Broken Water, Estrogen Highs and Empty Flowers @ BAR on 5/22

New Haven's favorite Estrogen Highs are playing at BAR on Wednesday with Broken Water and Empty Flowers!

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.

King Tuff w/ Habibi, Medication and Jacques Le Coque @ Intercambio 6/10

Intercambio is the place to be. Everyone knows it. Now you have even more reason to go as they are having rising fuzz prodigy King Tuff Sunday 6/10!

Marissa Nadler / Faces On Film / Lys Guillorn @ Cafe Nine on 6/2

Saturday is going to be a busy one, and this show is well worth your time! Marissa Nadler comes to New Haven's Cafe Nine and with the help of Faces On Film and Lys Guillorn, aim to bring you some musical bliss!

5/23 - Manic Productions Presents Aficionado, Reservoir, Heavy Breath at BAR

Tomorrow night Manic Productions continues their tradition of booking great, free shows in the back room at BAR in New Haven. This looks to be another solid night of good beer, eclectic music and BAR's famous pizza.

Saturday Looks Good To Me, Wild Moccasins, Werewolf Police

Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Manic Productions presents...

BAR
254 Crown Street
New Haven, CT

9:00pm - 21+ - Free

bios via Manic Productions

Born as a basement recording project in the year 2000, Saturday Looks Good To Me brought together the jubilant fun of Motown and Northern soul with a decidedly indie approach. Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Fred Thomas poured generations of influences ranging from as widely as the Beach Boys to Guided by Voices into dusty pocket symphonies recorded on four track cassettes.

White Fence (ex-Darker My Love) and Suicide Dolls @ BAR

Wednesday night 9PM @ BAR

Manic Production presents: White Fence and Suicide Dolls

White Fence 

"Tim Presley is a member of the bands Darker My Love and the Strange Boys, which do variations of dirtied-up psychedelic pop. White Fence is his third band and much more idiosyncratic. It’s just Mr. Presley making songs as complicated as he wants, with his multitracked asthmatic voice and his gift for weird, wayward song hooks. On “White Fence,” just released on CD by Woodsist, drum rhythms stumble and recohere; chord changes are half-forgotten or blown altogether. Audio quality changes from track to track or even in the middle of a song, and so does the music’s speed. The album sounds as if it were mastered on a cassette machine with failing batteries. This whole enterprise is way, way moth eaten: the Syd Barrett/1960s Los Angeles garage-punk influences, the dirty-on-purpose sound quality, the overmodulated guitar leads.

By a certain logic it should be a stone loser. But so much in music comes down to conviction. There’s something ritual about these songs, as if Mr. Presley had been carrying them in his head, with all their details, for a long time. Listen even once, and they’re hard to shake. All of Mr. Presley’s strange touches start to seem significant and obsessively desired: a short background sigh, a few seconds of harmonica or xylophone, a new strain plopped into the middle of a song that leads nowhere, a guitar solo that’s longer than it needs to be. It’s mannered and indirect music, but he’s a poet of that." - BEN RATLIFF (NY Times)

Woodsist Records

Mp3s: http://www.myspace.com/whitefenceband

Suicide Dolls

From the ashes of a mid-90's all-noise band, Brian Albano and Michelle Montavon took their new form as the Suicide Dolls in early 2002.  Blending the far out, experimental noise jams of their earlier incarnation with familiar and catchy rock/punk structures, the Suicide Dolls recorded their 1st demo in 2003 and have been growing ever since. Matt Covey began drumming with the 'Dolls in 2006, and again in 2009 after a brief departure. The current lineup is at it's strongest to date, and are releasing their full length album "Prayers In Parking Lots' in September of 2011.

Mp3s: http://thesuicidedolls.bandcamp.com/

Man Man, Grandchildren and M.T. Bearington at Daniel Street on WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, October 12 at 8:00pm

Daniel Street

21 Daniel Street

Milford, CT

$17 ($15 advance) / All Ages

Tickets on sale NOW! http://manicproductions.org/tickets
or get the tickets at Redscroll Records


Check the facebook event page here:
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=173200439418388

Man Man
Man Man is known for their exuberant live performances. When performing, the members of the band dress in white outfits and wear war paint. Comparisons to the usual avant-garde forefathers - Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Tom Waits - persist, but Man Man are decidedly not identity thieving or even overtly referencing these spiritual godfathers in their music, but rather are acting as torchbearers of the unusual, the spontaneous and the plainly fucking funny in an increasingly homogenized world.
ANTI- Records
Mp3s: http://www.myspace.com/wearemanman



Grandchildren
The drums smack you in the face first, like a hailstorm with no sign of letting up. Then, as waves of harmonies emerge unexpectedly, a joyous sensation sets in, as if someone just snapped you out of a fever dream. The beat-driven, orchestral-pop epics unfold like an audio scrapbook of memories from the life of Grandchildren songwriter Aleksander Martray.
Mp3s: http://www.myspace.com/grandchildren

M.T. Bearington
Matt Thomas knows how to write a song—as evidenced in over a decade of music-making with the Weigh Down, Leaves of Lothlorien, and Short Pants Romance.

