I appear to have some competition…that is there are many shows going on this Friday night for all the variety of tastes that listeners young, slightly older, and possibly older than them, may desire. Buts it’s really the generational aspect that entices the eye and the gut: the ageless quality, the community of patches; comprised of the old-punks, the new-hipsters, the college capitalists, and the cantankerous DIY veteran. So supposedly all are welcome to welcome the music.
But if the shows busts than the blame will squarely be placed on the drunken piss waggler in the street with a mighty crunch of the beer can. I cannot vouch for the folks over at Touchdown City 2.0, but a swift kick in the ass may be appropriate in any case if the threat to community ever comes to pass.
That being said, the actual music being presented is brought to you by a collection of four odd-men, three from home-base Kalamazoo and one from the West. That music they play being the sort of “I’m all by myself and this here guitar is my only friend” type, or “mayhaps this will be my murder weapon” sort of string strumming. More so these one-man-acts provide the kind of show that allows listeners to really appreciate the grain in the coniferous wood body of the performer’s chosen instrument and perhaps even whisper the word “intimate” into the next show-goers ear.
Graveling about from the state Oregon, crawling out of that creative cess-pit of villainy, saxophone players, and liberal-arts majors known as Portland, Ghostwriter (or Steve Schecter to friends) has the sound of an electric guitar that had the pleasure of being crammed into the exhaust pipe of a Ford 4 x 4 along with Tom Wait’s left boot. Schecter is an embattled, entrenched, and entertaining DIY performer that chews out notes like the death rattle of some rusted-pick up that needs a carburetor replaced, all the while keeping passengers calm by the occasional usage of a hand-brake, or more accurately, a pedal-operated tambourine. A treat for the DIT deviants and fans of tin-can, swamp-punk.
Though the namesake isn’t clear to some, Arms Akimbo seems most at home when flaking the skin flecks off the metal banded strings adorned on his southern-lute, or banjo for short. (I don’t plan on addressing the namesake) While the guitar playing is settling, it’s the cracked voice, the uneasy quality in the timbre, the uncertainty bounding from one word to the next in his performance that coddles both wary and ignorant listeners into a bleary past of some golden creation, full of crickets and cat-tails.
Occasionally an ass-fool, Tim Tapper is a prolific son of Vine St., always trying and always contentious. His sound follows suit with confidence, with delicate attention to his instrument–carefully navigating through the muggings, murders, and poverty of the surrounding neighborhood from whence it played. The sour tone occasionally flowing into Tapper’s singing always chains me to this place–Kalamazoo–exposing the flaws in the pavement and the chips in the paint of the wood panels covering the student ghetto residences, whilst sobering dark imaginations.
I sat down with Alex Young the other day in studio. He was barefoot for the most part and carried his coffee in a mason jar. I was late, but so was he so we called it even. With my colleague David had setting-up the microphones and the decade-old Canon postured into my palm, the only bit of business left to attend to was the young-man’s performance. While the orange-lamp glared, the red-camera eye blinked in constant attention, and the dry-wall held its breath, Alex began a few songs that just made the scenery seem something electrically correct. The nasal-pitched voice climbing through vocal chords that sound scratched from screaming is complemented by an attentive electric guitar diddy. Makes the rug under your feet warm, and the wood smell like the city.
Show is at 10 p.m.
If directions to Touchdown City 2.0 are needed, email ditkalamazoo@gmail.com
Respect the house, the idea, the people, and yourself.
Friday night at Wayne manor, prepare yourselves for night of ridiculous Rock N Roll – expect good times – don’t forget to dance. We’ve got two touring bands on the line up so don’t forget a few bucks for donations (at least throw a smoke in the bucket).
Not convinced? Check out the line-up below
Destroy Nate Allen coming all the way from Portland takes one of American’s greatest forms of expression, folk music, flips it on its head and kicks it in the ass. The duo jams their unique folk-punk mix and fills it in with everything from Skanky Ska to experimental over tones.
Brass bows is a local band with one self-described genre, Rock n’ Roll and they play Rock n’ Roll the way it’s meant to be played: full of soul, sex, and plenty of booze.
The Mushmen is a local Ska-core band guaranteed to get your feet moving. When those up strokes start ringing and those horns start blasting, you will most likely be having too much fun – fair warning.
It’s about to get heavy on Western’s campus. Four punk-related artists will be spanning sounds and issues for a FREE SHOW brought to you by the Kalamazoo Peace Center.
