Purling Hiss w/ Neptune and Atrina @ BAR 4/10

Another great free BAR show on Wednesday, featuring Purling Hiss, Neptune and one of CT's finest, Atrina!

New school heshers Cauldron get ready to lay waste to Dewey's Pub in Seymour with NWOBHM legends Diamond Head

Metal has splintered into many different genres of extremity over the years, but despite the fact that there will always be some band trying to take it louder, faster and growlier, there will always be a need for bands that honor the past by playing prefix free metal. You could call this keeping it tradish, but these new sets of band look to pay homage to the traditions of the past, mainly the early-to-mid eighties by playing music that is full of galloping rhythms, monster hooks, boundless energy and in most cases clean singing. Granted they do all this with a modern touch.

Estrogen Highs - "Live at Cafe Nine" Cassette

Some people say punk, some say garage, even the term shoegaze has been thrown into the mix. Whatever you call Estrogen Highs, they are pure rock and roll and they prove it on their latest release (another great Safety Meeting Records release) “Live at Café Nine” on cassette. Yes, cassette.

Two Humans - Best Folks LP Review (and info for RELEASE SHOW!)

Two Humans are back with a full length LP full of garage pop goodness to remind you how to stomp your feet! They're gonna have a release show on 12/29 at Taco Hut HQ and YOU BETTER BE THERE!!!

The Guru - Go Easy

The Guru return triumphantly with their new album "Go Easy" and it expands on the promise of last years "Native Sun" in a whole bunch of ways!

TYVEK / WET HAIR / FRUSTRATIONS / ESTROGEN HIGHS @ CAFE NINE 8/3

New Haven's own Estrogen Highs aren't stopping any time soon! On Friday they hit up Cafe Nine just before setting out on their tour. Along with Detroit's Tyvek and Frustrations and Iowa City's Wet Hair, this promises to be a night you won't soon forget!

INDIE Thursdays at Two Boots kicks off with AZWAN

People in Bridgeport have a ton of stuff coming up this summer, particularly on Thursdays! It's safe to say if it is Thursday and summer you better be in  Bridgeport for some music!

Two Boots in Bridgeport is kicking off "Indie Thursday's" this Thursday (5/31) with Azwan And The Savages!

Jayson Munro's "Meteor Tears" EP; A Sonic Mirror

I can't call myself a musical expert, not by any stretch of the imagination. I'm your Average Listener, merely moved by what I hear, unskilled in breaking it down to its bare components in my mind. It's a holistic and mystical experience for me, my disbelief is suspended and all I know is what I like and what I don't. With that disclaimer, I've really enjoyed Jayson Munro's new EP "Meteor Tears."

A Well Practiced Sneeze: Melt Banana playing The Space 10/28

Since their formation in 1992, Japan’s Melt Banana have been blowing the minds of audiences worldwide with their hyper speed take on noise rock, which incorporates elements of punk, metal, J-pop, electronica and even hip-hop. It’s a bug eyed crazy sound, one that is full of energy and sends their fans into fits of joy whenever they play out.

Though not for everybody, the people who love them, love them intensely and it has lead the band to collaborate with such artists as Merzbow, John Zorn, Discordance Axis and Mike Patton. They have even opened for prog metal heavyweights Tool in the United States.

It’s been a long strange trip for the band, one that has seen them grow a sizable fan base among connoisseurs of way out aggressive music in both the United States and Europe. In fact, they end up touring these parts of the world more than their native Japan. One big reason could be the reaction they get from the audiences here and in Europe.

“When we started, we met K.K.Null from Zeni Geva. He gave us a chance to record our first album with Steve Albini in Chicago as well as play shows in Chicago and San Francisco. Our first show in the United States was in Chicago and we liked it a lot. It was totally different from shows we had done in Japan during that period. The audience was loud and told us what they thought about our music and our show. These days the Japanese audience is changing and I think they are getting similar to people in the United States. But it is still fun to play in different countries. So the reason to tour the United States, the UK, or Europe a lot is that we like it and fortunately we have very good people to help us to play shows in those countries,” said guitarist Ichirou Agata, who along with vocalist Yasuko Onuki and bassist Rika Hamamoto form the nucleus of the band. “As far as the fan base goes, we are not sure. The number of people who show up to our concerts, in the US or UK are bigger than the ones who show up in Japan. But we play more than 15 shows in Tokyo every year, so if we only play once every 2 years in Tokyo, then there might be more people showing up to our Tokyo shows,” he added.



As mentioned before, their music is a mish-mash of styles, one that is played with lightning speed and manic energy. Though earlier records have more of a lo-fi sound (recorded with Steve Albini) the newer ones have a clearer, cleaner production. But this doesn’t mean that the music is any less vicious. You can definitely say that the band doesn’t sound like anyone else out there and they wouldn’t want to have it any other way. In fact, that was their intention all along.

