Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Raleigh's Hopscotch Music Fest lineup announced



Holy guacamole. The Hopscotch Music Fest in Raleigh is not playing around.

Maybe it speaks to Raleigh's musical history or Grayson Currin's upward climb on the Pitchfork ladder, not really sure, but they turned in a dandy of a lineup for the Sept. 9-11 fest that hardly anyone can complain about.

Relevant national acts?

Public Enemy, Panda Bear and Broken Social Scene will headline, with this being one of only two Panda Bear shows this year. The Rosebuds, The Love Language and No Age will open for those bands on each night of the fest.

Others include Atlas Sound, a return of Harvey Milk, Lucero, Pattern is Movement, Tortoise.

Flavors of the week?

How bout Cults, Javelin, Future Islands, Akron/Family and Washed Out...

Respect for locals?

In addition to the plum spots for The Rosebuds and The Love Language, local acts are well-represented, including Midtown Dickens, Megafaun, Hammer No More The Fingers, I Was Totally Destroying It, Gray Young, The Kingsbury Manx, American Aquarium plus a whole lotta many more.

According to Indy Week, authors and musicians will be talking, such as @1000timesyes Twit-maker Christopher Weingarten discussing his book about Public Enemy.

Tickets are a little to a lot and go on sale tomorrow at www.hopscotchfest.com and all the bands can be found after the jump...


9th Wonder & Friends, Active Child, Actual Proof, Akron/Family, All Tiny Creatures, American Aquarium, Americans in France, Atlas Sound, Balmorhea, Bear in Heaven, Best Coast, Big Remo, Birds of Avalon, Black Congo NC, DJ George Brazil, Broken Social Scene, Brutal Knights, Richard Buckner, Burning Star Core, Cannabis Corpse, Caitlin CaryĆ¢€™s Small Ponds with Tres Chicas, Collections of Colonies of Bees, Cults, Greg Davis, Dex Romweber Duo, Double Dagger, Double Negative, The Dynamite Brothers, EAR PWR, ExMonkeys, First Rate People, Followed by Static, Ben Frost, Fucked Up, Future Islands, Golden Boys, The Golden Filter, Goner, Gray Young, Ryan Gustafson, Hammer No More the Fingers, Harlem, Harvey Milk, Horseback, John Howie Jr. & The Rosewood Bluff, I Was Totally Destroying It, Javelin, Jeb Bishop Trio, Juan Huevos, Kaze, Kill the Noise, The Kingsbury Manx, Kooley High, Kylesa, The Light Pines, Lonnie Walker, The Love Language, Lucero, Luego, Max Indian, Erin McKeown, Megafaun, Midtown Dickens, The Moaners, The Monologue Bombs, Motor Skills, Mountains, Jon Mueller, Marissa Nadler, No Age, NOMO, Ocean, Old Bricks, Panda Bear, Pattern Is Movement, Pictureplane, Plague, Pontiak, Public Enemy, Rapsody, The Remix Project, The Rosebuds, Schooner, Sightings, Skyzoo, Spclgst, Spider Bags, Thee Tom Hardy, Thien, Tigercity, Tortoise, Treasure Fingers, US Christmas, Sharon Van Etten, Veelee, Vincent Black Shadow, War on Drugs, Washed Out, Weedeater, Whatever Brains, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Tyler Woods, Yip-Yip

What does everybody think?
Good for Raleigh?
Were the Dirty Projectors, Vamp Wknd, Grizzly Bear too big time?


More after the jump...

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

On Tour: The Whigs




The Whigs from Athens, GA have a new album out called In The Dark or something like that. Haven't heard it myself yet, but the success of this band has always surprised me. Good for them, though.












Here's the stream of their new single, "Kill Me Carolyn" which you can download fo' free at their website. They're on David Letterman in the next few days and then Jimmy Fallon later on.

Guess they have some good connects.

Tour dates are below and the plethora of southeast dates are in bold...





Mar 31 2010
7:30P
Bowery Ballroom w/ Band of Skulls and 22-20s (18+) New York, New York

Mar 31 2010
11:30P
The Late Show with David Letterman New York, New York

Apr 1 2010
8:00P
Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Band of Skulls and 22-20s (18+) Brooklyn, New York

Apr 2 2010
8:00P
North Star Bar w/ Band of Skulls and 22-20s (ALL AGES) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Apr 3 2010
9:00P
Harper’s Ferry w/ Band of Skulls and 22-20s (18+) Boston, Massachusetts

Apr 4 2010
8:00P
Ottobar w/ Band of Skulls and 22-20s (ALL AGES) Baltimore, Maryland

Apr 6 2010
8:00P
Cosmic Charlie’s w/ Band of Skulls and 22-20s (21+) Lexington, Kentucky

Apr 7 2010
8:00P
Exit/In w/ Band of Skulls and 22-20s (18+) Nashville, Tennessee

Apr 8 2010
9:00P
40 Watt w/ Band of Skulls and 22-20s (18+) Athens, Georgia

Apr 10 2010
8:00P
WorkPlay Theatre w/ Band of Skulls and 22-20s (ALL AGES) Birmingham, Alabama

Apr 12 2010
8:00P
Riot Room w/ Band of Skulls and 22-20s (21+) Kansas City, Missouri

