a very nice extended instrumental break with soaring lead guitar.
They continue their tour with the Emmitt-Nershi Band, including NYC’s Bowery Ballroom, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Colorado, and out to the West Coast.
Rademacher – Upcoming Shows
Sep 25 2009 ~ 9:00P ~ Public Space One ~ Iowa City, Iowa
Sep 27 2009 ~ 9:00P ~ Replay Lounge ~ Lawrence, Kansas
Sep 28 2009 ~ 9:00P ~ Schubas ~ Chicago, Illinois
I’m late out of the gate with this reminder, and perhaps it’s because I was sad to learn that the awesome indie band out of Fresno, Rademacher, would not be making it all the way to the East Coast on this current “mini-tour” of theirs. But just now I realized, well, duh, you should still mention the shows they are doing, and maybe get a few people out to see them. They happen to be right around the places The Airborne Toxic Event are performing, albeit a day earlier, and I’ll venture a guess that Airborne fans will love Rademacher as well, as they come out of that same incredibly fertile Silverlake scene, with wonderfully literate and heartstring-pulling music. They joined Airborne on the West Coast leg of their last tour earlier in the year (along with The Henry Clay People).
They have a new EP just out, Belly Flop, which I’m guessing is available at the shows, and probably directly from Rademacher on their MySpace page, as soon as they’re back in Cali (or at least info. on how to get it will be on there).
Andrew W.K. & Calder Quartet ~ Piano and Strings
at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, MA
Tuesday, September 29
(show at 9:00 p.m.)
If you’re wondering what to do on Tuesday night, and looking for something that promises to be unusual, look no further. I can tell you that the Calder Quartet are wonderful, having seen them perform with The Airborne Toxic Event, though I’ve never seen one of their own shows. They’re based in Los Angeles, and the quartet features: Ben Jacobson, first violin; Andrew Bulbrook, second violin; Eric Byers, cello; and Jonathan Moerschel, viola. They specialize in classical and contemporary repertoire, and are focused on discovering new, emerging composers and, as they say on their MySpace page “pursuing unique collaborations”. Um, yes indeed, as joining them for this evening at the Coolidge Corner Theater will be Andrew W.K., and I’m not even sure how to go about describing him. He’s a musician (a classical pianist and metal aficionado), performance artist, lecturer, visual artist, writer… and is known for his spontaneous performances.
When they performed together for the Wordless Music Series back in November of last year, the Calder Quartet played selections for string quartet and electronics by Philip Glass and Christine Southworth, and Andrew did improvisations on themes of Bach, plus selections from his own repertoire. No telling what they have planned for this series of seven shows in the U.S. and Canada, but I for one am too curious to pass it up!
Andrew W.K. & Calder Quartet ~ Piano and Strings Performances
Sep. 29 ~ Brookline, MA ~ Coolidge Corner Theatre
Sep. 30 ~ Washington, D.C. ~ Sixth & I Synagogue
Oct. 1 ~ Chicago, IL ~ Lakeshore Theatre
Oct. 2 ~ New York, NY ~ Joe’s Pub
Oct. 4 ~ Toronto, Ontario ~ Trinity St. Paul’s Church
Oct. 7 ~ San Francisco, CA ~ The Swedish American Hall
Oct. 8 ~ Los Angeles, CA ~ Largo
BrakesBrakesBrakes, The Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks
at Great Scott, Allston, MA
Wednesday, October 7
(doors at 9pm; 18+ show)
BrakesBrakesBrakes
From Brighton, UK, and performing together since 2003, BrakesBrakesBrakes (made up of ex-members from Brighton bands Electric Soft Parade, British Sea Power, and The Tenderfoot) is Alex White, drums; Eamon Hamilton, guitar/vocals; Marc Beatty, bass; and Thomas White, guitar. Rollicking and raucous, yet melodic and literate at the same time, their influences are as far-reaching as Hank Williams and the Pixies; Ledbelly, Aerosmith, and Camera Obscura.
Their two previous albums are Give Blood (Rough Trade, 2005) and The Beatific Visions (Rough Trade, 2006), and their latest album, Touchdown (FatCat Records), was released earlier this year. Jason Lymangrover at All Music Guide described ‘Brakes’ as “more masterful than ever at churning out opaque, punchy melodies anchored by dry wit.”
