Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Exitmusic, Farewood

Wednesday, July 6, 2011, Manic Productions presents

Location:
BAR
254 Crown Street
New Haven, CT

9:00pm - 21+ - Free

Facebook event page

Exitmusic bio via Secretly Canadian:
Church and Palladino started writing together several years ago, when Church, originally from Winnipeg, moved to New York following a year teaching English in Taiwan and India. Palladino, a New York native, had been writing and recording her own songs since she was in her early teens. The pair spent pretty much all of their time creating music, but things really began to take shape when they moved to Los Angeles a year later. They began recording at home, creating music that the UK’s Supersweet Magazine described as “dark, brooding and beautiful… Radiohead meets Portishead in a living nightmare.” The duo eventually moved back to New York in 2009, and have slowly but surely been taking the city by storm with their arresting, intense live shows.

The first taste of Exitmusic’s incredible output, “The Sea,” is unlike any song you will hear in 2011 — it is equal parts driving, danceable, enigmatic, primal, urgent, cacophonous and beautiful. But enough from us: we’ll let the music speak to itself.

"The Sea" by Exitmusic by DOJAGSC

bio via Manic
Farewood is husband and wife songwriters Lou Lorenzo and Leah Booker. Joining them for live performances is veteran drummer and musical instructor Bob Hill. The band finds inspiration for their tunes against the backdrop of their hometown of Meriden, CT. The desolate feel of the city surroundings consistently finds its way into the subconsciousness of their songs, yielding a sound that at times is shadowy, desperate and lonely. But like many Connecticut towns, once you venture out of the emptiness of its downtown center, the back roads can unfold into beautiful, almost country roads. That duality, or contrast if you will, can be found throughout their music. Their songs can be dark, but underneath it all lies a certain unmistakable beauty.

The duo are currently recording their fourth album and plan to use an array of different studios throughout the state while enlisting the services of Hill on drums. They hope to have the album ready for 2012. Farewood's sound has drawn comparisons to The Cocteau Twins, Sundays, The Cure, Afghan Whigs and Dinosaur Jr.

Sable Sky by Farewood


Friday, June 24, 2011

Cervix, Iron Hand, Brick Thrower, Zone

Wednesday, June 29, 2011:

Location:
Whitney House
thanks for the scan Brushback
Hartford, CT

$5 - 7:00 PM

Please bring donations of canned food for Hartford Food Not Bombs to the show.

Cervix make Whitney House a stop on their Life Fucker tour next week. Washed out reverbed banshee vocals front this NYC punk band by a girl that sorta looks like the Ju-on monster. Grab a "special version" of their newest 7", out on Video Disease Records, at the show.

Hear Cervix's Death Culture:
alt : http://videodiseaserecords.com/files/01-death-culture.mp3





Supporting are three Connecticut bands, the all-crushing Iron Hand and the new Brick Thrower and also new Zone (ex Ripshit/Dark Circles).


Cervix tour:

Friday-6/24/11-Ottawa w/ Asile, Nightmare Reality, Antimony
Saturday-6/25/11-Montreal w/ Locked Out, Subliminal Decay
Sunday-6/26/11-Montreal (Day off)
Monday-6/27/11-Albany, NY w/ Cancer, Dead Folk
Tuesday-6/28/11-Boston, MA w/Gash, Bloodkrow Butcher
Wednesday-6/29/11-Hartford, CT at Whitney House w/ Iron Hand, Brick Thrower, Zone
Thursday-6/30/11-Philadelphia, PA (Day off)
Friday-7/1/11-Philadelphia, PA at Philly Punx Picnic w/ Nomad, Ratface, plus more
Saturday-7/2/11-NYC Undead Vol. 35 w/ Kromosom, Mundo Muerto, Gash, Porkeria, Perdition
Saturday-7/9/11-Richmond, VA w/ Direct Control, plus more

Thursday, June 23, 2011

The Shape Of Post-Punk To Come? Highly touted Danish combo Iceage plays New Haven


In this day and age of media over saturation where bands can be declared the next big thing based on the criteria of releasing one good song over the internet, it’s cool to see a band receive attention from the blogosphere by releasing an awesome debut album and following it up with crazy, violent, must see live shows. For the teenage musicians in Danish combo Iceage, the praise is well deserved, because they have touched on something really excellent through their CD “New Brigade” (which will be released domestically on June 21 on What’s Your Rupture? Records) and their fearsome live reputation.

“Our fans and other people around have taken the band really well and we feel like people care. Of course some people don’t like us too. When the album came out the media blew it up really big and we were in every paper and even on the news. That was a bit unreal,” said singer/guitarist Elias Bender Ronnenfelt over e-mail. In addition to Ronnenfelt, the band consists of Johan Wieth (guitar) Dan Kjaer Nielsen (drums) and Jakob Pless (bass).

Already a sensation in their native land, the band is taking it to the road with a brief East Coast tour that will see them play with other like minded souls in Fucked Up, as well stopping by New Haven for a show at Popeye’s Garage on June 23. With all the attention they have received, they are trying to keep level heads.
“We try to stay calm and not think too much about it, but it’s a bit stressful with all those e-mails coming in every day,” said Ronnenfelt.

The stress should be worth it because “New Brigade” introduces a new major talent to the world. It’s an album that brims with confidence and youthful energy. It sounds like a great collision between post-punk, particularly in the drums and bass, and hardcore-ish noisy guitar. Plus it’s frenetic and sounds like the band are basically going by their gut and just playing what they feel. There’s no calculation here.

“We didn’t sit down and decide what to sound like, and we probably won’t always sound like this. But I’m not sure we get most of our inspiration from bands that sound a lot like us. We might get inspiration from Simon & Garfunkel rather than Joy Division,” he said.

After a brief instrumental intro, the first proper song on the CD, “White Rune” kicks in, with driving bass and drums and noisy squalls of guitar. The title track speeds it up while adding a poppy break at its end. “Broken Bone” rides a skuzzy and catchy riff, while “Count Me In” puts the pedal to the metal and is pure speed. The closing track “You’re Blessed” takes everything great about their sound and finishes it off on a high note. Though brief, at only 24 minutes, “New Brigade” makes quite an impression.

