Ghastly City Sleep (Brooklyn Post-Punk) Release "Clumsy One" from Forthcoming Fourth CD

Brooklyn based Ghastly City Sleep just released "Clumsy One", which is the second single from their 4th full-length release, Lulling Skulls, out October 2014 on Magic Bullet Records. The new single pushes sonic boundaries as the band mixes live instruments with electronic soundscapes. Mixed by engineers Alex Aldi (Passion Pit, Bruno Mars) and Andrew Schneider (Cave In, Bear Hands), Ghastly City Sleep’s latest offering serves up dense beats accompanied by complex electronic compositions.

Ghastly City Sleep was built from the ruins of influential Virginia hardcore/emo/post-rock bands City of Caterpillar, Gregor Samsa and Pg. 99. The members of Ghastly City Sleep moved to New York City in 2005 and, taking time to the develop their sound, they released their stunning eponomynous debut EP in 2007. Amazon proclaimed, "It isn't often new music surfaces that is so deeply intense, just hearing it may induce instant nostalgia..."

The multi-talented instrumentalists are known for their engaging and dynamic live shows. Every live event showcases each band member’s musical prowess as they swap instruments and roles seamlessly with the accompaniment of twisting synthesizers, triggered samples, loops and haunting vocal melodies and harmonies. NYC Taper writes, “Each act was striking in its own way, but perhaps none so much as Ghastly City Sleep, whose music takes a sharp turn from current trends with dark, sometimes lengthy songs that are not afraid to challenge listeners’ expectations… For a young band, these guys have a fully developed sound that is poised for bigger things.”

DOWNLOAD: Ghastly City Sleep - Glasslands, Brooklyn, NY 5/3/10

Links:
Ghastly City Sleep

Future of What - "Moonstruck" CD EP Review

After releasing a solo disc, Die Young (Autumn Tone Records), in 2010, Blair Gimma hooked up with Sam Axelrod (guitarist/vocalist of Chicago’s The Narrator) to form a new full-band project Future of What. The band released its debut EP "Moonstruck" on June 26th as a free download and this four-track/14-minute disc is blissful trip down the synth-driven, ethereal path that a of a number of 4AD bands (NME cited Chairlift as a reference point) have previously traveled.

Blair wrote the songs on "Moonstruck" over the course of 2011 and, home from her solo tour, found she wanted to play in a collaborative band setting. Quickly, one came together: Seth Waldstein had been playing drums with her since 2010; she met Sam Axelrod through mutual friends; and he knew Max Kotelchuck through his sister. The newly dubbed Future of What further fleshed out and arranged Blair's songs, and began rehearsing in January 2012. After playing their first show in February (opening for a sold out Mirah), the band recorded and mixed "Moonstruck" with Daniel Schlett (Here We Go Magic, Friends, DIIV) at Strange Weather studio in Brooklyn, NY over four days in March.

The disc starts out “Back to the City” which sets the tone for the rest of the disc. This song is a hazy and wistful shoegazer number on which Blair's airy, intimate vocals float over keyboard-driven melodies and the pulse of the drum beat. "I Wait For You" is a plaintive number with pulsing keys and vocals weaving in and out of the lush atmospheric sound. “White Light” comes close to Julee Cruise territory with its ethereal vocals, gauzy textures and moody keys. The EP winds up with the aching, dreamlike pulsing beat and shimmering keyboards of "Party in Heaven".



"Moonstruck" Track Listing:
Back To The City
I Wait For You
White Light
Party In Heaven

The band is still writing and recording in preparation for a forthcoming full-length. In a recent interview with the Village Voice’s “Sound of the City”, Sam Axelrod said “I feel like a full-length will be a bit more expansive. I feel the EP songs are a little similar to each other, as opposed to what the album would be. It'll be a little bit more shuffling the deck. More moods. More variety. It's tricky, when you're in a band and writing songs, every song sounds so different to you because you spend so much time with them.”

Links:
Future of What

No Bragging Rights - SoCal Hardcore band Plays The Morgan in Brooklyn in April with Lionheart and Naysayer

SoCal melodic hardcore band No Bragging Rights are playing a month long coast-to-coast tour which wraps up next month with a run down the East Coast (with a stop in Brooklyn on April 12th). This is a run-up to the band playing the New England Metal & Hardcore Festive in Worcester, MA on April 22nd.

