Visceral and exciting, Hubbell Mountain’s new album, illustrated by the well-known LA artist Brendon Monroe (good freaking grab, guys, I love his work), grabs us by the chest and digs its roots deep inside us. With hi-fi precision and ingenious production quality, this [virus] collection next fuses with our arteries and starts to pump its serious mind-numbing juices into our bloodstream, and finally, after trying to rip our own hearts out, to no avail I assure you, it drowns us in its own frothy, pneumonic harmony; lulling us to our final sleep in a bath of melancholic and deeply personal dreams.
José Oyola is a creature of the stage, there is no doubt about it! His love of live performance and theatrics has caused him to concoct SPACETRON, an event that is more than just another concert. It will basically be a giant carnival party with crazy lights, smoke machine, face painting, kaleidoscope making, photobooth, LED hula hoop performance, and just an all around amazing time.
Well-loved Ovlov of Newtown, Conn. deliver fully on the strong promise of their first EP's with their debut album am. 10 tracks of blown out, fuzzy haze dominate this solid LP. Clearly it will be ruining speakers everywhere for years to come.
Chicago's Suns are on tour and stopping by The Heirloom Arts Theatre for a night of indie rock goodness that you can't afford to miss so get off your duff and make the trek to Danbury!
3 of CT's best band's have come together and we at CTINDIE have put together a mini statewide "tour" to show you all what they have to offer. So watch out CT, because Ghost Of Chance, The Gentle Stunts and Spectral Fangs are headed your way! The first date is 7/20 @ Willimantic Records.
It is definitely going to be a long amazing summer full of shows! As you prepare your entries for the CTINDIE SUMMER MIX TAPE (which has a submission deadline of Sunday May 20), come to Elm Bar and take a load off with a night of great music and Ghost of Chance's Last show with their current drummer:
Psychedelic Post-Rockers The Big Sleep are coming to BAR this Wednesday, February 1st, and it ain't cost you ONE CENT. Opening for them is the visceral and always impressive ATRINA, one of CT's most skilled and loved bands.
Here is the info breakdown:
THE BIG SLEEP Formed in 2003, the band's discography includes the self-released EP You Today, Me Tomorrow, the full-length Son Of The Tiger LP (released in late 2006), and the full-length album Sleep Forever (released in 2008). Having drawn comparisons to fellow New Yorkers Sonic Youth, The Big Sleep's sound deviates from that of more recently formed contemporaries. Often without vocals, The Big Sleep's songs are for the most part instrumentals leaning towards post-rock or shoegaze, however often with a psychedelic feel hearkening back to classic rock such as Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath.
In fall 2011, The Big Sleep performed at CMJ Music Marathon and released “Ace”, the single off of their new album Nature Experiments. Nature Experiments will be released on January 31, 2012.
ATRINA I am a big fan of how Dan Barry of The Hartford Advocate explains ATRINA: "...Atrina force you to meet them with openness and wonderment... the feel of their music is iconic... marked by turbulent riffs in angular time signatures... lyrics evacuate the voice... leaving us with just the sound itself, a husk of something communicated... chilling, morbid, and delicious" - Dan Barry (Hartford Advocate)
February 1 2012 at 9pm The Big Sleep ATRINA @ BAR 254 Crown St, New Haven 21+ FREE!
Yeah so it looks like the old "I'm broke" excuse isn't going to fly this time!!!
Farewood is husband and wife songwriters Lou Lorenzo and Leah Booker. Joining them for live performances is soundscaping guitarist Ed Diaz along with 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.
Bright Red Reason is a teenage trio based out of a combination of Medford and Tyngsboro, MA. They have been together since the summer of 2009, and have been writing and independently recording demos, booking, and playing shows since. The group loves performing with lots of energy and has been recognized for their eye-catching, yet comical stage presence. A wide variety of shows have been played in the Greater Boston area as well as New Hampshire, and this fall the band will be expanding on road trips further around New England. With two EPs currently out and a third on the way, their music carries a very individual sound, ranging from straight punk rock jams to catchy, dancey tunes. Bright Red Reason has been compared to groups such as The Runaways and The Ramones, and some influences include: Paramore, My Chemical Romance, Green Day, The Beatles, The Thermals, and The Distillers.
a minor Apocalypse - unfortunately not much out there on the interwebs on these dudes, but I noticed that there is the eponymous Polish novel about someone that "has been asked to set himself on fire in front of the Communist Party headquarters in Warsaw in an act of protest. He accepts the commission, but without any clear idea of whether he will actually go through with the self-immolation. He spends the rest of the day wandering the streets of Warsaw, being tortured by the secret police and falling in love." Maybe that kid from the cover of Bad Religion's Suffer started this band?
