photos by Taylor Keahey

The Gories

"I, for one, enthusiastically accept Scion as my new corporate overlord. If they can bring the Gories, the Oblivians, King Khan and a cast of garage punks from far and wide to town in one day, they can sell me a sewage soda and I'd say thank you.

That's because Scion sponsored Garage Fest, an event that brought almost 30 bands to Lawrence [on 10/2]. From 4 p.m. 'til nearly midnight I had a cornucopia of raw rock to choose from....

...my number one show on the list: Detroit's incendiary trio, the Gories. Mick Collins, who's arguably better known for his garage-meets-soul outfit the Dirtbombs, is somewhat of a musical hero to me, and I wasn't about to miss the reunion of one of his first -- and probably most raw -- bands. They didn't disappoint. A big crowd for the not-so-spacious Jackpot heaved toward the stage, almost in unison...

I made one last trip to the Granada to catch Memphis' the Oblivians anyway. The trio, originally around in the early '90s, was the cherry on top of the day's punk sundae. I decided to go sans ear plugs and just let it rip. Matt and Disco had staked out a spot front and center, but I didn't have the energy to fight my way up there for long. As I hung toward the fringe of the front crowd, I saw one more thing I can now check off my list of rarities: a guy in a wheelchair crowd surfing." -[The Pitch]

Scion Garage Fest went down in Lawrence, KS over this past weekend. A spoiled New Yorker, who had chances (sometimes Scion-sponsored) to see The Obvlivians and the Gories and many of the other bands on the bill over the past year, might not quite bow down before the lineup, but it was pretty rockin' nonetheless.

A set of pictures from the show, including The Raveonettes, Gories, Oblivians, Times New Viking, Black Lips sideproject The Gaye Blades, Thee Oh Sees and others (though none of King Khan, Best Coast, Tyvek, The Clean, The Greenhornes and some others on the four-venue bill) continue below...

Continue reading "Scion Garage Fest happened (here are some pics) "

The Greenhornes 2007

After detours in The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather among other projects, The Greenhornes are back at it and will release their first LP of new material in eight years via Jack White's Third Man imprint. The record, entitled Four Stars, will be proceeded by select east coast dates that will include Mercury Lounge on 9/3 (free with RSVP) and Maxwell's on 9/4 with The Black Hollies (tickets) leading up to their appearance at ATP NY on 9/5 ("full" lineup).

A month later (on 10/2), The Greenhornes are confirmed for Scion Garage Fest 2010 in Lawrence, Kansas alongside a plethora of killer notables including The Oblivians (who recently played Knit), The Gories (who just played Bowery and toured with Oblivians), The Raveonettes (who are playing Bumbershoot), King Khan & The Shrines (who are playing Santos and Bell House), Best Coast (who just played the Seaport and like weed), Tyvek, Thee Oh Sees, Hunx & His Punx, and a ton of others.

Much like Scion Rock Fest, the show will take place across four venues and is FREE, but RSVP is required. Full lineup is below.

Some videos and the full Scion lineup & flyer is below...

Continue reading "The Greenhornes playing shows - ATP, a free one @ Mercury & Scion Garage Fest (full lineup - Oblivians, Gories, more) "

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Eddy Current Suppression Ring - Anxiety (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Goodnight Loving - The Pan (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Goodnight Loving - Nothing Conquers Us (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Disappears - Gone Completely (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Woven Bones - Guess You Already Knew (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Woven Bones - Your Way With My Life (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ponys - Check the Door (MP3)

Eddy Current Suppression Ring

I haven't been this excited about a weekend of music in a long time. So much so I don't know how I'm gonna fit it all in.

Let's start with Australia's Eddy Current Suppression Ring who play Cake Shop on Friday (6/18) and Death by Audio on Saturday (6/19) (the second show was originally scheduled to take place at Market Hotel). The band have, to me at least, one of the great band origin stories ever: they formed after a drunken Christmas party at the vinyl pressing plant where they all worked.  whose new album, Rush to Relax, is one of my favorites of the year so far. Download "Anxiety" from it above. It was was supposedly recorded in six hours though it doesn't sound it. Or maybe it does. There's a definite nervous intensity to it -- ECSR are pretty highly charged in general -- and bristles with energy. A lot of this comes from front man Brendan Suppression, whose delivery sounds like he's pacing the entire time. It's a great album.

Eddy Current Suppression Ring live shows are legendary. (There's video from a recent Sydney show at the bottom of this post.) You'd be dumb to miss them. Both nights are with Pissed Jeans which should add to the insanity. Seriously, go see them!

