Get Haunted's Volume 1 is a musical anthology of horror stories that loves long shadows and letting our more twisted sides get some needed exercise. Each of the eight songs come with a lyric card that has a different illustration which summarizes the story being told. The images remind me of a cross between Stephen Gammell and the simple Fred Banbery illustrations that were in those old Alfred Hitchcock books such as Ghostly Gallery. I don't think it's a coincidence that the illustrations are making me think of books that are aimed at young readers, either. I think, in a way, the songs are aimed at the kid in us that used to worry that whatever was under our beds was going to feast on our guts. Think about it. What was under the bed as we got older? Dirty laundry, porn mags, a bag of weed, the box your sister kept the sharp shit in that she used to cut herself with? And then you get even older and what is it, that folded up Bowflex you never use? Lame. I'll take an imaginary gut eater over that crap any day.
I like the name Get Haunted. Compare it to being told to get undressed - easily understood because we know what a state of undress is. But a person can become haunted by just about anything. The thing is that Joey and Sarah Macrino deliver their plunking and pounding with a conviction that says they know precisely what best to get haunted by. And I am pretty sure that it is more by what can be sensed than by what can be seen. Escaping the slowly blooming insanity within some small backward American town is very different from being chased by a monster, let's just say.
Then again, Cedar Grove starts out with a bag-headed slasher looking through the woods for Joey. There's Frankenstein too, with that most famous of monsters breaking its chains by the tune's end, leaving Dr. Franky to realize that his experiment was actually a real bad idea. But both songs are actually about staying the hell away from places and things that we have no business messing with. To get haunted is about developing enough sense to take those no trespassing signs dead serious.
Still, the thrill of doing things you know you shouldn't never gets old. Get Haunted is the barn-punk that kids of The Handsome Family would play. All the energy and enthusiasm is there, along with the key attitude of turning shaky proficiency on an instrument into an inventive sound. They sing about old dark houses, inner beasts, and exorcism, but make it fun. Anyone that pretends these themes are just too icky for them forgets that there is a reason why the very real Ed Gein, who was once most happy when wearing a full bodysuit of someone else's skin, is a pop culture perennial to this very day. It's the same reason all you rubberneckers cause traffic jams. The difference is that Get Haunted are drawing from the same traditions that tales such as those by the Brothers Grimm and the American folklore from generations past were rooted in. These are cautionary tales, which is, in my opinion, the right kind of horror to get haunted by.
Considering that Wednesday’s show was part of Owen Ashworth’s last lap under the name Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, anticipation for an exceptional performance was fair, though bittersweet. Here he was, performing solo in a humble and intimate setting which was also the last time many will see him perform. This tour was constructed in preparation for his notable Chicago show at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, which he made a point to mention made this show “practice”—not that it made any difference to those in attendance. No, for Ashworth, the crowd would do a special favor at the end of the show and move to the front from behind their glass partition at the bar.
For Lion Cub and Arms and Legs, the square that marked the dance floor seemed to repel the crowd as if there was an unannounced game of the floor is lava.
The expression on Chelsea Hahn’s face was still one of continual pleasance, something close to an ‘I’m just happy to be here’ look. Though they currently live in Massachusetts, Hahn and Chad Jewett have deep roots in New Haven, which also housed the creative process for their upcoming debut full-length, Seneca. Between Hahn’s hand-carved stamps for their merchandise and the distinctly folksy content of their songs, they present all the style and aesthetic of lo-fi electronica while rooted in something much more wholesome.
The room’s new color lights whirred around the floor in time with the beat, moving so fast at times that the motion blur mimicked gnats dancing in front of a light. Hahn’s spine was straight, ankles crossed, firing out drum beats on the Nord in front of her while Jewett wailed into the microphone on her left. His guitar was about two sizes too loud for the room, adding abrasiveness to the otherwise pleasance of the two during songs like ‘American Buffalo’ and ‘The Bird on Your Sill.’
