The Few Records - Showcase: Carl Craig / Will Sessions / Silverghost / Zoos of Berlin and more

You can get all the info here--

The Few Records (helmed by Dominic Arellano) is celebrating one year - and is inviting some friends to perform at the Magic Stick and Majestic Cafe respectively - some performers include longtime label artists like Will Sessions while also serving as a coming out party for new bands to the label, like Silverghost (who will work with said-label on a forthcoming release). Get there early...and stay till the early...wee hours of the morning. (sponsored by The Greening of Detroit).

Dig the line up:

Magic Stick side:
DJ Patrick Russell (The Few, Circus Company) 9pm and in-between...
Kevin Reynolds (Todchai, Yoruba) 9:50pm - 10:45 pm
New Music Detroit (The Few) 11 - 11:20pm (featuring: Marc Mellits' piece, "Smoke")
Will Sessions Funk Big Band (The Few) 11:40 - 1am
Carl Craig (Planet-E) 1 - 3AM

Majestic Cafe side:
Special Art Installations by ACCESS Arts
DJ Steven Robert (the Few, Tour Detroit) 9pm and in-between...
Adieu (the Few) 9:35pm - 10:15pm
The Replicas 10:35pm - 11:25pm
Zoos of Berlin 11:45pm - 12:45 am
Silverghost 1:05am - 2:15am

Book Party at the Emory 11/19 - with Fight Club

The Ferndale Public Library (who hosts a wide array of local band's albums for rental) is building towards a late-winter city-wide book club, known as "The Big Read," where we can all get together and experience, share and discuss Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon.

But to get us used to, ya know, hanging out together as a city, with potentially perfect strangers, and discussing things we've read.... we can gather for Book Parties at the Emory, and discuss books that most of us have already read - like Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club.

That's next Thursday, 11/19 - come have a drink and break rules # 1 and # 2 - talk about Fight Club.

(photo: Trever Long)

Small's turns 10 - MCB celebrates on 11/19 - HafLife / the Luckouts / DevilFish

Here's to you Small's! 10 years!



















I think my first show, that I ever attended, was at Small's...but then, if the memory is hazed, it's due in no small part to the carousel of PBR's, High Life's and plastic cups of mixed gin that I've accosted said-establishment's bar.



Freakful metaly punk rockers HafLife will join the subtly dark, psyche-dashed surf of DevilFish and ultra-fuzzed punk of The Luckouts will bring the music thanks to Motorcityblog

more info at Small's site or Motorcityblog (which, subsequently turns "3" in January - with a forthcoming show to celebrate).

Animal Collective - Campire Songs

Six-ish years ago, whilst still coming into my own musical consciousness - and because of a few formative spins of Animal Collective's 2nd album, Campfire Songs, it forever effected my perception of the phrase "field recordings." Whereas the songs collected here are definitely leaning more toward "song-songs" then actual provocatively arranged audio recordings of strange and mysterious natural noises from various outdoor locations - I would wind up applying it to bands who just decided to record...their songs...outdoors....whether they were near "fields" or near the forest, or near the highway, or around a "campfire." I was just that affected by the imagery of three members of this Baltimore-born/NY-set space-folk band ("Avey Tare", "Panda Bear" and "Deakin") recording live on this screened porch with clattering percussive instruments, acoustic guitars, sitars and their own weird muppet-y mantra vocal beeps and angelic howls, with the rustle of trees, the hush of wind and occasional buzz of bugs wiggling its way along the fringes of each song's recording.

The idea was to capture that meditative lull, that soothing aloof stare, that potential for eureka-spurring reflection, that often befalls many who settle down around a campfire and become transfixed by the wayward flicker and sporadic crackle as the leafy fingers of tree branches form an almost-roof - onto a record that you could bring inside, into your living room, or put onto your headphones. Their wandering vocals, hazy and wind-like, the singers spilling over each other in harmony, but swept randomly, like leaves blown over each other ("Two Corvettes") occasionally stopping abruptly, calming and recollecting itself, letting the wind and the birds get their chance to chime in over an eerie ruminating guitar duet ("Moo Rah Rah Rain"). The rousing guitars of "Doggy" makes it easily the most mobile feeling song, initially at least, with its hooks and aggressive strums - eventually catching its breath and settles into another cross-legged sweet-nuthin hum of a chorus - but then starting up again on those guitars.

"Field Recordings" that aren't exactly field recordings - and ambient record that isn't entirely ambient or spacey - a folk record that's just, definitely, not a folk record. Just something to explore. Like any campfire, something to stare into, find peace in and receive warmth from, before heading off again.