But just don’t try to label them as purely as a punk band, because Ronnenfelt is quick to point out that they just care about making good music regardless of the genre.

“I don’t really care about punk as a genre. I only care about good songs and good sounds,” he said.

Besides being known for their recorded output, the band is also famous, or maybe a little infamous, for their riotous live show, where people go mental and sometimes ending in a little blood being spilled by the audience. There have been people at their shows who’ve had “VICTIM” written in blood on their foreheads. After all, it is a punk show, what do people expect. Well, Ronnenfelt expects a little more from his fans.

“I’m not sure I can answer that question better than anybody being violent at our gigs. But I hope it’s because people actually relate to the music rather than it just being a punk concert,” he said.

So, they have an ace debut record, a penchant for crazy live shows and a whole bunch of justified hype hanging over them. There is no reason why you should miss this gig. You could witness something very special, and if they go onto bigger things, you can always say you saw them in a parking lot in New Haven back in the day. (As opposed to all those people who say they were at the infamous Nirvana show at the Moon all those years ago.)

Iceage
The Men
Medication
Female
Thursday June 23, 2011
Popeye’s Garage, 50 Goffe Street, New Haven
7:00 pm, $7, All Ages






Saturday, June 18, 2011

Get your sleaze on tonight with NightBitch in Meriden!

~photo: aaron michael pepelis


Sue us! One of our favorite local bands is NightBitch, purveyors of some of the finest occult-themed, sleazed-out, trad-flavored metal around. The band will be celebrating the release of their “Sex & Magic” EP on CD, this Saturday at Scotty O’Boyles in Meriden. We thought it would be a good time to check in with guitarist Ryan Adams and see what’s new since the last time we spoke. This show looks like a lot of fun and it’s free, so there is no reason why you can’t get down there and get your sleaze on!

So what’s new in the world of the ‘bitch?We're busying ourselves with writing songs for our debut full-length. We have a few labels in mind who we would like to see behind it and we may precede the full-length with a 7" featuring a cover as the B-side. Probably 10-12 tracks of what you've come to expect from Nightbitch... tradish heavy fucking metal, riffs and sleaze with a sensual, occult bent. We're about half-way to where we need to be. Tons of riffs and a few solid skeletons in place. Also working out a couple of killer new covers that we'll be unveiling Saturday night. Gird your loins and fasten thee chastity belt!

ALSO... Chris and I have just completed our contributions to the Vestal Claret (Phil Swanson project) full-length. I appear on three tracks doing guest rhythms and solos and Chris shares vocals on a track with Phil. Just this week, we received final mixes and we are nothing less than thrilled to have participated in such a stunning album with so many phenomenal guest appearances (Andy from Black Pyramid, Jason from Iron Age / Cyclopean recs, Leo from Forsaken and many more).

I see that you are celebrating the release of the EP on CD after it’s been on two other formats on two different labels. Can you tell me how this came about?Though we have parted ways as bandmates, Phil Swanson remains a very good friend and ally of the band and we have the utmost respect for him. He actually put us in touch with Mark at Psychedoomelic Records, who just released the "Sex and Magic" CD and we couldn't be more pleased with how it all turned out. It's a gorgeous release and we are nothing short of honored be on a label that has released the likes of Reverend fucking Bizarre, amongst other doom luminaries. After selling out of the No Visible Scars cassette and the Cyclopean vinyl pressings, the time was right to enter the digital realm.

There’s going to be a CD release party for it tonight at Scotty O’Boyles in Meriden, can you tell me about this? What’s the idea behind this?Scotty's is my favorite bar in my hometown of Meriden and is conveniently located down the fucking street. It will be nice for once to get shit-hammered and have a 30 second trip home, should I not wind up in the bed of some lucky lady. We'll be taking turns DJ'ing before our set and Handsome Bill Connolly from No Visible Scars will be doing a guest DJ set as well. Vinyl only. FUCK OFF DIGITAL BUTTDARTS! Expect lots of Sabbath, Purple, Priest, B.O.C., Rainbow, Sir Lord Baltimore and Mercyful fucking FATE!!! Basically a bunch of friends fucking off in the company of friends. If you're not into riffs, sigils, tits and Ritchie Blackmore... YOU ARE NOT OUR FRIEND.

You are playing at midnight, any special significance for the band?It's the fakkin witching hour, bro. DUH.

Are there any plans to put out a full length soon? You told me you had some labels interested in the band? Where does that stand? Chris has yet to make his singing debut on a NightBitch record…will that be happening soon?Oh yes. Full-length forthcoming. We'll be shopping around a few songs in the next couple months and hopefully releasing a 7" of one or two new jams and a cover. Chris will surely be singing on it, as he's been hitting it out of the fucking park since assuming vocal duties.

How do you find time for both of your bands? How do any of you find time, as a band, as you all have other projects going too…isn’t Chris in like 20 bands right now?If you're passionate about something, you make time for it. I've got both Nightbitch and Ipsissimus. Mark has De Omega and Nightbitch. Chris has five bands at last count. The man is a promiscuous dynamo, bless his fuck.

Are you hoping some hot nubiles will take it off to your song “Disrober” and then shake it to “Sex & Magic”?It is Hell-ordained, Thomas.


Saturday, June 18, 2011

Scotty O'Boyles Cafe
23 North Colony ST
Meriden, CT

Free admission
21+

"The vibe is SLEAZE: dress sleazy, drink too much and get sketchy!"

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Deafheaven: Sometimes good music doesn't go unnoticed


Most bands, if they’re any good (and some that aren’t so good), take a while to get their sound down pat and start attracting local attention. This whole process can drag on longer if the band decides to tour and is trying to get signed. It’s a process that sometimes can drag out for years, depending on the band’s situation.

