Category Archives: Other People's Shows

The Phantom Family Halo, Music from Italian T.V. (Sophomore Lounge)

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Today’s edition of LEO Weekly contains my review of the new Phantom Family Halo record, Music from Italian T.V.:

Over the past year, The Phantom Family Halo released its Monoliths & These Flowers Never Die double-album and subsequently played a number of epic shows in town. Music from Italian TV continues with a pleasantly confusing blend of styles in a more concise format. Staples of their live show, like “It’s OK About the War (Gettysburg Jam)” and “Bringing Back the Dead” get a more polished, sublime treatment, while longer tracks like opener “I Believe In Everything” and “Overkirsh” present yet more experimentation, the former resembling a jam off Amon Duul’s 1969 classic Psychedelic Underground played backward and superimposed with television dialogue. There are a number of good bands in Louisville these days, but there’s not another band here, much less the rest of the nation, as inventive as The Phantom Family Halo.

Buy it from Sophomore Lounge Records.

The Phantom Family Halo performs in Louisville this Friday, Nov. 12, at 7 PM as part of Art After Dark at the J.B. Speed Museum ($5 for museum members, U of L and Bellarmine students, $15 for non-members). More information here: http://www.speedmuseum.org/calendar/Brown-Forman_Art_After_Dark.

STATE CHAMPION, TURBO FRUITS, PUJOL, and NATIVES at the RUDYARD KIPLING, Thursday, November 11th

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STATE CHAMPION (from Louisville/Southern Indiana, on Sophomore Lounge Records)
TURBO FRUITS (from Nashville, TN; ex-Be Your Own Pet, on Ecstatic Peace!/Fat Possum Records)
PUJOL (from Nashville, TN)
NATIVES (from Louisville, KY)

Thursday, November 11th
at The RUDYARD KIPLING, 422 W. Oak Street
$6, 9 PM, 21-and-over

Ryan from State Champion and Sophomore Lounge Records is putting together this great show for Veteran’s Day at the Rudyard Kipling, and you should be there. PUJOL were one of the highlights of last month’s CROPPED OUT FESTIVAL, for sure. As soon as we get more information on the other bands playing, we’ll update this post, so keep checking back. Thanks!

UPDATE, 11/5: Here’s some more information on all of the bands, including some mp3s!

STATE CHAMPION you should know, but just in case you don’t: STATE CHAMPION started in 2006 as a moniker for the early acoustic experiments of Ryan Davis. It has since evolved into a rock n’ roll band with a Chevy van and a vinyl record. Having created a sound that is a product of its upbringing, with Sweetheart of the Rodeo on the radio, Bleach idle in the tape deck, and a Smog song stuck in its head, Davis & Co. drive through forty minutes of sincerely howled, sloppily executed, stripped down garage-country on their full-length debut, Stale Champagne (released this year on Sophomore Lounge Records). “The band is an under-the-radar phenomenon in the making, the classic style of quality band that Louisville overlooks… The tone is just right for this type of subtle rock. A bit earnest, a bit funny, a bit smart.” – Joseph Lord, Velocity Weekly.

Listen to a track by STATE CHAMPION here: “The Years”

“TURBO FRUITS (ex-Be Your Own Pet, on Ecstatic Peace/Fat Possum) mine the punk rock spirit of the late ‘70s for their sound, a spastic mix of spunky MC5 giddy-up and glammy, feel-good guitar mayhem. Although the scenes they invoke were long dead before any of TURBO FRUITS were even born, their frantic interpretations are irrepressibly fun, like a T. Rex record skipping. It’s hard to fathom a band with so much dope-smoking innuendo in their lexicon being as busy as they are, much less as fierce and, hell, lively as they sound on their recordings.” – Nashville Scene

Listen to a track from TURBO FRUITS: “Mama’s Mad Cos I Fried My Brain”

“PUJOL (on Infinity Cat/Third Man, etc.), the punk-rock project of [Nashville] musician Daniel Pujol, has a gritty, garage-band sound, but with guitar riffs and catchy hooks that are hard to resist. PUJOL have already won a loyal following with addictive songs like “Mayday” and “Too Safe.” Plus, they’ve got a famous fan in fellow rocker Jack White, who’s producing the band’s next single on his label, Third Man Records… We’re betting PUJOL won’t be Nashville’s best-kept secret much longer.” – NYLON

Listen to a track from PUJOL: “Too Safe“

NATIVES are a psychedelic, garage rock band out of Louisville, KY. Think 13th Floor Elevators, Velvet Underground, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, etc. Familiar faces, with a killer live set to boot. Featuring ex-members of The Invaders, Ten to Midnight, and more.

