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Consider their first release, "EP 001", to be a prototype. Written between Chicago, New York, and Nashville, singer David Raymond has taken this collection of songs and carefully crafted the sonic base for this band. “Addition by subtraction” is how producer J. Hall describes the orchestration within "EP 001". “Whenever a new sound is introduced, another must be scaled back to accommodate.” The result is an album rooted in the foundation of soulful rhythm and melody, orchestrated in a disciplined fusion of cohesive sound. Combining orchestral movements with razor sharp edges, while paying their respects to bands such as Jawbox, Thrice, and more, it’s a taut and potent sound that spans - from pop to electronica to progressive - the breadth of modern rock. Think a more buoyant Minus The Bear, or a more syncopated Mutemath, both informed by the better parts of turn-of-the-21st Century indie rock.
Amid 5 years of continuous touring, former Damiera frontman, Raymond and Nashville-based producer J. Hall formed a bond of mutual respect and purpose. This relationship made "EP 001" possible, with no need for outside funding or labels. Hidden Hospitals has chosen to forgo the traditional roads mapped by an industry in transition. They intend to forge new paths, leaving a trail that inspires others to follow.
Hidden Hospitals Tour Dates
(w squid the whale, american opera)
02.29.12 // Saginaw, MI @ Hamilton St Pub
03.01.12 // Kalamazoo, MI @ The Strutt
03.02.12 // Chicago, IL @ Township
(alone)
03.09.12 // Dubuque, IA @ The Busted Lift
03.10.12 // Madison, WI @ The Frequency
03.11.12 // Dekalb, IL @ House Cafe
04.05.12 // Chicago, IL @ Underground Lounge
(alone)
04.12.12 // Fredonia, NY @ BJs
04.13.12 // New York, NY @ Sullivan Hall
(show is with Gabriel the Marine, Those Mockingbirds and Abel)
04.14.12 // Danbury, CT @ Heirloom Arts
04.15.12 // Rochester, NY @ The Bug Jar
04.16.12 // Akron, OH @ Musica
Hidden Hospitals performed on Audiotree Live in Chicago on February 16th - check out the video below:
Links:
Hidden Hospitals
Below is the press release for this event:
On Sunday, December 11th we're throwing a benefit concert featuring Dangerous Muse & Eva and Her Virgins. The event will also feature two floors of art, DJs, and burlesque performances in a 700+ person venue. We invite all to join us in this night of fun & celebration to benefit the Occupy Movement!
Sunday, December 11th – 7:30 p.m. until 2:00 a.m. Tickets will cost $15 at the door. Proceeds will go directly to supporting the Occupy Movement. Tickets will also be available online shortly.
Sullivan Hall
214 Sullivan St.
New York, NY 10012
Performers:
Dangerous Muse
Eva and Her Virgins
Copal
HUFF THIS!
Shoot The Freak
Exhibits:
- Art showing on display by Hulbert Waldroup & Occuprint.org
- Members of the Occuprint collective will be onsite with silkscreens
HUFF THIS! is a dream-thrash band fronted by Alison Clancy, a creature who prances, prowls, and gets into trouble. The music is a visceral collage of electro-acoustic cello by infamous composer Chrissy Lancaster, spastic, sweat inducing drums by Tony Long, and Sonny Ratcliff creeping all over the bass. Alison washes it over with dreamy piano, guitar, and bipolar vocals. This band will make you dance and let you cry. Tis the season to be merry and spread the love! Sometimes this means spreading the wealth....All proceeds of the concert go to Occupy Wall Street. Other bands playing that night are Dangerous Muse, Eva and Her Virgins, Copal, and Shoot The Freak. This concert is being officially sponsored and promoted by OccupyWallStreet.org and has been stirring up quite a bit of controversy within the movement.
HUFF THIS! recorded their first album in 2008 at Graham Nash's home studio. HUFF THIS! has since been in slow germination for a few years. Last year HUFF THIS! was on hiatus as Alison worked on the breakout pop project Electric Child (which landed on the scene at CMJ and was sponsored by SPIN Magazine to play on bills with TV On The Radio, The Kills, and Skrillex at SXSW) Alison then took some time away from music to dance at The Metropolitan Opera and tour with ZviDance through Israel and Poland. But now she is back to crafting the moody sounds of HUFF THIS! this with an incredible cast of NYC musicians.
