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
This Friday, March 30th, Victory House will be throwing another banger of a show. Creepy Band/Former Tenants/Shit For Brains/The Illegitimates will all be tearin it up. Show starts at 9 and there is a $5 suggested donation. Keep it spooky!
Another awesome show in the Victory House basement!! That’s Blood, The Reptilian, and George Costanza will be uppin’ the punx in support of Citycop who is on tour from Ohio. I’ve seen these guys a couple of times and they do not disappoint. Fast and melodic, in the vein of Thursday and Kidcrash. Definitley on the list of my favorite Midwest bands. Check out the jams here: Citycop.bandcamp.com
Heres a vid of them playing South Bend back in July.
March 23@Victory House, 9pm. Donations for the touring band, you got booz, you got bux.
Last week saw the end of the Strutt’s run in their location at the corner of Academy and W. Michigan. While there are plans in the works for relocation, the future of shows in the new location seems to remain up in the air. What this means, at least for the moment, is that we’ve once again lost an important music venue in our city.
I’m sad to see it go, as I know many are. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing a number of national acts right here in town, only two measly blocks from my house, that I wouldn’t have otherwise. I’ve attended countless performances by my good friends alongside touring acts from all over the country and beyond. In addition, the Strutt had personally become my favorite local venue to play.
As is the nature of things, spots where people can put on shows come and go, and generally all too quickly. The lifespan of a venue – be it in a basement, bar, or art space – is often a few years at best. Any establishment that hosts live music of this nature, on the kind of intimate scale that we appreciate, is going to be a constant struggle to maintain. But one thing will always remain and will be paramount to its success: the spirit of real community.
Without it, the Strutt would have been just a building, just a business. But hopefully everyone reading this was lucky enough to experience the kinds of things I have over the last few years: moments of honest joy, moments that moved me, that inspired me. Yes, it has less to do with the place itself or the money that goes into it than it does with the musicians that are a part of it, the friends that share in it with you, the people that make it happen. These things are universals in our little subculture world and are a testament to the power that music has in our lives, and the Strutt played a role in bringing this into our most excellent city.
While a venue may not be the most sustainable venture and will all too often meet a premature end, this spirit must continue to be nurtured. Thankfully, at present there is a multitude of places to see live music here in Kalamazoo and for us to gather together, and if you’re reading this article that much should be clear. While there were many aspects of the Strutt that were unique and beneficial, hopefully those can be recaptured in a new space sometime in the near future. Regardless, Kalamazoo’s music culture continues to thrive and will do so as long as we all stay involved.
If you think you are gonna skip this one to watch Monday Night Raw, then you are truly a fool. First off, its FREEEEEEE and secondly there are some rad touring bands coming to Kalamazoo on this night!
This upcoming Wednesday WIDR DJs Useless Eater, Rottweiler, and Jake are hosting BLANK, No Bails, The Wrap, and Coma Nova for your FREE listening enjoyment at The Globe. Come on down for music from 9 p.m. to closing time in the wee-small hours of the morning.
What is there to say about BLANK? Shrouded in mystery, there is only a single image of their possible front-man and rhythm boy-wonder. While they describe themselves as a mix between “rock, punk, and grunge” I like to think that they are an unknown force of good in this town, always ready to right musical wrongs like some sort of underground, garage-band Batman. Honestly, I have no clue what they sound like, so you should come listen to them Wednesday so you can finish this article.
Batman in front, rhythm-wonder in back. Maybe.
In studio the Wrap, self-described as “karaoke from the future,” sounds like someone is prying your old Gameboy apart with soldering tools and seeing how to make it squeal. The group lays down some heavy, buzzed-up synths, zombie-like vocals, playful raps, and samples that range from slowed down “Sister Golden Hair Surprise” to goat bleats. Live, they sound like someone hit that poor Gameboy with a hammer and put that sound through a voice modulator. This goofy group led by Gabe Hovey is worth a double-take.
With host DJ Useless Eater leading the No Bails “turgid rock” trio on guitar, one can expect a Ramones-esque punk smash. With vocals sounding more like a rock tumbler, this gravelly group will almost certainly rock if Mr. Eater plans to uphold his honor as WIDR DJ.
