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Ailment: Whiny, Argumentative, Short-Tempered, Ill-Humored Tart
Duration: Too Fucking Long
Cause: Too Involved To Go Into
Cure: Two Wonderful Shows by Talented and Lovely Bands, (well and some very helpful conversations with adored friends – you know who you are)
Details: I had a feeling it would be the case, and sure enough, I really needed a double dose of some kick-ass, good-energy music in a small venue where people just fucking enjoyed the music and weren’t there to be seen or drink tequila shots off scantily-clad women in pirate outfits. I got exactly what I needed with Ice Palace on Friday night at Schubas and The Hudson Branch tonight at the Bottom Lounge.
I have to confess it took me longer than a few listens to get Wonder Softly Crushing Us into my head the right way. I made the mistake of reading some press release or other about it and had just the wrong idea about it being some folksy thing, which is NOT. It’s more like some modern variation of post-punk, rock/indie stuff. And once I got my ears ready for it, I fucking loved it. I’m sending “Devil’s Tower” into the Contrast Podcast this week (should I not disclose that yet? Eeekk, what’s the protocol here?!?) and I can’t get it out of my head. Hearing it live on Friday night just upped the ante. The driving beat of it, accentuated by driving guitar chords and the vision of the five of them nodding deep, just puts that song on another level of appreciation for me now. Ice Palace were wonderfully in tune with one another, not just in the musical sense but in that they visibly worked together. When Adam started counting off to start a song, Amy realized that whatever guitarist behind him wasn’t tuned up yet (sorry didn’t get them sorted out!) and waved him off. When it took a couple tries to get the final song started, Adam stepped back from the mic and let someone else begin. I love watching how bands play off each other, you know they’re not there just for us, don’t ya? Maybe it’s the voyeur in me, but I like to think I can suss out a little of how they get on with each other by how they are on stage, and I find the subtext a bit fascinating. Ice Palace were fascinating on many levels and they gave a hell of a show! Adam’s voice was in good form, the whole show was wonderfully loud, and they took their time to noodle around a bit and build to a few crescendos that left me holding my breath. This is a band to see perform. Do not miss them when they come to your town! Buy Wonder Softly Crushing Us
The Hudson Branch is a sorta local band (they’re from a town not too far south of Chicago) that I’ve reviewed on these pages recently. I had never been able to see them play live even though their newly released album Tightrope Walker is one of my favorite records of 2009 so far. When I heard they were coming to the Bottom Lounge I knew I had to be there; the sound guys at that venue really know what they’re up to and it’s a musician’s dream place, I’ve been told by everyone who’s played there. I’ll admit, I was 12% worried that they wouldn’t be as good as they were on CD. You really never know with a young, new band and a debut record, if they’ll be able to pull it off onstage. But I had seen YouTube videos and so I was pretty certain these guys were the real deal. The moment Corey Cobey began the title track, “Tightrope Walker,” I knew I had nothing to worry about. He delivered it perfectly and slid right into the next song effortlessly with the full sound of this five-piece band slowly building and eeking it’s way in, piece by piece. However, it was when they played “Clouds” that a little part of me floated up to the ceiling and fell down again, achingly good. You know that exhilaration you get when you have a crush on someone and they smile at you across the room? I guess I get song-crushes then, because that was performed wonderfully and it blew my mind. Cymbals shimmered, guitars were strummed increasingly faster, xylophone was dinged, hands were clapped, toy piano was struck, trombone was blown and this band had a heck of a great time up there for us. After “Clouds” M.Chut and I moved back and I shamelessly sang along and “danced,” pretty safe in the knowledge that they couldn’t see me in the shadows Buy Tightrope Walker “Down By The River”
Opening for The Hudson Branch were Jadiid, which are comprised of Jake and Matt Boll, also of the Hudson Branch, along with Enoch Kim and Kevin Sparks. Matt sings lead in Jadiid, giving it a heavier sound and one that I’d not heard nearly enough of. It was really great to get more of an idea of what this band is about, to hear the addition of their friend Beth singing back up and to see what direction it will go while the Hudson Branch promotes it’s new album. Jadiid is in the studio now, working on their first LP. I really look forward to it. Their first EP Movement is available for download on this little widgety thing. Scroll down for tour dates for both bands, xoxo
