94 posts tagged “minneapolis”

I arrived late to the Triple Rock, in Minneapolis, so I had already missed some of Surfer Blood (myspace / twitter). However, I did get the gist of the band, who seems like they are going to be a hot new buzz band - like Vampire Weekend. Highlight of their set was the last song, in which the guitarist brought the solo drum into the audience as everyone on stage went monkeys. (Sort of feels orchestrated to me, like they didn't really put much effort in trashing their equipments). The audience seem to welcome Blood Surfer, so it's all good.

Art Brut

Loads of Art Brut fans were in the audience that night. You can tell by all the t-shirt and their eagerness of being in front and center. When the band came on, doing "Formed a Band", which singer Eddie Argos turns to the audience and said, "you ought to try it, it's brilliant!"

Eddie looks like a guy that doesn't take himself too seriously. He seems to like to drink a lot and talk a lot (but with his thick British accent, it's not like we could understand half what was said). He seems to swagger on stage a lot, often using his left arm to illustrate the songs.

There wasn't enough room on stage for Argos to do his infamous microphone skip, but he did manage to sing half of "DC Comics" by the bar section. Speaking of which, I think it's cool that Argos is a huge DC fan - since UK comics are usually, you know, 2000 AD/Judge Dredd sort. During the song, Argos spouted out what I hear as "Christian Bale", "Booster Gold" (if I can remember, I think he was basically a janitor from the future with future tech and a Legionaires flight ring), and something about "Metropolis".

Setlist

As you can see from the setlist, they did a mix of new and old songs. The setlist also doesn't reflect what was played, for instance, I know "The Passenger" was played well after "DC Comics". I suppose the setlist was more of a rough guideline than actual instructions.... which actually fits the way Art Brut operate.

The thing about "The Passenger", from their latest album Art Brut vs Satan, is that it got this great introduction. Eddie explained how he thought the Iggy Pop song was about taking the subway, "Iggy doesn't seem to me to be the driving sort." It wasn't until later did he discovered that Iggy's song was about taking heroin in back of a limo with David Bowie. Too funny.

Oh the other thing, the way Eddie sings, if you can call it singing, is quite interesting. It's more like rambling, it definitely feels at time like The Fall - only with a lot heavier backing band.

The band left and came back with three encores. I thought I heard Eddie saying "we don't normally do this", which may have been said in an ironic kind of way. I really couldn't tell, all I know is that the encores were met by the fans' demands.

Art Brut's funk sole brother            1 comment

PS, They only had T-Shirts and CDs for sale at the merch table. I was hoping to see some of their awesome shoes. It's £20 online, which is about $40 USD, but totally worth it if you are a massive Art Brut fan. Get those shoes, and also their latest album, Art Brut vs Satan, at the usual online stores.

J. Tillman @ The Music Box Theatre, Minneapolis, MN 11.6.09
+ abridged album review

J Tillman ♥ Music Box

Despite his minor fame with unpopular, critically-ignored Fleet Foxes, Josh Tillman has been active in the music scene since 2004.  This past September he released Year in the Kingdom, a 9-track odyssey through stoic mountain towns by way of moderate folk sensitivity.  Merely 28, Tillman evokes an image of timeless worldly servitude that befits his preferred musical genre but also confuses.  He acts the part in person—bearded, casually nondescript, a man of few words; yet once he hits that first note, it’s obvious there’s something judicious beneath the weathered layers.  For one, the quality of his voice is beautiful.  There is simply no masculine way to describe it.  The probability that Tillman drinks and indulges like a big boy is high, but you wouldn’t know by listening to him sing.  Perhaps the impressive facial shrub is actually a clever disguise, masking a sweet, even-tempered fellow who rescues kitties and bakes things for charity.  Doubtful, but my point being Tillman’s ambiguity—it’s equally believable that he wandered into town from the wide blue yonder as it is that he stumbled on stage from the local, artist-packed watering hole.

Year in the Kingdom remembers a simpler era that Tillman was not alive to experience.  Softer tracks cite 60s folk influences like Joni Mitchell, had Mitchell penned her songs in a humble log cabin, without basic comforts save for canned beans and a faithful canine companion.  The sparse “Age of Man” is a few twangs/few stringed instruments short of Americana territory, while “Though I Have Wronged You” reminds us that Tillman isn’t seriously concerned by FF comparisons.  At times matter-of-factly somber (“There is No Good in Me”), the album lulls its listeners into a false feeling of peace (albeit reflective, disquieting peace) that does not prepare the ears for the sheer force of Tillman’s live rocking.

