Who?: Vermillion Sands w/ Omar, Factors of Four and Slutever Where?: The Drone Duplex in Philadelphia, PA When?: October 2nd, 2010
This past Saturday night was quite a good time. Before I go any further, I want to thank everybody that came out to party and enjoy the show, because it turned out to be a memorable night. Since it all went over without any issues, we can only hope that there will be another show in the very near future!! The Vermillion Sands enjoyed their stay in Philly, and we’re glad they came out to play their bandit style garage rock for us. They were super psyched to be playing at a house party, too, because I think they were ready for some fun. Last night was the last night of their tour, and it ended in Baltimore. Now I think the band is hanging out in the US for a little bit before heading back to Italy. Here’s how Saturday night went down, after the jump: Continue reading “Vermillion Sands – Live in Philadelphia (10/2/10)”→
Vancouver’s own DEAD GHOSTS have been pulling in quite a bit of excitement lately. I first heard of these guys with their awesome 7″ from the Goodbye Boozy label, and since then it’s kind of been like love at first listen. Soon enough they’re going to be back on the scene with a brand new full length record from the Florida’s Dying label, and it looks like that’s going to be out sometime in October. But before this full-length hit’s the shelves, Dead Ghosts just put out another 12″ from the Psychic Lunch imprint, featuring songs that were all recorded in a live setting. Originally, this release was put out in cassette form from Southpaw Records (more info. on the cassette version right here), and now it’s got a vinyl release with a slightly different tracklisting. Pretty cool.
So – we’ve got nine new Dead Ghosts songs on this beautiful slab of single-sided, clear vinyl, in a limited edition of 300. Luckily for you, this is the only item that isn’t sold out at the Psychic Lunch store (with the exception of a few t-shirts). So if you want this one, it’s probably best to buy it as soon as possible. I certainly wouldn’t wait too long.
As I already mentioned, each song was recorded live, and it puts on a fantastic display of what these Dead Ghosts would sound like in a live setting. The energy is certainly palpable as they rock out and plow through these nine new songs. This is a bunch of bros putting on a fine display of what garage rock should sound like – sometimes doing it up with bluesy qualities, and other times touching on the psychedelic side of the fence – but never forgetting about their women! The guitar twang is simply irresistible, and I’m pretty psyched to check out this new full length when it’s finally unleashed to the world. Until then, we’ll just have to sit tight. Check out these songs from the 12″ below – but be careful – these songs WILL get stuck in yr head. “Thunderbird ESQ” especially (which is a Gories cover)! You’ve been warned!
Girl Across the Street –
What to Do –
I Want Your Love –
Thunderbird ESQ –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Garage Rock, Lo-Fi, Live Live Tapes 12″: Tracklist:
1.) Staying In
2.) Girl Across the Street
3.) Messed Up
4.) What to Do
5.) Detroit Jerry
6.) I Want Your Love
7.) Getting Older
8.) Haunted House
9.) Thunderbird Esq
Well, first off, I’d like to say one thing – I was TOTALLY wrong about the Mann Center allowing cameras at the show. People were snapping pictures and filming videos left and right like it was their jobs. This made me VERY upset, because I didn’t bring along ANY of my cameras or camcorders, and for this I apologize. I would’ve been able to film vids and snap pics with no sweat whatsoever. Maybe we’d be watching a live video of the song “Grounded” (because it was fucking awesome) right now if I had brought my camera. Seriously, I could have had front row, ‘Class A’ videos to share with you guys today. Instead I have a couple of mediocre (but right up to the stage) pictures I snapped with my cell phone. And quite frankly, the fact that I didn’t get any videos totally urks me. Basically I feel like I let ya’ll down. I didn’t lose any sleep over the matter, but still – I didn’t get any videos when I could have. A once in a lifetime happening – seeing fucking Pavement with a fourth row, pit seat. Huge-ultra-mega-bummer. Oh well, I’ll make double the effort for footage when I see them again next weekend at the Central Park Summerstage in New York Cityyyy. It won’t be nearly as easy to get as close as I was last night, but I’ll do what I can.
They definitely didn’t disappoint when it came to the music though. They played for nearly two hours, and they came back for two different encores. They covered a ton of different songs ranging from all of their five studio albums, but they definitely ignored “Terror Twilight” the most. Some songs that I can remember them playing were Silence Kit, Stop Breathin’, Cut Your Hair, Gold Soundz, Range Life, Stereo, Shady Lane, Date w/ IKEA, Starlings of the Slipstream, Trigger Cut, Conduit for Sale!, Two States, Here, Box Elder, Spit on a Stranger, We Dance, Rattled by the Rush, Grounded, Grave Architecture, and Fight This Generation.