Apr 13 2010
8:00P
Boulder Theater w/ Band of Skulls and 22-20s (ALL AGES) Boulder, Colorado

Apr 15 2010
8:00P
Martini Ranch w/ Band of Skulls and 22-20s (ALL AGES) Phoenix, Arizona

Apr 17 2010
6:00P
Outside O’Connell’s Irish Pub (Adult Swim Block Party) Norman, Oklahoma

Apr 18 2010
8:00P
Cain’s 2nd Stage (ALL AGES) Tulsa, Oklahoma

Apr 19 2010
6:00P
Outside Phoggy Dog (Adult Swim Block Party) Lawrence, Kansas

Apr 20 2010
8:00P
Mill Creek Bar (21+) Appleton, Wisconsin

Apr 22 2010
8:00P
Gargoyle (18+) St. Louis, Missouri

Apr 23 2010
8:00P
Bottom Lounge (17+) Chicago, Illinois

Apr 24 2010
8:00P
University of Wisconsin (FREE SHOW) Madison, Wisconsin

Apr 27 2010
12:30A
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon New York, New York

Apr 28 2010
8:00P
The Mod Club Theatre w/ Band of Skulls Toronto, Ontario

Apr 29 2010
8:00P
Live Lounge w/ Band of Skulls Ottawa, Ontario

Apr 30 2010
8:00P
Studio JPR w/ Band of Skulls Montreal, Quebec

May 1 2010
8:00P
Valentine’s Albany, New York

May 2 2010
8:00P
Higher Ground (ALL AGES) Burlington, Vermont

May 5 2010
8:00P
The Southern (ALL AGES) Charlottesville, Virginia

May 6 2010
8:00P
Jewish Mother (ALL AGES) Virginia Beach, Virginia

May 7 2010
8:00P
New Brookland Tavern (18+) Columbia, South Carolina

May 8 2010
8:00P
Pour House (18+) Charleston, South Carolina

May 15 2010
12:00P
Hangout Music Festival Gulf Shores, Alabama

More after the jump...

Saturday, March 27, 2010

New Dosh mp3s, tour dates and album details



mp3: Dosh "Yer Face"
mp3: Dosh (with Andrew Bird) "Number 41"
mp3: Dosh "Subtractions"

Fuzzy funk with a country-twang? Sounds ridiculous until you find out the man behind these songs is Martin Dosh. Usually I like my stuff more rock and roll than this, but I'm getting more into this audiophile experimentation stuff.

Known for impeccable arrangements along with his collaborations & touring with Andrew Bird, looks like Dosh is working up something nice for the April 13 release of
Tommy.

Track listing and tour dates after the jump...




Dosh
Tommy
(Anticon)
Street Date: April 13, 2010

1. Subtractions
2. Yer Face
3. Number 41
4. Town Mouse
5. Loud
6. Airlift
7. Country Road X
8. Call The Kettle
9. Nevermet
10. Gare de Lyon

Tour dates (southeast dates in bold)

Fri 04/09/10 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry
Sat 04/10/10 Minneapolis, MN - Macphail Center For Music
Sun 04/11/10 Minneapolis, MN - Bedlam Theatre
Wed 04/14/10 Milwaukee, WI - Cactus Club
Thu 04/15/10 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
Fri 04/16/10 Pontiac, MI - Pike Room
Sat 04/17/10 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Tavern
Sun 04/18/10 Toronto, ON - Drake Hotel
Tue 04/20/10 Montreal, QC - Casa Del Popolo
Wed 04/21/10 Allston, MA - Great Scott
Thu 04/22/10 Brooklyn, NY - Union Hall
Fri 04/23/10 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
Sat 04/24/10 Philadelphia, PA - Kungfu Necktie
Sun 04/25/10 Washington, DC - DC9
Tue 04/27/10 Asheville, NC - Grey Eagle
Wed 04/28/10 Atlanta, GA - 529
Thu 04/29/10 New Orleans, LA - Circle Bar

Fri 04/30/10 Austin, TX - Emo's
Sat 05/01/10 Denton, TX - Hailey's
Mon 05/03/10 Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture
Tue 05/04/10 Tempe, AZ - Sail Inn
Wed 05/05/10 Los Angeles, CA - Echo
Thu 05/06/10 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
Sat 05/08/10 Portland, OR - Mississippi Studios
Sun 05/09/10 Seattle, WA - High Dive
Tue 05/11/10 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
Wed 05/12/10 Denver, CO - Hi-Dive
Thu 05/13/10 Omaha, NB - Waiting Room






More after the jump...

Thursday, March 25, 2010

mp3: Mount Righteous "Eat Your Wife and Kiss The Barbecue"



mp3: Mount Righteous "Eat Your Wife and Kiss The Barbecue"

I've been jamming on Mount Righteous for the past few months, but it looks like their album is starting to come together. I convinced their Twitter master to hand over an mp3 and that song is the uproarious glorious "Eat Your Wife and Kiss The Barbecue." Marvelous, marvelous.



A couple hints of the new album have popped up such as "When Your Paycheck Comes" (I think that's off the new one) and the great "Suburban Homesick Blues."

