We’ve mentioned that Buried Beds are planning to release a short performance film entitled Small Stories that was shot by their buddy Nate Johnson and documents the band playing a full day of music in Fairmount Park at Lemon Hill Mansion while partying with their friends. Well, it will also be accompanied by an EP (with live cuts from the film as well as brand new studio tracks from the band’s next full-length album) due out on January 17 via Admiral Byrd Records. There will be a premiere party and after-party for the 32-minute film piece at the Ruba Club on January 20 where you’ll be able to purchase the DVD with the EP.
Chicago
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Midwest Hype @ Schubas
Midwest Hype call themselves a "Urban Garage Jazz" band and they are celebrating the release of their new EP Dayglow on January 5th at Schubas. The group recently dropped by Audiotree to record a fantastic hour long set.
Philadelphia
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New Track: “Control” – Nicos Gun
Nicos Gun quietly dropped their debut 13-song full-length Plush just before the start of the New Year, and celebrated its release on NYE at The Fire. It seems that the band is back down to a trio with its original core members Nick Bockrath, Barney Cortez, and Harry Zelnick after the departure of Andrew Black. Below is a new MGMT-meets-Talking Heads-meets-Prince-esque track called “Control,” which you can also listen to and purchase with the rest of the album HERE.
Update: Andrew Black has been replaced by bassist Steven Lyons (who played keys with the band on their last tour and helped to write "Tangerine Express" from Plush as well as a lot of the new material for their next album). Also Josh Laven has been recruited to play keys, percussions and other instruments so Nicos Gun is currently a 5-piece live.
San Francisco
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Bay Area Band To Know: Survival Guide
Emily Whitehurst and Jaycen Mckissick, the duo otherwise known as Survival Guide, have crafted a lovely blend of electronic bleeps, fuzzy synths and seductive vocals on their debut 7" Wildcat. It’s quite the earcandy – stream below – reminiscent of the duo’s punk past as members of the SoCal outfit Tsunami Bomb. Catch this new Bay Area band in its first live appearance at Bottom of the Hill on Friday, January 20th. -Justine Fields
Philadelphia
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New Track: “The Sounding Of The Earth” – Oh! Pears
Corey Duncan a.k.a. Oh! Pears just dropped a couple of new tracks for his European Tour 2012 Single. As you can tell by its title, he’ll be starting a European tour (which will last about five weeks) on January 18 in Padua, Italy. Duncan will also be joined on the road by his former bandmate and drumming machine Chris Ward (Pattern Is Movement). Below is the A-side to the latest release called “The Sounding Of The Earth.” You can take a listen to and purchase European Tour 2012 Single as well as check out Oh! Pears’ upcoming tour schedule HERE.
L.A.
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Montë Mar warms the cold days of winter
With a new year comes more opportunities to find new artists to listen to. Even though it’s the middle of winter – and even though it’s California winter, it’s still cold – sometimes you need something bright and sunny to listen to in order to forget that with the end of the holidays means returning to the daily grind. And Montë Mar is just the perfect group to do so. Layering the basic pop elements with a penchant for surf-inspired synth and guitar lines lines (check out the song "Time" on their Different Place EP on the their bandcamp to see what I mean), they easily transport you to a place of few worries. The band formed mainly out of frontman Brian Green’s desire to step out from the back to the front, as he toured as a sideman for several artists, including Michael Bublé. These guys are on the verge of being the next big thing and it’s worth it to check them out. They’re playing a free show at the Satellite on the 6th of this month and will have a Silverlake Lounge residency in March. – Taylor Lampela
NYC
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Gunstreet Glory, the Bad Things to Play Friday the 13th at The Comet
Gunstreet Glory will be performing at The Comet on January 13 with the Bad Things, Bat Country and Bakelite 78. It should be a great evening of boozy rock, tinged with accordions and clarinets. Gunstreet Glory, who released their first album in 2011, celebrate swaying drunken courage like Bukowski poems. They’re the perfect match for The Comet’s crowd, and pairing them with the Bad Things will make for night of music that exists outside of time (be on your guard for time travelers). The music is organic, and full of mad energy. Gunstreet Glory and the Bad Things could be described as steam punk bands, which is not to say that there will be Tesla coils and lots of unnecessary clockwork, as much as to say that there is a certain carnival vibe – a little bit of hobo, a dash of eastern Europe, a sprinkling of Jules Verne. It’s an aesthetic born of literature which, when translated to music, is as tactile as a waxed mustache. You could argue that it’s all a little bit contrived, but if you enjoy the conceit, then you’re in for a great time.
