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Lands & Peoples – Tour Diary #2 – Chicago-bound

We’re driving on some backwoods highway through bum-fuck Indiana, damning our GPS’s guidance in return for a shorter, more scenic route, and we’ve been in so many Starbucks our sweat has taken on that caffinated, corporate-America aroma, but we washed that off in the lake we (no joke) bathed in yesterday, which was our first bathe-sesh on the tour. We’ve got 4 more shows before we make our way back to Baltimore for our last show. So far it’s been: A trailer deep in the Pennsylvania mountains, a cafe’ in Columbus, OH with a huge moon…like, extra-big, and a basement in Bloomington, IN. We’ve had to compete with the Deer-Dan-Age Round Robin show, twice already (damn those enticing Deacon people tunnels…it’s where all the kids wanna be) If they come ANYWHERE near you, you should definitely go see it, if only to get wasted and thrash around to No Age (so fun!!!).

We’re on our way to Chicago to play at the Ottoman Empire (2820 W. Lyndale St) and Unique Chique is gonna come out and play too!! Woohoo!!

Tonight is our last show with Secret Mountains and European Swans, which is pretty sad. We’ve had a fuggin’ amazing time. After tonight they are headed to Michigan for a couple of shows, Akron, OH, and Pittsburgh. These guys are the reason we’re on tour to begin with so, if you’ll be in these areas, check out they’re myspace for the specifics on these shows (myspace.com/secretmountains).

Alright, soldiering on down this curvy country road of cornstalks and abandoned barns, blanketed with little to no phone reception…CHICAGO HERE WE COME! We can’t wait to have your historic wind in our hair.

-Beau

Lands & Peoples – Tour Diary #1 – Car Towed Already, Still in Baltimore

One of our long-hiatused A.S. writers, Caleb Moore, has embarked on his first tour with musical project Lands & Peoples.  He’ll be intermittently tour blogging until he comes back for the hometown show opening for Kurt Vile @ the Talking Head on Aug. 11.

lands and peoples

Hello my brothers and sisters. Today we embark on our first tour ever. A mixture of fringed nerves, excitement and blind jubilation. Right now I’m putting together a play list for the car-ride while I burn more copies of our EP to sell on the road. Last night Beau and Grace stayed up and helped sew the rest of our album sleeves together. They look so pro! We’re selling them for $5-7 on tour, still to be decided.

Ok, so musics thus far include:

  • Atlas Sound’s Micromix’s #20, #21
  • A Jen’s Lekman mixtape called “The Summer Never Ends” that I just found on Tumblr
  • Some new (to me), lo-fi electro pop projects: Neon Indian, Memory Cassette/Weird Tapes (same guy), and of course a vinyl rip of Nite Jewel (so good, don’t be a dummy)
  • Wye Oak’s The Knot, still haven’t given it a good listen, but I love those kids
  • Yacht – “Psychic City” — try to listen to that song only once, JUST TRY IT
  • A good mix of newschool fuzzy, garage rock n rolllss — Wavves, Flight, and the like
  • The triumvirate of mellowbliss: Grizzly Bear, Beach House, Deerhunter (I try to keep their music on my person at all times)

We will be sharing the wild open road with our new good friends the Secret Mountains and European Swans. Check them out, spread the love like butter on burnt toast. Tonight we make our first stop in Boiling Springs, PA at a house venue where we will be playing their backyard methinks. Will keep you kids updated when we can, trading off entries.

Much love, Caleb.

This Weekend – A.S. Staff Picks

**I’ve assuredly missed some shows. Please add your show/suggestions via comments.

FRIDAY

  • Brightblack Morning Light, Zomes, Fursaxa — The Talking Head Club. (CM/GS)
    Get your freak-folk/droney/stoner jams out at this FULLY stacked, not-to-be missed show. Brightblack Morning Light = blissful reverb-soaked throwback mellowness.

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    MP3: Brightblack Morning Light – Oppressions Each


Read the rest…

Tonight @ Ottobar: Colour Revolt and MORE

Colour Revolt is playing Ottobar tonight. They are my cronies from Mississippi, and they are making some very unique music that sounds strangely disjointed from said southern, conservative locale (while still containing plenty of violent, biblical imagery). Listen to their “southern gothic” rock tonight, and then head upstairs for 2-4-Tuesday!

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MP3: Colour Revolt – Naked and Red (Daytrotter Session)

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MP3: Colour Revolt – Moses of the South

Review: Deerhunter, Times New Viking @ Ottobar (2008.11.03)

Something is better than nothing, right?

