LOVE this band and their full album is streaming on Soundcloud. Listen below.
Posts Tagged ‘indie rock’
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HEAR THIS: Said the Whale – Little Mountain
March 7, 2012 by Steph
Category Albums | Tags: Canada,Hidden Pony,indie rock,Said the Whale | Comments Off on HEAR THIS: Said the Whale – Little Mountain
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Reptar in LA
February 26, 2012 by Steph
I loved Rugrats, so with a name like “Reptar,” you’re bound to get my attention. And it’s not just me– this Georgia-based band has been collecting quite a following since 2008. Their debut album Body Faucet was produced by Ben Allen (Animal Collective, Gnarls Barkley, Washed Out) and will be released on Vagrant Records on May 1st (review coming soon).
They’ll be playing at SXSW and supporting buzzed-about band Grouplove on tour this Spring. If you’re like me and want to catch them early, come see them at The Echo this Wednesday with Quiet Hooves and Lucius.
Follow @reptarathens
AT THE ECHO
Wednesday, Feb 29
8:30pm / $8adv; $10dos / 18+
LISTING / TICKETSREPTAR LIVE DATES
2/23 – Fitzgerald’s (Downstairs) – Houston, TX
2/24 – The Prophet Bar – Dallas, TX
2/25 – Stubbs BBQ – Austin, TX
2/27 – Solar Culture – Tucson, AZ
2/28 – Soda Bar – San Diego, CA
2/29 – The Echo – Los Angeles, CA (more…)Category Live | Tags: Athens,indie rock,Reptar,The Echo | Comments Off on Reptar in LA
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The Fling & Yukon Blonde on tour
October 24, 2011 by Steph
The Fling
It seems like not that long ago I was interviewing The Fling’s frontman Dustin about heading out on a West Coast tour. The Long Beach Dangerbird band is already heading back out on the road, co-headlining with an awesome Canadian band Yukon Blonde.
The Fling’s album When The Madhouses Appear came out this past March and since then, they’ve been busy touring and being awesome.
- Yukon Blonde
Yukon Blonde hasn’t wasted any time either. They band spent the last year and a half on tour in North America and Europe. I caught them a few months back at The Echo, before the release of their Fire//Water EP, out on Nevado Records on October 11th.
TOUR DATES:
Tue, Oct 18 San Diego, CA Soda Bar
Wed, Oct 19 Los Angeles, CA The Echo
Thu, Oct 20 San Francisco, CA Bottom Of The Hill
Sat, Oct 22 Eureka, CA Red Fox Tavern
Sun, Oct 23 Portland, OR Doug Fir
Mon, Oct 24 Seattle, WA The Tractor
Wed, Oct 26 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
Fri, Nov 4 Boston, MA Middle East
Sat, Nov 5 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
Sun, Nov 6 Brooklyn, NY Rock Shop
Tue, Nov 8 Hoboken, NJ Maxwell’s
Wed, Nov 9 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie
Thu, Nov 10 Washington, DC Red Palace
Fri, Nov 11 Richmond, VA The Camel
Sat, Nov 12 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
Mon, Nov 14 Charlotte, NC Snug Harbor
Tue, Nov 15 Atlanta, GA The Earl
Thu, Nov 17 St. Louis, MO Off Broadway
Wed, Nov 16 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsley
Fri, Nov 18 Louisville, KY Zanza Bar
Sat, Nov 19 Columbus, OH Rumba Café
Mon, Nov 21 Pittsburgh, PA Club Café
Tue, Nov 22 Cleveland, OH Beachland
Wed, Nov 23 East Lansing, MI Mac’s Bar
Fri, Nov 25 Chicago, IL Panchos
Mon, Nov 28 Minneapolis, MN 7th Ave Entry
Thu, Dec 1 Ames, IA The Maintenance Shop
Fri, Dec 2 Omaha, NE Slowdown Jr
Sat, Dec 3 Kansas City, MO Riot Room
Sun,Dec 4 Oklahoma City, OK The Conservatory
Tue, Dec 6 Little Rock, AR Juanita’s Cantina
Wed, Dec 7 Dallas, TX Double Wide
Thu, Dec 8 Houston, TX Fitz Downstairs
Fri, Dec 9 Austin, TX Emo’s Inside
Sun, Dec 11 Denver, CO Larimer Lounge
Tue, Dec 13 Salt Lake City, UT Kilby Court
Wed, Dec 14 Boise, ID Neurolox
Fri, Dec 16 Spokane, WA A Club
Sat, Dec 17 Seattle, WA Crocodile
Sun, Dec 18 Portland, OR Doug Fir
Wed, Dec 21 San Francisco, CA Brick & Mortar
Thu, Dec 22 San Diego, CA Soda BarCategory Features | Tags: indie rock,National tour,The Fling,Yukon Blonde | Comments Off on The Fling & Yukon Blonde on tour
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WATCH THIS: Locksley’s – “The Whip” Dance Mashup Video
September 22, 2011 by Steph
This song is catchy as shit and the video is a riot! I dare you NOT to dance along!