In the case of San Francisco’s Deafheaven, the exact opposite is true, because within a year of them forming, they’ve already released a well received demo, got signed to a decent independent label and have been able to tour nationally. These unexpected twists and turns are quite surprising for a project that just started out as a way to slake its creators thirst for new sounds.

“We were all in a bunch of different bands and they all started to get a little stagnant. We then decided to go full throttle with this project and come up with a more expansive sound,” said vocalist George Clarke, who along with guitarist Kerry McCoy, form the core of Deafheaven.

It started off innocently enough, the duo recorded a demo and sent it out to a bunch of influential blogs, said demo received all types of praise, which eventually lead to the formation of a full on band, which included bassist Derek Prine, guitarist Nick Bassett of shoegaze band Whirr and drummer Trevor Deschryver of funeral doom band Lycus (Bassett isn’t touring with them due his commitments to Whirr. In his place, Gary Bettencourt who fronts a one man crusty/d-beat project called Black Monolith handles second guitar duty.), and them getting signed to Deathwish records, which is the label co-owned by Converge’s Jake Bannon. Add a buzz building set at the SXSW music fest, and the recording of a full length record, “Roads To Judah”, which was released this past April and you have a band that is living at an accelerated rate.

Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let’s talk about the band’s sound. Deafheaven merges the savagery of black metal, with some of the lush atmospheres of post rock and shoegaze, while blending in a little screamo into the mix. It’s a genre defying sound, which really doesn’t fall into one easy category. And they want it that way, just as long as you don’t use the dreaded “bm” tag around them.

“We don’t consider ourselves a black metal band because we have a lot more going on to be considered just that,” said Clarke.

This expansive sound is on full display on their debut “Roads To Judah” which was released this past April. Though there might be a little confusion as to whether this is a spiritual record, the Judah mentioned in the title is a reference for to N Judah line which ran by the duo’s house in San Francisco. Clarke said he would come up with a lot of ideas for the band while riding this train into work. Thematically, the record deals with personal themes that were affecting its creator at the time of writing. It must have been a hellacious time, because the music actually burns with a cleansing fire, like he is purging these things from his life.

While there are passages of shoegaze like atmosphere, the album's four tracks are mostly dominated by a savage black metal-influenced assault. There are the atmospheric parts, which reference shoegaze and post-metal, but they add depth to the sound, instead of overwhelming it. This is one angry, blasting record. They’re like an angry urban version of Wolves In The Throne Room, who deal less in nature worship issues, than with the pitfalls of living in a major city and the stress that goes along with that.

“We wanted to utilize all our backgrounds to create emotion on a large scale. This means using sounds that are not just metal,” Clarke said.

For now, the band is thrilled to be touring behind the new record and has plans to tour for it throughout the year. But it might be a while before you anymore new Deafheaven material. Different members of the band are involved with other projects. In fact, Clarke said that Deafhaven is just one of the many things the guys in the band are involved with.

For example, Bassett is busy getting ready the Whirr debut disc for Tee Pee Records. Deschryver has the Lycus project to work on and Bettencourt has Black Monolith. But that doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy their time with Deafheaven.

“We are definitely happy with the way the record has been received. We were not expecting it at all. Right now we’re just enjoying the tour and all that is coming to us because of it,” Clarke said.

Exit:Denied by deafheaven

Manic Productions Presents:

Deafheaven
Brass Caskets
Gowl
Girls Just Want To Have Fun

Saturday, June 18
Lilly’s Pad (Toad’s Place Upstairs)
300 York Street
New Haven, CT
7:00 pm – All Ages - $10

Tour Dates

06/17: New York, NY @ The Cake Shop
06/18: New Haven, CT @ Lillys Pad
06/19: Boston, MA @ O' Briens
06/21: Cleveland, OH @ Now That's Class
06/22: Chicago, IL @ The Albion House
06/24: Cheyenne, WY @ The Crawlspace
06/25: Denver, CO @ Blast-O-Mat
06/26: Las Vegas, NV @ Meatheads
06/27: Los Angeles, CA @ Vacation Vinyl - FREE In store
06/28: Garden Grove, CA @ The Cabin

Snake Oil Record Release, with Atrina and DJ Shaki

Friday, June 17, 2011

Location:
Cafe Nine
250 State Street
New Haven, CT

9:30pm - 21+ - $6

Indulge in Snakeoil's stoned soul picnic...

Snake Oil is a collaboration between roughly a dozen people in New Haven County, Western Massachusetts, and New York City. In 1892, the year of Walt Whitman’s death, the circle rose up, fully formed, over the fringes of a blank landscape. The live incarnation for this show includes members (past and present) of Weigh Down, Titles, Mountain Movers, Latitude/Longitude, Charles Burst, Meridians, etc.



Atrina makes music that is equal parts minimalist melodicism, counterpunctal cacophony, and decibel-pushing dissonance. Angular, but accessible. Complex, yet catchy. Eclectic, and electrifying - Atrina makes ears ring, hearts pound, and toes tap.




In the transitions, Shaki will spin jams you've never heard but wish you had. You may think, how have I lived so long without this?


Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Thank You Mr. Keating (performing The Baxter Special), The Saltwater Swells, Ovlov, Grass is Green

Friday, June 17, 2011


Location:
Heirloom Arts Theatre
155 Main St
Danbury CT

$5.00 - 8:00PM - All Ages


Fresh from their Arch Street performance, where they delighted many and terrified a few, Thank You Mr. Keating returns to the stage. They bring The Baxter Special to life, but loud as fuck, with audio/visual dementia to boil your brains over. Not to be missed!



Danbury's The Saltwater Swells are a decent pop outfit, a little Elvis Costello-ish. Heads up February Records!

Ovlov are one of CT's best power pop bands. Like chunky underground Foo Fighters with extra 90's Big Muff.



Grass is Green have a mix of regular ol' indie rock, Polvo-ish post-hardcore, and barbiturated Piebald. Out of Boston.