Ice Palace Tour Details
Sep 1 2009 8:00P Hi Dive w/ Princeton Denver, Colorado
Sep 2 2009 8:00P Waiting Room w/ Princeton Omaha, Nebraska
Sep 3 2009 8:00P Picador w/ Princeton Iowa city, Iowa
Sep 4 2009 8:00P The House Cafe w/ Princeton Dekalb, Illinois
Sep 5 2009 8:00P Frankies w/ Princeton Toledo, Ohio
Sep 6 2009 8:00P Garfield Artworks w/ Princeton Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Sep 7 2009 8:00P The Fire w/ River City Extension Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sep 8 2009 8:00P The Wonderbar W/ River City Extension and PABLO Asbury Park, New Jersey
Sep 9 2009 8:00P Union Hall W/ Princeton and Phil & the Osophers Brooklyn, New York
Sep 11 2009 8:00P Melody Inn Indianapolis, Indiana
Sep 12 2009 8:00P The Terrace Madison, Wisconsin Hudson Branch Tour Details
Sep 6 2009 8:00P Bethany Beach Bethany, Michigan
Sep 6 2009 11:00P Show in Sawyer Sawyer, Michigan
Sep 26 2009 8:00P Judson University Chapel Elgin, Illinois
Sep 30 2009 12:00P Invisible Children Benefit @ DePaul Chicago, Illinois
I’ve featured Joe Pug here on these pages before. He’s a local Chicagoan and sings these Americana-folk songs that have probably some of the best, modern lyrics I know of. I’ve been hiding from this here blog for a couple of days, not sure exactly why. It seems to be full of things I feel I have to talk about, in terms of reviews promised and artists wanting mentioned. I hate when it gets that way instead of being a place where I’m excited to sit down and spout off about what’s turning me on. I think I need a good dose of live music – something to lose myself in and really feel, ya know? There’s some great shows coming up; I’m certain I’ll get that blogging mojo back soon.
In the meantime, Joe Pug is speaking to me. He sings these slow, sweet, simple guitar/vocal melodies that aren’t sappy and aren’t sad. Yet they do make ya think. The words are often just fucking smart. He’s smart. He makes you feel smart. This is folk music made art. If you like the old kind of music that Dylan used to do before he went electric, you’ll dig this. If you like the bits of Billy Bragg that delve back into Arlo Guthrie, you’ll find a soft place here. Even if you don’t really like folk music I think you’ll like Joe Pug’s words, and that harmonica…. ”Speak Plainly, Diana”… wow, I’m increasingly becoming quite a sucker for a good harmonica, xoxo
Go download Joe’s entire EP In The Meantime by just joining his email list. I usually don’t post these gadgets that make you give out your email addy. But this is worth it, and Joe’s a good guy. He has been invited to join Steve Earle’s European tour, and in between will be cramming in as many headlining US dates as he can in anticipation of the release of his debut LP Messenger in early 2010. There’s also a widget to order his album Nation of Heat. I’ve got that playing now, and it’s really something else. Buy it. End of story. xoxo
Tour Dates
9/3 Yosemite, CA–Strawberry Music Festival
9/9 Basingstoke, UK–The Anvil +
9/10 Manchester, UK–Bridgewater Hall +
9/12 Derby, UK–Assembly Hall +
9/14 St. Albans, UK–St. Albans Arena +
9/17 Champaign, IL–Pygmalion Music Festival
9/18 Nashville, TN–AMA Music Festival
9/19 Madison, WI–Forward Music Festival
10/1 St. Louis, MO–The Billiken Club
10/2 Rock Island, IL–Rock Island Brewing Co.
10/3 Chicago, IL–Americana Staqe @ Chicago Country Music Festival
10/15 Boulder, CO– The B-Side Lounge
10/16 Denver, CO–Daniels Hall @ Swallow Hill
10/27 Seattle, WA–Tractor Tavern
10/28 Portland, OR–The Doug Fir
11/6 Ann Arbor, MI–The Ark
11/13 Ennis, Ireland–Glor +
11/14 Castlebar, Ireland–TF Royal +
11/15 Derry, Ireland–Derry Millennium Forum +
11/17 Dublin, Ireland–Dublin Olympia +
11/19 Eindoven, Netherlands–Effenaar +
11/23 Groningen, Netherlands–Groningen Oosterport +
11/25 Stuttgart, Germany–LKA Stuttgart +
11/26 Berlin, Germany–Columbia Club +
11/27 Nurenberg, Germany–Hirsch +
11/29 Kaiserslautern, Germany–Kammgarn +
12/1 Milan, Italy–La Salumeria Della Musica +
12/2 Rome, Italy–Roma Circolo Degli Artisti +
12/3 Faenza, Italy–Strade Blu Festival at Teatro Masini +
12/6 Glasgow, Scotland–Glasgow Royal Concert Hall +
12/7 Perth, Scotland–Perth Concert Hall +
12/8 Aberdeen, SC–Aberdeen Music Hall +
12/10 Inverness, SC–Inverness Ironworks +
Yeah, so I’ve been making a good pest of myself everywhere lately, over on emails, and tweets, and other darlings’ blogs, and in traffic, and even in the dogpark, yelling at the poor pooch in front of all his doggy friends. Life has been complicated and annoying at Chez Tart and no I’ve not been handling it very well. In fact, I’m so cross right now, I’m not even gonna say sorry! Ha!
