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Golden Suits made their NYC live debut late last month with a headlining show at Union Pool. Local band, The Loom, opened the show and the crowd was at near capacity by the time Fred Nicolaus and the other three members of Golden Suits took the stage. While the set list emphasized Golden Suits new self-titled album (nine of the disc's ten songs were played), Fred also played Department of Eagles' "Family Romance"and he opened the show with a languid cover of "Barbara Ann".
This was a show where the music did the talking so there wasn't a lot of dialogue during the set outside of some self-depreciating wit from Fred (what else would you expect from a John Cheever fan?), which included a well-timed response to some audience cracks about the guitar player's chest hair. Fred and the band held the audience in rapt attention so the set's eleven songs passed quickly. There wasn't an encore but - after nailing a very tight set - there really wasn't a need.
For those who missed the show, there are a number of in-the-studio performances of Fred and the band performing tracks from the new Golden Suits album posted to YouTube which should give a good indication of what the band sounds like live.
In a recent interview with PopMatters, Fred was asked what his plans are after the current tour finishes: "When I get back I’m making a music video for the song “Under Your Wing”. The director and I painted a giant backdrop for it which is currently sitting in his apartment in Astoria, so I’m hoping we can film it quickly so he can get back to using his living room. I also write pretty much all the time, so I have a new batch of songs I’ve written since the album was finished. I don’t know where they’ll end up—either on a new Department of Eagles record, or more Golden Suits stuff, but either way I want to make another album next year. I took too long to make this record, I feel like I did enough overthinking for an entire career. "
Links:
Golden Suits
Nashville, Tennessee's panoramic country crushers Across Tundras' Neurot Recordings debut, Sage, was released in May 2011, capturing the band's heritage perfectly, through an amalgam of haunting doom-tinged Americana, melding echoes of traditional country blues and psychedelic sludge. Their organic sound is well-honed, marking it as their most fully realized album to date with all of their influences and elements flowing cohesively.
Across Tundras will be heading "out with the truckers and the kickers and the cowboy angels" on a massive American tour this Spring in support of their Neurot Recordings debut Sage. The band also pressed and hand-screened 300 copies of Sage on 2xLP as well as a brand new split 7" with fellow Tennessee heavy psych rockers Hellbender, especially for these tour dates. Get stoked like a raging prairie fire for the Across Tundras live experience!
ACROSS TUNDRAS 2012 Spring Tour:
4/11/2012 The Foxhole - St Louis, MO w/ Thorlock, Time and Time
4/12/2012 Mike n Molly's - Champaign, IL
4/13/2012 Rozz Tox - Quad Cities, IL w/ Electric Machete, Greg Colson
4/14/2012 Club Garibaldi - Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee Day's Fest w/ Northless
4/15/2012 Ultra Lounge - Chicago, IL w/ Larks Tongue
4/16/2012 Peoria Pizza Works - Peoria, IL w/ Larks Tongue
4/17/2012 The Butcher Shop - Dayton, OH w/ Before the Eyewall, Imbroglio
4/18/2012 Carabar - Columbus, OH w/ Tank Destroyer, Traitors Return to Earth
4/19/2012 Smiling Moose - Pittsburgh, PA w/ Molasses Barge, Carousel
4/20/2012 Union Pool - Brooklyn, NY
4/21/2012 The Level Room - Philadelphia, PA w/ Ominous Black, Sadgiqacea, Hivelords
4/22/2012 Strange Matter - Richmond, VA @ Year of Shit 3 Fest
4/23/2012 TBA - Raleigh, NC (HELP WANTED)
4/24/2012 The Cave - Chapel Hill, NC w/ Bitter Resolve
4/25/2012 The Milestone - Charlotte, NC
4/26/2012 The Owl - Greenville, SC
4/27/2012 Lexington Avenue Brewery - Asheville, NC
4/28/2012 Wonderroot - Atlanta, GA
4/29/2012 Longbranch Saloon - Knoxville, TN w/ Wampus Cat, War Injun