Monday, June 13, 2011

YDINPERHE and Pahaa Verta

Tuesday, June 14, 2011:

from the YDINPERHE / Pahaa Verta split


Location:
Whitney House
Hartford, CT

7:00 PM - $5.00 - Bring a vegan canned food donation for Hartford Food Not Bombs

Touring by way of Finland:

YDINPERHE:





Pahaa Verta:


Friday, June 10, 2011

CT Indie Presents: Chris Brokaw (solo), Dead Wives, Thank You Mr. Keating perform The Baxter Special

Friday, June 10, 2011, CT Indie Presents at Arch Street...

flyer by Steve Ross
Location:
Arch Street Tavern
85 Arch Street
Hartford, CT

8 PM - $10.00 cover - 21+

Chris Brokaw contributed his expertise on guitar and drums to the bands Come and Codeine before striking out on his own as a solo act. His first time out as a solo artist saw him split an EP with the Spanish group Viva Las Vegas. The recording was put out jointly by Acuarela Records and Kimchee Records.

A native of New York, Brokaw settled in Boston during the mid-'80s. His first rock gig came in 1990 when he signed on with the slowcore Sub Pop band Codeine as its drummer. He remained with the group through two years, and contributed to the recording of an EP and a full-length album.

In 1992, he left Codeine to pursue songwriting, singing and guitar playing full time with Come, who recorded four albums for Matador Records and toured internationally over the course of 10 years. A handful of acclaimed albums and a variety of singles followed, with Thalia Zedek at the band's forefront.

2010/2011 finds Chris playing a limited number of shows with a reunited Come, (including Matador's 21st anniversary Festival) and numerous solo projects.

Chris has performed on over two dozen other recordings, performing as a member of the following bands: Willard Grant Conspiracy, The New Year, Pullman, Consonant, and Empty House Cooperative; as a guest on recordings by Cobra Verde, Manta Ray, Rosa Chantswell, Karate, and Via Tania; and as an accompanist to recordings and performances by Steve Wynn, Evan Dando, Thalia Zedek, Alan Licht, Tara Jane O'neil, crime writer George Pelecanos, and The Thurston Moore Group (with Thurston Moore, Samara Lubelski, Matt Heyner and Steve Shelley).



With guests:

Dead Wives, self described 3-piece skate rock from Connecticut. Recently rocked Cafe Nine opening for The Whines and Medication. Check out the Scuz Bucket review here.

Latest tracks by deadwives


Special opening event, Thank You Mr. Keating performs The Baxter Special. The first Thank You Mr. Keating show in over four years, and with a full band. One of only a few shows to be played, this will be a performance of selections from The Baxter Special! Read the CT Indie review here.


Thursday, June 9, 2011

Medication, Ferocious Fucking Teeth, Nerve City

Saturday, June 18, 2011, Safety Meeting & Popeye's Garage Present

Location:
ELM BAR
372 Elm St
New Haven, CT

$4.00 - 21+ - 9:00 PM

Safety Meeting's first show at Elm Bar!!

Medication's Sacred Bones' bio: Mike Hyde has been cultivating private press style recordings since high school, and for the past few years under the handle Medication. What initially was a private endeavor went public in 2007 when a friend of his in Germany asked that he write music for a short film he was working on. At that point he started a myspace page as a means to play the producer works he had come up with for the project - mostly instrumentals and tape loops - but it quickly became more of a forum to post the other, more personal songs as well. The Medication recordings have all been a solo affair except for a side on a four tape comp, Judges Cave: The Hidden Sounds of New Haven, that came out in early 2010. The live band features Stefan Christensen who’s been in a bunch of Connecticut bands, most notably Estrogen Highs, and another a good friend of Hyde’s, Jon Vanduzee. In 2009 Medication released his debut full length on Hozac and then went on to tour in this incarnation of the band opening for The Dutchess and the Duke in early 2010. This new EP has songs Hyde has been working on for the last two years. They were all recorded on cassette four track (read: tape, not Logic) in his apartment in New Milford, CT.

Medication - Judgement Day by sacredbones

New London's Ferocious Fucking Teeth play fuzzed out stoner rock. Consisting of vocals, two drums, and two guitars, the chosen instrumentation is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this band's originality. Live, these guys lay on the heavy sonic assault that'll almost definitely cause equal parts smiles and slight hearing loss. Bring stuff to put in your ears, drink a couple before the set, and get up real close, this is going to be fun!



From Hozac Recs:
As raw and bitter as the north winds blowing off the Virginia mountaintops, we are proud to serve you a platter of new songs to ease the winter solitude with three impeccably satisfying noisy folk vibrations from Nerve City. As you may already know, Nerve City is one of the brightest home-recording projects that’s been exploding into a gripping live band, all the while holding a line of desperate tension and aggressive simplicity that climbs inside your skull within seconds and never really leaves. With a strong handle on jangling 60s guitar instrumentation and misanthropic melody, coupled with brash, shell-shockingly savage recording methods and songwriting that’s so far above its peers, it’s time you warmed up a spot in your withered soul for Nerve City before they blow up in your face.


Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Earth, Ô Paon at the Wadsworth Atheneum

Tuesday, June 14, 2011, Manic Productions presents

Photo: Sarah Barrick
Location:
Wadsworth Atheneum (Aetna Theater)
600 Main Street
Hartford, CT

7:00pm - All Ages - $15 Buy tix now!