Doors: 8 p.m.
Tickets: $8
– Tom Mohrman
NYC
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Jamestown Revival play Hotel Cafe every Wednesday in January
Formed in 2010 Jamestown Revival consists of Austin natives Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance. In under a year they have put out an EP, The Knives & Pipes, have been featured in Rolling Stone Magazine and have landed a residency at the Hotel Café in Los Angeles for the month of January. Their EP, containing 6 songs, was self-recorded by the duo in an LA apartment. Currently unsigned, the two-man band has a southern folksy sound mixed with blues influences and plenty of soul. After selling 1,000 copies of their EP’s on iTunes, touring the country 3 times and with many more show on the horizon, Jamestown Revival is definitely a band to follow in 2012. – Chelsea Eriksen
Philadelphia
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The Deli Philly’s January Album of the Month: Aurora Lies – Work Drugs
A quick listen to Work Drugs’ official debut label full-length Aurora Lies (Bobby Cahn Records) yields sweet, sedate pop music great for, as the band would say, “dancing, boating, yachting, sexting and living.” However, a closer listen reveals a wandering, albeit smoothly executed take on the uncertainty and disconnection that must accompany being briefly marooned at sea – which as the folklore goes is when Thomas Crystal and Benjamin Louisiana had written all of the songs for Aurora Lies. The duo, who have known each other since kindergarten and began making music together in sailing school (more tales from the fanciful crew that are not yet truly verified), seem versed in the art of poring over the sketchy intermingling of open horizons, longing and melancholia without dwelling too much or too heavily. On “Catalina Wine Mixer,” much like other tracks on the album, Tears For Fears-era vocals and MGMT-esque production are blended together and soft-lit, highlighting Work Drugs’ tendency to keep it simple while avoiding saccharine. Peppy synths and drum machinations accompany the lighthearted lyrics on tracks such as “Daddy Bear,” and with lines like “Can’t keep my paws off you/These hives all look the same,” it is evident that the group are not prepared to take themselves too seriously, which is a good thing when it comes to such seductively sexified tunes. The LP’s title track, “Aurora Lies,” slows it down and offers up a somber dose of introspection that seems characteristic of the album on a whole. “Tell me what you want from me/Show me that the best of days/Won’t end up behind me,” and then added to clear up any question of the band’s carefree intent, “Hold on (we were just having fun).”
Work Drugs manages to veil end-of-summer melancholia under a much-needed dose of high-quality dream pop. Their timing could not be more impeccable. While boating and yachting are probably out of season in this neck of the woods, Aurora Lies may prove to be the best soundtrack for winter’s best leisure activities – namely dancing, sexting and living. You can purchase the album HERE. – Leslie Burnette
Philadelphia
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Kung Fu Necktie Going ALL AGES & B.Y.O.B. for Now!
Happy New Year! We’re still slowly getting back into the swing of things after a much-needed break. Well, we noticed some strange happenings at Kung Fu Necktie over the holidays, which started with a tweet last Wednesday (“just a heads-up: we are CLOSED tonight due to some unforeseen issues. sorry dudes!), followed by a moving of events to the RUBA Club, and their NYE show being made B.Y.O.B. (obviously a red flag since KFN is a bar). We also heard through the grapevine on NYE that the beloved music venue had failed to renew their liquor license so we asked KFN booker Jeff Meyers about the rumor and the future of shows being held there. He responded, “Seems to be more to the story, and [I] don’t know when the issues will be resolved.” However, he does plan to keep as many of the shows as he can at the venue, but they will be either ALL AGES w/no alcohol or 21+ w/B.Y.O.B. “Only time will tell how this all works…I wish I knew more, but I’m at limbo until I know more info.” In case you were wondering, that’s the news that we have for you so far. We hope that the good folks at KFN will be able to get things sorted out, and we’ll keep you posted if we hear anything more. Sorry about the bad news to start off the New Year.