New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
I just stumbled upon this new Brooklyn band called Heaven, and they made me think of all the Velvet Underground and Jesus & Mary Chain fans out there. These guys have good songs and add a little electronic variation to their classic droney sound, which at times stirs things in an atmospheric direction a la` Air. Heaven will be playing Union Pool on March 5th and has a bunch of SXSW dates booked.
Based out of Boston, MA, Slowdim is an indie pop band with ambient and grungy influences. The band consists of Paul Sentz (formerly of This Car Up) on guitar and vocals, Ethan Cannon on drums and Karina DaCosta (28 Degrees Taurus) playing bass and vocals. Sentz started writing and recording songs in his apartment in January and February 2011. This is the first live performance for them as a full band, they go on at 9pm.
Also playing are ethereal pop band The Love Language. A seven-piece band from Raleigh, NC, they have a lo-fi, garage rock vibe, and listening to the abundant harmonies, a strong 60’s influence. If you like Arcade Fire and Guards, chances are, you’ll love these guys.
Headlining the show is Telekinesis. Powerpop hooks, and heartfelt melodic bliss, this band is super catchy. It’s like the indie rock of the mid-90s, like Death Cab For Cutie or Weezer, you know, before Weezer took to writing State Farm jingles. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Tuesday, March 8
8pm Doors. 9pm Show. $10
TT The Bear’s Place
Central Sq., Cambridge
–The Deli Staff
A little quieter, a little darker, a little classier, but still imbued with the distinct scent of BBQ, lest you forget where you are…Lambert’s is the "classy BBQ" place on 2nd St. downtown, and also plays host throughout the year to some of the best indie talent around. During SXSW this year you can catch Balmorhea, Botany, and The Rocketboys (above), not to mention out-of-towners Miniature Tigers, Wires Under Tension, and many more, all playing upstairs amidst the aroma of smoked meats.
–photo by Chris Phelps
On Saturday, March 5th, at Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church (Nave Gallery), Audrey Ryan will be releasing her latest CD, "Thick Skin".
Audrey’s music has evolved over the years into an eclectic form of singer-songwriter indie-rock performed as a “one-man-band” using loops on guitar as well as accordion, ukulele, banjo, drums, vibraphone and other unique instrumentation. This music blends together her early influences of Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, John Fahey, and Bob Dylan with contemporaries such as Sufjan Stevens, Wilco, and Arcade Fire.
Opening the evening from 7-9 are performance by the following bands:
Pulling from influences of the blues, roots rock, and early American folk, Brown Bird offers harmonized voices, haunting lyrics and diverse rhythm and instrumentation.
Husband and wife duo South China, from Portland, ME, use their individual backgrounds in experimental rock and classical music to produce a sound that feels sparse and improvised, evoking a slightly dark and dream-like state with captivating melodies.
Cuddle Magic , a 12-piece band, blend pop, rock, and folk by use of ukelele, vibrophone, and various percussion and stringed instruments. Their arrangments are striking and brilliant.
Alice Austin is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist originally from Vermont, but now residing in LA. A twangy indie rocker that plays electric and slide guitars with lo-fi drum loops, she’s been compared to Jenny Lewis, Neko Case and The White Stripes.
From 9-10:30pm there will be a full 10+ piece orchestra "one-night-only" playing Audrey‘s music.
All Ages. $5 Admission or $10 Admission & receive a copy of "Thick Skin".
Free beer, wine, snacks.
Nave Gallery
155 Powderhouse Blvd, Somerville
–The Deli Staff
There’s been a lot of renewed interest in the 90s recently. From the opening credits in the premiere of Carrie Brownstein’s awesome new show Portlandia, to Pearl Jam turning 20, It looks like its now safe to bring the flannel out of the closet once again.
To that end, Sam Siegler from CIV (remember them!??), Walter Schreifels, my favorite vegan and frontman from the grossly under-rated bands Quicksand and Gorilla Biscuits, along with members from Youth of Today and Iceburn, have come together as supergroup Rival Schools.
Though it may not feel like it, Rival Schools have actually been around in one form or another for quite some time now. After disbanding shortly after the release of their first full-length in 2001, they’ve now come back together to carry their ‘post-hardcore’ torch for all who miss the quiet-loud-quiet-loud rock of their youth. Lyrically, they remind me (oddly enough) a bit of the Foo Fighters’ later songs that discussed redemption and acceptance, topics that get by well enough on their honesty, but sound a bit tired to me after hearing these themes for so long.
The real draw here is what a great sound these guys have when they all come together. While none of this material will surprise fans of many of their other projects, maybe that’s not a bad thing. Listening to Rival Schools’ new single (video embedded) heading off their forthcoming second full-length album Petals (Photo Finish Records), the band sounds confident and fun, like no time has passed at all. This record may be a decade too late, but better late than never.