Earth: Here is a review of Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light, Vol. 1 from allmusic.com, which explains Earth in its current form:

When Dylan Carlson resurrected Earth after a five-year break, he also reinvented their sound. Gone were the crushing, devastatingly slow, blown-out guitar and bass drones that essentially created the entire post-rock genre. The new Earth create a more atmospheric music with more arid soundscapes; they explore skeletal yet pronounced layered melodies inside their trademark drones, creating the aural equivalent of vast, utterly empty desert landscapes. It began on 2005's Hex: Or Printing in the Infernal Method, and attained maturity on 2008's Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull. With Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light, Vol. 1 -- the first of two thematic albums proposed for 2011 -- that's still the case, but Carlson and longtime drummer Adrienne Davies have succeeded in opening up Earth's soundscape texturally and pushing beyond what was achieved on Bees. The contributions of new members cellist Lori Goldston and bassist Karl Blau make this possible. "Old Black" opens the set with Davies playing a kick drum, snare, and cymbal, with trancelike precision. Carlson pursues a series of chord changes one note at a time; Goldston creates a counter-melody just outside his frame. Blau pushes harder and slower, creating tension and a slightly shifting dynamic as the music intensifies but intentionally never breaks loose; it reveals its considerable power with restraint. "Father Midnight" commences with a two-chord vamp, played by all three string players. Carlson finds just enough extra notes to create a melody. Blau and Goldston assert themselves against this ever-so-slowly evolving lyric statement and one another; harmony and dissonance coexist without antagonism, creating a heaviness and tension that are aesthetically beautiful and emotionally resonant. The title track, a 20-plus-minute mindwrecker that closes the set, allows that dissonance in from the jump as Goldston and Blau explore the lower registers of their instruments in a counterpoint that is bridged by Carlson's low-end guitar only minutely at first. The trio gains traction in minute increases that up the dynamic tension. This creates a sinister brooding resonance that is underscored when Davies enters five minutes later. What takes place for the remainder is an exploration of intonation, space, and melody based on a minor-key blues that transcends the form. Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light, Vol. 1 represents a further shift in Earth's evolution. It is darker -- even sinister -- and undoubtedly heavier than Bees, but it is more seductive with its mantra-like droning repetition and more elegantly detailed in its textural dimension.



Ô Paon: Geneviève Castrée was born in Québec in 1981, she says:

"I started Ô Paon at home in 2007. I felt the need to start something new, to work harder. The songs of Ô Paon are often born out of frustration, events happen in front of me and I make my comments. I make stuff up, I create scenes. I fuck around a little bit because it's important to forget to take yourself seriously sometimes. Ô Paon has sung a little bit everywhere: in Canada, in the United States, in Europe, in Japan, in Australia and in New Zealand. It was great. There will be more occasions for me to show myself in the near future.

I choose to write and sing my songs in French, my mother tongue. People often tell me I have a weird accent. I don't know what to say about that. I sing the way it comes out. I am a well-traveled French-speaker.

I like recording by myself in my house. Clumsiness can become magic. For Courses, my first full length, I surrounded myself with people who really know music and how to play it. I went into a real studio. It was worth it."



Earth tour:
Midwest/East Coast American Tour:
6/08/2011 Mayne Stage - Chicago, IL w/ Ô Paon
6/09/2011 Mad Planet - Milwaukee, WI w/ Ô Paon
6/10/2011 Magic Stick - Detroit, MI w/ Ô Paon
6/11/2011 The Strut - Kalamazoo, MI w/ Ô Paon
6/12/2011 Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH w/ Ô Paon
6/13/2011 Johnny Brendas - Philadelphia, PA w/ Ô Paon
6/14/2011 Wadsworth Atheneum - Hartford, CT w/ Ô Paon
6/15/2011 Middle East Downstairs - Boston, MA w/ Ô Paon
6/16/2011 Le Poisson Rouge - New York City, NY w/ Ô Paon
6/17/2011 Ottobar - Baltimore, MD w/ Ô Paon
6/18/2011 Braddock Carnegie Library– Braddock, PA w/ Ô Paon
6/19/2011 Southgate House - Newport, KY w/ Ô Paon

West Coast American Tour:
7/13/2011 Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR w/Angelo Spencer and Wyrd Visions
7/14/2011 The Northern - Olympia, WA - w/Angelo Spencer, Broken Water and Wyrd Visions
7/16/2011 What the Heck fest? - Anacortes,WA
7/21/2011 Catalyst Atrium - Santa Cruz, CA w/Angelo Spencer
7/22/2011 Slim's - San Francisco, CA w/Angelo Spencer and Whirr
7/23/2011 Echo Plex - Los Angeles, CA w/Angelo Spencer
7/24/2011 The Casbah - San Diego, CA w/Angelo Spencer
8/02/2011 Tractor Tavern - Seattle, WA w/Tiny Vipers and Angelo Spencer
8/05/2011 Shakedown - Bellingham, WA w/Cold Lake and the Narrows

More date here

B.O.M.B. Fest 2011 Review

Snoop Dogg, at B.O.M.B. Fest, 2011. Photo by John Kritzman




Words: Monica Lyons
Pics: John Kritzman Full set of photos for DAY 1 HERE, and for DAY 2 HERE!

Click on the pics to enlarge them!

B.O.M.B. Fest kicked off this past Memorial Day weekend with its third annual festival containing several national and local artists from across the music spectrum. Moved from its original location at Western Connecticut State University to Hartford’s Comcast Theatre, B.O.M.B. Fest, standing for Bring Our Music Back, introduced a two day event first created by Frank Bombaci Jr. in 2009. In addition to bringing both small and large bands to a common ground with equal audiences, 70% all the show's proceeds goes to charities.

"I started B.O.M.B. Fest when I was a senior in high school," Bombaci explained, "Our high school makes us do a senior project, so I thought it would be cool to put on a music festival. Six weeks before our scheduled date, we finally got our stuff together and pulled through with eighteen bands and six touring acts. The Cool Kids and Say Anything headlined, and it was a lot smaller than it is this year, but we had 1200 people, so it was a positive, small first festival. So we said you know what? Let’s give it a go."

B.O.M.B. Fest has truly grown, with this year’s lineup featuring over 40 national acts and more than 25 local artists, including big names such as Weezer and Snoop Dogg. Unfortunately, a few acts backed out of the festival late in the game, with Wiz Kalifa stuck in Chicago due to inclement weather and a member of the Dum Dum Girls experiencing a death in the family.