I know there’s a few more mixed in there that I missed, so if you were at the show and remember some others, leave a comment and share your experience! And I’ve got a couple more pictures for you guys below that I took with my camera. Mind you, they’re not the greatest quality, but they’ll suffice. Cell phone cameras can only do so much. Also uploaded some Pavement songs at the last minute, so check those out. All in all it was a great show, and probably the most awesome way I can think to spend my 21st birthday. Fucking Pavement.
PS – I still have more record downloads for everybody. Keep checking back here and on my Tumblr for that.
Who?: DOOMSTAR! Where?:The Millcreek Tavern in Philadelphia, PA When?: September 9th, 2010
It’s not everyday that you get to meet the people responsible for all those awesome songs you have stuck in your head for days at a time. Well believe it or not, I had that privilege when the fine men who make up DOOMSTAR! came into town just yesterday. In case you’re not aware, DOOMSTAR! is a three-piece band, including Spenser Gralla on guitar and vocals, Jeff Johnson on bass guitar (and awesome stage outfits & beards), while Noah Bond holds down the drum set.
DOOMSTAR! rolled into town in the late afternoon, and then around 5pm or so they headed on over to my place (the Drone Duplex – more on that later…) for some pre-show chilling out and TV watching. After traveling around in somewhat unfamiliar places, it’s probably nice to take a seat and sit back and watch a good bit of “Eastbound & Down”, which is exactly what we did. That show seriously never gets old. I actually have it on in the background as I’m typing this post. We watched something called Animal Hoarders as well, but it doesn’t even come close to the hilarity of Kenny Powers.
DOOMSTAR! hail from Cambridge in Massachusetts, so they had a good bit of information to share about the local band scene, as well as anything cool about the city of Boston and all of the surrounding areas. They’re actually friends with another sick band that has been featured here on the Drone – a band you might know as Girlfriends, and then this band Ski Mask who I would love to get a bit more information on. They also filled me in that when they were finished up with their current tour, they would be heading back into the studio to lay down some fresh new tracks. Totally looking forward to that. We talked about countless other things as well, including their van the “Baby Cave”, their “mid-fi” sound, and the fact that they have a fucking Super Nintendo in their van. I thought that was great. But moving on – their show started promptly at 9pm at the Millcreek Tavern in Philadelphia, and I was there to capture all of the madness on camera. See for yourself after the jump: Continue reading “A Day w/ DOOMSTAR! – Live in Philadelphia (9/9/10)”→
Who?: Dean Wareham w/ Dean & Britta backing band performing Galaxie 500 w/ Crystal Stilts Where?:The Trocadero in Philadelphia, PA When?: August 20th, 2010
Yo. So last night was quite the magical night. Dean Wareham and his band stopped by in Philadelphia to play some songs for us, but not just any old songs. They didn’t play Luna. They didn’t play Dean & Britta. So you only really have one more guess. That’s right. Dean Wareham played Galaxie 500 songs last night and it was nothing short of breathtaking. Before this show I never thought I would have lived to see the day where these songs are performed, but luckily for me I was sadly mistaken. Crystal Stilts opened for the night (although I was too late for them – damn!) and then Dean Wareham and his band took the stage. He was backed by his bandmates from the Dean & Britta band, and they played all of our favorite Galaxie 500 songs, with all the simplicity and honesty that you could ever hope for.
For starters, Dean Wareham actually did a great job hitting those high notes he did over 20 years ago when they recorded the Galaxie 500 albums. Not only that, but I’m sure his guitar playing (as you would probably expect) has only gotten better over the years, so when it came time for a nasty solo or something like that, Dean was right there to melt our faces off (see “When Will You Come Home” video clip below). As a quick side note, I shot minimal video because I wasn’t using my usual trusty camcorder. They don’t allow camcorders @ the Troc so my hands were tied. I used my digital camera to get these videos before the batteries gave out, so just bear with the quality. As far as I’m concerned, it’s better than nothing!
