Saturday, April 3rd, 2010
Tessa AngusWhen Black Rebel Motorcycle Club first surfaced nigh on a decade ago (egads), they were both hailed as garage/psych-rock revivalists clad in scowls and black leather jackets and dismissed as, well, garage-psych-rock revivalists clad in scowls and black leather jackets. They’ve since managed to forge a respectable career that’s taken them from the the aforementioned drone rock to stripped down, acoustic blues-country and back again while losing members, regaining members and losing them again (all of the above referring to founding and now departed drummer Nick Jago).
Their latest album Beat The Devil’s Tattoo – their first with new permanent drummer Leah Shapiro – is perhaps their most realized effort in fusing their amplified and acoustic sides, featuring plenty of volume and riffage but some bluesy swagger injected into their big rock sound, more dynamics across the breadth of the album and improved songwriting of the sort that only comes when you realize you can’t hide always behind a distortion pedal or ten.
Through all the changes the band’s gone through, their fans have remained steadfast – so much so that when their show at the Phoenix this past Thursday sold out, they had to add a second date a week and a half later at the same venue – they’re back next Sunday, April 11 – and that one’s almost sold out as well. Tickets are $25 in advance, but courtesy of LiveNation, I’ve got three pairs of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to join the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club” in the subject line and your full name in the body, and have that in to me before midnight, April 7.
And if that’s two shows in a fortnight isn’t enough Black Rebel for you, the band have announced they’re playing an in-store – presumably acoustic – at the Sunrise Records at Yonge and Dundas the afternoon of April 11 at 4PM. Obviously getting there early is advisable.
The Aquarian and News Of The World have interviews with BRMC.
MP3: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – “Beat The Devil’s Tattoo”
Video: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – “Beat The Devil’s Tattoo”
Friday, April 2nd, 2010
Bao NguyenOne more appropriately-named act and they could have billed it as, “Girls! Girls! Girls!”; instead, the Phoenix will have to settle for hosting Girls, Dum Dum Girls and Leisure (would it kill them to change their name to “Leisure Girls”?) on April 9. Not bad, considering that Girls were one of the breakout new bands of 2009 with the fuzzy, lo-fi pop of their cryptically-titled debut Album and Dum Dum Girls appear set to follow in their footsteps with their just-released first record, I Will Be.
Tickets for the show are $16.50 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got three pairs of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see Girls” in the subject line (though that’s probably sure to go straight to the spam folder) and your full name in the body. Contest will close at midnight, April 7.
Philadelphia Weekly and Exclaim interview Dum Dum Girls.
MP3: Girls – “End Of The World”
MP3: Girls – “Laura”
MP3: Girls – “Lust For Life””
MP3: Dum Dum Girls – “D.A.L.”
MP3: Dum Dum Girls – “Jail La La”
Friday, April 2nd, 2010
MySpaceWhere do bands these days get their ridiculous names? If there were still a working marquee over the El Mocambo, this coming Tuesday night it would read like a litany of the absurd – Cymbals Eat Guitars? Cymbals are inanimate objects and cannot eat anything, and even if we were to anthropomorphize them sufficiently that this isn’t an issue, why would they feed on their musical brethren? Nonsense! Bear In Heaven? Everyone knows there are no bears in heaven, bears never die. They just hibernate for really, really long times and when they all eventually wake up – look out! Freelance Whales? You can’t sign whales to contracts, they have no fingers with which to hold a pen. Poppycock.
Of course, that’s how it’d read – pronounced out loud, the lineup would sound more like “buzzzzz” with all three bands drawing significant attention for their latest (and in two cases, first) records – Cymbals Eat Guitars with Why There Are Mountains, Bear In Heaven with Beast Rest Fourth Mouth and Freelance Whales’ Weathervanes. The odds of catching all of them together for one (low) price ever again are pretty much nil.
Tickets for the show are $10 in advance but courtesy of Collective Concerts, I’ve got a pair of passes to give away for the show. To enter, email me at contests AT chromewaves.net with “I want to see CEG/BIH/FW” in the subject line and your full name in the body. Contest closes at midnight, April 4.
In addition to this show, Cymbals Eat Guitars will be back in town at the Phoenix on April 20 opening up for Los Campesinos! and Freelance Whales are back on May 8 with Shout Out Louds at the Mod Club – don’t even get me started on either of their names. Bear In Heaven have no return engagement set yet, but they are the subject of features at The List and The Georgia Straight.
MP3: Cymbals Eat Guitars – “Wind Phoenix”
MP3: Bear In Heaven – “Bag Of Bags”
MP3: Bear In Heaven – “Lovesick Teenagers”
MP3: Bear In Heaven – “Whole Hearted Mess”
MP3: Freelance Whales – “Generator 2nd Floor”
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
Frank YangFull writeup of the night over here.
