Monthly Archives: April 2011

4/18 – Fat Shadow/Philly Crawlers/Blackjack Mulligan/Frank Fuzz at Louie’s!

FAT SHADOW from BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA

A quadruple feature of fine musical acts shall be appearing at Louie’s Trophy House on Monday night.

Frank Fuzz, longtime Kalamazoo slinger of concise pop tunes, shall be opening the festivities with his live performance backed by a projected video of him playing the other instrumental tracks and harmonies to his tunes.

On tour from Bloomington, Indiana in support of their new release, Foot of Love, is Fat Shadow.  Fronted by Daun Fields, formerly of the Door-Keys and Etiquette and currently playing in Vera Maleta with Will from Defiance, Ohio, their music could be described as “baroque punk”.  Bassist Erin Tobey refers to their sound as “something between Dinosaur Jr. and Jefferson Airplane.”  The band has been playing together for a little over a year and have been honing their craft, working on good songs, in preparation for the album and month-long tour in promotion of said object.  Come on out and support these DIYers on their self-booked tour!
The Philly Crawlers will play their second show since the release of their self-titled CD.  These psych pop weirdos tend to straddle the line between accessible, approachable songs and more progressive weirdness.  Bounce along!

Closing out the show will be the classic rock styles of Blackjack Mulligan.  Check out their MySpace to watch a video from a couple months back.  They guarantee to bring the party to the people!

This show is a mere $5!  Come out and support some ambitious Indiana cats and catch 3 fine locals while at it.  Louie’s is located at 440 E. North Street in Kalamazoo.  This show gets underway right after 9 p.m. so as to not go too late on a Monday night

4/16 – It’s Record Store Day!

That’s right, today is a nationwide annual celebration of the love of good music and good sounds. It’s a chance to get out, support your local record stores, and pick up all those collectors discs, box sets and rare prints you’ve been drooling over for the last three months. It’s Record Store day, and it is so good to hear it.

Both Green Light Music and Video and the Corner Record Shop are stocking wicked cuts, making wicked deals, and have other coolness happening all day, including live DJs to spin the sweet sounds of good music and local business. There’s plenty of time to stop in to either establishment, and I urge everyone to make the trip – What else are you going to do on an overcast, rainy Saturday?

Well, I suppose you could always go to one of the multiple shows happening tonight. The Strutt has ska with Deals Gone Bad, The Hex Bombs, and Mushmen. The Craftsman Chop House has jazz with Saxsquatch and Bridge Band, and Bells is playing host to some rock n’ ROLL with Son Drop and Nathan Kalish and the Wildfire.

Lots of good times to be had in the ‘Zoo today. Oh what a life!

4/15 – The Go Rounds get down while their CD drops

Tonight, Kalamazoo is a busy spot to be in. There’s a show at the fat guy house, A show at Louie’s, and a show down at the Strutt all at once. Lots of Kalamazoo heavy-hitters, too, including the Go Rounds, who are putting out their second album, and first full-length studio work to date.

Also up on tonight’s roster is Benjamin Riley, a former Kalamazooan that now resides down in old St. Louis, and plays that warm roots music that moves you to the soul. He hasn’t been around for a while, and won’t be around again for some time either, so if you can, come on out and show some love.

Finally, Ben’s friends from Saint Loo, Old Lights, are playing too, and these guys can, similar to the fashion of the rest of the bill, get on DOWN.

Show starts around 9pm and is COMPLETELY FREE. Check it out for reals.

2/15 – Friday Night Fat

Ann Arbor’s 2194 have paired up with This City Defects out of Calgary, Alberta to cut a swath across the American Midwest. Friday night they’ll be in town to play the Fat Guy House along with the Reptilian. So if you like your post-hardcore music angular and inventive, then this is the show for you.

You may have caught This City Defects when they came through Kalamazoo last year and if you haven’t caught wind of 2194, you should know this is a hard-working, newer Michigan band whom you should keep your eyes on. I would highly recommend that if you don’t know yet what you’re in store for, check out their respective bandcamp sites because the music they have to offer is impressive and hard-hitting and will only be more enjoyable in a live setting.

As always, if you don’t know where to find the Fat Guy House, send us an email at DIT or over to reptilianband520@gmail.com and we’ll help get you to the show.

Bring some donations to help these touring bands out. Show will be starting around nine.

4/14 Tobacco trips and hops into The Strutt!


Hey everybody, guess what? Tobacco is awesome. They were at the Strutt last September with Dreamend, Junk Culture, and Silverghost and now they’re back again but with Shapers and Beans!