Nights like these, Lilly’s Pad seems more like an exclusive loft rather than what it is—an after hours dance floor turned venue. In between acts, most of the crowd would plop into a chair at one of the tables for two along the wall or brazenly socialize behind the bar’s glass partition. The few under 21 mostly loitered awkwardly, but were the ones who braved the invisible frontlines for Arms and Legs’ set.
Arms and Legs have an air of wizened musicianship about them, which could be owed to their time in Beijing playing to thousands via festivals put on by their label Modern Sky Records. Scott Daly moved with positively manic energy which appeared to be gunning through his vocal chords. His voice contradicted his fever and emerged unharmed in Thom Yorke-like croons. He seemed to permeate octaves, leaving a lonely tone to float hauntingly within the darkened room. Each instrument in the mix left the same lingering effect in their wake. At times, the double drums shook your ribs more than the bass throbbed with your pulse. Everyone in the band pulsed trance-like with their parts, making it feel like more of an awakening when a song closed and Daly laughed nervously, saying “Alright, then” or “Whaddaya say, gang?” At one point he excused his banter by saying he’s been listening to too much Jim Morrison lately.
Powerful and authentic, Arms and Legs were certainly the best set of the night. The cycles of applause swelled with more excitement at the close of each song. Yet on top of the powerhouse of instrumentation already in place, every now and then one drummer would turn to an open laptop at his right and play a track to sync into a song. It was the only artificial source of sound in the set, and in that bound all three acts of the night by this common denominator. These were mostly filled out by keys and looped vocals, which could have been manually orchestrated by Daly as he had equipment to do both on either side of him. Then again, he was so possessed by song at times it was like an exorcism taking place above York Street for all passerbies to see. Like Daly has tattooed on his forearm: “Never afraid, never ashamed.”
The reception for Ashworth was like a dinner par- actually, more like the last scene of Titanic. Warm, familiar, with an undertone of excitement for his future endeavors. Also, Leo was at the top of the staircase.
In any case, Ashworth was not among strangers, a crowd he’s earned after 13 years of musicianship. Requests were called out, sneakers fidgeted in clear excitement as the notes to a familiar song began to play (most of which were off 2006’s Etiquette). And at the relentless request of ‘Love Connection,’ Ashworth waved up two eager devotees (notorious and wanted CT Indie contributors John Packer and Megan Manowitz) to awkwardly hammer out the lines to the song over the glow of Packer’s phone which displayed the lyrics to the song just in case. They wanted to hear the song so much, they were even willing to sing the line ‘a delicate blend of sweat and menstrual blood.’ Menstrual blood! Oh god, the fandom!
It’s clear that none of this has reached Ashworth’s head in any negative way. He stood above his motherboard of equipment and microphone, never behaving with any visible gusto though with a subtle precision. Still, he’s probably humbler than the next indie legend. “I feel weird about playing this song because the Sun Kil Moon version was better,” he joked with a dryness stirring up laughter as he went into ‘Natural Light.’ He spoke about his trip to Las Vegas in an especially endearing way, how he visited the Liberace Museum and made sure to capture himself in the shots with mirrors behind immortalized outfits from the musical icon; how he ate lobster not one, but two times. With overtly mortal stories like these, it’s funny to remember that Ashworth is just as goofy as any of us, no matter the lack of underground sensationalism in our lives.
However human, someone still graciously provided him with a bar napkin for his sweat.
Some people prefer what they can expect. A good bar, a modestly-stacked bill (three acts—not too many, not too little) and a decent crowd. This is part-in-parcel for both Manic Productions and Casiotone for the Painfully alone, actually—both known for their consistency in production and backing tracks (well, only one of them is known for the latter. Give you one guess.)
But for all the things you try to anticipate, there are just as many outliers. These tend to define the bands, performances and shows beyond the impression you get from a packaged record. It’s part of why you make the effort to go to these shows, whether they are a debut or final performance.
