Railbird was definitely one of the highlights of our CMJ Music Marathon. We thoroughly enjoyed the band’s show at our CMJ Electronic Stage on Thursday 10.18, when they performed their quirky and delicate songs with precision and warmth, in front of a packed room. We recently interviewed them here.
NYC
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CD release party no to be missed: People Get Ready at Glasslands, 10.27
We covered People Get Ready so much in the last few months that we have really run out of words to describe how good they are – see past coverage here. Don’t mis their CD release party at Glasslands on October 27. Album out on legendary NYC label Brassland – run by members of The National.
NYC
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Jon DeRosa releases first single off ‘A Wolf In Preachers’ Clothes’
"I’m a bartender in Brooklyn, and spend most of my life on *that* side of the bar" says Jon DeRosa. Having myself spent a couple of years holding the fort in an East London boozer, obviously, I was intrigued. Man, the things you see from ‘that’ side… ‘Birds of Brooklyn‘, starting off as a downbeat gravelly barytone ballad telling romanticised tales of some regular faces, picks itself up slightly with its pace, as the trumpet joins in and silences get filled and the listener’s caught up in a warmly orchestrated parade a la Beirut, quite far from the original Cat Stevens-ey melancholy. DeRosa, whom we find for the B-side covering 1962 Nick Charles track ‘Sunday Jealous‘ – released this single a week back as the first off his debut solo album, ‘A Wolf In Preacher’s Clothes‘, which on November 5th will be available thoughout Europe thanks to a recent deal with Rocket Girl; following a performance at this year’s CMJ Festival, we’re expecting to find new dates announced soon – stay tuned.
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Dot Dash Debut Music Video For “The Past is Another Country”
DC’s post-punk Dot Dash debuted a new music video this week for the track "The Past is Another Country" off their second album Winter Garden Light, released September 2012. All the tracks are super catchy and have that classic DC post-punk sound that could easily dominate college radio waves on any given night. Just check it out and you’ll know…(Photo by Roy Anderson)
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Earthy Babes to release debut EP + play first show at Union Pool
Amidst the constant rumble of bands releasing debuts, merging into ‘supergroups’, changing names etc, opportunities like these are not what come around the most often: seeing a band play its first EVER live show. Awww..! Earthy Babes, originating as two Bushwick mates’ collaboration, is putting out today a first EP, ‘Still Earthy‘; follow-up to a debut album released exactly a year ago, for which Justin Ripley & Tyler Anderson surrounded themselves with a cast of friends to take on the backing vocals, bass, guitar, this six-track pack of cheerful reverbation and cosmic pop will be marking the new five piece band’s stage debut this evening at Union Pool, where they’ll be sharing th stage with The Denzels and Vivienne Eastwood. Along with the EP, Earthy Babes will also soon be releasing a first music video. Fancy perhaps going to support them? You can check out their music on their Bandcamp.
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Tracy’s Top 3 NYC acts from CMJ 2012: SLEEPiES, Unstoppable Death Machines, Mykki Blanco
1- SLEEPiES "Hard to come back on these guys without either repeating myself or going into too much detail, which I am saving for a Q&A to be posted soon. So for now, I’ll stick to a couple of comments, starting with the fact that I finally got to hear the Hot Singles played all in one go, which, despite understanding where the hesitation would come from (Feelers, with its sprightly clean-cut sprightly punk, tying far less into the new album’s aesthetics (or even those of their earlier records) than would Sludge River Mouth,), I’d been wanting to hear for a while."
2- Unstoppable Death Machines "Queens-bred sibling power duo, UDM is ‘a noise-punk tour-de-force built upon menacing riffs and insanely fast smashing drumbeats that threaten to break the sticks or drums themselves any second, with vocals passed through effects via a microphone strapped right onto Mike Tucci’s mouth– one of the most satisfying acts caught during the day"
3- Mykki Blanco "NYC’s own potty-mouthed ‘acid punk rapper’ Mykki Blanco (pictured), androgynous style icon on the rise, entertained the tiny jam-packed Cake Shop basement with half an hour of nasty raps turning into […] one hell of a frantic spoken word performance."
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On The Beat with Adam Phillips
(Photo by Todd Zimmer)
Nobody in Kansas City—and I mean nobody—hits harder and more precisely than Adam Phillips of The Architects. In anticipation of their upcoming show at Apocalypse Meow next Saturday, we sit down with the drummer and find out more about his technique, his favorite drummers in town, and why Van Halen is better than Van Hagar. Catch the beat right here!
–Michelle Bacon
On The Beat is a weekly Q&A with some of the best drummers in Kansas City. If you’d like to be considered for this interview, please send us an email at kceditor@thedelimagazine.com.
