Brian Grosz's "Damnation and Delusion Tour" Starts Tomorrow Night at Fat Baby

DOWNLOAD: Gene Priest and the Cardinal Sin - "Living to Die"
DOWNLOAD: Brian Grosz & the Bad Idea - "A Tap Tribute"

Save your liver tonight as there will be some serious drinking going on at Fat Baby tomorrow night when Brian Grosz and Gene Priest kick off their "Damnation and Delusion" tour.

Since the 2007 release of his debut solo album, "Bedlam Nights" (Exotic Records), Brian Grosz been presenting the world with his own skewed and gravel-voiced version of the American Blues and Spiritual traditions. Combining the ramshackle snarl of Tom Waits with the methadone nod of Mark Lanegan and the storm clouds that loom above P.J. Harvey, Grosz steeps his songs of masochistic sentiment in a tumbler of whiskey and then stirs it with the relic of a straight razor.

Melding the lo-fi sentimentality of Minor and Mark Linkous' Sparklehorse with the ethereal escapism of Radiohead, Priest and his ad-hoc backing band, The Cardinal Sin, explore the darkest corners of self-worth. The music crawls along through the dust, not because it hasn't learned to walk; rather, it simply doesn't see a need to stand. It's with underlying confidence and defiance, rather than apathy and malaise when Priest sings, "No, I don't care if I ever see the light."

Links:
Gene Priest
Brian Grosz

The Jezabels Play Four Dates in NYC as Part of CMJ Music Marathon

DOWNLOAD - The Jezabels: "Mace Spray" (from "Dark Storm" EP)

Sydney, Australia's The Jezabels are set to play four dates in New York including a stop in Brooklyn on October 21st at Union Hall as part of the CMJ Music Marathon 2010. On the 21st, The Jezabels will share the stage with Snake Rattle Rattle Snake, Conversion Party, Radical Dads, Mussels, and Howlies. Without a CMJ Badge, tickets are $8 and doors are at 7:30PM. (Note: The Jezebels go on around 1AM)

The Jezabels are currently touring behind "Dark Storm" which is the third in a trilogy of EPs which began in 2009 with "The Man is Dead". After the New York dates, The Jezabels will head out on a national tour of Canada as the main support of Two Hours Traffic.

The newest EP represents the band's most confident outing to date--moody, mysterious, and epic, yet buzzing with the quartet’s ever-present knack for an irresistible pop hook. It's off to a great start as it has became the #1 album on Australian iTunes.

The Jezabels have tirelessly toured Australia since the release of their EP "She's So Hard" in November 2009. The band has supported artists like Tegan & Sara, Katie Noonan and Josh Pyke as well as selling out their own headlining shows. Additionally, the singles "Hurt Me" and "Easy to Love" from the EP "She's So Hard" received heavy rotation on radio in Australia and abroad.

Tour Dates:

CMJ Music Marathon
10.21.10 (8 pm) Bowery Ballroom (CMJ) New York, NY
10.21.10 (1 am) Union Hall (CMJ) Brooklyn, NY
10.22.10 Pianos (CMJ) New York, NY
10.23.10 Fat baby (CMJ) New York, NY

Tour with Two Hours Traffic
10.26.10 Horseshoe Tavern Toronto, ON
10.28.10 Republik - Calgary, AB
10.29.10 Barking Parrott - Penticton, BC
10.30.10 Pit Pub UBC - Vancouver, BC
11.02.10 The Slice - Lethbridge, AB
11.03.10 Starlight Room - Edmonton, AB
11.04.10 The Exchange - Regina, SA
11.05.10 Amigos - Saskatoon, SA
11.06.10 Royal Albert - Winnipeg, MB

Links:
The Jezabels

Dogs of Winter (Brian Grosz) Release Debut CD as a Free Download; CD Release Show at Fat Baby on Wednesday, May 13th

Brooklyn-based hard rockers Dogs of Winter have released their debut CD, From Soil to Shale, as a free download and the band is playing a CD release show tomorrow night at Fat Baby.

"From Soil To Shale," the blistering 9-song debut from Dogs Of Winter, marks the trio's passage from decay and detritus into the splintery, dark mass of angular stone you see before you. Compressed under the weight of Russian amplification, steeped in science-fiction and late-night movies, the album comprises tales of gorgons, body-snatching extra-terrestrial nano-organisms, tribal-excommunication and the unceasing march of progress.

