Thursday, Nov. 8 Black Moth Super Rainbow
Zanzabar
2100 S. Preston St. zanzabarlouisville.com $13-$15; 9 p.m.
Hailing from rural western Pennsylvania, Black Moth Super Rainbow traffic in a sort of murky, low-fi but high-tech psychedelic pop, equal parts new wave and krautrock (though sometimes not resembling either). Their fifth album, Cobra Juicy, was just released last month, and some might say it’s their most ambitiously accessible record yet. Main man Tobacco still sings enigmatic lyrics through a vocoder, but the melodies seem a bit more straightforward, almost like radio hits from an alternate universe. Much like the vintage arcade games that line Zanzabar, Black Moth Super Rainbow offer a trippingly fun look backward. With opening sets from Casket Girls and Karass; tickets are available at Astro Black and Underground Sounds. —Joel Hunt
Wednesday, November 14th at ZANZABAR
2100 S. Preston
9 PM, $6, 21-and-over
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 not one, but two vinyl records. Their sophomore record, Deep Shit, was released earlier this year on Sophomore Lounge Records, and has received quite a level of acclaim. Because it’s awesome!
DAVID DANIELL & DOUGLAS McCOMBS first met in early 2006 while touring as members of Rhys Chatham’s six-guitar Die Donnergötter band. Following that tour, the two spent several months trading albums and discussing making music together; they began their musical collaboration when Daniell moved from New York to Chicago later that year to study pedal steel guitar. These humble beginnings do little to reflect the depth and breadth of each of their talents; both are highly-respected musicians within their circles. Over the years Daniell has collaborated with many notable musicians, including Loren Connors, Rhys Chatham, Tim Barnes, Jeph Jerman, Thurston Moore, Greg Davis, and Jonathan Kane, as well as releasing numerous albums under his own name and with his band San Agustin on labels such as Table of the Elements and Family Vineyard. McCombs is more often seen wielding a bass guitar, whether as a member of Eleventh Dream Day, the acoustic collective Pullman, or the pioneering and inimitable Tortoise; in his role as the driving force behind Brokeback; or through his varied work with the likes of Tom Ze, Azita Youseffi, Will Oldham, Yo La Tengo, and Calexico. Versions, the new double album by DAVID DANIELL & DOUGLAS McCOMBS,was produced by Louisvillian Ken Brown, also a founding member of Tortoise.
FLANGER MAGAZINE is the handsome duo of Chris Bush and Ben Zoeller, who both have also played in the excellent band Caboladies. Expect some unexpected sounds, from the ridiculous to the sublime, in this, their Louisville debut.
Wednesday, October 31st
at NACHBAR 969 Charles Street (at the corner of Charles and Krieger)
9 PM, 21-and -over FREE!
DAUGHN GIBSON hails from the Cumberland Valley town of Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The charismatic crooner and sound sculptor’s music sets his subversively witty and colorful tales against an engaging blend of electronic, country and blues. GIBSON’s spirited, DIY approach is informed by his time spent playing in punk and metal bands and stints as a cross-country truck driver. His deep baritone adds to the allure, which posits the handsome balladeer in territory explored by the greats. He’s earned comparisons to the likes of Lee Hazelwood, Scott Walker and Arthur Russell, and contemporary artists like Nicolas Jaar, Magnetic Fields and James Blake. DAUGHN GIBSON’s music first caught the attention of Philadelphia-based indie label White Denim (run by Sub Pop label mate and Pissed Jeans member Matt Korvette), who immediately agreed to release DG’s debut, All Hell, in April 2012. In June of 2012, Dull Knife Records released the 7″ single “Lite Me Up” b/w “The Mark of a Man.” DAUGHN GIBSON’s All Hell won praise from the likes of Pitchfork, SPIN, FILTER, Austin Chronicle, Baltimore City Paper, Philadelphia Weekly, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Brooklyn Vegan, Tiny Mix Tapes, The Needle Drop, and more.
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 not one, but two vinyl records. Their sophomore record, Deep Shit, was released earlier this year on Sophomore Lounge Records, and has received quite a level of acclaim. Because it’s awesome! Welcome them back to Louisville for their first show since last Spring.
Friday, Oct. 19 Sic Alps
Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft
715 W. Main St. kentuckyarts.org $6-$8; 8 p.m.
Sic Alps have a not-unpleasant tendency to sound like scraps of an overheard conversation interrupted by a 10-car pileup. To perhaps understand the stops and starts, the utterly lo-fi, heavily fragmented style, know that frontman (and only constant) Mike Donovan drives a cab in San Francisco when he’s not touring. On their new album, the new lineup ditches noisy home recording techniques in favor of a clear, crisp style (including some string arrangements), and the result is like graduating from The Crying of Lot 49 to Gravity’s Rainbow. While former versions have been mystifying, enjoyable and unique, this new recorded version is more cohesive, expansive and epic — without being yawnsome “epic rock.” However, expect a white-hot live performance — their set at the 2010 Cropped Out festival was one of the more blazing moments. —Joel Hunt
Not sure why mention of Lexington’s excellent CROSS was excised, but they’ll be opening the show. Their new album, Die Forever, is now available from Sophomore Lounge.