Apart for a 2-month break in 2008, they’ve been touring near constantly since their inception in 2003 (over 1000 shows), supporting such bands as Belle and Sebastian, Buck 65, Editors, and The Killers, as well as headlining their own tours around Europe and the U.S. This current tour marks a return to performing in the States after a 2-year absence. For their Boston-area show (and other East Coast and Eastern Canadian dates), they’re joined by Scottish bands (and FatCat labelmates) The Twilight Sad and We Were Promised Jetpacks, which means this is something pretty special, and not to be missed.
[If you absolutely can't make it to one of their shows, two of their live shows were captured on Rock Is Dodelijk, and will be digitally released on FatCat Records October 6.]
BrakesBrakesBrakes U.S. Tour 2009
October 1 – Local 506 – Chapel Hill (North Carolina, USA) – BRAKES, Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks (FatCat Tour)
October 3 – North Star – Philadelphia (Pennsylvania, USA) – BRAKES, Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks (FatCat Tour)
October 5 – Black Cat Backstage – Washington (Washington CD, USA) – BRAKES, Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks (FatCat Tour)
October 6 – Bowery Ballroom – New York (New York, USA) – BRAKES, Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks (FatCat Tour)
October 7 – Great Scott – Allston (Massachusetts, USA) – BRAKES, Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks (FatCat Tour)
October 9 – La Sala Rossa – Montreal (Quebec, Canada) – BRAKES, Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks (FatCat Tour)
October 10 – El Mocambo – Toronto (Ontario, Canada) – BRAKES, Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks (FatCat Tour)
October 11 – Blind Pig – Ann Arbor – (Michigan, USA) – BRAKES, Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks (FatCat Tour)
October 12 – Empty Bottle – Chicago (Illinois, USA) – BRAKES, Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks (FatCat Tour)
October 13 – The Waiting Room – Omaha (Nebraska. USA) – BRAKES, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
October 15 – Hi-Dive – Denver (Colorado, USA) – BRAKES, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
October 16 – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City (Utah, USA) – BRAKES, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
October 18 – High Dive – Seattle (Washington, USA) – BRAKES, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
October 19 – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland (Oregon, USA) – BRAKES, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
October 21 – Rickshaw Stop – San Francisco (California, USA) – BRAKES, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
October 22 – Spaceland – Los Angeles (California, USA) – BRAKES, Ezra Furman and the Harpoons
Other bands on the bill for the East Coast dates:
The Twilight Sad
Based in Glasgow, Scotland, James Graham (vocals), Andy MacFarlane,
(guitar/accordion/noise), Craig Orzel (bass), and Mark Devine (drums) started in 2003 performing half-hour pieces of music with tape loops and toy instruments alongside bass, guitar and drums. Their music is now more “traditional” with soaring and wonderfully Scottish-sounding vocals over lush instrumentation. Or as they describe themselves on their site, “leached, overdriven guitars consistently ride a line between ambient and coruscating, working in tandem with an articulate, tumultuous rhythm section, portraying an awestruck, ragged sentimentality.” MySpace | Official site
We Were Promised Jetpacks
Described as “post-punk and indie pop”, We Were Promised Jetpacks came together in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2003. They have a pretty, jangly and sometimes punkish sound, and have been compared to the Editors and The Strokes. The band features Adam Thompson (Guitar/Vocals), Michael Palmer (Guitar), Sean Smith (Bass) and Darren Lackie (Drums) and – like BrakesBrakesBrakes and Twilight Sad – they’re currently signed to Fat Cat Records, who released their debut album These Four Walls back in June. MySpace
Assembly of Dust, Emmitt Nershi with Nathan Moore
at the Paradise Rock Club, Boston MA
Thursday, September 24
(doors at 7pm; 18+ show)
Assembly of Dust
Photo Credit: C. Taylor Crothers
Assembly of Dust have been performing their warm blend of southern rock, country, Americana, folk-rock, blues and R&B since 2003. The band features Reid Genauer (formerly of the folk rock group Strangefolk) ~ lead vocals, guitar; Adam Terrell ~ lead guitar, vocals; Andy Herrick ~ drums; and John Leccese ~ bass, vocals. They’ve been compared to bands like Little Feat, J.J. Cale, The Band, Neil Young, Wilco – even The Beatles.
