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Caverns to play Cal Robbins benefit at Black Cat

If you haven’t heard of Caverns (not likely if you read Aural States often), or Cal Robbins, then you must at least be familiar with J Robbins, former bassist for Government Issue, and producer and engineer for bands like Dismemberment Plan, Clutch, Against Me!, etc.

Unfortunately, what should have been the highlight of both his, and wife Janet Morgan’s life, has turned to tragedy. Their son Callum was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA-Type 1), an incurable nerve disorder that kills, often before the patient has reached his second birthday.

No parent wants to go through this, but this is what J. and Janet must face. As expected the health care costs are ridiculous, and there is no company heath plan for being a musician.

Members of the music community have come together for benefit compilations, and live show, most notably a Dismemberment Plan reunion.

This Friday (6/13) Caverns, along with headliners The Bakerton Group (featuring members of Clutch), The Deleted Scenes, and Hammer No More The Fingers will perform a benefit concert at DC’s Black Cat.

More information on Cal and donations can be found at his blog, For Callum. If you can’t make it, then buy a ticket anyway. As Kevin from Caverns–and by extension J, Janet, and Cal– said, whatever support you can provide “We’d appreciate the shit out of it.”

No ticket giveaway for this one folks. This show is about a little more than rocking-the-fuck-out, though Caverns still do that amazingly well.

F Yeah Tour contest still going strong!!

Our ticket giveaway for the F Yeah Tour is still going strong, winner will be drawn on Monday! Just email us to be entered! In the mean time, enjoy this new Death Set remix!

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MP3: The Death Set – Boys & Girls (Stinky Love Drowning in a toilet RMX)

Bmore Techno Label Launch Party

Baltimore is no stranger to electronic dance music. We’ve got bmore club, Starscape, Cex, Dan Deacon, etc. So what makes the launch of More or Less–a new Baltimore techno label, and outgrowth of the bmore-electro message forum–so special? Because the founding members “are proud to
bring Baltimore back to the grown folks table of electronic music.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself.

The bmore-electro forum is an invaluable resource for the Baltimore area EDM fan. Compared to DC’s Buzz Life forum, bmore-electro exudes decent taste in EDM, mainly Detroit techno and acid house. And to paraphrase what was said about The Clash, techno and house are the only EDM genres that matter. Read the rest…

Interview: Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater

Released June 3, Rook is Austin-based Shearwater‘s first proper release on Matador Records, following a reissue of Palo Santo, originally released on Misra Records in 2006. Rook continues the band’s sonic evolution from what resembled field recordings on its early releases to near-art rock topped with Meiburg’s alternately cooing and soaring vocals.

The album is the band’s second minus Will Sheff, who split singer-songwriter duties with Meiburg on four releases prior to Palo Santo while Meiburg’s keyboards and harmonies were a hallmark of Okkervil River, Sheff’s primary vehicle, through 2007. Now fully devoted to Shearwater and the band’s unrivaled creative force, Meiburg took some time on the eve of an Eastern U.S. tour to answer a few questions for Aural States. Shearwater performs at the Black Cat June 15.

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MP3: Shearwater – Rooks

Read the rest…

Tres Bonn 2008: Mastodon

Mastodon are far and away the heaviest act at Bonnaroo. If you think Metallica can hold a handle to these guys, you are gravely mistaken.  Not to denigrate Metallica’s talent or show, but Mastodon are simply in a different league.

And thankfully, quite a departure from all the jam bands and hippie-friendly fare that populate the many stages in Manchester, Tennessee. I have been dying to see this band since I first heard their LP Leviathan. With their follow-up Blood Mountain, they made me a fan for life.