When Will You Come Home – Now I know this isn’t the entire song, but I didn’t want to drain my batteries just yet. I figured I’d catch the ending half of the song when Wareham melts our faces, and sure enough he does just that. What a damn-good song. Now if only they played Ceremony…
Ceremony – Oh wait! They did! How could I forget?? Just kidding, of course. As I kind of expected – If we were going to get this song, it was probably going to be last, and sure enough they played it at the end of their encore. People starting yelping out “Ceremony” when they saw Dean apply the capo to his guitar. Watching this video still gives me the jitters, hearing this last night was beyond unreal. Many people (including myself) never thought last night would become a reality. There was a guy standing nearby me who kept saying something like “We’ve been waiting”. He’s not kidding!!!
So all in all, I think you can figure out that it was a fantastic night. I’m not sure if any of you saw my G500 post the other day in honor of this show, but believe it or not, Dean actually confirmed some of my drugs comments in certain songs last night on stage. I mentioned I thought he had taken drugs for the song “Strange”, and sure enough before they played the song last night Dean says something about taking acid and going to the drug store. Now all his thoughts totally make sense! He also gave us some insights on the songs “Decomposing Trees” and “Blue Thunder”.
Apparently “Decomposing Trees” is about when Wareham and some friends took some acid in a brand new city, went to the stream, and then he thought his toes were talking to him. He walked up-stream a bit and found an old ax and begun swinging it around (while making a joke about how that’s not a good thing to do on acid), and then proceeded to tell us that the ax came off the handle and almost hit his friend Graham. Talk about a horror story (especially while on acid), but good thing they avoided that one. He also mentioned how his blue Dodge was named after the movie “Blue Thunder”, hence the track name “Blue Thunder”. Interesting stuff though – I just couldn’t believe he told us that stuff a day after I was talking about it here on the Drone. If you don’t believe me read this post. So technically I’m already late for work this morning so I’ll leave you with two last things. One: a link to all the pictures I took from the show, and two: Galaxie 500 songs for you to listen to and enjoy.
PS – I have one last thing that I almost totally forgot about. I was lucky enough to snag a setlist off the stage last night when the show was over for all you curious-folk. Check it!
Setlist:
1.) Flowers
2.) Pictures
3.) Temperature’s Rising
4.) Snowstorm
5.) Decomposing Trees
6.) Strange
7.) Hearing Voices
8.) Blue Thunder
9.) Summertime
10.) When Will You Come Home
11.) Don’t Let Our Youth Go to Waste
12.) Fourth of July
-ENCORE-
13.) Tugboat
14.) Ceremony
Here’s some exciting news: Everybody’s favorite punk rockers TITUS ANDRONICUS from none other than Glen Rock, New Jersey will appear on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon this evening for “three and half glorious minutes”. The show airs on the NBC network, which is channel 4, and the show starts promptly at 12:30am. I’m not sure what else you guys have going on tonight, but I suggest you clear off your schedule to witness the live mayhem that is Titus Andronicus on national television. I wonder what song they’re going to play? I guess we’ll find out soon enough…
In other news, Titus Andronicus and their recent tour buddies Free Energy are preparing a brand new split 7″ for us, and it’s going to be available on their forthcoming tour. You can check the dates of that tour on TA’s Myspace. The 7″ will feature two cover songs from each band, with Titus Andronicus taking on “Anxiety Block” by the Television Personalities and Free Energy covering “I’m Going Down” by Bruce Springsteen. Definitely going to make sure I pick that one up when both bands come to Philly on September 23rd (which I still need a ticket for). More details on that 7″ right here.
Who?: Cap’n Jazz w/ Gauge Where?: Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia, PA When?: July 24th, 2010
Yo. Last night Cap’n Jazz played in Philadelphia. Where were you when it happened? I wouldn’t be surprised if this was the best night of many show-goers lives last night, because it definitely seemed that way. People were going ape-shit in the 100+ degree Starlight Ballroom, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that Cap’n Jazz put on a hell of a show. I’ve brought my evidence along with me – just check out these videos below!
In the Clear – This was their first song of the night. Watch everybody dash right towards the stage immediately after they start. Everybody also chants along perfectly with Kinsella during the pause.
We Are Scientists! – I especially like the use of the french horn in this one.
Basil’s Kite – I was really hoping they played this one last night. Sure enough, they did. WHEN I FLYYYYYYYY!!!!
Little League – The sprawling first track to their timeless album. Everybody is singin’ along as best as they can with so much dedication.
Oh Messy Life – Oh sweaty ballroom. This song definitely put a lot of smiles on faces last night, although I’m sure people were smiling the entire time anyway. It’s not every day, or even every year, that Cap’n Jazz comes to play a show in your town.