“When we started the band, actually we were not really good at playing instruments or singing. We were beginners. But we knew very well about the sound we liked. For example we liked feedback a lot more than just playing the "E" note or "G" note. We liked strange drums rather than normal rock or hip hop drums. So we were very bad at playing normal music, but we practiced a lot, playing our own thing. We wanted to control an obscure, noise sound. So we practiced again and again to play that same obscure, noise sound. It's like when you practice to sneeze again and again to make exactly the same sound every time you sneeze. While playing these sounds, we met many good bands at our shows and on tour and got influenced by them on how to use the "E" note or "G" note, or normal rock or hip hop drums. It's like when you practice saying words the same way every time you speak,” said Agata.

But for them, it’s just not about recording the music. It’s about getting out there and throwing down for their fans. People tend to go batshit crazy during their sets, and they would not have it any other way. But instead of being violent and destructive it’s a way for the band and audience to connect with each other. They form an unbreakable bond with their audience.

“The best thing about playing live is that I can share Melt Banana music with the audience. We are enjoying the music together. We can express and convey our music not only to people’s ears but also their eyes and all of their senses. Also it is nice to see people's faces from the stage. If they look like they are having fun during the show, I become happy too,” said Onuki.

With each tour, usually means they bring out a new drummer. For this current United States trek they have turned to old friend who will be returning to the throne after a little hiatus from the music business.

“Our live drummer for this tour is Takiya Terada. Actually he was with us when we toured with the Fantomas in 2004 and when we went to Europe with us in 2005. After that, he stopped playing music for private reasons, so I won’t talk those here. But, he started playing drums again, so we asked him if he can play with us again. He is a very good person and practices so hard. And since we had already played with him many times and knew about his skills, it was natural decision to ask him to can play music with us again,” said Agata.

Playing music has to be a release for them, because Japan has been a country plagued by a whole bunch of disasters over the past year. The country is hurting and according to Onuki it’s been rough on the people who live there.

“We are still in bad condition; disaster areas are still on the long way to recover, and also nuclear plant problems have been not solved yet and we are even having a hard time living in Tokyo. It is hard to see the truth too, unfortunately. But we need to go forward and solve all problems clearly. I really hope this happens,” said Onuki.

But if there is one thing that lifted the spirits of the Japanese, it was their women’s soccer team winning the World Cup this past summer. The band was in Finland to play a festival, but once they found out, they were quite proud of their fellow countrywomen.

“When I knew about their victory, I thought it was great. It seems like people in Japan got excited and they talked about the team members a lot in the media. But I did not know that there was a professional football league in Japan, so it was big news to me. But I think it is good that their winning brought a good mood to Japan,” said Agata.

After they finish their current North American tour the band is going to head into the studio to record another album for release on the band’s own A-Zap label in the spring or summer, as well doing a whole bunch singles too. They also plan to some things with Melt Banana lite, too.

“There are many things that we want to do!” said Onuki.

So, it looks like the band will be keeping busy, spreading manic, crazy, happy music to all that will be willing to hear it. This is an excellent time to catch the band at the Space. Last time the show sold out and I heard they had to remove all the furniture to make way for the crowd and their “dancing”. Once again, this is another can’t miss show. See you there.

Manic Productions Presents:

Melt Banana
Tera Melos
Fugue (Last Show)

Friday, October 28
The Space
295 Treadwell Street
Hamden, CT

$14 ($12 advance) – All Ages and 21+ to drink at the Outer Space – 7pm

BUY TICKETS NOW or pick them up at Redscroll.

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

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.

The Woggles Deliver A Rock N Roll Sermon At Cafe Nine This Thursday

Thursday, October 14, 2010

LOCATION:
Cafe Nine
250 State Street
New Haven CT

$8 - 10:00PM - 21+

Whatever you do, don't confuse the Woggles with the Wiggles. You see, while the latter plays bland and slightly creepy kids music, the former is one of the finest purveyors of garage rock to emerge from the South in the past twenty years, spreading their fiery gospel of revved up rock'n'roll to people all over the world.
While their CDs bring the thrills (this reviewer prefers "Ragged But Right" and "Rock'n'Roll Backlash") the best place to see them in their element is in the live. You will have a chance this Thursday at Cafe Nine. After a 12 year absence, the band has regularly played the club, twice in the last few years. At one of the shows, they even had a mini-garage rock summit with the Fleshtones.
Even NPR, was quoted as saying something to the effect that going to a Woggles show will change your life. Here's one time, where the voice of the bland and indie got it right. The Woggles are an incredible live act, dishing out hot slabs of garage rock action like a bunch of zealots proselytizing the holy gospel of rock'n'roll. It's a high energy affair filled with passion and sweat, that will turn the audience into true believers.
So don't miss out on this chance, be there, and be a witness.