Tonight, a newer DIY Venue in Kalamazoo is going to open it’s doors and try something that other DIY venues rarely attempt: There’s going to be an open mic at the Revolution Cat House.

If you play tunes, rap, spit poetry, break dance, or just plain get down and want a place to do it, then tonight is your night. the RCH is doing it right, with a full backline for drums, bass, guitars provided, and anyone who’d like to jam, groove, rock out, or perform some other abstract-yet-identifiable verb is more than welcome, and in fact encouraged, to. The fun starts at 8:30 and runs to 10:30.

At 10:30, though, the party really gets going. Brown Cow kicks it off, and they promise with all their hearts and souls to tear down the house, and probably the houses next door, too. Check out ‘Michigan’s finest Slacker Rock’, and get your led out.

Thanks to Pleasant Drive's Myspace

Then, at 11:30, Pleasant Drive takes off and rocks out until the cows come home. Or the Brown Cows go home. Whichever happens first. Either way it’s going to be a cool show and an interesting experience. DIY Open Mics, after all, are some of the best things ever.

Though this has nothing to do with DIT, it is a technical drawing of the gearbox from a Lotus Espirit. Courtesy http://lotusespritworld.com

The last few weeks have been rather slow for DIT, but that tends to happen after such slews of good shows as have been had in recent memory. It does give a chance for us folks to recoup and rally ourselves so we can go on in to the future in a fashion better suited to doing what we do best: Supporting local and DIY music and art.

We’ve made a few minor changes to the blog itself in the last few weeks. Namely, renaming a few key features to make it easier for first time visitors and everyday readers alike to use.  Hopefully this will make the act of locating shows and old articles that much easier to accomplish. Other improvements are also in the works, so stay tuned for those!

Courtesy http://inaustralia.org

DIT(K) Is also actively seeking out the use of other venues around town. Variety is the spice of life, after all, and it does become difficult for just a few part-time venues to handle every show that may pop up around this burg. Don’t worry about having trouble finding anything though: any new venue we start working with will be posted under the ‘Find a Venue‘ link at the top of the main page.

Finally, Already Dead Tapes and Records has made a running start, putting out Forget The Times’ new tape ‘Escape from the Planet of the Llamas’, thereby bringing their total product output to 4 releases by 2 bands. Those boys are adding new artists left and right, so if you’re in to slightly-off-kilter music, or if you have a slightly-off-kilter band that you think you’d like to make a tape with, check those boys out.

We’ll be keeping things more up to date as things crop up on dates, so keep checking back. There are some great shows billed already, and even more that are still in the works.

Courtesy Coma Nova's Myspace

Tomorrow night, The Strutt isn’t going to be the only place to weather the Midwest Snowpocalypse 2o11, but it is going to be one of the most awesome. That’s because 2010 Fight for the Tuna winners Coma Nova are putting out a new CD. Also, they’re gonna rock.

Coma Nova is a quartet from right here in kalamazoo that specializes in loud, distorted garage rock that will get your blood going in the best way. There’s a reason that these fellas opened for Lightening Bolt last October.

Joining them is technical rock monsters and also local yokels Pan. They play the tunes that melt the faces. I’ve seen these guys a number of times and they never disappoint. Not ever.

The Wrap will also make an appearance, just to mix everything up that much more.

The show starts at 8:30 pm, Coma Nova are playing two sets and the whole show is free. Plus, if you drop the 5 bucks to pick up their new album, they’re also throwing in a Coma Nova does The Cure disc for free. I don’t see any reason not to rock the Strutt tomorrow.

THE WRAP

It’s kinda grainy, but that’s Ackley Kid’s own Zach Smith circa 2006 belting out the street punk anthems with his old Flint-area band, the Harlequins. These dudes are gonna bring it all back for a reunion show at the Ant Hill tonight… get out your hair glue, plaid pants, and wallet chain, cause the streets is back. UP THE PUNX!

Also getting quite low and gritty will be punkers White Lightning and hip-hop spazz-ercise party monsters The Wrap. Show starts at 9ish.

