Monthly Archives: October 2010

Michigan Emo at the No Fun House

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You know you love that mid 90’s sort of sad ‘n pretty music for driving home the long way. We do too. Empire Empire (I was a Lonely Estate) has got us both covered. The Count Your Lucky Stars artists will be laying down their particular variety of aching and honest emo tonight at the No Fun House, along with labelmates Mountains For Clouds and local indie rockers We’re Wolves.

Show starts at 9, $2 donation for bands. No Fun means no booze, no drugs, no jerks. If you don’t know where the No Fun House is, send us an email at ditkalamazoo@gmail.com and we’ll tell ya!

P.s. If ya don’t know, it’s Halloween. So dress up! Also, if you missed the Cell Phones and Tik Tok, YOU MISSED OUT! Last night was a doozy.

DJ Dad’s Devil Night Dance party of Death

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Tonight at No Fun house, we’re pre-gaming Halloween No Fun Style. DJ Dad of Totally Rad!/HMS Victory fame will be mixing down his favorite tunes in a socially awkward way for all us kids and the like to groove to. Come on down and get your dance on while practicing your pronunciation of severely alliterated sentences.

We’ve also got LIVE MUSIC. The Cell Phones will be in town all the way from Chicago, jammin’ out their own particular style of rockin’ hardcore-esque tunes.

Then, from Providence, Rhode Island, Tik Tok will be jammin’. I caught these cats last night at the Fletcher House Halloween What-Have-You, and was thoroughly impressed. An excellent blend of old-timey dixieland, cajun folk music, and even rock-a-billy, these guys are a must-see if you’re in town tonight.

Plus, there may be a secret special guest that pops through. Who knows? Only time will tell.

Fletcher Hallow-What-Have-You, This Friday!

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As a DIT representative from the Fletcher Collective, I’m very excited about the show we are putting on this Friday! Fletcher Collective is rarely used as a house venue, but when it is, it never disappoints. You may or may not recall being here to see Her Majesty Ship, Victory!, Rotten Wood Moon, Nunca Duerma, Chelsea Boys and Tacocat, or perhaps Zombie Apocalypse Now! and the Proverbials. Once again we will be bringing musical acts coming from a range of sounds and influences. This time around it is two days before Halloween, so we are attempting to decorate appropriately, and hope to see you all in costume.

The show will begin with the local free jazz three guitar onslaught Forget The Times, who will bring more noise than your ears have room for. This band is fairly new, but are already showing extreme dedication to the Kalamazoo music scene.

Then the Almanac Shouters, the resident acoustic singer songwriter folk punk outfit of Kalamazoo. This will be their second show as a three piece. Expect upright bass and songs to yell along with.

From Jackson, Michigan Matt Rozensky will be doing an improvised electronic set. For an example of what he will be doing: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=455984884240&ref=mf

And touring from Rhode Island, will be Tik Tok, with a vaudvillian, rag-time, clanky, jangly folk sound. Just Tom Waitsesque enough to be perfect for a Halloween show.

This will be a free show, but a bucket will be going around throughout the night for donations for Tik Tok, as they are on a long tour and could use help getting to their next stop.

I look forward to seeing you all there and in costume, and have a happy Halloween.

No Fun, Plenty of jammin’ though.

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Monday Night, No Fun House was swathed and inundated with punk-rock runnin’ and powerhouse soundscapes thanks to a mixed bag show-bill that was absolutely excellent. Run, Forever, Deadhorse, and Analecta – all returning champions in some fashion – put on one hell of a show, and if you missed it, you missed out. No worries though: They’ll be back, all of ’em.

The 9:15 mark (Ah, Punk Rock Time) saw Run, Forever take the stage. Riding up on tour from Pitsburgh, PA, this punk outfit was an absolute treat. Carrying a great deal of folk influence despite being an electrified group, Run, Forever’s sound is a fine and balanced rockin’-out danceable one, and the amount of energy displayed through the show was hard to top. It’s no wonder that these cats just got picked up by Solidarity Recordings (Bomb the music industry!). If you have some extra scratch, I recommend grabbing their latest album post-haste.

