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/
Seeing as how Corner Record Shop is too far away from downtown to be a part of the monthly Art Hops, they’ve decided to host their own version of it. First one was last month with Brown Company, Forget The Times and Saxsquatch. A pleasant time was had by all.
This month they’re keeping the new tradition alive! Here’s the plan:
The store will be open all day as normal. Register will be open throughout the event as well if ya wanna do some late night shopping.
At 8pm, there will be FREE snacks & refreshments (planning on picking up a few growlers of root beer from Old Peninsula…). Feel free to come hang and enjoy the art.
At 9:30 the music will begin.
There is no cover charge and all ages are welcome.
Visual Art By Collin Schipper
Live Music From KYLE LANDSTRA & ENTROPY ELEPHANT (Collin Schipper & Sid Redlin)
All kinds of fun is goin’ down this Monday at the Corner Record Shop. If indie rock is yr thing, then you won’t want to miss what we’ve got in store (pun intended). Two excellent Michigan bands and some Bostonian touring folks that I’m super excited about!
If you haven’t been to a Corner Record Show yet, here’s the deal. It’s located at 1710 West Main. That’s at the top of West Main hill inside of Tiffany’s Village. Music starts around 9:30 when Saffron closes so that we don’t piss of our neighbors. We never charge a cover and there is no age limit. However, we encourage everyone to donate to the touring band (and buy records from the shop). Because we are a business, we can’t allow any drinking or drugs on the premises.
This is modern Rock ‘N Roll done right. Easily draws comparisons to big name artists like Alabama Shakes, Kings Of Leon or Cold War Kids. However, they seem to have found a way of only incorporating the interesting bits from those bands. I’m impressed.
Chances are, you’ve heard some of the buzz going around for the big music festival coming up this month, The Already Dead Family Reunion 2. In case yr unaware of the details or aren’t sure about attending, I shall attempt to illuminate and entice.
The Reunion is the second annual music festival put on by local label Already Dead Tapes & Records. The label has been around since 2009 and is run by myself and Joshua Tabbia of Problems That Fix Themselves. Our goal is to use the Reunion to bring together bands from near and far that are members, friends and associates of the label. Both the label and festival strive for diversity. We take in bands from all over the genre map. Folk, Noise, Indie, Rock, Jazz, Punk, Electronica, Pop and more! There are 28 bands playing in total over the course of three days.
This festival is very special to me. I’m excited to see every single performer over the weekend. These are bands that could literally change your life if you let them. On top of that, there are some truly great and inspiring people that will be hanging out. I want to see folks come together and share the experience. This will be a time to remember.
Discount weekend passes are available right now for only $12! Don’t wait, as prices will go up once the first 25 and 50 tickets have sold. They can only be purchased via Already Dead Tapes: http://alreadydeadtapes.bigcartel.com/category/tickets. There are no additional fees and buyers will be added to a will call list. 100% of the money made will go to the travelling bands and production cost. 17 of the bands playing are travelling here (some from very far away) and I’d like to make sure they are supported. There will also be plenty of amazing merch available from Already Dead and the individual performers.
The first show is being held at No Fun House on Thursday, September 20th. 6pm-12am. Single day tickets are $5 door and $4 pre sale.
The mood for this day will be low key as most of the artists are folk and acoustic based. Here’s the lineup:
6/6:45 – Alex Quinlan
6:45/7:30 – Peter Damien Cook
7:30/8:15 – Tim Tapper
8:15/9 – Eskimeaux (Philadelphia, PA)
9/9:45 – Lovestranger MD (Minneapolis, MN)
9:45/10:30 – About A Million (Honey Brook, PA)
10:30/11:15 – Fiona Dickinson
11:15/12 – Spectral Being
Here’s a videos of About A Million and Peter Cook playing at last year’s Reunion.
Day 2 is being held on Friday, September 21st at Louie’s Trophy House Grill. 6pm-12am. Single day tickets will be $10 door and are available right now for $7 pre sale.
