by Nick Masi

DOWNLOAD: Eat Skull - Seeing Things (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Psychedelic Horseshit - Rather Dull (MP3)

Eat Skull

Portland, Oregon's Eat Skull have been making noise for less than two years now, but in that time have attracted a lot of attention. They've been lumped into the popular "lo-fi" or do I dare say, "shitgaze," genre, with the likes of Times New Viking, TVK and Pink Reason. Eat Skull incorporates elements of hardcore into their songs, making their poppy sound a little more rough. After releasing a number of 7"'s, all of which sold out almost instantly, Eat Skull finally put out their first full length, "Sick to Death," on Siltbreeze Records back in May. Like Panther, Meth Teeth and White Fangs, they're part of a new generation of bands making noise outside their hometown of Portland. MTV News invaded the city for a recent piece on the entire scene including The Thermals. That video is embedded below.

Eat Skull's Siltbreeze label-mates Psychedelic Horseshit, like Times New Viking, hail from Columbus, Ohio. Though also linked to the "lo-fi" sound, PH are a lot harder and more abrasive than most. The pop element is still there, just not as heavy. Psychedelic Horseshit sound like a band that is having fun. They don't care about being tied down to a specific genre and they like to play at a very high volume. Their live shows are always a good time and LOUD. Like Eat Skull and the town of Portland, Psychedelic Horseshit and the "lo-fi" sound were also the focus of an MTV News piece. That one was previously posted.

Eat Skull are on their first nationwide tour and will be in NYC this weekend. TONIGHT (9/19) they're at Dead Herring in Brooklyn with USAisamonster and Little Claw, Sunday they play DCTV (formerly the Tank) with Blank Dogs, and Monday (9/22) they're at Death By Audio. The latter two shows are also with Psychedelic Horseshit (...hey, isn't Brooklyn Yeasayer's turf?) who are then continuing on the road with Eat Skull down to Georgia. All Eat Skull and Psychedelic Horseshit tour dates, and video, below...

Continue reading "Eat Skull & Psychedelic Horseshit - 2008 Tour Dates, MP3s"

photos by Jason Bergman

One more free Sunday 'Pool Party' show to go. More pictures from this Sunday (August 17, 2008), below...

Continue reading "Aesop Rock (and El-P), Chin Chin & Panther @ McCarren Pool "

Continue reading "2008 free McCarren 'Pool Party' lineup announced "

DOWNLOAD: WHY? - "The Hollows" (mp3)

Why? @ the BV day party @ Emo's Annex - Mar 13, 2008 (Jamovenkilt)

Just a day after the release of their excellent new LP Alopecia, Oakland's WHY? turned in a matching performance at Emo's, breathing life into Yoni Wolf's gloomy, desperate narratives. Performing as a four-piece, the band played some of the best hip-hop-meets-psych-pop tracks of off both Alopecia and 2005's Elephant Eyelash. Live, as on the band's albums, Wolf's presence is by turns intense, endearing and unnerving. [Popmatters]

Why?'s performance at Emo's Annex was also in my top 10 for the week. They play Knitting Factory's main room in NYC Saturday night (March 22) with Cryptacize, Son Lux, and Panther (who also played SXSW). Anti-Pop Consortium play two shows at the same club on the same night. More MP3s HERE, and much more Why? below...................

Continue reading "Why? Knitting Factory is the place to be Saturday +++++++++ rave reviews, videos, an MP3 & SXSW pics"

words & photos by Ryan Muir

I flew in to Austin on wednesday morning and the festival was already going strong. After picking up my credentials and looking out from the top of the convention center I started to get a feel for the scope and scale of the whole event.

on top of the Austin convention center

My first stop was the Mohawk for a party sponsored by the familliar Gothamist/Austinist websites. While the first band i saw 'We Barbarians' didnt impress me much, their set allowed for ample time to catch my bearings and down a few complimentary beers. It wasn't too long before i realized Phosphorescent was playing inside downstairs to a packed house. Then Shearwater started their set outside. I tried to catch as much of each set without jumping back and forth - a strategy I would get better at as the days went on.....

Continue reading "SXSW day 1 (The Blow/Yacht/Jeffrey Lewis/etc) by Ryan Muir"

DOWNLOAD: Why? - Close To Me (the Cure) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Why? - The Hollows (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Panther - Puerto Rican Jukebox (MP3)

Why?

The Oakland-based group will release their album "Alopecia" on March 11 and around the same time they'll launch their biggest headlining tour to date, playing shows with pals like Br. Danielson, Cryptacize, Panther, YACHT, Mount Eerie and anticon labelmates Son Lux. WHY? will also be hitting up SXSW for the first time in several years, including a stop at the Force Field PR / Terrorbird day party at Emo's on March 12. WHY? released "The Hollows" EP in late 2007 to rave reviews, the EP featured remixes from Boards of Canada, Dntel and cover versions of older WHY? material from Xiu Xiu, Islands, Dump and Half-Handed Cloud.

Continue reading "WHY? - 2008 Tour Dates, MP3s, PANTHER too"