They are unafraid to transcend one of the major, self-imposed limitations of all music deemed heavy: the theme of naked, primal aggression.  Clearly embracing the rich tradition of heavy metal storytelling, Mastodon are unafraid to populate their lyrics with fantasy settings, an actual story, and decipherable lyrics all backed up by some of the most explosive prog-metal fireworks around and it’s a recipe for heavy aural nirvana.  A much needed alternative to all the testosterone-laden, meaningless breakdowns and primitive growling and songwriting that are flooding the heavy rock and metal genres today.  To me, Mastodon are at the forefront of metal, leading the movement in what can, and should, be.

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MP3: Mastodon – Aqua Dementia from Leviathan

These New Puritans, Imperial China, the.Blackout.District @ DC9 (BYT)

Bit of cross-posted action to BYT for the These New Puritans show at DC9.  A number of things conspired to drag the show down, some act of god shit, some artist fault.  Read on, intrepid reader.  Photo set courtesy of BYT’s Lexie Moreland.

F Yeah Tour Giveaway

We are giving away a pair of TaxLo-courtesy tickets to the F Yeah Tour date at Sonar featuring the Death Set, Monotonix, Team Robespierre and Matt & Kim.  Do your research and start listening…email us at auralstates at gmail dot com for entry to win tix.

Our aural offerings:

Team Robespierre live recording from the Ottobar.

Death Set live recording from the Lo-Fi Social Club.

Matt & Kim live recording from the Lo-Fi Social Club.

And here are some tasty downloadable MP3 bits from Monotonix and Team Robespierre.

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MP3: Team Robespierre – Ha ha ha

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MP3: Monotonix – Summers and Autumns

Tres Bonn 2008: Aimee Mann

I first heard Aimee Mann’s (Wiki) gorgeous voice in the context of Joss Whedon’s most successful TV volley, the iconic Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Her seductive and mysterious voice matched the tone of the series perfectly in her cameo. Ever since, I have kept an eye out for her, hoping to one day catch her live. She dropped by the Strathmore earlier this year, I believe, but I had previous engagements. Given my strong connection of her music to one of the most epic and affective TV series I have ever experienced, I have some high hopes for her performance at Bonnaroo even if her music isn’t the most interesting or original. Her voice alone helps transcend some of these limitations.

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MP3: Aimee Mann – Thirty-One Today

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MP3: Aimee Mann – Pavlov’s Bell

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MP3: Aimee Mann – This is How it Goes

Arbouretum, Pontiak, Blake e/e/e @ the Talking Head

Live audio is up for Arbouretum here and Pontiak here, presented by Jeff the Baltimore Taper in association with Aural States.

Coming in late, I apparently missed a great set from Television Hill, another project of Dave Heumann from Arbouretum. But honestly, both Arbouretum and Pontiak ended up killing it so much I didn’t need another great set.

Blake e/e/e were still set to open though. They proved very perplexing to me with a curious brand of experimental folk. In their music, there is an almost constant strain of something mysterious, je ne sais quoi, that pulls me in an appealing direction. Their recorded material delivers, but unfortunately, through the live execution and follow-through on that initial attraction, there is a lot left to be desired. The set ended up as an average experience for me, though not necessarily an unpleasant one. I tried desperately to put my finger on what that was and the only thing I have come up with thus far is either bad pacing on their part or low attention span on my part. Other than that, the only thing I found disappointing in their set was that there was never a real pay-off to any sort of slow-mounted tension. They should probably take some lessons from Pontiak and Arbouretum on that point.

Pontiak mounted the stage and proceeded to rebuke my growing perception that the most engaging things going on in music right now are the products of excessive style/genre fusion, musical alchemy.

Read the rest…

Arbouretum Live @ the Talking Head

Arbouretum
The Talking Head
Baltimore, MD
June 4, 2008

Source: Peluso CEMC6/ck4(card)>PS-2>AD-20>NJB3
Transfer: NJB3>PC>SF-7>Wav>FLAC
Taper: Jeff Mewbourn (jm292@yahoo.com)
http://baltimore-taper.blogspot.com

Download full set as ZIP archive in the following formats: MP3 or FLAC
Stream or download individual tracks below.
Pontiak’s set here.

Read the rest…

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