Monthly Archives: February 2012

Junior Battles/Cain Marko/Tiger!Tiger! + 2 sg at the Strutt 2/12 *ALL AGES*

Who’s excited to see some good pop punk bands play this week? I know I am!  This Sunday, Toronto natives Junior Battles will visit Kalamazoo to bring us some sick tunes from the chilly north.

Grand Rapids foursome Cain Marko will also be in attendance, bringing their brand of gritty pop punk rock reminiscent of Hot Water Music.

Indie Punks Tiger! Tiger! will be joining us as well and I’m really stoked to see them play again. It’s been far too long.  Fans of Weatherbox or The Wonder Years are going to really like these guys. (Photo credit: Mike Rice Photography)

And no Kzoo show would be complete without at least one local in attendance. Lucky for us, we get two! The boys in Natural Disasters and Ackley Kid will grace us with their rowdy presence and balance out the out of town pop punk with some harder local flavor.  Expect to nod your head, move your feet, and shout along!

The show is $7 and starts at 7:30. It’s a punk show, but there’s no punk time so show up on time so you don’t miss all the bands!

GIRLFIGHT/HOLLOW EARTH/THAT’S BLOOD 2/6/12

Monday night at Victory House, it’s gonna go down.

GIRLFIGHT
Pittsburg, PA hardcore in your hometown basement. In the vein of Defeater and Every Time I Die, this band has one of the more aggressive sounds you’ll hear come through. Seriously, when do you ever get to see hardcore in this town? Come rage!
http://girlfight.bandcamp.com/

HOLLOW EARTH
From the Mitten State itself; Sabbath psych rock. If you dig Beast in the Field, Ozenza, or Harvey Milk you’ll be into this.
http://hollowearth666.bandcamp.com/

THAT’S BLOOD
Saw these guys once and it was rad as hell. 90’s influenced prog/punk/skramz, from right here in Kzoo. Check out their WIDR jam here:

You got booze, you got bucks. 9pm, 2 dollar suggested donation for the touring/out of town bands, and they will all have merch for sale.

 

Forget The Times / Gary Neason / Morseville Bridge / Peter Damien Cook

Kalamazoo’s second most challenging musical collective Forget The Times is kicking off a tour of the mid-west on Thursday, February 9th at Louie’s Trophy House Grill in Kalamazoo.

Before the details, the numbers: $5 cover, 18+, 9pm.

I’ve seen Forget The Times on a dozen or so occasions, and no two performances have been quite alike. One constant is the conventionally attractive Sean Hartman and his conventionally attractive guitar, which combine to produce an unconventionally attractive stream of notes, noise, tones, and vaguely Beefheartish licks. Another Forget The Times staple is a flurry of busy hands behind one (or sometimes two) drum kits.

Other ingredients that are mixed in include up to three extra guitars, Sean’s didgeridoo, a variety of square and sawtooth waves from a tiny synthesizer, and … well, have yourself a listen. In fact, have yourself another listen.

All by itself, this is enough music to require a takeout container, but we haven’t even shown you the appetizer menu yet.

Three additional acts will lay granite blocks of sound across the squishy warm earth, making for safe travel and clean shoes when we arrive at Forget The Times’ party zone:

Morseville Bridge will provide beautiful and catchy songs in the tradition of Built to Spill, whether stripped bare (“Grampa’s Ghost“) or with the benefit of accompaniment (“Hostage“).

Gary Neason‘s music hasn’t taken a break in nearly a decade, although occasionally there are entire weeks consisting only of rests, followed by an imperceptibly creeping crescendo of polyphony approaching pink noise. We’ll never know whether dinosaurs listened to A Love Supreme, but if they did, it might sound like this at the dinosaur open mic night.

Peter Damien Cook is a songwriter and ceaselessly dedicated entertainer. You may have seen fronting the recently deceased psychedelic pop band The Philly Crawlers, shredding his trademark green Stratocaster as part of Forget the Times, providing harmonies to the fuzzy poprocks of Edward, or sonically assaulting a basement as part of Sleeper Agent. See PDC play “Wrong To Me” live.