Local favorites ACKLEY KID will be in your face, raw, heavy and just the best dudes. ELK WELCOME will also be bringing their punk/jam band mix helping you get weird.
The show will also feature out of towners GREEN WASHED, who have no recordings online. However, as fellow southwest Michiganders on a bill such as this one, I’m sure they’re bringing something not to miss.
Finally, CLOSET BURNER from Bloomingon, IN will be bringing the most intense queercore you’ll ever get the pleasure of seeing, unless you happen to be fortunate enough to see Limp Wrist. However, for the price of ZERO DOLLARS, this is too good to pass up. Seriously, they’re called Closet Burner, how can that not be awesome?
As I’ve said, this show is FREE, and will also have FREE ROOT BEER AND ICECREAM. Starts at 7:30. Respect the shit out of these bands and of the Peace Center folks who help bring cool outta towners at a low low price.
Since the Black Lodge began booking shows earlier this year, they have sported a myriad of genres. Adding to this diverse presentation, they’ll be showcasing acts of a varied folk tradition.
FOLK Y’ALL are an old-timey 3-piece with an up-to-current day edge from Connecticut. Mandolin picking, guitar strumming, twangy singing, this group is going to get your feet tapping and maybe even have you singing along.
Also featuring locals:
NICK DEMOTT rough ‘n’ tumble political/personal folk punk
JEREMY RUGGLES experimental, ambiguous and thought provoking acoustic
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.
Tonight the Vine Neighborhood will be filled with dope rhymes and phat beats, courtesy of The Black Lodge. The all-star roster includes such local talents as:
Sista Mista, who will be opening with a special remix set. Come early to check out the preposterous reinterpretations of your favorite tracks.
Ms Chyna D will be coming through bringing her soulful blend of hip-hop virtuosity with some R&B mixed in for good measure. Think Lauryn Hill or early Queen Latifah.
Matt Black, former hometown hero now residing in Grand Rapids, will be swinging through fresh off of his triumphant opening performance for Del the Funky Homosapien. Rumor has it he may even bring a very Friendly MC with him to rock the basement.
Shneal is a local MC who has a foot grounded in two respective hemispheres, delivering both highly entertaining personal narratives and political aware manifestos. If Immortal Technique and Kid Cudi created a Funkenstein, Shneal would be the result.
Drama AKA Treason, perhaps best known for proliferating quality hip-hop music across the airwaves of WIDR, will be showcasing his own stellar Hip-Hop talents for the patrons of The Lodge. His music combines the political awareness of a Chuck D with a decidedly homegrown tint, speaking to both geopolitics and neighborhood injustice in the same breath.
Sista Mista will be hosting the evening, and the show starts at 9 o’ clock. Guests are highly encouraged to bring financial support for the artists via their merchandise. Respect the house with no defect, and come check out some of the best Hip-Hop Kalamazoo has to offer.
(Young Ghost will be unable to perform tonight due to a scheduling conflict).
Ever wonder what to do for Halloween? I don’t. I listen to music and go to shows. Occasionally I’ll dress up. Good thing I found an outlet for all of these extracurricular, all-hallowed activities–right in the vicinity of the Kalamazoo area. Like a damned miracle. Crawling into that inclusive concrete basement, pitifully preserving the tatters of my costume torn-up by the zombified Misfits-guitar player, I expect to be thoroughly covered in fake-blood, real-sweat, and unidentifiable Halloween goo.
I want the music to be heavy in the air as the fleshy lips groaning it out.
Grimey as whatever demon-oozed concoction of booze and perspiration slime has covered the supports beams of the questionably stable house.
Maybe I want to be both things, too. But that’s another matter. A festive fistful of groups are incorporating all the corporeal functions of the holiday in both costume and music, entertaining blissful escapism in the spirit of Halloween and gritty basement shenanigans.
Listen to the masquerading Misfits, and someone will tear out the Danzig face, then emblematically skull-bash the music right into auditory centers of the brain. Detroit’s Child Bite will be performing the procedure, with what can be assumed as a blood-gurgling tone that eventually curdles out of some heaving dark pit that got filled up with the bass-notes of Cage the Elephant or some other adequately psychosis/psychedelic fused induced rock-noise.
My description may not be perfect, so provided is actual music:
All for the continuing depravity and reckless behavior so attuned to show-going is Anybody But the Cops. The trio of instrumental-punk rockers are currently conquering the basement scene by blistering up a few 2 minute jams and skirting away before proper law-enforcement can nab them. One can only hope that eventually they will be stopped, before the lot of us are dragging ourselves through gardens of Miller 40ozs and fields poorly-costumed plaid to secure a fix of fuck-you induced fun.