Over the past two years, the band has shared the stage with Deerhoof, the Drums, and Tim Easton at New London's 2009 I AM Festival, rocked with Of Montreal and Lupe Fiasco at the 2010 BOMB Fest, and opened for Mates of State on a Northeast stint in February 2010.

Their full-band, follow-up effort "Love Buttons" hits the shelves on Valentine's Day 2011. Produced by Fuzzy Rainbow (Fake Babies, Eula), with a hand from Greg Giorgio at Tarquin Studios (Interpol, The National), it's an upbeat collection of sonic musings on various forms of love—from the traditional to the twisted—through the eyes of characters real and fictional.
Mp3s: http://mtbearington.bandcamp.com/

CONTEST! The Besnard Lakes Ticket Giveaway

Saturday Oct 8th, Manic Productions presents:

Wadsworth Atheneum (Aetna Theater)

600 Main Street

Hartford, CT

7:00pm - All Ages - $12

Want win a pair of tickets to see the Besnard Lakes at Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford Oct 8th? Well, send an email to CTINDIECONTEST@GMAIL.COM answering the following: What's your favorite Besnard Lakes song and why? Winner will be picked at random.

(Winner will be notified Friday Oct 7th. So, check your email!)

Bios from Manic's site:

The Besnard Lakes

The Besnard Lakes are a band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, formed by the husband and wife team of Jace Lasek (Vocals/Guitar/Keyboards) and Olga Goreas (Vocals/Bass), and completed by Kevin Laing (Drums) and Richard White (Guitar). According to Songfacts, their name comes from Besnard Lake in North-Central Saskatchewan.

The band gained critical attention with their second album, The Besnard Lakes Are The Dark Horse, that was nominated for a Polaris Prize in 2007. It was recorded at Lasek’s own Breakglass Studios, with members of fellow Canadian bands Stars, The Dears, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor/A silver Mt. Zion making guest appearances. Their debut album, Volume I, was self-released in a limited 1,000-copy edition in 2003 and later rereleased in October 2007.

In March 2010, the band released their third album The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night to widespread acclaim and has also received a nomination for the 2010 Polaris Prize.

Jagjaguwar Records

Also playing:

Malajube

Malajube are an indie rock band from Montréal, Québec. They sing in French and have three albums out on Dare to Care Records.

The group made itself known in 2004 with the release of its first album, “Le Compte Complet.” Critics welcomed the disc with positive reviews, which allowed the group to become instantly famous in the Québécois music scene. Several of its songs, such as “Le Métronome” and “La Valérie,” were prominent mainstays on several Québec radio stations. For the production of the album, the group turned to Martin Pelland from fellow Montreal band The Dears.

Smoke Signals

Coley O'Toole and Joe Ballaro started their first band in the 7th grade in Shelton, Connecticut. They honed their skills as musicians, vocalists and songwriters by playing together daily.

Coley met Zac Clark over a decade later, when Zac moved into a river house on the banks of the Housatonic with Joe. The three toured as The Queen Killing Kings.

In early 2011, the three journeyed to Silverlake, California where Simon Katz (Youngblood Hawke) and Christian Letts (Edward Sharpe) awaited their arrival at the Effie House- a home equipped with, among other items, several recording consoles, a Steinway baby grand, two dozen guitars, a Hammond organ, and a ghost.

The band brought more than 30 songs, out of which one was chosen each day to arrange, record and mix. The 9 songs that comprise the band's debut self titled LP, "Smoke Signals," were recorded live, in the living room, in the span of 9 days.

These songs are a return to the blue-collar landscape of the band's hometown. They are honest, warm and timeless.

