Philadelphia

RJD2 SOLD OUT at First Unitarian Church March 5

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One of Philly’s finest RJD2 kicks off the third leg of his tour in the city he loves best. Having come a long way since his mid-west start, former DJ turned producer launched his own label, RJ’s Electrical Connections, in 2009, starting with the re-issue of prior full lengths under its newfound name. A fitting home for his fourth LP, The Colossus, RJD2’s latest marks the tenth year of his career, making the album’s title befitting in chronology as well as sound. Far more grounded than The Third Hand, The Colossus is feverishly expository, coupling textured backbeats and tricked out rhythms with lines only capable of a true wordsmith or visionary. Infusing a number of throwbacks to his earlier work, the album’s thematic core drips innovation while staying true to its creator’s roots. Taking the stage with Break Science and Happy Chichester, RJD2’s set is bound to satisfy. First Unitarian Church, 2125 Chestnut St., 8pm, SOLD OUT, All Ages myspace.com/rjd2 – Dianca Potts

 

Philadelphia

Hezekiah Jones and Friends at The Fire March 5

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Things have been going quite well for Hezekiah Jones (Raphael Cutrufello) and his merry band of Joneses. His latest offering on Yer Bird Records, Bread of Teeth, is just a little taster as he works on his upcoming full length. He’s getting ready to hit the road on a mini-tour in March with Chris Kasper, but before he does he’ll be doing a show at his home away from home tonight at The Fire. You never know who or how many people will be popping up to play alongside Raph, but expect it to be good vibes all around. Also on the lineup is our current band of the month, The Spinning Leaves, the Americana folk stars, who just recently released their full length vinyl, Love, on Ropadope. Rounding out the lineup is Kevin James Devine, who has emerged on the scene in true working man fashion with his debut release Through The Fields. The Fire, 412 W. Girard Ave, 9pm, $8, 21+ myspace.com/hezekiah11 (Photo by Lisa Schaffer) – Bill McThrill

 

Philadelphia

Post Post at Danger Danger Gallery March 5

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Post Post write endearing indie pop that is earnest and accessible with an underlying feeling of constantly fighting for survival or just making it through one more night alone. Michelle Zauner’s sweet, bend but never break vocals is youthful, but her lyrics pack a sucker-punch of maturity. They’ve graduated from Garage Band to a real studio for their upcoming EP. I’m sure that you’ll get a taste of the new tunes at Danger Danger Gallery tonight. Danger Danger Gallery, 5013 Baltimore Ave., 9pm, $5, All Ages myspace.com/postpostmusic (Photo by Noah Temple) – H.M. Kauffman    

 

L.A.

Best of LA #24 Lemon Sun to play The Echo April 29th

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Lemon Sun plays pure, unadulturated rock and roll.  With a voice that evokes Against Me’s Tom Gabel, Rob Kolar’s vocals are both masculine and lilting.  It’s clear upon the first listen of any of their songs that this band loves to play together.  Songs such as "Same Old Ground" and "Touch the Lightning" are sure to convert anyone to an instant fan. 

Austin

STEREO IS A LIE Q&A: Nothing is Out of Bounds and Nobody is Safe

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Deli writer Ellen Green recently tracked down our Year End Poll grand champions STEREO IS A LIE for a quick Q&A. SIAL plays the Ghost Room this Friday (3/5) along with an all-local lineup of New Roman Times, Sad Accordions, The Distant Seconds, and DJ Parklife. And here’s what STEREO IS A LIE had to say…

So, you have an album coming out.  How was it working with Chris Cline?

We’ve been tracking the album on and off for the past seven months, but we’ll be completely wrapped up next week. It has taken a little longer than we thought it would, but we wanted to explore every possible avenue, leaving no stone unturned so to speak. We’ve used every mic imaginable, smashed guitars, plugged in as many amplifiers at one time as we possibly could, learned new instruments etc. Finally, what we’re left with are ten songs that we feel, capture the band. Chris Cline (…Trail Of Dead, The Society Of Rockets, Explosions in the Sky, etc.) is going to mix the record, so that’s really the next step. Chris is one of the few people outside of the band that we trust to put the same amount of love into the record that we have, so we’re very excited to be working with him.

 

When is the album due out?

