New England

Bishop and Rook, Mutiny on the Microphone to Host Press & Media Meet n’ Greet

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This coming Tuesday, July 23, Boston music blog Bishop and Rook (in conjunction with Mutiny on the Microphone) will be hosting a local music press & media meet n’ greet at Middlesex Lounge in Cambridge, MA. The event is scheduled to last from 7-9PM and is FREE. I’ve been told that registration for the event has reached capacity, but you can still sign-up here for the waitlist. For those of you that have already secured your spot, this will certainly be a great opportunity to get to know other members of the Boston-area music press scene. I love seeing events like this pop-up around the city. It’s great knowing that so many people are interested in supporting the awesome local music scene. Commiserating with other people about meeting deadlines and editing content isn’t bad either.

For more information, check out the Bishop and Rook website.


 

-Dan McMahon (@dmcmhn)
NYC

From The Deli Submissions: Johnny Azari plays Rockwood on 08.01

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Johnny Azari makes thick delta blues songs out of Brooklyn.  The most obvious comparison is Tom Waits; Azari’s vocals are rough, expressive and fierce, accuratley delivering the grim and depressing messages in his music.  "I used to be a contendor/Now I’m just a bummer/I used to be somebody/But now I am no one," he wheezes on "Bitter" off his recent album, Road-Dog’s Teeth.  The song is tastefully combined with Jamie Elizabeth’s crispy clean harmonies, adding an extra modern tinge to the elemental roots.  You can catch Johnny Azari at The Rockwood Music Hall on August 1st.  Stream "Bitter" below.  -Jake Saunders

This band submitted their music for coverage here.

Philadelphia

Circadian Rhythms Returns as a Seven-piece at Bourbon & Branch July 25

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It’s been quite some time since we last saw Circadian Rhythms rocking a stage with their jazzy, melodic vibrations. But it’s all been for good reason, as they’ve utilized the long hibernation to the fullest by expanding to a seven-piece band and working on new material that will lead to their upcoming EP A Passing Thought. And if the first single, “In the Flowers,” that they recently unveiled is an indication of where their next release is headed, it should be in for a treat tonight at Bourbon & Branch. They’ll be joined by good buddies Laser Background, who have also been working on new material for their upcoming album, CORRECT. This evening will also be a good chance to catch Vermont transplants Hello Shark, whom we’re quite enamored with these days here at The Deli, before they go on a mini-tour with Attic Abasement. Bourbon & Branch, 705 N. 2nd St., 8pm, $10, 21+ – Bill McThrill

Nashville

Blue Matches at Exit/In 7.26

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Where will you be Saturday July 26th? Either at Exit/Inn, or wishing you were there. The night is filled with four talented bands. The headliner is Blue Matches, a band nominated for the Nashville Independent Music Awards (vote here.) The band has been our very own Artist of the Month this past January. Also playing this night is Small Town Sleeper, Black Market Research, and Stereosparks. The lineup is great, it’s a Saturday night, and the show is only five bucks. There really is no excuse to not be supporting all of the kick ass talent going on in one night. It’s my birthday. Do me a solid, get out and celebrate. Drink till you puke; it’ll be worth it the next day. -Amanda Aydelott

NYC

Album review: Claire and the Crowded Stage – Kamikaze

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Sometimes a gimmick can trample upon the art. We have all seen it. Some band who may or may not be creating something special, only to let it take a firm back seat to a schtick. Perhaps it is an elaborate super shiny multimedia extravaganza. It might come in the form of a five-person, multi-tuned cowbell section and/or audio samples from Dr. Strangelove. These are the kinds of bands that leave the soundman sorely exclaiming, “How many mics and DIs do you need again?” before sulking off and muttering under his breath a filthy slew of words only known to the hardiest of sailors.
 
With a live set up that features up to double-digit members playing various strings, percussion and woodwinds, it would be easy for Claire and the Crowded Stage to suffer this pitfall. Thankfully, on the new album Kamikaze, the band shows masterful control of how to question the integrity of a stage’s weight limit in a way that is truly synergistic to a great whole.
 
The range of tones and sounds featured throughout make it almost unclassifiable, a truly wonderful sideshow of pop music. Kudos to the arranger (and sound engineer) for creating a roadmap and space for each part to shine in just the right way. The instrumentation is woven with a delicate and deft touch. At any given time, the listener can focus upon any of the various elements and clearly decipher what dish it brings to the dinner table. It is a symphony of rock music, like a progressive new high school band teacher fresh out of grad school choosing to close his first spring concert with a version of “Helter Skelter.”
 
At times, it is almost a rock music bait-and-switch. During the proggy break in “Songbird,” the usual scathing guitar takes a back seat in the rhythm section to let the clarinet champion the solo with splitting vigor. The single reed’s moment in the spotlight works especially well in tandem when it returns to its more traditional floaty place on the following “Night Owls,” whose side-to-side head bob groove sounds like the perfect sound track for a Tootsie Roll pop commercial. Extra points for the delightfully arbitrary reprise outro.
 
Other strong moments include the Avett Brothers-go-to-Disneyland sounds of “Tower of Babel” and the prohibition jazz speakeasy slice of noir in “Technicolor.” “I Saw it All” is perhaps the best use of the symphony style arrangement on the record, growing from simple ukulele to full orchestra pit and back again. “The Nightside of Day” finishes off the record as a delightful denouement with joyful-sounding, yet stormily-themed sock hop flair.
 
Fronting this well-oiled juggernaut is the powerfully voiced Claire Adams. Her affected vocal stylings pierce the ear in a beautiful misfit manner, ranging from a very airy and playful Regina Spektor to the soulful belt of Neko Case. Much like the success shown by the orchestra beneath her, she shows great discretion on when to play the sweet little skipping girl with cartoon hearts in her eyes and when to let fly the tortured, broken soul inside. The often-paired harmony vocals add a further power and intrigue in all the right spots.
 