Sunday, November 11th
at QUILL’S 930 Baxter Avenue
8 PM, $6, ALL AGES!
Love and death: these are the only themes. So it’s been in SIMON JOYNER’s twenty years of making records—from 1992’s Umbilical Chords cassette to his new double LP, Ghosts. Over the course of a thirteen-album career in which he’s produced a multitude of sounds and musical influences on a multitude of independent labels, he’s only made two other proper double-albums (1997’s Yesterday, Tomorrow and In Between and 2001’s Hotel Lives). Both are classics of his discography, and Ghosts follows in their footsteps, creating and inhabiting a world in which JOYNER’s thematic preoccupations can be explored carefully and fully. Recorded on reel-to-reel in JOYNER’s warehouse on a sixteen-track tape machine over many months, Ghosts sounds unlike any JOYNER record. The influence of dark, ’60s and ’70s private-press psych and folk records, as well as the noisy, transcendent music of New Zealand heroes like This Kind of Punishment, Alastair Galbraith and The Dead C are highlighted on this experimental, full-band song-cycle that pays subtle as well as brazen homage to several influential double-albums (perhaps most obviously with its Exile on Main Street-inspired gatefold artwork). JOYNER’s music gathers acolytes rather than casual fans, contributing to his “songwriter’s songwriter” status and inspiring comparisons to other artists like Bill Fay, Townes Van Zandt, David Blue, and Leonard Cohen.
BRO. STEPHEN is a project of Scott Kirkpatrick who is also the force behind indie-rock band Chemic. Originally conceived as a songwriting exercise, BRO. STEPHEN has come to mean much more. Pulling from a childhood of being a preacher’s son, a deep collection of poor decisions, and a constant struggle with narcolepsy, the songs of BRO. STEPHEN are a casual dart game: the sound of ennui. Despite it’s relatively recent inception, BRO. STEPHEN headed out on the road in 2009 on a national tour playing songs off of his upcoming debut record and armed with hand-made copies of The Front Room EP which was a collection of demos Kirkpatrick had recorded on a cassette tape machine. Along the way BRO. STEPHEN has supported acts like The Fiery Furnaces, Sun Kil Moon, Anni Rossi, DM Stith, The Daredevil Christopher Wright, and Vandaveer, and released its debut album Baptist Girls, a record that was largely recorded on an old farm in Northern Indiana.
TENDER MERCY is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Mark Kramer and can best be described as contemporary minimalism with strong acoustic leanings. Debuting with a track on the infamous Dunkenstein Record’s Doctors Of Dunk Vol. 2, TENDER MERCY began playing around Louisville, opening for the likes of Jamie Barnes, Tamara Dearing, The Deloreans, Ben Traughber, The Parade Schedule, and Nerves Jr. TENDER MERCY released a 6 song EP entitled “The Road To Good Intention Is Paved With Hell” in the spring of 2012.
UPDATE, 11/5/2012: Folks, there’s been some confusion, and as it turns out, FRANKLIN BRUNO will not be joining us this Sunday. Sorry for the mix-up. Hope to see you there regardless!
We’re seeing some unfortunate news today on the internet that Danish saxophonist John Tchicai has died, though so far without any official confirmation. This is terrible news, if true, as Tchicai has been long known as one of the best players, yet he was sort of weirdly unheralded outside the jazz cognoscenti. His discography is long and broad, going back to early 1960s work with Archie Shepp, the New York Art Quartet (with Roswell Rudd, Milford Graves, Lewis Worrell, and Amiri Baraka), and John Coltrane‘s classic Ascension. It should also be said that he continued to play and compose some really great stuff over the past few decades, though the last time we saw him play was in Chicago in the late 1990s. He will be greatly missed.
We’ll update when we find official (or otherwise) obituaries and tributes posted, and hopefully we’ll post some of Tchicai’s music to sample, as well.
Wednesday, October 10th
at ZANZABAR
2100 S. Preston
9 PM, $5, 21-and-over
MADAME MACHINE is a Louisville trio consisting of David Cundiff (Lucky Pineapple, Bodyhammer), Salena Filichia (Julie of the Wolves), and Forrest Kuhn (Ennui, Sunspring, Black Cross). They’ve released one excellent 7″ on Louisville’s Noise Pollution label, and have played with the likes of The Teeth, Parlour, Softcheque, Hal Dolls, and other local delinquents. They’re rapidly becoming known as one of the best bands in town, so don’t miss them!