High pop, indeed! High Pop are a band who channel punk, brit invasion, freak folk and a whole mess of other genres for their EP "Hippie Speed Ball". This band's recordings manage to find intricacy in their quality and mix despite being Lo-Fi. Generally speaking, I love Lo-Fi and there is no exception here! I was most impressed by how this band manages to work their medium for what it's worth. They clearly know what their equipment is capable of and play to the strengths of it. These guys have a real Ty Segal thing going on with their vocals occasionally blowing out all other instrumentation on their recordings. The results are, frankly, exciting!
The songs themselves are lean, which is great for me! I have a pretty bad case of musical ADHD which makes this band particularly favorable in my brain with song lengths averaging on 2 mins. Opener "The Shakes" belongs right where it is, as the first impression you get of this EP. The chorus is anthemic, despite having more complexity than a song of anthem caliber. I love the Ramones style "The Charm". EP closer "Crafts" is an awesome shoegaze song that gives us a little medium reminder at the finale, with a "tape malfunction" that slows to a grinding halt. Nice dismount, High Pop!
Do yourselves a favor, head to High Pop's Bandcamp site and get "Hippie Speed Ball" now.
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.
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.
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.
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
Wednesday, April 27 2011 - Manic Productions brings
BAR
254 Crown Street
New Haven, CT
9:00pm - 21+ - Free
Grass Widow:
Although it makes some sense to lump Grass Widow in with the Vivians, Dum Dums, and various other "girl groups" that rushed onto the indie underground stages of the late 2000s, the San Francisco-based trio is actually a slightly different animal. Formed, predictably enough, in the late 2000s, the group is comprised of Hannah Lew, Raven Mahon, and Lillian Maring; the three utilize the same sort of egalitarian, D.I.Y. embrace of collective creative possibility embodied by Rough Trade heroes such as the Raincoats, Essential Logic, and Kleenex/LiLiPUT. There's simply no denying the influence of the first wave of British D.I.Y. bands here -- whether it's deliberate or not -- yet while Grass Widow certainly work with the raw ore of a bygone era, the final product remains of their own time.
Like the aforementioned bands did with the more derivative, brutish aspects of England's Dreaming-era punk, Grass Widow subvert the laconic fuzzed-out punk wallop of their contemporaries by embracing a skittering, disarming approach to rhythm, one born equally out of innovation and necessity. The group's distinctive three-part vocal approach likewise creates an off-kilter moodiness that further complicates what are ultimately rudimentary post-punk tunes. The effect, when it works, can be quite impressive; when it doesn't, it still feels inspired. The band's debut, a self-titled full-length, appeared on the tiny Make a Mess label in 2009; it was followed shortly thereafter by an EP on the prodigious Brooklyn label Captured Tracks. After a move to the Kill Rock Stars label, the trio released their debut record, Past Lives, in August of 2010. (bio via allmusic.com)
Broken Water: Formed in August of 2008, and hailing from beautiful Olympia - WA, Broken Water are the latest noise vehicle for Kanako Wynkoop and Jon Hanna of Sisters. Abigail Ingram of Olympia's Congratulations joins the pair playing bass. All three members contribute vocals which adds to the depth of the sound. Arguably a forward progression from what had been created by Sisters, Broken Water now stand as one of only a few Olympia bands that carry the torch that'd been lit by Unwound in the 90's. (bio via Radio is Down)