4/30/2012 The Green Lantern - Lexington, KY w/ Stampede
5/01/2012 The Muse - Nashville, TN
5/17/2012 The Buccaneer - Memphis, TN
5/18/2012 The Road Map - Texarkana, AR
5/19/2012 The Conservatory - Oklahoma City, OK
5/20/2012 Lola's - Ft. Worth, TX w/ FTW
5/21/2012 The 806 Coffee House - Amarillo, TX
5/22/2012 Burt's Tiki Lounge - Albuquerque, NM
5/23/2012 The Red Owl - Phoenix, AZ w/ Rituals, Via Vengeance
5/24/2012 La Cocina - Tucson, AZ
5/25/2012 Matsumoto's 2nd Street Jazz - Los Angeles, CA
5/26/2012 Thee Parkside - San Francisco, CA w/ Electric Shepherd & Outlaw, Hollow Mirrors, Owl
5/27/2012 TBA - Sacramento, CA (HELP WANTED)
5/28/2012 The Alibi - Arcata, CA w/ Uzala, Witch Sermon
5/29/2012 TBA - Eugene, OR (HELP WANTED)
5/30/2012 Billy Kyle's House - Portland, OR
5/31/2012 Plan B - Portland, OR w/ Megaton Leviathon, Diesto, White Orange
6/01/2012 The Shakedown - Bellingham, WA
6/02/2012 The Highline - Seattle, WA w/ Samothrace
6/03/2012 The Venue - Boise, ID
6/04/2012 Burt's Tiki Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT w/ Lo Pan
6/05/2012 3 Kings Tavern - Denver, CO w/ The Sewer Rats, Varlet
6/06/2012 B & B Bar - Spearfish, SD w/ The Sewer Rats, Don't Touch Me
6/07/2012 Latitude 44 - Sioux Falls, SD w/ The Sewer Rats, Rifflord
6/08/2012 The Medusa - Minneapolis, MN w/ The Sewer Rats, Lungs
6/09/2012 Off Minor - Dubuque, IA w/ Aseethe
Links:
Across Tundras
Butchers & Bakers used to be four guys, all of whom sang (sort of) and many of whom played guitar, often at the exact same time, very loudly. They are now four people, based in Brooklyn, only one of whom sings. Rebecca Keith’s voice sounds kind of like Grace Slick and kind of like Glenn Danzig; sometimes she plays keyboards too. Founding members Chris Asta and Mike Morini play guitar and drums, and newest member, bassist Hank Baker, was given automatic admission to the band because of his last name. Butchers & Bakers are two native New Yorkers (one uptown, one downtown), one part Eastern Mass, and one part Western Mass.
Butchers & Bakers are playing a show at Union Pool on March 29th with The Homophones and Wojcik. The Homophones are coming up from Philly and this will be Wojcik's first show back from SXSW and Europe-- she'll be reunited with her drummer after playing without him in Austin and abroad.
Links:
Butchers & Bakers
DOWNLOAD: Hull - "Beyond the Lightless Sky" (hosted on Pitchfork.com)
Brooklyn three-guitar led sludge rock collective Hull will play the Tee Pee Records CMJ showcase this Friday, October 21 at Union Pool in Brooklyn. Also appearing on the show will be Naam, The Fucking Wrath, ELKS, Mirror Queen and Unstoppable Death Machines. Tickets are $8.
Hull will kick off a long-awaited, near month-long U.S. tour on Wednesday in support of their monolithic Beyond The Lightless Sky full-length released via The End Records last week. The band will be joined by The F*cking Wrath on select dates. See updated tour schedule below.
Called "...a concept album for the ages" by Metal Army America, Beyond The Lightless Sky features guest appearances by vocalist Jarboe, keys/ambiance by Fade Kainer (Batillus/Jarboe/Inswarm ) and is raising the eye brows of fans and critics alike for its delicate balance of staggering heaviness and poetic grace. Exclaim hailed the band saying: "Hull have made something immense and nimble, ponderous and powerful," while CMJ noted
of the guitar sound in particular, "They're downright elegant at times, a fantastic contrast to the otherwise intense soundscape." The Obelisk called the band "crushingly heavy in a cerebral sense," adding that "Hull have come into their own and not only join the ranks of forward-thinking American metallers, but position themselves at the front of the pack with a few moments of unabashed, unashamed modern metal," and The Village Voice (NYC) commended the band's seamless versatility: "[Beyond The Lightless Sky] veers between motorcycle-revving D-beat, bog-trawling doom, sinister black metal, Neurosis drum-offs and hypnotic passages that gnash like a venom-dripping cousin to the final Isis album."