CHEYENNE MARIE MIZE, OLOF ARNALDS, DOUG PAISLEY at Christ Evangelical United Church, Saturday, October 16th

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CHEYENNE MARIE MIZE
ÓLOF ARNALDS
DOUG PAISLEY

Saturday October 16th
Christ Evangelical United Church
1228 East Breckinridge Street (at the corner of Barrett Avenue)
$10, 7 pm
Advance tickets are available now at Brown Paper Tickets and at ear X-tacy!

Our friend Doug Paisley played a show at the Swan Dive a little  over a year ago with Joe Manning and Nathan Salsburg, and we’d be bothered if we didn’t tell you about the show he’s playing on the 16th here in Louisville with Cheyenne Marie Mize (if you live in Louisville, who you’re probably well aware how talented she is) and with Icelandic native Ólöf Arnalds. So there you have it, don’t miss it. Also, Doug’s new album Constant Companion is out now on No Quarter Records; buy it here: http://noquarter.net/bands/paisley.php.

UPDATE, 10/11: Cheyenne’s album was a pick in Jon Caramanica’s Playlist in yesterday’s New York Times:

There’s so much space between notes on Cheyenne Marie Mize’s debut album, “Before Lately” (sonaBLAST!), but hardly any air. Last year, on “Among the Gold,” an EP of 19th-century traditionals recorded with Will Oldham, she was a steady beacon for the purposefully erratic Mr. Oldham. On this sometimes startling collection of tough, dreamy, cloudy-sky country and chamber pop, Ms. Mize deploys her tools sparingly but effectively. Ms. Mize, from Louisville, Ky., has a rare voice, sweet without being cloying, and weary without hopelessness. On “Not” and “Waiting” she’s deliberate and undistractable, suggesting a more centered Fiona Apple. At the beginning of “Lull” just a handful of piano notes add up to something oceanic, filling a full minute before she enters with a soft whisper. “Rest” uses just a few tools — a drowsy guitar, a brushed snare — to create a heavy air of expectation. “I just want a piece of your mind,” Ms. Mize sings, drawing the sentence out over several measures, “But your mind is on the rest of the world/And how can I compare to that?”

That’s pretty cool.

CROPPED OUT Festival with PISSED JEANS, MAGIK MARKERS and more! Friday – Sunday, Oct. 1-3

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Though we’ve been relatively inactive lately, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the upcoming CROPPED OUT Festival, in Louisville during the first weekend in October. CROPPED OUT features some of our favorite current bands, including PISSED JEANS, MAGIK MARKERS, SIC ALPS, and many more. Also, there’s a very strong representation of Louisville musicians at the festival, so it’s not just a buncha out-of-towners. Here’s more, including the weekend’s lineup:

Ryan Davis here, just reminding you (or possibly informing you for the first time) that my friend James Ardery and I are organizing a new music festival called Cropped Out for the first weekend of October (10/1-10/3, 2010) in Louisville, KY. The bulk of the event (Saturday and Sunday) will be taking place at the American Turners Club (3125 Upper River Road) with a Friday night kick-off event just a couple doors down at Kingfish (3021 Upper River Road).

Tickets are now on sale by way of cash, check, or PayPal at Sophomore Lounge (http://sophomorelounge.com), as well as locally at ear X-tacy, Underground Sounds, and Wild & Woolly Video. Or, if you’d rather go the digital route, you can order “will call” tickets (available upon your arrival) through TicketFly… http://www.ticketfly.com/tickets/event-list/?q=cropped+out&input.x=0&input.y=0

Tickets for Friday night are $10. Tickets for Saturday are $18. Tickets for Sunday are $18. Tickets for Saturday and Sunday combined are $30. If you are cool enough of a human arts & culture machine to be interested in attending all three days, contact us directly and we will sell you all three tickets for $35.