Everyone on Friday will have a full band setup. There is a wide variety of styles while all featuring a sort of ‘noisy pop’ theme. Here’s what’s in store:
6/6:45 – Morseville Bridge (Flint, MI)
6:45/7:30 – Ou Oú (St. Louis, MO)
7:30/8:15 – The Binary Marketing Show (Little Rock, AR)
8:15/9 – Brown Company
9/9:45 – Problems That Fix Themselves (Chicago, IL)
9:45/10:30 – Hermit Thrushes (Philadelphia, PA)
10:30/11:15 – Daniel Francis Doyle (Houston, TX)
11:15/12 – Saturday Looks Good To Me (Ann Arbor, MI)
Morseville Bridge and Problems That Fix Themselves are both returning after playing last year’s Reunion. Brown Company are local long time avant-garde masters playing their first show since changing their name from ‘Unitard’. Rumor has it they might even be adding some members! The celebrated Daniel Francis Doyle will be making his third appearance in Kalamazoo and bringing back his solo set! A 12″ split on AD is in the works with Dan and Hermit Thrushes who will be playing back to back. Saturday Looks Good To Me are headlining the night and making their first Kalamazoo appearance in years! SLGTM’s singer, Fred Thomas did an AD tape split with Radiator Hospital earlier this year.
Here’s a few videos to check out:
The final day of the Reunion will be on Saturday, September 22 and is a two part show. The first part is at Louie’s Trophy House Grill, 6pm-12am. This will be immoderately followed by an after party house show at Wayne Manor. Single day tickets are also available for only $10 door and $7 pre sale.
Saturday will be the loudest of the weekend. Many of the bands have a more ‘punk rock’ influence with a few notable exceptions. Here’s what’s on the slab:
LOUIE’S –
6/6:45 – Jeremy Ruggles & The Echo Chamber Family Band
6:45/7:30 – The Reptilian
7:30/8:15 – The New Diet (Chicago, IL)
8:15/9 – Br’er (Philadelphia, PA)
9/9:45 – Spelling Bee (St. Louis, MO)
9:45/10:30 – Hypocrite In A Hippy Crypt (Bloomington, IN)
10:30/11:15 – Emperor X (CA)
11:15/12 – Forget The Times Infinite Family Arkestra
AFTER PARTY –
1/1:30 – WearWolf
1:30/2 – Braining (St. Louis, MO)
2/2:30 – Anybody But The Cops
2:30/3 – The Grow Fangs (Minneapolis, MN)
The New Diet are driving out from Chicago to share their heartfelt brand of post punk. AD released a 7″ split with them and The Binary Marketing Show a few weeks ago. I’m super excited to see Br’er again after touring with them for two weeks back in May. Spelling Bee is one of the greatest math punk bands I’ve ever seen. Without question. AD is pressing their new full length on vinyl right now. May even be available at the Reunion. Hypocrite In A Hippy Crypt is making his first ever live appearance! Emperor X is one of my all time favorite pop song writers. His live performances are not to be missed! I will personally be closing out the Louie’s portion of the night with a one off performance with The Forget The Times Infinite Family Arkestra. We’re assembling a 12 piece band exclusively for this show. Full horn section, extra synthesizers, and a drumline. Prepare yrself!
As everyone knows, after the party it’s the afterparty. We’ll be taking you into the wee hours of the morning. At 2:30am, the legendary Grow Fangs will be wrapping up the whole festival. GF were a local favorite good natured thrash punk super group. They’ve since all moved away. This is the first full reunion in quite some time. Heads will explode.
Over the years, DIT(K) has come under a lot of scrutiny from folks both near and far. Due in part to our contributions, Kalamazoo is a more recognized destination on the independent touring circuit than possibly ever before! Artists from all over the country and all over the world have been talking about how much fun our little community is! However, in this time we’ve also generated some confusion and misconceptions.
In this article, I’d like to explain what DIT(K) is, how we operate, our mission and how anyone can get involved!
Do It Together Kalamazoo started in early 2009 as a response to the growing number of local DIY shows and general lack of communication between the different folks setting up those shows. Ideas of how to accomplish this were thrown around for a while. Eventually we settled on the wordpress powered site we now occupy. Our goals then expanded from simply improving communication to also finding ways to get new people involved in the community, increasing show attendance and providing touring bands with an easy way to get booked. For a long time there were only 3-4 of us actively involved in running the site, keeping fresh daily content and checking dozens of emails each week.