(Photos: Luke Dringoli)
Here are some more photos from the night taken by Simon Remiszewski:
This will be a tricky day. You have the Interpol show at Toad's, with the late Kurt Vile Lilly's Pad show happening upstairs. You can definitely catch at least some of Real Estate and all of Kurt Vile if you head straight up there after Interpol. Meanwhile, Modest Mouse is playing at the Oakdale, but the Flaming Lips are playing up in Holyoke at Mountain Park. Anyhow, you have plenty of time between now and July 24th to figure out what you're going to do.
Location: Toad's Place 300 York Street New Haven, CT
All Ages - Doors 8:00/Music 9:00 - $30.00 Advance/Day of
Tickets (w/the exception of etix.com printouts) for the 7/21 date will be honored
No, Interpol's Toad's show is not canceled. Interpol are getting their tour (opening for U2) moving again, which was discombobulated after Bono had to have emergency back surgery. They will again open for U2 come mid-September. In the meantime, Interpol continues as headliner, with Twin Tigers opening, starting here in New Haven at Toad's on July 24. September will also mark the release of Interpol's newest record, which will oddly be self-titled. More interesting is that their bassist Carlos Dengler left the band and was replaced by David Pajo, formerly of the legendary Slint. He's more of a guitarist than a bassist and he's definitely been around the block, having played for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as a touring multi-instrumentalist, as well as played for Tortoise, Stereolab, and a whole slew of other bands.
Twin Tigers are yet another solid Anthens, GA band. Joel Hatstat of Pegasuses-XL, a sort of elecro-dance-punk project, helped record Curious Faces/Violet Future, Twin Tigers' self-released debut EP. They blend tiny and big with soft and psycho, and keep their poppiness on the darker end of the spectrum.
Interpol current tour:
07-24 New Haven, CT – Toad's Place ! 07-25 Baltimore, MD – Ram's Head Live ! 07-29 Richmond, VA – The National ! 07-30 Norfolk, VA – The NorVA ! 07-31 Atlantic City, NJ – House of Blues ! 08-04 Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theatre ! 08-05 Boston, MA – House of Blues ! 08-06 Clifton Park, NY – Northern Lights ! 08-09 Montreal, Quebec – Metropolis ! 08-10 Toronto, Ontario – Kool Haus ! 08-11 Pontiac, MI – Clutch Cargo ! 08-13 Milwaukee, WI – The Rave ! 08-14 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue ! 08-15 Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre ! 08-18 Charleston, SC – The Music Farm ! 08-19 Lake Buena Vista FL – House of Blues ! 08-21 Miami Beach, FL - The Fillmore ! 09-16 Caen, France - Le Cargo 09-18 Paris, France - Stade De France * 09-21 Lille, France - Aeronef 09-22-23 Brussels, Belgium - Stade Roi Boudoin * 09-25 Bordeaux, France - Le Vigean 09-26 San Sebastian, Spain - Anoeta Stadium * 09-28 Grenada, Spain - La Industrial Copera 09-29 Seville, Spain - Olympic Stadium * 10-01 Santiago, Spain - Santiago De Compostela 10-02-03 Coimbra, Portugal - Estadio Cidade Coimbra * 10-05 Bilbao, Spain - Teatro Campos Eliseos 10-06 Toulouse, France - Li Bikini 10-08 Rome, Italy - Olympic Stadium * 10-08 Rome, Italy - Olympic Stadium * 10-29-31 New Orleans, LA - Voodoo Experience 11-12 Lisbon, Portugal - Campo Pequeño 11-13 Madrid, Spain - Palacio Vistalegre 11-14 Barcelona, Spain - San Jordi Club 11-16 Marseille, France - Dock Du Sud 11-17 Milan, Italy - Palasharp 11-18 Vienna, Austria - Gasometer 11-20 Berlin, Germany - Tempodrom 11-21 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Heineken Music Hall 11-22 Dortmund, Germany - Westfalenhalle 2 11-24 Nottingham, England - Rock City 11-25 Newcastle, England - O2 Academy 11-26 Birmingham, England - O2 Academy 11-27 Edinburgh, Scotland - Corn Exchange 11-29-12-01 Dublin, Ireland - Olympia 12-03 Manchester, England - Apollo 12-04 Liverpool, England - Liverpool University 12-06-07 London, England - O2 Academy Brixton
! with Twin Tigers * with U2
Saturday, July 24 - Manic Productions presents a LATE unofficial after-party Co-Headline Show:
Location: Lilly's Pad (Toad's Place Upstairs) 300 York Street Street New Haven CT
Kurt Vile (previously of The War on Drugs) is a guitarist and singer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that makes fucked up, delayed, hazy, psychedelic, “bedroom” pop music in which you might recognize early Tyrannosaurus Rex, Devendra Banhart, and Ariel Pink like sounds. He plays both solo shows as well as shows with a backing band called The Violators. He just released a new EP called Square Shells.
