NYC

Artists on Trial: Morningglories

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(Photo by Roshelle Hudson)
 
Morningglories is one of the newest bands in Kansas City. A four-piece with talented, experienced players, the group is evolving as a garage punk/pop force with thunderous grooves. The band’s primary songwriter, Alex Dunsford, talks to us a bit about what Morningglories has up its sleeve.
 
The Deli: Down and dirty: 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?
 
Alex Dunsford: Punk rock garage pop—kicking out the jams.
 
The Deli: Give us some background on the band.
 
Dunsford: Morningglories is me, Alex Dunsford, Tom Hudson playing the drums, Meredith McGrade also playing guitar and singing, and Steve Gardels playing bass. It’s fun to have Steve back on bass and out from behind the kit; it’s been a long time since we’ve played together guitar/bass. The last time was probably the short lived but profound jam sessions of Methamphetaminefield.
 
The band is about groove-centered rock ‘n roll. The rhythm section does all the work, and Meredith and I layer over those rhythmic hooks with harmonies and sounds. But we all like to play with some speed and intensity, so it takes the outward form of garage punk. I want to make music that has a lot of physical drive and makes people feel like moving around and having a good time. I want to distill pure enjoyment down to a distorted waveform and wash people over with it.
 
The Deli: You recently released your three-song EP debut, Wilderness Songs, in June. What should people expect from it?
 
Dunsford: You can expect the songs and style that define this first stage of the band’s existence. I love this record because we made it immediately upon forming, before we even played our first show. Working on recorded music is one of my favorite parts of being in a band, and I think it really shaped the way we play together to start on this type of project from the very beginning; even when we were still writing the songs, we were planning them out to be recorded.
 
We captured a really raw and exciting moment in our time together—the irresponsible and irrational exuberance of a new project, before any serious obstacles can make it too real. I think that mindset of optimism and rock n roll magic comes through on the record. We had so much fun making it. Johnhenry Grothaus actually plays bass on the recording, before he moved and Steve became the final piece of the puzzle.
 
We owe a lot of that experience to Duane Trower at Weights & Measures Soundlab, who not only is a brilliant recording and mastering engineer, but has created one of my favorite environments to work in. The space seems to have a natural bristling of energy that makes it very satisfying to make music there. Lots of YJ’s coffee may also contribute to that.
 
The Deli: What shows do you have coming up?
 
Dunsford: We play next at Vandals Summer Kamp Fest, which is looking to be one of the coolest parties for punk and independent music that we’ve had in a long time. They’re hosting 19 out of town bands, from different states all over the region. I’m incredibly impressed and very happy about all the effort that so many people in so many different music styles are putting out to make Kansas City a music hub and destination spot. It couldn’t happen without the strength of the local music community, though, to keep the lights on when the touring bands are away.
 
After that, on October 17, we’ll be playing at Coda with The B’Dinas, who just released their first full-length album, Fruitcakes. It’s probably too much of a pun to describe it as “delicious,” but it contains some tunes that should be a part of your life. The B’Dinas have some of the best musicians in KC right now, and if you’ve never seen them, you’ll be impressed.
 
The Deli: What does supporting local music mean to you?
 
Dunsford: Supporting local music is not only about attending shows but about the personal relationships you form with the other people who are involved. The scene needs to exist 365 days a year, not just during the festivals and events, so encouraging and being helpful and positive to each other is how we sustain ourselves day to day, so that we have the strength and inspiration to make things happen.
 
The Deli: Who are your favorite local musicians right now?
 
Dunsford: Katy Guillen, Claire Adams, and Stephanie Williams of Katy Guillen & the Girls; Ryan Shank of Outsides (everybody in that band, really, they’re all good); Josh Berwanger of his namesake band, Steve Tulipana of everything ever, and Britt Adair, Caitlin Curry, Breaka Dawn, and George Magers from The Bad Ideas. There’s no way to list everyone who’s making great music right now. It’s a good problem to have.
 
The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?
 
Dunsford: James Kelly (WIFE, Altar of Plagues), St. Vincent, Josh Homme, the one and only Valient Himself, Josh Freese, Steve Earle, Brent Hinds and Brann Dailor, Carrie Brownstein, everyone in Fucked Up, Laura Pleasants.
 
The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?
 
Dunsford: Hot Snakes, Valient Thorr, Queens of the Stone Age.
 
The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why? 
 