One of the first bands to start the event over at the Budweiser stage was Distoria, a Queens-based group exploding with the catchy sounds of melodic pop rock. Soon after the group began performing, the sun finally broke through the gloomy overcast and engulfed the positive atmosphere surrounding the non-profit festival. Pianist and front woman, Helena Martin, whom grew up in Connecticut, shared her passion for music and the event. "I’ve been involved in B.O.M.B. festivals for three years now. I’ve played every year and I’ve been the local talent coordinator for two years," told Ms. Martin, "The reason I love playing at B.O.M.B. Fest is because it gives an opportunity for local artists like myself to play on a huge stage, to rub shoulders with some really big acts, and just kind of casually. Not only are we invited to play here, we’re welcome to play here and we’re treated equally. In addition to that, B.O.M.B. Fest also donates its profits to places that either promote healing or education through music. It’s really a win-win for everyone."

"Live Nation Connecticut has been really helpful," told Bombaci, "The charities are the most important part, we don’t take any money. We’ve had a lot of great sponsors but we don’t take any money back, we give it all to charity: the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, Lyman Allyn, and YPI, which was an art camp that I went to when I was a kid."

Maria Gomez, whom works at the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, belongs to just one of the organizations benefiting from the proceeds. "It’s a really great organization that brings music to the community but it also funds organizations that have music programming that helps kids go through some healing and express themselves in important ways," explained Ms. Gomez, "We’re glad to be here."

It was difficult to catch all of the overlapping performances of the two day fest, but I tried to experience as many small and live bands as possible. In one of the acts that played early on the first day at the Viva La Bomb stage was Roots of Creation, whom were introduced as being discovered online by Bombaci and invited to play at B.O.M.B. Fest for the past three years in a row. With the crowd moving and grooving to the reggae beats emerging from the five-piece band, smoke billowed across the stage through flashing, multicolored lights. Their smooth, feel-good vibe radiated across the grounds with more and more people attracting to the stage, as lead singer Brett Wilson invited everyone to step forward and fill the gap between crowd and stage. Wilson also expressed his support of the cause and satisfaction of helping others while still putting on an awesome show. "When I was starting out with our band, there wasn’t opportunities like this, to play with a bunch of national bands that are bigger, that you look up to, you can make friends with and establish contacts with," said Wilson, "I think it’s awesome. I’m all about non-profits; we do benefits all the time. As far as music goes, all of the artists that I look up to are trying to make a difference in the world, so we’re just trying to do our part."










Wavves hit the main stage as a large, young crowd gathered in the pit. The rad, rebelious ambiance of the Californian three-piece band certainly held true to their fun, don’t care, never-gonna-grow up songs full of catchy melodies and noise pop. After lead singer and guitarist Nathan Williams publically thanked a group of sixteen-year-olds for getting them high, Wavves went on to play songs such as "King of the Beach" and "No Hope Kids."

Immediately following Wavves on the main stage was The Guru, an indie, funk rock band from small, surrounding towns in Connecticut. With an array of bandanas swinging from the neck of their bass and the drummer adorning a Capitan’s hat, The Guru has such immense style and personality that bursts through their hip, fetching songs, such as "Taste." Representing one of the local bands of B.O.M.B. Fest, they were happy to show their support for other bands. "B.O.M.B. Fest is unique in that it helps all levels of the music scene," explained bassist Dan George, "There’s national acts like Weezer, that people come to see, and it’ll introduce them to smaller national acts like Wavves or Best Coast, that they might not be as familiar with. People can get familiar with smaller local artists and then it benefits the kids at the bottom, so they start new bands. It’s a whole top-down thing." The Guru spills a feel-good atmosphere that you can’t help but get down to, which was obvious by the looks of the crowd.

Another act that played the main stage was the indie punk sound of Titus Andronicus. The New Jersey band came with great vigor as lead singer Patrick Stickles sang with fellow guitarist Amy Klein jumping up and down beside him, an endless smile on her face. Toward the end of their set, Titus Andronicus got the crowd waving their arms in their air to the lyrics "I will always be a loser" from their song "No Future Part III: Escape from No Future."


Later, at the Budweiser stage, Dan Deacon truly stole the show in terms of audience participation and crazy energy. Forming a close contact shell of sweaty hyped-up kids around him at floor level, Dan Deacon busted electronic beats that had everyone at jumping and pushing each other. During his performance, he also had everyone form a circle, in which he gave the a large synopsis of the movie "Big" and gave instructions for individuals in the middle to dance like they were the mother in the film, just finding a grown man in their son’s bed. Once this dance affair was over, everyone ran toward each other to dance in the middle. To end his originally dynamic and spastically hip set, he formed a dancing human tunnel.









With two people forming a tower with their hands, someone would go underneath and stand next to them to form the same stance with another person, and repeat all the way from the Budweiser stage, to the top of the stairs, back down the other, and then some. It was truly ridiculous. Dan Deacon really knows how to get a party started, or at least, moving.

The Cool Kids took to the main stage to bring a hip hop element to B.O.M.B. Fest, in which they bumped the bass so loud I saw a girl in front of me hold her chest and say to her friend, "I can’t breathe."

HEALTH delivered an eerie set full of raw synth, screeching guitar, and heavy drum hits. Playing songs such as "We Are Water," and "Die Slow," bassist/noisemaker John Famiglietti swung his long, black hair gracefully through the air and swayed while hitting a drum in the center of the stage. I thought their performance was something beautiful.

Other bands to perform were the lo-fi folk rock sounds of Woods, which were introduced by Dan Deacon. "We went to college together but I never really see those guys very often so that was really fun," commented Deacon.


Best Coast also performed on the main stage, opening with the dreamy vocals and fuzzy styling of their song "Bratty B." The indie, surf pop three piece also went on to perform songs such as "Crazy for You" and "When I’m With You." Front woman Bethany Cosentino closed the set by dedicating their last song to her dad and cat, Snacks, back in California.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros gave a beautiful performance with their large group casting a warm, cozy atmosphere through indie folk and alternative country pop ballads. Finishing out their set with a longer, dramatic rendition of their single "Home," the band had the whole crowd singing along with them, which had then grown quite large.