No Bragging Rights released their last disc, Illuminator, about year ago on BLKHeart Group and the disc was recorded in San Marcos, CA with Daniel Castleman of Lambesis Studio . According to guitarist Christian Lee, the top three fan favorites from this most recent disc are: “Blind Faith”, “And They Threatened Us With Fire”, and “Empire: Disarray.”



No Bragging Rights are playing The Morgan in Bushwick on April 12th along with Naysayer, Lionheart and Meruader. The show is all ages and tickets are $12. The Morgan is located at 25 Bogart St, Brooklyn, NY 11206-3805.

Links:
No Bragging Rights

Frost Watson Plays Party Expo in Brooklyn on Jan. 9th

Philadelphia indie-rock band Frost Watson have posted some new songs in advance of the release of their forthcoming EP (below). The band is playing a short run of tri-state shows starting next week and they stop by Party Expo in Bushwick on Jan. 9th . This show is all-ages and starts at 8PM. Sharing the bill are Aficionado and The Marine Electric; tickets are $7.




Links:
Frost Watson

Appomattox - "Appmttx" EP Review

I'm still scratching my head over a pre-CMJ review that I read that likened Appomattox to the Rolling Stones. After listening to the band's 5-song EP "Appmttx" (which was released last month), I'm hearing moody, atmospheric post-punk so I'd suggest that a closer point of comparison would be Gene Love Jezebel.

Appomattox are a three-piece band out of Brooklyn with a seemingly proletariat political agenda. Where some of their "political punk" contemporaries will pummel the listener with the intensity of their music and/or vocal delivery, Appomattox's music is refreshingly clean and precise. Vocalist/guitarist Nick Gaynier sings in a warble/wail similar to Gene Loves Jezebel's Michael Ashton and his guitar lines are reverb-drenched and sound similar to some of the 80's post-punk British bands like The Church and The Chameleons. Bassist Dave Nurmi keeps a steady rolling bass-line beneath the guitars and James Mello's drumming is extremely crisp. In a recent interview, the band described their music as "sweaty distorted political pop hooks echo".

Appomattox recently played an invite-only show at The Bunker Studio in Williamsburg and here is a live video of "Speculators" from the new EP.



In a recent interview with Ascap.Com, the band were asked "How does a Brooklyn band set themselves apart from all the myriad other bands in the most band-filled borough of New York?" Nick answered "One thing that makes us different is we sing about things that we think matter to people right now, [political content]. I just don't think many Brooklyn bands really address that stuff, and the ones that do tend to be 'all message, no hooks'." I have to have to give the band credit as I listened to the band's song "Olympia Snowe" which contains the lyrics "If I let go / Would you keep taking money from every lobby in town? / If I let go / Would you keep making money for everybody who keeps us down?" and spent some time tonight reading about Ms. Snowe's voting record.

Appomattox's post-punk, guitar-driven sound gives the band's music a distinctive ring and, based on the energy of their live videos, the band sounds like they would be a lot of fun to see live.

Links:
Appomattox

Thee Majesty Play Disconcert at Issue Project Room in Brooklyn on May 23rd

After Throbbing Gristle's 2009 tour ended, Genesis P-Orridge reactivated his long-running side project Thee Majesty. The band originally formed in 1998 around the core group of Genesis, Lady Jaye, Bryin Dall (4th Sign of the Apocalypse) and has expanded at times to include a rotating cast of musicians. The band's music is similar to some of the more experimental work by Psychic TV and the live shows include a number of spoken word pieces by Genesis.

Genesis & Thee Majesty are playing an outdoor afternoon show at Issue Project Room (@ The Old American Can Factory, 232 3rd Street, Brooklyn) on May 23rd. According to the Issue Project Room site, the band now includes Morrison Edley (Psychic TV, Toilet Boys) on drums. Tickets are $9.00 and the show starts at 5PM.



Links:
Genesis P-Orridge

Ryan Stimpson (The Fear and Trembling) Releases First Solo Project as a Free Download

Vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Ryan Stimpson (of The Fear and Trembling [TFAT]) has released his first solo disc, Quick 'n Easy, as a free download under the band name Pockets of Humanity. Quick 'n Easy is a significant departure from the orchestral rock of TFAT as this is an electronica album that is comparable to early works by O.M.D. or (a slower-paced) Adam and the Ants.