The Goodnight Loving

The other touring band I'm super-pysched about seeing this weekend is Milwaukee's The Goodnight Loving, who play Silent Barn tomorrow (6/17), then Bruar Falls on Friday (6/18), Cake Shop on Saturday (6/19) and Maxwell's on Sunday (6/20).

As I wrote previously, these fine Midwesterners channel the twangier side of the '60s British Invasion (Out of Our Heads era Stones, or the Kinks around Face to Face) and do it with some great songwriting. There are two MP3s at the top of this post: last year's great single "Nothing Conquers Us" and "The Pan" which is from their new album, The Goodnight Loving Supper Club, due out July 20 on Dirtnap Records.

If you're looking for something to tide you over till then, the band just released a new 12" on Italian label Wild Honey that has five new tracks on one side, and some lovely silk-screened artwork on the flip. I'm hoping they're gonna have copies of that at the merch table. And 2006's Cemetery Trails is excellent too.

The Silent Barn show is with '90s shoegaze lovers Big Troubles, Bright Lights and Fire Season; the Bruar Falls show also has Ex Humans and Bass Drum of Death; the Cake Shop lineup includes SpaceCamp and Prince Rupert's Drops; and at Maxwell's  you also get Reigning Sound (one night after they play Southpaw).

Disappears

The Ponys are in town this weekend playing two shows with fellow Chicagoans Disappears and Austin's Woven Bones: Friday (6/18) at Mercury Lounge and Saturday (6/19) at Union Pool. I think the last time I saw the Ponys was probably at Siren Fest 2004? Can that be? That was around the time of their great first album, Laced with Romance, which still sounds awesome. Quiet since 2007's Turn the Lights Out, The Ponys are back with a new EP, Deathbed Plus 4, that finds them pretty much where you remember them: cranking out catchy, goth-tinged garage. (I wonder if they got the EP name from the cult horror film Death Bed: The Bed That Eats? Probably not.) The goth part comes through loud and clear on "Check the Door" -- downloadable above -- which just maybe sounds a little like Joy Division's "New Dawn Fades."

Ponys guitarist Brian Case fronts Disappears who are worth seeing in their own right. Their new album, Lux, is dark and heavy, kinda Kraut-y, definitely loud and pretty great. So if you like the '80s Flying Nun or Pre-Brix era Fall (or any Fall, really) you should check out Disappears. You can download "Check the Door" at the top of this post.

All three of these bands appeal to the same crowd, but Woven Bones are the sneering-est, scuzziest of the lot. The songs on their new album, In and Out and Back Again (dirty!), are all cut from the same blueprint (the two MP3s above is the extent of their stylistic range) but they are masters of their sound. They're good live, too -- the room seems to heat up whenever they play.

Should mention that the Mercury Lounge show also has The Forgery Series, which is Sohrab from Obits amongst others.

AND A FEW NIGHTLY PICS:

Wednesday, June 16

As previously mentioned (but not in tonight's What's Going On post), tonight's "secret" show at Death By Audio features Bleach Waffles, Mild Touching and, Slankie Morose. And if you can't figure out who that is well... try harder. It's a late one, doors at 11PM, but it's only $5. And a five-spot for some mild touching...that's a bargain.

Swedish pixies First Aid Kit, who played last night at The Bell House, play again tonight at Mercury Lounge with Peter Wolf Cryer.

continued below with dates, videos, flyers and more...

Continue reading "Eddy Current Suppression Ring, the Goodnight Loving, The Ponys, Disappears, Woven Bones, Wild Nothing & more in This Week in Indie"

DOWNLOAD: Woven Bones - Guess You Already Knew (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Woven Bones - Your Way With My Life (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ponys - Check the Door (MP3)

Woven Bones...

The Commune: What are some other bands you're into that you could recommend to our readers that you're into. Not necessarily influences, but contemporary bands out there?

Andy Burr of Woven Bones: Oh definitely Dum Dum Girls, The Fresh and Only's, Jacuzzi Boys, Crocodiles, Frankie Rose, Reading Rainbow and The Spits.

Austin's Woven Bones are playing a free South Street Seaport show on July 2nd with Austin's Yellow Fever (who by then will have also opened both Voxtrot shows at Bowery Ballroom).

Before then, Woven Bones will be touring with Chicago garage bands Disappears and The Ponys in June. All three play a June 18th show at Mercury Lounge with The Forgery Series (project of Obits guitarist Sohrab Habibion). Tickets are on sale. Also part of that tour is a show the next night (6/19) at Union Pool. Tickets are on sale.