Take on Me – So I must apologize for this one. I didn’t have my camera handy when they started playing the song, so I missed a good chunk of it, but I still figured people would love to see it. I’m pretty sure Kinsella is reading the lyrics right off of that paper in his hands.
That’s all the video I had from the show. That’s for all you silly people who didn’t come out and try to get in last night! I hope I brought the experience right to your computer screen. In case you’re new to Cap’n Jazz though, you can check out this song “Basil’s Kite” right below – it’s damn good.
Basil’s Kite –
Get the insight on Cap’n Jazz right here @ Jade Tree
Cap’n Jazz on Myspace
Here is a band I know I haven’t heard much about lately. I think the last time I heard anything about the Dodos was when they released their third album “Time to Die” and that they had added a third band member to play the vibraphone. The album came out back on September 15th, so yeah, it’s been quite awhile since I’ve heard from the Dodos. Which makes this brand new live album all the more special. Upon first discovering they had a live album, it was pretty exciting, because the Dodos put on a hell of a live show, and it would be great to capture their intensity and give everybody the chance to hear them live. Long freaking out on his guitar, Kroeber never missing a beat on his drum set…seeing the Dodos should be high up on your list of priorities.
Now when it didn’t look like things could get any better, they still did. The album is 10 full tracks long, clocking in at just under an hour of time, and every last track comes from their epic, freak-out packed sophomore album “Visiter”. The live album features all of the greats from “Visiter”, including freak-folk jam outs like “Joe’s Waltz”, “Paint the Rust”, and “Jodi”, and then a few of the more laid back tracks from the record, such as the opener “Walking”, the 2008 single “Fools”, “Ashley”, and “Winter”. If you can’t wait any longer, you should swing on over to THIS website so you can download you’re copy of the live album – you just need to give them an e-mail address. It’s that simple. If you’re still not sure, why not check out the few songs I have uploaded for you below? And if that’s not enough, you should definitely check out the Dodos while they’re on tour with the New Pornographers (they’re coming to Philadelphia on June 21st). You can check out their tour dates on their Myspace.
Fools –
Paint the Rust –
Jodi –
My Rating: 8/10 Genre/ Tags: Folk Rock, Freak Folk, Pop, Live Live from Akropolis, Prague: Tracklist
1.) Walking
2.) Red and Purple / Eyelids
3.) Fools
4.) Joe’s Waltz
5.) Winter
6.) It’s That Time Again
7.) Paint the Rust
8.) Jodi
9.) Ashley
10.) The Season
The Dodos on Myspace
Download your copy of the brand new live album HERE
Who?: Free Energy w/ Jukebox the Ghost and Miniature Tigers Where?:First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA When?: May 28th, 2010
Last night, Philadelphia was the place to be. Free Energy made their Philadelphia debut, and it was quite magical. The show took place at the First Unitarian Church off of Chestnut Street, and three different bands played. Miniature Tigers were up first, although I didn’t make it in time to capture any of their set. Next up were Jukebox the Ghost, who were a bit too poppy and quirky for my liking. At this point during the show a bunch of young girls were all cheering and carrying on like crazy, so that was a bit unbearable. Fortunately, that seemed to die down a bit by the time Free Energy took the stage. Not a moment too soon either, because myself and some people around me were just short of losing our minds. So most of that cleared out, and then Free Energy took the stage. At the beginning of their set, lead man Paul Sprangers said it was their Philadelphia debut. Philadelphia is their current hometown, so you might guess that the show got pretty packed, and it did to everybody’s surprise; even Free Energy. Sprangers kept making comments on stage like “This is for real. This is happening,” before they would start playing a song. Just watch the “Something in Common” video to see what I’m talking about.
Free Energy – Free Energy started off the night quite appropriately with their opening track from “Stuck on Nothing”. This song basically encapsulates Free Energy as a band; it’s sprawling, relentless, and just plain awesome. Please watch.
All I Know – Listen to that opening guitar. That immediately signals a good time to everybody in the audience. This is a great song right here, and the guitarist to the right does a hell of a job melting our faces off, but that goes for the entire show, not just this song. He totally nails the solo towards the end of the song.
Something in Common – Next up, Free Energy played the B-side to their only 7″ record. Listen to Sprangers before the song gets started. Him and Free Energy were totally caught off guard by the turnout last night. I think everybody and myself would say that they totally deserve the turnout, too.
New Song! – Is this song called “Come On?” Does anybody know? I thought I saw “Come On” written on the setlist, but I’m really not sure of the name. Either way, this was exciting that they were playing a new song for us. Definitely didn’t see that coming. If anybody knows the name of it, feel free to leave a comment or send an e-mail or something! Thanks!