Hull Fall 2011 Tour:
10/19/2011 Valentines Downstairs – Albany, NY*
10/21/2011 Union Pool - Brooklyn, NY (HULL at 11:00pm!)
10/22/2011 Mojo 13 – Wilmington, DE
10/23/2011 Golden West Cafe – Baltimore, MD *
10/24/2011 Strange Matter – Richmond, VA *
10/25/2011 Milestone – Charlotte, NC *
10/26/2011 Drunken Unicorn – Atlanta, GA *
10/27/2011 Wormhole – Savannah, GA *
10/28/2011 The Snooze – West Palm Beach, FL *
11/01/2011 Siberia – New Orleans, LA *
11/02/2011 Brian Street Tavern – Dallas, TX *
11/03/2011 Red 7 FFF Kickoff Party – Austin, TX *
11/04/2011 Bash Riprocks – Lubbock, TX *
11/05/2011 The Open Source Project – Phoenix, AZ *
11/06/2011 Que Sara – Long Beach, CA *
11/07/2011 Vacation Vinyl (early show) – Los Angeles, CA
11/07/2011 Mountain Bar (late show) – Los Angeles, CA
11/08/2011 Hemlock Tavern – San Francisco, CA
11/10/2011 Highline – Seattle, WA
11/11/2011 Plan B – Portland, OR
11/14/2011 Bar Deluxe – Salt Lake City, UT
11/15/2011 Old Curtis Street – Denver, CO
11/17/2011 Downtown – Little Rock, AR
11/19/2011 Nightlight – Chapel Hill, NC
11/20/2011 Johhny Brendas – Philadelphia, PA
* w/ The F*cking Wrath
Links:
Hull
Earache Records announced the signing of Brooklyn's heavy metal warriors, Natur, to a worldwide recording deal. The band issued the following statement: "So here we are, on bellies full of free Thai food and drink, somewhere in Long Island City. We've just signed our souls over to legendary metal maniac label Earache. We are very excited to take our OLD METAL to a new level and look forward to working with these guys. HAILS!!!"
Commenting on his choice of Natur as "band of the week" (http://bandoftheweek.net) in May 2010, Darkthrone's own Fenriz says it best: "...awesome band playing old metal with old sound. What's not to like?"
Formed in 2008, Natur channels the old school, high energy sound reminiscent of legendary artists Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate, and Motorhead with New York intensity. The band has already achieved cult status among Brooklyn's developing metal scene, joining prominent acts like Tombs, Krallice, and Black Anvil and catching the eye of popular publications Revolver Magazine and Vice. Steadily gigging locally and abroad, Natur has earned a reputation for putting on an explosive live show. Appearances at Maryland Deathfest IX and the Live Evil Festival have established them as a force to be reckoned with. The band has shared the stage with Ghost, Marduk, and Aura Noir, as well as Earache's own Cauldron and Hour of 13.
Natur have a few upcoming area shows:
- July 31st: Saint Vitus, Brooklyn, NY (w/ Barn Burner and Ramming Speed)
- August 6th: The House of Vans, Brooklyn, NY
- August 26th: Union Pool, Brooklyn, NY (w/ Aggressor and Mutant Supremacy)
Links:
Natur
A double-bill of Cauldron and Holy Grail should make for a hot show. Tickets for the show at Union Pool are $10 and like-minded local band Wizardry is opening the show.
Rising stars of metal Holy Grail will be teaming up with Cauldron for a North American trek. The tour touches down in Brooklyn, NY on Wednesday, May 4th at Union Pool. Holy Grail will close all U.S shows and Cauldron will close all Canadian dates. Holy Grail has been touring in support of their critically-acclaimed Fall 2010 release, Crisis In Utopia, and Cauldron is touring behind their 2011 disc Burning Fortune.