As if it needed yet even another cylinder to fire upon, the lyrics are often nothing short of poetry. Lines such as:
 
Oh, I’m a boat of awkward, sinking in the shifting waters of our chemistry (from “Kamikaze”)
 
It’s been a long grey time, rhymes in red, blue and yellow fighting to flash well, nobody’s talking trash just pass the hat ’til someone steps up to bat sayin’ I know something you don’t know  (from “Technicolor”)
 
I watched the sun it rose, standing on my tiptoes to catch the moment when the day broke in halves as people live straining to love and give, it’s just another tower of babel falling (from “Tower of Babel”)
 
… are just a few examples of the impactful wordsmithing flexed throughout.
 
All put together, it ends up being one damn fine record that should definitely be added to your collection. Having been fortunate enough to catch Claire and the Crowded Stage a few times in various haunts, the live show is equally as impressive. Make sure you check it out and get your own copy of Kamikaze.
 
–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,Drew Black & Dirty Electric, and Riot Riot Riot, as well as contributing to various other Kansas City-based music, comedy, and art projects.
 
Claire and the Crowded Stage will be commandeering the recordBar stage this Saturday, July 26, to celebrate the release of Kamikaze. Ali Holder & Christy Hays and Bearing Torches will open the show at 10 pm. Facebook event page.
 

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Portland

Deli Portland Presents: Intimate Exposures with GRANDPARENTS

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The Deli Magazine would love to incite more rowdy into your summer.

To that end, on Saturday, July 26th at 2pm, we are kicking off the first installment of what will be an ongoing audio/video series that we’ve dubbed, Intimate Exposures, featuring interviews and live performances by Portland’s best bands in varying intimate settings, and we invite you all to come be a part of it! Saturday’s inaugural event will be a pot-luck style brunch house show at the Aquarium Garden House, awesomely located on the corner of Alberta and NE 6th, featuring one of our absolute favorite bands, GRANDPARENTS: a psych-pop band full of amazing musicians who, in collaboration, are known to invoke mindgasms over and over again. SS Curmudgeon will open the afternoon at 2pm with Grandparents to follow at 3pm.

Audio from Grandparents set will be recorded by Adam Harney, one of the sound engineer geniouses behind Banana Stand Media. Additionally, the party will be filmed by a team of five talented cameramen and women, with direction and editing by local videographers gurus Alexei Shishkin and Nick Gattman.

We invite you to bring some variation of food or drink to share with the party. Beer will be aplenty and FREE thanks to Salem sudster sweethearts, Gilgamesh Brewering, and local snow cone experts, Fancy Ice, will be there to help you cool down with handcrafted flavors and booze infused cones! Corn-hole will be setup in the yard, but please feel free to bring any other yard games you’ll want to get down on. 

We are excited to present this series as a snapshot of the best local music, fans and culture in Portland’s ever evolving music scene, during a time when change appears more evident than ever in this Rose City we love.  
 
Click here for more information and to RSVP to the event. 
 
– Colette Pomerleau
 

Philadelphia

New Track: “Dream House” – Amanda X

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Garage-pop trio Amanda X is getting ready for the release of its debut LP Amnesia, which was with Uniform Recording’s Jeff Zeigler and will be available this Saturday, June 28 via Siltbreeze Records. They’ll also be celebrating the momentous occasion the same evening at the Philadelphia Record Exchange, which is run by Siltbreeze head honcho Tom Lax. Below is the band’s latest single entitled "Dream House."

Philadelphia

Free Pop-up Concert w/Purling Hiss and Chris Forsyth & the Solar Motel Band at Spruce St. Harbor Park July 24

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This evening, the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation will erect a stage at Spruce Street Harbor Park for a free pop-up concert that will be benefit Vox Populi Gallery and will include video projections and sculptures from some of its artist-members. The show features a duel-headed juggernaut of local psych-rock in Purling Hiss as well as Chris Forsyth & the Solar Motel. The trio of Purling Hiss explores and bends the boundaries, placing themselves somewhere that pulls elements from the noise, shoegaze, psych scenarios, while also incorporating delicate melodies with a take it or leave it garage aesthetic and raunchy instrumentation that include monsterous extended guitar jams. It’s a complex sound that when boiled down tastes like what rock ‘n’ roll is all about. Speaking of going out there, Chris Forsyth and company dare (guitar in hand) to push those concepts. Tearing down artificial walls as part of what becomes a sonic journey organically stretching the fabric of convention with elongated instrumental charges, revealing what lies just beyond the edge. This will be nice warm-up for their set tomorrow night at The Boot & Saddle opening for Oneida. (If necessary, the rain date is scheduled for this Sunday, July 27th at 7:30pm.) Spruce Street Harbor Park, (Spruce St. & Columbus Ave.) 7:30pm, Free, All Ages – Michael Colavita

San Francisco

Astronauts, etc. Releases New Single – Fuss

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We mentioned last week that we’d share Bay Area based experimental hip hop – psych artist, Astronauts, etc.‘s new single, Fuss…so now is the time.

This smooth and sensually cathartic track kind of brings sexy back to the Bay Area experimental synth scene. Everyone needs a little slowcore, tripped out synth music in their lives once in a while, and this musical project creates a potent atmosphere with style and grace. We’re always happy to sit back and not have our heads jarred every second with new music, so we invite a grooved out psych track to calm our nerves and to change the pace a little bit. (PS: continue to send us loud, intense music because tomorrow it may be time to rage).  

With touches of R&B and neo soul, Astronauts, ect is definitely onto something great.