But, dear, sweet, talented people continue to send me gorgeous music. Little do they know that it falls into my murderous clutches, very nearly coming to an unworthy and violent end! Actually no, that’s a lie. I listen to everything I get. That’s part of why it takes me so long to get back to them. But here’s a really wonderful EP of interesting, and emotion-filled music deserving a wider audience.
Raven Chacon sent me this little 3″ CD Black Streaked Hum with 4 tracks on it, ranging from Navajo-inspired chants and drumming to guitar work and more experimental/noise music. It all has a sort of underlying hum to it, hence the name. And yes, it does seem to soothe whatever has been ailing me. It helps a little bit to know that it drives the wifey crazy too But honestly, there is something very intriguing and intellectually stimulating about experimental music, or even just music that is outside of the usual comfort zone. So filling my head with this rather tame foray into the unknown tonight has at least put me in the zone to finally get some sleep.
It starts innocently enough… melodic and nice, his voice is breathy and the squeaks of his fingers on guitar are sweet even if it is strumming you into a bit of a trance. “Black Streaked Humming” ironically doesn’t have any humming until the final fade out, but it’s worth waiting for. The next track is even just that more off key, off center, and more rhythmic. The winding flute (recorder?) and birdsong carries you through the dense backdrop of steady beat. I want more… the pause between tracks has me holding my breath and his voice, coming in high on “Cheii haashi’too” startles me. But it’s so sharp and sweet and in Navajo it’s completely reduced to sounds and noises to my ears. I’m listening to all his ways of emphasizing syllables and how the guitar strings twang in place. The whole thing peaks here. Finally, “Song For Eight” lets me down again, soft and slowly with a more subtle strum and beat. I don’t understand how, but this thing just totally clears my head as it fades out so achingly slow into nothingness.
You can read about Raven Chacon here. He is one of the few American Indian composers of modern classical music and has performed in numerous types of groups, many of them described on his official site, here. Black Streaked Hum is described as: “four original folk songs of acoustic guitar and voice sung in Navajo and not. Some previously recorded as far back as 2001, yet unreleased. Quite different from anything you’ve heard from him lately. Recorded in Albuquerque, NM, Kayenta, AZ , Los Angeles, CA and featuring guest musicians Carmile Leonard and Andrew Thomas.” Buy it here [click on sicksicksick label (sssk)].
Well, you don’t get to be as old as this Tart and not become exposed to the music of REM. And I mean the old, good, best music of REM. Not that Michael Stipe-focused, almost solo project, REM stuff from the late 90s that they produced that was all slow and heartfelt and well, to be honest, kinda sappy. I mean the hard-driving, baritone vocals infused with repetitive-in-a-good-way guitar work REM of their early career. THAT shit was brilliant and derisive and thumbed its nose at the likes of Madonna and Cyndi Lauper and all the others dancing around proclaiming the teenage hilarity of the early 80s, (not that I didn’t enjoy all that as well, don’t get me wrong!) But old REM had that Gothic Southern dark heart to it and the pre-emo me wanted Mike Mills so bad.