Paw Tracks (the label AC members helped start and run around the time of Campfire) wanted to avoid the risk of this record going out of print (from it's original output on Catsup Plate). Now, in January 2010 - it will be available digitally for the first time.

Yes, it's November...so January is not that far off...nor is the snow and the cold and the mittens and the chill and oh man, I could already use a hot-chocolate, just thinking about it.

More info on Tiny Mix Tapes

at Paw Tracks

and from Animal Collective

Review: Pants Yell!

Pants Yell! – Received Pronunciation – – Slumberland Records

Pants Yell! could very well be a pleasant surprise for you – once you get past most of their reviews and bios perfunctorily recounting their home (Cambridge, MA) and that their a trio of art students who like playing stripped down indie-rock that occasionally dips it’s toe into the fuzz-filled frivolity of wizzle-spin twee-pop of mid-90’s past. It also may run the risk of skirting that stylish sweater-pop that this band’s would-be New England foils Vampire Weekend – in fact, I may direct some of said-band’s fans to give this more down-home-guitar-lovin’ trio a chance –

It may well be the classical indie-rock reverent punch you’ve been waiting for; the dizzy of those intertwining guitars, low and buzzy dosey-doeing with higher surf-toned meanderings, soaring and soothing along with lyrics altogether naïve and jaded, biting and charming. In a world where bands are riding the buzz of their ostentatious genre-splicing, or over-fuzzifying their bass and dabbling in the middle grounds of trance and folk, or, you know, just generally confusing the whole matter of a good, straight-forward pop song, then rejoice in finding Pants Yell!, a trio who appreciate the power of simple melody and a shimmering, mellifluous guitar to warm your ever chilling heart in the graying haze of those forthcoming winter walks

Listen - Pants Yell! "Cold Hands"

Computer Perfection (new video) -playing with - Javelins - Prussia - 11 / 14 - Northern Lights Lounge

Computer Perfection - "Able Archer"

Early November is a strange time, cuz it seems like there might not be too much going on: – the pagan party of Halloween is past, the gluttony gulp of Thanksgiving is still a ways down the road and most of us aren’t even thinking about what we’re getting our girlfriends, however imaginary, for Christmas.

As the trees lose their leaves and the skies become a carousel – introduce yourself, if you haven’t yet, to the formidable electro pop of Computer Perfection, a blend of synth/orchestral baroque-pop twisted and fuzzed by the meditative daze of shoegaze and space-rock.

To celebrate the release of this Ferndale-based quintet’s debut LP (We Wish You Well On Your Way To Hell), they’ve invited space-rock set indie-rock group, Javelins (pictured), who blend some disarmingly beautiful melodies into hard-driving post-punk rhythms - on 11/14 - at the Northern Lights Lounge; rounding out that bill are the wonderkids from Prussia, who forge their love of Motown, reggae, West African folk and experimental art-rock into a dizzying rhythm-heavy display.




Later on, closer to T.Giving, see what all the blog-buzz and DMA-recognition is all about, when the Jesus Chainsaw Massacre perform at Friday night’s Phonotropic (at the Crofoot in Pontiac), on 11/20 (myspace.com/thejesuschainsawmassacre) - with goLab!, Carjack, and Marco Polio & The New Vaccines.

Carjack turns 4 - offers 4 free EPs in 4 weeks - plays 11 / 20 at Crofoot

...starting tomorrow (11/9) morning...you can download your first (of four) free Carjack EPs - here

Yes, that's right - this month marks the 4 year anniversary of Carjack's fateful crash landing near a Taco Bell on 8-mile - from whence he emerged with his army of robots, a Gibson SG and a Danelectric slung around each shoulder and a drum machine strapped to his back like a proton-pack.

The space-punk-rock electro circus sermons of singer/songwriter Lo-Fi Bri that have been barrell-rolling their way across just about every possible perform-able stage in the city for the last four years, were only the evolved version of lo-fi indie/punk fuzz-pop ballads recorded in bedrooms and basements through the mid-to-late 90's.

Though I'd hate to indulge the old indie-blog cliche of conjuring Bob Pollard or Lou Barlow as adjectives in industriousness - Lo-Fi Bri has hundreds of cassettes, minidics, micro-cassettes and a hard-drive filled with "songs, ideas & experiments."

Thus, Carjack is offering free songs (old, new and rare homeade recordings) for the first time on high quality DRM-free MP3's, download-able for the public at his new site starting Monday - November 9th through November 30th....

You get the rare pre-Carjack stuff, but also bonus tracks, weirdered stuff, new stuff and unreleased tracks from original hand-made physical copies.

So head to the site every Monday morning for FOUR forth-coming EPs (and kill some time with some classic arcade games!)