Only assembled a few years ago, Holy Grail is already at the forefront of the new wave of metal that pays homage to such legends as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Dio. The band's debut EP "Improper Burial" (released in late 2009), featuring just two original tracks and two covers, earned Holy Grail significant press accolades including a 2-page feature in hometown paper LA Weekly, a spot on Decibel's "25 Most Anticipated Releases Of 2010" list and inclusion on Metal Hammer's "Guide To The Best In The Upcoming New Wave Of Trad Metal". Holy Grail was also recognized with a nomination for Metal Hammer's 2010 Golden God Awards in the "Best New Band' category - quite an honor since they hadn't even released a full-length album yet! Metal Hammer sums it up best: "With a killer name, awesome logo and a sound that is more metal than metal itself, Holy Grail are one of the most promising traditionally inclined metal bands to emerge from the US in the past decade...This is metal played with conviction and belief and you're going to love it."
Holy Grail / Cauldron Tour Dates
APRIL
15 -- West Hollywood, CA, Viper Room
16 -- Oakland, CA, Oakland Metro Opera House
17 -- Portland, OR, Dante's
18 -- Seattle, WA, El Corazon
19 -- Vancouver, BC, Media Club
21 -- Calgary, AB, Republik
22 -- Edmonton, AB, Brixx Bar & Grill
25 -- Winnipeg, MB, Royal Albert
26 -- Thunder Bay, ON, Crocks
28 -- Toronto, ON, The Wreck Room
29 -- Quebec, QC, L'Agitee
30 -- Montreal, QC, Il Motore
MAY
1 -- Allston, MA, Great Scott
2 -- Hartford, CT, Webster Underground
3 -- Philadelphia, PA, Trocadero
4 -- Brooklyn, NY, Union Pool
5 -- Washington, DC, Red Palace
6 -- Columbus, OH, The Summit
7 -- Chicago, IL, Subterranean
8 -- Minneapolis, MN, Triple Rock Social Club
9 -- Kansas City, MO, The Riot Room
10 -- Denver, CO, Three Kings Tavern
11 -- Salt Lake City, UT, Club Vegas
12 -- Mesa, AZ, Nile Theatre
Links:
Holy Grail
Mammoth Lakes, California blackened death horde Valdur, who released their Raven God Amongst Us full-length upon unsuspecting masses this past summer are already working on new tunes. The band will bring their infernal rumblings to the live arena for a very special show at the Oakland Black/Death Fest at the Metro Operahouse on Saturday March 12th. Valdur will be joined by headliners Dispirit, Necrite and Mutilation Rites among others.
Commented drummer Sxuperion on the live shows and upcoming new tunes: “We always look forward to the live event, as we very much appreciate and respect the energy and effort that is required to provide VALDUR’s music immediately! Otherwise, VALDUR has basically kept our determination focused upon the writing of many new songs that will see themselves appear on a new full-length release. We are buried in ten to 20 feet of snow in town which is very conducive to writing and creating. The new songs are faster and more intense than anything that VALDUR has released thus far. This new full-length will be finished and out when we say so.”
“Valdur are the best black metal band in the United States that you’ve probably never heard of.” — About.com
Links:
Valdur
DOWNLOAD: Poor But Sexy - "Hotter Than A Poptart"
DOWNLOAD: Poor But Sexy - "Cherry Delicious"
Washington DC's Poor But Sexy (PBS) is the latest project from five veterans of the DC post-punk scene. Singer David Brown and bassist Brandon Kalber met playing in the punk-funk band Travis Morrison Hellfighters. Guitarist and producer Jason Caddell brought the noise for 10 years as the guitarist in the Dismemberment Plan, a DC group that earned an international cult following for incorporating samples and dance grooves into punk rock long before it was de rigueur for indie bands. Keyboardist David Durst composes for the punk-chamber music collective Anti-Social Music when he's not working out his Stevie Wonder licks in PBS. Like a lot of DC bands, PBS also includes an investigative journalist, drummer Bruce Falconer.