This is Kurt Vile and Sore Eros!
Real Estate waft in on vibes of hazy summers past. The New Jersey quartet of Martin Courtney IV, Matthew Mondanile III, Etienne Pierre Duguay and Alex Bleeker cut the sleeves short and the pop smooth to shade you from the midday heat. Every song works its way to that part of your consciousness that reveled in the fleeting waves of freedom that eked in once classes broke and the sun lingered a little longer over suburban roofs. And with three quarters of the band holding down Garden State roots its no surprise that a bit of Jersey indie-pop heritage sneaks its way into their sound, lifting the most sun streaked moments from The Feelies and Yo La Tengo and filtering them through the kaleidoscope of memories aimless drives through parched neighborhood streets. Mexican Summer/Woodsist
Sore Eros' Robert Robinson used to be a member of Kurt Vile's band. I was told he's from Enfield, CT but is now based with our favorite northern neighbor Northampton, MA. He reminds me of the Supreme Dicks, which used to be based in Northampton, but that was ages ago.
"Robinson's vocals have [a] high, lunar quality...but the way they're recorded often makes them seem as if they're being broadcast from the apartment next door, dislocated by time and space and smeared with heroic levels of FX. The song structures reference classic psych forms - most specifically the freakbeat sound of early Pink Floyd and the roaming bass/drums style of The Red Krayola's first LP - while at the same time avoiding anything that might make them sound like period-piece revivalists. As the album progresses, the form becomes looser and more abstract, with outer structures falling away to reveal sidereal aspects more commonly experienced in altered states or subliminal settings: the sound of a car stereo tracking down the street; late-night pop radio in the trance before sleep. Sore Eros redeem 80s pop modes by conflating them with 'canonical' teenage forms, re-configuring psychedelic pop via refracted autobiography. The result is one of the most original psych/pop records of the year." - WIRE Magazine, May 2009
Kurt Vile tour dates:
Jul-09 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge w/ Real Estate Jul-10 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell’s w/ Real Estate Jul-11 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s w/ Real Estate Jul-12 Baltimore, MD Ottobar w/ Real Estate Jul-13 Pittsburgh, PA Garfield Artworks w/ Real Estate Jul-14 Cleveland, OH Beachland Tavern w/ Real Estate Jul-15 Bloomington, IN The Bishop w/ Real Estate Jul-17 Chicago, IL Pitchfork Music Festival Jul-19 Detroit, MI Magic Stick w/ Real Estate Jul-20 Toronto, ON The Great Hall w/ Real Estate Jul-21 Ottawa, ON Babylon w/ Real Estate Jul-22 Montreal, QC Il Motore w/ Real Estate Jul-23 Boston, MA Harpers Ferry w/ Real Estate Jul-24 New Haven, CT Lilly Pad w/ Real Estate Aug-10 Charlottesville, VA Jefferson Theatre w/ Deerhunter Aug-13 Boston, MA Royale Nightclub w/ Deerhunter Aug14 Northampton, MA Pearl Street w/ Deerhunter
Saturday, July 24, 2010 - Modest Mouse at the Oakdale:
Location: Toyota Presents the Oakdale Theatre 95 South Turnpike Rd Wallingford, CT
I hear this is Modest Mouse's first time playing here in Connecticut. They have been around for a long time now, and are known for being one of those unlikely bands that broke into the mainstream. Johnny Marr is out now, not sure if Grandaddy guitarist Jim Fairchild is still in. The Moon & Antarctica got a recent vinyl reissue, which you should go buy from Redscroll Records. Isaac Brock's Glacial Pace Recordings is now completely controlled by Brock, allowing him to help up-and-coming bands, such as the opener for this show, Morning Teleportation.