Dunsford: Steve: Ozzy, George Harrison, Joe Strummer, Keith Moon.
Alex: Kirk Hammett, Thurston Moore, David Gilmour, John Fogerty.
Meredith: Joan Jett, Jimmy Page, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith.
Tom: Thom Yorke, John Bonham, David Bowie, Dave Grohl.
 
We couldn’t come to a consensus, so we’re going to have to use more than one mountain to put all these faces up.
 
The Deli: What other goals do Morningglories have for 2014?
 
Dunsford: Our goals for 2014 are to write and rehearse new songs. Our set at Summer Kamp will have new material, and at Coda we’ll have even more. I never want to play the same show twice. We’ll also be planning some out of town gigs in the region, and starting to lay the foundation for more recording next year.
 
The Deli: Where can we find you on the web?
 
Dunsford: Obviously the Facebook page, the workhorse of the web crew. What’s more interesting is our Bandcamp page, where the EP Wilderness Songs is available for pay what you want download. I’d love to see more people on the page with the music on it than liking a facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/mglories
 
The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?
 
Dunsford: Fender guitar saddles aren’t all the same size. Make sure you measure the screw spacing before you buy new ones.
 
Morningglories is:
Alex Dunsford: guitar, vocals
Steve Gardels: bass
Tom Hudson: drums
Meredith McGrade: guitar, vocals
 
 

Morningglories will be at Vandals for the Summer Kamp Fest this Sunday on the indoor stage at 9:45 pm. You can see them and 30 other bands for only $10 each night. Facebook event page.

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NYC

August Artist of the Month: Ay MusIK

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(Photo by Malachi Lee)

Congrats to Ay MusiK, our August artist of the month! This four-piece group, led by AY himself, is making waves in Kansas City and around the country. Often performing on street corners and venues across the country, Ay MusiK has made a name for itself, now opening up for national acts like T-Pain and Aaron Carter. AY tells us more about the band in this Q&A. 
 
The Deli: Down and dirty: 1 sentence to describe your music. What is it?
 
AY: Music that keeps dreaming alive.
 
The Deli: Give us some background on the band.
 
AY: I’ve been doing music for over 4 years now. I was on The X-Factor back in 2012 and got 4 yeses from celebrity judges LA Reid, Britney Spears, Demi Lovato, and Louis Walsh. Although my audition never aired, I learned a lot from the experience and publicity.
 
We are a four-piece band. Our lineup is Daniel Cole (D Cole), Hailey Canalas, Ralph Jackson, and myself!
 
D Cole has been doing professional music for awhile and drums for national recording artist XV. He has also toured behind B.O.B, T.I., Big Sean and more. Hailey Canalas, our lead vocalist, has been singing for over 10 years, and Ralph has over 10 years of experience as well.
 
We’ve been together as a group for over a year now. The story of how we starting doing music together isn’t that exciting. I never got booked much around Kansas City and I felt my music didn’t reach enough people. I wanted to really get out there and #SayHey to the world with my music. Hailey was already singing with me at the time so I messaged D Cole about an idea I had for a self-made tour called #BatteryTour. I wanted to set up on street corners all over America (starting in KC) and perform my music right to the people. That’s how we started. Ralph came shortly after seeing us performing on the Country Club Plaza!
 
The Deli: So, you do shows on the Plaza?
 
AY: Everyone is welcome to see our FREE #BatteryTour shows we do WEEKLY at the Country Club Plaza or in Lawrence on Massachusetts Street. If we’re not performing at a venue, we’re on the street performing for the people!
 
The Deli: What have been your biggest accomplishments as a band?
 
AY: I think our greatest accomplishment so far would be this #BatteryTour. Without any backing, label or outside investors we’ve toured and performed in Atlanta, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Iowa and more! It’s been amazing to accomplish national touring so early in our careers. Landing on the upcoming MTV show Made once they spotted us on the corner last year was pretty awesome as well. We can’t wait to see the episode when it’s finally released to the public.
 
The Deli: Tell us about your latest EP, Above and Beyond.
 
AY: After 3 years of hard work our first EP just released a few months ago. It’s called the Above and Beyond, and includes our singles "Say Hey" (over 20,000 Youtube views) and "Creep Creep (The Anthem).”
 
The Deli: What does supporting local music mean to you?
 
AY: Supporting local music means the world to me because I’m a local artist. Honestly I would be nothing without LOCAL support. The only reason I’m able to travel the country is because of tips/donations when we street perform. I understand that support can help boost you through to your dreams and goals. Therefore I try my best to support others.
 