(from their official site bio.): “I want to play new stuff,” says Genauer. “It’s like wanting a new sweater for the fall – a new piece of clothing renews the wardrobe. That’s what new songs do for performance”.
Sept. 24 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
Sept. 25 – Portland, ME – Port City Music Hall
Sept. 26 – Charlestown, RI – Calling Planet Earth Festival
Sept. 30 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom
Oct. 2 – West Chester, PA – The Note
Oct. 3 – Towson, MD – Recher Theatre
Oct. 16 – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
Oct. 17 – Boulder, CO – Boulder Theater
Oct. 18 – Durango, CO – Ft. Lewis College
Oct. 21 – Los Angeles, CA – The Mint
Oct. 22 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
Oct. 23 – Eureka, CA – Red Fox Tavern
Oct. 24 – Portland, OR – Mississippi Studios
Oct. 25 – Seattle, WA – Tractor Tavern
Supporting bands for the Paradise show:
Emmitt-Nershi Band
Tasty bluegrass & Americana 4-piece featuring mandolin, guitar, banjo, bass, and vocal harmonies. | MySpace
Nathan Moore
Folk singer/songwriter based in Virginia who performs on acoustic guitar and harmonica, in the tradition of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan. He has a new EP just out called Folk Singer. | MySpace | Official site
I wasn’t familiar with O’Brien’s Pub, which is a rather low-key establishment (maybe a lit up sign at night would help) located at the corner of Harvard Ave. and Cambridge Street in Allston. I was surprised and impressed to find an actual, decent-sized stage in the corner, with professional lighting and good sound. I see now that O’Brien’s is a serious rock venue. I assumed it was “just a bar” when I first heard that Division Day were playing there, and from the outside, one wouldn’t think otherwise. Well, it is a neighborhood bar, but it also regularly books local and national rock acts.
Static of the Gods
Static of the Gods kicked things off. This Boston-based band features Jen Johnson (voice, guitar, & keyboard), Mike Latulippe (drums) and Ben Voskeritchian (bass & guitar). On their official site, it says “Static of the Gods tends a hothouse full of luminous, melody-infused indie rock songs.” Listening to their music online, I’d agree, their stuff is quite pretty. But somehow this didn’t translate at O’Brien’s that night. Maybe things were just mixed too loudly (this is a frequent pet peeve of mine), or perhaps they – like many Boston bands I’ve seen – choose to focus solely on full-out rocking when they play live, and a lot of the subtlety is lost. Whatever it was, much of their set – to my ears – had a sameness to it, with the notable exception of two slower numbers which were very nice. There was a song with Jen playing some keyboard lines that was definitely a standout, as was another of their slower songs, second to last in the set. They’re currently working on a new album, the followup to their 2007 release, Cycles Follow Signs. They had the largest audience of the evening (around 100, I’d guess), with the place inexplicably thinning out to about 50 or 60 by the time Division Day took the stage.
Clearly there needs to be better promotion when these amazing L.A. bands venture cross-country to play for us. A band as brilliant as Division Day, who packs venues in a city like Los Angeles filled with discerning music fans who have impossible decisions on a nightly basis of whom to see, and how to juggle a half dozen amazing lineups into one’s evening, clearly deserve more than 50 people coming out to see them on a perfectly habitable and not mid-winter Friday night. This sad state of affairs may soon be changing, however. Joe Fielder, Managing Editor of the fantastic Radio Free Silver Lake, recently relocated to Boston, and has just done his first ‘guest post’ on Bradley’s Almanac, previewing some of the L.A. bands who will be visiting Boston in the near future. For my part, I will endeavor to actually talk about shows before they happen. Still getting the hang of this.