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 sounds like they mean it—with an " earnestness matched by technical expertise and solid songwriting, deep, heavy riffing, a brooding and moody sensibility. Singer Kelly L’Heureux sounds impassioned and entirely straightforward, her voice creating a compelling push-and-pull between vocals and band." Effortlessly blending sharp melodies, dynamic guitar rhythms and honest intensity, Atrina's sound harkens back to some of indie rock's greatest—Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, The Breeders, Blonde Redhead, Slint, Radiohead, Helium—while looking forward to create a sound that’s all their own, as evidenced on their 2 self-released EPs, including 2008's {beautiful evidence}. (bio off Manic's site)
Grass Widow tour:
April 2011
27 -- New Haven, CT @ BAR -- w/ Broken Water, Atrina
28 -- Providence, RI @ Building 16 -- w/ Broken Water, Songs for Moms
29 -- Portland, ME @ Aphoadion -- w/ Broken Water
30 -- Belfast, ME @ Free Range Music Festival
May 2011
24 -- London @ Tufnell Park Dome -- w/ Chain and the Gang
25 -- Paris @ TBA
26 -- Zurich @ Binz
27 -- Munich @ TBA
28 -- Graz @ Ladyfest
29 -- Budapest @ Szabad Az A
31 -- Vienna @ The Arena
June 2011
01 -- Clandestino @ TBA
02 -- Chiasso @ TBA
03 -- Geneva @ TBA
04 -- Lyon @ Grrrnd Zero
05 -- @ TBA
06 -- Marburg @ Cafe Trauma
07 -- Berlin @ Marie Antoinette
09 -- Amsterdam @ OCCII
10 -- Utrecht @ dB's CAB
15 -- London @ Dalston Victoria
Broken Water dates:
April 26th 2011
The Loft
New Brunswick, NJ
April 27th 2011
BAR
254 Crown St. - New Haven, CT
April 28th 2011
Building 16
Providence, RI
April 29th 2011
The Apohadion
107 Hanover St. - Portland, ME
April 30th 2011
Free Range Music Festival
Belfast, ME
May 4th 2011
The Magic Stick Lounge
4120-4140 Woodward Ave. - Detroit, MI
May 5th 2011
The Dojo
4640 E. 10th St. - Indianapolis, IN
May 6th 2011
Cooper Permanent Records (Day)
1914 W. Chicago Ave. - Chicago, IL
May 6th 2011
Mortville Permanent Records (Evening)
2106 S. Kedzie Ave. - Chicago, IL
May 8th 2011
19th and Charlotte
Kansas City, MO
May 9th 2011
Jackpot Saloon and Music Hall
943 Massachusetts St. - Lawrence, MO
May 13th 2011
The Comet
922 E. Pike St. - Seattle, WA
May 15th 2011
Waldorf
1489 E. Hastings St. - Vancouver, BC
This Will Destroy You are an instrumental quartet from the great state of Texas who play a cascading brand of cinematic rock music. Often compared and linked to purveyors of the “post-rock” sub-genre, the band has managed to transcend the tag and carve its own niche via a delicate and balanced infusion of electronics, strings, and an array of unconventional “rock” instrumentation over bombastic and receding harmony. Magic Bullet Records
Formed in Sharon MA, Irepress are a soaring instrumental prog-metal band whose influence comes largely from the post-rock field shared in their genre by groups like Pelican, Russian Circles, Isis, etc. A great deal of experimental texturing and math-rock time signatures are also present in the group's original and powerful compositions, coming together to create a surprisingly unique entry in the often interchangeable atmospheric sludge metal field. Translation Loss
Constants is a post-hardcore/post-rock/shoegaze band from Boston, MA. In 2005, the band released their second album “The Murder of Tom Fitzgerril” and toured the United States for ten months straight in 2006 in a 66 passenger school bus converted to run on waste vegetable oil, becoming strong proponents of sustainability. Jon Hassell (ex-Seneca) was added as a second guitar player, and stayed on as a full-time member for some time after. In early 2008, the group enlisted Rob Motes (ex-The Coma Recovery, The City is the Tower) and the band released a split 7” with fellow Boston post-rockers Caspian.
Wess Meets West began in late 2005 and was created by Sam Stauff (The Morning After, My Holy Ghost, A Paper Tugboat). Initially, it was intended solely as an electronic music project supplemented by Sam on guitar. The project stayed this way until February 2008 when Sam recruited bass player Bryan Gottshall and drummer Jesse Vengrove, turning Wess Meets West into a live band. The band fused it's electronic roots with it's newly found live elements, bringing the music to a whole new level and finally allowing the music to be performed in a live setting. For fans of early Appleseed Cast, Explosions in the Sky, Russian Circles, etc.