FRIDAY NIGHT 10/1 (PFH RECORD RELEASE/CROPPED OUT KICK-OFF)
KINGFISH (3021 Upper River Rd.)

Fielded (Chicago, IL) 8-8:30
Sapat (Louisville, KY) 9-9:40
Julianna Barwick (Brooklyn, NY) 10-10:40
The Phantom Family Halo record release show (Louisville, KY) 11-11:40
Moon Duo (San Francisco, CA) 12-12:45

SATURDAY 10/2 (INSIDE STAGE)
AMERICAN TURNERS (3125 Upper River Rd.)

The Highlife (Brooklyn, NY/Chicago, IL) 4-4:30
Rabble Rabble (Chicago, IL) 4:50-5:20
LUSHES (Brooklyn, NY) 5:40-6:10
Slow Horse (Chicago, IL) 6:30-7
Prideswallower (Louisville, KY) 7:20-7:50
Wishgift (Chicago, IL) 8:10-8:40
Straight A’s (Louisville, KY) 9 9:40
Parlour (Louisville, KY) 10:05-10:45
CAVE (Chicago, IL) 11:10-11:45
Young Widows (Louisville, KY) 12:05-12:50
Pissed Jeans (Philadelphia, PA) 1:10-2

SATURDAY 10/2 (OUTSIDE STAGE)
AMERICAN TURNERS (3125 Upper River Rd.)

Alex Barnett (Chicago, IL) 1:45-2
Learner Dancer (Indianapolis, IN) 2:15-2:40
Nzambi (Louisville, KY) 2:55-3:20
SKIMASK (Boston, MA) 3:35-4
DAD (Chicago, IL) 4:15-4:45
Geffika (Chicago, IL) 5:05-5:35
Life Partner (Louisville, KY/Chicago, IL) 6-6:30
Natural Geographic (Louisville, KY) 6:50-7:20
MEAH! (Chicago, IL) 7:40-8:10
PC Worship (Brooklyn, NY) 8:30-9:10
CACAW (Chicago, IL) 9:30-10:10
Ga’an (Chicago, IL) 10:30-11:15

SUNDAY 10/3 (INSIDE STAGE)
AMERICAN TURNERS (3125 Upper River Rd.)

Brett Sova (Chicago, IL) 3:05-3:30
Sean Walsh & The National Reserve (Brooklyn, NY) 3:50-4:20
Heavy Cream (Nashville, TN) 4:40-5:10
Animal City (Chicago, IL) 5:30-6
Idiot Glee (Lexington, KY) 6:20-6:50
Warmer Milks (Lexington, KY) 7:10-7:40
Rude Weirdo (Louisville, KY) 8-8:30
FLIGHT (Taylor, MS) 8:50-9:25
Golden Boys (Austin, TX) 9:45-10:20
JEFF The Brotherhood (Nashville, TN) 10:40-11:20
Magik Markers (Brooklyn, NY) 11:40-12:40

SUNDAY 10/3 (OUTSIDE STAGE)
AMERICAN TURNERS (3125 Upper River Rd.)

Softcheque (Louisville, KY) 12:25-12:55
Reading Group (Louisville, KY) 1:10-1:35
Gangly Youth (Louisville, KY) 1:50-2:15
Spectre Folk (Brooklyn, NY) 2:35-3:05
Tinsel Teeth (Providence, RI) 3:25-3:55
PUJOL (Nashville, TN) 4:15-4:45
Giving Up (Garner, IA) 5:05-5:40
State Champion (Louisville, KY/Chicago, IL) 5:55-6:30
Catherine Irwin (Louisville, KY) 6:45-7:20
Spider Bags (Chapel Hill, NC) 7:40-8:20
King Kong (Louisville, KY) 8:40-9:20
Sic Alps (San Francisco, CA) 9:40-10:35

Our friends over at the excellent blog The Decibel Tolls have already published a preview of Friday’s acts, with more to come.

UPDATE 9/30/10: The Decibel Tolls has listed previews of Saturday and Sunday for Cropped Out.

Two Great Shows This Weekend!

