Parlay Droner - Mother Brother Live Sessions

Sonic wizard Parlay Droner is neck deep in projects and releases right now, and the fruits of these labors are sure to break your ears hearts as well as your ears drums! Big ups to Quantum Wampum for putting this little gem out.

Mercy Choir - 2 Machines In The Garden

Paul Belbusti's need to create art and experiment knows no bounds. Easily the most prolific artist in the CT area, Paul's main musical act Mercy Choir starts out the new year strong with the first of what I am sure will be many releases this year.

Ham Radio Operator, Yohsiko Ohara, & Colorguard @ Lipgloss Crisis on 8/25

An awesome noise show at Lipgloss Crisis on Sunday evening, filled with eclectic soundscapes for your ears to enjoy!

TIGER HATCHERY with PAUL FLAHERTY, PHEMALE, JON ERIKSEN, HUMAN PONTIAC @Manchild Manor/The Asylum June 17

Lookin' for some Free Jazz / Noise to fill your face and ears with joy? On Monday June 17, Tiger Hatchery is playing JUST THAT VERY THING alongside Phemale, Jon Eriksen and Human Pontiac at Manchild Manor/The Asylum in New Haven.

Sun O))) and Dead In The Dirt @ CLUB INT on 9/3

Drone legends Sun O))) are coming to New Britain to make a crater at CLUB INT a mile wide. Get your protective gear on and brave the physical power of their sound.

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

Apse, Matt Wilga (of Stoned Ambassadors), Roman Wolfe @ Popeye's Garage, Oct. 2nd

This Saturday, October 2nd Popeye's Garage will be hosting Northampton's Apse as well as openers Matt Wilga (of Brooklyn's Stoned Ambassadors) and Roman Wolfe (New Haven) for the first of its final three shows.

Formed in Newtown, Connecticut over a decade ago, Apse has significantly expanded its reach, both sonically and musically since its early days on the local scene. At varying points referencing elements of post-punk, post-rock, krautrock, shoegaze, ambient, industrial, goth and metal, Apse's unique creative vision (led by the band's only constant member Rob Toher) can be technically hard to define. Percussion heavy rhythms, Toher's trademark vocal delivery, and liberal doses of reverb and delay are familiar elements; however, songs push and pull, morph into each other and generally don't stick to one thing for too long. The band's songs seem to be more about an exploration of ideas than two and a half minute pop perfection, though the hooks are there, scattered throughout. Despite limited stateside appeal, Apse has enjoyed significant success abroad, especially in Europe where the band has repeatedly toured to great response. They are also currently signed to ATP Recordings and have made repeat appearances at their label's namesake festival. The current incarnation of the band has been pared down to a relatively meager four-piece (including bassist John Mordecai who also performs in locals Shark and the Tyler Trudeau Attempt) although they surely can still carry a wallop live. This particular performance marks Apse's first Connecticut show in over a year and, based on our calculations, its first show in New Haven proper ever. Openers Matt Wilga (of Brooklyn's the Stoned Ambassadors) and Roman Wolfe (New Haven) bring a complementary mix of pop sensiblity (Wilga) and synth exploration (Roman Wolfe) that should go well with Apse's subtley melodic sonic stew while still retaining their own musical identity.



Shows like this don't come along very often folks (and pretty soon Popeye's Garage won't be either) so get yourselves downtown this Saturday!

APSE
MATT WILGA (of The Stoned Ambassadors)
ROMAN WOLFE

@ Popeye's Garage
50 Goffe Street / New Haven
All Ages / $5 / 6pm

Immaculate:Grotesque, Weak Sisters, Reviver, Neurospora

Thursday, July 1, 2010:



Secret location in Wallingford. Email ben [at] manicproductions [dot] org or Redscroll [at] gmail [dot] com

Starts at 8pm, all ages, collecting donations for the touring acts

Immaculate:Grotesque is formerly 1/2 of the Providence noise duo Shallow Waters, now living in Texas and touring with Weak Sisters in the Northeast.