Bad Stuff – Next up they played the epic middle track from “Stuck on Nothing”. Sprangers once again thanks the crowd for the amazing turn out and goes on to say that it totally blows his mind. I can totally see why. If there are any Free Energy songs bound to melt the skin right off your face, this is the one. The huge breakdown at the end features an immense guitar solo…that guy really knows how to play guitar.
Bang Pop – I was pretty sure this song was guaranteed last night, and sure enough, it was the final song of their encore. People screaming like crazy, people asking people out to proms; that’s how a Free Energy show goes I guess. These guys are having a ball up on stage together, just watch. Very similar to their brand new video for the song minus the school and all that other fun stuff. Listen to Sprangers once again at the end, “Seriously, thank you so much, this is fucking wild.” Their still trying to cope with the turnout by the end of the show.
Unfortunately, that’s all the video I have from the show. Now I wish I had taken more. Oh well, all good things come to an end at some point, right? That goes for me right now, because I have to go to work…gotta make that paper son. Alright well, thanks for coming by once again, please enjoy the Free Energy videos, and check out the Free Energy song I left for you below.
Who?: Twin Sister, Sharon van Etten, and Reading Rainbow Where?:AKA Music, Philadelphia, PA When?: May 22nd, 2010 at 5pm
Yesterday was a great day to be in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Flyers won yet again to take a commanding lead over the Montreal Canadiens, making their series 3-1. Not only did the Flyers play, but a very special event hosted by the Weathervane Music Organization took place at AKA Music on 2nd Street. A handful of great bands played, such as Philadelphia’s own Reading Rainbow, Long Island dream poppers Twin Sister, and last but not least, solo artist Sharon van Etten.
Up first was the boy-girl duo of Reading Rainbow, and they played for a good chunk of time. Robbie plays the guitar and Sarah plays the drums. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not too sure about this band. She plays a simple drum beat, he plays some guitar chords. They both keep it going without much of a twist until the song ends. There’s really not much going on at all. They certainly have the heart and soul when they’re up on stage (as you can see by the video), but as for the music, I think they need to spice things up a bit. They were wondering why people weren’t moshing. Was that a joke?
Reading Rainbow – Well, here it is. Constant snare drum pounding action. I don’t know if they’re going for a minimal approach to the music or anything, but this stuff is boring. I’d be lying if I said I was entertained at this point of the show. I don’t know the name of these Reading Rainbow songs, so if anybody can help me out with that, that would be great.
Reading Rainbow – Here’s another! This time she hits the cymbal! Robbie shreds away on the guitar! Watch!
Twin Sister – All Around and Away We Go – Okay, here we go. This is why I went to the show that day. This is the 4th track from their most recent effort, Color Your Life, and it’s quite a funky one. It almost sounds like it could be the Bee Gees or something.
Twin Sister – Lady Daydream – Another song from their most recent release. Listen to that guitar twang! It’s almost a creepy sound.
Twin Sister – Saturday Sunday – This song doesn’t come off any of their releases, but it’s quite a good one. You can download it from their website if you like what you hear.
Twin Sister – I Want a House – This song is the last track from their first EP, “Vampires with Dreaming Kids”. This song builds up into quite a heavenly ending, with the hit from the keyboard and the shake of Estella’s tambourine. These guys all play their instruments so carefully.
Twin Sister – The Other Side of Your Face – This is the opening track from their latest effort “Color Your Life“. Aside from the version on the record, they draw this one out to be quite long. They start off by building the song up for about the first 4 minutes, and then continue to put us through a dream land of sounds and textures. The final minutes are phenomenal as they all just rock out without another care in the world. Fantastic!
Twin Sister – This was their last song of the set, and I don’t exactly know the name of it. It somebody wants to help that would be great. Guitarist Eric Cardona helps with vocal efforts on this one as they speed things up and then slow them down.
Sharon van Etten – I Wish I Knew – This was the first song of her set, and it was the only song I could stick around for. This woman has a beautiful voice! I want her to sing me to sleep. If anybody knows the name of this song, please share it!
Twin Sister – Phenomenons
That marks the last video I have from the show, but there are still a couple more I didn’t put up here that you can find on my YouTube Channel. Why not subscribe while you’re over there? It won’t hurt, I promise. This way you’ll know whenever we have more videos up here on the Styrofoam Drone. Either way, whatever you end up doing, thanks for coming by, and as always check back again for some more tomorrow!
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