Morning Teleportation is a five-piece psychedelic band based out of Portland, Oregon. They create a high-energy, tripped-out dance-off and sing-along using energetic instrumentation that includes banjo, talkbox, synthesizer, trumpet, and theremin. Their debut album was produced by Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse and is soon to be released on his Glacial Pace Recordings.
Their tour dates:
Jul 1 Royal Oak Music Theater + special guest: Avi Buffalo Royal Oak, MI Jul 2 Royal Oak Theater + special guest: Avi Buffalo (SOLD OUT) Royal Oak, MI Jul 3 Summerfest 2010 + special guest: Avi Buffalo Milwaukee, WI, US Jul 4 80/35 Festival Des Moines, IA, US Jul 6 Crossroads KC @ Grinders + special guest: Avi Buffalo Kansas City, MO Jul 8 Twilight Concert Series + special guest: Avi Buffalo Salt Lake City, UT Jul 9 Paolo Soleri Amphitheatre + special guest: Radar Brothers Santa Fe, MN Jul 10 1STBANK Center + special guest: Radar Brothers Broomfield, CO Jul 12 Ramkota Exhibit Hall + special guest: Radar Brothers Sioux Falls, SD Jul 13 Hub at the Venue + special guest: Radar Brothers Fargo, ND Jul 14 The Orpheum Theatre + special guest: Radar Brothers Minneapolis, MN Jul 16 Pitchfork Music Festival Chicago, IL Jul 17 The Pageant + special guest: Morning Teleportation(SOLD OUT) St. Louis, MO Jul 18 The Valarium + special guest: Morning Teleportation (SOLD OUT) Knoxville, TN Jul 19 Orange Peel + special guest: Morning Teleportation (SOLD OUT) Asheville, NC, US Jul 20 Music Farm + special guest: Morning Teleportation (SOLD OUT) Charleston, SC Jul 22 Wellmont Theater + special guest: Morning Teleportation (SOLD OUT) Montclair, NJ Jul 23 Williamsburg Waterfront + special guest: Morning Teleportation Brooklyn, NY, US Jul 24 The Dome at Oakdale + special guest: Morning Teleportation Wallingford, CT Jul 25 House of Blues + special guest: Morning Teleportation (SOLD OUT) Boston, MA Jul 26 House of Blue + special guest: Morning Teleportation Boston, MA Aug 27 Leeds Festival Leeds, UK Aug 28 Reading Festival Reading, UK Aug 29 Edge Festival @ HMV Picture House Edinburgh, UNITED KINGDOM Aug 31 O2 Academy Newcastle, UK Sep 1 O2 Academy Liverpool, UK Sep 2 Arena Parco Nord Bologna, ITALY Sep 3 Electric Picnic Art and Music Festival Stradbally Hall, Stradbally, County Laois Sep 5 Into The Great Wide Open Festival Vlieland, NETHERLANDS Sep 7 Melkweg Amsterdam, NETHERLANDS Sep 8 Troxy London, UNITED KINGDOM Sep 9 Open House Festival Belfast, UNITED KINGDOM Sep 10 End of the Road Festival Dorset, UNITED KINGDOM
Tour: 07/31 - Boston, MA - Temple ! 08/04 - Brooklyn, NY - Silent Barn + 08/26 - Montreal, QC - Casa del Popolo % 08/28 - Toronto, OR - Parts and Labour 08/30 - Detroit, MI - The Burton 09/06 - Seattle, WA - Comet Tavern ? 09/07 - Portland, OR - East End 09/10 - San Francisco, CA - The Hemlock & 09/12 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo (Part-Time Punks) 09/13 - Phoenix, AZ - Sound Kontrol
+= w/ Birds Names % = w/ The Pink Noise & the O-Voids & = w/ La Corde ? = w/ Burning Yellows and TBA
Lesser Knowns return after playing with Burning Hotels and Son Cats. Lets see... I said at that time that they're pretty straight forward garage-based indie rock with some Fall-ish-ness going on.