Black Anvil Doesn't Care What You Think

New York City-based black metal wrecking crew Black Anvil’s blistering and blasting attack, which is gritty at times, reflects the band member’s lives in the Big Apple. Over the course of two records, they have proven that they have the fortitude to become one of the top United States Black Metal bands in existence today, despite what some internet trolls might lead you to believe.
You see, all three members, vocalist/bassist P (Paul Delaney), guitarist G (Gary Bennett) and drummer R (Raeph Glicken), did time in hardcore heroes Kill Your Idols before that band ended and the guys followed their hearts down a darker musical path.
“We formed about three years ago, maybe a little longer. There was no decision after Kill Your Idols came to a fold, rather a natural hunger to express what needed to be expressed. We are a vehicle for the higher power that speaks to us, hence we are only doing what we need to do,” said Delaney.
What they needed to do, was release two incredible black metal albums and become one the leading lights in USBM, even if some people on the internet can’t get over the fact that the guys in the band used to be in a hardcore band. To some people playing a different form of music means that the guys aren’t completely true. Well, those people are idiots, and if you think the band cares about stuff like that, then you are sadly mistaken.
“However at the end of the day, it isn’t what people think of us that gives us a boost. We don’t need a thing from anyone. Us accomplishing what we have thus far is proof of that. As for the hardcore/punk connection…it’s easy for someone to assume this and that, again, we don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks on this matter, because no one is close enough to the core to even comprehend or form an accurate opinion on what our “trueness” is,” said Delaney.
You would think their trueness score would go through the roof especially after Darkthrone drummer/vocalist and metal tastemaker Fenriz has given the band his evil blessing. Delaney believes this has helped a bit, but at the end of the day it’s all about what the band feels inside.
“Fenriz passing on some kind words along was well respected because I’ve been in touch with him and it’s an opinion I respect for many reasons, mainly because he’s in the know and it’s cool to hear,” said Delaney.
Their first record, “Time Insults The Mind”, released in 2009 on Relapse, laid down the template for their punishing sound while their most recent one “Triumverate”, released last year also on Relapse, further cements their rep as a fearsome crew. It’s their merger of traditional black metal sounds with a hardcore, living in the city vibe that makes their music so special. In a way, it’s urban black metal, one more informed from life lived in the city than some Norwegian wood.
“We are from New York, musically (not lyrically) there is clearly a huge influence from hardcore, or at least a tougher New York vibe, it’s how we were raised. We are actually all from New York. But as I said, the real drive is beyond the instruments and beyond us,” said Delaney.
There is also a definite punk rock aspect to their sound; one that Delaney says is natural to playing the type of music that they play.
“There is a rawness that I think is necessary. And that’s basically how it comes into play. It’s more of a natural occurrence. Even on a bigger sounding recording, the raw edge is in your playing. So, it’s something we can’t escape,” said Delaney.
Regardless of what you think, Black Anvil has crafted some fierce black metal that may draw on hardcore and punk, but is no less true than some of their counterparts. Witness their sonic devastation at Daniel Street this coming Sunday, with CT black metal upstarts Ipsissimus and avant-garde black metalers Krallice, along with Withered and Morgirion. You will be glad you did.

Manic Productions Presents:
Krallice
Black Anvil
Ipsissimus
Withered
Morgirion
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Daniel Street
21 Daniel Street, Milford, CT
7:00pm – 21+ - $12 ($10 advance)

BLACK ANVIL Tour Dates:

April 29 Somerville, MA Pa’s Lounge
April 30 Poughkeepsie, NY The Loft
May 1 Milford, CT Daniel Street
May 21 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie
***All dates from May 29 thru June 3 w/ MARDUK, AURA NOIR, PANZERFAUST, HOD***
May 29 Montreal, QC Café Campus
May 30 Toronto, ON Wreck Room
May 31 Chicago, IL Reggie’s
June 1 Detroit, MI I-Rock
June 2 Cleveland, OH Peabody’s
June 3 Brooklyn, NY Williamsburg Music Hall

Joan of Arc, Out Like Lambs, The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die

Wednesday, February 2 2011, Manic Productions presents

Location:
BAR
254 Crown Street
New Haven, CT

9:00pm - 21+ - Free

bios via Manic

Joan of Arc:
Based on their roots and their hometown, it's not surprising that Chicago's Joan of Arc blends post-rock's atmospherics and punk's volume and dynamics. Singer/guitarist Tim Kinsella, drummer Mike Kinsella, and bassist Sam Zurick came from the emocore band Cap'n Jazz; when that band broke up, the trio wanted to change their musical direction. They did just that when they started playing with keyboardist/guitarist Jeremy Boyle and guitarist Eric Bocek in summer 1996, removing the boundaries and structures of punk and including more experimental elements like tape loops and electronics.

Calling themselves Joan of Arc, the group went on tour with their friends the Promise Ring (who also featured ex-Cap'n Jazz members) in August 1996. Joan of Arc's live set met with a strong, positive audience, just in time for their first 7" single, Method & Sentiment. After spending the fall of that year writing and recording, the band re-emerged in 1997 with A Portable Model of Joan of Arc, their full-length debut. The album continued Joan of Arc's evolution into an equally hard-hitting and progressive outfit that appealed to emo and post-rock fans alike. The following year they returned with How Memory Works, a more clearly stated version of their ambitious style. Joan of Arc rang in 1999 with the release of Live in Chicago 1999. Gap was released a year later. In February 2003, the band returned with So Much Staying Alive and Lovelessness, although plans for a much bigger release were skirted to the side. Three months later, that extra material found its way onto In Rape Fantasy and Terror Sex We Trust, capturing Tim and Mike Kinsella's darkest work yet. After moving to Polyvinyl, the band recorded the experimental Joan of Arc, Dick Cheney, Mark Twain and released the album in 2004. Eventually, All at Once, which the band described as a "casual folk-drone record," arrived in 2006 on Record Label. In October 2007, the band scored the creepy and instrumental Orchard Vale Soundtrack, and Boo Human arrived in 2008.

Joan of Arc's lineup remained in flux throughout the 2000s, with Tim Kinsella always remaining at the center of the group. In 2009, the frontman decided to reach out to his former bandmates and assemble Don?t Mind Control, a unique record featuring 18 different bands. Each group included a one-time member of Joan of Arc, and the resulting album included songs by Vacations, Ghosts and Vodka, and Pillars and Tongues.
Polyvinyl Records.



