NYC

Artists on Trial: The Empty Spaces

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(Photo by Emily Hunt)

Our Artists on Trial series will be featuring bands that will be playing Apocalypse Meow, Midwest Music Foundation‘s big annual benefit for musician health care. We will be featuring more on Apocalypse Meow in the weeks before the show, which is November 3 at The Beaumont Club. The Empty Spaces will be one of the bands playing the event.

The Deli: Gun to your head, 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?

The Empty Spaces: Missouri River serf rock.

The Deli: Let’s talk about what you have coming up or have released lately. What can we expect?

TES: Our music video for "Holidays Are Nice And Warm" just came out and has gotten a lot of positive attention. We will be playing Apocalypse Meow at The Beaumont Club on Nov 3. We are also opening up for Broncho on Nov 30 at Czar. At the same time we are getting new songs put together and will be starting to record our third studio album at the start of 2013.

The Deli: What does "supporting local music" mean to you?

TES: Our favorite way to support local music is by making local music. We are also very proud to be a part of Golden Sound Records. It also helps to go out to local shows and sometimes even pay to get into them!

The Deli: Who are your favorite "local" musicians right now?

TES: Mat: Shy Boys.
Ross: The ACB’s.
Will: The Architects.

The Deli: What bands are you most excited to see at Meow?

TES: We are very excited to see the great crowd supporting MMF. They are an amazing organization for Kansas City. We’re also very excited to be playing with bands like Deco Auto and The Architects.

The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?

TES: Mat: Ty Segall.
Ross: Django Django.
Will: The new Murder By Death album kicks ass.

The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?

TES: Roger Miller opens up. Followed by The Ventures. Then us, of course. Fela Kuti closes the night.

The Deli: Would you rather spend the rest of your life on stage or in the recording studio?

TES: Mat: Studio.
Ross: I don’t know, man.
Will: Stage.

The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why?

TES: Joe Strummer, Neil Young because he’s Canadian, Harry Nilsson, and let’s keep George Washington up there so they don’t have to do so much renovation.

The Deli: All right, give us the rundown. Where all on this big crazy web can you be found?

TES: theemptyspaces.com
http://facebook.com/TheEmptySpaces
Twitter: @tesband
Instagram!: TheEmptySpaces

The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?

TES: Party! And don’t drink the cheap stuff.

The Empty Spaces are:
Mat Shoare: guitar, lead vox
William Brent Wright: bass
Ross Brown: drums

The Empty Spaces seem to keep themselves pretty busy. As mentioned, they will be playing Apocalypse Meow on Saturday, November 3 at Beaumont, taking the stage around 9 pm. Don’t miss them!

–Michelle Bacon

Michelle is editor-in-chief of The Deli – Kansas City. She also has a weekly column with The Kansas City Star and reviews music for Ink. She plays with Deco Auto, Drew Black and Dirty Electric, and Dolls on Fire. She was voted by readers of The Pitch as Kansas City’s "Best Sexy Musician." That’s not even a joke, but she feels it should be. 

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NYC

Album review: Gentleman Savage – Open Eyes (EP)

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I always enjoy hearing new bands that fully understand their influences, but don’t crutch on them. True musicians don’t simply regurgitate what the greats of old have done—they nod their caps to their predecessors and then find a way to push the musical bar higher and higher. Gentleman Savage has figured that out. Its brand of bubbly, ’60s-infused synth pop is a dynamic and powerful melting pot of old and new.
 
"Overlord": Two minutes and fifty-eight seconds of high-energy, guitar-driven pop. The song works itself up to a fever pitch in the middle through the playful interplay of a well-written, breakdown bridge. Followed by the closest thing to a "face-melting” guitar solo you can get in this style of music, the song ends by trailing off over the chorus. Definitely a solid opening track. I imagine it as straight off the soundtrack of the long overdue made-for-TV movie version of The Wonder Years.
 
"Open Eyes": This is my favorite song on the EP, as I am a sucker for the “chug” punk beat. It sounds like The Animals stumbling their way onto Oasis’s tour bus, only to quickly realize that they needn’t stay too long. Again, it features a great late song breakdown, with harmonized falsetto vocals leading the listener by his willing hand back into the final chorus. The vocals are a clear focus and strength of this band and they are used to greatest effect on this track.
 
"Death in the Springtime": The most “psychedelic” of the bunch, it’s also the hardest for me to put my finger on. The beginning immediately brings to mind the droning indie styles of Bat for Lashes or Feist. The stripped-down emotional choruses take me to nervously slow dancing in the high school gymnasium (well, at least how John Hughes would explain what dancing in a high school gym would sound like). But just when I accept my Simple Minds fate, Gentleman Savage once again picks up the intensity through a series of distorted strains. The effort bellows with a full head of dissonant steam until the falsetto harmony vocals once again emerge and offer a serene bridge of sunlight back down out of the clouds and all the way to the last satisfying chord.
 
The best part of this EP? It leaves you wanting more. It is a solid release worthy of many thorough listens. The music of Gentleman Savage comes out like Gemini Revolution, The Quivers, and Thee Water MoccaSins all wrapped up in one vintage psychedelic pop blanket (which, by the way, these four bands on a bill would be spectacular. Someone make that show happen. Do it. Do it now.).
 
Catch Gentleman Savage on November 9 at Czar with Molehill, The Future Kings, and Little Rosco (Facebook event here). And be sure to pick up a copy of Open Eyes, which is now available.

–-Zach Hodson

Zach Hodson is a monster. He once stole a grilled cheese sandwich from a 4-year-old girl at her birthday party. He will only juggle if you pay him. I hear he punched Slimer right in his fat, green face. He knows the secrets to free energy, but refuses to release them until "Saved by the Bell: Fortysomethings" begins production.