This Will Destroy You Tour:
w/ AUTOLUX: 08/11/10 : Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CA 08/12/10 : Cafe Coda (no Autolux) - Chico, CA 08/13/10 : Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR 08/14/10 : Neumos - Seattle, WA 08/15/10 : Venue - Vancouver, BC 08/18/10 : Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN 08/19/10 : The Annex - Madison, WI 08/20/10 : The Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL 08/21/10 : Southgate House - Newport, KY 08/22/10 : Magic Stick - Fucking Awesome Fest - Detroit, MI 08/24/10 : Lee’s Palace - Toronto, ON 08/25/10 : La Sala Rossa - Montreal, QC 08/26/10 : Bowery Ballroom - New York, NY 08/27/10 : Middle East Downstairs - Cambridge, MA 08/28/10 : Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY 08/29/10 : Maxwell’s - Hoboken, NJ 08/30/10 : Toad's Place (no Autolux) - New Haven, CT 08/31/10 : Johnny Brenda’s - Philadelphia, PA
w/ DEFTONES: 09/04/10 : Deppe Music Pavillion - Jacksonville, NC 09/05/10 : The Music Farm - Charleston, SC 09/07/10 : Valarium - Knoxville, TN 09/08/10 : Bogart’s - Cincinnati, OH 09/10/10 : Newport Music Hall - Columbus, OH 09/11/10 : Rapids Theatre - Niagara Falls, NY 09/12/10 : Crocodile Rock Cafe - Allentown, PA 09/13/10 : Club Zoo - Pittsburgh, PA 09/14/10 : House of Blues - Cleveland, OH
2010 EUROPEAN TOUR: 18/09/10 : Incubate Festival – Tillburg (NL) 19/09/10 : Atak – Enschede (NL) 21/09/10 : BHF-Langendreer – Bochum (D) 22/09/10 : Magnet – Berlin (D) 23/09/10 : Gleis22 – Münster (D) 24/09/10 : Reeperbahn Festival – Hamburg (D) 25/09/10 : Juha West - Stuttgart (D) 26/09/10 : Werkstatt – Köln (D) 27/09/10 : Moho – Manchester (UK) 28/09/10 : Stereo - Glasgow (UK) 29/09/10 : Arts Centre – Norwich (UK) 30/09/10 : Underworld – London (UK) 02/10/10 : Schlachthof - Wiesbaden (D) 04/10/10 : Feierwerk – München (D) 05/10/10 : Fri-Son – Fribourg (CH) 06/10/10 : Grabenhalle – St. Gallen (CH) 07/10/10 : Apartamento Hoffman – Conegliano (Treviso) (IT) 08/10/10 : Init Club – Rome (IT) 09/10/10 : King Club – Livorno (IT) 10/10/10 : PMK - Innsbruck (A) 11/10/10 : B72 – Vienna (A) 12/10/10 : Beatpol – Dresden (D) 14/10/10 : 16tons - Moscow (RU) 15/10/10 : Dom Kultury - Ryazan (RU) 16/10/10 : PV - Ekaterinburg (RU) 17/10/10 : Tancy - St Petersburg (RU)
"I miss the future." is a new album out by Myty Konkeror. If you're looking for crazy blissed-out stoner metal grooves, this album is for you. The music elicits the don't-care attitude of 70s anthemic rock with psychedelic experimentation and beautiful guitar dissonance. This album seems to be much more experimental than previous releases, and I can't wait to spin that thing in it's entirety.
You can snag it digitally on their facebook page. They're releasing a limited run of 30 clear records, and cassettes to follow, so make sure you snap one up as soon as possible.
Some time ago, I heard a demo tape by some band called Brothers & Sisters. It blew me away. Since hearing that, I've been dying to hear this EP when it came out. It was worth the wait.
For those of you who are looking for heavier indie rock, who are sick of all these trendy overly cute bands that are cropping up all over the place, this is for you.
If you just need something that has a pair and isn't afraid to kick it once in a while, this is for you.
If you were wondering when someone would come around that actually like Hüsker Dü and Mission of Burma as much as you do and don't just give slight nods in that direction, this if for you.
If you're the kind of guy who drives a matte black muscle car 90 mph through a school zone, this is for you.