Finishing out the first day of B.O.M.B. Fest at the main stage was the one of the major headliners,

Weezer. Most to all of the goers of the festival gathered in the pit, lounged in seats, and sprawled out across lawn of the pavilion. As Weezer’s giant glowing logo of a jazzed-up "W" illuminated behind them, the band played an even mixture of songs from across their albums such as "El Scorcho" from Pinkerton all the way to "Pork and Beans" from the Red Album. Fans replicated the logo with their hands and rocked them high toward the stage as singer Rivers Cumo delivered far more energy than I thought he could. In an encore performance, Weezer returned and impressively killed a cover of Radiohead’s "Paranoid Android." They finished out with their popular hit "Buddy Holly," which sent everyone going nuts.

Chalk Talk, an energetic surf band from Massachusetts, was one of the first acts to open the second day of the festival, and showed a positive outlook on B.OM.B. Fest for the CT music scene. "B.O.M.B. Fest is really cool because it really gives local small bands that have no connections at all a real chance to play a real stage with legitimate bands," explained Bryce, guitarist in Chalk Talk, "It’s great, especially for Connecticut, because there’s a ton of bands in Connecticut, a lot of active bands. It’s really good to have something bigger for them to branch out outside of the halls, and from like the normal ten friends that come out."

Mark Nussbaum Talks BOMB Fest, from Manic Productions (his booking and promotional project) has played a huge part in promoting B.O.M.B. Fest. "I think that any time an event happens in Connecticut that wouldn’t normally, it makes people look and go 'Oh, that’s in Connecticut?" told Nussbaum, "I think it’s kind of a big deal, it might make other bands look at Connecticut in a different way, maybe they’ll see Connecticut and say 'Oh we should play there.' It’s kind of like when we’re doing our shows, a lot of the bands that we book will skip over Connecticut and do New York and Boston, of course, every time. They always have that day off in between, so when we grab them, now more and more bands are coming here because of that. I think that with an event this big, maybe some other festivals will pop up."

Against Me!, dressed in all black, played an aggressive set on the main stage earlier in the day. With anarcho-punk songs containing themes such as pro-choice, the band played songs from their album Reinventing Axl Rose through their newest album, White Crosses, as powerfully delivered through the help of front man Tom Gabel’s in-your-face vocals. The angst that emerges through their songs created a pushy mosh pit on the floor, in which one girl later pushed past me covering her bloody nose.

Calming the main stage, State Radio performed with soft, harmonizing vocals and a subtle reggae style. The Massachusetts band played cool, light-hearted songs such as "Doctor Ron the Actor" and "Right Me Up."

Budweiser stage brought the bizarre, funhouse appeal of Man Man, as front man Ryan Kattner, aka Honus Honus, climbed over neon accented instruments while wearing white face paint.

12th Planet later brought hard hitting dubstep to the Fest which sent goers over the top. People were moshing, grinding, jumping, break dancing, punching and going wild to the masterings of Los Angeles' own John Dadzie, whom has been called American Dubstep King.

To close out B.O.M.B. Fest, people quickly packed into the main pavilion and anxiously awaited for Snoop Dogg’s delayed performance. As the crew set up a DJ station, a drum set, amps, and other equipment, I knew this performance was going to be ridiculous. After a long wait, two body guards cornered themselves on either side of the stage. His sound mixer, smoking a blunt, hyped up the crowd by repeatedly asking if we were ready for Snoop Dogg. Finally, the man himself emerged with three scantily-clad backup dancers.

Snoop Dogg gripped a diamond plated microphone as he glided across the stage with total swag. The crowd was completely going crazy, screaming lyrics, and throwing their hands in the air as he rapped "What’s My Name," "Gin and Juice," "Drop it Like it’s Hot," and other classics and new hits. Snoop Dogg even paid homage to Nate Dogg, Tupac, and Biggie Smalls by mastering the deceased rappers' songs and asking everyone to pay their respects. Snoop put so much life and entertainment into his set such as holding a screaming match between the "East" and "West" sides of the crowd and holding his mic toward the audience for lyrical participation. I couldn’t believe how much marijuana Snoop and his crew were smoking on stage, even taking a smoke break in the middle of his set. I still don’t know how they got away with it. I guess laws don't apply when your name is Snoop Dogg.

Overall, B.O.M.B. Fest held two beautiful days of impressive acts from across the music scene. The excitement and gratitude from everyone who took part in the event was strong and the chatter of the next fest is already rising. It proved to be a very successful experience for all.

"I just want to thank everyone for supporting us," said Bombaci, "I want to let people know that we want to grow. Without the support, we can’t grow. We have big ideas for the future; we want people to keep supporting not only us, but also those charities and local music in Connecticut."

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Glenn Jones (Cul de Sac), Sharron Kraus, DJ Jahoctopus

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Location:
Popeye’s Garage
50 Goffe Street
New Haven, CT

All Ages - $7.00 - 8:00 PM


(bio from Glenn Jones' page) .. also, check out this post from '08, mentioning Glenn Jones regarding the Faust show from May of '94)

Since 1989, Glenn Jones has led Boston’s "avant -garage" instrumental rock band, Cul de Sac, whose musical adventures are documented on nine albums to date, including a soundtrack for cult-director Roger Corman, and collaborations with guitarist John Fahey and former Can vocalist Damo Suzuki.

A 30-plus-year devotee of the so-called "Takoma school," Jones has written extensively on the steel-string guitar’s leading lights: John Fahey, with whom he was friends for nearly 25 years, and Robbie Basho, who befriended Jones during the five years before his untimely death in 1986.

With former Takoma label guitarists Peter Lang and Michael Gulezian — along with Loren Mazzacane Connors, Henry Kaiser, Gary Lucas, Tony Conrad and others — Jones performed at sold-out concerts honoring John Fahey, in NYC and San Francisco, shortly after Fahey’s death in 2001.

In 2004, Jones stepped out of the long shadow cast by Takoma’s guitar visionaries and offered his own "new possibility" — This Is the Wind That Blows It Out — for Strange Attractors Audio House. Its release was followed by a month-long tour of Europe with guitarist Jack Rose. Jones has since shared bills with Steffen Basho-Junghans, Max Ochs, Matt Valentine / Erika Elder; along with Rose, he’s toured with Peter Lang, and with some of the best of the new breed of solo guitar upstarts: Harris Newman, Sean Smith, and James Blackshaw, among others.