Category Music Videos | Tags: indie rock,Locksley,music video | Comments Off on WATCH THIS: Locksley’s – “The Whip” Dance Mashup Video
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Interview with Appeitite
August 4, 2011 by Steph
I’ve recently been introduced to the amazing musical project of Teddy Briggs from Sacramento, CA–Appetite. The music on Appetite’s recent album Scattered Smothered Covered plays with rhythms and silly melodies with dark themes. It’s really fascinating and I was so enraptured with it that I wanted to ask Teddy, the creator, a few questions.
MP3 of “Tussy”
MP3 of “Fiery Ring”S: First off, Appetite. Why the name? Does it mean something for the concept of the musical project or was it just something fun?
Teddy: I was trying to think of cool band names (as usual) and I thought of Appetite. I liked the way it sounded and then thought about what it might mean. I think I initially related to the idea of hunger in making music, being hungry in part to be heard but also hungry to just make music no matter what, even if no one heard it. Now I find even more potential meanings for the name, which is my favorite thing about words and language in general, meanings morph with time and context.
Category Interviews, Tracks | Tags: Appetite,electro,indie rock,Sacramento | Comments Off on Interview with Appeitite
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Jimmy Eat World in Seattle
July 6, 2011 by Dave
Jimmy Eat World, what a show to begin my Seattle based rock journalism efforts with. It has been almost precisely ten years since I’ve seen them live (their Bleed American tour in 2001) and the decade has certainly treated them well. It started a little tumultuously with the departure of Mike Trombino from the “Futures” project in 2004, as he had produced/recorded with/ or engineered every major release of theirs since 96 when he produced their first studio album Static Prevails. It was said that this was due to the band not having enough material to feel comfortable recording a full cohesive album and then later having scheduling conflicts with Trombino. While this was indeed traumatic as far as the production of the album was concerned it gave the band a chance to break away and construct something completely different. They took a little time to get back into the creation phase and after building out a few of the key tracks of Futures they teamed up with Gil Norton who was known widely for his work with the Pixies and Dashboard Confessional and put out an album that was a far reach from anything that they had done before. I found the album to be a testament to the many layers of the group that was continually being displayed through the evolution of each album. The band then toured with Taking back Sunday and Greenday before returning to the studio to record their next album “Chase This Light”
Chase This Light came at an interesting time for me because I was heavily involved in the creation of tour apparel for major label bands for a merch company in Los Angeles and was constantly immersed in the music world. While I didn’t have the pleasure of working on any Jimmy t-shirts they were definitely played through my headphones while I worked away in adobe. When Chase This Light came out I couldn’t stop listening. It felt like an incredible call back to the days of Bleed American where every track could be a single. It was one of those albums where there was no wasted space, every song was worth listening to every time. This time they decided to self produce the album, which involved getting a bunch of talented producers working together with them to create something amazing. (Chris Testa and John Fields as co-producers and Butch Vig as exec producer)
After announcing that they were going to start working on their next album in 2008 Atkins began work in a bit of an unconventional method for “Invented”. He would spend time studying the works of photographers like Cindy Sherman and Hannah Starkey before putting pen and ink to paper and because of this method a lot of the songs have their own distinct message. Each track communicates an individual idea but is woven together to form a fully cohesive set of thoughts communicated through the band’s music.