Weak Sisters are from Colorado. Check out this harsh MP3 and this other one courtesy of Throne Heap.



Reviver - Connecticut based wizardry.



Neurospora Drawn out anthracite drone.

Arborea and Alexander Turnquist at The Space

Thursday, March 4, 2010:


Location:
The Space
295 Treadwell Street
Hamden CT

$10 - 7:00PM - All Ages

Arborea: This near-psych not-quite-unconventional Maine based folk duo is peculiar. Film director David Lynch has dabbled in music a few times (most recently with Ariana Delawari), and when I first heard Arborea, I was reminded of a Lynch team-up with Jocelyn Montgomery called Lux Vivens. That record might as well be the score to an unmade medieval Lynch movie. A similar mood-directing soundscape, although maybe not as dark, is the foundation for many of Arborea's songs.

But there was one song that I wasn't sure of, called "Dance Sing Fight". It jumps into a coda that uses lyrics from the chorus of Midnight Oil's "Beds Are Burning". The thing is, the lyrics are altered slightly. Are they referring us to the original song's specific political point or are they putting these words into a new context to reshape their meaning? Whatever their intent, I can't decide if the nod works or not. I guess what makes it hard for me to pin down is that the first thing that pops into my mind when I hear those lyrics is Peter Garrett twitchily skanking in the desert. I mean, the guy seriously looked like a Conky 2000 run amok in the Australian outback. Sorry, where was I...

Arborea have been busy releasing since 2006. They've garnered praise from NPR and our BBC cousins across the pond. Their tour is taking them around the world, and includes SXSW dates.

--

Whether it is a finger plucked 12-string or an ambient drone, Alexander Turnquist's instrumentals open expanses both internal and external. His MySpace has several songs posted that cover territory between Peter Broderick and Max Richter. But his record As the Twilight Crane Dreams in Color makes me wonder what Jack Rose might have done if he had ever wanted to cover Jóhann Jóhannsson. No doubt seeing Turnquist live will be very interesting.

WTLMTS + Slam Donahue + 28 Degrees Taurus - Jan 23rd

WTLMTS + Slam Donahue + 28 Degrees Taurus have a show lined up the first weekend after school restarts for us college students. There's another band lined up to be announced later but truth be told I'd be good with just these three. This show seems like a perfect mix of chill bands to end a shitty week.

Plus, every penny made on this show will be donated to Haiti.

Wrench in the Works - January 23rd
Where The Land Meets The Sea
Slam Donahue
28 Degrees Taurus

Time:6:00pm

Cost: $7.00

Wooden Shjips rocked New Haven

Last night I saw The Stoned Ambassadors and Wooden Shjips at Cafe Nine. The place was packed with flannel and beards, as expected. The Ambassadors sort of had a Brian Jonestown Massacre vibe going on - dark shades and groovy 60s styled songs. The singer wore shades and played a big red hollow body. He wasn't really singing, giving more of a deadpan delivery, but it was still a real nice set.

When Wooden Shjips went on they really kicked ass. Waves and waves of drone and noise with a great driving backbeat all night. The guitar was incredible, and the vocals echoing from here to next Friday. They played most of the tunes off their new album, and they added a new one they said was part of their soundtrack to The Wicker Man (they're doing the soundtrack for a screening of it in NYC on the 30th.) They even closed the set with Neil Young's Vampire Blues featuring a guest harmonica player. Of course it was done up so it sounded like a Wooden Shjips song, but there's no problem with that. These guys nailed it - I hope they make it back to the East Coast soon.

photos by Matt Bohannan

Have A Nice Life - Deathconciousness

Deathconciousness by Have A Nice Life arrived a few weeks ago. I've sat and brooded and thought; and I finally feel like I've thoroughly digested this one enough to write about it.