You can stream the EP and snag it at their bandcamp site below:
Now, Brothers & Sisters haven't been around very long, and most people haven't really heard of them yet, but that will soon change as they continue to pound the pavement on the scene. They were formed in late 2009 by Greg Conte, Chris Grosso & Dan Gorman. They're clearly playing to an older set of rules, music to please themselves without really the slightest thought about what anyone thinks of them. It all works to their advantage, and the end result is a loud, unflinching display of musicianship and lo-fi punk stomp. Seriously, these guys really know how to rip it up.
The recording quality and production value is also really fantastic, something that can be attributed to Chuck Hestons/Death to New England's own Joe Reed, who did all the recording in New London. The songs are really dense and have many, many layers to them, which really works out nicely to round out the sound of the 3-piece.
Anyway, enough talk, I'll let the music speak for itself, hopefully you guys will love this as much as I do.
It’s eight o’clock sharp, on the slightly humid night of Wednesday, June 23rd. I am the fourth person in line at Daniel Street. So as not to be presumptive, I ask the bouncer if he has a guestlist, instead of just telling him that I should be on the guestlist. Shrewd move on my part – he is guestlistless. However my contact comes immediately to the door, and all is well.
Once inside, a lone woman onstage is tuning a left-handed guitar. The music playing over the sound system reads like one of my high school mix CDs: Pavement, Radiohead, Sonic Youth, Gang of Four. I reminisce a bit and get settled into the seat that, barring a few chats with friends and closer looks at the bands onstage, I will be parked in for the rest of the night.
When the opening band’s members take to the stage, it turns out that the woman from earlier is the guitarist and lead singer of the New Haven three piece outfit EULA. The first sounds consist of errant drum hits, bass runs, and slow, deliberate guitar strums. This free rhythm of sounds seamlessly morphs into the band’s first song where distorted, picked bass guitar is prominent. Throughout the set the drummer and bassist are very busy with their respective instruments, creating a propulsive sound punctuated here and there by staccato rhythms that the guitarist joins in on. Conventional chords seem to be avoided by the guitarist, who often uses voicings that include open strings. The klieg lights blink idly in the background. Between songs the lead singer addresses the audience but avoids eye contact with the crowd. There are seven brave souls who have elected to stand up close to the stage, some with arms crossed, most nodding stiffly to the music. The band has a nervous energy, but is tight and competent.
After EULA's set, I comment to a friend that they have a good live sound. No frills. But unlike the other two bands, I have not listened to EULA on record. Maybe they, like the other bands with whom they’re billed, have a reverb-saturated sound on record or use other types of studio trickery to find a distinct sound, and from only listening to them on record perhaps I would have gotten a different sense of the band. It is this studio recording / live performance dichotomy that has me interested to hear the next two bands because both of their sounds depend heavily on effects. How would the bands choose to adapt their sound to a live performance? The next band, Wild Nothing, is outfitted with shiny new Fender guitars, including a fire engine red Jaguar bass, a style of Fender guitar that along with the Jazzmaster, first gained popularity in alternative rock circles because they were a favorite of Elvis Costello, who incidentally started playing over the PA as soon as Wild Nothing’s set was finished. My previous thoughts on the transition from recording to performing are quickly proven to be naïve. Effects that are used in the studio are easily reproduced onstage - the lead singer simply asks for some reverb on the mic, and there’s that characteristic sound. The plaintive vocals and the shimmering harmonics of the arpeggiated suspended chords contribute to the band’s bittersweet, ethereal sound. About halfway through the set the band’s half scale Roland synth gets some attention from the second guitarist. After each song the guitarists take time to alternately retune or change tunings. There is about double the number of people standing up close to the stage during this set. The Depreciation Guild sets up their gear while I’m outside, and when I hear obvious mic checks I make my way in to watch the last band of the night. Like EULA the band's tune ups become the first song, which uses guitar atmospherics and long note vocals, conjuring a sonic landscape firmly in step with My Bloody Valentine, Low, etc. The second song starts with an e-bow swell from the second guitarist, then the wall of guitars comes in. Then the chiptune elements pop up, which is more prominent in the band’s older material. 8-bit major scale keyboard parts always make me think of baroque classical music. I wonder to myself if the band’s name is truly inspired by those institutions (Guilds) popular during the period, or if it’s just coincidence. After each song the band takes time to adjust their tunings or to add capos to the necks of their guitars. However, they sustain a nice white noise during the breaks that gives continuity to the whole set. Towards the end a slower, quieter number starts off with what I’m pretty sure is the same major seventh chord from the Cocteau Twin’s classic “Heaven or Las Vegas”. Sweet.