While putting together the material for Invented, Jimmy Eat World traveled for a tenth anniversary tour of the release of their first studio album Clarity in which they performed ten sold out shows across the US in which they played the album Clarity in its entirety. It was on this tour that the band regained connections to Trombino while playing in San Diego. They then decided to work with him again to produce their most recent work. One of the reasons they worked so well together on this production was Trombino’s willingness to produce in an unconventional method. The band would record their tracks in their home studio space “Unit 2” in Arizona and then send the tracks off to Trombino who was located in Los Angeles. It was an interesting long distance relationship but no one can deny the results. “Invented” very clearly follows the path of greatness that has been made standard by this band. With Atkins new approach to the lyrics and the return to Trombino’s production style (you can hear elements of Clarity and Bleed American pulse through this album) I was again amazed by their work. It should also be noted that another flavor was added to the recording in singer/song writer Courtney Marie Andrews who provided an integral part to the sound of the album and again in the show I just witnessed.
I will admit that Jimmy has seen a little less face time on my playlists over the last few years but this show reminded me of why I’ve been a fan for so damn long. When you run into bands throwing down shows after establishing a pretty extensive catalogue of music there is no telling what can come up, Atkins and crew played almost everything I wanted to hear from the more obscure to the classics to some tracks off of their most recent album “Invented”. I can liken it best to having just had exactly what I wanted from a meal. I walked away from that music feast satisfied and since the show they’ve definitely seen resurgence in my library.
Category Live | Tags: classics,indie rock,Jimmy Eat World,Seattle | Comments Off on Jimmy Eat World in Seattle
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Kitten at The Echo
July 4, 2011 by Steph
Petite Chloe Chaidez flit around the venue saying hello to friends in her hometown as if they had come to see her high school play or ballet recital. Quite to the contrary, with her band she was about to rock the house. Charging the stage with full energy, she opened the set with a cover of Joy Divisions “Transmission” and while it’s quite a risk to cover such a well-loved band, Kitten pulled it off with ease.
With each song, Chloe danced the stage into submission, commanding attention of the whole room. As young as she is, her demeanor was dark and brooding, flinging herself like a broken doll. She rocked “Japanese Eyes” and then my favorite new track from her upcoming full length “Apples and Cigarettes” (I’d like to think per my request). It was the only song in the set that she slowed down to catch her breath and it was sensational. She flashed through “Kill the Light” from the Sunday School EP, a new one “Hot Rod,” a personal favorite “Johnny Johnny Johnny,” and another newer one “Catholic Boys,” among other tracks. She closed with “Kitten with a Whip” from the EP. She barely stop for a second, whirring and writhing around the stage. The performance was spectacular, fascinating, and made everyone observing pine for more of this great band.
If you haven’t gotten to see them live yet, they’ll be on the road all summer (tour dates below). Also, if you haven’t read it yet, I had a great interview with Chloe just a few days earlier.
Listen to a demo of “Apples and Cigarettes”:
TOUR DATES:
Category Live | Tags: indie pop,indie rock,Kitten,moody pop,The Echo | Comments Off on Kitten at The Echo
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Interview with Kitten, Live at The Echo Tonight!
June 28, 2011 by Steph
Kitten’s Chloe Chaidez is incredible. She’s only 16 and making amazing pop-infused indie rock worthy of someone twice her age. I was introduced to Kitten through her Sunday School EP, released in October last year, and her session with The Wild Honey Pie. Now she’s about to tour around the U.S. with Brother and then Electric Six. First, she’ll be playing at The Echo tomorrow sponsored by Futuresounds.com with The Postelles. And before any of that, I got to ask Chloe a few questions about life as a young professional musician.
S: You’re only 16 and already your music is being compared to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O, Cat Power and The Killers. How long have you been making music?
Chloe: Well I’ve been in bands since I was 10, so I guess you could say I started young. My first instrument was bass, and soon after I learned guitar and started to write. It was “live, breath eat music” from there on out.
S: Who are some of the bands and musicians that have inspired you? Which do you credit as influences on Kitten’s sound?
Chloe: Fortunately the other guys in the band come from very different musical backgrounds, so as a whole we have a lot of people/bands influencing our music. Personally speaking, bands like New Order, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Iggy Pop have influenced me greatly over Kitten’s short life span.
S: How did you get into such a solid collection of music at a young age? Do you have musical parents or an older sibling you who introduced you or did you find it on your own?
