Home

Live Audio: Holofcener-Zeiders @ Metro Gallery (2009.10.28)

So PercussionHolofcener-Zeiders
Metro Gallery
Baltimore, MD
October 28, 2009

Band:
Adam Holofcener-laptop
Jeff Zeiders-laptop/midi controller

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

Download the full set formatted as: MP3 or FLAC

Stream and download individual tracks after the jump

Read the rest…

Live Audio: Gestures @ Metro Gallery (2009.10.28)

So PercussionGestures
Metro Gallery
Baltimore, MD
October 28, 2009

Band:
Bob Chapman-trombone
Jon Lebovitz-tuba
Rebecca Mills-clarinet
Mark Cisneros-drums
Jess Matthews-drums
Kriston Capps-sax

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

Download the full set formatted as: MP3 or FLAC

Stream and download individual tracks after the jump

Read the rest…

Live Audio: Microkingdom @ Metro Gallery (2009.10.28)

So PercussionMicrokingdom
Metro Gallery
Baltimore, MD
October 28, 2009

Band:
Marc Miller-guitar
John Dierker-bass clarinet
Will Redman-drums

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

baltimore-taper.blogspot.com

Download the full set formatted as: MP3 or FLAC

Stream and download individual tracks after the jump

Read the rest…

Audio / Contest: Thrushes, Sick Sick Birds @ the Metro Gallery (2009.11.06)

Thrushes Sick Sick Birds flier

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Thrushes – Juggernaut early mix.

Thrushes have once again dropped some mana on us here at Aural States.

Not only are we exclusively previewing an early mix of the track “Juggernaut” from their forthcoming album Night Falls, but we’re running a contest for their show with the far-too-rarely-seen Sick Sick Birds, the always rockin’ Baby Aspirin and Brooklyn’s The Art of Shooting next Friday Nov 6 at the Metro Gallery.

To enter, listen to “Juggernaut” and give me 1 or 2 words that either nicely sum up your thoughts on the track, or best represent your knee-jerk reaction to it.

Here’s the swag that goes to one lucky commenter:

  • 2 guest list spots
  • 1 limited edition vinyl copy of Thrushes’ debut Sun Come Undone
  • 1 new design t-shirt
  • 1 copy each of Sick Sick Birds’ LP Heavy Manners and their two 7″s

All the prizes will be picked up at the show.  A winner will be chosen next Wednesday based on any number of subjective criteria.  Let’s hear those witty words of wisdom.

Live Audio: The True Vine Trio @ Metro Gallery (2009.10.28)

So PercussionThe True Vine Trio
Metro Gallery
Baltimore, MD
October 28, 2009

Band:
MC Schmidt-electronics, percussion, vocals and stuff
Jason Willett-electronics and stuff
Owen Gardner-guitar/effects

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

Download the full set formatted as: MP3 or FLAC

Stream and download individual tracks after the jump.

Read the rest…

Boogaloo Times: A Discourse on Funk and Soul – Pax Nicholas & Seattle Funk

na teef cover

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

  1. MP3: Ron Buford – Deep Soul Pt. 1
  2. MP3: Annakonda – Wheedle’s Groove
  3. MP3: Black on White Affair – Auld Lang Syne

Funk ain’t what it used to be.

In their early days, funk scenes compiled as fast as trash in city wastebaskets. Each town had a somewhat distinct and independent scene, the fruits of which were destined to remain either in the caring hands of obsessed collectors or in the unexplored depths of record store bargain bins. As of late, many local funk bands boast more success based on their novelty value in hotel bars than their artistic credibility–a damn shame seeing as both soul and funk offer musical insights untouched by more popular genres. Granted, it’s difficult to look at a 6-piece funk outfit, wacky vocalist and all, as an artistic statement. Plenty of patrons even fail to make sense of the message when it’s easy: “Get Funky.”

Read the rest…

Preview: Aural States presents So Percussion, Microkingdom, Gestures, Adam Holofcener + Jeff Zeiders, the True Vine Trio (Jason Willett, MC Schmidt, Owen Gardner)

Tonight will be an inspired night for music in Baltimore. Of course, that statement is a little biased since I’m putting it on.

Here’s some decidedly non-biased material suggesting you attend:

Banging on Cans: And anything and everything else in So Percussion’s strange, not-just-percussion universe” (Baltimore City Paper)

Roll Over, Beethoven: By Reimagining Format, Alt-Classical Musicians Are Going Mainstream” (Washington Post)

Do You Hear That?” (Maryland Morning on WYPR 88.1FM)

Splice Today

and here’s what others are saying about So Percussion and their recent premiere of Imaginary City in Brooklyn:

Drummers Map an Imaginary City” (New York Times)

Yes In My Backyard: An Exclusive First Listen To So Percussion’s BAM Next Wave Piece Imaginary City” (Village Voice Music Blog)

Top Live Show: So Percussion @ BAM Harvey Theater” (Time Out New York)

So Percussion – playing ‘Imaginary City’ @ BAM” (BrooklynVegan)

Here’s some video we shot with Polygon Tree Productions of So performing Steve Reich’s Drumming Part 1:

So Percussion Perform Steven Reich’s Drumming Part 1 from Polygon Tree Productions on Vimeo.