In a 2008 interview with Washington Post Express, David Brown tries to explain the band's sound by saying "I was obsessed with R. Kelly. I tried to make some R. Kelly songs, basically. I literally tried to make what I thought sounded like R&B radio hits. But it didn't really turn out that way. People say it sounds like Steely Dan. There's a lot of '70s radio rock in there."
The band released and toured behind an EP in 2009 (which included a show at Brooklyn Bowl) and the standout track from this disc is "The Only Good Thing", where David Brown channels a R. Kelly vibe. (He is quoted in another interview as saying "The original concept was ‘The only good thing about saying goodbye is looking at your ass when you walk away’").
Poor But Sexy now have their debut full-length Let's Move In Together coming out on Feb. 15th and the band is playing some shows over the next few weeks in support of this new release. The local show with Dismemberment Plan on Jan. 29th (at Webster Hall) is sold out but you can catch the band at Union Pool with Franz Nicolay and David Dondero on Feb. 25th.
Links:
Poor But Sexy
DOWNLOAD: Grandfather - BrooklynRocks Interview with Mike (Guitar) and Josh (Drums/Vocals)
DOWNLOAD: Grandfather - Why I'd Try (full album)
Here is a snippet from GQ Magazine's recent interview with Steve Albini:Is there a young artist with integrity who inspires you today?
Grandfather's debut release, Why I'd Try, is out now in multiple formats (store link). There is a limited edition vinyl version with handmade art (edition of 300), a limited edition CD version (limited to 1000 copies) and as a free MP3 download. This is a great disc that mixes elements from the harder side of prog-rock with grunge and the start/stop rhythms of post-punk and have come up with some tracks that are immediately ear-grabbing.
I have an unusual perspective in that I make records every day for a living. I see a lot of bands on a weekly basis. I see little bits and pieces of behavior that are encouraging. There was a band that came into the studio a while back called Grandfather. They were an art rock band that organized the funding of their record through Kickstarter. They were really well rehearsed and came into the studio and knocked the record out in a couple of days. Because they didn't have a record label or any promotion schedule to adhere to, they were able to get their record manufactured and distributed within a couple of months. That's the kind of nimble, efficient behavior that was previously impossible when there was a corporate structure involved. It gives me confidence other bands will figure it out.
Guitarist Mike Kirsch has posted a well-written, detailed account of the band's frustration with their digital home studio technology and their subsequent decision to record with Steve Albini. Here is a link to Part I.
Grandfather is playing a show this Friday, Nov. 20th at Union Pool along with Hollis Brown and The Hot Press.
Links:
Grandfather
Hopewell has been blending vintage fuzz pedal jams with their early space rock and shoegaze roots for over a decade. Their tumultuous canon is the perfect cinematic bridge between the psychedelia of ‘90s acts like Flaming Lips and Mercury Rev and the genre's new generation, including Dungen and Serena-Maneesh. 2010 finds Hopewell releasing their first live album to coincide with a North American tour alongside The Dandy Warhols. Using recordings culled from their epic three-night engagement at Truck Festival America in May 2010 and their 2009 performance at All Tomorrow's Parties NY, Hopewell Live Volume 1 is a snapshot of the present-day band: Atypically, Hopewell’s music becomes heavier and more abstract as the band gets older. The modern version has two drummers, often employs a choir and horns, and is infamous for bludgeoning audiences into stunned silence with its brilliantly strange and unpredictable psych-rock orchestration.
Live Volume 2, slated for early next year, is a retrospective gaze back to the joyful noise of yore. The long-time line-up of Jay Green, Tyson Lewis, Rich Meyer, Lyndon Roeller and Jason Russo revisits with apparent glee, its outsider pop songs perfected over years in dingy rehearsal spaces from Hopewell Junction, NY to Brooklyn. Hopewell Live Volume 1 celebrates a self-made career that exploded into collaboration with super-producer Dave Fridmann, a 2001 BBC Peel Session, touring the UK’s festival circuit, opening for My Bloody Valentine & being hand picked by the Flaming Lips for All Tomorrow’s Parties.