Out Like Lambs:
“Man, I love me some sorrow and soul in my indie folk. Songs that seem so long that they abandon all ‘formulas’ and ‘methods’ of songwriting and just go with the flow. Natural ideas and sounds. I think Out Like Lambs does it so well. Huge, vast, wonderful soundscapes that seem to reach beyond any speaker system. They just stretch. It’s not overwhelming at all, but definitely euphoric. An orchestra of light acoustic sounds and progressively soulful vocals. I am in love.” -Stop Sleeping Yo



The World is a Beautiful Place and I am No Longer Afraid to Die formed in the fall of 2009 in eastern Connecticut and play a unique brand of post-rock-damaged second wave emo. Their songs are written about the joys and pains of being alive from a collective perspective.
Topshelf Records

The Capstan Shafts, The Backyard Committee, Fatal Film

Monday, January 17 2011, Manic Productions Presents:

The Capstan Shafts, The Backyard Committee, Fatal Film

Daniel Street
21 Daniel Street
Milford, CT

8:00pm - 21+ - $8

Buy tickets now or pick them up at Redscroll Records

The Capstan Shafts

I first heard of The Capstan Shafts way, way back when my friend over at Beat The Indie Drum had his netlabel in full working order. The EP was called Halaluah Moancoaxers! and it opened my ears up to a whole slew of tiny, independent releases that Dean Wells has been releasing under this name for years. The EP is still available if you're interested: right here. So this led me to stumble across the tons of concise, brilliant albums he's released, all of which are consistently mindblowing. It was so awesome when just a few years later I started to see Environ Maiden pop up everywhere, from Pitchfork to some record stores I frequented at the time; I even saw it in some tiny record shop in Austin. Here's a guy from Vermont that no one's ever seen play live or met or even seen a picture of that's been recording albums for years and all of a sudden he skyrockets to popularity and starts playing shows. So it is a bit weird to see someone who went from being a complete enigma to putting together a 5-piece band and launch on a tour this year, but I am totally on board for this one. For most people, myself included, it will be a first glimpse into Wells' intensely personal music on stage. His latest album, Revelation Skirts, is a must for anyone who likes GBV (and I'm assuming everyone does) and The Gerbils. It's the first time that he's had any sort of full production, all of the previous albums are glorious lo-fi bedroom masterpieces, whereas this is clearly a studio production. It's a staggering change from his other works sonically, but it still retains that Robert Pollard feel, and lovely guitar riffs with enough changes to satisfy even the most intense ADHD.

Listen to some of his stuff on the myspace, and check out this awesome video for "She Makes Amazing Look Stupid" cut together by a fan:




The Backyard Committee

The Backyard Committee is a local collection of musicians headed by Mike Sembos. They have released their first album, a self-titled release. I just did a writeup of it right here, so read that and then report back. You can hear it for free by hitting play below:



Fatal Film

Fatal Film is from New London and plays straightforward catchy powerpop - distorted guitars, brash lyrics, and powerful rhythms. Chances are you've seen these guys, as they play a hell of a lot of shows, and really know how to fill a set. It's good to see them back in action after all the shit that Matt Potter had to deal with. You can stream everything they've released at their bandcamp site:

Toxic Holocaust, Ipsissimus, Brass Caskets, Age of Deception

Thursday, January 13, 2010, Manic Productions presents:

Location:
Daniel Street
21 Daniel Street
Milford, CT

$10 - 21+ - 8PM

Buy tickets now or pick them up at Redscroll Records (except for this Wednesday because Redscroll is closed due to the snow).

Must read: CT Indie contributor Thomas Pizzola Ipsissimus article for the New Haven Advocate


bios from Manic

TOXIC HOLOCAUST mutated into existence in 1999, when Joel Grind merged his love for classic punk and metal and the flash of L.A. hard rock into his ideal band. Like his influences - Bathory, Venom, Onslaught, English Dogs, Possessed, Broken Bones - TOXIC HOLOCAUST featured blazing riffs, gravel-throated vocals, and a deadly fixation on the evil in man and a post-apocalyptic world. Grind wrapped all of these elements up with a DIY attitude and begin writing and recording material almost instantly. Relapse Records



Ipsissimus was founded when His Emissary (guitars) and Haimatokharmes (drums) met by providence on 6/6/06 in New Haven, CT, and found in one another worthy vessels of channeling the occult philosophies into ritual Black Metal.
In November of that year, Tichondrius (bass/vocals) completed the trinity. Within a month they were playing concerts and released the demo “Trampling the Host,” a potent exercise in raw, blasting Black Metal.

Over the following years, they established a reputation across New England for technical yet raw live performances, sharing the stage with both local and established Black Metal groups, such as Nachtmystium, Enslaved, Dark Funeral, Krallice, and Watain.

In February 2008, Ipsissimus independently released the “Three Secrets of Fatima” EP, Matching their music to orations of black piety that draw from esoteric traditions antique and modern, often composed in the dead tongues of the ancients themselves, Ipsissimus initiates the listener to a Left-Hand Gnosis with a unique and irrefutable statement of American Black Metal.
Metal Blade Records



Brass Caskets:
CT Hardcore featuring members of Phantoms, Cold Snap, and Crowns of Kings.