According to this, their new self-titled release will drop April 3 with a cd release party at Good Records in Dallas, TX. Expect exuberant anti-orchestra stylings.
More after the jump...

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Discover America tour dates & tracks for new album

Lady of Fortune- by Chris Staples at Bottle Tree from chris staples on Vimeo.



Anyone who knows anything knows that I've always been a huge Chris Staples fan. Okay, really a Twothirtyeight fan. He was from Florida, I was from Florida and I'm pretty sure my friend Robbie or maybe my friend Jason first pressed the Twothirtyeight disc in my hand, back in the Takehold Records / college days.

To me, Staples and Twothirtyeight was a study in minimalism--their first album had this punky beat with the off-signature non-pop emo seeping in, and then it just delved further and further into stripped down versions of itself--and pretty soon Staples stood alone.

His moniker for the last 7 years or so has been Discover America; a project I haven't been as much into...but I'm looking forward to this new album after that same friend Robbie dropped me a 7" in the mail. My resistance probably has nothing to do with the music itself, just that well, Chris Staples has and always will be about two steps ahead in my music development.




So the new one is called Future Paths from Lujo Records out April 27th. Lujo has quite a lineup filled with familiar faces from the past--including The Dark Romantics and Cool Hand Luke.

In addition, there's a big whizz-bang tour Discover America tour to go along with the album.

Tour dates and track listing after the jump...




Future Paths tracklisting:


1. Force of a Proper Wind
2. 1979
3. Devil in the Woods
4. When You Were Young
5. Sawdust In My Clothes
6. Interlude
7. A Lock of Samson's Hair
8. Time Is A Bird
9. Brighton Beach
10. Out of the Valley

Discover America live:

03/24/10 Lubbock, TX @ House Show
03/25/10 Amarillo, TX @ The 806
03/26/10 Dallas, TX @ The Door
03/27/10 Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
03/29/10 Nashville, TN @ Trailer Show
03/30/10 Birmingham, AL @ The Bottle Tree
04/01/10 Tuscaloosa, AL @ House Show
04/02/10 Pensacola, FL @ Sluggo's
04/03/10 Cocoa Beach, FL @ House Show
04/05/10 Atlanta, GA @ House Show
04/06/10 Charleston, SC @ House Show
04/08/10 Lynchburg, VA @ Fort Diamond
04/10/10 Newark, DE @ House Show
04/12/10 Brooklyn, NY @ Pete's Candy Store
04/16/10 Cleveland, OH @ House Show
05/13/10 Seattle, WA @ Blue Moon
06/11/10 Seattle, WA @ Q Cafe




More after the jump...

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Gaslight Anthem's new track "American Slang"



The Gaslight Anthem has posted a new track off their upcoming June release. The song is called "American Slang." The album is also called American Slang. Notice my sly use of punctuation.

The song can be heard below or off their MySpace page.



Quantcast

The album's track listing is after the jump...



Track listing on upcoming album from their MySpace page:

American Slang
Stay Lucky
Bring It On
The Diamond Church Street Choir
The Queen of Lower Chelsea
Orphans
Boxer
Old Haunts
The Spirit of Jazz
We Did It When We Were Young


More after the jump...

Monday, March 22, 2010

Swing South: Ruby Suns / Toro Y Moi



Southeast tour dates of the Ruby Suns and the "it" of the moment Toro Y Moi below...

Pssst...did you know Toro Y Moi is from Columbia, SC?

Wild.


mp3: The Ruby Suns "Cranberry"
mp3: Toro Y Moi: "Low Shoulder"



Mar 22 2010 8:00P
Drunken Unicorn w/ Toro Y Moi Atlanta, Georgia

Mar 23 2010 8:00P
Local 506 w/ Toro Y Moi Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Mar 24 2010 8:00P
Black Cat Backstage w/ Toro Y Moi Washington DC, Washington DC


More after the jump...

album review: Annuals - Sweet Sister EP



Annuals
Sweet Sister EP
Banter, 2010


mp3: Annuals: "Loxstep"

Raleigh's Annuals are frustrating. I've never wanted to like a band more than this one probably, but no matter how many tries I give them, I can't quite like them. Their first album, Be He Me showed a lot of promise, but their follow-up Such Fun didn't generate the same following, turning more grand-pop-orchestral than indie-folk. Their songs are perfectly calculated. Precise, efficient...moving even. Sweet Sister does not seem as bombastic as Such Fun, but the backbone still maintains this grandiosity. In an indie world where everything seems scruffy, Annuals come off as smug.

The EP opens with some type of motor/air duct sound--a good lead in for something for rough and tumble. Instead "Loxstep" is again U2-lite meets even preppier Vamp Weekend pop. Their sounds, their instruments all sound "off-beat" so to speak, but does not quite resonate fully.

Which doesn't make sense. In all regards, with the increased interest in world & afro-pop & international sounds, Annuals should be full steam ahead. Instead, it's more of a dense, distracting, pretty smoke. Beauty really that doesn't quite connect.

I need more straight-ahead pop-folk-rock like "Flesh and Blood." The melody is simple, comprehensible with flourishes used in the right moments, not in the whole song, the formula that was so successful on
Be He Me. Maybe Annuals need a step back for a step forward.


