I book and promote shows in Kalamazoo and nearby cities.
I run Already Dead Tapes with Josh Tabbia.
http://alreadydeadtapes.com/
I play music as Forget The Times.
http://forgetthetimes.wordpress.com/
I DJ on 89.1 WIDR every Saturday 10pm-1am. Spinning soul/funk/gospel/r&b/afrobeat/hip hop/reggae/jazz under the heading 'Get In The Groove'.
http://getinthegroovewidr.tumblr.com/
Satellite Records is hosting an evening of Experimental sounds tomorrow. Add that to the Jack Tell / Heavy Leaves / Aric Smejkal / Misery Loves Co. show at Milhouse and you’ve got a well rounded night of music!
Local favorites Forget The Times will be kicking off with a set of striped back Ambient drone featuring lots of Saxophone looping and feedback manipulation. Get ready for it!
Show starts at 6pm. $5 suggest donation (for the touring band). All ages.
THE KBD SONIC COOPERATIVE
is coming in from Toledo to give us a heavy dose of Electronic Minimalism. Check these videos for a sample of what’s in store:
This show starts in just a few hours (6pm), so we’ll make this brief:
SIR RICHARD BISHOP is an incredibly talented guitarist that has been making waves in underground music since 1979. He’s led the band Sun City Girls and Rangda in addition to creating an impressive body of solo work. His most recent albums have been released by the Drag City label. His sound draws heavily from various World Music and Avant-garde influences. Prepare yourself for a truly sublime and trans-formative experience tonight. This is not one to miss!
ROBERT MILLIS is a founding member of Climax Golden Twins and AFCGT. He has also produced some excellent solo work including film scores, sound installations and many contributions to the Sublime Frequencies label. Robert has self described his music as “Pete Seeger trying to cover Revolution #9 by The Beatles”
SEAN & FIONA are a local duo project from Sean Hartman of Forget The Times and Fiona Dickinson of Saltbreaker. They perform only on special occasions with this project. This will their 4th show in about that many years. Their sound draws from Free Jazz, Folk and Classical influences and is largely improvised.
Doors are at 6pm tonight and music kicks off at 6:30 sharp!
$10 cover for the touring artists
All ages are always welcome!
Satellite Records is located at
808 S. Westnedge (next door to 4th Coast and Bagel Beanery)
Any questions, call them at (269) 381-0218
Tonight, Kalamazoo will be in the presence of greatness.
These days, that’s almost not saying much. There are so many incredible shows happening a regular, weeknight basis that it’s easy to become callous to the level of talent our little city attracts. Well, let me try to convince you that tonight stands out at least a little bit from the rest:
Let’s talk about Hypercolor.
First, I suggest letting the above link play while yr browsing. Because at the end of the day, no matter how well written a DIT post is, it’s basically just a colorful way to try and convince you to actually stop and listen to the band.
Hypercolor is from New York City. They are an instrumental trio with a wonderfully complex yet deceptively simple songwriting approach. The kind of music that simultaneously appeals to music scholars and casual listeners. Songs often have an unusual flow with slight atonal quirks or unexpected changes. But there is still a wonderful Pop edge present at all times. They’re not afraid to explore but have no wish to alienate the listener in the process.
Hypercolor just put out a new album on Tzadik Records. If you’re familiar with the label run by Avant-garde luminary, John Zorn then you already know this show can’t be missed. If not, maybe you got a chance to see their label mates Les Rhinoceros at Milhouse. This show will be of the same caliber.
Here’s what Tzadik has to say about the band: “A crazy collaborative jazz-rock unit out of the new generation of Downtown improvisers, Hypercolor is a bizarre trio that blends Beef- heart, Sonny Sharrock and ’80s punk with contemporary classical orchestral textures, spastic world music rhythms and noise improvisation. Sonic madness featuring the twisted guitar of Eyal Maoz, the deep toned bass of James Ilgenfritz and the grooving drums of African music aficionado Lukas Ligeti.”
Opening up the night will be locals The Uncanny & Forget The Times.
*This is an early show!* Music will start at 6pm
$5 donation is suggested for the touring band
All ages are always welcome
Please, no booze or drugs. Safe space!
Satellite Records is located at
808 S. Westnedge
Next to 4th Coasts & Bagel Beanery
It’s not every day you get to see a band from Chile, let along one as awesome as LA HELL GANG!