Second in line, one of my favorite bands set up and tore the place down. DEADHORSE out of Erie, PA presented an emotive and dynamic soundscape that fits the term ‘post rock’ oh so well. Godspeed you, Black Emperor and Explosions in the Sky leap to mind as clear parallels to DEADHORSE’s sound, and they pull it off live absolutely. Cool merch too (they’re looking for t-shirt design ideas). They’ll be back, no doubt, so keep your eyes and ears open for that show-bill.

Rounding out the night, Analecta blew it up. Delivering a similar music in a completely different style, and fighting through a few technical difficulties and broken strings, the boys from South Bend were as good as I’ve seen them. Their third show at No Fun House, and a precursor performance to the tour they are, in fact, embarking on with DEADHORSE, Monday’s set was a lot of fun.

If you missed Monday’s show, no fear, because there’s all kinds of killer concerts this weekend. Go forth and be merry. Or Mary, if you can afford the procedure and have the inclination.

Jaill @ the Strutt, Pro Con Pro @ the Globe TONIGHT

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Milwaukee’s rockin’ psych-pop act Jaill (Sub Pop Records) will turn you on to good times at the Strutt tonight. Supporting will be Detroit garage rockers Conspiracy of Owls and local punk-n-rollers Legendary Wings. Dig one of Jaill’s music videos for an idea of what to expect (FUN).

 

A sick flyer by Kyle Sherman!

Tonight, post-hardcore dudes Pro Con Pro will do their ever-changing thing down at the Globe Theatre (under Shakespeare’s). Joining them will be local rock outfit Pleasant Drive and psychedelic weird-Os Jeremy Ruggles & the Mind Death Quintet. If you grew up around here, you’ll probably see a lot of kids you used to know. Triiiiippy.

There’s a $5 cover, down to $3 if you wear a costume.

The Intelligence of a show review.

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A week from the Dead to Me show, The Strutt held another awesome punk night including Electric Lincoln County War, The Amoebas, and The Intelligence.  Not as great of a turn out for this one, but near the end the crowd got thicker. It was a Sunday night, after all. Your loss! It was tons of fun.

When Electric Lincoln County War took the stage, the long time Kalamazoo musician and band-fronter Benji presented some well developed and gripping songs. Starting as an acoustic project with his partner, Sofia Peters, on violin, this project was sure to become a success when it came to full band. Now, in addition, they have Alex Quinlan(Rotten Wood Moon, Almanac Shouters) on bass and Jarad Selner(multiple jazz projects and ridiculous-ness) on drums. They performed with luster and gusto despite a crowd that was still warming up. Fans of Gaslight Anthem and Lucero should definitely pick up recordings of this band when they get around to it. Hint, hint, guys.

Second, in-yer-face punkers The Amoebas conquered the stage. With members that have also been in/are in the The Offbeats and Attention Span, these boys have been playing music and supporting the Southwest MI music scene for years. They introduced a new one-“I’m Out of Control” with a Ramonesy-have-fun-go-to-the-beach-on-a-sunny-day kind of vibe. These guys have a solid fluidity with their set structure and shows in general, and it is always a pleasure seeing them play. Come back soon, please!


Performing almost comically still, The Intelligence none the less gave a fun performance with a unique sound and personality. I found myself and some friends dancing to their psychedelic-surf-punk tunes soon into the set and then throughout. Three females and two males combined some musical fusion with synthy keyboards, tambourines, guitars and drums. They were thankful for the warm welcome they got from the crowd, and got coerced into playing one last song including a theremin(pitch and distance “static” instrument).  Their set was definitely memorable, as well as entertaining.

Here are some pictures from the show by Stephanie Kiewiet:

Post-Rock Night at the No Fun House!