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Album review: Jorge Arana Trio – Mapache
Mapache, the debut full-length release from the Jorge Arana Trio, is both a throwback and forward-gazing: its simple blue-and-black-washed cover art hearkens to classic Blue Note albums of yore and its narrative thematic structure pays homage to the great concept albums of the past. The trio’s modern influences and distinctive voice carves out new territory of its own.
Leading the expedition are erstwhile members of Kansas City’s beloved experimental rockers Pixel Panda: Jorge Arana (guitar/keys) and Joshua Enyart (drums), joined by Jason Nash (bass).
These three adventurous fellows use their musical wanderlust to carve up twelve short sketches that cover free jazz, fusion, prog-jazz, metal, noise rock, and pretty much anything they deem necessary to move the story forward. Mapache, like its Spanish namesake, is a musical raccoon with its paws all over a number of genres, filching whatever and whenever it pleases.
“Bitter Era” opens the album demonstrating just this, embarking on a jazz odyssey with frenetic rhythms, dissonant plunking on the keys, and a grungy guitar before settling into a staccato groove that turns aggressive in the driving “Snake in the Grass.” A chorus of tribal voices lends a sinister air of foreboding before erupting in a hard rock finale.
Tracks such as “Nightly Stroll,” “Confrontation!”, and the playfully sinister “Short & Evil” make up a trilogy that heightens the sense of high stakes drama. The bulk of the album is packed densely with similar battle-music suites, highlighted by the aptly-titled “Catching Bullets with Your Teeth” and the bendy buzz-saw guitars propelling “Thieves Among Us.”
Early track “I’m an Omnivore” and the penultimate “Baptize Your Dinner” provide nice, contemplative free jazz reprieves from the cacophony. The album finale, “Ether,” returns us to the loose, improvisational spirit of the album’s opener before settling into an ambling, drunken strut, littered with loose keys, scratchy guitar strings and scattershot percussive asides.
There’s a strong sense of storytelling throughout Mapache, an orchestrated chaos. Stanley Kubrick’s Apocalypse Now didn’t improve upon Joseph Campbell’s Heart of Darkness so much as tweak its slow-burn descent into madness with psychedelia, machine gunfire, and stylistic bursts of dramatic flair. Jorge Arana Trio does the same here for the experimental jazz canon.
The clever and calculated Mapache stops just short of an uncontrolled acid jazz freak-out. Instead, it’s an invitation to embark upon a cinematic romp through a treacherous sonic wilderness, just beyond the safety of civilization–one that doesn’t promise to show you the way home.
Tomorrow marks the album release for Mapache. Join the Trio along with Quirk and Ruckus, Ambulants, and Mr.Marco’s V7 at Coda tomorrow, October 26, at 9:00 pm. Facebook event page. Mapache will be available in cassette or download form.
–Vi Tran
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Vi Tran is currently acting in Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson at the Unicorn Theatre through November 4. He’s also in Vi Tran Band and Hot Caution. |
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Album review: The Caves – Duplexiaville
When last we heard from KC quartet (recently upgraded to a five-piece) The Caves, they were supporting their five-song EP called, creatively enough, Five Songs With The Caves. It’s been a minute or two since then, and their live performances have solidified their reputation as a solid, cohesive act, but as with all bands who earn favor among their listening audience, said listeners have been patiently waiting for new music—a track or two would be performed here and there, and rumors of recording sessions would swirl in hushed tones among the faithful. That wait for new music has been rewarded recently with the release of Duplexiaville, a ten-track gem.
By way of comparison, and to see how their new album shows the evolution of the sound of The Caves, listen to one of their most well-known songs, “Liars” (which was included as part of the excellent Golden Sound Records/The Record Machine compilation Secret Handshakes). Whereas “Liars” is a mid-to-uptempo track featuring some pretty intense lyrics (the repetition of “I don’t believe in protecting liars” is a pretty effective verbal middle finger), you’ll find nothing of that level of bubbling-under angst in Duplexiaville. Here you’ll discover a group that has grown, individually and together, and has brought that growth to the recording studio, culminating in music that is wistful and winsome. There’s no rush in the pacing of this record, as the listener is taken on a gentle tour that takes its time in reaching its destination.
The overall sound can primarily be slotted into one of two categories: tracks like “Empty Sails” and “Give It Away Or Lose It” are rife with the trademark harmonic dissonance of Andrew Ashby’s guitar tone, while “Two-faced Folds” and “Feeler” offer slices of hypnotic dream-pop that would seem perfectly suited for an Olympic Size collaboration. You’ll also find a couple nice little detours on your aural adventure: “The Usual”, a bonafide alt-country work of art (just add a little Mike Stover steel guitar and shake well), and the album’s closing track, “Once And Astronaut All,” a lovely little ninety-second lullaby that sends the listener off to the land of hopes and dreams on the pillowy cloud of chords and notes that bring an end to the tour of Duplexiaville.