Multi-faceted alt rockers Coma Nova have gone through some changes as of late, but still provide an untamed and unpredictable live experience. Sounding like a powerful hangover one moment, pounding and roaring away, and radical, grody, surfer rock the next, there is always something to catchy to stomp your foot to within a Coma Nova performance. The group will be releasing their new album with the current line-up soon, and this will be a good opportunity to check out some of their new stuff.
Doors open up at 8 p.m., BLANK will be opening up the night at 9 p.m., followed by the Wrap at 10 p.m., No Bails at 11 p.m., and Coma Nova at 12:15 a.m. Afterwards, WIDR DJs Useless Eater, Rottweiler, and Jake will be spinning tracks until closing time, so by golly if you asked for music here you go. Oh, did I mention it was FREE?! No exceptions people, unless you’re under 21.
Monday, March 12th, Milhouse will be bringing you the finest in dark, experimental ambient sounds by way of local powerhouse Forget The Times, as well as two touring acts out of Buffalo, NY – Martin Freeman and T.J. Borden.
And as many of us in Kalamazoo are well aware, Forget The Times has an ever-changing cast, so you should check out and see what sort of set up they will have this time around.
The show will also include a potluck beginning at 7 PM, so if you can, bring a dish to pass and/or some money to donate to the touring acts.
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.
Hey guys, it’s Sam. I don’t usually contribute posts but tonight’s show is too good to pass up. So here goes:
Harley Poe has a special place in my heart. Singing about such delightful subjects as transvestites, cannibalism, zombie apocalypses and more of the strange horror and macabre that we all love, Joe Whiteford takes these dark subjects and puts delightful melodies behind them (a previous reviewer put it well: a mix between the Violent Femmes and The Misfits). You will wonder why you are walking around all day humming such frightening lyrics. The answer is: you can’t help yourself.
I’m excited to see the full band, who I have not seen yet. I can attest to how entertaining Joe and Christian are to see live. Joe’s dry humor and tiny stature are paired perfectly with Christian’s hearty laugh and impressive frame.
Homeless Gospel Choir has come up again and again as a band worth checking out and even better to see live. The lyrical content of Harley Poe and HGC are both full of wit and sharp humor pointed at society. Derek is also an impressive performer who can capture the room with his guitar and voice alone.
I would say that I love Lincoln County War even if the band members were not good friends of mine. Great lyricism and high energy are the highlights of this two piece band who explore dark themes in a raucous fashion. Sofia’s violin sweetly cries behind Benji’s strained and powerful voice.
Arms Akimbo is a long-time friend and fairly new transplant to Kalamazoo. They say that art comes from pain, and Topher Twiggs has broken my heart since the day I met him. The world is lucky that the kid learned how to play guitar and can write some decent lyrics.
I’m headed down to Milhouse around 9PM. Looking forward to hanging out in a living room and enjoying some solid acoustic acts.
Those searching for that sublime hum, those of the sit-down/tune-out persuasion, should meander on over to Louie’s Trophy House this Friday night. The Terminal Orchestra, an atmospheric ethereal multi-piece band from Marquette, MI, has paired up with wistful shoegazers Glowfriends and mistress-of-moody Fiona Dickinson, to reinstall winter melancholy before the snow all melts into the gutters.
The Terminal Orchestra is a 9-piece group out of Marquette with a symphony savory sound. Citing The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly composer Ennio Morricone as a main influence, these guys and gals are grandiose while remaining delicate.
Glowfriends are a bundle of mellowed out indie poppers with a sweet spin. Expect bubble-gum highs followed by lullaby-lows.
Fiona Dickinson, shame if you haven’t heard of her, plays as if howling out of the deepest depths of whatever hell that dared drag her bittersweet voice into it. Her cries are darker than a piece of chocolate cake at a funeral, and her teardrop voice just as much of a guilty pleasure.
Show starts at 9 p.m., costs $5, and y’all should be of the +18 age range.
Hey guys, it’s Sam. I don’t usually contribute posts but tonight’s show is too good to pass up. So here goes:
DITKalamazoo 