Well, REM is back, has been back for a few years now. Thank fuck, they’ve found a way to be a band again, figured out how to tame the monster that Michael Stipe had become in all his celebrity. This video sounds like what I remember them being. You know the LSB policy, click it on for audio and go look at something else pretty while you watch. If you need a blank page, here it is, darlings. Rarely do videos actually improve the experience of music appreciation, in my opinion. I’ll let you know when/if I find one that does. Mostly they’re vehicles for a new song that hasn’t got clearance for a download yet. And of course, I’ve got an approved widget for you; don’t get your panties all wet in excitement. In return for only being able to give you widgets and videos I’ve sneaked in a little remix for my rainy Chicago morning just to show how dedicated I am to good remixes. So here… enjoy an officially approved version of “I’ll Take The Rain (Jamie Candiloro Remix)” xoxo
R.E.M. will release a brand-new double live album, entitled R.E.M. Live At The Olympia on October 27th, 2009 via Warner Bros. Records. As the big labels are wont to do lately it’s a repackaging of old material, featuring 39 songs from the band’s 2007 “working rehearsals” of R.E.M.’s 2008 studio album Accelerate. Yeah, I know, the widgety thingy has the video in it too… no idea why either. Living Well Is The Best Revenge
Have you heard Swimming in Speakers yet? You should. Yes, it’s as simple as that. [Edit: you can hear them on the radio this Friday, August 28 on The Beat Authority, North Country Public Radio. It airs from 3:00-4:45 EST. Swimming in Speakers will have with them two other friends and this new line up will certainly wow you, so tune in then!] They’re a duo from upstate NY (joined by two others in the recording studio) who make this hauntingly sweet and deceivingly simple music comprised of Meadow Eliz’s charming, soprano voice and various and assorted musical backgrounds. From the analog, electronic stylings on the opening track “In Knowing” to the gorgeous guitar work and slip-sliding vocals of ”Nevergreen” this debut record is both an easy listen and also full of the kind of tucked in surprises that leave me smiling. It’s charming. Swimming in Speakers have given us the kind of thing that you want to share with your new-found friend, telling them “hey, this thing is just so cool!” to see if they’re the kind of friend that is gonna stick around. The use of echo and repeat as a way of providing backup harmonies is creative. I never tire of Meadow’s voice even as it’s not particularly varied in range. The style is almost psychedelic/folk but without being bound to those particular genres due to their use of a variety of instruments and tempos. It’s a quiet record, made in seclusion obviously and meant to be listened to in the quiet of your room or the cozy of your bed. But for all it’s tenderness it’s not sappy, nor quaint, nor depressing in anyway. It might be a bit sad, but I get that feeling of being a bit more nostalgic for someone else’s memories, if you’ve ever had that sense? I have. If you love this little EP as much as I do you can be my friend for a good long time, xoxo
I’ve had The Silent Years‘ album on repeat in the car for about a month, yes it’s that good. So to get this little jewel in my inbox was really just lovely! Let Go is one of those albums that when a song comes up on random play I always picked up my ipod to see just who the hell was that great band. And now Deastro has remixed “Vampires Bite The Hands Feed Them.” I didn’t review Moondagger, Deastro’s 2009 album (I guess it’s not too late, eh) but I did listen to it when it was streaming on his site and found it interesting, even compelling. He’s sort of a one man organization that took the music world by storm this summer.
Do you hate remixes? There’s always a sort of sneering conversation in indie blog land about remixes. Lots of bloggers I know hate dance remixes and mashups and have their email filters set to toss anything that comes their way with the word “remix” in it straight into the trash. I actually enjoy a good remix or two. But I also enjoy an occasional night out at a club, the kind of club that those bloggers wouldn’t be caught dead in. Now, I don’t often get to that sort of place — don’t get the wrong idea here, I’m much more likely to be found at a straight up rock ‘n roll bar or indie/punk/folk venue. But a couple times a year, I do get the itch to go a little crazy to full-blast, throbbing, dance music. So a good remix is a beautiful thing. You’ll find in these archives a few posts on Don Diablo’s work. Every once in a while he hits on something that I think is just really sexy.
If you look over on my sidebar, you’ll find a link to a really awesome blog/website, Cover to Cover. It’s the brainchild of a good friend of mine, DJ Chris Laing (aka Dollyrocker) and the wonderful DJ Sean Rowley. I met Chris about 8 years ago in completely different circumstances and always knew he was a music freak but never really understood how that worked until the last couple of years. (He and wife Rachel (aka Disco Dolly) have made a really cool life for themselves in London putting on parties as Buttoned Down Disco and Shake, Rattle and Bowl. ) This new blog that Chris and Sean have, Cover to Cover, is all cover songs, get it? Their site also has all the info you need to know about upcoming parties, should you be in London this fall. I’ll be so jealous if you are! But I’m telling you all about Cover to Cover and my friend Chris because one of the things we really got talking about last December when we visited was dance remixes. Chris is incredibly talented at sniffing out the perfect remix. His parties are full of both old and new tunes and just really quality music. I turned him onto the Buffetlibre site and he was “well chuffed.” So, yeah, remixes are cool in my book. You just really have to find the right ones and realize that there are a whole lot of really badly done ones out there.