He is also in Dolls on Fire and Drew Black & Dirty Electric, as well as contributing to various other Kansas City-based music, comedy, and art projects.

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NYC

Prism Tats at Barboza for City Arts Fest on Friday

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Photo Source: Prism Tats

Prism Tats is set to perform at Barboza this Friday, October 19th. Part of the week’s City Arts Fest, the set will also feature Howlin Rain, Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound, and Fox and the Law.

A one-man project, Prism Tats inks out a passionate, minimal aesthetic that shimmers from the first strum. G Vanderkrimp – formerly the singer/guitarist for Seattle band Koko and the Sweetmeats – takes listeners for a fuzzy but spirited ride with his self-proclaimed "future garage trash pop." He has a hodgepodge of songs available to stream currently.

"Death or Fame," forms immediately and eagerly; the sweet-singing guitar stabs mesh well with Vanderkrimp’s high-pitched, incandescent vocal style. The simple bass drum beat and supporting electronic effects are subtle and help anchor the snarling wails he breaks into later in the song.

"Lizard Scum" carries on its shoulders a more somber, secluded vibe. The chorus, though, is as melodious and ear-grabbing as many of Seattle’s catchiest and inclusive folk bands. Here, the climaxes are always kept on a short leash without exploding into overwrought harmonies. Its armor of fuzzed-out pop has cracks; synthetic echoes and murmurs lurk nearby.

For one further example of ‘trash pop’ validation, "Vacant & Impatient" is a more straightforward, bluesy number that oozes with aliveness. It is catchy, dark, and urban – and very replayable.

Head over to Barboza on the 19th of October to catch Prism Tats accompanying a good lineup through and through. Tickets are $13 and doors open at 7pm. Listen to "Lizard Scum" below and visit his bandcamp to hear a handful of tracks. Whooping Cranes Records is releasing a debut 7” on Nov. 20 for $6. Preorder here.

– Cameron LaFlam

NYC

Album of the Month: Heart of Hearts “My Society”

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Baltimore’s perveyor of indie pop noise Heart of Hearts (Greg Hatem’s solo project) create soundscapes of ethereal tinged notes and lush air in his debut September release My Society (also available on glorious vinyl.) It’s a great soundtrack for this new gloomy sky we have above us. So turn on the heat, open a natty bo, and hit play for a relaxing ride into the impending winter.

One of my favorite tracks is definitely "Owls Grow Up," which full on showcases Hatem’s flair for layered keys in a futuristic shoegaze atmosphere.

"You’re My Sister" takes a psychedelic journey into more experimental territory, with warbly sci-fi synths and cleverly placed background tones that sound like a chorus of extra terrestrials chiming in.

"Grass Mask" gets uber dark, with Suicide-ish keys booming throughout, and paired with lyrics "I can’t mask how I feel. Don’t ask how I feel." But before you get caught up in the horror score of it, Hatem ends on a ‘happier’ note with the title track "My Society" pumping a steady oompa bass beat that harkens on 80’s electro and shoegazey electro vocals. –Dawn

NYC

‘Trios Do It Better’ CMJ showcase at Bar Matchless 10.17

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Schoolhouse Rock once noted that “three is a magic number.” This Wednesday, October 17 at Bar Matchless in Brooklyn, Rocker Stalker, EiPR, and The Outlet Collective present an official CMJ showcase demonstrating the power of three. The “Trios Do it Better” showcase will feature Birmingham-bred indie rockers La Resistance (NYC), electronica-laced outfit  Black Bird White Sky (NYC), the blues-driven sound of Chainwave (NYC), late Deli ‘Artist of the Month’ Viva Mayday, with the communicative energy of their reggae/r’n’b rock fusions(NYC), psychedelic genre-busters The Gypsy West(NYC), garage band The Phuss (DFW), in town for a few dates, and alt-rockers Lights Resolve (NYC), and you will have a chance to dance, groove, and head bang all in one night. It’s a not-to-be missed event with 21 of the top music makers. Doors are at 7:30pm, 21+, FREE entry with CMJ badge, $10 without. – Meijin Bruttomesso

Nashville

Lineup Announcement for Tonight’s Deli Nashville Showcase

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In the spirit of keeping things interesting, we’ve had a bittersweet, last-minute shakeup in our lineup for tonight. Though we’re incredibly bummed to announce that Josh Foster can’t make it to tonight’s show, we’re thrilled to tell you that Kristen Cothron has come through as Pinch Hitter Of the Year to take his place!

All of the other details remain the same: 12th & Porter, $5, 18+, awesome show. Kristen Cothron is on first, followed by The Paranormals, and rounded out by Ernie Halter. We will see you all at 7 pm!

Philadelphia

New Video: “Arms Like Boulders” (Austin City Limits) – The War on Drugs

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Aww…here’s a live performance video of The War on Drugs performing an oldie but goodie “Arms Like Boulders” (with new drummer Pat Berkery) at Austin City Limits this past Friday. This song always makes us feel good inside.
 
BTW: Johnny Brenda’s just announced that The War on Drugs will be performing two shows December 30 & 31 to help ring in the New Year. Tickets go on sale this Thursday so make sure you hop on them quickly because we predict that both nights will sell out. (Photo by Glen Brown)

Chicago

She Speaks In Tongues @ Empty Bottle

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Fronted by the dynamic Kate McCandless, the five-piece basement blues band She Speaks In Tongues is poised to make some big sounds in 2013. The current single is a gut check and a rework called "Gloria, G-U-I-T-A-R" which they recently shot an official music video of, and they have a couple more tracks on their soundcloud page. The band has a solid sound and have been building a live presence.

You can catch She Speaks In Tongues at Empty Bottle on Oct. 16th with We Can’t Enjoy Ourselves and Slowdance.