Ladyhips - Live at Farmtone EP

Ladyhips return with their new EP Live at Farmtone. These guys have taken their immense skill and decided to explore some of the fringes of genre and songwriting, and they pull it off with ease!

Ladyhips play The Stomping Ground August 16

Everyone favorite pop masterminds Ladyhips are playing one of my favorite spots on the planet, The Stomping Ground up in the quiet corner of the state, Putnam!

GRASSHOPPER / ARABIAN BLADE @ ELM BAR on July 24

Sick experimental noise/jazz show at Elm Bar on July 24, featuring Grasshopper, Arabian Blade and many more. Get down with some brain melting noise!!!

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.

Langosta - Super Nature EP

Langosta’s new EP Super Nature plays out exactly as the title would suggest. Taken as a whole, the four fierce, yet eloquent tracks combine to present a journey which offers a unique perspective on the sounds of nature.

Mandrake Mechanism - Monetary Artforms

All hip hop producers could learn something from this release.  One look at the cover and you’re not sure what to expect.  One listen through the album and you’re not quite sure what you just heard.  Mandrake Mechanism bring a stellar hip hop album to the table, drawing influences from across the musical spectrum.

 

Lady Hips - Best Friends

Lady Hips are a genre defying group from Hartford. They blend folk, jazz, pop and rock into an eclectic hybrid ripe with lush melodies. On their debut LP "Best Friends" they explore several different musical environments.

Paul Flaherty, Randall Colbourne, and Mike Roberson

Willimantic Records
744 Main Street
Willimantic, CT
860-450-7000

Paul Flaherty, Randall Colbourne and Mike Roberson converge at Willimantic Records on Sunday, May 27, 2012 for a free live performance. Celebrating the release of Smoke Shadows, long-time co-conspirators Flaherty & Colbourne are joined by Mike Roberson on guitar. Smoke Shadows marks Roberson's first ever recording. Although the show is free, be sure to bring coin to support the artists, and the store!

--Early 2:00 PM show--

Show Review: The Grandmothers of Invention and the New, Old Magic of Rock and Roll

Don Preston, deep in thought.

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention were always my Grateful Dead; given the chance, I would have followed them anywhere. I grew up listening to Zappa's zany and complex songs, they got under my skin and deep into my brain. From the age of maybe four, I remember Dad played the Mothers for us kids, sneakily because our mom considered it to be 'inappropriate.' Having been far too young to see the original group live, I was ecstatic when I got the opportunity to watch the newest incarnation of the band, the Grandmothers of Invention. Though they've been performing for ten years together, the current tour is their first in the United States. As you may or may not know, Europeans go completely nuts for Zappa; the band has been having a whirlwind of a time touring both well-known and remote locations on the continent. For a brief time, though, they're rocking on their home turf.

GrandMothers Of Invention LIVE @ Infinity Hall 5/2

GrandMothers of Invention (featuring THREE original members of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention) will be playing Norfolk's Infinity Hall this Wednesday 5/2 @ 7:30PM.

Howlin' Rain get ready to burn down Cafe Nine

While some might say that musical revivals come every 20 years or so, as is happening now with grunge, others say that certain musical influences are always there in the background waiting for the right band to put them in a more modern context. Right now there seems to be psychedelic revival happening, where modern bands are taking the best parts of late 60’s and 70’s rock and giving them a fresh new outlook. In a way, this new outcropping of bands is neo-traditionalist in their intentions. Whatever you want to call it, there are some exciting sounds happening right now.

This revival has been going on for a while now, and a lot of this new psyche has been centered on California.

“There are a lot of cool things going on right now in that a lot of the bands playing this music are all linked by the West Coast,” said Howlin’ Rain guitarist/vocalist Ethan Miller.

Miller should know what he is talking about because he has been involved with this sort of music for a while, whether it was the incendiary power of his previous band, Comets On Fire, or his current project he has been at ground zero for this psychedelic rebirth. Over the course of four albums, COF blazed a red hot trail over the underground rock landscape. In fact, Howlin’ Rain was started as a side project (in a band where many members had side projects) in 2004 in order to feed Miller’s need to make more melodic music. COF broke up in 2006 after the release of their excellent, “Avatar” record for Sub Pop and now Miller was ready to pursue Howlin’ Rain to its full potential.

“It was like we were all standing in the center of a room with Comets On Fire and decided to walk away from the center of the room, but not close any of the doors on the way out,” said Miller.

Howlin’ Rain released their debut record in 2006 on independent label, Birdman, went on tour with the Queens Of The Stone Age and eventually caught the eye of uber-producer Rick Rubin, who eventually signed the band to his American Label and acted as a quality control consultant for the band. The highly lauded “Magnificient Fiend” followed in 2008, with Birdman handling the vinyl. The band experienced some line up changes and issued the “The Good Life” EP in 2011. It has been a while since there last full length and that’s all about to change when they drop their new record “The Russian Wilds” on Valentine’s Day.