“The Foghorn Stringband plays old time string band music deeply rooted in the American folk tradition. It’s a pre-copyright, post-bluegrass style, but the Foghorns put their own stamp on it… It’s a sound that could be coming to you from a big console radio in a 1930′s living room, or an Appalachian front porch; instead it’s being delivered by a group of players from the thriving old time music scene of Portland, Oregon.”

This all-ages show starts at 7 pm, doors at 6:30 pm.
Jamming and dancing to follow the set.

PRE SHOW WORKSHOPS:
Fiddle, Mandolin and Guitar workshops offered,
including a light supper at Redbud Farm.
Reservations: Call Marilyn Branch to secure a spot! 343-5280

About the Band:
http://foghornstringband.com/

Forget the Times will be celebrating the release of their first cassette ‘Escape From the Planet of Llamas’ at Louie’s this evening at 9PM.

Photo credit: Rob Atkinson

The tape is being release through upstart tape and vinyl label Already Dead Tapes & Records. Having personally previewed the art and listened to the recordings, it will be exciting to behold the final product.

Helping celebrate the release will be former Kalamazoo resident Problems That Fix Themselves, Skeleton Party from Grand Rapids, and Ypsilanti’s Divorce Party.

Problems That Fix Themselves is likely a known quantity for DIT readers, but it’s always good to have the now Chicago-based experimental/noise brainchild of Josh Tabbia back in Kalamazoo. Check out the video he recently put together for one of the songs off his newest release ‘Seconds’

Skeleton Party, who feature members of the Grand Rapids band Radiator Hospital, are no strangers to Kalamazoo, having appeared at the Fight For The Tuna. This foursome plays a brand of aggressively fast and noisy freak/garage rock that makes you pay attention.

Divorce Party, who dropped by the No Fun House last October, make their return for the show tonight. You’ll be plenty glad to catch their frenzied blend of mathematical  instrumentation and harsh noise. These guys use guitar and vocal effects like they were instruments all their own and it is an insane pleasure to watch live.

Come help the boys celebrate their new release. They’ll be letting the cassette go for donations and the show itself is only five bucks. It’s a hell of a lineup and probably worth missing Hawthorne Heights for.

Flyer by Josh Tabbia

Not a lot of folks that regularly play house shows receive praise for their work from  noteworthy figures like Howard Zinn and Tom Morello. Not a lot of folks are as hardworking and outspoken as Evan Greer of the Riot Folk Collective. Hailing from Massachusetts, Greer will be performing tonight at the Waffle House on Dutton St. along with Kalamazoo’s own Debra Romer.

The Peace Center of Kalamazoo will be sponsoring this event. Feel free to bring a few dollars to donate. The show will be starting at 8 o’clock.

The good folks at the Ant Hill have graciously offered up their living room for another cozy night of acoustic performances. Making this the first stop of a two week tour out to the East Coast will be Chicago’s Into It. Over It.

Credit: Dr. Dave Summers

This will be the inaugural visit to Kalamazoo for Evan Weiss, whom you may know from the many active bands he’s been a part of (The Progress, Damiera, Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start) or the ambitious project he undertook known as 52 weeks, which involved recording a new song every week for a year. Since then the ever-industrious Mr. Weiss, who records often as a full band but performs solo, has been working on releasing a series of split 7″ records with other Midwestern artists the likes of Castevet, Empire! Empire!, Everyone Everywhere, and Bob Nanna (from Braid!) & Lauren Lo. His latest release is a split 12″ with Koji.

Providing local support will be some of the best of the best of our town’s acoustic guitar-slingers. If you made it to the last acoustic night you will have caught Ian Miller, who returns tonight and will be joined by the equally fantastic Lisa Anderson. A man simply and mysteriously known only as Ashton, a resident of the Hill, will be performing. Kalamazoo’s favorite identical triplet folk team, the Almanac Shouters, round out the bill.

The music kicks off at 8PM and everyone is strongly encouraged to bring a few dollars to donate.

It’s here.  Friday, January 14th, 2011.  The release of Fiona Dickinson’s debut Strutt Records release, ‘Duende’.  Below this post you will find a review of the album.   The show at The Strutt (773 W. Michigan Ave in Kalamazoo, Michigan) is free.  Her CD will be for sale.  Minutes and Elk Welcome shall provide additional rockin’ beforehand.   Show kicks off at 9 p.m.  Get with it, yah’ll!