THIS IS HAPPENING AT CORNER RECORD SHOP KALAMAZOO IN 3 HOURS

LECHUGUILLAS are on their way back to Chicago via an eight day tour. Tonight is the last stop. Let’s get together and help them feel welcome!!

Jarad Selner, Sid Redlin and Dr. Hugo are joining forces to showcase their latest creation, SURPRISE ATTACK!

FORGET THE TIMES will be rounding out the evening!

Bands start at 7pm and this is a FREE SHOW

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE BRING DONATIONS FOR THE TOURING BAND. They’re putting their jobs on hold and driving a long way just to have the opportunity to share their art with like minded people such as yourself. Kids gotta eat and gas ain’t cheap!

CRS Kalamazoo is located at 1710 West Main St.

Amidst studying for midterms and preparing for spring break, it’s easy to forget other important matters. Namely, the most important matter you should be remembering is the Flatfoot 56 show at the Strutt with special guests Ackley Kid and The Almanac Shouters.

Why is this important? Because it’ll be a good show! Having experienced all of these bands first hand at multiple shows, I can absolutely guarantee this fact.

Here’s what you need to know:

Flatfoot 56: Hailing from the great city of Chicago, these boys bring an energetic mix of Celtic punk (think Dropkick Murphys) and hardcore (in the vein of the Cro-Mags and Sham 69). They are known for their insane live shows which incorporate walls of death worthy of Braveheart, and the ever-popular meat grinder. It’s an experience not to be missed, if not for the pit, but for the ever-present community spirit that comes with the music these guys play.

The Almanac Shouters: Kzoo’s favorite folk-punk band, whose influences include Woody Guthrie and Shellac, will be joining Flatfoot on Friday night. They have quite a lot to shout about, and others are beginning to take note. Having just been nominated for WYCE’s Jammie Awards for best rock/pop album, the Almanac Shouters are seeing their hard work come to successful fruition. This show marks their week-long tour kick-off and more importantly, the release of their third album “Windmills.” They will be handing out the album for free, so be sure to pick up one of these little gems when you come out.

Ackley Kid: In my honest opinion, a punk rock show is not complete without at least one punk/hardcore band in the lineup, and thankfully, Kalamazoo’s own Ackley Kid stepped up to the job. These gnarly dudes will be shredding faster than a speeding bullet Friday night, leaving us with ringing ears and smiling faces. I’ve heard some talk from A.K’s front man Zach Smith that there MIGHT be a Distillers cover thrown into the mix and a very special lady doing guest vocals. Want to know who it is? I’ll never tell. You’ll just have to come to the show and find out.

The show starts at 8, is ALL AGES, and it’s $8 to get in. See you there!

Tonight, the Strutt is hosting a night of folkie-rocky, singer-songwriter, electric-guitar solo madness – All native Michigan music too, I might add – and it’s going to be so good to hear it.

Jeremy Porter will be in town from the Upper Peninsula, and he’ll be bringing his new band, the Tucos, with him, playing an assortment of music from his new album ‘Party of One’. Guitar and vocals backed up by a full band and some excellent songwriting – A good way to spend a Saturday night if I’ve ever heard of one.

Joining them are Livonia, Michiganites Chris Richards + The Subtractions, who have also just released an album. Plus, local boys (and one of my favorite outfits) Birches will be out to support everyone while thoroughly getting down on some guitar-pickin’ rock and roll.  They’re working on an album themselves, but unlike the other two groups tonight, it’s not out yet. Good things come to those who wait, though.

Courtesy Birches Myspace

It’s sure to be an excellent night of All-Michigan music. Doors open at 9, show starts at 9:30, cost at the door is 5 bucks. Come support local and semilocal jams all at once!

Love and bitterness were in the air Monday night as the House of Love hosted its second annual Valentine’s Day open mic night. The fireplace was rolling, the punch was flowing, and guests were encouraged to perform a love song or two to celebrate this most romantic and made-up of holidays, though many decided to take more of a “post-Valentine’s Day” approach. Some played heart-warming selections as their significant others watched on, others performed anthems of loneliness in protest.

It was a most unique show experience and the night was full of wonderful performances that ranged from acoustic guitar renditions of classics, to ensemble jams on tunes as excellent as R. Kelly’s ‘Remix to Ignition,’ to a handful of delightfully candid acapella numbers.