 

It’ll definitely be this year, but we don’t have an exact release date just yet. I’m sure it would just change anyway, so I don’t want to tell you any fibs.

 

What influenced the music (ie life, kids, other music, politics) for this album?

 

Lyrically there’s a lot of social commentary and the music certainly reflects that as well. It’s hard to ignore the rate at which the world falls further into chaos everyday, but I mean why would you ignore that? I’d much rather make honest observations as opposed to churning out another distraction that helps anesthetize the masses.

 

What is the live show about?  Tour plans?

 

Blood, sweat and beers. I guess maybe watching a SIAL show is a bit like taking a non-stop train journey. Although you may be familiar with your carriage’s environment, the surroundings outside of that are constantly changing.

 

We’ll definitely do a bit of touring to support the release. Now that the recording part of our lives is nearly finished for this record, we can shift some focus toward more shows, festivals and tours.

 

What is your Saturday night album?  Sunday morning album?

 

I don’t know, there isn’t really an album I go for when I’m putting my lipstick on, doing my hair and getting ready to hit the town on a Saturday night. Hit shuffle and go I say! Sunday mornings are for sleeping, but if I have to listen to anything then it had better be sensitive to my hangover.

 

First concert you ever saw??  Best concert?

 

The first concert I saw was The Mission at Newcastle City Hall, I think they were touring the Carved In Sand album. The best? That’s way too tough to answer, there are just so many to choose from…Radiohead, Dubstar, Constantines, Suede, TVOTR, Longpigs, The Raveonettes, Suzanne Vega, BRMC, Ladytron, These Animal Men…the list goes on.

 

What are your/the band’s musical influences?

 

There are countless influences, but definitely nothing we really lean towards, instead we prefer to subconsciously absorb everything and see what our brains spit out. We take from everything, be it a Renaissance piece by John Dunstable or Phil Collins ‘In The Air’ tonight. Nothing is out of bounds and nobody is safe.

 

–Ellen Green

 

 
NYC

Jeffrey Lewis and Kimya Dawson’s new band: The Bundles

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Here’s the story of The Bundles‘  from their myspace page: "In February 2001 New York performer/comic book artist Jeffrey Lewis was living in Austin, Texas for a few months and then-Moldy Peach Kimya Dawson came to visit him. During that visitation week they made up five songs with Jeffrey on guitar and Kimya on keyboards. In 2002, when Kimya had launched her solo career and was touring Germany along with the Jeffrey Lewis Band, those same five songs expanded into full band songs with the addition of Jeffrey’s brother/bandmate Jack Lewis on bass and Anders Griffen (known for his work with jazz great Frank Lowe and Regina Spektor) on drums. One night while playing in a cold, clammy basement venue, all bundled up in sweaters, hats and scarves, the nascent band became known as The Bundles; Jack and Anders soon got in on the writing of some new songs too. Years passed, during which Jeffrey and Jack released five acclaimed records on Rough Trade, Anders drummed and toured with the likes of Dufus, John Ludington, and Diane Cluck, and Kimya stormed the world, touring constantly with 6 solo albums, and recently celebrating the Grammy-winning Juno movie soundtrack. Despite the heavy creative schedules of all involved, The Bundles continued to be resurrected in unlikely times and places wherever in the world the members happened to cross paths. Eventually in February 2009 the four congregated to make some full-band Bundles recordings at the Dub Narcotic Studios in Olympia, Washington. With troubadour Karl Blau, originally only signed on as session engineer, they recorded some of the pre-existing songs, along with some new ones that all five starting writing together on the spot. On the last night of recording a couple dozen members of the Olympia Free Choir joined them in the studio as well. So on one hand, their debut album The Bundles [KLP214] took just a few days to write and record, on the other hand it took eight years! Will we hear from them again before 2018?"
Well, the record was released a few weeks ago!

NYC

Growing announce new album + monster US tour

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NYC might be famous for bringing to the masses bands like Blondie and The Strokes, but it’s the experimental core of its scene that keeps it edgy and forward looking. Brooklyn based rather young veterans Growing (yeah because when one says "veterans" everybody tends to think about 50 years olds acting like teens…) are back with their 8th album of sonic experimentations, entitled "PUMPS!!" and out on Vice record in early April. The band’s music is mostly an instrumental carpet of layered sounds, a beatless drone that slowly evolves, hypnotically. The trio will play Coco 66 on april 6th, date that will kick start their US tour that will bring them from Vermont to Seattle, then down to Santa Cruz and back home through Texas, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. A month and a half on the road!