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Louisvillians have the rare treat of two really great shows this weekend. Here’s information on both of them:

CEREBELLUM (from Louisville, on Noise Pollution)
TROPHY WIVES (from Louisville/Illinois, on Noise Pollution)
THE TEETH (from Louisville/Southern Indiana, on Noise Pollution)

Saturday, July 31
at SKULL ALLEY
1017 E. Broadway
8 PM, $6, ALL AGES!

Here’s what Mat Herron wrote about the show in this week’s LEO Weekly:

Cerebellum was only around from 1988-1989, but the work of the band’s members outlasts its breakup.Three-quarters of the band went on to form Crain — guitarists Tim Furnish and Joey Mudd, bassist Jon Cook and drummer Will Chatham. The team of Furnish, Cook and Breck Pipes — an apropos furniture store name if ever there was one — now hold court in Parlour, Mudd fronts Midnite Sons, and guitarist Drew Daniel [Drew didn’t actually play guitar, but sang/banged metal objects —ed.], who designed the cover of Cerebellum’s lone cassette, is one half of Baltimore experimental duo Matmos…

This past spring, Noise Pollution, who has taken up the mantle of curating much of Louisville’s older punk music, re-released Cerebellum’s first tape along with five songs — “Begin,” “Guard,” “Hurt,” “Brighten” and “Crawl Out of the Water” — recorded at Trip Barriger’s Studio K.

The special edition LP came out just in time for the band’s reunion show back in May to raise money for Jason Noble, but their proper release happens July 31 at Skull Alley (1017 E. Broadway, www.skullalley.net). The all ages show is $6. Trophy Wives and The Teeth open.

CEREBELLUM’s performance in May was awesome, don’t miss this one!

Also, Sunday night brings the following show to a new space (in the same building as St. Francis High School):

BEAR IN HEAVEN
SHEDDING
SLOW ANIMAL

Sunday, August 1st
at LAND OF TOMORROW
233 W. Broadway
7:30 PM, $7-10 suggested donation

This show was curated in part by Michael over at the Decibel Tolls, so it’s bound to be great. Don’t miss it!

THE WEB, PHANTOM FAMILY HALO, SOFTCHEQUE at The Vernon Club, Saturday, June 12th

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THE WEB
PHANTOM FAMILY HALO
SOFTCHEQUE

Saturday, June 12th
at The Vernon Club
1575 Story Avenue
9 PM, $6, 18+
“No Dicks”

Details about the show from Noise Pollution:

Completing their slow reemergence from the abyss, enigmatic Louisville legends THE WEB will be releasing their (very, very) long awaited third album, Clydotorous Scrotohendron, on June 12th. The seven song album will be released on LP with letter pressed covers by Dexterity Press. Clydotorous Scrotohendron will also include a free digital download of the album with purchase of the LP.  This will be The Web’s first release in twelve years (and only third show in the same timeframe) and features the core lineup of Andrew Willis, Jason Hayden, Steve Good, Tony Hoyle and Gary Pahler.  The release show will take place at Vernon Club (1575 Story Ave) on Saturday, June 12th and marks The Web’s return to (at least) semi-active status. Opening for The Web will be two other incredible Louisville bands Phantom Family Halo and Softcheque. Doors at 9pm. Cost is $6. 18 and over. As huge fans of The Web for many years, we are thrilled and honored to have them on the label.  Azuza!

UPDATE, 6/9/2010: LEO Weekly ran a short feature by Mat Herron on The Web, including details on the new album, in today’s edition. Check it out here: http://leoweekly.com/music/follow-plant.

SAPAT, THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS (Nashville), and HUMUNGOUS at THE LOUNGE, Friday, February 19th.

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Kris Abplanalp and the SAPAT crew are presenting a doozy of a show:

SAPAT
THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS (from Nashville, Tennessee)
HUMUNGOUS

Friday, February 19th
at THE LOUNGE
947 E. Madison (at the corner of Chestnut & Wentzel)
9:30 PM
$5, 21-and-over

This should be a fantastic show, definitely don’t miss it!

Oh yeah, more information may or may not be available at the Facebook invite here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=317608623080&ref=ts.

