New Music, Emerging from your Local Scene
Formed by skilled musicians who met each other while playing in various NYC bands (in particular some relevant names from the the NYC Anti-Folk scene like Adam Green and The Moldy Peaches), Spacecamp plays well produced pop-rock which we find reminiscent of XTC and The Police. The indie pop quartet just ended a Sunday residency at Pianos.
Even though we’re all the way on the other side of the country, if you follow new music, it’s impossible to escape coverage of CMJ over in New York. Living vicariously through other people’s blog posts, we can get a similar experience. One of the buzzed about bands from LA is a group called Hands. They meld swirling, trippy riffs with pop-song sensibilities to create songs that are impossible not to sway to. The four-piece has immense technical skill that is obvious when you hear them live (or at least watch their live videos on Youtube) that only adds to the fun and fresh sounds they are creating. Along with thee CMJ showcases they did this past week, the band has given a present to all of us that couldn’t catch that red-eye to New York. They released their song, "Warm Night Home", as a single, which is a dizzying loop and sample driven journey that remains grounded by a sold drum line and vocalist Geoffrey Halliday’s striking voice. Also, they have a Daytrotter session for your listening pleasure. Happy listening! – Taylor Lampela
And if you’re not feeling free shows at Burgerville, head to Mississippi Studios for Grouper. You can swim in the clouds of wonder in her ethereal and eerie heartstrung melodies. The sound that hangs between the sparse and present vocals of Liz Harris will weigh down on your like the whispers of autumn careening between the space between guitar strings. After re-releasing a handful of haunting records in 2010, Harris has been playing shows here and there, but not quite everywhere. Catch her while you can. Listen to her fabulous and recently re-pressed Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill here:
Golden Bear’s upcoming CD release party Saturday night (10/29) also doubles as a costume party + a good place to pick up some free food + cheap beer…throw in some other local standouts like The Great Nostalgic + the sum total overwhelmingly points to all of us at Club De Ville on Saturday, in costume of course.
The album (Alive), btw, is picking up raves all over: "grandeur in sharply punched rhythms. Big guitars, spiraling piano runs, brazen lyrics: Golden Bear roars." (Austin Chronicle), "sterling guitar pop" (The Big Takeover), "the best guitar pop album I’ve heard all year" (The Round Table). So…you might want to check this out.
Dave Saylor is the mastermind behind the project Exploding World. We first took notice of the multi-instrumentalist when he popped in Creepoid’s Big Yellow Ugly Couch Session. When we asked drummer Pat Troxell about their extra member in the videos, he referred to Saylor as “our Pat Smear” (Nirvana’s unofficial fourth member that you’d find on stage with them). At the time, he was playing a bit with Creepoid to help recreate and round out their sound when performing tracks from Horse Heaven live. Since then, he’s built up his own full band with Jennifer Shaw (keys and vocals), John Scheck (keys), and Brandon Moore (guitar). They recently won our Featured Artist(s) Poll, and you can check out our interview with Dave Saylor HERE. Exploding World will also be performing this evening at The Fire.
I love love love hamburgers. Actually, not really. I love cheeseburgers. But more than either of those things, I love all-ages shows. And tonight, you can get both of those things in one place. That place is Burgerville. Tiger House and Tango Alpha Tango will be shaking your milkshakes and greasing your pretty little french fries tonight, for free, at the Hawthorne Burgerville at 6pm. Don’t miss it! Check out the Facebook event here, and check out this awesome live record from Tiger House from Bananastandmedia.com.
Local musician Audrey Ryan has written a book about the music industry and all the highs and lows of being a musician — networking, touring, and struggling to make a living. The Need To Be Heard is a book for and about DIY musicians — artists who do not have big support teams that consist of labels, managers, and lawyers. It is the story of a variety of artists, both known and unknown, all united by a burning desire to be heard. Through interviews with dozens of artists and people in the music industry, and through her own story, Ryan reveals that our experiences in this business are collective in our triumphs and struggles.
Head down to the Nave Gallery in Somerville on Saturday, Nov. 5 for the book release. Ryan will read excerpts from The Need to be Heard, as well as answer questions, and play music.
Lineup:
7:30pm- Guy Capecelatro III
8:15pm- Dylan Metrano reading + Tiger Saw performance
9:00pm- Audrey Ryan
Saturday, November 5th @7:30pm
Nave Gallery/ Clarendon Hill Presbyterian Church
155 Powderhouse Blvd, Somerville MA
**FREE wine & snacks. $5 admission, book is $10
–Chrissy Prisco
Here’s something a little dark (like this rainy day) but also a little upbeat, which was submitted to The Deli digitally here (you are welcome, bands without a PR agent!). Black Onassis is an NYC based collaborative electronic band led by Christopher Karloff (formerly of British band Kasabian) with a very very very intriguing sound. Think Depeche Mode mixed with The Stone Roses, for a synth-shoegaze-pop sound that’s an exciting variation on the familiar British psych-pop wave. There are currently only 2 songs for streaming, but they are both equally good, featuring prominent guest vocalists like Aurelio Valle (Calla, The Phenomenal Handclap Band) and Ben Gautrey (The Cooper Temple Clause, Ashridge Park FC). NYC gazers and psychers don’t want to miss their show at Mercury Lounge on October 31.
What’s up with this disturbing "Auto-Tune" vocal effect showing up more and more frequently in songs by emerging indie artists, folks? Are we sure we want to adopt this sound that screams "I sold my soul to my major label"? I mean… Cher’s "Believe" – which started this infamous trend – came out in 1998, and since then commercial radio has been inundated by imitations often more revolting than the original. Up until today I reacted to "Auto-Tune effect detection" with instant record dismissal – unless it was used in some sort of ironic way. But today I feel like "forgiving" a band for this – and it’s a first, people! NY dance rock act Ghost Beach – compared to your average major label dance group – makes a subtle use of this effect, but brings to the table enough redeeming qualities – in particular a super catchy chorus and a well produced lo-budget video. See their live debut at Tammany Hall on December 1st.
Fall may be bringing a bit of a chill, and snow may have already fallen in places like Colorado. But Bill Ricchini is all set to let you feel one last blow of the summer wind. From self-producing in a spare bedroom of his South Philly row home, to laying out the groundwork with members of BC Camplight and Buried Beds and mastering the album with Alan Douches (Sufjan Stevens, Animal Collective, etc.), Summer Fiction has been a welcomed return by the local native. And the self-titled debut that features everything from 60s baroque pop to country duets, which loosely follows “a young girl’s strange erotic journey from Milan to Minsk”…oh, sorry – wrong journey, well, at World Café Live tonight, Ricchini will share his fiction bare bones style when he opens up solo for British singer-songwriter Rumer. World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 7pm, $18, All Ages (Photo by Tanya Dakin) – Bill McThrill
The new album from AZITA, her fourth through Chicago’s Drag City, is called Distrubing The Air and was released late last month.
AZITA is celebrating the release with label mate Meg Baird at The Hideout on 10/29. The show also kicks off The Hideout’s Halloween Party!
MP3: September by AZITA