The band consists of locals Tim Macuga of Nahvalr and The Danger Strangers, and Dan Barrett, of Giles Corey and the now-defunct In Pieces. After years of work, the album was finally released last year to much critical praise and a rapidly expanding fanbase. The vinyl was pressed earlier this year in a very limited quantity.

Firstly, the album packaging is beautiful. This gatefold double LP comes with a stark black cover emblazoned with a lone washed out black and white photo of a soldier. Inside, there's an interior classical painting which is slightly distorted and mirrored. Also included with the album was the entire 70-page booklet which includes an explanation of the album and the obscure "Deathconciousness" text. Perhaps it's meant to be read in tandem to listening to the album? It's a pretty dense bit of reading, so don't expect to fly through it.

So how does it sound? On the surface, the music is all the things I love about bedroom recordings: reverbed out vocals, fuzzy guitars and pounding lo-fi drumming. Digging a bit deeper you'll find the dreampop sensibilities are supported by atonal drop-d metal riffs and razor-sharp vocal wit. Each song is minimalistic to it's approach, but remains very calculated from start to finish. There's a lot of crafting that went into each song, and it definately shows. Take "The Big Gloom" for instance - it's heartfelt lyrics drive the song through the beginning, but when the drums kick in, it's pure bliss that drives it home - it builds and builds until it's a wash of beautiful sound.

The album remains a very personal work: it's dark, it's bleak and it's depressing. Still, there's an undercurrent of black comedy behind all of this, with song titles like "A Quick One Before The Eternal Worm Devours Connecticut" and "Waiting For Black Metal Records To Come In The Mail." Through the fear and shadow, tragic humor and irony will always be behind the scenes - it keeps you sane in periods of insanity. Is your corpse smiling?

The album was released through their own label, Enemies List. You should keep your eye on them for some up and coming bands. It's really shocking that something like this is coming out of Middletown! You can buy the record direct from Enemies List if there are any copies left, or you could go with a digital download. Whatever your media preference, you should be snapping this up ASAP.

Also, for anyone who is interested, there is a fan-produced collection of B-sides and demos from this album titled VOIDS which is freely available. While not quite on the same level as the album, there are some really heavy tracks there.

Indian Jewlery @ BAR

Just finishing their tour with !!!(chk chk chk), Indian Jewelery arrive in New Haven to smother your senses with drony vocals, a wave of synth and a set full of flashing lights and movie clips.




Indian Jewlery
@ BAR
Sunday October 11th 2009
9:00pm
21+

Dead Meadow show

I went to see Dead Meadow at Daniel Street in Milford last night - it was a pretty good time. I've never seen them before, and I thought they were pretty decent. They were really raw and noisy, and played a ton of awesome riffs. I don't know how they manage to make their music feel so laid back while still thrashing it.


Mountains opened for them, and they were pretty excellent. I've never seen such a massive and expensive array of gear and pedals. They just pushed a bunch of walls of ambient sound at the crowd, and then expanded on those ideas until it was one explosive nightmare of delay and loops. Not bad, but it got a little repetitive.

Bottle Up & Go also played earlier in the night, but they looked drunk as hell and were having a lot of trouble keeping it together. They played real sloppy slide guitar with thundering drums, sax, and don't-give-a-shit signing. The drummer utterly destroyed his kit (literally) and I think he cracked a cymbal. He was definitely a one-trick pony though, and played everything with the same beat. I wasn't that into them but I guess they were having fun. The singer came around and drank people's beers at the end.

This photo sucks, but I forgot my camera and all I had was my phone with me. Not that I'm a good photographer to begin with. Anyway, good show - Daniel Street is a pretty awesome venue, so check it out.

MB 89

Ex-local artist Craig Colorusso returns to CT with a never ending sound and light installation, entitled MB 89. On Saturday, the exhibit will be at Heirloom Arts in Danbury. There will be two showings: afternoon and evening. Colorusso played guitar and sang in a number of local bands, including China Pig and Static Press 19. He is also founder of MUDD Industries, a local record company that managed a ton of releases. Craig's latest work is MB 89.