More after the jump...

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Swing South: David Bazan / Headlights



Bazan: "Bless This Mess"
Headlights: "Secrets"

You don't need me to tell you who David Bazan is, just when he is coming to town. His new album is called Curse Your Branches. Think he has a live one coming out soon.

He's on tour with Headlights. Their new album is called
Wildlife.

Southern tour dates below...


Mar 17, 2010
Exit/In w/ Headlights
Nashville, TN

Mar 18, 2010
Grey Eagle w/ Headlights
Asheville, NC

Mar 19, 2010
New Brookland Tavern w/ Headlights
West Columbia, SC

Mar 20, 2010
Alley Katz w/ Headlights
Richmond, VA

Mar 21, 2010
The Ottobar w/ Headlights
Baltimore, MD



More after the jump...

review: Adrian and the Sickness -- B.F.D



Adrian and the Sickness
B.F.D.
Fantom Records, 2009

Review by Brian Tucker













Everyone's in Austin this week and the town is seemingly never short on musical diversity. Adrian and the Sickness, an Austin stalwart since 2004, have a new album that hugs very hard. It’s a mixed bag of tricks. More so, the female trio is a powerhouse rock and roll band that drops guitar riffs and drum beats like a cute kid driving a Sherman tank around town and firing wildly. Sometimes blistering, sometimes heavy handed, and consistent on saccharine laced vocals, the band deliver loads of explosive energy on their fourth album B.F.D.

Fiery and melodic as late eighties metal (think L.A. Guns, Fastway) and funky as seventies-era AC/DC mixed with the jump-up-and-dance feel of The Go Go’s the band shoots from the hip, clear-cut and fast. Influences are evident – the album was produced by Kathy Valentine of the Go Go’s and lead singer/guitar player Adrian Conner plays in AC/DC tribute band Hell’s Belles. Conner’s playing is Angus Young-tinged, notably on “Loser” and “Rice N Bean.” “Modern Freedom” opens with heavy sonic crunch, boogie flavored “Rice N Bean” keeps the album solid and “Turn It Up” is an album highlight in which Conner’s chorus is on fire and Melodie Zapata’s drumming hammers away.

But instead of lingering in one area B.F.D. reveals a few surprises like its title track which could easily be mistaken for a Bangles song and a cover of “Radar Love”. The album makes a complete left turn with, gasp, a fantastic pop song – “Listening,” which soars like a great radio rock anthem and vocals like a teen queen. It takes the form to respectable, and renewed, heights.

For all its sonic boom there’s an off-balance quality to having sugary vocals placed against ragged rock music. It does not detract or sound out of place, except maybe for “Loser”. If anything, it adds an indifferent layer to the whole by a band is not stuck delivering all-out rock tunes for an album’s length. The result is a confident rock album by a band content to play around.



More after the jump...

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Manchester Orchestra performs "50 Cent Is My Favorite Rapper" in Seattle



Manchester Orchestra performs “50 Cent” live at The Showbox on March 13, 2010. Currently on tour with T
he Features, Biffy Clyro, and O’Brother.

Key lines:

"I'd just think he's cool guy I'd like to hang out with."

"Who knows we should grab a drink, maybe get a beer. And if you don't drink beer, then coffee, no not coffee, or tea or something like that."

"So be cool man, call me back. I've left you 7 messages since we met."


The Vitamin Water/50 Cent image is legendary, like a full-size Pinocchio w/ ads.


Is this something they've done multiple times?


More after the jump...

review: Look Mexico - To Bed To Battle



Look Mexico
To Bed To Battle
Suburban Home, 2010

Not bigger, not badder, but Tallahassee's Look Mexico is different. Gone are most of the pretenses of light math-rock and obvious instrumental dueling; in are clever modern rock ballads with even a few alt-country hints.
What stays are the funny song names, like "They Offered Me A Deal (I Said No, Naturally) and "Take It Upstairs, Einstein."

Look Mexico "You Stay. I Go. No Following." from Look Mexico HD on Vimeo.



All of this made me think of the lighter aspects of an emo band like Braid or the near dead-on mainstream interpretation of This Town Needs Guns or perhaps the dirtier version of White Rabbits and Tapes and Tapes. Or maybe I just described The Weakerthans. I think I did.

After the
Gasp Asp EP, I expected more straight-ahead pop-punk-rock, but Look Mexico doesn't deliver that, instead choosing thoughtfulness more than any classifiable genre.

Take that Einstein song. "Am I the witty update on your screen?" is a nice line poked into a ballad with a recognizable, repeatable melody that kowtows more to...what? It's a good and powerful song, it's not a Look Mexico song, more apt for a side project.

This is an unusual play for more fans, obviously their ambitions go more than any light punk ghetto-ization would allow. Problem is I like this album and I like Look Mexico. "I Live My Life a Quarter Mile At A Time" reels in moody modern rock with a punch to the familiar, "Until The Lights Burn Out?" has this space freak out moment, and "They Offered Me A Deal..." may be the best pop-rock song ever written. The opener, "You Stay. I Go. No Following." is a perfectly played song, it arches and glides and peaks and I even want to sing along on the chorus. The requisite components for SUCCESS are there.