Division Day
Division Day were wonderful – dense and atmospheric; complex, multi-layered and mystical. Some of their songs are heavier, penetrating sonic assaults (”Surrender”, “Chalk Lines”); others are more melodic and pretty (”Azalean”, “Carrier”), but all with an underlying thick musical tapestry. Heavy and beautiful stuff. To be honest, I wasn’t all that familiar with their earlier work, which I now realize might not have been such a terrible thing, as from listening and researching further, I’ve discovered that this second album, Visitation (Dangerbird Records), is quite a departure from their 2007 Beartrap Island. In an attempt to justify my inherent laziness at not familiarizing myself beforehand, I arrived at their performance a completely blank slate, free of expectation, and left feeling emotionally satisfied with a sense of wonder, wanting to learn more.
Kevin Lenhart (drums, percussion), Rohner Segnitz (vocals, keyboards), Ryan Wilson (guitar) and Seb Bailey (bass) performed seven of the eleven tracks from their new album, plus two from Beartrap Island. When I’m not so familiar with a particular band’s music, I’ll scribble down a lyric snippet or some quick note to more properly investigate later, and I see I started scribbling at the third song of the set, “Surrender”, and made a note on every song after that. These guys were really impressive.
There’s a heavier, more textured synth and guitar sound on this new album, with some black-metal influences (apparently lead singer Rohner Segnitz is a big fan of this genre). But there’s clearly a melding of this darker, heavier stuff with their earlier pop sensibilities, especially evident in Segnitz’s vocal style, which has an ethereal quality. For me, this balances out the dense complexity of the music, and makes for very enjoyable listening… transcendent. Judging from the expletives and underlines in my notes, I was especially blown away by “Surrender”, “Azalean” (so lovely!), “Carrier”, “Ricky” (from Beartrap Island; a crazy live version), and “Devil Light” (my exact words were “f*cking absolute magic”).
As I’m a “words person”, I’ll also say that lyrically their new songs are as fascinating and mysterious as the music, creating the perfect complement.
“Dead moon at the center,
Radio on, night.
Headlights on the water,
Rippling. Black. Mine.
Through to the light, arms interlocked,
By the glow of the dial, flickering on and off,
and cranes come, eyeless, gripping white-boned blooms of fire.”
- Azalean
[As I'm listening to the new album as I write this, I must make special mention of the final song "Black Crow" (not performed at the show), which is just gorgeous. LOVE Rohner's vocals on this one.]
Bad Veins
In a word: quirky. Even setting up, I knew these guys were going to be interesting…
I thought it was just an odd place for a telephone...
... until Bad Veins started setting up.
Last minute testing of the telephone (hello? can you hear me now?)
I guess I’m a sucker for the unusual and unexpected, so yes, I’ll admit was quite taken with Bad Veins‘ multi-instrumentalist/songwriter Benjamin Davis singing into a telephone. There was the amusing visual impact of him prowling around the stage howling into it like he was in a long-distance argument with his girlfriend, and it sounded like an announcement over a loud speaker from outer space.
Benjamin Davis, drummer Sebastien Schultz, and the third member of their band, a reel-to-reel tape deck who goes by the name of Irene, produce a curious pastiche of sounds, matched nicely by their bizarre and oddly compelling stage presence. A lot of personality for two guys and a machine (sorry girl, the truth hurts sometimes). Irene began the evening with what sounded like a charming marching band, and Sebastien got crazier and crazier on his drumset, at one point knocking a cymbal clear off the thing – to everyone’s (and his own) amusement.
Benjamin’s vocals were soaring, howling, and wonderful. Hailing from Cincinnati, their debut album (very good; listening to it now), was recently released on Dangerbird Records.
Because photos alone won’t tell the whole story…
Bad Veins and Division Day play tomorrow night (Sep. 22) in Atlanta at 529 (that’s a club, not a time), and from there, Bad Veins goes home to Cincinatti and then out on the road again with The Subjects. Division Day has shows in Austin and Fort Worth, Texas; Oklahoma City; and Tempe, Arizona.
my thoughts on the eve of their north american autumn 2009 tour kickoff…
generic American cities, all of which must blend together and look the same, after a while. ‘drive-by’ visits to exotic foreign lands, mostly just seeing the airport, a hotel, and in the case of a festival tour, a scorching airstrip or cold and muddy cow pasture. long periods of time away from family, friends, and favorite coffee shops, clubs, and taco restaurants. a resident of everywhere, a resident of nowhere. trying to find healthy food in culinary wastelands. late nights of endless faces, countless requests. never-ending jet lag. the sheer logistics of getting from place to place, venue to venue, soundcheck to soundcheck. is it even possible to sleep properly on a moving bus?