Satellite Records is proud to present a night of Heavy Psych vibrations. Check the details:
LA HELL GANG
Hailing from Santiago, Chile. La Hell Gang bring plenty of 60’s Psych Rock influence played with a taste and control that makes their sound far from derivative. This band is essential for fans of Acid Mothers Temple, 13th Floor Elevators or Brown Company.
Here’s what Mexican Summer has to say about their latest album: “Imagine a still oasis on a man-made Martian desert, saturated with rust and red clay. Gravity has shifted slightly, though the atmosphere is warm and dense, and everything around you is moving more slowly than you are used to. You’re just waking up to this world, a realm not entirely beyond your comprehension, but all the same, part of a new reality to contend with and romanticize. Chilean rock trio La Hell Gang’s second album Thru Me Again is the soundtrack to this strange new land.
Earning high praise from their debut, 2010′s Just What Is Real, La Hell Gang have traded in the cleaner, ’60s-indebted sonics which populated that record with something more complex, a murkier palate that instills these eight songs with languid mystery. Thru Me Again wades through these danger-infested waters with otherworldly grace, hanging back in the frame while their brand of laced blues wander fills the room with an unassailable vibe of concentrated lust. Providing a counterpart to the sounds of fellow travelers in their homebase of Santiago, such as Watchout! and Föllakzoid, Thru Me Again is the product of a band mastering its own language, and learning that the tender moments of their music can go as deep as their proverbial paint-peelers. You might be visiting this new world, but La Hell Gang lives there, knows every crater, all the flora and fauna, and have generously offered to take you on a journey of their architected existence. You would be wise to follow.”
Doors are at 9pm
Music starts at 9:30 sharp
Locals FORGET THE TIMES will be opening the show and Grand Rapids’ own IMPERIAL SUN CRUSHER will follow
$5 suggested minimum donation (pay what you can/want. It all goes to the travelling bands)
All ages are always welcome
No alcohol / drugs / jerks
Respect the bands / Respect the venue/ Respect yrself
Buy some records
Satellite Records is located at 808 S Westnedge Ave (next to Bagel Beanery, 4th Coast, etc). Feel free to call them at (269) 381-0218 with any questions
We’re really excited about this one! There is a lot of potential with this event and we can’t wait to see where it goes!
The Saxsquatch Psychedelic Freakout is a brand new open jam session hosted by Satellite Records every 2nd and last Wednesday. The twist is that the event focuses on experimental music of all genres. Mr Saxsquatch will be providing a different house band every night and anyone is welcome to sit in and get weird. All instruments, ages and skill levels are welcome!
We believe that good music has no limitation. We want to see people getting excited about exploring and trying new things! Satellite Records is one of the few true All Ages safe space venues in town. Everyone is welcome here. Let’s make some new friends and build a stronger Kalamazoo Arts Community!
For the inaugural Freakout tonight, the Saxsquatch will be joined by local heavyweights Jose Rincones (Anybody But The Cops, Surprise Attack, Rise Into Ruin) and Russell Wagner (The Reptilian, Forget The Times, Cape & Cowl). The three of them will be setting up a variety of instruments ready to steer the evening into uncharted territory.
Feel free to bring any instrument you’d like! There will be several house amps + the PA on hand if you require extra volume. Don’t want to jam but still want to attend? Please do! There’s no pressure to play and it’s always fun to browse records while listening to live music.
The event starts at 8pm and goes to 10pm (or whenever the people stop playing).
There is no cover, but we’ll have a donation box out if yr feeling generous.
Please, no alcohol / drugs / jerks (let’s keep it a safe space!).
Register will be open all night if you wanna buy anything.
It’s been an incredible year for Kalamazoo shows and Satellite Records isn’t slowing down at all! Tonight they’re hosting a true once-in-a-lifetime experience!