SAD HORSE is the Portland, Oregon-based duo of Elizabeth Venable (a Louisville native!) and Geoff Soule (formerly of Fuck). Their debut album, Purple on Purple Makes Purple, was released in June on Water Wing Records, and you can listen to it here: http://sadhorse.bandcamp.com/. Watch a video for their song “Mountain Lion” here:
We’ve got one week until the first day of this year’s CROPPED OUT festival, beginning next Friday, September 28th (which, coincidentally, is my birthday!), so let’s take a look at this year’s lineup, schedule, and tomfoolery. Firstly, if you haven’t seen this preview video yet, what planet are you from? Well, you better get in your saucer and get here soon! Check it out:
Wait, you want more? Well, we’ve got more for ya! How about a DOWNLOADABLE MIX of lots of this year’s CROPPED OUT performers, put together by CROPPED OUT homie James Ardery? Sound good? Well here it is! And here’s the tracklist:
1. Jozef van Wissem, “Lux Divinitatis”
2. PC Worship, “Tides”
3. Wooden Wand, “Servant to Blues”
4. CRYS, “Pass on the Third”
5. Shaved Women, “Circles”
6. Eugene Chadbourne, “Wine Me Up”
7. Globsters, “Roll You Up and Smoke You”
8. White Walls, “The Milk of a Lonely Man”
9. Microwaves, “Hammerspace”
10. Lil B, “Still Cookin'”
11. Guerilla Toss, “Breeding Snakes 4 Variety”
12. Buck Gooter, “Consider the Grackles”
13. Merchandise, “Time”
14. Wet, “Wetter than Wet Pt. 2: Pink Pearl”
15. Gangly Youth, “Jangly Youth”
16. The Ritchie White Orchestra, “Matt Says 2”
17. Chain & The Gang, “If Only I Had Your Brain”
18. R. Stevie Moore, “Schoolgirl”
19. Lantern, “Dreammine”
20. The Phantom Family Halo, “Black and White Magic”
It’ll only be up for a limited time, so grab it like it’s hot. Yeah. And enjoy.
Of course, a wealth of information, including tickets, is available at www.croppedoutmusic.com. Don’t miss what promises to be an awesome weekend! And we’ll see you there, by some bonfire, tellin’ jokes or something…
UPDATE, 9/27/2012: CROPPED OUT IS A DAY AWAY!
Some lineup changes to note: DAHM is unfortunately sick, so he will be missing this year’s CROPPED OUT. Get well, Dahm!
In his place are not one but two doozies: 90’s power-violence pioneers SUPPRESSION (from Roanoke, VA) and FAT HISTORY MONTH (from Boston, MA; on Sophomore Lounge).
Lots of food trucks and vendors and whatnot will be there too, so don’t forget the tomfoolery!
Thursday, Sept. 13 São Paulo Underground
Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft
715 W. Main St. kentuckyarts.org $5-$10, 8:30 p.m.
Living in Chicago in the 1990s, it was nearly impossible to miss trumpeter/cornetist Rob Mazurek’s many projects. Whether he was gigging with Tortoise, workshopping at the Green Mill, or playing with drummer Chad Taylor in Chicago Underground Duo, Mazurek’s signature style (reminiscent of Dark Magus-era Miles Davis) was inescapable. After adding electronics to the mix, Mazurek’s sound got even bolder, charting a new course that wasn’t quite jazz in the traditional sense but was exciting in its boundary-crossing openness. After moving to Brazil, he started São Paulo Underground with Mauricio Takara (drums, percussion, cavaquinho, electronics), then enlisted Guilherme Granado (keyboards, electronics, samplers) and Richard Ribeiro (drums). The result is a smoothly rendered Brazilian/American melodic hybrid, held together by a fluid rhythmic sensibility. This rare performance — part of KMAC’s “Storytelling As Craft” exhibit — should not be missed. —Joel Hunt
Inexplicably, the music world lost two great jazz musicians yesterday. Byard Lancaster, a multi-reedist — who would be revered if the only cool thing he did was appear on Sunny Murray‘s self-titled ESP-Disk album, but managed to also lead and collaborate on some great titles including his own It’s Not Up to Us — died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 70.
Additionally, Tom Bruno, a drummer best known for his work in the quartet Test with Matthew Heyner, Sabir Mateen, and Daniel Carter, died yesterday.
(Photograph of Test by Michael Galinsky — from left to right: Daniel Carter, Tom Bruno, Matthew Heyner, Sabir Mateen.)