Tobacco is the solo project of Thomas Fec, front man of Black Moth Super Rainbow. His special brand of Trip Hop can be heard inside of BMSR if you listen, but out at the Strutt tomorrow night you can hear it by itself, in all of it’s Trippy and Hoppy glory.

Come down to the Strutt Thursday, April 14th.
Cover is $12
Doors open at 8pm.

Monday 4/11 – Dangerous Ponies/Good News at Strutt

An all-out party is gonna bust out on The Strutt stage tonight in the form of DANGEROUS PONIES, the 8-piece pop/rock extravaganza from Philly. 
The Ponies high-energy stage show and 60s-infused pop pulse has grown notorious for moving the feet of even the most dour a-hipsters.  Bring yer dancin’ shoes for this one!
Local mathrock two-piece Good News will be on the bill as well with their highly-intricate and tightly performed mini-epics! 
Traveling back in time to perform tonight is the bit-hop electronic spaceman Joshualien.  Laid back and funky, this is but his 3rd performance, so come check him out while he’s fresh out the Delorean! 
This goes down tonight at The Strutt at 773 West Michigan in Kalamazoo.  Show should start shortly after 9 p.m., costs $5, and you must be 18 years old to enter. 

4/7 Acid Mothers Temple to descend upon Strutt

Kalamazoo, the hour is nearly upon us.  Hailing from the far reaches of the East, cloaked in mysticism, hair, and electricity, comes the salient psychedelic noise-rock collective known as Acid Mothers Temple.

Since 1995, guitarist Kawabata Makoto has lead AMT through a multitude of members, both regulars and guests, as they have recorded and released countless albums and toured extensively, all the while maintaining a constant focus on largely-improvised psychedelic rock (there is often a basic melodic theme or riff which the collective builds around) influenced heavily by space rock bands of the 1970s like Gong and Hawkwind and the experimental leanings of German musicians such as Can and Karlheinz Stockhausen.

Makoto’s current Acid Mothers line-up, consisting of Higashi Hiroshi on synthesizer and guitar, Tsuyama Atsushi on bass, and Shimura Koji handling percussion, have been performing consistently as the main core for several years now with occasional guests.  Having witnessed their show in Pontiac last year, I can personally say that their presence as performers and congeniality as musicians is an overwhelmingly profound spiritual experience.  Do not miss this chance of a lifetime.

This happens tomorrow night, Thursday, April 7th, at The Strutt, located at 773 West Michigan in Kalamazoo.  On tour with AMT are Brooklyn-based Knitting Factory Records artists Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers and local noise-rock/free-improv dadaists Forget The Times.  Doors at 8, show starts PROMPTLY at 9 p.m.  $10 in advance, $12 at the door.  Ages 18+.  Advance tickets can be purchased at The Strutt, The Corner Record Shop, or http://www.thestrutt.com

More Photo Credz

Another big thanks to Tyler Emrick for sending in some more great shots of Kalamazoo Music in action, this time for The Reptilian, Empire! Empire!, Pan, and the Binary Marketing Show, who pout on an excellent show a few weeks ago at The Strutt.

Once again, if anyone has photos from local shows and wants ’em thrown up here on DIT, you can send ’em our way at ditkalamazoo@gmail.com.

DIY or Not

On the way down to Texas recently, I was fortunate enough to be around for the filming of a documentary on DIY music culture. This was not the first time I had crossed paths with Matt Youngblood, a freelance videographer from Rockford, IL – neither was it the first time I had seen him at work with his camera. His latest project, however, seems to be his most ambitious and it happens to be on a subject near and dear to my heart. Matt put together a trailer for the upcoming film and I wanted to share it here for anyone and everyone to check out.

If this piques your interest, stay updated on the DIY or Not facebook page as more information on production develops.

4/2/11 Jack Oblivian/John Paul Keith/Aaron Young & His Night Jars

Returning to The Strutt tonight for the third year in a row is the lethal combination of Jack Oblivian and John Paul Keith, both hailing from the rock ‘n’ roll mecca, Memphis, Tennessee.

Jack Oblivian, aka Jack Yarber, was a member of garage punk legends The Oblivians. For the last few years, he has been performing in an outfit known as Jack O & The Tennessee Tearjerkers.  These Tearjerkers backing him up are actually Jack’s tourmates and opening act, John Paul Keith & The One Four Fives.

Local skitter-stompers, Aaron Young & His Night Jars, will set the night in motion with a high-energy set of their jittery, shufflin’ tunes.

The show takes place at The Strutt, 773 W. Michigan, Kalamazoo TONIGHT, Saturday, April 2nd, 2011 starting at 9:00 p.m.   $8 at the door and ages 18 and up!