It’s a nice place to visit … and I think I’ll do so frequently.
–Michael Byars
Next chance you have to catch The Caves will be on Saturday, November 24 at The Brick. They’ll be joined by Knife Crime and Tree.
–Michael Byars
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Michael Byars currently has a pink goatee. No, it isn’t his natural hair color. No, he didn’t lose a bet. No, it has nothing to do with illicit sexual activities with Strawberry Shortcake. It’s in recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month—and in recognition of his mom, who kicked cancer’s ass. Rock on, Michael’s mom! |
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Album review: Ross Brown – Small Victories
It would seem that Golden Sound Records has done it again with the release of Ross Brown’s sophomore album Small Victories. And by “it” … I honestly couldn’t define what that would be. A wonderful X factor that every release on the label embodies; full of catchy indie hooks and masterful production.
Taking quite the turn from his first album The Human Condition, Brown delves himself in an array of stylistic experiments. While The Human Condition emitted a consistent stream of indie riffs and beats, Small Victories changes styles with each track. From poppy synth sounds to music straight from the 1960s, Brown truly elicits his talents on this album.
The album kicks off with the track “Dishes,” an erratic show of one’s own bravado. “I stand above everybody else, and I am glorious” sort of thing. Listening to the instrumentals, it is hard to imagine that only one man put this piece together. Synthesizers, guitars, and miscellaneous percussion push the upbeat song along. The next few songs seem to have a certain someone in mind; songs about memories and human interaction. The liner notes state, “None of these songs are about you.” I guess we will just have to believe that.
“Laodicea” takes a somber tone as a song reveling in self-pity. Brown appears to pick out procrastination and a lack of skill sets as a personal downfall, exploring that part of him in the song. The sixth track, a personal favorite from the album, is a high-energy, synth-driven story of a song. You are almost forced to imagine the story unfolding in your head as Brown attempts to get to know a girl. Taking on the role of a fumbling, blabbering fool, Brown spews out lines like, “Did you ever eat paper as a kid?”, and “In a food crisis who among your friends would you eat first?” The tale of a poor kid trying to relate to a beautiful woman—an experience most men could identify with.
Another thematic shift brings us to “Self Interest,” which discusses several cases of self-centeredness. The classic rock and roll diddy of this song urges the listener to wiggle a little. Tapping your feet to the beat, the song is very catchy. The hooks readily implant themselves in your brain and it’s nearly impossible to walk away from this track without humming it in your head.
Being the frontman for Fullbloods, drummer of The Empty Spaces, and an operator of Golden Sound Records, Brown has his hands full. But despite all of that, he is able to put together Small Victories, a brilliant conglomeration of melancholy jams and upbeat anthems that is sure to win you over … pun intended.
You can listen to some tracks from Small Victories by clicking on the album below.
–Steven Ervay
| Steven is the intern of Midwest Music Foundation and The Deli – Kansas City. He can’t go to 21+ shows yet and that bums him out. |
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Josh’s Top 3 NYC bands from CMJ 2012: Wilsen, Blonds, The Nightmare River Band
Josh run The Deli’s CMJ Music Marathon last weeks (consisting in blogging about 26 emerging bands based in The Deli’s 12 local scenes – but mostly NYC). Here’s his top 3. We’ll have a list of honorable mentions tomorrow.
WARNING: Josh was our "guy/mellow/folky" runner. Tracy – the "girl/upbeat/punky" marathoner – was covering noisier bands, stay tuned for her selection.
1. Wilsen "When the forlornly whistling of the lead singer, the eponymous Wislen, coincided with striking crash of a cymbal, I can’t imagine there was a spine in the room left sans-shivered".
2. Blonds "With their commanding take of an already strong catalog, Blonds proved to be the highlight of CMJ Tuesday."
3. The Nightmare River Band (pictured) "The Nightmare River Band played a great set filled with some rather awesome rock n’ roll songs."
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Rush Midnight to release debut EP + kick off mini tour
When Rush Midnight’s lead singer Russ Manning croons “the music starts to creep back in” on the band’s lead single, “The Night Was Young Enough,” it is as much a celebration of youth as it is a declaration of synthpop’s unexpected elasticity over the past decade. With a voice that evokes new romanticism and a video that feels like “Let’s Get Physical,” slowed down and bohemianized, Manning (former bassist of Twin Shadow) continues indie-electro’s move out of the mumbly moodiness of every Washed Out copycat into more sensual, soulful territory indicative of fellow-Brooklyn acts like Body Language and MSMR. Rush Midnight’s debut EP, +1, lands on October 30 via Cascine Records and a short tour kicks off at the Studio at Webster Hall (NYC) on November 9th.- Brian Chidester