Queens, New York’s The Silent Barn is the first in ALARM’s ongoing series exploring the country’s best grassroots, Do-it-Yourself music venues and art spaces. If you play in a band and looking for new places to play, or just love supporting independent music, read on.
There’s a lot of excellent bands coming through Chicago this weekend, and the ALARM editors will be seeing the likes of Tim Fite, An Albatross, Man Man, and Genghis Tron…when one of said editors isn’t attending his 10-year high-school reunion.
Like many behind-the-scenes songwriters, Jon Brion is better known by music than by name. Much of his musical legacy is known through beautiful accompaniments for songs by Fiona Apple and Aimee Mann as well as scores for Paul Thomas Anderson films.
Chicago’s Catfish Haven pride themselves in living in the past; 2006’s Tell Me was overrun with a soul sensibility ala Joe Cocker fronting an instrumental Phil Spector band circa 1958-1966, while the lovable-via-trashy personaes of George Hunter (vocals/guitar), Miguel Castillo (bass), and Ryan Farnham (drums) coupled with the music perfectly.
With a demolishing dose of horn-heavy chug metal, Jerseyband stands as the logical result of loose forerunners such as John Zorn’s Naked City, Mr. Bungle, and Estradasphere. The seven-piece band’s progressive fusion touches on jazz, groove, big-band flair, and math rock, making a sonic concoction as wild as its live shows.
This week, ALARM guest columnist Sean-Michael Yoder reviews new albums by internationally renowned DJ Behrouz, Glasgow-based legendary producer Howie B. on record with rock/funk group Casino Royale, San Francisco four-piece Tussle, Italian actress turned electroclash artist Asia Argento, and Texas DJ D:Fuse.
Other than spending All Hallows Eve at the campy blood fest of a GWAR show, seeing London’s Chrome Hoof on October 31 has to be the ultimate in Halloween plans. Whether the group’s members are burning a 12-foot ram in effigy or donning silver, sparkling, hooded robes in uniform, their stage show is just as riveting as their weird sonic stew.
Like many great concerts, the true highlight of the Broken Social Scene set at Chicago’s The Vic on Thursday, October 9 was the closing number. Kevin Drew, hunkered down firmly front and center, elevated the evening’s balance of fan favorites and new gems by closing the set with “It’s All Gonna Break.”
I have been flat on my back with a horrendous flu since I got back from Tease-O-Rama, and this is the first chance I’ve had to post some photos. Although I got a lot of sharp sort of journalistic photos, at the moment I’m in love with my grainier, more impressionistic stuff. So I hope you enjoy a few of those.
Holland’s newest album, The Living and the Dead, offers a laid-back Americana folk feel, providing a nice contrast to the blues and jazz approach on her last album, Spring Time Can Kill You.
Chris Fortier contacted me a few months ago to let me know about a series of EPs that he and Australia’s EQ Records (home of the Balance series) were releasing this year based on his 2007 album As Long As The Moment Exists. I liked that album, but I also found some tracks a little too proggy for my tastes and I felt that especially these tracks were in dire need of remixing to help correct what I considered missteps.
In 1997, Buffalo hardcore heroes Snapcase released Progression Through Unlearning, the group’s seminal release, which stylistically advanced the genre with big riffs, conflicting meters, and punishing mid-tempo beats. Here we examine this album’s ten best moments.