If there is a theme to this evening’s show it is understatement. Instrumental prowess is on display by all the bands, but it takes second stage to songcraft and the cultivation of a mood. Synth pop is the way I heard Wild Nothing described before seeing them live, but the synth onstage was used sparingly. The chiptune elements of the Depreciation Guild’s sound were subdued as well. Is it a tasteful use of technology that if used too much would only diminish the mood the bands were going for? Are they elements of a band’s sound that make them unique and simply were not used enough? You decide.
Elm City Popfest returns this weekend for three days and 17 bands of indie-pop revelry. Following the success of the first Elm City Popfest this past November, festival organizer and Tweefort/February Records founder Danny Goodwin had to dig deeper this time around in order to top the original. Effectively doubling in size, this installment of Elm City Popfest offers a range of local, regional, national and even international talent. Also, in addition to Artspace (the original home of ECPF), there will be shows held at New Haven's Cafe Nine. And as with the last ECPF, a portion of the proceeds generated by the festival will go to the aforementioned Artspace, a non-profit downtown gallery, venue and exhibition space. So what's all the fuss about you ask? Well, here's the breakdown...
Day One, Friday, May 14th @ Cafe Nine Kicking off the festival will be a free, four band blowout at New Haven's Cafe Nine featuring locals The Wee Bees and Steven Deal augmented by the UK's Veronica Falls and NYC's Boy Genius.
New Haven's own The Wee Bees, featuring former members of Manchester By The Sea, The Caligulists and The Inclined Plane, start the evening with their brand of ’80s- and ’90s-inspired shoegaze-meets-jangle pop sound. Although its only been two months since their live debut at March's Artspace Underground, The Wee Bees have quickly established themselves as one of the better 'new' bands in New Haven.
Following the Wee Bees will be one of New Haven's more established singer/songwriters, Steven Deal. Having toured the country fronting bands like Bleached Black, Chopper, The Absolute Zeros and The Naomi Star, Deal recently returned from a 10+ year songwriting hiatus to deliver his debut solo album 'Radio Twelve' this past January. Backed by a band featuring members of The Vultures, Goose Lane, The Naomi Star and Requiem In White, among others, you can bet Deal & co. are going to rip it up well.
Next up on the billing is UK's Veronica Falls. Making their stateside debut at this show, Veronica Falls has received a relatively heavy amount of press for their recent Captured Tracks 7" 'Found Love In A Graveyard.' Described as 'a bit of goth, ..some surf..and a heavy dose of shoegaze with pop vocal harmonies,' Veronica Falls should fit in quite well with the evening's lineup. Be sure to check these guys (and gals) out.
Last but not least will be NYC's Boy Genius. Now a veteran of several Tweefort/February Records shows, Boy Genius have shown that they can write a good tune and play it well. Joining Boy Genius will be none other than Mr. Ray Neal, best known for his work with seminal Elm City jangle-pop band Miracle Legion. Ray most recently joined the band for a song at their April performance at Rudy's. For this show, Mr. Neal will be performing with Boy Genius for their entire set, surely something that does not happen everyday.
For fans of jangle-pop, shoegaze or just plain good music, Elm City Popfest's first night should do the trick, starting off the festival well on a fittingly upbeat and memorable note.
Day Two, 'DAY', Friday, May 15th @ Artspace Day Two sees the festival moving up Crown Street to Artspace, a great downtown gallery/space that has been at its current location since 2002. Here the Popfest truly begins to 'pop,' as nine bands perform throughout the day. Separated into distinct 'Day' and 'Night' billings, both offer up some great bands no matter how you cut it.
Starting off the 'Day' portion of the festivities will New London's Roadside Attractions. One of several New London supergroups now prowling Connecticut clubs, Roadside Attractions combine a unique blend of jazz, americana, pop and even folk into a sound that must be heard. Currently promoting the release of their new EP 'Whispers' on New London's Cosmodemonic Telegraph label, Roadside Attractions start off the day strong.