Show starts at 9pm. We’re asking a suggested minimum $5 donation for the travelling musicians. All ages. No drugs / alcohol. Satellite Records is at 808 S Westnedge (next to Bagel Beanery and 4th Coast)
PETER WALKER
Peter Walker is an American original, as eclectic and enigmatic as the songs he writes. The legendary seventy-five year old raga/psychedelic/folk acoustic guitarist, and Woodstock resident, was schooled by masters such as Ravi Shankar, and Ali Akbar Khan and his music has been celebrated by the late Jack Rose, James Blackshaw, Steffen Basho-Junghans, Thurston Moore, and Greg Davis, who all contributed original compositions to the 2006 tribute album, “A Raga For Peter Walker”. In the mid-‘60s, while musical director to Timothy Leary’s LSD explorations, Walker released the classic “Rainy Day Raga” LP in 1966, and 1968’s influential “Second Poem to Karmela or Gypsies Are Important”, both on Vanguard Records. Following that, he disappeared from recording for almost forty years, but never stopped practicing, learning, reaching. Now, on the heels of his first select tour in six years in February to celebrate the late 2013 release of his lost studio session from 1970, and his first solo guitar record with vocals, “Has Anybody Seen Our Freedoms?”, on Delmore Recording Society, Walker is thrilled to announce that he will be making a special live appearance at Satellite Records in Kalamazoo, MI tonight!
BOB BUCKO JR.
Mr. Bucko is a gifted and prolific musician. He has recorded material ranging from Free Jazz, Noise Rock, Drone, Psych Folk, Avant-garde, Guitar, Saxophone and more. We’ve been looking forward to seeing him live for quite some time now. Especially after hearing his release on Chicago’s Captcha Records.
AXEL QUINLAN
Kalamazoo’s best Folk musician. We’re not lying. Axel does it right. Dark and deeply personal songs accompanied by well crafted finger picking. This is the real deal. Not that cheese ball crap you see at far too often these days.
The Already Dead Family Reunion is only one week away! For me, this is by far the most magical music experience of the year and I’m incredibly excited to share it with all of you! In the next few days, you’ll be seeing posts from several DIT writers about the Family Reunion, what it means to them and what they’re looking forward to this year. Seeing as how I am the one booking the festival, I’m gonna start by sharing my perspective and hopefully encouraging you to join us on September 24th – 28th!
Over the past couple years of booking this annual event, I’ve had a number of people tell me it is best festival they’ve ever been to. I’ve also heard folks say that they’ve never seen this big a lineup without any filler acts or that they’ve never been so consistently blown away by this many new bands. Very high praise and I do not take it lightly!
The Family Reunion is a deeply important experience for me and I take great pains to ensure it is the best event I can possibly put together. I carefully pick bands that are creative, challenging, passionate and inspiring. I’m not concerned with booking artists that have been hyped on Pitchfork or can draw a big crowd. Instead, I want this to be a special experience for all playing and attending. You may not know all the performers ahead of time, but I guarantee that if you have an open mind, you will enjoy every minute of it!
For those not familiar, here is a quick bio on what the ADFR is and what you need to know about this year:
The Already Dead Family Reunion is an annual music festival based around the label Already Dead Tapes & Records which was founded by Josh Tabbia and myself (Sean Hartman) in late 2009. The first Reunion was a one day event in the Fall of 2011. We wanted to put together an event that allowed label bands from across the country to meet and collaborate. We wanted to inspire local creativity by bringing in fresh and forward thinking artists. Most of all, we wanted to build a festival where people attend because of the event’s reputation, not just because their favorite band is playing. Every year it has grown both in scope and attendance. This year includes 36 bands from all over the country playing at 4 different venues over the course of 5 days!
A lot of amazing acts have played the Reunion over the past three years and I wholly believe this year is the best lineup yet!
We’ve got some heavy hitters from previous Reunions –
(About A Million, Grow Fangs, Problems That Fix Themselves, The New Diet, Spelling Bee, U.S. Tribes, Morseville Bridge, AM Stations)
Newer label bands making their Kalamazoo debut –
(Shitstorm, Ant’lrd, Silence Dogood, Yeesh, Miami Dolphins, Watermelon, Kyle Kaos)
Locals bands –
(The Reptilian, Forget The Times, Boring People, Vermillion Father, Boron Nuzzle, Guppy, Anybody But The Cops, Axel Quinlan, Dumbelievers, ARGERN, M. Sord)
Plus fan favorites, label associates and friends in the making – (Child Bite, Cheer-Accident, Cellular Choas, Chris Brokaw, Spanyurd, Regular Fucked Up People, Victoria Blade, Comfort Food, Law$suits)
We’ve even got a special event at the Alamo Drafthouse where a few hand picked musicians will be improvising a live soundtrack to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari!
Satellite Records has got an evening astounding entertainment lined up! Ava Luna dropped one of the best records of 2014 and we’re super excited to see them right here in Kalamazoo!