The Deli: Who are your favorite local musicians right now?
 
AY: I love Captiva! One of the best local bands in Kansas City, hands down!
 
The Deli: Who are your favorite not-so-local musicians right now?
 
AY: Twenty One Pilots. High-energy, heartfelt performances and perfection in every lyric.
 
The Deli: What is your ultimate fantasy concert bill to play on?
 
AY: This will change day by day. But right NOW…I’d say AY MusiK would open, Ed Sheeran would take the stage after, Twenty One Pilots would rock out after Ed, Justin Timberlake with a legendary performance after, and Coldplay would close out the night! My #DREAMSHOW.
 
The Deli: A music-themed Mount Rushmore. What four faces are you putting up there and why? 
 
AY: Michael Jackson has to be my first face. Michael plainly WAS the essence of music itself. It wouldn’t be a Rushmore without Michael.
 
Honestly, one of the faces would be the many faces of past and present backup singers. I watched a movie called 20 Feet From Stardom recently. Millions of people know their voices, but no one knows their names. Many of these backup singers are behind some of the greatest musical legends of the 21st century.
 
The third face for me would be Prince because, well, Prince is freaking amazing.
 
The last face wouldn’t be a face at all! It would be a computer screen! And on the screen would be chiseled images of hundreds of musicians and artists. I’d do this to symbolize how the Internet has changed music and has made it possible for anyone to have a successful musical career. The global shift in labels, music and the independent artist must be documented as a huge notch in time.
 
The Deli: What other goals does Ay MusiK have for 2014?
 
AY: I want to ink a national booking deal with a major booking agency. That would be awesome. I dream of the possibility to #SayHey to the world while opening up for a major artist on a major tour. We work very hard to position ourselves for this to be a possibility; it’d be amazing if it happened. Lastly, I plan on working on my album and developing more of my own ideas. I also work with friend and partner Thomas Jackson (Tomajack), one of the best producers in the world, and he’ll assist on the album.
 
The Deli: Where can we find you on the web?
 
AY: We try to be everywhere! You can hear or buy our music anywhere digital music is sold. (iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Soundcloud, etc). You can also visit us at AYmusiK.com, Twitter/Instagram @AYmusiK, and facebook.com/AYmusiK.
 
The Deli: Always go out on a high note. Any last words of wisdom for the Deli audience?
 
AY: You can do anything you set your mind to. Never let anybody or anything stop you from whatever your dreams or goals may be. I started street performing because I felt like I had to go #AboveandBeyond to #SayHey to the world with my music. Now I’m being interviewed by a magazine I’ve always looked up to and discussing a self-made national tour. Music was my dream. Find yours and do whatever it takes grab hold of yours.
 
Ay MusiK is:
Hailey Canalas: lead vocals
Daniel Cole: drums
Ralph Jackson: keys

AY: vocals, keys 

  
Ay MusiK’s next show will be next Thursday, August 21, at recordBar, with special guests Grooms & Katie. They have big things coming up; they’ll be opening up for T-Pain the next night at CrossroadsKC, also playing Crossroads Music Festival on September 6 at The Brick, and opening up for Aaron Carter at The Granada on October 10. Ticket link.

 

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San Francisco

The Love Dimension Celebrate Album Release – 9/4

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San Francisco based peace and lovecentric psychedelic rock band, The Love Dimension is preparing to release their new full length album entitled, Create and Consume. This long running local band will be celebrating their album release show at The Chapel in San Francisco on September 4th with Trainwreck Riders and Lee Gallagher and the Hallelujah. Make sure you don’t miss this event!

The Love Dimension deserves all of the positivity and support a local band can receive as they write and perform songs with a loving spiritually conscious vibe. Create and Consume will be available on 12 inch vinyl and we know the album is going to sound radiant. Pick up a copy on September 4th and support local independent bands!!

New England

Pale Hands gets in the “Spirit” on forthcoming LP

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Ahead of its debut LP, Spirit Lines, Somerville duo Pale Hands has released three groovy bits of dance-pop that will appear on the album. The dreamy “Fanatic” mixes sweeping synth chords and pulses with stuttering drums, while “No Stars” channels the synth-obsessed dance-pop of the 80s through the lens of modern alternative-R&B production. The latest, “Juventud,” combines the best parts of each track before it. While Spirit Lines won’t get dropped until October 28, you can check out Pale Hands at Boston En Masse on September 20. – Jake Reed (@jakejreed)

L.A.