Kingdom-the-album clashed awesomely with Friday night’s show at the Music Box Theatre in Minneapolis.  I now have a physical point of reference for the expression “it blew my mind,” as I’m pretty sure I lost a piece of my skull when Tillman blew my mind.  Similar to the structure of the studio tracks—gentle start, build-up, full instrumental progression—the show began as one would expect had they listened to Kingdom:  Tillman + band = traditional 3-dimensional engagement.  Then, maybe a third of the way into the set, all hell broke loose.  Cue roar of full instrumental capacity, skin-tingling whine of amped slide guitar, psychedelic transformation, and crazy apeshit thrashing.  On top of everything unholy, we, the audience, bore witness to grown men playing plastic recorders and finger cymbals. Surely I wasn’t the only one to lose some head mass by the end of the night.

Cerebral hemorrhage notwithstanding, strong tracks like “Though I Have Wronged You” sounded ridiculously swollen with intensity and deliberate flair.  Not showy, per se; rather, phrenic but perverted by foggy invention.  It was like walking into the Louvre for the first time—extraordinary but strangely unfocused, as if the senses were forced into overdrive.  Had I lapped a taste of Tillman’s sweat*, the experience would’ve been complete.  Unfortunately, there was no exchange of bodily fluids; there wasn’t even an encore (a mumbled “thanks” and the musicians made their hasty exit).  It didn’t matter.  How do you follow an act like yourself?

J Tillman ♥ Music Box, Minneapolis (11/06/09)

A few random thoughts without homes:  in high school, Tillman visited Crown, a conservative Christian college in St. Bonifacius, MN; Miracle Whip is the default condiment of Fargo, ND, this according to the band; Josh’s younger brother, Zach, opened the show and also played bass for the elder Tillman’s set.

J. Tillman is currently on tour in support of Year in the Kingdom.  Upcoming shows include stops in Chicago and New York.  For more information or to listen to select tracks, visit his Myspace at http://www.myspace.com/jtillman. 

* I’m not a creeper, promise.

Crypticon 2009 was a bit disappointing, compared to last year. As with last year's cancellation of Tom Savini, this year it's Charles Band. What upset me was that Band's disinvolvement wasn't even mentioned anywhere on their website. As of this writing, their website still lists Band as a guest: "6:00pm Charles Band and his Full Moon Road Show in the Music Room 2nd Floor."

This year, the merchandise room was reduced to a size of a large bedroom, so you walk in and out in about a minute. I did manage to pick up some stuff, but they weren't cheap. Celebrities prints are costs anywhere from $20-40, we weren't allowed to take pictures (if you did purchase a print, then taking pictures would cost an extra $5). Last year, most of the nicer stars let us take pictures for free.

As for merch, the usual bootlegs, toys, horror t-shirts were there, but because of the smaller room - it feels like there weren't a lot of choices. Some commonly seen t-shirts were Nightbreed and Hellraiser, which I thought were cool, since I have always thought Clive Barker is genius. 

Also, this year they had music as part of the show. The person that was supposed to give me a pass to the music area was not at the ticketbooth and I didn't feel like paying extra to see music. Besides, all of the bands seems to be either punk or metal, not really my cup of tea, so I didn't bother to make much effort in getting the pass. 

Anyway, since Charles Band wasn't there, his Q&A was replaced with Linnea Quigley and Don Calfa (both actors appeared in Return of the Living Dead). If I had known, I would've rewatched the film to refreshed my memory. But it would seem even the stars had some trouble remembering what happened on set. 

Still, some interesting stories came out of it. 

First of all, they paid George Romero a million dollars to use the name "Of The Living Dead".  Romero's third sequel, Day of the Dead came out a year later, but was not as successful as Return. 

My favorite was when Calfa said one of the star wanted him to punch him for real, so he gave two hard slap. What's funny was that as he was telling the story, his hand gestured the slap and the next thing you knew: he had hit the microphone in front of him! Way to each that mic a lesson.

With the disappointing cancellation, incorrect/false information (is updating a website too much to ask?), the smaller space, and expensive admission ($30 at the door) - this will be the last year that my group will attend.

Patience Hodgson, from the Grates, tells me for Halloween, she dressed up as a cowgirl. She went into a store and saw a guy working there, all decked out in a cowboy outfit. She complimented how great his costume was, only to realized that it was how he's normally dressed. That's Texas for you.

That's the kind of weird stories you hear from her, even on stage, they're referencing strange things like trying to hi-fi-ing the "fat guy with the beret" or asking if there were any vikings in the audience. But before I get to all those crazy details from the 7th Street Entry last night - opening up for them was Zoo Animal (official / myspace). I had seen singer Holly Newsom before, but as a soloist. This time, she's doing Zoo Animal songs, not just her solo material.