Grammatics
– Leeds chamber/prog-rock quartet released their self-titled debut last year and are working on album number two. Spinner has an interview.
Photos: Grammatics @ Phoenix – March 20, 2010
MP3: Grammatics – “Double Negative”
Video: Grammatics – “The Vague Archive”
Video: Grammatics – “D.I.L.E.M.M.A.”
Video: Grammatics – “New Franchise”
Gemma Ray
– Throwback rockabilly/torch singer out of the UK just released a new album in Lights Out Zoltar!. Spinner has a chat.
Photos: Gemma Ray @ The Tap Room on 6th – March 20, 2010
MP3: Gemma Ray – “100 MPH (In 2nd Gear)”
Video: Gemma Ray – “Hard Shoulder”
Video: Gemma Ray – “100 MPH (In 2nd Gear)”
Video: Gemma Ray – “Fist Of A Flower”
Class Actress
– New York ’80s-esque electro-glam trio just released their debut EP Journal Of Ardency. Out has an interview with frontwoman Elizabeth Harper.
Photos: Class Actress @ Phoenix – March 20, 2010
MP3: Class Actress – “All The Saints”
Video: Class Actress – “Let Me Take You Out”
MySpace: Class Actress
Eva & The Heartmaker
– Bubbly pop band fronted by husband-and-wife team, half of whom was a former winner of Norwegian Idol. They released their first album in North America last year, Let’s Keep This Up Forever.
Photos: Eva & The Heartmaker @ Prague – March 20, 2010
MP3: Eva & The Heartmaker – “Superhero”
Video: Eva & The Heartmaker – “Superhero”
MySpace: Eva & The Heartmaker
Venice Is Sinking
– Athens, Georgia orch-pop outfit will release the live-off-the-floor Sand & Lines: The Georgia Theatre Sessions on June 15.
Photos: Venice Is Sinking @ The Ale House – March 20, 2010
MP3: Venice Is Sinking – “Falls City”
MP3: Venice Is Sinking – “Okay”
MP3: Venice Is Sinking – “Compass”
MP3: Venice Is Sinking – “Ryan’s Song”
Video: Venice Is Sinking – “Okay”
Video: Venice Is Sinking – “Ryan’s Song”
Video: Venice Is Sinking – “Pulaski Heights”
MySpace: Venice Is Sinking
Forest City Lovers
– Toronto folk-pop up-and-comers have just completed recording their third album, due out in or around July of this year. Spinner has an interview.
Photos: Forest City Lovers @ The Ale House – March 20, 2010
MP3: Forest City Lovers – “If I Were A Tree”
Video: Forest City Lovers – “If I Were A Tree”
Video: Forest City Lovers – “Pirates”
Video: Forest City Lovers – “Song For Morrie”
Video: Forest City Lovers – “Please, Don’t Go”
MySpace: Forest City Lovers
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
Frank YangFull writeup of the day over here.
Lissie
– Big and raw-voiced Illinois native Lissie Maurus released her debut EP Why You Running last year. Aquarium Drunkard and BBC have interviews.
Photos: Lissie @ Red-Eyed Fly – March 20, 2010
MP3: Lissie – “Little Lovin'”
MySpace: Lissie
Sharon Van Etten
– Brooklyn singer-songwriter who released her spare and beautiful debut in Because I Was In Love last year was recently featured in a Daytrotter session. She plays the Horseshoe on April 5.
Photos: Sharon Van Etten @ Red-Eyed Fly – March 20, 2010
MP3: Sharon Van Etten – “For You”
MP3: Sharon Van Etten – “Consolation Prize”
MP3: Sharon Van Etten – “Love More”
Video: Sharon Van Etten – “For You”
MySpace: Sharon Van Etten
Free Energy
– Philadelphia champions of ’70s-styled, arena-sized power-pop will release their debut Stuck On Nothing on May 4.
Photos: Free Energy @ Red-Eyed Fly – March 20, 2010
MP3: Free Energy – “Free Energy”
MP3: Free Energy – “Hope Child”
Video: Free Energy – “Free Energy”
MySpace: Free Energy
The Middle East
– Dramatically-inclined Australian collective collected more and more accolades with each day of SxSW. Their debut EP The Recordings of The Middle East came out last Fall. They will play The Horseshoe on May 5.
Photos: The Middle East @ Red-Eyed Fly – March 20, 2010
Video: The Middle East – “Blood”
MySpace: The Middle East
Slow Club
– See writeup from a day two.
Photos: Slow Club @ Barbarella – March 20, 2010
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