Age of Deception:
Reigning from Milford, CT Age of Deception came to be when members of the metalcore shredders Eyes of Creation and members of the New London old school death outfit Cadaversphere came together to conjure up a radical new progressive trash metal project in which there are no limits to our creative vision. In other words, anything goes as far as our sound is concerned.The best way to describe our music is traditional heavy metal combined with brutal death metal breaks spliced with a heavy dose of the European style progressive metal.

The Beets, Wry, EULA

Wednesday, January 5, 2011, Manic Productions presents

BAR
254 Crown Street
New Haven, CT

9:00pm - 21+ - Free

Manic Productions begins its FREE Wednesday night series at BAR on January 5, 2011. Not a replacement for the sorely missed Sundazed Series from Shaki, but nonetheless nice to have happening.

Also to come:
Jan 12: Elizabeth & the Catapult, Even Artichokes Have Hearts
Jan 19: Sharon Van Etten, Plume Giant
Jan 26: Jarrod Gorbel, MT Bearington (solo)

bios from Manic's page

The Beets are a garage rock/psychedelic band from Jackson Heights, NY. Lots of reverb, minimalistic drumming, some backwoods vibes, and shouted vocals sung by all three band members. Similar to Thee Oh Sees. They recently released their debut, Spit In The Face Of People Who Don?t Want To Be Cool, which was limited to 200 hand-painted copies, on Blank Dogs? label Captured Tracks.



Wry is a mid tempo indie rock band who started in circa April of 2008. At first it was Nick and Keith with a few other people and things didn't work out. However, things picked up again late 2008, early 2009 when Ryan and Jerry joined and solidified the group. For fans of Cursive, Pinback and Black Heart Procession.



EULA:
"Combining the quirky, awkward-but-sexy nature of CSS with a more defined loud-vs-soft side, EULA is a fun new wave group from New Haven. Their music is packed with the loud, pointed guitar riffs and rapid basslines that would make Northwest pseudo punk proud; think a blown out of proportion and hyped-up Kill Rock Stars release." -FensePost

Bear Hands, Tony Castles, Slam Donahue

Thursday, December 16, 2010 Manic Productions presents

Lilly's Pad (Toad's Place Upstairs)
300 York Street
New Haven, CT

8:00pm - All Ages - $10 ($8 advance)

Buy tickets now or pick them up at Redscroll.

bios from Manic's site
Bear Hands:
"Golden EPs tight four song set is a pitch-perfect pairing of post-punk and indie rock. The energetic guitars crunch with a touch of Ted Leo & the Pharmacists edge (particularly in upbeat opener "Long Lean Queen"), and Raus piercing vocals call up comparisons to another idiosyncratic ironist: Modest Mouses Isaac Brock. But far from being rote, Bear Hands adds complexity and rounds out the more straightforward rock with some melancholy minor chord unease...riveting, devil-may-care rock." -Spin.com (artist of the day)



Tony Castles:
Paul Sicilian and Gabriel Wurzel first crossed paths as freshmen at a central Connecticut high school. The two soon began playing together in punk bands, squeezing some excitement out of the endless Tuesday that is CT. The pair went to Skidmore College, where they continued to write music. There they were introduced to fellow student and musician Willie Miesmer. Within two years of graduating all three moved to Brooklyn, NY where they reconnected and began playing together, often swapping instruments and experimenting with loop pedals and samplers. The chemistry was instant. They continue to deconstruct and reinvent their sound while maintaining a mutual love for melody and space. Their debut five song EP “No Service”, recorded by Jake Aron (Jamie Lidell, Yeasayer, Chairlift) and mixed at the Rare Book Room by Nicolas Vernhes (Dirty Projectors, Deerhunter) is forthcoming later this summer.



Slam Donahue: Indie/dance duo from CT. For fans of MGMT, Of Montreal, The Antlers, etc.

Triple video dosage of this duo!:

The Sleeping, Harvard, Breakthrough Frequencies, Dear You, Canvas

Wednesday, December 15, 2010, Manic Productions presents

The Space
295 Treadwell Street
Hamden, CT

6:30pm - All Ages - $12 ($10 advance)

Buy tickets now or pick them up at Redscroll Records

bios from Manic's site
The Sleeping, consisting of a few of the original members of Long Island’s now defunct metalcore group Skycamefalling, was formed after Skycamefalling’s last show at Hellfest ‘03. Living on after the legacy of SCF - Doug Robinson, Cameron Keym, Sal Mignano, and Joseph Zizzo continue to develop and write music that we now know and love.

With a drastic change from the hardcore scene, the Sleeping is now considered to be a post-hardcore/rock band, and has played with bands such as Halifax, Silverstein, Bayside, Stretch Armstrong, Spitalfield and Haste the Day. Victory Records



Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, Harvard play a very unique brand of experimental rock music. Their debut album “The Inevitable and I” was produced by Brian Mcternan(Circa Survive, Thrice, Cave In).



Breakthrough Frequencies is an indie/post-punk band from New Haven, CT. Through utilizing a unique blend of dynamics, guitar effects, and honest lyrics, tied together with an overwhelming passion for music, Breakthrough Frequencies is able to paint seemingly infinite sonic landscapes while maintaining a strong connection with their audience. Their recently released debut EP, "The Broadcast Begins" can be downloaded for free below.