The Fear and Trembling have kicked off a fund-raising campaign to raise funds to go into the studio this fall and record their follow-up to their 2009 debut release Octopus with Kurt Ballou (Kickstart pledge link is on the right nav bar). Check out the Kickstart pledge page as the band is offering some pretty cool chatchies.

Links:
The Fear and Trembling
Octopus Review

White Wizzard: Video Interview & Live Footage, Club Europa 8-20-09 (Earache)

Los Angeles based NWOBHM/traditional metal band White Wizzard made their East Coast debut last month at the Brooklyn Thuder Fest at Club Europa. The band's debut EP "High Speed GTO" was released on Earache Records earlier this month and is getting excellent press. (Check out the coverage in the Village Voice)

I had the opportunity to catch up with the band before their set and I've included some footage from the band's live set after the interview.



White Wizzard recently posted on their MySpace page (link below) that they just finished recording their first full-length disc which is due out early next year.

Links:
White Wizzard

Cobalt and the Hired Guns: Live in Crown Heights (Acoustic) / Live at Union Hall (Electric), July 25, 2009

Last month, Chicago's Cobalt & the Hired Guns did a short run up the East Coast and finished their tour at Union Hall. The band was kind enough to stop by on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Brooklyn to play a few songs acoustic.



To complement the acoustic set, here are a couple songs from the band's (electric) show at Union Hall:



Cobalt & the Hired Guns are a great live band and, for lack of a better word, their shows are simply fun. As I've seen too many mopey, lo-fi bands this summer, it is nice to a see a band that actually enjoys themselves on stage.

Cobalt & the Hired Guns are back home in Chicago and are playing a series of acoustic shows around town. Here are the current tour dates:

Sept. 1 2009, 8:00PM, Schubas, Chicago - acoustic showcase
Sept. 2 2009, 8:00PM, Uncommon Ground, Chicago - Acoustic Residency
Sept. 9 2009, 8:00PM, Uncommon Ground, Chicago - Acoustic Residency
Sept. 16 2009, 8:00PM, Uncommon Ground, Chicago - Acoustic Residency
Sept. 19 2009, 6:00PM, Cubby Bear, Chicago - Chicago Roots Collective Fest.
Sept. 23 2009, 8:00PM, Uncommon Ground, Chicago - Acoustic Residency
Sept. 30 2009, 8:00PM, Uncommon Ground, Chicago - Acoustic Residency

Links:
Cobalt & the Hired Guns' MySpace Profile

Graham Nash Visits The 4Fives of PS 58 in Brooklyn (June 19, 09)

On Friday, June 19, guitarist, singer and songwriter extraordinaire, Graham Nash visited a very special class at PS 58 in Brooklyn. Mr. Nash, his lovely and thoughtful wife, Susan, his fascinating friend Billy and his 2 sons, Jackson and Will, took time out of their busy schedules to visit the 4Fives, Brooklyn's first positivity blogging team. Positivity blogging is a new internet trend, where every post, every word, every idea on ones site is positive. With an emphasis on manners and generosity, positivity blogging makes it easy for students to connect with other student bloggers, and the more people happily sharing the things they love and linking together, the greater the strength and flexibility of the network. I could talk forever about the 4Fives and their amazing teacher, Bee Ladd, but for the best information, check out their blog (http://the4five.wordpress.com). For an insightful description of the class, start with this post (http://the4five.wordpress.com/2009/04/).



Mr. Nash and family came to the school to talk with the students, celebrate what they have accomplished and, to the great fortunte of all present, sing 2 songs. The visit was arranged by son Jackson of SuperForest fame. Check out Jackson's amazing blog (http://www.superforest.org/) for more information on Jackson's work.

The Nash family is so incredibly unassuming and generous - they set the bar high for positiveness that other famous people hopefully aspire to. They arrived around noon and mingled with the students from the 4Fives class and the handful of very lucky school personnel in attendance. The students ate their lunch and just enjoyed the casual conversation. Once everyone was full, the students moved to the rug and spent quite awhile asking the very thoughtful questions they had prepared for this occassion. (A few of the questions and answers are included in the video.) Mr. Nash then brought out his guitar and performed Teach Your Children (check out the video for this amazing performance, including the sound of the passing truck). Jackson harmonized on this song with his dad (check out www.superforest.org for Jackson's comments on singing with his dad) to create a beautiful sound.