So I accept these rock songs for all their foibles, most of them stand better as single listening experiences than they do as a whole. Guess that doesn't matter, our existence is fragmented anyway, right?

Though with this record, I can't help but think of Look Mexico as appealing chameleons--and I'm sure their move to Austin, TX will not sort things out, but only add more to the mix.

This is a stab by Look Mexico at something somewhere, I'm just not sure the target has been set, the parameters established. Anything and everything is game, which may mean nothing will work. Or that anything has to work.



More after the jump...

Sunday, March 14, 2010

There's this thing...called SXSW....Schooner Dates



Schooner: "Feel Better"

I know there are a lot of bands playing SXSW and better places to find info on it. But Schooner just sent their dates over for the next week and I feel like posting it.


March 15: Parkside Cafe in Birmingham, AL

March 16: Red Star Bar in Baton Rouge, LA w/ Love Language, Birds and Arrows

March 18:
Hyde Park Parlor in Austin, TX SXSW NC showcase w/ Love Language, Lost In The Trees, Birds and Arrows, Hammer No More The Fingers & Caltrop

March 19: Ole Tavern in Jackson, MS

March 20: Art Bar in Columbia, SC

March 21: Cat's Cradle in Carrboro, NC w/
Deerhunter



More after the jump...

Friday, March 12, 2010

The Year of Reading Faulker: As I Lay Dying




Did you think I forgot? That I would let this pass quietly into the night? That the overwhelming, convoluted, winding passages about Mississippi's rural quirks would frustrate me to no end?

After being thoroughly confused by
The Sound and The Fury, I came to As I Lay Dying with some trepidation. The path before me had been carved by my good friend HCD who attempted the book a few years ago, but came back with little to show for it. Here's what he had to say:

I had always hated fiction. But as a college sophomore seeking to shun mainstream society, I discovered a hardcore band called As I Lay Dying. When I learned that the name was from Faulkner, I made a revolutionary decision: I would voluntarily read this novel. You can guess how my mind was transformed…

It wasn’t. I checked AILD out of the library, read 20 pages, remembered why I didn’t like novels, and returned it to the library three weeks later.

I did eventually gain an appreciation of fiction. Not high brow fiction, but John Grisham and paperbacks with embossed titles that you can buy at Wal-Mart—completely not hip, I know.

Will I give Faulkner another chance? Will his lost spy novel manuscript ever be discovered? (ed. he's joking...I think...)
I get this book or I think I get this book. I'm enjoying it actually. About 60 pages in, I think I understand Jewel, Darl, Tull, the girl named Dewey. Jewel and Tull left even though their mom was dying. I'm intrigued. It's still convoluted, it still winds around, there is no sense of chronology, but Faulkner obviously had it in mind--he tears bits off the puzzle, makes his own pieces and glues them back together in his own design.

I'm hyper aware of Faulkner's rhythm after reader The Sound and The Fury, whcih has disciplined me for this one. Maybe the only way to read Faulkner is to read them all back to back.

Anybody else read this? What are your thoughts?



More after the jump...

Friday Five: Sleep Bellum Sonno & the Five Best Ways to Say 'Cool'



Sleep Bellum Sonno: "House of Spades"

New Jersey's Sleep Bellum Sonno are on tour with Rapid Cities promoting their latest release,
Judge Us By How We Lived Our Lives Not By How We Made Our Living. Here are the five best things they've heard recently (with southern tour dates following...):

None of us are good at impressions.

Really. I promise! It is in your best interest to never ask us to attempt to mimic an accent. But as terrible as we are, for some reason we all have the bad habit of trying. For the most part it's intentional, we close the van doors and try our hardest to sound like we belong in that city. We add some drawl or over-exaggerate our vowels, but no matter how hard we try we never quite get it right. I guess, in a way, being bad at it is part of what makes it great.

And it is… Until we realize that we can't stop. We'll stop to get gas and forget to drop character. We'll pull over to eat and forget to turn off our lisps before ordering. And in the end we come home with a whole new vernacular.

5 ways to say "Cool"...

WICKED!

WILBRAHAM, MA



It's a cliche, I know. And as often as it gets pointed out you would think people would be overly conscious of using it, but just as we can't deny being New Yawka's, our friends in Black Churches certainly aren't hiding the fact that they live a stones throw from Bawston either.
http://www.myspace.com/blackchurches


BADASS!
KANSAS / KC, MO



When we toured out to the border of Kansas and Missouri this winter it was officially the furthest we had traveled as a band. We didn't know what to expect, but one of the greatest things about music is its ability to create instant friendships, like we did with Texas Instruments and Grizzly J. Berry. Our late night guided tours and drunken views from the roofs of 200 year old hotels were nothing short of, well, Badass.
http://www.myspace.com/texasinstrumentstheband
http://www.myspace.com/grizzlyjberry


AMAZING! (or A-maaaaaazing)
ONEONTA, NY



A while back some of our best friends, who helped us start this band, moved a few hours upstate for school. We joked that their wouldn't be anything for them to do, which i realize now is unfair. There wasn't less to do, just less places to do it. So when they met some buddies and started spending all of their time knocking out some hits, it was only a matter of time before their personalities and mannerisms started rubbing off on each other. The exaggerated hand gestures that accompany this one are almost as fun to watch as TIMESHARES are live.
http://www.myspace.com/timesharesmusic