Dear You: Indie post-punk from Hamden. Ex-Until We Fall.

Canvas is an indie rock band featuring Ryan from Call It Arson, Chino from The Distance, and Jay/Joe from The Lows. First show!

The Sleeping dates:

Dec 13, Allenstown, NH, US @ Ground Zero
Dec 14, Providence, RI, US @ Club Hell
Dec 15, Hamden, CT, US @ The Space w/Harvard
Dec 16, Baltimore, MD, US @ Ottobar w/Harvard
Dec 17, South Hackensack, NJ, US @ School Of Rock w/Sainthood Reps, Harvard
Dec 18, Warrenton, VA, US @ Warrenton Community Center w/Sainthood Reps, Harvard
Dec 19, Poughkeepsie, NY, US @ The Chance w/Sainthood Reps
Jan 1, London, - UK @ Purple Turtle
Jan 2, London, - UK @ Purple Turtle
Jan 3, Leeds, - UK @ The Well
Jan 4, Newcastle, - UK @ Northumbria University
Jan 5, Southampton, - UK @ Joiners
Jan 6, Hasselt, BE @ Muziek-O-Droom
Jan 7, Essen, - DE @ Cafe Nova
Jan 8, Cesena, - IT @ Vidia Club
Jan 9, Schio (Vicenza) - IT @ Mac 2
Jan 10, Stuttgart, - DE @ Juha West
Jan 11, Wiesbaden, - DE @ Schlachthof
Jan 12, Munchen, - DE @ Feierwerk
Jan 13, Wien, AT @ ARENA
Jan 14, Berlin, - DE @ Lovelite
Jan 15, Lichtenstein, DE @ JZ RIOT

Freya, The Gates of Ivory, Cadaversphere, Foodforcrows

Monday, November 29 2010, Manic Productions presents

Location:
Daniel Street
21 Daniel Street
Milford, CT

7:00pm - 21+ - $10

Buy tickets now or pick them up at Redscroll Records

Bios from Manic's page

Back with a vengeance, Freya returns with the powerful release of All Hail The End. Ferocious sound opens the door to a much darker and complex side of this metal institution which features the charismatic and highly-regarded Earth Crisis frontman, Karl Buechner. Freya is no stranger to the masses. In 2003, the band released As The Last Light Drains, an album blending melody and crushing heaviness. They were interviewed on Headbangers Ball and their video to the title track single was in rotation for months. They also released a split recording with label mates The Hoods in 2004. An inspired Peta2 made a video for the anti vivisection anthem from the release entitled "Struggle To Survive" which was featured on their Save 99 DVD compilation, introducing them to over 100,000 fans. Victory Records




The Gates of Ivory:
In a modern music scene obsessed with trivial heaviness and oversaturated with songs that lack meaning and genuine emotion, The Gates of Ivory, a two-member progressive metal band from Milford, Connecticut, strives to deviate from the norm. Known for their energetic live performances fueled by sporadic bursts of anger and anguish, during which an innocent bystander may get screamed at or hit by a swinging guitar, the band is meant to be experienced rather than simply heard. Guitarist Joe Bebon and drummer A.J. Shufelt, long-time friends, write personal, chaotic, technical metal that is both heavy and melodic, as well as relatable and unusual.



Cadaversphere was formed in New London, CT in 2005. This Connecticut based death metal outfit emphasizes pure unfiltered brutality. Despite a few line-up changes and a 2 year hiatus they are back and better than ever. The current line-up consists of Joe Doto (ex-Excoriate, ex-Blind Hatred, ex-Murderfist) - lead guitar, Jules Junget(ex-Age of Deception) - rhythym guitar, Justin Sansone (Age of Deception) - bass, Rob Sickinger (Age of Deception) - drums, Josh Diekmann (ex-Murderfist) - vocals. Cadaversphere's mission is to combine death metal styles from across the board with a straight forward balls to the wall approach. Amalgamating sounds that vary from 80's and early 90's bands such as Napalm Death, Suffocation and Morbid Angel to more modern European sounds akin to Blood Red Throne, Aborted and Zyklon. Anyway you want to look at it, one thing is for certain, if you have a taste for the extreme, Cadaversphere will more than satisfy.

Blurring the thickening lines that divide categories of music, Foodforcrows is an instrumental 3-piece heavy, melodic metal/rock band from Milford, CT; a new, fresh start for the trio of musicians. They are insistent upon creating space for listeners, and then collapsing the space around them with crushing grooves and triumphant hooks. With influences include Deftones, Meshuggah, Candiria, Opeth, Cave In, Foodforcrows keep the guitars large yet spacey, the bass textural and massive, and drums tight and explosive. Listeners have often been told they've been entranced by the sound, of which can only be heard live, as Foodforcrows is currently recording their debut album.