Holly made some jokes, like how 'grate' the Grates should be to noticing that They Might Be Giants were playing next door and how "we might be miniatures". Most of the audience that showed up early, I think showed up because of Zoo Animal and possibly Ice Palace.

Unfortunately, at the last minute, Ice Palace canceled (I am told the singer was sick), they were replaced by Story of the Sea (official / myspace). Bassist John admitted that they only had a five hours notice. Despite the feedback and false starts, I thought they held up pretty well all things considering.

I will say that they seem older, for the kind of crowd that was there last night. Their music sounds like classic progressive rock. I don't know any of their songs, but I did like the song that had something to do with eyes and being gone. 

The Grates came on with full energy with their often-intro song "Trampoline". Yes, Patience does do that weird rabbit hopping dance, as seen on their Til Death Do Us Party: Live At The Forum DVD. Patience is now a blonde, dressed in a gymnastic outfit.... making her look even more child-like than ever. Which may sound quite weird to hear her talk about wanting a baby of her own (I thought to myself, well there's always cloning...)

Other things I learned from Patience: if you eat enough of your hair, you'll have to take a pill to poop out the hair. Hence "hair butt". Fist-bumping, she tells us is called "boning". She likes to climb onto things, or jump into the audience and singing... while using a twirling baton. Fun to watch, but they also require audience interaction.

"It was this big!"

I thought the highlight of their set was either "Howl" or "19-20-20". I'm not that familar with their new material, but I did recognize their single, "Burn Bridges", from the setlist.

If you are looking for a good time or see cuteness in action, check out Brisbane's export, The Grates touring through your area. They are quite approachable, so please have a friendly chat with them after the show. Their lastest album is called Teeth Lost, Hearts Won, which if you get it on vinyl, will come with a bonus CD. I might also suggest checking out their debut album, which four singles from that album made it onto Triple J Hottest 100. I'm sure Sally will keep us informed of the 2010's Hottest 100.

The Grates - Trampoline

 11/04/2009 04:57:32 ♥ vu () ♥ thegrates.com ♥ myspace.com/thegrates 

Lynhurst has the notable distinction of being the closest band to ever live by me. 

When the Big Chief, Vu, showed me their CD, my first reaction was, “I know these guys.”  And after seeing their picture on the inlay of the CD jacket, my second reaction was, “Wow, they have really grown.”

Let me explain.  I have always felt the role of proud, unrelated relative to this brothers-sister trio for over the years I’ve had the opportunity to watch them play at all the south Minneapolis hotspots like Minnehaha Falls, Betsy’s Back Porch and Famous Dave’s.

No matter how young they look, these musicians are already seasoned professionals.  Matt and Jake were regularly performing gigs before reaching their teens and Mari, the youngest, wasn’t too long to follow.  What amazed me watching them play at such a young age is how comfortable and confident they looked on stage.  Their debut album is no different.

The press promotion states that Field Day is the combination of The Carpenters meeting The Cardigans.  Some reviews I have read have labeled it as Radio Disney.  I would have to say with Mari’s nuanced voice and Matt and Jake’s robust sound, they have created something in between.  It's fun, well played rock ‘n roll.  “Kiss Me Now” is definitely the radio friendly hit, but I found myself liking all the songs on the CD.  In fact, I was surprised how long I kept the CD in the player of my car as I drove through the streets of Uptown, around Lake Harriet, past Java Jacks on my way home.

 

-Dave

I’m not going to blame my lack of updates on the swine flu.  That would be wrong, sleazy, and downright unconstitutional.

Now that I got that off my chest, I’m happy to report that my cleaning ventures have been particularly fruitful.  No, I didn’t find that copy of Tremors II: Aftershocks that you claim I never returned (let it go, bro).  I did, however, dig up the following dusty gems:

Wheat – White Ink Black Ink

Americans like short things:  lines, books, hair, conversations, etc.  Sometimes even using full sentences takes too long; it’s why we invented Twitter.  Thankfully, there is a band called Wheat.  Not only is their name economical, but more than half of White Ink Black Ink is under the four minute mark.  You just can’t argue with odds like those.  Each track loyally embraces the simplicities of song craft and the complexities of song experience; meaning, the album will probably appeal to those of us that appreciate music straight up, minus additives like weird stupid metaphors and lengthy experimental escapades.  Of course there are flaws to this logic, the most obvious being 2009’s love affair with electro beats and dance-driven, overproduced indiepop.  The kids want to move and while White Ink has no shortage of catchy hooks and gung ho knocks, the resulting mood does not exactly inspire bods to hula, which is basically a compliment but commercially a loss.  At its best, the album sounds vaguely like the byproduct of a musical three-way:  the cool nonchalance of slacker rock + timeless anthemic sway + a dash of requisite “indie” flair (the indefinable “all spice”).  Suggested tracks:  the first half of the album.
Website / Myspace