I am trying to say they are addicting, fast, and out of control–and it might be fun to catch these shows while their sound is still developing.
But that is too easy. College interns should finish their upcoming DIT Session so viewers aren’t subjected to poorly lit rooms and questionable youtube videos to hear their music:
And if Rory Svekric wasn’t enough Rory Svekric for you, the Milhouser’s will be transmuting plasma sacrifices of party-goers to make a Rage Against the Machine reanimation for those too hip for underground music. Fuck you, don’t listen to what you tell me.
And who let Benji of Wearwolf, the Mushmen, and Lincoln Wars in on the show? Owes me shot of demon-rum for suggesting half of his musical genius. Surprises await, and with cohort Codi in tow, expect ultra-violence, or really anything because N0PARENTZ isn’t afraid of anyone, especially no parents. Or any musical explicative, because really the angst, sadistic humor, or plain insane zanity that is whatever Benji touches is sure to promote some sort of frothy, emotive response–ranging from raging to tearful.
Like the Reptillian? Bagheera is hoofing it to provide some “ex-tillian” entertainment. I can’t say much else. They’re new. Let’s be new together.
For those curious the event is at Milhouse tonight, temporarily converted into a musical hall of horrors where all the ears can be mutilated, devoured, or otherwise horrifically effected. Only in the most pleasant of manners, though.
Donation, respectful, and starts at 9 p.m. Tonight. Halloween.
Tomorrow night, the latest installment in a recent series of shows at the Corner Record Shop features three Kalamazoo artists, as well as a band on tour from Philadelphia.
Lost In Translation is a three-piece progressive/instrumental outfit that plays in town quite a bit. If you haven’t caught them yet, come prepared for technical, but contained compositions.
Eskimeaux, who you might have caught opening the first Already Dead Family Reunion After Party at Milhouse last month, features members of Br’er, who also played a set during the ADFR. This airy, verbed-out duo is led by the songwriting and vocals of Gabby Smith.
Chanical Fields is a young pop-punk group from the Kalamazoo area. This is their first time playing a DIT(k) promoted event.
Birdfingers will be performing solo at this event. If you aren’t familiar, this is Bennett Young’s songwriting project, who is part of the Double Phelix collective. Expect deep-voiced, Americana tunes eerily reminiscent of Bill Callahan.
The Corner Record Shop is located at 1710 West Main in Kalamazoo. The show starts at 9:00pm. Don’t forget to bring money, as there will be donations accepted for Eskimeaux’s gas tank and records at the store that you will want to purchase!
You have a lot of options for your Halloween weekend. I know. But there’s this little show going on at Shakespeare’s. It’s a hip-hop show. With rappers like…
Matt Black and MC Friendly. Many Kalamazoo music fans should recognize Matt Black as one of our former hometown heroes, and he’s coming back down from Grand Rapids with the talent and skills that have historically paid the bills. The years since his move have been nothing but kind, and the craftsmanship he brought to his unparalleled production and intellectually stimulating lyrics have aged like fine wine since the too-rare-to-die era. MC Friendly is a like minded spirit, and their collaboration is the local hip-hop equivalent to when peanut butter and chocolate slammed together to make those Reese’s Cups.
Nunca Duerma is a DJ from Chicago who will be repping with Grandoise. Nunca is one of those rare DJs who can combine a modern electronic sensibility with beats that are distinctly within the echelon of hip-hop. He has the ability to craft catchy backing tracks that taste somewhat like British Electro-Hop while maintaining percussion that borrows more traditionally from an early 90’s west coast palette. The combination is nothing less than delicious.
Dezert Eez are a local hip-hop trio whose talent was not at all unnoticed. Former WMU students, they are no strangers to sharing the stage with hip-hop legends, opening for such icons as KRS-One, Slum Village, and Inspectah Deck. They combine a didactic lyrical delivery evocative of Mos Def with recognizable sampling techniques that utilize classic R&B.
Oh, there’s also this guy named Del the Funky Homosapien. You may have heard of him.
The show is tonight at 9 at Shakespeare’s Lower Level (the venue formerly known as The Globe). Tickets are $15 at the door, $10 in advance, but be forewarned that they are selling out like flapjacks at a lumberjack convention.
DITKalamazoo 