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Monday, October 25 is going to be a real epic night for y’all. You can finally retreat into that place in your head where the whole world is a movie and you’re the protagonist, and no one will think it’s weird. That’s because we’re having a big ol’ instrumental post-rock show featuring the bands Deadhorse (from Erie, PA) and Analecta (from South Bend, IN).  Also, way out of left field, Pittsburgh PA folk punkers Run, Forever will kick it off with some fist-shakin’ anthems.

Bands at 9 pm, $2 suggested donation. No Fun means no booze, no drugs, no jerks. If you don’t know where the No Fun House is, send us an email at ditkalamazoo@gmail.com and find out!

DIT (K) Meeting! Intelligence Show!

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Happy Sunday afternoon everyone! Hope you’re all enjoying the wonderful weather and maybe some coffee and doughnuts. We here at DIT (K) want you to continue having a wonderful day and have a few suggestions on how to accomplish that.

First, stop on by 210 Allen Blvd. at 2pm today. We’re having our weekly get together where we talk about upcoming local shows, listen to show requests from touring bands, review new local albums and eat fried chicken. Everyone is welcome. Come hang out with us!

Second, The Intelligence + The Amoebas + Electric Lincoln (County War) are playing at The Strutt tonight! If you’re not sure about whether or not to come to this one, then check out these videos and be convinced! Doors at 8:30, first band at 9:30, all ages, $8. See you there!

Album Review: Paleface “One Big Party”

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Amidst studying for midterms and being swamped with work from 4 classes, 2 jobs, and various other projects, there hasn’t been much time for me to take time out to review new music. However, it was brought to my attention by our esteemed Saxsquatch here at DITK that I should take some time out to listen to and review alt-folk indie extraordinaire Paleface. Naturally, I couldn’t turn down an offer to review good folk music, so here you go.

Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, Paleface mixes gritty vocals and guitar with his drummer (and girlfriend) Monica Samalot’s delicate tones to create a unique and entertaining take on a genre that is highly saturated with mediocre singer-songwriters.  His lyrics are raw, yet light-hearted and are, as he puts it, usually inspired by real life experiences. While his lyrics tend to err on the heavier side, such as with the title track “One Big Party” about “seeking a party every night,” which is inspired by a conversation with an alcoholic woman, they are well balanced by his ability to create cheerful music with a blues vibe. The music is well suited as a soundtrack for a night on the town bar-hopping with your buddies. “One Big Party” is just that- one hell of a rip-roaring good time.  If you’re a fan of Daniel Johnston (who just so happens to be Paleface’s mentor), Beck, or (former tour mates) the Avett Brothers- I encourage you to check this duo out.

Paleface will grace Kalamazoo with an appearance at the Strutt on October 25th. Check out The Strutt’s Website for more information.

SKA! GLENNERD! LUCERO!

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I STILL LIKE SKA. Tonight at the Strutt, Chicago’s Deals Gone Bad will be skanking the night away with Montreal’s the BeatDown and locals the Mushmen.

Longtime Kalamazoo troubador Glenn Willis will be taking his Bastards far far away from the ‘zoo, all the way to Oregon. If you’re the sort of person that enjoys whiskey breath, rattlin’ chains, unchecked aggression, and banjos, be sure and head to 1310 Merrill Street at 10 pm tomorrow to have your fill. Good News, Kids on Fire, Branden Mann & the Reprimand, and Timmy Held will provide support.

If “Glennerd” ain’t yer bag, Memphis alt-country rockers Lucero will cook the Strutt tomorrow, along with Empty Orchestra and the Wildfire. These guys have been working hard for years, and it has paid off. A series of successful albums, sold-out tours with big acts, and tons of rave reviews have followed. Frontman Ben Nichols even co-stars in MTV’s “$5 Cover,” a quasi-fictionalized series about the Memphis independent music scene. Should be nuts.