Chloe: Both actually. My dad is a musician who introduced to me all the classics at an early age, which I loved. When I got a bit older and my brother started to become more of a friend than an enemy, he began showing me bands like Justice (in their heyday), Crystal Castles, and Toro Y Moi . But to be fair, both opened my eyes to great music I might have never heard otherwise.
S: Has your taste in music changed over the years? Do you have any “guilty pleasure” albums? Any Ke$ha in your collection?
Chloe: I think the closest artist to a “guilty pleasure” in my iTunes library would be La Roux. But to be honest there’s really no guilt tied to that pleasure , she has great songs!
S: A lot of the tracks on the Sunday School EP are pretty dark, whether through the lyrics or the music itself (“I’m gonna love you till I’m dead / a place to lay my head”). What do you draw inspiration from? Are your songs autobiographical?
Listen to “Kill the Light” by Kitten
Chloe: I think there are always going to be bits of yourself in your writing. You can’t really help that. But I wouldn’t necessarily call my songs autobiographical, they’re more like a lot of little ideas and images being put to music that usually seem to tie together in the end.
S: Are you writing new songs? When can we expect a new release from Kitten? Maybe a full-length?
Chloe: Yes! We’re actually in the middle of recording a full length right now that will be released sometime in the fall.
S: Being such a young starlet, and given how outrageous previous young female artist have been, is maintaining a strong female image important to you? Are there any strong women you’ve looked up to as a role model?
Chloe: Strong men and women are the same to me. If I find someone that I feel is worth looking up too, they’re gender really doesn’t matter. I don’t want to be known as one of the greatest “female” musicians of all time , I want to be known as one the greatest musician’s of all time.
S: This year has been pretty spectacular for Kitten–great performances at CMJ and SXSW with praise from everyone from MTV to Spin. Did you ever expect all of this when you first demoed your songs for Bill Racine? Did you think “these songs are gold”?
Chloe: I wasn’t expecting much to be honest, it was just an EP and i’m glad its done well for us. I’m really excited for everyone to hear our full length and see how much we’ve grown.
S: What has been the highlight of it all? Any point where you thought, “wow, I’ve made it” or is that yet to come?
Chloe: Definitely yet to come. That said, I’ve hit some goals that I wouldn’t think I’d meet until much later in life.
S: Your video for “Chinatown” is really cool with its special effects. Tell me a bit about the video and the idea for it. Does it relate to the inspiration for the song?
Chloe: Basically we were sent a couple different treatments, and the concept that ended up being the video was the one that really clicked with all of us. Bryan (the director) could tell you more about the effects. As far as the band were concerned, we wanted something different visually and not what you would expect for the song.
S: You’re about to head on tour with Brother and then Electric Six. Do you enjoy being out on the road? What are some of the best/worst parts? What do you plan to do about school?
Chloe: I enjoy being on the road more than anything else in the entire world. I would spend all year touring if i could. The best part is simply devouring that energy from a crowd every single night and having such a luxury be your only responsibility. The worst part is having to wear the same pair of underwear two days in a row, sometimes..
As far school goes, I homeschool online and it seems to be working well.
S: Thanks so much, Chloe! I’m excited to see you at The Echo. Do me a favor and play “Apples and Cigarettes”!
Category Interviews | Tags: indie rock,Kitten,The Echo | Comments Off on Interview with Kitten, Live at The Echo Tonight!
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Sasquatch: The Antlers
June 24, 2011 by Ross
The Antlers by Ernest A. Jasmin (weeklyvolcano.com)
One performance I thought was one of the best-kept secrets at Sasquatch was The Antlers. While the majority people where at Iron & Wine, I stuck around the Bigfoot Stage to see what this Brooklyn indie rock group had to offer.
The Antlers brought the heat with incredible instrumentals especially from Darby Cicci on the keyboards. The organ-like sounds flowed perfectly with Peter Silberman’s vocals creating the perfect mood. The set was a great way to start the night performances. Performing their single “Two” for their final song was the cherry on top of the sundae for me. Overall, I loved every second of the Antlers’ set.
Listen to “Two”:
Category Live | Tags: Brooklyn,indie rock,Sasquatch,The Antlers | Comments Off on Sasquatch: The Antlers