Woven Bones' new record, In and Out and Back Again, comes out May 18th on HoZac. A track from it is above, and the video for their song "Your Way with My Life" is below. The Ponys also have a new release, their first since 2007's Turn Out The Lights. That EP, Deathbed + 4, came out April 20th (digital) and comes out May 25th (on 12-inch vinyl) on Matador. A song from that is above. Disappears just released their debut LP, Lux on Kranky.

All tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Woven Bones, Ponys & Disappears - MP3s, albums & dates"

by BBG

Rorschach at The Charleston (more by Ryan Muir)

Last year's jaw-dropping lineup at Chaos In Tejas was sick, and 2010 is proving to be no different. For four days across four different Austin venues, May 27th to the 30th at Emo's, Mohawk, Red 7 and Beerland, the festival will offer some of the most impressive names in the independent/underground scene including the indestructible Rorschach, the first ever US appearance from Australian punk greats X, a one-time reunion of Japanese crust-core band Bastard, the quirky cutesy indie pop-punk of Grass Widow, Gehenna (who just played A389), Subhumans, Bastard Noise (who have a new record), Bone Awl, BV faves Jeff The Brotherhood, The Spits, Psychedelic Horseshit, Ty Segall, The Ponys, Iron Lung (who recently played Cake Shop), Poison Idea, Inquisition, and many many many others.

In addition to the obvious mayhem that will ensue over the four days, Chaos in Tejas will also showcase art from some of the scene's most interesting names including Tim Kerr (of Big Boys), Winston Smith (responsible for tons of collage work, including the Dead Kennedys best album art), and Bryan Ray Turcotte (best known for his book Fucked Up and Photocopied).

The full (and intimidating) list is below...

Continue reading "Chaos in Tejas 2010 (May 27-30) - intial lineup (Rorschach, Bastard reunion, Spits, Bone Awl, Ty Segall, much more)"

by Ryan Barkan

Miller Chili or mojitos anyone?

Phone wars 2009 - Verizon vs. AT&T. It is always a battle when these two giants square off with their :60 second spots in tow to prove which company provides the best cellular service and coverage. In recent years, Verizon has enlisted the likes of AC/DC and The Killers. Included in the deal with the Aussie rockers was the right to exclusively offer the band's music digitally. On the other side, AT&T has hammered home their phone offerings and 5-bar messages with a spot including a track from Lupe Fiasco featuring Jill Scott, "Daydreamin", one with Mates Of State, and an Amos Lee commercial, among others. Both have recently gone to the licensing well again to soundtrack new technology and coverage, but with different strategies.

Verizon's new "Hub" decided to go the synergy route, using one of the most popular mainstream tunes of the last year, Jason Mraz's "I'm Yours", in multiple spots showcasing the company's new phone technology.

AT&T meanwhile went with different tunes for each of the new 5-bar spots, matching songs with each commercial's creative direction. In "Backpackers", the sentimental "Falling in Love in a Coffeeshop" by Landon Pigg tells the story of two lovers who met on a brief European backpacking trip. However, because of the quality of the service and technology, they not only can stay in touch with great coverage but end up together again with a touching beachfront reunion. Another boxing themed spot brings to mind Rocky with "Gonna Fly Now." Eighties rockers Journey power this commercial for the symphony. Lastly, an inspirational spot based on Venice, CA, store Tom's Shoes. The store has one premise -- each pair of shoes bought equals one free pair for a child in need. The commercial uses an instrumental version of James Blunt's "Same Mistake." Watch that spot here.

Other Notable Commercial Licensing News:

An instant classic commercial from Heineken -- the beer company celebrates responsible drinking (title is called "Let A Stranger Drive You Home") with the help from Biz Markie's "Just A Friend". Watch the spot below.

Beer maker Miller went with San Fran's The Dodos as the music for their new Miller Chill commercial. Watch it below.

"Daylight," a track by Matt & Kim, provides the vibe in a new commercial for Bacardi Mojitos. See it below.

continued below...

Continue reading "This week in Music Licensing (De La Soul, the Dodos, Passion Pit, Black Lips, Matt & Kim, Mates of State & more...) "

DOWNLOAD: The Ponys - Double Vision (MP3)

The Ponys are touring this summer. They and Jay Reatard play Bowery Ballroom in NYC on July 21 - the same day as Siren (which they themselves played in 2004). All tour dates below....

Continue reading "The Ponys - summer 2007 Tour Dates"