Ava Luna is a band that defies normal genre constraints. The instrumentation is often based in Punk, No Wave and Experimental roots but the vocals are straight Soul Music. They craft their songs so beautifully that any listener can enjoy them for the Pop masterpieces they really are. This is adventurous, passionate music that absolutely must be heard!
Check out these videos and you’ll see exactly what we mean:
Satellite Records is located at 808 S Westnedge Ave
Show starts at 9pm
$5 suggested minimum donation with all money going to the touring bands
All Ages
No alcohol / drugs / jerks
Opening bands include: Celestial Shore, Saxsquatch & Bridge Band
Satellite Records may be new, but they’ve already well established themselves as one of the most active DIT friendly venues in the city. Since opening on July 1st, they’ve hosted at least two shows a week. Some pretty incredible bands have come through and it’s only getting better!
They’re next event is gonna be HEAVY. Pro level Experimental Jazz from NYC. Battle Trance is a group led by Tenor Sax master Travis Laplante. He’s played in town three times before. Once with his No Wave quartet Little Women and twice solo. Ask anyone that saw one of those shows and they will unanimously tell you it was one of the best performances they’ve ever seen. Do not make the mistake of missing this next gig!
Battle Trance have a brand new LP out on NNA Tapes. Their description of the record is one of the most engaging press releases we’ve seen. So, we’re gonna cheat a little and just post it here:
“Palace of Wind is a piece that not only transcends genres, but also transcends time and space. Existing in the cracks between contemporary classical music, avant-garde jazz, black metal, ambient, and world music, Palace of Wind is an album-length composition that pushes the four saxophonists to the limit, shedding new light on the saxophone as an ensemble instrument. The players use circular breathing to build continuous, hypnotic waves of sound; multiphonics layer to create intricate textures that seem to come from an ancient time; and blisteringly fast lines seem to liquefy into each other. Unorthodox articulations and unusual fingerings are also part of the vast sonic vocabulary that the members of Battle Trance have painstakingly mastered. However, Palace of Wind isn’t merely concerned with demonstrating the virtuosity of the ensemble, nor with impressing or entertaining the listener. Instead, it is meant to be a portal of resonance where there is no separation between the listener and the sound.
Battle Trance had an auspicious inception. One morning, Travis Laplante (Little Women and a trio with bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer Ches Smith) literally awoke with the crystal clear vision that he needed to start an ensemble with three specific individuals: Matthew Nelson, Jeremy Viner, and Patrick Breiner. Laplante was actually unfamiliar with their work as musicians and had only a minimal relationship with them as individuals. He was also aware that a band of four tenor saxophones could be the worst idea ever. In spite of this, Laplante followed through and contacted Nelson, Viner, and Breiner. He gave them very little information beyond his morning experience But no one hesitated – the ensemble formed that evening.
Since many of the techniques used in the piece are nearly impossible to notate in traditional form, Palace of Wind was transmitted via the oral tradition. The rehearsals were much like martial arts training: intricate sounds were rigorously copied and repeated by the ensemble members until they perfected the techniques. Many hours were spent building the sheer strength required to sustain continuous circular breathing for extended periods. Likewise, a steady focus on physicality was required to repeat rapid note patterns for long periods without sacrificing speed. Palace of Wind is such a demanding composition that there is a high risk of physically burning out before the piece concludes, as once it begins there is no opportunity for rest or even a quick drink of water. There was also extensive training in dissolving the distinct individual identities of the players into the greater collective sound: The band did various long-tone exercises, similar to group meditation, the purpose being to blend together into one sound, so that the origin of the collective sound’s components is completely impossible to discern – even by the members of the ensemble.
Palace of Wind does embrace both the cerebral nature of composition and the visceral act of performance, but immediately locates itself, the musicians and the audience in a purely spiritual space. It is a new kind of music and therefore modern, and yet it’s absolutely primordial, the transformative act of human beings blowing air through tubes and producing something timeless.”
Satellite Records is located at 808 S Westnedge (next to Bagel Beanery and 4th Coast)
First band kicks off at 9pm. Local support provided by Experimental Doom Metal heavyweights Shoto & Space Rock explorers Surprise Attack!
We’re asking a suggested donation of $5 or more
If you’re truly broke, please come to the show anyways! We won’t turn you away or look down on you. We just want to make sure these fine touring musicians are properly taken care of.
As always, shows at Satellite are ALL AGES! Register will be open too if you wanna buy some records
DITKalamazoo 