Skeletonwitch, Withered, Landmine Marathon, Ipsissimus

Sunday, November 28, 2010, Manic Productions presents

Location:
Lilly's Pad (Toad's Place Upstairs)
300 York Street
New Haven, CT

7:00pm - All Ages - $12

Buy tickets now or pick them up at Redscroll Records

North American Skullsplitter Tour 2010 dates

Bios from Manic's page

Skeletonwitch:
The drought is over. After years in the wilderness, homegrown heavy metal has finally returned. No longer the domain solely of our European forefathers, metal pure in both delivery and creativity is gaining momentum at breakneck speed in the Western Hemisphere. Leading the charge domestically are Ohio’s sons of Midwestern darkness SKELETONWITCH, who have emerged as forerunners of this new American sound. The ‘WITCH’s mighty sonic fortress is an amalgamation of classic Bay Area thrash, Scandinavian death/black metal and NWOBHM. Upping the ante from their Prosthetic debut, Beyond the Permafrost, these five gnarly longhairs show no mercy and take no prisoners on their new long-player, Breathing the Fire. Prosthetic Records



Withered, formed in 2003, exists to explore the darker aspects of human existence and deliver it to the masses while exemplifying unbridled truths about human nature. From the exploration of coping with tragedy to theoretical philosophical approaches, WITHERED continues to push their boundaries of perception into a realm of solitude and raw introspective discovery. They have released two full length albums, Memento Mori (2005 - Lifeforce) and Folie Circulaire (2008 - Prosthetic), which have both been critically acclaimed and topped numerous year end and decade end lists. WITHERED mixes a blackened atmosphere with the weight of doom metal & old school Scandinavian death metal to culminate a unique blend of extreme styles and expression. Their third full length is due late 2010 for another testament to their ever growing edification of what truly lies within the human animal and how culture & society have greatly compromised humanity’s potential to an extent of irreversible demise. Prosthetic Records



Landmine Marathon was founded in 2004 by bassist Matt Martinez, drummer Mike Pohlmeier and vocalist Grace Perry, the latter of whom periodically blogs for the website of Revolver magazine. Butler joined in 2006, soon after the release of the band’s debut album Wounded. The following year, the group released a praised split CD/LP with Scarecrow; in its review, All Music Guide wrote that “LANDMINE MARATHON’s three tracks have more good ideas than most bands’ albums.” In 2008, the group welcomed guitarist Dylan Thomas and returned to the studio to record Rusted Eyes Awake.Revolver called the album “a gnarling and gnashing blood-caked throwback to 1990, when Napalm Death couldn’t decide if they were going to be grindcore or death metal,” while Lambgoat praises the band’s “pure urgency and grit,” calling the release a blend of “the ferociously thick riffs of Bolt Thrower’s death metal (and) Napalm Death’s blistering grind mentality.” Prosthetic Records



Ipsissimus was founded when His Emissary (guitars) and Haimatokharmes (drums) met by providence on 6/6/06 in New Haven, CT, and found in one another worthy vessels of channeling the occult philosophies into ritual Black Metal.
In November of that year, Tichondrius (bass/vocals) completed the trinity. Within a month they were playing concerts and released the demo “Trampling the Host,” a potent exercise in raw, blasting Black Metal. Over the following years, they established a reputation across New England for technical yet raw live performances, sharing the stage with both local and established Black Metal groups, such as Nachtmystium, Enslaved, Dark Funeral, Krallice, and Watain. In February 2008, Ipsissimus independently released the “Three Secrets of Fatima” EP, Matching their music to orations of black piety that draw from esoteric traditions antique and modern, often composed in the dead tongues of the ancients themselves, Ipsissimus initiates the listener to a Left-Hand Gnosis with a unique and irrefutable statement of American Black Metal. Metal Blade Records

Weekend, Young Prisms, Mammoth Hunter, Rat Color

Tuesday, November 23 2010, Manic Productions in association with The Needle Drop presents

Location:
Daniel Street
21 Daniel Street
Milford, CT

8:00pm - 21+ - $8

Buy tickets now or pick them up at Redscroll Records


From their press release:
Within a grainy film-still between a summer sunset and the end of times lies the post-punk squall of Weekend. Weekend filter the aggression, tempo and sneer of punk through a wall of reverb, haunting melody, feedback and primitive garage guitar. Formed in San Francisco in late 2009 by three childhood friends, the band have quickly developed a totally distinctive take on the history of post-punk noise rock. Some touchstones along the way include the chaotic psychedelic noise of groups like Skullflower and Terminal Cheesecake, the bad vibes power-drone of "Feed Me With Your Kiss"-era MBV and No Age, and the scything racket of post-No Wave noise bands Dustdevils and Sonic Youth.
Slumberland Records

Flower Booking bio
Young Prisms:
If ‘slacker’ means ‘purveyor of angst-ridden badass psychedelic rock,’ then the Young Prisms qualify. Five such slackers comprise this band: Jason Hendardy, Jordan Silbert, Matt Allen, Stef Hodapp, and Gio Betteo. Silbert is the old man, at twenty-four, and all five recently dropped out of various unsatisfying academic situations—Hendardy from a media arts program at California College of the Arts, Jordan from a behavior analysis master’s track in Fresno, and Stef, Matt, and Gio from a Bay Area community college.

