It’s safe to say that if you’re a fan of Kalamazoo music, you’ve probably seen the members of Overly Polite Tornadoes before, even if you hadn’t yet heard of OPT.

Overly Polite Tornadoes are two sixths of Kalamazoo’s shoegaze mainstays, Glowfriends.

Take a couple minutes and listen to OPT cover 20/20’s “The People in your Life”:

And if you like OPT, then you’ll probably also like Cardboard Highway, who is also performing tonight. Here’s a representative track from their Silverware EP:

Nathan K.  will be making the trek from Ypsilanti for this show as well, to play indie folk of varying tempos on a variety of topics, from intense relationships to the melancholy details of everyday life. Here’s the title track from his 2012 album “Dishes”:

Also rolling into Kalamazoo from westbound I-94 is Gifts or Creatures, whose Americana  tunes and cinematic soundscapes have been echoing through the midwest since 2010. Take a listen to “Relics & Ghosts” from their 2013 album Yesteryear Western Darkness:

Or better yet, have a look at this live performance of Woodrow, from the same album:

This all starts at 7:30 tonight (May 30th) at the Vine Neighborhood Association at 511 West Vine St (between Fourth Coast and Chenery Auditorium)

$5 suggested donation – all ages

Get directions / RSVP on Facebook

A buffet of upbeat local pop-punk and indie-pop bands are taking the stage at Shakespeare’s TONIGHT. Local yokels Kyckstands are reuniting to play the lower level with special guests ProConPro, Ghost Bunnies, Byjr., and, hailing from the deepest darkest recesses of Indiana, Lost Years.

This is the perfect type of music for a great night out at the bar. Also a great opportunity to see some amazing Kalamazoo locals, along with Lost Years which is a spunky Indie Punk Rock four piece.

Hey Pals! FRIDAY NIGHT there’s going to be a SHOW at Louie’s FEATURING THESE GUYS:

5 BANDS 4 PUNX

NO BAILS GOTTA NEW ALBUM

On May 19th 2014 at Louie’s Trophy House Grill in Kalamazoo, what you are going to experience is “an ass kickin’ bud whippin’ far out drop dead cool music from another solar system when the ancient gods still ruled the earth!”

Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. was founded by Kawabata Makoto, who serves as the antenna and amplifier of mind-altering psychedelic sound from around the cosmos. AMT has been touring the world since the 90s, inducing trance-like states in human minds, whether 100% sober or wildly chemically altered.

AMT’s music regularly contains long drone sections with spacey synthesizers slicing the atmosphere with a sharp glissando, twinkling grey noise, or a fiery low fuzz:

Sometimes the cosmic message comes in forms which require no electronics, or even instruments. In this 2013 performance in British Columbia, the group quiet their hands, and deliver an a capella section:

But it’s not all hookahs and rhythmic nodding – just a few minutes later in that same performance, a savage frenzy of shredded guitar, harsh synthesizer, crashing cymbals, and moon-patrol bass lines:

Coming along for the ride with AMT is “PERHAPS”, a band whose music not a divine message from ancient gods, but rather a carefully composed complex combination of jazz, progressive rock, classical, and noise. At moments, PERHAPS has technically precise but pleasing (almost jammy) guitar-riff driven sections such as this one near the start of their “Volume One” album:

For contrast, consider this chaotic-yet-sparse passage from later in that same piece:

But Kalamazoo is not just a consumer of experimental music! We are a supplier, and on that evening we’ll be supplying a healthy dose of driving rhythms, feedback, slow builds, phasers set to “wide sweep”, and windy atmospheric sounds, by Brown Company. If you want to cut straight to the badassery, see how hard Brown Company rocks on “Edwards” from their upcoming 2014 album:

If you want to see the details of how they arrived there, listen to the much longer “Tidal” from that same pre-release.

This 18+ show is getting started on Monday May 19th at 8pm at Louie’s, RSVP on Facebook to make your friends jealous!

Tickets are $10 in advance, or $12 at the door (if there are any left).

Making noise at Cooter Mansion with some local and regional bands.  The first of many shows to come this summer at the esteemed Cooter Mansion.  Bring your friends, bring your dads!

Featuring:

Dad Jeans                                                                       https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dad-Jeans/428123767313433                                           Some Funky kids from Gobles High School making Emo Punk music.  This is certainly not their debut to the DIT scene, they have been floating around like little cherubs for the past couple months making every man, woman, and child fall in love with their screamy punk filled arrows.  Talented well beyond their years, make sure you make it to the show to check them out.

Talvisota                                                                                                                                             Way neat mathy 2 piece featuring Aric Smejkal and Matt George making their debut at this show.  Born out of the rubble of the Dandy Chums.
https://www.facebook.com/TalvisotaKalamazoo

No Reason
From Plainwell, these kids got SPUNK.  Listen to their EP.  It will blow your mind that a couple of high school kids came up with this stuff.  Seriously what the hell.
http://noreasonplainwell.bandcamp.com/

Green River Company
The Green River Company is an Alternative Indie Blues Post-Garage Punk Revival band based out of Owosso, Michigan formed in June of 2013.  They made their Kalamazoo debut at Hullabazoo this year and they basically almost tore the place down.  Check em out.
https://www.facebook.com/TheGreenRiverCompany/info