UltraChorus – Ultra-Def

Speaking of electro beats:  Minneapolis electronica duo UltraChorus recently released Ultra-Def, a brain cell-shattering smattering of slick robot grooves.  This ain’t music for your grandma (unless grandma gets her freak on).  As I mentioned in my review of Words Kept Talking (7” single), being an electro-lovin’ musician in Minnesota is akin to being a minority in Minnesota:  you’re in the minority.  UltraChorus may very well be a shining fiber optic star in a universe of bland, denim-encased chunks of coal, and the world…of Minnesotans might never know.  Such a shame because Ultra-Def is solid material.  It pumps you up, but not in a Jock Jams sort of way, and warms the innards without leaving a metallic aftertaste.  A distinct rhythmic base connects each track without distorting identity; this attention to continuity gives us simpletons something to hold on to, a sort of symbolic Roller Coaster lap bar.  Suggested tracks:  “Words Kept Talking,” “Houseparty 5” and the super-mixed-everything-but-the-kitchen-sink “Yucatan Peninsula.”
Website / Myspace

Kordan – Fantasy Nation

Wow, Arthur Eisele (Kordan) sure knows how to befuddle a critic.  Is Fantasy Nation a concept album?  Or is it dreamy electro-pop disguised as a concept album?  Maybe it’s a soundtrack to a film not yet written:  something Japanese but inspired by French New Wave—a love story, perhaps, set in the stylish future, where the girls look like Francoise Hardy and the boys busy their arms with battered anthologies of 19^th century existentialism.  Something like that.  Honestly, the effort required to simplify Fantasy Nation­—to break it down, if you will—seems pointless, irreverent even.  The album succeeds as a fluid movement, a continuous aural flow.  What it isn’t (and, incidentally, what may hinder mainstream marketing) is track-driven.  Sure, I’ve picked a favorite (the wispy, Gainsbourg/Birkin-esque “Slouchy Girl”) but that’s just personal preference and an ear for melancholy vocals.  As an objective writer, I’d advise readers to avoid listening to Fantasy on shuffle mode; fight the urge to single-song download, readers (you wouldn’t treat In the Aeroplane over the Sea in such a defiling manner, would you?).  Suggested tracks:  listen to the whole damn EP (EP = short and sweet).
Website / Myspace

There are a lot of opinions about Har Mar Superstar, but there is one observation that is universal: He’s comfortable in his skin. And if you’ve seen him perform, you’ve seen just about every inch of that skin and aren’t likely to forget it. The Minnesota-born musician (and more recently actor/writer) has most recently based himself in Los Angeles and can teach Southern California a great deal about confident self-body image. Dancing onstage in his tighty-whiteys, his sweaty jiggling Homer Simpson physique on full display, one can’t help but feel in awe of his presence. Also; more or less revolted.

Har Mar Superstar is Sean Tillman - long known in the Minneapolis-St Paul area for his work with bands Calvin Krime and Sean Na Na - who nearly a decade ago decided to test his R&B chops and began performing under his current moniker (named after St. Paul’s Har Mar Mall), to the simultaneous delight and disgust of crowds across the upper-Midwest.

There’s no doubt Har Mar has vocal talent. At times evoking Prince or Stevie Wonder, it’s easy to forget you’re listening to a chubby Minnesotan with a year-round February tan and hair that sticks out, well, everywhere. Audiences don’t always get it, admittedly. He’s garnered a love-hate relationship with crowds in recent years as an opening act for groups like the Strokes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. I’ve witnessed nothing but warm reception in his appearances (in the Twin Cities), but can understand the average Australian Chili Peppers fan anticipating Anthony Kiedis dancing around in a diaper having difficulty welcoming a similar level of exposure from Har Mar Superstar. Thankfully, Har Mar is showing that you don’t have to be poster-perfect to make it in music - or in Hollywood. He made a cameo appearance as “Dancin’ Rick” in the otherwise forgettable Starsky and Hutch movie, and now appears in Drew Barrymore’s “Whip It”, where he befriended Juno’s Ellen Page and Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat (the former told a story on the Tonight Show a few weeks ago about the three of them vacationing in Amsterdam and the latter appears in Har Mar’s video for “Tall Boy”). The three of them are apparently now developing an HBO comedy called “Stitch N’ Bitch.”