I’m not talking about the music. I’m talking about this review– which is completely biased, filled with personal context and therefore very very professional. Getting blacked-out and headbanging is good journalism, right?

I’m going to make this a pretty short write-up, and I invite anyone to leave their thoughts on the show, as mine are pretty much irrelevant.

Read the rest…

Preview: Deerhunter @ the Ottobar, Nov. 3

Atlanta, Georgia’s Deerhunter is a ridiculously amazing concoction of garagey, psychedelic-rock ear candy, and they’re coming to the Ottobar on November 3rd. I must admit I am jumping onto this bandwagon way way wayyy late, but after the nuclear fallout of hype, I have completely fallen for them.

I’ve heard nothing but good things about their live show, so this one is not to be missed, my friends.

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MP3: Deerhunter – Fluorescent Grey

Ok, Fluorescent Grey (above) isn’t the BEST example of a Deerhunter song because it’s a bit more structured than the majority of their stuff– but GOOD GOD DOES IT BRING THE ROCK (be patient, young ones).

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MP3: Deerhunter – Microcastle

Here is the title track from their newest release, the full length Microcastle. Download and enjoy. If you’re into ambient psych-mellowness plz also check out Atlas Sound, frontman Bradford Cox’s solo project.

Richard Swift is a Prolific Mofo

I suppose anyone can be prolific. To be prolific, broad & incredibly talented is another game altogether. In just the past 2 years, Richard Swift (Secretly Canadian) has released 3 diverse, provocative projects. As Onasis finds him in the smokey, analog-fueled dinginess of 60s garage rock.  Then we have the Ground Trouble Jaw EP, which features “2 soul jams, 1 funny doo-wop song & 2 synth/pop/?”.

Before that, we saw Swift take on his more well-known aural demeanor, with 2006′s Dressed Up For the Letdown. The list goes on and on. Electronic music, classic-style retro singer-songwriter, etc, etc etc. If you are a musician, you’ve got to respect this guy’s talent, creative output, and variety.

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MP3: Richard Swift – Dressed up for the letdown from Dressed Up For the Letdown

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MP3: Richard Swift – Knee-high boogie blues from Richard Swift as Onasis

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MP3: Richard Swift – The Bully from Ground Trouble Jaw

Let’s not forget his short films and music videos. They, too, are amazing. Here’s to you, Richard Swift. You are one prolific mofo!

Vivian Girls, Tyvek, Baby Venom @ Ottobar

[Author's Note: this is a dual review. Alex is doing part one, and I'm finishing it up. let us know your thoughts, plz. thx!]

ROUND ONE – ALEX MUDGE

Opener riot grrl group Kill Meow, were, well named Kill Meow, and sold thongs at the merch table. I guess that speaks for itself.

Baby Venom, as I have said before, was a surprising treat to stumble upon. I had doubts about the live show, and there were some slips-ups (a pedal failed, some awkward transitions, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed). As a whole the set was impressive. Perhaps that is not the right word—the set was endearing.

Read the rest…

New Beach House – “Used to Be”


Yes, my friends, a new single from Baltimore’s most beloved, hazy duo. Enjoy the following words from our hometown heroes’ DC label Carpark:

“Recorded over the summer of 2008 after many exhaustive months of touring, “Used To Be” contemplates the spiritual and physical effects of life on the everchanging road, love and getting older…”

This will soon be released on vinyl, with a special 4-track version of “Apple Orchard” on the b-side.  Stream the new digs @ Imeem now now now now!

Vulture Realty – We Are Vultures (Normative)

Vulture Realty is Nick Horsman and Eric Lodwick– two strapping young gents that have just relocated from our fine city to the bigger, noisier, taller one approximately 3 hours north of B-More.  Their first EP, “We Are Vultures” (Normative, NYC), is available for free download and is reason enough for us to start claiming them as our own. Why should NYC get it’s grubby hands on another great electro-pop duo?

The EP, produced by glam-disco-rockers Apes & Androids, is an eclectic, adventurous 1st offering.  The four songs are each memorable, inventive and energetic, calling to mind the likes of MGMT, Of Montreal, David Bowie, The Beatles and The Beach Boys among others. Their producers have also added a notable amount of flavor into the mix.

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MP3: Vulture Realty – The Joke

Strong vocals, charming harmonies, vintage synths, and chic beats? I’m SOLD.

Download the free EP now, or buy it at amazon.com and feel better about our crackling, retarded economy.

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