This Deastro remix is a fine example of a remix done right. It takes a gorgeous song and reworks it in a really inspired and unique way. You can’t ask for more than that. I’m kinda hoping that by linking up Cover to Cover, I can lure Chris over here and get his thoughts on it. Their first Cover to Cover party is September 4th, I know he’s making his playlist, what do ya think my chances are?
Contests are difficult to run, did you know that? You’d think there would be oodles of people wanting to win free tickets to a show and a copy of Division Day’sVisitation. Truthfully, not many people enter! Get the word out to Chicago, eh? All you have to do is email me to enter. My addy is on the left sidebar
Did you love Beartrap Island as much as I did? Damn that record did not get the kudos it deserved! “Hurricane” is one of my favorite tracks off Beartrap Island, don’t you agree that it’s worth another listen? Well, Division Day is on a whole other path with Visitation. It’s perhaps even more to my liking than their first album, what I’ve heard is deliciously dark. And you know, dark is the new hot. You heard that here first!
Division Day has teamed up with Bad Veins, whom I saw play about a month ago. They gave a great show! Chatting to them very briefly afterwards, I mentioned that it would be nice to do an interview the next time they came through. They were kind enough to say yes. So if you have any questions for Bad Veins, let me know before the show. The pairing of these two groups is genius; this show will be electrifying! I’ll let you know, of course, xoxo
Tour Dates for Bad Veins and Division Day
Aug 28 Emo’s Jr. – Austin, Texas
Aug 29 The Cavern – Dallas, Texas
Aug 31 Modified – Phoenix, Arizona
Sep 1 Casbah w/ Division Day – San Diego, California
Sep 2 Spaceland w/ Division Day – Los Angeles, California
Sep 3 Detroit Bar w/ Division Day – Costa Mesa, California
Sep 4 Cafe Du Nord w/ Division Day – San Francisco, California
Sep 5 Nickel City w/ Division Day – San Jose, California
Sep 8 Doug Fir Lounge w/ Division Day – Portland, Oregon
Sep 9 Sunset Tavern w/ Division Day – Seattle, Washington
Sep 10 Palace Billiards w/ Division Day – Missoula, Montana
Sep 12 Kilby Court w/ Division Day – Salt Lake City, Utah
Sep 13 Red Rocks Amphitheater – Monolith Festival – Morrison, Colorado
Sep 14 Replay Lounge w/ Division Day – Lawrence, Kansas
Sep 15 Subterranean w/ Division Day – Chicago, Illinois
Sep 16 Skully’s Music Diner w/ Division Day – Columbus, Ohio
Sep 17 DC9 w/ Division Day – WASHINGTON, Washington DC
Sep 18 O’Brien’s Pub w/ Division Day – Allston, Massachusetts
Sep 19 The Bell House w/ Division Day – Brooklyn, New York
Sep 20 North Star Bar w/ Division Day – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sep 22 529 w/ Division Day – Atlanta, Georgia
Sep 24 The Mohawk w/Frightened Rabbit, Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jet Packs —-DIVISION DAY ONLY!
Well I had one of those synchronicity moments just now wherein a twitter friend asked if I knew a band whose PR email I had just tossed away the day before. Ha! Fuck me! Sometimes it takes two whispers in my ear to figure out what’s good out there, darlins! So I bring you, Dappled Cities today, from Australia and with a new album, Zounds, out on September 15th.