Co-founded by NYC educator Bee Ladd and Enviro-blogger Jackson Nash, the 4Fives blogging experiment is a pilot program for their education initiative, the SuperForest Seedlings. SuperForest Seedlings is a teaching curriculum for the post-racial, class-blind, internet age. It is a training course in flexible thinking, focused curiousity, and hands-on technology exploration, with a focus on having fun.

Posted by Guest Blogger - MM

The Fear and Trembling:The Fear and Trembling’s Octopus CD Review (Prog Rock)

The Fear and Trembling's debut CD, The Fear and Trembling's Octopus, comes on like a long-lost concept album by one of the classic 70's prog-rock bands (Steely Dan, Genesis and Supertramp are some points of comparison).

While this disc isn't a concept album per-se, TFAT pack their 60 minute debut full of elaborately arranged orchestral rock tunes. The band makes good use of the piano and strings like cello, violin and lap steel to add some extra dimensions to each song and the band's musical chops are obviously as every note and chord seems to have been chosen with care. Careful production and engineering also brings out the sound of each instrument so that every note is both balanced and clear.

There is enough diversity in the music so that listener attention spans don't lag. The music and song tempos rise and fall within individual tracks and across the disc as the band builds their musical lanscape. It is hard to pick a single stand-out cut as all the tracks have a unique identity of their own and there really is no filler on this disc. As a starting point to the band's music, go out to their MySpace page (link below) and listen to the orchestral "Introduction" which tracks into the grunge introduction to "Octopus". Some of the other recommended cuts are "Red Panda" and the Smashing Pumpkins-ish "Centipede".

Given the intricate song structures and the 'big' sound of this new disc, I'm interested in seeing how the band translates this sound to the live stage. The band has a couple of upcoming area shows over the next few weeks:

June 12, 2009, 9:00PM, Supreme Trading, Brooklyn, New York
July 15 2009, 8:00PM, R Bar, New York, New York

Links:
The Fear and Trembling's MySpace Profile

Backwords @ Southpaw, Brooklyn, NY 5/1/08

There was a small but attentive crowd at Southpaw when Backwords took the stage. Backwords plays with a low-key, mellow energy that reminds me of the Dead's Americana period or Neil Young alt-country songs. The talent of the musicians in the band was obvious and I really enjoyed watching the musical interplay between the members. For being a new band, Backwords already has a full-set of original material so it will be interesting to watch what's next for the band.


Backwords' next local show is at Coco 66 (66 Greenpoint Ave) on June 6th.

Links:
Backwords Website
Backwords MySpace Profile

Backwords Are Headlining Southpaw on Thursday, May 1st

Brooklyn's Backwords are headlining Southpaw on May 1st. Backwords is a fairly new band on the scene. The band played their first live show (Pete's Candy Store) and released their first disc ("Factory Angel") in January of this year.

The band's sound is rustic Americana and there are elements of Dylan, Neil Young and Nebraska-era Springsteen in the music. There are a number of tracks from "Factory Angel" streaming on the band's MySpace page and main website (links below).

On the bill with Backwords are Lord Classic and Broken Trees. Tickets are only $8.00.

Links:
Backwords Website
Backwords MySpace Profile

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

Automatic Children Live @ Rockwood Music Hall, NYC January 22, 2008

I have always felt that a good live show should both hold your attention and leave you wanting more. Automatic Children's show at Rockwood Music Hall hit the mark on both fronts. The band seems to really enjoy themselves on stage which made for a fun live show.

Here are a couple live songs from the band's set:



Automatic Children are working on scheduling some shows for next month so watch the band's MySpace page for details.

Previous Posts:
Pre-Show Interview with Automatic Children

Automatic Children - Rockwood Music Hall Pre-Show Interview, January 22, 2008

I caught up with Automatic Children last Tuesday night before they went on stage at Rockwood Music Hall. Here is the first video from the night - a video interview with the band that we filmed at a diner on Houston Street.



The band put on a great show and was kind enough to let me film a few songs so I'll be posting a live video and some pictures from the show in the next few day.

Automatic Children are in the process of lining up some shows for March (watch the video for more details) so keep an eye on the band's MySpace page for updates.