TIGHT! (or ToyT)
ROCKFORD, IL




We have been to Rockford, Illinois a few times now. If there were only one other place in this country that we always feel at home, I might say its Rockford. But as well as we have gotten to know Warren Franklin and the guys in Joie De Vivre I still can't get used to this. Its not really the word itself that gets my attention, or even the pronunciation, it's the quantity! Its nonstop. Which, i guess, in their defense, is understandable: The land of Cheap Trick has a lot of good things going for it right now, and these guys are responsible for a lot of it.
http://www.myspace.com/warrenfranklin
http://www.myspace.com/joiedevivreband



UNREAL (or unREEEEEAL)
LONG ISLAND, NY




If there is any one group of people to blame for our slang, it's Sainthood Reps. A few close friends of ours have put together a new superpower on Long Island. You may not have heard their songs yet, but you can't spend an hour in our town without hearing someone use one of their expressions. I don't know how most of them start, but when they do they catch on and spread quickly; as their music will soon. I'm confident of that.
http://www.myspace.com/sainthoodreps

What's everybody's favorite slang word right now?

Sleep Bellum Sonno w/ Rapid Cities Tour Dates:

March 14
Empire w/ Rapid Cities, Flechette, and In Circles
Richmond, Virginia

Mar 15 2010
8:00P
The Soapbox w/ Rapid Cities
Wilmington, North Carolina

Mar 16 2010
8:00P
Ye Old Shoppe w/ Rapid Cities & We were kids
Rock Hill, South Carolina

Mar 17 2010
8:00P
The Pinhook w/ Rapid Cities
Durham, North Carolina

Mar 18 2010
8:00P
Blue Nile w/ Rapid Cities
Harrisonburg, Virginia




More after the jump...

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Harvest of Hope Festival Picks!!! Mar. 12-14th




The annual Harvest of Hope festival is a benefit for migrant farm workers this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in St. Augustine, FL.

In only its second year, the Harvest of Hope festival has pulled together quite an impressive line-up; they're not messing around with this thing.

Dr. Dog, Small Brown Bike, Rogue Wave, Dear Landlord, Anti-Flag, Dead Confederate, Matt Pond PA are just some of the 100 or so bands playing out.

A combination of punk and indie rock, it brings together a couple of scenes that sometimes don't cross paths.

Tickets are $60 for a full weekend pass or $35 per day.

There are five stages (!!!) and here are a few picks after the jump:



Friday, March 12th

Stage 1:
4:40PM - 5:10PM Cymbals Eat Guitars
8:45PM - 9:30PM Rogue Wave
10:00PM - 11:00PM Dr. Dog

Stage 2:
4:10PM - 4:40PM Freelance Whales
5:05PM - 5:35PM Past Lives (still need to review this...)
6:00PM - 6:40PM Japanther

Stage 3:
6:30PM - 6:50PM We Are The Union
7:10PM - 7:30PM New Bruises
7:50PM - 8:10PM Anchor Arms
8:30PM - 8:50PM The Blacklist Royals
9:10PM - 9:30PM How Dare You
9:50PM - 10:15PM Dear Landlord


Saturday, March 13:

Stage 1:
12:15PM - 12:45PM A Wilhelm Scream
2:30PM - 3:15PM Strike Anywhere
3:45PM - 4:30PM Anti-Flag
5:00PM - 5:45PM 7 Seconds

Stage 2:
12:45PM - 1:30PM Fin Fang Foom
2:00PM - 2:45PM Signals
3:15PM - 4:00PM The Mercury Program

Stage 3:
4:50PM - 5:10PM Austin Lucas
5:30PM - 5:50PM Algernon Cadwallader
6:10PM - 6:30PM Look Mexico

Stage 4:
3:10PM - 3:30PM The Measure [SA]
4:30PM - 4:50PM Lemuria
5:50PM - 6:10PM Cheap Girls

Sunday, March 14

Stage 1:
11:10AM - 11:40AM Gringo Star
12:05PM - 12:45PM Danielson
1:15PM - 1:55PM Fruit Bats
2:25PM - 3:10PM Sea Wolf
3:40PM - 4:25PM Matt Pond PA

Stage 2:
12:35PM - 1:15PM Stars of Track & Field
1:45PM - 2:25PM Dead Confederate
2:55PM - 3:40PM Broadway Calls
4:10PM - 4:55PM Off With Their Heads
5:25PM - 6:10PM The Loved Ones
6:40PM - 7:25PM Crime in Stereo
7:55PM - 8:45PM Small Brown Bike

Stage 3:
4:10PM - 4:30PM Spanish Gamble
4:50PM - 5:10PM O Pioneers!
6:10PM - 6:30PM The Wonder Years
6:50PM - 7:10PM The Menzingers

Stage 4:
5:10PM - 5:30PM Bomb The Music Industry!
5:50PM - 6:10PM Andrew Jackson Jihad
7:55PM - 8:20PM Defiance, Ohio

Stage 5:
3:45PM - 4:05PM Greenland is Melting

Full Schedule is here.