The aforementioned “Tall Boy” track was originally written by Har Mar for Brittany Spears, but, perhaps not shockingly, it was rejected by her handlers. Presumably, they didn’t care for her being associated with blue collar drinking metaphors. Because, you know, she’s such a classy lady. Instead, Har Mar performs it himself, lyrically unaltered, as the first single from his Dark Touches album. The song is actually pretty impressive, I thoroughly enjoy the rhythmic can-opening noises which cause me to feel a strange (and otherwise unprecedented) desire to crack a 24 oz. PBR. The video is quite entertaining as well, featuring Eva Mendes and a sort of Daft Punk-reminiscent space-suited android Har Mar Superstar displaying just a hint of his ample robo-gut.

Dark Touches - his fourth full-length release and first in five years - is overall a pleasant surprise. There’s a certain something on offer here that was perhaps lacking in his previous releases. Maybe it takes a turn toward mainstream pop, but more than that I would say it possesses a certain level of consistent listenability that had always been sadly missing. And while I would have long classified myself as a fan, I would say that only now has he released an album that will enable him to cross the line from novelty act to legitimate entertainment. His trademark absurd (and invariably sexually explicit) lyrical turns of phrase are evident as always - my favorite is “Game Night” (featuring P.O.S and Adam Green) an electro-hip-hop ditty which rattles off various family board games and associated thuggish taunts “Gonna slay your crew in a game of Taboo” and “I got all the railroads. Crushing you.” And the title of the seventh track; “Gangsters Want to Cuddle Me” I think says it all.

Regardless of your feelings about lewd under-groomed chubby Minnesota R&B personalities who are gifted with buttery smooth voices, flawless dance moves and astronomical self-esteem, you’re going to be seeing a lot more of Har Mar Superstar. For those not faint of heart, search him on YouTube and sample his appearances in the “Crappy Holidays” short videos or check him out on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon October 26th. There's nothing quite like seeing him live, however, in all his glistening near-nude splendor. I recommend practicing your "horrified delight" expression in the mirror beforehand.

Tall Boy (feat. P.O.S and Adam Green)

Forgive me, but this whole week will be devoted to Minneapolis bands. With my new camera, I've accepted any music assignments that comes my way - so be on the lookout for lots of live show reviews with photos this whole month.

I struggled to actually produce an article for Mercurial Rage's Cascade that came out last week, prior to this Saturday for their release party. Unfortunately, I did not meet the deadline... However, I finally have some quality time to sit down and listen to the album earlier today.

While they are now a  full-fledged band, complete with guitarist, bassist, and drummer, they did start off with very minimalistic settings: singer, laptops, and a keyboard. By 2007, they had gained a few extra band members and released their first EP, The Funeral Sessions, which did catch the attention of BBC's The World for their song/single "Devil Girl".

So, my first impression of this band's debut LP Cascade, is that they seem to have a lot of trouble with the opposite sex. I thought most, if not all, of their songs are about girls and girl troubles. From "looking for love in a topless bar" ("Star") to "I got a girl, she's smoking all my weed" ("Gotta Girl") to "Theresa, Theresa" to "I lost my love on a Saturday night" ("Sad"). It is as if the band's looking for love in all the wrong places.

Musically, the band seems really obsessed with 80s Alternative rock, particularly Depeche Mode and New Order, whom they are often compared to in the local weekly papers. Which is not bad, although I will have to also add that they really like the Cure (there's a sly reference to Robert Smith on "Water Under the Bridge").

If you're already a huge fan of 80s Alt Rock, you definitely want to check out Mercurial Rage. Their brand of music, like the naughty girls in their songs, will "keep you up all night".

Cascade is out now on Susstones Records. You can download their "F.F.F." song from the record label. This song's music, along with "Robot Love", are written by Brandon Dalida (they are my two favorite songs on the album).

This was a perfect bill for the tiny 7th Street venue in Minneapolis: Asobi Seksu, Lonely Dear, and Anna Ternheim.

Since I've been closely following each of these artists through my various album reviews and show reviews by other W♥M writers. What I expecting was "yellow fever" and "Teeny tiny Yuki" and "audience sing-along". I do suggest you check the previous reviews, since I probably won't add much to it. All are true, with the exception of Asians in the audience (there were a few, but not like overwhelming "itwasallyellow" moment).