The new disc was mixed by Andrew Schneider (Cave In, Pelican, Scissorfight, Unsane) and mastered by Nick Zampiello (Converge, Torche). From Soil To Shale also features custom artwork by Joe Boyle which is embedded in each individual track and the accompanying PDF digi-booklet.

Here is the video for the lead-off track from the disc, "Player Piano":



You can download From Soil To Shale, PDF-digbooklet and track-specific album art at Brian's Lapdance Academy site.

Dogs of Winter are playing at 9PM tonight and admission is $5.00 if you print out the flyer (above).

Links:
Dogs of Winter's Website

Amplify - Rehearsal Studio Interview, Brooklyn, NY 1-18-08

Amplify is a NYC-based alt-metal band made up of longtime music-scene vets. Members have worked with a range of musicians from Peter Gabriel to Fahrenheit 451 and are able to leverage these diverse influences to create Amplify's sound. The band's sound falls somewhere between prog-rock and the hard rock sounds of some of the 80's/90's metal bands (Soundgarden and 'Use Your Illusion'-era Guns N' Roses are the immediate comparisons).

The band released its debut CD, Beneath the Beauty Lies...Heaven to Burn, earlier this year and are starting play some shows around town in support of this disc.

Last month, I had the opportunity to sit in on one of the band's practice session and film some live video and an interview with Bobbie Rae (vocals) and Joe Rodriguez (guitars).

Here is the interview and the live footage will follow in the next few days.



Amplify has a couple upcoming shows:

March 6, 2008 9:00PM @ Fat Baby, NYC
March 14, 2008 10:30PM CD RELEASE SHOW @ The Cutting Room NYC
April 17, 2008 8:00PM @ Luna Lounge Brooklyn

Links:
Amplify's MySpace Page
Amplify's Website

Frauke - CD/EP Review

Frauke is "interesting"; I have listened to their EP (which is streaming on the band's website) a few times and I am still not quite sure what to make of them. Frauke are a three piece (bass, guitar and drums) which play Ween-inspired lo-fi music that is oddly compelling. The band's musical style ranges from a post-punk 80's sound to a track (sung by the female Frauke) that could pass for low-fi Blondie song (aside for the lyrics about chicks with di*ks and beat downs). I haven't made out all of the lyrical themes but they seem to range from sluts to the yeti. The EP gets interesting/bizarre when the band tells bad jokes in pseudo-German accents for about 10 minutes. Obviously these guys have interesting day jobs and/or good drugs.

Frauke's website describes them as:

Frauke is formed by Frauke, Frauke, and Frauke. Frauke met Frauke in Germany, and Frauke introduce Frauke to Frauke in Germany. Frauke is a she. Frauke wants you to dance, stop dancing. Frauke wants to play love songs for you but they are songs of hate. Look at Frauke, look away from Frauke. Frauke loves the suit that is covered in blood and and is left alone in the snow so that a child may come across it and weep. Frauke sees pain in child's eyes. does frauke feel emotion? Frauke does not feel. The owl laments, stops lamenting, for it fears Frauke.

All-in-all, I think this is one of those bands that you have to see live to actually figure out what they are all about. I would suspect that they will either shake the earth or be mad-drunk. Either state could make for an interesting show.

Frauke plays the Trash Bar in Brooklyn on May 9th.

Links:
Frauke's Main Website (link)
Frauke's MySpace page (link)

Frauke is Playing Fat Baby Tomorrow Night (April 16th)

Frauke makes its NYC debut tomorrow night and are playing Fat Baby in a celebration of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's birthday.








Here is what the band has posted to their MySpace page:

Since this is a Monday night, and it's our first NYC show, we'll probably be playing with a bunch of bands who apparently maybe like joy division. But we do not know. We only hope that there will be many fat babies in attendance, and perhaps the regular sluts from the fat baby bar to serve us lager and bay breezes. Won't you come and join us, this show will be an absolute fucking disaster. Come for Frauke. Stay for the lager and for to celebrate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's birthday but do not pay heed to anything or anyone else at the lagerhausen that is Fat Baby.

I have Frauke loaded on my iPod but haven't had a chance to listen to the songs so..more on Frauke later.

Links:
Frauke's MySpace page (link)