No one ever taught Gracie and Rachel how to hide their feelings away, and we’re the beneficiaries of that innocence. Soaring tracks like ‘(un)comfortable’ and ‘faster’ will challenge the heights you’ve come to expect from an otherwise soft-spoken piano/singing duo, and ease you into the apparent comfort the duo has in expressing vulnerabilities. The girls may suffer through life’s travais, but these gorgeous textures transcend any question of calling them victims. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)
Philadelphia
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New Track: “Scarecrow” – Bridge Underwater
Below is a new track from Bridge Underwater called "Scarecrow." It’s off their EP Dead Man, which was released yesterday and mixed/recorded by Arc in Round‘s Matt Ricchini with help from him on "keyboard magic."
New England
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French Club: “Shit Talk” Never Sounded so Good
French Club’s November release “Shit Talk” is a conglomerate of punk, indie, and vagabond tunes. The band was formed in Ohio at Kenyon College out of members from MA, NH, NY, CA, and Hong Kong. Geographic diversity may have had a place in the creation of the songs, which incorporate grimey riffs to dancehall pop to syncopated punk and ska influences. The 10-track album has some serious selections, like the indie pop “Hoping You Would Ask Me to Stay” but the bulk of the album errs more to the side of a dance party. Take “In the Basement”: with the hook “All the pretty boys and pretty girls are dancing in the basement” it’s not hard to imagine this song being a hit at a Berklee house party. – Hillary Anderson
Austin
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Review – “Chesterfield” by Chesterfield
You know, it’s OK that Chesterfield‘s self-titled LP has been out for over 18 months and we’re just now listening – It’s got timeless qualities, both lyrically and compositionally, that give this one some seriously funky, get-on-the-good-foot legs.
Filled to the brim with head-bobbingly-good soul & funk numbers; powered by a rock-solid rhythm section and topped with spot-on horns that, we’re sure, even the Godfather of Soul would approve of; this release is proof positive that there’s some good funk still to be had in this town. And Chesterfield’s got the bag.
—Scott Osborn
Philadelphia
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You You Dark Forest Opening for Tiger Waves at KFN Jan. 30
You You Dark Forest seems to stand by its name quite tastefully – picture walking through a dark, mysterious forest while listening to the steadily building instrumentals of the atmospheric post rock outfit. The four-piece is best experienced in a live setting as you may be able to tell from the band’s three releases so you’ll want to join them tonight at Kung Fu Necktie when they open for rising, jangly Austin indie-pop crew Tiger Waves and indie rock locals The Goodnight Lights. Seems like it’ll be a smoke-‘em-if you-got-‘em evening. But isn’t it always? Kung Fu Necktie, 1250 N. Front St., 8pm, $8, 21+ – Rachel Barrish
NYC
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Behind the Scenes with The Latenight Callers
For the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring artists playing the MidCoast Takeover fundraiser shows, sponsored by Midwest Music Foundation.
It’s 11 a.m. on a Sunday morning, which for this reviewer typically equates to a dog on each side and blanket after blanket piled upon my bed. Instead, I’m braving the brisk winter air of Midtown to talk with a band whose name is acutely contradictory to my being awake.
If you don’t know them, you have to wonder what The Latenight Callers are really like, especially during the early morning hours (relatively speaking). You also might be wondering what the band’s new recording sounds like. To provide a quick perspective: the four members (Ms. Ellen [O’Hayer] was unavailable for comment that day) were awake and pleasant, and the upcoming LP leaves nothing to be desired for this skyrocketing Kansas City group.
I met with Ms. Julie, Mr. Mac, Mr. Nemeth, and Mr. Combs at Weights and Measures Soundlab, where they’ve been tracking with veteran engineer (and musician) Duane Trower (currently of Olivetti Letter; formerly of Season To Risk, Doris Henson, Overstep).
“The character of Duane’s gear helps us portray the character of the band, in the essence that everything is out of another time,” said baritone guitarist Krysztof Nemeth. Trower boasts an array of obscure, vintage gear, as well as equipment he’s built himself, which the band believes help keep its sound as unique as possible.
Unlike the band’s previous two EP recordings (The Latenight Callers and Easy Virtues). the full-length will be mixed by Trower (who mastered Easy Virtues) instead of recorded by Nemeth. Keyboardist/electronic sound guru Nick Combs mentioned that Trower seemed to be the perfect fit for the band’s upcoming album. “We needed someone that wouldn’t make us sound precious. With Duane’s own experience as a musician, we knew he’d give us the heftier sound we’ve been looking for.” Recording in a studio has given the band the freedom to explore its music, most of which will be new and some of which will be re-recorded from the first EP.
The new full-length, still untitled, seems to be more of a collaborative effort than previous recordings, with tracks built by each individual member to serve each song. The Callers’ first EP was written, produced, and performed by Nemeth and frontwoman Julie Berndsen, before the other three members were added to the mix. After 3 years, the band has gained a collective maturity and a strong foothold in the local scene, and the new tracks show that each member knows what element to bring to write a song that is uniquely The Latenight Callers.
Berndsen noted, “Everyone has the goal of creating a cohesive song, but we had to really think about… does each piece complement the particular song?” Berndsen and O’Hayer recorded their vocals in a session after each instrument had been laid down, which, according to the group, enhanced the emotive aspects of each track.
“With recording, we have to step back from our individual roles and look at it from a distance to gain perspective of what our audience will recognize and respond viscerally to,” said Nemeth. Combs added, “Instead of just one person’s vision, it’s all five of us. We’re listening to the arrangements and orchestration instead of just thinking about ‘my part.’”
