Birth and decay are both moments of abjection, wherein the subject is removed from the great mother and becomes conscious of a unique identity devoid of interference from cultural perceptions. The phenomenon is no magical circumstance, rather a self initiated exile into a world of infinite possibilities -a moment that generally evades our grasp. However, some are able to embrace this state of reality and become the uncanny abject of our heart’s desire.
Nightspace is Seattle’s very own destroyer of the super-ego; using synthesized sounds to distance themselves from the status quo of pop. Though, you may find something familiar in the four-on-the-floor kick drum, don’t let it fool you; Eurythmics did it too and they set themselves apart from the synth-pop of the 80’s with darkness and gravity much in the same way Nightspace also does so fluently. Rejecting themselves from the same school of industrial cold-wave as Cabaret Voltaire, Nightspace combines the sex and death of a slowed down Belgian Hardstyle DJ with Ian Curtis’ cavernous admonitions of a completely dejected reality, jutting out from the walls of deviance that seem to be closing in on them. Concurrently, looming and distorted synthesized lines weave in and out of Nightspace’s techno-terror with sincerity, conjuring fake memories of Demdike Stare covering the Suspira soundtrack, an occurrence that has not happened (though we wish it would).
The abjection that occurs from listening to Nightspace is a beautiful fracture of reality that all should be aware of. Whether you crave the horror of love or the placidity of death, hearing Nightspace will remove you from both and surly enhance you as a person and a listener.
Refmarkably attitude-free for a Brooklyn band, the MiniBoone troupe has been active since 2008, and – judging from the new single "Basic Song" from their upcoming LP "Bad Sports" – they still have plenty of good melodies to sing, and humurous things to say. The new album is presented as "a chronicle of looking for joy and failing, only to find that joy hiding within the soulcrushing hunt itself."
ONWE‘s odd mix of post-punk and psych-pop makes a fine vehicle for David Welles’ vindictive lyrical style. Single "Unpaid Internship"—a mini-hit perpetrated by blogs in summer 2014—mocked the dubious self-confidence of Brooklyn hipsters. I suppose they had it coming… ONWE released a new 8 track album entitled "Hyperbole" this past January, and will tour their way to Austin for SXSW in March. Check out single FOMO, streaming below.
The sentimental thank you Facebook posts have all gone out. The Instagram pictures have all gotten their double tap hearts of approval. The videos of various raucous late night room parties have been shared. The hangovers have (mostly) subsided. Over the next 12 months, the hazy “remember that time at Folk Alliance when…” stories will joyously be told and retold. As most of us return to the wicked monotony of the work week, we must finally accept that the 2015 Folk Alliance International conference is over.
Simply put, it was an unparalleled celebration of music over the course of 6 days. For those who did not attend or are not familiar with the conference, it’s like a musical version of Disney Land AND Disney World combined into two hotels with a 4-minute skywalk in between. There was something going on most days in excess of 20 hours. You could rise early to partake in group yoga and meditation before spending the morning in seminars, classes, or the open exhibit hall. Catch a showcase or speaker in the afternoon. Head down to the lobby where a jam with musicians from 4 different continents has spontaneously busted out. As evening hits, the official showcases begin in the ballrooms. As night rolls in, one could argue the real fun begins as damn near every room on floors 5, 6, and 7 of the Westin hosts a showcase put on by organizations across the world. Partake in the various libations flowing freely throughout and wander in and out of rooms listening to hundreds of performers until the wee hours of the morn. Make a plethora of new friends from Australia, Canada, Japan, France, etc. Maybe catch a few zzz’s and then wake up and do it all over again. It is truly unbelievable the sheer amount of activity crammed into a relatively small amount of time and space. Therefore, it would be impossible to offer a full recap, but there were things that stuck out from the sensory overload. Here are some of the highlights.
Official KC Showcases/Local Representation
Wednesday night saw a slew of official showcases played solely by local artists. These musicians did a fine job representing the strength and variety in our music scene. Driving down to the conference, I was treated to Ruddy Swain being live broadcasted on KKFI 90.1 FM from their showcase. A stripped down version of The Latenight Callers (pictured above) offered a sultry set of noir pop tunes. Dollar Fox emerged from a somewhat lengthy hiatus with a slimmed down lineup and new musical focus towards pure rock ‘n roll. Some of the rooms featured “in the round”-style setups with 4 artists trading performances for hour-long blocks (memorable acts included Amy Farrand, Vi Tran, Cheri Woods, Jen Harris, Ben Byard, amongst many others). The Hardship Letters closed down their room with a fantastic set of emotional rock songs.
Upstairs, the KC Music Collective Tower Room showcases (put together by some of the fine folks from Midwest Music Foundation, Money Wolf Music, and others deeply involved in the Kansas City arts scene) further showed that our little slice of “flyover” country is not to be ignored. Some comments coming later on specific highlights from these rooms.