Hopewell Tour Dates
10/22 Union Pool - Brooklyn, NY (Tee Pee Records CMJ Showcase)
all following dates with The Dandy Warhols:
11/06 Webster Hall - New York, NY
11/07 Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA
11/09 Rams Head Live - Baltimore, MD
11/10 The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC
11/11 Center Stage - Atlanta, GA
11/13 Granada Theatre - Dallas, TX
11/14 End Of An Ear Records - Austin, TX
11/14 La Zona Rosa - Austin, TX
Links:
Hopewell
I had the opportunity to spend some time with Early Grave prior to their show at Union Pool last month but got delayed editing and posting this video due to a recent move. The morning after I finished this video, I read about singer Makh Daniels' passing in a van accident in Oregeon. I only met Makh Daniels once but his death really threw me. Out of respect for Makh and the other members of Early Graves, I decided to 'sit' on this video for a while.
Please consider making a PayPal donation to help Makh's family. The email account for donations is ripMakhDaniels@gmail.com.
There will also be a memorial show for Makh on August 29th at the Rickshaw Stop (155 Fell Street) in San Francisco. The band will be selling memorial shirts for Makh with all proceeds going to his family to get them through this tough time.
Links:
Early Graves
Early Graves - Goner CD Review
Brooklyn ambient/doom metal band A Storm of Light are heading back on the road next month for a coast-to-coast tour that finishes up with a show at Union Pool on March 18th.
For most of the West Coast shows, A Storm of Light is playing with Shrinebuilder. Harvestman is along for a few of the West Coast dates as well and there are shows with US Christmas, Via Vengeance, Rumanian Buck, Batillus, Indian, and Battlefields on some of the other tour stops.
A Storm of Light is touring behind their second release Forgive Us Our Trespasses which came out late last year on Neurot Recordings. Kerrang described this disc as "focused on song-craft and what unfolds is a majestically epic and intimidating soundscape. A haunting, bleak and impressive record."
A Storm of Light's 2010 touring lineup is: (Note: the band has an open call out for a permanent drummer)
Josh Graham (Battle Of Mice, Blood And Time, Neurosis): guitar, vocals
Domenic Seita (ex Tombs): bass, backing vocals,
Geoff Summers (Batillus): drum ands
Zohra Atash (Religious To Damn): vocals.
Here are the upcoming tour dates:
2/18/2010 Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA
2/19/2010 Gallery 5 - Richmond, VA
2/20/2010 The Hideaway - Johnson City, TN
2/21/2010 King Pin Bowl - Athens, GA
2/22/2010 Club 529 - Atlanta, GA
2/24/2010 Rubber Gloves - Denton, TX
2/25/2010 Emo’s - Austin, TX
2/27/2010 23 West - Tempe, AZ
2/28/2010 Club Congress - Tucson, AZ
3/02/2010 Casbah - San Diego, CA *
3/03/2010 Echo - Los Angeles, CA *
3/04/2010 Echo - Los Angeles, CA *
3/05/2010 Voodoo Lounge - San Jose, CA* + HARVESTMAN
3/06/2010 Oakland Metro - Oakland, CA * + HARVESTMAN
3/07/2010 The Independent - San Francisco,CA * + HARVESTMAN
3/09/2010 Neumos - Seattle, WA *
3/10/2010 Rotture - Portland, OR
3/13/2010 Triple Rock - Minneapolis, MN
3/14/2010 Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL
3/15/2010 Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
3/18/2010 Union Pool - Brooklyn, NY
* w/ SHRINEBUILDER
Links:
A Storm of Light
How cool is it when psychedelia legend Julian Cope says that he is blown away by your band --
"I’m also right blown away by the catchy and compelling all-purpose psychedelia of THE LEGEND OF BLACK SIX by power trio The Phantom Family Halo. I say ‘all purpose’ because this stuff is useful and should be available by the vat on prescription, because it’s good for the mental health. I say power trio, but this lot are greedy motherfuckers with a hefty set of auxiliary members. The sound is totally reminiscent of that 1970 period when no fucker could control the number of overdubs, and these guys pass through every stage from The Youngbloods and Kalackakra to a kind of Amon Duul PARADIESWARTS DUUL-informed take on David Voorhaus’ White Noise project via early (very early) Chrome on their way to the proto metal of ‘Electric God In Your Galaxy’. This record is vinyl only, I believe, but double check by contacting starkillerlove@yahoo.com."