I’d like to dedicate the following video to The Airborne Toxic Event, and wish them safe journeys free of lost luggage, with enthusiastic and joyous crowds that make it all worthwhile.
The duo of Heisenflei and M have been performing together since 2006. Last year, they released their Orgy Porgy 4-song EP in a limited edition of 1,000, the cases of which are hand-sewn from an old billboard, featuring the atwork of Ronald Dzerigian, with six different covers (available on their MySpace page). They also released a limited edition EP called Rubbish to commemorate an art show at Echo Curio of the same name, celebrating trash. There were plans to release their debut full-length album, but I’m not sure what happened with that. They recently supported The Happy Hollows at Spaceland, though I don’t see any shows listed right now. | Official site (but nothin’ there yet) | MySpace | Wikipedia page | Rock Insider article (Jan. ‘08)
Radar Bros. is Jim Putnam on guitar, vocals, piano; Be Hussey on bass and vocals; Stevie Treichel on drums and vocals. Jim and Stevie also play in Tables & Chairs and Adeline & The Philistines. They have a really nice folky sound, and have released five albums, the latest of which was last year’s Auditorium (Merge Records). They just tweeted two days ago: “the mixing process is going to start getting thick this week”, so I guess they’re recording a new album! (yay, Twitter) | Radar Bros. blog | twitter | Wikipedia
Their two EPs, released all the way back in 2007, are quite lovely, and it would be nice to hear something new from them. At the start of the year, they amicably parted ways with guitarist Seamus Simpson, so my guess is they’ve been working on a new sound at the shows they’ve been playing this year, and will soon work on releasing something. They do have two shows currently scheduled: Sep 24 at The Echo with Titus Andronicus and Oct 3 at Spaceland with You Me & Iowa (their final show). | MySpace | BeatCrave interview (10/08)
Rademacher! Very excited, because their new EP Belly Flop was just released. And they’re currently on tour, which will take them across the U.S. and is rumored to include Boston, though nothing has been announced yet. There were some changes in band members earlier this year, so I’m not exactly sure who will be out on the road. Maybe someone who’s been to one of their recent West Coast shows can fill me in? I can’t wait to see these guys live. There are also plans for another EP that will be “mostly solo guitar and real quiet” (according to Malcolm Sosa, speaking to Web in Front). After that will be the full-length follow-up to the (brilliant and wonderful) Stunts. There’s also the equally fantastic RIP Gardenside, which is a compilation of all the early EPs (it’s available on their MySpace). They play Silverlake Lounge on Sep 16, and from there it’s on to San Francisco, Fresno, Merced, and Sacramento CA; then Denver, Omaha, Iowa City, Lawrence KS, Chicago, and as they seem to be headed in the right direction, I’m breathlessly awaiting more dates to be added. | Featured Artist Interview – Web In Front
Red Cortez, about to go out on the road with The Airborne Toxic Event and The Henry Clay People for Airborne Tox’s U.S. tour, have been recording new music and putting demos up on their MySpace. “Farewell, Dash Snow” is up there now, which is really good, and I look forward to hearing them live next month. The tour starts on Thursday (Sep 17) in Pomona, and heads across the U.S., with the East Coast in mid-October, and then back across, ending at The Fillmore in San Francisco on Nov. 2. Their latest release is Hands To The Wall. Harley Prechtel-Cortez just recorded a cover of Jim Carroll’s “People Who Died” to commemmorate his recent passing. You can hear this lovely tribute over at Web In Front.