With plans to release this album in the spring and big shows in the works, 2013 promises to be another tremendous year for The Latenight Callers. Stay tuned.
Editor’s note: Bassist Gavin Mac was available for comment, but settled upon curling up in the studio’s comfortable leather couch and settled in for a long winter’s nap. Left-handed bass players are prone to hibernation at this and all other times of year.
The Latenight Callers will be performing some of the songs from its upcoming album this Friday, February 1, at Czar Bar, for the second MidCoast Takeover fundraiser show. The Callers will headline the show, playing at 12:00 a.m. after Jorge Arana Trio, Eyelit, and Tiny Horse. Tickets are available here. The band will also be performing at the MidCoast Takeover show at SXSW on Saturday, March 16 at Shangri-La in Austin, Texas.
Photos by Randy Pace. Please do not use without permission.
NYC
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Iameve wins The Deli Readers’ Best of 2012 Poll for Emerging Artists
LA Readers,
The Deli Los Angeles’s Best of 2012 Readers and Fans’ Poll for local emerging artists is over, thanks to all those who cast their vote in support of the emerging local bands and artists in our list of nominees. Congrats to electro pop queen Iameve (pictured) for being The Deli Readers’ Best Los Angeles Artist of 2012! Kudos also to psych blues trio The Vim Dicta and electronica wizards Zaptra, who placed second and third.
Here’s this poll’s top 10 chart, full results can be found here.
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Stay tuned for the composite chart, to be released soon, which will include the point nominees accumulated from the jurors and Deli writers’ votes, and will crown The Deli’s Best Emerging Los Angeles Artist of 2012.
The Deli’s Staff
Philadelphia
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Free Download: “Same Shit” (Feat. $¥£) – Gliss
Sounds like Gliss is gettin’ High on a Weekday, which is fine by us. Check out his latest freestyle called “Same Shit” featuring $¥£ that is available to be downloaded for free. Enjoy!
NYC
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Photos from MidCoast Takeover Fundraiser #1 at recordBar, 1.26.13
(Photo by Terra Peal)
The first MidCoast Takeover fundraiser show was a huge success, thanks to all of the great bands (She’s A Keeper, Drew Black and Dirty Electric, Molly Picture Club, and Antennas Up) that performed, as well as Midwest Music Foundation, recordBar, and all of our sponsors!
Here’s a list of the MidCoast Takeover sponsors:
CM2 Audio
Taj Mattingly
She’s A Keeper
Photos by Todd Zimmer
Drew Black and Dirty Electric
Photos by Todd Zimmer
Molly Picture Club
Photos by Terra Peal
Antennas Up
Photos by Terra Peal
Also, here’s a video recap of the fundraiser from Nate Heavilin from Attic Wolves:
And thanks to everyone who came to support the first fundraiser show! We hope you’ll join us for the next ones: Friday, February 1 at Czar; Saturday, February 2 at The Riot Room; Saturday, February 16 at The Brick; and Friday, March 8 at Uptown Arts Bar. MMF will be selling raffle tickets at each of the fundraiser shows for two pairs of VIP Kanrocksas tickets, which include a tour with the Kanrocksas founder!
–Michelle Bacon
Portland
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Summer Cannibals Play Mississippi Studios 1.31
There’s a vicious edge to Summer Cannibals’ enticing brand of garage rock. Their songs bait the listener with ethereal vocals and fluid bass lines to establish a sense of security which sharp guitar tones and aggressive rhythms prove to be false. The dynamics shift and swell though kinetic attacks of distortion and eerie waves of vocal melody that serve to tie the tracks together with sublime dexterity as can be heard on their self-titled release. I’m not sure if they change their cannibalistic behavior in the winter, but if you’re willing to risk it I’d highly recommend being at Mississippi Studios on Thursday night to experience their lively performance for yourself. – Benjamin Toledo
NYC
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Reminder: Punk never really died. An Interview with SlothRust.
SlothRust is the brain child of guitarist/vocalist Leah Wellbaum, bassist Kyle Bann, and drummer Will Gorin. Wellbaum blazes through her lyrics with emotional rawness that sounds like it’s voiced over a static megaphone. The trio is made up of graduates from the prestigious Sarah Lawrence, and if you’ve seen “10 Things I hate about you” you know how big of a deal that school is. Between studying and connecting through their blues and jazz classes, the group formed a distinctly new age punk band. Despite common band issues; such as a broken van, very little capital and no practice space; the motivated group is working on their latest EP at Spaceman Sound with the working title, “Of Course You Do”. The band is excited to offer more diversity in terms of style on the next EP. SlothRust’s sound is intricate and woven into careful patterns like grandma’s favorite quilt. Leah’s aggressive and slightly Nico monotone vocals coupled with melodic guitar parts and funky bass lines offer a dazzling balance of Rock and Blues. We were lucky enough to catch up with the lead singer, Leah, and ask a few questions about the group.
Read full interview here.
NYC
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Singer Songwriter on the Rise: Allison Weiss
I think if Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie) was a New York resident, preferred biking, and was just a wee big younger, he might sound something like Allison Weiss. The sentimental songstress charts her own misadventures in growing up, growing older, and getting over all the dramas you otherwise might not hear from the girl next door. New record ‘The Teenage Years’ charts these upsets through the battles fought out in ‘Here’s the Plan,’ and a chilling duet with Chris Mansfield (Fences) in ‘Boston.’ See her live when she plays Public Assembly on Feb 1. – Mike Levine (@Goldnuggets)