DIT(K) can be described as a loose collective of promoters, musicians, and music lovers volunteering to help each other create a more collaborative, active, open, and safe arts community. We do not want to become some sort of governing body that regulates events. Instead we encourage anyone to get involved. Whether it’s booking shows, playing a show, putting up fliers, writing posts or even providing touring artists with food. Everyone is invited. If it ever seems like DIT has become biased on the type of shows being promoted, it’s simply because the people currently volunteering are working within their separate, personal interests. DIT is only as good as the people willing to help. That being said, we are constantly striving to be inclusive. Even if that means promoting events that our volunteers are not enthusiastic about. We do not write negative articles and never try to discourage attendance of a specific event. Every article at minimum attempts to accurately describe the artists performing and what someone can expect from attending.
Every genre of music is welcome. Our only stipulation is that shows covered generally fall in line with DIY ethics. This means that the musicians are playing purely for the love of their craft and of their community, and that promoters are volunteering their efforts with no goal of personal profit. Most of the shows covered are booked around touring bands, and often ones that have never played Kalamazoo before. Sometimes they even have no previous ties to the city. This is not intended as a critique of other types of shows. We simply feel that a broader spectrum of coverage would become muddled and be near impossible to manage. Also, historically there have been plenty of other events covered by organizations such as West Michigan Noise, Kzoo Music Scene, Kalamazoo Local Music, The Gazette and more. We simply try to focus on shows and genres that do not get much coverage from other sources. This includes basement shows, art spaces, punk shows, experimental shows and anything generally embracing Do It Yourself or Do It Together ideas.
DIT(K) can be contacted at any time via email at ditkalamazoo@gmail.com. However, we generally have only one person regularly checking the email and it can be very easy for things to get lost due to the ever increasing number of people contacting us from all over the world. The best way to to get in touch is by coming to one of our weekly meetings. These are held every Sunday, 5pm at 210 Allen Blvd.
Often, the local emails we get are from Kalamazoo artists wishing to get booked by DIT. Our goal is not to monopolize the booking in town and have all shows come through us. Rather, we want to educate folks so that ANYONE can set up their own show. DIT is more than happy to help in any way possible but we do not have the desire or manpower to be the ones setting up every aspect of every show. The idea is that EVERYONE can be a part of DIT(K).
We do not have a perfect system and are always looking for ways to improve. The sum of DIT(K) is only as good as it’s parts. If you see something missing, then by all means join in and fill the void. The members of DIT only want to see Kalamazoo continue to cultivate the best arts community possible. We want people of all ages to feel welcome at shows. We want to see people throwing a show and then going out the next day to put up fliers for their neighbor’s show. We want to see 100 people come out and support a touring band they’ve never heard of before. We want to see punk, folk, metal, noise, hip hop, electronica, rock, jazz, bluegrass and pop all in the same week (or in the same show). We want everyone to DO IT TOGETHER!
For better ideas of how to get involved and keep DIT(K) balanced and thriving, please come to one of our meetings. If your schedule doesn’t allow, please email us with any questions or thoughts. If you don’t get a response right away, please don’t get discouraged. We’re trying! There is also a wonderful online zine that has been created by the folks over at dodiy.org with step by step guides on how to set up your own shows and become an active part of your community. We’ve got plenty of great touring bands looking for shows and need all the help we can get!
It’s my birthday and all I wanna do is throw a rock show with my friends. Yr all invited! Let’s eat pizza and drink fancy soda.
Here’s the plan:
Wednesday July 18 @ Corner Record Shop (1710 West Main)
8pm hang outs. 9pm music.
Performances by:
SEAN HARTMAN & FRIENDS
Myself, Benji ‘WearWolf’ Myers and Tim Tapper will be joining forces for the first time in YEARS to bring you a drummless improv noise set. Expect plenty of fuzzy guitar and synth tones. Drifting toward ecstasy.
THE ALL STAR SEMI PRO BRASS BAND
If you were around for the end of the most excellent Hullabazoo event a few months back, then you know what is in store. The Saxsquatch is assembling a variety of brass horn players to officially tear the roof off the sucka. Pure soul.