DIT IN THE SPRINGTIME

Well it’s February and the weather is shockingly pleasant. The warmest winter on record, I hear tell. This can only mean one thing. MORE FRISBEE THIS YEAR!

All I did last Spring/Summer was tour, play music and throw frisbees. It Was AWESOME. So, in my continued effort to keep the dream alive in 2012, I plan to do the same thing. Except more of it. Got the frisbee out to Davis Field with a bunch of friends yesterday and I leave for tour on Friday. Off to a pretty damn good start!

I say let’s keep the ball rolling. Here’s the plan:

DIT KALAMAZOO ULTIMATE FRISBEE LEAGUE!

I’m talkin’ bout some friendly, community based, good clean fun. I’ve got a little facebook group going where anyone is welcome to join up and help get this started. The goal is to get at least 4 teams of 7 players each. Ideally, each team will have both experienced and rookie players. I want this league to be competitive but never exclusive. Teams will keep the same members throughout the year and we’ll have games whenever schedules a line. Whoever won the most games at the end of the year has bragging rights until next summer. Or maybe just buys everyone else pizza…

Teams are already being formed as well as tentative plans for a first game at the end of February. If you wanna join a team or form yr own, just get on that fb group and let’s talk. We’ll also be having a ton of open group practices that people are welcome to even if they don’t wanna join a team. This could be a golden opportunity to meet new people, strengthen our community, get in shape, and KEEP THAT DREAM ALIVE.

I’m going back out to the practice field on Davis Street tomorrow at 2pm if anyone wants to come hang.

Also, it’s DIT Sunday. Meeting is at 210 Allen Blvd. at 5pm. See you all there.
UPDATE: It’s been decided that today’s DIT(K) meeting will now be held at Davis Field instead. We’ll talk about shows, throw the ‘bee around and get teams together for the league. Exciting!

2/22 – The Swellers / Bike Tuff / Hometeam / Witch Fingers

Having some midweek Wednesday woes? Treat yourself to some quality pop punk! On Wednesday, February 22nd, The Swellers will be playing at The Strutt.

Hailing from Flint, The Swellers are arguably one of Michigan’s best pop punk band. These dudes have toured with bands such as Motion City Soundtrack, Paramore and Bayside. With energetic riffs and relatable lyrics, you’re bound to have a great time watching this band. Their live shows do not disappoint.

Opening up for The Swellers will be Kalamazoo’s very own Bike Tuff. If you have been to a pop punk show in Kzoo, you have seen this band.

Battle Creek natives and now Lansing residents, Hometeam will be sure to bring the energy to the stage. While only having played a few shows in Kalamazoo, these guys never fail to have a slew of folks in the audience raising their fists and chanting the lyrics.

Lastly, but surely not least, the noodly guitar goodness of Witch Fingers! This band consists of members from your other favorite Kzoo bands: Ackley Kid, The Reptilian and Forget the Times, so you know they’re good.

This show is going to be just great. If you don’t believe me, I’m giving up a whole evening of cuddling with my cat just so I can attend this show. If that’s not a sacrifice, I don’t know what is.

Doors open at 6:30 PM with $10 advance tickets and $12 tickets at the door. GET YOUR TICKETS RIGHT MEOW!

Spend Your Friday Evening Right at the Peace Center!

Kalamazoo’s favorite folk pair Red Tail Ring are comin’ ’round to grace everyone’s presence once again tomorrow evening at the Kalamazoo Peace Center (perhaps colloquially known as the basement of the Wesley Foundation on WMU’s campus).

Also sharing  is Alex Quinlan (former guitarist of the Almanac Shouters), bringin y’all some tunes from the mountains, and none other than ramblin’ man Andru Bemis! This evening is sure to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

Indeed, it will be an evening full of revelry and friendship, of laughter and tears, and more importantly, of some gosh-darned good folk music!

Friday / 7 p.m. / Kalamazoo Peace Center / Donationzz PLZ!