Stream: Youth Code, “Consuming Guilt”

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Youth Code’s electro-hardocore mash is an industrial assault. Their recent single, "Consuming Guilt," off their new EP, A Place to Stand, is an intense collection of heavy synths, pounding back beats, and plenty of noise. Ryan George and Sara Taylor make up the complex duo; their use of samples and sonic manipulation create strange fusions of 80’s hardcore claustrophobia with synth noise chaos. Their EP is out on Da Is Records, and stream the single below . – Jake Saunders

San Francisco

Joel Gion Performs at Ameoba Records – 8/20

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San Francisco based legendary musician, Joel Gion is embarking on an independent music journey as he prepares to release his debut full length album, Apple Bonkers later this month. "Apple Bonkers will be out on August 19th in the U.S and on the 18th in Europe on VINYL / CD and DIGITAL formats via The Reverberation Appreciation Society and The Committee to Keep Music Evil. Apple Bonkers will also be released on cassette via a co-release with Burger Records."

He is splitting his time between performing as the beloved tambourine and percussion player for the wildly successful 60s revivalist rock band, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and this personal musical endeavor, which is proving to be successful in its own right as he continues to be embraced by his long time fans, and gleefully discovered by young listeners.

If you did not attend the string of local shows Joel and his band, Joel Gion & the Primary Colours played earlier this year, you will have a chance to see him perform live at Amoeba Music in San Francisco on August 20th. This in-store performance is absolutely FREE!!!!! –je

NYC

NYC math proggers Ishmael kick off tour at Muchomre’s tonight (08.14)

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It may surprise you to learn that Brooklyn’s Ishmael operates as a trio, considering the kinetic charge of their latest LP “Lotic.” There’s Andy Werle’s sinewy guitar part, the insistent and shapeshifting drumming of Aaron Silberstein, and the leading melodies of Nick Otte, bassist and vocalist, tying it all together. Each member is an avalanche onto himself, but they do a great job not burying one another. And while “Lotic” is ostensibly a prog album, the band never looses a sense of subtlety. The songs are split into different instrumental sections, interludes of angular movement, but the transitions within the songs are never jarring. Instead they melt into each other. The result is a tastefully arranged foray into the genre, both its light and darker sides. Ishmael plays it’s tour kickoff show tonight at Muchomre’s (8.14) with Slim Charles, Mosey Jones, and Lost Love. – Emilio Herce

NYC

Listen to Mother Falcon Orchestral Re-Imagination of Ok Computer

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Mother Falcon’s presence is creative, it’s assertive and it’s tight.  They’re an orchestral indie band with enough technique for them to have their own band camp for kids, where kids can learn about writing songs, orchestrating bands and practicing their instruments; sounds like a sweet alternative to School of Rock.  Their sound is incredibly rich, combining rock n roll energies with orchestral instruments and structures.  Particularly worth listening to is their live album of their performance of Radiohead’s, OK Computer, in it’s entirety which they appropriately titled MF Computer.  It’s a successful re-imagination; the closing of Paranoid Android in particular gave me goose pimples.  You can catch Mother Falcon live on August 27th at the long Center Concert Club and then again on the 30th at The Mohawk.  Don’t miss it.  -Jake Saunders

 

Philadelphia

Tim Motzer Record Release Show at JB’s Aug. 14

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Tonight, Johnny Brenda’s invites you to experience the intergalactic sonic explorations of guitarist Tim Motzer as he celebrates the release of Live From Star’s End, which is available via Motzer’s label 1k Recordings. The record captures Motzer’s improvisational performance on Chuck Van Zyl’s WXPN Star’s End show, November 3, 2013. Motzer guides the guitar-driven journey through a series of electronic tests, altering and helping to shape the space around him, while melding various textures of sound in the process. On a similar thread, harpist Mary Lattimore develops complex tones, creating an environment that peacefully provides a place for one’s mind to momentarily escape. Having recently released her debut album The Withdrawing Room, Lattimore is also working on an EP, Slant of Light, with the ever-talented producer/musician Jeff Zeigler, which will be available soon via Thrill Jockey Records. Guitar/banjo aficionado Brandon Seabrook, who released his solo debut Sylphid Vitalizers this past June, occupies the middle slot, and a collaborative performance could spice up the evening’s conclusion. Johnny Brenda’s, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 9pm, $10, 21+ – Michael Colavita