Next up on the schedule is New Haven's The Fictional West. Riding the release of their 'Giant Clouds' single earlier this year on Tweefort Records, the Fictional West count as influences artists like U2, The Smiths and The Magnetic Fields. With a mix of serious and satirical lyrical themes, the quartet has, however unwittingly, done well in re-creating late 80's indie-pop. As the Sugar Sours blog accurately pointed out, 'No lie, the Giant Clouds single sounds like it could have been sent in to NME and gotten lost in the post for 20 years.'
Following locals Roadside Attractions and the Fictional West, Elm City Popfest goes all windy city on us with the arrival of Chicago's Midstates and Panda Riot. Currently on tour together, Midstates and Panda Riot collectively bring a psychedelic edge to the proceedings. Midstates (also known as Midstates & The Choir of Ghosts), approach their music with a more 'space-pop' bent whereas Panda Riot have seemingly perfected 'swirl-pop' a.k.a. shoegazer inspired indie-pop that at times is almost danceable. In either case, the tandem should feel right on home at ECPF.
Following the Chicago invasion, Elm City Popfest returns to its roots with an always anticipated hometown performance by EULA. Quite possibly the hardest working indie-rock band in New Haven, EULA has continually sharpened its lacerating brand of indie-pop/shoegaze/punk into an ever finer point over the past few years. Each show by the band seems to top the last, not an easy feat by a band that plays as many shows as they do. Still coming off their opening slot supporting post-punk legend Mission Of Burma last Fall, one would be ill-advised to miss this performance by EULA, and that means you.
Finishing off the 'Day' half Day Two's festivities is Danbury, CT's The Field Recordings. Garnering a substantial amount of press since their debut last year, The Field Recordings are a indie rock/pop trio that, from all accounts, seem to vary their live sound depending on the context of the billing. On record, the Field Recordings sound a bit more edgy than one would expect. Regardless, they've been creating some of the most interesting indie rock coming out of Connecticut lately and are well worth the price of admission alone.
Overall, the 'Day' portion of ECPF, Day Two covers the indie-pop bases well. Despite the fact that it starts at 2:30 in the afternoon, you'd be hard pressed to find a better lineup anywhere in the state, no matter what the start time.
Day Two, 'NIGHT,' Saturday, May 15th After about an hour interlude following the conclusion of the 'Day' billing, part two (a.k.a. the 'Night' billing) of Elm City PopFest, Day Two kicks off featuring Procedure Club, The Secret History and The Butterflies of Love.
New Haven's own Procedure Club starts off the evening's festivities with their noisy brand of too rough to be cutesy, too cutesy to be rough, drum machine indie pop. Procedure Club have created a significant buzz lately, especially following their performance at the last Shaki Presents @ BAR show this past December. Having recently signed to Slumberland Records, you can expect their debut album to be released this June. In the meantime, check them out at ECPF before they become huge.
Next up on the ECPF evening showcase is NYC's The Secret History. Featuring former members of My Favorite and Mick Ronson's daughter, the Secret History have made a name for themselves writing some mighty catchy pop songs 'about ghosts and monsters and sometimes Italy' (at least according to the band's MySpace page). The band's debut album was recently released this past March on Le Grand Magistery so be sure to check it out.
Closing out Day Two of the ECPF will be New Haven's own The Butterflies of Love. Although relatively inactive in recent years, the Butterflies reformed for the Mark Mulcahy 'Ciao My Shining Star' tribute shows. The quintet liked the shows so much that they decided to play more, including this headlining slot at PopFest. A favorite of the late John Peel, The Butterflies of Love have released several records on the Fortuna POP! label in the UK to much acclaim over the years. Having had the opportunity to see them during their original run some years back, I'd have to say it would be well worth the wait to check them out.
In the end, Day Two of Elm City PopFest creates one the best original pop/indie rock billings seen in New Haven in quite some time. With the mix of great local, regional, national and even international artists contributing, there's plenty here for everyone.
Day Three, Wednesday, May 26th @ Cafe Nine Although 11 days separate Day Two and Three, this 'follow-up' show (as its being advertised) certainly does not diminish the quality and/or energy of the festival. Performing will be the UK's Allo Darlin' and Horowitz, as well as Brooklyn/New Haven's The Tyler Trudeau Attempt and Women's Basketball.