Lots going on for this amazing singer/songwriter. He’s signed with Atlantic Records, and his debut album, Before Nightfall, will be released on October 20. You can watch his electronic press kit, which includes samplings of his new music. He performs with Portugal The Man in San Francisco on Sep 23, Pomona CA on Sep 26, Solana Beach CA on Sep 28, and Tempe AZ on Sep 29. He then opens for Jason Mraz in Berkeley CA on Oct 9, and supports Noah and the Whale in several cities – Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Chicago, Pontiac MI, and Toronto. Then he performs with Brett Dennen and Grace Potter and the Nocturnals in Baltimore, Washington DC and Philadelphia. | MySpace | Official site | Twitter | Web In Front interview
Their White Water, White Bloom album is due out September 22, and they’ve embarked on a big U.S. and Canadian tour. Tonight (Sep 16) they’re in Pomona at The Glass House; then elsewhere in CA, Portland, Vancouver, Seattle… moving across and ending up in Boston on October 13 at the Paradise Rock Club. See MySpace for their full schedule. They’re releasing a video preview/interview series, the first one which can be seen here.
I think this was the first group to put East L.A. ‘on the map’, as it were, so here they are. A great band as well. Their latest album is Swoon, from which “Panic Switch” and “Lazy Eye” have received a ton of airplay on the “mainstream alternative stations”. Fortunately, they both happen to be good songs, haha (no actually, I don’t really listen to those stations all that much – only when I’m trying to win shit). They’re playing ‘a few shows’… lordy. Sep 16 in Green Bay WI, Omaha, Des Moines… through the South, an interesting jump from Norfolk VA to Montreal, and then the East Coast, starting in Providence at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel on October 17. Oddly, no Boston show, but Clifton Park (Albany), Hartford CT (The Webster, which is kind of a strange place for them, though I think it’ll be perfect for Cage the Elephant), Burlington VT, and Rochester NY. After the L.A. 101 Festival on Nov. 3, it’s off to Europe. By the way, that L.A. show will include other local (L.A.) bands which haven’t been announced yet, so it’ll be interesting to see who that will be.
They’re currently putting finishing touches on the new album, which is scheduled for release “within the next few months”. Vocalist/songwriter Ben Heywood is finishing a short story that inspired one of the songs, and the band had pen and ink portraits done; both of these items apparently will be included as inserts in the vinyl version. This will be their second full-length release, the first being I Know You — I Never Knew You. Currently no shows, but probably once the album is done. | MySpace | Official site | Facebook
Tables & Chairs
Well, their status on MySpace says “Hibernation nears an end”. Could mean nothing, I don’t know. What I do know is that Tables & Chairs is an experimental, electronic and fusiony instrumental band (really good, what a surprise), and features Brian Cleary on keyboards (The Movies, Adeline & the Philistines), Stevie Triechel on drums (same), Jim Putnam on bass guitar (same – plus Radar Bros.), and Marcos Lopez on guitar (The Movies).
They’re touring. Yup. You can see their schedule here and follow their exploits. I’ll make this easy; I’ll just link to their category. I make no apologies for how much I love this band.
Wonderfully good. They have a show coming up on Sep 26 at the El Rey in Los Angeles w/ Eskimohunter & The Polyamorous Affair – something called TarFest. They’ve started performing shows again a few months ago after something of a hiatus, and hinted at “working on something” – hope it’s a new album! | Official site | MySpace | Facebook
Their debut album, Spells, makes its appearance on Oct 6, but you can listen to it now on bandcamp, and man, does it ever sound good. The song “Lieutenant” has just received airplay on BBC Radio’s “Introducing…” show; pretty cool stuff. They’re playing some shows in San Diego, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Boston @ TT The Bears’ on Oct 18 (yay! though I have to work, but I’ll figure something out), and NYC at CMJ on Oct. 22. | MySpace | Facebook | Blog | Twitter | new interview at adequacy.net
Their MySpace status currently says “laboring”. I’ll bet. Their 35-date tour (most of which is with The Airborne Toxic Event and Red Cortez) begins on Thursday in Pomona and wraps up on Nov 3 in San Diego. Last year’s For Cheap Or For Free (which is awesome) is available from iTunes, amazon.com, or Autumn Tone Records, though I’m wondering if maybe they’ll have something new available at the shows? They probably have the same problem that Airborne does – no time to record anything! Major successes for them this year, including a few big-name festivals (Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits), and very well deserved. Looking forward to seeing them again. | MySpace | Twitter
The Monolators have some performances coming up in L.A., both as themselves and as Cobra Lilies (which includes Eli and Mary Chartkoff, Ashley Jex, and others). It’s a little confusing, but here goes: Sep 18 at 6pm, Cobra Lilies will be on KXLU’s Demolisten. [their older shows are archived here]. Later that evening, the Monolators play at the American Legion Hall in Highland Park w/ Wait. Think. Fast. & Seasons. On Sep 19, The Cobra Lilies have their EP Release and Fashion Show at the Highland Park American Legion Hall. On Sep 21 Eli and Mary will perform with other duos at “Sean Carnage Presents Duos Night” at Pehrspace. And on the 24th, The Monolators are at L’Keg with Blue Jungle, UV Lights, Mister Loveless. They’ll also perform at this release show on Sep 29 at Silver Factory Studios to celebrate a 12″ vinyl record of remixes and covers of their song “We All Fell Dead”, put out by LA Loves Records. Of course, none of this will matter to anyone not living in L.A., which is probably most everyone reading this.