Jones' second album — titled Against Which the Sea Continually Beats — was issued by Strange Attractors in March 2007.



last.fm bio
Sharron Kraus is a singer/musician/songwriter who creates music rooted in the folk traditions of England and Appalachia. Her work is characterized by soil-rich vocals, haunting banjo, fine acoustic guitar and visionary word craft. Her songs are populated by a carnival array of fatally charismatic characters, telling tales of enslavement, perversion, incest, obsession, love and death. Sharron’s live performances are stark, compelling, and delicate. As with her music, her performance continues the tradition of the balladeer. She is like the roving storyteller, bringing tales of terror, sadness and joy to a stranger’s hearth on a dark and stormy night.

Sharron’s debut album Beautiful Twisted was released by Australian psych label Camera Obscura in 2002 and received rave reviews around the world. It was listed in Rolling Stone Magazine’s Critics’ Top Albums of 2002. After touring with US psychedelic folk band The Iditarod, she collaborated with them on an album of wintry songs and soundscapes entitled Yuletide and released by avant/experimental label Elsie and Jack in 2003.

Sharron’s second solo album, Songs of Love and Loss, was recorded at home in Oxford and at Dungeon Studios in the Cotswolds. The album features Jane Griffiths on fiddle and viola, Jon Fletcher on harmonica and occasional guitar, banjo and vocals, Colin Fletcher on bass, as well as BBC Folk Award-winning fiddler Jon Boden and Grammy-nominated early music violinist Giles Lewin.





DJ set by Jahoctopus (Christian DiMenna of Lovecraft Tattoo) will spin your heads.

Snake Oil s/t OUT TODAY


Channeling deep cut grooves and old school breaks à la Eugene Blacknell, a bit of War's psych-soul, with a twist of funk and pop, and add to that Broken Social Scene Feel Good Lost-era mood jams, you get Snake Oil, a heady instrumental rock record that might as well be taking the name of Laura Nyro's song Stoned Soul Picnic literally. The self-released LP is a mind at ease. A trip without being trippy, like watching flowers sprout, grow, and blossom through the eye of stop-motion photography. A blissed out, hypnotic, new underground groove record from the ever creative Jason Labbe and friends from New Haven bands Weigh Down and Titles. Buy it!

Record release party will be on Friday, June 17, 2011, at Cafe Nine with Atrina killing it and DJ Shaki spinning brain bursting freak jams like Erkin Koray and god knows what else. Check out the Facebook event page for more info, or Cafe Nine's site.




The Guru - Native Sun


For four guys aged seventeen to eighteen to produce a band like The Guru, it's hard not to wonder if they are accomplishing too much too soon. I mean, guys, really? Aren't we all supposed to start a band like Old Skull in our parents' basements first? Eddie Golden III, drummer and lead vocalist for The Guru, completely skipped over this prerequisite. Golden put together some very interesting solo recordings, Grave Jams and Life of a Pirate, which are both eerie, dreamy and demented lo-fi classics that, it seems, are merely Golden's dalliances.

So, Golden's madcap solo recordings are one thing, but then to come along and front a band from behind the kit - that is some next level shit. Best of all, his voice is similar to, but in many ways better than, Isaac Brock's. I guess it's safe to go further and say that The Guru are in a general way a little like major-label Modest Mouse, but The Guru have a clearer, happier creative pool to pull from, that hopefully they won't someday evaporate with Brock-like drug-fueled antics.

Kyle McEvoy and Colin Sullivan are frenetic guitar players, plucking around the fretboard in that lilting post-hardcore style that seems to be all the rage with proficient young rock guitarists these days, e.g., Fugue, Duchampion. Dan George locks his bass right in with the band, and without the showy bullshit talented novice bassists often succumb to. I think all these guys probably started jamming before they learned to talk. The evidence that they focused too much on music from the get go is that they all go barefoot, and look suspiciously like Huckleberry Finn, especially Kyle McEvoy in his jean cutoffs. Take a break from playing and learn how to tie a pair of sneakers for Christ's sake.

The Guru's full length Native Sun is out on Sex Cave Records in five days (June 11), eight tightly efficient summer songs, with chanty choruses, crisp guitars, and ass kicking energy. The record was produced by the band and live tracked in a cottage in the middle of the woods in Middlebury, CT. It's an impressive record, and a must-own for for anyone into their sound.

Check the band out at their CD release show Saturday, June 11, 2011, at The Space in Hamden. Also playing that night are, Fugue, High Pop, Pachangacha, Black Churches, Slam Donahue, and a Lovers and Thieves reunion. Tickets are $12 bucks.


Friday, June 3, 2011

Okkervil River @ Toad´s Place

Toad's Place and Manic Productions presents



Tomorrow night, Saturday June 4th Austin Band Okkervil River will grace Connecticut with a concert for the first time. The band is on tour to follow up their new LP I Am Very Far which was partially recorded instate.

Okkervil River is renowned for their ferocious live shows so there´s a lot to look forward to tomorrow night. Opening acts are Future Islands and Titus Androncius. You can buy tickets here and we´ll see you there.

at

Toad's Place
300 York Street
New Haven, CT

8:00pm - All Ages - $18 ($16 advance)


with

Titus Andronicus is an indie rock band from Glen Rock, New Jersey formed in 2005. The group takes its name from the Shakespeare play Titus Andronicus. Their debut album, The Airing of Grievances has received widespread acclaim.The album's loud, heavily distorted guitars are influenced greatly by shoegaze while the lyrics and song titles are references to various books and other forms of entertainment (such as the... album title, from the Seinfeld episode, "The Strike", about Festivus).

Future Islands (formed 2006) is a synthpop band based in Baltimore, Maryland. They are often associated with (and tour with) bands affiliated with Wham City. These include Videohippos, Santa Dads, Blood Baby, OCDJ, Adventure, Dan Deacon, Weekends (band), Double Dagger, as well and others.