Kicking off the evening will be the UK's Allo Darlin' and Horowitz. A late addition to the PopFest lineup, Allo Darlin' 'can turn a room in a famous punk venue into a joyous, jumping, sweaty, pop-mosh pit. Or bring a room of 500 to hushed silence with the few strums of a ukulele and a love song about cooking.' Such all-encompassing command of the audience is hard to come by and, in addition tho their rock solid pop songs, a major reason to check this band out. Following Allo Darlin' are fellow Brits Horowitz. Bringing a more fuzzy, danceable bent to the typical indie-pop model, Horowitz have received some pretty glowing press praising the band's flare for super-sweet vocals and melodies, a sure sign that they do indeed belong on this billing.
Closing out the night (and the festival), will be the two projects of singer/songwriter Tyler Trudeau. First up will be the Tyler Trudeau Attempt, an amalgam of New Haven scene veterans (including myself). Although I am not at liberty to really comment on the Attempt (y'know, since I play drums in this band), the New Haven Advocate is and has said of the band: 'TTA looks back to the roots of punk and finds something immensely energetic, often hilarious and always political. On top of that, it's catchy as hell.'
Trudeau's newer project, Women's Basketball, will be making its much anticipated live debut at ECPF. What initially started out as a one-off, purely-for-fun project has quickly gained a lot of press attention. The band's debut album 'An Octopus, But Like, An Octopus With Massive Wings and Junk', released earlier this year on Tweefort Records, has in particular gained a lot of positive reviews and its easy to see why. With an omnipresent drum machine beat and often tongue n' cheek lyrics, Trudeau breaks free from his own songwriting conventions to create a fun, catchy and often more engaging (and revealing) record than his main band's previous EP (which I didn't play on). It should be interesting to see how this all plays out live but, knowing Trudeau, it will probably come off well.
So that's it folks! Surely one of the better festivals in recent memory. But enough of me telling you what to do, its time for you to check it out for yourself on Friday May 14th, Saturday May 15th and Wednesday, May 26th. Don't miss this one!
Alcest is a French band created by Neige (also in Amesoeurs, Peste Noire and Forgotten Woods) in early 2000. He began writing songs on his own but a few months afterward Argoth (bass) and Famine from Peste Noire (lead guitar) joined him and his solo project became a real band. "Tristesse Hivernale" Alcest's first demo which was composed by Neige and Famine, was released in 2001 by Drakkar Productions. At the time, the band played cold and melodic black metal inspired by the mysterious and melancholic atmospheres of the wintry landscapes. Just after the release of "Tristesse Hivernale" Alcest turned into a solo project again since Neige decided to change of direction and concept in order to explore more intimate themes. While Alcest still retains some black metal roots, the music now draws more comparison to other genres such as shoegaze and post-rock. Neige has stated in interviews that he had not listened to these types of music prior to the recording of Souvenirs d'un autre monde. Alcest is now Neige's testimony of the evanescent visions/memories he had as a child about a fantastic faraway world : a plane of existence bathed in a pearly light, beyond all terrestrial beauties, which could perhaps be described as a sort of "intermediate stage" ; the soul would rest there between two earthly lives and would for some time be freed of the burden of incarnation.
Have a Nice Life is a shoegaze / industrial / new wave hybrid duo from Middletown, CT formed in year 2000. It is the brainchild of Tim Macuga, black metal experimentalist in Nahvalr and songwriter for the classic Western Mass hardcore band The Danger Strangers, and Dan Barrett, singer of the ghost music project Giles Corey and the now-defunct In Pieces.
Mammoth Hunter is an instrumental duo from New Britain, CT featuring members of the Manic team. First show in over a year!
More Alcest tour dates:
Apr 29 2010 8:00P The Studio At Webster Hall New York, New York Apr 30 2010 8:00P Underworld Montreal, Quebec May 1 2010 8:00P The Democracy Center Boston, Massachusetts May 14 2010 8:00P Auditorium Sá de Miranda Braga May 15 2010 8:00P Side-B Benavente May 23 2010 8:00P Wave Gothic Treffen Leipzig