It also bears mentioning that the line-up has expanded since our initial announcement to include two more sets. One features the premiere of a piece by local composers Adam Holofcener and Jeff Zeiders. The other is a True Vine power trio of sorts featuring Jason Willett (Leprechaun Catering, Pleasant Livers, Half Japanese), Martin Schmidt (Matmos), and Owen Gardner (Black Vatican, Janitor, ex-Teeth Mountain). Some more, press-release-y details on them after the jump.

Read the rest…

Interview: Islands (w/ Nick Thorburn)

nickt

In light of Islands upcoming show at the G-Spot on November 2, I had the pleasure of extracting some information from indie music’s resident pro-circuit pop troubadour Nick Thorburn–known fondly as Nick Diamonds from acts such as The Unicorns, Islands, and Human Highway, among others.

Incidentally, Anti- Records recently released Vapours–yet another bigwig electro-pop record, sporting some of Islands’ best tracks to date. It’s definitely worth picking up, if only to see what else these guys could possibly have left hidden up their sleeves. I hear they host a killer show too, so you might as well venture over to the G-Spot while you’re at it–if you can find it–to see what else they’ve got to say.

Here goes:

Aural States- First off, an abridged history of Islands?

Nick Diamonds- The Unicorns broke up, and Jaime and I decided to keep playing music together. So we made Islands, and we made a record [Return to the Sea], and Jaime left shortly after the record came out–I kept calling us a band, and we toured that a bunch. And now we’ve made this new record [Vapours], and Jaime came back, and we had a new lineup, and that’s it in a nutshell.

Read the rest…

Down the Vine Vol. 7 – Fair Brothers’ collection, new CDRs & upcoming events

true-vine

The True Vine
3544 Hickory Ave.
Baltimore, MD

Telephone: 410 235 4500

open hours:
Tues. to Sat. 12 – 9
Sun. & Mon. 12 – 6

hello,
this is jason speaking.  there’s alot to say & not much time to type it but i’ll give it a shot.

today is wed. oct. 21st 2009 & at some point today jad fair’s brother david will arrive from coldwater, michigan to the true vine with a truck crammed full of vinyl for us to sell. jad called me last week to tell me that he & david have decided to sell both their entire large record collections to this shop. both collections have been in storage for a long time & some of these records were from their first record purchasing days in the 70′s.

if you know some history about half japanese then you could imagine as much as i could that there would be some very interesting music in these boxes. about 20 years ago when i had a record shop in frederick, md, david dropped off a pile of amazing records on my desk for me to borrow.  everything in that stack was amazing & that was the first time i heard jandek. half of those records were jandek lps. the amount of records between the two of them is easily in the thousands & david’s drop off today will be part 1 of two drop offs. the next will be in about 3 months from now.

Read the rest…

Interview: Office of Future Plans & the Jawbox Reunion (w/ J Robbins)

_MG_8679.jpg

Photo credit: Greg Szeto

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

MP3: Report Suspicious Activity – The Night of 1000 Lies from Report Suspicious Activity (2005)

Office of Future Plans plays Oct 27th at the Sidebar with The Bomb, and a Halloween show on Oct 30th at Rock and Roll Hotel with Caverns and Imperial China.

On an anonymous street, nestled tightly amidst random warehouse facades in the neighborhood known as Better Waverly (funnily enough, south of Waverly proper), sits the Magpie Cage. From the outside, it appears to be no more than a steel-gated, two-car-width garage. But when you walk through the doors, it’s like entering a different world. A veritable oasis for anyone music-oriented, lined with warm wood tones, and contrasts of deep red while absolutely bursting with vintage and high-tech recording gear that strikes any artist like Pavlov’s Bell. Unlike many studios, this one is remarkably free of clutter, and blessed streamlined interior design (perhaps a bit of insight into the mind of its proprietor).

This is the studio of one J Robbins, one of the bonafide icons of local music, earning his stripes as final bassist in DC hardcore band Government Issue, vocalist and guitarist in post-hardcore follow-up Jawbox, and more recently with duties in Report Suspicious Activity, Channels, and Burning Airlines. He also happens to be one of the most earnest, hard-working, and genuine people you’ll ever have the pleasure of meeting.

I got the chance to gab with J in the studio before a day of mixing locals …soihadto…, who counts the infamous Duff from Ace of Cakes among its members. Our conversation veered all over: from the forging fires of his new project Office of Future Plans, to the driving forces behind the bizarre Jawbox reunion set on Jimmy Fallon, and tons more in Robbins’ very busy life.

Read the rest…

Older Posts >