What they did instead is they moved into a roach infested apartment in San Francisco’s Mission District and started pumping out dark, driving rhythms overlaid with melodies that pulse and build and then break over you. It’s some of the best stuff coming out of a city exploding with brilliant new music. The group’s lyrics are laced with a kind of nonchalance (I’m thinking of one song off the new LP called “If You Want To,” as in “whatevs”) that devolves quickly into a grim, passionate poetry part My Bloody Valentine, part Sonic Youth, part Charles Bukowski, part some kind of uncategorizable sparkly ecstasy. Whoa. Kanine Records



Mammoth Hunter: Often called a "post-rock" band due to their lack of vocals; New Britain, CT's Mammoth Hunter is a wall of volume and reverb that should appeal to fans of bands like Spacemen 3, and Sonic Youth, with a bit of classic rock/jam band influence for good measure. A new LP is in the works for early 2011. Hot Air Press

Rat Color: CT/NY spastic indie rock.

Call It Heavy Dance Newwave or Geisha Fujiyama Rock, Bo-Peep's Hard Driving Sound Will Delight You

In a very general sense music is one of the best ways to break down cultural and language barriers. It's even better when said music in question isn't some lame world beat crap, but kick ass rock-n-roll. The women who comprise Japanese band Bo-Peep know all about this. Their hard driving sound which plays like the punkier, better side of grunge, may come from a different culture (ironically enough one that worships American music) and transcends the boundaries between East and West, with style and panache. It's the type of cultural exchange that those in the know can really get behind.
"You can dance to our songs, you can enjoy our songs, you can horseplay with our songs and you can release energy," the band said via e-mail.
But this is nothing new. Japan boasts a fine roster of hard rocking bands that have made an impact in the United States. There is the psychedelic sludge of Boris, along with the post-hardcore sound of Envy, the crazed gonzo garage metal of Electric Eel Shock and who can forget the raucous sounds of such bands as Guitar Wolf and Teengenerate.
You can definitely add Bo-Peep's name to the list of bands that have made a sonic impact in the States.
The band, which is comprised of Mika Yoshimura (guitar/vocals), Kaori Takebayashi (bass) and Ryoko Nakano (drums), formed ten years ago in Fukuoka via Tokyo. At the time, Mika and Ryoko were in a four piece band that broke up. They went looking for a female bass player and found one in Hime (who is now on leave) and the band was formed.
Since then, they've picked a new bass player in Takebayashi and recorded five albums. They've also toured the United States twice, making stops at the South By Southwest music fest in Austin the last two years. They are looking forward to coming back.
"We've already toured two times. We loved the open expanses of land and the strong response from the audience," they said via e-mail.
This tour will take them to Daniel Street in Milford on November 17. Their mission behind touring internationally is quite simple.
"In Japan, there is a lot of exciting rock music that hasn't crossed over to the West. We want to be a band that can share exciting music with audiences all over the world," they said.
Though they sing in their native tongue, there is nothing lost in translation when they kick into songs such as "B-Level Motion", "Junction Guerilla" and "I Do My Best", where bounce around the stage with boundless energy, that is infectious, hitting the audience with their infectious and bombastic sound.
So, come on down and share in this ultra-cool cultural exchange. Bo-Peep guarantees a straight-up fun time.




Bobbie Peru will be releasing a split 7" with Kimono Draggin' on Spaynsive Productions in the upcoming months! (KD are also playing Saturday, November 13th at Cherry Street Station, Wallingford CT with Old Man Lady Luck, The Clearer, and Many Arms.)

About Bobbie Peru:
The harshness of the east U.S coast meets the gritty north west of the UK , there's no mercy going on here. Bobbie Peru are a genuine strength to be reckoned with. There are only 3 of them, but the brute force and elegant melodics weigh heavily on the heart and soul. The songs are driving and urgent, the messages harsh and sometimes sarcastic, giving hints of a cruel sense of humour buried within the assault. Their debut LP 'Social Suicide' was met with wide acclaim and has, at the time of writing, nearly sold out. Since its release the band have toured extensively to promote it, including support tours across Europe and the U.K with The Fall, Black Francis and Spear Of Destiny. As a result of all the gigs their sound has developed considerably over the last year and the newer material is much more raw and less fussy. It's almost punk, but too intelligent to be just painted as that. The live shows have gained them much respect, the band are engaging and attention demanding. Frontman and guitarist Bert is particularly menacing and unpredictable, whilst the rhythm section lay down a concrete slab of sound. ---words from Spaynsive Productions via Manic via wherever via your mom



Also playing: Noised out improv from CT Jerkagram and 2 Ton Bug


Bo-Peep Tour:

Friday, November 12 AS220, Providence, Rhode Island

Sunday, November 14: The Trash Bar, Brooklyn, New York

Monday, November 15th: Philadelphia Museum of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Tuesday, November 16th: O'briens Pub, Boston, Massachusetts

Wednesday, November 17th: Daniel Street Club, Milford, Connecticut

Thursday, November 18th: Arlene's Grocery, Manhattan, New York



Wednesday, November 17 2010, Manic Productions presents Bo-Peep, Bobbie Peru, Jerkagram, 2 Ton Bug

Location:
Daniel Street
21 Daniel Street
Milford, CT

8:00pm - 21+ - $8

Buy tickets now or pick them up at Redscroll Records