Now that I am sitting comfortably in my hotel room in San Francisco and planning my day for tomorrow, I am now able to relay to you all what you missed on Friday.

Arriving promptly at 8:30, I was able to hang out with friends I haven’t seen in a while before Ackley Kid kicked off the night with their first set. While, sadly, no Distillers cover was played, the boys still managed a solid set and got the crowd moving on a couple of occasions. After a short wait, The Almanac Shouters began their set soon after. It started off a little shaky with Alex messing up a few chords, but hardly anyone noticed because we were all too excited to hear them play their new songs, and the band soon hit their groove after the second song. Doing a good mix of both old favorites such as “Railroad Bill” and (hopefully soon to be) new favorites off of their new album such as “Allen Blvd”, the band got the crowd slapping their knees and doing a little jig by the end of their set.

I was a little surprised that i didn’t see as many people show up as I had hoped for Flatfoot but I was pleased nonetheless that they still manage to deliver a good show even if there isn’t as high of a turn out as one hopes. They began their set with a rowdy song off of their second album and immediately got the crowd moving. Things got a little shaky when, after a tumble in the circle pit, a guy hit his head against the Strutt’s fireplace and proceeded to bleed everywhere. (An ambulance was called, the show was stopped, etc.) I hope he didn’t receive any serious damage, but it just about gave me a heart attack because I didn’t want Flatfoot’s first show to be marked with someone getting seriously injured. Kudos to the Strutt for taking care of the young man as quickly as they did though. I’ve been to a few venues that prefer not to meddle with injuries at a show, but the Strutt is absolutely not one of these venues, and they have yet again proven to me what a good quality venue they are.

Despite this minor setback, Flatfoot played songs off of 3 of their albums, including “Courage” from Black Thorn, and “Rotten Hand” from Knuckles Up. I ended up crowd surfing during the night (something I hadn’t done in a while) and there were very few times in which the crowd was not moving. They left the crowd chanting for one more song at the end of their set, and in response, the band delivered a cover of “La Bamba” as their encore song. All in all, it was a successful night for all parties involved, and I am super glad I got to experience it.

I am now off to bed so I won’t be overly tired for my big day tomorrow. I hope you all have a safe and fun Spring Break. See you all very soon.

Hi people! How are you? Hot? Me too!

Want to cool off? Then go on down to the Strutt tomorrow at 3p and listen to some cool music. You may be asking, “What, pray tell, is this oddly named festival, and why in the world would I gaze at my shoes?” While you don’t have to gaze at your shoes to go, there will be plenty of Shoegaze, ambient, and dream pop happening for your listening pleasure. All for $10- which is quite a steal. I’ve been going the past 2 years and have always had a rad time.

Your next questions may be: “Who is playing, and why should I care?” I have an answer to that as well. Here’s the list

Pilot Cloud (Philadelphia, PA)
800 Beloved (Detroit, MI)
Glowfriends (Kalamazoo, MI)
Love Culture (Columbus, OH)
Olympus Mons (Pittsburgh, PA)
…The Rosen Association (Chicago, IL)
Brief Candles (Milwaukee, WI)
Crash City Saints (Kalamazoo, MI)
Screen Vinyl Image (Washington, DC)

Just click the links and let yourself be carried away by some dreamy beautiful music. I hope to see you there!

It’s a good day today in K-town. The sun is shining, the birds are tweeting (but not, as far as i know, on Twitter), and I’m sitting comfortably in my new house with some chilled pink lemonade while listening to some Russian Circles.

Speaking of Russian Circles– we were finally graced with their presence this past Thursday! Despite a setback this past winter with a show cancellation due to inclement weather, they returned to us– and this time the clouds mercifully left us alone (thank you clouds). And I was able to experience this event thanks to a generous monetary gift from The Daddy. Now I will be able to relay for you all that went down Thursday night.

Opening up the night was Grand Rapids natives, Charles the Osprey. While I’m not a huge fan of their music, I am still able to appreciate the technical prowess of both the drummer and the guitarist. It never ceases to amaze me how 2 guys can create a sound that matches or exceeds that of a full band. If you’re interested in progressive or math rock like Cheer-Accident or The Fall of Troy, and you enjoy discussing time signatures or finger tapping techniques with your friends,  you may like these guys.

Next up was The Life and Times of Kansas City, Missouri. They were quite honestly my favorite band of the night. I am an avowed sucker for big, spacey ambient rock and these guys completely delivered. The only thing I was slightly frustrated with was that the right vocal monitor was crackling like crazy during their set so it was really distracting when I wanted to hear the entire band. I hope the Strutt will get it fixed soon. Nevertheless, I was really impressed with these guys. So if you like music to watch the stars to, music like The Appleseed Cast or maybe even Swervedriver, please check these guys out.

And of course, the band we had all been waiting to see at the Strutt since January, Russian Circles, closed out the night. There’s something so gratifying listening to music like this. You’re getting the full package. There’s ambiance and a lot of clashing cymbals, but you can precisely hear every note being played. This is what makes Russian Circles stand out amongst their post-rock peers. I also have to give a huge kudos to The Strutt’s sound guy, Mark, for helping re-create their huge sound in such a small venue. If you’re a fan of Caspian or Pelican, you’re going to absolutely love this band. I sincerely hope we can be graced with their presence again– I’ll be in the front row.

Be sure to check out our calendar for all the goodies coming up in the next few months- I’ll be at Kalamashoegazer on Saturday enjoying myself some good shoegaze music. See you there!

Hello my dears. It’s been such a long time since I have conversed with you all!

In the midst of all the excitement surrounding Soviet round shapes and ospreys named Charles (AMAZING SHOW by the way- a review is on its way), I wanted to bring your attention to a show we had last Saturday night at the No Fun House with Native, Former Thieves, and Kalamazoo’s own The Reptilian. If you weren’t there, I’m dearly sorry you had to miss out on this glorious occasion. Not only did you miss the ladies in the apartments next to us unintelligibly squawking about God knows what (with hilarious results!), but most importantly, you missed some great music! I can’t say I personally missed you though, since if everyone in Kalamazoo showed up, there would have been far less parking in an already tight squeeze with nearly 90 people in attendance fore these bands according to our dear doorman, Saxsquatch.

Kicking off the night with style was Former Thieves from Cedar Falls, Iowa. These guys are what the kids these days call, “legit.” They’re genuinely nice guys, and they play some kick-ass music. If you’re a fan of Touché Amoré or Thursday (circa Waiting), you may be interested in checking these guys out.The album art itself is worth a look.

Next up was Native of Northern Indiana. It’s been interesting to watch how this band has grown up from playing tiny basements to headlining larger venues in just a few short years. I remember seeing them at Rocketstar (RIP) a few years back playing to maybe 20 people. Despite the low attendance their show still managed to have as much frenetic enthusiasm as if they were playing to 200 people. And people have taken note- they were signed to Sargent House in 2008. If you’re a fan of Minus the Bear or At the Drive-In, you may be interested in checking their music out. However, their recording do not do their live shows justice so if you see Native is playing in your area- go to the show and (this goes without saying) support your scene!

And of course, our boys, The Reptilian rounded out the night with a fantastic set. I can’t say much more than that I love these boys dearly, and I don’t think I’ve met a band that works as hard as they do to get their music out there. I sincerely hope that more success comes for these guys because they deserve every bit of it. Check them out if you know what’s good for you!

Now i’m going to go enjoy myself some Ceremony and read a book when i should be studying. Ciao for now.