MB 89 is an environment for people to enter into, a work of art that allows people to come into the room and interact with the artwork. There are three elements in the environment: light, sound and sculpture. There are three 10-foot cylinders of fabric that breathe in the room, while blue lights glow and fade to fill the space with light and shadows. Inside one of the cylinders, Colorusso plays a drone-based bass clarinet piece live. The music evolves slowly over time engulfing the participant, making subtle changes seem monumental. The whole room, including the participants, becomes the piece. Unlike a composition with a discrete beginning and ending that may be played over and over, MB 89 is a composition played once, continuously; spaces between performances are to be treated as musical rests. Instead of many starts and finishes there is constant music.

It should be an engaging exhibit, and a great way to spend your Saturday. There will be an early children's show from 2 to 5, and will run $5. The evening show is from 7- 11, and costs $10.

MV & EE play BAR

Sunday, Sept. 13th
Shaki Presents...

MV & EE
Psychic Ills

@ BAR, 254 Crown Street, New Haven

9pm, 21+over, FREE

MV & EE are Matthew Valentine and Erika Elder from Burlington, VT. They describe themselves as "lunar raga." Their music has a very cool, haunting folk and blues sound to it. The vocals are usually a bit rambling here and there with both MV and EE singing the vocals, while the whole time there's reverb and drone and all kinds of musically experimental things going on. It's messy psychadelic 70s folk at it's best and worst. They've collaborated with numerous guests, and released tons of albums over the years, including the fantastic Green Blues. Their 2007 album Gettin' Gone is a classic as well, which sees them playing primal Crazy Horse styled grunge rock. They've just released a new one titled Drone Trailer, which you've got to listen to. They're only playing a handful of East Coast shows this year so don't miss your chance to see them.

Opening is psych/drone band Psychic Ills. They're pretty big amongst the New York experimental scene. They blend together Eastern drumming and reverb-laden fuzz drone, while electrified Robbie Basho-esque guitar licks are played overtop. I don't think you'll be disappointed, because this show is going to be a monster.

Pssst Secret Parakeets

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Javapalooza tonight in Middletown: Parakeets bang out some killer synth jams with a very special surprise guest. Come for the crunchy slam poetry garbage... stay for the droning satanic wizardry.

Parakeets is Jean-Paul + Mike Mahoney
Special Dungeon Doom Set

Time:
6:30pm - 8:00pm
Location:
Javapalooza
330 Main St.
Middletown, CT

JD

Icelandic invaders tonight at the Space

Wednesday, December 3 2008 - The Space and Manic Productions Presents:

KIRA KIRA w/Dygn, Belly Boat, and The Files and Fires


LOCATION:
The Space
295 Treadwell Street
Hamden CT
$10.00 - 7:00PM - All Ages

DIRECTIONS:
Click here

BUY TICKETS NOW:
Click here


I'm incredibly bummed out to not be able to go to this show tonight. It turns out I've been a fan of Dygn for quite awhile now. If you're a fan of Sigur Ros, then you likely know about Riceboy Sleeps. If you've visited the Riceboy Sleeps MySpace page, then you've probably seen a project called Limbic Somnus, or nowadays, Slumber Party in their "top friends". This guy John down in Maryland is making some potently ambient sound sculptures under several different monikers, each distinguished by mode and mood. Dygn is one of them. Fresh from a gig down at Cake Shop in NYC, Dygn follows Kira Kira on up into New England, nicely stopping here, then playing Sierra Grille up in Northampton, MA Thursday night, along with a few other dates further north.