Links:
Alison Clancy
HUFF THIS!
DOWNLOAD: Zach Maxwell - "Silent Bear" EP (requires minimum Paypal donation of $1)
Blues/soul singer/songwriter Zach Maxwell is playing a full band show this Thursday at Sullivan Hall with opening act Sabrina Scott .
Zach and his band have aligned with the National Wildlife Federation to try and raise funds and awareness to help clean up the BP Oil Spill. The money donated will go directly toward identifying wildlife most impacted by the spill, coordinating rescue efforts with NWF’s surveillance teams, and helping to restore the wildlife habitat that has been lost. For nearly 75 years, the National Wildlife Federation and it’s 4 million members have worked to protect America’s wildlife and wild places. Check out NWF’s site for everything oil spill: www.nwf.org/oilspill
Sullivan Hall is located at 214 Sullivan Street (bet Bleeker and W. 3rd) and Zach's set time is 8:30 PM. Tickets are $10.
Links:
Zach Maxwell
STREAM: The Soul of John Black - Live on KCRW's Morning Becomes Electric 
Former Fishbone guitarist and Miles Davis sideman John Bigham is back with his third CD under "The Soul of John Black" moniker. The new disc, Black John, was released earlier this year and here is a snippet from the Washington Post's review of the disc:Incantatory funk choruses abound, while "I Knew a Lady" gets a lift from a propulsive go-go beat, and mid-tempo workouts like "Better Babe" and "Push Into the Night" veer in the direction of rock. For all its grit and groove, though -- the arrangements on a couple of tracks here hint at the freakadelic soul of Gnarls Barkley -- the record ends with a pair of sublime ballads, the second of them, "Thinking About You," graced with lilting filigrees of West African-style guitar.
The Soul of John Black are playing a long set tomorrow night at Sullivan Hall. The show starts at 9:30PM and tickets are $15.00.
Links:
The Soul of John Black
Sullivan Hall
The Canon Logic played to a full house last Friday night at Sullivan Hall and this video is from the band's opening number. I don't know the name of the song but the band has a number of new songs in their set which sound great. Check out the new song "Avenue of Criminals" which is streaming on the band's MySpace page (link below). I have been looking forward to new recorded material from the band and, in talking with the guys after the show, they are going to be releasing a new EP later this year and a full-length release sometime next year.
The crowd seems to grow in number every time that I see The Canon Logic. The band also has some of the most enthusiastic fans that I have seen in a long time as the crowd danced and sang along to all of the songs. The band played about a 45 minute set and, with the crowd alternating between cheers of "CA-NON LOGIC" and "ONE MORE SONG", the club let the band play one final tune. I think the crowd would have kept them on stage for the rest of the night if the club would have allowed it.
Canon Logic are playing the No Correct Way/Fearless Music showcase at CMJ which will be held at Arlene's Grocery on Tuesday, October 21st. The are some great bands on this bill which include Second Dan and The Dig.
Links:
The Canon Logic's MySpace Page
The Canon Logic's Website
Philadelphia transplants, The Canon Logic, are playing Sullivan Hall tonight. Sullivan Hall is the old Lions Den (214 Sullivan Street). The band is playing with "A BIG YES...and a small no" (who goes on at 9:30PM) and tickets are only $10.
According to the The Canon Logic's MySpace page, the band relocated to Brooklyn and have their second release, "White Balloon", due out on May 20th. The Canon Logic earned some great press for their first EP with its blend of Beach Boys' style vocal harmonies mixed with Cheap Trick style power-pop. One of the stand-out tracks on the EP is Delia.
The band has such an incredibly tight sound, both musical and vocally, so I have been wondering how well this translates to the band's live shows. I just ran across an audience clip of the band performing acoustic version of Delia on World Cafe and they sounds great. (You can't fake it acoustically)
The Canon Logic are off to SxSW for a couple shows and the next local show is at The Tank on April 10th.
Links:
The Canon Logic's MySpace Page
The Canon Logic's Blog