Their latest release is the 7″ vinyl and digital download EP, Orangufang on JAXART Records, which came out back in April. Not sure if they’re working on anything new right now, but they do have some shows lined up, and I had a major “WHOA!!” moment while perusing their schedule. They play The Troubadour in West Hollywood with Everest for a KROQ Locals Only show on Sep 18. Then Spaceland on Oct 6 with Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3. From there, it’s off to the East Coast for some shows in NYC and New Jersey with Roadside Graves, plus a few other shows in NYC w/other bands. Philadelphia w/Roadside Graves again, and then I see “Oct 17 Northern Lights w/Airborne Toxic Event, Henry Clay People, Red Cortez”. Oh man!! Friggin’ AWESOME!! First I’ve heard of this, and I have a ticket for that show; definitely going. What a great night that’s going to be. They’re back in L.A. for a free show on Oct. 25. | MySpace | Official site
The only show I see listed is the Abbott Kinney Festival in Venice CA on Sep 27, but you can download their latest release, the 5-track Would It Kill You To Talk This Out EP, from their official site. They’re also on Facebook and MySpace.
The Valley Arena’s We Died 7″ vinyl EP and digital download was released back in May on JAXART Records. I believe they toured over the summer, but I’m not sure what they’ve been doing lately.
They have two shows coming up: Sep 24 at Biola University (free show) in La Mirada CA, and Oct 1 at Knitting Factory in L.A. w/ Dusty Rhodes & the River Band. Their latest CD is Escapements, which can be purchased via iTunes or you can order a physical copy on their MySpace page. Currently they aren’t playing out because they’re recording and mixing a new album. To keep up with their latest news, visit their official site.
Union Line has one show listed – Sep 24 at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa CA with Yellow Red Sparks. Not sure what else is happening. You can follow them on Twitter.
Back in July, JAXART Records partnered with OTIK Records to release Vaudeville’s full-length digital album, Devil’s Knocking, which is available on iTunes. And then I see on their MySpace page it says of their August 8 Long Beach appearance, “Our Last Show!”. So I don’t really know.
Voxhaul Broadcast have a new EP coming out September 30 called Fact-Fiction & Turquoise. Go to their MySpace page to download a free mp3 from it. And on Sept. 30, they’re having an EP release show at The Echo w/ Eastern Conference Champions (seems it’s a CD release party for them also), Samuel Stewart and Radio Freq. It’s also the one year anniversary of Kevin Bronson’s Buzzbands.la.
They have one show listed at this time – Oct 5 at The Echo in Los Angeles w/Correatown (Residency). Their debut album, Well Known Drag, (released back in January on OTIK Records/JAXART Records) is available as an LP or digital download on their MySpace page. Last month they released a video for “Things People Say” from their album. You can see it on Rock Insider.
Seven Days Now, their 5-track EP which includes a cover of The Cure’s “Fascination Street” (recently featured in a USA Today podcast, was released back in April. Previous recordings include The Mourning Son EP (May ‘08), These Days 12″ vinyl (’07), Los Angeles During The Winter Of ‘99 (their first CD), and they’re featured on Perfect as Cats: A Tribute to The Cure, released late last year (which looks great, and I wasn’t aware of). They have a show scheduled for Sep 22 at The Echo with Pink Mountaintops. | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Official site