Once again Rubin served as the quality control officer, while the hands-on production work was handled by Tim Green. This is the first record that is going to showcase the band’s new stable and quite kick ass line-up of Isaiah Mitchell (guitar, vocals), Raj Ojha (drums), Cyrus Comiskey (bass), Joel Robinow (keys, vocals), who join Miller (guitar, vocals) in this journey to the center of the mind.

In fact, one could say, Miller is “psyched” about this new line-up.

“There is something to be said about rehearsing three times a week, and in the process you become finely honed weaponry, where you can just fire it up and burn down a stage,” said Miller.

They were also aiming for a very classic feel to this album. In the press materials, there are mentions of such albums as Jimi Hendrix’s “Electric Ladyland”, Steely Dan’s “Gaucho” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Darkness On The Edge Of Town” as influences. But before you think this record is some psychedelic/jazz/bar band hybrid, you have to understand that the influences aren’t necessarily musical in a literal sense.

“We were going for the spirit of those records and not getting too hung up on specifics. After a day in the studio, I might go home and put on “Electric Ladyland” to get into a certain frame of mind. We’re doing this in a creative way. We’re connecting with those records spiritually,” said Miller.

They have succeeded spectacularly because not only does “The Russian Wilds” sound wonderful and contain some the band’s best songs, as well as ripping guitar work from both Mitchell and Miller, it also captures a certain vibe, one that hasn’t reared its head in a long time. It’s a big rock record and is not afraid of that tag.

So here is a chance to see a band in its prime, with a killer line up and a great new album, up close and personal. Come on down, and you can say you saw the band back when they played smaller bars and clubs. You don’t want to kick yourself for missing this one.


Manic Productions Presents:
Howlin’ Rain
D. Charles Speer & The Helix
The Voodoo Fix

Saturday, February 11
Café Nine
250 State Street
New Haven, CT

9:00 pm – 21+ - $8

Tickets can also be purchased at Redscroll Records in Wallingford

Magnetic Island, EULA, Moon Hooch

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Sweet flyer by Ross Menze of Estrogen Highs/Iron Hand!

Location:
ARTSPACE UNDERGROUND
50 Orange Street
New Haven, CT

9:00pm - 21+ - $5

Be sure to check out the special 116 Crown cocktail Dada Punch!

Performances by Brooklyn-based dream-pop duo Magnetic Island, local indie-pop band EULA, and New York City jazz impresarios Moon Hooch. Drinks provided by 116 Crown. The Underground is curated by Madison Moore.

The Artspace Underground is an after-hours series bringing cutting-edge performances, experimental time-based art, and alternative music to the gallery. This Underground is set against the backdrop of Betwixt & Between, group exhibition of contemporary short videos that inject the ordinary domestic landscape with existential content and psychological slippages, organized by Artspace Curator Liza Statton.

Christabel and the Jons @ Cafe 9- Jan 13

Theres not many posts on CTIndie about jazzy type music, I guess we're all too hip. But I want to break this trend with what probably will be one of the higher quality shows most of us will see in a while. I can't give you a rundown of the bands history or tell you much about their music but I could let you hear what I heard. So I will...

Cafe Nine - January 13th

Christabel and the Jons

Time:9:00pm

Cost: $5

Larry Ochs Sax & Drumming Core

Thursday, October 15 at Real Art Ways
6-10 PM, Part of Creative Cocktail Hour
$10/$5 for members

The Larry Ochs Sax & Drumming Core initially started as a throwback to the early days of blues - when lyrics were shouted and squaked, with only one backing instrument. They progressed to add in traditional chant singing of Asia and Africa and blended all of this together with a modern blend of free jazz saxophone. The band consists of tenor sax, trumpent, keys, and two (two!) drummers.

William Hooker

William Hooker is a drum prodigy from New Britain, CT. He has been trainined as a jazz drummer, but began branching out early in his career as an experimental improv precussionist. He's a pretty big name in the experimental jazz and noise scene. He has collaborated with Lee Renaldo, Thurston Moore, and DJ Olive, to name just a few.

Hooker returns on Friday, Sept. 25 and Saturday, Sept. 26 to Real Art Ways with a new, multimedia percussion performance. This is improvisational drum genius at work here, people. It's going to be an awesome, brain-bending night.

The Underscore Orkestra

The Underscore Orkestra is coming to town, and will be playing an amazing show at Cafe Nine. They are a 4 - 9 piece band playing a blend of klezmer, Balkan, gypsy, jazz and swing tunes. They are from Portland, Oregon, and are currently on the East Coast flight of their tour. I dare you to listen to some of their music and not love it. It's guaranteed fun.

Tuesday, Sept. 15th
Cafe Nine, New Haven
8pm

Burnt Sugar at Real Art Ways

Tomorrow night, as part of the Creative Cocktail Hour, jazz fusion band Burnt Sugar finds its way to Real Art Ways in Hartford. Burnt Sugar is a collection of prominent musicians who were originally formed as a Bitches Brew inspired band, but quickly morphed into something all it's own. The group has 17 members, all of which are masters of their instruments. There are some big names, including DJ Mutamassik; trumpeter Lewis ‘Flip’ Barnes, and bassist Jared Nickerson who has toured and recorded with The The. As they put it, they're "a territory band, a neo-tribal thang, a community hang, a society music guild aspiring to the condition of all that is molten, glacial, racial, spacial, oceanic, mythic, antiphonal and telepathic." It's sure to be a really amazing night of incredible music that transcends description or classification.