- Julian Cope/Teardrop Explodes
Louisville experimental/psychedelia band Phantom Family Halo are playing Union Pool on Saturday, July 18th with Dysrythmia (Record Release Show) and La Otracina. The show starts at 9PM and cover is listed as TBD.
Phantom Family Halo - "Monoliths"
Links:
Phantom Family Halo's MySpace Profile
DOWNLOAD: The Besties - What Would Tim Armstrong Do? (MP3)
Brooklyn's The Besties released their second disc, Home Free, earlier this month (on Hugpatch) and are playing a CD release show at Union Pool on Feb. 26th.
On the bill with The Besties are Used Kids (who are also releasing a new CD) and The Measure. Admission is $8.00.
The Besties described themselves on their MySpace page as "60's girl groups dry humping 90's pop punk" and Time Out Chicago said that the band's sound "evokes the Go-Go's recording for Epitaph." These two quotes are a good starting point for getting a handle on the band's sound. Being originally from Washington, DC, I hear more of the Slumberland/Sub*Pop sound of bands like The Swirlies and Velocity Girl in The Besties' music but, either way, it is all good.
The eleven tracks on Home Free are incredibly catchy pop tunes and The Besties touch on a wide splash of power-punk and 60's girl group sounds. On the girl group side, there is everything from high-energy Detroit rave-ups like "Helgafell" to the torch sounds of "Birthday". On the power-punk side, comparisons to range of bands from early Blondie to Velocity Girl seem appropriate. Some of the standout power-punk tunes are "St. Francis" and "79 Lorimer" (check out the video clip below).
Upcoming Shows:
Feb 25 2009 6:00PM, The Breadbox, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Feb 26 2009 8:00PM, Union Pool-HOME FREE RELEASE PARTY W/ THE MEASURE & USED KIDS!!!, Brooklyn, New York
Links:
The Besties' MySpace Profile
Download Frank Hoier - I've Made Up My Mind (MP3)
Download Frank Hoier - Jesus Don't Give Tax Breaks To The Rich (MP3)
Brooklyn's Frank Hoier just released his latest CD, Lovers & Dollars, which NPR called a "memorable collection of Americana songs." Hoier collaborated with the rockabilly duo the Weber Brothers on Lovers & Dollars and the brothers are joining him on the current East Coast tour.
The tour kicks off on December 7th with a show at Union Pool. Sharing the bill with Frank are the Weber Brothers, Creaky Boards and Soft Black. Tickets are are only $8.00.
A documentary of the making of the new CD (named “Making Lovers & Dollars”, naturally) was filmed by Justin Remer. Below is an except from the documentary of the making of "I've Made Up My Mind".
Links:
Frank Hoier's MySpace Profile
James Apollo has been in Brooklyn these last few years but he is playing his last show in town before moving to Seattle. James' music falls somewhere between the alt-folk and Americana genres and he is a classical storyteller (in the mold of Dylan). James put out the fabulous Hide Your Heart in a Hive CD last year and there are two tracks from this release streaming on his MySpace page (link below).
If you want to check out what James sounds live in advance of the show, he recently made a live appearance on Fox in Minneapolis playing "I've Got It Easy" (from his most recent release).
Links:
James Apollo's MySpace Profile
James Apollo's Website
Beggar's Banquet recording artist The Early Years are playing three dates in the area in late January. 
The band's debut full-length CD The Early Years, which was released in the UK in Sept. '06, will be released in the US on Jan. 20th with four bonus tracks. An EP of new material will follow in February '07. For anyone unfamiliar with the band, there are both audio and video tracks posted to the download section of the band's website.
Shows are:
Jan. 25 @ Mercury Lounge, NYC
Jan. 26 @ Union Hall, Park Slope, Brooklyn
Jan. 27 @ Union Pool, Williamsburg, Brooklyn