Anna Ternheim (annaternheim.com / myspace.com/annaternheim) was the only artist that we haven't reviewed live, so I was quite excited to see her. Although she's not that well-known in the States, she's quite famous in her home country of Sweden (having won both "Best Female Artist" and "Album of the Year" on the Swedish Grammy). So for her to tour here, at very intimate settings, is such a boon. In fact, there was a group of Swedish fans (like six of them) who visited Minneapolis just to see Anna in such a small venue.

Ternheim's "band" was basically stolen from Loney Dear (we'll get to him later). They adapted well to playing (and backup singing) her songs. My favorite from the set was, of course, "What Have I Done". This song feature this distinctive violin, which was replicated by pre-recording, so no live violas on stage.

So embarrassingly enough, I only had a brief chance to play around with the Pen camera's setting. At the show, for Anna Ternheim, I could not figure out how to change my shutter speed and ISO settings. Thanks to Erik who looked it up to tell me that the up/down/left/right d-pad doubles as a wheel! Who knew?

The only thing I savaged out of Ternheim is this video of her performing "Let It Rain" (see video), which includes the lyrics that would inspired the title of her latest album, Leaving on a mayday.

Lonely Dear ♥ 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (10/09/09)

The same band that played for Ternheim came back for Emil Svanängen, aka Loney Dear (loneydear.com / myspace.com/loneydear). Loney has been doing this musician for a while now. You can just tell, the way he handles himself on the stage and the way he manipulate his audience - yes, he made the audience do that "na-na-na-na" chorus from "The Meter Marks OK".

Compared to Ternheim's set Loney's set was much longer, or at least it felt more like a full set. To be honest, it seems that Loney could continue to play for another hour. He kept asking the soundguy (who was probably with the touring bands as it was not the typical staff guy) if they could have four more minutes to play one more song.

Asobi Seksu Setlist ♥ 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (10/09/09)

I read that Asobi Seksu's Yuki was small, but wow, she's really small. Sometime, I think the loud noise of guitar, bass, drums, and effects, drowns out Yuki's voice. So, combined with my already damaged hearing, I could not make out what she's singing about. Something about cats and strawberries and rain or something.

While this may be attributed to the fact that they were already late on arriving at 7th Street, due to some detours driving from Vancouver, Canada, which resulted in no soundcheck, I just think the band is normally loud when played live.

One thing I will mention is that the band is incredibly hard to shoot, due to poor lighting, because they wanted to emphasis on their own line of blue lights and strobes effect lights and combined with Yuki's hair-in-face and/or looking away.

They started off with "New Years", a Japanese song that's been a staple of their intro song since 2006. They played "Thursday", which I know a few people liked, and for the finale, Yuki took over the drumming-action on "Red Sea". The final song was ridden with all-out strobe light city. It's very cool effects when you see them on stage, blinking in and out, but yeah, not so much for photosensitive epilepsy people.

This is one of the best bill for a band I've seen in a while, so it's definitely worth it to see them all together.

PS, Stay tuned for Kate G's update on Asobi Seksu when they arrive in New York on the 16^th of October.

All Leather - I Don't Hate Fags, God Does All Leather 10/30/09 Slims San Francisco, CA 11/01/09 Black Lodge Seattle, WA 11/02/09 Satyricon Portland, OR 11/03/09 3 Parkside San Francisco, CA 11/06/09 Black Market El Paso, TX 11/07/09 Fun Fun Fun Fest Austin, TX 11/08/09 Rock Bottom San Antonio, TX 11/09/09 Lounge on Elm St Dallas, TX 11/12/09 Modified Phoenix, AZ 11/13/09 Che Cafe San Diego, CA 11/14/09 Club 1979 Baja CA 11/15/09 Smell Los Angeles, CA Discography [Aug 2009] Hung Like A Horse EP [Aug 2009] Hung Like A Donut - Remix Album

Here is the latest collection of Singles and Extended Plays that's come across my desk. Reviewing EPs is simple, as usually it's focused on the main song, but it's also very hard to write about. You can only write so much about one song, which is why I've stopped accepting single songs (we get a lot of these), remixes, edited, videos, streams, or demos. I am also not uploading every song for streaming, just my main song of choice (mostly for hypemachine audiences).  Read more EZ EPs articles.

ALL LEATHER
allleather.org ♥ myspace.com/allleather

All Leather's origin is from the ashes of the California punk band Some Girls (not to be confused with the less-than-punk band Juliana Hatfield's Some Girls), where two of the band members (bassist Justin Pearson and guitarist Nathan Joyner) came from.