Burnt Sugar
Thurs., July 16
Real Art Ways
6 - 10 p.m.,
$10, ($5 members),
56 Arbor St., Hartford, CT

Also, be sure to check out the Hartford Advocate's review of Burnt Sugar here.

31st Annual Meriden Daffodil Festival: April 25 - April 26, 2009

Early word just came in about this year's Meriden Daffodil Festival to be held April 25 - April 26, 2009. Looks like it's planned to be an all Connecticut-connected lineup with over thirty bands on three stages over two days. So far the bill includes:

Bear Hands
Big Fat Combo
Bird 'n Boys
Bottle Up & Go
Chico & Roy
Glen Roth
Gonkus Brothers
Kelly, Sean & Wayne
Lo Fi Radio Stars
MT Bearington
Noah Fresh & Co.
River City Slim & the Zydeco Hogs
River Street
St Bernadette
Straddledaddy
Swing 39
The Alternate Routes
The And Band
The Bad Reps
The Can Kickers
The Frank Critelli Band
The Furors
The Langley Project
The Maloney High School Jazz band
The Manchurians
The Monthei Brothers
The Mountain Movers
The Reducers
The Sawtelles
Titles

And there's more to come - stay tuned.

Rob DeRosa is the Music coordinator for The Meriden Daffodil Festival and the host of Homegrown on Connecticut's WESU FM, Thursdays from 5:05-6pm. Also, per Bob D.'s comment below, check out Thin Man Music on MySpace to hear some of the past shows!

JD

Shaki this Sunday

Sunday, September 7, 2008 - at BAR:
LATITUDE/LONGITUDE w/Pillars and Tongues


LOCATION:
BAR
254 Crown St
New Haven CT
FREE - 9:00PM - 21+

DIRECTIONS: Click here

Latitude/Longitude are new to me and I'm absolutely loving everything I'm hearing of theirs online. They make me think of old Supreme Dicks as played in the distant future. They're a Bruce Conner film in musical form. They meld incidentals like no other improv band I've heard. It's music I imagine bees hearing in their little heads while drunk on the sun soaked juices of rotten apples.

New Haven's Advocate had a pretty good write up on this upcoming Shaki show. Here it is:

"Lucky for true lovers of the avant-garde and not just catchy rhythms in the guise of weird, one has to look no further than BAR on Sunday night to a performance by Latitude/Longitude, a truly uncategorizable instrumental trio that would leave Sincabeza scrambling for a better descriptor.

Latitude/Longitude's sound defies labels. The sparse instrumentation shifts. The tempos are sometimes non-existent. It's sort of jazz, if only because that's what critics may call it for lack of a better word, but jazzheads would scratch their
jazzheads.

In fact, it's hard to even call Latitude/Longitude a band, because the word "band" implies that there are songs, says drummer and New Haven resident Jason Labbe, and songs are something they don't do.

'We play with varying instrumentation and our performances are totally improvised,' he says.

A quick perusal of the videos on their website or a listen at their MySpace page and one knows Labbe ain't lyin'. These are some texture heavy, plinkity-plink, whackity-whack, thumpity-thump, go-with-the-flow sounds. The music ranges from gleeful to somber to droning to pulsing, sometimes within the same performance.

It breaks down like this: Labbe plays drums. Michael Garofalo plays keyboards (including a Farfisa — hello, 1967!) and various electronics. Rounding out the trio is Patrick McCarthy on guitar and mandolin.

'We stick with a single idea and play it until it's not interesting anymore,' says Labbe. 'You just have to find a good idea and develop it and go with any inspiration or good feeling you may have.'

The outcome is different each time. For musicians who can pull it off, the result can be exhilarating for the band and for the audience — if they're willing to submit to something new. Thankfully, Labbe and his cohorts are acutely aware of the challenge that improvised music can present to listeners and they make a conscious effort to keep it accessible.

'Sometimes it's quiet and subtle and sometimes it will be louder. We try to have range,' he says. The crowd's vibe and other bands on the bill are something Labbe, Garofalo and McCarthy consider. (For those fearing a noise-fest along the lines of the Thurston Moore/Ryan Sawyer gig at the People's Center in May, delicious though it may have been, fear not.)

This Sunday's musical feast also features Pillars and Tongues, a Chicago band with more structure but no less adventure than Latitude/Longitude. How they'll recreate their classically-fueled sound should be a compelling listen.

The members of Latitude/Longitude soon plan to release a cassette — yes — on a label run by Titles drummer John Miller. Too bad cassettes aren't sold on iTunes. The 'Uncategorizable' category would be much more interesting."

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