The definite show-stealer of the night was a video performance by Cold Mountain Child’s own David Spalvieri-Kruse who recorded a Neil Young number to be viewed on a laptop since he couldn’t be there for the occasion. It was as unexpected as it was enchanting.

And if it was possible for a show to be stolen twice, then that distinction would have to go to the Thomas brothers for bringing the Bastard Train to Valentine’s Day with their decidedly non-romantic number about all a man wants to do when he comes home from a long day of work.

Overall, it was a most enjoyable way to spend the holiday and will be one of the most fondly remembered in a long-standing tradition of Vine Neighborhood house shows. It also served as a poignant reminder that there are better things to do with yourself and greater  expressions of love than what they’ll sell you at the store.

On behalf of DIT Kalamazoo, we’d like to issue a formal and ecstatic Congratulations to the peoples of Egypt, and a strong thanks for showing the world how it’s done.

If that’s not a Do It Together attitude, I don’t know what is.

Reuters/Emilio Morenatti

Tonight, a newer DIY Venue in Kalamazoo is going to open it’s doors and try something that other DIY venues rarely attempt: There’s going to be an open mic at the Revolution Cat House.

If you play tunes, rap, spit poetry, break dance, or just plain get down and want a place to do it, then tonight is your night. the RCH is doing it right, with a full backline for drums, bass, guitars provided, and anyone who’d like to jam, groove, rock out, or perform some other abstract-yet-identifiable verb is more than welcome, and in fact encouraged, to. The fun starts at 8:30 and runs to 10:30.

At 10:30, though, the party really gets going. Brown Cow kicks it off, and they promise with all their hearts and souls to tear down the house, and probably the houses next door, too. Check out ‘Michigan’s finest Slacker Rock’, and get your led out.

Thanks to Pleasant Drive's Myspace

Then, at 11:30, Pleasant Drive takes off and rocks out until the cows come home. Or the Brown Cows go home. Whichever happens first. Either way it’s going to be a cool show and an interesting experience. DIY Open Mics, after all, are some of the best things ever.

Though this has nothing to do with DIT, it is a technical drawing of the gearbox from a Lotus Espirit. Courtesy http://lotusespritworld.com

The last few weeks have been rather slow for DIT, but that tends to happen after such slews of good shows as have been had in recent memory. It does give a chance for us folks to recoup and rally ourselves so we can go on in to the future in a fashion better suited to doing what we do best: Supporting local and DIY music and art.

We’ve made a few minor changes to the blog itself in the last few weeks. Namely, renaming a few key features to make it easier for first time visitors and everyday readers alike to use.  Hopefully this will make the act of locating shows and old articles that much easier to accomplish. Other improvements are also in the works, so stay tuned for those!

Courtesy http://inaustralia.org

DIT(K) Is also actively seeking out the use of other venues around town. Variety is the spice of life, after all, and it does become difficult for just a few part-time venues to handle every show that may pop up around this burg. Don’t worry about having trouble finding anything though: any new venue we start working with will be posted under the ‘Find a Venue‘ link at the top of the main page.

Finally, Already Dead Tapes and Records has made a running start, putting out Forget The Times’ new tape ‘Escape from the Planet of the Llamas’, thereby bringing their total product output to 4 releases by 2 bands. Those boys are adding new artists left and right, so if you’re in to slightly-off-kilter music, or if you have a slightly-off-kilter band that you think you’d like to make a tape with, check those boys out.

We’ll be keeping things more up to date as things crop up on dates, so keep checking back. There are some great shows billed already, and even more that are still in the works.

Courtesy Coma Nova's Myspace

Tomorrow night, The Strutt isn’t going to be the only place to weather the Midwest Snowpocalypse 2o11, but it is going to be one of the most awesome. That’s because 2010 Fight for the Tuna winners Coma Nova are putting out a new CD. Also, they’re gonna rock.

Coma Nova is a quartet from right here in kalamazoo that specializes in loud, distorted garage rock that will get your blood going in the best way. There’s a reason that these fellas opened for Lightening Bolt last October.

Joining them is technical rock monsters and also local yokels Pan. They play the tunes that melt the faces. I’ve seen these guys a number of times and they never disappoint. Not ever.

The Wrap will also make an appearance, just to mix everything up that much more.

The show starts at 8:30 pm, Coma Nova are playing two sets and the whole show is free. Plus, if you drop the 5 bucks to pick up their new album, they’re also throwing in a Coma Nova does The Cure disc for free. I don’t see any reason not to rock the Strutt tomorrow.

THE WRAP