Tracklisting
Hold Your Back
Answer Is Zero
The Price
Wooden Ships
Slow For Me, My Island
The Night Is Young At Heart
Miniature Alas
Don’t Stop There
Kid
Middle People
Apart
Stepshadows
“The Price” is a viral bit of pop magic, eh? The video is also kinda interesting, and you know if I’m saying that, it’s something. I usually hate videos But I think it’s the glowy lights, I just keep watching to see if one pops! Could happen, no? Tour Dates
Aug 21 2009 8:00P Anu Bar Canberra
Aug 22 2009 8:00P The Metro Theatre Sydney
Aug 27 2009 8:00P Great Northern Hotel Byron Bay
Aug 28 2009 8:00P Bon Amici Toowoomba
Aug 29 2009 8:00P The Zoo Brisbane
Sep 3 2009 8:00P Jive Adelaide
Sep 4 2009 8:00P Amplifier Bar Perth
Sep 5 2009 8:00P Norfolk Basement Premantle
So I’m sitting in the movie theater about two weeks ago and this giant ad comes on for, of all things, JC Penny. You can’t really escape these ads, you’re captive to your popcorn and giant bucket of Diet Coke, right? But the thing that caught my ear was that it was set to a Hockey song. A song I had featured the video for here on Love Shack last fall. Wow! Hockey’s that big now, eh? Well, “Too Fake” is still a great song. But they’ve now released a new video for “Song Away” and I’ll tell ya, sometimes it’s better to just click on the sound and not watch. Apologies to the band, I guess I’m a cantankerous old lady, but someone out there will like this video
It’s a cool song, I like the group a lot and can’t wait to hear them here at Schuba’s, one of my favorite clubs, in October. Enjoy! xoxo
Tour Details
Aug 20 2009 7:00P Secret Show- Troubadour Los Angeles, California
Aug 21 2009 8:00P The Echo (all ages) LOS ANGELES, California
Aug 28 2009 5:00P LEEDS FESTIVAL Leeds
Aug 29 2009 5:00P READING FESTIVAL Reading
Sep 11 2009 8:00P RADAR FESTIVAL @ LE GRAND MIX Tourcoing / Lille
Sep 13 2009 12:00P Bestival – Festival Isle of Wight
Sep 14 2009 8:00P Thekla Bristol
Sep 15 2009 8:00P O2 Academy 2 Liverpool Liverpool
Sep 16 2009 7:30P Cockpit Leeds
Sep 18 2009 8:00P O2 Academy 2 Newcastle Newcastle
Sep 19 2009 7:30P Cabaret Voltaire Edinburgh
Sep 20 2009 7:30P King Tuts Glasgow
Sep 21 2009 7:30P Spring & Airbrake Belfast
Sep 22 2009 7:30P The Academy Dublin
Sep 24 2009 8:00P Club Academy Manchester
Sep 25 2009 7:30P Bodega Social Nottingham
Sep 26 2009 8:00P O2 Academy 2 Birmingham Birmingham
Sep 27 2009 8:00P O2 Academy 2 Oxford Oxford
Sep 28 2009 8:00P Norwich Arts Centre Norwich
Sep 29 2009 8:00P Scala- SOLD OUT London
Oct 1 2009 8:00P Digital Brighton
Oct 2 2009 8:00P Maroquinerie Paris
Oct 3 2009 8:00P UBU Rennes
Oct. 8 Madison, WI – Majestic Theatre
Oct. 9 Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall
Oct. 10 & 11 Chicago, IL – Schubas Tavern
Oct. 13 Ferndale, MI – The Magic Bag
Oct. 14 Toronto, Canada – Horseshoe Tavern
Oct. 16 Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s
Oct. 18 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
Oct. 20 Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
Oct. 21 Northhampton, MA – Pearl Street
My Gold Mask is one of my favorite Chicago bands who just also happen to be on the cusp of really becoming known outside our fair city. I’m so excited about this! Especially as it was only last year that I stumbled onto them, quite by accident. In a word, they wow’d me. This duo have continued to write and record catchy, unique, singles that really highlight Gretta’s vocal talents as well as Jack’s uber cool guitar stylings. Their style is a bit indescribable, they blend together forces from post-punk and gypsy music with a real present day sensibility. Seeing them play is consistently a fucking great time, not only because of the energy they have on stage but also for the fact that they are honestly just very cool and nice folk. So before I gush about them too much and you don’t believe I have any objectivity about their music, here’s their latest single, a cover of Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes”, it’s pretty special.
My Gold Mask’s self-titled debut is still available here. They’re doing a short tour in October so look out! If you have any connections, get in touch because you are going to want to book this duo in your town. Their show is hotttttt! xoxox Tour Details (still a work in progress)
Aug 20 2009 9:00P QUENNECT4 Chicago, Illinois
Sep 27 2009 8:00P Empty Bottle w/ The Do Chicago, Illinois
Oct 8 2009 9:00P The Way Out Club St Louis, Missouri
Oct 9 2009 9:00P TBA Hot Springs, Arkansas
Oct 10 2009 9:00P Rubber Gloves w/ This Old House Denton, Texas
Ailment: Whiny, Argumentative, Short-Tempered, Ill-Humored Tart
Buy Tightrope Walker “Down By The River”
But honestly, there is something very intriguing and intellectually stimulating about experimental music, or even just music that is outside of the usual comfort zone. So filling my head with this rather tame foray into the unknown tonight has at least put me in the zone to finally get some sleep.
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