San Diego's Lights On was initially a collaborative creation between Tim Hines and Mike Kamoo of Earthling Studios, but has grown to become one of Southern California's most promising new bands. In 2009 LIGHTS ON accomplished international exposure from music blogs championing their music, in turn earning them "Best of..." nominations from San Diego Music Awards for their debut 5 song E.P. "Waiting For The Heart To Beat". LIGHTS ON quickly found their songs being requested and used in film and TV shows such as HBO's "Hung", FOX Family's "Greek" SHOWTIME's "United States Of Tara", CW's "The Vampire Diaries" and "Gossip Girl."
"Here Comes The Ocean" is LIGHTS ON’s debut album, recorded over various sessions between 2007 and 2009. Inspiration of past and present fuels “Here Comes The Ocean” with sounds reminiscent of Johnny Marr's 12-String, a splash of raw garage-rock, hints of Farfisa organ, mood altering vintage synths, fuzzed out bass hooks, and swooning vocal melodies with powerful harmonies. (Incidentally, their bass player grew up here in Connecticut).
Formerly known as the Apes of Wrath, New Mexico are also out of the San Diego scene. They have a bit of Franz Ferdinand, Gang of Four, and Devo to their sound.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. While that may be an overused cliche, there is a kernal of truth to this statement, especially when it comes to extreme music. Right now there is a whole slew of bands chucking the trappings of modernity for the rawer sounds of the past, trying and and with various degrees of success, in capturing a spirit and feeling that is missing in this day of overproduction and overplaying.
Austin, Texas' Mammoth Grinder, who are comprised of Chris Ulsh on guitar and vocals, Brian Boeckman on drums, and Chris Camp on bass, are one such band. They play vicious punk-influenced death metal that harkend back to the genre's bloody roots back in Sweden. But they aren't a mere retro act, as they incorporate elements of sludge and thrash into their sound. But it's all raw and noisy and played with a manic urgency that borders on refreshing. Their Relapse debut, "Extinction Of Humanity" is only 21 minutes long, but in that time they manage to fit all their influences into one brutal whole. It's a perfect introduction to their filthy and vicious sounding music. They get in, fuck stuff up and then get out, leaving you wanting more.
This should translate well to the stage when they play Lily's Pad at Toad's Place in New Haven on July 16. If you want a taste of what is going on in the underground, or just want something you can go crazy to, they should definitely fit the bill.
Check out scenes from Jodorowsky's Holy Mountain set to Mammoth Grinder:
Opening:
Homestretch is a hardcore band from Miami, Florida. For fans of 108, Ink and Dagger, Ringworm, and Converge. Cassette out now on Drugged Conscience.
Brass Caskets: CT Hardcore featuring members of Phantoms, Cold Snap, & Crowns of Kings.
Glue Machine: New Haven punk. members of Dead Uncles, Estrogen Highs, Iron Hand.
Ferocious Fucking Teeth: CT stoner rock. members of Total Bolshevics, Brava Spectre & A Trillion Gallons of Gas.