It’s an odd thing to wander into a random hotel room around midnight and hear a group that describes itself as “a real dance-along turbo-Nordic-folk band which brings back the energy, purity, and sincerity of Estonian folk music.” Featuring a 12-string guitar, a cajon, a jaw harp and more sing-songy group vocals than you can shake a kepp at (thank you Google Translate), this trio was delightfully entertaining, also working the crowded room between each song with gusto.
Another “I wonder what is going on in this room …” discovery, this duo from Los Angeles (real names Lee Ferris and Bianca Caruso) served up an impactful set of smartly written acoustic pop songs. The real draw here is the sensational natural blend of their vocals. Some voices just seem made for each other with the ability to weave into a singular force of vocal performance. Ferris and Caruso have found their respective vocal soulmates, the kind of perfect harmonies that send a gripping shiver down the backbone of the listener.
I caught a few minutes of their set on Wednesday night, but it was the performance on Friday that really stuck out. A little less “official,” a little more raucous, a little better sound, and a little more just all-around fun, the band took us through vast points of their catalog with the jangly precision that we’ve come to expect from the country rock sextet. Vocalists Jimmy Fitzner and Lauren Krum are another example of two voices that join forces so damn well as one. Krum also exhibits such exuberance on stage, bobbing and weaving to the groove with a warm childlike cackle that just makes you grin.
This was my first Carswell and Hope show, surprising since they are based in Lawrence and it is musically right in my wheelhouse. Songwriter and lead vocalist Nick Carswell clearly knows how to write intelligent, poignant pop songs. Dreamy and textured in all the right ways, the band behind him (especially keyboardist Austin Keys) provided the perfect complement of additional instrumentation without getting in the way of the raw beauty of the material. It ends up sounding something akin to the more recent mature work of Nada Surf or the poppier moments of the Sigur Ros catalogue. Safe to say, I will be checking them out much more moving forward.
Another local artist I am kicking myself for not being more familiar with before this event, Arsenia played a very entertaining set of tunes, both while strumming a harp and a cappella. He has such an impressive appearance and performance, like folk vaudeville with a voice that is just unbelievably strong.
In an event with this sheer amount of activity, there is a good chance no two reviews will read the same. Everyone will see a different batch of performances. Everyone will look for their favorite attributes. That is the inherent beauty of an event of this magnitude.
That said, The HillBenders should and will end up on most Best of FAI2015 lists. It’s the age old story of bluegrass band does Tommy by the Who (my tongue firmly planted in my cheek, if you could not tell). Not selections from Tommy. The whole damn thing. Beginning to end.
Now, I will admit that I don’t have an avid knowledge of Tommy. I have heard the record a few times, but I would never describe it as important to me; it’s not even my favorite The Who album. The HillBenders are already fantastic in their own right, but the treatment the Springfield quintet gave Tommy was inspirational and transcendent. The musicality was there, the harmonies were brilliant, the stage presence was vigorous. They took an album featuring arguably one of the most powerful percussionists in rock ‘n roll history and blew the cover off it with no percussion whatsoever.
If I saw anything at the conference that I would label as “about to break,” it would be this.
God love this man, I won’t soon forget his late night showcase in one of the KC Music Collective rooms. If ever a public event was suited to one individual, it would be Folk Alliance 2015 for Cody Wyoming. It was far from a perfect performance, but more importantly it was a perfect example of the power and purpose of our community as Wyoming invited several random musicians in the room to join his set minutes before he started. This sentiment was shown time and time again throughout the event, but it was his showcase that sticks out in that regard.
Rivaling the aforementioned Wyoming for the “Who is Folk Alliance Conference 2015 best suited for?” award, what I will call the Dollar Fox Room Party Collective rolled through the various private showcase floors like bearded ball lightning, leaving a trail of empty whiskey bottles, knocked over furniture, and amazed faces in their wake. It’s hard to encapsulate (or remember) who all was involved at what points. Mostly consisting of members of various Money Wolf Music artists, it’s probably a shorter list of who wasn’t involved in the horde (hell, even I sat in with them for a set late Saturday night). In an event where it is very easy to be forgotten as “just another dude playing an acoustic guitar and singing sad songs,” this group took great care to make sure their show was special, brash and, above all else, damn entertaining. Whiskey, oh whiskey indeed…
I really could write for days about everything I saw, but those are just a few that stuck out. I am sure there were countless other wonderful performances I missed. Folk Alliance 2015 was an amazing event to experience, both as a performer and member of the media. My overall suggestion: do whatever you have to do to attend next year (and any other year you can).
The countdown begins. Only 357 shopping days until Folk Alliance 2016.
