words by BBG, photos by Nicole Kibert

Walter Schreifels band @ Bowery Ballroom

Free Booze. Walter Schreifels. Best combo ever? Walter and band, which features Art of Gorilla Biscuits and musician/comedian Dave Hill on six-string, have scheduled a pair of NYC shows this week in celebration of the holidays. The first show kicks off tonight (12/14) at The Charleston with Birds of Paradise and Give and will feature free Jameson whiskey while supplies last. Flyer below.

The second show is Wednesday (12/16) at The Studio @ Webster Hall (it's their holiday party). At that show Walter & band will be supporting Telepathe. Gordon Voidwell is also on the bill. And yes, Nick Zinner will be there... this time spinning between sets. To cap it all off, the party will feature free booze courtesy of Pabst Blue Ribbon and although a limited number of tickets are currently available for a meager $5 a piece, I ALSO have a metric shit-ton of them to giveaway! For more on how to win entry to the show, dig on details at the bottom of this post (where the flyer can also be found).

Walter Schreifels's last show was as part of the Split Lip / Chamberlain reunion at Bowery on 12/7. The provided support for the reunited headliners along with Atlantic Pacific (ex-Texas is the Reason).

Walter's set included a cover of Quicksand's "Thorn in My Side". Split Lip was joined onstage by their long-time tour manager who belted out an Op Ivy cover. Full setlist from Split Lip / Chamberlain, tons of pics from the show, contest details, and flyers from both upcoming Walter shows are below...

Continue reading "Walter Schreifels played w/ Split Lip/Chamberlain @ Bowery (pics) - playing 2 shows this week (1 w/ Telepathe - win tix)"

by BBG

Split Lip LIVE 5/2/09

Split Lip is responsible for the Midwestern emo-core sound, together with bands like Endpoint, and a group they inspired, The Get Up Kids. After gaining acclaim in the small international hardcore community for their debut album, the band switched gears to more country-leaning pop rock... and changed the name of their band to Chamberlain, re-releasing their second album (Fate's Got A Driver) under the new moniker.

In late 1995, the band again returned to Detroit to record "Fate's Got A Driver" It was this record that set the gold-standard for emo-core. The intricate guitar work and soulful emotive lyrics laid the foundation for bands to come, such as The Get Up Kids. The summer of 95 saw the band hit the road again, this time with Ohio's Colossus of the Fall, and DC's Samuel. It was during this month-long outing that the decision came to change the name, and direction of the band. Moore and Rubenstein returned to the studio in late 1995 and re-recorded the vocals and re-mixed the album, and Chamberlain was born. -[Wiki]

It's not the first show they've played this year, but now Split Lip / Chamberlain have scheduled an NYC show at Bowery on 12/7, their only current US date. Tickets are on sale. Show flyer and some videos are below...

Continue reading "Split Lip / Chamberlain playing NYC reunion show"

by Black Bubblegum

Jonah Matranga & Ian Love at Gershwin Hotel (more by Tim Griffin)

Jonah Matranga of Far/onelinedrawing/New End Original fame has scheduled a solo show at Mercury Lounge on May 21st. Tickets are on sale.

Jonah might be playing that and a few more shows (listed below) solo, but - even more than before - Far is back...

Vagrant Records is proud to announce that Far has signed to the label. The recently reunited quartet is currently wrapping up their fifth full-length release in The Airport studio in Southern California with producer and guitarist Shaun Lopez at the helm and an early spring release date is expected.

"We had no idea all this would happen," says vocalist Jonah Matranga. "We were just planning on getting to know each other again and playing a few shows... all of a sudden, the songs are coming, and it feels really good."

Far has added a few new West Coast shows in May and June, including one opening for Kings of Leon in Santa Barbara, CA. All dates below, but nothing on the east coast yet.

In the tail end of last year (while he was here for that Gershwin Hotel show), we caught up with Jonah Matranga and asked him about Far, his solo venture(s), and what it means to be back in lock-step with the guys again. Check out that interview below.

Meanwhile, some of Jonah's bandmates in New End Original are getting their old band back together as well. Split Lip, which became Chamberlain in 1995, will reunite with all original members to play a handful of shows in their native midwest, and eventually, the east coast. Tour dates are below.

The dates coincide with the re-issue of Chamberlain's emo-influential Fate's Got A Driver LP on color vinyl with bonus tracks.

Chamberlain's Fate's Got a Driver delivers more emotion in its 30 minutes than most bands do over the course of a career. The record is thought provoking and musically adventurous, a rare feat for a band whose members were barely past twenty when it was recorded. With nods to the Everyman side of Sunny Day Real Estate and the insistent melodicism of Fugazi, Fate's Got a Driver consistently impresses. It's all the product of lead guitarist Adam Rubenstein's thick, Fugazi-style progressions and David Moore's highly poetic lyrics... An amazing achievement by such a relatively young band. -[allmusic]

Jonah discusses Lupe Fiasco, Sepultura, Fort Minor, Radiohead, and more, in the interview below...

Continue reading "an interview w/ Jonah Matranga of Far (who are back with more tour dates & a new album on Vagrant Records)"