The band recently featured on rcrdlbl and Alt Press Magazine. The later gives a glimpse of what All Leather sounds like: "[dance music] had cool elements, but was always ruined by lame lyrics, poor vocals and not enough balls. Ironically enough, the balls I wanted came from my exposure to it while working at a gay bar."

What he's referring to is probably their songs "Please Jesus, Send Me Someone To F*ck" and "I Don't Hate Fags, God Does" from their EP Hung Like a Horse, released in August on Dim Mak Records. The title alone is sort of controversial, but since I cannot, for the life of me, understand what Pearson is singing about, I don't know how I should feel about the songs.

I wouldn't exactly classify All Leather as "dance music" as described in Alt Press, this is more like experimental DIY noise - especially with the first two head trauma songs, "As The Hog Pisseth" and "We're Skrewed". Both songs seems to want to drill holes in my head.

Based on the songs and reading about the band, All Leather's fan base will be best built on their live performances. Usually these kind of high-energy sound just translate better on stage. Fortunately, it looks like they're doing a ton of dates in the south-west.

THE STATES thestatesonline.com ♥ myspace.com I've said this before, and I'll say this again: bands really need to pick better names. It's impossible to search for 'states' without having to put 'music' or 'band' in the search box. I'm sure this is the number one complaint whenever someone write about them and/or doing research. Still, that didn't stop the rock trio from being heard on national television on Fox's Fearless Music Show last night. I guess I don't really watch television (do I even have Fox on my TV?), I didn't know there were even music shows! I'm kind of excited about that, knowing that traditional media is still interested in music promotion. Well, We Are The Erasers, released September 22nd, is the third release from this band. With the exception of the ballad-ish "The Fight", the rest of the five-track sounds pretty much solid rock music. I think the best song on the EP is "Erasers", with Chris Snyder singing its catchy lyrics of "we will be erased", followed by "you have been erased". The State are currently on tour, I'm sure they'll get some better exposure with their official CMJ showcase coming up! 10/03/09 Rusty Rudder Dewey Beach, DE 10/15/09 Fusion 5 Night Club Foxboro, MA 10/16/09 TT The Bears Cambridge, MA 10/17/09 Rack N’ Roll Cafe Stamford, CT 10/18/09 Vibe Lounge Rockville Centre, NY 10/21/09 CMJ Showcase New York, NY 10/23/09 Stone Church Newmarket, NH 11/05/09 Puck Doylestown, Pennsylvania		THE WOLFMEN thewolfmen.net ♥ myspace.com/thewolfmen I've never heard of The Wolfmen before this promo single, Jackie, Is It My Birthday?, to be released on October 5th on their label, Howl Records, but their two main band members singer/bassist Chris Constantinou and guitarist Marco Pirroni have been in the industries for ages. I know that the two of them worked for Adam Ant, and Pirroni's been associated with Siouxsie & the Banshees and Sinéad O'Connor. It is with the O'Connor connection is that she sings duet with Constantinou on their new single. While the press release quoted this "For thirty years Fairytale of New York has dominated the Christmas playlists and festive radio for anyone looking for hardcore Christmas whimsey. But Jackie, is it my Birthday? is a worthy contender to The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl's throne." to describe the song - I'll have to politely disagree. While I did love both the A-Side ("Jackie, Is It My Birthday?") and B-Side ("Blushing God"), "Jackie" doesn't really hit the same sad note as with "Fairytale of New York". Surely, I can think of some better O'Connor duets (just look at "Visions of You" with Jah Wobble or her album Collaborations featuring nothing but duets with O'Connor). Still, the song is championed by a variety of British DJs and musicians, among them Dandy Warholler, Courtney Taylor-Taylor, calling the band "f*cking brilliant... I guess The Wolfmen just sound like heavy weights because they are." You can hear the song for yourself on their myspace, along with "Jackie Says", which I hear is their breakthrough hit song.