—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.
Chrome Sparks is the moniker of classical percussionist turned synth-and-sample master Jeremy Malvin. Malvin started his career in Ann Arbor, MI and has since toured extensively, drumming for bands such as Miniature Tigers and playing festivals under Chrome Sparks; he now resides in Brooklyn, where he produces lavish and intricately textured soundscapes. More than being good to dance to, Malvin’s soundscapes encourage synesthesia — the beats and fabrics are so clear and tactile it is difficult not to experience sights or even tastes. Every song is a self-sufficient habitat. In 2014 Chrome Sparks released an EP entitled Goddess, toured North America and Australia, and kept a new years resolution to eat lunch with a different person every day of the year. The ambitious lunch project is all documented here. Chrome Sparks’ next NYC show will be on April 3rd at Webster Hall.
Catchy magazine headlines and conversations overheard on the train might lead you to suspect a mass exodus out of NYC, but recently Brooklyn snagged Mackenzie Scott of the songwriting project Torres away from Nashville. For many artists, nostalgia is an easy route, but Torres’ songs rarely allow that kind of distance — there is something dangerous and she’s touching it now, she has a fresh cut and she’s washing it now. Scott will sing a statement with grace and tolerance but repeat the line until it drives her mad enough to shriek it. Torres primarily utilizes guitar and drums with influences of folk, country, and punk, but Scott’s voice is the power capital. In the past Torres has toured with Lady Lamb The Beekeeper, worked with Sharon Van Etten and War on Drugs, released two albums. She recently headlined at Brooklyn Night Bazaar and Bowery Ballroom. This May she will embark on a U.S. and European tour. – Leora Mandel
For those of us living close to DC, we’ve had to enjoy Sleepwalkers’ rise through the Richmond scene from afar, listening to their brilliant album, Greenwood Shade, or watching videos of their live shows. Now they’re here! And Jammin’ Java will be just the first stop on a two month tour that will take them througout the Midwest and South. Exciting times! Don’t miss the beggining of a great career, at Jammin’ Java, March 1st, doors at 8:30, $10.
It’s hard to pick which song I want to stream here. There’s at least 5 singles on the album, and they’re all different. I’m gonna pick the second track, "Breaking My Heart," cause I’m feelin’ it right now. Sounds a lot like Moby Grape’s "Going Nowhere" mixed with some psychedelic power-pop like the Lemon Pipers. Or something. Seriously, listen to the whole thing. –Natan Press
Lately, we’ve been writing a lot about the explosion of woman-made electronic music in NYC, referring to it at times as a nouvelle – although less rebellious and more technologically advanced – riot grrrl movement. This track entitled "It’s Only You" by 22 year old NYC songwriter and producer Dominique is only the latest of a seemingly infinite list. Essential programming and a very tasteful production allow Dominique’s voice to be the real focus of the track, which conveys to the song an inconceivable level of dreaminess.
Blending garage and rockabilly, Tall Juan plays music that’s unpretentious and fun. The Brooklyn via Buenos Aires musician also enjoys relevant connections: after recording (streaming) single "Falling Down" with Mac DeMarco, he left for a few east coast gigs with friend and Captured Tracks’ artist Juan Wauters, who also happens to play drums for him (to reciprocate, Tall plays bass in his band). You can see Tall Juan live at Shea Stadium on March 8.
Despite being a Brooklyn band, Youth Signals‘ latest single, ‘Prisms,’ carries characteristics of the other coast – or maybe even of the music some UK bands were playing in the late 80s (Psychedelic Furs, Echo and the Bunnymen). The song evokes a landscape (and society) far from hospitable ("we live in a land where everyone steals…. crumbling buildings/ no one has a home"), but for all its bleak content, ‘Prisms’ retains a hopeful disposition. Its sun-stroked, washed-out guitar keeps the song afloat, and this, coupled with the darkly lush vocals and languid pace of the drums, imparts a serene sense of calm. Towards the middle, the song slows, bending to entropy, but it soon breaks through, returning to its original elated existence. – @emilioherce
Rock n’roll has had many different iterations over the years, but in all its chameleon like stages it has maintained its sense of rebellion which made it so exciting, and scandalous, in the 50’s.All that is required of a rock n’roll band is that essence of insolence regardless of whatever else you sprinkle in.
With Bad Motivators insolence comes in spades; loud guitars, sarcasm, pizza, with some occasional harmonies make up the dynamic quartet. On a song like ‘Too High’ Bad Motivators marry a good olde Chuck Berry riff with snotty lyrics that can’t even… Like, “I’m not even gonna bother talking to you because I just can’t.” Throw in a cool little surf shack organ vibe a la the B-52’s and you’ve nearly satiated yourself with a pretty cool laissez-faire punk song.