More after the jump...

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

LIt Randomness: About that literature stuff....



Lit Stuff=Impose Magazine.


The blog is called Codex. Lit Randomness, the occasional book review and Q&A's will carry over.

Here's the first post on
some Sam Lipsyte interviews. Later this week, a quick Q&A with Lipsyte.

I've always appreciated the many authors who took a few minutes out for Deckfight, and now this connection with Impose will give authors a bigger platform.

It's a plus when more websites and magazines adopt book sections rather than cut them or ignore books altogether. So, read Impose if you don't already.

What does this mean for Deckfight?


-More indie rock and more Southeast indie rock.
Some lit stuff will still appear here, such as
The Year of Reading Faulkner and maybe some older books that I missed the first time.

Still contact me for your lit or indie rock needs: deckfight [at] gmail.com. More after the jump...

Friday, March 5, 2010

Friday Five: 5 Best Things Aaron Burch Has Read Recently



That's an image representing Aaron Burch's new book, How To Take Yourself Apart, How To Make Yourself Anew out now from Pank. It details how to take yourself apart.

That image is all I got b/c I forgot to ask Aaron for a photo. In addition to that chapbook, you probably know Aaron for his work with Hobart, one of the coolest & distinctive lit journals out. Read that, but you probably do already.

Here are the 5 best things Aaron Burch has read recently...




1. A Common Pornography by Kevin Sampsell

I've known Kevin for years, both being Northwest indie lit peeps, though Kevin obviously much, much more so than I. But, anyway. I've read his stories and small press books over the years and, as much as I've enjoyed pretty much all of it, my fave was always his short memoir-type thing, A Common Pornography. So... I've been excited about this expanded/reenvisioned book ever since I heard it announced and it did not at all disappoint. I really don't want to overstate, but I think this might have been my favorite memoir I've ever read.


2. Zachary Schomburg's book of poetry, Scary, No Scary. And, specifically, the index.

First of all, how many poetry books have indexes? OK, maybe practically all of them; I don't know, I don't really read much poetry. But, a real "index," not just a reference of "first lines" like I've seen a handful of times. Also, Schomburg's index is like it's own poem, with entries like: "Compression (specifically the idea of being crushed into a tiny cube)" and "Infinity, or a very long time."

2a. My love for Schomburg's poems, despite my fiction prejudice, has reminded me of two other recent poem loves, which I would feel remiss if I didn't mention: "In the Desert" by Stephen Crane, and "Alien v. Predator" by Michael Robbins. I translate the Bible into velociraptor, indeed.

3. The About A Mountain excerpt by John D'Agata in The Believer

I also just read this whole book (back-to-back nonfiction books) and as much as I liked and enjoyed and appreciated it, and as well-written, and etc. etc. as it is, I think I preferred the excerpt in The Believer. I don't know... it seemed more focused and, obviously, concentrated. And I really liked how it played with the structure and the 9 numbered sections. And some of what I'll call D'Agata's "moves" (I was originally, when I started thinking about this list a week or three ago, going to include this blog post on my list of 5, but now some time has passed and I have some new good stuff to pimp) that I loved so much in the excerpt ended up feeling repetitive and less interesting in the longer format. That said, the book was great and I read it in two, maybe three, sittings, which obviously says a lot. But, still. I recommend the Believer excerpt.




4. The Dark Knight Returns analysis on bigother.com

In-depth graphic novel analysis? Superbly written, with tons of examples, etc. Makes me want to go back and reread The Dark Knight Returns all over again.

5. The most recent quote I got to print the next Short Flight / Long Drive minibook.

The first quote I got, from a printer that I knew prefers not to print smaller, "odd-sized" books, left me gasping for air. I thought I was going to have to go crazy into debt and maybe even give up the goal of publishing books. But then another quote request came through and, at almost a third of the price, I am still sighing. Easily one of the best things I've "read" in a long time. Phew.

5a. The next minibook: The Avian Gospels by Adam Novy.


I hate to use this to just mention a book I'm editing and publishing, but I got the above-mentioned quote because we're getting ready to print this thing, which means I've been reading it yet again, working on edits, etc. and... hot damn. This book is amazing. I can't wait for people to read it.

More after the jump...

Thursday, March 4, 2010

review: Communipaw - Communipaw



Communipaw
S/T

Self-released, 2010

Review by Josh Rank

Communipaw: "Take Over"
Communipaw: "2:23"
Download the album free here...

As soon as the album started, I breathed a sigh of relief. It’s much easier, and more enjoyable, to review an album that doesn’t suck. Countless listens and paying close attention can get pretty annoying when you don’t like what you’re hearing. Luckily, Communipaw’s self-titled release is one such case that makes the process enjoyable.

“The Morning Hours,” the album’s opening track introduces us to the melancholy mood that permeates throughout the album. The guitar lines, rhythm section, and vocals, are all presented in a laid back manner that eventually crescendos towards the end which leads into the upbeat second track, “Take Over.”

The album flows like this all the way until the end. Each track compliments the next which makes it feel like a full album as opposed to a collection of songs. Many spices color the songs and fill them out beyond a simple guitar, bass, drums, and vocals set-up. Various effect-laden guitars pop in and out in songs like “I Admit” to add an atmospheric element to it that makes it feel thicker. Turn it up loud and it feels like the song is hugging you.