MIKA mikasounds.com ♥ myspace.com/mikamyspace Mika isn't really the sort of musician that I normally listen to. It's not like because of my street cred, but generally once an artist reach a certain status, the PR companies stops answering our calls. Which is why it was weird that I was sent his latest single, We Are Golden by his record label, Universal Records. The single comes with essentially the same song - a radio edit and the full song. The radio edit cuts the song three and a half minutes from its original four minutes epic. I'll have to admit that the song is pretty catchy and inspiring with its uplifting piano. It's a youth song, it sends out the message that old geezer like me would never understand it. Having just appeared on "Later...with Jools Holland", it's a good indication that he'll be heading out on his tour - heading into 2010! 10/12/09 Toronto, ON Sound Academy 10/13/09 Montreal, QC Place de Arts 10/15/09 Boston, MA Orpheum Theatre 10/16/09 New York, NY United Palace 10/18/09 Philadelphia, PA Electric Factory 10/20/09 Chicago, IL Riviera 10/23/09 Los Angeles, CA Palladium 10/24/09 Oakland, CA Fox Theatre 10/25/09 Seattle, WA The Moore 10/27/09 Vancouver, BC Orpheum Theatre 03/12/10 Antwerp Sportpaleis 03/13/10 Amsterdam Heineken Hall 03/15/10 Copenhagen KB Hallen 03/17/10 Oslo Spektrum 03/18/10 Stockholm Annexet 03/20/10 Dusseldorf Phillipshalle 03/21/10 Frankfurt Jahrhunderthalle 03/23/10 Hamburg Color Line Arena 03/26/10 Leipzig Haus Auensee 03/27/10 Munich Zenith 03/29/10 Vienna Gasometer 03/30/10 Stuttgart Schleyerhalle 04/01/10 Basel St. Jakobshalle 04/02/10 Luxembourg City Rockhall 04/16/10 Lisbon Coliseum 04/18/10 Barcelona Palau Sant Jordi 04/19/10 Madrid Palacios Deportes 04/21/10 Milan Mediolanum Forum 04/23/10 Marseille Le Dome 04/24/10 Lyon Halle Tony Garnier 04/26/10 Paris Bercy 04/29/10 Nantes Zenith 04/30/10 Toulouse Zenith 05/01/10 Nice Palais Nikaia 05/03/10 Strasbourg Zenith		NANCY NEWLIS nancynewlis.com ♥ myspace.com/nancynewlis Nancy Newlis is a New York singer/songwriter. Yes, we get a lot of these sort of submissions, especially of the singer/songwriter variety. What makes Newlis stand out is that she's from Moscow, originally studying under composer Irina Vladimirovna. A bit of a prodigy, she found herself studying jazz with a full scholarship in the University of Miami. Her recording break came with the release of Universidad Navidena, featuring the University music orchestra. Bitten by the recording bug, she went on to release Moments last year, and her latest release is Dreamers 2009 EP, released last May. I think what she's trying to do on the EP is a mixture of traditional jazz and pop music. Generally, the way I look at jazz is that it's usually an instrumental form, usually with improvisation (especially played by a veteran). In order for traditional jazz to be accepted by the mainstream audience, it has to have catchy lyrics or pop sensibility. Songs like "Dreamers", "Social Standing" and "What Is It?" on Newlis' EP does a good job fusing the two genre, featuring some acoustics, pianos, and Newlis' unique Russian-esque vocals. If you want to hear her for yourself, check out her free download of "Dreamers" at last.fm.
PUZZLE myspace.com/puzzlepuzzle OH MY! I think I am in love Puzzle. They have this indiepop sound, sort of feels like they are all old school friends in a small, small town, obsessing over their favorite bands. As it turns out, according to their biography, this is a "female-fronted" band from Liverpoool who started in 2007. Their debut album, Sometimes, all of the time, released the same year, is sold out... however their latest MiniCD (the first 30 features a holographic cover, limited to 100), is called We Left, released September 28th on Lightning Heart Records. I don't know what else I can add to this, except that I really like the way Lucy sings her songs. It reminds me of a bit of Tanya Donelly. If I were to live in Liverpool, you know what I'll be doing on October 13th (stalking): 10/13/09 Bumper - with Cats and Cats and Cats & maybeshewill		TOTAL BABE myspace.com/totalbabeband A little closer to home, is Minneapolis' Total Babe. Generally whenever I see band names like this, I think "they must mean the opposite, I'll bet they're heavy metal dudes ... with beards!" Well perception kept me away until I added this EP to my work queue. Guess what? They're alright! In fact, having just looked over all their cheesy photography collection, including the hilarious OMG picture, I'll have to say they are cute/dorky normal. The six song Heatwave EP, is full of indieness. My favorite is "Shape Up", featuring some whistling action. Since they are from around here, I'll try and catch them play after their CMJ debut. 10/04/09 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, Minnesota 10/20/09 CMJ FESTIVAL New York, New York 10/21/09 CMJ FESTIVAL Public Assembly Brooklyn, NY 10/22/09 CMJ FESTIVAL Spike Hill Brooklyn, New York 10/23/09 CMJ FESTIVAL New York, New York 10/24/09 CMJ FESTIVAL New York, New York 10/30/09 PERSONAL BEST RECORDS Minneapolis, MN 11/14/09 Kitty Cat Klub, Minneapolis, MN