And, in the meantime, if you'd like to take in some of the songs you're downloading - join Carjack on the 20th (11/20) at the Crofoot - where he'll join Marco Polio & The New Vaccines and The Jesus Chainsaw Massacre in an informal Detroit No-Wave Revue - with special guests (from Toledo) - goLab!





Here's a bit of Photo Recon from a recent Marco Polio / JCM performance at the Belmont.

CCFA Fundraiser - at Small's - with The High Strung, Electric Fire Babies, Woodman and Charlie Slick

meaghansrun.net
Meaghan's running in Vegas to cure Chron's and Colitis - and she needs your help - and if you give it to her - she'll provide you with great live music! The local arts/music supporter (and School of Rock associate) is raising money for her marathon in Vegas - and provides a strong line up from a wide arc of different genres -

Small's Bar hosts a fundraiser for the Chron's and Colitis Foundation - on 11 / 14 - come support a good cause while also checking out soulful indie/punk rock - (The High Strung) - percolatin' space-punk techno rap (The Electric Fire Babies) - folk-tinged space rock (Woodman) and new-wave reverent irresistable electro-dance (Charlie Slick--pictured) and the Paul Green School of Rock House Band

Visit: meaghansrun.net

more info at Small's

24 hour notice - Fangs Out

Plenty to do this weekend... I mean, in a perceivably less productive manner than cleaning your house or raking leaves - you could go out to plenty of bars, Pontiac or Corktown included, to see some bands.

But in terms of seeing some considerably freakier live interpretations that would be hard to find elsewhere - try the sandwich of Jesus and Chainsaw Massacre and Marco Polio & The New Vaccines - at the Belmont Friday - (the latter of the two will reprise their Halloween Yeah Yeah Yeah's set).



or at the Crofoot later on - 11/20, with Carjack and goLab! (look for some forthcoming releases from the former)

Loving Touch

There's a birthday bash for Ferndale's hip, glossy, bashfully-named pool hall, The Loving Touch - that simultaneously provides relief to Tara Lennon - a friend to TLT and strong local supporter, who met with a real bad bike wipe-out on her way home from volunteering at September's DIY Street Fair - leaving her with needed reconstruction work and no insurance.

So, as we gather to celebrate one full year at the Loving Touch, we can also help out a friend. While you're there, shooting pool, downing porters or hanging out in "the forest," you can check out five local bands - including DJs Erno The Inferno, Joe Vargas, and Reverend Robert David.

The line up includes DC favs like Blase Splee (who've had a solid year with the release of their LP and a strong showing at Dally) and Macrame Tiger (up-and-comin indie-rockers with a taste for theatrical entertaining/intriguing live shows) - along with Manolete, The A Gang and Bahamut.

more info on Facebook

Science Rocks - 11 / 19 - Detroit Science Center

Now, locally, on all these blogs, or weeklies or what-have-you, we often run feeds of various upcoming shows - mostly live concerts, mostly local bands.

This upcoming show - Science Rocks - is, firstly, spearheaded by, yes, a blogger - of sorts, (but, properly, a true music writer, thus a DC fav) - Laura Witkowski, who you can read in print, often, in Metro Times, or over here - and, secondly, unlike 99.4% of the live concerts these blogs point all of us too - this one (11/19) can be educational!

Now, seen through the eyes of your 8-year-old self, the Science Center is a field-trip type place where your young naive self learns about electricity and kinetics and gravity and revels in the glee of hands-on experiments. But in a grown-up world of apocalyptic economies where the service industry has used it's fat ominous ass to squash out the growth of young people entering careers in science and engineering, one would see the furthering of Science education as beyond-integral!

That said, you can visit a dome IMAX theatre! Sit back, look up and marvel at a documentary about The Alps with Michael Gambon (of Professor Dumbledore fame) - there will be a live soundtrack provided by suave proggy art-pop quartet Zoos of Berlin (pictured above) - (playing as the film scrolls by - ala Neil Young to Dead Man or Miles Davis to Elevator to the Gallows)

Also performing are the punk-tinged indie-pop trio New Grenada; the darkly-grooved indie-rock quartet I, Crime; and the deceptively "cute" pop/rock trio Lightning Love

You don't have to have kids-to-bring, bring the kid-in-yourself
You don't have to be a science-nerd - just consider it sating the hipster music lover side of yourself

Though if you do know some kids who would dig it - I don't know, your own offspring or some lil' cousins or what-have-you, then give them some education - in Science and in music - 11/19 - at the Detroit Science Center

And if you are a science nerd - then what are you waiting for?

For advance tickets - Museumtix.com

$20 ($15 for members) includes admission to the Science Center - drink tickets - and the live performances of those listed above.

More info: Pillowfights-BoxingTuesday