The songs range from the heavily-acoustic “I Don’t Want To Die,” which has a bit of a Radiohead-vibe to it, to the danceable “Black Tambourine,” which seems to draw an influence from surf-rock. It’s this variety in tempo and beat that make the album easy to listen to in one sitting. The melancholy mood pervades throughout, but the presentation changes enough to keep your interest fresh.

Although the songs are well-written and enjoyable to listen to, they aren’t the most original. This is the only gripe I have with the album. There’s nothing ground-breaking or brand new here. However, this doesn’t really matter. The songs are written and performed well enough that it’s easy to look past this one flaw.

I feel like this album would be great to listen to on a sunny, summer day with the windows rolled down and your arm hanging in the wind. Overall, I’d put this album in the “Get it with the extra money from your tax return,” category. It’s not essential enough to buy right away and be late for paying the electric bill, but it is an album that would be nice to have around.


More after the jump...

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Lit Randomness: Stories at Necessary Fiction, Gigantic, Lifted Brow, Dogzplot Flash, Fictionaut



An Insurrection by Robert Swartwood:
At
Necessary Fiction.

Dodge Rams & lip rings & bumper stickers.

Gigantic America One Sentence Prose Preview: At Gigantic.
Meant to submit to this & forgot, but this issue looks cool.

Twelve Poems by Tao Lin: At Lifted Brow.
Read what has caused a stir at HTML Giant (100 plus comments!)

The Music With You By Eric Bennett: At Dogzplot Flash.

Wall and Key by P. Jonas Bekker: At Fictionaut.
Just went to Fictionaut, looking for something random & this story came up. I appreciate sledgehammers.



More after the jump...

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Swing South: Dear Landlord / Off With Their Heads



Dear Landlord: "I Live In Hell"
Dear Landlord: "Heartbroken Handshakes"


Need to order this album, because according to respected sources, it is the greatest since sliced bread. Late 90s punk reinvented and reinvigorated. Dear Landlord is from Illinois but on Gainesville's No Idea Records. They end their trip at the Harvest of Hope Fest in St. Augustine, FL which I need to do a bigger write-up on.

Also on the tour is Off With Their Heads from Minnesota. Deeper and darker.

Off With Their Heads - "Keep Falling Down" from Mario Framingheddu on Vimeo.



Both bands hit Atlanta tomorrow. The rest of the southern tour dates are listed below...



Mar 3 2010
8:00P
The Drunken Unicorn w/Off With Their Heads Atlanta, Georgia

Mar 4 2010
8:00P
Transistions Art Gallery w/ Off With Their Heads Tampa, Florida

Mar 5 2010
8:00P
The Atlantic w/ Off With Their Heads Gainesville, Florida

Mar 6 2010
8:00P
Churchills w/ off with their heads Miami, Florida

Mar 7 2010
4:30P
Backbooth w/ Off With Their Heads (early show) Orlando, Florida

Mar 8 2010
8:00P
Filthy McNasty’s w/ off with their heads vero beach, Florida

Mar 12 2010
8:00P
Harvest of Hope Fest St. Augustine, Florida

Mar 13 2010
8:00P
Harvest of Hope Fest St. Augustine, Florida

Mar 14 2010
8:00P
Harvest of Hope Fest St. Augustine, Florida
More after the jump...

review: Post Harbor - They Can't Hurt You If You Don't Believe In Them



Post Harbor.
They Can't Hurt You If You Don't Believe In Them
Burning Building Records, 2010


Post Harbor: "Caves Trees and Other Hollow Dwellings"

Moody. Ambient. The sky with no context. Is that autotune in "Shirakashi"? These are the things I think about.
But at the 4:30 mark of that song though, sounds "noise-like," as if any of the instruments could have been substituted with a table saw going through a chain link fence. Other parts are like the most recent Isis, but with Jeremy Enigk vocal lines. What's the term for all this? Post-rock math rock?

The Sunny Day lessons hold the truest, maybe tilting towards The Fire Theft perhaps, so prog-rock emo with really interesting instrumental lines.

All of this discounts the music more than I want it to, because this release from Seattle's Post Harbor is quite excellent really. "With A Line Graph I Can Tell The Future" is perhaps a favorite, it's going somewhere, plods and picks up pieces before gelling into a scorching, arching rein of shred in the last minute. It coalesces quite nicely.

"Caves, Hollow Trees and Other Dwellings" sounds as if Mineral was stretched to its farthest lengths, as if there was melody but The Gloria Record never happened.

Crystal. Translucent. The ground was glass and it shattered slowly. These are the things Post Harbor makes me think about.

More after the jump...

Monday, March 1, 2010

Lit Randomness: Stephen King & Joe Hill, Michael Schaub, Robert Coover




Stacks & stacks of Stephen King w/ William Walsh:
At Kenyon Review Blog.

Interv. w/ Joe Hill:
At AV Club.

Interv. w/ Michael Schaub of Bookslut: At Willamette Weekly.

Interv. w/ Robert Coover:
At Bookslut.




More after the jump...
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