Nashville

Alice and Wonderland bash: 2/27/10

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Down the Rabbit Hole:

Last Saturday night (the 27th) I had a little rendezvous with a March hare. In honor of Tim Burton’s upcoming film, "Alice In Wonderland: The Party" invited all to escape through an alternative dimension where music and mirrors made it a tea party to remember 2010 by. 

Definitely not late for this very important date, I still found myself pushing my way into a mid-sized room where Nashville band Vermicious K’nids tipped their hats to the magical night. Their vibe was Costello-esque, setting the tone especially with a cover of Elvis’s "Pump It Up." An enthusiastic listener told me, a bit later, that the band had made a delicious soup of "creative synth parts, cool harmonies, awesome drumming and tight rhythms." But most importantly, their set was just "really fucking awesome."

DJ Ocuban followed the K’nids with ease. I’ve seen a lot of DJs in Nashville, but never have I sensed that a DJ loved his dancers more than Ocuban. He mixed instrumental beats resurrected circa 1992. He gently roped everyone in, melting together a unified body of movers and casually muttering, "Have one on me," to the whole room. Friends and strangers crowded around him like New York tourists in a street drum circle, disappointed to hear his pad controller go to bed for the night.

Between sets, party people were not left without entertainment. What’s a party without pics? Local photographers of Q Avenue Photography (couple Brad Butcher and Jennifer Eden) snapped shots (such as the above picture) the entire night, while two Mad Hatters served mixed chai and peppermint drinks. 

Local DJ Fan Fiction brought the night to its prime. Know him? He has probably played in your basement. Maybe you’ve seen him alongside other DJs at Nashville’s mainstay dance parties. He’s popular for mixing pretty tracks the hipsters love and making them irresistibly danceable. My favorite from the night was Beach Boys meets Marky Mark in "Good Vibrations." Fan Fiction always serves it up right, never playing the same set twice. He flows with the vibe of the crowd; and, as you know, no two crowds vibe quite the same way. This party was definitely a variety show, allowing FF to mix just about any Animal Collective or 80s track he wanted. Turning an empty living room into a zesty wonderland of pop, Fan Fiction, as usual, left everybody spinning.

Well, there ain’t no party like a Nashville party, and this house-made Wonderland was proof enough. House party throwers around the city assure us that they’re going nowhere fast.

Thanks to Kaitlyn Grom, Kit Canlas, Mikayla Lewis and Laura Beam for making this a night not to forget. – Sarah Marie

 

New England

The Hush Now – CD release Sat 6th at Great Scott and free download

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Two years after the release of their eponymous debut album (produced by David Newton of The Mighty Lemon Drops, straight out of the UK), Boston’s The Hush Now is back with a sophomore – though not sophomoric – effort that will definitely please those already familiar with their particular species of subdued rock.

For those who aren’t so familiar, a quick listen through their new album, Constellations, will be more than enough to bring you up to speed, with lead guitarist Adam Quane setting the rhythm and tone for each song with some sweetly simple guitar riffs before lead singer Noel Kelly even has a chance to come in with a breathy-but-firm vocalism that, although it may not be for everyone, will certainly satisfy, at the very least. Be sure to catch them live at Great Scott this Saturday to see them perform songs from their new album, and to wish them well before they take the stage at South- By-Southwest later this month.

You can download Constellations HERE for free!

–Dan Schneider

NYC

Class Actress release CD + Video

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Brooklyn artist Class Actress recently debuted the video for their song "Journal of Ardency" on Pitchfork TV. The title track off their recently-released debut EP, the video stars Elizabeth Harper herself and is directed by Patrick Cleandenim. Class Actress’ debut EP, bearing the same title as this song, has just been released on Terrible Records, owned by Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor.

 

Chicago

This Too Shall Pass

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Are you one of the two million plus viewers that this video has received? Directed by James Frost, Ok Go does it again with inventiveness and creativity. This is the official video for the recorded version of "This Too Shall Pass" off of the band’s latest album "Of the Blue Colour of the Sky".