BLUES CONTROL with SAPAT, SOFTCHEQUE and RAW THUG at Lisa’s Oak Street Lounge, Friday, October 23

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It’s flying a little bit under-the-radar, but this Friday Kris Abplanalp aka Kaptain Molasses is bringing another fantastic show to Louisville. Siltbreeze recording artists (and good friends) BLUES CONTROL are returning to Louisville to play Lisa’s Oak Street Lounge (at the corner of Oak and Swan Streets in Germantown) this Friday, October 23rd, with support from our local favorites SAPAT, SOFTCHEQUE, and RAW THUG. Should be a doozy of a good time. I could be wrong, but I think it starts around 10 PM, and costs $5.

Maserati, Young Widows, The Genitalmen and DJ Joel Hunt at ZANZABAR, Tuesday September 15

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I’m happy to announce that I’ll be djing at a fantastic show a week from today — MASERATI, YOUNG WIDOWS, and THE GENITALMEN at Zanzabar on Tuesday, September 15th. Here’s more information from the Facebook invite:

MASERATI www.ihaveadagger.net – www.myspace.com/maseratirocks

with YOUNG WIDOWS www.youngwidows.net – www.myspace.com/youngwidows

and THE GENITALMEN www.myspace.com/genitalmen

late night & between bands with DJ JOEL HUNT https://othersideoflife.wordpress.com

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

at the Zanzabar www.zanzabarlouisville.com
2100 South Preston Street
Louisville, KY 40217
(502) 635-ZBAR

doors at 9:00 P.M.
SHOW at 10:00 P.M.

Formed at the edge of the new millennium, MASERATI (of Athens, GA) is as sleek, sexy and sophisticated as the legendary Italian sports car they take their name from. It is fitting, then, that the band has dragged the glory years of psychedelic arena rock kicking and screaming into the 21st Century, with the pomposity (and vocals) carefully removed. In its place are white hot flashes of light pulsing to an unstoppable rhythm that will make you want to punch air and drive really fast in a car with wings instead of doors. Label mates and Louisville rockers, YOUNG WIDOWS, will be sharing the stage as well as THE GENITALMEN on Tuesday, September 15th at Louisville’s newest venue… the Zanzabar.

For more info on the latest Maserati and Young Widows releases, check out: www.temporaryresidence.com

This is going to be lots of fun, I can’t wait! Most likely I’ll play a pretty eclectic mix of musics — punk, hardcore, post-punk, krautrock, new wave, Afrobeat, highlife, rai, West African guitar jams, dancehall and dub, and maybe even an IDM track or two… come on out to hear it all!

Little Wings and Zak Riles (of Grails) at the SWAN DIVE, Sunday September 6

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Jeremy over at the Swan Dive put together a doozy of a show for this Sunday. Here’s what he had to say about it:

LITTLE WINGS is Kyle Fields’ music project. Little Wings songs are quickly becoming modern folk classics. I spoke with him the other day and we had a conversation about Fiest, who is all over iPod commercials, covering one of his songs, “Look at What the Light Did.” Kyle is also an artist, who has picture in galleries all over the globe. I could go on and on about his song writing skills and how good his art is but i”ll spare you the hubbub.

www.myspace.com/littlewings2
www.myspace.com/littlewings3
www.kyledraws.com

Zak Riles is a songwriter and multi-instrumentalist in the Important/Temporary Residence band Grails. His creative contributions to the group are immeasurable and can be heard clearly on this self-titled debut solo outing. In fact some of the pieces on this solo record have been reinterpreted into Grails favorites. Like his band Grails, Zak Riles’ solo work is an elaborate mansion built of inspiration but with so much strength and originality that it stands firmly on its own. On these rocky shores come crashing waves of Sandy Bull, Mogolar, Deuter, Popol Vuh and the Ventures while Persian breeze drifts by wafting the melodies of Hossein Alizadeh. Essential listening for followers of Important Records who favor the likes of Grails & James Blackshaw.

www.myspace.com/wmzacharyriles

You can also listen to a podcast with Zak Riles at LEO Weekly here: http://bluecat.leoweekly.com/2009/09/02/leo-music-%E2%80%99cast-zak-riles/. And here’s the Facebook invite: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=138386594728.

LITTLE WINGS
ZAK RILES (of GRAILS)

Sunday, September 6th
The Swan Dive
921 Swan Street
$5, 9 PM, 21 and over