For anyone who hasn't heard Automatic Children before, the band released an EP, "It's Not Me, It's You" late last year. You can check out the EP as most the tracks are streaming on the band's MySpace page. I reviewed the EP last year (link) and here is another review from The Deli Online Blog:

“Automatic Children's music is playful and aggressive, but not cold as you might expect from a band with a name like that. Their songs are rooted in traditional songwriting, with recurring references to pop and rock'n'roll, but the sound is gritty and distorted, reminding the unpolished tunes of Jesus and Mary Chain and The Pixies (alternating male/female vocals and a cover of Gigantic also tie this quartet to the Boston legends).”

Bugs In the Dark Return to Southpaw This Thursday (Jan. 24th)

I've been wanting a chance to see Bugs In The Dark play live having missed their shows at Luna Lounge and Southpaw at the end of last year.

The band is coming back to Southpaw this Thursday with Kid Beyond & Mike B. Bugs In The Dark's EP is streaming on their MySpace page and the band will be playing two new songs during their set which will be on a new CD coming out in April.

If you need more details, check out the band's MySpace page or the writeup that I posted on the band late last year (see previous post). I am expecting this to be a great show.

Tickets are $8.00 (I received an email from the band that said "other bands are charging $10--make sure to tell them you're there for Bugs!") and the band goes on at 8:30PM.

Links:
Bugs In the Dark MySpace Page

A Camp (featuring Nina Persson from The Cardigans) Plays First US Show in Brooklyn

A Camp makes their US debut at Union Hall on August 6th and follow this up with a CMJ show at the Knitting Factory on August 8th. A Camp is the side project of The Cardigan's Nina Persson and these two shows will likely highlight new A Camp material as Persson is is working on a follow up to her 2001 debut solo CD.

Below are some highlights from a recent interview with Persson in Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter:

Right now I'm super-inspired by Adam & the Ants trying to recreate their wet drum-sound on my coming solo record. I'm even thinking about making a cover of "Prince Charming", I love it. From childhood all I remember is a poster with "Adam Ant" and thinking he was cool, says Nina Persson, visiting Sweden to hand out DN's culture award.

Six years after the solo debut with A Camp, Nina Persson has started working on a new album with Niklas Frisk and her husband Nathan Larson. She has started with a bang with half a dozen songs that are going to get lyrics about everything from Chinatown in New York to "animals in Africa".

When we rehearsed with A Camp we felt immediately that the music is taking a new direction. There will always be a little "folksiness" in me, but I don't dig in my country-drawer anymore. Right now what amuses me most is girl-pop from the 60s, 80's punk and David Bowie, she says.

Tickets for each show are only $12 and are (surprisingly) still available.

Links:
A Camp's Myspace Page

Ticket Scalping (OzzFest, Patti Smith and more)

Occasionally, I'll buy heavily discounted tickets off of eBay to shows I am sort of neutral about and don't care enough about the band(s) to pay for a full price ticket. I can't think of anything (outside of The Jam or At The Gates reuniting) where I would pay scalpers prices.

I get a kick out of looking through eBay to see what tickets are going for:

- OzzFest tickets (at PNC Arts Center) are getting no bidders at .99 cents a pair
- Beastie Boys tickets (at McCarren Pool, Brooklyn) are going for $175+ a pair
- Patti Smith ticket (at Music Hall of Williamsburg) are going for $175+ a pair

I'd love to see the Beasties and Patti Smith but just I can't see paying almost $100 per ticket. OzzFest ticket prices are a bit closer to my speed. I'll have to check out the lineup of bands to see if it is worth driving out to NJ for the show.

Last year, I was sitting in the Brooklyn Brewery on a Saturday afternoon and they were trying to give away a free pair of OzzFest tickets (to the show on Randall's Island that same day) and I don't think they had any takers.

Links:
OzzFest (link)

Umami is Hosting a Friday the 13th Party in Bushwick

Nothing like a free beer party close to home...

10pm-3am, Friday July 13th
free party, free keg beer (additional drinks welcome and encouraged)

bands: 11pm The Press, 12am UMAMI, 1am Diet Kong
plus DJs, Ms Pacman and pool table


27 Arion place (basement of Opera House lofts) Bushwick Brooklyn
JMZ trains to Myrtle Ave, go 2 blocks west on Broadway, turn right on Arion)