Chant, a project group hailing from Austin, TX, was asked to join KMFDM for the rest of their 2013, 23 cities-in-23-days I<3YOU tour. I saw them at the Showbox in Seattle, being the second of 4 opening acts. Bradley Bills is the main engine of this industrial/aggro rock percussion group. Much like NIN, he is the singular constant, with guest artists from groups such as The Butthole Surfers, Pigface and The Razorblade Dolls sitting in studio. His talent ranges far [...]
Archive for Category: "Blogs"
Kate Nash Album & Tour Wrap Party
To celebrate the end of the North American leg of her tour, Kate Nash held a joint album & tour wrap party at Norwood Arts Club in New York. As a Nash fan, I had quite high hopes for the event but was left a bit disappointed, though not necessarily through any fault of Nash’s. The night began with a smaller group gathered for two screenings. First up was a clip from “Girl Rising,” a documentary that’s segmented into chapters, [...]
Let’s Reflect: Tales of a SXSW Virgin
For the weeks leading up to my trip to Austin, when anyone asked me if I was going to SXSW I would simply shrug my shoulders and quietly say “yes” then quickly change the subject of conversation. It’s not that I wasn’t excited to go to Texas for the conference, I just hadn’t had a clue what to expect and for a control freak like me, that doesn’t really fly in my world. So when I began making a list [...]
Musician Vs. Performer
Let us begin with a story: Several months ago, out of sheer boredom, I went onto craigslist to look for a jamming buddy. I hadn’t played music with other people for quite some time and didn’t know what to expect. I responded to an ad that said, “Musician Looking For Band!” She was very enthusiastic. She was incredibly friendly, and from looking at her Soundcloud, it looked as though she had been a part of some quality studio productions. We [...]
SXSW: ATX and Anxiety
I’ve been patiently waiting for the day I got to witness the spectacle that is SXSW since I was first introduced to the festival while watching Real World: Austin my freshman year of high school. So when I found out I was able to attend the festival with the student run record label at my college, I had two waves of emotions: excitement and sheer panic. I like to think I’m pretty involved in the music industry and am knowledgeable [...]
The Boy Less Likely To reminds fans why they fell in love with the re-issue of their 2005 album
The Boy Least Likely To is an indie pop duo that have plenty of music making years under their belt. It has been close to a decade since the release of their first album The Best Party Ever in 2005, compiled of many singles that they released throughout the two years prior underneath self created label Too Young To Die. During the anticipation of their new album, the band has re-issued in the well received 2005 album for download. Therefore [...]
Len – It’s Easy if You Try album review
After over a decade since their last record, pop rock duo Len have released their latest album It’s Easy if You Try. The single “It’s My Neighbourhood” which pays recognition to their home town of Toronto, is a great indication they haven’t abandoned the upbeat, carefree sound that they have honed. Having a strong bond between the two siblings Mark Costanzo (producer/vocalist) and Sharon Costanzo (vocalist/bassist) is what makes their process of creating music easy. From the beginning it’s been [...]
CMJ: Friday + Saturday
CMJ is not a festival to be recovered from lightly. So even though I’m a little late, here are the (partial) shows I saw on Friday and Saturday! On Friday, I headed to Bushwick for the Topshelf Records Showcase at apartment-turned-concert venue Suburbia. Because of my day job, I showed up unfortunately too late to catch Doors, Have Mercy and Prawn but just in time for Diamond Youth to take the stage. The band absolutely rocked their set, their energy [...]
CMJ: Hype Machine Handpicked Showcase
Hype Machine held the first night of their CMJ “Handpicked Showcase” last night at Brooklyn Bowl. The six bands in the lineup were: JJAMZ, Indians, The Neighbourhood, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, The Virgins and SUA. JJAMZ is a veritable indiepop supergroup, whose members include guitarist James Valentine (Maroon 5), drummer Jason Boesel (Rilo Kiley/Bright Eyes), guitarist Alex Greenwald (Phantom Planet), bassist Michael Runion, and lead singer Z Berg (The Like). As the show’s openers, JJAMZ brought a ton of energy to [...]
Bumbershoot 2012: Day 3 Review
1 PM Starbucks Stage Monday afternoon was easy. The crowds hadn’t yet swelled into unbearable, impossible to navigate masses (I hope I’m not the only one who felt that this year’s festival was way too crowded), and it was even a good time to stop along the vendor fairways and peruse the goods, although doing so made me wonder about the vendor vetting process—why was there a tent dedicated exclusively to high thread-count sheets? Who buys sheet sets at a [...]