Kira Kira (from Iceland) is Kristín Björk Kristjánsdóttir on thumb piano, music boxes and all kinds of toys wired with contact mikes. She also plays guitar, glockenspiel and of course loud lady laptop. These kids have been playing with Kira Kira lately: Alex Somers on piano, glock and casio puppy. Eiríkur Orri Ólafsson on trumpet, flugelhorn and music box. Hilmar Jensson on guitar. Samuli Kosminen on percussion (dingalee dang). Pétur Hallgrímsson on lapsteel (skriðgítar). Magnús Helgason on super 8 projector. Guðlaug Dröfn on glock and piano. Kristinn Gunnar Blöndal on drums. For fans of CocoRosie, Mum, Sigur Ros, etc. on Smekkleysa.

Dygn are beautiful ambient drone music from Maryland. Among this guy John's other killer projects such as Slumber Party, which used to be called Limbic Somnus, also check out another of his called Mothersday.

Belly Boat: Cutesy, ramshackle folk from Zoe Latta and Silvie Deutsch in Santa Cruz, CA. Their voices clamor for attention like small children but then suddenly out of the dixie-cup folk they pull together into sweet earnest pop songs. Mostly comprised of the two voices, some dime store guitar, piano and the breathy squeeze of an accordion, Belly Boat is the sound of joyous inexperience; and where others drown themselves in layers of perfection, Zoe and Silvie let their rough edges charm you until you let them fall away and reveal the pop gems at their center.
Not Not Fun Records

The Files and Fires is the result of ongoing collaboration between multi-instrumentalists Tyler Smith and Ian Tait. For fans of Six Parts Seven, American Analog Set, etc.

JD

Heirloom Arts Theatre tomorrow plus secret noise Sunday

Saturday, September 6, 2008 HAT CITY INTUITIVE CD Release Party with LA OTRACINA, OPEN STAR CLUSTERS, A SNAKE IN THE GARDEN, SALVES and OAK


LOCATION:
Heirloom Arts Theatre
155 Main St
Danbury CT
$5 - 7:00PM

DIRECTIONS: Click here

HAT CITY INTUITIVE - you know them.
LA OTRACINA - Brooklyn.
OPEN STAR CLUSTERS - homegrown.
A SNAKE IN THE GARDEN - Vermont.
SALVES - ??
OAK - Vermont.

...enough said.

And then on Sunday more A Snake in the Garden and Oak:


LOCATION:
To find out where this event is happening, go to Redscroll Records before 9PM.
24 North Colony Road
Wallingford CT
$5 - 9:00PM

DIRECTIONS: Click here

The Vermont-born noise acts stay over for a second night. Oak, A Snake In The Garden and Tucker Andrews, also from Vermont, take their Summer Ender tour through Connecticut on Sunday, playing with natives Medicine Lake and Glace-Neuf.

JD

Show: Noise on Tuesday, September 2

Update 9/10/08 - show goer Marc Niciu had this to say about the event: click.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008 - at ArLow:
AVARUS w/Ducktails, and Heaven People


LOCATION:
ArLow
838 Whalley Ave
New Haven CT
$5.00 - 7:00PM

Directions: Click here

AVARUS are a band from Tampere, Finland. They were formed in 2001 by members of The Anaksimandros and Pylon and soon absorbed members of other Finnish bands such as Kiila, Munuaissymposium 1960, Kemialliset Ystävät. Avarus' floating line-up varies between 10 and 20 members. Avarus are considered a key element in the Finnish psych folk scene which emerged in the early 2000s. They are on Secret Eye.

DUCKTAILS is a must-see tropical psychedelic experience visiting us from New Jersey. Psychedelic percussive sweetness grips yr ears like a piña colada brain freeze.

HEAVEN PEOPLE are (amazing! - ed.) a New Haven based duo who destruct and reconstruct the environmental and artificial sounds and energy. They create pulsating spirit drones through modified acoustic guitar, electronics, vocals, samples, music boxes and thumb piano. They await their 1st LP on Ecstatic Peace! and plan to tour thereafter.

JD