Join them when they stop by Santos Party House on March 8. – Mike Levine
Last Wednesday at Rockwood Music hall Stage 2 pulsated with the smooth, soulful sounds of Brooklyn-born Aabaraki. Recently, the quartet self-released an EP downloadable on Bandcamp and showcased several of these tracks which oozed seduction, jazz, R&B, soul, and not-so-subtle double entendres, at the jam packed show. One highlight, “Girl,” slinked along with sultry syncopated guitar slides and impassioned vocals. Tri-part harmonies opened “Haters” and interchanged with solo sexy vocal runs and instrumental accompaniment. Hushed guitars and drums snuck up on listeners during “Terrified” and spotlighted vocalist Aamir Bermiss’s impressively expressive vocal range. The audience screamed with delight as the band began the obvious favorite, “Karate,” a song full of innuendos rhymed with various martial arts names backed by the band’s fusion style. “Happy Ending” embarked on another soulful sound journey with samba beats that relaxed into ringing guitars that bloom into an energetic funk bridge. Be sure to catch Aabaraki live as they bring the groove back to NYC music. –Meijin Bruttomesso
Ivory Towers by Buried Beds
We continue our "Best of LA Countdown", covering each day one of the artists that made our Year Ends Best of LA Poll list (a chart compiled by a jury comprised of local bloggers, music writers, promoters, record store personnel, DJs, and our writers and readers).
Alterna-folk group Infantree will be playing The Satellite (the recently renamed Spaceland), Wednesday the 2nd with A Hawk and a Hacksaw.
The band’s haunting layered melodies are its crowning glory and are apparent on tracks like "Workhorse" and "Oil Can". While taking a more reserved and melancholy route than their more upbeat genre-mates, they maintain a sense of humor: choosing to carry the trend of their album cover and dress up as roosters for their video “Mourning Glory”.
Being one of my favorite semi-recent discovery, I’m happy to announce that Infantree will be playing on Conan a few weeks from now on April 5.
-Angelo Lorenzo
When Das Racist past through town last year they stopped by the studio to record a track with the hottest production team and one of the best rap crews in town. The result is BBU’s new single, "Please, No Pictures" featuring Das Racist and The Hood Internet.
BBU will be performing with Homeboy Sandman, Gon and Scheme at Darkroom (2210 W. Chicago) this Friday, March 4th.
High-fashion hipsters were out in full swing last night to vote the first Nashville band into the Bonnaroo lineup. So, Chancellor Warhol is headed for the festival this year, though Evan P. Donohue came in second with Tyler Bryant close behind. The order of the 8 off 8th lineup was determined the night of with the bands drawing names, and Courtney Jaye was up first. Two hula dancers sashayed onstage to dress up her buoyant, Hawaiian-and-country-tinged set, which included a fun little number called “Boxed Wine.” The Kicks were up next, clad in blazers and bandanas, with some animated pop rock, hook heavy with touches of southern twang. Then Heartbeater brought their usual bleary and beautiful guitar haze to the stage, but the energy in most of their live performances wasn’t totally there.
The winner of RTB Round One made up for that with vigor and enthusiasm at full-blast as he MCed over electronic noise and thundering beats. Mercy Lounge manager Drew Mischke added to the fun just by getting onstage before each set to introduce the band (a friend said Drew reminded him of a tipsy, gesticulating version of Kevin Spacey). He introduced Evan P., who claimed his set would “destroy other bands in the air.” A cocky assertion (I think), but the first runner-up delivered with some revving, brass-infused vintage rock.
Majestico’s psych rock and a killer punk-funk set from Kink Ador was in the final stretch, and guitar prodigy Tyler Bryant finished with what seemed like a longer set than everyone else’s. There were some staunch Bryant supporters in the crowd mixed in with some gigglers; the former group was in awe of his undeniable chops while the latter was amused with his unmistakable Bieber vibe. Anyway, congratulations, Chance. – Jessica Pace
For lovers of Elliott Smith, Sufjan Stevens, Cass McCombs, or Conor Oberst is L.A.’s hidden gem, Lost On Purpose. Sometimes it’s difficult to find a singer/songwriter that doesn’t come off as boring. Lost On Purpose is anything but, with Will VanderWyden’s words written about the dark ways of our inescapable society, to loves lost, to the ups and downs that come with the struggles of everyday life. All the fluttering acoustics, double-tracked vocals, and the screams of the violin evoke emotion from the deeper parts of the soul. The latest album, "A Knight at the Crossroads" is a personal record that VanderWyden describes as, “…not background music; it’s music for headphone walking in the city, music for car driving in the country, music for drinking alone.” Cheers to getting lost on purpose.
–Jenna Putnam