Crossing genre lines between Modest Mouse style indie rock, power pop and post hardcore. These dudes skip the bullshit and simply make music that sounds GOOD. Bring tha thunda.
Hope to see y’all there! Gonna be a real cool time. Don’t forget to bring some money for the touring bands. Sorry, no drugs / alcohol (record shop rules). If ya wanna be super generous and help spread the word, here’s a link: http://www.facebook.com/events/248483748588054/
Respect the Shop. Respect the bands. Respect yrself.
Easily the most active DIY space in Kalamazoo right now. These dudes are keepin it REAL. Here’s the deets:
ROTTEN APPLES –
Touring band all the way from Boston, MA. Weirdo rock n rollers of the highest caliber. Frank Zappa inspired basement trippers. Ready to take you higher.
LOST IN TRANSLATION –
Kalamazoo’s grooviest rockers. Making their sophomore appearance at the V.
SAXSQUATCH – That giant ‘Hell Yeah’ dude. Loudest man in Kalamazoo.
Music starts at 9pm. Bring some money for the touring band. Make em feel welcome. Let em know Kalamazoo is the best damn city in Pure Michigan.
RESPECT THE HOUSE. RESPECT THE BANDS. RESPECT YRSELF.
LET’S HANG!
It’s been a while but CRS Kalamazoo will be doing a one off show. Just like the old days! Gonna clear out the back vinyl room and make way for a high class rock show.
The show will be centered around the touring act, MANY ARMS. They’re traveling from Philadelphia in support of their new self titled album released on John Zorn’s Tzadik Records!
This band is beyond mind blowing. Deftly crossing sounds between complex prog rock, spiritual noise and cascading free jazz. This will be a night to remember. See fr yrself:
Many Arms will be sandwiched between two locals desperately trying to keep up:
LOST IN TRANSLATION
Ryan Pate’s latest project. Three piece groove based prog rock. They do it right.
HARTMAN & SAXSQUATCH
Duo performance featuring yours truly. Jarad Selner and I will be giving you our own take on free jazz. Didgeridoo, saxophone guitar and maybe a few other randon instruments. No drums, just flow. Close yr eyes and think of a place you’ve never been.
Music starts around 9pm once Saffron closes. Please bring donations/merch money for the touring band! Your generosity is the only way they are getting paid. Gas ain’t cheap and they’ve got a long road ahead of them.
Corner Record Shop is at 1710 West Main St. (next to Tiffany’s)
Respect the venue. Respect the bands. Respect yrself.
This Tuesday, The No Fun House has a special treat for yr ears.
Bad Braids, Mike Bruno & The Black Magic Family Band + NEIL SHAH!
I’ve been trying to think of good ways to describe these touring bands. No matter what I come up with, I just can’t seem to do them justice. It just has to be heard. Dreamy folk, perfect for a warm summer night. Check it:
BAD BRAIDS (Brooklyn)
MIKE BRUNO & THE BLACK MAGIC FAMILY BAND
After all this, Kalamazoo’s favorite son Neil Shah will be closing out the night with a special acoustic performance. Prepare yourself.
The night kicks off with a Potluck at 7pm. Mike Palmer is baking a cake. Bring a dish to pass and help us feed the touring bands!
Music kicks off around 8:30. We’re asking for donations with all proceeds going to the touring bands’ gas tank.
Respect the house. Respect the bands. Respect yrself.
DO IT TOGETHER
A lot has been happening in Kalamazoo lately. Plenty of killer house shows, good times all around at Louie’s and the grand finale weekend at The Strutt. It’s a good time to be alive.
We’ve all got a major choice in front of us. A real first world problem indeed.
Minutes and Whales are launching out on tour together after this show. They could use some support for the journey ahead. They’ve even got a new tour EP made up for the occasion. Not to mention No Bails are one of the most consistently top notch bands around.
Harley Poe and Homeless Gospel Choir are on tour together from the great city of Philadelphia. This means it’s not every day you’ll be able to see them play. Plus we’ve all got a golden opportunity to make some new friends and give Kalamazoo a special place in their hearts.
Here’s a few things to make yr decision even harder:
Check the post below for some Harley Poe/Homeless Gospel Choir media.
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!
DITKalamazoo 